A part of him thought maybe the dreams he'd had recently were affecting him. Another thought that the trouble he'd found her in since meeting her were enough indication that they should relocate. It had been on his mind for over a week and Jessica even seemed to catch him lost in thought the other day. He didn't disclose his feelings then, believing it was premature.
How could he talk to her about moving somewhere else when his survival had been mostly her generosity? Yet it had been over two months and Diego only learned daily how truly dangerous the Big Apple was, with or without powers. He also worried about how many people knew where they lived. Jessica had made it her headquarters and he couldn't help but think of the worse.
So after confirming a few job offers, Diego felt confident enough to offer a proposal. He came home with his duffel in hand and a suit he borrowed from Danny. Jessica might be surprised at his outfit but not the bag that he'd been keeping gear and clothing in, alternating between teaching at the dojo with Colleen, training with Danny and working security at Rand Enterprises or Harlem's Paradise.
The latter was the newest venture so he wouldn't have to take matches. Few things seemed to make Jessica tense but any mention of him fighting for money did just that. He'd spent time playing bodyguard to her when she was hurt which didn't provide an income although Diego considered it time well spent. Not only was he arriving in a suit but had their favorite Chinese take-out too.
"Lucy, I'm home!" he called playfully while unlocking the door and entering the apartment.
Things had been going along well between them. Suspiciously well, or maybe that was just her cynical nature chiming in to try to ruin everything. She'd healed up nicely, gotten back to work, and it was almost business as usual. Almost, because her usual hadn't used to involve another person in her home all the time. In her life. Certainly not to this degree. But she'd find herself trying to be home at times she knew he'd be, or picking up food she thought he'd like.
God, she found herself smiling sappily to herself in the middle of the day sometimes, drawing attention to herself by her stupid, lovesick expression. But it was hard to get worked up over it, especially when she'd been in line behind an older couple, looking off to the distance and thinking of what kind of sandwich to get him for dinner that night, then thinking of feeding it to him, from his lap-. She'd been jolted out of her daydream by the woman ahead of her turning to her and giving her the most knowing smile of all as she patted her arm. "Ah, I remember those days," she'd said, voice high but soft, and with a heavy Russian accent. "Trust me, devushka, it doesn't get any less. Only more."
The instinct to scoff had been lingering, but the intent behind the comment was just too damn genuine, and she'd found her cheeks pinking as she waited in line. She'd wound up getting them huge cuban's that she had indeed fed him from his lap. It had gotten messy. She grinned just thinking back to it.
That grin was still on her face while she sat at her desk, going over the last bits of information for a client about the goings on of their ex employee trying to claim workers comp. Unfortunately for the client, the guy had legitimately been hurt and wasn't trying to cash in beyond what he'd earned. The door opening and the phrase being said had her laughing, but she didn't look up from her laptop, still wanting to get it finished entirely before he distracted her. "I'm not a redhead and you're way sexier than Ricky. I'm also pretty sure you're not Cuban."
Maybe she didn't look up but she'd likely smell the familiar food he brought home. Diego stopped off in the bedroom to drop off his duffel bag before heading to her office aka the living room.
"At least one of us is sure," he quipped in return. Jessica wasn't wrong; he had shared Reginald Hargreeves had bought him in Mexico, not Cuba. Diego still used the opportunity to continue the banter. He set the food down on her desk. "How much longer are you gonna be?"
There was no rush in the question. He was deciding on going to get utensils and bring them to her or if they'd sit down to have the meal. Diego would start taking of the suit jacket and roll up his sleeves depending on her answer.
The smell of the food made her stomach growl, reminding her that she'd forgotten to eat lunch. "Not much. I just need to-," she broke off when he came over to the desk and her gaze flicked up at him of its own accord, but she paused and had to do a double take when she saw what he was wearing. "Oh. Um. Is there an occasion and I missed it? We're nowhere close to an anniversary..."
Her brain had short circuited. Diego looked good to her no matter what he wore. Especially when he wore his birthday suit. But dressed up in a suit with that look on his face? Nope. She was going to need a minute. A blissful smile melted onto her face and she pushed back from her desk. "I can be done now."
"We missed our two month anniversary but who's counting," he uttered through a wide grin. The surprise had been a positive reaction but Diego realized it might be a challenge to get her to focus on the serious discussion he planned on having. Or he'd have a hard time focusing with how she was looking at him.
He shook his head in objection. "You don't have to be done yet. You were in the middle of something. I can get the chopsticks and wait to talk until after." There was a nervous excitement she might pick up on as Diego tried to act casual but was failing miserably.
Instead of keeping eye contact, he opted to take off the few knives he strategically placed on his person without removing his suit jacket yet.
"I don't think I've ever done monthly anniversaries." She leaned back in her chair, letting her eyes skim over him all done up like a pretty present for her. She wanted to unwrap him. Oh yeah, it was going to be difficult for her to concentrate on anything but him- especially when he casually pulled out a knife from who knows where and started fidgeting with it.
That, more than anything, clued her into his mood. Tense. He was tense. But not in a bad way. Okay, so something was up. She chewed on her lower lip before she moved to scoot her chair back in towards the desk. "Not the middle. Near the end. Just wrapping up the details for the file. I can print it and deliver it tomorrow."
Her eyes were going to keep going back to him when she started typing, because... well. "You look nervous. Are you planning on telling me something I don't want to hear?"
There were times that he hated how well she could read him. As observant as he thought he was, Diego couldn't read Jessica to the level he felt that she could read him. Not that they had any major arguments over the discrepancy. It really didn't cause an issue other than him getting called out and missing the mark a few times on doing the same.
He set his knife down with a crooked grin and headed to the kitchen. "Does that mean you're staying in tonight?" he asked over his shoulder. It was a stupid question. She'd been staying in most nights, going out with him than alone since her injury. The question now to her was a stalling technique.
It might have been a bad call, possibly exacerbating any concern she had over what he might be up to. Diego hoped she wouldn't think the worst but didn't know how to recover from what she asked. He hoped it wouldn't be something she didn't want to hear but also could understand if she viewed it that way.
She'd hear him going into a kitchen drawer to fish out utensils.
"I was planning on it. Unless you're all dressed up because you want to get me to do the same so we can go out together?" Because like hell was she going to let him walk out the door looking like that without her.
Huh. There was that possessive jealousy rearing its ugly head. Not that she thought for an instant he'd do anything with anyone else. There was an inherent trust she had in him that she'd never had for anyone else. Not even Trish. They weren't the same person, Diego and Jess, but they were tied together through a bond that meant they fit together the right way. Two halves of a fucked up whole. But it worked for them and after having him touch her, after tasting him, the idea of letting anyone else even touch her made her want to retch.
So she trusted that he'd never do anything with anyone else. She just didn't trust the women he might run into in his jobs. They'd do things that he might feel uncomfortable retaliating against. She wouldn't, but... well. She'd enjoy it.
He rifled in the kitchen and, as he correctly guessed, she recognized it as a stall technique. But she wasn't in a rush. She could let this play out and see where it landed. She typed up the last of her report, glanced over it before saving it and then closed the laptop and leaned back in her chair.
"I'm not complaining. I like it. You look like something I want to take my time unwrapping. It's the nerves I'm worried about. Did you do something?"
"You wanna get dressed and go out?" he asked earnestly, surprised by what she said. Diego wondered if he had done her a disservice by not setting up a night out rather than showing up with her favorite food in a suit. The conversation he wanted to have would have worked well with a night out on the town.
Then again, he wanted to save what money he'd made to help make some major changes. His shoulders fell as he returned with the chopsticks.
"I just wanted to talk. We can go out." Diego shoved one pair of chopsticks in the noodles then the other set in dim sum. His dark eyes were bigger than usual, hanging on what she'd say on staying in or going out.
"We can go out another night. I don't think I'd do very well being out with you in that suit, anyway. I'd get too distracted and we'd wind up needing to get bailed out because I'd drag you into a bathroom or just throw you on top of a car."
He came back with the chopsticks and she reached out and grabbed the box with the noodles. "I'm more concerned with why you look like you expect me to be mad about something." Or upset. He was buttering her up, and she liked it. But she didn't like that he felt he had to to avoid a fallout of some sort. Whatever it was, they'd deal with it. But... well.
Now came a frown. The conversation was tanking. It was good to hear that she wouldn't be able to keep her hands off of him, not good that she immediately thought he might have something to say which would upset her. Unfortunately there wasn't a mirror to see Jessica was reading the room right. He made being anxious awkward.
"I don't know how you're gonna take it. What I wanna say." A beat. "Ask. What I wanna ask you." The words left him and Diego felt he was on the verge of stuttering. It almost sounded as if he was going to propose which if he'd had enough money for a ring, that had been a thought to do first.
He shook his head. "I, uh, it's not--I..." Diego swallowed thickly and shook his head again then forced out the question. "It's stupid. Forget it. I didn't think it through." His eyes stayed on the food but ultimately moved to slump into one of the chairs her clients would normally sit in rather than pick up a container.
"We should go out." His gaze lifted as he attempted to give her a confident look but only managed a feeble smile.
If he stuttered, it would break her heart. She set her box down and got up, coming around to the other side of the desk and physically lifting him in the chair up and turning it around so she could kneel down in front of him. A small show of strength (for her), but she wanted him to know how serious she was.
Her hands rested on his knees, her eyes looking up at him as she took in the nerves. The suit. The fidgeting. The defeat. She hated the latter the most. "Keep that suit and we'll dress up and go out another time. Tonight... I want you to say what you want to say. What you wanted to ask. You already know we're stuck together for life, so if you're going to propose, I'd hope to hell you wouldn't be this nervous about it. If it's something else?"
She gave his knees a very gentle squeeze. "Whatever it is, we'll talk about it and work it out, mi amor. But not asking is just going to have you thinking about it, me wondering what it is, and it's going to be a big fat wart on whatever else we do tonight. So tell me. Ask me. Please."
The lift didn't scare him or put him off. He had gotten used to the times she'd use her strength. It was merited. Diego was shrinking into himself. He continued to frown as she told him how foolish it would be for him to be nervous about a proposal.
"I don't have money for a ring yet. I'm not going to ask you to marry me and not have a ring."
A hand unbuttoned the suit jacket so he could bend forward.
"And I should ask you to marry me before asking you to move somewhere else."
There. He'd said it. Not that he asked her but what had been on his mind spilled out. Diego had spent half the day practicing to ask her, even being caught and looked at funny by Danny (who had told him that he was flattered but wouldn't chance Jessica kicking his ass).
"This place is your life before me. I saw it. I'm here now, it works but... " Hesitant eyes searched hers. "...I thought maybe we could find a place together. For the future."
"You know, that's not usually how it works..." Not that she was the grand arbiter of what worked best in healthy relationships. But moving into a place together often came before weddings. Then again, when was her life normal.
But that was just distracted mental talk to divert her from the real issue. The question. The ask. She rolled her eyes at him, leaning in and tipping her head up so she was between his knees, head tipped all the way back so she could smile up at him when he leaned over her. "You're cute when you're being a dummy."
It was what he said about seeing her life that clicked it for her. There was a variety of ghosts in this place. Hope. Reuben. Moments where her heart had wanted to lean into someone like Luke or Oscar. She'd been thrown through more than one wall, almost died here at least once... She could see how that could sit poorly with him. One of those in a place with his memories would piss her off. All of the above?
Again, he reminded her of a big cat. He wanted to get her away from a place with all the reminders and scents of past mates and pains. To make their own den. She lifted up a little and gave him a soft kiss. Barely a graze of her lips against his, her eyes closing as she just breathed him in. "Why don't you tell me about this future you've got your eyes on?"
He didn't have the faintest clue on how it worked other than in books and movies. Sadly, he never even had a conversation with Allison when she got hitched other than agreeing to go to the wedding and the details of where it was and where he needed to pick up his tux. Sir Reginald Hargreeves wasn't one to share stories either, only alluding to being widowed.
Yet her response didn't make Diego feel worse, he respected what Jessica educated him on. It also made it better that she called him cute. The kiss was a final push to getting him to calm down which worked perfectly for what she asked him.
"Us. Somewhere that nobody is trying to kill you. Where you don't have reminders of all the shitty things that you've had to deal with. A place that has some room for more." He caressed where his hand reached on Jessica, a balm for him as much as it might be for her.
The idea of having a family was something he secretly wanted but never truly knowing when it would be possible. He didn't want to end up like Allison, losing a custody battle. Relationships didn't last but he'd found his soulmate and couldn't help giving that some thought.
She sat up a bit more on her knees, moving so that her head was more even with him as she sat there. She kissed him back, then rested her forehead against his. Anyone else would have called it nuzzling, but she was a hardass, so she wouldn't- for now. She did, however, lean into the way he touched her, opening her eyes for a moment and seeing the scar against the side of his head, a reminder of a close call. She kissed it, then drew back enough to look at him. "I'm one of the freaks, Romeo. Someone is always going to put the blame for something that happened to them or a family member by some incident or another on me. Or be afraid I'm contagious. Or just afraid. I have roots here, sort of. I have a job I'm not shit at, contacts. Support for both of us if we need it."
But that wasn't what he was really asking. Not when he had that soft tone, when he made that future wish. "But... that doesn't mean I'm tied to this building. Or even this area of town. It's cheap and it was available. And for while I needed it, it did what I needed it to do."
Her hand came up to let her finger curve along the edge of his ear, tracing around it before she moved back a bit, letting her hands smooth down the jacket. "I like the idea of new things. For us. I like that I have someone I want to make plans with."
Not everyone had been a fan of the Umbrella Academy. Kids can be cruel and they were to Ben and Klaus whose powers were on the scary side. Nobody was stupid enough to pick a fight with Allison or Diego and Luther was too much of a goody-two-shoes to get baited into a fight when their father was alive. Only Diego had the power of picking a fight with Number One.
It took a lot of discipline not to stand up for Ben or Klaus when they were called names. The kids didn't have to contend with getting bullied at school but when they were out for public events, Diego often would get in trouble for losing his temper. His stutter also had made him a freak. He couldn't stand for anyone calling Jessica one.
"You're not a freak. People are assholes."
He simmered and listened to Jessica go on. She had valid points on the rest and it felt like he'd made a bad call until she took a breath. It was as if saying things out loud had put them in a different perspective for her. Diego relaxed to where she wouldn't feel any tension if she leaned against him.
"I can put in the work. On a new place. I even agreed to work for Luke so it'll be 3 jobs I'll contribute with. 4 if I give private classes at the dojo." The puppy dog look was in full effect, hopeful that Jessica would truly consider leaving the one bedroom in Hell's Kitchen.
He could use that look for so much evil. She would merrily go traipsing into a lot of things for that look. It was his eagerness she needed to rein in, his willingness to throw himself entirely into what he thought she needed or wanted, when all that mattered to her now was him. "Please don't. For a variety of reasons, but for the most selfish one being that I want to see you and be with you, and that's going to be hard if all you're doing is working. We're a team now, Diego. We're supposed to do this together. That means," she said, chiding him as she slid her hands up along his thighs, then used her grip to lever herself up to her feet, where she held her hands out for him to stand with her if he wanted to, "that to work together, you need to talk to me. I know the gist of your past, but not all of it, but I don't know what could make you feel like you couldn't just come tell me that this place didn't feel good for you, for whatever reason, and you wanted to find something that did. Together."
It hurt a little, but she shoved that aside, because this moment wasn't really about her. He'd gotten himself dressed up, then worked up over just the thought of asking her something. It hurt that he felt he couldn't just ask her, but those glimpses into his past hadn't shown a lot of healthy opening up. Not that her own had been much better, but his lack of... confidence, if that was even the right word, about himself and his worth and how much stock he had with her in that regard... She really wanted to kill his dad. "This place doesn't exactly hold a lot of great memories for me. A lot of blood and ghosts, sure." Kilgrave had been here. Some part of her thought she was taking it back by staying, but maybe that's why his voice was always able to find its way to hiss into her ear.
Putting herself in his shoes, she tried to see how she'd feel about moving into a place with him where he'd had past lovers over. Where he'd rolled around with them in the bed they shared. Where memories of them lingered. Diego would feel a thrum of jealousy tremble along that bond. Oh, yeah. She could definitely understand why he'd asked. Just not why he was so nervous. "Did you... did you think I'd be mad about it? Mad at you?"
He stood up when she had, slipping his arms around her as if they were going to slow dance. There was a vulnerable look on his features that Jessica might have seen before. It was one previously reserved only for Grace. He feared rejection and disappointing his soulmate.
Yet he understood her response. It was fair and nothing she hadn't already said. More than that, Diego didn't disagree with it. However, there were two sides and he had a difficult time explaining himself which worsened as Jessica voiced a quiet disappointment.
"I am," he protested just as quietly. It took him a second to continue, awkward and anxious over being called out. "Trying to talk to you. I..." Diego swallowed thickly. Slowly, he picked up his gaze and gave her a pleading look. "I'm not from here. What right do I have to want you to pick up and leave?"
She said what he'd felt and couldn't get into words. "There's a whole life you've had here. A lot more pain than happiness but it's still your place. I don't wanna keep going to the past but I don't know how to talk about a future." Diego had nearly given up on having one before his world ended. Now it was all he thought about after meeting Jessica.
"I didn't think you'd be mad. It was more... you might not take me seriously. I'm not bringing much to the table so why would you. I wanted to show you that I'm bringing something to the table. That's all." He hadn't gotten to worrying about her safety or dealing with disgruntled clients or exes.
"You-," she cut off, looking at him with an expression of such sadness, she felt the tears pricking her eyes. She closed them, then did the only thing she could think of doing in that moment that would cut through whatever pain he'd been through. That could get past all the barbs and jibes and digs he'd suffered through growing up. Through all the people that had failed him so poorly. She focused on that bond between them. On the links that wound through her into him, that vibrated with every intense thing they felt, every pain and joy, and she sent him love. She focused on what she felt every time she looked at him, and she forced it down into that bond until it didn't just hum with it, it shook.
"I love you," she said, voice soft as she opened her eyes, "but I want to smack whoever made you think that you don't bring much to the table. You bring you, Diego. You bring me my other half. God, you bring me love, and I didn't think I'd ever have that. And you think asking me to move is wrong? That you don't have a right?"
Her hands cupped his face, those tears shedding slowly as she looked at him. "I have no future without you, Diego. I have nothing without you. This might not be the world you were born into, but have you ever thought that maybe it's the one you should have been? That something stole you from it? If you matched with me here... maybe this is just as much your world as mine. So, let's make it our world."
His heart sank as water started collecting in her eyes. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted. The possibility of it alone had been what kept him on the fence about saying anything. Now he clearly had and Diego nearly wished he'd kept his big mouth shut until she opened her eyes and spoke.
The tears weren't from something he did to her, it was empathy over how he viewed himself. A burden. Disappointment. Not enough. She'd told him that she loved him and he never doubted she meant it but he really didn't believe he could be loved. Tears rolled down his cheeks, dampening her hands on his face.
"I love you." His voice sounded hoarse with emotion, cracking slightly. "I belong wherever you are. Okay?" It was the best he could string together in agreement. No one had ever made any declaration the way Jessica had. How many times had he felt someone else was the world to him, only to never have it reciprocated? Enough times that he lived a life in the shadows.
Jessica brought him out of the darkness and into a world he only dreamed about. Talking in an emotional state was something Diego had never been able to do. He would make an effort to talk when emotions weren't so raw. She deserved that much. In the moment, he dipped his head to capture her lips and pour everything into a kiss if she allowed him.
Did she want to say more? Always. She'd keep telling him how much he was worth every day until it sunk in. But she'd seen that stuttering image replay in his mind over and over in a lot of flashbacks and she knew how hard words could be for him. So she slid her arms over around his shoulders, leaning into him as he kissed her.
Well, clearly she had two full time jobs now. One was being a P.I., and the other was rebuilding the self esteem that should have been built by the people who'd taken him in. She might not fully get the whole robot mom thing, but Grace's image had a light behind her in his memories and she was going to stop even thinking of the bot as a walking toaster. Grace had been... well, his saving grace. Machinery or not, she owed the memory of who she'd been to Diego more than flippant thoughts.
So she kissed him and kept sending as much of herself through that bond as she could. She adored him. Hell, she hadn't been able to give up drinking for Trish. Or herself. It wasn't even that she gave it up. She just... didn't need it when she had something in her life that made it worth waking up for. Maybe that's what she'd been missing. She kissed him and held him, then, with wet still on her cheeks, she mumbled against his lips, "Where'd you get the suit from? It's nice."
He liked that she was the talker between them but also worried in time, as it had in the past, that he'd wear her down. Jessica seemed more understanding and patient than any of his past relationships. She was also his soulmate. Diego believed what she told him; maybe this was always where he was meant to be. Maybe he'd get better in time and break the chains of his past.
There was more than words from Jessica. Her devotion didn't go unnoticed by the change from her drinking and even smiling. She was happy which wasn't often in the memories he saw since she'd lost her family and one relationship after another. It was why Diego found it so important to keep her happy because it was also the happiest he'd ever been.
A hand had cupped her cheek and he wiped some of the dampness from her cheek, breathing her in after the kiss for a second before responding. "Rand. We're about the same size. Ward keeps adding to his closet and Danny doesn't want them. I'm just a shoe size bigger but fortunately there was a pair that ran big. There are a couple of more suits, even a pair of suspenders, in my bag. In the bedroom."
He should probably get those out so they didn't wrinkle but Diego was happy where he stood with Jessica and didn't move. His hand moved off of her face and wrapped lightly around her frame.
Eventually she'd get him to figure out that past relationships didn't matter. Not anymore. The women who'd barely loved him and left him had been idiots. The people that had seen him as a thing and not the man he was... well. People were fucking assholes.
He wiped away some of that wetness and gave her a look that felt like he was squeezing her heart from the inside. His inability to see his own self worth made her heart break. It made her hate the people that had been in his world that had put that there. "We can get you shoes, if you want. But I like this on you. You wear it better than Rand."
Her fucks about his wrinkled clothes were up there with his, and when he touched her, she just leaned into him, resting her head against his, swaying a little with him as if there was music somewhere that gave her a reason to.
"I'm good with this pair." They were a little tight but Diego learned a long time ago from his father that good leather would form. In truth, he couldn't help but feel like she didn't need to pay for everything that he needed. ...He needed to stop worrying that she'd get fed up with him like every lover before her.
It wasn't as if he could imagine getting tired of Jessica. There were a few relationships, including his last, where he held feelings that just weren't returned. She didn't give him that notion regardless of how new their relationship was. Diego exhaled calmly through a soft smile.
"I think you're just not used to seeing me wear something that isn't black," he teased while moving to the imaginary music. The suit was light gray with a blue button down underneath and a tie that matched the suit. Black leather shoes and a black leather belt rounded out the outfit that he was ready to get out of for the night.
"I like you in black. You pull off the whole dangerously sexy thing well. But grey's nice too..." She smoothed her hand down the lapel, moving with him as they swayed. The tension that had been in him since he'd walked in the door was gone, and they were just there. The two of them. He looked at her and she swore she actually could see love there.
Diego made her feel things that she'd long since given up hope on. It wasn't just the love, it was the acceptance. He looked at her and didn't find things he wanted to change about her. He wasn't trying to fit her into some idea in his head of what she should be. He saw her and loved her anyway.
Her fingers wrapped around the tie, giving a light tug on it. "You always look pretty to me."
His eyes stayed fixed on hers with an occasional glance down to her lips. He found himself questioning what she could possibly see in him when Jessica met him with looks that left nothing to the imagination. Being wanted was all he'd ever dreamed of but could never find a voice to say and she seemed to know it on a level that no one else had. Not even Grace.
"Glad to hear it." The feeling was conveyed in his tone and his gaze. Diego wrapped his arms a little more snug around her. "You're always beautiful to me. I don't want to ever know what it's like to spend a day without you." He nuzzled the tip of his nose at the end of hers.
The silent music continued and he kept leading Jessica in the slow dance.
"Not one day, huh?" She was smiling as she said that, nudging his nose back with hers before she turned it into a soft, grazing brush of her lips to his. She was beginning to understand the phrase 'falling in love' because of him. Being around him had her feeling like she was constantly in the air, falling, flipping, but there was absolutely no fear about it because he was with her. He'd catch her. Or she'd catch him. Either way, it was clear by that look on his face that she wasn't the only one feeling that consuming flame that flickered between them.
"Wanna go look around for a bit tomorrow for some place for us?" Concessions. She could make concessions for him. She could change things that weren't important to cling to for him to make him feel like he fit in her life. Because as of that moment they'd touched, she had no life without him.
"I can barely get through half a day, definitely not a whole one."
The closeness had soothed all the anxiety he'd been riddled with that day, worried about demanding too much and changing her life even more than he already had. She didn't need to suggest they look for places so soon but Jessica would see him light up at the offer like a kid on Christmas morning.
Not that he knew what those Christmases were like outside of movies. That might change with the new universe he belonged to.
"I'll even wear the suit and tie again," he offered while continuing the slow dance. "I've got a few more you can choose from." Diego might have to figure out how to hold up his end of the bargain on the jobs he signed up for but would do whatever it took to keep Jessica happy.
"I like you in jeans. They show off that very nice ass you have," she answered, smiling at knowing that he meant every word of what he said. About not wanting to go a whole day, about being willing to dress up again. He wasn't the only one. The thought of not checking in with him at least once during the day didn't sit right with her, which considering her normal track record with anyone close to her, was kind of laughable. She'd gone months without talking to Trish. Days, if not weeks without talking to Malcolm, and that was only because he was so close to her business. Not talking to Diego at least once a day would send her into a tailspin.
It didn't hurt that she woke up with him every morning. Both of them tangled up together, one wrapped around the other, or both facing each other and wound together. Things she found too clingy with anyone else, she decided worked best with him. No, she wouldn't be able to go a whole day without him. She also wouldn't be able to sleep properly without him anymore. He'd become her substitute for alcohol. He stood between her and the worst of her nightmares. There was no room for Kilgrave or her past when he was touching her.
"You got something in mind? For a new place, that is. Just a home-home, or a place where we can do stuff for work and whatever?"
That compliment prompted him to grin widely but drop his gaze, smiling shyly for a fleeting second before returning a quip. "Here I thought your favorite was me naked but jeans would probably be a better idea if we're in public." Diego was a sucker for getting Jessica to smile and was also well aware of her jealous streak (which he liked more than he put into words).
"I think we keep home and work separate so me walking around naked for you doesn't have the chance of an accidental audience," he concluded with his grin shifting to a smirk. "Maybe we can find something with office space downstairs and an apartment above it?" Diego wasn't sure if that would be affordable or more expensive.
Depending on where in the city they looked, it was doable. Brownstone living would be perfect, but that would be way above either of their budgets. Didn't mean she couldn't look at warehouses that were converted to working and living spaces. Knowing a bit of what he wanted would help her narrow down where they looked. Probably closer to the docks. Closer to the edge of the living part of town and more into the working part. She was okay with that. "As long as you agree to walk around naked in it, I'm happy to facilitate finding a place where you'll do that."
They were still swaying, shuffling feet, staying close together as she lifted a hand to play through the very short, bristly strands of hair at the back of his head. Finger pads got tickled, and nails tickled back. "If you're okay with living in a basement of a gym, I'm hoping you'll be okay with a converted warehouse. It can be set up so part of it can be an office for me, and the other part can be a gym or training area for you. The upper part can be where we do all those devious, naked things."
"I like how you think," he commented in response to her idea about a converted warehouse. His fingertips lightly raked where they reached at the small of her back, still leading the silent slow dance. He enjoyed the scratch of her nails and mimicked the touch unconsciously.
His mind thought of the space being one they could live comfortably in and plan for a future. "So you'll be walking around naked too. I think a nice big walk-in shower but also a tub we can soak in. Then a big bed we can... sleep in." Among other things. The unsaid insinuation was heavy in his gaze and drop in octave when he spoke.
She let out a snort, but she was grinning as they shuffled, and he had that tone that dipped down and made something low in her belly tighten, then flip. "I could be talked into forgetting to put something on when I wake up. A big bed, huh?"
Jess was already starting to mentally pick out places she'd seen that weren't that dissimilar. What would work best, what wouldn't. A lot of warehouse conversions had basically an entire open floor plan, so that gave them a lot of space to work with. To piece together how they wanted in a way that worked best for him. She already knew that there'd be a section, if not a whole wall, dedicated to targets and knives. The fact that he wanted a tub to soak in had her smiling, glad he was thinking of indolent things, things he wanted, so she could get a better picture.
He was relatively sure he'd do anything to get her to smile. Seeing Jessica light up had become a favorite thing, enough to have made him anxious a whole day over having a necessary conversation. All that anxiety had melted away and seemed like ancient history as they swayed to talk of their new place.
"A bed sunk into the floor? Personally, I like having height for leverage." He obviously was no longer thinking of just sleeping and didn't think about the tub as an option, having only ever seen traditional bathtubs. Diego pictured the upstairs solely for them but would have a small number of knives along with easy access to his full arsenal downstairs.
Maybe a defunct fire station would work if there was a way to baby proof the pole. Not that his mind ventured past the converted warehouse or the question of 'sunk' or 'raised'.
"There's loft conversions. Converted warehouses and lofts are hoity toity in Brooklyn and near the Park, but if we find something bigger and closer to the water, it'll likely need more work to put into living condition, meaning a better price." See? She was thinking ahead. Planning for funds that they could use wisely. It was a first for her. She didn't have a 401k or life insurance. She had been clinging a lot to her existence as just being there and trying to make it day to day.
Since he'd come into her life, she found she had plans. Dreams. A want for the future. "Loft or raised bed, then. We could have a bathroom inset that has a walk in shower and then a soaking tub. Maybe we can talk to Danny about having some of his nerds come in and tech up a few things under the guise of you being more accessible for any work he needs or for me to be able to store things like that whatever we dug out of me. Make it sound like it's to his benefit." Hey, Danny was mind numbingly rich. And generous. She'd make sure that she did enough for him, or let Diego give enough of his time to him to make them both feel comfortable that it was paid back in barter. Making fun of the younger man was one thing, but taking advantage of him wouldn't sit right.
"Danny," Diego repeated with a nod while pensive. He listened to what Jessica said, wheels visibly turning in his head. It was exciting to think of a real place with her. A place he'd share with only her and whatever their future would hold. He'd no longer only have a room to call his own or no longer live in a place that his soulmate had traumatic experiences.
Number Two had tilted his head to a side, his eyes looking in the distance as if peering into the past. He wouldn't ever want a big house like the Hargreeve Mansion. A house filled with many things yet empty and cold. While a warehouse might give an industrial feel that could be considered the very thing he didn't want, Diego only felt the opposite with Jessica. He knew he'd work off whatever Danny helped them with.
"Rand can take care of the bottom floor and we can focus up top. The bottom would cover work and security of the whole place. Upstairs, just us." He quickly looked at Jessica with a bright, happy gaze.
"Just us," she agreed, fingers still tickling through his hair. She watched him take in the idea, mull it over, then saw when his gaze sharpened back on her. Those pretty dark eyes drew her in, and she found herself leaning in to give him a kiss, humming happily. "Probably best not to wear the suit for that. Some of them might be scrungy, and if you wear anything from Iron Crotch's closet, they might think we have more money than we do and try to fleece us. I'd prefer to underbid. And be sneaky."
They still swayed, but it was slower, more just a shadow of before as she brought her hand up to draw a line on his chin with her thumb. "We'll figure out what works best for us."
He enjoyed the soft kiss; both the contact and the happiness Jessica conveyed in it. Diego hummed back appreciatively. He chuckled softly at her attempt to save them money by running a game on the contractors. "I can just practice knife throwing and you can show them your skills at demo while we get the bid. Pretty sure they won't try to rake us over coals."
His forehead gently leaned in and rested against hers while still fixed on her gaze. "You know, we might be able to do a lot of work ourselves." He wasn't the handiest of handymen but Diego did get by fixing a few things at the gym to earn his keep along with sweeping floors.
She snorted. "There's a reason that holes stayed in these walls until Malcolm got around to fixing them." One, she didn't care, and two... well. She also just didn't care. But it had been a long, long time since she'd had a place she'd feel anything special about. Kilgrave had ruined whatever happy memories she had in relation to her childhood home along with this place.
A place for just them? A place where they could make a whole bunch of new memories, ones not tainted by all the screaming skeletons in her closets... The glee she felt in that idea should have told her how much she needed to get away from ties to her old, painful memories. "There's Youtube tutorials. And Malcolm might pitch in. I can definitely take care of any walls that need to be demoed."
She hadn't realized how dark her life had been before he'd come in and shone his little light around. Until he'd given her a reason to want things again. "Our food's getting cold." Not that she cared. She could stand here swaying with him for hours.
"YouTube tutorials?" Diego shook his head immediately after. "I need one just to work YouTube." There was a crooked smirk on his features, slightly sheepish over his lack of skill with technology in his newfound universe. "I'm sure the library has an aisle for Do It Yourself books."
He didn't mind if any of her friends lent a hand but would rather use them as a last resort, determined to put their own stamp on the place. Home. Diego had always wanted one. The mansion might have held all his early memories but it never felt like a safe place that a home should be. His only happy memories were all overshadowed by dark ones.
"Yep, let's eat." Diego gave a wide smile and slipped his hand into hers, leading her to the kitchen table. The suit jacket was shrugged off of his shoulders after a hand undid the buttons in front. In one fell swoop, he slipped out of the outer garment and let it hang on the back of the chair. He remained in the button down dress shirt, tie and dress pants.
Jessica was likely used to him pulling her onto his lap rather than sit in separate seats and this time was no different.
"It's not that hard once we get you started. You'll be Youtubing everything." It still sometimes threw her that he was so behind on things she took for granted, but that was also a quiet little joy for her. Introducing him to things that could make things easier for him. That they could both enjoy. Maybe she wouldn't be the only one sitting up at night, sucked down the Youtube hole of watching a guy in the amazon making a village with a stick.
He moved fluidly, and she always enjoyed the show. The sweep of the jacket off his body, the way he moved like it was a dance. He pulled her into his lap and she laughed, but went willingly, settling in on what was fast becoming 'her' spot. Her arm went around the back of his shoulders, her fingers playing at the back of his head. So quickly, this man had swept into her life and brought her joy. Gave her something she thought she'd not only lost, but would never be allowed to feel again.
Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his, her other hand coming up to rest on his cheek as she kissed him. "I love you."
He chuckled softly, finding the frequent use of electronics still something completely foreign. Yet he appreciated it after Jessica called him when she’d been hurt. Diego’s heart belonged to her but he couldn’t help think of how that technology would have saved Eudora’s life, his mom’s and maybe the world in his original timeline.
Sadness in his past seemed like a faint memory with Jessica in his arms. He grinned lovingly into the kiss. “I love you back,” he murmured and returned the contact a little deeper. Diego kept a possessive arm around her as the opposite hand sat on her leg. He pulled back from the kiss and bit his lip for a second before concluding, “Dessert after dinner. Need the calories for all the celebrating we're going to do.”
His hand moved from her leg and started unpacking the takeout.
"Spoilsport." But she got a grin as she watched him start to unpack. "You know, there's nothing in the rulebook that says I can't have my dessert while you eat your dinner." Yep. She'd made that stupid innuendo and she was going to stick with it. She gave a slight wiggle on his lap, but she reached for one of the takeout containers. "I think I like your roll a lot better than these ones."
It was that look he gave her after he'd kissed her that put her in that impish mood. A mood she thought she'd lost a long time ago. Diego was bringing back a lot to her life that she'd thought she wasn't allowed to have anymore. The only thing she regretted was that Trish wasn't here to meet him. Jess had a feeling that Trish would actually approve, and that felt good somehow.
Of course, the fact that he kissed her like he wanted to devour her might have something to do with how quickly she got turned on around him, but that was hardly her fault.
"So now I'm your favorite takeout?" he asked through a husky chuckle. Jessica would undoubtedly rile him up by merely existing and any attention she gave him. As happy as he was, there was a wounded part of him that feared to believe in a future. It was what prompted him to work toward it rather than wait around to be thrown into another universe.
This was his. He was hers. Nobody could take him from a life that they couldn't easily find him. A husband and father? Diego was sure not even his mother would believe that. He believed it would make her proud while scared shitless over messing up and ruining what he had with Jessica. Yet the latter didn't seem possible. Not after the conversation they had tonight.
"When you were a kid, what did you wanna be when you grew up?"
The question was not really out of nowhere. He wondered if she liked what she did for work or if maybe Jessica had dreams of a different life.
"You're my favorite everything, Diego. I'm going to find a way to make you remember that." She leaned in and gave him another soft kiss, because he was there and she could.
"Not a P.I., that's for sure. But I kinda fell into it. I was good at being nosy and shit at doing nine to fives. The amount of middle age managers that I scared the piss out of while trying to smile and play nice is more than it should be on just attitude." She scared them. She'd tried to play good, tried to color in the lines like everyone else, be as normal as a person who wasn't could be.
Dipping into the box with her chopsticks, she picked up a bundle of noodles and moved to hold them up to his mouth. Things she liked doing; feeding him. She liked taking care of him. She knew he'd either been ignored growing up or felt he had to do the protecting. So when she could, when it wouldn't hurt his ego too much, she fussed.
"I don't really think I thought about growing up and being anything. Sometimes I might have wanted to be a musician. Or a journalist. Or... I don't know. Kid stuff. After the accident, I just tried to make it from one day to the next. Turns out, I don't do people very well. Or, they don't do me. I just don't have the capacity to keep bullshitting everything's okay when it's not. And I won't sit there and take the blame for some manager's fuck up, or be told I can't have a human life because I work in a box."
If her goal was to get Diego to smile bashfully, Jessica succeeded. Words evaded him but she initiated a soft kiss that he happily returned in acceptance of what had been said.
She started to answer his question while giving him something to eat. It was more than comfortable, almost second nature when they were together. Being with Jessica opened his eyes to what it was like to be really cared for. Cliche or not, he never knew love like that before.
Her response made him think. Jessica was the first person who he'd ask the question to that didn't have an immediate response. He thought about his upbringing and how what he wanted to be was more about what his father wanted him to be. The soulmates both had to grow up fast in different ways.
"So do you wanna stay a PI?" he asked as she took a bite. "Seems like a good fit. Maybe instead of people cheating, you can help them find missing people. The shit cops don't have time for. Or don't make time for." There were reasons why Diego didn't make it through the police academy. The main one was having to follow someone like his father who had an agenda and no real desire to help people.
Diego also couldn't help want to make their world safer, even if he truly believed Jessica was able to take care of herself.
"I do that too. There's just more cases of people trying to catch cheaters. Or needing proof they aren't. I've had missing persons cases. Insurance fraud. Court paper service. So far, it's what works best for me. I can put in my own hours, I'm my own boss, and it turns out, I'm pretty good at getting to the bottom of things." Maybe that came from so many years of never knowing all the answers. All those questions about what happened, what she was, her family...
She watched him eat, then leaned in and licked a bit of sauce from his lip. "What about you? You can be something here, Diego. Danny can always work his rich boy magic and whirl you up some papers to make you legit here. If he won't, I know people. So we get you an ID, make you unkickoutable, and then what? Do you want to take any classes? Any goals on what Diego Hargreeves wants to be? You don't even have to keep the same last name, you know. Diego Sexypants would work." She teased because she could, but she hadn't really asked him about how he felt about his given name. How he felt about ties to that man that hadn't done anything good for him.
It was difficult not to interject that she could stick with helping people instead of getting in the middle of someone screwing...literally. Yet it wasn't a subject he needed to push at the moment. Jessica also distracted him by leaning in to lick the corner of his mouth.
"I'm not already someone here?" he couldn't help but ask. Jessica knew where the defensiveness came from and hopefully wouldn't be offended. "Could always take the name Jones." His dark eyes started intensely into hers. They looked away for a second. "But I should keep Hargreeves if my brothers or sisters show up."
"You're the most important person here." She set the sticks down and moved her hand to trace around the edge of his eye, then under it. Dark. Such dark, pretty eyes, and they looked at her with all these feelings that she'd thought were bullshit. You couldn't tell what someone felt by their eyes-
Yet here she was, looking at him and seeing this whole orchestra of emotion play out there. "You could, if you wanted to. Diego Jones doesn't sound so bad." He mentioned his siblings and there were mixed feelings there. Siblings that held a long of tangled emotions, but it wasn't as if she didn't understand. Trish and her weren't related by blood, but by trauma and living under the same roof. "But I meant what do you want to do, papi? 'Making me ecstatic' isn't a financially sound employment plan." There was a grin there, then she gave him a quick kiss before she gathered more food to feed to him.
Whatever tension might've risen had quickly fallen as she immediately answered that he was the most important person. He was sure only his programmed version of a mother had ever thought that about him, if she could even actually think. Diego might never let go of Grace as his mom. She was the only light in a childhood of darkness. However, Jessica was true happiness. A future. His future.
Her green eyes grounded him and her spanish made him smile. He took the offered bite, mulling things over while he ate. Diego shoved the bite into his cheek and spoke. "I could make a sizable bank if I fought a few matches but..." His head swayed from side to side as he finished chewing the bite. "...you're not exactly a fan of that option."
Understandably so as he didn't want her to get hurt. "I'm good with teaching at the dojo and working security for Luke. I get a little dancing in at the club," Diego gave a little shake of his hips with a smirk and wink. Jessica was incredibly hot when her possessive streak showed.
"My thoughts on your fighting are that if you start trying to make bank with underground fights, I will too. In enhanced arenas." And he wouldn't want that at all, so she considered that a win on her side.
Of course, then he had to go say that, and there was a little spark of something close to territorial fury in her eyes before she grabbed at the neck of his tie and tugged. "Dancing at the club, huh?" So what if she felt a little shiver of pleasure at that wag of his hips. Everything he did seemed to be designed specifically to turn her on. She was learning to live with that. Diego was her walking aphrodisiac. "Do I need to come down to the club and stake my claim?" Because she would. Right in front of all the understandably interested hotties- and Luke. Some part of her knew that needed to happen sooner than later. Maybe sooner would be best.
"They don't have to be underground fights. I can fight regulation. But the only thing you're fighting is a cold."
Yet his objection wasn't much of one, admitting defeat because he'd commit murder if he ever witnessed someone hitting her. Jessica seemed ready to do the same just for someone hitting on him which amused him more than it probably should. His arms wrapped snug around her.
"You can put a ring on it, if you want but it's just dancing, Mami. You've got nothing to worry about."
"You haven't seen the way they look at you. Which is, incidentally, the same way I look at you. Like I want to put you in my mouth and suck on you until you melt down to gooey caramel." His arms went around her and she lifted her hand to smooth over his hair.
"Another reason to get you actual 'legal' papers. So I can put a ring on it." Just casually dropping that there, since they were already talking about a new home and a new life. She knew there was no one else but him, and if she was ever going to bind herself to someone, it was going to be the person that she actually loved. "They get handsy. They want to touch. I want to break their fingers. So keep your ass against the wall where they can't admire it, and then we get can you a ring you can flash at them. Then point to the convenient hole in the wall I'm going to make and tell them that will be their face if they don't screw off."
"They can look at me however they want. I only have eyes for you," he returned with a hand at her cheek as his dark eyes looked intently into her lighter set. Yet he wasn't going to dance if it worried her. "No touching allowed. With or without a ring. I'd never disrespect you like that."
Not that it seemed she thought he would. Diego enjoyed her possessive streak but he didn't want her to sour the relationship she had with Luke...even if there was something appealing that Jessica would make it known who she was with now. Number Two lit up when she brought up the reason for getting him legal papers.
"So for the record, you'll marry me and not just to ward off women at the club?"
That catch. It broke her heart a little that she knew that he thought there might be strings attached to it. "I'll marry you because I love you. There's no one else for me, Diego. Never will be. And there's never been anyone that's come close to filling the spot you have in my life. So it just makes sense to make it legal. With all the shit that happens around here, I want to make sure if one of us winds in up in the hospital, the other can sign them out. Or be called if they wind up in jail. Besides," she said, wiggling in his lap a little, "I'm kind of looking forward to the day you threaten someone pissing you off with your wife breaking them in pieces."
She grinned, food forgotten as she sat there with an arm around his shoulders and the other playing with his hair. "It's not you, Diego. Not you I don't trust. Hell, a ring is just going to be a red flag to a bull to some of them. I want you to know I'd never think you'd stray. It's not about disrespect. I can feel how much you love me. No one's ever... I've never felt that before. I just want them to know ahead of time that if they're going to flirt with a married man, they shouldn't be shocked if they get slapped if they go beyond flirting to touching. No touchy."
Her answer made him light up. A full smile graced his lips, Diego mostly stuck on the fact that she loved him and felt there was no one else for her. It was the first that someone returned his feelings in the same manner that he felt them. Like Jessica, he was sure there was no one else for him. He'd been nervous about the M word and it took an enormous weight off of his shoulders that she was not only on board but comfortable with the idea.
"I'd never want my wife to get her hands dirty, but have no issues with you tossing someone around or the car they drive."
He nuzzled the tip of her nose with his own but then went to grab the chopsticks and get her a bite of food. Diego paused as she responded about trusting him. All the times he'd been hurt before, none of it mattered with Jessica. He believed what she said and felt the same way. His head leaned in to give her a tender kiss, then pulled back to meet her eyes again.
"No touching. But promise me you'll just snatch them off. A slap from you could be literal overkill. I'm happy to make out with my wife before every shift, wherever I work." And with that, he held a wide grin again and moved the food in front of her mouth for her to eat.
The way he lit up was so visible, she found herself echoing that smile in a way that made her feel dopey. He was so gentle with her when he never needed to be, but it was just the way he was wired. The people in his life had really missed out on something so precious with how callous they were with him.
Their loss. She'd keep him all to herself.
That tender kiss and those heart-melting eyes as he fed her, she opened her mouth to take the food, hand smoothing over the tie she'd wrinkled. "I make no promises. Some of them can be feral and I've seen too many people treat security and bouncers like objects." Her time with Trish showed her there was a subset of people that just refused to see others as equals, or even sentient beings. She hadn't been to Luke's club any time recently, so she couldn't say for sure what his clientele was like, but she knew entitled people, and they were everywhere. Besides, look at him. Who wouldn't want to try to touch every inch of him?
He fed himself after Jessica took her bite, opting to focus on finishing the takeout before continuing the conversation. There were only a few bites left.
What she said wasn't unreasonable. Diego didn't leave her words hanging in the air for any other reason than to finish their food. Once the final bite was taken, he left the chopsticks in the container and licked his lips. "I'm flattered, Babe. I really am. If you don't want me to dance at the club then I won't. But I'm pretty sure if you start attacking your ex's clientele, I'll be out of a job which'll make it hard for me to post your bail."
There was a lot of humor in his tone, a smirk also matching the teasing response.
She could hear how ridiculous it sounded, and she gave him a flat look. "It's not about the dancing and you know it. I want you to have something, Diego. Something that's yours. Working at Luke's is good for now, but I want you to have something that's yours that you want to do. You're more than walking sex in a suit, and there's a lot of shady shit that happens in Harlem. Especially with people like us." And yes, she lumped Diego in with others like her who were enhanced. He might have been born the way he was instead of inherited or experimented, but he was different, just like her. And that put a target on his back.
"Walking sex in a suit, huh?" he chuckled with eyes looking away. As much as Diego liked to talk shit, it was just that--shit. With his siblings or anyone who gave him shit. Jessica meant her compliments and he struggled a bit with that. A tint of red was on his stubbled face with a matching shy smirk.
He returned to looking at Jessica. "I've always just wanted to save people. I tried the cop thing and there's too much red tape. My father raised us to be heroes but it was more to do his bidding than actually helping anyone. I know there's not really any money in being a vigilante. It puts a target on my back which will put one on yours too. So maybe I just teach self defense."
Once again, he was willing to give up anything that could hurt her. She was giving him everything he had ever wanted; to be loved.
"Luke can hire pretty muscle to stand around and who wants to be groped. If you want to do something with doing good, we'll find something. You don't have to 'just' do anything, Diego. And for the record," she said, leaning in a little and cupping his cheek, ghosts of her own hiding in the depths of her eyes, "there are some people you can't save. And that's not on you."
A sigh, because her wanting to keep him safe would stifle him. "There's always a target on my back. But we'll find something that's yours, Diego. Something that you want to do that you're good at." She just didn't know what beyond the fighting and vigilantism. Yes, he was good at both, but that wasn't a living. That was a calling. Even Devil Boy had a day job before he ran around in tights at night.
His head cantered to one side when she first responded. "Luke is pretty muscle." Diego knew the man had been a bartender but wondered why the Bulletproof man of Harlem needed security when he was a living tank. Yet the murmur simmered as Jessica cupped his cheek and told him that there were some people he couldn't save.
He swallowed thickly, eyes falling along with his heart. Her memories flashed through his mind but so did his own. He was too late for Eudora. Too late for Grace. The same could be said about Vanya. All the memories made his heart lurch and his eyes water. "But there are people I can save."
Jessica wasn't wrong. He wasn't Bruce Wayne where he could use an inheritance to pay for being a masked crusader. New York was also proving a lot trickier than The City in fighting crime. Yet he honestly didn't have the first clue on how to earn an income if it wasn't winning a match or working security. Diego forced a smile and willed down the water that had collected in his eyes.
"Sounds great." It was a lie. Not that Diego would be opposed to finding a career, he didn't believe he'd be successful at one. Having an unconventional upbringing meant he didn't even have a high school diploma. He had an easy time obtaining his GED to go into the police academy but ultimately had no way to gauge how smart he was.
His childhood was filled with a varied education, more than the average child had been required to learn; latin, calligraphy, ballroom dancing, welding to name just a few ...in addition to the various martial arts and hand to hand training. Yet his world was also different than this one where Diego could hardly work a cell phone.
He brought his hands to her hips and gave Jessica a quick peck to the lips before standing in an effort to sell the notion of everything being fine. "I need to get those suits out of my bag. Probably iron them before putting them in the closet."
"Not compared to you." There was complete honesty in that statement for her. Had she been attracted to Luke before? Yes, of course. Part of that was the allure of someone that she couldn't hurt, and yet she'd gone and hurt him both physically and emotionally. She'd killed his wife and almost killed him with a shotgun. Kilgrave being the means behind that didn't erase the guilt buried inside her. But the moment she'd looked into those puppy eyes that were staring back at her, Luke had faded from her thoughts.
Those eyes filled with tears, and she felt that grip inside her squeeze around her heart. It hurt, and that might have been the echo through their link from him, or hers singing up through to him. There'd been people neither of them could save. Reuben. Hope. Trish, and that one hurt more than anything. He moved to make her stand and she could feel that pain still there, still bouncing between them. He pecked her on the lips when he stood and she opted not to move. She stood in his path, hands reaching for his. "Don't do that. Don't sugarcoat or lie to me to make me think it's okay. I'm not your boss. I'm not your master. You're a big boy and you can do, and will do, whatever you want. I just... I want to give you options. We can look at classes that are available to see if there's anything you like. I'm not dumb, Diego. I know you're not going to want to fit into the mundane box office life anymore than I did. We're not those people. I'm okay with that. I just want you to find something so that you-"
She cut herself off, sighing and lifting her hands to run through her hair, stepping back for a minute. "I know you hate relying on me and my funds. You need your own placement here. Your own... stuff. Your own money. I approve and applaud that. But let's just say that our situation is a little different than most. So it's okay to me that we're relying on me until you find what you want. I don't think less of you. You're not worthless, Diego. You're mine. If I'd come crashing into your world, you think I wouldn't lean on you a little until I figured out what I could get away with?"
That was the killer for her. That he felt he had to prove himself. She knew exactly why that was such a deep mark for him. Reginald goddamn Hargreeves. The whole expectation of never being enough. Even his 'name'. Number Two. Talk about breeding complexes. She just didn't know how to get it through to him that he had absolutely nothing to prove here. There was no Reginald. No siblings. No expectations. Just them.
There had been a genuine smile when she basically called him prettier than Luke. Diego didn't see it. Even before going to Harlem's Paradise, people made no secret that they fawned over Harlem's Hero. Jessica wasn't a groupie but he'd seen how she watched him before crossing the line with Luke. Yet there was no reason not to believe her. And as far as he was concerned, it only mattered what she thought so he smiled.
However, the conversation turned and Diego only felt one failure after another. Two people who had looked out for him, who cared about him more than anyone else, had died because he failed them. His father died without ever acknowledging his worth. Now Jessica wanted him to be someone successful and not just work for someone else. He was sure he'd fail her too.
Yet she pulled the rug from under him. --No. She slapped him in the face with truth. He was wrong to hide the truth from her. That was exactly what he attempted to do, fearful that the honeymoon period would be over and Jessica would realize that he wasn't enough. He'd make things worse by secretly fighting or taking jobs she wouldn't approve of so he could bring something to the table.
"I never thought I'd have a life with someone. It's something I didn't even allow myself to dream about because that's all it was, a dream. Now I have it and I want you to be proud of me. I want to bring something to the table but all I'm good at is fighting. That might be the only way I can make decent money."
He shook his head, not wanting to make her feel like he wasn't happy. "It's been months that I've been leaning on you. I don't know cell phones or iPads or lap computers..." Laptops. Diego struggled with technology. He couldn't even figure out how to turn on the car that Danny wanted him to drive at work. There wasn't a place to put a key. There wasn't a key at all.
"...You've been patient. More than patient. I don't feel stupid when you're showing me something. You run your own business and so do your friends. I..."
A hand lifted and ran roughly over his spiked hair then his face. His shoulders slumped in defeat. Here he'd talked to her about a future, living somewhere else but his only way to help provide that would be take whatever handout he could find. She didn't seem to care but Diego did enough for both of them.
"I know you're not worried about me paying you back or paying for things but I want to make you proud of being with me." He really did have a stigma for measuring up. Diego had never been enough before and it haunted him enough to doubt for the moment that being her soulmate would save what they had.
"Diego. Baby. No. You've been here for what, two months? Three? You've barely acclimated to what the world's done around you. You expect to just pick up new shit because you're an adult?" She gave him a look. It was full of all the sass she could muster. "There's people that are born and raised in this world that have no idea what the hell they're doing. You are... god. So much more than you think you are, and I wish whatever shitty, bitchy part of your past that sticks to you was physical so I could beat the shit out of it."
He slumped and she hated that. She leaned in and she kissed him, because his pain made her rabid with the need to make it go away. "Us, Diego. We. Mr and Mrs. Everything I have is yours. Always. And when you get things, they'll be ours too. That's the whole point of being a couple. And we're not just a couple. We're soulmates. I am so proud of you. You've landed here and instead of crawling into a ditch and crying about woe is you, you put on your ridiculous panty-mask and ran around trying to help people. What's not to be proud of?"
She cupped his face with her hands, looking deeply into eyes that melted her. "We've had a whole lifetime of being here to figure our shit out. Me, Luke. Hell, Danny beat up a dragon in Tibet and the only reason he's doing so good now is because his parents were richy riches and he came back to a fucking fortune. You think he runs Rand Enterprises? There's a whole hive of worker bees that do things he doesn't have a clue about, all necessary to keep his money coming in. He's smart enough to step back and let them. We just need to find your niche, babe. There's one. There's more than one. But you're acting like we're on a timetable. We have forever. There is no rush. I'm never getting rid of you. Even if you get depression and camp out on the couch. I'll either cuddle with you or boot you in the ass if you need it. Because there is no happiness for me without you."
Mr and Mrs. She still wanted to be with him. Marry him. Her love filled a void in him that Diego never fully understood the depths of until that moment. He had always thought of himself as a lone wolf once leaving the Umbrella Academy but he chose to be alone than having the constant reminder of never being enough.
It seemed something foreign to Jessica who insisted he was more than enough. His shoulders lifted as she defiantly rejected his notions of being less than she deserved. While his posture picked up, Diego melted into the touch at his face. His arms wrapped around her. In the end, she had him donning his completely smitten grin.
"Just don't use the steel-toes," he quipped in the end. Diego needed to kiss her before uttering another word. His mouth connected with hers and poured everything into the kiss; adoration, affection and appreciation. For her to call him 'baby' had really set the tone. She never balked at him for using it but their connection told him that he'd been the first.
Now she had used it on him and he had desperately needed it. The kiss said that too. He pulled back for a breath, slowly opening his eyes to look at Jessica. "I don't think I could ever get depressed while with you. But it's good to know you'll still cuddle with me if I do." He nuzzled the tip of her nose with his.
"Mr and Mrs Jones has a nice ring to it. You gotta forgive me if I want that sooner than later. Not just because I think you'll get me a nice ring," he teased through an impish grin.
The smile soothed her, and the way he leaned into her, the way he relaxed in a way she could feel through their bond had her letting out that breath she'd been holding. She kissed him back, because there was no world in where he could kiss her where she wouldn't respond. Even pissed, she didn't think she'd be able to keep from kissing him back.
"I'd more than cuddle you. I'd do experiments on what sexual act got you undepressed the fastest. Can a sexy latino guy stay sad with his dick in someone's mouth?" This? This was better. The teasing was better. The pain in his eyes always broke her and she would give a lot of herself, make herself open and vulnerable to him, for him to make it go away. It hurt to know he didn't expect that because he hadn't had it.
"What kind of ring do you want? Matching set?" She was going to be up Danny's ass to get Diego's papers done sooner than later. The sooner she had a legitimate piece of identity in her hands, the sooner she could drag him to the courthouse and make it legal.
"Mmm. I think we'll need a bigger couch," he quipped huskily as what she said prompted his voice to drop an octave. Diego was convinced that Jessica talking about putting him in her mouth would never stop turning him on. In that instant, his brown eyes had gone from desperate to happy and now hungry but he reeled himself in.
She talked about wedding rings and he simmered slightly back to the less feral look of joy. "Definitely matching. Not something flashy so we never have to take them off. But something only we have." Diego swayed a little with Jessica in his arms as he thought for moment. "Engrave them with something to make them ours."
"We'll look stuff up on the computer later. Right now," she sighed happily, moving so that she rested her head on his shoulder, her arm sliding around him as they kept up the slow, steady swaying to music that wasn't really there. "Right now, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be than just here. I missed you while you were gone."
Having other things to do on their own was a good thing, and a little space was probably healthy, but some part of her would always want him close enough to taste, to know he was safe and sound. But she needed him happy more than she needed him in her pocket.
He gave a nod. Still interested in what they would come up with for rings but happy not to look at a computer again today. There had been a lot of that with Danny during the day. Diego also missed Jessica and had done a number on himself, tormented over maybe pushing too hard, too fast on a next step. He'd never been so happy to be wrong in his life.
It also taught him to trust his instincts, instead of remaining stuck in his terrible past life. He breathed in Jessica and exhaled contently while holding her close. "I missed you too. It's probably not a good time to tell you about working tonight," he uttered the end with his face in a slight wince at how she'd take that bit of news.
"Luke did say to swing by the club if I was interested so maybe I'm not interested?"
"I'm not a harpy. If you want to swing by the club, you can, but that just means I'll be here all by my lonesome tonight, and you know what kind of trouble I get into when I'm all alone with no one to keep me from doing something to entertain myself." Mostly, without Diego here, the ghosts were getting to her. Kilgrave got to her. The quiet got to her. So if he left, she'd pick up a case and go distract herself.
She was going to try really hard not to make it seem like she wanted to leash him to her and make his decisions for him. Or manipulate him. He'd had enough of that. Besides, she sucked at subtle manipulation and she knew it. When it came down to it, she'd just demand he stay and fuck her into a coma if it really bothered her. But she knew that he needed to find threads and ties of his own in this world. She'd been born into it and she had a limited amount. He could do worse than finding a connection with Luke and Danny. Their history aside, both were the decent type, and if anything happened to Diego, they'd make sure she knew.
"Or tonight just isn't a good night. I don't think he's actually hurting for security, probably trying to be nice to me on your behalf with giving me work. If I'm going to figure out what jobs I should do and shouldn't do, it should be with you."
They had talked about a lot of important things that Diego hadn't expected they'd do. Staying was important. However, he was still garbage at using his phone and wasn't sure how to start a text if he'd never texted the person before.
"Just help me send him a message that I won't be stopping by tonight."
Diego had seen Colleen tell her watch to send a text to someone but he only had the phone that Jessica had gotten him.
"We're going to have a weekend of tech time. I'm not exactly hacker savvy, but we'll get you accustomed to the basics." She slid her hands down over the back of his shirt, then grinned where he couldn't see it against his shoulder as she got to his ass, then gave both handfuls she held of it a squeeze.
Walking him through sending a text would be easy, other than the fact her mind was on anything but texting Luke or anyone else in that moment. She had her mate, her soulmate, and some pretty hefty life decisions had been made. Marriage. A place. Their roles. That was a lot, particularly for the both of them. Her, because she had to get used to having someone she wanted to plan with when she'd given up on having that. On anything meaningful, even though there'd always been a part of her that pined. She was just glad she hadn't been tangled up with anyone when she'd met Diego. Boyscout that he was, he probably would have tried to stay away.
Diego couldn't hold back a frown at what she said. He thought she'd already given him the basics. A part of him hated technology and fought using it while another had already learned the benefit of it when Jessica was attacked and called him. However, the frown was short-lived as she squeezed his ass.
"If he texted me, I'd be able to send him one back but he hasn't so I don't know how to start one. Can I just talk to Sara or Alexi to do it?"
Jessica might have gotten him through tech pre-school but he now had to get through kindergarten so he'd remember it was Siri and Alexa. The last thing he thought was that her mind was on him becoming a factor in her life. Even if she'd shown up in his world, there wouldn't have been anyone else. She also would've died with the end of the world so he didn't give it much thought.
"Siri, or Alexa. And here," she held out her hand, waiting for him to put the phone in. He knew how to hit the contacts and pull up a number there to dial, so she just had to point out the little message icon to show so he could start a new text message. Then she closed that out and showed him the hot button on his phone to open messaging, and how to start a new message with a contact or where to type in a number.
All while staying in the circle of his arms, because she had nowhere else she wanted to be. "Has Danny showed you his glow worm fist yet? Because if he hasn't, he should. He's a big fan of all the 'cool' things enhanced people can do."
"Siri? It's Scandinavian? I don't think I have that one." He did. Diego was thinking too deeply in it. Alexa was in the car that Danny had him drive and a speaker Colleen had in the dojo. Number Two would likely lose his mind if he ever found out about Jarvis.
He handed over his phone and watched as Jessica ran through how to start a text. "The iron fist? Yeah. I guess it's handy." Diego pursed his lips to bring attention to his dumb joke, ending up in a smirk before continuing. "He's got a few different fighting styles. He's a good sparring partner."
'Few' was an understatement but Diego could still hold his own against Rand. Number Two hadn't shown the billionaire heir all his tricks yet but likely would in time. Besides, he didn't want to hurt his newly made connection.
"He talks about you, Luke and Murdock. I still don't get why people think I'm the devil reincarnated. You'll never see me in red." Diego sent Luke the text about having to reschedule then slipped the phone back in his pocket, wrapping his arm back around Jessica to hold her.
She prodded his chest and snorted at his joke. She just liked to toss out crappy monikers, like Iron Crotch. They were both clearly made for each other. He took the phone back and she slid her arms back around his shoulders, nuzzling his nose with hers. "Matt didn't start out in the suit. He used to run around in all black with a scarf or something over his head. I can pull up old media about some of the security footage with him. Resembles you quite a bit in that getup. Other than the panties."
Nope, that was never something she'd let him live down, but her smile showed she was teasing. "I think I could get you in red. Nice pair of red lace man panties to show off that ass of yours. Mm. Peekaboo lace so I get a front show too." Mr. Man in Black living the monochromatic life. Even she added color here and there.
"He went from all back to red leather and horns?" There was a mix of disbelief and dislike on his features. Flatly, Diego came to a conclusion. "I guess I'll have to see the video."
Jessica was smiling which made him smile. "You want me to wear lace?" He didn't have the slightest clue what peekaboo lace was. "I'd think you'd see me better without clothing." Diego was rather attached to his black even though he did wear a gray suit and there was even a blue one in his bag.
"He went from a homemade getup, like yours, to something someone else imagined for him. Color's not really a blind guy's thing." She knew that he'd have to see it to believe it, but she also just liked the idea of Diego getting involved in figuring out just how crazy her city was.
"Oh, god yes. I'm dragging you to a sex store. They have lingerie for both genders, and I'll pick out something you like if you do the same." She drew her tongue over his lower lip, then sucked on it and gave it a light nip. "I like you in black, too. We can get black lace for you, too. But red would look good. So would blue. Green. You're sexy in all shades, Diego. Maybe I'll let you talk me into something with a garter."
His lips were still smiling but his face was scrunched with confusion. "Male lingerie?" He'd never heard of such a thing. "Are you messing with me?" There was a soft laugh when he asked the question. "I could see silk but lace?" Diego shrugged his shoulders. "If you like it, I'll do it."
It was enough of a reward that he'd get to pick something for her too. He wondered if this was something new for Jessica or just missing from the memories he'd seen of hers. All thoughts of Murdock seemed to be long gone. She seemed ready to change into something right then and there. Diego was surprised that she hadn't attempted to remove. his tie.
"All things you can verify on the terrifying google machine." Hey, he seemed open to it, and that was a win in her books. She wouldn't have attempted to ask it with any of the man she'd had long term before, because it wouldn't have occurred to her. Neither would wearing it herself. They would have her as she was or they wouldn't have her at all.
Diego made her want to try new things. Playful things. She was guessing that was the whole difference between being in love. Back and forth. Together. Her hand moved up into his hair and she turned to kiss him. "Lace means peekaboo parts. Trish always used to talk about sensation play with some of her flings, but I never really liked hearing about them because they were all assholes."
"I'll take your word for it," he let out a husky laugh. His attempt to Google had been information overload to where Diego forgot what he had initially tried to look up. It was one thing to see women in sexy lingerie, he didn't need to see the male versions.
His exes did have him try new things. Jessica had one to thank for his nipple piercing which was the only good thing to come out of that relationship. The next one wasn't a fan of the body jewelry or his scars so he his clothes stayed on for most of the intimacy in that train wreck.
Eudora was his last before meeting his soulmate. She didn't have an issue with him naked and enjoyed using handcuffs. Or maybe he had. Needless to say, he was more than eager to explore new things with the woman he planned to grow old with.
"Sensation play?" The expression on his face matched the confusion in his voice. He had no idea what that was.
Trying new things hadn't really been on her radar for a bit. She'd have to be more comfortable with someone, and that wasn't a bridge often crossed. She grinned at him and moved her hand to smooth down his tie. "Mm, sensation play, as in playing with how things feel. Lace on skin. Fur. Feathers. Hot. Cold. I'm picturing tying you up and blindfolding you and seeing what gets the best reaction. Where you respond the most."
Now that that image was in her head, she found herself biting her lip, leaning into him a little more firmly. "Silk brushing over all your sensitive spots. Dragging fur up the inside of your thighs..."
She had his undivided attention, as usual. Or maybe a little more than usual. Jessica had him mesmerized while she seemed to casually explain what sensation play was. Colder weather usually affected his piercing. He didn't like the idea of getting burned but trusted her not to cross the line and really hurt him.
"Silk makes me think of your tongue." Diego bit his bottom lip for a moment before continuing. "Feathers, when your hair runs across me." He wasn't opposed to what she talked about but a little partial to Jessica above all else. "You know I'm gonna be hard the whole time. I'm hard right now just talking about it."
"Part of it's playing with a lot of things. I certainly never mind putting my tongue on you. Any part of you." Her grin spoke of wicked things done in private places, and it gave her great delight to feel him pressed up against her, hard and firm as promised. That seemed to be his standard operating mode. It made her feel desirable in a way she hadn't really thought of before.
"I didn't know you liked my hair on you. That's something I can do, too. There's not a lot I don't think I'd say no to, Diego. Not with you." The trust was there. Inherit, unbreakable trust. And love. That's what cemented it. "You keep biting your lip like that and you're going to wind up out of this pretty suit."
"You've already fulfilled a few fantasies that I didn't even know I had," he told her through a grin that widened as hers turned wicked. "I'll have to get creative." His arms remained possessively around Jessica with no apology for the hard bulge at his groin. The thinner material of the suit made his excitement a lot more noticeable.
They had talked and had dinner, of course he was going to bite his lip again. "As long as you don't rip it," he quipped through a hungry smirk. "What about you? What fantasies do you have?"
His reply made her laugh, and she moved her hands up to start working open his tie, tugging the knot down until she could lift the loop over his head. She tossed that to where the couch was, then started working on his shirt buttons. "You've already fulfilled the main one, which was 'have a decent orgasm'. I've had more than one. More than I can count."
She leaned in and kissed him, something soft and gentle, belying the hunger in her eyes. "Other than that, mm... I kind of like the idea of tying you up. I've also been thinking that we're going to have to get some mirrors in this new place so that I can watch you fucking me from behind."
She worked on the buttons at the front of his shirt while he made quick work of the ones on his sleeves after shrugging off the suit jacket and sending it where she'd thrown his tie. His smile was wide when she told him of the fantasy he fulfilled. "I aim to please."
It was a stupid play on words that could fit a number of meanings but all Diego cared about in the moment was making his soon to be wife happy. "If there's a gym, it'll have mirrors but I like the idea of some in the bedroom and bathroom too. I want to see you from every angle humanly possible." They seemed to be on the same page.
He stilled for Jessica to decide what clothing would come off next. "Is there anything you're dead against?" A part of him could answer that neither would ever invite anyone to join in. It was all that came to mind.
"You want me to fuck you in your man cave gym, don't you?" She grinned as she slid his shirt off, throwing it to join the slowly growing pile of clothes. "Screw me against your punching bag or on your sweaty man floor." A laugh, and then her hands went up to her shirt, pulling it up off over her head, then moving to where his belt was.
The question had her thinking, and if he'd brought up the other people part, she'dve agreed. Even without him as part of the equation, she wasn't keen on the idea of multiple partners at the same time. With him? She was like a hissing cat at the thought of anyone else touching him in an intimate manner. Male or female. Equally pissed off at all genders if they tried to trespass on her property. "There'd be things I'd say no to with someone else, but I can't think of a no with you."
"You can ride me while I bench press," he offered on the same note through a matching laugh. Diego was on board with everything Jessica mentioned. His mind was stuck on viewing their union from different angles thanks to the mirrors they'd get but he also enjoyed that she called it his man cave.
His hands went to work on getting her out of her bra as she got him out of his belt. The suit material left little to the imagination of how bad he wanted her yet Diego continued the conversation, more than happy to take their time. "Anal?" he questioned curiously.
The women before had varied to where his last was not a fan and would find it a turn off to even accidentally touch her there. Diego himself wasn't a fan but liked touching Jessica everywhere. Yet his one word question had to do with what she said; the things she said no to with others.
"Sure, and test out how quickly I'd have to hop off your cock to pull the weight off your chest because you got distracted." Not that she'd have a problem with that, but the idea of putting him in a compromising position that might actually hurt him had her giving him a look.
That look turned to pure heat when she saw the tenting against the front of his pants, knowing that was for her and her alone. She took her time with pulling the belt out, the back of her hand brushing up against that straining length.
"That would be a thing I'd say no to with others, but not with you." She'd tried it once, with one of the few people she'd almost fallen for, and it hadn't really done much for her. There was, however, a vast world of difference in what others did that got her hot and what he did. Breathing got her hot. She imagined that anal wouldn't be the absolute worst with him, but she saw the look on his face and tipped her head. "I don't have that button the boys do to make it a pleasurable experience in the way it would be for you. But if you wanted to try, I'd say yes." Whether that was to him doing it to her or her doing it to him, well... he'd have to ask and find out.
He feigned offense at her response. "I can handle my weight, thank you very much." No real feelings were hurt as Jessica was right about him getting distracted. Diego still liked the idea of a bench for sex whether she knelt on it, rode him on it or blew him on it.
"Low on the list of things to try. Unlike a 69 or waking up to you riding me. Or..." If the heated look in his eyes wasn't enough, the raspy drop in octave should've told her how turned on he was with the whole conversation. "...to you touching yourself."
It wasn't as if there was much of an opportunity to masturbate as they were in something of a honeymoon stage. Diego had no inclination to touch himself when he had Jessica to touch.
His feigned offense was adorable, and she leaned in and gave him the barest brush of her lips over his. His suggestion, and that incredibly arousing dip in his voice had her thighs clenching, and she felt the flush across her cheeks as they warmed. "Yeah? I think we'd have to arrange for that over video chat, because I definitely want to see you doing that too." She'd already had dreams of it. Him walking in and stroking himself, or lying on the bed next to her. Or in the shower. Subtly touching himself under the table while they were out to eat. All of it was something she'd had thoughts of, but she also knew that they were currently incapable of not touching each other when they were near. The only way it would happen until the worst of this blew over was over the phone. And even then, she'd want him immediately after.
She seemed to have a preference that made him curious. Past girlfriends seemed either disgusted or annoyed when they caught him in the act. He had resorted to finding his own release because they weren't on the same page sexually, the way he was with Jessica. She was everything that every ex wasn't.
"I don't know about video chat. I could always cuff you if you don't think you can keep your hands to yourself," he quipped huskily.
His dislike of technology that was foreign to him had more to do with his response than anything else. Jessica could always change his mind.
"Diego, baby, if I want to touch you, cuffs aren't going to stop me." She'd easily broken them before and it pissed off every cop who got a broken set back from her. Whoops. "It's not just my hands you'd have to worry about, either. You know I like oral." Both giving and receiving. She hadn't gone a day yet without the taste of him in her mouth, and she had no plans on changing that any time soon.
"Might have to invest in some massage or baby oil. Just so I can see you all naked and shiny. Ever tried warming lotion?" All part of the sensation play aspect. "I might cuff you up and make you watch me do dirty things to you. Or myself." She'd have to be blind to not notice how he watched her. How he often adjusted his pants when she did things like stretch and show a flash of skin, or eat something with a lot of licking and sucking involved. Horn dog.
"Never thought it'd stop you. Just more of a speed bump. There isn't a time ever that I wouldn't want you to touch me," he replied through his aroused pitch of voice. It really would be a waste of handcuffs. Maybe he'd have to find material she couldn't easily break. The idea turned him on more.
Yet he was a huge fan of her mouth on him. He'd need to find a balance, enjoying her as much as she seemed to enjoy him. His eyes were heavily lidded with desire while he sported a big smile. "Warming lotion? Like Ben Gay?" If she wanted to smell like old people, he'd try it.
Especially with how she talked about cuffing him and getting him to watch her touch herself. Maybe he couldn't break them like she could but Jessica wasn't the only one with a skill for getting out of them. There wasn't a lot more he could take of the conversation with so many clothes still on.
She laughed because he always made her laugh, those questions and miscommunications between their worlds catching her by surprise. "No, not old people lotion. You get them at sex stores. It's like massage oil, but it has stuff in it that makes it so it warms when you rub it, or blow on it. A lot of it's edible, since it's sex related."
Her hand slipped over the front of his pants, the belt gone now and just his fly and button in the way. But she was enjoying tormenting him just a little. Just enough of a tease to put that heat in his eyes that made him lose a little control. "Cuffs. Whips. Paddles. Fur lined stuff. And all the sexy lingerie a guy or girl could ever want to look at or wear. Cock rings and sleeves. Vibrating eggs. Diego, I could turn you into an incoherent babble pile of mush."
There was a look of relief at the warming lotion not being Ben Gay. His memories of the ointment were always post training but he didn't mind the idea of making new ones with Jessica. It seemed a lot of that had been happening with her. Brown eyes drifted off in thought as she described the warming lotion in more detail.
"Mmm," he hummed in a low pitch and looked back to Jessica with an almost feral gaze. She managed to make whips and paddles sound sexy. Diego wanted to try everything, especially as her hand ran over the bulge at his crotch. He might later ask about some of the things she rattled off but his attention was on the present. "You turn me incoherent on a daily basis."
A husky chuckle left him as his hands worked around Jessica to get her clothes off, not wanting to be in the way of her doing the same to him.
They'd been dancing around getting naked since the heaviest part of the conversation was over. His anxiety had been laid to rest and they'd come to an arrangement. Now? Now it was just time for her to do more than get his shirt off. She wanted the pants off. She wanted her work of art on display- but only for her to be able to see it. Or, at least, this much of it.
Her hand slipped down the front of his pants when she got them undone, down into his underwear so she could touch him. "I do, don't I? I hope you know you return the favor."
It was right at his six month anniversary of this new timeline that they closed on their new place. Diego and Jessica needed to lean a little more on Danny than they initially thought but both would make up for it in spades. As it stood, Diego agreed to continue training and assist with classes at the dojo to eventually run a second school out of the newly acquired property.
The building was an old factory not far from the docks where a breeze could bring in the smell of the Hudson, which the jury was still out for Diego on whether that was a good or bad thing. He was sure the radiation that made the Hulk a thing was probably in it along with other toxic waste. Nonetheless, the building was perfect for what the happy couple were looking for.
Mostly the living quarters on the second and third floors would need elbow grease. The floor level had been functioning as a small scale warehouse and the office had been recently renovated. Jessica could work right away in the space if she wanted as the internet and other utilities were all up to par.
It took another six weeks for updating on the bathrooms where the office could have a private one separate from where clients (seeking services from a PI or self defense classes) would have access, and the primary bathroom for the nearly married newlyweds would call their own. Fortunately an elevator in the building made it easier to get renovations going.
"I don't think I understand any of this security stuff that Danny got set up for us. Why can't each camera just have it's own dedicated little tv?" The way his father had set up security at the mansion.
"They could. They used to. But the tech's upgraded. You don't need eighteen plugs for eighteen monitors if you do split-screen, and you can always pull up anything on the bigger monitor if you want a better look. Lessens the electricity load. And besides, eighteen monitors would take up a lot of space, unless they were tiny, and then that would be pointless since you can't see what's on them. Besides," she said, pulling out her phone, "this setup comes with a link to your mobile, so you can always check on it."
Jessica wouldn't go so far as saying that Diego was technophobic, but he hadn't been raised in the world of convenience, and it would take him a bit longer to get more familiar with and happy with all the things she took for granted.
He wasn't afraid of physical labor, though. He was quick to roll up his sleeves and jump in on setting things up and hammering things into place. He also didn't mind calling her over in front of some of the few workers he vetted into the place to ask her to lift something or hold something that would take multiple people to do. It freaked the men out the first time, but after the initial surprise wore off, they seemed to delight in getting things that needed 'a woman's touch' to pull off, so they could convince him she definitely needed to be the one to do it. "Hey, Diego, don't you think this stack of cable spools could use a woman's touch to get safely up to the third floor?" Cue a line of men, and her man, watching her heft the pallet and then opt to jump through the open top window instead of carrying it up the stairs, followed by hoots and raucous laughter. She didn't mind putting on a show, particularly when it kept everyone in a good mood and also helped get things moving along more easily.
Danny still never got sick of watching her pull off casual shows of what she was capable of, and it made her feel like he was still a ten year old boy. Still, he was helping a lot with the costs of their new setup, and considering it wasn't just their home, but where they'd work out of for herself, Diego, and to bring overflow from Danny and Colleen's school into it, she'd pocket the usual sarcasm she normally threw around.
The gym would be Diego's area, even though she knew he'd be more than happy to share if she decided to use it, and the area behind the intake office would be hers, where she'd store client info and work on cases that needed room to visualize. There was also a safe room installed, along with a 'secret' emergency exit, and a containment room for anything she or Diego found that needed to be dealt with by either authorities or Danny's geek squad.
It was still being worked on, some rooms not finished with the wiring for security or walls not set up entirely while plumbing was finished, but the main areas, the living areas, those were ones she'd noticed Diego and Danny seeming to focus on. He hadn't said it, but every action of getting this place set up for them screamed to her how much he wanted her out of her old place and into this one. He was nesting, setting up this elaborate den to lure his mate into. It was fucking adorable.
"That way," she continued, pulling up the system and flicking through to the camera that was set up in the room they were in, "if you get the heebies about something, you can pull it up and watch me not sneaking a barrage of lovers in behind your back. Or, you know, in case of ninjas." The fact that was a thing that needed to be said still made her want to throw her hands up. Fucking ninjas. Resurrected, undead assassin ninjas. There were mutterings about Matt being back, and if she ran into another ninja, she was going to break their legs and carry them to his door and tell him to deal with his mess. Goddamn asshole.
He marveled at so many things that it often didn't feel like half a year had passed, everything still seemed so new. The TVs his father had in the mansion were nowhere as sharp a picture as what Danny had showed him. His eyes widened at Jessica when she told him that he could actually view the video from his phone. "Seriously???"
It took some time but he was finally developing an appreciation for the phone he once called repeatedly stupid. Diego listened and made a face as she mentioned being able to watch out for ninjas. Rand had mentioned that maybe they weren't mistaking him for Murdock but that the red devil was actually back.
Too much was going on with the renovations to get a decent discussion going but Diego imagined that would happen sooner than later. A part of him hoped the rumors were false. It seemed like a shitty thing to not tell the people who fought with you that you were still alive but he knew there was a lot more to the story. For now, there was a move to complete.
The strange things going on was the reason why Danny pushed to get security immediately in place. Diego appreciated it. Electricity and electronics were left to Rand connections while Number Two sanded floors, stained them, painted walls and worked on plumbing. Minor plumbing. His limit had been installing a toilet. 'Last thing I wanna chance is flooding the place.'
Finding a balance was hard. He was going on day 3 of no sleep, wanting to finish one last thing. Jessica was right; Diego was giving 110 percent into making the place perfect for them. He was glad her office was set but it wasn't finished until the glass Trish had got her for the door was installed.
Whenever someone new showed up to work, Diego was sure to do a knife demonstration and emphasize being able to hit a target around a corner so they'd know what to expect if any damage came to that door. It also didn't hurt to see Jessica help out and know the door was hers.
"I think our room's ready for the furniture tomorrow. It's been a few weeks with no traces of roaches or rats. I'm gonna work on the kitchen cabinets now that the floors and paint is all done." Diego let out a big yawn and quickly returned to cleaning up the paint brushes so he could clear out the room.
The yawn reminded her that it had been awhile since the last time he'd had a full night's sleep. She'd let it go for awhile, but she'd heard some of the horror stories from the crew they had there of what could go wrong around inattentive workers and power tools.
She went over to him, coming up behind him and resting her hands on his shoulders, kneading there gently. "I think we should pack up here for the day and go get some rest. Real rest, Diego." There was a firmness there that, if he was getting familiar with her tones, would let him know that she wasn't going to be argued with over this.
He was trying to get everything done soon. Now. But they weren't on a time crunch. No schedule loomed overhead. Just that internal clock of theirs, and his seemed to be set for something specific. She kneaded at his shoulders, giving him a small massage as they stood there. "Don't make me break out the cuffs so that their first use isn't absolutely kinky and is more of a health thing. I'll get Claire over here to prescribe eight hours of cuffs."
Her touch stopped him dead in his tracks. Not from her hold but relishing the way Jessica kneaded his muscles. He stretched his neck from one side to the other, aiding the way she worked out his tension while also thinking of a way to buy a little more time. Then she made a joke about cuffing him and bringing Claire into the argument.
Diego relented, feeling that if Jessica was threatening him with Claire then he would never win. "You know, the water runs here now. I could get a shower and we can just use the air mattress. Cut out the travel time." Another yawn left him as pausing and the shoulder massage seemed to catch up how tired he was.
It was surprising that Jessica had waited as long as she did to put her foot down. He'd been working like a mad man to get everything working where most the construction staff preferred when she was around. Or that could be because she'd cut their workload in half. Diego might have repeatedly tried to get the crew to work at his speed and attention to detail.
"Nope," she said, still working at his shoulders. She leaned in and nipped at the back of his neck before she leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I want to curl up in bed with you. Naked. They'll be here tomorrow, and you can boss them around some more then. We've still got almost a whole month left on the lease to my old place, so why not use it for what little privacy we can get while we can get it?"
She kissed the side of his neck, then kept rubbing at it. "I can carry you home if you want. You're tired. Tired means accidents happen. So let me take care of you until you're not tired."
Jess had a feeling part of it was wanting her out of the old place sooner than later, but she didn't want him working himself into an accident when there was no time table to push them. Not one that he hadn't designed, anyway.
"I'll never get back here tomorrow if we go to bed naked," he uttered tiredly. It was futile to argue but Diego desperately wanted to finish the place. They were so close, he could picture it all. Somewhere to work but somewhere to securely live too. Even if someone tried to Molotov cocktail the business, there were sprinkler systems and fire retardant barriers.
Jessica kissing his neck woke a familiar member of his body that had been out of commission as he worked for 3 days straight. With a grab at the side of his crotch to adjust himself, Diego turned toward her. "What makes you think we're not gonna have privacy here?" The question came with a concerned gaze. His eyes were red and heavy but he glossed over being tired.
Where he looked forward to their new home together, something about what she just said nagged at Diego that Jessica didn't share the sentiment. "Nobody comes upstairs unless we invite them up. We'll have all the privacy in the world here. No neighbors complaining or interrupting. No bad memories." He stood frowning, childlike as if she didn't like the fort he'd made.
"Maybe you need a day of not coming back here if you can't answer that question yourself." She looked at tired eyes and an almost childlike look, and she melted. Her hand cupped his face and she gave him a soft kiss. They'd been mostly keeping their hands to themselves, since each knew how distracted they could get, but that was part of what she'd missed.
That soft kiss had an 'aww' coming from off to the side, and she gave him a lift of her brows. "For the immediate future, until we have this place done, there's not a lot of privacy. Which is okay, because working on it to get it finished is important. But I'm very tired of behaving myself when I miss touching you, and while I'd love to get naked and sweaty, I think that can wait until after I've gotten a meal in you and you've had a full night's sleep. If naked is going to distract you too much, then we can have clothes on, but I want you in bed with me, sleeping."
She loved his fort. His den. The castle in the sky he was building her. But just like he'd insisted on rest when she'd been hurt, she was going to insist on it for him to avoid the same happening to him. "There's no bad memories here, Diego. All good ones. So let's keep it that way."
She was right about most of what she'd said. Diego wanted to counter that he'd eaten a meal but he couldn't remember it or when he ate it. The more he stood still as they talked, the more the exhaustion was creeping up. Fortunately, they didn't have a car that he had to drive home.
"Alright. Let's go," he relented when she concluded that there were no bad memories in their new home. "Can we take all the paint stuff to the utility closet before we go so there aren't any accidents on the newly finished floors or the furniture coming tomorrow?"
He had already closed the open paint cans which Jessica could easily carry while he took care of the pan, roller and brushes--even if it was just to leave them in front of the sink inside what was to be their laundry room which Diego would either call the mud room or utility closet since there was no washer or dryer in it yet, just a sink.
One paint can was supposed to return to the apartment to prepare for returning it to the landlord but Diego was too tired to remember that in the moment. He missed the intimacy with Jessica but also enjoyed the time spent with clothes on as she wowed the crew or Danny with her abilities.
For a fleeting second, Number Two had a pang of homesickness as he could see Luther just as excited to see what Jessica could do as Danny had been. He also thought of his sisters but then worried how his soulmate would take Allison's power after seeing what Jessica had been through with the power of suggestion.
Fortunately, he was too tired to remember any of that at the moment and only waited tiredly for Jessica to answer him about the paint.
She'd been set to dig her heels in on an argument, so the lack of one had her sighing in relief. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, the moved to start loading up the cans to carry to where he'd suggested. "I'll call an Uber for us," she said as she started tucking the cans away, a little concern blending in with the relief.
Diego giving up so easily when it didn't involve sex was mildly concerning. He was stubborn. Headstrong. But maybe even he knew his limits and when to not push them. He seemed to be enjoying himself in setting up their new place; getting his hands involved in things, bonding and having 'man time' with the other workers. There didn't seem to be any women on the crew hired, not that she expected any. And none of the workers had been stupid enough to do more than comment on her abilities, not on any physical attributes. They seemed very aware of her being taken, and she was unaware of the little display he'd put on for them with his knives.
She came back out after ordering the Uber, then went over to him to hold her hand out for him to take. "Come on, mi amor. Let's go get some sleep. Just sleep." That might change in the morning, but for tonight, she just wanted him fed, then tucked in bed with her.
The honesty of it was he'd gone past his limits. Diego felt it was all worth it but it was going on nearly 3 months of working around the clock for 2-3 days at a time, little sleep on the days that he did. Meals weren't raw eggs but a lot of tuna or salmon packs, noodle bowls or wraps and only once or twice a day.
While it kept him in solid shape, it was amazing their relationship continued strong. There wasn't the romance or intimacy they had the first few months. Jessica hadn't wanted him to take on 4 jobs to afford a place but he stayed with 2 jobs then poured himself into fixing their new home.
Yet the work was for them so maybe that made a difference with her. Maybe it also helped that she knew where he was and it wasn't getting groped by a drunk patron or on the radar of ninjas. Diego did still train once a week with Danny and Colleen before or after classes but even vigilante work had come to a halt. He either worked on their future home or helped Jess with some of her cases.
His battery was nearly completely depleted and the more he stood still, the more it became evident. Diego grabbed his bag with one hand then took Jessica's with the other as they headed down to the Uber she ordered. "The furniture. And the cabinets. For the kitchen. Should probably try to get the washer and dryer there soon. We'll need it." Another big yawn as he talked about everything but sleep.
"Shut up, Diego. I'm putting a moratorium on talking about work for at least twelve hours. Depending on how you are when you wake up, when you wake up, I might make that a whole day." Guilt niggled at her, and she felt like she'd been lacking in taking care of him. He'd been working himself to the bone, and she'd let him, because he seemed content. But she should know better than that. He had very little in the way of self care reserves, meaning she was going to need to pay more attention to him and that wall he kept running into.
His hand in hers had a soft peace going through her for a moment, but that guilt was still forefront in her thoughts. "Want to stop and grab a pita or something on the way home? Something quick we don't have to make."
"I'm not talking about work," he returned defiantly. That stubborn trait began to show itself. Diego scowled yet still held onto her hand. "It's the things I've gotta remember to do next. Well, you've gotta carry the washer and dryer but we need to get them ordered."
His level of tired translated her threat about work as the work that provided him an income, not getting their place together. Diego was so tired that he wasn't sure if he'd said something about work and didn't remember. He became frustrated. "What's wrong with talking about work?"
"You doing work on the warehouse is work, babe. You're exhausting yourself because of it." And he looked adorable when he was giving her that scowl. She was struggling not to smile, but it helped to remember why he was in the state he was in the first place.
"I don't like you being this tired. This kind of exhaustion is dangerous and it leads to stupid choices and actions. I feel shitty that you're pushing yourself to get things ready so quickly, that you feel you need to. I'm also realizing I'm sexually frustrated, which isn't your fault, but it's adding to the irritation. And I feel guilty. I'm not taking good enough care of you."
She looked over at him as their ride pulled up. "I need to do better."
"Factory!" he corrected with the pouting scowl the way a child might protest their fort being called a tent. It was the only thing closest to an interruption which didn't seem to deter Jessica in the slightest.
His scowl shifted to a frown as she continued. He didn't like her feeling shitty. It also meant a lot that she was worried about him, taking blame that wasn't hers. "Baby, no. You take great care of me. The best! No one has ever taken care of me this good..."
The car that pulled up was a Tesla and Diego felt all around the car, unable to figure out where the handle was. "--What the fuck is this shit?! Open the goddamn door!" he barked at the driver.
It was hard to hide the smile, but she slid up behind him, reaching around to press where the panel was to open the door. Then she gave him a bump with her hips. "You're grumpy when you're exhausted. And you still haven't answered about food. I want you to eat, so do you want something on the way home?" She hoped so, otherwise she'd have to figure out something at home, and by that time, all she'd want to do is carry him, literally, to bed and tuck him in.
"Then let me take care of you. You need food and sleep. And I need you. So... let's find a compromise." As soon as they were both in and the door was closed, the driver touched the gas pedal to start them off towards her soon to be old place.
Tired eyes widened with surprise as she created a handle out of nowhere. His brow knitted together, panning between Jessica and the car as the door opened. She bumped him with a hip and repeated the question about food. He looked up then gave her a nod before getting in the Tesla.
"Yeah, we can pick up something on the way." Diego gave another yawn, slumping into the seat. His arm immediately moved around Jessica when she joined him in the car without thinking about how ripe he might smell. Fortunately their driver seemed in a rush as most New Yorkers were about getting somewhere.
How Diego smelled was never in the negative for her. The more he worked, the more he sweated, and for soulmates, that smell was never a bad thing. He all but reeked of a breeding partner, setting up a lair for them to prepare for... well. Things. But she was just curling him up against her to rest as she gave the driver a pit stop at a pita place to pick up an order she was already calling in.
"Okay. We'll pick up a pita and some water for the way home. But then it's bed, and I don't want to hear an argument about it." Not that she thought she would. He was in that complicit, tired mood, and she was going to take advantage of it. She'd just have to keep her hands to herself until morning, and that was the hard part.
He could say the same about how Jessica smelled, if they were having that discussion. There wasn't much conversation after she gave the driver the location for the pita pickup. Diego looked around the electric vehicle, never having been inside of one before. He was sound asleep by the time they stopped for the food.
In fact, he didn't wake up until feeling himself getting pulled out of the car. "Stop, stop, stop." The words were mumbled then followed by a yawn. "I can walk," Diego uttered in a sleep filled voice. He let out a disgusted noise, grabbing the collar of the shirt he wore to wipe the drool at the corner of his mouth. To say he was sleeping hard was an understatement.
The ride-share was a comfortable ride through the city with a nice scent and soft jazz playing, a nice turn for Diego after not being able to get into the car. It also helped that the driver wasn't chatty. Number Two would've been impressed if he was more alert.
"I thought you were getting food?" he asked without focusing on Jessica after she set him down.
"I did," she answered, lifting the bag with her hand after setting him down. He was drooling, just a little, and she had to keep the chuckle firmly to herself so he didn't think she was laughing at him. She wasn't. Not really...
The Tesla took off behind her, and it was just her and Diego on the sidewalk in front of her building, Jessica willing to give him enough time to wake up enough to pull himself together. "I got you a pita. So let's get inside and eat so I can tuck you in, mm?"
It bothered her that she hadn't gotten him to leave sooner. The fact he'd fallen asleep so quickly and so soundly told her that he'd worked himself to his limit.
"I need a shower to get this paint off. Then bed," he grumbled while rubbing his eyes and walking into the apartment building. "Mmm, is that the Olympian?" His favorite gyro so far. Chicken shawarma and lamb gyro with feta, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and tzatziki sauce on a fresh baked pita. His stomach growled with approval.
Diego held the door open for Jessica, following close behind when she walked in. "Are we splitting it or did you get something for yourself?"
He mashed the elevator call button then started to pick off some of the paint on his hands, with his eyes looking between the task and Jessica.
"Depends on how hungry you are. You think you can eat a whole one?" He'd been so tired, and it gnawed at her that she'd let him get so far down that hole without dragging him out. She slid her hand over his, stopping him from picking at the paint. "If you're too tired for a shower, we can just crash and clean up tomorrow. If you're not still absolutely wrecked then. If you are..."
There was a look. A look that spoke of what she was willing to do to ensure that he actually got a full block of rest. "We'll just talk about that later." No, they would not. She'd just sit on him.
His eyes peered up as she put her hand over his. "I'll be fine. Not going to bed with paint and whatever else might be on me from working today." For the past 3 days. Granted, Diego did keep a wash cloth and cleaned up a little on a daily basis but there was no way he'd get in bed without a shower.
"This elevator takes forever. Crazy how the one in the factory is older, but runs better." Thanks to some improvements made by Rand Enterprises. Then again, the factory elevator was originally built to carry a lot more than the small residential lift. "The one at home," he quickly corrected.
As if to spite Diego, the elevator dinged and the doors opened to their floor. He was happy nobody interrupted their trek to the apartment. Jessica called it when she said being sleep deprived made him grumpy. It would be the absolute worst time for Vido or anyone to drop in on them.
"Eat, shower, bed?" he asked while pulling the chain from around his neck to unlock the door.
She let him grump, struggling not to smile, but she had to keep behind him as he walked, otherwise the gig would be up. She barely suppressed a chuckle at the tone, watching him shuffle a bit less elegantly than his usual stride. She loved watching him walk, not only because she had a great appreciation for his ass. There was a reason she kept thinking of him as a big black jaguar or jungle cat. He moved like one. All slink and grace and fluid motion.
Unless he was tired. Then he was a little panda bear that grumped at her and she wanted to cuddle him. She came up behind him when he got the door unlocked, an arm sliding around his middle. "Eat, shower, bed. Here, you get started on the food and I'll warm up the shower for you."
She held the bag up for him, thinking about plans to keep him in bed in case he got another case of the 'need to fix this right now' in his brain.
Her touch had the ability to stop him dead in his tracks, and not just because of her strength. Being his soulmate gave her the uncanny ability to soothe him almost instantly. And her touch could also invigorate him better than any energy drink or espresso. Diego could also feel Jessica without her being present. They were getting the hang of their connection, similar to how he learned his powers.
Yet it wasn't an exact science. She missed the signs of him overdoing it just as Diego had not picked up on her being hurt until Jessica called him. Each could sense something being off but hadn't pinned down exactly what. "Then you warm up the bed, naked." His voice was husky which could be a factor of how tired he was but also a nod to what she'd told him back in the factory.
He took the bag of food and headed to the small table in the kitchen. Tired eyes still held a glint of mischief as he looked over his shoulder to Jessica before taking a seat and starting in on his pita.
"That's a request, huh?" She shut the door and locked it, then shrugged out of her jacket. "Should I just guarantee your submission to my demands by doing everything naked? Because I'm not above playing dirty."
The boots got kicked off as he watched her, then her shirt was pulled off over her head. She saw that smile, heard that huskiness, and her body couldn't help but react to it. Diego just flat out did it for her, more than anyone she'd ever met, and it would never cease to amaze her how every little thing could have her body turning into a gooey mess for him.
Her arms reached behind her to undo the bra, which she dropped, before she shimmied out of her jeans and underwear. "Eat, Diego. The food. I'm going to go make sure the water's nice and... hot."
Flirty wasn't something she would usually be accused of being, but with him, she gave him a wicked smile over her shoulder before she walked off to the bathroom, putting an extra swing in her hips.
"I plead the fifth," he uttered through a crooked grin. Diego unloaded the paper bag and began to unwrap the foil from around the pita. He took a bite, moaning appreciatively just as Jessica started to peel off her layers. It would've been easy to mistake the sounds he made and how he licked his lips as a response to the pita he was eating but his brown eyes fixed on his better half.
She awakened a hunger that had been dormant as he busied with renovations, surrounded by work everywhere he looked. One hunger had fueled the other and he scoffed down the sandwich. Hopefully she hadn't planned on having half as Diego did what Jessica said and ate his food.
"Ready or not, here I come." Diego meant that in more ways than one. There was no doubt in his mind that his eyes would close with at least one mind blowing orgasm. He didn't expect it to be in the shower. Jessica might be able to easily lift him but she was the one needing to be lifted if they were going to finish in the small space. It was a quick shower then bed.
She was sneakier than that. He was going to have the shower to himself, otherwise it would be a half assed one at best. As much as she wanted him touching her, she wanted him in bed more, and he could easily do that there. So when he got to the bathroom, the water was the temperature she knew he liked, and Jessica's naked self was sprawled on her belly on her bed, resting there as she felt a little thrill of pleasure in knowing that hey, she'd taken care of someone in a good way today.
As for the food? She'd eaten something earlier before showing up that evening, and when she'd felt that hunger pain echo along their link, she knew where it was coming from. She rested on the bed, trying not to imagine him naked and soapy, just the way she liked him. "I hope you know this is torture for me," she said conversationally, loud enough that he should be able to hear her. "Do you know how much I love licking water off you?"
Similar to her display at the inside of the front door, Diego stepped out of his clothes on the way to the bathroom. He didn't have on his usual vigilante getup. Between the army/navy surplus store and the Salvation Army, he'd gotten a good pair of steel-toe boots and worn clothes to work in. They did the job of keeping him mostly free of injury and debris.
Jessica might feel a rush as the water hit him. She'd gotten it to the perfect temperature which helped melt away some of the stiffness in his muscles, similar to the shoulder rub she'd given him in the factory. His hands went for the soap and immediately lathered up. He started to get hard just from what he'd seen of her while eating but now Diego was fully erect.
"I don't think it's the water you really like," he called back.
Soapy hands teased his length a little before forcing himself to stay focused on getting all dirt, grime and paint off his skin and hair. His face had more than a five o'clock shadow while his hair was a little shorter than he usually kept it so it didn't take long to scrub himself clean.
Diego used a towel to dry himself from the head down, wrapping it low around his hips to walk into the bedroom. Not even the weight of the towel could hide how happy he was to see her. There still was a tiredness in his eyes but also a familiar heat that had nothing to do with the water he showered in.
She had rolled onto her side, watching him walk into a room that would soon no longer be hers, and she had a pleased look on her face. Hungry, too. He sauntered in and she sighed, licking her lips. "You look good wet."
He looked good no matter what, but watching him come in almost naked had short circuited her brain a little. She crooked a finger at him. "Bed's all warmed up. Time for you to get some shut-eye."
There was still tiredness there in his eyes, but that heat she felt thrummed between them and she was trying her best to behave. She didn't want to. Not really. She wanted to lean forward and tug his towel off. She wanted to taste him, feel the length of him hard in her mouth. But she would forego that to get him to sleep. She missed the feel of his arms around her, and she rolled over and patted the bed. "Come to bed, gorgeous."
There would never be a time that she'd compliment him and it wouldn't make Diego smile. Watching her lick her lips after the observation, he wasn't so sure that they'd go right to sleep. He was still tired but the towel did little to hide what else he was feeling.
Diego pulled off the towel and give his hair one last effort to dry before letting it fall to the ground. He slipped in where Jessica had patted the bed, taking the bedding up to get in and covering both of them after settling in. "You gonna put me to sleep or are we supposed to behave?"
He'd likely not make a few rounds out of how tired he was but had at least one in him. Or maybe he'd sleep and save it for the morning.
"Considering you might have kept going until you cut your fingers off, I should just tie you to the bed as a punishment." He slid in next to her, all naked and warm and still a bit damp, and she reached for him almost automatically.
It wasn't as if she hadn't seen him every day, but not touching him had been a trial. She wasn't ready for that yet. Hadn't rubbed all the shiny off this new relationship. Her knee went over his leg, her hand up on his cheek as she tipped his face her way to let her kiss him. That was the part that felt most like coming home. Like everything was okay.
"I don't think I'll survive a life where I have no fingers to touch you," he responded immediately. There was no teasing and it wasn't due to how tired he was. Maybe being tired was something like a truth serum. "Punish me however you see fit." The end did have a slight tone of humor to it.
A part of Diego used the separation to stay motivated. It was the way a fighter wouldn't have sex before a big match. Yet he couldn't stand the idea of not seeing Jessica, as if he might lose her forever if too much time went by without her. He relished the kiss that she initiated on that note and returned it with fervor.
There would never be a day where she wouldn't find a reason to run into him. To come see him. He hadn't told her explicitly not to touch him or distract him, but he'd been in the middle of the 'boys', working hard and focusing on what he felt needed to get done. She hadn't wanted to feel like she was intervening, but seeing him tonight had driven home that she was going to have to from now on, just to make sure that he didn't overdo it. Diego didn't seem to have limits. None that he wanted to acknowledge, and that left it up to her to keep a leash on him for certain things.
He kissed her back and she slid her hand down along his back to his ass, a craving going through her that spoke of how starved she'd been from the lack of him lately. "I think you'd like that too much. Which belies it being a punishment, love of my life."
A loving touch seemed like something they both had been deprived of. Jessica might have had it before losing her family, maybe even from the only sister she knew. It was something Diego had only received from Grace and a few relationships before they went sour. He was a different person with it than without. The same seemed to be said for his soulmate.
She used words of affirmation in addition to touch and acts of service. The way she gave him space while working on their future home was the way he tried to stay out of her way as a private investigator, only to find him hiding in the shadows from time to time. Diego let a husky laugh rumble from his chest at the grab of his ass and what she said.
"There's only one way to find out," he quipped before another heated kiss. His hand moved from around Jessica to her mirror the way she held him. Diego rocked his hips subconsciously, rubbing his erection that was sandwiched between them.
"I missed this," she admitted, moving her lips from his to along the scruff that was almost more a beard at this point. She nibbled down to his ear, her knee lifting higher along his side to pull him in closer, mind stuck between rolling him over and riding him, or pulling him onto her so she could watch him above her. She liked both. Her body broke out in goosebumps at the feel of his hands on her, and she knew that admission was more than just words.
She'd missed him with her whole soul, and it wasn't until they were tangled up again that anything felt right with her. "I missed you," she added, nipping his ear before she moved her lips back to his.
"Sorry," he apologized. Diego knew it had been his doing, working so much that they were ships passing each other in the night for weeks. She was understanding of his drive and reasons but he also missed her and believed it was only right for him to take the blame.
There were so many goals ahead for them. He had gotten credentials and was official in this timeline. They would get married, move in together, even work together. Diego was excited for all of it and more. ...The 'more' part made him nervous so he didn't think too deeply of it. He was content with their present life. He'd never had it so good.
"I want you," he growled in response after she nipped his ear. Diego made the choice for Jessica, rolling on his back and taking her with him. One hand remained possessively on her ass as the other palmed the side of her face.
She knew that. Knew that he wanted her, could always tell when he reacted to her, which was why she'd been trying not to be present so much. She wouldn't be able to handle the guilt if he got hurt because she'd distracted him. But she'd pulled back too much, let him work himself too hard, and she was going to have to find that balance so that he didn't get this worn down again.
He growled at her and rolled them and she felt that heat go through her again. She loved this man. Loved his skin. Loved his voice. Loved the way he smelled. She'd missed the taste of him, so she sucked at his lip, moving a little to spread her knees to either side of him so that the next shift of her body against his had him touching, then sliding up into her. Of course she was wet. He existed and was in her vicinity. It was cause and effect at this point. So she took advantage of that, feeling that grip on her ass as she moved her mouth down to tongue at his piercing. "Have me," she whispered, sucking at the ring and tounging around it as she lifted up off his cock just enough to let her slam back down.
Only as they were tangled together did Diego realize how much he missed her too. His mind had been focused on one goal, losing himself to it as long as he could feel their connection and see her. He was always aroused by her and could easily confuse her want as his own. There was no mistaking his desire and hers as mounted him.
It was almost a toxic combination of her scent, tasting her, feeling her and how she touched him. A hand roughly slipped into her hair and tugged Jessica back. He wanted to see her, putting his other hand on her breast then doing the same with the one that had a handful of hair.
She'd get him to finish too quickly if he let her continue running her tongue on him. "I want to see you," he growled with handfuls of her breasts. Diego also thrusted from under Jessica, taking her when she offered herself up.
Finishing him off quickly was the goal. Her own pleasure was secondary. She wanted him worn out and sleeping, and the best way to do that was to get him off. But his hands in her hair had a hiss of pleasure leaving her, her eyes flicking up to his as he pulled her up, then moved to kneading her breasts. He thrust up as she came down, and her eyes rolled back in her head.
Maybe she'd gone too long without him, but that one simple slam of body to body had the first whisper of her orgasm telling her she was close. It should be surprising, but looking down at him, at those dark eyes and that heat that simmered between them, she wasn't in the slightest bit. She grabbed one of his wrists, dragging his hand up to her mouth so she could suck at his thumb, watching him with needy green eyes as she started to swirl her hips over him. "Look all you want."
Sleep was the farthest thing from his mind at the moment, supercharged with arousal. Yet she was right to think that a climax would lull him right to sleep. Three days was a long time without any--that was rest and sex in their relationship. Suddenly working on a place to live seemed like an idiot thing to do as Diego watched Jessica in all her glory.
Seeing the pleasure rush through her and feeling something in their connection only increased his excitement. Particularly seeing any part of his anatomy in her mouth... Diego couldn't form words. His gaze shifted into what could be construed as an angry stare but Jessica knew it was his focused one. He left his thumb in her mouth but rolled her nipple in his other hand a little firmer while nearly bouncing her off his lap with thrusts.
"Eres bella, Mami. Termina con migo."
He called her beautiful and told Jessica to finish with him in spanish. The words were hardly audible with the way his voice growled.
That bond made things so much more... intimate. Feeling his pleasure mingle with her own created an echoing ricochet, so that when he started to move in earnest, she was caught up in the whirlwind of it. She could feel his heartbeat, taste it in his thumb, knew that it was running in tandem with her own as she felt herself clutch around him.
Then he had to go speak with that sexy purr that had her body tightening up all over, and her head fell back as she came down hard, as she came, inner walls clamping around him and fluttering through her orgasm. She felt that rush go through her and knew he'd pick it up, a sound of pure pleasure leaving her lips that might have ended with his name hissed through her teeth. "Yeah, we're not going that long again without sex. I can't do that."
Whether it was their connection as soulmates or simply their compatibility, sex continued to be mind blowing no matter how long the session, or where it was. Her body was a sight to behold for Diego but how she moved it against him was always what brought him over the edge.
The hand by her face had moved down to her hip in sequence with the other. His head craned back as he came with Jessica, hands gripping and holding her down to him as he descended from the climax. He brought his chin down to catch his breath and let out a low chuckle.
"Sounds like you have a problem," he uttered breathlessly. "I think I have the same problem." Diego reached for Jessica and tugged her down to lay on top of him. His eyelids were heavy, eventually closing as his breathing evened out.
She shouldn't love the possessive way he held her when he came, but she did. She wasn't a thing to anyone else, but to him, she was his. She belonged to him, but that was a double edged lock and key, and she looked down at him as he panted and smirked up at at her and fell a little more in love.
He pulled her down to lay on him and she complied. A part of her wanted to fall asleep just like that, but she worried about suffocating him. Still, for the moment, it was nice to just be as close to him as she could be, his cock still inside her for a little bit, his heart thundering against her own. "I love you," she whispered, kissing his chest while she waited for him to fall asleep before she slid off him to find her place beside him. She pulled the sheet up over them, curling up alongside him with one leg thrown possessively over him, her arm tucked around his chest. Sleep was good.
"I love you too," he whispered tiredly back. Diego never felt Jessica move off. He was sound asleep, believing his arms were still wrapped around her as the days of hard work caught up with him. His mind might have been overly tired as he dreamed of life before meeting his soulmate.
Initially, it was a step back to when Five appeared after their father's funeral then progressed through one disaster after another. He powered down Grace, he lost Patch, he left the house with Grace--it was a memory he never recalled having. Diego flinched as it was taken away and he watched her in the mansion as it crumbled. His body started to sweat and he muttered in his sleep.
She was asleep, but that part of her that was linked to him picked up on the distress. She groggily opened her eyes and focused on him, hearing him mumble and felt the tension in him. His dreams had bled into hers and she saw the crumbling of a house around his mother figure, and it didn't take a psychic to see the pain of that on his face. Her hand rested on his chest, and she gave him a light shake. "Hey, Diego. Shh, it's okay. You're okay."
Jessica wasn't exactly trying to wake him up, since he needed the rest, but more to jostle him out of that train of bad sleep thought and maybe into something less traumatic. She nipped at his shoulder, gently, murmuring softly to him in what little Spanish she'd picked up. "Está bien, nena. Te tengo a ti." It's okay, baby, I've got you.
She was the only one allowed to have nightmares. She refused to let him wear himself out with bad dreams.
His heart was pounding in his chest. She'd feel it through their connection and when she rested her hand on him. He didn't know the extent of his survivor's guilt, having not thought about his life before in weeks. Jessica's voice broke through the dream but didn't fully wake him.
"Te amo," he mumbled as the dream shifted. Diego didn't mourn Eudora as a love lost. Their relationship had been over for years. She was a good cop and a great person, even if she didn't choose him. He felt responsible for her death as he did for his mother. In the years since he'd left home, he never pushed for her to leave. Both women made him a better man but didn't hold a candle to Jessica.
She wasn't programmed to care for him and neither did she try to make him be someone that he wasn't. Jessica loved him for who he was. She saw him in ways he couldn't yet love himself, but he loved her in those ways. Diego dreamt about the factory becoming their home, getting married, running successful businesses where he didn't have to play a bargain Batman anymore.
He lived a life Bruce Wayne would be envious of. Diego slowly woke as the sun began to flood the room and wake him from sleep. His arm was snug around Jessica's waist. He scrunched his nose and tried to open his eyes that felt nearly glued shut.
His arm was tight around her, and she didn't move to draw away. She rested there, waiting to wake him further if needed, but he seemed to have shifted that dreamscape himself.
Diego was... home. She'd woken up to the hushed whispers of Dorothy Walker and Trish, the beeping of hospital machines and the quiet murmur of the room her new reality, and she hadn't had time to mourn. She'd lost her whole world and she'd been shoved into a PR nightmare. Trish had given her something to focus on. Someone to help when she'd discovered what else she'd woken up with.
He didn't need her help. He could do just fine on his own, even if he had a questionable diet. But he'd slid into her world and burrowed in and made himself fit. She couldn't imagine not waking up to the scent of him close to her, to that look of utter adoration she got from him every time he looked at her. He loved her. There wasn't room for any doubt in her mind over that. He'd never asked for anything until he'd brought up the new place, and it felt like such a small thing to ask for. Something for them. Their place. She should have thought of it herself.
She'd have to do better. When he started to stir again, she hummed to him and patted his chest. "You can sleep longer, babe. There's no rush today."
"Mmm. Furniture," he muttered hoarsely without opening his eyes yet.
They were kindred spirits; both experiencing loss without being allowed to properly mourn. Maybe it was what brought them together. Diego had been thrown into her world almost as alone as Jessica had been in that period of time. The moment he touched her, the emptiness he felt all his life was gone.
It was dangerous to put all his faith in one person. Before meeting Jessica, he would never have supported the notion unless it was about himself. Diego talked about being a lone wolf but he didn't even put that much faith in himself. Yet he had all of his in his soulmate.
Who might just get mad at him worrying about their place again.
"Have to get back. Furniture's coming in. Gotta finish the kitchen too."
"No," she said, a firmness in her tone as she lifted her head to look down at him. She poked at his nose, content to lay there naked in bed until her stomach, or his, said otherwise. "Today is break day. It's my job to make sure that after you hit a wall and almost murder yourself with construction tools, that you have to take a whole day of rest. That may include me tying you down to the bed so you can't get out of it at all. I'll do it, Diego."
She doubted he'd kill himself working himself to the bone, but he'd hurt himself. He'd unnecessarily put himself in a precarious position, and they didn't need that. She rubbed at his scruff, looking at how much longer it had gotten. "Maybe I'll shave you today. But today is 'Diego takes a break' day." If he managed to look at her, he'd see that she might be smiling, but between the steel in the back of her eyes and the thrumming down the link that she meant it.
'No...' He was relatively sure that she had told him no before and he had been compliant. This time, he was immediately resistant. Not that Diego did more than open his eyes as she blocked the sun from blinding him. They were still heavily lidded from how tired he was. He scrunched his nose a little, lifting a hand and using the back to rub over his eyes.
"Maybe tomorrow. Someone's gotta accept the furniture delivery." 'Someone' could be on the crew or even Danny who was supposed to meet another delivery for the training area. Jessica was right; his facial hair was more of a light beard than the scruff he normally kept. As she looked firmly in his eyes, Diego found himself looking at her with none of the same conviction.
Getting their place ready to move in was important and he didn't see the extent that he'd been working to get it for them to live in. He was one of those male birds trying desperately to impress his mate but already won her over.
"Imagine my surprise when you went out and got a whole crew of actual human beings, all with opposable thumbs and the ability to sign their names and do cognitive thinking, like how to accept a furniture delivery from the guy paying their bills." The look she gave him was wry, but there was a smile hidden there as she let her nails scritch lightly through the growth on his face
He didn't look so bad with the beginnings of a beard. Diego managed to look appealing to her, no matter what. Normally, to her, men either could pull off facial hair and looked better with it, or couldn't, and looked better clean shaven. He looked good either way, and she had to cram down the instant urge to do something like see what it would feel like between her thighs.
Nope. This was about taking care of him and keeping him in bed. There was always a guaranteed way to do that, in her opinion, and with that smile growing a bit, her fingers started to travel down along his body, over that firm chest, his stomach, down to the curls at the base of his groin. "You're relaxing today. Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. You wanna be hard, Diego?"
"Yes?" He honestly wasn't sure what he was answering at that point. Her hands on him often had that effect. Jessica likely knew he was saying yes about being hard because waking up with her already had his dick firm, it only took her touch roaming over his body to completely raise his flagpole.
She was right about the crew but he didn't think about the factory anymore. His eyes transitioned from barely opening to a dark, wanting gaze. He lifted his hand to slip into the back of her neck and tug Jessica in for a kiss. Diego started hesitantly, not wanting to turn her off with morning breath.
Sweet. Of course he was sweet, but she also felt that hovering expectation of rejection over something she considered ridiculous. She squelched that notion by dipping her tongue into his mouth while she wrapped her fingers around the length of him that always seemed to be eager for her touch.
She couldn't help the sizzle of pride that went through her, that pleasure echoing through their link to him at the fact that he wanted her. Seemingly always. There had always been limitations on her past relationships, or expectations and demands of what she had to be to draw their attention. She never had to worry about that with him. She never had to wonder if she was good enough, if he liked her. It shone in his eyes every time she looked at him.
A familiar noise spilled into the kiss much like how her tongue slipped against his. The combination of tasting Jessica and how she stroked him was the cause for the noise of pleasure. Until finding his soulmate, he was convinced he wasn’t good enough for a woman to really want him. There was no doubt that she did yet he still couldn’t believe it sometimes.
His free hand thumbed over her nipple in reach while the other kept a gentle grip at the back of her neck as they kissed. Diego had an idea of where she might go but waited for confirmation. She was in charge at the moment. He surrendered complete, enjoying her stroke of his cock.
If his guess was that she was going to break the kiss to start nibbling, licking, and sucking her way down his body towards where her hand was, then he'd be correct. She was a paid to be observant person, after all. She'd deduced that a certain man she adored turned into liquid putty whenever she got her mouth on him. Well, putty or a feral handsy fuck machine. He was still in that wakening stage, so she figured she'd get putty first.
"You're going to stay here today. All day. With me. Say it, Diego." She nipped at his hip, biting her teeth in to mark him there, then kissing and nuzzling her way towards the root of his cock. She kissed there, then started licking her way up along his length, pausing part way up. "Go on. Say it."
“I am staying here —“ He hissed a breath through his teeth as he felt hers on his hip, enjoying the slight bite. “—With you. All day.” Never in a million years would he consider it punishment. As she hit his favorite spots, Diego brought his chin to his chest to try and watch Jessica work. He was torn between enjoying the sensations and the sight of her at work.
“Especially if you put it in your mouth,” he quipped huskily while his arms moved above his head to pull the pillows under him for leverage in watching Jessica. “That feels so good, Mami.” His muscles flexed with anticipation.
She let the flat of her tongue drag up the whole length of him, the tip of it running around the head of him before she gave his cock a kiss. "If you play nice the first time, maybe I'll let you make a few... requests the second and third time. I might not even tie you up."
If there was ever anyone that made her feel he appreciated everything she did, it was him. There had never been any holding back with him, and he never tried to keep anything to himself because it might make him look whipped or less manly. Diego loved, and he loved hard, and it was the perfect way to love her that had her wanting to give it all back to him. She loved sharp, just like one of his knives, one with a double edge so that as deep as she got into him, it cut her just as much. She wanted to love him. To consume him.
With a quirk of her brow, she parted her lips and took him into her mouth, sucking slowly, almost gently as she played her tongue over him while she sucked him down.
She knew everything he liked, better than Diego thought he'd known of himself. A part of him wondered if it was their connection. He marveled at how good she made him constantly feel. Jessica was right; he didn't care how sprung he might look to anyone.
No one mattered but her. It was just how she made him feel, that no one mattered to her but him. She thought he loved hard but no one loved him like Jessica. More than sex, it was her concern and desire to spend time with him whether they had sex or were asleep together.
"You can do whatever you want to me," he uttered through a husky voice when she mentioned not even tying him up. His muscular body flexed as she gave the head of his cock exquisite attention. Diego collected her hair to keep it out of her face or from going into her mouth and interfere with his blow job.
He struggled to keep his composure between the sight of Jessica and how she made him feel. She undoubtedly tasted how his excitement oozed from the head of his cock, his hard body growing increasingly tense as she devoured him. It was a fight to hold out his climax which was also part of the fun.
She teased him, because she could feel that pleasure skimming down their link. His hand in her hair was something she liked from him alone. He watched her like if he blinked, she might disappear and take all the fun with her. It would make her laugh if her mouth wasn't occupied.
Her tongue circled around him, slowly, almost gently, her lips covering him and sucking at him until she took him fully into her mouth. She kept the pace sporadic, not letting him get a rhythm to get off to. Not yet. The edging was part of it, but she also just liked having the thick, hard length of him in her mouth. Diego made oral something to enjoy, and she tasted the salty residue of his enjoyment, humming around his cock as her hand came up to pin his hips down, not letting him move while she toyed with him.
Hers. He was all hers and some part of her was still in disbelief. She had someone. Someone who knew her, saw her, and still loved her. Because there was clearly no denying that feeling. It was in everything he did. All she could do was her best in returning it to him.
Hopefully she never had any doubt that he belonged to her. Whether it was cosmic or kismet, Jessica was imprinted on his heart. His thoughts revolved around her in one form or another; be it a future together or dirty thoughts. Diego had to reign in the latter or find it uncomfortable to walk while dressed.
There were no thoughts of how vulnerable she made him. None that entertained how she'd completely ruin him with a betrayal or if he somehow lost her. Maybe his mind was smart enough to protect him from ever having those thoughts, for once not letting his life be ruled by the worst that could happen. Jessica was good for him in ways Diego never considered.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine a woman would enjoy blowing him to the extent that Jessica seemed to. If he didn't love her more than life itself, it would be easy to be selfish and take that enjoyment for granted. The only thing that compared to the pleasure she created was getting her off.
Orgasms were on a completely different level with his soulmate. Beyond a rush or high or toe-curling experience. They were nearly to a point that Diego completely understood why people suffered from addiction because Jessica was undoubtedly his vice. "So close... I'm gonna..."
The way she worked his cock resulted in an eruption that she could taste, feel and hear. His muscles quivered from having flexed for so long in anticipation as his cock expelled the final drop of cum. He might not have formed actual words but moaned and panted for breath as the pleasure itself was a workout.
"Fuck... Sorry," he mumbled after a shiver or two as his breathing evened out.
She didn't answer right away. Didn't have to. Maybe the fact that she kept him in her mouth, sucked every last smudge of his pleasure off him, wetted him and sucked at him until she couldn't remember not having him in her mouth would clarify that there was nothing to be sorry about.
But just in case it wasn't clear, she lifted up off him with a purr, looking up at him through the few tendrils of black hair that had fallen across her eyes, nothing but appreciation and desire in them. "Never be sorry for that. Assume it's what I want at all times. Taste it. Lick it. See it. Wear it. I always want you, Diego. Every last drop."
She turned her head to kiss at the warm, soft skin of his inner thigh. "Besides, that was kind of the whole point of what I was doing."
A husky chuckled rumbled in his chest at what she said. Diego rubbed unconsciously at his face for a second before lifting his head to peer down at her. As big as a climax as he'd just had, hearing what Jessica answered with stopped the process of his dick going completely limp.
"That's hands down the sexiest thing I've ever heard." A slight hiss left him as she kissed his inner thigh. "Now it just sounds lazy if I say the same thing about you but given that you blew my mind after blowing me, I'll put together something on that level about you when I have you spent."
As much as he'd been focused to get their future home completed, Diego didn't have one thought in his mind other than Jessica. It didn't even come to mind when a cell phone started to sound. He looked in the direction with a scowl at the audacity of the device.
She gave the spot she'd kissed a gentle nip, then started to crawl up towards him. "I'm not going to tell you not to answer that," she said, but she was certainly going to give him a very good reason not to. Little kisses and nips and drags of her tongue up along his body until she got to that silver ring that drew her attention. Then she paused. "Do you want to?"
His eyes immediately returned to Jessica, deaf to the offending noise.
"Want to fuck until you can't form sentences anymore? Yes," he answered in a growl and pulled her up to crash his lips against hers. It didn't matter if she still tasted like him. Diego never found that to be a turn off. A turn off should be her tasting like someone else.
She had the strength over him but he could also easily handle her weight, moving Jessica to slide up his from until his dick that was still damp from her handiwork was nestled between her folds like a hotdog in a bun. His hips rocked while his tongue moved against hers.
It made her laugh, which was muffled against his kiss as he reacted in an almost feral fashion to get her up to kiss her. There was no point in fighting it, because being close to him was what she craved.
He'd filled some part of her that she'd thought was broken beyond belief; he'd come in and took those pieces and made something that suited him, that fit him perfectly. She'd do things for him that she knew she wouldn't do for anyone else. There were no rules, no moral code when it came to him, so she was infinitely grateful that he'd come with his own. That he wasn't someone that would try to twist her into something she didn't want to be. He was earnest. Good. He wanted justice in a way that made her want to pat him on the head. And he never thought he was good enough, and that made her furious, but she did her best to keep that from him, because it wasn't him she was mad at. It was the people in his world who'd let that stupid idea worm into him.
She felt his tongue slip into her mouth, his cock nestling against her labia, and he shouldn't be all that surprised that there was a slickness there. Pleasing him pleased her. That, and the sky was blue, so of course she was turned on around him. "You really think you can fuck all the words out of my head? Because I'd like to see you try."
"Challenge accepted," he growled his response before the last rock of his hips gave him the perfect angle to slip inside her walls. One moan of pleasure had rumbled when Diego felt the slickness between her legs and another groan of approval at the feeling of her sex taking him in.
Once completely buried, he quickly moved to change positions--sliding Jessica under him without ever pulling out. Diego moved his hands out on the mattress to hold himself up. Much like the large cat that Jessica often compared him to, he moved with a grind and a firm thrust. His chin touched his chest to sneak a peek at how their bodies joined before meeting her green eyes with a lustful gaze.
She laughed at the growl, but that turned into a moan of pure delight as he filled her. Stretched her. Made that slickness go to work as he pressed into her and had a shudder going through her at how good it felt. Home. He was home inside her, and she was content.
Well, more than content, especially when he did that big jungle cat imitation and started grinding in with his back arched, glancing down between them, then back up at her with that heat that had her clutching around him. She was making a mental list of all the things he liked. Watching, that little bit of voyeurism was definitely in there. She slid her hands up to her breasts and gave them a squeeze, let him see her touching herself before she dragged her nails down his chest, careful not to catch on his ring. "This the part where I sing the alphabet?" She bit her lip, thighs wrapping around his hips, letting her lift up to grind back against him.
His responses were primal in sound and movement, moving fluidly yet with force. He loved the feeling of her body against his. It was rare that they had a quick tryst. They seemed to enjoy exploring one another too much. Diego knew that intimacy wasn't just about obtaining a release, he relished bringing Jessica pleasure. He had his own arousal in turning her on as she had about him.
The round they were having wasn't a tender moment but venturing to a round of rough sex as he slammed harder into Jessica as she raked her nails over his chest. His forearms kept him up as his hands held onto her shoulders while pounding steadily into her body as she quipped about singing her ABCs. "This... is the part... you try," he quipped while slamming into her.
If he'd been gentler, she might have done it, but Diego knew how to push her buttons. Or, he was learning how to very quickly. When it came to pleasing her, he'd become an expert, and the way he was punishing her mouthy behavior with all that sweet pounding was exactly what she wanted.
Her hand moved around to his side, holding on there as she lifted up and met him again, head falling back a bit before she made sure she could see those dark eyes watching her. The intensity in his gaze always felt like the edge of danger, and she could see the potential for it simmering there- but she also knew without a shadow of a doubt that it would never be directed at her. For her, definitely. But never at her. "A, B, fuck me." It was panted out, and she followed it by lifting her head to crash her lips into his. She loved the way he tasted.
The kiss was like hitting the nitrous oxide boost in a street racing car. Her words just before also aided in a frenzied response, pounding into Jessica without losing the taste of her tongue. Diego was well versed at multitasking in nearly everything that he did and sex was no different.
He relished getting Jessica to the point of her getting vulgar or incoherent, something she also seemed to enjoy doing with him. It was a miracle the bed remained in one piece as the vigorous session easily moved the furniture off where it was kept in the room.
He always seemed to have more, more to give, more to do, and that extra push, the way he kissed her back had his name being ripped from her lips, only to be lost against his as she lifted up hard enough to have them both hovering a little above the mattress before they crashed back down.
She came, almost violently, but perfectly in that moment with him deep inside her. Fuck, she loved him. She loved everything about him.
The climax washed over him like a tidal wave, although Diego wondered if he simply felt hers in addition to his. He crashed onto Jessica and panted to catch his breath. Diego kept his hips tight against hers, not wanting to slip from inside her walls.
He shivered as the high subsided while immediately nestling on the bed in a way where not all of his weight crushed Jessica. "Fuck," he mumbled in a blissed stated before a low chuckle rumbled. "I love you."
"I know," she kept her thigh over his side, even when he slipped a bit to the side of her so that they could stay joined. She liked that part, that nestling inside her part. As if they were both entirely safe in that position.
She rested a sweaty face on his chest, kissing it, then tipped her head up towards him. "I love you enough to keep you in bed all day so you don't wear yourself out and get hurt. To let you pound me like that all goddamn night until you pass out from sheer exhaustion. You might be in bed all day, but you're not getting any rest, Diego."
And maybe that was a little bit of smothered jealousy at not getting enough attention sidling in to peek out of green eyes.
Her response also tickled him, along with the strands of her hair that swept over his skin. Diego didn't jump or physically indicate anything to do with the sensation. He just enjoyed it as he did everything else in the moment. A protective and possessive arm wrapped around Jessica.
"I might not be getting rest but I'm sure as hell recharging my battery." His neck stretched to meet her lips for a peck then threw his head back on a pillow. "And yours. All work and no play makes Jessica an angry New Yorker," he teased gently through his raspy, tired voice.
"Only if you stay sleeping with me," he answered hoarsely. Diego was fooling no one as his eyes stayed closed while he spoke. She was right that he needed sleep and would not need to worry about fighting him on it. Sex finished putting him out where he wouldn't hear anything she might have opted to respond with.
She'd run herself to the end more than once before, but funnily enough, hadn't had to do so since he'd crash-landed in her life. Now, she was watching it from the other side and realizing how much stress just that alone could put someone through. It made her glad she hadn't had anyone as close to her as he'd become. There'd been distance with her and Trish, along with Malcolm. There wasn't a speck of light between her and Diego, other than the last couple weeks when he'd been in this frenzy to get their new place up and running.
Stupid of her to let him get to this point. She lay beside him, just watching him sleep and seeing how all the stress melted away and he looked younger than usual. Softer. That innocence she knew was still in there was evident when sleep was thickly layered on him. But she stayed close, because either through their bond or just the trauma of his upbringing, he had a hair trigger on knowing pretty much anything about the way she moved. Especially after that brush with her injury.
So while he slept, she lay there and memorized his features, playing with his hair, sometimes just curling up and resting against him because some part of her was still in disbelief that this was real. That he was hers.
There were so many aspects of his life that felt like a dream compared to life in the universe he'd been born in. Jessica once said that maybe he had always belonged in her world. It was something that Diego thought about from time to time and a spark in him to make up for the 'lost time', finishing the place they'd call home together.
He repeatedly dreamt about their future, something he never dared to give any thought before. Nightmares were seldom. The bad dreams that haunted him from time to time were the loss of his mom, finding Jessica hurt, and some of the flashes of her memories. It was the latter that gave him the biggest drive to get their home completed. If she wouldn't leave the dangerous city then he'd make sure she was well protected.
However, her memories sometimes prompted great dreams. He'd seen her go through terrible situations and how she hardly smiled. Diego found genuine joy at seeing Jessica happy, feeling her delight through their connection. There were times he would wake up and find her softly smiling in her sleep. Exhaustion had him sound asleep, not having any clue that she remained nestled close.
Not the sounds of the city outside of her window, or the neighbors in the hall, or even the vibration of their cell phones on silent managed to wake him. It wasn't until no longer feeling Jessica close that pulled him out of sleep. Diego stirred, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand then attempting to look for her. "Shit. What time is it?" he groggily called out.
She'd snuck off to have a shower, then make some coffee, feeling the urge to have something warm to stave off the chill that had the windows looking steamy from just their presence inside. Wearing just her underwear, she sauntered over to the bedroom, hip cocked and resting against the frame as she took a sip from her mug before answering. "Four. You needed sleep, Diego. Now? How about some food? I can order something, since there's no way I'm letting you leave here until at least tomorrow. We can watch something or... do a little more physical labor. Up to you."
Another sip, mostly to hide the smile on her face at how adorable he looked when he was all groggy from sleep and naked. She loved him naked. It was a hardship to stand here and just look and not be over there touching.
"Babe." He uttered the pet name in a husky voice like an objection. It wasn't much of one as Diego immediately zeroed in on Jessica only in her underwear. His body would betray his attempt at defying her as the sheets did little to hide the effect her nakedness had on him. Still making an effort to stay on task with renovations, his hands folded over the bulge at his crotch.
"Furniture and cabinets were coming today. I don't know if anyone signed for any of it. I'm all rested now. I ate something before bed, right?"
All the protest and he'd yet to move off the bed. However, he did keep his hands over the sheet almost as if to will down his erection. The glance his eyes kept doing to her mouth and the rest of her body wasn't helping his cause.
"Babe," she shot back, emphasizing it as she slowly sauntered over, hips swaying intentionally because she knew he was looking, then stopping at the foot of the bed, "I can pick up a car and beat someone with it. You can throw sharp pointy things at people from outside a building and hit them. They are very aware of what we can do and will sign for whatever comes in because they've heard you talking about what you want and where you want it for weeks now. Besides, they like you. You joke around with them, you're one of the guys, and you're not coming in just to point out what you want and putting zero effort in. We're paying them to help, and you're in there with your sleeves rolled up."
She let her eyes drag over him, showing him that she was enjoying every second of it before she sat on the edge, holding her cup out for him to take a sip. "You're the boss, boss. The fact you're in the shit with them most of the time makes them respect you as well as like you. No one's going to give you shit for taking off one measly day. They'll sign for the stuff and make sure it's put away from anything they're currently working on. They do do contracts all by themselves. That's how it usually works."
She glanced down at his crotch, then back up at him, because no, he wasn't hiding anything from anyone. "Someone want to say hi?"
Jessica made all valid points. Maybe if she wasn't his soulmate, Diego still might have attempted an argument. He'd been obtuse before arriving in this world. In all honesty, everything had changed for him once learning how terribly his sister Vanya had been manipulated and abused by their father without any of the siblings ever realizing it. Ignorance didn't absolve how they treated her as kids, mirroring their father's take on Vanya being ordinary.
A new world allowed for a lot of introspection. He didn't think about his sister at the moment but did submit to what Jessica said. It was also hella sexy to hear her call him Boss. His hands lifted, reaching from his position for her to take his hands. "You took a shower and look sexy as hell. He's always happy to see you. Food can wait."
"It can, can it?" She moved over to the bedside table to set her drink down, then turned towards him to take those outstretched hands. She used that grip to lever herself down onto the bed, leaning into him and going instantly for a kiss. She crawled so she was in his lap, straddling him with the sheet between them while she got herself settled.
She'd seen that look on his face of him maybe thinking of arguing with her, glad that he'd given in and let her win this non-argument. His reward was her grinding slowly in his lap as she kissed him. "What if I want you to eat?"
"Then slide your ass this way so I can eat you," he growled huskily in response after the kiss. His hips had rocked, aiding in the friction her grinding had created. Not only was Diego hungry for a taste of Jessica but thoroughly enjoyed her mouth on his member which might be likely if she positioned as he suggested.
There was a challenge in his heavily lidded gaze. Brown eyes darkened with want as if they hadn't just had a round before he fell asleep. His hunger for Jessica was never satiated. "Quieres que te coma?" Diego asked in the same low octave if she wanted him to eat her.
"I want that dirty mouth on every part of me." She answered in an affirmative, arms over his shoulders, feeling the need for him already starting to build. Diego, and her response to Diego, had ruined half her goddamn underwear collection. She was going to have to invest in an actual drawer full of them if she wanted to have even one decent pair.
She sucked at his lip, feeling the press of him against her body through that sheet and the thin layer of cotton. "I want you to be a messy eater."
He'd gladly run his tongue and lips on Jessica from head to toe. There wasn't any part of her that Diego would shy away from, something he never had been committed to before her. They needed to have a serious talk about pregnancy with the rate they were going at each other sexually. At least, they found ways to get off that wasn't always inside her walls. Some might say that she indulged him too much.
"Yeah? Then maybe you should lie on your back and let me taste my way down to your clit," he asked with the growl permanent in his voice. His hips had yet to stop rocking and rubbing his length where he wanted to put his mouth on her.
"It's an easy thing to say, but it's so hard," she said, a hand sliding down between them to touch him through the sheet, "to move when you feel so damn good."
She was on birth control. That was effective enough, right? Right. The frequency hadn't really factored into her brain, considering the efficacy of any pregnancy prevention was never 100% unless that method was abstinence- and that was clearly a hell no from both of them.
"Fuck," he hissed and sucked in a breath as her hand found his length. "...Me."
Diego hadn't meant to utter that but Jessica had drove him to that point. She could sit on his face or ride him. He desperately wanted the sheet to stop separating them and the same went for the clothing she had on. A hand slipped into her hair and tugged for her head to go back and his mouth to move down her neck to a breast.
"We'll get there," she whispered, but his hand was in her hair, tugging her head back, and she let him have his way. His mouth trailed down over her neck, facial hair tickling a bit before she felt wet heat on her nipple. Her hips bucked a bit, her hand moving back to brace on the bed to give him room. "That mouth..."
Usually, it was Jessica who had the mouth and Diego enjoyed every filthy utterance. There were times she would push him to levels where he lost all control, swearing in a few different languages. Now his mouth was busy moving over her skin.
With one of her hands busy, he used his upper hand to switch positions and laid Jessica on her back yet rocked his hips if her grip remained on his cock. He angrily pulled the sheet from between them once steady in the position above her. Determination prompted him to run the flat of his tongue from one nipple to the other while propping himself on an elbow as he slipped a hand into her underwear where 2 fingers teased between her folds.
He was moving them, but she was beyond caring in that moment. Only in so much as to make sure neither of them fell off the bed. She felt the sheets against her back, her hand sliding down along his cock as he freed the rest of himself from the tangle of material. Then his fingers... "Fuck!"
His goddamn agile fingers slipped into her as his mouth had a shudder going through her and she all but whined in response at how good it felt. Those ridiculous hands of his and that goddamn mouth... Her free hand came up to slide into his hair, combing through it and gripping it in random motions.
It wasn't trajectory manipulation but he did find what stroke and pressure she seemed to enjoy best. Diego could feel Jessica course through him, learning to trust what instincts told him that she liked in the moment. His two fingers slipped beyond her sensitive nub and slid in her walls to curl inside.
After a few good strokes, he slipped his fingers out and sucked off the dampness before taking a hold of her panties on one side. Brown eyes looked up to her green set before moving his hips and taking his cock out of her hold. His other hand found the side of her underwear, quickly peeling them off of her.
Diego returned his mouth to her body with a wet trail over her abdomen and to her navel while repositioning between her legs. He kept his weight on one elbow once back in place to bring his fingers inside her walls as his mouth nursed her clit.
Anticipation. He always build up this anticipation that drove her crazy. Heat was mingling with pure lust as she watched him lick her wetness off his fingers. That look he gave her had her clenching around nothing, and then he was tugging her panties off and setting up shop between her thighs.
She watched him, because she wasn't an idiot. She was in love, and he was a work of art when he was turned on and doing filthy things to her. His fingers slipped back up inside, his mouth fit over her clit and her head fell back for a moment. He could kill her with his tongue and she wasn't sure that was hyperbole. She lifted her head back to watch him, cheeks flushed red as he started to move her towards an orgasm she knew wasn't going to be long in coming.
Sounds left him similar to that of tasting something delicious. Diego kept a steady massage with suction on her clit, speeding up the stroke from two fingers that filled her steadily. Jessica had wanted messy and he was intent on delivering.
The sight of her flushed and on the brink of climax kept him focused although his hips unconsciously continued rocking, rubbing his erection against the mattress. He could easily finish with her by just tasting, seeing and hearing Jessica find her release.
It was harder than it should be for her to prop herself up and enjoy the view. She just wanted to lay there and get lost in the sensation, but watching him was its own kind of pleasure. She wasn't sure if he made her look paler or she made him look darker, but he was all these warm colors between her thighs. She could see the rocking of his ass further down his body and knew he was moving with his own need to ease that friction.
Those fingers found a spot and his lips and tongue were warm, wet perfection on her clit, and in a moment, her body squeezed around those fingers, inner walls tight and fluttering as her head fell back and she felt her hips grind against his face on their own accord. Nope, not long at all.
Whatever linked them seemed to only get stronger. Diego always felt as if Jessica had been more in tune than he was with it initially but he wasn't far behind in recognizing the glimpses and sensations of their connection. In the moment, it spurred him to leave a small puddle on the sheets as she finished at his fingers.
He kept a light lick over her clit before a final kiss then shifted to slip his fingers from inside her walls. Diego wanted to drink her in but also was careful not to over stimulate Jessica and ruin the moment. He wiped his mouth over the corners of where her inner thighs met her crotch while still planting kisses.
"Hope that was messy enough for you. I'm gonna need a daily dose of that from now on."
The fingers that had worked in sync with his mouth allowed him one last taste of her essence as he sucked them before a crawl back up to hover face to face above Jessica. His softened erection teased the same entrance he fingered, eager to take residence but giving her time if she needed it.
"What, your daily dose of vitamin V?" She laughed as she slid her hand up lazily to card through his hair. He was gloating over her, and she loved it. Loved seeing that affirmation in his face, that pleasure at doing something for her that she knew without question he enjoyed. She liked him smug. Confident. Cocky. It set a sexy slant to his smile and she leaned up to kiss him.
She felt the press against her, and her answer to that quiet unspoken question was to wrap her leg around him, pulling him in as she arched up until he slid into her. Where he belonged. Always. "I hope you know how much I love you."
"Yes! That exactly," he laughed with her as his voice had that husky quality from having his own release.
Jessica was right; sex had him finding a newfound confidence. He could be cocky when fighting at times but she fortunately didn't see a lot of that. It might change when the dojo was part of where they resided but it might not get her the same kind of thrill at seeing that confidence in the bedroom.
The kiss only helped revitalize his softened cock, enjoying the taste of both sets of her lips at once and sliding inside her warm, wet walls. "Almost as much as I love you," he playfully returned with a mix of smitten and lust staring into her green eyes as their sexes were joined once more.
"I have no idea what I'm going to do with you. Other than keep you." Her hand brushed his hair back, her hips arching up a bit, but their joining was slow. Barely moving, more just to have him there than to reach any end goal. Her knee slid up along his side, her hand playing with his hair as she kissed him with that same lazy appetite that never really got full of him.
"I'm looking forward to christening every inch of the new place once we're all set up."
It felt right to move very little like a slow dance in bed. One of his favorite sensations was just being joined which Jessica allowed him often. She seemed to enjoy it just as much.
Diego had yet to stop smiling as his eyelids grew heavy again. It wasn't from exhaustion this time but from adoration. "You know, the faster it gets set up then the faster that can happen." He pulled away from lazy kissing to nuzzle the tip of her nose in emphasis that he was only teasing and had no desire to get up at the moment.
More emphasis was needed (or so he immediately decided) and gave a firmer thrust with a deeper kiss. It was amazing what a few days of not spending naked time together could do.
She liked these quiet moments, the little private times where they felt that they were in their own little bubble. No pestering. No clients. No New York noise. Just the way he breathed, the soft growl of his voice, the smell of him thick in the room along with sex and pleasure.
Her hand cupped his face, fingers tracing along it, tickled by the longer stubble as she made a noise close to a purr when he thrust that little bit harder. "I think you just want to make sure none of the neighbors get to hear me screaming your name anymore."
"No. I'm gonna miss that. Especially when your ex visits to complain about it," he uttered proudly.
Maybe the sex was making Diego a little too cocky. He was nicer to the maintenance man's son but made it a habit to never get Oscar's name right. Carlos. Jose. Miguel. Juan. Tito... The latter had been his favorite one so far as Oscar reminded him that he wasn't on the lease and Jessica should have better taste in her guests.
There were a number of reasons that Diego wanted to move faster but really had little to do with jealousy. He could feel the way Jessica felt about him. There was no more second guessing of how important he was to someone. It was better than being Number One, being her one and only.
Had she had lovers in the past? Sure. So had he. It was stupid to be jealous about any of his, especially since whatever world they came from was gone, but she definitely got those little tingles of jealousy from him when he ran into one of her exes. If she could even call them that. It wasn't like she dated long. A week or two at most. Diego had far outlasted anyone, and since he was the key that fit her lock, she had zero interest in seeing if anyone else was going to break that record.
Them getting a place that held no memories for her about anyone other than the ones they made there was perfectly reasonable. She'd been unsure how he'd feel about Luke, but both of them seemed to be handling it well. Oscar... well. Oscar could be a shit. She had a feeling part of it had to do with Vido. Too much of an instant family that she wasn't ready to step into place for, and the kid deserved someone far less damaged.
"You just like to rub his nose in it. I heard that last time, genius. 'How many times did you hear my name last night? Ten? Eleven?'" Did she sound upset? Not really. Being in the same city was one thing, but the same building? Yeah. He'd been right. It was time to move.
Of course, if she'd heard Oscar mentioning her guests, Diego would have had the pleasure of her ripping him a new one over it being jack shit of his business.
Moving in day. Technically, everything had been in for a few days, but Jess had been holding off on sleeping over until after they'd had a surprise housewarming present. Diego, from what she'd seen of his past, hadn't had nearly enough celebration in his life. Lack of birthdays. Lack of holidays. She'd thought her past had been bleak, but at least they'd had the facade of it at the Walkers, and she'd had her own family growing up during her earlier years.
So between her and Connie, they'd set up to have her forget something at the place to drag him in and have there be a surprise housewarming in the office section. Her office section. The place she was willing to open to people. The dojo was his, and some part of her wanted to keep the upper rooms as solely theirs. Private. Both of them had so little of that.
There was catering and booze, thanks to Danny's funds, and even some of the construction guys that had taken a shine to Diego were invited. So as she pushed him ahead of her into the office and made him flip on the light, she got to watch him react to the loud 'Surprise!', grinning as she came up behind him, arms around his waist. "Welcome home, mi amor."
The day had been an anxious one. Diego did his best not to assume the worst but couldn't shake a feeling of something winding up Jessica. Everything was in its place in their new home together yet she put off sleeping there. He couldn't help but think that Jessica didn't want to part from her apartment but everything she'd told him had been that she was ready for their new life together.
He planned on heading out to patrol the city when his wrist buzzed, alerting him of a message on his phone. Jessica. He looked questionably when another message alerted him. Rand. The first message was his soulmate needing to go back to their pending new residence and the latter was his sorry excuse for a vigilante partner, canceling on him for something that came up last minute. Diego pulled off his domino mask and responded to his fiance that he was on his way.
It wasn't as if Diego could be angry with Jessica. If anything, he was concerned over why she was anxious. He hadn't found a way of saying something about what he could feel coming from her as they traveled to her office in their place. His soulmate was adamant that she shut off the alarm system from her phone (something he hadn't bothered much with since they weren't living there yet) so he went in and pushed the rocker switch to turn on the lights.
SURPRISE!
Diego had nearly grabbed a knife from the surprise but could feel Jessica lose her anxiety for a happy excitement, then her arms wrapped around him from behind. His confusion remained but only for a few seconds more before putting 2 and 2 together; she had been anxious to surprise him. It was the sweetest thing that anyone had done for him in his life. He grinned from ear to ear, looking at the crowd of friends in the small space.
"What is this?" he laughed as Danny and Colleen walked toward him and Jessica.
"It's a surprise housewarming. A little celebration for the new chapter in your lives. There's food and a few more gifts," Danny had immediately answered. A nudge from Colleen prompted him to add. "For the two of you to finally make things official. It's all in the yellow envelope on your desk."
Number Two turned enough so Jessica was at his side, lowering his head to give her a kiss. "I love you. Thank you for all of this." The initial response was to Jessica and the latter was between her and their friends. A few of the construction crew were beaming, quick to motion toward the food and drink.
She was curious herself what was in the envelope- Danny and Colleen and their surprises, but her attention was all for the man in black who was smiling down at her. "I was worried you wouldn't like it. And I was banking that you'd figure out what you'd be throwing a knife at before you threw it." A smirk, then a squeeze at his side as she looked around her new office. It seemed full. She wasn't used to having lots of people in her space unless shit was hitting the fan.
It was a pleasant deviation from the norm that the opposite was happening. Hell, it was downright mundane to have a housewarming party. "You can thank Colleen for the food selection. I was all for just pizza." Which there was some of that, but there was also a full spread, courtesy of Danny's funds and Colleen's taste. "And that means we're going to be bunking here tonight. In case that wasn't perfectly clear."
It wasn't nerves as much as just... anticipation that her life was moving forward, and it was doing so in a way that was good. Wanted. The only regret she had was that Trish wasn't here to share it with her. She squelched that thought, because she didn't want him picking up on anything negative. Only happy thoughts tonight.
A housewarming was better than a birthday party. He never had either before but the latter would be bittersweet without his siblings. Diego didn't think about his family as much while working on his home with Jessica. It was a lot like when he'd first left the Hargreeves mansion. He was too busy working on a future.
The same could be said about the gathering that Jessica put together for him. People who actually enjoyed being around him were present, not those that were obligated out of some notion of family. Weddings and funerals. The Umbrella Academy had only had one of each. He might think of his siblings when it was time to tie the knot but they weren't on his mind at the moment.
"Wait, everyone's gonna be spending the night?" Diego questioned through a forced grin.
Danny snorted. "She means you two. We're only here to eat food after seeing that dumb look on your face." A few of the construction guys piped up, adding that they wanted to see some knife throwing to which Rand gave a nod while still grinning. "And knife throwing. They wanted to see us spar and Jessica lift weights but Colleen talked them out of that."
"Let me guess, Raul wanted to see the lifting and Jermaine wanted to see us fight?" Diego questioned through a smirk while looking at each of the guys.
"No, Boss. I'm here for the food and I thought you might throw a knife before realizing what was going on," Jermaine said through a mischievous smirk. "You got Raul right but it's Easy who wanted to see you and Mr Rand go a round."
Easy had a plate of food in hand, immediately shaking his head and glaring at Jermaine. "Yeah, right. I'm not the only one wanting to see that fight." After the annoyed statement, Easy looked over at Diego. "What say you, Boss? One quick match on the mat? Make sure it's set up right for when the classes start?"
Raul took one look at Jessica and Colleen and shook his head. "Easy, you pick a boring match. My money is on the ladies!" the Dominican man quipped in a Spanish accent about as thick as Easy's Haitian one (not very thick but clearly one).
Jessica rolled her eyes at the locker room talk, her arm still around Diego's waist. "The only tossing happening tonight is me tossing your ass out before it's too late for you to get a ride home." That was followed by a quick flip of her finger at the workers, but she turned and grinned at Diego, giving him a peck on the cheek.
"C'mon. Eat and drink. I've been too nervous most of the day to eat much. Now I have an appetite."
All she was feeling through their link was a warm sort of glowing happiness, and that was the whole point of what she'd been doing. To get him something that made him feel like he fit in. Something he wanted. Something theirs.
"Classes will start soon enough and you'll be able to see the three of us train, maybe with a couple of other kickass ladies," Colleen quipped as she made sure Jessica and Diego had a clear path to the food.
Jessica was familiar with Claire and Misty but Colleen still felt it only right to give the private eye a chance at accepting or rejecting the idea of them appearing at her house to train with her soon to be husband. Diego had been working more with adults while Colleen and Danny worked better with kids.
"Yeah, we'll see." Diego chimed in after Colleen. "This is a training facility, not for spectators. You wanna see any of us spar then you're gonna have to participate in the classes. I could always use someone to demonstrate moves on," Number Two taunted the construction crew.
All 3 muttered complaints but busied wih plates they previously fixed for themselves. With jobs in the morning, none planned on staying long.
Diego slipped behind Jessica, instinctively letting her first at the food but quickly following. "Definitely having a little of everything. Love all this," he commented happily with a loud stomach growl in agreement. The Asian fusion would more than hit the spot.
"There's also Kirin, Sapporo, and a couple bottles of Nihonshu--you might know it as sake--that anyone driving should stay away from but small amounts are really good with the food," Danny piped up and poured a glass for Diego of Daiginjo that was a gift to the couple. "If it's too strong, I can get you something else." Rand looked between Diego and Jessica.
She had decided during the building process that their 'house' was going to be limited to the upstairs areas, in so far as what she felt comfortable in deciding on who came inside. Her office was hers, mostly, but she was fine if Diego needed to use it for a client, or their parent, to discuss things away from the activity of his dojo. The dojo, however, was his. In her mind, anyway. She didn't really work out, keeping in shape through the joy of an enhanced metabolism and her own version of a crappy diet, but that had changed a bit since he'd come into her life.
She ate better to force him to eat better, but that didn't mean any of it stuck to her. She stepped up to the table, feeling him behind her, nodding along at the suggestions and picking a little of this and that to put on her plate. She chose sparingly, since she figured there'd be more if she wanted, and she still had to survive the party.
Jessica forgot how bad at them she was. Socializing was never her forte, and even though she didn't mind anyone here, she would be happy to use the excuse of food in her mouth to avoid talking to most of them. This had been for Diego's sake, not hers. She wanted him to know he could have ties to people around them and that she was okay with that leaking onto her. Mostly.
Not really paying attention to what was what, she grabbed for a beer looking bottle, taking that and leaning back to kiss his cheek. "Go hog wild. Watching you get shitfaced will be amusing."
They had their own way of working out that Diego was sure burned more calories than any cardio he did in a gym. He didn't worry about her physique, smitten with more than what was on the surface. However, he did worry about Jessica defending herself given as many powered individuals as there seemed to be in this world. It had been the reason she was against him fighting for money.
Glimpses of Jessica having to fight off Luke Cage had come to mind and Diego wanted her to learn a few moves to fend off or counter someone who could match her in strength. Yet it wasn't something he mentioned to her, convinced it could wait until they moved in. They already talked about christening every room in the place which was incentive enough to wait a little before asking her to train.
None of those thoughts came to mind as Danny offered him a drink and his soulmate telling him to get lit. Amusement ghosted Diego's lips as his brow furrowed with question, ultimately accepting the drink from Rand while holding a leery expression. "If it goes good with the food, I'll take it." The billionaire orphan looked rather happy with himself as he poured them each a glass.
There was talk of Harlem's Hero, Daredevil and the Punisher among the construction crew. Similar to Jessica's concern that Diego might end up fighting someone with powers, Raul and Easy talked about underground matches that had others with abilities. Jermaine had piped up to say that none of them actually saw any of the fights--they only heard of them.
"Where are these fights supposed to be?" Diego asked as the drink started to have an immediate effect. Maybe the alcohol content was strong, or it was having hardly eaten all day, OR not having had any real liquor in a long time. Either way, Jessica likely could feel the light buzz begin.
"Whoa, you need to sip between eating. Not eat between sips," Danny admonished his friend who polished off a glass but was only a few bites into his plate.
"He can sip or drink or maul his food, Glow-fist. I've got my eye on him tonight, and he definitely won't be trying to go through me to get to any illegal cage matches." She knew Danny was reining that in out of a sense of concern. She was also sure the young pup had taken to him as quickly as he'd taken to Murdock; some older adult male who looked cool and could do cool things. Danny was still 11 at heart. Colleen was doing him a world of good in rubbing off some of that naivety, but he still was what he was. A large child in a man suit.
She reached over and finished Diego's glass, feeling that burn and recognizing the light buzz that she felt through their link. Something soft and warm and a little loose. She nipped at his jaw, then went back to her food. "The fights move." Because of course she knew about them. Had to, as far as she was concerned. There was not a zero percent chance that Diego might find one or be talked into going to one, and she decided to make it her business to know how to get him out if she needed to. "They're hosted by a few partners that have deals with who gets to host each event. It's a traveling gig, and each fight is held at a different business's property; warehouse, underground parking, dockyard, the usual. Each host has to keep an on staff medic team, and that's partly to verify a kill if they're one of the special matches. Those usually involve foreign visitors and it's some champion thing. Guests get couriers that drop off cards with an email link that verifies their identity, provides a secure link for wire transfers for entrance, and a separate system if someone wants to register a fight."
She said all that in a very matter of fact tone, picking at something that looked like a spring roll, but deep fried and- ooh. Hey, that was pretty tasty. She grabbed three more.
Rand's mouth hung open as Jessica admonished him to which Colleen got him to shut with a light elbow, handing him a bowl of food she'd put together for him. The two ate and stayed out of the conversation between the couple as did the construction crew.
"Wait, people are dying in these things? Is anybody doing anything about that? What if people are being trafficked into these fights?"
Similar to what she felt as he was buzzed from the drink, Jessica might've felt Diego get uptight at what he'd just learned from her. He'd spent time trying to find who responsible for attacking his soulmate and only paused to get their house together renovated. Now there seemed like another job to take on while keeping an eye on anyone coming after Jessica.
"There's task forces for them. I'm pretty sure at least one of the acronyms has their finger in that pie. Some of them might even be putting in their own fighters to pick out new... recruits." She felt that wave of concern, irritation, and that steadfast need to protect what was his.
Coming over, she held up one of the spring rolls to his lips, giving him a flat look. "You have a dojo. And... other things to keep you occupied at night," she said, looking pointedly over at Danny, but not saying it aloud since the construction boys were there. "This is above all of our paygrades. Well, maybe not Sparky's, but it's not for you. Later, I'll show you why." The dark web, something he was completely not in touch with, had a lot of clips from some of the more exciting fights. She hoped that watching someone get melted by being touched would keep him from thinking he should poke his nose in.
"Now eat. And enjoy. Or I'll take you upstairs and spank you." She pointedly ignored the murmurs of what else she should do to him up there from the rest of the crew as they ate, then offered helpful tips.
Easy took it upon himself to refill a glass for Diego who looked like he could use more to drink. The alcohol worked against him making rational decisions. He was curious about what she wanted to show him. Number Two remained silent and ate but only due to mulling over the information he'd just been given.
It didn't sullen the mood, the wheels were turning in his head as the group were amused at Jessica's conclusion. The retrospection at least had him eat more with his refill. Still, the warm fuzzy feeling doubled and his thoughts from infiltrating the underground fight club were interrupted by Colleen asking if he wanted more food or was she clear to pack up the leftovers.
"Hold on now. Tell me there are to go containers," Easy piped up after shoving the bite of food he'd taken into his cheek.
"Take whatever's left over with you guys. Colleen... I really appreciate you and Danny doing this for us. All of it," she added, glancing over at Danny and letting him know she knew about him bankrolling a lot (read: all) of the security. "And everyone's getting a cab or uber home. If I hear keys jingling, they're getting thrown a mile out into the water."
The definite drunk hitting the guy that didn't seem used to imbibing danced along their link, and she smiled at the fact her soul mate was getting drunk. Letting loose. And that he had people he felt comfortable doing that around.
She came up behind him and tucked her chin over his shoulder, arms around his waist. "Did you enjoy tonight?"
"Yeah, thanks. I'll be at the office on Monday to work out ...you know," he uttered with the slightest of slurs at Danny who furrowed his brow but nodded his head, smirking slightly.
Diego had previously agreed to work out classes at the dojo on Saturday but now seemed to take the weekend. Rand truly didn't mind and knew Colleen wouldn't either. "Yeah, Monday. I'll be back to see you with new students around 7, if that's alright," she asked the drunk and happy new homeowner. He gave Colleen a thumb's up with an inebriated grin. "Yep, we're getting out of here. Oh and no need for cab or Uber. Danny called for a car twenty minutes ago. Should be out front by the time we walk out there."
Everyone headed out with various forms of farewell when the door automatically locked after them and the sound of the security system arming soon after. Jessica appeared over his shoulder and Diego grinned, polishing off the last of his glass.
"Yeah. You didn't have to do that. Why didn't Malcolm or Hogarth show?" he questioned as it felt like only his friends had been part of the festivities. It wasn't as if Trish or her mother could be there but Diego had been the outsider and didn't like the idea of Jessica possibly feeling like one even though their link didn't give him any kind of vibe that she could be feeling that way.
She turned her head a bit to nuzzle at his neck, kissing there, letting her hands slide up around his chest and taking in the warmth of him against her. Of that soft glowy feeling he was sending to her. "Jeri wouldn't be caught dead at something like this. I'm not rich enough for her taste. Maybe if it was Danny's homecoming..." Jeri and her weren't exactly friends. Just... people who'd been through shit together and tried to keep it professional. "I think Malcolm's working through some shit on his own." And both of them knew that neither of them would take him not coming personally. Her and Malcolm's relationship was solid, but it had its weird ups and downs.
Her hand slid down to the edge of his shirt and untucked it, pulling it out to let her fingers slide along warm skin. "You have a good time?"
Diego made a face of disapproval. Nothing that Jessica told him about Jeri Hogarth gave him a warm and fuzzy. He knew she provided an income for Jessica and Malcolm but got under his skin worse than Oscar the times he'd been in the same room with her. The knife thrower would rather push a broom than be a subordinate to the wicked witch of the east coast.
He gave a nod at what Jess had told him about Malcolm. "Yeah. It was nice. Food was good. I think that drink went to my head..." Diego seemed to forget that it wasn't just one but three by the end of the party. He hadn't really had more than a shot in years. His head fell back as Jessica ran her fingers on his bare skin.
"Why did you do this? Didn't think parties were something you liked?" he muttered through closed eyes.
Jeri had loose morals, in the sense that she could look at someone like Kilgrave and see opportunity, or a gain for her, not a monster. That was the part that would always stick with Jessica. She could forgive not believing her about his abilities; no one had until it happened to them, but Jeri's opportunistic nature about him bothered her. Jess knew she wasn't a true monster herself; she still seemed to genuinely care for Danny, but she was so twisted up in everything, it made her not entirely trustworthy from a moral point. A financial one, sure.
There was a lazy sort of lassitude coming from him in waves, that kind of drunk that made everything loose and glowy, and she kept her fingers low, playing with that band of skin between shirt and pants. Just being slow and easy for now. She kissed the curve of his neck again. "I like you. I don't mind your little boyband, and Danny and Colleen aren't so bad. You need to socialize more. I want you to feel like you belong here, and not just because of me. They like you. Danny would probably adopt you as an older brother if he could. He imprints quickly."
She started to sway a bit, dancing with him in her arms, enjoying just the knowledge of the quiet of them in their new home. New lives. It left a soft smile on her face he couldn't see. "I like the right kinds of parties. Ones where I can sit and watch and no one gives me shit for that."
"I'm never not going to feel like I belong here because of you. Rand's cool and so is Colleen. Malcolm. Luke..." Harlem's Hero stopped being a threat regardless of the glimpses he'd have of his relationship with Jessica. Sure, they were images Diego could do without and fortunately he'd made enough memories with his soulmate to mostly drown out the memories of her hooking up with other guys.
He was putty in her hands as she nuzzled and touched him. "...More friends than I've had in since the police academy." Not that he really wanted to socialize unless patrolling the streets counted as socializing. Luke and Danny had to reign in Diego from getting overzealous, chasing the bad guys.
Following her lead felt natural, easily swaying in her hold. His eyes stayed closed but his brow furrowed a little as his lips still held a slight smile. "You wanna people watch at a party? Does that mean you're not gonna dance with me at any?" Dancing was the only thing he enjoyed at typical parties, with the exception of having played board games once.
There was a soft laugh, her fingers sliding up just a little, feeling the definition of abs she adored licking, his skin warm to her touch as she nipped at his jawline. "You want to dance with me? In public? That's dangerous, Diego, considering every time we get all up close and personal, it turns very dirty. Which I'm not complaining about. I just know that if we start 'dancing' at any parties we're invited to, we're going to quickly be labeled as 'that gross couple that practically fucks in public'."
Something she was also okay with. She'd never met anyone before that had this effect on her. This desire to constantly be touching him, to be touched by him. Her skin hummed at the thought of all the places he could touch and all the parts of him he could touch her with. "I like watching you have a good time. And I like when you come over to me with that look on your face. I like knowing that any women at any party we're at are going to drool over you and you won't even notice, because you're having fun and then you're having me."
Between the touch of her fingers and her gentle biting at his skin, she'd gotten a literal rise out of Diego. Her words about dancing together only added to the fire that started to burn. "Practically? Pretty sure we've actually fucked in public," he shot back with a familiar growl in his voice.
Jessica got him out of his comfort zone in so many ways. The most obvious was how much he smiled, that he stopped fighting for money, and how he dreamt of a future. He finally had a life that he'd never thought possible. What fueled him the most was finding someone who actually wanted him.
"Just like no matter how much guys might stare at you, your eyes are only on me." He turned around and kissed her hard as his arms wrapped around her frame. His hands went to her ass, grabbing handfuls while pressing her body into him and letting her feel the effect she had on him. Diego might have been tipsy but it didn't hamper his desire for her in the slightest.
"The van will never be forgotten," she said with a soft, husky laugh. That time had been one of the more fun, sporadic times she'd had with him, and it just made her fall for him harder. He made intimacy fun. She laughed with him, and that was something she'd had a hard time doing before. She'd felt sometimes like her joy had been leeched out of her, like all of it had been sucked out and there was none left for her.
He'd changed that, and when he turned to kiss her, grabbing her ass, she pushed some of that joy for him through their link. "You're the only one worth watching." Cheesy as it may sound, it was also true. She hoped he knew that the images he had of her with other men were solidly in the past. Whatever mixed feelings she'd had for Luke, they'd evaporated when he'd slid into her life. She would always choose Diego. And she wasn't afraid to admit that. Not to him. Not to Luke. Not to anyone.
Warmth spread through her as she moved her hands around under his shirt to slip upwards along his chest. "Wanna go upstairs?"
"The van, the fire escape..." The connection between them gave him a rush of joy which in turn gave Jessica his rush of drunk desire.
Less steady than ever before with her, Diego stepped back and fumbled to get out of his shirt. He cut himself with a knife he'd forgotten about. It wasn't a serious laceration but one that caused him to jump and quickly get rid of the two others, slamming them down on her desk.
"I'll go anywhere you want. Upstairs, on the stairs, on your desk." His response was in a dropped octave as he stared with all the heat of how badly he wanted her.
She reacted to the cut, frowning and taking his hands after he put the knives down. "Well, now you're going to sit there while I go get the first aid kit and tape that up," she scolded, but it was getting harder to be concerned when that need to was starting to pulse through her. His desire was a heady thing, and she made a muffled sound that crept through a bitten lip as she watched him.
"I'm fine," he all but barked at her. His uninjured hand reached for her as she attempted to find the first aid kit. Diego brought the cut digit to his mouth and sucked on the injury then showed it to Jessica, displaying a faint red line that formed. It was more than a paper cut but he didn't want to waste time on trying to take care of it. "I want you."
The words were huskily spoken as he released his hold on her to cover the knives with the shirt he removed then let them fall down the side of her desk. "Bad," he added and glanced down to the bulge at his crotch as if to plead his case.
Brows raised at the bark, but she watched him suck on his finger and felt that liquid heat pool quickly between her legs. She reached over and too his hand, bringing the finger closer to look at it, then, watching him, she sucked it into her mouth. She tasted blood and Diego, and she let her tongue play over the cut before she drew it back out.
He shoved his knives away and that's what let her know he meant business. He was incredibly careful with his toys, and letting them fall like that let her know that little drunken desire he felt was more than little. Her hand moved down to slip her finger in the front of his jeans, tugging at him as she glanced down, then back up at him. "How bad?"
The alcohol that flowed through him was likely responsible to him moving his finger in and out of her mouth when she decided to taste his cut. A moan left him at seeing her and feeling her mouth on the digit where he immediately added the motion as if it could ease his excitement.
She pulled his finger out and slipped one of her own into the front of his jeans. "Really fucking bad," he complained and fumbled in an effort to unfasten the denim. Frustration prompted Diego to grab her hand and rub himself against it regardless of the layer his boxer briefs and jeans posed.
He always made her feel like she was just coming out of being a teenager again. That giddy, almost forbidden pleasure of being with someone, that newness that never seemed to dull with him.
Arousal flared through her, and she found herself gripping him through his clothes, feeling the length of him trapped there while her other hand flicked his fly open. "Too fucking bad to be able to make it upstairs?"
She was pretty sure the answer was yes, which was just fine by her. She leaned in and kissed him, groping him over his jeans before she slipped a hand inside and kneaded him through his underwear.
Focus was difficult. Not enough time had gone by to rid the buzz from the alcohol he drank. If he had her strength, Diego might've ripped off her clothes or at least his own. Jessica mentioned going upstairs again which registered in his head as where she'd give him what he desperately wanted.
"Fine. Upstairs. Now," he grumbled as she stopped stroking him over his clothes and slid her hand to grip his length. A choked groan rumbled into her mouth as she kissed him. His eyes closed, enjoying her taste and stroke.
She grinned a little at the haze around him as he answered her. Then she took her hands back and moved to lift him up into her arms, bridal style. "You okay if we leave your stuff here until morning?" She meant his knives, but she was already walking to where her office door was and the opening to the stairwell that led to upstairs. No one was going to come in and steal his knives. Danny had engaged the security system as he'd left, so they were locked in tight for the night. She took the stairs with him in her arms easily, nipping at him as she went.
Another groan of disapproval rumbled from him when she took her hand off his cock. In the morning, when he hopefully wasn't hung over, Diego might regret his decision to leave his knives on her office floor but all that mattered to him in the moment was that they'd get naked as soon as possible. There was something to be said about having a partner who could carry you off.
"You are so fucking sexy, Mami."
His arm slung around her shoulders, his erection angry at the limited space in the crotch of his pants as the rest of him was limp for her to easily move with. It was no surprise that Diego had a one track mind in the moment, exacerbated by being drunk. He was curious if there was another surprise upstairs since she seemed intent on going up than having sex in her office.
The bed was set up, and maybe there were a few things in some of the drawers that she'd thought of playing with, but in that particular moment, all she wanted was him. Him naked and touching her and sending more of that feel-good pleasure all through her like she did.
They reached their suite, and she took a moment to just look around her. This was theirs. All of it. No landlord. No pissy neighbors. No one coming in windows or holes that carried memories of pain. Just a new, fresh start with him in her arms. "Glad you think so. It'd suck if I went and got lingerie just to have you tell me you weren't a lingerie kind of guy."
She went over to where their bed was, larger than her old one, making her climb into the middle of it to lay him down. "Welcome home, Diego."
"I'm a Jessica Jones kind of guy," he chuckled in a low octave as she set him down. His desire for her continued to burn but the predatory manner he stared at her had toned down for a look of complete adoration. The line of his erection was visible under denim and underwear but he remained on his back, watching her.
Welcome home, Diego.
Regardless of being inebriated, he realized the depth of what she said. Jessica could likely feel how comfortable he felt. He was home for possibly the first time in his life. The Hargreeves Mansion had never felt safe. Only Grace was a safe haven but she couldn't protect him from his father. Looking at his soulmate, her green eyes said she would protect him with her life. A look he returned.
"I don't think I knew what being happy was until I found you. You're home for me. You are my everything."
Sad or not, it was the truth. Jessica, unlike, him, had known a home growing up. He'd be able to know that she had a mother, father, and a bratty but adored younger brother growing up, and her heart had broken when that had been taken away from her. That had been what had turned her into a jaded, snide, hopeless individual. Then it had just gotten worse.
Frankly, she was still surprised she hadn't killed herself after she'd gotten away from Kilgrave. It had been a close thing. There had been moment...
Her hand coming up to brush at his hair, to cup the side of his face as she leaned over him, putting herself between him and the world, she was glad she'd stuck with it. He was her prize at the end of it all. He made it worth it. "You know that means that there's lingerie sets hiding around the home, right? I hid them in weird places, and when you find them, we get to play. And they're not all for me," she said with a smirk, then leaned in to kiss him. "You're my life now, Diego. You're it for me. So don't do anything stupid to take that away."
The adoration didn't leave his face but what she told him instigated some deviousness on his features. His gaze held heavy eyelids, whether between drinking or the aroused state she had him in. However, the mischief began to wane as a thought struck him.
"Just up here, right? Not anywhere downstairs?" he asked curiously. After all, they'd talked about sex in nearly every part of the property.
Yet he didn't need an answer right away and enjoyed the kiss. What she said after, tugged at his emotions. He gently cupped the side of her face and caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"To have and to hold until death do us part," Diego uttered with a slight slur. He lowered his hand from her face and used his index finger to make a cross over his heart, clearly mixing up 'cross my heart' or maybe purposely not wanting to say that he 'hoped to die'.
"Just up here. I'm not having one of your clients find something frilly and thinking it's for them. Or one of mine," she huffed, looking down at him and watching all those different emotions play over his face.
She watched him make his vow, felt just how serious he was about it even though it was said in that lazy, syrupy drunk way. Leaning in, she kissed over where he'd crossed his heart through his shirt. "Already gungho for a wedding, huh?" She kicked her boots off while she was still on all fours, using her feet to wriggle out of them, then flip them off somewhere behind them. Her hand slipped under his shirt, starting to tug it up. "Unless you're too drunk to play, get your ass outta your clothes."
His face had scrunched when she talked about their clients finding the hidden lingerie. Her answer ultimately settled any questions he had at the moment. Diego made his vow and grinned widely as she kissed his chest.
"I'm not even drunk," he protested defiantly while aiding her removal of his shirt. "Buzzed, maybe." Inebriated enough that Diego doesn't manage to lead but continues to follow Jessica instead. "Doesn't have to be a wedding. Could just stand in front of a judge," he reverted back to the question she asked him.
"You're shitfaced. It's kind of cute." Not that she didn't think that of almost everything he did. She slid her hand down his front, feeling the warmth of his skin, playing over a few old scars before she reached the edge of his pants. She gave those a tug. "You need witnesses for a judge. And papers. Which, thanks to Danny, you have now."
"-I am not..." His objection died out the second she called it cute. Or maybe it was feeling her touch his bare skin. Jessica spoke of witnesses for a judge and Diego could no longer focus on the subject of a wedding. She'd notice the bulge flexing at his crotch while he stared at her with heavily lidded eyes.
Slowly, he licked his lips and tried to find focus. His hips shifted to help remove his bottoms as his soulmate had made quick work of his shirt. "I want you," he growled huskily with eyes matching his desire.
There it was. That hungry look that was aimed at her that had something between her legs clenching. She grinned wider, tugging his pants down to his knees, then sitting up on hers and looking down at him. "Yeah? So what're you gonna do about it? Lay there and think of England?"
IF there was one thing she was quickly learning about her soulmate, it was that he was highly competitive. Mix that with his utter adoration for her, and she was expecting a certain reaction.
The alcohol in his system made cohesive thoughts difficult to contain. His brow knit together in confusion as he gave a slow shake of his head in objection. "Why would I think of England?"
Not that his erection faltered among the confusion. Diego reached for Jessica and tugged her close to kiss his sake drenched mouth.
Oh, she was so going to rub his face in this tomorrow, already enjoying the teasing she'd give him about being a sappy lightweight, but for now... for now she fell on him and kissed him with a smile. She felt his cock press against her stomach, and she wriggled a little against it. "Would you rather think of Cockistan?"
There was no such place, but hey, teasing was fair game.
"What? You wantin' to travel or somethin'?" he questioned rather than the made up name she uttered.
The friction she created against his cock prompted a flex on the already rigid member. It wasn't as if they hadn't played games while fooling around but the intoxication worked to slightly derail Diego. He'd get a nasty case of blue balls if he wasn't careful.
"I'm clearly going to have to babysit you next time I let you near the booze," she said with a laugh, but her lips were pressed to his, little kisses marking around his mouth, his beard tickling her before she kissed him properly.
She didn't think he could get any more adorable, but apparently drunken horny Diego was a new level. A hand slipped down between them, fingers wrapping around his length as she sucked at his lower lip. "I want you."
Still confused but her laugh helped distract him and the hand around his length brought his focus back to what he wanted from the start. It was impressive that Jessica could get the words out as he kissed her back with hunger.
"Get on top," he growled then tugged his lip free from her grip. Diego held onto enough of his senses to know they were better off with her leading. Hopefully he wouldn't reach climax and fall asleep on their first night home.
A little more wriggling and tossing of clothes that were getting in the way- some of them ripped a bit more than necessary because they were problematic in getting naked flesh against naked flesh, she straddled his thighs, looking down at him and his bleary drunk grin, but all that warm, naked body there for her to have.
She didn't bother with any preamble to taking him in, a hand angling him up and then she was seated with him fully inside her and her body gripping tightly around his as she took him in. "Like this?"
"Fuck!" he hissed the expletive almost like a statement than an exclamation. She should interpret it as a 'yes' to her question. The muscles in his jaw clenched in sync with his washboard abs at the feeling of her warm, wet walls engulfing his cock. Diego could be mistaken for staring angrily if anyone but Jessica caught a glimpse of his face.
His hands released the bedding under them for a grasp of her breasts. He'd told her to take the lead but couldn't stop his hips from start a thrust up, desperate to have her sex stroke his. "Eres hermosa, Mami. Dame lo." Diego growled a compliment then a demand in Spanish. He wanted more of her. Needed more.
The grip on her breasts and that growling demand had her moving. She slid her hands down his arms, leaning in to steal one more kiss before she sat up and moved to ride him like she had a purpose and a place to go. Her hips moved in an almost erratic pattern, feeling him glide inside her, moving and touching and all she wanted was more. More of him. Fuck it, all of him.
For the boy who only wanted to be loved, Jessica righted every wrong that ever happened to him in his life. It was more than physically wanting him or the supernatural connection. Diego was whole. The void that festered in him for as far back as he could remember, no longer existed. He missed his mom and his siblings but didn't feel alone as he'd had his entire lifetime before his soulmate. All the alcohol in his system didn't dull that connection.
His hands couldn't keep up with the pace that she moved in so they slid down to her hips. Diego sucked in his lower lip and kept it pinned between his teeth while dark eyes stared possessively at the love of his life. It was a terrible move as the sight, sounds and sensation immediately overwhelmed him. His hands squeezed at her hips as his eyes closed and his orgasm erupted inside of her.
She loved watching him tip over. It was like it caught him by surprise sometimes, and she loved that she could do that to him. For him. Because she knew that out of the two of them, she was the one who knew what it was to be loved, so she knew what she'd lost when her parents and brother had been taken. She knew what he'd never had, and it just seared the idea of wanting to punish Reginald Hargreeves for the sins of his actions in ruining the lives of children who'd just been born. Ruined them by giving them no love, no affection, only a minimal purpose as a thing.
Well, he was more than that to her. He was her heart. Her reason for breathing. And she could admit to anyone that he was her love, and she wasn't ashamed of that feeling. Not anymore.
She slid down and rested on his chest, sliding her hand up his chest and resting there on his shoulder as she kissed sweat-dewed skin. "Te amo, ahora y siempre."
He'd fallen asleep relatively quickly afterward, and he'd woken up rushing for the bathroom, then whisper-yelling about his body being a temple and she was pretty sure he called her Klaus at least once. Her flashbacks of his life brought a face to mind, and after rifling through those memories, she figured out of all the siblings he had, Klaus and herself might have a few things on the same level. Coping through inebriants, though fortunately for her, she only stuck to booze.
The days after that were good. Almost too good. She kept waiting for something to come along and screw it up, as per her usual. But that sword just kept hanging over her, and she kept going to sleep naked and sweaty and waking up in some form of an embrace with the person who meant the most to her. When she woke before him, some mornings she'd just lay there as the room around them lightened, watching his face and how little strain there was on it. How relaxed and peaceful he was.
She wanted more with him. Wanted to do more with him, to show him how she felt, how much he meant to her. She thought about Coney Island and all the things to do there, and how her memories of his childhood was missing all that. No rides. No fun things. Only training and acting like a show pony for his 'father'. There'd been a memory of him as a younger boy, watching kids in a line from a school trip going somewhere with teachers, holding hands in a line and laughing and being children. The memory was colored with envy, and it made her sad. Sad for the child he'd never been. But it was still just slopping out of winter, and she wanted to show him Six Flags and all the happy fun crap when it was in a light to be seen, not off-season and pitiful. And he wouldn't be one of the Umbrella Academy here. Not wearing a mask and putting on a show. No one curbing anything he wanted to go see or do. Or eat, if she could get him to stop being quite so anal about food. And money.
So that was a plan for later, and she made a nebulous note in her journal for April and May, to block off a weekend for them to enjoy what she could show him. But for now, she was busy going over her bills and sending out payments to what needed to be paid. It was mid-afternoon and the rumble in her stomach reminded her lunch was coming up, so she figured she'd shoot a text to Diego to see if he was up for sharing it with her or if he was busy and she'd have to wait until dinner to have a taste of her soulmate.
If Jessica thought she had been read the riot act after their housewarming, it would be obvious that Danny didn't snitch on Diego. Rand received threats of violence if he ever mentioned sake again in the days that followed. Yet the knife thrower was easy to distract from the unpleasant memories with the promise of a future he never believed before was possible.
'No sake at the wedding reception. Got it!' Number Two had to remind his ...investor that each of the happy couple wanted to establish their respective businesses before tying the knot. Yet that wasn't exactly the truth. Diego wanted a nice ring for Jessica and still had to figure out how their finances would measure up with the new mortgage payment.
He wasn't worried but it was something he'd set as a plan to follow. Jessica knew he wanted to make things official between them, possibly even changing his name instead of the tradition that she take his. It couldn't be bad to lose the reminder that he'd been purchased as a child. Yet something also tugged at him; what if one of his siblings somehow ended up in this timeline? The name would be the only way of finding him.
His mind wasn't on past or his relatives at the moment, only the woman he wanted to marry who had made the screen on his phone light up. The morning class was over and he had a few hours until the afternoon and evening classes started. Diego was more than happy to see Jessica but depending on what she had in mind, he knew it might be better to wait until they were both done with work.
Flirting with him was easy. And surprisingly fun. It was interesting to her to find that he'd brought fun back into her life in a way that she didn't question. Others might, people she knew that looked at her like she'd grown a second head when they saw her smiling over something he said. But that was their bullshit to figure out.
She was going to eventually convince him that she was happy with just him, not with what he could monetarily give her. But that was going to be a whole level of convincing that might involve therapy, and neither of them was into that idea at the moment.
Still, she leaned back in her chair, rocking it slightly as she grinned down at her screen, waiting for his answer.
She would see ellipses as he worked to type his response. Diego was still very much a novice but Jessica no longer had to wait minutes for replies as he barely knew how to answer a cell phone, much less text on one. Yet having a soulmate gave him a push to learn new things.
youre going to have to be more specific... food? ME?
A smirk tugged at his lips while waiting for her reply. He peeled off the shirt he wore, readying for a quick shower after the training session. Diego flung the removed shirt over a shoulder and picked up the phone again when he noticed an alert for someone at the door to the dojo. Jessica also had access to the cameras and could see, if her phone alerted her. It wasn't as if the person rang the doorbell. Even stranger, the door was open during class hours.
Diego set his phone down and headed to the door, curious as to what the hooded figure was up to. The figure appeared indecisive about entering. There was never a look up to the cameras, or even a suspicious look around that Number Two would expect from someone up to no good. In fact, he was sure the person wearing the hoodie had no idea there were cameras.
Quickly, the instructor/owner slipped the shirt back on that he'd taken off just moments ago before opening the door. "Can I help you?" Diego questioned while the door handle was still in his grip. It would be easy to slam shut if he hadn't assessed the scene correctly. Yet as soon as the face looked up, he immediately opened the door wider.
She was a student. Her face was freshly bruised which was new. In the classes she attended so far, the bruises were normally hidden under clothes and never exposed. "Mary? What happened?" Diego instantly asked as his face furrowed into an angry expression out of concern.
"I can't come to class anymore," she told him in a voice that trembled from crying. The cameras could hear the conversation and see the hooded figure lift a hand to wipe at her face. "Please don't tell Claire. Can you give her the money back for the classes without telling her?" Mary choked on a sob and Diego finally stopped glaring, his face falling with sadness.
"Mary, he's going to kill you. And what about your son? You can't--Come inside. I'll figure something out."
She shook her head furiously. "I have to go. Please, just don't tell Claire. I have to get Charlie from school and bring him straight home. I'm sorry." With that, she ran off. Diego clenched his fists at his sides in frustration, rigid with tension.
She sent that back and was grinning at the thought of how he planned to reply when an alert notification popped up on her phone.
Jessica watched the interaction between what was clearly a student and Diego. She knew that look. Knew from the tension that went through his body and the emotions she was picking up through their bond that he was a mix of sad and pissed. She also knew that lunch was probably off the table, along with anything else in that moment, and she sent a second text.
Anything I can do to help with that?
Because regardless of what he said or did, she knew he wanted to. Diego had a soft spot for women and kids, and while he hadn't exactly been beaten by his father, said figure had stood by and made his childhood a competition for affection that had been supplied by a robot. She didn't want to step on his toes, but she also didn't want him running off half cocked.
The phone buzzing got his attention. He glanced up at the camera, certain Jessica could see him. Maybe it was the connection between them that gave him the belief. Diego returned inside and locked the door. It would be a few hours before the next class. He still needed a shower but didn't take his shirt off again, pulling his cell phone out to look at it instead.
i can make some tacos after a shower and you can have both.😘
He wasn't sure if Jessica heard the conversation over the camera or just watched him through the camera. Diego might have tried to remain playful over text but was reeling internally, certain that his student's days were numbered and worried the same fate would fall her young son.
Her son was the reason Mary had accepted the classes. Diego didn't know the details, his focus was on training her with the belief that it was the help she needed. His soulmate didn't have to worry about him running off in the moment. He worked better at night with less visibility.
Meet you in the kitchen in 15 if you arent already there
Oh, she knew exactly what kind of preference Diego had for doling out his form of justice. The same type that Matt, Luke, and Danny had. Under the shield of darkness and with a silly mask on.
Still, she fiddled with the idea of looking up the student in his records herself, but she stalled with her fingers over the keyboard. His business was his. She didn't have a right to go nosing into his shit- well, aside from it being her job and him being hers and everything to do with him was her business, but still. Principle.
What she wanted to do was go join him in the shower and make him forget that the world was often a shitty place filled with shitty people and not all of them could be saved- or even wanted to be. But she just sent him a heart emoji (ew, she was getting gross) and stood, tucking her phone in her back pocket and heading towards the kitchen.
He didn't think she'd want to join him in the shower, expecting she was just taking a break from work for lunch. His thoughts weren't on fooling around. Diego was focused on what had just taken place with his student, anger rising at himself for not having worked with her differently just as the anger over the predicament she was in.
Jessica likely felt all the frustration in him. Usually their connection was enough to make him mindful of his soulmate but if Diego had a weakness (beside his soulmate), it was anyone defenseless being abused. He carried so much guilt after discovering how Vanya was treated. It didn't matter to him that he didn't know what their father was doing to her, Diego recognized how isolated she must've felt when they all excluded her and called her ordinary.
It wasn't as if he could undo their childhood but getting pulled into a different world after finding that out did haunt him. He'd never have a chance to apologize and show her how sorry he was. Diego tried to push the thought out of his head whenever they came up, knowing it was something he could never change. Seeing Mary desperate, beaten physically and emotionally...
Diego shut off the shower that was barely warm. There was snow outside but frustration kept him from feeling the cold. Mirrors in the bathroom weren't fogged yet he didn't see his reflection as he dried off. Memories of the present and past haunted him. He roughly toweled off his head then got dressed, heading to the kitchen in the time promised.
"Hey," he greeted at seeing Jessica in the kitchen. "I need you to find her for me. I could do it but you'd be faster. The asshole who hits her is a cop so she doesn't report him. She doesn't leave because the kid is his. As trauma nurse, she treated him after the fire that killed his biological mom and grandparents. Claire works with her. She knows the situation and I'm sure if she finds out Mary was hurt this bad, she'd try to go after the cop herself. That's why Mary doesn't want her to know."
He unpacked a lot yet the heaviness on him didn't get any lighter. Diego spoke to Jessica unlike anyone else in his life. That was the biggest benefit of a soulmate; being able to bear his soul. He'd been used to keeping things in. He called himself a lone wolf. Maybe he bonded with his siblings unlike Vanya, Ben had been the only one Diego confided in and he died.
She'd opened a Red Bull and was sipping at it as he came in, listening to the request, the excuse, and knowing that this stemmed from that little boy trying to talk to himself in the mirror.
Sighing, she set her can down and came over to him, slipping up behind him because she wanted him to feel safe. Cared for. Her arms came around him, her chin hooking over his shoulder as she just held him, the image of the woman and her badly hidden bruises flashing in her mind. Of course it was about a kid. And of course the problem was stickier than it looked. "Has he ever touched the kid? Any random hospital visits that would be something I can compile and use to nail his ass?" Abusers sometimes had preferential targets. Women. Partners. Kids. If you were super unlucky, you got ones that were just rancidly evil and spewed that kind of shit all over anyone in their path. Him being a cop led her to believe he was more controlled than that. He kept it contained to one source that he'd made sure wouldn't say anything.
His hands immediately slid on top of her arms that wrapped around him. The hollowness that he was filled with before meeting Jessica, threatened to create a small existence in him again. Her touch got rid of it and allowed his shoulders to lose a little of the tension that inched them toward his ears.
"I don't know. I do know that Mary didn't want the classes to protect herself. She wanted them to protect Charlie. Since the hospital, he calls her mom and it was how she got wrapped up with his dad. She's mentioned being blind to the signs so maybe. He didn't touch her until after they got married. I think... I think she probably took a beating meant for Charlie."
Diego shook his head but remained mindful of where her face was on his shoulder.
"I don't want you going after him. I just need you to find her so I can keep an eye on her. Everyone in this city knows you. Nobody knows me."
"Well, goodie for me that you're not the boss of me," she answered, tightening her grip around him just a little. If she felt she had to go after a child beater, then that's what she'd do, but for now, she could settle down and dig up info regarding hospital records and any info on this supposed father of the year. If he had any marks on his record, it would do a world of good towards making it a legitimate slap on the wrist, if not something that could be more heavily followed through on. "I know a lawyer that would love to help and take her case to get her custody, if that's what she wants."
Matt might not currently be around, but his partner was, and she had an in with Jeri at the firm if needed. Jeri would be pleased to have a favor to hold over her, and her firm was reputable enough that a claim of abuse against a cop wouldn't just be brushed behind the blue line.
"You're also adorable that you think everyone knows me. A few assholes do. You keep up your little nighttime games and you're going to be more infamous than me. All the needy people out there fantasizing about their heartthrob hero come to save them. Everyone wants a Prince Charming, Diego. Especially if he's hot and has a temper. No one gives a shit about a girl with an attitude problem."
"Jessica," he uttered her name in something between a plea and complaint. "I'm asking." In a strained voice, he pleaded. His hands moved to pull hers apart so he could turn and face her. "Just find her for me. Nothing more. I don't want you in the middle of this."
Diego had a terrible feeling that the situation could go wrong and he didn't want the love of his life in the middle of it. He had enough glimpses of her life before him. Jessica Jones was the last person who needed more blood on her hands. He wanted to protect her from that.
"She came to me for help and I didn't help her. If you find her, I might still be able to help her. Will you find her for me?"
He ignored the talk about being adorable, something Diego hadn't done since they first met. Any levity was leached out of him at the thoughts of the battered woman who needed help that triggered guilt he didn't want to talk about in the moment with Jessica. He wasn't going to argue that plenty of people in New York were attracted to her and most confused him for someone in a red suit.
His hands gripped her arms while his eyes figuratively did the same as he searched her face for a serious response.
"You're an idiot. If you're in the middle of it, so am I. You're going to have to learn pretty fucking quickly to get out of that lone wolf mentality of yours and clue in that you're part of a whole, not just a piece." She let him turn around, let him take her arms, and she saw that determination on his face.
Diego was a stubborn jerk when he wanted to be, and she'd picked that up through her own journey through his memories. Stubborn and machismo-laden. The one sister he had that had visible abilities was her walking nightmare, something too close to Kilgrave to make her ever want to meet her. It made it seem like the women in his life were soft, pliable, and devious. None of which described her.
"Oh, I'll find her, but if you think it's stopping there, you're dead wrong, Diego Hargreeves."
She wasn't wrong but Diego couldn't see clearly. Emotions got the better of him and Jessica saw the unyielding Hargreeves that his siblings couldn't stand. Number Two let her arms go and stood rigid. He shook his head in disapproval.
"Last I checked, NYPD is really familiar with your face." It was the first since meeting that her refusal angered him. He had a hard time asking for help and he felt embarrassed for having done just that. "Forget I said anything. Stay out of it," he barked and left the kitchen to change his clothes.
Diego was determined to head out, canceling any training for the remainder of the day.
A sliver of panic settled in her gut, but she ignored it as her soulmate stormed away from her, pissed off at her for the first time since she'd found him. She shouldn't be all that surprised; most people that knew her got furious with her at some point or another. Or just sick of her. Some part of her had been hoping that would never be an issue with him, but it seemed she couldn't really help herself.
She watched him leave and didn't call out after him. He wouldn't listen. Stubbornness was something she knew he had in spades. Didn't mean she wasn't going to do what she said she would. Her stomach twisted again, hunger reminding her to eat, but there was that slip-sick feeling of her soulmate being mad at her that made her not want to bother. She settled for a protein bar and went back to her office to dig up dirt on Mary's cop. She also sent Claire a text, asking for any info she had on Mary and to keep an eye out for her or the kid. And maybe to look at records if she could to find anything on either of them. As if Diego could tell her where to go or what to do. She was going to have a long chat with him when he pulled that stick out of his ass later, her own anger starting to simmer.
They both had an inclination to be bullheaded. If Jessica thought that he was mad at her now, she'd see what furious looked like should Diego find out that she went to Claire after telling her to stay out of it. Maybe his soulmate hadn't heard Mary plead not to tell Claire but he'd feel it should've been enough that he told Jessica the same.
Night wouldn't fall for another handful of hours but Diego geared up to conduct his own search. Dressing in black wasn't unusual in New York but he was careful to tuck knives away out of view. He shoved his domino mask in an inside pocket of his coat and shut off his cell phone, leaving it by the watch on his nightstand. Hopefully, it wasn't a decision he'd later regret.
Hurt usually manifested itself into anger. He wasn't used to asking anyone for anything and it stung that Jessica mocked him. She nearly got herself killed once without looking for trouble, Diego wasn't going to watch anyone die again. Instead of leaving out through their private entrance, he exited through the dojo.
Rand was his first stop, knowing he and Colleen would be willing to help without questioning him. Danny immediately questioned why Diego didn't ask Jessica to reach out to her police contacts only to realize by the look on the knife thrower's face that he shouldn't mention the private eye again. It left an awkward feeling but Colleen interjected a valuable point; the school that Charlie went to wasn't private so it narrowed down the area they lived in.
The two asked Diego if he needed any help to which the headstrong Hargreeves replied if either could take over the classes he had in the afternoon. Colleen agreed and said she would contact him if anything came up. The couple learned that he was without a way of contacting him and it didn't sit well that he refused to take a spare from Danny.
Not much of an argument could be made with the mood Diego was in but Claire had reached out to Colleen just as the heated discussion took place. She provided Mary's address and warned that her abusive husband had a lot of family in the area in addition to being a cop. Diego insisted he was only going to make sure that mother and son weren't harmed, rushing out before anyone objected.
Rain came down and aided in night falling quicker, or at least, providing more cover than daylight. Diego ran through a hundred scenarios in his head. It wasn't a hostage situation. Domestics were tricky. Mary had already been beaten which reduced the likelihood of another occurrence so soon. Running hot left him without a solid plan but Number Two decided he would figure it out on the fly. He'd get to their apartment building and figure out how easy it would be to find them first.
She was going to tie him down and have a long, drawn out discussion about using the thing between his ears for more than just a placeholder for what might have been a thought. Diego ran hot, which in most cases suited her just fine, but when it came to plans and doing things, it ended up being catastrophic. Busting through windows instead of using a door. Attacking first and figuring out shit later. Maybe there was a reason that she'd been selected as his other half. Not that she was necessarily the best in decision making, but she had a cooler thought process. She was patient. Had to be, to sit in the rain on a fire escape for hours to get a single image if needed. She was a hunter. He was a force of nature.
He could be as mad at her as he wanted to be. His wants didn't supersede the way things needed to be done to work. Claire knew the woman herself and had a better idea of how to handle things, how tricky they were. For all that Diego saw marks on her, Claire would know how long they'd been showing up and how badly it affected her. Diego saw a flash of her day, an hour or two at a time. A work colleague who had training in how to spot and report domestic abuse, child abuse, sex trafficking, had a better chance of knowing when to say something and when to wait until they had to be involved. Diego was also just... a man. A man who'd been raised to use actions instead of words, and this was how he looked after people.
All the more reason to truss him up and throw him in a cold shower.
Claire relayed back to Jessica what had happened with Danny, Colleen, and Diego, and Jess figured it was going to be a long night. She didn't bother trying to reach Diego through their bond; all she was getting was vibrations of anger of different flavors, so she went through the sources she knew to find said cop, Officer Jack McKinnon of the illustrious NYPD, figured out his station house, then where he was living and the name of his son. It was easy enough after that to get the school, and then she debated on which course to take. Talk to the dad and give him a one on one, or try to convince someone to leave an abuser.
Sticky. Leaving would be easy if she was the mother, or, easier. With no biological tie to the boy, and that being the reason for her reaching out in the first place, that gave the cop all the power. She didn't have a mask and a growly voice to go jumping bad cops in alleys and scaring the shit out of them into pretending to be decent people, so that left her with Mary. She knew what the woman looked like, and she opted to just go and wait in plain view at the front of the building. If the cop pulled up first, she'd just say she was waiting for a client. If Mary did, then she'd try to have a talk with her.
It was his own fault, leaving his phone at home for no one to contact him on. He didn't have a clue that Claire had given Jessica the same information and tabs on him. Yet it shouldn't surprise Diego after the backlash his friends gave him over going without a device to communicate with. Not that Danny or Colleen didn't find a way to slip a cell phone into a coat pocket and give Jessica the number.
The rain came down like a cold shower but it did little to clear away the fog of anger and frustration from Diego. He yanked the hood of the trench coat over his head, tipping his chin down for shelter from the rain. The tense vigilante ran down into a subway station and used the available maps in an effort to pinpoint the address.
"Why does this city have so many damn streets?" he grumbled to himself. Or so he thought. There was a hearty chuckle behind him. Diego pivoted to find what seemed like a blind man with a walking stick who apparently heard him. "I used to feel the same way about forty years ago when I first came here. If you tell me the place you're looking for, I can probably tell you how to get there."
Diego held a wary scowl. "You know every address in the city?"
"Just about. I was a mail carrier for thirty years. I've spent the last ten getting used to the dark after some damage from the towers falling became more than my eyes could handle anymore. Subways are safer than the streets up top, as far as I'm concerned. So where are you trying to go?"
The older gentleman made sense but Diego's face didn't change. Yet he did spit out the address.
"Take the 6 to 51st then walk to Lexington and 53rd for the E. It'll take you to Hell's Kitchen. That's where the address is you're looking for. A lot of Irish there so you should see a lot of stuff for St Paddy's." With that, the man tipped his head and continued walking.
Diego knew that Mary couldn't be too far from where the school was but hadn't imagined she'd be in the vicinity of where Jessica used to live. "Thanks," he muttered after the blind man who raised his free hand in acknowledgment in a gesture of waiving him off as if the gratitude wasn't necessary. Number Two did like that about New Yorkers.
It took a little over half an hour of travel which seemed too short and too long all at once. He couldn't think of a good plan on how to intervene. Diego couldn't think of a scenario that worked other than to jump in if the asshole tried raising a hand to Mary or Charlie. That was it. That was his whole plan. Spend however many nights camped out until something happened. Number Two sunk into his seat with a shake of his head in frustration.
Before he knew it, Diego was on the street and a few blocks from the building in question. His eyes caught someone standing in front but the rain made details difficult to make out from the distance. There was something familiar but he kept a vigilant eye on all of his surroundings. It took a block of walking to realize that he knew the silhouette. His jaw clenched, opting to turn down a street and find his way to the back of the building instead.
She'd moved so that she was under an overhang when the rain started. Umbrellas were for wusses. She felt something like a twang go through her bond, but she was still a little peeved at the way Diego had handled this morning. And her frustration about it was frustrating her, because his going hot was something that she loved about him. How very much he threw himself into everything. How much he felt and how deeply it ran. But that deep heat also ran through a wellspring of trauma, and Mr. Hargreeves had never taken the time to sort that shit out, either by himself or with someone else. So he reacted in the moment instead of thinking shit through.
It was going to get him killed, and that was the icy thread of panic that kept prodding at her whenever he was out by himself at night. There were too many fucked up enhanced people around, too much alien tech, too much weirdness he didn't have to deal with back in his world, and it just steamrolled through this city like a seasonal thing. He had her memories, but she wondered if he'd thought about the alien invasion. The decimation of the city from it. The fact there was a god of thunder that occasionally came to be a pain in the ass, or the whole alien planet that had relocated to fucking Norway.
She looked up just as a raindrop slithered through the crack of the awning above her and hit with a splat just above her eye. "Motherfucker," she hissed, wiping at it, then continuing to look out at the street.
Was she worried about an abused kid and his stepmom? Of course, but they were lower on her list than her hot-headed mate. So she'd do what she could to fix the situation and then decide if she wanted to deal with Diego tonight or maybe take a night off to let him think about it. To let her think about it. There hadn't been much in the way of space at night between them since he'd crash landed in her life. Maybe her abrasiveness was finally wearing through that haze of the honeymoon stage for him.
She saw a figure coming up from a couple blocks away. Two figures; one tall and anxious and one smaller and vulnerable. Shit. She felt herself tense up, keeping an eye out for the abusive prick while she waited for Mary and Charlie to come along.
As he walked, something vibrated in the front of his raincoat. His already scrunched face in anger furrowed even deeper as he felt for the device. He watched in the distance as Jessica seemed distracted by someone in the opposite direction. It looked like Mary and Charlie. Diego looked to the device that had a text message on it.
"Fucking, Rand." The mutter was quiet while reading the message.
Looks like you made it. Just squeeze both the buttons on the sides and we'll come help if you need us. The guy you're looking for is Jack McKinnon.
Diego silenced the phone and the screen, slipping it into the pocket it had been in. McKinnon. Mary hadn't used the name. He wasn't sure if she kept her maiden name or hid her married one for his class. Thoughts continued to run through his mind but no clear plan came together.
"Mary, get your ass in here and quit talkin' to that degenerate!"
The voice got his attention and Diego quickly headed back toward the front of the building. Jessica might have been called worse but he didn't like hearing it.
"Buzz off, Lady! You don't wanna make Jack mad! My brother's a cop and he'll throw your ass in jail! Damn it, Mary! Didn't that social worker showing up teach you enough of a lesson? Don't tell me this is another one! That's it, I'm calling Jack!"
Mary shook her head profusely, guiding Charlie into the building. Diego couldn't hear her voice over the rain unlike the asshole who had been yelling from the window on the second floor. The knife thrower picked up a piece of broken sidewalk that was a couple of inches and threw it into the open window, receiving a satisfying yelp in response.
"You fuckin' bitch! What kind of social worker throws rocks?! You broke my goddamn phone! I'm coming down there and teaching you a fuckin' lesson myself!"
And THAT was the reason he wanted his soulmate to stay out of the situation. Diego pulled open the trench and held a knife in each hand as he hurried up to the front of the building. It wasn't as if Jessica couldn't defend herself, he didn't want her to get mixed up with having to teach a cop a lesson. Especially when the lesson was possibly being an amputee. Now they had to deal with an extra asshole.
The closer that Diego got, the more intensely focused he became. He had no idea if the brother shared the same apartment or if Mary was just being watched now by relatives. Number Two could easily be walking into a hornet's nest but he wasn't fazed. His objective remained to get the victims to safety by any means necessary.
Little did he realize the commotion could provide Mary enough of a distraction to pack her and Charlie's things. Maybe something Jessica said convinced her to take the chance. Unfortunately, none of those thoughts came to mind as Diego saw red. He somehow missed there being someone behind him.
"Hey, Asshole! Didn't anyone ever tell you not to bring a knife to a gun fight?" A voice cackled at him as he spun around. Shots rang out and knives dropped to the ground. Number Two held hands out in front of him, somehow redirecting the rounds into the parked car next to them. "What the--"
Diego had no idea if the man was Jack or yet another sibling. A quick strike to the throat stopped any further conversation. Before the one threatening trouble could come downstairs, the vigilante flung the shooter into the side of the nearby building--knocking him out cold in the process. Hargreeves quickly picked up the dropped knives and continued toward Jones.
"I'm going up to get Mary and Charlie. Find a ride out of here," he barked while walking toward her.
"Who the fuck are you? You're not getting anybody! --What did you do to Liam?!"
Sadly, Diego learned that he hadn't laid out Jack. Apparently his relatives thought they could carry guns or were also cops. He didn't give it much thought as his wrath was now aimed at the idiot yelling in front of Jessica.
Irritation flared in Jessica as she saw Diego coming in hot. Any attempt at making this a covert operation went out the window as her soulmate flung rocks and fists at the relatives left as guard dogs for Mary and her charge. While Diego was busy and Mary was standing there in shock, Charlie gaping at the unrestrained violence, Jessica decided that a hard lesson was due. "Look, lady, I don't know you and you sure as shit don't know me, but what you're doing is absolutely bugshit stupid. There are resources for domestic violence. There are ways to get you and the kid out, especially with your dickshit of a husband being stupid enough to leave a medical trail that anyone with five cents and a cell phone can find out all on their own. You want to save the kid? Save yourself. There are places you can go to hide out until the right brass knocks his ass out. I promise you, you'll feel a whole hell of a lot worse if you stay and suffer for his sake if you walk in on a dead body. Or he walks in on yours. That's not saving shit. So we're going to get the hell out of here and sort this out. And I don't want to hear any bullshit about you don't really want to. You got him-," she said, tipping her head back to indicate Diego, "all worked up over you and the kid, so go grab what you need and then we're gone."
Mary gave her a blank look for a moment before something stony fell over her face and she grabbed Charlie and ran into the building. Jessica watched Diego take care of what needed taking care of, though she was still silently pissed off at everything going on the way it had, and when whichever McKinnon or kin of came close, she snapped a punch at his face, hard enough to make the man's head snap back, his eyes roll into his head, and for him to collapse in a crumpled heap. Hard enough to knock out, but not to kill. She'd figured that limit out awhile ago. Then she just stood and glared at Diego, waiting for his pet project to come out with her kid as she gave him the finger, then went to go stand in front of a cab to get it to stop.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Chapter Two?
How could he talk to her about moving somewhere else when his survival had been mostly her generosity? Yet it had been over two months and Diego only learned daily how truly dangerous the Big Apple was, with or without powers. He also worried about how many people knew where they lived. Jessica had made it her headquarters and he couldn't help but think of the worse.
So after confirming a few job offers, Diego felt confident enough to offer a proposal. He came home with his duffel in hand and a suit he borrowed from Danny. Jessica might be surprised at his outfit but not the bag that he'd been keeping gear and clothing in, alternating between teaching at the dojo with Colleen, training with Danny and working security at Rand Enterprises or Harlem's Paradise.
The latter was the newest venture so he wouldn't have to take matches. Few things seemed to make Jessica tense but any mention of him fighting for money did just that. He'd spent time playing bodyguard to her when she was hurt which didn't provide an income although Diego considered it time well spent. Not only was he arriving in a suit but had their favorite Chinese take-out too.
"Lucy, I'm home!" he called playfully while unlocking the door and entering the apartment.
Oooh, there's chapters
God, she found herself smiling sappily to herself in the middle of the day sometimes, drawing attention to herself by her stupid, lovesick expression. But it was hard to get worked up over it, especially when she'd been in line behind an older couple, looking off to the distance and thinking of what kind of sandwich to get him for dinner that night, then thinking of feeding it to him, from his lap-. She'd been jolted out of her daydream by the woman ahead of her turning to her and giving her the most knowing smile of all as she patted her arm. "Ah, I remember those days," she'd said, voice high but soft, and with a heavy Russian accent. "Trust me, devushka, it doesn't get any less. Only more."
The instinct to scoff had been lingering, but the intent behind the comment was just too damn genuine, and she'd found her cheeks pinking as she waited in line. She'd wound up getting them huge cuban's that she had indeed fed him from his lap. It had gotten messy. She grinned just thinking back to it.
That grin was still on her face while she sat at her desk, going over the last bits of information for a client about the goings on of their ex employee trying to claim workers comp. Unfortunately for the client, the guy had legitimately been hurt and wasn't trying to cash in beyond what he'd earned. The door opening and the phrase being said had her laughing, but she didn't look up from her laptop, still wanting to get it finished entirely before he distracted her. "I'm not a redhead and you're way sexier than Ricky. I'm also pretty sure you're not Cuban."
damn skippy
"At least one of us is sure," he quipped in return. Jessica wasn't wrong; he had shared Reginald Hargreeves had bought him in Mexico, not Cuba. Diego still used the opportunity to continue the banter. He set the food down on her desk. "How much longer are you gonna be?"
There was no rush in the question. He was deciding on going to get utensils and bring them to her or if they'd sit down to have the meal. Diego would start taking of the suit jacket and roll up his sleeves depending on her answer.
♥♥
Her brain had short circuited. Diego looked good to her no matter what he wore. Especially when he wore his birthday suit. But dressed up in a suit with that look on his face? Nope. She was going to need a minute. A blissful smile melted onto her face and she pushed back from her desk. "I can be done now."
no subject
He shook his head in objection. "You don't have to be done yet. You were in the middle of something. I can get the chopsticks and wait to talk until after." There was a nervous excitement she might pick up on as Diego tried to act casual but was failing miserably.
Instead of keeping eye contact, he opted to take off the few knives he strategically placed on his person without removing his suit jacket yet.
no subject
That, more than anything, clued her into his mood. Tense. He was tense. But not in a bad way. Okay, so something was up. She chewed on her lower lip before she moved to scoot her chair back in towards the desk. "Not the middle. Near the end. Just wrapping up the details for the file. I can print it and deliver it tomorrow."
Her eyes were going to keep going back to him when she started typing, because... well. "You look nervous. Are you planning on telling me something I don't want to hear?"
no subject
He set his knife down with a crooked grin and headed to the kitchen. "Does that mean you're staying in tonight?" he asked over his shoulder. It was a stupid question. She'd been staying in most nights, going out with him than alone since her injury. The question now to her was a stalling technique.
It might have been a bad call, possibly exacerbating any concern she had over what he might be up to. Diego hoped she wouldn't think the worst but didn't know how to recover from what she asked. He hoped it wouldn't be something she didn't want to hear but also could understand if she viewed it that way.
She'd hear him going into a kitchen drawer to fish out utensils.
no subject
Huh. There was that possessive jealousy rearing its ugly head. Not that she thought for an instant he'd do anything with anyone else. There was an inherent trust she had in him that she'd never had for anyone else. Not even Trish. They weren't the same person, Diego and Jess, but they were tied together through a bond that meant they fit together the right way. Two halves of a fucked up whole. But it worked for them and after having him touch her, after tasting him, the idea of letting anyone else even touch her made her want to retch.
So she trusted that he'd never do anything with anyone else. She just didn't trust the women he might run into in his jobs. They'd do things that he might feel uncomfortable retaliating against. She wouldn't, but... well. She'd enjoy it.
He rifled in the kitchen and, as he correctly guessed, she recognized it as a stall technique. But she wasn't in a rush. She could let this play out and see where it landed. She typed up the last of her report, glanced over it before saving it and then closed the laptop and leaned back in her chair.
"I'm not complaining. I like it. You look like something I want to take my time unwrapping. It's the nerves I'm worried about. Did you do something?"
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Then again, he wanted to save what money he'd made to help make some major changes. His shoulders fell as he returned with the chopsticks.
"I just wanted to talk. We can go out." Diego shoved one pair of chopsticks in the noodles then the other set in dim sum. His dark eyes were bigger than usual, hanging on what she'd say on staying in or going out.
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He came back with the chopsticks and she reached out and grabbed the box with the noodles. "I'm more concerned with why you look like you expect me to be mad about something." Or upset. He was buttering her up, and she liked it. But she didn't like that he felt he had to to avoid a fallout of some sort. Whatever it was, they'd deal with it. But... well.
He came in such a pretty package.
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"I don't know how you're gonna take it. What I wanna say." A beat. "Ask. What I wanna ask you." The words left him and Diego felt he was on the verge of stuttering. It almost sounded as if he was going to propose which if he'd had enough money for a ring, that had been a thought to do first.
He shook his head. "I, uh, it's not--I..." Diego swallowed thickly and shook his head again then forced out the question. "It's stupid. Forget it. I didn't think it through." His eyes stayed on the food but ultimately moved to slump into one of the chairs her clients would normally sit in rather than pick up a container.
"We should go out." His gaze lifted as he attempted to give her a confident look but only managed a feeble smile.
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Her hands rested on his knees, her eyes looking up at him as she took in the nerves. The suit. The fidgeting. The defeat. She hated the latter the most. "Keep that suit and we'll dress up and go out another time. Tonight... I want you to say what you want to say. What you wanted to ask. You already know we're stuck together for life, so if you're going to propose, I'd hope to hell you wouldn't be this nervous about it. If it's something else?"
She gave his knees a very gentle squeeze. "Whatever it is, we'll talk about it and work it out, mi amor. But not asking is just going to have you thinking about it, me wondering what it is, and it's going to be a big fat wart on whatever else we do tonight. So tell me. Ask me. Please."
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The lift didn't scare him or put him off. He had gotten used to the times she'd use her strength. It was merited. Diego was shrinking into himself. He continued to frown as she told him how foolish it would be for him to be nervous about a proposal.
"I don't have money for a ring yet. I'm not going to ask you to marry me and not have a ring."
A hand unbuttoned the suit jacket so he could bend forward.
"And I should ask you to marry me before asking you to move somewhere else."
There. He'd said it. Not that he asked her but what had been on his mind spilled out. Diego had spent half the day practicing to ask her, even being caught and looked at funny by Danny (who had told him that he was flattered but wouldn't chance Jessica kicking his ass).
"This place is your life before me. I saw it. I'm here now, it works but... " Hesitant eyes searched hers. "...I thought maybe we could find a place together. For the future."
A talk of the future would probably be helpful.
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But that was just distracted mental talk to divert her from the real issue. The question. The ask. She rolled her eyes at him, leaning in and tipping her head up so she was between his knees, head tipped all the way back so she could smile up at him when he leaned over her. "You're cute when you're being a dummy."
It was what he said about seeing her life that clicked it for her. There was a variety of ghosts in this place. Hope. Reuben. Moments where her heart had wanted to lean into someone like Luke or Oscar. She'd been thrown through more than one wall, almost died here at least once... She could see how that could sit poorly with him. One of those in a place with his memories would piss her off. All of the above?
Again, he reminded her of a big cat. He wanted to get her away from a place with all the reminders and scents of past mates and pains. To make their own den. She lifted up a little and gave him a soft kiss. Barely a graze of her lips against his, her eyes closing as she just breathed him in. "Why don't you tell me about this future you've got your eyes on?"
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Yet her response didn't make Diego feel worse, he respected what Jessica educated him on. It also made it better that she called him cute. The kiss was a final push to getting him to calm down which worked perfectly for what she asked him.
"Us. Somewhere that nobody is trying to kill you. Where you don't have reminders of all the shitty things that you've had to deal with. A place that has some room for more." He caressed where his hand reached on Jessica, a balm for him as much as it might be for her.
The idea of having a family was something he secretly wanted but never truly knowing when it would be possible. He didn't want to end up like Allison, losing a custody battle. Relationships didn't last but he'd found his soulmate and couldn't help giving that some thought.
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But that wasn't what he was really asking. Not when he had that soft tone, when he made that future wish. "But... that doesn't mean I'm tied to this building. Or even this area of town. It's cheap and it was available. And for while I needed it, it did what I needed it to do."
Her hand came up to let her finger curve along the edge of his ear, tracing around it before she moved back a bit, letting her hands smooth down the jacket. "I like the idea of new things. For us. I like that I have someone I want to make plans with."
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Not everyone had been a fan of the Umbrella Academy. Kids can be cruel and they were to Ben and Klaus whose powers were on the scary side. Nobody was stupid enough to pick a fight with Allison or Diego and Luther was too much of a goody-two-shoes to get baited into a fight when their father was alive. Only Diego had the power of picking a fight with Number One.
It took a lot of discipline not to stand up for Ben or Klaus when they were called names. The kids didn't have to contend with getting bullied at school but when they were out for public events, Diego often would get in trouble for losing his temper. His stutter also had made him a freak. He couldn't stand for anyone calling Jessica one.
"You're not a freak. People are assholes."
He simmered and listened to Jessica go on. She had valid points on the rest and it felt like he'd made a bad call until she took a breath. It was as if saying things out loud had put them in a different perspective for her. Diego relaxed to where she wouldn't feel any tension if she leaned against him.
"I can put in the work. On a new place. I even agreed to work for Luke so it'll be 3 jobs I'll contribute with. 4 if I give private classes at the dojo." The puppy dog look was in full effect, hopeful that Jessica would truly consider leaving the one bedroom in Hell's Kitchen.
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It hurt a little, but she shoved that aside, because this moment wasn't really about her. He'd gotten himself dressed up, then worked up over just the thought of asking her something. It hurt that he felt he couldn't just ask her, but those glimpses into his past hadn't shown a lot of healthy opening up. Not that her own had been much better, but his lack of... confidence, if that was even the right word, about himself and his worth and how much stock he had with her in that regard... She really wanted to kill his dad. "This place doesn't exactly hold a lot of great memories for me. A lot of blood and ghosts, sure." Kilgrave had been here. Some part of her thought she was taking it back by staying, but maybe that's why his voice was always able to find its way to hiss into her ear.
Putting herself in his shoes, she tried to see how she'd feel about moving into a place with him where he'd had past lovers over. Where he'd rolled around with them in the bed they shared. Where memories of them lingered. Diego would feel a thrum of jealousy tremble along that bond. Oh, yeah. She could definitely understand why he'd asked. Just not why he was so nervous. "Did you... did you think I'd be mad about it? Mad at you?"
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Yet he understood her response. It was fair and nothing she hadn't already said. More than that, Diego didn't disagree with it. However, there were two sides and he had a difficult time explaining himself which worsened as Jessica voiced a quiet disappointment.
"I am," he protested just as quietly. It took him a second to continue, awkward and anxious over being called out. "Trying to talk to you. I..." Diego swallowed thickly. Slowly, he picked up his gaze and gave her a pleading look. "I'm not from here. What right do I have to want you to pick up and leave?"
She said what he'd felt and couldn't get into words. "There's a whole life you've had here. A lot more pain than happiness but it's still your place. I don't wanna keep going to the past but I don't know how to talk about a future." Diego had nearly given up on having one before his world ended. Now it was all he thought about after meeting Jessica.
"I didn't think you'd be mad. It was more... you might not take me seriously. I'm not bringing much to the table so why would you. I wanted to show you that I'm bringing something to the table. That's all." He hadn't gotten to worrying about her safety or dealing with disgruntled clients or exes.
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"I love you," she said, voice soft as she opened her eyes, "but I want to smack whoever made you think that you don't bring much to the table. You bring you, Diego. You bring me my other half. God, you bring me love, and I didn't think I'd ever have that. And you think asking me to move is wrong? That you don't have a right?"
Her hands cupped his face, those tears shedding slowly as she looked at him. "I have no future without you, Diego. I have nothing without you. This might not be the world you were born into, but have you ever thought that maybe it's the one you should have been? That something stole you from it? If you matched with me here... maybe this is just as much your world as mine. So, let's make it our world."
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The tears weren't from something he did to her, it was empathy over how he viewed himself. A burden. Disappointment. Not enough. She'd told him that she loved him and he never doubted she meant it but he really didn't believe he could be loved. Tears rolled down his cheeks, dampening her hands on his face.
"I love you." His voice sounded hoarse with emotion, cracking slightly. "I belong wherever you are. Okay?" It was the best he could string together in agreement. No one had ever made any declaration the way Jessica had. How many times had he felt someone else was the world to him, only to never have it reciprocated? Enough times that he lived a life in the shadows.
Jessica brought him out of the darkness and into a world he only dreamed about. Talking in an emotional state was something Diego had never been able to do. He would make an effort to talk when emotions weren't so raw. She deserved that much. In the moment, he dipped his head to capture her lips and pour everything into a kiss if she allowed him.
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Well, clearly she had two full time jobs now. One was being a P.I., and the other was rebuilding the self esteem that should have been built by the people who'd taken him in. She might not fully get the whole robot mom thing, but Grace's image had a light behind her in his memories and she was going to stop even thinking of the bot as a walking toaster. Grace had been... well, his saving grace. Machinery or not, she owed the memory of who she'd been to Diego more than flippant thoughts.
So she kissed him and kept sending as much of herself through that bond as she could. She adored him. Hell, she hadn't been able to give up drinking for Trish. Or herself. It wasn't even that she gave it up. She just... didn't need it when she had something in her life that made it worth waking up for. Maybe that's what she'd been missing. She kissed him and held him, then, with wet still on her cheeks, she mumbled against his lips, "Where'd you get the suit from? It's nice."
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There was more than words from Jessica. Her devotion didn't go unnoticed by the change from her drinking and even smiling. She was happy which wasn't often in the memories he saw since she'd lost her family and one relationship after another. It was why Diego found it so important to keep her happy because it was also the happiest he'd ever been.
A hand had cupped her cheek and he wiped some of the dampness from her cheek, breathing her in after the kiss for a second before responding. "Rand. We're about the same size. Ward keeps adding to his closet and Danny doesn't want them. I'm just a shoe size bigger but fortunately there was a pair that ran big. There are a couple of more suits, even a pair of suspenders, in my bag. In the bedroom."
He should probably get those out so they didn't wrinkle but Diego was happy where he stood with Jessica and didn't move. His hand moved off of her face and wrapped lightly around her frame.
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He wiped away some of that wetness and gave her a look that felt like he was squeezing her heart from the inside. His inability to see his own self worth made her heart break. It made her hate the people that had been in his world that had put that there. "We can get you shoes, if you want. But I like this on you. You wear it better than Rand."
Her fucks about his wrinkled clothes were up there with his, and when he touched her, she just leaned into him, resting her head against his, swaying a little with him as if there was music somewhere that gave her a reason to.
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It wasn't as if he could imagine getting tired of Jessica. There were a few relationships, including his last, where he held feelings that just weren't returned. She didn't give him that notion regardless of how new their relationship was. Diego exhaled calmly through a soft smile.
"I think you're just not used to seeing me wear something that isn't black," he teased while moving to the imaginary music. The suit was light gray with a blue button down underneath and a tie that matched the suit. Black leather shoes and a black leather belt rounded out the outfit that he was ready to get out of for the night.
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Diego made her feel things that she'd long since given up hope on. It wasn't just the love, it was the acceptance. He looked at her and didn't find things he wanted to change about her. He wasn't trying to fit her into some idea in his head of what she should be. He saw her and loved her anyway.
Her fingers wrapped around the tie, giving a light tug on it. "You always look pretty to me."
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"Glad to hear it." The feeling was conveyed in his tone and his gaze. Diego wrapped his arms a little more snug around her. "You're always beautiful to me. I don't want to ever know what it's like to spend a day without you." He nuzzled the tip of his nose at the end of hers.
The silent music continued and he kept leading Jessica in the slow dance.
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"Wanna go look around for a bit tomorrow for some place for us?" Concessions. She could make concessions for him. She could change things that weren't important to cling to for him to make him feel like he fit in her life. Because as of that moment they'd touched, she had no life without him.
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The closeness had soothed all the anxiety he'd been riddled with that day, worried about demanding too much and changing her life even more than he already had. She didn't need to suggest they look for places so soon but Jessica would see him light up at the offer like a kid on Christmas morning.
Not that he knew what those Christmases were like outside of movies. That might change with the new universe he belonged to.
"I'll even wear the suit and tie again," he offered while continuing the slow dance. "I've got a few more you can choose from." Diego might have to figure out how to hold up his end of the bargain on the jobs he signed up for but would do whatever it took to keep Jessica happy.
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It didn't hurt that she woke up with him every morning. Both of them tangled up together, one wrapped around the other, or both facing each other and wound together. Things she found too clingy with anyone else, she decided worked best with him. No, she wouldn't be able to go a whole day without him. She also wouldn't be able to sleep properly without him anymore. He'd become her substitute for alcohol. He stood between her and the worst of her nightmares. There was no room for Kilgrave or her past when he was touching her.
"You got something in mind? For a new place, that is. Just a home-home, or a place where we can do stuff for work and whatever?"
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"I think we keep home and work separate so me walking around naked for you doesn't have the chance of an accidental audience," he concluded with his grin shifting to a smirk. "Maybe we can find something with office space downstairs and an apartment above it?" Diego wasn't sure if that would be affordable or more expensive.
"What do you want?"
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They were still swaying, shuffling feet, staying close together as she lifted a hand to play through the very short, bristly strands of hair at the back of his head. Finger pads got tickled, and nails tickled back. "If you're okay with living in a basement of a gym, I'm hoping you'll be okay with a converted warehouse. It can be set up so part of it can be an office for me, and the other part can be a gym or training area for you. The upper part can be where we do all those devious, naked things."
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His mind thought of the space being one they could live comfortably in and plan for a future. "So you'll be walking around naked too. I think a nice big walk-in shower but also a tub we can soak in. Then a big bed we can... sleep in." Among other things. The unsaid insinuation was heavy in his gaze and drop in octave when he spoke.
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Jess was already starting to mentally pick out places she'd seen that weren't that dissimilar. What would work best, what wouldn't. A lot of warehouse conversions had basically an entire open floor plan, so that gave them a lot of space to work with. To piece together how they wanted in a way that worked best for him. She already knew that there'd be a section, if not a whole wall, dedicated to targets and knives. The fact that he wanted a tub to soak in had her smiling, glad he was thinking of indolent things, things he wanted, so she could get a better picture.
"Sunk into the floor or raised on a platform?"
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"A bed sunk into the floor? Personally, I like having height for leverage." He obviously was no longer thinking of just sleeping and didn't think about the tub as an option, having only ever seen traditional bathtubs. Diego pictured the upstairs solely for them but would have a small number of knives along with easy access to his full arsenal downstairs.
Maybe a defunct fire station would work if there was a way to baby proof the pole. Not that his mind ventured past the converted warehouse or the question of 'sunk' or 'raised'.
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Since he'd come into her life, she found she had plans. Dreams. A want for the future. "Loft or raised bed, then. We could have a bathroom inset that has a walk in shower and then a soaking tub. Maybe we can talk to Danny about having some of his nerds come in and tech up a few things under the guise of you being more accessible for any work he needs or for me to be able to store things like that whatever we dug out of me. Make it sound like it's to his benefit." Hey, Danny was mind numbingly rich. And generous. She'd make sure that she did enough for him, or let Diego give enough of his time to him to make them both feel comfortable that it was paid back in barter. Making fun of the younger man was one thing, but taking advantage of him wouldn't sit right.
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Number Two had tilted his head to a side, his eyes looking in the distance as if peering into the past. He wouldn't ever want a big house like the Hargreeve Mansion. A house filled with many things yet empty and cold. While a warehouse might give an industrial feel that could be considered the very thing he didn't want, Diego only felt the opposite with Jessica. He knew he'd work off whatever Danny helped them with.
"Rand can take care of the bottom floor and we can focus up top. The bottom would cover work and security of the whole place. Upstairs, just us." He quickly looked at Jessica with a bright, happy gaze.
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They still swayed, but it was slower, more just a shadow of before as she brought her hand up to draw a line on his chin with her thumb. "We'll figure out what works best for us."
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His forehead gently leaned in and rested against hers while still fixed on her gaze. "You know, we might be able to do a lot of work ourselves." He wasn't the handiest of handymen but Diego did get by fixing a few things at the gym to earn his keep along with sweeping floors.
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A place for just them? A place where they could make a whole bunch of new memories, ones not tainted by all the screaming skeletons in her closets... The glee she felt in that idea should have told her how much she needed to get away from ties to her old, painful memories. "There's Youtube tutorials. And Malcolm might pitch in. I can definitely take care of any walls that need to be demoed."
She hadn't realized how dark her life had been before he'd come in and shone his little light around. Until he'd given her a reason to want things again. "Our food's getting cold." Not that she cared. She could stand here swaying with him for hours.
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He didn't mind if any of her friends lent a hand but would rather use them as a last resort, determined to put their own stamp on the place. Home. Diego had always wanted one. The mansion might have held all his early memories but it never felt like a safe place that a home should be. His only happy memories were all overshadowed by dark ones.
"Yep, let's eat." Diego gave a wide smile and slipped his hand into hers, leading her to the kitchen table. The suit jacket was shrugged off of his shoulders after a hand undid the buttons in front. In one fell swoop, he slipped out of the outer garment and let it hang on the back of the chair. He remained in the button down dress shirt, tie and dress pants.
Jessica was likely used to him pulling her onto his lap rather than sit in separate seats and this time was no different.
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He moved fluidly, and she always enjoyed the show. The sweep of the jacket off his body, the way he moved like it was a dance. He pulled her into his lap and she laughed, but went willingly, settling in on what was fast becoming 'her' spot. Her arm went around the back of his shoulders, her fingers playing at the back of his head. So quickly, this man had swept into her life and brought her joy. Gave her something she thought she'd not only lost, but would never be allowed to feel again.
Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his, her other hand coming up to rest on his cheek as she kissed him. "I love you."
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Sadness in his past seemed like a faint memory with Jessica in his arms. He grinned lovingly into the kiss. “I love you back,” he murmured and returned the contact a little deeper. Diego kept a possessive arm around her as the opposite hand sat on her leg. He pulled back from the kiss and bit his lip for a second before concluding, “Dessert after dinner. Need the calories for all the celebrating we're going to do.”
His hand moved from her leg and started unpacking the takeout.
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It was that look he gave her after he'd kissed her that put her in that impish mood. A mood she thought she'd lost a long time ago. Diego was bringing back a lot to her life that she'd thought she wasn't allowed to have anymore. The only thing she regretted was that Trish wasn't here to meet him. Jess had a feeling that Trish would actually approve, and that felt good somehow.
Of course, the fact that he kissed her like he wanted to devour her might have something to do with how quickly she got turned on around him, but that was hardly her fault.
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This was his. He was hers. Nobody could take him from a life that they couldn't easily find him. A husband and father? Diego was sure not even his mother would believe that. He believed it would make her proud while scared shitless over messing up and ruining what he had with Jessica. Yet the latter didn't seem possible. Not after the conversation they had tonight.
"When you were a kid, what did you wanna be when you grew up?"
The question was not really out of nowhere. He wondered if she liked what she did for work or if maybe Jessica had dreams of a different life.
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"Not a P.I., that's for sure. But I kinda fell into it. I was good at being nosy and shit at doing nine to fives. The amount of middle age managers that I scared the piss out of while trying to smile and play nice is more than it should be on just attitude." She scared them. She'd tried to play good, tried to color in the lines like everyone else, be as normal as a person who wasn't could be.
Dipping into the box with her chopsticks, she picked up a bundle of noodles and moved to hold them up to his mouth. Things she liked doing; feeding him. She liked taking care of him. She knew he'd either been ignored growing up or felt he had to do the protecting. So when she could, when it wouldn't hurt his ego too much, she fussed.
"I don't really think I thought about growing up and being anything. Sometimes I might have wanted to be a musician. Or a journalist. Or... I don't know. Kid stuff. After the accident, I just tried to make it from one day to the next. Turns out, I don't do people very well. Or, they don't do me. I just don't have the capacity to keep bullshitting everything's okay when it's not. And I won't sit there and take the blame for some manager's fuck up, or be told I can't have a human life because I work in a box."
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She started to answer his question while giving him something to eat. It was more than comfortable, almost second nature when they were together. Being with Jessica opened his eyes to what it was like to be really cared for. Cliche or not, he never knew love like that before.
Her response made him think. Jessica was the first person who he'd ask the question to that didn't have an immediate response. He thought about his upbringing and how what he wanted to be was more about what his father wanted him to be. The soulmates both had to grow up fast in different ways.
"So do you wanna stay a PI?" he asked as she took a bite. "Seems like a good fit. Maybe instead of people cheating, you can help them find missing people. The shit cops don't have time for. Or don't make time for." There were reasons why Diego didn't make it through the police academy. The main one was having to follow someone like his father who had an agenda and no real desire to help people.
Diego also couldn't help want to make their world safer, even if he truly believed Jessica was able to take care of herself.
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She watched him eat, then leaned in and licked a bit of sauce from his lip. "What about you? You can be something here, Diego. Danny can always work his rich boy magic and whirl you up some papers to make you legit here. If he won't, I know people. So we get you an ID, make you unkickoutable, and then what? Do you want to take any classes? Any goals on what Diego Hargreeves wants to be? You don't even have to keep the same last name, you know. Diego Sexypants would work." She teased because she could, but she hadn't really asked him about how he felt about his given name. How he felt about ties to that man that hadn't done anything good for him.
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"I'm not already someone here?" he couldn't help but ask. Jessica knew where the defensiveness came from and hopefully wouldn't be offended. "Could always take the name Jones." His dark eyes started intensely into hers. They looked away for a second. "But I should keep Hargreeves if my brothers or sisters show up."
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Yet here she was, looking at him and seeing this whole orchestra of emotion play out there. "You could, if you wanted to. Diego Jones doesn't sound so bad." He mentioned his siblings and there were mixed feelings there. Siblings that held a long of tangled emotions, but it wasn't as if she didn't understand. Trish and her weren't related by blood, but by trauma and living under the same roof. "But I meant what do you want to do, papi? 'Making me ecstatic' isn't a financially sound employment plan." There was a grin there, then she gave him a quick kiss before she gathered more food to feed to him.
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Her green eyes grounded him and her spanish made him smile. He took the offered bite, mulling things over while he ate. Diego shoved the bite into his cheek and spoke. "I could make a sizable bank if I fought a few matches but..." His head swayed from side to side as he finished chewing the bite. "...you're not exactly a fan of that option."
Understandably so as he didn't want her to get hurt. "I'm good with teaching at the dojo and working security for Luke. I get a little dancing in at the club," Diego gave a little shake of his hips with a smirk and wink. Jessica was incredibly hot when her possessive streak showed.
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Of course, then he had to go say that, and there was a little spark of something close to territorial fury in her eyes before she grabbed at the neck of his tie and tugged. "Dancing at the club, huh?" So what if she felt a little shiver of pleasure at that wag of his hips. Everything he did seemed to be designed specifically to turn her on. She was learning to live with that. Diego was her walking aphrodisiac. "Do I need to come down to the club and stake my claim?" Because she would. Right in front of all the understandably interested hotties- and Luke. Some part of her knew that needed to happen sooner than later. Maybe sooner would be best.
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Yet his objection wasn't much of one, admitting defeat because he'd commit murder if he ever witnessed someone hitting her. Jessica seemed ready to do the same just for someone hitting on him which amused him more than it probably should. His arms wrapped snug around her.
"You can put a ring on it, if you want but it's just dancing, Mami. You've got nothing to worry about."
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"Another reason to get you actual 'legal' papers. So I can put a ring on it." Just casually dropping that there, since they were already talking about a new home and a new life. She knew there was no one else but him, and if she was ever going to bind herself to someone, it was going to be the person that she actually loved. "They get handsy. They want to touch. I want to break their fingers. So keep your ass against the wall where they can't admire it, and then we get can you a ring you can flash at them. Then point to the convenient hole in the wall I'm going to make and tell them that will be their face if they don't screw off."
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Not that it seemed she thought he would. Diego enjoyed her possessive streak but he didn't want her to sour the relationship she had with Luke...even if there was something appealing that Jessica would make it known who she was with now. Number Two lit up when she brought up the reason for getting him legal papers.
"So for the record, you'll marry me and not just to ward off women at the club?"
He had to ask.
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She grinned, food forgotten as she sat there with an arm around his shoulders and the other playing with his hair. "It's not you, Diego. Not you I don't trust. Hell, a ring is just going to be a red flag to a bull to some of them. I want you to know I'd never think you'd stray. It's not about disrespect. I can feel how much you love me. No one's ever... I've never felt that before. I just want them to know ahead of time that if they're going to flirt with a married man, they shouldn't be shocked if they get slapped if they go beyond flirting to touching. No touchy."
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"I'd never want my wife to get her hands dirty, but have no issues with you tossing someone around or the car they drive."
He nuzzled the tip of her nose with his own but then went to grab the chopsticks and get her a bite of food. Diego paused as she responded about trusting him. All the times he'd been hurt before, none of it mattered with Jessica. He believed what she said and felt the same way. His head leaned in to give her a tender kiss, then pulled back to meet her eyes again.
"No touching. But promise me you'll just snatch them off. A slap from you could be literal overkill. I'm happy to make out with my wife before every shift, wherever I work." And with that, he held a wide grin again and moved the food in front of her mouth for her to eat.
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Their loss. She'd keep him all to herself.
That tender kiss and those heart-melting eyes as he fed her, she opened her mouth to take the food, hand smoothing over the tie she'd wrinkled. "I make no promises. Some of them can be feral and I've seen too many people treat security and bouncers like objects." Her time with Trish showed her there was a subset of people that just refused to see others as equals, or even sentient beings. She hadn't been to Luke's club any time recently, so she couldn't say for sure what his clientele was like, but she knew entitled people, and they were everywhere. Besides, look at him. Who wouldn't want to try to touch every inch of him?
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What she said wasn't unreasonable. Diego didn't leave her words hanging in the air for any other reason than to finish their food. Once the final bite was taken, he left the chopsticks in the container and licked his lips. "I'm flattered, Babe. I really am. If you don't want me to dance at the club then I won't. But I'm pretty sure if you start attacking your ex's clientele, I'll be out of a job which'll make it hard for me to post your bail."
There was a lot of humor in his tone, a smirk also matching the teasing response.
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He returned to looking at Jessica. "I've always just wanted to save people. I tried the cop thing and there's too much red tape. My father raised us to be heroes but it was more to do his bidding than actually helping anyone. I know there's not really any money in being a vigilante. It puts a target on my back which will put one on yours too. So maybe I just teach self defense."
Once again, he was willing to give up anything that could hurt her. She was giving him everything he had ever wanted; to be loved.
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A sigh, because her wanting to keep him safe would stifle him. "There's always a target on my back. But we'll find something that's yours, Diego. Something that you want to do that you're good at." She just didn't know what beyond the fighting and vigilantism. Yes, he was good at both, but that wasn't a living. That was a calling. Even Devil Boy had a day job before he ran around in tights at night.
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He swallowed thickly, eyes falling along with his heart. Her memories flashed through his mind but so did his own. He was too late for Eudora. Too late for Grace. The same could be said about Vanya. All the memories made his heart lurch and his eyes water. "But there are people I can save."
Jessica wasn't wrong. He wasn't Bruce Wayne where he could use an inheritance to pay for being a masked crusader. New York was also proving a lot trickier than The City in fighting crime. Yet he honestly didn't have the first clue on how to earn an income if it wasn't winning a match or working security. Diego forced a smile and willed down the water that had collected in his eyes.
"Sounds great." It was a lie. Not that Diego would be opposed to finding a career, he didn't believe he'd be successful at one. Having an unconventional upbringing meant he didn't even have a high school diploma. He had an easy time obtaining his GED to go into the police academy but ultimately had no way to gauge how smart he was.
His childhood was filled with a varied education, more than the average child had been required to learn; latin, calligraphy, ballroom dancing, welding to name just a few ...in addition to the various martial arts and hand to hand training. Yet his world was also different than this one where Diego could hardly work a cell phone.
He brought his hands to her hips and gave Jessica a quick peck to the lips before standing in an effort to sell the notion of everything being fine. "I need to get those suits out of my bag. Probably iron them before putting them in the closet."
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Those eyes filled with tears, and she felt that grip inside her squeeze around her heart. It hurt, and that might have been the echo through their link from him, or hers singing up through to him. There'd been people neither of them could save. Reuben. Hope. Trish, and that one hurt more than anything. He moved to make her stand and she could feel that pain still there, still bouncing between them. He pecked her on the lips when he stood and she opted not to move. She stood in his path, hands reaching for his. "Don't do that. Don't sugarcoat or lie to me to make me think it's okay. I'm not your boss. I'm not your master. You're a big boy and you can do, and will do, whatever you want. I just... I want to give you options. We can look at classes that are available to see if there's anything you like. I'm not dumb, Diego. I know you're not going to want to fit into the mundane box office life anymore than I did. We're not those people. I'm okay with that. I just want you to find something so that you-"
She cut herself off, sighing and lifting her hands to run through her hair, stepping back for a minute. "I know you hate relying on me and my funds. You need your own placement here. Your own... stuff. Your own money. I approve and applaud that. But let's just say that our situation is a little different than most. So it's okay to me that we're relying on me until you find what you want. I don't think less of you. You're not worthless, Diego. You're mine. If I'd come crashing into your world, you think I wouldn't lean on you a little until I figured out what I could get away with?"
That was the killer for her. That he felt he had to prove himself. She knew exactly why that was such a deep mark for him. Reginald goddamn Hargreeves. The whole expectation of never being enough. Even his 'name'. Number Two. Talk about breeding complexes. She just didn't know how to get it through to him that he had absolutely nothing to prove here. There was no Reginald. No siblings. No expectations. Just them.
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However, the conversation turned and Diego only felt one failure after another. Two people who had looked out for him, who cared about him more than anyone else, had died because he failed them. His father died without ever acknowledging his worth. Now Jessica wanted him to be someone successful and not just work for someone else. He was sure he'd fail her too.
Yet she pulled the rug from under him. --No. She slapped him in the face with truth. He was wrong to hide the truth from her. That was exactly what he attempted to do, fearful that the honeymoon period would be over and Jessica would realize that he wasn't enough. He'd make things worse by secretly fighting or taking jobs she wouldn't approve of so he could bring something to the table.
"I never thought I'd have a life with someone. It's something I didn't even allow myself to dream about because that's all it was, a dream. Now I have it and I want you to be proud of me. I want to bring something to the table but all I'm good at is fighting. That might be the only way I can make decent money."
He shook his head, not wanting to make her feel like he wasn't happy. "It's been months that I've been leaning on you. I don't know cell phones or iPads or lap computers..." Laptops. Diego struggled with technology. He couldn't even figure out how to turn on the car that Danny wanted him to drive at work. There wasn't a place to put a key. There wasn't a key at all.
"...You've been patient. More than patient. I don't feel stupid when you're showing me something. You run your own business and so do your friends. I..."
A hand lifted and ran roughly over his spiked hair then his face. His shoulders slumped in defeat. Here he'd talked to her about a future, living somewhere else but his only way to help provide that would be take whatever handout he could find. She didn't seem to care but Diego did enough for both of them.
"I know you're not worried about me paying you back or paying for things but I want to make you proud of being with me." He really did have a stigma for measuring up. Diego had never been enough before and it haunted him enough to doubt for the moment that being her soulmate would save what they had.
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He slumped and she hated that. She leaned in and she kissed him, because his pain made her rabid with the need to make it go away. "Us, Diego. We. Mr and Mrs. Everything I have is yours. Always. And when you get things, they'll be ours too. That's the whole point of being a couple. And we're not just a couple. We're soulmates. I am so proud of you. You've landed here and instead of crawling into a ditch and crying about woe is you, you put on your ridiculous panty-mask and ran around trying to help people. What's not to be proud of?"
She cupped his face with her hands, looking deeply into eyes that melted her. "We've had a whole lifetime of being here to figure our shit out. Me, Luke. Hell, Danny beat up a dragon in Tibet and the only reason he's doing so good now is because his parents were richy riches and he came back to a fucking fortune. You think he runs Rand Enterprises? There's a whole hive of worker bees that do things he doesn't have a clue about, all necessary to keep his money coming in. He's smart enough to step back and let them. We just need to find your niche, babe. There's one. There's more than one. But you're acting like we're on a timetable. We have forever. There is no rush. I'm never getting rid of you. Even if you get depression and camp out on the couch. I'll either cuddle with you or boot you in the ass if you need it. Because there is no happiness for me without you."
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It seemed something foreign to Jessica who insisted he was more than enough. His shoulders lifted as she defiantly rejected his notions of being less than she deserved. While his posture picked up, Diego melted into the touch at his face. His arms wrapped around her. In the end, she had him donning his completely smitten grin.
"Just don't use the steel-toes," he quipped in the end. Diego needed to kiss her before uttering another word. His mouth connected with hers and poured everything into the kiss; adoration, affection and appreciation. For her to call him 'baby' had really set the tone. She never balked at him for using it but their connection told him that he'd been the first.
Now she had used it on him and he had desperately needed it. The kiss said that too. He pulled back for a breath, slowly opening his eyes to look at Jessica. "I don't think I could ever get depressed while with you. But it's good to know you'll still cuddle with me if I do." He nuzzled the tip of her nose with his.
"Mr and Mrs Jones has a nice ring to it. You gotta forgive me if I want that sooner than later. Not just because I think you'll get me a nice ring," he teased through an impish grin.
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"I'd more than cuddle you. I'd do experiments on what sexual act got you undepressed the fastest. Can a sexy latino guy stay sad with his dick in someone's mouth?" This? This was better. The teasing was better. The pain in his eyes always broke her and she would give a lot of herself, make herself open and vulnerable to him, for him to make it go away. It hurt to know he didn't expect that because he hadn't had it.
"What kind of ring do you want? Matching set?" She was going to be up Danny's ass to get Diego's papers done sooner than later. The sooner she had a legitimate piece of identity in her hands, the sooner she could drag him to the courthouse and make it legal.
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She talked about wedding rings and he simmered slightly back to the less feral look of joy. "Definitely matching. Not something flashy so we never have to take them off. But something only we have." Diego swayed a little with Jessica in his arms as he thought for moment. "Engrave them with something to make them ours."
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Having other things to do on their own was a good thing, and a little space was probably healthy, but some part of her would always want him close enough to taste, to know he was safe and sound. But she needed him happy more than she needed him in her pocket.
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It also taught him to trust his instincts, instead of remaining stuck in his terrible past life. He breathed in Jessica and exhaled contently while holding her close. "I missed you too. It's probably not a good time to tell you about working tonight," he uttered the end with his face in a slight wince at how she'd take that bit of news.
"Luke did say to swing by the club if I was interested so maybe I'm not interested?"
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She was going to try really hard not to make it seem like she wanted to leash him to her and make his decisions for him. Or manipulate him. He'd had enough of that. Besides, she sucked at subtle manipulation and she knew it. When it came down to it, she'd just demand he stay and fuck her into a coma if it really bothered her. But she knew that he needed to find threads and ties of his own in this world. She'd been born into it and she had a limited amount. He could do worse than finding a connection with Luke and Danny. Their history aside, both were the decent type, and if anything happened to Diego, they'd make sure she knew.
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They had talked about a lot of important things that Diego hadn't expected they'd do. Staying was important. However, he was still garbage at using his phone and wasn't sure how to start a text if he'd never texted the person before.
"Just help me send him a message that I won't be stopping by tonight."
Diego had seen Colleen tell her watch to send a text to someone but he only had the phone that Jessica had gotten him.
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Walking him through sending a text would be easy, other than the fact her mind was on anything but texting Luke or anyone else in that moment. She had her mate, her soulmate, and some pretty hefty life decisions had been made. Marriage. A place. Their roles. That was a lot, particularly for the both of them. Her, because she had to get used to having someone she wanted to plan with when she'd given up on having that. On anything meaningful, even though there'd always been a part of her that pined. She was just glad she hadn't been tangled up with anyone when she'd met Diego. Boyscout that he was, he probably would have tried to stay away.
As if she'd let him.
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"If he texted me, I'd be able to send him one back but he hasn't so I don't know how to start one. Can I just talk to Sara or Alexi to do it?"
Jessica might have gotten him through tech pre-school but he now had to get through kindergarten so he'd remember it was Siri and Alexa. The last thing he thought was that her mind was on him becoming a factor in her life. Even if she'd shown up in his world, there wouldn't have been anyone else. She also would've died with the end of the world so he didn't give it much thought.
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All while staying in the circle of his arms, because she had nowhere else she wanted to be. "Has Danny showed you his glow worm fist yet? Because if he hasn't, he should. He's a big fan of all the 'cool' things enhanced people can do."
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He handed over his phone and watched as Jessica ran through how to start a text. "The iron fist? Yeah. I guess it's handy." Diego pursed his lips to bring attention to his dumb joke, ending up in a smirk before continuing. "He's got a few different fighting styles. He's a good sparring partner."
'Few' was an understatement but Diego could still hold his own against Rand. Number Two hadn't shown the billionaire heir all his tricks yet but likely would in time. Besides, he didn't want to hurt his newly made connection.
"He talks about you, Luke and Murdock. I still don't get why people think I'm the devil reincarnated. You'll never see me in red." Diego sent Luke the text about having to reschedule then slipped the phone back in his pocket, wrapping his arm back around Jessica to hold her.
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Nope, that was never something she'd let him live down, but her smile showed she was teasing. "I think I could get you in red. Nice pair of red lace man panties to show off that ass of yours. Mm. Peekaboo lace so I get a front show too." Mr. Man in Black living the monochromatic life. Even she added color here and there.
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Jessica was smiling which made him smile. "You want me to wear lace?" He didn't have the slightest clue what peekaboo lace was. "I'd think you'd see me better without clothing." Diego was rather attached to his black even though he did wear a gray suit and there was even a blue one in his bag.
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"Oh, god yes. I'm dragging you to a sex store. They have lingerie for both genders, and I'll pick out something you like if you do the same." She drew her tongue over his lower lip, then sucked on it and gave it a light nip. "I like you in black, too. We can get black lace for you, too. But red would look good. So would blue. Green. You're sexy in all shades, Diego. Maybe I'll let you talk me into something with a garter."
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It was enough of a reward that he'd get to pick something for her too. He wondered if this was something new for Jessica or just missing from the memories he'd seen of hers. All thoughts of Murdock seemed to be long gone. She seemed ready to change into something right then and there. Diego was surprised that she hadn't attempted to remove. his tie.
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Diego made her want to try new things. Playful things. She was guessing that was the whole difference between being in love. Back and forth. Together. Her hand moved up into his hair and she turned to kiss him. "Lace means peekaboo parts. Trish always used to talk about sensation play with some of her flings, but I never really liked hearing about them because they were all assholes."
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His exes did have him try new things. Jessica had one to thank for his nipple piercing which was the only good thing to come out of that relationship. The next one wasn't a fan of the body jewelry or his scars so he his clothes stayed on for most of the intimacy in that train wreck.
Eudora was his last before meeting his soulmate. She didn't have an issue with him naked and enjoyed using handcuffs. Or maybe he had. Needless to say, he was more than eager to explore new things with the woman he planned to grow old with.
"Sensation play?" The expression on his face matched the confusion in his voice. He had no idea what that was.
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Now that that image was in her head, she found herself biting her lip, leaning into him a little more firmly. "Silk brushing over all your sensitive spots. Dragging fur up the inside of your thighs..."
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"Silk makes me think of your tongue." Diego bit his bottom lip for a moment before continuing. "Feathers, when your hair runs across me." He wasn't opposed to what she talked about but a little partial to Jessica above all else. "You know I'm gonna be hard the whole time. I'm hard right now just talking about it."
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"I didn't know you liked my hair on you. That's something I can do, too. There's not a lot I don't think I'd say no to, Diego. Not with you." The trust was there. Inherit, unbreakable trust. And love. That's what cemented it. "You keep biting your lip like that and you're going to wind up out of this pretty suit."
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They had talked and had dinner, of course he was going to bite his lip again. "As long as you don't rip it," he quipped through a hungry smirk. "What about you? What fantasies do you have?"
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She leaned in and kissed him, something soft and gentle, belying the hunger in her eyes. "Other than that, mm... I kind of like the idea of tying you up. I've also been thinking that we're going to have to get some mirrors in this new place so that I can watch you fucking me from behind."
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It was a stupid play on words that could fit a number of meanings but all Diego cared about in the moment was making his soon to be wife happy. "If there's a gym, it'll have mirrors but I like the idea of some in the bedroom and bathroom too. I want to see you from every angle humanly possible." They seemed to be on the same page.
He stilled for Jessica to decide what clothing would come off next. "Is there anything you're dead against?" A part of him could answer that neither would ever invite anyone to join in. It was all that came to mind.
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The question had her thinking, and if he'd brought up the other people part, she'dve agreed. Even without him as part of the equation, she wasn't keen on the idea of multiple partners at the same time. With him? She was like a hissing cat at the thought of anyone else touching him in an intimate manner. Male or female. Equally pissed off at all genders if they tried to trespass on her property. "There'd be things I'd say no to with someone else, but I can't think of a no with you."
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His hands went to work on getting her out of her bra as she got him out of his belt. The suit material left little to the imagination of how bad he wanted her yet Diego continued the conversation, more than happy to take their time. "Anal?" he questioned curiously.
The women before had varied to where his last was not a fan and would find it a turn off to even accidentally touch her there. Diego himself wasn't a fan but liked touching Jessica everywhere. Yet his one word question had to do with what she said; the things she said no to with others.
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That look turned to pure heat when she saw the tenting against the front of his pants, knowing that was for her and her alone. She took her time with pulling the belt out, the back of her hand brushing up against that straining length.
"That would be a thing I'd say no to with others, but not with you." She'd tried it once, with one of the few people she'd almost fallen for, and it hadn't really done much for her. There was, however, a vast world of difference in what others did that got her hot and what he did. Breathing got her hot. She imagined that anal wouldn't be the absolute worst with him, but she saw the look on his face and tipped her head. "I don't have that button the boys do to make it a pleasurable experience in the way it would be for you. But if you wanted to try, I'd say yes." Whether that was to him doing it to her or her doing it to him, well... he'd have to ask and find out.
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"Low on the list of things to try. Unlike a 69 or waking up to you riding me. Or..." If the heated look in his eyes wasn't enough, the raspy drop in octave should've told her how turned on he was with the whole conversation. "...to you touching yourself."
It wasn't as if there was much of an opportunity to masturbate as they were in something of a honeymoon stage. Diego had no inclination to touch himself when he had Jessica to touch.
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"I don't know about video chat. I could always cuff you if you don't think you can keep your hands to yourself," he quipped huskily.
His dislike of technology that was foreign to him had more to do with his response than anything else. Jessica could always change his mind.
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"Might have to invest in some massage or baby oil. Just so I can see you all naked and shiny. Ever tried warming lotion?" All part of the sensation play aspect. "I might cuff you up and make you watch me do dirty things to you. Or myself." She'd have to be blind to not notice how he watched her. How he often adjusted his pants when she did things like stretch and show a flash of skin, or eat something with a lot of licking and sucking involved. Horn dog.
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Yet he was a huge fan of her mouth on him. He'd need to find a balance, enjoying her as much as she seemed to enjoy him. His eyes were heavily lidded with desire while he sported a big smile. "Warming lotion? Like Ben Gay?" If she wanted to smell like old people, he'd try it.
Especially with how she talked about cuffing him and getting him to watch her touch herself. Maybe he couldn't break them like she could but Jessica wasn't the only one with a skill for getting out of them. There wasn't a lot more he could take of the conversation with so many clothes still on.
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Her hand slipped over the front of his pants, the belt gone now and just his fly and button in the way. But she was enjoying tormenting him just a little. Just enough of a tease to put that heat in his eyes that made him lose a little control. "Cuffs. Whips. Paddles. Fur lined stuff. And all the sexy lingerie a guy or girl could ever want to look at or wear. Cock rings and sleeves. Vibrating eggs. Diego, I could turn you into an incoherent babble pile of mush."
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"Mmm," he hummed in a low pitch and looked back to Jessica with an almost feral gaze. She managed to make whips and paddles sound sexy. Diego wanted to try everything, especially as her hand ran over the bulge at his crotch. He might later ask about some of the things she rattled off but his attention was on the present. "You turn me incoherent on a daily basis."
A husky chuckle left him as his hands worked around Jessica to get her clothes off, not wanting to be in the way of her doing the same to him.
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Her hand slipped down the front of his pants when she got them undone, down into his underwear so she could touch him. "I do, don't I? I hope you know you return the favor."
Chapter Three
The building was an old factory not far from the docks where a breeze could bring in the smell of the Hudson, which the jury was still out for Diego on whether that was a good or bad thing. He was sure the radiation that made the Hulk a thing was probably in it along with other toxic waste. Nonetheless, the building was perfect for what the happy couple were looking for.
Mostly the living quarters on the second and third floors would need elbow grease. The floor level had been functioning as a small scale warehouse and the office had been recently renovated. Jessica could work right away in the space if she wanted as the internet and other utilities were all up to par.
It took another six weeks for updating on the bathrooms where the office could have a private one separate from where clients (seeking services from a PI or self defense classes) would have access, and the primary bathroom for the nearly married newlyweds would call their own. Fortunately an elevator in the building made it easier to get renovations going.
"I don't think I understand any of this security stuff that Danny got set up for us. Why can't each camera just have it's own dedicated little tv?" The way his father had set up security at the mansion.
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Jessica wouldn't go so far as saying that Diego was technophobic, but he hadn't been raised in the world of convenience, and it would take him a bit longer to get more familiar with and happy with all the things she took for granted.
He wasn't afraid of physical labor, though. He was quick to roll up his sleeves and jump in on setting things up and hammering things into place. He also didn't mind calling her over in front of some of the few workers he vetted into the place to ask her to lift something or hold something that would take multiple people to do. It freaked the men out the first time, but after the initial surprise wore off, they seemed to delight in getting things that needed 'a woman's touch' to pull off, so they could convince him she definitely needed to be the one to do it. "Hey, Diego, don't you think this stack of cable spools could use a woman's touch to get safely up to the third floor?" Cue a line of men, and her man, watching her heft the pallet and then opt to jump through the open top window instead of carrying it up the stairs, followed by hoots and raucous laughter. She didn't mind putting on a show, particularly when it kept everyone in a good mood and also helped get things moving along more easily.
Danny still never got sick of watching her pull off casual shows of what she was capable of, and it made her feel like he was still a ten year old boy. Still, he was helping a lot with the costs of their new setup, and considering it wasn't just their home, but where they'd work out of for herself, Diego, and to bring overflow from Danny and Colleen's school into it, she'd pocket the usual sarcasm she normally threw around.
The gym would be Diego's area, even though she knew he'd be more than happy to share if she decided to use it, and the area behind the intake office would be hers, where she'd store client info and work on cases that needed room to visualize. There was also a safe room installed, along with a 'secret' emergency exit, and a containment room for anything she or Diego found that needed to be dealt with by either authorities or Danny's geek squad.
It was still being worked on, some rooms not finished with the wiring for security or walls not set up entirely while plumbing was finished, but the main areas, the living areas, those were ones she'd noticed Diego and Danny seeming to focus on. He hadn't said it, but every action of getting this place set up for them screamed to her how much he wanted her out of her old place and into this one. He was nesting, setting up this elaborate den to lure his mate into. It was fucking adorable.
"That way," she continued, pulling up the system and flicking through to the camera that was set up in the room they were in, "if you get the heebies about something, you can pull it up and watch me not sneaking a barrage of lovers in behind your back. Or, you know, in case of ninjas." The fact that was a thing that needed to be said still made her want to throw her hands up. Fucking ninjas. Resurrected, undead assassin ninjas. There were mutterings about Matt being back, and if she ran into another ninja, she was going to break their legs and carry them to his door and tell him to deal with his mess. Goddamn asshole.
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It took some time but he was finally developing an appreciation for the phone he once called repeatedly stupid. Diego listened and made a face as she mentioned being able to watch out for ninjas. Rand had mentioned that maybe they weren't mistaking him for Murdock but that the red devil was actually back.
Too much was going on with the renovations to get a decent discussion going but Diego imagined that would happen sooner than later. A part of him hoped the rumors were false. It seemed like a shitty thing to not tell the people who fought with you that you were still alive but he knew there was a lot more to the story. For now, there was a move to complete.
The strange things going on was the reason why Danny pushed to get security immediately in place. Diego appreciated it. Electricity and electronics were left to Rand connections while Number Two sanded floors, stained them, painted walls and worked on plumbing. Minor plumbing. His limit had been installing a toilet. 'Last thing I wanna chance is flooding the place.'
Finding a balance was hard. He was going on day 3 of no sleep, wanting to finish one last thing. Jessica was right; Diego was giving 110 percent into making the place perfect for them. He was glad her office was set but it wasn't finished until the glass Trish had got her for the door was installed.
Whenever someone new showed up to work, Diego was sure to do a knife demonstration and emphasize being able to hit a target around a corner so they'd know what to expect if any damage came to that door. It also didn't hurt to see Jessica help out and know the door was hers.
"I think our room's ready for the furniture tomorrow. It's been a few weeks with no traces of roaches or rats. I'm gonna work on the kitchen cabinets now that the floors and paint is all done." Diego let out a big yawn and quickly returned to cleaning up the paint brushes so he could clear out the room.
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She went over to him, coming up behind him and resting her hands on his shoulders, kneading there gently. "I think we should pack up here for the day and go get some rest. Real rest, Diego." There was a firmness there that, if he was getting familiar with her tones, would let him know that she wasn't going to be argued with over this.
He was trying to get everything done soon. Now. But they weren't on a time crunch. No schedule loomed overhead. Just that internal clock of theirs, and his seemed to be set for something specific. She kneaded at his shoulders, giving him a small massage as they stood there. "Don't make me break out the cuffs so that their first use isn't absolutely kinky and is more of a health thing. I'll get Claire over here to prescribe eight hours of cuffs."
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Diego relented, feeling that if Jessica was threatening him with Claire then he would never win. "You know, the water runs here now. I could get a shower and we can just use the air mattress. Cut out the travel time." Another yawn left him as pausing and the shoulder massage seemed to catch up how tired he was.
It was surprising that Jessica had waited as long as she did to put her foot down. He'd been working like a mad man to get everything working where most the construction staff preferred when she was around. Or that could be because she'd cut their workload in half. Diego might have repeatedly tried to get the crew to work at his speed and attention to detail.
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She kissed the side of his neck, then kept rubbing at it. "I can carry you home if you want. You're tired. Tired means accidents happen. So let me take care of you until you're not tired."
Jess had a feeling part of it was wanting her out of the old place sooner than later, but she didn't want him working himself into an accident when there was no time table to push them. Not one that he hadn't designed, anyway.
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Jessica kissing his neck woke a familiar member of his body that had been out of commission as he worked for 3 days straight. With a grab at the side of his crotch to adjust himself, Diego turned toward her. "What makes you think we're not gonna have privacy here?" The question came with a concerned gaze. His eyes were red and heavy but he glossed over being tired.
Where he looked forward to their new home together, something about what she just said nagged at Diego that Jessica didn't share the sentiment. "Nobody comes upstairs unless we invite them up. We'll have all the privacy in the world here. No neighbors complaining or interrupting. No bad memories." He stood frowning, childlike as if she didn't like the fort he'd made.
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That soft kiss had an 'aww' coming from off to the side, and she gave him a lift of her brows. "For the immediate future, until we have this place done, there's not a lot of privacy. Which is okay, because working on it to get it finished is important. But I'm very tired of behaving myself when I miss touching you, and while I'd love to get naked and sweaty, I think that can wait until after I've gotten a meal in you and you've had a full night's sleep. If naked is going to distract you too much, then we can have clothes on, but I want you in bed with me, sleeping."
She loved his fort. His den. The castle in the sky he was building her. But just like he'd insisted on rest when she'd been hurt, she was going to insist on it for him to avoid the same happening to him. "There's no bad memories here, Diego. All good ones. So let's keep it that way."
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"Alright. Let's go," he relented when she concluded that there were no bad memories in their new home. "Can we take all the paint stuff to the utility closet before we go so there aren't any accidents on the newly finished floors or the furniture coming tomorrow?"
He had already closed the open paint cans which Jessica could easily carry while he took care of the pan, roller and brushes--even if it was just to leave them in front of the sink inside what was to be their laundry room which Diego would either call the mud room or utility closet since there was no washer or dryer in it yet, just a sink.
One paint can was supposed to return to the apartment to prepare for returning it to the landlord but Diego was too tired to remember that in the moment. He missed the intimacy with Jessica but also enjoyed the time spent with clothes on as she wowed the crew or Danny with her abilities.
For a fleeting second, Number Two had a pang of homesickness as he could see Luther just as excited to see what Jessica could do as Danny had been. He also thought of his sisters but then worried how his soulmate would take Allison's power after seeing what Jessica had been through with the power of suggestion.
Fortunately, he was too tired to remember any of that at the moment and only waited tiredly for Jessica to answer him about the paint.
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Diego giving up so easily when it didn't involve sex was mildly concerning. He was stubborn. Headstrong. But maybe even he knew his limits and when to not push them. He seemed to be enjoying himself in setting up their new place; getting his hands involved in things, bonding and having 'man time' with the other workers. There didn't seem to be any women on the crew hired, not that she expected any. And none of the workers had been stupid enough to do more than comment on her abilities, not on any physical attributes. They seemed very aware of her being taken, and she was unaware of the little display he'd put on for them with his knives.
She came back out after ordering the Uber, then went over to him to hold her hand out for him to take. "Come on, mi amor. Let's go get some sleep. Just sleep." That might change in the morning, but for tonight, she just wanted him fed, then tucked in bed with her.
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While it kept him in solid shape, it was amazing their relationship continued strong. There wasn't the romance or intimacy they had the first few months. Jessica hadn't wanted him to take on 4 jobs to afford a place but he stayed with 2 jobs then poured himself into fixing their new home.
Yet the work was for them so maybe that made a difference with her. Maybe it also helped that she knew where he was and it wasn't getting groped by a drunk patron or on the radar of ninjas. Diego did still train once a week with Danny and Colleen before or after classes but even vigilante work had come to a halt. He either worked on their future home or helped Jess with some of her cases.
His battery was nearly completely depleted and the more he stood still, the more it became evident. Diego grabbed his bag with one hand then took Jessica's with the other as they headed down to the Uber she ordered. "The furniture. And the cabinets. For the kitchen. Should probably try to get the washer and dryer there soon. We'll need it." Another big yawn as he talked about everything but sleep.
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His hand in hers had a soft peace going through her for a moment, but that guilt was still forefront in her thoughts. "Want to stop and grab a pita or something on the way home? Something quick we don't have to make."
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His level of tired translated her threat about work as the work that provided him an income, not getting their place together. Diego was so tired that he wasn't sure if he'd said something about work and didn't remember. He became frustrated. "What's wrong with talking about work?"
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"I don't like you being this tired. This kind of exhaustion is dangerous and it leads to stupid choices and actions. I feel shitty that you're pushing yourself to get things ready so quickly, that you feel you need to. I'm also realizing I'm sexually frustrated, which isn't your fault, but it's adding to the irritation. And I feel guilty. I'm not taking good enough care of you."
She looked over at him as their ride pulled up. "I need to do better."
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His scowl shifted to a frown as she continued. He didn't like her feeling shitty. It also meant a lot that she was worried about him, taking blame that wasn't hers. "Baby, no. You take great care of me. The best! No one has ever taken care of me this good..."
The car that pulled up was a Tesla and Diego felt all around the car, unable to figure out where the handle was. "--What the fuck is this shit?! Open the goddamn door!" he barked at the driver.
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"Then let me take care of you. You need food and sleep. And I need you. So... let's find a compromise." As soon as they were both in and the door was closed, the driver touched the gas pedal to start them off towards her soon to be old place.
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"Yeah, we can pick up something on the way." Diego gave another yawn, slumping into the seat. His arm immediately moved around Jessica when she joined him in the car without thinking about how ripe he might smell. Fortunately their driver seemed in a rush as most New Yorkers were about getting somewhere.
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"Okay. We'll pick up a pita and some water for the way home. But then it's bed, and I don't want to hear an argument about it." Not that she thought she would. He was in that complicit, tired mood, and she was going to take advantage of it. She'd just have to keep her hands to herself until morning, and that was the hard part.
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In fact, he didn't wake up until feeling himself getting pulled out of the car. "Stop, stop, stop." The words were mumbled then followed by a yawn. "I can walk," Diego uttered in a sleep filled voice. He let out a disgusted noise, grabbing the collar of the shirt he wore to wipe the drool at the corner of his mouth. To say he was sleeping hard was an understatement.
The ride-share was a comfortable ride through the city with a nice scent and soft jazz playing, a nice turn for Diego after not being able to get into the car. It also helped that the driver wasn't chatty. Number Two would've been impressed if he was more alert.
"I thought you were getting food?" he asked without focusing on Jessica after she set him down.
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The Tesla took off behind her, and it was just her and Diego on the sidewalk in front of her building, Jessica willing to give him enough time to wake up enough to pull himself together. "I got you a pita. So let's get inside and eat so I can tuck you in, mm?"
It bothered her that she hadn't gotten him to leave sooner. The fact he'd fallen asleep so quickly and so soundly told her that he'd worked himself to his limit.
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Diego held the door open for Jessica, following close behind when she walked in. "Are we splitting it or did you get something for yourself?"
He mashed the elevator call button then started to pick off some of the paint on his hands, with his eyes looking between the task and Jessica.
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There was a look. A look that spoke of what she was willing to do to ensure that he actually got a full block of rest. "We'll just talk about that later." No, they would not. She'd just sit on him.
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"This elevator takes forever. Crazy how the one in the factory is older, but runs better." Thanks to some improvements made by Rand Enterprises. Then again, the factory elevator was originally built to carry a lot more than the small residential lift. "The one at home," he quickly corrected.
As if to spite Diego, the elevator dinged and the doors opened to their floor. He was happy nobody interrupted their trek to the apartment. Jessica called it when she said being sleep deprived made him grumpy. It would be the absolute worst time for Vido or anyone to drop in on them.
"Eat, shower, bed?" he asked while pulling the chain from around his neck to unlock the door.
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Unless he was tired. Then he was a little panda bear that grumped at her and she wanted to cuddle him. She came up behind him when he got the door unlocked, an arm sliding around his middle. "Eat, shower, bed. Here, you get started on the food and I'll warm up the shower for you."
She held the bag up for him, thinking about plans to keep him in bed in case he got another case of the 'need to fix this right now' in his brain.
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Yet it wasn't an exact science. She missed the signs of him overdoing it just as Diego had not picked up on her being hurt until Jessica called him. Each could sense something being off but hadn't pinned down exactly what. "Then you warm up the bed, naked." His voice was husky which could be a factor of how tired he was but also a nod to what she'd told him back in the factory.
He took the bag of food and headed to the small table in the kitchen. Tired eyes still held a glint of mischief as he looked over his shoulder to Jessica before taking a seat and starting in on his pita.
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The boots got kicked off as he watched her, then her shirt was pulled off over her head. She saw that smile, heard that huskiness, and her body couldn't help but react to it. Diego just flat out did it for her, more than anyone she'd ever met, and it would never cease to amaze her how every little thing could have her body turning into a gooey mess for him.
Her arms reached behind her to undo the bra, which she dropped, before she shimmied out of her jeans and underwear. "Eat, Diego. The food. I'm going to go make sure the water's nice and... hot."
Flirty wasn't something she would usually be accused of being, but with him, she gave him a wicked smile over her shoulder before she walked off to the bathroom, putting an extra swing in her hips.
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She awakened a hunger that had been dormant as he busied with renovations, surrounded by work everywhere he looked. One hunger had fueled the other and he scoffed down the sandwich. Hopefully she hadn't planned on having half as Diego did what Jessica said and ate his food.
"Ready or not, here I come." Diego meant that in more ways than one. There was no doubt in his mind that his eyes would close with at least one mind blowing orgasm. He didn't expect it to be in the shower. Jessica might be able to easily lift him but she was the one needing to be lifted if they were going to finish in the small space. It was a quick shower then bed.
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As for the food? She'd eaten something earlier before showing up that evening, and when she'd felt that hunger pain echo along their link, she knew where it was coming from. She rested on the bed, trying not to imagine him naked and soapy, just the way she liked him. "I hope you know this is torture for me," she said conversationally, loud enough that he should be able to hear her. "Do you know how much I love licking water off you?"
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Jessica might feel a rush as the water hit him. She'd gotten it to the perfect temperature which helped melt away some of the stiffness in his muscles, similar to the shoulder rub she'd given him in the factory. His hands went for the soap and immediately lathered up. He started to get hard just from what he'd seen of her while eating but now Diego was fully erect.
"I don't think it's the water you really like," he called back.
Soapy hands teased his length a little before forcing himself to stay focused on getting all dirt, grime and paint off his skin and hair. His face had more than a five o'clock shadow while his hair was a little shorter than he usually kept it so it didn't take long to scrub himself clean.
Diego used a towel to dry himself from the head down, wrapping it low around his hips to walk into the bedroom. Not even the weight of the towel could hide how happy he was to see her. There still was a tiredness in his eyes but also a familiar heat that had nothing to do with the water he showered in.
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He looked good no matter what, but watching him come in almost naked had short circuited her brain a little. She crooked a finger at him. "Bed's all warmed up. Time for you to get some shut-eye."
There was still tiredness there in his eyes, but that heat she felt thrummed between them and she was trying her best to behave. She didn't want to. Not really. She wanted to lean forward and tug his towel off. She wanted to taste him, feel the length of him hard in her mouth. But she would forego that to get him to sleep. She missed the feel of his arms around her, and she rolled over and patted the bed. "Come to bed, gorgeous."
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Diego pulled off the towel and give his hair one last effort to dry before letting it fall to the ground. He slipped in where Jessica had patted the bed, taking the bedding up to get in and covering both of them after settling in. "You gonna put me to sleep or are we supposed to behave?"
He'd likely not make a few rounds out of how tired he was but had at least one in him. Or maybe he'd sleep and save it for the morning.
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It wasn't as if she hadn't seen him every day, but not touching him had been a trial. She wasn't ready for that yet. Hadn't rubbed all the shiny off this new relationship. Her knee went over his leg, her hand up on his cheek as she tipped his face her way to let her kiss him. That was the part that felt most like coming home. Like everything was okay.
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A part of Diego used the separation to stay motivated. It was the way a fighter wouldn't have sex before a big match. Yet he couldn't stand the idea of not seeing Jessica, as if he might lose her forever if too much time went by without her. He relished the kiss that she initiated on that note and returned it with fervor.
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He kissed her back and she slid her hand down along his back to his ass, a craving going through her that spoke of how starved she'd been from the lack of him lately. "I think you'd like that too much. Which belies it being a punishment, love of my life."
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She used words of affirmation in addition to touch and acts of service. The way she gave him space while working on their future home was the way he tried to stay out of her way as a private investigator, only to find him hiding in the shadows from time to time. Diego let a husky laugh rumble from his chest at the grab of his ass and what she said.
"There's only one way to find out," he quipped before another heated kiss. His hand moved from around Jessica to her mirror the way she held him. Diego rocked his hips subconsciously, rubbing his erection that was sandwiched between them.
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She'd missed him with her whole soul, and it wasn't until they were tangled up again that anything felt right with her. "I missed you," she added, nipping his ear before she moved her lips back to his.
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There were so many goals ahead for them. He had gotten credentials and was official in this timeline. They would get married, move in together, even work together. Diego was excited for all of it and more. ...The 'more' part made him nervous so he didn't think too deeply of it. He was content with their present life. He'd never had it so good.
"I want you," he growled in response after she nipped his ear. Diego made the choice for Jessica, rolling on his back and taking her with him. One hand remained possessively on her ass as the other palmed the side of her face.
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He growled at her and rolled them and she felt that heat go through her again. She loved this man. Loved his skin. Loved his voice. Loved the way he smelled. She'd missed the taste of him, so she sucked at his lip, moving a little to spread her knees to either side of him so that the next shift of her body against his had him touching, then sliding up into her. Of course she was wet. He existed and was in her vicinity. It was cause and effect at this point. So she took advantage of that, feeling that grip on her ass as she moved her mouth down to tongue at his piercing. "Have me," she whispered, sucking at the ring and tounging around it as she lifted up off his cock just enough to let her slam back down.
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It was almost a toxic combination of her scent, tasting her, feeling her and how she touched him. A hand roughly slipped into her hair and tugged Jessica back. He wanted to see her, putting his other hand on her breast then doing the same with the one that had a handful of hair.
She'd get him to finish too quickly if he let her continue running her tongue on him. "I want to see you," he growled with handfuls of her breasts. Diego also thrusted from under Jessica, taking her when she offered herself up.
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Maybe she'd gone too long without him, but that one simple slam of body to body had the first whisper of her orgasm telling her she was close. It should be surprising, but looking down at him, at those dark eyes and that heat that simmered between them, she wasn't in the slightest bit. She grabbed one of his wrists, dragging his hand up to her mouth so she could suck at his thumb, watching him with needy green eyes as she started to swirl her hips over him. "Look all you want."
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Seeing the pleasure rush through her and feeling something in their connection only increased his excitement. Particularly seeing any part of his anatomy in her mouth... Diego couldn't form words. His gaze shifted into what could be construed as an angry stare but Jessica knew it was his focused one. He left his thumb in her mouth but rolled her nipple in his other hand a little firmer while nearly bouncing her off his lap with thrusts.
"Eres bella, Mami. Termina con migo."
He called her beautiful and told Jessica to finish with him in spanish. The words were hardly audible with the way his voice growled.
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Then he had to go speak with that sexy purr that had her body tightening up all over, and her head fell back as she came down hard, as she came, inner walls clamping around him and fluttering through her orgasm. She felt that rush go through her and knew he'd pick it up, a sound of pure pleasure leaving her lips that might have ended with his name hissed through her teeth. "Yeah, we're not going that long again without sex. I can't do that."
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The hand by her face had moved down to her hip in sequence with the other. His head craned back as he came with Jessica, hands gripping and holding her down to him as he descended from the climax. He brought his chin down to catch his breath and let out a low chuckle.
"Sounds like you have a problem," he uttered breathlessly. "I think I have the same problem." Diego reached for Jessica and tugged her down to lay on top of him. His eyelids were heavy, eventually closing as his breathing evened out.
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He pulled her down to lay on him and she complied. A part of her wanted to fall asleep just like that, but she worried about suffocating him. Still, for the moment, it was nice to just be as close to him as she could be, his cock still inside her for a little bit, his heart thundering against her own. "I love you," she whispered, kissing his chest while she waited for him to fall asleep before she slid off him to find her place beside him. She pulled the sheet up over them, curling up alongside him with one leg thrown possessively over him, her arm tucked around his chest. Sleep was good.
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Initially, it was a step back to when Five appeared after their father's funeral then progressed through one disaster after another. He powered down Grace, he lost Patch, he left the house with Grace--it was a memory he never recalled having. Diego flinched as it was taken away and he watched her in the mansion as it crumbled. His body started to sweat and he muttered in his sleep.
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Jessica wasn't exactly trying to wake him up, since he needed the rest, but more to jostle him out of that train of bad sleep thought and maybe into something less traumatic. She nipped at his shoulder, gently, murmuring softly to him in what little Spanish she'd picked up. "Está bien, nena. Te tengo a ti." It's okay, baby, I've got you.
She was the only one allowed to have nightmares. She refused to let him wear himself out with bad dreams.
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"Te amo," he mumbled as the dream shifted. Diego didn't mourn Eudora as a love lost. Their relationship had been over for years. She was a good cop and a great person, even if she didn't choose him. He felt responsible for her death as he did for his mother. In the years since he'd left home, he never pushed for her to leave. Both women made him a better man but didn't hold a candle to Jessica.
She wasn't programmed to care for him and neither did she try to make him be someone that he wasn't. Jessica loved him for who he was. She saw him in ways he couldn't yet love himself, but he loved her in those ways. Diego dreamt about the factory becoming their home, getting married, running successful businesses where he didn't have to play a bargain Batman anymore.
He lived a life Bruce Wayne would be envious of. Diego slowly woke as the sun began to flood the room and wake him from sleep. His arm was snug around Jessica's waist. He scrunched his nose and tried to open his eyes that felt nearly glued shut.
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Diego was... home. She'd woken up to the hushed whispers of Dorothy Walker and Trish, the beeping of hospital machines and the quiet murmur of the room her new reality, and she hadn't had time to mourn. She'd lost her whole world and she'd been shoved into a PR nightmare. Trish had given her something to focus on. Someone to help when she'd discovered what else she'd woken up with.
He didn't need her help. He could do just fine on his own, even if he had a questionable diet. But he'd slid into her world and burrowed in and made himself fit. She couldn't imagine not waking up to the scent of him close to her, to that look of utter adoration she got from him every time he looked at her. He loved her. There wasn't room for any doubt in her mind over that. He'd never asked for anything until he'd brought up the new place, and it felt like such a small thing to ask for. Something for them. Their place. She should have thought of it herself.
She'd have to do better. When he started to stir again, she hummed to him and patted his chest. "You can sleep longer, babe. There's no rush today."
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They were kindred spirits; both experiencing loss without being allowed to properly mourn. Maybe it was what brought them together. Diego had been thrown into her world almost as alone as Jessica had been in that period of time. The moment he touched her, the emptiness he felt all his life was gone.
It was dangerous to put all his faith in one person. Before meeting Jessica, he would never have supported the notion unless it was about himself. Diego talked about being a lone wolf but he didn't even put that much faith in himself. Yet he had all of his in his soulmate.
Who might just get mad at him worrying about their place again.
"Have to get back. Furniture's coming in. Gotta finish the kitchen too."
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She doubted he'd kill himself working himself to the bone, but he'd hurt himself. He'd unnecessarily put himself in a precarious position, and they didn't need that. She rubbed at his scruff, looking at how much longer it had gotten. "Maybe I'll shave you today. But today is 'Diego takes a break' day." If he managed to look at her, he'd see that she might be smiling, but between the steel in the back of her eyes and the thrumming down the link that she meant it.
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"Maybe tomorrow. Someone's gotta accept the furniture delivery." 'Someone' could be on the crew or even Danny who was supposed to meet another delivery for the training area. Jessica was right; his facial hair was more of a light beard than the scruff he normally kept. As she looked firmly in his eyes, Diego found himself looking at her with none of the same conviction.
Getting their place ready to move in was important and he didn't see the extent that he'd been working to get it for them to live in. He was one of those male birds trying desperately to impress his mate but already won her over.
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He didn't look so bad with the beginnings of a beard. Diego managed to look appealing to her, no matter what. Normally, to her, men either could pull off facial hair and looked better with it, or couldn't, and looked better clean shaven. He looked good either way, and she had to cram down the instant urge to do something like see what it would feel like between her thighs.
Nope. This was about taking care of him and keeping him in bed. There was always a guaranteed way to do that, in her opinion, and with that smile growing a bit, her fingers started to travel down along his body, over that firm chest, his stomach, down to the curls at the base of his groin. "You're relaxing today. Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. You wanna be hard, Diego?"
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She was right about the crew but he didn't think about the factory anymore. His eyes transitioned from barely opening to a dark, wanting gaze. He lifted his hand to slip into the back of her neck and tug Jessica in for a kiss. Diego started hesitantly, not wanting to turn her off with morning breath.
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She couldn't help the sizzle of pride that went through her, that pleasure echoing through their link to him at the fact that he wanted her. Seemingly always. There had always been limitations on her past relationships, or expectations and demands of what she had to be to draw their attention. She never had to worry about that with him. She never had to wonder if she was good enough, if he liked her. It shone in his eyes every time she looked at him.
God, she loved him.
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His free hand thumbed over her nipple in reach while the other kept a gentle grip at the back of her neck as they kissed. Diego had an idea of where she might go but waited for confirmation. She was in charge at the moment. He surrendered complete, enjoying her stroke of his cock.
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"You're going to stay here today. All day. With me. Say it, Diego." She nipped at his hip, biting her teeth in to mark him there, then kissing and nuzzling her way towards the root of his cock. She kissed there, then started licking her way up along his length, pausing part way up. "Go on. Say it."
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“Especially if you put it in your mouth,” he quipped huskily while his arms moved above his head to pull the pillows under him for leverage in watching Jessica. “That feels so good, Mami.” His muscles flexed with anticipation.
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If there was ever anyone that made her feel he appreciated everything she did, it was him. There had never been any holding back with him, and he never tried to keep anything to himself because it might make him look whipped or less manly. Diego loved, and he loved hard, and it was the perfect way to love her that had her wanting to give it all back to him. She loved sharp, just like one of his knives, one with a double edge so that as deep as she got into him, it cut her just as much. She wanted to love him. To consume him.
With a quirk of her brow, she parted her lips and took him into her mouth, sucking slowly, almost gently as she played her tongue over him while she sucked him down.
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No one mattered but her. It was just how she made him feel, that no one mattered to her but him. She thought he loved hard but no one loved him like Jessica. More than sex, it was her concern and desire to spend time with him whether they had sex or were asleep together.
"You can do whatever you want to me," he uttered through a husky voice when she mentioned not even tying him up. His muscular body flexed as she gave the head of his cock exquisite attention. Diego collected her hair to keep it out of her face or from going into her mouth and interfere with his blow job.
He struggled to keep his composure between the sight of Jessica and how she made him feel. She undoubtedly tasted how his excitement oozed from the head of his cock, his hard body growing increasingly tense as she devoured him. It was a fight to hold out his climax which was also part of the fun.
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Her tongue circled around him, slowly, almost gently, her lips covering him and sucking at him until she took him fully into her mouth. She kept the pace sporadic, not letting him get a rhythm to get off to. Not yet. The edging was part of it, but she also just liked having the thick, hard length of him in her mouth. Diego made oral something to enjoy, and she tasted the salty residue of his enjoyment, humming around his cock as her hand came up to pin his hips down, not letting him move while she toyed with him.
Hers. He was all hers and some part of her was still in disbelief. She had someone. Someone who knew her, saw her, and still loved her. Because there was clearly no denying that feeling. It was in everything he did. All she could do was her best in returning it to him.
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There were no thoughts of how vulnerable she made him. None that entertained how she'd completely ruin him with a betrayal or if he somehow lost her. Maybe his mind was smart enough to protect him from ever having those thoughts, for once not letting his life be ruled by the worst that could happen. Jessica was good for him in ways Diego never considered.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine a woman would enjoy blowing him to the extent that Jessica seemed to. If he didn't love her more than life itself, it would be easy to be selfish and take that enjoyment for granted. The only thing that compared to the pleasure she created was getting her off.
Orgasms were on a completely different level with his soulmate. Beyond a rush or high or toe-curling experience. They were nearly to a point that Diego completely understood why people suffered from addiction because Jessica was undoubtedly his vice. "So close... I'm gonna..."
The way she worked his cock resulted in an eruption that she could taste, feel and hear. His muscles quivered from having flexed for so long in anticipation as his cock expelled the final drop of cum. He might not have formed actual words but moaned and panted for breath as the pleasure itself was a workout.
"Fuck... Sorry," he mumbled after a shiver or two as his breathing evened out.
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But just in case it wasn't clear, she lifted up off him with a purr, looking up at him through the few tendrils of black hair that had fallen across her eyes, nothing but appreciation and desire in them. "Never be sorry for that. Assume it's what I want at all times. Taste it. Lick it. See it. Wear it. I always want you, Diego. Every last drop."
She turned her head to kiss at the warm, soft skin of his inner thigh. "Besides, that was kind of the whole point of what I was doing."
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"That's hands down the sexiest thing I've ever heard." A slight hiss left him as she kissed his inner thigh. "Now it just sounds lazy if I say the same thing about you but given that you blew my mind after blowing me, I'll put together something on that level about you when I have you spent."
As much as he'd been focused to get their future home completed, Diego didn't have one thought in his mind other than Jessica. It didn't even come to mind when a cell phone started to sound. He looked in the direction with a scowl at the audacity of the device.
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"Want to fuck until you can't form sentences anymore? Yes," he answered in a growl and pulled her up to crash his lips against hers. It didn't matter if she still tasted like him. Diego never found that to be a turn off. A turn off should be her tasting like someone else.
She had the strength over him but he could also easily handle her weight, moving Jessica to slide up his from until his dick that was still damp from her handiwork was nestled between her folds like a hotdog in a bun. His hips rocked while his tongue moved against hers.
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He'd filled some part of her that she'd thought was broken beyond belief; he'd come in and took those pieces and made something that suited him, that fit him perfectly. She'd do things for him that she knew she wouldn't do for anyone else. There were no rules, no moral code when it came to him, so she was infinitely grateful that he'd come with his own. That he wasn't someone that would try to twist her into something she didn't want to be. He was earnest. Good. He wanted justice in a way that made her want to pat him on the head. And he never thought he was good enough, and that made her furious, but she did her best to keep that from him, because it wasn't him she was mad at. It was the people in his world who'd let that stupid idea worm into him.
She felt his tongue slip into her mouth, his cock nestling against her labia, and he shouldn't be all that surprised that there was a slickness there. Pleasing him pleased her. That, and the sky was blue, so of course she was turned on around him. "You really think you can fuck all the words out of my head? Because I'd like to see you try."
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Once completely buried, he quickly moved to change positions--sliding Jessica under him without ever pulling out. Diego moved his hands out on the mattress to hold himself up. Much like the large cat that Jessica often compared him to, he moved with a grind and a firm thrust. His chin touched his chest to sneak a peek at how their bodies joined before meeting her green eyes with a lustful gaze.
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Well, more than content, especially when he did that big jungle cat imitation and started grinding in with his back arched, glancing down between them, then back up at her with that heat that had her clutching around him. She was making a mental list of all the things he liked. Watching, that little bit of voyeurism was definitely in there. She slid her hands up to her breasts and gave them a squeeze, let him see her touching herself before she dragged her nails down his chest, careful not to catch on his ring. "This the part where I sing the alphabet?" She bit her lip, thighs wrapping around his hips, letting her lift up to grind back against him.
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The round they were having wasn't a tender moment but venturing to a round of rough sex as he slammed harder into Jessica as she raked her nails over his chest. His forearms kept him up as his hands held onto her shoulders while pounding steadily into her body as she quipped about singing her ABCs. "This... is the part... you try," he quipped while slamming into her.
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Her hand moved around to his side, holding on there as she lifted up and met him again, head falling back a bit before she made sure she could see those dark eyes watching her. The intensity in his gaze always felt like the edge of danger, and she could see the potential for it simmering there- but she also knew without a shadow of a doubt that it would never be directed at her. For her, definitely. But never at her. "A, B, fuck me." It was panted out, and she followed it by lifting her head to crash her lips into his. She loved the way he tasted.
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He relished getting Jessica to the point of her getting vulgar or incoherent, something she also seemed to enjoy doing with him. It was a miracle the bed remained in one piece as the vigorous session easily moved the furniture off where it was kept in the room.
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She came, almost violently, but perfectly in that moment with him deep inside her. Fuck, she loved him. She loved everything about him.
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He shivered as the high subsided while immediately nestling on the bed in a way where not all of his weight crushed Jessica. "Fuck," he mumbled in a blissed stated before a low chuckle rumbled. "I love you."
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She rested a sweaty face on his chest, kissing it, then tipped her head up towards him. "I love you enough to keep you in bed all day so you don't wear yourself out and get hurt. To let you pound me like that all goddamn night until you pass out from sheer exhaustion. You might be in bed all day, but you're not getting any rest, Diego."
And maybe that was a little bit of smothered jealousy at not getting enough attention sidling in to peek out of green eyes.
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"I might not be getting rest but I'm sure as hell recharging my battery." His neck stretched to meet her lips for a peck then threw his head back on a pillow. "And yours. All work and no play makes Jessica an angry New Yorker," he teased gently through his raspy, tired voice.
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"Why don't you get a little more sleep? You ran yourself ragged the last few days. Nap, then maybe we'll eat and watch a movie?"
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Stupid of her to let him get to this point. She lay beside him, just watching him sleep and seeing how all the stress melted away and he looked younger than usual. Softer. That innocence she knew was still in there was evident when sleep was thickly layered on him. But she stayed close, because either through their bond or just the trauma of his upbringing, he had a hair trigger on knowing pretty much anything about the way she moved. Especially after that brush with her injury.
So while he slept, she lay there and memorized his features, playing with his hair, sometimes just curling up and resting against him because some part of her was still in disbelief that this was real. That he was hers.
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He repeatedly dreamt about their future, something he never dared to give any thought before. Nightmares were seldom. The bad dreams that haunted him from time to time were the loss of his mom, finding Jessica hurt, and some of the flashes of her memories. It was the latter that gave him the biggest drive to get their home completed. If she wouldn't leave the dangerous city then he'd make sure she was well protected.
However, her memories sometimes prompted great dreams. He'd seen her go through terrible situations and how she hardly smiled. Diego found genuine joy at seeing Jessica happy, feeling her delight through their connection. There were times he would wake up and find her softly smiling in her sleep. Exhaustion had him sound asleep, not having any clue that she remained nestled close.
Not the sounds of the city outside of her window, or the neighbors in the hall, or even the vibration of their cell phones on silent managed to wake him. It wasn't until no longer feeling Jessica close that pulled him out of sleep. Diego stirred, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand then attempting to look for her. "Shit. What time is it?" he groggily called out.
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Another sip, mostly to hide the smile on her face at how adorable he looked when he was all groggy from sleep and naked. She loved him naked. It was a hardship to stand here and just look and not be over there touching.
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"Furniture and cabinets were coming today. I don't know if anyone signed for any of it. I'm all rested now. I ate something before bed, right?"
All the protest and he'd yet to move off the bed. However, he did keep his hands over the sheet almost as if to will down his erection. The glance his eyes kept doing to her mouth and the rest of her body wasn't helping his cause.
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She let her eyes drag over him, showing him that she was enjoying every second of it before she sat on the edge, holding her cup out for him to take a sip. "You're the boss, boss. The fact you're in the shit with them most of the time makes them respect you as well as like you. No one's going to give you shit for taking off one measly day. They'll sign for the stuff and make sure it's put away from anything they're currently working on. They do do contracts all by themselves. That's how it usually works."
She glanced down at his crotch, then back up at him, because no, he wasn't hiding anything from anyone. "Someone want to say hi?"
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A new world allowed for a lot of introspection. He didn't think about his sister at the moment but did submit to what Jessica said. It was also hella sexy to hear her call him Boss. His hands lifted, reaching from his position for her to take his hands. "You took a shower and look sexy as hell. He's always happy to see you. Food can wait."
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She'd seen that look on his face of him maybe thinking of arguing with her, glad that he'd given in and let her win this non-argument. His reward was her grinding slowly in his lap as she kissed him. "What if I want you to eat?"
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There was a challenge in his heavily lidded gaze. Brown eyes darkened with want as if they hadn't just had a round before he fell asleep. His hunger for Jessica was never satiated. "Quieres que te coma?" Diego asked in the same low octave if she wanted him to eat her.
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She sucked at his lip, feeling the press of him against her body through that sheet and the thin layer of cotton. "I want you to be a messy eater."
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"Yeah? Then maybe you should lie on your back and let me taste my way down to your clit," he asked with the growl permanent in his voice. His hips had yet to stop rocking and rubbing his length where he wanted to put his mouth on her.
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She was on birth control. That was effective enough, right? Right. The frequency hadn't really factored into her brain, considering the efficacy of any pregnancy prevention was never 100% unless that method was abstinence- and that was clearly a hell no from both of them.
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Diego hadn't meant to utter that but Jessica had drove him to that point. She could sit on his face or ride him. He desperately wanted the sheet to stop separating them and the same went for the clothing she had on. A hand slipped into her hair and tugged for her head to go back and his mouth to move down her neck to a breast.
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With one of her hands busy, he used his upper hand to switch positions and laid Jessica on her back yet rocked his hips if her grip remained on his cock. He angrily pulled the sheet from between them once steady in the position above her. Determination prompted him to run the flat of his tongue from one nipple to the other while propping himself on an elbow as he slipped a hand into her underwear where 2 fingers teased between her folds.
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His goddamn agile fingers slipped into her as his mouth had a shudder going through her and she all but whined in response at how good it felt. Those ridiculous hands of his and that goddamn mouth... Her free hand came up to slide into his hair, combing through it and gripping it in random motions.
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After a few good strokes, he slipped his fingers out and sucked off the dampness before taking a hold of her panties on one side. Brown eyes looked up to her green set before moving his hips and taking his cock out of her hold. His other hand found the side of her underwear, quickly peeling them off of her.
Diego returned his mouth to her body with a wet trail over her abdomen and to her navel while repositioning between her legs. He kept his weight on one elbow once back in place to bring his fingers inside her walls as his mouth nursed her clit.
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She watched him, because she wasn't an idiot. She was in love, and he was a work of art when he was turned on and doing filthy things to her. His fingers slipped back up inside, his mouth fit over her clit and her head fell back for a moment. He could kill her with his tongue and she wasn't sure that was hyperbole. She lifted her head back to watch him, cheeks flushed red as he started to move her towards an orgasm she knew wasn't going to be long in coming.
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The sight of her flushed and on the brink of climax kept him focused although his hips unconsciously continued rocking, rubbing his erection against the mattress. He could easily finish with her by just tasting, seeing and hearing Jessica find her release.
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Those fingers found a spot and his lips and tongue were warm, wet perfection on her clit, and in a moment, her body squeezed around those fingers, inner walls tight and fluttering as her head fell back and she felt her hips grind against his face on their own accord. Nope, not long at all.
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He kept a light lick over her clit before a final kiss then shifted to slip his fingers from inside her walls. Diego wanted to drink her in but also was careful not to over stimulate Jessica and ruin the moment. He wiped his mouth over the corners of where her inner thighs met her crotch while still planting kisses.
"Hope that was messy enough for you. I'm gonna need a daily dose of that from now on."
The fingers that had worked in sync with his mouth allowed him one last taste of her essence as he sucked them before a crawl back up to hover face to face above Jessica. His softened erection teased the same entrance he fingered, eager to take residence but giving her time if she needed it.
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She felt the press against her, and her answer to that quiet unspoken question was to wrap her leg around him, pulling him in as she arched up until he slid into her. Where he belonged. Always. "I hope you know how much I love you."
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Jessica was right; sex had him finding a newfound confidence. He could be cocky when fighting at times but she fortunately didn't see a lot of that. It might change when the dojo was part of where they resided but it might not get her the same kind of thrill at seeing that confidence in the bedroom.
The kiss only helped revitalize his softened cock, enjoying the taste of both sets of her lips at once and sliding inside her warm, wet walls. "Almost as much as I love you," he playfully returned with a mix of smitten and lust staring into her green eyes as their sexes were joined once more.
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"I'm looking forward to christening every inch of the new place once we're all set up."
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Diego had yet to stop smiling as his eyelids grew heavy again. It wasn't from exhaustion this time but from adoration. "You know, the faster it gets set up then the faster that can happen." He pulled away from lazy kissing to nuzzle the tip of her nose in emphasis that he was only teasing and had no desire to get up at the moment.
More emphasis was needed (or so he immediately decided) and gave a firmer thrust with a deeper kiss. It was amazing what a few days of not spending naked time together could do.
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Her hand cupped his face, fingers tracing along it, tickled by the longer stubble as she made a noise close to a purr when he thrust that little bit harder. "I think you just want to make sure none of the neighbors get to hear me screaming your name anymore."
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Maybe the sex was making Diego a little too cocky. He was nicer to the maintenance man's son but made it a habit to never get Oscar's name right. Carlos. Jose. Miguel. Juan. Tito... The latter had been his favorite one so far as Oscar reminded him that he wasn't on the lease and Jessica should have better taste in her guests.
There were a number of reasons that Diego wanted to move faster but really had little to do with jealousy. He could feel the way Jessica felt about him. There was no more second guessing of how important he was to someone. It was better than being Number One, being her one and only.
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Them getting a place that held no memories for her about anyone other than the ones they made there was perfectly reasonable. She'd been unsure how he'd feel about Luke, but both of them seemed to be handling it well. Oscar... well. Oscar could be a shit. She had a feeling part of it had to do with Vido. Too much of an instant family that she wasn't ready to step into place for, and the kid deserved someone far less damaged.
"You just like to rub his nose in it. I heard that last time, genius. 'How many times did you hear my name last night? Ten? Eleven?'" Did she sound upset? Not really. Being in the same city was one thing, but the same building? Yeah. He'd been right. It was time to move.
Of course, if she'd heard Oscar mentioning her guests, Diego would have had the pleasure of her ripping him a new one over it being jack shit of his business.
Chapter Four
So between her and Connie, they'd set up to have her forget something at the place to drag him in and have there be a surprise housewarming in the office section. Her office section. The place she was willing to open to people. The dojo was his, and some part of her wanted to keep the upper rooms as solely theirs. Private. Both of them had so little of that.
There was catering and booze, thanks to Danny's funds, and even some of the construction guys that had taken a shine to Diego were invited. So as she pushed him ahead of her into the office and made him flip on the light, she got to watch him react to the loud 'Surprise!', grinning as she came up behind him, arms around his waist. "Welcome home, mi amor."
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He planned on heading out to patrol the city when his wrist buzzed, alerting him of a message on his phone. Jessica. He looked questionably when another message alerted him. Rand. The first message was his soulmate needing to go back to their pending new residence and the latter was his sorry excuse for a vigilante partner, canceling on him for something that came up last minute. Diego pulled off his domino mask and responded to his fiance that he was on his way.
It wasn't as if Diego could be angry with Jessica. If anything, he was concerned over why she was anxious. He hadn't found a way of saying something about what he could feel coming from her as they traveled to her office in their place. His soulmate was adamant that she shut off the alarm system from her phone (something he hadn't bothered much with since they weren't living there yet) so he went in and pushed the rocker switch to turn on the lights.
SURPRISE!
Diego had nearly grabbed a knife from the surprise but could feel Jessica lose her anxiety for a happy excitement, then her arms wrapped around him from behind. His confusion remained but only for a few seconds more before putting 2 and 2 together; she had been anxious to surprise him. It was the sweetest thing that anyone had done for him in his life. He grinned from ear to ear, looking at the crowd of friends in the small space.
"What is this?" he laughed as Danny and Colleen walked toward him and Jessica.
"It's a surprise housewarming. A little celebration for the new chapter in your lives. There's food and a few more gifts," Danny had immediately answered. A nudge from Colleen prompted him to add. "For the two of you to finally make things official. It's all in the yellow envelope on your desk."
Number Two turned enough so Jessica was at his side, lowering his head to give her a kiss. "I love you. Thank you for all of this." The initial response was to Jessica and the latter was between her and their friends. A few of the construction crew were beaming, quick to motion toward the food and drink.
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It was a pleasant deviation from the norm that the opposite was happening. Hell, it was downright mundane to have a housewarming party. "You can thank Colleen for the food selection. I was all for just pizza." Which there was some of that, but there was also a full spread, courtesy of Danny's funds and Colleen's taste. "And that means we're going to be bunking here tonight. In case that wasn't perfectly clear."
It wasn't nerves as much as just... anticipation that her life was moving forward, and it was doing so in a way that was good. Wanted. The only regret she had was that Trish wasn't here to share it with her. She squelched that thought, because she didn't want him picking up on anything negative. Only happy thoughts tonight.
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The same could be said about the gathering that Jessica put together for him. People who actually enjoyed being around him were present, not those that were obligated out of some notion of family. Weddings and funerals. The Umbrella Academy had only had one of each. He might think of his siblings when it was time to tie the knot but they weren't on his mind at the moment.
"Wait, everyone's gonna be spending the night?" Diego questioned through a forced grin.
Danny snorted. "She means you two. We're only here to eat food after seeing that dumb look on your face." A few of the construction guys piped up, adding that they wanted to see some knife throwing to which Rand gave a nod while still grinning. "And knife throwing. They wanted to see us spar and Jessica lift weights but Colleen talked them out of that."
"Let me guess, Raul wanted to see the lifting and Jermaine wanted to see us fight?" Diego questioned through a smirk while looking at each of the guys.
"No, Boss. I'm here for the food and I thought you might throw a knife before realizing what was going on," Jermaine said through a mischievous smirk. "You got Raul right but it's Easy who wanted to see you and Mr Rand go a round."
Easy had a plate of food in hand, immediately shaking his head and glaring at Jermaine. "Yeah, right. I'm not the only one wanting to see that fight." After the annoyed statement, Easy looked over at Diego. "What say you, Boss? One quick match on the mat? Make sure it's set up right for when the classes start?"
Raul took one look at Jessica and Colleen and shook his head. "Easy, you pick a boring match. My money is on the ladies!" the Dominican man quipped in a Spanish accent about as thick as Easy's Haitian one (not very thick but clearly one).
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"C'mon. Eat and drink. I've been too nervous most of the day to eat much. Now I have an appetite."
All she was feeling through their link was a warm sort of glowing happiness, and that was the whole point of what she'd been doing. To get him something that made him feel like he fit in. Something he wanted. Something theirs.
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Jessica was familiar with Claire and Misty but Colleen still felt it only right to give the private eye a chance at accepting or rejecting the idea of them appearing at her house to train with her soon to be husband. Diego had been working more with adults while Colleen and Danny worked better with kids.
"Yeah, we'll see." Diego chimed in after Colleen. "This is a training facility, not for spectators. You wanna see any of us spar then you're gonna have to participate in the classes. I could always use someone to demonstrate moves on," Number Two taunted the construction crew.
All 3 muttered complaints but busied wih plates they previously fixed for themselves. With jobs in the morning, none planned on staying long.
Diego slipped behind Jessica, instinctively letting her first at the food but quickly following. "Definitely having a little of everything. Love all this," he commented happily with a loud stomach growl in agreement. The Asian fusion would more than hit the spot.
"There's also Kirin, Sapporo, and a couple bottles of Nihonshu--you might know it as sake--that anyone driving should stay away from but small amounts are really good with the food," Danny piped up and poured a glass for Diego of Daiginjo that was a gift to the couple. "If it's too strong, I can get you something else." Rand looked between Diego and Jessica.
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She ate better to force him to eat better, but that didn't mean any of it stuck to her. She stepped up to the table, feeling him behind her, nodding along at the suggestions and picking a little of this and that to put on her plate. She chose sparingly, since she figured there'd be more if she wanted, and she still had to survive the party.
Jessica forgot how bad at them she was. Socializing was never her forte, and even though she didn't mind anyone here, she would be happy to use the excuse of food in her mouth to avoid talking to most of them. This had been for Diego's sake, not hers. She wanted him to know he could have ties to people around them and that she was okay with that leaking onto her. Mostly.
Not really paying attention to what was what, she grabbed for a beer looking bottle, taking that and leaning back to kiss his cheek. "Go hog wild. Watching you get shitfaced will be amusing."
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Glimpses of Jessica having to fight off Luke Cage had come to mind and Diego wanted her to learn a few moves to fend off or counter someone who could match her in strength. Yet it wasn't something he mentioned to her, convinced it could wait until they moved in. They already talked about christening every room in the place which was incentive enough to wait a little before asking her to train.
None of those thoughts came to mind as Danny offered him a drink and his soulmate telling him to get lit. Amusement ghosted Diego's lips as his brow furrowed with question, ultimately accepting the drink from Rand while holding a leery expression. "If it goes good with the food, I'll take it." The billionaire orphan looked rather happy with himself as he poured them each a glass.
There was talk of Harlem's Hero, Daredevil and the Punisher among the construction crew. Similar to Jessica's concern that Diego might end up fighting someone with powers, Raul and Easy talked about underground matches that had others with abilities. Jermaine had piped up to say that none of them actually saw any of the fights--they only heard of them.
"Where are these fights supposed to be?" Diego asked as the drink started to have an immediate effect. Maybe the alcohol content was strong, or it was having hardly eaten all day, OR not having had any real liquor in a long time. Either way, Jessica likely could feel the light buzz begin.
"Whoa, you need to sip between eating. Not eat between sips," Danny admonished his friend who polished off a glass but was only a few bites into his plate.
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She reached over and finished Diego's glass, feeling that burn and recognizing the light buzz that she felt through their link. Something soft and warm and a little loose. She nipped at his jaw, then went back to her food. "The fights move." Because of course she knew about them. Had to, as far as she was concerned. There was not a zero percent chance that Diego might find one or be talked into going to one, and she decided to make it her business to know how to get him out if she needed to. "They're hosted by a few partners that have deals with who gets to host each event. It's a traveling gig, and each fight is held at a different business's property; warehouse, underground parking, dockyard, the usual. Each host has to keep an on staff medic team, and that's partly to verify a kill if they're one of the special matches. Those usually involve foreign visitors and it's some champion thing. Guests get couriers that drop off cards with an email link that verifies their identity, provides a secure link for wire transfers for entrance, and a separate system if someone wants to register a fight."
She said all that in a very matter of fact tone, picking at something that looked like a spring roll, but deep fried and- ooh. Hey, that was pretty tasty. She grabbed three more.
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"Wait, people are dying in these things? Is anybody doing anything about that? What if people are being trafficked into these fights?"
Similar to what she felt as he was buzzed from the drink, Jessica might've felt Diego get uptight at what he'd just learned from her. He'd spent time trying to find who responsible for attacking his soulmate and only paused to get their house together renovated. Now there seemed like another job to take on while keeping an eye on anyone coming after Jessica.
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Coming over, she held up one of the spring rolls to his lips, giving him a flat look. "You have a dojo. And... other things to keep you occupied at night," she said, looking pointedly over at Danny, but not saying it aloud since the construction boys were there. "This is above all of our paygrades. Well, maybe not Sparky's, but it's not for you. Later, I'll show you why." The dark web, something he was completely not in touch with, had a lot of clips from some of the more exciting fights. She hoped that watching someone get melted by being touched would keep him from thinking he should poke his nose in.
"Now eat. And enjoy. Or I'll take you upstairs and spank you." She pointedly ignored the murmurs of what else she should do to him up there from the rest of the crew as they ate, then offered helpful tips.
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It didn't sullen the mood, the wheels were turning in his head as the group were amused at Jessica's conclusion. The retrospection at least had him eat more with his refill. Still, the warm fuzzy feeling doubled and his thoughts from infiltrating the underground fight club were interrupted by Colleen asking if he wanted more food or was she clear to pack up the leftovers.
"Hold on now. Tell me there are to go containers," Easy piped up after shoving the bite of food he'd taken into his cheek.
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The definite drunk hitting the guy that didn't seem used to imbibing danced along their link, and she smiled at the fact her soul mate was getting drunk. Letting loose. And that he had people he felt comfortable doing that around.
She came up behind him and tucked her chin over his shoulder, arms around his waist. "Did you enjoy tonight?"
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Diego had previously agreed to work out classes at the dojo on Saturday but now seemed to take the weekend. Rand truly didn't mind and knew Colleen wouldn't either. "Yeah, Monday. I'll be back to see you with new students around 7, if that's alright," she asked the drunk and happy new homeowner. He gave Colleen a thumb's up with an inebriated grin. "Yep, we're getting out of here. Oh and no need for cab or Uber. Danny called for a car twenty minutes ago. Should be out front by the time we walk out there."
Everyone headed out with various forms of farewell when the door automatically locked after them and the sound of the security system arming soon after. Jessica appeared over his shoulder and Diego grinned, polishing off the last of his glass.
"Yeah. You didn't have to do that. Why didn't Malcolm or Hogarth show?" he questioned as it felt like only his friends had been part of the festivities. It wasn't as if Trish or her mother could be there but Diego had been the outsider and didn't like the idea of Jessica possibly feeling like one even though their link didn't give him any kind of vibe that she could be feeling that way.
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Her hand slid down to the edge of his shirt and untucked it, pulling it out to let her fingers slide along warm skin. "You have a good time?"
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He gave a nod at what Jess had told him about Malcolm. "Yeah. It was nice. Food was good. I think that drink went to my head..." Diego seemed to forget that it wasn't just one but three by the end of the party. He hadn't really had more than a shot in years. His head fell back as Jessica ran her fingers on his bare skin.
"Why did you do this? Didn't think parties were something you liked?" he muttered through closed eyes.
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There was a lazy sort of lassitude coming from him in waves, that kind of drunk that made everything loose and glowy, and she kept her fingers low, playing with that band of skin between shirt and pants. Just being slow and easy for now. She kissed the curve of his neck again. "I like you. I don't mind your little boyband, and Danny and Colleen aren't so bad. You need to socialize more. I want you to feel like you belong here, and not just because of me. They like you. Danny would probably adopt you as an older brother if he could. He imprints quickly."
She started to sway a bit, dancing with him in her arms, enjoying just the knowledge of the quiet of them in their new home. New lives. It left a soft smile on her face he couldn't see. "I like the right kinds of parties. Ones where I can sit and watch and no one gives me shit for that."
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He was putty in her hands as she nuzzled and touched him. "...More friends than I've had in since the police academy." Not that he really wanted to socialize unless patrolling the streets counted as socializing. Luke and Danny had to reign in Diego from getting overzealous, chasing the bad guys.
Following her lead felt natural, easily swaying in her hold. His eyes stayed closed but his brow furrowed a little as his lips still held a slight smile. "You wanna people watch at a party? Does that mean you're not gonna dance with me at any?" Dancing was the only thing he enjoyed at typical parties, with the exception of having played board games once.
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Something she was also okay with. She'd never met anyone before that had this effect on her. This desire to constantly be touching him, to be touched by him. Her skin hummed at the thought of all the places he could touch and all the parts of him he could touch her with. "I like watching you have a good time. And I like when you come over to me with that look on your face. I like knowing that any women at any party we're at are going to drool over you and you won't even notice, because you're having fun and then you're having me."
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Jessica got him out of his comfort zone in so many ways. The most obvious was how much he smiled, that he stopped fighting for money, and how he dreamt of a future. He finally had a life that he'd never thought possible. What fueled him the most was finding someone who actually wanted him.
"Just like no matter how much guys might stare at you, your eyes are only on me." He turned around and kissed her hard as his arms wrapped around her frame. His hands went to her ass, grabbing handfuls while pressing her body into him and letting her feel the effect she had on him. Diego might have been tipsy but it didn't hamper his desire for her in the slightest.
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He'd changed that, and when he turned to kiss her, grabbing her ass, she pushed some of that joy for him through their link. "You're the only one worth watching." Cheesy as it may sound, it was also true. She hoped he knew that the images he had of her with other men were solidly in the past. Whatever mixed feelings she'd had for Luke, they'd evaporated when he'd slid into her life. She would always choose Diego. And she wasn't afraid to admit that. Not to him. Not to Luke. Not to anyone.
Warmth spread through her as she moved her hands around under his shirt to slip upwards along his chest. "Wanna go upstairs?"
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Less steady than ever before with her, Diego stepped back and fumbled to get out of his shirt. He cut himself with a knife he'd forgotten about. It wasn't a serious laceration but one that caused him to jump and quickly get rid of the two others, slamming them down on her desk.
"I'll go anywhere you want. Upstairs, on the stairs, on your desk." His response was in a dropped octave as he stared with all the heat of how badly he wanted her.
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Focus, Jessica.
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The words were huskily spoken as he released his hold on her to cover the knives with the shirt he removed then let them fall down the side of her desk. "Bad," he added and glanced down to the bulge at his crotch as if to plead his case.
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He shoved his knives away and that's what let her know he meant business. He was incredibly careful with his toys, and letting them fall like that let her know that little drunken desire he felt was more than little. Her hand moved down to slip her finger in the front of his jeans, tugging at him as she glanced down, then back up at him. "How bad?"
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She pulled his finger out and slipped one of her own into the front of his jeans. "Really fucking bad," he complained and fumbled in an effort to unfasten the denim. Frustration prompted Diego to grab her hand and rub himself against it regardless of the layer his boxer briefs and jeans posed.
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Arousal flared through her, and she found herself gripping him through his clothes, feeling the length of him trapped there while her other hand flicked his fly open. "Too fucking bad to be able to make it upstairs?"
She was pretty sure the answer was yes, which was just fine by her. She leaned in and kissed him, groping him over his jeans before she slipped a hand inside and kneaded him through his underwear.
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"Fine. Upstairs. Now," he grumbled as she stopped stroking him over his clothes and slid her hand to grip his length. A choked groan rumbled into her mouth as she kissed him. His eyes closed, enjoying her taste and stroke.
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"You are so fucking sexy, Mami."
His arm slung around her shoulders, his erection angry at the limited space in the crotch of his pants as the rest of him was limp for her to easily move with. It was no surprise that Diego had a one track mind in the moment, exacerbated by being drunk. He was curious if there was another surprise upstairs since she seemed intent on going up than having sex in her office.
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They reached their suite, and she took a moment to just look around her. This was theirs. All of it. No landlord. No pissy neighbors. No one coming in windows or holes that carried memories of pain. Just a new, fresh start with him in her arms. "Glad you think so. It'd suck if I went and got lingerie just to have you tell me you weren't a lingerie kind of guy."
She went over to where their bed was, larger than her old one, making her climb into the middle of it to lay him down. "Welcome home, Diego."
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Regardless of being inebriated, he realized the depth of what she said. Jessica could likely feel how comfortable he felt. He was home for possibly the first time in his life. The Hargreeves Mansion had never felt safe. Only Grace was a safe haven but she couldn't protect him from his father. Looking at his soulmate, her green eyes said she would protect him with her life. A look he returned.
"I don't think I knew what being happy was until I found you. You're home for me. You are my everything."
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Frankly, she was still surprised she hadn't killed herself after she'd gotten away from Kilgrave. It had been a close thing. There had been moment...
Her hand coming up to brush at his hair, to cup the side of his face as she leaned over him, putting herself between him and the world, she was glad she'd stuck with it. He was her prize at the end of it all. He made it worth it. "You know that means that there's lingerie sets hiding around the home, right? I hid them in weird places, and when you find them, we get to play. And they're not all for me," she said with a smirk, then leaned in to kiss him. "You're my life now, Diego. You're it for me. So don't do anything stupid to take that away."
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"Just up here, right? Not anywhere downstairs?" he asked curiously. After all, they'd talked about sex in nearly every part of the property.
Yet he didn't need an answer right away and enjoyed the kiss. What she said after, tugged at his emotions. He gently cupped the side of her face and caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"To have and to hold until death do us part," Diego uttered with a slight slur. He lowered his hand from her face and used his index finger to make a cross over his heart, clearly mixing up 'cross my heart' or maybe purposely not wanting to say that he 'hoped to die'.
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She watched him make his vow, felt just how serious he was about it even though it was said in that lazy, syrupy drunk way. Leaning in, she kissed over where he'd crossed his heart through his shirt. "Already gungho for a wedding, huh?" She kicked her boots off while she was still on all fours, using her feet to wriggle out of them, then flip them off somewhere behind them. Her hand slipped under his shirt, starting to tug it up. "Unless you're too drunk to play, get your ass outta your clothes."
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"I'm not even drunk," he protested defiantly while aiding her removal of his shirt. "Buzzed, maybe." Inebriated enough that Diego doesn't manage to lead but continues to follow Jessica instead. "Doesn't have to be a wedding. Could just stand in front of a judge," he reverted back to the question she asked him.
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See? There'd been a method to her madness.
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Slowly, he licked his lips and tried to find focus. His hips shifted to help remove his bottoms as his soulmate had made quick work of his shirt. "I want you," he growled huskily with eyes matching his desire.
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IF there was one thing she was quickly learning about her soulmate, it was that he was highly competitive. Mix that with his utter adoration for her, and she was expecting a certain reaction.
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Not that his erection faltered among the confusion. Diego reached for Jessica and tugged her close to kiss his sake drenched mouth.
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There was no such place, but hey, teasing was fair game.
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The friction she created against his cock prompted a flex on the already rigid member. It wasn't as if they hadn't played games while fooling around but the intoxication worked to slightly derail Diego. He'd get a nasty case of blue balls if he wasn't careful.
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She didn't think he could get any more adorable, but apparently drunken horny Diego was a new level. A hand slipped down between them, fingers wrapping around his length as she sucked at his lower lip. "I want you."
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"Get on top," he growled then tugged his lip free from her grip. Diego held onto enough of his senses to know they were better off with her leading. Hopefully he wouldn't reach climax and fall asleep on their first night home.
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She didn't bother with any preamble to taking him in, a hand angling him up and then she was seated with him fully inside her and her body gripping tightly around his as she took him in. "Like this?"
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His hands released the bedding under them for a grasp of her breasts. He'd told her to take the lead but couldn't stop his hips from start a thrust up, desperate to have her sex stroke his. "Eres hermosa, Mami. Dame lo." Diego growled a compliment then a demand in Spanish. He wanted more of her. Needed more.
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His hands couldn't keep up with the pace that she moved in so they slid down to her hips. Diego sucked in his lower lip and kept it pinned between his teeth while dark eyes stared possessively at the love of his life. It was a terrible move as the sight, sounds and sensation immediately overwhelmed him. His hands squeezed at her hips as his eyes closed and his orgasm erupted inside of her.
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Well, he was more than that to her. He was her heart. Her reason for breathing. And she could admit to anyone that he was her love, and she wasn't ashamed of that feeling. Not anymore.
She slid down and rested on his chest, sliding her hand up his chest and resting there on his shoulder as she kissed sweat-dewed skin. "Te amo, ahora y siempre."
Chapter Five
The days after that were good. Almost too good. She kept waiting for something to come along and screw it up, as per her usual. But that sword just kept hanging over her, and she kept going to sleep naked and sweaty and waking up in some form of an embrace with the person who meant the most to her. When she woke before him, some mornings she'd just lay there as the room around them lightened, watching his face and how little strain there was on it. How relaxed and peaceful he was.
She wanted more with him. Wanted to do more with him, to show him how she felt, how much he meant to her. She thought about Coney Island and all the things to do there, and how her memories of his childhood was missing all that. No rides. No fun things. Only training and acting like a show pony for his 'father'. There'd been a memory of him as a younger boy, watching kids in a line from a school trip going somewhere with teachers, holding hands in a line and laughing and being children. The memory was colored with envy, and it made her sad. Sad for the child he'd never been. But it was still just slopping out of winter, and she wanted to show him Six Flags and all the happy fun crap when it was in a light to be seen, not off-season and pitiful. And he wouldn't be one of the Umbrella Academy here. Not wearing a mask and putting on a show. No one curbing anything he wanted to go see or do. Or eat, if she could get him to stop being quite so anal about food. And money.
So that was a plan for later, and she made a nebulous note in her journal for April and May, to block off a weekend for them to enjoy what she could show him. But for now, she was busy going over her bills and sending out payments to what needed to be paid. It was mid-afternoon and the rumble in her stomach reminded her lunch was coming up, so she figured she'd shoot a text to Diego to see if he was up for sharing it with her or if he was busy and she'd have to wait until dinner to have a taste of her soulmate.
Hungry and free?
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If Jessica thought she had been read the riot act after their housewarming, it would be obvious that Danny didn't snitch on Diego. Rand received threats of violence if he ever mentioned sake again in the days that followed. Yet the knife thrower was easy to distract from the unpleasant memories with the promise of a future he never believed before was possible.
'No sake at the wedding reception. Got it!' Number Two had to remind his ...investor that each of the happy couple wanted to establish their respective businesses before tying the knot. Yet that wasn't exactly the truth. Diego wanted a nice ring for Jessica and still had to figure out how their finances would measure up with the new mortgage payment.
He wasn't worried but it was something he'd set as a plan to follow. Jessica knew he wanted to make things official between them, possibly even changing his name instead of the tradition that she take his. It couldn't be bad to lose the reminder that he'd been purchased as a child. Yet something also tugged at him; what if one of his siblings somehow ended up in this timeline? The name would be the only way of finding him.
His mind wasn't on past or his relatives at the moment, only the woman he wanted to marry who had made the screen on his phone light up. The morning class was over and he had a few hours until the afternoon and evening classes started. Diego was more than happy to see Jessica but depending on what she had in mind, he knew it might be better to wait until they were both done with work.
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Flirting with him was easy. And surprisingly fun. It was interesting to her to find that he'd brought fun back into her life in a way that she didn't question. Others might, people she knew that looked at her like she'd grown a second head when they saw her smiling over something he said. But that was their bullshit to figure out.
She was going to eventually convince him that she was happy with just him, not with what he could monetarily give her. But that was going to be a whole level of convincing that might involve therapy, and neither of them was into that idea at the moment.
Still, she leaned back in her chair, rocking it slightly as she grinned down at her screen, waiting for his answer.
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youre going to have to be more specific... food? ME?
A smirk tugged at his lips while waiting for her reply. He peeled off the shirt he wore, readying for a quick shower after the training session. Diego flung the removed shirt over a shoulder and picked up the phone again when he noticed an alert for someone at the door to the dojo. Jessica also had access to the cameras and could see, if her phone alerted her. It wasn't as if the person rang the doorbell. Even stranger, the door was open during class hours.
Diego set his phone down and headed to the door, curious as to what the hooded figure was up to. The figure appeared indecisive about entering. There was never a look up to the cameras, or even a suspicious look around that Number Two would expect from someone up to no good. In fact, he was sure the person wearing the hoodie had no idea there were cameras.
Quickly, the instructor/owner slipped the shirt back on that he'd taken off just moments ago before opening the door. "Can I help you?" Diego questioned while the door handle was still in his grip. It would be easy to slam shut if he hadn't assessed the scene correctly. Yet as soon as the face looked up, he immediately opened the door wider.
She was a student. Her face was freshly bruised which was new. In the classes she attended so far, the bruises were normally hidden under clothes and never exposed. "Mary? What happened?" Diego instantly asked as his face furrowed into an angry expression out of concern.
"I can't come to class anymore," she told him in a voice that trembled from crying. The cameras could hear the conversation and see the hooded figure lift a hand to wipe at her face. "Please don't tell Claire. Can you give her the money back for the classes without telling her?" Mary choked on a sob and Diego finally stopped glaring, his face falling with sadness.
"Mary, he's going to kill you. And what about your son? You can't--Come inside. I'll figure something out."
She shook her head furiously. "I have to go. Please, just don't tell Claire. I have to get Charlie from school and bring him straight home. I'm sorry." With that, she ran off. Diego clenched his fists at his sides in frustration, rigid with tension.
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She sent that back and was grinning at the thought of how he planned to reply when an alert notification popped up on her phone.
Jessica watched the interaction between what was clearly a student and Diego. She knew that look. Knew from the tension that went through his body and the emotions she was picking up through their bond that he was a mix of sad and pissed. She also knew that lunch was probably off the table, along with anything else in that moment, and she sent a second text.
Anything I can do to help with that?
Because regardless of what he said or did, she knew he wanted to. Diego had a soft spot for women and kids, and while he hadn't exactly been beaten by his father, said figure had stood by and made his childhood a competition for affection that had been supplied by a robot. She didn't want to step on his toes, but she also didn't want him running off half cocked.
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i can make some tacos after a shower and you can have both.😘
He wasn't sure if Jessica heard the conversation over the camera or just watched him through the camera. Diego might have tried to remain playful over text but was reeling internally, certain that his student's days were numbered and worried the same fate would fall her young son.
Her son was the reason Mary had accepted the classes. Diego didn't know the details, his focus was on training her with the belief that it was the help she needed. His soulmate didn't have to worry about him running off in the moment. He worked better at night with less visibility.
Meet you in the kitchen in 15 if you arent already there
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Still, she fiddled with the idea of looking up the student in his records herself, but she stalled with her fingers over the keyboard. His business was his. She didn't have a right to go nosing into his shit- well, aside from it being her job and him being hers and everything to do with him was her business, but still. Principle.
What she wanted to do was go join him in the shower and make him forget that the world was often a shitty place filled with shitty people and not all of them could be saved- or even wanted to be. But she just sent him a heart emoji (ew, she was getting gross) and stood, tucking her phone in her back pocket and heading towards the kitchen.
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Jessica likely felt all the frustration in him. Usually their connection was enough to make him mindful of his soulmate but if Diego had a weakness (beside his soulmate), it was anyone defenseless being abused. He carried so much guilt after discovering how Vanya was treated. It didn't matter to him that he didn't know what their father was doing to her, Diego recognized how isolated she must've felt when they all excluded her and called her ordinary.
It wasn't as if he could undo their childhood but getting pulled into a different world after finding that out did haunt him. He'd never have a chance to apologize and show her how sorry he was. Diego tried to push the thought out of his head whenever they came up, knowing it was something he could never change. Seeing Mary desperate, beaten physically and emotionally...
Diego shut off the shower that was barely warm. There was snow outside but frustration kept him from feeling the cold. Mirrors in the bathroom weren't fogged yet he didn't see his reflection as he dried off. Memories of the present and past haunted him. He roughly toweled off his head then got dressed, heading to the kitchen in the time promised.
"Hey," he greeted at seeing Jessica in the kitchen. "I need you to find her for me. I could do it but you'd be faster. The asshole who hits her is a cop so she doesn't report him. She doesn't leave because the kid is his. As trauma nurse, she treated him after the fire that killed his biological mom and grandparents. Claire works with her. She knows the situation and I'm sure if she finds out Mary was hurt this bad, she'd try to go after the cop herself. That's why Mary doesn't want her to know."
He unpacked a lot yet the heaviness on him didn't get any lighter. Diego spoke to Jessica unlike anyone else in his life. That was the biggest benefit of a soulmate; being able to bear his soul. He'd been used to keeping things in. He called himself a lone wolf. Maybe he bonded with his siblings unlike Vanya, Ben had been the only one Diego confided in and he died.
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Sighing, she set her can down and came over to him, slipping up behind him because she wanted him to feel safe. Cared for. Her arms came around him, her chin hooking over his shoulder as she just held him, the image of the woman and her badly hidden bruises flashing in her mind. Of course it was about a kid. And of course the problem was stickier than it looked. "Has he ever touched the kid? Any random hospital visits that would be something I can compile and use to nail his ass?" Abusers sometimes had preferential targets. Women. Partners. Kids. If you were super unlucky, you got ones that were just rancidly evil and spewed that kind of shit all over anyone in their path. Him being a cop led her to believe he was more controlled than that. He kept it contained to one source that he'd made sure wouldn't say anything.
She already hated his guts.
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"I don't know. I do know that Mary didn't want the classes to protect herself. She wanted them to protect Charlie. Since the hospital, he calls her mom and it was how she got wrapped up with his dad. She's mentioned being blind to the signs so maybe. He didn't touch her until after they got married. I think... I think she probably took a beating meant for Charlie."
Diego shook his head but remained mindful of where her face was on his shoulder.
"I don't want you going after him. I just need you to find her so I can keep an eye on her. Everyone in this city knows you. Nobody knows me."
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Matt might not currently be around, but his partner was, and she had an in with Jeri at the firm if needed. Jeri would be pleased to have a favor to hold over her, and her firm was reputable enough that a claim of abuse against a cop wouldn't just be brushed behind the blue line.
"You're also adorable that you think everyone knows me. A few assholes do. You keep up your little nighttime games and you're going to be more infamous than me. All the needy people out there fantasizing about their heartthrob hero come to save them. Everyone wants a Prince Charming, Diego. Especially if he's hot and has a temper. No one gives a shit about a girl with an attitude problem."
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Diego had a terrible feeling that the situation could go wrong and he didn't want the love of his life in the middle of it. He had enough glimpses of her life before him. Jessica Jones was the last person who needed more blood on her hands. He wanted to protect her from that.
"She came to me for help and I didn't help her. If you find her, I might still be able to help her. Will you find her for me?"
He ignored the talk about being adorable, something Diego hadn't done since they first met. Any levity was leached out of him at the thoughts of the battered woman who needed help that triggered guilt he didn't want to talk about in the moment with Jessica. He wasn't going to argue that plenty of people in New York were attracted to her and most confused him for someone in a red suit.
His hands gripped her arms while his eyes figuratively did the same as he searched her face for a serious response.
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Diego was a stubborn jerk when he wanted to be, and she'd picked that up through her own journey through his memories. Stubborn and machismo-laden. The one sister he had that had visible abilities was her walking nightmare, something too close to Kilgrave to make her ever want to meet her. It made it seem like the women in his life were soft, pliable, and devious. None of which described her.
"Oh, I'll find her, but if you think it's stopping there, you're dead wrong, Diego Hargreeves."
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"Last I checked, NYPD is really familiar with your face." It was the first since meeting that her refusal angered him. He had a hard time asking for help and he felt embarrassed for having done just that. "Forget I said anything. Stay out of it," he barked and left the kitchen to change his clothes.
Diego was determined to head out, canceling any training for the remainder of the day.
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She watched him leave and didn't call out after him. He wouldn't listen. Stubbornness was something she knew he had in spades. Didn't mean she wasn't going to do what she said she would. Her stomach twisted again, hunger reminding her to eat, but there was that slip-sick feeling of her soulmate being mad at her that made her not want to bother. She settled for a protein bar and went back to her office to dig up dirt on Mary's cop. She also sent Claire a text, asking for any info she had on Mary and to keep an eye out for her or the kid. And maybe to look at records if she could to find anything on either of them. As if Diego could tell her where to go or what to do. She was going to have a long chat with him when he pulled that stick out of his ass later, her own anger starting to simmer.
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Night wouldn't fall for another handful of hours but Diego geared up to conduct his own search. Dressing in black wasn't unusual in New York but he was careful to tuck knives away out of view. He shoved his domino mask in an inside pocket of his coat and shut off his cell phone, leaving it by the watch on his nightstand. Hopefully, it wasn't a decision he'd later regret.
Hurt usually manifested itself into anger. He wasn't used to asking anyone for anything and it stung that Jessica mocked him. She nearly got herself killed once without looking for trouble, Diego wasn't going to watch anyone die again. Instead of leaving out through their private entrance, he exited through the dojo.
Rand was his first stop, knowing he and Colleen would be willing to help without questioning him. Danny immediately questioned why Diego didn't ask Jessica to reach out to her police contacts only to realize by the look on the knife thrower's face that he shouldn't mention the private eye again. It left an awkward feeling but Colleen interjected a valuable point; the school that Charlie went to wasn't private so it narrowed down the area they lived in.
The two asked Diego if he needed any help to which the headstrong Hargreeves replied if either could take over the classes he had in the afternoon. Colleen agreed and said she would contact him if anything came up. The couple learned that he was without a way of contacting him and it didn't sit well that he refused to take a spare from Danny.
Not much of an argument could be made with the mood Diego was in but Claire had reached out to Colleen just as the heated discussion took place. She provided Mary's address and warned that her abusive husband had a lot of family in the area in addition to being a cop. Diego insisted he was only going to make sure that mother and son weren't harmed, rushing out before anyone objected.
Rain came down and aided in night falling quicker, or at least, providing more cover than daylight. Diego ran through a hundred scenarios in his head. It wasn't a hostage situation. Domestics were tricky. Mary had already been beaten which reduced the likelihood of another occurrence so soon. Running hot left him without a solid plan but Number Two decided he would figure it out on the fly. He'd get to their apartment building and figure out how easy it would be to find them first.
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He could be as mad at her as he wanted to be. His wants didn't supersede the way things needed to be done to work. Claire knew the woman herself and had a better idea of how to handle things, how tricky they were. For all that Diego saw marks on her, Claire would know how long they'd been showing up and how badly it affected her. Diego saw a flash of her day, an hour or two at a time. A work colleague who had training in how to spot and report domestic abuse, child abuse, sex trafficking, had a better chance of knowing when to say something and when to wait until they had to be involved. Diego was also just... a man. A man who'd been raised to use actions instead of words, and this was how he looked after people.
All the more reason to truss him up and throw him in a cold shower.
Claire relayed back to Jessica what had happened with Danny, Colleen, and Diego, and Jess figured it was going to be a long night. She didn't bother trying to reach Diego through their bond; all she was getting was vibrations of anger of different flavors, so she went through the sources she knew to find said cop, Officer Jack McKinnon of the illustrious NYPD, figured out his station house, then where he was living and the name of his son. It was easy enough after that to get the school, and then she debated on which course to take. Talk to the dad and give him a one on one, or try to convince someone to leave an abuser.
Sticky. Leaving would be easy if she was the mother, or, easier. With no biological tie to the boy, and that being the reason for her reaching out in the first place, that gave the cop all the power. She didn't have a mask and a growly voice to go jumping bad cops in alleys and scaring the shit out of them into pretending to be decent people, so that left her with Mary. She knew what the woman looked like, and she opted to just go and wait in plain view at the front of the building. If the cop pulled up first, she'd just say she was waiting for a client. If Mary did, then she'd try to have a talk with her.
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The rain came down like a cold shower but it did little to clear away the fog of anger and frustration from Diego. He yanked the hood of the trench coat over his head, tipping his chin down for shelter from the rain. The tense vigilante ran down into a subway station and used the available maps in an effort to pinpoint the address.
"Why does this city have so many damn streets?" he grumbled to himself. Or so he thought. There was a hearty chuckle behind him. Diego pivoted to find what seemed like a blind man with a walking stick who apparently heard him. "I used to feel the same way about forty years ago when I first came here. If you tell me the place you're looking for, I can probably tell you how to get there."
Diego held a wary scowl. "You know every address in the city?"
"Just about. I was a mail carrier for thirty years. I've spent the last ten getting used to the dark after some damage from the towers falling became more than my eyes could handle anymore. Subways are safer than the streets up top, as far as I'm concerned. So where are you trying to go?"
The older gentleman made sense but Diego's face didn't change. Yet he did spit out the address.
"Take the 6 to 51st then walk to Lexington and 53rd for the E. It'll take you to Hell's Kitchen. That's where the address is you're looking for. A lot of Irish there so you should see a lot of stuff for St Paddy's." With that, the man tipped his head and continued walking.
Diego knew that Mary couldn't be too far from where the school was but hadn't imagined she'd be in the vicinity of where Jessica used to live. "Thanks," he muttered after the blind man who raised his free hand in acknowledgment in a gesture of waiving him off as if the gratitude wasn't necessary. Number Two did like that about New Yorkers.
It took a little over half an hour of travel which seemed too short and too long all at once. He couldn't think of a good plan on how to intervene. Diego couldn't think of a scenario that worked other than to jump in if the asshole tried raising a hand to Mary or Charlie. That was it. That was his whole plan. Spend however many nights camped out until something happened. Number Two sunk into his seat with a shake of his head in frustration.
Before he knew it, Diego was on the street and a few blocks from the building in question. His eyes caught someone standing in front but the rain made details difficult to make out from the distance. There was something familiar but he kept a vigilant eye on all of his surroundings. It took a block of walking to realize that he knew the silhouette. His jaw clenched, opting to turn down a street and find his way to the back of the building instead.
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It was going to get him killed, and that was the icy thread of panic that kept prodding at her whenever he was out by himself at night. There were too many fucked up enhanced people around, too much alien tech, too much weirdness he didn't have to deal with back in his world, and it just steamrolled through this city like a seasonal thing. He had her memories, but she wondered if he'd thought about the alien invasion. The decimation of the city from it. The fact there was a god of thunder that occasionally came to be a pain in the ass, or the whole alien planet that had relocated to fucking Norway.
She looked up just as a raindrop slithered through the crack of the awning above her and hit with a splat just above her eye. "Motherfucker," she hissed, wiping at it, then continuing to look out at the street.
Was she worried about an abused kid and his stepmom? Of course, but they were lower on her list than her hot-headed mate. So she'd do what she could to fix the situation and then decide if she wanted to deal with Diego tonight or maybe take a night off to let him think about it. To let her think about it. There hadn't been much in the way of space at night between them since he'd crash landed in her life. Maybe her abrasiveness was finally wearing through that haze of the honeymoon stage for him.
She saw a figure coming up from a couple blocks away. Two figures; one tall and anxious and one smaller and vulnerable. Shit. She felt herself tense up, keeping an eye out for the abusive prick while she waited for Mary and Charlie to come along.
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"Fucking, Rand." The mutter was quiet while reading the message.
Looks like you made it. Just squeeze both the buttons on the sides and we'll come help if you need us. The guy you're looking for is Jack McKinnon.
Diego silenced the phone and the screen, slipping it into the pocket it had been in. McKinnon. Mary hadn't used the name. He wasn't sure if she kept her maiden name or hid her married one for his class. Thoughts continued to run through his mind but no clear plan came together.
"Mary, get your ass in here and quit talkin' to that degenerate!"
The voice got his attention and Diego quickly headed back toward the front of the building. Jessica might have been called worse but he didn't like hearing it.
"Buzz off, Lady! You don't wanna make Jack mad! My brother's a cop and he'll throw your ass in jail! Damn it, Mary! Didn't that social worker showing up teach you enough of a lesson? Don't tell me this is another one! That's it, I'm calling Jack!"
Mary shook her head profusely, guiding Charlie into the building. Diego couldn't hear her voice over the rain unlike the asshole who had been yelling from the window on the second floor. The knife thrower picked up a piece of broken sidewalk that was a couple of inches and threw it into the open window, receiving a satisfying yelp in response.
"You fuckin' bitch! What kind of social worker throws rocks?! You broke my goddamn phone! I'm coming down there and teaching you a fuckin' lesson myself!"
And THAT was the reason he wanted his soulmate to stay out of the situation. Diego pulled open the trench and held a knife in each hand as he hurried up to the front of the building. It wasn't as if Jessica couldn't defend herself, he didn't want her to get mixed up with having to teach a cop a lesson. Especially when the lesson was possibly being an amputee. Now they had to deal with an extra asshole.
The closer that Diego got, the more intensely focused he became. He had no idea if the brother shared the same apartment or if Mary was just being watched now by relatives. Number Two could easily be walking into a hornet's nest but he wasn't fazed. His objective remained to get the victims to safety by any means necessary.
Little did he realize the commotion could provide Mary enough of a distraction to pack her and Charlie's things. Maybe something Jessica said convinced her to take the chance. Unfortunately, none of those thoughts came to mind as Diego saw red. He somehow missed there being someone behind him.
"Hey, Asshole! Didn't anyone ever tell you not to bring a knife to a gun fight?" A voice cackled at him as he spun around. Shots rang out and knives dropped to the ground. Number Two held hands out in front of him, somehow redirecting the rounds into the parked car next to them. "What the--"
Diego had no idea if the man was Jack or yet another sibling. A quick strike to the throat stopped any further conversation. Before the one threatening trouble could come downstairs, the vigilante flung the shooter into the side of the nearby building--knocking him out cold in the process. Hargreeves quickly picked up the dropped knives and continued toward Jones.
"I'm going up to get Mary and Charlie. Find a ride out of here," he barked while walking toward her.
"Who the fuck are you? You're not getting anybody! --What did you do to Liam?!"
Sadly, Diego learned that he hadn't laid out Jack. Apparently his relatives thought they could carry guns or were also cops. He didn't give it much thought as his wrath was now aimed at the idiot yelling in front of Jessica.
no subject
Mary gave her a blank look for a moment before something stony fell over her face and she grabbed Charlie and ran into the building. Jessica watched Diego take care of what needed taking care of, though she was still silently pissed off at everything going on the way it had, and when whichever McKinnon or kin of came close, she snapped a punch at his face, hard enough to make the man's head snap back, his eyes roll into his head, and for him to collapse in a crumpled heap. Hard enough to knock out, but not to kill. She'd figured that limit out awhile ago. Then she just stood and glared at Diego, waiting for his pet project to come out with her kid as she gave him the finger, then went to go stand in front of a cab to get it to stop.