FISH

A smile against her shoulder, one last kiss pressed to her skin.

"I don't think I could have stopped even if somebody did...." He replied, feeling her trembling against him. "C'mere."

Abel turned her to him, gently brushing the hair from her face that was caught by sweat. He was just the same, feeling the urge to loosen his tie and collar for a little relief. But his hands were busy, bringing her to him, welcoming the heat of the afterglow.

𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐋 & 𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐇 @omniishambles

Calvin toyed with his tongue in his mouth, twisting it to almost chew on it on his left side while he regarded the guard in front of him. It was a condescending look, he held no respect for her, she was lesser to him in any case and the smug adjustment of his head just slightly to one side made his despicable delivery of, "How lucky you are that we're not there," all the more arrogant.

He of course had no idea he was speaking with a Jedi, nor that she had seen with her own eyes the terrors of slavery in the Galaxy not all too long ago.

She suggested it was not personal and Calvin forced a smile, evidently not at all genuine as she spoke about politics and debate in the Senate. If he had it his way, it wouldn't be necessary at all given they had an Emperor but that was not his call to make and so far the Empire being run as it was, had benefited him exceptionally well in his 'service' to it.

"That's right," he agreed anyway, he believed out of politeness but while he was frankly about as emotionally intelligent as a hollowed out half-coconut he knew the dance of high society well enough to try and avoid appearing to be the perpetrator of a public scene. "I believe in certain freedoms, but my industries serve a purpose for this Galaxy," he looked at her uniform, her helmet and cracked a smile, "Where would you think that the materials come from for our brave stormtrooper's armour and weapons, who put their lives on the line for us every day against those who would seek to bring down the peace we have achieved in the Galaxy? Would you deprive them of such protections?" His accent came out smooth as butter, a pity that it was being spread over such a horrendous plate of beliefs.

𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐈𝐍 & 𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐇 @multipleoccupancy

Seeing how he had caused her to hesitate, Wade just kept his eyes on her, reading her reaction and contemplating it. She perhaps hadn't heard that before when it came to her dead friend. He took a sip of his whiskey as she answered him.

𝐖𝐀𝐃𝐄 & 𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐇 @multipleoccupancy

Wade was right to assume she had never heard that before -it was mostly because she rarely shared the story with people. "Fine," she huffed, irritated that he seemed to have seen right through her quite so easily. "But whether or not I blame myself does not change your future, Ben Wade."

"Men like you commit unspeakable crimes and think yourselves above the law." She eyed him behind her whisky glass. "But I will admit, men like you are usually mindless brutes, not exactly the type to enjoy a conversation over a nice glass of whisky."

"I'll need it explained to me 'cause there's no fuckin' way I'm gonna work it out," because he'd be sat with his arms crossed, head titled way too far one way, eyes narrowed trying to process what he was seeing and what it meant while trying not to wind up any posh folks beside him who were making off shot comments. "I'll like wa'chin' you though," he smiled at her a little menacingly but that was his way of flirting.

𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑 & 𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐋. @multipleoccupancy

"Is it, now?" she replied playfully. Fish knew very well that Butcher had a tendency to dig deep and gather as much information as possible. "Well, if you say so. I suppose there's not much blackmailing one can do with ballet. Though things can get quite brutal backstage, you know. Nails in the pointe shoes, girls pushing each other down the stairs..."

She leaned in, grinning. "I hope you will. You know how flexible I am."

Without missing a beat, and as if she had not just brazenly flirted with him, Fish explained the story to him. "Swan Lake is about a princess, Odette, turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer. A prince promises to love her forever to break the spell, but unknowingly betrays her at a ball when he chooses another woman, Odile, over her. He realizes his mistake too late, and with the vow broken, realizes he cannot save her anymore. So, they decide to die together, and throw themselves into the lake." Fish, of course, always enjoyed a dark and tragic story that ended in death. But she eyed Butcher curiously, impatient to hear what he would have to say about it.

"It must be hard waking early every morning for busy days," and so he projected an image of her waking up next to him in bed, both of them nude and the morning sunlight just inviting and cosy as if in such a scene she wouldn't want to get out of bed. "I am not sure I could manage without a weekend," he smiled thoughtfully though of course it didn't matter to him, it's not like he had a paying job to get to nor actually needed to sleep.

𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐑 & 𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐇 @multipleoccupancy

Fish's breathing hitched in her throat. Her head felt hot under her veil, her cheeks and ears flushed bright red. She could hardly believe the images plaguing her mind -their bodies lying in bed, warm under the covers- but what troubled her more what the way these images made her feel. Her stomach fluttered, her heart accelerated in her chest. She had dedicated her life to the Church -to God. She had made her choice. She was not supposed to long for such things.

Realizing that she had not yet replied to him, Fish blushed even more. "Oh, I- I am used to it," she stammered, "and I've always been a morning person, anyway. The world is just... quieter, in the morning. It makes me feel at peace."

But the images had returned already, their bodies now entwined. She was pressed flush against him, his arms wrapped around her. A man had never held her like that before, not even in her thoughts. "Oh- no, that's not- that's not sloth," she tried to argue. She wanted to reassure him (sleeping in was hardly a sin) but it was hard for her to focus on her words, when her mind was being so distracting.