i never told you what i do for a living

"oh." you lifted the meals up with such a joyful expression, the bits of the scent manages to waft through the air. "just something to eat."

"and i bought some extra, in case if you haven't eaten."

james accepted one of the extra meals with such ease as you handed it to him; his smirk soon being replaced with a knowing smile as monroe and cressida stares straight at you in unison, to which you returned with genuine bewilderment.

"what..?"

cressida crosses her arms, appearing to be a tad bit amused than per usual. "you're going to spoil him if you keep doing that."

"well.."

you scratched the back of your head, "i assumed you and monroe probably didn't like this specific type of meal, so—"

"ah, another reason proven as to why you're my favourite."

oh?

your eyes widened ever so slightly upon hearing james' sudden remark, clearly catching you by pure surprise.

monroe scoffs under his breath, saying between the lines of 'we didn't ask for your input' and 'ass'; grabbing a can of drink from the fridge before shutting it a little louder than intended, walking away afterward with a small, occasional grumble.

cressida on the other hand, however, hasn't allowed her amused expression to leave her face even once, shaking her head a bit as her eyes are still on you and james.

with gradual yet calculated movements, james saunters closer to where you are, lowering his voice and leaning slightly closer to you.

"come on," he gently grabs onto your elbow, beginning to lead you towards somewhere else within the safehouse. "i know a spot."

and while all that is happening, you remained a tad bit perplexed by the whole situation, much to james' own personal enjoyment, mixing together with one that could be considered as sheer endearment.

"oh." you lifted the meals up with such a joyful expression, the bits of the scent manages to waft through the air. "just something to eat."

"and i bought some extra, in case if you haven't eaten."

james accepted one of the extra meals with such ease as you handed it to him; his smirk soon being replaced with a knowing smile as monroe and cressida stares straight at you in unison, to which you returned with genuine bewilderment.

"what..?"

cressida crosses her arms, appearing to be a tad bit amused than per usual. "you're going to spoil him if you keep doing that."

"well.."

you scratched the back of your head, "i assumed you and monroe probably didn't like this specific type of meal, so—"

"ah, another reason proven as to why you're my favourite."

oh?

your eyes widened ever so slightly upon hearing james' sudden remark, clearly catching you by pure surprise.

monroe scoffs under his breath, saying between the lines of 'we didn't ask for your input' and 'ass'; grabbing a can of drink from the fridge before shutting it a little louder than intended, walking away afterward with a small, occasional grumble.

cressida on the other hand, however, hasn't allowed her amused expression to leave her face even once, shaking her head a bit as her eyes are still on you and james.

with gradual yet calculated movements, james saunters closer to where you are, lowering his voice and leaning slightly closer to you.

"come on," he gently grabs onto your elbow, beginning to lead you towards somewhere else within the safehouse. "i know a spot."

and while all that is happening, you remained a tad bit perplexed by the whole situation, much to james' own personal enjoyment, mixing together with one that could be considered as sheer endearment.

james spawned out of nowhere near the doorway sometime; you didn't even notice nor bothered as much, already sauntering towards your direction with his usual jacket already being taken off, leaving him in a plain white t-shirt— his signature smirk already on full display upon the mere sight of you.

though it falls short once he notices your current expression and the way you seemed to be clutching your stomach every so often, which made him actually realize what is going on.

slowly, he approaches you by sitting on the edge of your shared bed, a little more concerned than per usual as he gently places his hand over your arm, leaning forward just so he could look at you more.

"darling, are you alright?"

his simple question was instantly met with a shake of your head, proving his point further.

it didn't take long before he momentarily moves away from you— ensuring everything has been adjusted. the air conditioner, the curtains, and even goes out of his way to make you an oversized glass of your favorite drink, before returning back to where you were.

you didn't waste any more time to grab onto his hand afterwards, much to his surprise at the suddeness of it all; squeezing it with your own with any energy you have left, pouting with a look that clearly tells 'please don't leave me again', ignoring the drink for a moment there because you genuinely just needed his presence close to you.

with a rather fond sigh, james places the glass atop of the nightstand, positioned himself just as you needed him to be— so cozily near to you.

one of his hands secures its hold on you, yet not to the point of suffocation, while the other lifted your shirt slightly just so he could rub your stomach with the palm of his hand, attempting to ease the pain you're experiencing.

a low hum escaped from you, beginning to shut your eyes as you nuzzled your head into his chest comfortably. all of a sudden, nothing truly bothered you anymore like before.

an amused, yet adoring grin is plastered upon his charming features, continuing the tender motion while his gaze never once leave you, wanting nothing more but to at least, alleviate some of the cramps or whatever you needed him to do.

but today is different. he got a week off, at least— that's what he's informed with, and he's determined to make you fix your horrible sleeping schedule which is a clearly obvious behaviour by now.

"sweetheart, come to bed."

"james, i can't, i—" you tried to refuse while your eyes are already in a swollen-ish state, shaking your head slightly but it didn't last when he ultimately, and swiftly lifts you into a bridal style to bed, earning a surprised squeal from you.

"i won't accept any refusal from you, love. you've been sitting there for hours."

"the bed is starting to get cold without you."

every words that you wanted to speak out as a reply dies down in your throat, beginning to feel guilty as james settles you properly next to him, pulling you closer to the natural warmth he seemed to provide as always.

he never once lets go of his hold around you, planting a kiss atop of your forehead and gently run his thumb along your features— whichever he could reach.

and when he stopped just near where your eyes are, he tenderly attempts to soothe the swollen spot around it; where at this point your eyes has shut on its own from his touch alone.

dear god, you're genuinely, utterly exhausted. he has every right to be mad and scold you for whenever he wants to, and he truly did.

but not for long, no. he couldn't stay annoyed at you no matter how much he wants to at times.

he fears he loves you a little too much. he couldn't even contain the small chuckle from escaping past his lips upon witnessing the sight of you, already falling into your needed slumber just within a few seconds.

with a final peck upon your cheeks, your forehead, and even your nose, he murmurs a simple 'rest well, darling' closely for your hearing only.

even when you failed to realize it as much due to your current state.