Forced Withdrawals [Nox's Building]

[Hayden]

He hadn't meant to go off on her. "It's not your fault. He's just ..." It was a little hard to explain. And he didn't want to talk about it -- not with her anyway. And Nox had stormed out angry. Not at him. Not at anything they could do anything about, but he'd left. He couldn't deal with it and Hayden was glad, until he got snowed in at his house, with his things with his fucking family. "The only way you can give him a chance is to get to know him. There are billion reasons to hate him and any one of them is valid. But hating him for saving a kid's life even if she doesn't understand. No I can't. He's got his flaws. He is far from perfect. But he does nothing but give himself to the fucking cause and you hate him for it." Hayden took a deep breath and grabbed Tatyana's arms and turned around in them and put them back around him wrapping his arms around her. "It's not your fault I lost my shit. Nox is a lot." He didn't want to talk about Nox. Or anything really. "Like him, don't like him. Doesn't really matter. You have a training session with him. Totally your call. He and I have things to work out. They don't affect this. Or him, or the twins. But it's not something I want to talk about. We can talk about anything else."

[Marta]

Marta smiled and took his hands in hers , and put it at her waist. She even moved closer to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her again, still soft, but there was more to it than that. She could feel that this meant something to him as well. She felt a hand move behind his and push gently, a silent permission that this was okay. The panic didn’t rise this time. She felt completely safe.

She didn’t know how long she held the kiss, only that when she was done, she was breathing hard. She kept her hand behind Jackson’s head as they separated, and kept close to him. She was quiet as she processed how she felt. ”Thats what it feels like to kiss someone you want to kiss. I liked it.” she smiled and pressed her lips to his real quick, before separating again. She didn’t want to move. It felt nice.

[Tatyana]

Tatyana just kept holding him. ”I know it’s unfair - that’s why I’m going to try.” She was certain part of it was her trauma even if she didn’t know how to explain it.

But Hayden didn’t want to talk about it. ”Don’t worry about it. I know you weren’t mad at me, but I appreciate the validation.” she meant it too.

She took a deep breath. She understood he didn’t want to talk about it so she wouldn’t. It kind of had to go with the sex stuff. It was a limit for him, so she wouldn’t press. But he had left the room. ”If you need space for a bit, I can go back to the bed, or if you want me to stay here.” she would probably need to sleep sometime, but their activities had given her energy - or at least a restlessness that would make it difficult to fall asleep.

[Legione Sumus]

Jackson Li

Jackson laughed softly. It was sweet. "It must be. I like it too."

He stood there staring at her for a little while before he found his voice again "I think we should get back to the others, maybe we can lay our bedding next to each other and we can sleep next to each other. Nothing else, maybe steal a kiss when no one is looking." He looked down, he wondered if he was being too presumtuious. "Only if you want to."

[Marta]

They stood there for awhile closely. She kept her hands on his shoulders as they looked at each other. She smiled as he said they should return, not because she wanted to. She wanted to stay here, but it wasn’t prudent at that point. It was also nice that he wasn’t pushing. He was offering and leaving her to decide where she was comfortable.

Jackson looked down as he asked her about sleeping next to each other. She knew he wouldn’t push far. And she really had no problem with being next to him or doing what they had done so far. She felt her hand go to his chin and gently lift so he could look at her. ”That would be okay. Right now, I’m okay with where we are. And you’re good at asking - I appreciate it. You’re right though - we should get back to the others for now.

She kissed him once more and reluctantly took herself away from him. ”see you around, handsome,” she said with a smirk and a wink, not turning until she had left.

Marta was smiling as she went back to Sterling, who she assumed had guessed what had happened, but Marta didn’t mention it. ”So what all do we have left to do?”

[Hayden]

Hayden shook his head. "I'm fine I don't need space." He wasn't sure what he needed but sleep sounds like a good idea. "Though bed sounds good." He would have to remember to changed the sheets in the morning.

[Tatyana]

She nodded as she held on to Hayden from behind. She had at least wanted to offer. Bed did sound nice even though she wasn’t sleepy. She knew she should try though. She had no idea how the withdrawals would hit later. Maybe she could sleep through it.

Tatyana gave a squeeze before she let go. ”Then let’s go to bed,” she said. She took him by the hand and led him back to the other room, climbing into bed and covering them both when they were situated.

She sighed before she spoke. ”I don’t know what I’m going to be like when I wake up. So…if I’m incoherent, thanks for helping me.” she bit her lip a little to stop talking. She was going to say that she didn’t deserve his help, and regardless of whether that was true or not, she didn’t think Hayden would appreciate the statement.

Her mind was moving quickly, and she doubted sleep would come soon. Still she said, ”Good night, Hayden” and closed her eyes.

[Legione Sumus]

Jackson Li

Jackson kinda just stared after Marta. Until Noah came up to him with a grin so wide it could probably light the whole room. "So?"

Jackson grinned back "She called me handsom."

Noah rolled his eyes. "And?"

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

Noah laughed and tugged Jackson out of the room.

[Sterling]

Sterling grinned at Marta "I think we just need to get everyone together and we can tell stories and pillow fights and stuff." Though she sighed. "Maybe a pillow fight isn't a good idea though. We'd have to clean the dojo up before Nox saw it." He wouldn't be angry -- quite the opposite. He'd leave and walk out -- give you the silent treatment until he could focus again. Messes kinda set him off. How he managed with Ara, Sera and Gen he wasn't exactly sure. They weren't exactly neat -- spoiled brats more like it, but they were learning they didn't have servants anymore, even though they lived with them still. It was an adjustment for them.

Sterling did lean in and whisper "You're okay, right?" She didn't want to make a big deal of it, but it was a big deal. And Sterling was proud of her.

[Hayden]

Hayden followed and climbed in bed -- into Nox's bed without him. He wouldn't mind -- he wasn't using it. Hayden took the moment before he lay down to grab his wallet and send another text off to Nox making sure he was alright. He knew he wasn't dead -- vitals were all still good. All good within range -- at least for anything he'd being doing with Oriena. And that was who Hayden was pretty sure he saught out. Of all his friends, Ori understood him in ways that no one else did. But she wasn't a talk to friend or even understanding friend. It still made little sensee to Hayden but he didn't think too hard on it.

With a heavy sigh he tucked the wallet under the pillow next to him. The door was locked, naked in bed wasn't going to be a problem like usual. Nox rarely locked doors.

Though Hayden did flip on the baby monitor next to the bed too. It wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten out of bed to help out in the middle of the night. "You don't have nightmares do you?" Hayden joked.