MASK OR MENACE - contact.

[hostage]

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[hostage]

Why would you believe her? After everything else she did.

[morethan084]

I know.

[Skye reached up to weave her fingers into her hair.]

The last thing she said to me was that we would never speak to each other again, and yet...

[hostage]

Don't let her use this, Daisy. She smells blood in the water and it ain't hers. You wanna act nice-nice with her, fine, but don't let her get under your skin with this. She's gonna use that guilt to play you.

[morethan084]

You think I don't know that?

[Daisy kept her gaze to the ground for now, chewing on the inside of her cheek.]

My whole life I search for my parents, and it turns out they are both killers.

[hostage]

My parents went to Princeton and their favorite past-time is croquet. It's got nothing to do with us, who our parents were. Fuck 'em.

Daisy... You are an amazing, strong, good person.

[morethan084]

[She'd give anything to have parents who went to Princeton and love croquet, but that's besides his point.]

Not always.

[Well talking had been fun and easy at least for a little bit. Now it was back to crying again. Which, clearly, is something Daisy just loves to do.]

I've hurt people.

[hostage]

Okay, but how? By accident? In self-defense? As part of a mission to save the goddamn world? 'cause the thing is, if I know anything about you, you don't get off on hurting people for no reason.

[morethan084]

I kissed someone.

Back home.

[She couldn't keep it any longer.]

[hostage]

- What?

[Okay, he didn't expect that non sequitur. As far as he can tell, one's got nothing to do with the other.

Unless - Wait, is she feeling guilty about that? Jesse leans back for a moment as it sinks in, schooling his features so she doesn't read something unintended on his face. She feels guilty for kissing someone? She feels guilty for kissing someone?]

You know I'm not... We're not...

[There may be a huge misunderstanding here.]

That's your life. That's your business.

[morethan084]

[Daisy tried to pull her hand out of his, assuming he probably wouldn't want to hold her hand anymore. It didn't feel right for her to still be holding onto him physically.

It wasn't just kissing Lincoln that bothered her.]

We've both been through a lot together, but there's always just been this understanding between the two of us...

I like him.

[hostage]

[Ah. So more than that.

Jesse lets her go.]

I'm, um... I'm happy for you.

[Sincerely. He's not blind to their reality. She'll go home someday and she deserves to be happy there. He wouldn't wish her the kind of loneliness he'll be facing when he returns to his own world.]

[morethan084]

[Remember how she said she's hurt people?

The look on his face says it all, and her stomach drops at the sight of it.]

I like you too.

[Can you say complicated?

Daisy puts her face in her hands, wishing she hadn't said anything. At the same time though, this would've just been worse if she kept waiting to tell him.]

I like you a lot, but I couldn't lie to you.

[hostage]

No, I'm glad you told me.

[He rests his hand tentatively on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.]

Listen, it's okay. It really is. I never got it in my head I was the one for you or something like that. You never made any promises to me. I never expected you to. It's really, really okay.

[morethan084]

[Hands falling away from her face when she felt his hand on her shoulder, Daisy turned a little so she could look at his face.

He actually meant what he was saying.]

I just didn't want you to think I was leading you on.

[Even though he's made his feelings on it clear, she still felt like she had to apologize.]

Because I'm not.

I like whatever it is we are.

[hostage]

Good, because I like it, too.

[Jesse gives her a tremulous little smile, holding her gaze.]

You're not leading me on. I'm not confused. I know I'm not the kinda person people fall in love with and marry. When I talked about you getting yourself a husband someday, it wasn't me I was picturing. Your life - You're life's gonna be different from mine. Better, I hope. I want that for you.

[morethan084]

[Daisy leaned back on the bench, not breaking eye contact this time.]

Well you're thinking a lot farther ahead than I am.

And I find it hard to believe that people have never fallen in love with you before.

[hostage]

How many people do you think have ever even met the real me?

[morethan084]

Do I count as one of those people?

[hostage]

When you came back here, I promised you I wouldn't lie to you anymore. If there's anything you feel like you don't know about me, you can always ask.

[morethan084]

I'll let you know if I think of anything.

[She said that teasingly because she couldn't actually think of anything. Leaning over, Daisy pressed a kiss against his lips.]

Thank you. For understanding.

[hostage]

[He returns the kiss, though he's not quite sure what he did to earn it. It hardly feels like anything that deserves thanks.]

So you... You wanna keep doing this? You and me.

[morethan084]

[Daisy pressed her lips together for a moment for answering him:]

Yeah. If you do?

[hostage]

[Jesse gives her a small smile.]

I absolutely, absolutely wanna be your whatever.

[morethan084]

Put that on Facebook. Relationship Status: Whatever

[Daisy pressed her forehead against his as her smile grew.]

[hostage]

[And he nuzzles her in return.]

Mm... If you really wanna shout it to the world, there's better ways.