ishisstrength | IC CONTACT

[Justine looses her hold for only a second before reaching for his wrists and pinning them to his sides. She doesn't have the strength to hold him but she doesn't have to give him the leverage to break free either. He'd told her not to let her pray wiggle away and she's an apt teacher.]

Like this?

[She exhales as she keeps her body positioned above him. Her skirt rides up a bit, her heels pinning Majima's legs in a way that would cause him to get caught by the sharp stiletto should he struggle too much. Justine had given him one avenue of escape, specifically to get Majima into this position. The plan had paid off though only because they'd been speaking through their grapple.

Justine leans forward and presses a light kiss against his cheek.]

Like that.

[ What was this, though? A kiss? ]

Can I take that to mean you're callin' the match?

[ Suddenly, Majima rolled his body fluidly upward, starting from the hips. The motion both unbalanced Justine's current position and dug her stilettos into his legs, but he'd felt plenty of pain before, and he didn't shrink from it now. If Justine lost her balance, he'd support her fall. And if she merely slipped a bit forward, he'd lean up to meet her in a kiss of his own -- the pleasure of even this brief contact all the sweeter for the effort. ]

[She falls forward and meets his kiss.

It's amazing that they hadn't banged their teeth together in the process. Justine's palms are resting on his shoulders as her frame lays across his chest. Her heel had slipped and the sharp point is now around Majima's ankle with a small red mark down his leg.]

I think so.

[She exhales against his lips before kissing him again.]

Does that mean it's time for our date?

[ And so he returned the favor, wrapping his arms around her not to pull her off but to draw her closer. In fact, his left hand seemed to have strayed a bit from its original course, now resting lightly (and entirely innocently, no doubt) over the curve of her ass.

When he broke from their kiss, he was smiling. ]

I'd say so. Feel like lettin' me up?

[ Hard to make pizza on the floor, said the teasing tone of his voice. ]

[A light pleased note of laughter escapes Justine's lips as she looks down at Majima. Warmth and affection dance in her dark eyes as she places one last chaste kiss against his forehead.]

If I must.

[She slides her legs to either side of his hips before pushing herself up into a seat position. Justine stares down at him for a second more and then shifts and gracefully rises to her feet. Her dark eyes move down his frame, pausing when she caught sight of what her heel had done to his leg.]

You should wrap that. It'll get infected.

[Nothing about her tone makes it sound like a suggestion.]

[ Majima was honestly tempted to suggest to Justine that she could stay right where she was... but of course, that would defeat the purpose of collecting all those ingredients. Something in her expression seemed to interest him, and it took him half a moment to realize she was talking about his leg. ]

I heal fast.

[ By all rights, he should have been covered in scars from the life he'd apparently lived back home, or even the treatment to which he'd been subjected for that hellish year in 1985. But Majima's only real souvenir was the loss of sight in his left eye. Maybe that was why he rarely bothered to treat himself.

It was something about the quality of Justine's care, however, that he'd never refused it. In fact, he'd even retrieve the first aid supplies. ]

[Her expression doesn't change but her voice becomes a touch more dry.]

Be that as it may. I'm going to wrap your leg so it doesn't get infected.

[Justine steps from the main room, her heels clicking softly on the hardwood floor as she searches for her first aid kit. It only takes a moment or two to locate before she's returning to the family room and setting herself in front of the fire.]

Come here.

Once this is done we can see about the rest of the night.

[ Majima sat down. Something in his manner was that of a large, oversized Shepherd -- one that knew when to put out its paw. Maybe he'd been through this kind of thing before.

He rolled up the leg of his slacks, revealing the tattoo Deerington had branded him with: a stag, its antlers covered in flowers. He wasn't a huge fan of impromptu tattoos, but it could have been worse. ]

This's a pretty strange feelin'.

Why is that?

[Justine smiles as she gently cleans his wound and wraps it in gauze. It isn't likely to get infected but with the strange body parts outside... she doesn't want to take any chances. It should be fully closed by the morning.

Her finger gently brushes against the deer tattoo. She has one too, over her heart, with flower petals around it as well and while its the only tattoo on her, Justine found that she likes it. There is something elegant in the mark of both hers and Majima's.]

Just not used to someone lookin' after me, I guess.

[ He watched her work and, when she was near done, reached out a hand to gently hold the tips of her fingers with his own. ]

Usually people don't get this close.

[ Or more accurately, he didn't let them get as close as Justine was now. He'd let doctors patch him up if he was close to dead, sure, but more often than not if he was in trouble, he'd drag himself back to wherever he thought was safe, sleep it off until he was reasonably back to rights.

That safe could be a person and not a place was a relatively new development. ]

[She met his gaze as she began to put away the left over pieces of gauze, scissors and tape.]

It takes time to get used too but I hope you do.

[Justine smiles then, her lips curving into a sweet but subdued expression. The first aid kit is out of the way next to the fire place and quickly forgotten.] I like being close to you. [She reaches forward to take one of his hands and press a kiss against each knuckle. She isn't ready to put how she feels into words but Majima is important to her and she's going to protect him in the ways she knows how too.]

You're all set. I trust that you'll wash it tomorrow. You won't need a bandage after that.

[Justine rises to her feet, never looking away from Majima.]

I...

[ He shook his head gently, smiling. Maybe he was already in the process of doing just that -- getting used to have someone else around. Not minding so much if someone saw him hurt. ]

Thanks, Justine. I like bein' close to you, too.

[ Then he stood, took her by the hand, and made his way over to the counter. If he kept smiling like this, he was surely going to ruin his reputation... but maybe that wasn't so bad, after all. ]

So, I brought everything we might need for toppings. Basil, tomatoes... got a bunch of different vegetables and pepperoni and so on. If we're going to be makin' those little pizzas, why don't we try different kinds?

[ There was always the possibility of letting other people sample whatever ended up being extra, right? ]

[She follows at his heels, her eyes watching the corner of his mouth as it lifts into a warm smile. He has a lovely smile and day by day, Justine finds herself being drawn in by it.] Good. [She exhales the word softly beneath her breath as they step into the kitchen.

The space is attached to the main room and the heat of the fireplace can be felt in the small kitchen.]

Sounds like fun.

[Justine begins to set everything up on one of the small counters before grabbing a bottle of red wine from her cabinet.] I have wine. Where would you like to start? I don't have a lot of practice making pizza. [She's a fairly decent cook and can prepare anything with the proper instructions.]

[ He laughed -- a warm, familiar sound. ]

Prepared, huh?

Let's start with the dough. I got this written down, so...

[ He took out a piece of paper, which called for flour and salt in a mixing bowl, with warm water, sugar, and a packet of yeast in a separate mix. ]

You probably know more about how this part than me. [ What with Justine's baking experience. ] You mix some yeast with warm water and sugar to 'activate' it. Dunno why ya can't just add it right to the flour, but I guess rules're rules.

[She pours them each a glass of wine before returning to Majima's side to read over his shoulder. It's a basic dough recipe though it looks as if they'll have to let it rise for a minimum of a half hour. It's just as well, it'll give them time to set up the counter and prep all of their toppings.]

Yeast is a bacteria. When exposed to warm water it'll grow. What we're doing is control that growth in order to give the dough the correct consistency. [She looks up at Majima with an amused smile.] The yeast makes bread fluffy.

[She takes a small sip of her wine before preparing the yeast and setting it off to the side.]

How about you mix the dry ingredients in this bowl and I'll mix the wet.

Just like bread, huh? I guess the flour and salt'd just get in the way.

[ He touched a hand lightly to the small of her back as he passed by Justine at the counter. Mixing the flour was a fairly simple task, so when the yeast started to wake up, he was able to watch with interest. ]

How about that for convenience? You can just buy as much as ya need. Think it's about ready to mix together?

[ Majima slid the bowl across the table for Justine. He sort of liked to watch her work; there was a skill in her fingers born of practice, and that was always interesting. ]

[Her eyes follow him as he steps around her and peers at the yeast. He's cute and Justine wonders if he realizes how he is in these private situations.] I think so. We'll have to let it sit for a bit after the dough is mixed but we can use that time to prep the toppings.

Yeast only rises while what your making is dough.

[Justine begins to gently pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mixes them together to create the thick dough pizza dough.]

Can you wet a paper towel for me?

[ Answer: no, not in the slightest. But he turned to duck the requested paper towel under the tap all the same, wringing a bit of excess water out before handing it carefully to Justine.

For all that he might look rough, Majima could be strangely conscientious about tasks that (for whatever reason) he decided had to be properly done. ]

Like this?

[ He reached over for the grocery bag, taking out some of the ingredients he'd picked up. ]

I asked around a little, and apparently it's better if ya shred the mozzerella yourself. Never actually had it fresh before, though.

[She unfurls the paper towel and gently drapes it over the rising dough.] This will keep the edges from drying out as it sits. [It also keeps bugs and dust off of the dough but that doesn't seem important enough to mention since the main job of the wet cloth was to keep the dough moist.]

Yes but fresh mozzarella is very soft. It'll be easier to use a knife if that's what you'd purchased.

[Justine takes a step next to Majima's side and looks into the bag with him.]

Have you ever shredded cheese before? [Her dark eyes dance with warm light as she watches Majima's chiseled features knot in confusion.] You're cute when you're trying really hard.

Wha...?

[ The comment caught him off guard. Though Majima made a show of looking a bit disgruntled about it, the truth, visible from the way he couldn't quite stop the corners of his mouth from turning slightly upward, was that he was sort of

kind of

secretly happy about the compliment. ]

Hey, c'mon, I'm tryin' to be serious! Pizza's not a laughing matter, I'll have ya know.

[ His fingers brushed against hers as he brought out a package of pepperoni. No doubt a complete coincidence. ]

For instance, whether ya like pepperoni thin- or thick-sliced.

[Justine's smile grows, the light of her expression reaching into her dark hazel eyes at she looked up to watch Majima get all affronted at her compliment. Honestly, that's cute too but she doesn't want to tease him too much.

They are here to make little mini-pizza's after all.

It's very serious business.]

Yes. Of course, what was I think laughing at a time like this.

[She takes the pepperoni from him and makes no effort to hide the way her fingers deliberately stroke his a half second before she takes the package.] Between thin and tick but as consistent as possible. [It's so difficult not to make the conversation sound like its sexual when they're talking about pepperoni.]

So in other words, just right.

[ He'd taken a moment to wash his hands to cover for himself as Justine watched him, but now he opened the package of mozzerella and broke off a piece of it, white and soft. Majima reached up and touched this morsel to Justine's lips in offering. ]

Wanna try some? Just a little.

[ Two could play at this game, Justine! Or rather, by his smile, perhaps he just felt like mixing a little pleasure with this business. ]

[Her lips part and she carefully takes the small piece of cheese, running her tongue along Majima's finger in the process.] It's good. [Her lips shape into a warm smile as she reached for the cutting board and began slicing the pepperoni. After a few slices she grabs one and turns towards Majima.

It's her turn to feed him now.]

Here, tell me if it's thick enough for you.

[Justine has a talent for being able to say such things with a straight face and an incredibly alluring tone that entices the mind to wander.]

[ If Majima was a better representation of his own national character, this would probably be the part in which he would have broken down and admitted this was too embarrassing. He wasn't, though... and it wasn't. He bowed slightly in toward her, taking the piece of pepperoni in his mouth in a gesture that was almost delicate -- but not before he gave her outstretched fingers a quick kiss.

A little show of considering the taste of the topping, then: ]

Hmm. A little salty, but it goes down smooth. In terms of girth, I'd say... just enough to satisfy?

[ He tilted his head back to swallow, baring the long curve of his throat as he did so. There was a glint of mischief in his eye as he reached for the olives. ]

[Her smile widens as he lightly kisses the tips of her fingers and she bashfully glances towards her feet before once again meeting Majima's gaze.]

I'm glad to hear it.

[She's also very happy that he's playing along with their little game. Her eyes follow the motion of his throat as her teeth gently bite into her lower lip. Justine wants to kiss his throat, to run her teeth down the curve of his neck and nip at his shoulder.] We should slice the olives thinner. They'll roll right off the pizza if we don't.

[Justine takes a small step forward, pressing her body against Majima's as she skillfully plucks an olive from the package and presses it between her lips.]

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