It's late morning on the 11th of December. Vasquez has spent a good deal of the morning in bed with Jason. A lazy, but intimate few hours. Perhaps the fact that they have all week together with no pressures has finally started to settle in. Sex, yes, but also intimate cuddles under the warmth of the covers, watching the sky brighten outside the balcony door, and even dozing off for a while, sticky body resting comfortably against
#Torthus-CrossBuilding – March 10, 2019
Jason's, limbs wrapped around him, their troubles forgotten for a little while. A shared shower eventually followed after hunger pulled them out of bed, cleaning up while breakfast was brought up to the room. Vasquez' hair is still damp as she stands in the kitchen, refilling her coffee cup after putting their dishes away. She's wearing the same pants as the day before, as well as a black t-shirt. While it's less of an oddity than
the sweater of the day before, it still softens her appearance a bit compared to the usual tanktops.
Jason is, likewise, wearing the same pants from the previous day. Just a simple pair of dark blue jeans as well as a simple short-sleeved white t-shirt. Earlier plans of checking out the hotel's gym were thrown to the wayside. He got enough of a workout. He joins Vasquez in the kitchen to refill his own coffee cup, sidling up behind her as she waits at the counter for hers to fill and wrapping an arm loosely around her
midsection as he reaches around her with his other to set his cup down on the counter. He plants an exaggerated, loud kiss against the back of her hair as he waits his turn. It's a snapshot of the life they could have. If they weren't so busy running about the galaxy being shot at and fighting unknown horrors.
Vasquez gains a small smile as Jason comes up behind her, leaning back a little against him as she watches the cup fill up with golden brown, a final swirl of foamy cream added on top. While she's had to cut back lately she usually sticks to plain black coffee to get her through the days at Redrock, but it seems she was in the mood for something sweeter. Not to mention it'd be a shame not try out the options on the
machine, right? She grabs her cup when it's full, turning around to plant a quick kiss on Jason's lips, hand briefly on his shoulder before slipping away towards the couch, where a match is playing.
Jason's hand rests on Vasquez' side when she turns in his grasp, big dumb grin on his face as he feels her lips press against his. He turns his head, following her back to the couch with his gaze as he absently slides his mug under the coffee machine. "Reservation downstairs isn't until-..." he furrows his brow, having already forgotten when they're supposed to be in the restaurant. Schedules have never really been his
thing. Keeping track... well, anything has never really been his thing. "Six...?" Nope. That's not right. The crease in his forehead deepens. "...Eight...?" So close.
Vasquez turns and leans against the back of the couch, watching Jason from across the kitchen isle with a smirk on her lips. "Seven." she offers, lifting the cup to her lips, drawing in the scent through her nose before taking a small sip, continuing to watch him over the rim of the cup. "Did you have any suggestions...?" she asks, smirk growing a little as the cup lowers.
Jason absently reaches out to tap at the coffee machine's interface and a BEEP sounds out, but nothing happens. "Seven!" he agrees overtop of her, as if that should've been obvious. Of course it's seven. His attention turns to the coffee machine, brows furrowing once more as he stares at it in confusion. It's a much more advanced model than the one back in the rec room at Redrock. Are all of these options even in
English...? "The fu-...?" he mutters softly under his breath. Poke. BEEP. Poke. BEEP. PokePoke. BEBEEP. The coffee begins flowing and Jason watches it intently, as if waiting for something to go wrong. "Huh...?" he hums, glancing back over his shoulder to Vasquez. As he processes her question, a grin returns to his face and he gives a small shrug of his shoulders. "Figure we'll just hang out here until
Vasquez raises an eyebrow as Jason struggles with the machine, leaning to the side to try and get a better look from where she's sitting, an amused look on her face. She seems about to ask how it's going when he speaks up, prompting a nod and another sip. "Sounds like a plan to me." she agrees. Her attention is briefly pulled over her shoulder towards the TV as the crowd cheers - seems somebody scored. "Maybe we should
check out the movie library?" she suggests as her attention turns back toward Jason. "Just... taking things easy for a bit sounds... perfect, right now." she adds, studying him with a small smile. Their slow, warm morning has brought a relaxed air, and lifted spirits. Perhaps their demons can be left behind in the dark for a little while.
Jason remains at the counter as the coffee machine spurts forth some dark roast coffee..... and continues to do so. Even as the mug fills. Jason turns his gaze away from Vasquez only briefly to check on his coffee which results in a quick double take. He tries to nonchalantly reach for a rag next to the nearby sink. "Yeah-... Yup!" he says with a forced enthusiasm as he attempts to wipe up the still-spilling coffee,
silently urging the machine to stop. "That sounds-..." he mutters, trying to split his attention between the uncooperative coffee machine and Vasquez as to not arouse suspicion, "...Yeah!" he nods. The coffee machine finally stops and he lets out a subtle breath of relief, patting at the counter to sop up the dark liquid. "Sounds like a plan!" He uses the rag to wipe around the side of his mug to dispose of any
evidence and lobs the once-white rag into the sink. He grips the mug by the arm and lifts it slowly-... slooooowly to his lips to sip some off the top to keep from spilling it. Turning in place, he rounds the kitchen island and moves to join Vasquez, small smile on his lips. "Good coffee." he says. Yep. Smooth like butter.
Vasquez watches Jason's 'subtle' efforts with a skeptical look, deciding with a quiet sigh just to let him have it. "Mmh..." she agrees with a raise of her eyebrows, struggling to suppress her smirk as he approaches. She sips her cup again, before pushing off to round the couch and take a seat. She sets her cup down, activating the omni-tool on her wrist and letting her gaze wander across the screen, catching up on her
Jason drops into the seat beside Vasquez, leaning forward to set his mug on the table. He prods at the edge of the table and the blue glow of the holographic display spills out as it erupts upwards, hovering above the table. Jason furrows his brow as he begins to swipe through it, navigating to the movies.
Jason mutters an absent-minded, "Shut up, Valea." as he browses to the new releases, glancing towards Vasquez once it fills the display. There's a wide selection of new movies to choose from, broken down by category.
Vasquez shifts a little closer when Jason joins her, absent-mindedly bringing a hand up to stroke his neck as she continues to look through her omni-tool. A message from Cynthia elicits a quiet snicker and a glance Jason's way. When she notices he's brought the movies up her gaze shifts to the screen. "Anything that looks interesting?" she asks, leaning over a little to take a peek.
Jason furrows his brow as she Vasquez lets out a snicker, causing him to shoot a brief glance towards her omni-tool. "What's so funny?" he asks, smirk returning to his lips. He reaches out with one hand, absently swiping towards the latest, mass produced action flick as a silent suggestion.
Vasquez purposely turns her wrist to obscure the screen from Jason, another snicker slipping out as a small grin crosses her lips. "Just Cyn, wondering how the honeymoon is going..." she says with an exasperated shake of her head, leaning in to plant a kiss against his cheek and eye the table screen again. "Works for me." she says, more than happy to roll with Jason's pick.
Jason blinks as lips press against his cheek, one brow rising in curiosity. He gives the coffee table's holographic interface just a moment's consideration, starting the movie with a button press before turning his gaze back to Vasquez. "Well now you have to tell me." he says, leaning back and craning his neck in an attempt at getting a glimpse of her interface.
Vasquez holds her omni-tool arm out to the side away from Jason, planting a hand on his chest to keep him in place as her grin grows and she shakes her head. "Private messages, honey." she says with a teasing laugh, leaning away to start typing up a reply.
Jason shifts in place to better face Vasquez, bringing one leg up onto the couch between them, his expression growing unamused as the opening to the movie begins to play. "Not cool!" he groans, trying to suppress the dumb grin on his face. He rests one arm on the back of the couch, attention only momentarily shifting back to the screen as he continues to be bothered by the secrecy. "Is it about me?!" he asks, eyes turning
Vasquez navigates her omni-tool screen angled away from Jason. "No idea what you're talking about..." she says, entirely unconvincingly, her grin flashing wider as she glances briefly his way. Her attention turns back to the screen and she seems about to start typing when the smile disappears from her face rather abruptly, replaced by a blink and a confused frown as she reads something.
Jason looks about as convinced as one might expect. "Uh huh..." he hums, rising up onto his knee as he scoots closer, looking as if he might just try to yank the omni-tool off of her wrist if she doesn't tell him what's so funny. As he begins to scoot closer, his own smile drops away when Vasquez' expression shifts and he comes to a stop, slightly hovering over her. "...What's wrong?" he asks, seemingly instinctively
Vasquez doesn't answer right away, her gaze lingering on whatever she just read. "Turn-... turn on the-... does this get Citadel news?" she says distractedly, gesturing in the direction of the TV interface, only looking away from the omni-tool for the briefest of moments, her eyebrows still furrowed.
Jason blinks a few times, his attention shifting towards the TV. His earlier playful confusion is replaced by legitimate concern. "Uhh-... yeah?" he mutters, glancing back towards the interface within the glass coffee table. "Yeah, of course." he says as he settles back into his seat and leans over the coffee table. On the screen an Alliance marine's squad is being picked off, one by one, in a dense jungle by some unknown
threat, but Jason's focus is now elsewhere. "What's going on...?" he asks as he navigates the interface. And, with a swipe at the coffee table, the movie is replaced by the Citadel News Network, gaining all of Jason's attention. That cynical part of him that he tries to bury beneath a smile is already bracing for the worst. A full-scale Collector invasion? His gaze briefly shoots to the windows, his knee bouncing up
A screen busy with news scrolls and graphics, the title COLLECTORS DEFEATED? prominent in bold letters. A news anchor reading. "...-waves across the extranet, claiming to be video of the remnants of the Collector homeworld beyond the Omega 4 Relay." An information blurb pops up on the side of the screen, summarizing the history of the Omega 4 Relay and the Collectors for uninformed viewers. On the rest of the screen, a ship-mounted
camera scans across an otherworldly scene. A massive debris field that seems to stretch on forever. Derelict chunks of starships, asteroids, and, deeper in the field, large pieces of the unmistakable, hive-like remnants of Collector architecture. A massive black hole looms in the distance, the almost-blinding light caught in its event horizon casting everything in a yellow glow that’s at odds with the cold, open space. "The video
was released alongside a statement by the terror-listed human-supremacist group ‘Cerberus’. In the statement, Cerberus claims responsibility for the destruction of the Collector homeworld in a supposed effort to ‘end the Collector threat and prevent the abduction of human colonists’..."
Vasquez is watching in intense silence, a hand slowly rising to rub across her mouth as she listens, hunched forward in the couch.
Jason's eyes scan across the headline. But it doesn't quite register. Not at first. Just a muttered, distant, "...What?" and his eyes flick down towards the interface embedded in the glass coffee table. He quickly turns the volume of the broadcast up. Then immediately stands from his seat. It's almost reactionary. Not a conscious decision. His shins come in contact with the edge of the low coffee table as he stares at the
screen in disbelief. It's far too much information to process at once. The Collectors gone? Cerberus responsible? Not all of it makes it past his filter. He's far too busy staring at the debris field. At the familiar structures that he's able to pick out. The unmistakable design engraved in his memories. One hand moves to his forehead before he even realizes what's happening, hand sifting through his hair, unstyled
Vasquez is just staring in stunned silence, face half hidden behind her hand, eyes wide in confusion and disbelief, struggling to take in the rapidfire information. The unreality of everything being shown and said.
Another blurb pops up on the side of the screen, about Cerberus this time. Their classification as a paramilitary terrorist organization. Then footage of a man in a crisp white-and-black uniform, an odd echo of what the Alliance wears. He carries himself with the air of a military commander. "Cerberus has done what the Systems Alliance, restrained by the leash of the Citadel Council, would not. Not long ago, a highly trained team
of elite operatives opened the path through the Omega 4 Relay and destroyed the Collector home base, eradicating their leadership and the majority of their forces. Let the galaxy know that the Collector threat is at an end. No longer do the people of the Terminus and the Traverse need to fear abduction. Cerberus watches over all of humanity, and will not bow to the will of the alien Council like the Alliance has. Cerberus will not
Jason continues to stare at the screen. Through the screen. His expression difficult to read. Mostly just empty. Distant. The man's words cause an odd mix of emotions to bubble up in his chest. First it's anger. Anger for their obvious attempt at throwing the Alliance under the bus. But it would be a lie for him to say he had the utmost confidence that the Alliance would get this under control. It wasn't that long ago
that he looked Riley in the eye as his questions were met with no answers. No assurances. Just stonewalling. Then it's gratitude. As the frustration dissipates, there's an unsettling amount of weight lifted from his shoulders. The last few hours have done wonders to bring his mood up, that much is undeniable, but it's only now that he seems to realize just how stressed he still was. In a constant state of waiting for
the other boot to drop. Waiting to see those city-sized ships in the sky. Waiting for another fight. It's only when he's given a moment to let that pressure go that it hits him just how present those fears were in his mind. But that calm doesn't last. Because then he's hit by fear. Fear over what it means that Cerberus had the sheer numbers- the force- to bring down the Collectors when the Alliance couldn't What does
that mean? What does it mean for the galaxy? What does it mean for him and Vasquez? Surely they've done enough to find themselves firmly on the organizations radar. But even that worry wavers in the face of his concern over whether or not it's even true. How do they know this isn't some big publicity stunt? How do they know the footage isn't faked? 'You were in there.' he's unable to keep the thought from his
mind. Not many people could say the same. If it was faked, it was a hell of a good fake. One produced with research and intimate knowledge just to sell a lie that only the smallest fraction of the galaxy would be able to spot. "This is-..." he begins, swallowing at the lump in his throat, but the words get lost as his eyes continue to scan the scrolling information without really reading it.
The newscaster resumes speaking after the recording. "Alliance authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the footage, but expert VI-driven video analysis has so far found no evidence of video tampering, and as early as last week, sources confirmed the activation of the Omega 4 Relay through means unknown. Coverage of this story is ongoing and will continue as more information unfolds. For now we go to astropolitical
Vasquez shakes her head faintly to herself as she watches. Jason's words cause her to swallow, gesturing aimlessly with the hand that was covering her mouth. "I don't-... this doesn't-..." The breath that follows is stuck indecisively between a sigh and a gasp, stunned expression remaining as the news broadcast drones on, now on an interview about the implications of this news with the studios' astropolitics expert. She's
Jason remains standing for a few more moments. His gaze then shifts to Vasquez. He seems at a loss for words, searching for something to say but nothing comes. His gaze then shifts back to the television and he slowly lowers back into his seat. His blue eyes come to a rest on an arbitrary point on the coffee table. Elbows against his thighs, the palms of his cybernetic palms press against his forehead. "...It's over?" he
asks softly, though it's less of a conscious question directed at anyone. It just slips out, his own confusion, concern, and hope that it might be true, all balled into one and voiced in a small uttering. Confusion wins out as his eyes dart back and forth between two random spots on the coffee table as he tries to sift through the information overload.
Vasquez distantly brings a hand to Jason's leg, squeezing it as if to to assure herself that this is real. Her gaze remains glued to the screen even though she's not paying attention to it anymore, a dozen thoughts running through her head. A disbelieving snort of a laugh slips out, her face twitching a little. "They-... they did it...?" she mumbles.
Jason brings his hand that's closest to Vasquez over the hand on his leg. It's not until he hears her that he looks her way. And, almost as if given permission to let it all sink in by her laugh, he finally allows the slightest hint of a smile to cross his lips. It's little more than a quivering of his lips, but it's there. He blinks against the emotion in his chest, letting out a deep, strained breath. "I-..." he begins,
his other hand moving from his head to run across his mouth. He bites back on his words, afraid to be wrong. But that architecture? The hive-like structures? You had to be there to know how real it was. And he was there. And he came back. A few shallow nods follow. "...I think they did it." he says tentatively. "I-... I think they fucking did it, Linda."
Vasquez doesn't seem sure how to react, caught between conflicting emotions. Disbelief. Confusion. Uncertainty. Anger. Hope. It feels unreal, and yet there's an overwhelming relief bubbling in her chest, eroding her skepticism and pushing the many, many questions in her head to the back of her mind. Questions about Cerberus. About her mother. One thought is growing dominant. They're... safe? It's... over? Another
breathless laugh, and blinks as tears start to form in her eyes, gaze tearing away from the screen, to Jason, searching his face as she struggles to find words. To say... anything.
Jason manages to keep the tears at bay, but it's easy to see that they're just below the surface, glassy blue eyes giving it away. That invisible time limit on their lives. That lingering dread. The fear. He allows himself, for just a moment, to consider that it might be over. It might really be over! His smile grows a little more stable when he meets her eyes. "They fucking did it!" he says, in just as much disbelief as
the first time. Without another word he reaches over, bringing his arms around Vasquez and pulling her in for a tight hug- nearly lifting her off the couch as he does so- as an uneven chuckle escapes him.
Vasquez is quick to return the hug, arms wrapping tightly around Jason, seeking the solidity and reassurance that this is real, that they both just heard the same thing. Her breath is uneven in his ear before she nuzzles against his neck, muffling another stunned laugh. She just sits there with her arms around him as the broadcast drones on in the background, staring down at the couch behind Jason while trying to process
Jason draws in a few ragged breaths, cutting them off with another laugh as his chin rests against Vasquez' shoulder. He's spent so much time since his return building himself up for the inevitability of the Collectors arriving on Aite. Fearing it. Preparing himself mentally for it. He was so convinced it was a given. It was the wall between himself and a life that felt just out of reach. It was a wall that he was ready to
charge right through if need be with nothing more than hope that he'd come out the other side in one piece. To see that wall crumble before him? It's freeing. As he feels himself growing lightheaded he draws in another deep breath. His grip on Vasquez doesn't loosen and, eventually, he tilts his head to the side, pressing a number of kisses against the side of her head. "They're gone, Linda." he manages between
Vasquez still seems to be struggling to process, to believe. She seems to be almost in a daze. As Jason kisses the side of her head she loosens her grip slightly, shifting to meet the last kiss with her lips. It's brief, and another unsteady breath follows when it's broken, her face filled with overwhelmed emotion. Her eyes scan across his face before falling to the side, a hand reaching up to brush through her own hair as
she sits back a little, sucking in her lips. "It's-... this is-... they're gone-... it's actually-..." It's so very hard to let herself believe that the spectre that's haunted them for the last two years could actually be gone. She swallows, paradoxically feeling almost nauseous.
Jason allows another string of chuckles to escape as he leans a bit to follow with his body as Vasquez sits back, seemingly unwilling to let her go quite yet. "You stupid bug motherfuckers!" he says- presumably to the Collectors. Hopefully. That seed of doubt in the back of his mind is given no purchase for now. That lingering fear that this isn't the end. That all Cerberus did was poke a sleeping bear. That there's more
of them. There's always more of them. So, so, so many more. No, it's not a seed he's willing to water right now. Not a rabbit hole he's willing to allow himself to travel down. Because right now, he needs a win. He needs for this to be true. So he lets it be true.
Vasquez seems to be snapped out of her daze by Jason's exclamation, a louder laugh sounding and a sudden grin flashing across her lips as she lets the relief flood over her questions, her confusion. Her arms wrap further around Jason again, and she presses a kiss against his forehead before tightening the hug, one hand risen to the back of his neck. The laughter continues, it streams out, growing louder. A kiss against his
neck amid the laughter. Another. Rocking them both back and forth in the tightening hug. "It's fucking over-... I-It's actually-... they're gone!" The tears roll because she can't keep them in.
Jason returns to pressing kiss after kiss against his wife. They're unfocused. Pressing against the wetness cascading down her cheek. Feeling her tears against his skin causes his own to escape. But he's quick to draw in a deep breath to steady himself. To plug the hole in the dam before it gets away from him. Maybe it won't be so clear in the morning. Maybe tomorrow will bring with it some new information. Some new fact
that causes all of this to crumble down around them. But for a brief moment- for the first time in as long as he can remember- the future doesn't seem quite so uncertain. Adjusting his grip to bring his arms around Vasquez' waist awkwardly, he pulls her up onto his lap and sits back against the couch, big dumb smile spread across his face. "Gone!" he agrees. "Fuck 'em!"
A loud pop sounds out beyond the glass of the room's window, heard even through the sound dampening material. A second one soon follows and the sky outside erupts in a shower of color. Fireworks begin going off throughout the city as the news begins to work its way through Adrasteia's veins.
Vasquez ' laughter grows louder as she's pulled into Jason's lap, arm hooking around his neck and planting another longer kiss against his lips, hand running through his short hair as she leans her forehead against his, grinning. The sudden pop outside causes her to tense up, gaze darting over, only to immediately erupt in a relieved chuckle as she sees the fireworks, rubbing her head against his in directionless, silent
affection as her gaze lingers on the sudden bursts of color outside. "It's actually real..." she says through her laughter.
Jason's hands rest on Vasquez' hips, the sounds outside causing him to crane his neck to look around her. Genuine, sincere laughter escapes him when he realizes what's going on and it's not long before streams and blooms of color are filling the sky. Given the hour, it's not so easy to see it all but, given the circumstances, it's likely going to be a loud and colorful night. Jason's big dumb grin remains leveled on the
Vasquez remains in Jason's lap, hand continuing to stroke through his hair as she watches out the window with a grin of her own. "Guess we're not the only ones that've heard..." she says through a leftover chuckle after her laughter has died down. She rests her forehead against the nape of Jason's neck, closing her eyes for a moment and drawing in a breath that ends up a little like a sniffle after the tears that slipped
out before. Just taking a moment to let herself absorb the sudden sense of relief. Of hope. The way that the room seems brighter. Her body lighter.
Jason presses the side of his head against Vasquez when he feels her forehead against his neck. His hands slip around her waist, wrapping around her and hugging her tightly as he stares through the window at the colorful celebration beyond. This has followed them for years. Been the cause of so much pain. So much suffering. So much fear. For it all to be swept away through a news broadcast- for it to be so hands off- just
feels... numbing. Tingly. Nobody had to die for this. At least, none of their people. He never thought that when it ended he would be put up in some extravagent hotel, the woman he loves on his lap. After the brush off by Riley & the Alliance and all of the dead end leads he thought that when it ended- if it ended- he would be right in the thick of it. Because they don't catch breaks. Ever. It's been a steady
stream of moving from one tragic event to the next with little downtime over the past few years. And, as much as they've tried to fight it, this is their fight. Was their fight... But here they are. Far removed. Safe. Jason absently bows his head downward to press a gentle kiss against Vasquez' shoulder, eyes still fixed on the window as he continues to struggle with processing everything.