In the Kitchen: Ram/Java

[_java_]

By the time that breakfast was said and done, with the dishes cleaned and placed back in the cupboard, Java's happiness over what had happened the night before was slowly giving way to reservations. Setting the dish towel on the counter, she slipped around behind her husband as they stood in the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist and

Comments

Post breakfast.

[virtual_ram]

As he watched his wife working in the kitchen, Ram thought back over the past few years that they had spent together. His eyes narrowed as he thought of how their lives had changed over the past few weeks. It wasn't long ago that his wife had been Queen of the Technos, now she was reduced to doing her own cooking and cleaning. His hand absently went to his chin as he thought, his fingers stroking lightly over his unshaven face. If anything she meant more to him now than she had before, she had proven herself to him. She deserved so much more than he could offer her right now, and one day he would give it to her, he would see to that

Re: Post breakfast.

[_java_]

Java's gaze fell at the feel of Ram's hand against hers, his skin warm and tellingly smooth in the moment before he spoke. The years of avoiding anything more physically demanding than typing had left his fingers devoid of the rough edges and and callouses so common among the virts, she noticed idly; there was something vaguely aristocratic about his touch, a pleasure denied to her until yesterday. She thought of the rest of him as well, thought of his body as it had looked stretched out on the sheets the night before, smooth and perfect; his was the rare body of a man who had not spent the years since the virus living like an animal, holed up in some hovel and prowling the streets for food, slaving away in the darkness of the mines and clinging to the fences at the work camps. With his disability and weaknesses removed, every inch of her husband was still that of a privileged man, the last remaining caste mark in a society that had crumbled, and, while Java had generally tended to prefer the warrior type in practice, there was

[virtual_ram]

So Java was planning on going into town again? It worried him for her to be going there alone, he used to be able to send bodyguards with her wherever she went. What if something happened to her? What if she got injured, he no longer had access to all of his medical supplies, they would have to struggle through like dirty virts. Just the thought made him feel a rush of anger. After all of the work that he had done, they were left with nothing. This was not acceptable, he had to find a way to re-build their lives

[_java_]

"Meat, Lord Ram?" Java's brow darted up skeptically, her smile tightening. Ram couldn't possibly be so oblivious as to believe that there was actually any decent meat to be had in the markets, could he? Her husband had gone a bit mad, she knew, but surely even he knew the impossibility of what he was asking... "I'd be afraid to feed you anything like that from the market," she began, trying to figure out what he was about; "you -know- the virts don't understand proper safety protocols..." Her eyes narrowed very slightly, inspecting his gaze as he surveyed her own; was it a trick? Java forced her smile to acquire something akin to sincerity, and, seeing no sign of lenience, said what she had learned to always say when Caesar demanded the impossible: "But... I'll see what I can do." Her smile could have cut glass

[virtual_ram]

It was all that he could do to keep from bursting out with laughter at Java's initial response. Instead he adopted a concerned, almost angry look, with one eyebrow lifted. Truth be told, he loved it when his women would get feisty with him. Without the fight, without the obvious internal struggle, the submission to his will was not half as sweet. That was one of the main attractions of Ebony, although she rarely even bothered to act submissive. With Ebony it was more that she knew she had been defeated - for the moment. She had never truly given herself to him, Ebony only did what needed to be done to get through. But Java really struggled to find it within herself to submit, and then she did truly submit to him. Well, in most things anyway. The things that she knew he knew about

[_java_]

"I'll slaughter them myself if they try," Java murmured, ignoring Ram's patronizing reassurances as he pulled her towards him. Her chin tipped up in response to the pressure he placed on her neck, her eyes locking with his for a moment, and Java's heartbeat quickened in her chest; it was still amazing how intimidating he could be when she had to look up to see him... His hand was strong and firm against her bare neck, holding her where he wanted her, and, if posture alone failed to convince her that her husband still demanded respect, the look in his eyes more than finished the job. Java was used to men's eyes upon her, was used to the glances her subordinates had snuck when her husband's back was turned, but even Mega didn't dare look at Java like this

[virtual_ram]

The thought of Java slaughtering some punk for giving them bad meat made one corner of Ram's mouth quirk up into a little evil smile. She was such a bad-ass, he loved that about her. Ram wouldn't even wipe his mouth with some delicate little dishrag of a girl. No, he wanted strong women with gene's worth passing on, tough survivors with a quick mind. Java certainly fit that bill.

"Yes, of course Java," he responded to her reminder of a shower, "I do need a shower, and so do you." With that he scooped her up into his arms and started for the shower. "You could scrub my back," he added with a devilish little smile.

He'd never picked someone up in reality before, it really made him feel strong. It also suddenly made Java seem much smaller, and lighter, than he had ever thought of her. The change in perspective was phenomenal. It was like holding a hand grenade; tiny little package, but capable of quite a lot of damage. Ram's eyes traveled over Java as if he were examining a novelty, a look of slight puzzlement on his face.

[_java_]

Java's eyes flashed wide in surprise as Ram swept her off her feet, one arm instinctively hooking itself around his neck in the moment it took for shock to fade to a sly smile. No one ever even touched Java normally, and certainly no one ever scooped her up in their arms; it made her feel strangely vulnerable... She glanced down at the strong arms that held her, at the torso that supported them; how incredible... Her eyes traveled back up to his, clear and green and quizzical, and Java's smile softened very slightly. She could escape, of course, if she wanted, but then Ram wasn't trying to keep her captive. There was nothing he wanted, no scheme or mission he needed her for; he held her to him because he wanted to...

"I could scrub a lot more than that," Java mused, one brow arching suggestively as Ram carried her down the hallway. Her fingers slipped into his hair, raking it back from his forehead, as her gaze slipped meaningfully downward. "I'll make sure you're," and her eyes darted back to his, sparkling wickedly, "

[virtual_ram]

[OOC: Continued here.]