Alba was quiet the whole time she cried. He knew he couldn't say anything more than he had, and at this point, words were meaningless anyhow. He let his hands, his breathing, his heartbeat do the talking. He let Jinx have the floor, clearing her pain bit by bit with every sob that wracked her small body. At her failed attempts to grab at his shirt, he simply pressed himself closer to her. He felt her breathing begin to regulate itself again, heard her speak against his torso, and listened quietly to her lament, her echo of his own feelings. His hand moved to her cheek, cupping it gently, thumbing away the tears from her unblemished eye.
"I do, too." He nodded, finally replying when she looked up at him. "I want to be with you more than anything. Life is short, no matter how you slice it... and here, the slices get pretty thin. You and I have seen people cut down too early. We've cut people down too early. We both know the reality of living the lives we've been given, that you're just as likely to get a bullet through the head as you are to live until your body gives up on you." He smiled at her, reaching for her hand. "We're gonna die, Jinx. We're gonna die any given day. Could be tomorrow, could be ten years, could be fifty. But the odds say we won't know exactly when it will happen. So..."
Alba was a man of logic. A man of reason and rational thought. He rarely acted on impulse, on gut instinct, on primal emotion. Something in Jinx brought it out in him, though, and he couldn't say it was for the worst. Still, this was sudden, even then.
For years, more than she wanted to remember, they had been together. The first day they were ever introduced to the Monacello family, Jinx was on the Meira brothers and she never stopped bothering them. She and Soiree constantly argued like siblings, wrestled with each other, beat each other up and had those roles set... but there was something different about Alba. There had always been something different. All those nights she had held him in her arms as he cried, as he shook with nightmares, and now the roles had switched. With her life, she would protect Alba, but all along she had needed him there more than he ever had. If she had died the other night, he would have eventually had to move on, and even on the verge of death she was afraid of losing him.
All along, this was love. The years she had spent following Gin, Alba was always there. Every time she was hurt, every time she felt heartbroken, Alba was there. And their love seemed to develop, to form into something else entirely, bringing them closer together than she had even been to her own twin brother.
He was right. They could die tomorrow without a second left to say goodbye. All those years of being an assassin she was lucky. She was a woman without fear because she knew her ultimatum, yet never before a few nights ago had she realized she was so afraid of leaving before that deadline. Life was too short and she had wasted two thirds of hers thus far. All the signs pointed to move on, to move past this, and finally be able to be happy. To be normal. To live a life she wanted with a family full of love. To be with the one she loved most in this world and have a goddamn certificate to prove it.
He left her speechless because her smile took over her lips, not letting words through. Then again, he had stolen the words right out of her mouth, in the same form, too. Not a question, a decision for them both, that they both wanted. So she responded to him by reaching up a hand, placing it to the back of his neck, ignoring all pain and bringing him down to her lips. "Sounds great," she whispered into the kiss.
"I do, too." He nodded, finally replying when she looked up at him. "I want to be with you more than anything. Life is short, no matter how you slice it... and here, the slices get pretty thin. You and I have seen people cut down too early. We've cut people down too early. We both know the reality of living the lives we've been given, that you're just as likely to get a bullet through the head as you are to live until your body gives up on you." He smiled at her, reaching for her hand. "We're gonna die, Jinx. We're gonna die any given day. Could be tomorrow, could be ten years, could be fifty. But the odds say we won't know exactly when it will happen. So..."
Alba was a man of logic. A man of reason and rational thought. He rarely acted on impulse, on gut instinct, on primal emotion. Something in Jinx brought it out in him, though, and he couldn't say it was for the worst. Still, this was sudden, even then.
"Marry me."
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All along, this was love. The years she had spent following Gin, Alba was always there. Every time she was hurt, every time she felt heartbroken, Alba was there. And their love seemed to develop, to form into something else entirely, bringing them closer together than she had even been to her own twin brother.
He was right. They could die tomorrow without a second left to say goodbye. All those years of being an assassin she was lucky. She was a woman without fear because she knew her ultimatum, yet never before a few nights ago had she realized she was so afraid of leaving before that deadline. Life was too short and she had wasted two thirds of hers thus far. All the signs pointed to move on, to move past this, and finally be able to be happy. To be normal. To live a life she wanted with a family full of love. To be with the one she loved most in this world and have a goddamn certificate to prove it.
He left her speechless because her smile took over her lips, not letting words through. Then again, he had stolen the words right out of her mouth, in the same form, too. Not a question, a decision for them both, that they both wanted. So she responded to him by reaching up a hand, placing it to the back of his neck, ignoring all pain and bringing him down to her lips. "Sounds great," she whispered into the kiss.
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