SM May 17th Challenge: Mars- Teddy Bear
Rating: PG
“Here,” he said, throwing something haphazardly at her. She caught it right before it hit her face. Softness was what registered first. She looked down at it, a small bear looked up at her, it’s cute eyes staring up at her smilingly.
“A teddy bear? That’s all you can muster up?” she asked as she set it down beside her on the bed. A slightly disbelieving tone slipped into her voice- more out of habit than anything else.
Jadeite looked at her as he unbuttoned his shirt, the white smoothness of his chest reflecting in the light cast by the moonlight that filtered through the window. “It was the only thing I could think of. They don’t exactly make cards for the day you killed the love of your life a millennia ago.” He looked away before he finished his statement, leaving his shirt hanging off his broad shoulders.
She stared at the bear, picking it up again and caressing it softly. “I know.”
He walked to the window, staring out at the moon sadly. His face was pulled in a frown uncharacteristically.
“It’s okay,” she said, smiling softly, “I like it”
He shook his head, still looking away from her, “It’s not okay. It’s never okay. It’ll never be okay,” he shuddered as a breeze came into the room, ruffling his hair slightly. His voice was so sad that Rei rose out of her place, pulling the covers off of her body.
“Jade, you can’t keep beating yourself up over it. You couldn’t do anything about it,” she said softly, standing still and looking at him sadly. Still, an entire five years after his return to her, he still carried around the weight of what he had done.
“I betrayed you. I betrayed the Princess- the one I swore to protect on my life. I betrayed the Prince. I could have stopped it. I could have stopped myself,” his body shook violently as his voice rose, “Instead I helped kill them”
She approached him slowly, the cold floor sending her feet tingling and slid her arms around his torso. She didn’t say anything, knowing nothing would work.
She knew she shouldn’t have been so hard at him when he first came home- she should have just accepted the teddy bear he had offered her. But she knew it would have only stalled this.
“I should have stayed dead,” he whispered so softly she almost didn’t hear it, “I didn’t deserve another chance.” He broke from her embrace and walked away, his shoulders shaking visibly as he cried. “I don’t deserve any of this.”
She wanted to yell some sense into him as she usually did. But this once, she didn’t want to. For this, Jadeite deserved a softness she only showed him. It wasn’t that she still wasn’t angry about what had happened- it would always remain with her- but she had long ago accepted his part in it. And he had paid for his sins- and he would keep paying for the rest of his days with the guilt he carried with him.
She walked to the bed, picking up the teddy bear. She smiled softly as she remembered what he had done once when she had been sad. She walked to him, facing him. His cheeks were streaked with tears and he tried to turn away from her, knowing she hated seeing him cry, but she stopped him with a soft hand on his shoulder. His sorrowed blue eyes met hers finally.
She picked up the teddy bear and moved it around in her hands, “Don’t be sad, Mr. Jadeite, it makes Mr. Teddy sad to see you sad,” she said in a high kiddie voice. He looked at her with an incredulous look on his face, the tears still rolling slowly down his face.
“Mr. Teddy likes you, and me likes this fiery woman, can me stay with you two?”
He stared at the bear for a few seconds before he let out a disbelieving chuckle.
“Me want to see Mr. Jadeite happy. Can Mr. Jadeite be happy again?” She continued on her high child voice, slightly irritated that it still wasn’t working. At the moment, she wanted to chuck the bear down and stomp on it, disliking her crazy brain for thinking up this stupid stunt.
“You’re really bad at that,” he said softly, a soft smile coming onto his face and replacing the despaired frown. Immediately, her heart sped up in hope.
“Well, we can’t all be born comedians. Plus, you’re funny enough for the both of us,” she said softly, putting the bear down by her side.
“That’s pretty obvious just from this,” he said.
“It always has been,” she said, smiling at him sadly, “Jade, I know you’ll always carry this guilt with you, but I’ll always be here to help you through it- and Mr. Teddy too.” She stepped closer slowly, waiting for him to either get out of defensive position or return the forward step. He remained still, just staring at her.
She took another tentative step towards him, and wrapped her arms around him again. His settled around her waist lightly.
“I love you, Jadeite, and the past doesn’t change that,” she said against his chest, rubbing softly against the smooth cool skin.
“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear, “A normal woman wouldn’t have ever taken me back, but you were always special. I don’t know how I got you in the first place,” his arms tightened around her, creating a small, warm cocoon just for her and him.
“I don’t know either- it must have been all the begging you did for that first date,” she laughed softly, knowing the worst was over- for now.
“I love you, Rei, always,” he said softly.
“I know”
His voice changed slightly, returning to its normal tone, “And, Rei…you named the bear Mr. Teddy?”
“Here,” he said, throwing something haphazardly at her. She caught it right before it hit her face. Softness was what registered first. She looked down at it, a small bear looked up at her, it’s cute eyes staring up at her smilingly.
“A teddy bear? That’s all you can muster up?” she asked as she set it down beside her on the bed. A slightly disbelieving tone slipped into her voice- more out of habit than anything else.
Jadeite looked at her as he unbuttoned his shirt, the white smoothness of his chest reflecting in the light cast by the moonlight that filtered through the window. “It was the only thing I could think of. They don’t exactly make cards for the day you killed the love of your life a millennia ago.” He looked away before he finished his statement, leaving his shirt hanging off his broad shoulders.
She stared at the bear, picking it up again and caressing it softly. “I know.”
He walked to the window, staring out at the moon sadly. His face was pulled in a frown uncharacteristically.
“It’s okay,” she said, smiling softly, “I like it”
He shook his head, still looking away from her, “It’s not okay. It’s never okay. It’ll never be okay,” he shuddered as a breeze came into the room, ruffling his hair slightly. His voice was so sad that Rei rose out of her place, pulling the covers off of her body.
“Jade, you can’t keep beating yourself up over it. You couldn’t do anything about it,” she said softly, standing still and looking at him sadly. Still, an entire five years after his return to her, he still carried around the weight of what he had done.
“I betrayed you. I betrayed the Princess- the one I swore to protect on my life. I betrayed the Prince. I could have stopped it. I could have stopped myself,” his body shook violently as his voice rose, “Instead I helped kill them”
She approached him slowly, the cold floor sending her feet tingling and slid her arms around his torso. She didn’t say anything, knowing nothing would work.
She knew she shouldn’t have been so hard at him when he first came home- she should have just accepted the teddy bear he had offered her. But she knew it would have only stalled this.
“I should have stayed dead,” he whispered so softly she almost didn’t hear it, “I didn’t deserve another chance.” He broke from her embrace and walked away, his shoulders shaking visibly as he cried. “I don’t deserve any of this.”
She wanted to yell some sense into him as she usually did. But this once, she didn’t want to. For this, Jadeite deserved a softness she only showed him. It wasn’t that she still wasn’t angry about what had happened- it would always remain with her- but she had long ago accepted his part in it. And he had paid for his sins- and he would keep paying for the rest of his days with the guilt he carried with him.
She walked to the bed, picking up the teddy bear. She smiled softly as she remembered what he had done once when she had been sad. She walked to him, facing him. His cheeks were streaked with tears and he tried to turn away from her, knowing she hated seeing him cry, but she stopped him with a soft hand on his shoulder. His sorrowed blue eyes met hers finally.
She picked up the teddy bear and moved it around in her hands, “Don’t be sad, Mr. Jadeite, it makes Mr. Teddy sad to see you sad,” she said in a high kiddie voice. He looked at her with an incredulous look on his face, the tears still rolling slowly down his face.
“Mr. Teddy likes you, and me likes this fiery woman, can me stay with you two?”
He stared at the bear for a few seconds before he let out a disbelieving chuckle.
“Me want to see Mr. Jadeite happy. Can Mr. Jadeite be happy again?” She continued on her high child voice, slightly irritated that it still wasn’t working. At the moment, she wanted to chuck the bear down and stomp on it, disliking her crazy brain for thinking up this stupid stunt.
“You’re really bad at that,” he said softly, a soft smile coming onto his face and replacing the despaired frown. Immediately, her heart sped up in hope.
“Well, we can’t all be born comedians. Plus, you’re funny enough for the both of us,” she said softly, putting the bear down by her side.
“That’s pretty obvious just from this,” he said.
“It always has been,” she said, smiling at him sadly, “Jade, I know you’ll always carry this guilt with you, but I’ll always be here to help you through it- and Mr. Teddy too.” She stepped closer slowly, waiting for him to either get out of defensive position or return the forward step. He remained still, just staring at her.
She took another tentative step towards him, and wrapped her arms around him again. His settled around her waist lightly.
“I love you, Jadeite, and the past doesn’t change that,” she said against his chest, rubbing softly against the smooth cool skin.
“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear, “A normal woman wouldn’t have ever taken me back, but you were always special. I don’t know how I got you in the first place,” his arms tightened around her, creating a small, warm cocoon just for her and him.
“I don’t know either- it must have been all the begging you did for that first date,” she laughed softly, knowing the worst was over- for now.
“I love you, Rei, always,” he said softly.
“I know”
His voice changed slightly, returning to its normal tone, “And, Rei…you named the bear Mr. Teddy?”