Knives For Hands || John Connor

xix. Te Adoro

traveling was different for (y/n). not in a bad way, either, as she had john to drag her around to sightsee.

they didn't "live large" per se, but it was enough for them both. they had enough to eat and to have a place to stay for a few nights. (y/n) eventually became attached to sarah. she saw her as a second mother, not that she'd ever admit that to anyone.

sarah softened up over the years. she was less like a general and more like a mother. she'd saved the world with the kids; how could she not loosen the reins on them after a while? the nomad lifestyle came naturally to her and john. that isn't to say that (y/n) didn't catch on quickly.

Guatemala, 1998

out of the places they'd visited, guatemala was by far (y/n)'s favorite. she couldn't say she was too good at speaking spanish, but she caught on quickly. she only knew the basic sentence-starters, but it wasn't enough to hinder her.

(y/n)'s giggles carried through the warm summer wind as john walked alongside her. she swayed their intertwined hands as they walked through the sand, both sporting their newly-bought swimsuits.

they'd just arrived there a couple hours back, and (y/n) was already enjoying the beach atmosphere. john, already fluent in the native language, spoke happily to some of the locals. when he'd turned back to his girlfriend, she was looking up at him with a cheesy grin.

"what?"

she laughed, her eyes focusing on the sand beneath them. she could feel the heat in her cheeks, but she shrugged it off as being caused by the sun. "i like when you do that."

john let out amused giggles of his own. "do what?"

"when you say stuff in spanish! i think it's really cool," she told him, almost shyly as she bumped shoulders with him.

"oh, yeah?" john's voice lowered, teasingly. "te adoro."

(y/n) had no idea what the words meant, but the way he uttered them was enough to make her bashful. she smiled to herself before asking, "what's that mean?"

the boy shrugged. he looked over at her, grinning. the words meant i adore you, which he thought was fitting. they held no lies, as he truly did adore her, even after all of those years. he didn't believe anything would change that.

"oh, come on! you can't do that!" she groaned, hitting his arm playfully. "tell me!"

"nope," he denied, popping the p.

"john!" she continued to whine, dragging out the o in his name. he continued to ignore her, tugging her along the beach. they walked into the water, letting the cool waves surround their ankles.

they waded deeper, going as far as they could before they'd have to start swimming. the waves rolled against their shoulders as they played around, splashing water towards each other.

(y/n) caught john's hand, pulling him beneath the waves with a laugh. they rose up only seconds later, pushing their hair out of their face. despite being two of the thousands at the beach, they truly felt like they were the only ones there.

their overlapping laughs soon died down, leaving the two breathing hard with smiles plastered on their faces. john tugged her against him, pressing their lips together. the taste of the salt water filled both of their senses, but neither seemed to mind. (y/n)'s arms wrapped around his neck while john's encircled her waist below the water.

they separated for air, pressing their foreheads together. breathless laughs spilling from their lips. (y/n) lifted herself to press a kiss to his exposed forehead, breathing out, "how do you say 'i love you' in spanish?"