VIRAGO

bitter green

"How do I look?" Zoey's bitter green eyes tore themselves away from her own mirror image and onto John's who was standing in the archway to her room, looking quite smug with his dapper appearance. Suited up in one of his best suits, chewing on his signature toothpick with his peaked cap covering over one eye.

"Very handsome, where are you off to?" She looked him up and down in approval before turning back to focus on her own makeup, drawing those piercing orbs in a dark liner, a common sigil of her war paint.

"That's a joke right?" He laughed, striding into her room, "I'm coming with you."

At this, Zoey scoffed not taking him seriously as she flicked the end of her cat-eye with ease, "Are you fuck." but upon making eye contact with him, she quickly came to the realization he was committed to going. Recognizing that black look in his eyes.

"Do you really think I'd leave Arthur in charge of you?" He was almost in disbelief that she genuinely thought this entire day that she was going alone without him. But his words had instantly caused her to drop her light-hearted approach to the matter as she slammed down her liner once finishing her bottom lid and faced him with screwed brows and a frown.

"First of all, Arthur isn't in charge I am." She enlightened him ferociously, her eyes cutting deep into his. "And second of all, I can look after myself. Alright?" She flashed him a false smile, before turning back to her quaint vanity.

This time it was John's turn to scoff, moving in closer leaning his hands up against the back of her chair, watching as she continued to touch up her blush. "If that were bloody true you wouldn't be living here right now would ya." Oh, how he made her blood boil sometimes, his words were so patronizing she had to actually had to take a pause in her tutorial again. Glaring at him, she took a moment kissing her teeth in an attempt to not raise her voice at him.

"Yes John, but it's not like I'm walking into a fucking war zone alone, is it? I've got an army." She spat back, equally just as condescending as he had been to her which was easy to see he didn't appreciate, as he let out a frustrated groan.

"That's not the fucking point!-" He'd snapped, pushing himself harshly off the chair as he went to go pace back and forth.

"Don't you raise your fucking voice at me!" she'd cut him off with darkened eyes, twisting herself to face him.

"It's my fucking house I'll be as loud as I damn well want!" He roared, unknowingly she'd tensed up at this, Zoey hated how her body reacted to certain situations, although she was used to living in hostile environments, lately, she hadn't been able to control her physical reflexes to minor things, such as him yelling - which he'd noticed, seeing as Zoey rarely spoke her mind, he had to go off body language.

Sighing, as though he just released all that pent-up frustration, his icy eyes had melted back into that sea of warm blue. Slowly approaching her, he knelt in front of the girl of his dreams and took her hand in his.

She was a rarity, to him anyway- a diamond in the rough, an emerald glimmering out against piles of coal. As she felt John calm down her breathing soon fell back into its slowed and controlled pattern, but she was still pissed- stubbornly she kept her head turned away from him, making the man fed up with her attitude. Lifting his hand to cup her chin, dragging her back into his gaze. "Look, I'm sorry it's just there is no chance in hell you're going with just Arthur he's off the rails."

At this, she exhaled letting her eyes fall to a close for just a moment, taking in only how his touch felt on her, unintentionally leaning into his hand that cupped her cheek. "I get that you're worried John, but can't you see I am too." She admitted almost in a whisper, you could tell she was exhausted- even if her makeup hide that well, then almost like clockwork she snapped her eyes back open into reality. "I don't want you with us when your hurt, you'll just slow us down."

"I don't think that's the real reason you don't want me with you." He speculated, lost in the forest of green in search of the truth. He pulled himself up further, so now their lips were level.

"Think what you like, that's the truth." He was right, it wasn't the main reason she didn't want him to come.

"You're lying." His thumb began to trace itself lightly up and down her jawline, almost in a weak attempt to draw out the truth. "Tell me."

"I can't," It almost came out as a cry for help, but her heart wouldn't let her do this to herself again. Bringing up her hand to rest on top of his, stopping him from caressing her cheek any further, knowing the comfort of it would only make her emotional. "all you need to know right now is that I care you about." She admitted, "And usually people who I care about don't end up living for very long."

John just gave out a sad smile, "Well, you don't have to worry about me, love, If there's one thing I can do, it's survive." Without even realizing he was closing in on her lips, it was like the two of them were magnets- no matter where there were, they'd always somehow manage to be close to one another.

"I don't want to take that risk right now, I don't think I can take any more losses." Her fingers tightened around his own, before letting her eyes fall close again. Having him so close to her made all that exhaustion she held in with caffeine, resurface. His touch made her sleepy.

"You won't have to I promise." She could feel his warm breath against the side of her neck before he planted a soft kiss there and began littering a trail of them up to her cheek.

"That's not something you can promise someone, Johnny." She told him softly, lulling him to hover above her lips, mirroring her actions and closing his own lids.

"Maybe your right, but your not the only one who can't take any more losses- so if you think I'm letting you walk out that door without me." He'd lowered his voice too, matching her gentleness, "Your sorely mistaken."

In his kiss, she wasn't showered in passion and chemistry like the others they'd shared beforehand, no. In this kiss they shared, Zoey could feel herself cracking open, open to the possibility that there was true warmth and compassion in the world, and it was right there in his arms. She felt truly at home at that moment. "I hate how stubborn you are." She broke away, a cheeky smile crawling onto her cheeks, as she teased John who'd kept attempting to continue the kiss, she'd kept her lips in his reach yet every time he came in close enough she'd playfully shifted slightly away making both of them laugh.

"Get used to it." He'd told her once successfully capturing her in both his hands and kissing her once more before moving down to that ticklish spot in the nape of her neck. Causing the girl to shudder in her sit and giggle, her hands moving to his shoulders in an attempt to peel him off her. "John stop I still need to finish getting ready." She'd used all her strength and managed to push him to the floor, causing him to burst out into a fit and before he could try anything again she chucked her hairbrush in his direction "Bugger off!".