(no subject)

[history-repeats.insanejournal.com]

WHO: Greed and Zoe w/ Theseus
WHEN: Friday
WHERE: Airport, Lithuania
WHAT: The kiddos take over a jet and wind up in a mess
WARNING: The most brutal fight yet


Zoe was incredibly excited about getting to go to Lithuania again. They hadn't been in months and even though they'd gone to Kansas, that too was months ago. She didn't get to see Greed as much since he worked late nights so he could take Friday off. She spent the time getting in extra shifts if she could and being productive. But finally Thursday rolled around and after Greed got off work, it was time to grab Zoe and the bags and head to the airport where Theseus would be waiting for them with his dad's private company jet. Anybody would be excited about going on a jet but it was easy to tell that Zoe was more excited about actually going with Greed to the less than popular Lithuania European destination.
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Poseidon had been so busy grilling Theseus about his reckless comments and Amphitrite that it was easy to make arrangements for the jet. Poseidon usually had his weekend trips, but this one was spent in New York. It came out more to luck and timing than anything----and as much as Theseus was for running into trouble, he had his share of luck.

He was there to keep an eye out for any changes. He had his eye on the phone and the time. He'd fly it himself if he could actually steer a pilots wheel the same as a boat. He was more comfortable on water than sailing the clouds.

When the two finally showed he was somewhat relieved and tense. He gave Zoe a reprimand as if he had the right to. He wasn't her father but he felt as much these days. "No later than Tuesday." He'd already discussed with the pilot that the two were helping him with a project of Mr. Rubis'. Poseidon had Theseus do a lot of his dirty work, it wasn't the first time he'd swiped the jet. He was nervous though. That was obvious.
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Zoe sighed like a teenager that was being told to be careful with Daddy’s car but smiled. “Don’t worry, Mr. Moreau, we’ll be back before then. Chance has work.” she didn’t need a big suitcase like last time because the trip was so short. Just a duffle and a backpack and of course all of Greed’s luggage...
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"I told you my name. No more Mr. Moreau." It was so formal. He didn't even recognize it anymore when she said it. It was a past self, it wasn't the same man today, though all he was was a mix of fake aliases and past lives. "Now get going before I change my mind..."
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She smiled, this trip meant a lot to her, to her and Greed both. She suddenly hugged him, a quick loving hug with a squeeze as she whispered, “Thanks..” the jet’s engines were loud so her words were drowned out but it almost sounded like she called him papou, the Greek word for Grandfather. He was a mix of fake aliases and abandoned lives, a tragic hero, a demi god... but underneath all that, to her.. he was just her grandfather.
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That squeeze nearly choked him. Maybe loosened a few muscles that had tightened up from tension. She didn't even realize the feeling it left behind before boarding the plane. He didn't give her a final goodbye or a your welcome, he just felt a little more at ease that he'd done the right thing. Even if for just a brief moment.

Greed eyed from the plane, giving her a hard glare when she joined him. "Getting all cuddly on him now?"
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She didn’t expect anything from Theseus, no hug or words. She did what she wanted to do which was give her grandfather a hug of thanks. She picked up her bags and got on the jet leaving him to do whatever it was he was going to do.

She sighed as she looked at Greed and put her luggage in the locker style loading thing on the jet, she had a gentle smile on her face, “He did a nice thing, I’m excited, so I hugged him.. is that so bad?”
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Greed shook off an itchy feeling. He didn't know how to feel about her getting cozy with granddaddy. "I don't like him." Even though Greeds reasonings were just completely selfish no matter what the Greek did. He was paying favors. That was all. Though once Greed had told Zoe to give family a chance, Theseus wouldnt let him in, so he saw the face he wanted.
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She flopped down next to him, “I don’t know if I like him either. But he’s trying.” she gave him a sad puppy dog look with a small smile, “Aren’t you always talking about how important family is?”
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“He’s not trying. He’s trying to escape his debt. He’ll do anything to check out of a few thousand dollars he doesn’t have right now.” That was Greed’s analysis at least. Until Theseus showed him some respect. He wasn’t taking Zoe away from him, nor was he going to ease his way into her life and try to convince her otherwise. It could happen, especially when he laid on the ‘grandfather’ bit real thick.
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Zoe’s shoulders slumped and she looked like a kicked puppy, “Oh.” she sounded disappointed and maybe a little hurt. Her brow was furrowed as she hadn’t thought of it that way before. That Theseus was basically doing what he had to do to save his money.. that it didn’t really have anything to do with her. She turned her head towards him but didn’t look at him, “You don’t think he likes me at all..? Even a little?”
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“I think he’s trying to run but he’s stuck.” If the guy had the open opportunity he would go and leave her without a second thought. “He has his boat now. Once he pays off his debt you can wait and see. I won’t have him step in on my turf though.” Greed was not about to let Theseus try to run the show in Zoeworld and pretended he cared. The fact of the matter was Greed didn’t know, it’s why he barked that it was a rouse. Not her at all. People had ulterior motives, it’s how he got his hands on so much. But....

things had changed with her. He had told her family was important. Theseus was all she had other than him, but selfishly Greed wanted to be her only family. “Maybe he does. But you’ll have to wait it out.” Not that he was good on waiting at all, the very idea of things turning up on it’s head made his stomach flop.
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She looked more and more depressed with every word out of his mouth, her eyes glued to the window and the darkness outside. But at his ending line she perked up and looked at him, the light coming back in her eyes. That single solitary ‘maybe’ was enough to boost her hope back up and she kissed his cheek. “Maybe. I mean.. he still owes some money. So we’ll have to see him again, right?” she seemed to like the idea.
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It was that bounciness in her reply that made him grumble. “I suppose.” Greed didn’t want to see him again if all he did was project the side of himself that could make him lose the only thing he wanted to hang onto. It seemed trite to put blame on someone else, but in Theseus’ case he was the perfect scapegoat. He was a magnet for negative attention. Him tangling himself around his sister didn’t make Greed’s taste for the Greek any less sour. “As long as I get my 30k.” In some fashion or another. He twitched against her kiss, his shoulders shrugging a little. He didn’t want cuddles. He was busy pouting.
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Since he was acting like a grumpy kid who didn’t want kisses, she definitely noticed. She picked up his arm and put it around her, snuggling into his side, “Hey sourpuss..” she kissed his chin, “I know you don’t like him but... I always think of how much I wish my parents were alive so they could meet you. My dad would have hated you at first.” just like Theseus kinda wasn’t a fan of Greed’s exactly, “But I would have wanted him to see how happy you make me. How proud I am of the man you are. How honored I am that you chose me to be with you.” her lashes lowered, “I’ll never get to be part of your family..” hell and her was not a good combination and his siblings played rough. “And I never thought I’d have any family that I could show you off to.. I just..” she shook her head and shrugged, she was rambling and she didn’t know if she was making sense.
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Greed huffed and puffed, rolled his eyes, tried to shake her off but she refused to sit and be quiet. She just kept talking and explaining when he wanted to grump. “Oh, so I would have been able to charm your mother? Did she look anything like you?” She was flattering him now though, he supposed he could quiet down long enough to hear it all so he could puff up like a balloon.
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She laughed, “My mom might have tried to convince you to run away with her. She was a really troubled person but she hid it well. She loved to flirt and was kinda a hippy dippy gal.” she grinned, “And yes, I look like a good mix of my mom and dad.” she put her arm around his middle, “She would have adored you. I think. I wanna believe it.” she leaned back a little to look at his face, “I think she would have told me to bring you over for family dinners and she would have told my dad to try to have man to man talks with you because you were the guy I decided I was going to be with. And she’d want to know everything about you.” she kissed his jaw, “And you know, I think she would have been fine with you being a Sin.” she smiled, liking this.. thinking about fake things her family might have done which might not have been true at all but they were dead so there was no way of knowing so maybe this was better. “I think she’d have made a joke about having you as a ‘Sin-in-law’.” and she gave a goofy grin.
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She was boosting his ego just by telling her stories no matter how imagined they were. He was good at imagining stories, so it was nice to hear someone else fabricate them about him for once. It was like reading his very own storybook. Except the ending was happy like it was supposed to be, not filled with dark, hell-things that lurked at every corner. He didn’t want this to end brutally. It would take him centuries to cover up what she had opened up. Well, maybe not centuries. Maybe a century. “Sin-in-law? Did you really? That was horrible!” He teased.
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She laughed, her mood lighter, “My mom would have! Not me, not me. She would make the worst jokes but my dad always laughed at them. It’s how I knew he really loved her.” she looked at him with adoring eyes. She rarely talked about her family or her past, she always felt like she was boring him.
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“I think I would have run off with your mom.” He laughed. She was giving him an inside view of the would have been. She had things he didn’t ever have and as much as she could give him love and friendship---she couldn’t give him a childhood. He didn’t grow up, he didn’t start as a baby and grow. He was a kid deep down, but he didn’t get to run with the humans starting with little egg-shaped heads and tiny fingers. He didn’t crawl on his knees or was potty trained. He didn’t learn how to ride a bike or play catch. He didn’t have a father in the sense that there was someone to look up to. Greed looked up to himself. He looked out for himself. He got the things he wanted, but when he was around Zoe, something shifted. They weren’t even in fucking Lithuania yet and already the real boy thoughts were starting to flood in. Damnit.
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She grinned, “You so would have.” she kissed along his jaw, “But know what?” she kissed the side of his mouth, “I woulda tracked the both of you down. Sorry, but you’re my guy. Not letting you go for at least ten years. Maybe twenty.”
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He settled back down in his seat comfortably as long as she continued talking about him and throwing around the flattery. The rode wasn't like a usual plane ride. It was a lot quicker. No screaming children kicking the back of his seat or being squished in beside some fat guy that had to squeeze his ass in his face every time he went to go to the bathroom.

Before too long they were stepping off jet and into another world almost unknown by the rest of the world. It was Friday morning as they walked hand in hand down that same town towards the same trail towards the cottage. His vision started to blur over which he told himself was just the trick of the light. When it turned on to full blown headaches he whipped out the shades. Then it was obvious they'd hit that epicenter and it threw his head in for a doozy.
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She loved how it only took a few hours from start to finish to make the trip to Lithuania in a private jet. She wished they could have one on standby and go more often.. there was something really nice and familiar about the town and the same trail they’d taken before. It felt a lot like coming home. She kept an eye on Greed to see how he was and when he seemed a little loose, she put an arm around his waist, like he’d done to her when she’d been out of it, “Hang on... just a little further.” she wanted him to use her for support, “You’re gonna have to help me with the door.. I’ve never done a B&E...” she made a face. She wasn’t in the habit of breaking the law.
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He was pale now against the bright sunlight. It took him a moment to stop and think through the pounding. He wanted to just turn off his ears and all the noise. Thinks like birds singing in the distance were too loud until he'd had a chance to sleep off his jetlag.

"If there's a little window by the door you can use the heel of your shoe," he struggled to get all his words out. It was as if he was out of breath, "and break it. You should be able to twist the door lock open----unless.." he couldn't remember. They might have to go around the back.
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She was really worried about him now and helped him sit down on the porch, “Okay.. okay..” she could do this. She nodded several times listening to him and took off her shoe and went to the window thing. She scrunched up her nose, showing her teeth as she hit the shoe against the window but it was barely a tap. She jumped and then tried again, harder. But her hand let go slipping and the shoe bounced off the glass and smacked to the ground.
Then she remembered, a look of realization on her face, “Wait!” she took off her other heel and disappeared around the side of the house in her bare feet. A couple of minutes later the front door jiggled open from the inside and Zoe stood there. “Remember how the back window always used to get stuck when we’d try to close it..? It still does.” finally, the house’s flaw came in handy. She reached down for him to help him up and get him inside.
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He hardly heard a word she said. When her shoe flopped off the window, he was annoyed and exasperated. He was going to have to do this himself and he had no energy. He was almost up off his knees when she wiggled open the door. "It's about fucking time!" He groped, a sheen of sweat already starting to take over his forehead and neck. Greed took her hand, his legs about to give out from under him. He felt like he was going to be sick.
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Zoe pursed her lips, she’d forgotten what a Prince he became when they first went to a deadzone. She helped him to his feet and didn’t say anything, putting an arm around him and helping him inside. Now they knew how to deal with it but it didn’t make going through it any easier. She took him into the bedroom and it was a shame they weren’t staying long otherwise it was fun to put little personal touches and things there. The mattress had just a cover on it, no sheets but she helped him get on the bed.
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The bed groaned as he flopped face down, rolling over to kick at her when she went to take off his shoes. He mumbled incoherent words, cuddling up to the pillows he so often murdered when they were around her.
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She sighed and rolled her eyes when his foot hit her wrist with his stupid kicks. She’d forgotten what a giant pain he was in these transitions. In Kansas, it was easier on her, she just left him in the car and worried. She left one shoe on so as not to risk getting kicked again and went to the bed as he was getting intimate with the pillows. She put a knee on the mattress and asked gently, “Do you want me to rub your temples?” adding silently in her head... or am I going to get my hands bitten off..
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He swatted her away at first. But when that sharp pain pierced his temples, rolling it through his entire head he waved her to come back. The Sin was a baby when he got put in a box. At least he had visitation rights here unlike Kansas that sucked him right out of Greed.
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She backed off until he wanted her to come back. She put her hands on her hips and then slid onto the bed and gently maneuvered his head into her lap. Her fingertips pressed into his temples which would hurt at first but soon the pressure was rhythmic as she worked her magic.
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He struggled very little, using her lap as a pillow. He closed his eyes, flopping off the shoe she left on. At first he twinged against her fingers, grumbled, but once that calming sensation hit and spread through his body he was quiet. His muscles relaxed, the tension eased through his forehead while she worked.
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Her own defenses were up and she noticed that she got a little more volatile with her emotions when in the deadzone. Not because the geographic location had an effect on her but no matter how much she reminded herself that he was going through something, her basic emotions that didn’t listen to reason still acted up. So she took a little longer, and had more patience. Just like when she tried to take his shoes off and he kicked her, he realized on his own it felt better with it off and did it himself. So right now when his hands tried to stop hers, she stilled them for a moment until he felt the release and let her be. She applied pressure to the temples and even used her thumbs against the sides of his head to help, she’d do it till he fell asleep. Then she’d have to figure out some food for them.
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It was a deep sleep, as if she had shot him with anesthesia. He was out for a few hours, his body adjusting to the shift enough that he could function. He waddled out, barefoot into the main room when he didn't find Zoe in bed with him.
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Zoe didn’t want to leave him alone in case he needed her but when she picked up his arm and let it drop on his chest and he still didn’t move she was pretty sure he was dead to the world for a few hours. So she did things like put their bags inside the room, dust some stuff off, rummage for sheets and blankets since they’d need them later. She rummaged in the cabinets and found some canned stuff from last time still. She remembered how last time he had needed a walk later to get his bearings and clear his head so they might be able to eat this now and go into town for dinner. Not that they planned to spend a lot of time outside of the cottage but they did have to eat. She was looking in the linen closet for towels and stuff because she kept forgetting 1) this wasn’t a hotel and 2) they weren’t supposed to be here.
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He was a little groggy, focusing on her shuffling around cabinets. "What are you looking for? I'm right here." He rubbed the back of his head, his hair poking out in a million different directions from the way he'd laid in bed.
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She was surprised by his voice and turned to look at him, a smile immediately lighting up her face. He looked adorable whenever he was half asleep with his hair tousled and almost a little boy innocence about him. “Huh, I thought this closet was too small to find you in there..” she didn’t go to him though, just hugged a towel to her chest as she looked at him with concern, her eyes crinkling “How’re you feeling...? You want anything?” he must be hungry or thirsty or something.
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They became increasingly domesticated when they first landed. Sex wasn't even on his mind. Mood was definitely a factor. "I'm thirsty. Any beer in this place?" He'd forgotten they just got here and hadn't exactly gone shopping for groceries.
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She was glad to see that he wasn’t too out of it. She set the towel down on the armchair and nodded, “Actually yes... but it’s not cold.” she padded towards the kitchen, “And it’s some Lithuanian brand that I can’t pronounce. I think it’s beer...”
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At least it was something Greed shrugged. He waved his hand for it, taking a seat on the couch. There was a tv but he patted the couch for her to sit with him. He wanted his beer and he wanted something squishy to cuddle up next to.
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She raised a brow when he wanted her to bring him the beer but she’d let it slide since he was a sicky wicky at the moment. She got him the beer and sat down a few inches away from him on the couch after she handed it to him. Normally she tried to get him to do equal work with her but this was an exception.
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She was right. It wasn't cold. "Oh my god this tastes like shit," but it would give him a buzz. Keep the Sin happy with some sort of substance abuse. If he was going to watch then he needed something to keep him awake, because as it was this was kind of boring. When she didn't come closer he scooted towards her on the couch.
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As much as she wanted to pounce his face, she stayed put. She’d seen that he got jostled like a rabbit if she made the first move, it unsettled him. So she let him do what he wanted in his own time. She just looked at him with a small smile, “Well, we can go in town for a meal.. you can get a cold beer there. The last one was good, right?” since he’d stopped at a bar on the last trip where they ended up kissing in the bathroom and he rejected the big boobed bar tender. But the beer had been good she thought.
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He took another swig of that shitty beer, it leaving a gleam on his lips. "We can." He rubbed his tummy. He was a little hungry. That's when he got a sniff of his shirt. "I need a shower first." There was a little mustiness in the air and the sin did always want to look good.
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She raised her brows, surprised.. but she nodded, “Okay... towel’s right there.” she gestured to the armchair that had the abandoned towel on it. It was always a shift whenever he was resettling into his skin. For a little while though, Zoe really didn’t know who she was with. This guy... she was pretty sure the Sin was still hanging around. Beers, smugness, and showers before even kissing her or a smile? Yeah... she was in for a bumpy ride.
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He sat up quickly disgusted with himself. He needed to do things that made him feel like himself. That made him comfortable. Right now he was still in limbo. "I'll be right back." Which meant another hour of him primping himself and in a change of clean clothes, a shave and some cologne. If he was going to be pretty, he was going to smell pretty. When he came back out Zoe was still on the couch.
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Zoe was reading a book with her feet curled up under her as she waited for Greed. Halfway around the world and he was more intimate with her back in New York. Go figure. When he showed up again, she looked up and said, “I think I’ll take a shower too.” a jet might be faster but she still had travel dirt on her and smelled like sweat. The good kind, clean and human.. but still.
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"Yes, go do that." He smoothed out his vest which matched his shoes. He was being a bit smug still, but if they were going to go out, they were going to look presentable. He hadn't yet settled into the boy yet that had wanted to be with her just hours ago. There was still some balancing out to do, and he was still pretty early in the game right now.
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She set down the book, which looked to be about geography, and gave him an odd look with a hint of disdain. He was being an asshole and she didn’t feel like going out with him but she reminded herself, yet again, that he was just settling in. She showered and changed into a nice yellow dress with short sleeves that showed off some of her legs. It had a beaded middle and was the perfect thing to wear for a walk into town for lunch. She didn’t bother with makeup and her hair dried in the warm air, making it soft with a few waves. She just needed to slip her shoes on and they could go.
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He was already at the door when that spot of yellow caught his attention. "What are you wearing?" It popped right out of his mouth as if 'how dare she be so bold?' But the Sin definitely took notice. She was wearing that for his sake and it looked sexy because of the leg that peeked out.
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She looked down at her outfit and then back at him, “A dress?” he was a weird one for sure. He complained about her clothes all the time but if she actually wore something that she thought he might like that she liked herself also.. well he always got very... this about it.
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He circled her a few times, taking it in. That color was a magnet for Greed. It was his honey jar, his kryptonite, he was spellbound by it. He reached out to touch, he couldn't help it, his hand tracing the line of the dress on her shoulder. She could have been wearing nothing and it wouldn't have turned his head as fast as the color yellow did. He suddenly wasn't as put out to be going out with her. He held out his arm expecting her to take it so they could head into town.
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She let him do his little lion circling the prey dance and just gave him a faltering look when he felt her up on the shoulder. He was acting like she was some shame second choice lay that he was stuck with. When he held out his arm, she knew he meant for her to take it.. she was patient and understanding, not a doormat. She just said casually, “Oh, thanks.” and put her hand on his arm to use for leverage as she stood on one leg and put on one shoe and then the other. She smiled at him friendly like but breezed past him out the door, “That place we went to last time was nice, I think they have a lunch special.”
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He stood there with his mouth agape. Did she?---he pushed his way through the door closing it behind him, looking over his shoulder at her with scrunched up eyes. She was still talking to him so maybe?---He wasn't sure. As they walked down the trail he eyed her carefully. Studying her. "What was that? You, the door, my arm?" Sometimes it was the act of being ignored that pulled him closer. Now he was practically walking in her shadow. He was her shadow, not letting even a crack of light get between them.
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She looked at him innocently, “Hmm?” as if she didn’t know what he meant and then furrowed a brow, “Oh, that was really sweet of you to help me with my shoes.” she rubbed his upper arm like he was such a nice friend and then dropped her hands to the skirt of her dress, picking off invisible lint just so her hands were busy and wouldn’t be available to hold his. “So, yes? Same place as last time?” she said conversationally.
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He swiped air when he went for her hand. No it was more obvious. This was deliberate. He considered it a challenge now that she was purposefully putting distance between them. He scratched his head, only to stretch his arms out when she looked his way, linking his fingers together behind his head. "Yes of course."

So, when they went inside he didn't even hold the door open. If she was going to play this game then fine.
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She didn’t expect him to hold the door open, just stuck her hand out to stop it from shutting in her face. She was perfectly pleasant, almost borderline polite. It was giving him what he’d been giving her.. a stranger. The entire meal carried on that way and when they got outside, Zoe plucked a couple of flowers so the hand closest to Greed was now holding something other than his hand again.
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He'd eaten his meal eyeing her like the plague. She had hardly said a word, made a glance, or even acknowledged him with anything other than that smug politeness. Now she was avoiding his hand again. She might be holding flowers but he made sure to stomp on any others so she couldn’t fill her hands. He grumpled the whole walk back, eventually going ahead of her. On his way there was a patch of yellow flowers that he'd found that he didn't step on. He yanked two up, root and all and went inside where he flopped on the couch staring down the door as she came in. When she walked by he laid out his legs in front of her to rest his feet on the island table as a bridge blocking her. It was them that he held up the two yellow flowers. He'd be damned she ignore him now.
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Poor flowers. Zoe still was pleasant on the walk home, she’d point things out or smile but she wasn’t being his girlfriend. It was how you acted with someone who was an acquaintance. When she tried to walk past him and he blocked her path to hand her the yellow flowers, she paused. She took them and smiled, “So pretty. I’ll put them in water for you, okay?” She didn’t think for one second he was giving her the flowers. He’d never gotten her flowers except the single silk rose in Kansas. She assumed he was showing her his flowers which is how things always worked. She turned around the other way (since he’d blocked hers) to go find a mug and fill it with water for their small boquet.
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His charms were failing him here. God he hated it. It made him so mad that she just shrugged and moved on. She walked off with the flowers and when she came back around he made a lunge for her wrist, dragging her down on his lap. That was enough of this. He tangled an arm around her and refused to let her up, nose to nose he whispered in a pathetic voice. "Stop ignoring me." It hurt.
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She blinked when she got pulled into his lap and seemed surprised by his words. “I’m not ignoring you.” she said it in a tone that suggested yeah she was doing something and she knew it but she was definitely not ignoring hm. She had been talking to him. She mentioned the weather, the food, the landscape, she was polite and pleasant. She was even dressed prettily in his favorite color. She was giving him exactly what he was treating her as. Some girl, some ornament, some stranger that he was stuck with.
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"Stop it!" He whined. He didn't like this cold shoulder. "You're talking but its like you're talking to someone else." There was the boy, peeking his head out among the masses of his personalities. There was a wall between them and he wanted it to go away.
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She looked at him with serious eyes, “Because you are someone else.” this guy was not her boyfriend and he wasn’t the Sin, he was some weird other guy, someone she didn’t like. She still loved him, of course. She loved every single face of his. But she didn’t like how he was treating her. She rather have his anger than his smug indifference.
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He whined again with the stamp of his foot. "Oh so you just brush me off then?" He was trying to et comfortable, this wasn't helping. "It's not the face you want right?" He didn't have as much control on who and what came out as he tried to slink into a comfortable place. It felt though as if she didn't desire him at all.
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“Brush you off? I’ve been nothing but understanding with you.” her patience was slipping, this wasn’t how their vacation was supposed to happen but when did things ever go according to plan? She tried to move off his lap, “No, it’s not! I want you, not a face. Not whoever this smug douchey guy is.” she was frustrated. Emotionally, mentally, and sexually.
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"Well deal with it because it's the only face I have right now!" He was yelling now because he was mad. If she rejected this face then it was all of them. "Join the club with everyone who doesn't want Greed." There was a lot of anger coming out stemmed at the very thing they hadn't talked about. It was trickling over into their relationship. Lust, Theseus, now her. He was feeling very threatened and it was lashing out on all sides. This smug bastard she didn't like was trying to keep Greed put together, but he was losing it here in this deadzone.
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She looked at him totally shocked, “Not want you..?” her eyes were wide and then she said in a louder voice than she should have, “I flew halfway around the world because I can’t stop wanting you!” she shoved at his chest, “All I want is you to the point that I’m pretty scared by it!” she was so frustrated, how could he possibly think she didn’t want him? Yes, this face of his was not attractive but she couldn’t fawn all over it because he wasn’t treating her like someone he wanted to connect to, he was treating her like he wanted a doting servant.
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He narrowed his brows at her shove. At least it was something to him. "Stop this pleasant politeness shit. Hit me, get mad Damnit!" Anything that could evoke some sort of passion, because it drew it out of him. "I'm trying to hold it together but I fucking can't here!" There was these waves of emotion to all the shit that had been poking him in New York. Now it was trying to come out and the smug face she saw didn't want Greed to break down into this weak, pathetic thing. The Sin was rolling because this is where things got exciti
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Him telling her to get mad and hit him just made her angrier. But she did, she hit him again. “Who ASKED you to hold it together!?” she yelled at him, “I am trying to be understanding and patient but you’re making it really difficult! You’re acting like you don’t wanna be around me and that everything I’m doing is wrong so tell me,” she shoved him again, at the same time struggling to get off his lap, “What the hell do you want?” once upon a time he’d said it was her, a connection.. but now it just felt like he wanted her to swoon at his feet and be some body for him to graciously fuck so he wouldn’t need to get sex from his sister whom he was upset with.
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"Oh shoving that in my face? Big bad ugly sin doesn't need you is that what you think? He's just so disgusting who the fuck wants to fuck him or be with him?" He was losing it, whether the face tried to cover it it not. He was on slippery ground and wound up like a top. "It's me I'm the problem. I can't hold on to shit. I lose shit. I fuck it up and she's waiting for me to crash."
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She stood up and stared at him as if he'd lost his mind, "Are you crazy? I am with you, as a Sin, as a boy, as a smug asshole. I want to be with you! But you keep pushing me away. I'm not stupid, I know when you keep things from me. Even if it's not some deep dark secret, when it's just something on your mind." she threw up her hands in frustration when he started talking in riddles again, "Lose what? WHO is waiting?" because Zoe certainly wasn't waiting for Greed to crash, she was waiting for him to come back to her.
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It was the human thing to do. Put up walls to block out the real issue. Greed usually bulldozed down those without a thought, here it was just going up without him trying. "Lust, lust, lust." It was needling away at his thoughts, an implanted bug in his head. "I was this close," he motioned with his hands, "this fucking close to spilling to her. She's trying to get to me and fuck Zoe, I can't stick to my guns here. I'm so mad." Mad at Lust, mad at himself. He was going to lose Zoe with Lust, and here in this deadzone it terrified him.
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Zoe could never say it out loud but she hated Greed's sister. Lust was a giant naked thorn in their relationship that could destroy everything on a whim. And hearing her boyfriend repeat the woman's name like that just made her blood boil. He was mad. But he was also freaking out. And Zoe was standing in front of him and he was still sitting and despite everything that he was spewing, about being angry, spilling, not being wanted, she pierced him with a look and said, "Why won't you kiss me." the words were flat, accusatory but curious. He hadn't even tried since they got to the deadzone.
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He stopped on his tirade when she tossed out that question. "What?" He felt a little short of breath and almost as if his chest were trying to collapse from the inside out. It stunted him enough though to think. It was always a transition. "I--I don't know." He was always a little shy when he hit deadzones with her. "I feel disgusting." His shoulders slumped. That human nature of just not knowing how to fit into his own skin.
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She crossed her arms over her chest after all the yelling about how she must find him disgusting and not want to be with him, now they were getting to the truth. "Why?"
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"As a Sin. As a human." He had no balance. Not yet anyway. Usually he was a good medium. He was trying to get a handle on this feeling....this feeling of rejection. It was hard to swallow. "I feel disowned. Like some stray cat thrown out in the rain." He wasn't wanted and how bad was it to be the Sin of want and kicked aside. It was horrible. He wanted to strip himself of that feeling. It was disgusting.
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What hurt more than anything was knowing that he was talking about his sister. No amount of Zoe wanting him was going to make a difference. These trips to the deadzone.. every time they went, it seemed to become a worse and worse idea. Right now, Greed needed a friend, not his scorned girlfriend. She sighed and sat next to him, taking a moment, "I know that you feel like your sister's abandoning you by doing... whatever she's doing." was she really having this conversation? "But to play devil's advocate.. you're doing the same thing, you have someone.." she had a hard time saying the words because it was acknowledging she was second, "..on the side. And..." she trailed off. This was twisted. She patted his knee and stood up all of a sudden, and if he didn't stop her, she'd go to the front door and open it, in desperate need of fresh air. She wouldn't go out, just lean in the doorjamb with arms folded across her chest.
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Lust wasn't just a lover though, and when she got under his skin there was a little boy who didn't want to have his mother and sister go out of sight. She was abandoning him again just to be cruel. It felt like last time only, now, he did have someone to cling to.
"I'm not doing this to spite her." That was the difference. Lust was doing this to watch him crack and bend under her.
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His words just made it worse, "It doesn't matter." she said quietly, her eyes filling with tears. Her voice was soft, strained, "I can't do this." she took a deep breath and looked at the beautiful greenery outside, "I cannot comfort you about her." it was too messed up. It took a lot for Zoe to accept that Greed slept with his sister and would always do it, it took everything she had to handle it but this? She was going to crumble into dust. She played second in Greed's life and was made sure to be kept in that spot by him and his sister. By comforting Greed or trying to make him feel better, Zoe was putting herself in that second slot she hated. And she was going to end up hating herself if she did that. It was going to send the wrong message to Greed. It wasn't going to be 'i accept this is what you have to do with your sister in order to have a relationship with me', it was going to become 'i am okay with being second'. And she wasn't. "I'm really sorry." she meant it. She was sorry that no matter how much she wanted him it didn't matter because that wasn't the issue with him, she was sorry she loved him, she was sorry that they took this trip to find out this was the problem.

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That was the last thing he wanted to hear. And in his turbulent mind he thought she meant that this was finally over, and he swallowed a lump that was lingering in his throat. "What do you mean you can't do this? Us?" It was the first thing he'd said since arriving that insinuated they were a couple and not these strangers.

He got up them, running his hands down his jeans as he approached her, his hands settled on her shoulders. "Don't say we're over." As a boy it was going to kill him inside. He'd gutted himself before believing he could hold on to love. She held the poker now and it was hot.
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She flinched at his touch, shrugging her shoulders to get his hands off, "No!" she didn't know how he always jumped to the worst case scenario. "We're not over but I can't do this." she gestured with her hand, "I can't.." she felt so stupid saying the words, "I can't hold your hand and say poor baby about your sister. I can't." tears spilled down her cheeks as she couldn't believe she was having this conversation. "I cant say it's okay and I understand and give you comforting suggestions on how to fix it because it's too twisted. You and her already make sure to remind me often that I'm second. I cannot make myself second, too." she had to have respect for herself, Greed had taught her that.
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It was rejection in a different form. Where he usually looked to Lust for comfort as a sister, as a mother, he couldn't with Zoe. He couldn't hold that same spot with her. While he knew this on the surface, in the inner core some habits were hard to break. His hands fell from her shoulders. Lost little boy who didn't know what to do. She was more important than second place. Greed didn't have seconds with her anymore.
"You're not second." He stepped back, his shadow getting smaller as he gave her space. He loosened up his tie, throwing it across the room onto the couch. With Greed in the backseat and the guilt hitting him like a paddle in the face, he could step back for a minute.
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She balked at that, "I'm not?" she shook her head, "You've been distant and distracted for weeks and we fly all the way over here for us and all you can think about is how Lust is treating you and how that makes you feel unwanted, disgusting, rejected, abandoned." she didn't bother wiping her eyes, there was no point, "When I'm here and I love you and I want you.. and it makes no difference. That's not second?" her face crumpled as more tears came and she stepped outside, needing some more space between them. "Oh, and I lied. I do understand. I understand exactly how you feel." because everything he was feeling with Lust, Zoe was now feeling with him.
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"Because I don't tell you these things! Because Lust isn't going away! Because she could ultimately kill you and the fact I just about said something to her because if her prodding. I'm pissed at myself dont you get that? I am ruining this." It was inevitable as a Sin. "Go find you someone who isn't in a fucked up relationship with his sister then!" He threw off his vest now feeling for the first time...shame.
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She looked taken aback. No, he didn't tell her things, Lust wasn't going away, and you know what, sometimes she rather be dead than in a relationship that was destroying them both. She couldn't believe it when he basically told her to leave. Greed telling her to go, even in the smallest of ways, it was big. "Well you're right about one thing.." she said quietly. He was ruining it. Since she was already outside, she started walking, not wanting to be near him right now.

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He slapped his vest back and forth against the couch when she took off. There was just so much anger and hurt floating around that he was trying to channel and centralize instead of it being thrown on Zoe. He flung the vest a final time with a heavy puff of breath. He left her alone for all of five minutes before going outside to find her. He was feeling suffocated inside.

He found her by the lake curled up. The sun glistened off the lake in sheets almost like crystals bouncing off and singing towards the sky. "Are you done hating me?" He huffed. He stared at that lake though pretty heavily. Almost like he was contemplating. He remembered her saying he was getting swimming lessons...and in his crazy brain maybe that would get them out of this funk. He'd spent so long trying to keep his worlds apart, it was bound to seep together. He just wanted to keep shoving them apart.
He walked past her, quiet for the longest time before taking off his shoes and tossing them up near her. Then his socks. Then the unbuttoning of his shirt. It was sink or swim right?
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Zoe found the water relaxing and part of the reason she loved the cottage in Lithuania was there was a lake within walking distance. She sat on the ground to watch it with her knees to her chest, still sniffling as she thought on her falling apart relationship. She was surprised that she managed to get even five minutes to herself before assface showed up. At his question, she didn't even look at him but that was partly because she didn't want him to see her tear stained face. And she was still hating him and hurting desperately. She jumped when one first one shoe and then the other clunked near her and then she looked at him completely confused with her mouth slightly open as he started taking off his shirt. What the hell was he doing....
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Whether they thought the relationship was unraveling or not, Greed wasn't going to let it. He tossed the shirt and then went for the buckle of his belt and jeans. When he was done to nothing but his boxers he took a deep breath and then a took a running leap. He could splash around for a second or two because she wasn't going to let him drown. As much as Hr hated water it would force her to interact with him. It was a start at least. Extreme, but human boy and Sin didn't always think things through.
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She just watched with wide eyes and a slack jaw, "What're you doing!?" she yelled as he ran for the water. Not only did Greed hate the water but he was a poor swimmer as in he could barely swim. Her mouth was still agape as he crashed into the water and she shouted, "Would you get outta there?? I am not gonna save your butt if you drown." but there was worry already creeping into her eyes.
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He couldn't answer as he swallowed a mouthful of water. It hit his stomach like a brick, pouring in. In just a few short moments time he saw nothing but bright sun and gray-green water pouring in over his head. That was when flailing did nothing more than suffocate him further down. There in that second he witnessed what Stella had when she couldn't breathe as he held her under. Just floating under murky water not as peaceful as he had thought. Eventually he stopped struggling and the splashing stopped.
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Was he seriously going to... he was! "Ohmygod.." she took off her shoes and in one tug the dress was on the shore and she was running. Before he started seeing any hallucinated creatures, her arms looped around his underwater and she broke surface, taking in a big gulp of air before dragging him back to land. If he wasn't dead then she was going to kill him.
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He coughed up a mouthful of water, struggling to catch his breath in between gurgling sounds in his throat. He flopped onto the shore having no idea how Zoe could even pick him up in the water. His body was solid weight now, muscles relaxed as he lay there with his eyes closed.

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Zoe's body ached, her arms especially, dragging her boyfriend's big muscular body to the shore was not easy. She took in a strangled breath of air and then coughed for half a minute. She scrambled off to him, her hair slicked back and water dripping off her face. She checked his heart rate and if he was okay, her touch gentle as she moved her hands over his face..... he was okay. She slammed a fist down on his chest, "You ASSHOLE!!"
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His eyes flashed open. Her fists weren't usually so heavy. They were wet and she was still pumping adrenaline from dragging him out of the foggy water. "You aren't pounding a drum," he rubber his chest which was not just a solid brick wall. He had set out to make her deal with him and he had succeeded. He stared up at her wet face, with those big brown eyes burning with fire. She looked sexy.
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She hit him again and again, pummeling him as hard as she could, "No, I'm hitting a jerk!" she was going to strangle him in a minute, "What the hell were you doing!?"

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He took hold of her wrists pulling them away from pounding holes in his chest. He already felt like it was caving in. He promised to let her wrists go when she stopped hammering into him, but the angrier she got with water dripping down her cheek the more he wanted her to stay put. "I was sick of this invisible wall we've put up between us." He hated it, he just wanted----her. He kept his gaze heavy on her eyes.
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She struggled, her hands clenched in fists as she tried to get out of the holds he had on her wrists. She slowed only when he spoke about why he did it. She wanted to scream WE? But truth of the matter was that she'd noticed he'd been getting distant... things had been off with them for a little bit but she'd been too scared to rock the boat. Instead of talking to him about it, she'd just gone along with it. She didn't look in his eyes, just tried to yank her arms free so she could hit him again, "And the solution is drowning yourself!?" she yelled and then immediately coughed for a few seconds.
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"It got you to stop this polite shit." When she started to wail on him again he grabbed her wrists again, yanking her arms down so that her elbows were flat against his chest. "Stop being scared. I want you to talk to me. I want you to get mad." When they covered things up it only built on the frustration that was already there. She was Zoe because she opened up and treated him like a person. He wasn't going to let her just stop. She shouldn't get comfortable in just pleasing his ego. When she did it was when his lines became fuzzy. He thought more like the Greed with Lust than the Greed with Zoe.
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She gave him a dull look, "I was yelling and crying my eyes out, what part of that seemed polite?" but she quieted down for a moment when he told her to stop being scared. She was scared, she was terrified of losing him and she tried so hard.. she felt stupid and humiliated and she still hated him for doing this. And she didn't want to talk about it. "Let my wrists go and you'll see me get mad.." she gritted through her teeth, keeping her gaze at his chest.
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"Stop being this submissive bullshit girlfriend. Hmm?" He perked one brow letting her wrists go. He wanted her to speak her mind, confront him on his bullshit. He didn't want someone who catered to his every whim. He got bored with it after a while. If she submitted to a point he'd know he'd finally broken her and that would mean he wouldn't have what he cherished so much. He'd tarnished it to a point he couldn't recognize it anymore. He didn't want that with her. "I can't be me if you're not you."
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It made her face burn to hear him say that. She had been trying so hard, she just.. when he let her wrists go, she rubbed them. This day was the day from hell. He wanted her to get mad? He wanted her to stop being the good perfect girlfriend? He wanted her to be herself? She threw out her fist and punched him in the face, only.. his hard skull hurt her dainty hand and she brought it in close to her, covering it with her hand, "Owwww!"

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His cheek exploded with tiny pins popping his skin where her fist connected. "Fuck!" That was sure to leave a bruise. He rolled to his side holding his cheek as it throbbed through his skin. He had to show her how to hit like a guy and not like a girl. That was going to make a few stars buzz around his head.
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She sat on her butt with her knees drawn up, shaking out her hand that hurt like hell. She sneaked a peek at him, worried maybe she hit too hard but he was just in pain. Good. She hoped it hurt. She had a look on her face between angry, pouting, hurting, and just sad.
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"Jesus fucking Christ," he was glued to one side for a while until the throbbing started to taper. Then he just lay still for minute. Better the face than below the belt, but both were his favorite places. "I think you broke me," though she didn't hit his nose. Nothing was broken he just needed to throw out a sympathy card to see her reaction. Would she baby him or make him man up?
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She focused on her hand, stretching out her long fingers and clenching them again to see if they were bruised. At his bitching she just said, "Good." without even looking at him. Her concern for him significantly fading since he obviously wasn't that broken since he could whine. She considered hitting him again.
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He turned back over on his side. "You hit like a girl," he taunted because obviously this had had a more positive reaction. Submissive girls didn't wail into their boyfriends with fists. His cheek still pounded giving him an all new headache, but at least he'd broken down some of that brick wall.
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"Next time, I'll use a brick." she said acidly. She wasn't being sarcastic either, she'd need something large and heavy if she was going to get through his thick skull. She frowned at her hand, she wanted to hit him again but she was pretty sure she'd bruise a bone if she did.
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"If you can pick it up," he snorted with a little pound hitting his temples. It was a good kind of pain. "Maybe next time you'll actually draw blood." Part of him wanted her to hit him again. Let it all out.
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She couldn't believe what a complete douchebag he was. She narrowed her eyes and dropped her mouth open, finally looking at him to say, "You're a fucking jerk!" she should have let him drown. She moved to get up off the ground, she wanted to grab her dress and then lock him out of the house.
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Greed started laughing even though it made his cheek throb more. He tugged on her ankle like a kid that wouldn't let go and made her stay put.
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She tugged her foot and when he wouldn't let go, She tried to kick him with her other foot, there were weeks of rage inside her. But with him having one foot, kicking at him wasn't the brightest because it didn't leave her anything to stand on. So her kick missed but she stumbled and her entire half naked wet body crashed down on his.
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It was a little more of a padded fall than her punches. It still knocked the air right out of his lungs, making him groan under her weight. Her elbow hit right on the bridge of his nose in the fall which forced a stronger reaction. It wasn't until that copper taste dripped down his lips that he realized his nose was bleeding in between the not breathing part. He couldn't even do more than moan unpleasantly. She had done this before when they first met, but he was certain she had broken his face now.

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She thought he was faking it when he moaned but when she saw the blood, she just got more annoyed. "Are you happy now?" she huffed and got off him to look at his face, "Lemme see you big baby..." she was concerned but still mad.
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"You broke it!" He said through his hands which were instantly there to protect his gorgeous face. If anything she just made it bleed, but it felt ten times worse. He was still trying to breathe, but all he did was suck up blood which made him gag and cough as he sat up.
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She rolled her eyes, "I did not break it, now shut up and lemme see." she grabbed his hands to pry them off his face and take a look.
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His eyes were watered from the blow, squinting the moment she took his hands off hid face. She hadn't even touched it yet and he started voicing pain. The blood was starting to move down his chin now that he was upright.
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She gave him a look when he started to whine and without warning she squeezed the bridge of his nose lightly but it didn't feel broken, "It's just some blood, you'll live. Keep your head tilted back, you can stuff toilet paper up your nose when we get back to the cottage." It was kinda satisfying seeing him bleed, it helped calm some of her anger.
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She squeezed his nose and he swore he saw double. "Shit Zoe!" He coughed a little more feeling blood just coat his throat. He held his his back stumbling to get to his feet. A man his size and he thought his life was over because she had thrown a wallop to his face.
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She left his side to go put her dress back on, they might be in a secluded area but she wasn't gonna walk back to the cottage in bra and panties. She looked at his bumbling self and shook her head, "Do you want help back or not?" she wasn't totally heartless, she'd help him get back to the cottage if he wanted. Though she was equally happy to let him wander around and smack into things.
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He stumbled to pick up his clothes and shoes, dropping a shoe as he held his head up. He whined a little at her offer but held out his arm for her to take and lead him back to the cottage. At least the blood had stopped dripping, but his mouth still tasted of metal.
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She sighed because he looked completely helpless. "Keep your head back." she said in a stern voice and she didn't hold his hand. Instead she curled one hand around his bicep and the other around his lower arm so she could help him navigate their way back to the cottage.
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It was difficult to walk, steer and keep his head back as they made their way down the trail. The walk seemed a whole lot longer than it had been getting down to the lake. He whined the entire time even as they crossed the threshold of the cottage and inside where he was hit with a wave of hot, stuffy air. They needed to open up some windows. He flopped on the couch with a thud, his head flipped against the back though his nose had finally stopped bleeding entirely. His hand and face was just coated.
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She didn't melt at all with his constant bitching, only said, "Quit whining or I'll hit you again." once they got inside and he sat down. She went to the kitchen and returned with a wet rag and another rag that had some ice cubes wrapped in it. If he'd let her, she'd clean the blood off his face.
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He was reluctant but he let her sit and poke at him. When she went near his nose he sucked air through his teeth waiting for the pressure. He'd certainly yanked out her need to baby him. She was doing neither pampering or catering to him. At the moment though he could use at least a little bit.
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She paused when he winced and her touch was gentler. She didn't look in his eyes, just cleaned his face, focused on the task, wiping the blood away. When he only had some light pink smears left, she showed him the bundle of ice and put it in his hand. She used both hands to bring his ice holding one up to his nose. A silent way of saying keep it there.

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He had avoided her touch for some time. Now he wanted it and she only did what was necessary. It stung a little, he had to admit. So, when she was done he reached out to still her arm. He wanted her to stay.
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Zoe only looked at him and said, "Do you promise not to do anything stupid or life endangering if I go have a shower?" she was damp and covered in lake water. She had been ready to be with him earlier and he had treated her like a doormat, now she just wanted to hit him again.
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He had the ice piled up on his nose so looking at her through the cubes and towel was impossible. He simply nodded in response. It was all he could get out, though he wanted to follow her---he didn't think at this moment she would let him.
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She put her hands on her knees and got up when he confirmed he wouldn't be slitting his wrists with a salad fork or something like that. She didn't say aything to him, she didn't know what to say so just padded barefoot into the bedroom to get out of her sticky dress and ruined underwear and find something else to change into after she showered.
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As soon as she had padded off he took the ice from his face, softly pinching his nose where the cold had set in. He stiffened slightly getting up to follow her after she was already in the shower. A room apart was too much, at least this way there was only a curtain seperating them. She might want space but he wasn't willing to give it now.
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Second shower of the day and she found that she was feeling a little better. She wasn't cut out for being the super supportive whatever you want hunny girlfriend. She'd gotten scared and now everything was more messed up than before. And she had no idea how to fix it. She stood there for a few minutes, just letting the water wash over her. After the lake dip she didn't really want to sit in the tub even though that was normally what she'd do. She got another shock when she pulled the curtain back of the shower to step out and saw Greed there. "Jesus hell! Chance!" she jumped back and held the curtain across her naked wet body, giving him a look of disbelief, "There are chairs and a sofa and a bed for you to sit on, there is no reason you had to wander in here."
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“I’m enjoying the view,” he laughed but it fell quickly when his nose burned. Not that he was able to see anything of hers. He was backed up against the wall with his head leaned on the old wallpaper. “Besides,” he pulled off the icepack which was keeping his nose from swelling into the size of a football, “It was lonely out there.” She hadn’t even been gone long enough for him to even notice, but he wanted to force himself in her personal space because then maybe they could make it through whatever this was they were wading through.
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She gave him a death glare, she hadn’t since the night they went to the movies and he literally kidnapped her by tying her up. “Get. Out.” was all she said as she kept the curtain across her body so all he saw was her naked shoulder and the water dripping off her nose.
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He had never seen her quite this mad the the point where she absolutely refused to be around him no matter the what he did. So while the boy was content with just moving out of the tiny bathroom the Sin refused. He didn’t even look at her when he replied. He just gave her a simple “No” with the purse of his lips as he slipped the ice back down on his nose.
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She was so angry that it was a wonder that steam wasn’t coming off her body. “Greed, get out of the bathroom.” her voice was tense. She was stark ass naked and wanted to dry off and put some clothes on. The only thing separating her from him was a pair of boxers and a shower curtain.

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Chance had gone out the window. She had said his real name. Didn’t that mean in mortal terms that she was serious? The look on her face was ten times worse. She looked like she could literally kill him. It wasn’t a face he was sure he liked on her. It took him a few agonizing minutes before he could pull himself up off the floor and make it out of the room onto the bedroom where it seemed only the sheets would invite him willingly. He flopped heavy, wincing every time he jostled his injury. He was a bit taken aback by her forcefulness. She hadn’t even gotten out of the shower but her words were as heavy as any weight. In this flip-flop state of mind he wasn’t sure where he was. This was new territory he didn’t like with her.
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It was difficult to walk, steer and keep his head back as they made their way down the trail. The walk seemed a whole lot longer than it had been getting down to the lake. He whined the entire time even as they crossed the threshold of the cottage and inside where he was hit with a wave of hot, stuffy air. They needed to open up some windows. He flopped on the couch with a thud, his head flipped against the back though his nose had finally stopped bleeding entirely. His hand and face was just coated.
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She didn't melt at all with his constant bitching, only said, "Quit whining or I'll hit you again." once they got inside and he sat down. She went to the kitchen and returned with a wet rag and another rag that had some ice cubes wrapped in it. If he'd let her, she'd clean the blood off his face.
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He was reluctant but he let her sit and poke at him. When she went near his nose he sucked air through his teeth waiting for the pressure. He'd certainly yanked out her need to baby him. She was doing neither pampering or catering to him. At the moment though he could use at least a little bit.
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She paused when he winced and her touch was gentler. She didn't look in his eyes, just cleaned his face, focused on the task, wiping the blood away. When he only had some light pink smears left, she showed him the bundle of ice and put it in his hand. She used both hands to bring his ice holding one up to his nose. A silent way of saying keep it there.
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He had avoided her touch for some time. Now he wanted it and she only did what was necessary. It stung a little, he had to admit. So, when she was done he reached out to still her arm. He wanted her to stay.
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Zoe only looked at him and said, "Do you promise not to do anything stupid or life endangering if I go have a shower?" she was damp and covered in lake water. She had been ready to be with him earlier and he had treated her like a doormat, now she just wanted to hit him again.
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He had the ice piled up on his nose so looking at her through the cubes and towel was impossible. He simply nodded in response. It was all he could get out, though he wanted to follow her---he didn't think at this moment she would let him.
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She put her hands on her knees and got up when he confirmed he wouldn't be slitting his wrists with a salad fork or something like that. She didn't say aything to him, she didn't know what to say so just padded barefoot into the bedroom to get out of her sticky dress and ruined underwear and find something else to change into after she showered.
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As soon as she had padded off he took the ice from his face, softly pinching his nose where the cold had set in. He stiffened slightly getting up to follow her after she was already in the shower. A room apart was too much, at least this way there was only a curtain seperating them. She might want space but he wasn't willing to give it now.

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Second shower of the day and she found that she was feeling a little better. She wasn't cut out for being the super supportive whatever you want hunny girlfriend. She'd gotten scared and now everything was more messed up than before. And she had no idea how to fix it. She stood there for a few minutes, just letting the water wash over her. After the lake dip she didn't really want to sit in the tub even though that was normally what she'd do. She got another shock when she pulled the curtain back of the shower to step out and saw Greed there. "Jesus hell! Chance!" she jumped back and held the curtain across her naked wet body, giving him a look of disbelief, "There are chairs and a sofa and a bed for you to sit on, there is no reason you had to wander in here."
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“I’m enjoying the view,” he laughed but it fell quickly when his nose burned. Not that he was able to see anything of hers. He was backed up against the wall with his head leaned on the old wallpaper. “Besides,” he pulled off the icepack which was keeping his nose from swelling into the size of a football, “It was lonely out there.” She hadn’t even been gone long enough for him to even notice, but he wanted to force himself in her personal space because then maybe they could make it through whatever this was they were wading through.
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She gave him a death glare, she hadn’t since the night they went to the movies and he literally kidnapped her by tying her up. “Get. Out.” was all she said as she kept the curtain across her body so all he saw was her naked shoulder and the water dripping off her nose.
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He had never seen her quite this mad the the point where she absolutely refused to be around him no matter the what he did. So while the boy was content with just moving out of the tiny bathroom the Sin refused. He didn’t even look at her when he replied. He just gave her a simple “No” with the purse of his lips as he slipped the ice back down on his nose.
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She was so angry that it was a wonder that steam wasn’t coming off her body. “Greed, get out of the bathroom.” her voice was tense. She was stark ass naked and wanted to dry off and put some clothes on. The only thing separating her from him was a pair of boxers and a shower curtain.
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Chance had gone out the window. She had said his real name. Didn’t that mean in mortal terms that she was serious? The look on her face was ten times worse. She looked like she could literally kill him. It wasn’t a face he was sure he liked on her. It took him a few agonizing minutes before he could pull himself up off the floor and make it out of the room onto the bedroom where it seemed only the sheets would invite him willingly. He flopped heavy, wincing every time he jostled his injury. He was a bit taken aback by her forcefulness. She hadn’t even gotten out of the shower but her words were as heavy as any weight. In this flip-flop state of mind he wasn’t sure where he was. This was new territory he didn’t like with her.
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The stony look on her face fell as soon as he left the bathroom. She wasn’t strong in her anger, she was weak and she gripped the shower curtain so she wouldn’t fall down. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she stepped out and grabbed the towel. She took her time, brushing out her wet hair and whereas before she’d wear just underwear and a cami top around the house or to bed, she put on jeans and a t-shirt. She wasn’t comfortable, it was armor. She was mad at him but she was mad at herself too. She didn’t know how to communicate with him anymore. Maybe she never did and they’d been kidding themselves all along. She didn’t look at him or even say a word when she came out of the bathroom carrying her dirty clothes, she just went over to her duffel in the corner of the bedroom and stuffed the soiled clothes in a plastic bag for laundry.

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He was sitting in his corner, the little kid that had been thrown into timeout. He was overwhelmed with feelings and it all just came out in the worst of ways. He was a mess here, he was actually on the verge of tears and that was just rude. Didn’t his body have more manners than to be so disloyal to him? This was what Zoe did. She cried. She got mad but he made them move on through this minefield.

He had curled up in a ball under the covers on his side, keeping the ice pressed to his forehead and nose with one arm. He didn’t even really understand what this was over other than he had pressed so many buttons all at once that she had exploded.
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Zoe wasn’t in the mood to explain it to him, she was hating the emotions in her. It wasn’t just anger and fear. There was a good deal of embarrassment there and she couldn’t face him to tell him. Who wanted to admit such horrible intimate things to the person they cared about the most? It was easier to be angry with him. She put her stuff away and stalked off to the living room, leaving him as a mess on the bed without even a second glance.
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It burned him inside that she kept just passing him by as if he were furniture. He stayed curled up in that bed until the ice had melted into water. It wasn’t his nose that hurt anymore, there was all kinds of things going on inside that he felt sick. It wasn’t the transitioning he’d been prepared for. He was still sniffling like a little kid, he even had the hiccups now because his body continued to betray him with these horrible human things. It carried on even as he took another shower to wash it all away. It was still there. Fucking human skin, it made the Sin angry. He couldn’t go running to Lust to baby him. Zoe continued to ignore him and he just simply was not okay with it.

He came back out into the living room where she was, just in his flannel shirt and some jeans (a new pair). He pointed a finger at her accusingly. “Stop ignoring me like I have the plague.” He’d said that earlier, but this time was different. His words came out a little shifty in between the hiccuped breaths he was taking. His eyes were even a little red. How dare she do this to him? He’d tried for some time to even figure out why she was ignoring him and he didn’t know other than he’d played a trick on her in the lake.
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She was on the sofa, her own eyes were red, clearly having cried more while he was in the shower. They were dry when he walked in and she had her book open in her lap. Weeks of emotions were still bottled up and he’d shaken that bottle but the top hadn’t come off yet. She looked at him with steel in her brown eyes, “Give me time to cool off. If you need attention, there’s girls in town.” and her eyes went back to the book. She didn’t really want him to go get laid by someone else but she was in no mood to deal with him and she knew he’d feel cheated if he didn’t get sex from someone this trip. She didn’t think it mattered at this point if it was from her or not.
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His jaw stiffened hard through clenched teeth through those hiccups. She was nearing the end of her tether. He wanted to keep pulling until she just spilled it out already. “So you want me to just fuck something and not tell me what the fuck your problem is?” He swallowed another lump hanging in his throat. “Because that’s what Lust would tell me to do.” She didn’t like Lust, he knew this was the touchy subject, but she was reacting stupidly. “I forgot I’m just a machine that only fucks and does nothing else.” She was making him feel cheap again and he didn’t like it coming from her. She had done that to him before, but this was ten times worse.

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She stiffened herself when he compared her to Lust. She compared herself to Lust so much it drove her crazy, she always wondered if he did but he never seemed to.. until recently. There was nothing she could do to be Lust when Lust was great, there was nothing she could do to not be Lust when Lust was something he didn’t want. She was losing her patience again as she testily said, “You said you didn’t want to be ignored so I suggested you get attention, you wanna fuck someone, then do it. You wanna build something, do that. Read, eat, run laps, do whatever the hell you want. Just leave me alone.” she wanted him to back off and was getting worked up that he wouldn’t.
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The face she didn’t like was going to rear it’s ugly head because she was making him fall apart. The Sin never wanted that to happen again. It was a reflex reaction because it was his own armor. She wasn’t going to get away with making him feel this cheap. Greed did not care about things like that. He yanked the book from her hands and tossed it aside. “I’m right here,” he sat himself down on the table in front of the sofa, “and like it or not I’m not fucking going anywhere. So you can wipe that shit look off your face and start talking. I might be a whore but I’m not a cheap one. And you don’t get to call me one.” He was upset by that. Those words had dug in a little too deep for his liking.
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She jumped when he grabbed the book and tossed it aside, the more he got in her face, the more she refused to look at him as fresh tears threatened to come to her eyes. She drew her knees up to her chest protectively but his words were just making her angry all over again. “I didn’t say you were! Stop putting words in my damn mouth and just GO AWAY!” she shouted the last bit without meaning to and she broke. The only other time she’d been a combination of this angry and upset was when he’d tried to walk out on her when she was with Mike. Zoe covered her face as her body shook with sobs she was trying to hold back. She didn’t want to see him or maybe she just didn’t want him to see her.
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She was hiding things from him. She didn’t hide from him before. Why was now so different? “I’m not gonna fucking go away. You don’t get to tell me to go away.” He might want to ship her out on that plane right back to New York about now but he wasn’t going to be told what to do. He yanked on her arms to pull them away from her. She was holding herself behind a wall. “I’ll tie your fucking arms and legs apart if you don’t stop this shit. Stop hiding from me.” The Sin might be sitting back behind a glass cage but hell if Greed was going to look like a broken man again.
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She kicked at him (but her body was in such way that her feet kicked air instead of his body) and struggled to keep her arms in as he fought her to get them away. Flem lined her throat and tears were spilling down her cheeks. “Then I’ll go away...!” her voice was desperate. She just wanted to be left alone, why couldn’t he leave her alone?
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“NO.” It was an order. He wasn’t going to let her walk off on him again. He did extreme things when she did that. If the jumping in the lake stint didn’t give her the hint. Seeing her like this though, it was hard, it felt like she truly was beginning to hate him. He didn’t let up on her arms and eventually moved onto the couch, still with her arms in his hands. He would pry them off one by one and he’d take ten more hits to his nose if it meant she would tell him what the fuck was going on. He pulled one arm off then another and yanked her against him, shoving her back against his chest, his legs going on either side of her to lock down around her knees. “Now either you stop this shit now or I’m going to end up hurting you.” He was feeling nauseated again. “Don’t hate me so much...” his voice felt a little more broken than he’d anticipated. But he was wearing her down to nothing. He’d lose her before he was ready.

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She struggled as much as she could but her energy was limited especially after dragging him out of the water earlier. She didn’t know how to tell him what was wrong. She felt so stupid and just shook her head as the tears didn’t stop once he latched around her, her body was tight but she was shaking in his hold. At least now he couldn’t look at her but even still she kept her gaze lowered. He’d already hurt her, more than he knew. And she couldn’t bring herself to tell him. But it was eating away at her.. at them. She didn’t have the words to tell him she didn’t hate him, he’d have to interpret her actions to mean that since she wasn’t fighting him anymore.
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“I’ll lose you if you don’t tell me...” his voice was softer now. He wasn’t yelling anymore. “Tell me what is going on.” He didn’t understand. He couldn’t even try like this if she didn’t give him a single word grab onto. He was tired, he could feel his muscles spasm to just drop right there, but he held on.

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She’d quieted down when he became softer but as her thoughts flooded her, she was overwhelmed again. She’d made such a mess of things. After some silence, she finally whispered, “It doesn’t matter. I just.. I feel stupid.” and she did, it was why she kept it from him when before she never had kept things from him.
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“And that’s stopped you before?” he questioned, his chin perfectly seated in the crook of her neck no matter what she wanted of him. “Spit it out already. I can’t read your mind.” Greed was good at a lot of things, but he couldn’t pull anything from her. It was almost as if she was invisible and there was nothing reflecting back to him. He’d never had that problem before with her.
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Those words took her by surprise since she was used to saying that to him. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye wondering how the tables had gotten turned. She took a deep breath and said in a small voice finally, “You left me..” she knew he wouldn’t remember so elaborated, “The day you got that haircut I fixed.. she called and you left me.” before he could say anything she shook her head and rushed on, “And I know our deal. I know. But you’d never walked away from me like that before.” she paused as more tears bubbled up, “I know I’m not first but it killed me to be treated like I was second.” and that was the difference. Normally when he shacked up with Lust, he did it in his own time, he did it after he had spent his time with Zoe. And knowing the deal she made with him wasn’t the same as having to live it. She accepted what he did with his sister but to have him actually walk away from her to go to Lust... it had hurt her badly and she had felt she couldn’t say anything about it because hey, it was part of the deal. There was more to the story but this was the tip of the iceberg she’d built by not speaking up.
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“And if I hadn’t? What then? She would have known something was going on.” Zoe wasn’t his secret mistress, but to Lust he had to have some invisible boundaries or this was going to turn out a bloody mess. The more he tried to keep the lines separate they blurred anyway. “Lust isn’t going to understand. I almost slipped. If I hadn’t left she would find me.” He had to take precaution. “World War Three would have broken out within seconds.” He hadn’t gone willingly. “I fought with her the whole time.” There was more, but now that she was talking maybe the rest would tumble out. That couldn’t have been the only thing that had made her her own doormat.
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“I know!” she exploded. “Why do you think I didn’t say anything!? I know!” she calmed down again shaking her head, “It doesn’t make it hurt any less. I know there isn’t anything you can do but try to put yourself in my place for a moment. You get mad if I cuddle a pillow, how would you feel if I’m in your arms and suddenly I dump you to go get fucked?” had he ever tried to see it from her point of view? She was understanding to a point but she was human. She loved him and was jealous and felt trampled on.

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He hadn’t thought of it like that because Greed was a selfish being. Always. There was no taking away from that. “Did you think I wanted to be there?” he hadn’t. Inevitably, yes, he and Lust fucked, but it had taken a lot for her to pull it out of him. In all this time, all these months he had not ran off with just any mortal girl. He couldn’t, his head didn’t even swivel in their direction. There was just her. Right now Zoe was reacting like he did over the pillows. Only if he’d fucked a pillow they probably wouldn’t be in this situation. He thought a moment before blurting that right out. “You want me to fuck a pillow instead?”
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She nodded, “I do.” she did think he wanted to be with Lust. He needed sex. He wanted it. She turned her head a little to look at him when he blurted out the pillow line. She didn’t smile but sighed, “I wish... but I know you want her. And I can’t give it to you and even if I could..” she shook her head for the hundredth time, they’d been down this road. She closed her eyes, “Tell me something honestly.. you keep acting like.. just tell me, if she wouldn’t kill either of us, if there were no consequences.. would you still sleep with her?” it was an answer she knew but she just wanted to twist the knife that was already deep in her.
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“Well, I didn’t want to go that night. She practically had to force it out of me.” That was the truth. Lust had goaded him to the point where he’d just been too mad to let her call him a weakling. As a Sin he wasn’t weak in any way. “You know the answer to that. It’s the way things are.” He couldn’t just turn it off. It’s what they were. There was never going to be a time with or without Zoe that Greed could just refuse Lust or she refuse him. It was the tangled web they had. Sadly, Zoe was just caught in it.
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She nodded sadly with her lips turned in, she’d known the answer. “Don’t.. don’t say that, please.” when he tried to explain it away with saying he hadn’t wanted to go and it was forced and all that, it didn’t make it better because it didn’t change a thing. She squirmed in his hold some and hell, they’d already started down this horrible path so she might as well keep going. She took a deep breath, “You remember how I told you I ran into Theseus while you were away..?” she had kinda glossed over what they’d talked about. Her throat closed up a little as she tried to get the words out, “He was asking about you. He thought it was so moronic of me to be in a relationship with you. And I’m sitting there.. trying to defend you.. defend us, and I keep thinking in the back of my mind. ‘Oh God.. oh God what if he asks where he is?’” she sniffled and wiped her hand with the back of her nose, “It was humiliating. I was so scared because after going on about how hard we worked at our relationship and how much we loved each other, if he asked, I was going to have to tell him ‘Oh he’s off fucking his sister for a week.’” more tears fell as she kept talking, “He kept looking at me like..” she trailed off but they both knew Theseus knew that Greed slept with Lust and the judgement Zoe suffered for it was harsh. It was hard to defend them when it even sounded strange to her ears. “You’d walked away from me for the first time for her.. and there I was sounding like an idiot and feeling...” she turned her head towards him but didn’t look at him, “I’m sorry if I made you feel like a cheap whore earlier because I know the feeling really really well.” it was how she felt. Used, pathetic, not valued, and maybe not a whore for sex but like a plaything. Something that was entertaining until what he really wanted, the better thing was available.

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Greed had to bite back the human urge which was to give up and let her go. His human body was breaking and he had no idea how to deal with that. They had been through crazy roller coasters, but this was one that went up and was just continuing to spiral down into the abyss. But, boy or Sin he wasn’t a quiter. But to hear about Theseus made his fears of losing what was his completely rear up. Theseus was similar, they both talked in ways that influenced what she thought and how she felt. Theseus didn’t hold any special charms, but the fact that he was becoming a thorn in Greed’s side by popping up and not leaving not only irritated him, but made him worry that this figure was someone that was fighting to stay in her life. That pushed Greed out of the spotlight and he was shoving back. So, in a way even though she didn’t mean it, he was being thrown the exact same bullshit he fed her. It hurt to have it creep up from behind like that.

“I’ve never felt like that before.” Her saying it made him see that he wasn’t alone. It was new territory for him, but it wasn’t for her.
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She put her arm over his that was around her, her hand resting on top of his. She felt bad hearing that, “I.. didn’t mean for you to. I just didn’t want to feel like it anymore. And you’ve been distant...” she trailed off, again feeling too ashamed to continue.
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“I don’t usually feel bad about being a manwhore except when I’m with you.” Because for some reason he didn’t want to be around her. She made it....more precious than that. So when she threw things like that at him, it hit like a brick. “You threw the L-word at me. It was hard to hear.” His Sin had immediately put up it’s blocker for immunity, but she had already seeped in. It was too little too late for it to be fought off. He was in deep. He’d been in deep for a long time.
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She squirmed again when he brought up the L word, “I know..” her voice was really quiet, “I could tell how hard it was for you to hear.. and it hurt.” she was glad he couldn’t see the look on her face because she had been crushed by how he had treated her after she said it. She was uncomfortable all over again as she admitted, “You’re the first guy I’ve ever said it to and meant it and you...” he’d turned distant and even a little mean. “I don’t know what I did wrong.” her voice breaking at the end because he already knew she loved him and he’d been so upset with her before when she wouldn’t say it and now things seemed to have gotten worse ever since she did say it.
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He moved one of his hands out from under hers, petting the top of her head with his fingers raking through her hair. “Did you stop to think that like when you kiss me that’s my body’s natural defense?” It wasn’t that he meant it any less or was going to throw away what she had said, it just meant he was trying to deal with it in his own way. “I’m not some fucking human boy who just dumps you after. I just---I had to absorb it.” Knowing and hearing it ring in his ears was like banging a gong. The Sin literally became rattled. “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he whispered into her hair. “I think the Sin side likes you more than he lets on.”
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No, she hadn’t thought of it that way. He’d told her he loved her first, a couple of times. “But... you asked.. you demanded me to tell you before.” he’d been upset after Kansas that she hadn’t said it. And he’d actually said it in a semi-Sin state... and then promptly thrown up. Oh. That made some more sense. Her body relaxed a bit more as he combed his fingers through her hair. She shook her head when he said the Sin side liked her more than he let on. She turned in his arms, burrowing into his chest, “No..” her voice was like a child’s and muffled, “You were distant and mean... and you didn’t wanna be with me. I felt like I was losing you.”

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“You mean now or before?” They both had been thinking the same thing of the other when they first arrived. Like they didn’t want to be around each other and promptly ignored the chill in the air. This was the most confused he’d been in a long time. In the future she wasn’t allowed to bottle shit up. It was a coke can that had been dropped on the floor and busted.
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“Both.” she said and stayed against him as the words came pouring out, “You got cold after I said it, like I was smothering you. You were so... I felt like you were testing me and I was terrified I was going to fail. So I gave you space... and you took it.” she’d been surprised by that. It had scared her that he not only took the space away from her but he relished it, “It hurt to see you fine without me.” ugh, she hated saying these things, she felt pathetic. “I felt like if I said anything about it.. I’d just scare you off more. And if you were unhappy then you’d go.. to her.” which wouldn’t have been a thought in her head if him leaving her for Lust and her having a talk with her grandfather hadn’t happened so soon before. She’d been happy to tell him she loved him, when it slipped out she realized that it was true, that even though he’d been with Lust just days before and her grandfather had rattled her.. she did love Greed despite it all. His reaction to it had been less than desirable and just twisted her already fragile mind.
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“I needed the space. But when I came back you were this warped version of my girlfriend. Like you were only there to please me. Which is fine, but it gets boring.” It was why no girl ever lasted as long as her. It was why he jumped ship to the next one. “You didn’t fight me. You didn’t stand up to me you just were all ‘oh ho hum okay’. If it pissed you off say it. I like you better when you shove back.” She needed to know because if she had continued down that path of ‘let me help you, let me do things for you, let me be the dutiful girlfriend and not Zoe he would go to lust willingly next time. “You were not Zoe either.” It had been a reflection on him. He gave her what she wanted, he was the boy that she was afraid to have and too worried to push.
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She smacked his chest and said frustratedly, “And say what? How dare you need space? I don’t want you to leave me like that? I’m scared and a basket case when you left me a week ago and I haven’t recovered? I’m sorry that I said the words and if I could I’d take them back? That I hated you only came some nights into my bed because I didn’t know where you were or what you were doing on the others? That I really hated we didn’t talk and I felt worse than a hooker since you’d be gone by morning? That I really, really missed you,” she smacked his chest twice for emphasis, “And it didn’t seem like you missed me at all? You seemed annoyed with me.” she settled down again and said in a miserable voice, “You didn’t seem to want Zoe.” so she tried to be someone else.
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“Yes!” he gave a flat laugh with a little sarcasm. “I would have prefered that. Because then you wouldn’t be exploding like a fucking soda can. You never hid shit before, don’t you think I can sense it?” He wasn’t a bloodhound, but he’d been at this for longer than she cared to tally up. “I”ve been doing this a long time. I know when you’re being someone else?” Just like she could sniff out the Sin. “If I wanted someone to cater to me I’d be out with the first Mary to cross my path. They’re good and then its done. I don’t want you to turn into someone that doesn’t see me.” She had forgotten him in there. “You were treating me like some shit mortal boy. I’m not some shit mortal boy.”

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She didn’t know that he’d been able to tell things were off with her. He hadn’t said anything about it so she assumed he didn’t notice or didn’t care. But then again isn’t that what she’d been doing with him? She smacked his chest again but lightly, “You’re a shit Sin.” she grumbled. Her fingers now resting on his torso idly moved up and down as she said the flat out truth, “I got scared. Between Lust and my grandfather... I mean when I realized I didn’t care and I.. L-worded you, you acted like it was this diseased thing. Even the way you touched me... you were different with me and I..” she looked at his shirt, still glad he couldn’t see her face, “.. I can’t not have you in my life. I panicked. I felt like you were looking for an excuse to leave.” so if she made him happy, he wouldn’t have a reason to go.
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“Okay lets get one thing straight. I don’t look for excuses to leave. If I wanted to I’d just go and say so. I’m not some half assed boy that tries to build lame ass lies. If I wanted to give you a lie it would be so damn good you wouldn’t know the difference.” And what she had forgotten was he didn’t lie to her. Not because he’d planned it that way, but because she made it so easy to just be. A lie got him nowhere with her. It didn’t benefit him in any way. It wasn’t an escape route, nor did it make him get what he wanted. It was the opposite. “You saw what you wanted to see.” He kept telling her that. She could explain it to other people easy, but she needed to remember when she started pulling faces he did too. He was the mirror reflection of what others wanted of him. “Moreover I’ve been shit pissed at Lust for weeks now, we went over this. I was off getting high or playing video games because you for a moment wanted to be this girl that I didn’t know anymore.” He could see it now. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. That fear of losing what you had wasn’t any less for either of them.
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That was true. She was sure if Greed wanted to leave, he’d just go. In that sense it was good he wasn’t just some normal human boy. “I know... I know.” she continued tracing a pattern on his shirt with her finger as she then said, “In the spirit of coming clean... I offered you your space partly because I felt that at least that way if you were distant then it’d be at least something that I came up with so it wouldn’t be like you were leaving me..” it was a shitty thing but there it was. If Zoe proposed the idea of separation instead of him just doing it on his own then maybe it would have hurt less. It didn’t. “If I hadn’t offered it... what would you have done..?” she just wanted to know if things would have worked out between them or if he’d have just avoided her for awhile.
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“I would have said. I’ll see you in a few days.” He spoke flatly because it was the most obvious answer to him. She usually made him be the man when she let him take control of a situation, but sometimes he needed the push and pull or this wasn’t going to work. If he could steamroll right over her then he was going to have another tragedy on his hands too soon.
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She digested what he said.. all of what he’d been saying really and finally turned her head a little so she could look up at his face with her big brown eyes, “I should’ve just told you you were being a jerk and to come over when you’d gotten your head out of your ass.” she said it in an almost sad voice that was more dull in tone because if she hadn’t been freaked out and scared (which the L word tended to do to people) that would have been how she would have handled it. She had felt rejected though.. forgetting that Greed was in it for the long haul, he had no plans to get rid of her.

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It felt like the first time she’d really looked at him since they got there. At least she wasn’t walking on eggshells anymore. He couldn’t put up much more with that. “That would have been one way to put it. Though, I know you’ve admitted that it’s a great ass.” He gave a quick, soft smile and a long breath out. The entire day thus far had been quite the ordeal.
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She didn’t smile exactly but the light that had been absent from her eyes lately was slowly creeping back in. “I felt like since I said it.. you didn’t want me anymore cause you had my L word so there was nothing left to keep it interesting..” she frowned deeply, it wasn’t easy for her to admit that, or this.. “Being around my grandfather again.. it just reminds me of him and my grandmother. He was an immortal and she was so in love with him.. he just got bored one day and left her. It was so easy to just.. walk away. She never recovered from that. And I know you’re not him and I’m not her.. but..” her eyes became wet again as she trailed off because it was difficult not to see how history seemed to be repeating itself. And if the same tale was going to be told, it wouldn’t be a happy ending for Zoe. Not that she expected one in the traditional sense.. but it was just something that was niggling her in the back of her mind.
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"Okay your grandfather is a coward for one. He seems forgetful as shit. We aren't even going to get into the fact that Lust is dangling him around like a fish on a fucking hook. So, no I don't think you need to compare anything to him." Greed was going to protect what he had. "You're part of my fucking collection now. I'm not going to leave it." Not on purpose.
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She gave him a watery smile, it was what she’d needed to hear. She hadn’t realized how badly her grandparents own rough history had been beating on her till this explosive fight with the man she loved. But he said he wasn’t going anywhere and he didn’t lie to her. She was choosing to ignore the Lust and her grandfather part, she couldn’t handle it right now. “I thought you said I wasn’t your toaster, I was your girlfriend... do you have a collection of girlfriends?”
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"You're like the holiday barbie. Only one and the most expensive. Gets taken care of, still in its new box." He nudged her side with his knee. In all this time since they had arrived they hadn't even made smoochy faces. It had been one fight after the other. Now felt a little more like home. He motioned with his chin upward for her to follow. With his reassurance came some sort of physical touch.
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It was an awkward pretzeled position he had her in but when he wanted her closer, she moved closer, not kissing him still, “Aren’t barbies supposed to be played with..?” her questioning how much he’d been avoiding touching her not just here but lately in general.
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"Yes, but she's the special one," he whispered, his eyes focused from her eyes down to that fat bottom lip. So, he had been avoiding. Not at this moment. At this moment he needed contact.

[history-repeats.insanejournal.com]

For the first time in weeks she felt like she was on the same page with him. And because she was tired of not being herself, she did what she wanted to do. She leaned her head back and closed the small distance between them by kissing him. She’d waited for him to give him space and whatnot but it had not worked out. She had to take a lesson from his playbook where sometimes too much space was a bad thing.
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Her lips felt like velvet on his lips. It had been so long it was almost foreign. His arms that were loose around her didn’t tighten but his hands gripped her shirt. She didn’t know how much he needed that as reassurance that this wasn’t headed down a dead end. It was touch and go a little earlier. He had to remember (as he felt so easily here) that humans were essentially made of glass. They could crack, there was only so much they could take. Sometimes he couldn’t poke everything at once. It took just a little training before he fell into that kiss. In a deadzone he put things off, now it was as if they should have just done this from the beginning. That human contact.
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This had been what Zoe wanted to do ever since they got here but it was good that their problems got aired out. This time when she squirmed in his arms it was because she was twisted around physically in kissing him and wanted a more comfortable position. The kisses always meant something deeper in deadzone’s but this time, after the brutality of what they just went through, it was like a balm to cover the burns and soothe over their ravaged hearts. She needed that assurance from him just as much as he needed it from her. He was the most basic of human wants and desires and she was after all, only human. Something he felt first hand here.
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It gave off a good tingling feeling, soothing all that ache and pain. He loosened up even more to give her space to turn, and when she was facing him he let go of that physical shyness he seemed to obtain in deadzone’s. He kissed her in a way that was still talking without words. Telling her not to ever do this again in between those soft pecks on her lips that gradually got a little longer, a little deeper. His hands rested on her sides, tugging her softly to get her in his lap. He wanted her arms around him, her hands touching him like she used to. All the things that made his head spin in circles. He’d forgotten how good it felt.
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She put her hands on his chest as the kisses went from smaller to something more and finally she sank into the kiss, her hands sliding up along his chest to around his neck, pulling him in close for her kiss and not willing to let him go. Her kiss speaking for her, how glad she was to still have him and that all her fears about losing him had been unfounded.