[ video ]

[hostage]

[The video's shaky when Jesse starts transmitting. He's at the baseball diamond and it's the middle of winter and he's shivering, dressed for a New Mexico summer in a hoodie that's barely thicker than the t-shirt he's wearing underneath it.]

I'm here.

[He's saying that to the NV, but his attention is away from the camera, directed to the road.]

Where's a goddamn taxi...

[He stops walking for a second and raises the NV so he can talk to it properly.]

I'm here. I'm okay. How long's it been? What year is it?

Comments

voice

[hejhej]

Two thousand thirteen.

[oooh god she's not sure if she's gonna hug him or choke him out.]

[hostage]

[At that response, he lowers the NV momentarily so he can shut his eyes and take a deep breath and fight back tears without making a whole spectacle of it. No one can possibly understand how good it is to hear Lisbeth's voice right now. When he's gathered himself, he looks at the NV again.]

I'm on my way home. I just gotta get a ride. You're at home, right?

[hejhej]

Yes.

I can meet you.

[Video]

[treehopping]

Jesse! You came back.

[There's so much relief in her voice]

It's not been long. It's February 2nd.

[hostage]

[So she's okay, she's alive, home still exists - He presses his hand to his mouth for a second, nodding, and then:]

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I'll wait here.

[hostage]

Rue!

[Thank god. Thank god. He gives her a strained smile.]

So it's only been like a week, huh?

[manicpixiedreamgirl]

Oh my god.

[Cue Alice dropping her NV and freaking out.]

Jesse, are you okay?

text >> action

[hejhej]

[Grabbing one of his jackets on the way out, she leaves the house on her motorbike. Call it an impulse buy to make herself feel better when he left. She breaks nearly every posted speed limit to make it to the baseball field, pulling up to the curb with a screeching halt that jerks her forward.

She kicks the stand out as she pulls off her helmet.]

[hostage]

[Allow him to quickly reassure:]

Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine! Nothing happened, I just - I got sent home, I guess.

[hostage]

[Jesse approaches the bike uncertainly. He knows it's her, but he looks lost anyway, like he isn't sure what he's supposed to do now or how he's supposed to behave. It feels like ages since he's been here, not because a lot of time's actually passed, but because so much has happened. There's so much he's lost and regained and lost again, and so much he's suddenly aware of, and here's Lisbeth in the middle of all of it. He thinks he's been dreaming about her while he was away; desperate, lonely dreams.]

[manicpixiedreamgirl]

Oh thank god.

[She sags in relief, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding. Still getting used to that part of being human.]

When I heard you were gone I couldn't...I'm just glad you're home.

[hostage]

God, I'm sorry. I wish I could've... I would've at least said goodbye. I didn't wanna go.

[hejhej]

[She looks him in the eye, her own eyes wide. Lisbeth usually isn't one to make a big show of things so if someone was looking for her to run into his arms, then they had another thing coming. She wonders if it'll be the same when Yosuke came back - there was something different about him then, but it was for the better. Was it the same for everyone?

Lisbeth approaches Jesse and wraps the jacket around him. As she pulls it over his chest, however, she leans forward and buries her face in his chest.]

[treehopping]

Mmhm. [She looks at the camera after glancing down.] I missed you, I was worried you wouldn't come back... Are you okay?

[hostage]

[He doesn't quite hug her, standing awkwardly for a moment before his hands settle on her waist and his cheek rests against the top of her head. His breathing is slow and careful. A long moment passes before he risks speaking, and then it's a whisper:]

Is this real?

[manicpixiedreamgirl]

No, don't apologize, you've got no reason to.

[She pauses, chewing on her bottom lip. There's been something on his mind, since he disappeared, and the problem about being human is now those kinds of things have the lovely side effect of keeping her up at night.]

Speaking of apologies, I think....I owe you one.

[hostage]

Yeah, I'm good. I'm great. Are you? I mean, okay?

[hostage]

What? Why?

[treehopping]

I'm okay, nothing really happened while you were gone. Except you were gone. But you're back now.

[She gives him a watery smile.] Can I come over? Is that okay, I know you just got back.

[hejhej]

[Her heart sinks when she doesn't feel his arms around her. There's a marked difference about him, but she doesn't want to pull away. Finally there's contact and he speaks. The question is an interesting one and she lifts her head to answer.]

Kiss me and find out.

[hostage]

Yeah, definitely. Um... Gimme a couple hours first? I gotta get a ride and... I should shower and stuff.

[Cry. He means cry.]

[manicpixiedreamgirl]

I almost ate you.

[treehopping]

I'll bring food! [She nods. Rue wants to give you the biggest hug and cling, and she will later.] Okay, a couple hours. I'll be there.

[hostage]

[One hand leaves her waist. His fingers brush her jawline as they move to tilt her chin up. He looks at her, eyes misty, and he wavers there as if he's torn about this. Like this is the wrong thing to do. But he does it anyway, pressing his lips to hers for a kiss that's soft and sweet and full of longing.]

[hostage]

[That gets a strange little laugh out of him.]