closed | shadows all around you

[hardedged]

who: Stephen Strange + Jessica Jones
what: A canon update doesn't end well
when: November 18, Evening
where: Anywhere with cheap booze
warnings: References to alcoholism and poor life choices



[ it's a cold, merciless night — the wind's picked up, harsh and bitter as jessica stumbles out of a local dive bar. she swears aloud as she lands flat on the pavement, her fall cushioned by garbage. it's enough to remind her of home sweet home. with a low grunt, she shouts in the direction of the establishment, her speech slurred: ]

Tasted like shit, anyway!

[ jesus, she's so tired. and wasted, can't forget that small detail. shutting her eyes, she attempts to rise to her feet, only to collapse back to the ground instead. ]

Goddammit.

Comments

[potentialed]

[ Guess it was a good thing Stephen had decided to take a walk the normal way. He hears Jessica before he sees her and when he rounds the corner, manages to see her fall on the sidewalk after a failed attempt to stand.

He hisses a 'shit' to himself and his steps pick up as he tries to get to her before she attempts it again.

He kneels down to her, ]

Can't say I'm surprised you'd try to pick a fight with the sidewalk.

[hardedged]

[ he's always there — stephen shithead strange, popping up at the most inconvenient time. she grunts, low and rough, as she turns over and squints up at him. ]

Fuck. It's you again.

[ the harsh edge in her tone, normally prevalent in each syllable, is absent for once. jess can't bring herself to infuse the same amount of sarcasm she normally would. not in her current state. ]

[potentialed]

I missed you, too, buttercup.

[ But he does notice the normal bite isn't in her voice. So, he grabs her by the elbow, giving a small tug, ]

C'mon. I'll help you up.

[hardedged]

[ grumbling beneath her breath, she rises to her feet, yet fails to otherwise resist. ]

Hands off. I'm fine.

[ despite her words, jessica instinctively leans into his embrace for support and shuts her eyes. she can hardly walk straight, compliments of her blurred vision. jesus, she feels like crap. ]

[potentialed]

[ He can clearly see that isn't the case but instead of making his typical smart ass remark, his own voice gets softer. ]

Yeah, well. Just in case, okay?

[ He waits for her to be on her feet more or less before wrapping an arm around her waist and tries to dig out his sling ring with his other hand, holding her against him. He hasn't tried this with one hand before but it's worth a try considering how difficult it is for her to even stand up straight.

It takes some doing but the portal opens and a few steps and they are in his apartment, the warmth inside wrapping around them despite a cold wind blowing up behind them as he closes the portal back. ]

How much did you drink, Jones?

[hardedged]

[ a startled exhale slips from her mouth, as stephen abruptly transports them to his apartment. no matter how many times he's thrown her inside one of his portals, she'll never get used to it. after a few seconds, the vertigo passes, and jess pulls back from his hold only to fall flat on the floor. ]

Not enough.

[potentialed]

[ He tries to grab her to make sure she doesn't fall and promptly fails, wincing at the sound of impact as she hits the floor. He stands there, sighing. Well, that went terribly.

He kneels down and tries to get her into his arms again, ]

I disagree.

[hardedged]

[ she attempts to stand up and brush off his hold, yet at the last moment, jessica stumbles straight into his arms. her eyes close again, as her head falls to rest against his shoulder. ]

Just go.