primary_asset: (011)
John Reese ([personal profile] primary_asset) wrote2018-01-05 03:35 pm
Entry tags:

(no subject)

The city of Darrow has been a bit of an interesting place to be since New Year's Eve, a little more dangerous than it's been in the past. John doesn't blame any of the people who have been affected by the changes, he can't even begin to imagine what it must be like, how hard it must be for them to adjust, but it does mean there's a bit more danger that's come with the chaos.

People take advantage of chaos. There are always people who do.

So John is out patrolling more often. He's picked up a few extra shifts on Karen's encouragement and while he knows she doesn't need taking care of, it eases his mind a little that she doesn't mind that he's out here.

It's unusual for a detective to be out on the street like this, but John has always preferred it. And he's really only a detective because the Machine decided he ought to be and John doesn't consider himself above the activities of the regular officers. So he's out on the streets and he knows he shouldn't be alone, it's not the safest route to take, but John isn't worried about his own safety.

Maybe that's why he gets cornered. It's a robbery gone wrong, a few masked men who think they can abuse an elderly shop owner into giving them all the money in his register, but John enters at just the right moment. Or the wrong one, he'll think later, when he's recovering from his injuries. It's not that they take him by surprise, he's aware from the start how many of them there are, that there's three behind the counter, one behind the door and one in the back room, but five against one just aren't very good odds.

They're worse still when he's hit from the side with a length of pipe and even though he tries to shift away at the last second, he still takes the hit on the back of his neck, hard enough to knock him down.

Karen might have encouraged him to pick up some extra shifts, but as he collapses on his hands and knees, he has a feeling this isn't quite what she had in mind.
itsdarkcorners: (pic#11170847)

[personal profile] itsdarkcorners 2018-02-10 08:55 am (UTC)(link)
At first, Karen doesn't quite believe what she's heard. Then, she thinks it must be the product of the concussion, that he doesn't quite know what he's saying or will take it back at any moment. Quickly, though, logic drowns all of that out. It's been months now, and it was far longer before that she had unshakable feelings for him, no matter how hard she tried to talk herself out of them. She probably loved him even before he finally first kissed her. Maybe this isn't exactly how she would have expected a conversation like this to happen, but she's not about to write it off, either.

"Took you long enough," she says, teasing, her nose wrinkling through a smile. She leans in to kiss him then, just because she can, soft and brief but sure. "I love you, too."
itsdarkcorners: (129)

[personal profile] itsdarkcorners 2018-02-11 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
"Give us more time to plan?" Karen asks, her voice kept low, and she's only half-teasing. They could figure something out on the fly if they needed to. It's practically part of their job description. Still, if he's hurt, then the best thing for him would be to get medical attention or at least rest, and there's no telling how long they'll be hanging around here if they have to give their statements now. If it means they have more of a chance to determine what they're going to say, then that's even better.

Besides, her heart is racing for reasons that have nothing to do with the fight that just took place or whatever this power is flowing through her veins, and she would really rather not deal with other people right now at all.

Her hand slides down to take his, briefly. "I'll be right here."
itsdarkcorners: (134)

[personal profile] itsdarkcorners 2018-02-12 06:39 am (UTC)(link)
Though she'd have dealt with it regardless, though it probably wouldn't have made toomuch difference, Karen is still relieved when John comes out and says that they're free to go. Trying to explain all of this or hurriedly craft a story just isn't something she wants to have to deal with right now, and he shouldn't have to, not with the injury he's just sustained. Tomorrow, they'll have a handle on what to say and he'll hopefully be rested, not just coming from having taken a serious blow to the back of the head. Right now, they may as well have a little time to themselves.

"Perfect," she says, her hand curling around his. "Let's get out of here. How are you feeling?"
itsdarkcorners: (135)

[personal profile] itsdarkcorners 2018-02-14 07:09 am (UTC)(link)
"What's our wedding anniversary, Mr. Riley?" Karen asks, shooting him a bright, teasing grin. It is, maybe, a little unfair when they haven't had to fall back on that particular story for a while, but despite how dire the circumstances were, and the fact that he was only just a stranger then, it's still amusing to think back on how they met given where they've wound up now. In a way, it feels almost as if this was meant to happen, whatever they had in common binding them together inextricably from that first afternoon. She could have left him there; no harm would have come to him. But she didn't, and one thing led to another, and now, well—

He loves her, and somehow that's both earth-shattering and self-explanatory, as if it's always been the case. Maybe, for her, it has been.
itsdarkcorners: (134)

[personal profile] itsdarkcorners 2018-02-16 08:07 pm (UTC)(link)
"Alright, you passed," Karen says, a little relieved, though her smile is more simply pleased than anything else. She knows perfectly well that he's had injuries worse than this one, but that doesn't stop her from worrying. Still, if he can remember those details so easily, then he's probably alright. A little worse for wear, maybe, but not too seriously injured. "That's pretty impressive, actually, considering how many fake relationships we've had since then."

Notably, of course, is the one Harold arranged for them before John finally made his move. She's still convinced that must have been a deliberate move.
itsdarkcorners: (141)

[personal profile] itsdarkcorners 2018-02-21 09:02 am (UTC)(link)
"I think you could probably say that we've made a career out of being in fake relationships," Karen says, laughing just a little. It seems true enough, with as often as they've played those roles, or maybe those are just the ones that have seemed most significant to her. For so long, she wanted this, and for so long, she was sure she would never have it, that it only stands to reason that those would be the jobs that became the most significant to her. It also makes its own kind of sense that that's finally how they got their shit together. The walking in on him shirtless part, she couldn't have planned, but the rest was familiar territory.

Carefully leaning her head against his shoulder, she adds, "This one is my favorite, too. And, yes, since you passed, we can skip the hospital. For now."