Death Raids A Heart

Chapter Three

Lambeth, England
09:23 hrs

Living a normal life wouldn't be easy with a private organisation wanting two do-gooders dead. However, it became apparent to Lara that David knew his way around hiding from people hunting him down as she quickly adapted to this by going to David's home in Lambeth Walk. Being away from adventure seemed lonesome for Lara as almost being able to restore her father's reputation came at a great cost if she were to help Sofia and return peace and order to her colony. Now, she hadn't much left except her home and her friends. 

While confined in David's home, Lara finally took the chance to explore his home after waking up alone but with a message of comfort saying he'd return to her with breakfast. On David's nightstand, Lara noticed the letter and a red flower beside it. With the decency of not going through all of his belongings, Lara applied a large t-shirt over her and began to look around as she exited the bedroom and found herself standing now in the living room and the kitchen ahead. 

Though the layout of the house was suited more for an apartment, she didn't mind the living arrangements at all as she found it quite spacious enough.In the kitchen, Lara noticed a notepad on top of books and papers which brought her curiosity onto it as she began to snoop at the contents; all of which were theories and questions about Lara and her father, ancient artefacts and clues to their locations that held the compatibility to restore the Croft name to its former glory. 

It was there that she noticed irregular things, such as photos secretly taken of her and of Jonah which concerned her. The further she dug, the more she came to react dissimilarly about David's true intentions. Then appeared David, his chest, neck and face covered in sweat as the spine and armpits of his shirt were wet as he displayed a cut on the bridge of his nose, the arm of his right sleeve torn which came as a temporary distraction from the findings Lara made as she came to his aid.

"What the hell happened to you? Are you alright? Who did this to you?" Lara pressed as she coddled him before fetching a tea towel to lightly press away at the sweat on his face, neck and chest.

"Don't mollycoddle me like that, Lara. I'm fine!" David groused. "Sorry. I just... Someone - and I have pretty damn good suspicion who - jumped me as I was getting us coffee. Next thing I know, I'm in the middle of some desert with some Russians chasing me like it's some damn hunting season. As if things couldn't get any worse, turns out, I'm put in a bloody nuke town trying to ask mannequins if I can use their phone!"

"W-Well how did you get out alive?"

David scoffed at the thought that entered his mind. "Well... believe it or not, for a nuke town, they have some pretty ramshackle fridges. Thank God it didn't lock me in otherwise I'd still be in there eating pudding until my legs go stiff and look like a husk."

"All that in, what, two and a half hours?"

"See, about that... you know those sleeping pills you took last night? Well, you took a few doses too many which ended up knocking you out for... twenty-eight hours."

Lara bulged her eyes open, a shocked expression plastered on her face. "What?!"

Failing to comfort her, he gave a nervous chuckle when she decided to ask him about his notes. This came as a surprise to him that her snooping around his belongings hurt him that she still didn't fully trust him. They could both feel it and she could see it. He was undoubtedly hurt.

"Lara, those notes I discovered before Konstantin captured me and beat me and damn near killed me. Look, I promise you that I'm on your side. I've fought by your side, I've confessed my feelings for you, we've slept together, I've even helped you fight tougher assholes and a frickin' private organisation trying to steal the artefacts we're trying to protect as well as a goddamn ancient army. If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done it a long time ago. Now tell me. Do you still not trust me?" David explained, doing his best to convince her to put her trust back in him. 

"O-Of course." 

Intimacy was grasped when the two kept a small gap between their faces, a hitch of breath made their hearts race when Lara's jumped as You're The Inspiration began to play from the speakers, leading to giggles as Lara wrapped her arms around his neck and danced slightly by swaying side to side as at the climax of the song, they embraced by pressing their lips together, bringing euphoria amongst the two as the tender kiss finally sparked. In the middle of their kissing, David noticed slight distaste in the way she kissed him as he nibbled on her bottom lip, asking her to delight him, only for her to fail him for that time. 

"What's wrong?" David cooed and held onto the sides of her rib cage. 

Lara hung her arms over his shoulders, her breasts and stomach pushed up against his chest. 

"Nothing." She muttered a response. 

"Hey. You can tell me anything, buttercup." 

Lara sighed and held onto him as her gaze hung low. "I think I've discovered another clue to something Trinity's after. In Mexico." 

"So? What're you sad for? Let's go to Mexico! Gee, I haven't been since before we met and back then was not a good time to be drinking tequila before being chased by Mathias' goons." 

"That's the thing, I... I think you should stay out of this one." 

"What? Why? Babe... you and me make a great duo. Cheech and Chong, Buzz and Woody, Bonnie and Clyde, Elwood and Jake Blues, Batman and Robin, Doc Brown and Marty McFly, Harry and Lloyd, Kirk and Spock, Han and Chewbacca; c'mon, baby! Why don't you want me?!" 

"I-I do! I just... if something goes wrong, I can't afford to lose you. Not since Kitezh." 

"Let me come with you. One more then we can settle down. Start a family, grow old, fuck all day, every day." 

Lara smiled a frown at him, admiring his commitment despite standing firm on her decision. "Sounds like you got it all planned out. I'm not quite sure about spending all day in bed part." 

"Fine. Maybe I'll take a vacation to New York or, or Australia or maybe Columbia of Venezuela. Well... have fun, Croft. I guess I'll see you in a couple of months or something." David said grumpily. 

As he forced a smile on his face to comfort Lara, her frown became heavier that which he dismissed, taking no regard to before fetching a beer bottle from his fridge and fell onto his chair to watch television. Saddened by this, Lara stood behind David and became sadder as she changed into fresh clothes before contacting her faithful companion, Jonah, to invite him along for her next expedition that would continue before a much longer one.