Mike x Jess!
By Mimimadrox on Tumblr
Takes place in the same AU as Collection–a few months after the "everyone lives" ending.
Ever since the incident at the lodge, Jessica refused to leave her house. For the most part, she stayed in her bed, hidden beneath her blankets. When she did leave her room, she always wore long pajamas, socks, even a hoodie–no matter what the temperature was, she wouldn't let her scars show.
The only person, aside from her family, that she allowed to visit her anymore was Mike. Although, even he wasn't allowed to see her scars. She claimed that she wanted him to think of her as she used to be: beautiful and sexy and, most importantly, without scars.
Mike was doing his best to take care of her–he went grocery shopping for her, cooked her meals for her, cleaned her house up a bit. He'd practically moved in with her; he spent every night on her couch, often being awoken at night by her screaming from a nightmare. Whenever he tried to comfort her, though, she pushed him away.
It was difficult. Mike could barely take care of himself anymore; his grades were slipping, his future being sucked away.
He knew she couldn't hide forever, and he couldn't take care of her forever–not at the rate his future was going. So one day, he decided to try something.
He ran a warm bath, added lots of bubbles, and lit a few of her favorite scented candles. Then he walked across the hall and knocked gently on her bedroom door. "Jess? I ran a bath for you."
For several seconds, silence. Then, her voice, small, "...okay."
—————
Just as Jessica pulled her hood down and reached for the zipper of her hoodie, the bathroom door opened and Mike stepped in, completely naked. Jessica shrieked and covered her scarred face. "Michael!"
"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay, Jess."
"What are you doing?" She whimpered.
Mike grinned. "Joining you."
Her face paled and she began to shake her head emphatically, mumbling in horror, "No, no, no..."
"Jess, it's okay. It's just me."
"No," She began to cry. "I don't want you to see..."
Mike sighed and gently took hold of her wrists, pulling her hands away from her face so he could look into her eyes. "Jessica, I'm in love with you."
Her eyes widened in surprised and she just stared at him, speechless.
"Your scars don't make me love you any less, and they don't make you any less beautiful in my eyes." He took her face in his hands, planting a light kiss on every scar he saw there–the one on her forehead, the bridge of her nose, the ones on her left cheek.
He reached down and unzipped her hoodie, glad when she didn't resist. As he undressed her, he kissed every single one of her scars and she shivered beneath his touch.
Once she was completely uncovered, he kissed her lips, pulling back to whisper against her lips, "You are still just as beautiful to me as you were before the scars."
And, for the first time in months, Jessica smiled.
—————
"Michael?"
"Yes?"
After relaxing in the tub together, the two had retired to Jessica's room, where they were snuggled close together in her bed. There was practically no gap between their bodies at all, but still, Jessica felt as though she couldn't get close enough. She felt so safe and warm; she'd missed this closeness so much that she couldn't get enough of it now.
She pressed the side of her head against his chest, smiling softly as she listened to his heartbeat. "I love you, too."
