poison ivy - the boys

thirty-two

               "You know, Countess was the only woman I ever loved...and she betrayed me," he smiled bitterly. "So I guess I never really had anyone."

             "You have me," she promised with the softest smile as she wove her hand into his and wove her way into his heart. "You'll always have me."

                  And he smiled, "I'm holding you to that, angel."

                _____

                Ben walked up to the trailer Countess lived in alone. Jane stayed behind in the car because confronting Countess was a more personal mission.

                 But when he walked up, he found two people from the lab. Butcher and Hughie.

"You're those assholes from the lab," he stated.

"That's right," Billy smirked. "I'm the arsehole that let you out. And last time we checked, you had a friend of ours?"

"You took Jane," Hughie said. "Where is she?"

"Waiting in the car."

"In the trunk?" Hughie asked in horror.

"What? Fuck no," Ben denied.

Billy gave Hughie a look and pushed him aside, "Look, you want the Countess's head on a spike, don't you? Well, she's in there, yours for the taking."

"Consider it a gesture of good faith," Billy said.

"Good faith for what?"

"I was thinking that you and I could come to a little arrangement," Billy smirked. "What you lot call...a team up."

_____

An explosion went off in the distance and she assumed Countess was toast. After awhile, Ben was seen in the distance with two familiar figures.

Jane got out of the car and confronted them. Hughie smiled, "Jane. You're not in the trunk."

Truthfully, they had all thought the worst except Butcher. He was the only one convinced she was fine; that she was exactly where she wanted to be. Everyone else believed it was an act on the TV and that Soldier Boy kidnapped her.

"Why the fuck would she be in the trunk?" Ben said defensively as he stood in front of her and she put a calming hand on his bicep which Butcher took notice of.

"I...I don't know," Hughie swallowed underneath the glare of the man. "It was dumb."

"Well, look at you, lovely," Butcher smirked. "All cozied up with the next supe of the day. And where did you fucking go after Russia?"

Lovely? Ben thought. He gained a bitter look on his face as he thought about just how familiar they were with each other.

"I...I needed to know something," she answered before gaining a fiery look as she stepped towards Butcher.

"But I know why you're here and it's a no, Billy," she glared. "You are not pointing him like a gun at Homelander."

"Pretty sure the bloke can think for himself."

She turned to Ben and he stared at her for a moment before he reasoned, "Someone has gotta kill him."

"No," her eyes teared up. "Not you."

Hughie and Butcher shared a look at the obvious care she had for him.

She felt like she couldn't even breathe at the thought of him getting hurt. She felt sick as she thought about John lasering him in half like he did Seb.

"Jane..." he said softly.

"No," she denied and she stomped away as thunder boomed in the night sky. "Just get in the fucking car."

_____

               They were back at the hotel. Butcher and Hughie were in another room. Jane was pacing the floor in front of the chair Ben sat in.

               "Jane, what's the fucking problem?" Ben questioned. "This is what you want."

           "Because you're not a weapon to me, Ben," she stopped pacing as she looked at him fearfully. "I don't want you to get hurt."

            "Stop trying to spare me. I chose this. I'm not going to let him touch you again, angel," Ben promised. "I'm not killing him because of the deal I made; I'm doing it for you."

               It was quiet for a moment as she processed his words. She sighed as she approached him and she placed a hand on his cheek.

                "He has...lasers that shoot out of his eyes," she informed as her hand started to shake. "So just...be careful. For me."

                He took her trembling hand and he kissed the palm, "Jane, you don't have to worry. I'm not so breakable."

                He let go of her hand and it was quiet again. Then he smirked, "You know, I never got to see you in that costume."

                She sighed before she smiled. She looked down to find his eyes raking over her. She shook her head before she decided that if he was really going up against John, she was going to be brave.

                She bit her lip, "You'll see me without it eventually."

                   His eyes widened but they stayed downward and he didn't see her red cheeks as he shook his head, sighing, "You're teasing me, aren't you?"

                      "No," she placed a finger under his chin and tilted his head up before she pressed her lips to his.

                    It took him a moment to register that she was kissing him. It was so much of a pause that she pulled away shyly while he stared in awe, "I mean if you don't want..."

                 Then he pulled her onto his lap so she was straddling him and her hands fell to his shoulders in surprise. He kissed her deeply and slowly.

                It was like they were consumed by fire as they kissed. Their lips tingled with a burning warmth that they'd kill for. Their chests lit up with light as the flames inside of her danced with his.

                Eventually their glow got too bright as it filled the room and they had to pull away from each other (or else their kiss might have a literal explosion) as their lips trembled and he cursed, "Fuck."

              Once the glow dimmed, he connected his lips back with hers, igniting the fire between them that only they shared, and he did it again and again and again...