Work Text:
This is......
Weird
Jabber's never felt like this before.
This touch was nothing like what he was used to, not the thrill and rush of getting slammed around, not the stinging bruise of a broken rib, not even the delicious numbness of poison from Mankira. It was just.... nothing.
He was being held down by something, no, someone.
Right, Zanka. They hadn't fought today, weird, they usually did, right? Not that Jabber would remember that much. When did his memory get so bad?
"Are you alright, Jabber?" The soft tone of a familiar voice finally broke Jabber out of his thought-process
"Yer starin' off into space again."
Zanka, right, he nearly forgot he was there.
Actually, where was he again?
Oh yeah, he was in his house, he had Zanka sneak over for the night after a particularly tame fight between them without the use of their jinkis.
He had his head on Zanka's lap, laying sideways on his bed, Zanka had his hands in Jabber's hair.
Jabber suddenly became very aware of his surroundings, taking in the details like he's done before, but this time, with Zanka.
He had brought Zanka here after a fight an hour or so ago, he had hoped for Zanka to hurt him a bit more but that hope was suddenly squashed with one simple sentence.
"Im tired as all hell. Wanna cuddle, Jabber?"
Jabber remembers being confused, very confused. As he had never actually heard the word before.
All he knew was pain, violence, brutality. That was his love language, his 'cuddling'. But when Zanka asked him this question.... He couldn't say no.
Now he was here, head in Zanka's lap, hair getting played with, body now limp. Not from poisons this time, but from how comfortable he was. He didnt know how to feel about it.
He stared at Mankira on his desk a few feet away, sliver rings glistening under the dim light of a lamp not too far, Lovely Assistaff not far from her.
He could push Zanka away, grab Mankira and end this quickly, carry out the mission he was given. Kill the giver while he's vulnerable.
But...
He couldn't..
His body didnt cooperate with his mind, it didnt move, didnt budge. Was Zanka holdin him down or something?
Apparently he was, with an arm loosely on his torso, though, in any other situation he could easily get up, maybe it wasnt the arm, but the hand tangled in his hair, gently combing through his locs, massaging his scalp.
But it wasnt that, he could've obviously broken through that easily, he was strong enough to do so.
So why didnt he?
Its simple, really.
He cant.
His body wouldnt cooperate with him because deep down, he wanted this contact, something on the other side of the spectrum of violence, gentleness, warmth even. Touch that didnt leave him bruised or hurting, touch that soothed something deep inside him instead of breaking skin and causing blood.
Being in Zanka's arms was nice.
"Jabber?"
His voice broke Jabber out of his thought process again, right, the question, he never answered him.
"Im fineeee! No need to worry about me, Mr. Bad Attitude!"
"Alright, just tell me if this is too much for ya, okay?"
"Yeah! Im great!"