Held through pain

Once the group had collected their kill vouchers a quick check found an issue. While everyone else had transport to get back to their houses Junnica had carpooled with a friend who had up and left without her. Jess and Mich traded a look, maybe this wasn’t so much a problem as an opportunity. “Jun, do you need Mich to dive you home?” Jess watched the nervous tells on the smaller womans face. Internally, Jun was conflicted, part of her wanted to spend more time with Mich and Jess. The rest of her didn’t want them anywhere near the toxic pit that was her family. Mich then had a man moment, there was a problem so he was going to try and solve it. “Storm, Abby you both have a way home correct?” Storm shot Abby a quick look. With a quiet sigh Abbigail nodded the affirmative. With that resolve Michael ushered Jess and Jun to his truck and got them both loaded up.

With the engine on and the fan blowing he looked into his rear view mirror and watched Jun fidgeting in the back seat. He ed that not once had she ever invited him to her family's house when he had been working with her and her team. The other girls had to be almost zapped of him to prevent them from dragging him back to their bedrooms. Junnica had never once even hinted that she wanted to bring him home. IN the moment it had simply been a blessed relief and he hadn’t thought much beyond that. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, he had to seriously question, why?

Junnica Lea was now desperately trying to think of some excuse to keep Mich and Jess from seeing the mess of her home. How to keep them out of that viper pit and not let them question how damaged she must be from it.

“Junnica, what is wrong?” Michaels voice cut through her spiraling. The tone was warm and concerned. She looked up and met his eyes. There was no judgement, no prejudice, and she could feel no holding back. He honestly wanted to know what was wrong, and not to use it to manipulate her but to make it better. And Jessica was also looking with concern. The concern of a sister and not a rival. That broke her. The careful control that had been her armor for years shattered and she broke down in hysterical sobbing. In an instant she was wrapped in the arms of her new family and was being held. To be held with the only objective to be her comfort and the offer of was something she hadn’t felt in years. Like a poisoned cyst being drained her pain flooded out.

As they held Jun Mich was wracking his brain trying to figure out what was wrong and what to do. His mana wrapped around and flowed through the woman in his arms who was now bawling her eyes out as she clung to him like a lifeline in a raging storm. Holding them both Jess had to bight back a laugh watching her man have that most man of moments. Desperately trying to figure out what he could do to fix whatever was wrong for a woman he loved while doing the one thing that would actually help. She squeezed the two together in her arms keeping them close and not letting either pull away it was best that Junnica got as much of whatever was causing this out of her system as possible now and that Mich just held her through it.

When Jun was finally out of tears and sobs for now she hung limply in Mich and Jess’s arms just feeling the flow of warmth, magical, physical, and emotional that flowed between the three. When she finally had some strength back she looked up. Years of experience insisted she knew what she would find. Looks of disappointment and judgement, demands that she control herself and fix how she presented herself. She hadn’t been able to let go and cry sense she was very young and a part of her expected this outburst to come with consequences. What she found instead was only concern and caring. Mich ran his hand through her hair in gentile caresses as his other arm held her close to his chest headless of the tears and other fluids now wetting his shirt. Above them both Jess offered warm and reassurance. Once again the open warmth threatened to undo Junnica and she had to hide her face in Mich’s chest to get it back together.