Chapter Text
“ Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…
As she drove home from work on a clear day in December, humming along to the radio blaring Dean Martin and with the afternoon sunshine warm on her face, Sonya tossed the enigma of the holiday season in California around in her head. It was 75 degrees; the sun was shining, and the long-term weather forecast was predicting seasonally high temperatures straight through until the beginning of January. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, let alone the impossible chance of snow. For all intents and purposes, it looked like Christmas Eve and Christmas day were going to be stereotypical for Southern California: for some a literal day at the beach, as opposed to the powdered ski slopes in places like Colorado or Washington State. With the way people were dressed in lighter clothing and sandals, it may as well have been the Fourth of July that was ten days away and not December 25th.
On the flip side of that reality was the fact many of the houses on base were fully kitted out to the nines with lights and decorations; she had passed at least a half dozen lots selling trees the last time she had driven into town, and more light-up Frosty statues then she could count. There was no lack of holiday spirit; it was evident everywhere, maybe even more so than in states that got true winter weather. It just seemed chaotic, as if it was trying to compensate for the lack of ice and snow with bright lights and Coca-Cola versions of Santa and his minions.
For all the years she had been posted in the Golden State, Sonya had never managed to get used to the idea that the holidays there were a mishmash of warm and cold traditions. Open gifts then go to the beach, decorate a Douglas fir and then a palm tree, go for a hike in the sun kissed Hollywood hills and then sit down to a turkey dinner. Growing up in a warm portion of the country meant she wasn’t a ride or die person on the holiday needing to Hallmark perfect and white, but even growing up in Austin, where it snowed once in a blue moon and the heat in December could be steady, seemed less frenetic. Texans had always been go big or go home in terms of the holidays, and secretly Sonya had always loved Christmas. The cheer and camaraderie that came with the time of year was infectious and Special Forces, like most of the US military, encouraged its members to get involved in the holiday season.
As she cruised into her neighbourhood, she eyed some of the other houses along the block with lights hung. She had left work early, taking a half day and leaving by mid-afternoon, dragging a small load of paperwork with her to burn through that evening, but an idea was forming her in head of dinner and a drive around the neighbourhood with Johnny to see how the houses looked when they were lit to the nines, then home to do some decorating of their own. She’d put her own lights up weeks before, far too early in all honesty, but the opportunity of time had presented itself. Given Johnny’s accident shortly after, it had probably been a good thing as it was the only thing she had gotten done so far.
She rolled into her driveway and pulled the Lamborghini to a smooth stop, berating herself mentally at how much she secretly enjoyed driving the sports car. Unable to drive himself with one good arm, Johnny had insisted that she take his car to work every day so it wouldn’t just sit in the driveway for her curious neighbours to gawk at. That was almost an impossibility considering no one on base (save for a few top generals) could have ever afforded a luxury sports car like his, but he had given her such a pleading look she couldn’t refuse him. She had a funny feeling it was his way of showing any naysayers that they were firmly blended as a couple and not worthy of their gossip and consideration.
It wasn’t like there hadn’t been enough “attention” when it had become well known that Johnny Cage was currently holed up at Blade’s place recovering from multiple injuries. If the idea of she and Johnny as a couple had set tongues wagging across the base, the idea that she was taking care of him while he was recovering had caused those same tongues to hit the floor. Half the female officers (and some of the male ones) were so jealous they were barely speaking to her, and the other half were keeping an eagle eye on her house for any sign of Johnny they could get.
The day before he had gone out in the morning to grab the paper clad in his pyjama pants and a robe, and nearly caused a three-car pile-up because the early school run of spouses had been more focused on the sight of his bare chest than the street they were driving down. He’d come back in the house and crawled back into bed chuckling as he described the wide-eyed look on the driver’s face as he gave her a friendly wave and casually strolled back inside. Sonya had rolled her eyes as she settled back amongst the blankets sipping her coffee but inwardly, she had smiled, admitting to herself a brief feeling of victory that he was with her, in her bed and it was apparent to the insular world of Camp Pendleton they hadn’t been just a flash in the pan as many had predicted.
Opening the front door, she tossed her work satchel and gym bag into the foyer and stepped inside, letting it slide shut behind her as she began to work off her boots. She could hear the blaring strains of David Bowie coming from the back of the house towards her bedroom and office, and directed her steps there, undoing her jacket as she walked and tossing over the back of the (newly acquired) lazy boy in her living room. She stopped and shook her head briefly, marveling as she had several times lately, at how quickly, in just four and a half short weeks, the space that once been just solely hers had somehow blended to being more theirs then anything. It had started small, his clothes with hers in the closet and dresser, his products taking up all the available space in her small bathroom, a particular blend of gourmet coffee in the cupboard, and had gotten larger as time progressed. She had worked from home the first two weeks until he was tentatively up on his feet, then at his insistence, she had gone back to her normal office routine. The first day he had truly been alone and bored, she had come home to a new large flat screen television in her living room, followed the next by a brand-new stereo system (the very one currently playing Rebel Rebel loud enough to cause her to feel sorry for both his eardrums and her neighbours) the lazy boy, and a gaming system that she was certain would cost most Privates a month’s salary.
With anyone else she would have been utterly livid at what she would have perceived as an encroachment of her personal space. When that hadn’t occurred, she had first tried to convince herself she couldn’t begrudge him comfort and ways entertain himself while he was recovering away from home. As the days passed, she had finally grudgingly admitted to herself that with Johnny, it didn’t feel as though he was trying to take over, it felt more like he had always been there.
She had also begun to realize to realize the slightly strung out feeling she had been feeling lately wasn’t from the amount of space Johnny was taking up in her small house -- it was from the fact she liked it way more than she ever would have expected. She liked him being there when she came home from work, making dinner with him, watching tv at night and drinking coffee in bed on the mornings she didn’t have to be in ass early... the whole shebang that she had never thought she would ever allow herself it experience. In her almost ten years in the military, she had lived in three apartments, two houses, one condo and a dorm, and they had all been serviceable, nice even, but she had never felt like any of them was home. Until now.
“Johnny, I’m back!” She called, waiting to see if she got a response over the loud din of music. After a moment of waiting with no response, she moved down the hall past her office and towards the location of where the music was coming from, the small area she had marked off as a training space. It was really a guest room, complete with an L-shaped pullout couch, but it had never really gotten used for anything aside from housing a ratty punching bag she had had since the academy (which one day she was certain was going to come down on her head while she was hitting it), her treadmill, and a bench with various weights. Since she normally preferred to work out at the fully tricked out gym closer to her office, the equipment was seldom used and the closest the pullout couch had ever been to a bed was the first night that Johnny had been home from the hospital. Considering how beat up he had been, and afraid she would bump him in the night, Sonya had insisted that he take her bed and she had taken the pullout. It had lasted for approximately half the night, until she had been woken up by him climbing into the bed with her and cuddling as close as he could safely with a sleepy “Too far away. I missed you.” The next evening, they had slept as normal, albeit much more carefully and with extra pillows to cushion his injuries.
Sonya walked into the room and stopped, raising an eyebrow as she leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest in a wry gesture. Johnny was on the treadmill, clad only in a pair of dark blue workout pants and the new dog tags that he had received when he signed his contract as a Special Forces instructor. His left arm was still tucked high against his chest in the black sling he had come home from the hospital in. He was walking slowly, a bit stiffly but at a solid pace, the sheen of sweat on his shoulders telling her he had been going steady for a while. For a moment, she couldn’t help but take in how sexy he looked, well-toned and gorgeous, the muscular shape of his back and shoulders causing a low heat to flare over her body. From the side angle she was standing at in the doorway she could just catch a glimpse of where the flat plain of his stomach disappeared into the faded workout pants, and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to run her hands down it and further. That thought was immediately tempered by guilt as she realized he was holding his body coiled tightly, a sign at the very least that even the sedate workout was causing him discomfort.
Straightening up in concern, she padded into the room and headed for the stereo, turning it down to a reasonable notch, and finally catching his attention as the volume came down. She approached him slowly with a raised eyebrow and a “you’re busted mister” look on her face.
“Caught you red handed.” She watched as he hit the pause button on the treadmill and waited for it to stop.
“Guess that means you’ll have to punish me.” He wiggled an eyebrow suggestively and then winced, leaning against the arm of the machine with a frustrated snort. “Or maybe not.”
“Should you be doing that?” She asked gently, passing him a towel so he could wipe off. “I thought the doctor hadn’t cleared you for workouts yet.”
“She said I could try basic cardio; walking is about as basic as you can get.” He tossed the towel over the arm of the treadmill, stepping off carefully, and slid his free hand under her tank top, settling warmly around the curve of her hip. “And you won’t let me take on any real heart racing workouts.”
“You’re on the injured list,” she said with a slight scowl. She leaned up and kissed him, slow and sweet, feeling her body respond instinctively to the touch of his hand. “And I don’t want to be responsible for breaking you again.”
“To hell with responsibility,” he said, nipping her lower lip. “It’s highly overrated, especially when I’ve got my incredibly sexy girlfriend in my arms.”
“That’s the story of your life if I’ve ever heard it,” she said dryly with a chuckle.
“I don’t know.” He pressed a trail of kisses to her neck, grazing the skin lightly. “It seems to be going pretty damn good right now.”
Sonya leaned her head back, soaking in the sensation of his lips on her skin and wanted nothing more than to take him by the hand, walk the short distance down the hall to what she was quickly beginning to think of as their bedroom, and spend the rest of the afternoon playing in bed with him. It had been a long four and a half weeks since they had been able to have sex and she knew he was feeling it as much as she was. Still, as distracting as the low throbbing between her legs was, as much as she wanted him, she wasn’t going to let him hurt himself trying.
“Easy playboy, don’t push yourself.” She pulled back, reaching up to stroke his cheek. From the look in his eyes, she could see that was exactly what he was doing, and she couldn’t blame him. When you worked hard to keep in shape and stay at top form, anything less was a piss off and a half. If she had been in his situation, she’d have been pushing herself as well. Hell, she’d have been climbing the walls and setting fires if she had to sit on the sidelines as long as he was expected to. “How did the call with your agent go today?”
“Just like we expected.” Johnny gave a disgusted snort, and rolled his eyes, as he stepped away, grabbing his water bottle and taking a pull off it. “The studio is pushing to get us back on track, and on set as fast as they can after the holidays.”
“Even when chances are you won’t be fully recovered?” Sonya couldn’t keep the incredulous tone out of her voice. Score another point towards the growing list of reasons she disliked the Hollywood matrix.
“They offered to do a rewrite, work the injuries into the story so we can get moving. They even offered to bring in a top physiotherapist if I am willing to work myself double time.” He sat down the weight bench gingerly, leaning his head back against the wall in fatigue. “Not to mention a hefty bank bonus.”
“Unbelievable.” Sonya leaned against the wall again, her disgust palpable. “The doctor they provided said it would take 6 to 10 weeks for you to heal completely, how can they ignore that?”
“It’s all about the money.” Johnny reached, taking her hand and pulling her closer so she until she was standing in front of him. “It’s a pretty tight circle. They invest in me taking a quality picture to make them money, I make a quality picture for them to get money and repeat cycle. If I’m not on set, we both lose out.”
“So, are you going to force yourself to go back early?” Sonya’s brow furrowed in worry. “If so, I’d like to go on record as saying I think it’s a really shitty idea.”
“You know,” he leaned his head against her stomach and closed his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair. “In the past I might have, but this time I don’t think so. I told them I wanted to wait, see what the doctor says in a few weeks and go from there before I make any decisions.”
“And how did Erics take that?” She kissed the top of his head and rested her chin on it lightly. She had yet to meet Johnny’s agent, she had missed him by a hair both times he had shown up to see Johnny at the hospital. It was probably a good thing in all honesty, she’d never met a man she wanted to punch in the face so badly on sight with the little knowledge she had been given about him, and that included Johnny when she had first met him at the tournament.
“Stevens,” he corrected her, and she could hear the disappointment and frustration in his voice. As if by taking the time to rest and heal, he was letting his people down, not to mention himself. “He basically accused me of hiding out here and playing house instead of capitalizing on the publicity. He thinks I should be in LA, walking around, garnering sympathy and the like. The holiday season is a great time for publicity.”
“Johnny, listen to me carefully.” Sonya leaned back, so she was looking him in the eyes and spoke in a savage tone. There was no way in hell she was going to let Hollywood sleazeballs stress him out when he was supposed to be recovering. “Fuck. Him.”
She watched a grin creep across his face and he cuddled against her, chuckling softly against the fabric of her tank top.
“What’s so funny?” She looked down at him, perplexed.
“You,” he said then at her raised eyebrow he continued to explain. “I was just thinking how nice it is to have someone in my corner for once, and I mean in my corner for real not just when the money is good or the pictures look stellar, but, for when the battles get tough.”
“You do just fine on your own, you don’t need anyone to fight your battles for you,” she reminded him.
“No,” he agreed, looking up at her, blue eyes tender with affection as he stroked her back gently. “But everyone needs back up in the ring some times, and I’m really happy you’re mine.”
“I’ll be your corner girl any day.” She leaned down and kissed him, letting her tongue sweep across his mouth as she poured all her emotions trying to make him feel better. She felt fiercely protective of him, such a change from a few months before that it was almost startling. She could have chalked it up to the accident and his injuries, but the truth was it was much more. Even if she wasn’t quite ready to say it readily to him yet, she was falling deeply in love with him. It was a new world to her, and she was largely winging it much to her dismay (not that she would ever fucking admit it) so hearing him say he was happy made her feel like she was treading in the right direction.
“I have an idea for tonight,” she said when they finally broke apart. “Why don’t we take a shower, then I was thinking we could throw some steaks on the grill for dinner, and after we could go for a slow drive, take a look at some Christmas lights, maybe pick up a Christmas tree and come home to decorate…”
“Counteroffer,” he suggested, tapping her on the end of the nose and then replicating that gesture with a kiss. “Instead of cooking, why don’t we go out somewhere nice for dinner, like that sushi place you love, and then we’ll go look at the lights and get a tree to decorate.”
“Feel like getting out of the house huh?” She couldn’t blame him; the few times he had been out on base regularly had been for any necessary medical appointments. There had been a handful of times he had hired a driver to go into LA for meetings at the production studio while she was at work. They had gone to Thanksgiving at Jax’s the weekend before last and he had stayed stationary on the couch for the bulk of the afternoon. He had only really recovered enough to do more than resting or light activities in the past week or so. It wouldn’t have surprised her at all if he was getting cabin fever from being stuck inside.
“I feel like taking you out.” He rose stiffly and started looking around for where he had tossed his phone when he started his workout. “And since you don’t have to work tomorrow, it’s the perfect night.”
“I’ll start the shower; you see if we need reservations.” She was already heading for the door, stopping for an instant to pull off her tank top and sports bra at his feet. She stretched for a moment, naked from the waist up, aware she was teasing him, and then glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t take too long, the water will get cold.”
By the time Sonya reached the shower, she could hear Johnny chatting on the phone to the restaurant. Given that it was Friday and in the restaurant was in LA, she had a funny feeling he was going to have use some A-List charm to get them a good table. The fact that that didn’t bother her quite as much as it used to was a tad disconcerting. Between that and actually enjoying driving the Lamborghini, she could see herself slipping uncomfortably into more luxuries than she would ever normally afford herself. It was much easier to accept in it in her mind if she framed it as doing it for Johnny’s sake and not because she got any enjoyment out of it. At the very least then, her soldier’s mind could rationalize the expense and utter frivolity of his lifestyle as a necessary evil to keep him happy because she cared about him.
She stripped off quickly, tossing the rest of her work clothes in the hamper, and turned on the shower, adjusting the spray quickly and stepping under it. For a moment, she did nothing but let the hot water hit her fatigued muscles. She’d run two drill courses that day, her own and one that she was covering for a co-worker out ill, then she had done her own normal workout routine before her meetings for the day began. Her eyes felt gritty, and she was grateful that the water was borderline scalding, the pins and needles on her shoulders helped them unlock and she could feel relaxation creeping down her spine.
She grabbed her soap and began to lather up, tipping her head back so the hot water could hit her scalp and closed her eyes in enjoyment. Standing under the showerhead, she could almost forget the stress of her day, and relax for a moment. She suddenly wished she had left the files she had brought home sitting on her desk in the office, she didn’t want the inevitable temptation of work to distract her. It seemed like she’d barely seen Johnny all week, and the thought of a nice dinner out and spending time with him was a balm she needed after far too many meetings with iron-headed generals who shot first and asked questions later.
Hearing Johnny finishing up on the phone, knowing he would be in shortly to join her, she smiled as an idea began to form in her mind. At present his injuries made full sex out of the question for at least another week according to the doctor. That didn’t mean however, they couldn’t be creative to a certain degree if they were careful. She instinctively knew that they both needed each other badly after a long and stressful day. Sonya closed her eyes, the mental image of him shirtless drifting through her thoughts. She could feel the desire from before returning, that steady ache between her legs that reminded her of how much she wanted him. Setting the loofa she’d been holding aside, she glided her hands over her breasts, playing with her nipples, rolling them between her fingers as she swallowed back a sigh of pleasure. Keeping one hand where it was, she let the other fall, running it over her stomach and downward. She trailed her fingers over the patch of curls between her thighs for a moment then eased a hand between her legs, stroking herself slowly as she imagined them in bed. The fantasy began to take hold in earnest as she teased her clit, running the pad of her thumb over it again and again. She let her head fall back, arching her hips against her fingers as she thought of his cock and how it would feel.
“Looks like I’m not the only one caught red handed.” Johnny’s voice was mellow but thick with desire and need. She had quickly become so focused on the impending orgasm beginning to coil tightly through her body that she hadn’t heard him come in until he was already a very willing spectator.
Sonya opened her eyes, with a smile quirking her mouth. He was leaning against the wall of the shower, watching her as she toyed with herself and obviously enjoying every moment of it. She shifted her position, leaning back against the shower stall so he could see everything she was doing, and let a soft moan escape her lips. Knowing Johnny was watching her as she touched herself only heighted the sensations she was feeling. When he finally stepped closer, so close she could smell the faint traces of his aftershave before the shower claimed them, she couldn’t halt the soft whine that escaped her lips. She beckoned him closer still until he was standing directly in front of her, leaning up to kiss him as he pressed her gently back against the wall. She could feel his cock hard against her hip and ground herself against him as he rested his head against her shoulder.
“Caught.” She murmured against his mouth. Reaching out, fingers slick with her own juices, she curled her hand around him and began to stroke along the length of his cock. “You say that as if I didn’t know you were going to come in and see what I was doing.”
“You’re such a tease,” he groaned with a chuckle and kissed her again as the water cascaded over both of them.
“You love it.” She shifted her position subtly, not wanting him to have to strain his injured muscles to reach her, letting out a soft sigh as he stroked his hands over her breasts, bending his head low and taking one of her nipples into his mouth, teasing the sensitive skin as he nipped at it gently. His hands continued the path along her body as he traced his fingers over her hipbone and then lower, parting her easily, stroking his fingers against her slick heat. He traced circles over her clit in a leisurely rhythm as she ground against his fingers, hungry for his touch after weeks of its absence, feeling pleasure spark up and down her spine as she murmured his name, repeatedly.
Abruptly he pulled back, surprising her as he sunk down low, trailing kisses over the flat plain of her abdomen until he reached the valley between her legs. He nuzzled his way into her folds, dragging his tongue over her, nearly causing her legs to collapse as straight hot pleasure spread through her in waves. She used the shower wall for support as he stroked her from front to back, pausing to suck gently on her clit. She dragged her fingers through his hair as she leaned her head back and arched into his mouth, feeling her orgasm building as she rubbed herself against his face in need. As if sensing she was on the edge of a knife, he slipped two fingers inside her, working them in tandem with his tongue until he found the rhythm she needed to explode against his mouth. She cried out as she came, her orgasm racing through her as wave after wave of pleasure crested and her vision went static and white.
Sonya closed her eyes for a moment, waiting for her vision to return to normal as she came back down, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him close as she caught her breath. After a moment, seeing him trying to hide a wince of pain, she helped him rise, pulling him close and reaching out to run her hand down the length of his cock. Knowing he needed the release as much as she had, she pulled him close, rubbing his cock off her clit, letting the last electric sparks of her orgasm guide her as she stroked him against herself. Johnny, pressed fevered kisses to her neck, biting her shoulder as he braced his good hand high above her head on the wall, fighting to control the hitch in his breath. She changed her tempo, playing with his cock, alternating between stroking him with her hand and rubbing him against her clit.
All too soon he was stringing together an incoherent stream of noises as he bowed his head to her shoulder. He groaned her name. his hips bucking as his orgasm came over him in a rush of intense desire. Wanting it to last as long as she could draw it out for him, she continued to stroke and twist her hand, cupping his balls and playing with them gently to add to the pleasure he was feeling. Finally, when he was still and quiet, she gave him a moment to catch his breath, then tipped his chin up, kissing him deeply.
“You… are utterly amazing,” he said in a slightly ragged voice, cupping the side of her face and leaning his forehead against hers.
“I... am utterly starving,” she said, raising an eyebrow as he started to laugh. “And the water has gone cold.”
“Romantic.” He got a devilish look on his face and in an instant, she knew what he planned to do.
“No,” she said raising a finger in warning, starting to back away. “No, no, no. Don’t you dare.”
She darted back, but not fast enough as he playfully made a grab for her, capturing her around the waist with his good arm and pulling them both under the cold water as she gasped and sputtered curses at him amid peals of laughter.
“Now I have the perfect excuse to warm you up all over again.” Johnny sealed his lips to hers in a messy kiss.
“Well, I do have a reputation as an ice queen.” She gently looped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips in a trail of kisses along his jaw.
“That’s utter bullshit.” Johnny scoffed. “Whoever called you that is an asshole, and a fool.”
“If I remember correctly called me that when we first met,” she reminded him archly with a smirk.
“So, then believe me when I say I didn’t know my ass from a hole in the ground.” Johnny tipped her chin towards him so he could look her in the eyes. “You’re strong. You’re smart. You’re fierce when you are protecting the people you love. You’re absolutely radiant in bed and sexy as hell. You are the farthest thing from an ice queen I’ve ever met.”
“Let’s keep just revelation that between the two of us, okay?’” Sonya reached for the knob to turn the shower off, a smile pushing at the corners of her mouth, even as she tried to sound serious. Her hear was hammering so loud in her chest, she was sure he would hear it and know she was secretly euphoric at his words. Words that didn’t normal have a place in her personal vocabulary for so many reasons. “There are some parts of my job where being an icy bitch is actually an asset.”
“Don’t worry babe, your secret is safe with me.” Johnny chuckled and peppered her forehead with kisses as they stepped out to towel off. “Call me selfish but I’d rather keep you to myself anyways.”
Later that evening, seated at an upscale sushi restaurant in Hollywood, with Johnny across the table and the remnants of a small sushi feast spread out in front of them, Sonya realized that she was, without a doubt, the happiest she had been in a very long time. She was fully down the rabbit hole in terms of being out of her element, and at times there was still a solid core of anxiety in the pit of her stomach that she doubted would go away any time soon but just looking at Johnny across the table was enough to bring a smile to her lips that seemed to have a life of its own.
The drive down from base had been slow and leisurely, and Johnny had acted as GPS of sorts, guiding her as she drove through some of LA’s best decorated neighbourhoods. There she had finally seen something akin to what she had grown up with in terms of holiday zeal and over the top décor. Everything had been awash in shades of green, blue, and white. The houses had been light to twinkling and with enough voltage you could probably have seen half the Christmas lights clearly from space.
Now, well into enjoying their meal together, Sonya glanced out from under her lashes, using the excuse of casually checking her phone for work emails, as she watched Johnny lean back in his chair. The dark green dress shirt he had thrown on pulled taut over the toned frame of his chest. Despite the fact that they had lingered getting dressed, lounging on the bed and just generally goofing off with each other until they decided to get ready and go, Sonya could feel the same level of desire for him flooding through her. She ducked her head, pretending to be scrolling through a document on her phone, and for once, let herself just enjoy the moment.
A chuckle from across the table caused her to look up into Johnny’s smiling blue eyes. He reached over, intertwining his fingers with hers and bringing them to his lips in a feather light kiss.
“Care to share what’s so funny?” Sonya traced circles on the back of his hand idly while waiting for him to answer her.
“Nothing really, you just keep smiling at me, it’s making my night.” He gave her a high watt grin, like a kid finding exactly what he wanted under the tree on Christmas morning.
Before Sonya could respond with anything more than a heartfelt squeeze of his hand, their waitress appeared at the table to refill their water glasses and take their dessert orders. She gave Johnny an appraising glance and a flirty smile, ignoring Sonya pointedly before disappearing back towards the kitchen.
“Wow.” Sonya shook her head with a small snort of laugher at Johnny’s bemused expression of apology. “I guess we know who she’d like under the tree on Christmas morning.”
“I do look good wrapped in a big red bow and nothing else,” Johnny joked. “And I really wish I was making that up, but I think there may be photos somewhere from a Christmas party years ago to prove it.”
“I have no doubt about it.” Sonya chuckled and reached out to tweak the dog tags laying on top of his shirt. “But honestly I’d just as soon see you in these and these alone.”
“Anytime, anywhere.” He wigged his eyebrows. “We could skip getting the tree and just go back home, I’ll gladly model them for you.”
“Fat chance.” Sonya informed him, giving him a bemused glance of her own over her wine glass. “But this actually brings up a good point. We haven’t really talked about holiday plans yet. What have you got on deck, family plans? Fancy Hollywood Christmas parties? Charity events?”
“There have been a few invitations.” He toyed with his napkin and gestured to the sling. “But I haven’t really felt up to doing anything, not this year. I’ve been turning things down.”
Sonya couldn’t stop her eyes from widening in surprise. Johnny was a social butterfly; in the almost five months they had been dating, she had only just begun to understand how many events he put in appearances at. The reason didn’t matter to him, he genuinely enjoyed the glitz and glamour of a good Hollywood party. While turning things down social engagements while he was recovering was practical, it was also concerning. She suspected he had just enough ego that he didn’t want his Hollywood crowd to see him at anything less than his absolute best shape. She could also hear the defeated tone returning to his voice, a sign of the frustration he was feeling at not being able to do the things he enjoyed doing normally.
“What about your family?” Sonya took a sip of her wine, trying not to let the worry creep into her voice.
“My mother is overwintering in New Orleans’s with my aunt this year and my Christmas gift to Rebecca and my sister-in-law is a Mediterranean cruise.” Johnny poked listlessly at his sashimi with a chop stick and spoke dismissingly. “It’s not that big of a deal, Christmas was never really important in my family. What about you?”
“Are you kidding me? Do I have to remind you where I come from again? We have traditions for our traditions in Texas. Christmas was huge when I was growing up.” Sonya sighed. “Keyword was though, not so much anymore.”
“Why not?” Johnny cocked his head, giving her an appraising glance of his own at the slightly downcast tone of her voice.
“The last few years it’s just been Jax and I, a case of beer and whatever car or motorcycle we were trying to stick back together. Maybe pizza and The Terminator movies.” Sonya shrugged. “This year he’s going to meet Vera’s folks in Chicago. They won’t be back until after New Year’s Eve.”
“What about your mother?” She noticed he approached the topic carefully, knowing how she felt about talking about her family. His eyes were kind, and she reached out to grasp his hand again and took her time answering.
“We are...not close in a conventional sense.” She chose her words carefully. “I talk to her maybe two or three times a month, but she spends every Christmas in Puerto Vallarta with friends.”
“There’s a story there,” Johnny surmised. “I’m willing to listen if you want to talk about it, you know that.”
“It’s not that dramatic, we’re not estranged, there’s was no big fight or disagreement.” Sonya assured him. “She just…keeps me at arm's length. I think it’s to protect herself to be honest. She lost her husband and then her son to the military, then her only surviving child ditched a possible safe career in science to join up and serve as well. I don’t think she could handle it if something happened to me, so she just chooses to stay on the outskirts of my life. I’ve learned to accept it.”
“That’s bullshit.” Johnny made a face in disbelief and to her surprise there was a current of anger in his voice. “You’re supposed to support what your kid decides to do with their life. If I had a daughter who was as strong and smart as you are, I’d be so proud of her, they’d have to tie me down. I’d be singing it from the rooftops.”
“I would too.” Sonya admitted. “But everyone has their limits. I’ve learned to respect hers.”
“You’re kinder than me.” Johnny frowned, such a rarity for him that Sonya realized she could count on her hands the number of times she had seen actually seen him do it before. “My dad was a mean asshole, and even worse when he drank.”
“Is that why Christmas wasn’t that important?” Sonya felt a pang of sadness that he had grown up like that. As fractured as her family was, she had good memories of what time she had spent with her parents and brother.
“Largely. I mean, my mom tried her best to make it normal, but he hated when the attention wasn’t centered around him, and Christmas was just an excuse to drink more and ruin things.” He shrugged a shoulder, and she could see that he was trying to seem indifferent, as if it didn’t matter how hurt he had felt in the past. “I’ll be honest when I say I don’t have a lot of great holiday memories until I could make them myself. In the past I’ve pretty much just used Christmas as an excuse to go away somewhere expensive for vacation and party until it was over.”
“And now?” She was suddenly nervous about what he was going to say, realizing that she wanted to spend her Christmas with him, to make it a holiday he could look back on and say he enjoyed because they were together for it.
“Now, I don’t care what I do for the holidays as long as I’m doing it with you.” He looked away, and although it seemed impossible for a man who often ran on ego and caffeine, he actually sounded nervous. Sonya suddenly had a moment of clarity that she wasn’t the only one who hated feeling vulnerable and exposed.
“Well, it’s a damn good thing I want to spend Christmas with you as well.” It was the truth. Thinking back to her earlier thoughts about how her army issue house was suddenly feeling like a home, she realized it was very possible that for the first time in a long time she could have a Christmas at home with someone she loved. It gave her a giddy feeling, like she had downed far too many of the coffee flavored pre-workout drinks Johnny was now stowing on the door of her fridge. “So, what do you say to us spending our first Christmas together, just the two of us, making some traditions that we like for us?”
“I say that sounds like a movie of the week plot,” Johnny cleared his throat, and she could hear the relief in his voice. It gave her heart pause, sometimes with all they had been through it was far too easy to forget they weren’t made of stone. “And I am totally in.”
Getting up, not caring if anyone saw them or if it would up on a tabloid the next morning, she walked purposefully around the table, cupped his cheek softly with one hand and kissed him. Immediately he reached up, threading his fingers into her hair and kissing her back until her head was spinning and her heart was hammering in her chest.
A soft noise caused them to separate, and they both turned to see the waitress standing awkwardly off to the side of their table with an unimpressed smirk on her face, holding the two portions of chocolate mousse they had ordered for dessert. Sonya responded by giving her the “fuck you” death glare she normally reserved for recruits pissing her off and in short order the women was scurrying back to the hostess station as if her Louboutins were on fire.
“You really should learn to market that; you’d make a fortune.” Johnny gave an impressed snicker and swirled the spoon in his dessert.
“Ah, but then it would be less impressive,” Sonya pointed out then dropped her voice to a low whisper, gesturing with her spoon casually. “Plus, how else am I going to let other women know you’re mine?”
“Possessive, I like it.” Johnny grinned. “I cannot wait to get you on the red carpet, heads are going to roll. It’s going to be glorious.”
“For you,” Sonya winced but she was also laughing at the gleeful look on his face. “For me it’s going to be like walking on glass, however I’ll gladly do it like a good little solider.”
“Anything coming up you want me on your arm for coming up? When’s the military ball again?” His tone was jovial, and she got the impression that the idea of them going out together while he was recovering was easier to handle then the thought of tackling events alone if she was unavailable.
“It’s not until the end of January.” Sonya idly trailed her spoon through the chocolate mousse. “But there’s something tomorrow you can help me with, a covert mission of sorts.”
“Bring it on!” From the look on his face, she could tell it was exactly what he needed to feel better, something to make him feel a bit more useful and back in the game. She just hoped what she had in mind would work out and not fall flat. “Give me the details.”
Sonya leaned across the table and began to fill him in on what she had in mind. It was definitely out of his element, but as she tried to sell him on the idea it could be a fun way to kick off their holidays together, she could see him getting more excited than he had been in weeks, and that alone, made it double worth the while.