Chasing Fate (Sentinel & Guide)

Chapter 48

[[Unedited but...I think you'll enjoy it. Votes appreciated! Love to hear what you think]]

The movie was a low commitment comedy- the kind you watch and forget in a week- about an insurance calculator for a city with superheroes and all the allocated damage they caused. Fate hadn't seen it yet and found herself chuckling at the lighthearted antics, her shields dropping as she stopped paying them so much attention.

It wasn't easy to allow herself to be comfortable. The couch in Jack's room was only two wide. His long arm was just behind her head, radiating heat. She could lean back if she wanted. The invitation was there, loud and clear. 

Subtlety was not in Jack's repertoire. Still, he didn't push, offering comfort with no strings attached. 

About halfway through the movie there was a knock on the door and the tell-tale rustle of plastic and paper. A mere whiff of the food and Fate's stomach reawakened. It roared loud enough for her to hear it, let alone Jack.  She was starving. 

Jack laughed as he went to the door to collect the food and bring it in. As he turned back into the door he noticed something in the glow of the movie that he hadn't noticed coming in. 

//Is she wearing my shirt?//

His mind was so loud that it startled Fate. The pride and possessive endorphins startled the heck out of her. Where did that come from? She looked down at the ratty black raglan shirt he had fixated on.

It was a double XL, too large on her frame whether she would admit it or not. the sleeves ran down over her fingers and had the telltale fraying from years of being picked at. There was a bleach stain at the bottom hem where she'd missed while cleaning the kitchen, and the screenprint was cracked with age. 

Jack too realized his mistake as he got closer. The shirt smelled only of Fate, and the laundry detergent she'd used back in Bent Valley. It just so happened that she owned the exact same shirt as him. Same size, same style.

Same Band. 

"You like Velle too?" Jack said as he sat the food down on the coffee table. He dug out the spring rolls and offered her the first one, piping hot. 

After the inital high faded he was still very curious. What were the chances? This shirt was from when Velle was still playing tiny venues and opening for mediocre acts.  It was one of those 'true fan' collectibles that only had a few hundred copies in the entire world. 

Fate nodded, "They played in Thornton... They were umm... They were my first concert. " 

An overwhelming fondness washed over him as she regarded the shirt with a smile. It didn't seem like she had many happy memories to look back on, but Jack could sense her joy as she briefly remembered the concert. 

"That's good news, I've never missed them when they're in town"Jack sat back down on the couch, throwing his arm back around her shoulder, "It's good to meet another original Vellan!" 

He made the signature hand signal, which was really just a variation on the finger gun. Fate threw her head back laughing as she made the signal too. 

As her laughter rang around the room Jack felt her walls finally dropping completely, letting him in for the first time in weeks. Fate had  finally truly relaxed. 

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Bonded couples were notoriously private about what bonding looked like behind closed doors. The basics were known, but for most sentinels it was an exercise in doing what felt natural. It wasn't meant to be shared. 

Jack had always been curious as to what was being hidden, to this day he did not know what his parents did or how Elliot bonded, and honestly he didn't want to know. Whatever Fate wanted would be perfect, he could feel it already.