Rapunzel <J. Valeska>

1.4

Daisy barely has time to open her coloring book and continue shading her last picture before Daddy is already back.

"Well that meeting was quick and painless," Jerome sighs breezily as he struts through the door, flicking it closed once more with a twist of his elegant wrist.

He strides over to the bed, looking over Daisy's shoulder at her coloring book.

"Whatcha coloring, princess? A pretty kitty?" Jerome asks, staring at the soft orange kitten peering up at him from the page.

Daisy nods absently, absorbed in shading its subtle stripes just right. Her tongue sticks out of the side of her mouth in concentration as her hand expertly moves the pencil. Jerome notes with some amusement that her tongue juts out further when she comes close to the edges, clear tension in her shoulders as she avoids coloring outside the lines. Even he knows better than to jar her shoulder and ruin her masterpiece.

He hums to himself and picks up a lock of her long blond hair, turning it back and forth and watching how it catches and reflects the light from the fluorescent bulbs above their heads. The shiny strands shimmer, casting bands of light on the red walls.

Frustratingly, Daisy finds herself distracted by Jerome's careful touches, traces of her earlier desire still lingering to taunt her. Her senses zone in on the gentle tug of her hair, and her hand jumps, scratching just outside the line. Daisy pouts, and if she could, she would be whining her protests at the unfair turn of events.

Jerome notices the absence of her pencil grazing paper and glances down in confusion, pausing his ministrations.

"Aw, babygirl, did you mess up?" He wonders. At her nod, he continues. "It's okay, baby, you can hardly notice."

Daisy starts tearing out the picture, ready to ball it up and start new. Before she can crumple the paper, Jerome intervenes.

"Oh no, Rapunzel, don't throw it away. Daddy will keep it," he says, reaching out for the picture. "Come on now, sweetheart, it's really good, and I wanna keep it."

Daisy gives him a look, one that says she doesn't quite believe him. She puts the coloring page back down on the book and carefully addresses it to him. Once she's signed off on it in blocky letters, she carefully hands it over to her daddy.

The ginger gives her a heartwarming smile. "Thank you, princess. And look, he even has red hair like me!" Jerome exclaims giddily. "I'll put this in the drawer for safe keeping."

True to his word, the man turns away and takes the two steps to the side table, sliding open the drawer and gently placing the picture inside, on top of her drawing of Pepper.

"Alright, Flower, here's the plan for the next couple of days. We're gonna eat some food here in a bit, then I'd like you to help me pack up some things so we can move to the new house tonight," Jerome says. "Hopefully we won't have to go out the window again, but we'll see. In the meantime, we just gotta keep an eye out for mail from Pepper."

Daisy gives him a very confused look when he mentions having to exit via window again, especially because she never found out why they had to do that the first time. Reading her expertly, Jerome takes it in stride, coming close to her to whisper in her ear, "I'm not technically supposed to keep guests here with me in my office, princess. The boss said he'd make an exception for me for a little bit, but my, uh, coworkers can't know you're here. That's also why we're moving. I can't hide you away in this room forever, gorgeous."

She flushes hot at his words, flustered. Every weighted word that falls from his lips, caressed by his tongue, prickles at her every nerve. She's sure that any words he says could get her heated, just because they come from him. His next ones even more so.

"And besides," he coos, his breath brushing her ear. "Our own place means no more interruptions."

Daisy swears that she can feel the faintest touch of his tongue on her earlobe before he pulls away, once more titillated and left wanting more. She wonders for the first time of he's teasing her like this on purpose.

With a smug smile, Jerome draws back and exits the room, presumably to get food. Daisy can only hope that the meal won't be as lust-filled as the last few.

Thankfully, the two manage to keep their eating as PG as possible, avoiding eye contact so they won't be drawn into starting something up again. They both know that they shouldn't do anything too risky for a while, as they were begging to be interrupted. Daisy has also realized that she doesn't want to rush into things and possibly screw up the only relationship she's ever had.

They sit in a comfortable silence after Jerome takes their plates back to the kitchen. He's packing his clothes into a suitcase while she starts a fresh coloring page, determined to get this one perfect.

Jerome keeps turning as he folds and packs away clothes for a glimpse of that adorable expression she makes when she's focused, concentrating on the quality of her drawing. She's kicking her feet again as she lies on her tummy in Jerome's clothes. It dawns on him that maybe the poor girl needs some clothes of her own. He adds the thought to his mile-long to-do list with a shake of his head.

After considering their position for a bit, the ginger decides that he'll probably have to take her out the window again. There's no way he can sneak her out past Theo and Tabitha, and the risk of running into one of the former inmates is far too great. Jerome knows that there are many cars parked along the street that he can easily swipe and pass off as his. He's working out the logistics in his head like a roadmap when a lightbulb lights up his consciousness.

Tabby knows I have the assignment to get my dad, so maybe I tell her I'm going to do that and take one of Theo's cars. I take my stuff and Daisy out the window and then come back up and exit through the lobby myself. It's just crazy enough to work...

Jerome spares his new princess a look and knows without a doubt. Anything's worth it for a girl like her.
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A/N
Back again with an update. Honestly don't know anymore if I'm on schedule, but whatevs. Hope everyone's had a good weekend. What's coming up for you guys this week? How do you feel about where the story's headed? What do you think Jerome should tell Daisy about Pepper, if anything? I'm aching for some conversation. If you enjoyed this latest installment, please vote and comment to let me know, and be on the lookout for my next post! Love you!
Gingy