|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 4:30 pm
He spent all of two days in the infirmary before he attempted to sneak out, Gale's excuse being that it was Christmas coming and that he didn't want to be stuck attached to tubes and wires and needles and all sorts of medical equipment during the holidays. And besides that, he was relatively certain that a certain girlfriend of his wasn't even aware that he was back yet, and he definitely did not want her to find him lying in a hospital bed.
And besides, he had shopping to do.
According to the papers and the two Lifers that had found him, Gale had been gone a total of six days and thirteen hours during his away mission. It was supposed to have been a lot shorter, but due to his little stint in the horseman's lair, and his traipse through the desert, it had stretched out much longer. He was still not exactly fit for duty; his arms were wrapped, his legs were wrapped, and there were white bandages looped around his head and across the right side of his face. The swelling had thankfully gone down, but it was purple and blue beneath the bandages, and he looked, needless to say, more than a little worse for the wear.
Still, Christmas was important, and Gale was not about to let an opportunity like this pass him by.
He was still in an embarrassing hospital gown as he inched his way out of the infirmary, though he'd disentangled himself from any IVs or anything else that would keep him tied to the bed. Gale's hair was mostly blonde again, with a few trace remnants of orange and red still visible, and it was currently pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck, though several strands were falling free.
He'd made it just outside the infirmary doors before he had to pause, leaning back against the wall to catch his breath. If he managed to be careful, he might be able to make it to Bix's room to borrow some clothes before going back to his own room...
That was the plan, then. Gale would sneak up to Bix's room, borrow some of his clothes, and then head home to Stormy. Perfect plan.
Except not really.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 5:22 pm
Perfect until the collision.
Fresh from her second shopping trip off island, Stormy was in a whirl of forward momentum. Her hair had been done at at last (dyed a soft pink and white, long enough to finally style into a pixie cut without looking like a ragged Barbie doll even though she could still feel the scars), and her arms were barely able to contain all the bags of presents, boxes to wrap those presents in, and wrapping paper to wrap the boxes the presents would be going into. Her enthusiasm for getting everyone something was a little overboard--no doubt her best attempt at trying not to worry about Gale's mission--but more than that it also made it difficult to see past the stride of her own feet. She didn't think it would be too bad, though; she'd traversed Deus enough and could probably sleepwalk and navigate everything perfectly well. Plus most people were either spending the holidays indoors or on a vacation day.
So she didn't think much of it when she accidentally bumped into someone, as her mind was already focusing on how best to get the gift job finished and fast. "Sorry!" Stormy squeaked as she stumbled back and away, giving him a wide berth. "Sorry, um, lemme just--get out've your way--okay! Merry Christmas!" she added as she continued her march to the dorms. Oh gosh, she hadn't considered how to navigate the stairs...
kuuropii BUT REMEMBER THEY CAN'T HANG THEM HIGH BECAUSE 2 SHORT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 5:31 pm
Gale carefully maneuvered himself down the hallway, moving slowly half because he didn't want to get caught, and half because it kind of hurt to move any faster than the speed of a turtle. The inside of his elbow itched where they'd stuck an IV needle, and he scratched at it with annoyance as he reached the end of the corridor.
It branched out either left or right; left, to the exit, or right, which would take him past several more rooms and would take longer, but was also a lesser taken route when it came to leaving the infirmary. Gale glanced in one direction and was in the process of turning his head to look down the other direction when someone knocked into him with enough force to send him stumbling.
"Bloody hell - "
An ache of pain ricocheted up and down his body, Gale wincing as he righted himself. There was someone with pale pink and white hair and about a billion bags on her arms, but he couldn't see her face. He swiped a hand through his hair, was about to make a hasty getaway -
- except then she spoke and Gale froze where he stood.
"Erm."
A creeping sense of guilt began to worm its way into his stomach, along with the deer-in-headlights expression of someone who has just been caught doing something he probably shouldn't be doing. Gale slowly turned his head towards her.
"...Stormy?"medigel 2COOL 2SHORT hobbit fireplace for hanging stockings
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 6:22 pm
The bloody hell made her falter in step (Wait, was it--), but it was her name that got her to completely stop. (It was--)
There were two beats of silence: one to recognize the voice, one to form a reaction--no, less than that, reaction needed a semblance of thought and nothing was passing through her mind as she dropped everything (the clatter was distant in her ears, the thought of something possibly breaking only a vague concern easily brushed off), turned on a heel, and marched (flew) at the battered looking young man, her expression still caught in that slight oh as her mind raced to keep up with her body (the hair wasn't right not completely the right shade yes but the colors were gone but the voice was)--
The second collision was a lot less jolting. Stormy slowed a little when she was several feet away, turning hesitant as she searched his face just to be sure she wasn't hearing things (she had heard so many things on her Arctic patrol and in her dreams and in their empty dorm rooms that sometimes, sometimes--), but she knew she wasn't a split second before she reached him because regardless of the garb and the sickly appearance and the familiar-but-not-familiar hair (as if she could talk now with her own), nobody else had those eyes. So she wrapped her arms as tight as a ribbon around those presents would be, because this was the best gift she could receive this Christmas, and buried her face so that neither of them had to acknowledge quite yet that tears had formed.
She tried to speak, but all she made was a muffled whining noise into his gown.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 6:41 pm
He thought maybe she would scold him; Gale stood there in his terribly shameful hospital gown, bandages wrapped around his limbs and and his face, frozen into an awkward half walking stance that was kind of uncomfortable. Stormy had been the first to leave on her mission, and then Gale had followed, which meant that they had not seen each other in much too long (though in Gale's estimation, anything longer than a day was too long, considering their still semi-new living situation).
So he stood there, half cringing, half resisting the urge to run towards her (not that he could even run in his state), staring at her different hair and wondering when she had done that. It was paler and slightly longer, and it was rather lovely, especially with her eyes and her complexion. Gale thought she had never looked prettier, but he was a) terribly biased, and b) he had not seen her in quite some time and had missed her awfully much, so his judgement may have been off.
"I can - " he started to say hastily, but the explain died on his tongue as she wrapped her arms around him, her face buried in his chest. Gale staggered a little, swaying under the sudden embrace; but after the first few minutes of initial shock, the tension eased away from his shoulders, and he found he was quite at a loss for words. The surprise was replaced with an ache of longing and familiarity, and he lifted his own bandaged arms to wrap them around her shoulders, duck his head to press his face into her different colored hair and breathe out a sigh.
"I'm home."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 7:35 pm
You should give him some room to breathe. Thane was amused by how quickly she went from on the move to barely keeping it together. That is what you humans do, isn't it?
Making another soft keening noise in reply, Stormy loosened her grip in case Gale actually did need gentler handling, but only just. It was impossible to hide the sob that made her shoulders tremble, but at least it looked deserted outside for now. Gale wasn't home though, not yet, not to her, not until they both had crossed the threshold into 221B safe and sound. (But was he? He had bandages and looked even more pale than normal.) The problem was that it required letting go and moving, neither of which she felt up to just yet. (But could he smell the cigarettes beneath the perfume, or--)
"Hey," she finally managed, sniffling. Get it together. With another breath, she pulled her face from his gown and hastily wiped at her eyes with her sleeves. "Hey," Stormy tried again in a strong voice, shakily forming a smile as she reached up to cup Gale's face. (Real.) His hair was a little longer than she remembered, or at least there seemed to be more of it caught between her fingers. Had it really been so long since they'd had a moment together, or was her memory starting to fail her?
Her eyes began to draw towards his visible blemishes with quiet alarm. "Gale--are you okay? Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 8:06 pm
He would have been okay with Stormy staying exactly where he was, but his aching body was saying otherwise. Gale felt the vibration of a sob in her shoulders and gently smoothed a hand across her shoulder blades in an action that was meant to be reassuring for not just her, but himself as well.
(With his nose pressed to her hair, he thought he could smell - no, it was just sweetness, that was it, it was lingering remnants of something just inside of his mind, nothing more.)
Her voice was tiny. Gale looked at her as she tugged her head back, her eyes watery, and he would have been lying if he'd said that his own eyes were dry. There was a sharp stinging sensation at the corner of his left eye, and maybe his right too, if he could feel it (but the anesthetic kept that side of his face currently numb, which he was grateful, because that had been the part of him that had hurt the most, and he wasn't looking forward to the medication wearing off). His smile was shaky as Stormy's fingers touched his cheek, and he lifted a hand to cover hers and hold it in place.
"Hey," he said softly, and curled his fingers with hers, turning his head so that he could press a light kiss to the palm of her hand.
There were a thousand more things to say, but his mind seemed not to want to make anything coherent at all. Gale's gaze flickered back to Stormy, and he drank her in greedily, taking in every inch of her features, her face, her eyes, her hair -
"Erm." There was a slightly guilty pause. "...no," he said, after a second, and it was entirely unconvincing. Gale sighed.
"Probably," he admitted. "But I hate it in there, I was trying to get back home when I ran into you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 9:45 pm
"Oh." It sounded strangely funny: just bumping into him while he was trying to escape the place. Funny but familiar; this wasn't the first time she had had to help spring him from the infirmary. This, she could latch onto.
"Okay, uh--" Thinking on her feet, Stormy stepped out from his hold, shed her coat, and offered it for him to wear. "Here, put it on, it's big enough to hide most of that hospital gown." Gale was only an inch or two taller than her, but Stormy's closet tended to veer into oversized, long-sleeves, and multi-layered. "And, uh..." Making a one second motion, she ducked away to her sprawl of present and plucked the lightest ones off the ground, returning with a decent armful that she hoped wouldn't strain him. "Take these with you if you can? Oh!" She then doffed her hat and put it snug over Gale's head; she doubted that would fool anyone, but his nurse wasn't going to be looking for a patient without a hat, so there.
Pleased with her work, Stormy went to pick up the rest in a hurry. "C'mon, Shale," she said emphatically, winking in spite of herself. "I told you to pick up the pace!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 10:12 pm
"Thank you."
Gale was grateful for the coat, in spite of the fact that it was a girl's coat; they were very nearly the same height, anyway. He reached out and accepted it, slipping his arms through the sleeves and felt marginally more covered than he had with the flimsy hospital gown.
(He did miss the warmth of holding her, though. The rush of air as she pulled back made his heart ache for her again, and he wondered how he had managed to go so long without seeing her.)
There were many bags - many. Gale suppressed a laugh and instead blinked upwards at the hat that she placed on his head, taking ahold of the offered bags and curling his fingers around them. It was, perhaps, kind of a silly disguise, but it was a disguise nonetheless, and he hand it to Stormy for her quick thinking.
"Coming, coming," Gale answered with amusement, trailing after her. He wanted to reach out and take her hand, wanted to have that connection again; but since they were in the process of fleeing from the infirmary, he supposed he would have to wait until they were back in their room before he could do that. There were a thousand questions as well, but he doubted she would answer while they were scurrying like Holmes and Watson again.
(He tried to walk faster.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 11:59 pm
She hummed "Jingle Bells" all the way through their walk (read: light jog) back to their apartment, growing more and more antsy the longer they spent on the trek and not behind either door of #221. Eventually they made it and she all but breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind them.
The inside of their suite had been swept clean (a valiant effort by one who normally let small messes accumulate until she felt guilty) and decorated with the usual holiday cheer: lights were strung along the threshold of the two front doors, a small unit of snowmen and elves replaced where pumpkins and ghosts had been for Halloween, somewhere there was a plug-in dispensing the smell of cinnamon, the couch had several new decorative pillows with cutesy sayings like Dear Santa, I was NAUGHTY and it was worth it! and Stay Frosty, and there was a modest tinsel tree by the piano where presents were already waiting; she had taken the liberty of herding what gifts they had been given by others to share once he returned. On the table was an iPod and its station, ready to fill the place with music again, and there were several looseleaf notes with writing run amok.
The presents were discarded unceremoniously once again in order to give Gale a kiss and a bigger and better bear hug: an apology for having to break the first one at all. Her face pressed into the crook of his neck, Stormy shut her eyes and made another high-pitched noise in her throat, pitiful and relieved and concerned and small. If Gale had a thousand things to say, she had a hundred thousand questions to throw back, none of which felt like getting verbalized correctly. At length the crushing pressure stopped, and while one arm remained around his waist, the other hand crawled up and nestled in his hair, stroking it half to comfort him and half to comfort herself.
"Now you're home," she whispered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 1:53 pm
Gale was also relatively relieved at finally being within the confines of his own room. #221 looked the same as it had, except with the addition of some festive Christmas decorations here and there. He leaned back against the closed door and let the familiarity of being back sweep across him, the bags sliding from Gale's arms until they hit the floor with a little thump.
It wasn't quite as big a thump as the one that emanated from Stormy letting all of her bags go, however. And a minute later, she was burrowed against him, and the warmth of her lips was pressed to his own, Gale melting beneath the feel of her so close. He wound his arms around her waist, ignoring the throbbing pains of his injuries, and cradled her close, one of his hands pressed against her back, the other arm wrapping around her shoulders.
He would have taken this pressure, would have taken Stormy, regardless of the injuries, no matter what.
A smile found its way onto his face. "I'm home," said Gale, and, unable to resist, he leaned closer and kissed her again, reveling in the sensation of it before he pulled back, just enough to give her a peck to the forehead.
Except he couldn't quite stop the flinch of pain that flitted across his face. Gale gave Stormy a wan smile.
"Lemme, erm...sit down a minute," he said, sliding his hand over hers and lacing their fingers together. "Then I think we have some catching up to do."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 9:44 pm
She made more soft noises in return, less keening and more like chirps, and poured herself into each kiss until Gale pulled away, and she would have chased after anyway had she not seen that little spasm. Then she remembered: Right. Infirmary. The implications of which she was keen on learning about just a little bit less than she had been hellbent on crushing him against her.
"Just a little bit," she agreed lightheartedly, pecking his nose one more time and giving his hair another stroke before she finally let him have free passage to the couch. "D'you want tea? Soup? Water? Candy? We have a lot've candy. Oh, there's also some leftover pizza I was gonna reheat in the oven, it's a supreme...Wait!"
Making a hasty motion she barely thought through, Stormy bustled away to their room and came back a few seconds later. In one arm she had the trio of stuffed animals, while the other carried a certain minipet's cage. She carried them all over, letting the kids jump (get tossed) into Gale's lap before putting the cage on the coffee table and unlocking the latch, siccing the dragon so to speak.
It was important to learn what happened, but it was also very important to see if Tink would end up giving him the cold shoulder like she had with her, or if Stormy would get treated to a super cute reunion.
kuroopu i swore this would turn more deep and then it didn't
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 7:47 am
He would have been lying if he didn't say that the little chirps she was making didn't make his stomach flutter happily. Gale touched the side of Stormy's face gently, curling his fingers so that his knuckles brushed over her cheek in an affectionate manner.
"Tea would be good," he said. Always tea. "And pizza actually sounds pretty appetizing too."
Easing himself over to the couch, he sank carefully down onto it, breathing out a sigh of relief. Gale tilted his head back against the cushions and let the familiar warmth spread over him, let the simple reassurance of being back home ebb its way into his heart again.
He had missed this. He had missed Stormy.
Blinking over at her, he lifted his head just in time to get a sudden armful of stuffed animals. Gale made a slight squawking noise, but gathered them together, patting their heads fondly; but it was the sound of the cage unlocking that made him sit up a little straighter.
"Tink!" he said happily, and started to reach toward her, but paused before his fingers actually reached her. The little dragon was eying him with a certain amount of suspicion, inching towards the edge of the table without actually getting too close.
There was a slight pause. Then she stuck out her head and tapped the palm of Gale's hand once, and he turned to look at Stormy, beaming as his fingers slid over the dragon's scaled head.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
