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 Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 6:34 am
“Aye, lass, aye!” Ghastly gives her a lazy salute, ready to take himself right off, right away: down the stairs he goes, and there’ll be a clanking of glass on glass, and a low murmur of voices meant to avoid interrupting. So Last is down there, then, and talking about something with his elder brother: speculating? Stalling? Giving her time to come to grips with the fact that First is sitting on her bedroom floor, reaching up slowly to grasp Ghastly’s cap with both hands, as if he thinks that if he continues to not see her he won’t have to face the pain? After a long moment of silence, First seems to remind himself to breathe: he takes in a deep breath, still afraid to look at her, and manages: “ .. shouldn’t.” The word is a mumble, somehow mournful. “Y’shouldn’t. I .. I shouldn’t. Sh .. shouldn’t be here. Won’t be able t’ .. umm. Mm.” She can see, just under the brim of the cap, as he licks his lips as if tasting the words he’s just spoken, unsure of their meaning and realizing suddenly that they are lacking something important. His next words, when they do come, are a faint and distinctly pained whisper. “ .. missed you, Ros’.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:05 am
Just watching him is getting painful, much less what he says. She really just wants to get out of bed and hold him for a while, she really does, but that will come with probably getting scolded later for disobeying doctors orders. Frankly, she's probably the one who's better suited to moving at the moment, since she's not drunk, and the pain doesn't really matter at the moment. Screw getting in trouble, it's damned worth it, and she's fairly sure they could both use it. "No. You stop that nonsense. You're supposed to be here, because you're too damn stubborn to actually come and see me on your own, and I'm still not even allowed downstairs on my own, so it seemed like a good option." She's being careful about finally shifting to get out of bed, she doesn't ******** care how much it ends up making her hurt. At the least she can move, and it ends up hurting a lot less than she thought it would, and it isn't long before she's on the floor next to him, pulling him into a tight hug, making sure the worst of her injuries avoids any discomfort. "We were both stupid. There's no taking back what happened, I know that, but please.... Please don't leave me again. I'm so sorry for what I did, I've missed you so much, and your brother, he's missed you terribly too, so please at the very least.....At least make up with him." She's desperate, and it's absolutely clear in her voice and by the way she's holding him, to have him at least back with his brother, to know that the two of them have made up. "I love you, nothing'll ever change that."
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:18 pm
When he hears her getting out of bed, he makes a small noise, almost afraid, and refuses to look up at her. He’d been so — well, so very certain, earlier, that he was doing the right thing by staying away. But the sound of her voice wears away at his surety, inch by inch and word by word, until by the time he hears her kneel in front of him he is sucking in a sharp breath, Ghastly’s cap slipping off as she pulls him into her protective embrace. And though he seems to shiver, nearly flinching when she touches him, so long as she holds fast past that initial twitch, she will find that her coaxing causes him to press forward against her warmth, his head slowly dropping onto her shoulder.
In bewildered silence, he lifts first one hand and then the other to clutch her dress: he holds onto her as if she might have the power to save him, as if he is drowning in his drunkenness and his loss and his confusion, and only she can pull him free.
“ .. sorry,” he manages to croak, finally, his voice a dry rasp: “ .. ‘m sorry,” he says again, and that seems to be all he can manage, because he makes a very strange noise, a terrible, painful noise, and then his shoulders shudder and he presses his face against her and she can feel that it is wet. He will cry into her, gasping the same apology now and again, and sometimes saying her name as if asking if she understands just how sorry he is. “ .. ‘msorry, Ros’, ‘msorry ..” Other than the apologies his sobs are mostly silent, but they shake the whole of his body and he continues to hold onto her, clinging to her, as if afraid to let go even for a single second.
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:51 pm
There is nothing in the world that could make her let go, it wouldn't have mattered if he had tried to throw her off. She knows that he needs this, that she needs this, and doesn't even feel the need to warn him about where she's hurting. It wouldn't be his fault, after all, and she doesn't want to distract from everything that needs to happen. There's only a sigh when he finally rests his head on her shoulder, a slow smile quietly spreading over her cheeks as she nuzzles at him, kissing his ear just once. It only helps when he finally holds her back, finally sighing a little, raising one hand to stroke through his hair.
"I'm sorry too, it's my fault too....I'm never ever going to let you go again, never ever." She's doing her best to just try and soothe him, not at all surprised at his tears. She'd cried too, hadn't she? But for now, she's the one that needs to stay strong, whispering how much she's missed him, how it'll all be okay, and how much she loves him in an attempt to soothe every last bit of hurt he's been holding in all this time. There are times her own body complains about the way she's positioned herself, or the way he's pressed up against her, but it doesn't matter one bit, not when he needs to feel better.
She's briefly curious if Last is ever going to stop stalling and finally join in this, though doesn't want to bother to listen to see if he's done. No, First matters too much right now, and deserves every bit of her attention. It's been too long, there's so much they need to talk about...Once he finally calms down a little, once he finally gets out what he's been holding in all this time, she'll rub his back softly, closing her own eyes for a little bit. "...You're not mad I'm marrying him, are you? And that doesn't mean you're getting left out, I wouldn't dare do that to you..."
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:26 pm
Some part of him wants to say no, no, this can’t end well — that he was right, he was so very, very sure that he was right. But he remembers how she smells, and her warmth is perhaps what he’s been missing all these nights when he hasn’t been able to sleep, and in his drunken state his emotions seem to spill out of him, as if he is a cup that has finally overflowed. In that sense, the crying surprises him even if it doesn’t surprise her. He isn’t really the sort of guy who cries, not usually.
“m’sorry,” he manages, after a bit, still mumbling, still having some difficulty with the words: her vow to protect him mostly just seems to confuse him. He will actually lift his head and blink at her, but the words why would you do that cannot quite make it past his lips. “M’sorry?” He tries again, on the off chance that this is what she’d been looking for.
The wedding — oh, the wedding. His face crinkles up, and his head drops back down to her shoulder and he holds her even tighter, hiccuping another sob before he can manage a response. “ .. y’r … y’r ..” (a sob escapes him) “ .. gonna .. look .. s’ .. s’ .. bea’fuuuul.” Why this should be so terribly sad is hard to say, but at least there is no anger, and he does not let go of her.
In the silence that follows this hiccuping outburst, there’s another silence downstairs: followed by the distinct sound of a glass being put hurriedly down.
(“You put him on th’floor?!” It’s Last’s voice: quiet until now, he raises his voice in indignation, and there’s a loud THUMP followed by the sound of Ghastly cursing.
“ .. wh’re else ye ‘spects, ‘course I did ..”
“Fecking hells, Gee, she ain’t a-pposed to be gettin’ out of bed, and you brings him here and puts him on the floor, what d’you think she’s gonna do right off?” Last’s voice is a groan, followed by the scrape of a chair going back. “ .. jest head back home, Gee, aright? I’ll make sure he don’t go nowhere tonight.” )
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:09 am
She feels like if he keeps crying, she just might start herself, especially with how tight he's holding her, and how many times he's said he's sorry. She just wants to keep on holding him until he stops, until he falls asleep, until she falls asleep for that matter. This has gone better already than she could have thought, than she could have wished for, and she's just so content to just hold him and let him say whatever he wants, so long that it's not something utterly ridiculous like he'd tried to claim before. Actually seeing him, actually seeing how much he's cried comes close to breaking her heart. She can't help but let go of him, just a little, to brush her thumb over his cheek, offering the best smile she can manage, before kissing above his eyes. It's not clear whether this is for his sake or hers, though perhaps in truth it's for both. She can't help when she finally tears up, just letting them slide down her cheeks without hesitation. The three of them, all three of them, will probably end up crying at some point tonight, there's no avoiding it. She can't help but hold him just as tight when he finally rests his head on her shoulder again, feeling the anxiety well up in her again. Oh god, how was he going to take it? He must have known, there was no way he couldn't know, that she had said yes, that she was going to be his brother's bride. "Scars and all?" She already knows the answer to this, but it might be a good way to remind him now to be careful with her, especially her arm. Hell, she's not sure how much he knows of the extend of her injuries, but she's sure at least her arm will scar. "You going to still love me? Even when I'm your brother's wife?" The silence, and what follows from downstairs makes her wince. Oh damn, she was going to be in trouble. Out of bed, against doctor's orders, and completely against Last's wishes. She could probably get out of trouble if she was careful and played her cards right, hell, she was sure she could convince him of just about anything if she got him thankful enough for her getting First back. For now she'd just wait until those footsteps came up the stairs, wait to face her problems one at a time.
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 11:07 am
All of this has the nature of a release, of tears and emotions he’s refused to allow until now: and yet he holds onto her, presses into her, like she’s the only one who stands a chance of keeping him afloat. Further talk of the wedding does not imperceptibly change this; he continues with the breathless apologies, the tears, the occasional repetitions of her name, only now he has added a new phrase to his repertoire: telling her how ‘bea’fuuuul’ she’s going to be, as if the words are a prayer. When she repeats her questions he sighs deeply, though it is hard to say what emotion prompted the sound. “ .. like th’scars,” he manages, tasting the odds as he says them, and nodding into her shoulders. “S’ .. hot. DO stuff. It’s, it’s .. y’ .. do stuff. Doin’ stuff s’hot.” The final question seems to stump him, as he looses the train of conversation and his own line of thought and can only peer at her, maybe trying to remember which brother it is she means and how exactly he feels about that. There’s a tromping of boots on the stairs, although at least he isn’t running up them: Last perhaps knows already what he’s going to find, and why. But when he makes it to the top of the stairs he sighs, crossing the room to ruffle his brother’s hair and lean down to kiss Rosa on the forehead. (First’s reaction to this is to blink and squint, as if he’s sure he’s seen Last somewhere but can’t remember where.) “You ought’ve said something,” Last grumbles to his intended, “you ain’t apposed to be out’ve bed.” Despite the complaint, he speaks soft and low, and there is a warm fondness in his voice: there is not much she could do without being able to talk her way out of it, and he seems perfectly aware that this is a moment which calls more for tenderness than a scolding. “How’m I apposed to get you both up there now, ‘thout thrown’ out my back?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 12:43 pm
She's regretting having asked for him drunk now, just a little bit. It would be so much easier to talk with him, to actually get coherent answers out of him. Though, would Ghastly have even been able to get him here at all? Would he have even stayed? Perhaps it was just for the best to leave everything that important for the morning, so they could actually talk softly while he nurses the hangover that's inevitable to come. But tonight, just for tonight, she'll let him repeat himself a hundred times over, and just try to vaguely understand what he's saying. There's a definite pause from her as she furrows her brow, trying to decipher what in the hell he's trying to say. Well of course it was hot, she got molten metal all over herself! It'll take several more moments for her to actually understand what he's saying....she thinks? "They're no fun to get, I'll tell you that. Just be gentle with me, alright?" It's when he actually has to stop, trying to remember which of the many brothers Grimm she's now engaged to wed that she can't restrain cracking a grin. Oh gods, what if she could get him to believe she was going to marry Jacob? Such a cruel thought... It may be for the best that Last coming upstairs interrupts that thought, Rosa looking up over at him as she continues to hold his brother, trying to put on her best innocent face. She knows she's not supposed to be out of bed, that she's not supposed to be on the floor holding First close, and this isn't the first time he's caught her. There's only a smile though when he finally sighs and kisses her on the forehead, closing her eyes the slightest. "I managed perfectly fine." She smiles, knowing damn well she'll get away with it this time. "Besides, the floor's comfortable enough. Not like I'm going to fall..." Though someone else might have. She'll lean back and eye Last as pitifully as she can, pouting just a tiny bit. "Think there's room enough for three tonight in the bed?" Nope, she's not planning on letting First go, not until she can talk with him when he's more sober. "I can get up on my own, it's him you need to worry about."
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:59 pm
While she and Last discuss the situation, First has been mumbling to himself — the same thing, over and over, the sounds tumbling into one another so that it’s difficult to tell if he is actually trying to communicate or simply making noise. It isn’t until Last pauses before he answers and looks closely at his sibling, as if trying to translate his incoherence, that First strikes. He sits up straighter, and puts his hands to the smith’s cheeks with a touch light as a feather, cupping her face and tilting it towards his, so that he can look into her eyes and speak against her lips, so that she feels every single word.
“I prom’s to always be gen’le. Never hurt you. Always be gen’le.” Though each syllable is still rounder and fuller than his normal speech, the words are spoken with a fierce intensity, giving the vow a sincerity even his drunken state cannot take away. Only when he is sure she has heard and understood will he tip his head forward, touching hers forehead to forehead, and sigh.
“Don’ wanna sleep ‘lone,” he tells her, much more softly, like a lonely child. “Miss’d y’, Ros’. ‘m sorry. Y’ll let me stay with y’?” He pulls back, just a little, perhaps because he finds that his eyes won’t focus on hers, and his thumb moves idly over her lips before his hands slip away from her face.
Last sighs. “Don’t so much think,” he mutters under his breath. “As know I gotta find a way, right? Feckin’ stupid brothers.” He moves away from them both, to re-arrange the blankets and the pillows, but his tone had been warm and relieved, and the tightness in his shoulders that’s been present the past few weeks has loosened. He’ll sleep in a chair if he has to, just to know that his brother is on his way to forgiving them both.
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Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 7:52 pm
Rosa can't help but give Last her attention, though continues to hold First tight against her, nowhere near ready to let go. Even then, she's nowhere near ready for when First finally moves. She can't help but turn red, having not expected anything near this level of intimacy. He's close, he's so close, and god, she can feel every tiny movement of his lips, and every single word might as well be a kiss. Her eyes slip shut as she just takes the moment to feel, unable to keep from smiling. It's impossible, not when he's being this tender with her, not when she's wanted this for so long.
"You'd best be." She murmurs, taking a moment to pause and properly kiss him softly, more than willing to let it linger before taking in a shaky breath herself to continue. "I promise I'll never abandon you. I'll never let this happen again, you mean too much to me." She knows she might need to remind him again in the morning, but that doesn't matter. What matters now is the closeness they're sharing, how quiet and gentle and wonderful it all is. She's so relieved to at least have this right now, no matter what comes in the morning.
"You don't have to, not anymore." She wants to take every last bit of hurt and just throw it away, replacing it with love and affection instead. "You're always welcome here, I've missed you so much..." It doesn't help that she pouts when his hands finally move from her face, though it's quick to fade into a smile, her cheeks pleasantly flushed.
Much like how Last had forgotten Ghastly the other night, the sound of his sigh makes Rosa jump the slightest, though she's quick to recover. "Of course." She frowns back to him, leaning back to get a better look at him. "Y'know...Maybe if we move the mattress to the floor...." It's a thought, at least. Then they can all three kind of fit, and it keeps First from falling off the bed.
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 5:34 am
“That could work,” Last agrees, knowing it’s not just a worry about First falling out of the bed, but either of the boys; to put three of them on a bed that small — well, it’ll be Rosa in the middle, leastways, since even a fall to the floor couldn’t do her no good. There’s some shuffling of blankets before he can start the transfer, so he goes about it carefully, leaving Rosa to keep his brother in check. First has listened to their conversation intently but with some small frustration, head canted to one side as if he cannot quite make out what they are saying. But he tries, nonetheless, and sits there licking his lips with his hands in Rosa’s lap, where they had fallen a moment ago. And perhaps he is not so much listening as thinking, because after a time he seems to come to some sort of decision, and reaching back out, snags the smith’s chin gently in one hand and turns her face back toward him so that he can kiss her. He’d liked the kiss, apparently, and one kiss is surely not enough to make up for the weeks he’s gone without any. So he will kiss her once, twice, a third time, barely letting her up for breath, and even then moving his kisses along her jawline to the side of her neck. Last, pulling the mattress now onto the floor and noticing what they are up to, only chuckles.
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:28 am
She was so thankful that at the least there was a possible solution to the situation. After all, sleeping in chairs wasn't much fun, and it wouldn't be fair to leave either boy out of bed. They could surely fit like this, right? But even then, if one of them were to slip off the mattress, it wouldn't end up being half as painful as if they were still using the bed, just perhaps a bit chilly. For now, she's more than happy to keep First distracted, and let Last take care of all the arrangements. Having been distracted by her betrothed, it's clear that First's demand for her attention has caught her off guard. The kisses are more than welcome, she hadn't expected him to want more, though is more than happy to return each one, no matter how breathless they leave her. She runs a hand through his hair to smooth it out the slightest, unable to keep from giving a pleased gasp when he finds that one little spot on her neck. It's hard to keep from smiling, not when she's so sure she's getting what she's wanted for so long. The night will be lost to sleep once they have all settled, and it's hard for Rosa to keep from falling into slumber when she's feeling so warm and safe. While still careful of her arm, she won't hesitate in holding First close through the night, though in truth she hopes it'll keep him there once he awakens in the morning, just in case she isn't up with the rising sun. Indeed, the night has brought so much exhaustion, between frayed nerves and relief, that she won't stir until one of the twins has, comfortably settled between them.
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:03 pm
Last will wake with the dawn, as he has since taking over her shop, and with a kiss and a few soft murmurs send her back into slumber. She’ll know from experience that by the time she wakes fully there will be a cold breakfast left on a covered plate on her nightstand, and it will only require a call downstairs if she wants hot coffee or tea: Last will have left a pot warming, waiting on her.
Today there are two covered plates, stacked on top of each other, and a small but persistent sound of something rattling that may be what finally draws her into wakefulness.
Still half curled around her in the bed, First apparently woke up a short while ago, because while he has had the foresight to pull on a pair of shorts he has not gotten any farther than that. There had been time to discover his new bruises last night, but in the morning light they are even more impressive, and First himself is looking a bit thinner than he had been when she saw him last. But none of this is of any mind to him; the whole of his attention is focused on one of his wrists, where a handcuff has been locked in place. Like most such bracelets, it is not lacking in a mate: a short length of chain away, the other end is wrapped in soft fabric and fixed just as firmly to one of Rosalie’s wrists.
First seems to be trying to work his way out of the handcuff without waking her with very little success: his actual pants can be glimpsed in a pile several feet away, and there do not seem to have been anything within reach that he might have used as a lock pick. There is a distracted, almost fearful look on his face as he works, and the moment he realizes she is awake he will freeze, afraid even to breathe.
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:42 pm
There's only a few mumbles in reply when he does stir her from her slumber, though is quick to settle back into it, pressing further up against the other warm body in her bed. It's nice to be able to continue sleeping with someone warm to cuddle up to, even after Last has left to care for her business, though she sincerely can't wait to get back to her own early mornings of tending the roaring fire and getting back to her work. It's just....nice to have a break, one she wouldn't normally allow herself.
It is indeed the rattling that'll catch her attention, half wondering if one of the rooks has been locked out of the shop by a closed window, and reaches up to rub at her eyes, sighing heavily. The plates, so close and full of delicious food, are calling to her, though when she tries to get up and reach for them, there's a little more that comes with her hand than she expected.
For one thing, there's another hand.
She hadn't completely forgotten about First, no, she was well aware that was who she was curled up with, the events from the previous night still fresh in her mind. Finally letting her hand lower, along with his, she'll settle down, offering a sleepy, but warm smile. How much will he remember, after all? He'd been pretty damn drunk, drowning in the effects of alcoholic beverages, and may very well not remember a damn thing. But the handcuffs, yes, that will ensure he won't go running off before he's meant to.
"Good morning, First." She yawns, settling back down as she runs a hand through her hair. "How's the hangover?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 7:26 pm
He is pale under the bruises, and goes paler yet when she speaks to him, for he knows what he’s done even if he can’t quite remember what happened the night before. He’d been so successful avoiding her, up until now, because he knew he wasn’t strong enough to leave her a second time, not when she was asking him to stay. Surely it will all go to hell, and he’ll do her wrong somehow, and he knows it, surely knows it, even though she don’t believe it — but his cheeks heat to a painful warmth at the memory, at the look that had been in her eyes, and he knows he can’t do it. When his shoulders slump, she may see the defeat in creeping in, his helplessness in the face of her loving insistence. He licks his lips, trying desperately to remember what he’d said and what they’d done. “ .. ain’t so bad,” he tells her, and his voice is quiet and soft, his tone almost cautious even if he hasn’t moved, hasn’t pulled his body away from hers. “Did Gee brung me here?” From the way he asks the question he already knows the answer, or at least has guessed it: who else would have the gall to make such an attempt?
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