|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 10:48 am
Anthony Darrow was not feeling particularly inclined to move. At all. Everything in his body seemed to ache in a way he had not even known possible. He had taken some beatings in his life, not least of all one in a dream world a short while ago, but this was something different entirely. Not only did his muscles burn from fighting back, but he had managed to break some of his bones.
That, as it turned out, was not fun.
He remembered times in his life when he had nursed broken or fractured bones before, but never because he had fallen down a flight of stairs. Fallen being an optimistic term. Pushed, more accurately. He had been shoved down a flight of stairs and nearly killed. And had protected the person who had done it.
He'd find time to think about all that, however, later. Following his trip to the hospital, where he was given many bandages, words of wisdom regarding ice packs, a cast for his arm and wonderful painkillers, his mind turned to the date he had missed. Suri had to be angry with him for not showing up. Maybe she thought he had stood her up. He called her as soon as he was able to try and reschedule.
But found himself unwilling to go out. Do anything active. He invited her over to his home, since Nate seemed to be gone for the day anyway, wondering if she might like a quiet day in rather than risk another adventure by going out. If a youma or a Nega showed up while he was on the way to the date... or even during? He would have to abandon her once again.
Maybe if they stayed in, they would be safe.
He did prepare a cute little scene, for dinner, later. A home cooked meal, maybe not too fancy but at least he put some effort into it. Even if standing in the kitchen for long periods made his ribs and back ache.
He was still debating how to explain away the bruises on him, and the cast on his arm. He even considered taking it off, somehow, and faking like it was fine.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 3:56 pm
There had been no way Suri was going to make that date, even though she had fled Camelot right when she should have met Tony. She could have spent hours slumped against her car, weeping in anger and confusion and pain, but after about fifteen minutes she managed to get a hold of herself and drive home, her body not relaxing a moment the entire way. She spent the rest of her night locked up in her apartment slumped on her bed, clutching the plush tiger that had arrived in the mail a few weeks ago. At some point in the morning, when she regained consciousness still fully clothed and aching, Maverick mewed at her until he was fed and had his litter box cleaned, but other than her most basic chores, Suri called in sick from work and spent her day in the fetal position, her mind troubled by Camelot's words and deeds.
Even Suri needed a break from sulking, though, and the call from Tony had been a welcome one, even a relief. By some luck, he'd been called away from the date anyways, and after the both of them spent a lengthy part of the conversation babbling apologies at eachother, they made plans to spend time cuddling at his home, which given Suri's current condition, seemed like the perfect date. She set a time, then set herself to work, starting off with a long, painfully hot shower. At least the heat would help with her muscles being so stiff, if not the nasty black bruise spreading over her navel.
As an apology, she pulled out her mother's cookbooks and started work on an old recipe for shortbread cookies, a popular treat from her college days. While she was less feminine than her mother on every account, Suri found that baking was almost like chemistry, and somehow it seemed to click with her, at least in terms of the simpler recipes. She didn't have anything like chocolate drops or caramel to coat them with, so they were simple, but she did have an old cookie tin and some tissue paper to make them look at least slightly presentable. Finally, she worked on making herself presentable: it was too warm for the sweater he'd given her, so instead she opted for a soft cotton tunic and leggings, all soft and unabrasive, almost like pajamas. With her cookies in tow and the address written on her hand, she left Maverick angrily meowing to himself and started off for Tony's, doing the best to push her troubles from her mind. She mustn't act like anything too crazy had happened: then he might start to worry, and she couldn't have him asking too many questions.
Truth be told, Suri had never been down by this area of the park, but she seemed to find the address easily enough. She didn't bother questioning whether or not she was at the right place, or if she was going to be knocking at the right door: this was the address Tony had given her, and she felt perfectly confident in her own navigational skills. Even so, when she knocked on the door he'd specified, she couldn't help but tense up in anxiousness. What if he wasn't there? What if he was secretly upset about their last little lapse in communication? The motivations of people were difficult to understand for even the most social of people, and Suri knew better than to assume she was anything close to social.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 9:00 pm
Tony was waiting anxiously for Suri to arrive, trying to pretend he wasn't. Dogby was sitting with him on the couch, which she only got to do when he picked her up and helped her sit with him. She was too short otherwise. She looked at him, but didn't seem to be judging him for his calm or anxiety levels.
He was just letting his nerves get the best of him, surely.
"It's easy for you," he said to Dogby, petting her long, floppy ears with his hand thoughtfully. "You're a corgi. You're adorable. You don't have to worry about things like dates and fighting evil doers. You just hide under something and look cute. All your problems easily solved in two moves."
He sighed, wondering why he was talking to his dog. Dogby certainly didn't reply, nudging his hand with her nose to demand more petting. He scratched her head with his fingers and sighed.
Then nearly threw her from the sofa as he stood up quickly, scrambling to catch hold of her then put her down gently on the floor, when the door was knocked on. He hurried over to answer it, as fast as his sore body would allow at least. Leaning on his cane, he peered out through the peephole to make sure he wasn't about to welcome some Avon representative into his home, then smiled and opened the door.
"Suri," he said, sounding relieved and happy at once. Dogby yipped, sitting by his feet and wagging her stumpy tail as she looked up at Suri. Tony shooed her out of the doorway so he could let Suri in, smiling and watching as Dogby immediately became Suri's shadow, not leaving her alone.
Many worries hit Tony. The first and most important was her wondering about what had happened to him. he had come up with a ton of excuses as to what happened, but none seemed too believable in his mind. And if he didn't buy his own lies, there was no way she would. Maybe she wouldn't ask why he was bruised and sore, and why his arm was in a cast...
He noticed she was carrying a tin and hopped on asking about it.
"You didn't need to bring anything," he said with a smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 9:25 pm
Suri heard the clatter from behind the door, and prepared one of her best-groomed smiles, prepared to be more sunshine and sophistication than she'd shown in the past five years. And initially, when Tony opened the door, her smile brightened, and she placed a hand on his shoulder to give herself the necessary leg-up to kiss him gently on the cheek. They were familiar enough to manage that, at least, right? Or perhaps she was moving at too slow a pace, and she should have gone straight for his lips...
Her thoughts would have lingered on the subject matter for longer than a moment if she hadn't noticed the cast as she moved away from the kiss. "You're hurt," she stated softly, and her brows furrowed as she looked to the fresh bandaging. Had she been her mother, or perhaps Amanda, she would have instantly been in hysterics, trying to make him some soothing tea and wrapping him in blankets and generally being out of sorts over a broken arm. Suri, however, was more stoic, and only reached out to touch the stiff bandaging, almost as if to make sure she hadn't imagined it. It was real enough, and so were the bruises she saw on his skin, if she looked close enough.
"What happened?" There was concern in her eyes, but also calculations, clockwork running through various ideas in plans. If he gave her a name, she would ensure that it never happened again. It'd been a while since she'd touched a starseed, anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 9:35 pm
Tony didn't mind her kissing him on the cheek. He was willing to go at whatever pace she wanted, and he smiled warmly at her as she came into his home. It was still only sparsely decorated. He had moved from his apartment to this house, and he hadn't had that much furniture to fill in all the extra areas with.
When she mentioned his cast he frowned, instinctively putting it behind his arm.
"This? No, it's fine. I mean, it's not... well, it did hurt but right now it... ah. It's nothing, I was just..." he tried to think through the scenarios he had already rejected, as if to pick the best one of the lot. The best of the worst, as it were. He was taking too long, though, and he was panicking, so he just blurted out the next thing that came to mind.
"I was hit by a car."
That was shaped like a Negaverse soldier and stairs. He frowned at her, hoping she believed him more than he believed himself. He cleared his throat and guided her to the living room.
"Please, sit down. I've got some movies if you want to pick from them. Or... the TV. Ah. Do you want a drink or anything? How are you, by the way?"
He felt rude for not asking sooner.
Something seemed a bit off, and he was worried she was mad at him but not saying so. Or something had happened, whatever the real reason she hadn't been able to show up to their date either, and she was not telling him if it was serious or not. Whatever it was, he wanted to help her, if it was something he could help with. And if not, he'd apologize profusely.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 10:07 pm
Suri's eyes widened at the mention of a car, but that seemed to be the extent of her freak out, spending a silent moment examining the damage done to her date. "You poor thing," she murmured, checking out each of the bruises with a sweep of her analytical gaze. "Did you get a good look at the driver? Or some plates?" It would be harder to track someone down on just a name or a number, but she was sure she could find someone in the Negaverse with the proper intel. "They should have at least covered the insurance on your hospital bill, people just don't know how to drive these days..."
She didn't question the authenticity of Tony's statement for two reasons: one, because if she trusted a man with her heart, she expected she could trust his words as well, and two, because she had nowhere close to the medical knowledge to determine what exactly had happened. As it was, she had several bruises that she wouldn't want to have to explain, should any of her hems start riding up, and she knew she was going to need a better excuse than 'I fell down the stairs'. He would think that someone was abusing her, for sure, even if she really had fallen down some stairs.
It could have been worse. Nevertheless, she didn't want to dwell on who kept her from total catastrophe.
"Water would be nice," she chimed out as she sat down on the couch and examined her surroundings. "I've been pretty well, actually. Had an important phone call from home the other night, which is why I had to cancel our date." In all honesty, she hadn't talked to her father in weeks, though after the extensive vacation together she assumed that the both of them would benefit from the space. She knew that she'd gotten tired of his company weeks before they'd actually returned to Destiny City, and he had his horses to tend to and his meetings to attend. But some days she did miss the man: she would have to call him at some point, let him know that she actually had a suitor. Suri was almost certain that he'd be thrilled.
But that was an entirely different part of her life, and one that she chose to ignore for the moment. "We can watch what you want, I've just been tired lately, nothing that requires too much thought." Looking at Dogby, she realized she hadn't officially greeted the dog, and paused for a moment, wondering if she really wanted to do this to herself. Slowly, reluctantly, she leaned forward, clapping her hands to signal the animal to her. "...Here, girl," she said in an insecure voice, not entirely sure about what she was about to unleash in terms of canine affection.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:25 am
Tony laughed helplessly, though it made his side burn. He tried not to react to that, shaking his head slowly and gently brushing a stray wisp of hair from Suri's face. Affection painted his expression and he smiled reassuringly.
"No, I barely saw what color car it was, let alone the plate number. The police will do what they can, but they said it might be unlikely if they find whoever it was that hit and run. At the moment, I'm just glad I'm alive. And I'm very glad to see you."
At least those parts of the story, the last two details, were very much true. There had been no car, but rather a fight with a Negaverse soldier. There were no cops involved. But he was alive, and happy for it, because he got to see her again now. Everything seemed to be just fine, normal and calm, all his troubles forgotten for the moment. He smiled.
He went into the kitchen to get her a glass of water from the refrigerator. He got himself some as well, listening to her story as he did so.
"Oh, that's understandable. A good call, I hope? No one... in trouble or... anything like that?" He would hate to hear that someone in her family had died or something. He moved into the living room again, sitting down and offering her the glass he was holding in his good hand, closest to her. His broken arm sported his own cup, just in case he dropped it.
Dogby was very happy to be invited to join Suri, but she was much too short to successfully hop up onto the sofa. She was trying as hard as she could, and still bouncing at Suri's legs when Tony sat down. Tony watched her for a moment, laughing.
"She certainly likes you," he said, picking Dogby up and putting her on his lap. She toddled over to Suri, nuzzling at her hand. "Which is a good thing. I hear dogs react to how their owners are feeling, so if I like you..." he chuckled. "Though, if I have to start competing for attention with her, I'm giving up right now. I'll never win against stumpy legs, will I?"
Of course, Tony considered Dogby to be the cutest animal this side of reality, so who could compete with her?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 12:09 pm
Suri accepted the cup gingerly, offering a polite murmur of her thanks and then taking a delicate sip. "Everyone's fine, my father just wanted to keep tabs on me. Ever since last summer, he's been...on edge." It was a wonder that Destiny City recovered at all following the numerous comas, but Suri supposed that was the nature of the city itself. Comas, fires, giant monsters, none of it seemed to phase the metropolis, though by the tired way Suri looked into her water glass it was easy to tell that it had done its damage on her.
Her gaze brightened, if still with a glimmer of uncertainty, as Dogby nuzzled her hand. Cautiously, she inched her fingers towards the back of the corgi's head, giving her ears a gentle scratch. Once she felt secure, Suri's shoulders slowly relaxed, and for the first time that day she let her posture slouch, sinking in to the comfortable cushions with a dog at her lap. The gesture was a far cry from the typical Suri, though it did seem a little more at ease.
When she looked up at Tony, the timid smile she gave him was unpracticed, unrefined, and a million times more sincere.
"Don't feel bad: if you keep up this business with the cars, you can have stumpy legs, too." There was a distinct lack to the typical edge in Suri's voice, and it almost seemed for a moment that she had reinstated her little game from the first date, based on the gleam in her eye. Placing her cup down on the ground, she reached past Dogby and cupped one of Tony's scruffy cheeks, kissing him lightly on the nose. Eye to eye as they were, she added, "You don't have to compete when you already win."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:16 pm
Tony laughed at her words, watching her with a warm expression on his face as she settled onto the couch with him. He imagined she was right: getting hit by 'cars' could certainly result in some strange, permanent damage to his body.
"Somehow, I don't think my stumpy arms would be quite as cute as Dogby's, but I appreciate the thought."
As she guided his face toward her he smiled dumbly, contentedly, closing his eyes as she kissed him on the nose. He chuckled again, drawing back just enough to open his eyes again to look at her.
"You're more than welcome to stay as long as you'd like," he offered, a bit randomly. Now that they were settled and things were feeling comfortable, he didn't really want her to get up and leave in a hurry.
He leaned forward to kiss her softly, wincing only because everything was still fairly sore.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 3:10 pm
"I'm glad I have your permission to stay," Suri replied, though through her grin it was easy to see the response was a little facetious. "I was beginning to think that after all this I was going to have to think of a quick escape."
She noted his wince, and in response she shifted away, tilting her head in concern. "Do you need any ice? I've got some pain medicine, too." Instinctively, she reached for her purse, and then she stopped, her hand suspended midair as a thought struck her. She was supposed to be enjoying a romantic afternoon, not playing babysitter, regardless if she was better at the second option.
"Or..." she mused, pulling her purse into her lap with a nonchalant glance at the man, "I could always try to work some of the kinks out?" She tried to make the suggestion sound sultry, but as it was it sounded like she was asking him to pass the remote. The cool, sexy charade was one that Suri did not play naturally, and it showed in the way she began to mentally backpedal. "If it wouldn't hurt your injuries too much. I mean. What I mean to say is--I took some massage classes at DCU a couple of years ago--"
Rubbing her arm awkwardly, she gave up with the calculated segue and sighed, going back to plan A: the straightforward route. "If you want to lie down, I can rub your back. If that doesn't sound bad to you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 11:40 am
Tony looked at her pathetically as she moved back, as if disappointed that his mighty effort to simply lean forward had come to naught. He smiled at her, though, noting her concern and trying to relieve her of it. They were going to spend a lot of time fretting about each other at this rate. It would be safest if they both gave up, stopped moving entirely, and did nothing to upset any bruises.
He looked at her after her offer, though, his mind stalling a bit at the word 'kinks', but confused by her casual delivery and the difference in her expression to it. He found himself struggling to read her correctly, and that made him panic inside. When she started fumbling, then, he was immediately relieved.
They were kindred spirits in awkwardness.
"That doesn't sound bad to me. I'll return the favor," he smiled. He gave her a look. It was keen and slightly devious, in a way. A memory of a version of himself long since gone, but sometimes flared to life despite supposedly being a memory. It most often surfaced in the form of a sly, one sided grin, and a sharp look in his clear, intelligent green eyes. For a moment, the warmth escaped and was replaced by a reckless youthfulness, which was chased off quickly in turn.
He moved to lay down as ordered, pausing to let her move as well. He blushed a bit now, any trace of that man from before running away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:42 am
There was something about that smile, the way his eyes tilted when it seemed like he was up to something, and Suri took in a breath, taking stock of the strange flutters that trilled in her chest when he looked at her that way. It took a moment for her to realize that she was staring, a second to realize that her face was beet red, and a third to regain control of her body and actually shift to something more comfortable, softly kneading her fingers into the tissue just under his shoulder blades.
"You keep a lot of tension in your shoulders," she remarked, after a moment's scrutiny. She began to gradually increase pressure, checking his face every so often to make sure she wasn't hurting him, and then silently continued her work. Every so often, she would press a spot and explain, "See, there's a lactic acid pocket here," and then with a patient hand she would rub the soreness away, perhaps a bit softly.
It would have been easier if he'd taken his shirt off, but the moment Suri got the notion her face went a shade redder and she bit her lip, choosing instead to focus very intently on a pocket that seemed to plague his right shoulder, near the collarbone. "Yeah, you definitely carry your stress up here, have things at work been okay?" Nevermind the fact that he'd been hit by a car, the way her job was going she naturally assumed that any evil plaguing the world was work-related.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 1:23 pm
Tony let out a long groan of both pain and relief as she massaged his tense shoulders. He hadn't noticed how knotted his muscles had become, and he imagined he did carry a lot of his stress in his back and shoulders.
He mumbled something in return to her comments, but the words fumbled away and were uselessly incoherent before they got passed the pillow he was resting against.
Smirking, he tried to nod his head as she explained what the problems were. He found it endearing, sweet even, that she was taking time to teach him even as she was trying to rid him of the issues. Her touches and her words were more than welcomed, and he felt himself being lulled by them.
Somewhere above him, distantly, he heard a question in her tone.
"Oh, work's alright," he murmured, and he was sure it was true. There were many other things for him to be stressed about. Like the 'car' that had hit him. Soon enough his conversation stopped completely, after falling into a mumble about some back stock or something he was trying to tell her about. After that, she was greeted with a soft snoring sound.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
