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 Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 12:14 pm
She'd known that Aro had gone out on a mission, of course. She herself would have gone as well, desperately had wanted to, actually, except that she had been put on other duties instead. The infirmary had needed all hands on deck, apparently, and while she knew very little about how to bandage wounds or how to help people who were sick, she was at least capable of going through charts and organizing paperwork for the doctors currently on staff, all of which who were taking care of the sudden onslaught of patients that seemed to be returning from the mission in waves.
Pun not intended. It was busy work, and for the most part, it had kept her mind off of other things. Besides, she knew she really didn't need to worry. Nope, not her, no way. There was no reason for her to feel anxious, or stressed out. Everything was hunky-dory perfectly A-o---- Her gaze fell to the name on the current file she was holding, and it slid from her fingers to the floor as she bolted away. "Aro? Arorangi? ARO?" She shouted, as she completely abandoned her task, in search of the man that she now knew had been admitted to the infirmary only moments before.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 4:02 pm
In all honesty, he was fine.
Which was what Arorangi had said to the nurses and to the hunters on duty, and absolutely what he would say to Oliver the next time he saw him, and to Lydia. He was absolutely, totally and completely fine - other than some scratches, a large gash down his upper left arm, and one larger scrape on his right leg.
But he was fine.
He heard her voice before he actually saw her, Arorangi peering around the curtains to try and catch a glimpse.
"Aroha? Is that you? I am over here!"
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 5:11 pm
It had been about ten seconds since she saw that Aro had been admitted to the infirmary and already she was in full blown panic mode. Every worst case scenario, each more awful than the last, had flashed through her head. It wasn't even hard for her to imagine. In fact, it was sadly, horribly easy. She was wringing her hands as she peeked through curtain after curtain, dizzy, nauseated, turning in a circle as she was unable to truly focus on anything. Had she already looked there? Or there? Aroha. She heard the voice and let out a sound, a shaking, almost-shriek that accurately summed up her desperate relief. She followed the voice to where he had been placed, fingers first fumbling with the curtains before she just shoved her way through, nearly tangling herself within their folds but fighting free. She stared at him with wide eyes that were already shining with tears that she'd barely managed not to spill, her chest heaving, while taking in that he was there, that he was, at first glance, okay. Wait. Wait. What was that, on his upper arm? Oh no, not his perfect bicep!!! Her face crumbled at this dire loss, her fingers of one hand clutching at her chest, curling into the infirmary shirt she had been told to wear. "Oh no Nononono, Arorangi, what happened?He might as well have been on his deathbed, for how she was overreacting.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 7:25 pm
He recognized the shriek as well; classic Lydia, though he didn't like that she was looking at him as though she expected him to die, Arorangi's face turning to one of concern. "What is wrong?" he asked, trying to push himself up a little further on the bed, which was hardly big enough to hold him. He stretched out a hand towards her. "Aroha, come here, what is wrong?"
He was frankly a little alarmed at how upset Lydia was. Arorangi shifted around until he could get ahold of a wrist, and then he tugged her a little closer, sliding fingers down to take ahold of her hand.
"What is the matter?" he said, a smile forming on Arorangi's lips. "I am fine! It is nothing big, there was just a big mission with something about a lobster, and the lobster hit back a few times, but I am all right! There is nothing to worry about, I am fine."
Arorangi lifted his other hand and patted her cheek.
"No tears, all right?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 7:57 pm
He might have been doing his best to be reassuring, and she was trying her best not to have a full on freak out melt down right there on the spot, but her gaze kept dropping to his arm, with absolute heartbreak in her gaze. Eventually, however, her breathing slowed, and while she still looked upset, it seemed as though her mini-crises had been, at least temporarily, averted. Moving closer, she felt his warm hand close around her wrist, and she let out a large breath of air that she had, unknowingly, been holding. She moved closer still at his urging, her hand slipping into his, her skin likely a lot cooler than his own. Not sure if she could really trust herself to speak just yet without it turning into a delirious ramble, she bit her tongue. There wasn't really much left for space on the bed, but she sunk down anyways, perching on it's edge, and tilted her head against his hand. Telling her not to cry was almost assuredly a way to have her do just the opposite, but she fought against the tears of overwhelming relief, while letting out a loud sniffle. "I-I just." She finally began, her throat feeling much too tight. "I saw your name, on the admittance list? I p-panicked." She bit down on her bottom lip. "But you're okay." She nodded, "I'm just glad, and... .Kei te aroha au ki a koe." She switched languages, the words tumbling out as she threw herself forwards to wrap her arms around him, head resting against his chest just beneath his chin. But would his bicep ever be the same again?
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Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 8:04 pm
Seeing Lydia so flustered and upset was making Arorangi even more alarmed than he usually would have been, under the circumstances. He was fairly certain that he was, in fact, just fine, but maybe if she was this freaked out there was something wrong that he didn't know about.
Arorangi's fingers moved, just enough so that he could tangle them with Lydia's, sliding his own much larger ones alongside her slender, cooler ones and giving them a squeeze. She was possibly shaking a little, he couldn't quite tell when she was sniffling at him.
"Come sit down," Arorangi said, at the same time that Lydia actually did sit down. He felt a warmth spreading through his chest as she touched his hand to her face, fingers stroking down the soft curve of her cheek.
"I am sorry, aroha, I did not mean to scare you," he said gently. "I did not think that it would be so bad, and truly, I feel just fine - "
The Maori words tumbled out in a slightly unsteady cadence from a voice that was clearly not a native speaker, but it didn't matter; she'd said them well and she'd said them at all, Arorangi's heart leaping inside of his chest as Lydia flung herself down onto him.
His arms wrapped around her, Arorangi pressing his face into her hair.
"Kei te aroha au ki a koe, aroha," he breathed, embrace tightening. "I am well and you are well."
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Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:06 pm
She honestly wasn't even quite sure that she had said what she meant to correctly. She thought that it was right....but it had been a long time since she'd practiced speaking Maori and she might have just accidentally asked Aro to marry her....the chances of that were actually alarmingly high, with how the language was structured. Well, no matter. What mattered was that he knew how she felt about him, though it hadn't exactly ever been a secret. She loved this perfect, caring, incredibly handsome specimen of a man, even if she might not ever really understand what it was that he saw in her. She felt herself finally relaxing the longer she remained Aro's embrace, warmth spreading through her, his words heating her face, and she let out a nervous laugh against his chest, pushing herself away enough to see him. "I'm sorry for overreacting." She said, sheepishly, realizing now how ridiculous she had been.
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Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2017 6:52 am
He could feel the happiness bursting inside of him like champagne bubbles, rising and expanding and filling him up from the inside out, spreading through his chest so that everything felt light and floaty and unbelievably, ridiculously happy. Arorangi wanted to sweep her Lydia off her feet and spin her around, and he probably would have, were he not currently lying in an infirmary bed with Lydia crushed against his chest.
That was beside the point.
"You were worried," Arorangi said affectionately, and kissed the top of her head, lingering there. One of his hands smoothed up and down Lydia's arm gently squeezing her shoulder before it resumed its path, a reassuring massage to remind her he was still there. "I would be just as worried if it was you."
He kissed her head again, then gave her wrist a small squeeze.
"Aroha. Lydia. May I see your face?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:29 pm
She had been worried, but it hadn't seemed like it had just been that. In her heart she knew that things had been good for her, for them, together, somehow, but no matter how great things had been going.... ....She just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. For something terrible to happen, for Aro to laugh and tell her it had all been a joke, or for her to wake up from a coma and have it all been a very strange yet realistic dream. Or for him to die. It was unthinkable, and yet it was all she could think about, lately. How short their time together, realistically, would be. What awful way it could happen, her vivid imagination certainly not very helpful when it came to that, especially not after some of the horrible things she'd witnessed first hand. She knew she shouldn't focus on that, however. It was not going to help, not going to change things, and she needed to enjoy what she had while she had it, without these niggling slivers of fear and doubt making their way into her heart. "Yes." She said, a muffled mumble, but she sat up away from him when he bid her too, and though she hadn't actually spilled any tears, her eyes looked shiny and faintly bloodshot. Still she gave him a small, nervous smile, and said, "You are everything to me. I don't think I'd have made it very long on this island without you, and won't if you're ever...ever.." She swallowed hard past a sudden, painful lump in her throat. "...No longer here." She finished, in a hushed tone, and bit down on her bottom lip, concern still etched in her gaze.
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 7:41 am
He had no intentions of ever letting Lydia go. In spite of all of his cheerful and easygoing personality, his constant positivity, his ability to add sunshine to every mixture no matter how dreary, there was always going to be a bit of that lurking fear that maybe something would happen, either to himself or Lydia. Arorangi was confident and strong enough to hope that she would never tire of him, but they were on a dangerous island; things could happen out of the blue.
But still. He was happy. And she was happy - he hoped.
Her face was surprisingly as she finally looked at him, though her cheeks were flushed Arorangi's gaze traced down Lydia's features, a look of unmistakable affection in his gaze as both of his hands lifted, palms coming up to cradle her face between them. His thumbs moved instinctively, wiping away nonexistent tears, or maybe just in a gesture of adoration.
"Do not fear, aroha," Arorangi said softly. "I am not going anywhere. You are my sunshine, and I would not ever let anything happen to you."
He brushed a thumb over her lower lip to stop her from biting down on it.
"Have no fear, my love. Haven't we lasted this long already?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 9:09 pm
If those warm hands with a brush of a thumb along her cheekbones wasn't enough to swell her heart to almost bursting, his heartfelt words alone would have done the trick. She would likely never, ever think that she deserved a man like him, but she could not deny the indescribable joy and happiness he imbued upon her every time he looked at her the way he was looking at her now, or spoke to her like she was the most important thing to him. Even after months, or was it actually years, now? She still wasn't used to the feelings that made her want to melt into a warm puddle at his feet, and her eyes closed, the thumb against her bottom lip leaving an incredibly goofy (and undoubtedly smitten) smile to spread across her face. "Mmmhmmm." She managed, finally beginning to feel at ease, and one eye peeked open again at him. "You know, I should probably file your chart so that one of the attending doctors will actually stop by and make sure you're fit to leave." She laughed a little, partially embarrassed, but mostly just happy, and relieved.
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 6:10 am
It wasn't as hard as most people thought for Arorangi to keep his positive, sunny outlook on everything. It was, in his mind, much more effort to consistently be negative about things, and besides, he found much more joy and happiness to be derived from simply taking things as they were and making the best out of every situation.
Like now, even if it had started with him in the infirmary, but that was beside the point.
Arorangi ran a hand through Lydia's hair and laughed, brushing knuckles along the side of her cheek. Really, he probably needed to stop touching her, but he couldn't help himself, and besides, she was just so beautiful and lovely even when she was upset that it was hard not to.
"I would very much like to leave," he said, beaming. "May I kiss you now?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 3:18 pm
He didn't need to ask her that question twice. Really, he didn't need to ask at all but the fact that he did brought a warm flush to Lydia's cheeks and an even bigger smile to her face, her heart leaping in her chest. For her, no matter how much time passed, every touch and kiss, every affectionate word, it would always feel like the first time, there would always be that spark, an electricity that coursed through her veins. There was no way in the world, in any language, that she would ever be able to accurately describe just how Arorangi made her feel. He was everything good and pure and beautiful. The perfect man. Perfect for her. "Of course." The words were hushed, but still intensely enthusiastic, though she was the one to lean towards him, to close that distance, not wanting him to have to sit up any further than he already had, especially considering he was meant to be injured, laying in an infirmary bed. Her lips met his, and they were warm, and soft, and wonderful. Her hand was pressed against his chest, and her other had slipped around to the back of his neck, fingertips sliding up into dreadlocks, the edge of her thumb ghosting lightly against skin as she leaned in closer, pressing in for more, because she never wanted to stop, could never get enough of him, never wanted anything else. She only broke away, eventually, because she needed oxygen, and she pressed her forehead against his, and spoke in a breathless whisper. "Maybe I should come and stay with you tonight. You know...to look after you." Yes. Good excuse. Very smooth. Well executed.
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 6:42 pm
He had somehow gotten unbelievably fortunate to have Lydia in his life, though Arorangi could not figure out, for all of his positivity and good naturedness, how this could have possibly come about. Really, she was too good for him in a myriad of ways, but she was his regardless.
Sort of. He didn't like to think of her as his, really, but she was his girlfriend, that was what that meant. Lydia was not property and was her own woman, but she was his light and his life and she made everything about being here that much better.
There was a bright smile on Arorangi's face that melted into one of pure adoration as Lydia leaned in, her lips to his. He slid his hands down, holding onto her waist, and then smoothed them back until he could wrap powerful arms around her, gathering Lydia in against his broad chest.
At some point, they would have to stop, except he didn't want to, because she was wonderful, and she was beautiful, and she was in his arms and wasn't that all that mattered anyway?
He laughed against her face, Arorangi nuzzling his cheek alongside Lydia's.
"Yes," he said, and admittedly, his own voice was a little husky as well. "Yes, I think that you should stay here. To...look after me."
Also very well executed.
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:16 pm
Gods but that tone of voice sent a shiver up and down her spine, and she had to just close her eyes, and breathe, because being this close to him, with all of the feelings she had for him welling up to the surface just because of how fearful she had been only moments before for his life and safety....it was dizzying, to say the least, almost overwhelmingly so. "I love you." She said, quietly, eyes still closed, but she opened them soon again afterwards, and smiled, before ducking down to kiss him again, though this one was much more carefully restrained, something meant to just be quick and sweet, but she lingered at the end, and smiled against his lips. "I should probably go...." She murmured, and with one more quick peck of her lips, eased back away from him slowly. She really didn't want to leave. Couldn't somebody else file paperwork?
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