InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I love you"

Briar Holt (intheparlour) wrote in dalton_rpg,
@ 2011-04-13 21:02:00

Entry tags:

! thread, @ character: briar holt, @ character: constance freedmont

Who: Briar & Connie
What: An important conversation
Where: The hospital, outside of Mocchi's room
When: Wednesday evening
Rating: SFW most likely

Briar had to step out. It was one of those many moments when Mocchi was out like a light and as much as he was staying in the room, hovering... He had to step out. All of it hit him too close too home in more ways than one. He leaned against the wall in the doorway, rubbing his face with his hands. He was going to go insane before this was over. Or develop an ulcer. His mother would have been chiding him - worry lines and such. Really, was he trying to ruin his career?

Bitch.

But he had to step out and get some fresh Hallway Air...

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nurse_connie
2011-04-14 02:31 am UTC (link)

Connie watched him go, debating whether or not she should follow. He looked exhausted. They'd barely exchanged words for the last two days, except for an odd sequence of messages on the boards, during which they really hadn't even looked directly at each other. She couldn't remember if either of them had even eaten yet today....

She got to her feet wearily, automatically checking Mocchi's iv lines, his ventilator, reaching out a hand to touch his cheek tenderly. "I'll be right outside, just for a minute," she whispered, as she leaned down to kiss his forehead. Then she followed Briar into the hallway.

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intheparlour
2011-04-14 02:34 am UTC (link)

Briar hadn't eaten in two days actually. It didn't seem as important as staying there with Mocchi. And it wasn't like they were bringing him shitty hospital food meals for Briar to pick at since Mocchi couldn't eat them. He hated to leave Mocchi alo-... Well, not alone. With Connie. It just felt like he was abandoning his fiancee.

He glanced up when Connie followed him out of the room. He swallowed hard and looked away. There were things he needed to discuss with her and he didn't know how to begin. His voice was strained when he started though, "I have been in this place before... Except I was the one on the bed. Funny how things come full circle." Right. Funny.

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	nurse_connie 2011-04-14 02:43 am UTC (link)
	She hadn't expected that, and she drew a sharp breath, giving him a sympathetic look. "What... what happened?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

intheparlour
2011-04-14 02:58 am UTC (link)

"I have done things... That I am not proud of. When I was fifteen, there was an influential agent that mother said I must make happy to further my career. She never explained further. I never asked." He licked his lips, running his hands through his hair - it was starting to grow out on the sides again so he was getting happier even if he looked a little mangy.

"He liked young boys. Fifteen was perfect for him. So I did what I could to make him happy... He liked to choke his lovers and he went a little too far with me. I am lucky he called an ambulance rather than dump me in an alley for dead."

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nurse_connie
2011-04-14 03:09 am UTC (link)

"God," she breathed, looking down. Fifteen... he was what, maybe all of seventeen now? No... his file flashed into her mind, text on screen.... not even. Sixteen. Like Mocchi. So young, and so much pain and abuse in his life. What the hell was wrong with people... with his mother? She looked back up at him, unable to quite hide the flash of anger in her eyes at the thought. She had no idea what to even say in response.

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intheparlour
2011-04-14 03:14 am UTC (link)

Briar was older than Mocchi by a few days, maybe a couple of weeks. They were so close in age it was scary. He licked his dry lips and glanced towards the blank wall across from them. Well, not entirely blank. There was a fire extinguisher. It didn't really matter what was there though.

"I want you to understand why Mocchi and I are so connected I suppose. Why we fit. Why we are already engaged to be married," this was a good lead in, wasn't it? "I do not know if Mocchi ever told you of those plans."

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nurse_connie
2011-04-14 03:25 am UTC (link)

"En...gaged?" she echoed. "Engaged." She shook her head to clear it. Between the very little sleep and not eating much and stress... it had taken a moment to connect properly.

"No," she said finally, "He hadn't mentioned it to me." it wasn't as if she objected to the idea of marriage, she thought. Just that they were so young. While they were both far more worldly that she would ever be, neither one of them had ever really lived yet.

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intheparlour
2011-04-14 03:31 am UTC (link)

He nodded with a soft 'mm' of confirmation. There was no reason to waste words on what she had clearly heard even if it had taken a moment to register. Briar scratched the side of his nose, coughing softly. After all, he was still getting over his own illness. At least he wasn't contagious. "I see... We were going to wait until we were eighteen to proceed," Briar glanced toward the door; his usual severe look softening considerably, "I know you will not approve but I cannot bear to wait. I almost lost him here. If he agrees and if I can some how convince you... I would like to speed up the process."

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nurse_connie
2011-04-14 03:43 am UTC (link)

She found she couldn't do anything more than stare for a moment, putting one hand behind her against the door jamb for a little support. Married... at sixteen? Even eighteen was so young for that kind of choice. They both had so much growing up to do! Should see that he cared about Mocchi very much -- she would have had to have been blind not to see it -- but so much changed between sixteen and, well, even eighteen. She shook her head, a little incredulous. "You want to get married... now?"

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intheparlour
2011-04-14 03:49 am UTC (link)

"Yes," he answered simply. "Nothing will change between now and then. We have been through so much already. Most every trial that comes with a relationship... Love, death, temptation to stray. Each trial, we have come through and we are still here, together. There is no point in waiting."

Briar crossed his arms in front of his stomach, "If he had died, as I would have. Not from suicide but from a broken heart. I know it. I cannot be in this life without him. As for adult matters - we are both financially secure and will be for a long time. Until the appropriate time, we would likely continue to live with our respective families during school vacations until we were ready to be out on our own..." It was extremely clear he had thought this out.

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nurse_connie
2011-04-16 12:09 am UTC (link)

Leaning back against the wall, Connie closed her eyes briefly. They were both exhausted, worn down by hours of worry. Neither one of them had eaten or slept much. But really, she couldn't help thinking, he wants to talk about this now</>? Gathering her wits and her energy, she opened her eyes again.

"Briar," she said, trying to keep her tone as neutral as she could, "I know this is important, and maybe it feels even more urgent right now than ever... But I really think it is a discussion that might be easier, and better,when all three of us can discuss it together."

I just can't do this now, she thought. I just can't.

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intheparlour
2011-04-16 02:34 am UTC (link)

Briar was, unfortunately, not neutral at all. His impossibly blue eyes narrowed at her and he full on scowled at Connie. "You want to have a three person discussion now? You certainly did not want that when you adopted him. Instead I did not exist even though I loved him long before you even conceived to."

He smashed the side of his fist against the hospital wall, "How does it fucking feel to have someone try and steal him from you?" Tears were welling up in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. Instead he stalked off down the hallway to just be alone. It was only incredible restraint that he hadn't called her a name along with it.

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nurse_connie
2011-04-17 10:50 pm UTC (link)

Connie was left staring after him, shaken. Emotions were heightened during this kind of crisis, she knew... including her own. Still, the force of his anger was like a blow in and of itself. She had known he didn't think much of her, but this...

She supposed that in some ways she could be seen as competition; she did want to spend time with this young person she was now responsible for. But she had stayed out of their relationship, hadn't prevented them from spending time together. Had let them go to New York for the lion's share of their vacation. (leaving her alone with Harry's death)

And even with her suspicion that they were intimate, all she'd said to Mocchi was that he should be careful.

She took a deep shaky breath that became a sigh, and slipped back into the room, checking IVs again methodically. The routine soothed her a little, her hands instantly steady as she tucked the blankets in around Mocchi again and laid a and gently on his cheek, so relieved that he looked like himself again now that the swelling had gone down. Yes, she thought wearily, she did love him. Which meant she had to find a way to get along with Briar. Even to love him, as well.

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