Who: Margo Hanson and Roman Godfrey When: Backdated: Monday, April, 29th Where: Roman's House What: Roman is released from the hospital Rating/Warnings: Mostly Family Friendly. Status: Complete
In the days since Roman had been admitted to the hospital, following his last dreams, Margo had spent most of the time when she wasn’t working visiting him. When she wasn’t at the hospital or working she’d mostly been at home, using alcohol to cope with her guilt and fear that had come along with this particular situation. Fear over almost losing Roman and guilt over having assured him that nothing bad was likely to happen to him in the waking world as a result of his dreams.
It was less about the fact that she’d been wrong and more about how there had been the very real possibility that Roman could have died had she not stayed at his place that night. The only person she’d voiced any of this to was Eliot, but it was only a matter of time before she told Roman how she was feeling. Since he’d been in the hospital, recovering, she hadn’t wanted him to worry about her too. She’d just wanted him to rest and get better.
Her guilt and fear had lessened a little when Roman finally got the okay to be released and Margo had been there to pick him up and bring him home, but she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t still a little worried about him. Not about whether or not he’d be okay physically, but about how this experience would leave him mentally. She knew first hand how dreams about dying and mutilation could fuck with ones head for awhile.
In his dreams, Roman had been prepared to die. It had been a long time coming and he’d been fine with it. After all, there was nothing left to live for then, not even for Nadia who was better off without him, no matter how much he loved her. Here, there was someone to live for and he hadn’t been ready to die. That had driven him a little more to cling to life. He’d been poked and prodded and sewn up…
He’d expected his own body to start healing itself quickly, but it was a slower process than he’d imagined and he suddenly understood why it had taken Olivia so long to recover. Home now, Roman understood he was safe, that the dreams were over, that he’d somehow come out of it alive, but he needed time. Time and good blood. It had been a resident who’d snuck it into his room the first time, but the kid was stubborn and wouldn’t be his gofer, so Roman had paid him. A lot. And Roman got what he needed to help regenerate himself enough not to spend months lying uselessly in a hospital. He’d taken in enough to persuade a few nosy police officers not to even look twice at Margo as a suspect.
But he still walked into his home with a cane and scars on his chest, neck, and face. The deeper ones were taking longer to heal and they stayed, ugly and grisly, covered in bandages and Roman’s Hermes scarf. When they walked into the house, Roman looked around it, then at Margo. “Do you want to get a new place with me?” he asked abruptly. All of this had to go.
Everything Margo knew of vampires in fiction usually said they healed upon taking damage so when Roman hadn’t started healing right away it had scared her even more. Had she thought about it she might have offered him her blood, but she had been too scared at the time and chances were he would have needed a little more than she could have given him to heal the extent of his wounds.
Now that he had been released though it was obvious that he was beginning to heal on his own so she didn’t seem to have to worry about offering her blood. She had been about to ask him if he wanted to lay down when Roman spoke instead, surprising her with his question, “You want me to move in with you?” It wasn’t that she planned to share an apartment with Eliot forever; they weren’t quite as co-dependent on each other in the waking world as they were in the dreams, but that was one of the last things she had expected Roman to ask at the moment.
“I want to move,” Roman answered. “And I’d like you to come live with me.” Even if she didn’t, he still thought it would be a good idea to get out of this complete replica of the house in his dreams. It even smelled like his dreams, like sanitation and too many secrets. Over there, next to his sofa, he could even see the memory of when he killed Destini. It made him look back at Margo. “You don’t have to answer now,” he assured.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to move in with Roman, but she needed time to think once everything had settled down. Right now her head wasn’t in the right place to make any major decisions, “I’ll give you an answer once I can think straight again.” She had never lived with a guy before other than Eliot so it would definitely be a big change, “In the meantime, I can help you look places up, if you want.”
Despite everything, Roman smiled. He turned and pulled Margo in against him, holding her. He could smell her with heightened awareness and he let the tip of his nose nuzzle against her soft, warm neck, his lips touching to her skin. “Thank you,” he said “For everything.” She’d brought him somewhere safe, had stayed with him, had taken him back for that matter. She was more than he ever deserved and he knew it.
Roman’s arms around her as well as his words caused Margo’s own body to relax against his, her arms sneaking around his waist in return, “I promised you that you wouldn’t die so I had to keep that promise.” Tears began to well in Margo’s eyes and she tried to blink them away; she’d cried far too much over the last few days and didn’t want to start again now.
Roman could feel her. He could actually feel it in her and it was divine. He pressed his lips to her neck again, then held her face between strong hands as he lifted his own up to look at her. The cane fell with a surprisingly soft clack on the floor. “I hate that you were in that position,” he told her. “I’m sorry that you even had to, but I’m also glad because I have someone I want to live for here.”
A slight shiver went through Margo’s body as he kissed her neck and her eyes met his as he lifted her head, “I’m glad I was here though.” While the scene has been somewhat traumatizing, had she not been there, chances were Roman would have died. “Well, not to sound too conceited, but I’m glad it’s me.” She smirked a little, regaining some of her usual confidence.
There she was. His Margo. The strongest person he knew. Roman smirked back at her, then leaned in and kissed her. Hard. She was his and he needed her. He needed to drown in her, he needed her to demand him in return. “We can move in together,” he half mumbled against her pretty mouth. “We can do whatever you want. What do you want from life, Margo?” And wasn’t that just a loaded question to a woman who could probably wave her hand and have whatever she wanted.
Margo kissed him back, her well manicured nails clutching at the back of Roman’s shirt. She’d missed this. In the hospital they’d never really had any privacy and she’d been solely focused on Roman’s recovery so she was going to savor this moment.
There were so many answers to that question, but only one came to the forefront of Margo’s mind. “You. All I want right now is you.” For a long time Margo had felt that with a man she would a part of herself, but now she knew that that was ridiculous and that she could still be strong and a badass even with a man at her side.
Roman’s breath caught at that answer and the look on Margo’s face. Him. All she wanted was him. Roman Godfrey, a big mess of a billionaire who could give her anything she wanted and all she wanted was him, and maybe perfectly manicured nails.
“Just right now?” he asked, running his hand up her slender arm. Her warm skin made him salivate a little, but enough that he had to swallow. It was a mixture of thirst and overwhelming adoration for her. Just touching her could make a man crazy.
“Well, for awhile. Eventually you might get sick of me.” Margo smirked teasingly and leaned in to kiss Roman before pulling back a little, “Now you should get off your feet for a little while. You’re still not completely healed and I’d rather you not end up back in the hospital because you won’t rest.” Roman may have been more healed than he should have been, but he still needed rest to continue to heal completely.
She pulled away, but Roman didn’t follow yet. He watched her move around, watched her shoulders and the elegant line of her neck. “I love you,” he told her as he stood in his spot. He didn’t say it often enough, three simple yet halting little words. Only someone as overwhelmed with it should ever say it and Roman was, achingly so, in love with Margo.