IC contact for wethelost

[devoutish]

Solomons & Melborn
1108 Sweet Cream Street

[Feel free to use this space for letter/package deliveries as well as visits/knocks on the front door!]

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[bywolves]

[ Alfie's not wrong. ]

I might have tonight if you weren't doing this. [ Royce admits. ]

[devoutish]

Mm. If you wake up and can't sleep again, you wake me, too.

[bywolves]

Okay.

[ His fingers flex a bit. ] Might be soon that I fall asleep.

[devoutish]

Yeah.

[He knows. It's okay. He keeps up with the massage, moving his hands up Royce's shoulders a bit more.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce hums out low, and then finally, if Alfie doesn't say anything else, he'll fall asleep, loose and relaxed. ]

[devoutish]

[After Royce stops talking and his breathing evens out, Alfie keeps massaging for a while longer. But eventually, he lifts his hands from the other man's back and lies back down next to him - or halfway on top of him, really, with an arm thrown over his shoulders and a leg thrown over his legs. He'll sleep that way, if Royce doesn't wake him up, for the rest of the night.]

sliiiiiides back into post-hiatus tags

[devoutish]

Well, it's kind of you to say so, at least.

[There's a teasing lilt to the words - he's not unconfident about his looks. But there's a note of truth to them too, because he's aware of how his time in Norfinbury had affected him: it had grayed his hair, put a few more lines on his face, and added more stoop to his shoulders.]

Gasp wb

[furgood]

Oh please.

[Sure he's older than her but he's still handsome. She runs her hand through his hair in a rush and meets his eyes.] I only speak the truth. [Another quick kiss]

[She pulls herself upright, pushing her hair back and laughing. Her hips move in a slow rhythm still but she's more trying to twist back her hair ] N-Next time hair ties.

[devoutish]

No, no.

[Moving his own hips at a more languid pace, he reaches up to try to comb his fingers through her hair, aiming to free it.]

It's beautiful.

[furgood]

[She huffs but lets it fall free ] it's getting everywhere. You'll find it in your bed later, just wait.

[bywolves]

[ There's so much going on in his head, lately. So much that he can't put into words, can't tell Gwen, can't write out. She knows he's upset, lately, but she doesn't know the extent. He doesn't know how to tell her what he's worried about isn't something she can necessarily fix. So he doesn't tell her. And he feels it starting to rot in his chest, making him feel heavy and sad.

One night, he doesn't sleep very well, and when he wakes up, he's cranky and irritable, cloak on indoors, hood up, short and rude when anybody talks to him. He leaves the house in the morning so he doesn't take out the sleep deprivation on Alfie and Emily, and goes to the cliffs around the beach, and just - climbs. He wears himself out.

When he comes back home, he collapses into his favorite chair, and closes his eyes, intending to nap until Alfie comes back around. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie also spends much of the day out of the house - visiting with people, maybe dropping in on Meulin, maybe taking Emily to the beach. He comes back in the early evening, planning to scrounge up leftovers for dinner, but when he spots Royce in the living room he's waylaid.]

Haven't seen you all day.

[He comments, hanging his hat up on the rack by the door. It's not unheard of for them to spend the entire day separately, but it is sort of unusual.]

[bywolves]

Went hiking. [ Royce says, tilting his head back to catch sight of Alfie. He sounds tired. ] Needed to sort my head out. Where have you been today?

[devoutish]

[He tosses some of it back over her shoulder, letting it fall over her breasts.]

There. Breathtaking.

[devoutish]

I was by the lake for a bit. Sketching.

[He's been doing that lately. It had started with drawing pictures for Emily to color, planning to put together a coloring book for her, but then he'd started to branch out.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce smiles a little, absently. That's cute. ]

Anything turn out good?

[devoutish]

Oh, it's all right, I suppose. Can't get the trees right. I can show you.

[bywolves]

[ Royce shifts in his chair enough to make room for Alfie to come sit, if he wants. He also gestures for Alfie to move to him. Royce can't draw worth a damn, so he won't be much help, but. ]

[devoutish]

[The sketchbook is surprisingly full, considering he's only had it for about a month. He opens it up to a page with a lake scene on it and settles down in the chair next to Royce. It's not bad, but he's right about the more close-up trees being a little wobbly-looking, and he clearly struggles a bit with getting the perspective right.]

You've got something on your mind.

[It's a statement, not a question, but it's a gentle one.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce reaches to trace his fingers over the sketch. It's not terrible, but he definitely can see it doesn't look quite right. He couldn't tell Alfie what's wrong or how to fix it, though. That seems to be a general trend. ]

I always do, these days. [ He says, after a moment. He keeps his eyes on the sketch, voice soft. ] I feel heavy, as usual. Hard to explain.

[furgood]

Obsessed. [She half smiles and runs a hand down his chest. Then she increase the speed of her movements, bracing her hands on his hips ] Then you can watch better like this?

[devoutish]

[He nuzzles his nose lightly into Royce's cheek.]

Can you try?

[devoutish]

I can--

[He breaks off into a moan, then grins, trying again.]

Yeah, I can.

[bywolves]

I have tried, in the past. [ He sighs, closing his eyes. ] I need - I need you to just be able to feel it, because I don't have words for it.

[furgood]

Oh good. [Breathless but pleased ] want you to enjoy yourself.