He's Gone • •

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

He was really starting to feel the effects of the day on his body. His muscles ached and the injuries he had were still painful reminders if he moved too fast, turned the wrong way or reached for something a little too far out of his reach. Romeo was exhausted, but his mind was far too alert to allow him any sleep just yet. There was too much going on up there in his head and he needed to work through it all now that he knew Ellie didn’t need taking care of for a few hours. Now he could focus on Zoe and dealing with the whirlwind of questions that would probably be brought on by all of that.

There was so much to talk about and Romeo didn’t know where to start. His head was spinning from everything that had happened and there was so much to say, to process and to discuss with the pretty country blonde, but he just didn’t know what to say to get the ball rolling. Plus, he didn’t know what they needed to talk about first; today or their own currently messed up relationship. He wasn’t in the mood to make decisions or say what was more important, but he did want them to get this over and done with so that they could all then move on from this hellish week. He smiled weakly across at Zoe and shifted positions so that he was a little comfier sitting on the couch, though his ribs made that near impossible anyway now. “Aye, but y’ didn’t ‘ave t’ stay so long. Y’ must be knackered.”

[/color] He said, shaking his head before brushing the hair softly from Zoe’s face, savouring the tiniest of touches in the hope that it would make the rest of this easier on them both if they didn’t act as awkward as they probably should feel.

He ran his fingers through his overgrown locks of bronze and sighed. They had to start somewhere and Romeo felt as though they’d spend the night dancing around everything if one of them didn’t try to initiate some form of serious conversation. He just wished that this could have gone a lot easier, or been simpler to talk about, but it wasn’t. “I bet y’ve gorra ton o’ questions, love, so, y’know, fire away.”[/color] He figured it might be easier to answer a string of questions about either the events of today or their relationship than it would be to sit back and try to pour it all out in one longwinded ramble that probably wouldn’t make any sense if Romeo was left to it in the state he was in. His mind was frazzled from everything and he did want to just sleep and let all of this go, but he couldn’t do that until after he had spoken to Zoe about everything that had happened.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 517
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Zoe knew that talking was inevitable, but it didn't mean that she wanted to. Talking meant that they'd have to discuss everything that had happened, both with their fight and the one from today. Before, they'd had to pretend for Ellie; now, they didn't even have her to be okay for. No, they were going to have to get all of this out of the way, and then see where they stood. She didn't want to leave. Earlier, when he'd been pushing her away from attempting to help, Zoe had wanted to escape so badly. She wanted to run and never look back again; she didn't want to have to face him. Right now, she still didn't want to, but their intertwined hands were keeping her from bolting. What they'd had before had been close to perfect; they'd been so happy. She wanted it back, but she didn't know how hard she could fight without being shut out completely.

There were hundreds of questions she could've fired off. Some about who the mystery man had been; a few about why he hated hospitals so much; more about everything that had happened in the week they'd been apart. The first one that came to her lips, however, was the one that had been there since she'd attempted texting him. Looking down at their hands, Zoe whispered, "Why didn't you call me?" Her gaze remained there, more questions spilling from her mouth as she gathered her confidence. "Who were you punching this morning? Why were you punching him? Is Ellie going to be okay? Didn't you think I'd come help the two of you?" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and giving his hand a gentle squeeze as she blurted out the last question in her arsenal. "Do you want your sweatshirt back?" Zoe's sad eyes turned up towards him as she said that, her teeth biting her lip as she waited for some sort of answer. Out of everything, that was the question she truthfully wanted answered; if he took his things back, it was basically going to be her sign to leave, and she knew it.

• • •

WORDS: 401!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: Zoe didn't want to ramble >.< <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

It was only dawning on Romeo now just how complicated this whole week was to explain. It may not have sounded like much once he verbalised it, but there was so much to it and most of it couldn’t be put into words. There were too many dark memories he never spoke about and there were things he had never felt as though he could confront through conversation, but now he didn’t really have much of a choice and he just hoped that he could find a way to make sense of it all so that Zoe could understand everything she had seen today and why it had come to such a physical climax.

He watched with sad, wide bottle green eyes as Zoe averted her gaze to their hands. His was so much larger and coarse compared to her delicate and petite hand, yet he still felt as though they were a perfect fit. “All o’ this ‘appened an’ I didn’t want y’ t’ get ‘urt. I was gonna call y’ once I ‘ad it all sor’ed out.”

[/color] He began, knowing that he would have to explain more specifically was ‘this’ was and how it had come to take over his life and Ellie’s over the last several days. Sitting back, Romeo pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger before sighing, trying to gather his thoughts together before he got started on the details that would probably lead Zoe to another string of questions. “The guy this mornin’, I was fightin’ ‘im t’ protect our El. He’s a fuckin’ arse an’ a waste o’ space. ‘Ee thinks ‘ee can just walk on in ‘ere and act like ‘ee did nought t’ anyone!”[/color] He sighed, pushing his hair back from his face, capping his anger before it got the best of him and put him back into another foul mood. “Ellie is as tough as old boots; she’ll be reet now that this is over. It’ll take more than our pathetic excuse for a dad t’ knock ‘er down.”[/color] He said, knowing that once his words dawned on Zoe, she’d be ready with another round of questions for him. It worked better this way though, rather than him having to sit and tell their life story like it was some old tale from a book.

He managed a small smile, despite everything that was running through his head and moved a little bit closer to Zoe, squeezing her hand again. “No, I don’t. I want y’ t’ keep it and I want y’ t’ keep everythin’ else that was in that box too. Today’s been a mess, but I don’t want t’ lose y’.”[/color] He said tiredly, but honestly.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 488
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Zoe didn't want to press him, but he had told her to fire away. There were so many questions to ask though, and so many topics for them to go over; she didn't know if they'd ever get through each and every one. She wanted to know everything, and she wanted to be involved in whatever had happened, but she wasn't sure how much would be going too far. They'd never really talked like this before; they'd never had such hard things to discuss.

She continued to chew her lip, wishing she could cuddle into his side and forget about all of this. Zoe liked how big he was compared to her, and she liked how she fit in his arms; she liked how he could protect her with a flick of his hand. But, right now, she was only thinking about the distance between them and how much she wished it'd go away. They were too good for this; they were too good for each other. "It hurts more being shut out of it all," she said. Zoe was the one who was supposed to help fix things; she was the comforter, and the shoulder to cry on. She would've been there in a heart beat to help him and Ellie, and she wished he would've let her come. Maybe this all could've been resolved sooner.

Gently, Zoe pried his other hand from his nose, trying to keep him from hurting himself further. There were already enough bruises and cuts on his face for one day; letting him do more damage would be careless on her part. She kept his hand in hers, her small ones seeming so weak next to his battered ones. "You could've come and stayed with me until this blew over; you know that, right?" she said quietly, looking up into his eyes again. "So he's why you have Ellie? And why you're so protective of her?" Zoe kept her voice soft and careful, trying to keep from upsetting him more. She figured rapid-fire questions would only frustrate and anger him more, and she didn't want to fight with him again; she just wanted to know what he'd been hiding from her for so long.

She couldn't keep herself from hugging him as he told her to keep the sweatshirt. Zoe buried her face in his neck, trying her best not to hurt him but probably not doing a good job of it. The happy tears slid down her cheeks, a smile playing on her lips now. "I want to stay here, and I want to fix this, and I don't want you to leave me out of something like this again," she rambled breathlessly, pulling back slowly and placing a sweet kiss on his lips. Zoe gave him another smile, not being able to stop herself from stealing another kiss. "I never want to lose you, Romeo."

• • •

WORDS: 526!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

Romeo was finding this harder than he had ever imagined this to be. Then again, the amount of time he spent thinking about this actually happening was so tiny that he had done nothing to really prepare for this and the questions someone might ask him about it all. He never thought that his dad would ever dare come after Ellie to begin with, let alone that Zoe would see Romeo doing what he had always done to keep Ellie safe from harm from him or anyone else who was a threat. Still, if he didn’t talk about this now then he would only keep putting it off, keeping Zoe at bay with just enough information before distracting her with something else.

He shook his head, but he understood what she meant. “I know, love, but I couldn’t tell y’. It’s complicated an’ Ellie doesn’t like people knowin’.”

[/color] At sixteen, Ellie was just happy that she had a normal life now, but even the people she was closest to didn’t know why she lived with Romeo and not either of her parents. “It’s nought against y’, it’s just…I kept ‘er off school an’ she’s been pretty messed up; nightmares an’ the like. She never wanted anyone t’ know about ‘im.”[/color] He explained, not even sure if he was making any sense.

This was more than just some bad week with a man who wanted to see his daughter and who saw an enemy in his own son. “An’ put y’ at risk? No. The man is an ‘eadcase and ‘ee would’ve found y’ apartment sooner or later. This wasn’t somethin’ that would just blow over.”[/color] It was near impossible to explain all of this to someone who hadn’t seen the family several years ago to understand how it had come to this. Romeo’s dad wouldn’t have just walked away when he grew bored of looking for his kids, he would’ve pushed harder and kept going at it until he found them both. Physical violence was really the only thing he seemed to respond to and Romeo, unfortunately, only knew that too well.

He crossed to the fire escape, squeezing Zoe’s hand before he left the comfort of the couch. If he was going to tell this he needed a distraction in the form of another cigarette. She could lecture him about it if she liked, but it was the only way he was probably going to be able to relive the memories. Lighting up and letting the cool night air fill the apartment, Romeo perched on the ledge and exhaled the white smoke. “I got guardianship o’ Ellie when me dad got out o’ the scuffy a few years ago. ‘Ee always ‘ad a temper like, but it used t’ get worse when ‘ee drank which was most o’ the time. Usually, I got Ellie out o’ the ‘ouse before ‘ee got too drunk but one day ‘ee lashed out at ‘er for spillin’ some juice. I jumped in the way t’ stop ‘im ‘urtin’ ‘er and decked ‘im. ‘Ee got three years in jail, restrainin’ orders and the full ‘keep the fuck away’ package, but ‘ee decided t’ try and get back in contact this week an’ when I wouldn’t let ‘im see our El, ‘ee just went an’ proved that ‘ee ‘adn’t changed at all.”[/color] Romeo paused to finish his cigarette, his eyes fixed on the New York skyline as he told the tale he had never verbalised to anyone else before. “Me mam only ‘ad Ellie because she thought it’d fix things with ‘im, but guys like ‘im never change. Ellie doesn’t even ‘ave one decent memory o’ the man and she can’t stand t’ talk about him, or about anythin’ that ‘appened before she lived with us.”[/color] He explained, hoping now that Zoe would understand why he had stayed away this week. It was for his sister’s happiness and safety, not his own.

Despite wincing from the pain, he hugged her back, smiling as he held Zoe in his arms once more. He had missed this more than he would ever be able to say. “Stay as long as y’ want, but I think it’s fixed now. I gotta talk t’ the bobbies tomorrow, like, but that’ll be the end of it.”[/color] This shouldn’t be something he knew so much about already, but it was not the first time this had happened, after all. “An’ I’ve got no other skeletons, love.”[/color] He said with a small smile, kissing her softly and making sure not to hurt himself anymore. “Y’re never gonna lose us, love. I’m right ‘ere.”[/color] He promised, his lips meeting hers once more. At least he knew now that Zoe didn’t want them to be over, even if they did still have some bridges to repair.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 517
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Zoe couldn't really do much but sit there and hold his hand. She didn't know what to do, or if he wanted her to do anything; he seemed to have it all fixed and put behind him. It wasn't like she could do much, anyways, other than what she'd already done. She took care of Ellie, and attempted to put Romeo into a better mood; that was all she was able to help with. The rest of it... she was still processing that. It was still a bit surreal, seeing as there'd hardly been a slow moment since she arrived that morning. Eventually, probably quite soon, she'd go through it all and realize that it'd actually happened; that she'd actually seen it all. For now though, she'd just take in the stories that led up to the fight.

"Are you going to tell her that I know now?" she asked slowly, biting her lip as she looked up at him. There'd been a reason Ellie and Romeo both hadn't said anything before, and she didn't want to risk upsetting the teenager because her brother had explained everything. Still, she was glad she knew; it felt better to have some answers rather than be guessing blindly and be in the dark. "Will she be mad you told me?" Zoe couldn't help a small sigh, running a hand through her curly locks to push them behind her ear. She didn't want him in trouble because she was nosey, and she didn't want the two playing against each other with her as middle-man. She shook her head at him, but let the topic of housing go. He'd always be protective and she knew that; she'd do the same when it came to her siblings or loved ones.

Zoe didn't chastise him as he went to the fire escape, but she did keep her position on the couch. Usually, she would've been over there, plucking the cigarette from his hand and giving him the typical lecture about it all. There was already enough going on tonight, however, so she stayed curled on the couch, her light eyes on him while he spoke. So that was it; that's why they were together, and that's why Romeo always had the I'll-take-a-bullet look when it came to his little sister. She didn't say anything else, leaving the rest of her small questions to die. This was enough; there wasn't anything else important enough to bring up after that.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," she mumbled as she attacked him, feeling him wince from her movement. Zoe didn't move away though, feeling his arms slip around her. "I'll take Ellie out, if ya want. Go see a movie or somethin' so she's not here. Unless they'll need ta talk ta her, too?" she volunteered, happy to take Ellie as far away as possible from this now. The girl may've not been related to her by blood, but she was as worried about her as she would be any little sister, and she didn't want her hurting more than she had to. Zoe kissed him back gently, untangling herself from him and cuddling into his side carefully. She didn't want to further his injuries. "You should get some sleep; those pain meds must be wearing off," she said quietly, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

• • •

WORDS: 615!
TAG: Romeo! <3
LOCATION: His Place, New York
OUTFIT: BAM!
LYRICS: "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

It may not seem as though Romeo had everything under control, but he did. The neighbours would no doubt have some questions of their own if they had been home during the time of the fight or caught a glimpse of Romeo in the next few weeks when he would still be looking as though he had just stepped out of the boxing ring after ten rounds with his hands tied behind his back. He probably looked as though he had partaken in one of those Fight Club style scenarios where they got a kick out of beating seven bells out of each other. Still, he’d come up with some story to reassure the rest of the people in his apartment building and keep them as far away from the truth as he could, for Ellie’s sake if not his own too.

He let out a small sigh of his own and shrugged his heavy shoulders. Romeo’s green eyes were fixed on the skyline from the apartment window, his mind still processing everything along with Zoe’s questions that he had to find the answers to. “I will, but not for a few days, like. I think she needs a bit o’ time t’ get over it an’ then I can tell ‘er once things are back t’ normal.”

[/color] He said, mulling over the idea as he told Zoe. He couldn’t expect the country mouse to keep secrets from the teenager and it wouldn’t be fair on either of them if Romeo did put them in that situation. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, but she might…pull away from y’ for a bit, just until she’s used t’ someone else knowin’ an’ not actually treatin’ ‘er any different, like.”[/color] He explained, trying to imagine how Ellie might react. Her biggest worry was that people would treat her like some freak show if they knew the truth and the real reason why she lived with her big brother. “She just might need y’ over the next week or so an’ I’d rather not tell ‘er that y’ know just in case it makes things ‘arder for ‘er that way.”[/color] He tried to explain, not sure anything he said had made any sense. He sighed again, rubbing the side of his head where there weren’t any bruises or stitches.

“It’s fine, love, calm down.”[/color] He said with a light chuckle. It might have hurt him a bit, but the pain was worth it to have Zoe back in his arms after this hellish week that words simply couldn’t describe. Shaking his head, Romeo managed another shrug. “I don’t know. Last time this ‘appened they only spoke to us, like, but Ellie was just eight back then.”[/color] He said, still repulsed by the memory of what might’ve happened if he hadn’t been there at the time to protect his younger sister. It was something he’d do time and time again and even though he was in a considerable amount of pain now it was fine because Ellie was safe and without a scratch on her. “I’m good for now, love. I don’t think I could sleep, even if I tried.”[/color] He said with a lopsided smirk. The pain medication was wearing off, but he could handle the pain, it was just his thoughts that needed to settle down now. “Are y’ stayin’ or ‘eadin’ ‘ome tonight?”[/color] He asked, unsure a little of what she would be more comfortable with after their fight the previous week. He didn’t want her to leave, but she also wasn’t sleeping on his couch either.
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• • •

TAGGED! His Juliet <3
WORDS! 635
OUTFIT! Sexy Mofo!
LYRICS! Daddy’s Gone - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3