• The Stars Stay Up •

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

Back home in Liverpool, Romeo had spent a lot of his time being a bit of an ‘odd one’. Most of his friends didn’t read unless school forced them to, but Romeo was often buried in a good book whenever anyone called or once his homework was over. His father wished that he was out in the park playing football, but Romeo didn’t share his passion for the sport. He enjoyed the games and watching it was a big part of his life. Liverpool was a football city and regardless of how fond people were of the sport, they would have a team, usually one of the two city teams, who they would cheer on over the weekend when the matches were played.

Romeo’s passion was and always had been literature. He loved getting swept away in a good book and imagining himself trapped between the pages, living the text that his eyes were reading, his mind translating them into a real world or kingdom. He had been one of the kids queuing for midnight releases of Harry Potter and spending the rest of the night reading it eagerly, wanted it finished by sunrise. He had a list of favourite books that could fill an entire year. Although, Christmas was fast approaching and Romeo was more excited for Christmas Eve rather than the day itself. After his long shift at Borders, he’d return to the apartment, make himself a hot drink and spend the rest of the evening curled on his sofa, rereading his favourite book of all time: The Picture of Dorian Gray. He read it as a teenager for school and then, every Christmas Eve since then, he had made it a tradition of his to reread it. He hadn’t missed a year yet and didn’t plan on missing it this year either.

As for his home town, Romeo was unable to shut up about it half of the time. He was proud of where he came from; a trait all Scousers held, and he’d defend his beloved port city until the end of time if he had to. He liked to remind people that he wasn’t a typical New Yorker and that things were completely different here to what they were back there. Romeo also liked to use English phrases and terms over the American ones. He was simply more used to them and found them more fitting than some others.
This, this was where people often got confused. When Romeo mentioned ‘football’ he meant ‘soccer’. He couldn’t even begin to tell anyone the idea of American football. Also, the names of meals were a confusing topic too. He never knew if ‘dinner’ was ‘lunch’ or ‘tea’ for him. Back in school when he was a kid, it was ‘dinner time’ at one o’clock and then ‘tea time’ at six o’clock. It often messed up a lot of his plans with friends when there was a misunderstanding between the group about where they were meeting and at what actual time! It was nice to return to the apartment where he could talk to Ellie with phrases that they both used and understood without needing to clarify any meanings!

He blinked at her when she asked what Goodison was. He momentarily forgot that they weren’t in Liverpool and that things were greatly different here. Hell, he’d probably confused Zoe with all of that rambling. He toyed with the STAFF card around his neck as he spoke. “Goodison is the home of the best football team in England! Well, it’s soccer to you, but believe me, it’s a completely different game back in the UK.”

[/color] He remembered the games he went to as a child and all the different kits he had gone through throughout the years. “Every weekend, the stands are completely packed, kits of every colour and flags and banners waving’. The teams walk out and, it’s just incredible. The chants the anthems…and then, regardless of what team you support, everyone is at the pub as soon as the final whistle blows and then the banter really begins.”[/color] It was one thing Romeo missed about being away from Liverpool. He loved walking through the city to the stadium, the market vendors jeering and jesting as the fans flocked almost religiously to the pitch, singing and chanting the songs that they’d grown up with.
Soccer in America didn’t seem to have the same atmosphere in Romeo’s opinion and since the family move to the states, he hadn’t shown any interest in sports. None of them appealed to him and half of them he couldn’t even explain the general idea of. He’d much rather bring the premier league over and watch that instead. On occasion, he did go onto the internet and hunt down match coverage, watching or listening to it after a busy day at work or when he was getting ready to go down to the bar.

He laughed and shook his head. Zoe hadn’t given him a specific number, but from the way she spoke it sounded like there was quite a few more where she came from. “Are you like the Brady Bunch?”[/color] he asked jokingly, leaning against a shelf to take a bit of the weight off of his feet. He’d been standing for almost eight hours.
Romeo was glad that there was only him and Ellie though. It didn’t take a genius to work out that they were both attempts to fix a failing marriage. Plus, Romeo could only just handle his sister’s strops now, so he’d have had a breakdown a long time ago if he had to take on anymore siblings.
He shrugged. History was brutal no matter where people looked. England just happened to have a grim one. They were forever slaughtering and slaying everyone for some reason or another it seemed, right up until the twentieth century! Then things seemed to calm down, for the best. “Just the way it was back then, love.”[/color] He pushed a book back into place and then smiled across at Zoe. “’Owever, I would just give you a piece of bread if you were that ‘ungry. Hell, I’d treat you to a whole bloomin’ meal!”[/color] He laughed. Romeo wasn’t the greatest of chefs, but he could manage a simple English meal if he was left to it.

He laughed. “I know the vague details of a vet’s job. We just never ‘ad any pets growin’ up.”[/color] The family couldn’t afford to look after any. He felt a little weird when she mentioned returning to the country. He didn’t even know why! Maybe he just thought that she’d be in the city a lot longer, like himself. He enjoyed her company, even their little chats like this. He didn’t really want to imagine her away from the big place. Who else could he hang out with in this way and just talk nonsense with? Most of his other friends weren’t interesting in literature and ramblings about Liverpool.

Romeo pulled his sleeve back down, smiling at the blush he noticed on her cheeks. Why was she blushing? Was he embarrassing her? He did have a loud personality; maybe it was a little too much for Zoe. He shook his arm, fixing his sleeve. “You’re adorable, love.”[/color] He put his arm over her shoulder again, squeezing lightly. His eyes fell on the clock above the checkout. “Love, my shift finishes in a minute, literally. I’m afraid I’m gonna ‘ave to love ya and leave ya.”[/color] He was sad that the time had flown so quickly and he’d love to spend more time with Zoe, but he needed to get home and cook some food for Ellie and himself. He was sure that Zoe had some place to be too.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Romeo's little country mouse
WORDS! 1336
OUTFIT! This Little Number
LYRICS! Lonesome Swan - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Zoe bit her lip when he blinked at her, unable to do anything else. She had no absolute clue what Goodison was! But, then again, why should she? She was hardly into American sports these days, English ones were a whole world away. Her fingers rubbed against the strap of her purse nervously, hoping he didn't think she was entirely stupid. He hadn't known what her beloved Bluegrass was, so it was only fair for her to not know what this Goodison was, right? Well, at least she'd gotten the sports arena part right. She wasn't too dumb! Her head cocked a little when he mentioned his definition of "football" being "soccer" to her, and a good population of the other people in New York. Couldn't all the sports just have one name? Though, calling soccer "football" did make more sense. You barely even used your feet in America's version of the sport, so why was it called "foot" ball?! "I wouldn't doubt that its not like here at all. Us American's do things a bit differently than y'all across the pond," she smirked a little, smiling as he seemed to drift off for a moment into a day dream. It was nice not being the only person who did that while having a conversation. One of her eyebrows rose as he said "pub," but she quickly swatted away the need to lecture about drinking. Not once in her life had she had alcohol, and she never planned on having any. She laughed quietly, shutting her mind up. "That would be somethin' to see, though the competition does sound a bit intense."

Her laugh increased when he asked if her family was like the Brady Bunch. "Hardly, but we're pretty close to bein' like 'em," she smiled. "There's six of us all together, me bein' second oldest and Andy being youngest." Talking about her older brother though... that was a topic she tended to avoid touching. Chris was the only sibling that she didn't get along with and hadn't since being born. All the others, Frankie, Maddie, Hannah, and Andrew, were as close as could be to her. Andrew was the only boy, and the youngest, but Zoe never failed to talk to him at least once a week when she called her mother. She tried to change siblings every night, assigning each one day when she could spend a half hour chatting. Of course, Ellie got thrown into the mix of calls, as well, leaving Zoe feeling more like a therapist instead of a vet-to-be after some nights. So many problems that weren't even hers distracted her from her studies, and most of them were petty things all budding teenagers went through.

Zoe forced herself not to blush as he said he'd make a whole meal for her. Her mind, though, that wasn't as easy to keep quiet. She had to admit that that sounded a bit flirty, even if Romeo didn't seem to notice it. Of course, she'd return the favor with one of her Mama's infamous home cooked meals if he asked, but she couldn't help liking the idea of him cooking for her. She'd been raised to believe a woman's place was in the kitchen or buzzing around the nursery. Thinking of a guy, especially Romeo, in that place was amusing and... too tempting to push away right away. "I much prefer cookin' for myself than havin' you do it, but thanky," she giggled gently.

Her entire face turned to one of mock shock when he said him and Ellie had never had any pets. She wouldn't have been able to survive without animals in her life growing up, and probably still wouldn't be able to today! There was still a little piece of the farmland up in her apartment, taking shape in the form of a, now aging, kitten. "I'll gladly loan you my kitty whenever you'd like. Havin' pets is a joy all in itself, even if you don't get to experience it 'til you're old and gray," she joked slightly. Giving up her precious cat would be hard, but she didn't want anyone to go without feeling that special bond at least once in their life time. She'd had it with Lizzie, and now with her cat until she got back home. Zoe talked to the thing all the time, just like she had with her horse. Though, she usually didn't admit to doing that. It made her seem more than a little crazy.

She smiled brightly when he put his arm around her, refusing to let herself believe the sparks that coursed through her shoulder and out to the rest of her body. It faded a bit when he said he had to go though. Her eyes followed his to the clock and she couldn't kept but blink. She should be getting home and cracking open her book so she'd be able to chat with her professor about it next week. "Yeah, I should be gettin' back. Need to get a start on this before my professor decides to quiz me about it. Say hi to Ellie for me?" Zoe worked up a smile for him, carefully pulling out from under his arm. "I'll see ya around, Romeo." Little did she know that "around" would be saving her life.

She slowly turned around, loathing the fact that they'd half to part for the day. Talking to him was always fun, and she couldn't help recalling some of their past conversations as she made her way through the checkout. She used a bit of early Christmas money that one of her various Aunts had sent her, knowing better than to use it for selfish things like clothes or food. A lot of her holiday money went towards buying gifts for others, rarely anything for herself. The mental list she'd built up of things that she needed to buy started to scroll through her mind as she tucked her now paid for book into her bag. A new journal for Maddie, a bag of fudge for Andrew, some pretty new cardigan for her Mama... There were so many more! Zoe let her attention wander as she pushed through the front doors of the store. The chilling November air hit her, and she took a moment to roll down her sleeves.

In the four quick seconds it took to do that, she was pressed up against a wall, feeling the strange, hot breath of another human being wash down her neck. This definitely wasn't one of Romeo's sneak attacks on her. He never touched her like this, pinned her harshly against anything or attempted to hurt her... and he would've already started laughing at her. The icy poison of fear dripped into her body within seconds, making her panic. This. Wasn't. Happening.

"You've got five seconds to gimme your purse, doll, or your pretty little self won't be so pretty anymore," growled a deep voice, making Zoe cringe. He wanted her purse?! No way in fucking hell! She had money in there, apartment keys, her phone, photos, the new book, all of which costed a lot of money she didn't have the means of replacing. With a shaky breath, she knew what she had to do, even though the thought of hurting someone wasn't a pleasant one.

In half a flash, Zoe snapped around, one of her fists slamming against the man's jaw. She heard a significant crack, but if it was her knuckles or the man's jaw was a good question to ask. All she could think was "ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod" as she stepped back, all the fingers in her left hand burning like fire. The guy blinked at her in complete shock, rushing at her again as he realized she wasn't a "delicate flower." Zoe quickly darted back, trying to think of what to do. He wouldn't follow her back inside, would he?!

It was too late for that escape plan however. He was cornering her again, backing her away from the safety of the door. She whimpered in fear. Her hand was hurt, she couldn't hit him again... A small cry escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, awaiting the blow she was sure to recieve any moment. But it never came.

Zoe warily blinked open her eyes, her jaw almost falling off when she saw Romeo standing before her, playing hero to the countryfied damsel in distress.

• • •

WORDS: 1500!
TAG: Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
LOCATION: Borders Books, The Streets
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Babygirl" by Sugarland
NOTES: AHHHHHHHH! <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

Romeo figured that the pair of them were from completely different walks of life; Zoe and her bluegrass and Romeo and his beloved Goodison. He liked that about their friendship though and he found it a nice, refreshing change from his boisterous university buddies that he spent Friday nights with, usually in a haze of smoke with a bottle of beer in each of their hands. “Tell you what, whenever I’m not busy here and you ‘ave a bit of time away from college, you can come over to mine and I’ll bung an old game on if you like? It’s the closest you’ll get to seeing the real thing probably and it’s an experience.”

[/color] He said, hoping that if she accepted, she would be able the intensity of Romeo and Ellie screaming at the TV and the referee, even though they knew the outcome of the DVD recorded games.

Romeo shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I don’t think I’d cope if I had five other siblings. Ellie’s plenty as she is, thank you very much.”[/color] It made sense though for Zoe to be one of the oldest. She had that vibe about her, the kind that suggested she looked after her younger siblings. It was a little different to Romeo, but knowing that she helped Ellie seemed to help fit the puzzle pieces together. Zoe must’ve been used to hearing it all before to be able to build a rapport with his younger sister so quickly.

He shook his head, a twinkle in his eyes and a lopsided smile on his face. “Nah love, you ‘aven’t lived if you ‘aven’t ‘ad a gourmet meal a la Romeo. Just ask our Ellie.”[/color] Truthfully, a gourmet meal was either Ellie hiding in the kitchen cooking it or a take out of some kind. Romeo could cook basics; scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, beans on toast and anything that just got bunged in the microwave or oven, but if he tried to go further than that, the smoke alarm would start screeching at them and Ellie would find her brother bashing the contraption with a tea towel at the same time that he was opening the window and keeping the nosey pigeons at bay with the oven mitts.

“And give our Ellie another reason to push me more for a pet?!”[/color] Raking his hand through his hair again he laughed. “She’s been after one from the moment she moved in with me and apparently, goldfish aren’t good enough.” [/color] Romeo himself had always fancied a dog, but the small apartment made it difficult and the costs of keeping it would break his bank unless he picked up more hours. He’d get one, one day, when he was teaching and not supervisor other students who were working at Borders to pay their own way through college.

He smiled as they parted. “Until next time, love!”[/color] His arm was cold again when she was gone, and he glanced back over his shoulder as she walked to pay for her book. He made his way through the staff door, pulling off his tag and swiping his clock card through the system.

Romeo left final instructions with the supervisor who was taking over from him, quickly showing him what needed to be finished before the closing that evening. There wasn’t much left and Romeo was proud of his team for getting through so much of it when he had been stood exercising his jaw for some time. It made him feel a little guilty, but he was a helpless chatter box when someone got him started and it was common knowledge in his mind now that Zoe was one of the people who he could talk to for hours without getting even remotely bored.
He would’ve loved to continue the conversation they were just having, but he had to get home to Ellie. He was picking up their dinner on the way in and he knew she’d do her usual “Aw, I’m starved Rome.” as soon as he put his key in the door and kicked it open.

He opened his locker, tossing his STAFF tags and codes into the metal container and grabbing his jacket, phone, keys and cigarette packet. He’d been dying for one since his last break. He shoved his arms into the jacket; a cigarette hanging precariously from his lips as he zipped it up. Sending a quick text message to Ellie, asking what she fancied for dinner, he pushed the door open onto the side alley, the cold winter air hitting him hard.
Cupping his hand around his mouth, Romeo raised the lighter to the stick, taking a long drag once it was lit. He shoved the lighter back into the packet and pushed them into his pocket. His car was parked just up the street, safely out of the way of hectic businessmen and careless drivers. Usually he’d walk the twenty minutes or so across the city back to the apartment, but this morning he’d been running late and the car was handy, even though it would put a dent in his pocket the next time the tank was running on empty.

Romeo checked his phone, chuckling softly, flicking ash from the cigarette as he read over his sister’s text. Pizza, Chinese, whatever! I’m starved Rome! xx He should’ve seen the reply coming a mile away.
His eyes flicked up and he spotted a man reeling back, some feet up the sidewalk. Then, he spotted a very familiar figure backing away from him. It was Zoe! He should’ve known better than to let her make her own way home at this time, so close to Christmas. New York was crawling with muggers and pickpockets and a young woman like Zoe was their ideal target!

Without a second of hesitation, Romeo threw the cigarette from his mouth and charged forward. It was moments like this that made him glad to have been raised in a rough city. As the guy prepared to throw a punch at Zoe, Romeo tackled him hard to the solid concrete beneath them. He wasn’t going to let him hurt Zoe, not in a million years! He raised his balled up fist high and brought it down on the guy’s jaw. There was a sickening crack as it impacted and Romeo’s knuckles stung like hell from the blow. The attacker quickly retaliated, Romeo almost being knocked onto his back from a sudden blow to his mouth. He’d been in scraps before though and this was far from over.
Standing over the guy, Romeo grabbed him by the collar, dragging him to his feet and smashing his fist back into his face again. He wasn’t going to be caught off guard again, not by this chump. He shoved him against the rough, stone wall of Borders and held him there, his arm pressed against his throat in case he tried anything. He got a good look at Zoe’s attacker; a guy barely in his twenties, thinking he was tougher than anyone else. Right now though, there was fear in his eyes. “Listen ‘ere chief. If I ever catch you tryin’ to hurt this girl or any other, I’ll bloody well do you in. You get me? Now, if I were you, I’d bloody bail, before I change my mind and duff you up right now, right ‘ere.”[/color] Romeo was inches from his face, shoving him against the wall with every other word, venomous spit flying from his mouth as he spoke. The Scouse slang kicked in, his anger skyrocketing. He hadn’t experienced that sort of rage since the night his dad tried to hit Ellie.

Romeo pushed him to the sidewalk again and spat out the blood that was seeping from his split lip. He watched as the assailant ran away, glancing back once. Once he was out of sight, Romeo turned to Zoe, rubbing the hand that had thrown the punches, noticing that two of his knuckles were bleeding. He could deal with that later though. Right now, Zoe came first. “You alright, love?”[/color] He put a hand on her shoulder, and looked directly into her eyes, wanting to be certain that no harm had come to her. If it turned out that there was, then you could bet Romeo would be up that street chasing after the idiot and ready to murder him in the middle of the street.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Romeo's little country mouse
WORDS! 1471.
OUTFIT! This Little Number
LYRICS! Lonesome Swan - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! Chief = Thief, Do you in = Kill, Bail = Run Away, Duff you up = Beat you up.

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

could've sworn he was asking her on a date, and she would've had it not been for the fact that they were already good friends. Friends went over to other friends' houses and watched movies, or soccer games, or football. Whatever you wanted to call it worked. It wasn't a date at all, especially since she figured Ellie would be there. Besides, the company would be nice. She didn't get out too much these days, between school, work, and running out to Borders to "buy books for school." "That sounds fun. I-I'd like that," she smiled up at him in her shy way, still trying to convince herself that this wasn't an offer for a date.

"It's... hard," she laughed softly. "It's like re-living high school four more times, especially with Maddie and Hannah." Zoe had been thankful to get out of that nightmare once. Assisting two more, three including Ellie, young ladies through that hell wasn't easy, but worth it none the less. She'd needed that one person to talk to during her school days, and, if the person was only a few years older than you, it was a bit easier to open up to them, which she also knew. Friends couldn't always be trusted, especially when hormones and tempers where at their worst.

A smirk toyed with her lips when he mentioned his "amazing" cooking skills. From what she'd heard from Ellie, he wasn't the greatest chef in the world. "That's funny. With all her complaints about your cookin' I didn't think you were that great." She'd heard from that young woman of numerous failed attempts on Romeo's part, all of which Zoe had laughed about all with her. If she remembered right, she'd promised Ellie a real "country feast" one evening, complete with cooking lessons and amazing food. Zoe believed in learning all the housewife tributes of life, even if the girl never became one. Cooking, sewing, and cleaning were all valuable skills, no matter where your life ended up taking you. Plus, they sure made living by yourself a heck of a lot easier!

"Goldfish are hardly pets, that's why!" she laughed with him. Really, they weren't. You fed them, you cleaned their little fish tank. Not too exciting. Nothing like having a horse, or even a cat. Those pets would play with you and interact, unlike the goldfish. All they did was swim... and swim... and swim... Not too exciting to a farm girl who had had more pets than you could imagine. Wounded baby birds, piglets, puppies, rats. And that was only a few on the very long list.

Zoe gave him a smile as he said goodbye, walking away with the image of him fresh in her mind. She loved to see him smile. His whole face lit up, and even his eyes got a bit of sparkle into them. It was rare for smiles to be genuine around here, which she knew, but he never failed to produce a real one from her. The thoughts stayed in her mind as she made her way outside, distracting it even more from the ideas of Christmas gifts and joys. If only happy thoughts could last!

The only thing in her head when she hit her attacked was "protect yourself." She couldn't get hurt, not too badly at least. Her mother would order her home the second she sensed something was wrong, and, boy, was that woman intuitive. Zoe may have been hundreds of miles away, but her mother would know the moment anything happened, before her daughter even got a chance to call her.

Zoe's eyes widened to about the size of dinner plates as Romeo tackled the man who had been about to hit her. She just stared at them, heart pounding faster and faster as she watched the fight unfold. When she heard the crack of Romeo's hand against the guy's jaw, her stomach clenched, threatening her with the idea of vomiting. Not a very appealing option at this point in time. Her head joined in with her churning stomach, spinning wickedly as the scenes swirled before her. Her ears only caught snippets of what Romeo was saying, but she didn't understand what she did hear. His accent was thicker than usual, and full of terms and sayings she didn't even know or had ever heard him use before. The meaning behind them was pretty clear, however. He was mad, really mad. And was protecting her, the girl who had just said she could do it perfectly fine by herself.

She blinked as the guy practically sprinted down the sidewalk, running away from the two of them. She clutched her now safe bag tighter, the pain from her hand joining into a cruel chorus with her stomach and head. The feeling of something touching her again made her jump and gasp, fear flickering into her eyes for a moment, then fading as she realized it was in fact Romeo touching her this time. It didn't stop the scene from replaying itself in her mind though, reminding her just how close she'd come to recieveing that brutal blow herself. The fact that Romeo had basically jumped in and saved her didn't flee her fleeting head either. Actually, the sound of his knuckles connecting with the other guy's jaw echoed in her head like a church bell, mixing in with the harsh threats that she could barely comprehend.

That was enough for her body to finally give out, choosing the option of blackness over consciousness. Zoe collapsed against his chest, going limp in his strong arms at the same moment. He was right; he was strong enough to hold her up.

• • •

WORDS: 1010!
TAG: Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
LOCATION: Borders Books, The Streets
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Babygirl" by Sugarland
NOTES: ZOMFG! They're epic. x3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

The concern in Romeo’s eyes grew as he saw the fear in her eyes. It hurt that she jumped at his touch, but it was also understandable. If Romeo hadn’t been there, she would’ve received the blow and would’ve lost her purse. Zoe seriously didn’t look steady on her feet, not one bit and Romeo’s eyes widened as he saw her legs give out. He held her in his arms, trying to see if she was alright, but she had landed in an awkward way. “Zoe? Zoe?”

[/color] She had fainted. Romeo looked around, considering his options.
He could take her back into the bookstore, but then he’d probably get into trouble for fighting outside the building anyway. His car was only a little further up the street, but he didn’t know where she lived to take her back to her place and Ellie was still hungry and waiting on her dinner. Looked like there really was only option for him to do.

Romeo swept Zoe up into his arms, making sure that her purse was lodged between their bodies; it would be too easy for someone to steal it now if he had left it dangling by her side. He thought back to their conversations about danger and his ‘strong arms’ and shook his head. Talk about coincidence…
He spied his car across the lot, just a little further up the street and began to walk towards it. A few people looked at him, but either they’d just seen the fight unfold, or there was still a mixture of anger and concern dwelling in his green eyes. Even in New York, it wasn’t common for some guy to be carrying an unconscious female to their car. Romeo glanced down at Zoe’s face numerous times, checking to see if she was waking up or stirring at all.

At his car, he carefully lowered Zoe’s feet back to the ground, keeping one arm around her to support her limp form as he pulled the keys from his pocket. Opening the passenger door, he carefully slipped Zoe into the seat, leaning across her to make sure that the belt was fastened securely on her. He wasn’t going to save her only to then have her rocket through his windscreen if there was an accident.
He started the car up quickly, turning the volume of the radio down to just a whisper. He wanted to be able to hear if Zoe moved. Romeo couldn’t believe what had just happened and he didn’t even want to start imagining what could’ve been if he wasn’t walking out of work at the same time. His fist was still stinging a little from the cold air that had hit the open wounds on the way to the car, but he didn’t care about them. He only cared about Zoe’s wellbeing. Maybe he should be taking her to a hospital instead, but then he’d get shut out and it’d worry her family even more if the hospital phoned them. No, his apartment was the safest bet all around. He didn’t know what Zoe would want and it wasn’t like he could ask her right now either. He flicked his eyes across, but she was still the same.

He was craving a cigarette so badly right now.

If he ever saw that stupid kid again, he wouldn’t be breathing. Romeo wasn’t even a fighter, but hurt someone he cared about and then he could turn into a person’s worst nightmare, which was what had happened on the street just then. However, that had only ever happened once before and that was with his father. Romeo’s hand once again moved to rub his jaw, the memory returning. Blood from his lip trickled down onto his shirt and Romeo used the back of his sleeve to wipe it away from his chin. The stupid thing didn’t seem to want to stop bleeding! At least Zoe wasn’t hurt.

Romeo drove the car into the underground resident parking and once again, moved to sweep Zoe into his arms, locking the doors before making his way to the elevator. Usually, he took the stairs, but they seemed impractical in this situation and he did live on the second to top floor of the building.

Home, wasn’t much. It was a small apartment with a fire escape view of the city. It had two bedrooms, one for Romeo and the smaller one for Ellie. They shared the minute bathroom and the kitchen and lounge morphed into one, with a fold away dining table used as a divider. Most of the furniture was starting to wear, but Romeo liked it. The walls could do with a bit more paint on them in places and his kitchen cupboards were a little lopsided. Books littered the floor in neat piles and boxes containing shelving units were still waiting for Romeo to open them. He’d get around to it at some point, but it would be after Christmas now.

He kicked the door open with his foot and stepped inside, careful not to bash any part of Zoe off of the doorframe. Romeo heard the movement of his sister and waited to hear what comment she would make now. “Aw-eh, Rome, I didn’t want human for dinner. I’m not a vampire!” Romeo glared at his sister, her dark hair sticking in every which direction from her nap. “It’s Zoe. She collapsed outside of Borders.”[/color] He wanted to avoid questions for now, but Ellie wasn’t blind either. “Why the ‘ell ‘ave you got blood all over you Rome?! What ‘appened?” Romeo moved to the sofa, carefully laying Zoe down and placing the cushions under her head before addressing his sister. “It’s a long story. Just fetch me the first aid kit and phone order dinner. Get an extra portion.”[/color] He glanced down at Zoe and sighed, running his fingers through his hair once more. Romeo wondered how long she’d be unconscious for and moved to the fire escape, pushing the window open as he lit a much needed cigarette. Ellie handed him the first aid kit and he poured the antiseptic on his busted knuckles, cursing loudly as the liquid burnt his wounds. He slammed it back down and grabbed the roll of bandages, roughly wrapping his hand and taking a long drag on the cigarette, almost choking. He licked his lips, grimacing at the metallic taste of blood. There wasn’t much he could do for that though, it wasn’t exactly possible to bandage his lip.

Romeo looked across the room as Zoe, ignoring his sister when she spoke again. “Chinese is comin’. What ‘appened Romeo? Did you get into a fight? Is she ‘urt?” He rested his head on his arms and them looked across as Ellie. “Do me a favour, love. Go and ‘ang in your room for a bit. Zoe’s not goin’ to want people in her face when she wakes up.”[/color] Ellie nodded and hugged her brother tightly before moving to the purple room behind him. Romeo felt exhausted, fatigue now kicking in once the adrenaline rush had faded. He flicked the ash from the window and kept his eyes fixed on Zoe. He hoped she’d wake up soon. He was getting really worried now. He glanced down at his shirt, frowning at the droplets of blood on it. The guy had got in a lucky punch. Delicately touching his finger to his lip, he could feel the bleeding begin to ease, a small skin growing over the open cut.
Now he just needed Zoe to wake up.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Romeo's little country mouse
WORDS! 1322.
OUTFIT! This Little Number
LYRICS! Lonesome Swan - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! I Love Them <3 <3 <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Zoe didn't faint. That just wasn't like her. She was the one who had to help banage up wounds, who was preparing herself to go into an occasionally disgusting profession. Fainting just wasn't like her! Her mind was strong, her body usually was. Being physically attacked by someone seemed to have broken any invincible walls she had though. It wasn't a nice feeling, the helplessness. The only thing that kept her from overpaniking was that Romeo was there. He'd keep her safe, make sure nothing else happened to her. It comforted her, and allowed her the pleasure of falling deeper into the releasing darkness enveloping her. She could rest in peace for awhile, let her mind get over the shock of what had just happened.

The events of moments before teased her subconscious cruelly, making the easing black begin to blurr with colors. Voices joined in the splotches of colors, mixing more and more and making the dark seem even more frightening.

A faint moan escaped her lips as the swirls began to pound against her skull, threatening bursting it. She could feel her fragile body being jostled, but her mind wouldn't let her believe it was anyone but Romeo. It was his chest she'd collasped against, so it had to be him moving her, right? She repeated that to herself, trying to make the film reel of terror freeze for awhile. It wouldn't escape her mind any time soon though. She'd probably end up reliving the fight again and again in her nightmares. For not being creative, her mind sure could come up with the most agonizing dreams in history. With the right fuel provided, it meant even more nights waking up in a cold sweat with a worried kitten sitting on her chest.

This was weird. She could feel, she could even hear. She just couldn't make herself wake up or respond to anything. Her eyes felt like there were lead weights holding them down, and her lips were more solid than the toughest stone. The scratch of her t shirt against her skin, her bra straps tugging on her shoulders, the feeling of being set down on... something. What was she on now? There was a strap across her body and she was moving again, having that feeling of being in a car. Music faintly played, though she wouldn't have been able to tell you the song if her life depended on it. Someone was with her yet, a comfort all around. Being alone didn't sound like too great an option right now. Things remained like that for awhile, her not moving but "feeling" everything that happened to her body. It was like something had just ripped her away, torn all the strings between her mind and limbs.

It was fading however. Slowly, so, so slowly, but it was dying off just a little. She could now tell that someone was carrying her, and that that someone was most definitely Romeo. His scent overwhelmed her nose and she couldn't resist burying her face in that one familiar thing. It took her a moment to realize it, but she'd her face. Her eyes were still closed tight and her mouth still zipped up, but she'd turned closer to the comforting smell. Okay, come on, Zoe. Open your eyes... move your fingers... do something! She tried, oh god she tried, but her body still wouldn't respond. Apparently, it wanted to remain in the safeness of "dreams."

Zoe picked up a new voice now, one that she'd heard many a time before. Ellie. Her mind smiled at the thought, and she realized she'd never actually met the young lady before. Strange things to be discovering when you were still cuddled up to a guy's chest. But, hey, she wasn't exactly thinking straight. At the mention of blood, her head instantly cleared. He was bleeding? Oh no! That guy had hit him pretty hard... hard enough to do a lot of damage? She sure hoped not. You couldn't even begin to imagine how terrible she'd feel if he'd gotten severely hurt over her.

The pain picked up in her body again as worry increased, making her feel worse and worse once again. A small whimper fell from her lips and she curled up on whatever thing she'd been layed on. Her siblings used to compare her to a cat when she slept because she'd always be in a ball no matter when or where she dozed off. It was what she did now, though her mind was far from allowing her to truly wake up. Her knees hugged close to her stomach and she tried to move her hand, letting out another cry when her knuckles seared with pain. She'd really screwed up her hand from that punch!

Zoe remained like that for awhile, a small, kitten like ball on the couch. Her mind began to clear again, and this time with intentions of letting her truly wake up. Her eyes groggily blinked open, looking around the strange room she was in. This definitely wasn't a hospital, and it most certainly wasn't her apartment. The dark blue pools of confusion caught on a figure at last, one that just happened to be Romeo. Who was smoking. "Y-You're gonna kill your lungs, R-Romeo," she croaked out weakly, taking a moment to realize that was in fact her voice.

• • •

WORDS: 934!
TAG: Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
LOCATION: Borders Books, The Streets
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Babygirl" by Sugarland
NOTES: Short... but I liked the ending to much to add more x3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

The cold air washed over Romeo who was still sitting on the ledge of the fire escape. It was calming, soothing after the events of the night and he felt a lot more relaxed, his rage completely gone now. He exhaled, watching the tinted smoke swirl into the night sky before glancing back over at Zoe. She still seemed to be unconscious, but she’d moved a little. That had to be a good sign, right? He just wanted her to wake up. He wanted to make sure she was alright and that the jerk hadn’t hurt her. He couldn’t see any cuts or bruises on her skin, but he hadn’t been there the whole time. She may have hit the back of her head or grazed her back…he’d examine her, but then if she woke up it’d look like completely the wrong thing and after the events of this evening, that was far from what either of them needed.

He took another drag from the cigarette in his hand, noticing the little blood stain on the butt, evidently from his busted bottom lip. It wasn’t stinging as much though now, so maybe it was healing a little. Romeo hoped so, because if Zoe woke up and he was spitting blood everywhere, it wouldn’t exactly be the best thing in the world. His bandaged hand had a pinkish tint on the white fabric, but the constant movement of his hand was probably reopening the wounds he had just wrapped. He needed to make sure to take it easy tomorrow in work, otherwise Borders’ bookshelves may find themselves speckled with crimson.

Romeo could hear Ellie in her room, talking on the telephone. His sister liked to gossip alright and was probably telling her best friend what had happened so far. He often wished she didn’t do that, and right now was a time when he could easily get up and take her phone from her. However, that would lead to them fighting, which was another situation that wouldn’t help matters with the unconscious country girl on the sofa. His sister was still clueless though, which was a good thing. At least she couldn’t spread the entire news around the city without the facts and Romeo had no intention of giving them to her. He liked to keep her well away from any kind of violence and he didn’t want Ellie to think that it was okay to resort to physical actions if there was another way. Tonight, Romeo’s protectiveness had kicked in, making it impossible for him to control himself. The thought of when he was sixteen ran through his head for the twelfth time since the fight and he shook it away with another drag on the cigarette.

It was the sudden cry from the sofa that brought Romeo back to the present. He placed his smoke in the ashtray and moved to the sofa, his eyes examining Zoe for any signs of injuries. Then, his eyes landed on her hand. It seemed swollen and looked very tender. The knuckles were a little bruised too. He remembered the incident, specifically what had caught his eye. The guy had been reeling back as Romeo turned. Did Zoe land a punch? He smiled at the thought, realising that the girl probably could throw a mean one against someone who was a little less prepared than her attacker. Her hand probably needed some ice.

Romeo moved back to the window, finishing off his cigarette before it turned to ash in the tray. It was on his final drag, that he heard the dry, weak voice of Zoe. He almost choked, hitting his chest to stop it before he turned into a spluttering wreck in the window of his apartment. He smiled over at her, glancing back at the tray to stub the cigarette out in. “Forget about me lungs, I’m more concerned about you. Are you alright, love?”

[/color] He moved swiftly into the kitchen, eyes still focused on Zoe. He pulled some ice from the freezer and wrapped them in a towel before moving back to the living area, sitting down on the solid coffee table in front of the sofa. “Tell me if this ‘urts.”[/color] He took her injured hand in his carefully and allowed the ice to rest against it slightly, not wanting to hurt it any more. The sparks that rushed through him though as their hands touched, did not go unnoticed, but Romeo pushed it to the back of his mind.
“You ‘ad me scared for a bit there Zoe.”[/color] He whispered, his olive eyes meeting hers as he reached out to move some of the hair from her face.

He didn’t realise what he was doing, but once the gesture had happened, he felt his heart pounding in his chest. He didn’t let it show on his face but his mind was racing over all possible reasoning. There wasn’t any. You couldn’t reason with your heart after all. Romeo went into overdrive. He was a friendly guy, a gentleman to the core, but he had only ever fought someone before for Ellie; his sister who he’d do anything for. Any other time, he talked the situation down to calm, never wanting to use his fists. So why had he tackled the guy before and allowed himself to get caught up in a fist fight on the wintery sidewalk of New York?
Why did he enjoy Zoe’s company so much? Why did he look back when they walked away? Why did he hate leaving her? Why was he so worried? Why were there sparks when their fingertips met?

He kept the thoughts hidden on his face, but his pounding heart gave the reality away. He could picture cupid standing in the corner of the apartment, arrow poised over his chest, firing and hitting his heart slap bang in the middle as soon as his eyes met Zoe’s.
He wasn’t the brightest spark, but even Romeo wanted to slap himself at how long it had taken him to figure this out. Then, he wanted to slap himself for allowing himself to figure it out at this particular, and very inappropriate moment!
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Romeo's little country mouse
WORDS! 1105.
OUTFIT! This Little Number
LYRICS! Lonesome Swan - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! HE KNOWS!

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

Zoe looked around the small apartment, trying to take in everything in one quick glance. It didn't work too well, and only produced another headache nagging at the back of her mind. She'd have to look for more details later, when she wasn't attempting to scold Romeo for smoking. Again. A very faint smirk tugged at her lips when he started coughing. " I told you," she said with a twisted version of her laugh. Apparently, her mouth was still having a bit of trouble, even if she was fully awake now. Then again, she did have some issues with speaking whenever it was to him. It could just be that acting up once more.

She shook her head gently when he asked if she was alright. Honestly, no, no she wasn't. Her head was pounding once again and her hand was varying between burning like fire and practically killing her with pain. Zoe could deal with the headache though. She'd been doing so for the past... how long had it been? Well, since the fight. However many minutes ago that was. "My hand's pretty messed up," she sighed, trying to push the headache away again. Fainting in his arms had been enough, bothering him over a stupid head ache would be pathetic, in her opinion. She'd take some Aleve when she got back to the apartment... if she dared go back there tonight, all alone. That was a scary thought now, one that she'd been able to ignore in the past. After being attacked though, she doubted she'd be able to go anywhere by herself without feeling extremely paranoid and jumpy.

Romeo already seemed to know about her hand though, seeing as he was running around the kitchen getting ice. She watched him carefully as he walked over to her, biting her lip sharply when she realized he'd be putting the ice on her hand. It was sore as all hell, touching or moving it would be even more painful. And, when Zoe swore, you knew something was seriously wrong. A curse almost slipped out when he pressed the freezing towel to her hand, and she had to bite her lip harder to keep it in. She didn't swear, no matter how much pain she was in. "Y-Yeah. J-Just a little," she squeaked, trying to get herself in check again. Her head was no longer the only thing pounding like a freight train about to explode.

Even though she was trying not to groan in agony, the fact that Romeo was holding her hand over powered her emotions. Surely she wasn't the only one who could feel sparks flickering between their skin, right?! And then his other hand was touching her hair... Almost instinctively, her head tilted gently into his touch. It made her heart sink a bit when the little caress ended, and she tried to make sure her face didn't show it. Her body wasn't exactly obeying commands today, so she had no clue if it did or not. The very faint sparkle in her eye faded a little more however, an action she had no absolute control over. It was already masked behind a few layers of pain, something that didn't touch the young woman's eyes too often. There was usually a bright smile on her face when they met, a glisten in her eye that only he could bring up. Her cheeks would be switching between colors quicker than lightning during a thunderstorm, and she'd be tripping over words whenever he said something that set her blushing. It was nearly the complete opposite of what she looked like now. Her cheeks were scarily pale, eyes bare of all happiness except for the small hint that refused to ever leave her face, and her jaw was clenched in an effort not to give out how much pain she was really in.

She met his eyes frankly, having done so a million times in the past. When asked what her favorite color was by Ellie during a little game she'd used to break the ice, Zoe had almost said "Romeo's eyes." She'd practically had to chew her tongue off to stop, especially since Ellie was constantly in front of those eyes. It wouldn't do to have her secret leaked, even though she did think Ellie was mature enough to know about heartbreaks and crushes. Before long, she'd be going through the rollercoaster of love herself, which meant Zoe would be faced with even more love problems than her own. Thinking about potential relationship drama could wait for now, she had bigger issues to worry about. Like the fact that she was drowning in Romeo's eyes yet again.

"I had you scared?" she smirked weakly, looking down at their hands for a moment before glancing back up at him. "You, Mr. Mighty Hero?" At this point in time, Zoe didn't think anything could shake him, except maybe Ellie. She did really think of him as a hero though, one that had carried the fainting little damsel in distress out of trouble. Thinking about passing out somehow made her head hurt again, ruining any chance at a romantic moment for the time being. It was bad enough attempting to flirt when she could think straight. Doing it while she was reeling between staying awake and keeling over with pain would be entirely stupid on her part.

Zoe bit her lip harder again as she tried to move her fingers just a smidge. The burn nearly doubled and she isntantly regretted even trying it in the first place. A small hiss left her lips and her eyes ripped from his, closing to block out the hurt again. She just wanted to make sure nothing was broken in her hand!

• • •

WORDS: 1013!
TAG: Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
LOCATION: Borders Books, The Streets
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Babygirl" by Sugarland
NOTES: FINALLY!!!! <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

His playful smirk returned to Romeo’s face and he laughed softly, once his chest felt clear to make any other noise other than a cough. “Save the lecture for now. You can give me it later when I’m not playing doctor.”

[/color] He joked. He had to make sure that Zoe was completely okay first before they began their playful banter again. One look at her proved to him that she needed looking after for the time being, even if she was a tough girl.

He frowned when she shook her head. It may have been a stupid question and he knew that, but it was still painful for him to realise that she was still in pain herself, whether it was physically or mentally. The ice stung Romeo’s hand as he placed it on the towel and his bandages were left a little damp from them too. He just hoped he didn’t have to redress it whilst Zoe was around. He didn’t want anything here to remind her of the attack, which may have been a little hard considering his busted lip was a little swollen and clearly evident in the centre of his bottom lip. “It did look a little swollen.”[/color] He commented as he sat down in front of her.

He spied the pain in her eyes when the ice touched her delicate skin. Romeo felt awful about it, but he had to get the swelling down before they did anything else. There was a chance it could be broken, but from experience (mainly from a clumsy sibling) Romeo knew that even the hospital couldn’t get a decent x-ray if it was swollen like a balloon. “I’m sorry.”[/color] He whispered, biting his lip and staring at Zoe’s pale face. He tried to lighten his hold on her hand, but a part of him didn’t want to let it go. His eyes roved over her face. It was clear in her eyes that there was more than just her hand bothering her. Romeo didn’t know whether she was in shock or whether there was something else. She had passed out in his arms though, so maybe… “’Ow’s your ‘ead?”[/color] Tentatively, he reached out, resting the cool back of his hand against her forehead, checking for a fever. “Do you need any painkillers?”[/color]

Romeo had never seen Zoe looking this meek before and it almost killed him to think about what could’ve happened to her. He was glad he had been there when it went down and he was glad that she seemed relatively okay. If the guy had laid a hand of her…well, Romeo would be a completely different person right now. He needed to forget about it though. Zoe was okay and she’d be alright once the shock had passed by. If Romeo’s anger built up, then it’d just lead to a night of smoking and pacing around the apartment. His eyes briefly caught a glimpse of the blood stains on his shirt and he glared at them. Hopefully, Zoe hadn’t noticed them yet. He didn’t want her worrying about him after all of this. He had handled himself fine and the injuries looked worse than they actually were by a long shot. Resting her hand on his knee for a moment and placing the ice on the table top, Romeo leaned over to the laundry basket. He had done the laundry the evening before, but hadn’t got around to putting his stuff back into his drawers yet. His rough hands grabbed a plain white t-shirt and without a second thought, he peeled the current one off his back, tossing it carelessly on the chair behind him before pulling the fresh, clean one over his head. It felt comfier and lacked the hideous blood stains of the other. His bandaged hand and lip would be harder to hide, but he could pass them off easily enough.
He smiled at Zoe and picked her hand up again, gentler this time when he reapplied the ice to it. “Just try to keep it still, love. Relax it.”[/color] His voice was barely a husky whisper as he spoke, the sparks shooting up his arm once more.

He chuckled softly, smiling at her. He was no hero. He had simply done what was right in his eyes. He couldn’t have just walked in the opposite direction, even though some people very well would’ve done. The city could be an ignorant place at times and in Romeo’s eyes, that was its only downside. “Nah, I’m no ‘ero. I’m just Romeo; Shakespeare’s biggest tragedy.”[/color] He joked, trying to relieve the tense atmosphere. He had contemplated saying “Romeo does what he has to, to protect his Juliet’ but decided against it, noticing the flirtatious innuendo for the first time today. If only he’d noticed the rest from Borders! He’d probably be kicking himself by now. “I’m just glad you’re alright now. I know you may not be ‘ungry, but I got our El to order extra take out for you, just in case.”[/color] He told her with a soft smile. She probably didn’t feel like eating after this evening, but Romeo knew that it’d make her feel better later on. “Anyways, right now, I’m playin’ doctor. Tell me where it ‘urts and no playin’ tough for me. Okay? I’m here to look after you.”[/color] He said, with a charming smile and a silly wink.

The whole evening seemed surreal and Romeo half expected to wake up and find out that it was a dream. He hadn’t set out that morning planning on getting into a fight or playing guardian angel to a girl, he finally knew, he liked. He also couldn’t believe that it had taken him so long to notice it either! He smiled at Zoe, and before he was able to stop the words from flying from his English lips, they had been spoken and now Romeo had to wait her reaction.
“You’re safe now. I won’t let anyone ‘arm you again. I promise.”[/color]
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Romeo's little country mouse
WORDS! 1049.
OUTFIT! This Little Number
LYRICS! Lonesome Swan - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! I love this ending <3 <3 <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

"I'm the doctor. You're the English expert," she said with a small smirk. True, she was a doctor for animals, not people, but she'd gotten a bit of medical training for them, too. With that limited knowledge, Zoe knew she wasn't alright. She probably had more mental problems than physical ones, but it was most likely worse that way. Haunting dreams, jumping whenever someone spoke to her, avoiding going out alone. They were all things that were likely to happen in her near future, and all of them were inevitable. She wouldn't be forgetting this night any time soon.

Though, she wouldn't be the only one with scars from the evening, even if they were temporary. Her eyes caught on his bandaged hand for a moment, then looked up to see how swollen his lip was. He'd gotten hurt for her. Taken that punch for her. His lip looked pretty bad, but that was probably from the fact that the wound was still pretty fresh. And the bandages on his hand were pink, obviously, with blood. They weren't wrapped too well either, a bit of a pet peeve with her. She liked everything unbearably neat when it came to anything involving medicine, whether it be for humans or pets. "I'm re-wrappin' your hand later, and lookin' at your lip, even if I can only use one hand," she butted in stubbornly. Even if her hand was broken, she'd still be taking some form of care of him. It was only fair seeing as he had dragged her unconscious body back to his apartment. He could've just left her lying in the street, or not even come to her rescue at all. She was sure as hell glad he had saved her however! An injured hand and nightmares were on the light side of what could've happened. She could've taken that blow herself, could've had a concussion, could've been slammed against a wall and left unconscious in the streets of New York without any means of communication or way back to her apartment. Thinking about all the terrible "what if's" made her shudder a bit.

"Don't worry 'bout it. It just stings," she said tightly, giving him a small shadow of a smile. When his hand loosened on hers, she was about to clutch onto the strong fingers when she remembered she physically couldn't. Zoe didn't want him to let go, not right now. She needed at least one person to hold onto, seeing as her mother would not be finding out about this at all costs. Call her old fashioned, but Zoe obeyed her Mama. If that woman wanted her home, she'd be there in as little time as possible. Hearing about this attack would send the maternal hen into a frenzy with threats of dragging the chick back home herself.

Zoe's eyes closed automatically when the back of his seemingly icy hand touched her scorched forehead. When had she gotten a fever?! It probably happened when her head was spinning faster than the Tea Cup ride in Walt Disney World. "Dizzy..." she answered quietly when he asked about her head, eyes still closed. His hand felt nice for more than one reason. One, it felt like another ice cube had been placed on her skin. And, two, he was touching her. Instead of burning sparks though, she felt chilly ones that were helping to cool her down just a little bit. The mention of painkillers made her blink, but she didn't shake her head. If she took them, then she'd be knocked out again and without any conscious signs of pain. She would also lose the precious moments with Romeo, some of which were getting more and more romantic by the second. If she didn't take them, she'd be suffering through said moments with an aching hand. Honestly, the second option sounded a lot more appealing. "No, no. I'll be fine. Just keep the ice on it." Translation: No, no. Just stay here and hold my hand for awhile.

Maybe the painkillers would be a good idea though, seeing as he released her hand the moment after. This time, she couldn't keep her face from falling just a smidge. The ice disappeared from her hand, making relief wash over her features afterwards. It was starting to numb her hand, yes, but it was also putting more pressure on it than it liked. Zoe's eyes closed for a moment again as she tried to figure out where the pain was the worst, but it was a long shot. All of her fingers were in pain. She sighed gently, opening her eyes again and expecting to find Romeo staring at her again.

Her eyes widened to nearly the same size as out in the alley when she saw, not Romeo's face, but a perfect picture of his bare chest. She blinked twice, expecting a blush to rise to her cheeks like usual whenever he embarrassed her. No burn came though, making her worry for a moment before she realized she had zoned out. While staring at his chest. Her eyes quickly ducked back down to her hand, looking at the swollen and bruised mess. Breathe, Zoe, breathe! she scolded mentally, trying to remember how to perform that vital action. She concentrated on that while he tossed his shirt away and picked up her hand again. It amazed her how the rough and tumble guy could be so... scary one second, then meek as a lamb with her the next. Zoe pushed the thoughts of him being "scary" away as quickly as they appeared. She didn't want to think about that, not when he was holding her hand for the second time in ten minutes. Her head nodded a bit when she heard his whisper, allowing herself to enjoy the sound of his voice when it wasn't booming with a laugh. She liked this version of him, liked seeing the quiet, gentle side for once.

"You are very much a hero. The sooner you admit it, the sooner the argument ends. 'Cause I'm right, no matter who you're named after." This was one point where she wouldn't allow him to out talk her, not matter how bad her pain level was getting. Zoe was right. He was a hero in every sense of the word. And, apparently, he was a hero who made sure his younger sister bought food for their unexpected guest. He was right about her not being hungry at all. Her stomach was one of the only organs that wasn't bugging her right now. It had shut up since the alley, but Zoe knew a little food wouldn't hurt. Besides, it'd be rude not to eat after they bought her food. "I'm a country girl, I'm always hungry. Tell her I said thanks," she joked quietly, knowing very well that that was a complete lie. Well, it was about her, anyways. She sometimes had to force herself to eat at meal times these days because she'd graze on various snacks throughout the day.

Being a country girl also meant dealing with your own pain. Zoe hadn't planned on telling him how badly her head was reeling, nor had horridly her hand burned. She didn't want to dump herself on him like this, but it looked like she had no choice. Lying wasn't fun, unless it was in jest, and she wasn't very good at it around her closer friends, like Romeo. "It's just my hand and my head. Really, Doctor Romeo," she smiled back, playing along with his little game.

Her smile vanished when he spoke again. There was no playfulness in his voice now, which she easily picked up on. He was serious about protecting her? Her breath caught in her throat at the idea. Zoe hadn't had anyone promise anything along those lines since her move, not even some of her other guy friends. Of course, she rarely ever opened up with people other than Romeo and a few select girls. That made the prospect of having one person looking after her sound insanely sweet and romantic. "Thank you," she whispered back. Her eyes looked back up into his, pain being run over by something more tender now. Very carefully, she moved and wrapped her free arm around his neck, giving him a tight hug. Her face buried in his neck for a moment and her world just... stopped.

• • •

WORDS: 1500!
TAG: Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
LOCATION: Borders Books, The Streets
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Babygirl" by Sugarland
NOTES: GAHHHHHHH! <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

He chuckled. “You’re an animal doctor. I’m a guy who’s used to the city injuries. You need to check out the size of my first aid kit.”

[/color] He joked. It was true though. Between himself and Ellie, the pair of them had been in a ridiculous amount of predicaments where they’d ended up covered in blood and bruises. Romeo himself had broken three different bone and Ellie’s dislocated knee popped up like a bad penny more times than Romeo cared to remember. The familiar scream now caused him to roll his eyes and grab the crutches that were kept in the corner of the room. They should’ve been returned to the hospital over a year ago, but they were much handier to keep around for Ellie. He also carried various splints and supports in his bathroom cupboard; leftovers from previous trips to the doctor and the hospital.

He touched his lip with his bandaged hand and smiled as much as he could without reopening it. “Oi, back away. I’m fine. I’m a tough lad, I can ‘andle meself. It wasn’t the first fight I’ve been in.”[/color] He told her. Her concern made his heart flutter though and he started to wonder if this fight had caused more of a change in him than he had originally though. He’d never walked away from any kind of confrontation with newfound loving feelings for a person, it was usually the opposite. “They’re not as bad as they look, love. I promise.”[/color] He probably should’ve used some ice on his lip whilst Zoe was still out cold on his sofa, but the need for a smoke was more powerful. Plus, the cut would just add to his rugged appearance. His eyes travelled to his hand. Still looked pretty banged up, which was probably because he hadn’t kept it still yet, but he didn’t care. Zoe was his top priority right now and his busted knuckles could bleed out for a little while longer.

He kept looking at her hand, removing the ice every now and then to inspect the swelling. It seemed to be easing a little now, but then maybe he’d just been looking at it for so long that it was starting to look normal again. “When the swellin’ goes down, I’ve got a splint in the cupboard that you can bung on it. It’ll do for the night at least. I’ll drive you to the ‘ozzy in the mornin’ if you think it needs an x-ray.”[/color] Romeo didn’t care what Zoe had to say. Now she was in his apartment, she would be staying until the morning. She had passed out, which, in Romeo’s eyes, meant that she shouldn’t be left alone until she felt completely better. Plus, he’d only spend the night fretting about his country girl if he let her go. Part of him figured that she wouldn’t want to be alone either; he knew he wouldn’t want to be if he’d been in her shoes and less streetwise.

Her forehead felt hotter than the furnace in Romeo’s old house in the middle of the winter. She hadn’t felt that hot when he had been carrying her, but maybe it had come on since she had woken up. The pain probably wasn’t helping her either. He tried to remember to the countless times he had taken care of Ellie when she had been sick and had a fever that had sky rocketed. There were a few old herbal remedies that his mother had used when they were younger but they meant Romeo leaving Zoe alone for more than thirty seconds and Romeo didn’t want to do that. He wanted to stay with her until he knew that she was alright. Once more, he moved the ice from her hand and then hopped into the kitchen, throwing some ice into a glass and then filling it with cold water too. “Here, this should ‘elp. With the dizziness and that fever.”[/color] He touched her forehead again and resumed his previous position; the ice on her hand and him sitting directly in front of her.
His eyes flicked up to her again and he nodded. Not everyone liked resorting to painkillers straight away. “No worries, but I’m goin’ to make you take ‘em before you go to sleep. Alright love?”[/color] That way, he would know that she’d have a decent sleep and if the pills knocked her out then it might also prevent any potential nightmares from creeping their way into her mind.

Romeo didn’t think anything of it when he changed his shirt. He was a guy, guys were topless nearly all the time and every girl saw it. It was probably a habit too. Most of Ellie’s friends had been greeted by a topless Romeo in the past, much to his sister’s annoyance. A lot of her friends found it ‘cool’ that she lived with him and a few had a habit to stare a little too much for Romeo’s liking. He ran his hand through his hair once more as he took Zoe’s hand and the ice again.
It was unusual for him not to be booming, his voice louder than life itself. However, right now, he was enjoying the unconventional moment and being able to hold Zoe’s hand. He also knew that a curious sister would probably sitting with her ear pressed against her bedroom door, listening for something to call her friends about or the sound of the buzzer. The Chinese was starting to take a long time to arrive.

His green eyes flicked up to meet Zoe’s once more and the small, lopsided smile cross his face. Her comment reminded him of a song his mother always used to sing when he was a kid and even a teenager. It was one of his favourite memories even if, at thirteen, it did embarrass the hell out of him. Under his breath he mumbled the words to no one in particular. “A cross between a movie star and a hero in a book, Romeo comes struttin’ in.”[/color] He shook his head and then looked back at Zoe. “I couldn’t let my country girl get ‘erself ‘urt now, could I?”[/color] He said, moving her hair back from her face again, using it as an excuse to touch her soft skin.
He smiled and then nodded, but he realised that Ellie wouldn’t stay trapped in that room for much longer, even if he did ask her to. “She’ll probably appear soon, you can thank ‘er yourself then.”[/color] He glanced across at the closed door and then chuckled to himself. “But, be warned, love, when she comes out, you’re ‘ead is goin’ to get messed up. You’ll get a miniature experience of what Liverpool is like.”[/color] People had mentioned it countless times to both of the siblings. When they were together, their accents thickened, the expressions they used came thick and heavy and to an outsider, it seemed like a completely different language.

He narrowed his eyes and then leaned a little closer, flicking his vision to her hand, examining it once more. He didn’t believe her words and he wanted her to trust him. “Love, I’m more of a doctor than you an actress.”[/color] He smiled genuinely and his eyes gazed into her oceanic pools once more. “Look, I’m not about to go and tell the city that you’re in pain. ‘Ell, I’m not about to tell anyone, like. If somethin’ ‘urts, tell me Zoe. I can make it better. I just don’t want you to be in pain.”[/color] Romeo could never judge her and if she was hurting then he’d rather know. If she collapsed again later on it’d only make him feel guiltier if she kept the pain a secret.

“You’re my country girl, I couldn’t let anyone touch a ‘air on your ‘ead.”[/color] He was a little shocked by the hug, but welcomed it. He put the ice on the table, wrapping the free arm around her shoulder, holding her as tightly as he dared, not knowing if anywhere else hurt. His thumb delicately, almost not even touching her skin, stroked her sore hand without him realising that he was doing it. Romeo closed his eyes, inhaling her scent and almost becoming submerged in the moment. This felt…so perfect to him. He hadn’t experienced feelings like this in a really long time and all of a sudden they had swept over him like an ocean wave and he couldn’t resist getting carried out with the current.
The only thing that snapped him back to reality was the ‘snap’ of a camera. He glanced over Zoe’s head and saw Ellie standing in the doorway to her room, the same smirk that he saw on himself, gracing her teenage face. Reluctantly, he pulled away and placed the ice gently back on Zoe’s hand. “You’re a right geg you, El.”[/color] He said, not even looking back at his sister.
“I’m just ‘ungry, Rome. I came lookin’ for scran.” The tall girl rubbed her stomach, exaggerating her hunger.
“With a camera, like? Yeah right kidda. Look, the Chinese’ll be ‘ere soon, so just keep yer ‘at on and watch a DVD or somethin’.”[/color] Silently, Romeo was wishing his sister far away. Trust siblings to ruin a perfect moment by being siblings.
“You not even gonna introduce me, like? Charmin’ brother, aren’t ya? Look, I know it all kicked off tonight, but I’m auld enough to ‘andle it.” She folded her arms across her chest and stared at Romeo with matching green eyes.
“For a Judy, you aren’t ‘alf a pain in me kecks. Fine. Zoe, this is the delightful Eleanor. Ellie, this is Zoe. Now leg it before I bleedin’ luzz somethin’ at ya!”[/color] Romeo did not want his sister around right now and at the sound of the apartment buzzer, his eyes rolled. This was just another excuse for Ellie to try and get more information out of him about the evening. Luckily, his sister moved to the door, giving Romeo and Zoe a little time alone, in peace. “Sorry about ‘er.”[/color]


[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Romeo's little country mouse
WORDS! 1746.
OUTFIT! This Little Number
LYRICS! Lonesome Swan - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! ozzy =hospital, geg = nosey person, scran = food, kidda = kid/friend, kicked off = fight, Judy = young woman, kecks = pants, leg it = run away, luzz=throw.
I got carried away xD But I love this bit <3

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

"I've also dealt with more human stitches, bruises, and cuts than ya can imagine. Four younger, troublesome siblings lead to a lot of injuries," Zoe smiled back gently, happy to see him joking around with her again. It made her relax just a little. They were more than comfortable around each other, and it set her nerves to rest just a smidge. She didn't have to remember to keep her accent hidden, didn't have to worry about saying something stupid, even though she usually did end up doing that. Romeo made her feel more at home than she had since moving to New York, and she was glad it was his apartment that she was tucked away in now. If it had been anyone else's she would've already been trying to get herself out of there. She didn't like depending on other people, but something about Romeo made her give into him without a second thought.

Zoe also wasn't about to let him get off with a poorly bandaged hand, one that had been used in her defense. She had to do something, even if it was that small, to repay him. "I don't really care! You're lettin' me look at 'em, even if I have to get your sister out here to help me pin ya down," she laughed quietly. The distracted, rebelling part of her mind wondered just how many scrapes Romeo had been in though. Probably some worse than the little tiff of the evening, even if she couldn't imagine anything scarier. Then again, she'd never been attacked by someone before. Maybe that was magnifying things a little. "If you're takin' care of me, it's only fair I return the favor. Even if it is just redressin' your hand," she replied, wincing a little as he removed the ice from her hand again. It didn't look a little better, despite the very faint hints of bruises starting to show on her knuckles. "Remind me not to punch anyone again," she muttered under her breath, eyes still on her hand. It was a good thing she wasn't left handed, otherwise this would've been a bit more of an issue!

She blinked at him when she realized what his words meant. He wanted her to spend the night? Here? With him? And Ellie... but she was the last thing on Zoe's mind right now. It'd be rude to stay though, wouldn't it? She could survive by herself, even if she was afraid of doing that right now. She couldn't dump herself on Romeo just because of some petty fears. "I-I... I shouldn't stay. Tessie needs her supper, and y'all don't need me hangin' around takin' up attention or space." It took all her will power to turn down the appealing offer and she regretted it the moment the words left her mouth. God, she wanted to stay here where she felt safe and comforted. A place where she knew she'd be taken care of, and not have any purse snatchers to worry about. She wanted to stay with Romeo.

Zoe's brow relaxed under his cool hand, but creased once again once it was left bare again. She liked it when he touched her so gently and softly, like he was afraid she'd break at any moment in time. Currently, she was already broken. It wasn't like he could do much more damage. Except if he revealed that he had some secret girlfriend she'd never heard about. That would definitely give her a worse pain than her hand, head, and stomach combined. She shouldn't be thinking of that right now, not when any negative thought made her head pound a harder. Instead, she focused on Romeo as he bustled around the kitchen, filling a glass with something. Hopefully it was for her. Anything cold sounded pretty darn good right about now, though she'd prefer his hand on her head instead of ice water cooling her throat. "Thanks," she said meekly, sipping delicately at the water. Her stomach might be testy yet, and she didn't want to risk vomiting. How embarrassing would that be, on top of everything else?! She carefully set the water next to him on the table, planning on drinking more of it later. Small sips every once in awhile would hold her over for now.

Her mouth opened to protest when he mentioned her taking the pills before going to bed, about to remind him that she wasn't staying here, no matter how much she longed to. Zoe knew he'd end up getting his way anyways. He always managed to shake her resolve when it involved him, so there was really no point in protesting. Her father would've disapproved of her sleeping over at a guy's house, but her mom would've been glad her baby girl was safe. And, besides, it wasn't like anything was going to happen with Ellie sitting a room away! "Fine. Whatever you say, doctor," she gave in with a faint smile. Playing patient would probably be fun, too. Zoe rarely had people waiting on her, especially guys. While she didn't like the idea of someone slaving away for her, she did fancy the idea of Romeo running around for her, like he happened to be doing right now.

Zoe's ears perked up a bit to catch what he said, her small smile widening when she did. Where had he come up with that? The thought of him strutting around made her lips quirk into a smirk, but she could see him being the romantic hero in a book. Heck, he already was, thanks to his name! Part of her wondered if he really could be her Romeo, if she could slip into the place of Juliet. Of course, if that were even remotely possible, she hoped their relationship would have a happier ending than the original couple. They were a lot different already, as Romeo's new little pet name proved. The fact that he'd called her "his" made Zoe's heart do a little skip, distracting her from poisons and deaths. "I got in one punch at least, before ya came and saved the day," she giggled softly, smiling gently as his fingers touched her hair again. Zoe would've loved if he'd just sat there and stroked her hair the rest of the night, soothing both her head and nerves.

The mention of Ellie made her swoons disappear in a flash. She couldn't be gazing longingly at the young lady's brother while she was in the room, or even spying on them! Plus, she wanted to know what Romeo was talking about. Zoe had spoken with both the siblings, needing translations here and there, but she'd learned terms from the both of them that she was slowly beginning to piece together. Hopefully, when they were together, they wouldn't be too horrible. Her head was already spinning enough for the moment. "I have a feelin' you'll be explainin' the conversation to me once she's gone," she smiled teasingly. He never seemed to mind when she questioned about his language or home, which made it easier for her to do so.

Her teeth chewed the inside of her lip while he spoke, and she tore her eyes from his to examine her hand again. Zoe didn't like opening up to people like this. She was the one other people talked to and told their problems to. She wasn't the one who went around complaining about anything to everyone she met. "Never said I was an actress." There was a hint of a smirk on her lips now, but she knew she'd have to work harder to convince him that the guy hadn't hurt her at all, minus her hand and her head. And her stomach, if that started to act up again anytime soon. "Ya came before he could hurt me, honest. The one punch messed up my hand, which you've taken care of, and my head... ya won't be fixing that." She bit her lip, looking down at her hand while she rambled on. He wouldn't be able to fix the scars in her mind, no matter how hard he tried. Those would have to heal on their own, in a slow and painful process.

She smiled up at him when he called her "his" again, unable to stop herself from it. Zoe wanted to really be his so badly! She wanted to be able to hug him like this all the time, curl up in his strong arms and feel safe and protected for a short while. That's what she felt now as his arms wrapped around her. He set her fears at rest for a moment, making her long to stay in his arms for awhile and be snuggled and petted. She wanted him to keep that gentleness and quiet tone of voice up. It suited her right now, and it was nice to hear him speaking at a normal tone of voice. Zoe loved how loud and brash he was, but she also needed her peace on occasion. Her current peace was interrupted by the sound of a camera, making Zoe jump and cling to Romeo for a small moment. Last time she checked, he didn't have a camera on him and the noise had come out of no where, causing her to panic. She relaxed again when she heard him say "El," knowing it had only been Ellie goofing around. It cause Romeo to let go of her though, something she didn't want to happen right now.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself back down, Zoe gave Ellie a faint smile when Romeo introduced the two of them. "Be nice," she scolded him playfully, turning her attention back to Ellie. "It's nice to finally meet ya, Ellie. Now, if I were you, I'd run before he gets up." She smiled a little wider, trying to push her pain away while the young lady was in the room. So much for first impressions. Zoe had tried to keep up with their conversation, but had only understood bits and pieces. She knew what Romeo meant however without the translations.

The sound of the buzzer made her flinch slightly, but she tried to keep herself from jumping this time. She just needed to chill out. Romeo was here, he wouldn't let anything hurt her. He'd promised. "It's fine. She had to come out eventually, right?" smiled Zoe nervously, still trying to calm herself back down. This panic attack thing was really not fun.

• • •

WORDS: 1887!
TAG: Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
LOCATION: Borders Books, The Streets
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Babygirl" by Sugarland
NOTES: Hehehe <3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

“Yes, but you can’t play doctor to yourself. No matter how much you want to.”

[/color] He smiled warmly and then smirked. “I’ve never had a patient back chat this much before.”[/color] He was glad that Zoe was able to joke with him again, even if it was just a little bit. At least it meant that she was a tiny bit calmer now. Romeo had been a little worried that the attack would make her jumpy now, eager to get away. She had never been to his apartment before and he had brought her here in what could possibly be the worst of circumstances.

He rolled his eyes playfully and gave into her. If her head was hurting then the last thing he needed was her getting even more agitated by him. Plus, his bandaged hand had been done in haste, without any consideration to how it should look. The dressing seemed to loop over itself several times and even part of his hand was bandaged; a part that wasn’t even aching, let alone bleeding. “Fine. You can redress my hand later, but that is it, okay? I’m a big guy, I can deal with a busted lip and the rest.”[/color] By the rest, he was meaning the heart racing, lump swallowing, stomach churning feeling that he was getting from the smallest form of contact with Zoe. “And before you get our Ellie involved, I could lift both of you up and ‘ave yous screamin’ for mercy before you got within an inch of me. My fingers have mighty tickling powers.”[/color] His busted right hand may resent him forever if he attempted to tickle anyone with it, but maybe the light threat would be enough to save it.
When it came to previous fights, Romeo hadn’t been in many. Three scraps had turned physical throughout his life, including the one this evening. He’d been able to come away from them relatively unscathed, aside from a few bruises. The busted lip he was currently wearing wasn’t a first, but he was missing the black eye and bruised jaw. That was probably a good thing though, considering the fact that he needed to take care of Zoe now. Besides, he didn’t want her to be worrying over him and if he had received any more battle wounds, the challenge would have become a difficult one.
He smiled at her, but then frowned at her hand. A little bruising was beginning to show, but that was really the only difference. “’ow, exactly, did you punch the guy to do this to your hand, love?”[/color] His own hand may be a little busted up, but he had thrown two pretty hard punches. The sickening crack that had erupted from the first one provided evidence for that. Zoe’s hand was a lot more delicate in comparison to his rough ones.

Romeo shrugged. Zoe was not winning this battle. He’d make sure of that. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea for her to spend the night alone after being attacked. Besides, keeping her in the apartment would calm Romeo’s concerns. Plus, he kind of wanted her to stay just so he had someone to talk to this evening…and he was enjoying holding her hand, even if she couldn’t return the gesture. “You were the one who said we could ‘ave a loan of your kitty, so we’ll go and pick her up, if you want.” [/color]He leaned a little closer and in a soft but determined voice, he spoke again. “Look love, I ain’t lettin’ you stay alone tonight and I need to make sure Ellie doesn’t trash this place, so you’re stayin’. You’re not goin’ to be a burden or take up any space that we don’t ‘ave and I promise we don’t bite. Now, not another word on the matter.”[/color] He sat back again, dabbing the ice carefully on her hand again. His green eyes flicked up to look at her and he smiled.

The whole arrangement meant that Romeo would get to spend a bit more time with Zoe and also it gave him an excuse to start a little later at work tomorrow. He could phone Amber and tell her not to bother coming to the apartment in the morning and that he’d take Ellie to school himself. His sister still attended school well across the city and the bus route didn’t come past their apartment. Luckily, one of the parents of Ellie’s best friend only lived two blocks away and had no problem giving Ellie a ride every morning which was a weight off of Romeo’s broad shoulders considering he was usually needed at Borders for opening on most days. The start of the Christmas rush was starting to take its toll on Romeo too, so an extra hour in the morning would be bliss for him at this point, even if he was just driving Ellie to school and keeping a careful eye on Zoe. However, if Zoe was still this shook up in the morning, there was no way he’d be going into work. He didn’t know if she had anyone else in the city and he wasn’t going to just leave her alone with a possibly broken hand and the silent memories of her attack. He wouldn’t be able to focus in work anyway and people would only be questioning his bandaged hand and busted lip.
The temptation of a sick day was looking more and more, better by the second.

He smiled at her, examining her hand routinely once again. “Now you’re startin’ to get it!”[/color] He joked, happier now that she seemed to be surrendering to his persuasive nature. “I know it wasn’t the best way for this to ‘appen, but tonight, you are goin’ to relax and rest. I will get whatever you need or want and I don’t want to see you lift a finger. Especially not one of the ones that I’m holdin’ ‘cause, that’ll ‘urt, love.”[/color] Maybe it was because of his feelings for her that he was doing this, or maybe it was just his protective nature kicking in, but he wanted to make sure that Zoe was completely alright.

Romeo wondered what could’ve happened if Zoe hadn’t managed to fit in a first punch. It certainly bought Romeo a bit of time to rescue her that was for sure. It was the guy reeling back that had managed to capture his attention anyway, which was the key reason he had rushed in there without a second thought. “Yeah, but it mangled your ‘and.”[/color] He checked it once again and frowned at it. The damage could’ve been worse. He could’ve been looking after her hand and possibly more injuries if he hadn’t arrived when he did.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry, you won’t be the first person to need a translation. This apartment is ‘ome though. Our own little piece of Liverpool. We forget we ‘ave company and start talkin’ like we would back there.”[/color] He explained fondly. He enjoyed his chats with Ellie when both of them didn’t have to worry about what terms or expressions they used. More often than not it sounded like they were insulting each other from the sounds of the harsh terms and rough expressions. It was all in good jest though. Romeo may have been Ellie’s guardian but he was, at the end of the day, still her big brother and he acted like one.

Romeo smiled at how awkward she suddenly seemed. It was cute and her random bouts of shyness were one of the things that he adored about her. He rarely had that issue and often wondered if that was a good or a bad thing. He knew Ellie could have her moments, but then he was usually there to cover for her when that happened. “I’m just tellin’ ya not to take it up as a job if you ever change your mind about the vet business.”[/color] He said with a small chuckle. He studied her eyes carefully, watching for any signs of pretence. He was here for her now and he didn’t want her hiding any pain or injuries from him when he could take care of them and her. His smile faded a little when she said that he couldn’t fix her head. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what was running through hers right now, but he could always try his best to help her. He reached out, stroking her hair again, but allowing his hand to linger a second longer on the side of her face. “I can always try, just give me a chance and don’t underestimate me.”[/color] He would’ve kissed her if circumstances had been different, much different. However, he had ways up his short sleeve and he’d take advantage of them if they became necessary later on in the evening. He’d cared for Ellie with nightmares before and was used to ghosts from the past coming back to haunt people.
His mother had always said that he had a calming presence. Usually, after the fights with his dad were over, Romeo would go and sit with his mother for a bit, helping her with anything or just reading a book over her shoulder. She had always told him, even from a young age, that he had a rare empathic talent that always cheered her up and made her forget the horrible fight. It had worked with Ellie for years now, so maybe, just maybe, he could help Zoe too.

Speaking of Ellie, the sixteen year old was doing Romeo’s head in now. He knew she loved any kind of gossip but surely she had some manners locked away somewhere that should’ve kicked in and helped her to realise that now was not the time or the place to be sticking her nose into her brother’s business.
He let Zoe speak to her, but he was glad when she playfully told Ellie to run away. He didn’t want Ellie to cause any uncomfortable tension and he could already sense that Zoe was startled by his sister’s sly appearance into the room. “Go on, do ya ‘omework, you skinny meff.”[/color] Romeo said, peering over his shoulder at his younger sister.
“I’m telling mam you called me a skinny meff!”
“And she’ll prob’ly agree with me! I swear you were a dead beast of a dipper in a past life El.”[/b] This time, he didn’t even bother looking at his sister.
“You’ve just gorra cob on ‘cause I gripped ya with ya judy.”
Romeo bit his lip, cursing abruptly when he accidently bit into his wound, reopening it. He turned around to face Ellie, annoyance flittering in his olive eyes. “Ellie, yer doin’ me ‘ead in! Stop gerrin in a tizzie and shut yer gob. Icky the fire bobby and don’t talk wet. Yer askin’ for a Kirkby Kiss if you ain’t careful.”[/color] He had deliberately used phrases that Zoe didn’t have a chance to understand and his accent had thickened dramatically from his annoyance.
“I’ll give you a bloomin’ Kirkby Kiss in a minute kid.”
Romeo rolled his eyes, relieved when she then bounded to the door.
He nodded at Zoe’s response but then sighed wearily. “She did, but she didn’t have to throw a strop about it.”[/color] He noticed the panic visible in her eyes and he touched her arm gently. “’Ey, you’re okay. Nothin’s gonna ‘urt you ‘ere. You’ve got me and I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”[/color] He smiled reassuringly at her as Ellie returned, dumping the take out boxes on the table next to her brother before taking hers into her room.

Usually, Romeo would demand her back out to eat at the table, but he seriously couldn’t put up with his sister right now. He had Zoe to think about and focus on. Besides, Ellie would cool down in an hour or so; she always did after these fights.


[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Romeo's little country mouse
WORDS! 2043!
OUTFIT! This Little Number
LYRICS! Lonesome Swan - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! “skinny meff” = sly idiot (but a friendly idiot), “dead beast of a dipper” = a really good pickpocket, “cob on” = mood, “gripped …judy” = caught….girl, “tizzie” =over excited, “shut up god” = be quiet, “Icky the fire bobby” = mind your own business, “wet” = stupid, “Kirky Kiss” = headbutt.
I bet you’re glad I don’t speak like that on here! >.<

[Zoe Diana Tylers]

One of her eyebrows rose when he said she couldn't doctor herself. She'd done that plenty of times before. But, of course, she'd never fainted at all back then. Actually, she couldn't remember a time when she had ever fainted. "No, I can't, 'cause you insist on doing it yourself," she said, smiling when he commented on her chattiness. The conversation was keeping her from thinking though, something she didn't want to do right now. Her mind was dangerous at the moment, and talking seemed the closest escape from it. Romeo had a way of making her relax with their usual banter, even if she wasn't as up to it as she'd been in their past battles.

A small smile flitted across her face when he said he'd let her mess with his hand. It wouldn't take too much to get a new wrap on it, though having two hands of her own to work with probably would've made things a lot easier. Zoe took a second to wonder what he meant by "the rest." As far as she'd seen, only his hand and lip had been hurt. Was there someplace else? She sure hoped not. The known injuries already caused her to feel horrible. More severe ones would've practically killed her with guilt. "Alright. Deal. Ya did clean it already, right?" It was the first thing you did whenever you got a cut, no matter how small. Infections weren't friendly tiffs to get into, especially not these days when more diseases than could be named floated among the countries. Plus, if he'd already washed it out, it saved her a lecture and a lot of trouble. "That may be, but I'm not the only one with an injured hand. You should be taking it easy, too," she said, biting her lip. How bad was his hand, truthfully? It could be as painful as hers and he just wasn't letting on to it because she'd gone and fainted, taking up his concern. "'Sides. I bet the two of us could hold you down. Ellie sounds tough enough." Her voice was joking now, an attempt at clearing the worry from her own mind. If she could keep laughing, maybe all this freaking out would stay at bay, where she wished it to disappear to.

Zoe's entire face flashed over with pain when he asked how she'd punched the guy. It'd been more instinct than anything else. There was no thought behind it, only the need to protect herself. She couldn't even remember what did happen, so she just shook her head, averting her eyes again. "I-I don't know," she mumbled quietly, chewing her lip as she fought off more dark memories. They weren't fading at all, like she'd hoped they would've by now with Romeo here making her laugh. He was helping though, and maybe spending the night would really clear her head a smidge. It was a long shot by far, but Zoe always tried to look for a bright side, even if it was farther off than the moon. Having her darling kitten there would ease that paternal nag in her mind, too, so it was a great arrangement all around. And it would give her something to cuddle with and coo over, even if Ellie did end up kitty-napping the pet for awhile. "She'll be beggin' for her supper and some snugglin', both of which I'm sure Ellie can take care of," she nodded with a smile again. If she was lucky, he'd let Ellie ride along quick and go dig through Zoe's drawers for some pajamas. Sleeping in these clothes didn't sound appealing, especially since her jeans and shirt were a little tighter than she personally liked. Her breath caught again when he leaned closer and she found herself drowning in his eyes again. His words proceeded to make her breathing stop and her heart beat pounded in her ears. It wouldn't take much convincing to make her stay, and all resolve she had crumbled as he spoke. "Then I guess all I can say is thanks. And that I owe you big time." She'd do anything she could to make it up to him for this. Nobody else in the city would've taken her in, and all her family was more than a few hundred miles away. They wouldn't have been in New York until tomorrow afternoon, at the earliest.

It looked like she'd also be playing slave to him for a day, if he was planning on going through with this idea of her not lifting a finger. Zoe didn't like to feel helpless or dependent, but there was no denying Romeo right now. He'd saved her and brought her back to his apartment. The least she could do was not throw a hissy fit when she clearly wouldn't do too great on her own. "I promise I won't be too much of a burden. Ya won't be runnin' around for much, 'sides some more ice in 'bout an hour," she smiled gently up at him. Ice would quickly become one of her best friends, and she knew that. Her hand was already pretty numb, despite the light bruising that was beginning to spread across it. That would make it insanely sore in the morning, but hopefully she'd be less freaked by then and more capable of handling her pains. "Better than what could've happened if ya hadn't been there to rescue me," she reminded as he frowned at her hand again. Her hand would feel eventually. Though, eventually might be awhile off yet.

Zoe smiled warmly while he explained. She could only imagine what happened when the two of them were together. A small part of her envied the fact that him and Ellie had each other, that they had a home like this where they could really let go of all cares. She shoved it away though, remembering that any ill thoughts were beginning to lead up to thoughts of the attack. "I'm sure it's not too horrid. I've caught on to your slang just a little between the two of ya," she said cheerfully, the smile sticking to her face despite her troubling thoughts. "I'm never givin' that up, so don't worry," she replied with a smirk. Acting... eh. That wasn't her style. She's wasn't too musical, and wasn't one to enjoy the "high society" actors and actresses were sometimes thrown into. And, making a name for herself in that business just didn't sound fun.

Her mind cleared again when she felt his hand touching her hair again. It felt nice and calmed her nerves a little more. She blinked back up to him with clouded eyes, meeting his olive ones with only a hint of hesitation. Zoe knew she'd be messed up for awhile, and nobody could entirely erase tonight from her memories. Not a single therapist in the world could, and she couldn't afford one, anyways. "Take as many chances as ya want, but I don't promise they'll work," she whispered back, closing her eyes to fight back her emotions once again. Geeze! There was a lot of that going on tonight when she'd prided herself so many times on being able to hold her temper and tongue. She could control herself. She really could. As long as Romeo wasn't around to distract her.

His sister was enough to get her mind back on track for a moment though, even if the girl had startled poor Zoe. She blinked in confusion at their conversation, ducking her head slightly when she figured out they were arguing. Ellie's words brought a very, very faint blush to her cheeks however, and it made Zoe feel better to realize she could in fact still blush. But, she'd picked up what "judy" meant from the times Romeo had used it, and she knew perfectly well what "your" meant. That was overrun by his next sentence though, followed up by even more phrases she had no chance of understanding. From his tone of voice, they seemed to be a bit mean, but she had no way of proving that. She'd have to ask about them later when she wasn't trying to force herself into relaxing.

She gave him a tenative smile when he touched her arm, focusing on the sparks that were produced to help herself untense. Zoe knew he was right. She was perfectly safe here with him, even if his sister did interrupt their moments. "I know. Don't mean I won't be jumpy," she sighed softly, looking down at her hand when Ellie came back into the room. Zoe felt bad for causing the small fight, even if it hadn't directly been her fault. She flicked her eyes back up to Romeo once she heard a door close, hoping that he wasn't angry. She wanted her quiet, sweet Romeo back!

• • •

WORDS: 1611!
TAG: Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
LOCATION: Borders Books, The Streets
OUTFIT: this classy sass!
LYRICS: "Babygirl" by Sugarland
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Romeo Jackson Jervis]

He laughed softly, shaking his head. His eyes met Zoe’s with a playful twinkle shining out from deep within them. “Because I’m takin’ care of you.”

[/color] He told her simply. He preferred the conversation to her sitting in silence, and the icy atmosphere had certainly melted since she had awoken after her faint. Plus the banter passed the time whilst Romeo was tending to her injured hand. It would’ve been a very confusing and very different situation if Zoe was sitting in silence as he paid more attention to her hand than probably anyone else ever had before. Hands could be easily overlooked; a lack of a hand however, that was what people paid attention to.

His hand wasn’t causing him too much pain. It stung a little whenever the open wounds grazed against the dressing, but it wasn’t enough to make him inhale suddenly or cry out in pain. Romeo had quite a high tolerance for pain, but he was more than certain that his hand was just a little roughed up. It’d probably be completely healed at the end of a fortnight. He could move all of his fingers just fine and there were no ricochets of pain up his wrist or arm whenever he did move, so, aside from the torn skin and the slight bruising, he was probably going to be a-okay. He wouldn’t need any medical attention from a certified doctor though. “Yeah, I splashed the antiseptic on it as soon as I got in and you were safe on me sofa.”[/color] In fact, he’d splashed so much in his emotional haste that if he hadn’t of been sat near an open window when he did it, then the whole apartment probably would have been stinking of the stuff!
He flashed another smile at her, wincing a little when it tugged at his lip. “This thing?”[/color] He flexed his fingers and wrist, just to show her that she didn’t need to worry about it. “It’s in a lot better shape than yours is, love. I’ll rest it once I’m convinced you’re good.”[/color] He smiled. He was unable to hide his laughter though when she mentioned that Ellie seemed tough. The thing with his younger sister was exactly what Zoe had just said; she sounds tough. In reality, Ellie was a girl who’d scream if you crinkled her favourite shirt. She just had the attitude and the mouthy personality that her brother had, without the ability to follow it all through if it became necessary, like tonight had been. “Ellie’d be too concerned about us crushin’ her wrist.” [/color] He told Zoe with a quirked eyebrow, his mind quickly flashing back to the numerous play fights he had engaged in with his sister.

Romeo’s olive eyes filled with concern as he saw the expression in her face change. He hadn’t meant to make her remember the attack, he was just mumbling the words out of shock. For her hand to be this bad, it must’ve have been either a punch too strong for her small frame to deal with or she’d thrown it wrong. He didn’t care what was the real answer though, he just wanted to make sure Zoe was fine. “It’s okay. It’s over now and I’m not goin’ to let anyone ‘urt you again. Not even yourself.”[/color] He gave her a small, reassuring smile, tilting her chin so that she was looking him in the eyes. Romeo wanted her to believe him, because he meant those words more than anything else in the whole world. He’d never let anyone touch a hair on her head ever. She was on his ‘list’ now with Ellie for people who he’d gladly die protecting. It may have been a little over the top, but somewhere, deep down in Romeo’s heart, he knew that he would. He’d take a bullet for the girl sitting in front of him, even if his feelings for her weren’t reciprocated.
“I’m sure it’ll be a perfect reason for Ellie not to get any of ‘er work done.”[/color] After the incidents of the evening though, Ellie’s homework was the last thing on Romeo’s mind. If it wasn’t finished by the morning then he’d just pop into the office when he dropped her at the gates and invent a story for her. His bandaged hand and busted lip should help support whatever he decided to say then. He glanced at the clock. There was still plenty of time to go before it got late. “I’ll wait for the Chinese and then we can make tracks. You can pick up some clothes and any other things you’ll need whilst we’re there.”[/color] He said, turning his attention back to her. “I’ll need your address too, love. I know this city pretty well, but I ain’t psychic.”[/color] He joked, trying to keep it light. He feared that he might start sounding more serious than he meant to and then Zoe might get scared or nervous around him, which was the last thing that Romeo wanted. “Nonsense! You don’t owe me jack. It’s not a big deal, seriously. If I can deal with four of Ellie’s friends spendin’ the night every other weekend, then you aren’t goin’ to be even the teeniest bit of bother for us.”[/color] He said, waving her words away. He wasn’t doing this out of force, he wanted her to stay over; partly out of concern for her and partly because he liked her company.

Romeo quirked his eyebrow again, a lopsided smile growing on his face. He peered at Zoe from under his thick hair, which had fallen a little during the fight and which he hadn’t bother to push back yet. “You’re so not used to bein’ waited on. Look, even if you don’t need somethin’ I’m gonna get you it.”[/color] He warned her, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. His smile faded though at her next sentence and he moved his fingers to her chin, gently forcing her into meeting his eyes again. “Don’t think about it, love. I was there and it’s over now, the guy nearly wet himself.”[/color] Hopefully he’d think twice before trying that again and hopefully, the rage in Romeo’s eyes would be embedded into his brain every time he even considered hitting anyone ever again.

He chuckled a little. Compared to half of the people they knew, Ellie and Romeo spoke an entirely different language. Zoe was lucky to have picked up on a few of the terms that they used frequently, at least that way she might be able to just about keep up with the high speed conversations Romeo was used to. However, with Ellie, they also used terms that made no sense to anyone who was listening in. A lot of the dialect sounded in no way relatable to what they were actually saying, but the Jervis siblings understood it as clear as crystal.

He knew that he probably couldn’t stop Zoe from reliving this evening in her mind, but hopefully, he could make it more pleasant, now that she was at his apartment for the night. He didn’t know what he would do, but maybe a movie or some of their normal banter could help to overwrite the darkness of this evening. “Well, I know one way to start.”[/color] His voice had a hint of sadness in it. He didn’t like seeing Zoe this meek, even if he did occasionally joke about it. Slowly, he leaned forward, his arms enveloping her body in a warm hug, one that, hopefully, would clear the thoughts from her mind for a moment and allow her to see just how safe she was here.
And, it was an excuse for Romeo to hold her again.

Romeo wiped the fresh blood from his lip with the back of his bandaged hand. It wasn’t as much as earlier and hopefully it’d stop in a few seconds. It was his own fault for forgetting the huge balloon of a bottom lip that he currently had and thinking it wise to bite down on it! He tried to lick it away before he spoke to Zoe again; he didn’t think it romantic to spray her with his own blood. “You’re jumpy by nature anyway, love. I just want you to know that you’re safe.”[/color] The sound of the door slamming made him wince a little, but he sighed, letting the annoyance flow from his body with it. He smiled up at Zoe once more, careful with his lip this time before he spoke again, his voice delicate once more. “You wanna go and grab your things?”[/color] His car keys would be laying around somewhere…


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• • •

TAGGED! Romeo's little country mouse
WORDS! 1496
OUTFIT! This Little Number
LYRICS! Lonesome Swan - - - Glasvegas
NOTES! <3