closed;

[negativegate]

When; Nov. 1st and Nov. 5th
Rating; PG-13-ish with death and violence.
Characters; Rita (negativegate) and Tyr (blackshadow)
Summary; Rita and Tyr losing their heads. One of these is literal.
Log;

Once the influence of the Halloween curse ended and they were both back to normal, Rita...well, she felt pretty awkward. She'd had no idea the costume she'd worn was some vampire from Tyr's world, and there she'd gone and bitten his neck. Thinking about the fact that she actually drank his blood--it grossed her out. But at least she hadn't hurt him.

But it was exactly that which also struck her as a little weird. Tyr didn't usually like having his neck touched all that much, so it could've been the influence of the curse...

In any case, here it is in the morning, and Rita's still in costume at the house because she hasn't been bothered to change. She should probably apologize to Tyr if he's awake and see how he is.

Comments

[negativegate]

That makes her eyes open again, but otherwise, she remains a little relaxed, even staring down at the reddish water. "Thanks... I love you, too..." Even if something like this is happening, it can't change how she feels about him. He means so much to her.

[blackshadow]

She means everything to him, too. Even if she makes him unhappy when she pries at his memories, he loves her. And he'd love her whether he had his entire family or not... She's irreplaceable.

So hearing her say that she loves him makes him smile a little.

"Turn around so you can dip your hair in the water. I don't have anything to pour it onto you with..."

[negativegate]

She just wants him to be all right--nothing tampering with his mind, making him pass out, or putting him in danger. Her Tyr...

"Oh--yeah." She shifts around and lies back, dunking her hair into the water. Her clothing and hair had the worst stains, so the water starts to take on a deeper reddish hue.

[blackshadow]

It's a good thing she's leaning back or she'd see all that blood and his horrified grimace. His heart feels like it's in a vice and he only wonders if she had another injury there...

Still, after a beat, he leans over her and starts combing her hair back with his hands. He doesn't say anything as he does...

[negativegate]

Her eyes are closed, too, so she doesn't see his reaction, but she gives a little sigh as he combs through her hair. It feels a bit soothing...and she hadn't really thought earlier about how matted her hair was with the dried blood. It feels--well, a little better to get all of it out.

[blackshadow]

It's soothing to him, too, to feel her hair. It's so soft still by her hairline, then rougher at the ends where the blood gathered. He focuses on just the softness of her hair as the water turns darker.

He can't stand how she looks like this, though.

"Hey...Open your eyes," he tells her softly, delicately.

[negativegate]

Curious, her eyes open again and she looks up at him. "Tyr?" Her chest still rises and falls slightly; even if she doesn't have to breathe, not doing it would take conscious thought. And even then...she might keep breathing, anyway.

Mostly, she's thinking that she's worried about how Tyr feels with all of this.

[blackshadow]

He can't help but worry when he sees blood swirling in the water when he touches her hair, though. He knows she's alive, but it's hard to ignore how she looks and feels, too.

But when she opens her eyes, he gets rid of that sad look and gives her a little smile. "I didn't want you to fall asleep..." he lies.

[negativegate]

He's a total liar. Even Rita can tell that's not why he asked her to open her eyes, and she thinks she might have an idea what the real reason is. But instead of pointing that out, she gives him a soft reply, keeping her eyes open like he asked. "Don't want to miss your turn to clean up?"

[blackshadow]

"Exactly," he continues. Deep inside, he knows Rita didn't fall for it, but he doesn't want to say anything. He wants things to be normal again...

His fingers keep combing through her hair even after all the knots of blood are gone. "Besides, you'd get pruny if you were in too long..."

[negativegate]

"Then I'd just stay out for a while to make it go away, of course." It's not quite normal yet... Bantering with him is still fun, but right now, it's mostly a distraction from everything else. Eventually, things will get back to normal, she thinks...

When he keeps touching her hair like that, she almost forgets to keep her eyes open and they drift half-closed again. It feels too nice.

[blackshadow]

"So you'll wash my hair and then climb back in?" It is fun to joke around, but it can't be the same. There's always something in his heart that holds him back.

And it still pulls him between being happy and being scared when he sees her eyes start to close again. Maybe they should just change the water now. That would probably make him feel better even if it won't change how her skin is the same lukewarm as the water. He caresses her jaw with the back of his fingers. "I really love your hair..." he confesses quietly.

[negativegate]

"We'd have to keep changing the water," she starts to say, and then trails off at his little confession. It gets her a bit flustered...and it's weird how that makes her feel even more normal. Maybe it's just getting to talk to Tyr that does it...

"Sh...should I grow it...?" She isn't even sure why she's asking that.

[blackshadow]

He doesn't say anything about the water when she mentions her hair. All he does is blink down at her and fan her hair out on the water. For a second, he doesn't even think about the fact the water is dull red with blood.

"Do you want to?" is all he can think to ask. "I like it this way too..."

[negativegate]

Her face flushes (she'll try not to think about how when her heart isn't beating to pump blood) and she glances away. As long as he likes it... "I'll just...see how much of a pain it is," she decides in a mumble. She hadn't really thought much about growing it out before.

[blackshadow]

...She really wants to grow her hair longer, he thinks. For the first time in the past twenty-four hours, he's thinking about something other than death and torture. Did she decide she wanted to because he likes her hair? That though makes him blush, too...

He scratches her scalp as he brushes her hair behind her ear. "Just clip it back if it bothers you..." Without really trying to, he smiles at her.

[negativegate]

He looks cute again--almost normal, if not for the blood on his clothes. "That's what I'd do, or I couldn't do research," she says. A part of her is glad to see him smile again, a smile that's more normal, and she's able to give him a small one in return.

[blackshadow]

"Maybe you can wear my bandana," he jokes as he ruffles her hair a bit. It's easier to smile when she's smiling back at him - it lifts the weight from his chest. She seems totally alive to him now.

[negativegate]

"Hey-" she starts in slight surprise when he ruffles her hair, making a face, then tries to pretend it didn't surprise her after all. Yes. "S-soon I'll just be wearing all your clothes."

[blackshadow]

He pulls back to sitting again and flicks his hands at either side. There's even a note of laughter in his voice. "Not until I wash your hair first. Get up."

[negativegate]

She can't help but feel some affection creep up in her when he sounds even a little happier than before. "I guess I won't stay in here forever," she manages to joke a bit, if softly, as she shoves herself up.

Huh...the water is a lot darker than it was before. She didn't realize how dirty her hair was...

[blackshadow]

It was really dirty... But she looks clean now, even in the dirty water. She looks like new. Cute...

"You need to give me a turn to get pruny too, right?" he jokes back.

[negativegate]

She keeps her eyes off of the water and on him instead, tiny smile still in place. She doesn't feel quite normal, exactly, but more than she did when she woke up. "That's right... So you'd better hurry if you want your turn." And she scoots around again so he can wash her hair more easily.

[blackshadow]

He really wants to hug her when he sees that smile. Her eyes look so bright, too... His Rita... He resists the urge to wrap his arms around her and instead just reaches over to take hold of the shampoo.

"All right, all right. Lean your head back for me a little," he tells her. A little shampoo in his hands and he'll get started.

[negativegate]

She sits against the side of the tub and leans back a little for him. "Good enough?" He's so sweet... It's weird to think that he was so angry yesterday when she tried to convince him his memories were wrong, but she knows all of those people were so important to him...

It makes her feel bad for him. And worry about him. But they'll go to the hospital tomorrow and see if they can find out anything.