A Day In The Life of Stephanie (Marcelo)

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie hadn't slept the last night, having spent the whole night finishing up both her papers for school and a policy draft for Shaw Industries, both of which had to be finished and sent off to the appropriate recipients by 8:30 am that morning. Stifling a yawn (it'd been three solid days without sleep and she was starting to feel tired), Stephanie went off to classes, picking up some fast food for breakfast along the way. Classes ran from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, including one of the many surprise tests that she was fond of giving. The one half-hour stretch she had consisted of delicately balancing shoving the nearest food at hand into her face and engaging in a frantic phone call with Shaw Industries personnel about yet another crisis.

She was also very nearly caught texting in class. But intead of sexting her boyfriend like half of the other students, she was arranging for food deliveries to the shelter.

Immediately after class was finished, she had to rush over to Bistro Provencal to run a job interview for a sous chef there and shortly thereafter, to La Navarra to have a dinner meeting with city officials regarding her plans for expanding the facilities of the 8th street shelter. Soon after that, she was at Shaw Industries, filing paperwork and making sure that nothing else hideously corrupt or evil had in fact transpired that day. Tuesdays and Thursdays were better days for the Shaw Industries work- she only had morning classes on those days and could put more effort into her primary business holdings.

Shaw Industries work more or less done by 3 am, at which time she finally got home, having to find the list of 24-hour food delivery places because she was desperately underfed. By the time she'd eaten, she realized that she had to be up and about for another day in only four more hours and that there'd be no immediate respite until the next weekend.

Marcelo wasn't home- probably on patrol. And Sancho for his part seemed almost hesitant to come near her, as if frightened she was simply going to disappear again.

There was a desperately sad little meow from her furry baby.

That was when Stephanie broke and began sobbing into the substandard Thai food she'd ordered.

I can't do this anymore. I can't. I don't know how I'm going to do this.

Comments

[pyroprincess]

"Don't say that." Stephanie pleaded with him. "Please. Please don't." She let out a sob.

She knew that if she lost him that she may very well live for a very, very long time without him. But it would be a miserable existence and there was a very real risk of losing her moral center. For so long, he had been that lodestar for her.

[vesper_verde]

He shook his head slightly. He was not great at lying to her. Though he was great at not telling her things. Like that.

He probably shouldn't have told her. Adding a burden to her shoulders at that very point was stupid.

"I should..." He slid off the bed and then he stopped. He just stood there dumbly beside the bed. He had no idea what he should do. Everything he was doing made Stephanie feel worse.

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie slipped off the bed herself and went over to him, wrapping her arms around him and bringing him close, feeling the unnatural heat of his injuries, but also the warmth of his body, the beat of his heart.

Marriage had never promised that it was going to be easy and their lives would make it so much harder. And being angry would be so easy. But was it right? She rested her head against his back.

"Para bien o para mal ... para tener y mantener"

[vesper_verde]

He stiffened a bit. He hadn't expected her to touch him. Even if it was something he had been craving for months.

Marcelo tentatively placed a hand on one of her arms encircling him. He swallowed a bit.

"I'm still here."

[pyroprincess]

"You are. Maybe I worry too much about the future." Stephanie held him tighter. "I love you. I need you, you're my life."

She leaned against him, probably getting part of his pajama top wet with her tears.

"We need each other."

[vesper_verde]

He swiped at the wet tracks on his cheeks with his free hand. His wife was there. Those should have been tears of joy. So, he tried to muster his reserves to pull together.

"I love you, too. And you're leaning against a ticklish spot..."

Which was a nice change from the burning pain, all things considered.

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie's hands slipped a little lower and tickled at that particular sensitive spot.

"I know." Her own eyes were still wet, but she let out a tiny little laugh and tickled him again.

After all, she knew his body just about as well as he himself did.

[vesper_verde]

"Gah!" He jerked in her arms when she purposefully tickled him. He bit his lower lip to keep from giggling, but it came out as muffled snigger when she tickled him again.

"Oh, now I'm trapped. Good thing the tickler is a drop, dead gorgeous woman."

[pyroprincess]

"Rawr." Stephanie replied. "You're trapped." She hugged him just a little tighter. Not too much that it would hurt, particularly with his bruises, but if he tried to break out, he'd find it difficult. "All mine."

She slid around so she was in front of him and pulled him down for a long kiss.

[vesper_verde]

He took a deep breath in that tight hug. Things might get back to normal. Which was better than they had been. He wanted that so very badly.

"All yours," he agreed. When she shifted around, he moved his arms so she could do so without letting him go.

Whatever intentions she started that kiss out with, he couldn't say. Because his own portion of it became desperately hungry. He had missed her so much and he swore he had almost ruined it a few minutes ago.