Work Text:
Sometimes you forget about your own fragility.
Door knobs are evil creatures, sent to slam into your hip when you forget the boundaries of your body.
Wall corners bruise your arms where you misjudge the distance and smack your forearms off the paneling.
Not to mention the pesky wall sconces that were just the right height to bounce your head off them, or snag your hair as you went by.
Other times your knees would randomly hyperextend, sending you tumbling to the ground and resulting in a limp.
Your girls called you a walking disaster, and before you married their mother, they took great delight in all the goofy ways you wound up bruised and slightly injured.
Now they threatened to wrap you in bubble wrap almost daily, after they got done laughing and making sure you weren’t truly injured.
Their care was adorable, if not a bit stifling. Chaotic games of tag always seemed to calm down when you were involved, and they never offered to wrestle you for the spot as mother’s favorite anymore. Part of you appreciated that they recognized that you couldn’t handle everything you used to, aging was a bitch they didn’t have to worry about. The other part was frustrated that they had to contain themselves, you missed the hilarious roughhousing and the looks on their faces when you would fight dirty.
One night, Dani had impishly challenged you to a race to your usual dining room chair. With a smirk, she volunteered to give you a head start.
You had prepared for this challenge, since last time it took a week before Alcina finally intervened and insisted you return to her side. As soon as Dani said “go,” you took off, leisurely strolling to the nearest supply closet and ducking inside.
When you reached the dining room, Dani was already perched in your chair, smiling innocently at Alcina as you stepped into the room.
“I guess you win Dani,” you said, settling into the chair next to her and relaxing. You watched for her reaction in your periphery while you unfolded your napkin as if nothing was amiss.
Her nose scrunched up and her eyes began to water as she picked up on the scent of the citronella oil you’d doused your shirt in. You watched her swarm begin to agitate, physically unwilling to remain in the room with the pungent, to her, odor.
“What’s wrong firefly?” You grinned, as Dani’s expression changed from horrified, to amused, to grim resignation.
“That’s a dirty trick, mama,” Dani gritted as her swarm moved to the far end of the table, “using my weakness against me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you feigned innocence, “I haven’t done anything?”
“Sure,” Cass drawled, peeking in through the dining room door, “and Bela and I will have no problem coming in to sit down. Love the perfume, you wily bitch.”
“Not fair, mama!” Dani laughed as her swarm had enough and took her from the room.
“Not fair is challenging the human to a race she could never win,” you shot back, “I accepted defeat, just not the consequences.”
“She’s learning,” Dani stage whispered to Cass, all three of your daughters stuck standing outside the room.
“I guess you two are getting a free date night,” Bela finally stopped the younger two mid plotting session, steering them toward the kitchen, “we’ll eat in the kitchen.”
You cheered your victory when you heard them grumbling down the hallway, turning to find Alcina smirking at you.
“You sure know how to clear the room, my darling,” Alcina laughed as she sipped her wine, keeping it held near her nose.
“I had to do something,” you said, shifting into your seat, “you got mad the last time we wrestled for this spot.”
“I didn’t get mad at you, darling,” Alcina frowned, “I was worried. The girls are far stronger and more likely to injure you.”
“They didn’t hurt me though,”
“You had bruises on your wrists that lasted for three weeks. I only just managed to stop Cass from biting your leg.”
You winced, “I mean, I’m pretty sure I bit her leg,” you muttered, “but fair point.”
“I do appreciate your solution this time, beloved,” Alcina smiled, sipping her wine, “though, it is a strong scent.”
“Oh, right,” you stood from the table, glancing at Alcina from the corner of your eye, “do you mind if I change right here?”
“My, my, dinner and a show?” Alcina purred, “be my guest.”
Laughing, you changed into the fresh top you had tucked in a bag and hidden in one of Alcina’s many vases in advance. Alcina sighed in relief when you stuffed the soaked garment in the canvas bag and rolled it shut.
“Well my lady,” you laughed as you sat back down, leaning against Alcina’s arm, “was the show to your standards?”
“Hmmmm,” Alcina leaned over and nosed your hair, “no notes, though I wish it had lasted far longer,” she tilted your chin up for a gentle kiss, purring when she released you as the food was brought in.
“You might need to do this more often,” she murmured as you ate your dinner, “I do enjoy the hint of lemon scent left behind.”
Now it had been raining for a week straight and you were beginning to go stir-crazy. You wanted to do something, anything besides whiling away another day in the library while you waited for Alcina to finish her work, and the girls didn’t have any ideas that wouldn’t result in injury.
Luckily, or unluckily as Alcina put it, a meeting had been called at Donna’s estate, and she had invited you all to join the lords for dinner afterwards. Alcina had left earlier, and you and the girls would be joining them in a few hours.
You figured you would duck out to the stables for a bit, maybe help feed the horses and let your inner horse girl out for a few minutes. Maybe you could help tack them up for the ride to Donna’s. The change of scenery was just what you needed, and the sound of the rain on the roof would be the perfect backdrop for whatever you got into.
Unfortunately, the walk to the stables was not roofed. The driving rain left the ground mud covered and gross, though you were ready with a pair of mud boots Alcina had procured after the first time you tried to dash through the rain and then tracked mud into the castle.
Still, you stood at the doorway and watched for an opportunity to run, waiting for the rain to slack off just a bit. You could hear the buzzing of one of your daughters at a window, the questioning tone of her conversation with her sister almost audible.
The wait was making you impatient, and you decided to just fucking go for it. No matter how long you stood there, the rain wouldn’t let up, and you would be soaked.
A deep breath in, and you began to sprint across the courtyard, your burst of movement drawing a gasp from the observers at the windows.
You stuck to the cobbled pathways, knowing that running through the mud would result in splattering from your heavy footsteps. Darting across the front walk, you had to turn to catch the drive that connected the carriage way to the stable. You cut an angle, figuring you had less chance of slipping and eating shit if you weren’t turning ninety degrees. Unfortunately, you misjudged the landscaping.
Castle Dimitrescu was carefully maintained, and pathways were lined with grass or flowerbeds, ideally to limit the eyesore of the mud pits that were common in the village below. You thought you’d only need one step across a grassy patch, a shortcut you’d taken hundreds of times before. Somehow, in your infinite brilliance, you forgot waterlogged grass can be slicker than mud.
Your left foot shot forward as your right pushed off the cobblestone behind you. It landed and for a split second, there was no issue, until your momentum caused your feet to break traction and leave the ground, slinging mud all over your clothing as you fell backward. You swear your feet went higher than your head as you went down, and if it didn’t hurt, you would have called it cartoonish.
As it was, nothing hurt immediately. Time felt slowed down, in fact, you hadn’t actually landed yet, but the ground was approaching fast. Your body had turned to land shoulder first, and you did, closing your eyes and gritting your teeth as the impact took your breath away and sent a loud wet crack through your shoulder, and a startled cry from your throat.
Rain pelted you as you lay flat on your back, groaning slightly. Something was wrong, your stomach ached in the way it did when you had really injured yourself, but may possibly be in shock.
You sat up, cradling your left arm in your lap. Your shoulder felt weird. Everything was weird. The ground was cold and wet, and you were soaked to the bone. Your brain felt foggy. Trying to move jostled your arm, and it made you want to puke. Someone was grunting and groaning nearby, and the sound felt like steel bristles on your teeth. Why had you come out here? Why didn’t you stay in the nice warm castle with your wife and lovely daughters? Why the hell did you need to run across the lawn and end up in this mess?
“Mama?” Dani appeared in front of you, wrapped in a large blanket to ward off the rain. She stooped to your level, and hissed when she saw the odd angle of your shoulder, “we need to get you inside,” she said, tucking in to your uninjured side, “I’ll help you up, one, two,”
On three she lifted you in a princess carry, showing off her supernatural strength and speed as she smoothly packed you into the house. She shivered when the blanket fell off her shoulders halfway back to the castle, but did not let her grip falter. Soon enough she was stepping back inside the building, nearly colliding with a frantic Bela.
“Dani what the fuck?” Bela threw a blanket over the two of you, and you cried out as the shock was beginning to wear off, and the weight of the blanket sent a stabbing sensation through your shoulder. “It's too cold for you to be out-, mama?” She pulled the blanket back off as soon as she heard your pain.
The fog was fading, leaving a deep ache that was worsening the longer time went on. Dani set you down in front of the fire with a gentleness you’d rarely seen from her.
“What should we do?” she whispered, half to you and half to her sister.
You could see Bela was worried, approaching panic as she took in your pallor and the way you held your arm. She shouldn’t have to deal with this. You should take charge, get someone who could make better decisions. Not for the first time today, you wished Alcina was home.
“Get a maid to get the carriage ready. We are leaving in ten minutes,” you spoke as evenly as you could, “Someone help me into dry clothes.”
“Mama, why don’t we just call Mother?” Bela asked, you could see the worry on her face.
“I don’t want to worry her, not yet,” you answered.
“Mama,” Dani began, kneeling next to you, “mother would want to be here to help you,”
“Maybe we should call a doctor? Or someone to look at your arm?” Bela said, watching you with a grimace.
You sighed, shaking your head. “Either way, a carriage ride is involved, and we’d be interrupting their meeting if we called. This way, I show up as the meeting ends and all the people who your Mother would call are already in one place,” you knew the lords would not care if you interrupted, but years of minimizing the disruption you caused took over. You just wanted Alcina, and you could get to her much quicker than the reverse at this moment. Plus, the girls would be with someone who could comfort them while you and Alcina dealt with your injuries.
With a frustrated grumble, Bela helped you settle into a chair before she left to grab you clothes. By the time she returned, the dull ache was a blazing pain, and you were having to focus not to cry.
Cass came in before Bela returned.
“I heard you ate shit, mama?” She asked, scanning your face and grimacing at your shoulder.
“Yup,” you replied through clenched teeth.
“Damn,” Cass gave a sympathetic grin, “I bet it was hilarious,” she was trying to take your mind off of your shoulder and how it currently refused to work.
“Probably,” you said, “My feet went higher than my head, I’m pretty sure.”
She helped you to your feet as Bela returned, and together they assisted in removing your wet jeans and hoodie, redressing you in your comfy blouse and soft sweatpants. Bela made a sling from a cloth, stabilizing your arm so you didn’t try to move it unintentionally.
The carriage pulled up to the door just as she finished, and the trio helped you climb aboard. Dani leaned against your non injured side, offering comfort through affection, though it seemed like she needed comfort more than you did. Cass settled between your injured side and the door, reaching to hold your hand as you hugged yourself.
This was the first time you’d been seriously injured, and of course their mother wasn’t home. You knew they were looking to you to gauge how freaked out they should be. So, you did your best to stay calm.
Calm was hard to find as the carriage rolled over the bumpy path to Donna’s estate. You closed your eyes and grit your teeth as the wheels rolled over the uneven road, cursing the lack of suspension on the vintage transportation. Each jolt felt like a knife stabbing into your arm, and you squeezed Cass’ fingers so hard you were surprised they didn’t break.
“Almost there, Mama,” Bela was watching out the window, fidgeting in her seat with her need to do something helpful.
You nodded, grateful. Cold sweat was beginning to break out along the back of your neck at your effort to restrain your reactions. Cass said nothing, just pressed her knee against yours, bracing you as the carriage rocked.
An agonizing eternity later, you felt familiar with every pothole and uneven spot on the hidden path to Beneviento manor. The girls hustled you inside, Cass replaced Dani against your good arm and carried you into the sitting room, sitting you on one of the chairs.
From the corner of your eye, you saw dolls skittering from the area, likely running to inform the lords of your arrival.
You needed a moment to yourself, tears were beginning to build despite your best effort to push them back. As much as you wanted to cry, you didn’t want the girls to see you breakdown. Just seeing the worry on their faces every time they glanced at you tore your heart to pieces.
“Could you,” you gritted as you accidentally shifted in the chair, “go find your mother, please?” you asked the girls, sighing when all three solemnly nodded and swarmed away.
Finally, it was silent, save for the crackling logs burning in the hearth. You drew in a couple of shaky breaths, not able to stop the tears that were beginning to track down your cheeks. Whimpers slipped out, unbidden, as you fought back sobs that would likely bring your daughters back to your side.
Your shoulder hurt. With every breath that shifted your arm, a deep ache sent itself through your body. Trying to hold back your tears had set up a tension headache, and now you noticed that you’d bruised your hip when you landed as well.
Just fucking great. You wanted to rage, and hide, and cry. You weren’t sure if you were angry, sad, or just scared. All you could process was the agony in your shoulder. Most of all you wanted Alcina. You craved the smell of her perfume and the soft emotions that came with the memories it brought up. Alcina would be able to fix this. She could help your irrational brain.
The soft click of footsteps drew your attention, and you felt the waterworks turn up to 100 when you saw Alcina duck through the door frame. Just her presence was enough comfort to allow you to relax, and your firm grip on your emotions faded away as she knelt in front of you. Tears ran down your face as she cradled your cheek and hugged you to her chest.
“Oh darling,” Alcina murmured as you slumped against her, sobbing heavily, “where is the pain, my love?”
“I-I,” you whimpered, “I fell, and my-y, my shoulder, something crunched.”
“Let me see,” Alcina gently sat you upright and examined your shoulder, ghosting her fingers over the bone and flinching away when you hissed in pain, “I think it’s your clavicle, draga mea,” she sighed, looking behind herself at the figure who had just entered.
Well, that’s not what you had thought. Why would your shoulder hurt like that if it wasn’t dislocated? Then again, if Alcina was right, and you’d broken your collarbone, you wouldn’t have to deal with the pain of having the joint forcibly relocated. Although, how the fuck is a broken collarbone casted? Would your entire left side be put in a cast?
“Come, Alcina,” Mother Miranda said, nodding at Alcina’s examination, and interrupting your racing thoughts “I have x-ray equipment in my lab. We should make sure we don’t need to surgically set the bone.”
“Of course, Mother Miranda,” Alcina moved to gather you into her arms and you braced yourself, clutching the material of her dress tightly in your hands. Her presence was soothing, and you pressed your face into her neck where she held you. She smelled like the rare lazy mornings spent snuggled tight in her embrace, waking to her covering your face in her gentle kisses until you woke fully and kissed her back. Alcina was home and comfort, you could swear the pain dulled as she held you in her arms..
As carefully as Alcina moved, you still yelped when she lifted you fully upright, instinctually flinching as you left the chair and were pulled against her plush body. She held you close, kissing your temple in apology.
“Your girls can stay here, Alcina,” you heard the quiet, calm voice of Donna interrupt Alcina as she drew in breath to call for her daughters. You felt her nod, and her chest rumbled as she voiced her gratitude while following Miranda out the door.
You tuned out everything, focusing on Alcina to distract you from the pain. The tears were starting to dry up, though you still whimpered as you were jostled. Alcina proved to be a very good shock absorber, though Miranda’s carriage moved faster than the one you took with the girls, you didn’t feel most of the bumps, safely suspended in Alcina’s hold.
She murmured in your hair the entire ride, whispering sweet words of comfort and praise as you fought against the pain. Miranda had told you that she couldn’t give you anything for the pain until they were sure you didn’t need surgery, and you tried not to let the true depth of your discomfort get past Alcina's shoulder. Her scent made your heart calm, and her steady words helped soothe the panic that was rising with each spike of pain.
Miranda’s lab was much closer than the castle, and upon arrival you were swept inside with little aggravation. Alcina’s long strides were barely kept in check as she wanted to get you treated without delay, forcing Mother Miranda to follow behind with a bemused expression.
You drifted as they went through the medical procedures, letting Alcina’s scent and presence keep you from feeling the pain in your shoulder, until Miranda asked you to stand upright and hold a lead apron while she xrayed your shoulder. Alcina set you on your feet, but did not go behind the protective barrier, keeping a hand on your good side as you clutched at her arm. You half expected Miranda to make a comment about being too attached to one another, until you saw the worried pinch of Alcina’s brow.
Alcina’s worry was plain to you, even if she tried to keep her face neutral.
You were back in her embrace as soon as Miranda finished with the machine, and she settled in to wait as the results were developed.
“I’m sorry,” you whispered, “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Darling girl,” Alcina cupped your cheek as you gazed up at her, wiping the remnants of your tears with her thumb, “don’t apologize for that my love. I worry for you when you are perfectly healthy, especially when I am not nearby,” she sighed, kissing your forehead, “even if I know you are perfectly capable.”
She gently placed a kiss on your lips, and you sighed at the feeling of her lips on yours. When she pulled back, you caught a smirk on her face as her brow quirked.
“Besides, you may be capable, but we both know I prefer to be the one in control.” Alcina smirked at you as your cheeks flushed red, remembering full well how much Alcina liked when you submitted to her desires. Your breath hitched and you fought the need to squirm in her hold. This was not the time, nor the place to be overcome with need for your wife. With a salacious grin, she leaned in to whisper, sending shivers down your back as her breath ghosted your ear.
“You do submit so beautifully,” she purred, “don’t you remember?”
You whined at the thought, memories of the sensations only Alcina could cause made you shift in her lap, delicious heat tingling down your spine to your core, overriding the ache in your shoulder for a moment. Your movements only encouraged her, earning her most sultry grin as you gripped her dress tight and your eyes darted between her lips and her gaze.
The discordant emotions heightened your response, the pain contrasting against the deep need growing at the mention of Alcina’s control. Would she really do that here, just to keep your mind off of your shoulder?
Would you tell her no?
Each breath was labored, the air heavy with implication and her presence. Alcina groaned when you licked your lips, but kept just out of your reach. Smirking at you as her eyes shone with mischief.
“Enough please, Alcina,” Miranda said, interrupting the moment as she returned to the room with the prints in hand, “I don’t need you fucking my patient on the lab floor.”
The pain returned as the tension broke. You gasped and hid your face in embarrassment while Alcina laughed. You absolutely were in no state to do anything right now, and for Mother Miranda to have walked in? You did not want your mother in law to know how wanton you could be.
“Why would I use the floor when there is a perfectly good wall right there?” Alcina teased, thoroughly distracting you from your pain by embarrassing the shit out of you.
“Is this payback of some sort? What have I done to deserve such a lewd display?” Miranda asked, before handing Alcina the X-ray and turning to you, her voice softening as she explained.
“No surgical intervention required, unfortunately. It’s a rather clean break. You’ll just have to be careful until it heals.”
You stiffened as you processed the diagnosis, confused.
“What do you mean, unfortunately?” You whispered, already dreading the weeks of discomfort awaiting you. Alcina rubbed circles on your back to help keep you calm.
“All I can offer is some pain control, my dear,” Miranda answered, giving you a sympathetic grimace, “we can fashion a brace to keep your shoulder in place so the clavicle will hopefully heal in the correct position, but my hands are unfortunately tied otherwise.”
“Oh,” you whimpered, both relieved and frustrated that nothing could be done.
“Ready for some relief, little one?” Miranda asked, and you nodded, turning your face into Alcina’s neck again. If you watched Miranda stick you, you would pass out, and that’s the last thing Alcina needs from you right now.
Alcina rubbed your back as you felt the sting of the needle, and she kissed your head as you waited for the medicine to kick in, whispering encouragement and praise.
“Thank you, Mother Miranda,” you said, smiling weakly at the priestess as she busied herself with files at her desk.
“Of course, child,” Miranda waved a hand in your direction, “you are family, and I do hate seeing you suffer.”
You hummed in response, settling into Alcina’s embrace as they began to discuss medication and physical therapy. The pain was dimming, finally, and you were starting to feel floaty. All the anxiousness of the past hour was drifting away, and you felt somewhat silly for worrying about so much.
Something on your face itched. Right about your nose. It felt like one of the girls had landed a bug on your face, but you knew they wouldn’t do that, plus they were at Donna’s. The sensation was annoying you, but you couldn’t find your hand to scratch at it.
Alcina and Miranda were locked in conversation, so they did not see your scrunched face as you tried to wriggle your nose. The feeling persisted, and it was beginning to get annoying.
You knew your hand should be attached to your arm, and you could find your elbow. Lifting your good arm, you tried to aim for the side of your nose, and ripped your palm onto your face. Your hand slapped your cheek, missing your nose and the itch entirely. You didn’t hear Alcina’s confused gasp, instead you focused on dropping your hand closer to the itch this time, to middling success. The brief sting was not overriding the itchy feeling, and it was about to frustrate you.
“Darling,” Alcina caught your hand before you could slap yourself again, “what are you doing?” Alcina asked, incredulous.
“Face itches,” you grunted, “can’t get it,”
“Your face itches, so you are slapping yourself?”
“Cina,” you pleaded, unable to remove the whine in your voice “help please,”
Alcina gently scratched your nose, letting you tilt your head to find the right spot. You didn’t notice the antihistamine shot Miranda gave you, you were too lost in Alcina’s eyes. Alcina cradled your cheek and rubbed gentle circles with her thumb, effectively turning your lighter than air brain into mush.
“I love you,” you mumbled, snuggling into her hand as you succumbed to the pull of sleep. .
When you next woke, you were back in Miranda’s carriage, Alcina had you cradled against her as it moved. You decided you didn’t care what was going on, so you let yourself float back to sleep, carried by the overwhelming comfort and calm Alcina projected just for you.
The sound of Alcina scolding Cassandra brought you out of your slumber once more, and you tried to understand what was happening.
“Those were her exact words, Mother!” Cass said.
“Cassandra, it sounds like you are making fun of your mama, and you know full well I cannot handle that with her in this state.”
“What’s happening?” You muttered, blinking as your vision fuzzed, “Cass, did you tell her I ate shit? Cause Babe, I totally ate shit.”
“See mother?” Cass’ reply was followed by a long suffering sigh, you just grinned as you drifted off again.
At some point, Alcina woke you to help you through your evening routine, even spoon feeding you dinner so you could take the next round of medicine. Although time had long since lost all meaning, Alcina was keeping track. The initial dosage would be wearing off soon, and she didn’t want your pain to spike. You were too floaty to care, falling back to sleep with Alcina carefully holding you against her, carding her fingers through your hair.
Seeing the larger than life countess as she doted on you, with her gentle hands and soft voice, her inhuman strength as she moved you about like a doll- you didn’t know if you could love that woman more than you already did.
Dreaming was strange, bright colors and odd sounds that startled you awake once or twice. Awake, you felt a pressure on your chest, holding you still and forcing you to watch the shadows dance across the ceiling.
You were back in high school, and the teacher was asking a question that you knew the answer to. With all the strength and energy you could muster you flung your arm above your head, snapping awake as the pain from the sudden movement had you arching off the bed with a yelp. You lay there, stunned, your arm still above your head, too afraid to move it back down. The stretch felt okay, and you were somewhat surprised at your body’s decision to move that arm in the first place.
The sound of fast footsteps sounded outside your bedroom door, and soon you caught a glimpse of Alcina ducking into the room.
“Draga?” She asked, moving to sit beside you, “I heard you cry, has the medicine worn off?” You watched Alcina worry over a small jar on the bedside table, checking the clock on the wall and frowning, “I’m afraid it’s too soon for another dose, darling,” she cut herself off, noticing your arm resting above your head, “what happened here?”
“My body has betrayed me,” you whimpered, pouting, “flung my arm in my sleep.”
Alcina shook her head, barely concealing a laugh.
“You can laugh babe,” you said, “I broke my shoulder, and then threw my arm around. It’s very stupid and funny,” you offered a sad grin that quickly turned real when Alcina chuckled.
She leaned down and kissed you softly, humming at the contact.
“I will not laugh at your pain, my love,” she soothed, “though I do have questions about your reasonings,”
“Don’t bring my brain into this,” you quipped, feeling yourself wake up the longer you spoke, “I’m under the influence, and can’t be held responsible for anything I say.”
“Ah, but draga mea,” Alcina grinned, “this is the best time to get answers! Like what possessed you to submit yourself to a carriage ride instead of calling me?”
Her tone was light, but you could see the deep worry and concern in her eyes.
“I didn’t want the girls to freak out anymore than they already were,” you sighed, “Plus I just wanted you.”
“Darling, you are aware that our daughters are all adults and technically older than you, yes?” Alcina deadpanned, her eyebrow quirked, “They can handle waiting with you until I arrived.”
“I disagree,” you shook your head, wincing when it made you nauseous and sent pain through your shoulder, “Dani and Bela looked like wet kittens so I had to hold it together. If I’d started to cry, they would cry, and I would die inside.”
“Oh my sweet love,” Alcina sighed, shaking her head at your foolishness, “those wet kittens are dangerous serial murderers.”
“But they’re our dangerous serial murderers,” you pouted, “our little kitten murderers who shouldn’t have to worry about their mama hurting herself because she ate shit sprinting through the rain.”
“What were you doing outside, darling?”
You sighed dramatically and scooted over until you were nuzzling her thigh.
“I was bored, so I wanted to see the horses,” you mumbled, hoping she wouldn’t hear you.
“You ran through the rain and broke your clavicle,” she said, because of course she heard you, “because you were bored?”
“I told you it was stupid,” you protested, as she lifted your head into her lap and gently eased your arm out of the way.
“Certainly not one of your finer moments, my love,” Alcina chuckled, leaning down to kiss you again. You hummed as your lips connected, giving a goofy grin when she pulled back and stroked your face.
“In all seriousness, darling, our girls are adults. You needn’t put yourself through unnecessary discomfort for their sake,” her brows furrowed and she kissed your forehead, “I do not want you in pain you did not consent to.”
You sighed, “I know love, I just,” you paused, struggling with the fuzz still clouding your brain a bit, “I was the adultiest adult in the room, and I could remember having to help care for the adult and my siblings when I was younger, and I didn’t want to do that to Bela,” Alcina brushed the tears you didn’t realize were in your eyes away, “I just wanted to get to you. If I could get to you, everything would be fine.”
The room was warm, and you were comfortable in Alcina’s lap. Her plush thigh made the perfect pillow.
“I knew I could hold it together until I got to you,” you whispered, “plus, I didn’t want you to have to deal with Angie losing her mind when she heard I ate shit and broke myself.”
Alcina chuckled, helping you sit up and lean against her frame. “She certainly thought it was hilarious.”
“How’d she find out?” You whined, “I chose to deal with the world's bumpiest carriage ride to avoid her teasing!”
“Darling, one of the maids called the estate as you left,” Alcina explained, laughing at your mumbled, fucking traitor “you wouldn’t have made it to the manor otherwise.”
“Ugh,” you sighed, “I’m never going to live this down.”
“Likely not, my love.”