It was easy enough to settle in, himself, when Irene already seemed more at ease here than she had out on the street; here she seemed almost like herself again. The harsh black and red on the apron – and a couple of dashes of it on the living room floor, if he squinted – weren’t her usual colour schemes, he considered (somehow he always expected shades of green...); but perhaps she’d taken a break from her usual landscapes, or chosen a more striking sunset this time.
Still, Elias hadn’t been prepared for the hasty flicker of her gaze towards the canvas, a nervous gesture that only made the worry spike again. It gave him an unsettling urge to go look, but he’d promised himself he wouldn’t pry about anything today. He was only here to make her feel better, not worse –
He’d only been looking at the bottles, so the rest of the crate pummelling into him was a surprise. “Merlin!” Elias grappled with it in shock, almost winded by the collision and the bottles rattling in it. One of the bottles still in it had come uncapped in the hurtling, and was foaming up over his hands and soaking into his shirt. Elias was less interested in this than in being able to catch the crate and set it down before it did any more damage, or knocked him out next time if Irene tried again; as he busied himself with that, he commented with a wry laugh: “If I didn’t know better, Irene, I’d think you were trying to kill m—”
He stopped short, horrified by what had just slipped out. Shit. A joke on any other day, maybe, but had he really said that right now, when he’d been trying so hard to be tactful and sensitive, and she was already so upset? He cringed at himself, glancing over at her in grimaced apology and wishing he had said literally anything else.
Still, Elias hadn’t been prepared for the hasty flicker of her gaze towards the canvas, a nervous gesture that only made the worry spike again. It gave him an unsettling urge to go look, but he’d promised himself he wouldn’t pry about anything today. He was only here to make her feel better, not worse –
He’d only been looking at the bottles, so the rest of the crate pummelling into him was a surprise. “Merlin!” Elias grappled with it in shock, almost winded by the collision and the bottles rattling in it. One of the bottles still in it had come uncapped in the hurtling, and was foaming up over his hands and soaking into his shirt. Elias was less interested in this than in being able to catch the crate and set it down before it did any more damage, or knocked him out next time if Irene tried again; as he busied himself with that, he commented with a wry laugh: “If I didn’t know better, Irene, I’d think you were trying to kill m—”
He stopped short, horrified by what had just slipped out. Shit. A joke on any other day, maybe, but had he really said that right now, when he’d been trying so hard to be tactful and sensitive, and she was already so upset? He cringed at himself, glancing over at her in grimaced apology and wishing he had said literally anything else.
look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3