June 30th, 1892 — Dory's Home, Bartonburg

The flight back to his place was quick - there wasn't any fun to be had, and so she could feel Dory's urgency as he took both of them back. With no need to see any sort of sights, Mabel continued to stay tucked into his chest as they flew. Before, the wind felt positively wonderful whipping around and through her hair, but now it was the exact opposite. She stayed as compact as she could, as still as she could until they were back in the garden almost where they had begun. Her robes discarded on the ground showed signs of having laid there for only a short while, and Mabel wondered how long they'd been gone.

Long enough for the night air to turn to a biting cold. Mabel shivered as she bent down to pick up her robes from the garden floor and slowly made her way inside. She knew Dory was close behind her. She didn't feel the need to turn to see if he was following. All she wanted was to get inside and in front of the fireplace. A quick glance around them told her that everyone had turned in for the night - the only signs of life were the sounds of nature during the night; bugs, birds, and somewhere in the distance she heard a wolf howl.

Upon second thought, knowing they were alone, Mabel turned to face Dory, hoping to tuck herself under his arm again. Walking forward was becoming a task she wasn't sure she could accomplish; her legs felt like jelly and she could almost feel her knees begging to buckle.

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loveliness by mj <3

Dory had all but held his breath the entire flight back to his garden, both out of panic and to reassure himself that Maple was still breathing. He had already resolved to taking her to the hospital should her condition worsen. However, seeing as Maple was strong enough to walk and bend to retrieve her discarded robes Dory had hoped she simply needed rest.

It wasn't just rest she needed.

Maple made it all of five steps before Diry could sense something was truly wrong and picked her up with ease. "Can you tell me what to do?" He asked as he continued on towards the door. They both required dry clothes at the very least and maybe the fireplace? Alcohol wasn't recommended at this point, was it? "Do I need to bring you to the hospital?"

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Not for the first time that night, Mabel thanked God that Dory seemed to be able to read her enough that he had her in his arms with ease. Clutching her robes to her chest as if it were the only source of heat, Mabel shut her eyes tight as they crossed the threshold into his flat. Dizziness was beginning to take over, and she only wanted to tuck herself into Dory even further until it stopped.

The urgency in his voice reminded her there were things to be done; Mabel wouldn't stay like this if she were treating herself as a patient. So she steeled herself on the oncoming wave of nausea before raising a hand and pointing towards the door. She'd forgotten in her exhaustion at the end of the day that she'd dropped her healer's kit near the threshold they just stepped over. "I'll be alright," She said, her voice still hoarse as she shifted in his arms to drop her feet to the floor. "I just need my bag."

She didn't wish to leave a watermark on his couch, so she took care to put some distance between her and it before moving to the fireplace and lighting a fire with her wand.

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loveliness by mj <3

It was with extreme reluctance that Dory allowed hsr to stand once more. Their clothes were both soaked through though and she clearly had a plan to keep herself from dying. He brought her her bag and wandlessly summoned the couch so that she could sit nearer the fire.

"I'll be right back." She would be okay for the minute it took to change his clothes and bring her a set of clean pajamas. The pants would likely be far too big and in his frenzied state Dory didn't think he could magically alter them, but they had to be better than her drenched skirts. Now that he was thinking of it she would likely prefer a towel as well. Merlin, how had tonight fallen apart so quickly?

He changed quickly, nearly tripping over his trousers in the process and abandoned his clothes into a wet heap in the corner. The pajamas for her were easy enough to come across, but a towel wasn't. Bloody hell, surely he had a clean towel to offer her somewhere?!

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As the couch scooted closer, Mabel obliged, collapsing into the plush cushions with relief. With her bag at her feet and Dory leaving the room (presumably to change), she didn't have far to reach to open her bag. Riffling through the contents, she found a small glass phial labelled "Pepper Up". Unstoppering it, she took a small sip. There wasn't need for the full potion, and she wanted to save the majority of the dose in case she needed some before she could restock at the hospital.

The potion did the trick and Mabel gave another sigh as she started to feel warmth again in her extremities. The effects of the potion were vastly different from the buzz the alcohol gave her. She felt lighter, more clear-minded, and her throat felt as if she'd coated it in honey. Standing up cautiously, Mabel gingerly walked to the fireplace once more. It was a shorter distance given the couch's proximity, but she didn't feel dizzy anymore, and she could draw breath without feeling as if someone were pricking her lungs with a needle.

This was a good sign. "Dory?" She called, wanting to assure him she was much better with that one potion. Raising her head to look around, she had expected to see him return. Perhaps he was having trouble finding what he needed? There was only a rattling sound that responded. It sounded as if he were rummaging through something. If he was going to be a while, perhaps this was the moment she wanted to seize before he returned. turning to her wet clothes, Mabel reached for the buttons on the back of her torn skirt.

It dropped with ease, and she stepped out of it, her socks squishing uncomfortably in her shoes. They would have been the next items of clothing to go, however she would need to do those last - her corset prevented her from bending over. Quickly working the buttons on her blouse, Mabel untucked it from the waistband of her petticoats. She was halfway through peeling her blouse off her still-wet arms when she heard a noise behind her. Looking up, her heart dropped to her stomach again as her gaze met the warm, brown gaze of —

"Dor - avert your eyes!" She squealed, instinctively throwing the nearest thing she had in her hands at Dory - her blouse - and diving for cover behind the couch's arm.

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loveliness by mj <3

Naturally, his last clean towel had to be shoved into the back of his closet behind random other linens. He tried not to panic about her wellbeing in the few extra minutes it took to return to her, but she'd been so pale. So near death that he couldn't quite shake the thought of something happening while he wasn't there to help her. It was like that night in April all over again, that helplessness and fury (only this time it was directed at himself) that threatened to consume him.

"I brought you som-" Dory began to say before he caught sight of Maple. No longer was she the weak and limp woman he'd carried inside. No, now she had miraculously recovered and was removing her clothes. Obviously, Maple was undressing because her skirts were soaked and cold, and obviously Dory ought to have behaved like a gentleman and dropped the clothes on the spot.

But, he couldn't. Not this time. Not after watching her nearly drown.

Dory ducked out of the way of her soaked shirt and continued to offer her the pajamas and towel with an outstretched hand. Where his gaze was roaming her body only seconds ago it was now firmly on her face. "I brought you some dry clothes. Would you - do you - I can help with your laces, if you need."

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Dear Lord this was not happening. How in God's name was a man of his stature so quiet? She hadn't even heard him come in! There was the possibility that the involuntary dunk she'd taken in the lake had damaged her hearing, but it couldn't have been that bad. Her cheeks thoroughly flushed, Mabel peeked over the arm of the couch, only daring to show her nose to her forehead as she looked at him. She should have hid, but there was a part of her that had been...curious to see his reaction. Would she see shock on his face? No, it was Dory - he hadn't fully disclosed the details of his life, but she was certain that Dory wasn't seeing anything he hadn't already seen before.

But then he was offering to help her out of them. What in the world had struck him to make him offer such a service?!

She was about to rise to her feet with indignation when she remembered the blasted reason why she was hiding behind the couch in the first place. The fact that she had just been lamenting she was physically unable to get her shoes off also came to her in another realization, and her lips flattened into a frustrated line as she stared at Dory.

Shoes or corset, shoes or corset, shoes or blasted corset.

Mabel tried to buy some thinking time (and modesty) by summoning her cloak so she could at least be decent by the time she reached her decision, however her wand had been discarded along with her blouse in her haste to protect whatever sliver of her dignity that remained. The flush only crept further down her neck from her cheeks as she resolved herself to merely crossing her arms over her chest as she stood up. "I'd much rather have your help with my shoes...if you please." Why on earth she was asking if he minded helping her take off her shoes was beyond her. But her shoes were better than her corset...weren't they?

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loveliness by mj <3

Briefly, Dory considered telling Maple she needn't hide as he'd encountered women in far fewer layers than she. A corset, while improper to nearly all of society, still hid her body enough that all he would see was some cleavage. That said, Maple was a honest, proper sort, and they were just friends, so it was natural to her that this was some grave injustice.

Biting back a short chuckle, Dory nodded his assent. That her arms only enhanced her breasts was mildly distracting, but he was an honest man. Honest men didn't take liberties against women, as that was the most despicable act a man could do.

"Sure, yeah. Least I can do after tonight." Dory commented before discarding the folded pile on a nearby table and kneeling before her. Her shoes were easy enough to unlace and slide off. "Do you need help with anything else? I won't- I wouldn't do anything to upset or hurt you."

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He'd agreed. Of course he had agreed, why wouldn't he have? He was merely helping her with a simple task. That was all that was running through Mabel's mind as she stepped forward and watch him kneel in front of her to start on her request. Though she could only feel his touch through the leather of her shoes, she couldn't help but feel something else start to buzz in the air. Chalking it up to her nervousness over this highly improper situation, she quickly lifted her feet out of the shoes. With her socks being so wet, they slid clean off as well, and hung limply over the sides of the shoes. Once she had her wand back in hand, she would place them near the fireplace.

If possible, she felt even more vulnerable, and she wiggled her toes, shuffling her feet closer together as if that would make her smaller and less discernible. Standing there with him near was as if someone had taken a quarter of the oxygen out of the room, and Mabel found it hard to draw breath. It did occur to her that removing her corset would be a resolution to such an issue. And though she was capable of taking her corset off under normal circumstances, the potion had only done so much in it's results. She no longer felt weak and dizzy, but the cold air that still hung in the apartment still made her fingers feel brittle and stiff. Tugging at strings and metal hooks would not go over well. Good God. If her brother walked in on the both of them now, there would be no place for Dory to hide.

But Algae wasn't here at the moment. It was just her and Dory. And Dory was among the few people in her life that she would trust. He'd just pulled her from the Black Lake and flown her back here. That had to be proof enough that he wouldn't think of taking advantage. "Alright." She relented, her voice small as she accepted his help once again. "Careful, I was in a hurry this morning and tied the knot a bit tight."

She was referring to the laces on her corset, of course, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to form the request Dory, if you would please help me out of my corset, I should be ever so grateful. Swallowing any urge to dart out of the room, Mabel turned so her back was to him. Her hand came up and gathered her hair, tangled and still waterlogged, and pulled it to the side so he could see properly.

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loveliness by mj <3

It was just a corset, Dory dutifully reminded himself as he rose off his knees (taking great care to implement some kind of space between them) and stood behind her. That his body was already beginning to betray him (again!) was something he was determined to ignore. There would be a time later when he could find release, but now wasn't that time.

The tension in the air was unmistakable, though, and Dory found himself clearing his throat twice to help rid himself of the newly formed lump. He picked up the laces with mildly unsteady hands. Merlin knew he'd unlaced a woman countless times but this was different. New. Exciting. Cautiously, Dory wordlessly began untying the knot and unlacing her corset. When he reached the last loops, Dory cleared his throat once more and took a small step back.

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beautiful set by lady

She had had help unlacing her corset before, but they were all aided by female friends, and none were as...intimate as this felt. How many times had she unlaced her own corset? And yet with Dory doing it, Mabel was acutely aware of where his fingers were. She could feel the pressure and release on her back as the laces were pulled and loosened. Even with the pressure around her waistline lessening, she still felt an unnatural tightness in her chest that didn't recede even as Dory stepped back to let her do the rest. The only sounds she could here in the room were his breathing and the sound of the fire crackling merrily in the floo.

Taking her cue, Mabel began to unhook the hooks on the busk, and immediately had trouble with the first hook on the top. Dear lord, no. Another wave of dread crashed through her as she realized this had been one of her newer corsets. It hadn't been broken in as much, and the hooks were still sticking. Dory had loosened the laces enough to allow her ribs to expand again, but not enough for them to ease over her hips. Good God, she would have to turn around and have him undo the front.

Arms still crossed over her chest, Mabel turned slowly, her cheeks inflamed as she refused to meet his eyes. "The hooks are stuck." She declared in a mortified whisper.

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loveliness by mj <3

He ought to have excused himself then, provided her with the privacy she desired. He might have suggested she change in his room, too, that way he could prepare the sofa to sleep on and clean up and residual mess. Only, Dory couldn't leave her. He'd given her space so that he was no longer inappropriately close and had averted his gaze to stare at the fireplace instead of the small of her back, but he couldn't take the final step of preserving her dignity.

Dory felt accutely aware of her movements, every little sigh or huff had him anxious to step in and help again. Not because he hoped more would come of this tonight, but it'd been his fault that she fell off the broom. It was his fault that she had nearly drowned and died as a result. Even if his body was continuing to betray him by the second he was remained dedicated to simply providing her a safe harbor. Doing so was the very least he could do.

Maple turned to face him and Dory felt his cheeks flush. He'd unlaced hundreds of corsets in his time and never once had it affected him like this. Never once had his palms turned clammy and his cheeks flame red at the very thought of his hands so near her chest. "Okay." He agreed without being asked, closing the distance between them once again so that he could help her. Had he always towered over her like this? Or was it some weird side effect of having saved her life tonight?

"Maple, I need you move your hands." Dory murmured as he attempted to begin to work only to be impeded by where her arms blocked her chest.

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I need you to move your hands. Of course that was the case - he needed her to remove what was currently impeding his ability to help her with what she had asked of him. And yet her breath hitched in her throat and she found herself frozen as she met his eyes: tender, warm and brown like honey. She could see the reflection of the fire flickering in his eyes. Or...was that something else?

Wordlessly, feeling pinned down by his gaze, she moved her hands from her chest and held them slightly aloft to allow the corset to shift as he reached out; but not before one of her hands brushed against his skin. She jumped slightly, and quickly averted her gaze. Her breath felt short in her chest, and she wondered when the room had started to feel so stuffy. He had moved closer, but despite his height she didn't feel as if he were intruding. No, certainly not intruding. Did she want him to be nearer, was that it?

Mabel looked back up at him, searching his expression for some sort of sign. Sign of what, she hadn't the faintest idea. But she wanted to see something there.

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loveliness by mj <3

Flames fanned out under his skin where their hands brushed. Somehow in the course of the last hour he'd grown into a teenager once again. Gone was the suave man who always felt assured around women and in his stead was a nearly trembling, awe-struck boy. Still, Dory had to maintain a sense of composure. After all, Maple was the vulnerable one here, Dory couldn't leave her in her sopping wet clothes to fend for herself.

He released the first few hooks with relative ease and did his best to focus on the remaining ones as opposed to how her breasts moved with each breath. However, the sixth one proved to be a challenge, causing him to bite the inside of his lip as his hands brushed heavier against her. "Sorry," he murmured, as if afraid speaking at full volume might somehow upset the delicate balance they'd established.

Again, Dory squeezed the sixth clasp together and breathed a slight sigh of relief when it finally came undone. "I didn't hurt you at all, did I?"

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beautiful set by lady

As he focused on the hooks, Mabel nibbled her lip nervously, trying to minimize her breathing that had become - if possible - even shorter. She swallowed, doing everything in her power to resist thinking about how close Dory was to her chest. Dizziness was threatening to take over, and her hands shook slightly; this was the closest any man had gotten to her and it happened to be one of her closest friends. Friends. Right. Nothing more. It was likely Dory wouldn't see much in her anyways - he'd likely been with women far more beautiful and alluring than Mabel.

Pulling that thought out of the millions of others that were swirling around in her mind, Mabel hung onto it like a lifeline. Yes, there was no way that Dory would feel anything more for her. The buzzing she felt in the air was likely residual from the dunk in the Black Lake. She begged her brain to latch onto any logical thought she could muster, but it seemed to have been stored away someplace she wasn't able to find it.

In the midst of her internal struggle, Mabel had completely missed his question, and stared at him blankly, blinking in confusion. When the comprehension finally came to her, she shook her head vigorously. "No!" She exclaimed, completely forgetting she was standing in front of him in a thin chemise. "You - you didn't hurt me at all." As a shiver drew her spine upwards, she realized just exactly how vulnerable she was, and drew her arms across her chest again. "I'm - I'm sorry, I'll go change..."

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loveliness by mj <3

The last hook's release saw Dory carefully removing the corset from her and placing it on the table besides them. Ladies' garments were insanely expensive, were they not? He'd hate to further ruin her day by damaging what looked to be a beautiful corset. (More importantly, damaging it might have meant never seeing it again — not that he thought he would, of course.)

Without a continued cause to remain so near her, Dory took a respectable step back and drew his eyes back up to her face. The fireplace couldn't have warmed the flat up to this degree, not when he barely kept it stocked in the summer months. No, it was his growing attraction to her and the events of the night that had his blood so hot. It was the look on her face when she finally spoke.

Any other night, Dory wouldn't have hesitated to close the distance between them and kiss her. Any other night, she would have already been carried into his bedroom without another word. But, Maple had cried when she entered his flat earlier and had nearly died. Dory must certainly couldn't destroy their friendship by taking advantage of her vulnerability. "Right - yeah." He agreed with a nervous shake of his head. "Of course. Yeah, you can change in my bedroom. I'll uh - I'll be here."

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