Someone to lean on

[Lovely]

September 9, 2008
12: 30am
Veinna Estate - Aberto & Cordelia's room

After his chat with Armand and the exit of his brother and the pretty girl from the gathering, Aberto had found the rest of the party to be boring. He mingled only slightly, doing just enough to keep up apperances and keep the family happy and the social circle accepting of him. He had a hunch it also made his own wife happy, she didn't need to make excuses for his absence and he'd even spun her in a dance or two.

Now the guests had gone and it was time to unwind, relax, and take of the mask he wore in the public eye. Once again he could just be Aberto, even more so in the privacy of the suite he shared with Cordelia. He growled as he fussed with getting the tie off and the buttons undone that were starting to feel like they were choking him.

"Here, you're going to end up ruining another shirt..." Corey said softly, moving towards her husband to help him undress. She knew from experience that if he had to mess with it long enough he would simply tear them both off and be done with it.

She was still wearing the dress she'd worn to the party, though now her feet were bare and she'd put her jewelry away. As she stood in front of him, she shook her hair back behind her shoulders and smiled up at him. "Thank you for making an appearance. I know parties aren't your favorite thing."

"So? We can buy more shirts.." He muttered under his breath but surrendered to Corey as she reached to help him, rather than fuss with the tie he reached to run his fingers over her arms and down her sides. "I hate parties." He nearly pouted, but looking at Corey he couldn't keep it up for long. "You're welcome, even if it was mandatory." His hands rested at her waist and he let out a sigh of relief that the party was over. "You look beautiful.. you're always beautiful.. it's really not fair."

"Not fair?" She echoed, sliding his tie from around his neck and laying it atop the dresser. "How is it not fair? It's not like you're not totally gorgeous..." She began unbuttoning his shirt, trailing her fingers down his chest as she did so.

"I'm not remotely gorgeous.. I'm dark and twisted and cruel. You are beautiful. Your outside is stunning and inside you're kind and caring. You are far too good for me and most certainly too good to me."

Corey shook her head, sliding her hands down his arms to unbutton his cuffs. "You're good to me to, Berto, you know you are." finished with his shirt, she set that aside as well and slid her arms around him. "Is something wrong? You seem...I don't know, bothered."

His hands slid to bring his arms more fully around her and pull her closer to him, he leaned his head down on her shoulder. "Not bothered.. just thinking. Armand has taken a liking to Hans's daughter Mirabella. I spoke to him tonight, saw the way he was watching her. It's not a passing fancy, I believe he's found 'the one'."

"Armand? Really?" She considered that for a moment, relaxing against her husband. "Mira's a pretty girl, and sweet. I don't know her very well but it could be a good match." She knew, though, that there was more to it than that when it came to this family.

"What do you think? About the match, I mean."

"Yes, I was quite surprised to find out, but there is no denying the way he was watching her. Since finding you, i have secretly hoped for him to find someone who would love him and make him as happy as you have me." Aberto sighed quietly, gently shifting his hand to run small circles over her back. "I believe it is a good match in personality and she is beautiful, she and Mandy would have gorgeous kids. We tested her already, because of Hans working for the family.. you know just in case. Her DNA is as delightful as the rest of her."

"Well then, if they're half as in love as we are, I'm happy for them." She smiled up at him, arching a bit into his touch. "Hm...maybe you could put those magic hands of yours to work on my feet? I feel like I've been standing all day."

[Lovely]

"I only know how he feels about her.. tonight is the first time he's ever really approached her, I have no idea if she feels or will feel the same for him. She's grieving the loss of her long time boyfriend.. it may take her some time before she's ready to consider Mandy as anything more than a kind soul and a shoulder to lean on. I can hope that he eases her pain enough for her to get over her grief more quickly, but it is far too soon to know for sure."

"True...you always were more patient than me." Corey agreed, pulling away a bit and taking Aberto's hands to tug him with her as she backed towards the bed. She didn't necessarily have anything in mind but getting off her feet, since Aberto was caught up enough in his matchmaking plots to have missed her request for a foot rub.

He pulled his hands away from her and let her go back to the bed by herself. "I'll be there in a moment to rub your feet." He spoke quietly with his back to her as he undid the buttons at his cuffs and took off his jacket. He hadn't missed her request, he'd ignored it in the hopes that she would realize this was important to him. It wasn't all that often that he spoke like this or truly opened up, even with her so he was a irritated with her attempts to change the subject rather than share with him like he had wanted to. Armand was the brother that he was closest to and they were nearly inseperable, they shared the lab and spent day after day with each other. This wasn't about matchmaking or plotting or any of his usual tactics, this was purely about wanting to see his brother happy.

Corey frowned slightly as he pulled away from her. What had she said? She'd only wanted to sit, to get off her feet while they talked about this...

"I almost can't believe it." She said, thinking aloud with a half smile as she sat on the edge of the bed to wait for him. "Armand...actually finding a mate. It seems kind of crazy doesn't it?"

He nodded to her comments, already back in his shell and no longer feeling comfortable enough to continue with the open show of himself. He was very sensitive, nearly fragile in his own emotions and insecurities but being a monster tended to traumatize a person. "I guess we'll see." He didn't launch into any big plan or rattle on about DNA or expectations or act in anyway like his normal self when it came to these things. He didn't attempt to put on a show about it like he usually would.

He finished undressing and put on a pair of pajama bottoms, something he rarely did, before going over to his side of the bed and climbing in. He pulled the covers to his waist as he sat up against the pillows and the headboard. "Alright, I'm ready.. give me your feet." He said pleasantly, rolling his shoulders a little and flexing his hands in preperation of the massage he was about to give.

Damn. There he went again, the turtle pulling his head back into his safe little shell. He was forever doing that, but she knew from experience that pushing at him would only make him disappear further.

"You don't have to..." Her protest was half-hearted at best as she leaned against the headboard with one shoulder, shifting her feet onto his lap. She had to smile, though, watching him.

"You take such good care of me, Aberto." For all their disagreements, she knew he loved her, and she loved him more than anything...she just hoped that was enough to make everything else work out.

[Lovely]

"You're my wife." He replied as if it was the most obvious thing and that was simply how it was supposed to be. His warm hands worked over her soles, their heat much higher than a normal person's and acting like a warm wrap to ease the tension and soothe the soreness from her feet. "Would you rather I was cruel?" He asked with a devilish glimmer in his eye as he lifted her foot toward his mouth and acted as if he was going to bite her. "Maybe take a toe or two to start?" He was teasing in his way, not intending to harm her in anyway.

Corey sighed, closing her eyes as his hands did their magic. What was it about getting your feet rubbed that just eased the tension out of the rest of your body? Maybe there was something to that acupressure stuff after all.

"Hmm..." She pretended to consider the idea, slitting one eye open to look at him as he feigned biting her toes. "I don't know...I'm sort of fond of those toes. Maybe just a nibble?"

"A nibble is no fun." He sighed and lowered her foot to continue with the massage, being feral gave him the advantage of more heat in his hands to make it that much better for Corey to recieve. "You know.. I'm sort of fond of these toes too."

"I hope so." She shifted onto her back, stretching luxuriously before sitting up slightly to look at him with one eyebrow raised. "Of course, I seem to remember there are other parts of me you like even more."

"Hmm.. well now that you mention it, I do rather like your eyes.. they're quite stunning." He smiled softly and gazed into those eyes for a moment before his face shifted back to a neutral expression and he gently let go of her feet. "There that should be better." He paused a moment, his eyes distant and his brow crinkled as if he'd just remembered something. Aberto slipped back out of the bed and got a t-shirt from his drawer, pulling it on as he headed for the door. "I'll be back later, there is something I need to check on."

"It is, much better." She curled up, frowning a bit as he slipped out of bed. She knew that look...he had an idea in that busy brain of his, and he wasn't good at letting go of those. "Okay..." She sat up, sliding over to the edge of the bed so that her feet dangled off and reached out a hand. "Can I have a kiss before you go?"

He was at the door when she asked for a kiss and he very nearly went out without giving her one, he was so focused on his task. Aberto stopped, leaving the door ajar and strode back to where she sat on the bed, leaning to kiss her briefly. "Of course you can."

She wished he would stay, but she knew better than to ask. Instead she laid her hand on his cheek for a moment, smiling up at him. "I love you."