Rocky’s drifting towards sleep or unconsciousness with remarkable momentum, but when the conversation shifts from love to leaving, a cold shot of FEAR rams through his otherwise fogged mind.
“Don’t.” He’s just awake enough to stir (though the pain makes him wish he didn’t) and grab Frank’s wrist. His grip is unsteady, strong hands trembling. “I’m frightened.”
A fairly obvious confession to make, given the circumstances, but he means- he means- if they split up now, Rocky will be defenseless, and Frank will be alone. The servants are still out there, he knows they are, and a rainbow box won’t be enough protection- but perhaps they just might be able to protect one another. It had worked the first time, hadn’t it? But now Rocky is wounded, and Frank no longer has a creature to serve as his first line of defense. If they split up now, they might never reunite.
a gasp is wrenched from the doctor’s lungs when rocky takes hold of him, separated lips relaxing into a tender smile soon after. ‘ oh, baby – i know. i won’t let anyoneHURT you. ’ &&frank nearly REGRETS saying so ; of course he’ll protect rocky, the same way rocky will protect him, but he just isn’t sure how to, or perhaps he’s unsure of what GOOD his protection will do, should they encounter the servants again.
frank has no laser - beam, only rocky & the last shreds of a killer ego.
‘ come here, rocky. IT’S ALRIGHT, everything will be fine. ’ in the CHILL of the lab, frank clings to rocky & lets rocky cling to him, warmer together, safer together. the scientist can’t recall a moment in which he’d felt as CLOSE to another being as he now does, & the feeling is quite BITTERSWEET ; what if this closeness, this safety is taken from him ? the creature deserves more than one perilous DAY of existence. he deserves years & years &years, years of love and of supreme joy. ‘ we’ll be alright, rocky. i love you very much. ’
“Yes, your highness; I do have a sister.” Riff’s voice seems to STRENGTHEN, albeit ever-so-slightly: this was a subject he knew, a subject that was enough to give him strength – solid ground to stand on amongst the Prince’s well-known unpredictability, if you will. However, Riff is knocked off course once more, blinking in surprise at the other’s rather intentional DEROGATORY comment. Was… was he supposed to disagree? Was he allowed to disagree? All he can do is chuckle rather QUIETLY (in shock, honestly, as if he can’t believe his ears) and shake his head. “– she is… quite the opposite, sir, I assure you. You will find that she will be of utmost assistance… regarding our mission.” (Frank’s mother. What a bitch. Was a mental note Riff made, one that he’d made SEVERAL times throughout his career.)
Riff could only hope that no more WORDS about MAGENTA would come from Frank’s mouth in such a way. He was already struggling to find the other to be an AGREEABLE business partner. It would be hard to work with the other on their research of a human’s biological framework if Frank was DEAD because he said too many things Riff didn’t LIKE.
(Oh, Riff. If only you knew what was ahead.)
Knocked off course once more by the other’s sudden burst of anger, Riff finds himself blinking away confusion and turning vaguely to look at the empty space behind him. “I – do believe that it’s being prepared for our… mission, your highness.” He explains, appalled at the other’s sudden IMPATIENCE. “There are many things that must be… taken care of. To make our trip an easy one, you see. It shall all be in readiness soon.”
Was Frank an idiot, or did he really think that Riff hadn’t prepared a ship for this mission that had been in the works for months? He was, in all honesty, beginning to assume the former. His chest inflating and deflating with subtlety and silence, Riff sighed. It was going to be a long trip.
‘ i beg your PARDON, general – i do not anticipate an EASY trip. ’ which, in more than a few ways, is true ; easy is almost always synonymous with lazy, or so the prince maintains, & this grand mission is to be nothing of the sort. why, it is a MISSION, after all, & not a HOLIDAY. ‘ & nor should you, nor should your sister, however HOMELY or however FAIR she truly is : we are to endure hours of TOIL, but with great reward, i assure you. ’ but the young doctor’s assurances are nearly as FLIMSY as the fabrics that clothe him.
the general is WISE, frank decides. his words are careful & nearly cautious, his posture erect … so why, then, does he speak of EASE ?surely, a general of his distinction ( albeit a distinction the prince himself, until now, had been unaware of ) knows that marvelous things aren’t born from EASINESS.
‘ where is SHE, then ? ’ inquires the furter, so far pleased with his gawky companion & therefore eager to lay eyes upon the woman he calls sister, to discover the extent of her pulchritude for himself. the queen, frank recalls, has a NASTY tendency to belittle & make mock of young transylvanian girls ; ENVIOUS, perhaps, of their slight frames, though she’d be publicly whipped before admitting to such a thing. simpering, the furter glances to the general. ‘ i am justGIDDY to meet her. ’
“- love,” Rocky repeats simply, and he’s not sure what he means by it, or what Frank meant by it, or what it means at all. He likes it, though. He could get used to the taste of that word on his tongue.
He takes Frank’s hand warmly, clasping at the contact, but makes no move to go with him. He lays his head on Frank’s shoulder, content to rest where he is- where they are, together.
It’s not that he isn’t afraid- he’s still terrified, even here, even with Frank at his side- but he’s tired, and Frank is the warmth he’d so missed, and the word love lingers like honey on his lips. He curls up a little closer, moving oh-so-gingerly to favor his wounded side. How well they fit together, the two of them, Rocky’s broad solidity over Frank’s corseted curves, like a wall, like a shield. again.
Adrenaline is wearing out; exhaustion shuffles in to take its place. Damp eyes drift towards close; the panicky rhythm of his breathing begins to even out against Frank’s chest. Perhaps rest would do him well…
& suddenly, it’s as if the servants don’t EXIST at all ; frank shuts his eyes, relishes this nearness & the comfort that comes with it. after all rocky’s been put through, & after the scientist had KILLED in cold blood before the creature’s eyes, he still wishes to be close to his maker, still WELCOMES the touch of his hand. it seems impossible that evil & chaos should persist in rocky’s midst ; he emits such a LIGHT, such a gentleness that both enthralls &overwhelms the doctor. ‘ mm – i do love you, rocky. soon, you will understand … soon, i will explain everything. ’
frank can’t, however, ignore how precious THIS is : the warm silence that blankets them, the feeling that, maybe, there isn’t anything to be explained. the doctor sighs ; green eyes, stained with multi - colored powders, BLOODSHOT& still stinging with tears, flutter open. ‘ we must go. well –i must. you must rest, rocky. ’
While the PRINCE is all loose garments and silk curtains and a sort of odd GRACE, Riff is the complete OPPOSITE: the General stands RIGID, back STRAIGHTENED, uniform in order and expression a solid ICE that looked completely unbreakable. This, of course, betrayed the BITTERNESS and the NERVES that plagued him: he was going away from HOME, Transsexual, LAND OF NIGHT, the only place he had ever known. His chest felt tied in complicated KNOTS with worry and anxiety. Magenta, the night before, had assured him that everything would be FINE since they were going together, but still. THE UNKNOWN was laid out before him in the form of this rather BEAUTIFUL man. Riff didn’t like not knowing what to expect: he’d much rather have his cards all gathered up in front of him.
He breathed in rather sharply, and gave an equally sharp nod. It was going to be a long trip.
“– Yes, your highness. I am .. General Riff Raff. It is an honor… a privilege, really… to have been assigned to be beside you on this mission.” He affirms in a monotonous matter, not necessarily trying to hide the fact that those words were almost completely scripted. At the other’s inquiry– WHAT WAS RIFF THE GENERAL OF? WAS HE SERIOUS? – a brow is raised, but he shakes it off so as to not show any disrespect. Riff decides to brush it off, favoring the idea that Frank was only KIDDING. “She… ah.” That was a curveball. The old Queen didn’t like Riff very much, and that was a fact. But how was he supposed to respond? “No, sir, but… she must trust me enough to put you in my care, your highness.” It felt like a mess of words, but it was all Riff had just spoken. Feeling scrambled, he bows his head in APOLOGY.
Yep. It was going to be a long trip. Riff’s dignity already felt nonexistent.
‘ RIFF RAFF. excellent,’ the young furter, STUDYING the man before him, clicks his tongue. ‘ now, we are acquainted. i feel it would be terribly senseless for me to INTRODUCE MYSELF, ahem – mother mentioned you’ve a sister. an UGLY one, she told me. ’ pale, pink lips curve into a WICKEDsneer ; fortunately for the prince, general riff raff is subservient, LOYAL to his superiors. tucking a jet - black curl behind his ear, frank moves along, heels clicking with each swaying stride. ‘ i do hope she’s SWEET like you, ’ he croons poisonously, examining his surroundings : suddenly, they are more interesting than the general.
silently admiring riff raff’s SMALLNESS& hoping for similar behavior from the sister that’d been spoken of, the prince hums a single note before inquiring : ‘ where is the ship ? i was told – PROMISED – that there would be a ship. i don’t imagine we’ll be going much of ANYWHERE without one. ’ he turns on his heel, narrows emerald eyes at the general. ‘ i asked you a question, general. where is it ? have i gone ABSOLUTELY BLIND, or is it true that there is no damned SHIP in sight ?! ’
Wherever you’re comfortable. Rocky climbs into the tank- the metal of the ladder feels somehow distant even in his white-knuckled grasp, but it’s just a few steps. He manages. Inside, he huddles to the floor, leaning against its cold rainbow wall. It had seemed so much warmer here before- or perhaps he’s just going numb now. But no, he feels Frank’s touch on his thigh- so light, now that it’s not weighted down by the hunger Rocky is so used to. He stirs in response, looking up to meet Frank’s eyes still so striking in halos of teary glitter. Things seem less chaotic now, now that he’s here one step away from it all; he lays his hand over Frank’s, hesitancy giving way to desperate affection.
At Frank’s request, he tears away the corset- as well-made as the garment is, the laces give easily to the creature’s tug. Underneath, the skin and flesh seems undamaged, still as flawless as the day he was made (except oh, wait, it still was the day he was made, wasn’t it), but when he runs a shaking hand over his own side, the flare of PAIN almost makes him bite through his tongue. Still, he breathes in, breathes out, and attempts- despite everything- a shaky sort of smile.
“…No blood.” Words are starting to come back more easily, now that he’s in a safer place. “There’s that, at least?” After all, it would be a shame if all the good doctor’s hard work were to be defaced.
the doctor frowns deeply – is the tank the one place rocky feels truly SAFE ? fingertips brush thoughtlessly up & down where they’ve come to rest, upon rocky’s warm, absolutely spotless skin. frank’s heart SWELLS when rocky’s hand is clasped delicately over his own. ‘ oh, rocky, ’ he sighs, perhaps for the thousandth time this evening. ‘ – how i love you. ’ immediately, the doctor examines the patch of skin he IMAGINES will be awfully wounded : except, of course, IT ISN’T.
‘ well, yes. but you’re in such pain. ’ with a glance downward at his little potions, frank huffs. ‘ – we can’t have THAT, can we, baby ? ’ the doctor hums a single note before his eyes fall upon the creation’s once more. ‘ i think – maybe – since there isn’t quite a wound to be dressed, my love, we’ll put you to bed. you ought to rest, anyhow ; you’ll find that, oftentimes, respite is the most EFFECTIVE of all remedies. ’ & with a soft, morose simper, frank holds out his hand once more. ‘ come now. ’
frank will handle the servants, wherever they may be, himself. he needn’t put his creature through any more BARBARITY, he decides ; he needn’t risk rocky obtaining a wound that certainly WOULD bleed.
