Lady Midnight

Cracks In The Glass #2

"JULES!" Emma couldn't believe what he was doing, to himself and to her. She ran over to him, eventually he looked up still squeezing a dull, grey blade between his fingers. she realised suddenly that he was muttering low and indistinct although she could only pick up several random words like "Tyberious" and "Failure" and "Emma"
"Julian! What are you doing!!" She ran over her hands flapping around the hand clutching the dagger trying in vein to pry his hands open to make the pain stop, to make his pain stop
"Jules, Jules please! Jules?!" She knelt in front of him still trying to stop him from hurting himself. As she peered up into his face she saw. his eyes, his eyes that she had seen hold many different expressions- joy, protectiveness,fear- were dark, like the ocean during a hurricane. Her hands still served around his fist trying to find a weak point in his fist...there was nothing, no recognition, no response from Jules.
"Julian!" She tried again and felt the sting of tears. if Julian was broken then the whole world was broken and nothing would ever be right again. then a spark, a flame in the dark, his eyes focused suddenly and he seemed to recognise her and for a second he looked shocked as if she had just materialised in front of him
"Jules, your hands, it-- it hurts" it wasn't the pain anymore though. in fact she had gotten used to it an it became a dull throb unable to cut through the horror that was this moment.
Julian's hand shot open and he jumped back as if he had been burned, the blade clattering to the ground. he was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling quickly under his shirt. she grabbed his hand-there was a long, deep cut through it and even seeing it made her feel sick- and ripped a strip of fabric from his shirt tying it carefully around his palm
"Jules what- why-" but she couldn't finish her sentence she couldn't even begin to comprehend why or what
"I- I don't know what came over me" he was shaking. Emma had ne'er seen him shake, ever. but his hands that were always so steady and precise were quivering sharply. so she didn't ask questions, she didn't even speak just gently, pulled his arm toward her and drew on it with her finger tips. it was nothing just a mess of lines and shapes and curves making up an unending, continuous line all the way up his arm to his shoulder, her finger tips brushing over the thin layer of arm hair, some glued to his tanned skin by splats of paint-blue, green, white- all dry and chipping.she continued tracing the swirls and loops all the way up his neck to his face, his eyes fluttering closed as she traced his cheek bones and then over his lips. she hadn't even noticed the silence until Jules said
"Emma?"
"Yea?"
"I'm-" he stuttered "I'm--sorry I just-I couldn't- I'm so sorry for hurting you and-"
"No more sorrys" she placed a finger on his lips.he started trying to speak but she surged forward meeting his partial words with a kiss.