((Contains references to addiction and adult situations.))
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There was something incredibly annoying about a badly timed phone-call. There was the ringtone, which right now was setting Elena's teeth on edge. There was the buzzing of the vibration, sending her cell out of reach over the surface it lay on. And there was, most annoyingly of all, the fact that for the third time today she had been forestalled in getting all the way to fulfilling her own very physical frustrations, groaning in defeat. "I give up," she declared with a decidedly put upon pout, shaking her head as she rose from Michael's lap, reaching out for her phone. "Swear to God, the world had better be ending or ..." The name on the display brought her up short, her face paling for a moment. "Tony?"
Michael groaned. It was his turn to be frustrated this time as they were interrupted by the telephone. He sighed and sank back against the chair, realizing it was her brother on the phone and that she couldn't ignore the call. Whatever was going to happen between them was just going to have to wait. Again. Even fully clothed, his body had reacted to Elena's attention, and it was going to take him a little while to calm down. "You should take that," he told her, knowing how important it was to her. They'd just have to wait a little while to finish what they'd started, if he didn't pass out first.
She sighed, casting an apologetic look to Michael. "I should just give up on the idea of ever having another orgasm, shouldn't I?" she snorted, pressing the button to answer as she smirked teasingly to her frustrated lover. Setting her shirt to rights with one hand, she turned toward the glass doors, looking out at the garden as she spoke. "Hello?"
"I'll make it up to you later," he promised, forcing himself to his feet so he could give her some measure of privacy to talk to her brother.
There was a pause on the other end of the phone before the voice of her brother could be heard loud and clear. "El" It's me. Tony. How, uh....How are you?" the voice asked, sounding clearly awkward and strangely much closer than he really was.
"I'll just, uh..." Michael gestured to the other room with one hand, while he clutched the back of the chair unsteadily with the other.
Elena smiled gratefully as Michael gestured toward leaving the room. "Thanks, baby," she murmured. "Take it slow, okay?" Turning her attention back to the phone, though her eyes stayed on Michael as he moved away, she steeled herself. "Hey, Tony. Uh ....I'm good, I guess. How're you?" Why are you calling your waste of space little sister"
Michael wandered toward the living room, waving a dismissive hand back at her. If he passed out, she'd more than likely be the first to know about it. It wasn't long before she was alone with the phone.
There was another brief pause on the other end as Tony processed what he was hearing. Baby' Was she seeing someone again already? Not another loser, was it" Tony saw red for a moment before taking a slow breath to calm himself down. "Is someone there" Is this a bad time?"
Elena winced at her brother's tone, turning her back on Michael's retreat to move toward the great windows, rubbing her fingers over her brow. She could just imagine what conclusions he was jumping to over there. "Yeah, there's someone here," she told him, leaning back against the kitchen table. "And I thought any time spent on me was bad time, Tony, or did you change your mind?"
"I never said that, Elena," he retorted defensively. At least, not in so many words. There was another pause and an audible sigh on the other end. "Look, I....I just wanted to see how you're doing. You're still my little sister, you know." She knew him well enough to know he was probably beating himself up now, feeling guilty as if he could have somehow saved her from herself and from everything that had happened. If only he'd been a better big brother. If only he'd been around more. If only, if only, if only. From the living room came the sound of a piano plinking lightly and randomly.
She hesitated, pushing herself to sit on the table, her toes hooked in the back of the nearest chair as she seemed to fold in on herself. No matter how old she was, whatever she did, she was always going to be the baby in this family, and when it came to Tony, she knew she couldn't do anything right anyway. "I'm doing better," she told her brother through a gust of a sigh, her head turning toward the living room for a moment at the sound of the piano finding voice. "Haven't had a drink in four months, I'm being a good little girl and going to all my meetings and the therapy. I'm surprised Mama didn't already tell you." No, she didn't sound particularly friendly, but it had been a long time since she and Tony had been comfortable with each other. Words had been said on both sides that cut too deep to forget with a single phone call. "How're you? Still ....still in New York?"
"Mama told me, but I wanted to hear it from you," he told her, a little too quickly perhaps. His frown could almost be heard on the other end of the phone. If it hadn't been for Anya pestering him to call his baby sister, he might not have even made this little phone call, but she was right. They couldn't stay mad at each other forever; they were family. "Yeah, I'm still in New York," he replied, doing his best to keep his voice steady, to keep the emotion from his voice, the fact that he loved her and worried about her and that was why he'd always been so hard on her in the first place. Hadn't she figured that much out by now" "I'm doing the gala at the end of the month. The pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet. Remember that one?" he asked, making small talk.
Elena frowned thoughtfully, relieved he had taken her subject change to heart and not pressed her for details on her life, such as it was. "What, the one you danced with Anya?" she asked, suddenly confused. "Dude, I thought you said you would never dance that again after she left. You said, and I quote ...."it'll never feel right without her". What changed?"
"It's....uh....it's not without her, Elena." He paused another moment to let the implications of that statement sink in. "She, uh..." Not one to fumble and stumble over words, Tony seemed to be having a little trouble explaining himself. Anya was part of the reason he'd called, but only part of it. "'Taya didn't tell you?" he asked, wondering how much Mataya had told Elena about the offer she'd made to him to run his own ballet company.
"Not without ....Tony, that's awesome!" For the first time in a long time, Elena actually smiled while talking to her big brother, genuinely pleased for him. Unlike their sisters, she leapt easily to the best conclusion - that he and Anya were back together again. "When's the show" You gotta send Mama a ticket -" Her voice trailed off as he mentioned Mataya, and something thumped hard in her chest at the realization that, despite being closest to her, 'Taya was leaving her out of the loop, just like everyone else. She swallowed, hugging her free arm about herself. "Told me what?"
From the other room, Michael could be heard playing Chopsticks on the piano, remembering the piano lessons his mother had insisted on when he was a boy.
Tony relaxed a little, relieved at his kid sister's reaction to the news about Anya, knowing she'd put two and two together without much prompting. Elena and Anya had always liked each other, and he'd always thought Elena had never forgiven him for letting Anya get away. He listened while she flooded him with questions, and he chuckled a little on the other end of the phone. "Slow down, El. One question at a time."
"Never mind, Anya'll remember to get Mama a ticket to see you dance," Elena nodded, trying not to let her sudden dip in mood show too much in her voice. "I'll bet Max or 'Taya could find some kind of escort for her so she's safe." She drew one foot up beneath herself, half-listening to Michael playing the familiar irritation of Chopsticks on the piano even as she spoke. "What hasn't 'Taya told me, Tony?"
Tony went silent again for a moment, wishing his sisters could be there to see his and Anya's pas de deux again, but maybe if he accepted Mataya's offer, that might be a very real possibility sooner than any of them could have predicted. "No, don't tell Ma. I don't think she should come right now." He didn't bother to mention why; Elena knew why and would most likely feel guilty whether he reminded her of the danger or not. He quickly changed the subject to the question at hand. "She's offered me a chance at my own ballet company."
There was something incredibly annoying about a badly timed phone-call. There was the ringtone, which right now was setting Elena's teeth on edge. There was the buzzing of the vibration, sending her cell out of reach over the surface it lay on. And there was, most annoyingly of all, the fact that for the third time today she had been forestalled in getting all the way to fulfilling her own very physical frustrations, groaning in defeat. "I give up," she declared with a decidedly put upon pout, shaking her head as she rose from Michael's lap, reaching out for her phone. "Swear to God, the world had better be ending or ..." The name on the display brought her up short, her face paling for a moment. "Tony?"
Michael groaned. It was his turn to be frustrated this time as they were interrupted by the telephone. He sighed and sank back against the chair, realizing it was her brother on the phone and that she couldn't ignore the call. Whatever was going to happen between them was just going to have to wait. Again. Even fully clothed, his body had reacted to Elena's attention, and it was going to take him a little while to calm down. "You should take that," he told her, knowing how important it was to her. They'd just have to wait a little while to finish what they'd started, if he didn't pass out first.
She sighed, casting an apologetic look to Michael. "I should just give up on the idea of ever having another orgasm, shouldn't I?" she snorted, pressing the button to answer as she smirked teasingly to her frustrated lover. Setting her shirt to rights with one hand, she turned toward the glass doors, looking out at the garden as she spoke. "Hello?"
"I'll make it up to you later," he promised, forcing himself to his feet so he could give her some measure of privacy to talk to her brother.
There was a pause on the other end of the phone before the voice of her brother could be heard loud and clear. "El" It's me. Tony. How, uh....How are you?" the voice asked, sounding clearly awkward and strangely much closer than he really was.
"I'll just, uh..." Michael gestured to the other room with one hand, while he clutched the back of the chair unsteadily with the other.
Elena smiled gratefully as Michael gestured toward leaving the room. "Thanks, baby," she murmured. "Take it slow, okay?" Turning her attention back to the phone, though her eyes stayed on Michael as he moved away, she steeled herself. "Hey, Tony. Uh ....I'm good, I guess. How're you?" Why are you calling your waste of space little sister"
Michael wandered toward the living room, waving a dismissive hand back at her. If he passed out, she'd more than likely be the first to know about it. It wasn't long before she was alone with the phone.
There was another brief pause on the other end as Tony processed what he was hearing. Baby' Was she seeing someone again already? Not another loser, was it" Tony saw red for a moment before taking a slow breath to calm himself down. "Is someone there" Is this a bad time?"
Elena winced at her brother's tone, turning her back on Michael's retreat to move toward the great windows, rubbing her fingers over her brow. She could just imagine what conclusions he was jumping to over there. "Yeah, there's someone here," she told him, leaning back against the kitchen table. "And I thought any time spent on me was bad time, Tony, or did you change your mind?"
"I never said that, Elena," he retorted defensively. At least, not in so many words. There was another pause and an audible sigh on the other end. "Look, I....I just wanted to see how you're doing. You're still my little sister, you know." She knew him well enough to know he was probably beating himself up now, feeling guilty as if he could have somehow saved her from herself and from everything that had happened. If only he'd been a better big brother. If only he'd been around more. If only, if only, if only. From the living room came the sound of a piano plinking lightly and randomly.
She hesitated, pushing herself to sit on the table, her toes hooked in the back of the nearest chair as she seemed to fold in on herself. No matter how old she was, whatever she did, she was always going to be the baby in this family, and when it came to Tony, she knew she couldn't do anything right anyway. "I'm doing better," she told her brother through a gust of a sigh, her head turning toward the living room for a moment at the sound of the piano finding voice. "Haven't had a drink in four months, I'm being a good little girl and going to all my meetings and the therapy. I'm surprised Mama didn't already tell you." No, she didn't sound particularly friendly, but it had been a long time since she and Tony had been comfortable with each other. Words had been said on both sides that cut too deep to forget with a single phone call. "How're you? Still ....still in New York?"
"Mama told me, but I wanted to hear it from you," he told her, a little too quickly perhaps. His frown could almost be heard on the other end of the phone. If it hadn't been for Anya pestering him to call his baby sister, he might not have even made this little phone call, but she was right. They couldn't stay mad at each other forever; they were family. "Yeah, I'm still in New York," he replied, doing his best to keep his voice steady, to keep the emotion from his voice, the fact that he loved her and worried about her and that was why he'd always been so hard on her in the first place. Hadn't she figured that much out by now" "I'm doing the gala at the end of the month. The pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet. Remember that one?" he asked, making small talk.
Elena frowned thoughtfully, relieved he had taken her subject change to heart and not pressed her for details on her life, such as it was. "What, the one you danced with Anya?" she asked, suddenly confused. "Dude, I thought you said you would never dance that again after she left. You said, and I quote ...."it'll never feel right without her". What changed?"
"It's....uh....it's not without her, Elena." He paused another moment to let the implications of that statement sink in. "She, uh..." Not one to fumble and stumble over words, Tony seemed to be having a little trouble explaining himself. Anya was part of the reason he'd called, but only part of it. "'Taya didn't tell you?" he asked, wondering how much Mataya had told Elena about the offer she'd made to him to run his own ballet company.
"Not without ....Tony, that's awesome!" For the first time in a long time, Elena actually smiled while talking to her big brother, genuinely pleased for him. Unlike their sisters, she leapt easily to the best conclusion - that he and Anya were back together again. "When's the show" You gotta send Mama a ticket -" Her voice trailed off as he mentioned Mataya, and something thumped hard in her chest at the realization that, despite being closest to her, 'Taya was leaving her out of the loop, just like everyone else. She swallowed, hugging her free arm about herself. "Told me what?"
From the other room, Michael could be heard playing Chopsticks on the piano, remembering the piano lessons his mother had insisted on when he was a boy.
Tony relaxed a little, relieved at his kid sister's reaction to the news about Anya, knowing she'd put two and two together without much prompting. Elena and Anya had always liked each other, and he'd always thought Elena had never forgiven him for letting Anya get away. He listened while she flooded him with questions, and he chuckled a little on the other end of the phone. "Slow down, El. One question at a time."
"Never mind, Anya'll remember to get Mama a ticket to see you dance," Elena nodded, trying not to let her sudden dip in mood show too much in her voice. "I'll bet Max or 'Taya could find some kind of escort for her so she's safe." She drew one foot up beneath herself, half-listening to Michael playing the familiar irritation of Chopsticks on the piano even as she spoke. "What hasn't 'Taya told me, Tony?"
Tony went silent again for a moment, wishing his sisters could be there to see his and Anya's pas de deux again, but maybe if he accepted Mataya's offer, that might be a very real possibility sooner than any of them could have predicted. "No, don't tell Ma. I don't think she should come right now." He didn't bother to mention why; Elena knew why and would most likely feel guilty whether he reminded her of the danger or not. He quickly changed the subject to the question at hand. "She's offered me a chance at my own ballet company."