INJURIES AND COMPANY | Rosie Weasley

[leh]

Liam was a tough guy. He was strong, and he was pretty stone-faced when he had to deal with pain. The first time he'd broken a bone was when he was six - it was his arm, and he had a blue cast. He remembered it like it was yesterday, and he loved getting everyone to sign it. Oddly enough, he couldn't remember the pain he'd gone through to get the cast, just the fun he had running around with a permanent marker getting his school friends and his family to sign it near Christmastime.

He had broken many bones since then - roughhousing, playing sports, the one time he'd been in a car accident (more a fender bender than anything) - and each time, he couldn't quite recall how painful it had been, only months later.

But even Liam had a feeling he'd remember the pain he was in right now for the rest of his life. He was nearly crying (but in a very manly way) as he walked next to Rose Weasley to the Hospital wing, gently cradling his shattered elbow. It hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before - but Liam supposed that was what happened when a bludger smashed into the most tender part of your arm. The sound the break had made would have been enough to make a strong man wince, but the feeling of the delicate bones in one's elbow shattering into what felt like a trillion pieces? It was enough to make a grown man cry.

"I'm not usually this big a pansy" He promised the red-headed referee as they had walked.

He had a feeling she wouldn't believe him, but Liam still felt the need to say the worlds out loud, with his lilting Irish accent making them seem more comical than they truly were. When they finally arrived at the infirmary, he almost told Rose she could go - that he'd be fine - but he found he wanted her to stay - that he didn't want to be alone. And so while the nurse healed him up quick, he stayed quiet, simply hoping she was as kindhearted as he thought she was, and that she would stick around. When the nurse told him to lay down and keep still for a while while it healed, Liam did exactly as he was told and lay back, deciding to strike up conversation, to try and keep the ginger around.

"Not as fun as in the muggle world, where you get a cast," He mused aloud, "My first one was dark blue - pretty cool, if you ask me..." He said casually, hoping he wasn't just spewing nonsense and she would at least know what he was talking about. Using the hand that wasn't attached to his broken arm, he rubbed his forehead and looked up at her. "I almost wished that was a bit of unfair play so at least they would get a penalty out of my having a broken arm." He joked, knowing that it was completely fair play - even if he had gotten injured.

[dom]

Rose had had a lot on her mind lately. Her brother's problems were always floating about in her thoughts, ever since she had learned about his little issue. He seemed convinced that becoming a werewolf, through a freak accident, was the bane of his existence and while Rose did pity his bad turn of luck she loathed the way he was handling the change. His mood swings, and habit of self medicating with alcohol and cigarettes were honestly starting to scare her, and everyday she wondered if it was finally time to let both of her parents in on the problem, even if he was adamant that he could deal with himself. On top of all of that Rosie wasn't sure where she stood with Axel anymore, after that night. Normally she would turn to him, or Dom for advice but Dominique had gone m.i.a again, and Rosie couldn't shed the uncertainty that had settled in her stomach after she had left Axel's. She wanted to believe that it had actually meant something, but she had been too scared of rejection to admit to him that she wanted it to mean more then just one night. Rosie hadn't picked up any indication from him that it was anything special and so she had just put on a brave face and pretended that one night was all she wanted it to be.

"I'm not usually this big a pansy" "Hmm?" Pushing away the thoughts that had been occupying her attention Rosie smiled at the boy next to her, shaking her head with a crooked grin. "Oh, I don't doubt it. If I had been in your shoes I'd be bawling like a baby, so considering you can still manage to joke about it I'd say you're pretty brave." The injury obviously hurt and Rose felt a wave of concern for Liam's pain. She was supposed to be refereeing the game, but her spirit hadn't been in it and when one of the teachers had asked for someone to escort the injured player up to the hospital wing Rose had leaped at the chance to get out there. She had walked him up to the wing, and partly because she was genuinely concerned about Liam, and partly because she didn't want to return to the pitch to watch the outcome of the game Rose had taken up a seat next to his bed.

Watching the back of the retreating nurse Rose looked back towards Liam with a crooked smile, nodding towards his arm with a light laugh. "My brother broke so many bones as a kid my mum finally decided to stick him in a cast for while. I guess she figured he might learn and little bit of caution, and she'd have less trip to St Mungo's, but he's still as reckless now as he was then." Hugo had absolutely hated the plaster cast, but it's lesson hadn't seemed to stick with him, for the week after their mother finally removed it he had broken his arm yet again, fooling around with James. Grinning at his comment Rose shook her head, "Hey, with you out of
commission my house might have a chance of winning now. How do you feel though? That blow sounded pretty painful."

[leh]

He couldn't help but to smile at Rose as she answered him, and thankfully stayed by his bedside. "Your mum seems pretty smart, but it never stopped me, so I'd guess it wouldn't stop anyone else." Liam pointed out. He rubbed his arm absently as he spoke, as though it confirmed his words, which it did, really. He seemed to get into this sort of mess more often than anyone would have liked, but it was fine, he managed to survive, didn't he?

"Painful, yeah... I mean, the sound's the worst part, you know... it's like when you go to the dentist and they pull a tooth, even though they freeze it, you can hear the roots ripping from the gums and it's just..." He trailed, then smiled sheepishly at the head girl, "But yeah, it's not as bad as it seems to be," He promised, "Though I do appreciate you staying - having a beautiful girl sit next to you while you heal up really does help - even if not medically." Liam added after a moment, grinning at her. So maybe flirting wasn't exactly his forte, but he figured she would get the message. After all, she was so smart, and pretty and... well, perfect, generally speaking. Of course, anyone in their right mind knew that Rose Weasley was the prettiest girl in all Hogwarts, and Liam was usually in his right mind, so how could he not notice? They'd never really spoken before, other than passing hellos or questions in class, but Liam had always been attracted to her. He figured that, maybe, this was his chance to get to know her better - and he wasn't going to pass it up.

sorry this took so long, i've been really bogged down with christmas stuff!

[dom]

Laughing lightly at his reply Rosie pushed her hair from her face, grinning. "Does this happen a lot then?" She questioned, nodding towards his arm. As she listened to his ramble about the dentist Rose giggled softly, clearly amused and shaking her head. "You're lucky my grandparents are dentist. I think you would have lost anyone else with that analogy. But that does sound pretty terrible."

At his compliment Rose felt her cheeks flush pink, the blush bringing a warmth to her face and she smiled, pleased by his words. It felt nice being compliment by someone who wasn't related to her by blood, or obligated too. Truthfully, Axel was the only person who complimented her on a regular basis, and Rose had never been able to decide if he was sincere or not. Looking up through her lashes at him Rosie didn't find it hard to admit to herself that Liam was certainly attractive. She had never really taken any notice of him before but now that she had a chance to really see him it was undeniable that she found him handsome. Not to mention he was usually charming, and so far he was doing a good job keeping a smile on her lips. "Thanks, I guess I should stick around for a while longer then, make sure you heal up just right."


(Bleh, this is vaguely terrible. But happy holidays!)

[leh]

Liam grinned broadly, almost proud of his unusual amount of injuries. "It happens more often than I'd like, I guess, but that comes with the quidditch playing territory, doesn't it?" He asked, shrugging lightly, then wincing as he realized his arm was still a bit too tender to move it around too much. He had never actually had his arm shattered. Broken, yes, but not shattered. "All the more reason to keep you around, then - since you get my obscure muggle references," He added, smile remaining plastered over his face. It was absurd, how easy she was to talk to - he would have thought that the beautiful, smart, talented and famous Head Girl would be a little more... well, snobby. He was pleased to see that this wasn't the case.

"Don't go looking at me through your lashes like that, though," He added teasingly, leaning in and dropping his voice, "Come on, I look enough like a pansy today without fainting from how beautiful you look when you do that." He whispered, still smiling - he couldn't seem to stop smiling. Maybe it was her, or maybe it was how they were healing him, but he had a strong feeling that it was the former and not the latter. She just had an aura about her; she was stunning, and her bright smile was contagious. Besides that, he had always sort of had a thing for red haired girls. He didn't know if it was because of the poster he had up in his dorm of the Harpies - from when Ginny Weasley was Captain (and looking super hot all the while) - or if it was just a natural inclination to want Gingers, but either way, he was undeniably attracted to the one in front of him.

[dom]

Rose laughed lightly at the obvious note of pride in his voice, shaking her head. "I don't know how you can stand it. I'm a real wuss when it comes to getting hurt. I don't have a pain tolerance at all." This was true, both emotionally and physically and Rosie figured that was part of the reason she was so easy going and social. Conflict had always, in her experience, been accompanied by a pain of some kind. Rose had never been able to deal with her pain properly, sort it out and move on, and so avoiding tension had quickly become the easiest way for Rose to sort through her life. Maybe the coward's way out, but it was the only way Rose knew. "Is that the only reason?"

The question was followed with an impish grin, and Rose knew she was fishing for compliments but hell, she couldn't help herself from asking. Talking to Liam was easy, and she found herself falling into the pattern of their conversation without any difficulty at all. This was simple. There wasn't any drama, there weren't any expectations. Just a boy and and girl, talking and flirting. It was enjoyable to just be able to have a conversation, and Rose was finding it more and more impossible not to like Liam's charming manner. Her responses came effortlessly to her, as the spoke and she feel her lips tugging up into a grin.

Her face flushed even deeper at his next words, and Rose groaned softly, pressing her hands against the apples of her cheeks as she tilted her head up to met his eyes squarely this time. The chaser might have been concerned about how he had acted after his injury, but at least didn't resemble a prepubescent teen, finally speaking to her first crush. It was embarrassing, how much he was affecting her. "Come off it, I'm sure you've manage to stay conscious around much prettier girls."