Strangely enough, Renard was no where to be seen that evening... Was he trying to avoid any contact with Isaac, or something? If that was the case though then that shouldn't mean that he wasn't going to join her up in the guest room for the evening.
A little annoyed by his lack of appearance, Vivian rolled over on the bed to glare at the door. Renard hadn't shown up at dinner earlier either and while Dessi had assured them that Renard had already gotten something to eat that didn't really make Vivian feel much better. Especially with how the dinner had actually gone! Silence had reigned at the table and even Neri and Jared who had no idea what was going on felt too nervous to break it. The moment Isaac had finished eating he left, saying he needed to do more work in the stables and everyone else just scattered to the winds. Vivian couldn't help being a little irritated with Isaac, though. Continuing to avoid Kyrie like this would do nothing but make her even more miserable! Did he not see that himself? Was he trying to punish her by holding his tongue?
She supposed she shouldn't be too critical though, because she had also kept a silence with Kyrie a few days after Renard told her everything. Still... Kyrie was taking Isaac's silence so much worse and for good reason. She loved that man more than words could express. Vivian had stayed behind briefly to check in with Kyrie, but her friend had simply said that she was going to go upstairs and wait for Isaac.
Vivian was trying to follow suit for Renard, but she just didn't have the patience that Kyrie did. It was much more in her nature to go out and find Renard than it was for her to sit here waiting for him. This thought made her sit up before slipping out of the bed. Not wanting to take the time to get fully dressed again, she put on her socks and shoes before draping a small blanket over her shoulders and hugging it around herself. It was cold enough at night to want the extra layer, but not cold enough that she'd need much more than that.
Promptly exiting the room, she wasted no time bounding down the stairs and stepping out into the chill of the outdoors. She hadn't seen Renard at all today, and she suspected that was because he was staying way away from Isaac which would mean he'd be on the opposite end of the house. Deciding that was as good a place to start as any, Vivian made her way to the other side of the manor and was rather thankful for the stars: there weren't actually that many lights on the grounds themselves, so without the light from the sky it would be a whole lot harder to navigate. In retrospect she should've brought out a candle, but she had just been so anxious to see Renard that her feet had moved her forward before her brain could think logically about it.
Thankfully it wasn't long at all before her search bore some fruit: a light from a lantern in the distance was visible. Speeding up her pace a little bit, she began to hear the sound of soil being dug and shifted around.
He... He was actually night gardening. He was doing the thing that Vivian had only seen in drawings and never witnessed herself.
For a moment she hesitated, wondering if she should really come upon him when he'd taken the effort to avoid everyone else in the first place. Quietly she crept closer to him and peered at him from just beyond the edge of the light. All she could see was his back as he crouched over a patch of dirt. The remains of a plant that he'd ripped up lay beside him and his hands were dirty with the soil because he was working directly with the ground instead of using a shovel or other implement of destruction. Even though she couldn't see his face, she could imagine what he must look like as he worked, and she couldn't help her heart beating faster in her chest.
Had this been how Kyrie had felt when she first stumbled across him in the garden? No... She didn't love him... Her heart might've beat faster out of surprise, because she was seeing something potentially forbidden, but Vivian's heart beat faster out of love. She was seeing another facet to Renard here and every new thing she found out about him made her heart race.
She was also nervous though. How would he react to her interrupting him? She didn't want to just crouch behind him and watch without trying to interact with him somehow, but she'd never seen him like this... Wouldn't he hate to be exposed? … Maybe he would, but hiding what she'd seen didn't seem to be the right way to go either. With that thought in mind, she stepped closer to him, no longer trying to mask the sound of her footsteps.
Renard flinched at the sound of approaching footsteps, but these steps were neither aggressive nor hesitant, which meant that it had to be one person at this time of night: Vivian.
Upon realizing this, Renard really didn't want to turn around. Even though Dessi had done the best she could to treat his face, there was still clear evidence that he'd been punched. Something like this didn't just go away so quickly and it still ached even after the stuff she'd made up for the pain. He didn't want Vivian to see him like this... So... So pathetic... He hadn't done a single thing to stop the punch from comin, and a part of him almost wished that he could've given Isaac a sharp punch back, at least that way it'd look like there was more of a fight. He knew he would've been so far in the wrong if he had done that though, and he also knew that it was mostly his unwillingness to show Vivian his face that was really speaking in his mind right now.
Vivian wasn't deterred by his apparent preoccupation, and soon he felt a gentle hand touch his shoulder.
Quite frankly... The wave of warmth and comfort that ran through him from that small hand of hers surprised him. He could feel his shoulders drooping as his hands came to a stop in the soil, and he couldn't help but marvel at this. Maybe it was because she'd caught him at the tail end of his digging? Or maybe she really was just as effective for his peace of mind as tearing up the garden was? Whatever the case, the only thing that he really knew for sure was that today had been a very long day and he was so ready to be done with it. To shut his brain off and simply press Vivian's warmth up against himself.
"Renard, here you are... I missed you at dinner."
She still hadn't seen his face, but it was easy to lose that early uncertainty that he'd felt to Vivian's body. It was as if she was sucking a good chunk of his resistance away as she snuggled up against his back, pressing her cheek against him with a hug from behind. Letting out a soft sigh, he sat back a bit and wiped his hands off on his pants. Now that she was here he wasn't going to be getting anything else done, but perhaps that was a good thing. Perhaps having Vivian around now would be able to help him relax.
"I'm surprised you're still up this late."
He was engaging her, and she brightened a little now that she knew for sure that Renard wasn't upset at her for interrupting him. Though, the lightness that was usually in his voice did seem much flatter than usual...
"I sleep so much better when you're beside me, you know tha--"
As she spoke she moved away from his back to lean around him, but when she saw his face her face went from a soft playfulness to shocked and completely worried.
"R-Renard!"
Quickly scrambling in front of him, she reached up to ever so gently touch his cheek which he had no doubt still looked pretty bad. No skin had been broken on the outside of his face, but his teeth had knocked up against the inside of his mouth well enough that it had caused him to bleed there. Despite there being no open wounds on his face, there was likely a real nice bruise despite Dessi's best efforts.
He winced as Vivian approached his face, but her touch was soft and not at all painful, and he soon closed his eyes with another sigh.
"Yeah... It's not pretty, is it? I couldn't show this to all of you at the table. It would've ruined everyone's appetite."
Vivian's heart ached something fierce for Renard and her expression softened into a mixture of sympathy and love. Renard was trying to put up a brave face for her, but she could see just how tired he was, how that bravado of his was slipping. His failure to fully keep it up didn't offend her though, in fact she loved it: it meant that he was comfortable enough with her that he felt he could be more honest and that meant the world to her.
"It doesn't matter to me whether it's pretty or not, you're still you."
Keeping her movements gentle, she leaned in to kiss his uninjured cheek and Renard let out a soft sound without opening his eyes. Vivian just stuck close to him then, moving further forward so that her body was pressing up into his in a hug. She kept her face nuzzled up against the side of his as well, once again giving him some soft kisses.
"... Isaac did this, didn't he?"
He let out a hum that was neither a confirmation nor denial of Vivian's question, but that was all that Vivian needed to be convinced that it was Isaac. Kyrie had been all bent out of shape today because she'd told Isaac the news last night so why should she think that Isaac would be any different?
Still... He was such a friendly guy, usually: it was hard to believe that the man who so often laughed and smiled with Renard had hauled off and hit him. Yet... At the same time, Vivian could understand why he had done it. Renard had said to her that his relationship with Kyrie wouldn't have started if he hadn't pushed so hard and Vivian couldn't imagine that Renard had done it thinking that Isaac would be fine with it in the end.
Even if Isaac had been justified in punching Renard, Vivian still didn't like to see the man she loved in pain. Besides, what good did punching Renard do anyway? It's not like punching him would be able to make all of the stuff he did not happen! As she thought all this, she couldn't help but fluff up in indignation.
"How could he punch you? The two of you are friends!"
Renard couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle at that, and he wrapped his hands around Vivian so that he could bury one hand in her hair. Wiping his hands off on his pants only got rid of so much of the dirt, but Vivian didn't seem to mind, in fact she just pressed herself even closer to him.
"Friends still fight, you should know that."
She let out a soft harumph at that and Renard sunk into silence. He said that, but could he really still say that Isaac was his friend? He'd certainly like to say that, but he had cut Isaac much deeper than he'd initially thought he had.
… What kind of a thought was that?
The two of them would be perfectly fine in the end! Eventually once Isaac got over his anger then he and Kyrie would be able to explain calmly to Isaac that he did still matter. He was still very much desired and there was nothing that could replace him. He just had to get out of his own head first. Had Isaac even gone to see Kyrie this evening...? Seeing her would probably help...
He was dwelling on things again, and it made him hold Vivian tighter. He wanted to start digging again, but since his hands were currently holding Vivian he chose to use her instead. She made a sound of protest to be held so tightly, squirming a little and leaning back so that she could look at Renard's face. Her motives were pretty clear to Renard, but since he wasn't entirely sure what expression he was making he tried to keep her closer to him so that she wouldn't be able to see. Still, she managed to catch sight of the troubled expression on his face and she couldn't unsee it now. Eventually through her squirming she was able to once again frame his face with her hands so that the two of them were looking into each other's eyes.
"Renard... Are you alright?"
The question hit him way harder than he ever would've expected. He fought against the urge to turn away from Vivian's insistent gaze, but he made himself stare back at her, tried to tell himself to keep a straight face with her.
He wasn't alright though.
He'd been punched in the face and it fucking hurt still, and he'd betrayed his best friend, which he had no clue how he was going to fix. He could tell himself all he wanted that things would be fine but in reality he had no idea whether they would be.
Vivian's brow furrowed and with a sinking feeling he knew that she could see the conflict in his eyes. Letting out a frustrated groan, he dug his fingers into Vivian's scalp, making the woman in his arms wince a little: she remained exactly where she was though, determined to be a support for him.
"Vivian, it's been ages since I last remember being punched and I'm pretty sure I completely broke the trust of my best friend for years. How could I possibly be alright?"
Honestly, this response from him surprised her a little. He always hd an infinite amount of patience, even when it came to more stressful things, but here he was snapping at her. She shrunk in his arms, but still she didn't try to get away from him.
"I suppose... I suppose that's fair..."
Immediately realizing the folly of his own actions, Renard loosened his hold on Vivian's scalp, gently stroking her head as he let out a soft sigh. Pressing his forehead to hers, he closed his eyes once again.
"I'm sorry, Vivian. I shouldn't be taking this out on you, but this is kind of why I've been out here in the garden instead of interacting with other people."
Just as it had hurt Renard to see her in pain, it hurt her to see Renard in pain. She wanted to somehow ease the burden that he was stuck with, even if it was a burden that he himself had encouraged. She was silent for a few moments while they stayed close like this, and as she pondered how she could help, she began to wonder whether she should talk to Isaac herself: she wasn't one of the ones that had wronged him and she could actually sympathize quite a bit with his position. Approaching him felt way more like something that would be in Dessi's territory of expertise but at the same time she wanted to try doing something that would help both Renard and Kyrie feel better. Maybe talking to Isaac would ultimately amount to nothing but there was certainly no harm in trying, right? Besides... Vivian kind of wanted to tell him off for leaving both Kyrie and Renard in uncertainty for so long.
These were all thoughts for another time though, because right now she had a distressed Renard in her arms.
"I understand, Renard. I just... I wish there was something that I could do for you."
"Trying your hand at comforting are you?"
This was meant to be said a little playfully, but Renard couldn't help the almost bitter note that came through his voice. He appreciated the gesture on her part, but he resented that she even felt the need to comfort him at all. His tone hurt Vivian a little, but still she pulled on his shirt to get his face closer to hers. There was one thing that she knew Renard enjoyed—she couldn't think of a single exception to his enjoyment of it—and it was easily something that she could provide.
"Maybe... But with my own spin on it."
With that she closed the gap between her mouth and Renard's, but she was ever conscious of the fact that his face was still wounded. At first his eyes opened a bit wider in surprise but as Vivian slowly deepened their kiss, coaxing him into being a bit more active, his eyes closed, his grip on her once again tightening.
He saw what she was doing: she was trying to be the distraction for him instead of having the garden be that distraction and he had to admit that it was working. Earlier when he'd thought that he wanted to lose himself in Vivian's warmth this wasn't quite what he meant, but he could go for this just as well. It was actually probably better than just holding her close.
When she broke their kiss both of them were breathing a little heavier and he gave her a smile that transmitted so much love to her that she felt like her heart was going to burst.
"I think I can get behind this kind of comfort."
Leaning in for a soft kiss, Vivian then gently pushed on him until he was lying on his back in the grass. Now that he was looking up at her like this, he realized that she was out here in a nightgown with the blanket she had draped over her shoulders creating a pleasant backdrop for the lighter colors of both her body and the nightgown she was wearing.
Her hands slowly slid down his body until she was sitting up fully, with her back slightly arched to push out her chest and put herself more on display for him. The light chill from the air outdoors had made her nipples all the more obvious under the thin material of her nightgown, but for the moment Renard just rested his hands on Vivian's hips.
Leaning down to give him another soft kiss, this shifted her hips in such a way that made him let out a little hum of approval. When she broke the kiss this time, she moved over to his ear and gave the lobe a little nip.
"Then sit back and enjoy the show."
With that said, she moved back up quickly enough for her breasts to bounce invitingly in front of him and she could feel his hands trembling on her hips. She could also feel just how hard he was beneath her, and she bit at her bottom lip in such a way that made Renard suck in a breath.
Yes... This was way better than just laying beside her. He could get lost in the beauty and physicality of Vivian's body now and that would be able to keep his mind occupied. To make this even better, her hands were slowly massaging his body. She was finding spots that he hadn't even known were tense but once she made it to them and began her work, he could feel the knots easing away. With every rhythmic motion of her hands, she made an almost soothing grind with her hips and both these actions combined were coaxing soft sounds of pleasure from Renard. She was marrying the relief of his soreness with a near constant state of arousal: he was definitely enjoying this.
For a while, he simply watched as she moved on top of him, easing the aches and grinding into his erection. She was eliciting sounds of pleasure from him, but still his hands hadn't moved from her hips. Yet when Vivian leaned over him to massage at his shoulders, he just couldn't help himself. Leaning up a little, he latched on to one of her hard nipples through her clothing and this caused Vivian to let out a gasp followed by a soft moan of her own. She paused briefly in her massaging from this stimulation, but soon she was starting up again, her motions now beginning to sync up with how he was sucking on her breast. She certainly did know how to get him aroused, didn't she?
This continued, with Renard switching breasts at some point, until Vivian had thoroughly finished coaxing the knots out around his shoulders. Upon reaching that achievement, she sat back up once more though she shivered a little from the new wet spots around her nipples. An urge to both pleasure Vivian and make sure she was comfortable coursed through Renard and he almost immediately reached up to grope her breasts, making the woman on top of him moan appreciatively.
Lifting her hips just a little so that she could take Renard's erection out of his pants, once she did she adjusted the skirt of her nightgown a bit so that when she settled back into a sitting position his penis ran along the length of her sex. She evidently wasn't wearing any underwear from the wetness that Renard could feel seeping onto his own erection, and he let out another moan which was echoed by Vivian.
With their sexes both in contact like this, Vivian gave him a few more grinds just to make things all the more messy down there. As much as Renard wanted to just slam into her he was letting Vivian take point on this: she wanted him to sit back and relax, and a part of him was compelled to oblige since today had left him feeling quite drained.
Her hips lifted a little bit so that she could line up her sex with his, and once she had it she slowly lowered herself onto him, letting him sink into her bit by bit as the two moaned their approval of this action. His hands had lowered from her breasts again, mostly because he wanted to see them move when she started to thrust him inside of her. He loved being able to touch them, but seeing and appreciating them was a big part of the appeal as well.
Vivian was still moving slowly though, and now that Renard was fully inside of her she gyrated her hips, pressing into him even further while she let out a soft moan. Renard let out a little groan of his own but mostly he was eager for her to start moving, and it wasn't long at all before she was giving in to this silent wish of his.
Like the rest of her motions this evening, she started out slow as she moved up and down on top of him. Soon though, with a little subtle spurring from Renard, she was moving faster so that her breasts were bouncing with each thrust they made into her. She threw her head back as she moaned freely from their actions, and Renard let out his own moans both to see her like this and because of how much she was stimulating him.
As her movements on top of him continued to get faster and more frantic, he just couldn't resist the tantalizing bouncing of her displayed breasts any longer. Reaching up for a few rough gropes, her eyes snapped open at this, her body beginning to tense as she let out a soft gasp. With a few more slams of her body into his, she ceased all of her movement, her body stretching out above him as she let out a loud cry of pleasure.
Renard mirrored this sound as her orgasm prompted his own and as his warmth gushed into her, he pulled her down to lock lips with her once more.
He was just... So glad that he still had Vivian with him. She was able to make him feel so good and now she was an ally in defending his own sleeping around. This good feeling did end up seeping out into words, as much as he would likely rather keep them to himself: he was riding on a high right now though, and Vivian had already caught him in a more vulnerable state.
"I'm so glad that I didn't lose you to what I'd done..."
This was murmured softly into the side of her face, but it made her flush with pleasure nonetheless. Wrapping her arms around him now, she snuggled up into the warmth of his body, nuzzling the side of his face.
"I will always love you, Renard. Especially if the time we spend together continues to be this enjoyable."
There was a light teasing quality to that last statement she made, and Renard let out a satisfied growl before taking her lips in yet another kiss. Lightly fingering her neck as he pulled away from the kiss, he kept his face close while his eyes bored into hers.
"I think I'm going to need another dose of comfort."
He nipped softly at her neck, particularly at that sensitive spot that was unique to Vivian, and she gasped as her entire body shuddered.
"So soon after having the first one? I'll tell you what, you can have another if we go up to our room. I'd rather not end up passing out all exposed to the night air."
He gave her a soft smile at that before kissing her cheek.
"That sounds reasonable."
With that said, he rather smoothly rolled up to a sitting position before standing up with Vivian still in his arms. She let out a soft sound of surprise as both her arms and legs clung tighter to him to stay on while Renard kept her supported with his hands firmly on her legs. He hadn't even bothered to pull out of her, and he could see just how flustered she was by this. It felt so strange to still be connected to him in this position, but at the same time, it also felt incredibly intimate since her progress in getting anywhere was now entirely connected to him.
"Pick up the lantern for me, would you, my dear?"
It was as if Renard had moved back to his old self again, and she had to admit that she was immensely pleased by the fact that she had indeed been able to help his mood. Letting go of him briefly with one hand, she scooped up the lantern before clinging to him once more. He couldn't help leaning in for another soft kiss once she'd settled.
"I hope you're prepared, Vivian. My wound runs deep."
There was almost a playful quality to his voice now and Vivian smiled at him before moving in to kiss his neck.
"Don't worry, I can match it."
With that said, Renard strode off towards the house with Vivian still holding tight to him.