#elena hu | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

stargazer-sims · 1 year ago

Text

The Art of Redemption

(part 3)

previous // next // story index

__________

Beth-Anne has never liked hospitals.

She guesses no one really likes them, if they're being honest. Hospitals aren't exactly the most cheerful or fun places on Earth. Sure, they're arguably places of healing, but they're also places of suffering and loss, and in her life, bad hospital experiences have outweighed good ones.

Still, she's not the sort of person to let her feelings overpower her common sense and judgment. She may not care for doctors and hospitals, but she won't deny the necessity of them, and tonight — today? — is one of those times when she has to concede the usefulness of the medical establishment.

She gets up from the hard plastic chair she'd been sitting on and moves across the room to look out the window. The view below is of the hospital parking lot, with orange-hued lights making everything glow weirdly amid the softly falling snow. When had it started snowing? Illuminated by the amber lights, the snowflakes look surreal, like something from a dream.

This whole night has been like a bad dream.

She presses her palms flat against the window. The glass is cool, and so she leans in and touches her forehead against it too. The cold soothes the ache of tiredness that's taken up residence behind her eyebrows. She thinks about the two hours of sleep she'd gotten earlier, and knows she won't get any more until the sun is high over the horizon again.

When we're safe at home, I'll sleep then.

Nikolai will be coming home with her, once they let him out of the hospital. The two of them had reached that decision fairly quickly. He didn't want to go back to his own house, which was fine with her because she wouldn't have been comfortable leaving him alone there anyway, and he said he didn't want to stay with his parents either because they wouldn't understand what he was going through.

That was fair, Beth-Anne supposed. Elena and Mikhail probably wouldn't get it. They'd no doubt be perplexed by the enormity of Nikolai's distress, and they wouldn't grasp why he needed to go to the hospital in the middle of the night if he wasn't sick. Nikolai's parents are good, kind people, but emotional intelligence is not among their strengths. They're stoic and unsentimental, and not the sort of people to whom Beth-Anne would easily entrust the care of someone as fragile as Nikolai is right now, even if he is their son.

As for Beth-Anne, she's been accused of being pragmatic too, but she likes to think her practicality is tempered by some degree of sensitivity and emotional awareness. She recognized almost straight away that Nikolai was perilously close to a breaking point and that she couldn't help him on her own, at least not in the short term.

When she first arrived at his house and saw the state he was in, she knew he'd need some professional intervention. She hadn't wanted to ambush him with the idea, though, or force him into it. Instead, for the first several minutes, she'd simply sat there in the front hallway with him, holding him and letting him cry. She didn't ask questions. She didn't talk much at all, except to murmur reassuring words into his unkempt hair, to let him know he was safe and that she'd take care of him.

When his tears finally slowed to a trickle, she gave him a hand up and guided him into the downstairs bathroom. He sat on the little wooden bench in the corner and gazed at nothing while she fetched fresh towels from the linen cupboard and started running a hot bath. She left the bathroom door open while she ran upstairs to his bedroom to grab clean, warm clothes for him, and her heart was racing with anxiety the entire time he was out of her sight even though she was gone all of two minutes.

The tub was sufficiently filled by the time she returned. She shut off the taps and then tested the temperature of the bathwater with her wrist. It was perhaps a little hotter than most people would prefer, but she'd seen Nikolai wander out of a locker room shower on more than one occasion with his skin pink from the heat, so she surmised that he'd likely find it just right.

She gestured in the direction of the tub. "There you go. It's all yours."

He stared at her blankly, as if he hadn't understood.

"Nikolai," she said gently. "Bath."

He blinked. "Oh. Right."

Despite his eventual acknowledgement, he didn't move. When Beth-Anne reminded him that he needed to undress, he plucked feebly at the hem of his t-shirt as if he had no idea how to get it off. He peered up at her with watery, pleading eyes, and she realized she would have to help him.

"It's okay, sweetheart," she said. "Lift your arms."

He did as she instructed, raising his arms as gracefully as he would if he were dancing or performing an artistic sequence on the ice. Beth-Anne couldn't articulate exactly why, but observing the fluid motion hurt her a little inside. His body knew that movement; knew it so well that maybe it didn't require conscious thought any more. She wondered if he would continue to move that way for the rest of his life, a beautiful and effortless dancer even when no one was watching.

She pulled the grungy t-shirt off him, and the spell in her mind was broken as much by the sour odour of dried sweat as it was by his bemused mumble of, "You're going to see me naked."

"I've seen naked men before," she told him, matter-of-fact. "They're nothing to get excited about. Now, come on. Shorts and underpants next, and then socks."

She steadied him as he limped the few steps from the bench to the tub and climbed awkwardly into it. He sank down into the hot water with a little noise that was half moan and half sigh. He closed his eyes. "This feels good on my leg."

"We should've put some Epsom salts in there, shouldn't we?" she said. "Do you think you can manage washing yourself?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay. Just tell me if you need anything."

"Are you going to stay in here with me?" he asked.

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes."

She settled on the floor with her back to the tub to offer him some small measure of privacy. For the next several minutes, she did her best to relax, listening to the sloshes and drips of water behind her and trying to convince herself that everything would be all right.

Will it be, though? a little voice somewhere in the back of her mind taunted. Nothing's ever going to be the same after this.

No, it wouldn't be the same. Neither Nikolai's life nor hers could go back to the way it had been before the disastrous event at the Four Continents, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be okay. Stan is fond of saying that change isn't inherently good or bad. "Change is inevitable," he'd often tell her. "But it's just change. The goodness or badness of it comes from how you respond to it, not from the situation itself."

She trusts Stan, and over the years she's come to realize this precept, like so many other pieces of advice he's given her, is true for the most part. She's seen many times that the decisions she makes in response to something have a direct effect not only on the outcome, but on how she personally feels about it.

She's not perfect, though, and sometimes her responses to change aren't particularly rational. When she thought about Anya and the changes she'd wrought on poor Nikolai's already dramatically altered life, for instance, her brain was overtaken by anger strong enough to make her want to put her fist through a wall.

Get your mind off that, she told herself. She's terrified by her own anger, but evidently no amount of self-admonishment was enough in that particular moment to sway her from fuming as she sat there on Nikolai's bathroom floor.

What had been going through Anya's head? Had she really believed it was fine to just leave Nikolai alone? She must have recognized that he needed help, yet she'd apparently decided to abandon him anyway.

And how long had she been gone? The last time Beth-Anne was at the house had been three days ago, and all indications had pointed to Anya's presence then. Beth-Anne had noticed two sets of dishes still on the table, uncleared from breakfast, and there'd been a sleek pair of high-heeled black leather boots and a long red wool coat by the front door. The coat and boots were missing now.

It occurred to her that while she'd been upstairs in the bedroom she hadn't seen any of Anya's things there either. On top of the dresser on the left hand side, she'd spotted men's deodorant, Calvin Klein cologne, a blue mug bearing the phrase 'Number One Cat Dad', and a green camouflage glasses case she recognized as Nikolai's. The right-hand side of the dresser was conspicuously bare.

She's not coming back, Beth-Anne realized.

Why hadn't Nikolai said anything? They'd spoken on the phone every day since her previous visit, but he hadn't mentioned anything about Anya leaving. Then again, maybe there hadn’t been anything to mention. Maybe Anya had still been there until a few hours ago.

But, that wouldn't explain...

Nikolai's voice inserted itself into her musings. "Beth-Anne?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Ready to get out?"

"Not yet," he said. "Can you help me wash my hair?"

He was perfectly capable of washing his own hair, but she obliged his request nevertheless, because she figured he probably wanted the human contact and she couldn't bring herself to deny him.

Once his hair was clean, she helped him out of the tub and handed him a towel. He dried himself off, and then she bundled him up in sweatpants, a hoodie and thick socks.

"Are you warmer now?" She picked up a wide-toothed comb from the counter next to the sink and began to run it through his damp hair. It smelled of peaches from the shampoo they'd used. Probably Anya's, she thought, not that it matters. it's not as if she's here to use it herself.

"Yeah, thanks," he said. "My knee's really hurting, though."

"What happened?" she asked. "It didn't seem that bad last time I was here."

He lowered his eyes. "I fell. On the stairs."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she momentarily stopped combing. "What? How?"

"Anya..." he began, but paused and swallowed convulsively several times. 'My crutches were upstairs. I asked Anya to bring them down before she left, but I don't know if she forgot, or if she ignored me. Going down the stairs is easy without them because I can just sort of, you know... scoot down on my bum, but going up is a lot more difficult, and..." He gave a little shrug, as if the rest of the story was self-explanatory.

It was. Beth-Anne could easily infer what had happened. He'd attempted to go upstairs to get the crutches himself, stumbled or lost his footing somehow, and fell down God alone knew how many of the fourteen steps leading to the second floor. She guessed he'd been too scared to try again, which meant he'd been restricted to the downstairs portion of the house, which in turn meant that he couldn't access his dresser or closet or the walk-in shower in the upstairs bathroom that he could get into without help.

Judging by the fact that he hadn't changed his clothes since she'd last seen him and that he’d looked and smelled like he hadn't washed in a while, Beth-Anne concluded Anya hadn't made her exit that afternoon or evening. She'd left three days ago.

Three days. Jesus-fucking-Christ.

Beth-Anne was furious, but she couldn't let her anger show on her face. The last thing she wanted was for Nikolai to jump to the wrong conclusion that she was angry with him.

"Why didn't you tell someone?" she asked.

"I thought she'd come back, and I... I didn't want to bother anyone with it."

"You're never a bother." She brushed back the lock of damp hair that had flopped across one of his eyebrows. "You could've told me. You could've called Ginger or your sister or Stan. Ginger and Natalya both would've been here in a heartbeat for you. I would have too, if only you'd asked."

"I'm sorry," he said, and his voice broke on the last syllable.

"You don't need to be sorry."

He shook his head. "I can't get anything right lately. I'm disappointing everyone, and..." The rest of the sentence was lost in tears, which he swiped at fiercely with the back of his hand.

"You're not disappointing me." She knelt so that she was on his eye level, where he was seated on the bench. "I love you, and I'm very proud of you, no matter what."

"But I can't... I mean, you know what the doctors said. I'm never going to compete again."

"Sweetheart, look at me for a second." She reached up to touch his face, carefully wiping away tears with her thumb. "That doesn't matter."

"But—"

"You matter," she said. "Everything else is secondary. Nothing that happens in our lives is going to change how I feel."

"You said you'd be with me as long as I wanted you to."

"I did, and I meant it. It's just as true now as it was when I said it the first time. Maybe even more so, actually," she told him. "You remember what you said you wanted?"

He sniffled, and then whispered, "Forever."

"Forever," she agreed. "We know what that means, don't we? You're going to be stuck with me for a long time, so try to stop worrying about it, okay?"

"Okay," he said.

She pulled some toilet paper off the roll and passed it to him so he could wipe his eyes and blow his nose. He reminded her of a little kid, with his wide eyes and messy hair, and only his fingers poking out from the cuffs of his too-long sweatshirt sleeves.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, wanting to steer the conversation into less weighty territory. "If you are, I'll make you something. Then, maybe we can go and have your knee seen to."

"At this hour?" he said.

"The emergency department is open twenty-four hours a day."

"Can you make me peanut butter toast?"

"You and your peanut butter toast." She smiled. "Of course I can make you that. Then, will you let me take you to get checked out?"

"Yeah," he acquiesced. "I don't want to go to the hospital, but I'm really uncomfortable, and the only thing we've got here is ibuprofen. Maybe if we go there, the doctors can give me something stronger."

That's one of the problems with doctors, she grumbles to herself, as she steps away from the coolness of the hospital room's window. They're far too willing to give you something stronger. Their first instinct is to fill you full of drugs, mask the pain, numb your body and your mind so you'll forget it and stop complaining. Fucking dangerous bastards.

Except, people don't forget. Not really. All those chemicals are only a temporary measure.

She goes back to her chair, but she doesn't sit. Standing next to the bed, she looks down at Nikolai who is curled on his side, sound asleep. A nurse or care assistant came in at some point and put a pillow between his knees — to help relieve pressure, they explained — and Nikolai hadn't even stirred. That was a result of the medication, of course. He isn't normally a heavy sleeper.

She studies his face, serene and untroubled in repose. The visible tension in his neck and jaw seems to have disappeared, and the tiny permanent crease between his eyebrows looks mostly smoothed out. She's glad he's resting, even if his sleep is induced by painkillers and an anti-anxiety pill.

Initially, she and Nikolai had both balked at what the emergency room doctor referred to as "mental health medications." When the doctor started talking about suicide intervention and mental health evaluations and a possible referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist. Beth-Anne could tell Nikolai immediately regretted admitting to the man that his injured leg wasn't the only thing that was bothering him.

"I think it would be in your best interest," the doctor said.

"No. I don't want that," Nikolai said, and Beth-Anne was gratified to see a spark of emotion in him that wasn't sadness or defeat. He was clinging to her hand for dear life and it was obvious to her that he was scared, but he was fighting for himself and, in her mind, that was a good sign. "I'm exhausted and in pain. I don't want to talk about my problems to a stranger, and I... I'm not going to hurt myself. I just want to sleep."

The doctor's lips thinned into a disapproving line, but then he sighed and said, "All right. I can give you something for pain, and something to help you sleep, but I would like to admit you to the hospital for observation for the next twelve to twenty-four hours. And I think we need some imaging on that knee in the morning."

In the end, Nikolai agreed, although he was clearly not happy about having to spend the rest of the night and possibly the entire next day in the hospital. He was even less happy when the doctor informed Beth-Anne that she could accompany him to his room but would then have to leave, since visitors weren't allowed to stay the night.

"She promised she wouldn't leave me," Nikolai protested. "She has to stay."

"I don't make the rules, I'm afraid," the doctor said. "Ma'am, you will have to leave, and—"

"Like hell I'm leaving," Beth-Anne cut the annoying man off. "As long as Nikolai is here, I'm here."

"I don't think—" the doctor began.

"Look," Beth-Anne gave the doctor what she hoped was her best intimidating glare. "You want to keep him for observation, right? I know how it works around here at night. They don't observe shit, because they're all too busy watching reruns of Golden Girls and doing crossword puzzles at the nurses' station while most of the patients are sleeping. So, if you really want to observe him, leave the job to someone who actually gives a fuck."

"Ma'am, I understand that you're concerned about your son, but—"

She didn't bother to correct him about her and Nikolai's relationship. He probably wouldn't have paid attention anyway.

"You're damn right about that," she said. "A hell of a lot more concerned than anybody else around here. So, go ahead. Try to make me leave if you really want to, but I'm telling you right now, if I'm not here and something happens to my boy on your watch, there's going to be major hell to pay."

The doctor was quiet for a handful of seconds, and appeared to be taking a measure of her, maybe trying to figure out whether she needed his so-called mental health medication more than Nikolai did.

At last, he said, "Very well. We'll make an exception. Just this one time."

"Thank you," Beth-Anne said. "I'm glad you're able to see it my way."

A man around Nikolai's age, outfitted in burgundy scrubs and impossibly white sneakers escorted them into the wide elevator, up to the fifth floor, and into what would be Nikolai's room for the night. It was pretty much what Beth-Anne expected; scuffed white linoleum floors, yellowish-beige walls reminiscent of the shade of cat vomit, a tall, narrow bed with a pitifully thin blanket, and a chair that looked as if it was designed specifically to make people squirm after five minutes of sitting in it.

She'd seen enough rooms like this to last her a lifetime, and the memories made her shudder. She suppressed them as quickly as she could. The last thing she needed was to start thinking about Jason or her father or grandmother. She told herself she could fall apart later. This was not the time.

A nurse arrived just as the man in the burgundy scrubs was leaving. She was young too, perhaps in her early thirties, with gorgeous dark skin and her hair done up in dozens of intricate little braids. She reminded Beth-Anne of one of her former lovers, and Beth-Anne immediately felt reassured by the other woman's presence, ridiculous as that was.

The nurse's ID badge identified her as Peace Adebayo. The woman's name was Peace. Inexplicably, Beth-Anne felt the urge to cry.

Nikolai was not nearly as impressed with the beautifully-named Peace. He whined about having to put on the hospital gown she gave him, and whined even more when she fitted a brace around his knee exactly like the one he'd had to wear after his initial injury. Then, as Peace was settling him into bed, he complained about the scratchy blanket and grumbled his speculation that they'd probably serve runny eggs and weak tea for breakfast.

"You're hard to please, Mr. Pavlenko," the nurse commented, her delivery more amused than admonishing.

"He's usually not like this," Beth-Anne said. "He's actually very sweet."

Nikolai scowled. "I'm not in the mood to be sweet right now, and a hard bed and bad food aren't going to convince me to be any sweeter."

Any other time, Beth-Anne might've scolded him for making such a fuss, but this time she was inclined to be indulgent. "I don't think there's much we can do about the bed, but maybe if we ask really nicely, Stan or Ginger will sneak you a coffee and a breakfast sandwich in the morning," She added in a stage whisper. "Don't tell the nurse."

Peace looked like she was trying not to laugh, but Nikolai appeared to have missed the humour. "Are you going to call them?" he asked. "Ginger and Stan?"

"I will," Beth-Anne said. "When the sun comes up."

"And my parents?"

"If you want me to."

"Yes, and my sister, please."

It wasn't lost on her that he hadn't included Anya in the list of people he wanted her to call. In an ideal world, it should have been Anya here at the hospital with her husband, but unfortunately, they did not live in an ideal world. It was probably just as well, Beth-Anne supposed, because she didn't think she could trust herself to be civil when it came to Nikolai's wife. In fact, she'd like nothing more than to metaphorically rip the younger woman to shreds, so perhaps it was better if Anya didn't come anywhere near.

She held Nikolai's hand while Peace gave him a shot of something in his upper arm.

"That should take effect in five to ten minutes," she said. "I need to see to other patients now, but if you need anything, you can press the call button and someone will come around."

Beth-Anne nodded and thanked her.

In reality, it'd taken less than five minutes for whatever had been in Peace's needle to take effect. Nikolai was asleep before Beth-Anne even had the chance to tell him goodnight, and then she was left alone with her thoughts.

Never a good thing, being left alone with my thoughts.

She sat in the plastic chair for nearly an hour, holding Nikolai's hand while he slept because even in sleep his fingers were locked around hers. It was only when he rolled over that he let go of her, freeing her to get up and pace the room.

That's what she's doing again now, walking back and forth from the bed to the window. She glances at the time display on her fitness tracker. The luminescent numbers declare that it's 4:37 a.m.

Only another hour, and then I can call Stan.

A notoriously early riser, Stan wouldn't mind a call from her at half-past five in the morning. It certainly won't be the first time she's phoned him at that hour, and she suspects it won't be the last.

Stan isn't a hugger, but the sound of his voice often feels like a hug to her. The lyrical cadence of his Czech-accented English and his calm, confident tone feel like the emotional equivalent of a lullaby and a blanket and the knowledge of being warm and safe indoors while a winter storm rages outside. She needs that right now, because despite how composed she may seem on the outside, she's a stormy mess on the inside. She needs to be anchored, and if anyone can do that, it's Stan Kovac.

From the day they'd met, he'd been an anchor for her in both big and small ways, and he'd never given up on her, even when it seemed almost everyone else had.

It was Stan who rescued her, saved her from herself during the darkest period of her life. After Jason died, after her accident, after she'd ruined her skating career and everything was going so horribly wrong, Stan was the one who was there for her. He'd listened to her, advocated for her, and applied enough tough love to push her off the path of self-destruction she'd been on and back to the straight-and-narrow.

He'd even encouraged her to reconcile with her mother, although that was one subject on which he would never persuade her to agree. That bitch had wanted to pull the plug on her own son, and Beth-Anne vowed she would never forgive her for that.

The fact that Jason had passed anyway was not the point. He'd deserved the chance to fight until he couldn't fight any more, and the idea that his only parent didn't want to grant him that chance, however slim it might've been, was something Beth-Anne could not overlook. Perhaps if she'd wanted to show him mercy and kindness, Beth-Anne would've understood, but the twisted expression of disgust on Claudia Jones's face had held no compassion in it.

"The sooner you pull the plug, the sooner he goes to hell," Claudia had said, and Beth-Anne hated her. She'd never hated anyone before that, and the white-hot rage that rose like a tidal wave inside her made her wish she didn't hate Claudia either. That kind of emotion was too powerful to control.

So, instead of controlling it, she tried to dull it with alcohol. That worked for a short time, until she got blind drunk one afternoon and rode her bicycle off a bridge.

It was a small country footbridge with a flimsy rope railing that wasn't enough to impede the trajectory of Beth-Anne and her bike. To this day, she's not sure if she really meant to do it. She can't remember if riding over the edge had been her plan all along, or if she'd changed her mind at the last second but was too late to stop herself.

The drop to the stream below the bridge wasn't far, perhaps three metres, but the water in the stream was low from lack of rain that summer, and she'd been going at speed. She landed on the rocks, and the world around her went mercifully black.

When she woke up, she was in the hospital and Stan was with her. He barely left her side for the first few days, and when he did have to go, he made sure somebody else she trusted was there. His wife, or one of Beth-Anne's friends from the rink.

He never called Claudia, because he knew.

Beth-Anne returns to her chair, and this time she lowers herself into it instead of turning and going back to the window. There's a twinge of discomfort in her hip. Sitting down might not make it better, but more walking will definitely make it worse, so she resolves to rest for a while.

Nikolai shifts position in his sleep. He whimpers a little and stretches out his hand reflexively. Beth-Anne catches it in hers.

"I'm here," she says, even though she's fairly certain he's too out of it to really hear her.

Nikolai, I swear I won't let what happened to me happen to you.

Hatred, bitterness, anger, grief, guilt, fear... they're all a toxin to the soul if they're not kept in check. Even one of them can destroy a person from the inside if it grows too strong. And she should know. They've all tried to poison her.

Beth-Anne understands that she can't choose anything for Nikolai, can't tell him what to think or how to feel, but one thing she can do is support him. She can remind him that he doesn't have to tackle any problem on his own, and maybe if he doesn't lose sight of that, he won't stray down the same treacherous road that she did.

#writing #the art of redemption #theartofredemption #beth-anne jones #nikolai pavlenko #tw suicide mention #tw alcoholism mention #tw mental health #tw hospital #tw injury #stargazersims

16 notes · View notes

elysiancaim · 6 months ago

Text

✧ WANTED CHARACTERS

✧ Ensemble Stars ✦ Knights ✦ Eichi ✦ Eden ✧ Fire Emblem Three Houses ✧ Final Fantasy 7 ✦ Angeal ✦ Reno ✦ Cissnei ✦ Elena ✦ Barret ✦ Reeve ✦ Tifa Lockhart ✧ Mo Dao Zu Shi ✧ Limbus Company ✧ Library of Ruina ✧ Honkai Star Rail ✦ Sampo ✧ Twisted Wonderland ✦ Trey Clover ✦ Kalim Al-Asim ✦ Lilia Vanrouge ✦ Heartslabyul ✧ Final Fantasy 14 ✦ Erichthonios ✦ Venat ✧ Fate Series ✦ Semiramis ✦ Apocrypha cast ✦ EMIYA ✦ Shirou Emiya ✦ Kotomine Kirei ✧ Jujutsu Kaisen ✦ Yuji Itadori ✦ Nobara Kugisaki ✦ Megumi Fushiguro ✦ Shoko Ieiri ✧ Jojo's Bizarre Adventure ✦ Diamond is Unbreakable cast ✧ Genshin Impact ✦ Kaeya Alberich ✦ Wriothesley ✦ Hu Tao ✧ Honkai Star Rail ✦ Gallagher ✦ Silver Wolf ✦ Jing Yuan ✧ Disco Elysium ✦ Harry DuBois ✧ Dungeon Meshi ✦ Chilchuck ✦ Senshi ✦ Shuro ✦ Namari ✦ Falin ✧ Project Sekai ✦ Kanade ✧ Rune Factory 4 ✦ Frey

Join us in eternity. Death comes for all… But you will find peace.

𝐄𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐌 is an 18+ Discord MFRP that tells the story of your characters post their ��deaths” as their souls have been whisked away by “angels”.

And a special image from our Arash from Ensemble Stars...

#mfrp #discord mfrp #multifandom rp #discord rp #enstars rp #fe rp #ff rp #mdzs rp #project moon rp #hsr rp #genshin rp #twst rp #fate rp #jjk rp #jjba rp

2 notes · View notes

riccielena · 1 year ago

Text

Is that MONICA BELLUCCI? No, that’s just ELENA RICCI. They were born on 27/10/1680 and are a SIREN living in Northknot Town. They work as a ENGINEERING PROFESSOR. Some say they're HONEST and INTELLIGENT, but I’ve heard others say they're MANIPULATIVE and RUTHLESS. When you think of HER, don’t you think of THE SEA AT NIGHT, CLOUDY SKIES, & HARSH WAVES?

Name: Elena Noemi Ricci Nickname(s): Elle Birthday: October 27th Age: 344 (appears 40) Zodiac Sign: Scorpio Gender: Cis-Female Pronouns: She/Her Species: Siren Orientation: Bi-Sexual Occupation: Engineering Professor Faceclaim: Monica Bellucci

HEADCANONS

She moved to Northknot on a whim leaving her daughter, mother and a prestigious engineering job behind.

Her favorite color is blue like the ocean and she loves mozzarella sticks.

Elena has a hidden talent for playing the piano.

She is an avid collector of ancient or rare books.

She has a preference for dark, rich coffee and her to-go liquor is usually absinthe.

APPEARANCE

Elena exudes an air of timeless elegance and enigmatic allure. Her dark, flowing hair frames a face often set in a contemplative expression, embodying her signature resting bitch face with a certain sophisticated grace. Her wardrobe is a masterclass in gothic elegance; luxurious, dark-hued dresses and skirts in shades of midnight blue, rich burgundy, and deep violet. The fabrics drape with an almost fluid grace, echoing her siren nature. Her posture is regal, every movement precise and deliberate, as if she’s gliding through her own realm of refined mystery. The elegance is punctuated by her choice of accessories; subtle yet striking, like darkly ornate jewelry or a sleek, minimalistic watch.

AESTHETIC

Dark Academia - Harsh Waves - Cloudy Skies - The Sea at Night - Noir Academia - Gothic Romance - Ethereal Gothic - Mystic Sea

CONNECTIONS

Daughter The two are very close. It was just her and her mother growing up. Her father wasn't really in the picture. He was the only man her mother didn't kill because she thought he loved her. Turns out it was just a phase.

Mother The two are very close. It was just her, her sister and her mother growing up. Elena watched her mother kill their father and feed off of him as a toddler. The memory stuck with her her entire life.

BIOGRAPHY

TW: Murder, Violence

Born and raised in Italy, Elena lived a pretty normal childhood if you don't count the fact that she watched her mother kill and eat her father at a very young age, right around the time her younger sister was born; the memory stuck with her throughout her life. Other than the occasional murder, life was conventional for the small family of three. Her mother put her in dance classes outside of school and she would attend every recital. Their mother played an active role in her children's lives. That's why they're still so close today.

"Where the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind."

Elena was very popular growing up. She had many friends; most of them were scared of her. She has a very intimidating aura but she has a very giving spirit which her friends loved. She went on to become homecoming queen and prom queen her senior year of high school. She graduated at the top of her class and went to the University of Padua to study engineering. It was there that she met who she thought was the love of her life. It was when she got pregnant by him that he decided he wanted nothing to do with her. He switched schools one day out of the blue and was never heard from again.

"A warrior believes in an end she can’t see and fights for it."

She gave birth to her daughter her junior year of college. Although it was hard, she managed motherhood and school. She still ended up graduating top of her class and went on to work a prestigious engineering job. She worked in the field of engineering for the next three hundred or so years. Elena spent a lot of that time traveling, exploring new countries with her daughter. She’d stay for months at a time because she liked to really get to know her surroundings.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

After her travels, she settled down in Italy and got a job as an engineer and worked there for a few years. She was happy. Things were good for her there until one day her boss made her so upset that she killed him out of instinct. She fed on his body later that night. There was an investigation soon after. Elena was afraid that people would start pointing fingers at her so she left her position immediately and left the country. She heard that her sister was in Northknot so she decided she’d go there and see what she was up to. She came alone, not wanting her daughter to have to up and leave her life in Italy. She hoped to start over here.

#nktintro #tw: murder #tw: violence #wc #wanted connections

8 notes · View notes

hwmystery · 1 year ago

Text

complete dc murder spree victims list! murderers listed from fewest to most kills, and victims are listed in roughly the order they were killed, plus their method of death. rip.

tw for murder, death, blood, gore, etc below

lissa dragomir ( @drvcxrys - 4 total kills, officially caught by june @masqce ):

jedediah - killed by fire

beth washington - killed by slit throat

kirby reed - killed by gutting

kenna de poitiers - killed by neck-snapping

qi rong ( @tragcdysewn - 5 total kills, officially caught by L @lavendaers ):

wei wuxian - killed by stabbing

ellie williams - killed by exsanguination

lena luthor - killed by decapitation

esther mckinnon - killed by disembowelment

tantai jin - killed by strangling

kirsty cotton ( @withinthem - 5 total kills, officially caught by L @lavendaers ):

mickey milkovich - killed by a single gunshot to the head

jo wilson - killed by driving off a bridge due to swerving away from an "mysterious" incoming car and drowning

steve harrington - killed by multiple stab wounds to the stomach

jacen solo - killed by a single shot to the head

ashley graham - killed by a single shot to the head

vegas theerapanyakul ( @youllalwaysbemyporcelain - 6 total kills, officially caught by mia @coreofgold ):

blair waldorf - killed by stabbing

lan jingyi - killed by stabbing

shego - killed by a gunshot to the head

allison argent - killed by being strangled

fred weasley - killed by poisoning

sansa stark - killed by drowning

alec lightwood ( @hiddenpxpercuts - 7 total kills, officially caught by megan @flyaboveitall ):

benjamin - killed by poison

bianca di angelo - killed by stabbing

stu macher - killed by poison

steve rogers - killed by poison

rebekah mikaelson - killed by stabbing

jesper fahey - killed by poison

ragnor fell - killed by poison

albus dumbledore ( @mastcrmiind - 8 total kills, officially caught by J @papcrrings ):

faye chamberlain - killed by drowning

elena gilbert - killed by hit & run

enzo st john - killed by a stake to the heart

ash williams - killed by a gunshot to the head

emma gilbert - killed by drowning

gregory bridgerton - killed by a nest of wasps

james witherdale - killed by decapitation

james sirius potter - killed by four gunshots

richard gecko ( @strwbrrymccn - 10 total kills, officially caught by blue @purelybilateral )

calcifer - killed by stabbing

shen qiao - killed by choking

melissa glaser - killed by fire

ethan winters - killed by stabbing

aria montgomery - killed by a stab wound to the stomach

emily davis - killed by decapitation

sion val palpatine- killed by 15 stab wounds

harry potter - killed by being drained of all his blood

katherine pierce - killed by being burned alive

ahkmenrah - killed by being drained of all blood

jin guangyao ( @masqce - 11 total kills, officially caught by megan @flyaboveitall ):

ben skywalker - killed by a gunshot to the head

enjolras - killed by a push from a high building

patia por'co - killed by being shot

lan xichen - killed by stab wound to the chest

regulus black - killed by poisoning

sella palpatine - killed by a swerving car

maddie mckinnon - killed by getting shot

snow white - killed by suffocation

jin ling - killed by poisoning

tinkerbell - killed by stabbing

genya safin - killed by poison

coop halliwell - killed by being thrown into traffic

vex'ahlia de rolo ( @circleofstarrs - 13 total kills, officially caught by L @lavendaers ):

joel miller - killed by lighting

hu tao - killed by arrows

link lincoln - killed by fire

loquatius seelie - killed by impalement

pietro maximoff - killed by vines/strangulation

jie li - killed by stabbing

vanellope von schweetz - killed by an ambiguous car accident

nora reid - killed by salmonella

rosamund du prix - killed by brambles

serena van der woodsen - killed by electrocution

sprig plantar - killed by a falling tree

venti - killed by rabies

alice creel - killed by poisoning

mags flanagan ( @flyaboveitall - 16 total kills, officially caught by mia @coreofgold ):

feyre archeron - killed by a slit-throat

effie trinket - killed by drowning

addison montgomery - killed by 3 gunshots

max lightwood - killed by fully body skinning

xie lian - killed by dismemberment

leia organa - killed by decapitation

hua cheng - killed by dismemberment

lando calrissian - killed by neck snapping

charlotte la bouff-- killed by defenestration

qui-gon jinn - killed by multiple gunshots

sara lance - killed by stabbing

cho chang - killed by throat-cutting

musa - killed by being shoved into a wood chipper

rey - killed by gutting

xiao lanhua - killed by full body skinning

stiles stilinski - killed by stabbing in the neck and chest

henry creel ( @mischiefxmuses - 20 total kills, officially caught by june @masqce ):

sidney prescott - killed by stabbing

bonnie bennett - killed by being shot

samara palpatine - killed by strangulation

bella swan - killed by decapitation

sirius black - killed by drowning

mary macdonald - killed by throat-cutting

emmeline vance - killed by a gas tank exploding nearby

rosemary winters - killed by being shot in the head

shi qingxuan - killed by drowning

heron lyptus - killed by being thrown into traffic

azriel - killed by being impaled

wu xi - killed by being gutted

amber freeman - killed by strangulation

emmett cullen - killed by their heart being ripped out of their chest

aloth corfiser - killed by being shot with a single bullet to the heart

mai - killed by a snap of the neck

elijah mikaelson - killed by decapitation

yelena belova - killed by poisoning

theo crain - killed by being thrown off a roof [dropped character]

luna lovegood - killed by drowning

quentin coldwater ( @ofxscavengcrs - 20 total kills, officially caught by june @masqce )

salazar slytherin - killed by strangling

gale weathers - killed by lightning

riley biers - killed by stabbing

queen charlotte - killed by strangling

james t kirk - killed by stabbing

laurel lance - killed by strangulation

sarra palpatine - killed by choking

tak dongkyung - killed by strangling

jill roberts - killed by strangling

daniela dimitrescu - killed by strangulation

annie james - killed by being strangled to death

rapunzel - killed by strangulation

jj maybank - killed by choking

zhongli - killed by strangulation

annabeth chase - killed by strangulation

mac mcdonald - killed by stabbing

angel - killed by stabbing

rachel green - killed by strangulation

elain archeron - killed by being strangled

rikki barnes - killed by lightning

columbina ( @irresistiibles - 20 total kills, officially caught by june @masqce )

wyatt halliwell - killed by throat-cutting

callie adams foster - killed by strangulation

mobei-jun - killed by a shot to the head

dorcas meadowes - killed by blunt force head trauma

ouyang zizhen - killed by multiple stab wounds

lydia martin - killed by suffocation

albus severus potter - killed by having his neck snapped

childe - killed by dismemberment

david kostyk - killed by decapitation

ainsley whitly - killed by blunt head trauma

tenel ka djo - killed by strangulation

melody - killed by strangulation

helga hufflepuff - killed by decapitation

maggie rhee - killed by being drained of blood

anya forger - killed by decapitation

prince justin - killed by suffocation

liu mingyan - killed by suffocation

alice cullen - killed by decapitation

ling wen - killed by decapitation

cleo sertori -- UNREPORTED

our most murderous event ever, and all thanks to you. but it could have been far more murderous if your investigations didn't stop them, and that's also thanks to you <3 so wonderful job, everyone.

#hwmystery: death tally #hwmystery: final count #hwmystery: caught #long post tw #death tw #murder tw #gore tw #blood tw

8 notes · View notes

amphtaminedreams · 10 months ago

Text

Relevant on the Runway in the Run Up to Fashion Week: F/W23 through to Pre-Fall 2024 (Part 2)

-top to bottom: Boss RTW F/W23, Chika Kisada RTW F/W23-

-Bottega Veneta, top to bottom: RTW F/W23, pre-fall 2023, RTW S/S24, resort 2024-

-top to bottom: Brandon Maxwell pre-fall 2023, RTW F/W23, S/S24, resort 2024, Danielle Frankel RTW F/W23-

-top to bottom: Bronx and Banco, S/S24, DSquared2 RTW F/W23-

-Burberry, top to bottom: RTW F/W23, resort 2024, RTW S/S24-

-By Marlene Birger, clockwise L-R: pre-fall 2023, RTW F/W23, S/S24, pre-fall 2024, resort 2024-

-Carolina Herrera, clockwise L-R: pre-fall 2023, RTW S/S24, pre-fall 2024, RTW F/W23, resort 2024-

-L-R, top to bottom: Caroline Hu RTW F/W23, S/S24, Commission “-

-Cecilie Bahnsen, clockwise L-R: RTW F/W23, resort 2024, RTW S/S24, pre-fall 2024-

-Chanel, top to bottom: haute couture F/W23, resort 2024, RTW F/W23, S/S24, pre-fall 2024-

-Chet Lo, top to bottom: RTW F/W23, S/S24-

-Chloé, clockwise L-R: resort 2024, pre-fall 2023, RTW F/W23, S/S24-

-Chopova Lowena, top to bottom: RTW F/W23, S/S24-

-Christian Cowan, clockwise L-R: pre-fall 2023, RTW S/S24, F/W23-

-Christian Siriano, top to bottom: RTW F/W23, pre-fall 2023, RTW S/S24, resort 2024-

-Coach, clockwise L-R: resort 2024, RTW F/W23, S/S24-

-L-R, top to bottom: Commission RTW F/W23, S/S24, Cormio “-

-Cong Tri, top to bottom: RTW F/W23, S/S24-

-Coperni, clockwise L-R: pre-fall 2023, RTW S/S24, resort 2024, RTW S/S24-

-Courrèges, clockwise L-R: pre-fall 2023, RTW S/S23, S/S24, resort 2024, RTW F/W23 -

-L-R: Cult Gaia, clockwise L>R RTW F/W23, pre-fall 2023, resort 204, Dilara Findikoglu, RTW F/W23-

-David Koma, top to bottom: pre-fall 2023, RTW F/W23, resort 2024, RTW S/S24-

-Del Core, clockwise L-R: RTW F/W23, pre-fall 2023, RTW S/S24, pre-fall 2024, resort 2024-

-top to bottom: Di Petsa RTW F/W23, S/S24, L-R Dion Lee RTW F/W23, S/S24-

-Diesel, clockwise L-R: RTW F/W23, resort 2024, RTW S/S24, pre-fall 2024, pre-fall 2023-

-L-R, top to bottom: Dominnico, RTW F/W23, S/S24, Elena Velez “-

-Dundas, clockwise L-R: pre-fall 2023, resort 2024, RTW F/W23-

-Elie Saab, clockwise L-R: RTW F/W23, haute couture F/W23, RTW S/S24, resort 2024, haute couture S/S23-

-Emilia Wickstead, top to bottom: pre-fall 2023, RTW F/W23, S/S24, resort 2024-

-Erdem, top to bottom: pre-fall 2023, RTW F/W23, resort 2024, RTW S/S24, pre-fall 2024-

4 notes · View notes

elenavonkrolock · 2 years ago

Text

Jekyll & Hyde, Russia - Review pt. II

Saint Petersburg, Muzcomedy, 30.12.2022

cast:

Jekyll/Hyde - Roman Dryablov

Lucy Harris - Nataliya Dievskaya

Emma Carew - Elena Gazaeva

John Utterson - Aleksandr Sukhanov

Sir Danvers Carew - Andrey Matveev

Lady Beaconsfield - Manana Gogitidze

Spider - Alexey Shtykov

Nellie - Mariya Reshavskaya

Simon Stride - Vitaliy Golovkin

This was the second (and also my last) Jekyll & Hyde. (I’ll put a link to the review of the first day here:)

So once again I went to the theatre a bit earlier than necessary because I had two huge bags of presents with me that I still wanted to deliver. Just like the day before, I coincidentally met Elena in front of the theatre before the show and already gave her a new year’s present. This time we also met Nataliya before the show. Then I met up with friends and we used the remaining time to take some photos in the theatre. The interior and decorations there really are gorgeous. The show itself was just as amazing as the day before, so I’ll just sum up some of the differences. First of all, I didn’t sit in the партер but in one of the benoir lodges. The best thing about the first lodge of the benoir is definitely that several of the characters (for example Jekyll, Utterson and Emma) walk past you during the show. Unfortunately, the people in front of me were all rather tall and the person next to me was writing text messages and playing games on her phone with sound and bright display on, which was somewhat annoying but nevertheless, it didn’t bother me from enjoying the show and the experience of actors running past me multiple times). Apart from the different seat, the main difference was definitely that Jekyll / Hyde was not played by Kirill, but by Roman Dryablov this time. I have to admit I hadn’t seen a lot of him before, since he only started playing the role in 2021 but I was really impressed! While Kirill’s Jekyll seemed more introverted, work-focused, Roman’s portrayal was more of a sociable, loving man at first and he got visibly colder and more isolated over the course of the show. I also think his Jekyll showed a trace of regret for his distant, behaviour, especially towards Emma. Also the engagement scene was just adorable. Roman and Elena really had incredibly good chemistry and her portrayal of Emma also was a bit different than it was the day before (but just as great), so that their characters went perfectly well together. As I said, Kirill’s Hyde really embodies an evil, murderous killer, who, despite, a trace of insanity and rage, mostly strategically thinks about hus murders up to some extent, while Roman’s Hyde just goes wild. He was more of a savage, a maniac, driven by lust and fury. He legit scared me at some points. Kirill reminded me of a serial killer whereas Roma reminded me more of a beast. I enjoyed both portrayals though. Especially since I watched the show two days in a row I think it’s great that you don’t always watch the same musical over and over again, but there’s always something new and different and every performer brings a unique portrayal of their character on stage. Lena’s Emma was amazing again, in my opinion even more touching than the day before. Knowing that this was her very last performance one of her lines in the wedding scene «настал тот день и час, чтоб отпустить» (the day and time to let go has come) and during 'in his eyes' «будь горда, уходи, забудь о прошлом» (be proud, leave and forget about the past) really made it impossible for me to hold back my tears. And the whole ‘once upon a dream' and wedding ceremony left me with teary eyes as well. And seeing her tears at the curtain call just literally broke my heart.. Natasha’s Lucy was also great again,she was by the way the only one of the three main characters who didn’t have her last performance that day : ( One of my favourite scenes this time was definitely when during (I think it was alive) Hyde accidentally ripped off the belt of her gown and then returned it to her before dangerous game with the words “I think that’s yours”. The expression on her face was just priceless xD I also really liked Sukhanov as Utterson. And Manana’s Lady Beaconsfield was so entertaining! In general, the whole cast was great. Curtain call was really sad to watch, knowing it was the last performance of two of the main characters. Overall, everything was great though and I am so sad this beautiful show had to leave..❤️‍🩹

stage door: this time I luckily managed to get out of the theatre earlier, so we secured really good places at the stage door right next to the exit. I cried an awful lot because I just hate saying goodbye to all of these wonderful people, but fortunately my friends and Elena comforted me <3 and we still did some photos together. Also I had my programme signed by Elena and Roman✨

#jekyll and hyde #jekyll and Hyde musical #Джекилл и Хайд #Elena Gazaeva #Roman dryablov #kirill gordeev #Nataliya Dievskaya #aleksandr Sukhanov #Елена Газаева #Роман дряблов #кирилл гордеев #наталия диевская #Александр Суханов #european musicals #Russian musicals #rmt #European musical theatre #review #дих

9 notes · View notes

casspurrjoybell-17 · 1 year ago

Text

HEART'S FATE - CHAPTER 59

*Warning Adult Content*

What does it mean to come home?

In Martin Hunter's experience, it depends who's waiting for you there.

As a kid, getting out of school and going home meant relief, playing with his brothers and sisters, delicious food cooked by his mom or dad, the comforting drudgery of homework and the promised reward of video games or his favorite cartoons.

As an adult, home became a place of anxiety.

Would Elena be waiting for him?

What sort of mood would she be in?

What might she have said or done to the kids in his absence?

Martin's greatest fear, on the rare occasions when he was away for any extended amount of time, was that he would come back to find them gone.

Now, as his partner, Skylar West parks their rental car in front of their house and four small figures burst from the front door and race across the lawn to greet them, coming home is pure joy.

********

Back on the private island, Shanti had promised to visit Martin's family before returning to her own realm and let them know that all was well.

Miguel's wolf, too, had visited his father once more in a dream, in which he told him how proud he was of him and how he had saved them all.

After that, however, there had been only a few phone calls from hotel rooms, which Martin kept short to avoid ridiculous fees.

Speaking of fees, as soon as Shanti disappeared into the sea, leaving them behind on the island, reality had caught up to Martin and he had a minor panic attack over how on earth they were going to get home with no passports and no money.

Fortunately, Skylar had been wrong about himself.

He had lost his ability to transform, to swim like a fish and breathe water instead of air but he had not lost his siren's Voice.

A quick trip to the U.S. Consulate in Palermo and they had everything they needed, which was proof enough that Skylar's Voice retained it's unnaturally persuasive power.

One does not simply walk into the U.S. Consulate, announce that one has no identification of any kind, request a replacement passport and expect to be accommodated speedily.

With their papers in hand, they'd visited a few reputable dealers of antiquities and a jeweler or two and exchanged some Mer-salvaged treasures and pearls for cash.

Thus equipped, they were set to travel in style.

Skylar led Martin on a meandering tour up through Italy, across the top of Spain and into France, where they followed the western coast, keeping mostly to small towns.

Finally they struck inland for Paris and from there caught a first-class flight to San Francisco.

They rested there for a day, visiting the Museum of Modern Art and Fisherman's Wharf, before renting a comfortable car and heading for home.

They could have made the drive in a day but Skylar had one last place he wanted to visit, the beach near Bodega Bay where they'd camped with the kids, where they bonded and where Skylar first made contact with Natalis and his 'father.'

Skylar said he wanted to watch the sun set over the ocean one more time before he bid the sea goodbye for a while and to give them the closure of coming full circle through their strange ordeal.

"Will you miss it?" Martin asked, as the last gleam of the sun slipped beneath the rim of the horizon, where a thin band of lavender-hued mist separated a dark sea from the turquoise and tangerine sky.

They'd parked at an overlook atop a bluff at a place called Duncan's Landing.

Below them was the little cove in which they'd made love.

"The sea will always call to me," Skylar said.

"As a siren song in my blood. There will be times I can't ignore it, when I feel I must go mad if I cannot hear the waves and feel the salt spray in the air. Then I will answer it and come to a place such as this, to soothe my soul. But I won't stay long and I hope I will not be alone."

Martin leant against him and closed his eyes, letting the sea saturate his senses, the rhythmic roar of waves and the buffeting wind against his skin, carrying with it the occasional cool kiss of salted mist.

"Sounds a bit like being a wolf. After a while our human skin starts to feel too tight and we long for freedom and release, the simplicity of a wolf's mind, wild as the sea but devoid of human thought."

"Hmm. I wonder what would happen if you bit me," Skylar mused.

"Would I become like you or turn out a scaly mer-wolf monster? Or would I become something else entirely?"

Martin pulled away from him in surprise and Skylar laughed.

"A question for the future, maybe."

"Maybe."

Martin leant against his mate again, looping an arm around his waist and filling his lungs with sea air.

Personally, the less magic, mayhem and mystery in his life, the happier he'd be.

At least for a while.

Martin suspected that between Flora, Miguel, Nico and Rio, he had some mayhem in his future, at least and probably plenty of magic and mystery, too.

They'd spent a last night alone together, at a little bed-and-breakfast 'the rainbow flag flying from the porch of which told them they'd be welcome' before completing the last leg of their journey and arriving home.

********

"Daddy."

Smiling so hard his face hurt, Martin is tackled to the ground and buried beneath a miniature dog pile.

The kids haven't been this glad to see him in a long time and it reminds Martin how fast time flies.

When Flora and Miguel were younger, they loved to run all the way across the school's playing field to greet him at the end of each day.

They'd meet in the middle and he'd pretend to be knocked off his feet, then roll around in the grass while they smothered him in 'attack' kisses.

Pretty soon, he'll be cheering them on as they graduate high school.

First dates, first jobs, first cars, first loves, tears sting his eyes at the thought of how much he could have missed and how grateful he is to be here now.

"Why are you crying, Daddy?" Nico asks, concern pinching his little brow.

He'll be a handsome one when he grows up, a real heartbreaker, for sure.

"I'm just happy, sweetheart," Martin says, catching his breath and drawing him and Rio into a hug.

"I'm happy to be home."

At his back, Skylar kneels and rests a hand on Martin's shoulder where he sits on the ground.

"Me, too," Skylar says.

"Are you gonna stay this time, Mr. Sky?" Rio asks, tears streaking his own cheeks.

He's the most empathetic of the four and cries easily.

Martin glances at him over his shoulder and Skylar smiles at him.

"Yes, I'm here to stay."

********

"What about Papa Sky," Skylar asks later that night as they lie in bed together.

It had been a full day of catching up with the family, especially Martin's brother Noah and his partner, Ambrose, who while they offered to look after the kids again any time they needed, seemed glad enough to be rid of them after three weeks.

"They could still call me 'Mr. West' at school, if you like."

Martin laughs into his pillow, half drunk with lingering jet lag and the sheer relief of lying in his own bed.

Despite his best efforts, Skylar hadn't been able to get Nico and Rio to drop the Mr. from before his name.

"Sounds good to me," Martin says, rolling to face him.

Skylar leans in and kisses his lover .

"You taste like the sea," Martin says.

Skylar draws back.

"The 'sea' contains quite a wide variety, my dear. There's everything from the beach at low tide to the freshest zephyr on the open waves."

Martin smiles, touching the end of his nose to Skylar's.

"The latter, definitely."

"You taste like... Well, you taste like toothpaste and mouthwash," Skylar says.

"Utterly mundane, adorable and perfect."

"Better than dog breath," Martin grins.

Skylar snorts.

"Go to sleep, my beautiful, wonderful, wolf-hearted man. Tomorrow, we start anew and we have everything ahead of us."

********

It takes a while but day by day, peace returns to their lives.

For Martin, true peace comes to nest in his heart for the first time, for which he is more grateful with each passing day.

If Skylar isn't beside him when he wakes, Martin hears him in the shower or downstairs making breakfast for the kids.

And each night, they fall asleep in each other's arms, knowing that each breath they take together is a gift.

Skylar returns to work for the school but rather than art 'he confessed he couldn't remain an objective judge when it came to the children' he coaches swim team.

Meanwhile, Martin returns to my role as a stay-at-home dad, for the moment.

Not everything is roses, disappearing from the face of the known earth for several weeks comes with consequences, as his agent duly informs him.

The publisher dropped him, apparently, due to his lack of ability to meet their deadlines and the offer of an advance has been withdrawn.

For once in his life, Martin is not worried.

Money is meaningless to Skylar, he can literally scoop it from the sea... 'Or his family can, anyway'.

He is not about to rely on him for everything or stop doing his share but he's also okay with letting Skylar take care of him, at least for a little while.

Because at long last, after everything, Martin is finally willing to believe what everyone's been telling him all along.

He fucked up in the past but he doesn't have to let the past define him.

He's more than the sum of his failures and he deserves something good.

He deserves a break.

So, he embraces it.

He throws himself into long overdue home repairs, take notes for a new book inspired by their trip through Europe and shower the kids in as much attention as they'll tolerate.

Martin let the past go.

At least, until the past comes knocking, literally in the form of his ex-wife Elena, almost a month to the day since our return.

2 notes · View notes