#minejakey / ic .

[minejakey]

they've got the good fortune to be eating and living well- better than she ever could've dreamed. and, they've got each other. a whole two years of marriage behind them now. a whole lot to celebrate. and so, she's got a shiny fountain pen for her jake, engraved with his initials, along with a nice, new, pretty, blue journal for him. both of which are casually put in his hands (with a kiss on the cheek for good measure), before her arms are draped comfortably and lazily 'round his shoulders with a smile.

❛ happy anniversary, mister adler. here's to us sufferin' each other for many more moons t' come! ❜ / HHHOGUGHH !! T H E Y ARE SOOOO 😭💔

jake blinked in surprise , glancing down at the gifts in his hands before looking back up at sadie with a lopsided grin . fingers traced over the smooth surface of the fountain pen , then the fine leather cover of the journal , feeling the weight of them—both the objects themselves and the sentiment behind them . blue eyes softened , and a deep warmth filled his chest , making him feel even warmer than the crackling fire in the hearth beside them .

'' well , i'll be damned , '' he murmured , voice thick with affection . '' you sure know how to make a man feel special . '' he thumbed the engraved initials on the pen , swallowing past the lump in his throat . '' this is real fine . real thoughtful of ya . ''

he chuckled , reaching up to squeeze her hand where it draped over his shoulder , giving it a gentle , lingering press . '' ain't sure what i done to deserve you , but i sure ain't complainin' . ''

turning his head slightly , he pressed a kiss to the side of her wrist . '' happy anniversary , mrs. adler , '' he murmured , voice low and fond . '' here’s to plenty more years of you keepin' me on my toes . ''

[minejakey]

jake only grinned , blue eyes crinkling with that familiar warmth as he held her just a little longer , rocking her gently in his arms . voice , low and honey-smooth , carried over the crisp mountain air .

'' i reckon you got everythin’ just right . 'cause you wound up with a fool who can’t go a day without huggin’ his wife proper . ''

he finally set her down , slow and easy , like he wasn’t quite ready to let go . his hands lingered at her waist . he chuckled , the sound deep and soft .

'' and maybe i was feelin’ a bit cold , and you’re the warmest thing in this whole damn valley . ''

his nose was still red from the chill , that ever-present hint of soap and coffee clung to him . he smelled like home .

jake tilted his head , a teasing smirk playing at his lips . '' so , you complainin' , mrs. adler , or you secretly likin’ bein’ swept off your feet ? '' his arms were still half around her , waiting , like she might just need another one of those big ol’ bear hugs right about now .

jake is giving sadie a big ol' bear hug ! he lifts her off the ground slightly , tho . ( they're so special to me 💔)

━━━🥀━━━

❛ wh- put me down, ya damn fool! what are you doin'? ❜ a chorus of chuckling, loud, warm and fond, from her (not to mention her hands resting so easy on his back- just like they belong there, like this- and her staying so close) suggests otherwise. if she didn't know better, she'd wonder if this steadily reddening tinge to her face is owed to more than just the cold... ❛ and they say romance is dead an' gone! well, not while you're breathin', mister. what'd i get right, or wrong, to wind up with a big ol', lovin' softy like yerself carryin' me off ma damn feet, huh? ❜

[minejakey]

pressing her icy cold hands to the back of poor jake's neck:

❛ hoo-wee! it's colder than a witch's titty out there, ma honey. ❜ / HHHDJFH SHE IS SO WRONG FOR THIS !!

jake jolted upright with a yelp , nearly spilling the book he’d been reading onto the floor . shoulders scrunched up as the cold shot through his spine , and he twisted his head to glare at sadie , though there wasn’t a lick of real anger in his eyes—just startled indignation .

'' sadie , darlin' , what in the hell— ! '' he shuddered , reaching back to pry her hands off his neck . '' you tryna send me to an early grave ? ''

despite his protest , there was already a fond little smile tugging at the corners of his lips . he turned around to face her properly , taking in the sight of her .

with a sigh , he shook his head and set his book down on the nearby table . '' you est get over here before you turn into an icicle , '' he muttered , already reaching out to pull her in . jake was warm , always warm , like a living furnace .

[minejakey]

❛ you're gonna turn into a goddamn book one of these days, you know. ❜

swiping lightly at his, her jake's, shoulder, before resting her chin on it. trying to sneak a peek at his latest read with a smile, comfortable and fond.

❛ a damn bookworm! that's what you are, mister. ❜ / sCREAMING CRYIN SHAKING THROWIN-

jake chuckled , the sound soft and warm as he tilted his head slightly to nuzzle against sadie's cheek . he kept his finger on the page , though , unwilling to lose his place .

'' well , least i won’t be out gettin’ myself shot up like some folks i know , '' he teased , his voice carrying that familiar affectionate lilt . he turned his head just enough to look at her out of the corner of his eye , a playful glint in that deep blue gaze of his . '' besides , someone’s gotta balance out all that trouble you , go lookin’ for . ''

he let his book rest against his knee now , free hand coming up to give sadie's arm a light squeeze . '' and don’t think i don’t notice you tryin’ to sneak a peek . you could just ask , you know . ''

he smirked , letting her linger against his shoulder , knowing damn well he wouldn’t push her away even if he wanted to—which he didn’t . there was nowhere in the world more comfortable than right here , sadie's warmth pressed against him .

'' you mockin' me , mrs . adler , or you genuinely curious ? ''

[minejakey]

tag dump .

[minejakey]

jake lets out a deep sigh , rubbing a calloused hand over his face before leaning back in his chair . blue eyes linger on sadie as she works away at that damn repeater like it personally insulted her . he knows her well enough to understand what this is . it's the same reason she won’t say outright that he might be right . but he sees it in the way her brow twitches ever so slightly , the way her lips press together like she’s swallowing down the truth .

'' i know , honey-bunny , '' jake says , voice warm , slow like molasses . he reaches for the coffee cup beside him , ifting it to his lips before setting it back down with a quiet clink . '' i ain't sayin’ you’re wrong for it . most people ain’t worth the damn trouble . but i also know we can’t do everythin’ on our own . not out here , not forever . ''

he leans foward , resting his forearms on the rough wooden table between them . his hands , strong but gentle , clasp together as he watches her carefully . '' look , i ain't sayin’ we throw our doors open and invite every wanderin’ soul in for supper . but maybe , we don’t gotta fight this hard alone , sadie . ''

jake knows she hates it . it’s part of what makes her so fierce , so strong . but it’s also what makes him worry . he can take a few hits , sure , but the thought of something happening to her , of her stubbornness putting her in the kind of trouble even she can’t claw her way out of—it damn near makes his chest ache .

'' you know i’d do anythin’ for you , '' he continues , softer now . '' and if that means keepin’ this place runnin’ with just the two of us , then fine , i'll do it . but i just . . . i just don’t wanna see you worn ragged tryin’ to do everythin’ alone . that's all . ''

he reaches out , resting a gentle hand over hers where it grips the gun , giving her fingers a light squeeze . his touch is warm , steady , just like the man himself. . he gives her a small , lopsided smile—one of those smiles that usually gets her to soften , even just a little .

'' you don’t gotta say nothin’ right now , '' he adds , knowing better than to press her too much .'' just . . . think on it , yeah ? ''

JAKEY (@minejakey): '' we gotta trust somebody , sadie . ''

━━━🥀━━━

❛ so long as we got each other, we'll be fine... trustin' only leads to trouble. ❜ they sure ain't had no shortage of it lately, have they? a whole heap of trouble, from any number of fools- bandits, chancers, wagon snatchers... he's rarely wrong, her jake. and he's probably right on this. there's only so much they can do, on their own. without trusting in some other fool, or folks. not that she'll admit this, least not easy- not right now, anyway. maybe, probably, in the safety and security of the soft, quiet candlelight and his company. but, for now, she's hell-bent, brow furrowed, intent on cleaning (or, re-cleaning) the repeater for the umpteenth time today- despite its already being gleaming and sparkling fit enough to blind.

[minejakey]

jake grinned , heart swelling with the warmth of her words . sadie always had a way of making him feel like the luckiest man alive , even when she was joking about him being heaven-sent . the truth was , to him , she was his heaven—his anchor in a world that could often feel cold and unforgiving . but with her by his side , everything seemed brighter , softer .

he squeezed her hand back gently , their fingers entwining naturally , as if they'd always been meant to fit together this way . he let out a soft chuckle , a little bashful as he leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek , right where her smile still lingered .

'' ain't no other woman could've kept me goin' like you do . '' his voice dropped to a softer , almost affectionate tone as they started toward the cabin , the snow crunching beneath their boots . he felt her hand in his , and that little squeeze reminded him how much they had weathered together , through good times and bad .

he paused for a moment , eyes catching the way the faint light from the dying sun reflected off the snow , casting everything in a golden glow . it made him think of their ranch , how it was their little piece of peace in a world that could be far too harsh .

jake is giving sadie a big ol' bear hug ! he lifts her off the ground slightly , tho . ( they're so special to me 💔)

━━━🥀━━━

❛ wh- put me down, ya damn fool! what are you doin'? ❜ a chorus of chuckling, loud, warm and fond, from her (not to mention her hands resting so easy on his back- just like they belong there, like this- and her staying so close) suggests otherwise. if she didn't know better, she'd wonder if this steadily reddening tinge to her face is owed to more than just the cold... ❛ and they say romance is dead an' gone! well, not while you're breathin', mister. what'd i get right, or wrong, to wind up with a big ol', lovin' softy like yerself carryin' me off ma damn feet, huh? ❜

[minejakey]

jake chuckled , sound deep and warm as he gave her a little squeeze , still swaying her slightly in his arms . blue eyes , always so soft when they looked at her , crinkled at the corners with that easy grin of his .

'' i can bake things for ya , '' he murmured , the teasing lilt in his voice unmistakable .

hands settled at her waist , fingers pressing just enough to remind her he wasn’t quite ready to let her go yet .

'' besides , i ain't about to let my wife do all the spoilin' 'round here . i gotta pull my weight too , even if it’s just makin’ sure you got somethin’ sweet to go with your mornin’ coffee . '' he paused , tilting his head as a smirk tugged at his lips . '' 'course , if you wanted to count my charm as a proper sweetener , i ain't about to argue . ''

he chuckled at his own words , rocking her gently again , nose brushing against hers , letting the warmth of him soak into her .

jake let out a slow , contented sigh , finally loosening his hold just enough to press a lingering kiss to her temple . '' let's get inside ‘fore you start thinkin’ i'm tryin' to turn us both into icicles out here . ''

with one last squeeze , he finally let her go , though his hand lingered at the small of her back as he guided her toward the cabin , that ever-present furnace-like warmth of his never quite leaving her side .

jake is giving sadie a big ol' bear hug ! he lifts her off the ground slightly , tho . ( they're so special to me 💔)

━━━🥀━━━

❛ wh- put me down, ya damn fool! what are you doin'? ❜ a chorus of chuckling, loud, warm and fond, from her (not to mention her hands resting so easy on his back- just like they belong there, like this- and her staying so close) suggests otherwise. if she didn't know better, she'd wonder if this steadily reddening tinge to her face is owed to more than just the cold... ❛ and they say romance is dead an' gone! well, not while you're breathin', mister. what'd i get right, or wrong, to wind up with a big ol', lovin' softy like yerself carryin' me off ma damn feet, huh? ❜

[minejakey]

jake lets out a deep , contented sigh , chin resting atop sadie's hair as she nestled against his chest . his arms , strong and steady , tightened around her just a little , like he was holding on to something he never wanted to let go of . and truth be told , he never did .

'' mm , '' he hummed , a smile tugging at the corners of his lips . '' i don’t need much more warmin’ up after that , mrs. adler . if you ain't careful , i might just start thinkin’ this is how every evenin’ oughta go . '' his voice was low , a touch of mischief to it , but thick with sincerity . he let his fingers trace soft circles against the small of her back , his warmth wrapping around her like a shield against the biting cold .

her words played in his head , her faith in them , in him , settling deep in his bones , soothing some of those old insecurities he never quite shook off .

he grinned , soft and lazy , the kind that always had a way of reaching his eyes . '' i ain't tellin’ a soul that the infamous sadie adler actually likes bein’ swept off her feet by some big , lovin’ fool of a husband . '' his forehead pressed against hers , voice dropping to a whisper , warm and teasing . '' our little secret , yeah ? ''

his hands , calloused but gentle , roamed up her arms , rubbing warmth into them , before settling again at her waist . '' i'll put on some coffee , maybe read to ya by the fire . ''

jake is giving sadie a big ol' bear hug ! he lifts her off the ground slightly , tho . ( they're so special to me 💔)

━━━🥀━━━

❛ wh- put me down, ya damn fool! what are you doin'? ❜ a chorus of chuckling, loud, warm and fond, from her (not to mention her hands resting so easy on his back- just like they belong there, like this- and her staying so close) suggests otherwise. if she didn't know better, she'd wonder if this steadily reddening tinge to her face is owed to more than just the cold... ❛ and they say romance is dead an' gone! well, not while you're breathin', mister. what'd i get right, or wrong, to wind up with a big ol', lovin' softy like yerself carryin' me off ma damn feet, huh? ❜