#♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you.

[flownintothesun]

𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐍, 𝐖𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐃 '𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋' on Westley and Marin in particular...should probably know that their husband ( @batteredoptimist 's Muriel) is 6'8, loves them to bits and has several verses where he's a trained killer. Good luck. 😂😘♡

#killing luci is probably a valid life choice though tbh #➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson. #➤ 𝟶. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝙾𝙾𝙻 ┊ westley mccarthy. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 // 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐲 ┊ 𝑟𝑢𝑛 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝚆𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈 ⤷ calm my storms and make me brave ; do not go where i can’t follow. #➤ 𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙸𝙲𝙸𝙰𝙽 ┊ lucienne agosti.

[flownintothesun]

"I've seen enough," he says, "I know exactly what I want And it's this life that we've created Inundated with the fated thought of you And if you asked me to, if you asked me, I would lose it all Like petals in a storm 'Cause darling I was born to press my head between your shoulder blades At night when light is fading Just to let you know I'm old, waylaid and feels like I am wading Into carpet burns and carousels Christ, you'll be the death of me."

...oh, it's not fair. It's not fair how much I love you. ♡

 ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───    marin and muriel, as drawn by our wonderful @batteredoptimist ♡

#somewhere out there; marin is going to bed happily in love #happy birthday sweet girl #nonny did this one a bit earlier and #promptly made every bit of me go soft for them #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 // 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐲 ┊ 𝑟𝑢𝑛 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐃𝐘𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐘 : // 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ┊ nonny art. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐃𝐘𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐘 : // 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ┊ muriel bernardi. #suggestive cw #nudity cw

[flownintothesun]

A sappy little something from my pack to their loves over @batteredoptimist . They had an incredibly hard time picking only five each, for how can you contain your entire heart to a set of five songs? ♡

#♡ 𝙹𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂 & 𝙵𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙸𝚂 ⤷ like a night in the forest ; like the mountains in springtime ; like a walk in the rain. #♡ 𝙹𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂 & 𝚆𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈 ⤷ but i’ve no need for mighty deeds when i feel your arms around me. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝚆𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈 ⤷ calm my storms and make me brave ; do not go where i can’t follow. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙵𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙸𝚂 ⤷ and in the bad times i hear your voice. #♡ 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙸𝙴 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ and both shall row… my love and i. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you.

[flownintothesun]

an official request for @batteredoptimist 's James, Muriel and Rosie's hearts this Sappy Day.

                                                                    𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒,                                                                     𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑠, 𝑊𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑦 & 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛 ♡

#batteredoptimist #♡ 𝙹𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂 & 𝙵𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙸𝚂 ⤷ like a night in the forest ; like the mountains in springtime ; like a walk in the rain. #♡ 𝙹𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂 & 𝚆𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈 ⤷ but i’ve no need for mighty deeds when i feel your arms around me. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝚆𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈 ⤷ calm my storms and make me brave ; do not go where i can’t follow. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙵𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙸𝚂 ⤷ and in the bad times i hear your voice. #♡ 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙸𝙴 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ and both shall row… my love and i. #♡ 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙸𝙴 & 𝙵𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙸𝚂 ⤷ like the moon you pull me closer ; bathe my body in your lavender skies. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you.

[flownintothesun]

 ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───     "𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬." (𝐅𝐞𝐲!𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 @ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧)

                              ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── 𝟒𝟎𝟒 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. ( @batteredoptimist )

       𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐒, a wisp of a fox dancing through them in a stream of light with a tail like a comet —  everywhere, and simultaneously nowhere all at once. The humans tell tales of her now, though they haven’t quite gotten it right. They’ve started to worship her — bringing their offerings to the forest’s edge. She does not exist for or by their prayers and offerings — but she accepts them — and sometimes, she’ll show them beautiful things. Occasionally, she will insert herself between a malevolent spirit and a wayward human, and guide them home. She can’t help it — she seems to have developed an affinity for them, small and mostly helpless creatures, trying to form their colonies like ants. Most of them, she’s found, are good. And it helps that he loves them, too.

       If the goddess were to be partial to anything, she supposes — it should be the forest and the animals within, which she is meant to and does protect. It should be keeping the magic here — so creatures like her beloved can thrive alongside the ones that do not harbor a more elusive kind of magic — only life. Oftentimes, people fail to realize that life is its own kind of magic — and while death is considered an ugliness, it, too, is beautiful. Everything shifts and cycles, and very little stays the same. She finds her beloved in a mess of moss and limbs, regaling stories to her. “Is that so?” she asks, in a language that is older than the human colonies encroaching upon the forest.

      Amusement punctuates her tone as fox becomes no more than a wisp of light, wiggling under his moss and branches until the goddess takes a more appealing form. Almost human — milky skin and succulent curves — eyes green save for a hint of blue, freckles across her cheeks and shoulders, plush red lips, and antlers crowning her head. She does this with his head cradled in her lap as she lovingly begins to stroke the moss on his face. She doesn’t feel time like the rest of the world does — it’s not quite so well laid out. But she does know that when he’s gone, she misses him terribly — and the forest goes quiet and more dormant. “You’ve chosen this form today, lǝᴉɹnW?” She softens at the thought. His kind are connected to nature just as much, if not more than she herself is.

        Her trickster changes shape then — into something that is not a raven, and decidedly not a man, either. She accepts the change gracefully — and oh! The games they play! — and immediately, she starts to preen his feathers, as a mate might. They are not that. That is too small for what they are. There haven’t been words invented in the human language to describe the bond between she and her Fey lover. “I like this one,” she muses. “And what about me, lǝᴉɹnW? Shall I one day become a siren so that you can fulfill yet another adventure? Shall I lure you in with my song and steal your connection to the river?”

       Her raven grins lopsidedly with an almost human mouth as she teases him. “I’ve missed you,” she offers. “With all this talk of sirens, I presume you were near the sea. I’ve never been to the sea.” He knows that. He knows most things. And she knows that with one arm not fully shifting, that he’s been hurt. Tenderly, she presses a hand to the arm in question. Since she’s met him, her magic has swirled both green like nature, and golden like his eyes, rather than the dull silver of before. She knows his role. She knows that he is the shield. She knows that neither of them are wholly invincible. Nothing is. Such is nature itself — unpredictable and sometimes peaceful, sometimes violent — but always, always beautiful. Like him. “They’ve started to speak in the human tongue, you know — my ravens. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

#batteredoptimist #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 ┊ 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑢𝑝 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔? #mythology cw #therianthropy cw

[flownintothesun]

wind howls in my hair; the world stops when you come this near. starlight on your skin ; the sky sways as you pull me in. and i... i want to swim in your ocean. i... want to know how to love again. take me into your arms...siren's call... how fast i fall beneath your waves. no storm can take my eyes from you. crash down to my knees. their fears and hopes flood over me ... your hands find my own and shows me that i'm not alone. now i'm diving deep in your ocean. i see the way to redemption.

#➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson. #a reminder that this is marin's voiceclaim #and my lovely girl deserves to feel like this #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #♡ 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙸𝙴 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ and both shall row… my love and i. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘 ┊ 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖'𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑦.

[flownintothesun]

 ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───    [ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 ] 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 (𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 @ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧)

                          ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 & 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡. ( @batteredoptimist )

       𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐎 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 that part of her still thinks that she’s dreaming of Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. But there are little details that draw her to reality — the little flecks of gold in his eyes, like treasure — the way his grin is a little lopsided and nevertheless roguishly handsome. Calloused fingers trace along her spine — and she can’t be certain whether he’s playing her like a well-beloved instrument, or reading her like a favorite book. Either way, he seems to genuinely love her in a way that goes beyond surface level. If she hadn’t been thoroughly disabused of the notion of God, she might think it’s a miracle. Like any other little girl, she’d been privy to the fundamental information that a prince’s job was to scale the tower and save the princess. Marin’s never been a princess — but with him, she can’t help but feel like one. It’s not because of all the flashing lights of cameras he’s warned her about — nor the glamour and glitz of who he is or what material things he can provide her. He could be just as insignificant as she is — and still, she’d feel like the luckiest girl in all of the world to be at his side. His girl.

      Seaglass eyes meet his and she offers a tentative smile back to him. Yes, she’s a bit nervous — but she has been every step of the way so far, and he hasn’t steered her wrong. It’s just that it’s hard to believe that after everything had gone so wrong for so long that all of a sudden — everything has turned around and is now going perfectly right. It’s better than perfect. This is real, tangible, something — no, someone — that she can hold, that she can pour her love into, and that will love her right back. She’s not naive enough to believe that things will always go right. But she’d like to think that maybe when they’re going wrong — that at least they won’t be alone. They’ll have each other. She never needed perfect — just wanted safety, just wanted home — for her and for her son. Marin’s seen firsthand the cruelties that the world has to offer — it’s only now that she gets to experience its joys. She wants so badly and desperately to believe in this that she hadn’t put up a fuss when he’d offered her a collar — a thin gold band that clasps with a butterfly and a small teardrop-shaped diamond. It doesn’t feel cumbersome or heavy — it doesn’t feel like a cage. Instead, it feels like stepping into a warm bath that smells of honey and sandalwood and musk — the scent that she gets with her nose buried against his neck. The scent that guides her back to him, back home, at every turn.

      She’d worried in the beginning that he would shape her into something that she isn’t. His life in the spotlight is not the life that she’s accustomed to. Everything she’s earned, she’s had to work her ass off for — and even still, it wouldn’t have been enough for she and Ronan to make it on their own without Mr. McCarthy’s kindness. Strangely, the new clothes that she’s wearing, the diamond around her neck and all of the other material things he’s gifted her don’t feel strange or foreign. She’d dressed up to the nines, of course, with Dominik — but the intention there had been clear. Here though — she finds that she wants to look nice for Muriel as well as for herself. And she wants to give him this — a good first impression. She knows the press will say they’ve moved too fast. She knows that they’ll come up with a million reasons a girl like her doesn’t deserve him. She’s ready. She can take on the world as long as she gets to keep him.

     Lacing her fingers through his much larger free hand, she brings it to her lips and kisses, careful not to smudge her lipstick, “I’m going to be all right,” she assures him. How strange to have so much change at once — him thrust into fatherhood, and her into a spotlight. In the back of her mind, there are still twinges of fear and what-ifs that are by no means insignificant. But with his hand in hers, she thinks she can do anything — she can be brave. “I’m ready now, love.” I’m going to make you so proud.

#batteredoptimist #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 ┊ 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑢𝑝 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔? #omegaverse cw #parenting cw #children cw

[flownintothesun]

 ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───    𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 (𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 @ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝!𝐀𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐮𝐦)

                          ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬.  ( @batteredoptimist )

       𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 — to lips peppering her skin with kisses... to the warm and gentle comfort of her husband surrounding her, treating her with kindness, with beautiful words that she’s not awake enough to do anything but murmur a slurred ‘no, you’ to. Because unfortunately, no matter how many times you do it, waking up before the sun is never particularly easy work — but soon enough he’s turned small grumbles of protest into giggles as she scoots back up against him, craning her head to kiss him properly. Long gone are the days of being self-conscious in the morning when kisses don’t taste their best. “Mm,” she mumbles against his lips, her eyes still more closed than open and the room pitch dark — “Time is it?”

      Early enough that that jackass of a rooster hasn’t started crowing yet. Early enough that an alarm hasn’t gone off, and definitely early enough that there hasn’t been enough sleep — but there so seldom is with a small human to get ready for school, and an entire farm to run. Mam’s been putting in long hours at that shitshow of a place, and that leaves Marin pretty much on her own to handle both their own hellions, and any additional animals that might get brought in from a farmer. Everything’s going to change soon, mam’s getting out of there soon, and they’ll have their hands full with the Francis and Rosie she’s heard so much about when the phone line is working.

      They’ve all made her mam’s time away work — Muriel gets breakfast ready and gets Saoirse sent off while Marin’s already down on the farm with her mud boots. Papa meets her at the gate, and drives her the thirty minutes or so to school. Bless him — they live so far away that they’re lucky Saoirse had been accepted into the nearest school, otherwise they’d only get her home on the weekends. And they’re even more lucky that Papa doesn’t mind driving. Not that Muriel would, either — there’s just always so much to do. Maybe Rosie or Francis will have a knack for farm work — tending the garden or helping with the animals or helping Muriel clean up the shop.

     Mama and Papa are around a lot, and Mama picks up a lot of the cooking weight, but Marin can tell that Muriel’s trying to take some of the strain of that off of her as she’s getting older. He’s a good man — a good husband to Marin, a good Papa to Saoirse, and a good son to Mama and Papa. But it leaves — just — so little time that Marin’s not at all surprised when Muriel tells her that it’s just before three in the morning. Dawn comes frustratingly early now at around three thirty and then the Colonel will have all and sundry awake.

     She rolls over into Muriel’s arms, craning up to kiss his neck. He’s so warm, and his pulse is fluttering fast — just like a hummingbird. Now that she’s rousing more, she’s thinking more on his words — how much they mean to her. Muriel has been by her side for the better part of her life now. It’s hard to imagine a day without basking in the sunshine of his love — how many people are lucky enough to meet the love of their life when they’re just a kid, after all? But she’s never taken him for granted — has always known just how fortunate she is to call him her husband, Saoirse’s papa. “You know I love you, don’t you?” she murmurs against his humid skin as her fingers skirt against his hip.

       They’re not — well, they’re not officially trying for another baby. Things are chaotic around here, and everyone knows it. It’s just — they’re not exactly being proactive in preventing it, either. And, well, all right, yes, she supposes they are trying a little bit. She gasps as his hand presses into the small of her back — she’s sensitive there. He knows she’s sensitive there. “Now, that’s no fair, love,” she teases, “I was trying to be romantic. You don’t get all of the glory. I get to love on you too,” she says, craning up to kiss his lips and nuzzle against his nose, “You know, part of that marriage thing that we did. The whole forever bit. I’m going to love you forever.”

#batteredoptimist #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 ┊ 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑢𝑝 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔? #pregnancy cw #suggestive cw #parenting cw

[flownintothesun]

 ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───    ‘ ❛ 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. ❜ (𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 @ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭) 

                        ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 & 𝐭𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬.  ( @batteredoptimist )

       𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 that were there before — that she is uncertain will ever come back. When Marin closes her eyes — she can still imagine the sun. She had been thirteen, and Muriel had been fourteen when Mama and Papa had packed them into the car and prayed like hell that it would make it safely to where they were going. They didn’t have a GPS — Mama had been the co-pilot and was reading a map the old-fashioned way. At the time, Marin had likened it to pirates, searching for treasure. They’d packed a feast of a picnic, and she and Muriel had been so excited and Mama and Papa hadn’t said where they were going but Papa had kept mentioning that it’s not often you get sunny days in England.

       They’d passed through the busier sections of London until they were out of the city entirely — sandwiched houses growing spaces between. She’d been so young then — and she’d known that even with his grades in math and science — they would always come back home. She had been okay with that — loved Mama and Papa dearly, desperately — and they had loved her, too. But, she’d thought — a quiet space like this could be nice, too. Never mind that just a year later, all of those childhood dreams were gone. Anyway, they’d ended up at a beach that day — and the water had been like ice. Mama and Papa had secretly packed all of their swimming things — and Muriel had plucked Marin right up over his shoulder and ran with her into the water, absolutely fearless. She’d loved him forever, even then.

       But that lopsided grin, that boisterous, rowdy laugh that he’d get when he was happy, or playing football and trying to impress her — it’s gone too. That’s not to say that she has stayed the same as she once was. She knows that she’s broken. She also knows that to love him properly — she needs to let go of the childish expectation that they could ever be what they once were, and meet him where he is. He’d wanted to study math and science — wasn’t opposed to taking over the delicatessen. Wanted to make his Mama and Papa and old Mrs. Esposito and the rest of the community proud. Muriel Bernardi was such a light. Such a force of good. She’ll never forget that.

     Strangely, even with everything Claudio’s done to her — she doesn’t regret coming here. She may not be quite as brave as Muriel — but she’s always known that her place is by his side. He hadn’t needed her when they’d been younger, just wanted her. He needs her now.

      Too much time. They’ve been too much apart, and so much has change. He carries himself differently. His long hair is gone, and his honey-gold eyes have darkened. He sits in his brother’s chair in an office that still reeks of cigar smoke. And Marin knows that he doesn’t really want to be the next Claudio Renaldi, despite how readily he’d taken on the role. All this talk of killing people. All this scramble for control. She can’t blame him. His once clear skin is a battlefield of scars. And even though he still loves her in words, he’s hardly managed to look at her or touch her.

       Taking initiative, Marin twists the chair slightly, and climbs into Muriel’s lap. It’s strange to do it now without worrying about what Mama and Papa might think. But the two of them have been adults for a long time now — even if they hadn’t become so together, like they had hoped. The coldness he tries to give off doesn’t extend to his body, which is warm as she remembers it as she climbs to perch on the edge of the chair. Muriel won’t let her fall. She draws her hand under his chin and looks at him softly, before bringing his head to rest against her shoulder. He’s still so stiff as she pets his hair like she used to. It’s shorter now — and he acts the part of a wounded animal. Something that’s forgotten softness. She breaks Claudio’s rule, speaking to him in rusty English, “Even if we were the last two people on Earth, I know you’d take care of me. But...” she pauses. Claudio’s too fresh dead to calm Muriel’s rage. He deserves to feel his feelings, not shut them down. Her Muriel is buried in a minefield — and it’s her job to dig him out, to remind him that....“There is a world outside these walls worth being a part of, my love. Not everything is Positano.”

      It’s funny in a way, all of the beaches here are beautiful   — straight out of a travel brochure — though she’s rarely been allowed to see them. She’d give them all away to get the day back in the cold waters of the North Sea, dripping salt water and eating pasta with their family — before the casualties had been their childhood, rather than the Earth itself. She can’t bring herself to fear Muriel — never could, and never will. The only thing left for her to do is love him as they find what scattered pieces of themselves remain.

#batteredoptimist #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson. #murder cw #kidnapping cw #injury cw #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 ┊ 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑢𝑝 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔?

[flownintothesun]

 ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───    𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 (𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 @ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐱𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞)   

                        ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬.  ( @batteredoptimist )

       𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒, and if she moves too much — they rattle around and cut whatever is in the way. It would be better not to move at all — but she can’t stand the thought of not being close to him. The warm, spicy scent of his skin has turned to that of burned flesh. When he speaks the words: you saved me, it’s in thunderous booms instead of the distant promise of rain. He’s not okay. Her poor love needs someone to be strong for him for once. He’d hobbled his way to her, reaching out as though to scoop her up before thinking better of it. It’s okay, she knows she’s broken.

       The breeze is nice tonight. Not too cold from the rooftop as he slumps against the barricade, his chest heaving and that hummingbird heart of his — always so much more gentle than he lets on — absolutely pounding. Slow down, love, breathe. And then, he curls up beside her, cheek down in the dirt as he strokes her head and offers reassurance. They’ve become everything to one another — she and her Muriel. She feels much the same way. It’s going to be okay. It has to be.

      Dirty paws scramble for purchase — as she claws desperately at the old torn up asphalt and dust of the abandoned parking garage and drags herself toward him. He scolds her for moving, tells her that she’s hurt and she shouldn’t do it. Doesn’t he know by now that there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for him? Besides, she knows better than to think he’s down on the ground simply for her sake. The adrenaline’s tapering down out of his system, and he’s succumbing to his injuries. She gives a low whine that she has a sneaking suspicion that he can’t hear, as she curls against his neck, and laps gently at the lobe of one ear, again and again. If she had any sort of healing powers, he’d be good as new.

       Hey, I love you. You’re going to be okay.

       It’s dark enough now that she can’t be certain how badly he’s bleeding — and there’s no moon in sight. Maybe if every piece of her wasn’t screaming from the inside out — she’d connect the dots. Morphing from fox to human always feels a little bit like dying — so there’s no real way to differentiate between the two until she’s lying naked in Muriel’s arms — a girl, and not a fox — her hands clutched shaking and desperate into Muriel’s shirt. The thing in the night — the other — that had given her two forms apparently hadn’t gotten the memo to piece her back together again as a human girl. She pulls back, stroking his cheek, kissing his forehead. She’d save him every time — if only because that’s what they do. You saved me, too.

       Flipping onto her back is a monumental effort, and she winces as she does so. She doesn’t want to look at her body to assess the damage. Not now. She just....wants to...she just wants to hold him...

       She’s gentle as she moves him into her arms, against her chest. She can see where the tears had streaked down his beautiful face. She’d never wanted to see him cry. His beautiful music. What’s going to happen to his love affair with the beautiful hummingbird guitar? His career with Coco? Coco. She paws at his pocket until she can pull out a cracked phone. Luckily, it works well enough to put in the pass code (being a fox has its advantages) and open to the background of a photo of her draped over his shoulders as a fox — like a blanket of protection. She finds Coco’s number and dials, setting the phone down on the ground. She still can’t speak. He can’t hear. Still, his boss will come — and even if she ends up back in Dominik’s grasp — at least she’ll know that he’s safe. Some things are worth selling your soul for, and Muriel Bernardi is worth more to her than even that.

#batteredoptimist #➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 ┊ 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑢𝑝 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔? #injury cw #blood cw #therianthropy cw #shapeshifting cw

[flownintothesun]

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍 :

⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── with all of the love to nonny's ( @batteredoptimist ) muses, as always and as ever. of course i couldn't do a meme without mentioning my muses' darling loves.

#batteredoptimist #♡ 𝙹𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂 & 𝙵𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙸𝚂 ⤷ like a night in the forest ; like the mountains in springtime ; like a walk in the rain. #♡ 𝙹𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂 & 𝚆𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈 ⤷ but i’ve no need for mighty deeds when i feel your arms around me. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙵𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙸𝚂 ⤷ and in the bad times i hear your voice. #♡ 𝙹𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂 & 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝚆𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈 ⤷ however big ; however small… let me be part of it all. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝚆𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚈 ⤷ calm my storms and make me brave ; do not go where i can’t follow. #♡ 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙸𝙴 & 𝙵𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙸𝚂 ⤷ like the moon you pull me closer ; bathe my body in your lavender skies. #♡ 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙸𝙴 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ and both shall row… my love and i. #calling myself out for needing to make more tags >_>

[flownintothesun]

⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───    [ 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞 ]: 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬, 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 – 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝. (𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥)  

                ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── a closed one-shot for @batteredoptimist.

        𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐃, her nails grazing the side of Muriel’s hair soft and slow and tender. They move in a rose-colored syrupy haze — both naked, her back pressed against his chest, against his heart where he tells her she belongs. It had been meant to be a one-time thing, a distraction, and now she fears that it has become just that for them both — a terrible, wonderful, beautiful distraction — and one that can only end badly. And still, she smiles, because in this moment, he’s hers, and she’s his.

      For a couple of hours, it doesn’t matter that she’s a spy meant to blow up Coco’s stash and wreak havoc; and it doesn’t matter that he’s the man sent to stop her. Because she’s falling in love with him, and judging by the way he kisses her neck and ear, his heart flying and breaths still coming quick — he’s falling in love with her too. It’s the most dangerous game in the world, love, and now Marin has double to lose. She should be thinking about Rosie, about what Dominik would do to Rosie to punish her, to drive her mad with agony should he find out his favorite toy has found love in two arms that could steal her away, could get her out.

      And oh, she dreams of that. What would life with him be like if she told him the truth? If he donned the cape of her white knight and for once in her life she let someone else save her? Even as she thinks it, she knows that she can’t subject him to the chances of getting caught — not for her sake or his — Dominik would tear him apart, just another beautiful dream left shattered as he tries to leave Rosie now. But her girl is stronger than she knows, refuses to break, refuses to cease to love. But Muriel, handsome as he is, is not a pretty girl, and Dominik has no use for someone who messes with his stock. And Marin has no use for a broken heart full of grief and despair.

      And like that, the spell is over, and as ever, Marin’s smile ceases to be as she rolls over and kisses him — the taste of sex lingering on both of their lips as he nuzzles into her, wrapping those big, strong arms around her, putting ideas in her head as he draws her back and whispers, “Stay, bellissima...” his voice is foggy with the notion of sleep, and she wishes she could just do it, just stay, for him and for what they could become together.

      But the price is too severe, and so she untangles their bodies and gets up, traipsing dizzily to the shower, “Come on, моя любовь, come say goodbye.”

#batteredoptimist #➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson. #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #⋆ ⚓︎ ⋆ ── 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 ┊ 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑢𝑝 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔?

[flownintothesun]

⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───    ❝ 𝐢 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬. 𝐢’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭. 𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐢 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞. 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢’𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞, 𝐢’𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. ❞ 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 @ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧 

              ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── a legacy post for @batteredoptimist dated 19 January 2023.

            "...𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔," she says, her voice breaking as she looks up at him with eyes dripping eyeliner and mascara, forming blackened tears that streak down her cheeks as she wraps her arms solidly around him. “I’ve wanted you since I was thirteen years old. This doesn’t change that, Muriel, I’m just...” She’s shaking in his arms, a nervous wreck. She’s bloody well terrified is what she is. How is she meant to tell her mam? How is she meant to do this? “D-do you mean it? Do you really mean it that you’ll be here? You’re not g-going to leave me?”

        At sixteen years old, Marin Gunderson doesn’t do vulnerability — she’s a no-nonsense lass with a bright and playful spirit, perfect grades and the world at her fingertips. She and Muriel might not be the most popular kids at school, but they’re far from the least. They’re an it couple, been together since they were thirteen and fourteen years old — they’re nominated for king and queen at the spring formal — not that any of that matters. God, it’s amazing how fast things can change. Once, she was the school nerd — now she’s among the royals. But to be dethroned by this... to be stripped of a potential future. She’s so far from understanding what it even means.

       But she thinks she can make it through, thinks she can handle, if they’re in it together. Can overcome just about anything with her hand in his much larger one. “I love you...so much...” she sniffles, “But if you want out...if you can’t do this...” But at least this much she knows: Muriel truly is just as in this just as much as she is, whether he wants to be or not. Mama and Papa won’t let him back down from a responsibility like this. Already, he’s doing some apprentice type work with Papa, learning how to make a living, grow into what they call a respectable young man. Marin helps around the farm, too. Does more than she should probably be allowed, really, but she’s always had a natural touch for the animals. God, what does this do to veterinary school? To her mam’s business? “I’m so sorry, love...” she goes limp against him, finally caving into a large bout of tears, still holding the test in one clenched fist, “I’m so sorry.”

#batteredoptimist #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #pregnancy cw

[flownintothesun]

⋆ ✰ ⋆ ───    𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞 (𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 @ 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞) 

              ⋆ ✰ ⋆ ─── a legacy post for @batteredoptimist dated 6 January 2023.

         "𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔," her face is red with the words, red with tears, her bare chest blotchy with the same color, flushed with pleasure and with the agony that accompanies ‘goodbye’. And she’s angry with him for it all, or maybe she’s angry at the world. But ‘it’s not fair’ never did anything, and so she pushes back at him, her face set in determination, eyes sharp though they brim with tears.

     “ I hate the way you make me want to risk it all to find you again and I hate how reckless I become just to find solace in your arms. I hate the way you feel like home and how every breath of you is like I’m being brought to life. I hate how you make me question everything I thought I knew, and I hate how you make me want to believe that I could ever...”

      Seaglass eyes flash as she looks up at him, a woman in love with him, a woman made small and vulnerable by this thing that was supposed to be nothing, is quickly becoming half of everything.

      “...That I could ever have this,” she finishes softly, “That I could ever keep you.”        He doesn’t know the first thing about her in any way that matters — doesn’t know about the girl that she loves that deserves better than her being so utterly selfish, so damnably heedless. All he knows about her is the way that they taste like cigarettes and vanilla chapstick when their tongues meet. All he knows about her is that she says his name like a goddamned prayer as her nails dig into those strong arms. All he knows about her is that she’s far too careful to be this vulnerable, and yet the last time he’d spilled into her, she’d cried because she didn’t want to go.

        He doesn’t know the ocean beneath its surfaces, the currents that he’s swimming against when he calls her beautiful in a language that makes her shudder. He doesn’t know how bare he strips her when he peels off her clothes. He doesn’t know that he occupies her mind and that she worries for him when he’s not with her the same way she worries for her Rose when she’s out of sight. He doesn’t know just how dangerous this is. “Don’t tell me that you love me, Muriel. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” 

#batteredoptimist #♡ 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙻 & 𝙼𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽 ⤷ it’s not fair ; it’s not fair how much i love you. #➤ 𝚇𝚅𝙸. 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚃𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 ┊ marin gunderson.