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 Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2023 11:45 pm
It was now–he glanced at his watch–dead. His watch was dead.
“What was that about being water-resistant?” Tristan grumbled as headed inside the lobby of their building. The man at the front desk gave him a weird look, and he nearly scowled at him in all his discomfort.
He was drenched. Absolutely soaking wet from head to toe, and now freezing because of course the air conditioning was on since it was summer. Not to mention he just had a near-death experience and a run-in with a knight, and. Well. Suffice it to say he wasn’t exactly in the mood to be nice. But he bit his tongue and swallowed his misery.
Why? Because he had a question.
He walked over to the front desk, briefly wondering why their lobby didn’t have a clock on display before asking, “What time is it?”
“Half past eleven,” the man at the desk–Jaime?–replied.
“Thanks, James.”
“It’s Jaime.”
“Sure. Have a good night.” Tristan turned then, and headed for the elevator.
The ride up was long enough since they were on the top floor, longer still given his current state. Not to mention he was drawing a complete blank on whether Hannah was on shift tonight, so he wasn’t sure if he would be coming home to an empty apartment or not.
He was torn between wanting both, because he wanted to be close to her after everything he’d gone through for the night, but he didn’t want her to worry, either. Or maybe she would find it more amusing, which would be just fine, too, now that he thought about it. Amused usually meant generally happier feelings.
He mulled over his thoughts, shivering the whole ride. By the time he unlocked their door, he was hoping she was home.
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2023 2:02 am
Sound asleep on the couch with a quilted blanket made by one of her former patients laid across her lap while a book, fanned open to the last page she had been reading, hung over the back cushion. Normally there would be white noise playing but today exhaustion claimed her before the worries of the week could fill her mind. Falling asleep to sound meant that sudden silence would wake Hannah up, such as when she slipped into a dream-filled state while watching an episode of something with Tristan, her head on his shoulder when the TV turned off would wake her instantly. The same could be said for the other way around, if the house was quiet when finally she nodded off, then the slightest noise would startle her. Such was the case this evening. A soft click and hushed sweeping sound of the door passing over the welcome mat pulled Hannah from her slumber. She stirred and stretched her arms over her head as she then moved to sit up. “Hey,” she spoke softly. “Welcome home.” With the heel of her palm, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she rose from the couch to greet Tristain at the door. “What happened?” she asked, brows drawn together in concern. His damp pale hair clung to his face and his expression looked anything but happy. Hannah turned to look outside where it was dark yet dry out. “Did something happen during surgery?” Although he looked like he got caught in the middle of a golf field when the sprinklers turned on, she worried that something bad had happened at work and he had tried to take a shower at the hospital before coming home to calm down. Hannah reached out and with a gentle touch, cupped the side of his face with tender care.
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2023 9:33 pm
Absolute relief washed over him when she came to the door, and he smiled a bit weakly at her question. “No, just a bit of bad luck,” was all he opted to say, hoping she wouldn’t ask more. The details of everything would be difficult to dodge without outright lying, and he honestly just…hated the fact that he had to lie to her about this part of his life. It was a necessary evil, he knew, but still.
He wouldn’t, if he could help it.
Tristan leaned into her hand, eyes closing as he basked under her comforting touch. Her presence alone eased the irritation out of him, and all he felt now was loved, and safe, and home. “Suppose I should be grateful it didn’t happen in Fall, when the weather’s so much colder, but wearing wet clothes all the way home isn’t the most comfortable thing, either.”
Sighing, he opened his eyes after a moment and leaned down so they were eye to eye. His gaze softened as his smile turned apologetic. “Sorry to worry you. I’m alright, I promise. Could use a hot shower, though, and maybe some tea before bed.”
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Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2023 9:11 pm
Worry lines smoothed into an expression of compassion and understanding as she tenderly stroked his cheek with her thumb. “I think that sounds like a good idea.” He looked exhausted, weather-worn, and tired from a long week that was only half over. Hannah looked up at him with a soft smile, her hand moved to hold his to offer a supportive squeeze as she rose up on her toes to give him a brief kiss. “I did make some lasagne for dinner if you’re hungry. Otherwise, I can make you some Chamomile Lavender tea or Lemon Ginger. I also picked up an Apple and Hibiscus tea last weekend. Does any of those sound good to you?” They were all loose-leaf and kept in metal tins in the kitchen. All store bought from a local shop that specialized in crafting blends that helped those who suffered from insomnia to digestive issues and a myriad of other health benefits. As a medical professional, she had within the last year or so taken an interest in natural alternatives to the rising cost of prescription medications.
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Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2023 10:09 pm
The man sighed happily where he stood after the kiss, listening to her as she listed off options for dinner and tea. Sometimes it really is just the simpler things that make all the difference in the world. “Just a small slice probably wouldn’t hurt,” he said after a long moment of thought, “and maybe the chamomile and lavender?”
He then leaned in for another, more lingering, kiss. Somehow it felt like it’d been too long since he last saw her, and if he wasn’t absolutely drenched and didn’t risk getting her wet in the process he would have also pulled her into a proper hug.
But he didn’t. For now, this kiss would have to do.
When eventually it broke he pulled back just far enough that he could meet her eye, and he smiled again. Soft, loving, grateful. “I’ll be right back.”
With that he carefully slipped out of his shoes and socks before hurrying to the shower.
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Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2023 10:26 am
While Tristan warmed himself up in the shower, Hannah busied herself in the kitchen preparing two plates of lasagna. Although she’d already eaten a couple hours prior, she still wanted to enjoy sitting down with him for a proper meal even if hers was only going to be a few bites and a small glass of milk. To get them ready, she took two toothpicks and stuck them upright on either side of each slice of food then draped a damp paper cloth over the top of both of them before placing one plate it in the microwave. She didn’t start it yet, however, and was waiting for the sound of the water turning off before warming it for about 30 seconds. Hannah then moved to refill the reservoir for the Keurig with more water and turned it on so that she could get some instant hot water instead of using the kettle since it was fairly late out and didn’t want to wake their neighbors. She then picked one of the reusable k-cups from the drawer and began filling it with the blend of tea he had picked. Eventually, the shower cut off which was her queue to push start on both the microwave and coffee maker. The timer counted down and as it reached 1 Hannah pressed down on the handle to open the door before the microwave could start beeping and put the other plate in to start the process over one last time. When the second one was finished she walked them over to the dining table and retrieved his cup of tea before taking a seat and waiting patiently for Tristan to join her.
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2023 7:14 pm
The warm water was incredibly welcome, and Tristan felt revitalized after just a few minutes under it. He was fully clean and dressed after fifteen minutes, and emerged from their bedroom with a small towel draped over his still-wet hair. He looked much more comfortable, though.
“This looks great,” he said, smiling brightly as he joined her at the dining table. “Thank you, hon.” He reached for her hand first, gave it a little squeeze, then went for the tea. Much like the shower, the liquid was warm and soothing, and he closed his eyes to relish that feeling for a bit. He felt alive again, really, and after the rather harrowing events from earlier that night he was very relieved to feel that.
He nearly died twice, after all, between whatever was in the water and the tree nearly falling on top of him.
Eventually he opened his eyes again, and once he did he took a few more sips of his tea before setting it down to grab his fork. “So,” he asked as he started cutting up his slice of lasagna, ”what were you up to before I got home?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2023 10:35 pm
“Nothing too much really.” Although she’d been home for a few hours now, it felt like she’d just got home. “I had Alexa play some classical piano music while I read a book that Natalie let me borrow. But I accidentally fell asleep before finishing the second chapter.” One might think it was a textbook, but no. It was a historical fiction novel that she had highly recommended. It’s not that the book was boring or slow to get started. Honestly, she was just that exhausted from being on her feet for so long especially since her lunch had unfortunately been interrupted. “Hopefully I don’t have trouble going to bed tonight,” Hannah grimaced. “I really didn’t mean to sleep that long.” Honestly, she was still feeling tired enough that she didn’t think it’d be a problem and by the way Tristan’s shoulders seemed to sag, it seemed to reason that he was probably going to be looking to go to bed not long after they were done eating. She reached for her own cup of tea and tested the temperature before taking a small sip. “If you like the lasagna, I will put some in a separate Tupperware for you to take to work tomorrow.” A small gesture to make the next day even just slightly easier on him.
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2024 8:33 pm
”Sounds like you must have needed the rest,” he said, looking slightly concerned as he took his first bite. He wasn’t wrong–the lasagna was delicious, and if not for that concern his expression likely would have said as much. The hospital was as tough a place to work as it's always been, though in recent weeks it seemed like it was actually gradually getting worse.
The politics trickling down from upper management really didn’t do any of the staff nurses any favors.
“Mm…I can wait for you to fall asleep first, if you want, so you have some company.” Even if it was just cuddled up in the safety of their bed, he wanted to spend some time with her tonight if he could. While he couldn’t share his powered life with her, the things that happened while he was Staurolite still had an effect on him, after all. Which meant that after two near-death experiences, he was desperate to be grounded again in the reality of their life together. It was as real as his life as a negaverse agent, in fact he would even argue that it was more so.
When all was said and done, she would always be home.
“And thank you. If you could, I would appreciate it.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2024 10:33 pm
“Of course,” once he was done eating she’d portion out the remainder of the lasagna, a side salad with dressing in a separate smaller Tupperware, probably include a Cliff Bar or two since lunches got interrupted often and the only thing they’d be able to grab was a quick few bites of something small and portable. For the time being, though, she remained at the dinner table with him, sipping her tea while he ate. Simply enjoying what time she had with him, and the conversations the shared, as the evening came to an end.
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