Let's Play!

"We can still easily see it all.....as for the other.... take up space, my love. It's good to let yourself exist. "

"but it's so dangerous and painful. how can something that feels so bad be good?"

"Growing pains in this particular case. Learning to be confident and owning the space you're in. "

Emotional exhaustion made her shoulders heavy and her stomach tense. He had so many dreams and expectations for her, and it all just felt like a failure waiting to happen.

"But I don't want to be confident or own space. I want to be invisible."

She wished that he'd let it go and maybe just rub her legs or pet her or something to let her know everything was okay. It didn't feel okay.

Ansel felt her needing to be done with the conversation for now and slowly moved to pull her into his lap. He hugged her close, lightly petting her hair.

/Alright. We'll focus on just today. /

One day at a time. Just for her.

Willow tentatively rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. For what it was worth, though, with the change in his attention she slowly started to ease again instead of melting down.

/Did you get enough to eat? You weren't gone for very long./

Ansel nodded, a small, crooked smile on his face.

/I can efficiently eat if I need or want. /

He centrally didn't go out of his way to do so often, though.

Willow fiddled with one of the buttons on her borrowed shirt.

/...I didn't./

She had slept through dinner and was pretty dang hungry.

Ansel kissed her.

"Breakfast? "

He suggested.

Willow nodded slowly, opening her eyes.

"That would be helpful."

Ansel kissed her.

"I'll be right back. Any requests?"

He asked of her, brushing a few hairs from her eyes.

Willow shook her head, trying not to worry.

"Whatever is easy."

"Alright. "

He would return with sausages, biscuits and heavy, and a tall cup of grape juice.

"Tada?"

"that will work. Thank you."

Willow accepted it, spending the next little while trying to balance her want to eat quickly against the need for her to eat slowly. It was a little difficult. Well, except for the grape juice. It tasted a little weird.

"Okay. What next? Do we go now?"

"Well, your dress is dry now. So I thought you could wear properly covering clothes and we could go get you some dry shoes and stuff? We have a couple more days here as it's booked...."

Willow twisted her fingers together

"That's a lot of time for me to keep you away from the important things?"

"You are important ."

He pointed out with a small smile.

"What do you think of the plans? "

Willow stood up and went to retrieve the nightie dress.

"I can put on clothes."

She didn't have a problem with that. She looked down at the shoes in the trash can.

"You won't regret wasting it on me?"

Ansel shook his head.

"No. I'm happy to do so. "

Not a waste, not worth the disagreement.

Willow edged over towards him, considering his hand for a long time before reaching out to take it.

"Then... Okay."

She really did want to wear shoes.

Ansel grinned and laced his fingers with her and bent to kiss her.

Willow took it before considering the door. She was extremely anxious about going outside, but she made herself head that way anyway.

"Did you see a place while you were out?"

"Well, there were a couple but I figured we could find out everything that's an option today? "

He suggested with a smile of encouragement towards his wifey.

Willow nodded and nudged him slightly.

"You should go first."

Because she didn't think she could.

Ansel kissed her once more before heading off to check out and head to wonder the town with her.

"Shoes first, yeah? Do you want me to carry you so you're little feets are alright?"

He was so worried about her

Willow glanced down at her feet.

"Or I can try to be extra careful not to hurt you. Whichever you prefer."

Ansel thought it through and scooped her up, into his arms.

"Or I can care for you like a proper husband. "

"I don't think this is normal husband requirements?"

But she actually eased a little with him carrying her. She relaxed further when she saw that no one seemed to notice or care about them. After not being bothered for long enough, she was even able to look at the shoes and such for herself.

"Maybe leather ones would be better, since it seems extra rainy here?"

Ansel nodded a tiny bit, leaning to kiss her forehead.

"Sounds like a solid plan to me. "

Willow managed to pick out a pair with comparative ease.

"There. They're protected now," she told them after they'd checked out and they were on her feet.

Without the pressure of people on her, though, she found herself on the sidewalk struggling with the acknowledgement that she would also really like to have some underwear and a cardigan at the very least. She couldn't decide if she wanted to ask for it, though.

Ansel looked over his wife and smiled a tiny bit.

/ Let's see if we can find them. /

He encouraged faintly, glad to hear the little bits she might not normally share with him.

/are you sure? I'm just... It's chilly here./

/ Darling, those are such small requests..../

He purred, lightly brushing a finger through her hair as he glanced down the sidewalk.

/ let me care for you.. these are things that soothe me. /

Slowly, Willow let that sink in.

"Thank you."

In the middle of looking at the sweaters and such, she backed up and collided with someone else. Held items clattered to the floor, and several things happened in only a handful of seconds.

Covered up by an automatic apology, Willow's brain stuttered internally for a second. The other girl was hot. She had no sooner recognized her attraction to the girl than she shoved it down and dredged up a quiet aggressiveness towards her to unleash if pressed. She was prepared to be very abrupt and possibly even mean to this stranger entirely BECAUSE she liked her.

"You picked up the wrong sweater."

Ansel arched a slow brie, glancing over Willow with a very deepset delight at this. He crossed the space and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

/ You can like her, you know. /

He wasn't threatened by the woman, kind of refreshing to find she had those knee-jerk attractions. After all, as far as he knew to this point, he was the weak one?

/why are you so pleased?/

She was suspicious, not trusting the situation.



"No, I think you got the wrong one. You'll look better in this one."

The other woman handed a different sweater to Willow before turning back to the other rack.

/...I thought I was the only one of us that noticed and admired the passing....flavors./

He shared, looking to the sweater.

"You should get both."

/it's only very occasionally,/ she promised apologetically.

/I'm desensitized to pretty people. It's only a specific type that cause a problem./

Willow still wasn't quite certain of this, her body still half convinced a shoe was about to drop. She couldn't even process cardigans right now, no matter how long she stared at the fabric.

/... why apologize? /

He asked, catching the tone as he glanced to the associate.

/ She's to be appreciated, for sure. /

On second glance, not an associate. It was just another person shopping at the same store, currently examining a flowy shirt.

Willow was folding the cardigans back up.

/Cuz you don't like it in actuality./