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deemoyzaTitle: Home is Where You Hold Me (26,473 words)
Chapters: 8/8
Fandom: Original Work
Rating/Warnings: Explicit / Explicit Sexual Content (SFW version available; link in notes)
Characters: Widowed Lighthouse Keeper (OC), Shipwrecked Sailor (OC)
Relationships: Widowed Lighthouse Keeper/Shipwrecked Sailor
Summary:
Notes: Written for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
highadrenalineexchange. T-rated (SFW) version available here
She hadn't forgotten Julen's touch; what kind of horrible person would that have made her? But Julen was no longer here, his touch but a phantom that skimmed her skin in her dreams, and Argider's hands were so warm and strong and full of life, she found herself seeking them more and more, orchestrating "accidental" brushes, or grasping them outright whenever she was particularly happy or dismayed. And recently, she found herself more often the former than the latter.
Argider, for his part, never seemed bothered by this. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it as much as she did.
If only she knew whether he was being truthful about it.
She thought about his hands when she went through the old toolbox in the lighthouse. About how he would grasp the hammer handed down from her great-grandfather, about how he would work the saw her father sometimes made sing for her amusement, about how he would sort and select the correct screwdriver for the job, how he would gently pat the roof or the cabinet, or whatever he'd fixed and announce that it was done.
Summer, predictably, brought many storms, but on sunny days, Esma would join Argider at the cabin and help him as much as she could. Four weeks after having been pulled from the sea, Argider was healed well enough to walk on his own and clambered up the ladder at his first opportunity to assess the damage to the cabin's roof.
She bought the shingles he requested by the box, as well as a hammer for herself; she climbed the ladder beside him, and together, they worked on repairing the roof. Tearing away the old shingles was surprisingly emotional work, at first. Esma needed to remind herself that she wasn't throwing away her family's history, or her memories with Julen, but instead making sure they wouldn't fade into obscurity as the house deteriorated.
Repairs on the cabin also gave her more to think about during the long hours in the lighthouse, as she sketched diagrams and figured costs for each new project Argider suggested. She found a sense of exhilaration in the work, in imagining a future she'd long thought sealed.
"These shelves could be reworked," Argider said, studying the kitchen shelving. "It would give you more room for the staples, as well as more storage for cookware."
Esma ran her hand along the chipped paint. "I understand, but it would be a shame to lose the original. My grandfather made it for my grandmother. There, he carved her initials." She pointed to a small set of initials on the back of the middle shelf, surrounded by crudely-carved laurels.
"I said rework, not replace. The frame's still good. Perhaps we could add on to it horizontally, for more storage. There's plenty of room in the kitchen."
"And a new coat of paint."
"Whatever color you desire."
"Thank you. But I have to ask again, why are you doing this? You're healed, you owe me nothing. I'm very grateful, but also... mystified."
Argider buried his head among the shelves, checking their integrity. "I just like to see you smile."
Chapters: 8/8
Fandom: Original Work
Rating/Warnings: Explicit / Explicit Sexual Content (SFW version available; link in notes)
Characters: Widowed Lighthouse Keeper (OC), Shipwrecked Sailor (OC)
Relationships: Widowed Lighthouse Keeper/Shipwrecked Sailor
Summary:
Eight years after being widowed, Esma continues to keep her family's lighthouse on her own, resigning herself to the assumption that this is all life has left in store for her. But when she rescues an injured sailor and agrees to care for him while he heals, she finds her assumption, and her outlook, challenged at every turn.
In an effort to repay her kindness, Argider offers to repair Esma's cabin, which has fallen into disrepair. Hesitant to allow anyone to work on it at first, Esma relents, and finds herself confronting her memories and being drawn back into life itself as the repairs progress and Argider's presence becomes a source of comfort.
Notes: Written for
highadrenalineexchange. T-rated (SFW) version available hereShe hadn't forgotten Julen's touch; what kind of horrible person would that have made her? But Julen was no longer here, his touch but a phantom that skimmed her skin in her dreams, and Argider's hands were so warm and strong and full of life, she found herself seeking them more and more, orchestrating "accidental" brushes, or grasping them outright whenever she was particularly happy or dismayed. And recently, she found herself more often the former than the latter.
Argider, for his part, never seemed bothered by this. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it as much as she did.
If only she knew whether he was being truthful about it.
She thought about his hands when she went through the old toolbox in the lighthouse. About how he would grasp the hammer handed down from her great-grandfather, about how he would work the saw her father sometimes made sing for her amusement, about how he would sort and select the correct screwdriver for the job, how he would gently pat the roof or the cabinet, or whatever he'd fixed and announce that it was done.
Summer, predictably, brought many storms, but on sunny days, Esma would join Argider at the cabin and help him as much as she could. Four weeks after having been pulled from the sea, Argider was healed well enough to walk on his own and clambered up the ladder at his first opportunity to assess the damage to the cabin's roof.
She bought the shingles he requested by the box, as well as a hammer for herself; she climbed the ladder beside him, and together, they worked on repairing the roof. Tearing away the old shingles was surprisingly emotional work, at first. Esma needed to remind herself that she wasn't throwing away her family's history, or her memories with Julen, but instead making sure they wouldn't fade into obscurity as the house deteriorated.
Repairs on the cabin also gave her more to think about during the long hours in the lighthouse, as she sketched diagrams and figured costs for each new project Argider suggested. She found a sense of exhilaration in the work, in imagining a future she'd long thought sealed.
"These shelves could be reworked," Argider said, studying the kitchen shelving. "It would give you more room for the staples, as well as more storage for cookware."
Esma ran her hand along the chipped paint. "I understand, but it would be a shame to lose the original. My grandfather made it for my grandmother. There, he carved her initials." She pointed to a small set of initials on the back of the middle shelf, surrounded by crudely-carved laurels.
"I said rework, not replace. The frame's still good. Perhaps we could add on to it horizontally, for more storage. There's plenty of room in the kitchen."
"And a new coat of paint."
"Whatever color you desire."
"Thank you. But I have to ask again, why are you doing this? You're healed, you owe me nothing. I'm very grateful, but also... mystified."
Argider buried his head among the shelves, checking their integrity. "I just like to see you smile."
no subject
Date: 2023-05-28 06:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-05-28 07:00 pm (UTC)