Blindsided

Maps

It's the climax of the whole thing, the big thing you've all been waiting for. It ended up being like twice the length of a normal chapter. It's hella long.

I really wanna thank Dokki for letting me play with her characters for this long and not just shutting down Blindsided in the beginning. I'd have stopped writing this a long time ago if it weren't for everyone's support. And a special thank you goes out to Dotemms my beta and my Hole People in the Discord. You guys are such winners and I love you all. From here on out it's winding down to the kids getting home and the end.

Song of the chapter is Maps by Lesley Roy.

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  Sarvente stood brushing her hair out as Ruv was tugging on his sweater, the sun filtering through the windows and bathing their room in golden light. The sky was gloriously clear, a rich blue and a chilly wind that rustled the leaves on the treetops, burning with the golds and reds and oranges of autumn. The garden had been mulched and mostly put to sleep for the coming winter, the yearly cycle of the growing season almost complete, and as she sat down for him to do her hair she reflected on how much things had changed for them since this time last year.

  Last year they'd been dancing around each other and their feelings. Last year they'd been deep in denial over their relationship to one another. Last year they hadn't had the kids.

  He carded his hands through her silky waves, two black ribbons being held between his teeth as he split her hair into two halves and began a complicated series of hand movements. He then fed one ribbon into the three strands, braiding it into one half of her hair before doing the same with the other side, fingers sure and steady. The ends of the ribbon dangled as he looped the braids into a crown on her head and he tied them in place using the ribbon, tracing the ribbon along her braids to make sure it wasn't kinked before he placed her habit on her head and pinned it in place. He kissed her cheek and took her hand as she rose and traded places with him.

  Her hands pulled back his waves, soft and feathery, pulling them away from his face. She absently noted that his hair was getting rather long, and he'd be needing a haircut soon. It curled at the nape slightly, starting to look more and more like Selever's. Or rather, Sel's hair looked like Ruv's. She picked up his ushanka and swept the hair beneath it, settling it on his crown. She then pulled him to his feet and began fussing with his clothing, brushing his sleeves and fastening his jacket for him. She held his hand as they made their way out of the room and out to the sitting room, where Selever was tapping away at his phone and Rasazy sat with a book.

  "Morning, everyone!"

  "Morning, Mom."

  "Good morning, Mama."

  Ruv let go of her hand and waved her off. "Go start breakfast, I wanna talk with the kids about the plans for today first."

  She watched as he pointed at the two and jerked his thumb, and they both got up off the couch and walked to the side. Confused, she walked slowly to the kitchen and listened.

  "Okay, I need you two to do something for me today. Here's the plan..."

  She went into the kitchen and set about cracking eggs and making up omlettes for everyone, her curiosity piqued. She knew Ruv was wanting a date that night, but she wasn't sure what the kids had to do with it. She'd never really answered his question about the block and her suspicions, but she'd thought that she'd made it clear that she was willing to throw it all in with him when they'd fallen asleep that night. She really hoped it wouldn't take another lecture from Selever to goad him into doing something about it.