Affliction | ✓

i | her | 3

march, 2019

"hey doofus, breakfast's ready!" she shouts over her shoulder as she adds the garnish to the eggs benedict she had prepared.

"coming!" she can hear his shout from the bedroom. few seconds later, he bounds to the dining table.

"so, first day on the job. how nervous are you?" she says, sitting opposite him so she can see his face.

he looked a little fuller than he did two years ago, less gaunt and haunted. he smiles widely. "i'm excited."

she smiles back, "i'm glad to hear."

"this is great, by the way." he gobbles the remainder of his eggs and looks up at her. "you won't allow me to kiss you until i've washed my mouth, would you?"

"know me so well, babe." she grins at him as he pushes his chair back and dumps his plate in the sink, normally she'd chide him to rinse the plate or the stench would remain but he's excited and she can do it later. he gurgles his mouth with some mouth wash before coming towards her.

"hey," he whispers, lifting her up and setting her on the kitchen countertop.

"hi yourself, stranger." she leans and kisses him. he tastes minty and he smells so fresh that she can't help but deepen the kiss a little, make it slightly rowdy.

"i think we'll have to stop now or we both know i'll never make it to my first day of work." he says, pulling back a little so their foreheads are still pressed together. he pecks her lightly on the cheek and mumbles, "i love you."

"love you, too." she watches him wave at her as he exits and promises to see her at night.

she smiles, it's a slow one that blooms across her face and stretches into a pretty maniacal grin but she doesn't care because they were finally together and shit was good again.

***

february, 2017

there was so much to discuss but they just quietly drank their coffees, she was feeling particularly fidgety today and she hated confrontation but she knew now was the best time to be upfront.

he'd gotten out of the hospital a week ago and he looked healthy. his hair had grown back, covering the scars on his skull, he walked with a slight limp but the doctor said that that was expected. elio had given him a very tight hug which he reciprocated with a small wince.

they'd be in correspondence, texting for the past week before finally agreeing to meeting. the texts hadn't been too heady, mere lighthearted small talk but elio had been nudging and nudging for them to take the big leap and discuss everything.

"so..." he begins, "we're here."

she snorts, "great conversation starter."

"cut me some slack, okay? i've just evacuated from the hospital."

she snorts again. "the nurses were begging to get rid of you."

"uh, wrong. they adored me."

"you threw a plate at one of them."

"that was an accident!"

she laughs. a beat later, he joins in. it's chill, they're chill, everything is still playful, the atmosphere isn't terse. he had a scar on his cheek that would never heal but he still looked lovely, finally looked alive with colour in his cheeks. his hair seemed to catch the sunlight, making it seem fluffy and she was desperate to hug him properly.