Callisto

Cw: Lars has a meltdown but thats basically it I think, my headcanon that Lars has autism (is it even a headcanon? It seems really heavily implied in the movie)

A/N: This one is probably also ass but I had this idea in my head for a while and I wanted to do it. Also I am not diagnosed with autism but this is based on what I've learned and experienced

Wc: 865

You had noticed something was entirely off the moment Lars returned home from work. The way he sighed longer and shakier than usual. The way he bounced his leg whenever he would sit down. The way his responses were shorter and sharper, and most strange of all, the way he had completely skipped over his usual rant with you.

But he still came with you to dinner at Gus and Karin's house. In fact, when you asked him if he wanted to stay behind, he insisted that he came with you.

And now it has all come down to now. The light chatter of the room as you, Gus and Karin all take turns exchanging information about the town, your days, what's been happening at home, and so on. Though from the moment the two of you stepped through their front door, Lars had dropped dead silent.

He sits bouncing his leg impatiently, blinking harshly. He's hardly touched the food on his plate—in fact---you're almost certain that this whole time he's only been moving around the food with his fork with hopes to give off the effect that he's eaten anything. Something is definitely off with him.

Karin notices you excessively staring at Lars, shifting in her seat and turning to Gus next to her before quietly turning back and painting a slight smile on her face.

“Hey, what about you Lars? How have you been?” She gestures her fork to him slightly. “You've been awfully quiet.”

His leg bouncing intensifies and he squeezes his eyes shut. Yeah, something is definitely wrong.

“Actually, you know what, I already ate,” he croaks, pushing his chair back and making a beeline for the front door.

The whole table goes completely quiet. Even the gentle clinking of forks against the plates is absent as Lars slams the door shut behind him. Through the window you can spot him speed walking through the snow back to the garage. He didn't even bother putting his coat back on before heading out into the freezing cold.

You let out a deep sigh, turning your attention back to Karin and Gus who have a strange mix of shock and confusion lingering on their faces. “I think I'm gonna go talk to him.”

Sliding your coat back on, you venture back outside. His silhouette can be seen through the window of the garage pacing back and forth, his hands flapping. You trudge through the snow over to his front door, peaking through the window once more as you knock. There's a quiet pause, before he positions himself to peak back at you through the door. His head nods slightly before his pacing starts back up again.

You decide to take that as a yes, turning the doorknob gently and letting yourself in. “Oh, Lars, honey.”

The sight of him makes your heart drop. His eyes are watery and he cannot sit still at all, almost vibrating as he paces. He backs up as he locks eyes with you, plopping down into the chair behind him. He brings his hands up to cover his face.

“M’ sorry…” he whines, shifting in his seat as you move to lean down next to him.

“Hey, no it's okay. You're okay,” you assure him. He moves his hands away from his face to begin flapping his wrists again. “Are you able to tell me what's wrong?”

“S’ just… a bad day.” He shuts his eyes, running his hands through his hair, “It's just hard..”

That tells you all you need to know. “I know, I know. It'll be okay, just breathe.”

He begins to deeply inhale and exhale. It calms him down slightly but his tight grip on the arm of the chair tells you that he's not quite there yet. You pad over to his bed, picking up his comforter and returning to the chair to bundle him up in it. He melts into the soft blanket, clearly much calmer now.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, taking a deep breath. The smile that creeps on your face infects him, causing him to grin back at you gingerly.

“Hey, it's okay. Sometimes you just gotta let it out.” You notice the way his eyes move down to your hand resting on the arm rest. He shifts in his seat as if he wants to say something before moving his own hand to hover over yours.

“Is it okay if I try something,” he says in a low tone, close to a whisper.

“Yeah, of course.” You nod, smiling even harder at the way his face lights up slightly.

He places his hand on top of yours, rubbing his thumb over yours for a second before bringing his other hand over to cup your hand in both of his. He's practically shaking from nervousness at this point, though the red that creeps onto your cheeks from his actions pleases him.

He then brings your hand up to his mouth, kissing it slightly and then simply resting his face on the soft skin of your hand. The way his shoulders sink in pure contentment makes the red on your face deepen.

“This is nice,” he says, matter-of-factly.

This is nice.

You and Ryland have been together for years. Like, married and maybe you've even had kids at this point.

Though one day, after an argument, he realizes that he misses the honeymoon phase of your relationship. He misses the excitement in the relationship. He wants the spark back.

So he plans a perfect date for the two of you in secret only for it to go completely wrong last minute.

Wc: 881

Tw: Nothing this time around! Just pure fluff

A/N: Second fic on the new account lets go. Also i wrote this a while back while on a trip so if there are any mistakes im sorry I didnt feel like proof reading

Beach:

- He loves the beach! Feeling the water on his legs and the sand under his feet could almost always bring tears to his eyes, but what makes it all the better is enjoying them with you by his side.

- His kind of beach day is sitting under an umbrella on the sand, staring out into the ocean and holding a deep conversation with you. It takes all of the stress he possibly could've had off his shoulders to be able to just sit and think with you.

- When the two of you first started dating, he was far too shy to ever take his shirt off in front of you, making excuses as to why he kept his t-shirt on while sitting in the sun with you. Though, I think after you get a lot more comfortable in your relationship and maybe even are married he couldn't care less. He worries more about other people at the beach seeing him shirtless now than you but he'll maybe take it off to swim on a day where the beach isn't very crowded. Just to see the pleased smile on your face.

Museum:

- Probably one of his favorite dates to take you on, if not his favorite.

- You and him probably visit museums together frequently, especially if you're a science nerd like him. He definitely always has something to say about every exhibit. Maybe a fun fact or a personal story to come with it.

- He especially loves interactive museums. If you take him to one of those, you bet the two of you are gonna be there all day from the moment it opens to the moment its closing. He simply can't get enough of it, even when it's all stuff he already knows!

Movies:

- I'm not sure if Ryland is really a movie guy, but if you were to take him to the movies he would be a great movie watching partner.

- The two of you are probably whispering your thoughts to each other the whole movie, constantly getting sharp glares from the people around you telling you to quiet down… only for the two of you to be leaning back into each other a second later.

- He probably likes catching up with movies not only because he wants to spend time with you but also because he wants to be more involved in his students interests and what they like.

- This might be me projecting just a little bit but he can't watch a movie in theaters without crying. Something about how loud and intense it is makes him way more emotional. He can watch a movie in theaters, sob, and then watch it at home again with a completely straight face.

Fancy dinner:

- Lets face it, his ass is not paying for a bougie ass dinner on a teacher's salary—but thank god this is fiction! Lets just pretend he saved up for this specific date.

- I like to think he orders the same thing every time at restaurants—especially in places like this. The anxiety coming from trying something new, not liking it, therefore not finishing it and then having to pay for it anyway is too much for him, so he just picks what he knows he'll like. But he fully encourages you to try new things! In fact, if you don't like what you get, it's fine, he'll make you something better at home.

- Dates like these would be a lot more common towards the beginning of the relationship and right before his proposal (dare I go down that route). Like I previously said he really doesn't make enough money to do stuff like this very often, so when he does you know it’s for a special occasion.

Amusement park:

- Not exactly his first idea of a fun date, but he has fun anyway.

- If you see a stuffed animal that you want above a carnival game, he will be spending an hour calculating the perfect throw to get you that toy, even if you tell him it's fine. He eventually does calculate it perfectly and get it for you.

- If you enjoy going on big scary rides there's a very high chance you'll have to be going on those alone. He'll tolerate the baby rides for you but even those can knock the wind out of him from time to time. He probably tries to tough it out, though his arm is wrapped around you just tight enough to give the impression that he's trying to hang onto you for support while being thrashed around.

At home:

- This is another kind of date that he absolutely adores. Snuggling on the couch with you, bundled up with a bag of popcorn and the new episodes of your guys favorite show playing on the TV while the two of you partake in comfortable small talk.

- Even if he lives with you he still loves the idea of being surrounded by the little house that the two of you shaped and accustomed to your liking, every which aspect modified to fit both of your needs.

- These dates often end with the two of you peacefully snoozing on top of each other, not a care in the world while the TV continues to mindlessly buzz in the background of your slumber.