to ache is to be alive

"Then I'm your man." Dennis says right away, no questions asked. He gloves right up and gets to work. It is tedious work but he doesn't mind it. If he's doing tedious work then he's not dozing off trying to chart. It feels like a win win to him.

✧༺ 50 fluffy starters ༻✧

Send a symbol for my muse... Send a symbol + 'reverse' for change roles

💕 – hugs your muse from behind and refuses to let go.

🌺 – braids flowers into your muse’s hair.

🍼 – falls asleep in your muse’s lap.

🌥 – naps beside your muse, arms tangled together.

🍯 – makes something sweet just for your muse.

🌸 – gives your muse a flower crown.

🧸 – cuddles with your muse under a cozy blanket.

🍓 – feeds your muse berries.

🌼 – gives your muse a forehead kiss.

🌙 – and your muse stargaze together.

💌 – writes your muse a handwritten love note.

☕ – brings your muse a warm drink on a cold day.

🐇 – compares your muse to something cute.

🍰 – bakes something and insists your muse be the first to taste it.

🎀 – ties a ribbon around your muse’s wrist.

🛏️ – invites your muse to a lazy morning in bed.

🐾 – brings home a pet for your muse to cuddle.

📚 – reads a book aloud to your muse.

🧁 – kisses frosting off your muse’s nose.

🎶 – sings a soft lullaby to your muse.

🌷 – blushes after accidentally holding your muse’s hand too long.

🎠 – takes your muse to a cute date at a fair or carnival.

🧥 – offers to share their oversized sweater.

🐥 – compares their warmth to a little chick and cuddles closer.

🪻 – brings your muse fresh wildflowers.

🍪 – and your muse bake cookies and get flour everywhere.

🪄 – calls your muse magical after a compliment.

💤 – falls asleep mid-sentence while talking to your muse.

🧺 – takes your muse on a spontaneous picnic.

🎨 – paints or draws your muse while they’re not looking.

📸 – keeps taking photos of your muse because “they’re perfect”.

🐚 – collects pretty seashells and gifts the nicest one to your muse.

💍 – slips a candy ring onto your muse’s finger.

👒 – lets your muse try on their hat or hoodie.

🌤️ – and your muse share an umbrella during a rain.

🎈 – brings your muse balloons just to make them smile.

🪵 – and yours cuddle up by a fire.

🛁 – helps your muse unwind with a relaxing bath or spa night.

🧽 – insists on a silly bubble fight while doing chores with your muse.

📦 – builds a blanket fort and invites your muse inside.

🐻 – compares your muse to their favorite plush toy.

💫 – dreams about your muse and tells them everything.

🎧 – shares one earbud with your muse to listen to a playlist together.

🧃 – offers your muse their last juice box.

🫧 – lets your muse pop all their bubble wrap.

🧷 – fixes your muse’s outfit with a shy blush.

🕯️ – lights candles for a peaceful evening with your muse.

🫖 – invites your muse to a soft tea date indoors.

🪞 – catches your muse staring and smiles softly.

🧵 – sews something small for your muse to keep.

are you holding up all right?

thought i should stop by, see if you were okay.

you know, you haven't spoken in a minute.

you're starting to worry me.

is this thoughtful silence, or worried silence?

can i get you anything?

i'm perfectly all right.

sometimes i think about what will happen if we fail, and it terrifes me.

you can stop worrying about me now.

you had a moment back there.

what was all that yelling about?

i've worried about you since day one.

can we sit down?

you might feel better if you talk to me about it.

i was hoping we could catch up.

there's a lot more going on than i expected.

it's starting to get to me.

tell me the truth. are you all right?

i'm not a hero. i don't know why i'm doing this.

i can tell when you're lying to me, pretending everything's okay when it's not.

you're a horrible liar.

what was that all about?

i heard you yelling.

it sounded like an argument to me.

what's on your mind?

something's clearly bothering you.

can you just sit still?

you've never been honest with me.

they said you needed to talk to me?

i can tell when you're lying. i can see it in your face.

i know you better than you know yourself.

spill. everything.

that's not what it looked like from here.

i don't want to talk to anyone.

can you leave me alone for a while?

thanks but no thanks.

is this your way of checking on me?

who put you up to this?

if you'd just been honest with me from the start, we wouldn't be here.

when they said you were out here, i thought i'd stop by, see how you were doing.

you don't have to handle all of this by yourself, you know.

there are people who really care about you, who want to see you succeed.

think about the people who love you.

i don't like seeing you struggle this way.

i could use a shoulder to cry on right about now.

i just feel so lost.

everything is riding on me, and i'm not used to that.

there's too much responsibility on my shoulders right now.

thanks for letting me vent a little.

i didn't mean to word vomit.

you make it easy.

i feel like i can trust you.

no one understands me but you.

thank you for giving me a chance to speak.

thank you for stopping by to see me.

you should come by more often.

the battle's not over.

we still have work to do.

i trust you'll be ready for the final battle?

tomorrow's a big day. you should get some rest.

if you need anything, you know where to find me.

it will feel better if you just come right out and say it.

no one should ever carry the burden you do.

i think the world of you.

"I don't know what's going on but it's going to get better. I don't know. But it's gotta get better."

coffee tables and shovels…

veronica's eyebrows flickered up as she nodded, running her tongue over the cut on her lip. metallic aftertaste bloomed on her palate.

the plan was to get some 'supplies' and be off before anyone could log her in. she wouldn't have strayed anywhere beyond triage. getting caught by a nurse wasn't in the plan. let alone see a doctor.

"i did get the wall back for it… if that counts." she winced mid-sentence, scrunching up her face. "you reckon i'd be out soon?"

"Definitely, but I never said that if anybody asks." Pausing to offer an gauze pad at noticing the swipe at the cut. "Here, just put a little pressure to help it out." Ignoring the mild sympathy pain sensation in their own mouth. Up there with paper cuts for being small but mighty in pain.

Now, wait a minute. Don't bite my head off.

If you can't get it with money, there are other ways of getting it.

My goodness. I made a mistake.

No, thank you. It'll spoil my appetite.

What are you doing that for?

Tell me, isn't there something else you'd rather be doing than this?

I don't believe a word you're saying.

I have a lot of other ideas just like it.

What's happened? You were all right last time I saw you.

You've been working too hard. You should to take a vacation.

I'd better be going. I'll be late.

Wait 'til you listen to this song. It's been ringing in my ears all day.

It'll come to you. Remember how you got out of that jail?

That looks cool! Did you make that all by yourself?

Well, it's just as catching.

When things go a little bad nowadays, you go out and get yourself an "ism," and you're in business.

You know, every once in a while I get a very strange sensation.

That's wonderful. You'd be a sensation on a trapeze.

Whatever happened to you?

Well, he's a very busy man nowadays. I doubt if you can see him.

It would do your heart good to see me struggle, doesn't it.

Just found out what's up, and is screaming for your help.

All right, all right. Don't get so excited about it.

This isn't a business deal. You can't settle anything by firing them!

You weren't going out, were you?

We had a date, don't you remember?

We should discuss where to go, don't you think?

Now, you wouldn't want anything like that to happen.

You're so beautiful. Sometimes you're so beautiful it just gags me.

Maybe you're not real. Maybe you're a phantom or something.

Now, wait a minute. Don't say anything.

I don't remember you telling it to me.

You know, if you scratch under the surface here, you'll find a proposal lying around.

Did you see the way [he/she/they] looked at me? I know just what [he/she/they] was thinking.

Well, that doesn't make any difference to me.

I never in my life wanted anything that I couldn't get if I just yelled loud enough.

There's one little detail I forgot to mention, I love you.

What do you want us to do with [him/her/them]?

Everybody around here is talking about it.

I think we should see somebody about it.

Say, "Watch for the Revolution. It's coming soon." How's that?

Well, what's special about [him/her/them] ? Has [he/she/they] got horns or something?

We could have the wedding right here in this room.

Well, there's a lot of fuss being made about a young man taking you out to dinner.

Well, that's something very different.

Are you in love? Either you are or you aren't.

Now, come on, tell me all about it.

Who's asking you to be rational?

There was nothing phenomenal about it. I just down bad, that's all.

Right up to the very last, [he/she/they] couldn't walk into a room without my heart going thump, thump, thump.

Did you ever notice the peculiar fragrance in here?

That's the reason I've lived in this house so many years and could never move out.

Now, wait just a minute. It's for you.

Anytime I get an impulse to buy you a present, that's your birthday.

Anybody you fall in love with is all right with me.

It doesn't matter, I'm so happy. I can't think about anything.

Excuse me. I've got some work to do.

All I have is just an office with my name on the door.

Well, I suppose you're ready to settle down and get married now?

Too bad. I'm sorry you can't stay to dinner.

Didn't I read something about your father? He was indicted or something, wasn't he?

What difference does that make?

Mind you, I don't say that I'm going to, but just for the sake of argument, what's the government going to do with it?

Now, wait a minute. I didn't come here to argue with you.

Is everybody acquainted with everybody?

If you think you're bigger than the law, you've got another thing coming.

I don't owe the government a cent.

Here we go again. we've been getting on pretty good for quite a while now.

As far as anything else is concerned, we leave that up to you.

Living with them must be like living in a world that Walt Disney might have thought of.

I can talk and I can listen, or I can just sit. What will you have?

It just seems like, in their own way, they've found what everybody's looking for.

People spend their whole lives building castles in the air and then nothing ever comes of them.

Everybody's afraid to live. You know?

That's wonderful. I never knew that.

Don't say it. What's my excuse?

I resent what you said about your brain.

Well, I figured I'd just have to get used to that.

Wonder whatever happened to Astaire and Rogers.

We seem to be attracting a little attention.

I was just seeing how far I could trace my family tree.

You know, if we're honest now, we're gonna save ourselves a lot of embarrassment later.

So that's what has been on your mind?

Do you think I'm going to put you on exhibition like a circus?

Well, who wouldn't stare at you?

You know, every time I think how lucky I am, I feel like screaming.

It's starting right now in my toes. Sort of a tingling sensation.

What can I do? It's fighting to get out. I can't hold it any longer. Here it goes.

What are you so excited about, [name]?

What's the matter, Are you jealous?

I guess I'd better have cocktails about 7:00.

Darling, I'm not trying to impress them, or pretend we're anything that we aren't.

Why did it have to be tonight? I have more important things to do.

Will you come down? I have a big surprise for you.

I'm very uncomfortable, [name]. This is all very embarrassing.

What about the unemployment problem?

How could you make such a dreadful mistake?

You know I didn't want to bring them down here at all, but you insisted. But if they have to meet you, I want them to meet you as you are.

There's nothing unnatural in wanting them to like us.

It doesn't make any difference to me what they think.

It was a pretty stupid idea, I know. But, I'm just trying to be honest about this thing.

I'm not trying to put on an act with them. Why should you have to with yours?

You mustn't criticize other people's hobbies.

The whole thing was a mistake. I'm terribly sorry for everything.

Never a dull moment, that's what I say, never a dull moment.

I never heard of anything so outrageous in all my life.

I'll appreciate it if you'll leave me strictly alone.

You got class. That's the kind of connection I'm looking for.

Why don't you come down off your high horse, babe.

If you don't mind, I don't need anyone to do me good.

You needn't waste your time trying to protect me. That won't help you.

I heard that you were in trouble and came over to see if I could help you out.

You blockhead. Do you know what you've done?

You're not a businessman. You're like a lion in the jungle.

What makes you think you're such a superior human being?

When your time comes, I doubt if a single tear will be shed over you.

Don't know what came over me. I didn't mean anything I said.

I won't stand for being humiliated like this.

You'll scream for help and suddenly find yourself alone in the world.

I've tried to talk to you many times about it, but I just couldn't get it out.

I've left my job and I'm going away tonight, and I… I love you.

I just thought I'd take a parting shot before I left.

I certainly have messed things up beautifully, haven't I?