#protektclem

    her heart throbbed in her throat, the corners of her eyes      stung but no tears fell and words were suddenly nonexistent to      her tongue.   she couldn’t think of anything else but how big he      was, he was so big.  his face was round and soft, not yet hard-      ened or defined by the world he lived in but not much could she      say about him inside.  she recalled how she held him in her ar-      ms and how he slotted so perfectly in the crook of her arm, just      under where her heart was, the only time she had honestly felt      peace....

     her hand comes to her mouth, to quell the emotions that threate      ned to spill and rivulets of tears to wet her face like the day she      let him go.   despite herself, she inhales through her nose, her      eyes shut as she did and reopens them, a warm smile coming       lifting her lips and seeming to light it up, her eyes tender and      worn and she crouches to her hunches, matching his height.

            ❛ that was an excellent curse word , aj . ❜

         ` — Eyes turn down towards the youngster, offering him a kind smile. It’s been a long time since he’s played the role of caretaker - he tries not to think about it too much. “Sure, we can do that. Do you wanna go first?”