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[theshabbiestofmen]

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[theshabbiestofmen]

I found a library.

[He smiles over at her-- something a little more real than his usual bland ones.]

A great massive thing. Horribly dusty, and full of old books. I can't wait to dive in. The only reason I'm not there now is because they kicked me out.

[figmented]

Rules are arbitrarily designed purely to regulate fun to a profitable margin. It's rude.

[ which is to say: fuck rules, let's go right now. ]

[theshabbiestofmen]

[He laughs softly.]

They're also meant to protect people! And things! What if we tried to steal those books, hm?

[figmented]

They would be free from the dusty shelves of an underappreciated social service. We would give them loving homes and read them bedtime stories and take them for walks every day.

[ said with the utmost of sincerity. tell her they're worse off in their hands, she dares! ]

[theshabbiestofmen]

You would take them for walks.

[thoughts]

They have to stay healthy. At least thirty minutes of exercise daily. You can't be negligent, bàba.

[theshabbiestofmen]

[And the thing is, he genuinely can't tell if she's gently winding him up or not. She must be, she really must be-- and yet her expression is so firm and serious that he doesn't want to laugh, just in case.]

And what will you be doing, māma?

[thoughts]

[ everything - everything - is a game to her. it makes life easier to play. ]

I'll be working. Someone has to pay the bills around here. But I won't let the thermonuclear astrophysicists keep me too busy, I'll still come home for dinner and cuddles and I'll make breakfast every morning. Gōu xiǎozhǐ.

[theshabbiestofmen]

That one I don't know. What's it mean?

[Of course she has slang in Chinese-- not a romance language, not something he's marginally familiar with.]

[thoughts]

It's a promise.

[ she grins and plants her feet on the cold ground, leans over the armrest of her chair to offer him her pinkie. ]

[theshabbiestofmen]

Ahh--

[Gently, as if one of them might break should he move too clumsily, Remus hooks their pinkies together.]

But we shan't be stealing, you understand.

[thoughts]

[ she makes her best affronted noise, but doesn't break their pinkies apart and can't quite hide a laugh. ]

Cheater! Can't put addendums in the middle of the swear.

[theshabbiestofmen]

I'm sorry, I'm terribly honest. I've been told it's a fault. But you must have known that when you married me, mama.

[He keeps their hands linked, his grin widening. He loves making her laugh.]

[thoughts]

[ she tries for a put-upon sigh but ends up shaking her head with a smile instead. ]

Yuàn shàngdì bāngzhù wǒ, but I did. How did I get so lucky?

[theshabbiestofmen]

[He lets out a lame little laugh, a stuttered haaa ha ha that sounds absolutely pathetic.]

Ah-- why-- er-- what does that mean, then? Can you teach me how to say it?

[thoughts]

[ it's a good sound, sounds of life. she likes it. ]

I can teach you all of it, if you want. Taught Simon everything he knows.

[ you know. her brother that's ten years older than her. ]

[theshabbiestofmen]

I, um. I'm not particularly good at languages. I mean, I know conversational French, but.

[thoughts]

Ça va, don't worry. We'll start small.

[ but he specifically wanted to know the last, so she'll scoot her chair closer to fold her feet up beneath her legs and face him directly. ]

Repeat after me.

[ and she'll just go syllable by syllable, to try and teach him the sounds before the words. ]