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Etzel: Although Elise hadn’t been required to work that particular Thursday, the last thing Etzel wanted to find when he woke up the next day was a lady already awake, slaving away at something tedious and exhausting. He never exactly got a hang of how long the breaks were for each and every holiday—it seemed they didn’t do such a great job of remembering the ones he tended to celebrate—but he knew that if he’d been the one left to wake up early after running around as crazily as everyone had been for a day like Thanksgiving, he’d probably never survive a real job. But real jobs weren’t even on his list of things to be concerned about (he currently wasn’t capable of working his unreal job, and he didn’t even have a job that classified as real… though that didn’t mean he wasn’t the sort to take it seriously). He was more or less the sort to work hard at work and enjoy life while at home. It was easier that way. So that Friday morning, around the time everyone would typically be awake on any other day, Etzel crawled out of bed to be sure that each and every need was tended to. While the word ‘needs’ could have meant an assortment of different things—mostly because of the busy sort of person Etzel tended to be—it was likely that his intentions were focused entirely on the children, and it wasn’t a bother or even a hassle. Etzel adored both of them equally, and it wasn’t because they both seemed to constantly be thinking of amusing things to do to him (although he did have to admit that that added a great deal to his fondness for them). Mostly, he felt comfortable around them. He wasn’t quite sure how to interpret that… did he feel comfortable because they felt comfortable, or did he feel a need to keep them comfortable? Was it just ‘comfort’ due to their presence? It was something he didn’t put much effort into figuring out, because it wasn’t the reason behind any of it that mattered to him. Etzel preferred caring about the little things they did together—more often than not, that was just a polite way of saying “it’s time to get distracted and/or kind of quiet”—and right now, despite the fact that they’d already had breakfast and tidied up the living room (they’d done that a couple times, actually… for one reason or another a mess just kept on finding its way to the floor), they were all colouring. Well, except for Etzel, he’d gotten stuck with crayon-taping duty, but had made it that much more interesting by asking questions about the pictures being coloured by Jack and Caitlin. It was obvious that they were doing their best to let Elise sleep in [for once].
Elise: And that, after yesterday’s drama—Carter, Etzel and Sean all in the same room?—was the best gift a mommy could have. And, well, she’d been up for hours past midnight, buying all the latest toys for the darlings for Christmas. And, well, Etzel, too. Even if he wasn’t technically anything—the lines there were so fuzzy—he deserved something nice. And something nice amounted to a gift card for things he might need. Like… pants. But he was picky about his pants, and so that made everything that much more difficult. Since she was the wife of the oldest sibling, technically, she was the matriarch of the Slade clan these days… which meant that there were still some family hanging around. Sean and Adrian were being precious and cooking breakfast together, Katie and her boyfriend were out running. Carter was… well, he was in the shower. He hadn’t been home in months, and last night he’d tried to reclaim what was his. Mainly, his bed and wife and child(ren). He’d only been successful in one of those endeavors. Which meant that Etzel had been on the couch for the first time since Caitlin was born. And exactly how Elise felt about that, she wasn’t sure. But, now she was out of bed, in sweat pants and a t-shirt, hair pulled back in a ponytail, and the first thing she did was come out and ruffle Etzel’s hair, before placing a kiss agaisnt his temple, now while she still could. “Mm, you guys are up early today, hm? Did you watch any good cartoons?” It wasn’t much, but her fingers in his hair was about all the affection she felt comfortable with. Because Etzel lived in that grey zone between lover, father, nanny, and house guest. It was difficult, and while she was still technically married to Carter, quite a precarious situation.
Etzel: Sleeping on the couch had been difficult for Etzel, even though prior to finding his way into Elise’s bed, he’d been more than happy to sleep in a corner if that was all that happened to be available to him at the time. It didn’t take much for him to fall asleep in most cases, regardless of whether he was alone or in the company of another, but being given the opportunity to grow accustom to sleeping beside someone, he realised it was awfully lonely once that ‘someone’ wasn’t as close anymore. There wasn’t much he could do about it though, being that the whole reason for his slight migration was currently showering (he’d certainly been nervous since Carter had been inside the house, not only for his own sake, but also for the safety of the children and Elise as well). He’d been focusing intensely on the crayon he was fixing just as Elise offered her greeting, but he wasn’t exactly startled. Instead, he tilted his head up so as to redirect the majority of his attention. “Carto—oh, no, I guess nobody really thought of that yet,” he smiled faintly, purposely ignoring the state in which she’d left his hair just to avoid coming across as annoyed or finicky. Etzel wanted to ask how she’d slept—out of habit, of course—but consciously caught himself, knowing it’d sound awkward if he did. “You’re welcome to join us if you want, though. For cartoons, I mean. I’m not really aware of any other plans at the moment, but they kind of come up unannounced. You know how it goes.” After making sure the crayon was okay to colour with, Etzel placed it back in the box and shrugged.
Elise: Oh, she’d mussed his hair up nicely after she’d smoothed it down, just the way he liked it. Of course, with one ear to the shower, there wasn’t much time for anything else. Jack… he was a smart boy. Somehow, he knew to keep quiet about how cuddly the odd pair could be, especially in front of daddy. It was just then, as he’d asked her to join in coloring, that Carter came out, track pants and not much else, as if he were asserting himself in his domain again. Because she was sure that that’s what he thought he was doing, that cuddling made a world of difference between estranged spouses. Instead, she dropped her hand from Etzel’s hair and moved into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of tea and check in with the lovebirds. There were hugs passed between Sean and Adrian before she moved yet again—always a dance to avoid the husband—to go and color with her children. Caitlin mostly thought that crayons were for eating, which always made mommy giggle, and it was just then that the darling girl, with Etzel’s sweet nose and mouth, was scooped up and loved on. Yes, she was a darling thing, wasn’t she? And, with the baby in one arm, her tea in the other, Elise sat on the couch near, but not close to, Etzel and watched him color. There was no way she was being fair, in any sense of the word… but there wasn’t much choice at the moment. Incur Carter’s wrath or… lie. “Well, what would you guys want to do today, hm? We can do whatever you want, really.”
Etzel: For the last moment or so, Etzel had been having a small amount of trouble sitting so far away from Elise while still being seated on the same piece of furniture as her. It started out as a sensation of incredible restlessness which he stubbournly endured as long as he could manage, but then he broke down and shifted just once. Unfortunately for him, the slight movement hadn’t brought him any closer to Elise and once he’d settled back into the couch, he realised that he didn’t feel any better. “I just figured we’d be having a sort of ‘nothing day’… something relaxing, with less eating. There’s always room for additional input though,” In a way, it was almost tempting to find out what kind of lies she had prepared for Carter, because he couldn’t see her going through this much trouble to keep things running smoothly this much longer. And it didn’t have anything to do with him not thinking of her as being strong enough, really, it was mostly because Etzel wasn’t sure he could stand to see her accept Carter’s attitude… though he supposed it was something that went along with being married to the man. Every once in a while, he’d hear from Sean and Adrian and their discussions would persuade him to wonder why he hadn’t ended up in a gay relationship (that particular thought had only ever come up in an effort to find a better solution for Elise; it wasn’t a regret, and he certainly wasn’t considering abandoning anything he might have possibly begun to establish with the woman). “Elise?” Etzel looked to her finally, turning his entire body to face her and pulling his legs up onto the couch so that they may be folded neatly in an Indian style (so long as the couch allowed it). He scooted closer until his knees—or one of them at the very least—brushed up against her hip, but that was as far as he went. “Are you okay? …he’s not bothering you, is he?”
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