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Jora let out a quiet laugh at his words, the sound soft and a little breathy, the kind that only came when her chest was too full for anything else. “Through the day is more than enough,” she teased gently. “We’ll take all the help we can get.” When she heard that slight hitch in his laugh, she tilted her head just enough to look at him, her hand coming up to rest over his forearm where it was wrapped around her. Her thumb brushed there slowly, grounding, affectionate. “Hey,” she murmured, voice warm and steady. “It’s okay. You don’t have to hold it all together.” She stayed tucked against him, fitting there like she always had, listening to the familiar rhythm of his breathing as it evened out again. The babies shifted softly nearby, the quiet sounds of a waking house wrapping around them like a blanket. “I know what you mean,” Jora said after a moment, her voice low but certain. “Seeing them… feeling how real this is now—it does that to you. Makes everything sharper. Brighter.” She smiled faintly, eyes drifting toward the room Lyra had disappeared into. “But that just means your heart’s in the right place.” She shifted just enough to press a soft kiss to his shoulder, lingering there for a second before resting her head back against him. “This is our life,” she added quietly. “And it’s messy and exhausting and beautiful—and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Her hand stayed over his, fingers lacing together gently. “You’re allowed to feel all of it,” she murmured. “It just means you love them. And gods, Sage… you love so deeply.” |
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Sage had chuckled softly with a nod when she mentioned taking all the help they could get. "We're lucky enough to have all the help we do," he mused after a moment or so. "I mean, Lyra is so willing to help, andi don't know what we'd do without your mom and selene here too," he added, shaking his head slightly. But as jora kept talking, he felt the emotion well up in his chest again, and he just leaned into her with a soft sigh. "I know, I know," he mused softly. "I just....I want to be able to hold them without crying. I can't see them if I'm crying," he noted, a faint twinge of amusement rising into his tone of voice. He leaned into her kiss slightly, closing his eyes for a moment, just drinking in the touch. Her scent. Her voice. All the little details that made her....her. And they were all so special. "I wouldn't either," he murmured, wrapping his arm around her snuggly. "Not a single second of it." He squeezed her hand when she took his own, offering her a small smile when she talked about how much he loved them. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he noted. |
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Jora smiled softly at his words, her thumb brushing slow, soothing circles over the back of his hand as he leaned into her. “We really are lucky,” she murmured, voice gentle but sure. “Lyra’s got the biggest heart I’ve ever seen… and my mom and Selene—” she shook her head with a quiet breath, “I don’t think I could’ve done any of this without them. Without you.” When his voice wavered, when he admitted he didn’t want to cry because he wanted to see them, her expression softened even more. She shifted just enough to press her forehead against his temple, grounding him. “Hey,” she whispered. “It’s okay if you cry. They’re not going anywhere. They’ll still be right here when you open your eyes again.” There was no teasing in her tone—only understanding. She lingered in the way he leaned into her kiss, the way he closed his eyes like he was memorizing her. Like he always did. Her hand slid up to cup his jaw briefly, steady and warm. “I see them the same way you do,” she admitted quietly. “Every time I look at them, it feels unreal. Like my chest might split open if I don’t hold it together.” When he wrapped his arm around her, she melted into his side without hesitation, fitting there like she always had. Her fingers tightened around his when he squeezed her hand, and she smiled at him—soft, tired, and so full of love it ached. “I know,” she said simply. “You love them with everything you are. That’s why they’re so safe.” She leaned in again, resting her head against his shoulder. “And that’s why I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else. Not ever.” |
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Sunshine with a Solar Eclipse
