will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

Jack was moving across to the kitchen door that led to the backyard, opening the door. They lived in the suburbia, now. Metro City was looming in the far distance, where it belonged now. In their house, the corner on the block, the newspaper was always delivered into the backyard, and Jack saw it from here by the pavement that led to the garden outside.

“I think my mother’ll forgive you if you don’t call her today dear.” Jack said as he quickly stepped outside and picked up the newspaper before Missy could get her teeth on it, and returned inside.

Drying her hands on the dish towel, Katelynn moved back into their bedroom to change into something warmer so they could go out. “Oh but you know me, your mom is such a sweetheart and I love talking to her,” she replied, taking a warm outfit and changing out of her nightgown.

“Last time I talked to her she asked about your little habits again,” she giggled.

“My little habits huh?” Jack asked on a smirk as he made his way to the kitchen table, removing the band from the paper, and sat down before spreading it out on the table. “You two… still make me feel like I’m a kid sometimes. Which, ultimately, is a good thing.”

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

He smiled at her faintly and, in a gesture he’d been doing for almost 34 years now, he approached her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. His lanky arms wrapped around her middle and he rested his cheek against the back of her head, allowing his eyes to slip shut a moment.

“Hmmm I keep telling you, I’d be more than happy to do more for you…” he said before pulling away from her and plucked a towel from where it hung over the oven’s door rack. “My parents didn’t raise a pig who lets his wife do all the cleaning. Remember?” he asked, as he began to dry a plate.

“I know,” she said softly, putting another plate on the rack. “But I was the one who made the breakfast so I had to clean it up and I thought you’d like to lay in bed a bit longer like you usually do.”

The last dish was done and she unplugged the water to let it drain, her fingers wrinkling up worse thanks to the water.

“Speaking of your parent’s, I hope those two are doing well right now. I need to give them a call since I haven’t talked to them since yesterday,” she said softly, knowing old age didn’t slow those two down.

Jack was moving across to the kitchen door that led to the backyard, opening the door. They lived in the suburbia, now. Metro City was looming in the far distance, where it belonged now. In their house, the corner on the block, the newspaper was always delivered into the backyard, and Jack saw it from here by the pavement that led to the garden outside.

“I think my mother’ll forgive you if you don’t call her today dear.” Jack said as he quickly stepped outside and picked up the newspaper before Missy could get her teeth on it, and returned inside.

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“Hey, I’m not an invilid…!” Jack called out to her, pushing the blanket down just a Missy was approaching him to probably plop down over his lap as she was often to do. He swung his legs out of the bed and eased his sockless feet into the slippers tucked by the bed. He pulled himself to his feet, huffing a breath as he does and grabs his dressing gown that hung by the door.

“Katelynn, come on… let me help you.” he said as he followed her through into the kitchen.

Behind him, Missy leaped down off of the bed with a grunt, and hurriedly followed him.

Her hands were already elbow deep in the seek, washing the dishes as soap bubbles popped around her. “I’m not treating you like an invalid, love,” she told him gently, bringing a dish up and washing the soap off before putting it on the drying rack. “I just wanted to relax is all. You know I love spoiling you.”

There had been many incidents of this when Katelynn would try to get him his favorite food, bring him home some extra paints when she noticed he needed more, cleaned up after him after he had gone to bed, knowing what was okay to move and what he needed where he had left it. Little gestures like this were the least she could do and she hardly even thought about anymore, doing it out of love for him.

“But I guess if you want to help you can dry them?” she asked, giving him a smile while washing a stubborn stain off the pan as best she could.

Missy went to settle on her dog bed, watching them.

He smiled at her faintly and, in a gesture he’d been doing for almost 34 years now, he approached her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. His lanky arms wrapped around her middle and he rested his cheek against the back of her head, allowing his eyes to slip shut a moment.

“Hmmm I keep telling you, I’d be more than happy to do more for you…” he said before pulling away from her and plucked a towel from where it hung over the oven’s door rack. “My parents didn’t raise a pig who lets his wife do all the cleaning. Remember?” he asked, as he began to dry a plate.

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“I’m not, I’m not.” Jack said as he eyed Missy, whose brown eyes were now trained on his plate of breakfast with a hungry leer. “No, Missy. Not for you.” he told her gently, as the poodle’s long undocked tail wagged at being paid attention to. That normally meant food scraps.

“And of course it’s right,” he teased his wife back, “My knee’s very good at weather forecasts. It’s better then the people on the weather channels, I’ll tell you that much.” Jack chuckled before eating the last bit of toast, before sighing, and eyed his water and medicine.

He picked up the three tablets in one hand, and his glass of water in the other.

“I hate taking these.” he muttered quietly before popping them in and swallowed them dryly, before taking some water.

She turned her head to him, giving him a soft smile and leaned over to nuzzle her nose against his jaw. “I know you don’t but it’s doctor’s orders for your health. I want to make sure you live to be 200.”

His breakfast done, Katelynn reached over for the tray and food, scooting off the bed and groaning when a bone popped. “I’ll go wash the dishes really quick and then we can get ready to take Missy out for a walk. You rest up in bed okay?”

She leaned down to kiss his head again before moving for the kitchen.

“Hey, I’m not an invilid…!” Jack called out to her, pushing the blanket down just a Missy was approaching him to probably plop down over his lap as she was often to do. He swung his legs out of the bed and eased his sockless feet into the slippers tucked by the bed. He pulled himself to his feet, huffing a breath as he does and grabs his dressing gown that hung by the door.

“Katelynn, come on… let me help you.” he said as he followed her through into the kitchen.

Behind him, Missy leaped down off of the bed with a grunt, and hurriedly followed him.

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“Yes we don’t want Missy throwing a hissy fit at us…” Jack commented.

Missy being their jet black poodle who was, technically, a middle aged dog. She, like the other pets they’ve had all throughout their years together, had been picked up from the local shelter. Despite being what Katelynn had first thought to be a ‘prissy’ dog, Missy had proved to be as tough as any regular dog, if not tougher.

Seemed like she was compensating for being a poodle.

“What’s the weather today? My knee’s hurting so I guess that means some over hanging clouds?” he asked, turning his head to peer out the window.

“Your knee predicting the weather again?” she joked, taking out her cell phone to check the weather. Pressing the weather app, she hummed at what it listed. “Huh..looks like it was right this time~”

Missy came into the room then, waddling over to Katelynn’s side and climbed onto the bed as best she could, legs hanging off the edge in her attempt.

Katelynn laughed and helped her up. “Come on old girl,” she said, giving her head a pet. “And don’t forget to finish eating mister,” she said to Jack without taking her eyes off the dog.

“I’m not, I’m not.” Jack said as he eyed Missy, whose brown eyes were now trained on his plate of breakfast with a hungry leer. “No, Missy. Not for you.” he told her gently, as the poodle’s long undocked tail wagged at being paid attention to. That normally meant food scraps.

“And of course it’s right,” he teased his wife back, “My knee’s very good at weather forecasts. It’s better then the people on the weather channels, I’ll tell you that much.” Jack chuckled before eating the last bit of toast, before sighing, and eyed his water and medicine.

He picked up the three tablets in one hand, and his glass of water in the other.

“I hate taking these.” he muttered quietly before popping them in and swallowed them dryly, before taking some water.

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“Let’s both agree we both did exceptionally well.” Jack said with a chuckle before taking another bite of his eggs and toast but soon prepped some onto the fork and held it up, holding one hand beneath it to avoid any runny egg dribbling onto the bed, and offered it to Katelynn.

“Say ahh.” he whispered.

Even after all these years, Katelynn still blushed whenever Jack didn’t something sweet like this, her cheeks popping red like Christmas lights. She opened her mouth, tongue slightly out and accepted the eggs, chewing delicately.

When she swallowed, she said, “And here I made this breakfast for you so you could take your medicine on a full stomach.”

She hadn’t eaten her own breakfast yet, wanting to make sure he was well fed first. And now that she thought about it, she would have made enough for two so he wouldn’t be eating alone.

“Gotta eat up and get some strength so we can go out and take a walk after all.”

“Yes we don’t want Missy throwing a hissy fit at us…” Jack commented.

Missy being their jet black poodle who was, technically, a middle aged dog. She, like the other pets they’ve had all throughout their years together, had been picked up from the local shelter. Despite being what Katelynn had first thought to be a ‘prissy’ dog, Missy had proved to be as tough as any regular dog, if not tougher.

Seemed like she was compensating for being a poodle.

“What’s the weather today? My knee’s hurting so I guess that means some over hanging clouds?” he asked, turning his head to peer out the window.

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

Jack shifted back against his cushions as she snuggled in next to him. Like her, he had aged relatively well also. He hadn’t put on much weight, but he was a little bit thicker in some places which was probably good when it was cold outside. Nobody wants to feel the wind rattling through their bones, not at all.

He was just picking up the knife and fork to cut into his egg and toast when he heard her, and turned his head to look at her, eyes lighting up, and smile turning into a proud smile.

“Of course I can believe it.” Jack said, “She’s studied very hard for those grades. I always knew, second I saw her, she’s going to be brilliant. How could she not, with you as her mother?” he asked, giving her a smile before going back to his breakfast.

…though he eyed his medicine wearily. 

Katelynn rolled her eyes with a smile, nudging his arm gently. “I can’t take full credit for her intelligence, love. You were the one who studied with her when I was busy with work,” she replied, a loving smile on her face.

Considering her old work as a reporter and investigator, Katelynn had to work outside the home a lot compared to Jack so studying was left to the father.

“She has your brains, not mine. She only got curiosity from me.”

“Let’s both agree we both did exceptionally well.” Jack said with a chuckle before taking another bite of his eggs and toast but soon prepped some onto the fork and held it up, holding one hand beneath it to avoid any runny egg dribbling onto the bed, and offered it to Katelynn.

“Say ahh.” he whispered.