#in that iron ground | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lilyrizzy · 1 year

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First vacation together <3

This is rare fluff & kidfic from me!

"Remind me again why we got rid of Verstappen Air?"

The line for security is an endless weave of people, overtired and shifting from foot to foot with impatience. It makes Daniel long for the days of private charter terminals, of being ushered to the front of any queue with a smile. One of the few things about Formula One he misses anymore.

"Daniel, of course because of the environment," Max says beside him, and then he's off, launching into the same explanations of CO2 emissions and global warming that Daniel has heard all before.

Next to Daniel, he's also bouncing from one foot to the next, though not from irritation. In his arms, Emilia is sleeping, her face smooshed into the side of Max's neck, her mouth slack as she dribbles onto the collar of Max's t-shirt.

It was her birth that started this interest-bordering on obsession- with how to reduce their carbon footprint. Max spending too long watching nature documentaries with gloomy premonitions at the end, reading an endless amount of articles about what a better place the world would be if only people washed their clothes with their bath water.

Daniel wanted to cuddle Max close every time he started up again, to promise him that everything was fine, that nothing was going to hurt her. But part of being a parent, he'd come to realise, was accepting to limit of your control over these things. The best they could do was never be a reason she hurt, and so Daniel changed their light bulbs to LEDs and made sure all the food in their fridge was organic.

And got on hideous 25 hour flights to the Netherlands with an 18-month-old.

"When we were of course racing, it was different, but now we are settled and do not fly so much, we-" Max is still explaining beside him when Daniel leans in to shut him up with a kiss to the corner of his mouth. Then, taking in the sight of him, he has to lean in and kiss him again.

Dark circles under his eyes, days old stubble on his face, their daughter resting in the dip of his waist, Daniel loves him just as much as he did in their glory days, thousands screaming their names rather than just Emilia wailing their new ones; Daddy, Papa. Maybe he loves him more, though it seeems impossible that the love lodged in his chest hasn't been there always, an electric pulse helping his heart tick in time.

"What was that for?" Max asks about the kisses now, face pinkening in shy happiness. It's still new, the world knowing.

"Because I can," Daniel answers, like always when Max asks this same question. His lips twitch upwards into a grin, and it's everything, getting to watch Max return it.

"Next!"

The moment is interrupted by the bark of the security officers, and they shuffle forwards.

Daniel is responsible for the bags, the pushchair that Emilia refuses to sit in but they brought in case by some miracle she decided to sleep the entire journey. Max has been telling everyone, a few fans stopping them for autographs and old ladies cooing over Emilia alike, that she is so active, like her dad, the pushchair is just for in case, she really walks everywhere. So eager to talk about her with pride dripping from every word that it makes Daniel's heart clench to remember isn't learnt from his own childhood, and is instead made entirely from the sweet nature of him.

By the time it's their turn and he's slipped Max's phone from his back pocket to put into the tray alongside his, folded the blood pushchair and promised he's really sure he doesn't have any liquids over 100ml, when he turns back to Max he's scowling at a security officer, free hand waving angrily.

"Hey," Daniel says, stepping close to place a hand at the bottom of his back, "everything okay?"

"Sir," the officer begins at the same time as Max says 'no', somewhat petulantly, "you cannot hold the little girl as you walk through the scanner. She needs to walk through alone."

"But she is sleeping," Max snaps back, hand covering Emilia's ears as though to stop her from hearing the angry tone of his voice. "Of course we are not hiding anything in her onesie, be serious, we-"

"Babe," Daniel interrupts, eyeing the queue forming behind them, "she's probably going to go right back to sleep on the plane, yeah? Come on, I'll-"

He gestures and the security officer nods him through the metal arch. No beeping, and with the officer seemingly assured Daniel isn't hiding a pistol in his ass, he turns back to face where Max is still stood the other side, chewing his lip.

"Papa, no," she insists, and that Daniel can hear, her forever used to getting her own way. Once set on her feet she begins to grizzle louder. The expression on her face is so 'Max woken before 9 am on a Monday,' that it would make him laugh if he wasn't sure that it would earn him a glare from Max.

"Maxy," Daniel prompts, and he nods.

He wakes Emilia up with a few kisses to her face and gentle words that Daniel can't hear from only 3 feet away.

"Come on, Mils," he calls to her instead, crouching to the floor and holding his arms out, "Daddy's turn for a cuddle."

Her face smooths over a little at the sound of his voice, and he'll never get tired of this. Of being reminded of all the ways they're a family.

It's there in the way she hesitates, looking at Max over her shoulder, not wanting to leave him behind. He nudges her in Daniel's direction with an achingly gentle tap on her shoulder.

"Go on, schatje, I am right behind you."

It's the reassurance she needs to toddle forward, arms outstretched into Daniel's waiting ones. He lifts her up with a theatrical spin that makes her giggle, kissing her dry cheek. Dramatics all for show then.

"Come on trouble, let's go get our stuff," he tells her, shifting her to his hip. Before he can make his way towards where their stuff has been piled on a bench, there's the distinct noise of Max's annoyance from behind him. Turning back, Daniel sees him getting pat down by security, scowling furiously.

"Oh I take it back Mils," Daniel says loud enough for Max to hear, wanting to make him smile the same way he's making their daughter giggle, tickling her sides. "Looks like Papa is the trouble today, huh?"

The flicker of a reluctant smirk on Max's face is worth every trophy between them both.

#I wanted to proof read better but im falling asleep #So sorry for typo #in that iron ground #Max/daniel #Fic

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ruporas · 1 year

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bound to want (part two) /// part one rest of pages under READ MORE after ID

[ID: 23 page digital comic of Vashwood from Trigun Maximum. The comic is in a limited palette of a dark blue, light pink, white, black, and a light beige color for Vash's skin and a mid-brown color for Wolfwood's. This comic is the second part to "Bound to Want" and is spoiler-free. The first part is linked here.

It begins with a panel close up of Vash's expressions. The sky colored in dark blue can be seen behind him. He has a neutral expression, but he holds a slight frown and the reflection of his glasses covers one side of his eyes. Wolfwood says, "Hey. What's with the distance?" In the second panel, the shot widens to show both of them, a clear physical distance separating them with Wolfwood walking ahead and Vash trailing a little behind. Vash responds, "What? I'm just walking a bit slower today..." Wolfwood looks at him with a an irritated expression, clicking his tongue. Wolfwood says, "I was going to wait for you to start... But yer just running away away."

Vash is seen looking away, unable to hold eye contact with Wolfwood as he continues, "You've been avoiding me since that night. Did ya think I wouldn't notice? It's about that dream, right? Tell me about it already if you're going to be moping like this." Vash looks slightly downwards, his brows furrowing and he starts to walk ahead of Wolfwood without looking at him and responds stiffly, "I really don't want to talk about it..." Wolfwood looks at him with a surprised expression, but doesn't probe.

A panel close up to Wolfwood's eyes as he watches Vash go on ahead before he follows suite with an irritated sigh. The panels are overlapped by Wolfwood's hand holding the bottle of the Bride with motion lines, indicating a transition in time.

A wide shot of Vash and Wolfwood in a room now. Vash is seated, his back turned away from the viewer, while Wolfwood's body faces the viewer with his eyes looking towards Vash. He rests the bottle of the Bride on the table with a "clack" and his other hand holds two shotglasses. The background is coated in a light pink.

A panel shows a close up of Wolfwood's face, his eyes looking downwards to Vash as he says, "Let's drink." Next to this panel is Vash looking up at Wolfwood, his brows furrowed and a slight frown. The bottom half of the page is a wider shot with Vash's body turned away from the viewer as he says, "I'm not going to talk about it." Wolfwood responds, "You don't have to." as he sits down.

A wide panel of Wolfwood holding the shotglass, pouring in the drink as he continues, "I'll talk." The next panel is a profile view of Wolfwood, his eyes looking down at the now filled shotglass as he continues to say, "You're..."

"... upset with me." Vash can be seen next to this speech bubble with narrowed eyes, looking towards Wolfwood. The panels are all coated in with a dark blue background. Wolfwood continues, "I can't be certain why since yer not telling me a thing -- but it's probably... my bad." The panels show Wolfwood about to bring the shotglass to his mouth but he turns way as he continued to speak, his eyes not on Vash. The bottom page shows him looking away completely with a guilty expression as he says, "I'm sorry.

If you can ever tell me why, I can try and adjust to make it more bearable. But if you're just trying to get rid of me--" The panels follow Wolfwood's certain expression as he says this, "I don't intend to leave you. I can't... and I won't." A panel shows Vash's wide-eyed expression, surprised upon hearing this, and then his eyes soften as Wolfwood again concludes with, "I'm sorry."

Vash's inner thoughts begins, a boxed speech at the center of the page and panels of his eyes, his brows furrowing again and a resigned, but frustrated expression. His thoughts starts, "Stop. I shouldn't be happy hearing that. And why are you apologizing? I should be the one to..! I can't let anything like that happen to you. You deserve to live a long steady and peaceful life. I want to be optimistic. I want to protect you, but I might end up doing the opposite." The text surrounds Wolfwood from Vash's perspective, the other man drinking out of his shotglass, his eyes downcasted.

"I shouldn't have you. And you won't leave." Behind these text is a panel of Wolfwood's eyes finally looking over to Vash. Vash's thoughts continues, "It's so unfair." When Wolfwood sees Vash, his eyes soften and he frowns. The last panel shows the lower half of Vash's face, but tears begins to flow down his cheek. Wolfwood's hand is already reaching to wipe at them as he starts to say, "You know..."

A wider shot of Vash and Wolfwood, Vash slightly leaning forward with his mouth tightly shut, and tears steadily continuing to flow out of his closed eyes. Wolfwood continues to wipe at them with his hand as he continues, "This isn't a dream anymore. I don't know what you saw for you to be this shaken up, but whatever happened, you'll overcome it, right? If not you, I'm here too. You'll be okay, Spikey. So..." Wolfwood's expression grows more tender, "Have a little faith in me... and come back already." The dark blue starts to fade.

The wide panel has the dark blue background faded and replaced is the light pink. It shows Vash in full up to his shoulders, his eyes are still tears littered, but there's light in them as he says, "Wolfwood..." making eye contact with the other. The next panel shows Wolfwood's tender expression, his eyes and brows fully soften and he has a small smile on his lips, finally seeing the other return a level of sincerity with him.

The next panel shows the bottom half of Wolfwood's face and his hand is offered towards Vash for a dance as he says, "C'mon. We don't have to talk, but this is okay, right?" The background is now white and a ribbon flowing across the page separates this panel from the next sequence. Vash's inner thoughts continus, "I've spent too long avoiding this. It's scary to want after I've taken so much from others." A sequence close up of their hands is shown, with Wolfwood's outstretched hand on the right and Vash's reaching hand on the left. Vash gently places his hand in Wolfwood and at the bottom, Wolfwood wraps his fingers across Vash's.

Throughout the page, a dark blue ribbon starts to flow around the both of them with confetti raining alongside the effect. Vash and Wolfwood are hand and hand, dancing together with Wolfwood as the lead. The viewer can see a peak of Vash's expression, full of fondness but also a hint of sorrow as he looks down at Wolfwood. His inner thoughts continue, "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you. But why is that even though I have these burdens, I still want to love you. I still want you to be by my side."

With a close up of their mouths, Vash's thoughts continue, the text covering his mouth, "Wolfwood, I--" Wolfwood's speech bubble covers Vash's text as he completes his sentence, "want you." Vash's eyes widen for one panel and in the next, his eyes spark, a blush appearing on his cheek and the confetti flows and spark. Tears ease up on his eyes again.

"Want me too already, Spikey." Wolfwood has leaned in enough to rest his head against Vash, a hand of his on Vash's neck, holding his nape and another hand pressed gently against his back. A ribbon separates this panel from the next, a mix of confetti flows across the page, as Vash envelopes Wolfwood in a hug too, holding him and his hand gripping tightly onto his back.

This page is just the ribbon flowly throughout the page on the white background, one white ribbon and the other a dark blue. Near the bottom, the ribbon envelopes each other in a loop. A conversation of Vash and Wolfwood is held over these ribbons, Vash starting to say, "What if I hurt you? What if you..?" Wolfwood responds, "You? How could you hurt me?" Vash, "You know what I mean... You see it everyday..." Wolfwood responds, "If you think I'm going to kick the bucket so easily, I suggest you look at me more closely from now on, idiot. I'm not that easy to get rid of."

The next page has the ribbon criss cross over the top of the page. Vash and Wolfwood can be seen in their dancing position again, Wolfwood now resting a hand on Vash's shoulder, as Vash takes the lead. Vash continues, "Well, I know that... I tried." Wolfwood responds, "But you won't anymore... since you want me... around, yeah?" Wolfwood's head cocks to the side, smiling with assurance, cheeks flushed. Vash looks at him with a wide smile and fond, loving eyes. The confetti flows across the bottom of this page and as it eases into the next page, it starts to disappear.

Vash responds, ".. Yeah... I do..." as he pulls Wolfwood into a hug again. Wolfwood says, "Not going to run away anymore, are you?" Vash says, "No... I trust you." A panel shows Wolfwood's turning away slightly with a shy expression, muttering "Geez..."

In a more simplified style, Wolfwood is seen gripping Vash's cheeks now with his hand, "Though... You do remember you avoided me for two weeks straight, right? How are you going to make that up to me?" Wolfwood asks. Vash responds with eyes closed and a pucker of his lips. A vein of irritation appears on Wolfwood's face. Wolfwood starts to squeeze at Vash's cheek with both hands, shouting, "Now that you've recovered, you're trying to be funny, huh?!" Vash says through the squished cheeks, "I'm just happy..."

The next page opens with a closed up panel of Vash's widen eye as Wolfwood's hand moves from squishing his cheeks to gently holding them and Wolfwood leans in. The inner thoughts starts again, "There's a chance I'm not making the right choice... My dreams, my fears of losing you, it will never go away. But you said you won't let it happen... And I want to hang onto your words closely this time. After all, if it's anyone who can make me believe, it's you." The white ribbon from previous pages flows across the page and it visibly ends at the bottom of the page, enclosing the two of them as they share a gentle kiss with Vash holding Wolfwood's face, a tear in his eye.

The next pages starts with Wolfwood saying, "You cryin' again?" Vash responds, "I'm just grateful..." Wolfwood responds, "But you've always had me." Vash responds, "Being like this is different from staring at you from behind all the time though..." The two can be seen together again, Wolfwood pressing his elbows against the table with Vash leaning over him. Wolfwood is easing the tears out of Vash's eye again, just like earlier. A close panel of Vash's fond expression is seen as he says, "Thank you, Wolfwood." Wolfwood looks up at him with a small smile, gentle eyes. Confetti starts to flow lightly across the page as text starts to appear against the white background, "I'm the one who's grateful...

That you'd embrace someone like me, when I'm not fit to hold you in the first place... But I know better than to hesitate. The moment I acknowledged it, I knew I'd spend the rest of my life loving you. So, have as much of me as you want, Vash."

The final page shows the confetti gently falling down the page and at the bottom shows Vash and Wolfwood pressing their foreheads together, Wolfwood's hands cupping the side of Vash's face gently, and both of them smiling brightly with each other. ID END]

#vashwood #trigun #trigun maximum #vash the stampede #nicholas d wolfwood #its done.... after 2 months.... collapses on the ground #theres a lot of things i would prob change about this but. its so sappy that it makes me a little happy where it ended up #they deserve a little sap too!!! and in the end this is the closest they could get to a first confession #through want! want in each other's life and company since they both have this strained relationship with keeping people permanent in their #lives... and the people or things that are tied to them in the long term tend to be something that harms them.#and as the saying goes -- good things never last! and im sure they prob gave up trying to find a good thing for a long time #vash managed to be found after the moon accident and got his good thing for a bit but even he prob knew itd come to an end eventually #ironically it was wolfwood that ended it. but he really just planted smth new for vash... and now they have some security #or at least vash does. or at least just for this one moment #a moment of bliss and feeling like they are deserving of love is so Fluctuating for vashwood #and ultimately i think wolfwood could only push onwards to initiate because he sensed there was smth vash wanted. and its just #naturally in wolfwood to give to those that he love #but anyway anyway.... i like to think in a sweet universe -- they had the chance to confess like this and got a little bit of time to #enjoy and share their company in this manner. to be a little less restrained and love each other freely #ruporas art

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thesilicontribesman · 8 months

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Gwern Einion Prehistoric Burial Chamber, Pensarn, Wales

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causalityparadoxes · 5 months

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Just saw someone credit Chibnall for making the Doctor nonbinary and uhm,,, respectfully I think some of ya'll skipped 12.

Unless I'm forgetting some earlier classic who/rtd mention of nonbinary-ism, 12 is the first TV Doctor to explicitly talk about timelords not having human gender.

And thats not even getting into earlier non TV stuff like the Eighth doctor saying the line 'i don't think I've ever even been a man' in response to someone asking him if he'd ever been a woman.

Like yes casting 13 as a woman was an awesome move and a win for nonbinary Doctor fans everywhere. But please don't forget the work Capaldi & Moffat put into making Twelve a nonbinary icon

#im sorry but in a post abt skipping 13s era and crediting rtd for nb doctor its a bit ironic to then not credit Moffat 🙈#this is not meant as an attack which is why i didnt reply to the person directly to their post #but gahhh please do not forget 12 Capaldi Gomez & Moffat did SO MUCH to lay the ground work for Whittaker & Chibnall in S10 #doctor who #twelth doctor #12th doctor

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teenagenutant · 1 year

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Parmi really reminds me of Willy Wonka

this made me giggle so i had to draw it- i can see it LMAO. please imagine parmi committing willy wonka crimes off screen

#tmnt #rottmnt #tmnt fusions #my turtle art #turtle asks #based off the fun little fakeout tumble gene wilder's willy wonka does #there is a bit of truth to this i think AHA.#parmi's VERY capable of getting carried away with things. i suppose also including enacting karmic ironic punishment #(mikey loves giving ppl chances to grow but also loves tough love + leo is ever committed to the bit and loves enabling people. so)#also parmi is such a cute nickname...waa... nino is also a fun middle ground between 'angelo and 'nardo hehe #fusion mayhem au #fmau #fmau asks

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princeyam · 2 months

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height difference

#pokemon #gardevoir #gallade #iron valiant #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon legends arceus #shiny pokemon #paradox pokemon #alpha pokemon #these are my very own pokemon! if it wasnt obvious audhjdhsjsjs #i finally drew my jumbo shiny iron valiant...#anyway that presents guys. how are we feeling. lol #i literalky dropped my volo plush and started hitting the ground in confusion #i love legends so much but kalos... kalos........#where is legends kyurem

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ircn-dad · 2 years

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Whenever I'm sad I just remember how Tony whispered "kid" when he was dying because he wanted to spend his last minute with the person he risked everything for, the person he missed during those five years and he just got back just to lose him again.

And Peter probably heard Tony calling him because of his senses, but he didn't wanted to ruin Pepper and Tony's moment.

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son1c · 3 months

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i think the hardest sell for starline was hypnotizing sonic into trusting him. like everything else would've been easy by comparison (and make no mistake: sonic fought it all SEVERELY). but getting sonic to stop trying to attack him and tolerate the "sessions" with the warp topaz took the longest for starline to accomplish. and i still think even once he's in the town, sonic still twitches sometimes.

#it's soooooooooooooooooooooooo twisted like it's so diabolical of him. and you KNOW #you just KNOW that starline gloats about it in his little video diaries. every inch of ground he manages to steal from #sonic's iron will is cause for pages upon pages of self-aggrandizing fluff from starline.#snowpoint sonic

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pokemonlolitaproject · 17 days

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As requested by m100565 a coord inspired by Pokemon #990 Iron Treads

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cryptixotic · 1 month

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i don't share sketches often enough on here - Here are some misadventures straight out of the East Blue :•)

#one piece #one piece fanart #iron mace alvida #buggy the clown #sketch #sometimes people ask me how i get good scans of my stuff - i have two tricks up my sleeves #1st one is to press your sketchbook against the scanner firmly #as if you were pressing the head of a guy who owed you money against the cold ground of a parking lot #the second trick is photoshop curves :)

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sobeesknees · 1 month

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Getting banter literally every two seconds in act 1 in bg3 is really fucking me up. All I can think about is how one day, I sat my ass down, booted up Inquisition, parked my inquisitor and Dorian and Iron Bull somewhere safe, got a book and started reading to pass the 15 to 30 minute wait until their banter triggered because I wanted my completely virtual and fictional bestie to get some.

#like is there no middle ground??#anyway im nothing if not a friend #ur welcome dorian #bg3 #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #baldurs gate 3 #da:i #da: inquisition #dorian pavus #iron bull

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lilyrizzy · 10 months

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something silly & self indulgent, set in the verse of 'in that iron ground.'

cw: parental death mention

“Daniel?” His mum says, her voice airy with the echo of laughter. “What a nice surprise.”

There’s no trace of concern in her voice, though it’s 4 AM in Rotterdam right now, something she must know. Or at least have known once upon a time. Too early for a casual catch-up.

It’s strange to be faced with the different ways his dad’s death affected them all. His mum can be fearless answering the phone, but Daniel’s palms still sweat whenever he sees his light up with the notification that her or Michelle is calling. Stranger still, maybe, that this is still something he thinks about whenever he speaks to his family on the phone.

“Sorry, you sound busy,” he apologises, but even as he says it, staring out at the inky black night, he hears the noise of background chatter recede. His mum’s muffled voice as she makes her excuses to step outside of whatever room she’s in, all the way across the world.

“No, no, Tim and I just have some friends over for our breakfast club, but I’m never too busy for you,” she says easily enough, back to talking to him now. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah Mama,” he promises, nodding though she can’t see him, “everything is- It’s good. Just wanted to hear your voice.”

There’s a pause, where he thinks she might call him out on the strangeness of the hour, but then-

“Not too long till Christmas now, darling.”

They fall into the easy routine of catching each other up, their familiar dance perfected through more years spent living apart than together now. It’s mostly her speaking to start with, like she knows he needs it to ease himself in. He hears all about Isaac’s new job, and Izzy’s new baby. Stuff he already knows from Michelle, mostly, that he can just hum along to. The last thing is how the cold is finally ebbing from the earth long enough for her to think she can plant some new bulbs soon in her garden.

“And what’s new with you?” She prompts, enough of a tone in her voice for Daniel to know that if he could see her, he’d be getting that pointed look right about now.

Come on young man, tell your mama.

Time’s up.

“We dropped Milly at uni earlier,” he admits after a moment but then doesn’t say anything else, letting it settle between them.

“Oh,” his mum says, something knowing in her voice, and if Daniel stays as an attuned parent to Emilia, despite the new distance between them, he’ll be happy. “How did Max take it?”

That makes Daniel smile at least, looking over his shoulder towards their bedroom, though he knows he won’t be able to see the shape of Max under their duvet through the blinds covering the balcony’s glass door.

His mum hums sympathetically.

“Well, he only pretended not to cry for half of the car journey back,” Daniel says with a laugh, though at the time he’d ached watching Max try and fail to stop his bottom lip trembling as they pulled away from the University of Amsterdam’s welcome fair. “Then he gave in and asked me to pull the car over to give him a cuddle.”

“He did tell me he was nervous for her go,” she says, and nervous is the understatement of the fucking century, but her words make a thick kind of love fill his chest. The same feeling he gets when Max says, “Remind me to call your mum tomorrow, I haven’t spoken to her for a little while.” When he walks in on the two of them exchanging new recipes over Facetime.

“Yeah, she’s our baby,“ Daniel says simply, laughing just to ease the words from his throat, “he isn’t taking it so well, but- But you know Max.”

He can say that because she does.

“Poor Max,” she says with a sigh. “And how is my baby taking it?”

Daniel breathes out the breath he’s been holding in since they dropped Emilia off at her accommodation. Max pressing one hundred quick kisses to her head, making her promise to call them tomorrow to tell them all about her ‘lovely new friends’, while she tried desperately to back them out of the door so they couldn’t cramp her style any worse. Since Max touched his knee and looked at him with wet eyes in the car ride home and said, “This of course is for the best,” like he hadn’t also been right there with Daniel, agonizing over her moving a two-hour car journey away.

Nothing really, when you compare it to two planes and twenty-four hours of travel.

“I’m okay,” he says because it’s mostly true. “I just- Fuck, mum, I don’t know how you and Dad did it. Packed me up and let me move to Europe, two years younger than Milly is now.”

His mum hadn’t even cried in the airport, he remembers. She’d just kissed his cheek very hard, his dad hovering behind telling her she’d make Daniel miss his flight, then hugging Daniel afterwards for just as hard, just as long.

“Ah, well,” she says, words half gentle laughter. “This is the hard part. Welcome back to the era of sleepless nights, except this time they aren’t in the next room, needing you.”

He has to close his eyes against the harsh truth of it. The pain he put his parents through, the pain he feels now, it’s all born from too much love.

“Yeah but Milly always needs me,” he insists, laughing wetly, trying and failing to cover the way he is the one crying now. “Who else is going to teach her how to bag all the hot Dutch boys?”

His mum snorts, and for a moment the ache in his chest is soothed by giggles they dissolve into together. “Don’t let Max hear you say that.”

They lapse into a comfortable silence again once the laughter has trailed off, but Daniel still hasn’t said the thing that made him pick up the phone and call. He promised himself standing at his father’s graveside that he wouldn’t let important things so unspoken between them again, but it doesn’t make it easy.

“Thank you,” he eventually croaks, his throat aching with the words. “Mum, thank you for- For letting me go. I wish I could say the same to Dad, I- My daughter is off to study law two hours up the road and I’m a mess, and- And you guys let me move two continents away just to give my dream a try.”

His dream that never came true, not all the way at least, but that Daniel still wouldn’t trade the life he has now for.

“Oh, sweetheart.” His mum’s voice is gentle, and he wishes so badly she was here to give him a hug. “I just did what you are doing now, for Milly. It’s all a part of it. Sophie would tell you the same.”

She probably has already, to Max at least.

“Yeah,” Daniel says, wiping at his eyes and sniffing a little. “I just- I’m going to miss her, I think.”

For the last nineteen years, the bedroom opposite his and Max’s has been five different colours, has seen four different ‘best friends,’ and had posters of athletes, pop stars, Max’s maps and most recently Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the wall, but- But it’s always had his baby girl inside, sleeping in the bed every night.

“Of course, you’ll miss her. You’re a good dad, Daniel.” His mum says it like a promise, her voice cracking down the middle too. “I tell your dad all the time when I go to visit him. How proud of you he would be, my darling.”

#thank you lin for making me think about how daniel would feel so fraught letting his baby leave home #comparing it to how his parents let him go to race #in that iron ground #max/daniel #fic #one day i'll stop beating this au like a dead horse i promise lol #today is not that day!!!#also sorry to spam everyones dash so much today #really trying to avoid my thesis lol

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