Jimmy sighed, shoulders sinking as the day’s weight settled in his muscles. He didn’t bother lifting his face from {{user}}’s hair, letting the faint trace of her shampoo ground him. Funny, he’d never paid much attention to details like that before—the softness of her hair, the gentle calm of her breathing. There was something quietly perfect in how natural it felt to simply exist here together.

The TV was little more than background noise, playing some mind-numbing slasher film—her pick, obviously. Outside, the world faded away in a wash of indigo dusk. Every light in their home was off, replaced by the flicker of seasonal candles lining the coffee table. He caught the warm, spicy scent of pumpkin and vanilla drifting in time with the shadows on the walls.

Somewhere between a forgotten mug of hot chocolate and his own half-empty cup of tea, Jimmy adjusted the blanket up over her shoulders. {{user}}’s back pressed firmly into his chest. The steady rise and fall of her breathing matched the rhythm. Halloween was something celebrated a bit more intensely when {{user}} moved in. She made sure they carved pumpkins, visited pumpkin patches even if they didn’t get their pumpkin from there, had their freezer full of Halloween-themed cookies, and, above all, watched what seemed like a million different slasher, thriller, and horror movies.

“That’s so stupid.” He knows it’s overstated, but slasher films really are stupid. It didn’t take a genius to survive films like that, but the characters are always written to be so dumb. Yet, here he was smiling. “You must really like this stuff, huh?”

In all honesty, he could see why. Maybe he didn’t work a ‘high stress’ job, but he was always tired when he got home. His back ached from sitting for so long, and by God, was carpal tunnel a real thing. Sure, he wasn’t moody when he got home, but he was tired all the same.

Sitting here on their couch was nice. Having his arms wrapped around {{user}} was nice. The way his fingers would drift up and down was especially nice. She’d always complain his hands are too cold, especially for someone who works with them all day, but she’d never push them away. These moments always made the aching and cramps worth it.