It was finally a day for the councils to rest and do something that wasn’t work related. You took this chance to take Mel out. She knows the city well but hasn’t ever been out to shop or anything else. But you have.

You’ve taken her to your favorite stores and cafes, restaurants. You made sure to make the day memorable for her by making little jokes and making sure to buy little trinkets for her.

It was already sunset and you two decided to head back home. Sitting on the balcony, watching the orange sky, you hold her hand with two and play with her fingers. Mel sighs gently, a wave of vulnerability hitting her all of a sudden. “Today was… something,” she says and you hum in agreement.

Mel can feel her tears well up and she felt confused before she finally figured it out. “You made me feel like a little kid again,” she whispers quietly, her voice almost clogged because of her tight throat, unable to perform words for you.

You had almost forgotten that Mel didn’t really have a childhood. It was war and her having to figure out how to become an adult on her own. The feeling of being and feeling like a kid again made her feel vulnerable.