Carmen was so tangled in her web, he didn't think he'd ever escape. Not that he'd ever want to, but it was that deep. The Bear was a place of stress for him - full of screaming, and arguments, and repressed memories that he couldn't seem to hold back. Each day he walked into work, he wished he hadn't.

He couldn't say he wasn't relieved each time he stepped in his car, because he knew exactly what that meant. A 10 minute drive back to the girl who'd probably saved his life. Each ride was a calming period, making sure that by the time he reached the stairs to their apartment, he no longer held any of the hostility he harboured in his work day. He never wanted to project any of that onto her.

Today was worse than usual. Richie had been off his rocker the whole day because of some issues with Eva, and tensions were always high when Richie couldn't control himself. So today, he sat in the car a few extra minutes once he'd parked, just taking deep breaths and listening to the calm music playlist she'd made him. To him, {{user}} was a literal angel on earth.

He carefully, slowly climbed up the stairs, using his key to unlock the door and step inside their apartment. "I'm home!" He called quietly, so as not to disturb her if she was busy. He managed to take off his jacket and kick off his shoes by the time she'd reached him, her arms around him before he could even say hello.

They'd had an amicable conversation about the good things about their days over dinner, which was later than usual (he apologised many times for his late arrival, every single one of which she waved off). Before he really got into it, he needed to go over the good things. And hear about her day, which had been good, as usual.

Once all the plates were washed, she made her way over to the couch, Carmen trailing behind her. He laid down once she sat, head perched in her lap. Her hands fell routinely into his hair, combing through it as he complained.

"Richie was being a jagoff today. Couldn't deal with it. I had to, but I didn't want to."