A/N – Another writing challenge/experiment, inspired by a DeviantArt 25-word list. I had some notes for a sweet little domestic vignette about making love in the music room that became obsolete once I wrote Unexpected Visitors, so I decided to adapt these notes to a writing prompt. In an attempt to avoid the convolution of too many compound sentences, each entry contains up to three sentences illustrating the theme. Harold and Marian have another silly spat, which leads to a heated reconciliation. Set February 1914.
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01. Home
Marian wondered if there was something about the month of February that made her and Harold more prone to silly fights. This wasn't the first February in their marriage that a trifling domestic spat had disrupted the serenity of their happy home.
02. Broken
As far as the librarian was concerned, it was her inconsiderate husband who had broken their domestic tranquility. While she often bore the music professor's disorderliness with patience and humor, she could not overlook his negligence on this occasion. After she had spent a full day minding two fussy infants, cleaning the house, and cooking dinner, Harold just had to go and track mud all over her freshly washed floors!
03. Beginnings
Although Marian could tell that Harold had the beginnings of a cold, she was not inclined to sympathy because their darling daughters were also suffering from the same affliction, and they'd been screaming about it all day. So she didn't bother to mask her irritation, and crossly scolded her husband for not using the scraper when he entered the house, thoroughly negating all her hard work.
04. Forbidden
To his credit, Harold apologized for his lapse – though both his expression and tone were rather surly as he did so. Incensed by his dismissiveness, the librarian did not stop with a mere scolding – she frostily informed the music professor that wearing shoes in the house was now completely forbidden.
05. Crash
After informing his wife just as coolly that he would not stand for being treated like a naughty little boy after all the work he did to provide this house for her in the first place, Harold compounded his transgression by storming out and slamming front door. Unfortunately, the crash was so loud that it disturbed the girls, and they started crying again.
06. Vision
Normally, the orderly and meticulous librarian would have wasted no time setting things to rights after the unceremonious departure of her recalcitrant husband. But the vision of the muddy hallway, coupled with the discordant bray of not one but two infants screaming, overwhelmed her so much that she could only sink to the floor and weep in frustration and defeat. It wasn't until she heard the stew boiling over on the stove that she leaped into action.
07. Choices
Although Harold had unequivocally elected to settle down in River City, establish a legitimate business, and marry the woman he'd fallen in love with, he found he was still faced with choices in life. Specifically, should he spend the entire night at the emporium, or attempt to make amends with his wife right away?
08. Secret
It was no secret that the music professor wasn't the most organized man, but Marian, the High Queen of Neatness, could have been a whole lot nicer when she was addressing his error on this particular occasion. He hadn't meant to track dirt into the house, nor did he deserve that much scorn from the icy librarian. While the domesticity of married life had its attractions, this certainly wasn't one of them!
09. Letters
After their last major fight, which was over the scandalous burlesque photographs he'd forgotten to destroy, husband and wife had written love letters to each other. Harold supposed that this silly spat didn't merit such lofty gestures, although a contrite note expressing his appreciation for the librarian's hard work might go a long way in soothing her frayed nerves and ill temper. But he was still too stung over her dismissal of what he brought to their household to so much as attempt to put pen to paper.
10. Kink
Although Harold was hurt and annoyed over the librarian's harsh reaction to his honest mistake, he was confident that the two of them would work out this little kink eventually. There wasn't a single challenge they hadn't eventually overcome, and he wasn't going to let a little mud ruin the rich and fulfilling life they had worked so hard to build together.
11. Hide
After an hour or two, Harold had cooled down enough to decide that he was going home. It would do him no good to hide in the emporium all night, especially after such a foolish quarrel.
12. Touch
Truth be told, the music professor just didn't have it in him to face a long, cold winter night curled up all by his lonesome on an uncomfortable couch, especially when he was dealing with a bothersome cold. The warm and soothing touch of his wife was more than worth the fuss he would have to go through to earn it back.
13. Eternity
Although it had only been a few hours since Harold left, it felt like an eternity to the librarian. As she waited in the hopes that her husband would see reason and return home tonight, she managed to save dinner, get the girls settled again, and clean up the mud on the floor. After everything was pristine, she retreated to the music room to find refuge at the piano.
14. Forgiveness
Marian wasn't sure how long she was playing when she felt eyes on her back. She immediately turned to see Harold watching her with repentant eyes, clad only in his stocking feet and holding a silk rose in his hand. Although her heart beat faster at such an endearing tableau and she stood up to meet her husband as he rushed over to her, she was still too miffed to offer him forgiveness too easily.
15. Weakness
However, when Harold took her in his arms, pulled her to sit on his lap, and covered her with apologetic kisses, Marian couldn't resist his advances. It may have been weakness to capitulate so easily, but when it came to the man she loved, she'd rather have happiness than pride. Undone, she melted wholly into her husband's embrace, and they made love on his favorite wingback chair.
16. Strangers
Entwined so intimately with Harold, it was hard for Marian to believe that they were once wary and distrusting – if smitten – strangers. But the former fly-by-night salesman had opened both his heart and his home to her, and now that she knew this kind of love and belonging, she would not let her foolish pride ruin their relationship.
17. Throat
When Marian just as humbly apologized for her part in their row, the Adam's apple in Harold's throat bobbed up and down, as it always did when he was overwhelmed with the intensity of his emotions. Before he could break down, she leaned in and kissed him both sweetly and contritely.
18. Rough
Conceding that they both had rough days, husband and wife pledged not to let such petty irritations get the better of them in the future. Now that their argument was resolved, their proneness to February fights became a source of amusement rather than discomfort.
19. Birthday
After they smoothed out their disheveled clothing, Marian sat next to Harold on the piano bench and nestled into his side as he softly and tenderly played Für Elise – the very song he had learned to play for her birthday the year she was pregnant with the twins.
20. Time
Now that the babies were finally fast asleep, husband and wife took the luxury of time with each other. After their rushed reconciliation in the music room, Harold brought Marian to their bedroom and undressed her as slowly and avidly as he did the night he brought her home as his new bride. He made love to her with his hands, then his mouth, then his cock, taking her every which way he could to bring her ecstasy and release – and she reciprocated just as thoroughly and eagerly until, finally sated, they drifted off into a delightful doze.
21. Dreams
Merely a few hours later, Marian was pulled from the most delicious of dreams when the girls woke up and clamored to be fed. Still trying to make things up to her, Harold hastened to fetch their babies without so much as good-natured grumbling. As he entered the bedroom with their squalling daughters, the librarian took a moment to admire the way her dashing music professor's forest-green robe was draped haphazardly askew over his lean, muscular frame.
22. Birth
As Penny and Elly nursed, they held hands. Looking thoroughly entranced, Harold asked Marian when they started doing this – although he'd been a devoted father since their birth, he'd never caught them at it. "Only sometimes," the librarian whispered, beaming at her husband in return – and it was those perfect sometimes that made all the fussing worthwhile.
23. Desk
Later that night, when Harold was experiencing one of his bouts of insomnia, he came down to the music room and rifled through his desk for the scores he'd been meaning to analyze for the upcoming Easter concert. Instead, he found the journal he'd given Marian the week he had laryngitis – and discovered she had written a response that was just as sweet, candid, and heated as the essay he'd written her.
24. Restrain
As much as Harold wanted to go right back to bed and make love to his wife, he had to restrain himself. The librarian was slumbering soundly and he was reluctant to disturb her – especially as she had already gotten up several times to nurse their cranky daughters throughout the night. But when he wordlessly handed her the journal after she'd completed the next feeding, Marian gave him a sly smile, removed her negligee, and pulled him to their bed with the teasing admonition: "I was wondering when you would finally find that."
25. Kiss
"Do you know what you could use right now, before the girls wake up again, my dear little librarian?" Harold asked as he kneaded his wife's sore shoulders and thighs in the wee hours of the morning, just before the sun started to peep over the horizon. Hearing the grin in his voice, Marian smiled as she invited him to explain. He craned his head and planted a gentle kiss on the nape of her neck before replying with the most considerate and immediate ease a man could give his exhausted nursing wife: "A nice, hot bath – for just the two of us."