the silver lining;

damien starling.

[damienstarling]

tylerdavis

“bed times for kids apparently are not a thing in this house. all three kids are up and about. running up and down the stairs and yelling in excitement. please send help,”he chuckled as he leaned against his car and took a drink.

damien winced. one kids was responsibility enough, let alone three of them. three sounded like a handful, and damien only had two hands. “ have you tried threatening santa? or the easter bunny? that’s going to be my go to when the time comes. ” 

[damienstarling]

open //

[damienstarling]

covebxys

bruno clasped his hands behind his head as he stood in the water, wading against the waves. he nodded his head, “well, you sure know where to find me” bruno looked over at the other. it was a small town and his shop was hard to miss. “well, aside from the foreclosed barber shop i just bought, nothing really” bruno shrugged and let a laugh escape his lips. “how about you? you seem like you have quite the story to tell” bruno questioned, using the other’s words to phrase his inquiry.

a foreclosed shop was as good a reason as any. pursuing ones dreams was always a noble ambition. damien smiled to himself, picturing the two reasons he came to the cove. “ story might not be quite the right word for it. i followed a girl. two girls actually. ” he smirked. it sounded so much worse than it was.

[damienstarling]

open //

[damienstarling]

elliotkc

Beaches like this were still new and impressive to Elliot. Though the made him realize he never took enough vacations with his husband when he could. Real vacations and not just taking time off work to lay about or attend some wedding.

Still, he had other motives for standing here. The cigarette dangling between his fingers, the third on this little walk, was really what had him out of bed. It’d been a secret habit for so long that hiding it was needed as much as the nicotine.

“It doesn’t exactly come easy, no, but I’ve got a lot to do and need my, uh, strength.”holding his hand out to emphasis the point he barely made, Elliot the reached up and pushed the brim of his baseball hat up so his face wasn’t as hidden.

the smell of cigarette smoke was completely unexpected, but damien was no stranger to the smell. headlights was sometimes thick with the stuff. plus he didn’t mind the company. and it wasn’t like the salty sea air didn’t waft it away soon enough. “ you sound like a man with something on his mind. if you need someone to listen, i’m not exactly busy right now. ” 

[damienstarling]

oflilith

𝚕𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 damien’s dedication to their daughter. from the night that they met to now, she had seen him turn into the best damned co-parent that anyone could have asked for. stepping into his bedroom, she retrieved their daughter, balancing the tot on her hip. “ aw liebling, ” she cooed, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. “are you okay ? ” being a first time mom, lilith and everyone in her family expected her to panic over every little thing, but her medical training came in handy more than she would have expected. laying her cheek against cait’s forehead, examining the color in her face and her current attitude, lilith brushed it off. “ i think she’s okay. ” she confirmed, pressing another quick kiss to cait’s head. “ any plans for tonight ? i’m off tomorrow so i figured i would try to tackle some of the boxes. ”

it was a relief, having a doctor as a co-parent. any time damien thought he might fret about some new aspect of being a dad, lilith was there with logic and reason and, if necessary, a medical explanation. there was never really any reason for him to worry, just raise his little girl and enjoy the ride. “ i’ve got work later, but i’ll make sure i’m free to help you unpack. ” this was their house, their home, and damien was going to make damn sure he pulled his weight. they might not have been a family in the traditional sense, but he was still going to look after his little family. “ since you have the day off, maybe we could go out and check out some of the local sights. take cait out for lunch somewhere? ”

[damienstarling]

oflilith

𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚏𝚝, lilith was more than excited to get home to cait and bailey. stepping in the door of her new home, she was immediately greeted by the behemoth of a pup that she just had to have. “ hi my girl, ” she cooed, dropping to her knees and scratching the dog behind her ear. her enthusiasm was short lived, however, green eyes examining the mountains of boxes she had still yet to unpack. her new living situation hadn’t become familiar to lilith yet, finally being with not one but two people who she was quickly beginning to adapt to. at this point, she basically had a nightly routine: she would come home, let bailey outside, avoid all the cleaning and unpacking she needed to do, get a glass of water and go upstairs to spend the few moments she had with her daughter before both of them went to sleep. today was no different. as soon as bailey trotted out the back door, lilith made a beeline up the stairs and intro cait’s room. however, no cait. from down the hall, she heard caitriona’s happy babbling noises, a sound that immediately brought a smile to her face. lilith walked down the hall, standing in the door way of damien’s bedroom, seeing her daughter with her father. “ there’s my angel. have you been good for daddy ? ”  /

if you had told damien five years ago that one day he’d move states to be a father, he would have laughed in your face. but here he was, in a house that hadn’t been properly unpacked yet, with a little girl who he would move the moon for if she asked. in fact, damien was adapting to the dad life a hell of a lot better than he thought he would. he was learning how to braid hair, he was cooking healthy meals, and he was absolutely nailing play time. life was honestly good. he heard the telltale sound of puppy paws running for the door, and knew that lilith would be home. which meant it would soon be time to give the mother and daughter some much appreciated time together. he kissed her on the cait forehead, and went about packing up the toys they’d been playing with. “ like you said, she’s an angel. ” he smiled when lilith came into view. “ she felt a little bit warm earlier, but i think she’s okay now. ” he was probably just being paranoid, but if he was going to be a father, he wanted to do it right.

[damienstarling]

open //

[damienstarling]

bruno looked out to the horizon and let a slight sigh escape his lips. in his opinion this was one of the most gorgeous sights on the entire east coast.  “the pleasure is all mine. it’s nice to meet another new face around here” bruno explained with a smile. he then raised a brow and explained, “i bought the barber shop down in the cove so if you ever need a cut come check it out” he never missed a chance to promote his business. “maybe i’ll even offer you an early birddiscount or somethin’” he teased, wading in the water.

damien’s hands skimmed the water, creating light splashes against the waves. the ebb and flow of the ocean has always fascinated him, the constant movement yet somehow peaceful and tranquil. it was like time stood still out here, in the early mornings, when there were only a few souls awake. “ I’m not one to say no to a good deal. ” truth be told, he was probably overdue for a haircut. other more pressing matters has taken priority of late. “ so what bring you to the cove? if you don’t mind me asking. all these new faces, i just feel like everyone has a story to tell. ”

[damienstarling]

open //

[damienstarling]

covebxys

bruno had decided that one of his many new years resolutions for 2020 was to get up earlier and enjoy more sunrises. as he strode towards the water, bruno smirked, tossing his shirt to the side and diving into the water. when he came back up he slicked his hair out of his eyes and jumped a little when he saw the other so close. usually at this hour he was alone, “yeah, i’ve been trying to wake up early” bruno explained. “what about you? long night?” he asked with a smirk.

damien chuckled, wading into the water. it had been a long night. dollar bills stuffed into uncomfortable places. loud music. demanding clients. he splashed his face, running the salt water through his hair. it was brisk, but not overly so. rejuvenating. symbolically starting a new day. 

     “ something like that. anyway, it’s nice to meet you. i’m damien, just moved in down the road. ”

[damienstarling]

open //

  @covestarters​ - - the sun was slowly rising over the ocean, the warmth from the rays bringing the smallest of smiles to damien’s face. he took a deep breath and wiggled his toes into the sand. it had been a long night at the headlights and damien couldn’t wait to wade into the water and wash off the sins of his job. he wasn’t the only one who was out at this early hour, however.

     “ couldn’t sleep either, huh? “

[sebastians-stan]

Henry Cavill for Men’s Health