who asks the other on dates: aster. she doesn’t go on dates and no one has taken her on one – well, they try and she says no. but she listens in on the girls at brunch or over evening drinks after their shifts, she picks up little ideas. they try out the normal dates, but she ends up taking him to gun ranges or hiking. evening dates? they’re sure as hell the couple in the booth at a nightclub, making somewhat mean-spirited bets when they’re not in their own world altogether.who is the bigger cuddler: garth starts it – he has to. she doesn’t mean to be scared of it, but men touching her makes her uneasy because she knows not every touch comes from a place of love. put a man and a rough past together, she’ll panic a bit when he reaches for her. garth eases her into physical intimacy and it kind of becomes their dynamic – if he wants physical affection, he initiates it and she’ll reply kindly. who initiates holding hands more often: i tend to see aster as the girlfriend that holds his hands and drags him along, kind of ropes him into her schemes or whims. i think the holding comes from a need for togetherness though – she wants to experience life with him, she wants to do everything with him. so, she holds his hand to make sure he’s there and experiencing things with her.who remembers anniversaries: aster. she puts this effort into being organized and staying on track – it never lasts, which garth finds amusing because she’s so damn stubborn and keeps trying. she’s got all their important dates put into calendars or reminders, but she always feels like a sap for it and tends not to relay the message to him about their anniversaries. he knows her day-planners in and out though, he remembers dates thanks to her. he leaves her notes at times saying “we were supposed to visit my ma – it’s her birthday” or “did you forget my brother’s wedding?” just to fuck with her because she’ll panic and flip through her day-planner.who is more possessive: oh god. garth, if i have to choose. he’s never had someone like aster before – she has this unapologetic way of loving him. she lets him know he’s her love and that no one can take his place with her. she has never been sure about most things, but she’s dead sure about him – she has this certainty when she tells him he’s what she needs and what she wants. she gives him this love that is constant and solid; a love he could put in his pockets, row himself out into the middle of a lake, and sink. a “they would find me months later, at best" holes in his eyes where the fish have made homes kind of love. she never loves him any less than completely. he isn’t keen on losing that, or sharing it.who gets more jealous: aster. it makes her feel like an immature prat, but she gets this burning stone dropped in her stomach when someone sees him as an option. she has never wanted someone for more than five hours before, except him – she wants garth around for a lifetime or several if that’s what happens after death. jealousy is a weird sensation for her, but she knows she cannot stand it when people flirt with him. at the end of the day, she assures herself that not a single soul can love him the way she does.who is more protective: garth. he doesn’t need to be, but he is – because dear god, aster says some stupid things. though it wasn’t him, he knows she’s bound to inch someone closer and closer to the edge until they snap. he loves her uncontrolled, but he reigns her in and keeps her safe when she gets herself into too much trouble.who is more likely to cheat: neither, bye. case closed. not even if he was spending years in prison.who initiates sexy times the most: evenly divided. aster wouldn’t hesitate for a second to vocalize what she wants him to do to her, what she wants to do to him – she’s at peace with her sexuality, she feels no shame in desiring him and telling him that. i very much see them as the couple that either arrives late or leaves early purely because of sex. she looked too good in that dress, dinner could wait. he stared at her like that, their friends are too drunk to notice if they leave.who dislikes PDA the most: i don’t see either of them disliking it, necessarily. i think that garth would be the one that reads the room and decides if it would be appropriate or not. aster does not give a fuck – if she wants to get her hands under his shirt with people around, she will. who kills the spider: garth. she tells him to put it on paper and carry it outside, get it out of the house – “you don’t have to kill it, god. take it away from me.” he kills it, scares her with it, and then takes it out of the house.who asks the the other to marry them: garth, but she says no – “did you ask my mom for her blessing?” she insists that he needs to get rachel’s blessing before he thinks of proposing marriage again. aster knows that it’s supposed to be asking her father for her hand in marriage, but she’s afraid jonathan wouldn’t make it out of that encounter without a broken bone or two. garth ends up a bit surprised at how traditional she is: roman catholic church, aster callaghan instead of kuhn-callaghan.who buys the other flowers or gifts: she doesn’t necessarily want gifts or flowers – she’d rather he make it home safe.who would bring up possibly having kids: aster – she’s wanted to start a family since her mid-twenties. motherhood has appealed to her and it’s something she wants quite a bit, so she’d bide her time until she thinks it’s something they can start to talk about. when he seems ready, she tries not to come off as too eager or pushy – it’s just that she wants a family, and she wants it with him.who is more nervous to meet the parents: the concept of the callaghan family makes aster anxious – she’s picturing them as a tall bunch, and she’s afraid his mother might tell her she’s too tiny and she hasn’t got childbearing hips. that’s her big fear: his mother not liking her. garth talks about his new girlfriend to his brothers with a casual mention of “she could break that nose of yours.”who sleeps on the couch when the other is angry: garth is subjected to the couch when he gets in late or is too casual about something she thinks is serious. she’s all narrowed eyes and pushing him out the door, locking it. he’s going to wake up with her laying on the floor by the couch with a hand on him though.who tries to make up first after arguments: aster calls her mom or remembers her wise words after their fights, and it calms her. she starts hugging him from behind or clinging to his arms, trying to get him to talk to her or kiss her.who tells the other they love them more often: it’s much like getting a tattoo for aster – after one, you can’t seem to stop. she reminds him she loves him each chance she gets. there’s a guaranteed i love you over breakfast, when he leaves, when he comes home. she says it a lot, she doesn’t think she can ever say it enough.
