#soft stricklake

[kobujime]

How’s everyone doing!?

Stricklake Month 2025 has finally begun!! I’ve been checking the tag again and again—every post makes me so happy and excited!! 😆💘

I’ll definitely be reblogging more of this!

Every time, I want to share so many thoughts and feelings, but expressing it all in English is so hard… I’m in tears lol 😭😂

[kobujime]

keenswimmers2025 countdown No,7

🤝In the Quiet Where You Found Me

Set during the time when Jim is still away on his journey to find the Heartstone, this quiet moment takes place between Barbara and Walter, who are now living together.

The room was cloaked in night, and the only sound reaching my ears was the ticking of the bedside clock. I turned over, squeezed my eyes shut, but sleep wouldn’t come—only a stream of anxious thoughts. Jim always sent a check-in message at the same time every evening. But tonight, nothing. That single absence had left a ripple of unease I couldn’t shake.

I glanced beside me. Walt lay facing me, eyes closed. Strangely, I couldn’t hear him breathing. As I watched him in silence, one of his eyes slowly opened. Yellow and red—his gaze shimmered faintly in the dark, casting a soft glow across the space between us.

I reached out, and Walt took my hand in his, gently squeezing it as he shifted slightly closer. His expression softened, and I could just make out the contours of his face in the low light.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked, his voice husky and familiar, sliding into my ears like something remembered.

A small smile played at the corner of his lips. I leaned in, cupped his cheek, and pressed a kiss to his mouth. His glowing eyes flickered brighter, as if they could see straight through me—to the worry I hadn’t voiced.

I kissed him again, and again, and soon he was leaning over me, covering me with his warmth.

As I let myself melt into Walt’s body, the sound of shifting sheets accompanied the unwinding of my thoughts. His hand in mine was warm, and I squeezed it tighter, unwilling to let go.

Even as the darkness returned to claim my vision, the weight of my fear had already slipped quietly to the edges of my heart.

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I just feel like Barbara must’ve had so many worries while Jim was away on his journey—wondering if he was safe, if he was eating properly, if he was even okay out there.

And I love the idea of Strickler sensing all that, and quietly staying close by her side. 🥹

I know the piece might read like Barbara’s forgotten all about Jim while getting cozy with Strickler, but that’s not what I meant. A parent’s concern never truly goes away—I believe that worry still lingers in her heart.

She hasn’t forgotten him; it’s just that in that moment, the waves of emotion found a moment of calm. And I imagine Strickler, having lived so long as a human, would be attuned to those subtle shifts in her.

ーーーー

🤝静けさの中であなたが見つけてくれた

夜に包まれた部屋で、置き時計の針の音だけが耳に響いていた。寝返りをうち、目を強く瞑るも、嫌な想像ばかりしてしまい寝付けなかった。それというのも、いつもは一定の時間になるとジムから安否のメールが届くのに、今晩だけは来なかったのだ。それが一抹の不安を残し、今に至っていた。

隣を見ると、顔をこちらに向けて寝ているウォルトの顔が見える。不思議と寝息がしないので暫く見つめていたら、静かに片目が開いて目が合った。黄色と赤が、暗闇から浮かび上がりほのかに照らしている。光の方へ手を伸ばすと、ウォルトが手を取り握り返して、少しばかりこちらに身を近づけた。眉尻を下げた彼の輪郭がぼんやりと見え、“寝れないのかい？”と掠れた声が、耳に届いて馴染んだ。少しだけ上がった彼の口角を見て、そのまま近づくと頬を手で包み、唇を寄せる。黄色と赤い彼の目が一段と光り、私の不安を見透かすしているようだった。数回唇を啄むと、彼の身体が私に覆い被さった。

ウォルトに体を預ければ、シーツの擦れる音とともに渦巻いていた思考が暗闇に溶けだす。繋ぎ直された手は暖かく、私は離さないようにきつく握った。目の前に暗闇が戻っても、先ほどまでの不安はもう心の隅に置くことができた。