forum Up for another one? (Closed~)

Started July 12, 2020 by @Rainy_day_artist_classic group

tune

Ash slowly nodded.
"There's is one thing I must ask," he said softly. He set her down, offering his hand to her. "Please don't force yourself to smile."

Laura was still smiling, but dropped it immediately at his request. More out of confusion and surprise, than anything else.
"I… what do you mean, sir?" She asked softly, hesitating before taking his hand.

"I can tell when people do it, Laura. I don't want you to feel like you have to smile when you don't feel like smiling." Ash sighed softly.

Laura kept her smile off, nodding a little. She flicked her gaze to her feet as they walked, keeping quiet for a minute.
"Yes sir… sorry…" She mumbled after a moment, glancing up as they approached the van.

Ash gently put his other hand on Laura's head.
"It's nothing to apologize for. I just want you to know you don't have to pretend around me." He unlocked the van, opening the side and seeing the bag of clothes down.

Laura climbed up in the front seat, managing to buckle herself in.
"Alright sir," She replied in a soft tone, giving him a more genuine half-smile. "I'm still sorry for doing it… I just assumed you wouldn't care very much." She mumbled, feeling guilt pull up as soon as she had said it.

Ash climbed into his seat, looking over at Laura. He gently put his hand on her shoulder.
"I'll always care about you, okay?" He said softly.

Laura looked over at him, letting her smile settle.
"Yes, sir. Thank you again." She whispered, tucking her hair back out of her face. "For everything."

Ash smiled softly, starting to drive them home.
"You're welcome," he said, glancing over to give a smile.

Laura's smile dropped after a couple of minutes, letting out a soft sigh. She leaned on her elbow to look out the window in silence for the rest of the ride. She didn't have much to talk about, anyways.

Ash stayed quiet as well, not forcing Laura to interact. And he liked the quiet, even if he would never tell Laura. He didn't want her to stop taking to him all together. He pulled up to the diner, turning the van off.

Laura was numbly quiet, taking a couple seconds to realize they had stopped. When she had, she glanced over to him before the surrounding area.
"What now, sir?" She asked softly, starting to unbuckle.

"Well, since we're back home, I'm to assume you'll want some time to yourself? Or do you want to come with me to wash your new clothes?" Ash unbuckled, opening his door and coming over to get Laura's door. He offered his hand to her to help her down.

Laura took it, hoping onto the ground. "I… um, I don't mind helping, sir." She replied softly, still holding onto his hand when they started up to the house.
"Whatever you need me to do."

Ash nodded, holding the bag of clothes in one hand. He led her into the diner, moving out of the kitchen. Unlike the store, there were people all about. Ash paused, kneeling down a bit.
"Do you want me to carry you again?" he asked softly.

Laura hesitated, before nodding a little. The sight of the other people had definitely made her uneasy. So being close sounded wonderful.
"Yes please, sir. If- if you don't mind." She responded in a soft tone, picking at her sleeves.

Ash wrapped his arms around Laura, pulling her close as he stood. He held Laura to his chest, one arm under her and the other resting on her back.
"I don't mind," he promised softly. He started walking again, making sure he didn't get too close to anyone. Two children ran past, laughing loudly.

"A-alright, sir… thank you." She mumbled a little, resting up against him.
Laura seemed to flinch at the sound, burying her face into his shoulder. She kept a tight hold on him, not wanting him to let her go.

Ash started to rub Laura's back gently. He moved through the halls, finally coming to the laundry room. It was large, just like every other room in the building, but this place was empty of anyone else. He set the bag of clothes down, still holding Laura close.

Laura was as close as she could be, face still buried in his shoulder. In all honesty, she wasn't sure why she was this nervous. What she did know was that she didn't like it in the slightest. Though with him gently rubbing her back, her tense shoulders started to relax.

Ash stayed still, holding Laura close.
"I've got you," he said quietly. He continued to rub her, refusing to do anything else until she was feeling better.

Laura lifted her head a little, giving a soft look. She didn't have much more than a ghost of a smile lining her lips.
"Thank you, sir…" She whispered, resting her head back on his shoulder.

Ash returned the soft look, gently reaching up to rub the base of her head.
"You're welcome," he murmured. "And I'm not going to ever let you feel like this without me coming to be here for you, okay?"

Laura nodded a little, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck.
"Alright, sir. If… if you say so." She responded lightly, before settling up against him. "Do… do you need to put me down?"

Ash shook his head. He gave a faint smile.
"No, I don't." He started pulling the clothes out of the bag, setting them all out.
"Do you still want to help?" he finally asked.

"Um, yes sir…" Laura responded softly, sitting up in his arms.
"How can I help, sir?" She asked in a small voice, looking to him. Her honey colored eyes studied his face in silence, waiting for further instructions.

"Here." Ash held up one shirt. "Do you think you can handle taking the tags off?" Most of the shirts had stickers instead of plastic tags, so it shouldn't be too hard. Ash could handle the ones that needed cut. He didn't want Laura to feel useless, but he didn't want her doing too much for her to handle.

Laura nodded a little, taking the shirt he had handed her.
"Yes sir, I can do that." She replied in a soft tone, starting to peel the sticker off. "Are you sure you don't want to put me down?" Laura asked as she crumpled the tag in her hand.

"Well, do you want me too? Because I don't mind holding you, I really don't." He took the plastic tag off of one of the shirts, easily breaking the thin plastic in half with his fingers.

"I- um… not really." Laura admitted in a soft tone, folding the shirt neatly.
"I-I just don't want to make things difficult." She insisted, offering the shirt back to him. "What should I do with this..?"