Tim looked over, and gazed upon your sleeping form. Your hair was crazy, and your clothes didn't fit right at all. But he wouldn't have it any other way, even with your crazy hair and wacky clothes he thought you were as beautiful as the shining stars above. It took him almost losing you forever to realize just how much he needed you here with him. He took this opportunity to stare at you intently, studying your features.

Even when you were injured and exhausted your (s/c) skin seemed to have a healthy glow. Every imperfection that decorated your body was just another part for Tim to admire. He took off his yellow jacket, dropping it on the floor next to the couch. He sat up, gently grabbing onto you. He pulled you down onto his chest, as slowly and gingerly as he could. He brushed away strands of hair, revealing your sleeping face.
He couldn't help but smile, tenderly petting your head. He pulled a blanket down off the top of the couch and placed it over you.

He turned off the TV and he laid there in the darkened living room. The only sounds being the occasional sounds of the old cabin settling, and your breathing. Tim laid his head back, allowing himself to rest. For the first time in a very long time he finally felt at peace. With a beautiful woman laying on his chest, and a heart full of love, Tim felt like he could take on the world. This feeling was a better high than any of the painkillers he took in the past.
He never wanted this to end, the two of you laying here together in a tranquil silence. He wanted to revel in this moment forever. He laid his head back against the arm of the sofa, and closed his eyes. This moment of peace wouldn't last forever, eventually some other disaster would happen. He or you would get hurt or separated. The anxious thoughts started to claw at him.

Whatever happens, at least in this moment he had you, and that was all he ever needed.

~~

The sounds of chirping birds and singing bugs filled the outside air. The summer in these thick woods brought all sorts of sounds, but if you had to pick one this was your favorite. You opened your eyes, and quickly realized you were laying on Tim's chest. He had his arms wrapped around you. You couldn't help but smile, wrapping your arms around Tim's wide torso.

"So you're awake." You looked up and locked eyes with him. You quickly realized that you were talking to Masky. You yawned, and smiled warmly at him.

"Good morning Masky." He wrapped his arms around you tightly, the pressure on your tender back causing you to wince. His devious smile quickly faded and was replaced with a look of deep concern. He swiftly removed his arms from you, he must not know what happened.

"Are you okay?" You looked away, staring off sadly into the distance.

"My back got messed up pretty bad the other day, and it's still just a little tender." He tensed up, and stared at you, taking in what he just heard. He sat up, and spun you around, taking off your shirt and staring at your bandages.

"Masky!" You squealed, covering your exposed chest with your arms. He ignored you, ripping off the bandages to reveal your gruesome looking sutures. Masky didn't say anything, he stared in horror as he looked at your lacerated back. His grip on your arms tightened, as he became angrier and angrier the more he stared at your healing wounds. You slipped your shirt back on, and he turned you around to face him. He grabbed your shoulders, and stared at you with a look of pure, unadulterated, rage.

"Who did this to you...?" You were frozen with fear, you've never seen either of them this angry since you've known them. You knew Masky had a particularly short temper, but this was far more explosive than you'd ever seen him.

"Tell me who did this to you, so I can tear their limbs off and gut them like a fish." His grip on your shoulders tightened, and he pressed his forehead to yours.

"I-I was attacked by the rake." Masky moved his hands from your shoulders to your face, cupping your cheeks with his rough, calloused, hands. He sighed, and closed his eyes. He thought for a moment, trying to make sense of this situation.

"Let me go get some bandages, and we're gonna fix you up." He planted a kiss on your lips, and quickly stood up. He began to walk towards the stairs.

"Don't forget the bacitracin!" You called out after him. He raised his hand in the air, giving you a thumbs up. You watched him disappear up the stairs, and touched your fingers to your lips. You blushed, sitting on the couch alone until Masky came back downstairs. He walked over to you, sitting on the couch behind you.
He slowly and gently lifted your shirt back off, and handed it to you. You used it to cover your chest, and Masky rubbed the antibacterial ointment on your sensitive sutures.
You flinched from his cold touch, but soon felt the cold ointment soothing on your warm back.

"I'm not hurting you... right?" You smiled.

"Not at all, this feels really nice." Masky couldn't help but smile, gently massaging the cream until he had rubbed it all in. He took out a roll of bandages, delicately wrapping them around your torso. He leaned forward and pecked your cheek, and rested his head on your shoulder. He wrapped his arms around your waist, and you placed your hand on his head. You ran your fingers through his shaggy, dark brown, hair. Masky buried his face in the crook of your neck.

"Your hair is getting really long." Masky sighed.

"I know, I should cut it soon." You leaned forward, putting your shirt back on.

"I'll cut it for you if you want." Your warm, genuine, smile melted Masky's heart. Masky stood up, and helped you up, one hand on your waist and the other holding your hand.

"I'd like that very much, Sunshine." You smiled, and kissed Masky's cheek.

"We can cut it in the bathroom upstairs." You grabbed a foldable chair from the kitchen, and carried it upstairs. Masky began to follow you, and put a hand on his chest. He always told himself he wasn't interested in a domestic life, and that he didn't need anybody. You came into his life and completely derailed his whole thought process.
Everything you were, and everything you stood for, turned his life upside down.

He walked into the bathroom and sat on the chair in front of the sink. He leaned his head back, and you put a towel over the front of him. You began washing his hair, gently moving your fingers through it. In that moment he felt completely at ease. This was the most blissful he had ever felt in a very long time.

You stared down at him, a smile involuntarily creeping across your face. Masky looked so peaceful, not a care in the world. You finished shampooing his hair, and turned off the water.

"You can sit up now." You said in a hushed tone. Masky's eyes slowly opened, and he looked up at you.

"You have to do that more often." You snickered, as you used a towel to dry out the excess water from his wet hair.

"Alright honey, what do we wanna do?" You turned his chair so he was facing the mirror. You put your hands on his shoulder, and stared into the mirror with him. Masky hummed, thinking of what he wanted.

"Just cut it shorter than it is now, I'm not picky." You chuckled, and kissed his cheek.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna make you so hot." You smirked, and Masky looked up at you with furrowed brows.

"Don't be ridiculous, you already think I'm hot." His serious expression melted when he heard your jovial laugh fill the air.

"You're right, you're the hottest guy I know." Masky smirked and reached behind you, swiftly smacking your butt. You jumped, and let out a surprised yelp.

"Damn right I am." You began snipping away at his hair, and Masky watched happily as you trimmed his shaggy mane. Masky watched you, and something caught his eye. He noticed the black ring around your wrist, and for a moment his blood ran cold.

"That's the mark of the operator..."

When were you marked by the operator? When did you meet the operator? Thoughts began to plague his mind. If you had been marked by the operator then that means he's accepted you as one of his followers... Did he expect you to start working like the rest of them?

Today has been one of the best days you've ever had with Masky. You never wanted this day to end, and every minute you spent here with him made you want to go back to the outside world less and less. You looked up and noticed he looked troubled.

"Masky, are you okay?" Your voice snapped him out of his trance and he looked up.

"Oh, it's nothing..." You shrugged and went back to trimming his hair. Masky tried to push those thoughts out of his head, just wanting to live in this moment. You finished trimming his hair, and he looked at himself in the mirror. He smirked, looking at his neatly trimmed hair from different angles.

"You're right sunshine, I do look hot." You laughed, and took the towel off the front of him.

"You might wanna hop in the shower to rinse off any excess hair, that way you're not itchy." You folded up the towel, throwing it in a basket dedicated to dirty laundry.

"Alright, whatever you say." Masky watched you as you tidied up, putting things away and sweeping up the stray hair that fell on the floor. A devious thought crossed his mind, just the thing he needed to take his mind off the things that were stressing him out.

"Care to join me?" You paused, your face immediately turning red as a tomato. You dropped your broom, and turned around to look at him.

"W-What?" Masky snickered.

"You heard me, would you like to join me?"