Life's What you Make it [Emma]

He gave a soft sigh at her words, appreciating them, but also disagreeing a little bit. He waited until she was completely finished with her own thoughts before he spoke, and it explained a lot, and it was some comfort to know that on some level, she understood being spoon fed bullshit and bad lessons. When she finished speaking he nodded, "I do have a temper though. I've just become hyper aware of it..." He chuckled humorlessly, "my sister does too...It's awful." He shook his head, "I never want to hurt you the way he hurt me." He gave her a meaningful look, then squeezed the hand he was still holding, trying to give a soft smile.

"Em, you have to nag me sometimes." He shook his head, "because sometimes things happen like...With the coffee aisle." It felt so stupid now, "it's just...My brain doesn't just see it as simple as that." He ran a hand through his hair, "it thinks and thinks and over thinks, and then I guess I get a little caught up in endless possibilities..." He gave her a slightly humored smile, "so sometimes yes, I do need to be nagged, and pulled out of it...Just...I don't do it to be a pain. It's compulsive." He frowned, "but I am not infallable, and snapping at you when you're trying to get ready doesn't solve things either." He shook his head, "but I don't want you to feel like you have to just not say things, Em." He squeezed her hand, "we're partners in this, together, on equal ground. I want you to feel like you have a voice."

He glanced to the side, "just...Maybe a little understanding...It's fine to remind me that I'm getting myself wound up but...I'm also not five, and sometimes it just makes me feel stupid, you know? Being talked down to..." He felt like he'd spoken enough for the moment, and looked at her with a look that invited her to say her piece.

She looked down at her lap again, obviously embarrassed when he commented how she sometimes talked to him like he was a child. He was right, after all, she got so frustrated with how he couldn't seem to make choices, that she acted like he was an indecisive child.

"It is frustrating sometimes." She admitted. "Watching you get so wrapped up in what kind of cheese to get or what color shirt to wear. I want to make suggestions...or sometimes just do things. But I didn't want you to think that I didn't think you could do things..." She trailed off. "I'm sorry I talked to you like that. It's just...I like to get things done. I usually know what I want, and I want to just get to that and sometimes...I kinda want you to just...kinda be able to do the same..." She admitted.

She looked thoughtful, then back up to him. "So like...what would you be okay with me making suggestions about? Or just, you know, doing so it doesn't stress you out?" She asked.

He nodded and ran a hand through his hair, "it's frustrating for me too...When I just want to get something done and I just...I can't..." He looked over at her, "because I get hung up and stuck and then there's millions of possible outcomes running through my head..." He shook his head gently and looked down, "being a math genius sucks sometimes..." He said this in jest, but his expression soon became seriously, "but like...Don't feel like you have to put on some fake as smile, you're a human being with human feelings, and I'm a grown adult too, I can take a little bite." He chuckled, "sometimes I need a little bite." He looked to the side a little, "just...Like remember I'm not a child...And...Like I'll try not to snap at you. Sometimes I don't really want help, I'll start letting you know, okay? Without snapping."

At her question, he chewed at his lip, "like...mundane things...clothes...groceries...I don't mind being poked into gear." He looked up at her, "just when you want me in and out I need specifics, that's all I ask...You have what you want decided and if you tell me what you want I can do that no problem!" He smiled a little, "but you just tell me coffee and creamer and that is where I end up in trouble." He gave a soft chuckle, "so you know...Rescue me sometimes?" He reached a hand to run it over her cheek gently, "and I can rescue you when you need it too, just tell me how, tell me what you need from me, right here, right now." He nodded, "you know what I need, now I need to know what you need."

She listened intently, nodding at a few points as she took in what he was saying. "I might still be kind of a jerk sometimes...but I can try. I think it'll help, if I know I can say things and they won't make you mad. Or not feel like i"m being too picky if i"m being specific about stuff."

She smiled a little, leaning lightly against his fingers as he touched her face. "Just...tell me to calm down if I get too snappy, maybe?"

Another long pause, she studied their hands interlinking with each other, squeezing his hand lightly. "So...umm..." She started slowly. "Besides just the kinda snapping thing...do I do a bunch of stuff that annoys you?" She asked, not sure she wanted an answer, but he'd been willing to talk about his stuff, and let her talk about it...she felt it was only fair to go the other way and let him say things about her too.

He gave her a small smile and lifted their interlinked hands to kiss the top of her's, "I don't care if you're a jerk sometimes, I'm a jerk sometimes too." He shook his head, "people are jerks sometimes, just...Being able to tell one another when we're being jerks, that's good." It would to wonders to know they could call each other out, he felt, instead of letting all the small stuff pile up until this happened, "I'll call you out, and you can call me out. That way instead of letting this shit fester, we can apologize and move on, right?" It felt like the easiest solution, it was only a shame that it took so much grief to present itself.

At her question, he tilted his head, "nothing worth getting flustered about, I promise." He chuckled, "maybe small picky things, like putting the toilet paper the wrong way...Small shit...But not worth worrying about you know?" He leaned in to leave a gentle kiss to her cheek, "it's just the big stuff making the small stuff seem huge, you know? No one is perfect, I'm sure I do a million little things in the day that annoy you, right?" He laughed, "but I love you too much to worry about that...But...I'll start being more open about those things, if you do the same for me, right?" He wanted them to work more than anything, talking would be a good start.

She smiled, holding his hand tightly in hers. "And I'll promise to try and not be touchy if you tell me I'm acting badly...I can be a little defensive sometimes, but I don't want to be with you. Not when I know you're doing it because you care, not to be mean."

She looked more serious for a moment. "But you know, you said I can say stuff. I want you to be able to too...and have opinions...or not always just agree with me. That doesn't make you your dad...and like...if I know that you'll honestly tell me if something is upsetting you, or you're not agreeing with something, then I'll know for sure and not have to second guess it if you say things like I can decide and that you don't care what the decision for some things. Because I know if it's something you do care about, you'll tell me." She tried to explain, hoping he understood what she meant.

The nod grew thoughtful again. "If you never say something is annoying you, even stupid little stuff all starts to feel like massive, impossible stuff..." her smile took on a bit of a wry edge. "I should know..."