tw: trauma, implied smut
quick a/n!! i used my own experience as reference for how y/n feels. everyone deals with trauma and assault differently!
y/n found herself unable to leave the comforting safety of her home. the furthest she found herself was at the gazebo by the lake near the back of their home. hedges of leaves and roses started to flourish under y/n's constant care. schlatt found himself almost jealous of how much attention their garden got from her, he was confused, he thought she wanted to get out...but now all she wanted to do was stay home. he wasn't complaining, he didn't really mind it, but it did confuse him.
"y/n...?" schlatt mumbled, the day was getting quieter now, the sun setting and cicadas buzzing. he stumbled around the hedges into the roses.
"careful!" she mumbled, "they're fragile..." schlatt smiled, watching her carefully watering the flowers. he'd become used to the simple routine for the past few weeks, arriving home to a forgetful spouse, he'd have to almost convince her to eat and stop letting her mind wander about. there were the occasional switches where he'd find her already asleep on the couch, he'd carry her upstairs- careful not to wake her. and then gently rocking her back to sleep after a shocking nightmare. he'd came to find himself treating her like glass, he knew y/n had past experiences with shocking incidents however she was always so strong- but now, it felt like she fell back down, all those stairs climbed, all those bricks built- and she came tumbling down. schlatt knew he could catch her, he just hoped that she knew as well.
"hey...what if we went out for dinner tonight?" schlatt grinned. y/n kept her attention focused of trimming the leaves. he sighed, "hey-" he gently took the shears from her and tipped her chin towards his gaze. she met his eye line, a furrowed brow forming across her forehead.
"not tonight..." she huffed,
"why not?" he frowned. she shrugged,
"not in the mood..." she mumbled, gazing back towards the roses.
"you're never in the mood" he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. she paused,
"i thought you wanted me to stay home..." she huffed again, schlatt sighed.
"i thought you wanted to get out more" he raised an eyebrow at her, gently squeezing her shoulder. her face softened and she frowned. a rushing thought lept through the nerves of her brain, a faint tune and a dancing thought. her and schlatt smiling at eachother, talking about god knows what underneath the pale moonlight. and maybe schlatt felt it too, because she could see his eyes wander and a slight ache shine through. y/n sighed, leaning her head on to his chest.
"okay...we can go out..." she mumbled into his suit. schlatt smiled, brushing his fingers through her hair.
----
secretly handing the waiter a couple hundreds, schlatt made sure they kept somewhere more isolated. the pale glow from the moonlight suggested how late it was getting, and after their meals and the glasses of wine, y/n realized she hadn't much thought about the incident. something felt good, like the shell she had hardened around herself had softly cracked open, and she let schlatt step inside. schlatt had explained to her how quackity resigned after tubbo, how it was just him now. alone. she frowned, squeezing his hand from under the table,
"you're not alone...you have me..." she grinned. schlatt smiled,
"yeah...you're right" he replied. that night, after arriving home, intimate and understanding- schlatt had taken y/n's hand and helped her out of that shell, gently and soft- holding himself back so that he could only focus on her.