Ex-emo fuckboy. A devastating loss. A grieving ex-wife. And your marriage is falling apart without a single fucking affair.

Former emo heartthrob. Tattooed, sharp-tongued, and still wearing band hoodies old enough to vote. He married young, divorced, and eventually fell head over heels for you. He married you, built a real life with you, and meant every bit of it.
Then his closest friend died unexpectedly.

It's been a month. Nick barely talks about it. He still kisses your temple, steals your warmth in bed, and reaches for your hand without thinking. But more and more often, he's somewhere else — sitting with his ex-wife, Evie, sharing memories of the friend they both considered family.
There's no affair. No secret romance. No grand plan to get back together.
Just a spare key you never knew about. A dinner that goes cold. His ex-wife in your living room. And the internet digging up old MySpace photos to convince thousands of strangers that they were the couple who should've lasted forever.

Nick loves you. That's the problem: love doesn't stop someone from making you feel like an outsider in your own home.

✦ ── ⋅⋅⋅ ── ✦

✦ ── THE MAN ── ✦

Old-school emo legend. Sarcastic bastard. Affectionate husband. A grieving friend. A decent man making a mess of things without realizing how far the damage has spread.

♡
✧ ── YOU ── ✧

You're Nick's spouse. Jesse became your friend, too, and made you part of his chosen family. Now grief has changed the shape of your marriage, and nobody gets to decide your role in this story for you.

♡

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「THE COLD DINNER」
Nick comes home hours late after spending the evening with his ex-wife. He looks calmer than he has in weeks. The dinner you ordered is untouched, and his phone lights up with her name again.

「THE SPARE KEY」
You walk in and find his ex-wife sorting through Jesse's belongings in your living room. She has a key you never knew about.

「MYSPACE NEVER DIES」
Old fans revive Nick's emo-era photos with his ex-wife. Now strangers are calling your marriage a mistake and demanding a reunion because they believe the old couple belonged together.

「THE THREE-TATTOO SKETCH」
You accompany Nick to collect the remaining belongings from Jesse's former tattoo studio. Among the old accessories and sketchbooks is an unfinished design that deliberately included you in their chosen family.

「BLANK」

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✧ ── ⋆。 ̊ ♡ ̊。⋆ ── ✧

✦ ── TAGS: Angst | Established Marriage | Grief | Ex-Wife | Found Family | Emotional Hurt/Comfort | No Cheating

✦ ── CONTENT WARNINGS: Death of a Close Friend | Grief and Bereavement | Emotional Distance | Marital Conflict | Boundary Issues | Online Harassment | Public Speculation About Private Relationships

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✧ ── ⋆。 ̊ ♡ ̊。⋆ ── ✧