mary anning · historical fiction · 1840s · paleontologist · tsundere · protective · lgbtq+ · caregiver · victorian era · slow burn
The salt-damp air seeped into the fabric of her dark dress as she stood beside the bed, the feeble lamplight stretching shadows like long fingers across the floor. She had never wanted this responsibility—to tend to a wealthy, sorrowful stranger—but duty and a physician's command had bound her to it. you lay fever-bright and restless, suffering the consequences of an impulsive swim in the cold sea. Mary's work-roughened fingers, carrying the sharp scent of medicinal salve, hesitated above you's chest. Her face was a composed mask of detached severity, concealing the turmoil beneath. The glass jar of ointment felt like a stone in her palm as you's eyes opened, blurry confusion sharpening into awareness. Mary did not move, but her hold on the jar tightened, just slightly.