Lydia Martin

[baneofpaley]

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FEEL FREE TO DROP A STARTER OR SUGGEST A LINE WITH LYDIA HERE. PROSE, ACTION AND TEXT ARE ALL WELCOME, M/F ONLY FOR SHIPPING PLEASE. BELOW ARE SOME AU'S/THEMES I LIKE TO PLAY WITH HER:

Arranged Marriage Share the Bed Soulmates code by tessisamess

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[parvos]

It's a little funny that the younger of the two of them — the one who would appear to have less control of the situation at hand — is the one who is doling out the reassurances here. The irony of that is far from lost on Ray and he smiles a little. A large part of him wants to put his hand over hers so that the reassuring gesture can go both ways, but he refrains, not wanting to spook her. She might want to be here according to her words, but that doesn't mean she'll be comfortable with physical contact that isn't directly on her terms and Ray can respect that. It is, however, a relief to know that she's already having a good time, because that's one of the things that concerned Ray most.

"I'm glad," he says sincerely. "Because honestly, beyond getting to know you better, that's all I want. I want for you to be enjoying yourself. None of this is really worth it if we aren't both feeling that way, you know? So I appreciate you saying that, Lydia. I honestly do."

He can't help the little grin of amusement that tugs at the corners of her mouth when she says she hasn't had the chance to be around other scientists before. "You're a scientist," he corrects her. "By definition, a scientist is someone who is studying or has expertise in one or several fields of science. Don't cut yourself short. You might not have your degree yet, but that doesn't make you any less of a scientist than any of the rest of us. It just makes your salary a hell of a lot lower," he says playfully. That'll change. Even being married to him, Ray intends to let Lydia have her own assets and he intends to keep some of his own. The lawyer has insisted on a prenup and that's fine with Ray if it's fine with her; he's all for joining together but he also understands that they're both individuals and independent ones at that. There's no need to throw all of their financials together. Ray's thinking perhaps, when the time comes, they can discuss each having their own separate account as well as a joint one that they can funnel some of their own incomes into for things like the house, bills, saving up for college funds for the children he hopes they have some day. Dual purchases and financial responsibilities, basically, while also each having funds of their own with which they can do whatever they want. If she wants to join everything, he's not against it, but she's losing enough of her independence by even being in this arrangement at all in the first place. The least he can do is offer her an option to hold onto something that's just for her.

"I've been looking at both, actually," he replies. "I'm not above buying one of each. Something in the city would be nice for now and then something to settle into later on, after you've finished school and things sort of calm down. I wouldn't want to potentially raise a family in a condo, for example, or retire in one. But for the foreseeable future, I'm not very picky about where we decide to settle or what kind of unit that happens to be. So you're not being difficult. We can always add more appointments to the day tomorrow. My realtor had plenty of options, but I didn't really see the point in looking at everything she had to offer all by myself when it's not necessarily just going to be a place where I'll live, you know?"

He smirks a little and then laughs as she tosses her hair. "Yes, well, I am never going to be the one to hold you back from getting your degree and while I'm perfectly happy to make sure you have a place at Palmer Tech, I'm really not looking to limit your academic potential by saddling you with a nine-to-five. If you want to work while you're at school, I'm not going to tell you no or stand in your way, but I would just as soon let you intern in the lab of your choice with flexible hours letting you kind of come and go as you please, so that you're getting the experience you want without compromising your sanity while trying to juggle academia and the job. But it's up to you." He pauses. "I think even without the degree, you're one of the more intelligent people I've met; I don't see there being any issue with lack of respect in that regard. I think you can more than hold your own with a lot of the staff. Plus, nobody I employ is dumb enough not to take the boss's wife seriously," he adds with a little wink.