#auntie nali

[lady-assnali]

This is quite literally so much longer than I thought it would be, but here it is. Auntie Nali to the Rescue (feat. Special guest Rosie)

(For context, this happens after the first Auntie Nali fic and if i said once that Marcia is Jan’s cousin in this teacher au just ignore that, I’d rather them be sisters and bc it’s my au they’re sisters now).

“Shit.” Denali sits up in bed, squinting at the light coming from her phone. The mattress jostles as she wriggles out of the covers, fingers flying furiously over the screen while her unoccupied hand searches for something to put on. Rosé wakes, confused, and frowns at Denali’s frantic pace.

            “Do you…want me to leave?” There’s a level of vulnerability to her voice that stops Denali in her tracks for just a moment, softening her gaze. She stumbles to the bed, cupping Rosé’s cheeks in her hands and kissing her briskly, heatedly.

            “Don’t,” She says, drawing her eyes over Rosé’s beautifully disheveled form before remembering the task at hand. “I have to go get the girls, they sent an SOS.”

            “Shit.”

            “Yeah. They went to that concert tonight and they were going to hang out a bit before coming home, maybe sit in a McDonalds and chill. But the concert is over and where are they? Who the fuck knows. They sent me their location and it’s some random diner like 20 minutes away from the venue. Don’t ask me why they went all the way over there, or why they can’t seem to find their way home by themselves, but now I have to take an Uber all the way to Harlem and back and try not to imagine all the ways they could die before I get there.

            Rosé slips out of bed, throwing on sweatpants and a hoodie. Denali rambles on nervously, flitting around the apartment with a sense of unfocused purpose. The redhead waits by the door for her, keys in hand, and Denali nearly stumbles over her in her panic. Rosé steadies her, hands her her jacket.

            “Come on, let’s go.”

            “You don’t have to come.”

            “Yes, I do. You’re not going alone. Call the girls from my phone and I’ll handle the Uber, okay?” 

            She takes hold of Denali’s hand, locking the door behind them and guiding them to the car. Denali’s voice is soft on the phone, launching questions with barely a pause in between. Rosé smiles to herself as the blonde lets repeats for the fourth or fifth time that an SOS text is always the right thing to do, leaning over Rosé’s shoulder to give them an update on what time they’ll be arriving in Harlem. When she hangs up, Denali’s nearly in tears.

            “They’re supposed to be safe with me.”

            “Baby, don’t cry.” Rosé reaches over, softly pulling the blonde into her arms. Denali leans her head back onto her shoulder, closing her eyes.“You just got off the phone with them. They’re safe.”

            “Okay.”

            “We’ll go grab them and go right home, everything will be fine.”

            Something about the way the word home falls so easily from Rosé’s lips makes Denali’s limbs go weak; they still haven’t put a label on themselves, their friends with every benefit situation. The word home feels right, though; so much that the time apart they’d spent while Denali transformed into cool aunt mode had felt long and lonely. 

            And anyway, Rosé hadn’t left. She hadn’t taken this emergency as an excuse to split. She’d put herself into action and made sure everything was okay. The thought makes Denali’s heart flutter and her head spin. She spends the ride tucked into Rosé’s side, listening to her make idle chitchat with the driver through the surprisingly sparse traffic.

…

            The bell on the diner’s door rings soundly as it’s whipped open, nearly slamming into the wall with the brute force. There are two waitresses sitting in a booth within eyesight, drinking cups of steaming black coffee with their heads bent close together. They’re startled by the noise, jumping from their seats to face the door. 

            A beautiful, very frazzled Denali hurries in, scans the room with wild eyes before she lands on a booth in the back corner. She whispers something in Spanish, making a beeline to the back booth. Rosé’s not too far behind, coming in just in time to see the panic-stricken waitresses glancing between each other and Denali’s retreating form. 

            “Her nieces called for help.” She can’t manage to get more than those words in before Denali’s voice fills the near-empty diner with elation. Rosé and the waitresses look over to find her sliding into the booth, brushing back both the girls’ hair and tipping their chins, repeatedly asking if they’re alright.

            “They came in looking a little distressed. Apparently someone was following them. We overheard the little blonde one on the phone, we’ve been keeping an eye on the door. We gave them some coffee and pie-it’s on us.”

            “Thank you so much, really. That’s…”

            “You don’t need to say anything else, sweetheart.”

            Rosé nods thankfully, allowing relief to take over. She’d been nervous too, despite the façade she’d put on. She doesn’t know the girls aside from Denali’s stories and their awkward first encounter a few nights ago but she does know what it’s like to be young and pretty in New York. Her mind had wandered to several worst-case scenarios before she’d stopped herself to focus on keeping Denali calm in the Uber. She approaches the table slowly, watching as her friend’s face teeter between the lines of concern to tough love and back again.

            “Wait, so you decided that instead of staying closer to home or the venue you’d come all the way here? In hopes of what, exactly? Being somewhere even more unfamiliar to you?”

            The girls seem surprised by the sudden change in demeanor, Roxxi crosses her arms over her chest, huffing, while Phoebe softens.

            “Auntie Nali,”

            “-Just…hold on. You could’ve gotten seriously hurt! It took you that long to call me?!”

            “We thought we could handle it.” Roxxi’s swiftly coming to their defense, and that’s when Rosé is able to fully notice how similar Denali is to her nieces. The black-haired spitfire of a twin has the same passionate flare of emotion that Denali often shows when she is upset with something. It’s the look that has Rosé opening the snack stash in her classroom when Denali walks in, preparing herself for a vent session. It’s the look she’s seen when they’re arguing over who should be the winner of The Voice, or when Jan beats them all in Mario Kart for the fourteenth time in a row. Roxxi is fire like Denali is, intense and determined, and by the way they’re locking eyes Rosé feels the temperature rising between them.

            “Sometimes you’re not invincible, Roxxi.” Denali huffs. “Sometimes you need to call for help.”

            “We did!”

            “Yeah, after whoever was following you could have taken you!”

            “Hey, it’s okay. They’re alright.” Rosé’s voice seems to pacify Denali for a minute. She sinks into the feeling of Rosé’s hand on her waist, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. It only lasts that minute, however, because when she opens her eyes she’s reminded of her other point of interest.

            Across the table from her girls, Marcia-past student Marcia, golden girl Marcia, the same Marcia she’d found sneaking into a club-sits shock still, biting her lip and staring at her hands in her lap.

“And you…what are you doing here?” Denali raises a scolding finger to the blonde in the middle, eyes alight with protective energy. She works hard to keep the nervous shaking of her hand under control, her voice unwavering and powerful. 

“I,”

“It’s not her fault!” Phoebe’s eyes are wide and pleading-the other side of Denali. It’s almost laughable, the way these two girls are so quintessentially Denali in so many ways. And just as Rosé would do, the blonde shakes the situation off for later, sliding some money onto the table. 

“-you know what, never mind. Never mind.” She presses the heel of her hand onto her forehead, sighing. ���All three of you get in the Uber right now.”

It’s a quiet ride home, for the most part. Rosé offers to sit in the front but Denali asks for space, stares out the window and attempts to compose herself after what felt like her soul completely leaving her body. Her limbs are still numb, her brain swirling with what could have been as she listens to the faint chatter of Rosé and the girls. Looking through the rear-view mirror she can see them just enough. Rosé is watching with rapt attention as they take turns passing their phones to her, animatedly whispering about the concert they had just seen. They sing along to some of the songs, pointing at specific sets of choreography and squealing, giggling, bonding. Rosé asks questions, points out things that make the girls delve into the history of the band and why it’s been so important to them in the first place.

Not once does she seem disinterested in them, or bored of their videos. They talk the whole way home, wrapped up in conversation and clearly feeling much better than they had when Denali had spoken to them on the phone. The sound of Roxxi’s shaking voice is something that plays on repeat in her mind, and she tries to pay extra attention to the way they are now, Rosé’s unshakable nature keeping everyone calm.

…

            They enter Denali’s apartment after her insistence that Marcia stay with them, not wanting her to go home alone at this hour. She points to the couch and all three girls shuffle over, sitting and waiting for the inevitable conversation. Rosé puts around in the kitchen, pouring water into glasses and setting snacks onto the coffee table. She gives a sleepy, confused Donut a treat to pacify her. Denali perches on the edge of the coffee table, looking over the trio of teenagers with a renewed sense of responsibility. She’s living on an unreliable balance between disrupted sleep, irritation, and incredible anxiety that has her searching desperately for the right words to say. 

            Rosé, noting the blonde’s trepidation, paces in front of the couch. She points at Marcia, bemused.

            “I thought I got rid of you when you graduated.”

            “I’m your best friend’s little sister, you think you can get rid of me that easily?” 

            “I’m just saying, I‘ve never heard you mention your friends from California before.” A flush of pink dusts Marcia’s cheeks and she looks between herself and the twins cautiously.

“We met on Tinder!” She defends herself, turning her gaze to Denali. “I didn’t know they’re your nieces!”

“Ok, well now you do. And if you weren’t aware, this is the second time I’ve saved your ass from getting yourself hurt over a girl.”

“Nali…” Rosé’s voice is a murmur, a suggestion. The blonde shakes it off, and Roxxi leaps to their defense, cutting through the conversation in a less than delicate interruption.

“I’m the one that suggested we meet up,”

“Oh, I’ll get to you later. You two sit back and zip it.” The teenagers shift awkwardly on the couch. Rosé taps her fingers against her leg for a moment, then comes to sit beside Denali, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She can feel the tension that’s built up there again, the need to do and say everything the exact right way that’s causing her to flounder under the pressure of the conversation. Granted, Rosé’s experience with teenagers is a bit more practiced than Denali’s, having taught longer than her. Denali had been coaching one or two teens, but mostly preteens. This energy isn’t in her wheelhouse when she’s not on the ice. She takes charge of the strained energy in the room and looks at everyone, breathing and allowing them to linger in the silence for a moment.

“Denali, it’s late. The girls are tired. Why don’t we just all go to sleep and come back to this discussion in the morning with clear heads?”

“We don’t go to bed angry.” Phoebe brings up the point with a quiet, exhausted innocence that hits Denali’s heart with a low, simmering sort of pain.

“I’m not…girls, I’m not angry with you.” She sighs. Scooting forward on the table, she leans over to rest a hand on each of their shoulders. “Getting that call tonight was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me. I was a wreck-I’m still a wreck. I’ve been so worked up out of fear that I’ve been yelling and that’s not fair to you. You handled the situation the best way you knew how to, and you got yourselves out of trouble. And you called me-that’s all I want, is for you to call me whenever you’re in trouble. I don’t want you to think that you can’t do that.”

“I thought we could handle it on our own.”

“You did-I didn’t mean to downplay what you did. That man shouldn’t have been following a bunch of teenagers around the city at night. This is all on him, not on you. You were aware of your surroundings, you stuck together, and you eventually did call me. You went somewhere that you knew would be open all night with people who would keep you safe until I could get there. You don’t deserve the rant I gave you, but I did it out of love.”

“We know.” Phoebe launches herself forward to wrap her aunt in a hug, squeezing her. “You were just worried.”

“You were a lot…but it’s nice to know that someone cares that much about you, y’know? Even if you were kind of an ass.”

“Roxxi!”

The girls laugh and the thickness in the air breaks, a feeling of peace washing over the now full apartment. Rosé turns the attention back on this quiet version of Marcia, a hand on her hip and an over exaggerated disappointment on her face.

“I just need to know two things; when did Denali save your ass the first time, and why are you meeting up with strangers at concerts? And wait-does Jan know this?”

Marcia’s eyes widen and she’s grabbed by the twins on either side of her. They laugh, pulling her off of the couch and calling out their good nights as they run into the guest room, closing the door behind them.

Denali and Rosé stare at the closed door for a moment, shaking their heads at the laughter floating down the hallway. They’re illuminated only by the strand of soft fairy lights in the living room and one light on in the kitchen, and it’s enough to make both adults feel the stress of the night come crashing back down on them, Denali more than Rosé. The blonde is slumped over, head resting in one hand. Rosé slides a glass of water over to her, rubs her back affectionately.

            “They’re home.”

            “Somehow. In one piece, thankfully.”

            “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

            “I could’ve helped more!” Denali runs a hand through her hair, exasperated. “I just don’t know why they waited so long to call me. How long do you think that person was following them before they decided to call? How many other options did they try before calling?”

            “They called you, that’s what matters.” Rosé wraps her arms around Denali’s waist from behind, kisses her cheek. “Baby, they’re teenagers. They’re going to do shit like this.”

            “I never did anything like this as a teenager.”

            Rosé raises an eyebrow at her, moves her face from Denali’s to look her in the eyes. The blonde shifts back, raises her hands in defense.

            “What?” She retorts. “I’m serious! You think I was really risking it all when I was on track to compete at the Olympics?” 

            “You went to parties.”

            “Yeah, house parties. With a bunch of my friends who were also skaters. Did we drive out to the mountains and share a 6 pack of cheap beer? Of course. But no way in hell was I walking around a city I don’t really know in the dead of night and taking the subway random places.”

            “Yeah, because you’d all just take your sled dogs instead.”

            “You’re such an ass!” Denali rolls her eyes, but the pretty little dips in her cheeks are a dead giveaway that she’s in higher spirits now.  

            “And I’m sure you were a saint.” There’s a glimmer in her eyes, a teasing that has Rosé shrugging her shoulders unashamedly.

            “Me, Goona and Jan used to sneak out all the time to go to shows. We’d crash at one of our places and then leave as soon as everyone was asleep. It was easiest at Jan’s because her rich ass parents never really cared enough to check on us, or they’d be gone all night too. We were pretty stupid, but honestly? All those stupid decisions made us as close as we are today.”

            “What do you think I should do? I mean, I don’t have to make a big deal out of it. I don’t really feel like I should tell their parents, not when they literally did nothing wrong. I mean, other than meeting up with a stranger. But even then, they were in public and they had each other, and,”

            “-Oh god no, nope. I don’t think you need to bring it up. If the girls are concerned they can. It’s not like they went out and did hardcore drugs and you haven’t seen them this whole trip. They’re safe, they’re happy…”

            “And if I do that, they might not come to me for help next time.” 

            “Trust me, teenage me would’ve appreciated having someone to call.” Rosé rests her hand on Denali’s thigh, kissing the corner of her mouth. “I think you handled that pretty well. They’re good kids. I don’t think they’ll need to utilize that call again.”

“I mean, they did sneak their way across the country for this concert.”

            “Yeah…I kind of forgot that part.” Rosé breathes out a sigh that sounds like a laugh, and Denali laughs along with her. Sleepily, she wraps her arms around Rosé’s neck, buries her face in her hair.

            “Thank you for being here.”

            “Any time, Nali.” Rosé brushes her lips on the top of Denali’s head, runs her fingers gently through her hair. Denali sighs under her touch, keeps her hands wrapped around her neck.

            “It’s almost four a.m,” Rosé says, her hands moving to the blonde’s thighs. “Let’s go back to bed.”

            Denali gasps as she’s picked up, laughing as Rosé’s lips tickle her neck. Then, they pass the guest room. The chatter of the overnight guests is a startling noise, and the blonde practically jumps from Rosé’s arms when she hears it.

            “Not with the girls over!” She hisses, crossing her arms and making her way to the bedroom with a huff.

            “What’s wrong? You don’t think you can be quiet for me?” Rosé shuts the door behind her, discarding her t-shirt on the floor. Denali’s eyes grow wide and wanting, lingering on her breasts a beat too long before she closes them altogether, turning around.

            “I can be quiet.” She mutters, sitting on the edge of the bed. Rosé smirks, closes the distance between them and pushes Denali onto her back. She admires the way the pretty girl looks beneath her, lips parted and breath quickening in anticipation. She pulls Denali’s hands above her head, holds them in place while their lips dance dangerously close to each other. 

            She shifts her weight, dropping her voice to a whisper before saying the two words that set Denali aflame.

            “Prove it.”

[kassandras-one-braincell]

ugh when is it my turn to have an irl kassandra i would do anything for her .

anyways what kinds of clothing styles, jobs, or just general day-to-day life (like their houses) do you think modern!kassie/eivor/soma would have?

Pssh, it's not like I've given this any extensive thought in the past or anything... That would be weird... Who would do that haha

I would let's go

Kassandra dresses like a dad who lost his passport in Tenerife on holiday and has been stuck cycling between the same 4 hawaiian shirts since three Tuesdays ago, but owns a few casual suits for work.

She's a historian and museum curator. Specialises in the history of weaponry, occasionally giving guest lectures on ancient swords at universities. Mention any type of weapon and she will not be able to stop herself from rambling about its evolution over the centuries.

Has a pottery wheel. You know that scene from Ghost (1990)? Yeah. Very reliable with the ladies.

Ikaros is her pet eagle, do not ask her how she manages to get him pet insurance because she may have lied about his species.

She has a vegetable garden (her pride and joy, this might as well be her child with how well she takes care of it) and a briki to make coffee with. Kassie always starts her day off with freshly brewed coffee the traditional Greek way, some bread and some fruit, which she always plates too much of because Ikaros likes to steal it.

She's a great cook.

Dozens of books on old weapons are dotted about her home and some (so many. so fucking many holy shit) model replicas because she's a fucking nerd.

You cannot turn a corner inside her home without seeing at least three family photos. Family includes Myrrine, Alexios, Barnabas, Herodotos, Markos, Alkibiades and Phoibe. Nikolaos is in prison for trying to yeet his stepchildren off a cliff.

Phoibe is her goddaughter who calls her "auntie" and Auntie Kass absolutely gives her the world.

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Eivor serves lumberjack realness. Flannels, cargo pants, work jeans, yes she has a tool belt, yes she looks a damn treat in it. All she's missing is the hard hat and the protective visor. The axe is in her workshop.

She wears glasses. This isn't up for debate.

Tattoo artist by trade and has a degree in literature. Her love for poetry knows no bounds. She specialises in black and grey realism and her pieces are breathtaking.

Speaking of poetry, her colleagues bully her mercilessly for being a "big old sap". She has fancy paper to write her poems up on, and a wax sealing kit for handwritten letters. She's old fashioned like that.

Technology is a demon she would rather not trifle with. 100% complains about the need for there to be an app for everything, but she does appreciate video calls so she can see her people.

As a hobby, she pursues woodworking and blacksmithing, sometimes selling her creations. She'd make the engagement ring she proposes to you with herself

Dwolfg (or Chewy, or Mouse) Nali and Dandelion Puff are all beloved members of her household. The neighbours' kids named them all; sometimes she babysits Knud and Sylvi, and of course Eira has to tag along.

Her fridge is full of boring meal prep (you better wife her up and cook for her) but her pantry? Brimming with baking supplies. Ma'am loves to bake. Sure, she eats a lot of grrr protein big strong macro gym buzzword meals, but she loves bread and cake. Big muscles but she likes to eat, so she isn't lean, I'm gonna stop before this gets unreasonably gay

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Soma, look, this is gonna be specific, but there's foundations for this in game (her metric fuck ton of rugs in the longhouse). She evidently likes fancy things. Her modern!AU occupation: owner and ceo of a sustainable luxury jewellery brand. Recycled metals, gemstones that are sourced/synthesised sustainably, everything is ethically manufactured and her employees are paid well.

She's from humble beginnings, so she does loads for charity and really enjoys quiet domesticated tasks.

Waistcoats and tie when she's attending businessy things, simple t-shirt or jumper and joggers when working from home. Outside, she wears a few rings that she designed.

Not a particularly great cook, but she's a mean pastry chef. She has a massive sweet tooth. Loves to start her mornings with a homemade croissant and a cappuccino.

There is a post-it note above her desk to reminder her to straighten her posture because she tends to sit like a fucking goblin.

Her home is pretty eclectic, which takes people by surprise given her organised manner. Lots of blankets strewn over the couch, lots of knickknacks she collected over the years, some sentimental ones from Lif and some ruder ones from Birna. A few sketchbooks are scattered about with designs for work.

She has a record player and an ungodly collection of country vinyls. It's okay. Nobody's perfect. It's what makes her human.

Also needs to wear glasses, but wears contacts usually because she insists the specs make her look "old", oblivious to the distant sounds of feral lesbian screaming whenever she puts them on.

[rosenallies]

in the future, if you're ever up to it. I would.live a continuation of the phone sex Rosie storyline we've got going on. Where they do go to christmas dinner, and she realises how much her whole family (nali and her sisters) care for her❤️

I think I’ve resorted to writing phone sex au to make myself feel better far too much lately so I’m sorry for those of u who don’t care and thank u to the few of u who do <3

——

“Rosie, are you ready to head to the living room? Your sisters should be here any minute,” Denali called into the bedroom where Rosé was finishing getting ready.

Rosé chuckled to herself, shaking her head as she tightened her messy ponytail. “Yeah, but don’t count on it, they’re late every year because of Jan.”

Denali popped her head in, smiling at the pjs Rosé wore, identical to her own. “But this year no one’s getting all dolled up, it’s a pj only party, so they should be on time.”

“Whatever you say, darling. I’ll be out in a minute though, okay?”

“Yell if you need anything,” she chirped, skipping back to the living room and kitchen where dinner was on the table, besides the dishes Jan and Jackie were bringing.

Usually, Christmas dinner was a huge affair in their household, but this year they’d decided to keep it lowkey so as to not stress out Rosé. Instead of everyone dressed in their finest outfits with their makeup and hair done, they’d decided to go for matching holiday pjs. And instead of Rosé spending all day in the kitchen cooking for everyone, they had the majority of Christmas dinner catered from a local diner while Jan and Jackie offered to bring dessert.

Just as Rosé entered the common space, the doorbell rang and Rosé raised her eyebrows in surprise. “So she is capable of being on time.”

Denali rolled her eyes lightheartedly and opened the front door, Jan, Jackie, their kids and Lagoona all standing there in matching pjs with bright smiles on all their faces.

“Merry Christmas!” They all said in unison, making Denali laugh as she ushered them in the house, the kids making a beeline for auntie Rosie, climbing in her lap for much needed snuggles.

“She’s been okay?” Jan whispered quietly to Denali as they brought their dishes into the kitchen, watching as Rosé fawned over the kids.

“Yeah, she has her moments, but for the most part she’s been letting me take care of things for once. I know she hates it, but she’s really gotta relax.”

Lagoona nodded, joining in on the conversation. “Even when she was struggling so badly as a teenager, she always made sure we were taken care of.”

Denali pressed her lips together, placing a tender hand on Lagoona’s upper arm and squeezing gently. “We’ll take good care of her, okay? Let’s just all relax today, we could all use that.”

They agreed and called Rosé and the kids to the table to eat.

Everyone sat around the table while conversation flowed naturally between everyone, Rosé hadn’t ever felt so relaxed at a Christmas dinner before, even as a kid she always felt like the ball was about to drop, like one little thing would happen and ruin their entire Christmas.

Rosé took in her surroundings with a deep breath, her family, while small it was everything she needed. And they were all here, in their pajamas sacrificing a homemade dinner all for her. There was a part of her that felt guilty for it, but a larger part of her felt warm with love that they all loved and cared for her that much. She always felt if she wasn’t taking care of everyone and everything, they’d all leave her and she’d be all alone, but this proved that wasn’t true.

Later in the evening after everyone had left, Denali and Rosé relaxed by the fireplace, the flames crackling over the soft instrumental music Denali played through her phone’s speaker.

Denali sat comfortably in Rosé’s lap, head tucked into her neck. “How are you feeling?” She asked softly, lacing her fingers together with Rosé’s.

“I feel good, baby, really good,” she breathed, a gentle smile spreading across her face.

Sitting up, Denali looked at her face, taking in her expression to see if she was being sincere. “You are?”

Rosé nodded, cupping Denali’s face. “Yeah, you make me really happy, you know? My whole little family does, but especially you.”

Denali’s cheeks flushed warm. “You make me really happy too, that’s why I have to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’ll be okay as long as I have you,” Rosé said softly, kissing Denali’s forehead and letting her lips linger.

[fuckyeah-dragrace]

Plus One

pt.2 of the wip-a-thon with some jankie family fluff with the sister !!

——

Daya was sitting on her sisters bed, holding her stuffed koala tightly in her lap. Crystal was standing in front of her, already having checked if the door was closed. She raised a little brow and looked her sister up and down. “Cryssie, what are you being so secrety for?”

Their mothers were in the living room, chatting about something and more importantly were distracted, giving them the perfect window of opportunity to talk without any interruptions.

“I need you to to pinkie swear you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.” The six year old said, standing in front of her little sister. Her eyes were serious and the three year old nodded quickly.

“Pwomise.” She extended her pinkie out. “So does KayKay.” She held out the stuffed bears paw. Crystal linked her pinkie with her sister and held the toys hand. Once they let go, Crystal took a dramatic pause before speaking again.

“I think Mommies are hiding something from us.”

Daya tilts her head to the side. “How do ya know, Cryssie?”

“Because Mommy’s been acting weird. Mama too. You remember yesterday when she said we couldn’t cuddle pile Mommy?” 

The toddler nodded. “Yeah. Mama had her kinda angry face on.” She giggled, “like the time after we made the big big mess in the kitchen with Auntie Nali.” 

Crystal nodded. “And then Auntie Rosie’s been watching us sometimes when Mommies have to go somewhere for a long time.”

“Where do they go?” Daya’s eyes lit up as she gasped. “Do you think they’re going to the shelter? Maybe they’re getting a kitty. Or a puppy!” 

“Right! It has to be a really big surprise or else they wouldn’t be keeping it a secret for so long.” Crystal grinned with excitement. “Let’s go ask.” She took her sister’s hand and pulled her off the bed, both of them running down the stairs to their mothers.

“Mama!”

Jackie whipped her head up from her book. “Woah! Where’s the fire girls?” She squatted down and picked up both of them in her arms, getting them to squeal and laugh. Jackie kissed both fo their cheeks before putting down Crystal, the older girl much more energetic and practically bouncing on her toes.

“Sissy says you got a surprise for us.” Daya giggled.

“Oh do I now?” She arched a brow.

“Yeah.” Crystal nodded her head confidently. “You an Mommy have been hiding something from us and we know it’s a big secret.” 

“What’s all this noise about?” Jan said, coming in with a smile. Jackie’s eyes darted between her daughters and her wife

“You an Mama gots a secret.” Daya giggled, wiggling out of her mother’s arms and ran over to Jan. She hugged her legs and smiled up at her mother. Jan looked over to Jackie, extending her hand out and lacing their fingers together. 

“We do. Mama and I have been keeping something from you both.”

“I knew it! Is it a puppy?”

“Is it a kitty!”

“It’s not an animal.” Jackie chuckled, putting both hands on one of each of their shoulders. They both stopped their questioning and Daya pouted. “But I wanted a puppy.” Jan laughed lightly and kissed her hair, tucking back the strands that fell in front of the toddlers blue eyes. “It’s a good surprise, Di. No need to be sad.”

“If it’s not an animal, what is it and why are you guys hiding it?” Crystal asked, looking between her mothers and trying to put the pieces together. Jackie looked at Jan and they nodded to each other. 

“Girls, you know how Mommy’s been feeling a little under the weather?” She said, crouching down and pulling them closer to her. They nodded. “The secret is what’s making Mommy sick.”

“But that’s bad. Mommy shouldn’t get icky from a surprise.” Daya asked, incredibly confused and looking at her mothers.

“Mommy’s gotten icky like this before and we got some of the greatest surprises ever from it.” Jan said, standing behind Jackie with a hand on her shoulder, anchoring her and keeping her nerves at bay.

“How many times?” 

“Twice. Then I got two perfect little girls.”

“Mommy why are you talking about us when we were in your belly?” Crystal asked. She thought for a moment before gasping, grinning wider than ever and quite literally jumping in place. “No way!” She leaped into Jackies arms and held onto her tightly. Jackie laughed and smiled widely at her daughters excitement, holding her close as she rambled to her. 

Daya was looking at the three of them like they were crazy. “Mommy, why’s Cryssie being weird?” Her hand tugged onto her mother’s shirt, clutching on to try and keep some sort of grip on reality. Jan smiled and picked Daya up into her arms. “Daya, you’re going to be a big sister soon.”

“So there’s going to be a baby here?”

“There is, sweetheart.” Jan nodded and rubbed her shoulders, watching the little gears go in her little ones head. “You’re going to be a big sister.”

Daya smiled. “That’s so cool! But I don’t know how to be a big sister. What if I mess up?” She held onto her bear tightly. Crystal let go of her mother and went over to Daya, hugging her tightly.

“Don’t worry, Daya. I’ll teach you how to be the bestest big sister ever. I’ve had lots of practice.” Daya nodded and hugged her back. She thought for a pulled away for a moment and looked at her mothers with a look of confusion.

“Where’s the baby now?”

“They’re in Mommy’s tummy, sweetheart.” Jan answered, hand on her stomach with Jackie’s joining hers as she pecked her wife’s cheek tenderly.

“But how did they get there?”

[orime-stories]

Day 15 - Row

There was a new Nunh now, and everyone seemed to have all but forgotten the old.

“It’s tradition,” they all kept repeating, as though Nali would suddenly understand and just let her father go.

“Tradition is stupid!” she spat at her aunties after the word had finally frayed away her last nerve. “It’s stupid and I hate it!”

Nabyano tutted disapprovingly. “Nali—”

“No! I hate it! And this stupid tribe!”

Nabyano’s face turned cold. Nali was too incandescent to care.

“Leave then. See how far you get without us.”

An idle threat. A calling of a bluff.

Set down at the feet of one who never backed down from a challenge.

For the Final Fantasy XIV Writing Challenge 2022

Previous Entries: Cross / Bolt / Temper / Onerous / Pawn / Channel / Attrition

[moonshotsx]

heehoo

yeah of course, bosco would draw just innocent... little... hearts 👀 also little rosenali cameo because why not 😌

--

Jasmine was exhausted, spraining her ankle at a rehearsal wasn't how she had envisioned her month to start.

She supposed it could have been much worse. She was grateful to have not broken any bones but having to stay at rest was almost as bad for someone like her.

She needed to dance but knew better than to worsen her injury.

Everyone had been so understanding and ready to help her out while she was recovering. Camden had offered to buy both of their groceries, and Angie had gone as far as making her homemade meals just so that she didn't have to get up from her bed.

Bosco helped too... in their own way.

She had noticed that they tried to get home from work as soon as they could to spend time with her. They would always tell stories from the coffee shop to keep her entertained. It worked, for the most part.

They had also taken the habit of sleeping in her bed, mostly because she refused to let them go - something that Bosco didn't seem to mind.

Most afternoons were just spent in her room, just the two of them relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

"It's healing just fine, mom," Jasmine spoke over the phone, "The doctor said I should be clear to take off the cast in less than a month, so you can tell Nali to stop worrying"

"You know she can't do that, baby girl, it's the former competitive skater in her that goes overprotective on you," she heard her mom reply, "But are you sure you don't want us to pass by to see you?"

Jasmine shook her head, even if she couldn't see her, "You enjoy your vacation with her and auntie Jan and auntie Goona, I got Bosco to keep me company," she replied, unconsciously going in to stroke their hair.

"Ah, yes, your little... friend?" Jasmine could hear the teasing in her mom's voice.

"Mom..." she warned, earning a chuckle from Bosco, who was busy doodling on her cast, "We've talked about this"

"Oh, I know, baby, but I'm still waiting to meet them, I gotta approve them first!"

"You just want to scare them off"

"Absolutely, that's the best part," Jasmine heard a voice in the background of the call, recognizing her stepmom's voice, "Well, I gotta go now but keep me updated, okay, princess? Love you"

"Love you too, mom," she hung up the call soon after, throwing her phone to the side and turning her head to the brunette - she could see the smirk on their face, "Don't"

"Princess, uh?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes, before looking down to see just what Bosco had been doing on her cast.

She found it littered with small hearts, all sporting some type of horns alongside some more goofy ones. She couldn't help but smile, knowing Bosco drew them intentionally wonky to make her feel better.

She was about to say something when Aveyah jumped on the bed, cuddling up against her.

"Wanna stay over for the night?" she finally asked, meeting Bosco's eyes.

Something felt different about them, she couldn't just quite put her finger on what.

"Sure"

[diana-prince-s]

here’s a sneak peek of what’s (hopefully) getting posted later today

catch up here

“Lauren, please, please, please!”

While there is a tentative level of peace between Denali and Rosé, the same can’t be said for Sara and Lauren. An all-day rain kept them inside with tons of unspent energy, and even the excitement of ordering pizza from their favorite shop couldn’t calm the girls — well, couldn’t calm Sara. Her favorite indoor activity of the day has been playing Superheroes, a game where she and Lauren don towels as capes and try to sneak up on Rosé and Denali, the villains.

But now Lauren doesn’t want to play.

“I said no, Sara.” Lauren crosses her arms over her chest, indignant. She has a sullen look on her face that seems to be there more times than not of late. She backs herself against the kitchen counter while Sara jumps around in front of her, nearly knocking Denali into the dishwasher that she’s loading.

“Auntie Nali said that we could play Superheroes after we ate all our pizza,” Sara yells into Lauren’s face, “so let’s go!”

“I don’t want to play your stupid game!” Lauren shoves her shoulder against Sara’s chest, and before Denali can stop the inevitable, Sara’s head slams against the edge of the island.

For a second the room stills. Then Sara’s face crumples and turns red with her first cry, and Lauren’s eyes go wide, her own tears welling up and spilling over her cheeks.

“What’s going on?”

Denali looks up, and Rosé’s in the doorway, having come back from throwing away the empty pizza box in the garage recycling. Sara, clutching the back of her head, runs across the kitchen and barrels into Rosé’s lower half. Rosé bends down and scoops her into her arms, then looks across the room at Lauren, and then at Denali. Her eyes are wide.

Sara’s wailing sends Denali into action. She goes to the freezer and pulls out a soft ice pack, sliding it over the counter for Rosé to take. Lauren is still crying against the counter, so Denali crouches in front of her and pulls her into a hug. Her tears are hysterical, her breathing too quick to be healthy. She’s going to pass out.

[raging-soul-of-fire]

"Babies are pups an' pups are babies." The child says with a shrug, not really caring about the difference.

"I know Auntie Gisha an' lil' Nali. Auntie Gisha has kinda scary eyes, but she's nice."

@runningskaven Fleer pops out of her gnaw hole... Sees Oni... And smaller Oni.... What they doing? Sneaks up.

Ray'je looks up and sees a ratty woman in her domain. "What is this?! Who is it you are being in mine domain?!"

Aura's at the beach, feeding Bloop.

@runningskaven

[lalamelon]

“Mom and dad look so cute in this photo! Thanks auntie Mira!”

Yes I couldn’t resist and drew my fanon Nali kids \(//∇//)\

Kinda just came up on the spot so no names yet. 

[lady-assnali]

Ok, here’s my WIP Wednesday. I have about 4 fics started and none finished, but here’s the next installment of the twins visiting Denali in the teacher au

[rosenallies]

I feel like I’ve requested this and tumblr ate it.

What about rosejan with Rosé going into labor and Jan being??? Somewhere else? Idk.

Haha tumblr sometimes does randomly delete my asks but idk if I’ve ever seen this in my inbox before ?? Sorry about that:)

—-

“Are you sure you’re okay with me leaving, Rosie? You’re nearly 8 and a half months pregnant, the baby could come at any time.”

Rosé rolled her eyes. “Baby, you’ve had this girls weekend planned way before I got pregnant. Me and Juniper will be fine.”

“I’m not worried about you not being able to take care of our daughter, I’m worried about you going into labor.” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rosé mimicked her, comically crossing her arms over her own chest, though they rested on her belly. “You’re only gonna be two hours away, right?”

Jan nodded.

“See, it’ll be fine. Let’s say I do go into labor, you’ll for sure be there before the baby is born.”

“I guess. But promise to call me as soon as you start having contractions. I don’t care if they’re hours apart, call me as soon as you have one that isn’t a Braxton Hicks. Okay?”

“Okay, okay, now go have fun, and tell the girls I said hi.”

Jan puckered her lips for a kiss, Rosé happily obliging. “June bug, come give mommy a kiss goodbye!” Rosé called as they parted.

The little redhead came skipping into the living room from the kitchen and threw herself at Jan. “Be good for mama, okay? Make sure she gets lots of rest.”

Juniper giggled and nodded. “I’m in charge, mama!”

Jan ruffled her hair. “Okay, guys I’m headed out, call me if you need anything.”

The blonde watched as her little family waved goodbye as she got into her friend’s car, blowing kisses at Juniper while she caught them and laughed until the car was out of sight.

“C’mon sweetheart, let’s go put on a movie.”

“Can we watch Frozen, please?!”

Rosé chuckled. “Ever since auntie Denali babysat that’s all you want to watch.”

“Auntie Nali said I look like Anna!”

“Alright, Miss Anna let’s get back in the house,” she said with a laugh.

She ushered Juniper back into the house and set up camp on the couch for the day, mama and daughter movie day in full swing.

Everything was going swimmingly until Rosé woke up at 3:30am on Sunday, the day Jan was due to return, with a painful tightening across her belly. She breathed through it like the doctor told her and the pain subsided. It was arguably worse than any Braxton Hicks she’s had up until now, but as the due date got closer she figured even the false contractions would be more painful to prepare her for the real thing. At least that’s the logic she came up with to justify not calling Jan right away.

She was just about to drift back off when it happened again, this time leaving her breath to come out in short pants, the pain gripping her middle. She looked at the digital clock on the bedside table, it was only 4 in the morning and she knew if she called Jan she’d be on her way in an instant and the last thing Rosé wanted was for her to be driving in the dark like that.

Rosé let the contractions continue, riding out the pain alone besides the stress ball she had crushed in between her fingers. She remembered how long Jan was in the early labor stage for, so she didn’t feel like it was necessary to wake anyone knowing that if she went to the hospital she’d be sent home until she was in active labor.

That’s how the rest of the morning went, until around noon she stood up to make Juniper lunch when a rush of liquid trickled down her leg. “Fuck,” she muttered, realizing that Jan actually was going to strangle her for not calling before her damn water broke.

“Juni, mama’s gotta make some calls, can you sit tight for a minute?”

The little girl nodded, eyes fixated on Disney channel that played on the tv.

“Okay, stay here, baby,” she said, waddling off to the bedroom to grab the hospital bag and make calls. First on her list was Denali, her best friend and babysitter of choice. She explained what was happening and her friend assured her she’d be there as soon as possible, next call was the one she was most nervous about.

Just as she knew she would, Jan answered after barely one ring. “Hi Rosie! Is everything good?”

She swallowed. “Well, um my water broke. The baby’s coming.”

“Your water broke out of nowhere? That’s not a good sign, that shouldn’t be the first stage of labor, call 911,” she instructed, panic rising in her.

“Not exactly,” Rosé admitted sheepishly.

“What do you mean not exactly? Have you been having contractions?!”

“Since 3:30 this morning.”

“Goddamit, Rosé. Why didn’t you call me?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know. I just remembered how long you were in active labor so I didn’t want anyone to freak-“ she paused, groaning as another contraction tore through her, the pain getting more and more substantial.

“Okay, it’s okay, just breath, honey. Just breathe.”

She focused on Jan’s soft voice instead of the painful tightening she felt across her belly, her breathing heavy when it subsided. “I’m sorry, Jannie,” she whimpered, “I wish I called you.”

“I know, I know. It’s okay. Did you call Denali to come watch Juniper?”

“Yeah, she’s gonna bring me to the hospital and then take Juni back to her place.”

Rosé heard Jan talking to someone else in the room, but she couldn’t tell what was being said. “Okay, don’t panic, we’re going to leave right now. Let me know when you get to the hospital, okay?”

The redhead sniffed. “Okay.”

“Everything’s going to be okay, promise. Now go have a baby.”

Rosé cracked a smile. “Okay, love you.”

“Love you too, Rosie. See you soon.”

[saintandsinnerwrites]

Man of Her Dreams (Dadsé Verse)

A/N: I tried to make this smuttier but something about Dadsé just makes it always come out ridiculously sweet and sappy.

-

Nali had done it. She’d married the man of her dreams and adopted his adorable daughter. They were honeymooning in Mexico and Denali was laying next to her husband, holding his hands as they kissed.

The ceremony had been absolutely beautiful. It was small and intimate, just their closest family and friends. Lemon was the most gorgeous flower girl anyone had ever seen. Ross had braided a sunflower into her hair and she looked radiant. Lemon had picked the main color for their wedding, lemon yellow, of course, and cream, which they’d picked to compliment their daughter’s choice. Denali’s bouquet had sunflowers in it too, and there was lemonade and lemoncello for the guests.

It had been a beautiful ceremony and Denali had never been more sure that she’d made the right choice. They’d danced together first, but for the second dance, while Nali danced with her dad, Ross danced with his daughter and it was just the sweetest thing. They were honeymooning for a week and it was the longest Ross had ever left his daughter, but grandma Kizha and Aunty Jan and her wife Jackie would take good care of Lemon while they were away. Lemon had hugged them both and told them to bring her back a little sister and a cactus.

They’d decided on Mexico over Scotland for the weather, as Denali had made a compelling argument for sitting on the beach in her bikini drinking micheladas would be a way better view than her dressed for Scottish weather.

Denali was also delighted to see that her husband could certainly handle his own in Spanish and she didn’t have to worry too much about the language barrier. She knew he spoke it well enough and could certainly understand her but it was still nice to see in action. Their beachfront hotel was lovely, and Ross had made sure that everything was perfect for them.

She kissed him again. They’d talked about having a baby together, and seeing how he was with Lemon, Denali knew she’d be ok raising a child with him. More than ok. She’d be happy. Denali had stopped taking her birth control and Lemon had asked them to bring her back a little sister...

She gently ran her nails down his chest. “Now that I’m your wife,” god she’d never get tired of saying that, “how about we start trying for a baby? Lemon did ask for a little sister. And it’s not like you to deny her anything.”

He chuckled. “It’s not like me to deny you anything either.”

She laughed. “No. We girls always get our way. But I want you to fuck me so good. Fuck me every day, daddy. I wanna have your baby. Breed me,” she purred, grinding against him.

He grinned and pinned her to the bed. “Oh don’t worry, I have every intention of cumming in this sweet pussy at least once a day every day I can, for the rest of our lives.” He kissed her sweetly. “I’m so glad you’re my wife.”

She smiled up at him. “I’m so glad you’re my husband. Now give me that big Scottish cock!”

[lady-assnali]

Omg.

That Denali and the twins on ice video added about 100 years to my life span it was just THAT good. 🥹

Denali marry me challenge

[lady-assnali]

We’re here I finished it and now you can have far too many words of Auntie Nali with another open plot to add to the list of things I’ve started and need to add parts to. ✌🏻

There’s Rosenali woven in here, of course, because why wouldn’t there be? We needed to add the twins to the teacher au instead of starting a new one because I’m not insane)

——

Denali’s on fire.

At least, that’s what it feels like. She’s not sure she’s ever felt this level of wanting, tucked up in the back of a cab with Rosé’s hands tracing patterns on her thigh. They’re both warm but not drunk, barely even tipsy after just a glass of wine with dinner after work. It had been a crazy week for them both, with art festivals and choir competitions and the general craziness of their high schoolers needing extra support in order to make it through the stress. They’d both taken on a bit more than they could handle, evident in all of the late nights spent in their respective classrooms, bursting through each other’s doors when the work became too cumbersome and a break was needed.

Celebrating had been a necessity, and a fancy dinner an absolute reward. They’d met after school, touching up makeup side-by-side in the bathrooms before leaving together. They’d sat at a candlelit table after walking to the restaurant, sharing bites of each other’s food and falling into their usual banter across the table. And then Rosé held her hand.

She held her hand through a majority of the meal, her thumb brushing across the top of Denali’s soft skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake. She’d kissed her as they got up to leave, thanking the waitress and putting on their coats before heading back out into the night.

Rosé held her hand, ran her fingers along Denali’s arm. She kissed her tenderly outside of the restaurant until their Uber came, opened the door for her, brushed her hair from her cheek. Denali had been too entranced to ask questions, to stunned to let herself think about the consequences doing this again would have on her mental health. Everything felt alive, renewed, her mind only able to focus on the now of her friend’s hand teasing the bare skin of her waist.

She’s eager to bring Rosé up to her apartment by the time they arrive, glad that Rosé is the one who called. She would have forgotten to tip, or even to leave if it weren’t for gentle hands pulling her eagerly onto the sidewalk. Abandoning all reason she pushes herself against Rosé, backing her into the wall by the door with the speed of reckless abandon, taking control. She cups her cheeks and presses hungry, open-mouthed kisses along her neck, delighted when Rosé gasps beneath her.

“Upstairs,” She breathes, and it’s a fight for control right to her doorstep. Denali searches for her key with shaking hands, Rosé’s once featherlight touches becoming more demanding as they’ve come closer to privacy. She can’t get the key in, and it’s a fumble of hands over hands and muffled giggling as they finally get the door open, slamming it behind them before attaching to each other once more. In the three seconds Denali opens her eyes, her body becomes one giant shockwave. She tenses under Rosé’s touch as she looks eyes with her nieces, standing in the doorway with wide eyes and bemused smiles.

She lets out a string of Spanish that none of her company understand, finding meaning only in the rapid, biting pace and the way she frantically pushes herself away from Rosé. She’s shooting daggers at both of the young girls standing in her kitchen as she fixes her hair and her clothes, standing straight and in command.

“Don’t you have phones you’re constantly attached to? Phones with my number in them?”

The two younger girls stand dumbstruck in the middle of the kitchen, where Denali’s counter has been covered in snacks, phones, and her Bluetooth speaker. Phoebe holds a chip mid-air, lowering it back into the bag when faced with her aunt’s scrutiny. She shrugs.

“I mean….yeah.”

“But you also gave us a key.” Phoebe holds up a hand where the embellished key dangles from the key ring they’d been given, accompanied by a tiny Statue of Liberty keychain. Denali feels herself go through each stage of regret as her nieces stare back at her, whispering and giggling to themselves.

“I’m sorry, is our emergency interrupting you and your hot new girlfriend?”

“We can leave. Just throw us into the streets; so sad, so lonely…”

Denali casts a can you believe this glance toward Rosé, rolling her eyes affectionately before scooping both of the girls into her embrace.

“I’m very happy to see you.” She’s earnest only for a second before staring them down, eyes dark and searching. “These are my wonderful nieces, Roxxi and Phoebe. This is Rosé.”

The introduction is far less awkward to the three of them than it is to Denali, who feels the sudden urge to crawl out of her own skin. Rosé starts asking them questions and they answer politely. Roxxi’s eyelids flutter, and she stands with a hand on her hip until Denali clears her throat to interrupt.

“Does your mother even know that you’re here?” She asks pointedly. Phoebe steps back a bit, playing with the ends of her long blonde hair while her sister shrugs.

“Well, mom thinks we’re at a sleepover. Which…isn’t wrong...”

“You flew halfway across the country and you failed to tell your mother?”

“I mean. Is it lying or is it just not telling the whole truth?”

“Roxxi.”

“Don’t call mom.” Phoebe begs, butting in front of her sister with big, pleading eyes. Denali does not waver, rather gestures wildly with disbelief.

“I have to call her, I can’t just let her think you’re down the street!”

“Whatever. Just make sure she knows we’re not coming back for a few days.” Roxxi rolls her eyes, tapping idly on her phone. She’s sure they’ll be getting lashed out by their mom on the phone once their secret is exposed, but she also knows that they won’t have to go home; the damage is done. It’s the reason she convinced Phoebe to ask for forgiveness and not permission-this wouldn’t have worked any other way.

“Okay, okay.” Denali huffs. “I just-give me a few minutes? Go put your stuff away or something? The extra charger is in the nightstand.”

The girls wear matching smirks as they agree, very openly eyeing Rosé on their way to the guest bedroom. Roxxi lingers in the doorway, pointing noiselessly between the woman and her aunt while grinning wickedly, throwing her a thumbs up. Denali sends her one last dagger of a stare before turning. Rosé’s put her jacket back on, and it takes Denali a lot of inner patience not to send both of her darling nieces packing.

“It’s probably best if I go?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know they’d be here. Clearly, I had no idea.”

“Baby it’s ok, this is obviously something important.” Rosé pulls her in by both hands, their bodies pressed together from toes to foreheads. Cupping her cheek, she leaves her with a slow, languid kiss full of wanting that leaves Denali’s knees weak. “You know you can have me any time you want.”

Denali whines when Rosé pulls away but refuses another kiss, opting instead to squeeze her hand before gently pushing her with a wink.

“Get out of here. I’ve got kids to take care of.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then. Unless…”

“Sub.” Denali turns to the sound of the twins laughing from down the hall. She takes in a long, deep breath. “Definitely calling a sub.”

Roe chuckles.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’ll text you?”

“Please.”

She watches Rosé make her way down the hallway, ducking back into the doorway only when she’s made it to the elevator. Denali takes two deep breaths, pushing away the disappointment from having to end their night early. Things had been going so well, so wonderful. She’d planned to talk to Rosé tonight, to finally let everything out that had been weighing her down since they started playing this cat-and-mouse game. Now, she’s sure she won’t find that willpower for another few weeks at least.

But it’s her nieces; she’d lay down her life for them one hundred times over without so much as a question, had been willing to from the day they were born. She’d been young then, but having those two babies set in her lap had transformed that little piece of herself, kick-started every nurturing bone in her body. She’d been enamored with them from the start, heartbroken when their mother decided to move to California, so far away from their family. Of course, years later she fully understands the desire to leave, but she can’t help the resentment. They’d seen each other only on holidays and very occasionally in between since the girls were eight, and she’d lived so much of their childhoods with them through FaceTime calls and through cross country flights on sketchy, low-priced airlines. As teenagers, the girls come to see her nearly every school vacation and during the summer. Still, she’d missed so much.

Which is why they come first-they always come first. Although eager to spend the time with them, Denali closes her eyes in anticipation for the storm she’s sure awaits her once she fully enters her apartment.

To put it lightly, it’s a mess.

An array of snacks are spread along the counter, open bags of chips and salsa and cans of seltzer alongside grocery bags undoubtedly containing more. She immediately wonders how long they’ve been here; she hadn’t even come home between school and her dinner plans, agreeing with Rosé that the longer walk to the restaurant would be a great opportunity to get some much needed fresh air. And if they stopped to kiss at the crosswalks or held hands for a little bit, then neither of them said a word about it.

Yeah, that talk would have been nice.

Denali steps over the shoes discarded at the door and makes her way to the guest bedroom. Two light, rapidly speaking voices float down the hallway toward her, and although she knows she’ll probably be craving silence within the next twenty minutes she’s glad to hear them now. They can’t know that now, though. She has to get her point across first.

Hovering in the doorway, she watches as the girls flit across the room, fanning out her big blankets and rifling through their little suitcases while keeping their conversation to some social media influencer they’d both watched. It takes them a while to notice her, but when they do they immediately stop. She’s standing with one hand on the frame of the doorway, attempting to replicate her mother’s own disappointed turn of the lips. That had always worked on her as a child, but the same can’t be said for the girls. While Phoebe seems a bit off guard Roxxi merely gives Denali a wily smile, fluffing up a pillow in her hand. Denali forges on.

“Are you going to explain yourselves?”

“Are you going to explain what that was?” Denali’s eyes hit the ceiling and come back down in a huff. If only she could explain what that was. Instead, she lies through her teeth.

“That was two adults who are friends coming home after a nice little post-work dinner.”

“Yeah, okay. Like that wasn’t two very much in love adults getting ready to”

“-Alright, enough out of you.” They’re young, not stupid. But Roxxi’s clever redirection of the conversation won’t last her very long, and they both know it. Denali fully enters the room then, pulling the pillow from Roxxi’s hands and tossing it on the bed. She puts her hands on her hips in false intimidation. “Why are you here?”

“Well, y’know, it started off as a joke.”

“We really wanted to go to this concert, and there were no West Coast dates, and so we just thought…”

“-We thought our loving, fun, supportive aunt would be so happy to see us.”

Denali’s face twists in contemplation and a bit of disbelief. Both girls stare back at her, giving the answer as if they were explaining a trip to the store on the way home after school. She’d had her fair share of teenage antics, but they mostly included house parties or weekends in the mountains with friends. This is pretty far out of her realm of experience. It takes a moment for the plausibility of it all to actually sink in.

“You came here for a concert?”

Roxxi smiles, ignoring the impatience in her aunt’s tone.

“I mean, yeah.”

“We won’t be here very long, and we’ll stay out of your way.”

“I’m not worried about that. You know you never have to ‘stay out of my way.’ I’m really happy to see you. You girls are always welcome here. But you’re sure that’s the only reason?” She knows it’s not. Denali may have lost years being in their physical presence, but there’s something about the way her sweet, peaceful Phoebe is picking at her fingernails that reads as an omission of detail. After some contemplation they both shake their heads, Roxxi with a hand on her sister’s shoulder. They’re speaking their silent language again. Denali raises an eyebrow at them, lingering; one more chance for the whole truth. When neither budges she sighs, bringing each into a tender, nurturing embrace.

“You can stay here as long as you need to. I’m calling off work tomorrow and we can go out and see the city, make a day of it. You can catch me up on all the senior year drama. Sound good?”

Roxxi nods, then continues shuffling around the guest room. Before Denali can leave, Phoebe pulls her into another hug.

“Thank you,” the younger blonde squeezes her, and Denali can feel the tension stuck in her niece’s  body through the gesture. “I’m just really happy to be here.”

“My door’s always open, mi Azucar.” Pulling away, she smoothes out Phoebe’s hair while casting one last glance around the guest room, finally starting to get back in shape. Clothes are in the drawers, suitcases tucked in the bottom of the closet. Roxxi’s fumbling with her makeup bag, wrestling out a pack of wipes and gathering toiletries to bring to the shower. It’s chaos, but it’s right.

She leaves the door ajar to the girl’s request and heads back down the hallway, starting the task of picking up the long-forgotten snacks on the kitchen counter. She likes the noise in the house-the laughter, the chatting, even the shoes by the door. She’d forgotten what it was like to take care of something other than her dog, and the full, happy feeling is something she knows she’ll be analyzing long after the lights go out.

Her phone vibrates, then, a photo of Rosé cozy in bed pretending to sleep. Underneath, she’s written

“In a nice quiet house praying for your ears and your sanity.

Seriously, if you need anything I’ll be here.

And I’d really really like a rain check on tonight.”

She closes out the text with two pink hearts and Denali can’t ignore the giddy flip of her stomach, especially looking at Rosé’s pretty waves splayed across her pillow and her lips still slightly swollen.

Yeah, she’ll have to address that later too.

[lady-assnali]

Ohhhh but wait @holywaterzzz look what you started.

Sugar and Spice FaceTiming auntie Nali when things go south in their lives

Auntie Nali making trips down to California to visit

People continually asking them if they’re related to the near Olympic figure skater

They post cute videos on tik tok of them absolutely failing to skate while auntie Nali skates circles around them

If we’re going here then of course we’re going Rosenali takes Sugar and Spice to Disney vibes

[lady-assnali]

hiiii

[projects thought of "sugar and spice who get to hang out with their auntie nali for a day" into ur head]

Oh hi!!! :)

(All of this is written with Sugar and Spice implanted into the teacher au, where Denali lives a fabulous life in NYC)

Nali is a safe haven for them

They live in California and they get to go visit her for a week at a time a few times a year without their parents and it very much helps them recognize that they do in fact matter and belong and have a place. It’s the freedom and safety that they very much crave that they get to live for the weeks they’re at Nali’s. They don’t have to hide anything, they just get to be themselves.

Because they get to fly over and see their auntie Nali living a successful, happy, fulfilling life as a queer person with lots of queer friends and all of this happiness and it gives them a sense of “ok, this is something we’ll get to have too.”