#her taking care of gremlin in the mornings so i can sleep longer when i'm visiting

[vilnan]

i love my mom

[kuroos-babie]

falling in love with a single mom hcs

INCLUDES: nishinoya, tsukishima, yaku

you spent a good part of your childhood with nishinoya, chasing away the dogs that had a penchant of scaring your best friend shitless, climbing trees and playing treasure hunt

it was funny, to say the least, seeing how he grew from such a scaredy-cat to the energetic and confident noya everyone knows

throughout highschool you watched him chase girl after girl and he watched you turn down guy after guy

the dynamic you two had was that of a feral gremlin child and its chill owner holding the leash and everyone, including you two, thought you would always be together

everyday was fun with nishinoya's energy hanging around you, no doubt

but when he asked you to travel the world with him right after graduation, he was met with a hesitant refusal

"i'm planning to go to college, yuu"

"it'll be fun, y/n! like going on an adventure!!"

"visit me once in a while"

his heart clenched at the way you smiled at him with teary eyes, "i can't change your mind can i?"

with a soft shake of your head, he sighed

he leaves in three days

the first few months of him being away were filled with calls and pictures of his trips, smile seemingly wider and brighter than before and a part of you regretted not coming with him

but college starts in a week, and with that came missed calls and ignored messages

at some point, neither of you just remembered to hit the other up, caught up with the stresses of your own life and before either of you knew it, 5 years have passed

he came to visit home for the first time in years, no longer the boyish noya you knew but he still had that warm aura around him

you were the first thought to come to mind the moment he step foot in town, his whole body buzzing with excitement at the mere thought of seeing you again

so of course he went straight to your house, feet taking step after memorized step and hands clutching bags of things he got from his travels

"Y/N!!!!!", he calls out as he enters your house which was answered with a harsh shushing

turning a corner he saw you in the living room, lovely as ever-- he thought, and with a baby sleeping soundly in your arms, "the baby's sleeping, yuu"

"whose...?"

you laughed at the cracking in his voice, "mine, who else's?"

man, he looked like he was about to cry

he quietly approached you, careful as to not wake the baby

"for you", he mumbled while handing you the bag of snacks and stuff

the room was filled with silence after you hummed a short thanks

he was looking at the child's face, it looked like you, he thinks

he asked when you got married, "you didn't tell me, didn't even invite your best friend to your wedding", he whined

"i didn't, i'm not married"

his eyes were wide as they looked at you

you told him about getting pregnant shortly after college graduation and getting ditched

he thought of himself selfish as he heaved a sigh of relief

"it's fine though, my parents are helping me a lot", he notes how you looked at your baby with such fond eyes and his heart swelled, he felt like crying

you chuckled at the look on his face, "hey don't look so sorry for me, can't be happier to have her"

"what's her name?"

you looked at your daughter's face and pet at her cheek with a finger, "yui"

nishinoya couldn't hold it in anymore and so he let himself cry and pulled you close

and for the nth time since the day of your college graduation he asked you again, "come with me, y/n, let's travel the world" but you have a child "i'll stay with you here until she's old enough", he said while kissing the tears that slipped down your cheeks

"then we can all go travel the world together"

he liked working at the museum, he really does

at least that's what he tries to tell himself as he led the group of preschoolers through the sendai museum

they were cute, yeah, but also very chatty

especially this one little boy with the frog hat

"what's this called?"

"it's a fossilized remain of--"

"how about this one?"

"it's--", and before he could answer, the child was already running to the other side of the exhibit

he just sighs

the tour ended and he was getting ready for his lunch break, proceeding to the cafe by the entrance as he always does

his eyes almost caught the flurry of green that passed beside him but he chose to ignore it

but of course it wasn't long after he sat down with his order when he heard a familiar bubbly voice

"mama that's the dinosaur guy!", he heard the little boy whisper loudly, "he's so tall, like a brachiosaurus!"

he couldn't supress the chuckle at the child's remark and he turned in his seat, "so you were listening, i thought you were just bouncing all around the place"

"oh sorry, did he give you a hard time?"

your voice drew his attention and he smiled at the sight of your worried face, something that surprised even him, "not really, no"

he invited you two to sit and eat with him and he listened to your son ramble all about dinosaurs and prehistoric animals

"a smart one, i like him"

your son really liked him too and asked you to take him to the museum again and see tsukishima

and so it became a habit for you to visit the museum every friday with the little boy, waiting for the tall blonde to get off work so you three could grab something to eat

and every time he sees you in the little cafe by the entrancne with your son, tsukishima couldn't help but smile a little and pat at his chest to calm the subtle fluttering as he push the door open

it was a weird feeling he never knew would come so naturally at the mere sight of you two

he bought your son picture books and and figurines and copies of the "walking with dinosaurs" documentary

"we should watch it this weekend..." his eyebrows shot up for a moment at your meek suggestion

of course the little boy was elated, excited to have him over at your house "yes! let's go now! i wanna watch it with tsukki now!!!"

tsukishima returned his gaze on you, "if it's not too much trouble then i'd love to go now"

and so the rest of the friday night was spent on your couch with all the lights turned off and a narration of al the allosaurus' life

you looked over at the other side of the couch to see your son laying on tsukishima, eyes fluttering shut with the man passed out and lightly snoring

he must've been tired

you draped a blanket over the two of them and waited for sleep to visit you too and it soon did

morning came and you woke up to the smell of coffee

"i borrowed your coffee maker, i hope you don't mind", his voice was still low, trying not to wake the little boy

"yeah, sorry i didn't wake you up last night... you looked tired"

he chuckled as you walked over to the kitchen to take out two mugs and prepared some toast, "i don't mind, it was the best sleep i've gotten in a while. i hope it wasn't too much of a bother for you though"

you leaned on the kitchen counter as you took in his appearance; hair ruffled and eyes puffy with sleep, "i don't mind it one bit"

he huffed a laugh and looked over to the sofa where your son still laid

"he likes you a lot"

"so it seems, i hope you do too", his face was smug but you didn't miss the red that tinted his cheeks when you told him "of course i do, in fact i was thinking maybe we should do this more often"

his smirk grew, "just say you want to wake up everyday to the sight of me and leave it at that"

you rolled your eyes at his comment but smiled nonetheless, "oh shut up"

he had just come back from the nekoma volleyball team reunion, head lightly buzzing from the few bottles of alcohol kuroo forced down his throat

making his way through the carpeted hotel hall, he could barely make out the sound of little feet hurriedly padding on the floor and quiet sniffles

taking out the keycard to his room with the blissful thoughts of finally sinking into the soft mattress was interrupted by a soft bump on his thigh, a muffled thud and a small "ow..."

it took a few moments before the sight of the little boy on the hotel floor registered properly in his brain

it was well past 2 am... why the hell is there a child running around the halls

"uh... hi?"

big bright eyes looked up at him and he can't help but sigh at the sniffles increasingly growing louder

"where's your mama, little guy?", yaku crouched to the little boy's level, careful to keep his balance as the booze and exhaustion was catching up to him

however, at the mention of his mother, the little boy's eye filled up with more tears and was ready to burst anytime, "mama..."

"oh no no no no"

yaku's too tired for this

so with a sigh and a groan, he took the boy in his arms and entered his room

"let's look for her in the morning, okay? i think i still have some cookies in my room, would like some?"

the little boy nods his head, earning a relieved sigh from yaku

the rest of the night was spent with cartoons playing on the large hotel room tv, yaku leaning against the headboard with the little boy snoozing away while being tucked in his arm, cookie on his hand and crumbs all around

morning came and panic surged through your body the moment you realized your 3 year-old son was nowhere inside your hotel room

your hurried to the security desk to report and hopefully make an announcement, head reeling and aching with the sudden rush of adrenaline first thing in the morning

with your head in your hands, you let out a groan while trying not to cry at all the possibilites flashing through your mind

your wallowing was cut short with an "excuse me, i found this child last night"

turning your head back to the security desk, you see a man in his pajamas and slippers, hair ruffled from sleep and a sleepy little boy laying on his shoulder

"oh my god"

the whole conlict ended when you came up to them and introduced yourself, the little boy quickly recognizing your voice and whipped his head over to you, "mama!"

your son reached out for you and yaku couldn't help but notice how pretty your glossy eyes were despite how disheveled you looked

"mama, yakkun gave me cookies and we watched cartoons aaaaall night!"

yaku's eyes widened at the little boy's words and let out a nervous chuckle, "you make me sound so suspicious"

he turned to you and explained how your son bumped into him at 2 am and he was just too tired to bring him down to the security desk

"my tired tipsy brain thought it was a better idea to just let him sleep in my room and look for mama in the morning", he ended with the tips of his ears tinged red

you laughed at his nervousness, "well we can talk more about it over breakfast, what do you say yakkun? my treat"

with the way you were smiling at him, how could he even refuse?

the rest of the morning was spent with coffee and waffles, juice and fruits and chatter

he learned you and your son were in town for a few days, "i wanted to go see the fishies in the aquarium!", the little boy quips

with the new volleyball season just around the corner, yaku knew he'd have practices but he offered to tour you two around tokyo

he wanted to see you two again

briefly taking care of the toddler last night and having breakfast with you, he realized, were very much a welcomed change of pace in his hectic pro volleyball life

"are you my dad? mama told me daddy was working in tokyo" he remembered your son quietly mumbling last night, "i haven't seen him though, not ever"

the rest of your stay in tokyo was spent hanging out with yaku, your son growing more and more attached to him and slept over at his room every night

as promised, he took you and your son on a tokyo tour and even brought you to practice, introducing you to the national team and teaching your child receives

of course your trip eventually reached its end, promises of meeting again drowned in the little boy's tears as he tried to reach out to yaku

"we'll meet again, little guy", he says while ruffling the boy's hair, "i'll even go visit you and we'll play lots, okay?

of course he made a point of contacting you frequently, often video chatting during meal times and bedtime and a few more hours after, relishing in the time he could spend talking alone with you

"i can't wait to see you two again", he always says right after "good night"

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[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

WARNING: Sensuality.

CHAPTER 8

By the time Anna arrived home, some of the good cheer had disappeared. Only a little, and mostly because she'd come to the realisation that she had actually wanted Punz to stay over. The thought in the car about hands in pants was true, but that didn't mean that, on some level, Anna wasn't aching to touch Punz again… and now that some of the self-hatred was fading, she sort of maybe wanted to be touched, too. Even without that, being close to her all night long sounded like bliss.

Too late now. That was something to face another day. Anna's only thought was to kick her shoes off in the front hall and to find her mom, maybe talk to her for a little while before going to bed. She really didn't have the mental capacity to do anything more, such as gaming as rarely as she did that. Or even staring at Netflix on her phone for a while.

But she couldn't find Elsa. "Mom?" she called out in the hallway. No answer. Maybe she was in the master bath, getting ready for bed. Luckily, the house did have two bathrooms, which had been not enough when the kids were little but was a good number now.

A light was coming from under the door. Anna crossed to it, raising a hand to knock…

"Oooh…"

Her entire body stilled when she heard that moan floating out from the other side, cutting through the sounds of the exhaust fan and the running water. Was she okay? Or was she… more than okay? The noise could have been either one.

But part of Anna knew it was a lie she was trying to sell herself. She knew that noise. Had heard it before. There was only one reason Elsa had ever made a sound like that.

A moment later, when she heard, "Ohhh, YES," she had her confirmation. For a few seconds, she hovered there, indecisive. What was she supposed to do in this situation?

But eventually, her good sense kicked in; her mother was taking care of her urges. Privately. Face burning red, Anna sent herself out of the bedroom and into the hallway. God, what was she supposed to do? Elsa knew she was going to be home – it didn't take long to drive to Punz's. Maybe she thought Anna would be having her own fun with Jennifer, so she would have a little longer to see to her own needs.

Regardless, the fact remained that Elsa was currently engaged in acts no proper daughter should ever want to witness, and yet here Anna was, nipples pebbling and core clenching. Fuck, this was bad. How was she supposed to move on when Elsa sounded like that?

Eventually she managed to make herself move into the kitchen. Water. A nice, cool drink would help calm her down. Three glasses of it and a wealth of pacing back and forth later, however, and the only thing she had succeeded in doing was making herself need to pee.

Luckily, at that time Elsa emerged from the shower, already dressed in a silky blue night gown with a fluffy white robe over the top, feet stuffed into slippers that matched the robe. Apparently, she must have been at the very end of her 'activity' when Anna heard her if she only took that much time afterward to wash up and get dressed.

"Oh!" she said in some surprise when she saw Anna standing in the kitchen. "You're… already back? I thought you and Jennifer… well, anyway. How did it go?"

Swallowing hard, Anna forced herself to smile. Between the pressure in her bladder and the memory of what she practically walked in on, her entire body had a bad case of The Tinglies. But she was determined to act as normal as she could.

"She's fine. I mean, I can see how you'd think we'd want to, like, say a longer goodbye in the truck… but, um, I wanted to end tonight short and sweet. On a good note, I guess?"

Elsa nodded a few times as she opened the refrigerator to get the milk. Since when did they get milk in glass bottles? It had always been cheap plastic jugs for the McFlys. "Well, it can't be helped. You both need a little time, her especially."

"Y-yeah." She shouldn't be staring at Elsa's round ass… "Time. Crazy thing."

"If I knew you'd be back so fast, I wouldn't have taken my time in there." As she poured the glass, Elsa avoided Anna's eyes. At least she wasn't lying to her, but Anna had a feeling what she meant was, 'I wouldn't have gone to town on myself if I knew you might be in the house when I finished.'

"Yeah. I've been here a while; at first I thought you might have gone out."

"Sorry. As I said, if I'd known…"

Anna shrugged, leaning back against the counter with her nearly-empty glass of water. "It's cool. You can… take all the time you need in the shower. Why not? It's your shower. This is your house. Showers are… good!"

As she raised the milk to her lips, Elsa's eyebrows did knit slightly. But she made no remark as she took a long, slow drink. God, this was even worse than watching her ass. Anna couldn't draw her eyes from Elsa's throat, watching it bob as she swallowed. When Elsa finished, there was a fine milk line atop her lip.

It took all of Anna's willpower not to whimper when a delicate tongue popped out and licked it off.

Maybe it was obvious to Elsa, because she flushed and lifted a hand, rubbing off any remnants. Anna cleared her throat and hastily stammered, "I should- I should go, y'know. Been a, um, a busy week and all…"

It was a pathetic excuse, but it was obvious by now that Elsa knew that Anna knew. She gave a weak smile and a nod. "Of course. You can sleep in tomorrow, unless you're going to Merida's?"

Honestly, Anna hadn't thought of it – and neither was she in the mood to stand there and discuss it. "Sure, I'll um, I'll let you know tomorrow?"

She waited just long enough for Elsa to wish her a good night before escaping into her bedroom. Only once she was in there did she remember: she had to pee. But she had already said goodnight! Biting her lip, she tried to suppress the urge as long as she could, listening for Elsa to leave. Or really, suppress two urges, but taking care of one would make the other one worse.

It took forever. By the time Elsa did close the door to her own bedroom, Anna was dancing up and down on one leg. Breathing a sigh of relief, she practically sprinted to the bathroom.

Why did she have to turn into such a weird, awkward creature every time she was around Elsa now? She knew the reason. Not liking it didn't mean she was ignorant. But they both knew it was for the best that they keep their hands off each other; Elsa just believed that a lot more fully and completely.

Even after brushing her teeth and changing into pyjamas, Anna still couldn't get the urges to leave her alone. Not without taking the appropriate measures – and there was no possible way to keep Elsa's voice in the tub, her ass in that robe, out of her mind. How was she supposed to live like this?

                                                                   ~ o ~

The next morning, she felt a little more optimistic. Elsa was going to be her mother, and something like a friend, no matter what happened. That was a fact. A few weird moments of sexual tension could be forgiven as long as they kept working on them.

"So," Elsa said when Anna stumbled in to join her at the breakfast table, where she was already sipping coffee and scrolling through news articles on her phone. "You heard me last night, hmm?"

Anna froze. No. She couldn't possibly mean they were going to talk about this now. Right?

Giving a nervous chuckle, Anna tried to play it cool. "Oh yeah. About um. Merida's. I haven't… decided if I'm…" She trailed off when it became apparent that Elsa was incredibly unimpressed by her attempt to play it off.

"You know I'm not talking about that, Anna," she said. Then she sighed and pat the table, inviting Anna to take a seat. Once she did, her mother continued, "I'm sorry you bumped into that; I really thought I had enough time before you came home. And I'm definitely not upset, sweetheart. I just feel like… like ignoring this situation completely only makes it worse?"

At that, Anna snorted. "What, so I should have bust in on you like, 'Hey, need a hand'?"

"NO! God, Anna. I just mean– you clearly know. And I know you know. So I think it's healthier to discuss the issue before we set it aside." Then she paused. "You didn't… do the same, did you?"

Crossing her arms, Anna looked away. "I don't have to answer that."

"Yes, you do. If you stayed to listen in…"

"Oh, THAT!" she squeaked, plopping down harder into the chair than she meant to. "Geez, no way! I mean, not that you didn't sound- it's- y-yeah, I heard you, but then I left when I realised what I was listening to, okay? I'm not some kind of, of… peeping Tom, but with ears, or uh… whatever!"

Sighing, Elsa reached over to pat her hand. "It's alright, I understand. After what happened in my dad's Gremlin, I'd be a moron to expect all the feelings to vanish. That's not what I'm asking of you."

"It's not? Like, it kinda sounds like it is… sometimes… I dunno."

"No, it's not. But we can control our actions." Her thumb caressed Anna's hand gently, and she whispered, "Our feelings can't be helped. But we can help how we react to them. Do you understand?"

After a tense moment of enjoying her mother touching her hand, probably too much, she let out a shaky sigh of relief. "Okay, I'm really glad you said that to be honest, because I'm still finding it super hard to forget… things. And ignore things. Like, hearing you last night?" But she bit her lip, cutting off what she had been about to say.

"Go on. Not all the time, but right now… maybe it would be better to release some of that pressure." Elsa cleared her throat and shrugged, cheeks only a little pink. She had mentally prepared for this, it seemed.

"You sounded hot. Like…" This might be her only chance. Might as well go all-in. "Like I wanted to bust the door down and help finish you off. And yeah, I had to do the same thing after I got to bed… but I still wished it was you."

At first, Elsa didn't say anything. Her eyes shut briefly, and she looked… pained. Almost as though she were thinking back to last night. Probably scolding herself.

"I'm sorry," Anna said, voice a rush. "I promise I wasn't trying to think about you when I- I mean, maybe at the beginning, a little, but definitely Jennifer was there at the end. I swear. Uh…"

Elsa had paled, but turned away before Anna had much of a chance to look at her. When she didn't say anything, Anna felt a little panic rising in her chest. "Mom-?"

"I still remember," Elsa interrupted. It seemed that she couldn't bring herself to look up.

"Still remember what?"

"I still remember… how you sounded that night," came the soft admission.

Anna's eyes felt like they were bulging out of her skull. She swallowed, trying to find the words that wouldn't come. Staring at the side of Elsa's face, she finally settled on, "Holy shit."

"You don't know how many times I've thought about it, Anna… how often I've remembered that moment with Tori."

The name did help. Not a lot, considering they both knew Anna and Tori were the same person now… but it put it into perspective. Her moments of reminiscing had probably been mostly before she figured out they were the same person.

"But not as much now?" Anna guessed.

"No. She sneaks in when I least expect her, but… I try not to do that now that I know. Just doesn't seem right. But that doesn't make the memory any less magical for me, Anna."

Clearing her throat, she scooted a little closer, just enough so that she could stretch her arm across the corner of the table and touch Elsa's arm. "Why tell me this now?"

"Because… I don't want guilt to be the reason."

"The reason…?"

"The reason that we don't make a mistake." Finally, she turned back, and her face was more composed. Though she was still pale, other than her rosy cheeks, she was smiling gently at her daughter. "We shouldn't feel bad for what happened in the past, or even how we feel in the present. Just… be more careful for the sake of our future."

"Oh…" Biting her lip for a moment, Anna then whispered, "Does that mean we can't fall asleep in the same bed anymore? Since it's kinda… dangerous?"

"For a while. But!" Her other hand came up to hold aloft an index finger. "I have faith that won't always be a problem. We can get past this. We already are, a couple of setbacks notwithstanding. Just… for a little while, okay?"

Mute, Anna nodded. She didn't want that. And now that Punz knew and was somewhat accepting… she didn't ever want to hurt her girlfriend. But at the same time – and by that very same token – it hurt to have to push Elsa away to do it. They could be a regular family. Anna knew they could.

But what if… she didn't want to? Or, rather, what if she wanted to, but she also wanted the other stuff? Watching Elsa go back to glancing at the news, Anna's eyes traced her jaw, her lips. The incline of her nose and her bright eyes. Despite the age, Elsa was still a beautiful woman. She deserved more than a farcical marriage – full of love, no doubt, but still not really real anymore. Maybe she had Punz, but there had to be something she could do for her mother.

Coming to a sudden decision, she stood up. "We need to get you a date."

"Hmm?" she muttered as she took a sip of her coffee.

"A date. You know, more time with a lady-friend who's not me. So your urges have somewhere to go? A-and I'll do the same with Punz, and it'll get easier. Like you said."

Finally, Elsa looked up at her with a very mild surprise in her eyes. Then she smiled, truly pleased. "Oh, Anna… you're sweet. But I'm fine."

"Really? I mean, the way your sleepy self tried to bang me says maybe you're not." When her mother's lips pursed, she held up a hand. "Just making a point. What if you had another sexy redhead to bring home? Maybe Ariel…"

Laughing now, Elsa set her phone aside to focus fully on their conversation. Seeing Anna pout, she hurried to tell her, "I do appreciate what you're trying to do. Just… well, my daughter having to fix me up with someone to keep me from grinding on her… well, it's a little funny, isn't it?"

"Well… okay, yeah, maybe a little."

"Besides, Ariel is no longer interested. She went back to Eric, they have a daughter. But I suppose I wouldn't have minded trying things with her a second time if given the chance."

"Yeah, and like, you got with dad and had me! Nothing's impossible. But Ariel's not the only fish in the sea. Oh, we should totally make you a dating profile! This is gonna be fun!"

                                                                  ~ o ~

It was not fun.

Well, that wasn't strictly true; making the profile itself was fun. OkCupid had a tonne of stupid questions, and they had a good laugh answering some of them. Others were more informative than Anna was prepared for.

"Oooh, up for a bit of poly action, are we?" she asked, leaning over her mother's shoulder. Elsa snorted a laugh.

"Well, I am technically still married, you know," she said. Anna's eyes widened.

"Do you need to, like… tell Dad?" she asked.

Shaking her head, Elsa turned back to the computer. "No. We came to some clear agreements a very long time ago. The last time we were together was not recently. I think… more out of respect for his feelings, I haven't chased after anyone. I also think he would understand why I'm only now taking advantage of it…"

Anna nodded, thinking. "I'm still just kinda amazed that you and he actually… worked out. I mean, no offense to him – he's a pretty good looking guy – but you were like, uber-lesbian in '85."

"Bisexual," she chastised gently. "But are you kidding? That was your doing, Tori." When Anna didn't respond right away, instead merely lifting an eyebrow, Elsa turned from the screen to fix her with a slight smirk. "Oh, come on. You gave some very specific advice to me on several occasions. It sounded weird to me at the time, but since then I've figured out why."

"Huh? What do you-"

"Three children, three years apart? Drinking is something I should never do, not just that I ought to be a little careful? The thing about setting fire to the rug? When you never came back, I started wondering… well, all kinds of things. That you were some kind of guardian angel who had only come to earth long enough to help me be a better person… help me be true to myself. Lots of scenarios that I had no way of proving or disproving."

Elsa was looking away, embarrassed. But Anna didn't laugh. She didn't think it was at all funny, or silly. Her voice was soft as she whispered, "I don't feel like an angel. Just some dumb kid who really screwed up. Did… you really think I was one?"

When Anna couldn't quite meet her eyes, Elsa gently pulled her youngest daughter onto her lap; just as she used to when Anna was small. She looped her arms around her daughter and held on tightly, and eventually Anna embraced her back.

"You are an angel. Just… a more earthly, common, human one who's allowed to make a mistake. Don't beat yourself up so much; thought we agreed on that."

"We did, we did." Clearing her throat, she tried to settle in and get comfortable, despite how much she was enjoying her new seat. "So, you really followed my advice? I was just… I mean, it was stupid for me to give it, I changed the future, but… I like this version of my life better. So, um, all's well that ends well?"

"Mhmm," Elsa hummed, squeezing just a little tighter. "You're my little angel. And considering how my life – and yours – could have turned out… I think a little tension is acceptable. I'd rather love you a little too much than not enough. Plus, the advice about children was to make sure you saved our future, so it wasn't all selfish. Which it not only is, but it's better."

The words brought a smile to Anna's lips, and she cuddled in a little further. "Yeah, this is… better," she agreed softly.

"Glad to hear it," she whispered very softly. Her voice was very slightly husky, almost sensual, which sent shivers down Anna's spine… but a moment later, she found out why. "Now, what do you say we close this web page and make plans for tonight?"

Her daughter drew back to glare down at her, seeing a pleasant, casual face gazing up at her. "Elsa Baines-McFly… are you trying to flirt your way out of posting your OkCupid profile?"

"Flirt? Me?"

"You are!" Elsa turned away, still affecting an innocent air, so Anna only laughed and hugged her more tightly. At least they could joke about things now, a little. "Nope. You're posting it, we already put in the work."

"But I'm not really that interested in just… finding some random person online," she finally sighed. "I guess I could try it, but just don't forget that I'm not expecting it to go anywhere."

"Totally fine! It doesn't have to work, but if it does work…"

"Yes, yes, then I can bang someone else and stop running around this house like a cat in heat."

Nodding, Anna pet over her mother's hair. "Even though I don't mind that, I know you do. So, like… it's a good plan. And if it doesn't work at all, we'll move on to another one, right?"

"Right." Elsa leaned up to kiss Anna's cheek, making both of them blush very lightly. Then she turned back to the computer, Anna still seated on her lap. "So what's left to do here? Telling them my blood type and social security number?"

"Nooo," Anna giggled. "Now we gotta find you a girl!"

It was a little trying, at first, navigating the site. Not for any technical difficulties; no, Elsa merely seemed nervous. A slight unwillingness to actually take that step and strike up a conversation.

Anna wanted to offer to leave. She wanted to give Elsa some privacy to browse and look and maybe see if someone caught her eye. But the seventeen-year-old in her was excited to watch, too. Like moving house or getting a new car, there was a thrill that came with watching Elsa step out of her comfort zone and try new things.

Also some of the women looked really good and a few were definitely Elsa's type. A couple might have even been Anna's type, if she weren't already committed to Punz.

By the time they gave up the search, Elsa had two potential dates. Neither one had initiated a longer conversation yet, but she put out the feelers. It was better than nothing.

"Now get off my back," she giggled as she swivelled the chair out from behind the desk. "And my lap."

"What if I want to stay?" Anna asked, a little playfully flirty again.

"Then you'd better start paying rent to live in this chair with me. And figure out a way to make us lunch from here."

The truth was, Anna just really loved the nearness. Having this with her mother the way they never could before. And more, obviously. But she also knew Elsa was right, they needed to go on about their day.

                                                                  ~ o ~

Which they did. After a light lunch, Anna called up her maybe-girlfriend to ask what she wanted to do. When she offhand mentioned the shoe-shopping idea that had been tabled, Punz leapt at the idea so enthusiastically that it made Anna laugh. Maybe there was hope for them, after all.

So an hour or two later, they were in Elsa's sensible car picking up Jennifer from her house. She bounced out, and this time she had a little suitcase with her.

"Oh, what's this?" Elsa said with a slight smile. "Did our itinerary change a little?"

"Just… thought about your offer from before," she said with an eager grin. "Anna was right about last night being a little soon after we patched things up, but tomorrow's Sunday, so… no reason I can't stay longer tonight. But this is just a precaution; if I end up going home, I can just unpack it again. No big."

Shaking her head, Anna turned around to prod one of the knees poking out from under her lavender skirt. "Somebody had big plans and didn't text."

Punz grinned. "Maybe…" she said, all coy.

Anna felt a goofy smile cross her face. It stayed there all the way to the shopping mall. Even if she'd wanted to hide it away, it would have been impossible. It really felt like things were going to work out.

Naturally, though, the shopping didn't stay just on shoes. They went there first – several shoe stores – before moving on, so at least it could be said that they did what they'd set out to. Elsa bought a pair of sensible flats, and another pair of heels. They weren't very big, but they would still go nicely with any smart-casual, bordering-on-formal outfit. Like, say, the kind of outfit one would wear on a date.

Anna bought herself a new pair of sneakers, mostly because they were half-price and bright green, but also because hers had become a little wrecked during her time in 1985. They were cheap and shoddy and the best they could afford before she'd gone and changed everything. It was nice, being able to get something that wasn't three seasons old and a size too small.

Contrary to what she'd expected to happen, Punz didn't hang back. She offered suggestions and laughed and smiled, and it felt so natural. Like a day with her mother and her girlfriend, and there was no weird time-travel business to drag them down. She even let herself get ganged up by the two McFlys, their shared 1980s experience manifesting in them choosing the worst combination of clothes that she could think of. Anna had laughed as she held up a denim vest, complete with a white longsleeve shirt.

"It's not that bad," Anna assured her. "But you definitely could have fit in back then with these."

Punz had looked unconvinced, but she put them on all the same; she even tucked it into her pants, posing and shooting a smirk. Anna just wanted to kiss her – even moreso when she actually bought it.

Her own willingness to try something new was partly how they managed to cajole Elsa into trying on a few more interesting styles that she had tried to avoid. At first, she had barely slipped one on and then off, and they laughed about that. It wasn't until after they went to try on some clothing – Punz picking up a pale blue jacket and a Harry Potter tank top – that they finally got her to cave.

"I'll look ridiculous in these," she said, looking down at the newest boxes as they made it out to the car. "Can't believe you talked me into buying any of them at all."

"You looked so cute, though!" Jennifer was gushing. To her credit, it wasn't only because she thought Anna wanted her to say that; she honestly thought her girlfriend's mother needed them.

"You did, Mom. Seriously. I was kinda skeptical about the ankle boots, but they're all killer. Plus winter's coming up anyway, right?"

"Those boots are hardly winter boots!" she laughed as they got in. "But… thanks for the vote of confidence, girls. Between this and those outfits Anna talked me into, it's like I'm on Extreme Makeover."

While they drove away from the mall parking lot to pick up some Chinese, Anna nudged Elsa's upper arm. "You are. Extreme Makeover: Family Edition!"

"Not that you needed one, Mrs McFly," Punz piped up. Anna could see her mother give a small, but warm, smile.

"Thank you, Jennifer," she said. "I don't know what kind of shenanigans Anna would have wheedled me into if you weren't here."

This time, it was Punz's turn to blush. Anna could see it in the rearview mirror. It was really nice, watching them get along. Some part of her had been terrified that it would be awkward; that Punz would be distant and Elsa would be a try-hard, desperate to prove that the whole situation wasn't as fucked up as it seemed. But that hadn't happened.

Perhaps because they already had a rather good relationship before this. Elsa obviously approved of Punz, and Punz definitely seemed to respect Elsa. It was far better than Anna could ever have hoped for in her old life.

They decided not to bother eating at the restaurant. It was much more comfortable to drive the ten minutes home and actually have a nice meal. If Anna were honest, she was kind of craving something home-cooked, but any occasion where Elsa wasn't drunk or hungover was a cause for celebration in her mind.

It wasn't fair, but it was hard to undo a decade of training. Making sure the floor was clear; that Elsa always had a glass of water on her bedside table. Of drawing the blinds and keeping them shut. Tiptoeing about the house lest she get caught in the middle of her mother's hangover. And it would continue to be challenging. Getting used to the fact that Elsa was different wasn't too bad. Changing how she reacted to things… not so easy.

After dinner and a nice chat, during which they mostly just talked and laughed about random, inconsequential things, they popped a bag of popcorn and retired to the living room to pick a movie. They had finally started trying to talk about the time travel incident a little more, after carefully avoiding it the past few days. Anna could understand; it had taken that long for Punz to adjust.

"And you really couldn't tell she was related to you?"

"Why would I have any reason to suspect that?" Elsa was saying as she set the bowl down, then went back for a tonic water with lime. Yet again, when she got out the tonic Anna was waiting for her to reach for a bottle of vodka or gin, but she skipped that step and went straight for cutting up a lime fresh.

"You're right," Jennifer sighed as she leaned back against the counter next to Anna. She automatically looped her arm around her waist. "Like I said, I'm not trying to… y'know, judge or anything. I've never been in a time machine, so what do I know?"

Smiling slightly, Elsa dropped the citrus wedge into her drink and stirred it in with the ice. "Well… of course I felt an immediate attraction to her. Like a magnetic pull. Me being a senior in high school and definitely not a parent, I had no reason to suspect it was because she was family."

"Yeah, um… I did read up on that Westermarck thing since Anna told me about this. And obviously that has nothing to do with, like, going back and forth through time, but it kind of… like yeah, people are drawn to similarities in each other. So if you see a girl who kinda looks like you, but is different in ways that you like… I guess…"

Anna could tell she looked a little ill to be admitting these things. The whole idea of Anna doing anything non-familial with her mother was still going to be hard for her. So she jumped in with, "Yeah, she has nothing to feel bad about. I'm the one who was an idiot and didn't know how to say 'no' to my own mom."

"Not an idiot," Elsa gently corrected. "Just horny."

"MOM!" Even Punz giggled a little. "Oh, not you, too!"

"Well, you didn't hesitate very long before you went for it with me," Punz needled gently. Anna knew her freckles were disappearing into her blush, but she still pursed her lips and turned away. "Though… I definitely fully understand why you didn't want me to get you back."

"What?" Elsa asked mildly. "Anna didn't let you return the favour?"

Punz shook her head. "Nope. I mean, don't get me wrong – I tried. But she was pretty adamant about uh, 'putting space between the events'." Looking over at Anna, who hadn't said a word, she placed a fond kiss on her cheek. "At the time I was super put out, but I guess it makes sense now, doesn't it?"

Elsa returned, tonic in hand and sitting on the armchair. It had been a silent agreement that Anna and Punz would get the sofa to themselves – and considering where the conversation had gone, it hasn't been a bad idea.

"It didn't feel right. I mean, it'd only been the night before that we were in the car, and…" she trailed off, more for Punz's sake than anything else. They didn't need to go into details.

It was actually Elsa who spoke first, though. "Oh, Anna. You shouldn't punish yourself like that," she said, taking a sip of her drink. Momentarily, Punz's grip tightened. She still didn't speak, though.

"I'm not punishing myself!" she argued. "I just didn't think it was very fair. What if I started thinking about- while she- a-and anyway, why is my sex life so topical? There are more subjects than this one we could talk about!" Then she turned to Punz. "We signed Mom up for a dating site today. Let's see how that goes."

"Oh, you did? What about your dad…?"

At that, Anna turned to Elsa. The older woman put her drink on the coffee table and looked gently at Punz. "Understands. And would be kept in the loop, if such an occasion developed. I'm not going to hold my breath, though."

At that, Punz smiled. "Well, I hope you find a nice girl," she said, and there was genuine honesty in her tone. She did hope Elsa found someone. That thought alone was pretty heartwarming. And then she said something that neither McFly women expected: "If she's anything like Anna, she'll be great."

"We both agree there," Elsa chuckled, though she still looked a little surprised that Punz had drawn that comparison. "Regardless of our encounter in the 80s, my Anna is a wonderful person. Tempted to go into the future and pick up the version that would be my age."

Both girls went silent at that. Elsa took a sip of her tonic water, then seemed to notice that they were shocked, so she lowered the glass very slowly. "I… was joking. Please tell me you know that I'm joking."

Swallowing hard, Anna managed, "Well… I mean… that's pretty… wow."

"You mean a girl like Anna, right?" Jennifer attempted with a nervous laugh, hands white-knuckling on her glass of juice.

"I didn't mean either one seriously!" Elsa exclaimed. "God, haven't we messed around with the timeline enough?!"

"My mommy loves me," Anna muttered to Punz, making them both laugh – even if the latter still was a bit pale. Elsa merely rolled her eyes and went back to her tonic.

"Someone pick something to watch before I find a movie from the forties. How do you feel about Humphrey Bogart?"

The threat seemed to make Anna snatch for the remote right away. The 80s was as far back as she ever wanted to go, both physically and in terms of movies or TV. However, Punz surprised both of them.

"Like 'Casablanca' or the original 'Sabrina'? I'd watch anything with a Hepburn in it."

The two McFlys looked at each other for a moment, before Anna frowned. "I've, uh, I've never seen 'Casablanca'," she admitted. Both Elsa and Punz's face twisted into dual expressions of shock. And some horror, which just made the fact that she'd never watched the classic worth it.

"Well, I suppose that's that," Elsa said with a smile. "'Casablanca' it is."

                                                                  TO BE CONTINUED…