#i should prepare. for layla. i like her. a lot. >< | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

drifting-pieces-blog-blog · 2 years ago

Text

Complications and Solutions: Chapter 8

Summary: Something is distressing Jake and the ripples are being felt through the system. Can Layla figure it out or will she be doomed to fight with him forever? Can Jake learn to trust her?

Pairings: Marc x Layla. Steven x Layla. Jake x Layla.

Warnings: Lots of food (they eat breakfast), trauma talk, trauma memories, child abuse talk, emotions, some dissocaiton and potential DID system switch triggering problems.

Word Count: 5782

Previous Chapter: HERE

------

Sleep was the only time Layla could not truly tell one from the other.

But only when the sleep was sound.

Marc was prone to night terrors. He would toss and turn, fists clenching and thrashing as he fought off things from his past. He would sit up gasping with arms raised in defense as he stared into the darkness.

The first time he had done this, it had terrified Layla. She had asked him what was wrong and he had simply shaken his head and gotten up to wash his face and clear his mind.

Only now did she really understand why it happened. When it did, she would let him walk it off till he was calm. If it was a bad one, Steven would be the one that returned to bed, curling up in her arms for comfort. If Marc could shake it off, he would slip back into bed and soundlessly wrap his arms around Layla and nuzzle into her hair as he reminded himself where and when he was.

Sometimes Steven would wake up from a dead sleep and sit bolt upright, looking around in confusion. He’d grasp a hand over his heart and give a small laugh as he fought off the bad dreams. He would often flop back down and find Layla’s hand under the blankets, slowly tracing his fingers over hers until he felt calm and grounded.

Sometimes Steven would just get up and go to his desk as insomnia set in and he would work through the night. Come morning she often found him with his head on a book and a pen limp in his hand. Occasionally Marc would take over and force their tired body to climb back into bed with a grumble.

She was growing used to their sleep habits. She had theories about Steven’s reluctance to sleep. He had been in a state of sleep for so long that it was possibly his own way of clinging to control.

What she was not prepared for was the first time she woke up to crying.

It was soft, little gasps and whimpers. The form next to her shuddered and trembled as he tossed back and forth.

Sitting up she could see the tears streaming down his cheeks, his mouth pulled down into a painful frown as emotions rolled over the sleeping face.

Should she wake him? Who was the one dreaming?

Gingerly she reached out and lightly touched his shoulder. “Hey… Love? It’s just a dream.”

She shook lightly and he took in a deep gasping breath as he flinched awake.

Eyes blinked in confusion in the darkness then looked up at her, slowly focusing in on her worried face.

“You alright?” She gave a small reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

The eyes blinked hard and her heart sank. “Jake?”

He brought up a trembling hand and wiped the tears from his face. A deep sigh escaped him and he rolled over onto his back. There was a flinch and Steven let out a tired and confused mumble. “Wazzwrong? What’s going on?”

Steven sat up and looked down at his wet hand then over at Layla. “Oh wow. I feel terrible. Hold on…” He sat still for a moment, hands clutching at the sheets as he focused on his breathing.

Layla waited. She had learned long ago not to bother Marc when he woke from these dreams. He often flinched or stumbled away, not quite in the present.

Steven shuddered and wiped more tears from his face. “Wow. That’s a bad one.” He looked back at Layla and gave a small smile. “Sorry. Sometimes emotions carry over. We don’t know what caused it or where it’s coming from, but we can get overwhelmed by it if it’s strong.”

Layla held out her hand and Steven took it gladly, squeezing it before moving to snuggle into her. He curled up tightly, burying himself into her like a small child seeking comfort and she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

“It looked like Jake was having a bad dream.” She stroked his back gently and he slowly relaxed.

“Was it Jake?” Steven looked up at her. “I thought it was Marc for a moment. I’ve never felt anything from Jake before.”

“Yeah. Pretty sure. At least, he’s the one that woke up first.” She brushed his hair back out of his face.

Steven thought about it for a moment. “Marc’s still out. Has to have been Jake. It… It felt so sad. Just… Grief. I think it was grief.”

“Is he okay?” She pulled him closer.

Steven was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. He won’t talk to me. He just keeps pulling away. Communication with him is harder than it is with Marc. I can’t really talk to him unless he’s willing. He just wants me to leave him alone right now.”

“Don’t force it.” She sighed and kissed the top of his head. “Bad dreams are hard sometimes.”

Steven nodded. “I wish he’d talk to me. I could help. When Marc gets overwhelmed he lets me know.”

“How long did it take Marc to actually trust enough to tell you, though?” Layla smiled.

Steven grumbled. “How old are we?”

“Hmm. Jake isn’t used to needing help… Or having help there when he needs it.” She stroked down his back softly.

“I’d really rather not have to wait another lifetime to get him to trust me, though…” Steven made a frustrated sound and finally rolled over and sat up.

“Hopefully he isn’t as stubborn as Marc is.” She sighed and sat up with him.

Steven gave her a very worried look. “I’m not putting up with that again. I’m going to find a way to get him to talk to me. He isn’t going to like this. Marc isn’t going to like this. None of us are going to like this.” He put his face in his hands for a moment then got up. “Go back to bed, Love. I need to wash my face. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep again for a bit.”

Layla watched him head to the bathroom then looked at her watch. It was just past three.

She flopped back and stared at the light under the door to the bathroom.

She kept seeing the look on Jake’s face as he first looked up at her. Was it just a bad dream brought out by stress and fears? Or was it a memory of a feeling from his past? Something hidden from the other two that had somehow worked its way into his dreamscape and caused him unexpected harm?

She could hear talking from the bathroom and wondered if Marc was awake. She doubted that Jake was about to show himself any time soon after that.

The door opened and Steven wandered out looking refreshed and determined. He sat at the desk and pulled out some paper. He started to write with full concentration, sometimes scratching out things and sometimes tossing the paper into the trash and starting over.

She knew that once he got started there was no stopping him. Curling back up under the blankets Layla let herself drift back into sleep.

When morning came, she found Steven passed out at his desk.

She got up and moved to wrap a blanket over his shoulders and pull the pen from his hand before he covered himself in ink again.

She couldn’t help but glance at the paper as she set the pen down. The paper was covered in notes all addressed to Jake. It looked like Steven was trying to come up with the best way to talk to him.

“Oh Steven…” She kissed his temple and moved to start breakfast.

She was partway into buttering some toast when there was a thump at the desk then a crack as a hunched spine popped and straightened.

“Buddy, you have got to stop doing this. Our back can’t handle it.” Marc grumbled and limped out to the kitchen. “Hey.”

“Morning.” She grinned and slid a plate of toast across the table to him. “Want any eggs?”

He looked down at the toast then picked up a piece and took a big bite, eyebrow raised in a ‘look, I’m eating’ expression.

“Sure. Over easy.” He had talked to Layla a bit after the last incident. Admitting that perhaps he didn’t have the healthiest of habits and he promised to at least talk to Steven if he was feeling like things were falling out of his control.

She smiled and moved to start some eggs. “How are you feeling?”

“Like Steven forgot we have a spine.” He cracked his neck.

“Did Steven talk to you about what happened last night?” She popped in more toast for herself and stared down at the eggs, watching them fry up.

Marc was quiet as he chewed on his toast. At last he shrugged. “A little. Said there were some bad dreams. I have bad dreams all the time. Kinda figured it was normal at this point.”

She sighed and flipped the eggs. “Maybe Jake isn’t used to them. He isn’t used to taking the front a lot. Maybe it’s affecting him. I wish he’d stick around a bit more. Learn to talk to me even just a little.”

Marc stared down at his toast. The look on his face suggested that he was looking inward and in a deep conversation. His face pulled down into a frown and he looked up at Layla.

“Uh…I was thinking…” He cleared his throat and shifted. Something was bothering him. “Steven seems to have this crazy idea that… Jake is avoiding you because… Look, he… Jake doesn’t talk to me. When he takes over he just sort of shoves me out and I often have little memory of what goes on when he’s out. Steven has been working on opening up the communication line between himself and Jake and he tells me that Jake… Well he doesn’t see you as a threat anymore.”

She turned to stare at Marc, spatula in hand. He stared up at her, eyebrows raised as if he had just laid it all out in front of her and was waiting for her to pick it up and run with it.

“I’m….Glad?” She picked up the pan and plopped the egg down on his plate. “I suppose I don’t see Jake as a total jackass anymore either.” She smirked to herself and moved to push the hot sauce closer to Marc.

Marc laughed and grinned. “Not a total one. I’d like it if he stopped freaking out at me any time I do anything. Went from radio silence for our whole lives to now any time I go out without a jacket on he starts yelling at me.”

Layla mulled it over then moved to get her own meal, sitting down next to him. “Jake has been working hard behind the curtain to keep you safe from all the big shit for so long. Now that the big stuff is behind you, he’s not sure what to do. Gun fights aren’t the same as catching a cold, but in his books, it’s still a problem. Jake might have a hard time figuring out how to handle the smaller things.”

Marc shrugged. “That’s what Steven is for.”

Layla glanced up at him. “Steven forgets how to sleep, misplaces his keys, wanders into the rain without a coat on, and eats a lot of sugar.”

Marc winced and went back to eating. “You don’t like eggs. I want to finish the eggs.” He muttered to Steven as he made an egg sandwich with the leftover toast and bit into it. “You can argue with her about your sugar intake later.”

Layla smiled and leaned in to kiss Marc on the cheek. “Good morning, Steven.”

Steven’s face brightened as he pushed through, happily leaning into the kiss. His face instantly changed to one of disgust as he realized he had a mouth full of egg and toast. He was gone in a flash and Marc winced as he was tossed back out to finish the meal.

He sighed and looked over at Layla grumpily. “I’d love it if both of you didn’t do that.”

“I’m sorry. I didn't think he'd pop out. Does it hurt?” She gave him a worried look. “Sometimes it looks so seamless and sometimes it looks like you’re in pain.”

Marc finished his breakfast then got up to make some coffee. “Steven and I can hand off easy as pie when we’re having a good day. Talking and planning for it. It isn’t always a plan and sometimes we just slide in and out without any rhyme or reason. No problem there, just sometimes it can be annoying. Especially if one of us wants to be present and we can’t hold it. If we try to force it it can lead to a lot of confusion and headaches.”

“What about when Jake takes over?” She watched him pour the coffee. His hand was shaking ever so slightly. Something she had noticed from him now and then even from the beginning.

It was odd how before she had just accepted everything as being part of Marc. Now that she knew that there was more, she was starting to notice everything she had missed.

Marc stared at his coffee cup for a moment. “You know when you walk into a room and you forget why you’re there? You just kind of stand there trying to remember?”

She nodded. “It just disappears and I just have to hope that I remember or that it wasn’t important.”

“It’s a lot like that. When he just takes over, I have no memory of what he does. I just wake up in strange places or with a vague sense that things happened and time has passed and I hope everything is alright.” He sighed. “Sometimes I can feel him there. I start to lose connection to what’s going on around me and I feel myself slide away. It’s never like that with Steven. With Steven I always know when he is and isn’t there. I don’t always know what he’s doing or what’s happening, but he keeps me informed if I ask. Right now, Steven is right behind me. He’s always got running commentary or opinions. Sometimes he’s quiet. Not often.”

She tried to imagine what it was like to always hear someone in the back of her head or always feel someone there. It didn’t seem like something she’d find very comforting.

“If you could take it all away, would you?” She looked down, instantly ashamed. “I’m sorry. That was an insensitive question.”

Marc shrugged and grimaced. “Not something I haven’t thought about before many many times.” He shrugged again as if trying to assure himself that it didn’t matter. An act she noticed he did when it mattered a lot to him but he didn’t want anyone else to know. “I could never be without Steven. Even when we fight. This is how we are and there’s nothing I can do about it and Steven tells me that we are like this because it was the best way we could come up with to protect ourselves. Sometimes I just need a reminder…”

Marc looked away, sipping his coffee. “I wish I could talk to Jake more. I really resented him at first. Didn’t think I needed him. I said some pretty bad things to him. Steven and I have been talking and… He has some good points.”

Layla moved to Marc and gently held out her hand, letting him place his hand in hers. He wove his fingers with hers and patted it with his other hand.

He squeezed her hand and she felt the tremmer there. A sign of insecurity. Of vulnerability. Things Marc was not used to being open about.

He looked down at their hands. “He must hate me. Everything I do and put him through. Do you think that’s why he won’t talk to me? Why he is starting to have bad dreams?”

She squeezed his hand tightly and moved to get his attention, looking him in the eye. “You watched over Steven all these years. You didn’t interfere and you made sure he stayed happy. Why did you protect him?”

Marc didn’t say it but she could see it. Marc loved Steven and would do anything to keep him safe and content.

“Jake has been watching you all this time too. Keeping you all safe. He certainly doesn’t do it because he hates you.” She lifted his hand and kissed it softly. “I think he does care about you.”

Marc frowned. It was hard for him to hear that he was cared about. In his view of the world, everyone hated him and he had done nothing to earn anyone’s love or trust. When faced with the idea that someone did care about him, he often pulled away.

She clung to his hand, holding him tightly in place. “It is possible to love someone and be unable to say it. Or even recognize it.”

Marc nodded, though she wasn’t sure if he was agreeing with her or simply acknowledging her.

He gave a slow blink and she recognized the dazed look. A look that often followed many of their more intense fights or conversations. She wondered how often back then Marc had wanted nothing more than to step back and let someone else handle the situation, but had been forced to stay because he had not wanted her to know about Steven.

“Hey?” She patted his hand again and tried to get his attention. “Are you alright?”

Marc gave her a dazed look and she suddenly wasn’t sure if she was talking to Steven or Marc.

“Sorry.” His accent blended and he nearly slurred the word. “Feeling really mixed up right now.”

He blinked again then looked around, trying to get his bearings. She had never seen him do this before. Or had she?

Marc, or perhaps Steven, rubbed his eyes. “Hell. We’re going to have a real headache later.”

A memory came back to Layla and she recalled Marc coming home late one night. She had thought he was drunk as he stumbled a bit and slurred his words. When she had tried to talk to him he had stared at her like he didn’t know who she was.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” She lay a hand on his shoulder and rubbed gently.

They shook their head. “Just need a minute. Oh I don’t like this. I really don’t like this! Hold on.” He pulled away from her and started to pace the living room. “Oye… Hermanos…. Just let me do this.”

Layla blinked as she heard the spanish.

Their face turned from one of confusion to one that looked utterly exhausted.

Jake’s posture took over and he stumbled to the couch and sat down heavily. “I don’t want to be here.” He flopped over and lay on his back, his arms over his face. “Fuck.”

Layla hesitated then slowly walked over to the couch and knelt down next to it. “Hey….”

He glanced over at her, made a face of utter annoyance then covered his eyes with his arm. “Lo siento. I messed us up pretty badly, I think. Marc is dissociating heavily and Steven is having trouble taking front. They got blended.”

“I don’t understand.” Layla tried to give Jake his space, sitting down on the floor fully.

“Sometimes you don’t know who you are.” Jake tapped his fingers on his arms heavily. Another thing she had seen what she thought was Marc do late at night. Another clue she had missed. “Both of them were fronting at the same time and weren’t sure who they were. It’s not a good feeling. Especially for Steven. It’s new to him and he hates it. It.. It used to happen to Marc and I a lot when we were younger. He doesn’t remember.”

“How is that your fault?” She hugged her knees to her chest and watched him as he tapped his fingers.

“I didn’t pull Marc when I should have. He wanted to stay even though I knew he was struggling.” Jake gave a heavy sigh. “He did want to talk to you. He just isn’t ready to face those emotions yet.”

“We were talking about you.” Layla eyed him. “Were you listening?”

“Ever been in a crowded room and heard someone say your name? Draws your attention pretty quickly, doesn’t it? Doesn’t matter how loud the room is, you can’t help but hear what they are saying.” Jake muttered.

“Sorry. I didn’t think you were listening.” She pulled her hair back in a nervous gesture. “So you know that Marc wants to start opening up communication with you.”

Jake muttered something then turned his head to look at her. “Maybe he should try listening.”

She frowned. “He also said you were avoiding me.”

He looked at her, slowly taking her in. He at last looked away and she just knew that he was trying to give Steven the floor.

“Alright.” She caught the relaxed posture and accent as Steven looked over at her with a big smile then he frowned. “Nope. Sorry.” He slipped away and Jake was back. “Fuck!”

“I can go if you like.” Layla moved to get up. “Do you want some time to get sorted?”

He wanted to say yes. She could see every part of him wanted to tell her to go. Yet… Something crossed his face and he shook his head. “No. This is about as sorted as we’re going to get right now.”

“We don’t have to talk. I can put on a show or music or something. Or you can sit here and I can do some dishes.” She glanced over at the kitchen.

Jake shifted on the couch and made room for her silently. She took the invitation and sat down, leaving plenty of space between them.

“I had a bad dream.” He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees as he looked down at the floor. “Rare for me. A bad memory, really. When I realized that I wasn’t….That we weren’t normal. I thought I was Marc for a long time. I was aware of things being different but I didn’t understand. I didn’t know who I was. It took me a while to be aware that I was someone else. Then I accidentally met Steven. He won’t remember it. He remembers very little of those early days.”

Layla looked down at his hands as his fingers tapped against each other, trembling ever so slightly. She wanted to take those hands and hold them. To squeeze them like how Marc liked. To slide her fingers between his the way Steven liked.

The corner of Jake’s lips twitched up slightly and he almost smiled. “Steven got a glimpse of me. Maybe he saw me or felt me. He said hello the way he does. A stupid little wave and big smile. He asked if I wanted to play with him. He had so few friends… We all had so few friends… We were so alone. I wanted to be his friend and then…”

“Is that when you knew?” She imagined them so small. She had seen a picture Marc had shown her once. Something old he had gotten in the mail from his father when they got married. Marc had tried to throw it away but she had stopped him and kept it.

He had been such a small child, delicate looking and hardly looking his age. His eyes had been large and the smile had been forced. She wondered who was in the picture. It certainly wasn’t Steven, but the smile was far from Marc’s usual grimace.

“I knew I was someone else and so was Steven and so was Marc. I knew that Marc didn’t know about me and that Steven didn’t know about either of us. We shared a body and life but we were alone.” Jake shrugged. “It was just a stupid memory to come up at a stupid time. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“You're Not alone anymore.” Layla shifted to get a better look at him. “Jake, you’ve been taking care of them for so long without anyone knowing you. Maybe that’s what you think you want. Maybe you don’t want anyone to know you and you liked being in the background… But that sounds lonely to me.”

“It was easier.” Jake clenched his fists. “No one expected anything from me. I couldn’t let them down. We didn’t fight. No one yelled or fought back. We just existed.”

“No one talked to you. Thanked you. Asked if you needed help. Cared for you. Loved you.” She lightly leaned in and at last caught his attention, looking up into those dark eyes.

His hands clenched till they were shaking. She could see his jaw muscles flexing as he clenched them tightly. He looked anywhere but at her.

“They want to know you. You love them, don’t you? I can see it in everything you do for them. You’ve loved them for a long time. I don’t think you have to be afraid of them not loving you. I think they already want to love you, if you’ll let them.” She offered him a kind smile.

Jake let out a shaky breath and a large tear slipped down his cheek. He angrily wiped it away and turned away so she could not see the tears welling up in his eyes.

She placed a hand on his lightly, afraid that he might pull away. She didn’t know if he needed space or if perhaps too much space was the problem.

His hand opened and slowly slid into hers. She inched closer and delicately draped her other arm around his shoulder.

Jake moved and he was suddenly leaning into her, both his hands clutching at hers tightly as he slowly curled up against her till his head was resting on her shoulder.

Another shaky breath left him. She stroked over his fingers and shifted to let him get closer. His tears were silent and she could feel him fighting to contain his emotions with each forced slow breath.

She thought back to all the times Marc had teetered on the edge. The times when he started fights on purpose. When he flinched with every raised voice. How he would look at her, both desperate for something and also determined to push her away.

Now here was Jake, reaching. He had always been reaching. Since that little boy had smiled and waved, asking if he wanted to play.

Jake took a slow breath. “In the thick of it… She would tell us she did it because she loved us. Love was painful. Then she would tell us that we would never be loved. She was the only person in the whole world that could love us, and her love was toxic. When you married Marc, I thought he did it to punish himself. Considering who you were and what he did… I thought he expected you to hate him and leave. You didn’t.”

“No. I didn’t.” She squeezed his hand gently.

“Then he left and I thought you would hate him. It was good he left. He would find a way to make you hate him. To make you blow up at him. You kept calling. You searched for him. You tracked him down.”

“I did. I needed to find him. To know he was alright.”

He took another slow breath. “Then you found out about our problem. I thought this was it. You would leave. You wouldn’t know how to deal with someone so broken. You’d think we were crazy or too much.”

“Jake…” She wanted to tell him that of course she stayed. She wanted to tell him how much she fell in love with Steven and still loved Marc.

He squeezed her hand and shook his head before she could start.

“Your persistence scares me. Your love scares me. Scares Marc, too. He doesn’t think he deserves it most of the time and is always waiting for that moment when you might realize it was all a mistake.” He closed his eyes and she could see the tension clinging to him.

“And you?” She asked quietly, afraid to startle him away somehow. “What are you afraid of?”

Another tear rolled down his cheek and followed his jawline till it splattered on her shoulder. “If she had screamed it or said it with hate or while beating us, maybe it would have been easy to forget. She would pull us close while we lay bleeding and crying on the floor and hold us. She would tell us that she loved us with every fiber of her being. That she did it because she loved us. How sorry she was that she did it. And she would…” He clenched his eyes closed and flinched hard. He was fighting the pain, the memories, and the trauma response to fall away from it. “She tended to the wounds sometimes. Kissed them and made us cookies or hot chocolate. Sometimes she was the best mom in the world after being the worst.”

Layla felt rage towards this woman she had never met but that had ruined and taken so much. She wanted to go back in time and find that little broken boy and protect him. To wrap him up in her arms and never let go.

She moved and wrapped her arms around Jake tightly, pulling him close. “That wasn’t love, Jake. That was evil. It was cruel and if she wasn’t dead I’d… Well it wouldn’t be pretty. You deserved better. You deserve a love that isn’t conditional on your pain. You deserve someone to be with you no matter what and to always tell you how much you matter. You deserve someone to protect you and let you feel safe.”

Jake made a small sound and she realized that she had been clinging to him so tightly that she had squished him into her chest. She released him with an apology and blush.

He relaxed but did not pull away. “I can’t ask you to love me and I can’t promise that I’ll love you. I’m not sure I can handle that or trust it. I can trust you with them. I think I have that much figured out. Steven doesn’t understand that part of the trauma and I hope he never does. Marc only hates himself and doesn’t remember the poison she told us. I plan to keep it that way. But I can’t handle hearing it. I can’t hear promises that I can’t believe. Words that make me remember every impact and gash she left behind.”

Layla nodded, tears running down her own cheeks. “Can we be friends?”

Jake made another sound, his hands working into her shirt and clinging tightly and he curled in on himself and her, his breath shaking as silent sobs left him. He somehow managed to nod, glancing up at her once as he swallowed hard and tried to get words out.

“You aren’t alone.” She stroked his back and pushed his hair out of his face. “You never have to be alone again.”

She held him for some time, letting him cling to her as tears streamed down his face. Eventually the tears stopped and he lay in her lap, his breathing deep and even.

“I’m alright.” He mumbled softly. “It’s okay now.”

She glanced down at him and realized he was speaking to one of the others.

“Hmn.” He looked up at her then nodded. “Steven wants to check on things. I think he felt the distress. I think he’s got a hold of things now.”

Layla nodded. “Thank you… For talking to me. I’m here if you ever need to tell someone what you went through… I know you can’t tell them sometimes so you can keep them safe.”

Jake thought about it a moment then nodded. “Thank you, Layla… I… I think you will make a good friend.”

She smiled and brushed his hair back. His face cleared and Steven blinked up at her.

“Wow… Every time I wake up I feel like the body was just hit by a truck. What on earth is going on out here?” He slowly sat up and rubbed at his red eyes. “Have we been crying? Oh! Layla you’ve been crying too!”

“Good tears.” She laughed and took his hand. “Good tears, Steven. I promise.”

He looked at her hand skeptically for a moment. “Is everything okay? Really? I felt Jake in so much distress but I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Layla kissed his hand and held it tightly. “Jake and I talked a lot. He told me about his past. Things he can’t tell you.”

Steven nodded reluctantly. “Because of the trauma… I wish he would tell me. I deserve to know what happened.”

“Not this. Not just yet, anyways. I think it would hurt him more than it would hurt you.Telling me was hard enough on him.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “But he wants to talk to you both more. He’s tired of being alone.”

Steven brightened a bit at that. “What about you? Are you two still… You know, grumpy?”

Layla laughed. “I think he and I are going to be good friends. Who else am I going to gossip to when my husband and boyfriend are being difficult or sassy?” She kissed his cheek. “Or amazing.”

Steven grinned. “I think I’ll feel better about letting him out alone around you more. I hated when you two fought.”

She smirked. “He’s still got a lot of attitude. But no one is sassier than you, Steven. I think that just runs in your system. We should call you the sassy system.”

“Uh, No.” Marc cut in quickly. “Not happening. Don’t give either of them ideas.”

Layla wrapped her arms around Marc and kissed him softly. “I love you.”

Marc blinked then smiled and kissed her back. “I love you, too.”

She moved to lean into him fully, letting out a deep breath as she relaxed. “I love you I love you I love you.”

“One for each of us?” Marc looked down at her curiously.

“All for you. When I see Steven again, he will have his own. When I see Jake again, I will love him in our own way. But for you, Marc Spector… I love you.”

#Moon Knight #Moon Knight fic #Marc Spector #Jake Lockley #Steven Grant #Layla El Faouly #One more short chapter to go to tie it all together #Because I am so tired that I can't see straight right now #Why is it always 9 chapters?

23 notes · View notes

rubber-duck-of-doom · 1 year ago

Text

NEW TECHNOMANCY PROJECT EP

meant to do this earlier BUT I HAVE THOUGHTS

(these are from my 2nd re listen so spoilers below the cut)

TINY ELIJAH

The fact that this is his wife hasn’t affected me at all

LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO MY BOY (HES VOCALIZING HIS FEELINGS)

LAYLA THAT BITCH

You stay away from Elijah

WHY ARE WE PUTTING THE OBVIOUSLY TRAUMATIZED MAN IN WITH SOMEONE HE CLEARLY DOESN’T LIKE

Just caught Layla’s last name no wonder the title

Hell-hound foreshadowing?

Also confirms we shouldn’t like her

We’ve already established we can’t trust hell so why would we trust her

Also calling her out I like it

ADELAIDE! Wonder if she will make an appearance somehow (day of happiness) (Shes not confirmed dead)(if we don’t see a body she’s not confirmed dead)

We should listen to Eli about his abuser that would be the logical decision but nooo. We Don’t do that.

ANNND here comes Jason and Ali to cheer him up

And somehow they help

And here’s Eli's trauma (he’s opening up!)

And here comes here’s sequel to YOU’RE GAY

HE CALLED JASON AND ALI FRIENDS (feelings yay)

Jason don’t diss yourself to the evil lady

“saving lives doesn’t absolve you from the ones you’ve taken” -Layla

We love everyone being concerned for Elijah's mental state (he needs it)

Ali trying to help and not particularly helping

We love Jason the peacekeeper (mom of two fighting toddlers)

Ali says she loves him (implied)

ENTER HELL-HOUNDS

There goes our touchy feely moments

And we’ve given Ali permission to wreak havoc this can only end well

And we’ve assumed Jason is useless love that for him

Eli standing up for Jason (friendship yay)

We love manipulating Eli

And now we find out why the angel hated Elijah

AND WE’RE LETTING LAYLA MANIPULATE ELIJAH (THIS CAN ONLY END WELL /S)

WHY ARE WE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE THIS MAN

Ali and Jason are like stray cats you can’t leave them alone

DID LAYLA ORGANIZE SOME OF THIS SHIT

ELIJAH STILL TRYING TO GET INFORMATION

Sabriel returns

This will go well

You did not just tell Elijah that BONDAGE SUITS HIM

ANNND NOW EVERYTHING'S GOING TO SHIT

Disappointed but not surprised

Do I like Layla no. has her VA done an amazing job. Yes.

LOVE THE MUSIC CHANGE

Triumphant but also in a MINOR cord with Hints of MAJOR this is beautiful

LAYLA STILL TRYING TO HAVE THE UPPER HAND I MEAN SHE DOES BUT STILL I HATE HER SMUG ASS VOICE

ALI AND THE ANTS

OOP ELIJAH IS AN ENEMY OF HEAVEN I CAN’T SEE HOW THIS WILL HAVE ANY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES EVER

AGAIN THE TRIUMPHANT MUSIC AS THE HELL-HOUNDS ARE DESTROYED SOMEHOW NO ONE DIED!!!

AND NOW LAYLA ESCAPES WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THAT ONE COMING

“I suspect my replacement will be a handful for you” ADELAIDE!?

Missed her giving Quinn's name the first listen through why would she give them that name (what is her motive) (it has to be more then just using them to be a distraction)

“I’ve had worse”-Jason (No shit Sherlock)

And now Elijah guilty I wonder how this will effect the future episodes.

Final thoughts

This episode was absolutely amazing and everyone killed it. I can’t wait to see what happens in next months episode. I suspect well see Adelaide at some point in the future I hope its not as a member of the children of brimstone but I suspect Elijah will have to fight her at some point. We will absolutely be seeing Layla again but I wonder how big of a part she is going to play. I love how we got to “see” the relationship between Ali Jason and Elijah with how much it has changed since episode 1. They’re actively calling each other friends now that takes a lot especially with someone like Eli. I love these fools. And if you haven’t listened to the technomancy project its an 11/10 show PLEASE go give it a listen.

#the technomancy project #fiction podcasts #11/10 show #If you haven't given this show a listen please do they deserve all the love and support

3 notes · View notes

kjs-s · 2 years ago

Text

A new holiday tradition

Moon Knight/Werewolf by night crossover

Summary When everyone celebrates different holidays you make new traditions together

Word count 1290

Warning mention of people wanting to harm Jack

Characters in this Marc Spector Steven Grant Layla El-Faouly Jack Russell Ted Sallis (man-thing)

A/N I wrote this as a gift for @redgillan and i liked it so I post it here too. Also thanks to @girl-next-door-writes for a lot of great information because I originally wrote this as a Christmas one

Living in a household with people that have three different religions sounds like it could be a mess but the four of you always managed to compromise. Steven and Marc celebrated Chanukah and have a menorah on display. You and Layla celebrate Christmas so you have a tree with ornaments for each one of the four of you. Layla also has her Coptic ones on the tree. Since the first day of Chanukah and Coptic Christmas are days apart you all decided to exchange gifts in the middle between those dates. This year your gift exchange would happen on December 28.

''We need to have a schedule on which item needs the most time to be made. This way we can make all seven things on time.'' You put on an apron and spread the recipes on the kitchen counter. Steven looked around wondering when you started a catering business and didn't inform the others.

''Just tell me what you want me to help you with. But if I may ask don't you think it's a little much for four people?''He picked one of the recipes that read mushroom and chestnut tart on it and checked the list of ingredients.

''What do you mean four people? We will be six at the picnic. Did you forget about Jack's invitation or did Marc not tell you about it?'' He tried but failed to remember anything so you had to narrate the whole story again while preparing the food for the picnic with your new friends.

On July 13 you and Layla had a girls' night out to watch a movie at an open-air cinema. After enjoying yourselves Marc called you about needing help with an issue half an hour after midnight.

'' What is going on? What do you need help with?'' You asked him when you showed up at the square he had asked you to meet him.

''I was on my way to meet you two so I would ask whether you wanted a midnight stroll around town when I heard people yelling. Most of them mentioned a monster and some of them had a few interesting ideas about how to kill it.''

''Are they serious? Even if there is a monster on the loose the best option is to stun it.'' Layla was trying to come up with solutions to not kill whatever they would encounter.

''What kind of monster did they mention? A werewolf? Considering there is a full moon that happens to be the biggest one of the year.'' You turned to Marc for confirmation of your assumption.

''That's what the people said. And we have to protect them. Think you can come up with a plan? A couple of the people shot at the werewolf and it ran off toward the west.''

You traced the werewolf at an abandoned factory and you three came up with a plan to stop it. You would try to distract it while the others would try to subdue it. And maybe try and check if it can transform back into a human. After a while, you managed to control it and he turned back into a man with markings on his face. He was exhausted and you approached him to check on him despite Marc's pleas about him probably still being dangerous.

''Are you ok?'' You tried to examine if he was hurt in any way.

''Where am I?'' And who are you?'' He seemed disoriented.

''I'm (Y/N). Me and my friends tracked you here when you were a werewolf and <<helped>> you turn back. Here they are. This is Marc and this is Layla. What about you?''

''I'm Jack. Thank you for helping me. Did I hurt anyone?'' He was still disoriented and now looking quite sad.

''Nobody was hurt, Jack. But you need to leave because the town's residents were looking everywhere for any sort of weapon to use against you.''

''I should call Ted to come and get me but he might become their next target. Could any of you help me get back to the forest?''

''You live in the forest?'' You began worrying about the man in front of you.

''Yes with Ted, my friend. He is big, green, and very friendly.'' The description piqued your interest and all of you helped Jack back into the forest.

''And that's how we met Jack and Ted. And after that, we check on them every full moon. They invited us to celebrate Christmas with them. But because of our unique traditions, we suggested having a picnic with them today. Did you forget about the gift exchange? Your recipient was Layla.''

''Right, I got her a scarf. I just forgot about the picnic part. Let's start cooking.''

You made almost everything and then you noticed Steven nodding off and closing his eyes. When he tried to peel a mushroom instead of an apple you decided he needed to rest.

''That's it. Break time for you. Let Marc front so you can rest for a little while. We will take it from here and Layla will be home soon with the challah bread and the vegan fruit cake. So she will help and we will be fine.''

Marc helped you make sufganiyot, a pomegranate and apple salad, a mushroom and chestnut tart, koshari, a vegan stew, and potato latkes. All vegan since Steve is vegan and Layla was still fasting.

''All we have left to bake are the vegan kahk. (Y/N) you can take a break. Marc and I will make those.'' Layla helped you to bed.

''Thank you. I will just take a nap and come by to check on you in an hour.''

When you returned the kitchen looked like a flour bomb had exploded in it.

''What happened here?''

''We had a breakdown. Just like the guy on the show you watched yesterday. Bake off right?''

''Well, that guy had a breakdown because he was jet-lagged from being awake for nearly forty hours. What's your excuse?''

''We read something wrong in the recipe?'' You laughed at Layla's answer and helped them finish baking. When everything was done you all grabbed the gifts for the exchange and left to meet Jack and Ted.

You put two enormous blankets on the ground and separated the food.

''The blanket with the angels on it has all the vegan foods on it. Challah bread, a salad, latkes, a tart, sufganiyot which are jelly donuts, fruit cake, koshari that has rice and pasta, kahk biscuits, and a stew. The blanket with the bells on it has pigs in a blanket, pavo that has turkey in it, and romeritos that has shrimp. And of course, there is sushi for Ted just like I promised him.''

''Everything seems delicious. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special tradition.'' Jack gave you a brief hug and threw a piece of wood into the bonfire they had made.

You suggest starting with the gift exchange and then roasting marshmallows that Jack mentioned being vegan and drinking some juice.

Marc gave Jack a compass so he would never get lost again. Jack gave Steven a board game. Steven gave Layla a scarf and she gave you a beautiful jewelry box. Ted gave Marc a handmade menorah for the house that you would put on Gus' tank. And you gave Ted fishing gear to catch his own fish.

Afterward, you gathered by the bonfire to roast marshmallows while music was playing from a wireless speaker. Steven taught everyone how to play dreidel and you played even more games and danced until your feet were sore. That new tradition would easily become your favorite day of the year no matter when it landed on.

#moon knight fic #werewolf by night #marvel fic #moon knight #werewolf by night fic #my writing

10 notes · View notes

shuxiii · 11 months ago

Note

hey shuu!! it's me hahaiahsja twice in a day who would've thought

this might be a bit (a lot) big because I just finished my run through of next door and cat page after so long of neglect due to school, so here's your warning for that!!

I'll begin with cat page because I'm excited ashdjam I'm not even going to lie one of the first reasons I put a hold on my reading of it was because the thought of hating cats hurt my heart in many ways and I wasn't prepared for it (even if it would pass and it wasn't anything too evil aaaahasjje) but haerin being petty in the latest chapters had me laughing so much it got me excited to go back to reading cat page as soon as I could!

it makes me cackle so much how cp!yn changed completely because of a crush hahahakshaksj although definitely not in an extreme case like hating cats I too have changed my ways to please a crush in the past and it's so funny seeing this from an outsider perspective I'm loving it (also please don't ever change yourself for someone else unless it's actually a bad habit because people should love you from who you are)

also a bit of a side note but everytime hyein is the younger sister it feels like she's either too stressed or being pulled into complicated stuff that it's none of her business I never know if I should laugh or be concerned tbh 😭😭

and sebastian whiskers is such a funny but actually good name you're a genius shu, a genius.

also also!! haerin being jealous is so funny I'm having so much fun you're insane with humour aaahahdjdj

but I'll stop for now and begin talking about next door already before this actually becomes an essay (I'm so sorry if this is way too big but I don't know if I'll have time today to send more asks so it's easier to send everything together while I can 😅)

now I'll begin this part saying that I love learning new words 🥰 everytime you write a word that's not in english and explain to us the meaning I get all tinglish with excitement because I love learning about other languages and cultures and it's so cool and aaaaahahdhsksj and there's so many of them in next door I love it hihi 😊

and as a musician!! I actually got a bit offended when han said "stupid guitar" on the first chapter I'm not even gonna lie but jake irritates me so much more like mate excuse me I'm trying to enjoy my childhood ""enemies"" to lovers drama can you please move out of the way???

but anyways! poor haerin and dani being pulled into their sisters dramas they deserve a hug and a ice cream each!!

"excuse me?" "you're excused" had me seated with a big bucket of popcorn so hard why are you so good?? aaaaaaahskahdhsk shu you– you bring an unhinged expressionism out of me it actually scares me I love your stuff so much here's a heart 💜

oh! also also! the fact that next door!han is blonde is such a good character detail giving how her personality is here it fits so much!!! you and your amazing brain are so lovely aaajashdj

and their moms and minji being the biggest hanyn shippers they're so cute 🥰 like that's an unspoken rule I have with my stories I think all my childhood friends to lovers have their parents shipping them together because it's just so funny to write that (specially the grandmas I love making grandmas ask every family gathering if the characters are already dating aahskajs)

anyways! I'll speedrun this because it's already feeling like an end of the year school essay and I don't wanna give you that kind of headache hahahaksjdjq

nd!jake makes my blood boil how does a person do that to hanni???? he's so heartless souless foolish I hope his layla bites his ankle so he can't play anymore >:(

well I guess this is it! sorry for it being humongous 😅😅

have a good night amazing shu!!

bye bye shu <3

Oh my god UWBSUAHAHA THIS ASK IS A LITERAL ESSAY 😭😭 SOME KIND OF LONG FIC 😭😭😭😭IM SO FLATTERED AUZBAUSHSH IM EMBARRASSED U TOO UR TIME TO WRITE FOR ME… USZHSUHS I HOPE U ENJOY READING MY SMAUS AND IM SORRY IF I CANT WRITE AND RECIPROCATE UR LONG WORDS BUT THIS MADE ME GASP and i hope u have a good day too AJDHSUS IM FLATTERED U LOVE MY HUMOR AND WRITING LOVE UU

0 notes

rapifessor · 1 year ago

Text

Layla has been triple crowned.

Now I have no Mora. Literally, I’m down to about 44k after that. Barely had enough Shouki no Kami materials to make it happen too. So, was it worth it?

Who cares?

I’m still in a give-no-fucks mood about Genshin Impact which is why a lot of my resources lately have been going towards triple crowning characters that I like regardless of me actually using them or not. I’ve already done it for Yanfei and I’ll most likely be doing it for Shenhe as well and maybe Faruzan. I’m burning Crowns of Insight like there’s no tomorrow.

Because, to be frank, there’s not much that’s keeping me interested in the game anymore. Pretty much the last thing on my to-do list is to make a proper souped-up Itto team, which I struggled to do previously because I just wasn’t getting the artifact RNG. But much like with Razor, I’m prepared to grind it out and I will get a good Husk of Opulent Dreams set regardless of the time it takes.

Oh yeah, I guess I’m at least moderately interested in Charlotte? Remains to be seen when she becomes playable, but I think I’ll like her. She’s a journalist, and I have a lot of respect for journalists. At least for the ones that have integrity and aren’t too cowardly to tell the truth, especially when big corpo offers them money to say something else.

I plan on sticking around at least for long enough to eventually play with Charlotte. Chances are she’ll be a 4-Star with a kit that’s hot garbage (or even a 5-Star with a kit that’s hot garbage, lol), but who knows? I won’t get my hopes up but whether I’m disappointed by her or not, if I still end up liking her character in the end it won’t bother me too much. I know what I should expect from HoYoverse at this point and what you should expect from them is nothing.

#genshin impact #rapifessor rambles #grind #no fucks left to give #charlotte genshin impact #genshin charlotte

0 notes

noxtivagus · 2 years ago

Text

i'm gna return to genshin soon i think :>

#🌙.rambles #[ genshin. ]#i am barely active n i barely play #last i played properly was w ayato.... i did not get him though 😭#last i actually played though was when i decided to move from ps4 to my phone!#i should prepare. for layla. i like her. a lot. ><#i'm not too fond of actually playing genshin but i do like the charas!#i don't like the game but i like the charas! & i think the world n lore is rather interesting #confession i was reading stuff of my fav charas last week ahaha #they're cool though :<#ayato's my fav.#first was kaeya when i started out then it was a tie with child then it actually became childe then #ayato. yeah. Ayato. now ayato's my first fav then kaeya tied with childe!#usually my fav charas are rather charming in a way i realize #take ffxiv for example my top 3 favs are emet-selch & alphinaud & aymeric & hermes #ignoring the fact that. that is 4 and not 3 bcs i can't pick a top 3 >.>#you See though. the vibes. yeah!#thinking about how i want to write for all my fav charas the thing i did with ffxiv last year #a lil thing of their dynamics c:#or like. yk those art prompt memes idk how to call it sob but #IDK BUT LIKE. thing for example 'hug' n i'll write smth about how it'll be like for each character #& like i remember that one ffxiv art i saw like last year that inspired me #they drew for example with like uhh the scions? like w thancred he n the artist's wol are drinking. & then w other characters #they're doing other actions #if i were to translate that to writing relating to my own wol. IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN #but like for example my wol with haurchefant would be drinking hot chocolate while walking together on a cold coerthas night !#alphy would be uhhh studying together? reading smth? writing letters to each other? LIKE THAT.#this strayed off the original topic but :] i wna do that sort of thing for other fav charas too in general #like words. phrases? or writing a small lil thing of an 'aesthetic' maybe idk how to word or explain #anyways i'll try actually writing again later but for now i wna just play or chill or wtvr c:

3 notes · View notes

peachyysugaa · 3 years ago

Text

gravity

– nasa operator!sim jaeyun x astronaut!gn! reader

miles of sky and space doesn't stop gravity from pulling him to you.

genre: strangers/coworkers to lovers, fluff

wc: 2.7k

warnings: 3rd person pov, probably inaccurate astronaut/nasa lingo sorry i'm a chemistry major LOL, one curse word, couple of time skips, food cw

a/n: yea it's another fluff one-shot 😎 finally a jake one-shot! i hope y'all enjoy this i took a while to write this but i'm p proud of how it turned out despite no proofread.

♞──────────────────────────♞

time on earth: 3:43 am

one of nasa's star rookies sits inside the mission room, monitoring the ISS diligently. today, sim jaeyun was assigned to keep watch on their astronauts as well as the station itself. it's supposed to be a reward for performing well on the latest calculations, but he can't help but find it a little boring. he flips through the cameras quickly, as if trying to find something new.

'yeah right, like anything happens in space,' he mumbles in his head. adjusting his thin glasses and stretching his chair to feel just a tad bit more alive, jake takes a look at one of the three astronauts on board as they float to the window. it seems to be l/n y/n, a rookie who excelled at their simulation tests and the one they say has stars in their eyes themselves.

the astronaut peeks over their shoulder surprised. they make swimming motions to reach over the intercom, which makes jake laugh a little. finally, they push the button and make a reply. "yes houston, this is l/n. is something wrong?"

now jake hadn't planned this far, but since he was already doing it, he might as well go through with it. "do you miss earth?"

he can see through the cameras that y/n wasn't expecting that question as their eyes widen. someway somehow, jaeyun was able to see the stars in their eyes everyone gushed about. maybe it was even better because they were actually living with the stars in space at the time.

"i-i don't know if we should be talking about this, but yea, i do miss earth," they finally reply. "not that being in space isn't fun! i just can't help myself especially since i can see the planet spinning in front of my eyes..."

it's silent for a bit, making the astronaut worry. "h-hello? houston?"

jake blinks before shaking his head and hurried to reply. "y-yes! sorry, i was just caught up in how lonely you sound?"

again, an awkward silence stills. the nasa operator curses to himself, realizing how awkward he must have made it and scrambling to fix the mistake. "i'm really sorry i didn't mean to overstep my boundaries!" he rushes. "my name's sim jaeyun, by the way. people know me better as jake."

"sim jaeyun? rising star sim jaeyun?" they owlishly repeat.

"that's me," he states back, rubbing the back of his neck. "i guess you've heard my name."

he sees the astronaut nod in camera before they're absentmindedly spinning circles midair. "you're my age, and you're already working in nasa headquarters. quite a feat would spread around, you know?"

jake laughs and shakes his head at their comment. "you say that like you're not star rookie l/n y/n."

at the sound of their twinkling laugh, jake's eyes perk up to capture the joyful astronaut holding their stomach on the cameras. "i can tell we're a lot alike, jake," you say with a smile stretching across your face.

it turns out he likes hearing his name off their lips albeit via nasa intercoms. calming down the beating of his heart, jake starts off the first of many late night conversations. "so would you like to hear what's happening on earth?"

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ゜・・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

time on earth: 2:26 am

"—and layla was having such a good time meeting other puppies at the park this morning!" jake laughs out with the rookie astronaut laughing with them on the other side of the intercom, separated by thousands of miles in between them. they've been talking like this over the system for weeks now, practically a little over a month. safe to say, the nasa operator was developing feelings for them, perhaps already smitten. sunghoon in the other unit said something about being whipped?

"i wonder how she would react seeing my puppy," they reply.

"when you come back to earth, the first thing we'll do is have them meet on a puppy playdate," he tells them earnestly.

"just layla and rosie on a date? what about us?" he could hear the smirk in their voice even though they weren't next to him.

"i-i-huh? what?" jake stammers. he heard the smirk, but did he hear the words properly? for one, he's not sure they know what he looks like. does that matter to them? without realizing it, his hands are taking off his glasses and fiddling with them.

"are you nervous?"

"hah, what makes you think that?" jake asks nervously.

"jake, i can hear you playing with your glasses."

"shit," he curses, and an endearing giggle is heard on the other side.

"i like you, let's make it a date between us too," he hears, his face gradually becoming hotter.

the chance to confess to his crush is literally handed to him on a silver platter, but he's too busy acting like a middle schooler trying to give chocolates to the person he likes. it's unusual for him to feel like this, his heart's beating way too fast for him to think, and he has to cough to calm down.

"it's a date then." a happy hum is the response he gets, which does nothing to calm the beating of his heart but ignites a new warmth in him. "hey, wait a minute, do you even know what i look like?"

"i kinda remember, but does that even matter?"

"i don't know what if you don't like my face?"

"please, my roommate told me you're on par with that sunghoon guy, and he's known as the prince of his division."

"yeah, but-"

"don't take this the wrong way, jake, but shush." he's sure that if they were here in person, they would put a finger on his lips. it seemed like a(n) y/n thing to do based on the time they've gotten to know each other. "i don't care what you look like. the connection we have together is enough, don't you think?"

he knows they're right, but it doesn't stop the sassy compliment from tumbling out of his mouth. "well, we have a connection and i know you're pretty and smart and funny."

perhaps it's just the color of the screen, but jake swears he saw a blush on their face. it makes him proud after he had somewhat embarrassed himself earlier.

"good night, jake," y/n playfully scoffs at him.

"good night, y/n."

'what a night,' jake thinks to himself with a stupid grin spreading across his face as he prepares the systems for the person on the next shift.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ゜・・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

time on earth: 9:18 am

today is the day. today the pod that stayed at the ISS for 3 months was coming back to earth, and everyone was on their toes. jake was currently scanning the computer calculations from any errors, clutching the paper and burning holes in it with his eyes.

"you good there, bro?" he doesn't need to lift up his head to know that it's sunghoon.

"i have to make sure these are perfect," jake replies in a tone that screamed don't-bother-me.

he feels his coworker's hand pat his shoulder in reassurance. "relax, jake. they'll get here just fine."

jake's whole body sighs when he takes a deep breath. "yeah, i know. i'll just check one more."

his friend offers a comforting smile and one more pat before leaving him to perform his own duties for the landing.

for this last check, jake takes it upon himself to calculate the angle in which the pod enters the earth's atmosphere by hand as a safety precaution. his head jumbles with all the physics equations necessary as his hand complains by cramping from how fast he's calculating.

upon finishing, he looks at the two final numbers side by side. "same to the 5th decimal place," jake affirms to himself.

"great, does that mean you're ready to turn it in, mr. sim?"

turning around abruptly to the sound of the voice, jake finds his supervisor and rushes to grab all the papers for presentation. "yes, ma'am!"

a smile graces her face as she takes the materials from him and flips through the calculations. "good work," she finally says. "our astronauts will get home safely thanks to you."

it's like a weight lifted off his shoulders when he hears those words. jake lets out a sigh of relief once his supervisor walks away and tells him to wait for further instruction. he folds into his chair, thinking about how soon he'll finally be able to see y/n in person.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ゜・・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

time on earth: 9:45 am

"everyone, standby!" jake's supervisor announced. the whole command center took a deep breath as they tuned into the astronauts, soon to be leaving the ISS via pod.

"l/n, song, johnson, do you read me?"

"loud and clear, houston," y/n l/n replies in crisp audio.

"get ready to launch then, atlantis ii."

"copy that, houston." the sounds of buckling and buttons flicking can be heard on the other end as jake's palms sweat.

"3... 2... 1... launch!" and they're detached from the ISS, launched into the endless ocean of stars and dust that is space.

"coordinates and angles, houston?"

"atlantis ii, the speed, angle, and coordinates at which you are to enter..." and jake hears his checked numbers be repeated to them. "...you'll be dropping in the gulf of mexico."

"copy that, houston. ready to enter earth's atmosphere in 3... 2... 1... entering!"

the audio delivers the rough shaking as the temperature regulation beeps steadily.

"your temperatures are in the right range, atlantis ii."

it's a rough 5 or something minutes, jake's not sure of the time. he just knows his armchair is having a field day with all the gripping he's doing. he can hear the shaking of the pod driven by the weight and the acceleration of gravity once it takes its pull on the astronauts' pod.

"prepare for impact, atlantis ii!"

everyone is rising up to see the camera pan to the oceanview team who waits for the pod to enter.

"initiating parachute!" and there! the pod appears on the command center's screen in high definition, the mic picking up some of the breeze of the mexican gulf. it enters the ocean with a large plop! and everyone is standing up and cheering.

"successful landing, everyone! congratulations!!"

sunghoon is coming to jake and lifting him out of the chair, engulfing him in the joy that comes from returning the astronauts home. he didn't realize he was staring stupidly at the screen with a blank look and still sitting.

"dude, we did it!" at the sound of his friend's voice, jake mirrors his friend's smile and they embrace each other.

"we did it!" jake replies. soon, he'll finally be able to see y/n in person.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ゜・・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

time on earth: 8:04 am

the next day when he clocks in for work, it's calmer and more exciting. jake can feel it in the atmosphere as the nasa operator walks through headquarters.

he makes his way towards the rehabilitation center for their astronauts, his heart unable to calm down the rapid rate of beating. he hears it before he sees it: the bell-like laughter jake was so familiar with, the one he associated with late nights. his feet is pulled towards the sound like gravity, his strides getting longer and his steps having a bounce to it.

jake hears his name being called happily, and he turns to face the voice with an unstoppable grin before taking steps towards the astronaut going through rehabilitation.

"hey, gravity got you bad, i see."

they laugh joyfully. "i'll be good in about a month or 2—i'm pretty quick at this."

"i have no doubt about that."

the two are silent for a bit as they do a few more crunches, jake crouching down in front of their feet to meet them. it's nice and comfortable between the two as he helps them go through their exercises.

"so about that date..." he starts off, watching as their eyes sparkle like stars upon hearing his phrase. his mouth starts to hang a little, loosening up to have words spilling out without his complete knowledge. "wow... your eyes really do have stars in them..."

they stop as they finish a crunch and reaches out to close his mouth with an eye roll. "close your mouth first, sim jaeyun."

"okay, but what about that date?"

"we're getting it. just wait a week or so when i can walk properly," they say with a teasing smile. jake can't help but to smile back.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ゜・・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

time on earth: 2:57 pm

the only thing keeping his nerves calm is layla. the golden retriever was far from nervous as she sat wagging her tail happily with her tongue out.

"jake!!" he hears from the voice he's come to love listening to over the past few months. looking up from layla while holding her leash tightly, he spots the person he's been waiting for and he's mesmerized, left breathless by what he sees.

a light summery fit adorns their figure as they dash towards him with a puffy pomsky dog equally excited. their smiles are bright and sparkles adorn their eyes as usual, but it doesn't make the effect any less beautiful. they slow down, owner and dog panting a little.

immediately, layla gets up from her sitting position to greet the new guests, starting to sniff the two of them.

y/n laughs as they squat down and let the golden sniff them and their hand before giving her warm pets. "hi layla! i'm y/n, and this is rosie."

the two dogs sniff each other in circles, but soon enough they're bouncing and pouncing each other as if they've been best friends since litter days.

"they're getting along so well, and we haven't even gotten to the park yet," y/n comments with a giggle.

"should we get going?" jake offers. they reply with a nod and holds their leash in one hand, grabbing jake's with the other.

if he's taken by surprise, he doesn't show it, but inside, his heart is pounding more than ever before and his head is screaming in joy. the pair walk together hand-in-hand towards the park with two even happier pups prancing ahead of them.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ゜・・゜゜・*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

time on earth: 4:31 pm

the two dogs are getting a bit tired, it seems, as they walk back to jake and y/n who were talking comfortably, y/n's head rested on his shoulder.

"look who's back from playing," y/n says as they ruffle rosie and layla's head, jake following suit.

"let's go get some ice cream for us and puppucinos for them?" jake suggests.

"ooh! that sounds good!" the pups seem to like the idea too, wagging their tails once more and looking at their owners with puppy eyes. jake thinks he's surrounded by three pairs of puppy eyes as he shakes his head in endearing disbelief.

"let's go then."

once they get to the shops, order, and receive their foods, the four of them sit down and enjoy their treats. the owners laugh at their dogs when they see them lap up their puppucinos with so much excitement and vigor, getting the cream all over their faces.

as the sun sets, it casts its glowing light onto the astronaut-in-rehabilitation, making jake's eyes move onto them. he notices a smudge of ice cream at the corner of their lips and without thinking moves in to kiss it off. y/n blinks their starry eyes at him, reminding him of their first "meeting" over intercom and camera screens.

"i like you," he blurts out. "can i... kiss you?"

"i thought you would never ask," they reply with a wide grin, leaning in to press their lips together before he does.

it's like gravity pulls them towards each other because they can't ever seem to get enough of one another, no matter how far apart they are.

#enhypen #enhypen x reader #enhypen jake x reader #enhypenwriters #enhypen fanfiction #sim jaeyun #sim jaeyoon #sim jaeyun x reader #enhypen fluff #enhypen imagines

116 notes · View notes

maybeimamuppet · 3 years ago

Text

it takes a village

hey hey little muppets!! happy wednesday!! this is a request fill for gracerailly on ao3 who requested the poly-stics babysitting cadnis' kids.

cw/tw for depression/depressive episodes

otherwise, enjoy!!

---

Cady wakes up to chattering coming through the baby monitor.

Which is unusual, because Janis usually wakes her up with their twins. But today, Janis is still in bed next to her and gives a quiet groan when she hears the noise.

“Jay?” Cady asks groggily. “What’s the matter?”

Janis groans again and flops onto her back, bringing her hands up to sign. That’s never good, Janis only uses sign language when things are especially bad for her.

“Can’t move,” she signs. “Feel… heavy. Slow. Dead.”

“Oh, my love,” Cady hums sadly, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Do you think you’re having a depressive episode?”

Janis nods slowly. Cady can tell she’s using a great deal of energy to bring her hands up again. “The girls.”

“I’ll get them up for today, don’t worry about it,” Cady says immediately. “You relax. Everything’s okay.”

Janis pouts but nods again, letting her hands drop back to her side. Cady pecks her nose gently before she goes to get their daughters up.

They’re both awake, standing up in their cribs and waiting for someone to come get them ready. Both of them look her way when Cady switches the light on, with their adorable frizzy curls and sleepy blue eyes.

“Good morning, my little loves!” She says happily, going to give them their morning kisses. “Did you have good dreams?” Both twins nod happily. “Good, that makes Mama so happy.”

“Where Mommy?” Layla asks, rubbing her eyes and holding onto her stuffed elephant. Cady pauses for a second. How does she explain this in terms they can understand?

For now, a white lie won’t hurt anything. “Mommy’s still asleep, Mama gets to get you ready today.”

Leo reaches out first, so Cady grabs her and carries her over to be changed before swapping her out with Layla to do the same.

“There we go, all clean! Let’s go have breakfast,” Cady says happily, scooping them both up and carrying them downstairs to the kitchen.

“Mama?” Layla pipes up. Cady smooches her chubby little cheek a few times.

“Yes, Ladybug?”

“We hab f’uit?” Layla asks. “P’ease?”

“Yeah, of course you can have fruit,” Cady says. “Good pleases, too, that’s a good girl. Bumblebee, do you want fruit too?”

Leo just nods. She’s less of a morning person than her twin. Cady sets them both in their high chairs and buckles them in for safety, then washes some blueberries for them to eat.

Leo picks at hers, resting her elbows on her tray and holding her head in her little hands.

“What’s the matter, Lolo?” Cady asks sadly while she gives the pets their own breakfast and prepares some quick cereal for herself.

“Miss Mommy,” Leo says with a precious little pout. “Want cuddle.”

“Aww, sweetheart,” Cady says. “Mommy’s still here, she’s just upstairs. And we can go see if she wants to cuddle after breakfast.”

Leo perks up a little bit at the reminder that her mommy is still there, just not at breakfast, and starts eating her blueberries with a bit more speed. She and Layla chatter away about their plans for the day while they eat. Cady can’t quite understand what they’re saying, but she grins at the interactions regardless.

“All done,” Layla says when her blueberries are finished. Leo shoves her last few in her mouth and chews them with a nod of agreement.

“Good job, girls! Okay, let’s wash our hands and then we can go see Mommy,” Cady says. She grabs each from her chair and helps them wash the berry juice off their tiny hands, then carries them back up to the main bedroom to find Janis. “Jay? You up for a cuddle?”

Janis rolls over and gives a weak grin when she sees her whole family there waiting for her. She nods and gestures them over with a hand, so Cady sets the twins down to run over to her.

“Be gentle, girls,” she says quietly, following after them. She scoops Leo up and helps her get on the bed since she was struggling to make it. Layla sits and cuddles in on top of Janis while Leo nuzzles into her side. They both can clearly tell something’s off.

“Mommy sick?” Layla asks. “Need med’cine?”

Janis chuckles weakly and brushes a hand through Layla’s messy hair. Cady can tell it’s taking nearly all of her energy just to cuddle their babies, but Janis forces herself to keep going.

“Kind of, but medicine won’t fix it this time,” Janis says quietly. “I just need cuddles and sleep.”

“Wha’s wrong?” Leo asks, unfortunately curious. How do you explain depression to some barely two year olds? Cady thinks for a second before she tries to explain.

“You girls know how Aunt Reggie is a doctor? And she talks to people who are sad or scared or mad a lot, to help them feel better?” Cady begins. Both twins look her way and nod. “Some of the people Aunt Reggie talks to have something called depression. That’s a tough word, can you say it?”

Both girls try, sounding closer to ‘press in’ than anything else.

“Yeah, good job! But Mommy has depression too. Sometimes it makes her sad, or sometimes angry, or scared. Today it’s just making her really tired. But she’ll feel better soon, and then she can play with you again.”

“I can fissit?” Layla asks, wanting her mommy to be better now.

“You can’t fix it this time, Ladybug,” Cady says sadly. “But we can help Mommy feel better by giving her cuddles and letting her rest. We love her bunches, huh?”

Both girls nod and cuddle in again, trying to squeeze every ounce of love for their mommy into the snuggles. Layla even leans in to leave a wet, but sweet kiss on her forehead. “Mmmmwah!”

“Thank you, girls,” Janis says with a weak chuckle. “What did you have for breakfast?”

Cady knows that the twins are going to talk for a while, which buys her some time to track down a babysitter. She pulls out her phone and is about to shoot off a text to Damian before she remembers that he’s out of town visiting family. Aaron went with him, so that just leaves the Plastics. Oh boy. It’s worth a shot.

spacecadet: Hey is there any way you guys could take the smalls for the day?? Janis is having a depressive episode and I need to be able to take care of her

georgewashington: Are you sure you want us to? What about Damian?

spacecadet: He’s out of town for the week. I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t desperate, I know you’re still sorta wary of them

georgewashington: I just don’t want to hurt them, or make you guys upset. Janis would never forgive me if something happened to them because of me.

spacecadet: Regina, you don’t have to worry about stuff like that. Unless it was something major we could never be mad. And Janis does trust you, she’s just protective

georgewashington: If you’re sure, we can take them. Gretchen’s working from home today, so we’ll all be here. What should I do?

spacecadet: Oh, thank you so much!! All they’ll really need from you guys is somewhere to nap and someone to play with. I’ll pack them some toys and things they’ll need and I can drop them off

spacecadet: Just maybe hide anything stainable, breakable, or expensive :/ they are toddlers

georgewashington: Okay, I’ll prep what I can. See you soon.

spacecadet: Thank you so much, Regina!!

Cady switches her phone back off and rolls out of the bed. Once she’s changed out of her pajamas, she goes to get her babies. “Okay girls, should we go get dressed?”

Layla crawls over when she reaches out, but Leo doesn’t want to leave Janis.

“Wha’bout Mommy?” She asks sadly.

“We can come see Mommy again for a little bit when you’re done, Mama will go fast,” Cady coaxes. Leo thinks for a second before she also comes to be picked up. “Yeah, there we go.”

Cady carries both babies back down the hall to their bedroom and sticks both in Leo’s crib to keep them contained.

“Do you want to match or dress different today, pumpkins?” She asks, rooting through their dresser for some outfits.

“Mash,” both twins say at the same time. Cady chuckles and pulls out two of everything she needs. Two green shirts, two pairs of soft black jeans, two pairs of socks. Layla reaches for her first this time, so she heads to scoop her out and rests her on the ground in front of her.

Layla giggles when Cady pops her shirt over her head and surprises her with a kiss on the other side. Cady smiles back until they reach the socks, which are always a struggle. Luckily for her, Layla cooperates and is quickly dressed and subbed out for Leo.

Cady repeats the process on her second daughter before she heads to their closet to grab the finishing touches. Two tiny pairs of white high top converse that match her own, and two of the jean jackets Janis painted to match her old ones. These have teddy bears on the back, which are absolutely adorable.

“Mommy painted these for you while you two were still in my tummy,” Cady says, resting them on the rail of Leo’s crib.

“In you tummy?” Leo asks interestedly. Cady nods and carries them both to see the pictures on their bulletin board. That’s a more recent addition to the room, and full of pictures of all the people important to the twins.

Cady points to one of her maternity photos, specifically at her belly. “You two were in here. That’s where you grew for a while.”

They both look curiously at the photo, then down at their own tummies. “How we come out?”

“Um… we can talk about that another day, let’s go do your hair,” Cady says quickly. Before the twins can say anything else she carries them into the bathroom and pops them down on the counter. She gives them each a comb to play with and then sprays them down with some detangling hairspray, brushing their dark curls out to a more manageable state.

She splits Leo’s down the middle and ties hers in space buns on top of her head, then gives Layla one ponytail so the Plastics can tell them apart more easily.

“I have a surprise for you, girls,” Cady says as she roots through the basket for some hair bows, per Leo’s request. They both perk up at the mention of a surprise and look to her interestedly. “You guys get to go to Aunt Reggie’s house today, isn’t that cool?”

“Aunt Weggie house?” Layla asks curiously. They’ve never been to Aunt Reggie’s house, Uncle D is their usual babysitter.

“Yeah! You get to go play with her and Aunt GG and Auntie Karen and Nutmeg,” Cady says, clipping the green bows to their hair ties.

“Wow,” Leo says excitedly. Cady laughs and picks them up again to carry them back to Janis.

“Mommy,” Layla calls happily, running back to Janis’ side of the bed. Janis helps her back up for another round of cuddles. “We go Aunt Weggie house!”

Leo wriggles her way up again as well, and Janis grabs her for snuggles too. Once she has her babies safely back in her hold, she raises a suspicious eyebrow at her wife.

“Just for the day, they’ll be fine,” Cady groans. “Damian’s still out of town and I want to be able to give you my full attention.”

Janis shrugs and brings her daughters up for some kisses, making them both giggle in delight. Cady takes the time to go pack some supplies for the girls while Janis has them occupied.

She packs enough diapers to last them each a week, some extra clothes in case of disaster, a few of their favorite small toys and activities, their pacifiers, and their stuffies. They already have sippy cups and other dishes there, since Damian insisted on buying everyone some just in case there was ever an emergency and they had to babysit. Turns out it was a great idea.

When Cady brings the jackets, backpacks, and shoes back into the bedroom to finish getting her daughters ready, she finds Leo carefully stroking her little hands through Janis’ hair, while Layla sits on Janis’ belly and is thoroughly explaining all the things she wants to do at her aunts’ house.

She chuckles at the precious sight before she enters the room and snatches Layla up for tickles and kisses. Layla shrieks in surprise, but quickly starts laughing and trying to push her away. Cady carefully rests her down and gets her tiny shoes on, and Janis grins when she sees the cute jacket Cady tugs onto Layla’s arms.

Leo goes next, giggling anxiously and curling into Janis for protection as Cady looms ominously overhead. She squeals when she’s snatched up by the mama claw and brought in for her round of kisses and tickles. Once her shoes and jacket are on, it’s time for them to go.

“Okay girls, give Mommy hugs, we gotta go,” she says quietly. Janis grunts slightly as both twins jump on top of her for one last cuddle before they head off.

“Bye girls,” Janis whispers. “I love you.”

“Luh you, Mommy!” Both twins call at the same time. Janis chuckles and kisses them one last time before Cady scoops them up and rests them on the ground.

“Get some rest, love,” Cady murmurs, bending down to kiss her wife. “I’ll be back soon, text me if you need anything.”

Janis nods and curls back into bed. Cady flips the light off on their way out and follows the twins to the car.

—————-

“Whoa,” both twins say when they see the apartment building. Cady realizes she probably should have explained that their aunties don’t live in the whole thing.

“Big house,” Leo says slightly anxiously. Cady chuckles and picks them both up to carry them in.

“Your aunties live here with other people,” Cady explains. “There’s a bunch of little houses in the building that other families live in.”

Cady carries them past the main desk and to the elevators. Leo gets to push the button to call it, and then Layla pushes the button to get up to the right floor.

“Can you knock?” Cady asks, since both her hands are full. Both of them helpfully rap their little fists against the door. “Good job. There’s Auntie Karen!”

“Hey!” Karen says happily. “Come in!”

Cady enters and sets the twins down. Layla toddles off immediately, making a beeline for Nutmeg.

“Dog, dog, dog,” she says happily on her way. “Doggy! I pet, p’ease?”

“Yes, you can pet her,” Karen chuckles. “Hi Leo.”

“Hi,” Leo replies quietly, pressing against Cady’s leg with a heartbreaking pout. Leo’s always been her anxious one, and is clearly frightened at the prospect of facing a new environment all alone.

Cady crouches down to comfort her, stroking some stray hairs away from her baby’s face. “You’re gonna be okay, Bee. Aunt Reggie and Aunt GG and Aunt Karen are gonna play with you, Mama put all your toys in your backpack. And you have Georgie in there too, he’ll give you cuddles if you get scared. And then you get to take your nap, and probably have lunch.”

“Wha’ lunch?” Leo asks.

“I don’t know, we’ll have to see what they have for you, but I bet it’ll be so yummy,” Cady says. “But you’re gonna be safe, little love. Your aunties will protect you, and they can call or text me on my phone if you need me. And I’ll be back to get you in a while, okay?”

“Okay Mama,” Leo says.

“That’s my brave girl,” Cady says happily, pecking her forehead and standing up. “Oh, there’s Aunt GG!”

Leo runs over immediately for a hug. She and Gretchen have a special bond, which Cady is always happy to see. Regina pops out of the kitchen too, upon hearing the commotion that the twins bring everywhere they go.

“Aww,” she coos when she sees Leo cuddled up with her girlfriend. She comes over to Cady to urgently ask, “Which one is that?”

“Leo,” Cady chuckles. “She has space buns, Layla has a ponytail.”

“Got it,” Regina says. She looks down when she feels something tug on her pant leg. “Oh, hi Layla.”

“Hi!” Layla says excitedly. Regina just looks at her for a second, not totally sure what to do. Layla reaches to be picked up, so Regina bends down and scoops her off the floor.

“I should get back to Janis soon,” Cady says. “I’ll have my phone, you can text or call if anything comes up.”

“Sounds good,” Gretchen says, still holding Leo. She sets her down for a second and says, “Go say bye to your mama.”

Regina sets Layla down too, and both twins run to give Cady a goodbye hug and kiss.

“Mwah. I love you, girls. Be good, I’ll be back to get you later,” Cady says, kissing both of their foreheads and holding them close before releasing them back. “Have fun!”

—-

Regina notices Leo hunch in on herself a little bit and look around anxiously when Cady leaves. Layla is fine and very occupied trying to play with a lazy Nutmeg. Regina still doesn’t quite know how to handle the twins, but Leo is clearly frightened. She knows how to deal with that.

She heads over and crouches down in front of her, but leaves some distance so Leo doesn’t feel crowded. “Hi, honey. Can you show me what you have in your backpack?”

Leo nods and sits down across from her, removing her little backpack and resting it on the ground in front of her. “Help p’ease?”

“Okay,” Regina says, undoing the zipper for her. “What do you have there?” Leo reaches in and carefully pulls out her stuffed giraffe. “Who’s that?”

“Georgie,” Leo says quietly. “He gi’affe.”

“That’s so cool,” Regina says. “Should we show Georgie around so he knows where everything is?”

Leo nods, so Regina stands and picks up the baby to give her a little tour. Leo holds tightly to her stuffed friend and looks around curiously.

“This is the kitchen,” Regina says. She lets Leo look around at all the things on the walls, giving her time to adjust. When Leo looks back to her, they move on. “And this is the living room.” Leo’s seen this, it’s where the entryway leads to and where Layla is currently playing with Karen and Gretchen. She looks around for a short while before she’s ready to move on. “And this is the office, this is where we do our work, and over there is the bathroom.”

“Where sleep?” Leo asks, so Regina shows her the two bedrooms.

“This is where Aunt GG and Aunt Karen and I sleep, and then this is the bedroom for when we have people come sleep over,” Regina says. Leo looks around curiously before giving a nod. “What do you think?”

“Big,” Leo says. Regina chuckles and nods.

“It is pretty big. Oh, do you want to see something fun?”

Leo nods interestedly, so Regina carries her to see the axolotls in the tank in their bedroom.

“Fishy!” Leo says excitedly, pointing to the tank. “Ooh.”

“They’re called axolotls,” Regina explains. Leo tries to say it, but it just sounds more like ‘blelele’. “Yeah, close enough!”

“Name?” Leo asks, looking curiously at the strange creatures. Regina holds her at a different angle so she can see better and points to each one.

“This one is named Versace, and this is Gucci,” she says. “And then waaaaay back here is Louboutin The Second.”

Leo giggles. “Silly name.”

“They are, just a little,” Regina agrees. “Okay, let’s go find your sister, hm?” Leo nods, so they head back to the living room. Layla has finally been satisfied with the amount of doggy cuddles she’s been given and left the poor creature alone. She’s now busy explaining her toys to Gretchen and Karen.

Gretchen looks up when they come back, and smiles when she sees Leo cuddled into Regina’s shoulder. “Do you wanna come play?”

Leo nods, so Regina sets her down and lets her run over to her twin and their toys. Regina jumps a little when she feels an arm slide gently around her waist to rub that one spot on her lower back, and a sweet peck pressed to her neck.

“You’re really good with her,” Gretchen whispers. “It’s cute.”

Regina shakes her head and pulls her closer. “I’m not. I just know how to calm people down. I don’t even know how to play with them.”

“Just try,” Gretchen says quietly, kissing her cheek gently and heading back over. Regina watches as Karen and Gretchen play legos with the twins, building masterpieces and then taking them apart to make new ones. Gretchen makes it sound so simple, just try. But Regina wouldn’t even know where to begin.

So she just watches. Leo sits on Karen’s lap and builds her creations, and Layla stands in between the couch and the coffee table in order to make hers. Regina takes a sneaky picture of Leo explaining her tower to Karen.

“Aww,” she coos quietly when she sees how it came out.

“Send that to Janis, she’d like that,” Gretchen chuckles.

Layla looks over at her curiously. “Aunt GG?”

“Yeah?”

“Who… um… Janis?” Layla asks, lisping the end but managing to get the sound out.

“Janis is your mommy, that’s her name,” Gretchen explains.

“No,” Leo says with a head shake, joining their discussion.

“No?”

“Mommy name… uhm… love,” Leo explains. The Plastics all fight to contain a coo, looking at each other.

“Mommy’s name is love?” Karen asks. Both twins nod. “And what’s your mama’s name?”

Janis tends to switch between nicknames for Cady more often, so they’re curious to see what her ‘name’ is.

“Baby,” Layla says.

“No,” Leo disagrees. “Mama Bullaf’y.”

“I don’t know.” Layla says eventually.

“That’s okay,” Regina chuckles. “You’ll learn it soon.”

—————

“Hey, Jay, how you feeling?” Cady asks gently as she heads back into her bedroom. Janis groans quietly when she flips the light on. “You know it gets worse if you just sit here in the dark all day. You need light. You’re like a plant.”

Janis pouts at her. Cady kicks off her shoes and crawls back in next to her for a snuggle.

“The girls are fine, the Plastics seemed really excited,” she says quietly. “It’s kind of nice, isn’t it? Just us for a day.”

Janis nods. They both love their daughters more than the world, but it is nice to have a break from time to time. Even if the circumstances surrounding it are less than ideal.

Cady’s phone dings in her pocket, so she fishes it out to see who’s messaging her.

“Speak of the devil. Aww,” she chuckles, holding it so Janis can see.

reginald: Sent a picture: Play time

reginald: Also, just thought we’d let you know, they don’t know your names.

spacecadet: Really?

reginald: They can’t decide if yours is baby or butterfly, and they think Janis’ name is love.

spacecadet: Oh my goodness

reginald: It’s actually really cute. Gretch said to send that picture to Janis and Layla didn’t know who that was.

spacecadet: At least they don’t think our names are mama and mommy anymore. Are you guys still good?

reginald: Yeah, everything’s good. Leo just needed a little tour and now she’s all settled in. And Layla and Nutmeg are best buds.

spacecadet: Haha, poor pooch. She’s always after Daffy and Ellie too

reginald: Oh, Nutmeg loves it. She just gets to lay there and be cuddled, it’s her dream come true.

spacecadet: Well you guys can have the twins anytime so she can get her snuggle seshes in

reginald: Sounds like a plan, I’ll let Nutmeg know. We’ll probably keep sending you stuff, too.

spacecadet: Please do, you guys are so good with them. Thanks again <3

reginald: Of course.

Janis chuckles as she reads over their conversation too. Cady cuddles her closer and pecks her forehead.

“Did you eat?” She asks. Janis shakes her head. “Okay. I’m gonna go get you something, I’ll be right back.”

Janis pouts again, so Cady leans down to kiss her a few times before she leaves. Janis grins contently and settles deeper in under the covers.

——————

Karen continues playing with the twins for a few hours, and Regina stays to watch. Gretchen has some new designs to work on and heads into the office for some quiet.

Regina’s making progress with the twins, eventually even coloring a picture with them once they pull out some crayons and paper. They both eagerly compliment her drawing of a rabbit.

It’s almost relaxing, in a strange way. Karen makes conversation with everyone as she draws a duck, and the twins seem to be warming up even more to the environment.

Relaxing until Layla suddenly snatches the same crayon Leo wanted to add another beautiful scribble to her page. Leo whines a, “Hey!” and scrambles to take it back. Layla shrieks and holds it out of her reach, and suddenly they’re both in tears.

Karen and Regina look to each other in concern at the two little tantrum tornados they now have to deal with, and each gently pick up a twin so they can’t reach each other. Karen looks very anxious as Leo thrashes in her hold and releases a shriek that so loud they can’t quite figure out how such a small person managed it. Apparently quiet little Leo is actually the screamer of the two.

Layla seems to be more physical, wriggling to be put down so she can get back at her sister. Regina refuses to let her down, knowing it’ll only get worse if she does. Time for some desperate measures.

She manages to carry a wiggling and screaming toddler into the kitchen in one arm, doing a strange sort of fireman’s carry. It works well enough. She grabs two of the sippy cups they have and fills them with some cold water.

Karen is now holding Leo as far away as she possibly can, trying desperately to keep her grip as Leo kicks and shrieks like a banshee in her hold.

“Good lord,” Regina murmurs under her breath. “Hey!”

Her tone isn’t mean, or harsh, just loud. Both twins briefly stop their antics to look at her, knowing they might be in some serious trouble here.

She hands Karen one of the cups to give to Leo. “I need both of you to take some big drinks for me, okay? You’re gonna run out of tears to cry, we have to give you more.”

They both take their cups with a very serious look in their eye and drink a good bit of their water. They don’t want to run out of tears, that would be bad.

“Good job,” Regina congratulates when they pull away with a gasp. It’s a trick she was taught in college, that actually regulates their breathing and helps calm people down in intense moments. “Now you’re gonna take a nap. And we can have a talk when you wake up.”

For safety, they decide to keep them apart. Layla gets set up for her nap in the master bedroom, and Leo in the guest room. They make little barriers with pillows so they don’t fall out of bed and give them the best blankets, then leave them with their stuffed animals, pacifiers, and cups of water to rest.

“Fucking hell,” Regina breathes when she shuts the door to where Leo is resting. “Where do they get the energy for that?”

“Revenge is a big deal for toddlers,” Karen shrugs. “They don’t like when things aren’t fair.”

“Christ,” Regina sighs, sitting down and rubbing her temples. Karen sits down as well. “They’re so sweet, usually, what-what happened?”

“I know what you’re thinking, and no it’s not,” Karen responds. Regina looks at her in shock, wondering how she could’ve possibly known. “It’s not your fault, and you’re not a bad aunt. Do you know how impressive what you just did is? You got two toddlers to stop having a tantrum. That’s, like, really special.”

“But they only started getting upset when I started playing with them. All I can do is… stop them crying or whatever,” Regina grumbles. “I don’t know how to interact with them, or-or play with them.”

“They were upset because they were overtired,” Karen hushes, letting Regina lean onto her shoulder. “We just should’ve had them nap sooner, that’s all. But you’re really special, you know.”

“Hmm?”

“You treat them like people,” Karen says quietly. “That’s, like, super rare. You showed Leo around when she got here instead of just making her go play, and you helped them calm down instead of yelling at them for being too loud or whatever. That’s what’ll help them the most.”

Regina gives a noncommittal hum and accepts the comfort offered by her girlfriend.

“And even if you don’t really play with them that much, they still like you,” Karen continues. “You still talk to them, and give them cool stuff. Playing isn’t the only way to interact with them.”

“I guess,” Regina agrees. “You’re good with them too.”

“They’re easy!” Karen says happily. “But I’m still a kid at heart, I guess. They’re easy for me to relate to, or whatever.”

Regina chuckles. “I can see that. You’ve always been the fun one.”

“Thanks,” Karen laughs back. “You okay now?”

“Yeah. Thank you, honey,” Regina says quietly, leaning in for a quick kiss. “I love you.”

Karen beams, it’s quite rare that Regina says ‘I love you’ first. “I love you too.”

——————

Leo wakes up from her nap first. Gretchen had been hiding in the study throughout the crayon debacle, leaving it to her girlfriends to handle. But the office is closer to the bedrooms, so she decides to be the one to go comfort Leo as she hears her start to cry.

“Hey, Leo lady, good morning,” she says gently. Leo scrambles down off the big bed she’s on and runs in for some comfort. “What happened?”

“Dark,” Leo whimpers, sniffling into Gretchen’s shoulder. “‘N big. Scared.”

“Aww, I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Gretchen hushes. “You don’t need to be scared, nothing here can hurt you. See?”

Leo nods in relief when she flips the light back on. “T’ank you.”

“Of course, honey. I think Karen is making lunch, are you hungry?” Gretchen asks, shutting the light back off and carrying her back into the kitchen. Leo nods and rubs her eyes blearily. She’s not quite awake yet.

“Hey, Leo,” Regina says quietly. “Good morning.”

“Hi,” Leo yawns. Regina chuckles gently.

“Do you feel better?”

Leo nods again. “Wha’ lunch?”

“I don’t know, we have a lot of things here,” Regina answers. “What would you like?”

Leo shrugs, so Gretchen carries her in to see her lunch options. Karen looks up from her sandwich when she hears them come in. “Hey, kiddo! Did you have a good nap?”

Leo nods with a little smile. “Auntie Kawen lunch?”

“Yeah! I’m having a sandwich, do you want one?” Karen asks. Leo nods. “Okay, what kind?”

Leo wiggles a little bit, so Gretchen sets her down to go look at the options. She and Karen both chuckle as Leo picks a large jar of peanut butter out of the cabinet and hands it to Karen.

“Dis p’ease,” she says. Karen takes it from her and unscrews the lid.

“Okay, do you want jelly in it too?”

“No t’ank you.”

“Okay, good job! I’ll bring it to you in a second,” Karen says. Leo runs back to Gretchen to spend some time together while they wait on lunch.

When they head back to the living room, Regina is gone. Leo looks around in confusion until she comes back with her twin. Regina beckons her over, so Leo lets go of Gretchen’s hand and heads over to her other aunt.

Regina sets Layla down next to her. “Do you two feel better now?” They both nod. “Good. Being angry like that is no fun, huh?” They both shake their heads. “Say sorry for fighting, then we can go play again.”

“Sorry Leo,” Layla says sheepishly.

“Sorry Lala,” Leo replies, wrapping her twin in a hug. Layla hugs her back for a second, popping up on her tippy toes to squeeze her sister.

“Sorry Aunt Weggie,” Layla adds. “Fer sc’eaming.” Leo nods to agree.

“Thank you for your apology, girls. Layla, let’s go pick your lunch and then you can play some more,” Regina says, picking them both back up and carrying them to the kitchen.

“There they are,” Gretchen says when they return. “Leo, your sandwich is ready, do you want something to drink with it?”

Leo nods and heads over to see what they have in the fridge, while Layla goes to Karen to pick her meal. She also just picks a sandwich and is quickly released to go pick her own beverage. Leo chooses apple juice, and Layla picks milk.

Surprisingly, each twin finishes about half of her sandwich. Karen helps them down off their chairs and releases them back to the living room for more playing. Leo dives right in and pulls out a small puzzle she brought, pulling out all the animals and trying to work out where they go again. Layla does her own for a while, but gets bored pretty quickly.

So she decides to go on a short adventure. Her Aunt GG disappeared into a room a while ago, so Layla heads off to find her.

Gretchen turns when she hears noises at the glass door to the office, spinning around in her chair to find Layla on her tippy toes trying to reach the doorknob. It takes a few tries, but she manages to open it and toddles into the room victoriously.

“Hi GG!” She chirps happily. Gretchen laughs and beckons her over.

“Hi Layla. What are you up to?” She chuckles, pulling her into her lap and re-doing Layla’s ponytail since it got messed up during her nap. Layla seems delighted to be sitting at the big desk where her aunties do their work.

“Lolo do puzzle,” Layla explains. “Don’t wan’ to.”

“Aww. That’s okay, do you wanna help me with a few things?” Gretchen replies. Layla nods eagerly, so Gretchen wheels them closer to the desk and pulls over a design she’s working on for a client.

“Ooh,” Layla says. “P’etty.”

“Thank you,” Gretchen chuckles. “I have to draw it first, and then I make it a real dress people can wear later.” Layla looks at her in awe. “I know, right? Here, help me with this. What color should I make these flowers here?”

Layla suddenly feels a massive amount of responsibility weigh on her two year old shoulders. This is very important. “Uhm… uh… lellow.”

“Yellow?” Gretchen asks. “That would be really pretty, actually, good job! Yellow would look nice with the blue here. Good pick!”

Layla gives a happy little wiggle on her lap, and watches eagerly as Gretchen sketches the flowers in with a yellow pencil.

“Aunt GG?” Layla pipes up as Gretchen moves onto another area.

“Yeah?”

“Me too?” Layla says. “P’ease?”

Gretchen chuckles. “You want a dress?” Layla nods. “Okay, we can try that. Here.”

She sketches out another model, with about the same proportions as Layla.

“Here, stand up, that’ll make this easier. How long should we make the skirt?” Gretchen asks, popping Layla onto her feet and crouching down in front of her. She points to her ankle, just below her knee, and just above her knee. “Which one?”

Layla looks at her legs for a long moment before she points above her knee. Gretchen smiles and nods.

“That’s what I would have picked too. And should it go out big or be closer to your body?” Gretchen asks, demonstrating where each type would fall. Layla picks a big poofy skirt. “Oh, yeah. You got some good style, chica. Now the sleeves, where should they go?”

Layla watches as Gretchen points to her wrist, just above her elbow, and her shoulder. She points to her shoulder when Gretchen takes her hand away and giggles as Gretchen tickles her.

“Okay, come see,” Gretchen says, picking her back up and resting her on her lap again. Layla smiles happily when she sees the form of the dress. “Now we get to pick what colors and patterns it has. What’s your favorite color?”

“Uhm… g’een,” Layla replies, pointing to her t-shirt. Gretchen grabs two different greens that would look good with a dress this shape, one closer to an emerald and the other a lighter fern sort of shade.

“Which green?” She asks, holding them in front of Layla. Layla picks the lighter one. “Ooh, yeah.” Gretchen carefully makes the skirt green, a plan for fabrics already starting to come together in her mind. “Now what should we do with the top bit?”

“Uh…” Layla says. “Sparkledy.”

“Sparkly? I didn’t even think of that,” Gretchen hums. She pencils it in the same color and adds marks to make sure she knows the bodice should be sequined. “You could be a designer too, Lala, look at this cool dress we drew!”

Layla giggles and looks proudly at the drawing. “Now make it?”

“I can’t make it right now, but yeah, soon! All my stuff to make it is at my work,” Gretchen explains. “Here, let’s take a picture to show your moms, they’re gonna be so proud of you.”

Layla smiles when Gretchen holds her phone up for a selfie, and laughs as her auntie kisses her cheek with an exaggerated smooch sound. “Cheeeese.”

————-

Cady reaches an arm out of the bath she’s dragged her wife into taking when her phone pings with a text. She carefully unlocks it to find a few messages from Gretchen.

fetchen: Sent a picture: i have a new assistant!

spacecadet: Aww! She looks so happy <3

fetchen: Sent a picture: no, seriously, she designed this dress basically herself

fetchen: are you open to having the girls as models at some point?? i’m kind of thinking i should start a children’s line

“No,” Janis pipes up quietly, having read through the conversation as well.

“Not even for Gretchen? It’s not like it’s a huge company. And how cute would they be in outfits like that?” Cady pleads. She’s wary of the idea as well, but knows Gretchen would handle everything safely.

Janis considers this aspect, and has to admit her daughters would make excellent models. Maybe she can make an exception for Gretchen. “Fine.”

spacecadet: You should, we’ll buy all your designs

spacecadet: And if they’re into the idea I don’t see why they couldn’t model for you. Layla loves a camera

fetchen: haha i’ll have to get Gina to take some pics of her then! she’s been looking for a way to connect with them anyway

spacecadet: Aww, how sweet. They love all of you

fetchen: that’s what I keep trying to tell her! anyway, I should probably get back to work with Lala. tell Janis I say hi!!

spacecadet: Of course!! Thank you <3

Janis nuzzles into her neck as she flicks the phone back off and sighs, in a mix of exhaustion and contentment.

“Layla must take after you,” Cady murmurs. “Little artist.”

Janis grins gently against her. “We’ll see.”

—————

“There you are,” Regina says as she enters the office to find Layla with Gretchen. “What are you two up to?”

“GG make d’esses!” Layla says happily. “I helpin’.”

“Oh, you’re the best helper,” Regina responds. Layla beams at her. “What did you do?”

Gretchen smiles too as Regina tips her head up and kisses her forehead, then starts gently looking through the designs. Gretchen pulls out the one she designed with Layla’s help and shows it to her.

“She did this pretty much herself,” she says. “And now I kind of want to start a children’s line.”

“You should,” Regina says. “You could make little matching ones of the adult designs you do. Have, like, a mommy and me line. I’d buy that and we don’t even have kids.”

“That’s a good idea,” Gretchen hums. “I’ll think about it more later. We’ve done enough work for today, let’s go play!”

Regina chuckles as Layla runs out of the room when Gretchen sets her down, her little ponytail bouncing behind her.

“You two are cute together,” she murmurs. “You’d make a good mom.”

“So would you,” Gretchen says, wrapping her arms around her waist. Regina shakes her head and tries to move away, but Gretchen refuses to let her go. “No, look at me.” She gently cups Regina’s chin and makes her look into her eyes. “If you wanted to, you would make a wonderful mother. You’re not your dad. You’ve made so much progress, sweetheart.”

Regina flushes at the pet name and buries her face in the crook of Gretchen’s neck. “We’ll talk about it?”

“Yeah,” Gretchen agrees quietly. “Always. Whenever you want, we’ll talk about it. You know you can always talk to us?”

Regina nods. “You know too?”

“Yeah,” Gretchen murmurs. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Regina whispers, unfortunately having to pull away from one of her favorite places, since her spine is beginning to ache at being hunched over to cuddle her smaller girlfriend. “We should probably go save Karen.”

Gretchen laughs and takes her hand, leading her back out to the living room.

—-

A short while later, Regina half-watches Karen giving the twins ‘airplane rides’ around the apartment, weaving around the furniture and in and and out of rooms. She’s also half-watching her Tiktok feed for the day. Hmm.

She brings up her text thread with Cady to ask a very important question.

Cady peeks at her phone when it chimes, picking it up from the bathroom counter to see the message. She laughs when she sees what it is, and heads back to the living room where Janis is lethargically sprawled on the couch.

“Regina wants to know if she can put the babies on Tiktok,” she giggles.

“Absolutely not,” Janis grumbles.

“Oh come on, grumpy pants,” Cady coaxes, turning their show back on and dimming the lights a bit. “Some of them are cute, and Gretchen says she’s having a hard time connecting with them. She said she’d send them to me for us to check before she posts them. Please?”

Janis does kind of want to see how her daughters react to a few of the trends she’s seen, and knows she’s wary of the idea simply because she still has a hard time trusting Regina. So, begrudgingly, “Maybe.”

Cady grins and kisses her hair, and they wait for the videos to come in.

They only have to wait a few minutes before the first one comes through. Cady pauses their show again and waits for Janis to turn onto her back on top of her, then brings up the video so they can both see.

Layla and Leo sit side by side on a very nice couch, their little socked feet not even making it to the end of the cushion. Regina hands each one a little gift bag, and they both tear in to see what present they’ve gotten. Layla gasps excitedly when she pulls out a banana.

“A ‘nana!” She says happily. Leo pulls out one of her own and looks at it in confusion. “Leo, we got ‘nanas! Aunt Weggie, open p’ease?”

Leo’s eyes go wide and and she gives an excited gasp when she realizes she actually has one of her favorite fruits in her hand, and asks for hers to be opened in sign language. Regina laughs and peels both bananas. Each girl takes theirs back and munches happily on it while the video closes. Just before it cuts, they both say a muffled, “T’ank you!” around their bites.

Cady and Janis both laugh, and Cady sends back a message to explain that they usually give them their bananas pre-peeled, so that’s why Leo didn’t recognize it.

The next video comes through a few minutes later. Leo and Layla have finished their bananas and are still on the couch. Regina enters the room filming, rests her phone on the coffee table, and leaves the room.

It takes a second for them to notice, but Layla clocks the phone first. She rolls onto her tummy and slides off the couch before going to pick it up. She sees herself on the screen and pauses for a second to smile at her reflection before she goes running to find her auntie in the kitchen. The background moves wildly as Layla pokes her little tongue out in her concentration, and the rhythmic little thumps of her footsteps can be heard.

“Aunt Weggie!” She calls happily when she finds her. “You left you phone!”

“I left my phone?” Regina says in fake shock. Layla toddles over and gives it back. “Oh, thank you! You’re very responsible.”

The camera flips around to show Layla wrapped around Regina’s legs, giving a wide smile up at her just before it cuts.

“Aww,” Cady coos. “We’ve trained them well.”

“She’s so cute,” Janis chuckles, tapping the video to play it again.

The next one features Leo, sitting on Regina’s lap in the kitchen. Regina explains that Leo had asked for a drink and they’re going to see how well she can pour it herself. A small glass is put in front of the toddler, and she’s offered a bottle of almond milk.

Leo takes the bottle carefully and tips it over the glass, slowly pouring some into the cup. She has the right motions, but quickly gets carried away and fills the cup too much. It spills over onto the counter, and Regina quickly grabs the bottle to stop it. Both Leo and Regina pull the same face, wide eyes and lips pressed into a thin line as they look into the camera.

“Oh no,” Leo says. “Needa towel, p’ease.”

Someone else, most probably Gretchen, hands over some paper towels, and Leo carefully swipes it over the counter to clean up her mess.

“There we go,” she says, sounding more like ‘dairy doe’.

“Good job!” Regina congratulates as Leo ever so carefully picks up her very full cup of milk and takes a sip. Regina helps her get down off her lap, and a ‘T’ank you!’ can be faintly heard. “You’re welcome!”

“Oh goodness,” Cady laughs. “At least she cleaned up after herself. Poor Regina.”

“And she’s polite,” Janis chuckles quietly. “Her sweet little voice.”

“We’re doing a good job,” Cady says quietly. “With them.”

Janis nods in agreement and scrolls back up to the video with the bananas.

It takes a long while for the next video to come through, and Regina explains that they’d taken a break to eat dinner (alfredo pasta) and then to clean said dinner off the twins. Layla had apparently taken a special liking to the meal and managed to get it in her hair, so that took some extra time.

But a video of two clean babies comes through. Regina is sitting on the ground wrapped in a fitted sheet so just her face is visible. Karen seems to be filming this time, and encourages the girls to go get their auntie. Leo seems a little concerned, but they both run over to Regina.

When they just make it, Regina suddenly opens the sheet and snatches both inside like a venus flytrap. They both scream in surprise, but their adorable giggles are quickly heard. The video cuts, and they both run into the trap again, and again, and again.

Another one comes through, and this time Gretchen is the one in the sheet. The twins don’t stop laughing the whole time, their giggles making a precious audio for the video. Just before it cuts, Gretchen is looking exhausted, but Leo calls a delighted “‘Gain!”

So, another one comes through with Karen in the sheet. The twins’ hair is frizzy and their cheeks are pink by this point. Cady is just glad they’re getting some energy out before bedtime.

Janis laughs gently at each video, wondering how she hasn’t thought of this. Apparently her daughters are easily entertained. “I miss them.”

“I miss them too,” Cady sighs. “I’ll need to go get them soon, though, it’s getting late.” An alert suddenly comes through her phone then, letting them know a thunderstorm is approaching. “Uh oh.”

“Maybe not,” Janis chuckles. “You shouldn’t drive in that.”

“But they freak out during storms,” Cady says anxiously. “Especially Leo. But I can’t get there before it hits.”

“She’ll be fine,” Janis comforts. “Regina can handle that.”

“I hope so.”

—————

Regina grins happily as she reads the comments for the videos she’s posted so far, everyone delighting in her precious nieces. She’s reading one that seems nearly distraught at how polite they are when a text comes through from Cady.

spacecadet: Hey, I just saw that a storm is coming. Jay doesn’t want me to drive in it but both of the girls get really scared

Regina checks her weather app and sees that a small but strong storm is rapidly approaching. She peeks out the window to find that the sky is already grey with dark clouds.

reginald: Yeah, you definitely shouldn’t drive. I think we can make it, you come when it stops.

spacecadet: Are you sure?? I know they’ll be fine but you shouldn’t have to deal with both of them screaming

reginald: Oh, it’s fine, we already have. There was a little incident before naptime. And scared babies are easy, we’ll be fine.

spacecadet: Incident?

reginald: Bad word choice. Both had a tantrum, they were tired and wanted the same crayon.

spacecadet: Oh goodness, I’m sorry

reginald: Cady, they’re two, it’s fine. We dealt with it and they’re fine. Is there anything you usually do with them during storms?

spacecadet: If you say so. If we know they’re coming we usually warn them, and if it’s really bad we hide in the basement so the noise is muffled. But you can do whatever you need to

reginald: Sounds like a plan. See you whenever it passes.

spacecadet: Thanks, Regina :)

“Girls!” Regina calls gently as she clicks her phone off. Leo and Layla come barreling down the hallway to her when they hear her call, and Gretchen and Karen quickly follow. Regina crouches down to the smalls’ height to explain the situation. “There’s a thunderstorm coming, but you don’t need to be scared. We can all have a storm party!”

“A pawty?” Leo says anxiously. She instinctively reaches for Layla’s hand, nervous at the prospect of a storm. Especially without Mama or Mommy there to comfort them.

“Yeah!” Regina says excitedly. “Come on, let’s get ready.”

Gretchen and Karen seem confused, but follow along with Regina’s plan. They open the curtains on one of the floor-to-ceiling windows so they can see out, and the twins helpfully grab all the couch cushions and pillows they can carry. Regina gets blankets, and they build a little fort in front of the window, held up by a lamp.

Regina, Gretchen, and Karen head inside, and the twins sit in between them to wait.

After a few minutes, the first flash of lightning lights up the dark sky. Both twins let out a whimper of fright and scream when a crack of thunder follows.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Gretchen comforts as they both bury their faces in her chest.

“Loud,” Leo whimpers.

“I know,” Gretchen hushes. “The storm can’t hurt you, it’s just a scary noise.”

“Let’s play a game,” Regina coaxes. Both twins peek their little faces out to see her. “Come here.” Anxiously, they both crawl into her lap and look out the window. “Let’s count.”

“Count?” Layla asks anxiously, jumping and letting out a squeak of fright at the next lightning.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Regina says, coaxing them to look. “One… two… three… four… five… oh, there’s the thunder!”

“Why count?” Leo asks, poking her face out when the booms stop.

“If we can count high that means the storm is far away,” Regina explains. “It’s gonna get closer, and then it’ll move away and be done. And we’re safe in here.”

She smiles as she sees the twins take some deep breaths to calm down and cuddle closer into her. They still jump when the lightning goes by, but this time they count with her.

“One… two… free… four… fibe,” they say anxiously. This time, they giggle when the thunder hits. Layla says, “I did it!”

“Did you make it thunder?” Regina chuckles. Both girls nod. “Good job. Oh, here we go, do it again!”

They only make it to three this time.

“Get close?” Leo asks curiously, looking to her aunties.

“Uhhuh,” Regina confirms. Karen and Gretchen switch to be on either side of her and cuddle in close with everyone. “It’s getting closer and then it’ll go away.”

A few more rounds go by where they get as high as three, and then they start only making it to one or two. Luckily, they don’t seem scared anymore. They look excited to be tracking the storm and making the thunder happen.

“Oh, we can count higher now, the storm is leaving,” Regina says happily. “You’re doing so good!”

Gradually, the rain slows and the storm dissipates. Leo and Layla look curiously out the window the whole time, and make no effort to leave Regina’s lap once the sun gently peeks out from the horizon, beginning to set for the day. Strangely, Regina finds herself not wanting to let them go, either.

Gretchen and Karen gently exit their little tent to get all the twins’ things packed back up, and find their shoes and jackets once again. Gretchen is just tying on the last little shoe when they hear a knock at the door.

“Who could that be, girls?” Karen says excitedly, also trying to stop Nutmeg from barking at it too much. “Go see!”

Both twins eagerly run down the hallway to the front door, and Leo stands on her tippy toes to open it.

“Mama!” They both call happily, wrapping each of their little bodies around one of her legs.

“Hi, sweet girls!” Cady says happily, bending to pick each of them up and kiss all over their little faces. “Oh, I missed you so much! What did you do today?”

Both girls immediately launch into a story, explaining in as much detail as they can the exciting events that happened with their aunties. Cady enters and shuts the door behind her as they rattle off their favorite parts.

“Really? Did you have so much fun?” Cady asks when they finally have explained everything they wanted to. They both nod eagerly. “Good. We have to go home now, can you go say thank you?”

Both twins wiggle to be set down and run back to their aunties, giving hugs and saying thank you for a fun day. Cady follows suit too, and grins as her daughters seem to linger for just a while longer with Regina.

“Thank you so much,” Cady says gratefully. “You guys are so good with them, thank you.”

“Anytime!” Karen says happily. “Bye girls!”

Both girls wave goodbye and call a, “Bye-bye!” over their mama’s shoulder as they’re carried out of the apartment and down to go home. Cady chuckles and kisses each forehead gently as she buckles them into their car seats.

——————

“Mommy, Mommy!” Both girls call happily when Cady unlocks the front door to let them in, toddling full speed down the hall and over to Janis on the couch. Cady stays behind for a second and gives a small grin at the wide smile her wife gets upon seeing their children.

“Hi, girls!” Janis says happily, sounding like she already has a bit of energy back. It usually takes her a minimum of a few days to recover from an episode, but she’s already making good progress through this one. “I missed you.”

“Miss Mommy too,” the twins say at the same time. Janis grins contently as they both worm their way up on top of her for a snuggle.

“Aww, my sweet girls,” Janis coos. “Did you have fun with your aunties?”

Cady rolls her eyes lovingly, knowing Janis just opened a whole can of worms for herself. At least she has enough time to go get the twins’ bedtime things ready for them while they explain their whole day to their mommy.

The twins apparently gave Janis an abridged version of the story, because when Cady comes back she finds them all silent. Both twins are cuddled into Janis’ chest, one little head on each of her shoulders. Janis has a hand resting on each of their backs, holding them close to her. Her eyes are closed contently, and she looks the most at peace Cady thinks she’s ever seen from her. She’s glad to see it.

She sneakily snaps a few pictures of her perfect little family before she does unfortunately have to break up the little cuddle party. “Alright, munchkins, it’s bedtime.”

“I can get them down,” Janis says quietly, opening her eyes when Cady kisses her forehead.

“If you want, of course,” Cady agrees. “I got their jammies ready and everything.”

Janis nods and picks up both of their sleepy girls, standing carefully and carrying them upstairs. Cady flops onto their bed and listens down the hall as Janis gets them into their pajamas, brushes their teeth and hair, and reads them some bedtime stories.

The end of story time is her cue, and she hauls herself up to go to the nursery to kiss their babies goodnight. Janis is hunched over and pressed against Leo’s little face, giving her her goodnight kisses and having their little nightly chat. Cady goes to Layla first.

“Did you have a good day today?” She whispers. Layla nods. “Good! What was your favorite part?”

“Uh… doggy,” Layla responds.

“You liked playing with Nutmeg?” Cady chuckles. “I bet she liked you too. What part did you not like?”

“Fundersto’m,” Layla says.

“I know, that must’ve been scary,” Cady replies. “But you made it through the whole thing even though you were scared! You were so brave, Ladybug.” Layla beams at her, and Cady smiles back. “Are we gonna have our best day tomorrow?” Layla nods again. “Good, get some good sleep so you’re ready for it.”

Cady leans down to kiss her forehead and down her little nose.

“Goodnight, my sweet little pumpkin, have sweet dreams,” Cady whispers. “I love you so much.”

“Luh you, Mama,” Layla says quietly, followed by a yawn.

Cady and Janis switch twins then, repeating their process on the other girl before turning on the white noise machine and nightlight, and leaving them to sleep.

—————

Across town, all three Plastics flop into bed early, exhausted after a very, very long day. It’s Regina’s turn in the middle, her favorite nights. She’d never admit it, but she loves having each of her girlfriends cuddled up on either side of her all night.

“We did good,” Gretchen yawns. Her girlfriends nod in agreement. “We… we should have a chat tomorrow.”

“Stop yawning, you’re making me yawn,” Regina grumbles. Gretchen chuckles and leans in for a kiss. Regina suddenly forgets her complaints and kisses her back.

“Ahem,” Karen coughs. Regina rolls her eyes lovingly, but flips over to give Karen some affection too. “Thank you.”

“I love you,” Regina whispers, kissing both of her girlfriends and cuddling in under the duvet.

“I love you too,” Gretchen murmurs, also kissing both of them before cuddling in on Regina’s right side.

“I love you three,” Karen says, getting her kisses in and settling in on Regina’s left. They say this every night, and still always giggle at ‘I love you three.’

They drift off tangled in each other, completely exhausted but completely content.

It takes a village.

---

hope you enjoyed!!

i’m still undecided on whether to give the plastics kids, which is why i left the ending sort of intentionally vague in that regard :))) so let me know!! if you guys want i can totally do a kid fic for them, or just give them a kid and not write about it. or not give them a kid!!! up to you guys!

im hoping to have requests re-opened by next week! I'm just finishing up some last little things here and there and then they should FINALLY be reopened bc its been forever omg. anyway!

thank you all so much for reading and have a lovely day!

lots of love,

ezzy

26 notes · View notes

iloveallmyocs · 3 years ago

Text

the Dawn of a friendship

Ariadne didn’t know how long she had been waiting in the games room, hoping Anna would show up as was Anna’s routine in grand parties like the one of the one they were having.

Eventually, Ariadne got herself to step out of the games room and picked up the courage to scout for Anna herself. She needed to tell Anna that she had heard what Anna had said to her at the infirmary.

James Herondale’s and Cordelia Carstairs’ engagement party was one of the most luxurious parties Ariadne had attended, consisting of numerous respected members of the enclave, but it wasn’t hard to spot Anna among the crowd.

Anna was always easy to spot, the aura around her just commanded people to pay attention. It had always caught Ariadne’s attention.

But then, at that moment, what caught Ariadne’s attention was not Anna Lightwood. What caught her attention was the sight of a boy, looking around the same age as Ariadne was, storming out of the ballroom looking distraught.

Even though she didn’t know the boy at all, Ariadne felt a surge of protectiveness overpower her. The boy was heading away from a group of teenage boys. Ariadne was able to recognise the group of boys. Everybody knew the group, it consisted of the children of the most popular shadowhunters of the previous generation.

Matthew Fairchild, who looked positively furious, was part of the group. He was the Counsul’s son and so Ariadne had been acquainted with him. He was fair company, but promiscuously quoted Oscar Wilde every five minutes or so.

As if by instinct, Ariadne found herself sprinting after the boy, only to have her path blocked by-

“Anna?” she panted, peering outside the door to catch a glimpse of the boy.

“Ari, you look healthy-” Anna began, her cool and unworried tone clashing against the mood Ariadne was in. Ariadne could no longer able to see the boy.

“Anna, please do excuse me for being impolite, but I have an important matter to attend to” said Ariadne apologetically, pushing past Anna even before she had the time to respond.

Ariadne, on any other day, would have shuddered at the thought of dismissing Anna for going after some boy she didn’t know anything about.

But there was something about the boy. No, Ariadne was not in love with him, she didn’t even know him properly. In fact, she would never love any boy, she was certain of it. No matter how many times she had been warned of the dangers of being the way she was, she was certain that no matter how hard she tried, she would never fall in love with a boy.

“Stop”, Ariadne called out when the boy was finally in her line of vision.

The boy whipped his head back to look at the source of the voice. His face wore an alarmed expression and upon closer inspection, Ariadne could see tears spilling out of his eyes.

“I’ll be with you in a moment” announced the boy, before facing the other direction and furiously wiping off his tears.

“What’s the matter?” asked Ariadne when he was done and turned towards her once more.

“Miss Bridgestock, everything is alright, just don’t mind me and return to your party. why did you come after me?”

“I just wanted to make sure everything was fine” shrugged Ariadne “It’s not at every party that Thomas Lightwood is the cause of a grown man’s tears”

The boy scoffed and later held out his hand, preparing to leave “I’m Alastair Carstairs, it was nice to-”

“Carstairs?” Ariadne interrupted .“I don’t think you should be going anywhere now, are you related to the would be bride?”

“I’m her brother” revealed Alastair, which resulted in Ariadne arching her eyebrows up in a display of disappointment.

Taking notice of Ariadne’s expression, Alastair folded his hands and struck his chin out. “Yes, I know should be in there, but just want one day to myself. Is that too much to ask? Also, stop being so judgmental, you barely know who I am or what I’ve been through”

“Then tell me about it” said Ariadne, gently nudging Alastair with her elbow.

Alastair looked perplexed. “Good lord, you’re impossible to dislike” he remarked, looking up to the sky in exasperation.

Ariadne’s eyebrows went up again. “Why would you ‘dislike’ me?” she asked, her voice full of curiosity. What would a boy whom she had never met before have against her?

“I just said that I didn’t” muttered Alastair “well, for a time I did, because of Charles”

“Charles Fairchild? The one ‘Charles’ I was engaged to?”. Ariadne had gotten somewhat of an idea of where the conversation was going, but wasn’t very confident about it and let Alastair explain it himself. Also, they were in England and in England there were as as many Charles’ as there were mice.

“Yes. Him” confirmed Alastair “I presume you already know that he likes men, don’t you? I was told that you know”

Ariadne nodded. “I know. that is why I agreed to the engagement in the first place”

“Well, the thing is, Charles and I were together at the time of your engagement” Alastair confessed, “I just broke things off with him”

“Is that why you’re upset?” asked Ariadne.

“No. I actually feel like a load has been lifted off chest, actually” said Alastair, smiling sadly. “Why I left early is because I tried to make amends with a few boys who went to the academy with me and it didn’t go well”

“What went wrong in the academy?” Ariadne inquired, feeling as though she might explode if she didn’t receive all the answers to her questions.

“You ask a lot of questions” laughed Alastair, his mind distant.

Ariadne patiently waited for him to answer.

Alastair gulped, not sure if he was making the right choice by spilling out all of his problems to his previous lover’s previous fiancée.

“I wasn’t treated right, when I first joined the academy. Well, you should know how it is” said Alastair, gesturing to Ariadne.

Of course Ariadne knew how it was. Both her overprotective parents had tried to protect her from the harsh realities of living in London while looking the way she did. And yet, she knew.

She knew it from the way the guests arriving in her house looking for inquisitor Bridgestock always looked down upon her. Some even assumed that she was bought for money by the Bridgestocks, not as a daughter but as something else.

That was what people normally assumed of you when you were from a country that was colonised by the country you are presently residing in.

“I more than ‘know’ how it is” retuned Ariadne.

For a moment they stood in silence, neither knowing what to say. Alastair finally broke it by asking “How do you bear it? I sometimes feel like screaming until nothing comes out, but I have my mother and Layla who are like me but you-”

“-am adopted” finished Ariadne “It does get frustrating. My parents want me to forget that I am an Indian and once had another name. they want me to forget about my birth parents, their-” Ariadne broke off bursting into tears.

“Oh god, this was supposed to be about you” sniffed Ariadne as Alastair wrapped his coat around her.

“Why don’t we go to your house and talk about it over a warm cup of tea, which probably was imported from India, Miss Bridgestock?” he asked in a desperate attempt to cheer Ariadne up.

“Alright” Ariadne laughed, then with a solemn face face, added “call me Kamala, it is my birth name”

*********************************************************************************

An AU (idk if it should be classified as an AU) instead of Lucie, Kamala chases after Alastair at the end of ChoG. I probably should have written this before Choi came out and its tag was flooded with HCs about Alastair’s and Kamala’s friendship.

@cant-think-of-anything let me know what you think (I don’t have anyone else to tag lol)

41 notes · View notes

drifting-pieces-blog-blog · 2 years ago

Text

MUSIC OF THE TOMB. Part 4.

Episode 4 list:

No Suit - Hesham Nazih

Saat Saat - Sabah

The Kiss - Hesham Nazih

Eye of Horus - Hesham Nazih

Welcome Travelers - Hesham Nazih

Moon Knight theme (end credits)

Okay, jumping into episode 4! The opening credits lets you know that things are going to get a little more serious this time. Episode 4 is more of the horror aspect. The adventure aspect. It’s a complete set up for episode 5 and I’m here for it.

It opens on a sinister type note as we find Layla with her unconcious duo in great peril. Especially since there is no healing suit and Khonshu is in prison.

So we have “No Suit”. There is obviously tension here. They are in danger and this time he could die (spoilers, he does). Layla has to jump in to save the day. The opening really drives that home with the music. It’s tense. It’s urgent. It’s heroic.

Next up we have Saat Saat. This is one of those hidden easter eggs that comes back to bite us in the ass later on. We hear the original version of the song playing in the car as they drive across the desert.

Why is this song so amazing? We’ll get into that in the next episode because if you don’t already know about it, I’m going to dig you into my hole of crying later.

But go give the original a listen. It’s wonderful.

The Kiss!

It is so gentle. Timid. Hesitant. Swells a little then quiets as Steven is Honesty. Then swells again into joy. It is romantic and soft. It is Steven desiring and being desired for the first time. It ends just as quietly as it started. Unsure of where it will go but hopeful.

Eye of Horus

So now we are going into the actual tomb where things are on a time crunch, the fate of the world rests on who can get to the end of the maze first.

THIS SONG GOES ALL OUT. Hesham Nazih looked at this episode and went, “There aren’t any other songs to use because everything in this episode is leading up to the next one. Let’s build on that.”

The choir is blasting, the strings are swimming, it’s emotional and it’s like this should have been there all along. I honestly don’t know the proper words to describe how this song makes me feel, but I can picture the desert. The rolling dunes, the open sky bright and dark all at once and the moon.

Welcome Travelers

So we are now in the Duat and very dead. But first let’s go back. A lot of the action before the death is silent. Let the action tell the story. Let the quiet pit between Harrow and Layla speak louder than music could.

Then there is the beautiful sound as Marc/Steven sink into the water and float away.

But the travelers theme is one that we’ve heard before. It’s slow. It’s creepy. It’s been hiding in the background this whole time. They have been traveling to this point the whole show.

Now that we are finally here, it erupts into a full chorus. This is the pinnacle of their travel. This is where they have been going the whole time and now they must decide what path to take.

The first slow part of this theme is going to reoccur so many times in so many ways, especially over the next episode. Slow and methodical. It is the stress that has slowly been building up on Marc’s mind for years. It is the wind chipping away at his mental wall. His worries and trauma. It’s all building and if he doesn’t learn how to let Steven in it will crumble and he will shatter.

And then the End Credits. The Moon Knight theme makes a reappearance. Too much is at stake to leave it to something hopeful and happy. You aren’t prepared for what’s about to go down in episode 5, but it’s not going to tell you that. It left off on a funny note but the end credits being so serious is your only warning.

Go listen to the soundtrack! I beg of you! Take it in! Go listen to Eye of Horus!

#Moon Knight #Moon Knight Meta #Moon Knight music #Episode 4 was all over the place and I was there for it #felt like the mummy and I was screaming the whole time #The music is making me feel things

21 notes · View notes

rainingpouringetc · 4 years ago

Text

so hug all your friends and let them know you’re not letting go

ch 1 - what’s it like to be alone on a sunday

alastair/ariadne/grace/christopher/eugenia/jesse friendship fic for ya :) | read on AO3 | masterlist

---

It took them a rather long time to all find each other. Looking back, it seemed almost a miracle that they had. It seemed a miracle that they hadn’t allowed childhood gripes and societal biases to come between them and tear their little found family apart.

Alastair and Ariadne credited themselves with being the first of the group. Grace disputed this, saying she and Jesse had known each other far longer; Christopher and Eugenia chose to remain silent on this matter.

“You lot might’ve known each other,” Ariadne liked to say, brown eyes gleaming, “but Alas and I were the founds of this group. We’re the ones who brought the six of us together.” And she was right.

It had started with a ball, which took place a short time after Cordelia’s engagement party. It didn’t much matter which one it was or even who was hosting—all that mattered was it had been dreadfully boring and Sona had been harping on Alastair for standing morosely on the edges of the dance floor.

Eager to stop her constant nagging, he had approached Ariadne Bridgestock and politely asked for a dance. He had never exchanged more than a few words with her directly, though Charles had told him much about her. He did know that she was like him; the way she watched Anna Lightwood—like she was untouchable behind a pane of glass, only to be longed for from afar—was much too familiar. It helped his own cause that she was the Inquisitor’s daughter. Sona would be delighted.

Ariadne had been perfectly proper in accepting his request to dance. They had been silent for the first few bars of music until Charles and Grace twirled by, eliciting an eye roll from Alastair. Ariadne raised an eyebrow at that, a knowing smile playing on her lips. It was easy, after that, to strike up a conversation. They had a mutual contempt for Charles, and gossiping about him came easily. From there, it wasn’t much of a stretch to talk about other things. They chatted mildly about Shadowhunter politics before swiftly moving on to upcoming social events (which they were both looking to avoid). By the end of the song, they were enthusiastically chatting about a library a few blocks away from the Institute that neither of them had been able to go to yet but were both desperately hoping to browse.

“Care to join me for another turn around the room?” Alastair asked, flashing a rare smile.

“Why, of course,” Ariadne replied, taking his hand and allowing him to draw her close as the music started up again. “We have much to discuss if we’re to decline Catherine’s invitation to the park next Friday in favor of allowing ourselves to be lost in the library.”

They did just that. Cordelia was a bit cross with her brother for leaving her to go to the park alone—“You’re not going to be alone, Layla, you’ll still have James and Lucie and all their little friends”—but, after a bit of light bickering, she bid him farewell and slunk off to the waiting Herondale carriage.

Alastair found Ariadne at the library, already with her nose buried in a book. It was the perfect way to start a friendship, he thought later. They spent the day exchanging their favorite books and authors, each leaving with a back-breaking pile when the sun dipped below the horizon. Ariadne proposed they stop for dinner, but Alastair declined, stating he wished to stop the rumor mill before it had a chance to begin. They themselves might know that nothing of that sort could occur between them—it was simply impossible—but the rest of the Enclave did not. Ariadne was quite gracious about it and gave him a kind smile before disappearing down the road toward her house.

After that day, they sought each other out more and more often. Every party and ball found them chatting on the edges of the room. Every dreaded social event found them disappearing to a nearby park or library, anywhere to enjoy each other’s company in peace. Alastair found himself drawn not just to Ariadne’s gentleness but also her startling wit. It was good, he thought, that she so often chose to turn the other cheek when confronted with a tense accusation. If she wanted, she could cut those gossipers down with a few sharp words. It was like looking at an alternate timeline in which Alastair had never gone to the Academy and rather grew up warm and loved. Instead, he had been forced into thick skin and a quick tongue, one that often got ahead of him.

Eventually, every lonely night found them at each other’s doorstep, propriety be damned. Alastair learned to climb the trellis up to Ariadne’s window; he learned to knock three times before ducking his head in preparation for her throwing the window open wide and inviting him in. She always had a robe nearby for nights like this, as well as an empty closet for him to hide in should someone decide to drop by unexpectedly. Ariadne, in turn, learned to keep a stock of Risa’s favorite chocolates; she learned to bribe the maid into letting her steal away up the stairs to Alastair’s room at midnight and not breath a word of it to the other Carstairs. He had an uncanny way of knowing when she would be there. He was always waiting to open the door before she had to knock.

Those nights, so full of loneliness and despair, were the ones when memories came back to haunt them. Those were the nights when Alastair thought about his father, about the Academy, about all the things he convinced himself were his fault. Those were the nights when Ariadne thought about her life in India, about Anna, about all the things she convinced herself she could have done differently. Those were the nights when they silently reminded each other that they weren’t alone, that they deserved better.

Their bond was somewhat unexpected but nevertheless irreplaceable.

They supposed it was only a matter of time before something should change.

---

It was perhaps a month after Cordelia’s engagement party and Alastair was climbing up to Ariadne’s window. His day had been long and fraught with awkward encounters with the Merry Thieves. Thomas was still blatantly ignoring him and Matthew was his usual charming self. James was a bit more tolerable, and Christopher didn’t seem to entirely know what it was they were all upset about, only that he’d better be upset about it too. All Alastair needed, he thought, was someone to tell him he had been trying his best. His mind kept snagging on Thomas’s words. If you come near me or speak to me at any point after this, I will knock you into the Thames.

He reached the top and, light as could be, knocked thrice. He ducked his head but, to his surprise, no answer came. Frowning, he tried again. When Ariadne still did not come to the window, he huffed in frustration and lifted himself up to peer into the room. A light was on, which was a bit odd. Usually, the house had gone to bed by now; it was well after midnight, after all.

It wasn’t until far too late that Alastair realized Ariadne was not alone in her room. He met the steely gray eyes of Grace Blackthorn and nearly let go of the trellis in shock. He’d nearly forgotten she was staying with the Bridgestocks. Grace’s eyes widened, then snapped to Ariadne—whose back was, evidently, turned to the window—then back to Alastair. She stormed to the window, flung it open, and hissed for him to just get inside already.

Once Alastair had pulled himself through the window (a rather unpleasant experience he doubted he’d ever get used to), Grace turned to him and rather looked like she wished to smack him. “Why on earth,” she whispered, voice dripping with rage, “are you crawling through Ariadne’s window at two in the morning?”

It was a fair question, but one he had no desire to answer. “What are you doing in Ariadne’s room at two in the morning?” he deflected, lifting his chin haughtily.

“I had matters to discuss with her,” Grace told him, voice tight. Ariadne rolled her eyes.

“As did I.” Alastair leaned against the bedpost with a casualness he did not feel, crossing his arms and regarding Grace with practiced iciness.

“You had something so important to discuss that it could not wait just a few more hours for proper social calling times?” Grace raised a silver-blonde brow at him. “Well, don’t let me stop you.”

With that, she swept out of the room, through an odd look over her shoulder at Ariadne.

“Do you think she ever gets tired of being so bitter?” Ariadne questioned, then looked apologetically at Alastair. “What I mean is… I suppose she must get lonely. I can’t imagine Charles being good company to her, and she hardly talks to anyone else.”

Alastair considered this. I wouldn’t wish Charles’ company on anyone, he thought for a moment, then caught himself. It was odd, thinking about Charles. For so long he had given his whole heart to loving Charles. Now, that love had twisted into bitterness, but not necessarily because of who Charles was. His brain hurt thinking about it, so he asked, “What was it she needed to discuss with you?

Ariadne shrugged and pulled her robe tighter around herself. “She didn’t get around to it. You got here the same time she did.”

They waited a few days for repercussions, sure that Grace would find some way to use this against them. Ariadne wasn’t sure if Grace had mentioned something to the Inquisitor or not. It would be quite scandalous should it get out that Alastair had been in her bedroom at two in the morning.

Days passed, and nothing happened. It seemed they were in the clear.

The next time they saw Grace was in the park, at a social event they usually would’ve tried to skip. She was there with Charles, who seemed too busy chatting with snobbish Shadowhunters and their parents to notice when Grace slipped away and came over to meet them.

Alastair and Ariadne were standing together by the waterfront. Cordelia had gone off to find Lucie, and Ariadne had come alone. As Grace approached, they both tensed, steeling themselves for some form of blackmail or threat. Instead, she simply nodded politely in greeting and said, “Well, isn’t this a bore.”

Alastair raised an eyebrow. It certainly wasn’t what he’d been expecting. “Indeed it is. And how are you, Grace?”

“Oh.” She waved the question away with a flap of her gloved hand. “Well, what is it you two usually do to get away from events such as this?”

Alastair exchanged a glance with his friend. A knowing smile sat on her lips. He turned to Grace. “We’ll show you.”

---

Sometime between when Grace had left and when she returned, Charles had gone from talking enthusiastically about dreadfully boring political matters with some of the more prominent names of their parents’ generation to sighting exasperatedly at the antics of the Merry Thieves and company, with whom he was now engaged in conversation. From what Grace could tell as she approached, Thomas and Christopher looked like they would rather not be there. Lucie was whispering something in Cordelia’s ear, and the latter was standing dutifully by James. James himself looked rather bored as he interrupted whatever it was Charles was saying to Matthew.

Grace braced herself, took a breath, and stepped up to her fiancé’s side. “Charles?” she said mildly, erasing any hint of emotion from her voice. He looked down at her in surprise. She could feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on her as she continued. “You need not wait for me when you’re finished. I’m departing early.”

Charles’s red brows furrowed. It might’ve been cute. Grace wouldn’t know. “Why is that, dear?”

“Ariadne Bridgestock and Alastair Carstairs invited me to browse a favorite library of theirs,” she said calmly. “I accepted. They’re waiting for me by the carriage now.”

As if in disbelief, the group turned as one and looked over to the Inquisitor’s carriage. Alastair and Ariadne, true to their word, were talking quietly to one another just next to it. Alastair whispered something, his eyebrows raised and a smile on his face. As he spoke, Ariadne tipped her head back in laughter.

Matthew watched the two with barely concealed fury; Thomas looked rather like someone had just slapped him. Grace filed it away, intending to inquire into the reasons of their reactions as soon as she could. Perhaps there was leverage to be found there.

The others largely looked on with mild bemusement. “I didn’t know they were friends,” Lucie said, her voice tinted with surprise. “Do they have an understanding?” she wondered aloud. She turned to Cordelia. “Did you know?”

Cordelia looked hesitant to answer. Her eyes were on her brother, and they were softened by love. Something snagged in Grace’s mind. That feeling dancing in Cordelia’s eyes was all too familiar. It was how Grace felt when she thought of Jesse.

Grace interjected before Cordelia could say anything. “I shouldn’t leave them waiting. Goodbye, Charles.” She nodded a farewell to the others and made for the carriage, never once letting her posture sad as they burned holes into her back with their stares.

---

It was a bit different with Grace there. Ariadne hadn’t quite decided that it was a bad different, thought. She was willing to take a chance on the girl, foolish as it might prove her to be.

Alastair clearly already regretted the decision to invite her along as the awkward silence in the carriage dragged on. He set his jaw, crossed his arms, and stared determinedly out the window—telltale signs that he was retreating into himself again. Ariadne sighed, searching for something to stay to the girl beside her.

“Do you have a favorite book, Grace?” she finally asked politely. It was proper enough, and they were going to the library after all.

Grace considered the question for a long moment before she responded. “I’ve always loved The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. Have you read it?”

“I have not,” Ariadne told her. “I’ll look for it when we get to the library. They have so many books, I’m sure they’ll have it somewhere.”

The silence began to creep up on them again. “Well,” Grace said, breaking it, “what about you, Ariadne? What is your favorite book?”

Ariadne brightened. “The Prisoner of Zenda. If you’d like to read it, I have a copy of my own at home—you needn’t worry about finding it at the library.”

Grace dipped her head in a nod, and Ariadne spied the faint beginnings of a smile on her face. Grace turned to Alastair, who was still pointedly not looking at either of them. “And you?”

A muscle twitched in Alastair’s jaw. Ariadne could almost see the conflict raging in his eyes. This had been his idea, she wanted to remind him. They were giving Grace a chance. The tension went out of his shoulders as he flicked his dark eyes to Grace’s. “Machiavelli’s The Prince.”

Grace looked rather pleased by his answer. “That one I’ve read. I quite enjoyed it.”

This was the right thing to say. The corner of Alastair’s mouth twitched upward in pleasant surprise as he engaged her in a conversation about the book and its contents. Ariadne listened, warm happiness spreading in her chest. She hadn’t read the book—it was on her list—but listening to the two of them talk about it with such enthusiasm was enough to melt the tense atmosphere she’d been so worried would settle over them all. Ariadne was reminded suddenly of the night she and Alastair had met and danced and talked and talked.

The conversation turned so that she could join back in, and by the time they reached the library, they were all chatting as though they were long-lost friends. Perhaps they were in another life.

Time passed like sand slipping through fingers, smooth and fast and easier than it should have been. Ariadne knew much of their conversation was close to the surface. Grace was still not quite trustworthy enough for anything deeper. She was all tangled up with James and Charles and now Cordelia as well—Ariadne didn’t blame Alastair for being a bit chary of interacting with her. Still… a part of Ariadne felt like maybe Grace could grow to be a close friend like Alastair had.

i hope you guys enjoyed! i love this idea so much, they all deserve happiness and i wish they could find it together.

tagging @ohcoolnice @stxr-thxif @foxglove-airmid @littlx-songbxrd @doitforthecarstairs @itsdaughterofthemoon @imherongraystairstrash bc i hope y’all like this lol. send me an ask if you’d like to be tagged in future updates <3

#this is THE longest fic i've ever written and i'm a bit nervous lol so pls tell me ur thoughts #also lemme know if the ao3 link doesn't work #tlh #the last hours #alastair carstairs #ariadne bridgestock #grace blackthorn #tlh fanfic #artie tries to write #chain of gold #chain of iron #coi #chog #coi spoilers #kinda? eventually. i'm just paranoid.

97 notes · View notes