#in modern au i imagine her giving The Best Mom Hugs at Pride

[change-the-rules]

look violet bridgerton is so desperate for All her children to find a love match she asked colin if he had any friends with an interest in tidying dogs bc of that pamphlet eloise picked up on her whistledown hunt you cannot tell me she wouldn't accept elosie loving a woman even if that woman was cressida cowper

[westiec]

June 17: Chengxian 💜🖤💕

childhood friends to lovers/QPPs, ace Jiang Cheng, bi & aro Wei Wuxian, modern AU

(A/N: If you're wondering about a certain other someone, he will have a wonderful, full life of his own in Suzhou in this AU but is not in this story. 💙 There are some brief mentions of offscreen ace-antagonism, not by anyone we know.)

Read on ao3

Jiang Cheng had been Wei Ying's best friend in the whole world for his entire life.

Okay. Well, not quite his entire life, but certainly since Wei Ying’s parents moved to California when he was little little, which was about as far back as Wei Ying could remember anyway. Wei Ying’s baba and Jiang Cheng’s baba had grown up in Wuhan together and been best friends when they were kids, so naturally, when Wei Ying’s family moved into the same neighborhood as the Jiangs, it made perfect sense for Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng to become best friends too.

It was Jiang Cheng who had taught Wei Ying that he didn't have to be afraid of dogs, by introducing him to Princess, Jasmine, and Lil' Love. Lil' Love lived up to her name, coming and quietly sitting in all her fluffy glory on Wei Ying’s lap every time he went over to play.

It was also Jiang Cheng who Wei Ying got drunk with for the first time. They snuck booze from the cabinet where Wei Ying’s parents kept it and laughed at the faces each other made with every shot until they stopped tasting the harsh burn, and then laughing more just because.

(Wei Ying’s mom had not laughed, not at the time, when the two teens had been sick as anything the next morning, but instead made them a gloriously greasy late breakfast and gave them lots of advice about proper hydration.

Then she told Jiang Cheng’s mom and let her scold them.)

It was Jiang Cheng who came out first, their first semester in college, when he told Wei Ying he didn't think he wanted to have sex with anyone, ever, and asked if Wei Ying thought that meant no one would ever want to date him. Wei Ying hugged him tight and told him he didn't know about everyone out there, but he knew Jiang Cheng was the best guy in the world and would be an awesome boyfriend, and he'd fight anyone who said differently.

Jiang Cheng found a group on campus for third culture LBGT kids, and Wei Ying went with him, as a supportive ally.

Which was how Wei Ying figured out that he was not just a supportive ally.

In listening to the others talk about orientation and identity and attraction and cultural expectations, Wei Ying realized that what he'd always assumed was normal—finding all kinds of people physically attractive, regardless of their gender—was actually his bisexuality. So that was kind of cool.

"So yeah, now we can be queer together!" Wei Ying said, when he excitedly shared his newfound realization with Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng snorted. "Yeah, 'all' and 'nothing,'" he joked.

It was Jiang Cheng who'd helped him practice what to say to his parents when he wanted to change his major at the end of sophomore year, and Jiang Cheng who reminded him to eat and sleep and "take a fucking break, Wei Ying," those next couple semesters when he took way too many hours so he wouldn't have to rack up a whole extra year's worth of student loans to finish his new degree plan.

It was Jiang Cheng who graduated first, on a gorgeous blue-skyed sunny day in May, and Jiang Cheng who suggested Wei Ying keep living with him at his new apartment, so he wouldn't have to try to find a one-semester lease until he finished in December.

(They renewed the lease together every time.)

Jiang Cheng ribbed him playfully each time Wei Ying met someone new, but he was always there each times things fizzled out after a few months for reasons that never quite made sense to Wei Ying.

Jiang Cheng occasionally dated too, and Wei Ying was glad he never did have to fight anybody—though he did drive Jiang Cheng to the emergency room the time he came home with split knuckles from punching a guy who, "seemed to think I didn't know my own mind about certain things."

But dating sucked for everybody, right? It wasn't like Wei Ying or Jiang Cheng were in any hurry to settle down and do the whole spouse and kids thing or whatever. Wei Ying tried to imagine it and just... couldn't, though the image of Jiang Cheng with a baby was admittedly pretty cute.

~

It was not Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Yanli, a few months after she proposed to her girlfriend and they started planning their wedding, who Wei Ying finally asked, "Yanli-jie, how does a person decide someone else is their person?"

Jiang Yanli looked across the room to where Jiang Cheng was showing her soon-to-be-wife how to put side spin on a billiards ball and smiled. "I think you just know," she said. "You meet someone and you get to know them, spend time together, then one day you realize you love them and want to build the rest of your life with them."

Wei Ying wrinkled his nose. "I dunno if it works that way for me. Just some random person? I've never met anyone I can imagine wanting to live with all the time. Well, besides—huh..." he cut off suddenly and darted a look over at Jiang Yanli, who just calmly sipped her drink.

"Have you ever told him that?" she asked, after a moment where Wei Ying reassessed his entire life and dating history. "I think he might appreciate hearing it."

"I... huh. Yanli-jie, you're kinda blowing my mind here," he complained.

"I gathered," she said wryly, before fixing him with a smile that made all the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Of course, I trust," she told him, "that I do not need to explain to you of all people how very dearly I hold my didi's happiness and well-being."

He swallowed and raised three fingers in the salute he'd used ever since the summer that—hah—he and Jiang Cheng had decided as kids that they would make their own oath of brotherhood like the heroes of their favorite show. "I, Wei Ying, swear to you that I would kick my own ass before I did anything to hurt him."

Jiang Yanli leaned over to knock her shoulder against his and nodded. "That's what I thought."

~

Turned out, dating Jiang Cheng didn't suck at all.

It felt easy in a way Wei Ying’s past dates never had, less like trying to keep up with a game whose rules everybody knew except him, more like... well, like spending time with his best friend in the whole world, but on purpose. There was also a tension in the back of Wei Ying’s mind that seemed to have lifted, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that had gone.

It was Jiang Cheng who helped him figure it out.

"I think it's that now I'm able to count on this. On us," he said, when Wei Ying brought it up. "Before, whenever you went out with someone new, I wondered if this would be the time you'd find someone to fall in love with and leave me behind."

"Aww, Chengcheng! I would never!"

Jiang Cheng huffed and rolled his eyes, but his cheeks were pink. "Well, I know that now," he said, a pleased little smile breaking through his attempts at a scowl.

"As long as you're sure—" Wei Ying began, still getting used to thinking about himself with the word "aromantic." Still a so very sure that Jiang Cheng deserved to be fallen in love with.

"Hey!" Jiang Cheng cut him off. "None of that. I know you. And I know you don't see it this way, but I personally think it's pretty damn romantic that you choose to love me, on purpose."

"I simply have exquisite taste in life partners," Wei Ying sniffed, embarassed the way he always got when Jiang Cheng declared something he'd done "romantic."

"You do," Jiang Cheng agreed. "Someone told me a long time ago I was the best guy in the world and would make an awesome boyfriend, and that he would fight anyone who said differently."

Wei Ying laughed. "That's you and your sister I've promised to kick my own ass if I ever break your heart, then. Guess I'll just have to keep you forever."

"Damn right, you will," Jiang Cheng agreed, grinning smug and happy and breathtakingly beautiful. Wei Ying leaned across the couch to give him a sweet, closed-mouth kiss—the kind Jiang Cheng had shyly admitted he actually did like, a lot—and smiled too, at how lucky he'd gotten to be with his best friend in the whole world for his entire life.

🖤💜

Today's (extremely long!) thread was inspired by this WONDERFUL art of ace Jiang Cheng and bi & aro Wei Ying! Go give Midori some love on Twitter!

I spent a nonzero amount of time googling to double check when various terms and flags came into vogue, so if you're wondering, WWX & JC were in college in the early 2000s, before the ace and aro flags were designed. By the time they get themselves figured out, they can get their cute wristbands.

...which, yes, means these dingdongs spent about a solid decade living together before realizing that was what they wanted to do forever. 😉

This also means Jiang Yanli and her unnamed wife here are getting married between when California started recognizing same-sex marriages in 2008 and the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in 2015! THIS SHIT'S RECENT!!!

Happy Pride, thank you for reading, check out more LGBTQIA+ sweetness on my #PrideMonthSnippets Masterpost!

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

25 Days of Ficmas - Day 23

25 Days of Ficmas Masterlist/ AO3 Link

Kylo Ren x Reader, Female Pronouns, Modern AU

Prompt: Meeting your boyfriend/girlfriend’s family for the first time at Christmas

A/N: This isn’t a triplet AU, but I’m still going to refer to him as Ben since it’s a modern AU. I’m also including my OC Lana Solo since 2019 is going to be my year to love my OCs.

Word Count: 2.8 K

           “Ben?”

           “Hmm?”

           “You’re not nervous, are you?”

           Your boyfriend straightened in his seat, his eyes never leaving the road. “No, I’m fine.”

           You smiled at the attempt, but you saw through him in an instant. You placed a reassuring hand on his knee, giving it a light squeeze.

           “I promise, I won’t do anything embarrassing.  I can be very charming when I want to be.”

           “I’m not worried about that,” he dismissed, as if the very idea of laughable.

           “Then what are you worried about?”

           He opened his mouth, undoubtedly to make the same “I’m fine” claim but stopped himself.  You had caught him, and he knew you weren’t about to let go.

           “It’s just…look, I haven’t exactly brought home a girlfriend before and I’m not sure how they’re going to react.  I don’t want you to get weirded out.”

           “You think your parents are going to scare me away?” you asked, skeptically.

           “No, that’s not…”  He let out a sigh, taking the time to gather his thoughts. “We’ve been working things out the last few years, but things are still tense.  I don’t want you caught in the middle of it, especially around Christmas.”

           Alright, you’d give him that.  Families could be tough even at the best of times, and while you still hadn’t gotten the full story, you knew enough to understand his hesitation.  Still the fact he had asked you to come at all was a testament to how much better things had gotten, whether he realized it or not.

           “I’m a big girl Ben,” you said, gently. “I can handle it.  Besides, you said Lana was bringing Poe with her. If things go south, I’ll just barricade myself the kitchen with him and a bottle of wine.”  

           That got at least a chuckle, for which you were grateful. You had met his twin and her boyfriend a couple of months after you started dating. Poe was easily the friendliest man you had ever met. He entire being gave off an easy charm which, paired with a killer smile, would give just about anybody heart palpitations.  Luckily for significant others across the world, he and Lana where joined at the hip.

          Lana felt the exact opposite of Poe in so many ways. The best word you could use to describe her was, intimidating. She was about his height and built like an MMA fighter with an aura of intensity which could rival her brother. One would think her prosthetic right arm would somehow undercut the persona, but all it did was leave the image of Lana taking off the limb and beating somebody to death with it. She certainly took longer to get used to, but over the time you had gotten to know her, the love she had for her brother and Poe became obvious; even if she didn’t express it in conventional ways.  You were at least assured to have one other Solo in your corner.

           You and Ben pulled up to the house, giving you a moment to admire it.  You sometimes forgot Ben came from money.  When you first met him, you were convinced he only owned two black shirts and a pair of jeans.  Money made him uncomfortable.  The only exception being when he took you out for a nice meal. Seeing the mansion that was his childhood home was a shock reminder who exactly his mother was.

           “Don’t tell me you’re nervous,” Ben said, taking you out of your thoughts. His tone was teasing, but you could still detect the small bit of concern underneath.

           “You wish Solo,” you said, sounding braver than you felt.  “Let’s do this.”

            The pair of you walked side by side up to the door, his hand in yours the entire time.  You weren’t sure if it was for his benefit or yours.  He rang the doorbell and second later, you were met with a familiar face.

“What up nerd,” Lana greeted.  “About time you showed up. Hey Y/N?”  

           “Merry Christmas to you too, asshole,” Ben said, dryly.

           “It’s good to see you Lana,” you added.

           “Likewise,” she said, before turning her head inward.  “Mom! Dad! Ben and Y/N are here!”  She then looked back to the pair of you. “Poe’s already in the kitchen.”

           “Is Uncle Luke here?”

           She shook her head.  “No, not yet.”

           Ben visibly sighed in relief.  The tension leaving his shoulders as you entered the house.  

           The inside was just about what you could expect given the exterior.  The door immediately opened into a large, high ceiling living room complete with fireplace and overstuffed bookshelves. To your right, you could see the set up to a beautiful dining table.  A little ways down were the hints of a huge kitchen, and stairway.  While it was intimidating, there was no denying how lived in it felt and comfortable it really felt.

           “Ben! You made it!”

           You blinked in surprise to see a small older woman coming your way.  You knew, be default, it must be Ben’s mother, but you were also a little thrown off guard.  You had imagined a tall, black haired, square shouldered woman in a designer suit.  What you got was a five foot nothing greying brown-haired woman in a Christmas sweater who looked even smaller in comparison to her son.  One look into her eyes though, you knew you had the right Leia Organa-Solo.

           She hugged her son, which he returned, stooping down to embrace her. She then turned to you, with a kind smile and a critical eye.

           “You must be Y/N,” she said, offering her hand.

           You met her gaze straight on, taking her hand in a firm shake.  ��It’s nice to finally meet you Senator Organa.”

           “Please, call me Leia.  You’re with family now.”  She then looked to Ben with a sideways smile. “I like this one.”

           Ben’s ears went visibly red, but the pride in his smile could not be denied.

           “Han!” Leia called.  “Get in here!”

           “I’m coming! I’m coming!”

           Unlike his mother, Han Solo looked exactly as you pictured him.  Tall, a little rough around the edges, but still approachable.  You imagined, individually, you never would had thought Han or Leia were Ben’s parents or Lana’s for that matter.  But, looking at them all standing side by side, it was obvious.

           “Hey Ben,” Han said, pulling him into one of those one-armed guy hugs.

           “Hey Dad,” Ben replied, stiffly.

           There was a lingering air of awkwardness after, which Han tried to cover by addressing you.

           “And you must be the girlfriend,” he said. “How’d that happen?”

           “Han!” Leia snapped.

           “Y/N,” you said, quickly.  “And trust me, I’ve been asking myself that same question.” You gave Ben’s hand a small squeeze.  His gaze turned to yours, and any discomfort he felt at the comment melted away.

           “You two are disgusting,” Lana said, dryly.

           This time Leia resorted to violence, pinching her daughter hard on the arm.

           “Ow!” she snapped.  “What? They are.”

           Leia rolled her eyes, opting to drop the subject before looking to you. “C’mon, dinner is almost ready.”

           Leia lead you into the dining room where you could see some of the dishes were already laid on the table.  

           “Now sit down and make yourself comfortable.  Ben, Lana, help your father get the rest of the food out.  Poe! Get out of the kitchen.  You’ve done enough already.”

           It was then her phone rang.

           “I’m really sorry Y/N, I have to take this.”

           You waved her off, assuring her it was no problem.  She smiled in thanks, taking the call into the other room. You then sat down, just as Poe entered.

           “I figured you need it,” he said, handing you a glass of wine.

           “Thanks.” You took a sip, and began to relax.  You hadn’t realized how tense you were until that moment.  

           “You feeling alright,” he asked.

           “Depends, is it always like this?”

           He shrugged.  “Eh, only 8 times out of 10.  You get used to it.”

           You breathed out a small laugh. “Then I’ll be fine.”

           Ben and Lana walked out then, balancing a variety of dished on their arms.

           “Do you need help,” you asked, in concern.

           “We’ve got this,” Lana said.  “Two trips are for quitters.”

           To her credit, neither of them dropped a single dish.  You always suspected the two of them were raised by ninjas.  It was the only way to explain their reflexes despite their large frames. As soon as everything was on the table, Ben took a seat beside you.

           Without prompting, you leaned forward, and placed a gentle kiss to his lips, leaving a smile in its wake.  

           The only thing to ruin it, was the fake gagging coming from Lana.

           “Fuck off Lana,” Ben bit out.

           “If only I could,” she lamented.  You knew it was meant to sound sincere, but the small smile on her face made it impossible.

           “Oh leave them alone,” Poe teased. “It could be worse.”

           “How?”

           “They could be doing this.” He then wrapped his arms around Lana and started attacking her neck with kisses.  Lana let out a yelp half way between surprise and a laugh before quickly pushing him away with a punch on the shoulder for good measure.

           “Screw you Dameron.”

           Poe only laughed, rubbing his arm slightly as he did so. The smiles were short lived, however, as Leia re-entered the room.

           “Looks like it’s just going to be us tonight,” she said, trying her best to hide her disappointment.  “Wedge just called and said he and Luke are actually going to his family’s tonight.”

           Nobody said anything to that.  Lana and Ben’s faces went blank and there were general nods of understanding.  Leia didn’t linger, exiting to no doubt tell Han. Ben’s blank look didn’t leave him.  Carefully, you reached out, taking his hand in yours.

           “Are you okay,” you asked quietly.

           You still didn’t know the whole story of the Solo’s estrangement.  Ben insisted it wasn’t fully his story to tell. But seeing him like this, it was obvious where the rift had come from.

           He didn’t say anything to you for a moment, instead, looking to his sister. 

          Her own features betrayed their own conflict.  The air of confidence seemed to have been ripped from her leaving a person you didn’t recognize. Her hand drifted toward her prosthetic, which Poe caught, giving it a gentle squeeze.  She returned the gesture and looked to Ben.  

          You had heard about twins being able to read each other’s minds, but had never put much stock into it.  It seemed to you any siblings growing up in the same house would be able to understand each other better than most.  But, seeing them in that moment, the idea didn’t seem so far-fetched.  You could only guess what emotions and images they exchanged, but it brought each of them comfort.  And by the time their parents joined, all tension had disappeared.

          The rest of the evening went off without a hitch.  There were the initial formalities.  Han and Leia asked about your job, how you and Ben met, and all the usual girlfriend questions. Ben looked ready to jump to your defense at any moment, but it soon became obvious his parents had absolutely nothing bad to say to you. That was when you finally started to get the old childhood dirt on him.

          “Are you kidding me?” Ben exclaimed. “You were a cliché jock.”

          “At least I didn’t start an emo band,” Lana shot back.

          “You were in a band?” you asked, holding back your laughter.  The image of a lanky fifteen-year-old with black skinny jeans, and guy liner popped into your head and wouldn’t let go.

          “We’re not talking about that.”

          Lana ignored him, the smirk on her face growing. “The Knights of Ren.  His stage name of Kylo.”

          “Kylo?”

          “Can we please just drop it?”

          “Were you any good?” you asked, now getting really curious.

          “They were shit,” Lana answered.

          “We weren’t that bad.”

          “You were pretty bad, son,” Han said, with a shrug.

          Ben opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself.  The look on his mother’s face and the raised eyebrow from Lana meant he had no allies in this fight.

          “Okay, we were shit,” Ben admitted, with a grumble. “Now can we never talk about this again?”

          “Make him show you tape they recorded,” Lana whispered conspiratorially.

          “You recorded a tape?”

          “More like a mixtape,” he corrected.

          “You mean shit-tape.  Up top.” Lana raised her hand for a high five.  Poe started to raise his hand to meet hers.

          “Don’t,” Ben warned.

          Poe shrugged. “I can’t leave her hanging, man.”

          They high fived, causing Ben’s eyes to narrow.

          “You’re dead to me, Dameron.”

            Ben got his revenge, letting it slip some of the fights Lana got into at school that their parents didn’t know about.  And just to make things even, Leia recounted some of the shenanigans that left both twins blushing with embarrassment, begging for her to stop.  Han, meanwhile seemed perfectly content to watch things unfold, taking the playful jab at each of this kids in turn.  Playful ribbing seemed to be the style of the Solos, one you couldn’t help but enjoy.

           Ever so slowly, everything began to slow down.  The last of the wine was sipped away, and everyone was just a little tired. Poe had even gotten a comfortable spot laying on Lana’s shoulder.  You kept expecting her to shrug him off, but she looked just as happy to have him there as he was.

           “I think it’s time we head out,” Ben said, getting up from the table. “Thanks for dinner Mom.”

           Leia smiled, meeting him with a hug.  “Of course, dear.  You know you can come home any time.  It was lovely to meet you Y/N, I can’t wait to see you again.”

           “Likewise, and thank you again, for inviting me.”

           She nodded in response, giving you a hug as well.  

           You then made your goodbyes to Han.  The small hug exchanged by father and son wasn’t nearly as awkward as before, even if neither of them looked each other clearly in the eye afterward.  To you surprise, Han actually hugged you as well.

           “You’re good with him. Thanks for getting him home.”

           He said it gently, in a tone meant only for you.  You were taken aback but felt a warmth in your chest all the same.

           Lana didn’t get up from her seat as you gave your final goodbyes.  Poe was still resting on her shoulder, and she didn’t want to disturb him. It was actually rather sweet.

            You made to leave, but not before Ben got in one last word.

           “Hey Lana.”

           “What?”

           “You’re both disgusting.”

           She had no verbal response, just a middle finger in his direction.

           “Lana!”

           “Sorry Mom.”

           You let out a laugh following Ben back outside.  His arm wrapped out your waist as you walked back to the car, holding to close to him against the night air.

           “As bad as you were expecting?” you teased.

           “Not by half,” he said, with a begrudging smile. “They really like you.”

           “I like them.  A little rough around the edges, but they’re good people.”

           He nodded in agreement, seemingly content to leave the conversation there.  But, there was still an elephant in the room you had yet to address.

           “You know, if things keep going well, I am going to have to meet Luke eventually,” you said, carefully.

           Ben took a breath but made no protest as he nodded his head.  “Yeah, I know.”

           “What happened there?”

           He didn’t say anything for a long while.  His eyes became distant and his features mirror the expression he had back at the table.  You wondered if you would get an answer at all.  

           “I’ll have to see if it’s alright with Lana,” he finally said.  “It involves her too.”

           “Does it have something to do with how she lost her arm?”

           He didn’t ask how you guessed.  Perhaps it was always obvious.  Either way, you were right.  

          “It’s a part of it,” he said.  “But…yeah, it’s a part of it.”

          “We don’t have to talk about it, now,” you promised. “Just know, I plan to stick around.  I’m going to get all your secrets out of you eventually.”

          He smiled at that, leaning down to kiss you, gently.  “Thank you.”

          You weren’t about to let him go.  Wrapping you arms around his neck, you pulled him into another, longer kiss. He caught on in an instant, pulling you flush against him.  Things had shifted now. They were only going to get more complicated, but as you held each other, you knew it was going to be worth it.

          You pulled away to breath, resting your forehead against his.  

          “So, where did you put that mixtape?”

          He let out a groan, pulling away just enough to press a kiss against your forehead.  You couldn’t help but laugh. 

          Yes, it was definitely worth it.

[queer-theatre-ace]

Daily Reminders of Love Pt. 2

Main Character(s)/Ship: Elmer/Relmer

Era: Cannon Era | Modern Era

Theme(s):Honestly? My literature teacher would be so mad cause I can’t think of even one theme. (love is NOT a theme!)

AUs: N/A

Word Count: 1446

Part one here

~

Elmer continued to ignore the texts that were flooding his phone. The time was 9:15 and he hadn’t been able to bring himself to send a reminder. He hadn’t left bed all day. There was a knock on his bedroom door. Elmer didn’t answer.

“Elm?” His older sister, Elista’s, voice called softly. She opened the door. “I brought you dinner.” She made her way over to Elmer’s bedside. Elmer heard her set a plate on his desk. “Did you not tell us about a girl or something.”

At that comment, Elmer finally rolled over to face her. “What?” His voice cracked.

Elista rolled her eyes at him. “You seem heartbroken. Literally everyone’s home for dinner and you wouldn’t even come greet Ellie or Eemett. And we all know they’re your favorite siblings.”

Elmer just felt his stomach sink more. What if he’d hurt Eleanor and Mett’s feelings. He just hadn’t had the energy to get up. “It’s not a girl, Lista.”

Elista scoffed. “It has to be, Elm.”

Elmer pulled his blanket tighter around him. “I meant it’s not heartbreak.”

“Keep telling us that, bud.” Elista commented. “At least eat, okay?”

Elmer just nodded and watched Elista leave the room. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes later that Emma came in.

Emma always walked with such a confident flair. Elista had said Ellie and Mett were his favorite siblings, but, that was a lie. Emma was his favorite. He just never knew how to show that to her.

“Lista said something, didn’t she?” Emma asked, pulling out his desk chair and collapsing into it. Elmer nodded. “She’s out there saying it must be a girl. It doesn’t have to be a girl to be heartbreak. Damn, sometimes I wonder how Mom raised all of us and only a few of us have common sense.” Emma grinned at Elmer.

Elmer sat up. “What do you mean, Em?”

Emma laughs, “I mean the fact that Lista, Ezra, and Elizabeth are so hateful, that Ellie, Mett, and Eadaline are at least supportive, and that Ezekiel and I are on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Elmer, I bet it’s hard because you’ve only ever really got Elista around. Which sucks cause I live at home but I sleep all day and work all night so I couldn’t talk to you about any of this. But whether this is heartbreak, just not from a girl, or something else. I want you to know you’re not alone.”

The blanket dropped from Elmer’s shoulders. “Really,” He whispered. “Em? Really?”

Emma placed a hand on Elmer’s shoulder. “Really. I’m Aro-Ace, so I can’t exactly help with what you might be going through, because I don’t necessarily understand it. But I’m willing to listen and try to give advice.”

Elmer flung his arms around Emma’s neck. Emma hugged him back.

“I’d stay and talk, but I’ve got work tonight, Elm. I’m sorry.” Emma pulled away from the hug. She picked up Elmer’s phone, (That had continued to explode with notifications while the two were talking,) and handed it to him. “Maybe you should see who’s worried about you?”

“Y-yeah. Maybe I should.” Elmer glanced down at his phone, the screen lit up as another text came through. He looked back up at Emma. “I love you, Em.”

Emma gave him a lopsided grin. “I know you do. I’m obviously your best sibling. Now go- be gay, do crimes.” She saluted and walked out of his room, closing the door behind her.

Elmer looked back down at his phone. It lit up again and he scrolled through his notifications. Most of them were from Race. Surprisingly.

‘Hey,’ Elmer sends the text to Race before going back to read everything Race sent. Before he could even start, his phone started ringing. Race was calling him. Race never called people.

Elmer answered the phone, “Race-”

“Oh my god, Elmie, I was terrified! Don’t do that!” Race said in a rush, trying to sound angry but Elmer heard the sigh of relief.

“Do what?” Elmer asked, genuinely confused.

The thud was muted but Elmer assumed Race kicked his bedpost. The way he did when he was annoyed, hurt, or scared. “Scare me! I thought- I thought- Elmie you scared me okay!”

“But, I haven’t talked to you all day?” “Exactly! Damnit Elmie even when we don’t talk you always send a reminder before nine. You send it earlier in the day if you know you’ll be busy that night! And I didn’t get one! I didn’t. . .I didn’t get one. And I was worried something happened to you.” Race is silent for a moment and Elmer heard the muffled sound of Race collapsing onto his bed. “God, Elmie.”

Elmer felt the pit in his stomach sink again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“Wait, no- damnit. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad Elmie.” Race sighs again and Elmer can almost imagine him running a hand through his hair. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You’re okay right?”

Elmer heard a door slam closed over the phone. He sound of muffled traffic. “I mean, I guess?” Elmer paused. “No. No not really.”

“You need to talk about it?”

Elmer shook his head, an automatic reaction, “No. I mean. I don’t know.”

“Well then, I’m gonna distract you for now. M’kay?”

“Okay.”

“So Tommy- shit I don’t know what today is for ‘em. We’ll go with Tommy then. So Tommy is hosting a table at pride this upcoming week. A bunch of us are planning on going. I don’t think anyone’s brought it up to you cause we don’t know where ya stand because you always get quiet when we talk about stuff like that. But you’re welcome to come. Even if you’re just an ally-”

“I’m Pan, Race.”

The other end of the phone is silent. Elmer worries he’s scared Race away.

“Really?” Race asks in a whisper.

“Yeah.” Elmer answers.

“Even with everything Elista says?”

“Just because she’s my sister, it doesn't mean I wouldn’t have common sense even if I was straight.” Elmer blurts, somewhat quoting Emma.

“Yeah, yeah, I mean- of course that makes sense.” Race stammers out. “Hey- Medda’s calling me. Can I put you on hold for a second.”

“Sure.” Elmer whispers. He sets his phone down, putting it on speaker. He grabs the plate of dinner Elista brought in and manages to eat some.

“Hey- I’m back.” Race says breathlessly,a few minutes later, almost a little like he’s holding back tears.

Elmer quickly put his phone back to his ear. “Hey.” He says.

“Are you busy?”

“Well- I’m supposed to be but I wanna get out.”

Elmer hears the doorbell ring.

“You want a milkshake or hot chocolate from the diner?”

“Milkshakes are nice.”

He hears Zek yell, “I’ve got it!”

“I’ll buy you one.”

“Really?” “Elmer! It’s for you!” Ezekiel calls back.

“Really.” Elmer hears race say through the phone and he almost believes from the front door.

Elmer rounds the corner and the phone beeps, signaling it was hung up. He can’t be made though- Race is standing in the doorway.

“Congrats. You made him get out of bed, AND smile.” Zek comments.

Race laughs. “I heard my friend wasn’t feeling great, we couldn’t have our resident sunshine boy feeling sad and not having anyone to help him.”

Elmer’s heart skips a beat. “Race-”

“Now, I owe Elmer a milkshake at the diner. So, he’s getting that milkshake to feel better.”

Elmer hadn’t even realized he was walking closer to the door until Race grabs his hand. “Sorry, I’m stealing him for this.”

“As long as he’s smiling,” Ezekiel laughs, “See you later, Elm.” His older brother practically pushes him out the door and closes it before Elmer can protest.

Then, they’re sitting in the diner. Race with his fries and Elmer with his favorite chocolate milkshake.

Race leans forward and dips a fry in Elmer’s shake. “I broke up with Albert.”

Elmer looks at him, wide-eyed.

“We both kinda jumped into it.” Race says, “We realized we just didn’t like one another that way. We’re best friends. Plus, I found out I might have a shot with the guy I’ve been crushing on for forever.” He’s looking right at Elmer as he says all this. Elmer thinks his heart has stopped.

“Really?” Elmer whispers.

“Really.” Race says reaching for Elmer’’s hand.

Elmer lets him take it. “Daily reminder I love you,” he whispers.

“Daily reminder I love you too, Elmie.”

~

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