#ref: lale x lucas

[writermuses]

Closed starter for @xwhiskeymuses

At three weeks on the job, Lale was taking on as many hours as she could and any call out was a call in for her. This was exactly how she'd ended up as the host of the 'make' station for story time at the library. It was probably for the best as she was still self conscious about how she said some words and didn't have the food skills for the snack station. At least with a little heads up, she managed to read the story time book, How the Stars Came to Be, and came up with the idea that the make station would have paper dolls to make in various dancing positions and construction paper, glitter pens, and actual star shaped glitter for all their night sky gluing desires.

The group was small to start with, but after the reading most of the kids lingered at the snack station. Lale stood, arms wrapped around herself as she faced the very obvious rejection of a bunch of children. The kids parents stood and sat around various parts of the library - or maybe they were nannies, but either way, Lale stood there feeling judged for being ignored. After most ate the trickled out looking for books or leaving the library completely, ignoring the maker station. That was until a very adorable little girl came up with a badge reading 'Isla, 9'. Lale's face lit up, even if time for the event was almost up. "Well hi there, is it eye-la or is-la?" Pointing to her own name tag, "I'm La-lay, not L-ale." That got a giggle out of the kid as they sat down. "How about you make your night sky and I'll color the ballerina to look just like you?" Just then, a massive shadow hovered over the table, "Hi there, eager to play with some glitter too?"

[writermuses]

[writermuses]

@xwhiskeymuses

[writermuses]

📖 for what my muse would write about yours in their diary. (Aubrianna, Nora.. and/or anyone else you think would keep a diary)

💌 for a letter my muse would write to yours. (Nathaniel, Lelantos, and Beatriz)

📨 for a text my muse would send to yours. (Lelantos, Joseph, and Rhett)

👪 for what my muse would say to your muse’s child about them. (Maximillian, Lale, and Beatriz)

📖 - Nora: I can't even believe I was scared about telling Mom and Dad about Mason. I should've known they would love him because he loves me. The way Cara and Mase could talk about law school hadn't even crossed my mind as something they'd obviously be able to have in common. I was so worried about them being overprotective or worried about an age gap. Nope! Dad pulled me into the kitchen all 'that man really loves you' and when I looked up... sheesh! Mason was just there looking at me, too. Like way to sweep me off my feet, blue eyes. I'm gonna marry this man. //the last sentence is underlined at least three times with a little heart for the 'i' on 'this'

📖 - Aubrianna: Three large bubbles fill the page labeled: BODY, MIND, SOUL. Body reads: I can still feel his hands on the back of my neck, the way he reached under my hair and rubbed away the tension while he listened to me talk about my long shift at the hospital. My body hurts— nothing that can't be fixed with some stretching, but I find myself thinking that I wish it ached for another reason. Mind reads: Finished the book of poems that Jasper lent me and I have placed pink, yellow, and blue post-its in a bunch of its pages with little notes for him. Pink for the romantic quotes that reminded me of him. Yellow for the happy quotes that I found inspiring or questions the poem left me with. Then blue for memories I haven't shared with him yet. I doubt he'll be able to read my chicken scratch, but I'm just glad he's sharing things he loves with me. Can't wait to read what he's writing down while I'm reading. Soul reads: I am grateful that this man is in my life, reminding me to laugh and love and breathe! Every morning I'm up with a smile, excited to live through every day. I was by no means unfulfilled or depressed, but sharing my life with him is just... technicolor.

💌 - Nathaniel: Katie Bird, I hope your first day of school is exciting and fun. I'm sure all of your students will love you, even when you say their weird names wrong. Also, I promise that we won't put that weird name energy on our own little birds... whenever that happens. Hope the kids aren't allergic to flowers because I won't apologize for sending these to you. Suckers! All my love, Sparky

💌 - Lelantos: My very soon to be wife, When you proposed to me I stupidly thought you would change your mind as we hit those 'bases' we missed along the way. That's not to say I didn't feel this pull to you when we met or that it hadn't grown stronger with every kiss or 'base'. You're my best friend, my girl, my love. Now you'll be my wife. Thank you for promising the rest of your days. I give you this gift on our wedding day, a little something for you, the strongest and smartest woman I know. I promise our love will remain resilient, Lelantos

💌 - Beatriz: An excerpt from one of the letters she never sent while he was in rehab... I wish you could hear their laughter today. I had to hide for a few minutes to pull myself together. It was the first time I heard them laugh since you left and... It was just so beautiful, Cole. So beautiful to see them having some genuine happiness again. I shouldn't have been surprised it happened in the kitchen. They are your little bears, after all. Selfishly, all I could do was cry because I still haven't been able to laugh without you here. There's so much love waiting for you, Cole. I've taken a lot of pictures in case you want to see it all. Yours, Bee.

📨 - Lelantos: My love! Where are you? I will bring you the naked mermaid magic juice and then things will be better. // Showing up at her job with her favorite Starbucks order when she says she's having a bad day.

📨 - Joey: Mission's done. It's over now, no more hiding. I told you I'd do whatever it took, baby girl. You're safe now.

📨 - Rhett: Wake up, gorgeous. Breakfast in the kitchen then 🐴 🤠 //When he's using emojis about a cute horse date and doesn't know that she might interpret this as a proposition for her to ride him like a cowgirl. The Turners and texting does not compute hahaha

👪 - Max: In the kitchen making Lane breakfast with the girls. "I think we should put as many strawberries as we love her on top of these pancakes." To which they said they already put as many chocolate chips as thing they love about her. They'd listed them off. That mommy was smart and pretty, funny, gave the best kisses and hugs, and that her bedtime story voices were top tier. Each passed him a single strawberry, the largest in the container and then looked up at him as he plucked strawberry after strawberry from the container until the top of the pancakes were covered tidily. The girls had cheered and gasped the entire time. "That's a lot of love, hmm?" They nodded. "I'll have to make bigger pancakes next time."

👪 - Lale: The librarian had once again been relegated to the maker space station for the week's story time. This story was about found families and how every family could look different. Lale had found textured and patterned paper for the children to paint pictures of their families on, but this time her example wasn't personal, it was the child and his parents from the story. Lucas' observant daughter immediately noticed, making her stomach twist. "Well, I've been alone for a very long time." Those little hands cupped Lale's face, leaving blue and green paint in their wake as she showed her picture and Lale understood. "Oh, is that us?" The little girl's nodding melted her heart, "Anyone would be very lucky to be in a family with you and your very dashing, big hearted Daddy. You two have kintsugi super powers. Do you know what kintsugi is?" Her head shook no and Lale smiled. "It means that if something breaks you can fix it, make it stronger and more beautiful than it was before. Love, patience, kindness. That's all very powerful."

👪 - Beatriz: The kids lay on either side of her, their hands on her swollen belly. Cole was had been kind enough to head to the Dairy Queen for a craving cure while she took care of bed time. He probably hadn't planned for them to join them in their bed, but it was rare for these growing little ones to want snuggles and Triz thought Cole missed it, even if he wasn't saying it. Together they all patted and gently pushed on her tummy, trying to catch the baby's wiggles. "I bet that if Daddy could go back in time he'd go back to tummy time with you all and tell you how awesome you both grew up to be. He loves you so much, so so much. His heart gets bigger every day." Like your belly, was the immediate question. "Yes but hearts are special and with love magic don't get all puffy like a tummy does. So every day he looks at you and he gets to be proud of you and just puff puff puff, all the extra love makes his heart grow." Like a hot air balloon? "Mmhm!" How much do you love us? "Like a hot air balloon, too." Noses scrunched and then they started guessing things bigger. Triz simply laughed running her fingers through their hair and answering their questions. The giggles fell silent when the baby moved and a little nub of a foot or elbow could be seen trailing under the surface of her skin. How big will his heart get when the baby gets here? "I don't think Daddy has limits to his love." How big is that? "Infinity!" They gasped and then all of them started laughing, "AND BEYOND!"

[writermuses]

@xwhiskeymuses

[writermuses]

Lale had very limited experience with children outside of her time in school, but that was quickly changing at this job at the library. Her motto had been to treat every one of the kids like she wished her parents had treated her. She hadn't meant to be so mean to the man, deflecting her own issues on a stranger. Her green eyes looked up at him and she wondered if he meant he didn't want to be a father or didn't want to be anti-glitter fun, but Lale realized how judgmental she was being and shut her brain off from thinking about her parents and gave him an apologetic smile in return. "I'll see you both next week then?" She gave Isla's shoulder a gentle squeeze, waving them goodbye and then watching them go. Even if they didn't come back, Lale hoped that maybe the man would let loose a little for the little girl's sake.

Isla was quick to jump into the woman's arms, giving her neck a tight squeeze at how she applauded her dance moves. A reaction she never received before from her own mom. "Thank you," was muffled into her hair before Isla kissed her cheek and skipped back over to the table to clean up the mess she created.

Lucas tried to hide the smile on his face as he watched the interaction between Lale and his daughter. He nodded his head in agreement, knowing exactly what Lale was telling him. He was guilty of letting his pain get in the way of how he raised Isla, and he could only hope that he could change it a little more each day. "You're right," eyes drifting to the little girl who was humming softly to herself as she packed up the markers she was using. "I never wanted this for my life.. but I couldn't be happier with having such a sweet little girl to change my black heart. It's not always easy for me to realize my actions.. all I know is she's my everything, and I plan to show her that always." Lucas shot her an apologetic smile and nodded. "I don't think she'd miss it for the world.. thank you for being so kind to her.. and to me, I guess."

[writermuses]

There was something so truly beautiful about this little girl that had gone out of her way to go to Lale's station when none of the other children had. She watched her do her spins, beaming as the little girl giggled and, when she came back to Lale and her father, Lale didn't hesitate to crouch down and open her arms wide. "Absolutely radiant! Bravo!" Maybe it was rude to ignore the man while the little girl was dancing, but Lale had gone her whole life being ignored, she never wanted a child to feel the same. Lowering her voice, "Now clean up while I ask your dad to bring my favorite student back next week?"

When Lale straightened up, she was still smiling. "I don't know you, you don't know me. Everyone has their reasons, their baggage. Maybe you're just having a very bad day, but she's a beautiful, kind little angel. Never let her be on the receiving end of your pain. It will blot out every good memory you give her if you do." Lale swallowed down her sorrows, looking up to meet his gaze, "See you both next week?"

There was a time in Lucas' life that he thought life was full of sunshine and rainbows. He had everything he could've ever asked for growing up, two loving parents and a sweet baby sister. Though he quickly learned how fast that happiness could be torn straight from your hands, losing both his parents in a tragic car accident and leaving him alone to raise his sister. It was hard for him not to be bitter after that. The once bright world was dark and full of anger. When he wasn't taking care of Evelyn or working his ass off in his father's company, Lucas had turned to booze and sex as an outlet. He spent many nights in sex clubs, it being the perfect place for him to never let himself get too attached and heartbroken. Time only proved that was not the case for him when he fell in love and married the woman who taught him all he knew about being both a submissive and a dominant. It wasn't long until Isla was brought into the world and brought some light back to his life. However, it all quickly crumbled again when his wife decided she didn't want to be married, and not long after that, a mothe. Leaving him as a single father with a whole lot to learn.

"Deal!!" Isla said excitedly, with little hands quickly working on the background for her ballerina, asking for her dad's help every once in a while. This was the first time he'd seen her so happy since her mother left, and it only made him smile. Once everything was glued together and Isla saw the finished project, she jumped in her seat with excitement and clapped her hands. "It's pretty! I like rainbows!" The little girl giggled as she hoped out of her seat and moved away from the table to show Lale her best ballerina spin. "Listen.." Lucas started, keeping his eyes on his daughter. "I just want to say thank you, I haven't seen her this happy in a while.. and I know how that sounds, seeing as I'm her father, but things have been tough for her.. I know I kind of came off as a dick at the beginning, but it does mean a lot to me what you've done."

[writermuses]

Magic, that's what Lale had grown up thinking glitter was. She had nothing, so what she could get her hands on she'd add a little sparkle to so no one saw her as a thrift shop, broke girl, recycled piece of trash. It wasn't so easy when she got older, swapping glitter and stickers for a sewing kit and patches. Ultimately, people would find out that she and her father moved from trailer park to trailer park, they'd catch her using the gym showers, they'd comment about her shoplifting food. The truth always had a way of coming out. Lale at least found some solace in disappearing after her father's death, not having to listen to the judgement that came with that as well. All of that being said, Lale's face fell flat at the mention of the man's car as a reason for the glitter ban. "Right, the car... can't have that, can we Isla?" No desire to know why that was the man's priority.

Lale's smile at the little girl's father had been forced and she pulled her gaze away the second she started to notice how attractive he was, but that smile genuinely lit up at the little girl. "I think Daddy's right, y'know? No one can have a prettier little face and I bet you have the twinkliest toes. You'll have to show me your best spin when we finish, okay?" Lale's hands were busy folding construction paper as they spoke and, by the time they were done, she'd hot-glued down a rainbow tutu to Isla's ballerina. "Not to bad for not having sparkles, hmm?" She gave Isla a wink. "How about that spin?"

Becoming a full-time dad came with a lot of changes, some that Lucas was not very fond of. Tonight being the prime example, completely out of his comfort zone as he stood in the back with the other parents mindlessly listening to the children's story that was being read while he read some work emails on his phone. This was always his ex-wife's Forte, any events and play dates, now it all rested on him since she no longer wanted full custody of their daughter so she could "live her life." It wasn't until he felt a tug on his suit jacket that he realized the reading was done. "Yes, princess?" A warm smile replaced his bored features as he knelt down to look at his daughter, who was enjoying a cookie and juice box. "Are you ready to go?" Isla shook her head as she shoved the rest of the cookie into her little mouth. "We haven't done the craft, daddy," words muffled as she chewed and pointed to the table with art supplies. If it weren't for the big pleading blue eyes that were staring at him, Lucas would've said no and told her it was time to go but Isla knew just how easily her dad would crumble beneath her will. "Alright, fine.. only a few minutes princess and then—" His sentence was lost as he stood back up, shaking his head because she was already running to the table while giggling.

Isla couldn't keep the bright smile off her face as she approached the table, waving at the lady who was standing there. "It's eye-la, it's nice to meet you La-lay," another fit of giggles left the small girl as she bounced in her seat, eager to work on the craft, quickly reaching for some paper and glitter pens. She gasped as she looked up at Lale, smiling wider. "I take ballet! Daddy says I'm the prettiest ballerina." If on queue, Lucas moved to stand behind his daughter, hands shoved in his pockets like he wasn't interested in being here. "Hi, how about we skip the glitter, I'd rather not be cleaning my car for the next month because of it." The little girl pouted as she looked up at him, giving her best puppy eyes. "But it's glue.. it won't make a mess!"