#sorry on the delay with gettin to this one hon

[ask-chef-teruteru]

teru,,,can i get some advice? i’m currently in a relationship that just recently became toxic when i came out to them as non binary. they said that they accepted me, but they keep on deadnaming and misgendering me, and using the excuse “i’m used to calling you [DEADNAME], so i’ll continue calling you that.” to justify it. i’ve tried to leave group chats with them and i’ve tried blocking them, but they always ask their friends to add me back. i want to break up with them directly but idk how,,,

“Pity’s sake, that’s vile. I’ve heard people apologize n’ mend their ways over callin’ dogs by the wrong names n’ genders! And none of them give a single solitary damn ‘bout it! If your soon-to-be ex can’t do somethin’ so simple to show ya that they got even a shred of respect for ya, they ain’t never gonna be a good partner. To anyone.”

“...That said though, bless your heart. I’m sorry you’re havin’ to go through that. Can already be hard enough as is to come out to somebody, n’ for them to turn ‘round n’ throw it in your face... Makes my blood boil, them not makin’ one simple change that takes no effort for the sake ‘o you bein’ comfortable n’ bein’ referred to as who ya are.

Breakin’ up with somebody can be difficult, scary—and it don’t always go so smooth. If ya know this parter o’ yours primarily online rather than in person, ya might have to go through the hassle o’ makin’ new accounts n’ avoidin’ givin’ out the new URLs to people who knew ya’ll both n’ might feel compelled to tattle on ya to your—I’m gonna go ‘head n’ call ‘em your ex preemptively—to your ex. Might go ‘head n’ keep receipts too— screenshots o’ times they refused to call ya by your name n’ pronouns— in case they decide to go makin’ things up ‘bout why ya’ll broke up to garner sympathy n’ paint you out to be the one in the wrong ‘stead o’ them. Hopefully yawon’t need ‘em, but those things’re good to have when it comes to breakin’ things off with anybody that y’all know online (which I’m just assumin’ is the case since y’all mentioned the group chats.)

Just tell ‘em straight on that y’all two ain’t gonna work out and that, in no uncertain terms, y’all wanna break up n’ don’t wanna be in a relationship no more. Tell ‘em that you shared somethin’ important with ‘em and that ya can’t stay together with somebody who ain’t respectin’ your gender identity or your name. Tell ‘em that it’s important to you, n’ that if they don’t care ‘bout the things that are important to you— the important things about you— that y’all two just ain’t meant to be and that y’ain’t never gonna be happy in a relationship with ‘em. If it ain’t an easy break or they don’t take it well, it’s perfectly okay to take time away from however they may try to contact ya again, and I recommend that if they don’t accept the break up with any grace. Ignore ‘em long enough n’ they’ll more n’ likely get the picture n’ leave ya alone. Of course, if not, that’s where things like new accounts come in.

After you’ve had that talk with your ex, ya might oughta tell those friends who keep addin’ ya back what the situation is and to please respect your decision n’ let y’all go on your way, that ya don’t mean no harm n’ don’t wanna make things harder than they gotta be n’ that y’all needed to separate for your sense o’ well-bein’. If they’re just your ex’s friends n’ not mutual friends, they probably ain’t gonna side with y’all over your ex, but hopefully they got the good sense to let you be. Block every last one of ‘em if that’s whatcha gotta do and don’t feel guilty over it, okay?

They may or may not try to convince y’all to stay with ‘em, say things ‘bout how they’ll change for ya or that they didn’t realize that it was a big deal and/or that you’re overreactin’—and you know ‘em better n’ I do, so the judgement call there is ultimately yours if ya truly think they’re the type to learn from their mistakes that quick n’ didn’t truthfully know that basic decency is important—but... Well, it sounds to me like a relationship that’s doomed to always fail unless that ex o’ yours does some major soul searchin’ n’ growin’ up on their own. If that’s the route they take after you tell ‘em ya wanna call it quits, then tell ‘em y’all can talk about a relationship in a few months maybe and y’all can give it a trial run to see if they’re gonna treat ya better. Otherwise, just get the words out there. There’s no sense beatin’ ‘round the bush or stringin’ things out longer just because breakups can be so unpleasant to deal with.

It’s understandable if you’ve had good times with this ex o’ yours n’ feel sad ‘bout cuttin’ ties, but y’all need to keep in mind that they weren’t doin’ right by you neither n’ that ya got every right to leave n’ take time for yourself or find somebody who’s better for ya. If they ain’t a pain to deal with after you’ve told ‘em y’ain’t gonna work as a couple no more, ya might even wish ‘em well on findin’ somebody more compatible with ‘em. Ain’t gotta say that there’s no hard feelin’s since there are, n’ y’all don’t gotta stay in each other’s social circles or be friends or nothin’, but it ain’t a bad idea to part on as amicable a note as ya can.

I wish you all the best as y’all take care of it, n’ just keep in mind that you can do it n’ that you’ll find somebody else who’ll treat you like you oughta be treated; never settle for nothin’ less.”

[askamykruber]

Can I ask more about the story. We’re you there amy when you first met the puppets whee we n they came to life. What changed owens perspective on things. Was it hard to get the puppets to trust either of you

(Phantom: Sure thing, annon. Sorry for the delay, mom came over. I still got a few asks more, I'm taking some time to answer one since it would be the longest)

Alrighty, honey!

I was actually there before the puppets came to life. Long before meeting my dear Owy, I had a little gig of my own in a ventriloquist show for both young and adult audiences. It wasn't like a huge thing, but it did help me get some skills into gettin' to puppeteer. I took some shifts and helped around some puppeteers, that's how I met Jake-y pops, who mentioned he was puppeteerin' for some new show.

Now, I was a bit hesitant to jump in a studio and become part of the crew like I am to this day. I remember dear late Mr. Henson asking me if I wanted to be part of the Henson company, but I decided to decline since I knew that wasn't my place (I was content as a ventriloquist)

Dear ol' Jimmy was very kind and I was welcome any time to the studio.

Well, some time after I was doin' one of my late night shows. Crackin' up some jokes, and singin' whatever tune the folks requested. That night I saw a peculiar man staring at me with fascination. He was sittin' next to a familiar face I recognized, which was Jake-y of course. I didn't know he was with Owey at that time, but I recognized him as a puppeteer.

Why?

Well, his eyes were focused on the mechanic of Mr. Wellington (my puppet at that time) and how I controlled it. It's hard to explain, but it's a puppeteer thing.

Anyhow, after the show I decided to say hi to Jake-y and his friend. He introduced him as Owen Gubberson, and I immediately recognized him from that "Mortimer's Handeemen show" that was about to premier. We talked about puppets, our techniques, and I explained to him the basics of ventriloquism. We got along pretty well and he invited me to visit the studio some day, thus our little friendship started

"Mom, didn't you guys fell in love at first sight?"

Scouty, hon. We did get along but it took up some time to get to like each other.

"That's weird, because Joel said-"

Don't ya have homework to do?

"Well yeah but-"

Well, If I were you, I'd rather do my homework than to face Riley's wrath

"Touché."

Where was I? oh yeah, Owey and I became good friends and I helped him a lot durin' the show's run. We made a pretty good team, and I advise him along with helpin' him with some puppeeterin'. I did consider joinin' on the team, but I found myself a good sponsor on Mr. Samuel Burlington for my shows. It was an offer too good to ignore.

Owy did take it well since I made it clear I was unsure about joinin' large teams officially. We did keep in touch and occasionally went into dates.

Then *sighs* the Rachel Breadstone cancelled the show. Owen and I had a pretty big argument after that and I left to get some time to reflect and process the situation.

Then I find out that the puppets are alive, and decided to help Owen stop them in the civil way. I did answer that question in another ask, but I'll add that Owey started to reflect more on who he was becoming and he decided to make things right with Mortimer.

The puppets did seem to trust him more than me. They did recognize me as one of the puppeteers, they were distant at first, but some started to lower down their guard when they saw my closure with Owy.

It was harder for me to get their trust than Owy's, but I'm glad they now know I would never do them any harm, specially considering I helped Owy convince Mr. Burlington to sponsor his show (under certain agreements)

Now, we are all working together as the show is slowly going back to its glorious days

-Amy

[snarkwriteswrasslin]

FFT: second one to know, adam page

Notes:

This is another fake fic title ask sent to me by @adampage​ on my old writing blog (which is now my main) It’s part 1 of a 2 part thing, so the second part will be posted right after this.

Summary:

Giselle and Adam are best friends. Also helplessly, hopelessly in love with each other. Giselle gets dumped by a shitty boyfriend and is left without a date to go home for the holidays. Enter Adam. 

Pairing:

Adam Page x OFC, Giselle

Warnings:

Uhh, none.

“Now princess, don’t get upset. I told you from the beginning when you asked me to… Do that.. That I might not be able.” Sean stared her down and took a few deep breaths. Just the prospect of her getting upset and making a scene and making him look like the bad guy.. When he saw her tearing up, he grumbled. “Don’t make a scene. We’re in public for God’s sake, have some class.”

Giselle stared up at him, a hand in her hair as she took a few long and deep breaths. When he told her to have some class, she gave a hollow laugh because suddenly, it hit her.. He was just saying that work was the reason he couldn’t make the trip to meet her family. In reality, he felt like he was better than her family. Better than her.

Suddenly everything he’d said to her became clear as crystal and she realized she was essentially nothing more than a plaything to him. She was a rung on the ladder of his career. Having her on his arm drew him attention, gave the illusion that he had his shit together and he was what a successful company needed.

“Have some class, hmm?”

“Giselle, don’t start. I don’t have the time or the patience for one of your tantrums. Now I’ve said I’m sorry. And you need to accept that. In relationships, we compromise.”

… no, I give and give and give and forgive and you do NOTHING… the thought as it hit her prompted her to finally say something.

“I don’t accept it. And what we have isn’t a relationship, Sean, c’mon..”

“It is?” Sean eyed her, a brow raised and an irate look on his face as her voice raised just a hint. Giselle stepped closer and she snatched at the necklace around her neck. “Go find yourself a new fucking toy to play with.”

She turned to walk away, intent on finding her friends or finding a quiet place and calling her mom to explain what happened -and hear her mother say those dreaded words, and as she did, he gave an amused chuckle. “Are you really breaking up with me right now?”

She tilted her head slightly and pretended to think it over. “Yeah. Actually you holier than thou piece of shit, yeah I am.”

“Just know that I set the bar. You’re never going to find anyone who can bring what I do to the table.” Sean called out after her but she continued to walk, shoving through the crowd as she focused on keeping herself reasonably together until she could find a quiet and private area to fall apart in.

She felt drained and yet, somehow as if a huge weight had been lifted off her. She wasn’t dreading his excuses or lies anymore. She wasn’t having to listen to his little casual remarks about her or her upbringing or her job or anything he liked to nit pick about.

“How the hell was I so stupid?” she wondered aloud, shaking her head sadly as she sank into a seat.  She bought her knees to her chin, listening to her flight boarding and yet not rushing to it immediately.

… I’ll get a later flight, it’s not like I don’t know what they’re all gonna say when I show up without Sean anyway… they all told me he acted like he was too good for me…

XXX

Hangman tensed as he watched the whole thing go down. He stood there a second or two, torn between going after her and going after her now ex boyfriend and throttling the guy.

“Don’t waste your time on him, buddy.” Kenny spoke up, nodding in the direction Giselle disappeared to instead.

“Yeah, go find Giselle, she looked really upset and they’re calling her flight now.”

Adam took off after his best friend rather than go pull her ex out of line for his flight and beating the guy senseless. He found her sitting in a lesser crowded waiting area, staring out the window and for a second or two, he worked on calming himself down.

… if she were with me that would never have happened… I’d never do that…

… well, man, here’s your shot… you gonna shoot it or stand here and think about shootin it all night…. That last thought spurred him forward and he made his way over to where she sat.

After a few seconds of just sitting there, he put his arm around the back of her chair, resisting the urge to comment on how soft the jet black curls were as they brushed his arm.

He cleared his throat, trying to think of just the right thing to say at the moment. She shifted to lean against him and wiped at her eyes, laughing and shaking her head. “I can’t believe I ever thought that guy was the one.”

Adam shrugged and muttered something about the way love makes people crazy sometimes because he couldn’t think of anything else to say that wasn’t the truth.

“Yeah well there’s crazy and there’s plain stupid, Hangman and I’m afraid that right now, I fall into that second category.”

“C’mon, hon, don’t say that. I happen to think you’re pretty damn great.” Adam leaned in, wiping at her eyes with his thumb. He noticed that the flight she was supposed to be getting on was already departing and he swore, quietly.

“It’s okay. I’ll just.. Take a day to pull myself together.” Giselle shrugged as if it were nothing, and Adam nodded.

“At least call your family. Tell ‘em.”

“Don’t remind me.” Giselle gave a weak laugh as she took a few deep breaths and then stood. “C’mon. I’ll walk  you guys to your flights.”

“We’ll walk them.”

Giselle eyed Adam and he stared right back at her. “I am not gettin on a flight and leavin you here alone.”

She bit her lip, starting to protest, but Adam plugged his ears. “I’ll stay until you get a flight. We can get a hotel room and have a sleepover or somethin’.”

“Okay, fine. But I’m gonna warn you now. I’m probably not going to be much company.”

Adam chuckled and gave her that grin of his as he shook his head. “I’ll keep ya entertained. Promise.”

Somehow, Giselle didn’t doubt it, but she still felt guilty, making him delay his own plans to return home. “You don’t… have to do this.” she tried again to protest, to talk him out of staying behind just because she was. But Adam wasn’t hearing it, pressing a finger into her lips and cutting her off mid sentence. They wandered over to where Cody and Brandi stood talking to Kenny and the Bucks, saying their last goodbyes before their flights departed.

Kenny flashed a knowing grin as he set sights on them. “Finally.” he mouthed as Hangman gave him a warning look and mouthed back, “Not right away, damn.”

Adam slipped his arm around her and despite herself, she leaned against his side, staring up at him. It didn’t surprise her at all he was doing this. Adam was just that kind of man.

“They’re calling our flights. See you around, Page.” Matt and Nick gave their friend a hug and Kenny eyed Giselle and Adam. “Don’t both of you have flights?”

“We’re catchin a later one.” Adam answered as Kenny chuckled and nodded, stepping up to hug Adam and using the hug to whisper to his friend, “ If you keep waiting on the perfect time, you’re gonna miss out, buddy.”

Adam nodded and then turned his attention to Giselle as their friends boarded their flights. Clearing his throat, he nodded to the parking lot. “If we want a hotel room, we might wanna leave now.”

“Yeah, true. I just hope we can find one.”

Her cell phone rang and she eyed her mom’s number, finally sighing and muttering “Best to just get this over with.” as she stepped away, answering her mom’s video call.

“Darlin? Why are you still in the airport, hm?”

Giselle honestly meant to answer her mother, but before she could, her mother was swearing under her breath and then sighing. And naturally, her mom went there.

“That guy of yours blew ya off. See, this is…” her mother started to say it but Giselle spoke up calmly, “Yeah, look. I missed my flight fighting with him and breaking it off between us, so if you’re about to say I told you so, get it over with because I am so exhausted, Mama.”

“Where are ya? You’re not alone, right? Because you don’t make the best decisions…”

“I’m with Adam right now. He missed his flight too, so we’re going to catch the first ones out in the morning I guess. What the hell do you mean I don’t make the best decisions? Nevermind, mama, don’t answer that. I… I’ve gotta go. I don’t want to argue with anyone else tonight, especially not a literal brick wall.”

She hung up and Adam chuckled quietly from behind her as he dragged his hands through his hair and eyed her in concern. “You okay, Ele?”

“My mama being herself, of course.”

“Yikes. Let me guess, they adored that jerk?”

“Oh, no, she hated him. Hindsight being what it is, I can’t hold that against her, but you know how she is… Treating me like a child no matter what I do. It’s a mess.. Can we just.. Go now? Please?”

Adam nodded, picking up her bag as he slung his across his shoulder and Giselle went to take the bag from him. He shook his head. Their hands brushed and Giselle stared up at him, biting her lip and staying totally silent for a few seconds.

“What’d she say that got you all wound up, hon?” Adam asked as they walked out of the airport and towards the rental car that luckily, she hadn’t returned earlier. Giselle sighed and looked up at him, giving a sheepish laugh. “She’s right, I mean.. I don’t make the best decisions.”

Adam stopped them in the doorway of the airport and looked down at her, shaking his head. “She’s not right. You just thought ya loved the guy. There’s nothin wrong with that.”

“I think she was referring to all my other so called mistakes. She gets like this when my sister comes home with all the grandbabies, starts trying to meddle in my life because it’s not EXACTLY what she wants it to be.” Giselle sighed and shivered in the cold. Adam held out his jacket and she eyed him. “It’s freezing out here, are you insane? You need that. I’m fine, the car’s not far.”

“Take it, woman. Stop being so damn stubborn!”  Adam chuckled, holding the jacket out again. This time Giselle took it, snuggling down into it, letting the smell of her best friend fill her nose because he always smelled so good and it always made her feel better somehow. She pressed into his side and peered up at his phone as he muttered, “There’s a hotel not even a block away. We’ll try there. You eat anything tonight? I’m starvin.”

Giselle’s stomach growled almost on cue and she shook her head sheepishly. Adam eyed her and she admitted with a shrug, “I was running behind. I thought I could just grab something when they came around on the plane.. Then get actual food when I found a hotel on my all night layover.”

“Woman, what the hell? Look, we’re goin to find an Applebee’s or somethin.” Adam chuckled, shaking his head at her as he put his arm back around her and they walked towards the yellow Challenger she’d been so excited about snagging when they all rented cars earlier in the week. Giselle put the keys into his hand and Adam unlocked the car, opening her door. As she went to lower herself into her seat, they brushed against one another and Giselle found herself just… Sort of staring at him.

She took a deep breath. It was that feeling she seemed to get a lot lately around him. The one she couldn’t quite pin down. The one that had her tingly all over.

Adam caught her gaze, fingers tucked beneath her chin to make her look at him. “Hey… it’s gonna be okay, darlin. What you did was the right thing.”

“I know. Honestly? It doesn’t really hurt. I’m… More disappointed in myself than anything. Like… how did I not see that about the guy?” Giselle shook her head and sighed, taking a few long breaths as Adam pulled the car out into traffic. They were pulling into the parking lot of an Applebee’s near the airport and he snickered quietly, realizing that she’d just really started to doze off. Reaching out, he tapped her shoulder and cleared his throat as he leaned in.

“Hey.. we’re here, Ele.”

Giselle sat up, rubbing at her eyes and stretching. Adam was getting out and walking around, opening her door for her and again, as she got out, she wound up standing close to him, the jacket he’d given her to wear beyond big enough to swim in. Adam laughed when he caught her staring up at him, making the joke that he had to have something in his nose and she shook her head, choosing to stay quiet.

“We goin inside, or?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Adam couldn’t help but ask again and Giselle shrugged, but gave a half smile. “I don’t honestly know right now but I think.. Maybe.”

Truth be told, she just felt relieved to an extent. It hurt, but at the same time, it didn’t. Then again, she reminded herself, this is just the night you finally had enough. There’s no telling how you’ll feel about this in the morning.. When it actually sinks in.

She tried not to think about it. Just like she fully intended to continue doing. She didn’t want to think about any of it, from how stupid she’d been to choose a guy like Sean to begin with, to just how blind she’d let herself become while she’d been with him, to how more than likely everyone -from her family to her co workers, could see right through him.

Adam nodded, staring at her intently while also trying not to do it. “That’s good, darlin. I mean it, you’re gonna be okay. You’ll see.”

“You say that like you don’t know what a mess I am.” Giselle hugged against him for warmth and Adam tensed slightly, arms tightening around her. His nose lingered in her hair and he took a few deep breaths. “You’re not a mess.”

“I kind of am.” Giselle argued. Adam shook his head at her no and she sighed. “Fine. I’m starving. Let’s just go in and get food.” it was her way of changing the subject because suddenly she was picking up on this heavy lingering tension and realizing that tonight was not the first time it had been present.

That it seemed to hang heavily in the air whenever she was around Adam.

Something Riho said earlier in the month, when they’d all gone out for Halloween, it came rushing back to her.

.. no, that’s not it… i mean, i am attracted to him but like… that’s all it is, it has to be, I’d know if it were more than that, right?… she thought to herself as they found a back booth and scanned the menu.

XXX

“ I will… Never try to eat that much again, fuck.” Giselle groaned as they stepped into the hotel room they’d just gotten. Adam’s lack of a laugh at her comment and the way she went about being overdramatic about it immediately drew her attention to what he was currently fixated on.

The room they’d been given only had one bed.

Giselle’s mouth opened and closed and before she could stop it, that feeling was back, fluttering through her insides, making her heart race a little. She dragged her fingers through her snow dampened hair and opened her mouth to say something but Adam had apparently been thinking the same because he blurted out with a shrug, “You take it, darlin. I’ll be fine, I’ve slept on worse than that couch thing.” he nodded to a loveseat that despite it’s upscale design, looked about as comfortable as a boulder.

Giselle started to shake her head, but Adam was grabbing a pillow and stopping in front of her, a hand lingering close to her hip as he stared down at her. “It’s fine. Take the bed.”

She didn’t argue - it wouldn’t have done a lot of good, Adam was a stubborn guy, she knew it from experience as his best friend, and she flopped onto the bed, letting out a long and slow breath.

“Are you sure? I mean..”

“Darlin, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.” Adam reassured her, even as he sank down and grunted because the little two person sofa gave… Nothing at all. The so called cushions felt like brick covered in black pleather.

And given the fight he’d been in earlier at the arena, it wasn’t the best feeling.

Giselle tried to settle into the giant King sized bed after wiggling out of her clothing, but watching him toss and turn and try to get at least a little comfort left her feeling guilty because what the sofa lacked in the way of comfort?

The bed was like a cloud covered in pale blue sheets.

After turning out the lights, she tried to go to sleep and she just… Couldn’t. Everything from the day so far was rushing through her mind only to fleet just as she’d try to grasp one solid thing, one tangible thought.

Until the most unexpected one of all crept in..

… You’re both adults and Adam is not comfortable over there… Sharing the bed… Nothing has to happen and you do feel really comfortable with Adam…

This was the one solid thought she grasped onto and as if she were on autopilot, it’s the thought that had her sitting up in bed and reaching for the switch to the lights. Adam grunted, shielding baby blue eyes from the harsh flourescent overhead lights because he’d been just about to finally fall asleep.

“Everything okay over there, Ele?” he called out.

The tone of his voice half asleep had her gasping quietly. She sat there a second or two, trailing her fingers lazily over the thin blanket on the bed. “No. It’s not. I…”

“Yeah?” Adam was on his feet and making his way across the room to her, sitting just at the edge of the bed, his back to her.

His eyes met hers and she swallowed hard, nodding to the bed. “We’re adults and watching you over there barely fitting onto that fabric covered boulder.. I’d just feel better if you slept on the bed too? Please?”

Adam eyed her. Everything inside him insisted that he should protest -especially given the way he felt about her and what she’d gone through earlier, but one look into those eyes of hers had him nodding. “Okay, fine.”

She smiled and patted the empty side of the bed and Adam pulled back the sheets getting in and getting as comfortable as he possibly could, all things considered. He tensed a little when she slipped her leg between his, an arm going over him as she cozied right up to him from behind.

“Adam?”

“Y-yeah, hon?” he stammered out, taking a deep breath, trying to resist the urge to roll over and just kiss her already, no matter how shitty the timing might be for it at the moment.

“Thank you for being there. Thank you for being my best friend.”

… Darlin if you knew just how much I wanted to be so much more than that… The thought came and Adam tried to push it to the back of his mind. After a few seconds, he answered quietly, “You deserved better anyway. As far as tonight, and bein your friend.. I want to because you’re an amazing person. You don’t have to thank me.”

“ I know,” she yawned, her cheek nuzzling right against his bare upper back as she moved even closer, “but I wanted to. Because I.. You don’t know how much it means to me. How much you kinda mean to me, Hangman.”

“Night, darlin.”

“Night, big guy.”

XXX

Adam woke up to the sun streaming in the windows and to discover that during the night, he’d rolled onto his back. And that apparently, Giselle draped herself across his body. He took a deep breath and watched her sleeping for a few seconds. He carefully reached out for his cell phone on the nightstand and when he caught sight of the fact that the sun was so bright for a very good reason, he sat up, rubbing his hand through his hair.

On the one hand, she was sleeping so well.. As upset as she’d been the night before, he’d honestly been afraid that she’d have a rough night full of tossing and turning.. On the other hand, they both had flights to get on.

… or A FLIGHT.. Because it’s not like you have anything in particular to go… the thought snuck in before he could stop it, and he shook his head at himself.

He leaned down and gently shook her awake. “Hey, Ele? We have exactly ten minutes to get dressed and get over to the airport for check in.”

Giselle shot up in bed, biting her lip as doing so as fast as she had led to the sheet wrapped around her upper body very nearly falling down. She blushed a little and Adam turned his head.

After grabbing the shirt she’d taken off at some point during the night and tugging it down, she tapped his shoulder and yawned. “I was sleepin so good. Parts of me are really dreadin this whole goin home thing..”

“Yeah?”

“Well.. I know how my mama is.”

She fidgeted and Adam felt his breath literally catching hold in his throat, found himself hoping despite it all that she was about to hint at what he felt like she might be.

Giselle took a deep breath and caught his gaze. “ I don’t.. Nevermind, it’s dumb.”

“No, no.” Adam tilted her chin, making her meet his gaze.

“You’ve probably got plans and the last thing you wanna spend Christmas doing is hangin out with me..”

… you couldn’t be more wrong if you tried… he thought to himself as he chuckled and eyed her, a teasing hint to his voice, “Ele, are you tryin to ask me somethin?”

“I was, yeah.. But it’s dumb. I mean you’ve already done this..” Giselle gestured to the room they’d spent the night in and she took a deep breath. “It’s just I… When you’re around, I feel better.”

… and maybe I just want to… i don’t know, give myself the chance I’ve been too afraid to take before and get to know you better….  She realized she’d gone silent and she added quickly, “We don’t have to tell them we’re dating or anything, I promise..”

Adam chuckled, staring at his hands as he pulled himself together. What she was asking was… a huge deal for him. And there was something a little different about her this morning, in the way she kept looking at him, and all the little touches.

She leaned against him and sighed. “Sorry.” - followed by an awkward but cute laugh. Adam chuckled and turned to the side so that he held her gaze. “You don’t have to be sorry. Yeah. I’ll come back with you.”

“Wait, huh? R-really?” it caught her off guard and she bit her lip, catching his gaze, feeling relieved when she saw that smile of his.

“That bein said, darlin.. We’re kinda down to 8 minutes.”

“Shit.. But I don’t wanna get out of this bed.” Giselle pretended to whine, pouting even as she looked up at him as he stood. She turned away quickly when she realized just how little happened to be covering his body.

Her cheeks heated in a blush and despite looking away, she may have peeked through her fingers, sucking in a sharp breath.

“It did feel really comfortable.” Adam sighed and gazed at the bed -and her, as he grabbed his discarded jeans and tee shirt. He’d just finished dressing when she slipped out from between the sheets, grabbing her own jeans, tugging them up her legs. It called entirely too much attention and Adam had to turn around completely.

Even that did no good because the mirror over the dresser gave him a view. He coughed and called out, “About done, Ele?”

Giselle tapped his shoulder and waved up at him, nodding to the door. “Yeah. We should get going now.”

“We should.”

In her hurry to get dressed, she’d grabbed one of the tee shirts he had out the night before. He chuckled and she looked down, palming at her face and quietly groaning before giving a mumbled “Fuck it. I have zero time to change. And it’s comfy.”

“Looks cute on ya too.” - it came out before Adam could stop it, making her blush all over again. They stood there, migrating closer and closer for a few seconds until finally, Giselle grabbed for her backpack.

“ You can’t say I didn’t warn you in advance. My family is a little.. Out there.” she told him with an amused laugh as Adam smiled back at her and held the door open for her, “I can’t wait to meet them.”

[thelastspeecher]

Mystery moms, 🌹

🌹 - fairy

This ficlet was definitely influenced by the fairy tales I read as a kid, where a human helped a fairy and was rewarded.  But, while the fairy thought it was a reward, the human most definitely did not.  In particular, I’m reminded of a retelling of “Diamonds and Toads”, where the sister who was blessed with having gems fall out of her mouth was effectively used for her ability, and the sister who was cursed with having reptiles and amphibians fall out of her mouth was able to use it to her advantage.  

Send me an emoji and I’ll write you a ficlet!

               Angie sneezed.

               “Babe, are ya sick?” Stanaasked, concerned.  Angie shook herhead.  “You sure?  You’ve been sneezin’ a bunch.”

               “Prob’ly just seasonal allergiesor somethin’,” Angie said.  She wiped hernose.  

               “You don’t have seasonalallergies.”

               “Yer point bein’?” Angieasked.  Stana sighed.

               “We have it scheduled to makeour next kid made pretty soon, but if you’re sick, we should delay it,” Stanareminded her.  Angie shook her head.

               “Darlin’, I told ya.  I ain’t sick. Somethin’s just makin’ my nose itch somethin’ fierce.”  Angie sneezed again.  Stana frowned.

               “Is- is that glitter?”

               “Is what glitter?”

               “This.”  Stana moved forward and grabbed a corner ofAngie’s sleeve, shaking it.  Yellowglitter drifted to the floor.  Angieblinked.  

               “…Where did that come from?”

               “Beats me.  But it’s all over ya,” Stana replied, nowbrushing down her girlfriend.  Angiesneezed again.  “Must be this damnglitter everywhere.  Did ya run into, Idunno, some glitter flower or somethin’ when you were in the forest yesterday?”

               “No.  I- achoo!  All that I saw was a fairy that was almostdrownin’ in a lil pond.  So I rescued thepoor lil thing.  It thanked me and saidthat it would reward me.  I said I didn’twant a reward.  The fairy said, ‘Don’tcare, yer gettin’ one.’  And then it flewaway.”  Angie paused thoughtfully.  “The fairy was pretty glittery.  Had turquoise glitter, though.  Not this pretty yell- choo!  Yellow stuff.”  She looked at Stana, who was trying to hide asmile.  “What’s so funny?”

               “You’re too damn adorable, withyour helpin’ fairies and sneezin’ like a kitten.”

               “I certainly hope the rewardwasn’t all this glitter,” Angie said.  “Itdon’t really feel like a reward.  More ofan inconvenience.”  She sneezed again andabruptly disappeared.  Stana’s jaw dropped.

               “Angie?  Where’d you go?”

               “Right here,” a small voicesaid.  Stana spun in circles, trying to pinpointwhere Angie’s voice was coming from. Something tugged on Stana’s ear.  “Darlin’,yer goin’ to make me queasy.”  Stanalooked to the left.  Suddenly two inchestall and sporting dragonfly-like yellow wings, Angie was perched on hershoulder.

               “What the actual fuck.”

               “I guess a fairy blessin’ meansya turn into one?” Angie said with a shrug. “That might be the last time I help out one of them magical creatures.”

               “No it won’t.”

               “Yer right.”  Angie sighed. Her thin wings fluttered.  “Great,now we have to go talk to Stanford and ask fer his help.  I don’t know squat ‘bout fairies.”

               “Hey, I know you don’t alwaysget along with Ford, but no need to sound so depressed about seein’ him,” Stanasaid, slightly insulted.  

               “Stanford’s just been actin’ mightyodd lately, is all.  He barely even talksto Molly, and she’s his apprentice.” Angie looked away.  “I went to talkto him Monday, ‘bout givin’ us another donation fer our next kid, and he closedthe door in my face.”

               “That’s weird.  He’s been more than happy to help us out thelast two times.  Maybe he’s going throughsome things.”

               “Maybe.”  Loud crying began to echo from thenursery.  “Oh, shoot.  Emmett’s up.”

               “I’ll take care of him,” Stanasaid, picking Angie up and carefully setting her on the kitchen counter.  “The girls ‘ll be up soon.  When they come stampeding in here, superviseMolly so she can help ‘em with breakfast.” Angie nodded.  Stana exited thekitchen, nearly colliding with the twins, Danny and Daisy.  “Watch it, kiddos.”

               “Sorry, Mom,” Danny and Daisychorused.

               “Where’s Ma?” Danny asked.  Stana nodded over in the direction of thecounter.  Danny and Daisy gasped.

               “Ma, you’re a fairy?” Daisysquealed.

               “Fer the time bein’, looks like,”Angie replied.  

               “Don’t start gettin’ yourbreakfast until Molly’s around to supervise, okay?” Stana told the twins.  They nodded. Stana ruffled her daughters’ hair and left.  Danny and Daisy promptly bolted over to thecounter.

               “Ma, what happened?” Daisyasked.

               “Ah, well, if yer a good person,magical creatures sometimes reward ya. But they don’t always have a good grasp of what a human would consider areward, and what a human would consider an annoyance,” Angie said.  She crossed her legs, her wings beatingidly.  “At least my clothes shrunk withme.”

               “You’re all sparkly,” Dannysaid.  Angie nodded, shedding moreparticles of yellow glitter.  “Is ityellow ‘cause that’s your favorite color?”

               “Maybe.  I don’t know much ‘bout fairies.”

               “But you are one,” Daisy said,confused.

               “I’ve only been one fer a fewminutes, sugar-cube,” Angie said.  Shepoked Daisy’s nose playfully.  Daisygiggled.  

               “Danny, Daisy, what are youlooking at?” Molly asked as she entered the kitchen.  Danny turned around.

               “Ma’s a fairy now!” Danny saidhappily.  Molly’s eyes widened.

               “Wait, really?”  Molly walked over to the counter.  Angie waved at her.  “Whoa, Ma, that’s so sweet!”

               “Not sure if I agree with ya,honey.  I just cleaned the counters, ferone thing, and now all this glitter is gettin’ everywhere.”

               “Can I collect some of it?”Molly asked.  Angie cocked her head,bemused.  “For science.”

               “Um, sure.  Just be careful.  It’s good at makin’ ya sneeze.”

               “So are flowers, Ma.  It’s not like I’m collecting hydra venom,”Molly said, wiping some of the yellow glitter off the counter and into herpalm.  Angie frowned and leaned forward.

               “Is that somethin’ ya did withyer Uncle Ford?”

               “Uh…no?”

               “That man,” Angie fumed, herwings beating furiously.  “I ought togive him a piece of my mind.”

               “After he turns you back tonormal, probably,” Molly said.  “He mightnot wanna help you if you yell at him.”

               “…That’s a fair point,” Angieconceded.  “Now, would ya mind helpin’yer sisters get breakfast?  I can’treally do much, given I’m ‘bout as tall as the toaster right now.”

               “You can make toast,” Daisysuggested.

               “Only if ya want toast coveredin glitter,” Angie said.  Daisy’s eyeswidened.  “No, hon, I don’t know if thisglitter can be eaten without side effects. I was just jokin’.”  Daisy pouted.

               “Oh, poo.”