#where I will then pretend not to be staring obsessively at my email and gettin sad over the spam

[mommalosthermind]

Lines that make me giggle while editing:

Kaeya’s fingers wiggle in his grip. “That almost sounds like a threat.”

“Are you often threatened with marriage?” He ducks down for another kiss, taking his time to map out Kaeya’s mouth. When he pulls back, he smooths the pad of his thumb over the ring on Kaeya’s finger, gently nudging it into the web of his hand. “Too bad. I’ve got prior claim.”

“Yes,” Kaeya breathes, pulling insistently on Diluc’s shirt for another kiss.

[blessyourheartdharps]

Unexpected || Self-Para

who: Dani Harper & Henrietta Gracen

when: November 2018 - Lunchtime

where: Maya’s Apartment

what: Dani gets an unexpected message from her grandmother and cute reconnecting ensues.

notes: found this in my phone so figured I’d post it, not even sure it’s finished

A notification for her email popped up and Dani stared at it. It was an email from Facebook, the Facebook she no longer used. The one from her first time in New York. She apparently had a message. With a raised eyebrow she opened Facebook, logging in and staring at the name and picture of the account. It was oddly similar to that of of her maternal grandmother. 

Henrietta Gracen: Are you my granddaughter?

Dani Harper: It's possible, ma'am. May I ask why you'd like to know? I haven't used this account in over five years.

Henrietta Gracen: Well, I found out my granddaughter recently put out music, I just wanted to see how she was doing. She ran away some years ago.

Dani Harper: May will be 8?

Henrietta Gracen: Yes. So you are her.

Dani Harper: Yes, ma'am. 

Henrietta Gracen: Well, your voice is as beautiful as ever. What made you run away?

Dani stared at that question, the one she'd hoped wouldn't come up so fast. She didn't know how to respond, how could she? 

Dani Harper: Thank you. That's a complicated answer. Call me? xxx-xxx-xxxx

The message was left on read and for a few minutes she didn't know if the woman was gonna call. She'd all but given up when her phone rang, the Texas area code had her picking up.

"Hello?" Her voice shook and she hated it.

"Dani, is that you?" The voice brought a smile to Dani's face.

"Yes, ma'am. It's me."

"You just had a birthday recently, didn't you? How old are you now?"

"Just turned 26. You spoke of the single I released, In Case? You heard it?"

"You're all grown up now, aren't ya? Yes! It was beautiful, Dani. What was it about?" Dani swallowed hard at the question, staring down at the piano in front of her.

"I hit a rough patch, 'bout five years ago. Had a break up, was all bitter 'bout that and then over the five years it all kinda got worse. So I kinda framed it as a love letter to myself, from... I don't know, New York, the girl I used to be." There was a silence on the other end of the line and Dani feared she'd said too much.

"Well, it's a beautiful song. Break up? You finally started dating after you ran away?"

"I didn't..."

"Didn't what?"

"Runaway. I was told to leave. I was kicked out." The words fell from Dani's lips and she heard the gasp from her grandmother.

"Why would your parents lie, Danielle?"

"I- they caught me with a girl." Dani's voice shook. "It was either leave or get put through conversion therapy. Leaving was easier. Cut ties. Be myself. I'm sorry." The tears rolled down her cheeks and she watched them fall to the closed lid of the piano. 

For a while there was nothing but the sound of Dani's crying.

"Please, just say something. Anything, please." Dani begged through her tears, she couldn't handle the silence. She didn't even care if she was going to be rejected, she just needed to hear anything.

"Why are you sorry, child?" The question caught Dani off guard and she started coughing, trying to collect herself.

"Wha- what?" She stammered out, blinking back the tears.

"Dani, why are you sorry?"

"I'm gay. I'm- I don't know." Her grandmother chuckled and Dani echoed it, shaking her head at herself.

"So, you love women. Why are you sorry?"

"Because..." Dani sighed. "Because I was scared of rejection, of being rejected. The way they rejected me. The way so many others I know have been rejected."

"Your parents always were obsessed with their reputation." Dani snorted at that. "You know, I always wondered why they said they didn't know why you'd run off. You never were the kind to not have reasons and if you made anyone aware of those reasons it was your parents."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I? I miss that girl. How strong I was."

"Was?"

"The last five years, I got caught up with this woman I shouldn't have, she broke me. I've got five years of music I can't even touch cause of her."

"Sing for me."

"What?"

"Sing for me."

"Do you just know I'm sitting at a piano or?"

"You never were far from some sort of instrument, but your voice has always been beautiful on it's own."

"Fair enough. Any request?" Dani couldn't believe what was happening. She hadn't been rejected. It seemed the opposite had happened.

"Whatever you'd like, something happy?"

"I mean, I used to play ‘Here Comes The Sun’ all the time for the woman who bought me the piano I'm currently sitting at, if you'd like that? Or I still know a few hymns."

"Dani, just play whatever you feel right playing. Pretend you're not on the phone with me, just play."

Dani set the phone down, putting herself on speaker, and setting up the piano properly. Staring at the piano she thought of Maya, of the time they'd spent sitting at the piano on her birthday, of the songs she'd played for her. Slowly, she began to play. "This ain't one of mine, but it's a favorite." Dani announced and then she began to sing.

"She says I smell like safety and home,  I named both of her eyes forever and please don't go. I could be your morning sunrise all the time, all the time, yeah This could be good, This could be good..." 

It was Mary Lambert's "She Keeps Me Warm" and it was the song she'd broken in the piano with. It was one of her favorite songs, but it was rare that she played it. It never felt right on keyboard.

As she finished playing she could hear the applause from her phone and couldn't help but smile.

"That's beautiful."

"It's ‘She Keeps Me Warm’ by Mary Lambert. She has a lot of good music and I relate to it."

"Who is she, for you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who were you singing about?"

"No one?" Dani didn't think she was singing about anyone. 

"You don't sound sure."

"I've barely come off a real bad relationship, there ain't no one."

"Dani, you don't pick a love song to play your grandma if there isn't someone. Why'd you pick it?"

"I was just thinkin’ bout a friend."

"A female friend?"

"Well, yeah. She's been lettin’ me live with her til I can find a place to live. She's an old friend of mine. That's all."

"And she makes you think of that song?"

"She means a lot to me. What are you gettin' at?" Dani didn't like the assumptions being made. This was Maya they were talking about.

"You sounded happy, Dani. Whoever she is, just the thought of her picked your mood up. You sound lighter."

"I'm not even sure she's into women!" Dani blurted out.

"Yes you are." The matter-of-fact way it was said had Dani staring at her phone in disbelief. "But if that's not for me to know, then it's not for me to know."

"I- What?" Dani seriously couldn't believe this was happening. She was literally having a conversation with her grandmother about her lack of a love life... actually, no, that part she could believe. It was the part where her grandmother thought she was into Maya like that.

"What are your plans for Thanksgiving?" Subject change, always fun.

"I'll be in Shreveport, Louisiana. My uh... adopted mother, the only woman I call mama, 'cept when I'm teasing a friend, invited me to spend Thanksgiving with her and her family."

"Oh? She takin' good care of you?"

"Yes, ma'am. Got a care package full of goodies around my birthday. I'm gonna go out and see her 'fore Thanksgiving, she lives in Ohio."

"I'm glad to hear it. Well, I hate to cut this short, but I gotta go get lunch ready."

"It's alright, I should probably get something to eat as well. Uh, can I ask a favor?"

"Of course."

"Can you not tell my parents that we've talked? I don't feel comfortable with them knowin'."

"Of course, Dani. Can I at least tell your grandpa?"

"Is he gonna go be a gossip bout how his granddaughter is a big music artist?"

"Of course he will, you know him."

"As long as he don't mention it to my parents, sure. I mean, I guess my name'll get out there anyway, but..."

"I understand, darlin' it was good hearing your voice again."

"Same to you. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too. Have a good day."

"You too. Don't be afraid to give me a ring, yeah?"

"I won't. Bye."

"Bye."

As the line clicked dead Dani couldn't help but laugh. It was ridiculous, to think that her grandmother had sought her out. That her grandmother had just accepted her, where her parents had failed to. Then again, her grandma tended to listen when she went on her rants, particularly the political ones.