Hellooo i like your writing andd can i request if you can, a qiu/tamarack (separate) x a reader that is oblivious. Like they would be saying to them "i like you" and reader would probably say its because they’re just friends
If you do that request thank you very much 🥹
Thank you so much for the request honey, and I'm sorry for the wait and I'm sorry if it's lacking, I've been going through a rough patch in my life.
Qiu "Autumn" Lin and Tamarack Baumann step 1 & 2 (separate) x oblivious!gn!reader
Step 1 Tamarack Baumann (She/Her)
• Tamarack was always pretty obvious when she liked someone, and to be honest it was easy to tell for everyone around her.
• The way she hovers around you all the time, loves to match with you, and always wants to hang out with you?
• Yeah, total crush.
• She never intended to say anything, but when she was propositioned by a classmate and she says
• "MC is my favorite!"
• And from there shock ensues, her classmates erupt into chaos as you just there, smiling sweetly.
• "Awh Tamarack, you are my close friend too."
• Tamarack let out a huff of frustration and relief, but moved on with her life.
• Not much would really come of it, honestly.
Step 1 Qiu Lin (He/Him)
• Qiu doesn't really care much about being subtle if I'm being honest.
• He would definitely be leaving obvious hints and you would just smile and be like
• "Wow you are such a great and nice friend!"
• He would sigh in amusement and mild exasperation.
• He wouldn't be too bothered though, he'd just get used to it.
• Although being friend zoned would hurt...
• He would just get used to it and think nothing would ever come of his crush...
Step 2 Tamarack Baumann (She/Her)
• Tamarack at 14 is much more shy than she was when she was 10.
• She's less obvious in some ways, but also way more obvious in others.
• She would constantly be nervous around you, blushing when you say something nice.
• But you would just say things like
• "Do you have a fever?"
• It's ridiculously cliche in her mind, I mean, it's like a dumb romance movie.
• But deep down she loves when you put a hand on her forehead to check her temperature.
• It would make her so nervous though!!
• If she did decide to confess (which probably wouldn't happen but for the sake of the fic she will) she would have to be SO blunt.
• "I like you. I mean, really like you. Romantically."
• She saw the red blossom on your cheeks like roses, and she felt her own heat up in return.
• When you returned her feelings she would be so relieved and flustered.
Step 2 Qiu Lin (They/Them)
• Qiu wouldn't be obvious about their feelings, unlike they were 10, but it would be blatant they liked you to an extent.
• They would be pretty smirky about your obliviousness, if I'm being honest.
• They would be very teasing most of the time, especially when you don't understand certain underlying things.
• Although they would turn bright red when you get close, and panic when you went to check their temperature.
• They would play it off cool though, saying that they just got overheated (in the fall?)
• When you back off they would simultaneously miss the touch and be relieved you stopped.
• When they confessed (just like Tamarack, probably wouldn't happen but bare with me.) they stared at you for a moment and said,
• "I have a crush on you."
• What was that?! They had thought about what to say for hours and that was the best they could come up with?!
• Although they were pretty sure you liked them back they weren't positive, but when you turned bright red and laughed nervously?
• They were putty in your hands.
A/N; I really like this! I hope you like it too ❤️
⭐️What could've been an absolutey heartbreaking event for the Idrissi family ended up being one of their favourite memories. You know what they say...true friends always have your back.⭐️
🌈Happy birthday to youuu...happy birthday to youuu...happy birthday @piinkcheesse ...happy birthday to you! Or belated anyway! Here's the fanfic you've been so excited for! I love you sooo much and I'm glad we're friends! I haven't talked about Amira here on Tumblr but I figured I could cheat it cuz you're so special! Whimsy AU, My OLNF MC Amira, her momma Sanna, Maylin and Roman silliness!🌈
🌈TW: None! Very fluffy business!...Mkay slight mentions of a bad dad. But not even he can overshadow the Whimsy here!
🌈6.5k words...whoops
Sanna remembers the day it happened.
She and Amira hadn't lived in Golden Grove for very long yet. Six months at the end of March. A short amount of time in the grand scheme of things but an impactful nonetheless.
She hadn't fully gotten used to the quiet streets or the permanently red and gold trees. She was still surprised when she'd realize that she had driven completely out of town in what felt like less than ten minutes. It was still startling how everyone seemed to know everyone. The warm greetings in those American accents. The warmth of this little town in general.
She wasn't used to it but Amira seemed to take to it all like a fish in water.
Her darling, bright and shining Amira, she thrived. Even more so than she had seemed to in London. She was enamored by the constant fall of leaves and the steady silence of the woods. She adored how close everything was, how close everyone was. She cheerfully greeted her fellow townies with the warmth of a thousand suns.
Yet more than anything, she was overjoyed with her friends.
Truthfully, Amira was a quiet child. She was cheerful and curious, yes, but more than anything she was an observer. She watched the children around her in shy silence. With hesitance. It's not that she had believed herself to be an unlikable little girl, far from that…rather, she just knew that something made her different. Something that others had clearly taken note off and had found unseemly. As such, Sanna's beloved child would keep to her own devices, her little worlds, rather than attempt to form connections with little girls in prep school uniforms.
Then there was Shantika and Pavitr Chatterjee. After that came Leo Honeybone and Maylin Berry. And suddenly, Amira was laughing and shouting and free.
It was an easy decision to allow Maylin to stay over after picking him up. Likely the easiest decision Sanna had ever made in her life.
It's why she may or may not have descended into panic the second she heard the crying start.
She had been in the garden trimming away at one of her many rose bushes as per Hanako's, her gardener's, advice. She had been soothed by the sound of her fountain and the birds’ chirping. It was around 5pm and Maylin's father would be picking him up soon.
Amira and Maylin's after school play date had seemed to have been going perfectly. Maylin was an incredibly quiet child but he was also a very sweet one. Amira appeared to talk even more around him and while Sanna worried if the poor dear would be overwhelmed, she could tell that he was having at least a bit of fun. Despite her tendency to…fret, at that point there was not a true reason for concern.
But Sanna had dropped the scepter at the first of Amira's sobs.
Amira was not a crier. This did not mean she did not cry but that it was a rare response. She typically took things on the chin with a tiny “Oh”, wondered about it, before moving forward. If she was crying over it, it must have been serious.
And so Sanna, in her heeled sandals and long sundress, rushed into her home.
Her heart pounded as she ran through the halls, the cries only getting louder. Her thoughts were moving a mile a minute. What had happened? Was Amira hurt, were both of them? How had this happened so quickly and why hadn't she been there to prevent it!?
By the time Sanna reached her daughter's star-sticker covered door, she had been shaking. Still, she had taken a breath to compose herself. No situation has ended well when an additional party arrives and begins panicking as well. They needed a stable and comforting presence.
Sanna had smoothed the wrinkles in her dress and sighed. Before entering, she softly knocked even if she had known it was unlikely she would receive a(n articulate) response.
She worried about a lot of things, about a lot of scenarios. All of them are far worse than the last. While Occam's razor still applied, it was distressing to consider what could be horrid enough that her darling would be shouting to the rooftops.
She had considered a lot…but not this.
In the middle of the butter-yellow room was Amira and Maylin standing next to…something. Amira's sobs had started to quiet down into soft sniffles as she rubbed at her now red face. Maylin stood grasping onto his scarf with an iron grip. From the shiny look in his eyes, Sanna was afraid he would begin to cry too.
Amira had heard her come in and gasped. Her little legs carried her fast across the wide room and to Sanna. Amira hugged her mother's leg as she gracefully bent down to trace her hand against her wet cheek.
Amira continued to sniffle without saying a word. Finally, Sanna asked in a gentle gentle voice:
“My Darling…? Whatever is the matter?”
Amira nuzzled her face into Sanna's hand and provided her with a stuttered out answer, “Mum…my dollhouse…we broke it!”
Sanna blinked and lifted her gaze to where Maylin stood. The small boy's own gaze seemed to widen, guilty and he buried himself further in his scarf. Sanna's heart squeezed painfully for a moment but she attempted to turn her focus to the dollhouse in question.
In a room designed to fit a little princess, certain things stood out. It was all softness. Lace curtains, piles of pillows and soft teddy bears. Theoretically, you could fall anywhere and it would essentially be like landing on a cloud.
“W-we were playing and, and Maylin had tripped over Ms Jameelah because she was on the floor and he fell into the house because we were playing dollies and now it's broken!!!”
Alright. There may have been one area where the fall would not feel very cloudlike…
Sanna continued to rub her daughter's face as her stutter worsened with her growing distress. She kept looking at the destruction. That's the only way she could describe it really, destruction.
On the floor were…parts…of Sanna's beloved wooden dollhouse. Parts that simply were not together anymore. No, rather, there were panels of wood scattered across the ground. The miniature dolls that Amira had grown so fond of lay beneath the wreckage. 120 centimeters of wreckage.
It looked like a massacre and Maylin looked like he was going to sob.
Sanna sighed, guilty and relieved. She kissed Amira's creased forehead and raised up once more. She began walking to Maylin.
The small boy shook harder with every step she took towards him. His lip quivered and his brow trembled as he kept glancing up at her, then down. Her heart broke with what felt like recognition. Sanna had to resist the temptation to rush and squeeze the poor thing.
Instead, she had slowly bent down to his level and smiled her softest smile.
“Are you alright, dear? That must have been quite the fall.”
Maylin's eyes widened and he finally looked up at her. Immediately she was reminded of the stuffed bunny that he would bring with him. Peaches. Maylin's nose twitched and he slowly nodded.
“Oh, I'm glad. It must've been rather scary…I trip over my own feet constantly and it still feels like my heart is in my throat everytime.”
Sanna hummed quietly at the look of quiet surprise in Maylin's pink eyes. She brushed a lock of her hair from her face as she gazed at Maylin's forehead. Her brows furrowed in concern.
“It's alright, my darling. I also tend to get all sorts of bumps and bruises, especially with falls like this. Would you allow me to check if there's any further reasons for us to worry?”
Maylin continued to look at her as he slowly began exiting the cocoon of his soft scarf. His little shoulders tensed and his gaze darted off of her as he seemed to consider the request with a thoughtfulness that was a bit rarer to see within a ten year old. On the rare occasion Amira, little eight year old Amira, seemed to think things through with a similar look in her golden eyes. Finally he looked back at her and gave a small nod.
Sanna gently lifted his bangs and traced his forehead. He shivered and she smiled reassuringly at him before moving her hand away. Best not stress him out further.
She said in a gentle but peppy voice, “Perfect. You're alright, Maylin. Far be it that a little accident startle such a clever child like yourself too much, yes? I'd like to believe we'll all be able to move past this perfectly happy. Wouldn't you both agree?”
Sanna looked down at Amira who had moved closer to her and continued grasping onto her dress. She was staring at Maylin, worried. Maylin looked back.
“It's okay, Maylin,” Amira said with a cheerful tone more befitting of her. “It was just an accident! I'm sorry that you fell…”
Maylin hugged his shoulders and looked down. He seemed more guilty than anything but he nodded. Amira nodded too, more enthusiastically, and Sanna sighed.
“Ms Idrissi!” Anya's voice echoed throughout the halls of the house. It was Friday afternoon and she had finished cleaning up and cooking dinner, so she was likely about to leave. “Mr Fiore's here to pick Maylin up!”
Or that. Yes, that made sense.
Maylin startled into action and began walking to the door. He didn't walk out without the golden pair but he did seem antsy. Sanna had mercy on him and rose up, grasping Amira's hand.
“Shall we?”
Together the three of them made their way to the large front door. Sanna had smiled at both of them before she opened it to reveal Roman Fiore, little Maylin's father.
When Sanna had met Roman, she could only really think about how…different he was to the rest of the people in her life. They all were of course, Daniela Honeybone and Deviya Chatterjee included. And yet, it was particularly notable with Roman. Perhaps it was his warm smile or easy demeanor. His lack of judgement and cheery jokes. The slight messiness.
Perhaps it was the fact that Roman and…Hassan couldn't be anymore different.
As soon as the door opened, the little smile that always seemed to be on his face grew. It grew even more as he looked at his little boy and he waved. Maylin ran forward and behind him, grasping at his pant leg.
Roman let out a little “Oh-” and stared down at Maylin, shocked. He raised his hand to pet down that head of long, long hair and looked at Sanna with a question in his eyes.
“Good evening!” He greeted with cheerful hesitance. He looked down at Maylin again and his brow furrows slightly. “Is–Is everything alright?”
Sanna smoothed out the folds on her dress and nodded. She attempted to smile reassuringly, both at Roman and Maylin.
She spoke comfortingly, “Mhm, yes, everyone is alright. Just had a bit of an accident but we managed. Dear Maylin, especially.”
Roman's eyebrows raised at the word ‘accident’ and he looked down at Maylin with increasing worry. He kneeled down to his level and Maylin was forced to let go.
He whispered, “Are you okay?”
Maylin was quiet for one moment before he started whispering in his father's ear. Sanna could only catch bits and pieces. Words like “dollhouse”, “fell” and “sorry”. Roman nodded along before sighing. He looked up at Sanna and Amira with a remorseful, slightly panicked, look. Sanna immediately felt more worried about the stress this was causing Maylin and him.
Roman cringed and spoke hurriedly, “I am absolutely so sorry about all of this– Maylin is as well! If there's anything we can do to make up for this, please let me know. We are both incredibly sorry–”
Before Sanna could even speak, Maylin whispered in his dad's ear again. Roman's eyes widened and he nodded. He spoke again, “Yes, Maylin is right. Maybe we could cover the damages? Repay it? It really is no trouble at all!”
Sanna thought back to the dollhouse. That thing was the most expensive toy Amira owned. He had made sure of that. There was absolutely no way Sanna would ask anyone to repay such a large sum of money, especially the father of her child's friend. She gently shook her head.
“There's no need for that! It truly was an accident. I'm just glad they're both alright.”
Apparently, Roman had a stubborn streak that Sanna was previously unaware of because he only shook his head more firmly than she had.
“I insist. It was an accident but we can still try to help where we can, it wouldn't even be a hassle!”
“I'd only feel horrible if I asked such of you…”
“Yes, well, Maylin and I would feel even worse if you didn't.”
The two parents stared at each other. Sanna with hesitance and Roman with determination. It seemed no one was going to drop the matter. A beat passed before–
“Mum…Can't we just rebuild it, please? I don't want another one, this is my dollhouse…!”
Sanna already started nodding her head before pausing. She glanced at Amira before looking at Maylin and Roman.
They could rebuild it. It was completely possible. Amira and her had done it before after all, despite the…challenges. It could be done again and perhaps–
Perhaps they could have more help than they did the previous attempt.
So before she could start to doubt herself (even more), she said, “Of course my love, we can rebuild it. Tomorrow, perhaps? The weather will be lovely and you did such a wonderful job of baking with Anya last time! Maybe we can make a day of it?”
Amira smiled at Amira but tilted her head in Roman's direction and quickly glanced. She wasn't sure if her implication was clear enough, maybe she should–
“Yes! Oh, oh– Please let Maylin come please!! It'll be so much fun! Uhm! Mr Fiore can come as well, please!”
Amira giggled while smiling wide. Sanna let out a breath. She was truly her little assistant to the end
Roman's eyes widened slightly and he looked at Sanna. She smiled and smoothed her dress. He turned his gaze down on Maylin who was staring up with starry eyes and Amira who was vibrating with excitement. Roman grinned and nodded.
Sanna said, “Lovely. 1pm tomorrow then? We'll have tea. Amira simply couldn't deal without it.”
He chuckled and held out his hand. She blinked for a moment, before tepidly reaching out as well. They shook hands and the deal was made.
“It's a date.”
Sanna and Amira sat in the kitchen, getting ready for the fun day ahead. Amira sat near the kitchen counter, pouring over the instruction manual they had tucked away in their bags when they moved to town. All around her was pages upon pages of “design ideas”, each sketch was more elaborate than the last.
“Maybe instead of a house, we could make it a castle like this instead!"
“I do adore your enthusiasm, darling, but I doubt we have enough pieces to do that.”
Amira did ultimately settle with the original design's shape. Though she was a tad bit upset she had to give up her dreams of woodworking and craftsmanship, there were still things to look forward to. One of things Sanna and Amira always look forward to actually.
“Did you remember to put them all outside, dearest?”
“Yes, Mum!”
Sanna smiled softly and nodded. She was busy washing the dishes. They had waffles this morning upon Amira's sweet request, “May we please, Mum? I think it would be a nice way to start the day I think!” Sanna had no issues with the arrangement. Now she stood by the sink, making sure to keep their home nice and neat.
There were extras for Maylin and Roman. Just in case they'd be interested.
The sound of Amira's scribbling blended with Sanna's quiet humming. It was a peaceful morning, as they typically are in that house. Despite her nerves, Sanna wanted to believe this would be a good day.
When the scratching on paper stopped, Sanna looked back at Amira.
Amira was gripping her crayon with an awfully pensive look on her face. Her free hand tugged at the ends of her golden hair. She pursed her lips and Sanna had to stop her giggle at her stray thought.
She looks like she just ate a lemon.
Sanna dried her hands and walked to sit with her. She grasped Amira's hand and traced a finger against the sketches. They were all beautiful in their earnestness…like something out of a fairytale. What she would give to see every thought she had turned into art.
“My Love? What has you looking so thoughtful?”
Amira looked up at her. Her golden eyes gleaned as she squinted and Sanna's heart squeezed. She always looked so much like her grandfather. She huffed and responded, worried,
“I'm only worried that Maylin feels bad! We were just playing and, and–and then he fell! And I cried too! But I wanna fix my dollhouse too and it would be so wonderful to do with Maylin and Mr Fiore! But what if Maylin is sad or angry that I cried- I must've seemed like a big baby!”
Amira's volume and pitch raised with every word. It was not very often that she would panic this severely. Sanna tilted her head slightly as Amira squeezed her eyes shut. She smiled to herself in secret.
Gently, Sanna raised her hand to the little girl's face and cupped her cheek. As she rubbed her cheek, Amira's eyes blinked open, shiny and wondering.
“I know, dear. It was an accident and you are a very good friend for worrying about Maylin. I can assure you, he wants to assist just as much as you'd like him to. There is absolutely nothing wrong with expressing how you feel, my darling. Especially with something so important to you.”
Amira tried to look down but Sanna merely tilted her head up. She moved her hair and softly pressed a kiss to her forehead. Amira giggled and grasped her mother's hands.
“You are an exceptionally caring and compassionate individual, Amira. You would repaint the night's sky for your loved ones if you knew it'd make them happy. If I can have you promise me anything, it would be to always carry that love with you. For Maylin, for Leo, for Shantika–all of them. Carry the love you have for them and the love they have for you. Promise me that, my darling?”
Amira sat with a wide grin on her face and nodded rapidly. She stared up at her mom, giggling.
“I promise!”
And so, the pair continued on with their morning rituals. There was a slight hiccup during bathtime—Amira was rather sad there was no time for a bubble bath but the promise of one before bedtime seemed to perk her right up—but everything was moving along wonderfully!
Finally at exactly 12:55pm, the two were sitting and waiting by the stairs. Amira was kicking her feet, staring at her sparkly sneakers as Sanna was tying her hair.
“Did you put lotion on your face?”
“Yes, Mum!”
“And you're sure everything is outside?”
“Yes, Mum! I checked three times!”
“Perfect, wonderful job, dear.”
“Thank you, Mum!!”
There was a knock on the door just when Sanna finished tightening the bow. Amira squealed and jumped up but waited for her mother. Sanna shot her an appreciative smile before whipping her hands on her pants and standing up. It'll be fine. Good, even!
She smiled down at Amira before opening the door. Just like the day prior, on the patio, stood Maylin and Roman. Roman waved a hand with a grin and Maylin mumbled a meek “Hello.”
Roman smiled at Maylin before greeting, “Good morning! Reporting and ready for duty!”
He nodded with a salute and Sanna blinked for a moment before snorting. She covered her nose with a delicate hand. She replied, “Of course! I believe with the four of us at it, we'll manage just fine.”
Amira rushed forward and stopped just as she was about to topple over May who hopped back. Amira didn't seem to notice or mind, she just waved enthusiastically.
“Good afternoon, Maylin and Mr Fiore! Hi Maylin again! Thank you for coming, thank you!”
Maylin gave a shy and tiny wave and brushed a strand of long hair out of his eyes. He looked considerate for a moment before he seemed to steel himself. He said to the eight year old, “Hi Amira…Thank you for inviting me–us.”
His voice was almost lost to the wind with how soft it was but Amira caught it anyway. She gave a small gasp and clapped quietly. It seemed that Maylin was able to reassure Amira all on his own.
Roman looked at them both with a soft grin. He rubbed Maylin on the shoulder who looked up at him, confused. He gave him an approving nod before looking down at Amira.
“Look at you! You look like quite the little professional in your–”
He paused. He blinked. He looked at Amira, then at Sanna and then at Amira again. He repeated this 3 times. Sanna felt the rising urge to fidget.
Suddenly his face broke into a wide grin, he gestured at them, “I didn't realise that a pair of twins moved here! You're practically identical!”
Sanna glanced down at her outfit. She always believed being prepared is the best thing to be. She needs to be in order to function. So here she is wearing a set of tan overalls with her hair pinned up. Amira was wearing a matching, tinier set. Hair bow added.
She thought the matching was rather cute…she couldn't help herself.
She blushed and reached to twist the ring on her finger before realizing there wasn't anything there anymore. She smiled and chuckled awkwardly.
“Good afternoon, Mr Fiore and Maylin, dear. lt…it will be very useful for the agenda we have today! Amira agreed.”
Amira nodded. She did agree. Roman tilted his head curiously and engaging. Maylin stared up at Sanna.
“An agenda? Well, now I'm curious.”
Sanna hummed and stepped out the doorway. She began walking forward and off the patio with Amira right at her heels. Roman turned to look at them and Maylin leaned forward.
Sanna glanced back at them with a wave. Amira giggled and ran back to grab Maylin's hand. He startled but remained limp as she began to run, tugging him along.
“Here! This way! Please hurry up Mum and Mr Fiore!”
Roman peeked at Sanna who gave a shy smile. She gestured an arm out to the little stone path that the children had begun running down.
“Right this way, please.”
Amira led Maylin and Sanna led Roman. Down and down the path, surrounded by bushes with blossoming flowers. The sound of Amira and Maylin's rapid footsteps harmonized with the sound of the birds chirping. The path ended and they were finally in the garden.
Among the vibrant flowers and trees was the gazebo, centre-stage. The glass table that sat there was no longer as empty as it typically was. Instead there was a pitcher full of lemonade and a plate of chocolate chip cookies, covered and protected.
But most importantly was the parts of the dollhouse, organized into neat little piles. Placed nicely on the steps were tubes of acrylic paint in every colour under the sun. Next to the cookies, there was the instruction manual.
Sanna nodded quickly to herself. Glue, painting supplies, water, snacks and drinks. Everything seemed to be accounted for and she allowed herself a tiny sigh of relief. The fifth time of double checking, Amira had asked when it was bathtime causing her to snap out of it. They should be covered. She knows they are.
Maylin let out a tiny gasp and Sanna believes she even heard a tiny, “Beautiful…”
Roman whistled, “Look at this! You really did plan everything out didn’t you? Your garden is absolutely stunning. Maylin also agrees of course.”
Sanna smiled and Amira giggled.
“Thank you, I had a lot of help.”
“Thank you, Mr Fiore! You too, Maylin, thank you!”
Sanna began walking towards the gazebo and explaining, “Last night, I reassessed the damage and decided it would likely be best if we put the dollhouse back together from scratch. I know that may sound a wee bit intimidating but I do believe the four of us together will manage perfectly fine. Amira and I have done this before after all.”
Roman nods enthusiastically and pats Maylin on the head, “We're excited to lend a hand!” Maylin glanced at him, shoulders hunched. He did give a tiny nod.
Sanna sat down and grabbed one of the tiny panels. Amira rushed up to sit beside her and gestured for Maylin to follow. He did and Roman trailed along.
Amira pulled one of the paints towards her before excitedly turning towards her mother, “Mum! We're still going to paint them, right? Please say yes!”
Sanna smiled and nodded as Roman gave a light laugh. “I see what the overalls are for now.” She only tilted her head toward him in a gesture that subtly said: I'm always prepared for every situation. Even if it seems silly to be.
He pats down his own pants and turns to Maylin. Both of them are dressed a bit less practically. Thinner sweaters for the slowly warming weather, Maylin's pastel pink with tiny, speckled hearts and Roman's a coffee brown. Both wore light jeans.
They were not fancy clothes, but they were nice ones. Sanna blinked and got up.
“Oh dear,” She started already waking. “One moment, I'll get you something so nothing happens to your clothing. I absolutely should've mentioned that–”
Roman startled and began to get up as well. “Oh no! It's not a problem, really! I can just get our jackets from the car—”
Sanna shook her head and motioned for him to sit. She brushed a strand of her from her face. “Please? It really is the least I could do.”
He pursed his lips before sighing with a slight smile. He nodded once at her and offered a small “Thank you”. She rubbed her hands down her pants and offered what she hoped was not an awkward smile in return.
In a moment she had returned with two aprons. Both in pastel blue. She held them out to the pair.
“Oh wow–You really are prepared.”
Sanna simply huffed out a laugh.
Roman finished wearing his while Maylin still struggled to tie the bow at the back. His father kept offering help but the boy seemed determined to do it alone.
At least, until Amira offered a cheery little, “Maylin, I can help if you want! My Mum always does mine and I wanna practice!”
He looked to be considering this before his shoulders slumped down and he gave a shy nod. Amira hopped over and began tying.
“Mum and my old nanny used to always say that you just need to make it two bunny ears! It sounds cute and that's how I always remember.”
Maylin's ears perked up at the word “bunny” and he tilted his head back. He offered a quiet, “That does sound cute.”
“It does! I like your sweater by the way. Oh, can we use pink for the dollhouse, please Mum? It's Maylin's favourite colour! And couldn't last time!”
Sanna felt herself cringe internally at the mention of last time. Out loud she replied, “Of course, my darling. Anything you want.”
Roman smiled at her, curiously. She tried smiling back.
Maylin glanced back at the sloppy bow on his back. Sloppy but still completely reliable. It looks like Amira has been practicing after all. Maylin blinked and nodded, a small smile on his face.
“...Thank you.”
“You're welcome!”
Amira bounced back to her seat by her mother and Maylin sat near her. The group created a crescent shape around the organized piles. Sanna picked up two pieces of sandpaper and handed one to Roman.
She started picking up the separated wooden panels and showcasing how to sand them down. She explained, “Since they're wooden and have already been painted over, sanding them down will smooth them out and make re-painting much easier!”
Roman nodded along picking up one of the brown panels. He looked up at Sanna and said, “You know, Sanna, I wouldn't have taken you for the crafty type!”
Before Sanna could answer, Amira jumped in, “No, Mum is very talented! She paints and stuff and everything!”
Roman turned to Amira with an enthusiastic smile as he began sanding the panel down and replied, “Oh, I've heard about the painting actually! Maylin is very enthusiastic about it all, and finds it very admirable.”
Sanna looked at Maylin at the sound of his squeak. He had gone red and dropped the paintbrush he was fiddling with. She tilted her head and smiled softly, “I admire your art as well, dear.”
Maylin blinked, wide eyed and while Sanna thought he would shrink down even further, he didn't. Instead, he looked at her with the most starry eyed look in the world and a tiny giddy smile. A “Thank You”, both silent yet vividly loud.
Roman looked at his son with the softest expression on his face and for a moment, Sanna found herself…captivated.
Finally, Roman looked back at Amira and asked, “What about you, Amira? Maylin has mentioned you like drawing as well.”
Amira seemed startled at being so directly addressed but answered happily, “I do! Uhh–Mum is teaching me a lot and I would do it at school! It's fun!”
He nodded along and smiled at her, “I would love to see what you make sometime, my own art is quite the sight to behold…”
Sanna doubted Amira had caught the sarcastic remark. It was rare she ever did. But in any case, Amira seemed to be more attached to the notion that Roman was interested in her art.
She stuttered out, “Really? You–You wanna see it?”
Roman blinked but answered, “...Yes? It all sounds very impressive.”
Amira seemed to vibrate for a moment in glee but Sanna felt her heart clench. She knew why it was such a shock to her. He was never particularly interested in anything Amira seemed excited to show him.
Finally, Amira squealed and jumped closer to Roman who startled back but laughed. “Yes!!! Yes, of course I'll show you!! Mr Fiore, I promise next time you're here!”
Roman smiled happily at her. It had taken her a moment to get the words out with her stutter but he waited patiently. He was always like that with all of the children. Enthusiastic and playful. Patient and interested.
“I look forward to it.”
As they sanded every last piece down, Maylin sat close to Sanna while Amira chatted happily with Roman. Every now and again, they'd pause to eat one of the cookies on the table. Sanna whipped the crumbs from Amira's face and had to physically stop herself from doing the same for Roman.
“You're both just as bad as eachother…”
“...At least that means they're really good?”
After about an hour of hard work, Sanna and Roman were done and it was time to move on to Amira's favorite part.
She squealed, “Yay! Painting time!”
Amira grabbed at all the paints while Sanna handed out the brushes. Every colour of the rainbow at her finger tips.
Amira asked, “What's your favourite colour, Mr Fiore? I like all the soft ones! We can use your favourite on some parts of the house too!”
Roman considered her question and moved his head to and fro. After a moment, he responded,
“Yellow. It's a very happy colour.”
Sanna startled but Amira giggled loudly, “Like Mum! She loves yellow soooo much! Me too! We're lucky our hair and eyes match, it's so cool…!”
Roman blinks before laughing. “That is lucky. Very fitting for you two if I can say.”
The two continued giggling together, in their own little gleeful world. Sanna tugged on a look of her hair as she and Maylin glanced at each other. Despite her flustered she told Maylin, “Your pink eyes match you perfectly as well, darling.” He giggled quietly in response.
Pastel pink, baby blue, sunny yellow and pale white. Those were the colors they had decided on. With Sanna's guidance and everything prepared they got to work.
The conversation flowed. Primarily between Roman and Amira while Sanna added on every now and again and Maylin focused on painting.
His hands shook slightly when he decided to add flowering details. Upon closer look, Sanna realised they were little daisies. Amira's favourite.
Sanna moved closer to Maylin and whispered, “Do you need a bit of help? It's not an issue, I don't mind.”
Maylin looked down but nodded quickly. Sanna reached out and grasped his hand. He jumped but calmed down after Sanna startled as well. Maylin nodded and looked back at the panel so Sanna slowly began guiding his hand.
“Small strokes like this…It's a delicate process as you know. You're a very gentle boy. You understand that. You just need to learn to trust your hands.”
Sanna spoke quietly and intently. As they continued she felt Maylin's hand stop shaking as concentration took over. One drag down, another up. A daisy.
At the edge of her vision she saw Roman smiling softly before turning back to Amira who was explaining how he should do it. She had quieted down a bit. Roman nudged her and asked, “What are you thinking about? Seems important.”
Amira pouted up at him but answered, “It's just funny doing this again! I remember last time Mum started helping around when we started painting ‘cause Daddy said he was getting bored. Or that it was unnecessary, I think? So we didn't really paint it fully. It's funny now we're doing the whole thing.”
Roman's brow furrowed and Sanna tensed. She remembers the whole process. Likely even more than Amira did. Sanna had been begging Hassan to show their baby more affection, more attention. He, or should she say his assistant, bought his dollhouse as a six year old Amira's birthday gift. The biggest thing he could find. Said “A dad who didn't love his kid as much as I do wouldn't spoil them like I do.” Amira was ecstatic. The most important toy she owned.
Until it was time to build the thing. Hassan just complained the whole time. “Why can't they get someone else to do it?” , “They have assistants, maids for this kind of crap.” and “Isn't it enough that he bought the damn thing for her? He did his ‘fatherly duty’ so what was Sanna's issue?”
So what was supposed to be a father bonding with his daughter turned into a quiet ordeal. Sanna, because of her weakness and her compliance and because she just didn't want this memory to be tainted for her daughter…
She smiled sadly at her husband and told him he could go. She'd help their baby. And that's what she did.
It was still Amira's favourite toy. The only one Hassan ever really bought for her. He chose it even if he wasn't at that store. A giant, plain, wooden dollhouse. They never really did paint it with anything other than white and pale blue.
Roman looked up at Sanna's blank face as she guided Maylin's hands. She didn't look back. Not consciously. He considered her for a minute before looking back at Sanna who was puffing air into her chubby cheeks. She didn't look sad…just wondering.
“Well…I'm having fun. Not to worry, Amira, me and Maylin won't leave until the job is done! We are a team, after all.”
Amira cheered and stared at Roman's outstretched hand before going “Oh!” and giving him a high-five. Sanna smiled and nodded.
“Mhm…a team.”
So they painted every last piece and they worked with efficiency. Sanna was an excellent task master, making sure to keep everyone on track. That did not mean there was no playing around! At least when they had started assembling the thing.
While Roman read the instructions and put everything together, Sanna had slowly inched towards Amira before swiftly painting a flower in sunny yellow on Amira's cheek. She screamed in glee. “Mum, no!! It's cold!!!”
Sanna giggled and snorted, “But you like facepaint so much! I suppose I only thought it would make you even cuter!”
Before Maylin could even blink, Sanna dabbed a dot of pink paint on his nose with whiskers on each cheek. He scrunched his nose and even let out a little sneeze. Sanna smiled at him.
“Perfect. A little bunny nose for the sweetest boy I know.”
Maylin blushed and continued helping his father by handing him the pieces that Amira had put glue on. Sanna turned to Roman and reached out before stopping, shocked.
“I- Oh my Lord, I am so sorry–! I had just gotten carried away. I–”
Roman snorted but pouted. “No, no! I'd hate to be left out!”
Sanna huffed but awkwardly took his left hand and painted a star in yellow.
“For the stars you would give your students if they were a tad bit younger.”
“Perfect!”
By the time 5pm was rolling around, they were about done. The dollhouse was back to its former glory…no, it was even better. Amira cheered and Maylin sleepy smiled.
It was beautiful. They hadn't placed all the furniture back due to the complications that would arise when it was time to carry the thing back to Amira's room but everyone could see the vision perfectly. Amira cuddled up to Sanna and looked at the other two.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! It's perfect and amazing and I love it so much!”
Roman grinned at her as Maylin drifted off near him. Maylin gave a small smile to Sanna and Amira and nodded. Roman simply responded, “Thank you for allowing us to help.”
Amira squeaked and crawled over to the dollhouse. Quickly, she dipped one of the now clean paintbrushes into the light pink paint. As she wrote they all leaned in, “Mum says it's important to always sign your work!”
So on the floor of the living room floor, in the spot that Amira would place the room's rug, she wrote:
Amira, Maylin, Mum, Mr Fiore
The group stared, huddled up close. There was a sense of sleepy contentment as the fun day began to draw to a close.
“We should all be very proud…Good job today team.”
Roman's voice was just as tired as Sanna felt. It was a good day, after all. She scooped Amira up in her arms and pressed a kiss to her head. Roman and her bumped shoulders and, for once, she was far too relaxed to flinch.
Roman and Maylin would likely stay for dinner. The children would probably fall asleep soon after. Roman would take Maylin home and the day would be truly over. But they'd always have this dollhouse. A product of love and care and friendship.
A/N: First time writing Vianca!!Hoping I did her justice<3
(Intro . Rules . Masterlist)
The cool autumn night breeze made everything feel small around her, Renee thought. Everything about the small town felt so much bigger when she was younger. The people, the houses, the problems - but the autumn never failed to bring that familiar comfort. There was something special about it.
“You’re zoning out again.” The comfort of a familiar voice called out, a little smug to have caught her. “Still on Earth with the rest of us?”
Renee huffed out a laugh, hand instinctively going to cover her mouth. “I’m still in this planet’s atmosphere, Via.”
“Good.” Vianca states. She reaches up, gently tugging away the hand that hides Renee’s smile and instead lacing it within her own, “I’d have missed you if you were in space."
“I’d take you to space with me if I ever went.” Renee protested, “We could count the stars together. It’d be fun.”
“Just say the word, and I’ll start packing.” Vianca retorted, cracking a grin.
Constellations were a very human approach to the stars. Making stories out of bright lights people couldn't yet understand- it was the very foundation of how humans worked.
And somehow, it felt like fate. So many stars, and yet somehow, someway, these exact stars aligned in the exact manner they did, to make the exact patterns they do. The stars certainly were bright tonight, Renee mused to herself. She enjoyed sitting on the grass and tracing constellations out.
Renee couldn’t remember when the quiet had become so comfortable with Vianca. She let her eyes flutter shut and let the breeze sink into her skin. It made her feel small - in the best sense of the word. Like the world had so much to offer even after so long.
“You wanna tell me what you were thinking about?” Vianca asked, bumping her shoulder with Renee’s.
“High school.”
Vianca laughed, making a show of cringing, “Yikes. Embarrassing teenage years.”
“I was pretty sure you hated me, actually.” Renee sighs dramatically, “I mean, I received such a frigid response every time I tried to be friends with you. How you wounded me.”
“Wha- come on!” Vianca protested, “It was high school, you know how I was. It was never anything against you.”
Renee snickered, squeezing the hand that laid in Vianca’s. “Yeah, I know. I’m glad you came around on me."
Vianca considered the statement. She leaned, pressing a soft kiss to Renee’s cheek. She took the moment to lay her head on Renee’s shoulder, squeezing her hand back. The comfort of Vianca’s trust alone was enough to soothe.
“Yeah.” Vianca finally responded, “I’m glad I did too.”
Summary: When Marceline and Tamarack had first joined the Orchestra Band of Riverview Peak High, they had expected it to be a little extra hobby to dedicate some free time to. So when their teacher had revealed that he specially selected them to represent the entire band at the school's big club fair. The duo find themselves struggling under the pressure of preparing a duet for the entire student body.
A/N: HAPPY OLNF WEEK!!!!! Oh my god I'm cramming so hard but I swear I'm gonna do everything in my power to get these out each day!!! Of course shoutout to @rivvyribbons / @olnfweek202x for setting up this whole event. I'm real excited to get these fics out, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the community comes up with! My focus for each fic is just getting a little glimpse into some mundane moments between the cast (save a couple prompts I couldn't resist making dramatic lol). Sure there are some hints of deeper and more dramatic meaning, but this is mostly just the cast.. living life! I hope people enjoy these, any interaction and/or feedback is greatly appreciated!! P.S. This isn't proofread, lmao
Word Count: 2.8k
Music is often viewed as the most serene artistic process. There has always been something about the mere act of plucking strings, pressing keys, or blowing air into a pipe in a way just right enough it creates a beautiful melody that brings the soul into a state of tranquility like nothing else. The elusive nature of the rhythmic practice leads to many viewing musicians as masters over the soul. For them to be able to create such artistic sounds and form them into a full blown song can only be the work of those who have full control over their own selves and can tap into the calm nature of their instruments on the drop of a pin, and never get lost into the chaos of the environment. Why yes, musicians must be true masters over tranquility and—
"AARGH!!!"
Or… Not.
Tamarack nearly tossed her bow to the ground in frustration as a shrill shriek escaped her throat. Deciding it best to not destroy hundred dollar equipment, she simply placed it down and angrily ran her free hand through her hair and tugged at the golden strands. "I'm still late on that stupid outro! What am I getting wrong?!"
Marceline looked over at her while slowly lowering his own clarinet from his mouth. Yikes. We can't keep going like this if she's already this strung up… Scooting his seat over inch by inch, Marceline offered the best comfort he quietly could by reaching over to delicately pat Tamarack on her head. His fingers gently scratched at her scalp, the repetitive action making her slowly deflate as she breathed out a long, tired sigh.
"Thanks Marceline…" She slowly sat back up straight and stretched out her back. The hand she still had grasping the neck of the cello to hold it steady carefully guided the instrument back onto the stand so she could idly brush some imaginary dust off her sweater. "I'm not crazy right? That outro is ridiculously convoluted… The timing is so weird that it feels like I'm just forgetting how to play whenever I get there!"
As she vented out her frustrations in the most prim way one could, Marceline simply nodded along sympathetically. He reached towards his music stand and grabbed the thick stack of sheet music that rested there. The notes, both musical and writing, haphazardly scribbled across the slightly crumpled paper made the sheet music look like a chaotic mess. Countless notes scratched on the paper in French giving little self pointers or plainly asking what the hell an accidental was doing there made the actual music so nearly illegible Marceline idly wondered how he was even able to play it at all.
Flipping through the pages and seeing just how much the duo still had to cover in their practices made Marceline groan and mumble a quiet "Zut…".
Turning to look directly at Tamarack, he gently shook the paper in his hand. "This… Is not going well." he spoke slowly.
"Ugh I know!" Tamarack whined, throwing her hands in the air exasperatedly. "Of all the songs we could have gotten assigned… It had to be these messes." Seeing Marceline wince ever so slightly at the volume of her voice, Tamarack quietly apologized and tucked her hands into her lap timidly.
Sitting in stressed silence, the two looked over at their individual sheet music. The daunting task of memorizing all of that made their skin crawl and prickle with a cold sweat. They both let out an exhausted sigh in sync, Marceline slamming the paper back onto the stand and Tamarack throwing her head back as she leaned back on the stool. Looking around the music room, they observed the various instruments lining the walls, the left behind notes and music sheets scattered across the floor, the beyond dried scribbles from the teacher stuck on the whiteboard, and most importantly, the fact that they were the only people in the classroom.
Typically at this time of day, the classroom would be filled with loud bursts of classical music as the school orchestra met for practice. The songs they played filling up the entire space and even trailing through the halls, surely disturbing the neighbouring club rooms. But today, the room was devoid of anyone save for Marceline and Tamarack. The sight making them huff and think. How did we ever get here?
Of course, the two already knew the answer to that question. Though it still left them stumped in all honesty. About a week prior, during the last orchestra practice of the week, the teacher had suddenly stopped everyone as they were packing up their things with an announcement.
"As you are all aware, the school's club fair is at the end of this month. For the newcomers joining us this year, the club fair is an event where every club in the school displays their talents to the public. It's supposed to try and promote the school's activities to future students, but let's be honest, a lot of people use it to brag about their club. Our orchestra selects a couple of students to put on a performance both at the start and end of the event, though this year I decided to do something a little different. After seeing everyone's talents and how they truly operate with their instruments, I've decided this year to put on a simpler duet between strings and woodwinds instead of anything larger. And for this performance I have selected for Tamarack and Marceline to play. You two stick around for a bit, I'll brief you on what's expected."
The mere second their names came out of the teacher's mouth, the entire classroom went silent. Even as the teacher continued to drone on in the same monotone voice, you could hear a pin drop with how quiet the students had gotten. It was clear no one was even listening as all eyes landed on Marceline and Tamarack, the two stuck in their own internal frenzies at the announcement. Tamarack fumbled with her bag, shyly muttering nonsense to herself as she felt her knees wobble due to all the eyes staring dead at her. Marceline just gawked silently at the teacher, his eyes wide with shock, he almost blurted Are you sure? and pointed to himself incredulously.
As told, the two awkwardly sat back down in their seats as the other students began to file out of the room. People began to whisper and mutter things to each other while sneaking questioning glances at the two chosen ones, though they were still way too lost in their own heads to register anything that might have been passive aggressively whispered at them. Once the last student had left and shut the door behind them, the teacher gathered a fat stack on sheet music and walked over to the duo and gestured for them to take it. As they did, the teacher began speaking again about something but it practically went in one ear and right out the other as neither Marceline nor Tamarack had their full attention on him. The only words they really caught were the teacher's final words before he stepped out the classroom.
"Feel free to use the classroom any time to practice. I have a lot of faith in you two. I wouldn't have chosen you both if I didn't. I'm looking forward to what you two come up with."
And that brings us back to the present. Marceline and Tamarack had been using the music room every day long after everyone else in the building had left, and practicing each song tirelessly until they got too fed up with the repetitive notes. With how long they stuck around, it was a miracle they hadn't gotten locked in on accident yet.
Everyday regular orchestra practice had been… Awkward. To say the least. Whenever Marceline and Tamarack walked into the classroom all eyes suddenly zoned in on them, and it didn't take a genius to figure out those stares were ones of judgement. The two were possibly the most wallflower students in the entire band, so how they got chosen to perform a specially chosen duet for the entire town was beyond everyone. Including themselves. But, it wasn't like they could back out. They had both already just went with it, and the teacher would not stop expressing how eager he was for their performance and how much trust he had in them. When they had gone back home that day and told their family, they nearly threw a whole party in celebration. The mere announcement that the two were going to be performing had put so much attention on to them, both positive and negative. They couldn't just let everyone down, could they?
"Marceline…?" Tamarack suddenly broke the silence and looked timidly at her friend. "… Do you really think we're gonna get this… at all?"
The question made Marceline pause and clench his jaw for a moment. Bringing his hands up defensively to his chest, he absentmindedly scratched at his palm with his thumbnail. He tried to think of the correct and comforting answer, after all, that's what good friends do. But no matter what answer he thought of, nothing felt genuine. He didn't know if they were going to be able to do this. So far, it looks like a disaster waiting to happen. The songs are so hard to get a grasp on that even after a week neither of them have anything really down. No matter how long they practice all day and night, they still feel like nothing was actually learned. The entire situation so far has just left them tired and stressed.
Deciding the silence has stretched on for far too long, Marceline glanced back up at Tamarack and tepidly shrugged. "… We have.. Two weeks… To figure that out…" he trailed off.
Tamarack sighed, a contemplative look on her face. Though before he could really analyze her reaction, she abruptly stood up from her seat, checking to make sure her skirt is falling flat and smoothing out any ruffles. "Well, I need a break regardless." She reached a hand out to Marceline. "Do you… wanna go get some soda?"
The mention of a fizzy drink immediately made Marceline perk up ever so slightly. He immediately took Tamarack's hand and grabbed his knapsack to sling over his shoulder. A few quiet but enthusiastic pop! sounds came from Marceline as he walked out of the classroom behind Tamarack.
Hand in hand, the duo walked through the school halls before making it to a little old vending machine filled with various soda pop drinks. The muffled sound of theatrical music and someone belting their heart out came from within the door adjacent to the machine. At least they weren't the only people sticking around this late.
Without any pause, Marceline opened the flap of his knapsack and stuck his hand inside. Shuffling his hand around for a moment before conjuring up two quarters. He brandished them to Tamarack with a proud grin.
The sight made her giggle. "I probably owe you so many coins huh?"
Marceline simply shook his head as he went to put them into the vending machine, selecting both their favourite sodas. "Don't need them."
Once the machine took his coins and spat out the two drinks, the two eagerly reached inside and grabbed their beloved drinks. They were just about to pop open the cans, they had realized that they mistakenly grabbed each other's drinks on purpose. After a quick laugh they exchanged the drinks, Tamarack getting her cherry cream soda, and Marceline getting his fizzy lemonade.
Not ready to go back to the music classroom just yet, they both opted to sit against the wall right next to the vending machine, the quiet buzz of electricity—and that person belting—being the only source of background noise. Enjoying the almost quiet, Marceline looked down at Tamarack from where he was sitting. She had this strange, pensive look on her face as she stared daggers at the soda can. It didn't escape his notice that she seemed to be idly tapping her foot to the beat of the songs they were supposed to be practicing.
His brows furrowed ever so slightly at the sight. They were supposed to be taking a break, yet Tamarack still seems to have her entire mind on the music. With a click of his tongue, Marceline gently poked Tamarack on the cheek. The action startling her as she looked over at Marceline, who tilted his head in a silent question.
Knowing she was caught, Tamarack shook her head and smiled. "I'm okay, promise. I was just thinking… I dunno why I said yes to performing."
The bluntness in her statement made Marceline raise an eyebrow. She'd never outright say that before. Before it was always awkward phrases that would wave off if she actually wanted to do the performance or not. Insisting that she was excited and grateful for the opportunity, and wouldn't ever back down now. Though before Marceline could question her further, she continued.
"I'm just… Scared. We've been in the orchestra since middle school but it feels like we're learning everything from scratch all over again for this performance. I mean, I think I'm okay in the big performances, but us being the only ones? And front and center?? Why did I say yes to this?? Why did either of us say yes???"
Despite her words expressing her real fears, Tamarack had this big disbelieving grin on her face. Marceline would have worried she was trying to put on a confident mask again if it weren't for the fact that her smile revealed her braces, something that would never happen if she was faking it. Taking another sip of his drink, Marceline tried to comment.
"Do you… Think we should maybe say that we don't want to—"
"And you know the funny thing—oh, sorry—um, I'm so positive that I'm gonna get this whole thing wrong, and that I should've quit ages ago. But now… I don't want to quit, really."
Now Marceline was just genuinely confused. Tamarack was quite literally just talking about how much she really didn't want to be preforming, so why is she saying she doesn't want to quit now??
"I really don't think I should've agreed. If I could time travel I would have gone back in a heartbeat. But now that I'm already here, and a week into it… I don't think I wanna quit now. I mean, the songs may be infuriating… But I get to practice them with you, Marceline. And that's been really fun!"
Marceline listened to her words carefully. The more she explained, the more he thinks he… actually kinda gets it. Would he have said yes to this if he hadn't been so shellshocked and knew how terrible learning the songs would be? Absolutely not. But getting to practice music with only Tamarack, his best friend, had been so fun! No matter how stressed out that sheet music had gotten him, when it was the end of practice and time to go home, he always left with a bright smile at their talks. Life's been a bit… meh lately. And it's made Marceline miss out on time with his friends, especially since people split. Getting to spend this real quality time with his best friend in town had been incredibly valuable. And getting a full blown musical performance out of it was actually like a cherry on top when Marceline really thought about it.
Suddenly in the middle of her ramble, Tamarack stood up and Marceline quickly followed suit. Taking a big gulp out of her soda, Tamarack sighed and smiled at her friend with a newfound hopeful glint in her eyes.
"I think we need to be more optimistic. These songs may suck, and they really do, but we got time to practice. And we're gonna practice it all together. That makes me really excited for these practices. I think we're gonna do… decent enough at the club fair. Thanks for letting me talk, Marceline. I feel a lot better about this performance thing now."
Marceline smiled politely. I don't really think I did much honestly. But seeing Tamarack nearly start skipping down the hallway back to the music classroom has Marceline as happy as can be. Not wanting to be left behind, he quickly grabbed his knapsack and jogged after Tamarack, being sure not to drop his soda as he went.
Returning to their instruments, the duo put down their drinks and donned an air of faux professionalism and tranquility. Straightening out their music sheets and sitting up straight as they took in the quiet. Just as the set up metronome began to count them down, Marceline looked over at Tamarack and whispered with a wide grin.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Our Life: Now & Forever (Visual Novel)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Desmond "Dez" Atwood & Qiu "Autumn" Lin, Tamarack Baumann & Qiu "Autumn" Lin, Desmond "Dez" Atwood/Qiu "Autumn" Lin, Qiu "Autumn" Lin/Main Character | Franky Second, Tamarack Baumann & Main Character | Franky Second
Characters: Qiu "Autumn" Lin, Desmond "Dez" Atwood
Additional Tags: Step 2 (Our Life: Now & Forever), Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Fluff and Angst, Based on the November 2024 Public Demo Update, Mentioned Tamarack Baumann - Freeform, Growing Up, Awkward Crush
Series: Part 2 of the golden trio, now and forever
Summary:
Qiu reflects on the changes in the friends they share a street with, and wars with the growing guilt of a looming feeling and what it may mean.
⭐️A quick peak into the mind of a boy who's only ever been known to shine. Appearances are deceiving.⭐️
🌈I'm backkkkkk.....it hasn't been that long lmao. Anyway, here's a Tika study/angst fic. Partially venting out my own negative emotions but mostly just getting out what goes in the pink boy's head. Pretty people get sad too lol! Kinda Whimsy AU? There are some character mentions but like. The story is the same in canon lol.
🌈TW: Just a lot of negative self-perception. Also there is a bit of puke. Nothing too vulgar though. It's just depressing.
🌈±1.2k words
“Confidence is key.”
It was a phrase that Tika had based her, no, his entire life around. His ma had told him those words early. No matter what anyone else thinks, no matter the situation, at least be confident in you. In your appearance, in your intelligence, in your abilities, in everything that makes you you. After all, who's gonna be confident in someone who's not even confident in themselves?
And Tika has always been nothing if not confident. He knew he didn't have as much as other people but it didn't matter because he could adapt. He didn't know how to fit in with kids’ who's allowance were higher than what his mom would get paid in a week. He didn't know how to connect with friends who had known each other for years because deep down he knew wouldn't be around for longer than a month. He didn't know how to feel smart among children who didn't struggle to pay attention in classes that felt like they dragged for days. He didn't even know how to feel beautiful among girls with pale, flushed skin and long straight hair.
So he faked it till he made it. He acted like he did. And it actually worked.
He watched and learned how to do and love everything a private school kid could have dreamed of.
He listened and observed lifelong friends and replicated that sense of familiarity and easy comfort.
He studied and read for every hour where he wasn't entertaining somebody or doing actual work to make sure his family could afford to eat the next day.
He charmed. He giggled. He flattered and doted and idolized until people couldn't help but find him ethereal off the sound of his voice and compliments alone.
And all for what? Why build all that confidence only for it to come crashing down in the face of something she…he had no control over.
Tika grasped onto the bathroom sink and dry heaved. He wouldn't look up. He couldn't look up. That would make it real.
Oh god Oh god Oh god–
He remembered the moment he realized he was what he was. It was so stupid. It was all so fucking stupid.
He was sitting in the diner. He was sitting in the diner his mom worked in with May and Leo and they were talking about an anime. A Boy's Love. His favorite genre. They were giggling over the love confession despite May's growing fluster. Then, Tika remembered the kiss scene.
It wasn't anything dirty or icky or adult. It was all sweeping music and cherry blossom petals and soft tenderness. Yet, Tika had gripped his skirt like he was about to die. His face flushed and his eyes widened and the only thing he could think was ‘I want that.’ He wanted that so badly. He wanted to be that cute boy with pink hair, so much lighter than his own, kissing the tall, beautiful prince charming. He wanted that so badly it made him dizzy.
So he went silent for a moment and his breath caught. His friends just looked on, confused.
“I think I wanna be a boy.”
He supposes it was always obvious in some ways. For how girly and glittery and giggly he was there was something different. His nose would scrunch when their friend group would be “The Boys and Tika.” He would huff when the boys and girls were separated to play dodgeball. His tiny frame would tense when teachers asked for "a strong boy's” help.
He thought he just wanted equality. Girl Power or whatever. That's what it felt like back then. That's what the jealousy that was a permanent part of his soul felt like. He hungered for it, a life where he was seen as more than that little kid.
And he got that. In some ways.
He was a good actor. His whole life was one big act. It's was starting to feel morbidly comedic.
He acted like a boy for some time. Deepened his sweet voice. Took Gym seriously instead of gossiping on the bleachers. Wore pants. It was all convincing. He hated it but it's not like you'll like every character you play at first. You grow into it. It becomes a part of you.
And yet, nothing changed. Not really.
People still looked at him and saw “Shantika”, the dorky weird girl who genuinely wanted to believe in unicorns.
Mini was different. Even before her transition people thought she was a girl. She'd been living as a girl since she was 9 years old. The transition was smooth because “Well, duh.”
People still asked Tika if he still wanted to use all pronouns. If he was" actually, seriously, genuinely a boy now, or is that just a mean rumor?
So something needed to change.
That's why he was here.
He couldn't avoid it. Mini always glanced at him when he did that. Her piercing eyes said: “Pretending it's not there doesn't mean that the monster is going to poof into thin air.”
So he looked up. And he finally sobbed.
His hair. His pink and long and beautiful hair was fucked. Utterly fucked. It was choppy and half of it was up to his shoulder while the other was by his chin. His bangs sprang up. The ends stuck out. Soft curls having turned sharp and biting.
It was hideous. He was hideous.
So he gripped at the sink and gagged again. He gagged and gagged and gagged and–
He threw up. He threw up in his ma's—his darling ma who he never even saw anymore—nice sink. The sink in the house she worked so hard to pay for. The house she can only ever sleep in because whenever she came home she was too tired to spend time with them. Them: Her babies, the reasons she continues to breathe, her ‘Shining Sun and Magnificent Moon’.
He sobbed again and again. He wanted his ma. He wanted his mommy. But he was a big boy now. He was a big boy who couldn't just go crying to mama whenever things got rough. He was twelve now.
So he gripped his hair and looked down. For all his wailing, he could barely see his hair. The tears in his eyes were too much and he wasn't wearing his glasses.
The feeling of the cold tile beneath his feet grounded him. He was confident that he could fix this. He could fix this and everything else and no one would have to know this ever happened. Auntie Daniela wouldn't tell a soul. Maybe Leo will be at Azzy's or Qiu's or something. He could fix this.
So his sobs turned to hiccups. His heaving breaths turned to tiny sniffles. His grip on the sink softened.
He winced at the sour taste in his mouth. Turned the water on. Let the putrid smell leave his presence. Closed it once it was all gone. He stood in silence for one minute. Counted to ten.
He smiled as best he could. No one else was home. It was just him and Mini. Like most nights these days. Mini is an even bigger liar than he is. She sleeps lightly but pretends otherwise. She heard him getting up. She definitely heard him crying.
And just like that there was two knocks at the door followed by a steady silence.
Tika didn't respond. He didn't have to. Mini wasn't asking to come in. She's telling him that she is.
He smiled once more. Better. Cheerier. He knew his act wouldn't work, not with the girl he shares half his life with. But he was confident enough to try. He had to be. What would he be if not confident? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
⭐️What is the result of three struggling parents grouping money together for months to give their kids the best experience? A Summer to remember obviously.⭐️
🌈Yay! New fic! And so soon? Crazy work, right? This fic is also part of the Whimsy AU where a bunch of MCs live in Golden Grove. This one revolves around Natural Disaters, a poly ship between my mc, Shantika, Leo/Lion by @ferretsevilarc and Maylin, @piinkcheesse 's mc! Kinda a thank you fic too? For just being so awesome lol. This is part 1 because it was getting too long, part 2 should be released soon tho!🩷
🌈TW: None!! Only good vibes and chaos!! Some sad memories but 99% fluff lol
🌈2400± words
Summer was an odd time for the Chatterjee house.
Now, please don't get Tika wrong, she liked Summer! How could she not like Summer? Every season had something to like about it. Spring meant bright, beautiful flowers and new, actually new clothes from the store because it was getting too nice and warm for her winter jacket. Autumn meant fiery leaves and drinking more hot cocoa than she could in the warm seasons. She could see her friends at school too! Winter….Winter had Christmas! It had Christmas and how could ANYONE hate Christmas?
Summer just meant different things for her family.
Sure, there were good things. There was ice-cream and sundresses and the sun staying up for what felt like days. There was new music and lemonade and painting her nails to match the bright sun. There was her mommy embroidering her shorts with pink hearts because she hated how plain the denim blue was alone. There was Mommy in general like with every season.
But Summer always meant more work. It meant that all the bosses' kids were back home from boarding school or, at least, home for longer during the day. Any idea she had of rich kids being 'proper' and 'classy' was very quickly forgotten during those times. “Little piggies,” Her mommy had called them. “and their parents are just as bad.” Most days it would take multiple days to clean the houses.
But that wasn't the most upsetting part. The most miserable part was Summer always meant that Pavi was leaving.
When Pavi had started living with them it was amazing. She knew the reason he had to was sad because he was sad and Mommy had asked her not to bring it up too much. All she knew was that “he couldn't live with Auntie Myra anymore.” She didn't get why, not fully. Tika never saw her that often. Auntie Myra was quiet but it's not like she was mean. She was kinda like Mommy whenever she was really, really tired. Pavi seemed to understand more, even if he didn't seem particularly happy about it. Wherever she asked about it, he would just encourage them to play more.
Tika's days were always brighter when her cousin was around. They were practically inseparable! So it made it so sad when Pavtir had to go stay with his mommy and daddy during the Summer. She tried pouting and whining the first time because it seemed like her mommy wasn't happy about it. She just sighed and said he had to. Pavi seemed even more nervous during those days than normal and it would drive her crazy because nobody wanted to explain why! She couldn't believe that her cousin could come back home, to her and Mommy, more upset than he had been when he had left and there was just nothing she could do about it!
Summer couldn't be her favorite season. No way. Not if it meant Pavi sulking in bed for weeks.
But then they moved to Golden Grove and things were changing!
They had lived there for at least a year. She was no longer that little 10 year old, vibrating with excitement cause it was all new and exciting and amazing. She was 11 and a literal town resident. She'd been to the diner so many times (Her mommy worked there after all) that even Qiu had to call her a regular! She had a set up and, fundamentally, that set up seemed to always include two of her bestest friends, Lion and Maylin.
They did nearly everything together at this point. While they had worked out their system, their parents had been dutifully creating their own. Suddenly, instead of just hanging out at school and outside whenever they could, they had begun truly entering each other's lives.
Whenever Mommy, or Deviya like the adults always said, couldn't get off work, Uncle Roman or Auntie Dani would let her come to their houses and even sleep there! Mommy had started regularly doing Maylin's hair because Uncle Roman was really, really, really bad at it. Auntie Dani would sometimes send Lion with dinner and he would stay to eat with them. Mommy takes them clothes shopping every few months when the weather starts changing.
They all function together. In a few months it felt like they needed each other to function. So when her mommy told the pair of cousins that they'd all be spending Summer together, in California, TOGETHER…Tika could've burst!!
Suddenly the even longer shifts, even more constant moving between households and longer “Adult Talks” made a whole lot of sense.
So they all hauled up at Maylin's house the night before leaving for the airport. Auntie Dani had cooked dinner along with everyone in the house and Tika could feel everyone's excitement, even Pavi’s! He was quiet just like May May but even he couldn't help but smile and giggle whenever Uncle Roman made a joke.
When Tika had asked how Pavi could be spending the Summer together, her mom said it's because they were going near the end of Summer vacation. Pavi was still seeing his parents. She looked irritated when she said that but smiled when Tika kept talking. Pavi had gone to New York but then he came back! He even seemed happy to be back!
Tika and all her friends (Ferret included) slept on the floor of May's room, Auntie Dani and Mommy in Uncle's room and him on the couch. The group of children barely slept a wink, basking in the joy of their shared excitement
“What do you think we'll do there,” Lion had whispered under the covers. They had been given strict instructions to rest up. It would be an early morning so they could actually do things when they got to Prism Vista City.
Maylin had chewed his lip and held his bunny plushie while Mini tilted his head. Ferret snored away, blissfully unaware and quiet for once. They were thinking but Tika had too many things to say. She leaned forward into Leo's pace and spoke rapidly, “I bet we'll see the sea. I've never ever seen the sea before. Maybe we'll even see a dolphin. I've seen them in picture books. They're so cute!!”
Her voice had pitched into a quiet squeal while Leo let out a quiet gasp. He nodded rapidly along with a “Yeah! Sea!” and the two other kids nodded. She kicked her feet and leaned sideways onto Maylin. His long hair tickled her nose and she giggled.
“It'll be amazing.”
The morning they had to leave was the most chaotic morning she's ever had. And every morning is chaotic in her house! Pavi had forgotten his toothbrush at home so he had to use a newer one that had been bought for Maylin. Leo ended up crying because Ferret got a knife and Auntie Dani had to talk him down. May May hadn't slept well and kept stumbling about until he fell over, leading to at least 10 minutes of the parents worrying if he had a concussion (He did not).
And Tika? Tika wanted to go!!
“Mommy please!!!! What if we miss the flight and we can't go at all!!”
Her mom winced as she buttered Leo's toast and Auntie Devi rubbed her on the back. “It's alright Love, I promise we'll be there in time.” Tika pouted but chose to trust her. If Auntie Devi said so, it had to be true. Tika just couldn't stand being late.
Maylin scooted closer to her and gave a soft smile, “It'll be okay, Tika.” Tika finally smiled. if Maylin said so, it definitely was true.
Breakfast became more peaceful after that…Even if Ferret almost peed on the floor. He didn't though. Soon enough they were driving and after an hour or so they were at the airport. It was a place Tika recognized well. She and her mom had to drop-off and pick-up Pavi from there afterall.
Her mommy grasped onto Leo's hand, Leo held Maylin's, Maylin held hers and Pavi grasped onto her sweater's sleeve. She poked him and he returned the favour with a soft pinch.
Auntie Daniela held onto Ferret's kennel and looked at the group of children. Leo had been a bit pouty when his mom said he couldn't hold Ferret but bounced back up when Maylin and her Mommy said they'd hold his hands. Tika was only a bit sad…she wanted to look after Lion too! Admittedly she was okay after Maylin and Pavi grabbed onto her.
Auntie Dani said, “I'm happy you're all so excited but you promised you wouldn't run off once we got here. I trust you all.”
All four of them nodded and Ferret barked.
“Yes, Auntie!”
“Okay, Mama!”
Safe to say, the process of trying to board was a mess.
“Y’know Leo…I heard there's about a fifty-fifty percent chance that our plane will crash ‘cause of turbulence,” Pavi said while they stood in line for the luggage.
“W-what…that's not real!”
“It could be.”
“No, it's not!”
Uncle Roman, cheerfully attempted to reassure Leo, “Don’t worry, Little Man. The chances of a plane crash happening are so close to zero that it's near impossible!”
Leo grasped onto his shirt sleeves and pouted up at the man, “But there's still a chance?”
“W-well, there's always a chance of anything if it's not zero percent, historically and statistically speaking–”
Tika's mommy walked forward and flicked Uncle on the head. He let out a little ‘ack!’ and she kneeled down to Lion's level.
“Who cares about statistics or history? We'll be okay, Tough Guy. You know I'd never let anything happen to my babies.”
Tika perked up and skipped to Leo's side. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and he giggled. She nodded sagely and added on to her mom's commentary, “Yeah, Lion! Me and Mommy will protect you!”
She also turned to her cousin and said, “Pavi stop scaring him!”
Pavi shrugged but Tika could see the mischievous smile on his face. Leo grinned at her and held her hand tight.
“Okay!” Auntie Dani said, smiling. “We should be ready to board in 30 minutes!”
The 30 mins sped by in a blur of chatter and planning. Uncle Roman said they should arrive by 2pm at the latest, leaving them a lot of time to have fun.
“God, it's been a long time since I've been to the beach. Never thought the next time I'd be there it would be with four tiny rascals.”
“Mhm, it'll be fun! It's been quite a bit since Leo and I have gone. A beautiful sight."
“Oh? I trust your judgement as always, Dani. What about you, old man? Ever taken a break from the collared shirts and knitted vests to have some fun in the sun?”
“WELL, Deviya, I'll have you know that–”
“Y’know what? Nevermind. You always know how to make a short story into an essay.”
“....At least I can write an Essay…”
“What was that?”
“Nothing!!”
Tika gazed up at the adults as they led them along. Lion was still a little scared and sad he had to let Ferret go but had taken to arguing with Pavi about the types of creatures that live deep in the ocean. Maylin was walking slowly behind them, grasping onto his scarf. Tika slowed down.
“May May, it'll be too warm for a scarf! Will you be okay?”
He nodded and peeked up at her through his lashes. They were so long…
“Mhm. I'll take it off there…Can we sit together, please?”
Tika giggled. Of course they'd sit together! Her mommy said that this is a ‘3 seat plane’. Pavi was gonna sit with Auntie Dani and her. Uncle Roman sat across the aisle. “Daniela says it's best if we're separated for the 3 hours. For everyone's sake. Mostly hers.”
“Duh! Me and you and Leo have to be together! Why wouldn't I wanna sit with you, silly?”
Maylin smiled and stopped tugging so hard at his scarf.
Before Tika could blink they were on the plane. It had been so long since she'd been on a plane. She remembers the feeling of watching the sky pass her by. Like she was miles away from everything. It all just felt so tiny. Moving to a different state felt…immaterial. Irrelevant, not having physical substance. That's how she felt in the sky. Immaterial.
It was nice in a way. Scary but nice.
Tika had all but shoved her way to the window seat. Leo sat in the middle and Maylin at the edge, placing him closer to his dad. Uncle Roman gave them a small wave.
The announcement for lift off came and Tika started kicking his feet before pausing at the sound of Leo's whimper. Maylin glanced over at him as well. Tika leaned closer and he flinched away. She huffed.
“Lion? What's wrong?”
He mumbled a bit. Tika kept poking his cheek before HE huffed.
“What if the plane actually crashes?”
Tika groaned and Maylin blinked while Leo whined. He couldn't have been serious! Leo was lucky he was cute because Tika could've bopped him on the head!
Scratch that, she actually did bop him on the scruff of his head. He whined again while Tika said, “Lion! What did I tell you about worrying about stuff like that, huh? Why would a plane crash while I'm on it? I'm basically a good luck charm!!”
Leo raised an eyebrow at her. Every time they hung out something went wrong. Not that it was her fault! It was always Ferret!!
“I can hear what you're thinking. The glitter incident was not my fault! It was an accident!”
Maylin glanced back at Auntie Dani and her mommy before giving Tika a pointed look. They didn't know about the incident…Nobody could know…It had taken so long to wash Ferret …
Leo only rolled his eyes and pouted again. Tika sighed and started again, softer this time.
“We'll be okay, Lion. I promise.”
She held out her hand and glanced at Maylin who took the cue to hold out his.
“We're gonna be okay and we're gonna get to Prism Vista. We're gonna get there and we're gonna go to the beach and we're gonna see the sea and we're gonna see dolphins. We're gonna get May a new accessory too! We're gonna see and do so many things together and it'll be amazing. I promise. And you know I never ever ever break a promise.”
Leo looked at both of their hands before nodding and holding on tight. Maylin smiled at Tika and she smiled back.
“Okay. I trust you.”
Eventually Tika's two friends began quietly dozing off, tired from the night before. She continues to stare out the window at the large blue sky. Three hours. Three hours of feeling intangible, three hours of building anticipation, three hours before what would definitely be the best Summer of her life.
⭐️A glance into the mind of a 24-year-old who's life will change for the kids that gave her life.⭐️
🌈Hii! I haven't written a fanfic since I was 12! I am not 12 anymore lol. I hope this doesn't, like, suck I guess. For context: this is an AU where a bunch of OLNF MCs exist in the same universe. This is Tika and Mini's (my mcs) mom, Deviya lol. The backstory on why they moved to Golden Grove :3
🌈TW: Unplanned Pregnancy, Toxic Family Dynamics, Alcohol Abuse, Insinuation of Depression(?) ONLY MENTIONED NOTHING GRAPHIC!!!
🌈970± words
Deviya was overthinking this.
It wasn't often she overthought things. Sometimes it felt like she didn't think about things at all. She didn’t think when she nearly failed out of high school because she was more bothered with parties and dating around. She didn't think when she moved out of her parents house with nothing but the clothes on her back. She didn’t think during the random one night stand that ended up changing the trajectory of her life.
She didn't think when she chose to keep Shantika. She didn't think when she chose to take in Pavtir. It's because of that lack of thinking that she has to think now.
Deviya leaned forward and huffed. She was sitting on the bed in the little hidey hole that Mrs Dupont had put the three of them in. Sharing a bed with just Tika was already squished enough, especially with a child who moved so much in her sleep. Adding Pavi onto it just made a sticky situation even stickier. At least the boy slept like he was dead.
She started picking up the clothes surrounding her and folding them, mindlessly. They had more clothes than she had thought. She had made more clothes than she had thought. Instead of taking the easy option and drinking herself away whenever her mind started getting too loud, she would sew. She would sit on the creaky bed while the cousins played on the floor and sew. Hearts in skirts as big as Shantika's very own and stars on pants as shiny as the slowly dimming ones in Pavtir's eyes.
It's for the best, she thought. Mrs Dupont had said so as well. Her boss wasn't the warmest woman but when Deviya had dropped a plate and broken down in the haze of her stress, she comforted her. The old crone had rubbed her heaving back and said: “It's for the best.”
Deviya wasn't a religious person but she had been praying. There was not much else she could do. She was already doing all she could.
When Pavi had started coming over more regularly it was fine. She just didn’t want him in that house. Not with her coward for a sister and that prick masquerading as a man. When he started staying over near every night because Myra couldn't have been bothered to give a shit about her kid, Pavi got quieter. Even quieter than normal. Finally, when his devil parents had a fight so bad that Pavi had sobbed for the first time since he was 3 years old, she knew enough was enough.
Pavtir Montgomery had been down when he started living with the Chatterjees. After Deviya had told the two they were moving to a little town called Golden Grove, he downright sulked. Pavtir wasn't a sulker. He processed things internally, subtly and more quietly than any 10 year old should have to. This was visible. Deviya didn't know if she was happy or not.
“PAVI! Run faster! I'm gonna beat you!”
She smirked at the sound of Shantika's muffled screams and laughs. The kid had thrown a tantrum when she'd been told. Asked what there was to do in a small town that they couldn't do here in the city. Deviya didn't know how to explain that Pavi’s parents could absolutely not have access to him. Summer is all they'll get and, if all goes well, not even that.
So she just held her when her screams and kicks turned to sobs and gasps. She apologized and kissed her on the head. She sewed her a beautiful and pink new dress. In a day or two, Tika was all smiles and laughs again. She even tried to cheer her cousin up, not being able to stand the sad pout on his face.
Everything was set. Deviya had landed a stable cleaning job with a kind woman named Lorelai. Mrs Dupont's references helped. The mysterious woman didn’t even seem to blink at the idea of two ten year olds becoming occasional tagalongs, mentioning her ‘own darling, Ilrion’. The pay seemed good as well. If necessary, she could get another job.
The most amazing part was the house.
It was nothing big. Nothing luxurious and grandiose like the house she was currently sitting in. But it was beautiful and theirs. A small two bedroom with one bathroom. Close to the school but even closer to the forest. Play friendly area for kids. It wasn't special, as much as the kind realtor -Mr Lin- tried to make it seem like it was. Yet it was perfect. It was perfect and Deviya wanted Tika and Pavi to grow up there. Grow up in a small, peaceful, fucking nowehere town.
She looked around the small room. It wasn't as bad as the closets some of the nastier bosses she had would shove them in but it wasn't a home. It couldn't be, as hard as she had tried to make it one for the only people in this world that gave her life purpose. Well, now, she'd give them a home.
She glanced at her cracked Blackberry phone and at the time. 7 AM. If she didn't know her so well, she would not have been able to believe Tika had so much energy after barely sleeping the night before. She would make them all a nicer than usual breakfast and they'd be out of this house. They'd be at the airport and out of New York. They'd be away from everything they've ever known. It was a scary thought.
The pitter patter of tiny, running feet grew louder as she packed the final pair of pants in the second of their suitcases. Tika screamed for her and the door opened to two different and utterly beautiful faces. Deviya smiled as she gazed at her kids. Her lifelines.
