insert clever title here

A year was a long time. 365 days of time that Yasemin had been counting on to dissipate the feelings she carried for Sage. It had been the best for both of them to take the time away to nip the whole thing in the bud before it ever escalated to the point of hurting Asher. Yet, somehow, the year had only served to stoke the flames that Yas had deep inside of her for the woman that was now electrifying her in every spot they were touching. Too many to ignore. The hand resting at Sage's side pulled forward, guiding the other woman in closer, even as Yasemin knew they needed to do anything but. "Well, I suppose we're in quite the predicament, then, huh?" she mused, a soft smile flickering across her lips. She should have moved away, gone back to Asher's room, done anything to get herself out of the pull Sage had on her, but she couldn't. Whatever consequences could come from their late night rendezvous, Yas just didn't have it in her to care right now. Not after so many months away, dreaming of the moment just like this where she'd fall right back into Sage's arms.

@peregrinaticn

She knew Ty could swim, she wasn't doubting that much. The summer days, much like this one, they spent finding lakes hidden away outside of the city when they were teens told her that much. Simpler times, she supposed. Before the other woman decided to let her brain get knocked around her skull a few too many times (not even in her own opinion, it was basically fact at that point). Now, Emmy had no clue what post-fight Tyler was capable of and that included the having knowledge to actually swim if she were to fall into the water. If she could, she'd move her best friend in with her and call it a day, but she supposed that would be the start of a third world war if she even brought up the idea of it.

"Your phone..." Her brows pinched together, expression crinkling in confusion as she looked over the water only to see a tiny speckle of black feet below the surface. How it happened, she didn't even want to know. "Great. Well, then it's probably important we talk before you sink to your untimely death trying to retrieve that thing," Emmy started, standing up from the edge of the pool only to move closer to Tyler, sitting on the lounge chair next to the one the woman was on. Her elbows pressed against her bare legs and her hands clasped together, wondering if maybe she could get away with going the entire pregnancy and a child's lifetime just never mentioning anything to the other. Would Ty even notice? Inevitably, she chose to spit the words out, though, and held her breath for a response. "Ver and I are having a baby."

@thecxtalyst

#muse / tyler singh #opp / emeline cormier

Talking was the last thing that Tyler wanted to do. Her head was already pounding, the thud of built up pressure not letting up at all since her last fight. Whatever stress Emmy was about to lay on her would inevitably only make it worse. Ty was prepared to get right up out of her seat to go dive down in the water, but the stiffness in her body had her moving far slower than she would have liked. By the time she'd shifted her feet down to the ground to escape to the water, Emmy was already up and in the seat next to her. "I feel like I probably would prefer to sink to my untimely death first. Before the talking," she suggested. It was a fruitless endeavor and she knew it, but she had to at least mount the protest.

Ty's hands were gripped around the chair, one on either side of her legs as she braced herself for Emmy's news. There were a million things it could have been, but what ultimately came out of Emmy's mouth wasn't at all what Ty would have expected. Her eyes blinked a few times after Emmy spoke, brain trying to make sense of the words. A baby. There was only one thing it could mean, but Tyler was instead trying to find any other possible explanation for what a baby was. "What?" was all she ultimately was able to respond with, her brain short-circuiting with no other reasonable explanation. Emmy's marriage to Ver had been bad enough, changing things in a way that Tyler still felt she was trying to navigate. A baby was a different thing entirely, a thing that would only change things more than they already were. "Did she go fuck around and get pregnant? What the fuck?"

@peregrinaticn

muses: emeline cormier and tyler singh.

location: ty's home, in her cool rich person backyard probably.

The internal conflict drove her mad for almost a year; to tell Ty they decided to try for a baby or to wait until the process was irreversible to tell her. Emmy wasn't going to lie and claim that the other couldn't have convinced her to get cold feet about the entire thing — she never envisioned herself as a mom, never in a million years thought she'd be the one peeing on a stick and waiting, impatiently, for a positive to show up, and yet, she found herself doing exactly that... but it wasn't a stretch to say she was anxious about it and when she was anxious, her first response was usually to run. In the end, she decided to wait to tell her best friend until the news was actually official, played the side effects from the fertility injections off as long work hours and summer exhaustion, and her wife didn't take much convincing. Things between her and Ty were still touch and go and Emmy assumed they always would be.

The waiting game she was playing was over that morning, when three tests laid on the bathroom counter, all positive. It took everything in her not to put it off for another day, insist that they needed to confirm once more with the doctor. Even though she liked to think she was better now, that running wasn't her go-to response, sometimes the urge was still there, fighting and bubbling to the surface. Ty was her best friend, though, and she wanted the woman to be a part of this big life moment and so she dragged herself out of the house, sun beating down on her as she let herself into Tyler's home and wandered into the backyard where she knew the other would likely be by the pool. "Remind me why we haven't childproofed the doors so you won't drown when you're unsupervised?" She immediately teased upon seeing her best friend, a grin curving on her lips. For a moment, everything was good. Slipping off her sandals, she took a seat on the edge of the pool and dropped her feet into the cool water. "Can we talk for a second? I, um, have something I need to tell you, but you have to promise you won't actually try to drown yourself when I do."

@thecxtalyst

#muse / tyler singh #opp / emeline cormier

It was a few weeks out from her last fight and the recovery process was still ongoing for Tyler. Every time it got harder, which only made Ty all the more dead set on pushing herself beyond her limits. The morning had gone by in more of a haze than anything. She had breakfast or was at least pretty sure that she did. She took care of the dogs, which she knew for sure that she did. And then the incessant buzzing of her phone had started. Ty knew it was probably important, as her team tried not to bother her if it wasn't, but she couldn't bring herself to be bothered. Instead, she found herself out by the pool in the backyard, gazing out at the lake. It was quiet, woodsy, her property far enough from other people that there was almost a silence from where she sat. The only noises were the rustling of leaves and the occasional movement of one of the dogs that were scattered about the pool deck. That and the phone. The buzzing and buzzing and buzzing that didn't seem to be stopping. Deciding she was fully and completely over it, Ty opted instead to just lob the phone into the pool, watching it sink to the bottom where it could no longer bother her.

She was chuckling under her breath watching it when she heard the back door of her house open. Head turning lazily, Ty let the dogs do all the work of getting up to greet Emmy while she stayed stretched out on the lounger. "Fuck you, I know how to swim," she huffed back with a dramatic flop back into her pillow. The banter sobered up quickly when Emmy came to sit by the pool, a seriousness falling between them. Ty hated talks like this and a part of her was quite ready to just push Emmy into the water to avoid it. Whatever the talk was about, Emmy clearly expected her not to be thrilled by it. "Kind of busy working right now. My phone fell in the pool. So, I probably have to get it. Might drown on the way there." The previous object of her ire for the day had now become her best friend, the phone taking over importance now that it was her excuse to get out of whatever this talk was.

@peregrinaticn

Sage would never say the word. Even if things between them caught the entire world on fire, even if they were already toeing a dangerously thin line between what they were feeling and what Asher was privy to, there wouldn't be a single word uttered to cause the other to leave. Selfishly, she wished Yasemin would stay forever, that they could live in the world of two in the morning kitchen meetings under the guise of needing a drink of water or some tea. How had a year passed with no contact between them and yet, they were right back where they started? Would it always be a never-ending circle? She supposed that would depend on where either of them expected this to go and, honestly, she wasn't entirely willing to think about that yet. And thankfully, she had an old rug to blame for why she couldn't think on it in that exact moment. A familiar palm fell to her waist, steadying her, a teasing voice low and close. The position caused Sage's lips to curve ever-so-slightly, "And what if it was?" came her response, barely above a mumbled whisper, desperate for the two blondes upstairs to stay asleep. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground, but she made little effort to move. "Of course, we definitely wouldn't want this to happen again."

@thecxtalyst

#opp / sage franklin #muse / yasemin dogan

Of course they wouldn't want this to happen again. It was bad enough that it had ever happened at all and with Asher still in the dark about it, risking it again would just be stupid. Yet, standing there with Sage mere inches away from her, it became harder and harder to keep Asher front of mind. "Definitely wouldn't want this to happen again," she hummed back under her breath, words saying one thing, actions saying something completely different. Her fingers had curled into Sage's side, a pressure there now instead of just a palm for support. Sage's first question had gone unanswered, Yas not trusting herself to say anything within the boundaries that they were already pushing to the limit. Letting out a breath that she had been holding in, Yas let her eyes flash to the hallway, doors still closed, Asher and Maggie both not stirring at all. In the dark, away from any other eyes, Yas could feel herself drawing in closer to Sage, their bodies now barely apart in the kitchen. Any thought of focusing on the tea was long since past, the bags left on the counter next to her and forgotten for the time being. "I thought a year away would...make this easier. I don't think it has."

@peregrinaticn

"You could never," Sage reassured her with a swift shake of her head, not even needing a second to consider. Maybe she should have hesitated, played it off as though she were chill, but the moment that the brunette stepped closer to her, reached inches around her to simply grab a glass, she was anything but chill. She was weak. Forget that Asher was just right up the stairs, sleeping soundly as the two of them mingled in a way that definitely wasn't appropriate for her older sister and best friend to do. Her lips quirked at the mention of Yasemin collecting stuff for her in the last year, thinking of her even. What the other didn't know is how much the blonde had thought of her too, something she'd be all too willing to tell the woman under the cover of darkness and the privacy of her room. Even the thought left her cheeks heated and she barely caught the offer that fell between.

Clearing her throat, Sage nodded, "Tea would be nice. There are some bags by the coffee pot, I can get the kettle?" She didn't wait for an answer and instead popped up from her spot leaning against the counter, going to move around Yasemin to grab the kettle from it's spot. One second her foot was catching on the runner in front of the counter and the next second she was reaching out to catch herself, palm landing firmly to grip the granite counter top on one side of the brunette. "Shit, I'm..." She breathed out, a whisper of an embarrassed laugh fell from her lips. "I don't know why we still have that old thing."

@thecxtalyst

The fact that it had been so easy for them both to just go along with Yasemin staying in the home for the next few weeks was probably ill advised. They'd done enough to hurt Asher in the past and the last thing Yasemin wanted to do was take advantage of her best friend's generosity by letting anything happen with Sage while she was staying there. Easier said than done, though, as the closeness between them was already toeing the line of what might have been acceptable. "If it's too much having me here, though, say the word and I'll be out," she promised, wanting to at least make sure that the option was there. There were plenty of hotels she could stay at if she became too much of a burden or, more realistically, things got too heated with her and Sage.

Moving through the kitchen seamlessly, it felt like this was something they did all the time. Yasemin grabbing the tea bags and honey, Sage grabbing the kettle to brew the tea. She had just grabbed the tea bag and turned to move back towards Sage when she heard the shifting of the runner and the thud of Sage's hand against the counter top right next to her. Immediately, her free hand moved to help steady the woman, palm settling right at Sage's waist. "Mmmhm. You sure that wasn't on purpose?" she teased, her voice still dropped down low, a whisper just in case Asher happened to awaken. "I'll pick up some double-sided rug tape when I'm out tomorrow, though. Simple fix."

@peregrinaticn

She would have said yes. Despite every alarm in her brain going off saying it was a bad idea to share a house with Yasemin for weeks, the older blonde wouldn't have even hesitated before saying yes. How were they supposed to last weeks when she couldn't even get through that very moment without her heart feeling like it was attending a gymnastics class of its very own and a familiar heat pooling low in her stomach in anticipation of something that was definitely not going to happen — she wasn't going to let it happen, no matter how much every bone, every nerve, every muscle in her body ached for it. Sage convinced herself she could stay strong. Taking a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth, she reminded herself of that.

Then, Yasemin stepped closer, no longer lingering by the doorway, but reaching around her for a glass from the cabinet, and the only thing her calming deep breath did was fill her senses with a scent that was so undeniably Yas. She internally choked on words that hadn't left her lips yet, struggling to form a coherent thought let alone a full sentence in response. "It's okay, I... you're allowed to be here." Her head nodded lamely, telling herself that saying things like I want you here and Will you stay forever maybe? weren't appropriate things to say at all when she hadn't seen the other for a year and all of the tension and emotions and very raw feelings they felt for each other were nothing more than their deepest secret. Shaking her head in answer to the other's question, she set her glass of water on the counter. "Not a wink." Maybe it was because her body subconsciously knew Yasemin was just down the hall? "Thank you... for the gifts, by the way."

@thecxtalyst

#muse / yasemin dogan #opp #opp / sage franklin

To be there in Sage's kitchen acting like there was nothing going on at all between them was as difficult a thing as Yasemin had done recently. The only thing keeping her from making a bolder move towards Sage was the fact that her best friend was quietly sleeping just a few doors down, blissfully unaware of the betrayal that was consistently on the brink of happening. As she reached to grab a glass for water, Yas could feel the pull even more, as if Sage had a gravitational force trying to drag her in closer. Pulling back away felt like she was accomplishing the impossible, her body resisting with every inch she shifted towards the refrigerator to fill her glass.

"It's - yeah, it's just a long time is all. I don't want to impose," she replied back lamely, her shoulders lifting just an inch. It was a lot to ask to stay with someone for any length of time in general, let alone when there was history like she and Sage had. Yet, even with it all, Yas couldn't help but want every second of time she could capture in the other woman's presence. Settling with her back against the counter, Yas took a slow sip from her water glass, not thirsty at all, just looking for anything to keep her mind from drifting to the one thing she was trying to avoid. "Oh, of course, you're welcome. It wasn't anything much, just reminded me of you is all. And obviously I wanted to support all of the local craftspeople, so...yea." As if that fact took away at all from the fact that she'd been thinking of Sage often enough to pick up a whole variety of gifts over the year she was gone. "Would you like me to make you some herbal tea to help you sleep? I'm sure I can find something in the cabinets that would work."

@peregrinaticn

A sleepover or more aptly considered a night where the two had too much wine and reality shows and spent the entire night gossiping about the drama happening at the hospital wasn't something that was of a rare occurrence with Asher and Yasemin. It was usually on those nights that Sage busied herself late at the bar until she was sure both would be locked away, asleep, in the younger blonde's room and she wouldn't chance running into the brunette that stood before her now. It was always tricky to maintain her composure around the other, either fumbling over her words or a flush coating her cheeks or a gaze that seemed to exist only for the woman who was, unfortunately, her sister's best friend. Asher had failed to catch on so far, but her sister wasn't stupid.

A few weeks was... a lot more than a sleepover. Avoiding the woman standing in front of her at that moment would be nearly impossible, as shown by the fact that they couldn't even go the first twenty-four hours while living together without running into each other, a moment which had the amazing combination of fumbling and flushing and the gaze that never left a certain brunette's except for the slight flicker toward the hem of Yasemin's shirt that she toyed with. "Oh... she didn't... yeah, she must have forgotten to mention it." It wasn't surprising that Asher forgot to mention it, but the thought of it did catch her off guard. "Do you, uh, want something to drink? Water? Milk?"

@thecxtalyst

#opp / sage franklin #muse / yasemin dogan

It was entirely typical of Asher to forget to mention big things and this, Yas would have assumed, was a big thing. Perhaps, though, for Asher it wasn't a big deal at all. For someone that didn't know how quickly the tension between her and Sage could mount, it was just another friend staying over for awhile and not a big deal at all. A part of Yas was annoyed that it hadn't gotten mentioned, as it would have saved both her and Sage this momentarily awkward conversation. On the other hand, Yas was glad that it hadn't come up, as it had meant Sage didn't have a chance to say no to her being there. Yasemin hadn't had the willpower herself to say no to what was obviously a bad idea.

Lingering by the entrance to the kitchen, Yas leaned over against the wall a bit, a humorless laugh leaving her lips. "Of course she did. I should have - I probably should have checked with you to see if it was okay," she mused, even if she was glad that she hadn't checked. It was stupid and she knew it. Just being there at all was pushing things, but the steps she took over towards the refrigerator were toeing the line even more. "Yeah, I was going to grab water, but it's alright, I've got it." The last thing she wanted was to add any workload to Sage's plate while she was there as a houseguest. Shifting close by Sage, Yas reached up to grab a glass from the cabinet to fill. "Couldn't sleep?"

@peregrinaticn

muses: sage franklin and yasemin dogan

location: franklin residence, kitchen, somewhere around 2am.

I always thought you had a thing for doctors. One doctor in particular, as it turned out. The very same doctor who had been on her mind as Asher tried to set her up with everyone in the hospital, time after time spent on blind dates that the older blonde knew wouldn't go anywhere because of that one doctor. It'd been so much easier to pretend like the situation didn't exist when Yasemin was gone; out of sight, right? She, at least, had been willing to entertain a few of her sister's choices, fulfilling her needs when nights were particularly lonely, but now that Yas was back in town? Sage wasn't sure how she was going to avoid the younger Franklin's attempt at cupid now. Her feet padded across the living room floor until they reached the cool tile of the kitchen, lit up only by the recessed lighting beneath the cabinets. Maggie had been down for hours at that point, completely worn out by the day's festivities, but for some reason, she found herself unable to will her own body to sleep. It was probably the alcohol she consumed during the barbeque — more than she'd like to admit to considering it was a children's birthday party — and Sage was so intent on believing that, that she was convinced a glass of water might settle the warmth in her stomach and she'd finally be able to sleep. As soon as Yasemin stepped foot into the same kitchen, she knew the glass of water in her hand would be moot. Swallowing, she nodded in greeting from her the spot where she leaned against the counter. "Ash talk you into a sleepover tonight?"

@thecxtalyst

As the birthday party had wound down to an end, Yasemin had been doing everything possible to keep herself busy. It would have been too easy to just happen to be out in the hallway once all the guests had left, leaving just Sage as the other person to run into. Asher was now passed out asleep after a few hours of hanging out in her room, catching up on all of Yasemin's adventures in Africa. Yas should have just knocked out herself and gone down to sleep, but try as she might she couldn't keep her eyes shut. The pull of knowing Sage was just a few doors down in her room made it impossible to get any real rest, a consequence Yasemin hadn't considered when Asher had made the offer for her to stay there until her house was ready again.

Not wanting to keep shifting around sleepless and potentially disturb Asher's sleep, Yas slipped out of the bed, closing the door gently behind her as she made her way to the kitchen. As distracted as her mind had been, she hadn't realized until she stepped foot in the kitchen that she wasn't the only one awake. Head lifting, a slight surprise in her eyes, Yas gave a soft nod in response. "Ah - something like that. I've still got the renters at my place for a few more weeks, so...she offered to let me stay here for a bit," Yas answered, fingers messing with the hem of her shirt as she spoke. "I assumed she would have told you, but I guess it slipped her mind."

@peregrinaticn

Asher would never set her up with the right one, because the right one happened to be the same blonde's best friend and no one would ever think setting up your best friend and older sister was a good idea — if only she knew what's gone on behind the scenes. Though, if Asher knew, they likely wouldn't be standing there, having a conversation about gifts and work and blind dates. No, they'd likely be buried six feet under a field somewhere after the younger Franklin was through with them. Yet, Sage couldn't help herself, toeing the line of fire again and again, just begging to be burned. Why did it feel so good to wave her hands through the flickering flames? "I'm sure it's difficult, with the right person not being at the hospital, after all."

A slight shrug of her shoulders followed and before she could say anything else, Maggie had abandoned the bag of gifts, the bag laying empty and the gifts scattered beside it where she'd discarded them for the next one. With a smile, she scooped up the tinier blonde and settled the toddler on her hip, directing her attention toward Yas. "And what do we say to Yas for the very nice gifts she brought us?" Sage questioned pointedly, waiting until Maggie gave a happy thank you before she pressed a kiss to the little girl's cheek and praised her manners. "You said there were gifts inside for me? You didn't have to... but I'm sure Mags here will enjoy helping me check those out later, right kiddo?" An enthusiastic nod from the toddler in response before Sage spoke again, "I should probably get back out there... I think s'mores were involved in a conversation I overheard... you definitely better not miss that."

@thecxtalyst

The heat in the pit of her stomach flared as Sage spoke again, brows lifting at the statement. As quickly as they had come on, the concerns over Sage moving on from whatever they had budding between them dissipated. Instead, they were replaced with the thrum of desire that had carried through the entire year that she was away. "Not at the hospital at all, huh? That's a shame. I always thought you had a thing for doctors," she hummed back under her breath, keeping her voice low as she spotted Maggie coming their way. It was a much needed break from the tension of the moment. Much longer standing there just the two of them and Yasemin didn't put it past herself to say or do something that she might regret later. Or at least regret if Asher were to notice it.

The look in her eyes simmered down, softening as Maggie was lifted up into Sage's arms to give her a thank you. "You are very welcome, princess," she chuckled back, a brighter smile taking over as she reached over to boop Maggie's nose. "But, yeah, it's not anything crazy, just...you know. Some things that reminded me of you is all." Her shoulders lifted casually as if it were no big deal and that it hadn't meant anything at all that Sage had been on her mind time and time again overseas. Biting at her lip again, Yasemin nodded, taking a step back away from Maggie and Sage, banking on the fact that some physical distance would make it easier to turn and walk across the yard when all she really wanted was to stay right there next to the two of them. "Of course, yeah. It would be a crime to miss out on s'mores. I probably better go find Asher anyway, see if I can help her out with anything before I get too many of these deep." Her hand lifted up her drink to wiggle a bit, confident that the can wouldn't be her last of the night if she had to be watching Sage from across the yard the rest of the evening.

@peregrinaticn

The lack of space that developed between them managed to short-circuit her brain enough that she completely forgot they were even talking about Maggie, the toddler long distracted by the bag of gifts that the other had handed her. It was only when her mind processed Yasemin's words — a solid minute and a half after the woman spoke them — that she responded, "Me? Be the bad cop? No way. By the time she's a lucid human being I'm going to be old and decrepid, I need some brownie points that'll get her to like me and I'm not going to get those by being the bad cop." Her voice was less convincing, though, words getting caught in her throat every single time her eyes flit to the other's deep brown ones, wondering (deep in the back of her mind where logic didn't even bother to exist in) how long it would take for the birthday girl, or anyone else for that matter, to notice that they'd both disappeared from the party if they were to find themselves in a familiar hallway that led to a familiar bedroom.

Instead of suggesting they do exactly that, Sage lifted the bottle of beer to her lips and took a few long sips of it. Maybe if she were lucky, the alcohol would make her forget all about that familiar hallway that led to the equally as familiar bedroom. They had to leave that in the past, for Asher's sake. Neither of them could afford to lose the woman they had in common. "Oh, uh, you know, pretty much the same old. Not out here saving lives or anything." Not like she used to, at least. "The bar's been doing good, it's tourist season so that's been keeping me pretty busy. I'm lucky to keep my head on most days, let alone find time for anything else. Asher keeps trying to set me up on dates with her coworkers, but she, uh, hasn't really been suggesting the right ones."

@thecxtalyst

The longer stretch of silence from Sage was hard to miss, but Yasemin was happy to stand there, shifted in closer to the woman than was probably safe. Being around Sage had always been a game of playing with fire, but now after being gone for so long, it felt like every inch closer they got was just adding fuel to the flames. Yas herself had to take a moment to bite down at her lower lip, the closeness she'd been so boldly confident to create now catching up with her. Letting her teeth graze up her lip before letting it lose, Yas let out a soft hum of agreement. "You make a great point. I guess we'll just have to let her be spoiled and enjoy all the gifts I brought her. I left all of Asher's inside and...yours are in there too." Yas didn't know if bringing something back for Sage had been a good idea or if Asher would think anything of it, but she hadn't been able to help herself. When everything she saw somehow reminded her of the woman, it had been impossible to resist buying at least a few of them.

Swirling her can of alcohol around in her hand, Yas let it ground her back to reality as best as she could, hoping that a few more sips would somehow keep her distracted from the fact that Sage was right there in front of her. It was a moment she'd spent more than her fair share of time thinking about. The dreams of coming back and having a reunion pulled right out of a romance movie had played out time and again in her head, all thoughts she was working to keep away. Luckily, perhaps, all of the images flashing in her head came to a crashing halt as Sage mentioned Asher trying to set her up. Her smile faltered a bit, not sure what Sage meant by it not being the right ones. Was that her way of saying there was someone new in her life, someone else that she was waiting for?

"That's...good. I'm glad the bar's been busy for you," she managed to say after a long stretch of keeping her can to her lips as a buffer to let her thoughts gather again. Even with the extra moment, she didn't know how to respond to it. Her head was swirling with all the possibilities of what Sage meant by her words, most of them leaving a crushing sense of disappointment that she probably should have anticipated. Yas knew that she'd been gone a long time, a full year in which Sage could have met any number of people in her life. "I'm...yeah. Asher's always been notoriously terrible at setting people up, so um. Yeah. Not too much of a surprise there."

@peregrinaticn

Sage could handle her alcohol as good as any other, maybe even better after her years spent grieving at the bottom of a bottle, but there was something about pairing the alcohol with the intoxicating presence of the other that already made her dizzy and she wondered if she would fair any better than the woman who probably didn't have much alcohol at all over the last year. If she were prompted, the flush that crawled up the back of her neck and spread onto her cheeks was solely from the rush of the first sips of alcohol and the heat of the summer's evening, but she guessed Yasemin didn't have to prompt her to say anything to realize that it was less about the beer in her hand and the heat and more about being called out for hanging onto every word her sister spoke about her best friend.

Before she could even open her mouth to lamely defend herself, Maggie had come barreling in, and successfully saved her for just a moment longer. The growing toddler was quick to leave her spot wrapped around Sage's legs for Yasemin's arms, making it clear that she remembered exactly who the woman was. Apparently someone had been sneaking into her aunt Asher's facetimes over the last year.

When the actual gift came out, Sage couldn't help but immediately shake her head. "I was just kidding, you really didn't have to..." but it was too late to tell the other that a gift felt like too much when Maggie was already nose deep in trying to figure out what the contents of the gift were with utter disregard to the actual bag itself. "I don't think the wrinkled bag really bothers her," the older blonde chuckled, her attention turning from Maggie, who was on the ground taking out each piece of the gift, to Yasemin, her voice soft and only slightly tinted with the few more sips of beer she'd taken. "I'm glad you could be here."

@thecxtalyst

There was an overwhelming sense of relief when Maggie didn't hesitate at all in jumping right into her hug. Yas had been in positions like this plenty of times through work, greeting kids that she'd worked with that barely remembered her as a blip in their lives. In their cases, at least, it was something of a miracle when she was removed from her patients lives for long enough that they didn't have a strong memory of their days in the hospital. With Maggie, it was different. She cared. Too much, perhaps. This time, at least, she was able to brush aside any concerns that Maggie had fully forgotten her and instead present the young girl with a surprise bag of gifts.

"Oh, yeah, no problem. You go ahead and tell her she didn't need the gifts," she snorted back, getting in closer to Sage and lowering her voice as Maggie had already moved away to start digging through the bag. There was no chance Yas would have come back without gifts for Maggie, Asher, and perhaps for Sage as well. After a year away on the other side of the globe, she'd wanted nothing more than to share her experiences with the people she cared the most about. Her gaze lingered over on Maggie, a smile lifting her lips as she watched the girl sort through all the various things that were tucked into the bag.

Quieting herself at Sage's last words, she took the distraction of a few long sips from her can while she could. "Me too. I ah, I wasn't sure I'd make it, so it's...good that it worked out." In reality, she'd spent entirely too long researching on a terrible wi-fi connection all of the best routes to get back home to make sure she was there in time for the party. Even if being back early brought its own set of inconveniences with her house still being occupied and work pushing her start date sooner, it was worth every bit of annoyance to be back for this. "So, catch me up on you. What's new in your world?"

@peregrinaticn

The thought of the other catching up, either of them (or worse, both) under the influence of alcohol after going the last year without seeing each other seemed like a disaster waiting to happen, but Sage felt like that was a risk she was willing to take — even with the sound of her sister somewhere entertaining a group of kids across the backyard. It was growing more difficult to hear Asher with the sound of flames rushing through her ears, her heart thumping wildly against her chest as she tried to swallow down the fire that was threatening to expose every aching thought she'd had over the last year. Partially to bury the feeling even further and partially because Sage was a Franklin and Franklins could never resist a challenge, she lifted the beer to her lips and took a few large swallows to bring the liquid midway down the bottle. "We'll see about that," She ended up teasing, her lips curving just slightly as her gaze watched Yasemin finally stand, the first words out of her mouth made her want to melt into the ground.

It was so painfully obvious the other had picked up on the fact that Sage was keeping track of, at the very least, the day the woman was supposed to get back into town. It wasn't like she'd kept a tally on the calendar or anything... that would be questionable. She just did her best at being a good sister and part of that was listening to said sister talk about said best friend and when she'd be returning — and what's it to anyone if she maybe checked in with Asher a few times about how the other was doing? That was completely ordinary, right?

"Well, Ash wouldn't shut up about it, so." Deflecting was her only move and even then she felt like she barely made it out of crawling into the ground and letting it swallow her whole. Had she waited a moment, though, the distraction would have come on its own, as the little princess Yas spoke of must have sensed being talked about and rammed her entire now three-year-old big kid body into Sage's legs, causing her to almost fumble the bottle in her hand in the process. The older blonde couldn't help but laugh, her fingers rustling curls that had grown longer and just a little bit straighter since the other woman left a year ago. "Speak of the devil... I mean, little birthday princess," Sage corrected herself with a silly scrunch of her face in Maggie's direction.

The toddler couldn't resist pressing her hands to her hips and pouting at the word little, declaring very quickly to Yasemin that she was big now because she was three years old and not two anymore. "You're right, Mags, only monsters don't show up for big kid princess' birthday parties, right?" Maggie nodded in agreement. "The question is, what kind of gift did the not-monster bring back with her for the princess?"

@thecxtalyst

The top to her drink popped and the challenge issued, Yas made quick work of her first few sips as well, gulping down the liquid with a hum of approval. "I can't even tell you the last time I had one of these." Things were a lot harder to come by when out in the smaller villages that she had been traveling and working around in Rwanda, though there had been little time at all to spend on luxuries like drinks. Already she was feeling the warmth spread in her chest, a fact that she was willing to attribute to the first few sips of alcohol she'd had in a year and not at all to the woman standing in front of her. Part of the impetus to spend the year away had been Sage and the growing closeness between them and Yasemin had hoped that the time away would dull it even just slightly. Five minutes into seeing her again, however, she was very quickly faced with the realization that her hopes had been misplaced.

"Of course she hasn't," Yas nodded back, a teasing smile barely concealed as she tried to hold it back. Sage very well may have been telling the truth and Asher could have been the only reason she'd kept tabs on Yasemin's arrival date, but Yas preferred to assume otherwise. Though she'd been hoping to move on herself in the year away, there wasn't a world in which she wanted to confront the possibility that Sage could have done the same. "It's cute that you listened to her talk about me all the time, though." She couldn't resist pointing it out again, wanting more than anything to see the flush of red in Sage's cheeks.

The teasing smile shifted immediately when a familiar whirlwind of blonde curls came flying into the vicinity. Though the girl was only three and maybe wouldn't have picked up on any vibes, Yas simultaneously didn't want to risk it and also wanted to give the young girl all the attention in the world. As much as her heart had ached from missing Sage, the separation from Maggie had left just as much of an impact on her. Maggie, at least, she'd been able to pop on video calls with from time to time with Asher. "So big! Look at you, Mags," she chirped out, reaching down to offer a hug if she wanted one. A year had been a long time and even with the occasional video call, Yas didn't know where she ranked anymore in the kid's life. For all she knew, she was a total stranger now in Maggie's life.

The question brought another wide smile from Yas, who quickly shifted to pull her bag from her back to her chest with her free hand. There wasn't much in it, her possessions kept light while traveling to make it easy, but the bag had been fully packed with gifts for the Franklin women that she'd picked up over the course of the year. "Only the best kind of gifts, obviously," she assured them both as she pulled out a rather larger gift bag filled with gifts for Maggie. "Bag is a little crumpled from the flight, but, hey. Happy birthday, Mags." Most of what she'd brought back were hand crafted toys, clothes, and a few locally made candies that would all fit in with Maggie's now very big, very mature three years of age.

@peregrinaticn

The touch burned right through the skin of her arm, filling her veins with an overwhelming fire that seemed to have roared back to life the moment the other stepped foot in her backyard. How had it been a year since she felt it? How was it so easy to forget about it while Yasemin had been out of sight, but somehow, it was still there, still unshakeable despite everything that made it impossible for them to continue to act on it. How many years would they need to put between them before it dulled altogether and faded away? How long until they could be in a room together and not be drawn toward each other? Asher's voice ringing out across the yard, ever so extraverted and so excited to be there, was the only thing that drew her out of the moment, allowing her some clarity as the brunette stepped to the side to fish through the cooler.

Her ears burned bright, but she was finally able to breath again.

"I, uh, haven't even had a sip yet," Sage joked as she held up the open bottle, still full of golden liquid, as though it were proof that she hadn't had anything to drink that night. Being in the presence of the other woman made her fill intoxicated enough, the thought of adding alcohol to it only served to stoke the flames that flickered in her veins. "If you can believe it." A soft chuckle and a raise of her brow was all she offered as she glanced Yasemin's way, watching as the other searched for the drink she wanted. "You're back early," She couldn't help but comment, exposing the fact that she'd been secretly keeping track of just when her sister's best friend was due back in town, back home. "But I guess a few days compared to a year away feels like nothing in the grand scheme of things, hm?"

@thecxtalyst

Just as quickly as her hand had lifted up to steady Sage, it fell back to her side, the immediacy of the emotional wave it sent her on prompting her to pull back before she lingered for too long. As much as she could have let herself get caught up in the moment, the familiar, loud voice of her best friend kept her from doing so. It could have been so easy to let the smallest touch pull her right back into Sage were they not in full view of the rest of the party, Asher never far from their gaze. It was a momentary blessing that she had to stoop down in front of the cooler, pretending to dig through each and every can inside to find just the perfect one.

"I guess that'll make it easy for me to catch up," she hummed back, finally settling on a can of Surfside, her preferred canned drink on the occasions she wasn't drinking wine. Staying knelt down where she was, she managed to keep the flash of a smile on her face hidden down in the cooler while she slowly took the time to pop the top. You're back early. A simple observation, but one that meant Sage had been paying enough attention to realize it. The smile was still there when she got back to her feet, turning back to face Sage.

There was a brief pause as she brought the can to her lips to take a sip, head nodding softly. "Am I? I wasn't keeping track," she commented back with another sly smile, her shoulders lifting softly. A year was a long time. A very long time. Yet, somehow, standing there in Sage and Asher's backyard it could almost feel like no time at all had passed. "But, you know, when Asher says our favorite little princess is having a party, what kind of monster would I be if I didn't show up for it? Work has been itching to get me back anyway, so. It was just...timing worked out. "

@peregrinaticn

muses: sage franklin and yasemin dogan

location: franklin residence, maggie's third birthday.

Three years was a big deal — at least, that's what she had told Maggie from the moment she woke up that morning, the tiny blonde toddler that was growing not-so-tiny-anymore each day already bouncing with impatience at the idea of people and presents and possibly even s'mores. The joy of having a summer birthday, Sage couldn't help but chuckle. Everything had been prepped the week before thanks to Asher's help, and all that was left was to welcome the guest that seeped into the backyard during the hour of the party's start time. Kids of friends and friends of those kids and kids of those friends of kids weaved in and out of the adults in the backyard, sticky with sugary popsicles they'd already inhaled as they waited for the cake to usher in the real party. One nearly toppled the older blonde over as she snatched Maggie up who was trailing behind some of the older ones, the now three-year-old screeching giggles that echoed throughout the suburban backyard as Sage grinned and popped the toddler on her hip, starting a speech about how many popsicles were too many popsicles before dinner. Then, the sound of the backdoor slid open, Asher's excited greeting loud and muffling the sound of her heart thudding against her chest as she caught sight of the person that joined the party. Maggie wriggled to be let down and, distracted, Sage set her to the ground, barely even noting when the tiny blonde ran off with her pack of friends once more. It'd been a year, yet there she was. Yasemin. It was only when dark hues met her light ones that her gaze dropped to something she deemed way more interesting than the newcomer, focusing on steadying her breathing before anyone nearby bothered to pick up on just how thrown she was. Why was Yasemin there? Since when was she in town? And most importantly, was she thinking of the kiss they'd shared at that same barbeque just a year before in a hallway that had seen so many more of their fumbled kisses in the past? The thought had her cheeks reddening and on her way to find something to distract herself with, she grabbed a beer from the cooler and popped the top. At least she'd have something to blame the flush in her cheeks on, right? Wrong. The flush only deepened when she almost tripped, full force, into the one person she was intent on avoiding at the moment and she hadn't even taken more than a sip from the bottle. "Shoot, sorry, I..." Sage fumbled for words in the other's presence, finally settling on a soft, "hey."

Yasemin's life had always been about being of service to others. From the young age where she'd dedicated her time to her ailing sister to her life now spent absorbed in her career as a doctor, everything she did revolved around helping others. She'd never expected that path to take her to the far side of the world, a research opportunity pulling her away from the home she'd been building in Providence Peak and landing her out in the rugged terrains of a village in Rwanda. In a time where her life had felt like a swirl of chaos, the opportunity had been exactly what she'd needed to get away and reaffirm with herself what she was meant to do with her life. Now, a year removed from her life in Providence Peak and with a renewed sense of self, she couldn't have been more grateful to be returning back to a place that felt more like home than it ever had before.

Though her initial timeline had her arriving back to the U.S. another week out, the pull of coming back for Maggie's birthday party had her on an earlier flight home. Yas had tried and mostly succeeded to not think too much about Sage and Maggie in her time away, but the closer she had gotten to her contract ending, the harder it had been to ignore that constant pull Sage seemed to have over her. When Asher had mentioned the birthday party in their last call, it had felt like too perfect a time to pass up a surprise arrival. As much as she would swear the surprise was for Asher, it would be a lie to say that the previous year's birthday party and everything with Sage hadn't been on her mind the entire flight home.

Her travel bag still slung over her shoulder, Yas had hailed a cab straight to the party, the timing working out as if she'd been fated to make it home that afternoon. The universe seemed to be even more in her favor when she was allowed the relief of running into Asher first, providing at least a short moment to gather herself before she bumped back into Sage. It was a lot to process, being back after so long, but she wouldn't have wanted it to happen any other way. Being thrown right into the fire of all the most important people to her being in one spot, a spot that held a lot of memories, was all she could have asked for. It wasn't long before her eyes locked on with Sage's, a magnetism there that even after a year away hadn't faded in the least. As Asher was pulled away naturally from their own reunion, Yasemin bit down at her lower lip before making her way across the lawn to the coolers.

A hand lifted to help steady Sage as she tripped right in her direction, lips curling into a bemused smirk as she waited for Sage to right herself. "I didn't know three year old birthday parties got so wild," she teased gently, head tilting down slightly as a chuckle bubbled in her chest. "Might want to slow down on the beer." Advice that Yasemin wasn't planning on taking herself, as she shifted towards the cooler to distract herself by digging through for a drink that she could busy herself with.

@peregrinaticn

"Fair. If it'd make you feel better to punch me, go for it. I can take it." She'd survived a hell of a lost worse during basic training, not to mention the decade of service that had come after. If a punch was all the other needed to let the anger out, so be it. "It's not like I wouldn't deserve it from your point of view, so why not. Get it over with and all that." Though she was offering to take a punch, her lips still curved just a bit with a slight amusement at the entire situation. She hoped to God that the woman didn't take her up on it and actually land a fist against her jaw — healthcare for veterans was absolute bull to deal with.

A snort fell from her nose, finding it hilarious the other would even consider such a thing. "Please, I'm not my dad, I don't need applause and a parade." The elder Landvik had been a man who demanded respect in every room he entered, wanted everyone to acknowledge the work he'd done, to know the sacrifice he'd apparently made. Skipper could've cared less about it. The trauma she chose to knowingly sign up for didn't outrank anyone else's. "Oh yeah. You're such a shining example, I'm almost blinded by it," the blonde couldn't help but roll her eyes. "There are all these resources for post-trauma therapy, everyone has their recommendation. What everyone fails to tell you is it's all shit. Nothing ever takes the memories away from you."

@ajaguirre

AJ wished that there was a world in which throwing a punch at Skipper would solve all of her problems and make things right in the world again, but she knew it wasn't that easy. At best it would relieve a slight tension, but the darkness would inevitably seep back in shortly after. "Have you ever felt better after punching someone?" she asked, head shaking softly. If she had any hope that it would have actually made her feel better, she wouldn't have hesitated in doing it, but without any real purpose behind it, she let her arms stay dropped down by her side instead. "I'm not going to punch you. Yet," she sighed out, making sure to leave the opportunity there just in case Skipper ever did do something more worthy of getting into a stupid fist fight for.

The comment about her dad felt like something important to tuck away for future reference. Not that AJ had any intention of ever running into Skipper again, but the comment felt weighty. Much like her own personal traumas, it was clear that Skipper had her own. "Too bad. I throw a killer parade," she droned back again, shoulders lifting just barely as she said it. The use of the word trauma brought a wrinkle to Alejandra's nose, hating the fact that her experiences could be classified as such. There was something about the word that felt too serious, too much to take on when all she wanted to do was ignore that anything was even happening to her. A mirthless laugh left her lips as Skipper suggested nothing would take it away anyway. "Well, that's fucking cheerful, isn't it? You really know how to give a girl a pep talk. Truly, it's inspiring."

@skipperlandvik1x1

She laughed. She couldn't help it. The blonde had never really been a laugh at a funeral kind of person, but something about this moment, the irony they both ended up in this town after losing the only thing in life they'd ever known, ever really cared about (though she was just assuming when it came to the other's life, the harsh reaction was all she needed to support that theory because it was exactly how she felt inside too) was just too funny for the laugh not to escape her curved lips. It was funny, but in a not funny way, if that made any sense at all. Not a lot of things made sense to Skipper anymore. "What are you going to do if I do go on? Hit a park ranger? Tell on me? I'm making conversation, I'm not even doing anything wrong."

Not doing anything wrong was subjective in that moment, when she knew she was doing more than just making conversation. She was pushing, because she was curious, because part of her wanted to know that she wasn't the only one suffering. It was selfish, but she'd already admitted to that part. "Look, maybe I did lose a few braincells in the process of serving your damn country, but I also so a lot of really shitty things happen to some pretty good people while doing that," Skipper started, not bothering to match the volume level of the other. It wasn't her fight to fight. "Guess its a selling point that the horses don't give a shit." She paused for a moment, before asking, "Does it really work? Horse emotional therapy to deal with your trauma and all that crap?"

@ajaguirre

As much as Alejandra was mouthing off, she didn't have a plan of what she would actually have done to back it up. It was all just bullshit, yelling to yell. Being called out on it brought her to a stop, any movement forward towards Skipper halted as she had to take herself out of the moment to look at what she was doing. It was stupid, everything about it was stupid, but her emotions were ruling her decisions lately, not her brain. Her head shifted down towards the fists that had curled together, a breathy laugh following. "I don't know. Maybe. You do kind of have a punchable face," she mumbled back, some of the anger deflating out of her. Whatever beef she had with Skipper, her reaction had nothing to do with it. It was entirely her own trauma that was speaking right now, lashing out at the first person she'd seen in days that wasn't the family that had been kind enough to take her in.

"Is this where I'm supposed to thank you for your service?" she asked with a sarcastic eye roll. In any other circumstance with any other person, she probably would have, but with how wound up she was with Skipper, the sarcasm was dripping from her words. Her neck craned back towards where the runaway horse was now face down in a tuft of grass having a good old time eating, a small smile ticking up at one side of her lips for just a moment. "They don't give a single fuck," she agreed. It was why she didn't mind being out there all day with them. The work was hard, but she was no stranger to hard work. The horses, at least, didn't ask her stupid questions like Skipper did. "I mean, am I not a shining example of how well horse therapy works?" she asked, the words delivered in a complete deadpan. Donovan's family all seemed pretty convinced there was something to it, even as AJ had her doubts. It was ultimately why she was there in Colorado instead of back home wasting space on her parents couch.

@skipperlandvik1x1

Skipper didn't think the vibe could have gone any further downhill than it had the moment they laid eyes on each other for the first time in four years, but somehow it managed to nosedive at the last second, when she should have been putting her hat back on and hightailing it out of there with the natural ending of the conversation. Curiosity had gotten the best of her. As much as she tried to claim she was genuinely interested in the woman, it'd become purely selfish curiosity as soon as she noticed the limp the other had been trying to hide earlier. The military was full of injuries that created limps and injuries with limps that men tried to hide because they thought it made them look tough.

She knew suffering when she saw it.

The scars were a surprise though and the blonde tried her best to cover up the raise of her eyebrows in response. It was insanely easy to injure yourself into a limp; a previously broken foot, a blown out knee, a simple step outside of your door could do that much. But the burns... those were hard to come by. She couldn't help but assume that they were the reason the woman was here, on a horse ranch, and not doing whatever she used to do with cars. Her grip tightened around the brim of her ranger hat and she inhaled through her nose, exhaling as she tried not to let the other's words get to her. She was right, after all. Skipper didn't know her son and she certainly didn't know the woman standing in from of her. "So it's not my business," the blonde started with a shrug. "But whatever it is, it looks like it sucked enough to leave you chasing after horses instead. That's all I'm saying." She bit her tongue, though the flush on her forehead showed the temper she was trying to hold back. She knew the other had a lot of influence on her son's family and one slip up might be enough for them to cut ties completely. "It was the car thing, wasn't it?"

@ajaguirre