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rainbowfic2014-02-16 11:49 pm
bookblather) wrote in rainbowfic2014-02-16 11:49 pm
Glitter 13: Flowers in Winter
Author: Kat
Title: Flowers in Winter
Story: In the Heart
Colors: Glitter 13 (Always true to you in my fashion. - Kiss Me, Kate)
Supplies and Materials: Graffiti (Galentine's Day), oils (lilacs in winter), fabric (this image), glitter (Friendship), novelty beads (true friendship).
Word Count: 957
Rating: PG
Summary: A friend is a flower in winter.
Warnings: mention of underage pregnancy.
Notes: For shipwreck_light's prompt, "Value Me - Maya and Joy."
Maya came by around three. "Jay said you were moving," she said, without preamble, and thrust a bunch of lilacs at Joy. "Here, from my garden."
"Hi, Maya, nice to see you too," Joy said, and grinned at her. "Lilacs in February?"
"Early growing season," she said. "Usually they don't start blooming until March, but this year I got lucky. So, Seattle, huh?" She went past Joy and perched on the arm of the couch, the same ugly but incredibly comfortable one that Joy had owned since before they had even met.
"Yeah." Joy got a pitcher out of the cupboard, the only thing still unpacked that could hold the lilacs, and half-filled it with water. "I'm moving in with Michael. Word of advice: never get into a long-distance relationship."
Maya snorted, and when Joy glanced at her, she was smiling. "That's the truth. I'll miss you."
Joy looked down at the lilacs, and concentrated on arranging them nicely. "Yeah. I'll miss you too. All of you guys."
"It's going to suck," Maya said, candidly. "But, you know, I figure you wouldn't be doing this if it didn't make you happy."
Joy turned right around at that, her eyebrows arching. "You're not going to guilt-trip me about this?"
"No, why?" Maya cocked her head, her black hair falling smooth behind her shoulder. "Would it work?"
"No," Joy said, "but pretty much everyone else has been trying to get me to stay in New York." She leaned back against the counter and pulled her hair forward so it wouldn't fall in the vase and get wet. "It's nice not to have to justify the move."
Maya shrugged. "It's like you said, remember, when we first met. You should do stuff because you want to, not because you have to. Besides, Michael makes you happy. You smile all the time when you talk about him. Of course you want to be near him." She wrinkled her nose. "Not saying it wouldn't be better for him to move here, but I guess there's strip clubs everywhere."
Joy snorted. "And he can't exactly move his publisher." She pushed away from the counter. "You want a cup of tea or something to eat? Also, just for the record, I'm thinking about changing jobs."
"No, that's okay," Maya said, and produced a tupperware container from her shoulder bag. "I brought apples and honey, if you wanna split? What kind of job are you looking at?"
"Ooh, definitely." Joy hopped over to the couch, sprawled out over the cushions, and put her feet up on the battered old coffee table. Maya slid off the arm and curled her knees under her, then popped the lid off the tupperware and offered it to Joy. She took a slice. "Actually I was thinking about starting a dance studio. I could offer the usual pole-dancing fitness classes, those are pretty big right now. And something like a free-dance hour. Dance with professionals, improve your craft. That kind of thing."
"That sounds really cool," Maya said. "I don’t know about the free-dance hour, that sounds like a thing people go to clubs for, but the rest of it. You'd be a good teacher."
"Yeah?" Joy licked honey off her fingers. "You think so?"
Maya shrugged, and took a slice of her own. "Well, you taught me."
Joy shook her head, and remembered not to run her fingers through her hair just in time. "I never taught you to dance."
"That isn't quite what I meant." Maya tipped her head back against the couch for a moment, then straightened up and looked seriously at Joy. "You taught me to... well, to value myself. I didn't get that from anyone else. Ever."
Joy looked down at her hands, at the apple slice she was holding, then back up at Maya's solemn face. "I didn't... I just wanted you to be happy."
"Yeah, well, that's the thing." Maya stared into the tupperware as if it held the secrets of the universe. "Lots of people have wanted me to be happy, but you were the only one... I mean, especially after I got pregnant, you were the only one who made me feel like I deserved to be. So you... yeah. You matter to me, a lot. I wanted to say that, before you left."
Fuck the honey. Joy ate her slice in one bite, then put her arm around Maya's shoulders and wiggled closer. "Maya, thank you. I really... you're like a little sister to me. It means a lot, hearing that from you." She kissed Maya's temple. "You've always got a bed with me. You know that, right? No matter what, I always have your back."
Maya smiled at her, and laid her head on Joy's shoulder. "I know. That means a lot to me too."
"Look out for Mom and Dad for me?" Joy asked. "It'll be harder, from Seattle."
"Oh, absolutely." Maya rubbed her cheek against Joy's shirt. "And you look out for yourself. Call me all the time, tell me all about your awesome dance studio and your hot boyfriend."
Joy giggled. "And you tell me everything you're doing and how your garden's growing, and what poor life choices Russell's made recently. It's like a soap opera I can't stop watching."
Maya laughed. "Definitely."
She ended up staying the night, and Joy woke up early, echoes of the early days floating through her mind: Maya breathing warm in the bed beside her, tear-tracks on her cheeks. This morning, though, the wet patch on the pillow was drool, and Maya looked... young, innocent, and relaxed. Happy.
Joy ruffled a hand through her little sister's hair, and got up to make breakfast while the lilacs nodded in the sunlight.
Title: Flowers in Winter
Story: In the Heart
Colors: Glitter 13 (Always true to you in my fashion. - Kiss Me, Kate)
Supplies and Materials: Graffiti (Galentine's Day), oils (lilacs in winter), fabric (this image), glitter (Friendship), novelty beads (true friendship).
Word Count: 957
Rating: PG
Summary: A friend is a flower in winter.
Warnings: mention of underage pregnancy.
Notes: For shipwreck_light's prompt, "Value Me - Maya and Joy."
Maya came by around three. "Jay said you were moving," she said, without preamble, and thrust a bunch of lilacs at Joy. "Here, from my garden."
"Hi, Maya, nice to see you too," Joy said, and grinned at her. "Lilacs in February?"
"Early growing season," she said. "Usually they don't start blooming until March, but this year I got lucky. So, Seattle, huh?" She went past Joy and perched on the arm of the couch, the same ugly but incredibly comfortable one that Joy had owned since before they had even met.
"Yeah." Joy got a pitcher out of the cupboard, the only thing still unpacked that could hold the lilacs, and half-filled it with water. "I'm moving in with Michael. Word of advice: never get into a long-distance relationship."
Maya snorted, and when Joy glanced at her, she was smiling. "That's the truth. I'll miss you."
Joy looked down at the lilacs, and concentrated on arranging them nicely. "Yeah. I'll miss you too. All of you guys."
"It's going to suck," Maya said, candidly. "But, you know, I figure you wouldn't be doing this if it didn't make you happy."
Joy turned right around at that, her eyebrows arching. "You're not going to guilt-trip me about this?"
"No, why?" Maya cocked her head, her black hair falling smooth behind her shoulder. "Would it work?"
"No," Joy said, "but pretty much everyone else has been trying to get me to stay in New York." She leaned back against the counter and pulled her hair forward so it wouldn't fall in the vase and get wet. "It's nice not to have to justify the move."
Maya shrugged. "It's like you said, remember, when we first met. You should do stuff because you want to, not because you have to. Besides, Michael makes you happy. You smile all the time when you talk about him. Of course you want to be near him." She wrinkled her nose. "Not saying it wouldn't be better for him to move here, but I guess there's strip clubs everywhere."
Joy snorted. "And he can't exactly move his publisher." She pushed away from the counter. "You want a cup of tea or something to eat? Also, just for the record, I'm thinking about changing jobs."
"No, that's okay," Maya said, and produced a tupperware container from her shoulder bag. "I brought apples and honey, if you wanna split? What kind of job are you looking at?"
"Ooh, definitely." Joy hopped over to the couch, sprawled out over the cushions, and put her feet up on the battered old coffee table. Maya slid off the arm and curled her knees under her, then popped the lid off the tupperware and offered it to Joy. She took a slice. "Actually I was thinking about starting a dance studio. I could offer the usual pole-dancing fitness classes, those are pretty big right now. And something like a free-dance hour. Dance with professionals, improve your craft. That kind of thing."
"That sounds really cool," Maya said. "I don’t know about the free-dance hour, that sounds like a thing people go to clubs for, but the rest of it. You'd be a good teacher."
"Yeah?" Joy licked honey off her fingers. "You think so?"
Maya shrugged, and took a slice of her own. "Well, you taught me."
Joy shook her head, and remembered not to run her fingers through her hair just in time. "I never taught you to dance."
"That isn't quite what I meant." Maya tipped her head back against the couch for a moment, then straightened up and looked seriously at Joy. "You taught me to... well, to value myself. I didn't get that from anyone else. Ever."
Joy looked down at her hands, at the apple slice she was holding, then back up at Maya's solemn face. "I didn't... I just wanted you to be happy."
"Yeah, well, that's the thing." Maya stared into the tupperware as if it held the secrets of the universe. "Lots of people have wanted me to be happy, but you were the only one... I mean, especially after I got pregnant, you were the only one who made me feel like I deserved to be. So you... yeah. You matter to me, a lot. I wanted to say that, before you left."
Fuck the honey. Joy ate her slice in one bite, then put her arm around Maya's shoulders and wiggled closer. "Maya, thank you. I really... you're like a little sister to me. It means a lot, hearing that from you." She kissed Maya's temple. "You've always got a bed with me. You know that, right? No matter what, I always have your back."
Maya smiled at her, and laid her head on Joy's shoulder. "I know. That means a lot to me too."
"Look out for Mom and Dad for me?" Joy asked. "It'll be harder, from Seattle."
"Oh, absolutely." Maya rubbed her cheek against Joy's shirt. "And you look out for yourself. Call me all the time, tell me all about your awesome dance studio and your hot boyfriend."
Joy giggled. "And you tell me everything you're doing and how your garden's growing, and what poor life choices Russell's made recently. It's like a soap opera I can't stop watching."
Maya laughed. "Definitely."
She ended up staying the night, and Joy woke up early, echoes of the early days floating through her mind: Maya breathing warm in the bed beside her, tear-tracks on her cheeks. This morning, though, the wet patch on the pillow was drool, and Maya looked... young, innocent, and relaxed. Happy.
Joy ruffled a hand through her little sister's hair, and got up to make breakfast while the lilacs nodded in the sunlight.