Chocolate #8, #16 and #22, Strawberry #27, Strawberry Banana #25, Soy #7
Author: askingxalice
Title: People Got a Lot of Nerve
Summary: Adrianna never really realized exactly how much money Oz has.
Story: Phase
Timeline: December 2012 - Adrianna is 23, Oz is 26.
Challenge: Chocolate #16 (pride)
Word Count: 910
Rating: PG
“It’s just money.” Oz answered, his expression telling Adrianna that he was honestly confused by her reaction. “It’s not a big deal. I just didn’t want you to have anything else to stress over.”
“Oz, it... You aren’t getting it. It’s not just money! This isn’t like I’m a few dollars short for groceries and you’re lending it to me!” Running a hand through her hair, she tried to mentally will him to understand as she stumbled over her words. “It’s - It’s years of student loans, and the rest of my tuition and books, and you’re already letting me live here without paying rent, and I know the parlor does well, but Andy doesn’t make enough to help pay for half of everything, and - I just feel like a leech! I haven’t done anything to deserve this!”
Adrianna sat on the edge of the bed as she finished, her legs shaking, and buried her head in her hands to avoid looking at him. He’d probably be all hurt that she was so upset and offended, and then he’d be mad at her. And then Andy would be mad at her. She should have just kept her mouth shut. Aversion to confrontation ran in the family, though she seemed to get the worst of it. And while having everything paid for stung at her pride a little bit, and made her feel like one hell of a mooch, that didn’t mean that deep down past all of the ridiculous things called emotions that she wasn’t grateful. Oz had saved her years of debt that could have easily amounted to over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but he could have at least asked if it was alright instead of just doing it!
When the silence ran on for longer than she expected it to, Adrianna peeked through her fingers and jumped when she found Oz’s face barely inches from hers. How he had managed to get so close to her so quietly she had no idea. She easily spotted the frown that marred his expression and felt her stomach roll in anxiety. She really should have just kept her mouth shut.
“You have no idea how much you’ve helped me over the past few years, do you?” Oz asked, his voice soft. “I don’t think you even really took a moment to think about what all you were risking, when you married me. If we had been found out, you could have spent up to fifteen years in federal prison. You risked ruining your life, to help me stay here, and you didn’t even ask for anything.”
“But, Oz-“
“I’m not done talking.” He interrupted, giving her a small smile to take away any harshness that might have been in his voice. “Andy and I agreed to let you stay here without helping with the rent or bills, so you could put as much as you could towards med school, and we pretty much had to force you to accept that. And that wasn’t near what you deserve. Neither is me paying off your student loans, and making sure the tuition for your next few years is paid for, along with books or whatever else might come up.
You helped me break a lot of state and federal laws, just so I could stay here with your brother. You helped me stay with the man I love, and you didn’t even have to think about helping me. You never thought of what you could get out of it, or what the consequences might be for you. The entire time, you only worried about the possibility of my permanent deportation, and the fact that it meant I’d have to leave Andy. Don’t you ever say that you haven’t done anything to deserve what I’ve done for you, again.”
Adrianna squirmed, both pleased by his words and still feeling horribly guilty. “...It’s so much money, though. I know your parents left you what they had when they died, but..."
”It’s pocket change.” Oz snorted, though he now avoided her gaze. He always became highly uncomfortable when the subject of exactly how much money he had popped up. “Just take my word for it. I’ve got tons left, and plenty of investments to make sure it won’t run out for a long while.”
“I can start paying you back once I start my residency.”
He sighed, looking back at her as a frown tugged at his lips again. “I don’t want you to pay me back.” His tone was firm, and a bit annoyed at the fact that she just wouldn’t accept this. “Would it make you feel better if I promised to not buy you anything your birthday or Christmas?”
Adrianna shook her head. “No. I want you to promise to stop doing this. I’m not going to ask you to... ask for a refund or something, because I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy that I don’t have to worry about affording tuition anymore. But if this keeps up, I’ll instead have to worry about you trying to fix every little problem with money that I run into. It would be one thing if I asked for a loan, but it’s another thing entirely to have you just pay for it and assume I’ll be alright with it.”
“Grants and their damn pride.” He muttered, though the smile he gave Adrianna was all the promise she needed.
Author: askingxalice
Title: Younglife
Summary: Angie helps Sarah get ready for her first day of school.
Story: Phase
Timeline: September 1994 - Sarah is 5, Angie is 7.
Challenge: Strawberry #27 (ribbon), Chocolate #22 (anticipation), Soy #7 (bonding over similar experiences)
Topping: Whipped Cream
Extra: Pocky
Word Count: 100
Rating: G
“What am I s’pose to do if nobody talks to me?” Sarah asked quietly, watching her sister’s reflection as Angie very carefully pulled her little sister’s hair back into a ponytail.
“Then go talk to them first.” Angie muttered, concentrating on her task. Briefly, she scowled before the pain in her still bruised lip forced her expression to smooth out.
“But what if they’re mean to me?”
“I dunno. Kick ‘em. Just don’t mess your hair up, cause this hard to do, and I ain’t doing it over at lunchtime.”
Sarah giggled. “Love you, Sissy.”
“Love you too, Rah-rah.”
Author: askingxalice
Title: Whistle for the Choir
Summary: Sunset did always have odd ways of showing her affection.
Story: Phase
Timeline: June 1998 - Sunset is 16, Damian is 17.
Challenge: Strawberry Banana #25 (sleeping in), Chocolate #8 (appreciation)
Toppings: Sprinkles, Whipped Cream
Word Count: 555
Rating: PG
He wasn’t sure how this had exactly happened. Well, not true. He had an inkling. They had gone to a concert, something that was only possible because his parents and Zachery were out of town. How his parents thought that he could be trusted with being left alone, Damian would never understand, but he didn’t fight it. But then Sunset had come over with concert tickets, and he would have been insane to turn her down. But somewhere along the way, between the first song and encore, Sunset had had far too much to drink. How she had even gotten access to beer, he didn’t know, but that had left him to pour her into the back seat and start the long drive home, in soberness and silence.
With the music turned down low and the ringing in his ears finally starting to fade, it wasn’t hard to hear his cell phone start to ring. Glancing at the caller ID, he threw a bewildered glance to the backseat at seeing her name. Continuing to let it ring for a moment, he eventually answered, both ignoring the fact that he was breaking a few laws with that, along with the fact that this was just a few shades of ridiculous. “....Hello?”
“Mmm.... hi.” Was the half asleep and somewhat slurred answer from both the backseat and the cell phone. “Are we home yet?”
Unable to stop himself, he chuckled. “No, love, we aren’t. We have a bit of a ways to go.”
“Oh.” After that, she was so quiet for long that he wondered if she had fallen asleep again and if he should hang up. Just as he was about to press the button to end the call, she spoke again. “You make me feel safe.”
“I what?” Sending another glance to the prone form in the backseat, he was met with half closed eyes and a soft smile before looking back to the road. “Driving while talking on the mobile, with you half asleep and mullered in the backseat makes you feel safe?”
“Uh-huh. It reminds me of... you know, being little. When I was a kid. I would always go to sleep in the backseat when we went on trips because I knew nothing bad would happen, and I know nothing bad is going to happen with you.”
“It might be a bit more safe if you would talk to me like a normal person, instead of calling me from the backseat of the car.” After that, he could almost swear he could hear her smile widen, if such a thing were logical.
“But I wanna talk to you.” There was almost a whine to it, but it’s laced with sleep and hard to distinguish. He could only tell it was there because it’s her, and he knew her better than he knew himself.
“Then talk to me normally, love.” Praying that she wouldn’t drunkenly take it as an insult after he hung up, Damian chuckled again as he heard a louder whine from the backseat. After a moment, he caught a glimpse of pale and freckled flesh out of the corner of his eye and reached to grab her searching hand. Twining their fingers together, it was only a moment before her grip relaxed, and he knew she had fallen asleep once more.
Title: People Got a Lot of Nerve
Summary: Adrianna never really realized exactly how much money Oz has.
Story: Phase
Timeline: December 2012 - Adrianna is 23, Oz is 26.
Challenge: Chocolate #16 (pride)
Word Count: 910
Rating: PG
“It’s just money.” Oz answered, his expression telling Adrianna that he was honestly confused by her reaction. “It’s not a big deal. I just didn’t want you to have anything else to stress over.”
“Oz, it... You aren’t getting it. It’s not just money! This isn’t like I’m a few dollars short for groceries and you’re lending it to me!” Running a hand through her hair, she tried to mentally will him to understand as she stumbled over her words. “It’s - It’s years of student loans, and the rest of my tuition and books, and you’re already letting me live here without paying rent, and I know the parlor does well, but Andy doesn’t make enough to help pay for half of everything, and - I just feel like a leech! I haven’t done anything to deserve this!”
Adrianna sat on the edge of the bed as she finished, her legs shaking, and buried her head in her hands to avoid looking at him. He’d probably be all hurt that she was so upset and offended, and then he’d be mad at her. And then Andy would be mad at her. She should have just kept her mouth shut. Aversion to confrontation ran in the family, though she seemed to get the worst of it. And while having everything paid for stung at her pride a little bit, and made her feel like one hell of a mooch, that didn’t mean that deep down past all of the ridiculous things called emotions that she wasn’t grateful. Oz had saved her years of debt that could have easily amounted to over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but he could have at least asked if it was alright instead of just doing it!
When the silence ran on for longer than she expected it to, Adrianna peeked through her fingers and jumped when she found Oz’s face barely inches from hers. How he had managed to get so close to her so quietly she had no idea. She easily spotted the frown that marred his expression and felt her stomach roll in anxiety. She really should have just kept her mouth shut.
“You have no idea how much you’ve helped me over the past few years, do you?” Oz asked, his voice soft. “I don’t think you even really took a moment to think about what all you were risking, when you married me. If we had been found out, you could have spent up to fifteen years in federal prison. You risked ruining your life, to help me stay here, and you didn’t even ask for anything.”
“But, Oz-“
“I’m not done talking.” He interrupted, giving her a small smile to take away any harshness that might have been in his voice. “Andy and I agreed to let you stay here without helping with the rent or bills, so you could put as much as you could towards med school, and we pretty much had to force you to accept that. And that wasn’t near what you deserve. Neither is me paying off your student loans, and making sure the tuition for your next few years is paid for, along with books or whatever else might come up.
You helped me break a lot of state and federal laws, just so I could stay here with your brother. You helped me stay with the man I love, and you didn’t even have to think about helping me. You never thought of what you could get out of it, or what the consequences might be for you. The entire time, you only worried about the possibility of my permanent deportation, and the fact that it meant I’d have to leave Andy. Don’t you ever say that you haven’t done anything to deserve what I’ve done for you, again.”
Adrianna squirmed, both pleased by his words and still feeling horribly guilty. “...It’s so much money, though. I know your parents left you what they had when they died, but..."
”It’s pocket change.” Oz snorted, though he now avoided her gaze. He always became highly uncomfortable when the subject of exactly how much money he had popped up. “Just take my word for it. I’ve got tons left, and plenty of investments to make sure it won’t run out for a long while.”
“I can start paying you back once I start my residency.”
He sighed, looking back at her as a frown tugged at his lips again. “I don’t want you to pay me back.” His tone was firm, and a bit annoyed at the fact that she just wouldn’t accept this. “Would it make you feel better if I promised to not buy you anything your birthday or Christmas?”
Adrianna shook her head. “No. I want you to promise to stop doing this. I’m not going to ask you to... ask for a refund or something, because I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy that I don’t have to worry about affording tuition anymore. But if this keeps up, I’ll instead have to worry about you trying to fix every little problem with money that I run into. It would be one thing if I asked for a loan, but it’s another thing entirely to have you just pay for it and assume I’ll be alright with it.”
“Grants and their damn pride.” He muttered, though the smile he gave Adrianna was all the promise she needed.
Author: askingxalice
Title: Younglife
Summary: Angie helps Sarah get ready for her first day of school.
Story: Phase
Timeline: September 1994 - Sarah is 5, Angie is 7.
Challenge: Strawberry #27 (ribbon), Chocolate #22 (anticipation), Soy #7 (bonding over similar experiences)
Topping: Whipped Cream
Extra: Pocky
Word Count: 100
Rating: G
“What am I s’pose to do if nobody talks to me?” Sarah asked quietly, watching her sister’s reflection as Angie very carefully pulled her little sister’s hair back into a ponytail.
“Then go talk to them first.” Angie muttered, concentrating on her task. Briefly, she scowled before the pain in her still bruised lip forced her expression to smooth out.
“But what if they’re mean to me?”
“I dunno. Kick ‘em. Just don’t mess your hair up, cause this hard to do, and I ain’t doing it over at lunchtime.”
Sarah giggled. “Love you, Sissy.”
“Love you too, Rah-rah.”
Author: askingxalice
Title: Whistle for the Choir
Summary: Sunset did always have odd ways of showing her affection.
Story: Phase
Timeline: June 1998 - Sunset is 16, Damian is 17.
Challenge: Strawberry Banana #25 (sleeping in), Chocolate #8 (appreciation)
Toppings: Sprinkles, Whipped Cream
Word Count: 555
Rating: PG
He wasn’t sure how this had exactly happened. Well, not true. He had an inkling. They had gone to a concert, something that was only possible because his parents and Zachery were out of town. How his parents thought that he could be trusted with being left alone, Damian would never understand, but he didn’t fight it. But then Sunset had come over with concert tickets, and he would have been insane to turn her down. But somewhere along the way, between the first song and encore, Sunset had had far too much to drink. How she had even gotten access to beer, he didn’t know, but that had left him to pour her into the back seat and start the long drive home, in soberness and silence.
With the music turned down low and the ringing in his ears finally starting to fade, it wasn’t hard to hear his cell phone start to ring. Glancing at the caller ID, he threw a bewildered glance to the backseat at seeing her name. Continuing to let it ring for a moment, he eventually answered, both ignoring the fact that he was breaking a few laws with that, along with the fact that this was just a few shades of ridiculous. “....Hello?”
“Mmm.... hi.” Was the half asleep and somewhat slurred answer from both the backseat and the cell phone. “Are we home yet?”
Unable to stop himself, he chuckled. “No, love, we aren’t. We have a bit of a ways to go.”
“Oh.” After that, she was so quiet for long that he wondered if she had fallen asleep again and if he should hang up. Just as he was about to press the button to end the call, she spoke again. “You make me feel safe.”
“I what?” Sending another glance to the prone form in the backseat, he was met with half closed eyes and a soft smile before looking back to the road. “Driving while talking on the mobile, with you half asleep and mullered in the backseat makes you feel safe?”
“Uh-huh. It reminds me of... you know, being little. When I was a kid. I would always go to sleep in the backseat when we went on trips because I knew nothing bad would happen, and I know nothing bad is going to happen with you.”
“It might be a bit more safe if you would talk to me like a normal person, instead of calling me from the backseat of the car.” After that, he could almost swear he could hear her smile widen, if such a thing were logical.
“But I wanna talk to you.” There was almost a whine to it, but it’s laced with sleep and hard to distinguish. He could only tell it was there because it’s her, and he knew her better than he knew himself.
“Then talk to me normally, love.” Praying that she wouldn’t drunkenly take it as an insult after he hung up, Damian chuckled again as he heard a louder whine from the backseat. After a moment, he caught a glimpse of pale and freckled flesh out of the corner of his eye and reached to grab her searching hand. Twining their fingers together, it was only a moment before her grip relaxed, and he knew she had fallen asleep once more.