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klaineanummel · 6 years

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eighteen going on extinct 2/20

Kurt Fabray just wants to relax after a tough week at school, but that is shown to be impossible when he realizes that his absent father has once again blown into town. Not wanting to spend more time around him than necessary, Kurt goes to his old babysitters house, the one place he feels safe when his father is in town. While there, he stumbles upon a secret he knows he was never meant to find out - one that could change the entire course of his life.

An AU very loosely based on Mamma Mia.

I completely forgot to mention this on the first chapter, but a million thanks go to @mailroomorder. I really don't know what I would do without you. You take every single one of my fics and actually make it readable. I literally owe you a million thanks for all you've done for me, not only for this fic, but throughout the years. I love you <3 <3 <3 <3

Hope you enjoy!! :D

Previous Chapter | Read on AO3

It takes a while to get to the south side of Lima. The bus system is shit, and he has to switch buses twice to get where he needs to go, and even once he’s there he has to walk a good ten minutes before he reaches the Berry-Hudson house.

He kicks a stone as he walks down the sidewalk, admiring the lack of graffiti on the building walls. All the houses over here have nice yards and are separated by fences. Some even have pools.

Where he lives, the nicest place you can get is an attached home, but they’re all rentals. He and his mom lived in one for about a year when he was seven, back when she was dating Big Steve. It didn’t last long, but it had been nice to briefly live somewhere other than an apartment.

Finn and Rachel’s house isn’t as big as some of the others on their street, but it’s still bigger than anything Kurt’s ever lived in. He pushes the gate open, glancing at the pruned shrubs that line that walkway up to their front door. He wonders if they take care of those themselves or if they pay someone to do it.

He knocks on the door, shoving his hands in his pockets. He hasn’t been here in a while, which sort of makes him feel like he’s taking advantage of their hospitality.

Finn opens the door, smiling that dopey smile of his and instantly getting out of the way.

“Hey, man,” he greets, patting Kurt on the back as he walks into the house. “Long time, no see.”

“Uh, yeah,” Kurt says, taking his shoes off as soon as he’s in the house (it may have been a while, but he still remembers Rachel’s house rules). “Sorry about that. It’s just…”

“Don’t worry, dude,” Finn says, still grinning. “We’re just glad you still felt okay to call. Come on, we just finished making supper.”

Kurt nods. “Cool,” he says. “I, uh. I brought Coke. I know Rachel doesn’t really drink carbonated stuff, but-”

“Thanks!” Finn starts to lead him toward the dining room. “Just means more for you and me, right?”

Kurt can’t help but smile at the endless optimism that the man exudes. He’s already feeling better than he has all day, just from being around him for a few seconds. He really needs to come here more often.

Rachel is just placing some cups around the already-set table when he walks in. She’s just as tiny as ever, and her smile is just as big as it always is when he comes over. “Kurt, hi!” she greets hurrying over to him and wrapping him in a big hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

He hugs her back, still feeling a little strange about being so much taller than her (he can’t even imagine how Finn must feel). He remembers when would accompany Finn when he’d babysit Kurt, and how Kurt used to wish he’d one day grow to be at least as tall as Rachel.

“We made a broccoli casserole, but Finn also has some hot dogs in the fridge he thinks I can’t see,” she winks at him. “We can heat some of those up in the microwave, if you’d like?”

Kurt instantly shakes his head. He’s already had hot dogs twice this week. “Broccoli casserole sounds perfect.”

“Wonderful! Oh, I forgot what a perfect guest you are. You really do need to come around for dinner more often.”

Kurt can’t help but smile as she leads him toward the chair at the end of the table. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to come around. It’s just been so crazy with my job and school starting up and everything.”

“That’s right,” Finn says, coming out of the kitchen with the casserole dish in hand. Rachel sits on Kurt’s left, and Finn takes the seat to the right. “You’re at McDonald’s, right?”

Kurt shakes his head. “Wendy’s. McDonald’s let me go.”

Finn sets the casserole dish down, and glances at Kurt. “Did they have reason to?”

Kurt shrugs. “The GM was dating my mom, but he cheated on her. I skipped a shift to console her and he said that wouldn’t fly. So… technically, I guess.”

He watches as Finn and Rachel exchange a glance; the same glance they exchange every time he mentions his mom.

“Well, it’s good you got another job, then,” Rachel says, eyes still on Finn. “I prefer Wendy’s anyway. Better vegan options.”

That’s not true, and they all know it, but Kurt just nods and says, “Yeah.”

Rachel starts serving the casserole, and Kurt barely manages to wait until it’s all scooped onto his plate before he digs in. He hasn’t had anything like this in so long. Eric, the GM at McDonald’s, used to cook dinner for his mom sometimes and she’d bring back leftovers, but since he fucked off it’s mostly been take out and quick meals. It’s not like either of them really has the time to cook.

“So,” Rachel says as Kurt shovels food into his mouth. “How’s, um. How’s Sebastian?” Kurt glances up at her and sees her smiling tightly. “Is that still… happening?”

Kurt shakes his head, and he can see her shoulders slump in relief. “He moved away, for college. Got into Yale.” He shrugs, stabbing a piece of broccoli with his fork. “Finally realized everyone else was right and he really was too good for me.”

“Hey,” Finn says harshly, causing Kurt to jump. “That’s not true, okay? If anything, you were way too good for him.”

Rachel is nodding along. “His parents were my neighbours growing up, and sometimes I’d babysit Sebastian when he was younger. He was always a little brat.”

That makes Kurt smile. “He didn’t take too well to not getting his way, did he?” he chuckles, thinking back on the time Sebastian tried to get Kurt to go down on him when he really didn’t feel like it. He’d stormed out of his room in a huff, only to return two minutes later saying that this was his house and Kurt needed to leave.

It wasn’t like it was the best relationship, and Kurt is well aware of that. Still sucks that everybody saw it before he did.

They chat casually for a while. Kurt pulls the Coke out of his bag and Finn goes to get them some ice. Rachel ends up pouring herself a half-glass, though her face scrunches up as she drinks it, which makes Kurt and Finn laugh.

Finn tells him about his middle-school students and how they’re currently writing their own plays. He’s so enthusiastic as he talks, hands gesturing wildly, the grin never leaving his face. Kurt wishes that he’d attended West Lima Middle School instead of North; he really would have liked to have Finn as a teacher.

Rachel briefly talks about how she’s considering going back on the road for a national tour of Wicked. She’s mostly been producing plays lately, but apparently she’s been feeling the performing itch.

Although he thinks Finn is awesome, and knows he’s the best teacher ever, he really admires Rachel and the work she does. Even if McKinley High School and North Lima Middle School didn’t really have drama programs, he’s always been interested in acting and singing. Rachel helps put on most of the productions that come to Columbus and has gotten several smaller theater companies off the ground; plus, she used to be on Broadway. He’d love to step into her shoes, even just for a day.

He listens intently as Rachel talks about the audition process, and how it’s down to her and two other girls for Elphaba, though she’s sure she has the role in the bag. He loves hearing her talk about the theater world, even the inanest aspects of it. He once listened to her talk for an hour about what brands of make-up were better to wear on stage.

When she’s finished, a bit of a silence falls over the table. Kurt is too awed by her stories to say anything, but Finn seems to have something else on his mind.

After a few minutes of silence, during which Kurt scoops himself a little bit more casserole, Finn turns to him and asks, “Kurt, why did you call me tonight?”

Kurt pauses, his fork full of broccoli and potatoes halfway to his mouth. “Um.”

“You said there was a situation, but you didn’t explain.” He turns a little in his chair. “Is it your dad? Is he back?”

Kurt sighs and places his fork on the plate. He slumps in his chair and runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “Totally blindsided me. He was there when I got home from school. Drove down from LA to ‘see me,’ or so he says.”

Rachel reaches a hand out to take his. “Does your mom know you’re here?” she asks.

Kurt shakes his head. “Told her I was with some friends, just didn’t say who. I didn’t…” he glances at Finn, then looks down at his plate. “Puck gets weird when I mention you guys.”

The look they exchange tells him they know exactly what he means by ‘weird’.

“How long is he staying?” Rachel asks.

Kurt shrugs. “Who knows. Mom says he’s on his feet, that he isn’t here for money, but I don’t trust him. He’s got a fancy new motorcycle, but that doesn’t mean shit. Last time he brought me $300 season passes to see the Buckeyes, but still begged mom for a couple grand to help him ‘get back on his feet,’” he lowers his voice and puts air quotes around the words. He shakes his head. “She wants me to be nice to him because he’s my dad, but I don’t think that’s enough. Just because he donated part of my DNA doesn’t mean he’s my father, you know?”

Finn and Rachel exchange another look, which Kurt ignores. Instead, he continues his rant.

“It’s just stupid. She never takes shit from anyone. When Eric cheated on her she kicked him so hard in the balls that he limped for a week. One time a boyfriend stole ten dollars from her purse and she punched him right in the nose when she found out. But with Puck? It’s like she turns into this pathetic schoolgirl with a crush that she just can’t get over. He can literally do whatever he wants, and she’ll never see the truth that he’s a deadbeat asshole who could give two shits about her.”

“She was always like that with Puck…” Rachel says, shaking her head. She smiles at Kurt and squeezes his hand. “We know it’s tough for you to be around him, so please, feel free to stay here as long as you want, okay?”

Finn nods along, and Kurt smiles. “Thanks, guys. You know, for letting me come over, and for letting me rant.”

“Any time. We mean it.”

They finish dinner soon after that, and Finn suggests they watch a movie. He lets Kurt pick, claiming that Rachel will just make them watch “A Star is Born” for the hundredth time. Kurt picks “Yentl” just to mess with him.

Their TV is a lot bigger than Kurt’s, and their sofa is softer. Kurt curls his legs under himself and thanks Finn halfway through the movie when the man passes him a throw. He pulls the throw close to his body, feeling cozy and safe.

He always feels safe in the Berry-Hudson house.

When the movie ends, Rachel suggests they play a board game, so Finn pulls out Sorry! They play a few rounds, laughing and teasing each other. Rachel wins every round to absolutely nobody’s surprise.

By around eleven Rachel admits she’s ready to call it a day. She gives Kurt a kiss on the forehead and thanks him for coming over, reiterating yet again that their door is always open for him. Finn says he thinks he should head to bed, too, and Kurt reluctantly says that he has a shift in the morning, so he should probably hit the hay, too.

The guest room is all set up for him, just the way it always is. The blankets and pillows are piled high, and Kurt already feels his heartbeat speeding up at the thought of sleeping in the queen-sized bed, as opposed to the twin he has in his room at home.

Finn bids him goodnight, leaving him alone. He smiles as he changes into his pajamas, thankful for the millionth time for Finn and his wife.

They’ve always been good to him. Finn was always his favourite babysitter when he was a kid, and he was the only one who kept in touch even when he stopped needing someone to babysit him. The first time Kurt called Finn after a fight with Puck, Finn came to pick him up and brought him to his house. Kurt was only thirteen at the time, but Finn made it very clear to him that he was always welcome to stay with him and Rachel. No matter what.

Sometimes, as a young boy, Kurt used to dream about Finn being his dad instead of Puck. Not that he wanted his mom and Finn to be together – Rachel and Finn were obviously soulmates and he’d never wish for them to be apart. No, he just liked the idea of having a dad who was around. Who wanted to spend time with him. Who cared for him and spent time with him without expecting anything in return.

He gets into the bed, his phone in hand. He unlocks it, finding a couple of messages from his mom asking him where he went. There’s another message from his boss, asking if he could come in half an hour earlier. Kurt rolls his eyes but texts back that he can, trying to mentally calculate how early he’ll have to get up to make that work.

Just as he’s setting his alarms he gets a notification warning him that he’s at 20% battery. He groans and pulls himself out of bed, going to his backpack and digging through it.

Fuck.

“Great,” he says as he pulls out the last piece of clothing. Of course he forgot his charger. Just his luck.

He sighs and heads out the door. He knows Rachel has an iPhone, too. Knowing her, she’ll have at least two extra charger cables.

He reaches the door to their bedroom and raises a hand to knock, but pauses when he hears them talking inside.

“- you’ve respected her decision this long, but this isn’t good for him. If Puck is actually going to be sticking around for the long run-”

“We don’t know if he is, Rach. He’ll probably just hang out for a week or two, like he always does, and then admit he needs money. Quinn will give him money, because for some reason she always does, and then he’ll be out of their hair. That’s how it always goes.”

“What if it doesn’t go that way this time, Finn? I don’t—” Kurt hears her sigh. “He’s such a good kid. I know he acts tough, but we both know that’s not who he is. I don’t want Puck messing up his life any more than he already has.”

“I don’t either, you know I don’t, but I just don’t see how it would make a difference.”

“You don’t – Finn, if you could prove your paternity we could try and get joint custody. He could live with us two weeks out of the month. That’s two whole weeks he wouldn’t have to be around that… that man.”

Kurt’s eyes widen, heart skipping a beat.

“He’s not mine, Rachel,” Finn says. “We’ve known that for years.”

“We don’t, though. We never got the test done because Quinn insisted and we wanted to be respectful, but this has gone on long enough. I can’t just sit idly by anymore! Even if Puck doesn’t stick around this time he’s going to keep coming back, over and over again. That’s what he does, Finn. You know that as well as I do.”

“She doesn’t want me to, Rachel. She made it very clear that Kurt wasn’t mine. It would be a dick move to ask for a paternity test now.”

“I just want to be sure, Finn. I hate thinking of him in that house with Puck. I hate it.”

“Me too, Rach, but there’s nothing we can do. Quinn made it very clear –”

“Look, Finn, I think Quinn is an amazing mother. I’ve said that since day one. She’s done an incredible job raising Kurt by herself. But when it comes to Puck, she doesn’t know how to set boundaries. He’s always been her weak spot, and he’s always going to be her weak spot. It’s not good for Kurt to be in that environment, and I’m tired of ignoring the fact that there is a chance that you are that boy’s father.”

The words ring in Kurt’s ears, amplified by the silence that’s fallen over the house.

His breathing quickens.

Finn speaks after a few moments of silence. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

“Okay,” Rachel replies. “Thank you. That’s all I ask.”

Kurt forces himself to move, heading right back to the guest room, heart jackhammering in his chest. He’s clutching his phone tightly, and his breaths are coming quickly.

He always knew his mom and Finn dated in high school, before she got pregnant with him. She’d told him when he was five and he asked her how she’d met his favourite babysitter. He’d never really known the timeline of their relationship, though.

He climbs back into bed, placing his phone on a pillow next to his head. He feels wide awake as he stares up at the ceiling, this new discovery coursing through his veins like a particularly powerful drug.

The very idea that Puck might not be his dad brings him a joy he cannot even imagine. There will be nothing left connecting him to that asshole. His mom can keep him around if she wants, but Kurt won’t owe him anything.

Holy shit.

He smiles to himself at the thought of finally being able to officially tell Puck to get fucked. He can just imagine slamming down the paternity test in front of the man and telling him to have a good life.

He pulls the blankets closer.

Well, fuck.

Chapter Three

#klaine #klaine fic #klaine au #klaineanummel fic #fic: egoe #multi chapter

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lobsters-on-their-heads · 6 years

Text

Continuing Travels of Cophine, Christmas Part 1

So far, this is in three parts, each part covering one day. Extra notes are included on Ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12116799/chapters/30119613

“I can't believe you signed us both up for this.”

Delphine checked her hair one last time and watched Cosima straighten her tights in the mirror. “Alison's done a lot for us while we've been gone,” she reminded her. “The least we can do is go to one Christmas Eve service with her, if it's going to make her happy.”

“Have you ever been to a Christmas Eve service?”

Delphine turned and put her hands on her hips. “My mother sent me to Catholic boarding school. What do you think?”

“Oh shit, you went to Catholic boarding school? You never told me that.” Cosima stood and smoothed down her skirt. “That explains a lot.”

“Does it?”

“Well, like, yes and no.” Cosima sorted through her winter blouses in the closet until she found one she liked, and pulled it over her head, talking as she went. “Yes, because you can be, like, kind of cold sometimes – and not in a bad way! That is not an insult, I promise.”

Part of Delphine burned at the insinuation there, even as she knew that she had been cold, very cold, in the past. She thought they were past that, though, that Cosima understood and forgave, and that the past months showed that Delphine could be just as warm as Cosima was. Then Cosima came over, her blouse still catching on her bra, and she put both hands on the sides of Delphine's face.

“I did not mean that in a bad way. I promise.”

Delphine took a deep breath. The Hendrixes were picking them up in less than ten minutes. With Cosima's hands still on her face, Delphine pulled Cosima's blouse down and adjusted it for her. “Okay. You said yes and no, though.”

“Correct. Also yes because you have really awesome posture, and that's totally a Catholic boarding school kind of thing.”

She smiled at that. “Alright. What else?”

“Well, actually, it also explains your totally progressive and open views of sex, contrary to surface expectations.”

It certainly was contrary, since all Delphine's teachers had taught them about sex was that they shouldn't have it until marriage, and that boys would want to have a lot of it. “Explain.”

Cosima was gearing up now as she took her blazer from the closet and buttoned it up. “Okay, so, my first girlfriend in college grew up super Catholic, right?” Cosima bent to put on her boots, grunting as she did. “Once she realized that sex wasn't bad, and I do mean the day she figured that out, she was like a sex maniac. She couldn't get enough of it. It was like, every time we fucked, it was her giving the Catholic church a big middle finger. And she wanted to try all this kinky shit precisely because she'd been told her whole life that it was a sin.”

Still listening, Delphine smoothed down her dress one last time and put on her own shoes. The theory made sense, in an anecdotal way, but she wasn't a fan of it. “So I have sex with you as an act of rebellion? Is that what you're telling me?”

“Well, hopefully you have sex with me because you love me and I turn you on, but rebellion probably played a role in the beginning.”

“In the beginning.”

Cosima checked the time; the Hendrix minivan would be there in any minute. She gave Delphine a shit-eating grin. “Well, you know. Except we both know you only slept with me the first time because Leekie told you to.”

“Oh, you are. A. Brat.”

Cosima darted away just out of Delphine's reach, her cackle coinciding with the buzz of her phone, telling them that Alison was outside.

“You are going to pay for that.”

Cosima was still grinning as she put on her coat. “Do you promise?”

So that's what she's after...

Delphine held off answering for a minute, putting on her own coat and gloves and starting up the stairs. She was silent long enough to make Cosima squirm, long enough for her cheeky little grin to falter and the beginnings of an apology to form in her eyes. Then, at the outside door of the comic shop, Delphine paused with her hand on the knob.

“Only if you're very good,” she said. “Then I'll let you pay for it.”

* *

The church was tucked into a residential community in Toronto proper, surrounded by apartment complexes and corner stores. It was clearly a church, and yet it wasn't. The doorway recalled the steep entrances of Église Saint Maclou in Lille, where her mother had taken her twice a year or so growing up, but the facade and shape of the building could have fit a school or a nice communal home just as well. Delphine followed Alison and Donnie into the church, Cosima's hand in hers. The kids led the way, already comfortable enough here after two prior visits to jaunt ahead and claim a place to sit. Just inside the door, an elderly woman in a Christmas vest gave them all programs. Without thinking, Delphine reached her fingers out for some holy water, and staggered slightly when there wasn't any.

“You okay?” Cosima asked.

“Yes.” She smiled back at her. “I almost forgot I'm not Catholic anymore.”

They sat a few rows from the front, still holding hands, together with Donnie and Alison flanking the children in the middle. While Cosima flipped through the program and muttered about not being able to sing, Delphine looked around the room. People, mostly families with children, filled in, hugging and smiling at each other, dressing and behaving more informally than she'd ever seen at Église Saint Maclou. One teenage girl came wearing her pajamas and plastic antlers, even as the rest of her family was a bit more respectable, and no one batted an eye.

Also, while most congregants at Église Saint Maclou looked like Delphine and her mother, the people who filled the seats here looked much like the population of Greater Toronto. Three women in front of them chatted in Argentinian Spanish, if Delphine's ear was correct, and a Middle Eastern man in the aisle helped a teenaged boy practice Arabic greetings. A woman in a wheelchair was situated nearby, her hands flapping back and forth as she smiled and moaned, and the other congregants told her they were happy to see her.

And some of them were gay. Delphine was obviously no stranger to gay people, even before she'd come out to herself, but she had never, ever, seen gay couples in a church before. There was a pair of elderly men, bald, hunched, and covered in liver spots, who held hands on their way in. There was a pair of women and their two small children. In the row behind them, a woman whom Delphine suspected was transgender sat and tapped Alison Hendrix on the shoulder, and then the two of them fell into an animated conversation about fabric until Alison pointed down the row and said, “And that's my sister Cosima and her fiancée.”

“Huh?” Cosima looked up at the sound of her name. She was more nervous that Delphine had seen her in some time.

The woman behind them extended a hand. “Hi, I'm Corinne. I can certainly see the family resemblance here!”

You have no idea, thought Delphine.

Compared to church services of Delphine's youth, the Christmas Eve service Alison took them to was a zoo, but not in a negative way. The children of the congregation led most of it, from Bible readings to acting out scenes from the Christmas story that included an actual infant from the congregation who cried during his big moment in the spotlight. At one point, a toddler in a cow costume broke away from the group and wandered down the aisle until he stopped and stared at Cosima, three slobbery fingers in his mouth.

“Okay, that was fucking adorable,” Cosima whispered once the boy's father came to carry him away.

Afterwards, there was hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and cookies for everyone, and then they piled back into the minivan to head to everyone's current homes, where the kids would be allowed to open one present each before bed.

“Are you having supper with us?” Charlotte asked Cosima and Delphine. “Helena's making a traditional Ukrainian Christmas dinner.”

“Mom's helping,” Kira added.

Delphine looked over at Cosima, whose face mirrored her own.

“Uh, I don't think we will, no,” Cosima said. “We're pretty tired, so I think we'll just go to bed.”

“And we have presents to wrap,” Delphine said.

“And that.”

The Hendrixes would be staying at Sarah's house that night, it turned out. They'd brought some air mattresses and bed linens as well as Christmas stories to read to the children. All in all, it sounds a little too cozy for Delphine at the moment.

“We'll see you first thing tomorrow morning, okay?” she told them.

* *

Back at the Rabbit Hole, both Delphine and Cosima were happy to remove dress shoes and tights, and pull on pajamas. Delphine sat up in bed and checked the handful of “Joyeux Noël!” messages she'd gotten on her phone. Cosima curled up beside her on the bed and pulled the covers over their knees.

“What did you think?” Cosima asked.

“It wasn't what I expected.”

“Yeah, me neither. Not sure what I did expect, though.” She played with a loose thread on Delphine's flannel pants. “Alison wants us to go back, though, and I don't really think I want to.”

“You don't have to. We only went tonight as a favor, and we'll only be in Toronto until the end of January.”

“Yeah. D'you think...” Cosima leaned back and chewed on her lip.

“What?”

“D'you think she was just showing off this cool new gay-friendly church she has? Like, 'hey, lemme take my queer sister to this church with all these other gay people. Won't she think I'm cool?' And, 'Oh, let me show her off to my new church, so everyone will know how cool I am, that I have a gay sister.'”

Delphine thought about it. Until tonight, actually, Delphine had never wondered what Alison thought about Cosima's sexuality. There was acceptance, and that was all that mattered, especially with everything else they had to contend with. “I have no idea, chérie. Is that what you think?”

“I don't know. I mean, on the upside, the kids get to hang out with a bunch of people with a bunch of different backgrounds, which, from what Felix told me, is not the case in Bailey Downs, so that's good.”

“Hm. Maybe.”

Delphine sank deeper under the covers and closed her eyes for a few moments. The day full of Christmas planning, meals, and now church finally caught up with her. She remembered Cosima's remarks before they left, though, and her promise to get Cosima back for them. That getting back part would have to wait until she had more energy, but she still had a question.

“You said that Catholic boarding school both did, and did not, explain a lot,” she said.

“Oh, shit.” Cosima giggled and settled into the blankets with her so they lay side by side. “Yes, I did.”

“What does it not explain?”

“Well, the first thing that came to mind when I said that was your mom, actually. You said your mom took you to church, right?”

“Along with my grandparents, yes.”

“But you also told me, a little while back, that your mom was on birth control, yeah?”

“Also yes.”

“I thought birth control was a big no no for Catholics.”

Delphine snorted, and almost wanted Cosima to meet her mother just then. No one else called out bullshit quite like Cosima could. “My mother is what I like to call an a la carte Catholic. She takes the parts she likes – the routines, the social connections, the schooling for me – and leaves the parts she doesn't like. It's very convenient for her. I'd be shocked if she even believed in God, to be honest with you.”

“Well, I know that you don't.”

“Not most of the time.”

Cosima propped herself up on one elbow. “Most of the time? Does that mean that you do believe in God some of the time?”

She closed her eyes again and rubbed her forehead. “If that's what you want to call it, yes. Maybe. I believe in something, a little bit. Or maybe it's better to say, I do not disbelieve in something all the time.”

“That sounds convoluted, but okay. What's changed, then? You used to be pretty emphatically against spirituality in general.”

Delphine rubbed her face some more, not really wanting to get into it at the moment. What she wanted was to lay in bed with Cosima and let the saccharine evening of wholesome family happiness and children dressed as livestock dissipate a little before tomorrow, when they would dive head-on into a full day of Clone Club Family Christmas.

“What happened?” Delphine repeated. “I got shot in the abdomen and I was almost shot in the head, but instead of dying, I'm laying here talking to you. Or should I say I'm lying here? I can never remember.”

Cosima wrapped her arm around Delphine's midsection and nuzzled her shoulder. “Laying, lying, who gives a shit? You're here. That's all I care about.” She kissed Delphine's collarbone and the soft skin just above it a few times. “I will never not be thankful for that. And you can believe in whatever you want. I'm just a little surprised, that's all.”

Delphine kissed her forehead, then her lips when Cosima tilted her head up. “We can talk more about it later if you'd like. I'm not really up for it now, though.”

“Not a problem. Sleep well, my love.”

She kissed her again, a little longer this time. “You too.”

#cophine christmas #orphan black fanfiction #cophine fanfiction #continuing travels of cophine

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