#adelaide is sooooo sweet i like her

[blue-heart-loves-you]

Addie, Introduced

It starts, as many things do, with a book.

Blue sits at their desk in the bookshop, humming to themself, watching the small crowd of customers peruse the shelves with a smile. They’re just about to announce that the shop will be closing in half an hour, when a pair of tiny hands reach up to drop a considerably-sized book on their desk. 

Blue leans over the desk to see a small girl, likely no older than six or seven, looking up at them with owlish amber eyes. She has a mane of curly red hair that comes down to the middle of her back, a green jacket that looks a little worse for wear, and blue jeans that are rolled up at her ankles to reveal little scuffed black sneakers. She smiles shyly up at Blue.

“’Scuse me,” she says, as though she’s interrupted something, “but can I please brorrow this?”

Blue holds back a squeal, instead nodding and picking up the book.

“Of course, kiddo!” As they scan the book, they notice the title. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. They raise their eyebrows as they hand it back to the girl, who immediately cradles it to her chest. “Nice choice there, you must be a really good reader!”

The girl nods proudly, curls bouncing and eyes shining. “Madeline--she’s a fifth grader--says it’s her favorite, so I gotta read it an’ prove I’m smarter than her, ‘cuz I am! Miss Reila says I’m the best reader in the whole class! An’ I always finish my vocabuary tests before anyone else!”

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Blue looks genuinely impressed. “Well, kiddo, do you have an adult with you who can give me their phone number? That way I can make sure you turn that back in?”

The girl’s eyes dim slightly, and her shoulders hunch.

“Um... My momma is across the street. I saw this in the window, and she said I gotta get it by myself, l-like a big girl...”

Blue hums. They know a lie when they see one, but they don’t mention it, instead giving a reassuring smile.

“Aw, that’s alright! You did a very good job! How about this.” They pull a notepat out from one of their drawers, and grab a flower pen from the cup on their desk, walking around to crouch in front of the girl. They hold the pen out to her, resting the notepad on their knee.

“Write your name on this, and whenever you return the book, whoever is here will know that it’s you!”

The girl bites her lip. “Do I gotta write my whole name?”

Blue shakes their head. “Nope! Whatever name you want us to call you works just fine!”

The girl seems to relax as the shifts her book under her right arm and takes the pen with her left. In a surprisingly neat hand--for a child, anyways--she writes out her name.

“Addie.” Blue hums, standing back up. “That’s a lovely name!”

The girl--Addie--giggles. “Thank you! It’s short for Adelaide, but I don’t like spellin’ it.”

Blue nods. “I totally understand. I’m Blue, and it’s been great talking to you, Miss Addie!”

Addie giggles again, then gasps. “Oh! I gotta go back home before it gets dark! Thank you, Blue!” She runs towards the door, and Blue watches her go.

---

A week passes. A week that Blue spends thinking about Addie. Why did she lie about her mother? Why were her clothes so messy, like she didn’t wear anything else? Angel listens to their worries, reassures them that they’ll see her again soon, and while Blue tries to listen, they just can’t help but worry.

But anyways.

A week passes, and Blue is back at their desk, watching customers start leaving when they announce that the shop is to close soon. They can’t really explain why they suddenly feel happier when they see a familiar pair of hands dropping a familiar book on their desk.

Addie pushes up on the tips of her toes, smiling widely at Blue, her hair pulled back at the nape of her neck, but still no less of a mane.

“Well hello there,” Blue greets cheerfully. “I was wondering when I’d see you again!”

“I finished the book!” Addie hops a couple of times, clearly very excited. “It was sooooo good! I really liked Hermione! And Fred and George!”

“Wow, finished already?” Blue chuckles, picking up the book and scanning it before dropping it in the dropbox. “I’m so glad you liked it! Are you ready for the next one?”

She nods enthusiastically. “Please!”

Blue comes out from behind her desk and holds their hand out to Addie. “C’mon, I’ll show you where to find them.”

Addie hesitates, looking between Blue’s hand and their face, before taking it. Blue smiles and gently leads her to the “popular fantasy” section. They point to a shelf full of Harry Potter books.

“Right there is where we keep them all,” they explain. “And we have a bunch of copies in the storeroom too, so if you’re ever looking for one and it isn’t there, let whoever is at the desk know and they’ll get it for you.”

Addie gasps and rushes over to the shelf, pulling off Chamber of Secrets and looking at Blue like they just told her she was going to Hogwarts.

“I... I can read all of ‘em?”

Blue nods. “Of course! All of them, as many times as you want.”

“Wow...” She hugs the book to her chest. “Do I gotta write my name again?”

Blue thinks for a moment, then shakes their head. “No, you don’t have to. I trust you to bring your books back in good shape.”

Addie seems relieved. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Not a problem, kiddo!"

And once again, Blue watches her leave.

---

This continues on for over a month; Addie finishes Harry Potter, but continues to come back at least one night a week and talk to Blue as they close up. Finally, Blue can’t hold back,

“Hey, Addie?”

Addie, sitting in a comfy armchair, looks up from her latest book, Wings of Fire. “Yeah?”

Blue bites their lip as they finish shelving some misplaced books. “I was wondering... Why do you only come here at night? I mean, I understand if you’re busy with school! But it’s always pretty late after school, and you’re always alone...”

Addie stares back down at her book. After a moment, she speaks.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

Blue’s brows furrow in concern, but they nod. “Of course, kiddo.”

She sighs and closes her book, hugging it to her chest.

“I don’t have a momma. Or a daddy.” She squeezes her eyes shut. “I live in a foster home, an’ I didn’t wanna tell you, ‘cuz I didn’t wanna make you feel--oof!”

She opens her eyes in surprise as she's pulled into a tight hug by a kneeling Blue.

"I knew it," they mumble. Addie blinks. 

"Y-you knew?"

"Oh, kiddo..." Blue pulls back and gives her a sad sort of smile. "I know a lot about lying about parents."

"Oh." Addie looks down at her lap. "Are... Are you angry?"

"Of course not." Blue sighs, standing up. "But I'm walking you home from now on, okay? I don't want you walking around by yourself at night."

"Okay..." Addie slides out of the chair, taking the hand Blue offers her and letting them walk her home after closing up, only speaking to give them directions.

After half an hour, they stop in front of a small, well-kept house in one of the poorer neighborhoods in town. Addie lets go of Blue's hand, heading towards the house with her book clutched to her chest. Blue gets a sinking feeling in their chest, and can't help but call out.

"Wait!" Addie stops, not turning to look at them. "Can... Can I talk to your foster guardians for a minute?"

Addie gives a small nod before running inside. Blue waits in the yard, sending a quick voice message to Angel to let him know they'll be late coming home. After a few minutes, a frazzled-looking woman walks out, offering them a warm smile. 

"Hi there," the woman greets. "You must be Blue!" She holds her hand out to Blue, who smiles back and shakes it.

"Yes, ma'am! And you're Addie's guardian?"

"Call me Liza." The woman lets go of Blue's hand, gesturing to the house. "Why don't you come in for dinner? My husband is out, so Addie and I would love the company!" 

"Aw, that's sweet of you to offer, but I should get home." Blue spots Addie peeking out of a window and gives her a little wave. Her eyes go wide, and she disappears. Blue feels that sinking feeling again, but doesn't show it.

"Well," Liza says, "then you get home safe, alright? Thank you for looking after Addie for me."

"It's been my pleasure, Liza. Have a good night!"

As Blue walks home, they once again find themself consumed by worry for Addie. Liza seemed nice enough, but Blue of all people knows that looks can be deceiving...

---

The next week, Addie comes to the bookshop, settling in her chair quietly and reading while Blue cleans up shop. When they finish, they sit down in the chair beside her's.

"Addie?"

"Yeah?" She doesn't look up from her book, but Blue knows she's listening.

"I just wanted to apologize," they say, softly. "Last week, I was very rude to intrude on your home life like that. I should have waited until you were comfortable enough to tell me yourself."

Addie pulls her knees up to her chest, setting her book aside and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Please don't be sorry," she whispers. "'S my fault for not tellin' you."

"Oh, honey, no!" Blue hesitates, then rests a hand on her shoulder. "You never have to tell me anything you're not comfortable sharing, especially something as personal as your life at home."

"I guess..." She leans into Blue's touch, closing her eyes. "It's just... Miss Liza says there's some things I'm not s'posed to tell people, but I don't wanna lie to you because you're so nice!"

Blue worries at their lip. "Well, I appreciate that you don't want to lie to me, but your feelings are important too."

"My feelings..." Addie thinks for a moment, then opens her eyes, looking at Blue with anxious eyes. "I don't like it at home, Blue."

Blue gently pets her hair away from her face. "Do you wanna tell me why?"

"I... I do." She swallows. "Miss Liza is nice, but Mister Kenny is really mean."

Blue's hand stops for a moment, and their breath catches. "...What do you mean, kiddo?"

"He gets angry, and he yells..." She sniffles. "He breaks stuff and calls me bad names and-and he hurts Miss Liza and he said he was gonna hurt me if I ever t-told anyone!" She lets out a sob. "I don't wanna get hurt, please don't tell him, please!"

"Oh, Addie..." Blue carefully pulls Addie into their lap, stroking her hair and rocking her as she cries. "Oh, you poor dear," they whisper. "You're so brave, so brave for telling me. So strong."

Addie shakes her head, hiding her face in Blue's shoulder, and they just keep whispering comforting words to her until she calms down.

By the time Addie has stopped crying, it's dark outside. She still sniffles and hiccups, trembling slightly, but the sobs and tears have subsided.

"...Blue?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

She plays with the fabric of their shirt. "Mister Kenny said I would never get 'dopted. He said I was too annoying. Am I too annoying?"

"No." Blue holds her close. "No, you're not even a little bit annoying, Addie. And I know you're going to be adopted soon."

Addie looks up at them curiously. "You do?"

"Mmhm." Blue smiles at her. "If you'd like, maybe... Maybe I could adopt you?"

Addie blinks. "You mean it?"

"Of course! I mean, there's some things I have to do first, but--oh!"

Addie wraps her arms tightly around Blue's neck, fresh tears falling down her cheeks as she laughs.

"You gotta! You gotta! Please, I'll be real good, I promise!"

Blue chuckles, hugging her warmly. "Alright, I'll talk to Miss Liza, and there's someone you'll have to meet first, but then I promise I'll adopt you, okay?"

She nods energetically. "Yes! Thank you thank you thank you!"

That night, Liza sends Addie to bed and makes herself and Blue some coffee. They talk for a few hours, some of which Blue spends comforting a crying Liza. By the time Blue is leaving, they have a list of everything they need in order to adopt Addie, and Liza has agreed to go to the police about her husband's actions.

---

The next morning, Blue and Angel have a talk, and in the end, Angel wholeheartedly agrees to take in Addie, though he has some concerns on how she'll feel about him.

A few more weeks go by, during which Blue and Liza take Addie out to get new clothes and ice cream, and Blue introduces her to Angel (which goes well, surprisingly enough), though more often than not, they just stay at the bookshop. Soon, Blue, Liza, and Addie are all standing outside of Blue's house. Liza--no longer wearing a ring on her finger--gives Addie--now with nicer clothes  and the same wild hair--a tight hug, and laughs as she receives one from Blue.

"You visit us anytime," Blue tells her, smiling while Addie clings to their leg. Liza nods, says her goodbyes, and gets in her car. With a final wave out the window, she's gone, leaving Blue and Addie--now parent and child, legally--to their home.

Blue offers a hand to Addie, who takes it happily. 

"Ready to see your new home, kiddo?"

Addie nods excitedly, her curls bouncing. Blue chuckles and leads her inside.

Throughout the whole tour of the house, Addie's eyes are wide with wonder and disbelief. And when they get to her room, she seems even more shocked.

It's not a very big room, but the way it's decorated more than makes up for it. A four-poster bed with sheer dark blue curtains is in the far right corner, and the lamp on the bedside table is a replica of the Goblet of Fire. Small decals of dragons are stuck on the window, and a large Narnia-esque wardrobe is pushed up against the left wall. The pale blue walls themselves have posters and quotes stuck to them, as well as fairy lights that hang up near the ceiling. A bookshelf stands by the door, some of the shelves holding classics and Addie's favorites, but most of the shelves are empty. A toy chest rests at the foot of the bed, decorated to look like a Hogwarts student's trunk.

Addie walks to the middle of the room and slowly turns, taking it all in.

"This... This is all for me?"

Blue nods, resting a hand on her shoulder. "All of this and more, Addie. We can fill your bookshelf, and your wardrobe, and your toy chest with anything you like."

Addie looks up at them with a wide grin. "This is amazing! It looks like the Ravenclaw room!"

Blue laughs. "I'm glad! It's what I was going for."

Addie reaches up, making grabby hands, and Blue picks her up, resting her on their hip. She hugs their neck tightly.

"Thank you so much, Blue," she whispers.

"Of course, Addie," Blue softly replies. "Anything for you."

That night, everyone eats dinner together: two loving parents, and their new daughter.

//Everyone, please welcome our newest member, Addie! Addie is now a part of Blue's blog! Feel free to talk to her, as I'm sure she'd love some new friends!

[spiffydolan]

I really like your blog and writing and I was wondering: how did you make friends on here and who are your (best) friends on here and why do you love them?

Warning: This is a v v long post (not really sorry tho hahha)

Firstly I wanna say thank you for reading and loving what I write :’) It’s not something that I’ve ever been good at or feel confident about, but I’m hoping I’ll get better with time. Practice makes perfect, so I’m told.

I’m super not good at socializing… so it really wasn’t easy making friends. I messaged some random people and just tried to start conversation, hoping for a friendship to be born. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I feel like a lot of the people I’m really close to actually reached out to me first (?), but I genuinely can’t even remember.

Just talk to people!! Even if you start out my sending them asks (on anon or not). Like I have a good friend, Fidan, who sent me a bunch of anon asks, and we talked about sooooo much. And then eventually she messaged me (and it turns out we had actually messaged each other before this). We became really good friends!! She’s recently deactivated here, but we still keep in touch :) But that was such a unique and cool way to start a friendship!! Just an idea 🤷🏻‍♀️ But you could always message me if you’d like to be friends :’) I’m not always the best at responding… but I do what I can.

As for who my friends are and why I love them… gosh there are so many!!!!! I’m only naming a few that I talk to on a daily basis, but there are so, so many amazing people that I’ve had the pleasure of befriending. ☺️

@tidsoptlmist - My sweet, sweet friend Suze. She’s the most pure thing to grace this earth with her presence. She’s so personable, and we often talk about some really serious topics which I really enjoy. She’s so respectful of all of my thoughts and opinions, even when they are different from her own (which happens pretty often hahah). And I hope I am just as respectful. I could go on and on about her.

@california-grethan - Mika… she’s just a bitch, honestly. But she’s my bitch. Ok she’s not actually a bitch (She’s actually pretty lovely.), but she’s freaking hilarious and the biggest trash for Grayson that I’ve ever know. (They are dating… so I guess it makes sense.) She’s a really supportive (and beautiful) friend, and I really cherish her being in my life.⁃ fun fact: When we first started talking, I wanted to carry on conversation with her so badly (but my anxiety just made things so freaking difficult), so I just asked her a bunch of random questions about the school she goes to. It’s honestly so different from the typical high school, and I was genuinely interested, don’t get me wrong. But I feel like that’s a very random thing to talk about. And I mean this convo went on for days 😂 but we’re real close now ahahah

@coconutethan - This girl. Oof Johanna. She’s so, so sweet. We are Ethan trash together, and I love that about our friendship 😂 She’s got such a great heart, and I know she has so much to say. I can only hope our friendship continues to grow, and I learn more about the things she thinks.

@sunflower-dolans - Kady omg my heart. She’s just the cutest and sweetest thing ever omg. She’s my #1 gal to go to and rant, and she rants to me just as often. Time zones really restrict our friendship, but we do what we can when we can :’)

@obsidiandolans - Zo is such a butterfly omg. I literally love her so much, and I think I’ve been friends with her longer than most others. (not that time is really of importance… but it’s cool know there’s someone who’s been there since the beginning ya know!) She’s so, so talented in so many ways. She draws and writes some of the most amazing fics. 😊

@viadolans - omf kamryn and i have the most interesting friendship I’ve ever had 😂 For like several weeks, we just sent gifs to each other. No words, just random, but relatable, gifs. And then when I wrote that smut (lmao not me but my alter ego - Adelaide - btw guys, she’s close to coming back I think, and idk how to feel about it), I talked to her the entire time, and she helped me out a toooooon. Omg. It literally wouldn’t have happened without her. She also wrote a really amazing fic, and I know she WAS working on a little something else, but I’m not sure if/when it’ll be posted. But what she’s written so far, she sent me and it’s v v gooooood ;)

Just reach out to people. I know it can be scary, but at the end of the people… no one here knows you. So if it doesn’t work out, you can forget it happened. That might be a weird reasoning, but that’s what for me through it. So just be yourself, just try to carry on conversation, and hope for the best. I think an important thing to remember is that sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But when it doesn’t, don’t give up. Just find another person that seems interesting and open to talking to 😊 xx feel free to message me anytime.

#wow this took me like an hour honestly #but here we go #answering lovely people #ask me anything #anon