P
PunkPrince
Guest
Original poster
Eva Robins sat at her piano, her fingers flying up and down the keys. She hadn't been playing long–only having been able to learn the instrument after she'd left home–but she loved it. She had always wanted to learn when she was younger, her mother had always played the piano when she was young, filling the house with music that Eva had always loved to hear. Eva had always pestered her to teach her, and her mother had seemed delighted by the idea of her son taking up the instrument. But in those days, Eva simply had been unable to sit still long enough to really grasp it. She fumbled on a note and gave a small sigh, annoyed with herself for screwing up.
"Don't beat yourself up. You were good. You'll get it. And you're still better than me. I never figured my way around any sort of instrument.
Eva smiled and turned around to see her wife behind her. "Thank you," she said softly. She wasn't sure how much she believed Kennedy, but she appreciated the encouragement. She gave the key she had missed a light tap and then stood up from the bench, leaning down to kiss Kennedy on the cheek.
Kennedy was the smaller of them, at five foot two, and she passed as female better. This was something that left Eva jealous quite often, who was nearly a foot taller than her wife. It wasn't like Kennedy could help it. All the men on her mother's side were small, just as every male in Eva's family had seemed to tower above everyone they met. Eva gripped the edge of the piano tightly. She preferred not to think much of the men she had grown up with.
They had all been in the military, very into gender roles, very masculine. Something she just had never been able to live up to. She'd tried of course, wanted desperately to fit in, but had always seemed to fall short. She had been much closer to Halle, her mother. They had done everything together, shared everything with each other. She had been a military nurse, but much more a free spirit than most of the men around there had been. Where Eva's relationship with her father had faltered, her relationship with her mother had only strengthened over the course of her life.
And then her mother had gotten sick. It shouldn't have been so bad. Pricked with a used needle. That sort of stuff happened all the time when you were a nurse. But she'd gotten sick, and nobody had been able to figure out with what. They'd tried everything to treat it, but she had just grown weaker and weaker. She wouldn't even let Eva touch her, afraid that Eva might get whatever it was that she had. Eva had spent nearly all her time with her mother until the day she had died. Eva had seen her die and it had shattered her. Eva had burst into tears and clutched her mother's lifeless body, and she had gone a whole month without speaking. Part of the reason Eva had sat down and tried to learn the piano was for her mother.
Halle had never learned what Eva was. Eva hadn't come out until after she had died. Her father hadn't taken it well. Eva had already moved out by that time, and when she told her father he became outraged. He hadn't spoken to her since that day, and Eva had been left totally alone in the world. Except for Kennedy, who she had met after watching the younger woman perform at a drag and burlesque show. Eva had clung to her, afraid of being left on her own again.
"Eva?"
Eva was pulled from her thoughts by the voice of her wife, who had gently placed a hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"
Eva sighed snd placed a hand over Kennedy's, opening her mouth to speak. She didn't get the words out before she noticed her eldest adopted child, Jupiter, running past them, a bra dangling from their grip. Grateful for the distraction, she called, "Remember to take your medicine! Half a pill!"
She had given the teenager half a bottle of her estrogen prescription. She had never finished it off. It hadn't worked as well as it should, and now she had to give herself injections every few days. They couldn't find anyone willing to give Jupiter estrogen. Nonbinary genders were so tricky. Laws were tricky. So far they hadn't been able to find anyone who would even think of Jupiter as a patient. So Eva'd given them her pills. She wasn't sure if they really did anything, but having them seemed to help the kid cope, and that was good enough for her.
"I'm okay," she said to Kennedy. "Just thinking. I think too much sometimes. I think I need to go take a shower." She was still her pajamas, having only recently finished eating breakfast with her family and immediately having gone to the piano rather than her bedroom like everyone else. She kissed Kennedy's forehead and said, "Don't worry about the dishes. I'll take care of them once I'm presentable." And then vanished up the stairs.
Kennedy watched her go and then shuffled off into the kitchen, starting on the dishes anyway. Eva always seemed so stressed nowadays. Kennedy could take care of the dishes for her. She looked over toward the living room, where her twin sons, Ronan and Hugo, were sprawled across the couch watching something on TV Kennedy was unable to place.
She worked at a steady pace with the dishes, her mind drifting. She snapped out of her daze when someone knocked on the door. She turned to see Hugo fleeing the room. The youngest boy never had been eager to see strangers, no matter how breif the encounter. Ronan shrugged and turned back to the TV. Kennedy walked over to the door and pulled it open to see a man she didn't recognize. His face seemed familiar, but where it had come from was a mystery to her. "Hello," she greeted. "Can I help you?"
"Don't beat yourself up. You were good. You'll get it. And you're still better than me. I never figured my way around any sort of instrument.
Eva smiled and turned around to see her wife behind her. "Thank you," she said softly. She wasn't sure how much she believed Kennedy, but she appreciated the encouragement. She gave the key she had missed a light tap and then stood up from the bench, leaning down to kiss Kennedy on the cheek.
Kennedy was the smaller of them, at five foot two, and she passed as female better. This was something that left Eva jealous quite often, who was nearly a foot taller than her wife. It wasn't like Kennedy could help it. All the men on her mother's side were small, just as every male in Eva's family had seemed to tower above everyone they met. Eva gripped the edge of the piano tightly. She preferred not to think much of the men she had grown up with.
They had all been in the military, very into gender roles, very masculine. Something she just had never been able to live up to. She'd tried of course, wanted desperately to fit in, but had always seemed to fall short. She had been much closer to Halle, her mother. They had done everything together, shared everything with each other. She had been a military nurse, but much more a free spirit than most of the men around there had been. Where Eva's relationship with her father had faltered, her relationship with her mother had only strengthened over the course of her life.
And then her mother had gotten sick. It shouldn't have been so bad. Pricked with a used needle. That sort of stuff happened all the time when you were a nurse. But she'd gotten sick, and nobody had been able to figure out with what. They'd tried everything to treat it, but she had just grown weaker and weaker. She wouldn't even let Eva touch her, afraid that Eva might get whatever it was that she had. Eva had spent nearly all her time with her mother until the day she had died. Eva had seen her die and it had shattered her. Eva had burst into tears and clutched her mother's lifeless body, and she had gone a whole month without speaking. Part of the reason Eva had sat down and tried to learn the piano was for her mother.
Halle had never learned what Eva was. Eva hadn't come out until after she had died. Her father hadn't taken it well. Eva had already moved out by that time, and when she told her father he became outraged. He hadn't spoken to her since that day, and Eva had been left totally alone in the world. Except for Kennedy, who she had met after watching the younger woman perform at a drag and burlesque show. Eva had clung to her, afraid of being left on her own again.
"Eva?"
Eva was pulled from her thoughts by the voice of her wife, who had gently placed a hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"
Eva sighed snd placed a hand over Kennedy's, opening her mouth to speak. She didn't get the words out before she noticed her eldest adopted child, Jupiter, running past them, a bra dangling from their grip. Grateful for the distraction, she called, "Remember to take your medicine! Half a pill!"
She had given the teenager half a bottle of her estrogen prescription. She had never finished it off. It hadn't worked as well as it should, and now she had to give herself injections every few days. They couldn't find anyone willing to give Jupiter estrogen. Nonbinary genders were so tricky. Laws were tricky. So far they hadn't been able to find anyone who would even think of Jupiter as a patient. So Eva'd given them her pills. She wasn't sure if they really did anything, but having them seemed to help the kid cope, and that was good enough for her.
"I'm okay," she said to Kennedy. "Just thinking. I think too much sometimes. I think I need to go take a shower." She was still her pajamas, having only recently finished eating breakfast with her family and immediately having gone to the piano rather than her bedroom like everyone else. She kissed Kennedy's forehead and said, "Don't worry about the dishes. I'll take care of them once I'm presentable." And then vanished up the stairs.
Kennedy watched her go and then shuffled off into the kitchen, starting on the dishes anyway. Eva always seemed so stressed nowadays. Kennedy could take care of the dishes for her. She looked over toward the living room, where her twin sons, Ronan and Hugo, were sprawled across the couch watching something on TV Kennedy was unable to place.
She worked at a steady pace with the dishes, her mind drifting. She snapped out of her daze when someone knocked on the door. She turned to see Hugo fleeing the room. The youngest boy never had been eager to see strangers, no matter how breif the encounter. Ronan shrugged and turned back to the TV. Kennedy walked over to the door and pulled it open to see a man she didn't recognize. His face seemed familiar, but where it had come from was a mystery to her. "Hello," she greeted. "Can I help you?"