Oof!
TW: blood, past homophobia, bad jokes, tooth-rotting fluff.
“Oof,” I hiss and clench my fists.
Jackson, the Middle Linebacker, staggers to his feet and reaches down to offer a hand to Ace. He knocked her down a lot harder than he meant to to the point where a loud crack echoed through the field. Ace doesn’t get up at first and I put my book down on the bench and sprint down to the edge of the bleachers while the football team gathers around her.
We have to be at Rossi’s for dinner in two hours, but Ace wanted to play football with ‘The Boys’ as she calls them. I know quite a few of the players through Darren. And, sure enough, Jackson waves me over.
“Yo! Stewie Griffin! Get over here!” He calls.
Heat rises to my face at the nickname, but I grin all the same. I may not be good with social cues, but I know he’s not making fun of me.
I turn to Ace’s brothers who look really worried. Ross and Rory are clutching onto matching dinosaur plushies and Cade and Arthur have paused their coloring.
“She’s gonna be fine,” I try to reassure them. “Just - stay here, I’ll be right back. Um, Arthur, if any adult try to grab you, stab them with this.” I give him a switchblade then immediately regret it but rush over to Ace anyways.
The rainbow haired girl’s slumped heavily on Noah, the Running Back. He’s doing his best to hold her up as she tries to gain her balance, but I can tell she’s in a lot of pain if her blood soaked chin is anything to go by.
“Shit, Ace,” I grumble, and gently prod at her bleeding nose. She hisses, but seems alert, which means no concussion. Her nose isn’t broken either, which is a Godsend. As for what made that crack, I have no idea.
She must sense what I’m thinking because she gestures to her shoulder pad. She lifts up the sleeve and, sure enough, there’s a big crack through the plastic.
“She’s fine,” I say, and the whole team breathes a sigh of relief. “Maybe you guys should be done for the day?”
“Well, if our biggest fan insists,” Leo, the wide receiver, throws the back of his hand over his forehead. “Then who are we to refuse?”
“Don’t flatter yourselves,” I snort. “I missed everything except Ace’s fall.”
Jackson grins, but looks guilty towards the rainbow haired girl before she waves him off. He smiles at her and turns to me with a smirk. “Well, duh. We know you only come to watch Ace.”
My face sets on fire.
“What?” I squeak, and they all laugh.
Jackson looks between Ace and I. The blood on Ace’s face just makes her blush more prominent and I don’t want to imagine what I look like.
“Speaking of which,” Jackson lets go of Ace and pushes her towards me. “I think it’s your turn to deal with your girlfriend.”
Ace crashes into me with her heavy equipment and we both topple backwards. We would have crashed into the ground if I hadn’t accidentally dipped her.
Ace, being Ace, grins up at me. “Finnie, I think I just fell for you--”
I drop her in the mud.
I’ve learned a lot about Aislin during the past few weeks, and so has Dad. She’s been around the apartment every other day and I walk home with her to her work, which is on the way to our apartment building, after school. I’m still super grounded, but Dad lets me go places with Aislin, which we were both shocked by. I guess Dad’s really warmed up to her for whatever reason.
Though I’m pretty sure he’s bonding with her because he relates to having to take care of kids at a young age.
Not that I’m complaining.
What I’ve learned about Ace is that 1) she loves dumb jokes, 2) she’s literally a child, but super responsible at the same time, 3) she has the mouth of a sailor, and 4) she’s genderfluid. The genderfluid thing is just something I noticed myself, I don’t think Ace has caught on yet.
I figured it out when she came to our apartment with all her hair tucked into a beanie and wearing baggy clothes. When I asked if she was nonbinary or something else, she just shrugged and said it didn’t matter and she just liked looking like that some days.
Ace sputters out mud and staggers to her feet with a laugh that the team behind her echoes. “Well now we really need to end practice,” she chuckles. “I have to shower now.”
“Damn right you do,” Leo wrinkles his nose and shoves her. She flips him off and he gasps. “How dare you! And in front of your lady no less.”
“Oh fuck off, Leo,” she mumbles. Jackson mouths an ‘I’ll talk to her’ at me dramatically and I blush before flipping him off as well and turning to Ace.
“I’ll meet you at the bleachers. I gave Arthur a knife to defend himself with.”
“You did what--”
I’m already running away.
***
Ace is finally ready to go with her football gear in her gym bag, and her hair in a neat french braid. She’s wearing what she told me is her ‘fancy clothes’ which is a striped button-up shirt tucked into black jeans with black boots on her feet. A black long sleeved shirt lies under her button up, and she has a medium-sized chain necklace around her throat.
The kids are dressed up as well. Arthur, probably the fanciest of them all, is wearing a green pleated skirt and a black belt that matches his button-up shirt. He has on black kiddie Vans.
Back before we left for the park, Ace had pulled me aside.
**Flashback**
“Hey, Finnie?” Ace asks while the boys are busy watching Sesame Street. “Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a second?”
My heart jumps into my throat. That sentence is never good.
I nod and follow her. We take our seats at the counter and, even though I try not to, I profile Ace. Her eyes are focused on her hands on the table as she fidgets with her fingers. She taps her foot against the floor and just the action of sitting down seems like a pain for her.
Which is a given after she told me she has ADHD, but this shows another level of stress.
“Um, Finley,” she uses my full name which makes my stomach sink, “Will your team be accepting of Arthur?”
I blink. “What do you mean?”
She raises an eyebrow and subtly gestures to the seven year old who’s very concentrated on painting his nails the same color green as his skirt. “I … fuck … I know he isn’t exactly like other little boys. He likes dresses and makeup and dolls and shit and I usually just let him. Why not, if it makes him happy, y’know? But some people don’t react well to that and I need to know if he should change--”
“Shit, Ace, don’t ever fucking do that again you gave me a heart attack.” I let out a huge sigh and rest my forehead in my hand. “I already told the team about Arthur, they’re very supportive.”
“Oh thank fucking god,” Ace leans back in her chair with a lazy grin that makes my heart beat faster. “That’s one problem solved.”
**** End of Flashback***
Arthur had been ecstatic to be able to wear his outfit, and I even let him paint my nails. He was adorably concentrating on them for about twenty minutes and they came out really well. When I voiced this to Ace she had just laughed and asked why I thought the dance kids tolerated him.
The twins look adorable as ever with their matching white button ups, blue bow ties, and jeans. They both have light up which Ross keeps getting my attention to show me every time he takes a step.
“Ay-lin! Fin!” Ross calls from further down the sidewalk. He’s next to Cade who’s dressed in the same outfit as his brother but a little larger.
Ace and I pick up our pace to catch up with the boys and Ace ruffles his curls. “What’s up, bambino?”
“Look!” Ross squeals. He jumps up and lands hard on his sneakers so the little lights flare up all over them. His sneakers are dinosaur patterned and the little lights are in the dinosaur's eyes. “The di-no-saws are wookin at me!”
“Woah,” Ace gasps and widens her eyes in shock. “That’s so cool!”
He beams at her and gives her a big ‘mwah’ kiss on the cheek. I ‘aw’ and he hugs my leg then goes to join his brothers.
Ace and I walk in comfortable silence. We’re about three blocks from our apartments when it happens. Her hand brushes against mine.
I don’t say anything, and neither does she. But it happens again, and again, until she finally grabs my hand gently. The grip is easy to pull away from, but I don't, and simply intertwine our fingers.
She gives me a smile but we separate as Cade shrieks at a frog in the sidewalk and rushes to Ace for her to save him from it.
****
wowza! another chapter