pizza night pt. I
jj is nothing if not thorough.
emily watches as she lines everything up in neat little stations on the kitchen table, carefully portioning ingredients into tiny bowls, each one set up just right.
a bowl of shredded cheese. a little bowl of pizza sauce, a spoon neatly sitting inside. pepperonis in a bowl. ham in a bowl. pineapple in a bowl. peppers. olives.
one after another, jj probably brought over every single pizza topping she could find. and the most ridiculous part? emily knows aria won’t touch half of them.jj knows aria won’t touch half of them. and yet, she still took the time to put each one in its own bowl, like aria was going to craft a gourmet pizza experience when, in reality, she was probably just going to eat the cheese straight from the bowl.
emily watches out of the corner of her eye, a small smile growing, warmth curling in her chest as she rolls up the sleeves of aria’s sweatshirt. jj is so intentional with this - with all of this. she didn’t have to do any of it. she didn’t have to read mom blogs in her office all day. she didn’t have to go to the store. she didn’t have to be in emily and aria’s home, right now.
and yet, here she was.
emily exhales, pushing the thought aside, refocusing on aria.
“what do we do before we eat or make our food?”
emily’s voice is soft, guiding, gentle - hoping she can get something out of aria. she watches as aria tilts her head slightly, brows pulling together, thinking.
“wash.”
emily smiles, nodding.
“we wash our hands. that’s right, baby.”
she hoists her up, heading toward the sink, keeping her steady with one arm while reaching to turn on the water with the other. washing aria’s hands is always a little tricky—she’s small, and even with emily holding her, sometimes she wiggles too much , sometimes she’s too curious about the water, sometimes she gets distracted by the way the soap bubbles up in her tiny fingers.
but today? today, emily barely has to guide her at all. because aria is too busy watching jj. her little head is tilted, her eyes locked on what’s happening behind them, trying to see what jj is doing, why she’s at their house, why she’s setting up so much.
emily watches her, watches the way her fingers rub together under the stream of water automatically, barely paying attention to the actual task. she’s not uncertain. not hesitant.
she’s just intrigued .
emily finishes washing aria’s hands, making sure to dry them off thoroughly, rubbing the soft towel over her tiny fingers before pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles.
“all clean, bug.”
she sets her down gently, steadying her as she wobbles slightly, and within seconds, aria is on the move. she toddles right over to jj, her little fingers gripping the edge of the table, stretching up on her tippy toes, trying to desperately see what’s happening.
because jj is doing something. jj is setting up food—making things look important, and aria needs to know what it is.
she has to know.
jj notices immediately. she bites back a grin, watching the way aria’s fingers grasp the table edge, her little face lifting as high as possible, her eyes wide, curious, completely locked in.
and jj? jj remembers the mom blogs. the hundreds of little articles she read today, all telling her what she should do, how she should engage, how to make it feel normal. so she does it. she narrates.
“alright, miss aria,” jj starts, voice warm, bright, making sure to bring her in, to make her feel like she’s part of it. “we’re setting up for pizza night, huh? look at all this yummy food! we’ve got cheese, sauce, pepperonis, ham, pineapple—”
she gestures to each one, slowly, deliberately, letting aria see, letting her follow along.
“and we’re gonna put them on some dough, just like this—”
jj reaches into the behind her, pulling out three small circles of pizza dough from the fridge, setting them down one by one.
“one for you, one for me, and one for emmy.”
aria’s eyes are locked in. she doesn’t speak, but her little fingers grip the table a bit tighter, like she’s holding onto every word. shes entranced by jj. emily watches from behind, her heart swelling at the way jj naturally folds aria into this moment.
no hesitation. no over-explaining. just talking.
aria shifts on her toes, eyes flicking between the food and the dough, like she’s processing all of it, like she knows she gets to be part of this. emily takes that exact moment to scoop her up, pressing a kiss to her cheek before settling her into a real chair—not her high chair.
a real chair. something that barely ever happens.
aria’s whole body stiffens for a second, her hands coming up to her chest like she’s overwhelmed in the best way possible, like she doesn’t even know where to start. emily watches as her little fingers flutter slightly, as she takes in the table, the bowls of food, the dough in front of her— and god, the look on her face. it’s pure. a tiny, overwhelmed, delighted little expression of this is new and this is big and i get to do this with you.
jj catches it too, sees the way aria’s hands hover, sees the hesitation - so she eases her in. she sits on one side of her, emily taking the seat on the opposite side.
“okay, chef aria,” jj grins, leaning forward slightly, tilting her head. “what’s our first step? what do you think we should do first?”
aria tilts her head too, thinking. then points. straight at the bowl of pizza sauce. she doesn’t say it, just points. jj nods, tapping the glass bowl gently with her finger, her voice casual, light.
“so, emmy…”
she draws it out, raising an eyebrow, waiting. emily picks up on it immediately. she sees exactly what jj is doing—how she’s building a bridge, guiding aria to say something without pressuring her.
“..do you know what this is?”
so emily plays along, acting like the way jj is calling her ‘ emmy’ right now isn’t making her chest flip. she tilts her head, tapping a finger against her chin.
“hmm… ice cream?”
aria gasps, her whole face scrunching up. her emmy—her emmy thinks pizza sauce is ice cream? no way. a giggle bubbles out of her, small but real, shaking her head quickly.
jj grins, eyes twinkling, nudging the bowl again.
“no… i don’t think that’s ice cream!”
she tilts her head toward aria, keeping her voice warm, encouraging, making sure she’s still part of this.
“aria? aria, do you know what this is?”
aria nods. and then soft and sure.
“tauce.”
jj lights up, nodding - going to speak.
but then she looks at emily. and emily has been looking at her for god knows how long. utterly. in love. it’s not even subtle, it’s everything. emily’s eyes are soft, full, unfiltered, like she can’t hide a single thing she’s feeling right now. she probably has no idea the way she even looks right now.
jj feels it. she sees it. like this moment is bigger than either of them know what to do with, that they feel the same fucking thing that’s scary and exciting all at once. she smiles soft, small - knowing.
“..yeah, sauce..that’s right honey..”
her voice fades quiet, and emily is just about to say something, just about to do something, when— aria wobbles. her little body shifts suddenly in the chair, a tiny gasp leaving her lips as she loses her balance. both jj and emily move at the same time, hands reaching out in unison— but aria catches herself, gripping the table, blinking up at them.
soft. proud.
“i dood.”
emily lets out a breath of laughter, pressing a quick kiss to aria’s curls.
“yeah, baby. you did.”
jj however, not used to how toddlers are nothing but an attraction for danger - sits with her hands out still, hovering - eyes wide. emily notices, and grins a bit.
“shes ‘dood’ .”
jj laughs nervously, bleeding into relaxed as they go through the process, step by step.
aria is ready for the next one. she knows what comes after sauce. her little hand shoots up, finger pointing straight at the bowl of cheese. jj, already grinning, raises an eyebrow at emily as she once again taps the glass bowl, preparing to ask her again— “and what’s this, emmy?”
but before emily can even open her mouth—
“teese.”
aria says it quickly, firm but calm, like hey, i got this one.
emily’s eyes widen slightly, but before she can react, aria’s gaze shifts, her brows furrowing just a bit, as if she’s seriously considering something. like maybe—maybe—she shouldn’t let her sister say something so silly again. like maybe, just maybe, emmy is sleepy and not thinking straight.
kid, you have no idea.
jj laughs, full and warm, ruffling aria’s hair.
“that’s right, baby girl. cheese.”
aria nods, completely satisfied with herself. they keep going, moving through the process, jj helping aria spread the cheese evenly across her dough while emily starts on her own pizza. jj follows suit, and soon enough, all three of them are working side by side, focused, moving in perfect sync.
emily narrates what she’s adding as she does it.
“okay, i’m putting some pepperonis on now—just a few, not too many. and maybe some mushrooms, because i like mushrooms. maybe even some olives.”
jj does the same.
“alright, let’s see… i think i want a little ham, maybe some peppers. and definitely some cheese. lots of cheese.”
aria listens, she watches. her fingers twitch slightly against the table, like she’s absorbing everything. then, she tries to do the same.
“nineapples.”
emily and jj both freeze for half a second, glancing over at her just as she grabs a handful - a big one, of pineapple and plops it directly in the middle of her pizza. she nods, clearly satisfied with herself.
jj bites her lip, trying not to laugh. emily presses a hand to her mouth, grinning. jj leans over slightly, her voice conspiratorial, eyes twinkling.
“just in the middle, huh, chef?”
aria nods. firmly. like - yes, obviously jayje. hello?
emily laughs, shaking her head.
“that’s a strong choice, baby.”
aria hums, pressing her little fingers flat against the pile of pineapple, making sure it’s staying in place while jj and emily exchange a glance. it feels like they’ve done this a hundred times before.
jj dusts off her hands, wiping away the last bit of flour before glancing over at aria.
“you all done, baby girl?”
aria nods once, decisively, like she has finished a masterpiece and there is nothing left to do.
emily smiles, reaching over to grab the small pan in front of aria, then her own, then jj’s.
“alright, bug. let’s get these in the oven, huh?”
she moves toward the stove, sliding each pan onto the middle rack, adjusting them carefully before closing the door with a soft thud. jj, meanwhile, starts cleaning up, gathering the empty bowls, stacking them in a neat pile near the sink. she’s about to pick up the last one— but aria is faster. with her tiny fingers, she grabs a pinch of shredded cheese from one of the bowls and pops it into her mouth.
emily sees it immediately, and smirks. she was waiting for that to happen. because aria? aria is a shredded cheese fiend.
jj snorts, shaking her head. “you are so sneaky, miss aria.”
aria doesn’t say anything—just looks at jj with big, innocent eyes and chews. jj just laughs, shaking her head as she finishes cleaning, tossing the last of the food waste into the bin. emily helps, wiping down the counters, making sure everything is set before finally glancing back— and finding aria has wiggled off her chair. she’s now on the floor, her little feet tucked beneath her as she lays right beside sergio, who is sprawled out on his side on the far end of the kitchen.
emily leans against the counter, arms crossed, watching as aria settles on the floor beside sergio. jj watches too, but her head is tilted slightly, her brows furrowed just enough to show her mild disbelief.
sergio, who has built an entire reputation of being aloof, unimpressed, completely uninterested in anything but himself—is sprawled on his side, tail flicking lazily, fully allowing the small toddler to rub his belly, poke his head, run tiny fingers through his fur.
“he just lets her?” jj murmurs, tossing the last of the food waste in the bin.
emily smirks, shaking her head slightly. “oh, yeah. he acts like he doesn’t care, but he does. a lot.” jj lets out a huff of laughter, crossing her arms.
“..i had a cat growing up, and the second you messed with her? she was done with you.”
emily grins, shaking her head. “yeah, well, sergio likes to pretend he’s got boundaries.”
jj raises a brow. “pretend?”
emily nods, shifting her weight against the counter.
“he was my companion for a while. just me and him for years. and for the longest time, he acted like he was my sidekick. like i was his person.”
jj hums, watching the way aria gently rubs sergio’s side, how the cat leans into it, like he’s more comfortable than he should be.
emily sighs, tilting her head slightly. “but then aria came along.”
jj smirks. “he switched sides, huh?”
emily snorts. “immediately.”
jj chuckles, watching as aria rests her cheek against sergio’s side for a second, humming to herself before poking his ear softly.
“yeah,” emily murmurs, smiling to herself. “he acts like he doesn’t care, but he’s always right there. he was the first one beside her when she started crawling. and when she learned to walk? he’d follow right behind her, like he was keeping watch, making sure she didn’t fall.”
jj’s heart swells, watching the way sergio doesn’t flinch, doesn’t pull away, just flicks his tail slightly in acknowledgment.
“that’s… kind of adorable.”
emily grins. “yeah. it really is.”
jj watches for a few more seconds, before something clicks in her mind.
“wait, so—she can just do anything to him and he’s fine?”
emily laughs, nodding. “pretty much. she plays pretend with him all the time. sometimes she’ll bring him her tea set and pour ‘tea’ for him. other times, she’ll lay on the floor and meow at him like she’s waiting for him to talk back.”
jj bites her lip, grinning. “please tell me you have video evidence of this.”
emily smirks, leaning in slightly. “oh, i do. many. you ever want to see a cat that looks like he’s questioning all of his life choices, let me know.”
jj laughs, shaking her head. “i have to see that.”
emily nods, watching as aria presses a soft kiss to sergio’s head, then hums, satisfied.
jj moves after a moment reaching for her bag. she pulls out one of the many stack of flashcards she bought earlier, flipping through them quickly, getting them in order before calling out.
“hey, aria?”
aria hums again, her small hands still rubbing gently over sergio’s fur.
“come here, sweetheart. i got something to show you.”
aria tilts her head slightly, still for a moment, then leans forward, pressing another tiny kiss to sergio’s head before she starts moving— at first, crawling, hands and knees pressing against the hardwood, her little palms smacking lightly against the floor. halfway across the room she stops, pushes herself up, and runs the rest of the way. emily watches her go, her heart swelling, because that’s the fastest she’s moved all night.
jj grins, kneeling slightly, making sure she’s at aria’s level, holding the stack of flashcards up just enough for her to see. aria stops right in front of her, looking up, eyes wide, curious, her little hands hovering at her sides like she’s ready for something.
“look what i’ve got for you..”
jj’s voice is warm, inviting, careful, like she’s making sure this feels exciting, like it’s something aria is in control of. aria’s big, curious eyes flicker down to the cards and jj waits. lets her take it in. emily watches the way aria’s lips part slightly, the way she blinks slowly, like she’s trying to process what this means.
jj smiles, flipping through the cards, letting them shift between her fingers before glancing at aria.
“so, here’s the deal, baby girl,” jj starts, tilting her head, keeping her voice light, fun.
“these are flashcards. and they’re kind of like a game.”
aria tilts her head too, watching closely, lips parted slightly like she’s already intrigued. jj nods, keeping her focus on her.
“i don’t think i know all of these, though.”
she sighs dramatically, eyebrows raising like she’s shocked by her own words.
“i think i might need some help.”
aria blinks, tiny fingers curling around the hem of her sweatshirt.
jj leans in just a little, keeping her voice conspiratorial, like she’s letting aria in on a big secret.
“and you know what?” she continues, tapping her chin like she’s thinking. “i asked emmy, and she told me that you are really good at helping.”
that earns a reaction. aria’s tiny shoulders straighten, her little chest puffing up just slightly. because she is good at helping. she knows she is. she nods.
jj smiles warmly, sitting down - right there on the hardwood floor, crossing her legs, settling in like she’s right at home, like she’s done this a hundred times before. emily watches the whole thing, standing at the counter, arms crossed, eyes soft. jj makes it look so easy. aria watches her too. then, after a beat, she lowers herself down, sitting across from jj, mirroring her perfectly.
jj smirks, flipping the first card over. a big, bright yellow sun.
“okay, what do we think this one is?”
she waits. aria blinks at the card. her lips part slightly but she doesn’t say anything. jj watches her, waits another beat because she knows aria knows it, but may not say it. after confirmation that she’s not going to, she speaks.
“this is the sun!” she announces, tapping the card. “the big bright thing in the sky that makes it warm outside!”
she flips to the next card. a tree.
“ooooh, this one’s a little tricky,” jj hums, tilting her head, waiting . “what do we think?”
aria stays quiet. jj nods, like it’s no big deal at all.
“a tree! this is a tree. and trees are super important because they help us breathe, huh? and they give us shade when it’s hot outside.”
emily watches as aria’s little fingers twitch, as her eyes flick between the card and jj’s face.
jj sees it too. she flips to the next one. a duck.
“alright, this one—this one’s gotta be easy.”
she taps the picture, waiting. aria’s little lips move slightly.
then, soft.
“ducky.”
jj grins, eyes lighting up.
“yes, baby! duck! and what does a duck say?”
aria pauses, then—
“quack.”
jj gasps, pressing a hand to her chest, so dramatic.
“quack! yes! you are so smart!”
aria’s cheeks flush, her fingers curling against her legs. jj flips the next card over. a pineapple. aria’s little body shifts forward slightly. she knows this one.
“nineapples.”
jj bites back a smile, nodding.
“that’s right, baby girl. pineapples. you put a lot of those on your pizza, huh?”
aria nods, very serious. emily laughs softly from where she stands, shaking her head. jj just keeps going. because now? now, aria is in it - she’s engaged. jj will sit here all night if it means keeping this up.
she continues to flip through the next few cards, keeping her voice bright, casual, making sure it never feels like too much pressure is on aria - because aria is aware of the attention. emily can see it in the way her little fingers fidget with the hem of her sweatshirt, in the way she shifts slightly, her lips parting as if she wants to answer but then just—doesn’t.
jj doesn’t push. she simply names the objects herself, keeps it moving, keeps it light, doesn’t make it feel like a test. and for a moment, it seems like aria might stay silent the rest of the way through. until jj flips to the next card.
a black cat.
before jj can even open her mouth, aria leans forward slightly, her little fingers pressing against the edges of the card - and with absolute certainty, she declares:
“sergy.”
emily nods, arms crossed as she leans against the counter.
“yeah, baby, that is a cat. just like sergio.”
jj laughs softly, shaking her head. “i should’ve seen that coming.”
she flips the next one.ba cartoon drawing of a girl. blonde. bright smile. simple, colorful lines making up her friendly expression.
jj tilts her head slightly, waiting, but before she can even ask—
“my jayje.”
jj’s heart stumbles. her breath catches. emily smirks from where she’s standing, watching the way jj blinks, the way her body visibly reacts to the words. jj clears her throat, nodding, tucking some hair behind her ear, voice a little softer than before.
“yeah.. that could be me, huh?”
aria nods, so sure. jj swallows, tries to move on. she flips to the next card. a baby. this time, aria’s reaction is different. her fingers press against the picture gently, her little head tilting, her lips parting just slightly as her voice softens completely.
“oh… a baaaybee.”
jj exhales, something warm unfolding in her chest. emily smiles, her eyes gentle as she watches the interaction. jj lets the moment sit for a second, lets aria process. then, finally, she flips to the next card. her stomach drops - a woman, holding a baby. jj’s fingers twitch.her mind immediately starts cursing itself, because of course there would be a mommy card. she moves quickly, her instincts telling her to set it aside, to skip over it before aria has time to register it—but before she can, before she even moves an inch, aria presses her entire palm against it.
not just a touch. a claim .
“oh, emmy.”
jj stops breathing. emily’s breath catches in her throat. because that isn’t just a word, that isn’t just a guess. that is something so much bigger. that is everything.
jj doesn’t move. emily doesn’t either.
the only movement in the room is aria’s little fingers, tracing the edges of the card, running over the drawing, settling on the shape of the mother’s hands holding the baby. emily feels like she’s breaking open.
because aria knows. maybe not in the way an adult would. maybe not in a way she can put into words. but she knows, she feels it. she sees the woman holding the baby, and she thinks of emily.
emily swallows hard, kneeling down beside her, reaching out, running her fingers through aria’s curls.
“yeah, bug,” she whispers, voice thick, heavy.
jj closes her eyes for half a second, because she knows she’s witnessing something she was never meant to see. something so deeply personal, that she’s so lucky to get to experience.
something that feels like standing in the middle of someone’s heart and watching it beat.