An Important Discussion
“Is it weird if I’m kind of scared for you to meet my parents?”
“I-”
“I mean, it’s not that I’m worried that they won’t like you or vice versa, but there’s just this part of me that’s like ‘they won’t get along and you’ll have to choose’ and I really don’t want to have to do that. If I end up having to choose between you or my dads, I think I’ll just have to, like, never talk to any of you ever again, and really that would be such a pity. I guess you can’t ever meet my parents, just in case. Want to meet my cousins instead?”
Adeline blinked at Sage incredulously. “We’re in the middle of math class, babe, what in the world?”
The blonde shrugged, scribbling down homework answers. “I dunno, it was just a thought. I wasn’t really serious about the not meeting my parents thing. I was serious about the meeting my cousins thing, though. Would you be okay with that? Like Thursday afternoon at four? You don’t have plans, do you? Because I kind of promised them that they could meet you, because Pietro and I have this pact that he has to approve of someone before I date them, and I have to approve of someone before he dates them, and if you meet Pietro, then you have to meet Wanda because you can’t meet one twin without meeting the other one, and-”
“Sage.”
The bell rang and Sage scrambled to put everything away and shove it all in her bookbag, only looking up once she’d stood and started toward the door, spinning around and seeing Adeline still sitting at her desk. “Come on, I don’t want to be late.”
The brunette rolled her eyes, sweeping her things off of her desk and standing all in one smooth motion. “We’re not going to be late. And we need to talk. Bathroom, now.”
“But-”
“Nuh-uh. Bathroom.” She walked past Sage determinedly, and the other girl groaned.
“If you make me late, I’ll have a detention!”
“You will not, you haven’t been late yet this quarter. I walk to class with you every day. Get over yourself, drama queen.”
“Fine. What is it? All I did was ask if you would meet my cousins!”
“You also told me that you have this latent fear that your parents will hate me or vice-versa, that your previously never mentioned cousins are twins, and that you have a dating veto policy with one of them. And I’m just supposed to say ‘yeah, I’m free on Thursday, where are we going’?!”
Sage had the sense to look sheepish. “Yes?”
“Sage. This isn’t going to work if we don’t communicate. This?” She motioned between the two of them. “This isn’t communication. I know that we can’t discuss this in a school bathroom, and I know that we need to go to class, but seriously, we need to have a talk.”
The blonde groaned but nodded. “Can we go to class now?”
An incredulous laugh burst from Adeline’s chest. “Yes, Sage, we can go to class. God.”
Sage held open the bathroom door for Adeline, not meeting her eyes, and very quietly saying as the other girl walked past her, “I love you.”
Addy’s eyes softened at the whisper, and she turned, grabbing Sage’s hand and lacing their fingers together, swinging their hands gently. “I love you too. But seriously, communication.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Me too, baby.”
---
“So? Communication?”
Adeline huffed a laugh and grabbed Sage’s hands across the table, running her thumbs over her knuckles. “Is that why you asked me out immediately after school?”
The blonde shrugged, eyes glued to their hands. “I really do want you to meet Wanda and Pietro. And it’s not just because he and I have a veto pact. I just… I want you to meet my whole family, I do. And I want to meet your family. But my family is… a lot. I’m trying to wean you in.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that before?”
“It sounds dumb out loud.” Her sentences were being delivered quietly and quickly, some words blurring together, and mumbled. It would have been nearly unintelligible if Adeline hadn’t been listening closely.
‘It doesn’t, honey. It really, really doesn’t. It’s reasonable. I’m not ready for you to meet my parents yet either. It’s okay. But you have to talk to me about it, yeah? And I know that sometimes talking is hard, but part of dating is making that effort.”
“Yeah. I know. I just… Didn’t really think about all of what I said earlier before I said it? I’m… really bad about that. I just talked, because I remembered that I told Pietro that he could meet you, and he was really excited about it, and so I just let words come out of my mouth, and I wasn’t paying attention to what words they were. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I forgive you.” She pressed a gentle kiss to Sage’s knuckles. “As it happens, I am actually free Thursday, and I would love to meet your cousins. As long as we can meet in a park, and I can bring someone for you to meet too. Deal?”
Sage grinned widely at her. “Deal. Will you tell me who it is?”
“No, it’s a surprise. But I promise that you’ll love him. I one hundred percent promise.”
“Oh, man. A one hundred percent promise. That’s intense.”
Adeline winked at her. “So tell me about your cousins.”