Realistic or Modern Family Ties (monkeydoll555)

[PunkPrince]

Give that back!"
"I need it!"
"I need to finish putting the sequins on this–Ow! Damn it, Kasha, you burnt me!"
"It's a hot glue gun, what'd you think was gonna happen, idiot?

Jupiter slinked out into the hallway from one of the bedrooms, and Eva could see that they were struggling to close a bra through their shirt. She stopped them and clipped it closed. "Better?"

Jupiter nodded, flashing the woman an appreciative smile before adjusting the silicone breast forms that rested in the bra. Jupiter had only recently started on a low dose of estrogen, and most of the effects had yet to be seen. There were small differences--softer skin and a slight change in shape of face--but little else. Eva and Kennedy did what they could for them anyway. Jupiter pushed back their messy blonde hair and looked up the stairs, their gaze following the voices of their arguing siblings.

"Fighting over a glue gun," they explained. "Kyra was trying to use it to put sequins on a dress, and I guess..." They shrugged and slipped out the front door. It wasn't unusual for the children to call each other by their drag names.

"Damn it," Kennedy growled softly. "Nothing can ever go smoothly in this house." She sighed and turned to yell up the stairs. "Boys! Come here, and for god's sake be nicer to each other. There are glue guns all over this house, there's no reason for you to be arguing over that one. One of you can borrow mine, if it matters that much."

Ronan bounded over to them, Hugo creeping along slowly after him. Hugo continued to stare at the floor and apologized softly. "I'm sorry." He didn't look up at either of them. Kennedy sighed and gave the smaller twin's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It's okay," she said softly. "I'm sorry for shouting, honey, I'm just stressed about today. I just want things to go well. I don't want to freak them out with fighting. How would you feel if Eva and I had been fighting the first day you came to live with us?"

Hugo gave a small smile and Kennedy returned it as she slipped out the front door onto the wooden porch.

Busy. That was the perfect word to describe the last week. Scrambling to get everything perfect for the two coming to live with them. It was the similarities to Hugo and Ronan that had drawn Eva and Kennedy to her. The repeated rejection, over and over again. The agency had warned them of what the pair had done. Or been suspected of, at least.

Originally, they had gone looking for a younger child, one they could raise together. But these two...they just couldn't leave them behind, in the state they were in. It was too much of what that had seen before. What Eva and Kennedy had endured, in some sense, and what their children had spent their lives in before finding them.

***

"They're here! Hurry up, Hugo!"

Kennedy turned and quickly moved to stand beside Eva again as their son scrambled to close the door behind him. He, as usual, stayed close to Kennedy and his brother, standing between the two, looking anxious as ever. "I hope they like us," he said quietly as they watched the silver car pull into the driveway. Jupiter craned their neck to look at the pair as they climbed out of the car. Their feet shuffled slightly, resulting in the clicking of their high heeled shoes on the wooden porch.

Eva found herself praying that she wouldn't have to hear her birth name. Both she and Kennedy had had their names changed for years now, but background checks and old paperwork meant that they still popped up nearly anywhere, whether things had been changed or not.

The social worker spoke as he reached them, apprehensiveness in his tone. "Hello, Eric," he greeted, spitting out the words in a tone normally reserved for something sick and vile. He looked back to the twins. "Well, this is Eric. He’s your new adoptive father. He and Keegan, both actually." He motioned to Kennedy. Eva flinched at the near forgotten name. She felt Kennedy gently squeeze her arm. She didn't have to look at the other woman to know that anger had begun to flare up in her eyes. "I believe the woman who approved you may have mentioned your..." he cleared his throat. "Hobby."

"Her name is Eva and she is her mother," Kennedy said, glaring at the social worker. "And my name is Kennedy. I believe we discussed this with you in the interview we had, and we told Marie too. Repeatedly."

"You could at least make an effort when you're standing on our front porch." That was Jupiter, blue eyes narrowing as they watched the man.

The social worker looked the teenager over disapprovingly. "You must be Kevin."

Jupiter ignored the use of their birth name and lifted their chin. They clearly had some sort of comeback to snap back with, but held their tongue, knowing that now wasn't the time to start a fight. Eva reached an arm out in front of Jupiter and gently shoved them backward in a silent warning to keep quiet.

The social worker looked back to the twins. "Call me if things don't work out."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Kennedy said coldly.

And then, the paperwork was done and the man gone off the porch. As he left, Kennedy turned to the boys. "I'm sorry about that," she said gently. "Nobody's mad at you." She paused and turned to Eva, who remained quiet and seemed slightly shaken. "Are you all right?" She directed the question to Jupiter as well.

"Fine," Jupiter said simply.

"I'm okay," Eva said. "I knew he'd do it. I'm not surpised. But thank you." She gave her partner a small smile, and Kennedy reached up to move a piece of Eva's hair away from her face, leaning up to peck the taller woman on the cheek before turning back to the pair.

"But anyway, I think an honest introduction is in order. My name is Kennedy and this is Eva. This is Jupiter, Ronan, and Hugo."

"Hello," Jupiter greeted.

"Hi! Ronan chirped, sunny as ever. Hugo gave a small wave from where he stood, still trying to calm himself from the earlier tensions.

 

[monkeydoll555]

Robin and Peter hadn't known how their lives were going to turn out after they'd left home. For Robin, they had been so deathly certain that they'd die of pneumonia, or the flu, or some other horrible shit. Hell, maybe they'd be smited by God, like their preacher always said they would.

And that was what startled Peter so much, he supposed, that someone that believed in God and His love so much also believed that the person he cared for the most would make Robin think such a thing, that they were unworthy of being alive. It was why they had vanished in the first place.

But right now, there they sat in this social worker's car, bags in hand (cheap old bags they had managed to find outside a grocery store somewhere, but they worked), listening to him mutter about how unfit this new family would be. 'He's one to talk. Jerk.' He thought to himself. He sounded just like his father, or that... man, who had taken it upon himself to reeducate Peter in the ways of God. He sighed, thinking (most unfondly) of the other group homes and foster families who hadn't fit either of them.

Robin, meanwhile, wasn't thinking of much at all. All their brain wanted right now was some food, and maybe a drink. Of what, they weren't exactly sure. They were startled from their daydreams as the car screeched to a halt outside what seemed to be a very nice house. Their head sharply turned to Peter, tapping him incessantly as the social worker put the car into park. "Alright, we're here, get out of the car." He mumbled, rubbing his forearm tenderly before getting out before them. Peter snickered, fondly remembering how the man had tried to literally, physically separate them, and the violent reaction Peter had had in response.

Robin distracted him easily, scratching Morse code lightly into his arm. 'Ok?' It was shorthand for a more longhand sentence, one that Peter knew well, and he nodded. 'Ok.' He coded back, only startled as the social worker opened the door. "Ok kids, c'mon, get out." He insisted, almost like he wanted them out faster so he wouldn't have to deal with them a moment longer than he had to. Robin swallowed, hopping out as they were closest to the door, Peter following right behind.

There they were. Their potential new family, all five of them. This would be fine, hopefully, as long as they were kept together. They paused next to each other on the front stairs, standing just behind and beside the social worker as he spoke. A chill went down Robin's spine as the man spoke in an almost dehumanizing tone towards the nice women, calling them their... fathers. Fathers? These were... women. Very nice women, so it seemed. Peter looked at Robin, Robin looked at Peter, and Robin made a silent gesture (along with a very quiet siren sound) to signify just how crazy this man was. Peter giggled in agreement, only stopping as the social worker said, almost snarkily, for them to call if it didn't work out.

Something in Peter sparked, and he turned his head to face him, snarling a little as he bared his teeth once more. It seemed to startle the man a little bit, and it made Robin giggle, and a rush of delight filled the young boy, quickly followed by a rush of shame that quickly dissolved. As the man quickly disappeared from the porch, he smiled, only slightly, as he turned to face the car, stuck his tongue out, and blew the biggest raspberry that he possibly could at the social worker. Robin tugged at his shirt, but there was no slowing him down, and eventually, Robin also made the decision to blow the tiniest of raspberries in the car's direction as it drove away.

With the problem now resolved between the two of them, the twins returned their attention to the family before them. Everyone seemed pleasant enough, but Robin still took position behind Peter, just in case that assumption turned out to be incorrect as they introduced themselves. Peter simply kept track of their names as they spoke, tilting his head at the sight of Ronan and Hugo. Was this not their first time picking out twins?

Robin barely said a word, letting their brother do all the talking. "Hi. Thank you for keeping us." Peter said tentatively, Robin holding on to his sweater as they tugged on it. More Morse. 'Food?'

Right. Robin must have been starving. Peter made a note, then looked to his new parents. "Food? Please?" He asked, steeling himself for any sign of a negative reaction.

 

[PunkPrince]

Jupiter laughed as the younger pair of twins both blew raspberries at the car as it pulled out of the driveway. "Well said," they responded, leaning back against the doorway. "I think I'm gonna like you two." They turned and strode back into the house, Ronan bouncing after them and Eva and Kennedy following after him. Eva turned to look back at Peter as he requested food.

"It's about time for lunch isn't it?" she asked, heading towards the kitchen.
"I vote for grilled cheese!" Ronan chirped.
Kennedy gave him a light shove as she pushed past him. "You always vote for grilled cheese."
Ronan shrugged. "Uh, have you ever had a grilled cheese?"
Eva leaned down to rummage through the cabinet of pots and pans. "Grilled cheese sound good to you two or would you rather something else?" she asked Peter and Robin. "Just because this one lives on a diet of grilled cheese and orange soda doesn't mean the rest of us do."

"I'll do grilled cheese if I can have some of that leftover bacon from breakfast on it," Jupiter said, leaning forward to pull the fridge open.

"Don't eat it all," Hugo said quietly. "I want some." He had followed the group through the doorway and was now shuffling off towards the staircase. He offered a timid smile before skittering off up the stairs.
"He'll be back," Kennedy said as she heard the boy's bedroom door close. "He's just anxious. Probably went to calm himself down." Hugo frequently panicked at even the slightest little tiff. He had improved somewhat in the time he had spent with them, but was still terrified of even the slightest agitation. "He'll be hungry." Despite his small size, the boy ate more than either of his siblings. He gained little weight, if he ever managed to gain any at all, and he frequently had to be reminded to eat slower.
"He didn't polish it all off at breakfast?" Ronan asked, his gaze trailing his brother briefly.
Kennedy shrugged. "I made extra. Figured someone would get to it eventually if not him."

"You guys can just sit your stuff by the stairs," Kennedy said with a nod to Robin and Peter. "We can get your stuff upstairs to your room once you've had something to eat."
"We thought," Eva started, her voice soft and quiet as ever as she worked at the stovetop, "that before we showed you your bedroom it might be best for you to get to know us a bit. So is there anything else you want to ask us, or anything you want to say?"

 

[monkeydoll555]

The twins perked up at Jupiter’s compliment, the first time they had been shown an ounce of affection from anyone who had taken them in. Robin seemed to already steel themselves, the feeling confusing as Kennedy suggested they leave their stuff on the stairs. Robin, most unfortunately, was not very receptive to that, knowing that if this ended poorly, something would be gone from their bag, something precious, so they resolved to cling to their bag as Peter set his bag down by the stairs in their place as the two of them continued to listen, Peter especially, observing for any signs that this would end bad.

But there were none, at least not right now as the two of them went to the table and found themselves each a seat, Robin sitting next to their brother as Eva- Miss Eva, they needed to remember that- asked if they had any questions about the situation, anything they wanted to say. Peter could tell Robin’s anxiety was practically spiking at even the idea of asking anything about anyone. But Peter did have questions, at least one, especially with the way that social worker had spoken about them so cruelly. “Why did the mean guy say you were our fathers? I mean… did he mean to say that? Because you’re both…” he turned to his sibling. “Girls? Is that right, Robin? Is that the right word?” Robin wasted no time, nodding gently at him. “Girls. So why was the mean guy… saying all those things?” He asked quietly.

Robin continued to hold their tongue, their stomach growling as the sandwiches were passed out. But yet, they wasted no time in poking Peter’s side, gesturing for him to take a bite first. They weren’t risking anything, but they also preferred that Peter not go hungry. Peter sighed, but bit into it anyway, giving them a thumbs up when he knew it didn’t have anything unsavory in it. “It’s fine, Robin. Go ahead.” He mumbled with a mouthful of grilled cheese. Robin shook their head, waves bouncing on their head. “You eat first.” They insisted as quietly as they could, Peter rolling his eyes before switching plates. “Robin, if your sandwich was fine, mine will be too. Eat. Please.” He said, a silent plea in his eyes as he looked at his sibling. Robin swallowed, but relented, taking a little nibble of their sandwich, looking almost like a field mouse when they did, adorable, but vulnerable.

 

[PunkPrince]

Robin opted to cling to their bag while Peter set his near the stairs. Robin's gaze sparked wordlessly at Eva's question, the fact that they wanted to say something evident within their tightened features. Peter spoke first, asking their sibling's question. It was an act familiar enough to Eva and Kennedy. Ronan had spent a fair amount of time speaking for his brother upon their first meeting. Eva distributed the sandwiches, her gaze briefly trailing up the empty staircase as she reached the final sandwich.

Kennedy met her gaze briefly, and then moved the sandwich to a plate and set it further back on the counter. "Leave it," she said after a moment. "Hugo'll come down for it eventually. He won't mind if it gets cold. He can always heat it up again."
Jupiter, who appeared undeterred by their absent sibling, was the first to respond to Peter's question. "He meant it," they answered. "Not because he's right, but because he's a massive dick."
"He really dug for the names too," Ronan quipped. "How are you gonna be loud and wrong at the same time?"
"He's compensating for something," Jupiter added.
The comment earned a suppressed snort of laughter from Eva, who covered her mouth with the dishtowel before clearing her throat and acting as though she hadn't heard.

“All of us are drag queens, which is a kind of performance art that uses femininity,” Eva started. “But Kennedy and I are both transgender women, which just means that our gender is different from the one that people thought we were initially. Basically everyone thought we were men until we said something." I was a very unconvincing man for nineteen years or so."
She finished the explanation with a shrug, which was then punctuated by Jupiter adding, “My deal is basically the same but instead of being a woman my gender is more of a woman-adjacent noncommittal wiggly hand gesture.”

Eva offered a soft grin to Robin as they nibbled at the sandwich. "I'm not the greatest cook in the world but I don't think my food is bad enough to take someone out," she said gently.

 

[monkeydoll555]

Peter bit back a giggle as Jupiter spoke, explaining that the social worker in question had just been a massive dick to the duo. "Oh yeah, he's compensating for the fact he couldn't shake my teeth off the last time he tried to separate us!" He agreed, biting back into his sandwich as Robin started to listen to Jupiter and Ronan's banter. It seemed... kind. Gentle. It seemed almost funny, in a way, even as they nibbled on their sandwich.

It was Eva's explanation of their gender that sparked Robin's sudden spike in interest in this family. They listened intently, especially as Jupiter explained that their gender was a... woman adjacent hand gesture? That... felt odd, but correct in describing them. How they expected to be described when introducing themselves. They swallowed, looking up slowly at Jupiter. "But... but momma said that... that you're either a boy or a girl. There isn't... God didn't make anything else." they half mumbled, looking a little confused at Jupiter. Peter sighed, air flowing from his nose before he spoke.

"So... you guys... dress up as girls... for fun?" He asked, turning to Robin with the most confused look on his face. He paused, tapping on Robin's leg in Morse. 'I told you mom was wrong.'
"Please shush." Robin mumbled, nibbling on the sandwich that Eva had cooked very politely for them when she joked that she couldn't kill anyone with her cooking. They swallowed, setting the sandwich down. "Um... it... it's not your fault I... I just... bad people." They whispered, not wanting to share any more than they already had. Peter just continued to keep an eye on them. "It's good. You're good, right?" He asked, giving Robin just another glance before they tapped on their chair once more, a way to signal that they would be alright for the time being. It was good, it meant good.

 

[PunkPrince]

Ronan laughed at Peter's description of having bitten the social worker. "I can't blame you," he said. "I think I would've bitten him just for being particularly obnoxious. They tried to separate Hugo and I once. Lasted about five seconds once they realized he wouldn't talk without me and I wasn't going to shut the hell up about him." The pair had kept each other safe throughout their lives, and could now fare slightly better with necessary separations when they had the knowledge that the other would be well looked after. Hugo was hospitalized regularly for his myriad of health issues, but at this point he was well known by the majority of staff, who treated him gently.

Jupiter raised one perfectly arched brow at Robin's evident confusion, though they appeared unbothered by her words. It was something they had heard plenty of, and something that no longer bothered them. They took another bite of their sandwich and leaned back against the wall. "If god's up there I don't think he'd be too bothered by me," they stated. "He gave us wheat and no bread, and fruit but no wine. I dont think he'd mind a bit of alchemy of the self so long as it didn't hurt anyone else."

"Yeah, kind of," Ronan said as Peter questioned them. "Eva and Kennedy are women because it suits them better. But sometimes we all put a bunch of extra work in and dress up to preform for fun. I'm sure you'll see it eventually." It was unlikely they'd be able to miss it, with the bar being just up the street and the entire house being full of half-finished creations. "You might like it."
Why don't we go upstairs once you've finished?" Kennedy asked softly. "We can show you where your room is."