Realistic or Modern ─── ｆｏｕｎｄａｔｉｏｎｓ

[alex danvers]

N xxxx Axxxx O xxxx M xxxx I

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i know the pressure's hard to take
it's the only way i can escape
it seems a heavy choice to make
but now i am under, oh
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ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 481
short but shitty! ? ?
nailed it​

Naomi’s tears had begun to cover most of her cheeks in the short period of time that it took her to put her thoughts into words, and it took Eve equally as long to reach out, and gently guide her into her lap. There, she felt like she was five again, being held by her big sister after smacking on her face at the playground, except that this time the hurt was rather more permanent as she’d ran around with this ginormous weight pulling at her for the past three years.

Eve’s arms curled around her, holding her close as she sobbed out the emotional weight of her coming out, staining Eve’s shirt with her tears and clutching tightly onto her sister until Eve began to pull away. She nodded, eyes red-rimmed and cheeks streaked with tears as her sister grasped loosely onto the sides of her face and asked her if that was what had been bothering her. Evidently, Eve had caught up to some degree. She didn’t look entirely surprised, making Naomi think back to what the girl from the smoothie shop, Dani, had said about knowing that she was gay.

Eve pulled her back into her arms, and Naomi let out another series of pained sobs as she was held by her sister’s soothing embrace, loosely curling around her back and protecting her from everything out there. Her breath shook in her chest, rattling through her in short, frequent gasps as she attempted to calm herself down from where she’d fallen into a pit of release after admitting it to her sister. The weight had immediately been taken off her shoulders, that was for sure, and although she knew Eve better than anyone else in her life, there was still a little voice nagging in the back of her head that maybe, maybe Eve wouldn’t accept her.

“I just want you to be happy,” her words made Naomi clutch tighter onto her, sobbing quietly into the dip of Eve’s neck, only calming down slightly as the taller brunette slowly began to comb her fingers through Naomi’s hair. Her voice, still thick and choppy with tears, broke again as she tried to speak and instantly went back into another fit of tears. “I just… I didn’t want- t-to disappoint you.” Eve’s movements stilled, and there was a throatiness in her voice when she spoke that Naomi could only ascribe to tears. “Oh, baby girl. I wouldn’t be disappointed in you for something like that. Ever.”

Naomi crawled in bed with Eve that night, curling up against her side with her head resting on Eve’s shoulder, and Naomi finally felt as if she could relax. “I still love you, Nomes. So, so much.” Naomi didn’t respond, only curling up more against her sister, reveling in her body warmth and her familiar smell as they both drifted off into sleep together.

 

[digital witness]

E xV xA xN xG xE xL xI xN xE
────────────────
i'm looking for a place to start
but everything feels so different now
just grab a hold of my hand
i will lead you through this wonderland
────────────────

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 531

i'm gonna edit this, probably considering i didn't go further than your post, but i'm fallin asleep here so i thought i'd at least leave you with something​

Evangeline's grip remained curled comfortingly around the smaller girl's frame, holding her close as she tucked her face into the dip between her neck and her shoulder and sobbed. It felt like they were kids again... only this type of hurt would take more than a few consoling words to relieve; it seemed they were moving far past the days where a scraped knee on the playground or a dropped ice cream cone were the worst things that could happen and Eve found herself struggling to keep up. So much had changed since she'd moved away, evident by how out of the loop she now realized she'd become in her own sister's life. Still, she cast her own concerns aside in favor of directing her undivided attention onto Naomi, who had just made what she could only imagine was a terrifying leap into the dark.

Naomi's next words had a lump forming in Eve's throat, constricting her vocal cords and causing her a great deal of difficulty in maintaining her own composure when it was revealed that she'd kept it a secret in fear of disappointing her. “Oh, baby girl. I wouldn’t be disappointed in you for something like that - Ever.” She answered instantly despite the way that her own overwhelming emotions were still squeezing at her throat, leaving absolutely no room for doubt. "I'm so sorry if I ever made you think that..."

A short spell of time had passed, and despite the fact that it was still early into the night, the outpouring of emotions had a bout of fatigue settling over both of them. Evangeline had stepped into her bedroom to change, distracted temporarily by the gentle buzzing of her cellphone on the nightstand. She fetched the device from where it lay, stomach sinking instantly as her gaze flitted over the contact name on the screen: as if right on cue, four new messages from Mom. She pulled down on the notification, previewing a number of short text messages asking how her time with Naomi was going, but opted to leave them unanswered. She obviously couldn't share the information that had been confided in her - especially not to their ultra religious, ultra conservative mother - and she certainly didn't have the energy to muster up some pretend act. She'd just have to wait until morning.

Evangeline didn't question it when Naomi climbed into bed with her that night, curling comfortably in the space at her side while her head rested against her shoulder. She listened to the quiet sounds of her breathing, curling one of her arms over the girl's back and gently playing with her hair. She ran her fingers through it, occasionally twisting a lock between her fore and middle fingers in a slow, repetitive motion. "I love you, Nomes," she reminded, pausing in her motion as she spoke through the darkness. "So, so much..." A gentle pull of relief tugged at her insides as the younger brunette curled closer against her side in lieu of a verbal response and Eve followed suit, awaiting Naomi's familiar slow, even breath of sleep before she began to drift off herself, arms still curled around her protectively.

 

[alex danvers]

N xxxx Axxxx O xxxx M xxxx I
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M xxxxxx O xxxxxx N xxxxxx A

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 571​

Naomi finally gathered the courage to text Dani two days after the coming out incident with Eve. She fumbled with her phone for a few minutes after deciding that now was a better time than ever, before eventually opening the texting chat and typing and editing for a good five minutes until she finally put something together that was half-decent.

“hey, it’s naomi. …i guess u were right about me. i came out to my sister two days ago and she took it well, so there’s that. anyway, i was hoping u could hang out sometime this week? let me know”

The other girl responded almost instantly, and they texted back and forth for a couple hours, Naomi growing more confident and comfortable in the presence of the other girl the more time passed. It felt relieving to be out to someone and to be able to talk to someone about what she’d been struggling with alone for so long, so she was grateful for the other girl’s presence, even if it still felt distant.

--​

“Hi, Eve,” Mona’s voice was tired and quiet, eyes threatening to close as she dragged herself to her apartment after another night shift at the hospital, phone jammed tightly between her ear and her shoulder, “it’s been a while. Do you have time to catch up soon?” She struggled with the door for a moment, before finally pushing past it and letting her bag fall down on the floor, instantly moving for the couch. “Yes, I have time tonight if you want to come over?” Mona kicked off her shoes, sitting back against the couch and allowing her tired body to relax, finally, before letting out a quiet sigh. “Y– okay. See you at eight. Yeah, I love you too. Bye.”

Mona’d crawled into bed relatively quickly after hanging up, allowing herself to get some rest from the eleven-hour shift that she’d had in the ICU at the nearby hospital, and awoke more or less well-rested six-and-a-half hours later. After a simple makeshift dinner and half a glass of wine, eight o’clock had come around and there was a quiet knock at the door that had Mona hurrying from the far bedroom to open it.

“Hi, how have you been?” Eve’s expression said more than she actually did, and Mona gestured briefly for her to come in. “I’ve got wine, if you’d like some?” Eve’s response was immediate, so Mona moved to the kitchen, keeping an eye on the other woman as she poured two glasses, before moving to the couch where the brunette had sat down and handing her one. “It’s been a while. …Any news?” Despite the fatigue that was still in Mona’s bones, she perked up at the presence of the other woman – much like she had ever since they became friends in middle school – and she felt more awake than when she’d been alone.

They caught up with each other – Mona didn’t have very much news, except that she was now permanently on night shift and that she’d been struggling to adapt to the sudden change – and, after a glass of wine, Eve loosened up slightly. When she mentioned her sister, who Mona was very familiar with as she’d practically half-raised the girl herself, alongside Eve, she raised an eyebrow. “Did you ever find out what was going on with her? It sounded serious, when you told me over the phone.”

 

[digital witness]

E xV xA xN xG xE xL xI xN xE
────────────────
i'm looking for a place to start
but everything feels so different now
just grab a hold of my hand
i will lead you through this wonderland
────────────────

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 637​

The past weeks hadn't allotted much time to interact with Evangeline's childhood friend, Mona, beyond a hurried text once every few days, but with things gradually calming down between Eve and Naomi the pair had made plans to catch up later that night. She'd had dinner with Naomi, promising her that she'd be home before midnight following a hastily-rejected offer for the girl to join them and made her way to Mona's apartment.

She knocked at the door; the other woman's face bringing about a sense of relief within her. "...Good, you?" She answered just too slowly to be convincing and followed her friend into the apartment. "Yes. Please," a faint smirk had the corners of her mouth pulling upward when Mona offered her a glass of wine. She moved comfortably into the living room to sit on the couch while the blonde poured two generous glasses of wine. She nodded her thank you as the woman returned from the kitchen to offer her one of the glasses, leaning back into the couch and crossing one of her legs over the other as she brought the rim of the glass to her lips. "It's been hectic..." she admitted choosing not to delve too deeply into her own problems within the first five minutes of their conversation. "How about you?"

One and a half glasses of wine and a lengthy conversation later and Evangeline could feel herself beginning to loosen in the other woman's presence. She let go of the tension that she'd been holding onto regarding the information that Naomi had dropped on her only days earlier, but her stomach still churned somewhat uneasily when that very subject came up in their conversation. She hesitated, understanding that - aside from being the most trustworthy person she knew - Mona would be able to see right through her should she try to hide it any longer; with that, preceded by a gentle intake of air, she decided to tell her.

"Naomi...... came out to me," she admitted, a weight rolling off of her shoulders. "...She's gay." She noted the expression on Mona's face, but became more caught up in her own thoughts in that moment than on what the other woman thought of her situation. "I - I don't have any problem with that, obviously... I want to support her, it's just -" she paused, gathering her thoughts in a way that would hopefully make sense to both of them. "Well, she goes home in a month and can you imagine how my parents are going to react? How my mom is going to react?" She didn't want to think about it herself, truthfully. She'd made her view on such things blatantly clear during their respective childhoods; she found it hard to imagine a sudden change of heart at the realization that one of her own children was of a different sexual orientation - it just wasn't in her nature.

"I want her to be open; I want her to be herself... I want her to be happy..." she worked through her own emotions regarding the situation, realizing how much she'd been holding in. "I'm just so far away. What if she tells them or they find out and I can't do anything?" The thought alone had her insides twisting. She'd always acted as a shield of sorts between Naomi and the world, but this... this didn't seem like the kind of thing she could protect her from; this was a journey that she'd have to find her own way through.

"I don't know what to do, Mona. It's been killing me." She raked her fingers through her hair, still holding loosely onto her wine glass. "You can't tell her that I told you," her gaze flitted up to meet with the other woman's. "I'm pretty sure I'm the only one she's told."

 

[alex danvers]

M xxxxxx O xxxxxx N xxxxxx A

─────────────────────
you've got a second chance
you could go home
escape it all
it's just irrelevant
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ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 485​

Mona had heard in Eve’s voice over the phone those weeks back how worried she’d been for her younger sister. This was one of Eve’s traits that had reared its head at a very young age, even before Mona had known her; she’d picked up her maternal character when her little sister was born, and it had never really faded. Which was why her current job as a preschool teacher was such a good fit. But that worry, even now that Naomi was sixteen and Evangeline no longer lived at home, had persisted.

Which was why, when she asked the question and Eve’s face only drooped slightly, Mona assumed that she hadn’t found out in the meantime, and that she was still grasping in the dark. So the words that came from Eve’s lips were a complete surprise to the blonde.

“Oh,” Mona’s eyebrows raised, her gaze still locked on the other woman, as she explained that the shorter brunette had come out to her. It wasn’t that Mona disapproved of such things – hell, she wasn’t entirely straight herself – it was simply that she’d assumed something like that would’ve come up sooner than now, and with the boyfriend that Eve had told her about, it came unexpectedly. She suddenly understood Eve’s worries, having had first-hand experiences with her parents and the way they’d vouched for the priest’s words whenever he called upon the ‘sinners’, and Mona’s eyebrows slowly fell into a frown. “…I understand.” Mona’s parents had been more lenient, but also more absent, so she hadn’t felt that rejection because they still didn’t know what she was up to romantically, but she understood what Eve was feeling.

“You can’t protect her forever. I know that that’s hard, but she has to do things by herself, too.” Her gaze, gentle and understanding, found the brunette’s eyes again and sent her a soft, encouraging smile. “She knows not to tell them, though, right? I think that that’s most important to keep her safe.”

She inched a little bit closer to the other woman, having grown used to being physical with her as their relationship had always been more touchy than usual. Her hand found Eve’s thigh, and she gripped down gently, in a gesture of good will. “I won’t tell her. Her secret is safe.” Despite Mona’s calming words – which seemed to help only barely on Eve’s mental state – she still seemed uncomfortable and, frankly, scared of what the future was going to bring for her sister.

Mona reached out, her fingers tucking a dark lock of hair behind Eve’s ear before they grazed gently across her jawline, her thumb finding its way onto her cheekbone. “Hey,” she murmured, the touch itself bringing up memories from when they’d sleep in the same bed together when they were younger, “she’s a fighter, alright? She’s strong. I’m sure she’ll know how to handle herself if something bad happens.”

 

[digital witness]

E xV xA xN xG xE xL xI xN xE
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D xxxxxxA xxxxxxN xxxxxxI

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 503​

Eve knew that, out of anyone, Mona would be able to lift the worry that had embedded itself in her gut since the night that Naomi had unexpectedly come out to her. Even as teenagers she'd always served as a voice of reason and comfort when the brunette needed it most and that hadn't changed as they'd made the transition into adulthood. They'd remained close despite the way that their lives had forked off into their own respective paths, only finding time to meet on the odd occasion as their jobs and lives kept them busy.

The calm, even tone that the blonde had taken on in response to Evangeline's fear had her initial discomfort beginning to dissipate almost instantly and she shook her head, gaze flitting to meet her friend's when she asked whether or not Naomi had the common sense not to tell their parents. "We haven't talked about it," she admitted, suddenly realizing it hadn't come up as a point in conversation. Was that good? ...Bad? She honestly wasn't sure. "But I think she'd know not to tell them... you know how they get. They're not exactly the first people you'd go running to with this kind of information."

Suddenly finding herself fretting over the idea of their parents finding out by other means, Eve was pulled back into the moment as Mona's fingers lifted to connect with the curve of her jaw, brushing comfortingly along its shape. Their gazes crossed and she nodded, agreeing with the woman's words. "You're right," she sighed. "I think I've just felt so guilty since I've moved out here, and sending her home with this is just - it's not helping." She managed an unconvincing smile, gaze lifting as she voiced an unlikely plan that had crossed her mind on more than one occasion since the news had been dropped. "Maybe I'll just move her out here with me." She joked, the corner of her mouth tugging upward. "God, can you imagine how that would go over?" Her smile grew, more genuine now as she let Mona's words sink in. She was strong. She'd get through this.

────────​

Dani had taken to texting Naomi on a near daily basis. It was usually nothing monumental... just brief exchanges of surface-level conversation after the brunette had admitted to coming out to her sister, thus affirming Dani's suspicion. They'd agreed to meet up that week, well with Naomi being on vacation and Dani finding herself with more free time than usual after she'd walked out on her job, and Dani sat, knees spread apart with her elbows planet firmly on them, while she waited for Naomi to arrive at their agreed meeting place.

Her gaze lifted, eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, and she smiled when she spotted the girl approaching from a short distance away. "'Sup, Birmingham?" she grinned in response to the subtle eye-roll that the nickname had earned her and stood, pushing herself off of the bench to greet her. "What's going on?"