lacey morris fixes things better than you (unlaces) wrote in casefile, @ 2018-05-20 19:33:00
WHO: Xo Valdez Munroe & Lacey Morris WHEN: Thursday, May 10 WHERE: Xo's house SUMMARY: Lacey ends up at Xo's house for some mothering. WARNINGS: S for Sad. But it includes Olly, so also S for Sweet.
“Coming!” Xo called out to the door even though no one could probably hear. She checked to make sure that Olly was safely distracted with a coloring book before making her way to the front door. Her smile was wide as she opened.
“Lacey! What a surprise!” Her smile dimmed just a bit as she took in the younger woman's expression. She stepped aside. “Come on in, it's supposed to rain.”
Honestly, Lacey hadn't even realized she was heading to Xo's until she was already almost there. She had just left her apartment and started walking. But then she was on Xo's doorstep and ringing her doorbell. When Xo answered the door, Lacey attempted a smile, but it was a really depressing attempt. At Xo's invitation, she stepped into the house, tucking her hands into the pockets of the hoodie she was wearing. "Hi, Xo," she said, obviously trying to at least sound like her normal self, but not quite getting there.
Xo shut the door behind them, blocking out any potential rain. But it looked like there could be a bit of a storm in here anyway. “It's good to see you.” She started with instead, reaching up to squeeze Lacey's arm gently. “Do you want something to eat? I was going to start putting some things together.”
"I don't know… I guess? Maybe." Lacey shrugged a little. The hollow pit in her stomach wasn't really the kind you could just fill with food, though.
“Maybe something to drink? Don't tell Olly but I have soda. Or juice, tea, milk, coffee.” She listed out as she started to guide Lacey towards the living room.
Lacey followed Xo, eyes down at her feet. She shrugged again. "Whatever?" Yeah, she wasn't exactly going to be easy about anything. Taking her hands out of her pockets, she sat on the couch, still looking down at her shoes.
“I can do whatever.” Xo answered, pressing a fond hand to Lacey's shoulder. Looking over to her son on the floor she motioned towards him. “Hey Olly, can you keep an eye on Lacey?”
Olly looked up and climbed onto the couch with his iPad in hand. “Lacey I wanna show you my Minecraft!”
Lacey smiled genuinely when Olly climbed up with his iPad. She still didn't want any kids of her own, but it was actually impossible to not love Xo's. "I don't know anything about Minecraft, so you're going to have to tell me all about it."
“I will tell you all the things.” Olly nodded solemnly as he tucked himself against her side so he could pull up the app. “I'm building a town.”
Xo came back with some coffee, handing a mug to Lacey with a smile. “Did she come all this way to see your Minecraft?”
“Ahuh, that's what she said.” Olly pointed out a building. “I made that house for you, Lacey! Um. It's kinda small. I can make it bigger.”
Lacey could already feel a lot of the tension she'd been walking around with for days melting away, sitting with Olly while he showed her his town. She took the coffee mug from Xo, though she didn't drink any yet. "If that's my house, where's yours and your mom's? I need to know so I can visit."
“I can show you!” Olly grinned as he continued his tour through the digital town to show off the house he had made for his mommy. “I made a whoooole mansion!”
“I hope you're going to clean it too.” Xo teased. “What does everyone want for dinner?”
“Grill cheese!” Olly bounced in his seat before looking up at Lacey. “Do you want grill cheese to?”
"It's very nice of you to make your mom a whole mansion! She deserves something nice like that." After all, Xo put up with Lacey. "I'd love grill cheese if your mommy says it's ok." She looked up at Xo with a smile.
“I think I can manage it.” Xo smiled. “How about you help out. Olly go wash your hands and your face.”
“Uuugh fine.” Olly sulked but set his tablet down and slithered off the couch to run towards the bathroom.
"As long as you don't expect me to do too much. I can boil water and make toast, and that's about the extent of my kitchen skills." Lacey stood up, taking a sip of the coffee Xo had given her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll put you on grabbing dishes duty.” she chuckled as she motioned the younger woman along. “So you want ham with yours or just a classic? I’m warning you, my grill cheese has four different cheese in it.”
Now that Olly was out of the room, Lacey felt her mood starting to sag again. It had been a rough week so far. Ever since Monday. She followed Xo to the kitchen. "I guess just a classic? That does sound good."
“It’s a classic for a reason.” Xo smiled as she started pulling out ingredients. “So, are you ready to tell me why you came over?” Her voice was gentle, the smile soft, but the fact was it was a little out of the blue.
Holding the coffee cup at least mostly kept Lacey from fidgeting. She looked down into the cup, swirling it around just a bit, this way and that. She didn't want to look up at Xo and her nice mothery smile. "I just wanted to see you and Olly?" she suggested, still looking down into her cup. She was not going to cry.
That gave her pause, when Lacey wouldn't look up at her. She set down the cheese to come over and wrap her arm gently around Lacey's middle. “Lacey...” She said gently. “It's okay. I'm not going to judge you, whatever it is.”
Lacey leaned against Xo, closing her eyes and trying to remember the feeling of her own mother's arms around her. "Sunday is Mother's Day."
Her free hand came up to press gently against Lacey's hair. The younger woman had almost half a foot on her but she could still manage. It took her a moment to put it together but as she did she just hugged Lacey's middle. “Lacey, you know how proud of you I am?”
"Because I'm a beautiful, smart, and adventurous young woman?" She smiled a little, finally dragging her eyes up to Xo's.
“All of those things and more.” she smiled back, looking up at Lacey. There was no way she could fix this situation but there were lots of things in life Xo couldn’t fix. She could still be there for people. “I can’t begin to imagine how much it hurts. But I’m here for you, okay? No matter what.”
Lacey just nodded, chewing a little on her lower lip. Even twelve years later, it hurt so bad it burned. She may have always been a daddy's girl, his tiny shadow everywhere, but that didn't mean that she didn't love and need her mom.
Pressing a kiss to Lacey’s cheek, she gave her another squeeze. “I’m going to make you a grill cheese. And you can stay as long as you want, okay?”
Nodding again, Lacey lifted the coffee cup back up for another sip. "Okay."