Laura "X-23" Kinney (lil_wolvie) wrote in freedomtownic, @ 2021-03-23 13:06:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | grace harper (snarkyassassin), laura kinney (lil_wolvie) |
Who: Laura and Grace
When: Yesterday evening
Where: Monstropolis Royal Palace
What: Finally figuring things out
Status: Closed and complete
What. A. Week.
Laura had been confused enough before her impromptu meeting with Bode and everything that happened during it, but now? She was a bundle of nerves, and she *hated* it. Still she knew she had to get this taken care of, for the sakes of all three people involved.
So she'd sent a message to Grace in New Wakanda, asking her to please come see her at the Royal Palace in Monstropolis, before changing into comfy pajama bottoms that hung low on her hips and a black spaghetti-strap top, sitting her on bed to wait for her girlfriend.
After their last conversation, Grace had needed some time to decompress. Once she felt more ready to deal with that, other thoughts began to flood her mind. She needed to figure out who she was outside of the war against the machines that she had been fighting in most of her life. Now she could finally be a person. It was just a matter of who that person was.
When she got the message from Laura, Grace hesitated at first. Was she ready to face her girlfriend? Did she know what she wanted to say? Would she even need to say anything? For all she knew, Laura was going to end things with her because she sucked at relationships. That was probably it. Well... at least Laura wanted to do it in person.
Still, Grace got dressed and made her way over to Monstropolis. When she came up to the Palace, she didn't even attempt to antagonize Jason. She wasn't in as cheerful of a mood as she had been before. Instead, she simply greeted him as she was allowed inside of the Palace and made her way to Laura's room. Knocking before even thinking to just walk in.
Laura hopped up, walking over to open the door... before doing something she rarely did: just glomped onto Grace with a *big* hug. "Hey." She said, trying like hell to let real emotion start to bleed back into her voice.
"Hey beautiful," Grace let out a soft chuckled at how robotic she sounded. Hey, she was trying to be human. It was a process, okay. She placed a soft kiss on her girlfriend's forehead, giving a soft smile. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." Laura replied, sighing. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize it. Please... sit down." She ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath. "I never said this to you, but... I want this. I want *us*. But I need you to hear me out right now, because I've started to realize some things. About who I am, about what I need, and about what the future holds."
Grace sat down in front of Laura, listening intently as she spoke and nodded. "Yeah... I've had a lot of my mind lately, as well. Who I am, what I am, what I want to be. Even what I *could* be."
Laura nodded. If Grace wanted to indulge her with details? She'd give her all the time she needed afterward. "As you surely know... I've been having a very hard time since Katie left. I've spent hour after hour trying to figure out why I couldn't heal. Why it was hitting me *so hard*. And it finally came to me. Yes, I miss Katie herself. She was fun, beautiful, spontaneous, and loved me with all of herself. But she also made me feel things nobody else ever had. Passion. Love. Fun. Safe. All of it. And no matter who I met, or tried to bond with, I couldn't find all of that again."
She took a breath, then continued, giving a shockingly nervous smile. "And then something clicked. I've been hanging out with a new friend lately. A boy named Bode Knight. And I... began having feelings for him. But while I felt guilty about this at first, because of us, I began to understand that each of you gives me different things that I need. While it's... unconventional, I am asking you to be ok with me giving my heart to both of you."
Grace blinked, tilting her head. "And here I was going to admit that I knew that I wasn't enough for you. You know that I don't have the experience in life and love that most people do." She chewed on her bottom lip a bit, "being in a place like this, rather than what home was like, I've learned a lot about people. Different feelings and different situations that I never even considered before. You're only the second person that I've ever felt anything for. I've told you this before. As you can see, I'm not jumping into a jealous rage," she let out a sigh. "Over time, my feelings have changed in that capacity. Before, I think that I just couldn't handle the fact that Laura Palmer was getting what I wanted. I've grown now, and it has also caused me to question some things about myself."
"One thing Laura Palmer has never had, that you do? My heart." Laura told her, walking over to straddle Grace's lap, resting her forehead against the woman's as she draped her arms around her neck. "You're a good woman, Grace. And I want to be with you. I think... and maybe I'm being greedy here... my dream would be for all three of us to hit it off. It's not like others here haven't done the same."
"I'm not opposed to that," Grace said in a soft tone with a subtle nod. "Something else that I've learned here is that you don't necessarily live with the gender you were assigned at birth."
"Yes... gender identity is something that has helped a lot of people find themselves." Laura agreed, for once being truly affectionate in slowly peppering the woman's cheeks and neck with small, loving kisses. "Are you... discovering more about yourself?" She asked in a gentle tone, trying to show her that she could feel safe in telling her anything.
Grace let out a shuddered breath, nodding. "I'm starting to realize that I don't really fall into just one category there. Like... there'd be no real changes, but it's one of those situations where just knowing helps."
It seemed that both were growing more comfortable after discovering things about themselves. "I think we're finally finding us." She said, a wave of relief washing over her. "Who I am... who you are... who *we* are."
"So... tell me about Bode," Grace smiled. "I know that he's nice and cute, and that he seems to randomly go out of his way to try and make you happy."
"He's... annoying." Laura said, but with such a cutely scrunched up expression, you could see she found it endearing. "He's so positive, and so... devoted to people once he decides he likes them. And he has this way of somehow making me smile even when he's making me want to throttle him. And... he's a true, genuinely good person. He never gives up on me, no matter how rude I am to him."
"Looks like we've got a keeper," Grace gave a firm nod. "Because the real point in all of this is that no matter how badly you've wanted to hit him, you haven't."
"It's not a *real* desire to hit him." Laura chuckled, thinking for a moment. "Have you ever seen a sitcom? Where they show couples that bicker yet the entire time you can feel the chemistry and affection between them? It's like that."
"A few, I don't really remember how things were before the machines took over back home, and here I've been slowly working on adjusting myself to life," she chortled. "Helps that the invasions here are minimal."
"This feels right." Laura said, as though almost surprised to feel that way finally. "Whether or not Bode wants to be with me... or with us... this right here... me and you... it finally feels *right*."
"With all of the bumps in the road along the way?" Grace tilted her head with a fake pout. She was definitely learning some things.
"With all the bumps." Laura grinned. She knew this wasnt going to be easy... but she finally knew it was *right*.
"That's the best and most normal thing in my life," Grace nodded. "I love you."
While Grace had said those words to her before, Laura had always avoided using them in return, not wanting to say them until she knew she meant it. Which was why it was such a monumental moment for her when she smirked, gave Grace a small kiss on the lips, and said, simply, "I love you too."