WHO: Lyra and Avery WHEN: Tuesday, December 28 WHERE: The Duffield Manor, Tennessee WHAT: Day two WARNINGS: Shitty family, shitty party guests, more brother-on-brother violence, talking about more shitty families, and making it all better with sex
How long had it actually been – Lyra lay thinking in the morning – since she’d had a holiday? A real one where there wasn’t anything she was expected to get out of bed and do? Even on days off (and with two-and-now-three jobs, a ‘day’ off was really just a chunk of morning, a bit of afternoon, a slice of an evening) she’d still woken up in a household that included a three year old and there was still a share of childcare to be done. It’d been a long, long time since she’d woken up and no one needed her to do anything (except look hot while smashing the patriarchy) or be anywhere (except right here, out of place in a goddamn manor) and holy shit, it was nice.
A little guilt tugged at her. She was here and Jocelyn and Jem and Rosario were all working while she was still in bed and it was after ten (they’d gone up to his room early, they hadn’t gone to sleep early.) But she’d juggled things to make this work, she’d swapped shifts around at Taco Bell so she’d worked a couple of doubles before she left and would work a few more when she got back, and the window cleaners weren’t working between Christmas and New Year and Will was all good with her starting proper at the workshop in the new year. Sure she could be using her free time at home for a whole host of things that needed doing but… she was here, now, might as well snuggle up in bed and enjoy it.
She rolled over luxuriously, finding Avery with his back facing her and his breathing still deep and even. Wriggling a little closer to his warmth, she slid her arm around his waist and pressed a kiss to the back of his shoulder, closing her eyes again, happy to just chill out for a while till he woke up, and the day brought… whatever a day at the Duffield’s was gonna bring.