Written for: theonlyspl
Prompt: Kelly/Simone - #11 "You don't need to protect me."
Spoilers: Pre-series sisterly bonding for Simone and Kelly. Beyond that, everything we learned in these 10 episodes is up for grabs.
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.
A/N: Well, I wasn't quite expecting this story to turn out this way, and yet it works perfectly for the Baptiste sisters. At least it does in my head. And right now, given that I'm writing this series, that's kind of all that matters to me. LOL!
Dedication: This is part of a series of stories to thank the phenomenal creative team of Damien, both in front of and behind the camera.
Series: Part 11 of the #666foryou series
Please see profile for Disclaimers.
Simone eases her bedroom door open, then tiptoes across the apartment. Eternally grateful that their mother is a relatively deep sleeper, she is meticulous in her stealth to unlock and open the front door. She freezes and holds her breath as the hinges creak, eyes closed as she waits to see if that busts her or not. When the faint snoring from the back bedroom doesn't change, she relaxes and makes her escape. Once outside the now locked door, she kneels down to put on and tie her sneakers. She grins broadly as she almost skips down the four flights of stairs to the main lobby door. As she nears the door, she glances back up, a slight pang of regret that she's defying house rules, but it's not enough for her to reconsider her adventure. She'll just include it when she next goes to confession.
Stepping outside, Simone tilts her head back to stare up at the gibbous moon inexorably creeping toward full again. A deep breath of freedom is a bad idea as she gets a strong whiff of relatively fresh urine, but she's not sure if it's human or animal. She shakes off her trepidation and goes to turn left and head down the sidewalk when a shadowy figure suddenly looms in front of her. She shrieks and stumbles as she tries to back away, batting at the hands grabbing for her.
"Let go of me, asshole!"
"Simmy, stop! It's me!"
That gives her pause, and she squints at the face hidden in the hoodie. "Kelly? What the hell?"
"Watch your language, little sister."
Simone yanks her arms free and takes a successful step back. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were at Molly's for a sleepover? And that reminds me, who's Molly?"
"A sleepover?" Kelly asks, rolling her eyes and looking every bit the cocky sixteen-year-old she is, then pushes the hood off her head. "I'm a little old for that, don't you think?"
"Whatever. That doesn't answer my question."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Kelly stares at Simone for a long moment, one eyebrow quirked up in obvious challenge.
"Ugh! I'm almost fourteen, Kel. I don't need a damned" - she flushes when Kelly's other eyebrow shoots up - "dang babysitter. You were sneaking out by yourself way younger than I am."
"Yeah, but I had people sneaking out with me. I never ventured out on my own until recently. New York at night isn't exactly the safest place for girls our age."
"But-"
"So where we going?"
Simone shakes her head violently. "No! This is my adventure. I don't need you tagging along."
That makes Kelly laugh loudly, head thrown back to let the sound echo off the surrounding buildings. "Oh, Simmy, you're hilarious. We go together, or I call Mom and have her come down here to go with us. It's up to you."
They have an intense stare down for a couple of minutes before Simone finally breaks and sullenly mutters, "I hate you."
"No, you don't. Secretly you love the fact that I'm here to be your wingman and keep you safe. So…"
"I was just gonna hit the 7-Eleven and get a Slurpee and some jerky, then go up the fire escape to the roof to eat it."
"Good! I hope you have enough money to cover both of us. I'm hungry."