"Hey, sorry I'm late!" Cosima slid the heavily weighted door shut behind her, dropping her oversized purse to the ground before securing Felix's screwdriver in place. Alison rolled her eyes as she continued setting the coffee table as best she could, while Tony occasionally nudged a piece of silverware out of its place, earning a glare each time he leaned forward. Felix looked up from his place in the kitchen, pouring wine generously into several glasses before shaking his head.
"As if it's unexpected," Rachel murmured from her place in the corner, one arm wrapped around her torso, the other bent at the elbow and resting against its twin, keeping her goblet close to her lips as she looked over Felix's latest pieces with a critical eye. "Were you to be on time for one of our dinners, it would be cause for alarm. Your tardiness, however irksome, is anticipated."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Rach." The blonde inhaled sharply at the confident ease with which Cosima butchered her name, but said nothing, refusing to allow the nickname to burrow beneath her skin.
"That's what sisters are for, right Rach?" Sarah parroted, a bemused, if lopsided smile playing against her lips as she emphasized the last word of her sentence. She crossed the loft to pull Cosima into a tight hug before releasing her so she could settle on the floor next to Tony who nudged the dreadlocked brunette's shoulder with his own, grinning widely as the bubble of tension in the room enlarged.
A wicked smirk colored Beth's features as she leaned back against the cushions of the couch, making herself more comfortable for the hopefully impending blowup between the two. "You're damn right."
Alison noticed how Rachel's hold on her anger was waning, and quickly, so settling the last of the dishes onto the low table, she straightened up, intent on swiftly changing the subject. "Aren't we supposed to be interrogating Cosima on her relationship, rather than the one we all share?"
"I am not in a relationship." The rebuttal was almost immediate as the eldest woman scowled, any hope that she could avoid this discussion immediately dissipating. "I'm not," she insisted, meeting each identical face in turn, noting the expressions of amusement and disbelief.
"Geek-monkey-sestra has a new woman-friend?"
"Geek-monkey-sestra does not," she grumbled, burying her face into Tony's shoulder despite being able to feel his chuckles against her cheek. "Delphine and I are just friends." Alison scoffed lightly as she headed toward the kitchen, removing a large pan of lasagna from the oven and beginning to cut it into what she deemed appropriate serving portions.
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Beth chuckled, the glare she received well worth the offhanded comment she'd delivered. "I'll have to talk to Kira about that."
Tony grinned, recalling the photo Sarah had showed them earlier from the high school's faculty page. "She's hot, Cos. I wouldn't mind being just friends with her."
She pulled away from her brother's shoulder, slapping his bicep before covering her forehead with both hands, her elbow digging into her knees. "I hate all of you, seriously."
"Aw, c'mon Cos. We were just messin' around, yeah?" Sarah called from across the loft, taking two plates from Alison's hands when she was nudged rather roughly in the lower back by the suburbanite with the dishes. She slid the two portions in front of Cosima and Tony before tugging gently on one of her sister's dreadlocks, the action more affectionate than anything else. "Where'd your sense of humor go?"
"It's hiding in the closet with Delphine and her feelings, apparently enough," Beth automatically retorted, a flash of guilt ghosting her features not long after. She felt a light slap against her bicep and a clenched, distinctly disciplinarian whisper of Elizabeth, apologize float into her ear and the contrition built inside her chest before she murmured out a request for forgiveness.
Cosima's fingers itched desperately for the smoothness of rolling papers between them and Tony no doubt noticed her fidgeting, arching an eyebrow and patting his shirt pocket with a sly smile she immediately returned. Felix caught sight of the exchange while settling the last glasses of wine onto the coffee table, snapping his fingers in Rachel's direction to silent remind her that family dinner implied they'd all sit together. Her façade never breaking, clicking heels against the wooden floors of the loft gave away her relinquishment of control as she settled into an armchair, posture perfect as always. A vaguely uncomfortable silence washed over everyone as their forks scraped against Felix's mismatched china, with Cosima pushing her food around her plate more so than eating. She remained seated, her body language the definition of defeated until dinner was over and everyone, excluding Tony, seemed to be gathering their things. She offered to help with the dishes, silently pleading that no one would vocalize their notice of her atypical behavior and pleased when rather than fighting her, Felix's loft quickly cleared with called out goodbyes and a generous embrace from Sarah.
Tony nodded in the direction of the counter, waiting for Cosima to settle into one of the bar stools before lighting the end of the joint in his pocket and inhaling before passing it off. She exhaled harshly through her nostrils, relishing in the familiar lightheadedness that came with her first hit and allowing the buzz to filter through her limbs and loosen her tongue.
"She's never even kissed another woman," she finally murmured before taking another generous inhale, rolling her eyes depreciatively as she did.
"Like you've never turned a girl before Cos," Felix replied, his voice rising over the rushing water of the faucet. "This wouldn't be the first time."
Shrugging slightly, she twisted her head in the air, left, right, then left again as if willing her thoughts to settle within the confines of her brain. "Turning girls never ends well for me Fee," she supplied, her logical side winning out over her heart for the time being; she was finding it was much easier when she wasn't within arm reach of the blonde they were discussing. "I don't think I could take another straight girl hit to the heart, you know?"
"Maybe she's different," Tony offered, intent on keeping the flicker of hope alive in his sister's chest burning. Whispers of smoke escaped the corners of his mouth as he spoke before a steady stream was blown in Cosima's direction to remove her from her inner musings.
"Yeah, maybe."
Pouring over the order sheets spread across her desk, Cosima absentmindedly nibbled at the bag of pretzels leaning against her copy of On the Origin of Species. After a long weekend of over analytical thoughts countered by even more overzealous marijuana usage, she'd found that ignoring her feelings in favor of jumping headfirst into her lesson plans was more productive than considering Delphine's opinions on any possible conversational topic. She'd spent every free moment researching new hands-on activities for her students, toying with the litany of potential dissection animals, and working tirelessly on developing a solid thesis for her master's. Every neuron in her brain fired off biological processes and each synapse recited the structures of both animal and plant cells, interchangeably. So the knock on her door startled her fiercely, causing her muscles to tense violently before she called out a welcoming.
"Hey Auntie Cos," Kira called, pulling the door shut behind her as she entered the room. While her eyes were undeniably wide, pooling with innocence, the older woman noticed the minute tug at the corner of one side of the girl's mouth – an I'm-up-to-no-good-at-all smirk she no doubt inherited from her mother. "I've got a question." She hopped onto one of the desk tops, facing backwards and resting her elbows on her slightly parted knees, another characteristic Sarah had imprinted onto her daughter. Cosima flipped her supply magazine closed, marking her page before leaning back in her seat and arching an eyebrow in silent inquisition. "So, homecoming is next week, and we kind of don't have enough chaperones for the dance."
"Monkey, I know I'm not an English teacher, but I'm like, 99% sure that wasn't a question."
Rolling her eyes, Kira groaned, nearly unwilling to accept that she would have to ask outright and just as frustrated with her aunt's use of her childhood nickname, particularly in such a condescending tone, despite the teasing air of Cosima's words. "Would you chaperone the dance? I promised I'd have another faculty chaperone by the end of the day, and I really, really don't want to ask Aunt Ali."
Chuckling softly at her niece's attempts at portraying her as 'the cool aunt,' she nodded, accepting the responsibility despite wanting nothing more than to spend that Saturday night with a glass of red and a Discovery Channel documentary.
"Oh my god, you're the best," Kira squealed, quickly moving from her place at the desk to throw her arms around Cosima's neck, squeezing tightly as she rocked them back and forth. "Ms. Cormier is going to be so excited."
The older woman immediately pulled back, her hazel eyes narrowing in a thinly veiled air of annoyance. "Kira," she began warningly, though she was immediately and unceremoniously cut off.
"It's not my fault, I swear!" Her hands flew into the air in a stance of submissiveness as she fumbled around her words, completely aware of her aunt's temper, having seen her mother catch the brunt end of it more than once in her adolescent life. "I mentioned at the student council meeting that you were my aunt, and the president said it would be perfect, because Ms. Cormier had already volunteered." Cosima's forehead fell into her hands as she shook her head lightly. "I mean, she's a senior, Auntie Cos. I couldn't exactly tell her 'no,' could I? Then they all started talking about how you guys would make the cutest couple, and how Ms. Cormier is totally into you, and I mean –"
"Kira, just stop. You are so not helping right now." The young woman visibly deflated but nodded, her hands dropping to her sides before awkwardly wedging themselves in her pockets. "I'll still do this, but next time, no surprises or sneak attacks or secrets, okay?"
Kira's head bobbed a second time, feeling the tension coming off of her aunt in waves dissipating. She hesitantly pulled a packet of information from her backpack and placed it on the corner of the large wooden desk separating them before quickly turning on her heel and racing back into the hallway. Her niece's speedy retreat piqued her interest, and with her thumb and forefinger, Cosima flipped the packet open, hazel eyes flickering over the schedule for the week. She rubbed at her temples, hoping the motion would sooth her impending migraine as she noticed each and every activity required her to be in extremely close proximity to the one person she was avoiding like the plague.
"Shit."
AN: As almost always, I'm sorry for the brevity of this chapter and for the wait between updates (and the distinct lack of Cophine interaction), but I need your help for the next few chapters. I'm currently brainstorming homecoming week activity ideas, and I'd love to have your input.
Obviously, there will be the football game, as well as the dance, but any ideas you have for dress up days, performances, inter-class competitions (hallway decorations, talent shows, etc.) are obvs appreciated. :) So, let me know what you thought of this chapter, and give me any ideas if you have them!