Estelle awoke to the soft brush of fingertips trailing down her side, over her hip, and back up again. She smiled drowsily, squirming a little when the delicate pressure became a tickle as it passed over her ribcage.

"Happy birthday beautiful," Sebastian murmured as he pressed a line of kisses along the exposed side of her neck.

She hummed with pleasure, thoroughly enjoying this brand of alarm clock. "Mm, thanks," she said, rubbing her bleary eyes in a failed attempt to make out the numbers on her phone display. "What time is it?"

"It's 8:00."

"8:00?" she repeated, disbelief evident in her voice as she rolled over to look at him. "Why are you up this early? And dressed?" she added, glancing at his hoodie.

He grinned. "Go in the living room and find out."

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him, Estelle did as she was told, throwing on an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. Running her hands through her hopeless bedhead, she decided to just throw it up in a messy bun rather than putting in the effort to brush the tangles out. It was her birthday, dammit, she didn't have to look presentable until at least 10.

Curiosity having chased away her grogginess, she eagerly opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the living room. The moment her foot crossed the threshold a distorted guitar version of Happy Birthday kicked off, and she couldn't help but laugh. Fuckin' Sam.

He and Natalie were standing by the coffee table, clearly waiting for her to emerge. An idle part of her brain wondered what Seb would have said if she'd refused to get out of bed. That's probably why he woke her so sweetly, the slick bastard. He knew she wouldn't deny him like that. Always one step ahead of her.

"Happy birthdayyyy!" Nat squealed, rushing her for a hug as the last note of the song rang out.

"Thanks," she replied, returning the enthusiastic squeeze, and the one from Sam immediately after. As Sam pulled away, she noticed a conspicuous red cardboard box sitting on the coffee table and looked between them in disbelief.

"No fuckin' way! You guys got Lila's?" she gushed excitedly, stepping over to the table and peering into the clear plastic lid. Rows of varied pastries stared back at her, and her stomach immediately rumbled in anticipation. Lila's was widely recognized as the best bakery in Zuzu, with people lining up every morning before the doors even opened in the hopes of getting their favorite confection.

"And cruellers? They sell out of these by 7 on slow days!"

"Which is why Seb got in line at 5:30," Natalie pointed out, sending a look of approval in his direction.

Estelle turned around to see Sebastian sticking his hands in his hoodie pockets, a little smile on his face as he shrugged. "You said they're your favorite."

"They are, but you didn't have to do all that," she said, crossing the space and kissing him full on the lips. "Thank you so much."

His cheeks took on a hint of pink as she pulled back, making him look so ridiculously adorable that Estelle would have kissed him again had Sam not interrupted.

"Okay well I'm starving and these smell amazing and we need to eat like right now," he said, staring at the box longingly.

She couldn't argue that, so Estelle flopped down onto the couch, choosing an oversized pastry from the box and settling in for the pure sugar bliss to follow.

By the time they were done, a baker's dozen pastries had been demolished, along with an entire pot of coffee and their general will to move. The four friends were sprawled out on the couches, watching game show reruns and regretting their life choices as the fatty treats descended upon their digestive systems.

"I can literally sense my heart slowing down," Natalie lamented. "Can you feel diabetes starting?"

"You only had two Nat," Estelle reminded her.

"Yeah, but they were as big as my face."

"If anyone's getting diabetes, it's Sam," Sebastian added, glancing over at his friend, who was currently plucking a stray crumb from the box and popping it into his mouth.

He looked up defensively. "What? I'm a big guy."

"You ate five dude."

"And I'd do it again. So, what's the plan for today?" he said, glancing at Estelle.

"I wouldn't mind just chilling here to be honest. At least until I can breathe again," she said with a slight grimace. Dammit Lila's.

Sebastian's phone began to ring, and he pulled it out of his pocket to check the display. "I swear only mothers call instead of text..." he grumbled, pressing Accept.

"Hi Mom."
"Good."
"Nope."

"Yeah..." he trailed off, looking up at Estelle. She quirked an eyebrow and he rolled his eyes. "Hang on."

Sebastian held the phone out to her and she suppressed a smile as she accepted it. "Hey Robin."

"Hi honey! Happy birthday!"

"Thanks. I feel every minute of my advanced age."

Robin snorted. "You're not allowed to complain 'til you're plucking silver hairs out of your chin. So! How are all of you? What have you been up to? Sebby doesn't tell me anything," she complained, and Estelle could practically hear her exasperated frown over the line.

"We're all good here. Just ate our weight in donuts and now we're deciding what to get into today." She noticed movement from the corner of her eye, and looked up to see Natalie and Sam heading into their bedroom. Well, looks like they decided.

"How is everyone in town?"

"Oh, you know, not much changes around here. Maru's been asking me to convert Sebby's bedroom into a workshop for her, but I wasn't sure if he was going to be staying with you or not..."

Estelle bit her lip to keep from laughing at Robin's not-so-subtle dig for information. "I think you're pretty safe to go for it Robin."

"So you two worked everything out then?" she asked hopefully.

Estelle wasn't sure how much Robin knew about the issues they'd needed to work out, but she suspected motherly intuition had given her a pretty good guess. Obviously Seb hadn't told his mom that they were together now, which wasn't a huge surprise considering how private he was. She didn't want to spill if he wasn't ready to, so she just went with the bare minimum for now.

"Yeah. We're good."

Robin immediately perked up. "Oh honey, I'm so glad. I was so worried and...well, either way, I'm just happy to hear everything is going well."

"Me too," she replied with a smile.

"Alright well I won't hold you up any longer. Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. I hope you guys have fun tonight! And be safe!"

"Thanks Robin, we will."

"Good. Can you put Sebby back on for a minute?"

Estelle handed the phone back to Sebastian. After a solid 30 seconds of Robin rambling without him getting a word in edgewise, he finally gave a long-suffering sigh of resignation, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

"Yeah Mom. We're dating now."

He pulled the phone back from his ear as the pitch and volume of his mother's voice instantly skyrocketed. Though Estelle couldn't help but laugh, inside she was shrieking right along with her. While common sense said that they were together, and he hadn't argued when she called him her boyfriend the other day, he'd never put the name on it himself before.

It felt so good to hear.

"Okay. I'm glad. I gotta go. Love you too."

He hurriedly pressed the End Call button before she could say anything else, and looked up to meet Estelle's incredibly pleased expression.

"What?"

"Dating, huh?"

He shrugged, but the corner of his mouth turned up anyway. "Is that okay?"

Estelle leaned in and pressed her lips to his. "Definitely okay."

Maru walked into the kitchen utterly exhausted, barely sparing her mother a glance as she made a beeline for the coffee pot. She'd picked up two winter classes to better position herself for the upcoming spring semester, and naturally they both had papers due in the same week. Between studying, writing, and working at the clinic, adequate sleep was a luxury she didn't have time for lately. Enter caffeine.

After a spoon of sugar and cream, Maru brought the cup to her lips and allowed her eyes to briefly close as the sweet warmth spread through her. Before she realized what was happening, her head began to droop, until…

"AAAAHHHH SEBBY THAT'S SO GREAT I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" Robin squealed into the phone, violently jolting Maru back into consciousness. Whirling around to meet her mother's gaze, she stared in dazed confusion until the pieces eventually clicked together in her sluggish brain.

So, Seb and Estelle finally hooked up. Good for them. Maybe now he would stop being such an edgelord.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited! Okay. I love you!"

Robin hung up the phone, her grin wider than the cheshire cat's – and only slightly less feral. "Sebby and Estelle are dating!" she announced brightly.

"Color me shocked," Maru deadpanned, lifting her mug to hide the smile playing at her lips. Weirdly enough, now that Seb was gone she occasionally found herself adopting some of his mannerisms. It was like the house just didn't feel right without someone being a sarcastic little shit, and she felt compelled to pick up the slack. Maybe that meant she missed him.

"Oh ha ha," Robin retorted, though her smile didn't waver. "I can't wait until they're back in town. We're going to have a big family dinner, pumpkin soup and yeast rolls!"

"Planning to lull Seb into complacency with his favorite food, then bust out the embarrassing childhood photos?"

"Exactly. Invite Penny over too, we'll make a party of it."

The two of them shared a laugh, imagining how Sebastian would react. Maru could practically feel his mortified irritation just thinking about it. Estelle would think it was funny, and he'd eventually cave to her smile, rolling his eyes and pouting but never crossing over into actual anger. She was good for him that way – she calmed him down, suppressed that angst and negativity that had caused him to lash out so much before she came into his life. Everyone saw it, and everyone who cared about him was thankful for it.

Well, except for one person.

"That's an awful lot of laughter for this early in the morning," Demetrius said, eyebrows raised as he walked into the kitchen. "What did I miss?"

Maru glanced at her mother, wondering how she was going to play this. She wouldn't lie to him outright, but Robin wasn't against keeping secrets when it was prudent. And considering her dad's stance on both Sebastian and Estelle individually, staying quiet about them being a couple was pretty much the definition of prudent.

Demetrius hadn't asked about Sebastian at all since he moved out – not even when he'd had his breakdown, or when the news about Abigail's bullshit spread around town. It was like he'd washed his hands of him entirely. Like he was pretending Seb never existed in the first place.

It was fucked up.

"I just got off the phone with Sebby," Robin said, watching her husband for any sign of a reaction.

Demetrius made a noncommittal grunt as he walked towards the fridge and pulled the door open. Maru could practically feel the temperature of the room drop as the silence stretched on, Robin's gaze boring into his back and hardening further every second he failed to acknowledge her.

Maru considered just walking away. Their marriage wasn't her business, this wasn't her fight, and she had enough on her plate without getting in the middle of this mess. But something compelled her to stay – maybe because she knew how badly her mom was hurting, or felt some loyalty to her brother, or maybe just flat out morbid curiosity. Either way, when she saw Robin's lips twist into an antagonistic smile, Maru simply took another sip of her coffee and settled in for the ride.

"He told me he and Estelle are dating now. I can't wait to have them over for dinner when they're back in town."

The sounds of food shifting around in the refrigerator came to a sudden stop. Maru didn't miss how Robin's smile grew by a hair as Demetrius slowly turned around to face her.

"Excuse me?"

"Dinner. I'm thinking pumpkin soup. It's his favorite."

The two of them stared at each other for a prolonged moment, Demetrius with indignant disbelief and Robin in open challenge.

"We've already agreed that Estelle is not welcome in this house," he said slowly.

"You declaring it doesn't mean we agreed. If you'll recall I was against banning her from the house even before they were together."

Demetrius took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was fighting off a headache. Maru couldn't help but wonder if that's how he thought of Sebastian in general – a headache, a mild annoyance he couldn't seem to get rid of. A year ago she would have never considered that of her father, but...well, he'd more than proven his capacity for pettiness lately.

"If Sebastian is foolish enough to get involved with that transgressive girl then so be it, but I refuse to allow her free reign to influence my daughter."

"So if Estelle is such bad news, why is the standard for Maru higher than the one for Sebastian? Why is Maru 'your daughter', but Sebastian can go fuck himself?" Robin spat, eyes glinting dangerously.

"Like it or not, our kids are grown enough to decide who they want to be with. Maru wants to be with Penny. Sebastian wants to be with Estelle. Two lovely girls who make our kids happy – what more could a parent ask for than that?"

Demetrius' eyebrows furrowed, shaking his head. "Them being nice isn't enough Robin. Estelle is an unstable alcoholic with seemingly no goals or ambition whatsoever. Penny is one bad month away from being homeless, and will never be able to give Maru the family she deserves. How can you expect me to just accept all of that simply because they're nice?"

Maru's blood was boiling. Estelle aside, how dare he speak that way about Penny? It was one thing for him to struggle with accepting that she was gay, it was another for him to tear down the woman she loved, to reduce her to nothing but trailer trash. She was so much more than that. She was the most compassionate, patient, loving person Maru had ever met, and fuck him if he couldn't see that.

Hands shaking with anger, Maru opened her mouth to tell him as much, but Robin got there first.

"I have overlooked a lot in the interest of keeping the peace over the years – but you know what, I'm done," she began quietly, each word like ice falling from her lips. "I am done with the double standards and the intolerance and the absolute bullshit Demetrius. Maru is gay. Sebastian is finding his place in the world. They are both amazing, beautiful people and you are either going to start being a supportive father to both of them, or you will get the hell out of my house. Do I make myself clear?"

Maru stared wide-eyed between her parents, caught between admiration for her mother and horrified trepidation at the thought of them splitting up over her and Sebastian. Dad was blind and stubborn, but Yoba...had it really come to this?

After a long pause, Demetrius exhaled loudly. "I understand," he said. "I'll...think about what you've said."

"Good."

"I feel underdressed," Estelle lamented, eyeing the interior of the restaurant from where they'd posted up at the bar while they waited for their table. When he said he was taking her out for dinner, she hadn't expected somewhere quite this upscale. Her simple cocktail dress felt woefully out of place around women wearing bracelets worth more than her house.

Sebastian snorted. "You feel underdressed?"

She glanced at his untucked button-down and grinned. "I don't know what you're talking about. You look super hot."

He rolled his eyes, but the flush of his cheeks gave him away. She wasn't just flattering him – there was something about that casually dressed-up look that really did it for her. Especially on him, the dude who wore a hoodie every waking moment of his life. It made it so much more special, knowing the effort he was putting in for her.

Estelle couldn't resist the urge to lean over and plant a kiss on that charmingly pink skin. When she pulled back though, she was surprised to find he wasn't looking at her, or down in embarrassment – he was looking straight ahead, an odd little smile on his face. Curious, she turned to follow his gaze – and came face to face with herself.

Well, both of them. The wall behind the bar was made entirely of angled mirrors and neon lights, and the effect was striking. It felt more like they were looking at a couple across the room rather than at their own reflection.

"You know, we look really good together," she said, her own lips curling up as she caught his eye in the mirror.

"I was just thinking that. Though you're carrying the team," he replied playfully, turning to face her again. Estelle took his chin in her hand and gently guided his attention back to their reflection once again, letting her head fall onto his shoulder.

"Not like that," she argued. "Not you plus me. Us."

She saw something flash through his eyes as he tilted his head to rest against hers, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. Her ass was halfway off of the bar stool, but she didn't care. There was a magic to this moment, feeling the warmth of his body against hers, gazing at the undeniable evidence of their love before her. It was written all over their faces.

She never imagined it could be like this.

Sebastian's phone began to vibrate on the bar, breaking the silence with the notification that their table was ready. Unwilling to let go of that feeling, Estelle caught his hand as it slipped away from her waist, threading her fingers through his.

He smiled, bringing their joined hands to his lips and lightly kissing her fingertips. "You ready to get your sushi on?"

"They're going to be adding tuna to the endangered species list by the time we leave."

Estelle typically sat at the bar when she went out for sushi, preferring to chat up the chef and enjoy the surprise and delight of omakase, but she was actually relieved when the hostess led them to a table tucked in a quiet corner of the restaurant. This suited Sebastian better, and she could appreciate the intimacy. Paired with the sleek wood décor and low lighting, it all felt incredibly romantic.

Estelle had never been to this particular restaurant before – her ex didn't do sushi, and without his wallet she could never afford such extravagance. Speaking of which...

"Sooo not to be that guy, but how exactly are we paying for this place?" she asked, taking in the opulence around them. "Did you become independently wealthy at some point without telling me?"

"Don't worry about it," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It's your birthday. I wanted to take you somewhere nice."

"I was just curious, in case I need to get ready to run when the check comes."

"I'll give you time to kick your heels off first," he said with a grin. "Besides, I've owed you this date for a long time. Have to make it worth the wait."

Estelle's eyebrow raised questioningly, and he shrugged. "I mean, I asked you like six months ago."

She stared at him blankly before it clicked. That day she walked in on him working on his bike, he'd asked her to get sushi with him. Except…

"If I recall correctly, you were very adamant that your offer was not a date."

"Only because I never dreamed you'd say yes."

Estelle hummed in amusement. "And look at you now. Went from denying me a date to telling your mom we're a thing."

"Yeah well, you know Mom. She's been up my ass trying to get it out of me since the day we left."

"I see where your stubbornness comes from," Estelle agreed with a laugh. "I miss her."

As soon as the words were spoken, Estelle felt a pang of emptiness in her stomach. She missed her a lot. She missed Shane, Jodi, Maru...all of them. She missed her house, and her cat, and lazy days spent fishing or laying on the beach or watching movies with Seb in their living room. She missed the life she had chosen for herself.

She had needed this time away from it all to get her head on straight, and it had worked. Their stay in Zuzu had been great. Yet...

"Seb...will you go home with me?"

Caroline pulled the casserole out of the oven, eyeing the overcooked topping with a frown. She only stepped out for a few minutes, but naturally that was long enough for Pierre to let the food burn. "Keep an eye on the casserole" she'd said. What a joke.

"Abigail! Dinner's ready!" she called, scraping the top layer into the trash. "Pierre! Come eat!"

When no response came from either of them, her voice took a harder edge. She was not in the mood for their shit today. "Food is done! Eat or starve, I don't care!"

Caroline was scooping a portion for herself when she heard Abby's door open, heavy footsteps clumping down the hall. Caroline frowned when she saw her boots scuffing the floor, but kept her displeasure to herself. The extra cleaning was the least of her issues with her daughter at the moment.

Pierre found his way to the kitchen moments later, his face flushed all the way down his neck and disappearing into the collar of his shirt. Well, that explains the burnt casserole. She should have known better – every spare moment he got was spent jerking off to porn on that tablet he'd insisted on buying. For "reading e-books", because somehow he thought that was a believable excuse.

Whatever. If he was fucking himself, she didn't have to fuck him. A blessing.

They ate in the cold silence most family meals offered these days. Caroline wanted nothing to do with Pierre, Pierre wanted nothing to do with Abigail, and Abigail wanted nothing to do with either of them. It made for very little conversation at the dinner table.

Everything had gone to hell ever since Abby found out about her real father a few years back. Almost overnight she'd gone from an excitable little pixie to a backtalking, ungrateful, melodramatic brat with newfound daddy issues. Caroline had expected some level of teenage rebellion, but the reality of it was exhausting beyond belief.

Of course, Abigail's decision to befriend Robin and Jodi's little delinquents around that time exacerbated the issue. Speaking of…

"Jodi told me her son was coming home next week," Caroline stated matter-of-factly, taking a sip of her water.

"Oh?" Pierre replied boredly, not even bothering to look up from his plate. "Will Sebastian be back too?"

Caroline suppressed the exasperated sigh that bubbled up in her chest. The only reason that idiot cared if Sebastian came back was so he could buy more weed off of the kid. "Yes. And Estelle, apparently."

Pierre's eyebrows furrowed. "Didn't she leave for a job? That's the problem with kids today – no work ethic. These cell phones have them trained with the attention span of a gnat, no gumption to see things through 'til the end..."

He continued his rambling critique of the younger generations, but Caroline had stopped listening. She was looking at her scowling daughter instead, who was intently focused on moving the noodles around her plate without bringing them to her mouth.

It honestly hurt to see her little girl upset, but...well, Abby wasn't a little girl anymore. She was calculating and manipulative, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goals.

Just like her mother.

"I don't care what issues you have with that girl, but I won't tolerate any more incidents like the one last month, understand?" Caroline said sternly.

"It's none of your business, so piss off," Abby growled in response.

"No, you made it my business. I stuck up for you, I spread your little rumors, I backed you up because you played your pity card saying you missed Sebastian. Then you go and do something as absolutely idiotic as faking a pregnancy, and who does that reflect back on? Me."

Abigail shot her a piercing glare. "Right, I forgot, your reputation is more important to you than you own daughter."

"You'd do well to think a little more about your own reputation. Have your stupid fights with the new girl all you want, but you took it too far. There are 40 people in this town and more than half of them think you're a degenerate now."

"I don't give a shit what people think about me."

"Well I do. So get your act together and fix this, or find somewhere else to live."

Abigail stared at her mother in open-mouthed shock. "Are you kidding me? You're kicking me out over some fucking gossip?"

Caroline's eyes softened slightly. As absolutely infuriating and disrespectful as Abigail could be, she was still her only child. "I'm not kicking you out. I'm offering you what you always said you wanted – to get out of Pelican Town. Go live in the dorms again, or get an apartment near the university."

"If I had the money to do that, I'd be gone already," she scoffed.

"I'll handle the money."

Caroline noticed Pierre shooting her a hard look, but she ignored it. He'd never complained when she went to Rasmodius for the money to keep his store running, so he had no room to argue now. If he took issue with her methods for acquiring it, well he could go suck the wizard off himself then.

You do what you need to do to make it in this world. As she looked into her daughter's eyes, she knew that Abby understood that. When she grew out of her childish flights of fancy, she was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Caroline smiled, and to her surprise and delight, Abigail smiled back.

[A/N: I'm SO SO SORRY this took such a long time to upload. Life has been hard. I will be better. Love to you all! 3 ]