Fireflies, Part One: Flitter By


Alex knew deep down that the relationship he had with Sabina was no longer working. It wasn't like he had a lot of experience, to be sure. But the 'spark,' the flirtation, and the general happiness at seeing each other had been gone ever since he had moved in. Alex wasn't quite sure when their relationship had gone south, but he knew that it was probably breakup time. What he felt for her was still love, but it didn't have the same rush as when they had begun dating. "Hey, Sabina? Can I talk to you for a minute upstairs?"

Alex had deliberately waited for a moment when both of her parents would be home to comfort her. It wasn't like he was trying to be cruel. Sabina followed him upstairs. "What's this about, Alex?"

Alex hesitated. "How...do you feel about our relationship, Sabina? Please be honest with me."

Sabina bit her lip. "I...It's not working, is it?"

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God. I was going to say the same thing. You're not a bad woman or even a bad girlfriend. I'm just not feeling it anymore."

Sabina nodded and teared up. "Friends?"

Alex opened his arms for her. She embraced him. "Friends."

Alex held her for a bit while she sniffled a bit and then quieted down. "Are you going to be alright, Sabina?"

Alex felt her nod rather than say anything. "Yeah."

The woman in his arms pulled away. Alex offered his hand. She took it and they went back downstairs. "Are you still playing that awful Nancy Drew game?"

Sabina huffed. "Yes. And I refuse to hear a word against it!"

Alex grinned. "I'll even play it with you, for now."

Sabina lightly whacked him. "I'll appreciate your sacrifice."

She paused. "What are we going to tell my parents?"

Alex shrugged. "That depends. Do you still want me around?"

Sabina did smack him. Hard. "Of course, I still want you around! You saved my life! You saved my dad's life!"

Alex rubbed the back of his neck. "It was the least I could do after I endangered it in the first place."

Sabina glared. "Did you pay Yassen to kidnap me?"

Alex sighed. "No."

Sabina fixed him with another look. "Did you tell the criminals to kidnap me?"

Alex sighed again. "Well, no."

Sabina glared at him. "Then, it's not your fault that the loonies decided to kidnap me."

Alex gave her a half-smile. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Sabina huffed. "I think I'll handle talking to my parents. You'll just mess it up."

Alex felt a small smile appear as he watched her flip her hair and stalk towards her parents.


It had taken Alex quite a few months to begin trusting any of the new people he'd met at Sabina's school. Being a spy did that. This was one of the first times he'd invited people. Well, one person. Molly. Sure, Sabina invited people over, but that was different. Molly rang the doorbell at exactly three in the afternoon. Alex grinned and opened the door. "So, how do you feel about Pokémon?"

Molly smiled back at him. "Oooh, which ones do you have?"

Alex retorted. "You think I'm letting my vintage GameBoy games out in the sunlight? Get in here."

Molly giggled. "My bad, Mr. Gamer Nerd."

Alex shut the door behind her. "You bet."

Molly stepped into the living room. Alex had made a snack plate and set out various sugary drink options and, shudder, ice for Molly. Molly sat down on the couch and stared at the tray. "Snacks?"

Alex grinned. "They're not there for decoration, Molly."

Molly rolled her eyes and went straight for the chocolate. Not that Alex blamed her. Chocolate was amazing. Alex decided to break out the coke. Molly arched a brow. "No Mountain Dew?"

Alex laughed. "Look, I try not to be a walking stereotype. Besides, it's almost the exact color of piss."

Molly rolled her eyes. "So is lemon cake."

Alex huffed playfully. "That's different. Lemon cake is solid."

Molly just shook her head. "So, gaming?"

Alex pulled out his (sadly, non-Smithers) GameBoy. Sabina had graciously lent her out for the occasion. Molly went through the cartridges. Alex watched as she picked out Pokémon Ruby. "Nice, you have my favorite."

Alex grinned. "Heathen."

Molly scoffed at him. "Ruby is a perfectly good game."

Alex crossed his arms. "I'm a Pokémon Yellow kind of guy."

Molly ate another few M&Ms. And then stole a few of Alex's. "Taxation time."

Alex made a pained noise in the back of his throat. "Robbery! Thievery!"

Molly laughed at him. She then decided to start playing on Sabina's GameBoy. "I've always wanted to play on this."

Alex gave her a knowing look. "It's always more fun when it's not your device, huh?"

Molly nodded. "Yup. Just like stolen snacks always taste better."

Alex grinned. "Remind me to tell you about the time I conned Tom out of a whole month's worth of fruit snacks."

Molly snorted. "Did you?"

Alex huffed. "So little faith in my conning abilities. You can call him if you want to hear the rant."

Molly's eyes danced with mirth. "Maybe if I'm having a slow day."

Alex grabbed Pokémon Yellow out of the stack of cartridges. This was going to be fun. Nice, normal, wholesome fun. They looked at each other. Alex switched on his GameBoy first. "Let's go!"

After they played games in silence for a while, Alex spoke up. "So, I heard a rumor that you almost passed out in Biology again."

Molly sighed. "I'm squeamish, okay. Anything to do with blood, gore, or dissections freaks me out."

Alex shrugged. "It happens. If you need diagrams or something, I can print them online."

Molly favored him with a slight upturn of her lips. "That's nice of you."

They played more video games and talked for the good part of the afternoon and evening.


There had been a somewhat awkward peace around the house for a few weeks. Alex had decided to give Sabina her space. She had already been asked out by several boys her age but had declined. Alex had been a little grateful about that. It would probably take a few more weeks for things to stop being awkward. Sabina had been trying to make sure people included him in study groups and her social activities. She could probably tell that he was feeling a bit down after their breakup. Alex knew that she was trying to help, despite the awkwardness she probably felt as well. Sabina's friend Molly had also been inching towards him. She could just be being nice, he supposed. "Do you need help with the math homework?"

The redhead was smiling at him. "That would be nice. Biology is killing you again, Molly?"

She pouted at him. "You know me so well. How do you know so much about biology anyway?"

Alex felt his lips twitch. "You know me. Weirdly specific facts. It's like my memory picks the weird stuff to remember."

Molly inched closer to him. "Thank you so much."

Alex gave her a warm look. "Thank you for helping me with maths."

Molly's glasses fell off her nose. Alex caught them before they hit the floor. That was the third time that day that they slipped off. "Do you want me to tighten your glasses frames in the woodshop tomorrow?"

Molly blushed. "That would be nice, thank you."

Alex grinned. "You're welcome."

Sabina walked over to them. "Losing your glasses again, Molly?"

Alex got a distinct impression that this had been a common occurrence even before they showed up. Molly huffed. "They've been falling off ever since I lost ten pounds on my diet, but my parents won't take me to get them tightened."

Sabina patted her on the shoulder. "There, there."

Molly sighed theatrically. "At least Alex offered to help."

Sabina smiled. "Alex is nice like that."

She moved on, leaving them together. Molly beamed at her back. "Sabina's always been nice."

Alex smiled softly. "She always has been to me. Aside from some light teasing."

Molly grinned. "You're taking the breakup well."

Alex sighed. "Sabina's a nice woman, but I think we both figured out that she's not the woman for me and I'm not the man for her."

Molly nodded. "You should hear about some of the other school drama."

Alex felt his lips twitch. He would never admit it, but he loved hearing the gossip, even if it was regular school instead of assassin school. "School drama?"

Molly rolled her eyes. "Oh, my God, you're oblivious."

Alex pouted. "Why don't you catch me up then?"

Suddenly, he didn't mind that not much actual homework was getting done in this study session. Time was called and they still hadn't done their work. "So, I heard that a Spring Festival is coming up. The theme is fairies. Who's in, besides Alex and I?"

There were murmurs all around. Molly raised her hand. "I'm going."

A few people had other things, but Alex figured a group of six was decent enough.


Sabina had asked him to paint on her glitter wings for the festival. Apparently, he was the only one with the patience to do it. Alex stared at her almost bare back and the YouTube tutorial. Sabina had told him that it was okay if he messed up, but Alex was going to try to do things right the first time. The silver, blue, and gold would likely pair well with her dress. Alex hit the play button on the video. "To start with, make sure the skin is clean, dry, and preferably hairless..."

Alex didn't think they had any issues there. Alex gently brushed Sabina's hair aside and dipped the brush into the liquid silver glitter glue. This would probably take a while, but he could be patient. Alex noticed that as he painted more and more details onto Sabina's back that he felt less and less awkward around her. This was nice, quiet, quality time. "Now, make sure you clean the brushes before we switch colors…"

Alex paused the video and got up. Stretching out his neck and back. "If you want to go to the bathroom, this is probably a good time. Just make sure nothing touches your back."

Sabina smiled. "I'm going to peek."

Alex rolled his eyes. "So impatient."

Sabina went off to the bathroom with a full-length mirror while Alex went to the kitchen to wash the brushes. This was actually kind of nice. "Oh my God! It's beautiful!"

Alex nearly jumped at the squeal but was glad she liked the wings so far. Sabina came out beaming. "I can't wait to show everyone!"

Alex grinned. "Good, you'll take the attention off me."

Sabina huffed. "I'm sure Molly will have eyes only for you."

Alex rolled his eyes. "And I'm sure Josh and Nathan won't unglue their pervy little eyes either."

Sabina giggled. Alex jokingly brandished the paintbrushes. "Are you ready to complete your makeover there, Maeve?"

Sabina rolled her eyes. "I'll allow it. And don't forget the glittery eye makeup I got both of us."

Alex shook his head. "I'm shocked Edward allowed it."

Ian would never have let him get it. "He's just glad I'm having fun instead of moping about."

That was probably fair, especially after the whole ordeal where she got kidnapped by terrorists. "Why don't we finish your wings, then?"

Sabina went back to being facedown. "Soooo…"

Alex felt his lips twitch. "So, what, Sab?"

Sabina rolled her eyes. "You and Molly."

Alex grinned. "Do you want to distract me while I paint your back?"

Sabina huffed. This was going to be an interesting two hours.


The festival was starting to be fun once he got to it. Alex had only reluctantly agreed to attend the thing in the first place, but he was glad when they saw their friends. Molly waved at him and then cooed over Sabina's back and his eyeshadow. "It looks so adorable! You match! Like siblings!"

Alex grinned. "I'm glad you like it, Molls."

Her red hair was in an elegant style pinned up onto her head. The glasses had been adorned with sequins. Alex thought she looked pretty cute. "The glasses are a nice touch."

Molly whacked him. "Let's see you talk my mom into getting me contacts, then."

Alex grinned. "I think it's adorable."

Molly took his offered hand. "That's alright, then."

Alex held her hand as they swept towards the carnival games. Sabina was in the lead. Alex and Molly were at the rear of the group. "Let's do a shooter."

Alex shook his head. "You know the sights on those are rigged, right?"

Sabina smirked. "Why don't you fix it and win Molly a stuffed bear, then?"

Alex smirked. "You're on, Sab."

Alex flounced up to the game with balloons with a grin on his face. "I want a go."

The man squinted. "You mean a turn?"

Alex blinked. Right, American English. "Yeah, sorry mate."

He handed him the box of ammunition and grunted. "Whenever you're ready."

Alex aimed the gun directly at the balloon. Naturally, the first shot missed, but it dragged low and to the right. He adjusted for that. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! The man scowled at him as Alex pointed to the giant purple bear. They quickly left that stand. Molly was delighted with her new meter-long stuffed animal. "THANK YOU!"

Alex was caught in a three-way hug with the bear and Molly. Her enthusiasm was contagious. "So, what's next?"

Sabina dragged them off to other carnival games. Alex decided to stay away from the shooters for a while. Carnies were not to be messed with, thank you very much. The next game was some sort of ring toss, which Alex lost miserably at. Molly had handed him her glasses and still done better than him. They headed for the rides. "Let's do that one!"

Alex stared at the one Molly was pointing at. It looked like some sort of alien-themed ride. It probably wouldn't trigger any traumatic memories. "Sure."

Molly ran for the line and Alex dashed after her.


It was quiet as the sun set on the carnival. Alex was feeling slightly nauseous from all of the crap food that they had eaten. To his horror, Molly loved fried Oreos and insisted he try them. "Here, I saved a few for you!"

They were surprisingly not puke-inducing, but Alex decided to be a gentleman and leave more for her. "Why don't you finish them, Molly?"

Molly grinned. "More for me!"

Alex wondered if now was an appropriate time for something a little more couple-y. Sabina was flirting with Nathan and Josh. Molly offered her hand. "Do you want to see the fireflies?"

Alex shrugged. "Sure."

Molly led him away from the lights of the carnival. It was quieter in the field. The shops had closed up before the sun had set and left a semi-bare and slightly trampled area. A glance told him that there weren't any other people in eyeshot. Molly's hand tightened on his. "So, did you have fun?"

Alex squeezed back. "I didn't think I was going to, but I did."

Molly stared at him. "Oh. I think I've accidentally led you on."

Alex felt a pang at that, but let it go. "It's alright. That's what I get for thinking I can read women and having expectations."

Molly pursed her lips. "I'm sorry. I'm a lesbian."

Alex felt a sense of relief. At least he knew it wasn't him being repulsively ugly. "You don't need to apologize for not being interested."

Molly sighed. "Sabina doesn't know. I tried telling my parents, but they turned awful towards me. That's when they stopped doing more than the bare minimum, you know. You're nice and I thought we could be friends and-"

Alex cut her off. "We can be friends, Molly."

She paused. "Do you mean it?"

Alex looked at her. "I mean it."

Molly leaned into him and started crying. Alex rubbed her back. "Would you be willing to be my fake boyfriend? Maybe if I come home with you and go back in the closet, my parents might love me again."

Alex felt his heart break at that statement. At least with his parents, there wasn't much way he could doubt them loving him. It wasn't world-saving. It would probably only impact maybe a dozen people, but Alex was willing to try to help her. "Are you sure? I'm not sure living a lie is going to be good for you in the long term."

Molly nodded. "I can't stand it anymore. My parents are being awful!"

Alex nodded. "Okay, we can always break up when one of us gets a girlfriend."

Molly smiled tearfully. "Thank you."

They stood in silence for a while. The fireflies came out in droves. Alex stared as the first few winked into his view. The bright green flashes did look like fairies. Molly's delighted face could light up the whole night. "Pretty, aren't they?"

Molly grinned. "They're my favorite, didn't you know?"

Alex grinned. "Want me to ruin it for you and tell you about how they light up?"

Molly smacked him upside his neck. "Don't you dare! You know I hate biology class."

Alex laughed as she whispered threats of a painful death at him. Molly's glasses chose that moment to fall down his shirt. Alex retrieved the glasses without fanfare. "Damn glasses."

Alex sighed. "The threading was kind of loose on the screws."

Molly sighed. "So, I need new frames."

Alex sighed. "We can glue the screws into place until your parents take you to the eye doctor."

Molly gave him a grateful look. "Thanks."

They returned to silence to watch the fireflies. Eventually, Sabina called them to tell them it was time to get back home. Molly's secret would be safe with him. They exchanged a look as she got out of the car. Alex made a mental note to look up subtle pieces of jewelry with the colors of the lesbian flag for her. It would be an inside joke between them. Living a lie came as naturally as breathing to Alex at this point. Besides, this time it was for an actual good cause. Molly deserved her parents' unconditional love, but Alex figured that this would be the next best thing. It would probably work. As Molly kissed his cheek to go back home, Alex felt more optimistic about his life for the first time in ages.


Fireflies, Part 2: Whispers


Alex had been wonderful. Molly almost wished she could fall in love with him. Her plan so far was to keep up the illusion until after her parents paid for her Bachelor's degree. Those were exceedingly expensive. Alex had agreed to keep up the charade for that time. She felt a stab of guilt at curtailing his ability to date. Alex had assured her it was fine. Speaking of the blonde, he was right in front of her. "Hello, Molls."

The face of an angel greeted her. If only he was a woman. "Alex."

Molly forced herself to smile. She had deleted texts from her secret girlfriend just moments before. Alex had shown her how to keep messages hidden from the parents that searched her phone nightly. "Still going okay?"

Molly smiled. "Yep. I'm glad to be graduating."

Left unsaid was that all of her colleges were at least a state away, to give her some semblance of freedom. Alex grinned. "I bet you are."

Molly rolled her eyes. "No pouting about me graduating before you?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "I know better than to argue with the valedictorian."

Molly gave him a playful nudge. "Don't go on about that."

Alex shrugged. "You've seen my GameBoy cartridges."

Molly felt herself smiling, despite everything else that was going on. "True. Excellent blackmail material."

Alex laughed. "I hate to break it to you, but everyone knows we're both insufferable nerds."

The bell rang, signaling ten minutes to homeroom. Alex offered her his arm and gently led Molly through the halls. Molly could almost pretend everything was okay. Her heart pounded with every look they got. She felt like a fraud that everyone was seeing through. Alex gave her a slight wink and shoulder squeeze before leaving her at the front of the homeroom classroom. "Have a nice day!" Molly managed a smile and waved at him. This was awful and it had nothing to do with Alex.


Alex was paranoid. He knew that one rumor too strong would ruin the whole illusion. It wasn't him who would take the fallout, either. In a way, espionage had been more tolerable because most of the time, if he fucked up, it was him who got the immediate physical consequences. As he walked off to the first period, he ran into Sabina. "How's it going with Josh?"

Sabina whacked him upside the head. "I'm going out with Justin."

Alex had made a point of screwing up the name of every person she went out with. He'd done the same with Jack. It was all good fun. Besides, Jack had once dated a man named River. It was legally obligated for brothers to make fun of landform names. "Same difference. They all last around three months anyway."

Sabina scowled at him. "Aleeeex."

Alex knew that his Cheshire grin had appeared. Sabina was wearing a very exasperated look. "What? You know I'm right. Besides, the last four had names that start with 'J,' can you blame a guy for getting confused?"

Sabina paused and thought about it with narrowed eyes that promised retribution. "Yes."

Alex clutched his chest dramatically as they continued down the halls. "You're killing me, Sab. My soul is dying."

Sabina shoved him into the classroom. He went with the shove, though he was far stronger than Sabina. She tossed her hair. Alex considered that a win as he made his way to his usual chair. The math teacher looked at him. "Alright there, Alex?"

The man seemed genuinely concerned about him. It had taken a while for Alex to get used to the idea that his public-school teachers cared again. Which hadn't helped him get less scrutiny. Then again, this was one of the teachers who had tutored him biweekly for a whole school year and daily during the summer. "Pretty good, Mr. W."

The man had a nice long German name that Alex could pronounce, but he wanted to be Mr. W to avoid the other students butchering his last name. "I heard your girlfriend was graduating. And your older sister."

Alex closed his fantasy book. He'd lost interest in Young Bond after living it. "Er, yeah."

The man cleared his throat. "Well, if you need someone to talk to or, um, you need an appointment with the school counselor-"

Alex would have laughed in the man's face but knew that Mr. W was entirely sincere. "I'm good for now, Mr. W, maybe it just hasn't hit yet, y'know."

The man nodded and made a move to start class. Alex thought that it was nice that someone cared. He cracked open the textbook. Alex was glad that he'd made it back to advanced math classes. Calculus was almost fun.


Molly knew her parents didn't believe her and Alex's act entirely. They had started going through her phone daily. She had a curfew of eight o'clock. There were three approved friends that she could go places with and do things with unchaperoned. They were suspicious of even Sabina. Molly wasn't sure when she'd started comparing her home to a prison cell. For God's sake. "Your phone, Molly."

Molly felt her heart jump and she began to tremble as her father searched through her phone. They did this every day after school. She was terrified that she had forgotten to erase all evidence of her chatting a girl up online. She began to silently pray while rubbing the bracelet Alex had given her. It was the colors of the lesbian flag interwoven into a delicate bracelet. The bracelet was one of her most prized possessions. Her father was done, thankfully. "Done."

He handed the phone to her mother. This search took longer. Molly felt herself beginning to sweat. "How long are you going to keep that poor boy hanging, you frigid bitch?"

Molly knew that telling her mom that not everyone got pregnant at eighteen wouldn't go over well. She also knew that her parents would freak if she claimed to have had sex with Alex. There was no winning here. "Until Alex and I both feel ready."

It took more bravery than Molly felt to look her mother in the eyes. The woman sniggered. "Better hurry up. He'll cheat on you with that slut of an adopted sister he has otherwise."

Molly felt outraged on Alex's behalf. "He would never!"

Her parents just exchanged a glance. "Sure, honey, just keep telling yourself that."

Her mother handed her the phone back. "Nothing to see here, David."

Her father nodded. "Very well."

There was a pause. Her father grasped her face. Molly tried not to flinch back as he forced eye contact with him. "The usual rules, Molly."

Molly bit her lip, "Yes, Father."

Molly got to her room and began to gasp for breath as she sobbed. It wasn't supposed to be like this. What had she done wrong? Molly felt a stab of guilt as she texted Alex for comfort while the phone screen blurred in and out of focus with her tears.


Sabina knew that there was something a bit off with Molly and Alex. She didn't want to pry, but they had been dating for nearly two years and there hadn't even been a hint of sex. Or even a heavy make-out session. Sure, some people were private, but they lived together. And Molly's parents were highly unlikely to let her even be alone with Alex with the door closed. "Alex, what's with you and Molly?"

Alex arched his brow. "We're dating."

Sabina rolled her eyes. "You haven't even bought condoms or taken any from mom's bowl."

Alex huffed. "No offense, Sis, but you're measuring the level of the condom bowl and I'm the most paranoid one in the family?"

Sabina made a little growling noise. "Are you having sex?"

Alex flushed a bit. "I thought we'd take it slow."

Sabina rolled her eyes. Yeah, like she hadn't heard that one. Plus, last she'd checked, teenage boys could be pretty pushy. "There's a difference between slow and glacial."

Alex ran a hand through his hair. "It's not my secret to tell, Sabina. Besides, I highly doubt her home life and stellar parents put her in a good mood."

Sabina's eyes narrowed. "Do we need to call the police?"

Alex rubbed his eyes. "I'm afraid her parents are toeing the line of complete crap, but not crap enough for social services to do shit."

Sabina groaned. That was the worst. "God, I hate this."

Alex shrugged. "I don't like it any better."

Sabina huffed. "Can't you do your magic spy stuff and fix this?"

Alex's lips twisted bitterly. "Do we want anyone involved with this? Not to mention, they don't do anything for free."

Sabina pinched her nose. Bloody bastards. In Sabina's opinion, Alex's saving-the-world-favor should amount to more than expedited documents for citizenship and adoptions. "What can we do?"

Alex thought back to Tom. "Probably just give her a place to stay for when her parents blow up. She's only got a few more months left in that house."

Sabina tapped her finger against the coffee table. "True."

Alex leaned back into the couch. "I helped her sneak out and make copies of all her important documents. I also told her how to lock down her credit and none of the colleges will take her parent's phone calls for anything important. Even if her parents do try to fuck her over, she should be alright."

Sabina gave Alex an admiring look. He did well in the practical stuff department. "You're good."

Alex gave her the grin she had once fallen in love with. "I try."


Molly had reached her breaking point. Her parents hadn't even smiled on her graduation day. And she was valedictorian. It was two days after she had walked the stage and gotten her diploma. Alex had gotten his family to do a joint dinner/small party for both her and Sabina. Molly appreciated the effort, but it was all for naught. She was currently at Alex's house crying. Her parents hadn't even mentioned her graduation. She felt so stupid for expecting anything else just because she was graduating at the top of her class in high school. Molly was clinging to Alex. "...I thought they would at least say they were proud of me!"

Alex was rubbing her back. "Shh, it's going to be okay."

Molly was aware that the rest of his family was awkwardly trying to avoid staring at them as they cleaned up the living room. Molly was on a role today, though. "...And they search my phone every day after school. I think there are actual prisons that aren't as bad."

She ran out of steam right about then, but there were a hundred other little things that her parents did that bugged her. "Sounds bloody ridiculous to me. I'm amazed you haven't slapped your parents yet."

Molly had been too ashamed to tell him about what her mother had been saying about her, not to mention him. "I've wanted to, believe me."

Molly leaned into him. "Are you good to go home?"

Molly huffed. "Not like this. I never want to go back there ever again. You and Sabina celebrated with me more than my actual family."

Alex gently held her while she calmed down a bit more. Sabina was hovering in the corner. "Are you serious about that?"

Molly bit her lip. "I don't...I don't know. I need their money for college, but I don't want to deal with the strings attached."

Alex sighed. That was a big issue. None of them exactly had twenty to a hundred and twenty thousand dollars lying around. Though, to be fair, Molly knew she could probably get a decent amount of scholarships. "I doubt they're going to get any better, to be honest, Molly."

Molly looked at Alex. "Where would I even stay?"

Alex set his jaw. "With me. I mean, with us."

Molly paused. "Are your parents willing?"

Alex nodded. "Sabina and I talked it over with Edward."

Molly sniffled. "I guess I could apply for emergency financial relief. And maybe a summer job."

Alex squeezed her hand. "You could stay here, just until you figure things out and get on your feet."

Molly nodded along with him. This was sounding better by the minute. Plus, Alex was practically her real family at this point. "I don't think I can take living in their house for a single day more, let alone three more months."

Alex gave her a grin. "There's the Molly I know."

Molly continued, finding her voice. "Plus, now I get to tell them what I really think of them."

Alex took her hand. "Let's talk to your parents, then."

Molly was shaking the entire car ride over. But she knew one thing. She was done with her parents and done with the stupid charade of pretending to be straight and dating Alex.


Fireflies, Part 3: Fly Away


Alex felt a chill shiver up his spine when they got out of the car and over the threshold of Molly's house. He had a sinking suspicion that this would not go well. Molly's hand was cutting off his circulation. Alex squeezed back a bit. "Mom, Dad?"

Alex had rarely seen parents so devoid of warmth while looking at their child. "Yes, Molly?"

Molly lifted her head. Alex could feel her trembling, but she was still standing under her power. "I'm moving out."

The room was dead quiet for a bit. "Are you pregnant?"

Molly's eyes flashed with rage. "No, I am not. And, for the record, Alex and I are both still virgins. I am sick and tired of having you read through my phone and search my room every day like I'm some sort of imprisoned drug addict. I'm done with your emotional abuse. And most of all, I'm done with your love being conditional! I'm sorry that you're so narrow-minded that you'd rather have no daughter than a lesbian daughter, but that sounds like your problem, not mine."

Molly released Alex's hand. "Now, I'm going to go upstairs. I'm going to grab my documents. I'm going to pack the last of my belongings that you somehow missed me slowly moving out even with the daily room searches and I'm going to leave."

Her mother gasped at that. "You can't-"

Molly cut her off with a glare. Alex was grinning inwardly. Go, Molly! Go, Molly! "Yes, I can. I'm eighteen. And if you try to stop me, I will call the police and tell them that you're trying to hold my documents hostage. Getting an arrest record wouldn't be a good look in church, now would it?"

Her mother flinched. Alex stood in the corner. He knew he was mostly here to make sure her parents didn't try anything stupid and as moral support. Molly went upstairs to pack. Her father turned towards Alex. "Why did you support her?"

Alex felt a flash of rage. "Why didn't you?"

They moved to leave the house after Molly was done. It didn't take long. Her father called after her. "You realize you're disowned, right?"

Molly didn't turn around. "I find that I don't particularly care."

Alex led her back to the car to take her home.


Molly woke up the morning after she had been disowned and felt an overwhelming sense of relief. No more parents. No more phone searches. No more random room searches. Sabina and Alex were waiting in the living room with breakfast on the table. Edward and Liz were there, too. If this had been her parents, she would have been woken up to help make the breakfast. "Good morning."

Everyone looked so happy to see her. Molly felt herself genuinely smile for the first time in months. "Good morning."

She decided to go for the eggs first. Sabina was practically vibrating, but Molly was glad that she wasn't being bombarded with questions. There was silence. "So, my parents kicked me out."

The adults were nodding along. Edward spoke up. "We won't pry, but you know the rules by now."

Molly nodded. She had been at Alex and Sabina's house often enough. "Yeah."

Molly began shifting the food around. Liz looked at her with kind, soft eyes. "Your room is your own, for the time being. Nobody will go in without knocking and you have a door lock."

Molly appreciated that more than Liz probably knew. "Thank you."

Liz smiled. "If you do need someone to talk to, I'm sure everyone in this house will be willing to listen. Some professionals do use sliding scales."

Molly took a few more bites of breakfast. It felt like the weight of the sky was slowly lifting off of her. Sabina waited until her parents had gone. "So, are you going to give the details?"

Molly saw Alex rolling his eyes while he loaded plates into the dishwasher. It was Sabina. Edward liked to say that she had inherited his curiosity. "Maybe later."

Sabina pouted slightly but didn't press. Alex gently rested a hand on her shoulder. "How much did you tell them?"

Alex looked her in the eyes. "Just that you were having problems at home. Nothing else."

Molly felt relief flood her. "You didn't- You-"

Alex sighed and whispered in a low tone. "No, Molly, I didn't out you."

Molly let out the breath that she had been holding. "Do you know how they'd react?"

Alex grinned slightly. "They're cool, Molls, I wouldn't worry."

Molly looked at him. "I thought my parents were cool, too."

Alex squeezed her shoulder lightly. "It's your choice, Molls. It's always going to be your choice. Wait as long as you want to tell whoever you want."

Molly leaned into the touch. "I'm sorry I put you through all that for nothing."

Alex blinked. "It's alright, Molly. I should never have agreed to hold up my end in the first place. I can see that now."

Molly sighed. "You know, I thought I was going to need anxiety medication, but I think most of it was my parents."

Alex winked at her. "It does help to remove what's stressing you out in life."

Molly looked down and realized she'd finished her plate. Eating had been harder. "Can we still play Pokémon Yellow together?"

Alex smiled at her. "Always."


Alex was glad that things had gone mostly smoothly with Molly moving in. Sabina and her parents had noticed that they weren't a couple anymore pretty fast. Molly had decided to leap after a few weeks of dropping hints. Besides, none of their housemates were idiots. "You and Alex aren't together anymore, are you?"

Molly answered back. "No."

Edward shrugged. "You know, we would have taken you in either way."

Alex looked sheepish. "Sorry, Edward."

Edward and Liz exchanged glances and rolled their eyes. They looked thoroughly amused. "No, you're not, but we appreciate honesty in the house."

Molly interrupted. "It wasn't his secret to tell."

Edward turned towards Molly. She flinched a bit. "Relax, I'm not mad. I don't even care what's going on. Just promise me that you're not working for the CIA."

Molly's mouth dropped open. Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. This had been going so well. "WHAT?!"

Edward looked relieved. "Oh, that reaction is enough. I'm sorry, there have been issues in the past."

Molly glared at the entire family. "You are explaining that one."

Alex moved to intercede. "Molly-"

Molly glared. "Don't Molly me!"

Alex knew when to back off. Edward sighed. "Alex?"

Alex shrugged. "I trust her."

Molly turned her glare onto her former beard. "Alex."

Edward cut in. "Alright, everyone calm down."

Molly crossed her arms. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Sabina and Alex exchanged glances. "Sabina?!"

Alex looked at Molly. "Are you sure-"

Molly glared. "Yes."

Alex sat down on the couch. Edward sighed. "I'm going to make some hot chocolate."

Molly began to pace. Alex gave her a rueful smile. "You might want to sit down. It's a long, complicated story."

Molly sat down next to Liz. Liz didn't seem to be doing so well. "Are you alright, Liz?"

Liz smiled at her. "I'm fine, dear. It's just the shouting and the stress. I have migraines, you know."

Molly nodded. Edward was back with homemade hot chocolate. Molly took a mug. She looked at Alex. "You first."

Alex took a sip of his hot cocoa. "Alright, but if you need me to stop at any point, then tell me."

Molly rolled her eyes. Alex mentally snorted. That's how they all acted at the start of the story. "It all started when Ian, my uncle, died when I was fourteen…"

Molly's eyes had gone the size of saucers by the time Alex got through the fun time at Point Blank Academy. To her credit, she sat through the whole thing. Then, after a pause for lunch and more cocoa, Molly started her story.


Molly was deciding on her options for the future. The lack of hovering parents breathing down her neck helped a lot. She was now able to keep the texts and pictures her online girlfriend sent her. Alex had been extremely thorough with his research and spreadsheets. Molly was still horrified about what she'd done to him some days. Asking the ex-enslaved-child-spy to live a lie once more. How Alex could stand to look at her, much less be her friend, was beyond Molly somedays. Then, he'd gone and given her a place to stay and a way to escape from her parents. And bought her her first piece of Lesbian paraphernalia. There was a knock on her door. It was Alex and Sabina. "We bought you a present."

Molly smiled. She had forgotten that today was her birthday. "Thank you! You didn't have to!"

Molly had the present thrown at her. She peeled back the silver wrapping. It was a Lesbian pride flag. Molly let out a squeal. "Ohmygod, ohmygod! YES! I LOVE IT!"

Alex and Sabina grinned. "We figured you could hang it on your wall in your dorm room."

Molly hugged both of them. "You're the best."

Alex and Sabina squeezed her. Sabina's eyes glinted. "We know."

Alex shoved Sabina lightly. "Don't be mean, Sab."

Molly rolled her eyes at their antics. She was an only child. "It's party time, Molls."

Molly gaped. "You're giving me a birthday party?"

Alex grinned. "It's not much, but we figured a small family thing would-"

Molly put her hand over his mouth. "Shut up. You're both my favorite friends ever."

Alex smiled against her hand. Sabina was visibly impatient. "C'mon or the icing's going to melt."

Molly snorted. "You know, icing doesn't melt as fast in air-conditioning."

Alex huffed. "Don't take the fun out of it, Molls."

They exchanged a sibling telepathy look. Sabina laughed. "Race you down the stairs!"

Molly and Alex exchanged a look and took off.


Alex grinned as he helped Molly with the last box on her move out. She didn't waste time. He admired the fact that she was still going to college, despite everything. They'd done the math together and she'd gotten more financial aid than originally stated in the letter. Students being disowned was more common than people might expect. Molly was on the bed panting and glaring at the mountain of boxes. "Thank you, Alex."

Alex grinned. "No problem."

The first thing they'd done was hang the flag above her bed. "I almost forgive you for yesterday."

Alex had helpfully grabbed a flier for every single club on campus and thrown them on her desk. "But Molly, I want you to have that nice, active social life you always wanted!"

Molly threw her pillow at him. "You're the worst."

Alex started laughing. "Sure, sure."

Molly huffed. "I'll prank you so hard that your hair will fall off next summer!"

Alex mock gasped and grabbed his hair. "Not my hair! Not my luscious locks!"

Molly let off her evil witch cackle. Alex busted out laughing again. "At least I don't have a roommate."

Alex shook his head. "It's a good job you don't. You'd scare them off."

Alex's smile dropped. "I'm going to miss you."

Molly sighed and half-heartedly started opening boxes. It was going to be a long day. "I'm going to miss you, too."

Alex sliced open a box. "Clothes."

Molly rolled her eyes. "I know for a fact that you're better at women's clothing than I am."

Alex perked up. "Look, I'm a theatre kid. We have to do historical costumes."

Molly snorted. "I'll call you if I want a corset."

Alex rolled his eyes. "You can buy those, you know."

Molly shook her head. "Nerd."

Alex tossed her some sheets. "Takes one to know one."

Molly cut open another box and then started to make her bed while Alex piled clothes on her desk chair. "Are you going to be alright without Sabina and me? At school, I mean?"

Alex shrugged. "I'll probably hang out with the track team or something. Plus, the teachers like me and I know a few people from woodshop class."

Molly sighed. "Just don't drop off the map."

Alex knew what she was anxious about. It wasn't something to discuss in a dorm room. "I won't, Molly."

Molly smiled. "You think we can get Chinese takeout after this?"

Alex sliced open a box. "There are a few places with good reviews."

Molly chuckled. "You and your online reviews."

Alex huffed. "Have I ever steered you wrong with the food?"

Molly giggled. "No, not really."

She playfully poked Alex in the stomach. Alex retorted. "The insatiable beast needs food."

Molly shook her head. "Boys."

They unpacked for the good part of five hours. As they put in an order for takeout, Alex knew that Molly would be fine.


The End