Chapter Text
Aubrey knew there was something up as soon as the two young people walked through the door ten minutes before closing. Social awkwardness not withstanding, she's developed a talent for knowing when someone needs help, and the younger of the two—just barely out of their teens by the looks of it—practically radiated please help me.
And so, she'd slapped on her best customer service smile and walked over to greet them.
That was three hours ago. Since then, Aubrey has learned that their names are Jade and Jason. Jade recently came out as nonbinary, thinking that their parents—laidback on most other issues—would accept them. They'd found out too late that their parents were apparently being fed a steady diet of the UK media's war on transgender people, to the point where they'd threatened to send Jade to a conversion therapy camp. Jason, three years older than Jade but still living at home, had immediately gotten Jade out of the house and gone to the first place he could think of: the bookshop he'd come to for help with understanding his sibling's identity.
"Aubrey?"
Aubrey nearly jumps out of her skin at Grace's voice. "Sorry," she mumbles. "Bit on edge, I think."
Grace gives her a sympathetic look. "If it's too much for you, you can go home," she says.
Aubrey shakes her head. "No, I want to be here," she says. "I want to help."
Grace sighs. "Okay," she says.
"I called Yaz to tell her I couldn't make our date and she offered to bring coffee for everyone," Aubrey says. "I should go ask Jade if they want anything."
"You do that," Grace says. "I'm going to see if I can dig up any more resources for them."
Aubrey heads out of the office and to the back corner of the shop, where Jade has curled up in an armchair, wrapped in a blanket that Grace keeps in the shop for situations just like this. "Hi," she says.
Jade forces a smile.
"I've got a friend who's gonna bring us all coffee," Aubrey says. "Would you like anything?"
Jade shakes their head. "Don't really want something that's gonna keep me awake," they say quietly. One hand snakes out from under the blanket so they can look at their phone.
Aubrey swallows heavily, knowing that both siblings are desperately searching for someone who can take them in for the night…or possibly longer. "Has anyone answered?"
Jade shakes their head. "No one wants to piss off my mum."
"I'm sorry," Aubrey says. "Family can be horrible sometimes. I had to leave after I came out, too."
Jade's eyes well up with tears. "They're always talking about how you should be yourself, stay true to who you are, but then you are and suddenly it's—"
"No, not like that?" Aubrey offers.
Jade nods.
"I'm sorry," Aubrey says again. "I know it hurts right now, but hopefully you'll be able to turn this into something better. Become the person you want to be, without having to worry about pretending to be someone else or toning it down for them."
Jade smiles after a moment. "You're right," they say. "They're wrong, I know that. And once I get back on my feet, it's over for those bitches."
Aubrey laughs. "Good show," she says. Her phone buzzes and she checks the screen to see a text from Yaz.
I'm here and I have coffee.
"Sorry, just gonna pop out for a mo'," Aubrey says. "Coffee's here." She practically sprints to the front door of the shop and opens the door for Yaz. Despite the serious situation, she can't keep the giant, goofy smile off her face.
Yaz grins back. "Hiya," she says. "I bring caffeine. And in your case, enough sugar to kill a small child." She hands Aubrey's drink to her as though she's handling dangerous goods.
"Thank you," Aubrey says, immediately taking a sip of her drink and laughing at Yaz's bemused expression.
"So how's it going?" Yaz asks.
Aubrey sighs. "Their brother had to leave for work," she says. "They're trying to find someone to take them in, at least for the night. Grace is trying to dig up some resources to help. Says if they don't find a place to stay, she'll either take them home or put them up in a hotel." She rubs the back of her neck. "I'd offer to let them stay at my place, but I don't have the room. I don't even have a sofa for them to kip on."
Yaz is quiet for a long time. "I came out to my family today," she whispers.
Aubrey feels her insides twist. "And?"
Yaz smiles at her. "It's okay," she says. "They were okay with it. And if even if my parents aren't, my grandmother and my sister will probably keep them in check." She laughs quietly. "No one wants to cross my grandmother."
Aubrey laughs, too. "I'm happy for you, Yaz," she says.
They hear a noise behind them and turn to see Jade emerge from between the shelves.
Aubrey takes a step forward. "Hey."
Jade clears their throat. "I finally got through to someone," they say. "My aunt says she'll take me in for a bit."
"Do you think she's safe?" Aubrey asks.
Jade sighs. "It's not ideal," she says. "She's always hated my mum and I'll probably have to listen to a lot of angry tirades for the next little while, but…it's a place to stay while I figure out what to do next."
"That will not be happening," Grace says as she walks out of the back office. "I'll not have you trading off one toxic situation for another. You'll be staying with me until we get something long-term figured out."
"But—"
Aubrey lets out a low whistle. "Best not to argue with her," she says. "Grace is very stubborn when it comes to acts of kindness."
Jade opens their mouth like they want to protest further, but finally just nods.
"Good," Grace says. "Now get your things and let's get you settled in. Aubrey? Can you lock up the shop?"
Aubrey nods. A few minutes later, she and Yaz stand on the pavement outside the shop, looking up at a rare clear sky.
"Are you okay?" Yaz asks quietly.
Aubrey doesn't look at her right away, choosing instead to keep her face upturned toward the sky. "Yeah," she says after a moment. "Tonight's just…brought up a lot of memories."
"I take it your family didn't handle you coming out very well."
Aubrey shakes her head. "No, they were ready to throw me into conversion therapy before I'd even finished coming out to them," she says.
Yaz takes her hand and squeezes it. "I'm sorry."
Aubrey clears her throat and turns to Yaz with a big smile that she doesn't quite feel. "It was a long time ago," she says. "And y'know, if that hadn't happened, I'd have never moved to Sheffield. Might never have found the courage to be me, never found this shop." Her smile turns more genuine. "I'd have never met you."
Yaz blushes at this.
"So, yeah, things may not have gone the way I wanted them to," Aubrey says. "But they've still led to great things. I choose to focus on those good things. Like being free to be myself. Having a job that I enjoy. Meeting a woman that I really, really like and maybe getting to be her girlfriend and even more one day."
Yaz is quiet, staring into the empty shopfront across the road.
"Sorry, that wasn't too much, was it?" Aubrey says.
"No," Yaz replies. She looks at Aubrey with a small smile. "I think we could be girlfriends and even more one day, too."
Aubrey grins at her, but in a stellar display of bad timing, the exhaustion of the past day hits her and she yawns.
"Right, it's getting late, isn't it?" Yaz says. "I'll let you get home, then."
"Yeah." Aubrey knows that this is probably where they say goodnight, but she doesn't want to. Not just yet. Her mind races as she tries to come up with a way to stay with Yaz for just a little while longer.
But she can't, and so she resigns herself to saying goodnight with a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Aubrey?"
Aubrey pulls back to look at Yaz. "Yeah?"
Yaz doesn't quite seem to know what to do with her hands, wringing them together in front of her. "I know it's been a bit of a long day," she says. "And we're both really tired, but…I just…don't really want to say goodnight just yet."
Aubrey's grip tightens around the strap of her rucksack. "I hate to be a downer, but…pretty much everything's closed now," she says. "Except pubs and such, but I'm not really a pub person."
"No, me neither," Yaz says. She tucks her hair behind one ear.
"So…what are you suggesting?"
Yaz gestures at something behind her. "My flat's not too far from here," she says. "And I thought—I were wondering—um…"
Aubrey gives her an amused look, but she doesn't say anything, giving Yaz time to work out her thoughts.
Finally, Yaz leans in and plants a featherlight kiss on Aubrey's lips. "D'you wanna come for tea at mine?"
Aubrey beams at her, her heart doing backflips in her chest. "Yes," she says. "Yes, I would."