Chapter Text
False was—evidently, now—a smart girl, and it was going to ruin her life.
That was all she could think as she stared down at the acceptance letter from Cogsmeade University.
She got in. This was everything she'd ever wanted. Her stupid tutoring sessions with Ren paid off, she was going to graduate with honors, she was going to attend the college of her dreams, and live in a big, beautiful city where she'd finally be out of her parents' grasp.
It was everything she ever wanted, but… she'd be losing everything she had to get it. She already knew she'd be saying goodbye to Cleo and Xisuma since Cleo had her apprenticeship at a mortuary in another city, and Xisuma had basically been training to take over his parents' business since the day he was born, but could she really handle saying goodbye to Ren, and leaving him behind? She finally had the boy of her dreams, someone who truly and genuinely loved her, and wasn't afraid to tell her that, and she just had to let him go now?
That didn't even come close to how devastated she was at the idea of leaving Aimsey—sorry, Ren. They were just twelve, she couldn't leave them home alone like that! And it wasn't like her parents were just going to stop working so they could take care of them. Even pulling them out of school so they could go with them on trips wouldn't be helpful—Aimsey needed somewhere solid to grow up, and they needed someone they could rely on. That had always been False, and now…
…She didn't know what to do.
…Well, what really made her feel worst of all, was… she did know what she wanted to do. She really wanted to go to Cogsmeade. She wanted out of her parents' house. There… wasn't even a decision for her to make. She knew what she wanted, and… she wanted to leave.
She felt awful and selfish for it, but she knew that was what she wanted. She couldn't ever see herself declining an opportunity like this.
She just… didn't know how to tell Ren and Aimsey that.
…She had to start somewhere though.
It felt like muscle memory at this point as she picked up her phone and dialed his number, holding it up to her ear as she anxiously chewed her lip. She almost wanted to laugh at how it barely got through a ring and a half before he was picking up, his voice melodically carrying over the line.
"Hellooo? Who is this?"
"Scam caller," she deadpanned back, though her voice didn't have its usual snappiness, already alerting Ren that something was off.
"A sad scam caller? Did you not steal enough people's money today?" he asked, going along with her half-formed bit for just a moment before he dropped it, and asked, more softly, "Hiya Falsie, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
She let out a soft sigh, and ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to figure out how much to tell him right now. "Could you… come over? I have something that I want to talk to you about, and… I kinda- I'm kinda freaking out? So I need you to be my rock, if that makes sense?"
He was quiet for a moment, before he let out a hesitant, nervous noise, and replied, "Okay? Is it… did I do something? How bad is this?"
She immediately scrambled to reassure him, "No- no- no, it's nothing you did! It's more… it's more me, if anything. I just… wanna talk to you about how we'll… move forward, I guess."
She could picture that anxious look on his face, and it made her stomach turn. She didn't want to have this conversation with him, she just wanted to freeze time so they could be happy together forever, but that wasn't an option, so… talking, it was. God, she felt like a mess right now.
"Okay, I'll be over as soon as possible. How freaked out should I be, so I can prepare myself?" he asked, a little jokingly, but he still had an edge of seriousness to his voice.
"I need you to be calm!" she emphatically replied. "I'm the one stressing out here, I need you to tell me it's gonna be okay and we'll figure it out!"
He chuckled, and she could hear some rustling as he was probably putting his shoes and jacket on. "Okay, Falsie. It's all gonna be okay, and we're gonna figure this out," he replied warmly.
It made her feel a tiny bit better, just for a moment, before she pouted and made a curt face. "It works better when you're here in person," she complained.
He laughed, and fondly replied, "Okay, I'll be over as soon as I can then."
She nodded with a soft hum. "Okay," she quietly replied. "See you soon, then." She tried to tell herself that everything would be better once he was there with her, but she had a terrible feeling that everything would just be worse once she finally told him what she was so stressed about.
"See you in a bit, baby," he warmly replied. She could just tell he was smiling, and huffed out a small laugh as she also grinned.
"You're so stupid," she teased back. "I never should've told you I liked that nickname." She bit her lip as she smiled, a little blush coming to her cheeks.
He laughed on the other side of the line, and pointed out, "But it made you smile, didn't it?"
She fondly shook her head. "I have no clue what you're talking about," she feigned obliviousness. "What I do know, is that you haven't even left your house if you're still on the phone with me."
He chuckled, before she heard a bit more rustling. "Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming. My mom made us some treats by the way," he mentioned. "Is this a good time for them?"
False wanted to drive over to his house just so she could hug his mom. That woman was a saint. "Yes, please. God, I love your mom," she dramatically replied. Like clockwork, her stomach growled. She… may or may not have skipped breakfast because her stomach was being weird with how anxious she was, and well… old habits die hard. She was really looking forward to whatever Laika made for them, though.
He laughed heartily, and replied in kind, "She loves you a lot too, Falsie. She's been asking if you wanna come over for dinner soon so she can get to know you more."
False was already nodding, and responded, "Of course, that sounds like fun! Let me know when she's free and we can work out an evening."
He hummed in agreement, and to her relief, said, "Alright, I'll let her know when I get back from yours. I'm heading out now, okay?"
"Okay," she softly replied. She nervously chewed on her lip as they were both quiet for a moment, and before she knew it, she was speaking again. "Ren?"
He hummed, letting her know he was listening. She took in a deep breath, then let it out. "Um… thank you for doing this for me. I… love you," she hesitantly spoke, then blinked quickly as she waited for a response. The second that it took for him to reply felt like an eternity for her, but it was worth the wait.
He fondly chuckled, and softly replied, "I love you too, Falsie." False felt a weight lift off her chest as she took in his response. "Alright, I'm heading out now. You'll be okay 'til then?" he asked, making sure she'd be alright.
False nodded, and reassured him, "Yeah, I'll be fine. See you in a bit."
"See you in a bit, baby."
The line went quiet as he hung up, and False let out a long sigh. She set the phone back down, then held the letter to her chest while she laid back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. How did he know how to instantly make everything better? It was like magic.
She let out a long breath, trying to ignore the anxiety worming its way back into her mind as she worried about losing him once more.
She didn't know what to expect when they would finally talk about it all, and it scared her.
…
False hadn't moved much since she got off the phone with Ren. It wasn't like she had anything better to do while she waited for him, and she was a little too stressed to do anything anyways.
She was surprised when she heard a car outside, and saw Ren stepping out, then waving to the two people in front. She managed to spot that it was Big B who was driving, with Grian in the passenger seat.
She watched as Ren approached the house, then rolled her eyes and groaned as he got up on the pillar edge, then hoisted himself up to the roof. She opened her window and leaned out to yell at him, "I have a door, weirdo!"
He chuckled, and handed her the tin of treats once he was close enough to her. "Where's the fun in that?" he teased, and pecked her on the lips.
She let out a little groan, then stepped back so he could get into her room. "It's broad daylight, idiot. My neighbors will probably call the cops," she pointed out. It was mostly just to make him hopefully not do that again, but she couldn't deny that there was a real possibility of that happening. She just hoped they weren't looking out their window.
He made himself comfortable on her bed, leaning back against the wall as he put his hands behind his head. "You'll come visit me in prison, right?" he joked, then gestured for her to join him. She fondly rolled her eyes, and put the tin on her nightstand before she sat next to him.
"Not a chance," she simply replied, then kissed him on the cheek before she rested her head on his shoulder. He softly laughed, and put an arm around her, then kissed the top of her head.
"Anyways, wanna tell me what got you all worried?" he gently asked, his thumb rubbing little circles into her arm.
She took in a deep breath at the reminder of what he was here for, then let it out. She tried to keep her breathing even as she leaned over to her nightstand and picked up her acceptance letter. She held it close to her chest, not wanting him to see it before she was ready, then sat back against the wall. He put his arm back around her, looking at her with concern as she just focused on her breathing and getting her thoughts in order.
Her hands trembled as she slowly held the paper away from her, and warned Ren, "So… this is kind of a… good news, bad news thing? I just… I don't know how to feel about it, or what to do."
He nodded as he listened intently. "Okay," he softly replied, and held his breath when she handed him the paper to read over.
His eyes quickly scanned over it, but when he realized what it was, he read that first line over again, just to be sure.
"You got into Cogsmeade?!" he shouted with a big smile on his face, then wrapped his arms tightly around her while he peppered her face in kisses. "I'm so proud of you, Falsie! That's amazing!"
She flinched back when he suddenly pounced at her, but went still when he kissed her over and over again, still not knowing how to feel. "Uh- thanks," she softly replied, then worried her bottom lip in between her teeth.
He pulled back when he realized she wasn't as happy as he thought she would be. "What's wrong? I thought this is what you wanted," he asked, a confused look on his face.
"I-It is, I just… I'm not sure what to do, Ren," she tried to explain again.
He furrowed his eyebrows in utter bafflement. "What do you mean you don't know? You're going to Cogsmeade!" he shot back with a teasing laugh. "And I am so proud of you, we should go celebrate! This is huge!"
"I- Ren," she cut him off, trying to get him to listen to reason. "What about us?"
He tilted his head like a confused puppy. "What about us?"
She stared at him in disbelief, not understanding what he wasn't getting about this. "I'll be moving to the other side of the country…" she emphatically explained, raising her eyebrows high as she tried to get her point across.
"Oh…" he simply replied, then chewed on his cheek as he thought about it for a moment. "Can I just go with you?"
She just stared at him for a moment, before she dropped her head into her hands and let out a loud groan. She couldn't believe him. In the best way possible, she couldn't believe him.
He chuckled, and put his arm around her as he kissed the top of her head. "Does that solve your issue, Falsie?" he teased.
She lifted her head up, and fought the urge to smack him on the arm. "You are ridiculous!" she shouted, still processing what he answered.
He still smiled widely as he defensively put his hands up. "Why? It's the perfect solution! You're going to Empires, so I'll just go too!"
"Rennn," she drawled out his name, and ran her fingers through her hair. "I love you, but I can't just ask you to drop everything and follow me to the other side of the country!" she tried to get it through to him.
She almost felt like crying as she said that, but she really couldn't afford that right now. One of them needed to stay reasonable, and it was not Ren right now.
"You're not asking, I'm offering," he argued back with ease. "Come on, I've got nothing tying me down here. Why shouldn't I move with you?"
"You have your mother, for one," she quickly pointed out.
"We'll come back and visit her," he dismissed it easily. "She'd want me to go with you, I promise. You can ask her when we go for dinner." He clapped his hands together before he jokingly replied, "Alright, hit me with the next one."
…False couldn't really think of any more reasons.
She let out a small noise of defeat, before she just leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. He huffed out a laugh, and rubbed her back while she tried to think of how to respond to him.
After a long moment, she leaned back, and let out a steadying breath. She met his eyes, her brows tilted in despair. "Ren, that's so far. What if we… What if we break up? Is there genuinely anything else for you in Empires, or are you just going for me?"
Finally, he seemed to be putting some thought into it as he focused intently on his answer. "You are my main reason, Falsie," he replied, but before she could argue that that wasn't good enough, he added in, "but… Empires does have one of the best theaters in the country. Maybe I could try my hand at acting."
False… couldn't honestly rebut against that. She knew he'd always had a passion for theater, and he definitely had a knack for it with how dramatic he could be. The way he smiled when they went to see 'The Red King' over spring break was certainly something to behold. She'd never seen him so in his element.
Still, she tried to remind him, "We'd have to be realistic, though. We'd probably move in together." He nodded enthusiastically, and she fought an eye roll. "Okay, that's not really an issue—but we'd probably both have to get jobs to cover rent. I'll be busy with school, and trying to focus on my career." He still just nodded along with a big smile on his face. "We might not even get to spend much time together once my semester starts up, and what if you wanna do school too? That'd be even more debt, and less time for each other."
He shrugged, and replied, "I'll find a college nearby that's more my speed. I could take a semester off and then start in the spring while we're adjusting, or even next fall. Maybe I'll just focus on working and doing auditions, see where it takes me—and when I'm not, I could be at home taking care of you!"
False, once again, was just stuck staring at him in disbelief.
…That …That could work.
She slumped into Ren, letting out a long sigh of relief. "You're insane. I can't believe you." He laughed as he pulled her into his lap, holding her tightly as she hugged him back.
"Love you too, Falsie," he teased, and kissed her temple. He gently rubbed her back, then asked, "Was that all? Cause I feel like I nailed that."
She leaned back from him, fondly rolling her eyes before she pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips. She rubbed her fingers into her temples, before she let out a soft groan, and tucked herself into the crook of his neck.
"…I have to tell my parents," she added. "And figure out what to do with Aimsey." She didn't know which was going to be harder.
He hummed as he listened, and questioned, "Have you talked to them since the dinner we had together?" He brushed his fingers through her hair, trying to comfort her as he brought up that disaster of an evening. It wasn't all bad—Ren still liked to tease her for her accidental confession—but it was certainly a rough night for them all.
She shook her head, and chewed on her cheek as she tried to keep herself composed. "No—god, I've never argued with them like that. I should've waited until after I moved out. It's not like I need their money or anything, my scholarships covered most of everything, but still…" She softly shook her head at herself. "I don't know, I guess it feels weird just leaving them like that."
He nodded sympathetically. He treaded carefully as he reminded her, "Well… they do leave you and Aimsey alone all the time without warning, so…"
She rolled her eyes, before she weakly argued back, "I should be better than that, though. But also they were shitty to you, and god, I can't even think about how they treated Aimsey without getting pissed off again." She rested her head in her hands, not knowing how to feel about it all.
Ren did his best to reassure her, "Maybe it's the best for everyone that you're moving out then. You'll be on your own—with me, of course," he couldn't help but add in, getting a little smile from her, "and it'll be our place, not theirs. It's on your terms if they come over, it's on your terms when they leave—hell, we could forget to tell them our address, and only visit back here for the holidays or something."
False managed a small nod, figuring any one of those ideas could honestly work out. Still, she mentioned, "I should still tell them I got in, though, right?" even though she was already set on an answer.
"If you want to, honey," he softly replied, and kissed her on the top of her head. "Do you wanna do it right now? Just get it over with? I can sit with you, or go outside of your room," he suggested a few options.
False took a steadying breath, before she managed to nod in response. "Um… stay here, I think." She tried to be gentle as she recommended, "Maybe… don't talk, though? Just cause I think they'll probably already be pissed at me, and…"
"And the fact you haven't left me for one of their rich friends' kids would make it worse—don't worry, I got you," he finished for her, shooting her a wink.
She rolled her eyes with a soft laugh, before she glanced over at the phone. She felt her heart skip a beat out of anxiety, and instead, let her eyes drift over to the tin of treats Laika made for them. "Could I have one of those before I call? I kinda… forgot to eat this morning."
He immediately glared at her with concern, before he leaned over to get the tin and hurriedly opened it up. "Falseee," he drawled out, before she cut him off.
"I know- I know, I'm sorry," she apologized softly. "I was just really stressed out, and…" She didn't really know why she did it, but she did, and she was just grateful that Ren had brought her something so she could push off her impending breakdown a little longer.
Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw the tin was full of cookies and brownies, and took one of the cookies for herself. She made sure that he was looking as she took a bite of the cookie, like a reassurance that she wasn't completely relapsing.
"We'll have lunch after you call, alright?" he planned for them. She nodded contently, and took the time to enjoy her cookie while he ate one for himself.
She finished up sooner than she liked, but honestly, she just wanted to get the phone call over and done with. She knew it was going to suck, but at least she had Ren here.
He finished up his as well, and stared at her expectantly while she picked up the phone, then hesitantly dialed their number. He leaned in for a quick kiss while she waited for them to pick up, knowing he was doing his job well when he got a smile from her.
She went rigidly still when her mom finally picked up, and she heard, "This is Anina Symmetry. Who is this?"
False let out a strained sigh, before she replied, "…Hi, Mom."
The other side of the line was quiet for a moment, then False heard some muffled talking and rustling. Eventually, her mother's voice returned, "False, it's… good to hear from you. Your father is here, as well," she mentioned.
"Hi, honey," her dad pitched in. She was… a little taken aback at the nickname, and the fact they… both wanted to hear from her?
"Oh- hi, dad," she greeted him as well. "Um…" she nervously started, "I had something I wanted to tell you both. Is now a good time?"
Her mom replied swiftly, "Of course, it is!" False glanced to Ren unsurely, and mouthed, "What is going on?"
He shrugged, not knowing why they were being so weird either. False wasn't going to waste the opportunity if they were in a good mood, though. "I wanted to tell you that…" she nervously chewed her cheek, and let out a soft sigh of anticipation. "I just got my acceptance letter from Cogsmeade!" she revealed with a smile. She was still a little apprehensive about it all, but she had to admit, it still felt really good to say it out loud.
Her parents were pleased with the information as well, as her mother praised, "Oh, that's so good to hear!"
Her father chimed in, "We knew you would, False. We're so proud of you."
She went a little red as she smiled, and softly replied, "Aw, thanks, yeah I'm really happy. I'm really looking forward to going there and living in Empires."
The line went quiet for a moment, and False knew she probably struck a nerve at the reminder that she would be moving out to attend college.
"We actually wanted to… talk to you about that, False," her mom replied, her voice uncharacteristically soft. They were being weird. She worried for a moment that one of them was terminally ill or something life-threatening like that. She tried to keep her breathing even as she anticipated them telling her she couldn't go, or they hated Ren, or they hated her-
"We're… really sorry for what happened last time we were home," her mom apologized. False went still. She wasn't sure she was breathing or that her heart was beating. Ren went still as well, staring at her incredulously. It served as a good indicator that she wasn't going crazy and just hearing things, even though that seemed like the only reasonable explanation. Maybe Laika laced the cookies? she wondered to herself. …No, that's more odd than this. …Somehow.
"Oh…" she softly managed out. "Um… thank you," she replied, because it was all she could really think to say. She'd never heard them apologize for anything they'd ever said, so this was… oh dear god, maybe one of them is dying. Maybe they both are-
Her mind quieted when her dad continued for them, "We… We didn't know we were… hurting you. We just wanted to encourage you to be the best you can, but… our definitions of best are different, so… we need to let you figure out what your best is."
False nodded, her eyes slowly brimming with tears. This was… everything she'd ever wanted to hear. She dreamed of the day they'd finally apologize for something they did to her, and… she was actually getting it. God, today had been a rollercoaster of a day.
She glanced to Ren, unsure of how to even respond to that. He just rested his hand on her knee and gently rubbed circles into her skin with his thumb, hoping the touch was a little reassuring.
"Um… thank you…" she finally managed out, then sniffled. "Thank you for apologizing, that means a lot to me."
Her mom let out a soft sigh, then explained, "We were just so… caught off-guard when you started arguing with us that night. We never even… We just didn't know we were hurting you. I'm so sorry, sweetheart."
Her dad added on, "And then… when you mentioned going to Cogsmeade and never seeing us again…" He let out a soft sigh, and False thought she heard him sniffle as well. She'd never heard her dad cry before. …Maybe they really did regret it. "A few of our colleagues have told us how their kids go off to college or move out, and they never see or hear from them again- we don't want that to happen to our relationship, False," he pleaded.
She nodded with a soft hum, and wiped away a stream of tears that ran down her face. "Oh… okay," she replied, still not really knowing what to say to them. She imagined this scenario so much, but through every possibility, she never knew what to say.
"We wanted to make it up to you. Over the summer, whenever you and Aimsey are free, pick a place, and the four of us will go there," her mother offered. "It won't be some business trip—we'll take work off for the week, and we'll just focus on spending time together, okay?"
Surprisingly, False found herself nodding. "Y-Yeah, I think we'd both really enjoy that. I'll let them know once I…" She sighed, and Ren winced when more tears spilled down her cheeks as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She cried silently, not wanting to let her parents know she was upset, before she continued, "Once I tell them I got accepted."
"Okay," her dad solidly replied. "We'll let you go then-"
"What should I do about Aimsey?" False accidentally cut him off. "Shoot- sorry," she awkwardly apologized. "It's just um… I'll be moving out, and I've…" she tried to choose her wording carefully since it seemed like they were trying to turn over a new leaf. "I've always… It's always been me and Aimsey, and… I'll be moving out, so…"
Everyone was quiet for a moment, before her mom replied, "Oh… yes, you're right." They were quiet for a moment longer, then she continued, "Well… we can't just stop working, unfortunately. We could hire a nanny to look over them, I suppose. Or… would you just wanna take Aimsey with you? We'll already be in Empires a lot more than we would be home, so it'd just be another reason and make it easier for us to visit you," she suggested with a little laugh at the end.
False… wasn't really sure what to choose. Could she manage taking care of Aimsey in a brand new city? Would Ren be okay with that? Would Aimsey be okay starting at a new school and leaving her friends behind? And False had initially done all of this so she wouldn't have to see her parents as much, but they'd surely still be helping to support Aimsey financially-
It was all just a lot to think about. She didn't know what to do, and more importantly, she wanted Aimsey to have a say in it all.
…Gods, this is going to hurt. This is going to hurt more than it did with Ren, or with my parents.
"…Okay," she softly replied, then chewed on her lip. "I'll… I'll talk to them about it and see what they think, then I'll get back to you? I'll tell them about the vacation idea too. Thank you, again."
"Thank you for hearing us out," her dad thanked her as well. "Congratulations again on getting into Cogsmeade, sweetheart. We couldn't be prouder."
"Oh! And before I forget!" her mom cut in before either of them hung up. "We already scheduled time off so we could be at your graduation. We'd like to take you and Aimsey out to dinner. Anything you wanna eat, it's your choice." False could tell she was hinting at the comments they made at their last dinner, and appreciated that she was also trying to make an improvement there. "And are you and Ren still together?"
False glanced to Ren in surprise at that. She was a little nervous as she answered, "Yeah, um… we're still doing good, why?"
Her mom let out a little annoyed sigh that almost made the two of them laugh, before she calmed herself and continued, "We… we're still coming around to him, but if him and his family would like to join us, we'd love to get to know them."
Ren smirked, and gave her a nod. "O-Okay," she answered, still trying to hold back her laugh of surprise. "Yeah, I'm sure they'd love to join us, I'll let them know," she replied with a grin while she looked at Ren.
"We'll also…" her dad contributed, "apologize to him, as well, next time we see him. I know we didn't give him much of a chance, so… we'll just start over."
False nodded, and softly smiled at Ren, who also seemed touched at the idea. "I think he'd appreciate that, thank you."
Her dad chuckled, before he tried again, "Alright, now we'll really let you go. Love you, False."
"Yes, we love you so much, sweetheart," her mom added in earnestly.
False felt like she actually meant it for the first time in her life when she responded, "Love you both too." She hung up the phone, and just stared at Ren in disbelief.
It was only a second later when tears filled her eyes once more, and she clumsily wiped at them as she let out a soft sob. She was just so overwhelmed with everything. She didn't know how to process it all other than by crying.
Ren pulled her into his lap with ease, and held her close as she got it all out of her system. "I know, baby, I know," he whispered, and brushed his fingers through her hair.
"They apologized Ren, they've never-" she rambled out, then choked on a sob. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to catch her breath, and just followed Ren's guidance as he gently pushed her head down to rest on his shoulder.
"Easy, Falsie. Just take a breath," he calmly replied. She shakily took in a breath, and hugged him tightly as she focused on calming down. He filled the slowly quieting air with his humming, and gently stroked through her hair as she thought everything through.
It wasn't a perfect apology. She was still anxious about eating with them, if she was honest, and she wasn't exactly sure if she trusted them to actually come around to liking Ren, but… they tried. And… that was more than they had done for her in years. She still wanted to actually see some change in them when they would meet up next, and she still felt like putting up some boundaries for when she moved out, but… this was progress. They seemed like… like they actually cared for once.
She sighed as she leaned back from him, and wiped away her tears. She leaned into Ren's touch when he cupped her cheek, soothingly rubbing his thumb against her cheek. "You okay, Falsie?" he softly asked.
She managed a small nod, and brushed away the last of her tears. "Yeah, I just…" she started, then let out another long sigh. "I never thought—in a million years—that I would ever hear them apologize for anything, so it was just… a lot."
He nodded sympathetically, and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "It's nice that they did though, yeah?" he asked, trying to gauge how she felt about it all.
She nodded once more, but didn't want to talk about it anymore. She just hugged him again, and sniffled as she tucked herself into the crook of his neck. He softly chuckled, and suggested, "I think it's time for lunch, then."
She hummed in agreement, but before she got up, she gently kissed him on the lips. He let out a soft exhale, and just let her lips linger against his for as long as she wanted. He could suffocate here, and he'd die a happy man.
She pulled back after a moment, and rested her forehead against his. "Thank you," she whispered. "You being here really helped."
He hummed happily, and pressed another quick kiss to her lips. "Just doing my job, Falsie," he contently replied.
She went still at that. She felt guilty at the reminder that they hadn't made it official yet. She had pushed off their date for… five months now? She wanted to, she really did—she was just trying so hard to make sure everything was perfect, cause that's what Ren deserved.
It wasn't like they hadn't even gone on dates yet—they cooked dinner for each other multiple times, they bought each other treats all the time, they were hanging out almost every day—but False would never let it be declared the date. The date had to be something really special. She just… wasn't sure what yet.
She'd figure it out soon, though.
She grinned as she kissed him on the cheek, and playfully replied, "I think you might be getting a promotion soon, then."
He laughed, and squeezed his arms around her, before he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stood up with her in his arms.
"Ren!" she shouted, and held onto his shoulders. He chuckled while he spun her around, all while she was both wriggling in his arms and holding on for dear life.
He finally put her down after a moment, and helped steady her when she turned out to be dizzy. She slumped against him and gently smacked him on the shoulder. "You're making lunch for that," she groaned.
He softly laughed, and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I was already planning on it," he fondly reassured her.
…
False felt better once she finally had some food, but it still did nothing to quell the anxiety she felt when she thought of how to tell Aimsey that she was leaving. She wasn't even sure if she should bring up the stuff about their parents, it might be too much-
"Hey," Ren gently called when he noticed her staring intensely forward at nothing and tapping her finger against the counter like she was trying out to be a drummer. "Just relax, Falsie. You don't even have to tell them today. You have time."
She gave a small shake of her head, and quietly managed out, "No, this is just going to eat me alive the longer I wait. I just…" she let out a long, shaky breath, "I just need to get this over with."
She tried to return the favor to Ren for making lunch as she took both of their plates and cups, then washed them in the sink. It also served as a few more moments for her to try and figure out how to tell Aimsey. She just needed to be gentle, tell them what the options were, that they didn't have to decide today, and that they'd find ways to be together no matter what-
She startled when Ren slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Falsie, you gotta relax, sweetheart," he softly said when he noticed how her chest was rising and falling so quickly. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, and backed up when she dried off her hands. He hated that she wouldn't meet his eyes, and he nervously chewed his lip when he noticed her eyes watering up. She harshly sniffled, and slowed her breathing until the tears went away, but he could still see she was giving herself a really hard time about this. He couldn't even blame her—it was a tough call, and the answer would depend on what Aimsey wanted at the end of the day.
He'd just be supportive and help out where he could. That was all he could really do.
False let out a steadying breath before she finally met his eyes. "Okay," she said with gentle determination. "I'm gonna go talk to them. Would you mind…"
He could tell just by her tone and expression that she wanted it to be just them this time. He interrupted her with a kind smile, "I'll stay out here and have the tin of brownies and cookies ready for you both."
She managed a small grin, and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You're the best," she praised him, then set her sights on the stairs. "Okay… I can do this," she tried to convince herself.
He nodded, and pat her on the shoulder. Ren warmly reassured her, "You can. They'll understand, Falsie. That kid loves you to death."
False didn't know if that made her feel any better, but she knew it was the truth. She started for the stairs, and ignored the pit in her stomach that grew with every step she took. She swallowed and tried to calm herself down as she stood outside their door, not wanting Aimsey to immediately catch onto the fact that something was wrong. Not that… it wasn't wrong per say—she had to remind herself that—but… this was certainly a downside to her college acceptance.
Finally, she lifted her fist, and knocked on their door. Just a second later, she heard, "Come in!" and took in another deep breath before she opened it. She found Aimsey sitting on their bed and playing on their Gameboy, and False felt she did pretty well in raising them when they immediately paused it and gave her their full attention.
…I practically raised them, she slowly realized. …How could I leave them like this? I'm terrible.
She tried to clear her mind of those thoughts as she forced a smile and sat down next to them. She needed to be easy on herself if she wanted to get through this, and she was already expecting them to hate her after this. She didn't need to hate herself for them.
"So I um…" False cautiously started, and found herself genuinely smiling, "I have some good news! And…" her expression faltered a little bit, but she still managed out, "and some… less than great news, but good news first!"
"Okay!" Aimsey replied with an eager smile, bouncing a little in place. "What is it? Did you finally ask Ren out?"
False was a little taken aback that that was what they assumed, and softly laughed as she corrected them, "No, no, but um… it kinda has to do with him."
She took in a steadying breath, and finally revealed, "I got into Cogsmeade!"
Aimsey's face lit up with excitement, and they practically threw themself at False as they embraced her tightly. False cackled unexpectedly as they clung onto her, and squeezed them back just as hard.
"Ahh! I'm so happy for you!" they squealed, staring up at False with a wide smile. "When do you leave for Empires? It was so beautiful there, you're so lucky you're gonna live there."
False laughed at their enthusiasm, but started to worry when realization slowly filled Aimsey's eyes. "We'll probably be leaving late June. Ren and I are renting a place together, and then I need to go to Cogsmeade to sort out my classes and all of that stuff."
Aimsey nodded, still smiling and trying to remain excited. False's heart ached at how their expression faltered when she mentioned Ren. "You're… both going?" they softly asked.
False grimaced as she nodded. "That's… why this was a good and bad news kind of thing," her voice softened as she explained. "Mom and Dad said they can hire a nanny to watch over you, or-"
"No!" Aimsey cut her off, panic filling her eyes. "Falsie! Can't I just go with you?" False wanted to reply that that was a choice, but they were already working themself up as tears brimmed their eyes. "I'll be good, I promise! I'll always do my dishes, and I'll be on time for everything- I won't make messes- I'll sleep on the couch if I have to-" They cut themself off as they choked on a sob, and messily wiped away at the tears streaming down their face.
Worry filled False's eyes when Aimsey worked themself up so quickly. She softly shushed them as she hugged them, and cooed, "Oh, Aimsey…" Aimsey sniffled and held onto False like they were trying to keep her from leaving.
"Please don't leave me," he whispered, then hiccupped. "I know you have to go- but please take me with you. I don't wanna stay here with some old lady I don't know."
False bit back a laugh at their last sentence, knowing it'd be inappropriate to laugh when they were so distraught. It helped distract her from the tears running down her cheeks. It hurt her to see Aimsey so upset.
She stroked through his hair, just like Ren always did for her when she was upset. She figured she already had her answer, but thought she'd properly offer it anyway.
"Well… Mom and Dad were talking about how they're in Empires more often anyways," she started to explain, and grew hopeful when Aimsey slowly lifted their head up. Their face was red and blotchy and stained with tears, and False wished for a moment that they had let her finish speaking earlier. "They said the other option would be for you to live with Ren and I, since they know I've been taking care of you for the past few years anywa-"
Aimsey hugged her tightly again, then shook her by the shoulders as they shouted, "Why didn't you say that?!" False laughed loudly, and just embraced them again, knowing they both needed a moment to cool down.
When Aimsey's breathing had finally evened out, False thought she could finally tell Aimsey her hesitations, just to see if she really wanted this. "So if we go to Empires, you know you'll be starting at a new school, right?" Aimsey nodded, not seeming disturbed by the fact. "And your friends will still be here, but you'll have the chance to make new ones," she tried to make it seem optimistic.
Aimsey finally looked a little upset at that, but just softly asked, "We can come back and visit, right?"
False nodded easily. "Of course we can. Ren and I have friends that are staying close by too, so we can come back every now and then and see all of them," she explained.
Aimsey gave a small nod in return, none of False's points deterring them for a moment. She softly asked one more time, "Do you really want to move to Empires with us?"
Aimsey hummed in affirmation as they nodded fervently. "I had a lot of fun going there over spring break. I think it'd be cool to live there," they insisted.
False let out a soft sigh as she chuckled, and pulled Aimsey in for another hug. "Alright, you're coming with us then," she resolved, and smiled when Aimsey melted into her touch with relief. "Now let's go have some treats. Ren's mom made cookies!" she revealed, trying to lighten the mood after such an emotional rollercoaster.
Aimsey let out a small cheer, then grabbed False's hand and dragged her out of their room. False just laughed, and grew hopeful for the new life they would all have together living in Empires.
Ren seemed a little hesitant when he noticed them coming back down the stairs, but he eased up when he saw them both smiling. "We're all good?" he still cautiously asked.
"All good," False replied with ease, and smiled at Aimsey. She looked back to Ren as she took a brownie from the tin he offered forward, and announced, "We're gonna have someone else joining us in Empires!"
Ren cheered, and pulled Aimsey into his side for a hug. They stumbled into him, but hugged him back when they finally got their footing back, and giggled when he squeezed them.
"Glad to have you along for the ride, kid," he warmly said, and offered the tin of treats to her once he released her from his grasp. Aimsey's eyes went wide at the sight, and she hummed happily as she took a brownie.
False smiled gingerly at him when he caught her gaze. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then softly thanked him once more, "Thanks for being here."
He grinned, and kissed her on the corner of her lips. He softly chuckled when he noticed Aimsey averting their eyes while they ate their brownie. "It was my pleasure, Falsie," and he meant it wholeheartedly.
The day of their graduation arrived sooner than either Ren or False could've ever imagined. For once, they actually got ready for an event separately, wanting to have some time for themselves and their family members beforehand.
False smiled as Aimsey managed to weave the final bead into her hair, then tied off the end of the braid.
"Hey! You finally got it!" she cheered, and lifted her braid so she could see it all. The beads matching her school colors were a great addition to her hair, while also not being too attention-grabbing, just like False hoped. And best of all, her little sibling did them for her. It was like a little piece of them would be with her while she walked the stage.
Aimsey grinned back when they noticed that False was happy with the results, practically bouncing in place on her bed and sending a few stray beads flying onto the ground. "I've been practicing!" they proudly replied, and took a moment to admire their work. False twirled her finger around the beaded braid she had done in Aimsey's hair as well, and smiled at her contently.
"I'm really glad you wanted to come watch me graduate," she softly said. "Are you sure you're okay sitting with Mom and Dad? I have two extra tickets if you wanna invite Ros and Michaela. You'd probably still have to sit by them, but at least you'd have your friends," she suggested.
Aimsey seemed to consider it for a moment, before he shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. I just wanna focus on you, anyways, and… I can tell they're trying," he answered, a little hope sparking in his eyes at the mention of their parents.
False nodded, and leaned in to hug them. They hugged her back tightly, then reached for her cap to set on top of her head. They both laughed as it immediately fell off, and False teasingly mentioned, "Wanna see how many bobby pins I need to keep this thing on?"
Aimsey nodded excitedly, and grabbed her container of them from the bathroom. False just grinned as she watched them, happy that she got to share this moment with them. Things were going to change for them soon, but the love they shared never would.
…
Ren checked himself over in the mirror once more, making sure everything looked perfect. His outfit would mesh nicely with the cap and gown, while also being flashy enough that he could wear it on its own to the dinner False's parents had planned out for after the ceremony.
"Ren?" his mom called out from the hallway. "Could you help me when you have a moment?"
He fussed with his hair a bit, then smiled when he got it looking just as he wanted it, and finally went out to help his mom. She was standing in front of the mirror hanging in the hallway, with a necklace hanging off of her finger. "Could you help me get this on? The clasp is so finicky," she asked.
He nodded with a grin, and carefully took it from her, before he did the clasp with ease. Still, he couldn't help but tease, "There you go, nice and easy. Not like it's rocket science, Mom."
He laughed when she smacked him on the shoulder, and made sure to cover his head so she wouldn't ruffle his hair. "I care and provide for you your whole life with my job," she jokingly berated him, "and yet I can never get away from the rocket science jokes?!"
He cackled, but made a mistake in wiping the tears away from his eyes, giving her a prime opportunity to mess with his hair. He groaned when she did the deed, and messed with it again in the mirror while she smiled at him.
A moment of comfortable silence lingered, before she stared at him fondly, and softly said, "You look so much like your dad when he was your age."
Ren perked up at the mention of him, and let his eyes drift to the picture of the three of them from when he was a kid. He couldn't help it when his eyes misted up as she put a hand on his shoulder, and continued, "He'd be so proud of you, sweetheart. I know I am."
He sniffled, then leaned into his mom's side while she hugged him with one arm and rested her head against his shoulder. "Thanks, Mama," he softly replied, and smiled when he looked at the picture again, then back at the two of them in the mirror.
She grinned, then reached up to gently ruffle his hair again, getting a groan from him as he laughed. "Mommm," he whined, and messed with his hair a bit more while she just chuckled.
She pat him on the back before she passed him by, making sure to grab her camera and purse. "I'll be out in the car, hurry up! I wanna get a good seat so I can see you and False!" she shouted as she walked through the house.
Ren chuckled as he fondly shook his head. He looked at himself again, and smiled when he finally got all of his hair back into its proper place. He glanced back at the photo once more, and pressed a kiss to his fingers, then touched them to the frame.
He'd spent enough time beating himself up about the past. He had a bright future ahead of him, and he didn't want to miss a single second.
…
For the first time ever, Ren arrived early to school.
Granted, it was mostly because his mom wanted to get there early so she could get good seating, but he also had his own motives for getting there early.
He made his way into the gymnasium, where all of the other seniors were congregating until they had to walk out to the field. He smiled as he approached the huge group of his and False's friends that had formed in one of the corners of the gym. He almost wished that they had stopped the fighting between them all sooner so they could have more time together, but he wouldn't change a thing about the way it all happened.
He meandered through the crowd with a mischievous grin as he sought out a certain blonde, and found her talking with Grian and Doc, discussing something about their future careers in architecture and redstone respectively.
He was gentle as he put his hand on her shoulder to let her know he was there, and cut in to ask False, "Sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I steal you away for a minute?"
She smirked when she saw that glint in his eyes, and dismissed the intrusion to their classmates, "Sorry guys, we'll be back in a bit!" She smiled at Ren as she took his hand, and let him lead her out the side door of the gym when there wasn't any staff watching.
They tried to quiet their laughter as they ran away from the building, trying to not get caught, and False giggled when she realized Ren was dragging her out to the football field. "Ren," she lightly chastised him, despite her smile. "People are gonna be coming in any second now."
He shushed her with a grin, and tugged her along until they were underneath the bleachers. "I just wanted to do something real quick before we leave this place," he ambiguously explained, then dug a pocket knife out of his pants pocket. He smirked when False raised an eyebrow at him, and then teased, "One last Mutt thing before we leave him here for good?"
False just shook her head fondly, and leaned in to kiss him on his cheek. "He's not going anywhere," she corrected him, then glanced to the wooden beam.
Ren grinned, and kissed her on the corner of her lips before he focused on carving an R into the wood, then handed the knife to False so she could do the + and F. She gave it back to Ren, and watched as he meticulously carved a heart around their initials, then stood back as they proudly looked at their work.
False let out a surprised laugh when Ren hugged her tightly, lifting her a little as he peppered her face in kisses and spun her around. False managed to catch his cap as it fell off his head from when they tried to kiss, and laughed against his lips when she realized what happened. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back properly once he set her back down, and pushed him up against the beam they had just carved into. He smiled against her lips and held her closely to himself while they kissed.
She leaned back after a moment, but didn't go far. She pressed her forehead against his, their noses gently brushing, and just smiled as she let her eyes drift close. He hummed fondly as he rested against her, and started spilling out sweet nothings.
"You really changed my life, Falsie," he softly praised her. She perked up at his voice, and leaned back a little so they could talk better, but still kept close so they could have their arms around each other. "I was probably going to drop out, and just… be nothing, but…" He smiled, tears slowly coming to his eyes. "I'm graduating today, Falsie. I never thought this would happen for me."
She grinned as she pecked his lips, then wiped away the tears that spilled down his face. She gently reminded him, "You made that happen too, Ren. You chose to get help, and to do the work." She fondly stared at him, and couldn't help but praise him as well, "I'm so proud of you."
He softly chuckled, and sniffled before he caught her lips once more, sweetly kissing her. "Thank you, Falsie," he whispered. "Again, for everything. You mean so much to me."
She kissed him again, smiling against his lips. "You're welcome," she whispered back. She finally stepped away from him, and set his cap back on his head before she grabbed his hand as she grinned widely and said, "Now let's go walk that stage."
…
Graduation went better than either of them could imagine.
Now granted, it started off a little disappointing when they realized they were going to be seated in alphabetical order by their last names, so they couldn't sit together, but Ren rationalized that it just meant they could watch each other when they walked.
False was lucky to have Lizzie, Jimmy, and Big B near her since their last names also started with S's, while the closest person to poor Ren was Joel, who was a few rows up in the B section, while Ren was in D. He didn't let it bother him, though. He was excited that he'd get to see so many of his friends go at the same time, and it meant that they'd all be sitting down to watch him.
When Ren walked, he wasn't surprised to hear his mother shouting from the stands, and fondly laughed when he noticed her waving her hands. Surprisingly, False also put in effort into being heard as she loudly cheered for him from her seat. He laughed when he saw her, not knowing that she had it in her for how quiet she usually was in public, but it meant the world to him.
He made sure to be just as loud when she walked, though he had to give the award of being the loudest to Aimsey as they shouted and jumped up from their seat in celebration for False, with her parents politely sat next to them and clapping while they let out quieter cheers of their own.
False grinned widely as she walked down the stairs and down the path leading back to her seat. Her eyes widened when Ren jumped up from his and quickly ran to her, planting a quick kiss on her lips before one of the teachers scolded him to wait until the ceremony was over to do that. He laughed when he was told off, and shot False a wink before he rushed back to his spot.
She fondly rolled her eyes before she walked back to her seat. She was glad to see he didn't fully get rid of his Mutt side. He wouldn't be Ren without it.
They all waited with anticipation as the principal made their final speech, and congratulated all of them. False rushed to gently tug out all of her bobby pins as they neared the end of the speech, and tucked the last one into her pocket just as they announced, "Congratulations to this year's graduating class!"
Everyone tossed their caps in the air as they cheered, and False caught hers perfectly as it came back down. Everything quickly became a flurry after that, as people started rushing to find their friends and family. She let out a noise of surprise when Cleo and Xisuma rushed from the back of the rows over to her, and laughed loudly when they both embraced her tightly. She hugged them back, and grinned when Cleo kissed her on the cheek while Xisuma pat her on the back, before they rushed off to find their loved ones.
Still trying to catch her breath from the rush, she let out another shocked noise when someone jumped over a chair and hugged her from behind. She nearly fell over from how much it caught her off guard, but they kept a tight hold on her and laughed as they helped steady her. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she heard that beautiful, melodic laugh, and immediately knew it was Ren. She smiled as she turned, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he hugged her tight. She tucked her face into the crook of his neck as they just stood there and embraced each other, letting the fact that they both just graduated together sink in.
After a moment, False leaned back, and cupped his cheek as she leaned in for a kiss. He grinned against her lips, and held her waist as he kissed her back. She couldn't help but laugh as elation filled her, and she messily kissed him over and over again in between her giggles.
Ren chuckled as well, and they both startled when a smaller figure hugged both of them, bouncing eagerly on their feet. They both smiled when they turned and saw it was Aimsey, and laughed as they brought them into the embrace.
"Did you hear me? Did you hear me?" they excitedly asked. "I made sure I was super loud, Falsie!"
False laughed loudly, and smiled widely as she proudly exclaimed, "I did! You were so loud! I think you were the loudest in the crowd."
Aimsey had a smug grin on their face at that, and laughed when Ren ruffled their head, nearly knocking their beanie off. They all looked to the bleachers to see their parents slowly approaching, all with proud smiles on their faces as well. They'd probably head out for dinner once they got some pictures taken, and they were both reasonably… a little nervous, but… they both felt more secure in themselves and each other than ever before.
False glanced to Ren, and took his hand as she stared into his eyes. "Ready to try this again?"
He squeezed her hand, and smiled as he replied, "Ready as I'll ever be."
False stared at the list she had written out, and smiled in satisfaction.
It was perfect.
Finally, after their graduation, she had enough free time to actually sit down and plan the date. She was meticulous as she chose things, making sure they were something they both enjoyed, or correlated to a pivotal moment in their relationship. They were going to start with getting lunch at the diner where they had their first not a date study date, then see the new Hamlet movie that was playing at the movie theater, and finally, she would drive them to the boardwalk where they would get pizza for dinner, and finally make their relationship official while they walked together on the beach.
It was perfect. She really had to pat herself on the back for this one. Now all she had to do was put it into motion.
…
She tried to not make it suspicious when she asked Ren if he wanted to go out to the local diner for lunch, but her big, ceaseless smile tipped him off, just a little bit.
"…Sure?" he responded unsurely, trying to figure out what she was so happy about. "Is there something you wanna tell me?" he asked, getting straight to the point. "You are so adorable when you're excited, by the way," he couldn't help but tease, and gently poked her on the tip of her nose.
She didn't even let the teasing bother her or fight back like she usually would. Instead, she told him, "I finally want to go on our date."
He paused completely, staring blankly at her, before he managed a single blink. Next thing she knew, he was wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. She let out a small shriek when he spun around with her then set her back down while he excitedly bounced on his toes.
"Really?! You really mean it?" he asked, his eyes widened with surprise.
She nodded, her smile somehow even bigger at seeing how excited he was. "Yup! I have the whole day planned out. You just get to relax and let me treat you."
He smiled ear to ear at that, and held her by the waist as she peppered her face in kisses. "I am so excited!" he squealed. "Okay- okay, where to first?"
She stared back at him, dumbfounded. "…The diner, moron!" she wheezed out, and gently hit his shoulder when recognition filled his eyes.
"Oh right! Right! Okay! Let me get my shoes on!" he rambled, then ran off to find wherever he kicked his shoes off at. She crossed her arms as she watched him fondly, and knew this was going to be the best date ever.
…
False cheekily grinned as she rushed ahead of Ren and opened the door to the diner for him.
He was a little impressed at her commitment to being the one to lead this date, and thanked her as he walked in, "Thank you, dearest." She smiled at the nickname, and followed him over to the table he chose, then sat down across from him.
"Get whatever you want, it's on me," she let him know as they both started looking at their menus. He nodded with a grin, and it wasn't long before someone came by to get their drink orders. False tried to not let the disappointment she felt show on her face when she saw that it was Martyn, once again.
She reassured herself that Ren chose her, over and over again, even turning down Martyn's proposal to go out. He was out with her, so she had nothing to be insecure about.
"Hello! I'm Martyn, I'll be your server. Can I start you two off with some drinks?" he went through his usual spiel. False took notice of how he also seemed a little downtrodden when he realized that they were out on a date. She felt a sick sense of pride at that for a moment, before she told herself to just cool down. It wasn't a competition. …But if it was, she already won.
"I'll have a soda," Ren replied first, then looked to False for her response.
"I'll do an earl grey, thank you," she politely told Martyn.
He took down notes on his pad, then smiled as he said, "Okay, I'll have those out for you in a minute!" then walked off to the kitchen.
After he walked away, Ren teased, "It's a little warm out for tea, isn't it?"
She fondly rolled her eyes, and responded, "That's like the only drink I like from here. And I need the caffeine since we'll be out all day."
Ren's eyes widened as he grinned with amusement. "Oh? This is an all-day adventure? What do you have planned for us?"
False just shushed him as she chuckled, and cheekily replied, "You'll just have to wait and see. You'll love it though, I promise."
He smiled contently, and dropped the subject, knowing she wasn't going to budge on telling him.
Martyn came back a moment later, and set down a soda in front of Ren, then coffee in front of False. "Alright, are you two ready to order, or do you need some more time?" he asked, getting his pen and pad out.
False hesitated when she noticed that he brought her the wrong drink. Normally, she wouldn't say anything, but she really didn't care for coffee, and she didn't want the date to be off to a bad start. Ren noticed it too, and nodded at her encouragingly when she raised her hand a little to get Martyn's attention.
"Uh, sorry, this was supposed to be earl grey?" she softly corrected him. "It's not a big deal, but I-"
"Oh shoot! You're right, I'm so sorry!" Martyn realized when he checked his notes back over. "Sorry, I am so frazzled today. I'll go get you your tea, sorry again," he apologized profusely. False nodded, but once again, couldn't help but notice how Martyn glanced to Ren with blushing cheeks and an embarrassed look on his face. Ah, that's why he's frazzled, False realized.
She wasn't going to let it bother her, though. The drink mess-up wasn't that big of a deal, it was easily fixable, and Ren still looked like he was having a good time just hanging out with her.
"Do you always raise your hand to get people's attention?" he teased.
She let out an unexpected laugh at that, and quietly shouted, "It's just second-nature to me! It works! Why wouldn't I use it?"
He laughed at how defensive she got, and shot back, "You are such a teacher's pet!"
She smirked at that, and snarkily replied, "And guess who graduated with honors cause of that?"
"You did!" he proudly replied, making her laugh at how quickly he dropped the teasing when he could take a moment to praise her.
Martyn finally came back, and False smiled when she noticed it was the smaller tea cup, rather than the mug that the coffee came out in. "Alright, lemme get that coffee out of your way," he excused himself, then reached down with the same hand holding the tea to grab the coffee. False's eyes widened with shock when she watched a bit of the tea spill over and fall right on her dress, and winced as it burned her leg for a moment.
The heat thankfully faded just after a moment, but the stain settled in quickly. It wasn't too dark, especially in contrast to her blue sundress, but it was definitely noticeable.
"Shit- I am so sorry!" Martyn immediately apologized with horror in his eyes. He set down the tea, then grabbed some napkins from the dispenser on their table to hand to her. False almost thought he did it on purpose for a moment, but the shock on his face and shakiness in his hands and voice told her that he didn't mean it.
"False! Are you okay?" Ren rushed out, nearly jumping out of his seat when he realized what happened.
She nodded and brushed it off, "It's fine, it's just tea." She took the napkins from Martyn and tried dabbing away the tea, but it had already made its mark in the fabric. She was a little upset, if she was honest, but she figured she could just wash it out when she got home. It'd be annoying to have the stain all day while they walked around town, but it wasn't like there was anything she could do about it right now-
"Here, take my jacket," Ren offered, and slipped his jacket off his shoulders when he leaned over and noticed the stain. False's eyes widened with surprise, but before she could turn him down, he basically forced it into her lap. She grimaced as she put it on, hoping that she wouldn't get it messy as well, but she had to admit, it hid the stain perfectly.
"Thank you, Ren," she fondly replied with appreciation. Martyn took a step back when he realized the issue was resolved, but he still had a guilty and disappointed look on his face. False felt kind of bad for him, if she was honest. Ren's little frown towards the boy probably wasn't helping matters.
"I am so sorry, False," Martyn emphatically apologized once more. "I won't charge you for either drinks, I'll even throw in a free dessert- I am so sorry."
False waved him off with a polite smile. "It's okay!" she reassured him. "I know it was an accident." She glanced to Ren, and noticed that little glint in his eyes. "…We might take that dessert, though," she mentioned with a little laugh.
Martyn let out a sigh of relief, and got out his pen and pad so he could mark it down. "Okay, I'll make sure to remember that. Can I get you guys some food started?"
…
Their lunch went just fine after that, and False enjoyed sharing the free ice cream and brownie with Ren, courtesy of Martyn, who apologized practically every time he came back to their table.
Afterwards, she drove them a little further into town, and went into the movie theater parking lot. She turned to Ren with a smile, and prefaced, "This is the second part! I know you love Shakespeare, and I saw they have the new Hamlet movie playing here!"
Ren opened his mouth in awe, and shouted, "Oh that is amazing! I know all of the soliloquies, Falsie, you're going to be so impressed!"
False laughed at his outburst, and unbuckled her seatbelt as she reminded him, "Maybe keep it to a whisper? There's gonna be a whole audience in there."
Ren promptly ignored her, and teased back, "Well, Shakespeare did say 'all the world's a stage,'" and False wondered if maybe she should've turned down Martyn's offer of free dessert, because Ren was even harder to tame after he had some sweets.
Still, she just fondly rolled her eyes and got out of the car, and took his hand as they walked to the main entrance. Ren took note of how good she looked in his jacket, and wondered how this was the first time he ever offered it to her.
"You look good in that, you know?" he teased, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
She let out a small laugh as she smiled at him, and playfully shot back, "Yeah? Do I look as cool as you usually do?"
He snickered, and just went along with it, "So cool. The coolest, in fact."
She laughed again, then mentioned, "I still can't believe you wore your jacket underneath your gown on graduation. It must have been so hot," truly not understanding how he wore that thing, come rain or shine.
"I mean, I know you thought it was hot," he teased back, and accepted the playful smack on his shoulder. "Your parents were… surprised," he continued with a little snicker.
False fondly rolled her eyes. "Your dedication is impressive sometimes…" False felt her heart drop when they finally approached the movie theater, and saw a Sold Out sticker slapped over Hamlet. "…Shit," she muttered. She nervously met Ren's gaze as she apologized, "I'm so sorry, Ren."
He waved it off easily, and reassured her, "Ah, it's alright. We can see it another day!" He gasped excitedly as he realized, "Or we'll wait 'til it's on tape, then I can properly perform all of the soliloquies!"
She managed a small nod, trying to not let the disappointment of her plans failing eat away at her. Ren—like always, though—was right there to find the brighter side of things. "Now let's see what other movies we can watch…" His eyes skimmed over the board of movies that still had tickets available, and he shrugged when he noticed Dracula was still open.
"How about Dracula? That one starts in just a few minutes," he suggested.
False raised an eyebrow, not too sure about that choice. "Are you sure, Ren? Do you even like horror?" She wasn't too keen on horror herself, but she could get through it if that's what Ren wanted. She grimaced when she noticed there wasn't even a better option available for them, but she wasn't sure what else they could do to kill time until her final event for the day.
He nodded confidently, and reassured her, "Yeah, I'll be fine! Let's go before it starts!"
False laughed when he grabbed her hand and dragged her to the line so they could buy tickets. She wasn't sure what they had just gotten themselves into, but she figured there was only one way to find out.
…
The movie had started out fine, but they both quickly realized they were not horror people. She could tell Ren was on edge with how his hands were slightly trembling whenever he reached for the popcorn, and when they weren't, it was because he had a death grip on the arm rest.
Nothing bothered False too bad, but even she had to admit, it was pretty unsettling. She also just wasn't the biggest fan of blood, so she found herself looking away every time there was a bloody scene.
She figured they could still do the typical movie date things she'd seen before, and let her hand rest on top of his from where it was holding onto the arm rest. He glanced at her with a nervous smile when he felt her touch, and settled down a bit when she intertwined their fingers.
The peace only lasted for a bit longer though, and was brutally ended when there was a jump scare so bad that Ren screamed. His was drowned out by the others shouting in the room as well, but False could tell he was shaken up by it when his hand was still trembling a few moments later. She leaned in close to his ear and softly whispered, "Why don't we get out of here?"
He anxiously met her gaze, and for once, didn't give her any push back as he nodded in response. She tried to keep her head down as she took his hand and led him through their aisle and down the stairs, and she finally noticed how pale he was when they were out in the hallway. "Aww, Ren," she cooed with a little chuckle, and cupped his face lovingly. "I'm sorry, we should've just skipped it."
"No, it's okay!" he rushed to reassure her. "I wanted to try it out, but uh…" he sheepishly admitted, "horror is not for me, I guess."
She huffed out a little laugh, and leaned in to kiss him. He tasted vaguely of popcorn, but it didn't bother her too much. He melted into her touch when she kissed him, and she could feel as all of the tension in his body slowly eased away. She pulled away with a grin, and gently teased him as she pointed out, "Do you really like kissing me that much? You stopped shaking."
He let out a soft chuckle as he caught her lips again. "It is my favorite thing in the world, Falsie. We can just do that until your next big surprise. I would not mind."
She smiled against his lips as she kissed him again, and unfortunately had to tell him, "Well, that does sound fun, but…" She glanced to the clock at the end of the hall, and figured they could just go to the final location early and hang out there longer. "I got one last place I wanna take you."
Ren grinned contently, and stole one last kiss before he let her lead him away.
…
False didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse that they left their movie early so she could drive them to the beach, because they hit nearly standstill traffic, and were not making timely progress.
She groaned in frustration when they moved another inch forward, and rested her head against the steering wheel. "These people need to learn where the gas pedal is," she grumbled.
Ren snickered at her comment, but treaded carefully with his reactions, knowing that she was getting genuinely frustrated. "We've got time, Falsie," he gently mentioned.
She whined as she complained, "I wanted us to have time to eat dinner so then we could see the sun set, though."
Ren was touched at the thought she put into her plan, but there really wasn't anything they could do about the traffic. He felt a tinge of worry when she eyed the nearest exit and got that oh so familiar look of determination in her eyes.
As they slowly inched forward, she let out a sigh of relief when they were finally able to take the exit and get away from the crowd. "Okay, this might take a bit longer, but at least we're moving now," she said, mostly talking to herself.
Ren nodded contently, trusting her to find her way to wherever their secret third location was wholeheartedly.
That trust… he wouldn't say it faded as they drove for a few more hours, but… he definitely got more skeptical that she knew where she was going as she slowly looked more unsure of herself with every turn she took. He didn't mind the forested area, though, it was really beautiful, and the setting sun shining through the trees made for a gorgeous sight.
Still, he took notice of how she was growing more anxious, and gently set his hand on top of her free one when he asked, "Falsie, are you sure you know where we're going?"
She nodded with a forced grin, and reassured him, "Yeah, we're… we're getting there. I'm sure of it."
It was only a few minutes later when she pulled the car off to the side of the road and just stared forward that Ren finally knew something was wrong. "…I don't know where we are," she ashamedly admitted. She let out a little noise of disappointment as she rested her head forward on the steering wheel again, gently hitting it over and over again as she groaned.
Ren softly laughed at her reaction, and rubbed her back as he comforted her, "It's okay, Falsie. Why don't we turn back and get back on the freeway? I think there was a way back onto it not too far back."
She still didn't look reassured at that as she grumbled, "We're going to miss the sunset, though, and that's…" she let out a deep sigh, trying to compose herself, "and I just really wanted us to watch it together."
A moment of silence lingered between them, before her guilt got too overwhelming for her to hold back anymore. "I'm so sorry, Ren," she softly apologized, and sniffled. She tried to force back the tears brimming her eyes, not wanting to make herself the center of attention. He was the one who should be upset, not her. "I tried to make everything perfect, cause that's what you deserve, and I feel terrible for making you wait so long, but I just- I wanted it to be special, and-"
"Falsie," he gently cut her off, and when she sat back up, he took both of her hands into his. "Today was special, sweetheart. I'll never forget it," he fondly reassured her.
Her mind went quiet at that. She really couldn't believe him, in the best way possible. "…Really?" she asked to make sure. "I just- everything went wrong, and I just wanted it to be perfect."
"It was perfect to me," he warmly corrected her, grinning at her like she hung the stars in the sky. "Every day that I'm with you is perfect, Falsie."
She sniffled again, and couldn't help herself from leaning in and kissing him. He laughed a little out of shock, then gently kissed her back, and brushed her hair behind her ear.
She pulled back after a moment, and vowed with determination, "I'll make it up to you, I promise. We'll find another day we can go, or I'll find something just as good-"
He cut her off with another kiss, then pushed their foreheads together like an affection bump, before he leaned back a few inches. "You don't have to make up for anything, baby," he softly reassured her. "We could've just stayed home and eaten leftovers. I would've been just as happy, so long as I got to spend time with you."
It took her a moment to process it, but she supposed that's what this was all really about at the end of the day. A celebration of their relationship, and most importantly, just taking the time to tell each other how much they cherished one another.
She pressed another gentle kiss to his lips, and whispered, "I love you."
He grinned, and kissed her again as well before he reciprocated, "I love you too, Falsie."
Ren hummed contently, and got an idea of how they could take advantage of their mishap when he looked around the surrounding forest. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, making False perk up when he came around to her side to open her door. "…What are you doing?" she softly asked with a raised eyebrow.
He smirked, then tilted his head towards a little clearing in the trees that he noticed just a bit away from the car. The dying sunlight shined beautifully through the branches, and False let out a little laugh of relief when she got what he was hinting at. He was careful as he led her through the trees, making sure to point out any fallen branches or rocks she should avoid, until they found a cliff's edge that overlooked the valley of the forest, and gave them a gorgeous view of the mountains, and most importantly, the sunset.
Ren put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead with a grin when he noticed how excited she was. They stared out past the mountains as the sun finally set between them, and False let out a small laugh of relief. "That was really beautiful," she softly broke the silence, a faint blush on her cheeks just from how happy and relieved she was.
"Not as beautiful as you," he fondly replied. She rolled her eyes with a smile, and they both slowly turned to face each other as a question lingered in her mind. He could see it in her eyes, and how she focused so intently on him.
He smiled when she cupped his cheek, and leaned in for a gentle kiss. "I really love you, Ren," she softly started. "I… I know we haven't really done this in the right order, and I've made you wait so long," she went on, growing a little anxious. "But… would you… would you be my boyfriend?"
He couldn't stop smiling if he tried, and immediately nodded, then kissed her solidly on the lips. She smiled against his lips as she kissed him back, and when they pulled away, they both had tears running down their cheeks as they grinned at each other. "I'd love to be your boyfriend, Falsie," he said aloud, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
She softly laughed, and wiped away her own tears when more spilled down her face. They clumsily brushed away each others tears, before False caught his lips once more and kissed him fiercely. She laughed when she pulled away, and solidly declared, "I love you, Ren."
He planted another kiss on her lips before he softly replied, "I love you too, baby."
He looked back over the valley, and noticed that it was starting to get dark. "Should we head back now?" he questioned.
She hummed as she thought about it, and shrugged her shoulders as she replied, "In a minute. No need to rush, right?"
He was surprised at her response, and smiled amusedly. "Right," he responded with a grin, and kissed her temple. They stared out over the valley together and admired the stars slowly becoming visible in the darkening night sky.
She was right, like always. There wasn't a need to rush anything. That was never how they worked. He waited six years to finally make a move on her, she took six months to properly ask him out, and he'd wait however long it took to finally put the ring in his back pocket on her finger.