Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Seven-year-old Nico Minoru sits on the edge of the pool at the Dean household, covered in sunscreen and dangling her feet in the water. The backyard is full of people that Nico has known her whole life. There’s her older sister Amy, splashing around in the deep end of the pool with Alex and Chase under the watchful eyes of Alex’s parents. On the other end of the pool, Gert is teaching four-year-old Molly how to swim. Their parents, Dale and Stacey keep a close eye on them. Nico had heard them say something about the muscles in Molly’s leg not being right since she was in a cast for so long. Frank Dean stands behind the Yorkes, on a patio with a grill situated on it. Nico’s dad Robert is with him and so is Chase’s dad Victor. Nico can see Leslie walk up to Frank and tell him something before she walks back over to where Nico’s mom Tina and Janet Stein are sitting. Nico ignores all of them in favor of watching Karolina swim around in the space just in front of Nico. 

Karolina had always been Nico’s best friend and had taken it upon herself to cheer Nico up. Karolina was empathic, she hated to see anyone sad, especially Nico. But Nico had been sad for weeks and nothing Karolina did seemed to cheer her up. Nico hadn’t smiled when they danced like fools together a few days ago, or when they went to the zoo and saw the monkeys making funny faces. She hadn’t laughed when Chase tried on Gert’s new glasses and fell on his face. She wasn’t laughing then when Karolina emerged from the water with a goofy expression as she tried and failed to make her hair stand up on end. Karolina didn’t really understand why Nico wouldn’t smile or laugh but she knew that she would give anything to see Nico’s smile. Karolina frowned slightly and with all the determination she could muster in small body decided that she wouldn’t let Nico leave until she had gotten a smile out of her. 

“Hey,” Karolina swam up to Nico and floated beside her, splashing her maybe a little more than necessary but she wanted to make sure she had Nico’s attention. “Wanna race?” 

“I can’t swim as fast as you, Karrie.” Nico moved her legs back and forth in the water. “You’d win.” 

“Maybe not.” Karolina tried again, reaching out of the water to tug on Nico’s hand. Her skin was warm from the sun and just starting to turn a little red from sunburn. “Please? No one else will race with me.” 

“That’s ‘cause you’re the best swimmer,” Nico said matter-of-factly, her lips twitching up just the slightest bit. It still wasn’t a smile. 

“Nuh-uh, Amy’s better.” Karolina and Nico both looked over to where Amy was now proving to the boys that she could hold her breath for longer than they could. Catherine and Geoffry had edged a bit closer to the pool. 

“She is not,” Nico looked back down at Karolina.

“Is too,” 

“Is not,” 

“Is not.” 

“Is too.” 

“Is not.” Nico kicked her leg a little harder and splashed Karolina. Karolina looked up with her at a grin before she let go of Nico’s hand, backed away from the wall and used her full arm to throw as big of a wave as she could at Nico. The cool water made Nico squeal and Karolina splashed her again, determined to make the sound turn into a giggle. When she succeeded, Nico was soaking wet and starring at Karolina with a playful glare. 

“Is too,” Karolina stuck her tongue out at Nico for emphasis and was rewarded with another round of Nico’s giggle. Nico wiped the water from her eyes and then braced her hands on the edge of the pool. 

“You’re gonna pay for that,” Nico warned and then launched herself into water. Karolina ducked to avoid the splash only to come up and find Nico ready and waiting for her, sending a wave of her own directly into Karolina’s face. Karolina laughed as the water hit her and splashed back, chasing Nico around the pool. 

“Hey!” Amy yelled with eight-year-old tenacity, “no can splash my sister. ‘Cept me!” 

“What?!” Nico shrieked as she found herself suddenly being attacked from two sides. Chase rushed over to help Nico and then Alex joined in as well, but he didn’t bother picking a side. Instead, Alex splashed them all in turn and laughed victoriously until he was suddenly doused by four waves of water at once. The parents near the pool took a few steps back, except for Dale who had taken over Molly’s swimming lessons so Gert could play with her friends, in an effort to avoid the water being flung everywhere. The splash war raged, teams forming and changing at a moments notice. 

On a patio bench behind the grill, Tina felt a small smile stretch across her lips as she watched the children play together. She’d been so worried about Nico ever since she and Robert told the girls about what was happening. Neither of them had looked particularly surprised to find out that their parents were separating, both of Tina’s girls were so bright. They’d undoubtedly noticed the signs. Robert had been sleeping the guest room for a month when they’d sat the girls down and explained to them that Daddy was going to be moving out. He was still their dad, of course, but he and Mommy wouldn’t be together anymore. Tina felt like she had been walking on eggshells in her own home ever since. 

Nico had been especially somber since she learned about the divorce. Nico had never been an especially loud child but she had always seemed happy, especially around her friends. Tina had worried that her children wouldn’t get along with the other Pride kids, they’re all so different and she knows that kids can be brutally honest. She’s never met a child that didn’t give an honest opinion, good or bad. Nico hadn’t given an opinion one way or the other about her parents separating, hadn’t said anything about it. Tina was so worried that separating from her husband would hurt her girls, but she worried that having a mother in an unhappy marriage would hurt them more. She didn’t feel happy being with Robert anymore, that had started a long time before he started seeking the company of other women, and her children deserve to have a happy mother. At least, that’s what Tina kept telling herself every time the guilt at Nico’s sudden silence started clawing at her heart. 

“Tina?” Janet called softly and touched Tina’s knee. Tina blinked and it was then that she noticed the moisture pooling her eyes and slipping down her cheeks. “Tina, hey, what is it?” 

“Sorry,” Tina swallowed harshly and wiped at her eyes. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“Because it’s an emotional time. Believe me, I know.” Janet’s hand was warm and comforting against Tina’s knee where she squeezes gently. It’s oddly comforting to Tina, having Janet there with her. Although she wouldn’t exactly call Pride a group of friends, there was a certain fondness that was born from the large quantities of time they all spent together. Tina wouldn’t deny that she liked some Pride members more than others, and somehow Janet had managed to place herself at the top of the list of people Tina liked. 

“I’m sure you know better than anyone else here,” Tina remarked, hesitating for a moment before she covered Janet’s hand with her own. There was something that only Tina and Janet shared. Out of all the couples that made up Pride, Janet and Victor were the only ones who had gone through a divorce before Tina and Robert split. Tina knew how difficult Janet’s divorce had been. Tina had been there when Janet revealed the bruises on her arms and ribs that finally convinced her to leave Victor. It had been an accident when Tina saw the marks, but that didn’t stop her from investigating the situation. Tina felt awful enough about what they did as Pride, she couldn’t stand by and let Victor hurt his own family. It had only been natural for Tina to then become Janet’s support system while she went through the divorce process and moved out of the Stein manor with Chase in tow. Now it seemed Janet was set to return the favor. “I just have seen them smiling like that in a long time.” 

“They’ll be okay, Tina.” Janet flipped her hand over to hold Tina’s. “They’re smart girls, they probably know more than you think and what they don’t understand now, they will someday.” 

“I just don’t want them to hurt because of this.” Tina swallowed again and wiped at the wetness on her cheeks in an effort to look as put together as she normally did. Leslie had stepped away from them at some point but Tina hadn’t noticed until she saw Leslie intercepting Robert when it looked like he was making his way over to where Tina sat. 

“They will, this hurts. You can’t avoid that. But the little pain they feel now will be better than a lifetime of pain later.” The words sounded rehearsed and it wasn’t hard for Tina to figure out why. Janet had probably repeated that to herself over and over again. 

“They know that he’s not coming home with us when we leave.” Tina looked back at her daughters. The splash war had ended and the group of kids had moved on to playing some sort of hybrid of Marco polo and dodgeball. Tina had no idea where the little floating balls they were tossing at one another had come from but she was happy to see her daughters having fun. Amy and Alex had teamed up, as they often did, to help each other avoid the balls that Chase threw at them. Karolina and Nico were sitting low in the shallow end of the pool, silent and unmoving. Tina could only see the tops of their heads but she knew they were both shaking with silent laughter. 

“I’m sorry, Tina. I wish there was something I could say to make this all better.” Janet squeezed Tina’s hand as they both watched the children play. Janet knew that there was nothing to say, the words she had already shared with Tina would be little more than a passing comfort. The truth was that divorce was hard. It hurt to peel back the pieces of your life just so you can remove someone who had been such an integral part of it. It was hard to go from husband and wife to just co-parents. It was hard to be strong for your kids when all you wanted to do was break down and cry because the person who was supposed to be your forever partner is gone. Even if you’re still co-parenting and trying to be civil for the sake of the little ones, that tension was hard to overcome. Janet had been divorced for almost a year and still didn’t feel completely safe being in a room alone with Victor or letting him keep Chase for a weekend. Her only saving grace was that Chase hadn’t come home with any bruises after visiting his father. 

“Just tell me it gets easier.” The request was unexpected, same as the emotion in Tina’s eyes when she looked at Janet. She’d never seen Tina look so openly heartbroken and some small part of Janet felt just the tiniest bit privileged that Tina had chosen her to vulnerable around. 

“It does get easier,” Janet spoke softly. “With time, it gets easier.” 

Tina nodded but didn’t say anything. They sat in silence together for a few moments, their joined hands still resting on Tina’s knee, until the kids started climbing out of the pool and demanding to be fed. Tina pulled her hand away when Nico approached them and climbed into her mother’s lap. Nico wrapped Tina in a tight hug, not saying anything as she squeezed around her mother’s shoulder. Tina hugged her back and couldn’t even complain about her sundress now being soaking wet. When Nico pulled back she smiled brightly at Tina. A little too brightly. Tina quirked an eyebrow. 

“What do you want, Nico?” 

“We want to have a sleepover,” Nico declared, gesturing behind her where the other children were walking up to their respective parents. Janet moved a little bit away from Tina as Chase approached her. “Can we? Please?” 

“Yeah, mom, please?” Chase echoed Nico’s question to his own mother, adding in a small pout for good measure. Tina and Janet shared a small glance. 

“As long as it’s okay with Leslie, I don’t mind,” Tina answered. “But you have to promise you’ll be up in time for karate in the morning.” 

“I promise!” Nico threw her arms around her mom again before jumping off her lap and dashing off, yelling “Karrie! She said yes!” 

“You sure you don’t mind, Leslie?” Janet asked after the kids had all been fed and were running around the yard away from the pool to wait out the thirty minutes until their parents would let them back in the water. The parents were all seated around the patio, Tina and Janet on the same bench they had been on earlier with Leslie and Frank and Catherine and Geoffry in the chairs on either side of them. The Yorkes, Robert, and Victor rounded the circle out. Janet ignored the way her heart suddenly clenched when she noticed the circle was smaller than it should have been. 

“Not at all,” Leslie offered her a smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes. “Karolina’s been dying to watch this new movie but insisted that Nico had to be here for it. Tonight’s as good a night as any.” 

“I’ll have to pick up the girls just after breakfast,” Tina said, “they’ve got karate lessons.” 

“We can all plan to pick them up around that time, then.” Catherine nodded decisively. “Maybe we should put Alex in those karate classes. It might get him to put down a controller for a little while.” 

“Chase said he wants to be in those, too. Apparently Amy has been showing off when we’re not looking.” Janet took a sip from the glass of water in her hands, watching Victor for any sign of a reaction. He clenched his fists slightly but otherwise didn’t react. 

“Might not be a bad idea,” Stacey looked over her shoulder to make sure the kids weren’t within hearing range. “After what happened, it might be good for them to be able to defend themselves.” 

“I can send you the class information,” Tina said. “I’m sure the dojo will be happy to show you all around.” 

The conversation moved on after that as Victor and Robert began talking about some kind of schematics or other. Tina didn’t pay attention to them. Instead, she watched the kids dive back into the pool, even little Molly who jumped right into Chase’s arms, and let her mind race. The previous conversation rattled in her brain. She hadn’t expected the others to be interested in sending their kids to self-defense classes, but then again, what did she really know about them outside of Pride business. They’d all said it over and over again, their kids may be friends but they weren’t. They were just business partners, nothing more. But they were clearly more similar than they thought. 

They all knew that what happened to the Hernandez family wasn’t an accident. Alice and Gene had been too close to discovering something that Jonah clearly wanted to stay hidden and Jonah hadn’t hesitated to take them out. Tina knew that there would be no way she could prepare her children in case Jonah decided to take action against them or anyone else in the group, but she could at least give them a fighting chance at getting away. It seemed that the other Pride parents were thinking the same thing. 

As the sun started to fade over the horizon, the children finally climbed out of the pool for the night and trudged upstairs to take showers and change into something they could sleep in. Dale and Stacey decided to take Molly home instead of having her sleepover with the others so they wished their oldest daughter goodnight before they made their way out, a sleepy Molly nestled against Dale’s shoulder. Frank Dean set up the TV in the den with some animated movie that was apparently so important and absolutely had to be watched before the kids went to bed. Tina was willing to bet that all the kids would be asleep before the movie even reached the halfway point. 

Janet and Tina were the last ones to leave the Dean's house for the night only a few minutes before the kids all settled into the den with blankets and pillows. Despite the circumstances of how it happened, Tina admired the friendships the children were forming. They all played and fought and loved like siblings. It was nice to think about, that even if the world fell apart around them one day, Tina was confident these kids would stick together. Before they left, Janet and Tina peeked into the den to see where the kids had ended up. 

Nico and Karolina shared the big reclining chair, their little bodies squished together and a blanket thrown over both of them. Gert and Amy were both sprawled on the couch, sharing a center cushion where their feet were separated by a few inches. Alex had claimed the lounge portion of the large sectional couch which left Chase on the floor in a comfy bean bag. Nico was still smiling as the movie started, whispering to Karolina. Amy was smiling too at whatever joke Alex had told and the sight of all of them together warmed Tina’s heart. As long as her kids kept smiling like that, she could get through this. Janet looked at her with a small smile and an understanding glint in her eyes as they walked out of the mansion together. 

“If you need anything…” Janet let the offer trail off as they each made their way to their own vehicles. 

“I will,” Tina stopped Janet with a hand on her arm and then let her hand drop until she could hold Janet’s again, palm to palm. She squeezed gently. “Thank you, Janet.” 

Janet nodded and squeezed Tina’s hand in return before letting go and walking to her car. Tina climbed into her car and breathed deeply, fighting against the tears that wanted to fall. She moved almost robotically as she drove home, not really seeing where she was going or consciously making the effort to get there. It wasn’t until she was standing in the foyer of her home that it hit her, all the emotions she had been holding in. They rose to the surface at once and there, alone in what was supposed to be the house she shared with her husband for the rest of their lives, Tina collapsed to the ground and let the sobs crash through her. 

She cried for her girls, for the hurt they had to experience. She cried for Robert, for the pieces of her heart that he would always hold. She cried for herself. She let herself feel all the heartbreak and sadness until she was sure there were no more tears left in her body to cry. It was then that the smallest bit of hope started to rise in her chest. 

Things were changing, they had to change. 

Tina would make damn sure they changed for the best. 

Chapter Text

"Do you think it's weird that our moms are spending so much time together?" Chase asked as he sat down next to Nico on the playground bench. Molly was already racing up and down the slide with Gert and Amy, but Alex and Karolina hadn't gotten there yet. An old woman dressed in white sat on another bench and kept watch over the children while their parents worked on something inside the Gibborim church. 

"No. Why would it be weird?" Nico finished retying her shoelaces and fixed her sock before she sat straight up again. 

"I dunno." Chase shrugged and flipped his too long hair out of his eyes. He'd refused to cut his hair until the end of summer because he liked having his hair long enough to play with. Even though Gert teased him, she still twisted the strands into braids and any other way she could mess it up. Chase thought that was worth the teasing. "They're just weirdly close." 

"They're friends, Chase," Nico gestured at the other kids who had moved onto playing on the swings as if to say just like all of us . 

"Yeah I know, but we're friends too and I don't hold your hand. Or tell you you're pretty all the time. Or hug you, like way longer than everyone else." 

"Maybe they're best friends. Like me and Karrie," Nico rolled her eyes as Chase shook his head. 

"But Alex and Amy are best friends and they don't do those things either!" Chase insisted, flipping his hair out of his eyes again. "I think they're more than best friends." 

"Which would make them what?" Nico asked as she looked around, hoping Karolina would appear and save her. 

"I dunno. Married?" 

Nico's eyes grew wide as she considered Chase's suggestion. It was a possibility, Nico thought. Her mom had been spending a lot of time with Janet, holding her hand and smiling at her differently. Chase and Janet had even come over for dinner a few times without the rest of Pride or the other kids there. And Janet had picked her and Amy up from school once when her mom's meeting ran over and her daddy couldn't come get them either. 

"Maybe. What do married people do?" 

"Married people?" Nico turned as her best friend approached them. Karolina sat down next to Nico and greeted her friend with a one armed side hug. 

"Chase thinks his mom and my mom are married," Nico explained after she pulled away from Karolina's hug. "But I don't know if he's right." 

"They've been spending alotta time together and holding hands and hugging. We've even had dinner with just them," Chase gestured at Nico and then vaguely in the direction of where Amy and Gert were pushing Molly on the swing. 

"I said maybe they're just best friends, like us." 

"Well have they kissed? I've seen lots of married people do that," Karolina brushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder, her silver bracelet clinking as she moved. 

"Kiss?" Chase asked. "Like on the cheek?" He'd seen Tina kiss his mom on the cheek when they were leaving the Minoru house one time, but he's seen Stacey and Leslie do that before too and he was certain that his mom wasn't married to either of them. 

"No on the lips. Daddy kisses Mommy on the lips before he leaves for work, sometimes for a really long time. They're married," Karolina watches Nico and Chase think about what she said for a moment before she continues. "Maybe you should ask them about it." 

"I think we're supposed to have dinner together again tomorrow night," Chase looked up as Alex walked over to them. “We can ask them about it then.” 

"Ask what?" Alex asked as he paused beside the bench, waving at Amy and Molly. Gert had her back to them so she didn't see the Alex waving. 

"Nothing," Chase gave Karolina and Nico a very obvious look to not say anything. Nico rolled her eyes but agreed. "Let's play tag!" 

"Not it!" Alex yelled as Chase chased him away from the bench. Chase rushed over and poked Gert's shoulder, loudly declaring that she was it before he took off around the side. Amy helped Molly down from the swing and then they ran off together. 

"Do you think my mom is really married to Chase's?" Nico asked Karolina as they got ready to join the game. Karolina shrugged. 

"I don't see why they can't be but I think there's usually a party before people get married, like a ceremony." 

"So maybe they're getting ready to get married?" Nico asked as Molly ran up beside them and tapped Nico's arm before dashing off again. 

"Just ask your mom Nico. And tell me what she says," Karolina rolled her eyes at her best friend. 

"Yeah, okay. Wait," Nico grabbed Karolina's arm to keep her from running off and smiled cheekily at her when Karolina looked over. "You're it." 

Nico ran off as Karolina yelled her name and they both joined the game in full. 

They played for hours, long enough to stop for a snack break and several water breaks before their parents came out of the church to pick them up. Although playing had distracted them both for a little while, Chase and Nico still watched their moms closely as they walked out of the church together. Janet had her arm around Tina's shoulders as they walked and Chase thought it looked really similar to how Karolina's parents were walking together. Karolina's parents who were definitely married. Chase looked over at Nico and nodded very seriously, for an eight year old boy, when Tina kissed his mom on the cheek before they moved away from one another to collect their own kids. Nico nodded back and silently agreed that she and Chase would ask their moms about it tomorrow night at dinner. But first she'd ask her sister about it tonight because Amy was almost 10 and she knew a lot of things that Nico and Chase didn't. Nico was sure Amy would know what was going on. 

Nico waited until they had gotten to talk to Amy. They both headed up the stairs to wash up while Tina made them dinner but Nico followed Amy into her bedroom instead of going to her own. 

"What's up, Nico?" Amy asked when she noticed her little sister had entered her bedroom with her. 

“Chase said something on the playground earlier and I can’t decide if he’s right or not,” Nico explained as she climbed up onto her sister’s bed to sit beside her. 

“Well, what did he say?” 

“That our mom is married to his mom.” 

Amy couldn’t help but laugh, “Why does he think that?” 

“Because mom and Janet are really friendly with each other. They talk on the phone all the time, and hug and kiss each other’s cheek and they come over for dinner without the rest of Pride. And remember that time Janet picked us up from school?” Nico waited until Amy nodded her understanding. “I thought that maybe they were just best friends, like me and Karrie are, but now I’m not sure.” 

Amy chuckled again and pulled her little sister into her. Leave it to Chase Stein, who had been drooling over Gert since the first day they met to make the jump from best friends to marriage, forgetting about the steps in between. “And what did Karolina say?” Amy asked, knowing that her little sister had told her best friend about this. 

“She asked if Mom and Janet had kissed, because she’s seen lotsa married people do that,” Nico frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t think Mom and Janet are married, though. Mom wouldn’t get married again without telling us, right?” 

“Of course I would tell you,” Tina Minoru stepped through the open door of Amy’s bedroom and sat down on the bed with her daughters. She had come upstairs to see what was holding the girls from coming down to help her cook dinner since she knew it was something they both enjoyed. “I’m not married to anyone, sweetie, not anymore.” 

“So Chase was wrong,” Nico stated, looking and sounding completely unsurprised. Tina chuckled slightly and brushed her fingers through Nico’s hair before resting her hand against Amy’s leg. 

“Well, yes and no,” Tina admitted, “Janet and I aren’t married, but we are more than best friends.” 

“Okay,” Nico drew out the word, looking to Amy for guidance on how to respond. Amy was grinning at her mother. 

“Nico, do you remember when that boy in your class had a crush on you?” Nico nodded. 

“He liked me in a more than a friend way, but he was always mean to me.” Nico relayed the memory. “But he stopped when he saw me and Karrie holding hands on the playground at recess, because he thought she was my girlfriend, but I didn’t know what that meant.” 

“Do you know what it means now?” Amy questioned, deciding to help her mom out with explaining things to Nico. Nico nodded. 

“It’s someone that you love but differently than you love everyone else. A best friend but better, right?” Nico repeated the words Tina had used to describe dating to her nearly a year ago. “But Karolina’s just my best friend. We don’t do the hand holding and kissing and things that you said people who are dating do. Because you and Leslie said we’re too young for that stuff.” Tina ignored the implication that their age was the only thing stopping Karolina and Nico from being girlfriends for the moment. That was an argument to be had later, when Nico was old enough to understand what it really meant to be in love with someone. 

“Yes, and you still are, but Janet and I are both grown ups. If we want to hold hands and kiss and things like people who are dating do, there’s only one reason that we wouldn’t,” Tina spoke softly, repeating Nico’s phrasing as she poked her daughter in the stomach gently. Nico giggled. 

“What’s the reason?” Nico asked, leaning towards her mother slightly in interest. 

“Our families,” Tina replied. “If the two of you, or Chase, aren’t comfortable with us being together, then we won’t be. You children will always come first. Always,” Tina promised with something in her eyes that neither of her girls could identify. 

“And if we are comfortable with it?” Amy asked lightly. Tina couldn’t hide the small smile on her lips as she answered. 

“Then tomorrow night at dinner, we’ll have the same conversation with Chase and Janet. If everything works out the way I hope it does, Janet and Chase will be spending a lot more time around here with us.” 

Nico, after a moment of intense thought, looked up at her mother. “You and Janet are already girlfriends, aren’t you?” 

“Yes, we are,” Tina wouldn’t lie about this to her daughters. Lying now wouldn’t mean protecting them, it would mean hurting them, and Tina would never do anything to intentionally hurt her daughters. “We were going to tell the two of Chase and tomorrow night.” 

“So you aren’t married yet, but someday you might be?” Nico asked. Her tone was oddly considering, like she was already thinking about the pros and cons of her mother marrying someone who wasn’t her dad. 

“Someday, maybe,” Tina said. “It’s not something that Janet and I have talked about yet, but you never know what could happen in the future.” 

“I don’t think I’d mind it so much, if you married Janet. She’s nice and she makes good pancakes and she doesn’t let Chase be too annoying all the time,” Nico said that last part as if it was the most important aspect of Janet’s personality. “And you seem happier now,” 

“I’ve always been happy with just the three of us,” Tina argued truthfully. She could never fall in love again and be perfectly content with her life as long as she still had her daughters. 

“We know, Mom,” Amy spoke up for the first time in a little while, amused by Nico’s explanation of dating and her reasoning for accepting Janet as her mom’s girlfriend. “But there’s nothing wrong with having more happiness.” 

“Yeah, that’s why I love Karolina so much,” Nico cheered. “She makes me feel happier.” 

“Maybe one day you and Karolina will be girlfriends for real,” Amy teased her little sister. “Maybe one day you’ll marry Karolina, too. What do you think, Nico? D’ya wanna spend your whole life with Karolina?” 

“Obviously,” Nico rolled her eyes in the dramatic fashion of young girls, “that’s why Karolina’s the princess and I’m her knight. So one day we can live happily ever after. After we slay all the dragons and rescue Chase.” 

“Maybe you should rescue the dragons and slay Chase instead,” Amy suggested. Nico’s eyes lit up at the idea but Tina cut her off before she could agree. 

“There will be no slaying any time soon, unless it’s dinner. Go finish washing up,” Tina directed her girls to the bathroom so they could wash their hands, after receiving a hug from both of them, and then headed down the stairs to start cooking dinner for the three of them. 

~

“I had the most interesting conversation with Chase over dinner tonight,” Janet spoke into her phone, laying back in her bed with her phone in one hand and a scientific journal about artificial intelligence in the other. 

“Really?” Tina responded with a slight hum as she towel dried her damp hair. Her phone lay on her nightstand on speaker mode so Tina could still speak with Janet as she prepared herself for bed. “What about?” 

“He asked me if I got married again and didn’t tell him,” Janet said and Tina couldn’t help the small laugh that slipped past her lips. 

“Funnily enough,” Tina said when Janet asked what was so funny, “I had a similar conversation with my girls. Apparently we aren’t as subtle as we think we are.” 

“They figured it out?” Janet asked. Tina could hear a bit of rustling on the other end of the phone line, papers moving as Janet settled further into bed. 

“They figured out that we are together, but they weren’t sure how. We were the hot topic on the playground today, at least between Nico and Chase,” Tina explained as she dressed in her sleep-clothes. 

“And probably Karolina, if Nico had anything to say about it,” Janet chuckled, a sound that Tina echoed as she climbed into her own bed. 

“Oh she did, she also said that she’s gonna marry Karolina one day. That’s why she’s the knight and Karolina’s the princess,” Tina said with apparent amusement. “They have to save Chase from the dragon before they can live happily ever after, though.” 

“Well okay then,” Janet’s laugh filtered through her phone speaker as Tina picked up the device and turned off speaker mode. The sound made Tina feel warm in a way that she just starting to get familiar with again, that private joy between two people falling in love. “Why did the kids think we were married, anyway?” 

“We seem to do a lot of things that married people do, or that’s what Chase thought.” 

“And Nico?” 

“Nico wasn’t sure because she’s never seen us kiss and she knows married people do that. I told them that we aren’t married, but we are together. After a little prompting, Nico figured out what I meant. Amy picked up on it right away,” 

“Smart as a whip, both of them,” 

“Chase, too. He’s the one who started the whole conversation.” 

“Dinner tomorrow night should be interesting,” Janet chuckled softly, a sound that Tina echoed. 

“It can’t be any worse than when we told Victor and Robert about us,” Tina commented, thinking back to that day. A normal Pride meeting, meaning one in which they actually worked on supporting those in need like Pride was originally meant to do and not a meeting where they plotted to make another runaway child disappear-Tina swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and forced her train of thought to continue on. The meeting that day had nearly ended in a screaming match between Victor and Tina who had stepped in between the angry man and his ex wife when he started to advance on her. Robert had jumped in then too, intent on being Tina's knight is shining armor only to be shut down by Janet. According to Dale and Stacey, it had been quite amusing to watch. 

"At least they've finally wrapped their heads around it," Janet agreed. Another rustling sound came through phone as Janet stretched her arm out to turn off the lights. "Do you need me to bring anything tomorrow?" 

"No, I've got it all covered, but you can come by early if you want and help out in the kitchen," Tina climbed into her own bed and turned out the lights. 

"I'll be there," Janet promised softly. "Good night, Tina." 

"Good night," Tina responded and they both waited a moment before hanging up, listening to the other woman breathe. Finally the call ended and Tina set her phone down to charge and rolled over in bed. As she fell asleep, she wondered how much longer she would have to sleep alone every night and hoped the answer was not very. 

~

Dinner the next night was a surprisingly uneventful affair. Janet and Chase come over an hour and a half earlier than originally planned, they and the three Minorus sat down in the living room and talked about Janet and Tina’s relationship, all three children accepted it without complaint before running outside to chase one another around while their moms made dinner. When the food was ready, Chase, Nico, and Amy raced each other upstairs to wash their hands and the meal passes as peacefully as any meal with three children at the table can. 

After dinner, Nico and Chase returned upstairs for a bit while Amy cleared the table with Janet and Tina. 

“What are those two up to?” Tina asked her oldest daughter after the sound of Nico’s and Chase’s footsteps had faded away. 

“Chase said something about having three bedrooms now, one at the condo, one with his dad, and one here. He wanted to pick out his own room so he won’t have to share with me or Nico, and Nico’s making sure he doesn’t pick the one beside hers because she doesn’t want to share a bathroom with him,” Amy explained easily. Both Tina and Janet looked at her in shock. 

“Okay then,” Janet said eventually and then looked at Tina. “I hope you don’t mind my son taking over one of your guest rooms.” 

“I don’t mind at all,” Tina pulled Janet to her and placed a short kiss against her lips, mindful of the giggling ten year-old standing by the sink. “He’s welcome to any of them, and so are you.” 

“Well, unlike my son, I don’t mind sharing,” Janet kissed Tina this time, still short and sweet. Amy still rolled her eyes as the put the last plate in the sink. 

“You guys are gross,” Amy said and then turned towards the stairs. “I’m gonna make sure those two hooligans haven’t broken into my room.” 

Janet and Tina shared a laugh as Amy walked out of the room, and then Tina pulled Janet into a much longer, much less child friendly kiss. 

“That went well,” Janet said once they parted. “Chase and Nico are going to drive each other crazy if we’re here all the time.” 

“They’ll get used to it,” Tina said, “Nico’s always wanted a brother.” 

“Really?” Janet raised her eyebrows skeptically. 

“No, not really, but hopefully that’s how she’ll see Chase,” Tina conceded. “Then it won’t be so awkward if we do get married. They’ll already feel like siblings.” 

“Good point,” Janet kissed Tina again but decided not to comment on the idea of them getting married just yet. There would be time for that later, with less of a chance of them getting interrupted in the middle of an important conversation. “Let’s put on a movie, the kids will come down when they hear it playing.” 

Tina let Janet pull her into the living room and they sat down together on the couch. True to Janet’s word, all three children joined them when the heard the previews playing. Chase sat on the couch beside his mom and snuggled against her side, Nico did the same to Tina, and Amy sat on the floor to lean against Tina’s legs. It was nice, comfortable, and warm. 

It felt like family. 

Chapter Text

Chase, Nico learned early on, was not a morning person. He didn’t mind waking up early for school or even over the summer when Janet enrolled him in the same self-defense classes Amy and Nico were taking (Karolina was enrolled too, after a lot of persuasions, but she took her class in the afternoon so she could be at the Gibb church in the mornings) but if given the option, Chase would happily sleep until noon. Which he did most Saturdays. That’s why Nico was surprised to see him up and moving by 8:30 that particular Saturday morning. 

“What are you doing up?” Nico asked as Chase plopped down beside her on the couch. “It’s not even 9 yet.” 

“I didn’t feel like sleeping in,” Chase shrugged his shoulders. At nine years old, he hadn’t quite mastered the art of looking purposefully nonchalant, and after living with him for nearly a year, Nico could tell he was playing dumb. 

“Yeah, that’s a load of crap,” Nico moved the remote far enough away that Chase couldn’t reach it and then turned on him. “Spill.” 

“Spill what?” Chase tried to reach over Nico and grab the remote. Nico held it further away from him and then tossed it to Amy when she walked in. 

“Good morning to you, too,” Amy said as she caught the remote. “What’s going on?” 

“Don’t give Chase the remote,” Nico ordered a second before Chase looked at Amy with puppy dog eyes. “He knows something about something but he won’t tell me what.” 

“Something about something,” Amy parroted. “What makes you say that?” 

“It’s Saturday and he’s awake before noon.” 

“Good point,” Amy crossed her arms over her chest with the remote still in one hand and looked at Chase expectantly. “Spill.” 

“I don’t know anything, geez,” Chase sunk back against the couch cushions. “I just woke up early.” 

“Yeah, we’re not buying that bubba,” Nico half turned to look at him. “You know something that we don’t and you’re going to tell us.” 

“Hate to break it to you, sis,” Chase returned, “but I don’t have to tell you anything. And you can’t make me.” 

“Wanna bet?” Nico’s grin was positively devious and she smirked as Chase swallowed. Amy rolled her eyes at both of them. Despite the fact that both of them would deny it if asked, Amy knew that Nico and Chase considered each other family now. God knows they fought like siblings sometimes. And they loved one another but they showed it differently now, most commonly using nicknames. Amy remembers how Tina and Janet had both nearly dropped their coffee the first time Nico called Chase 'bubba.' The name had initially annoyed Chase to no end but now Amy knew he liked it. It was something that only Nico called him, Amy had taken to calling him baby bro or just brother. 

"Does this have anything to do with Mom's big surprise?" Amy asked as she sat down on Nico's other side. She kept the remote in her hands and turned the television on, setting it to their usual cartoon station. Chase had a secret love for Phineas and Ferb. 

"What big surprise?" Nico looked back and forth between them. "Okay, both of you know something that I don't and that's not fair." 

"Mom didn't want to ruin the surprise," Amy said reassuringly. “We all know you can’t keep a secret Nico.” 

“Hey! I can keep a secret!” Nico protested immediately. 

“Maybe you can, from everyone except Karolina and Karolina can’t keep a secret to save her life.” 

Nico maturly stuck her tongue out at her older sister and turned back to Chase as he spoke up again, ignoring Amy’s laugh. 

"I don't think she could ruin the surprise," Chase added somewhat unhelpfully. "Momma's gonna love it." 

"Did Mom show you it?" Amy asked, looking over at Chase over Nico's head and being purposefully vague just to annoy her sister. 

"She did. She wanted to make sure that I was okay with it before she asked," Chase shrugged and refocused his gaze on the television. "Like I would have said no." 

"You could have," Amy pointed out, "if you didn't like Mom and Momma being together you could've told Mom." 

"Nah, I like having two moms," Chase nudged Nico with his shoulder, "and two sisters. This just makes all that official." 

Chase wasn’t wrong. It didn’t take long after Tina and Janet revealed their relationship to the kids for things to start changing, for the better. Janet’s name was added to the list of people to be contacted if something happened to Nico or Amy, the same for Tina on Chase’s paperwork. The condo that Janet had been renting for her and Chase, Victor had kept the Stein mansion for himself, had soon become obsolete. Janet and Chase spent almost every night at the Minoru household. They were already living there by the time Tina formally asked them to move in. As they started spending more and more time together as a family, Tina became Mom to everyone and Janet became Momma. They were all happy. 

“I still want to know what’s going on,” Nico pouted. 

“Remember when I asked if Mom and Momma were married? Before they told us about them dating?” Chase asked with a grin. Nico nodded. “I was right, just not at the time.” 

Nico looked blankly at Chase for a moment and then over at Amy. “But they’re not married.” 

“Not yet,” Amy chimed in. “That’s the surprise. Mom is gonna ask Momma to marry her.” 

“And you’ll be stuck with me forever when Momma says yes,” Chase elbowed Nico, not harshly but in a teasing manner as he spoke. Nico rolled her eyes and flopped back against the couch cushions. 

“Whatever,” Nico grumbled but she couldn’t fight the smile that grew on her lips. She had never seen her mom so happy before and Janet had truly become another parent to her. There were worse things to be made legally family to two people that she already loved like family. Not that she would tell Chase that. “So is Mom asking Momma today? That’s why you’re up early?” 

“Yep,” Chase nodded his head. “You know how there’s a Pride meeting here later? Mom wants to ask either before or during that so we can all celebrate.” 

“Even with our dads here?” Nico asked skeptically. Robert and Victor were always nice around the kids but Nico could see the distaste in both of their eyes when they saw their families happy without them. She didn’t have to be told that Robert wouldn’t be on board with Tina and Janet getting married, she could already see it in her father’s frown. 

“They’ll behave,” Amy said in that annoying way of older siblings who always seemed to know more than they let on. “Or they’ll leave.” 

Chase and Nico shared a look that said they both thought it would be the second option. Amy ignored the look and got up from the couch to walk into the kitchen. Chase followed her intent on getting some breakfast for himself while Nico stayed in the living room. She debated changing the channel away from Phineas and Ferb just to annoy Chase but decided against it. She figured if today was going to be a day to celebrate, she’d give Chase a break. Tomorrow though, all bets were off. 

“Where are Moms anyway?” Chase asked as he fixed himself a bowl of cereal. 

“Mom had some errands to run before the party, Momma went with her,” Nico called back from her place on the couch. “They said they’d be back by lunchtime. 

“I bet Mom’s gonna propose before they get home,” Chase said with a smile. 

“Without all of us there?” Amy asked skeptically. 

“Maybe she doesn’t want to get all nervous doing it in front of everyone,” Nico suggested. 

“Except Mom doesn’t get nervous,” Amy pointed out. 

“Then maybe she wanted it to be special, for just the two of them. They like their privacy,” Nico rose from the couch so she wouldn’t have to keep yelling over her shoulder and joined her siblings at the table. “Anyway, I bet Mom asked last night and the errand they had to run was getting Mom a ring to match Momma’s.” 

“I bet Mom will ask during the meeting,” Amy said. “Winner gets out of chores for a week?” 

“Deal,” Chase and Nico said in stereo. The three siblings bumped their fists together and the bet was set. 

Unbeknownst to the three siblings in the kitchen, Janet and Tina were in fact sitting in Tina's car in the garage. They had just returned from running errands, the majority of which had been planned beforehand. They went by the grocery store to pick up extra snacks for the kids-their appetites were growing every day as they slowly transitioned from kids to preteens-and then made a quick stop by the liquor store for some champagne. Their third stop was the only one that had been unplanned, a trip to the jewelers. 

"I can't believe you proposed without a ring," Tina said, a teasing smile painted across her lips. Janet revelled in the sight. Tina's smiles had been so forced when they first met but now, after they had been together for a year and friends for much longer, Tina's smiles were warm and easy. Janet leaned over the center console to press her lips against Tina's. 

"I can't believe you were mad at me for it," Janet said once they parted. 

“I wasn’t mad that you proposed,” Tina rolled her eyes. 

“No you were just annoyed that I did it before you could.” 

“At least I already had the ring,” Tina took Janet’s left hand in her own, playing with the ring that now adorned Janet’s finger and would remain there for the rest of their life together. 

“Yes, you’ve always been the more prepared one of the two of us,” Janet turned Tina’s hand over and lifted it to her lips, placing a kiss just beside the ring that she had just purchased for her future wife. “But that doesn’t matter. The point is, you said yes. We’re getting married.” 

“And as a bonus,” Tina joked, “we can cut the Pride meeting short to celebrate.” 

Janet laughed softly. Tina’s not out right hate but obvious dislike of Pride could be a source of great amusement, if Tina would ever use the ideas she had to get out of Pride meetings. As it stood now, Janet was happy to listen to the schemes Tina could come up with even if they couldn’t enact them. Calling in sick wasn’t an excuse that could be used often enough, but neither could they simply begin the work to dismantle Pride altogether. Not now, when they were getting to the point of expecting Jonah to show up at any time. They needed Jonah gone before anything could be done to Pride, or at Leslie out from under his thumb. Neither of those things were expected to happen any time soon. 

“Should we make sure the kids are up and going?” Tina asked. The words pulled Janet from her thoughts and she nodded, offering her fiance and smile. 

“At least Chase, you know how he likes to sleep in.” 

Deciding to leave the groceries they picked up in the car for the time being, Janet and Tina walked into the house together and found the three kids in the kitchen sitting around the breakfast bar together. 

“Good morning you three,” Janet said warmly as she stepped into the kitchen, musing Chase’s hair and squeezing Nico briefly around the shoulders as she passed them both on her way around the island. Tina stepped up beside her oldest daughter, bumping their hips together softly. “Rooms clean and beds made?” 

“Ours are,” Nico indicated herself and Amy. “I’m not sure about stinky over there.” 

“My room is clean too,” Chase pouted slightly. “And I don’t smell. Neither does my room.” 

“Of course not,” Tina turned her head towards Chase but offered Nico a wink where her brother couldn’t see it. “But good, that means you don’t have to do anything until the rest of the Pride gets here.” 

“Are the Deans coming early?” Nico asked cheerfully, her eyes lighting up just the slightest bit at the thought of seeing her best friend before everyone else. 

“And the Wilders,” Janet nodded, “Alex has some new video game he wants to try with you, Amy.” 

“Awesome,” Amy turned away from the island to place her bowl in the sink and it was as she turned back that a glimmer on Janet’s hand caught her attention. On Janet’s left hand. “What’s that?” 

Her question pulled Nico and Chase’s attention to Janet’s hand and what was clearly a ring sitting on her finger that hadn’t been there the day before. Janet and Tina shared a look over the kids head, oblivious to the satisfied smirk Nico wore and Chase and Amy’s silent groans at having lost the bet, before Janet shrugged. 

“We wanted to tell them before we told everyone else anyway,” Janet moved her hand to the center of the island where it was soon joined by Tina’s, the diamonds from their rings glittering in the late morning sun that filtered through the window. “That’s an engagement ring.” 

“We, assuming the three of you don’t have any protests or problems with it,” Tina paused long enough to take in the happy expression on all three of their faces, “are getting married.” 

The kids were surprisingly vocal about their happiness at this news and swarmed their mothers with hugs. Tina and Janet, both surprised by the actions of the kids, recovered swiftly and soon all five of them were encased in a group hug just outside the kitchen. 

“When did this happen?” Amy asked as they pulled apart. Nico and Chase turned to their mothers expectantly. 

“Last night,” Janet answered. “Technically, I asked first, but your mother’s was much more planned.” 

“Meaning that I already had the ring,” Tina slipped her arm comfortably around Janet’s waist. They watched in curious silence as the three children had a conversation with their eyes which seemed to end with Nico being victorious. “Why do you ask?” 

“We may have made a little bet,” Amy explained, looking at her sister with an annoyed expression. “Nico won.” 

“No chores for a week,” Nico cheered. “Maybe I can hang out with Karrie instead.” 

“We’ll see about that,” Janet said, her grin congratulating Nico on her victory. “That depends on what the Deans are doing this week but maybe we can plan a sleepover for the two of you.” 

“And me?” Chase asked hopefully. “Karrie’s my friend, too.” 

“Eh,” Nico shrugged playfully, punching Chase’s arm. “No boys allowed.” Nico glanced up at her mothers for a moment and, after receiving a nod of approval, turned back to her brother. “But maybe next week we can do a sleepover for all of us.” 

“Okay,” Chase agreed. Grinning ruefully, he reached around Nico to tug on a lock of Amy’s hair. Amy swatted his hand away. “I guess that means we should get started on the dishes.” 

~

The dishes done, the kids retreated upstairs to wait for their friends to arrive and the meeting to start. Frank Dean, as the only adult present that wasn’t a member of Pride, supervised the kids when they decided to go for a swim in the Minoru household pool during the meetings. They played together indiscriminately, forming and changing teams at a moments notice. Although, Frank noticed warily, Karolina and Nico were rarely on opposite teams and the few times they were, they ended up leaving the game early by mutual agreement.  

By the time the Pride emerged from their meeting, all seven kids were equally hungry and it was quickly decided that it was time to fire up the grill. Geoffrey took the job of preparing the meat, with unsolicited tips from Dale much to Robert and Victor’s amusement. Janet, Tina, Leslie, and Katherine were sitting together in a semi-circle with half their attention on the kids and the other half on the conversation they were having. 

“Should we set a date?” Katherine asked, pointing to Tina and Janet’s hands. 

“We haven’t talked about it yet,” Janet replied, shooting a look at Tina that told her to keep her mouth shut and not say anything snarky like she knew Tina would. 

“We were thinking of a summer wedding, something simple,” Tina said instead. “We’ve both been through the fancy fairytale wedding before and look how well that turned out.” 

“Of course,” Leslie stepped in easily. “Have either of them noticed?” 

“If they have, they’ve kept quiet about it.” Janet lifted her head slightly to look at Victor and Robert standing by the grill. Neither of them looked particularly happy but neither of them looked especially angry either. “I expect they won’t want to make a scene.” 

“Not until the children are asleep anyway,” Tina turned back to Leslie, “speaking of. Nico apparently won a bet and will have more free time this week. Could Karolina stay the night?” 

“Of course,” Leslie nodded, “far be it for me to keep those two away from each other. Tonight?” 

“Tomorrow,” Janet said with a half nod towards her ex-husband. “After we deal with whatever happens when they notice.” 

“And Chase wants to plan something with her too,” Tina looked over her shoulder where Nico and Karolina were sitting at the edge of the pool now, kicking their legs to splash Chase and Alex any time they came close. “Seems like Nico isn’t the only one smitten with Karolina.” 

“That’ll be interesting if these feelings are still around when they’re teenagers,” Katherine noted. “Although I can never tell who Alex likes more, Amy or Nico.” 

“I guess we’ll find out eventually,” Janet fought off a yawn and put her head against Tina’s shoulder. 

“Sleepy already?” Leslie asked quietly. 

“Long night,” Janet smiled as she felt Tina’s shoulder shaking in a soft laugh. 

“Please, forget I asked.” 

“Gladly,” Katherine got up. “I’m going to see how the food is coming.” 

The kids gladly clambered out of the water once the food was ready and piled onto the ground with towles to eat together. The parents sat on the chairs that Janet and Tina provided and watched in amusement as the kids tried to act like they weren’t eating as fast as humanly possible. Despite having a wall between them in the form of Tina, the Wilders, The Deans, the Yorks and Robert, Janet could still feel Victor staring at her from the other side of the semi-circle. A lithe hand slipped into hers and she glanced over a Tina. 

“Later,” Tina whispered. “We’ll handle them both later. I won’t leave your side, I promise.” 

Janet smiled gratefully and squeezed Tina’s hand. 

~

A little while later, it was just the Minorus and Steins in the house, the fathers having lingered a little while to spend a few moments with their children. Chase had spent longer with his father than Amy or Nico did with Robert and Janet had a few moments to wonder if Chase was trying to earn his father’s approval. Before she could think about it too much, Chase was making his way upstairs, more than likely heading for Amy’s room where she and Nico would be waiting for him. 

Once all three children were upstairs, Victor turned to the two women. 

“You can’t be serious.” 

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Tina stood just the slightest bit in front of Janet, fingers twitching slightly like she was resisting the urge to call the Staff to her. “This doesn’t concern you.” 

“It does when it’s my wife you're trying to marry.” Victor had his hands clenched at his sides, the veins in his forehead protruding slightly in anger. “I won’t allow this to happen.” 

“You don’t have any say,” Janet spat back. “I’m not your wife, I haven’t been for a long time. If I want to marry Tina, that’s what I’ll do.” 

“And what of the children? You think it will be good for them to live,” he gestured vaguely around them but his tone told the women everything they needed to hear.  “Like this?” 

“You will not tell me how to care for my children,” Tina snapped, her voice as sharp as ice even though it remained low. There was no sense in altering the children to the fight brewing in the foyer. “I love my children, all three of them, and I would never do anything to harm them or have you forgotten why Pride exists in the first place?” 

Victor bristled at that. Jonah may have gathered them all together but the only reason Pride worked was because they were dedicated to making it work for the sake of their children. 

“Still, this farce of a relationship has gone on long enough. Don’t you agree Robert?” Victor looked to the other man. Robert had been silent until then, his face unreadable. 

“No,” Robert shook his head. “I don’t agree.” He looked at his ex-wife and almost smiled at the surprise in her eyes. “Maybe they became more than we wanted them too, but whatever they have is real. Forcing them apart would only make all of us suffer.” 

“Coward,” Victor growled at him, advancing like he would attack. He was blocked by a shimmer in the air. 

“Leave. Now.” Tina’s hand was clasped around the Staff of One, the ring glowing to symbolize an active spell. Victor glowered at her for a moment and then turned on his heel. 

“Thank you, Tina,” Robert said softly after the door closed behind Victor. “I wish you both the best.” 

Robert took his leave then too, nodding politely at both his ex-wife and her future wife as he went. Once both men were gone, Tina let the spell go and the Staff returned to its shrunken form. She dropped the Staff on the small table in the foyer and turned to Janet, wordlessly pulling the other woman into her arms. 

Neither of them noticed the 9-year-old girl hiding just out of sight on the top of the stairs, peeking around to look at the shrunken Staff.