Work Text:
Apple stared anxiously at her MirrorPhone. The smiling picture of her mother stared back at her from her contact page, and she bit her lip.
"You don't have to do it right now, Apple." Raven said gently. "But we're here for you if you do." Apple smiled gratefully at her, then turned to Briar, Ashlynn, and Darling.
"I don't know if I can." she confessed.
"I know, it's hard. But Raven is right, w're here for you." Darling said, taking her hand, and Apple feels so fortunate to have such an amazing girlfriend. Still, her worries gnawed at her.
"And it would better to let her hear about and Darling from you from you than through some rumor, wouldn't it?" Briar questions and Apple knows she's right about that.
"Yes, but what if she... takes it badly?" she asks nervously, and the other girls exchange glances.
"You could stay with me and my dad... I mean, he's your grandfather after all. He'd be super supportive and... well I've put up with rooming with you for this long, I think it wouldn't kill me to do it a while longer." Raven said in a teasing tone. Apple was touched by the generous offer, as following the nightmarish events of the Dragon Games, they had just begun to rebuild their friendship.
Well, she had had to rebuild all of her friendships, honestly. She winced to think of the person she had been before, a shallow brat who only considered the Happy Endings and not the the people who had to live them. Still, Ashlynn, Briar and Raven were willing to let her show she had changed, and to support her during this ordeal. But Raven's kind offer made Apple uneasy.
"Is it... it mad if I hope she... doesn't take it badly?" she asked, and the others looked at her in mild confusion.
"Of course not, hon. She is your mother, after all." Ashlynn replied comfortingly.
"That's just it! I know how she is, but I... don't want her out of my life. She's distant and controlling and shallow and I still want my mom." Apple confessed, feeling tears form in her eyes. The memory of her mother wrapping her up in her arms after the ordeal of the Dragon Games, beaming with pride at her pageants, celebrating her grades over dinners, offering her advice, teaching her how to apply makeup, and a million other warm moments swirled around in her mind. Would all of those really mean nothing to her mother in the face of what Apple hadn't yet told her?
"I guess that makes sense..." Raven said awkwardly, patting her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Raven, Darling. I know how your mothers are. It must seem dumb to you that I would still care what she thinks after everything, but... I do!" Apple tried hold back the tears.
"No, no, Apple. It doesn't seem dumb. I know I wish I was close with my mom." Darling murmured soothingly, and gives her hand a light squeeze.
"I mean... I wish I had a better mom." Raven admitted. "But I get it. They're... they're your family. You're supposed to able to count on them, and it hurts when you can't."
"My mom, dad and brothers drive me crazy sometimes." Briar added, "But I know I would miss them." Apple felt a pang of guilt as she recalled that Thronecoming evening when she had told Briar they all had a part to play in response to Briar's fears of leaving all her loved ones. Again, she felt a sense of gladness her friends were so forgiving.
"We don't have to do this right now, Apple." Ashlynn reminds her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Would you rather wait? You don't want to do this while you're upset."
"It doesn't have to be a call, either. You could send a hext or an m-mail." Briar suggested, and Apple nodded as she let out a shaky breath.
"I have to do it soon, but you're right. I need to think about what I'm going to say." she said.
"Well, we could talk about it around a table at Hocus Latte!" Briar grinned, nudging Apple's shoulder. "I'm dying for a caramel latte right now." Apple smiled at Briar's boundless energy.
"Sounds hexcellent, let's go!" she replies, standing up.
"You guys have fun," Raven said. "I'm meeting Dex in the library for a thronework date in a spell." She smiled as she always did thinking of the the younger Charming brother, and Apple felt glad her roommate never listened to her about destiny.
Linking her arm with Darling's, Apple could feel the anxiety lessen as she thought about the future. She was a better person now, and no matter how her mother felt about it, she was grateful to have these people in her life. With that thought, Apple headed out the door to enjoy coffee with her girlfriend and best friends forever after.