Chapter Text
Yasha was having a difficult time.
Beau knew that, and she was doing her best to help.
But it was the anniversary of when she left Zuala, and then left herself behind for far too long. It was a time of the year when Yasha got a little quieter, got a little more distant, and questioned herself for every terrible thing that had ever happened to her.
It wasn’t ever going to go away, just get better. Beau knew that. Beau had mostly accepted that.
This year… This year was more complicated.
This year they had little Molly and Zu and things were hard.
Last year around this time, Fjord had shown up with the two whimpering half orc twins, chasing away grief and replacing it with a righteous anger towards the orphanage that Fjord had grown up in. Jester and Fjord had kicked out the old headmaster and all his cronies, replacing him with someone kind and a monthly stipend for food and everything the little buggers could ever want. There was also the promise of Jester scrying on them every night, to make sure the kids were well taken care of.
But Fjord couldn’t bring himself to leave the girls behind, and Jester was already fighting their battles with a baby bjorn on her back and another bun in the oven.
When Beau saw Yasha’s face light up and lose its grief, she thought maybe a new chapter had come to their lives.
While it helped, it wasn’t perfect.
Yasha still grew quieter, though the girls were speaking in full sentences to make up for it. Beau never came home from work to a quiet house. No matter how bad the day got, Yasha hauled herself out of bed, made breakfast and cleaned the house, since she had the little ones to look after.
Her smiles were there, but smaller, rarer.
Normally, Beau would offer to do those things for her, to take the load off. But Yasha was accomplishing most of their “normal,” and Beau didn’t really know what to offer. She didn't know how to take the load off without being insulting. She just didn't know what to do.
“Mommy?” Molly whispered, tugging at the hem of Beau’s pants.
Beau startled, though a bit of pride swelled in her chest at the quiet approach of the twins while she got ready for work. “Hey there,” she whispered back, just copying the little ones. “Is something wrong?”
“Mamma is tired,” Zu said just as quietly, looking with worry to Molly.
Molly nodded, “She’s sad, I think. She fell asleep on the couch after cleaning the living room.”
Beau deflated a bit. That made sense.
“Right,” Beau said, scratching the back of her head. Man, she needed to clean up her undercut. Time for that later. “Right, well, do you two want to help out mamma?”
They both nodded quickly, eyes wide with concern.
Zu asked, “Is she sick?”
“Kinda,” Beau said, not entirely sure how to say this. “Maybe. This time of year makes her think of sad things, and that makes her tired. But we can help.”
“How?” Molly asked, already looking determined.
Beau ruffled her hair, unable to suppress a grin as the girl held back giggles. “Well, you can start by both cleaning your room up super well, so she doesn’t have to. All toys away, clothes in the hamper, and pick up any trash or dishes.”
They both nodded quickly and scampered off to their room, leaving Beau to figure out what to do.
Stopping from putting on her arm wraps, Beau grabbed her sending stone instead, chewing her lip. Would this bother Yasha? Should she ask first? Or let her rest? Beau peeked out into the living room, seeing Yasha curled up on the couch, halfway under Caduceus's floral quilt and with one hand up near where Magician's Judge hung on the wall. Ready for anything, even when she was too tired to get up and make breakfast.
That settled it. She went back in her bedroom and closed the door.
The runes of the sending stone glowed. “Dairon, it’s me. I’m taking care of something at home. Call if something important happens.”
“Thank you for the notice. Take care.” Dairon’s blunt voice was getting softer as time went on. They always were a champ, even when Beau was an asshole.
With that taken care of, Beau started in on all the chores she hated and that Yasha insisted she didn’t mind. And Beau didn’t mind seeing her in the fluffy little aprons Caduceus and Jester had gifted her, smudged with dirt or flour and a big smile on her face.
As it was, Yasha needed more rest, and for someone to take care of her for a change.
Beau grabbed the hamper at the end of the bed and chewed her lip again.
Gods, she hated laundry.
She scrawled a quick note on the pad in the kitchen and waved the kids over. “Go get your hamper. We’re going to make a trip, but be quiet and don’t wake mamma up!” she said, trying to whisper as sternly as possible.
Molly nodded and grabbed Zu’s hand, racing through the house, their feet padding quietly on the soft carpet Beau insisted be installed. The fine wooden floors were nice, but reminded her far too much of the Lionett Manor. This was comfy. This was home.
The twins came back much slower, each holding one side of the hamper, overflowing with laundry.
Beau couldn’t help but to smile at the sight, Zu whispering advice to Molly so they could carry the load easier, and both looking up for the next set of instructions.
“Get your shoes on now, and we’ll go see your uncles.”
The twins at least managed to hide their excited squeals, getting ready and slipping outside.
It was cloudy and cold enough that Beau probably should have stopped to get the twins bundled up in coats, but they were only walking down the street.
The trek to where Beau was pretty sure she could offload her laundry took a lot longer with the hustle and bustle of Rexxentrum waking up and shepherding two twins and two big laundry baskets. Still, five awkward minutes later had them knocking on the door to the one small home in Rexxentrum where no one could peek in the windows or see through the trees into the backyard.
“Hello?” A lean, dark skinned wood elf opened the door in a soft blue robe that clashed terribly with his ruddy red hair.
No guessing about where he picked that color.
“I’ve got a fuc—a shi—a butt-load of laundry, can you help?” Beau asked, wincing each time she almost swore in front of the kids.
He ushered them inside and gave a warm smile to the twins before closing the door and dropping his illusion. The fuzzy blue robe and slippers weren’t different at all, but his ruddy red hair melted away to the tousled white that meant Essek had just hopped out of bed to get the door.
His undercut needed work too. Maybe they could each give each other a quick shave. “Hello to you too, Beauregard.”
Essek led them into the living room and away from the door. “I’ve told Yasha many times that I wouldn’t mind-” he stopped in his tracks, frowning as he tightened the belt of his robe. “Where is Yasha?”
Beau looked at the kids and said quietly, “She’s having a rough time of it. You know how Caleb is sometimes… gone?”
“That bad?” Essek asked, eyes wide. Dammit. Hopefully he wouldn’t scare the kids. Course, they probably couldn’t read him like Beau had learned to.
She shook her head. “No. But not great. You know how it is.”
Essek nodded resolutely. “Of course. You can bring the hampers into the kitchen; I’ll take care of them.” Then he knelt down, looking at Molly and Zu. “Why don’t you two run into the garden and pick enough flowers for the biggest bouquet you can? That ought to help cheer up your mamma.”
The twins nodded with similarly grim resolution, clearly pleased to have a mission. Frankly, that was a great idea. Beau wished she’d thought of it, since Yasha never had the energy to pick flowers on bad days like this. The wilting bouquets she was able to grab on her way home from the Soul wouldn’t ever compare to the arrangements Yasha came up with.
Having the kids do it was the perfect excuse for them to look a little shitty, though she'd never tell them that.
Pulling out his mug and waving his hands over the laundry, Essek set to work cleaning the laundry and allowing an unseen servant to fold it for him while he started the kettle. “Coffee? Tea?”
“Coffee,” Beau sighed, sliding into the kitchen chair and watching the clothes essentially fold themselves. “I have no idea why Yash likes doing all our laundry when we could just bother you guys.”
“She says she likes the smell and the walk. Molly and Zu would probably be upset if their weekly walks to the river got interrupted too,” Essek said, leaning against the counter. “Caleb and I could take them for a few days, if you ever need.”
“No, I think looking after the twins is one of the only reasons she’s getting out of bed,” Beau said, accepting the cup of coffee that floated over to her.
Essek just nodded, very familiar with that. “Sometimes Caleb only has the energy to feed the cats.”
“What do you do?” Beau asked, hoping she didn’t sound too desperate. “To help, I mean.”
He looked into his mug of tea. “Sometimes it feels like I’m not doing much to help, for sure. But I try to do what I can for him. Whatever chores he can’t manage, or calling out of work for him. If he wants to talk, I’m there. I make sure there’s simple food around. If it seems like he’ll be alright alone, I’ll go get fresh rolls.”
Beau nodded slowly. That made sense.
Beau still remembered Caleb’s bright smile using a fresh loaf of bread as a muff to warm his hands in the winter. Her heart clenched in her chest at the thought of his confusion as she and Jester, the rich kids, were so horrified. Gods, she was so terrible with people sometimes.
But she could hear Caleb snoring softly in the bedroom upstairs, as content as the man could be. This small home of his and Essek’s was a testament to tenacity, to the strength of his will. There were tokens of love strewn about everywhere.
Jester’s paintings dotted all the walls, with beaming portraits of the Mighty Nein in all their iterations. There was even the one Jester made for a wedding present after they’d eloped, with Essek kissing Caleb’s blushing cheek. Essek still turned purple just looking at it, but in a happy, gross, smitten way. The paintings were interspersed with the nautical tchotchkes Fjord thought were good presents and Yasha’s and Caduceus’s dried floral arrangements (the competition was unspoken, but rising to downright sibling rivalry levels of petty).
Little trinkets sat all over their shelves from Veth, and even the little clay cat Beau bought Caleb for Winter’s Crest last year had a place of honor near all his smut books.
It hurt sometimes, knowing that it wasn’t enough. There wasn’t anything Beau could do about Caleb having a bad day. Ikithon was already rotting in jail, and the Volstrucker program disbanded and rehabilitated. Hell, Caleb had even been to some therapy sessions, which he’d vehemently denied for years before they wore him down. All the past traumas had been put to rest, but Caleb sometimes still wouldn’t be able to get out of bed.
She hated the knowing look on Essek’s face.
She hated that she was projecting all these feelings on Caleb, who even though he was her brother, wasn’t her wife.
She hated that she couldn’t be more help to Yasha.
“I might be able to help, a little,” Essek said, pushing back the clean, folded laundry across the table.
Beau sighed, knowing she should just thank him and go. “Yeah?”
“Yes. I’ll have to reach out to a friend, but you can expect a small gift later this afternoon.” Essek stood up straighter and stretched, smiling as Molly and Zu came racing back into the room.
Each girl had their arms so full of flowers they looked like part of the garden themselves. Beau snorted, “Did you leave any for Uncle Essek?”
Zu nodded quickly, saying, “I made sure!”
“Good,” Essek said, ruffling her hair gently. “Now, go get those in some water, and cut the stems just like I taught you, yes?”
“Yes, Uncle Essek!” Molly chirped, grinning wide. She really loved smashing the stems so they'd take on more water.
Beau stacked the hampers on top of each other, shooting a thankful look towards Essek. This would be more complicated if her two favorite wizards hadn’t settled down the street.
Essek just smiled and got the door for them and all their armfuls. He was back as his wood elven self, “Don’t be strangers.”
The girls giggled behind their flowers as he closed the door. Beau saw the familiar symbols of a sending spell and heard just the barest snippet of his message before it closed in their private sanctum. “Keyleth? Are you still in the Empire on business? I have a request-”
Beau had no idea what was going on there, but she had her hands full corralling the kids back down the street and getting the door opened without dropping any of the laundry.
“Kay, right to the kitchen and be quiet now, we don’t want to wake mamma.”
At the very least, Beau could let Yasha rest.