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Chapter Text

December 20th, 2023

“Group 2, please board now.”

Socka looked up from her book and at Chargery, who was comfortably using her shoulder as a pillow. “Is that us?”

“Yup,” Chargery responded. The couple grabbed their bags and headed into the tunnel. Once they finally got onto the plane, they squeezed through the aisle until they got to their seats. Socka sat in the window seat, while Chargery sat in the aisle seat.

“Dang, you gave up the window seat for her?” The person sitting behind them abruptly said.

Socka turned to the seat behind her, only to see a 5’4 emo holding her hair above her face, revealing her deeply dark eyes. “Nansensu? How-”

“I’m just that good at coordinating.” Nansensu cut Socka off, dropping her hair back in front of her eyes. She had probably done something extremely illegal or otherwise dubious in some way, but Socka didn’t want to unpack all that. “Plus, ever since the whole “Flower Incident”, I literally don’t trust either of you to do anything without supervision, let alone out of state.”

“Nansensu, last week's Starbucks trip ended with us at the police station because you threw your latte at the barista,” Chargery objected. “You are probably the most dangerous person on this plane!”

“The barista deserved it. She said that Shadow the Hedgehog was lame.” Nansensu somehow thought this would help her case.

“You shouldn’t assault people because of that, you Hot Topic wannabe!”

“That’s what they all say.” Nansensu and Chargery continued to bicker for some time, so Socka continued her book, The Outsiders. She was extremely absorbed in it, and she didn’t notice the plane take off.

“So why are you guys going to New York?”

Socka looked up from her book, realizing that Nansensu had whispered something to her. The reason she had whispered it was because Chargery was now fast asleep.

“Oh, um, I have some family I’m visiting for Christmas, and I wanted to bring Chargery to meet them! There’s also probably some stuff we can do as a couple, like go to the park, or something like that. Maybe I could even get her a present!” Socka made sure to whisper extremely quietly, which she was really good at.

“Cool. Do they have Hot Topics in New York? Or like…GameStops?” Nansensu leaned in a bit closer to the gap in the seats, tipping her kindle and revealing that she was using it to read fanfiction.

“Probably. It’s been a while since I’ve been back there. We’ll see.”

After a few hours, Socka lightly nudged Chargery awake. “Hm? What happened?”

“The plane landed,” Socka responded, “someone should be at the pick-up area soon. My mom hasn’t said who, though.”

Nansensu was already off the plane once Chargery and Socka got off. “Oh, there you guys are. C’mon, let’s go. We’ve got a ride, right?”

“Yeah,” Socka replied, “not sure which family member, but it’s better than nothing. Or having you drive.”

The group made their way to the pick-up area, where a black minivan pulled up to where they were standing. A punk woman who looked to be in her early twenties stepped out. She had short, gray hair, just like…

“Socka! So good to see you again!”

Chapter Text

December 20th, 2023

“Fishnet! It’s good to see you too!” Socka gave her sister a hug.

Once the two let go, Fishnet looked at Chargery and Nansensu. “Who are your friends?”

“Oh!” Socka gestured to each of them as she spoke. “This is my girlfriend Chargery, and this is our friend Nansensu! Chargery, Nansensu, meet my older sister Fishnet!”

“Should we get in the car now?” Fishnet asked. “I got you guys bagels, and I don’t want them getting co-”

“HELL YEAH! BAGELS!” Nansensu pumped their fists in the air.

Fishnet pointed her thumb at Nansensu. “Heh, I like her vibes. Mind if she sits in the passenger seat?”

“I don’t see why not!” Chargery replied, Socka nodding along.

Once Socka opened the back door, she realized one of the seats was already taken by a kid who looked to be around 4 years old. She looked exactly like Fishnet, just smaller. She was gleefully watching what looked to be Cocomelon on an IPad with a light pink case.

Socka gasped when she saw the kid. “No-Show! Kiddo, I missed you!”

No-Show looked up at Socka as she and Chargery were getting into the car. “Hiya, Auntie Socka!” She squinted at Chargery when the two sat down in the very back row of the car. “Who’s that?”

“Oh, this is my…friend Chargery!” Wow, it was originally so weird to call Chargery her girlfriend, now it was the complete inverse.

Fishnet and Nansensu stepped into the car, and they handed out the bagels together. They all just so happened to be everything bagels, which was unsurprising to Socka, since she and Fishnet would always get those bagels when the two of them went on girls' nights back when they were still growing up. It seemed that Nansensu was enjoying them, since she was devouring them like a rabid dog.

“So how’s life treating you guys?” Fishnet said, breaking the silence. “Hopefully better than me. Sometimes I’m a Starbucks barista, sometimes I’m a night shift security guard at a random shady location in the middle of nowhere. All to keep us afloat after you-can-guess-who bailed on us!”

The car was silent for a few seconds after that, until Nansensu announced “I once got arrested for assaulting a Starbucks barista after she said she didn’t like Shadow the Hedgehog.”

“Sweet.” Fishnet and Nansensu were clearly destined to be besties.

“Oh, things are going pretty okay for us,” Socka said, “especially since Chargery sold her house. Things are so much better with us living together.” Chargery gave Socka a peck on the cheek.

“Woah, girls can kiss each other?!” No-Show exclaimed in surprise, since she had stopped watching Cocomelon at the strangest time. “That’s so cool!”

“Don’t tell Great-Grampy that you know that! He’ll be mad!” Fishnet said.

Socka was confused. “Wait, is Grampy-”

“Yeah, I learned that the hard way.” Fishnet said, pulling up to the house. “Had to hide in the bathroom for a bit. I think he’s just tolerating the fact I’m bi. I promise, though, the rest of the family is awesome. Just as you remember them.”

Socka felt unsure as she stepped out of the car, but the understanding Chargery was there to give her a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’re totally gonna make the best of this! Plus, your family sounds super nice! I can’t wait to meet them!”

Chapter Text

December 20th, 2023

The exterior of the house was pretty charming. It was a nice dark blue with a brown roof. It looked to be two stories, and some of the windows on both floors were illuminated. Just as I remember it, Socka thought as she and the others stepped closer to the house.

Once the group got to the door, Fishnet opened it to reveal a brightly lit living room. It had two small couches placed in a right angle around a small table, which was in front of a TV playing an old black-and-white movie. Socka replayed fond childhood memories in her head of watching Cartoon Network on that same TV for hours (her favorite shows were Steven Universe and Adventure Time, which she somehow never managed to watch with her parents, and ended up being massive foreshadowing). In the far corner of the room was a Christmas tree decorated with many round ornaments. On the opposite wall to the tree, there was a fireplace with eight stockings hanging above it, each with a different family member’s name on it.

Of course, the channel on the TV had to have been selected by someone, and that someone was sitting on one of the couches, with a wheelchair in close proximity. She wore a long faded green dress, had gray hair which used to be darker, and had green eyes that looked towards Socka when she walked in. She greeted Socka with “Ah, granddaughter! So good to see you again!” but then noticed the two unfamiliar people who had just entered. “Oh, who might those be?”

“Oh, this is my friend Nansensu,” Socka replied, gesturing to her companions, “and this is Chargery, my…” she paused, not knowing how her grammy would respond to this information, “...other friend. Nansensu, Chargery, meet my grammy, Bobby!”

“Is Grampy home right now?” Fishnet asked.

“No, he’s at the grocery store with your father. Your mother is in the kitchen and Cass is playing his “gamey-games” upstairs,” Grammy responded, causing Nansensu to giggle.

“Oh ok, I’m gonna help mom with dinner. No-Show, stay out of the kitchen.” Fishnet headed to the kitchen, and the trio followed.

The kitchen was connected to the living room via a short hallway that had light yellow walls like the rest of the interior and the staircase to the second floor. The kitchen itself looked like any other kitchen; an oven, microwave, toaster, sink, everything. The dining room was virtually the same room, since it was connected to the kitchen through a wide opening. It had a long table with eight chairs and an extra chair to the side. Socka remembered all of the times she’d had holiday meals and family reunion dinners on that table, and how everyone would bring something unique to the table each time. She could almost smell it!

Fishnet was in the kitchen preparing what looked to be spaghetti alongside a woman who looked to be a bit older than her. The two of them would’ve looked the same if Fishnet wasn't wearing so much makeup and had blue eyes instead of green ones. Even though Socka couldn’t see the woman’s face, she knew. I mean, how could she forget her own mother’s eye color? They also had different garb, with Fishnet wearing a navy blue shirt with the cover of some indie album called “Hawaii Part II” on the front paired with jeans with too many holes in the legs, and the woman wearing a cyan shirt with a red lotus pattern all over it and jeans that were practically untouched.

The woman turned to Socka after hearing her walk in. “Sweetie! Hi!” She walked over to Socka to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I see you’ve brought some friends! Not sure if we can find rooms for all of them, though. I’m Mrs. Quarter Length, by the way, but you can call me Mrs. QL.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am!” Chargery said with a smile.

“Nice to meet ya,” Nansensu said. “Also, don’t worry about me, I’ll just stay at my twin brother’s place.”

“You have a twin brother?” Socka asked, confused.

“Yea,” Nansensu replied, “his name’s Claptrapa. Have I not mentioned him?”

“Oh well, that’s not important,” Socka said, still confused. “Anyways, these are my friends, Nansensu and Chargery!” Fishnet stopped cooking for a few seconds to whisper something in her mom’s ear, which was apparently pretty surprising. “Well, we need to go say hi to Cass now.”

“Oh, ok!” QL turned back to the kitchen to continue cooking while the trio walked up the stairs. At the top, there was a small round space with four doors; the two doors to the left were closed with the lights in the rooms off, the door to their right was open to reveal a room with a bunk bed that also had the lights off, and the door on the far right was closed with the lights in the room on. There was also a sign on the door to the right that said “GAMER AT WORK: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK”. Socka remembers this as being Fishnet’s old room, but their dad and brother decided to convert it into a game room after she moved out.

“Oh, so your bro’s a gamer,” Nansensu said. “Ten bucks says he plays some type of FPS.”

When Socka opened the door, the room revealed itself to be small with only one window, a small couch, a TV with multiple consoles surrounding it, a PC setup, and countless game posters littering the walls. A boy was sitting at the PC, clearly invested in the game he was playing. His blue eyes were glued to the screen, and his short dark hair was clearly very messy under his headphones. He had on a black shirt with a Shadow the Hedgehog graphic on it and gray sweatpants.

When he saw Socka out of the corner of his eye, he reacted quickly. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM, I’M PLAYING MINECRAFT!”

“Casual, great to see you again!” Socka responded, pretending she didn’t hear a word he said.

The boy realized who he just shouted those obscenities at. “Oh. Socka!” He quickly paused his game and took off his headphones to hug his sister. “Sorry about that. I thought you were Fishnet back to rag on me for being a gamer. Who the heck are those two?”

“These are my friends, Chargery and Nansensu,” Socka responded, stepping out of her friends’ way. “Friends, this is Cass, my little brother.

“Hey kid, how many FPSs do you play?” Nansensu quickly asked.

“Only COD,” Cass responded. “I also play Splatoon 3 sometimes, but that’s third-person.”

“See?” Nansensu whispered to Chargery. “And he’s a Shadow the Hedgehog fan. This kid’s pretty chill.”

Then, Socka heard some stepping noises from the stairs, and turned to see Fishnet. “Yo, dad’s car just pulled up, which means Grampy’s home too. Also, dinner’s almost ready.”

“Alright, I’ll be down once I save,” Cass replied, continuing his game.

Socka, Chargery, and Nansensu followed Fishnet down the stairs to see the front door open behind a figure who had hazel eyes and dark hair that was mostly obscured under a baseball cap that said “Women want me, Fish fear me”. He was wearing a blue shirt from some fishing event Socka knew nothing about and sand-colored shorts. He also had a black beard that wasn’t very thick, yet Socka knew he prided himself on it. He was holding a lot of bags, so QL grabbed them from him.

“Sweetie!” QL said as she grabbed the bags. Then, she gestured towards Socka. “Guess who’s back home?”

“Kiddo!” He ran over and gave Socka a hug. “I missed you! Who are your friends?”

“Oh, this is Chargery and Nansensu,” Socka replied, then turning to her friends. “Friends, this is my dad, Knee High.”

“Lovely to meet you, ladies!” Knee High said. “Oh, and you can just call me KH. I still need to help Grampy out of the car, so be right back.” He left the house and went to his car, which was a black jeep.

He returned a minute later with an old man using a walking stick. He was bald and had blue, aged eyes. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt that was tucked into his jeans. He took off his snow boots (even though it wasn’t snowing outside) and KH did the same with his black Adidases.

Once Grampy got his walking stick back, he noticed Socka and her friends. “Ah, Socka! Hello!”
“Hi, Grampy!” Socka replied. “I missed you! These are my friends Chargery and Nansensu. Friends, this is my grampy, Stocking.”

“Oh, friends?” He said, looking confused. “Why?”

“Well, Chargery wanted to go with me, and Nansensu is here to visit her twin brother.” Socka gestured to each friend as she spoke.

“Speaking of which,” Nansensu said, “he just got here to pick me up. Bye, guys! Great to meet you!” Everyone returned her goodbyes, and she opened the front door to run to her brother’s jet black Volkswagen.

“Hey, the hot pockets are getting cold, guys!” Fishnet shouted from the dining room.

“I thought Mom said we were having spaghetti?” Cass asked from the staircase.

“Well, I don’t know how I managed to do this,” Fishnet responded, “but I burnt the spaghetti while it was boiling, so Mom just said to heat up some hot pockets.”

Everyone entered the dining room and sat at the table. Each person was given a plate of four hot pockets, but there was a plate of six more in the center of the table if anyone wanted extras. Grampy was seated at the end of the table, between Grammy and QL. Next to Grammy was Fishnet, and next to QL was KH. Then, Fishnet was next to No-Show, and KH was next to Cass. Finally, Socka and Chargery were seated at a bench at the other end of the table, where Socka was seated next to No-Show, and Chargery was next to Cass.

The dinner went silently for the first ten minutes, until QL decided to break the silence. “So Socka, how’s your life down south?”

“Oh, um, things are going well.” Socka wasn’t quite prepared for a conversation. “I work at a Barnes & Noble, and the pay is pretty good, and…” she wasn’t sure how to phrase this part, “…and I’m living with Chargery now to…” Socka started silently panicking.

“Make things easier on us!” Chargery cut in. “I mean, home owning is a lot easier when you’re doing it with someone else, right?” She felt Socka squeeze her hand under the table.

“That’s true,” Grampy replied. “I thought you two had started dating or something outrageous like that! This new generation thinks it’s okay to do something like that!” He glared at Fishnet, who was clearly very uncomfortable.

“Dad, now’s not the time,” QL said, placing a hand on Grampy’s shoulder.

Socka wasn’t sure how to steer the conversation away from this, but she knew she had to act fast. “Hey, No-Show, what cartoons have you been watching?”

“Bluey!” No-Show happily replied.

Socka smiled. “What about you, Cass? Are you still watching cartoons?”

“Nah,” Cass replied, “I watch cool stuff on YouTube like Helluva Boss!”

“That’s…still technically a cartoon.” Chargery said.

Cass looked confused. “Really?”

Once everyone had their fill, they all started heading to bed.

“You two girls can take the guest room,” QL said as she and the closeted lesbians stood in the upstairs area. “It’s got a bunk bed for the two of you to use.” She then leaned close to Socka’s ear and whispered, “You probably won’t be using both bunks, though. There’s space on either bunk for you to share.”

“Thank you, QL!” Chargery said.

“Thanks, Mom,” Socka added. QL then headed downstairs to her room.

The guest room used to be Socka’s room before she moved out. The walls were light blue and the floor was covered in a tan carpet. There was a little bed with pink sheets and white pillowcases, a desk for schoolwork, a closet for clothes (and to hide in, literally and metaphorically), and a corner of shelves for the merchandise she had accumulated. All of it was Adventure Time and Steven Universe merchandise, since she just couldn’t get enough of those shows. She also had her own bathroom, a privilege her siblings didn’t get.

Once Socka and Chargery stepped into the room, Socka realized the room was almost unfamiliar. Sure, the walls, floor, and closet were the same, but everything else was different. The shelves were gone, and all of the merchandise was most likely either thrown away or stored. The bed was gone, replaced with a bunk with purple sheets and pillowcases to match.

“Huh,” Socka said, “it’s so different.”

“It’s homey!” Chargery replied. “C’mon, let’s head to bed.”

Some difficulties popped up during this process. First, the cold handle for the faucet went backwards farther than the hot handle, which irked Socka, since it was just weird and it wasn’t like that before. Second, the water was more violent than Socka remembered. It came out a lot quicker than a normal faucet should be spilling. Finally, when Socka and Chargery attempted to share the top bunk, the bunk felt like it would snap at any moment once they both got situated. The bottom bunk was very stable, however, and after a kiss goodnight, the duo snuggled up and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

December 21st, 2023

When Socka woke up, Chargery had already gotten dressed. She had put on a white hoodie and matching sweatpants. Her white shoulder-length hair was let down, and had been brushed. God, she looks beautiful, Socka thought as she looked into her lover’s light blue eyes.

Chargery walked over to the side of the bunk and ruffled Socka’s hair. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

“Good morning,” Socka replied as she grabbed her wire-framed glasses from the bedside table. “What time is it?”

“Oh, it’s 8:45,” Chargery replied, looking at the little digital clock near where Socka’s glasses had been before.

Then, there was a knock at the door. “Breakfast is on the table, you two,” Cass said through the door. “Come down if you want eggs and bacon. Or don’t.”

“Alright, I’ll be down there once I get dressed,” Socka replied, then turning to Chargery. “You can get a head start on breakfast if you want.”

“Alright!” Chargery said, then opening the door and heading downstairs immediately after.

Socka headed into the bathroom, brushed her teeth (with the violent faucet), and put on a gray sweater with jeans.

She then made her way downstairs, where QL, KH, Chargery, and Cass were all at the table eating bacon and eggs. They were seated in the same places they were yesterday.

“Good morning, kiddo!” KH said once Socka reached the ground floor.

“Good morning!” Socka replied sitting at the table next to Chargery. “Where’s…”

“Oh, Fishnet left for her place with No-Show last night, and Grammy and Grampy are still asleep,” Cass replied.

“Oh, ok,” Socka said. She then started to eat her breakfast with everyone else. Midway through her meal, though, she got an idea.

“Is the little park still nearby?” Socka asked. “I distinctly remember some sort of park with benches and a fountain.”

“Yes!” QL answered. “It’s not too far from here! I could drive you there once you’re done eating!”
Socka turned to Chargery. “What do you think?”

Chargery smiled. “Sounds fun! I’ll be done in a bit.”

QL’s car was a blue Chevy with a gray interior. The seats were quite comfortable, and Socka sat in the back with Chargery. The drive was long since the park was in the city and the house was in the suburbs, so for the first stretch of the drive, Socka stared out the window at the passing scenery. The early morning light spilled through the trees as if heaven itself was falling from the heights it once stood on.

Eventually, Socka was taken out of her trance by her mother. “So is this a date or something?”

Socka’s head shot up. “Huh?! Oh, um, no? I mean-”

“I’m pretty sure she knows already,” Chargery said.

“Oh, um…” Socka was still trying to process what was going on. “She does?”

“Yup!” QL replied. “Fishnet told me. Don’t worry, just because I got raised by Grampy doesn’t mean I’m just like him.”

“Oh…thank you,” Socka said.

QL’s smile showed up in the rear view mirror as she stopped the car. “Alright, ladies, we’re here! Have fun!”

“Thanks, Mom!” Socka said as her and Chargery stepped out of the car.

Once the Chevy was out of sight, Socka observed her surroundings. The park was quaint and quiet, with a lot of open space and a wall of trees surrounding it. Some trees were placed within the open space as well, and each was surrounded by a ring of bushes. There was a small fountain surrounded by a few benches, and four main paths that branched away from the fountain. Socka thought back to when she’d go with her family to sit in the park on special days and feed the pigeons. Wait…

“Darn!” Socka said. “We should’ve brought bread to feed the pigeons!”

“Oh, that sounds like it would’ve been fun!” Chargery said. “Doesn’t really matter, though. There’s probably something else we could do.”

“So what are they gonna do?” Cass asked.
“I don’t know, hang out?” QL responded. “What do you think someone does on a…hangout day?”
Cass squinted at his clearly lying mom. “Hm…I wanna play Splatoon at the park now…can you drive me there?”

KH walked in on the conversation ensuing in the living room. “What psycho plays video games at the park?”

“I do,” replied Cass.

“Oh look!” Socka said, pointing at a small food stand. “It looks like that stand sells bagels! Maybe we can feed the pigeons bagels?”

“Sure!” Chargery replied. The duo walked over to the stand, which was being run by a very put-together looking boy with thick curly black hair and brown eyes behind thick-framed glasses. He was also wearing a button up shirt and baggy tan pants.

“Can we have two plain bagels, please?” Socka asked the boy, who looked to be about her age.
“That will be five dollars,” the boy responded.

As Socka shuffled through her wallet, Chargery studied the boy’s face. “Wait a minute…do you have a twin sister who’s visiting?”

The boy looked confused. “Um…yes?”

“Is your name Claptrapa?”

“Yeah? Why?”

Socka handed Claptrapa the five dollars. “Oh, Nansensu is a friend of ours!”

“Oh, are you the one with the punk sister?” Claptrapa asked Socka.

“Yes,” Socka answered.

“Nansensu said she wants you to give her your sister’s number,” Claptrapa said. “She wants to have a girls night or something. I think she said something about Subway.” He handed Socka a bag of plain bagels.

“Okay, Thank you!” Socka said. “I’ll send Nansensu my sister’s number in a bit!” Her and Chargery walked off.

They found a nice bench next to the fountain. Just like the other benches, it was made of metal and painted green. It was the first bench the couple saw, so they sat down on it. Socka took out one of the bagels and broke off some crumbs. She then tossed the crumbs on the ground.

“Huh. That car kinda looks like your mom’s car,” Chargery remarked, pointing at the blue Chevy that was now driving away from the park.

Socka squinted. “Yea, it kinda does. Oh look, some pigeons!” She pointed at the pigeons that had shown up to peck at the bagel crumbs on the ground. Chargery reached into the bag for the other bagel and started tossing more crumbs on the ground.

Socka got onto her knees next to the pigeons and started hand-feeding them. “I know this isn’t a very romantic experience,” she said to Chargery, “but this park is really nice, right?”

Chargery got onto the ground with Socka, following what she was doing. “Yeah!” she responded. “Plus, this is a fun thing I’m doing with my girlfriend, so it still counts as a date!”

“You’re right! This is nice, just you and-” Socka was cut off by some rustling she heard nearby. “Huh. Did you hear that?”

“The rustling?” Chargery responded. “Probably a squirrel.”

“No, it’s not just that,” Socka said. “I can also kind of hear…music. It sounds like it’s from, I don’t know, Splatoon?”

“Wait…is Cass the nosy type?” Chargery asked.

Socka thought back to the time Cass found out that Socka had a small crush on Garnet from Steven Universe via her diary, and told Fishnet about it. “Yup. Funnily enough, he pretty much outed me to my sister. He was four, though, so he might not remember it.”

Chargery paused. “Alright, I can hear the music too. I think I know where it’s coming from.” Not too far in front of her and Socka’s bench was a tree surrounded by bushes. One of the bushes was playing the After Alterna music, which is not normal for bushes to do.

Then the music was interrupted by the Octoling death noise, and someone shouting “CRAP!”. Socka forced two of the bushes apart to find Cass holding his Nintendo Switch. “AAAAH!” He shouted. “Hey…Socka! Didn’t expect to see you here!”

“Cass, are you stalking us?” Socka asked.

“Um…yeah?” he responded. “You guys were acting weird, so I decided to snoop a bit. Also there was a good chance you guys were going to Wendy’s, and Mom makes me pay for whatever I eat there, so…”

Chargery glanced at Socka for a second. “So you stalked two people for free Wendy’s?”

“And because I was curious. ” Cass added.

Socka checked her phone. “It’s 11:55, so now would probably be a good time to get lunch.”

Cass got excited. “So can we go to-”

“Yes,” Socka replied, cutting Cass off.

Socka lied. Instead, the group headed to a random diner.

“I mean,” Cass said while wolfing down a plate of scrambled eggs like an Undertale fan eating the worst spaghetti anyone could conceivably create, “this is honestly way better than Wendy’s.”

“Exactly,” Socka said, then taking a bite of her grilled cheese sandwich. The diner had existed for as long as Socka could remember, but Cass had never gone for one reason or another. As a little girl, she always got the same order whenever she went: grilled cheese.

There were a few seconds of silence, until Cass spoke. “So does Mom know already?”

“Yeah, she does,” Chargery answered while chewing on her hash browns. “Fishnet told her. No-Show knows too, but she doesn’t really understand it.”

“Well at least Grampy doesn’t know,” Cass said, somehow already done with his eggs. “He was the only person who was mad when Fishnet came out. Yelled so much he made her cry. . I’m surprised she even showed up yesterday. In fact, just to spite him, I made an entirely new world in Stardew just so I could have my character marry Sam.”

“Sweet!” Socka said. “Eventually, we’ll have to tell everyone. If we want to move forward, we can’t hide who we are.”

Chargery nodded. “It’s all about expressing ourselves.”

Cass nodded as well. “Also, should we be heading home now?”

“Yeah,” Socka said. “I’ll text Mom.”

As the scenery passed, Socka quickly sent Fishnet’s number to Nansensu. “Who are you texting?” Cass asked from the passenger seat. “Is it that emo girl?”

“Yeah,” Socka replied. “She wants to hang out with Fishnet.”

“That makes sense, I guess.” Cass commented. “Mom, what’s for dinner?”

“You’re already asking?” QL chuckled. “Well, I was thinking about mac and cheese tonight.”

“Sounds great!”

“So what did you two end up doing?” Stocking asked Socka and Chargery as they all sat on the couch.

“Oh, we fed the pigeons and ate some bagels!” Socka replied, with Chargery on her phone.

“Really?” Stocking asked. “I thought you would be out shopping.”

“Eh, shopping isn’t as fun as it sounds,” Chargery answered.

“Huh,” Stocking said. “You know, me and Bobby used to do that when we were still young and dating. Isn’t it supposed to just be an activity for co-“

“Hey, do you guys want to play the Cuphead DLC with me?” Cass yelled to Socka and Chargery, cutting Stocking off.

Chapter Text

December 22nd, 2023

“So why did you ask me to help you with this?” Fishnet asked from the driver’s seat of the minivan.

“Because Cass is helping out Chargery, meaning she has the upper hand,” Socka replied from the passenger’s seat, “and it’s only been a few months since we started dating, and I don’t know how to handle relationship stuff on my own.”

“Have you at least spent Christmas with her before?” Fishnet asked.

“Yeah, but I feel like I have to up the ante with my gift this year now that we’re dating,” Socka said.

Fishnet parked the car in the parking lot of some random mall. “Just get her something that you know she likes. Even if you haven’t been dating for a while, you still at least know her.”

Socka stepped out of the car with her sister. “Okay, I guess I could handle that mindset.”

Fishnet nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

The inside of the mall was a lot to take in for Socka. It had been constructed fairly recently, and Socka did remember seeing the construction site a few times back before she moved away. The place was sprawling, expansive, and more intimidating than any building should be.

“Hmm…is there something you like giving to people?” Fishnet asked as the duo walked through the mall’s halls. “Like, is there some kind of pattern in the things you give people?”

“Well,” Socka started, “there was the whole ‘Flower Incident’, and-”

“That’s it!” Fishnet remarked, cutting Socka off. “We’ll get her flowers!”

“But flowers will give our secret away!” Socka said. “Plus, how would someone wrap flowers? What about flower seeds?”

“Yeah, that could work,” Fishnet replied. “Are there any flowers that can be grown in the winter? Where you live, there isn’t much snow, so if it lives in the cold, it’s fair game.”

“Hmm…” Socka thought for a minute, scanning over her internal library of flower knowledge. Then it hit her. “Winter jasmine!” she remarked. “Not only do they last through winter, they also symbolize elegance. I mean, there’s a low chance there’s a store up here that sells their seeds, but it’s worth a shot.”

“Well, funnily enough,” Fishnet said while pointing to a nearby flower shop, “that store conveniently sells every single type of flower seed.”

Socka stopped. “Huh. I didn’t know there was a store that did that.”

The store was called ‘Rose Rising’, and Fishnet explained that the store owner rented space in the mall for a few months so it could get more traction. The cashier inside had a light brown complexion, short green hair, and big round glasses perched on their nose. They were also wearing a black shirt with a green apron over it.

“By the way, he’ll get mad if you get this incorrect,” Fishnet whispered to Socka as the two walked in, “but that’s a guy.”

Once the duo got to the counter, the cashier greeted the sisters. “Hello! Welcome to Rose Rising! Oh, hi Fishnet! What can I get for you today?” On closer inspection, Socka noticed his face was dotted with freckles, and his name tag read ‘Fern’.

“Hey, Fern,” Fishnet casually greeted. “My little sis Socka needs some…what were they called again?”

“Winter jasmine seeds!” Socka piped in. “It’s okay if you don’t actually have them…” Socka was still unsure if this store really sold every kind of flower seed. “That’s all.”

“Okay! I could pull some out right now!” Fern responded. He got behind the counter and started rummaging through what Socka presumed to be various bins. Once he was done, he got up and handed her a little white bag labeled ‘Winter Jasmine’.

“Wow, how do you have these?” Socka remarked. “I didn't think anyone even knew they existed.”

“Rose always makes sure we have everything!” Fern said, typing on the register. “The price will be…$9.96!”

“Thanks, Fern!” Fishnet said, giving him a $10 bill. Once Fern gave back 3 cents, Fishnet and Socka started to head out. “Merry Christmas!” they shouted as they left.

“Merry Christmas to you, too!” Fern shouted back.

“How are you friends with that guy?” Socka asked, toying with the bag of seeds as her and Fishnet headed out of the mall.

“I have a small side gig as a dog walker,” Fishnet responded. “His dog, Toad, is my personal favorite customer.”

Just before they exited the building, though, Socka quickly remembered something. “Oh, Shoot! We need wrapping paper! Or a gift bag! Something!”

“Oh crap, you’re right!” Fishnet remarked as the sisters turned around and dashed back down the hall. “And we should probably get some more seeds. You have a wallet, right?”

Socka checked her purse and pulled out a little purple wallet with a peony pattern. “Yes, and my credit card should be in here…aha!” She pulled out a blue credit card.

“Alright,” Fishnet said, pointing to a nearby all-year Christmas store called ‘The Yearlong Yule’. “That place should have gift supplies. You should use a gift bag for these. I’ll run back to grab more seeds.”

“Got it,” Socka said. She sprinted to the store. The interior was covered in festive decor that was typical for the holidays; colorful lights, a brightly ornamented tree, a model of a manger, the festivity of it all was almost blinding to Socka. Is this place nearly as bright any other time of the year? Socka wondered.

There weren’t a lot of people in the store, so Socka easily found the things she needed. She grabbed a red gift bag with a snowflake pattern, some red tissue paper, and a tag that was blank on one side but had a snowflake design on the other (Socka was always particular with making things match when it came to gift giving). She also bought a pack of red sharpies, just in case there wasn’t one at the house. Once Socka had gathered everything, she headed to the register.

The boy running the register in this store had vitiligo, dyed orange hair (Who dies their hair orange? Socka thought), green eyes, and was wearing a tan shirt under a black apron with the store’s logo on it. “Oh, hello!” he said to Socka as he looked up from his laptop, which was on the counter. “Here, I can scan those for you.” As he took Socka’s items and scanned them with a handheld scanner, Socka looked at his name tag, which said ‘OJ’.

“There you go!” OJ said as he finished scanning Socka’s supplies. “Your total will be $17.25.”

Socka swiped her card on the card scanner and paid the balance. “Thank you! And happy holidays, sir!” she smiled as she walked out of the store.

“Just on time,” Fishnet said as she approached Socka. “I honestly thought you’d take longer!”

Socka nodded. “We should get back before Chargery and Cass do.”

Fishnet grinned. “Can we stop for lunch on the way back?”

“So everything’s wrapped now?” Fishnet asked as she and Socka sat on the couch.

“Yup, and it wasn’t so difficult,” Socka replied. “Also, now that I think about it, are flower seeds actually too conspic-”

Fishnet’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up. “Oh!” She got up. “Gotta go, I’m hanging out with that emo friend of yours. Well, of ours now.”

No-Show trotted into the living room as Fishnet put on a leather jacket. “Mommy, can I have an appy juice?”

Fishnet put on sunglasses (even though it was dark outside). “Sure, sweet pea. Oh, and Auntie Socka is gonna watch you.” Fishnet left and closed the door behind her.

No-Show turned to her auntie with a smile across her face. “You’re gonna watch Bluey with me!”

Chapter Text

December 22nd, 2023

The black minivan drove through the streets in the dead of night, as if a specter in the dark. No specter, however, would be heading to Subway with a punk woman and a goth demigirl within it. The car’s radio was playing a playlist that was a mix between Tally Hall and Miracle Musical music, and the new dynamic duo were jamming out to it. Once Fishnet pulled the car up to the Subway, the music stopped as she and Nansensu stepped out of the van.

The inside of the Subway was brightly lit, so much that Nansesu’s eyes stung a bit, but they were fine afterwards. It wasn’t a very big Subway, and only had three tiny round tables against a wall with a long window.

The cashier had long brown hair, hazel eyes, and was wearing a green shirt with a black apron over it. She was on her phone, which was understandable because nobody had been ordering for a bit. Another cashier was standing next to her wearing the same uniform and looking really bored. He had brown eyes and bright blond hair covered by a Subway cap.

“Hello, welcome to Subway, what can I get for you?” the guy deadpanned. His name tag read ‘Trophy’, and he looked bored.

“Damn kricketot,” the other employee muttered while hunched over like a shrimp while using her phone. Her name tag was barely visible, but it seemed to read ‘Tammy’.

“Alright,” Nansensu answered. “I’ll get a Subway sandwich.”

Fishnet got confused, and Trophy clearly felt the same way. “What did you want on it?”

“…lettuce.”

Tammy glanced up at Nansensu as Trophy spoke. “Okay, uh…what kind of cheese?”

“I don’t want anything else. That’s it.”

Trophy and Tammy looked absolutely disgusted. Tammy stood up straighter. “So you-” she cut herself off and looked at Fishnet. “Whatever. What about you?”

“Can I get turkey and cheese?” Fishnet asked.

Trophy’s head shot up a little while writing the orders down, as if reacting to something. “Alright, we’ll get that situated for you.” Nansensu and Fishnet sat down at one of the tables.

“So have you never been to a Subway?” Fishnet asked.

“Yes.” That’s all Nansensu said. It’s all she had to say, but it still felt like an abrupt end.

Neither of them said anything for a while, until Fishnet broke the silence again. “So how’s your family?”

“They’re cool,” Nansensu answered while making a pile of napkins they had grabbed before they sat down. “Like, my dad hasn’t shown up at all, but I’m fine with who I have. Just me, my mom, and my twin bro.” They smiled a bit. They were clearly lying about something.

“Sweet,” Fishnet said. “What e-”

“Hey punks! Your orders are ready!” Tammy shouted. When the duo got their sandwiches, Nansensu realized that Fishnet got her order perfectly—turkey and cheese—while her order was completely wrong—instead of just a sandwich with one piece of lettuce, it was just two slices of bread!

“Hey, there’s no lettuce,” Nansensu casually said to the cashiers. Trophy didn’t care and left into a back room as Fishnet paid Tammy.

“Oh my god, what’s he doing now?” Tammy said before leaving to follow him, seemingly forgetting Nansensu’s remark.

“Oh,” Fishnet remarked once she realized Nansensu’s issue. “I could ask for lettuce once they get back and…” she paused once she realized Nansensu had gone back to their table, where the stack of napkins were. “Nansensu?” They didn’t hear her, though, since they had pulled out a random lighter and set the napkins ablaze.

“This is the fun option,” they finally said.

“Holy crap, dude!” Fishnet attempted to stop the fire, but it grew too big before she could do anything.

“And that’s why the fnaf movie is the greatest movie of all ti-HOLY SHIT!” Tammy and Trophy had exited the back room, and Tammy was the first to react, turning and yelling at her co-worker. “GET A CUP AND FILL IT WITH SOMETHING!”

As the employees’ backs were turned, Nansensu and Fishnet fled the scene, sandwiches in hand. “I mean, this may just be two slices of bread, but at least we weren’t arrested,” Nansensu quipped.

“What if they press charges against us?” Fishnet asked as she and Nansensu entered her car.

“Not only were there no security cameras,” Nansensu said, “but the only witnesses were a jock and a Pokémon GO player. Who’d trust those guys?”

Fishnet thought for a moment. “True.”

Chapter Text

December 23rd, 2023

“…and that’s the entirety of the fnaf lore up to this point in the series,” Cass finished. “I don’t know what happens in Help Wanted 2, but I hope I get it for Christmas to figure that out!”

Socka chuckled, since that’s what she had gotten him for Christmas. “When do you think dad will be done packing?” Socka, Cass, and Chargery had been waiting in the game room twiddling their thumbs and discussing the fnaf lore for at least an hour at that point, so KH had to be done soon, right?

“Kids! Let’s go!” KH called from downstairs.

“Finally!” Cass shot up from the floor. “Last one down is a rotten egg!”

Chargery ended up being the rotten egg.

Socka and Chargery ended up in Fishnet’s minivan with her and Bobby. Bobby sat in the passenger’s seat while Socka and Chargery sat in the row just behind. Socka zoned out for a bit while watching the dimly lit houses and cars go past her window.

“How often does dad go on these fishing trips?” Socka asked after finally figuring out a good conversation starter.

“Oh, he does these every weekend,” Bobby answered. “He sends pictures of his best catches to your mother so she can show all of us!”

“Huh, he had the same schedule when I still lived here,” Socka recalled. She used to beg to go with him on the days she didn’t have plans, and sometimes she’d be lucky and he’d cave. Once, they had gone crabbing with QL, Fishnet, and Cass, and Socka got a crab on her first attempt. She was the only one successful that day.

The scenery eventually changed from shadowed houses and parked cars to a bright island and a prominent dock. Socka took in the scenery after she helped Bobby into her wheelchair. The dock had a large old-looking shop next to it called “The Big Bass”, and some picnic tables littered the area in between. There were a few big boats attached to the dock, with names like The Pan-O-War and Steve From Minecraft. A section of the dock had no boats, meaning it was a good place to fish.

QL’s blue Chevy pulled into the parking lot, with her and KH stepping out to help Stocking.

“Alright,” KH said after getting Stocking out of the car, “I brought five rods and lots of bait! We could probably catch some snappers and eels from this point.”

“Aw sweet! Eels!” Cass exclaimed in delight. Socka knew her brother very well, and a little known fact was that he really liked eels for no discernible reason.

“Would either of you ladies like to fish for a bit?” QL asked Socka and Chargery, holding out a rod.

“Sure!” Socka replied with glee, Chargery nodding with her. That glee was short lived, however, as both of them were soon reminded of how boring fishing can be if nobody has a bite at all. Eventually, the duo decided to call it a day for themselves and sit at one of the picnic tables to chat.

“Your family is really nice!” Chargery mentioned to Socka. She didn’t respond, however, since she was deep in thought. She knew she had to tell everyone else about her and Chargery’s relationship, but how? QL, Fishnet, No-Show, and Cass knew and were all supportive, but what would Bobby and KH think? How could she tell Stocking without him getting upset?

Socka was taken out of her thoughts by Chargery, who placed her hand on Socka’s. “Hey, if something’s on your mind, you can always tell me. I’m all ears!”

Socka smiled, which turned into a frown when she spoke. “I’m just worried about how we’re going to tell everybody. They have to know at some point, but it might get bad. It could range from your really nice sister when she found out, to Nansensu’s family locking her out of the house when she told them her pronouns.”

Chargery sighed. “Well, if we’re gonna act, we have to act sooner rather than la-”

“WOOHOO!!!” Chargery got cut off by a very enthusiastic KH, who was holding a big red fish above his head.

“Quick, Dad!” Cass started freaking out next to his father. “Weigh it!”

KH placed the snapper on the scale he brought. “46 pounds! That’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught!” KH never seemed so happy! After a bit of celebrating, KH’s hands got tired and he let the snapper go.

While watching all of the tomfoolery go down, Socka suddenly got an idea that may or may not have massive consequences. “Maybe we should tell everyone tomorrow during dinner.” After saying it out loud, Socka realized how many consequences this may have. “It’s definitely risky, but it’s worth a sho-”

“HECK YEAH!!!” This time, Cass was the main excited one, gripping the handle of a net that had way too many tiny clear eels inside of it.

“What the heck?!” Fishnet moved closer to the net and counted the eels inside. “There are, like, hundreds of them in there! How?!”

“I used the net and bait technique that Grampy made!” Cass explained, dropping the eels into a water-filled bucket KH made for him. Stocking never explained his technique to Socka, but she never had much interest in fishing anyways.

“You used my technique?” Stocking said. “Nice to see you’re catching on my ways!” He patted Cass on the back, who glanced at Socka.

“Well, we can do whatever you want to do,” Chargery said to continue her conversation with Socka. “Plus, there isn’t a rush. We can come out whenever you’re ready.”

Socka smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

“LIKE MY FISH!!!” Turns out, Cass had caught a smaller red snapper earlier on without any uproar, and it apparently made a good projectile. He chucked it at the back of Socka’s head and got his target.

“Ow!” Socka reached back to defend herself from any other eel strike. “What the heck, Cass?!”

“It was funny,” Cass smirked.

Chapter Text

December 24th, 2023

“Alright, sounds like a good plan,” Fishnet said.

“Really?” Socka was sitting on the guest room’s bottom bunk, and decided to call Fishnet and get a second opinion on her plan while Chargery was in the bathroom getting ready for the day. “I thought you’d say something like ‘you’d be so dead lmao’ and I’d just not do it.”

“No, it’s a good plan,” Fishnet responded. “If that’s what you want to do, then do it. Like I said, your only issue is Grampy, and he’s just one person. What’s the worst he can do? I mean, all he did to me was get a bit mad.”

“Mommy?” No-Show faintly said through the phone. “Do you want to watch that Gravity Falls show you like with me?”

“Not now, sweet pea, mommy’s helping auntie sort out her issues,” Fishnet called back. She then returned to her conversation with Socka. “Plus, you’d have to come out at some point, and Christmas Eve dinner doesn’t seem like the worst time.”

“True,” Socka replied. “You’ll be there, right?”

“Yup,” Fishnet said. “I gotta go make food for tonight. Remember, all you have to do is get up and say it. See you at dinner!”

“Bye!”

The dinner table was completely silent, apart from the noises of silverware hitting plates. There was turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole (the only food on the table that was made by Fishnet), and a bunch of other foods Socka didn’t care about enough to even think about.

This is it, she thought. If I want to get this over with soon, I should say it tonight. I need to say something.

Chargery had her hand on the bench she and Socka shared, and Socka gave it a squeeze. She gave her partner a look of worry. Chargery could tell what she meant, and gave a comforting smile. With this bit of encouragement, she thought of what Fishnet had told her over the phone that morning. Remember, all you have to do is get up and say it.

She stood up.

Everyone looked up at Socka in confusion. She glanced at Fishnet, who motioned for her to speak, or at least do something.

“So…” Socka started. She knew it wasn’t the best start to coming out, but it had to do. “Most of you already know this, but me and Chargery have been lying about…our relationship. We’re…not friends.”
The table was silent until KH broke it. “Huh? Why bring her?”

“Because-”

“We’re dating.” Chargery had shot up from the bench to support Socka, who was startled by this action. The, now non-secret, lovers sat down.

Silence.

“Girls…” Grammy said, breaking the silence once again, “…why didn’t you say anything?”

“Fear,” Fishnet answered.

“Oh, of course!” Grammy said. “Well, I still support the two of you!”

KH nodded. “Me too!”

“Yes!” Cass pumped his fist in the air. “This is going great, you two!”

“Huh,” Fishnet muttered just loud enough for Socka to hear, holding a pair of No-Show’s headphones (it was strange that she brought them). “This is going surprisingly well.”

“Her too?!”

Everyone turned to Grampy.

Socka heard Fishnet whisper “Oh god,” before putting the headphones, which were connected to an iPad, over No-Show’s ears.

Grampy continued. “At first I thought that Socka was the only granddaughter I had who wasn’t brainwashed by that…propaganda! You’re telling me I don’t have any normal granddaughters anymore?! Who’s next? Cass?”

QL grew a concerned expression, but it was unclear who she was worried about. “Dad, please-”

“No!” He swatted QL’s hand away when she tried to reach out to him. “Her and her ‘girlfriend’ just ruined Christmas! I can’t let this stand!”

“Stocking! Sweetie!” Grammy tried calming Stocking down. “Socka and Chargery have just done something very brave. We must congratulate them for doing this!”

“I’m not feeding their delusions, Bobby!” Now Grampy was really mad.

And then the table devolved into chaos, with all of the people who were actually paying attention started fighting. Everyone was screaming at each other, except for the absent-minded No-Show and the closet duo. Socka was already trying to process what her own grandfather had just said about her and her girlfriend. Not normal, delusional…the words swirled in her head like a homophobic stew being stirred with a whisk that had just come out of the kitchen closet.

All of this caused Socka to get up and run upstairs.

“Socka! Wait!”