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It’s the gradual raising of voices that gets Lucy’s attention first.
She’s on the sofa in their little office slash makeshift studio, reading a memoir that Katie had recommended to her. The gripping, fast-paced writing from this author has held her focus for so long that when she glances up at the clock, she suddenly realises they should have been having dinner about two hours ago. And now, the slight edge she can hear in Phoebe’s muffled voice, even through the walls, is letting her know: uh oh, someone’s hangry.
Lucy shifts off the couch and groans, muscles protesting from being in the same position for too long. She dog-ears the page and drops the book on the desk as she makes her way out of the room. Julien is talking now, her voice sounding tight, the way it does when she’s getting frustrated.
Wondering what she’s about to walk in on, Lucy sighs to herself. She swears that not even a few hours ago, those two boys were cuddled up on the living room couch together while watching Paddington 2 for the fiftieth time.
Just before she reaches the door at the end of the hallway, she hears Phoebe interrupt Julien — her voice a bit louder yet again.
“That makes no fucking sense, Julien, what are you even saying?” Phoebe sounds exasperated, and the second Lucy steps in the room and sees the look on her face, she knows it’s bad.
The blonde is still on the couch, arms crossed defiantly over her chest and every inch of her body oozing with frustration. Julien has migrated to the opposite end of the room, pacing back and forth with her hands balled up by her sides and her face twisted into a scowl. Lucy tries to cut into their heated conversation immediately, but Julien starts again before she has the chance. Her breath seems to be stuck high up in her chest and it’s straining the tone of her voice.
“I could tell you, if only you would let me finish my fucking sentence for once,” she spits the words like venom and Lucy knows she’s got to step in right this second. Phoebe gets in an, “Oh, look who’s fucking talking—” before Lucy interrupts whatever the hell is going on between the two of them.
“Okay, stop,” she says pointedly while stepping further into the room. Both of them freeze and blink over at her dumbly; clearly neither had noticed her presence yet, too caught up in their fight. Lucy looks at Julien, then at Phoebe, making sure she’s got their attention, before continuing, “What the fuck is going on here?”
The moment the question leaves her mouth, she realises her mistake. Two indignant voices instantly start half-yelling over each other.
“Well she fucking started—” “She just won’t listen—” “I can’t help she doesn’t understand—” “Not my fucking fault that she can’t—”
Lucy raises her hand, close to feeling like she’s shooting fire out of her eyeballs as she stares the two of them down, and it miraculously shuts them up.
“Oh hell no,” she says sharply, “You’re not dragging me into this shit.”
A deep sigh bubbles its way up from her lungs in an attempt to clear her mind. Trying to come up with a way to deal with this — quick — has to be her first priority right now. She looks at Julien, her whole body tense and a scowl still present on her face, although it has softened a little at the sight of her girlfriend. She looks at Phoebe, arms still crossed with a slightly hunched over posture, which is unusual for her. Lucy lets another breath flow past her lips.
“First of all, please just take a breath, and let’s sit down, okay?” she asks as she moves over to the couch. She plops down next to Phoebe, but not so close that the hum of anger pulsing around her can touch her.
“Breathing deep will help, alright?” Lucy continues, “Y’all are way too high-strung right now and you gotta just—”
Julien, ever the contrarian, cuts in, “Actually, studies have shown—”
“Julien, I swear to god,” Lucy bites out, trying her hardest not to start yelling herself, “Sit your ass down on this couch right fucking now, or you will be sleeping on it tonight.”
That draws a sullen little pout to Julien’s face, but it shuts her up nonetheless. She stubbornly perches herself on the edge of the couch, until Lucy shoots her a rather wild look and she meekly scoots over to sit down properly next to her. Lucy takes another deep breath in, tries again.
“I don’t know what on earth got you both so fired up, and honestly, I don’t wanna know.”
She pauses and looks over, first to Phoebe on her right, then to Julien on her left. They’re both hanging their heads, looking like two little kids that were sent to the principal's office for the first time. Lucy sighs again and rubs a frustrated hand over her face.
“What I do know is that we should have eaten something, like, two hours ago, and that you two haven’t set a single foot outside today at all.” She vaguely gestures over to the window, where streaks of golden sunlight stream into the room. “So whatever it is, it can wait until after you’ve had some sun on your faces, and food in your stomachs.”
Lucy waits a beat for a response, but when none comes, she adds, “Am I making myself clear?” Then Phoebe is nodding with an apologetic look in her eye, and Julien is mumbling her agreement. It’ll do, Lucy thinks.
“Good,” she says, before getting up off the couch and stretching out a hand towards each of her boys. They both grasp it and let her help pull them up. She considers her next words for a second.
“You two go take Beans and Maxie for a quick walk, while I order in some Mexican food from that vegan place you like, okay?”
She watches as Julien and Phoebe shoot each other a look, one that basically says, Really? But Lucy just starts lightly shoving them forward, not giving either a chance to complain. A pointed, “Go,” chases them out the door, with leashes in hand and pups excitedly yapping in the front yard.
As soon as the door shuts behind them, Lucy releases her deepest sigh yet. She takes a minute to shake her body, ridding herself of the lingering feelings of frustration seeping around the space. Fights are not Lucy’s strong suit, but she’ll be damned if she doesn’t stop her little scrappers from getting themselves into a situation where they’re going to say things they’ll regret later.
The couch is now a lot more inviting, no longer with a fuming blonde taking up the entirety of it with her loaded aura. Sinking into the cushions, Lucy pulls out her phone and goes to order everyone’s favourite meals and sides, before closing her eyes and allowing herself a brief moment of peace. She’s focusing on her breath, regulating her mind as well as her body, and time drifts by until she’s awoken from an almost-nap by the doorbell ringing.
She takes the food from the delivery driver, hands over the tip and smiles tiredly at them when they leave. She heads into the kitchen and starts setting the food out on the dinner table. Does so just the way she likes, and right as she finishes up by putting a big glass of water by everyone’s plate, the front door opens again. The stumbling commotion of two pups and two — decidedly happier sounding — boys comes drifting into the kitchen-diner.
Once Julien and Phoebe enter, their eyes hungrily roaming over the small feast set out on the table, Lucy is delighted to note that both look a little more sweaty and a lot more relaxed and smiley than they did before their walk.
Everyone takes a seat and digs in, eating in silence except for the occasional, “So good,” or, “Oh, I love these,” mumbled into the newfound tranquillity of the house. By the time their bellies are full and Phoebe is leaning back in her chair, hands tapping a slow rhythm on her stomach as Julien watches her with a hint of a smile on her face, Lucy decides she needs to find out what the hell they were going on about before. She clears her throat.
“So,” she starts, “Y’all wanna explain what that was all about?” She looks between the two women in front of her, but they’re only looking at each other, Julien with a slight frown between her eyebrows. Phoebe pulls a face and then turns to Lucy.
“Uhm, actually…” she trails off, looks over at Julien again. “We… don’t remember,” she concludes sheepishly.
Lucy feels her jaw fall open at that. There’s a beat of silence, before she says, “What?”
Her eyes are hopping back and forth, from Phoebe to Julien and back again, an incredulous look undoubtedly visible on her face. They both just laugh awkwardly, and Julien drops her head down to scratch at the back of her neck.
“Uh, yeah,” she says, shooting Lucy an apologetic smile, “We started talking about it on the way back, just now, but we just… forgot, I guess.”
Lucy can’t believe her ears, are they fucking with her? But the twin embarrassed looks on their faces tell her that, no, they are actually so serious.
“You… forgot?” She can hear her own voice pitching up now, and Phoebe darts a pained expression her way.
“Sorry, Luce. It clearly wasn’t important,” she sighs, then links her fingers together with Julien’s where her tattooed hand is resting on the table.
“We shouldn’t have let it go that far, and we’re sorry you got caught up in it all,” Julien adds, voice earnest.
Lucy just sits there, a little stunned. She shakes her head, trying once again to regulate herself, then grimaces a smile at them.
“You fucking idiots,” she says, trying and failing to sound stern, but an edge of laughter brightens her tone. Then they’re all chuckling, stupidly wide grins on their faces, and Lucy throws her head back to release a huff of laughter.
“You two are gonna be the death of me.”