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To say Anya was nervous would be an understatement, the woman brushing down her gown for the millionth time as she glanced about warily at the other graduates talking amongst themselves. She still couldn’t quite believe that she was really here right now. Every failure, every rejection, every moment she thought she may as well give up… and now?
She did it. She finally did it.
Anya let out a shuddering breath, forcing her shaking hands to rest in her lap and reminding herself it wouldn’t be too much longer until the ceremony would start, then she couldn’t wait for it to end.
She never understood why they had to gather everyone into one space and go through person after person. Honestly, none of them were even getting their actual diploma, moreso a mock of one, the real one was being mailed to everyone.
Anya expected hers would arrive to the apartment her and Willet were renting within the next few days.
Well, okay, so she did understand that the celebration was part of the experience, but the woman still couldn’t help but wonder if there was a less overwhelming method that could be done. Or maybe it could be optional? Actually were there optional graduations? Anya would have loved to just be with her friends and family out celebrating alread—
Microphone feedback had her and several other’s cringing as a new hush fell. Oh goodness, this was actually happening now, like, right now. Anya’s heart felt like it would positively burst from her chest.
~
Swansea rubbed his hands down his face with a tired grunt, “Would they just get on with this crap already?”
They’d been there for an hour by then, and sure, he’d sat through a few graduations already by this time in his life, but that didn’t mean he’d grown anymore tolerant of the whole hustle and bustle of it. Too many people with too many yammering mouths all packed in like a damn can of sardines.
His wife rolled her eyes, smacking his shoulder with the back of her hand with a chiding tut, “Oh, shut it.”
“What!” Swansea barked, waving her off with a huff, “It’s the same thing as always, woman.”
“Mhmmm. And yet you always have to be early, amor.”
“That’s how you get a good parking spot,” he grumbled, “You know that—!”
“Dad, chill the fuck out,” Robin snickered, the woman having been leaned against Curly’s good shoulder with her eyes closed. She peeked an eye open to give her father an unimpressed look.
Swansea rolled his eyes, waving her off as well as he shifted where he sat. “I’m allowed bit of complaining! Piss off, brat.”
“Love you, too~!”
To Swansea’s other side, Anya’s mother gave a soft chuckle. Olene gently moved to pat the man’s arm with a smile, “I can’t wait to see her cross the stage either.”
“Bah,” while he looked ready to wave her off as well, he paused long enough to pat her hand in turn. He heard Curly chuckle off to the side, Tulpar’s head firmly placed in the man’s lap as his fidgeting hands played with the dog’s fur. Sat to his other side, that weird ass Sam kid was sat with a phone in his hands and a pair of ear muffs over his head.
“That or he can’t wait to get back and eat some cake, yeah?” Despite blondie’s teasing, he just knew by the way the younger was glancing around sharply that he couldn’t wait to leave either.
Swansea scoffed, “Shut it, Curls.”
The blond gave another laugh, opening his mouth to probably try his patience once more when there was the irritating sound of microphone feedback. One of the few high pitched sounds he still had no trouble hearing, christ.
He adjusted himself and pulled his phone out, like hell he would ever think about actually missing this shit. And Daisuke would be a right annoyance if he didn’t get a video (even if Carol and Robin were also fucking recording. Daisuke had been very specific that he also wanted Swansea recording for some damn reason).
~
Curly traced Tulpar’s ears and fur slowly as he watched people cross the stage, eyes darting over faces and listening attentively for his friend’s name to be called. Degree by degree, from A to Z. His heart was pounding through his head at all the noise and lights and people, he felt like he might just combust right then and there.
Heh, combust. He could feel Tulpar huff and lick his hand, his fingers slowly unclenching where they’d begun to curl on themselves. He took a shaky breath in before jumping at a nudge to his arm.
Curly looked over and realized it had been Robin who’d nudged him, blinking a few times and humming as she grinned at him. “Nursing students turns.”
“Oh,” he turned to focus on the stage again, counting his breath as he focused on Robin leaning back against his shoulder, Tulpar’s head settled in his lap, and Sam’s foot resting absently over his while the man typed away on his phone.
He let his shoulders loosen, smiling a moment when he spotted Anya in the crowd of faces. She was talking with those around her by the looks of it, expression bright and flapping her hands around as she spoke.
Curly was so happy to be here, his fingers tracing his service dog’s head as he leaned down to kiss that lil forehead. He was okay. They were okay. Everything was okay—
Nothing mattered anymore when his friend’s name was announced.
“Anya Movchan.”
“моє сонечко.” Off to Swansea’s side, Anya’s mother spoke with a tremble in her voice, running her fingers over her knuckles with wide eyes. Curly could see the tears building in that gaze, hell, he was tearing up himself.
Robin, who’d begun to record with her phone, stood up sharply and shouted at the top of her lungs. Nearly gave him a heart attack truth be told, “WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO ANYA!!!!!! THAT’S OUR GIRL!!!!! HELL YEAH YOU DID IT!!!!!!!”
Swansea’s daughter was giving a near feral grin and Curly couldn’t help but laugh as he called out an echoed (much quieter though), “WOOO!”
Anya must’ve spotted them in the crowd or had heard them, she turned, beaming smile nearly splitting her face as she waved up at them fiercely.
He didn’t hear what Olenna said under her breath as there were some other shouts and clapping, but the tears were flowing easily down her face now when the blond glanced to her again. One hand clasped over her mouth as Swansea absently brought an arm around her shoulders and gave her a side-hug.
Anya always did say how long she’d been at this, even before they’d gotten back to Earth all that time ago. Absent moments and late night conversations. All those hopes and aspirations and dreams. It must have been a lot for Olenna to finally see her daughter’s success.
Shaking the hands of some person or another as she walked across the stage, got her degree casing, and walked off back to her seating. Curly didn’t even bother to listen to the other names called, just moving to squeeze his way down from these bleachers and get outside to wait for everyone else to get out.
~
Daisuke gave an excited squeal as he backed up a step to stare at his work, while the rest of the crew had gone to Anya’s graduation, Daisuke and some others had stayed behind at Swansea’s place to finish decorating for the after party.
He just was so giddy and happy, he legit wouldn’t have been able to stay still at the graduation and having known that, as well as his fondness for throwing parties as it was, he’d been given the privilege of taking charge for all the fun shit.
His partner, Chie, was baking with Willet (she had wanted to go to the graduation but traffic had caused her to run late so she decided to help with party stuff instead); his parents were helping him decorating and arranging things; Curly’s mum was organizing graduation gifts and checking on their delivery updates for dinner; etc.
Many other absent family members were about, some old family friends of Anya’s, some friends Daisuke and Curly had made at their new jobs, etc. All milling about, bringing food, placing cards/gifts in the growing pile, etc.
Odette had even managed to send well wishes from her hospital room (she’d had to unexpectedly get her appendix removed after having to be driven down to the ER).
All-in-all, Daisuke really was hoping Anya would like what they’d done and he really couldn’t wait for everyone that had gone to the ceremony to come on back.
He was also really looking forward to that cake.
~
The first thing Anya did after getting out the ceremony was to toss herself into her mother’s arms with tears running down her cheeks. Her mouth hurt from smiling so hard, her mother easing back a moment to beam at her in turn, “All that hard work, oh… look at you.”
She couldn’t help but blush, fidgeting with her gown before she gave a startled laugh as Robin swept in to crush her into a hug next. She giggled, squirming a moment until she was set down just to peek over as Sam walked on over with a toothy grin.
Curly had already gone back to the car with Swansea while the others had come to meet up with her. She gave the guy a curious hum and he raised his phone to show her what looked to be a text conversation.
“Congrats. I’ve pissed off Jimmy as your gift.”
Aha. She raised a brow and took the offered phone to read, letting Carol lead her along as the woman pressed a kiss gently to her temple with a soft spoken ‘muy bien.’
Anya couldn’t help but laugh at the conversation she read. It seemed from the context of it that the institute that had taken on Jimmy’s case had allowed him (restricted) access to the internet and he’d made some kind of art account? Which had then been reported and was temporarily down by the looks of it. And most of Jimmy’s texts were demands that he ‘knew’ it was Sam and that Sam should ‘fess the fuck up.’
The ranting just got more jumbled and irritated as she read further, shaking her head with a snicker as she passed it back to Sam. “Why you even bother to talk to him, I’ll never know, but oh, that’s just mean, ha!”
“And beyond funny,” Robin chimed in as walked on her other side.
Sam shrugged lazily, adjusting his ear muffs, “Keeps me entertained and lets me keep an eye on him.” He paused before tilting his head as Robin gave a laugh at that, squinting his one eye, “That joke was unintentional.”
“You’ve been around Curly too long,” Anya teased.
The guy shrugged, scarred lip quirking, “You would know, wouldn’t you?”
“Pffff,” she waved him off and perked up as they got back to the car, waving a brief goodbye to her mother, Robin, and Carol as they split off to the car they’d driven in. She climbed into the passenger seat of Swansea’s vehicle, laughing as the man’s hand plopped down on her head to ruffle her hair as she went to buckle up. Sam was already crawling into the back with Curly and Tulpar.
“Great job, kid.”
“Thanks, dad.” Anya grinned, moving to brush her hair back as best she could, “Hopefully Daisuke didn’t burn the house down!”
“God, don’t even joke bout it,” he grunted in turn, pausing to glance in the rearview, “You knuckleheads back there buckled?”
Sam nodded while Curly gave a thumbs up, Anya moving to peer back at them, raising up her mock degree with a beam. Curly smiled in turn, moving to happily pat her arm before giving double thumbs up.
Anya nodded in turn, shifting to turn on the radio as they got driving. She couldn’t wait to get back and have fun, she just knew Daisuke would be demanding to take pictures and see videos the moment they got back.
She didn’t think she’d be able to stop smiling.