Hello Again (Detailed, Closed)

[PunkPrince]

Eva lay on her back in bed. She had hardly gotten any sleep the night before. She'd spent the night tossing and turning. She felt the woman next to her snuggle closer to her side. At least Kennedy seemed to be sleeping well. One of them would have some energy for the day. Good. Eva rested her arm across Kennedy, gently rubbing her shoulders.


She was mostly just trying to keep from having an anxiety attack over today, and Kennedy helped. Her sister was coming to stay with her, along with her children who were luckily, around the same age as Eva's own. But Eva hadn't seen her in years. She had gone off to college and hadn't spoken to any of their family until Eva went searching and called her up. She didn't know that their mother had died, how painful it had been for Eva to see her fade away. She hadn't witnessed their father rejecting Eva. She didn't know that Eva had been left totally alone.


She also didn't know Eva was transgender. Eva had wanted to come out to her during the phone call, but the words had caught in her throat. She just couldn't do it. As far as her sister knew, she was still Eric. She still sounded like Eric when she talked. When she was younger people had thought she was gay because of how she spoke. She'd never spoken that way on purpose. It was just her voice. She knew some things. She knew that Eva had a wife, and adopted children, but that was really all. Their phone call had been brief, and Eva had skirted around talking about her parents.


The smaller woman stirred beside Eva and sat up. "Hey," Kennedy said softly, leaning over to kiss Eva's cheek. She pulled Eva up into a sitting position and gently stroked her hair. "You look awful, honey. Didn't you sleep?"


"No," Eva mumbled. "I'm freaking out. I couldn't sleep. It's been so long. I'm scared. I don't know what's gonna happen when she sees me. I never even told her about this. I didn't even hint at it when we were kids. She's all I have left in terms of people I grew up with. I don't want her to come back just to go away again. I've really missed her, but I don't know if I can face her. She doesn't even know that our mom is dead. She knows I'm married and adopted kids, but that's it. Nothing about...me. I need her back with me again, and I'm afraid she won't want me back once she gets here."


Kennedy sighed and gently stroked Eva's cheek. "I don't know what you're going through," she said. "To say I do would be a lie. I still have my mother, and my brother always hated me. I can't promise that she won't be upset. But if she's really the person you always tell me about, I'm sure things will work out." She paused. "Positive energies, babe," she said before giving Eva a peck on the cheek. "I'm going to try and wake the kids. Take your time getting ready."


Eva lay there a bit longer, and eventually stood up. She shuffled into the bathroom and began to brush out her messy hair. She was tall, unlike Kennedy, who was a petite five foot two. Kennedy passed better. Nobody ever realized she was trans anymore. Eva was not as lucky. She reached for the bottle of pills in the cabinet. Her estrogen tablets. She took her usual dose and swallowed them dry. Probably a bad idea, but she didn't really care. She took a deep breath and began to do her makeup. That usually calmed her down. Not today. Her hands shook, and she had to wipe off and reapply her eye makeup several times.


She jumped slightly as she heard a knock on the door. "Eva?" she heard Jupiter call. After a moment they knocked again. "Mom? I can't find my breast forms and I need them." Eva chuckled and stood up. The kids did call both her and Kennedy Mom sometimes. If they were together the kids used their names. Easier to tell them apart that way. She opened the door and smiled at Jupiter. "Good morning, love," she laughed. "You seem rather chipper for so early in the day. Did you leave your forms in one of your bras by mistake? Check the laundry room." She watched the kid run off down the stairs. Jupiter had longed for the feminine curves that girls had. Eva had tried to find out about getting them on a low dose of estrogen, but nonbinary genders were tricky. Therapists weren't as accepting. On occasion she slipped Jupiter one of her estrogen tablets even though she wasn't supposed to. She pitied the poor kid. She knew what it was like to hate your body.


Kennedy had gone into Ronan and Hugo's room to wake them. Ronan was already awake and standing in front of the mirror looking at himself, tipping his head to the side. "Good morning, Ronan," she greeted the boy, giving him a friendly nudge.


"Morning!" he chirped happily. "Do you know what time Eva's family is getting here? I'm excited to meet them."


"Soon," Kennedy said with a smile. Ronan was always so excited about everything. So optimistic. It made her happy to see him doing so much better than he had when they'd met. The boy left the room then, and Kennedy turned toward Hugo's bed. The boy was still buried under the covers. She sat down on the edge of the bed.


"Hugo," she said, gently nudging him. "I know you're awake under there. We're having company soon. Come on, doll. Up."


"I don't want to," Hugo mumbled. "I'll just sleep until they leave. I don't know them. There's no reason for me to get up. They won't like me. Pretend I'm not here." She heard a whimper under the covers. "Please, Mom."


Kennedy sighed. She pulled back the covers to see Hugo attempting to bury his face in the pillow. Even under his oversized t-shirt she could see he was shaking. She pulled him up and closer to her. "Hugo," she said softly. "It'll be okay. They will like you. They're Eva's family. I know you love Eva. I'm sure her family will love you. I don't want to pretend you aren't here. You're a part of this family, and we love you. I know you're scared, but Eva and I won't let you get hurt, I promise." She kissed the top of his head and kept her arms wrapped around him. "If any argument happens at all, it will not be because of you. Come on, Hugo. Get up and eat something. It'll calm you down."


"Kay," Hugo mumbled and Kennedy stood up to leave. Ronan was upbeat and always cheerful, but Hugo lived in fear of people he didn't know. He didn't want to get hurt. She knew that. She wanted him to be happy. Not living life afraid of everything new. She just hadn't figured out how to convince him yet.


She entered the bedroom again just as Eva had finished getting dressed. "You look beautiful," she purred before starting to change into her own clothes. "Don't be nervous. It'll be okay." She began attempting to fix her wild curls, and eventually just settled once they looked okay. Not great. Just okay. Good enough. She heard a knock at the door and looked over toward Eva. "You gonna get that?" she asked, but she knew the answer by the look on Eva's face before she even spoke.


"I can't do it, Kennedy," she said, her voice shaking. "I can't face her." Tears began to well in her eyes. "I...Can't you get it? Just send her up here to talk to me. I don't want to shock her in front of everybody."


Kennedy sighed and pulled the other woman into her arms. "I will. It'll be okay. I promise. Just try to calm down." She wiped Eva's tears away and slipped from the room just as another knock sounded.


Kennedy darted down the stairs and pulled open the door. "Hi," she greeted the woman and children standing there. You must be Ev–" she stopped herself. "Eric's family." She cringed. It felt wrong to use Eva's birth name, even given the circumstances. "I'm Kennedy. I've heard a lot about you. Come on in."

 

[FlannelChannel]

Emily woke up that morning at six am sharp. Today, she'd be meeting Eric and his family and moving out of this motel for the time being. She found it a little strange that Eric had adopted, but she didn't question him about it. I wonder if they're infertile. Emily walked over to Jane's bed and told her to wake up. "Why do we have to wake up so early?!" she asked. "Just do it, Jane. Your uncle Eric and his family live at least two hours away and I'm not about to have them waiting for me to get there." she said. Emily then made her way to the little yellow chair Daniel had slept on.

"Daniel, come on sweetie, get up." Daniel groaned and opened his eyes. "Go away." he said in a tired voice. "Uh-uh, get up, we're going to meet your uncle today, remember?" Daniel put a pillow over his head and shouted angrily. "Why?! Can't they come over here?" he questioned. "Shut up and get up, before I take away your phone." It was after Emily said this that Daniel quickly threw the thin blanket to the side and got up. "And put some underwear on." Emily added before going to the bathroom. "Gross!" she heard Jane exclaim.

She quickly opened her suitcase full of clothes and rummaged through it. Emily then slid a navy blue dress with white polka dots over her head and did her best to zip it up herself. It reached a little past her knees, she liked it for its modesty. She then turned towards the mirror and carefully applied her make-up. She admitted she was a little nervous. She hadn't spoken to any members of her family since she was 20. A choice that she was somewhat regretful of. Emily was grateful that her little brother had allowed her to stay with him and his family, though.

"Jane, get my clothes." Daniel said. "You have to, I'm a boy." Emily sighed. Daniel had taken her teachings and turned them around. She then heard a resounding slap and Daniel gasped. "Mom!" they shouted at the same time. Emily groaned angrily and opened the door. "Get dressed now!" She bellowed. Both kids stared at her, mouth agape and then stayed quiet. "Thank you." Emily said in a bitter tone.

After all three were done getting ready, they packed up their bags and stuffed them into their crappy car. Of course, Jane and Daniel argued about who got shotgun so Emily sat them both in the back. The whole car ride was filled with conversations such as, "Wanna guess what color my booger is?" and "I wish I was an only child" and the occasional "I hate you."

Emily was relieved to finally arrive at Eric's home. They could get to know each other and swap stories about their kids and tell them everything that's happened since she left. Emily fixed her hair before exiting the car and adjusted her kid's clothing. "Remember, say 'please', 'thank you' and no stories about your boogers." Emily said. She tried to contain her excitement as she walked towards her brother's home. She knocked on the door twice. Eric's wife had answered instead of Eric himself. Little strange. But maybe he's still getting ready. "Oh, thank you." Emily said as she walked in. "So, where's Eric? I'm pretty anxious about meeting him." she said nervously.

​

 

[PunkPrince]

Kennedy stepped aside to let the woman and her children in and glanced up the stairs as Emily asked about Eva. She really was too afraid to come downstairs. "Upstairs getting ready," she answered. "He wants to talk to you on your own before he meets anyone else." The pronouns left a bad taste in Kennedy's mouth. Poor Eva. She really hoped that things would go well. Of course, Kennedy was more than prepared to jump to Eva's defense if anything did happen, but she really hoped she wouldn't have to. And Hugo. He had never done well during arguments, and the poor thing was nervous enough already.


She heard the door to the laundry room creak and looked up to see Jupiter shuffling into the main room. Their blonde hair had mostly been left alone, just styled up into a quiff. They wore a light gray tank top and a pair of black leggings, along with a black sheer scarf, which was patterned with white skulls. Judging by the buds on their chest, they had found their breast forms."Hello," they greeted, giving a small wave to the woman and her children. Ronan appeared in the doorway to the kitchen and lifted his hand in a passive wave to the newcomers, as his mouth was full. He was eating an everything bagel that he had slathered with cream cheese. Some of the cream cheese dripped onto his batman t-shirt and he grabbed a napkin, dabbing at his shirt and then wiping a bit of cheese off his face.


Kennedy flashed a small smile at the boy as he walked over to them and then looked back at Emily and her children. "This is Jupiter, and this is Ronan." She motioned toward each kid as she spoke. "And Hugo is..." She paused. "Hugo is somewhere around here. I'm sure you'll see him later."


"If you've seen me you've seen him," Ronan commented with a shrug.


"Could the two of you help Jane and Daniel bring their things in from the car while I take Emily upstairs?" Kennedy asked.


As her children gave a nod, she looked back at Emily. "Follow me," she said. She started upstairs just as Ronan cheerfully greeted the two new kids standing there. "Hi," he greeted. "Nice to meet you. Should we start bringing your stuff inside?


Kennedy led Emily upstairs and toward the bedroom. "Eric is..." she started. "...different from when you last saw him." She paused. "Don't be too hard on him, please. She missed you." She opened the bedroom door and stepped inside. Eva had been sitting on the bed with her legs pulled up to her chest, but she stood up when the door opened, bolted forward, and engulfed her sister in a hug before she had the chance to say anything, and then recoiled as if she'd been burned.


"Emily," she said. "I missed you. I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you on the phone, I couldn't say--the words got stuck in my throat and I just--I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The words poured out and ran together, and Eva stuttered as she spoke. "I couldn't say anything. Mom died, and then I told dad and he yelled at me, and I didn't know where you were and I just..." She trailed off. "Please don't hate me! I don't want to lose you again." She had started crying again, and tried to hide her face behind her hands, her entire body shaking. Kennedy moved toward her and gently took her by the arm in an attempt to comfort her, turning and narrowing her eyes at Emily, as if daring her to say something.


She gently pushed Eva down to sit on the bed, afraid that the other woman might fall. Kennedy sat down next to her and spoke softly enough to her so that Emily couldn't hear and wiped at her cheeks, giving a small sigh as she did. "Eva..." she said gently, her voice back to normal again.

 

[FlannelChannel]

"She? I think you meant to say-" she was stunned to see what reseambled her brother wearing make-up and breasts. She stood still as Eric- or Eva... hugged her. Emily looked her little brother up and down. "M-Mom died...? And you-you..." she felt a little faint. Emily stumbled back a little until she felt the wall. She slunk down and stared at the floor. "How could I- could I not know Mom died?" she asked herself. "Oh, God.. All those years I ignored my family... When did she die?" she asked.


Emily stared at Eric. "You..." she raised her voice. "Then you did this to yourself? What-What is this? Some twisted coping method?!" she shouted. "I just- what the hell?!" she looked back and forth between Eric and Kennedy. "She- He's pretending to be a woman too? God... Oh my God." she said with a softer voice. Emily stared at Eric again, he looked so upset.


She tried her best to understand what was going on. This was all too fast. Should she let her kids stay here, in this enviroment? She placed her thumb and index finger on her temples and shut her eyes. "I should have stayed, this is my fault you're like this now, isn't it? Maybe we can heal you back up, hmm? That's all it is, a sickness! It's so clear! We just have to cure you!" she exclaimed.


((Sorry for the short post, wanted to get a reply out before I left. Won't be on for the weekend ))

 

[PunkPrince]

(No worries!)


Eva stared at the floor, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She was grateful for Kennedy's arms around her. "She died years ago," Eva said softly, the words catching in her throat. God, it hurt to talk about it. "I--she pricked herself with a used needle. It was just an accident and it got her sick and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with her and she just slipped away. She was dead within a year. She wouldn't even let me touch her. She thought I would get whatever she had if I did." She was quiet for a moment and let out a sob. "I miss her." She felt Kennedy's fingers in her hair, and though it didn't make the hurt stop, it helped a little.


She was silent as her sister spoke, and even without looking up she knew Kennedy was giving Emily a death glare as she pulled her closer to her. A blur raced past the doorway as Emily raised her voice. Hugo. Fights scared him. At least he was out of his room now. "That's not why I did this," Eva said, her own voice hardly above a whisper. "I just...I'm transgender. I knew for years. Before you left. I never said anything. God knows what Dad would have done to me if I had, and Mom was dead before I could work up the nerve. When I finally told Dad...he slapped me and hasn't spoken to me since. I just...I couldn't live the way I was anymore. " She suddenly felt ice cold at her sister's words. She wasn't pretending. Neither of them were. She shrank back as her sister shouted. "Stop yelling at me!"


Kennedy stood, still keeping a comforting hand on Eva's shoulder. "She," she corrected Emily. "She's not pretending, I'm not pretending. And it's not your fault." She strode up to Emily. "Nothing that happens can make a person this way. It's just how they're born." Eva could see how angry she was getting. "You can take her to all the doctors you want. She's not sick. I'm not sick. Any decent doctor, any decent therapist will tell you that. The only thing wrong is that her body doesn't match the way she sees herself, and you can't change that. All she can do is change her body."


"Imagine if you were so easily mistaken for a boy that you had to pretend to be one." Eva could hear the anger bubbling up in Kennedy's voice. "It's hell, in case you were wondering." She turned to glance back at Eva. "Look at her. You're hurting her. You think any of this has been easy for her? You think she was excited to tell you this? She's the same person you grew up with, and she's missed you. This wasn't her choice. She didn't ask to be the way she is, and you can either have a dead brother that you spend the rest of forever missing or a living sister that you love. Take your pick." She returned to Eva's side and settled next to her again, gently kissing the top of her head and wrapping her arms around her again. The other woman was hiding her face in her hands. "Eva," she murmured gently. "Stop. It's okay. You're okay."


Jupiter and Ronan had started out to the car, Ronan trying to make friendly convetsation with his cousins. "So where did you guys live before this? Was it nice there? Maybe I've been there before. Hugo and I have been all over the place." He turned as he heard a sound behind him. Hugo had appeared in the doorway, but he shrank back when he saw Daniel and Jane. "H-hey," he greeted nervously.

 

[FlannelChannel]

Emily remained silent as Kennedy scolded her. She was still completely dumbfounded at the sight of her brother- well, sister. She didn't like to see her crying and immediately felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. Emily opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She sighed and cleared her throat. "You're right... I-I'm so sorry." she said in a soft tone. It wouldn't be easy, but Emily could bear with her sister and her ways. It wasn't her place to say otherwise.

Emily stood up and shut her eyes. "God.. I can't believe Mom died.." She blinked away a tear. Emily rubbed her temples as she looked between Eva and Kennedy. She closed her eyes and shook her head gently. She could bear with this, right? Emily didn't want to lose her now little sister. She couldn't. "I don't want to lose you, I still love you. I suppose I just didn't understand... It might take time for me to come around, though, okay?" she said. Emily looked out the door. "I don't know how they'll respond though. I'll make them understand, if anything."

Emily took a little step forward but reclined immediately. She was still uncomfortable with the whole.. thing. She smiled a little at Kennedy. "Thank you-for taking care of her." she said. Emily scratched the back of her head awkwardly and left the room without another word. She could live with this. This was going to be a breeze. Not.

"We lived in New Mexico," Jane responded. "Real pretty if you're used to the desert." Daniel scoffed. "Place was hell." Jane elbowed him and he rolled his eyes. Jane and Daniel turned to see Hugo. Daniel only took a glance of him and turned back around to grab his bag. Jane flashed a small smile. "Hey, you must be Hugo." she said. "I'm Jane. Your cousin, I guess." Jane grabbed her backpack of personal belongings and slipped her right arm through one of the straps. "He looks like a geek." Daniel commented. "Is he?" he asked, turning to Jupiter and Ronan. Jane gasped and hit his shoulder. "What the hell, Daniel?!" she exclaimed. "What? It's just a question."

​

 

[PunkPrince]

Eva let out a shaky sigh and tried to wipe away her tears. She knew her makeup was probably a mess. She was going to end up looking like a raccoon. She nodded when Her sister said it might take some time for her to come around. "I know," Eva said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's a big thing to adjust to. Just...please don't hate me. I'm the same person I've always been. I know it won't be easy to explain. I just still want you in my life."


Kennedy gave a small nod to Emily as she spoke, and a small smile formed on Eva's lips as she walked away. "I don't think she hates me," Eva observed softly. "I think she's confused, but I really don't think she hates me."


"She doesn't," Kennedy said. "It'll be okay. We'll make the best of this. But your makeup is a mess. You look very Tammy Faye Bakker. Here."


She into the bathroom and then returned after a moment with a makeup wipe. She wiped at Eva's face a few times, careful to fix her eyes and leave the rest of her face as natural as possible. Eva went to touch up the rest of her face, and soon returned to Kennedy's side. She took a deep breath and started hesitantly down the stairs, Kennedy following after her. It was time to meet her neice and nephew.


"Hugo and I spent some time in New Mexico," Ronan said. "It was only for like a month though. Never really formed much of an opinion on the place. Hi Hugo," he greeted as his brother came to stand next to him.


Jupiter furrowed their brow when Daniel asked his question. Rude. They fixed their bra strap, which had become lose and slipped down their shoulder before saying, "He's not a geek," they said. "He's just usually jumpy and nervous."


Ronan turned to look at Daniel. "He's standing right there. Why don't you just ask him instead of us?" He looked toward his brother. "Hey Hugo," he started. "Are you a geek?"


Hugo shrugged. "No," he said. "I don't think so....am I?" He shrugged again and kept his gaze locked on the ground.

 

[FlannelChannel]

Daniel looked back at Hugo and chuckled. "Kinda." he said. Daniel usually didn't feel bad for those he thought were underneath him. In his opinion, it was their fault for being different. "Don't be a jackass." Jane growled. "I don't think you are, Hugo." Daniel rolled his eyes. "Stop defending him. You hardly know him." he said. Jane shook her head softly and walked towards the house. "Ignore him Hugo, he's only acting that way because he's insecure." she said as she passed him.

Emily walked into the living room and bumped into Jane. "Mom, Dan is being an ass." she said. Jane, not knowing where to drop off her bag, just set it nearby the couch. Emily sighed and opened the front door. "Daniel, you better not be acting up!" she called. Daniel waved her warning away and grabbed his PlayStation. "You like to play?" he asked Juniper and Ronan. "I pretty much have everything." he bragged.

Emily sighed and shook her head. "Damn that kid.." she walked out the front door and towards the car. "Is he being nice?" she asked them as she grabbed her purse from the front seat. "If he isn't being nice, you tell me. Daniel has that tendency to be mean to people he just met." Daniel rolled his eyes and began to walk into the house.

(Sorry for the late post! ;-; )​

 

[PunkPrince]

(It's okay!)


Hugo kept his gaze locked on the ground. Ronan moved to stand next to him and shot Daniel a nasty glare. "Even if he is," he started to say. "Nothing wrong with that." He gave a small appreciative smile to Jane as she defended his brother. He had always been pretty nervous, and Ronan knew that Daniel's comments weren't exactly helping him. "You don't know him either, but you're still making comments on him. Leave him be." Hugo sighed and picked up a box, following Jane into the house again. He shrank back when he noticed Emily standing there and set down his box. He let her slip past him and gave a slightly relieved sigh when she had disappeared out the door. He turned to look at Jane and gave her a nervous smile. "Thank you," he said softly.


Jupiter was about to answer Daniel, they did like video games after all, but they weren't too sure they liked Daniel so much. They didn't get the chance to say much more than, "Well, I-" before Emily walked up and Daniel disappeared. "I guess," Jupiter said. "Kind of. He's been a bit rude to Hugo though..." They picked up one of the last boxes from the trunk and sighed. Daniel would probably have something to say later too once he found out about their drag. Or Eva and Kennedy. Or Jupiter's gender. They knew it wasn't a very easy thing to understand, and knew that at some point they'd get called a he. The pronoun grated on their ears.


They started back inside, Ronan following with yet another box. They set the box down inside the doorway and grinned once they'd noticed Eva and Kennedy coming down the stairs. "We finished unpacking the car," they reported. Hugo had made an effort to avoid looking at Daniel when the other boy entered the house, and he was grateful to have Kennedy in the room now. She was pretty good at tearing people apart when she wanted to, and he didn't doubt she would do it if Daniel tried to start any trouble.


"Good," Eva said, flashing her children a smile before looking toward her niece and nephew. "Hi," she greeted. She was nervous, but was trying not to let it show. She felt a bit better after being reassured that her sister did not in fact hate her.

 

[FlannelChannel]

Jane gave a small smile to the women that came down the stairs. She was still waiting for their uncle Eric, and was beginning to think he wasnt going to show up. "Hi... do you know where my uncle might be? I'm real excited to meet him." she said in a cheery tone. Daniel shouldered Jane as he walked by and made a small chuckle. He hated when she spoke all proper and nice, he was certain it was all fake. Daniel noticed the two woman there and raised his eyebrow a little. "Who are you?" he asked.


Emily somewhat rushed inside, after seeing Eva and Kennedy in the living room with her children. She was hoping to explain the situation to her kids herself before they- mostly Daniel, would overreact. She nervously twisted and pulled the fringes on her white and brown purse as she walked through the door. She was still a little shaken ul by the whole thing.


Emily looked to Eva and Kennedy to see if theywanted to explain, or if she should do so herself.

 

[PunkPrince]

Eva looked up as the girl spoke to her. She looked so much like Emily. Eva was sorry to have missed as much of her life as she had. Daniel's too. She had missed her sister so much, but in all the time they had been apart she hadn't even thought about the possibility that she might have children. The fact that she did made Eva even more upset that they had been separated for so long. "Hi," she greeted, giving the two kids a nervous smile. "I know where he is...My name is Eva...I..."


Eva trailed off, not sure exactly what to say. She had never been good with explanations, Kennedy was better, but her usual nervousness when she had to explain things about her gender had skyrocketed simply because of who she had to explain it to. She was wringing her hands and nervously glancing around the room from the her sister's children, to her own, to Kennedy, and eventually to her sister with a pleading "Help me," expression in her eyes.


"I...do you want to tell–" she stuttered, looking over at her sister. "Or should I? Or..." Her gaze fell to the floor again. She was never usually such a nervous person, but the stress of the day had really deteriorated her usual calm and pleasant demeanor.

 

[PunkPrince]

Just nudging this.