MORNING GLOW

“¡Basta!” Emilia yelled at the cash register, whose screen had been blinking rapidly. She had been fighting with the stupid technology for hours and hours, “Don’t tell me you can’t make change, Devil Box!” She grabbed her chancla and whacked it against the register several times, a look of anger and determination taking over her face.

              --- “ well, that’s one way to handle a faulty register. ” minnie laughed, though there was an underlying hint of nervousness to it ( she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of a thwap with the sandal the woman was brandishing ). “ i’ll have to try that next time i can’t get the one at my work to turn on. ” she kept the pair of boots she was holding in her hands, not wanting to place them down on the counter yet for fear of her hand getting hit because of a bad aim. “ have you tried turning the computer system off and then back on ? sometimes that’s all it takes to get things back up to snuff. ”

“Lack of sleep will do that to you.” She said with a small chuckle.  Vanellope wiped the grogginess from her eyes and let out a small yawn. “My sleeps schedules all out of whack and I’m starving. Whats got you up?”

               --- minnie smiled at the other, “ i just got back from a trip and i’m very jet lagged. and there’s no point in trying to go to sleep since it’s like, four in the morning anyways. ” she let the door swing shut behind the two of them, “ first coffee on me ? ” she offered, taking her wallet out of the pocket of her hoodie.

Glibert had really missed having Minnie around. She was always so sweet and kind to him. Nothing was better than seeing her smile. He always thought she could brighten even the darkest rooms when she smiled.  One thing that bugged people though was their bit of an age gap. He didn’t care though. He still loved her like she was the little sister he never had. “Well I’m very glad you decided to take time out of your busy schedule for that.” He laughed. He hoped over the side of the low counter and spread his arms offering a hug. “I missed you so much too. Speaking of, where have you been?”

               --- she took a step back when he jumped over the counter, not wanting to go falling to the floor. the action made her laugh (it was very him) as she wrapped her arms around him, a quiet and contented sigh leaving her. minnie loved trips back to england, but each time she returned to apple peak it felt more and more like coming home rather than leaving it, and the more friends she made the more she felt like her stay here would be permanent. 

               --- she looked up at him, her arms falling back to her sides slowly. “ i was in bristol actually, with mickey. we went back to visit some family since everybody over here was doing the whole thanksgiving thing. ” it wasn’t something they celebrated in the uk, and minnie had to admit she still wasn’t entirely sold on the holiday. “ it was wonderful seeing everybody but i’m very happy to be back home. i could only handle so many people asking if he and i had gotten together since moving here. ” another chuckle as she crossed her arms loosely over her chest. “ what did you get up to while i was gone ? is business booming as usual ? ”

     teddy’s heart seized in his chest the moment minnie stepped around him to go back inside. was this her answer? silence? avoidance? teddy couldn’t exactly blame her, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. rejection was always hard to swallow for him. there wasn’t anything worse than not being wanted, and while that might not have been the case here ( because if anything, all of this was his fault ), teddy still couldn’t help the screaming in his brain that was telling him this was the case here. he waited outside in the cold with bated breath. teddy was sure he would have stood out here for hours waiting for her, rain or snow, if it meant that she would come with him. 

     he guessed someone out there answered his prayers, because he had never felt so relieved before–just seeing her walk back out the door with her purse in hand. it meant that teddy had a chance…a chance to at least explain. that’s all he wanted anyway. ( and if anything more came from that, then he’d consider himself a lucky arse ). 

          “thank you–” he breathed, unsure of what to do with himself, where to put his hands. if he was being honest, all teddy wanted to do was wrap minerva in his arms, bury his face in her hair and pretend like none of this ever happened. it was wishful thinking, of course, this couldn’t be solved with a hug–but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to touch her any less. cursing internally, teddy berated himself. it wasn’t like they were dating…were they? he would have liked them to, yes, but that didn’t mean they were. it wasn’t unusual for teddy to feel strongly. he always did, even as a child…but it was a little unusual for him to feel strongly about a woman he still didn’t know ( very much at least. what was her favorite color? her favorite song? what was her fucking middle name? ). he wanted to get to know her, though. teddy wanted that chance. he wanted to know everything about her. what made her tic, what made her happy. could he have been one of those things that did?

     he was scared he’d never get the chance to know. 

     the silence between them was deafening. teddy hated silence–it was one of the reasons why he talked so much. silence meant being inside yourself, and that was a place teddy didn’t like to be very often. it was a mess in there, feelings he had yet to really dig into, even with his therapy appointments every week. it was a place he was scared of, not sure what kind of person he’d be once he did figure everything out. not sure of what kind of person he was. but he allowed himself to follow minnie to the tea kettle, careful not to crowd her space, but close enough for him to know that she was really there. she was there, in front of him, a sight he had missed the whole fucking time he was away. she was there in front of him and she was going to listen, a luxury teddy didn’t get very often. he closed his eyes tightly at her words, that deep rooted feeling of pain making it’s home in between his rib cage, vines curling around his heart. “me too, bird…me too.”

     the warmth of the tea kettle was almost too warm when they finally made their way to the table, and teddy quickly rid himself of his jacket. he was already a shaky mess, but he didn’t want to become a sweaty one too. a deep breath left his chest as minnie finally broke the silence once more, teddy being too much of a coward to do it himself. he really didn’t want to get into this, the only people who knew were the sweet couple who took care of him after all that time in foster, but minnie deserved to know what happened…teddy wanted her to know. he swallowed thickly, hands curling into fists on the table in front of them in a small attempt to keep them from shaking. “when…when i was younger, i basically grew up in foster.” he snorted softly, though there was no humor in the tone. “uh, my mum gave me up when i was really young, that’s all i really knew. that’s all i was really told.” he paused, licking his lips, attempting to bring the words into his mouth. “so i did, you know, what a lot of us kids do in foster. i bounced around, a lot, almost graduated out until a nice older couple all but adopted me at sixteen.”

     his eyebrows furrowed, and teddy had to drop his gaze from minnie’s face and onto the table before them. his eyes were burning, but the last thing he wanted to do was fucking cry in public. he wasn’t going to cry. god, he barely started. “i got a call, from my nan–the woman who took me in–, and she told me she had an idea of where my mother could be. it felt as though everything around me stopped. it was words i’ve wanted to hear for so fucking long, bird. so i dropped everything. i quit my job, got someone to watch my cat, and i left apple peak…i left you.” he swallowed once more, finally working up the courage to look her in the face once more. “it…didn’t end well, though. i suppose that’s karma, for being a total arsehole, i mean.”

               --- as he began to speak, minnie’s ears perked up, her attention being grabbed almost immediately. her stomach was still a mess of twists and knots at even being near him. she was still worried it was a trick. perhaps it really was him but he was playing her ? wanting to make up a sad story to reel her back in and make her forgive him when really he had disappeared for no reason at all. she hated that it was what she assumed, but her past relationships (including this one) had made her wary. wary of the way people could make up perfect explanations for their mistakes that were almost too believable. wary of the way that a pair of bright blue eyes could pull you in like the ocean and then drown you moments later. she wanted to believe whatever was going to come out of his mouth, but felt as though that wouldn’t be the case.

               --- the more he explained, though, the more she began to actually pay attention. the more she began to think it wasn’t a rouse at all and that maybe, just maybe, he was being honest. the way his voice shook --- threatening tears at any moment --- made her entire body feel like it was frozen, save for the obvious shaking of her hands and quiet but laboured breaths. her anger towards him that she had been harbouring for so long now began to melt like ice in spring. she began to melt. he sounded so sincere, so hurt, and it made her angry. angry at the woman who had cast him aside so easily, angry that despite his willingness to leave his entire life behind it just didn’t work out. she was no longer angry with him (if anything she wanted to leap over the table and hug him as tightly as she could, not caring who was watching) but angry with his situation, and with the fact that it had lead them to this. she didn’t want this. she wanted to be waking up to him and listening to him talk about his day while they laid together on the couch. she wanted to go grocery shopping with him. she wanted to kiss him on the cheek before he left for work. she wanted him, not this terror of a circumstance they were now caught in. 

               --- maybe there was still some chance. was it possible he still wanted her after the emotional roller coaster he had just been riding on ? she had no idea what that kind of pain could do to a person. and while it was a selfish thought, it was all she could think about as she stared at his eyes, now brimming with tears that she wanted to put an immediate end to, as she could feel them starting in her own eyes. this made her world feel like it was about to stop turning. it wasn’t nearly as severe a thing as his had been, but still. and when he said that this was all his fault she couldn’t help the slight opening of her mouth.

               --- “ teddy, ” she said his name so softly it would have been a miracle if he had even heard it. she slowly slid her arm across the table, hand outstretched until it rested on his arm (a familiar electricity. the feeling that came along with being anywhere near him). she wanted to say something that would help make him hurt less. anything to stop the sadness she could tell he was feeling. the look on his face was making her ache throughout her entire being. “ dear ... that’s ridiculous. ”

               --- wise words courtesy of minnie meeska. she wanted to punch herself. he made her a stuttering puddle enough as it was when their conversations weren’t this emotionally charged. “ if i had known that ... i-i could never, ever be upset with you for doing that. ” her hand was still shaking as her fingers gripped his arm, gentle but still firm enough that she hoped he could tell how serious she was. “ you deserved so much better ... ” he was too good for this. too good to be feeling how he was feeling. he deserved the world. she felt a tear she didn’t know was even forming trickle down her cheek and quickly wiped it away with her free hand. “ i’m so sorry, teddy. ”

@mincvra

Gilbert felt a smile spread so widely on his lips as he looked up to see who had just entered his shop. It was a familiar face that he sworn he hadn’t seen in forever. Minnie. Minnie was one of his absolute best friends. Or at least someone he considered his best friends. He was sure she probably told him where she had gone, but he honestly couldn’t remember. He had begun to worry about her since it had been a while since he had seen her. He let out a quick chuckle before speaking. “So what do I owe the pleasure of having you finally showing your face in my store again Minnie?”

               --- visiting gilbert was one of the first things on minnie’s to-do list upon returning home. the older man brought a sense of joy to minnie’s life that not many others did. his optimistic demeanor was a lot like her own, and he was one of those people that she always wanted to go to with good news. she wasn’t entirely certain she had told him she was going away (or if she had, she wasn’t sure if she had specified just how long it would be) and so she figured it best to stop by and say hello, letting him know she was back in the country. she pulled over in front of goofy gags and happily hopped out of the car, walking inside. his happiness at seeing her made her face light up. 

               --- “ i just wanted to pop by and say hello ! ” she replied, skipping over to the counter. she rested her hands on it, leaning forward a little. “ plus i missed you terribly while i was away. ”

     with all the emotions teddy was feeling at once, he was sure minnie was feeling at least a thousand more. or, well, maybe that was something he hoped. good emotions, of course, but in the back of his mind teddy knew that it wasn’t as plausible as he wanted it to be. he couldn’t just disappear without any words and then come back like everything was okay. he knew that, and yet there was a large part of him that yearned minerva would just run into his arms, get onto the back of his bike, and ride away with him into the sunset.

     it was…unlikely, but a man could dream.

     the tears welling up in her eyes made his heart ache, a pain deep and rooted in his chest, and if everything went okay teddy swore to himself that he would never see that reaction on her face again. he didn’t exactly know what would come of this situation. things weren’t going to be the same, he knew that, and while he could hope that they would be…well, it was a selfish thought to begin with. it was hard to focus on anything but minvera’s crestfallen face, and teddy knew it would be something that stuck with him for a long time. he wanted to see her smile, he wanted to see her laugh, he wanted to see her being the carefree bird she was before…well, before he left her. 

     everything was all too much and happening at once, it left teddy’s head spinning, almost thankful for the firm hand that minnie wrapped around his arm as she all but dragged him out of the salon. he didn’t think about what to do next. teddy wasn’t really someone that thought ahead, and now it had come back full circle to bite him in the ass. what would he say? how would he make things better? could he make things better? all he knew was that his heart was beating ridiculously hard in his chest, fast and steady in a way that almost worried him with the thought of passing out. he should have thought things through before coming here. he should have had a game plan–and yet, here he was standing in the cold november air with her, brain obsolete and hands shaking in his jacket pockets. it was a few moments of tense silence before teddy could open his mouth with a–

    “minerva…” his voice cracked, and teddy had to clear his throat before continuing. he sounded weak, broken, and while teddy didn’t have a problem with showing emotion, he wanted to be able to get out what he needed to say. whatever the hell that was going to be. taking a deep breath he dipped his head, counting the lines of his shoelaces. he couldn’t look at that face, that fucking face, it killed him on the inside. “i know you’re angry, and upset, and you have every right to be. i mean–” letting out another shaky breath, teddy shook his head, swallowing thickly before catching minnie’s gaze once more. “i was an arse, i should have explained. i should have picked up the phone. but i–”

     he was going to lose her. it was a sick and twisted feeling in the gut of his stomach. he was going to lose her even before he had the chance to have her.

     “please, just let me take you somewhere warm so i can explain. if–if you know, you’re willing to listen. if you’re not, i get it, but i want you to have your answer and then you can–” leave and forget about me. teddy’s jaw clenched with nerves. “then you can decide. you know, whatever you want to decide. i’ve already left you in the dark, bird…i don’t want to do it anymore.” 

               --- the way he said her name made her chest feel heavy but light all at once. there was the joy of him being there in front of her, of seeing him again after all this time. but mixed in with that was the sadness that came with the fact that he had just left her. if he’d had something important, some reason for going, she would have understood. not that she felt entitled to know every detail of his life (though she wanted to, she wanted to know everything about him) but some warning would have been nice. even a quick text of, ‘hey, i’m going away for a while and i promise it has nothing to do with you, i just have some things i need to deal with’ would have sufficed, despite still being vague and confusing. anything was better than nothing, and nothing was what she was left with. it made her feel disposable, a feeling she wasn’t used to that made her feel weak and vulnerable. if he could make decisions without even thinking of her wasn’t that a bad sign ? was she reading too far into a relationship with a man she barely knew ? she wasn’t sure. in this moment she just wasn’t sure of anything at all.

               --- despite having a client inside, she wanted to go with him. she wanted an explanation to the questions that had been plaguing her the entire time he had been gone. part of her worried that maybe there was somebody else, although that wasn’t entirely fair of her to be upset about. it wasn’t as if she put her entire life on pause while he was away (everything that had happened with mickey ... everything that hadn’t happened with mickey yet ... and now this). she swallowed hard, unable to meet his eyes and letting her gaze drift to the cracked sidewalk under their feet. “ just ... give me a minute. ” she was quiet, unable to speak up for fear that the disheartened tone in her voice would result in more fallen tears if she was any louder. she stepped around him, arm lightly brushing his as she walked back into the honey comb. this was a great way to start off her first day back. luckily, it was a slow day and her boss was completely understanding (“ you look like you need to take a breather, go on and i’ll handle the rest of your bookings. ”) and minnie grabbed her purse and coat from behind the front desk, pulling the jacket on and swinging the bag over her shoulder. she looked to her client for a moment, who looked slightly confused. “ this was who i was going to tell you about, actually ... i’ll have to get to that next appointment. ” she gave her a small wave, before walking back outside. it almost felt unreal. like this was some sort of joke; a well-done lookalike meant to mess with her feelings and cause a ruckus in her brain only to say “ you’ve been punked ! ” 

               --- part of her honestly hoped it was the case. the door closed behind her and she was standing in front of teddy again. he looked the same (better, if that was even possible. she had almost forgotten how strinkingly handsome it was) as he had last she saw him, besides the goofy grin being replaced with a guilty look. “ my boss is letting me go, so you can explain ... whatever it is you have to explain. ” she told him. her voice was shaking a little less now, though there was still a hint of sadness in her words. the tea kettle was the closest place to them, so that’s what she suggested and they headed off in that direction. the silence between them felt like it went on forever. it was thick and hung heavy in the air like a fog that she wanted to beat away. she wanted to be able to talk to him like she had before. like an enamored girl with an obvious crush who would barely contain the giggles that left her every time his eyes would meet hers. but she couldn’t muster up even the slightest bit of humour, or carefree conversation. it would feel too forced, too fake. “ i tried forgetting about you once already. ” she finally said in reply to his statement, “ i don’t know if i ever could. ”

               --- they quickly reached the tea kettle and minnie opened the door, holding it so teddy could follow her in. she looked around for a table the furthest away from any other customers (this conversation seemed better to be done in private. or as private as you could get in a public place) and spotted one near the back of the cafe. she continued wordlessly over to the table, placing her bag over the back of the seat and then sitting down. finally, she willed herself to meet teddy’s gaze, and felt her stomach flop in a fashion similar to the one when they had met the first time. she did her best to ignore it, looking away again and quietly clearing her throat.

               --- “ okay. i’m listening. ”

  it had been a lonely few weeks, though he was no stranger to the feeling.  it was odd though, once he had started being a bit more…social, it was strange to retreat back to his former sense.  he wasn’t as content in his darkness as he was before.  but he soon wouldn’t have to worry about it, minnie was returning from her trip to bristol to be with her family for the holidays and he was tasked with picking her up from the airport.  it was two in the morning, the sky was dark and he was reluctantly getting into his dad’s old car.  ( he hated driving it, but he knew it was impractical to pick minnie up on his bike ) he had drawn the word “mouse” on a white piece of paper - he knew she would appreciate it, he had watched enough rom-coms with her to know it was on of her favorite clichés.

   he had arrived at the airport, parked the car and made his way to her gate, holding up the cheesy sign and waiting to see her face again.  he was excited, he missed his best friend and the longer they were apart the more he realized how much he needed her.  soon enough, people began to pour from to doors that separated him from the plane.  after a moment, she came bounding through the crowd, her suitcase hitting the floor as she leaped forward and hugged him.  he almost fell backwards, but quickly moved his arms around her to hug her back as she was suspended in the air.  “i missed you too, meeska,” he said with a small laugh.  he let a smile spread on his face - something he was doing a lot more these days.  “apple peak wasn’t the same without you.”

               --- she knew she would be excited to see adam, but once she actually did the excitement reached an entirely new level and she was a little embarrassed now, but knew that he didn’t mind. the smile on his face made her beam so her expression now matched his (she had missed that smile) as she unwrapped her legs from his waist and landed back on the ground. she turned around and took a step so she could retrieve her suitcase, pulling it to her side and turning around to face adam once more. “ of course it wasn’t, ” she teased, poking him in the chest, “ i bring a unique charm with me wherever i go. ”

               --- the two of them began to head towards the car, minnie rolling her suitcase behind her as they walked. “ thank you for picking me up at such a weird time. i had to be on the plane at eleven pm bristol time, it was quite strange. i slept almost the whole flight and i know i’m going to regret it. ” she laughed, but it came out as a bit of a sigh. “ besides missing everybody the jet lag is the worst part of trips. ”

Closed starter for @mincvra

Clay looked the girl up and down. “You really think that you’re going to be intimidating to me? I work with sloths scarier than you on a daily basis. Don’t think you’d be too much trouble to deal with.”

              --- an unimpressed expression graced the blondes face. just who did this man think he was ? she held her small, shaking dog a little closer to her chest, petting her. “ i’m not trying to intimidate you, i just think you owe me an apology for almost squishing my dog and then blaming me, when you’re the one who walks down the sidewalk like you own it. ”

     teddy’s helmet shook softly in his hands ( something that made him curse softly under the rumble of his bike ), and for a moment he thought about putting it back on and just riding away. again, in his case. but there was something stopping him from doing it, and it wasn’t the oh so tempting idea of getting a haircut, no…

     it was the woman doing the haircut. 

     would she be mad? teddy assumed she would be, it wasn’t like she didn’t have a reason not to be mad. in fact she did, and that reason was teddy falling off the face of the earth ( after their date nonetheless ) in a frantic search to find his birth mother. of course that didn’t end well, he didn’t know what he was really thinking, and now that he was back in town the person he wanted to see was–

     minerva. his heart beat hard and quick at the glance of her he caught in the store window of the salon. beautiful and breathtaking as always. he took a deep breath to steel himself as he turned off his bike, but really it didn’t help much, and quickly put the kickstand down to balance it. it was now or never, he supposed, the worst thing she could do was say she never wanted to see him again. 

     literally, that was the worst thing she could do. 

     swallowing thickly as the bell above the door chimed, teddy finally stepped inside, nose assaulted with the smell of hair products and shampoo. it was a smell minnie usually had on her, underneath the floral scent of her perfume, and teddy had grown quite a bit to like it. he placed his shaking hands into his leather jacket in a small attempt to hide how nervous he was as he walked up to the counter. the woman behind it smiled at him, though it didn’t ease any of his hesitations. 

    “ah, i’m not actually here to get a haircut or anything. i was actually looking for–” gaze glancing away from the woman, teddy’s words fell short on his tongue. speak! his mind was screaming at him, but it was hard when she was standing right there. his mouth opened, and then closed, over and over like a fish looking for water. he must have looked like an idiot. finally he was able to untwist his tongue, but his eyes stayed locked on minnie’s face. 

     “bird…” 

@mincvra

               --- coming back to apple peak, minnie had run into some people she hadn't seen in a good while. old friends who she hadn't seen even before she left that showed interest in reconnecting over coffee once she returned from her trip, clients who were " so happy she was back !! " as their hair had begun to show signs of needing cuts and styles (" i don't trust anyone but you with my hair, minnie "). if she was being honest, it felt good knowing that her absence affected others. not that she necessarily wanted people to be upset she was gone, but she enjoyed the fact that she made them happy upon return.

               --- it was her first day back on the job after returning from holiday. now that the jet lag had passed she was able to go back to working her normal hours at the honey comb doing what she did best --- hair and conversation. today, one of her regulars was in for a root touch up, as she had gotten them done before minnie left and not once since. minnie had her seated in the swiveling chair with a black apron over her front, finishing up putting the dye in her hair before she sent her over to the hair dryer. the two were talking about the other’s boyfriend, originally, but the topic had now changed over to almost relationships. minnie went on for ages about mickey (probably too long .... she was certain she was being annoying but couldn’t stop talking) as the other listened attentively. “ and i’ve got more to tell you about when you’re done. i could go one for ages about things that just never panned out. ” she patted her shoulders and told her to get up, before walking her over to the hair dryer and turning it on. (she thought she heard the faint sound of a motorbike but ignored it). she smiled at the customer before walking back over to her station to begin cleaning it up slightly, quietly humming to herself as she did so.

               --- the bell chimed, alerting her that somebody had entered, and she didn’t look up right away as she was too preoccupied by cleaning to really care who had come in. she didn’t have any other appointments booked so it wouldn’t have been for her anyways. until she heard a familiar voice --- one that she thought, after the few times she had heard it, she would never hear again. her heart began to race before she even looked up, and she did her best to keep calm (certainly there are other people in apple peak with irish accents besides him. plus, he disappeared into thin air so why would he be ...) she looked up and it felt like she was struck by lightening as her eyes met teddy’s. a wave of emotion began to course through her at rapid speed. was she happy to see him after all this time ? was she angry at him for disappearing without a word ? all the things she was feeling were already making her head spin and then she heard that nickname. bird. and suddenly, tears were welling up in her eyes as she looked to her coworker. “ i’ll be back in a moment, ” she said, voice breaking a little at the end of her sentence. her hand wrapped around teddy’s wrist, and without saying anything she pulled him outside into the chilly november air. 

               --- for the first few moments she said nothing, trying to fight back the tears she was certain he could see that were threatening to fall. she had done everything in her power to forget about him. chucked the flowers he got her after the fourth time she tried to call him only for the call to not go through. pretended as though the date they went on just never happened and that she hadn’t felt a connection there that was unlike anything she had ever experienced. because it hurt. him leaving hurt her, even if she barely knew him. it had been that final blow that made her want to leave the dating scene for good and just focus on herself. she opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out at first. 

               --- “ i’m confused. ” she finally choked out, “ you could have died for all i knew and now you’re just ... here ? what the absolute hell, teddy. ”

THAT’S MINEVRA "MINNIE" MEESKA WALKING DOWN THE STREET, THE TWENTY FOUR YEAR OLD, WHO LOOKS LIKE ZOE SUGG. HERE IN APPLE PEAK, THEY ARE A HAIRSTYLIST AT THE HONEY COMB. SOME SAY SHE ACTS LIKE MINNIE MOUSE FROM MICKEY MOUSE, SINCE SHE CAN BE MOTHERLY, BUT ALSO A LITTLE BIT HOT-HEADED.

Vanellope was so exhausted. Between Practice and studying she had pulled an all nighter. Finally getting some sleep she was still groggy. Heading to Granny’s to get breakfast she accidently tripped into someone. “My bad, didn’t see ya walking there. I’m in zombie mode at the moment.”

               --- minnie was still feeling jet-lagged. though the time difference between maine and bristol was only five hours, it was enough to knock minnie off her feet. it was currently four thirty am in the sleepy town of apple peak, but to minnie’s body clock it was nine thirty. she couldn’t force herself back to sleep, so instead she drove over to granny’s (god bless the fact that it was a twenty-four-hour diner) to get coffee and food. as she was walking inside (still in fuzzy pink pajamas and a hoodie of mickey’s; a good indicator she wasn’t totally awake) she felt somebody bump into her. the spook woke her up a little, blue eyes widening as she looked at the woman she had just collided with. “ seems we’re both public hazards this morning then, ‘ey ? ” she asked with a quiet laugh. she reached over to open the door, gesturing for the other to walk in, “ what are you doing up so early ? ”

“You know, just because I’m from New York doesn’t mean I have that sort of accent.” Odie said turning to the person that had mocked her. She gave them a wide smile though. She honestly didn’t mind that people thought she’d have an accent before they get to know her. “Truth is… All of my dad’s side of the family talks like that, but you shouldn’t stereotype.”

               --- “ me being from the uk doesn’t mean i sound like the queen either but you didn’t mind mocking me for it, ” minnie shot back, though she had a warm smile on her face and a teasing glint in her eyes. she hadn’t known odie very long, but already enjoyed the younger woman’s company and some of the innocent banter that came with it. she grabbed her coffee cup, taking a sip of the latte while odie continued to speak. “ do they really ? i haven’t been to new york so i honestly thought it was just a movie trope. ”

               --- to say minnie was excited to get back to apple peak would be the biggest understatement of the millennium. visiting her parents back home had been fun, yes. she had missed them terribly, and a few weeks there had been greatly needed. she caught up with friends that she hadn’t seen since she moved, and spent a lot of time with her parents and mickey’s parents. it was a wonderful trip, but apple peak was home now. and if she was being honest, she had missed adam unbearably and was practically buzzing at the thought of seeing him again. they had arranged that he would pick her up from the airport (despite her flight getting in at two thirty am. what were best friends for ?) and it was likely she would just stay with him instead of getting him to drive her all across town.

               --- she had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t realize how close she was to the airport gate. to seeing her best friend again. she could see the gate now, and was beginning to walk more quickly than she had been previously, jogging now. when she was out of the gate and in the waiting room, she looked around through the small crowd to see if she could spot adam, when her eyes fell on a sign with “MOUSE” clearly printed in large black letters. she was running now, elbowing through people as she ran up to meet adam. about two feet from him she dropped her suitcase, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. she didn’t care if people in the airport found it strange, she was excited. a quiet squeal left her. “ i missed you so much. ”

caeden frowned at minnie’s scowl. they shook their head, they had been slimed from behind, “i only saw their backs,” they told minnie, “i don’t know who it was.”

               --- well, if caeden didn’t see the person there wasn’t much minnie could do besides get them off her doorstep and inside. “ well, let’s get you cleaned up then, okay ? ” she suggested, “ i’m sure there’s something in my closet that will fit you ... come on in. ” she gestured for them to follow her inside, closing the door behind the two of them.