promoting positivity

Charlie bites the back of Lina’s neck one more time before rolling to the side to give her some air. She’s panting but he’s not, he doesn’t need to and that was the weirdest thing about sex after he’d turned. He never felt winded, never needed a moment to breathe. His hand lands on the small of her back where he rubs in small circles while he stares up at the ceiling with a satisfied smirk on his face. “You gonna live?” he teases, dragging her face down onto his chest.

Pushing some of her hair behind her ear, he studies her face. She was sweet, and her cheeks always rosy like she always had something to be happy about. Charlie wondered how that felt. Tapping her nose, he murmurs, “Hi pretty girl.”

Lina could barely breathe, but she still managed to keep a smile on her face. She was very happy with Charlie and she was not afraid to show it. Her wings twitched and managed to shoot tiny specks of glitter everywhere, but she loved it and thought maybe he did too. She chuckles and kisses his chest, "Maybe."

Her uncle Sam was coming to visit and she couldn’t be happier to see him.

He was so charming and elegant like one of those knights in the princess movies. Even though he wore flannel and jeans all the time, she couldn’t help but wonder what he’d be like in a suit of armor. She admired him just as much as she admired her own father, but because he wasn’t exactly her father she couldn’t help herself from spilling every little secret to him.

Oh when she told him about the first time someone kissed her in the sixth grade, he was so red she thought it was hilarious. When she told him about the first time she flew in an airplane and threw up, he mumbled he’d have to have a talk with her dad and she couldn’t stop herself from laughing. Anything and everything she could think of, she told him first.

     Puck receives the bag with the expectation of something heavy. Her arms nearly drop in surprise instead. “Oh,” she wonders, staring at the bag as the lady disappears again. She didn’t think the fuel can was that dirty. Glancing down at Bella, she whispers, “Did you see her put any food in here?” She’d been too busy laughing and ended up missing a lot of what was thrown into the bag.

After a short moment she decides to follow the gas attendant, poking her head outside to catch her in some sort of anime stance. Brows raised, she can’t help another giggle. What was this lady’s deal? And why did glitter follow her everywhere? She swings the backpack onto her shoulders, one hand landing in Bella’s fur. “Miss? I really do have to get going.”

It was clear she didn’t want to be going anywhere. This was all too much fun, and Puck wasn’t very used to all this excitement. She comes outside fully, peeking at the new gas can. It really was a nice one, she felt bad not paying for it. Hopefully Nico didn’t have some sentimental attachment to the old one, and she had a feeling that even if he didn’t that he would pretend to just to confuse her. She wasn’t sure he was used to normal human interaction.

     "Oh, oh you're right! He should be about done now too..." She furrowed her brows and counted the amount of time spent pulling everything off shelves. Yes, Nico would be done fixing the ship and the man behind the counter would be awake. Holding the container out to Puck, she gazed into her eyes with a serious expression, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be around whenever you need a hand.” Lina wanted to hug her, so instead of holding back she did just that. She tugged her sweetheart closer and squeezed her so tight because she knew she wouldn't see her again for awhile.

     "Be safe cute muffin, and don't let that boy get fresh with you until you're ready." Lina released her and pat the dogs head, leaving a sufficient amount of glitter behind in her fur, and rushed back into the shop to lock it. She switched off the neon sign to say closed and disappeared into the back office.

     The first few minutes Puck stands in the store, she isn’t sure what to do. Just stands stock still and watches this lady run around, shoving things into a tiny backpack. She full on blushes at the condoms because she didn’t see herself using those in the near future. Well, she’d never used one of those. Then she gets distracted from those thoughts because how the hell is she fitting all those things into that backpack? Bella is watching in confusion too, sitting beside Puck with her head tilted to the side.

Then it hits Puck like a train: no one has ever been this kind to her. She doesn’t know why, but that makes her laugh. A sharp, hysterical laugh that has her laughing even more. There is glitter fucking everywhere and it’s the best thing Puck has ever seen. This is something she’s only ever dreamed about. The laughing of course upsets her rib so she ends up holding her middle like she’s trying to hold her entire ribcage in, but she still doesn’t stop. The laughter just bubbles out of her like that glitter falls from this woman’s clothes.

Puck is happy. So truly happy.

      Lina spun around when Puck started laughing, and if her smile could be any brighter it would be. Wings flickering haphazardly, she finsihed pushing everything on the last shelf into the backpack leaving the store nearly bare. Lina danced over to Puck and the furry beast beside her to hand off the full backpack. It was light enough to carry despite the quantity of items inside.

      "Here ya go darling!" she winked using her entire face, then grinned again. "No you need some fuel cells right?" Lina looked at the fuel can Puck was carrying and made a disgusted face, it was really old and unreliable looking. "But let me just get you a whole new container and everything because honestly that's the saddest looking fuel cell holder I have ever seen."

     Puck is mid panic attack when she hears the other woman’s voice. She jumps, looking up with a lost look for a moment. “Um… I don’t have any money. I’m sorry.” She was quickly turning red, because she knew she’d have to steal from this nice lady. How else would she and Nico get away?

Her skin was beginning to itch from the filth caked onto it, and she knew she must look like Cinderella. Scratching at her neck, she shifts from foot to foot. If she stole the fuel then they’d have to leave right away. There would be no time for a bath in that stream she had passed. She’d never gone this long without a bath or without eating. Pressure was building behind her eyes but she was good at not letting it show. Crying, she could hide. She had to in the houses she grew up in. Her mouth twitched into a nervous smile.

     Her innocent, adorable baby was too honest for this life. It made Lina so happy that her girl still had good morals and he wings shivered under the shirt excitedly, spilling glitter everywhere. Everyone asked her why she let her wings get so out of control, but she would just smile and throw glitter on them with her hands. The answer was good enough for her. "Oh you poor thing! What happened to your face?!" she raised her hands and rubbed some of the smudge off along with the bruise itself. She loved helping people so much, healing had been one of the first skills she was interested in learning. Now it came so naturally that she could just rub superficial bruises away.

     After she was satisfied, she took Puck's hand and pulled her into the store quickly. She made sure the door stayed open long enough for the giant dog behind Puck, "You don't need any money, I can see you just really need help. Hold on a moment!." She held her hands up for Puck to stay still, and ran back behind the counter where she nearly tripped over the sleeping attendant. She pulled a small backpack out oh a cabinet and dumped all the contents on the floor. When she appeared back next to Puck, she gave her the sweetest smile then started rushing around the aisles to shove essentials and other fun things into the bag.

     The wet nose brushing her hand is an absolute relief. Smiling wide, she ruffles Bella’s hair. “Hi beautiful,” she chirps happily, watching the furry beast trot beside her. “I guess your Papa likes me after all, huh?” That eased her nerves. If Nico sent Bella with her, then that meant he cared about the state she returned in. That was… not something she’s used to. She usually represented a benefit check to most people, or just another mouth to feed.

A beeping from her wrist distracted her from that train of thought, and she looked down to find that it was alerting her that her destination was coming up. Time had passed by quickly it seemed. “Already here, girl. Maybe they’ll have something to eat…” She reaches into her pocket the moment they reach the door but comes up empty. Panic grips her heart as her fingers find a gaping hole instead of the good amount of tokens she’d stolen from her foster parents. “Oh no, oh no…”

      Fluttering in, she had surprised the man behind the register but he proceeded to hit on her anyway even as glitter sputtered out of nowhere around her. Maybe he thought it made her even more enticing, her smile was wide as she put him to sleep but just for good measure she pulled a frying pan out of nowhere and smacked him on the back of the head. It was a strange habit she had, she knew her magic would keep him out for hours. Ever since the fire, she felt the need to make doubly sure.

      While Lina waited for her sweet baby girl, she went as far as searching for another uniform and tied the oversized shirt around her waist instead of buttoning it up. A hat was hanging above the office door, so she threw that on as well to add to the idea she was actually meant to be here.