#cornelia-braun

Look, Cornelia gets out the pasta and the cheese and themilk and the pot and the strainer and turns on the stove and cooks and cleansand Cass just- stands there. Yeah, she gets it. The last time she left Cass alonein the kitchen something exploded and Cass didn't even try to hide it. Shejust- and who does this? - picked upthe remains of the plate and the food and put it on the dinner table.

So yeah, she getswhy Cass doesn't help.

But that doesn't mean she's happy about it.

She turns on the faucet of the kitchen sink and lets the waterrun over the boiled pasta noodles. She's watching the steam rise, when shecatches a glimpse of reflection in the metal of the faucet head.

There's a large black smudge on her face.  

What? How? She's looking around for the culprit-- grease onthe pan maybe, or a dirt spot on the kitchen counter-- before her eyes catch aglimpse of really the only other black thing in the room.

Cass.

Black hair. Black clothes. Black lipstick.

And not to mention, the last time Cass kissed her was towake her up this morning.

It's the last straw. It's been a bad day. They went shoppingtogether today. They talked to Wade and Babs today. They-

And they did it all with Cass' black lipstick smeared all over her face.  Slamming her hand against the faucet tostop the water, Cornelia whirls around, her voice raising to a shriek.

"Why didn't  youtell me?"

Cass looks up from her hands suddenly and stares blankly atCornelia.

"Don't pretend you don't know," she gestures toher face, her eyebrows furrowing and her face screwing up in a grimace, "Iknow you can see it. Your lipstick. On my face."

The blank stare continues. Cornelia just gets madder.

"I went through the whole day with your lipstick on myface and you didn't even tell me? That's gross. I mean, come on, Cass. We talked to people today. We went places today. We- You're killing me here!"

For the first time all conversation, Cass reacts. She narrowsher eyes, snapping back harshly at Cornelia almost immediately, "I do notkill."

Immediately, Cornelia throws her hands in the air, lettingout a sound from her lips that falls somewhere in between the vocal range of awhale and moose, before she crosses her arms and looks at Cass sternly.

"It's a metaphor, Cass. Like the Fault In Our Stars?But it doesn't really matter right now. What matters is that I'm mad at you. You should have told me."

She waits expectantly for Cass to say something, toapologize-- anything, but Cass just stands there and stares, not even trying todo anything.

"Fine then," Cornelia hisses, storming off to thestaircase, "I don't feel like cooking. If you need me, I'll be upstairs inmy room."

And she hates when Cass is like this. Oblivious. Unapologetic.Because Cass is smart, she is, butsometimes she's so blind. And the fact that she doesn't talk much doesn't helpher case at all. Maybe Cornelia should have more patience with her, but, look,it's hard. Cass is so hardheaded andpersistent. So completely-

A voice wafts up the stairs. Cass.

"H-hello," Cass says, her voice unsteady, "Pizza.Yes- I- meat. For two. Say-"

Cornelia holds her breath on the banister as the last wordfloats up.

"Sorry."

So completely- sweet.

It's such a moodkiller.

 ++++

Cass carries up the pizza to Cornelia's room and knocks onthe door, before she looks down at the ground, "I will- not wear- blacklipstick anymore."

There's a moment of silence, before Cornelia picks up Cass'chin and looks her in the eye.

They lean in.