#wilhemina

It was raining when you trudged home from school, sheltered under your umbrella but still shivering with the chill in the air. You supposed it was pathetic fallacy; the grey palette of the skies reflected the dull tones of your emotions as you made the journey home, feeing so tired and so numb lately. School was taking it out of you, and you couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but something was wrong. You were just so drained. 

The brightness of the academy stood out amongst the grey around you as you turned the corner at the end of the street. Relief washed over you; school was done with and for just a few hours you were free from the unending obligations you were pulled apart by. 

Upon entering, you dumped your bag down at the door and made a beeline for the kitchen, immediately switching on the kettle to make tea; it was your afternoon routine. You'd always make yourself a cup of tea and take one up to your mother in her office, as long as she wasn't teaching. You’d have a little catch up and chat about your days before you went back downstairs to do work in the kitchen until your mum came home. you weren’t blessed with the powers descending from Cordelia, and so you were a student of the school a few blocks away, which left you with mountains of homework to complete each evening. 

You opened the door to her office, greeting her with a little smile as you placed down the mug on the corner of her desk, “hello darling, thank you,” she smiled, briefly looking up from her paperwork at you. You shuffled over to the sofa and sat down on it, huffing slightly, “how was your day?” 

You thought for a moment on how to respond; you always felt free to complain to your mothers, but you didn’t like to overbear them with your stuff. They had plenty of their own. 

“It was okay, just pretty draining,” you sighed, earning a sympathetic smile from your mama as she placed her pen down to focus on you, “draining? How so?” 

“Just a lot of work and not a lot of time. Can't keep up.” you mumbled, getting up from the couch to go back downstairs to get on with said work. 

“Take breaks honey!” Cordelia called behind you as you left the room, making you smile a little as you descended the stairs. 

You were still sat in the kitchen when your mum got home from work, greeting you with a kiss on the head and sitting with you to discuss what you were working on. You watched her go upstairs to shower and change and you saw her come back down alongside your other mother, making their way to dinner with the rest of the girls. You had tried to stay put, hoping you could eat after you were done, but Mina came to drag you away, linking arms with you to walk you into the dining room. 

After dinner you were straight back at the kitchen table, trying and failing to catch up with your work, but it wasn’t until later in the evening that you finally sought a real solution. 

It was dark outside now and most of the girls were in their rooms. The house was winding down and you were exhausted, energy being dragged out from you each moment you spent fighting sleep. Eventually, you had wandered up the stairs to your mothers’ room, a timid knock on the door and a quiet mumble of ‘come in’ landing you laid across the foot of the bed. 

“Hello you,” Mina mumbled, putting her book down to focus on you. She could see the pout on your face and the sigh you released when you laid down told her that something was up with you. 

“I’m tired,” you grumbled, eyes closed as you curled in on yourself at the end of the bed. 

“Do you want a head rub?” She asked softly, smiling tenderly at you. You nodded in response though made no effort to move, making her chuckle. 

“Darling, I can’t reach you there, shuffle up a bit,” 

You shifted as little as possible so that she could reach your head easily, not wanting to hurt her back by leaning down to you, and her hand fell to your head. 

You closed your eyes, laid next to her as she ran her hand over your head, watching the fluttering of your eyes and the even breathing that rose and fell in your chest as you finally began to relax for the first time today. 

The door to the bathroom opened and you opened one eye, watching your mother emerge wrapped in a white towel with a smaller one wrapped around her hair. She stood at the foot of the bed, smiling at you curiously with her head cocked to the side. 

“Hi lovely,” she smiled, sitting down on the edge so she could rub your back. Nothing was overtly wrong with you, but both women could sense you were deflated, and it was rare that you came in and sat on their bed without chatting endlessly, so they knew you needed a little extra comfort. 

They stayed silent, just holding you close and waiting for you to speak: “I think I need a day off tomorrow.” you mumbled, hiding closer into your mum, scared they would scold you for asking. 

“Okay baby we can do that,” Delia said softly, squeezing you comfortingly, “can you tell us why?”

“I’m so burnt out, I’m tired,” you began to cry, and Mina coaxed you to sit up so you could lay against her chest and she could cradle you, kissing your forehead. She looked towards Delia with worry in her eyes, waiting for the supreme to think of a solution. 

“Okay darling, tomorrow you're staying home, okay? A mental health day,” your mama smiled, so happy you felt comfortable to talk to them about this. 

You smiled at her, relieved that they didn’t push any further for an explanation. You didn’t have to set an alarm tomorrow, or interact with all those people, or worry about your lessons. Tomorrow was yours. 

You stayed in their room for a little longer, crawling into bed with your mum while your mama went to the bathroom to change. When she climbed into bed the three of you snuggled under the duvet, watching an episode of a mindless comedy show that Delia had suggested, wondering if perhaps it would get a laugh out of you. 

You were leaned back on Mina, her hand in your hair, and your bent knees were laid against Delia, who rubbed your legs gently, giggling to herself at the programme. 

When it became too difficult to resist sleep, you kissed them both on the cheeks and bid them goodnight, throwing a shy smile their way as you wandered off to brush your teeth and crawl up in bed, relief washing over you at the realisation that you didn’t need to get up tomorrow. 

         ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Delia was stood at the window with a coffee in hand, watching you in the garden. She had abandoned her work to come and make a drink, and since spotting you she hadn’t been able to take herself away from the window. You had a blanket sat under the sun with your crystals charging in its rays, nestled in the long grass like jewels sparkling in the daylight. There was a book holding down the corner of the blanket, stopping it from curling against the wind. You had a water bottle laid down on the centre of your blanket and leftover orange peels from your snacking. 

Now, you were rummaging in the flower beds, picking out some flowers for the bouquet you always liked to have in your room. Your hair was whipped around in the spring breeze and there was a look of such joy on your face that your supreme mother couldn’t help but grab her phone out of her pocket to snap a photo of you, smiling at it before she sent it to her wife, your other mother. 

She stayed there watching you, smiling at the response Mina sent: ‘beautiful girl 💜🤍’ and eventually she wandered to the back door, wrapping her arms around herself to stop the breeze from penetrating her thin blouse as she made her way out to you, “hi darling, how are you feeling?” She asked, sitting herself down on your blanket and picking up your book, flicking through it to see what you were reading.

You smiled, walking over to sit with her with your flowers in hand, “I’m okay. I needed this,” you smiled timidly, leaning into her as she wrapped her arms around you, kissing the sun kissed hair at the top of your head. 

“I’m so proud of you baby, I hope you know that,” you laughed, rolling your eyes playfully, “yes I know, you tell me every day,” you laughed, kissing her cheek to express your gratitude. 

“Your mum is coming home early today, what would you like to do this afternoon?” She asked, carding a hand through your hair. You sighed, never very good at making a decision, “hmm I don’t know,” you thought for a moment, but truthfully, you were already feeling so much better than yesterday. 

“Okay sweet girl, well you have a think, we can just sit out here together, enjoy the sunshine if you’d like,” she smiled, kissing your head a final time before she shifted, preparing to stand up. 

She walked back towards the door, “just come and get me if you need anything, okay?” She said, blowing you a kiss when you nodded at her, alone again outside in the garden while classes continued on the inside. 

Delia often called you her little pot plant, with how much the sun seemed to charge you. You thrived off the warmth on the skin and you felt so sleepy and content as you lay down on the blanket, allowing yourself to drift off in the garden, curled in a ball on the centre of the grass and your music playing in your headphones. Stevie Nicks sang you a lullaby and before you knew it, you had fallen asleep out there. 

When you woke back up, yawning and stretching like a cat, you shuffled back into the house, having checked the time on your phone. You were pleasantly surprised to enter the kitchen and see your mum at the kitchen table, sipping on a herbal tea you couldn’t quite identify, her eyes fixed on the space in front of her. 

You walked further into the room and she noticed you, placing down her tea with a gentle smile, “hi darling,” she mumbled, voice warmer than usual. You smiled, coming over to sit next to her, “hi, how was work?” 

“Oh, “ she groaned, “same old incompetent colleagues making my life harder,” she grumbled, and you laughed lightly, 

“Good thing you’re home early then,” you replied, to which she nodded with a snort, sipping her tea. 

“Is mama teaching?” You asked, wondering why she was sat here alone, but before she answered you got up and walked to the timetable Delia had nailed to the wall, highlighting her scheduled classes so her students knew when she was free. This confirmed your suspicions; she had twenty minutes left of class before you were all reunited. 

“How’s your day been?” Mina asked, eyeing you carefully as you wandered around the kitchen aimlessly, relatively anxious for your other mother to return. 

“Nice. I picked flowers and laid outside all day. The weather’s gorgeous,” you smiled, noting the raise of her eyebrow; Mina wasn’t a huge fan of the warm weather, not like you and Delia, and she couldn’t think of anything much worse than roasting outside all morning. 

“I’m going to take my stuff from the garden upstairs,” you smiled at her, running back outside to gather your things and climb the stairs to put them away in your bedroom. You ended up getting distracted, laying on your bed on your phone, and you didn’t even realise how long it had been until Delia poked her head around your door, laptop in hand “hi love, did you see mum’s home?” She smiled. 

“Oh yeah! I was with her, I just brought my stuff up here from the garden,” you explained, getting up to follow her out of the room and into her office. She sat her things down in her desk while she told you about the lesson she had just given, promising to make sure you were caught up on the few lessons you had missed today, before you both descended the stairs and joined Mina back in the kitchen. 

Cordelia went straight to the kettle to make herself tea; she never liked to drink coffee in the afternoon, “does either of you want tea?” She asked over her shoulder, and you both declined, settling into a relaxed conversation at the kitchen table while you snacked on some popcorn you had dragged out from the cupboard, smiling when your mum’s hand occasionally slipped into the bag, retrieving some for herself. 

“So,” Delia asked, joining you both at the table with her mug of tea, “how should we spend this afternoon?” 

You shrugged your shoulders in response, happy to go along with anything. Mina looked to you for an answer, too tired from her day at work to have much of an opinion. 

“Mm okay, how about we pop to the high street and get some things then we come home and relax in the garden?” Cordelia suggested, which both of you thought sounded pleasant enough. 

You settled on driving, not wanting to get too hot walking to the shops, so you were sat in the back of the car with the wind weaving through your hair, Delia driving and Mina watching you in the windscreen mirror, trying to make sure you really were okay. 

Delia parked the car at the side of the street and you all hopped out, linking arms with your mum while your mama walked a beat ahead, scanning the street for the shops that she knew you would all three enjoy. 

First she dragged you both into a metaphysical shop, earning a tight smile from Mina and a little excited bounce from you. Of course, your mother was the supreme; she knew exactly how to procure most of these crystals from more reliable sources, but there was something about the magic of being surrounded by crystals that you just adored. You ended up drifting away from your mothers, eyeing the little shaped crystals, and you picked up an amethyst heart for your mum, a clear quartz one for yourself, and a rose quartz one for your mama. When you had paid, you crossed the shop to Mina who wrapped an arm around you while Delia went to purchase a few items. 

The next stop was the book shop next door; Delia had put you on a book buying ban, but she supposed she could give you a free pass on a day like today. After way too long wandering around and dragging both women with you, you walked out of there with a book you had been eyeing for a few weeks and a wide grin on your face. 

Throughout your afternoon out you had been begging your mums for sushi for dinner, so you ended up back in the car driving to the most local restaurant. During the journey, Delia had called Zoe and her voice echoed throughout the car as the two discussed whether or not the girls would like any. 

“I’m sure they’d love it, but there’ll definitely be a few who won’t eat it,” Zoe mused. 

“Mm I think you’re right, maybe we’ll stick to the planned menu and I’ll just have sushi with my girls. Would you like any?” Delia asked, turning into the restaurant carpark. 

Zoe politely declined, and Delia hopped out of the car, asking you to go with her despite your protests; she needed you to choose your favourites. When you were in the restaurant you huddled into her side, waiting your turn while you eyed the sushi, revising your order before you go to the counter. 

After 10 minutes or so you were leaving the shop, but not before being dragged into the grocery store next door. You trailed around, impatient to go home and eat your sushi, “Can I go wait in the car?” You asked your mama, but she shook her head, amused at your demeanour, “We’ll be quicker if you stop pouting,” and so you smiled at her, following along so you could get out quicker. 

She picked up a punnet of strawberries, a bottle of white wine, some ice cream and a bunch of flowers for Mina, and eventually you followed her out of the shop and joined your other mother in the car. 

“I thought you were only getting sushi,” she commented, to which you snorted, 

“yeah, so did I!” though truth be told you were craving strawberries, and you guessed that if you played your cards right they'd let you have some wine too. 

When you arrived back at the coven, the girls had already sat down to eat; you could hear the bustle from the dining room and the clinking of cutlery as you crossed the building to go to the kitchen at the back. 

“Sushi in the garden?” You asked, a hopeful tone to your voice. Your mum grumbled minutely but of course she agreed, so you and your mama took everything out to the garden while Mina sat down, pouring the wine into three! glasses, clustering them all in the patch of table that the umbrella hid from the sun so they didn’t warm up. 

You followed Cordelia out with plates in your hand and sat down at the table, a spread of sushi, strawberries, breadsticks and hummus, wine and veggie sticks in front of you. 

You were eating mostly in silence, but your mama couldn't stand the quiet, “so baby, do you think you'll be okay to go to school tomorrow?” She asked you, patting your thigh under the table. 

You nodded, mouth full of sushi that you didn't quite want to spray everywhere, and you swallowed quickly so you could reply properly, “I just needed a little break, today was perfect,” you smiled, thanking them both for always understanding your needs. 

When you had eaten, you insisted on cleaning up as a thank you for your day, so you watched through the window as your mums relaxed outside, sharing quiet speech and gentle touches as they sipped on their wine, so very in love that it gave you hope for your own future. 

When the kitchen was clean, you made your way outside, playfully dumping yourself in your mama’s lap, who cooed at you, “aww my little baby,” she joked, squeezing your cheek as you rolled your eyes, laughing lightly. 

“Mummm,” you gave Mina your best puppy dog eyes, “can I please have some more wine?” you fluttered your eyelashes at her, ignoring the way Delia snorted behind you. 

Mina stared at you blankly, waiting for you to stop with the dramatics, “one.” And you squealed in response, grabbing the bottle to refill your glass. You had tried to add a little more but Delia stopped you with a quick “ah ah ah, that’s enough” so you figured you should be grateful for what you had. 

The rest of the evening was spent laid on the grass, nibbling strawberries and reading your book, soaking up every bit of sun. Delia had dragged her chair further down the patio so she was in the sun, her shoes and socks kicked off and her blouse untucked from her trousers. She lay back with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. 

Your mum sat where she had been all evening, slowly sipping on her wine as she sat watching the garden; the birds flying past and the speed of the clouds that ran through the sky above you. She kept an eye on you too, making sure you were well enough to go to school tomorrow. 

When you did finally go to bed that evening, your chest was light and your face ached from the smiles you had worn all day. You felt happy and loved and safer than ever, and so incredibly grateful for your mum and your mama <3