This story is angst with fluff at the end

Implied slowburn(they've known each other for multiple years, but where the story picks up is they day they get together)

(Adult) Human AU

Character(s): Wren, Circe, (a little bit of) Erin

Ship(s): WrenxCirce

TW(s): wlw/lesbian pairing, ignoring a sickness, fainting, heavy mentions of overworking oneself, (kind of) mutual pining/courting attempts, mentions of death of a father, the mother remarrying, really bad puns, mentions of cheating parent, mentions of homophobic parent, mentions of gay dads, spoilers for Big Hero Six->, mentions of Tadashi's death, kissing (with consent)

VERY LONG COMPARED TO MY OTHER STORIES

This was meant to be a short story but I got really into it.

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Wren's POV:

I love thunderstorms.  Everyone normally stays inside and we all watch movies.  On nights when the others became tired, I would stay up to finish the movie, while the others slept peacefully around me or headed up to bed.  That's why when I saw the forcast for the evening, I got really excited.  I go around and make sure we had enough snacks.  I check our streaming services for movies we might like.  

I find it strange that I haven't really seen anyone for the entire morning.  I figure Cassie, Erin and Cyerra went shopping.  Naomi, Theresa and Brynn always do their own thing.  But normally Circe would be up bright and early making breakfast or baking.

Circe being nowhere in sight worried me.  She's always been social.  I guess there is a chance she went shopping, but she hadn't made plans to do so when the group discussed last night over dinner.  Circe wouldn't leave without a trace, would she?

I walk around the entire downstairs of our shared house.  There is no note or anything, which she normally leaves on the table is she goes out.

I am starting to panic, and I decide to check her room.  The door is open a crack, so I open it further.  Circe is sitting on her bed, facing away from the door, staring out the window at the clouds in the distance.

Oh.  I forgot.  Circe's not a fan of thunderstorms.  The darkness and loud noises always put a damper on her normally chipper self.

I let myself in and sit next to her.  Without looking at me, she grabs my hand.

Circe's POV:

I can tell it's gonna storm.  Thunderstorms have always bothered me.  It's obvious by the way I flinch when I hear thunder.  And on top of that, I'm not feeling well.  Great.

I'm sitting on my bed staring out the window and debating whether to get up or go back to sleep.  I hear my door creak open, but I don't have the energy to turn around.  There's only one other person home right now, so I just assume it's Wren.

My bed dips down as I feel someone sit next to me.  I grab their hand.

"Hi," I croak out.  I'm surprised at how hoarse I sound.

"Hey," Wren says softly.  I clear my throat.

"What's up?"  I ask, trying to move on.

"I, uh" -they're careful with their words- "was wondering where you were..."

There's a brief silence and I feel worse than I did before.  I take a deep breath.  Now's not the time.

"Are you okay, Circe?"

"Yeah, I don't know what you're talking about."

I feel myself fall back a bit, and Wren catches me.

"Woah, there.  Are you sure you're okay?  You look pale."

Wren's warm.  It's a stark contrast to the cool air of the house.  I want to be enveloped in that warmth.

"I'm-" I yawn, "I'm fine."

Wren's POV:

"Hi," Circe says hoarsly.  She sounds awful.

"Hey," I say it as softly as I can.  I'm really worried now.  I've never seen her like this.

She tries to change the subject.  I bring the conversation back to her.  I want, no, I NEED to know what's going on.  She looks pale and sick.  She starts visibly shaking.  I'm not sure if she notices, but she begins to fall.  I catch her.  She's cold and clammy.  She yaws and leans into me more.

After a minute of silence, I think she fell asleep.  I move her so her head is on her pillow, and pull a few blankets over her.  I move to leave, but she grabs hold of my shirt again.  It's a weak grip, but I can't bring it in me to leave her in this state.  I lie down next to her.  Her nead falls against my shoulder and she drapes an arm over my stomach.  I stroke her hair.  

I feel a heat rising to my face.  I've always had a bit of a crush on Circe, but felt we were too different.  I pull myself together.  Now is not the time to be worrying about my love life.

I sit there for a while, looking at Circe.  She's still pale, but she's a bit warmer and less clammy.  Eventually, I fall asleep.  I wake up when I hear the door opening.  I hear the muffled voices of Erin and Cassie.  I look over at Circe again.  She's moved slightly.  Some color had returned to her face and she was defintitely warmer.  I shift, accidentally bumping into Circe.  She stirs a bit before settling back against my shoulder.

I hear a knock on the door and whisper, "Come in."

Erin opens the door and looks at me, puzzled.  She sees Circe and walks slightly closer.  

"Is she okay?"

"I think she's sick."

"Oh... I'll start a pot of soup.  Let me know when she wakes up."

Erin closes the shuts off the lights and closes the door on her way out.  I fall back asleep, playing with Circe's hair.

A few hours later, my sister and her friends return.  I hear beeping sounds and assume they all went down to the game room.  Not long after that, Circe begins to stir, letting go of me and stretching.  She yawns and opens her eyes.  For a second she's confused, and then I see recognition in her eyes.

Circe's POV:

I open my eyes and see a face in front of me.  It takes me a second, but I recognize the face as Wren.  Wren?  I wrack my brain to find some clue of what'd happened.  

There's no way I'm less than two feet from the love of my life.  Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but I really like Wren.  

I vaguely remember falling, and then there's nothing.  I must've passed out.  The next thing I remember is cuddling into someone's side.  It occurs to me that it must've been Wren.  I have to be dreaming.  There's no way...  If I am awake and not dreaming, it leaves one question in my mind. 

Why did Wren stay?

Wren's POV:

"Hi," she says, still hoarse.  She clears her throat. "What happened?"  Her voices sounds a little better now.

"You're sick," I respond, looking her in the eye.

"Heh," she sniffs, "I guess so."

"How... how much have you been sleeping, Circe?"

"On a good day... 4 hours..?" she says as if questioning herself.

"Circe, that's not good."

"I just... I have so much to do.  The daycare depends on me being there 5 days a week.  The soup kitchen needs me there every Monday and Thursday night.  A-and I help out at the library on Saturdays.  Sundays are my only me-time and I spend it doing things I like, like baking and spending time with everyone or doing schoolwork.  But it's stressful.  I barely sleep most nights and launch straight into a work day.  I've had a persisting headache for days..."  she continues rambling, and I think she's beginning to cry.  "Wren, I'm- I'm so tired."

Circe begins sobbing, curling in on herself.

"Circe-" I stop short.  I don't know what to say.  I never would've guessed how much she'd been keeping from our group.  I wonder how long she's been overworking herself.  I sigh.

I get up and leave.

Circe's POV:

I get really emotional.  I confess to Wren how I've been working so much lately.  I start sobbing, relieved to have let it out, but scared what they might say.

"Circe-" they start, then sigh.  I feel the bed shift as they get up.  They walk out of the room, closing the door slightly.

It's exactly what I feared.  Wren doesn't want all of my burdens on their shoulders.  If I thought I had any chance with them before, I surely don't now.

I grab a tissue off my nightstand.  Crying makes me feel sick.  I don't like crying in front of people.  I don't like feeling vulnerable.  And of course, the one time I let down my wall, they leave.

My headache feels worse noe, but overall I feel more rested than I have in days.

I think I hear footsteps, but ignore them as just my imagination.  I hear the door creak.  I ignore it.  I hear something being set down on my nightstand.  The bed dips again.

"Circe, you need to take care of yourself."

Wren POV:

I walk back upstairs holding a bowl of soup.  I open the door to find Circe in almost the exact same position I left her in.  The only idfference is there is a tissue clutched in her hand.  I put down the soup on her nightstand and move the tissue box closer to her.  I sit back down on the bed.

"Circe, you need to take care of yourself," I say, hoping to get her to look at me.

She sniffs and tries to wipe away her tears, tilting her head up to look at me.  I smile sadly.

She unfolds herself from her fetal position and gives me a small smile.  I reach over and grab the soup, offering it to her.

She looks up at me, as if asking a question.  Again, I offer the soup to her.

"Do you want some soup?"

"Sure.  Thanks, Wren."

Circe POV:

Wren got me soup.  Soup.  I smile a bit.  Maybe they really do care.

The soup tastes nice.  It's fresh.  Wren wouldn't have had time to make it.  They weren't gone that long, right?  No.  Maybe Erin made it.  She knows how to cook.  That would mean she knows I'm sick.  Do the other know?  Oh God, I don't want them to pity me.

I finish the soup and set down the bowl back on the nightstand.  Wren seems to have zoned out.  They're staring at the wall.  Specifically a framed picture from my childhood.  It shows me, Erin, and Cyerra on Halloween when I was in the sixth grade.  Cyerra was dressed up as Aurora, Erin was Cinderella, and I was Belle.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and shift myself to sit next to them.  They snap out of whatever trance they were in.

"Hey," I say, bumping their shoulder, "Thanks."

I'm really happy Wren is here.

Wren POV:

She takes the soup from me, and I look around her room.  I'd only been in here a couple of times, and I'd never stopped to take in what was around me.  She had some old posters from her early school years labled "Star Student" with a bunch of facts about her.  Her favorite movie, character, school subjuct, animal, color, food, and many other things were on them.  From an early age, she seemed to have really liked yellow.  Her favorite food was mac'n'cheese one year, pasta the next, and so on.  She seemed to have the same obsession with guinea pigs as she does now.  Her favorite characters were Luna Lovegood and Belle.  Today, I am learning more about Circe than I've learned in my two years of being her roomate.

I turn my attention to a framed picture on the wall opposite me.  It has a photo of three young girls dressed as Aurora, Cinderella, and Belle.  I figure it is probably Circe and some of her friends.

"Hey," Circe says.  I'm broken out of my thoughts.  She bumps my arm. "Thanks."

"Oh, no problem," I respond.  A silence fills the room.  "So who's in that picture?"

"The Halloween one?  That was when I was in sixth grade.  I'm Belle, Erin's Cinderella, and Cyerra is Aurora.  We were at our grandparents' house"

"Oh. Are you all related?  I didn't know that." I feel bad.  You'd think I'd know more about my crush.

"Pffft.  I mean, I get it.  We don't look at all alike, even Cyerra and I.  I got my looks from my dad.  My mom married Anthony after my dad's death, and they had Cyerra.  Cyerra looks more like him.  Erin's my cousin.  Her dad is my mom's twin."

"You've got quite the family."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it.  I'd tell you the full story, but I wouldn't want to bore you."

"I'm sure you wouldn't.  How about you tell me over a movie? Uh- if you're up to it?" I take the shot.

Circe pauses a moment.  She looks taken aback.  

"Sure!  I'd love to!  Why don't we go pick a movie and make some popcorn?" 

She tries to stand up quickly and loses her balance.  I catch her quickly.

"Woah!  Maybe let's not do that again."

"Heh, oops."

"Okay.  You, sit down.  I'll go get popcorn.  We can watch the movie up here, since you have a TV.  Why don't you pick a movie?"

"Sure," she replies.  I start to leave. "Do you have any preferences?"

"Women," I say as I walk out. (I'M SO SORRY-)

She's quiet for a moment as I walk downstairs before calling out "I meant for the movie!!"

"OH! Disney!" I shout back.

I grab a popcorn bag and throw it in the microwave.  Erin comes upstairs from the game room.

"How's she doing, Wren?"

"Much better."

"That's good.  Are you okay, though?  You're a bit red."

"Uh, yeah-"

"You're gonna have to tell her eventually."

I look up.  Erin's looking at her phone and chewing a piece of gum. "Huh?"

"What?" She looks up.

"I thought you said something."

"Nope."

"Okay." I swear she- nevermind.  "Anyway... I didn't know you, Circe, and Cyerra were related."

"Oh, yeah.  Family holidays are a blast."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you that much, did she?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Not really.  Old family drama, and just the utter chaos of having 14 cousins at Thanksgiving."

"14?!"

"Yeah, and some of the older ones' kids."

"Wow."

I hear the beeping of the microwave.  I take out the bag and start shaking it, going over to the cabinet to grab a large bowl.  I empty out the popcorn and begin to walk towards the stairs.

"She reciprocates your feelings."

"Huh....?" I turn around, trailing off when I see Erin is nowhere to be found.

"Whatever," I mutter under my breath and head upstairs.

I walk in and put down the popcorn.  I sit down next to Circe and look at the TV. 

"Is Big Hero Six okay?" she asks.

"Perfect."

She starts the movie.  I put my arm around her shoulder.  She leans into me with almost no hesitation.

"So, ready to tell me about that family of yours?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Well, my family have 14 first cousins.  Most up us, except 4 are adults.  I told you about my dad, mom, and step dad... Uh... Well, Erin has two dads.  Her biological dad is bisexual, but divorced her mom because she cheated.  She was also homophobic.  You don't need to know much about most of my cousins, I'm not super close with any of them.  Erin has an older step brother who's her other dad's biological kid.  He's married to a girl named Jess..." she continues telling bits and pieces of her family life, most good, with some bad bits.  She recounts a few funny tales.

Eventually we settle into a comfortable silence.  We reach the part where the school catches on fire.  I see Circe tear up a bit at Tadashi's death.  I squeeze her shoulder and she leans further into me.

By the end of the movie, I'm playing with Circe's hair. She has her arm over my stomach and my other hand is on hers.

The credits roll and I become aware of how close we are.  I flush red.  Circe starts to shift, sitting up.  She stretches and yawns, so I do the same thing.

"Wren?"

"Hmm?"

"I just want to say thank you.  Really, you've been so kind to me today."

"It's nothing."

"No, it's not nothing." she turns to face me, and holds my hand in hers.

"Circe-"

"Accept my thanks, Wren!  Or I will physically fight you!" she emphasises with mock anger.  

The two of us burst out laughing.  After a hot minute, we finally regain our composures.

"Okay, you win.  You're welcome, Circe.  Is that what you wanted to hear??"

"Yep!" she giggles.

She continues holding my hands, her thumbs lightly tracing over my knuckles.  It gives me  butterflies.

"Circe?"

"Yes, Wren?"

The words get caught in my throat.  I'm afraid of what she'll say.

"Willyougoonadatewithme?!"

"Whaddawhadda huh??" she looks confused.

I take a deep breath.

"Circe, will you go on a date with me?"

She is silent for a moment.  She looks really surprised, like her brain shortwired.  The anticipation is killing me.

"Will... I... go..." she mutters before finally realizing what's happening.  She gasps and her face turns red.  "I-I would love to!"

I feel like I might faint.

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Total Words(including authors notes): 2900

Sooooo, uh, part two?  No?  Just me?  Cool.  I'm doing it anyway. Hahahahaha >:)

No but fr if you have any suggestions or would like to see a part two of any One Shot in this book, please let me know!

For ships, certain ones are off limits

- Cyerra X Anyone (especially Erin and Circe, who are in canon, related)(Cyerra is much younger than the rest)

- Erin x Circe (who are related as I said)

- Terry x Wren (twins)

All other ships are cool, but here are my personal favorites:

- Wren x Circe

- Terry x Naomi

- Brynn x Cassie

- Erin x breaking the fourth wall and being mysterious /hj

Thanks for reading!  See ya in the next one!

- Rin Witch :)