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said_scarlett) wrote2010-05-25 12:08 pm
said_scarlett) wrote2010-05-25 12:08 pm
Entry tags:
100 Women Fic!
Title: The Agonies of Adolescence
Fandom: Lost Odyssey
Characters: Sarah Sisulart, Cooke
Word Count: 1541
Spoilers: Full game
Warnings: Um...talk of menstruation? I know that squicks some people, so...
Prompt: 90, comfort
Summary: Growing up is hard enough for any girl, harder still with an annoying younger brother who won't go away and parents who can't possibly understand....
"…leave me alone!" Cooke knew she was screaming, knew that she could probably be heard all the way down in Tosca, but she didn't care. She whirled on her heel, leaving Mack gaping and sputtering in the kitchen, and stormed up towards her room. She slammed the door, tears already leaking out of her eyes. She didn't even know why she was crying over something so stupid! But Mack just wouldn't leave her be, even when she told him she didn't want to go into town. Then he'd suggested something else. And wouldn't get the hint that she didn't want to leave the house, and she really didn't want to spend the day hanging around with her kid brother. Again.
Why did he have to take it so personally? They were always together! They did everything together! And that had been fine. It had been great. But now…
Cooke threw herself onto her bed, face down. She didn't even know what she wanted. Now it was kind of weird, and uncomfortable. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, and the only vague comment Kaim had ever made was only 'you're both growing up'.
She hugged her pillow and tried to decide if she was more sad or angry. They seemed to be equal parts, mixed in with confusion and a bundle of emotions that she couldn't give names to.
She wasn't surprised when there was a knock at the door.
"Go away!" she called. She didn't want to see her brother. She knew he'd apologize - even though he didn't know what he was apologizing for - and try and make it up to her, but recently that was only making things worse. And she hated it, because she loved Mack, and couldn't figure out how to fix this terrible mess she'd somehow made.
"I'm not going to go away." The door opened and it was Sarah, standing with a tray of cookies and milk, an almost knowing expression on her kind face. She came inside and closed the door behind her with an expert twitch of her hip. Cooke wiped at her eyes furiously, feeling silly to be fourteen and crying into her pillow over a stupid fight with her brother. Sarah produced a handkerchief which she took gladly.
"I don't know what's wrong with me!" she exclaimed, unable to think of anything better to say. But obviously something was wrong with her!
"You're fourteen," Sarah said, gently. She sat at the edge of the bed and reached for Cooke, stroking her hair gently. "There's nothing wrong with you."
"Then why can't I…how come…ARGH!"
Sarah moved closer and wrapped an arm around Cooke's shoulders, drawing her close. "It's alright," she soothed. "You're just growing up."
"So I'm…gonna grow up to be an angry lady who cries all the time. Awesome."
Sarah laughed and Cooke felt her face burn and buried it in her grandmother's handkerchief to hide her reaction. It wasn't like Sarah was actually mocking her or anything. But it felt like she was.
"Of course not. You're going to grow up to be a wonderful woman. But right now, you're an angry young woman who's having trouble understanding all the new things she's feeling, that's all."
"Oh god…are you going to give me The Talk? I don't need it…." The horror of that possibility was enough to make Cooke recoil. Her mother had given her all the straight facts on the birds and the bees when she was eleven. She didn't need a repeat from Sarah.
"The talk…?" Sarah cocked her head, momentarily perplexed. "Oh! No, no. But there's more to growing up, especially right now. This is a hard age for anyone, and you aren't just anyone. It's alright to get angry, and it's alright to cry. But Mack doesn't understand what's going on any better than you do, and he's just as confused and upset as you are."
Cooke snorted a little at that. If Mack was upset, he sure hid it well. He didn't burst into tears over nothing all the time anymore. But she knew Sarah had a point. If all this was happening to her and she didn't understand it, how could she expect Mack to? But none of this was actually helping!
"How did you deal with it?" she asked, without thinking. She realized her mistake when Sarah wet her lips and lowered her eyes momentarily. Oh, great! You're gonna have everybody upset with you before lunchtime!
"It's different for us," she explained, showing no sign that the slip bothered her. "I was always just like this. I never grew up like mortals do."
"Lucky," Cooke muttered.
"Maybe." Sarah reached across Cooke, taking a cookie from the tray beside the bed. Now what? There were questions, of course, but was it alright to ask Sarah? She knew that both of her grandparents had said, on numerous occasions, that both she and Mack could always come to them with anything, but…. Was Sarah sad, that she'd never had a childhood? Would she feel awkward that she couldn't share stories or things like that? And if she'd never grown up, did that mean she didn't have to deal with the really problematic aspects of womanhood? But who else did she have to talk to? She still didn't really have any friends. There were a few girls around her age in Tosca, and she hung out with them sometimes, but...
"What is it?" Sarah urged, and Cooke shrugged. From behind her small glasses, Sarah's eyes were searching and hopeful. Cooke swallowed hard and snagged her own cookie, holding it and looking at it rather than her grandmother.
"Do you…get your period?" she asked, awkwardly.
"Do I…." Sarah was laughing again, but there wasn't any malice in it. Cooke decided it was a little bit funny, and managed a weak chuckle of her own. "I do. And everything else, too. Biologically, we aren't any different than you, really. Our bodies are completely human - even if we don't age and don't die."
"So…wow. A thousand years of cramps? That's horrible!" And everything else that came with it, too. Cooke was pretty sure that her own insides curled up on themselves in horror at the mere thought.
But Sarah was smiling and looked like she thought it was funny, at least. Cooke nibbled at her cookie, mulling over things in her mind. "When is this going to be over?" she finally asked. "I mean…me being crazy, or whatever."
"Oh Cooke…you're not crazy at all. You'll smooth out soon, and work out all these feelings you're dealing with. And then you're going to remember how patient and forgiving Mack's been with you, when he starts acting different."
"Oh great." Cooke sighed. "I don't mean to fight with him all the time, but…."
"It's just emotional dysregulation. But be patient with him, Cooke. He feels like he's losing his best friend and he doesn't know why." Sarah pursed her lips and tucked back a stray lock of Cooke's hair. "Why don't you wash your face and we'll go into town? I haven't made lunch yet. I think Tolty's serving those meat buns you like, why don't we go get some and get out of the house?"
"Kay." Cooke threw her arms around Sarah in an impulsive hug, overwhelmed with how thankful she suddenly felt. She was so lucky! After everything that had happened and everything she'd been through, she had loving parents. A lot of kids these days didn't have that. She'd never looked to Sarah to replace her mother, but she was a mother. And only once removed, really. Maybe she was a little odd, and sometimes got really distracted, but she was great. Really, really great. And then Cooke felt horribly guilty for how she'd been acting, even if Sarah said it was normal and everything would be fine. She squeezed Sarah tightly before springing away, bounding into the bathroom on legs which felt too long before she started to cry again. She washed her face and brushed her hair, confronted once more at how lean her face had grown, how lanky and awkward her body looked. It would all smooth out, she knew it would, but it sucked to go through.
A thousand years of cramps was looking like more and more of an equal trade.
But she had Sarah. Even if all she needed was a hug or a kind look, Sarah knew and was there. And would always be there, no matter what. However bad things got, however terrible the world seemed because she was fourteen, she could hold on to that one simple truth and know that everything would be all right.
"Cooke? Are you alright in there?"
"Uh-huh!" she called back, raking her hair out of her face and tying it up. Her ill mood had seemed to vanish as though never there, much as all her moods seemed to go lately. But this time, she thought maybe it wasn't just that her bad mood had run its course. "Hey, could we get some ice cream while we're out…?"
"That sounds nice. We'll go and see Pippo, too. I think he had some new inks and brushes coming in this week…."
Yeah, Cooke thought, impulsively taking Sarah's hand as she left the bathroom. Definitely not just hormones.
Fandom: Lost Odyssey
Characters: Sarah Sisulart, Cooke
Word Count: 1541
Spoilers: Full game
Warnings: Um...talk of menstruation? I know that squicks some people, so...
Prompt: 90, comfort
Summary: Growing up is hard enough for any girl, harder still with an annoying younger brother who won't go away and parents who can't possibly understand....
"…leave me alone!" Cooke knew she was screaming, knew that she could probably be heard all the way down in Tosca, but she didn't care. She whirled on her heel, leaving Mack gaping and sputtering in the kitchen, and stormed up towards her room. She slammed the door, tears already leaking out of her eyes. She didn't even know why she was crying over something so stupid! But Mack just wouldn't leave her be, even when she told him she didn't want to go into town. Then he'd suggested something else. And wouldn't get the hint that she didn't want to leave the house, and she really didn't want to spend the day hanging around with her kid brother. Again.
Why did he have to take it so personally? They were always together! They did everything together! And that had been fine. It had been great. But now…
Cooke threw herself onto her bed, face down. She didn't even know what she wanted. Now it was kind of weird, and uncomfortable. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, and the only vague comment Kaim had ever made was only 'you're both growing up'.
She hugged her pillow and tried to decide if she was more sad or angry. They seemed to be equal parts, mixed in with confusion and a bundle of emotions that she couldn't give names to.
She wasn't surprised when there was a knock at the door.
"Go away!" she called. She didn't want to see her brother. She knew he'd apologize - even though he didn't know what he was apologizing for - and try and make it up to her, but recently that was only making things worse. And she hated it, because she loved Mack, and couldn't figure out how to fix this terrible mess she'd somehow made.
"I'm not going to go away." The door opened and it was Sarah, standing with a tray of cookies and milk, an almost knowing expression on her kind face. She came inside and closed the door behind her with an expert twitch of her hip. Cooke wiped at her eyes furiously, feeling silly to be fourteen and crying into her pillow over a stupid fight with her brother. Sarah produced a handkerchief which she took gladly.
"I don't know what's wrong with me!" she exclaimed, unable to think of anything better to say. But obviously something was wrong with her!
"You're fourteen," Sarah said, gently. She sat at the edge of the bed and reached for Cooke, stroking her hair gently. "There's nothing wrong with you."
"Then why can't I…how come…ARGH!"
Sarah moved closer and wrapped an arm around Cooke's shoulders, drawing her close. "It's alright," she soothed. "You're just growing up."
"So I'm…gonna grow up to be an angry lady who cries all the time. Awesome."
Sarah laughed and Cooke felt her face burn and buried it in her grandmother's handkerchief to hide her reaction. It wasn't like Sarah was actually mocking her or anything. But it felt like she was.
"Of course not. You're going to grow up to be a wonderful woman. But right now, you're an angry young woman who's having trouble understanding all the new things she's feeling, that's all."
"Oh god…are you going to give me The Talk? I don't need it…." The horror of that possibility was enough to make Cooke recoil. Her mother had given her all the straight facts on the birds and the bees when she was eleven. She didn't need a repeat from Sarah.
"The talk…?" Sarah cocked her head, momentarily perplexed. "Oh! No, no. But there's more to growing up, especially right now. This is a hard age for anyone, and you aren't just anyone. It's alright to get angry, and it's alright to cry. But Mack doesn't understand what's going on any better than you do, and he's just as confused and upset as you are."
Cooke snorted a little at that. If Mack was upset, he sure hid it well. He didn't burst into tears over nothing all the time anymore. But she knew Sarah had a point. If all this was happening to her and she didn't understand it, how could she expect Mack to? But none of this was actually helping!
"How did you deal with it?" she asked, without thinking. She realized her mistake when Sarah wet her lips and lowered her eyes momentarily. Oh, great! You're gonna have everybody upset with you before lunchtime!
"It's different for us," she explained, showing no sign that the slip bothered her. "I was always just like this. I never grew up like mortals do."
"Lucky," Cooke muttered.
"Maybe." Sarah reached across Cooke, taking a cookie from the tray beside the bed. Now what? There were questions, of course, but was it alright to ask Sarah? She knew that both of her grandparents had said, on numerous occasions, that both she and Mack could always come to them with anything, but…. Was Sarah sad, that she'd never had a childhood? Would she feel awkward that she couldn't share stories or things like that? And if she'd never grown up, did that mean she didn't have to deal with the really problematic aspects of womanhood? But who else did she have to talk to? She still didn't really have any friends. There were a few girls around her age in Tosca, and she hung out with them sometimes, but...
"What is it?" Sarah urged, and Cooke shrugged. From behind her small glasses, Sarah's eyes were searching and hopeful. Cooke swallowed hard and snagged her own cookie, holding it and looking at it rather than her grandmother.
"Do you…get your period?" she asked, awkwardly.
"Do I…." Sarah was laughing again, but there wasn't any malice in it. Cooke decided it was a little bit funny, and managed a weak chuckle of her own. "I do. And everything else, too. Biologically, we aren't any different than you, really. Our bodies are completely human - even if we don't age and don't die."
"So…wow. A thousand years of cramps? That's horrible!" And everything else that came with it, too. Cooke was pretty sure that her own insides curled up on themselves in horror at the mere thought.
But Sarah was smiling and looked like she thought it was funny, at least. Cooke nibbled at her cookie, mulling over things in her mind. "When is this going to be over?" she finally asked. "I mean…me being crazy, or whatever."
"Oh Cooke…you're not crazy at all. You'll smooth out soon, and work out all these feelings you're dealing with. And then you're going to remember how patient and forgiving Mack's been with you, when he starts acting different."
"Oh great." Cooke sighed. "I don't mean to fight with him all the time, but…."
"It's just emotional dysregulation. But be patient with him, Cooke. He feels like he's losing his best friend and he doesn't know why." Sarah pursed her lips and tucked back a stray lock of Cooke's hair. "Why don't you wash your face and we'll go into town? I haven't made lunch yet. I think Tolty's serving those meat buns you like, why don't we go get some and get out of the house?"
"Kay." Cooke threw her arms around Sarah in an impulsive hug, overwhelmed with how thankful she suddenly felt. She was so lucky! After everything that had happened and everything she'd been through, she had loving parents. A lot of kids these days didn't have that. She'd never looked to Sarah to replace her mother, but she was a mother. And only once removed, really. Maybe she was a little odd, and sometimes got really distracted, but she was great. Really, really great. And then Cooke felt horribly guilty for how she'd been acting, even if Sarah said it was normal and everything would be fine. She squeezed Sarah tightly before springing away, bounding into the bathroom on legs which felt too long before she started to cry again. She washed her face and brushed her hair, confronted once more at how lean her face had grown, how lanky and awkward her body looked. It would all smooth out, she knew it would, but it sucked to go through.
A thousand years of cramps was looking like more and more of an equal trade.
But she had Sarah. Even if all she needed was a hug or a kind look, Sarah knew and was there. And would always be there, no matter what. However bad things got, however terrible the world seemed because she was fourteen, she could hold on to that one simple truth and know that everything would be all right.
"Cooke? Are you alright in there?"
"Uh-huh!" she called back, raking her hair out of her face and tying it up. Her ill mood had seemed to vanish as though never there, much as all her moods seemed to go lately. But this time, she thought maybe it wasn't just that her bad mood had run its course. "Hey, could we get some ice cream while we're out…?"
"That sounds nice. We'll go and see Pippo, too. I think he had some new inks and brushes coming in this week…."
Yeah, Cooke thought, impulsively taking Sarah's hand as she left the bathroom. Definitely not just hormones.