PINK PONY CLUB

It was Christmas 2022, and a younger Y/N lay anxiously in a hospital bed as the nurse quietly opened the door. Wearing scrubs with dancing reindeer's and a kind smile, the nurse carried a tiny bundle wrapped in a soft, white blanket. She approached Y/N's bedside.

"Here we go," The nurse said softly, her voice calming Y/N's frazzled nerves, "She's awake." She placed the baby in Y/N's arms with practiced care, adjusting the blanket to reveal a tiny, sweet face.

Y/N's breath caught in her throat as she looked down, eyes filling with tears, "Hey, bug." She whispered. The baby's small fingers clenched and unclenched, and a soft, contented sigh escaped her lips. Y/N's world seemed to narrow down to just this moment and the tiny life she held.

"Right, do we have a name?" the nurse asked.

Y/N looked up from their daughter, "Natalia Julia Diaz."

The nurse stepped back, acknowledging the name, "Congratulations," She murmured before giving Y/N space to bond with her daughter.

As the nurse gathered her paperwork, Rosa strolled into the room with a wheelchair, "Hey," She said, her voice firm yet softened by a tender smile as she looked at the pair. "How's our girl doing?"

Y/N smiled warmly, "She's perfect."

Rosa nodded in agreement, her gaze steady and focused on their daughter, "Right, you ready to blow this joint?" She said casually.

"Yep," Y/N responded before hesitating briefly. "Actually, before we go, could you snap a picture of us? I want to capture this moment."

Rosa bobbed her head, reaching for her phone. But before she could step back, the nurse chimed in, "Oh, I got this," the nurse offered with a friendly smile. "Let's get both of you in the shot."

Handing her phone to the nurse, Rosa leaned in next to Y/N, who held Natalia a little closer. The nurse framed the shot perfectly and snapped the picture.

~

Back in the present day, Y/N sat at her desk in the police precinct, lost in thought as she stared at a photograph of that moment. It was a slow day at the Nine-Nine and everyone was cleaning out their desks as the sound of rain tapped against the windows.

Suddenly, Charles exclaimed, interrupting Y/N's reminiscent trance, "Whoa, check this out!" He rummaged through his desk and pulled out an old sandwich, its contents squished and unidentifiable. "Look what I found! It's my emergency sandwich! I must have forgotten about it years ago." He held up the snack.

"Oh, score!" Y/N threw a thumbs-up at the boy. "What kind?"

Charles examined the sandwich, "Hmm, let's see... squished bread, a hint of green... I'm gonna guess... anchovies, blue cheese, and... is that a cookie?" He questioned his sandwich choice.

"Oh, yum, garbage disposal special!" Y/N said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Charles grimaced, "I don't need it." He threw the snack in the trash before continuing to sift through his belongings. "You finding anything good in your desk?" He asked.

Y/N looked up from her clutter to Charles, "Actually, yeah," She grinned, holding up a photograph. "Check out this gem from when Nat was born."

Charles smiled, "Oh, how adorable! And the resin jewelry!" He pointed to Y/N's finger. "That never went out of style!"

Y/N spun the picture back around, shaking her head slightly, "That's because it was never in style," She cringed, studying the photograph. "Man, IVF was one of the best decisions Rosa and I ever made. Nat is so beautiful."

~

Nat stood in front of her mirror, her hair tangled from sleep and a few remnants of drool on her cheek. She blinked groggily, looking a bit disheveled as she started her morning routine. After rinsing out her toothpaste, she leaned closer to the mirror, examining her face for any zits before realizing she was only wearing one sock, "Damn, what a crazy night," She grumbled, wondering where the other sock went.

Nat sighed as she splashed water on her face before running a brush through her tangled hair, she quickly completed her skincare routine, feeling more awake and refreshed afterward.

As she reached for her phone, Nat noticed a text notification from Tyler. Her heart fluttered and anticipation surged through her as she quickly opened the message. A smile lit up on her face involuntarily as she read aloud, "Are you available to hang out this weekend?"

She couldn't suppress a giggle, feeling a rush of excitement bubble up inside her and her mood ring glowed a bright pink, "Do I play it cool? Or do I wait a bit? I mean, I don't wanna be too obvious about how much I like her," Nat questioned, speaking to herself in the mirror.

After a moment of thought, Nat came to her conclusion, "I'll keep it cool. I mean, my heart is only full of love but in a very chill and nonchalant way. I can wait." She shrugged before setting her phone down, trying to distract herself with her morning tasks.

With that decision made, Nat stared into the mirror, her expression puzzled as her mind drifted back to her feeling for Tyler, "I'm bi," She said aloud, her voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty still lingering. "No, I'm a lesbian... yeah, definitely gay," She corrected herself, sounding more assured. But then doubt crept in. "I'm not gay,"

She, in fact, was very gay.

~

Back at the precinct, the squad continued to clean their desks as the storm outside intensified. Papers rustled in the gusts of wind that rattled the windows, "Hey, how's the cleaning going here?" Terry approached the two with a warm smile.

"It's going super. I've cleaned out all the unnecessary junk." Y/N replied with a grin.

Terry's brows twisted together as he examined Y/N's cluttered desk, "Y/L/N, you didn't get rid of anything," He remarked, gesturing toward the mess.

"Yeah, because I need all of this. Picture of Rosa and me, need. The light-up shoe key chain Jake gave me, need." Y/N insisted, emphasizing each item. "And this pencil sharpener that is shaped like an apple, definitely need."

"Fair enough," Terry rumbled. He then turned to Charles' desk, his brow raised in curiosity. "What about you, Boyle? Find anything interesting in your cleaning?"

Charles nodded enthusiastically, "Oh, yes! I found some adorable pictures."

"Of your little ones?" Terry asked.

"No, my best friend, Jake!" Charles disclosed as he proudly displayed a photograph of himself and Jake on his desk.

"Oh--damn."

"Yeah, I didn't become a detective to make friends; I became a detective to make best friends," Charles beamed at the photo before setting it aside. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he discovered another find. "Oh, hey--a CD of 'Appetite For Destruction'!" He chimed, holding up the case triumphantly.

As Charles showed off the CD, a wave of realization washed over Y/N, "'Appetite For Destruction'?" Her brows furrowed as a memory rushed in.

~

It was early 2022, Rosa was settled in a chair in their kitchen while Y/N arranged the IVF needles on their counter. She glanced over at Rosa, who sat calmly awaiting the injection, "Okay, ready?" Y/N questioned, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Yes, stab me," Rosa deadpanned. "Actually." She paused. "Mind if we put on some music?" She asked, her voice steady despite the underlying nervousness. "Something soothing, like 'Appetite For Destruction'?"

"Oh, sure." Y/N nodded, quickly setting up the album on her phone.

As 'Welcome To The Jungle' filled the room, Y/N knelt down slowly to prepare for the shot, Rosa's eyebrows knitted with concern as she noticed Y/N's obvious nerves, "Are you nervous?" She asked gently.

Y/N hesitated, her hands pausing for a moment, "Yeah." She admitted. "What about?" She added, seeking clarification. Rosa rolled her eyes and tilted her head, clearly wanting a genuine answer. "Rosa, I'm okay," Y/N reassured her wife, hiding her nerves behind a forced smile. "Are you alright?" She questioned softly.

"Absolutely, yes." Rosa scoffed. "Nervousness fears me." Despite her confident words, a subtle flicker of nervousness danced in her eyes, carefully concealed behind her usual composure.

Y/N's brows furrowed slightly, noticing Rosa's hidden nerves, "I'll try to make this as quick and painless as possible," She soothed, focusing on the task at hand.

After a moment, she gently injected Rosa's lower abdomen, "There, it wasn't that bad," She said, relief spreading across her face as she looked up at Rosa. "You can open your eyes now."

~

Back in the present day, Charles' voice pulled Y/N out of her reminiscent state, "'You're Crazy'... 'Anything Goes'... 'Rocket Queen'," He read from the back of the case. "What classics!"

"You know, Rosa loves 'Appetite For Destruction'," Y/N revealed.

"Damn, really?" Terry's eyebrow shot up. "I wouldn't have pegged Diaz for a Guns N' Roses fan."

"Well, she does have a soft side," Y/N elaborated, a wave of realization washing over her as she caught a word Terry just said. "Wait, what did you—"

"What?" Terry asked, tilting his head in surprise as he interrupted Y/N. "Guns N' Roses is soft?"

"Yes!" Y/N stated firmly and impatiently. "But before—" She backtracked again, still trying to make sense of a word Terry had used.

"Wait, hold on!" Charles raised his fingers, cutting off Y/N. "Are we talking about the same Rosa? Rosa Diaz? The dark-haired girl who used to make jewelry?" His face was puzzled.

Y/N forehead creased, "Random feature to focus on, but yes." She sighed, confused why they didn't understand.

"Nah, I don't see it." Charles shook his head.

"Yeah, Terry doesn't believe you," Terry added, scratching his head.

"She's the kind of person who likes dogs and burning things." Y/N finally clarified.

Charles' face scrunched up, still not convinced, "Nah, that doesn't sound like Rosa at all!"

Terry chuckled, still looking confused, "Yeah, I still don't peg Rosa as a Guns 'N Roses fan,"

"Okay, dude, you gotta stop using that word."

~

As Y/N convinced Terry to stop saying the word 'peg', back with Nat, she sat on her bedroom floor scrolling through a 'Am I a Lesbian?' quiz. But what the useless lesbian didn't realize was that if she was taking a quiz to figure out their sexuality, deep down she already knew the answer, "First question: 'Have I ever gotten 'butterflies' around a girl'?" Nat muttered to herself and without hesitation, she clicked the 'Yes' box.

As she answered each question, thoughts of her feelings for girls, especially Tyler, flooded her mind. Despite all the obvious signs of her only liking girls, admiring girls, thinking about girls, loving girls, worshiping girls, dreaming about having a girlfriend, looking at girls, caring about girls, and crushing on girls, she was still somehow grappling with how to label herself.

Nat glanced at her mood ring, which was glowing a bright pink, "Yeah, thanks for the subtle hint, ring," She mumbled sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She clicked through the final question, and the result popped up.

'You are likely a lesbian.'

"What the hell? Likely?" Nat's face scrunched in confusion. Despite all her doubts and uncertainties, seeing those words made something click inside her but deep down she knew she didn't need a quiz to tell her; she just needed to sort through her feelings and come to terms with them.

~

Meanwhile, back at the precinct, Y/N and Charles had finished cleaning their desks as the storm continued to rustle outside, rain lashing against the windows in sheets, "Oh, man, this rain's relentless, huh?" Charles stated, glancing out at the stormy scene beyond the precinct windows.

Y/N bobbed her head, watching a flash of lightning streak across the sky, "Oh, boy," She murmured as the distance rumbled with thunder.

Charles shrugged nonchalantly and turned back to his computer, seemingly unaffected by the storm, "I bet this would be good for the farmers," He mentioned casually.

"Oh, yeah." Y/N bobbed her head.

Charles swiveled in his seat, "Man, I can't remember the last time it stormed like this," He pondered aloud.

"I can," Y/N recalled, a vivid memory resurfacing.

~

Back in the year 2022, a similar storm was whipping through Brooklyn, rain slashing against the windows of Rosa and Y/N's apartment. The sound of thunder echoed in the background as Y/N wandered into the living room, "Hey, why are you sharpening your knives?" Y/N queried as she approached her wife.

Rosa glanced over from the knife, "It's a hobby," She answered casually.

Y/N chuckled softly, "Right, silly question." She replied with a grin, before continuing, "Hey, you know how I've been getting these crazy nosebleeds lately from my prenatal vitamins?" Y/N continued, their tone shifting to a more serious note

"Yeah, what about them?" Rosa set the knife down carefully, her attention fully on Y/N.

"Well, I called the doctor today to check on those crazy nosebleeds, and you'll never guess this but it's not a normal side effect!" Y/N revealed, seemingly over-cheery about it.

Rosa's face scrunched, "What? Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah! Turns out, it's actually an early sign of pregnancy," Y/N finally blurted out, waving a pregnancy test in front of Rosa with a smile. "I'm pregnant."

Rosa blinked in surprise, her tough demeanor momentarily softened by Y/N's revelation. She took the pregnancy test from Y/N's hand, examining it closely with a raised eyebrow, "No way," She muttered, a rare smile ghosting across her lips. "You're serious?"

Y/N nodded eagerly, "Yeah, we're gonna be parents!" She exclaimed.

Rosa pulled Y/N into a tight embrace, her voice filled with a rare burst of excitement, "Hell yeah, we're gonna be parents!" She declared, holding Y/N close.

~

Back in the present day, "...So, that's what happened," Y/N recounted the story to Charles. "And, of course, before that, we had to make sure our sperm donor was on board with everything since we knew the guy--" She rambled.

Charles leaned in, eyes wide with shock, "Wait, you know the donor?" He cut Y/N off.

Y/N's brows furrowed, "What? Yeah, it's—" Suddenly, thunder boomed over the precinct, cutting Y/N off mid-sentence as the lights flickered conveniently above them. "I thought everyone knew." She continued like nothing happened.

"I didn't!" Charles gasped, his eyes widening in shock as he fanned his arms out.

Y/N blinked several times, speechless at how Charles didn't know.

~

As the storm rumbled over the afternoon sky, back with Nat, she lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at it to see a message from Tyler. She opened it to find that she had double-messaged her, "Does eleven sound satisfactory?"  She read the message out loud.

Her heart skipped a beat once again as she read Tyler's message. She bit her lip, taking a moment to compose herself, trying to sound casual, and with a smile, she typed out her reply, "Eleven works perfectly."

With no hesitation, Tyler responded, "Superb, I can't wait to see you." Nat smiled softly at Tyler's message before switching off her phone and placing it beside her. She laid back, her arms hanging above her head, staring at the ceiling. She finally accepted it: she was a lesbian. She did like girls, admire girls, think about girls, love girls, worship girls, dream about having a girlfriend, look at girls, car about girls, and crush on girls.

With her new revolution, Nat sat up and looked around her room, taking in the posters of various boy bands, and male actors. She did like Leonardo DiCaprio and Spider-Man, but now, they seemed out of place.

Suddenly, with a sudden surge of determination, Nat stood up and walked over to the Leonardo DiCaprio poster. She ripped it off the wall, the sound of tearing paper echoing in the room. Nat then moved on to the Spider-Man poster, tearing it in half with a swift motion. She then proceeded to pull down several more posters, ripping them to shreds one by one. With each tear, Nat felt a weight lifting off her shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, Nat felt a sense of freedom she had never experienced before. She replaced her old posters with ones of Chappell Roan and Renee Rapp, then filled the gaps with other female queer characters and celebrities. Stepping back, she admired her new room.

"Yeah, this feels right."

~

Guys, I think my Rosa Diaz crush is coming back...

Published: 26/7/24