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who says that my dreams
have to stay just my dreams

──● ariel
THE LITTLE MERMAID

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"Ready when you are Eli." Daphne's voice echoes through the phone, and Elliot doesn't bother to hide the smile that threads over his features, grinning slyly. He glances backwards towards the back of the shop, where Jara still is before returning to his phone.

"I'll text you when we're almost there."

"You got it, I'll relay that to your siblings" There's a pause, "Speaking of which, do they all have significant others?? There's a lot of people here."

"Not all of them, but most of them."

"And your dad's boyfriend? What's up with him?"

Elliot pauses, before connecting the dots. A scoff undertones his words, shaking his head. "That's not my dad's boyfriend, that's Suga. his assistant."

"..really? They aren't dating? Are you sure?"

"Daphne-"

"Right, not the point right now, we'll put in a pin in that." Daphne sighs languishly, "Well, text me when you're almost here, alright?"

"Yeah, I will." Elliot hangs up a moment later, burying the resounding smile that can't seem to disappear from his face. He really can't believe that his siblings pulled a whole party together in the span of two weeks. Sure, it wasn't a real prom, and there were over 20 of them to actually help get it together. All of his siblings and their partners, which in itself was 20 people. Raine, Dexter, Suga, and then his father had offered their help all the same. Then of course, his best friend Daphne and then Cole. Not to even bring up his siblings friends that had so readily offered their help. His siblings were all so talented, and having so many parties recently certainly didn't hurt their planning abilities and preparation. 

His smile doesn't really vanish, even if he wants it to when he pushes off the counter of the front, heading towards the back. Opening the door, he finds Jara with her headphones in, probably listening to a crime podcast of some kind. She's wearing an off the shoulder black crop top, with pastel blue sweats - there's some kind of black brand on them that matches the top and her shoes. Of course she's wearing her signature eyeliner, with her hair half up in two buns on the top of her head. 

She's so pretty.

Jara, unfortunately, knows when she's being watched. In a moment, her head snaps over to him, eyes dark with confusion when she pulls out her headphones. "Did you need something?"

Oh. 

Oh fuck, right.

"I have a present for you" The words come out a little more rushed than he means them too, but at least they come out without too much of his brain scrambling for nonsensiscal sentences. Jara's eyebrow raises in silence, putting her hands on the wheels of her chair as she pushes back to face him better.

"A present." Her skeptism doesn't need to be spelled out, Elliot knows how to read between the lines. Hell, he's practically fluent in it. He has lived with eleven siblings for a while now. Sometimes it still felt like an adjustment, sometimes he still had this disbelief that this was his life now, but it's hard to not feel accepted when the people that surround you have also experienced a lot of the same feelings you have. "Whatever for?"

"Just cause I wanna give you a present." 

"Just..cause?"

"I mean, yeah." Elliot shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the entrance. "I just thought that you could use some cheering up, so I thought maybe doing something nice for you could help." Jara still looks pensive, holding his eyes like she's trying to decipher whatever possible game he could be playing. Elliot has to fight another smile, returning the contact as best as he can without physically wilting. "C'mon Jara. What's the worst that could happen?"

"You could be a murderer."

Elliot shakes his head, "I don't even like weeding cause I feel bad for the plants, you really think I could hurt a person intentionally?"

"Maybe if you were angry enough. Lots of killers are very angry deep down. They seem normal at first."

"Jara."

Jara's eyes are still on his, but he watches for the moment of glittering amusement, where her mouth twitches just a little in response to her persistant paranoia. Elliot knew it didn't actually apply to him. It did at first, but he also knew Jara just liked toeing the line with it. He's pretty sure it's her love language. 

"Are you finished?"

"Alright." Jara relents at last, moving over to follow him outside the entry and towards the front doors. The beginnings of gentle rain has begun to sprinkle over the sidewalk. Elliot only reaches for the umbrella Echo keeps in the shop most of the time, mentally cursing himself for not checking the weather. He isn't really sure how Jara feels about the rain, he likes it. At least as much as he can without thinking about the crash that happened in it when he was younger. She looks hesitant, but allows Elliot to hold open the door, opening the umbrella so he can hold it as they both walk.

It's not a loud rain. Not angry or seething, but gentle and quiet rather. The pattering of the rain, and the chattering of the people around make for a muted atmosphere. Soft grays dot the sky, fading into an ombre of something darker as the topography shifts and mutates in the distance. They're just walking to Elliot's car now, so they can head over to his house. He doesn't park as close as he would like to the shop, but it's easier to get out if he parks farther away. And while tourist season is upon them (which is all the time, if he's being honest), and the weather is good, he doesn't mind so much. He doesn't love driving much, but with a couple years of therapy, he decided he was ready to face his fear over it. He would rather take other forms of transportation, and there's a lot of options in New York. The truth is he didn't learn it out of necessity, but rather out of a feeling of obligation to himself in facing his fears.

"Where are we going?"

"We're gonna meet Daphne and Cole at my house, that's where your present is."

"That sounds suspicious." Jara's voice is light, and something sweet curls in the pit of his stomach. He can tell she actually isn't paranoid about going with him somewhere, which does genuinely mean a lot. Hesitance leeches into her voice at the next words, "Are we driving?"

Elliot is hesitant, but offers a short nod as they both simutaniously slow in their walk. Another reason why him and Jara got along so well, was because they lost their parents in very similair accidents. He's aware that plenty of children become orphans, and lots of people die in car crashes every single day, but the odds that he would find someone so much like him still feels astronomical, even in New York City. "Is that okay?"

"How long is the drive?"

"Not long, and we don't stay in the city or near a lot of traffic for most of the drive if that helps." He looks down at her, worry creasing his eyebrows as she seems to debate this in her mind. "It's roughly ten minutes out of the city."

"How far did you park?"

"Um- well, maybe half a mile away. I don't like driving near the heaviest traffic."

Jara seems to debate that too, before she nods, and places her hands back on the wheels of her chair. "Alright." They're quick to fall into stride together again, Elliot still holding the umbrella over them both. Mostly holding it over her, to be completely honest. "I bet you're a safe driver."

Oh.

It really shouldn't mean that much, but it really, really does.

Elliot ignores that deep swirl of butterflies in his stomach, but he can't hide the smile that blooms over his face. Jara sees it, and he watches her own smile almost form in response, shaking her head fondly.

"You're so dumb."

"Yeah." Elliot says it almost delightfully, letting them both fall into a comfortable silence with nothing but the speckled sound of the rain surrounding them both a moment later. They're passing an old park now, empty for the most part in miniature hills of greenery. "Do you like the rain, Jara?"

His companion seems to take the question into heavy consideration before offering a shrug, pausing in her movements. She lifts her wings from the wheels, wringing out her hands for a moment. "I like the rain. It's just annoying sometimes."

"Oh- it is?"

Jara seems to hesitate, before offering her palms to show Elliot. They're red, with the beginnings of soft irritation. He frowns a little, raising his eyes to her own for an explanation. Jara rests her hands in her lap for a moment, "The grit on the wheels gets really slick and hard to grip, and then it's slippery so...it can be hard to move in sometimes."

Guilt pools in his chest, rapidly eating away the butterflies that had sparkled there a moment ago. They still had about a quarter mile to go too, which probably wasn't the best for her hands. Rapidly, his mind begins spinning for a solution. "Well." He brightens a little, careful about his next words. "You could hold the umbrella, and I could push you if you wanted."

Jara stares at him for a long moment, not stress, or even skeptesism brushing over her face, but almost caution. "You would do that?"

"I mean sure, it's my fault we're here in the first place and, well, I don't want your hands to hurt."

"They really don't hurt that bad Elliot, I just have sensitive skin."

"Still."

A different emotion crosses her eyes, and she nods. "Okay. That's fine."

It's good enough for him, so he hands her the umbrella, turning to the back of the wheelchair. In another moment, their walk has resumed, passing the park where parents and guardians are ushering children back to shelter to avoid getting caught in the quickly approaching rainstorm. 

"I think the rain is romantic, though." Jara's voice is soft, softer than it had been before.  A certain warmth bleeds into her words now, smooth and dark. "I always wanted to dance in the rain."

"Well, why can't we now?" The words are out before he can really process them, but he doesn't take them back. Even when he watches Jara sharply inhale, body going tense.

"I - I still have a hard time standing without support." Still, it's almost wistful, so Elliot pauses again, searching the park for a good place to move up into it. There are not many points of accessibility, which is something that Elliot has noticed a lot more often since knowing Jara. He's not proud he didn't notice before, but it feels a lot different when someone you care about faces the difficulty everyday.

"You wouldn't be without support, I'd be dancing with you." Elliot moves onto the side, near where a ramp leads up to a gazebo, which leads to soft hills of grass. It's a popular place for picnics, he's seen a few when walking back from here on his own. In another moment, he sets her chair still, moving to be in front of her with his own warm smile, "We'll just do one song, that way you won't feel exhausted"

For the first time since he's seen her, Jara looks genuinely vunerable, and maybe a little shocked at the offer. In delight, he watches soft coloration tint her cheeks, and a slow nod dip her head. "Okay."

"Do you know what song you wanna dance too?"

"Um- could we listen to Is It Love by James TW?" Her eyes are wide, and the silence around them suddenly feels a lot more intimate than before. "It was the last song I listened to with my parents, and I- I would just like to listen to it and dance in the rain, I think."

"Yeah. Sure, Jara." Elliot pulls out his phone, finding the song quickly before turning it up as much as he can on his phone and setting it aside. In another moment he's leaning down to help Jara up. She struggles for a moment, leaning her weight heavily into him as he guides her onto the grass. Cold rain sinks into his skin, but the music swells, and he turns to watch Jara's arms lace around his neck, still leaning into him. She's pressed flush to his skin, so his arms fall around her to offer that support. 

Everything is muted now, and Jara's head is buried in his chest as they both listen to the lyrics of the music. The cold sensation of the rain running down his back, seeping into the fabric of his shirt is a nice contrast against the burning warmth of the body next to him. And for a moment, Elliot knows what Kei means when he talks about how it feels to hold Arietta.

Like nothing could possibly hurt you, because nothing else matters. Not really. Not in a way that he cares about.

The song slows to a stop, and Elliot knows that the rain has gotten steadily heavier, and probably won't be great by the time they get to the car. He still can't really seem to care, and silently turns to help Jara back to her chair, sharing a silent smile with her. Her eyes look watery, but Elliot isn't planning on saying anything. He knows better than that. Even if he did end up asking, Jara would very likely blame it on the storm. 

The walk is mostly quiet, and Elliot had been right, the rain had gotten slowly worse. Jara hasn't said much either, but it's not a strange silence. She seems much more reassured about her surprise now, holding the umbrella over them both as Elliot hurries to his car. It does take a moment for Jara to safely get into the car without too much worry, and after she is, Elliot volunteers to take the chair down so it can fit properly within the car. It does take a little longer than he wanted, and he ends up pretty much drenched by the end of it. Even then, he doesn't have the heart to complain.

He sends the text once he gets in the car, selecting the music before heading to the Morrigan Estate. Jara is tense during the drive, and he doesn't blame her. He's probably tense too, and he certainly would be if the crash he'd been in had thrown him into a coma for six months, only to wake up and realize life as he knew it was over. 

Excitement begins to chase through his veins as they near the destination. Elliot has never been the best with secrets or surprises, but this one means a lot to him. Not just him, but it probably would mean a lot to Jara too. It's still raining when they get there, and his friend's eyes are wide as she takes in the house. Elliot glances towards it all the same, and frowns a little when he realizes there's not a way for Jara to actually get up the steps without probably straining herself. "Hey, Jara?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I carry you?"

Her head snaps to his in an instant, eyes wide, "What?"

"I just- if  you want you can go up the stairs, I just mean that if you don't know if you can do it, I don't mind carrying you." Elliot watches again, much to his glee, her cheeks tint. 

"I-um-okay."

"If you aren't comfortable that's okay too, I just-"

"No- No, that's alright Elliot." She turns her eyes back to the house, still wide. "You don't make me uncomfortable."

Elliot isn't about to wait for another confirmation, so he gets back out of the car and to her side, ignoring the re-coating of cold rain that runs down his spine as he leans into the car, and as gently as he can picks her up.

He's carried Jady before like this, when she fractured her ankle. They probably weighed about the same, fortunately. Not because he wasn't confident he couldn't carry other weight, he was just used to this weight, and he was able to confidently walk in the rain and up the potentially slippery steps with Jady in his arms.

Course, with his clumsy track record, he did take it slow.

Jara raised her hand to knock, and within seconds, the door flew open, and Elliot stepped through the threshold.

All of them were there, happily rocking on their feet. The house was decorated to a tea, and beside Cole and Daphne was Yume, who had a wicked grin on her face and a poster that was turned to face her. Elliot's own excitement thrummed in his chest when he sat Jara down in the chair, scurrying over to get the poster, and the potted cactus that Jady was holding for him.

In another moment, he was back in front of Jara, who looked wide-eyed at him. Handing her the plant, he turned around the sign, and with nothing but sheer joy in his voice, asked her.

"You know what's better than Cacti at prom?"

The room was silent, quiet enough that he could have heard a pin drop.

"Cact-us!"

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✦ WYN ✦

- long chapter!! hope you loved it sm <3

- ilysm too <3

- you're welcome for the plant pun 

what is your character and their l/i going to wear for the dance? (ideas + pictures from the internet are good to reference <3)

──● answers