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my love is not fragile

──● kristoff
FROZEN III

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"It's nothing a little makeup can't cover." 

Jasiri looked up from her arm to see Reysa reaching for her side-swept makeup, selecting the proper concealer. Opening the container, she selected the brush before glancing over the soft bruise on Jasiri's skin. "I could just wear longer sleeves."

"Don't be ridiculous, it's too hot for that." Reysa sent her a scalding glance at the comment, shaking her head in dissaproval before beginning to apply the cover-up. She did have a point there, it was the end of June, setting in the early stages of a warm July. It was much too hot to wear more clothes than necessary. 

"I suppose." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, shaking her head, "It doesn't look that bad, does it?"

"Honestly the color is fine, everyone gets strange bruises sometimes. Mostly from clumsiness." Reysa shook her head, looking back up to her, "It's the shape that concerns me. I mean it's definite fingers gripping your skin." Even at the words, Jasiri feels phantom shudders dark up her arm, raising the hair on her flesh. "Otherwise I'd probably just have left it."

"Mm." Jasiri humms her agreement, tearing her eyes away from the unfamiliar coloring to look back up to her sister. "Who's coming with us to pride today?"

"I think most of us went earlier- but you might see some of the siblings there. Delaney and Rune went this morning to help set up I think- they're acting as fill in siblings for those who don't have a support system."

"But we're taking Jady and Emlyn, right?"

Reysa nodded, "Oh, I know Junpei went with Akiho too, although they might be heading back by now, that many people might overwhelm them pretty quickly." Reysa dusted the brush off, setting it aside, but kept hold of Jasiri's hand for a beat. "Calvin's going with you guys too?"

"Mhm."

That time, her sister smiled, patting her hand. "Good, I like Cal. Enough, anyway. He doesn't seem like too much of an asshole."

"Calvin isn't an asshole." Jasiri's voice is teasing and petulant, playfully shoving Reysa in her shoulder. Reysa rolls her eyes in response, even if she does hide a fond smile underneath her hand before shaking her head. 

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Jasiri stood to her feet, glancing at her arm before just looking back up, "Thanks Rey."

"Sure thing, eat some funnel cake for me." Reysa nodded to her, turning back to the door before leaving for her own room.

Jas smiled after her, glancing back in the mirror to check her locs. They went nice with her outfit, she'd decided. She'd gotten them redone before her birthday anyway, just a week ago, so they should be fine for hopefully the next couple months before needing to get them retwisted again. She was wearing one of her presents, this one from Yume. It was the one she'd sent with calvin. A delicate engravement on a locket of a necklace. It had three flower charms on it, mirroring the first tatoo she'd gotten of the flowers. One for her birth month, and then her mother's and fathers. The necklace had come with a number of other charms, locked in a pretty, decorative box to add and remove as she desired. 

Pulling at the necklace for a moment, she glanced overherself in the mirror. She'd selected a sleeveless white shirt, tight enough to be tucked into cordoroy shorts. Along with her camera secure in its bag and over her shoulder, she thought she looked cute. She was even wearing the shoes that Jady had gotten her. Lifted slightly as sneakers, a pretty brown shade that matched her shorts pretty well.

Shaking her head at the prodding insecurities, she turned from the mirror and left her room. Trotting down the stairs, Jasiri's gaze flickered around the quiet rooms. The house did feel unusually silent, but it was probably just cause most of them were out right now, if not almost all of them. Elliot was at work, and Kei was taking Arietta to the airport to see her off back to California. Delaney was at pride, potentially with Jun and Akiho. Elijah had gone out to watch one of Sage's younger brother's baseball games. He'd joined a team this summer, just a club one as a pitcher, which of course was exciting for everyone.

Jasiri wouldn't say anything, but she swore she saw her father pinky promising to go watch one sometime this summer too.

Reysa was upstairs, probably waiting for Merlene to get back from her date with Vett so they could watch their documentary series together. It was one of those shows that was their show, so it almost felt wrong to watch an episode without the other sister present.

Yume and Kasumi were out for brunch with some of their friends, Jasiri suspected a shopping trip afterwards would keep the both of them busy for the majority of the day. And of course, Jady was upstairs getting ready. Calvin was going to pick them up, and head to the fair. Jady would probably meet Emlyn there. At least, that's what Jasiri had heard was going to happen.

As if on cue, her younger sister poked her head down the stairs, skipping down them dextrously before planting both feet in front of Jasiri. In an instant, Jas had a hand near her face. "Reysa did my nails this morning! They're like the lesbian flag." Enthusiasm scoured her voice, words dripping with joy as she pulled her hand back before Jasiri could actually get a good look. Instead, she offered her own bright smile, nodding back.

"They're very nice, Jady. Do you like them?"

"Mhm!" Jady beams, looking back at her nails in admiration before back up to her older sister. I'm excited too, this is my first pride since being out, you know?" 

Jasiri smiled in response, nostalgia sinking into her heart. She recalled her first pride, and some of her siblings. The adoration in their eyes hadn't been like anything else she'd ever experienced. The own silent validation that she'd recieved so readily that she was allowed to be this way. It was normal, and okay, and she was perfect regardless of whatever anyone said about her. There's something about being around people like you, people who know your experiences, who know your feelings, your heartache, your loathing to be what society thinks you should be.

It's something like home.

Shaking away the thoughts again, she reaches for her sister's hand, clasping it in her own before pulling her to the door. She can nearly feel Jady's exuberance raidating off of her, shining brighter than the sun in the sky. 

Just as she's reaching for the door, there's a knock, and ignoring the fact that her stomach implodes into nasueating butterflies, she whips it open. Calvin is there, looking handsome as always, and holding some kind of drink holder in his hands. It's from starbucks, and Jas feels herself smile, raising her eyes to meet his.

He keeps her gaze for a moment, before looking away just slightly, almost sheepishly. "I thought that if we had drinks while we walked around the park it could be nice."

"You're right." Jasiri reaches, taking her dragonfruit drink. Calvin smiled a little before handing Jady a yellowish one, the paradise drink if Jas remembers correctly. He has his own iced coffee, turning on his heel to lead them back to the car. As expected (and per usual), he reaches Jasiri's door first, opening it for her to let her step inside. She feels her cheeks flush regardless, shaking her head nonsensically at him.

In another moment, he's back in the driver's seat, Jady taking her own seat in the back of the car. "I'm taking notes Calvin."

"On what?"

"How to treat a lovely woman."

Calvin smiles then, and Jasiri's cheeks flush with warm hues as she turns her head away from his enchanting gaze. He's got such a nice smile, even if she hardly sees it. She's not really sure if that makes it all the more exciting when it does make an appearence. Jasiri's pretty sure she'll never get tired of seeing it even if it does start appearing more often. 

"Calvin does treat me very nicely, doesn't he?" Her hand reached over, finding his. Delighted, she watched his smile lighten again, interlacing their fingers as he began driving back towards the location of the pride event being held. 

Behind her, she heard the soft, muffled squealing of her little sister, and begrudginingly she shot a glance back to her. Jady looked apologetic, but only in a mock innocence sort of way. "I'm sorry, you guys are just so cute- I can't- I won't." She sighed, dramatically then before falling against the window. "So cute, so so very cute."

"Are you done?"

"I don't know Jas, she might have a point about you." Jasiri feels her cheeks flush again, whipping back to Calvin as that distinct teasing tone comes into his inflection, "So cute. So, so, very cute." His voice is low and soft, like sharing a secret, and even if Jasiri can heal the bright-blooded laugh of Jady in the background, she feels her face flush with heat, smacking Calvin's arm.

"That's enough, you're both ganging up on me. This isn't fair."

Calvin laughs a little then, a soft huff of a thing as he shakes his head, pressing a kiss to the still interlaced hand in his own before setting it back down to turn his attention to finding somewhere to park in the nearby parking garage. 

Jady presses her lips together, "Cal- are you part of the lgbtqia community?"

"Nope."

"So you're just coming as an ally."

"Yes ma'am." He smiled, glancing at her through the rearview mirror, "I'm dating someone in the community, so I'd like to support her as best as I can, even if I'm not a part of the directly affected community." He nodded, turning into a spot before gently letting go of Jas' hand.

He again motioned for her to stay sitting, going around before opening Jasiri's door. Jasiri doesn't mind when he does it, she finds it surprisingly romantic actually. It's not like he insists upon it, or ignores all conversation from her. She's aware that some girls might not like it, but she does, and Calvin seems to know that, so what's wrong with it?

She steps out, and it's soon enough that Jady finds her hand to walk back to the festival, squeezing it tightly. "Emlyn said she's by the painting booths- we both wanna get our face painted." Jasiri nods, watching Calvin fall into step just behind them, and she's internally grateful that he's giving her the space to comfort her kid sister in a new place.

The scene is colorful, as it always is, and a number of people are wearing flags around their shoulders, adorning pins and paints and a number of small queer-coded trinkets as accessories. Jasiri always loves the fashion during pride events, sometimes she stares a little to hard. Shaking those thoughts from her head all the same, her attention returns to Jady as the grip on her hand tightens. 

"Wow." Jady sounds breathless, and Jasiri smiles at the memory of her own impression. "Oh- Oh there's Emmy!" In another moment, her sister releases her grip, ducking through the small path and straight into her girlfriend's arms. They embrace quickly, and Jasiri can see that Emlyn herself already has twin Bi hearts on either of her shoulders. She watches Em grasp Jady's hands, eyes bright and lively before dragging her into the painting booth to get her own decoration.

Jas can only smile as her eyes dance around the celebration around her. There are protesters, there always are, but each year they become less and less of a point to be made in her mind. They seem to fade into the background with each step taken sometimes. Some months, they're worse, but some months, they're better. All in all, they are exhausting, and yet, there is not a single place that Jas would rather be than with her people. 

Eyes darting through the crowd, she catches a very familiar face indeed. Her own features brighten, and in an instant she's moving, darting towards them.

Suga.

He looks happy too, standing at one of the fill-in-parent booths, talking to a younger kid. Their conversation ends just as Jasiri arrives close to the booth, watching Suga embrace them tightly before ruffling their hair, sending them on their way with the two friends that seem to be with them. In the same moment, his eyes turn, meeting hers, and his own features brighten.

"Jasiri!"

"Hi!" She can barely contain the enthusiasm in her voice, mainly because she just knew Suga had to be queer. She does know - okay, she knows that being gay doesn't have a look or anything like that, but sometimes queer people have a particular energy about them. Regardless, she'd hoped he was anyway, especially because recently her siblings had had that conversation about her father's apparent interest in his assistant.

"Hi" his voice is warm, eyes darting behind her, "Did you come by yourself?"

"My dad isn't here."

His face flushes, "That wasn't- I didn't mean-"

"Suga!" It's another voice that time, and much to Suga's evident relief, Jady appears with Emlyn in tow, eyes bright and glittering. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

Suga's voice softens, blush rapidly fading, "I love coming here, there are lots of kids who don't think it's going to get better- but, it does." He nodded, "It can be really hard sometimes, and it's probably never going to be just easy, but I think the love you find in your community can be worth it."

Jady nods, exuberant as always, "I got my face painted!"

"yes, I see that." He nods, smiling gently at her, and Jas watches as one of the other parent's leans over, whispering something to him. Suga seems to brighten at the words, than nods, stepping back from the booth. "I'm on my break now-"

"You should join us." Jasiri is about to extend the invitation when Jady does, her eyes alight with childlike wondernment. "I don't think anyone should be alone at pride."

Internally, Jas wants to cry a little at the pure adoration that Jady is radiating. It's so wonderful to see her younger sister grow from being scared of who she was, to wanting to share that kind of love and acceptence with anyone she could possibly come in contact with. Suga's own smile reflects exactly what Jasiri is feeling, and he nods. "I'd love too."

Jady's response is bright, turning on her heel as they began to walk back down the path. They're a little closer to the protesters than Jas would have liked, but she feels Calvin's hand find her own, finger's interlacing once more in silent solidarity. 

For a moment, she thinks she might melt. That is, until the moment was rudely inturrupted.

"Look! They're infecting our children now."

Heart sinking, Jas watches as Jady stalls for a beat, too long for it to seem coincedental. Suga does too, just beside them, turning his head to look up at the protester who's now barking obsessivly at Jady and Emlyn.

"It might be contagious, back up." Dramatacially, the man puts his arm in front of his young daughter, as if Jady of all people might attack with the bloodlust of a monster.

The woman beside him is holding up a sign, one that says, 'make america straight again'. and Jasiri has to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

Suga is frowning now, but gently, he sets a hand on Jady's shoulder, "Just ignore them sweetheart, they're just ignorant."

Without waiting for Jady's response, the woman shouts back again, "I'm a Christian, I follow God, who knows everything"

"Some Christian." Jasiri snaps the words back, defensive now, and beside her she feels Calvin's hand tightening on her own. "Doesn't Christ teach love and acceptance of all."

"Don't preach to me about God you fucking fa-"

"That's enough." Suga is there suddenly, between the woman and the rest of them. "Don't talk to my kids that way." His words are sharp and irritated, and Jas can only think how proud her father would have been if he was here now. "If you want to be treated with fucking respect, you better show some. They're children." Before she can respond, he whips back around, ushering Jady and Emlyn away before motioning Jas to follow. 

Jasiri does as she was told, irritant swimming deep in her stomach. She feels the tug of her arm after a moment, and she turns, looking back at Calvin, who's stopped in his tracks. She lets Jady and Emlyn be led away to a snack booth by Suga, who's pulling out his wallet already for them, instead just looking back to her best friend.

"Hey Jas."

"Mm?"

"I think you're awesome."

Jasiri blinks for a moment, then fights back an almost humored smile, "What?" 

"I just wanted to tell you. I thought I should."

Jasiri laughs then, feeling lighter than she had a moment ago before curling into his strong, muscular arms. "Alright, sap."

"I'm sorry you have to deal with that."

Jasiri is quiet for a moment, before she shrugs, pulling back to weave her arms around his neck, staring up at him. "Truthfully, I just feel bad for them." Calvin cocks her head, and she sighs, moving to elaborate. "Isn't it sad to be lacking so much love in your life, that you have to turn to hating others?" Jasiri shakes her head, "I do think the frozen movie said it wonderfully, love will thaw a frozen heart."

Calvin nods then, drawing her closer, and she's briefly lifted off her feet, "That's a good point."

Frozen.

Oh.

Oh.

Jasiri's smile warms as her face is buried into the crook of Calvin's neck, a soft, shimmering giggle rattling her chest as he holds her.

Of course.

Cause who else could she be than the hopeless romantic, Queen Anna of Arendelle.

✦

✦ WYN ✦

- part ten is finished !!

- lemme know how you
felt about it pls !!

no question today ! as part
ten is finished , and we'll be
moving to part eleven shortly !
so i need all opinions on elliot
done as soon as possible <3
if this is already done feel free
to just comment as such !

──● answers