Fic: Glory Days (Blue Crush, Anne Marie/Eden/Kala) (December Drabbles #1)
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Title: Glory Days
Author: escritoireazul
Written for: catalinay for December Drabbles 2011
Author's note: This is a transformative work of fiction set after the movie Blue Crush. Loosely in a series with Hold Your Breath (Breathe Out Now) and Charge the Waves (In the Sea of Love) and Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow and We're Young and We Want Some, all stories about Anna Marie, Eden, and Kala's poly relationship.
Rating: 13+
Word count: 1200+
Summary: You're really gonna give it all up, your glory days?
Anne Marie likes kids. She’s always been like that, grinning at babies at the grocery store and helping young surfers when she takes a break from her training. Now she absolutely beams whenever a little girl asks for her autograph, and it’s not just because girl surfers are awesome.
So what happens when they’re in the airport saying good-bye before she flies off on another competition circuit probably shouldn’t be much of a surprise, but it really is.
For Eden, at least. Kala just smirks, because he likes to act like he knows everything.
They’re just outside security, waiting until the last possible minute to send Anne Marie through to where they can’t touch her anymore. It’s early enough the airport’s not too crowded - early enough that Eden’s eyes ache because it’s not like she got any sleep last night - but there are still some families hanging around, working their way through the lines.
Anne Marie hangs onto Kala with one hand, her other resting on Eden’s shoulder, but she’s looking away, watching the other people. Eden doesn’t mind, even though this is their time. It’s not like before. Things are comfortable between them now, things are easy. She no longer envies the attention Anne Marie gives to anyone else, because she knows how she fits into Anne Marie’s world. How she will always fit. How their lives piece together, hers and Kala’s and Anne Marie’s, Lena’s and Penny’s too.
Eden’s confident in Anne Marie’s love, and she can afford to be generous with the rest of the world.
Anne Marie turns to her with a grin.
“I want to have a baby,” she says.
Eden can’t hang on to her laconic expression, and her eyebrows shoot up. “Okay.” She drags it out until it sounds more like what the hell?
“I think it’s a great idea.” Kala bumps up against Anne Marie’s side. “Let’s get started.”
“You just want bareback,” Eden snaps, because there’s a bit of panic fizzing inside her, but Anne Marie laughs and leans into him.
“You think airport sex will put me on the no fly list?” Anne Marie whispers, and then louder, “That would suck. How would I get to competitions?”
Eden leaps on that. “Can’t compete if you’re pregnant. You really gonna take a leave of absence right now? Give it all up? Your glory days?” Anne Marie’s doing well. She’s doing really well, fearless and tough and wild with each wave she chases.
“Nope.” It comes fast and settles Eden’s nerves, but then the real kicker. “So you should have our baby.”
“Fuck that.” Eden says it without thinking about how it could hurt Anne Marie. Luckily, Anne Marie just shrugs and leans in to kiss Eden good-bye.
“Think about it,” she says, her voice low, and then she’s kissed Kala and she’s off to security before Eden can think of a polite way to say hell no.
Kala slings his arm across her shoulders. “So we gonna get started on this baby or what?”
She may worry about hurting Anne Marie - because Anne Marie’s sadness is her fucking kryptonite, and yeah, she reads Superman comment, so the hell what? - but Kala’s like steel. He flinches when she jabs her elbow into his stomach, but he knows if she says no to this baby, it’s got nothing to do with how she loves him.
Anne Marie, though - telling her no is tough.
#
No one brings it up while Anne Marie’s on the road, and Eden thinks -- hopes -- that’s the end of it. Anne Marie keeps placing - keeps winning - and the sponsorship money keeps rolling in. They’re not rich, but they can pay their bills and keep food in the house and Eden’s never had so many different beers to drink.
Penny gets through finals, if barely. She’s smart, but unmotivated. Smart, but bored. Smart, but distracted. Smart, but … Eden’s heard it all.
She makes sure Penny gets her homework done most of the time, gets to school no more than ten or fifteen minutes late - what the hell’s wrong with missing homeroom anyway?-and studies for her finals. Lena gets her junk food to eat and lets her cuddle Lena’s latest dog rescue and plays quiet songs for hours when Penny can’t sleep. Kala promises her beer and a big party when the semester is done and takes her out surfing to give her a break. Anne Marie calls from somewhere else - California, Australia, South Africa - way too demanding, stirring up yelling matches over the phone and Penny pouting for the rest of the day.
In the end, Penny gets it done.
Eden doesn’t exactly sit around comparing the ways they act with Penny, that’s not her style, but really, who can miss that: tough guy, sweet guy, party guy, absent guy.
There’s no way in hell Eden is ready to be a parent.
But try telling Anne Marie that.
#
Christmas Eve, there’s a big beach party, and Anne Marie’s home for the holidays. Eden and Anne Marie come stumbling in maybe three a.m., maybe later. Kala’s still out with the guys. He’ll show up late afternoon, hungover and looking for food and sympathy and sex, not necessarily in that order. They’ll open presents once he arrives, even though Penny’s impatient. (Lena’s pretty impatient too, and probably they’ll each sneak a couple gifts early, just cause they can.)
Eden flops down onto the floor, sticking her head under the tree. She’s always wanted to stare up at the lights like that, but they’ve never had a tree big enough, or lights that all actually worked. As much as she likes decorating the palm trees in the yard, this feels special.
Anne Marie curls up with her head on Eden’s stomach. Eden strokes her hair and lets her eyes lose focus. S’cool, the way the lights blur.
“I still want us to have a baby,” Anne Marie says. Eden tenses a little, but she’s not going to shove Anne Marie off her and roll away. Besides, there’s still enough alcohol in her system that she’s feeling too chill to fully stress. “Can’t you picture it? We’d have an adorable kid.”
Eden thinks about Penny and being there when she was three and ten and sixteen. She thinks about her absentee dad and how much Anne Marie’s mom sucks and how cool Kala’s parents are. She thinks about a house too small for them now and never wanting to leave.
She thinks about the way Anne Marie coos at babies, her face scrunched up as she smiles.
It slips out on a sigh. “Fine.”
“Yes? You want a baby too?” Anne Marie sits up too fast for Eden to stop her, barely missing tangling herself on the tree.
“No. I mean, fine, I’ll think about it.” Eden tugs her back down. “We’re not old enough to have a kid.”
Anne Marie shrugs. “Are you ever going to feel old enough?” she asks, and she’s got a point.
“Probably not. And maybe I won’t ever want a kid. But I’ll think about it, okay?”
She nods. “That’s all I want. We’ve got time.”
Weird as this conversation is, that leaves Eden feeling all warm, because yeah, she’s right. They don’t have to make any fast decisions, because this is gonna last. This is a family.
This is her family, and all she wants is to make them happy forever.
This entry was original posted at http://escritoireazul.dreamwidth.org/340846.html with
comments. Reply here or there.
---
Title: Glory Days
Author: escritoireazul
Written for: catalinay for December Drabbles 2011
Author's note: This is a transformative work of fiction set after the movie Blue Crush. Loosely in a series with Hold Your Breath (Breathe Out Now) and Charge the Waves (In the Sea of Love) and Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow and We're Young and We Want Some, all stories about Anna Marie, Eden, and Kala's poly relationship.
Rating: 13+
Word count: 1200+
Summary: You're really gonna give it all up, your glory days?
Anne Marie likes kids. She’s always been like that, grinning at babies at the grocery store and helping young surfers when she takes a break from her training. Now she absolutely beams whenever a little girl asks for her autograph, and it’s not just because girl surfers are awesome.
So what happens when they’re in the airport saying good-bye before she flies off on another competition circuit probably shouldn’t be much of a surprise, but it really is.
For Eden, at least. Kala just smirks, because he likes to act like he knows everything.
They’re just outside security, waiting until the last possible minute to send Anne Marie through to where they can’t touch her anymore. It’s early enough the airport’s not too crowded - early enough that Eden’s eyes ache because it’s not like she got any sleep last night - but there are still some families hanging around, working their way through the lines.
Anne Marie hangs onto Kala with one hand, her other resting on Eden’s shoulder, but she’s looking away, watching the other people. Eden doesn’t mind, even though this is their time. It’s not like before. Things are comfortable between them now, things are easy. She no longer envies the attention Anne Marie gives to anyone else, because she knows how she fits into Anne Marie’s world. How she will always fit. How their lives piece together, hers and Kala’s and Anne Marie’s, Lena’s and Penny’s too.
Eden’s confident in Anne Marie’s love, and she can afford to be generous with the rest of the world.
Anne Marie turns to her with a grin.
“I want to have a baby,” she says.
Eden can’t hang on to her laconic expression, and her eyebrows shoot up. “Okay.” She drags it out until it sounds more like what the hell?
“I think it’s a great idea.” Kala bumps up against Anne Marie’s side. “Let’s get started.”
“You just want bareback,” Eden snaps, because there’s a bit of panic fizzing inside her, but Anne Marie laughs and leans into him.
“You think airport sex will put me on the no fly list?” Anne Marie whispers, and then louder, “That would suck. How would I get to competitions?”
Eden leaps on that. “Can’t compete if you’re pregnant. You really gonna take a leave of absence right now? Give it all up? Your glory days?” Anne Marie’s doing well. She’s doing really well, fearless and tough and wild with each wave she chases.
“Nope.” It comes fast and settles Eden’s nerves, but then the real kicker. “So you should have our baby.”
“Fuck that.” Eden says it without thinking about how it could hurt Anne Marie. Luckily, Anne Marie just shrugs and leans in to kiss Eden good-bye.
“Think about it,” she says, her voice low, and then she’s kissed Kala and she’s off to security before Eden can think of a polite way to say hell no.
Kala slings his arm across her shoulders. “So we gonna get started on this baby or what?”
She may worry about hurting Anne Marie - because Anne Marie’s sadness is her fucking kryptonite, and yeah, she reads Superman comment, so the hell what? - but Kala’s like steel. He flinches when she jabs her elbow into his stomach, but he knows if she says no to this baby, it’s got nothing to do with how she loves him.
Anne Marie, though - telling her no is tough.
#
No one brings it up while Anne Marie’s on the road, and Eden thinks -- hopes -- that’s the end of it. Anne Marie keeps placing - keeps winning - and the sponsorship money keeps rolling in. They’re not rich, but they can pay their bills and keep food in the house and Eden’s never had so many different beers to drink.
Penny gets through finals, if barely. She’s smart, but unmotivated. Smart, but bored. Smart, but distracted. Smart, but … Eden’s heard it all.
She makes sure Penny gets her homework done most of the time, gets to school no more than ten or fifteen minutes late - what the hell’s wrong with missing homeroom anyway?-and studies for her finals. Lena gets her junk food to eat and lets her cuddle Lena’s latest dog rescue and plays quiet songs for hours when Penny can’t sleep. Kala promises her beer and a big party when the semester is done and takes her out surfing to give her a break. Anne Marie calls from somewhere else - California, Australia, South Africa - way too demanding, stirring up yelling matches over the phone and Penny pouting for the rest of the day.
In the end, Penny gets it done.
Eden doesn’t exactly sit around comparing the ways they act with Penny, that’s not her style, but really, who can miss that: tough guy, sweet guy, party guy, absent guy.
There’s no way in hell Eden is ready to be a parent.
But try telling Anne Marie that.
#
Christmas Eve, there’s a big beach party, and Anne Marie’s home for the holidays. Eden and Anne Marie come stumbling in maybe three a.m., maybe later. Kala’s still out with the guys. He’ll show up late afternoon, hungover and looking for food and sympathy and sex, not necessarily in that order. They’ll open presents once he arrives, even though Penny’s impatient. (Lena’s pretty impatient too, and probably they’ll each sneak a couple gifts early, just cause they can.)
Eden flops down onto the floor, sticking her head under the tree. She’s always wanted to stare up at the lights like that, but they’ve never had a tree big enough, or lights that all actually worked. As much as she likes decorating the palm trees in the yard, this feels special.
Anne Marie curls up with her head on Eden’s stomach. Eden strokes her hair and lets her eyes lose focus. S’cool, the way the lights blur.
“I still want us to have a baby,” Anne Marie says. Eden tenses a little, but she’s not going to shove Anne Marie off her and roll away. Besides, there’s still enough alcohol in her system that she’s feeling too chill to fully stress. “Can’t you picture it? We’d have an adorable kid.”
Eden thinks about Penny and being there when she was three and ten and sixteen. She thinks about her absentee dad and how much Anne Marie’s mom sucks and how cool Kala’s parents are. She thinks about a house too small for them now and never wanting to leave.
She thinks about the way Anne Marie coos at babies, her face scrunched up as she smiles.
It slips out on a sigh. “Fine.”
“Yes? You want a baby too?” Anne Marie sits up too fast for Eden to stop her, barely missing tangling herself on the tree.
“No. I mean, fine, I’ll think about it.” Eden tugs her back down. “We’re not old enough to have a kid.”
Anne Marie shrugs. “Are you ever going to feel old enough?” she asks, and she’s got a point.
“Probably not. And maybe I won’t ever want a kid. But I’ll think about it, okay?”
She nods. “That’s all I want. We’ve got time.”
Weird as this conversation is, that leaves Eden feeling all warm, because yeah, she’s right. They don’t have to make any fast decisions, because this is gonna last. This is a family.
This is her family, and all she wants is to make them happy forever.
This entry was original posted at http://escritoireazul.dreamwidth.org/340846.html with
comments. Reply here or there.