Title: rose-pink
Rating: R
Summary: Charlotte dreams.
Warnings: aftermath of a consensual but not fun sexual encounter, underage sex.
Notes: Spoilers for Shine Like It Does.
-6-
Charlotte was a fairy for Halloween—specifically, a fairy princess, in a soft pink puffy-skirt dress and ballet slippers, the kind that ribboned crosses all up her legs. Her mama got her a pretty silver tiara and helped her curl her hair, and Miranda even surrendered her prize fairy wand, the one with pink ribbons and a silk rose, just for the evening.
She even had a pair of silver-sparkled pink silk wings, pinned at the small of her back and curving gracefully up behind her shoulders.
She felt like the most beautiful little girl in the world that night.
-16-
Andrew left an unpleasant sticky feeling on her thighs when he rolled off her, and a throbbing pain between them. He'd worn a condom—was she bleeding, then? Charlotte couldn't quite make herself sit up and look. She'd thought—dreamed—that sex would be a joy.
He let out a long, satisfied sigh; at least he'd enjoyed himself. "Was it nice?" she asked, tentatively.
Andrew opened his eyes, blinked at her, then scowled. "Why are you still here?"
It only got worse from there.
As she stumbled out of his house, blinded by tears, the last of those dreams died.
-26-
Charlotte let the last note hang trembling in the air, then smiled at Jack, sitting on the floor with his head against her hip. "Well?"
He smiled back. "It was beautiful. Why don't you do this professionally again?"
She shrugged, and shut the piano lid, carefully. It was an antique, a graduation present from her father; the one really expensive thing she did not regret owning. "I don't want to. I like teaching, Jack. I like the children."
"It was never your dream to teach," he said, quietly. "Was it?"
She smiled again, softly, and ruffled his hair. "Dreams change."
-36-
Emma was just starting to crawl, eddying along the floor like a tadpole learning to swim. Benjy called her "froggie" and carefully redirected her away from walls and around furniture. He was so careful of his sister; it filled Charlotte's heart.
She still wondered sometimes if this was a dream. It felt like one—a sunny apartment and a job she loved, a bright and loving stepson, a husband who adored her, a perfect daughter, all this and her family too—
She felt as if she had wings, rose-pink and graceful. It would be no less a miracle than this.
Rating: R
Summary: Charlotte dreams.
Warnings: aftermath of a consensual but not fun sexual encounter, underage sex.
Notes: Spoilers for Shine Like It Does.
-6-
Charlotte was a fairy for Halloween—specifically, a fairy princess, in a soft pink puffy-skirt dress and ballet slippers, the kind that ribboned crosses all up her legs. Her mama got her a pretty silver tiara and helped her curl her hair, and Miranda even surrendered her prize fairy wand, the one with pink ribbons and a silk rose, just for the evening.
She even had a pair of silver-sparkled pink silk wings, pinned at the small of her back and curving gracefully up behind her shoulders.
She felt like the most beautiful little girl in the world that night.
-16-
Andrew left an unpleasant sticky feeling on her thighs when he rolled off her, and a throbbing pain between them. He'd worn a condom—was she bleeding, then? Charlotte couldn't quite make herself sit up and look. She'd thought—dreamed—that sex would be a joy.
He let out a long, satisfied sigh; at least he'd enjoyed himself. "Was it nice?" she asked, tentatively.
Andrew opened his eyes, blinked at her, then scowled. "Why are you still here?"
It only got worse from there.
As she stumbled out of his house, blinded by tears, the last of those dreams died.
-26-
Charlotte let the last note hang trembling in the air, then smiled at Jack, sitting on the floor with his head against her hip. "Well?"
He smiled back. "It was beautiful. Why don't you do this professionally again?"
She shrugged, and shut the piano lid, carefully. It was an antique, a graduation present from her father; the one really expensive thing she did not regret owning. "I don't want to. I like teaching, Jack. I like the children."
"It was never your dream to teach," he said, quietly. "Was it?"
She smiled again, softly, and ruffled his hair. "Dreams change."
-36-
Emma was just starting to crawl, eddying along the floor like a tadpole learning to swim. Benjy called her "froggie" and carefully redirected her away from walls and around furniture. He was so careful of his sister; it filled Charlotte's heart.
She still wondered sometimes if this was a dream. It felt like one—a sunny apartment and a job she loved, a bright and loving stepson, a husband who adored her, a perfect daughter, all this and her family too—
She felt as if she had wings, rose-pink and graceful. It would be no less a miracle than this.