A Tight-Knit Family // Falsettos AU

A Tight-Knit Family

Marvin

"Hey, do you know where Charlotte and Cordelia are?" Whizzer asks me one morning, like the millionth time he's stayed over at my apartment. "I wanted to go to their apartment to say hi, but nobody answered." 

"You couldn't text them in our group chat?" I question. 

"Do you know where they are or not?" 

"No." 

He pulls out his phone. "Then I will text them." I get my phone as well. I don't know what I did, since Do Not Disturb is off, but I don't get notifications from Messages. Like, banner notifications. When I swipe down to see the time or something, they show up. So I want to see if I've missed anything. 

(Author's Note: Yes, this is based on what my iPad does.) 

Oh, look, a text from Trina. Can you come over? We have something serious to talk about. I'm nervous for a second, but, I mean, it's Trina. This serious conversation will probably be about how she's buying a new dresser or moving in with Mendel or something. 

But I seriously doubt that. I'm a little worried. "Hey... Whizzer?" 

Whizzer looks up. "Yeah?" 

"I got a message from Trina. She says there's something serious to talk about." I show him the text, to prove it or something. "What do you think it could be?" 

"All right, Marvin, don't panic," he replies. "A text from a recent ex. Oh, God, maybe she wants to get back together. Maybe Mendel was just a failed rebound. Tell her you're gay." 

I'm gay, I type back. A while later, she simply responds, Please come over. 

Man, this use of periods is scaring me. I mean, Trina uses periods often in texting, but this feels different. 

"Guess I'm going over there," I tell Whizzer. 

"Good luck," he says. 

"Thanks," I smile. 

-

Finally, I'm at her apartment (we're all people in our early twenties with fairly new jobs—small apartments are our thing. Well, Mendel's not. And since he's Trina's boyfriend, I guess he counts as one of us). 

"Sit down," she advises me. "Can I offer you a beverage?" 

"Why are you being so casual?" I demand. "You said it was serious." 

"Okay." Trina sighs. "Let's skip the beverages. I'm going to tell you something, and I know you're not going to like hearing it. I didn't like hearing it at all. But I don't know if I can make the decision that comes with it on my own, at least not right now. And you deserve to know." 

I'm getting irritated. "If I deserve to know so much, then tell me!" 

"All right. I'm pregnant." 

"Trina, congratulations! Is it Mendel's? Oh, God. That's soon for your relationship. Is that why you're panicking?" 

"I'm nine weeks pregnant," she adds. 

I do the math. "We were together nine weeks ago..." Oh. "That's why you're panicking." 

Trina nods. 

I curse to myself. "So I got you pregnant?" I ask, just to confirm. I may be mistaken. 

"Yes, Marvin. I'm not the one who cheated on you." 

I curse again. She knows?! "Tr—how did you know?!" 

"I heard about you and Whizzer having been together for over two months. You mentioned it one time. We broke up about six weeks ago." 

"Well. I can't be mad at you for getting a boyfriend only a little after that," I admit. "That is not why I'm mad about your relationship. It's just because Mendel, knowing you were my ex-girlfriend, decided to meet you and date you." 

"Sorry," she offers. 

"Whatever. I'm the cheater." 

"It's okay. Well, it's not 'okay'. But you seem happy with Whizzer. Happier than you were with me." This comes out a little scornfully, and it seems like Trina didn't mean to be like that. But it's clear that her tone was some kind of Freudian slip. 

"Anyway, it'll be okay, Trina." I pull her into a hug. It's an odd thing to do, considering our present relationship. But look, we can be friends. "We'll figure this out. And it's your choice. It's your body." 

"What do you mean by 'we'll figure this out'?" I think she's overthinking again. 

"Well, if you end up keeping the baby, I'll want to be a part of their life," I explain. "I mean, we could still be a tight-knit family, right?" 

In all her nervousness, Trina kind of laughs. "We can see." 

I pull away from the hug. "Yeah. I'll be here." 

While I'm leaving, I wonder how the hell I made this decision so quickly. Maybe I've just always wanted kids. And raising a kid that happens to be Trina's as well doesn't sound too awful. 

"What happened?" Whizzer asks me once I get home. 

I sigh. I don't feel like telling my boyfriend right now. How would he react? I'm sure he doesn't want to be roped into our tight-knit family. 

"She's buying a new dresser," I respond miserably.