desiderium | m. o'hara

nine

Shout out to tiktok for showing me a vid on my fyp where the comments talked abt this fic, that made my day 💕

TW: blood drinking, yeah gang it gets a lil saucy up in this biz (finally)

  It's a flurry of activity in the O'Hara household on Thursday morning. Rosalina keeps changing outfits and Miguel is busy tampering with his Gizmo at the kitchen table. Lyla hovers at my shoulder, half-helping Miguel, half-watching me hurriedly make my lunch.

  I check the time and exhale through my teeth. I hate frenzied mornings. Teaches me for pressing snooze.

  "Rosa!" I call up the steps. "We need to be going five minutes ago!"

  "I'll take her," Miguel offers. He's already made and packed Rosalina's lunch, her school bag waiting for the girl at the foot of the steps. "You get going - Lyla, adjust the schematics by one-point-four."

  Lyla groans.

  "Thank you." I touch his shoulder gratefully as I pass behind him. He glances up from his work. "Remember, we have the parent-teacher conference tonight. The multiverse's problems can be put on hold after five pm."

  "Sí, señora," he mumbles, peering closely at his Gizmo. "Lyla, remind me to be back here at four."

  Lyla glitches next to his head with crossed arm. "You just keep giving me orders, don't you?" 

  "You're an AI, Lys. It's what I made you for."

  Rosalina clambers down the steps and Lyla swiftly disappears before she can spot her. Her retort will never be.

  "I'm ready!" Rosalina grabs my hand and begins to pull me towards the exit. She sits down to shove on her shoes.

  I kiss the top of her head before grabbing my coat from its rack. "It's just Dad taking you, today."

  "What?" Rosalina looks up from her laces. "But you always come with us in the mornings! I'll miss you!"

  I smile sweetly at her. "I'll miss you, too, pumpkin. But I'm gonna be late for work if I don't head over right now."

  Miguel leans against the door frame with his hand on his hip, watching Rosalina pout with her laces undone.

  "That's not fair," she complains. "Jobs are stupid. Everyone should be able to do what they want."

  "What if I like my job?" I ask.

  "That's different," she grumbles.

  Miguel and I share an amused look as Rosalina huffily returns to tying her laces. He picks himself up from the doorframe and grabs down his and Rosalina's coats.

  "What are you saying, papita?" he asks with playful shock. "Don't you want to spend some quality time with me?"

  Rosalina's frown disappears. "I want to!" she says brightly, and ties her shoes with more vigour. She pings up to her feet and grabs her bag from Miguel's outstretched hand. "I want to spend quality time with you!"

  "That's more like it," Miguel grins. "Go get in the car."

  Rosalina squeezes me in a hug before disappearing out the door. I pull out my phone to frantically call myself a cab - I'm already running late, and waiting for a cab to show up will make me even more late. Miguel grabs it from my hands before I can.

  "Hey-!"

  I stop my shout of annoyance abruptly. Behind Miguel is a portal in the hallway's entrance.