Midnight Rain - L.B.

T W E N T Y

So don't look at me like that and then
Duck behind clouds
I know I'm small and that I have no idea
I know, I know, I know

Paris, France
October 4th, 1997
6:44 pm | Tatum Vaughneton

Chapter Warnings:
Draco kinda having self harm related issues towards the end of the chapter

Lorenzo practically glared at me all throughout breakfast, then the entire time my grandmother and I went shopping and forced him to tag along. (It didn't take a lot of convincing.)

Three in the morning is when he finally fell asleep, according to my distinct memory of his light snoring heard through the walls and the clock on my bedside table.

So naturally, he was going to blame his exhaustion on somebody.

I guess in his head, it made perfect sense to blame me anyway.

I handed him another plate- to which he quickly dried with the blue dish towels- starting to wash the next thing.

"I feel like a child," He grumbled, going to put the plate away in the cupboard. "You won't even let me wash the dishes. I mean, you're practically spoon-feeding the patriarchy yourself!"

I laughed and looked at him over my shoulder. "Lorenzo, you have the easier job and I know you won't ruin anything. It's a double win."

"Not really, I'd rather be hanging out with your grandmother."

I stared at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "Me too. Because, as you know, she's my grandmother."

"She likes me more," He smiled, setting down another plate. "You know what? I'm just going to say it-"

"-please don't-" I muttered.

"-I'm too pretty to be doing all this housework," He sighed, leaning against the counter, arms propped behind him as he watched me. "Honestly, who would make this face clean?"

"I did," I laughed, rinsing out a soapy cup in the steaming water. "I asked you for help cleaning up after dinner and you gave me no objections, not even a sigh."

"Yeah? Well- I'm my own person and I wanted to clean right then." Lorenzo shrugged, tucking a piece of my hair back behind my ear for me.

"Sure you are, princess." I blew a sarcastic kiss to him as I smiled, ruffling his hair. "You just love drying dishes."

He pushed my hand away with a grumble, sliding down to sit on the kitchen floor.

"Enzo, you can go do whatever now. I only have a few left to wash and I can dry them on my own." I nudged him gently with my leg.

He looked brutally offended at my offer. "Well, I still want to stay and talk to you."

I shook my head with a smirk. "Alrighty then, Miss Sass."

"Dick."

"Ass."

-

"And that's when she fell down the stairs at her cousin's wedding." My grandmother smiled, showing a very enthusiastic Lorenzo the different pages of the photo album. "Same moment she took her first steps, then proceeded to tumble down the stairs and have to be rushed to the hospital to get stitches while they were saying their vows."

I grimaced at the thought, turning a page in my book as I absentmindedly listened to them talk quietly across from me.

"Couldn't barely hold her still, she was thrashing around everywhere." She laughed quietly. "Took four nurses and a doctor. Not including the people it took to actually do the stitches."