It Started With a Spinny

Double Sorry

Luz tumbles downstairs late for school and Vee - is standing there holding her juice box and wrapped breakfast sandwich in her beige hands. She's in her human form, wearing her torn grape-black pants, her squash- and topaz-orange striped jumper, her beige skin, gold pupils and pink hair.

Luz blinks, then smiles: "Love the hair!"

Vee looks up, sees Amity's hair on her head, "Gah, sorry!" With a wet rattlehiss her hair grows to shaggy green-blonde with teal-blue tips. She looks down, her ear floofs drooping within her hair, unable to look up as she sheepishly offers Luz the juice box and sandwich. She hears Luz approach, sees her step right up to her, and hug her.

"It's okay," Luz soothes, "you're trying!"

Vee nods against her shoulder, unable to hug her back with her hands full, letting out a muffled little: "thank you for not hating me."

Luz makes a pained noise, holds her tighter, kisses her hair. And Vee wants to just let Luz hold her, hold her, forever and ever. But...

"You're, you're late for school."

Luz flinches: "Gah, yes I, sorry, I," she pulls back, takes the offered breakfast, looks like she wants to hug Vee again, smiles instead. She leans forward and warmly kisses her cheek.

Vee stares, holding her cheek: "I, was that, were you kissing your manita?"

Luz is still smiling, and there's a sparkle in her eyes Vee hasn't seen before, as Luz admits: "I, don't know." She seems to remember herself, blushing as she steps towards the door, "But I, sorry, school, I, we'll talk later okay?"

Vee mutely nods, and Luz rushes out the door, leaving Vee to quietly sit at the kitchen table, place her arms before her, and collapse into them groaning!

"She can be a lot." Amity says with a kind smile from the bottom of the stairs, wearing her eggplant denim dress and holding the full laundry basket before her.

Vee stares, golden pupils wide, "I, I-"

"Shh, shh," Amity rushes forward, placing the basket on the table and holding Vee's shoulder, "everything's okay Vee, don't worry."

Vee looks down, "But, she kissed me. On the cheek but, but-"

She braces herself, looks up.

Amity's smiling kindly again, "She did!"

Vee stares, "Why aren't you mad?"

Amity looks down, "I, don't know. I guess," her smile becomes sweeter, "Luz can be such a goofball, especially when she's trying to show her feelings. It's really, very sweet." Amity looks to Vee, smiling warmly, "And seeing her be like that with you, and seeing you be looked after, it just makes me feel, bright inside. Sorry, I don't know if that makes any sense."

Vee nods cautiously, closes her eyes, "I had your hair when she came down."

She feels Amity cup her cheek, "Is that what Luz meant by 'love the hair'?"

Vee nods. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't-"

Amity squeezes, "Was the rest of you me?"

Vee looks up, "No?"

"Then it's okay!" Amity is smiling so patiently, so kindly, as she promises: "Vee you're allowed to make mistakes! And you will make mistakes for a while as you try to break habits, but what matters more is what you do next! As well as the fact that you are trying!"

Vee nods emphatically: "I promise I am!"

"I believe you. Now," she gestures to the laundry, "wanna help me with this?"

Vee nods, starts to stand, then: "Wait, this is my-"

"This was your self-appointed job," Amity corrects, "and I would like to start helping you. If that's okay?"

Vee nods mutely, and follows Amity as she takes the clothes basket and boldly steps into the laundry, left standing there uncertainly. Vee gestures to the dryer, "Here," and Amity places the laundry on top as Vee opens the washing machine lid. She reaches up for the spray bottle of stain remover with one hand while also reaching for the topmost item of laundry, placing her hand on Amity's.

Vee drops the spray bottle on her face.

"Gah! Sorry!" They both say as they scramble for the bottle, ending with Vee standing bolt upright holding it close to her chest, staring straight ahead!

Amity very gently touches her arm, "Do you need space?"

Vee stiffly shakes her head: "No I just," she breathes out, "this will take, some time. For me to get used to." She breathes out, "Sorry."

Amity nods, "It's okay, how can I help?"

Vee looks down, "Stop being so patient and kind and pretty?"

Amity laughs, "I meant how can I help with the laundry."

Her eyes widen, "Oh, I, um," she frantically rubs the back of her neck, "you turn each item the right way out, then pass it to me?" The sentence ends as a squeak.

Amity squeezes her arm goodbye, and gets to work, passing Vee her torn grey-purple jeans. They get into a rhythm, Amity passing her clothes, Vee examining each and spraying every stain, explaining why she puts the whites aside and the bras into their own bra bags.

It's working.

It's really working.

And its actually fun!

Then Amity passes her Luz's beige sleeved grey jacket, and Vee stops, staring at the dark stain of hot chocolate.

Carefully, Amity touches her arm. "Will it come out?"

Vee nods. She keeps staring.

Amity reaches down Vee's arm to take her hand. "Did you wanna talk?"

Vee breathes out. "How can I make up for everything?"

"By trying, every da-"

"But there's so much!" She gestures to Amity, "You were wearing that dress on the sofa when I hurt you, and Luz was wearing this jacket when I hurt her, and," she lets go of Amity's hand to reach into the machine, rummaging to the bottom and pulling out Amity grey-purple jeans, "and you were wearing this that day in the club house when I hurt you!"

"The club house?"

Vee closes her eyes tightly. "I forgot to tell you that one!" She hangs her head, "The day when I - when Luz, brought you lunch."

Amity takes a second, then: "When I was working on the floorboards?"

Vee nods. "When I set out it was me, I promise, just bringing you your lunch so you wouldn't go hungry. But when I came in and approached you, I became Luz. And I don't know why!" She holds her head, "Why did I want to be alone with you in the club house as your girlfriend?! What was I hoping to achieve?!"