cadnis oneshots so i can get some f*cking sleep

at the first sign

HAPPY MEAN GIRLS DAAAAAY!!

to celebrate i decided to post this lil thing. this is a request from an old friend of mine from a couple years ago and i figured it'd be a fun little way to celebrate and also to close that chapter of my life finally. i think i have that person blocked everywhere but on the off chance they see this, thank you for being my friend as long as you were and i hope you're doing well :)

tws for
ableism
homophobia/outing mentions/ etc
alcohol mention
it's basically what happens in canon but if i've missed something please let me know and i'll add it :)

just a note before we begin!!
as requested, cady in this is 100% deaf. she doesn't have hearing aids or cochlear implants but she can read lips. unless explicitly stated otherwise, everything she says is signed in ASL. her parents and interpreters are also signing at her, and the other characters vary in how much they sign. hopefully that doesn't get too confusing!!

a big thank you to one of my friends on tumblr and their girlfriend for helping me with some of the little details about cady!!

please enjoy!!

————

Cady grins to herself as she runs home, feeling her feet thump against the dusty earth of the savanna and the warm, fresh air filling her lungs. She makes her way to the only landmark as far as the eye can see and pushes the flap of the tent open.

She freezes and winces a little when she sees her parents standing inside and yelling at each other. She hopes they haven't heard her and ducks back out, hiding a little ways away and trying to act busy. She undoes and reties the laces on her boots at least six times before she feels a tap on her shoulder.

Cady jumps and whirls around to find her father, looking solemn but almost... excited, and her mother with her usual stoic expression. "Hi."

"Hi, binti," her dad greets with a warm smile. "We want to talk to you."

Cady nods. "What were you fighting about?"

"Fighting? We weren't fighting," her mother replies.

Cady giggles and rolls her eyes. "The only time you don't sign is when you're arguing and don't want me to know. Kind of counterintuitive."

Her dad chuckles. "We were wondering if you'd ever catch on to that."

"I caught on when I was ten," Cady replies with a smile. "What did you want to talk about?"

Her parents both tense a little, and look warily at each other. Her mother is the first to begin to explain. "I've been offered a job at Northwestern University in Illinois."

Cady's eyes widen. "Illinois like America?"

"Yes, like America," her dad replies with a chuckle.

"And I've been thinking about taking it. Our grant funding is nearly up anyway," her mother continues. "But we want your thoughts-"

Cady feels a squeal rumble out of her and pitches herself at her parents for the tightest hug she can muster. "America! Oh, I could go to school, and try skateboarding! And Starbucks! Maybe I can meet an obese person!"

She starts signing so fast she can't even control her fingers, rapidly sinking into her excitement and letting it overtake her extremities.

"Please say you'll take it! Please please please," Cady begs her mother.

"You really want to leave the only home you've ever known?" her mother asks with a concerned frown.

"Mom, we live in a tent. Moving to..."