CASUAL AFFAIR; brendon urie

Chapter One

"So ... tonight's gonna be pretty crazy, right?" I said, bouncing Amelie on my knee, where she burbled happily, singing little nonsensical songs under her breath, a foam brick clutched in her tiny hands, which she occasionally thrust into my face to show me, making impatient noises in order to get my attention the whole while. Occasionally she poked at my nose, giggling.

Dallon positively blanched at the question. "Oh, sweet sister, you really think tonight is going to be anything less than crazy? Even without the incentive to party?"

I rolled my eyes, and caught Amelie's hand before she locked tightly with her insanely strong grip onto a stray lock of hair that had escaped my ballerina topknot. "So, you're telling me, even if you hadn't just gotten the news you've been inducted full time into the band, you were gonna party anyway?"

"Oh, sister, sister, sister." Dallon shook his head, and stood, before plonking himself beside me on the couch, which sunk a little under his sudden weight, and throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Have you not learned from our childhood that Dallon Weekes does not need a reason to party, to party?"

I rolled my eyes again. "How silly of me. How could I possibly forget?"

"Ah, that's age for you." He pulled me into a headlock, whilst I protested both for my sake and Amelie's, who squealed and snorted with laughter, which he ignored, and gave me a noogie. "Leaves gaps in the old memory." He tapped his forehead when he was done assaulting me.

"I'm younger than you!" I protested, before setting Amelie down on the ground, where she shot straight off to the toybox Dallon had dumped there on arrival in the corner and began banging something or other with another something or other, and pulling my hair - my poor, ruined hair - free. "You're an asshole, you know that?"

Dallon grinned that trademark crazy ass grin of his, showing all his teeth, his grey blue eyes lighting up like a firework. And what you needed to remember with fireworks is that they're pretty to look at, but pretty darn stupid ...

"You're still a dick." I stuck my tongue out at him, and he pouted at his lost efforts to win me over. Dallon was good at that - winning people over, making them love him. I guess being his sister kind of made me immune to that. That made me idly wonder if, y'know, genetically, I should be able to do that. Maybe I had before. Maybe I just wasn't as aware of it as Dallon so clearly is.

"Just for the record," he held a finger out to me. "If Breezy finds out you swore in front of Amelie, tell her I did rip you a new one." He had the sense then to look a little sheepish.

"Yes, yes. Right after you have to explain why she's asking what ripping a new one is." I waved him off, before standing, making like I was walking away, then throwing myself at him, wrapping my arm around his neck in a headlock and attempting to give him a noogie. He managed to push me off no bother - after all, my 5'5" petite frame was nothing compared to his 6'4" frame. And, god dammit! His hair still looked the same - tousled, messy chocolate brown hair. "I hate you." I pouted, and he laughed.

"Love ya, too, Flo." He said, and wrapped me in a giant, crushing bear hug. Dallon's smell washed over me - some faint, exotic - to you and me, that meant discontinued - deodorant he'd picked up in Germany at the last tour, the fug of unwashed guy and his general, indescribable smell. That was another goddamed thing about him - when he hugged you, it was impossible not to melt in his arms and hug him back.

Then he stood, straightening his blue and white checked shirt, and scooped up his daughter from the ground, making her giggle. He held her high above his head, and she continued to think that that was a hoot, clapping her little hands and squealing with joy. "Daddy, daddy, daddy, flying!" she screamed with glee. Dallon was having just as much fun, talking in baby voice, and blowing raspberries on her belly. Say what you want about my brother, but he's one good father, and dotes upon Amelie and his other child, my nephew, Knox.

When he was done, he turned to me with that same grin, and waved a hand at me, then Amelie. "When you gonna get yourself one of these?" he said as Amelie put her tiny palm across Dallon's face, pushing his nose, whilst she giggled at it all.

I snorted with laughter, and twisted a lock of hair around my finger. "Yeah. Me as a mom. Cos that's gonna happen." I couldn't help but put my hands across my stomach, however, and I couldn't help the wave of sudden emptiness as I felt the flat, empty plane of it. All that was in my stomach right then was the McDonalds cheeseburger Dallon had brought for me, coffee, and a banana smoothie from breakfast.

"It totally fucking will. You know mom will refuse to die unless you squeeze a kid out. She can't finish life with her darling daughter being the only one to have not supplied her with a child."

"Yeah, well, there's me, and there's you and Jordan. It's a little known fact that before kids, you two couldn't keep it in your pants. I was a good girl."

Dallon did that cough thing. "Slut."

"Mm-hm." I shook my head. "Say what you will, but it ain't happening any time fast."

Dallon jiggled Amelie at his hip, dislodging her hand. She pouted at that, and instead clapped it over his mouth, so his words were muffled. "Oh, but it will. Mother always gets her way." He paused, and must have licked her hand or something, because she stuck her own tongue out, went 'Ewwww! Daddy!', wrinkling her little nose, and moving it away. She wiped it on his shoulder as he chewed on his bottom lip, in the same way I did. "So, you'll be around tonight, right?"

"Wouldn't miss one of your parties for the world, big brother." I smiled, and stood, walking to the door with him. I pushed up on my tiptoes and gave Amelie a kiss on her soft cheek, bopping her nose with my pinkie, and then giving my brother a kiss on his cheek.

Amelie wrapped her arms around my neck, burying her face in my hair, and effectively tying us altogether in an awkward Weekes tangle. When she finally released me, she bopped my own nose, grinning angelically. "See you, Auntie Flo. Love you."

"Love you, too, squirt." I grinned back.

And then I watched them retreat down the stairs, Dallon waving and calling goodbye in a stupid voice as he did, and I smiled to myself.

As much as I would argue otherwise to him, I was actually really looking forward to the party.