holographic {stories}

'girl's night'

// au where Lewis lets a teenaged Ash stay with Mari and Chase for a night so they can help her out with girly stuff

and yikes I don't really get girly vibes when I think about Ash so this is what I wrote nice
--

"Just don't let them talk you into doing anything you don't want to, okay?" Lewis tells his daughter as they pull up in front of Mari and Chase's house.

Ash rolls her eyes and nods. "I know. Chase knows my comfort levels and Aunt Mari trusts Chase. I'll be fine, Dad."

"I just worry, y'know." He takes a deep breath and hands her a little bit of cash. "Just in case they want to take you shopping in the morning."

"Thanks, Dad!" Ash grins, giving him a quick hug before she grabs her bag and jumps out of the car.

--

"You can tell us anything, Ash-y." Chase says from their upside down position on the couch. "We'll accept you no matter what."

"Chase, stop trying to coerce secrets out of the kid," Mari calls tiredly from the kitchen.

"It's okay, Aunt Mari. And yeah, Chase, I think there is something I want to tell you."

In a flash, Chase is flipped around to sit up straight, their hair hanging in their eyes. "What is it, baby girl?"

"Well, um, I don't know if I'm a girl, exactly--" Ash gets swiftly cut off by Mari from the kitchen.

"Your dad owes me ten bucks and a hug from Josh Dun!"

--

"What are your pronouns, then?" Chase asks as they dig through boxes in the spare bedroom.

Ash shrugs delicately from the bed. "I'm fine with she/her right now. It doesn't matter to me."

Chase nods and finds the box they had been hunting for. A big sticker across the side reads 'binders'.

"I've been meaning to donate these," they explain, "but now I'm kinda glad I'm a lazy fuck. There should be one in here to fit you, so if your chest bothers you, you can almost make it disappear."

After Ash finds one that fits, Chase tells her exactly what she should and shouldn't do while wearing a binder, and the proper time length and other general care tips.

-

Mari compliments her when Ash and Chase come back into the kitchen for dinner. Ash let Chase cut her curly blonde hair, and then deck her out in more masculine clothes.

"Is that the flannel Logan left here that one time?" Mari asks as she hands Chase their plate.

"I think so. But he never claimed it, so I kept it." Chase shrugs and starts eating.

_

"I really admire you guys," Ash tells them as the three of them get ready to watch a movie in Chase and Mari's bedroom. "You're both lovely people and I can see why Dad loves you so much."

"We aren't that great, dear." Chase rolls their eyes, but Mari scoffs and smacks them.

"I'm serious. Dad says he trusts you two a lot. He's even said he's comfortable enough to leave my brother here with you, and you know how protective he is over Jon." Ash laughs quietly and pulls on her pajamas.

"The kid's, what, nine years old? Your dad is really protective, kiddo." Mari reaches over and ruffles up Ash's hair. "It's not a bad thing. It just means he cares more than his dad did."

Chase has been silent up until this point, when they glance from person to person and burst out laughing. Mari and Ash exchange a confused glance.

Chase's pajamas are covered in little fishes, Mari's in small dogs, and Ash's in tiny cats.

Neither Ash nor Mari can see what's so funny, and Chase refuses to share.

(It's the fact that fish are their favorite animal, dogs are Mari's, and cats are Lewis's.)
-

Ash chooses to sleep across the foot of the bed, instead of going to a different bedroom or in between the other two.

When she wakes up, she's on the couch. Sunlight filters in through the curtain and shine right in her eyes.

Chase walks by a few moments later, offering the kid a sweet smile. "You fell off the bed last night so Mari and I carried you in here."

"Did I fall off, or did you kick me off?" Ash asks with a laugh.

"Shut up."