Shaken (An Adopted By Lin-Manuel Miranda Story)

t w e l v e

(A/N: Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!)

Well, sooner or later, I knew this day would come.

After a week of house examinations for Lin and a week of agonizing excitement for me came to an end, I knew it was time.

I was clinging to Adam and Daisy, and I had been nonstop. Oscar, Kelly, and John even came down for a day to say goodbye.

But now, it was time for me to leave.

I took a look at my old room. Bland, sure, but I had filled it with my imagination. Posters were everywhere, my bedsheets were colourful, and stickers were spread about the room. Now all of them were gone, and it was just plain. Plain like the day I came, fearing for my life as I gripped onto the only things giving me hope... the hands of Adam and Daisy. I could imagine myself walking through there for that first time. Oh, what a different person I had become.

But it was time to leave, now. I had wished the others goodbye, now the only thing left was to simply leave. But it was harder than it seemed. I grabbed Adam and Daisy's hands from either side of me, tears sliding down my cheeks, off my chin, and onto the floor.

I closed my eyes and breathed in.

It smelt like fresh cotton, the same kind of scent that Adam used on the laundry and that Daisy put in the wax melter. I opened them back up again and briefly saw the wax melter doing its thing on the wall. I giggled and looked around one more time.

God, I was going to miss this place.

I took one last glance before letting go of their hands, turning myself around before walking down the hall and the stairs, saying goodbye to the past and hello to the future.

Suddenly, I was in the van. All my things were taken over to Lin's apartment already, he told me not to worry. That he would have it all under control. I protested, saying that I wanted to help, but he politely declined. He told me that he didn't want me going in yet, that my room wasn't near to being finished.

But even though it wasn't done, Lin said that I could have his bed. I again, protested, saying that I'd happily sleep anywhere, but I wouldn't take the bed. He simply shook his head and laughed slightly, telling me that I was stubborn.

I simply smirked and nodded my head.

In the blink of an eye, we were slowly climbing up a small hill. Trees passed by as we went up to a big apartment building that looked much more like a hotel to me. My eyes widened as he parked the car, looking me in the eye. "So, you like it?" He asked and I nodded, my mouth open wide. He laughed and guided me across the parking lot. We got to a set of old cement stairs when he stopped me.

He walked ahead and fumbled with the keys, jabbing them into the door. Once the knob finally made a 'click' noise, he stood in front of the door. He snatched his phone from his pocket, and swiped to the camera app on his phone.

He swiped the flashlight on.

"Lights."

He pressed the record button, making a 'ding' noise as it started up.

"Camera."

He opened the door, standing in front of it as he smirked.

"Action."

He watched the look on my face go from shocked to more shocked. The aesthetics were simply beautiful, a scheme of gray and white. The living room was simple but not bland, a white, fuzzy rug on the floor with a gray couch on the right side, the black tv set up at the back of the room. More gray shelves sat on either side, containing books, awards, and photos. It was the first thing you saw when you walked in.

To the left, only separated with a counter and a few white pillars, was the kitchen. It was as modern as could be, but still beautiful. The gray and white colour scheme stayed the same, all the appliances a striking shade of silver. A huge fridge was at the back of the kitchen, taking up most of the space. The tiles were a glossy white, glimmering in the light.

To the right of the living room was a hall.

I slowly looked at him as to ask for consent to go down it, and he nodded, grinning.

My eyes widened as I got closer, and he flipped the light switch on. there were still gray walls, but there were also four doors.

Two on the right, one on the left, one at the back.

I slowly walked toward them, tracing my finger along the first door. "You can open it," he informed me, and I smiled. The door opened to reveal a stunning bathroom.

I gasped, looking around. It was also very modern, with a glass shower and a light on the mirror that looked like it belonged in a Broadway dressing room.

But, what can I say? I sure as heaven loved it.

I closed the door and went to the room on the other side. I slowly opened the handle to reveal a dark gray and black room, most obviously Lin's. It was a mess, but it was still beautiful, none the less. I shut the door, realizing I likely shouldn't be invading his room. I turned to look at the end room, but seeing as it was locked off, I figured I shouldn't be pushy.

So then it was the last room.

I looked Lin in the eye one more time, as to ask for approval to see the last of the apartment.

He nodded, once again, and I slowly turned the gold knob. I pushed it open slightly, and watched as an intruigingly light gray room came into sight. There was a drawer on the left side, the corner on the closest wall to me. On the right side sat a whole three rows of shelves, empty, waiting to be filled.

I then turned to the middle of the room. There sprawled a pastel yellow coloured blanked across a neat and tidy bed. The pillows were a mixture of gray and patterned, the closest pillow to me saying "WORK!" in bold letters.

Lin laughed, noticing what I was seeing. "Pippa, Jazzy, and Renée wanted to get you a housewarming gift," he told me and I gasped again, turning around to see him.

"You mean, this is..." "your room?" he finished for me, chuckling. "Yeah, it is."

I started to tear up, dropping my bag onto the ground as I noticed the pile of my other things.

I looked back at him again, choking out a sob as I wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could.

He laughed for a second, and though I couldn't see it, he was tearing up himself.

"Mi tortilla, welcome home."