vicious ↠ sweet pea [2]

|| EIGHTEEN ||

Lauryn decided to go by Fangs' again, to by chance, catch him alone. It was nice to see him socialising again, but she needed her brother. The one person able to make her feel like even the direst of situations were merely a splinter.

The baby snuggled up in a blanket in her mother's arms, wriggled and whined at the morning sunlight. Lauryn leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. "I know, baby. We're gonna go see your uncle. Just a few more steps."

She knocked on the trailer door and heard clanging about in the kitchen before footsteps on the other side of the door. Her brother answered the door and smiled when he saw her and the baby. "Hey."

"Hi, I'm not intruding, am I?" she asked quietly, peering inside the door. 

He shook his head, letting her in and taking the baby for a cuddle. "'Course not. It's just me. You okay after yesterday?"

Lauryn nodded, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "Yeah, we talked it out. He then got shit-faced and fell asleep at the table... so I don't know if he's okay."

Fangs exhaled through his nostrils, nodding. Hiding things he knew from his sister was more difficult than passing the hardest of SAT tests. "I'm sure he'll tell you everything eventually. At least you're not fighting anymore."

"No, you're right," she replied, and they sat down at the table. "I've been thinking, and I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead. Anything."

"That night at the Wyrm last year, when I told you I was pregnant," she began. "Were you as happy as you said you were?"

Fangs chuckled, wondering what made his sister come to that conclusion of a question. He glanced down at the baby who was dozing off on his arm. "I was more than happy. I had already had words with Sweet Pea about being careful beforehand, and figured deep down it was what you both really wanted. She's the best thing ever."

"I mean..." She tilted her head. "I remember not caring, like, whatever happened, we'd always stay together. Getting pregnant was not on my to-do list, though, I hope you know that."

Fangs laughed, jokingly covering one of the baby's ears with his free hand. "So, where are you getting to?"

"I just feel like I fucked up somewhere along the line," she confessed. "I'm trying to figure out where it happened, how we got to this point."

"You don't think Courtney was a mistake, do you?"

"Never," Lauryn denied frantically. "She's one of the best things that has ever happened to me, I mean, look at her. I don't know, Fangs... I know I probably sound really stupid."

"You don't," Fangs shook his head. "Everything happens for a reason. It turned out all right eventually, you know that. Eventually, all this shit with the Ghoulies will end and we can all move on."

"And what about you?" she asked. "Are you gonna be okay when the Skulls leave town? I know you and Katie have gotten really close."

Fangs' cheeks blushed pink, and he chuckled trying to hide a smirk. His sister laughed at him. "You like her, don't you?"

"What?" Fangs looked up at her. "That's insane. No, we're just spending a lot of downtime together."

"Are you sure? You're letting her hang out here, letting her wear your t-shirts, always together at school..."

"Okay, so what if I like her? She's not lookin' for anything like that, I can tell. It's just nice while it lasts."

"How do you know that?" Lauryn frowned. "Why don't you let me talk to her for you? Maybe I can find out?"