Chapter Text
8:15 A.M
Lorelai and Arin sat in the Subaru, the sun already pelting down on the car despite it being November. Traffic was, unsurprisingly, heavy, but Arin seemed to be prolific at navigating it, narrowly avoiding dumb drivers and not speeding too much on the road. Lorelai, truthfully, felt a little awkward. Not only did she not really know what to talk to Arin about on their drive, it was odd acting like the morning never happened. Most people would be angry if the new person they allowed into their home became slap happy in their sleep.
Yet Arin? He seemed…perfectly happy. Not angry, not upset, not even untrusting. You couldn’t even see the mark anymore, and whether or not Arin felt any pain there was a complete mystery to her. Arin had his hair slicked back into a ponytail, a tight graphic t-shirt making him a little more intimidating buildwise to the girl. Granted, that graphic tee was of The Legend Of Zelda , so intentful intimidation was out of the window.
The bigger man lazily tossed his phone to Lorelai, gentle smile on his face, “Hey, do me a favor! Can you text the group what coffees they want? It’s my turn for drink duty. It’s the chat called Grumps, and my phone code is 071812, probably should’ve led with that!”
“Sure..! D-do you always bring them coffees?”
“No, no, once a week. We all rotate. I'm a delivery boy every Saturday and Monday!”
“You guys work Saturday..? When do you have time off?” Lorelai asked, her thumbs inputting the code.
“Oh, no, we don’t work on Saturdays. Our job is..more like a hangout that we happen to get paid for. Business stuff happens during the week, weekends are for more fun stuff. It’s more of a…work when you feel! Don’t worry, I’m not a YouTube dictator! Family time will be a thing, kid!”
Lorelai couldn’t help but smirk at that comment. He was passionate, that much was clear to her. She opened up the messages, clicking on the Grumps group-chat and typing out quickly, ‘What drinks do you guys want?’
Though, before she clicked out of it, she noticed a few messages above.
Barry Kramer: I’ve set up a desk for her! The office will be a good distraction for whatever she’s going through
Brian Wecht ♥️: She’s doing okay, right? I’ll look into a specialist that can help her out while I’m here
Suze ♥️: We’ll get through this to---
Before Lorelai could finish the sentence, messages came flooding in. The girl perked up, “Uhm, okay, they’re coming in! Danny wants a Chai with vanilla…uhm, Suzy would like Caramel Macchiato, Ross wants a redbull, Kevin..?- wants a Chai too… Barry wants an Iced Espresso with Caramel, Matt wants a Dirty Chai Latte…Ryan wants a Blended Strawberry Lemonade… uhm…Brian…”
“Hmm?”
“Brian just says you should know what he wants.”
Arin chuckled at that as he turned into the drive-thru, “He’s got a thirty step order just to make black coffee fancy.” He chuckled again. As he said the order to the microphone, he finally turned to Lorelai, “What about you, kid?”
Lorelai’s eyes went wide at that, “Uh, what..?”
“What do you want? You’ve been to a Starbucks, right?” When the girl shook her head, Arin just smiled, “Here, you like chocolate right? Not lactose intolerant?”
“Uhm, yes and no!”
“Perfect! I’ll get you what I drink! It’s basically a chocolate milkshake. You’ll love it!”
As they pulled up to the window and waited, Lorelai frowned, “You don’t have to do this, thank you.!”
“Pshh, of course I have to do this! You’re my foster daughter, the least I can do is get you trendy chocolate milkshakes! Don’t sweat it!”
She couldn’t help but tense up a bit, though she smiled softly at his insistence. A part of her deeply loathed the side that wanted to grow close. There were always two ways these families ended up: Either they were wonderful and they gave her up, or they were horrible and tried to keep her.
Lorelai couldn’t help but be a little hesitant to believe that these people wouldn’t fall into those one of two categories… At least they could be a good memory if they were the first one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9:00 A.M
The office was one of Arin's prized possessions. Him and the crew had spent so long designing and planning, not to mention how much money he had sunk into the project added to its importance. He couldn't help but feel that pride ignite more once Lorelai's eyes widened as she stepped in. Her mouth agape, a smile fighting its way onto her face, "Wooooww...!!!" It was small moments like this that made Lorelai's youth return to her. Her face wasn’t clouded with shielded maturity, her pretty hazel eyes seemed a little brighter. For once, she looked like the age she should’ve looked. "This is...this is crazy!-!"
Arin couldn't help but chuckle at her, watching her slowly walk through the collectible hallway, her head going back and forth so she wouldn't miss any hidden toy within the shelves. She hadn’t seen anything like this before, that the older man was sure of. "Well, if you work hard enough, and have hoarder tendencies, you can have something like this of your own!"
“What are all these?” She meticulously peaked into every cubby she could, eyes wide like saucers.
“The amiibos? Oh, uhm! They’re, like, little toys that interact with your video games! I can show you if you want!”
“Really?” Her eyes were wide, standing on her tiptoes to catch a glimpse of every little toy.
“ ‘Course I can!” Arin chuckled, following her around as she wandered through the hallway and into the main section. Given the look on her face, most of the things within the office were cool because they were new rather than cool because of the context. Nevertheless, it made Arin feel a twinge of pride.
She was like a rabbit, peering around corners with wide eyes and a twitching nose. He could tell her amazement only heightened once she began to see familiar faces; Brian and Danny huddled at a small desk, Ross drawing in his office, the four editors lounging on one of the many couches. “Lorelaiiii!” came a cheer from the others, Barry lazily spinning in his chair to celebrate.
“And drinks! Though, Lori, you’re waaay cooler than that!” Danny was quick to saunter his way over, wrapping the kid in a lanky-armed hug and snatching up his chai, “Thank you, hon.”
Brian came strolling behind, taking his drink and raising a brow, “You’ve told her the thing, right?”
“No, no not yet--” Arin tensed a little bit, his face contorting into something much more awkward.
“Tell me what?” Lorelai asked, clutching her drink close, straw dangling from her mouth.
“Arin-!” Brian scoffed, but before he could continue, Arin jumped up.
“Uhh, later! Uhm, hey, Kevin! This is my daughter, Lorelai!" he threw his hand over Lorelai’s shoulder, partially twisting her to face “ Kevin” .
Lorelai's smile dropped slightly, her shoulders stiffening. She figured meeting everyone and warming up was yesterday’s problem. Kevin, in sync almost, tensed and grimaced, "Hello, Lorelai...!" He did an awkward wave. "I make, uh...I make the videos...look nice...!" He was a tan man, dark hair that swooped over his face. He looked young, almost as young as Lorelai, with full cheeks and dark eyes.
"Hi Kevin...."
Arin suddenly noticed Ryan's cheeky grin as he looked over at Kevin, "Wait, Kevin, you didn't know Arin and Suzy had a daughter?" Ryan announced rather loudly. Kevin's eyes widened a bit, and just before Arin could commit damage control, Ryan continued, "You seriously didn't know?"
Kevin's eyes were wide, clearly in thought. Matt, through choked giggles, spoke up, "Yeah, he talks about her all the time. You listen, don’t you Kevin?"
"Arin, I am so sorry," Kevin gulped, looking over at Lorelai, "I did not know you and Suzy had a kid together...!!"
Ryan's hyena laugh soon filled the room, Barry sighing and whispering something to Kevin. Arin took the opportunity to whisper to Lorelai, "Don't mind them, they're basically teenagers...'cept Barry. But, you'll like Kevin. You're both the anxious type!" He smiled, ruffling her hair before leading her towards the main section.
“Arin, we’re talking in the kitchen--” Brian was insistent, cold eyes furrowed into a surprised disappointment.
Handing Lorelai Ross’s RedBull, he spoke, “Okay, fine, hold on--” Arin swooped Lorelai into Ross’s office, peeking in, “Lorelai, this is Ross’s office! He’s got a bunch of things you should definitely touch and drop-”
“What--?” Lorelai could barely get a word in, Ross perking up.
“Lorelai! First person you visit? Gosh, if I knew you were such a big fan I would’ve given you an autograph!” Ross proclaimed, gesturing for the girl to come into the office. Given the anxious look on Arin’s face, Ross, for once, wasn’t going to pick a battle, “C’mere and check out your uncle’s cool tablet! C’maahn!”
A little more timidly now, Lorelai stepped inside, jumping up when Arin quickly closed the door. Her eyebrows furrowed with concern, looking over at Ross’s smug face, “Am I allowed to ask what that’s about?”
Ross had to think for a moment, “I personally think it’d be wayyyyy funnier not to tell you. I’m in favor of a ‘I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus’ situation-”
She scrunched her nose at that response, “What kind of answer is that?”
“A funny one!
“Well, don’t be funny! What’s going on?”
Ross smirked, “Y’know, most kids are more than happy not worrying about anything. You should be like most kids. Now hand me my drink.”
Lorelai held her hand away, “Uh, no..! No, I will not give you this until you give me something more than ‘Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’, whatever that means-!”
His brows furrowed, “You never heard-- ughh, damn you and your pop culture ignorance! Give me the drink and I’ll tell you!”
Lorelai contemplated, almost considering the deal, “No! What’s stopping you from just taking it and not telling me?”
“What’s stopping you from not giving it to me after I tell you!?” Ross chuckled back, leaning in his chair. The girl’s face furrowed, taking a defiant sip of her own drink. After a moment of staring at the girl, he laughed again, “Ughh, you’re fun! I like you! You’ll do well here! Since I like you, I’ll give you an inch: let’s just say, your family dynamic isn’t the most…monogomous.”
She raised an eyebrow, mouth slightly open. When she didn’t say anything, Ross held out his hand, “I’d like my drink, Miss. Toll Troll.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9:10 A.M
Brian, Arin, and Danny all stood in the kitchen, with Brian and Danny looking now-so more concerned. Arin stood there anxiously as Brian leaded off, “You haven’t told her about us yet? Arin, you know that the faster you rip off this bandaid, the faster she’ll adjust!”
Arin frowned, “She’s only been at our house for a day! I didn’t want to overwhelm her with something like that so fast! Y’know, it’s not like every day you get adopted by a polyamorous couple!”
Dan placed his hand on Arin’s shoulder, “I mean, that makes sense, Bri! I’m sure she’s already uncomfortable enough with what’s going on. There…there should be an adjustment period before something crazy happens.”
Brian crossed his arms, “No, this should be open to her from the get-go. It’s not like it was just Suzy that went to meet her at first. It was Suzy and Arin! By that logic, she should be introduced to one parent at a time.”
“I was going to tell her soon, I mean. It’s not like I’m ashamed of it, it’s just. Y’know, she’s probably never met people like us before. She might not even know how to process it!”
“And is she going to be able to process it when guardianship is finalized? Poor kid’s gonna ask ‘hey, why do my two adoptive uncles also have custody over me? Isn’t that odd? Peculiar, even?’ -” Brian sighed, face calculating. As much as the older man understood Arin and Danny’s perspective, he couldn’t help but insist on something quicker. “I don’t want to lie to her and I don’t want to hide. I’d argue it’s even more confusing that she’d get used to us being her uncles and then magically see us kissing on her mom and dad-”
“I mean, the social worker told us to build a sense of normalcy-!” Arin chirped back, “We can’t just overload her-!”
“When have we ever been normal, Arin?”
“Boys!” Danny finally stepped in, hand running through his curls, “Look, I have an idea. You guys are going to Florida for Thanksgiving. Brian and I are heading to New York. Why not…after the holiday or during that trip, we tell her then? She gets to see that she’s got a big loving family during a holiday all about, fuckin’ love and food and shit-”
“I mean, Thanksgiving is rooted in more than that, Dan--”
“Brian-” Danny was unimpressed, his eyes half-lidded. The older man sighed, thinking about it as Danny explained, “It will still be a wait, BUT, we can show her that polyamory isn’t so bad. She gets three sets of grandparents, plenty of aunts and uncles, plenty of cousins, plenty of love. A big support system to help her out if she’s confused or overwhelmed. And it’s not even that long of a wait. We can manage until then-”
Arin sighed softly, his shoulders relaxing, “That…That doesn’t sound half-bad, actually. We, uh, just have to get Suzy to agree.”
“Her and I already talked about it,” Danny reassured, “I called her this morning before you showed up.”
Arin nodded, his trust secured in Danny. Both of them slowly turned to Brian, “Well?”
Brian nodded his head, taking a breath, “That…Okay, I can manage until then. I…I don’t mean to pressure you, I’m just…I’m just really excited. You know I’ve always wanted to be a dad…” Brian grew quiet with each word, bashful about his feelings.
Danny couldn’t help but grin, “No pressure Arin, we just want to join you and Suzy on the parenting journey, y’know? We’re becoming a big family like we’ve talked about. You and Suzy aren’t going to be alone in this, whether you like it or not.”
Arin couldn’t help but grin to himself, “Psh, I know, I know. I-I’m not trying to disclude you guys, really. I’m just…you get it-”
“Course we do, Big Cat!”
Brian uncrossed his arms, “Well, you can start by telling us how this morning went.”
Arin nodded, “Pretty okay! Uhm, she likes French toast, she agreed to come here and come to the East Coast with everyone. And uh, she scratches at the wall in her sleep-”
“Oh, good, she’s---wait, what?” Brian raised an eyebrow, “She scratches the wall?”
Dan tilted his head, “Is she havin’ nightmares or somethin’?”
Arin nodded, “Yeah, though about what, I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me. But, she’s got scars on her fingertips, I’m assuming this is an ongoing problem.”
“Did her files mention anything about that?” Danny asked.
“I haven’t really looked into them too heavy, yet.” Arin admitted, “Suzy and I were honestly just so worn out from yesterday that we kinda just crashed once she fell asleep.”
“Why don’t we look at them tonight, that way we can help her as much as possible while we’re out?” Danny suggested, arm still wrapped around Arin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9:17 A.M
“YOU’VE NEVER PLAYED A VIDEO GAME?! Dude, Dan and Brian are ancient and they’ve played video games-!” Ross’s brow was raised, eyes wide, “How have you gone your entire life without playing a video game!”
Lorelai was sitting in one of the open desks, swaying side to side in the spinning chair, her hair a long, curly shield on her back, “Uhm, I dunno!” She did know, but she also knew that the reason was most likely an uncomfortable conversation for people, “I mean, does solitaire and sudoku on my phone count?”
“What are you, seventy years old?! Jeez, you’re supposed to be fourteen! Y’know, Pokemon and Five Nights at Freddy’s . You’re supposed to be annoyed about those games!” Ross shook his head. Barry was perched at his own desk, a mildly entertained smile on his face.
“Do you watch people play games, at least?” Barry asked, voice gentle and smooth. He watched as the girl pondered for a moment, her eyes soon lighting up.
Lorelai had to think about it. “Uhm, kind of! Most of my homes had very limited screentime, an-and I was usually occupied with school. But, a while ago I found a few…uhm, YouTubers(?), that I really like. There’s this one guy, Mark-ee-plyer. He’s really funny!”
“Markiplier?” Arin had chirped up, stepping in from the kitchen with Brian and Danny in tow. “You know, we know him, right?”
Her eyes began to sparkle again, a subdued fan-girl, “Really? Woah!” She couldn’t help but bashfully smile, “Th-that’s really cool!!” She took out her phone, her thumbs flicking before it opened up to YouTube, “I like his videos!”
Arin and Danny couldn’t help but laugh, watching as her face turned red, “Really? Well, after the holidays he was coming down to celebrate the album we made, so you’ll get to meet him!”
“You made an album with Markiplier…?! You made an album!?” Her voice was beginning to raise a few octaves, her cheeks even pinker.
“We did tell you that we were musicians when we met you, Lorelai.” Brian recalled, a bright smile on his face. He was chuckling, now sitting down at his desk.
Lorelai frowned slightly, “I thought you were just being nice. Plenty of people say they’re musicians when they just do it for a hobby, I didn’t think you were serious.”
Brian and Ross laughed at that, “Arin! She’s funny! Can she come more often!?” Ross grinned, his laugh ravenous. “What else do you watch, Lorelai?"
“She can come as much as she wants-!” Arin smiled, coming over to sit down next to her on one side.
At the second question, she straightened a little bit, her thinking distracting her from the fact she was, technically, being laughed at, “uhm, another one I saw was something called Ghoul Grumps …?”
Danny couldn’t help but grin, “You watched Ghoul Grumps?!” He was pleasantly surprised, plopping down in an extra seat, “We’re ghoul grumps!”
Lorelai raised a brow, having to think back to that episode. She had only really watched about half the video, the content not entirely sticking to her brain. It would’ve under normal circumstances, but almost getting caught skipping school by people who would later turn out to be your new family is anything but normal circumstances. But, as she thought about it, it quickly clicked.
And the fact she failed to recognize that the Ghoul Grumps and these people are one in the same. Online Entertainment Business. Video Games. Curly hair and skater boy haircut…
She felt stupid.
Her face grew even brighter, her head sinking down into her shoulders. They were all laughing at how stupid she was, and she couldn’t really blame them. She couldn’t remember seeing any signs around, but she should’ve recognized the voice and said something sooner. At her rescue, Arin gently put his hand on her shoulder, his eyes asking everything, ‘You alright, kid?’
Lorelai nodded her head weakly, Brian coming to the rescue before Arin could speak, “Shut up, Ross! Everyone knows the more important fact of the matter is that she’s never played a video game before. Shouldn’t we be fixing that?”
The laughter died down, everyone perking up at the reminder. After all, you couldn’t be a part of a self-proclaimed ‘family of gamers’ without actually playing a game, “Yeah! Actually, we should! Well, what’s a good starter game for someone like her..?” Arin asked, hand steady on her back. It was grounding, warm and protective.
Suggestions began to be thrown around and promptly shut down. Minecraft? Mmm, that’s good, but not first game good. Shovel Knight? Ehh, might be a little too hard straight away. Shadow of the Colossus? No, no, waay too hard.
“Why not Kingdom Hearts ?” Barry finally suggested, a sea of ‘oooh’s’ escaping the group. “Its mine and Arin’s favorite game, so there’s help if it gets too hard…it’s got Disney characters, most people know that. It’s straightforward..!”
“The plot of Kingdom Hearts is not straightforward! I don’t know how many times you’ve both tried to explain it to me, I still don’t get it!” Danny laughed, leaning back in his chair.
“Ugh, what part of a door that’s also a moon do you not understand, Dan?” Barry asked sarcastically, smiling.
Arin grinned, “I think that’s a great idea! And we can show her the recording room! How’s that sound, Lorelai? Want to finally play a video game..?”
Lorelai, cheeks still dusted with a light pink overlay, looked at Arin. Her face still seemed a little worried, eyes doe like as she rubbed her hands together, “Uhm, th-that sounds good. Just, uhm, don’t make fun of me if I’m bad.”
“Video games aren’t about being good or bad, they’re about enjoying yourself and the art!” Brian spoke up, voice all knowledgeable.
The tone made Ross playfully roll his eyes, “It’s a little bit about being good, don’t let him lie to you about the philosophy of gaming, Lors. Get him going and he’ll explain how video games are a key part of the inner mechanisms of societal’s progressive existence or some mumbo-jumbo.”
Brian raised a brow, “I probably could. After all, I have a Ph.D, Ross.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lorelai sat, moreso squished in between Arin and Dan, a PlayStation 3 controller awkwardly in her hand. The recording room was genuinely impressive. Acoustic sound proofing lined the walls, two TV’s big and centerfold in the room. A few timers, a few monitors showing off volumes and what was being recorded. Consoles lined the bottom shelves, two microphones towering over her.
“Wow, you guys have the whole shebang, don’t’cha?” Lorelai was looking around the room from her seat, her hands gently feeling the smooth controller.
Arin beamed proudly, “Of course we do! We’re totally professionals.”
“So that’s what we call ourselves?” Danny joked, leaning back fully, arm draped over the back of the couch. “Are you sure you want to do the whole recording part, Lorelai? We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Lorelai, honestly, wasn’t entirely sure what she was getting herself into. She explained what they do: faceless recordings of them just hanging out and playing video games. It was supposed to be reminiscent of just playing video games with your friends. Casual and fun and lowkey. They could do a whole recording, but it didn’t have to be posted if she didn’t want it to be. Arin thought it would just be fun, a unique experience.
On that regard, it sounded fun!
When it came to publishing the video, however, Arin mentioned that it would be a different conversation.
“Are we sure I’m even..charming enough for this? I-I don’t want to bore your fans…!” Lorelai spoke up, looking over at Arin, fuzzy eyebrows perched in a worried position.
Danny spoke up, “Hey, you’ll never know if you don’t try! None of that bad talk here, kid! Believe me, I was shittin’ kittens when I first started doing these videos, but you get used to it pretty quickly. The best you can be is just yourself! There’s no pressure!”
"Now, no one can see you, they can only hear you, barely. Don't worry about breathing too heavy or what not, I breathe like a bull-!" Arin began to explain, standing up and walking over to a small orange screen, “Watch this magic,” with a tap of a button, the wide screen flipped on, the loud symphony of the PlayStation 2 going straight to what felt like Lorelai’s brain. “Woo! Good PlayStation! Sometimes, this one doesn’t like cooperating with the switch.”
"Holy- That's pretty cool!" Lorelai's eyes widened, Arin giggling.
"Real convenience when you record multiple games a day-! It also prevents fires!" He plopped back down, Lorelai returning to being slightly squished by the two men.
After jamming his thumb in the center button to turn the controller on, he smiled, “Just for a headsup, this joystick is to move around, this X button is going to be your ‘yes’ or action button, and, uh, this O button is gonna be your, like, ‘no’ button, but it does other actions too.” His fingers touched every button he explained, a smile growing on his face with how she watched the controller. The kid was slowly coming out…
"Don’t be too worried, the game will explain everything to you! And remember Lorelai, we've embarrassed ourselves on the internet far harder than you could imagine. Be yourself, you'll be better than you think!" Dan smiled, giving Lorelai a prideful thumbs-up.
Lorelai nodded, turning as Arin spoke, "Alright, ready?"
Then, the countdown. It was like a switch had flipped in Arin, as if his "let's player" mode had kicked in. He glanced at the monitors, speaking up, "Welcome back to Guest Grumps! We have...a very special guest with us, and we’re playin’ Kingdom Hearts woaaahhhh!" His tone was jovial and chirpy.
“Uhm…get your special socks out disney fans.” Lorelai nervously spoke.
“Well, shit, if that’s not an indication of how this is gonna go, I don’t know what is!” Danny said in-between chuckles. Lorelai couldn’t help but grin a little bit at Danny’s reaction, a warmth settling in her chest. “I dunno, everyone said that a good first-ever-game for this kid was, whatever the fuck this is-”
"ITS NOT JUST WHATEVER THE FUCK," Arin defended, "IT'S KINGDOM HEARTS, DAN! I'm so sorry, GUEST, Dan just doesn't understand- Ignore his hate," cue Dan's bubbly laughter, "Introduce yourself, guest!"
Lorelai hated being put on the spot, it made her face red and her hands clammy and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. But she pushed through, "HeyyyYYYyy, I'm Lorelai! None of you know me yet-! But you will know me, because I-I'm gonna save Mickey Mouse!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10:39 A.M.
“GET HIM GET HIM GET HIM!!!” Danny was roaring with laughter, Arin leaning forward to watch the intense boss-fight. At this point, Lorelai had made it through Wonderland . She had gotten a hold of the controls very rather quickly, her eyes locked onto the screen to try and beat the Trickmaster.
The main, unspoken goal of the day had been to get her to loosen up, to get her to be a kid without those tightly built shields. Kingdom Hearts was serving as such a wonderful distraction from the constant need to protect herself, distracting her from everything that could go wrong.
Her eyes were bright and sparkly, her feet tapping with excitement as she did everything she could to duck and dodge. A smile was beaming on her face, the cheers and encouragement of Dan and Arin making her giggle and squeal. “FUCK THAT GUMBY LOOKIN’ MOTHERFUCKER UP!!!! YOU GOT THIS!” Arin cheered. When that final swing hit Trickmaster , the screen going into slow motion, the three of them were screaming and cackling with joy.
“Donald,” Lorelai said in between laughing breaths, “You live another day, you stupid feathered fuck-”
“Donald was doing everything he could!” Arin defended with laughter, giving a few claps as Lorelai collected the experience points.
When Danny finally stopped laughing, he grinned, “Is this a good time for a ‘next time on GrumpCade’..?”
“No one told me Kingdom Hearts was so exhausting.” Lorelai chuckled, setting the controller down on her lap and leaning back fully on the couch. Her hands made it to her face, shaking her head, “Maybe next time Donald won’t be so lucky-”
Soon enough, Arin stopped the recording, a big smile on his face. He turned to the girl, beaming proudly, “Sooooooo, did you like it?”
“Yeah! Sora is so much fun, I don’t entirely get why he and Kairi are separated yet, but I want to get her back so he won’t be so lonely! And where is Riku?! The worlds are really fun, I like it!” She rambled, sitting up and talking with her hands, a smile on her face. There was youth in her eyes, her voice higher in pitch due to how excited she was. “My thumbs hurt!”
Arin and Danny couldn’t help but giggle at her child-like excitement. She felt floaty, her cheeks pink from the constant laughing. Even her sides hurt from it all, her thumbs feeling too loose. But, it felt good! It felt great, actually! It was like riding a rollercoaster without actually riding the rollercoaster.
“Good! That’s great! I take it we’ve just given you a new hobby?” Danny purred.
“Yeah, yeah!” Lorelai grinned, “When can we do it again!?” She had such a sweet smile, with two front teeth that were a little bigger than the rest of them, a small gap giving her a childish smile. It was in that moment where they both didn’t see the malnourished, guarded survivor. Rather, they could see the sweetheart hiding inside, the one that would soon go back to hiding. But for now, Arin and Danny couldn’t help but feel a warmth in their heart.
It made them even more determined to bring that sweet girl out of her shell…
And with a proud smile, Arin spoke, “Anytime you want, sweetheart…Anytime you want.”