mitochondriaaya | The first day is always the hardest

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radiant gardens

The first day is always the hardest

"WHERE'S MY BAG?!" Maya shouted up the stairs, trying to pull a shoe on at the same time.

"What?" Aya had just gotten home, there'd been an emergency, "WHAT DID I MISS?!"

"Aya! Hi, MOVE!" she weaved around her sister and started digging through the coat closet. "I know we had a book bag! I know we did, we didn't lose it right? Orientation is today! HOW DID I FORGET?!"

Aya dropped her keys on the table and tried to move out of the way but her sister was already making a dive for a different closet. The tripping tangle was sadly inevitable "ACK! CHILL! You're going to get all riled up before class! And you're strangling me! Breathing! HELP ME GUYS!" She was laughing though, it had been a long night and now this? It seemed so silly...

"Sure, laugh, I'm going to be late to school!"

"You're going for a doctorate sister-mine! You're the upper echelon, you don't need orientation! Deep breath! Why'd you sleep in?"

Maya took a deep breath, held it, then went limp. Yes, laying over her sister and starting to giggle herself. "We kicked the alarm clock I think..."

"...of course you did. I'm jealous! And starving. I'm jealous and starving and getting squashed."

"Tough, I'm comfy," Maya laughed and lifted a hand to pat her sister's head. "You'll deal."

"And you'll be late to class."

"Forgot Braig was going too. It's okay to be late if I'm not alone."

Aya sighed and poked her sister but settled in a wait, the floor wasn't that uncomfortable. "We can get you matching lunch boxes and we'll watch you guys to the bus..."

"You realize I'm going to kill you now right?" There was a mitochondrial flex, power shifting, then Maya was rolling over to tickle her sister ruthlessly. That was exactly what was needed in the early morning, right? Right.

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"I'm ready." Braig said mildly, bag over one shoulder. It was mild because he had a travel mug of coffee in his hand, and Dilan had taken care of all the rest of getting him ready. "You're driving, though."

Dilan laughed from the kitchen, "Get off of your sister, Maya. I have breakfast and coffee for her, and a travel mug for you as well."

"Matching coffee mugs..." Aya teased softly, earning another hard tickle before her sister sat up with a huff. "Ow..." her riiiibs.

"You started it," Maya noted, climbing to her feet and then finally remembering to finish tying her boot. "I still have no idea how today snuck up on me!"

"Nothing wrong with matching mugs." Dilan said with a laugh, "It's the prerogative of people in college to do cutesy things like that."

"Even if one of them has to wear a pager in case there's an emergency." Braig agreed. Just because he was going back to school didn't mean he got to stop doing the rest of his work. "Maya, babe, it's because you were working right up to yesterday. You lose track when you're working, just not as badly as Aya does."

"Doesn't mean I don't get to tease once or twice," Aya pointed out, grinning as she held her hand up to touch Dilan's leg. "It's better than being worried right?" Better than hoping the new nurse assisting her didn't get burned out or strangle her...

"Overseeing more than working!" Maya laughed and snagged her mug. "Training..still. Thought I had another day. Do I get to snarl at people who get too close if you have to run?" Just in case?

Dilan reached down to help Aya up with a smile, "Fair enough, and yes. It's better than being worried. Now come eat breakfast with me before I have to head out as well."

"I am counting on it, babe." Braig said cheerfully, "You are my bodyguard."

"Me your bodyguard?" Maya laughed and wrapped an arm around Braig's waist. A good man in one hand, coffee in the other, seemed like a great way to leave the house! "I'm fully intending to use you as an Olia shield!" Utterly!

Aya laughed and got to her feet, flushed and still grinning from her sister's attack, "how soon for you love? I have no morning appointments after the emergency call so I was going to catch a nap..." But she'd stay up until he headed out!

"Last time I went to college I was only rich." Braig said, kissing Maya's cheek, "Now I'm rich, famous, and powerful. I'm going to need you more than you're going to need me!" He was teasing, of course. He was by far the more prickly of the two of them.

Dilan tugged Aya into a hug, "Half an hour, so I need to eat fast."

Maya groaned and squeezed the hip under her hand, amused despite herself. "Oh, poor you. Does this mean I can have a cattle prod? That seems like a nice distance right? Comfortable for me, keeps them off you..." Maybe they could take turns hiding behind each other? "I"m still going to shamelessly use you as my excuse to be fashionably late to orientation."

Back in the kitchen Aya stood up on tiptoe to rub her cheek along Dilan's, glad she was getting half an hour at least. "Then sit, eat, I'll finish cooking. Did Maya mention our parents and uncle want to come meet you guys?"

"Sounds fine to me." Braig said, giving her a squeeze in return, "Are you driving or am I?"

Dilan kissed her cheek, "Thanks, sweetheart, I appreciate it a lot. ...And no. No she didn't."

"Mmm, that means I won't apologize if I get sparky because of crowds!" Because obviously if a cattle prod was fine by Braig sparky should be too right? Right. Uh oh, dilemma! "I think you said I was driving but...means letting go of you to get in the car..."

"Hey," Aya chuckled after another nuzzle, "I like getting a chance to take care of you too you know." Just saying. Cooking was something she could do! And it was easy to take over where Dilan left off, he was so organized about it!

"And if it doesn't frighten either of you too much yes, the trio would like to meet you both."

"Well you have to do that anyway." Braig pointed out, kissing her briefly and then letting go to slide into the passenger's seat.

"I know, Aya." Dilan said between bites, "I'm grateful anyway. I think we can handle meeting your important people, yes."

"Sure, point out a flawed reality first thing in the morning!" Maya laughed and slid into the drivers seat. "A perfect world would allow for not wanting to let go of your boyfriend to get in the car." Hmmph.

Aya chuckled and draped her arms over Dilan's shoulders after serving a round of bacon, chin resting lightly on his dreads as she gave him a hug, "You'll have to meet our mom away from us you know, she's active too and last thing we need is a subconscious territory war over prime males..." It was part teasing but part bitter truth too. They could all have the best intentions and abilities would ramp up anyway sometimes.

"I'll put that on the list, babe." Braig said, closing his eyes in the passenger seat, "I'll drive us home tonight, too."

Dilan nuzzled Aya's chin, "I know, sweetheart. How about that restaurant the four of us went to the first time? If we got two tables, one on either side of the balcony, would that be enough distance?"

"Are you offering to fix reality for me love?" Maya laughed, running fingers along Braig's cheek before starting the car. "Should I worry?" Given his specialty?

Aya kissed Dilan's forehead and thought a moment,, smiling, "We can try? If that's still too close we'll slip downstairs okay? Nevada raised us mostly after we manifested, he'll understand. And Dad has been working with mitochondrial stuff since he met mom?"

"I might could be." Braig allowed, kissing her fingers before settling back in the passenger seat with a huge yawn, "And if you're not worrying about what I do, I need to start letting more slip."

"Sounds good to me." Dilan said with a smile, "We'll do whatever is best in the end, but I'd like you to be there."

"I'm not suppose to worry about what you do," Maya pointed out to Braig softly. "Because it's you doing it. I trust you lover." She half turned to watch behind them as she backed the car up, using the motion as an excuse to stroke his cheek gently.

Aya grinned and settled in behind Dilan to rub his shoulders, happy to delay her own meal until he was heading out, "I'd like to be there too, and I think you'll like them. Dad and Nevada will rotate between tables if we can't end up near each other, they're good like that."

Braig smiled at her and blew her a kiss. "Fair enough, babe."

"They raised you and Maya." Dilan said, "I'm inclined to love them just for that."

"Or at least reassuring some?" she offered with a grin. "Will you tell me when I need to worry?" Valid question really! And hell, Maya trusted him with everything else, why not trust him to warn them?

Aya grinned and kissed Dilan's dreads just behind his ear, glad to hear that. "Yeah, but we'd prefer you loved them because they're likeable you know."

"Course I will." Braig said, contentedly, "If you ever get a text from the lab, instead of a call? That's an emergency, book it to one of the designated zones."

"Well, yes." Dilan said, laughing, "But you know me and maternal women!"

"Yes sir!" she saluted cheerfully and got them edges onto the road properly. "That's the list Dilan taped to the fridge right?" Just to double check! They had all kinds of lists in random places between Dilan and Aya (and herself but she blamed Aya instead).

"Mmmm, and what will you do when we have kids lover?" Aya asked easily. "It'll be kind of weird to have to chase you around the room because we're suddenly terrifying..." It was fun to tease?

"No, that's the one in the study, next to the phone." Braig said, "I think. Unless he's moved things."

"Be utterly at your mercy." Dilan said promptly.

"Phone list, okay, I'll still check when I get home!" she chuckled. "How is it possible to feel safer and yet less safe at the same time with you guys?" She was teasing. Mostly.

"You're not already? Granted, we share..." Aya laughed and tugged his head back for a kiss. "I might go mad with power!"

"Skills!" Braig said cheerfully, "The more you know the more you know to fear...and the more you know we're safe."

Dilan laughed softly into the kiss, "If you don't have M-deity syndrome at this point, I think we're safe from that."

"Or the more I know the men in our life are cheerfully insane!" Maya teased happily. "Taking on two high level mitochondrials and their jobs? I think there are alarms going off somewhere!" There totally should be at any rate!

Aya kissed Dilan for a good, long measure before letting him tilt his head back to his meal. No reason not to linger after all, just as there was no reason not to go back to resting her chin atop his head after the kiss! "Ah, good old M-deity, You never know, could be multiple stressors for that, but I'll try to rest easy!"

"Well, okay, that too." Braig agreed, laughing loudly, "Man, babe, you are so good for my mornings. I don't mind waking up when it's to be with you."

Dilan didn't mind taking the time for a long kiss, although he returned to eating briskly afterwards. Late, after all, wasn't really an option for him. "Nah, we'd kidnap you for stress relief."

"Does that mean I get to steal your coffee?" she grinned and leaned over to kiss his cheek at a red light. "You make mornings a lot better too lover. You saw how wrung out we usually were!"

Aya chuckled and tweaked Dilan's dreads before turning to serve another series of potato pancakes to his plate. They tended to eat heavy in their house! "You know the idea makes me shiver right?"

"No!" Braig said, hands gripping the thermos tightly, "Just because it's not bad doesn't mean I can wake up unassisted!" he was laughing, though.

Dilan trilled happily at the reload, a soft, cheerful noise, "Good shiver?"

Maya gave him a look that showed just how clearly she was debating wrestling him for the thermos. It'd be fun, they were already late, and there was no one behind them at the light..."Just a sip?" Pretty please?

Her fingertips found their way back to his cheek at that sound, she really couldn't help it. "The best," she admitted. "Being kidnapped by you all and taken away seems to be one of the better things in my life."

He'd bite. He grew up with Dilan, he'd bite. "You have your own, cruel woman!" still hugging it to his chest, yes.

Dilan arched his cheek into her fingers happily. "Good. Because we wish to do that as often as the four of us can manage."

"Can't be that cruel," she noted, leaning over to kiss the corner of his mouth warmly. "You love me after all." And he wasn't a masochist! Though, on that note, she didn't mind a bite or two...

Aya ended up leaning against Dilan's side as a matter of course; it was as inevitable as gravity, she liked touching him and being near. The fact that this meant she could keep stroking his cheek was just a bonus! "I can only approve love, as often as we can manage. The curse of being incredibly good at our jobs is that we end up...needed."

"Mmmm. I really, really do love you." Braig agreed, "Now drive, woman, before we miss the first day entirely."

"Aya, sweetie, you're going to make me late and you sleep deprived if you keep doing that." Dilan said with a soft sigh of pleasure.

"Awww," Maya laughed and settled back in her seat, getting them moving again just as the light was turning from green to yellow once more. Oops? "I can see we're going t have an interesting school year already." Totally.

Aya chuckled warmly, hand stilling so she was simply cupping Dilan's cheek. "Can't have that can we?" She sounded honestly regretful at that fact.

"'Course we are, babe." Braig agreed happily, shaking his head at her driving.

"Unfortunately not today. Soon, though."

"I get worried when Aya and I are separated sometimes," Maya admitted, laying a hand on his knee as the edged toward campus. "Thanks for going back with me." Hopefully he could keep her from being keyed up mitochondrial reaching for her resonance and she could keep the crowds from stealing Braig!

Aya moved her hand so she could press a kiss to his cheek and then stepped back, smiling, "Lunch today? I cleared non-essential appointments after the emergency last night."

"I know, babe." Braig said, covering her hand with his own, "I'll be here with you. It'll be fun."

"Lunch sounds good." Dilan agreed, finishing his food rapidly and standing up, "...C-can you take care of the dishes?" it was hard for him to ask, his OCD hated it, but he could. Just not easily.

Maya turned her hand over to twine her fingers with Braig's, sending a warm, slow pulse along his arm just to feel him for a moment. "Oh hell...I forgot about student parking. How are this many people here already?!" Eep!

"I'll meet you?" she offered. She probably had more free time today than he did! A little bit more at least! "And yes I can love. You've got to run."

"I got a pass." Braig promised, making a soft noise of pleasure at the feeling. "Here. I am totally abusing the fact that I teach here some quarters...pull into the teacher's parking."

"I'd like that." Dilan kissed her deeply, then fled.

"And you continue to be amazing!" Maya laughed, pulling into the teaching lot with a gleeful look. "Does this mean I'm dating the teacher?" she teased. "The really hot teacher?" Yup. She totally had the hottest teacher on campus! Eve if he wasn't technically on staff this semester!

Aya chuckled and lingered in the 'thoroughly kissed' feel for a moment as he fled. A moment of concentration and she could watch him off the property and...yes, dishes. Dishes, then a nap.

"A teacher." Braig said with a laugh, "However, you can't be in any classes that I actually teach. Not that you'd want to be, I think, since I mainly do Masters level physics courses."

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The first day is always the hardest

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