block me out | station 19

VII

"Carina, are you ready?" Maya's voice could be heard from the kitchen. "We're gonna be late."

It was Monday morning. Vada's first day of school, and also the day both Carina and Maya finally went back to work. It felt weird for the couple to not only have to arrange their morning to work for both of them, but now, they also had a teenager to worry about.

"Relax, Maya," the Italian replied, walking out of her bedroom. "It's only six thirty."

"And we have to be there at seven," the blonde added, stressing over their schedule.

"We'll be there, bellina," Carina grabbed her wife's hands, meeting her eyes. "Breathe," she instructed, taking a big breath, and encouraging Maya to copy her. "Good. Now go check on the bambina, sì?"

Maya nodded, feeling more confident. "Okay."

The firefighter made her way through the hallway, stopping at her foster daughter's room, knocking softly. Not hearing a response, she slowly opened the door, finding the room empty. She looked around, searching for Vada as her heart skipped a beat, but relaxing when she noticed the bathroom door closed, light shining through the gap at the bottom. She knew the teenager wouldn't have run away, but still, on the inside, she knew there was a possibility of it happening.

Her gaze turned to the floor, where she spotted a pillow and a blanket. Frowning, she looked at the bed, which was spotlessly made apart from little wrinkles caused by the young brunette sitting on it. However, all signs indicated that Vada was still sleeping on the floor. Carina had mentioned it to her when the fourteen-year-old first spent the night, also noticing the pillow and the blanket on the floor and coming to the same conclusion. What they didn't realize was that it was still going on. Her eyes then fell on the small pile of bags of new clothing that was yet to be put away in the closet, still untouched from their shopping trip.

"Oh–" Vada said coming out of the bathroom, startled by the woman standing in the room.

"Hi, sorry," Maya apologized. "I was just coming to see how you were doing."

"Fine," the teen said, rocking back and forth on her feet. "I'm all done now. Sorry if I took too long."

The woman smiled. "You're alright," she told her, her eyes falling back on the pile of bags. "You haven't unpacked any of your stuff," the blonde commented gently.

Vada's eyes remained on her feet, which had yet to stop moving. "Um... yeah. I–I–" she shrugged, unsure of what to say.

"I thought maybe you'd want to wear some of the new things you got," Maya suggested, noticing the girl wearing her old clothes.

"I'm fine."

The woman's eyebrows raised, "Are you sure?"

"You don't like this?" Vada argued apprehensively.

"No, no. That's not what I meant. At all," the blonde was quick to defend. "It's just that it's getting colder, and, you know... as your guardian, it's my job to insist on wearing something warmer. I mean, I wouldn't want you to get a cold," she explained nervously, not wanting to offend her.

"I have a sweatshirt I can put on," the girl said, signaling to her backpack.

Maya shook her head, sitting on the bed. "Vada," she said, unsuccessfully trying to meet the girl's nervous stare. "What's wrong?" she asked softly, receiving no response from the brunette. "Hey, come here," she patted the space next to her, where a silent Vada sat moments later. "You know, Carina and I want you to be here— for as long as you'd like. And it doesn't matter if that's two weeks or two years, these clothes are yours forever."