Traversing The Universes (Non-AnaVerse Oneshots)

Ice Cream: Causes More Problems Than It Should

"I sowwy, Ana! Laf goa me ie cweam," she says, patting my back with her small free hand. I pull back to look at her face, and give her a small smile.

"It's okay, Coli. I'm not mad at you," I say, kissing her forehead. She gives me a toothy grin and I ruffle her hair.

"How about you eat that in the kitchen?" I suggest, pointing at her ice cream. She nods and runs off. I watch her until she's out of the room, before turning my gaze to Laf and slowly rising from the floor. I feel tense. Stiff. He didn't tell me that he was taking Nicolette out. I thought both she and he were in danger. I thought something had happened to them. And he couldn't even bother to answer my phone call? I feel adrenaline quicken my heart rate as I grow angrier.

"Laf-"

"Anastasia! Nicolette! I'm home!" I'm cut off by my mother's voice. The door closes, and Nicolette comes running back out of the dining room. I look away from Laf to follow Nicolette with my eyes.

"Mama!" she cries, bounding up to our mother. Our mother smiles and crouches down, opening her arms up. My sister fits there perfectly, and she laughs gleefully as my mother lifts her.

"How was your day, mon bébé (my baby)?" she asks. Nicolette grins at her and shows the cup of ice cream in her hands.

"Laf goa me ie cweam, mama!" she squeals. My mother chuckles and looks over, seeing both Lafayette and myself standing here.

"C'était très gentil de votre part. Merci, Lafayette (That was very kind of you. Thank you, Lafayette)," she says, grinning at him. She would be angry with him if she knew he'd done it without telling me. I should tell her. I should be screaming at him right now. But I look at Nicolette, and I can't bring myself to. Not here. I let my fists unclench as I walk forward, letting the tension melt from me for the time being.

"Bienvenue à la maison (Welcome home), mama," I greet, walking toward her with a smile. She opens one arm to hug me, and I return her hug. Once she's pulled away, she puts Nicolette back on the ground, who grins at us before bouncing off.

"Can you stay for dinner?" my mother asks. I give her an apologetic smile and shake my head.

"Non, mama. Not if we would like to get back with time to go to bed at a reasonable hour," I say. She sighs and nods, but gives me a prideful look. I can tell that she is proud of me, for how hard to work on my studies.

"Bien sûr, je suis désolé de vous avoir éloigné un jour de semaine. Voulez-vous revenir et visiter pendant le week-end (Of course, I am sorry for pulling you away on a weekday. Will you come back and visit during the weekend)?" she asks. I smile at her and nod.

"Bien sûr (Of course), mama," I say. She smiles softly at me before she pulls me into a hug. When I pull back, she holds onto my hands for a moment longer.

"Passez un bon repos de votre semaine, mon cher, doux guerrier (Have a good rest of your week, my dear, sweet warrior)," she says. I chuckle slightly and nod.

"Vous aussi (You too), mama," I mutter. She gives my hands a squeeze, and a moment later my hands slip from hers and I walk past her. I collect my purse from the kitchen, where I left it in my panic, and then wait for Laf by the front door.

"Ana!" Nicolette cries. Ah, I'd almost forgotten to say goodbye to her. My tiny sister runs in, absent of her ice cream, and wraps her arms around my legs. She beats Laf to me, the only reason that I don't immediately leave when he approaches. I focus on Nicolette, patting her head until she releases me so that I can crouch down to her level.

"I'll be back this weekend, okay?" I say. She nods.

"K!" she says. She hugs me once more, and I kiss her forehead again. When I straighten up, she hugs Laf's legs, and I watch him smile softly at her and he crouches down. I see him give me a guilty look when he looks up at me, and that reignites the anger I felt before. I jerk around and open the door, marching out and to the elevator. I slam my hand on the call button, and wait. The door closes and very cautious footsteps approach from behind me. I ignore the eyes that I can feel on the back of my head, and stare at the elevator doors. If glance had heat, it would most definitely have melted the doors by now. There's a small ding and the doors slide open. I get in without a word, and Laf follows me. I remain meaningfully silent during the entire ride down.