Fynleigh seemed like time was standing still as she followed Carina and Maya into the mall, after Carina had locked up the car. The place was immediately noisy, far too noisy as people's faces blurred into one as the hubbub of people moved around the three. She dug her nails into her palm, fighting to urge to cover her ears and make herself small.
She was drawn out of her spacing out, flinching slightly as she felt both Maya and Carina's hands in each of her own. The surprise touch should of pushed her over the edge but it somehow felt comforting - yet feared that she looked like a smaller child that constantly needed looking after. The couple had noticed the child's reaction to the busy place and soon taken her hands to stop her from hurting herself.
They wanted to ask where they should go first but it was doubtful they'd get a response as the red head still seemed to be visibly overloaded. The Italian spotted a store that seemed to fit Fynleigh's vibe or she hoped it would, the store filled with colourful clothes and retro looking things. The two women lead the red head across the mall and into the store, thankfully the store had far less people and was much quieter.
Fynleigh finally seemed to be back to reality and slowly pulled her hands away from her foster mother's. She glanced at the clothes with her eyes seeming brighter as she quietly observed the clothes - fingering the fabrics with the curiosity of a small child.
"Pick anything you'd like bambina." Carina smiled softly, noticing the confusion that filled her eyes after hearing that sentence. Fynleigh immediately shook her head, catching one of the price tags and a sick feeling growing in her stomach at the possibility of the women spending that much money on her. She wasn't stupid, she was 14 and didn't have any money of her own which left one possibility.
"Fyn, please don't worry. We want to treat you. Please honey." Maya frowned at the child's conflicted expression. The clothes were beautiful and they definitely fit her vibe but they were far too much money for the sweet women to waste (they'd already done too much for her).
She noticed the younger female didn't take her eyes off the floor as she dug her feet into the soles of her worn down shoes, almost like she was trying to disappear. Carina swallowed her emotions that made her want to rush over and hug the girl and promise everything would be okay, that she would have a happy life with them- she knew she couldn't promise that. She smiled softly at her instead, suggesting that they could just look together and point out things to Maya for next time.
The blonde firefighter had caught onto her wife's game and knew it wouldn't be just looking - but a ruse to get her more comfortable and see what she actually liked. Fynleigh shrugged softly, her eyes glancing around for something with a frowning face. She didn't seem to spot what she was after - the clearance rack, if the women were going to insist on spending money on her it should be the cheapest possible. The Italian offered her hand and the red head accepted it after a few moments of comfortable silence, beginning to walk with her around the store and making small talk about things like her favourite colours. Before living with the two women touch from her foster parents was never positive but the young girl was slowly residing herself to their touch - crumbling her walls down ever so slowly as she began to feel comforted by said touch.
The couple learned that her favourite colours were those that were bright, shades of neon and many funky patterned garments later (after persistent protests from their foster daughter) - they approached the changing rooms. Carina made a mental note to make an appointment with Arizona, both women had noticed their foster daughter was on the smaller side and rather skinny. This seemed to be amplified when the smallest size in the store seemed extra oversized on her which arose the dreaded question.
Fynleigh became visibly nervous when Carina began to ask questions about her current size in clothing. She didn't want to freak the women out by the fact that kids clothes were more appropriate than the stores Carina had suggested they go to next - or worry (especially the doctor of the two) by telling the truth that she was a couple of sizes down from her age. It was obvious to the two women that the question seemed to frighten her and thus Maya made the gentle suggestion of checking the tags on her clothes.
Maya quickly checked the tags on her clothes and making a mental note offering the girl a reassuring smile. Luckily their foster daughter seemed content with the oversized fit of the sweaters and they checked out- Maya making sure the girl didn't see or hear how much was spent striking up a conversation about which store to go to next.
A few stores later and a couple of visits to kids's section later, they had several shopping bags for their sweet girl. It had been a difficult shopping experience as clothes had either been too small or too big, meaning the vast majority of the clothes were oversized (not that the red head minded).
The women had fought against many many protests from their girl about how she didn't deserve it and that they shouldn't waste their money on her. They still weren't done in their eyes but decided to stop for lunch as Fynleigh seemed visibly tired and the couple were definitely hungry.
Settling on a small retro looking diner, the three females entered and were soon seated in a booth in the corner. It was Fynleigh's time still for the two women, a sort of belated birthday weekend and the diner definitely seemed to interest their foster daughter.
She eyed the dukebox in the corner, loving the vibe of the place and the bright neon colours that were heavily featured. The red head was drawn out of her thoughts as she took in the space - she would love to have a room or a space like this. Maya smiled at her softly, gesturing to the menu that had been placed down in front of her as a woman that she hadn't noticed stood by their table with a pad. Presumably Maya and Carina had already ordered, as she blushed red and quickly cast her eyes to the menu to avoid keeping the waitress waiting any longer.
"Uhm.. a kids fries and nuggets please, is that okay?" Fynleigh asked her foster mothers with nervous eyes, her fingers tightening around the corner of the laminated menu as she fiddled with it. Carina frowned a little at the kids portion but was thankful that she felt comfortable enough to ask for what she wanted. She'd always heard complaints from others that their teenagers ate them out of house and home, ironically the Italian really hoped Fynleigh would reach that stage and not be so ignorant of her own needs. The Italian tacked on a side of fruit to the order (already in mamma bear mode) and wanting her to have a balance.
Maya reminded her about her drink option, her foster daughter clearly flustered as she eyed the waitress who had begun lightly tapping her foot - scared that she'd already been too much hassle. She settled for a simple strawberry milkshake, something that she could drink a ton of a day if she was allowed. She wasn't one for fizzy drinks as the static in the drink always made her tummy feel sort of fuzzy.
A comfortable silence settled around the table as the waitress gave the three a polite smile and walked away to file their order.
"So bambina- you lit up when we came in here, would you like something like this for your room possibly?" Carina smiled warmly at their foster daughter from across the table, she loved to see her happy.
"Oh uhm I don't know, you don't need to do that. It's fine the way it is, honestly. I was just being an idiot when I blanked out. I'm sorry." Fynleigh frowned, moving her fingers to her mouth to begin to pick at the skin on her lips. She shifted in her seat, feeling like eyes were on her even those of the random people who sat around them, which she knew was totally nonsensical.
"Honey, you're not an idiot please don't say that. We can totally do up your room into something like this - maybe Car more than me but I can paint! I'm not really a home decorator kind of woman, more of a minimalist." Maya declared a little too proudly that she could indeed help paint but it was definitely true that Carina had the more decorated eye of the two. The blonde shifted her weight forward and took the child's hand in her own to stop her anxious actions.
Carina mused from beside her wife - remembering the day of her moving in and how Maya's ocean eyes had widened almost to the actual size of the ocean at how many things she had. Maya was definitely more bare bones of the two, with a place for everything and a layout in mind while Carina was full of sentiment and had way too many things that one woman probably needed but each thing held some sentiment behind it.
"Nessun problema bambina, we can make a list to suit Maya and then we can go crazy room shopping another day hm?" Carina smiled warmly, her words generally sincere but immediately confusing to the red head. Fyn tried to shake off the strange warmth that grew in her stomach, an almost fuzzy feeling like an old broken tv stuck on static constantly.
She dared to let herself dream as she smiled back at Carina but the doubt was obvious in her eyes - spacing out as her mind drifted to what on earth she would actually like in a space that was hers. She hadn't had much stability in her life and the thought alone made her feel strange, skeptical but seen all at once. Little Fynleigh had wanted a dream catcher, she'd been told by another child at school that they scared away bad dreams - sadly a lot of her life until now had been a nightmare.
Fynleigh flinched softly yet again having zoned out into the wild possibilities of what her room could look like, finally noticing the waitress that stood at their table as she set her food down in front of her as directed by Carina.
"Grazie." Carina thanked the woman, who had already unloaded her and Maya's food with a warm smile. The two women began to eat their food, trying their best to avoid their foster daughter noticing their concerned stares as she stared at her plate of food with an indistinguishable expression. The younger female seemed to frown at the plate, using her fork to push the fries and nuggets away from each other as she hesitantly reached for the ketchup that sat on the table. Maya smiled softly, happy when the kid finally began to eat after seeming to carefully apply her sauce to the plate. Carina watched her quietly, her doctor thoughts going off in her head at how she seemed to eat so precise and had to have her food so particular - even down to just enough ketchup on her nuggets. The Italian shook those thoughts off as she sipped her coffee, either way Fynleigh was still perfect in her and Maya's eyes.
Fynleigh was slowly beginning to find comfort in the two women although it still confused the hell out of her why they were so different. They seemed content to sit in silence and it didn't feel awkward or deafening like silence usually did for her, more familiar despite her being placed with them for barely any time at all. She was grateful that they didn't push her to talk to them and let her engage with them at her own pace however much she struggled to show it.
Maya and Carina had eaten three quarters of their food before she'd finished and drunk all of her milkshake easily - they were smiling all the same and Fynleigh had surprised even herself. The small cup of fruit seemed more daunting than the plate of food had, the red head feeling stupid for feeling anxious at the mere thought of having to eat something so simple. It could be a lot worse and she was becoming mad at herself, taking a bite of a piece of watermelon so thankful that it was still ripe and sweet. There was just something about certain foods that freaked her out not that she'd ever told anybody, the food anxieties stayed imprisoned in her mind as they taunted her.
Three quarters of the fruit cup was managed, with the watermelon and strawberries easier as they were sweet but the blueberries that sat below she had no clue what to expect. The inner self critic blared in her mind and the distress in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Maya, who had caught her eye as she was directly opposite. They spent their money on this food for you and you're acting stupid, god why would they even want you. With a shallow breath, clenching her hands tight to stop them from shaking she plucked one of the blueberries from the cup and forced herself to chew. This was a decision she soon regretted at the unexpected squishy sensation of the berry but she feared for embarrassing her foster parents and forced herself to swallow - her shoulders visibly shuddering as she did.
"Don't feel like you need to eat them hun, besides we have more shopping to do." Maya smiled, she'd actually enjoyed the day so far given how she hated shopping but that was probably just because of the company and their starting of a family life. Much to Carina's disappointment she probably wouldn't understand the thrill or fun of shopping any time soon unless it was for their girl.
In response Fynleigh eyed the multiple shopping bags that sat around them with a raised eyebrow, almost silently questioning the blonde's words. She soon caught her attitude and her face fell flat, eyeing the women with wary eyes as she expected to at least get some verbal abuse back. Instead, Carina just smiled wide shaking her head in an amused manner - "Si bella, there is many things already but not enough. There are many more things you need and things that you just deserve.".
The Italian took out some money and left it on the table, standing up and picking up their things. Maya smiled at the two as she grabbed the left over shopping bags, following her wife and hopefully daughter as her heart swelled with love.
Many stores later and probably a whole lot of money later although Fynleigh had no clue how much as the two women purposely made sure she wasn't aware. They didn't want her to worry or feel guilty for receiving so many things - both women just wanting to shower their girl with love and everything she'd missed out on. They were only half successful as Fynleigh had felt guilty from the get go and the first thing bought for her, her stomach in knots and feeling like somebody was using it as a stress ball. From having nobody to care about her apart from her social worker who could only do so much and having barely anything physically to now feeling like she practically had a department store full of things. From shoes, to clothes and she had to admit some extremely funky socks that she adored (they had literal hedgehogs on them) to various other things that the women felt they just had to buy or that she needed.
The three females were soon driving back home from the mall as Maya drove them home, noticing her wife was tired from her excitement to shop. Fynleigh buried herself further into the car seat, quickly blinking away tears that threatened to spill as the guilt that was eating her from the inside out threatened to rear its head. She wiped her eyes frantically glad the women hadn't noticed, staring out at the cars almost wondering with childhood curiosity where they were going. To who was in each car and why they were driving by them on that chilly Friday afternoon - lulled by the motion of the car moving and the quite humming of Carina's music choice.
Maya pulled into the apartment complex, grabbing as many shopping bags as possible to help her wife out. Maya and Carina's arms laiden with shopping bags, the three soon made their way up to the apartment after Maya had locked the car. The blonde held the apartment door open for her wife and kid, a dumb smile stuck on her face.
The two women took off their shoes and the red head followed suit.
"Cool socks." Maya smirked, only now noticing and genuinely finding the pizza printed socks she wore cool. She received a quite mumbled thank you in response, a timid smile growing on the young girl's face.
"Sono così stanco, let's get everything put away and then we can relax sì?" Carina suggested, picking up some of the shopping bags as her wife grabbed the rest. The couple approached the girl's bedroom, the red head unsure where to put herself - she still felt terrible for the amount of their money spent on her and felt reluctant to lay claim to the items.
"God we really need to decorate in here." Maya mumbled quietly, taking in the middle aged looking room which definitely didn't suit a teenager.
"Our next shopping trip bambina, hm?" Carina smirked, sending Fyn a playful smile as she opened the standing closet and begun to put things away. Maya rolled her eyes playfully, placing a kiss on her wife's cheek as she helped her unpack the rest of the bags.
Fynleigh fidgeted with her fingers, her eyes frantically moving around the room and refusing to stay in one spot as she debated where to put herself. She felt terrible for just sitting there - like a deer in the headlights and not contributing anything, after the women had given her so much.
"You can pop anything in the hamper that needs washing bambina per favore and whatever is left in your bag if you don't mind." Carina requested, giving her a small job as she noticed the girl seemed tired but she didn't want her to feel uncomfortable all the same. The kid was quick to oblige seeming to only now notice the woven laundry hamper that sat in the corner of the room- carefully folding her dirty clothing and placing it into said hamper.
"U-uhm... can I leave that? I don't have anywhere to put them and I'd rather not loose anything." Fyn asked quietly, scared to go against Carina's request as she looked at the women with big, sad eyes. An old looking photo caught Maya's eye that was poking out of the top of the bag, before it was frantically pushed back into the backpack.
"Remind me to buy you a cute little memory box." Maya smiled softly, giving her a soft nod knowing Carina would say the same thing - as the Italian was preoccupied with arranging the child's clothes in a particular way.
The firefighter smirked as she watched her wife murmur quietly to herself, placing each item of clothing in what seemed to be assigned sections. She frowned a little, noticing the welcome basket set out on the drawers untouched - containing everything from a fluffy white blanket (the softest blanket they'd found at the store) to a colouring book and pencils alongside many other things.
"You know all of those things are for you hun." Maya said softly, taking a seat on the bed but still giving the girl some physical space between them. Fynleigh's cheeks grew red from embarrassment, worried that the woman thought her unappreciative but truth be told she was still fearful despite how sweet the two women were.
"T-thank you, for everything." She blurted into the comfortable silence, Maya smiling softly and silently squeezing her shoulder as acknowledgment. As much as she wanted to assure her she didn't need to thank them - the girl had clearly been conditioned a certain way and only time with a lot of nurturing could break that hold on her.
Carina gave her a warm smile to, with a soft shake of her head silently signalling that a thank you wasn't needed. The Italian grabbed the bags for the bathroom and left the bedroom with her wife to give their clearly tired bambina some space to herself.
.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·. .·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
The smell of pasta filled the apartment, drawing Fynleigh out of her room. She'd been laying in bed, the white fluffy blanket wrapped around her - enjoying the softness against her skin with her music blaring in her ears. She was currently between her Harry Styles and Olivia Rodrigo playlist and couldn't decide which one was her current favourite.
"Ah bambina, settle a debate per favore. Fresh sauce or jarred pasta sauce?" Carina's face lit up as she noticed her foster daughter approaching the kitchen, pushing her anxiety down for the promise of food.
Fynleigh gave the italian a confused expression, simply raising an eyebrow and silently raising her hands as if to jokingly say oh I'm keeping out of this one.
"I'm not exactly a master chef." She murmured softly, kicking her feet quietly against the bar at the bottom of the kitchen stool where she'd sat.
"Ooh, I can teach you. Not tonight though. Maya is cooking tonight, I'm so sorry." Carina smirked jokingly, a grin on her face at the idea of spending time with their girl.
"Hey! It's a jar of sauce and I can just about manage pasta, thank you very much." Maya complained playfully as she placed the pasta onto three plates.
The Italian laughed warmly, her eyes lighting up in contentedness as Maya and her foster daughter (who insisted on helping) carried the plates over to the table.
"To drink dolcezza?" Carina directed to her foster daughter, receiving a nervous shrug in response as she feared for being demanding. The elder woman just smiled and took her chance to force her two loves to hydrate. She set two glasses of water down on the table, retrieving the other one before sitting down next to her wife.
Again, the women noticed that their girl didn't begin to eat until they did and even then seemed hesitant. Fyn chewed her food slowly, thankfully content with the texture as she would hate to look ungrateful and managed three quarters of her plate.
"I-I'll help." Fynleigh jumped up from the table as the two women stood and grabbed everything to wash up.
"It's okay bambina, thank you for offering but go ahead and get comfortable on the sofa. This isn't your job, it's mine and Maya's to look after you not for you to run around after us." Carina gently explained to the young girl who looked very conflicted.
"Please hun, we need you to pick us a movie to watch." Maya explained with a comforting smile.
The small family were soon settled on the sofa, Fynleigh sat in between Maya and Carina with an extra large throw blanket over them - feeling suprisingly comfortable. She'd decided on Lilo and Stitch 2 not sure what other films she'd enjoy as she'd never had the opportunity to experience them. The only reflections from the first movie had been that Stitch was super cute and she was sure younger Fyn would have loved him to.
Halfway through the movie, Maya's heart melted as she glanced over toward her wife. The red head had fallen asleep with her head half on Carina's shoulder and half on her chest as her wife's arms were fastened securely around her. The Italian's head drooped against the sofa at an angle that definitely didn't look comfortable.
She couldn't help but snap a quick picture - wanting to create many memories with their sweet girl who both women already considered their kid. Sadly, Maya knew if the young girl was awake she'd have totally freaked out at the closeness and felt a little guilty snapping a picture without her consent. She convinced herself it would be a cute memory to look back on, locking her phone as she focused on getting the two females to bed where they'd be much more comfortable.
"Mhmm, niente altri cinque minuti." Carina moaned softly as she felt her wife stroking her cheek before moving to her shoulder to gently rub small circles. The brunette reluctantly opened her eyes and sleepily looked up at her wife, confusion present in her barely awake stare at the light weight against her.
"Maya, the bambina. She needs her bed." She yawned softly, a content but sleepy smile on her face as she unconsciously began to rub the girl's back as she stirred.
"She's not the only one." Maya chuckled quietly, deciding to ignore everything in her that screamed not to and bent down to the younger girls ear.
"Is it okay if I pick you up hun, only to take you to bed." Maya explained softly as the red head was clearly content to stay where she was and not move.
"Mhmm." Fynleigh mumbled in a sleepy daze, probably why she so easily agreed. The blonde gently wrapped her arms around the red head, lifting her when she felt like she had enough of a grip. She carried much heavier people out of buildings on a daily basis and the girl barely felt like anything in her arms as she carried her to her bedroom. Carina slowly following behind, with a warm feeling filling her and waking her up a bit more as she watched her wife take such good care of their girl.
Maya had always been hot in Carina's eyes but in this moment she saw her in a new light. She found it adorable as Maya double checked on their sleeping foster daughter every so often, her eyes filled with such love and was super careful (maybe too careful - avoiding anything she could bump into by a mile). The firefighter pulled back the bed covers after entering the bedroom and carefully laid the girl down.
Surprising even herself as she made sure to pull the duvet up to cover their girl, tucking the teen in and making sure her stuffed animals were next to her. She smiled in an amused manner noticing the red head hadn't woken up at all during the journey to the bedroom.
"Goodnight hun." Maya whispered softly, placing a kiss on her head.
"Goodnight tesoro, sogni d'oro." Carina murmured sleepily as she took her wife's place and kissed the top of her head before turning to leave.
"Let's get you to bed my love." Maya smiled, wrapping an arm around her wife's waist and a sleepy Carina eagerly leaned into Maya's touch letting her lead her to bed for a good nights sleep.