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artificialqueens · 7 years

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Meet in the Middle (Rajila) - Juniper

Summary: Raja worries that she’s getting old. 2.3k of established lesbian Rajila. Part of the “Bleary Eyes” series.

Manila licks her lips as she shuffles into the kitchen, the pervading scent pulling her sleepy body from bed. She hissed as her toes initially touched the cold tile, catching the attention of the girl at the stove.

“Morning,” Raja chuckled, obviously amused by Manila’s disheveled appearance. In the metal of the toaster, she could see her bun hanging on by a thread, eyes half closed.

“I smelled pancakes,” she shrugged.

Raja hummed as she poured more batter into the pan. “You better put socks on, babe. You’re gonna get sick.”

Manila, ever stubborn, huffed as she plopped down at the table. She crossed her legs, pulling her feet underneath.

“It’s not that cold.”

“It’s definitely freezing,” Raja said, reaching for the spatula. “No snow today, though, or so the weatherman said.”

Manila could see out the window above the sink, the chilly air of the morning not accompanied by even the bravest bird. The sky was a light grey, matching the dreary disposition of the leafless trees in the yard of their apartment building. Plenty of people found the dead sight of winter depressing, but it was comforting to her. She readjusted the collar of her flannel pajama top.

“Can you make mine into a snowman?”

Raja barked out a laugh. “I can try. No promises that it won’t be offensively bad.”

Manila pulled the tie from her hair, attempting to scrape it all up into something a bit more acceptable. She couldn’t help the slight twinge of jealousy she felt as she admired Raja’s thick, dark hair, effortlessly cascading down her back. It was always sleek and beautiful, not a frizzy strand or split end in sight.

She hopped up to rustle through the fridge for some juice when her phone started to buzz in her breast pocket.

Swiping her finger across the screen, she was met with a high-pitched wail.

A sigh, then, “Hello? ‘Nila?”

“Hey, sis,” Manila laughed. “The monsters giving you a tough time?”

“Only on days that end in y,” the exhausted voice rang through the line. “Speaking of which, I need to ask you a favor.”

Her eyes narrowed as she shook the carton of orange juice. “What’s up, Rach?”

“So, remember how I got surprised with those Nutcracker tickets a couple of weeks back?”

Manila hummed, as if she didn’t know exactly where her sister was headed with the conversation.

“Well, the show is tonight, and our sitter totally has the flu or something. Even if she could come in, I don’t want her getting the babies sick. It’s too late to cancel, ‘Nila, I already got a new dress and we made reservations-“

“I’ll do it,” Manila interrupted, suppressing the urge to laugh at her frazzled tone. A hefty exhale came through the phone.

“Thank you, thank you! I love you, you’re the best. Can you be here at six?”

“I know I am. See you at six.”

After she hung up, Raja was carefully carrying two plates over to the table. Manila grabbed two clean glasses.

“What was that about?” Raja asked, drizzling syrup over her breakfast. Her girlfriend scooted her chair closer, resting her cheek against Raja’s fleece clad shoulder. Her lengthy body was covered in a gray onesie, not quite reaching her ankles.

“Rachel asked if I could watch the kids tonight,” she groaned, dramatically stuffing a forkful into her mouth.

“That’s fine, we didn’t really have plans anyway. What time does she want us at the house?”

Manila sat up, a brow knit in disapproval.

“You don’t have to come and spend your Saturday wiping noses.”

Raja laughed softly as she filled her glass. “I want to. You know I love your family, why wouldn’t I wanna spend time with your niece and nephew?”

She pressed a kiss to her temple and Manila sighed happily, relaxing into the touch.

“Fine, if you insist. But don’t expect to make it out without watching Moana at least three times.”

–

Manila ran the wand over her bottom lip, watching in wonder as the liquid dried matte, coating her mouth in a deep red. It wasn’t too late in the afternoon, but the winter sun had already begun its’ descent, making the bedroom dark enough to switch on the lights lining the vanity mirror.

The chill managed to creep in through the closed window, but Manila felt toasty in the layers beneath her cable knit sweater. Her ears were tinged the slightest shade of pink, and she debated letting her hair down.

A slew of curses came from the bathroom, and Manila stumbled out of her chair and toward the noise.

“Raj? You okay?”

She was leaning against the cabinet, rubbing her scalp. She was wearing a frown, and it would almost be adorable if Manila wasn’t concerned.

“Yes, I’m fine. Shit,” she grumbled, and her girlfriend noticed a few stray hairs sticking out of her fist.

“What’s this?” She asked, uncurling Raja’s fingers so that the strands lay flat in her palm.

“Nothing,” Raja spat, moving to let them roll into the garbage, but as they fell Manila caught a glimpse of the silvery contrast.

She took a nervous step toward the taller woman, linking their arms. She peered up, a futile attempt in meeting her gaze. Her embarrassed cheeks were red and splotchy, confirming Manila’s suspicions.

“Babe, was that a gray hair?”

Raja tore away, exhaling in annoyance. She started down the hall, Manila shuffling along the carpet behind, trying not to gather electricity in her socks.

“We’re late already, grab your boots.”

“No,” she protested. “I wanna talk about why this makes you so upset, and we’re not leaving until we do.”

In the same instant, both pairs of eyes dart to the keys hanging from the hook on the wall, and make a beeline for them. They shove each other, arms covering eyes, until Raja accidentally bangs her elbow against the wall and is forced to recede. Manila grabs the keys, hurriedly stuffing them in her bra for safe keeping.

“Really?” Raja bemusedly asks, eyebrow raised as she continues to soothe her tingling funny bone.

The Pinay crosses her arms, a stubborn look on her face. Raja rolls her eyes.

“Fine,” she relents. “I’ve been plucking out gray hairs for weeks now, hoping you wouldn’t see. Out of sight, out of mind, right?”

“Raja, it’s just hair. I don’t care what color it is, the way you wear it, how much of it you have. Everyone gets grays eventually.”

“Why does my eventually have to be right now?” She seethes, frustration bubbling to the surface. “I’m don’t want to get old, I just want time to stop. There’s so much I haven’t done yet, and it’s like some kind of clock, incessantly ticking, reminding me that I’m not gonna be young forever. I don’t care how superficial it sounds, I love my hair. It’s part of who I am, and I’m gonna lose-“

She stops when her voice breaks, and clamps her eyes shut. Manila isn’t sure when her hand moves to cover her mouth, but she feels awkward lowering it.

“That what you wanted to hear, Manila? You happy now?” She whispers.

“Of course not,” she mutters meekly. “Raj, listen-“

“Let’s just go, okay? I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.”

Manila retrieves the keys, nodding mutely.

–

The car ride over is mostly silent, save for the radio which is cranked up for an obvious reason. When they pull up, they can see Rachel peeking out of one of the blinds, face washed over by complete relief when she sees them.

The door opens by the time they get to the step, fake smiles on display. Rachel looks lovely, actually finding the time to put on makeup, and do more than just run a brush through her hair. It’s not easy with twin toddlers, Manila knows. Every family dinner, she watches the exhausted look on her sister’s face as she chases them around the house, wiping faces and changing diapers, still managing to be overflowing with care and wisdom. She admires everything about it.

“Kids!” She yells up the stairs. “Tiya ‘Nila and Auntie Raja are here!”

Alex comes running down the stairs, with Isabel riding on her father’s shoulders, full of giggles. Manila’s heart comes back to life when she sees them.

The young girl hops down as her father kneels, and Manila gets tackled by hugs. Raja smiles as she watches the scene, feeling slightly guilty for putting a damper on the day. She sees Rachel struggling to slip on her shoes and secure her earrings at the same time, and moves to help her.

“Do you ever worry about getting old, Rach?” She asks lowly. Manila’s sister stops, looking at her with an indiscernible expression.

“Sometimes, yeah, of course. Things like that go on that backburner once you have kids, though,” she laughed. “When my birthday came last month, I actually had to do the math in the calculator on my phone. I had no idea how old I was turning. I think, so long as you enjoy what you’re doing with your time, that maybe getting old is not so bad.”

Raja thinks about it for a moment.

–

Raja sighs, rubbing her eyes. Her mascara is probably smudged, but she doesn’t care. Her shirt is already covered in multiple stains, and she forgot to bring her lipstick for touchups anyway. It’s just past midnight, and she knows they’re going to get an earful from Rachel about the kids being up way past bedtime.

Isabel is up on her purple step stool, diligently brushing her teeth over the sink. It’s one of the toothbrushes that takes batteries, playing a song from a children’s show that Raja doesn’t recognize.

From the bathroom, she can spot that the door to the twins’ room is cracked open, where Manila is already tucking Alex in. She creeps across, peeking inside.

His side of the room is lit up by the glow of his nightlight, and Manila is kneeling by the side of the bed. Alex is under the blankets, on his side, and Raja thinks she can make out faint sniveling.

“If you leave me alone, the monsters are going to get me. I know it.”

Raja bites her lip. They had all sat in the living room watching Trolls for the first time, stuffing themselves with popcorn. Isabel had taken to it wonderfully, but Raja knew she hadn’t imagined the discomfort in her brother’s eyes every time the terrible “Bergens” appeared.

“Nothing will get you, I promise,” Manila reassured, her sweet voice so calm. More relaxed than Raja had ever heard it. “You can keep the nightlight on, and I’ll be right downstairs. Where’s your koala?”

“Dunno.”

“Dunno? That’s how you treat a gift from me?”

“Kenny’s under the bed,” he whispers, even though they’re technically alone.

Manila reaches underneath, retrieving a stuffed koala. She plays with the ear.

“You don’t like to sleep with Kenny anymore?”

“Not a baby,” he grumbles. “Sister doesn’t.”

“Hey, you don’t have to pretend to not like something just because your sister doesn’t. You can be a big boy and still sleep with Kenny. As a matter of fact, I still sleep with a teddy bear, and I’m, like, way old.”

“Really?”

“Mmhm,” she confirms, peeling down the covers just far enough to give room for the animal. Alex wrapped his arms around it. “And I was scared once, too, but then something helped me to realize that there was nothing to be afraid of.”

Raja can feel herself smiling.

“Just sleep with Kenny tonight and see how you feel. I’m sure he’ll help you feel safe. Then in the morning, Mommy will be back, and you’ll see that there was nothing to be afraid of. Sometimes the things we fear aren’t actually as scary as we may think.”

Raja had a feeling her presence hadn’t gone unnoticed.

–

A few weeks later, Manila is unlocking the door, suppressing a yawn brought on from a long day at the office.

She can hear the shower switch off as she hangs up her purse and keys, and she kicks off her shoes, pushing them underneath the coffee table. They can be a problem for later.

Checking the time on her phone, Manila tells herself that she can squeeze in a power nap before dinner. Otherwise, she’ll be falling asleep into her pasta.

The bathroom door opens as she’s about to pass it, steam rolling out.

Raja’s standing in a towel, combing out her wet hair. She looks happy to see her girlfriend, who gives a dramatic groan before embracing her.

“Long day?” She laughs, the heat still rising off her skin.

“It lasted forever,” Manila whines, letting her eyes slip shut. She’d be content to sleep standing up, so long as Raja was bracing her.

“Poor thing,” she gently mocks, and Manila raises her head to really ham up her pout, when she notices something. “Take a picture, baby. It’ll last longer.”

“Sorry,” she laughs. “I was zoning out. I just…”

The teeth of the comb ran through a chunk of long, dark hair, mixed in with several silvery strands.

“I know, the gray hairs,” Raja sighs. “You were right, I was overreacting. It’s just hair. Maybe I am getting old, and so fucking what? I still have a lot of life to live. As long as we’re becoming old ladies together, I don’t mind it.”

She pinches her hip, and Manila feels pride.

“Plus, the salt and pepper look is super sexy!” She exclaims, causing Raja to roll her eyes.

“I was trying to create a moment here.”

Manila giggles. “Just make sure you spread those bitches out. Streaks are my thing.”

“I love you, you idiot.”

“I know,” Manila smiles. “I love you, too, grandma.”

She reaches for the mirror, using her finger to draw out a heart on the fogged-up glass.

#manila luzon #raja gemini #rajila #lesbian au #fluff #juniper #rpdr fanfiction #submission #bleary eyes

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