I Didn't Think It Would Happen Like This

[Tree]

Ansel shifted, kissing her once.

"You're kinda stuck with us. "

He informed her matter of faculty.

"Disfunctional people collecting habits and all. "

[Sushi]

Willow stayed small, still working that over in her head. She didn't quite know what to do with or how to make it fit. Give her some more time with it.

"You know it's not picking up where things were left off, right?" She asked very softly as she looked around at the few things that had once been hers.

"I'm not her?"

[Tree]

"I know what we've both grown since then. We're different but many things are the same, too. I'm not expecting anything more than getting to love you..... that's OK, yeah? "

He asked tenderly

[Sushi]

Willow nodded.

"I'm sorry for being so... Emotional."

She still wasn't over it, but she could shift it to the back burner for now. Just let the new stuff cook.

[Tree]

"Please don't be..... I wish I wasn't the source of your pain. I'm so sorry, Willow. "

[Sushi]

Willow took in and released a deep breath before shaking her head. Okay. Time to be logical about this.

"You're not, really. Emotions and results aside, it was the right thing to do. There was something wrong with me - even I knew it."

[Tree]

"I wish I had handled it differently..... I love you. "

He hugged her close.

"So much. .... and one day.... one day we'll have a cute little purple girlie with our other little princesses ."

He wouldn't deny that lime boy, though.

[Sushi]

Willow shook her head, no matter how much it hurt to do so. She wanted that so badly, but she couldn't believe in it.

"I had my chance."

She closed her eyes, pushing it away.

"Did you have a good day?"

[Tree]

Ansel felt real awkward a second, nodding as he kissed her.

"Mostly, yes. "

He answered, concern etched all over his face as he loved on her. He didn't think she should give up, and he certainly didn't hide that fact, but he didn't voice it, either.

[Sushi]

"only mostly?"

Willow let herself sink onto the pillow, eyes wandering the room.

[Tree]

"Uh.... yes. I might have made a few social blips in adjusting to the new circumstances is all. Nothing particularly worrisome. "

At least, not as far as his wife was concerned. She hadn't exactly understood his reservations about this. He was still working out exactly how he felt about the fact he'd held a dude's hand and kissed his forehead. Normally Ansel was fully secure in his masculinity, but right now was not normal for him. He was a mess. But it was nothing compared to his wife's worries.

[Sushi]

Her eyes shifted to him after a second.

"If it's not worrisome, then why are you worried?"

[Tree]

"Eh...."

Ansel swallowed.

"I know it's nothing to you, but I'm kinda having a weird identity crisis after some things. That's all. I am OK. It's just .... adjustment. "

[Sushi]

"your feelings aren't nothing to me," she told him sincerely, though she didn't press.

[Tree]

Ansel looked at her, sighing.

/ I'm firmly attracted to women. There's no doubt of that in my mind /

And that much was very true. He wasn't exaggerating or trying to sound some old school masculine or something. It was just his truth.

/..... but it's weird with Taylor./

He admitted, snuggling his wife as he debated how to put his feelings into words.

" i kissed the guy on the forehead. . ... I was holding his hand any the house, too. I don't even like... remember deciding to do it? It's real weird. "

[Sushi]

Willow rested her hand on his back.

"Do you regret doing it?"

[Tree]

"Not exactly. But.... I'm feeling conflicted. "

Ansel pet at her hair, sighing as he tried to pick a single feeling. He kissed at her slowly, cuddling her into him as he processed.

"I don't get it. I do not find men attractive. "

He shrugged.

"I dunno what's going on here. I only was cool with the dude bits cause I thought you'd dig him. "

[Sushi]

"you can just say you like women and Taylor. You don't have to make it more than that," she suggested.

"Do you feel like you wanna do something with him, or is it kind of just a lingering affection until he's a girl again?"

[Tree]

Ansel shook his head.

"I dunno. Cause like. They're the same person.... but like..... mister potato head can be a girl by switching parts at will? It's all confusing. I dunno what I do not want to do. My body is doing this stuff without asking my brain. "

[Sushi]

"if you're not comfortable just letting yourself do whatever feels right in the moment, it seems like it's entirely a head problem, not a body problem."

Willow considered it before studying his face.

"Would you like me to flirt with the boy version so you can watch and see if you feel anything?"

[Tree]

Ansel thought about this, looking over Willow.

"What if I decide I'm not ok watching it? Like... I totally accept that it could readily happen organically.... it was something I was prepared for.... but I did not plan to watch it originally. ...."

He'd planned to try to not react to it at all and let his wife find her safe, comfortable place.

"And I don't want you uncomfortable cause I'm still trying to figure myself out....."

[Sushi]

Willow shrugged.

"I can stop whenever you want."

[Tree]

Ansel took a breath, nodding to himself.

"Maybe......"

He was leaning towards yes, kissing Willow now.

"You're the best, you know. "

[Sushi]

Willow smiled faintly.

"For just caring about you?"

[Tree]

Ansel shook his head.

"You're not even bothered about my... dude thing. "

He didn't even want to think on it anymore. It was making him kind dizzy.

[Sushi]

Willow's smile turned lopsided.

"Of course not. I kinda enjoy your dude thing."

But she was clearly talking about an entirely different "dude thing", just a little playfulness to lighten his mood.

[Tree]

Ansel gave her a rather cheesy grin as he pulled her into a passionate quick kiss.

"Well, I am sure we're both delighted to hear that."

Yeah, totally referenced to his dick as a separate person.

[Sushi]

Willow let him have his kiss before relaxing back into the pillow again.

"I'm sure you are."

She turned onto her side then, too exhausted to even want to eat. She leaned into it, wanting to hold onto being too tired to think.

[Tree]

Ansel did dip out to watch a movie with Nora after Willow was also, but was too tired for much else tonight himself and climbed into bed with a sleepy Rosie, snuggling wife and baby girl.

If he had his say, he'd sleep until much later than normal for him

[Sushi]

Willow didn't bother him when she woke. However, she did leave the bed.

Ansel would wake to find Aisling sitting on his bed, staring at him as she half ate, half crumbled a plain biscuit.

"Hi."

The room was also a lot messier than it had been at bedtime. There was a heap of clothing outside the closet, and as he watched, another shirt flew out to land on the pile.

[Tree]

Ansel blinked, yawning and stretching, reaching out to his wife.

/I think the closet is malfunctioning. /

He shared with a sleepy grin, reaching to snuggle his crumb coated kiddo.

[Sushi]

Willows head poked out of the closet, followed by her arms as she grabbed a couple pieces at the bottom to drag the pile back inside with herself.

/Sorry./



"No!" Protested the child, smacking him unhappily.

[Tree]

Ansel sulked.

"We don't hit. You can say no, but we don't hit. Kay?"


/ oh! It's You. Is everything alright? Did they mess up your system?
/

[Sushi]

/I didn't have a system./

Clothing had been difficult for her for a long time.



"Noooo."

The child looked the now broken biscuit, angry at first and then breaking into tears. How dare he mess up her snack?!

[Tree]

Ansel looked at his daughter, bewildered at first. Thankfully this is somewhere she did benefit from being the littlest cause he called to the kitchen as he picked up Aisling.

"Let's get you a new one, princess. I'm sorry. "

[Sushi]

The tears dried up instantly as she got given a new biscuit. She babbled wordlessly with pleasure around the bread. Good. Good daddy. He was forgiven. He could even hold her for a while if he wanted. At least, he could until she noticed something shiny nearby that she needed to go investigate right away, biscuit forgotten.

[Tree]

Ansel was not - entirely - thrilled to part with snuggle tone, but let it go, making sure that Rosie was good and that the other two had successfully made it to school. Then he returned to spy on his wife from just beside the door frame.

/Watchya doing? /

[Sushi]

Willow nearly jumped out of her skin as he startled her. A pair of shoes tumbled out of her hands and a shirt followed, falling out from where she'd been shoving it behind a shelving unit she'd managed to slide a couple inches from the wall.

About half of the clothes that had been unpacked for her yesterday where missing from the shelves. A quarter of those had to be laying in the middle of the floor.

"Um," she started hesitantly, "rearranging?"

[Tree]

Ansel grinned.

"Kay. Love you. "

He answered, stretching again before he sleepily headed to shower.

"You can do whatever, you know. "

[Sushi]

Willow tugged on a lock of hair.

"Well... That's good."

The answer would only be cryptic until he got into the bathroom. The tub had easily as many clothes in it as there were on the floor of the closet, all submerged in a slightly milky water. Next to the tub sat a giant, empty box of baking soda.