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April yawned, her hair pulled back in messy braids as she shuffled her way down the stairs. It was barely six o’clock in the morning, and she was still dressed in her old Harry Simmons concert tee, Shark Girl pajama bottoms, pink frog slippers, and glasses. Her only plan for the day was the most important one - to drink her weight in coffee. Everything had been so chaotic and stressful lately, between Arcade’s betrayal, her suicide attempt and stay at C.A.G.E., Nemo’s death, and the Contest of Champions. She’d barely had a moment to catch her breath. So instead of scheduling out every minute of her day, she was just going to vibe and see where her mood took her - maybe she’d go to the library and find some new books, maybe she’d continue to crochet presents, maybe she’d go for a swim, or maybe she’d watch terrible Christmas movies and eat way too much chocolate. 

As she made her way into the kitchen, she saw that she wasn’t the only one up this early - and that the coffee was already brewing. [color=42A9FF]“Have I told you that you’re in my top four favorite dads?”[/color] April squealed, as she threw her hands around James’ shoulders, and gave him a quick hug. She opened up the nearest counter and stood up on the tips of her toes, straining a bit to reach until she snatched out [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b7c80-7797-7481-ba3d-ab5db4afd6a0.webp]her mug[/url]. It was from a trip she’d taken on her first birthday with the Kingston-Grays, where they had visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 

James let out a soft oof as the patter of feet and a sudden weight on his back broke the morning stillness. James laughed under his breath, not disturbing the softness that the early mornings blanketed the house in, just a smidge on the cold side so that Max's enchanted snow didn't melt immediately, and reached up to help April get her mug. He caught the handle with his pinkie finger and offered it to her. [color=mediumspringgreen]“And you're in my top three favorite children, so I guess we're on the same page.”[/color] James teased back, an arm around her shoulders to bring her into a tight squeeze before he was pulling out his own mug. 

[color=mediumspringgreen]“You're up early. You sleep okay?”[/color] James asked, the back of his hand against her forehead to feel her temperature. 

[color=42A9FF]“Thanks, Pops!”[/color] She was the shortest in the household by several inches - and even with the mugs on the bottom shelf, it could be a bit of a struggle to reach them. She snuggled into his hug, letting her head rest on his chest. April scrunched up her nose slightly as he felt her temperature - she didn’t really mind it, but she was a teenager and had to protest at least slightly. [color=42A9FF]“I’m fiiiiiine,”[/color] she protested. [color=42A9FF]“I don’t sleep in as much as Danni,”[/color] she stuck her tongue out a bit. 

[color=mediumspringgreen]“Mhm.”[/color] James, satisfied with what he found, pulled his hand back and instead ruffled her hair. [color=mediumspringgreen]“The only person who sleeps more than Danni is your Papa, that's true.”[/color] James shook his head fondly, eyes drawn back to the coffee machine as it beeped. He let April go, snagging both their coffee mugs and pouring coffee. [color=mediumspringgreen]“Whatcha got going on today? Racing off anywhere right now or you got some time to hang out with your old man?”[/color]

April shrugged. [color=42A9FF]“I was thinking I was going to chill today and do… I dunno. But I guess I can hang with Papa when he wakes up,”[/color] she giggled, before nodding. [color=42A9FF]“Whatcha wanna do? I was thinking maybe watching movies and eating a bunch of chocolate? I probably burned like… a million calories in the contest, gotta replenish.”[/color]

[color=mediumspringgreen]“Yeah, a movie before everyone gets up sounds good. Let's head to the living room; I'll bring the coffee.”[/color] James filled his to the brim, nothing in it, and he poured April's just past halfway - cream and sugar filling the rest. James picked the two mugs up and followed April out of the kitchen, placing them down neatly with coasters on the coffee table before he settled into his corner of the couch. [color=mediumspringgreen]“Pick one out and we'll have an easy morning in, yeah?”[/color]

[color=42A9FF]“A Knight For Christmas?”[/color] she asked immediately. It was predictable trash, but still warm and comforting. And she could’ve sworn that the lead actor in it was Pa’s long lost twin brother. She popped the movie in, before opening up the ottoman and grabbing her favorite two or three blankets from in there. She’d learned this sort of nesting behavior pretty soon after meeting her family, and she tossed the blankets onto the couch, before flopping down next to James and getting settled. Was she liable to fall asleep? Sure. But it had been ages since she’d had a quiet moment with her Pops and a cuddle and a movie sounded amazing right now.

James threw his arm along the back of the sofa as April flopped onto the couch and got comfortable. Whether it was Casper or one of the kids, James was used to settling into this position for long hours. James let his arm drape across April’s shoulders once she settled instead and he laughed as the title screen popped up. They always joked that one of the characters looked just like Max, even though he denied it until his last breath. Casper had brought up the clone idea and James had very quickly shut that down - he didn't know which one of his overactive children would want to investigate but he wasn't going to let that happen. It was a familiar movie, so James turned the volume down a little so it'd be back ground noise. 

[color=mediumspringgreen]“So catch me up with life, kiddo. You had a crazy semester. How you feelin’?”[/color] 

[color=42A9FF]“Honestly, I feel really, really good,”[/color] April leaned forward for a second, grabbing her mug and taking a sip of her coffee - it was just the way she liked it, almost purely sugar and cream - before setting it back down. [color=42A9FF]“Like kinda night and day, y’know? Just - we won the Contest, aced all our classes, and now I just get to vibe and not stress about stuff. Yeah, a bunch of bad stuff happened but… I dunno. Is it weird that I feel kinda incredible?”[/color] The meds were getting better, too. The tremors in her hands had mostly settled out. And she was going to get to see her old therapist again, someone she was really comfortable with. For the moment, she felt in control. 

James nodded along and offered a thoughtful hum. [color=mediumspringgreen]“Yeah, that does sound pretty good. But I'm a little concerned. I mean, a near death experience into a complicated relationship into the Contest, making out with your ex on the global stage and then flirting with a new girl barely six hours later? It seems a little much for your normal, kiddo.”[/color] James offered softly, squeezing her into a hug for a moment. [color=mediumspringgreen]“You've been through a lot, especially with your trip to C.A.G.E. and a hard conversation with Vicky in the friend group during that bad time period, it's okay to be a little off balance. And I think your upswing might be a little too aggressive, kiddo. Its feeling a little manic. What do you think?”[/color]]

She squirmed slightly, her face turning red as James listed out a summary of the last few weeks - and it didn’t even include [i]everything[/i] she’d done. She’d kissed Sabine twice after they’d broken up. And if she were to be completely honest with herself, as much as the Hex Girls had been a struggle to fight, she would have kissed any of them if they’d asked her. She knew what depression felt like - knew now how to identify that deep sorrow and some strategies to manage it. But they hadn’t really talked about the manic half of being bipolar when she worked with Dr. Whitehall at C.A.G.E. [color=42A9FF]“I don’t know why I kissed her twice… It just felt right in the moment?”[/color] she bit her lip. [color=42A9FF]“I don’t even like her that way anymore… Um. But… how would I know what mania feels like?”[/color] she asked him. [color=42A9FF]“I just - I just feel really good. Isn’t that good that I’m not feeling sad anymore or thinking about… you know…?”[/color]

[color=mediumspringgreen]“It's definitely better than dwelling on all those things but-”[/color] James blinked as exactly what April said settled over him. Twice, okay. Maybe more of their kids took after Casper than he thought. [color=mediumspringgreen]“But I think that if you were a little leveled out, you probably wouldn't be making some of these decisions, yeah? I don't know what mania feels like but I do know it still affects your judgment making skills and that's fine, we just have to make sure you can stay safe while you're navigating this part of your life and your identity you know?”[/color] James couldn't let it pass by though. 

[color=mediumspringgreen]“And twice? You're going to make your Papa proud with that.”[/color] James laughed. 

Her face was positively crimson at the last comment. She didn’t know all of the details of her Papa’s past, but she knew that he slept around [i]a lot[/i] before meeting Pops. Was she being slutty…? She’d never had sex before. Dorian was the one who fucked his boyfriend every minute that he could. But… if she were being honest with herself, the urge she had to kiss girls - and maybe even a little more - had skyrocketed over the past few days. [color=42A9FF]“It’s just kissing!”[/color] April protested. 

But there was something else that stuck with her - what James had said about navigating her identity. She peeked out at him for a moment, taking her gaze away from the movie - even though it was at her favorite part, where Sir Cole met the Old Crone. [color=42A9FF]“Pops what if… what if I’m like Papa in another way, too?”[/color] she asked tentatively.

James pressed an apologetic kiss on his daughter's head, even as he was still laughing. James made a mental note to have Casper give April the talk again. If his daughter is starting to be more active in exploring that side of relationships, James wanted to make sure she was as prepared as possible and Casper had the most experience with all of the extremes. [color=mediumspringgreen]“Well, I think that's just fine. Your Papa does have me wrapped around his fingers after all.”[/color] James reassured her. [color=mediumspringgreen]“But what's on your mind? Your Papa's a lot of things so you'll have to be a little more specific.”[/color]

April pulled the blanket over her head, so that way she wouldn’t have to watch James’ reaction. It was something that had been on her mind for the past few days, something she hadn’t really admitted to herself, just considered as a possibility. But snuggled up with her Pops, she felt safe enough to at least pose the question. [color=42A9FF]“What if I’m not a girl, Pops?”[/color] she whispered. Her heart started beating thunderously fast. 

James let April hide herself away for the moment. He let her question hang in the air a moment and forced himself not to rush and reassure her. This was clearly something weighing on her, even if he himself thought it wasn't a particularly big deal, so he gave it some more thought. [color=mediumspringgreen]“Then, you aren't a girl. Gender and how we express it isn't a big deal - I mean, your Papa doesn't even answer the question anymore if someone asks. He just tells them how long he tapped dance on my nerves. And both your brother and your Papa wear whatever they want, even if we do have to remind them that means underwear too. So if you aren't a girl, then you aren't a girl, kiddo. Girl or not, you're still my kid.”[/color] 

She poked her head back out from under the blanket, holding back tears. It felt silly to her - Pops was right, she knew that her Papa didn’t have a concrete gender and Danni never passed up on a chance to wear a skirt or a dress - but she still had been terrified at the idea of it. Coming to terms with being a lesbian had been easier, almost a foregone conclusion. Everyone in this house was gay. But the gender of it all was harder - she didn’t understand, really, what it felt like to be a girl. She didn’t know that not everyone hated the way they looked in the mirror, that not everyone felt like tearing their own skin off, that not everyone felt trapped in their body. It was a way she’d felt for as long as she could remember, even back when she was little, living with her grandmother. 

[color=42A9FF]“I don’t think I’m a girl,”[/color] April said slowly. [color=42A9FF]“I don’t… I don’t like my body, Pops. It doesn’t feel like it’s mine. I look in the mirror and I don’t recognize the person looking back at me. I don’t even know if I like my clothes. I… I thought that was how everyone felt but… it isn’t, is it?”[/color]

James let out a sympathetic noise and pulled April a little closer. [color=mediumspringgreen]“I'm sorry you're going through this kiddo and that we didn't know to be there for you. I can't say that I've experienced that but it doesn't mean I can't support you in whatever healthy way you choose to make your reality come true. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to make who you're seeing in the mirror fit what you're feeling inside; clothes, make-up, surgery, magic - we have all sorts of options to explore and some of them are more intense and need some discussion, but whatever you need, we're going to help you feel good in your skin again, okay?”[/color] 

She shook her head slightly. She hadn’t let them be there for her. It was one of the lessons she’d learned in C.A.G.E. - that hiding it only made it worse and made it so her family couldn’t help. How could they have known if she didn’t tell them? But she cuddled closer to her Pops, the sniffles turning into tears. She nodded. Magic was an easy solution but… it scared her, too. What if she got it wrong again? What if she chose surgery and then realized her body still didn’t feel right? [color=42A9FF]“After the movie… could we try some clothes, maybe? I don’t - I don’t know if I know what it feels like to be a boy either, but… maybe it would feel better.”[/color]

[color=mediumspringgreen]“Of course. If you want, we can pop out into New Orleans proper and do some shopping around if you want to try on some newer stuff or we can get your Pa to copy over some of your brother's clothes so they fit you. You think about it and let me know.”[/color] James paused. He knew there was something he'd been missing. [color=mediumspringgreen] “And since everything has been a little big and overwhelming this semester, the rest of your fathers and I decided that it's best for you to spend some time at home with the family. If only to get a break from everything and focus on yourself for a bit, okay? You'll be able to go around New Orleans just fine, but anything further than that is off limits until you're back at school. That's not because you're in trouble or we're upset; we just want to make sure we can smother you with love until you have a little bit to bring with you to school, okay?”[/color] James hadn't wanted the kids to go to superhero school in the first place and this only made him feel that stronger. Yes, they won the championship but what did they suffer to reach that?

[color=42A9FF]“Y-yeah, can… can Papa come too?”[/color] she asked. She wasn’t as fashionable as Papa or Danni - although as soon as she asked, she realized that meant they wouldn’t be going until the evening. [color=42A9FF]“Or maybe Pa?”[/color] He would be awake. He used to be a model. Maybe he’d have some ideas. She was pretty certain that James knew as much about fashion as she did. 

Her ears burned a little bit at the news that she was grounded. She wasn’t exactly surprised - it had been weeks since Arcade (where they definitely [i]had[/i] been grounded) and CAGE (where she’d had to beg them not to pull her from school immediately). She’d probably given all of her fathers grey hair, had Pops not kept them from aging. [color=42A9FF]“… I’m not going to be able to convince you otherwise, am I?”[/color] she pouted. 

[color=mediumspringgreen]“Of course they can. We can bring all the parents if you want.”[/color] James agreed easily. He laughed at her last question. [color=mediumspringgreen]“Well, you should thank your Papa and Pa. If it was up to me, it would have just been the French Quarter so I've already compromised for you. Definitely not budging any further, kiddo.”[/color]

She glanced down at her hands for a moment, a sudden wave of guilt hitting her. [color=42A9FF]“... I’m sorry for scaring you so much lately…”[/color] She bit her lip again, and tried to blink away the fresh wave of tears hitting her. [color=42A9FF]“I didn’t mean to.”[/color]

[color=mediumspringgreen]“It's okay, sweetheart. You got a lot going on in that head of yours.”[/color] James reassured her, keeping her close. [color=mediumspringgreen]“But we're getting you the support you need to make it so you can make it through without scares like that. And being a parent means we do nothing but worry about our kids. You're going to be 62 and I'm still going to worry about how you're eating and if you're going outside enough and all that. You're stuck with that forever, kiddo. Ain't going away any time soon.”[/color] 

April really didn’t want to cry again. She felt like all she did some days was cry. But it still meant the world to her every time she heard that Pops and her other dads weren’t going anywhere. She didn’t remember her birth parents, but she remembered her grandma - and remembered the pain of losing her. James was something constant, something she couldn’t lose. So a fresh wave of tears hit her as she hugged her dad tighter, completely missing the scene where Sir Cole was hit by a car. [color=42A9FF]“This is top tier dad behavior,”[/color] she sniffled, trying her best to lighten the mood a little bit, so she could stop crying. [color=42A9FF]“I love you, Pops.”[/color]

[color=mediumspringgreen]“I love you too, kiddo.”[/color] James accepted the affection easily. [color=mediumspringgreen]“Just remember that the next time I tell you you can't stay out late: Top tier dad behavior and all that.”[/color]