Work Text:
Imagine raising your daughter who is a clone of your wife who left you and the girl's got your wife's eyes and smile and that mean streak in her, except she's actually taking care of her skin and hair the way you tried to tell your wife too and she's so so pretty and maybe she'll kiss the same way--
Adeline taking Ilina to the dyke bar and the sex club on her birthday. Introducing Ilina to all her friends, who are vaguely horrified but at least one of them would play ball you know? Ilina having that Handler sexual awakening moment but for Adeline in her like bar outfit. Adeline fawning over her.
Adeline's friend asks Ilina if she needs money for a cab, this must be really awkward to be out with her mom. Ilina gets in too close and sort of loses herself for a moment experiencing the woman's leather vest and feeling it against her face. Adeline comes over to tease her about making a friend.
Ilina is worked up, not sure what to do, has been watching her mom in that leather dress and jacket that Irene always liked to see her in, and Adeline is *smiling* like she hasn't since Irene left. Ilina, pressed between this woman and her mom leans up and kisses her...
Adeline leans back after. Squinting. "How much have you had to drink?"
Nothing, Ilina says quietly. She should have lied.
"You should have lied about that, you know." Adeline is beaming, still, so beautiful. "Max, make sure she's properly drunk before I come back."
Max pushes Ilina over to a booth and orders her a drink. Ilina only realizes after the huge glass is put in front of her that Max has blocked her in. She was too busy brushing her lips agsinst Max's leather vest and rubbing her face against it while watching mama flit joyfully from group to group.
"Mama said to only take drinks from the bartender," Ilina muttered as she eyed the big glass.
Max started whispering in her ear. There was an odd cadence to it. She didn't dislike the gravelly nature of her voice. Max smelled a bit like the smoke that Mama smelled like when she came home sometimes.
"Baby," Mama's slurring voice tugged her out of whatever stupor she was in. Ilina looked up past Max, resting her head against Max's shoulder. "How much have you had to drink?"
Ilina looked to the table and tried to count the glasses. It wasn't a fair question. The glasses were playing tricks!
Somewhere between two and four glasses sat in front of her. Half-confident and a bit ill, Ilina held up two wet fingers as her final answer.
"I don't think I can go to the club," Ilina said flatly.
"She's had one. Club?"
"Your place," Adeline giggled.
"Gods, you're still as scummy as ever."
Adeline leaned over and kissed Max on the head. Ilina got a decent view down the front of mama's dress at that angle. "Get my girl's pants back on, and clean up those fingers of hers," Adeline dropped some wet wipes on the table. "Gonna make another round and we can bounce."
Ilina looked down on the crying, pleading thing. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Was that all the woman was capable of saying?
"I didn't mean to, I'm sorry," Adeline blundered uselessly. "Please don't be mad, I won't do it again."
She said that every time. Ilina couldn't even blame her.
"Irene," the woman had moaned when the impact belt, a gift from Maxine for Ilina's 24th, planted what would be a beautiful new bruise into her back.
Ilina used to shout and stomp her feet and throw a tantrum over it. It didn't matter anymore.
"Gods," she muttered, "just shut up already."
"You're mad," Adeline whimpered from the floor. "You have the same eyes."
Well, she couldn't deny that. Mama would never understand what it was like to be a constant disappointment to Irene and a poor replacement for Adeline though. Never enough. Neither of them wanted Ilina.
"we'll get you washed up," she sneered. "You remember what we talked about?"
"I knew you were mad," Mama's voice was a low growl.
"One month? Or two?" Ilina stepped on the woman's hand before she could push up to her feet.
"It's going to be two no matter what I say." Through gritted teeth.
Yeah.
"Hey, handsome," Ilina seethed in the doorway. "Sorry, but I'm booked up for the night."
Irene glowered down at her, like she was capable of any other expression. "I would have thought you'd moved out after a decade."
"Sorry to disappoint you again."
"Is Adeline home?"
Ilina laughed.
Ilina walked into the kitchen and grabbed Adeline by the hair, dragging her across the floor to Irene's feet. Naked, save for the bruises and collar. But she sat up and begged pathetically with her dumb paws up.
"She lost speaking privileges for the day, but you can have an hour before we leave."
The look on Irene's face was delicious. Adeline wouldn't even look up at her either. Ilina excused herself to a side room to put together her bag for the workshop that evening.
It didn't take long for it to become a shouting match in the other room. The usual stuff. Like Irene hadn't missed a day.
"She's our daughter!"
"She's MY daughter! Who do YOU think you are coming back after ten years to lecture me!"
Ilina sat smugly and waited. Eventually the front door slammed. Eventually Adeline crawled into the room and put her head in Ilina's lap silently.
Ilina pet her gently.
"Good girl."