The More the Merrier on At Home

Bonabelle Row

November 23, 2021 9:46 PM

The More the Merrier by Bonabelle Row

OOC: CW for homophobia

Ema is welcome to overhear/join or not. BIC:

Bonabelle was doing her best not to look like a pouty teenager as she stirred sugar into her tea. The sugar had long since dissolved and the tea had long since cooled and the pout had long since solidified itself on her face, but yet, grandma was still nagging her. It took everything in her not to snap, mostly because she was still aware, despite everything, that her grandmother and grandfather had taken her in well without warning or asking, and given her a home these past few years. Even if sometimes she hated it, hated Ireland, and hated them.

"She's not cheating on me, grandma," Bonabelle said for what felt like the thousandth time. "We talked about it and I am fine with her dating someone else at the same time as she's dating me." Fine was a strong word but she was definitely not going to get into the nuances of her feelings about this topic with her grandmother.

"Well, I just don't see what isn't good enough about you that she thinks she can find in someone else," Biddy Row commented in a very know-it-all voice as she dropped another mostly peeled potato into the pot. Christmas dinner required a lot of potatoes even before Ema joined them for the holidays.

Bonabelle bit her tongue, not wanting to give into a thought that she'd only barely managed to get past herself. When she didn't say anything, her grandma continued.

"Besides, you said you're both dating someone else now? Why bother dating each other if you're both going to have boyfriends too?"

"Stanley isn't my boyfriend, grandma," Bonabelle said through gritted teeth, clanking the spoon loudly on her cup and setting it down hard on the table. "Valentine is my girlfriend and Stanley is my date to the ball." She took a long draw from her tea, using the cup to hide her angry red face.

Killian had gone to take a nap with Ema - or "nap" with Ema - and, having woken up before his girlfriend, was pulling a shirt on as he made his way down the hall and into the kitchen area. He approached from behind Bonabelle and took a seat beside her at the table.

"Are we talking about Bonny and Valentine?" he asked with a suggestive grin, nudging his niece with his shoulder. "I'm excited to see you two at the ball."

Bonabelle smiled a bit, still angry at her grandmother but happy and amused at the thought her uncle had put in her head. Two twirling dresses, two gross boys watching from the sidelines until it was their turn, two perfect lips she could press her own against... unless they tasted like Wally. She held back a grimace at the idea.

"They won't be together," Biddy said sharply. "Didn't you hear? Valentine wants to date Bonabelle and also have a boyfriend."

If she'd expected Killian to take her side, she'd been sorely mistaken. He had grabbed Bonabelle's tea from in front of her and taken a drink, setting it back down as his mother addressed him.

"So?" he asked, hackles raising at the threat of bigotry he was catching the odor of. "If that's fine with Bonabelle, Valentine, and the boyfriend, I don't see why it should matter to anyone else. That's their relationship." Bonabelle beamed at her uncle.

"It's not their relationship if they're just inviting any old anybody in on it," Biddy replied, earning an eyeroll from her otherwise passive husband. Since he wasn't chiming in in her defense, Bonabelle was basically as angry at her grandfather as her grandmother.

"You're kidding," Killian replied, shocked. "Tell me you're kidding. Why are you acting like it's a personal offense? You know I'm polyamorous."

Biddy noticeably composed herself. "Bah, labels. You just like to have your fun, Killian. That's not no thing that needs a label for it. Besides, you're with Ema. It was just a short thing you went through and--"

"Grandma!" Bonabelle interrupted with a shocked, disdainful shout. Her uncle's face had turned a shade of angry red she'd only seen in conversations about her own father and he looked about ready to disapparate right then and there.

"Too far," Killian said in a low, hard voice, glaring at his mother. His tone got his dad's attention and he looked up over the newspaper at his youngest son. "I'm disappointed in your attitude. And..." He paused and Bonabelle got the impression he was thinking very hard about whether or not he was going to say something. Or whether or not the thing he was going to say was true. "And it is not a phase. I've been thinking of dating a second person. And I'll have you know that that is something between me, Ema, and them."

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