Que Sera, Sera

[BlackAkuma]

It was strange how just being around Alicia could change Dizzy’s whole mood. She was noticing that more and more when the big Latina was around. Just a minute or so, she’d been awash with all these raw, confused emotions - trepidation, hesitation, outright fear of the future. When she spoke with Gabby, things felt uncertain, and she wondered about her place with Alicia, what they were trying to build here, and whether she was even on the right path.

But now that she was here and they were talking and they were in each other’s space, things just felt…right. Alicia was doing that thing where she talked about putting her down and biting back at her smack talk, and Dizzy was doing that thing where she egged her on, daring her to make good on those little threats. It was a fun game they played. Always dancing on the edge of something.

Dizzy had wondered, before, if she was special in Alicia’s life. If she was as unique to Alicia as Alicia was to her. But, in this moment, she didn’t care too much anymore. She was happy to just…be.

Admittedly, she might have been a little happier just to be if she had Alicia all to herself, but that was an issue that would sort itself out, as it so happened.

”I’m sorry, can you say that again? All I heard was the part about tying me up, and I am-

Gabby, thankfully, butted in before Dizzy could reflexively take this into steamier territory, though Dizzy shared in Alicia’s quizzical look. She folded her arms, looking on as the two sisters had their little chat - in particular, she cast a curious eye at the phone. Something on the screen tickled her memories, but it faded before she had the chance to latch on, dominated by more essential thoughts. Dizzy had only know Gabby for a little while, and she was a good enough liar to know a bad one when she spotted them. Why was she so eager to split off, when…

Oh. Oh, that look. Dizzy caught it when Gabby was on her way out, and picked up the hint. She chewed on her lip for a second, then cast an innocent glance up at Alicia, the same kind of look that had conned her mother into buying her all sorts of toys, once upon a time. ”You know, she’s not wrong. I did need to do a little shopping nearby, and I could use a little help. If you don’t mind.” That part, at least wasn’t a lie. Carrying stuff with her tiny little arms was a pain.

”I know it’s a change of plans, but I’ll make it worth your while.” No innuendo laced in there, a genuine offer.

[HotWheels]

Funny to think that a couple of minutes earlier, Alicia Soto had contemplated murder on the freeway. "Free"way - fucking joke.

It had taken so damn long that she had actually shimmied out of her street clothes and into her spandex right there in the driver’s seat, ignoring the gawking stares from the prude in the Prius in the next lane just to save five minutes upon arrival. By the time she slammed the car door shut, she vibrated with pent-up agitation. Walking into the gym, however, had shifted her mood. Seeing Dizzy and Gabby - two of the few people on this planet she actually tolerated - offered a target for that energy. She could throw them around. She could sweat it out. Getting physical could serve as her form of relaxation.

But seeing them together also brought that weird, prickling feeling back to the surface. Ever since that talk with Mama Belti, seeing Gabby hovering around her and Dizzy felt… crowded. It felt like her interactions with the Italian needed to be private, kept away from prying eyes, even eyes related to her by blood. Alicia didn't want to unpack why that was, so she did what she always did: she buried it under a layer of sass. She had launched right into smack talk the second she saw Dizzy, threatening to tie her to the car hood just to keep the dynamic familiar, to keep control.

Then Gabby interrupted.

Alicia watched her sister with her hands planted firmly on her ample hips, her eyes narrowed in scrutiny. She knew this routine. She remembered the nights Gabby used to fumble through excuses about study groups just to sneak out and meet some boy who didn't deserve her time. Alicia had hated it then, but she had let it slide because Gabby’s idea of "rebellion" back then amounted to sharing a greasy cheeseburger and holding hands. Nothing remotely close to danger or even sex ever happened.

This felt different, though. Gabby looked... guilty. Skittish. Why would she bail on a spar for a "friend"? Alicia’s lie detector pinged hard. She should press her. She should demand to know the definition of "friend" in this case. But a part of her, the part tired of being the responsible one, decided to let it go.

At least until Dizzy piped up.

Uh huh. Alicia didn't say it out loud, but the look she shot the Italian screamed it, alongside all the needed sarcasm. When Dizzy validated Gabby’s excuse, Alicia’s suspicion deepened. Now it felt like a conspiracy. She didn't like being out of the loop, but she held her tongue. Fine. She would just squeeze Dizzy for the reasoning later.

But the little Italian proposed shopping. Alicia looked down at her gym gear, then back at Dizzy’s hopeful face. She wanted to be annoyed. She should be annoyed. But, shit, the irritation didn't stick.

"Whatever," Alicia reluctantly agreed, rolling her eyes for effect, though the bite hardly reached her tone. "You two are full of shit. But I ain't walkin' around town looking like this. Not gonna freeze my ass off. Get your fuckin' walkin' shoes on. I ain't fuckin' drivin' again until it's past midnight, and I still might kill someone then too."

After reeling back like Dizzy might be the one she thought about killing, she trudged off to a side dressing room, and she held her racing thoughts until she had pulled the spandex back off. She replaced them with a pair of whitewashed jeans that fought her every inch of the way, clinging to her thick thighs and hips like a second skin. Next came a tight pink sweater, fuzzy and cropped just enough to leave a tease of her midriff exposed to the air, followed by a pair of white boots with a solid heel.

As she adjusted the fit in the mirror, fluffing her dark hair, a strange sensation hit her. She realized she felt... excited. Actually excited, kind of like she'd be before a match. She hadn't gone Christmas shopping - or any kind of shopping that wasn't strictly for survival or work - with anyone since high school. Back then, she counted pennies at the food court and screwed around until security wanted to kick her and her friends out. Now? ...Felt a little more meaningful. Intimate.

She huffed at that sensation and trudged back out to find the shrimp again.

Spoiler

[BlackAkuma]

Being small didn’t offer Dizzy too many advantages, but a big one was that, for whatever reason, it was easy for her to bully bigger people into doing what she wanted through sheer cuteness. If she had to guess, it was some subconscious childhood thing - even though she did mature things all the time, her size made people think of her as a child, even if they knew better. It had gotten her out of a fair few brushes with the law, more than her mother would ever know about.

It worked well on most people, but Alicia was not one of them. The woman had heightened senses when it came to BS, probably because she had to deal with no small amount of it growing up in Hollywood. As she proposed the surprise shopping trip, she could practically feel those scanners analyzing her from head-to-toe.

Thankfully, mercifully, she passed the test. There was a little reluctance in that tone, yes, and it was delivered in the usual Alicia way - brief, terse, enough vulgarity to earn an R rating - but if she was really, truly mad, the response would’ve been more explosive. Or she just wouldn’t have gone along with it at all.

Dizzy held up her hands and squeaked as Alicia reeled back, then broke into giggles as the bruiser stomped off, before she hurriedly scampered to the dressing room, herself. While she hadn't planned on doing anything fancy tonight, she made a habit of keeping a change of good clothes on hand - there was no telling when she might stumble on some late-night fun and need to sleep over somewhere, so fresh clothes were a must. She slipped into a designer ensemble she’d picked out a couple of weeks ago - tight, green pants that highlighted her curves, cute bangles on the wrists, and an outer corset around the waist that made her chest look a little bigger than it really was.

, in her opinion.

Dizzy stepped back and gave herself a look over, making sure everything was in the proper place. The clothes were on right, but what drew her attention was the smile. She had this bright, goofy grin, one that didn’t even look like it belonged on her face. She wasn’t even sure where it came from, as if her face had done it without her permission.

She was getting too giddy. This wasn’t that serious. Don’t be too Dizzy tonight.

She smacked her cheeks a few times, until her usual calm, too-cool, lazy smile returned, then stepped out, only a few moments before Alicia did the same, coming her way dressed for the night. The Latina would’ve looked good in a burlap sack, but the outfit she had on fit particularly well - those jeans hugged her tight and Dizzy would’ve loved to live under that sweater. Her hair looked like she’d just dried it after a shower, but that was pretty much always the case, in her eyes.

”Niiiiiiiiice.” Dizzy whistled her approval as she skipped over. The moment she was close enough, she tapped Alicia’s boots with her own and snickered. ”You’re even wearing proper shoes. We are fancy tonight, I’m flattered.”

[HotWheels]

As she crossed the floor, Alicia caught a few people looking at her funny, apparently resenting that she had the audacity to be walking among them at this part of the evening in high fashion while they sweated and worked. Though she scoffed at a few of them, she paid them no mind otherwise because beneath the strut, her mind drifted a little too easily. It kept snapping back to that dinner from a couple of weeks ago, no matter how hard she tried to keep it focused on the present.

Her memories of those discussions with Mama Belti and Dizzy kept resurfacing over the last few days, unbidden. The ones with Dizzy sat easier in her gut. Alicia had said things that night - a little too fuckin' vulnerable, weak things she wouldn't typically spill to a priest, let alone a friend or even a sister. But in the time since, she had felt a strange relief. The good sense Dizzy had spouted - all of it logical, and Alicia had never done well with logical - had her feeling a little more like she could finally take one arm off the personal world she held up like Atlas, assuming for once that everything wouldn't crumble and drag her right back into the tireless struggle of keeping her family afloat if she rested for a second or focused on herself.

The talk with mama, however, poked and prodded at her mind in a completely different way. In moments, it provided a warmth she hadn't realized she starved for and approval from someone whose approval she shouldn't want, yet strangely found assuring. In others, it sent a nervous chill down her spine, a warning that she had gotten too soft and cracks had started forming that even people who didn't get a thing about her could see. The feeling bounced between the two, an annoying ping-pong match in her brain.

So she strangled it. She put mama and the feelings out of her mind as she spotted Dizzy.

The shrimp... actually looked pretty good. For a shrimp. The green pants fit well, and that corset thing did its job. Alicia gave her a once-over, her face impassive, refusing to let the approval show. She only showed emotion to scoff at the whistle and the comment about her shoes. Instead of a thank you, she swung her leg back. She connected the toe of her boot with Dizzy's, hitting hard enough for it to make noise and to knock the smaller woman's foot out from under her and force a stumble, though she stopped short of actually flooring her.

"Fuck off," Alicia grumbled with no actual malice. "It's cold. You keep complainin' and I'll let my toes freeze and stick 'em on your face. Or your ass. Then it won't be so fun."

Nah, she would probably still find that fun. But she brushed past like a bully knocking a victim into the lockers, leading the way to the glass doors with her keys in hand.

"We can dump our shit in my car," she said, pushing out into the night air that irritated her anew. She fuckin' missed California for the weather if nothing else. "Where you plannin' on going for all this 'Christmas shopping' you wanted to do?" She made sure to make air quotes for the horseshit.

[BlackAkuma]

Dizzy skipped on over without much of anything resembling a care, paying only the smallest amount of mind to the disapproving glares coming her way. At the end of the day, there were only about two people whose opinions she actively cared about, and that number had doubled after she met Alicia and got to know her.

Speaking of which, she caught Alicia’s eyes on her as she approached, and did a quick spin on her heels to make sure she got a 360-degree view of her ensemble. It was pretty typical of her wardrobe - sporty, a little retro, designed to make the best of what little she had in the way of physical features. It was hard to tell what Alicia thought of it, but that was part of the fun with her. The woman did not give compliments easy, which made it so much more worthwhile when Dizzy could force them out. Dizzy traditionally didn’t care much for flattery, but when they came from her, they were like rare gems.

Besides, she knew she looked good.

Dizzy had been standing with a cocky hand on her hips when Alicia kicked her, making her awkwardly when her balance was thrown off. She recovered fast enough, though, straightened up, and quickly pressed out the wrinkle in her pants, just in time to bring out the most devilish of smiles to look up at Alicia with.

”Bella, I cannot think of a single thing you can do to me that I wouldn’t find at least a little fun. Not physically, anyway.” Foot fetishes were low on Dizzy’s list of desires, but they were on there. In particular, she remembered the moment in their first match where Alicia had prodded her with those bare feet quite fondly.

Dizzy, unbothered by the brush, followed after Alicia’s surly self with her usual skipping walk, a technique she’d mastered from a lifetime of having to keep her pace up with a giantess. ”I’m really not BSing about the shopping, honest. I do actually need to do it. It’s just been my presents under the tree for so long, so I’ve got a lot to make up for now that I’ve got, you know…income.” Come to think of it, had her mother ever gotten a Christmas gift at all? Not from her, and they were kind of estranged from the rest of their family, what little of it they had. It was honestly a little funny - people had all these stereotypes about Italians and family, but Dizzy hadn't seen her distant cousins in years. ”Plus, I need to get stuff for other people.”

She skipped ahead before elaboration could be asked on that point, taking the lead. ”There’s this little shopping center down the street, past the lights. Think it’s set up to take advantage of all the tourists that swarm the arena. Clothing stores, sporting goods, pachinko, a food court, this little bar that gives out free drinks for wrestlers. It’s got everything we’ll need, you’ll like it.”

Dizzy, of course, didn’t mention that the ‘little bar’ she mentioned was a strip club that she’d snuck off to after her mother’s matches a couple of times. She was trying to be about 20% less hedonistic tonight. ”I’ll buy you dinner, my treat. You and me, no Gabby spilling stories or staring contests with my Mom. Sound good?”

[HotWheels]

Yeah, there it was. Of course she would find anything Alicia did to her fun.

The thought chased Alicia as she turned her back and trotted toward the gym's exit, her boots clicking a sharp rhythm on the pavement. It pleased her - more than she would ever admit to a living soul, let alone the person causing the feeling. She had her admirers, sure. Plenty of people wanted a piece of the Hollywood Siren, wanted to be stepped on or in her bed or whatever their flavor of the week was. They had all the way back when she had started modeling, too, since people wanted to say they had made it with a model. But none of them felt like this. None of them felt as... dedicated as Dizzy. As sincere.

And shit, that worried her.

Sincerity meant trust, and trust meant responsibility. It terrified her because she didn't know if she could handle that weight without some misunderstanding, without tripping over the very things Mama Belti had warned her against. She didn't have a concrete reason to think it would go south, but old habits died hard. When she spent her whole life waiting for the other shoe to drop in life, she had a hard time readjusting to the idea that things could simply go right.

Fuck it, she told herself, shoving the glass door open with her shoulder. She needed to get over it. To stop looking for ghosts.

She needed to just focus on making this a decent trip. Just two girls burning cash they actually earned. She listened to Dizzy rambling on, swearing up and down that the shopping trip was legitimate. Whatever. If the little bella told the truth, that meant Gabby was the only one full of shit. Figured. Her sister was probably off meeting some guy or buying contraband romance novels. Let her.

Alicia popped open the back seat of her car and tossed her gym bag inside with a careless thud, then reached inside and into the cup holder to retrieve the remains of a lemonade she’d nursed during the hellish drive over as she forgot how much Dizzy would likely enjoying seeing her bent so far over in those jeans. Once she emerged again, she held the door open, waiting for Dizzy to make her deposit.

"Guess I know what that's about," Alicia said, her voice dropping the sass for a split second. "Having money to actually spend on shit for people, I mean."

She took a sip of the watered-down drink, looking past Dizzy for a moment. She remembered the years of empty Christmases, the years where the only gift she could give her mother and sister amounted to the promise that she picked up an extra shift so the lights wouldn't get cut. It made the cash in her pocket now feel heavy, too, but in a better way.

"Fine. Dinner works," Alicia said, slamming the door shut once Dizzy finished so it wouldn't jar open again. Just because she had money for a car didn't mean she wanted to spend money on something brand new, and this one had its quirks even though it looked nice. She leaned against it, crossing her ankles. "Though you should probably shake Gabby down for the cash later. Punish her for whatever shady nonsense she's pulling tonight."

She let out a breath, feeling the last of the road rage and the gym frustration bleed out into the cool night air. She was about to spend time with someone who looked at her like she hung the moon.

"Alright, Santa's elf," Alicia teased, nodding toward the street lights. "Lead the way. But if I'm the most expensive looking chick in the bar, I'm leavin'."

[BlackAkuma]

…was this a date? It felt like a date.

It spoke volumes for Dizzy’s love life that she couldn't be 100% sure. Despite having more paramours in her young age than most people would ever come close to in their entire life, she hadn't been on too many of those. Not what most people thought of when the word ‘date’ came up, anyway. Going out somewhere, paying for dinner, chatting over candlelight? Nuh-uh. Sneaking into clubs, hooking up with whoever she could sink into? That was more her thing. Sneaking into a theatre with some roadie from one of her Mom’s shows, and making out in the corner seats because the movie was too boring? More her speed.

Going shopping, hanging out, then having dinner - a dinner she fully intended to pay for? This was breaking new ground. Though, come to think of it, Alicia was her first in a lot of ways.

The first time she’d invited someone she liked over for dinner.

The first time she’d had an extended conversation with a potential paramour that wasn’t at least a little motivated by her desire to have sex with said person.

In fact, she was sure this was the longest she’d gone with meeting a beautiful woman and not at least attempting to get in that woman’s bed. Of course, she did very much want to get into Alicia’s bed, but she found herself oddly uncaring if that was the way this night ended. Or any night with her.

Being around Alicia made her happy. That was enough.

She was starting to space out, earning her nickname once more, when Alicia’s words dragged her back to the present. She quickly tossed in her stuff, what little she had, and nestled it neatly in the back, taking care to place it in a spot where potential car thieves wouldn’t notice. She stopped for a moment, though, when she noticed the slight drop in Alicia's voice, a rare unsassified string of words from the spicy Latina. "Yeah. It'll be nice giving back for once. All the shit I've put her through, I kind of owe her."

Stay out late, forgetting to call her and tell her where she was, coming home wearing the clothes of women she'd never met...the list went on. Dizzy didn't regret her lifestyle, but there were time when she remembered the looks of disappointment on her mother's face, and she wished she'd toned it down just a tad.

She strayed away from that depressing road and had a happy chirp as Alicia accepted the dinner invite, then snickered at the mention of Gabby. ”Oh, I’m sure it’s not that shady, wherever she’s going. She’s sweet, your sister. I just hope LAW doesn’t change that.” She skipped a couple of steps back with a soft smile. ”And she really thinks the world of you.”

At Alicia’s urging, Dizzy led on, though she made sure to stay close to her friend’s side, rarely less than a step away. Her hand wandered a bit, occasionally brushing with the Latina’s without her even thinking too much on it. ”Funny you mention elves. Mom used to dress me up as one for these little Christmas parties she’d have with the promotions. Hated it.” You wouldn’t have known that hate from the soft, warm look coming over her face, though. She turned Alicia’s way as they crossed the street, sending some of that warmth her way. ”This is your first Christmas season away from home, right? How’s it feel?”

[HotWheels]

Kind of felt like a date, didn't it?

The question bounced around Alicia's skull as her boots clicked on the pavement. Two people, dressed nice, going shopping, getting dinner, spending money neither of them technically had to spend, part of it on each other. By any rational metric, it qualified as a date. But Alicia didn't do dates, or at least, she never had. She did "hanging out." She had never sat across a candlelit table and talked about her feelings while waiting for an appetizer. She wouldn't tonight, either, but that vibe still hovered over the circumstances. And from what she knew of Dizzy - not insignificant considering they had only known each other for some time - the Italian didn't exactly have a track record for traditional dating shit either given Mama's presence and her own desires.

Did the label matter? Maybe. Probably. It meant stakes. It meant that two different families could be affected. For once, Alicia felt a nagging urge to categorize this properly, to define the parameters so she wouldn't make the wrong step. But that required some vulnerability. She didn't possess much of that. So she tucked the thought away for the moment, burying it under a humorless chuckle at Dizzy’s comment about owing her mother.

"You say that like she ain't trouble herself," Alicia drawled, though she kept the venom out of her voice. For tonight, she decided to cap the shots there. After their talk, she understood the old bag a little better. She still thought of Angela as weird, controlling prude, probably hiding a freaky-ass side that would make a porn star blush in her past, but... she had a good heart. She just... used that heart too much like a blanket.

And speaking of... Alicia huffed when the topic shifted to Gabby. If someone needed a poster child for a misplaced heart... "Yeah, she's sweet alright," Alicia muttered. "Sweet on everyone. That's exactly why I know she's up to some shit."

But when Dizzy added that Gabby thought the world of her, Alicia went quiet. Her gaze dropped to her feet - or at least, as much of her white boots as she could see past the swell of her own chest. That was the problem, wasn't it? Gabby looked up to her, idolized her even, and Alicia didn't think she deserved the pedestal - not in the way Gabby intended. Her sister had brains, real talent for words and stories or anything scholarly. Alicia? She strutted her ass and beat people up for a paycheck. She looked pretty in front of the cameras. Gabby needed a role model who didn't solve problems with a sidewalk slam or a flash of her tits. But... again, shit to unpack later.

She consciously shortened her long, confident strides to match the Italian’s skipping pace. It took effort. The streets stayed crowded at this time of night, packed with locals and tourists alike, most of them significantly shorter than her. Surrounded by polite Japanese pedestrians, she felt like a giantess navigating a dollhouse. She had to weave and dodge to avoid knocking people over with her chest or bumping them into traffic with her hips.

But she kept focused on the story above the din. She liked hearing what Dizzy had to say, after all. "Jesus," Alicia snorted at the elf story. "I wore some dumb shit when I was modeling, but shit. Would have decked someone for that. Festively." At the small tease, she quirked her mouth at Dizzy - as deep into a smile as Dizzy had seen her, more than likely, save for a few while they had sparred and trained.

Dizzy’s next question, though, stopped the banter cold. Alicia opened her mouth to give the standard, cool-girl, Siren answer - It's whatever, I'm busy making money - but the words died in her throat. She paused at a crosswalk, shoving her hands deep into her jeans pockets and actually thinking about it.

It wasn't great. Truth be told, it sucked. Back home, even when they were broke, Christmas Eve stayed sacred. The three of them - her, Gabby, Mama - maybe a stray neighbor or friend, sitting around with whatever food they could afford, just... being together. Laughing. Ignoring the bills on the counter. Not having that anchor this year felt weird.

And she... felt she could tell Dizzy that, more than most people. "Honestly?" Alicia started, her voice lower than before. "It's weird. I'm tryin' not to think about it too much because... it's weird. Maybe not as good. But everyone's doing better now." She gestured vaguely at the lights, the city, and seemingly, at her career. "Different for a good reason. But yeah."

[BlackAkuma]

While this was all going on, a small but not insignificant part of Dizzy’s grey matter was coming up with pivotal questions - what was she going to get Alicia and how was she going to get it without the bigger woman noticing? She had ideas on the first, while the second proved more of a challenge.

The good news was that Alicia wasn’t the sort of person who would need or even want anything super-expensive, so Dizzy not being able to afford anything like that wouldn’t be a problem. From what she had garnered about the big Latina through their time together, she was pretty simple in her tastes - probably because she had to be, with how she grew up. Fancy clothes wouldn’t hit right, she liked it simple. None of that fru-fru stuff like bath salts or shampoo. Her lewd side briefly got into the mix and made some kinky suggestions, but she shut them down. She was courting Alicia Soto, not the Hollywood Siren.

Back in reality, though, Dizzy mainly was keeping up with everything, and enjoyed a little laugh when Alicia took a jab at her mother—a soft jab. Not quite as sharp and biting as her usual flair, noticeably. ”Eh, she’s my Mom. She’s kind of supposed to be trouble, right? And we’re getting better.” In large part thanks to Alicia knocking some sense into her, but she felt that part went without saying at this point. ”After I get my own place, I think we’ll be right where we need to be.”

Dizzy had pulled a head of Alicia without noticing, and it took her a second to realize it - Alicia had slowed down a bit. She hit the brakes just enough and matched her again, keeping the sweet spot. There was simple easy way to make sure that they stayed at the same pace, but she held back for the moment, with the occasional furtive glance at Alicia’s hand.

”I think you’d rock the Ms. Clause outfit, but that’s neither here nor there. Maybe I’ll sweet talk you into one next year.” A funny promise, a little joke, but with the built-in implication that they would be around each other in a year. Or, at least, that was what she wanted. Dizzy was quick to add on before that could sink in. ”And now you’re required to show me these ‘dumb shit’ outfits you modeled in, at your earliest convenience. Just so we’re clear.”

Her horniness made for a good smokescreen, sometimes.

Things were going smoothly, though, right up until the last moment, with her last question. She’d thrown that feelings question at the last second, hadn't thought it would be so deep, but Dizzy knew she stepped into something when Alicia’s usual quick tongue needed a moment to answer correctly. She looked up to see the woman caught up in her thoughts for a second, and tipped her head to the side with a growing frown, worried.

‘Weird’. It was a single word, but it conveyed a lot. The break in the ritual, not being with her Mom, the culture shock, all of it couldn't be an easy adjustment, and she couldn't even imagine. But she wanted to.

”I get weird. It’s weird for me, too. I’ve lived in Japan longer than I’ve ever lived anywhere, even Italy. This is the first time I’ve been in a place that I know I won’t be leaving anytime soon. The first time I’ve had a home.” That last word almost came out as a whisper, like she didn’t even know how to say the word properly in English.

”But I’m getting used to it. And I think I like it. It’s nice to have a center. I’ve got friends. I’ve got my Mom.” She reached and rubbed Alicia’s shoulder, giving her a tender squeeze through the fluffy fabric of her sweater. ”And I’ve got you. And you’ve got me, and Gabby, and even my Mom, whether you want her or not.” She chuckled at that last thought. God, they met in the worst way, but looking back, Dizzy wouldn’t change a thing.

“So it’ll be all right. For us both. We’re building new things.” Her hand slid down Alicia’s back, with a soft tap at the waist, before she parted ways and began to cross the street, prompting the Latina to follow.

[HotWheels]

Things did seem better between Dizzy and her mom. Alicia could see the shift. Had senses for that shit. And honestly, she had more reason than most to believe the Italian prude tried Mama Belti had delivered that speech after dinner with love, and despite Alicia's default setting of cynicism, she believed the woman that she wanted to give Dizzy the space to be Dizzy if she had the right people around. It gave her a strange, grudging respect for the big bitch. And yeah, if Dizzy could carve out her own space - get that apartment, put some distance between her bedroom and her mother's hovering - they might actually keep liking each other beyond just loving each other. Shit, Alicia sure knew a thing or two about needing space to breathe while keeping family close enough to protect.

"Yeah, sounds 'bout right," she quietly agreed.

Then came the Ms. Claus comment to break the seriousness again. Alicia raised a brow, the expression hovering somewhere between amusement and utter disgust.

"Ms. Claus?" she deadpanned, shooting Dizzy a sideways glance. "You see me in that getup, means I went off and married that hunk of... masculinity." Hard to keep her face straight on that one. She hid amusement behind thoughtfulness. "Shit, I'd do it for the hours. Work one night a year and have infinite money? Though I ain't so hot on the weather. My ass wasn't built for snow." She gestured at the cold around them as if to emphasize.

Looking like a dumbass in front of a camera didn't suit her, either. "Don't hold your breath, chica. Those rags are gone. Hopin' someone burned 'em in a dumpster somewhere, 'cause that's where they belonged."

But the conversation dipped back into deeper waters, and Alicia let it. She listened intently as Dizzy talked about finding a center, about finally having a home after years of drifting. It struck her then - the sheer contrast between them.

"We're backwards, ain't we?" Alicia huffed her amusement, shaking her head. "I'm freakin' out because I'm away from home for the first time, and you're freakin' out because you're finally staying put."

She felt Dizzy’s hand on her shoulder, a gentle squeeze through the fuzzy pink sweater. Alicia stiffened instinctively - touch wasn't really her thing unless it involved a headlock or a playful but still vicious shove, even if she put her body all over people on the ring for the brand - but she didn't pull away. It... didn't bother her, not like it would from a stranger or a friend who knew better.

"Guess that means I'm stuck dealin' with the Italian stallion a bit more then," Alicia clicked her tongue, though the annoyance amounted to mostly performance. "Gotta just shove her and Gabby in a room together, toss some books in behind 'em."

They stepped off the curb to cross the street, Dizzy leading the way, when Alicia caught movement in her peripheral vision. A bicycle, moving way too fast and wobbling dangerously, careened toward the crosswalk. Without thinking, Alicia shot her arm out, barring Dizzy’s path like a crossing gate while staring down the rider. The man, a too-confident-looking tourist, swerved at the last second, narrowly missing them. Alicia rolled her eyes, dropping her arm but keeping herself positioned slightly between Dizzy and the traffic.

"Fucker," she muttered. "People just as blind to shit as they are at home."