"Ah-oooooh!" the teasing call was something like a cross between a wolf howl and hoot. She shoved the offending brother backwards off the couch where he dissolved into giggles. Apparently there was nothing funnier than the thought of her dating.

“As I was saying: I don’t want to mess it up, so be cool.”

Her parents’ reactions were more mature, although not necessarily more subdued. Her father just shook his head and chuckled, while her mother clasped her hands and immediately started listing the multitude of dishes she would make in celebration. It was like thanksgiving all over again. But now with an agenda- suss out the prawn as girlfriend material. If her eyes could roll any further back in her head she was sure she’d have seen her brain.

##”BBQ dinner is on for tonight with the Family.” ##“I told them we’re a thing.”

The text was sent with an accompanying smiley face which didn’t indicate at all the nerves she was feeling. She’d brought dates home for dinner once or twice, a girl even, but nothing serious since the bad breakup. She pushed the thought from her mind. Jac was nothing like him.

She fussed for a while on what to wear. She didn’t want to clash. She had almost settled on a cream blouse and dark jeans when the thought of spilling barbeque dinner down her front turned her off. There would almost certainly be photos taken, her mother had no shame, and liked to document things like they never existed unless there was a photo. There were no photos of the ex. She wished he never existed.

In the end she decided on a black shirt and the dark jeans. Less risky, plus it went with her hair. Kinda.

Jack was asking for trouble, dozing on the outskirts of Xavier's property. But it was a decent day with lovely weather, and she wasn't about to try napping in the park. No, the green of Xavier's Sister School was just fine, thank you. She'd take the harmless pranks of mutant teens over potentially mutant-phobic attacks any day. The prawn inhaled, and exhaled, watching the silhouettes of leaves in the trees dance across her eyelids.

<Bi-deeeee bi-deeeee bi-deeeee,> her phone sang, signaling a text. The prawn's antennae twitched, and she rolled over, sleepily grabbing her phone. Her shirt had ridden up over the secondary arms, so while her primary hands held the phone steady, her secondary hands went through the motions of accessing the text.

>> ##”BBQ dinner is on for tonight with the Family.” ##“I told them we’re a thing.”

Jack's throat tightened as she skimmed the last sentence. While the thought of being in a relationship with Zinnia filled the prawn with joy and wonderment, the thought of announcing such a thing to Zinnia's parents unearthed a wealth of anxiety and self-consciousness. Any self-respecting parent would want their daughter to find a nice, human-looking partner, right? Not some sci-fi monster reject... but, here they were, inviting her to barbecue! So that was nice!

<<Kk, sounds good, what time?>> Jack typed back, trying to sound nonchalant despite the burbling in her gut, <<Look forward to seeing the boys.>>

She'd been fairly warmly recieved by Zinnias' brother last time, although in a slightly sensationalized way. Jack distinctly remembered weathering a barrage of questions like "Do you have heat vision? Can you punch through walls?" with timid "No"s and quiet smiles. Something about adolescent boys and crazy mutations worked so well together, Jack still hadn't solved the mystery of that, yet.

Upon Zinnia's response, Jack set an alarm for herself, and closed her eyes once again. There was plenty of time for a nap between then and now.

==////==

Hours later, Jack found herself shakily climbing the steps towards Zinnia's front door. She was reasonably early, and clothed rather conservatively, as she'd just left Xavier's-- a pair of jeans, a dark button-up shirt, and a dark surgical mask. Jack stepped onto the porch, and lightly tapped her knuckle against the hardwood of the door. The phrase, "I told them we're a thing" rattled around in her brain. Jack removed her face-mask and stuffed it in her pocket, shrugging her shoulders and feeling a touch discombobulated.

Footsteps closed-in on the door, and Jack heard that latch turn as the knob was turned on the other side. A lopsided smile tilted across her mandibles.

Hair up, hair down, hair up, hair down. Zinnia alternated between the two a half-dozen times before her Mom finally demanded that she stop fidgeting and chop cabbage for slaw. So in the end it was up in a half-pony, the rainbow inner on display. She chopped cabbage with enthusiasm, grated carrots, and basically helped with all the prep things that couldn’t be burned. With her track record she mostly didn’t cook when it was an important occasion. And it was an important occasion.

“Wash your faces, you’re grubby.”

She demanded clean(ish) brothers, at least for the start of the evening. With barbeque involved it would never last, but at least they could start non-smeared. The littler imp poked out his tongue but scampered to comply, but the larger stood his ground.

“But why do I have to be clean? She’s not smooching me!” He soon squealed and fled as she whapped him with the tea towel

“There’ll be no smooching, go on you grub.”

All the practicing was paying off, and she felt confident in the activity, but not in front of family. That was crossing a line. Plus, there was only so much teasing she could bear.

The knock on the door was expected, but she still felt a thrill down her spine when it came. She crumpled the tea towel between her hands and went to answer it. Jac was standing there, maskless, which was kind of a big deal. She grinned back at her and smacked a kiss on the ridge between her eyes. So much for no smooching.

“Come on in, Dad’s already got the grill running.”

There was an assortment of meats and veggies already sizzling away and her Mom was busy mixing something in a bowl. She fumbled a bit with the tea towel before offering her hand to Jac to get her in over the threshold both literally and the emotional one. Before she was even down the hallway the boys had emerged to shower Jac with questions and basically embarrass Zinnia in any way possible.

“Jac! Jac! Have you seen MrMan? You are as tall as he is!” the TV show hero was nothing like Jac, except in height. “So Jac, how does it feel to date a shorty like Zin-zin?” That one earned another tea towel slap, he was full of cheek today.

“What is it with you guys and height. Go on!” More tea towel baps all over until they scampered off giggling all the while. She rolled her eyes at Jac.

“They’ve been like that. All. Day.”

The tension in Jack's shoulders released when it was Zinnia who answered the door. She was nervous that it would be Mr. or Mrs. Hourig right off the bat... having it be her girlfriend instead instead was much better. Heh... it felt nice to think that. Jack stooped down and Zinnia kissed the prawn's nasal bridge, and Jack smiled back. A primary hand lightly squeezed Zinnia's shoulder in greeting. Any opportunity to see Zinnia was a gift.

>> “Come on in, Dad’s already got the grill running.”

"Okay, sank you," the prawn rumbled, following the young woman in. The house was filled with smells and the kitchen sounds. Zinnia extended her hand, at which the prawn carefully offered her own. Jack scarcely offered more than her thumb and forefinger, however, given that one of her hands was larger than Zinnia's head.

They were a few steps into the house when the brothers intercepted the, filled with the same enthusiasm as the first time Jack had met them.

>> “Jac! Jac! Have you seen MrMan? You are as tall as he is!"

"Who is Nister Nan?" Jack dared ask. Was he a neighbor? A family friend? Was she supposed to see him? The prawn looked towards Zinnia, befuddled.

>> "So Jac, how does it feel to date a shorty like Zin-zin?”

>> “What is it with you guys and height. Go on!"

"E'eryone's short to nee," Jack laughed at that inquiry, "I sink your sister is duh, uh-" she clicked contemplatively, "-right size."

Already, the boys were on the retreat however, so Jack turned her attention back to Zinnia.

>> "They’ve been like that. All. Day.”

"It's endearing," the prawn reassured her, all smiles. Jack took advantage of the momentary privacy and nuzzled against Zinnia's cheek. Her version of a kiss on the cheek, perhaps, "Al-dough I'n not sure who dis Nister Nan is..."