Chapter Text
A loud groan leaves Adrienne’s lips as the front door falls shut behind her. She presses her back against it, sliding down while throwing her bag into the general direction of the space where it belongs. She slides down even further, curling up on the floor which is how Zeki finds her moments later.
“Cramps?” he asks, holding out his hand to help her up but she doesn’t take it.
“Mmmm,” Adrienne grunts as a reply.
“Okay, standard procedure?”
“Please.”
Zeki takes a few steps back, when he reaches the stairs, lets his head fall back before shouting, “Jerry?”
“Yea?” his boyfriend answers from upstairs.
“It’s period time!”
“Oh shit, okay, one sec!” Jeremiah replies and his two partners downstairs can hear him rushing to finish something before he comes running down the stairs.
“I’ll make the tea and the almonds,” he says to Zeki, “You get the blankets.”
Zeki nods and looks down at Adrienne, still in fetal position on the floor. “Carry you?” he asks.
Adrienne turns around with another grunt, making it easier for her boyfriend to carry her.
“Thank you,” she mumbles into his neck halfway to the living room.
Zeki softly places Adrienne on one of the couches, making sure she has a soft pillow underneath her head. “I’ll go get more blankets and pillows from upstairs,” he says, “Want a change of clothes?”
“Yea,” Adrienne replies and repositions herself into a more comfortable position, “PJ’s on my bench thing.”
Zeki nods and smiles before he turns around to run upstairs.
“Hola todos!” Jayme shouts into the house as she arrives, holding the door open for Lin who is right behind her. “Honeys, we need period procedure for this one!”
“Shit, on it,” Zeki says as he walks past them from the stairs to the living room, carrying Adrienne’s duvet and pillow with him.
While Lin follows their boyfriend to the living room, enjoying the homey smell of Adrienne’s flower-printed linens, Jayme makes her way into the kitchen. There, she finds Jeremiah, preparing tea and almonds covered in chocolate for Adrienne. “Make that double,” she smiles, passing her boyfriend another chocolate bar from the pantry.
He sighs.
“We’re synched!” Adrienne says semi-cheerfully from her place on the couch.
“Our poor partners,” Lin laughs.
“Well, they’re getting a massage treatment as a thank you in a week for sure!”
Jayme enters the living room with two steaming mugs. “I wish I had a period,” she mumbles as she sits down next to Adri.
“Trust me, you do not want this!” Lin comments while Adri comfortingly strokes Jayme's back. “Would gladly swap genitals with you though,” they add.
“You wanna make her suffer this?” Adri asks.
“Okay, never mind,” Lin says.
“What a hero,” Zeki says to Lin with a kiss to their forehead as he places their duvet on their body.
“I am indeed!” they grin.
“Little snack for your heroism?” Jeremiah asks, entering with a tray of chocolate almonds.
“Yes please!” Adri cheers.
“Aren't you a bit warm with that sweater plus duvet?” Jeremiah asks Lin while offering them some almonds.
Lin looks over to Adri, lying on her couch in only a tank top - no bra.
“As a trans masc person you're used to either having back pain or being too warm from layering so I think I can handle them happening at the same time,” Lin grins weakly.
“Speaking of which,” Zeki says, “don't you wanna take off your binder? It's been almost 8 hours since you left the house...”
Lin groans but obliges, taking off their sweater, the top they're wearing underneath and, with Zeki's help, their binder. As soon as it's off, Zeki hands them back the other two garments which they put back on again quickly.
“Wanna switch bodies?” Jayme asks with a smirk.
“Sure,” Lin chuckles sheepishly. “But only from the neck down, my face is prettier than yours,” they wink.
Jayme gasps, pretending to be hurt, making the rest laugh.