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piratekane · 6 years

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#26 vanity

A shoutout to @heartsways for the idea; you’re a peach.

#26 - “I got you a present.”

“An end of the year play,” Charity grumbles. “Nursery runs year round, yeah? So how can they have an ‘End of Year’ play, then?”

Vanessa rolls her eyes. “It’s symbolic.”

“It means I’ll have to get my shift covered,” Charity fires back. “I can’t be missing all this work, you know.”

“So you can skive off for a fumble with me, but not to watch your son-”

“Butcher the words to-” Charity checks the flyer Moses brandished as he walked into the pub earlier, leading Vanessa around the bar. “To ‘I Won’t Grow Up’.”

Something flashes in Charity’s eyes and Vanessa moves forward quickly, a hand on Charity’s arm. “I didn’t mean-”

“You know me, Mum of the Year,” Charity says flatly. She doesn’t move away from Vanessa’s touch, though, leaning into it instead.

Vanessa smoothes hand hand down Charity’s arm to her wrist, locking her fingers around the delicate bone. Charity’s pulse is thudding under her fingertips, giving her away. “You’re a great mum,” Vanessa murmurs.

“A great rubbish one,” Charity mutters back.

Vanessa tightens her grip on Charity’s wrist. “It’s a learning curve, yeah?”

Charity sighs. “Yeah.”

“S’no matter how long it take you, you’re learning now,” Vanessa says gently. She pushes up onto her tiptoes, her lips against the skin just below Charity’s ear. “You’re definitely in the running for ‘Newcomer of the Year’.”

“Oi, you,” Charity says, pushing at Vanessa’s hips. She hand tightens in the cotton of her jumper before Vanessa stumbles back too far, pulling her in again. She slides her other hand along Vanessa’s neck, curling her fingers into the base of Vanessa’s spine. She kisses her, their lips barely touching. Vanessa whines in protest, pressing in harder, but Charity leans back, her nose grazing Vanessa’s.

“Charity,” Vanessa warns.

Charity smiles, brushing her nose along Vanessa’s cheek. “Yes?”

“Charity,” Chas snaps.

Charity groans, dropping her head into the crook of Vanessa’s neck. She can feel Vanessa’s smile against her temple and she tightens her hand on Vanessa’s hip, pressing her thumb into the spot she knows’ll make Vanessa go crazy. She grins when she feels Vanessa’s hips jump, and lifts her head, dusting her lips against the high point of Vanessa’s cheek.

“What, Chas?” Charity asks flatly, her smile dropping as she turns.

Chas crosses her arms over her chest. “Are you going to serve customers instead of snogging your girlfriend?”

Charity pushes out her bottom lip, thinking. “I’d prefer the snog, if I’m being honest.”

“So would I,” Jimmy adds, lifting his empty pint glass in a salute.

Vanessa makes a face and peels Charity’s hand away from her hip, squeezing her hand gently before she lets go. “I’ll take the boys and get them a snack. You’re coming for tea?”

Charity nods. “‘Course I am,” she promises. She leans in again, kissing Vanessa softly.

Vanessa winks as she disappears through the back corridor and Charity watches until she rounds the corner out of sight.

She glares hard at Jimmy, pointedly ignoring his empty pint and topping off Pete’s glass even though he’s only taken a few swigs off the top. She makes Jimmy sit there, pathetically sighing, for a few more minutes - collecting empty glasses, stacking empty plates, leaning in over Moira’s shoulder and poking at Cain until he scowls and growls at her to go away. She fills Jimmy’s pint just as Chas comes back from her break, holding onto the glass for just a moment too long.

Jimmy swallows hard and Charity grins; he’s got the message now, hasn’t he?

Charity pauses in the doorway to the living room, her hand on the knob. Moses and Johnny are playing on the floor in front of the couch, rolling toy cars up and over the carpet edge with loud crashing noises. Vanessa is putting plates on the table, smiling at the boys when Moses calls for her attention.

Something in Charity’s chest shifts and warms and a part of her rebels against it; a part of her wants to push it down and harden against the slow softening that blooms through her. But there’s another part of her that likes this feeling too much to try and shove it down; a part of her that sounds suspiciously like Vanessa’s voice, telling her she deserves this.

“Come on, my darlings,” Vanessa calls. “Tea.”

Moses breaks for the table, climbing up into his seat and digging into the plate of Lancashire hotpot Vanessa puts down in front of him. Johnny is a little slower to stand, carefully lining up his cars in order.

Charity moves into the room, scooping him up as he puts the last car in line. “Come on, then, Johnnybobs. Mummy has outdone herself today, hasn’t she.”

Vanessa’s cheeks pinken. “I had the day off,” she reminds Charity. “Sit down, eat.” She starts to sit and her eyes widen. “Oh, I nearly forgot.” She grabs the flyer off the counter, passing it to Charity. “Look at the bottom.”

Charity’s eyes scan the page again before stopping at the last line. “Dress code,” she reads. “There’s a dress code for a nursery play?” She rolls her eyes. “Guess I’ll leave my knickers under my clothes, then, won’t I?”

“Not for us,” Vanessa says, shaking her head. “The boys.”

“Oh,” Charity breathes out. She reads the rest of the line. “Boys, borrow a shirt and tie from your fathers.” She scowls. “Bit of an insult to single mums, innit?”

Vanessa sighs. “It’s fine. I’ll ask my dad.”

“Poor lad,” Charity murmurs, running her hands over Johnny’s head. He leans into the touch, smiling up at her. “Well, Ross can lend Moses one.”

Moses grins. “Daddy is a sausage.”

“That he is, mate,” Charity agrees.

“I want one,” Johnny says, not touching his fork.

“Grandpa Frank’ll have one, love,” Vanessa assures him. “Eat up now.”

Johnny shakes his head. “I want one from Daddy.”

Vanessa pauses with her fork halfway to her mouth, a scoop of lamp and sliced potatoes falling back onto her plate. “Johnny, love,” she starts. She swallows, putting her fork back down on her plate.

Charity remembers this conversation with Noah, when he was younger. She remembers the confusion on his face, how he didn’t understand she was a single mum and that meant he had a Daddy somewhere, but he wasn’t living with them or helping them or calling them. She’d put on the telly and he’s forgotten all about it, content with a mum who fed him fairy floss for tea and packed him fairy cakes for lunch.

Johnny is a different kind of boy, though. He wants to know everything and he won’t stop until he’s satisfied. He’s like Vanessa, Charity thinks. A dog with a bone it won’t let go of until it decides it’s good and ready.

Charity loves that, about both of them.

“Johnny,” Charity cuts in. “How about- You know what? Wait right here.” She stands, her hand on Vanessa’s shoulder. “Not a word until I get back, yeah?” She hurries up the stairs and into her bedroom, scouring the closet, going through blouse after blazer until she finds what she’s looking for. “Might not work,” she mutters to her reflection in the mirror on her vanity. “But ‘Newcomer of the Year’ I am, yeah?”

Johnny is still at the table, his food untouched. He turns as she comes back into the living room, kneeling up to see over the back of his seat. “What’d you do?”

“Well, I’ve got you a present, haven’t I?” Charity says, sitting down on the couch, one arm behind her back. She pats the cushion next to her. “Come on.”

Johnny climbs up next to her, eyes wide. “What’s it?”

Charity grins at him. “Close your eyes.”

Johnny closes one eye, holding out his hand.

Vanessa sits down next on the arm of the couch, her thigh against the back of Charity’s shoulder. Her fingers wind through the ends of Charity’s hair lightly and Charity’s eyes flutter closed for a moment before she remembers what she’s supposed to be doing.

“Right, here you are.” Charity pulls out her hand, laying her blazer across Johnny’s outstretched arms. “It’s not a shirt, but I reckon Noah or your Grandpa Frank has a necktie you can borrow, yeah? So you’ll just be a little dressed up compared to the rest of ‘em.” She leans in, whispering. “Don’t tell Moz, but you’ll look like a real moneybags in a blazer.”

“A ba-zer,” Johnny repeats. His eyes are wide and his smile stretches from ear to ear.

“Charity,” Vanessa breathes into her ear, her lips pressed to the side of Charity’s head.

“Reckon that’ll do?” Charity asks Johnny.

He nods furiously, holding the blazer to his chest tightly.

“Good.” She leans forward, kissing his temple, and gently pries the blazer from his hands. “Now, go on, then. Moz is going to eat your lamb if you don’t get there quick.”

Johnny climbs down off the couch and back up into his seat, picking up his fork and tucking into his food, an arm curled around his plate as Moses eyes it eagerly.

“Charity,” Vanessa says again.

“It’s nothing,” Charity says quickly. “Don’t get soppy over it.”

“I’m not getting soppy,” Vanessa says, her eyes already starting to shine. Her hand tightens in Charity’s hair.

“It’s a blooming blazer,” Charity continues. “That’s all.”

“That’s not all,” Vanessa argues, her voice cracking. “I’m sorry,” she adds quickly, burying her face into Charity’s shoulder. “I just-”

“I know,” Charity says gently. “But if you get your mascara all over this blazer, Johnny won’t be able to wear it, will he?” She strokes her fingers down the length of Vanessa’s neck, turning her head so her lips press to the soft hair at Vanessa’s temple. “Come on, then. Let’s eat our tea. Moses looks like he’s going to devour the whole pot if we don’t get over there.”

“Thank you,” Vanessa whispers. “You’re amazing, you are.”

“Reckon it’ll get me points towards being Mum of the Year?” Charity only half-jokes.

Vanessa shakes her head, chuckling. “It’ll look good for the judges,” she says. “But a kiss might go a ways towards getting you that nomination. Good favor, and all.”

“Happy to oblige,” Charity breathes, pressing her lips against Vanessa’s. “Happy to oblige.”

#vanity #charity x vanessa #emmerdale #fic #vanessa woodfield #charity dingle #vanity and the boys

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