Family Domain Expansion (Lay the Very Best - Chapter 438)

"They're so cute," Fenny said, a finger pressed to one of Brandy's new hair horns. Scoria had a finger on the other, and the pair of them were wiggling her head around with gentle presses like she was a dashboard bobble doll.

It made eating difficult, but Brandy was willing to put up with a lot for one of Fenny's breakfasts. Her human mom might be a constantly embarrassing terror, but she was also a phenomenal cook. The story was actually pretty endearing. Nexus was a company focused on survival in challenging environments, and Fenny was their bond specialist, trying to help them better understand how inheritance worked to pass on beneficial survival traits. Part of that job meant she had to go to remote locations that wouldn't have been practical to bring Brandy to when she was still a kid.

Scoria had stepped up to look after Brandy while Fenny was away, but the two always missed each other to bits the whole time. So rather than be miserable, they'd both agreed that while they were apart, they'd do their best to make interesting friends and learn valuable skills they could share when they were back together. Cooking was one of those things Fenny had learned, always coming back with new recipes and doing her best to spoil Scoria with lavish meals.

It was adorable. Less cute was what Scoria practiced while Fenny was away, but she did keep it out of sight, and there were a few mischievous perks to having all the parents of Turrfield carrying a little flame for Scoria. Anyone planning a party had always asked Brandy to be involved, because everyone knew Scoria would make sure their mothers said yes to getting the kids out of the house.

If Scoria didn't adore Fenny with all her being, Brandy would have definitely had a few sisters in other families.

"So who got to grab them first?" Scoria asked, and Brandy nearly choked on her scrambled eggs.

"She's so cool," Sparky said, sitting on the table with her head in her hands and her feet kicking under the table. "I want to be her."

"You can't be my mom." Brandy wheezed, "Settle for being my partner."

"Yes, Sparky," Scoria said, "We're relying on you to give us a grandkid."

Brandy discovered a new, second phase to choking on food that was somehow even worse than the first. Fenny patted Brandy's back dutifully, firm enough that it did actually help shock Brandy's throat into clearing itself.

"Calcine," Brandy gasped. "Force feed Sparky the Siracha bottle."

"Nope!" Sparky squeaked, leaning back on her chair and rolling off the back of it onto her feet.

"It's an order, Sparky," Calcine said, catching her anyway and locking her into a firm, no-nonsense bear hug.

Sparky flailed, her legs kicking uselessly. "Betrayal! Treason!"

Brandy let them struggle it out. She knew Calcine wouldn't actually do it, but the pair of them would have fun tussling, and it made for a good distraction. Brandy wiped her mouth, face still flushed from the double-choking.

"You're a long way off having grandkids," Brandy said, waving a fork at Scoria and Fenny.

"That's not a no," Fenny said over Brandy's head to Scoria. "She's just saying we have to give it time."

"Who'd be first?" Scoria asked. "Calcine? Sparky? Morgan? This lovely lady you've picked up?"

Dani was eating breakfast with them, but she'd only managed about three bites. Her fork hovered in front of her mouth, a tiny piece of potato stuck on it that'd been there for a good few minutes.

Scoria noticed and offered her a warm smile. "Sweetheart, you can breathe. We don't bite."

"That's not true, Scoria does," Fenny said, "But only recreationally."

Dani started sweating.

"Don't tease her." Brandy huffed, batting away their hands from her horns finally. "Dani's been doing really well, and I'm not having you two make her feel awkward."

"Aww," Fenny took Scoria's hand and pulled her over, leaning into her wife's soft, white neck fur. "You've grown so fast out of our sight. It's good to see you stand up for your partners."

"Never doubted she would," Scoria said, brushing a thumb over Fenny's knuckles before looking back at Brandy. "Our daughter has always had a fiery spirit when it's time to help others."

Brandy felt her ears warm. "She doesn't need help. I just don't want you both being so ... you, that Dani evaporates."

Brandy reached out to grasp Dani's wrist and helped move the fork to her mouth. It hung open, but Brandy caught Dani's eyes through the sheer intensity of her stare. It helped relax her; she unlocked and bit down, head bobbing quickly as if to give approval for the taste.

"Maybe someday you get some Grandkids," Brandy said as she took the fork out of Dani's hand and scooped up some of her breakfast for her, holding it up for Dani to lean in and bite at. "But I would like a sister first."

"We're working on it," Fenny said, "It's proven challenging."

"Not had the house to ourselves in a while. The novelty hasn't worn off again."

"It was nice being able to pick up that fluffy lady on the train."

"Fluffy lady?" Brandy knew a few of those. "Who was it?"

Fenny and Scoria exchanged a glance. A long one. The kind of mom glance that Brandy knew well was a silent negotiation on who would try to explain first.

Brandy twirled her fork with Dani on the end of it, enjoying the little giggle she got from the Magikarp. "You did get her name right?"

Scoria cleared her throat. "She definitely knew ours."

Fenny nodded. "Voiced them quite clearly. Repeatedly."

More silence.

Scoria winced. "I was distracted."

"Very distracted," Fenny added, as if that somehow helped. "Same."

Brandy shook her head in entirely expected disgust. "You didn't get her name."

"We got syllables that might have been a name," Scoria said, hopeful.

"I think it began with an F," Fenny confirmed.

"Or she was just trying to scream 'Fuck!' and couldn't get the air to her lungs," Sparky yelled from a headlock Calcine had her in.

"You know, in context, that would make a lot of sense," Scoria nodded. "Sparky is smart, Brandy. Good thing you got her."

Brandy just sank her face into a palm. It was her fault for even asking, really.

"Sparky's a very special bug," Calcine said, "We've got a big journey still left to do, but somewhere beyond that, when we finally do all settle down together with Brandy. I promise we will give you plenty of grandchildren."

"Calcine!" Brandy said, "You too?"

"I'm not teasing," Calcine said, "I mean it. Once the adventure is over, I know we're going to be a wonderful family together."

Calcine's delivery was so calm, so matter-of-fact, that it hit Brandy harder than all the teasing combined.

Brandy stared at her, fork frozen halfway to Dani's mouth. "Calcine. Too much."

Calcine looked genuinely puzzled. "Why? It's true."

Sparky squirmed in her hold. "Wait! Wait! If we are having a moment, can you let me out of the headlock? I want to gesture dramatically."

Calcine did not let her out.

Fenny absolutely lit up at the news, though, and held up a hand, hiding a no doubt massive grin. "That's very sweet of you, Calcine."

Scoria nodded, "You're all part of the family. If Brandy loves you, then we will too. I'm sure of it."

Brandy stared at them, her moms glowing with pride, Calcine serene, Sparky flailing in the headlock like a malfunctioning wind chime, and finally teared up.

"This is so stupid," Brandy sniffed. "Getting me like this."

"What? Why?" Fenny said, "She sounds genuine. We're being truthful."

"I know you all are," Brandy said, leaning back to glare up at her mothers, "and this would be ever so sweet, if you hadn't just admitted to absolutely railing some stranger on a train so hard she lost the ability to form consonants."

Scoria's wings twitched. "In fairness, she seemed very happy about it."

"That's not the point!"

Fenny was holding back a laugh, Brandy could just tell by the way her voice sounded. "Technically, she wasn't a stranger by the end of it. We knew her very well."

Brandy dragged Dani slightly closer like a living emotional support fish. "You can't just pivot from 'we rocked a woman into forgetting English' to 'we'd love to be a family together someday.' It's embarrassing!"

"You're a grown lady now," Scoria said, utterly confident in the way only someone with zero shame could be. "You know how things are. Love is embarrassing sometimes, thrilling the next, you can't control it."

Fenny leaned her cheek on Scoria's shoulder. "We're trying, though, for your sake. Morgan said our part of this plan will be out of sight; we don't want to humiliate you, Brandy. We're here to help because someone you love asked."

Brandy sighed. It was no good. She couldn't beat sentimentality this powerful. She really did love her two idiot parents a lot, and they were right. She shouldn't be ashamed to show it.

Brandy turned to Calcine. "Calcine, you said something beautiful, and I'm sorry I couldn't enjoy it because these two have turned the emotional atmosphere into a chaotic soup."

Calcine's brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Would it help if I repeated it later? In private?"

Brandy nearly combusted. "Yes, we're doing that, but focus! No more Grandkid talk. No more random train sex stories."

Brandy had to kick Scoria's leg when she made an 'Aw' sound. You shouldn't ever really kick your mom, but this one was thoroughly deserved.

"Your family is unbelievable," Dani whispered reverently.

"You're telling me," Brandy muttered, holding another forkful of food toward Dani's mouth. "Sure, you want to be in it?"

She didn't let Dani answer because there really were only so many feelings a woman could take. The Magikarp got a mouthful of food instead, and it was nice to see Dani squirm pleasurably as Fenny's cooking melted on her taste buds.

Her parents were a nightmare. But they were family, and one that Brandy was proud to be a part of.

Sometimes.

When it wasn't too embarrassing.