𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐄! ✽ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

56

𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐕𝐄'𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐎𝐅 sheridan's hand as she waved goodbye to her two friends. the red-haired girl swung open her front door and was instantly greeted by her mother on the couch. steam rose from the freshly-warmed leftover lasagna atop the coffee table, and cheers was quietly playing on the television.

joyce snapped her head around to face her daughter. "dani!" she exclaimed. a breathy chuckle fell from her daughter's lips as she overheard the sudden terror in her voice. "i didn't think you were coming home tonight," she explained. and before sherrie could get a word out, joyce insisted that she claim the empty spot next to her while he put her food in the microwave—and that she did.

sheridan kicked off her sneakers, peeled off her bookbag, and just as she plopped down onto the striped sofa, joyce sat another plate down on the table. dani didn't dare tear her eyes from the tv as she dug in, ogling ted danson's character and simply taking a moment to actually relax and enjoy an episode; it had been a while since she had had any time to do that. the girl pressed a hand to her hardening abdomen, sometimes rolling over with laughter even when her mouth was full of lasagna.

joyce laughed, too, but only at her daughter. she realized she could not recall the last time she had seen sheridan so alive and overflowing with joy; but regardless, joyce was happy that dani was happy. and she was happy that she was finally able to sit through an episode of cheers, even after bob's passing.

the woman watched with gratification as the redhead's body bobbed with giggles. a snicker escaped joyce's lips. she planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

✽

❝𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐌𝐄, 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒? 𝐃𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐀𝐋?❞ an unmistakable voice questioned behind sheridan. the girl nearly dropped the box of restocked brothers in arms records in shock as she quickly spun around. 

"dustin!" she cheered gleefully. store occupants glared at her with disdain. dani rested the cardboard on the floor and practically leaped into the young boy's arms—although, she had him beat by about a foot, especially in her clogs. dustin was relishing in this fact as she squeezed him tightly against her chest. "god kid, i missed you!" she groaned. after a moment spent in their embrace, she held him at arm's length. his lung reinflated. "i've got one last box to finish before my lunch break if you wanna wait for me in scoops?" sherrie's lips curled into a smirk as dustin's eyes widened. he nodded frantically in agreement before making a mad dash for the business next door.

following their secret handshake (that not even dani knew about) and his introduction to robin, steve and dustin made themselves comfortable in the large corner booth. steve put together a banana boat sundae for dustin, even constructing sails from waffle cones and toothpicks; in the back freezer was the sherrie special. despite his missing teeth, dustin didn't hesitate to dig into the sweet treat. "so," steve began with a large exhale. "dani told me you met a girl."

dustin nodded as he tried to swallow the large bite taking hold of his tongue. "she's incredible. incredible. super attractive, too," dustin bragged. after a silent beat, he added with a shrug, "maybe even hotter than dani."