Following her last statement, which Connor was still searching for a response to, Brie looked up again, “so, if they really are this madly in love, then why the hell are they out there sleeping with half the state? I mean, I still would really like some kind of explanation for that.”

Connor thought a long moment, as another theory occurred to him, “maybe they really have been trying to fight the way they feel about each other all this time; since that first time, considering what they did afterwards.”

“Not sure I follow” Brie stated slowly.

“What if that’s why they are out doing what they’re doing? Because they think...” he shook his head.

“Think what?”

“That we’d never approve of them being together. So they’re being with anyone else just to...to not be with each other” Connor sighed sadly. “They’ve already spent years dealing with every one of their peers telling them how wrong their feelings for each other are. Even if all the little pricks can’t seem to believe the truth about them not being related” Connor shook his head again.

“But do we... actually approve?” Brie asked, as if seriously asking herself that question then.

“I mean, no parent wants their child having sex under their own roof, let alone both of their children, with each other... but... But what if everything that’s happened over the last three years... The suicide attempt, the promiscuity, their indecisiveness about who they even want to sleep with; other than each other” he had to add, “what if every piece of this is just a result of them trying to fight and deny what they feel for each other?”

Brie sniffled a bit, “you’re saying we’ve guilted them into sleeping with every boy and girl they take a liking to?... And also into... doing what they did... to themselves?” she bit back a slight sob.

“I’m pretty sure the rest of the kids in school did most of the guilting. But when we found out they actually liked each other, like that; well it’s not like we were thrilled by it” Connor sighed softly.

“So we deal with their suicidal tendencies and promiscuity, or we give them our blessing to start sharing a bed?” Brie scoffed sadly, “are those really our only choices?”

Connor was quiet for a long moment, “it’s just amazing.”

Brie looked more than confused by that, “what exactly is amazing again?”

“It’s like, like they feel like if they can’t be with each other, they don’t even wanna be alive at all. And it seems like they’ve felt that way for as long as they could... feel that way” he sighed, “a love like that: Most adults never even know what that’s like.”

Brie sniffled again, “it’s like they’re soul-mates or something.”

“And they just happened to be the two children we adopted, together. What the hell are the odds?”

“Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something” she smiled sadly.

When Brie and Connor did finally come back in from the garage, they each let out a heavy sigh as they stepped into the living room. There, Sky was still laying back on the couch, his head on Star’s lap as she leaned down to allow their tongues to explore each other’s mouths while their hands tangled in each other’s long locks.

More than a bit startled by the door opening from the garage, the two quickly broke off the kiss and Sky hurriedly sat up to move to a seat several inches away from her across the cushions. Both were wearing expressions of pure dread at what their parents’ reactions would be to just another in their long list of sins; especially after the weekend already had them surely ready to be packed off to parts unknown as it was.

Brie and Connor each took a deep breath and looked from the teens to each other and back. It was another long moment of watching Sky and Star being too terrified to even look back their way, before Brie finally spoke again, “it’s too late to cook. Dad’s gonna order Chinese. You two want the usual?”

“What?” they both choked in near unison, startled so much by that particular statement that they both snapped their eyes back up to meet her expectedly uncomfortable, yet somehow calm expression.

“Garlic chicken is what you guys get, right?” Connor asked as he reached for his phone to find the number.

“Yeah...” Star stammered, more than a bit thrown by this strange seeming calm they were being greeted with as opposed to the fury they were sure was awaiting them the moment their parents came back inside.

Connor simply nodded and headed off to the dining room as he dialed the number. Brie let out another somewhat uncomfortable sigh as she took a seat on the recliner and reached for the remote, “so you guys wanna binge something while we wait on dinner?”

“What?” Sky asked, both he and Star beyond bewildered at their parents’ behavior at this point.

“It’s been ages since we all had dinner together and binge watched something. Don’t you guys miss it?”

“What?” Star repeated Sky’s last statement.

“Am I speaking a different language?” Brie attempted a smile as she started scrolling through program options.

Star and Sky gave one another a questioning look before turning those nearly matching sets of dark eyes back to their mother. Star finally spoke, voice full of confusion now, “did pod people come and take over you guys while you were out in the garage?” at the same time she spoke to her mother, she sent Sky a text that read, “can we now erase their minds again, just by kissing??”

Sky scoffed down at his own phone before deleting the message and sending one back: “well then they seem to have forgotten the kiss itself too!” He then slid his phone back into his pocket and looked back to Brie. “You’re not even gonna say, anything?”

“About?” Brie forced her voice to remain even as she continued sorting through selections on the screen.

“Mom, come on” Sky scoffed as he gave Star another questioning look, which she simply returned.

Brie let out a breath before attempting to field that question, since just acting like nothing happened was obviously not going to work here. “Your father and I now have finally adjusted to the idea that the feelings you two have for each other should be taken seriously” she attempted, causing the two of them to only look further confused, “and we have to remove the knee-jerk reaction we have at the fact that you’re both our children, and just deal with it like we would with any other romantic interests the two of you may have otherwise had” she swallowed hard.

Star then shook her head in equal parts frustration and confusion then, “yeah, I think you are speaking another language.”

Brie took another breath, glaring at the doorway Connor had gone through, leaving her to deal with this attempt they were making at trying to change their entire world view for the sake of their children’s very souls; or soul as the case actually was, unbeknownst to them.

“What I mean, is that we have to deal with the two of you wanting to be together, the same way we’d have to deal with it if either of you brought home some other boy or girl who you were interested in. If either of you had some other serious romantic interest, besides each other” she had to add, “then we wouldn’t tell you that you’re not allowed to have those feelings as long as you’re living here. We’d have to accept that you do have those feelings, and hope you find some kind of happiness together” she finished, barely forcing any of the words out through her overwhelming awkwardness right then.

Sky and Star only looked further shocked then, trying to decipher what she was honestly telling them. Finally, Sky took a breath and responded, “did you just give us permission to date... each other?” he had to add with further disbelief.

“You two are obviously... extremely attached to one other” she decided on, “and if some other couple had adopted Star, we wouldn’t tell you you’re not allowed to be with her. I mean, the only reason for you two not to be together is because you happened to be raised in the same house. And that’s not your fault. So us punishing you for it is a little ridiculous” she then swallowed as she looked at them sadly, “and we realize that us trying to tell you not to love that one person that actually loves you back; it isn’t exactly the way we ever wanted to raise our children” she added with a slight sniffle.

That was when Connor finally reappeared during Brie’s somewhat touching explanation, “we still don’t want the two of you having sex in the house, or honestly anywhere else; though I realize that ship has sailed” he added as the two did look down again then, “but that would be the case even if the girls you two were making out with this weekend were the ones you were wanting to date, or if anyone else was the one you wanted to be with, for that matter.”

Stammering a bit, Sky spoke again, “you two are actually ok with us being together now?”

Brie sniffled again, “I always told Connor that I hoped Star could eventually find a boy who treated her as good as you did, and vice versa. It just never occurred to us that there was a much deeper reason why you two got along as well as you did. Guess it’s hard to see what’s happening if you’re standing too close.”

As September was ending, and summer with it, the following day at school was the senior class trip to the local amusement park. When Sky and Star pulled into school that morning, the buses already waiting at the other side of the lot, the two couldn’t help giving each other another small uneasy smile.

“Is it wrong that I’m kinda terrified?” Sky smiled over at her.

“Of amusement parks?” Star narrowed her eyes, “since when?”

“No, not that” Sky smirked back at her, “I’m terrified of what’s gonna happen now.”

“In regard to?” she asked, her eyes still holding the question.

“I mean, look at all that’s happened since we got to this new world. We found out about all the bad things that went down in this new version of our life, or a lot of them, at any rate” he had to add with just a touch of remaining cynicism, “and we’ve actually fixed most of them, or are fixing them. Doesn’t this just feel... weird?”

Star let out a tiny giggle, “it says something when good things happen and it just feels weird to us.”

“Did we just jinx it by even suggesting that good things are happening now?” Sky worried aloud.

“Probably” she laughed, though they both bit at their darkly red-stained lips that day and took another breath before heading across the lot to board the buses for a day of what they hoped was actually amusement at the aptly named park. Though neither of them were quite ready to hold too tightly to the hope that all really was on its way to good in even this life; they knew better than that by now.

As the chaperones of the day began to take role call by boarding students onto the buses alphabetically, Sky and Star, Vargas, waited quietly leaning back against the side of the bus rather close to one another. But them being inseparable was commonplace at this point, so it just was their natural state to most onlookers, despite the still circling rumors about them.

One of the only emo girls in the senior class was an extremely pretty, yet reasonably shy girl named Alana. She offered them a slight smile of comradery as she also took a place leaning back against the bus next to them, while pushing the long yellow-green streaked bangs back into the rest of her otherwise equally long dark hair. Her full lips were tinted a dark maroon that day below the dark eyeliner surrounding light brown eyes.

As the three of them waited on their names to be called, Sky leaned down to whisper something in Star’s ear that caused each of them to giggle as Star gently smacked his arm in a falsely scolding manner. It was at precisely that moment that Curt exited his nearby car, scowling at all three of the teens before him.

Star and Sky immediately tensed, both of them inadvertently grabbing for each other’s hand as he took a few steps toward them, scowl still glued to his face. It was true that there were teachers only about twenty feet off, but it still gave both of them a feeling of dread to ever be in his presence at all.

“Oh that’s real cute” he greeted them coldly as he glanced at their now interlocking black-tipped fingers. “And surprise surprise, Alana’s here too. You guys planning out your next freak threesome? I don’t know Sky, I thought your sister was the only girl you could get it up for. Not sure you can handle two at once, and that one’s not even related to you” he continued in that same mocking tone of his that just made their skin crawl.

That was when being near kindred souls, or soul, gave Alana a bit of bravery, as Curt was hardly one of her favorite people either, “you seem awfully concerned with Sky’s dick, Curt. I wonder what that means?” she told him smartly, almost causing Star and Sky to smile, almost.

“Oh you’re gonna get your turn too bitch. Just ask pretty little Star what she almost got when I caught her alone. Can’t wait to see you soon, ’lana” he delivered that threat before heading off to get on the bus as his name was thankfully, finally called.