Move-in Edition

In which Fran has to grapple with change on a systemic level while also accepting her annoyance with corporate grind culture. Why does it even exist, honestly? In any case, I'm cheering for Fran and Dot. Good on them for finding joy.

It's Friday again, and Fran hates Fridays.

Should she? Almost certainly. Fridays are the day of the corporate sigh, the relieved moment when everything becomes a null void, when calendars and schedules mean nothing. The pattern is much the same as it ever was.

Awake at 6:25am. The alarm hasn't gone off. She reads her schedule in relative silence, only the sounds of breathing breaking that. But this Friday is different.

She stares at the words, processing the meaning, the intent, and the terrifying freedom imposed by 'Eventually'. The 'Eventually' aches, and she almost regrets putting it on the schedule as such. But Dot was adamant that once the task was done, Fran would have no further scheduled tasks for the week. So Fran is left with 'Eventually' instead of '10:00pm' at that final slot, and she can't help but be somehow pleased for it.

Carol King drags Fran back to the moment, the first few beats of 'I Feel the Earth Move' serving to captivate her attentions and get her feet moving. But unlike normal, she sits through the whole first verse, not bothering to remove herself from the bed. What's the point if the day's schedule is destined to dissolve into 'Eventually'.

"Note to self, Fran-gelina," she grumbles when the second verse finally picks up, "never let Dot convince you to do this again."

Fran's hand finds the button to disable the alarm and stands, moving to the mirror to admire her still very short hair. After Dot salvaged it, Fran had decided to go shorter and shorter until she looked like she belonged at Dot's side. That meant terribly short in the back and angling to something like a bob in the front. At first, she hated it, but she's since decided it's more her than the long hair in the high bun ever was.

Dot is still sleeping soundly in their shared bed, oblivious to Fran's every emotion, a fact that brings a sense of calm. At least she doesn't have to worry that Dot will think she's having second thoughts. They'd been properly living together for almost six months already, so it made sense to finally have Dot stop paying a second rent, and Fran couldn't imagine getting used to another new schedule were Dot to leave.

She moves to the shower, turning the water hotter than is reasonable for any human, and steps in before letting the faucet pour violently until the heat warms her toes. That's the moment she pulls the plunger up and lets the near-boiling cascade wash over her. She'd have maybe a minute before Dot joined, so she had to appreciate the heat while she could.

Fran adjusts the water to a more reasonable temperature as Dot opens the curtain behind her and climbs in. This has become the norm, and Fran can't help but express joy over it every time.

Once the shower is done, they both dry off and dress before moving to the kitchen and preparing a shared breakfast. Proper breakfast. Eggs, vegan sausage, drop biscuits -- from the box, of course -- and enough fresh fruit to cover half of the plates. Dot's never asked why Fran eats vegan sausage but otherwise doesn't bother avoiding animal products. They just smile at the apparent contradiction.

Food is eaten slowly, appreciating every flavour. As they finish, Dot stands and takes both plates, setting about making the morning's coffee. That's a big difference for Fran. Their shared warm beverage in the mornings. Well, that and the fact that Dot always picks what hot beverage it would be. Tea some days. Coffee others. One morning, it was something Dot claimed was a cider, but tasted like feet and tobacco. That one was permanently banned from the house.

Dot's basically silent until caffeinated, but they smile at Fran almost the whole time, staring into her soul and drawing out something from the depths. Mutual joy, Fran supposes.

"How are we doing today, love?" Dot says after her tenth sip of the coffee. "I know you've been nervous about the move. We can do it next week if you need."

"We can't, and you know it," Fran says, shoving just enough to make Dot's coffee slosh in the cup. "It's on the schedule for today. It's happening today. And moving you in properly isn't the issue."

Fran grabs her phone and pulls up the schedule again. She taps at the final time stamp and scowls. "Did we have to schedule it this way?"

"It was that," Dot grins, "or Never. Which is preferable, love?"

"Fine. But I won't be happy about it until tomorrow."

A schedule reminder goes off. Call in to work. Not that anyone would be looking for her. She's in charge of the department, and the only time she's needed is if someone is being disciplined for not being productive enough. Fran has many times not bothered to drive to work, just to see if anyone noticed she was missing. They didn't.

She pulls up the contact information and hands the phone to Dot. If they push the button, Fran doesn't have to feel bad about this. Dot obliges happily. They're always taking care of that kind of thing for Fran.

The phone rings for a long moment before someone answers. Fran recognises the voice. Becky in HR.

"Becky," Fran says softly, "I think I need to stay at home today. Some personal business to attend."

"Sorry to hear that, Franny," Becky doesn't notice Fran gagging at the nickname Dave used to use for her, "hope that goes off without a hitch. The office isn't the same without you."

"Appreciated," Fran lies. It tastes awful, but no worse than being called 'Franny'. "I should be back in on Monday. Have a great day, Becky. Tell Dave he's lucky to have you."

Fran disconnects the call without waiting for a reply. She sets the phone down and meets Dot's eyes, their expression mostly blank. "What does she see in that douche, anyway?" Dot says before scowling. Quickly, that turns to a smile. "Now that you're off for the day, let the three-day weekend commence!"

"What about moving you in the rest of the way?" Fran corrects. "How long will that take?"

"One car trip if we take yours. Plus the thanks to Artemis for looking over that home for a while. So, done before mid-morning snack?" Dot grins. "Yes, Fran. I did have you cancel a whole day of work for almost nothing. I burned yesterday to the ground doing most of the job while you were at work so that we could relax together."

Fran's jaw drops. She's not sure how to respond. But she's sure of a few things.

It's Friday, and Fran hates Fridays.

But this Friday in particular? It might not be so bad.