Belong - an adopted by Hamilton fanfic [Hamilton]

92. To be: told

[A/N: A big chapter today. An important and emotional one, too. I'll let you read for now❤️]

"Are you sure you don't want us to help you unpack?", Vanessa asked again, raising her eyebrows as she looked at me with a caring smile on her face. She was leaning on the doorframe to my room, dressed in a casual outfit as we had just arrived from the airport half an hour earlier. I had just zipped up my carry on, and folded it up on the floor. I looked at it, and then at her.
"Yes. I'll be fine", I looked back at it, and then back to her with a smile on my face. "...I think"
"Oookay", Vanessa replied to my almost definitive answer to her question. She wasn't convinced, but she was letting me do it.
"I'll tell you if I need help", I assured her, almost asking for permission. She nodded at me, her face kind.
"I know you will"

We had just arrived from two weeks of being on vacation. Although, it had mostly been about visiting their, well our, friends and family while enjoying being somewhere that wasn't New York. For me, it had been about trying to adjust to new places quickly. The first week we had spent in Puerto Rico, at Lin's grandparents house. The week had been filled with food and talking and getting to see the island, even more this time. Lin's Abuela had given me so much food, and she had been so happy when I had eaten it. I guess Lin had told her. After that, we packed our bags and went to the Dominican Republic to visit Vanessa's side of the family, and for me and Sebastian to get to know her roots, as well as they now were ours. I had sent Dominic a picture of me in front of a sign right as we had gotten here, and I had scribbled over parts of the picture that made it say Dominic Republic instead.

<< I have arrived at your place

His reply was instant.

>> Oh gosh
>> Remind me to teach you photoshop

Which, of course, made me laugh because both he and I knew that I really didn't have the patience for that.

The time in the Dominican Republic was marked with small trips and, again, a lot of food. That I tried to eat as much of as I could. Even if it was just a bite. We spent a lot of the time by the water, and I would try to read a bunch and not get caught up in reapplying sunscreen so often that I wouldn't do anything else. Sebastian loved the vacation, probably because he got to have a popsicle every day. The little boy was living his best life, and he loved every minute of it. Especially because everyone gave him tons of attention.

During the two weeks, I had come to love the two places. On the way back home, it struck me that it was because everyone had been so genuinely welcoming to me. All in all, they had just wanted to get to know me and they had made sure I felt that. And somehow, it had made something that was so far away almost feel a little homey. Or almost like home. Which is what it felt for Lin and Vanessa. Which, they, in one way or another, had wanted to share with me.

But now I was home.
And I had to unpack.

I looked at the folded up carry on.
Everything was neatly organised in there.
And I had to dismantle it.
The first part was easy.
To take out the bag with dirty laundry.
Check.
Then, it would get harder.
I knew that.
I started blinking.
I shook my head, trying to shake it off.
"Come on", I told myself. "I can do this"

"So, Seb's finally asleep, and we were maybe thinking takeout?", Lin said, having just knocked on my door frame to get my attention.
"...sure", I hesitantly replied, suddenly finding myself reorganising my socks. "Sh*t", I said under my breath.
"That's not a word I get to hear you say very often", Lin pointed out, a little worried but also a little amused to hear me say something like that, considering that I rarely cursed. "But, really, how's it going, Niñita?", he asked me, sitting down on the armchair across from me.
"It's... going", I replied, pushing the sock drawer into my wardrobe quite violently.
"So no help?", he asked me, just in case.
I looked up at him, with a stubborn look on my face as well as a smile.
"No help", I said, shaking my head.
He looked at me, smiling to the side, nodding.
"So what about plain old McDonald's?", he suggested, as I turned to my carry on again. I had made some progress in the last hour.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Get whatever you and Vanessa want", I told him, and we both knew the end of that sentence.
Because I won't be able to eat much anyway.
"Hey...", he began to say.
"McDonald's will be great, Lin. Thank you", I said, and our eyes met.
"Good. Good, good, good. Chicken nuggets?", he asked me.
I nodded.
"I'll let you get back to it then"