IRON
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"Dreams give birth to regrets. Regrets give birth to dreams. It's an Orobus of attempts to run from our sense of failure." -Unknown
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They always said they'd always be together.
They talked about getting a house in the city, one just big enough for them and their work. They said they would pave a new field of science, go down in history as the founders of Parascience. Every little detail had been planned, from who would pay what bill to which side of the room the TV would go. Maddie would get first bathroom dibs, Jack would get first couch spot dibs, and Vlad first ectosample dibs. Vlad would do the laundry, Maddie kept the bank account, and Jack stocked the pantry. Jack got to choose desert for Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, Maddie got lunch on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, and Vlad breakfast Wednesday, Sunday, and Monday. Game nights were pulled from a hat because no one could agree on who got what day, and you can't split seven days between three people evenly.
They would all work in at the same place, same shifts, and take the same car in to save on gas. They would function better than anyone else in their workplace because no one else would be as in tune with each other as they were. Maddie did the equations, Vlad would fix her math, and Jack would design the thing to do whatever it is they were working on. Maddie would catch the ghosts,Vlad would figure out how they works, and Jack would build something to make bringing them down even easier. Maddie would explain how the Ghost Zone existed, Vlad would explain how the Ghosts functioned, and Jack would explain how they could be hunted and manipulated. Simple, easy, effective. All three of their degrees being put to good use and all three never having to get outside aid because they could figure out everything themselves.
This was their dream. For every day they were together, they never once strayed from working towards it. Never once did their motivation die. There wasn't any possibility that that wasn't how things were going to be.
It simply wasn't an option.
It was fact, concrete. They had it all figured out; they would make the world their bitch.
Things don't work like that.
And they didn't.
Vlad was ripped from the equation, and Jack and Maddie were left shifting their weight from one foot to the other. They didn't know what to do. So they did the only thing they thought they could do:
Go ahead with the plans.
They got a house in the city, one just big enough for them and their work. They began to pave a new field of science, even if everyone around town called them crazy and inept. Maddie got dibs on first bathroom until it was stolen from her by two kids, Jack got his couch spot dibs, thus far untouched. Maddie kept the bank account, Jazz did the laundry, and Jack stocked the pantry while Danny cleaned the lab. Jack got desert choice on Monday and Thursday, while Jazz stole Saturday and Tuesday. Lunch was infrequent amongst building the weapons and the kids being at school. The only one who ate breakfast anymore was Jazz; Danny always fled out the door too quick and neither parent were very hungry in the mornings anymore. Game nights were still pulled from a hat because no one could agree on who got what day, and you can't split seven days between four people evenly.
They technically worked at the same place, same shifts, because home counted as their workplace. They functioned better than anyone else they'd met because no one else would be as in tune with each other as they were. Maddie did the equations, and Jack would design the thing to do whatever it is she was working on. Maddie would catch the ghosts, and they'd both figure out how it worked together before Jack would build something to make bringing them down even easier. They both explained how the Ghost Zone existed, and they both hunted the ghost that they were unaware they were letting out. Simple, easy, effective.
This was how their life was supposed to go, they said. We're living our dream, they said.
But the words always tasted bitter on their tongues, and they pretended they didn't notice. Pretended they didn't feel sad, didn't feel guilty, didn't wonder what things could have been like. Pretend, pretend, pretend. Things are better like this, she thinks, I wouldn't have had my kids if my life didn't go this way. Vladdy's better off now than what that silly old dream could have ever made any of us, Jack convinces himself, he's probably forgotten about that stuff anyway.
This was their new dream. And it was contenting enough that they didn't feel too bad about not including their old college friend. Dreams were meant to be changed anyway.
And miles away, in a darkened room in an empty mansion in Madison, Wisconsin, Vlad sits, completely alone. The wound on his heart and mind of being abandoned and forgotten about still bleeds, the pain hid under layers of overcompensating narcissism and anger. But pain it still is. Because they always said they would always be together. It was fact, concrete. There wasn't any possibility that that wasn't how things were going to be. It simply wasn't an option.
It was their dream.
Vlad snarls, and everything hurts all over again.
"Dreams are a joke here. They get in your way."
It's become his mantra. He returns to trying to pretend it doesn't hurt.
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AN: This started out happy. And then I said nah. The line Vlad says is from a Within Temptation son, which is also the name of this story: Iron. It's a cool song yo, go check it out!