Gravity
By: KKM
Disclaimer: I do not own the Gorillaz or any of its characters/song titles. Gorillaz are © Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett.
Summary:
Six years have passed since the iconic release of Plastic Beach and the band reunited. Everything is going great and the Gorillaz are enjoying being together again as they prepare to release their new album. But what happens when 2D finds a letter to him inviting him to Paula's funeral? What will he find when he gets there? And more importantly, what had Paula been hiding from him all of these years? Slight 2DxNoodle implied. Oneshot.
And now I give you Gravity! Enjoy!
Things had been going pretty well for the world-renowned Gorillaz after they'd left the polluted shores of Plastic Beach.
It wasn't easy at first. Trust had been broken and feelings had been hurt, but just as with any family they persevered. The first signs that everything would be okay happened when Android Noodle had malfunctioned and tried to murder Murdoc. Even though Noodle was still absolutely furious with Murdoc for not only creating said android and for how he'd treated poor 2D, she simply could not let the man die. He, like all of them, meant too much to her. She had fought too hard to reunite their crazy little family to lose any of them now… even if he deserved it. Without a word, she had quickly jumped into action and aimed a hard kick to the cyborg's throat causing its head to rip right off of its shoulders. Had she waited a moment longer, Murdoc would have been pumped full of deadly bullets.
After the crackling pile of metal had fallen over in a heap, Murdoc had shakily gotten to his feet and cautiously moved away from the wall he'd been pinned to. Instead of getting angry or slipping away, he had approached the young Axe Princess and shocked them all when he enveloped her into a thankful hug whispering, "I thought you hated me, luv."
"I could never hate you Murdoc-san," she had replied, hugging him back just as fiercely. "But that doesn't mean you don't piss me off."
After that incident, it was like a great pressure had been relieved from them all. The impostor was gone. Shortly afterwards it was decided that they could all leave the plastic prison behind and get on with life together. Russ gradually warmed back up toward Murdoc after seeing that Noodle had forgiven him. And 2D was just happy that everyone was alive and well… Not to mention he'd never have to see that whale again!
For a while they had gotten a place on Wobble Street. At the time, it was convenient, but there were some downsides. There wasn't much room for their music equipment and practicing in such a small neighborhood was really out of the question. Russ was still the size of a blimp from eating so many Super-Fast Jelly Fish and couldn't even fit through the door let alone live comfortably inside; he ended up having to sleep up on the roof! Noodle didn't like that she had to tie her precious windmill island to such a rickety roof. Every time a big gust of wind would blow, she could be seen running to the nearest window to make sure the thing was still there. Murdoc seemed okay with their living arrangements, though he'd grow annoyed when he couldn't get any signal to broadcast his radio shows and break things.
2D probably liked the place the least though. Plastic Beach had not been very kind to him, so all he really wanted to do was relax and spend time with his family. This became increasingly difficult for him however due to their strange neighbors. They were constantly breaking in and doing strange things with their belongings. There was even a strange man with a hat that kept collecting sweat in their showers! It was enough to put 2D's teeth on edge. He wasn't sure if they were just crazed fans or just plain crazy, but they really made him anxious; sometimes unbearably so.
That's the real reason he was so happy the day their eviction notice came. It was like a breath of fresh air! Finally they could find somewhere to belong. It didn't take long either. A few weeks later they had been trying to figure out what to do when Russ suddenly peeped through a window and thrust a newspaper article in their faces. On it was the picture of a large creepy looking mansion called Addams Manor. The previous owner had been a huge fan of the Addams Family and had decided to build an exact replica. The only problem was that the poor bloke built it over a cemetery and it was haunted. He'd barely even lived in it before he abandoned ship.
They immediately fell in love with it.
The next weekend they'd found themselves packing up to leave Wobble Street. It hadn't taken that long considering most of their stuff was in storage anyway. The only snag they'd hit was when they'd realized that Murdoc had somehow completely taken apart and reassembled a Winnebago in the black abyss he called a room. Needless to say, they were all a bit pissy when they learned that they would have to help him not only take the damn thing apart but rebuild it again.
"Where do you keep learning how to build these things!?" Noodle had yelled at him shaking her fist.
"Ha' a lot o' time to read is all," he'd said with a shrug.
Once they'd finally moved everything over to their new place, everything had seemed perfect. Russ had shrank enough to where he could actually fit and took full advantage of the giant kitchen every morning. Noodle had so much fun exploring hidden passages with 2D that she knew she could never get bored. Even Murdoc found that he loved the place as he felt it not only gave a good image to the band, but also had great acoustics. 2D was just happy that things were starting to get back to normal… at least normal for them.
But like with most things, the good times wouldn't last.
The smell of bacon was what woke him. It had wafted into his room and seductively teased his senses until he sat up from his bed like a mummy from the crypt. A tired smile curled up his lips as he tiredly rolled out from under his plush comforter and fumbled to throw on a pair of jeans and a semi-clean shirt. Then he stumbled over to the restroom, did his business, and combed a lazy hand through his azure hair before making his way down to that tantalizing scent.
Everyone else was already in the kitchen when he arrived, plopping into the seat between Noodle and Murdoc as Russ continued to cook breakfast.
"Morning, Toochi," Noodle smiled at him, bumping his shoulder to hers affectionately. Noodle had been extremely helpful over the past few years. She was there when he needed someone to talk to or if he had a relapse into the madness that sometimes found its way back to him from the sea. No longer was the twenty-five year old just his best friend. No, she was definitely something more though they hadn't really broached that topic yet. They weren't in a rush to do so either. They were simply content to enjoy each other's company for the moment.
"Morning, lil' Luv," he mumbled back to her as he flashed his famous gap-toothed grin at her. She giggled and turned away from him as Russ approached with platters full of bacon and eggs.
"It's about time you woke yo' lazy ass up, 'D!" Russ chided with a grin as he plopped down in his seat causing the whole to table shake. No one was surprised when he served the biggest helping to himself.
"Oi, watch it, Lards!" Murdoc complained loudly as he glared over the sheet music he was reading over. "I've got 'nuff to worry 'bout without you making all these damn papers fly away with your fat arse!"
"Whatever, man," Russ said, rolling his eyes as he stuffed a giant spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth and hummed happily. Murdoc merely sneered and went back to reading, ignoring his breakfast with the exception of the orange juice and vodka cocktail he'd made for himself earlier.
Munching on a piece of bacon, 2D slowly leaned his tall frame toward the green man until he was towering over him trying to read over his shoulder. "Whatcha' readin'?" he asked with the curiosity of a child.
Murdoc grimaced as a small drop of bacon grease landed on one of the papers. "None of your damn business, Dullard!" he growled and made to move like he was about to hit the younger man with them. One look from Noodle however gave him pause as he cleared his throat and closed his eyes a moment. When his need to kill subsided, he reopened his eyes with a huff and tossed the sheet music back onto the table. "I'm tryin' ta figure out the endin' to tha' damn CD," he admitted, crossing his arms. "This'll be our firs' album in years, so it's gonna' be huge! But if Alba'n doesn't get off meh ass 'bout the lineup, I'm going teh lose my shi'!"
"Oh," 2D said indifferently as he leaned back over to his seat and shrugged. Murdoc could deal with that. For now he had one thing on his mind… Bacon!
Noodle shook her head at his simplicity before looking across to Murdoc and reaching her hand out across the table in a gesture of comfort. "No worries, we'll figure it out," she smiled optimistically at him.
"Yeah, I mean it's not even going to come out until next year anyway," Russ agreed as he paused to take a sip of milk. "Ain't no use in stressin' over it."
"Well, you lot tell him that. If I get one more bloody phone call…" he trailed off as his cellphone began to go off in his pocket. "You've got to be fuckin' kiddin' me," he barked before standing up from the table and stalking away as he answered. "WHA' NOW!?"
"Well, on the bright side at least we don't have to deal with it," Russ laughed as they all watched their leader's form disappear down one of the many dark hallways.
"Too true," Noodle agreed, arching her brow. "Well, I best be go checking the mail. Yesterday I found the mailman hanging upside-down from a rosebush when I forgot to," she informed them as she too stood from the table.
At this, 2D suddenly perked up as he clumsily shot up from his chair and grabbed her arm to stop her. "No, le' me ge' it!" he exclaimed with excitement. "I bough' a new Zombie game for the Playstation and I wanna' see if it came in!"
"Well, if it did you better let me play too!" she laughed.
"Wouldn' wanna play it wif anyone else," he assured her as he let her go and made his way down the hall toward the grand stairwell that led to the entrance of the manor.
When he opened the main entrance he looked around slowly with his black, sunken eyes to make sure the mailman hadn't been attacked by the plant life. When he saw nothing out of place, he shrugged and reached into the flat mail trap that was attached to the siding of the house beside the giant doors. "Now lesse 'ere…" he mumbled, sticking his tongue out as he shuffled through the envelopes. There were a few things for Murdoc, a small package for Noodle, what looked like an American magazine of some sort for Russell, and an envelope addressed to himself. "Ah, nutts! No package." He frowned as he walked back inside. It was disappointing to say the least, but he was sure he'd get it soon.
On his way to his room he absently placed the rest of the mail on top of a dusty shelf he'd passed in the hall. This was one of the reasons his housemates hardly ever let him check the mail. He was always leaving it around in the most random places. In fact, it was popular consensus that they'd fallen late on the rent back at Wobble because he'd simply lost the rent notices. It was a good thing they'd flat out bought this place.
Eventually he made it back to his room and plopped down on his bed with the envelope that was addressed to him clutched loosely in his hand as he gazed at it. One thing that stood out immediately about this envelope was that it wasn't addressed to "2D" or even "Stu-Pott" like he was accustomed to. Instead it was addressed to him as "Stuart Tusspot." This led him to believe that it was either from a forgotten relative or maybe an old friend because not many knew his family's actual last name. In fact, for the most part he told everyone that "Tusspot" wasn't used by anyone in his family any longer because his father had legally changed it. But since there was no return address, he couldn't be sure of who it was from without opening it.
Shrugging, he quickly tore the envelope apart and began to read. He was a little slow at it, but by the time he reached the bottom of the missive he was trembling and biting his lip to keep from crying. "N-no…" he gasped and then jumped up from his bed as he practically ran down the hall to Noodle's room.
At this time, Noodle was listening to some music as she surfed the web on her new laptop. Her head was bobbing up and down to the tempo as she hummed certain parts aloud. Suddenly she heard the sound of something slam against her door and jumped as she hastily took out her headphones and darted toward the door. "Toochi?" She questioned at the huddled mass cowering on the floor. He'd obviously been so distracted that he'd ran into her door head-first if the way he was clutching his forehead was anything to go by.
When he looked u to see her concerned face, he whimpered and threw himself at her waist, sobbing from his position on his knees. "Toochi, what happened!?" She asked frantically as she tried to calm him down. She could hear the fast approaching footsteps of the others as he began to wail, unable to form coherent words in his distress.
"Wha' the fuck?" Murdoc questioned as he came to the scene with Russell following close behind. "Wha's his pro'lem now?"
"I-I don't know," Noodle answered unsurely as she bent down to hug her devastated friend close to her. She tried to calm him down by running her fingers through his disheveled hair. "Calm down so we can find what's wrong," she soothed. "We can't understand you while you're like this.
"Maybe he's having another relapse?" Russ suggested causing Murdoc to frown. The idea was plausible, but something just didn't seem right. Their singer sounded as if he was in actual pain.
That's when Murdoc noticed the wet crumpled piece of paper next to his old friend. "Wha's this then?" he asked rhetorically as he snatched the letter from the ground and smoothed it out so that he and Russell could read it. It didn't take long for both of their eyes to widen. Both stared back at the broken man; one in shock and one with pity.
"What is it?" Noodle asked, startled by the change in their expressions.
As usual, Murdoc took the initiative. "Faceache here's been invited to a fun'ral," he sighed before adding, "Paula Cracker's."
As soon as the name left the Satanist's lips, 2D let out a pitiful moan and squeezed Noodle tighter.
"Oh no…" she trailed off sadly. Though she had never met the woman personally, she knew all about Paula Cracker from little tidbits she'd heard over the years. She'd even heard about her from 2D himself once. They had somehow gotten on the topic of love and he'd confided to her that Paula had been the first woman he'd ever fallen in love with. Since then he'd had plenty of flings, but nothing serious in all this time. Noodle had hoped that maybe eventually she'd be able to break that wall for him and give him the care and love he'd so desperately deserved, but they just weren't there yet. Breaking from her thoughts, she looked up at her bandmates and sighed. "Go on, I'll take care of this."
"You sure, baby-gurl?" Russell questioned, but then grunted as Murdoc stamped on his toe before shoving him back down the hall.
"Call us if you need us, luv!" his voice echoed back to her as he made his break.
Noodle sighed again and looked back down and her dearest friend. He'd stopped sobbing now and was instead leaning his full deadweight against her as tears silently slipped down his blotchy cheeks. "Come on, let's get you up," she encouraged as she stood and half-dragged, half-hoisted him up into her room. Then she gently pushed him onto her bed where he grabbed a pillow and curled around it as if his life depended on it.
"C-cancer…?" he stuttered in disbelief, then looked over at her sad face with a hiccup. "Wot do I do?" he asked miserably. "I-I mean, I h-hadn' spoken to 'er in years! B-but I still c-cared, you know?" His black eyes searched hers for some form of understanding as he let out a small sniffle.
"I know, I know," she soothed, reaching out brush some matted bangs from his face. She bit her lip a moment in thought before voicing her opinion. "Maybe you should go to the funeral. You know, to get some closure?"
He was silent for a long while after that besides occasional sniffles and uneven breathing. She nearly thought he'd zoned out on her before he finally shook his head affirmative. "Y-yeah, maybe I shoul'. If I did, woul' you come wif me?" he asked, giving her the sad puppy dog eyes.
"Of course I would," she said with a calming smile. "I'd do anything for you, Toochi," she admitted as she leaned forward to kiss his forehead before going to the other side of the bed and laying down against him to offer her support. He quickly turned over to cling on her rather than the pillow.
"Thanks, luv," he mumbled against her side, feeling his tired eyes become droopy. It wasn't long before they were fast asleep due to pure emotional exhaustion.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Noodle asked tentatively a few days later as they stood outside of a small church squished in between two dingy looking buildings. There weren't many cars there which meant a small funeral, but neither musician was surprised by that fact.
"I'm sure," he replied softly as he gazed toward the foreboding building. He was dressed in an all-black t-shirt and skinny jeans which made his tall lankiness stand out even more. The whole ensemble looked awkward on him compared to his usual bright clothes with silly slogans, but it was all he had to fit the occasion. A half gone cigarette was dangling from his lips and he had dark bags under his eyes. Noodle was standing beside him in a simple short black dress that flared out just above the knees and black combat boots.
She nodded to him in understanding before she gently took his hand into hers and gave it a small squeeze before leading then toward the entrance of the church. Once inside, the smell of mildew and flowers attacked their senses. The funeral hadn't started yet as a few people were standing around talking to one another.
2D paid the occupants of the room no attention as he found himself suddenly unable to breath. He barely noticed as he let go of Noodle's hand and seemingly floated toward the open casket in a foggy haze. His cheeks were glistening with tears again, but he could barely feel them. They were unimportant compared to the pale creature in front of him. When he could move no closer, he brought a shaking hand to caress her cold cheek as he gazed upon her. She was still lovely in a dark sort of way. Her skin was pale as the snow, but her hair was a glossy jet-black that almost looked as if it had been combed into a fine silk. She was older and had more lines in her face than he remembered, but that didn't take away from her appearance. Someone had applied smoky dark clouds around her eyelids and her lip liner the way she had always liked it. Her fingernails were painted a poisonous black as she was draped in a matching lace dress. Had he not realized where she was, he may have thought her just sleeping. Whoever had prepared her had taken great care to make her exactly how she'd want to be.
He barely noticed as the murmurs behind him faded into silence. He simply stood and stared at her with the hint of a melancholy smile on his lips. "I don' know wot to say…" he whispered, sniffing a little. "I didn' expect our nex' meeting teh be li' this. I know we didn' end on good terms, bu' I did luv you once," his hand gently moved to play with a strand of her hair. "I jus' hope you had a bit o' happiness befo' you left." He was knocked out of his trance when another feminine hand reached out and lightly tugged his wrist away. He looked over to find Noodle beside him with tears pooling at the edges of her magnificent emerald eyes. She'd never seen him so vulnerable like this; so hurt.
"It's time to sit, Toochi. They are about to start. They're only waiting on you…" she trailed off before pulling him to sit with her on one of the hard wood benches.
The funeral seemed to start in a blur. 2D vaguely registered as a priest stood before them at the podium beside the casket and began his eulogy. A few times they were asked to stand for prayer, but he barely registered anything that was said. It wasn't until the man announced that it was time for family to come up and say a few words that he snapped out of it and eyed the podium curiously. He hadn't been aware that she had any immediate family.
Somewhere behind him he heard someone stand and begin to walk up the aisle toward the priest. 2D had expected a distant relative; perhaps a grandfather or an aunt. What he did not expect was for a young man who looked to be in his late teens to take a stand. The boy was fairly tall for his age. He was wearing what appeared to be a second hand suit. While it didn't look bad on him, it did appear to be a tad short on his lanky figure. His hair was rather strange looking, but 2D supposed that it was just the style that kids liked these days. It started out black closest to the base of his head, but after that it seemed to fade from a dark blue to a color so light at the tips it may have been mistaken for white. It gave off the odd appearance that his hair was dying the longer it got, which wasn't too long really. If he had to guess, he'd say it might've been as long as his own. But what caught 2D off guard the most was the kid's crystal blue eyes. They might not have been that remarkable except that 2D hadn't seen eyes like that since he'd stared into a mirror back before he'd met Murdoc.
"Oh God…" he whispered, hearing Noodle gasp beside him as she took in the boy's appearance. 2D was not a fool. He was well aware that he had fathered several children during his time of fame. Over the years he'd received several letters, pictures, and even artwork from the children and their mothers. Murdoc had prevented any of them from receiving child support; though 2D was certain he wouldn't have minded with all the money they'd made. But the bassist had hired a lawyer no questions asked and eliminated the problem calling them all money-hungry whores. 2D didn't really think all of them were like that. Unknown to his bandmates, he actually had kept most of their letters in the bottom drawer of his dresser; even the ones he was sure wasn't his. He never did reply to them. Unless it was music, writing had never came naturally to him. But he figured in keeping their pictures, their names, he was somehow acknowledging them. Never had he gotten a picture of this boy. Never had he even guessed…
His heart rate was accelerating. He didn't notice how tight the grip was getting on his arm however as the boy suddenly made eye contact with him. Those hauntingly familiar eyes were like a laser beam to 2D's already fragile mind.
He vaguely heard Noodle cry out his name before everything faded to black.
"Oh, Stu," Noodle hummed as she brushed a strand of hair from his troubled pale face. They were currently in a room located behind the auditorium. 2D was laying on top of a table with a rolled up suit coat as a pillow. She stood as a constant vigil beside him using a rag and a small bowl of water to wipe his perspiration away.
"Is he alright?" a curious voice asked from the doorway. She glanced back to see the mysterious young man enter the room. He looked the same as earlier, only now he was just in his suite trousers and a buttoned up plum-colored shirt.
"I think he'll be alright," she said, offering him a small smile. "Thanks for letting him use your coat by the way," she said, nodding at the make-shift pillow below the singer's head.
"It's no problem, the least I can do really," he said, looking somewhat guilty. Noodle found it peculiar that this young man had a similar voice to his father's, only his diction seemed to be much better as if he was raised in a different environment.
"He's just in shock I think," Noodle supplied, shooting the unconscious man an endearing look. "He's had it kind of hard the past few years. I think the time he spent alone with Murdoc really did a number on him. But he'll be fine eventually. Paula's death really took a toll on him," her eyes trailed back to the younger man again. "We usually try to keep the surprises to a small dosage at a time."
"Mom always said he wasn't quite all there. I guess I can see what she means now," he said with a frown before sitting at the edge of the table. "I never really thought I'd actually meet him. I sent that letter on a whim, really…"
Noodle nodded in understanding and then tilted her head. "Calvin, was it?" he nodded. "How old are you?"
"Eighteen," he supplied before gazing back at the man on the table as if he was some sort of museum exhibit. "You love him, yeah? I saw the way you were looking at him when he was at the casket."
"I love all of my family," Noodle replied pursing her lips before picking up the wet rag again. "I just haven't seen him in this much pain for a long time, is all," she said, thinking back to when she and 2D had been reunited back on Plastic Beach. She remembered how frail and depressed he'd looked before her presence had washed it all away. The thought of her death combined with the seclusion had almost seemed to kill him body and soul.
"But you have a special love for him." This time it was a statement, not a question.
"Yes, I suppose I do," she said a little uncomfortably as she dabbed the singer's forehead making him moan a bit in his sleep.
"Well, good," Cal said, much to her surprise. He grinned at her then. "I'd always hoped that maybe someone would."
It was then that Noodle realized that Cal most likely followed their stories over the years and she thought it sweet that despite not knowing his father he'd wish him well. Her thoughts were interrupted when 2D's pitch black orbs suddenly came into view and he coughed, reaching out to her. He obviously hadn't noticed the other occupant of the room yet.
"Noodle, did you see!?" he asked her frantically as she placed her hands on either side of her face to steady him as he sat up. "She didn't tell me, but I know he's mine! Why didn't she tell me?" he asked her, looking lost.
"I don't know, Toochi. I'm sure she had her reasons…" she trailed off, looking to Calvin for help.
2D took in another sharp breath as he saw the boy up close now and moved away from Noodle's grip as he stood to get a better look. The boy was shorter than him, but not by much. Now that he could see him up close, he could make out little traits from Paula. This boy wasn't quite as pale as 2D and his face was slightly more heart shaped like his mother's.
As the older man moved closer, Calvin stood his ground. He found his father's endless gaze to be slightly more than unnerving considering he couldn't tell where his pupils were. But at the same time it gave him the chance to look at the other man as he had never been able to before.
"I'm Calvin… but my friends call me Cal," he said softly, looking at the other man in a sort of hopeful way. He'd dreamed of this moment for so long, but didn't want to be rejected. His mother had always told him that Murdoc, the band leader, would have never allowed him within a thousand foot radius of the other blue haired man. But Murdoc wasn't here, and Noodle was. What was going through the older man's mind? Why wouldn't he say anything?
"-Oof!" Calvin sputtered as he was suddenly enveloped in the thin man's spidery arms and pulled into a surprisingly powerful hug. At first he was too shocked to react, but then he slowly brought his arms up to support him and gave him an experimental squeeze as if to test that he was real or not. Unfortunately this action seemed to trigger another emotional rollercoaster for his father as he began to sob again. Calvin sweat-dropped and pat his back awkwardly. "Uhhhh… there, there," he tried, giving Noodle a pleading look.
Noodle had craftily whipped her cellphone out and snapped a picture to mark the touching moment before slipping it back into the safety of her pocket. Then she easily approached then and tugged 2D to let the young man go. In return he switched to hugging her tightly instead. Noodle quirked her brow at him and then used a finger to lift his chin from her chest. "Toochi, it's time to pull yourself together," she smiled down at him. "I know this is a lot to take in, but you're going to give this kid a heart attack if you continue to carry on like this."
2D blinked up at her in an almost innocent way before nodding and standing up straight again. Taking a deep breath, he shakily wiped away his tears before turning back toward Calvin and giving him an apologetic look. "Sorry," he said rubbing the back of his head. "Didn' mean to scare you or noffink. I jus' can't decide if I shoul' still be sad or 'appy," he admitted. While he'd lost someone who was a large part of his past, he felt like he'd gained something so much more special.
"It's alright," Calvin said, still a bit dazed from the whole ordeal. He looked around the room sheepishly and then looked back toward them. "Maybe this isn't the best place to have this conversation," he said after an awkward moment of silence. "I've already settled up with the Priest so we can go to my place if you want."
2D and Noodle gave each other a confused look before 2D voiced his concern. "But wot 'bout… P-Paula?" he asked, finding the question quite difficult.
Calvin bit his lip with a sad sigh before replying. "She'll be cremated like she wanted. I-I'll just have to pick her up later," his voice cracked, not liking how he had to talk about his mother as if she was an object.
Sensing the need to move and move quickly at that before the depression of loss would take them over again, Noodle grabbed both men by their elbows and tugged them from the room. "What are we waiting for then, let's go!"
A short while later they reached Calvin's apartment building and followed him up the elevator until they reached his floor. Calvin's apartment was small, but fairly cozy. It wasn't the nicest looking place in the world with his scuffed up coffee table and ratty old couch, but it looked well lived in and comfortable. Noodle's eyes immediately lit up when she saw a nice looking acoustic guitar leaning against a corner in the room.
"Go ahead and make yourselves at home. I'll go get some tea. Any preferences?" he asked as he headed toward what was presumably the kitchen.
"Earl Grey, fanks."
"Green tea for me!" Noodle chimed as she picked up the guitar and expertly plucked at its strings. "This is a nice guitar, Cal," she complimented as she continued strumming.
"Thanks, it was a present from my mother," he smiled fondly before leaving the two for a moment. In seemingly no time at all he came back out with mismatched cups full of hot steaming tea and some TastyCakes he'd found in the back of his pantry. "They might be a bit stale," he warned. "It's been a while since I've had a chance to go to the store." They both shrugged in response. Nearly empty cabinets were a common occurrence at their place whether it was due to Russell's big meals or pure laziness was up for debate.
"So…" 2D trailed off a bit, fidgeting with a stale piece of cake. He looked back up at the young man with a curious expression. "From wot you were sayin' in the car, Paula tol' you a lot 'bout me, but I dun' know much 'bout you."
"Yeah, she did," Cal said with a reminiscent look on his face as he leaned back in his chair across from them. "I guess it's only fair that you learn about me, huh?" he said lightly, hoping that he wasn't being messed with. "It wasn't always a happy story though, ya' know? And it will take time."
2D glanced at Noodle a moment who shot him an encouraging look before he met his son's piercing gaze once more. "S'all right. We've go' all the time in tha' world."
Cal nodded and sat up a bit with his hands folded in his lap. "All right then. I guess the best place to start would be the beginning."
Paula sat nervously in the waiting room at the doctor's office. It had been a few months since 2D had caught her cheating on him with Murdoc and now more than ever she felt completely stupid for doing it. Her long dark hair draped around her head like a shield as she rested her forehead in her hands. Below, her heeled feet were fidgeting back and forth as she waited impatiently.
A white door flicked open on the other side of the room causing her to jump as an old lady with white hair bustled in wearing bright magenta scrubs. "Miss Cracker?" her cheery voice floated over the nearly empty room. Paula winced at the surgery effect and lifted her head in acknowledgment.
"Yeah, tha's me," she said, quickly standing as she was beckoned to follow the woman. They traveled down a narrow hallway illuminated by large white lights on the ceiling. The farther they traveled, the more Paula felt like the walls were caving in around her. She busied her hands as they walked in an attempt to distract herself, but it wasn't really working.
"Here you go dear," the sweet old woman said, opening the door for her. Paula gave the pristine white room a once over before plopping on top of bed she was pointed to. The tissue paper crinkled loudly beneath her causing her to frown. "Why are you here today, love?" the nurse asked as she picked up a clipboard and began to systematically fill it out.
"Well… I haven' been righ' lately," Paula started slowly, fidgeting again. She stopped when the paper crinkled again. "I've been havin' ter piss a lot an' been getting sick a lo' more too," she sighed. "I think… I think I'm pregnan'." She admitted finally.
"Ohhh my!" the older woman cooed. "I bet your husband will be very excited!"
"M' no' married," she muttered causing the woman to furrow her brows. Paula could literally feel the woman silently judging her, but at this point didn't care. "I had a boyfrien' but we ha' ter break up. There was anotha' but… I'm hopin' if I am, it ain't 'is," she said with a disgusted scowl. She was more disgusted with herself than anything.
"I see…" the nurse said, her entire demeanor changing. "Well, best pee on a stick then, love." A small cup was thrust into Paula's hand and she was led to a small bathroom. It was pointless; she already knew she was. What else could cause these symptoms?
But that wasn't her biggest problem. Who was the father? 2D? … or Murdoc?
A short while later after Paula handed her the cup, the nurse disappeared and left Paula alone with her demons. She barely even paid attention when the lady came back to give her the 'good' news.
"Congratulations, you're pregnant."
The next seven months were hell for Paula. The morning sickness had lasted much longer than she'd hoped. Her cravings were absolutely revolting. But the worst part was her depression. The closer she got to term, the worse her fear and guilt ate at her. At one point she'd even had to visit the emergency room fearing she'd harmed her baby. She had no way to have a test before hand to find out who the father was so it was all left to faith and she was finding that she could barely handle her options.
Day in and day out she found herself praying. 2D. 2D. Please not Murdoc. 2D! It was like a mantra constantly thumping back and forth in her head to its own tempo.
Finally the day came when her water broke and she could no longer hide in denial. Today she would find out the truth. Today she wouldn't be able to hide from her past choices.
Her labor was long and painful. She remembered screaming at the top of her lungs in sheer exhaustion and pain. Even with an epidural she felt she was being torn in two.
And then it was all over and she could breath. She'd finally be able to learn her judgement.
"It's a boy!" the doctor had shouted before a nurse quickly wrapped the crying child to show his mother. At first glance, Paula's heart had nearly dropped. The child looked like he had hair black as the night. Surely if he opened his eyes they might be mismatched! But they weren't. Instead, those beautiful tearful eyes opened to reveal the most striking shade of blue she'd ever seen. They were such a light shade, she may have mistaken them for silver. It was then upon closer look she noticed soft tufts of blue mixed in with the ebony hair on his head. This wasn't Murdoc's spawn. This child was 2D's!
That night she cried tears of joy and thanked the heavens for hearing her prayers.
Calvin was very well behaved for a three year old. He was quiet and observant. On the rare occasion he would cry like most children do, but for the most part he was a perfect little angel; happy and curious.
It was on one such day that he was sitting in front of the television watching one of his favorite cartoons Rugrats! He'd always loved watching the little tots run around on all of their little adventures. Cal didn't have any cousins that he knew of and wasn't allowed to play with many of the other kids in their apartment building. So, for him watching Tommy and the gang was a way for him to have friends of his own. Eventually the episode came to an end and he watched in awe as Tommy's father Stu Pickles plucked the tiny tot from the ground and spun him around in a loving hug.
A thoughtful look passed the three year old's face as he began to space off thinking about what it might be like to have a doting father like that. He loved his mom dearly, but even with as young as he was he noticed that most of the other kids in their buildings had fathers. Even on TV shows like this one they always depicted big families with two loving parents. So why didn't he have someone like that? He worried his lip with a newly grown tooth. Had his daddy not loved him?
Paula peeked her head into the livingroom to check on her son and frowned. While she didn't feel it was too abnormal for a child to daydream, she wasn't accustomed to such a pensive look on the normally expressive toddler's face. "Cal?" she called his attention in concern stepping farther into the room. "Wot's wrong?"
The little boy jumped a bit as his thoughts were interrupted and looked up at his mother with sad eyes. "Tommy ha' a dada," he said, furrowing his brows as he pointed at the screen with a small chubby finger.
At first Paula was confused at what the child meant. Toddler-speak was often baffling to the most seasoned parent. But understanding lit in her dark brown eyes as the credits began to roll and the cartoon family was seen yet again on the screen. "Stu…" she muttered ironically, having no idea that the wonky-haired cartoon character shared the same name with her child's father.
"Stu Pi'les!" Cal shouted with a smile before frowning again and looking back at the screen in thought. Paula arched her eyebrow at the child before sighing and picking him up from the couch.
"Oh, Cal," she crooned giving him a squeeze, "I'd hoped yeh woul'nt ask 'bout this fo' awhile." She carried him back to her bedroom and sat him on her bed for a moment and she grabbed something from a shelf too high for him to see and plopped down beside him. Then she pulled him to her chest so that she could show him the object in her hand. "You have a Da'," she promised, bringing the CD case into his line of vision so he could see the front cover. The picture was of a large car with four people jumping around in it. "E's righ' there, ya' see?" she said, pointing to a skinny man with bright blue hair and what appeared to be holes for eyes.
"Blue!" the child giggled happily as he tugged on some of his own blue hair that was at the ends of his black strands. "Bu' nooo eyes?" he questioned, pointing to the picture in awe.
"Yes. Blue li' you," she giggled, giving him a kiss on his forehead. She laughed again when he pointed frantically at the singer's face. "No, luv. There's eyes there, I swear it. They just dark is all. Tha' one," she pointed to a scary looking man with pointed teeth, "knocked 'em back in e's skull wit a ca' when they was younga'," she explained patiently. "Yer Da' is actually qui' famous. Inna band called Gorillaz, e' is."
"Why he no here?" Cal asked as he traced the picture with his chubby little finger and looked back up at her.
"Tha's a bit harda' to explain," she paused sighing. "Befo' you were born, Mommy made some stupi' decisions involving tha' one." She pointed at the evil looking one again and narrowed her eyes a moment before softening them again as she looked back at the child's father again. "Broke ya' fatha's heart. I was too afrai' to tell 'im about you, but I'm sure 'e would 'ave loved ya'," she said confidently. "'Is name is Staur' Tusspot, but most know 'im as 2D these days. E's the band's singa'."
Cal seemed captivated as he listened to his mother tell him about his daddy. She'd never done this before so he was eager to learn all that he could about his missing parent. He squeaked a bit as Paula suddenly opened the CD case and leaned over him to push it into her player. She fiddled with the tracks a moment before pausing on a specific song and smiling a bit. "This one's me favorite," she admitted as she sat back again and they waited.
At first a slow tempo started in percussion before it was met by the deep melody of a bass. The Calvin's little eyes widened a bit as an almost haunting voice drifted through the speakers. "Staaaaaarshiiiine, never gonna' find me…" He looked back up to his mother, but found that her eyes were closed as she seemed to absorb the melody. He snuggled closer to her and listened in silence until the track came to an end and Paula ruffled his hair a bit, rocking him gently.
"Tha's your Da'," she repeated slowly, sniffling a bit and then turned him so that he was facing her again. "Anytime yeh need o' miss your Daddy, we can hea' him righ' here. He'll always be wit you, even if 'e don' know it," she said smiling as she gave him the case to hold on to. "This is yers now." He gripped the case tightly to his chest and cried in his mother's arms.
It became his most prized possession.
"I actually still have the same one to this very day," he confided to the two sitting across from him on the couch as he sat back with a sigh.
"I wish she would 'ave tol' me," 2D mumbled tiredly as he scratched his head. This situation was a bit more stressful than he'd originally realized. "Do ya' mind?" he asked, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his back pocket.
"Not at all," Cal said with a shrug as he stared blankly at his now cold tea.
"Did your mom give you anything else of 2Ds?" Noodle asked curiously, wondering what Paula could have done to try and satisfy the little boy's longing.
"Oh yeah," he nodded, lifting his head again and waiving some smoke from his face. "She gave me loads of things. Anytime there was something in the newspaper or a magazine she kept it in a scrap book for me. Hold on," he said as he stood and darted from the room.
Noodle couldn't help but wonder if he'd been waiting for an excuse to leave the awkward tension in the room for a while now. She glanced over at 2D and patted his leg comfortingly. "You okay?" she asked gently.
He inhaled another deep lung full of smoke before exhaling slowly giving him the appearance of a pensive dragon. "Yeah, 'm fine. Jus' got a lo' on me mind now," he admitted. "I feel kinda' like an idiot cuz on one han' I have every reason teh hate 'er over the whole Mudz situation, but ye' I feel bad cuz she was obviously strugglin' an now there's Cal… I feel like I shoul' have been there." He paused, a bitter tinge to his voice. "I'm a terrible person, Noods," he said, finally looking up at her with stricken eyes. Part of her knew that this outburst was because he was still in mourning, so she allowed him to say what was on his mind. She knew he needed to vent. "It's jus' I got all these kids and this is tha' first time it's eva' hit me," he said, his voice much harsher now. "Wot if this is 'ow they all felt and there I was in my own lil' world not carin' or noffin'! Fuck wot Murdoc says 'bout them. Not all of 'em have to be money-hungry lil' blighters like 'e says. What if they wos like Cal and jus' wanted a da' to luv them?" his head drooped a bit as he tossed his now burnt out cigarette into the nearest tea glass. "I failed 'em, Noods. I failed all of 'em."
"No you didn't, Toochi." She scooted forward and cupped his face into her hands as she forced him to look at her. His neck moved limply as if he was a ragdoll and complied. "You did what you thought you needed to do at the time. This boy obviously needs you as much as you need him right now, but look at him. He turned out alright and doesn't seem to resent you. I'm sure that if you tell him your feelings he'll understand."
"Bu' wot about the others?" he asked miserably. "I kept their picta's, but never wrote to 'em. Never was good at writin' stuff."
"Well," she paused, trying to treat this situation carefully. "I guess when we go back home I can help you go through them and write to them if you want… Some of them might be angry, others might not even respond but we can try," she smiled.
He was silent a long while and she thought she'd lost him somewhere in the confines of his mind, but after a while he simply nodded. "I'd like tha'," he told her sincerely.
"I'm back!" Cal called from the hall waiving a large scrapbook in his hand. He paused when he saw their tense faces and frowned a bit. "Is everything okay in here?"
"S'all right'. We was jus' talking," 2D said as he sat up straighter. "Now, watchu got there?" he asked. Noodle silently applauded his sudden ability to change the topic and leaned forward to get a better look as Calvin moved their tea glasses to the side and opened the scrapbook for them.
"Alright, well this is the book I mentioned earlier that mom made for me," he said with a light blush as 2D pulled it closer to them. "It's a bit embarrassing now that you get to see it. But it really meant a lot to me when I was younger. It helped me through a lot."
The book was very thick and on each page there were endless amounts of pictures and news articles about several tours and sightings they'd been on. 2D was fascinated at how much care was put into the whole thing. It had both the good and the bad in it. There was even articles about the mundane. He found it particularly odd that magazines had even bothered snapping pictures of him doing everyday things like going to a pharmacy or the grocery store. He only halted when he came to a page that had actual photos not from a magazine. Some of them were old and obviously from back when he'd been with Paula, but there were newer ones too that he recognized from the Plastic Beach tour a few years back. They were from somewhat far away, but they were there all the same. There was even a ticket with Paula's smooth handwriting next to it. 'Cal's 15th Birthday Present.'
"You've seen me befo'." 2D said, looking up in surprise. He silently wondered to himself how many other times one of his illegitimate children had been in the sea of people just off the stage fighting for their one chance to see him.
"Yeah," Cal said with a smile, losing himself to the memory for a moment. "I still don't know how she was able to afford it. It was the best present I could have asked for. I've listened to probably every song you've ever released and heard every interview, but seeing you up on stage… you were suddenly real," he said in a nostalgic voice. Then he gave the other man a serious look. "Don't worry about it too hard. You didn't know."
2D just nodded silently and returned his attention to the scrapbook again as if the thought had been pushed to the side for now.
"I hope you don't get offended by this question," Noodle said, fishing for a new topic again as she realized how dangerously close 2D was to having another meltdown. "But, why is your diction so good? From what I understand from listening to the guys, your mother had a similar background to 2D and well… talked similar," she said nervously knowing that 2D wouldn't mind the insinuation, but not sure about Cal.
"You mean she was poorly educated," Cal corrected her with a good-natured laugh. "Yeah, well I guess I got kind of lucky there. I went to a normal primary school and all. But when I was about ten, Mom started going through hard times again as she often would every few years or so.
"Mum, 'm home!" Cal shouted as he entered their shabby apartment. He let out a small huff when he was greeted by silence. His mom had been having problems lately trying to pay for rent and had taken on several jobs at once in a short period of time. The one he hated the most was the one at the bar. It caused her to hardly ever be home at night and when she was, she was either extremely tired, drunk, or coming down from something he was sure wasn't a sugar high. But it was the only way she seemed to be able to get them by, so he couldn't really complain even though he really wanted to.
Shrugging his backpack from his shoulder he trudged his way to his bedroom, only pausing to steal a snack from their almost bare kitchen. His bedroom was his sanctuary these days and he loved it. Posters of Gorillaz and other bands he loved covered almost every inch of his wall. A twin-sized mattress and a dresser with a boombox sat on one side while a small tube TV, an old Super Nintendo, and a beanbag chair rested on the other. Without hesitation he flopped down onto his beanbag chair and turned back on his game to continue where he'd left off the previous night.
It wasn't long before he heard the telltale signs of the front door opening and someone drunkenly giggling as they knocked things over in the other rooms. Cal shuddered as he heard a man's grunts and chuckles accompanying them. He hated it when she brought strange men home. It disgusted him to think about what they wanted her for and even worse, what she'd get from them in return.
There was a loud thud against his door before it clicked open to reveal his mother sluggishly holding onto the doorframe to keep her balance. "'Ey, 'm home," she hiccupped with a sloppy smile. She was even harder to understand while drunk like this. Her skin shined in a sickly way and her mascara had caked under her eyes making her look like a crazed zombie. Even her clothes looked disheveled and hung loosely from her thin frame. "Me boss Frankkkk," she pronounced the K much harder than necessary, "is 'ere fo' tha' nigh'. Be a goo' lil' bugga' an' stay in 'ere, yeah?" she winked saucily at him as if forgetting who she was talking to for a moment. Then she squealed as two fat, harry arms came around her waist from behind and the disgusting man known as 'Frank' peered over her shoulder with a slimy smirk.
"Tha's righ', Frank's 'ere to make it all bette'." The man said in a lustful voice as he carelessly nipped at her earlobe causing her to laugh and hit him.
"No' 'ere! This is me son's roooom," she whined, pushing him away before looking back into Cal's room. "Just… stay 'ere m'kay?"
"Yeah, Mum," he said, barely able to look her in the eye as he refocused on his game. "I'll be good." He barely acknowledged her when she fumbled to shut the door and slunk away. Cal grimaced and turned up the volume on his TV to prevent himself from hearing anything that would give him nightmares and sighed. It was going to be a long night.
The next morning he found himself sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal. He was just about to finish and grab his things for school when he heard shouting down the hallway.
"Ya' fuckin' promised!" his mom was shouting and there were a few crashing sounds as something was thrown.
"Yeah, well you shoulda' thought of tha' before! You fookin' slut!" Frank's equally angry voice thundered through the walls. Cal hurriedly put his spoon down and rushed toward the source of the commotion in case his mother needed aide.
"Bu' I need tha' promotion! I'm barely survivin' 'ere!" Paula cried, her face red and blotchy from her frustrated tears. "I need it fo' my son!"
"Well, ya' shoulda' though' bout that befo' spreadin' yer legs you fookin cunt!" he screamed back at her, the vein in his neck throbbing dangerously. Cal quietly tiptoed closer noticing that both of their eyes seemed a bit red. He vaguely wondered what they'd been doing before the fight started, but pushed the thought away as an echoing slap resounded throughout the room.
The now enraged man looked down at her in shock a moment before he raised his fist to give it to her back. "NOOO!" Cal shouted as he lept forward and shoved him mom to the side taking the sharp blow to his shoulder instead. He whimpered as the air was knocked from his lungs due to the impact from him hitting the wall. He heard his mother scream his name, but barely paid attention as he quickly rolled out of the way as another fist followed. This caused Frank to stumble and the young boy had just enough time to muster all of his strength and land a blow to the large man's head. It wasn't strong enough to do any damage, however.
Frank let out an enraged howl and was about to pounce onto his prey had a tequila bottle not been slammed down over his head. "Tha' Fook!?" he yelled, turning around and pushing Paula to the ground hard. "I dun' need ter deal with this shit!" he cursed, reaching into his pocket and throwing a wad of bills on the ground. "Consida' this ya' resignation," he growled before storming out of the apartment with the slam of the door.
Paula let out a shaky sigh of relief and quickly crawled over to hug her son tightly to her. She was still wearing a nightdress and robe, her eyes sagging with dark circles of worry. "M' S-sorry!" she sobbed, rubbing his now bruised shoulder gently.
"S'okay," he mumbled, holding her just as close. But she was shaking her head.
"N-no, no I' isn't! But don' worry. I'll get us outta' this mess, I always do," she sniffled kissing his forehead, thankful that he was going to be alright. "I'll figya' it out."
That promise came in handy sooner than he thought. A few months later his mother called him into the livingroom to talk. She was happier than he'd seen her in years.
"Wots 'appened?" he asked, her smile becoming contagious.
"A relative died!" she exclaimed causing Cal's smile to falter, but she brushed it off thoughtlessly. "Oh, no one ya' know!" she assured him before continuing. "The good news is tha' the ol' cod left us some money. We don' 'ave ter stay 'ere anymo'. We c'n afford to go."
"Really?" Cal asked in disbelief. He'd accepted at a young age that they'd always live in these kinds of conditions. "Tha's brilliant!" he exclaimed giving her a tight hug.
"I know! 'Ere, I 'ave somethin' fo' you," she said, leading him over to one of their storage closets. She opened it to reveal her old acoustic guitar from back in her band days. "I've been wantin' ter give this to ya' fo' awhile now and I thought this woul' be a grea' way to celebrate."
Cal's eyes widened as he carefully removed his prize from the closet and dusted it off with his hand lightly. "Fo' me?" he whispered reverently and he gazed at it. His mother had never let him touch her guitar before so this was a very big moment for him. He looked back up at her with his eyes shining. She smiled back at him, but it wasn't as full as he felt it should have been. He hesitated a moment. "Was there somethin' mo'? he asked, confused by the fake smile she was giving him.
"Well… Yes actually," she said, suddenly appearing nervous. "I've always wan'ed the bes' for you, ya' know and now tha' I can actually affor' it…"
His eyes widened in realization of what she was getting at. "Y-you're… sending me away?" he said, voice cracking. Any happiness he'd previously been feeling washed away leaving him with a cold feeling as he slowly backed away.
"It's no' like tha'. You'd be back each summa'," she promised, looking slightly pained. "I wan' you ta' go to a nice private schoo' in London. You c'n ge' a good education; somethin' I neva 'ad," she said quietly as if reminiscing. Then her eyes came back into focus as she continued. "While yer gone, I c'n find us a decent place ter live. We c'n start all ova."
Cal took in her words and inhaled deeply. "So, you won' abandon me?" he asked meekly. Secretly this had always been a huge fear of his. Not that he thought she'd do it on purpose or anything, but he knew her lifestyle was slightly reckless even when she hadn't meant for it to be.
"No, luv," she promised. "I'd neva' leave you. You'll always be my lil' bit o' Sta'shine."
"I wasn't the brightest student or anything, but I certainly wasn't the dumbest either," Cal explained. "That school was really good though. Anytime we spoke wrong or did something worth punishment we got a ruler. It was really the best thing she could have done for me," he said with a light smile and pointed over at his forgotten suite coat that was now hanging up on a closet doorknob. "That was actually the suite I wore to graduation. It's a bit small now though," he said with a chuckle.
"I didn' finish schoo'." 2D admitted, looking at his son with pride in the dark depths of his eyes. "Wasn' too sma't or nuffin' so there was no reason ta' stay. Didn' help when I go' these dents neither," he joked, his gap just visible as he smiled.
"I didn't really need school," Noodle said with a faint blush. "I tested out of everything."
"Well, you wos a special case, luv," 2D smiled warmly at her, causing her to blush even more. "Very pou' of you, we was." Then are if in afterthought he added, "Are."
Cal smiled a bit at their flirting and was about to say something when a loud yawn bubbled from his throat instead.
"Ah, shi'. It's pretty la'. Mudz is gonna' be pissed we didn' go back," 2D said as he glanced out of a window seeing that it was getting dark.
"He'll live," Noodle snorted, rolling her eyes sarcastically.
"You woul' say tha'. 'E doesn' smack you 'round afterward now do 'e?" 2D said, giving her the evil eye.
"That's because he knows I'd kick his ass if he tried. There are perks to being an Axe Princess," she smirked, wiggling her eyebrows jokingly. "Plus he owes me."
"Um, well," Cal interrupted, successfully gaining their attention. "You guys can stay here if you want. That couch has a bed built into it."
The two bandmates looked at each other practically thinking the same thing. Stay in a nice comfy bed and get a good night's sleep or deal with a pissy and possibly drunken Mudz? "That will be great," Noodle said, speaking up first.
"Yeah, fanks," 2D grinned.
Together they cleared off the coffee table and moved it to the side of the room and then unfolded the couch. Cal left for a moment and came back with fresh sheets, a blanket and some pillows. 2D let Noodle fix the bed as he walked into the kitchen with Cal to drop off the dirty dishes. Before walking out of the room, the older man motioned for the teen to stop.
"I jus' wanted to say fanks again," 2D said, looking slightly anxious as he fidgeted his fingers a bit. "Paula was righ' tho'. I'd have been here if I'da' known. Iunno if tha' helps or no'." he frowned honestly. "This 'as been a real 'ard day, but despi' tha' I'm glad I know ya' now," he said, hoping he wasn't screwing up what he was trying to say. He twitched again and opened his mouth to try again, but was stopped when Cal placed a hand on his shoulder to bring him out of his musings.
"I understand," the younger man said, biting his lip. "Today has been the worst and best day of my life." With that, he let go and walked past the other man quickly disappearing down the hall before 2D could think to even say something back. He furrowed his brows in confusion before returning to the livingroom where Noodle was waiting for him waiting patiently as she sat on the makeshift bed.
"Did Calvin go to bed already?" she asked as she lifted up a side of the covers so he could climb in with her. He nodded in answer. He quickly kicked his shoes off but left his clothes on as his skinny frame slid under the covers. Noodle turned off the lamp next to her and then opened her arms wide so that he could lean against her. She felt his long limbs rap around her waist as he rested his head against her chest. Her arms draped over his shoulders hiding him in a tight cocoon of warmth. Only the tips of his blue spikes stuck out over the blankets. Her nose twitched as the silky strands tickled her nose.
"E' said tha' today was the bes' and wors' day 'es eva had," came his sluggish voice, muffled by the covers.
"That's understandable, Toochi," Noodle whispered back. "He's just lost the one person he looks up to the most. But in return he's gained the person he's dreamed of the most."
"I dun' fink I can mee' his expectations," came his gargled reply. Sleep was quickly taking over him it seemed.
"You've already met them just by being here for him, Stu…"she replied, but received no reply.
He'd already been swept off to dreamland.
Surprisingly, 2D woke before Noodle did that morning. His eyes opened automatically as he heard the quite sounds of glass clinking in the kitchen. He let out an almost silent groan as he carefully unwound himself from his warm cocoon of solstice and crawled from the bed with a yawn. He ran a hand through his unruly blue locks as he watched his freind sleep peacefully for a moment. She'd already rolled over on her side to cuddle deeper into the blankets from the loss of his warmth. He smiled a bit and turned from the room toward the kitchen.
"Did I wake you?" Cal asked as he walked in. The young man was already fully dressed in an old Black Sabbath shirt and some old faded jeans. His eyes were bright and alive with wakefulness like he'd been up for a while. He grabbed an extra cup and poured 2D some morning tea before popping some toast into a nearby toaster.
"Nah, s'all righ'," 2D said, moving to sit at the small kitchenette as he watched him rubbing his eyes slightly. "I'd 'ave woken up soon anyways," he lied with a chuckle as he accepted the offered dosage of caffeine. "Fanks."
"Anytime," Cal said cheerfully as he served them both some toast a short time later and sat across from him. At first glance, the young man appeared light hearted and relaxed. But now that they were so close, 2D could see the bags under his eyes and practically feel the stress lines carved into his youthful face. His hand slightly trembled as he added a bit of sugar to the heated liquid before him. 2D frowned and lost himself in thought a moment.
When he regained himself, he realized that all the toast on his plate was gone while Cal had barely touched his. "Do ya' wanna talk 'bout it?" he tried, gnawing on his inner cheek a bit. He wasn't used to comforting people much, but he wanted to try.
Cal blinked and looked up at him blankly before clearing his throat roughly and taking a sip of tea. It occurred to him that maybe his father wasn't as dense as other people had told him in the past. It was obvious that the older man was trying hard to be there for him. "Just thinking I guess," Cal muttered, looking down at the table again. "I don't think everything's quite hit me yet. It feels like I'm stuck in some sort of weird dream."
"I feel li' that a lot," 2D supplied unhelpfully. There was a long silence before he paled, jerking his head a bit as it hit him how insensitive that sounded. "I didn- I mean I know tha' doesn' really compare," he started to ramble, but stopped when Cal gave him a small smile. Encouraged, 2D tried again. "W-when I wos havin' all me pro'lems afta' the beach n' stuff, Noodle made me tell 'er everything. It wos 'ard, ya' know? Me thoughts were all scram'led an' everywhere. I wos so happy she wos alive afta' all tha' time, bu' I'd had ni'mares 'bout El Manana fer so long tha' they jus' wouln' go away. I still 'ave 'em sometimes," he paused, no longer looking at Cal. Instead he was focusing his attention on his own zombie-like reflection that was looking back at him in his silver spoon meant for the tea. "Bu' it's been betta'. Talkin' helped mo' than I thought it would. Now I c'n at leas' move on. Even Mudz doesn' scare me as much when 'e's in one of his moods."
Cal was quiet for a moment as he processed what his father was telling him. When 2D's eyes finally left the spoon and met his, he nodded in surrender. "I don't think I've talked about it much to anyone since she told me," he admitted. "Only the doctors…"
Cal smiled as he stepped off from the train for what would be the last time. He had just graduated and was felt like a new man. He was wearing a fresh suite and new dress shoes that had been parting gifts from his academy. Even his hair for once was freshly combed and nice looking. His bright blue eyes wondered over the several faces that were waiting for new arrivals in the welcoming gallery. His smile brightened when he noticed her waiving proudly to him. "Mum!" he shouted before taking off running.
As he hugged her close, he couldn't help but think she was thinner than she was last time he'd seen her. She was still pale and her eyes held the dark circles of someone who'd suffered a hard life, but her skin had a much healthier glow to it no doubt due to the hard work and rehabs she'd put herself through in the times he'd been gone to school. Today her long dark hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and she was still wearing her work uniform. She wore a knee length light pink dress with a white apron that had the hotel's initials she worked from embroidered on the edge in red. It was much different than the dark garb she usually preferred from her rocker days, but to him she looked beautiful in it.
She lightly pulled away from him and kissed his cheek affectionately. "Oh, Cal it's so good ta' see ya'! You've gottin' so tall!" she complimented as she led him away from the train station with her arm looped through his. "Pretty soon ya' gonna' be too much fo' an ol' lady li' me ta' handle. All the girls 'ill be afta' ya' if they aren't already," she teased him.
"Muuuuum," he whined in a low voice as a group of girls passing by giggled. He blushed and pulled them to walk faster making Paula laugh at his bashfulness. From there they settled down at a small café and had a pleasant lunch before making the walk to their current apartment building. It wasn't the nicest place in the world, but it was the best they'd ever had, so neither could complain.
When they walked inside, Cal dropped off his bags into his room and then hung his jacket in his closet before wondering off to find his mother again. When he found her, she was in the livingroom with a glass of water and a pill bottle sitting on the coffee table in front of her. "What's that?" he asked, picking up the bottle before she could swipe it away from him. "Methotrexate?" he questioned, eyeing her wearily.
"Ah, s'nothin' teh worry ya' pretty head 'bout," she assured him as she reached out and took it back from him with a weak smile. "S'fo me bronchitis. Too much smokin' all these yea's, ya' know?" she said, playing it off.
"I guess, but how long do you have to take them for?" he asked her curiously.
"Nah fo' long," she told him, "Jus' got a few mo' weeks left 'till me next appointment. Been coughin' a lo' at night," she told him, then slapped his knee. "Bu' nuff 'bout me! Tell me mo' 'bout my lovely graduate!" she exclaimed, affectively distracting him. And talk they did. In fact they talked for so long that by the time they had stopped it was dark out.
Paula had been right when she had told him her coughing was worst at night. Over the next week he watched with concern as she hacked and coughed into her handkerchief. A few times he was almost certain he saw blood, but she would merely grumble and stuff the offending item back into her pockets before he could get a better look at it. But that wasn't the only thing Cal had noticed about her and it was beginning to worry him. She would barely eat around him, telling him that she'd already eaten or wasn't hungry when he'd enquire. At certain times of the day when they were home together she'd disappear into a different room and he'd hear the sounds of her retching. Other times he'd notice how horribly tired she looked and that her hair looked like it had thinned out. Her medicine was always somewhere nearby.
One day while she was at work, Cal noticed she'd accidentally left the little orange bottle behind. Without a moment's hesitation he grabbed it and fled to his room so he could research in privacy if she came home. He took out his laptop and began googling what these pills were really for. The more he read, the more his heart began to sink to the pits of his stomach. When she found him later, he was still staring numbly as the screen; the light casting an eerie glow onto his features.
"Cal, 'ave you seen my…" she paused, seeing the look on his face and the bottle grasped tightly in his hand.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly, his eyes still staring dully at the medical drabble in front of him. "I would have come home early. I would have been here for you!" he ground out as his eyes snapped to her in sudden anger.
She took a step back as tears began to pool in the edges of her large dark eyes. "Bu' then you wouldn' 'ave graduated!" she tried to explain. "I only wanted wots bes' fo' you. It wouldn' 'ave done anything fo' you to be 'ere."
"But what about you!?" he yelled, standing so quickly that his chair fell back and it the floor. His whole body was trembling in anguish from the suddenness of this news. He felt a dull throb pulsing through his heart and soul. "You shouldn't need to go through this alone! For fucks sake, Mom! THIS IS BLOODY SERIOUS!" he shouted causing her to cry. "How long do you have?" he asked suddenly in a low voice. Paula shook her head sharply as she tried calming her shuddering breathes. Cal took a deep breath and moved forward to hug her. "How long?"
She was clinging to him just as tight as he was to her now, her face streaming with horrible tears. "T-two months," she sniffled, hoping he wouldn't hear. But once his arms stiffened around her, she knew he had and she let out an anguished moan. "M's-sorry," she whispered, going limp in his arms with defeat.
"It's okay," he whispered fiercely, his voice shaking slightly. "N-no matter what happens… I'll be here for you."
And he was.
He was there with her each day she grew weaker. He was there on the days she needed help getting around. He was there when the smallest tasks became too difficult.
He was there the day she collapsed at home. He was there when the ambulance came. He was right by her side when they placed her in her own private hospital room.
He was there holding her hand when she took her last breath.
By the time Cal finished getting everything off of his chest his face was shining with the first real tears 2D had seen the entire time he'd known him. His shoulders were aching with the force of trying to stop the sobs he was failing to hold back. "W-why her?" he groaned, putting his face in his hands miserably as he came to terms with his hidden grief. 2D recognized the signs. His son was finally accepting that she was gone. "H-her life w-was hard 'nuff…"
He was broken.
By now, 2D was shedding silent tears of his own. This boy – No. His Son. His son was suffering. He barely realized what he was doing as he stood from his seat and came over to the boy before pulling him firmly into his arms with an odd feeling that this boy had always belonged there. Cal clung to him with abandon as he allowed his father to rock him back and forth and whisper words of comfort into his ear. And comfort he needed as he cried his heart out letting all of his pent up anguish flow.
By the time he had calmed down some, both men had somehow wound up sitting on their knees on the unforgiving hard wood floor. His head was tucked firmly to 2D's chest as they still held each other tight. He closed his eyes, relishing in the comfort he'd always dreamed of from the man. Sure, he was twig thin and smelled of stale alcohol, cheap cigarettes, and butterscotch. But in a strange way he felt like home.
"Calvin?" 2D asked, using his full name for the first time as he gained the other's attention. The younger reluctantly lifted his head so that he could get a better look at the now serious looking bluenette. "Ya' can't stay 'ere. I won' let you by ya'self," he paused a moment, giving the teen a warm squeeze. "Come 'ome wif me."
"Wha'?" Cal murmured, not sure he'd heard the man right. His crystal blue eyes were still sparkling with tears.
"I want you teh come 'ome wif me," he said honestly. "I know ya' only met me yesta'day, but yo my son and I want ter be there fo' ya'," he explained. "It doesn' 'ave to be perm'nint if ya' don' wan', but at leas' consider it."
Cal sobered up a bit as he sniffled and used his crumpled sleeve to wipe off his face a bit. He was silent as he leaned back into the man's chest again inhaled the strangely comforting smell of butterscotch while he weighed his options. What did he have left here, really? He didn't have a job or anything to support him right now. This had been his mother's apartment and apart from a few odds and ends he didn't really care for much here. All that really mattered to him was his mom's old guitar, his scrapbook, and the few pictures he had of himself and his mom together.
This man. This strange blue haired man was finally giving him the one thing he'd always wanted – acceptance and to be loved by his father. His mother had loved him dearly. She'd want him to be happy. Now he knew that his father wanted him to be happy too. "O-okay," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "B-but I still need to pick up M-Mum…"
2D stiffened a little before relaxing again and nuzzling his cheek against the boy's ebony and azure strands. He'd nearly forgotten that they'd need to get the urn. "S'alrigh'. We'll go ge' it on tha' way," he promised, then slowly released him. They both stared at one another for a moment before offering each other shy smiles. 2D then carefully helped his son back into a standing position and winced at the stiffness of his joints as he stretched a iThen he slapped Cal on the arm good naturedly. "Go pack then, yeah?"
When he left the kitchen to allow Cal to do what he needed, he found Noodle sitting quietly on the now fixed couch. The sheets they'd used the night before where piled in a neat stack on the floor beside her. She bit her lip and smiled as 2D plopped down tiredly beside her. "I didn't want to interrupt so I put the room back together," she said sheepishly.
"So you heard then?" he asked, easily taking one of her small hands into his as he entwined their fingers gently.
"Yeah," she admitted. "I hope you don't mind." He shrugged and eyed her curiously wondering what she was thinking. As if reading his mind, she grinned and bumped shoulders with him affectionately. "I think what you did in there was really special, Toochi. You could have left things easily like how they were before, but instead you've offered to be there to support him. That takes some guts."
His cheeks flushed a deep red at her praise and his lips raised into his warm gap-toothed grin. "Well, I couldn' leave him. She wouldn' 'ave wanted tha'. I dun wan' that eitha'."
"Well good, Toochi," she said, giving him a sweet peck on the cheek. "I support your decision." She then leaned back and her smile turned into something more mischievous. "Soooooo, how do you think Murdoc is going to take it?"
2D gave a dry snort as he relaxed his back against the upholstery. "Mudz c'n sod off 'bout it fer all I care," he said with a smirk. "S'ides, somefing tells me tha' Cal could 'andle 'im. Bet he coul' knock 'im one if needed," he boasted slyly.
"Hmmmm," Noodle giggled before kissing his nose and standing. "Best not let him hear you say that," she said wisely as she offered him a hand. He took it and pulled himself up before shrugging and placing a hand behind his head with a grin.
"Ya' prolly righ' on tha' one lil' Luv. Don' need no mo' gaps afta' all."
It wasn't long after that before Cal reentered the livingroom with a bright red duffle bag and a laptop case slung around his shoulder. Noodle had already taken the liberty of grabbing his guitar for him, while 2D handled the light-weight stand. Giving the place one last look, Cal nodded in approval before leading them out and locking the door and starting the journey that would hopefully help him leave the past behind him. A new journey was awaiting him.
Their first stop before leaving town was the crematorium which was next door to the funeral home they had been to before. Cal, who had actually been rather social on the way there, predictably became silent after they left. Both Noodle and 2D shot him worried glances from the front seat as he hugged the steel canister to his chest and zoned out. Taking the hint that maybe now wasn't the best time, Noodle reached over and turned up the volume of the stereo system. This seemed to help wash away a bit of the sadness as they gently bobbed their heads to the music. Cal slowly felt the painful ache in his chest recede as he allowed his mind to lose itself in the melodical rhythms.
They only stopped once for lunch on their way to Addams Manor. After that, it wasn't long before the hustle and bustle of the city began to slow down and fade out into the vast greens of the countryside. Still hugging the urn to his chest, Cal watched in awe as they passed miles and miles of fields filled with cows and pastures. He'd traveled out of the city before to get to his school, but that had been in the opposite direction where the lands were sparse and full of waste along the train tracks. Everything here looked alive and lush.
"You live here," he gawked in disbelief as they paused to press a code that led to an iron gate that spelled out Addams in an elegant scrawl made completely of iron. He'd even noticed the tiny metal workings that looked like little cobwebs in some of the corners of the grand piece. Cal's jaw nearly dropped when they rolled through and over the hill that made up the driveway. The gothic styled mansion was the biggest house he'd ever seen. He was so busy gawking at it as they came to a stop that he barely noticed the worn looking Winnebago that sat beside it. A loud cawing noise brought the outdated love shack to his attention. "And here I thought it was only legend," he muttered, hoisting his duffle bag and mother's urn out of the backseat as 2D and Noodle went to the trunk to grab the rest.
"Wa'?" 2D asked, having trouble hearing him over Cortez's angry screeches. "Oh tha' thing? Mudz 'as an actual room an' stuff, but keeps tha' thing fo' tha' birds… Tha' an' Noods wouldn't let 'im brin' his Satanic shi' inside" he said, the guitar stand resting against his shoulder as Noodle came around with the guitar again.
"Damn straight I wouldn't allow it," Noodle said, rolling her eyes. "Do you know how hard it is to get bloodstains out of floorboards?" 2D and Cal collectively shuddered at the thought.
"Shu' up, Cortez!" 2D yelled as they began to walk toward the large doorway. The bird's constant screeching was really starting to grate his nerves. "'E ain't gonna' hurt ya'! Bloody bird," he grumbled before clenching his jaw and wincing.
"WOT THE BLOODY 'ELL IS GOIN' ON OU' 'ERE!?" A graveled yell sounded from inside the Winnebago and all three paused and watched as Murdoc came storming out. It was obvious that was not in a very good mood as he slammed his fist against the side of the Winne causing Cortez to fly away quickly with a squawk of indignation. "Some of us are tryin' tah fuckin' work, 'ere!" he groused, then narrowed his eyes as he realized just who was causing the disturbance.
"FACEACHE! Where tha' fuck 'ave you been? We still 'ave a damn album tah finish and I can't do it withou' a singa' and my guitarist!" he complained, shaking his fist as he approached them.
"I-I'm sorry, Mudz! It's jus' we got to tha' fun'ral an' met Cal an'-" he was cut off as Murdoc suddenly landed a hard right to his face causing him to fly backwards. The guitar stand fell back with him, smacking him in the head.
"HEY!" both Cal and Noodle shouted as they both rounded on Murdoc. Thinking quickly, Cal threw his back down and shoved his mother's urn into Noodle's hands before charging at Murdoc who was about to start kicking 2D in the stomach. Noodle watched as if in slow motion as Cal slammed into Mud's from the side like an enraged quarterback and tackled him to the ground. The Satanist coughed loudly as he gasped for breath and then struggled with all of his might. His teeth were bared and saliva was flinging from him as if he had rabies while he tried kicking and punching at the youth. Cal, never one to back down from a fight, did the one thing he could think of to neutralize the man and slammed their foreheads together so hard he saw stars.
"OWWWWWWWWWWW!" Murdoc whined, suddenly not struggling as much as he tried to reach up to hold his aching head. "Wha' the fuck's yer head ma' of!?" Cal was about to get another good shot in when two large hands grabbed either of them by the collar and forced them apart as if they were a quarreling pair of puppies.
"You can't say you didn't deserve that, Man," Russ reprimanded as he looked between the two with his eyebrows raised. "But he nicer than me. I'd have knocked your nose in again."
"Yeah, yeah," Murdoc muttered. "Put me down Lards so I c'n finish knockin' this twat's block off!"
"You mean like how he knocked yo' cracka-ass down just a few minutes ago?" Russ smirked, his milky eyes glowing in mirth. "Why don't you go sacrifice a cat or somethin'?"
"Fuck off, fat ass," he hissed as they were both released from the bigger man's grip. He immediately crossed his arms and glared at the young man. "Who tha' fuck're you anyways?"
Cal made as if he was going to jump at Murdoc again, who was giving him a taunting smirk and flipping him the bird before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked back seeing his father's now purpled face. "This is me son, Calvin." At the look of shock on both Murdoc and Russ' face, he quickly elaborated, squeezing his son's shoulder as he did. "He's mine an' Paula's."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Murdoc spat, breaking the silence as he stuck a clawed finger in the air at them. Russ sweat-dropped and stayed between them to prevent them from coming to blows again. "Dammit, Dents! I tol' you all these kids are gonna' want is yeh fuckin' money and yeh wen' an' brought one home? We 'ave the stronges' lawyers we c'n get, bu' if you le' one in they'll all wan' in!"
"Now look 'ere," 2D started, his normally passive face becoming tense with frustration.
"Tooooochie," Noodle warned him from behind them, not wanting things to get too out of hand.
"No, luv," 2D said with determination as he looked Murdoc right in his mismatched eyes. "'E needs the hear this. Calvin is my son and 'e will be stayin' 'ere o' tha' last song won' 'ave a singa'." He said seriously, "An you won' be able ta' kidnap me this time," he added as a double bonus. Then his eyes softened as he spoke his next words to his oldest friend. "I ge' that' ya' tryin' to protec' us, I really do. But I don' fink Cal is like that. You c'n even ask Noods. 'E's jus' a boy tha' needs his Da' righ' now and I wanna be there fo' 'im. Wha' you do wif yo' kids is on you, bu' I know this feels righ' an' I prolly nee' him as much as 'e needs me righ' now."
Murdoc gave 2D a good hard look before glancing over at Noodle for confirmation. When she nodded in agreement with the blue haired man, he let out a sigh of defeat. "Fine. Bu' if it goes wrong, don't come cryin' teh me." With that said, he immediately turned back to his Winnebago and slammed the door hard behind him.
"Wanker," Cal muttered as he finally relaxed his stance.
"Nah, 'e's no' bad once ya' ge' to know 'im," 2D smiled, turning back toward the mansion door. Noodle was already disappearing through the doorway with the urn and guitar grasped carefully in her hands. Cal sighed as he walked back over to pick up his fallen duffle, but was beat to the chase by Russell who slung it easily over one of his beefy shoulders.
"So yo' Paula's kid, huh?" he asked, eyeing Cal almost suspiciously.
"I'm not going to hurt him if that's what you're worried about," Cal said with a weary sigh as they walked toward the entrance together.
"I've heard that befo', lil' Cracka'," Russ said with a grunt as he held the door open for him. "But you held your own against that cranky dick, so I guess you ain't all bad." He smiled. Cal couldn't help but laugh.
After a tour of the house, 2D led his son to a long hallway on the middle floor of the spacious home. "This's where all our rooms are," he told him as they moved forward. Mudz' room is tha' biggest, tha's this firs' one 'ere. Woul'nt go in there if I was you." Cal nodded in agreement. "On the otha' side is Russ. 'E's usually go' some snacks hauled up in there if ya' need somefing late nigh'. Noods is 'ere in tha' middle. Knock fris' o' she migh' think yo Murdoc an' throw stuff at you." Cal quirked his brow at this, but didn't say anything.
"Tha' nex' one is mine," he said opening the door to reveal a room that looked like it belonged to a teenager. Clothes were strung all over the floor around the bed and dresser. He could see a Playstation 4 on top of the dresser and zombie posters littered almost every bit of wall surface. An old keyboard had been tossed in a corner as if in afterthought. "S'kinda' messy, bu' it's 'ome. You c'n bug me wheneva' provided you c'n wake me up firs'," he joked with a silly grin. "An' this," he said, opening up the door that was directly across from his, "is your room."
Cal timidly walked through the door to his new room. It was plain at the moment, but he didn't mind. This room already had a nice queen sized bed, a dresser, a couple of book shelves, and a TV for him. His duffle bag and laptop case were sitting on top of his bed while his mother's urn was on top of the dresser. His guitar was on its stand in the corner. He looked back at his dad and smiled. "Thanks," he said, meaning more than just the room.
"Anytime, kiddo," 2D smiled before heading back out the door and across to his own room. "I'll le' you 'ave some time ta' fix yeh room up."
A few weeks later Cal's room looked a lot more like his old room. He'd placed posters of the Gorillaz and all of his other favorite bands on the wall. CDs, science fictions, and comic books lined his shelves. His old beat up Super Nintendo sat next to his TV and his laptop was sitting on a nearby desk. Unlike his father's room across the hall, Calvin's room was neat and tidy.
By far his favorite part was the little memorial his father had helped him set up on top of his dresser. Her urn sat directly in the middle flanked by two lass roses that noodle had given him. On one side were some of Cal's favorite pictures of his mother. Some he was in and others he wasn't. On the other side were a few pictures he never knew existed until coming to Addams Manor. 2D had given him several pictures of his mother that he'd found in an old shoe box. Cal's favorites were the ones they had found of both of his parents together. It made him smile each time he looked at them. Noodle had even given him the picture she'd snuck the frst time he and his father had hugged.
Today however, he was feeling rather melancholy. These past few weeks had been great getting to know his new family and accompanying them to their multiple lengthy practices. But no matter how much fun he had, he still couldn't stop thinking about his mother and the empty crater he felt in his chest.
He was currently sitting on his bed with his guitar in his lap as he stared up at her photographs whishing more than anything that she was here. He gave an anguished sigh as he held the instrument closer to him. "Mom," he started in a quiet voice, "I wish you could see me now. You were right, Dad does love me. He's been trying really hard to make up for the years he missed too," he paused with a small smile. "He's not the smartest guy ever, but he always seems to know when I need him. There hasn't been a single day since we met that he hasn't made time for me. It's been really great. The rest of the band has been pretty cool too. I don't think that even Murdoc minds having me around much anymore either. Yesterday he even had a beer with me… He tried throwing it at my face first, but that's a start I reckon."
He was silent a moment as if waiting for an answer and then sighed looking down at the old acoustic in his arms. Back when he was away at school when he was younger he used to play when he was younger. Sometimes he would make things up and other times he'd do his own versions of his father's music. It had always made him feel better to pour his heart and soul into each stroke of a string. So far, while he'd been here he'd held back from playing. It was intimidating to think about playing in a house full of such talented musicians. But today he felt in his soul the need for relief and this was the best way he knew how.
Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and took himself mentally to a world of tranquility as his fingers began to gingerly pluck at the strings to a familiar soothing rhythm. When his mouth opened, his smooth voice traveled down the halls in a peaceful, yet somewhat mournful tune.
"Grava-teh-eh-eh-eeeeeh onnnn meeee, neva let me down. Geeently.
Grava-teh, with me. Never let me go! No no, grava-teeeeeeeeeh."
From across the hall 2D sat up with a start, perking up at the familiar tune. He'd went to lay down for a while after lunch due to a headache from arguing with Murdoc and the others about what the direction of their last song for their new album should be. Nothing was decided and they all knew they'd have to come to a decision soon or their manager Damon Albarn would have their asses.
But those thoughts were far from the singer's mind as he practically floated from his bed and glided across the hall to his son's doorway. Peeking through the door, he could see the young man strumming away to his heart's content with an almost sad look on his features. 2D couldn't help it as his heart went out to the kid. He slowly opened the door and stepped through the threshold.
Cal's first guitar solo came to an end and he opened his mouth for the next set of lyrics when a new voice cut through his room and he looked up in shock as his father walked into his room, pulling up the chair from behind his desk and sitting across from him backwards on it.
"III don't pull me down, I don't pull me down on meeee.
III don't pull me down, I don't pull me down on yoooou.
III don't –" his deeper voice rang strong throughout the room adding to the angelic melody.
Calvin was nodding his head to the beat now as his continued to strum his guitar in time with his father's voice. Suddenly, as 2D began to repeat his verse they heard a drumbeat begin from another room in the house. Both men grinned in surprise as they continued to jam out.
"III don't pull me down, I don't pull me down on meeee.
III don't pull me down, I don't pull me down on yooooou."
As he finished the refrain, they heard as Russ lost himself in a wicked drum solo that lasted several measures until it was joined by the sound of a keyboard somewhere down the hall. But the biggest surprise came when they heard the familiar sound of vulgar curse words and the demonic base joined in to give them the deep pulse they had been missing.
Both father and son smirked as their eyes flashed in exhilaration for the challenge that would come next. Together their voices melded in perfect harmony as all their parts came together seamlessly.
"Grava-teh-eh-eh-eeeeeh, onnnn meeee …"
"III don't pull me down…"
"Neva let me down. Geeently…"
"I don't pull me down on meeee…"
"Grava-teh, with me. Never let me go!"
"III don't pull me down…"
"No no, grava-teeeeeeeeeh."
"III don't pull me down, I don't pull me down on yooooou."
Together the duo repeated their duet before the band as a whole jammed out again causing the whole house to vibrate from the intensity of their plight. 2D was the only one not playing an instrument, so he simply sat there dancing in his seat as he lost himself in the music. When the song finally came to an end, Cal's voice was strong as if reenergized and his fingers nimble as they slowed to a stop.
The whole house faded into silence.
"That was… that was…" Cal trailed off in awe, not even sure how he felt about the amazing thing that had just happened.
"It was amazing," 2D said simply as he rested his chin on his arms with a spacey smile. "You 'ave a pretty good voice."
"Thanks," Cal said, his face flushing. "I used to sing for my mom when I was younger. When I got older, I'd sing to cheer myself up while I was alone."
2D frowned and looked like he was about to say something when they suddenly heard the sound of someone barreling down the hall at break-neck speeds. Both men were completely caught off gaurd as a crazed looking Murdoc suddenly burst into the room nearly knocking the door off of its hinges. Noodle and Russell peeked into the door behind him, on carrying his drumsticks while the other held an old keyboard against her hip that she used to use for backup.
"THAT'S IT!" he shouted with a whoop, nearly giving them heart attacks. "I don't know wha' tha' sappy shi' was, but tha's wha' we're missing!" he said, grabbing 2D by the shoulders and shaking him. "If we c'n recreate tha' inna new song," he said, pointing between the two of them, "the fans'll eat that shi' up!"
"You fink so, Mudz?" 2D asked, trying to shake the man's grip from his shoulders unsuccessfully as he was used as a human bobble-head.
"I know so, Faceache!" he said giving him a final shake before turning to Calvin with a lecherous grin. "Yer in kid! This'll get Alba'n off me back for sure!" he gloated, rubbing his hands together greedily "Everyone! Practice 'n ten minutes!" he ordered as he turned heel and left the room. On the way out he grabbed the front of Russ's shirt and tugged. "C'mon, Lards. We 'ave things to discuss!"
"Aw, man. I know you di'n jus' try to lead me like no dog," Russ growled as he made to follow in a more sinister fashion. Their arguing and bickering could be heard all the way down the halls as they disappeared down the far stairwell.
Cal looked over from his seat on his bed to his father whose face was now scrunched up as if concentrating hard on something. Cal was about to say something out of concern as his father suddenly stood up and moved closer to him. The youth blinked and looked up at him in curiosity.
"I rememba' wha' you said before Mudz came in 'ere," 2D said, placing a hand on Cal's shoulder. He glanced over at a picture of Paula with a frown before looking down at his son again. "You ain't 'lone now an' ne'er will be. She'll always be wif you whetha' it's in ya' heart or through the music ya' make wif 'er old guitar," he promised with a small smile, patting the old instrument. "You've go' me now and I won' let ya' down. It's wha' she woul' 'ave wanted. We won' let're be fo'gotten eitha'."
Cal felt a warmth in his chest as he took in the older man's honest words and set his guitar to the side as he stood and gave the man a thankful hug. 2D easily returned it and patted him on the back. "Thanks, Dad."
When they released each other, 2D headed for the door. "See ya' at practice!"
Calvin watched as Noodle, who had been waiting at the door, smiled and took his father's hand with a smile before the two disappeared in the same direction Murdoc and Russ had gone. He stood there a moment thinking about how much his life had changed in such a small amount of time and how he knew he could grow to be happy here.
Giving his mom's photograph one last smile he grabbed his guitar and left his room to follow his new destiny.
A/N: OMG it's done! Not bad for writing in two sittings, huh? This is my first Gorillaz fic and the first Oneshot that I can truly say I'm proud of. This story is to commemorate my 10th year anniversary on DA. When I first joined it was to express myself through writing so I felt it was only appropriate to kick off my tenth year by doing what I'm passionate about. I hope you enjoy!
P.S. Those of you who are patiently waiting on a new chapter for The Empty Canvas, I swear I'll try to get a chapter out soon! I've had a lot happen in the past few months and have bad writer's block. I know what I want to happen in the story, but the words aren't forming right so I'm trying to give my mind time to sort it out. Thanks!