Ok. Back on track. Out today. Like I promised.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed: queenlionesses, Steadymouth. Wildmind, Lord Edric, emilyparrish, ssilverwood2, and LilMate.
Everyone noticed the change in Heimdall's demeanor. The problem was, it wasn't...something they could pinpoint. It wasn't exactly his habits that had changed, nor his outward personality, by all standards he seemed quite grumpy and sarcastic still. Yet there was a part of him that was so utterly changed and foreign that no one could attempt to dechiper it. Jack was the first to figure it out. Elsa was expressing worry in their bedroom.
"He's just so faraway." She sighed, putting down her book. She realized only then she'd read the same page for half an hour, never making progress past the first sentence.
"Is that any different from before?" Jack chuckled, scratching behind his neck.
"It's a different sort. I worry about him, Jack." She said, frowning.
"I know, I know. It's a mother's curse. You worry about all of them. Like Izo failing a math test, or Berlio getting bullied by his younger sister." Jack shrugged.
"No, it's different. This is Heimdall. He's our baby." Her eyebrows knit together in deep concentration. Jack whistled.
"In comparison to our triplets who are hardly over a year and actual babies, our 17 year old is more our baby. Hmm." Elsa sourly threw her book next to her.
"Jack!" She half-yelled, "I'm really worried. What if he's depressed?" She cried.
Jack scooted closer to her and put an arm around her dainty shoulders. He brought her head down to the crook of his neck, where she sighed in defeated contentment, nuzzling far into his embrace. He kissed the top of her hair, which he noted had a few streaks of gray in- which he thought only made her starlight hair more beautiful- and gave a long hard sigh.
"Heimdall's just going through a hard time." He tilted his head, and thought hard, "Actually, I think I know." He said with sudden clarity.
Elsa's head shot up. "What?"
Jack's smile was wicked. "He's in love."
"Jack be serious." Elsa frowned, returning to where her head had been resting before.
"No, no. Really. He's in love with a girl that doesn't like him back. Or, he's too surly to know how to comprehend liking a girl, and that makes him angry. I know this kid like the back of my hand, Elsa. This is it."
"Jack, you're not going to torture the poor boy if that's what it is, are you?" She asked, wincing.
"Torture? What kind of horrible father would I be if I did that?" He asked, but his eyes gleamed with the youthful glow of an opportunity that Elsa saw commonly on the faces of Anna's trouble making twins.
"I still don't understand why he's angry. Love is beautiful." Elsa crooned, and Jack rolled his eyes.
"He's a guy, honey." He said, as if that explained it all. He elaborated at her raised eyebrows, "They don't think like girls do. Love is a helluvah scary thing. I mean, if I had grown up with it, I would have been terrified. With you, it was a sort of instinctual thing." He admitted.
"I want to know who she is." Elsa said decisively, "I need to know whose caused my baby so much heartache."
"And what? Tell her to scram and she's a terrible human being?" Jack asked, and Elsa didn't reply, "Yeah, that will really help Heimdall."
"Oh shut up." Elsa batted his chest, "When one of your girls fall in love, you'll understand."
"What? No way. I'm gunna be a cool dad about it." Jack said and Elsa rolled her eyes.
Jack crept out of bed after Elsa had fallen asleep, and was not surprised to see the lights still on in Heimdall's room. He entered silently, and saw his eldest son sitting on the ledge of the window, his legs swinging in the night air.
"You know mom would kill you to see you sitting here." He commented, and Heimdall nearly had a hear-attack and fell to see his father materialized on the ledge next to him.
"Goddamit, Dad." Heimdall scowled, "You nearly killed me."
"Hmm." His father twiddled his thumbs, gazing up to the full moon, "Hello, moon." He greeted. Heimdall looked at him like he had gone nuts. Jack caught his gaze.
"Did I ever tell you the moon gave me my powers? I think I was a human once, I'm not sure. I always greet the man in the moon. He's not a talker though." Jack said, humming with thought.
"And now you're a creepy seventeen year old immortal father." Heimdall said acidically. Jack shrugged.
"Just keeping it real."
There was a long silence, before Jack sighed. "It hurts when you say that, though, Dall. Creepy? Just stab me through the heart, why don't you."
"You know I think it's weird we're the same age." Heimdall winced, realizing his own lack of tact.
"You should be grateful. You'll never lose me, I'll always be around for you all. Elsa will one day..." he gulped, not being able to finish his sentence, "But I'll always be here."
"Comforting."
There was another long silence between the two men, something that Jack desperately wished he could fix. Heimdall used to think he was a god. What happened? He decided to be frank about why he decided to visit his son's room at such a time.
"Who is she?" He asked. Heimdall once again jumped.
"Who is what?"
"The girl you're head over heels for." He saw the panic flash across his son's face, "I'm not an idiot, Heimdall. I've watched humans for longer than you can imagine, and I know when a boy is in love."
Heimdall was very silent. Jack continued. "So what is it? Does she not like you? Not talk to you? Or is she already spoken for? Or does she live far away?" He watched his son's face carefully, but nothing was betrayed at his guessing, "I want to help you."
Silence once more. "Okay...where did you meet her?" At this question, Heimdall's face flamed bright scarlet. Jack winced.
"Okay, that can only mean three things. Erm, she saw you skinny dipping last summer, she had to wash your underwear, or you went to the exotic basement."
"How do you know about that?" The words slipped out before Heimdall knew what he was saying.
"Oh, ouch. I hoped it wasn't that one." Jack moaned, "And son, I'm a king and a male. I've known about that for quite some time, thanks to Gavner's brother. I keep it open only because I know Alfsol would be devastated if I closed it. And Alfsol may or may not be making me chocolate chip cookie bribes to keep it open."
"He would." Heimdall chuckled, running his hand through his hair.
"So, maybe I really don't want to know but lie and tell your old man that you were just there for some drinks and staring at the pretty ladies, and she was a dancer, okay?" Jack asked.
Heimdall hesitated, "I was only there getting a drink staring at them." He grumbled, and Jack winced.
"You really need to work on your lying skills. I didn't need to know that you went there and did...other things." Jack ran his hand down his face.
Heimdall shrugged, beginning to open to his father a bit. "I didn't see her for a long time. She works there only because she isn't paid enough. She really is the attendant for the seamstress shop." He admitted, and then with a smile, "Her name is Aoife."
"Oh! Oh! I know her. The little red-head?" He asked, and Heimdall gave a long, slow nod, "Aww she's adorable. You picked well."
"I'm pretty sure she's older than you, technically. So you calling her adorable is really, really, creepy, dad." Heimdall pleaded for him to stop.
"Would you stop seeing me as a seventeen year old? I have the mentality of a fifty year old man, just trapped in a teenager's body, okay? Age and I are not in the same plane of being." He snapped.
"It's hard to get over." Heimdall snorted.
"I understand." Jack stood, "Come with me." He said, and Heimdall looked unsure. Finally he followed his father to the kitchens. Jack turned on the light, and went to the fridge and came back with two glasses of red wine.
"I don't think Mom-," Heimdall began.
"I'm here, it's fine. You're a man now...or have been for a year or so anyway...so, have a drink with me." He said, pushing the goblet to Heimdall.
"So what now?" Heimdall asked after a long drink. The wine burned down, and he gasped.
Jack was calm and contemplative. He lifted the drink to his lips thoughtfully, sighing. "Well, have you tried talking to her?" He asked.
"I try to see her whenever I can. But it's hard to think of an excuse to visit a seamstress when you're a guy. Besides, she's just snappy and cold every time I see her. I tried giving her money, I guess I insulted her by assuming she liked the basement the second time I met her, but she refused and kicked me out."
"No, no." Jack agreed, "That was bound to fail. She's from Ireland. She is strong and stubborn and for sure doesn't want to look like a charity case. She still has her pride." Heimdall scoffed.
"I think the basement rids any girl of pride." He said viciously. Jack leaned over and cupped his ear.
"Hey! You most certainty won't get her like that." He said, and Heimdall gave an apologetic face.
"It's the wine." He said meekly, and Jack rolled his eyes.
"Look, I don't know how yet, but me and you will get this girl. I promise." He said, with a small smile. Heimdall looked surprise.
"You will?" He asked.
"Of course. I want to see you happy. That's all I want for my children." He said somberly.
"Will this make me happy?" Heimdall whimpered, totally free from his usual mask. Jack gave a long sigh.
"I don't know, buddy. It made me so happy, and I think it will for you too. If it doesn't, I'll still try and make you happy." He grinned, picking up Heimdall's wine glass and finished it off as he walked out the door, "That's what fathers do."
Jack being a good dad is so adorable, don't you agree? Aww I love him!
Anywho, my family named our puppy to be. It's Aruna and there's new pictures of her on the website :) She's just so cute!