Hey Descendants,
Happy Wednesday! Officially less than a week until Christmas. Anyone else in the middle of another Holiday or getting ready for it?
Hopefully all school torture is coming to an end soon.
Anyway, after Ben's conversation with David, he's made up his mind to share the letter with the leaders of the pack.
We hope you enjoy the chapter :)
And don't forget to let us know how we're doing. And check out Twisted's review at the end of the chapter.
Writers need love and support to help keep us going.
-Dark-
"That's the entire letter?" Mal tilts her head to the side as she looks between David and Ben in confusion, her voice chock-full of skepticism.
"Well, no." David shrugs as he looks up from his spot on the floor. "That was just the parts we both thought you should know outside of individual sessions."
Jay drums his fingers on the wall behind him before he sighs heavily, "So if we want to hear the whole letter we have to come to talk to you alone?"
"Yeah, pretty much, brah." David taps a finger against it, "There's some pretty heavy stuff in here. Ben had to make an appointment after reading it."
"While I was reading it actually," Ben rocks slightly back and forth on his heels as he tugs on his belt with his thumbs, "I, in no way want to hide this from you. I just," He sighs as his feet plant, "I needed help working through some of the things she talked about, so I wanted to be able to warn the rest of you. It's a pretty personal letter, and was far more exposing of herself than she's been with the rest of you."
Mal's eyes sweep over Ben thoughtfully, before they turn to David suspiciously. Then her eyes land on him expectantly. Familiarly.
Jay gives her a one-shoulder shrug. He believed them. Ben had never given him a reason to suspect he would be malicious towards them. And he believed David when he said he wanted to be on his team. Coaches wouldn't hold back important information. Why would they? They wanted the team to win. So, he would trust that David wanted him to win too.
She nods before turning back to Ben. "We can deal with that, as long as we get to read the rest of it. We can wait." She crosses her arms.
"Nice." David nods as he places the letter on the chair behind him before leaning his weight against his hands. "Glad that's settled." He grins.
Jay sighs as he pushes off the wall, "That had to be from when she vanished for a week. Evie said she busted out of the hideout like the ol' bat outta hell hall after seeing the fireside chat. She was hiding with fucking Senior."
Mal rolls her eyes. "Why didn't we check there first?"
"Because at the time we were more concerned with where T was." Jay points out with a frown. That was why he didn't check, because he was busy hunting down T in the Yu territory.
"We should've tied those fucking idiots to something when they weren't with one of us," Mal huffs as she crosses her arms and leans against the table. "That would've saved us so much fucking trouble. Stupid assholes, spazzing the fuck out at the same damn time." The 'how dare they' was silent, but still clear in her tone.
Jay sighs before he looks up at her, "To be fair, that was a first. And now we know for sure it was related."
Mal rolls her bottom lip between her teeth. "Isn't all of this?" She gestures to Ben and David as if they couldn't see her.
David nods his head, "Ya ain't wrong."
Ben furrows his brow as he looks between them, "But, how is it related?"
Mal sweeps her eyes back to Jay expectantly.
"If you're okay with it," Jay sighs, "Want me to?"
"You'll probably swear less." Mal lowers her head as she sweeps the room with her hand, "Still 'processing'."
"Okay." Jay nods before he walks over to the couch and takes a seat. "T… isn't okay." He sighs before he pinches the bridge of his nose and pulls his own letter out of his jacket. "Deez wrote me a letter, probably about the same time she wrote that." He kicks out with his foot to 'point' at the letter in the chair behind David.
He feels the back of the couch sink behind him before Mal's knee rests against his shoulder. He nods, appreciating the gesture of solidarity, "She and Yensid are pretty sure, which is probably where she ran off to in the first place, now that I think of it, but uh-" He blinks before he looks dead at David, "This ain't gonna keep anyone from coming over is it?"
"Not at all, brah." David shakes his head, "It would just be nice to know what type of help to have on hand when he does come over."
Jay takes another deep breath and nods. It was strange to be talking to an adult like they knew what they were doing. But, they'd all agreed to do this. If David was saying this wouldn't keep T from being allowed, "You're sure? Like no way this is gonna backfire?" It didn't hurt to stress the point sometimes.
David gives him a reassuring nod, "As I can be as an outsider." He shrugs, "But say that heads are shoved that far up some asses, I will personally see to it that it won't, brah."
Jay tilts his head at the statement. It felt strangely nice to know that if there was kickback, David would be willing to go through the course with them.
"Besides, these sessions are confidential. No one outside this room is going to know."
"And as the person in charge of this change, I can personally assure you whatever you're about to say won't change my opinion about wanting T here." Ben offers reassuringly. "I'm in full support of what David said. Knowing what type of help to provide beforehand would just be beneficial for T."
He feels the couch shift again, and he can only imagine Mal was glaring at the two before she taps her knee against his shoulder.
Ben holds up his hands, "We just want to know how to help."
"I know man, and we're glad, ya know." He nods, making brief eye contact with David and Ben before he continues, "Yensid and Deez are pretty sure T has two personalities. And well, if you read that letter again, I think it was bleeding through her writing. She'd just found out herself." He looks down at the page in his hand, "Deez uh, she didn't take the news very well. She's never been shy about borrowing books from the old man, but she was too freaked to stick around to take him up on his offer this time. So she must have had one of her running things." He folds his letter back up, "Which explains why she ended up at the temple." He breathes in slowly through his nose as his hand grips his knee.
Ben blinks before he tips his head slightly in thought.
David raises one of his hands, "What's a running thing like?"
Jay furrows his brow, Harry and Gil would have been better at explaining this, "She. Sometimes she'll freeze, and then bolt when something freaks her out. Or overwhelms her."
"Heard." David nods, "Thank you, sorry for interrupting, please continue."
"Everything overwhelms her. She's never taken shit well. Fuck, she probably took it harder than the fucking dipshit," Mal scoffs, he could only imagine her eye roll. "Who was too busy running around being fucking clueless about what the fuck was wrong with him, in fucking Yu's territory for my damn mother."
"Ya good?" Jay sighs before he taps her foot in warning.
"Wicked." Mal huffs as she shifts behind him probably crossing her arms.
"T being in Yu territory, the deal he made, it was the reason Deez and T were both in and also not in our gang. T's deal was to get Deez kicked, no more holding banishment over Evie's head if Deez messed up in Maleficent's eyes. Just her out, and T in." Jay shakes his head, "So while Deez was hiding, or thinking things over, or whatever she was doing-" He sighs, "Like writing apparently, we were searching for T."
"Well, he was at least." Mal's eye roll was audible in her tone. "Jay's killer at keeping a low profile."
"Yeah." Jay admits with a grimace before he drops his head and drags his nails down the sides of his neck, "Fuck…" He grimaces, "Don't kill me Mal."
"Why?" She asks suspicion in her tone.
"Because," Jay sighs as he turns on the couch, ready to spring up if she so much as flinched, "I did find T in the Yu territory."
"Of course you did," She states back a little too calmly for his liking.
Jay quickly jumps up from the couch, hands held out in front of him defensively, "I didn't know Mal. Other than normal T shit, he seemed fine. I hung around until he finally fell asleep in a hidey-hole, but it was cold, and I fucking knew he wasn't eating, so I left to go steal supplies from one of the new buildings. When I got back I was settling in again and he had a night terror." He takes another set back, "And then things got weird."
"You sonovabitch!" Mal sweeps out her leg clipping him in his thigh.
Ben takes a step back as his eyes widen in surprise, while David lifts a brow, amusement shining in his brown eyes.
"I'm so glad I moved." Jay grimaces as he rubs his thigh, dropping into a low guard incase she tried it again, "Do you want to hear this or not?"
"More like fucking lucky you moved," She glares at him. "But whatever, continue."
Jay snorts, "Luck nothing. Experience." He glares.
"Wouldn't have experience if you just listened."
"Yo, lolos, are ya guys going to fight? Because I'm comfortable and don't wanna get up, but I will if I have too." David grins up at them.
Jay catches Mal's look of confusion before he turns to look at David, "We ain't allowed to hit each other?"
"You've gotta be fucking with me," Mal stares at David with a raised brow, before she looks away, "Lame."
David chuckles, "Lame or not, violence isn't going to change the past. Or fix the present. There are better outlets."
"What if the goal is to make damn sure he thinks twice about shit in the future," Mal grumbles with a smirk.
"It's worked before," Jay grins, "Obviously, I thought twice about where I was standing."
"Not gonna fight, then?" David asks as he looks between them, eyes still bright.
Jay frowns at the question before he turns to Mal, "Have we ever actually fought?" He asks in confusion.
Mal returns to her seat on the back of the couch with a thoughtful expression. "I don't think so, not since we were kids."
Jay shrugs, "We good." He walks over to the chair closest to Ben and sits.
"Seriously?" Mal snorts. "Hide behind the prince much?" She lifts her brow before she coughs the word "Pussy" into her fist.
"Can't lie to the coach Mal." He growls at her, narrowing his eyes in a challenge, "And I ain't hiding. Just trying to finish my damn part of this without you losing your shit all over me." He sighs, "So, fearless leader, permission to finish?"
"Proceed."
Jay slowly shakes his head at her. "Yeah, weird shit." He sighs, "So I had to keep T quiet because you know Yu territory, enemies abound." He continues before he slowly turns his glare away from Mal, "So I grabbed him and covered his mouth so we wouldn't get caught, but he was just different. Like soft-spoken, no fight, different."
"You're shittin' me." Mal skeptically scoffs with a raised brow.
"Mal, come on." Jay rolls his eyes as he sits up straighter in the chair, "How many times do I have to tell you T's ah damn girl?"
"Wait what!?" Ben turns to look between Mal and Jay in bewilderment.
"Huh." David lifted a brow. That was a twist he wasn't expecting. He didn't know much about T, but after reading the note twice he could understand at least a little where Mal's resistance was coming from. These kids were just getting more interesting by the session. How fascinating. He'd never been more grateful for Nani reading her emails. He really would've hated to miss out on this. Each of these kids seemed to be a case study in and of themselves, but they were so interwoven it was like one killer wave after another. Which was just so damn intriguing since they were so secretive with each other. He'd be lying to himself if he didn't admit he was loving every minute of unraveling their dynamics.
"T just can't be a girl." Mal crosses her arms over her chest defiantly.
Jay groans before he drags his hands down his face, "You… Those things you're uncomfortably covering right now? Yeah, those, I saw those on T." He leans forward in his seat, "When almost all his fucking clothes had been burned off. T is a girl, the body is female."
"Girls aren't that stupid."
"You reee-" Jay leans over the arm of the chair as he continues to glare, "-eeally wanna go there with me? Cause, I seem to remember, earlier that same day-
"Shut up!" Mal snaps, "Fine, but she's the stupidest girl I've ever met."
He raises his hand again, "T's a boy, he's the other personality. A protector. It's not uncommon in these cases." But one of the most extreme cases he's ever heard of if he pulled off being a boy so convincingly for so long. "Which explains part of his recklessness when it comes to the safety of people he cares about."
Jay nods, "That's what Deez called him." He rests his hand over his jacket pocket, "And she said he was triggered recently."
"We figured that out, too," Mal grumbles.
"Care to share?" He turns to Mal curiously.
Mal blushes as she looks everywhere in the room but at him and Ben. "He walked in on Shrimpy and her two guppies fucking. I mean, we're pretty sure. It was kinda like known around the isle that the three didn't give a shit 'bout the unspoken rules- or personal space. And there had always been rumors that they were all fucking, but with emotions and shit."
"Huh." Ben blushes as his eyes divert to the floor.
He looks away from the prince biting his lip to keep from grinning like an idiot at the boy's obvious discomfort. After a moment he raises his hand. "May I ask what the unspoken rules are?" It wasn't all that surprising that some kids who grew up on the isle sought comfort and connection in such a way.
Jay and Mal share a look before the former shrugs a rolls once.
He can't help his grin this time as he studies the two. It was so interesting to watch. They were obviously comfortable with each other and trusted one another. But the fact that they deferred to each other as well, even though one was the definitive leader spoke volumes to him. It took a strong leader, a confident leader to let one of their subordinates, even if they were the second in the chain of command, have so much of a say.
"Well, the biggest, most universal unspoken rules is never to talk about the unspoken rules." Mal points out haughtily.
"They change from vk to vk depending on their ov, but that one is damn known across the board." Jay nods as he crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair with one leg bouncing slightly in irritation.
David nods, recognizing the signs that their rules for survival were still off-limits. "The name is literal, got it." That didn't stop him from wanting to know every fucked up rule the villains instilled in these kids. He could only imagine how much these rules had affected their psyche. These kids were going to need years of counseling to rebuild the shotty foundation their parents, if they could be called that, had set for them.
The willpower. The courage. The sheer stubbornness and will to survive. It was astonishing. And he'd barely cracked the surface.
"Something like that," Jay admits half-heartedly.
He nods, "So back to T acting different, I'm assuming you met the girl?" He asks easily backtracking.
Jay sighs before he leans forward and rubs his hand over his face, "I mean, I guess. Knowing what I know now, that seems like a safe assumption. But at the time, I had no idea, it was just weird. And I had a strange feeling, but I-" He furrows his brow, "I never got to talk to Harry about it."
"You hung out with Harry?" Ben blurts out.
"Yeah. I started meeting up with him years ago. We knew it would be easier to watch Deez if we worked together, and both our leaders had an interest in her."
Ben's eyes soften as a smile pulls at his lips. "Huh. Deez always wrote that you two would be great friends."
Jay nods, "Little brat knew." He pats his pocket, "Then again, so did T."
"Tch." Mal scoffs. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
"Would it make you feel better to know I pissed him off a couple of times?"
"Yes, it actually kinda does," Mal smirks.
"Well, good. Because he was not happy with the new meeting place I stole from him."
Mal snorts.
"Oh, it gets better." Jay grins, "He couldn't admit it was his, because it was in the red lantern district and really close to the-" His eyes widen slightly before he looks away, "So yeah, he just like, aggressively, silently fumed."
Kai damn it. He hides his disgust. These kids wandered around a red light district of the isle? There was a red-light district on the isle? Well, that part wasn't as surprising. This sounded important though. What was Jay about to say?
"Sounds like T." Mal forces a laugh.
Jay stands and slowly begins to pace, "We started turning the meetings into, well, me and Harry always met to talk about the two independents, but T always ended up showing up so we also started working with him. Like teaching swords, or yelling at him for doing stupid shit. I think it was the sword practice that made him keep coming back though."
Mal's lips twitch into a slight smile.
"What was the strange feeling you had?" He prompts, something had clearly disrupted Jay's thoughts a second time.
Jay takes a deep breath before he stops and looks down at his hand. He furrows his brow before he walks over to Mal and grabs her arm.
Mal furrows her brow as she tenses and pulls away reflexively, "Jay?"
"You pulled back like, automatically right?"
"No shit, you startled me, asshole." She blushes.
"Right. And everyone pulls away, or fights during their night terrors." Jay presses a hand to his chest.
"Yeah?" Mal nods, "Who the fuck doesn't?"
"T." Jay shakes his head.
He tilts his head up to look at the ceiling, waiting for the rest as his mind goes through a catalog of what could cause that kind of response.
"T didn't fight me, like at all. And I can't remember a time he ever has." Jay's voice gets louder, "In fact, I've grabbed him and led him places, and he never fought against me." His hands form into fists at his sides.
Conditioning. He frowns. Some really deep fucking conditioning.
"Now that you mention it..." Mal frowns before her eyes widening in horror for the briefest moment.
"I left him in Yu territory like that." Jay backs away from Mal, "I, I could have talked to Harry at the Howler, and I didn't. I didn't even try to find him." He digs his fists into his thighs, "He could still be stuck for all we know."
"Better stuck there than other places, Jay." Mal offers one fist clenched so tightly her knuckles grow white.
"Better a dungeon than the room, right?" Jay nods, his face suddenly pale with a sheen of sweat.
"Oh, abso-fucking-lutely it is." Mal staunchly and assertively assures him.
Jay nods again, his tight fists still pressed into his thighs before he bites his lip hard and runs for the bathroom door.
Mal averts her eyes, flinching at the single bang on the other side of the wall.
Ben frowns before he tears his eyes away from the bathroom door, "Thank you for your time David." He slowly walks up to Mal.
David frowns as he pushes himself to his feet. "Please, anytime."
"Come on Mal, David will make sure he's alright," Ben whispers into her ear.
Mal chews her lip with indecision for a painstaking moment but when they hear another loud bang she turns to David. "This is new, and I don't know what to do about it, but you better not make it worse." She states so coldly it takes him off guard, the warning clear in her tone.
Huh. That was an intense one-eighty. He was suddenly very happy this iki, terrifying girl was Nani's. Though he had to admit, knowing what he knew of their dynamic, he understood how painful it must have been for her to admit she didn't know what to do. That in itself could have explained the way a shudder went down his spine as her eyes flashed green. "Understood." He assures her, unable to help the way one corner of his mouth tilts up slightly. It was revitalizing to know how deeply these kids cared for one another.
That was a threat, sure, but it came from a good place and that held promise. Promise that these kids were nothing more than Cobra. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside. They just needed some light and love to grow into the people they could be.
"Good." Mal's stern face softens, for the barest fraction of a second, making her look more like the lost teen she was.
"My goal is to get him the tools he needs to manage this better, but it's going to take time to fill this kinda box." He tells her honestly. His eyes dart to the bathroom door in concern, "He's a pretty responsible second and it sounds like he always did whatever it took, to do what he had to for your ohana. And the truths you learned tonight have clearly been weighing on him for a while. But I promise you I won't let anything happen to him."
Mal furrows her brow as she looks past him to the door. But she sighs and slowly nods before she turns to look at Ben, who thankfully leads her out of the room.
David breathes a sigh of relief as he tilts his head back to compose himself for a moment before he turns to the bathroom door. He knocks twice. "Jay? Mal and Ben left. Wanna come out so we can talk about this?" Before Jay could damage his hands further.
Silence.
"You're going to have to come out eventually brah, and I'd rather you do before you destroy your hands, you'll be miserable without them."
"I fucked up." Jay finally responds, his voice thick and tormented, "I- what am I supposed to talk about?"
David tries the door, surprised to find it unlocked. He sighs in relief before he slips into the bathroom to find Jay clenching onto the sink with his head bowed, clearly too disgusted with himself to look in the mirror. "We all fuck up Jay, we're all human." He states softly, "And we can try to unpack some of this before you break your hand and can't play any sports for the rest of the season. Or write. Or eat properly because you'll have to use your left hand. Because I guarantee you if you break something it's going to be your dominant hand. And I imagine that would upset the rest of your family, brah."
"He was at the Howler. T." Jay shakes his head, "I had to fucking pull Atilla off them."
"That doesn't sound like something a fuck up would do. That sounds like something a concerned friend would do. T, from what little I know about him, sounds like he needed to be pulled away from a lot of things, and I guarantee you succeeded nine times out of ten. But when things are happening in succession that rate lowers because there's so much to track."
"I never should have left them." Jay shivers as he squeezes his eyes shut, "I need to go back. I need to make sure they're okay."
He holds up his hands as he slowly walks over and puts a firm hand on his shoulder. "No, you don't," he shakes his head, his blood running cold at the thought of Jay going back to the isle. "They need to come over here."
"But they can't. Not yet." Jay slowly loosens his grip with one hand and makes a tight fist, "They're independents, and they could be all alone."
He turns the guilt-ridden boy to face him. "Harry is still on the isle. So is his ohana. If he was willing to risk his leader's wrath to meet up with you to protect Deez and helped you train T-" He changes tactics, "Is Harry competent? Do you trust him?"
"I'm not supposed to trust him." Jay takes a deep breath as he stares at him.
"But, do you trust him to take care of those two girls?"
Jay's brow furrows, but he nods.
"Is he as amazing as you are with being responsible?"
Jay chuckles awkwardly, "I mean he tries."
He grins slightly, "Well, even if he's half as good as you are that's better than most." He squeezes Jay's shoulders firmer.
Jay lets out a shuddering breath, "But I was distracted by sisters," He shakes his head in disgust, "if it's breathing, Harry could get distracted by it."
"Could be. Or he could be upset he lost you, and doesn't want to lose anyone else."
"Fuck man, for all we know they have no idea who's here and who's there."
"It's been over a month since you joined us here, I'm sure they have figured out that their still on the isle."
"They both have disappeared for months at a time."
"I doubt they would want to be alone after losing the four of you."
"What is Deez supposed to do? T's in Maleficent's dungeon, and doesn't know he's there. We didn't even get to tell her anything."
"Rumors spread fast in Auradon-"
Jay shakes his head, "Villains. Evil sidekicks, idiots, people who love to spread rumors just to do it." He groans, "I hated sifting through that shit. You never knew what was true and what was fake. Unless you were T or Evie. Those two lived for that shit."
He begins rubbing Jay's upper shoulders soothingly. "Fair. What about the other two members of Harry's gang. They have to care about Deez and T as well."
"Uma and Gil?" Jay snorts almost hysterically.
"Yes, Uma and Gil."
"They do. They care about both of them. I mean, Uma is Deez's cousin. And everyone teases Gil and Deez about being close. And I know they were fighting for T to join as much as they were fighting for Deez, like we were."
David lets out a relieved breath when he notices Jay's breathing starting to even out, even if he was still shouting. "And is Uma as competent as Mal?"
"If you're gonna tell Mal, fuck no."
"Fair enough." David bites his lip to hide a grin at his vehemence. "She can be pretty frightening."
"Right?!" Jay shakes his head as he takes another deep breath, his hands grab David's forearms.
"Oh, one hundred percent agree." David nods emphatically. "But are Uma and Gil the type of people who would just assume that T and Deez would be taken even though technically speaking, only one of them could have been in your gang at a time?"
Jay blinks several times before he slowly shakes his head, "No. They'd, they'd make sure. They'd go looking for them. And Harry knows about the church."
Church? "They have churches on the island?"
"One. The one in the red lantern district." Jay explains.
"Huh." What a weird place for a church to be located.
"So, even if T escapes, Harry would know to look in the church. The room has to be there somewhere." Jay's grip on his arms tightens, "And he'd find T, he's obsessed with him. And as long as Deez goes to her cove, they'll find her." He shakes his head as he breathes deeply.
David nods his head, "So, let them worry about taking care of the girls, and let us worry about working together to bring them over here faster?"
"Okay." Jay nods as he shuts his eyes, "This is so fucking stupid. The only thing that's changed is I'm not there anymore. Why is everything so much worse?"
"Because on the island you had control brah, on the island you had the power to help them. And here the best you can do is assist the prince and write to check on them. If she can get them here, I'm sure there's a way to get them there. It sucks, but brah, you can't go back. That would be setting the worst kinda precedence. You know there are people out there that are rooting against you guys; afraid, angry, and full of hate towards you guys. Don't give them fuel for their ammunition. Don't give them the satisfaction of misinterpreting that action."
Jay frowns as his shoulders bow and his head drops to David's chest, "Every time I think about them, I can't breathe or I just see red. This is so stupid. I feel so stupid."
"You can't breathe because you can't be one hundred percent sure of anything right now, and you're seeing red because you can't control anything right now and it's the first time in your life, I'm guessing, that you've felt this level of helplessness. He wraps his arms around Jay tightly, fully supporting the contact the boy initiated. "I know it sucks Jay, I get that on so many levels. This is a fucked up situation. And I get that it's stupid, but I promise ya brah, you ain't stupid."
"I can't do anything so I make myself sick or get myself hurt?" David feels him shaking his head, "How is that not stupid? This shit would get me killed on the isle."
"Unfortunately this is the human condition and response to stress. You're in overload. You can't keep doing this to yourself Jay, can't keep blaming yourself. And yeah brah, goin' back to the isle like this would probably be a quick way ta get dead."
"How do I fix it?" Jay asks as he pulls back enough to look up with surprisingly clear eyes, "I can't help anyone if I'm like this."
"By talking about the things that are weighing you down, and working through it so this doesn't happen to you." He takes a deep breath, "Unpacking some of the baggage you carry around. Because sometimes you need to fill your cup before you fill someone else's."
"I really like the way you talk man," Jay half-smiles, "but I ain't got a clue what that means."
"You can't pour from an empty cup, means that you can't help other people if you're not taking care of yourself. That you can't provide the right support other people need when you're not getting the support yourself. That you can't fill someone else's cup when you have nothing left to give, and it bothers you because you're a giver Jay. A champion for those you care about. Like a protective older brother to so many. But who's taking care of you?"
Jay's hand rests over the same pocket he'd tucked his letter away in before he swallows and nods. "Right now? My pack." His brow furrows, "And you?"
"I'm glad to know your pack has your back." He offers a small smile, "And me." He agrees. "Because you're someone worth caring about." He hugs him tighter.
These kids needed so much love and affection it hurt his soul. They needed guidance. They needed stability. They needed direction. They needed help. And he and Nani were going to do their best to give it to them, but was that going to be enough?
He smiles when he feels Jay's arms wrap around him, this time not with a desperate grip, but in an equal hug.
"Thank you." Jay's voice was rough with emotion, even though he'd yet to shed a tear.
"Ya make it easy brah." David grins down at him, "I mean how can I not when even now, at one of your lowest moments you're still doing all you can to help your family, whether you're aware of it or not."
This kid had just dived headfirst into the deep end of counseling. He might not have meant to, but he had. And that splash was going to be the first step to the others getting their toes wet. "You're like a rare swell on a calm ocean day."
Sup fam?
We absolutely loved writing this scene, we hope reading it was just as good. The scene from Jay's POV was just funny. Our favorite part and funniest quote is when Jay responds;
"It's worked before," Jay grins, "Obviously, I thought twice about where I was standing."
It makes us lol every time. Most Mal and Jay scenes do at one point or another but that one is just fucking funny to us.
But more importantly, what did you guys think of it?
About the fact they know enough about each other to silently communicate?
How bout David's revelation about it?
Mal really is having a hard time digesting even the slightest part of T could ever possibly be a girl. Did you like Jay's response to being told it's because 'Girls aren't that stupid?'
Or Ben's reaction to finding out T's biggest secret? It's a shame we couldn't do it from his POV but with where the scene was going it just made more sense to do it to David's.
Speaking of David, how did you guys like his introspection? Does it seem like how an adult should respond to the situation that is the isle?
Do you guys think he's doing a good job with Jay?
And do Jay's responses to stress make sense for his character?
Let us know
In the box below!
Much love and appreciation,
-Twisted