Hiya Fellow Descendants!
Everyone's getting ready for the weekend...
Minds are starting to look more towards summer activities...
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Back to the chapter though...
Honestly, this is one of my favorite chapters because I am in love with the character development and the growing relationship between David and Jay. Twisted does such a good job with David, please be sure to give her some love.
And on that note,
Lots of Love!
-Dark-
"Aloha, bruh." David greets with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Hey." He frowns as he slows to a stop in front of him, fighting the urge to cough at the pain in his side.
He blinks when he realizes it was already starting to get dark.
Damn. How long had he been out here running the track?
"Pizza?" David offers as he casually puts his hands in his pockets, clearly watching him in concern.
"Who told you?" He asks as he wipes a hand across his face.
David shrugs, "Does it matter?"
He sighs, "Not really," he shakes his head before he looks up, "Figured running was better than punching the wall." He absently flexes his hands.
David nods as his lips tilt into a genuine smile, "Wise choice, and I'm sure not an easy one. I'm proud of you."
He snorts, "Mal chased me out of the room because I lost it, not something you should be proud of man." He slips his hands into his pockets, tensing when the crumpled pages crinkle.
"Old habits are hard to break, don't be so hard on yourself." David shakes his head. "Wanna talk about it?"
He takes a deep breath before he slowly pulls the crumbled packet from his pocket. "Did Ben show you guys the letters?"
"Not yet," David frowns as he takes the pages and looks around. "C'mon." He smiles before he guides him to the bleachers by the shoulder, leading them to the top before he settles.
He carefully eases down, trying to hide the way he still had to support his side.
Cracked ribs were so stupid.
"Wanna talk about it before I catch up?"
He grips the edge of the shiny silver seat, feeling the ridges bite into his palms. "It's just all so stupid." He admits as he watches his feet.
David nods slowly, "that's fair, brah."
He slowly turns his head to look up, "What hat are you wearing?"
"That's up to you. I'm down with either."
He takes a deep breath before wincing.
David lifts a brow, "Feelin' that run?"
"A little." He frowns as he rubs at his ribs, "I'd really like to just, ya know, not get in trouble for this."
"Trouble?"
"What hat keeps me outta trouble?" He purses his lips.
David snorts, "Depends. What do you think you're in trouble for?"
"Wanting to go back to the Isle to strangle T, maybe Faustina," He groans as he presses the heels of his hands to his eyes, "Fuck, I don't even know anymore. Fucking martyrs."
David blinks. "Ah." He glances down at the packet curiously, "Neither? I mean, concerned you want to go back just to strangle someone." He smiles. "But unless you try, I think I can manage either hat."
He sighs, "It's not just, I mean yeah, I do want to just-" He shakes his head as he mimics throttling someone.
"Ey, brah, I can't count the number of times I've wanted to strangle Hiro."
"Fucking Hiro and T are not allowed to ever be in the same room." He snaps as he holds a finger up, "Like ever, seriously man. You'll end up losing me or Mal to insanity."
David chuckles, "I don't know T well, but from what you've told me and what I've seen, yeah. I can back that."
"Good." He sighs before he rubs his side, "The whole Sea Family wrote this time."
"Ah." David looks down at the packet with a puzzled expression before he turns back to him, "Not good news?"
"It was mostly just, you know, like Uma, Harry, and Gil writing about how much Deez deserves to be here and how dumb she was for not including herself in her letters. How she was messed up when we got yanked outta there, so no matter what happens they leave together or not at all if the plan continues. Shit like that." He sighs.
If only that had been all that was said.
David frowns, his brows crinkling thoughtfully before he nods. "Sorry. I know that had to be rough for you, all of you to hear."
"Deez said she saw us leave and was happy for us, but she's also Deez and can feel lots of things at the same time." He chuckles lightly, "complicated little brat."
Why did the simple thought of her being complicated make his chest hurt so much?
Was it simply the fact that, brat or not, he missed her just as much as he missed the rest of them?
Hell, he even missed Uma.
Sure they'd only met as enemies, but he felt like he'd really gotten to know her through the others.
It was rare Harry spoke of someone so highly, unless it was about himself anyways.
And Gil always spoke of her with such fondness it made it hard not to see her as more than just a rival leader.
David's lip twitches into a slight smile, "Complicated is probably a good word. I'd be happy for my friends if they were pulled out of your situation. But I'd also feel sad that they were gone. And those are some conflicting emotions, brah. There's a certain depth to those levels. Ones that I'm sure you've brushed. We've talked about how guilty you feel for being pulled and finding happiness here, despite how frustrated and concerned you are that you had to leave your friends behind."
"Yeah, I know. And it all just came rushing back, but like harder."
He sighs as he claps his shoulder and squeezes, "I can't imagine how much you're hurting right now. We've done a lot of work, but something like this can definitely bring up old feelings and make them even more intense because you probably feel even more guilty."
"Can you dad? I um," He bites his lip before he shakes his head, "I don't think I can think like I'm trying to get better right now."
"This fucking sucks." David sighs. "Seriously, it sounds like a shit place to be, and I can't imagine how much you're hurting right now." He wraps an arm around his shoulder and moves closer.
He lets out a sigh as he leans into David.
This was one of the things he loved most about this relationship.
David could be so easygoing, no matter who he was at the time.
Counselor or dad.
"They're stuck over there, talking about how things seem to be getting worse, and-"
"Worse?" David grimaces.
"The worst part is, no one went into an explanation about how. Just that it is."
David groans as he shakes his head. "Shit." He frowns, "I fucking hate that crap. When it's left to your own interpretation."
"And it was Faustina that wrote about it, so I don't even have like, context or any of that bullshit."
David's eyes drop to the packet before he looks back at him. "Faustina wrote a letter?"
He grimaces, "Two. One to the king, and then one to Ben after the video chat."
"Huh." David frowns.
"It's the second one that hurts."
"Do you mind?" He holds up the packet.
"It's why I didn't tear it up." He sighs with a careful shrug.
Well, one of the reasons he didn't rip the letters to pieces in his rage.
David snorts. "Fair." He gingerly squeezes him to his side before he searches for the right letter and starts reading.
Why the hell was the only thing T and Faustina seemed able to agree on was the fact they had to stay behind?
Just-
Out of everything. Why that?
Fucking T. He rolls his eyes.
David groans and sighs several times before he lowers the letter.
"Right?" He'd made those noises too, right before he'd punched the wall.
David nods slowly, "Right." He shakes his head. "The fuck are you guys supposed to do with this?"
He shrugs, the motion bumping his shoulder against Davids, "Punch a wall and go for a run? Seems to be what I did with it." He sighs.
David snorts, "Fair. I want to hit something." He sighs.
He twists to stare at David, "You do?"
"What? You asked for dad. This is just- It's fucking frustrating."
"Yeah, I did." He furrows his brow as he looks David over, eyeing his hands, "I just guess I didn't think you were the punching type."
"When it comes to the safety of children, especially children I care about, I might surprise you," David admits. "I'm only human. Though, to be fair," he chuckles, "Even non-humans are flawed."
"Tell me about it." He rolls his eyes before he slowly smiles, "But, I guess it's weird to find something like that to have in common."
David smiles. "There's a lot of reasons why we wanted to adopt you, Jay. And one of them is definitely how much I can relate to you. I've been where you are brah. Maybe not to the same depth. But when we were younger, I had to watch Nani and Lilo lose their parents. Had to watch them struggle and suffer, unable to do anything to help. To be an outsider, wanting nothing more than to help, but unable to." He sighs.
He blinks in surprise before he carefully shifts to put his arm around David, hugging the man as tight as he could.
He'd never realized how much David really understood him.
He couldn't imagine Nani without David.
Without each other.
And to watch suffering?
He just never knew David could relate.
Really knew how much it sucked to be stuck and unable to help.
David smiles as he wraps an arm around him again to squeezes him in reassurance. "I felt so helpless. Useless. Worthless. I would spend my nights worrying about them. If they had the money to eat. How they were coping with the loss. Trying to imagine how she was doing it. Suffering in her own right. And taking care of Lilo- Who had always been a bit… Different, even before their parents passed. It hurt. Hurt my soul on a level I still don't have words for. So, when I met you. Heard your story, I just- I got it. Maybe not all of it, but I could totally understand the base of it." He shakes his head. "I just, after our first session, I knew if there were a way to adopt you, I'd want it. It was the break in the waves."
He laughs soundlessly with an ache in his chest.
A pain that made the cracked ribs seem like nothing more than the bruises from a sword session with T.
David was possibly the coolest adult he'd ever met, and apparently the very first time they met, he decided they had so much in common that if given a chance-
As soon as they got the chance-
They adopted him.
His hold tightens. "Thank you."
David smiles with a nod, "Of course." He gingerly squeezes him back. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but-" He shrugs, "I love you. Nani and I both do. It was hard not to."
He shakes his head as he looks up, "One, not uncomfortable. Two, I'm sure I can be difficult. But three," He smiles, "I uh, never thought I'd be able to say my dad loves me, even when- especially when I'm not at my best. I also never thought I'd be able to understand my dad, or be understood, so, there's that." He chuckles lightly, "And really, getting a mom is just the best bonus ever, especially Nani."
It didn't make everything magically better, but it did help him breathe.
He wasn't sure he was ready to say it back yet, but he was pretty sure he loved David and Nani too, loved them in a way he'd never been able to feel about his own father.
It was strange how, on the Isle, everything he did eventually linked back to wanting his dad to be proud of him.
He worked his ass off day and night, proving himself to be the best second Mal could want, all for the status that it gave him.
And yet, here in Auradon, David and Nani loved him because they loved him.
He fucking wanted this for everyone on the Isle.
The freedom.
A family.
David beams at him, "You're such a great kid, Jay. You've come so far since I've met you. I've never been happier than the day you agreed to let us adopt you." His eyes shine bright with sincerity.
"I don't know," He teases, "you looked pretty happy the day I said pineapples."
David chuckles, "Fair." He grins. "But honestly, that was more relief." He admits as he rubs his back, the comforting motion and warmth helping him breathe deeper.
He smiles, but it slowly turns to a frown. "Damn, we've really put you guys through hell."
"You're teenagers. It's kinda your job." He grins.
"That's a shitty way to see that." He shakes his head, "Like you're giving us permission to be pains in your ass."
David chuckles, "You guys are hardly ever pains. Frustratingly obstinate maybe, but in a way I can respect." He snorts, "For coming from that place, you guys are probably the easiest kids I've ever dealt with."
"It's hard to fuck up when you know there are so many other people waiting for the same chance you got." He admits with a sigh.
"As I said, respectable." David smiles. "How much the four of you care about the others left behind is nothing short of a testament to your natures. Everyone's different-" He glances down at the letter in his hand, "But, she wasn't wrong. Bitterness usually leads to bitterness. You guys managed to beat the odds. Took the harder path."
He sighs before he reaches out and taps the letter from Faustina, "I don't feel like we've got the harder path. Did you see what she said about Deez and T? And the rest of Harry's family?"
He looks down at the page, his eyes scanning the page until he can find the part that was really messing him up.
The part about there only being one Deez, and to have her, Ben would have to take Uma, Harry, and Gil.
And the stupid ass plea that she and T be left behind.
His chest aches all over again.
David shakes his head, "Wasn't talking about currently. I meant what you grew up with. It would've been easier for you guys to like, follow what they wanted you guys to be. As for the letter…" His eyes narrow, "You're talking about the part where she-" He sighs, "Asked, might be putting it mildly, but the part where she wants her and her brother to stay behind, right?" He frowns.
He nods, "As if I'd let that happen." He shakes his head, "T and, and Faustina, the girl that woke up with me, the kid that can be captured if you get ahold of him? Fuck no." He takes a slow breath, "But, I also want Deez to be safe too. And Harry and Gil. Uma too, the whole damn family. But if T thinks the others wouldn't be safe without him, then good fucking luck getting him."
He rubs the back of his neck before he looks up, "What did you do when you were helpless with Nani and Lilo?"
"Easy answer? I was persistent as fuck."
"So I should…" He narrows his eyes, but for the life of him, he couldn't come up with what he could do to help the Isle.
David's silent for a moment, "When it's time, when they can come, all f- well, six of them." He takes a deep breath, "Kai help me," He groans, "I never want you to set foot in that hell again." He sighs, "But," He groans again, "Maybe, it would- ugh," He sighs as he hangs his head back.
"What is-" He takes a deep breath, "What's hard to say? You almost never struggle between Dad and Counselor."
"No. no. This is straight dad." David sighs, "T, and I'm pretty sure from this," He holds up the letter, "Faustina, trust you." He exhales heavily.
His brow furrows as he looks from the letter to David and back several times before he wraps him in another hug, "I think I get it, dad."
Dad.
The more he said it, the easier it was.
The more he believed it.
David's lips twitch into a smile before he sighs again, "Yeah, well… No one is gonna be able to find him as easily as you can, and their asses need to be here."
It was the closest to permission David would probably ever be able to give him.
Permission to return to the Isle to get T if the time came.
When.
David groans, "Kai, Nani is-" He sighs.
"I won't say anything." He quickly promises as he pulls back.
"Tch." David scoffs. "Like you'd have to."
"I'm pretty sure you never said anything on the subject except don't." He shrugs.
"Kai." David shakes his head, "I ain't lettin' you suffer that alone. Nani scary. What type of dad would that make me?"
"A smart one?" He snorts, "But cool is awesome too."
He was a big fan of never leave a brah behind.
David chuckles before it tapers off as he looks back at the letter and sighs, rereading it. "And you thought one was a pain in the ass."
He snorts again, "Yeah, cause T is a pain in the ass sometimes." He blinks before he corrects himself, "Most times."
"She's gonna be a different type of one." David shakes his head.
"Her, T, and Deez are different kinds of pains in my ass, apparently." He sighs.
David's lips twitch into a small smile, "And the rest of their family?"
"Gil's pretty chill. You'll probably get along real well. Little bit of an anger issue too, but that's really all that's little about him." He rolls his eyes.
David bites his lip as his eyes narrow thoughtfully, "Why…" He frowns, "Did you like, ever find it weird that T felt the need to protect Gil?"
"Like at first I guess." He shrugs before he winces at the action and grips his side automatically, biting back the hiss.
He really needed to fucking remember he was hurt.
"We should wrap your ribs tighter, brah," David sighs with a shake of his head.
"I uh, I would not say no to help with that." He admits as he takes a slow breath, "But, why the question?"
David's brow furrow together, "Well, the kid's like a proverbial giant. It's just off to me that a kid half his size would feel the need to protect him."
"Gil," He can't help his grin, "Gil acts like this big, bad, I can kill anything fucking 'look at me' guy-" He slowly shakes his head, "But, under all that. He's a gentle giant. Deez always hinted about it, and Harry joked, but, I mean, it seriously took meeting him and seeing him with Deez and Carlos to really figure him out. Tall, dark and silent, he's got that down, but he'd rather read a book and, I don't know, braid Deez's hair with Harry."
David grins, "Ah," He nods in understanding.
"He really doesn't belong on the Isle." He finishes with a sigh, "He's got a big heart." He smiles as he looks up, "Like I said, you're gonna like him, and I know he'll be able to talk to you."
"I'm looking forward to it," He grins before he shakes his head, "Looks can always be deceiving, but-" His eyes narrow. "He wore a genuine grin in that picture with Deez…" He turns to look at him, "Odd that someone like T would keep something like that on him."
"Shocking we can smile on the Isle, brah?"
David chuckles, "Well, for sure that." He nods, "But also the fact T carries around those pictures and a camera on him."
He snorts before he takes another slow, deep breath.
He was really starting to regret the run.
Fuck if he didn't miss T's stupid fucking ointment right now.
"That stupid camera." He grins, "Fuck only knows how the idea got stuck in his head, but he was so proud of himself when he turned up at Evie's picnic and handed it to Carlos." He shakes his head, "Those two spent hours taking it apart and putting it back together. They were so excited about it that I broke into Old Mother Gothel's and grabbed film and parts for them."
"Sounds like a good time," David grins. "I can picture Carlos and T tinkering over something, and stealing something from an OV must've felt good."
He chuckles, but stops himself before he fully raises a hand to rub the back of his neck, "Yeah, it did." He watches David closely, but he couldn't find a single trace of judgment in his face, "It was small shit, but it felt nice to be able to get things my pack needed to make them happy."
David chuckles, "I get it. Nothing's better than watching someone you love's face light up when you get them the right gift."
"Yeah, that," He grins and nods, "And fucking bonus, it got T to sit still for a few hours every time they worked on it."
"Huh," David tilts his head back to stare at the clear sky above them for a long moment before he turns back to him, "He pretty trigger happy then?"
He coughs after snorting, "Trigger happy? Yeah, you could say that." He chuckles as he presses his hands to his sides, "It would be an understatement, but you could say it."
He nods, "What type of stuff did he like taking pictures of?"
His brow furrows.
What kind of things did T take pictures of?
He'd never really stopped to question the why of it all.
But now?
"Hmm-" He tilts his head to the side, "People. Especially moments like with Gil and Deez, or Evie and Dizzy." He smiles, "He took a couple of me during our beachside practice, like straight-up dropped his fucking sword when I was coming at him to snap a damn picture. I almost ran him through twice before he finally stopped. The lil' shit even tried to get some of me and Harry in our meeting spot." He grumbles, "And now that I'm thinking about it, probably managed to keep a couple."
David leans back to rest his weight on his arms. "So a lot. Bet Mal loved that."
"If by love you mean breathed fire over it."
He chuckles, "But he never like, hung them over your heads?"
"By the time he got the stupid thing, I'd stopped thinking he was out to get us." He holds a hand up, "Like dude, I get it, it was dumb. And Mal hated me for it, but seriously, the kid didn't have the patience for long games-" he blinks before he slowly lowers his hand.
That's not why David was asking that.
"Why?"
David drops his eyes back to the letters, "I think he was trying to collect pictures to go with stories." He sighs as he runs a hand through his hair.
He furrows his brow as he shakes his head, "Deez would have sent a notebook with pictures sooner if-" He blinks.
Oh.
Not for Deez.
"You mean, like, for Faustina?"
"Yeah," He looks back towards the sky.
"You're doing a counselor thing." He frowns in concern.
David shakes his head. "Sorry brah, just thinking."
"Something you can't share?" He bites his lip.
"I just, am trying to string the pieces together." He offers, "I just- T never mentioned her like at all?"
He pauses for a moment.
Straight out mentioned?
No.
Had there been signs? Something he could have missed?
Not that he could recall.
"Not to me. Mal thinks he was talking about her right before the Howler and us coming here, but he wasn't making a lot of sense."
David nods as his brow furrows thoughtfully. "I think I'm getting a better picture is all."
He sits up straighter, "What kind of picture are you getting?"
"Think you can answer a few more questions for me. I'd be more comfortable sharing it. It's just more of a hunch right now."
He nods as he absently scoots closer, "Don't be lolo, you know I want to help. What do ya wanna know?"
David grins as he nods his head, "Just, it's odd she called him brother." David frowns, "Usually, split personalities don't know about each other. Or trust each other so soon after about learning about the other half. But she's putting a lot of faith in T." He continues thoughtfully. "And if he was collecting pictures for her…"
He looks down at his hands. "Carlos makes it sound like he'd talked with Faustina before, he just didn't know it was her. But he never understood how T, who is an obnoxiously hyperactive little shit on his best days, could sit through learning science nerd shit." His brow furrows, "And even Deez wrote that she'd seen someone who wasn't T behind his eyes, not that she knew what it meant. That all happened before the Howler. Before T started acting weirder."
David nods, "Always been off a bit then?"
"Oh," He closes his eyes as he shakes his head, "Since the day I caught him trailing Evie, Deez, and Dizzy." He huffs as he looks up at David, "I thought he was trying to rob them, but he was actually worried about them being too chatty."
"How did that conversation go?" He asks as he rubs his jaw.
He snorts, thankfully with his ribs in mind that time, "I jumped into a room he was stalking in, scared the shit outta him cornered rat style, and then the little shit stepped up to me, as if I wasn't doing my job and he was doing me a favor."
David's lip twitches, "So, like, okay social skills?
"Pfft, fuck no. I could have been blind and deaf and still figured out he was lying. So I told him to get good-" His eyes widen in horror before he grabs David's arm, "Privilege! Privilege thing! No telling. Fuck, that's-" He grimaces.
"Breathe." David chuckles, "Secret's safe with me brah," He assures him, "I just, I'm trying to figure out how much interaction he had, since it sounds like you've known him a long time."
He slowly breathes in, "Um, actually, I think I've known T the longest." He admits with a frown, "And-" He furrows his brow as he tilts his head, "He uh, he did not act like he knew how things worked, actually. It was one of the things that made me want to figure out who he was."
"Cause he pretty much popped from outta nowhere?"
His eyes drop down to his hands again, "Yeah."
How had he not thought about that before?
Sure, at the time it was just odd.
But after figuring out everything he had?
"I fucking suck." He sighs.
"No, you don't." David frowns as he wraps his arm around him again. "Sorry, I didn't think about it, was just trying to put together pieces. You're a good friend Jay, an amazing one. You talk like you've known T for forever. How were you supposed to think about that? And how much crap that came after? Hindsight's always twenty-twenty. Don't kick yourself for the past, you're doing it plenty enough in the present. I can drop it."
He relaxes into David's comfort.
Into the warmth.
It was still strange to have an adult like David comforting him.
Sure, in counseling, David had been the one to help him understand that he was safe with him.
That he could break, and David would be there to help keep him from getting lost.
But this felt different.
Like, what he'd always wanted from his OV. His dad.
Understanding.
A fucking hug.
He rolls his lips together and clears his throat, "You don't have to drop it. I can keep helping."
"You sure, brah?"
"Yeah." He carefully wraps his arm around David, "This helped. Sorry I dipped into beating myself up."
"Brah," David squeezes him lightly, "It's hard to talk about your past, especially things you perceive as mistakes, but I promise you, it isn't true. You were a kid who was looking out for your family in an evil world, not a suspicious stray."
He chuckles tightly, "That is, really understanding me." He smiles up at him.
"I do my best," David grins.
"It did start out that way. I didn't like that 'T', which, stupid name, by the way. Fucking asshole looked like he thought it up… on… the spot."
David tilts his head to the side, "I've heard you guys all call each other by your initials…."
He clicks his tongue as he lets his head fall against David's shoulder, "Yep."
David chuckles, as he pats his knee. "Fifty-fifty, he didn't have a name, or his real name starts with T. Either way, he probably thought it was acceptable if he was tailing you guys for a while."
"He has always been good at taking liberties." He admits with a sigh, "Though, in hindsight… maybe he didn't know that's why Mal would get pissed at him."
"Doubt it," David grins, "Probably just thought that's what your pack did."
"Mmm- Nope. That's also privilege, please. Like never tell Uma or Mal, I mean, I want him understood, but not at the cost of my skin."
"Consider this whole conversation privilege." David rubs his arm. "So, he was bad at lying, came up with his name on the spot-
"Walked around all our places like he owned them." He adds with a huff.
David coughs to cover a snort. "Got it." He nods, "But um, he's called the shadow, so like how good was he with like secrets and omitting?"
"Oh, like fucking annoyingly good." He rolls his eyes.
"How often did he talk about himself?"
"Never." He rolls his eyes again, "And if you fucking asked him anything too personal, he would take off with better shit to do."
"Ah," He narrows his eyes, "So, knowing what you know now, what are the chances he was afraid of mentioning his sister?"
He tilts his head to the side before he grimaces, "Fuck. Like um, really good."
He nods slowly before he looks up at the sky. "So, he… What's the longest you've ever been alone?"
"With T?" He sighs as he purses his lips, "In the beginning it was only a few hours at a time, like at most. But like, years later?" His eyes narrow, "Oh, when I found him spying in Yu territory. That was like three days."
"Noted," David nods slowly, "But you alone, like by yourself, what's the longest you've ever been alone?"
"Oh." He frowns at the shift, "I dunno. When I was little I got left alone all the time. It's how I met Mal. I got hungry, and I guess she did too. We ended up trying to steal the same bread and got into a fight over it. When the stall owner tried to beat us, well, we ran. Together. And then we shared the bread." He snorts, "Ya know, I can't even remember if we talked after trying to kill each other or if we just ate in silence. Whatever it was, next time I saw her, she told me I was worthy of being her minion."
David lets out a sad sigh, "One, that's adorable in all the saddest ways. Two. So you were still around people, just," He shakes his head, "neglected?" He asks as he continues to look skyward.
He frowns before he hugs David tighter, "I could hear other people even when I was locked up, but yeah, once I figured out how to get out, I was right there in the market."
David looked-
Not uncomfortable with the conversation, but maybe concerned?
Overthinking?
Eventually, David sighs and looks back at him, "Thanks brah, I needed that." He admits.
"Apparently, hugs help." He grins, "Lesson learned. I'll let Deez know she was right."
"You should." David chuckles before he glances back at the Isle and takes a deep breath. "None of you knew Frollo had a kid, right?"
He shakes his head, "He claimed he was a hero sent by Auradon to help save souls or something. But dude was fucking creepy."
David's face pulls in disgust before he pushes his hands out and gestures as if washing them off, "Not touching that, but noted." He sighs, "But um, if that was the case, how long do you think Faustina was kept locked up, I mean before you met T?"
"I- I don't-" He closes his eyes as he hugs David again, this time more for himself, "The whole time?" He sighs into his side, "I stopped trying to figure out where T went."
"That's completely fair," David nods, "But, you like, remember how lonely it was, right? Before you got to leave?"
He nods without letting go.
He wasn't ashamed of crying in front of David anymore. He'd gotten the fuck over that and fast.
But, this felt different.
His eyes were burning, but he felt cold.
Just from the memories.
Things he'd tried so hard to forget.
Things that made him always worry about the people he worried about.
Hungry.
Cold.
Lonely.
Scared.
He shivers before he tightens his arms around David.
David runs his hand over his hair gently, "I think my original theory was wrong. I'd thought T had developed later… But I think they've been together since the beginning."
"Like twins?"
David sighs, "Pretty close anyway. You can only be alone for so long…" He takes a deep breath, "Before something gives."
He'd gotten out.
Learned to pick the lock on the door and move everything out of his way.
He found Mal.
Together they picked up Evie.
And once they started school and found Carlos?
They solved their loneliness problems by finding each other.
But Faustina and T?
Never realizing they were the same person?
How hard had that been?
Mal had Goblins when her mother wasn't around.
Evie was adored by everyone, and her mother loved showing her off.
Carlos-
His grip tightens.
He was just glad the bitch let him go to school, or they might not have known about him either. One small kid at Evie's sixth birthday party was easily overlooked.
And Deez?
He'd never been so thankful for the imps.
Harry had his sisters, and then Gil and Uma once that formed.
Gil had his brothers, for all the good they were. And then he got Harry and Uma.
And Uma?
Apparently, she had Deez before the rest of them knew she existed. She built the rest of her family off that.
But Faustina and T?
Only had each other-
Except when Frollo-
He shakes his head.
Nope.
He was not ready for that.
And it wouldn't do anyone any good if he tortured himself with the thoughts again.
David squeezes him, careful of his injuries, "I'm sorry. I just, want to help them, and that helped put together some pieces. So, thank you."
He nods but doesn't release him.
He's not sure how long they sit there.
The only noise was the wind and the rustle of pages as David absently played with the packet, silent as he allowed him to cry on his side.
He sighs when he finally pulls back, though he doesn't scoot away. "I um, I've never talked about, you know, being locked up. And it's been a long time since I thought of how I met Mal."
"Thank you for sharing it, brah," David squeezes him again. "It hurts just to think about, so I can't imagine how you must feel. Dredging up old memories is never easy… But, as usual, you went above and beyond for someone you love."
He shrugs lightly, "It's easier to do it like that. But, I'm not upset about telling you either."
David nods, "Not a lot of people find it that way, but I'm happy to hear you're not upset about talking about it."
"And," He bites his lip. "That part can be a dad conversation if that helps you."
He chuckles, "Thank you." He smiles. "I enjoy having them with you, so it would suck if you didn't like them. There's probably going to be a lot more, hopefully. I didn't realize how different it would be to wear a dad hat, but I like it."
He smiles, "I think you're wicked with both."
"That's a relief," David grins, "Was worried I was losing my touch." He ruffles his hair lightly. "So, mind if I catch up on the rest of these?" He holds up the packet.
"Go for it." He clears his throat as he scoots, giving him a few inches of space.
David chuckles as he flips back to Deez's letter. His eyes hungrily reading in every line.
Then Uma's.
Gil's.
Faustina's first letter.
Harry's.
The last one.
Then flips the page one more time.
He blinks when a familiar sloppy scratch of handwriting catches his eyes, "Wait- T wrote too?" He asks as he plucks the pages from David's hands.
David shakes his head, "Sorry, what?"
He looks over the letter from T, "I missed this one." He explains absently, shifting just enough so they could read it at the same time.
David blinks before he snickers.
One line was all it took though.
"Are you fucking-"
Who fucking wrote to a king-
But why would T-
"What the shit!"
David clears his throat, "It's certainly one way to make an introduction."
"What do you think of his fucking social skills now?" He grumbles as he forces his fingers to relax so they could actually read the letter.
"Pointed. Incisive. Scathing."
"Bitter and fucking salty little shit." He sighs as he drops his chin to his chest.
"Yeah, that too." David pats his back. "Oh, and direct."
He rolls his eyes, "And the king is who he chooses to be this level of direct with?" He asks as he grips the letter in a stranglehold.
"It's a mood." He reaches over to tug on the packet, "But, I'd like to finish it before it runs out of air."
"Sorry." He breathes out as he flexes his hands in the air.
"You're fine, brah." David grins. "Good breathing."
He clears his throat, "Okay, you hold it."
"If you insist."
Fucking T!
Two lines later.
"No? No." He shakes his head as he struggles to take a breath, "That's a fucking threat."
"I don't know," David clears his throat, "I find it pretty ambiguous myself."
He stares up at him, wide-eyed in disbelief, "Have you been smoking with Roy?"
"I mean, not tonight, no." David shrugs. "But, I mean… It could just be him thinking they'd have a mutual dislike of each other."
"It's not, though." He shakes his head, swallowing the pain as he breathes, "I'mma kill him! I don't care- Fuck, Ben wouldn't show his dad would he?"
If the council ever got a hold of this?
That was instant game over for them.
"I seriously doubt it, brah," David shakes his head. "'Sides, we can just have everyone burn this one."
"Burning them sounds good." He takes a couple of quick gulps of air.
"Slower breaths." David pats his back, "And deeper. The rest isn't as bad. I mean no more perceived threats, at least..."
"That's how we judge bad or not now?" He closes his eyes as he struggles to breathe slower and deeper.
"Kid set a bar."
He opens his eyes and rolls them at David, "Don't- Don't do that." He shakes his head, "Please."
"What? I can't decide whether it's high or low."
"You're amused by this shit."
"Very," He admits.
He takes a slow breath in, holds it until his ribs hurt.
"I mean, it has to be some level of cathartic for him. It is for me. I'd never say this shit. Out loud."
He exhales as he glares up at David, "It's called tact. You have it. I have it-" He tosses his hands in the air before he grimaces, "Fuck." He quickly pulls them back to his sides, "Every in the fucking world has it except for T, apparently." He continues through his clenched jaw.
"Breathe." David shakes his head. "You have every right to be angry. T clearly doesn't stand for tact. But, he has every right to be angry too."
"I-" He sighs, "I know that." He takes another slow breath.
He did.
But was this seriously what T had decided to do with his anger?
That's what he was angry over.
Delivery.
"Fair." He clears his throat, "Stupid, but fair."
David nods, "Two things can be true." He grins, "So, want to read the rest of it?"
He nods before he scoots closer again.
At least he wouldn't have room to gesture painfully if he was right against David's side.
"At least he managed to work in his thoughts on Deez." He sighs.
He couldn't argue with T's view. Deez had dedicated her life to writing about them. About the Isle and the kids on it.
She'd stayed optimistic despite a lot of shit being thrown at her.
Anger.
Resentment.
Teasing.
Distrust.
Skepticism.
Cynicism.
Incredulousness.
He'd seen it hurt her, but he also watched her shrug it off and keep going.
He'd been guilty of trying to bring her down on more than one occasion. Trying to get her to focus on something other than uselessly writing to a king that didn't care about them.
He was glad, once again, that she hadn't listened.
And T was absolutely right. Deez didn't belong on the Isle.
None of them deserved to be the entertainment he called them.
Which again, he really couldn't argue.
"He managed to work lots of his thoughts in there, and look, his words about Deez were positive."
"At least there's that." He nods sadly as his eyes linger on one line.
It was bad enough the first time.
He sighs.
David rubs his back as he lets out a deep sigh. "I know it's a hard letter, and yeah, scary to think about the king actually reading it." He shakes his head. "And he was certainly as vague as he was cutting."
"I think that's the part that hurts the most. Where he chose to be those things."
He knew T well enough to read between those lines.
He wasn't sure what was plain reading and what was overthinking, but it was obvious that there was more to the story than just Deez being hunted.
They all knew it would be hard for her to get to the others, the ship or chip shop.
And with T-
He closes his eyes.
Deez had been on her own for-
A span of time.
Days longer than she should have been.
And T-
But, he reminds himself, they were fine now.
"No matter what it was they went through," He finally admits with a heavy sigh, "Luckily, they'll have you and Nani when we get them here."
"They will," David nods, his eyes narrowing slightly, "Whenever they need us, even T if he's interested."
"Oh, I'll make him interested." He promises with a scowl.
"I have no doubt, brah," He rubs his back, "And you'll have us and Cobra to help."
Right.
Cobra. The other member of the Ohana he'd start seeing after the adoptions were final.
He nods as he reads over the last lines.
He can't help the chuckle, "She calls him The Shadow most of the time. Ben acts like T's a comic book superhero sometimes."
David glances down at the letter, "I can see it. If nothing else, this letter is definitely condemning a villain. Or at least someone he perceives to be one."
He tilts his head to the side, "Huh." He slowly nods, "Yeah, when you say it like that- I mean, it's not like I didn't think the same thing before meeting the guy."
David smiles, "It's always about perception. In this case, all I can picture is a snarling guard dog."
"You're not far off." He snorts as he shakes his head, "Now picture it with a hood over its face, and that's T."
He chuckles, "So, whattaya say? Go play round-up, burn some letters, and then pizza?"
"Fuck yes!" He says as he jumps to his feet, trying to hide the flash of pain from his protesting ribs.
"Careful," David sighs, "Or I'll be threatening you if you hurt yourself again." He puts his hand on his shoulder. "And seriously, it'll be okay. We'll figure this out… Til then, just, Kai help me, remember when it's time you can collect their ass. Cause your right," He glances at the pamphlet in his hand. "More than ever, I believe you when you say they ain't coming willingly, and you're gonna have to drag them over."
Permission.
Flat out permission.
"But, so help me if you don't take Hiro, Bubbles, Stitch, or Gantu."
He holds his hands up defenselessly, "I swear I'll take someone."
"No. No. One of them."
"One of them," he quickly corrects, "I'll take one of them."
"Thank you," David nods in approval. "Then, I guess I can deal. Be nervous as hell the whole time, but can deal. Or at least breathe knowing one of them is with you."
His brow furrows before he pulls David into a hug, "If it happens, I'll come back."
"Oh, you damn well fucking better." He pats his back.
"You do not sound very reassured right now."
David takes a deep breath and lets it out, "You're right."
"I get it though. We really fucked up when we ran, so I think I'm trying to promise it won't happen again."
"Yeah, cause it won't be running away this time, I'll be knowing where you're going- And if you don't come back, I will be collecting you myself. Yeah, me on the Isle-"
"No need for threats. Promises. Whatever. The last thing I want is you loose on the Isle without me."
"Me neither."
"Uh, I'm confused."
"Contingency plan." He shrugs as he guides him down the bleachers. "You stay. I go."
"Brah, chill."
"Brah, dad. There doesn't get to be a chill when it comes to your safety."
He can't help the smile.
A dad that cared about his safety.
"Fair." He sighs before he hugs him again.
What else was he supposed to do?
Seriously, he had no idea.
This was all new to him.
"Cool," He nods as he hugs him back tightly, "Cause I really don't think I'd survive the Isle."
"I don't-" He clears his throat as he takes a step back, "I can't breath when I think about it, so um-"
"See, fair, cause I can barely breathe at the thought of you going back."
"So, no more stories about the Isle until T is safe?"
"Ha!" David grins, "Nice try. But, still your counselor 'til Cobra finishes up his cases."
"So, fire, pizza," He sighs before he gingerly pulls his shirt up, "and a little help?" He frowns at the loose bandages.
The run hadn't done him any favors.
David grimaces, "Yeah, good call." He shakes his head. "Just one sec-" He pulls out his phone.
"They have videos about wrapping ribs?" He asks, his eyes wide as he drops the hem of his shirt.
David glances up, "They have videos for like, everything." He snorts, "Not everyone has a Baymax or Hiro."
"Oh, I was just going to walk you through it, but now I want to know if we did it right."
David grins as he moves next to him, and they watch the video together.
Fucking T.
The kid can give a headache from a sea away. And does. Often. Usually with vigor.
… Anyone else get character-induced headaches? Cause T gives them to Dark. (Like all the fucking time)That's kinda where Mal's came from, even though I'm her main. Which LoLz...
He would be fucking rolling with obnoxious laughter if he knew that.
Obnoxious Twat.
Poor Jay.
That's a lot of shit to process, especially after all they've been through in the last week.
And those letters?
What the fuck is he supposed to do about that?
It's a hard place to be, but at least David understands.
Martyr complex runs deep in the misfits, doesn't it?
Anyone else want to strangle half the SS Fam?
Seriously. *Shakes head*
Good dad/son moment?
What're you guys thinking of David's dad hat?
Also, LoLz this quote,
David groans as he shakes his head. "Shit." He frowns, "I fucking hate that crap. When it's left to your own interpretation."
Anyone else see the irony in a therapist complaining about being vague?
Fuck, we added so much to this Chapter, so grateful our Beautiful Beta's didn't touch this one yet, or we'd feel like shit.
Speaking of, shout out to Devin and Zara for being two dope ass bitches.
Fave quote:
"Fucking Hiro and T are not allowed to ever be in the same room." He snaps as he holds a finger up, "Like ever, seriously man. You'll end up losing me or Mal to insanity."-Jay
LoLz, if T ever makes it over and hears that…
Or if Hiro catches wind…
Shit's gonna go down.
Are you guys hoping you get to see that shit show?
Mal's aneurysm?
David's theory on T and Faustina have any credence?
What was your fave part?
Much love and appreciation,
-Twisted