Okay so I'm trying to get into the feel still of writing Douxie's character so this is more of an experimental chapter than anything else. Also, I wanted to explore more of his history as well so... yeah lol
I hope you guys enjoy and have a wonderful night! Much love, mates!
The moment I first saw Claire look at Jim with that twinkle in her eye, I knew she had found someone that she actually liked. It was the moment I knew that a guy I always felt like was my little brother might literally become my brother one day. I was bracing myself from that moment for either to gift her away to him or feel as if she didn't need me as much as she used to.
I opened my eyes slowly to be greeted by the chill of a soundless large house and the blinding morning lights.
I just wasn't expecting it to happen so soon.
I felt myself smile a little as I sat up in bed.
Don't get me wrong, Claire deserved to be happy. To be loved by someone that truthfully gave a shit about her. My little sister deserved the world for all the shit it has gifted her. I just guess that I wished I had more time with her being my baby little sister. My little partner in crime who joining me in annoying my father and raising hell like motherfuckers. Meeting her for the first time feels like it just happened yesterday. That meeting her happened in the morning, helping her move to mine and Merlin's house happened by noon and all the several years of memories happened between them and falling asleep.
I felt Archie jump up onto the bed before making his way over and into my lap.
But it's not and for some reason, it caused an ache within my chest.
I started petting Archie without a second thought as he curled up into a ball.
Maybe it's the fact that I feel like I'm being replaced? In some weird kinda fucked kinda way? Is it the thing of not being needed from her as much as I needed to?
I sighed as I ran my free hand through my hair.
"Okay brain, that's toxic as fuck."
What was weird was the fact that it wasn't exactly wrong. Claire and I were always dependent on each other. Ironically, despite how others may see it, I personally believe I was always more dependent on her than she was on me.
Especially when Merlin died.
I looked down to Archie as the black cat seemed rather pleased just sitting in my lap and helping me through the situation.
I always called him my father and he always called me his son when we were in public, but he actually wasn't my literal father. I would always call him my dad and that's what everyone knew him as to me, but he was anything but that.
When I was three, my parents passed away. I wish I remembered them in some form or some way, but I don't. All I have is glimpses of hazel eyes and soft smiles and that's it. That's all I have to remember them. Soon after that though, Merlin took me in without hesitation. The story goes that he knew my father and my family before I was born. But when my dad ran off to get married to a woman his parents didn't quite agree with, he lost contact with him. But when he died, he was devastated. I suppose he always thought of him as his own son and it took quite a toll on him.
Then he was told that my father's family wanted nothing with me and my mother was a runaway herself, so I, a young three-year-old orphan, was left to be graced into the realm of the foster system.
Luckily for me though, Merlin wasn't having any of that. He adopted me without a second thought and raised me as his own. His older kids becoming like my siblings.
Morgana was always the kindest to me. Teaching me how to write and draw as Merlin was away working even when she was in school herself. She would oftentimes treat me like her own son than a brother, but I never minded it honestly. It was nice having such a caring figure within my life. Even though it did feel a little weird at times. But that was Morgana. She was just a weird person to begin with.
Her older brother Arthur though? He was the complete opposite with me.
He was cold and distant. Always referred to me as "Boy" than by name. The few times he actually had to deal with me as a child were because either Merlin was working and Morgana was in school or because either of them was sick when I was young. Which honestly? I don't know how the two did it, but they made sure that it was near to never for this to occur. Especially with how Arthur acted with me.
He always had this king complex to him which lead to then late teenage Morgana and me to dub him "King Arthur" by the time I was ten. He really did act like it though. He has this air to him where he just thought he was the best and that all of his decision was for the greater good. Even if they were selfish as all fucking hell.
Between all three of these dynamics, I always felt out of place. Morgana's motherly love mixed with Merlin's distant demeanor and Arthur's distaste for me always led to me being confused about what I actually deserved.
So when I first met Zoe and I was greeted with true affection and kindness outside of Morgana? I thought she was screwing with me at first.
I snapped my attention toward my phone that was sitting on my dresser as it started ringing. A smile appearing on my face as I reached over and grabbing it without a second thought.
Speak of the devil.
"Good afternoon, Zo." I laid back down in my bed as Archie instantly moved to take over my chest. "How has your day going?"
"Good morning, love." I heard the fellow punk giggle at me from the other line as she continued to answer me. "It's been alright. My trig credit though makes no bloody sense to me and it can suck my nonexistent dick." I couldn't help but laugh at her as she went on speaking. "How about you? How are you doing?" I felt myself frown a little as I reached up to give Archie some scratches behind his right ear.
"Is it weird missing your sister despite the fact I could hang out with her at work or something?"
"Honestly," Zoe laughed a little continuing. "I'm surprised you didn't lose your shit when I went to England. I thought you would be calling or texting me every hour on the hour even when either of us should have been sleeping." I gave a worried face to myself as I stared up at the ceiling.
"I'm not that bad, am I?"
"It's not bad, per se. More like you just have abandonment issues and you're still coping. Ya know?"
"That's a nice way of going 'you're broken but I love you' kind of shit there, Zoe."
"Well you are broken and I do love you so take that as you will, fucker." I smiled at her words as I just ruffled Archie's fur without a second thought.
"What was it that we said in high school? We might be broken but we're somewhat functional together?"
"Exactly it." Zoe laughed at herself for a moment as the sound of keys could be heard on the other line. "It's why Merlin decided to deal with my ass after a few years."
"He was still questioning the idea though. I don't think he ever actually accepted the fact that we were a packaged deal."
"I bet he's looking down at us now and going," Zoe cleared her throat for a moment for what I knew was going to be her poor excuse for a Merlin impression. "Hisrdoux! You still conversing with that heathen?" Zoe laughed a little once more as I just rolled my eyes at that.
"He didn't hate you that much."
"Love, he literally told me that if we're in Salem Trials times, he would make a person pyre for my ass and lite me up himself."
"Okay, maybe he did hate you that much."
"At least Morgana liked me."
"And Arthur had a strong distaste for you as well."
"Arthur had a distaste for everyone."
"That you are not wrong on."
"Have you heard from either of them? Or are they still giving you the cold shoulder since," Zoe hesitated for a second before speaking once more. "Ya know. Merlin and everything."
"Not at all." I shrugged a little as I looked down toward Archie who was purring into my chest with closed eyes and a pleasant feel to him. "Last I knew Arthur was still cursing my name somewhere out in Yorkshire and Morgana was adventuring off into the world never to be heard of again. I heard a rumor from one of her old schoolmates that she's off on the greatest gay adventures imaginable and honestly, good for her."
"Honestly, yeah. Good for her. With how toxic she and Arthur were growing up together? She deserves all the love possible."
"Yeah. Definitely." I cringed a little as I remembered all of the hell I witnessed the younger woman went through with her older brother.
It was obvious that the two of them loved each other, but they had very different ideas on the world and how others could be valued. Morgana loved everyone equally. Arthur was a bit more hateful. Especially when his childhood sweetheart passed away. Morgana would try her best to bring the love that once resided in her brother to the forefront, but he hated the world for taken away who he loved most and no one was going to change that. Not even his sister.
So this led to a lot of fights between them. A lot of which, I was witness to.
"I do want to say though, I rather much forget any of those fucking fights." I could hear Zoe nod on the other line as she just hummed in reply for a moment.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to either, honestly." I heard Zoe curse on the other end for a moment as something toppled over. "God fucking Christ fucking hell." I couldn't help but snicker for a second before speaking.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just stubbed my toe in the fucking doorframe getting into my fucking dorm. I thought I was further than that, damn it. Fucker must have moved."
"Love, I think that doorframe has been there longer than you. I don't think it moved or anything."
"I will break up with you, don't tempt me, Casperan." I couldn't help but snicker at her as I used my spare hand as a pillow for my head.
"Nah, I think you're stuck with me at this point, Raiden." I heard Archie murmur at me to pet him again so I took my hand back from my head to scratch his head again. "How much longer are you going to be in England? The semester is wrapping up, right?"
"Well," She stopped for a moment as I heard her drop her bag to the floor. "I was going to surprise you with this later, but since you're in such a droopy mood, it might actually help you out." I sat up a little which caused Archie to whine in reply, but my excited brain couldn't give a shit within the moment.
"What now? What's going on? Are you graduating early? After your next semester?" I grew more excited as I heard Zoe giggled lovely in reply.
"Well. Ya know how I was planning on graduating in two semesters?"
"Well yes! Come on, Zoe! You're killing me, here!" Zoe just laughed in reply for a second before continuing.
"I'm graduating early. But," She stopped for a moment as she dropped her keys onto her counter. "Guess how early."
"After next semester?"
"Think again, Casperan." My eyes shot wide as I caught onto what she was saying.
"YOU'RE GRADUATING THIS SEMESTER!? HOW?! WHAT?! ANSWERS!" Archie hissed at my sudden excitement as Zoe just let out a loud joyful laugh in reply.
"Excited to see me come home permanently, huh? As to how," Zoe started shuffling around with something as she went on talking. "My school decided to do this whole credit sweep thing for some of the majors and technology development being one of them! Luckily, the credits I was going to take the next few semesters were taken out of the requirements, and the ones I already took that are no longer needed, since I'm a special little case here, was used to fill in the credit I would need to take now instead. Leading to me coming home for good soon!"
"This amazing!" I started petting Archie frantically to call the still hissing cat to get him to forgive me for scaring him as I went on frantically with my reply. "What's your plan when you get back? Use that techy degree of yours to good use?"
"Well, I already got an offer to work at that tech place in the heart of Arcadia as their development advisor. I might just take that and run with it. Spend time as much time as I can with my favorite malfunctioning tattoo artist and his black cat. Besides that, I have no other plans." I smiled at Zoe's words as I looked over toward my nightstand. The same one that was hiding away a very specific secret I was keeping away from the pink-haired punk.
A small little ring that could change our future forever in the most beautiful of ways.
"Sounds absolutely lovely, Zo." My smile just widened as I looked down at the black cat that was now begrudged resting in my lap. "Hopefully I get more attention this time around than a little fluffy attention hog in my lap did last time around."
"Your glasses-wearing cat is adorable and I will cuddle him forever whether you like it or not, fucker."
"There can only be one adorable being in this relationship and I am not losing to my support buddy."
"Sorry, I think you already did." I rolled my eyes at her response as Zoey just chuckled in reply to my silence. "Well, I should get some rest before I pass out from pure exhaustion. I'll call you when I wake up, alright? Should be around when you get on lunch or something."
"I'll hold you to it." I smiled once more as I heard the pink-haired woman yawn on the other line. "Sleep well, beautiful."
"Have a good day at work, Doux. Love you."
"Love you too." I pulled my phone away from me slowly and made sure the call ended before sighing happily in reply.
I might be missing the comfort of my little sister.
I looked down at the cat still resting in my lap as he just stretched out his right paw and giving a yawn.
But at least I have Archie.
I glanced back over toward where the ring was hiding away in my nightstand.
And hopefully, a fiance to add to that.