Not too much longer after he had slammed the door, Darren found himself walking along the same lonely street to the bar, not even having the energy to fly. As he passed through the corridor and inched towards the light, Darren felt his coat pocket vibrate over and over again. Not wanting to talk to Linnie any further, he ignored it and went inside the bar, ordering his usual jack and coke, and letting his mind wander with the music provided.
Who did he think he is? What the hell was wrong with a little beer every now and then? Sure, Darren didn't mind the fact that Linnie simply chose not to drink, but it didn't seem fair to him that he had to give up a good drink just so he was comfortable. Besides, it wasn't like he was planning on using magic while drinking, surely Linnie thought Darren was a little more responsible than that. Hell, Blue Moon wasn't even that heavy of a beer, just enough to relax him for the evening. Given that it was his first beer in 10,000 years, Darren felt like it shouldn't have been that big od a deal.
As he continued his meal, Darren's phone continued to vibrate, almost as if he were carrying a ticking time bomb in his pocket, finding it harder and harder to ignore it. After a while however, Darren finally had enough and took out his phone, intended to block Linnie's phone number until he saw that it was Chelsea calling him instead. Rolling his eyes, he picked up his phone.
"What do you want, Chelsea? I'm busy right now.", he grunted. Chelsea groaned on the other side.
"Darren, what the hell is your problem? I called Dad to check on everything, and I heard you decided to leave. What happened?", she asked, her voice mixed with annoyance and anger.
"Oh great, one of dad's 'white knights'. Look Chelsea, I'm not in the mood to talk right now."
"I don't give a damn! I want answers! Why was Dad basically in tears when I called to talk to him earlier?"
"Probably because he's a fucking baby?", Darren started sarcastically, "He and I got into a fight just because I happened to buy myself some Blue Moon beer. I didn't actually do anything wrong."
"Well I mean,", Chelsea's voice got softer, trying to understand Darren's viewpoint, "I mean, there's nothing wrong with a beer every now and then, but was it something Dad was ok with?"
"Obviously not! Why else would we be having this conversation right now?", Darren yelled, immediately getting defensive.
"Is that seriously it, Darren? Or is there something you're not telling me?"
"Well..", Darren started, "I did kind of call him a dumbass."
"Seriously? Oh my god, Darren.", Chelsea sighed in annoyance, "So let me get this straight, you bought beer when Dad said it wasn't ok, you ran out the house, and you called him dumbass?"
"Yea pretty much."
"Ugh, see this is what your problem is, Darren.", Chelsea started, her anger rising once more, "You know what, as much as I hated Mama for all she's done to us, she was right about one thing. You have no respect."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Dad invites you into his own fucking home, because he gives a shit about you, he bought you groceries and had a bed set up for you to sleep on, and tried to help you get our own apartment back. Don't you think the least you could do is show him some common courtesy and follow his fucking rules?"
"See, that's the thing. He does all those things because as the so-called father he is, he's supposed to. Neither of us asked to be here, neither of us asked to be born, a father does all those things because that's his damn responsibility as a father. Linnie shouldn't get some sort of special snowflake prize just because he fucked mom and shat some babies out."
"Labor fucking hurts Darren!"
"How would you know? You're a woman!"
"Oh my god, you know what Darren?", Chelsea complained, "Yes, a father is responsible for taking care of his children, but you're damn well over 18,000. He technically doesn't have to do anything for you, or any of us for that matter? Dad does that because he loves you and wants the best for you, so you would think the least you could do is give him some goddamn respect and follow his rules."
"Ok, but what about when I was 13,000 and he was gone for 3,000 years? So much for father of the year, am I right?"
"You damn well know that was because Mama used him as a shield.", Chelsea sneered, "Look, I'm not going to defend what Dad did during that time, because I get it. He shouldn't have flown off, but we're not talking about 13,000 year old Darren. We're talking about a 40,000 year old man who needs to get off his high fucking horse, quit thinking the world owes him a favor, get a mother fucking job, and stop being such an asshole to everyone!"
Throughout all the ranting, Darren fell silent. This was the angriest he had ever heard Chelsea yell at him, even throughout all the fights they had as children. He knew Chelsea was closer to their father than either him or Cosmo could be, but he didn't think she'd completely take his side.
"Chelsea, it's literally just a fucking 6 pack. I don't understand what you and dad are on my ass about it."
"Darren, it's not even really the beer that's the issue. It's that fact that you disobeyed one of dad's rules and were completely disrespectful to him, that's the issue.", Chelsea said, struggling to calm herself down, "Look, until you get off your lazy ass and get your own apartment, you have to go by dad's rules. It doesn't fucking matter how stupid you think they are, you're under dad's roof right now so you need to go by dad's rules. I cannot fucking believe I have to tell you this."
"Ok ok I get it! Damn.", Darren snarled, "I'm sorry, ok? I didn't think a pack of beer would be that big of a deal!"
"Exactly. You just don't think. I swear, sometimes, I feel like the only person you care about is yourself.", Chelsea sighed, "Look, I'm about to get ready to head back into town. If you don't want to be homeless for the next…whenever you're entitled ass decides to get a job, then I suggest you go apologize."
"But dad's probably in bed at this time of night!"
"Then fucking go to his work and apologize tomorrow! I swear, you have an excuse for everything.", Chelsea groaned, "I'm headed off for the night. I hope you do the right thing. Goodnight."
Thankful she had hung up, Darren put his phone away and decided to get back into his meal. He took a bite of the slider he had ordered alongside the drink, and nearly choked on it. The sandwich was a dry as a bone, and the fries tasted almost like unsalted rocks. At least Linnie knew how to tenderize meat properly. After a while, Darren had lost his appetite and tipped the bartended, finding himself wobbling a little bit back to the dark corridor, trying to get inside before the street lights turned off.
As much as he hated it, Darren had no choice but to head back to Linnie's apartment, as the neighborhood park benches weren't ideal given the rather sketchy community. After a while, Darren stumbled upon the pink building once more and took the elevator back up to 701, praying desperately but quietly that Linnie hadn't locked the door. Jiggling the doorknob, Darren felt somewhat relieved when the door opened, jumping slightly at Linnie's sleeping body on the couch; soft, gentle snores filling the living room. Shutting the door quietly, Darren tip-toed back into the room, passing though the many picture frames Linnie had shelves on the wall and crashed on the bed for the evening, tossing and turning as his guilt overcame him.
Particularly, Darren thought back to two of the pictures that were framed before he made it to his room. One was a picture of Linnie alone, lying down in the hospital bed, holding the newborn Darren, both of them crying tears, while the other one was a picture of Linnie holding a toddler Darren in his arms, cradling him gently, as Darren had looked like he had seen a monster. Throughout his life, Darren had to admit that he missed when he was that small, and Linnie's arms felt like a shield from a cruel, uncaring world. Maybe Chelsea was right. Maybe he needs to be a little kinder to his father.
Finally feeling as if he could get some sleep, Darren promised himself to apologize to his father at the nursery, and no amount of doubt or guilt was going to hold him back.