Hey Descendants,
Who's ready for tomorrow?
Twisted and I are trying to figure out if we're going to get to see the wedding, or have to wait for it to drop on Disney Plus.
Best of luck to us all.
And we hope you enjoy the new chapter.
See you Sunday!
Lots of love,
-Dark-
Jafar was gone.
Trapped for a thousand years at the bottom of the ocean.
Shouldn't he feel something over that?
Anything?
He stares up at the ceiling as he taps his fingers lightly against his chest.
He was glad to know he didn't have to worry about him going after the people he cared about.
Hell, if Genie laws were so strict that even Genie couldn't touch the lamp, maybe he'd never have to give his father a second thought ever again.
But, that still left the question of who did attack him.
His money was on the Evil Queen.
Why else would he have been the only one to be attacked?
David and Nani had been right there.
It would have been so easy.
Something wasn't adding up.
Still, if it had only been Evil Queen, it made sense to him that the bitch would focus on taking him out.
He was one of Evie's protectors.
A loud, firm knock resonates through their quiet room.
Evie's eyes widen as she looks around in concern.
As if any of them were expecting visitors.
They'd done their best to get everyone to leave them alone for the past week.
Not that it stopped their friends from dropping off food, most of which-
He glances at the full trash can, tied off against the food that was probably starting to rot.
He looks over to his nightstand where his phone was plugged in
Another knock on the door rattles him from his thoughts.
That was not a knock he was familiar with.
And was apparently not going to go away.
Mal sighs before she gets up and slowly walks to the door. She stares at it before looking over her shoulder, meeting his gaze as she tilts her head towards Evie and Carlos.
He jumps up from the bed to move protectively in front of them. His fists curled so tightly his knuckles were white.
Mal nods in approval before she slowly opens the door and peeks out. Her head slowly tilts back with a disconcerted expression. "You?"
"Me."
His brow furrows.
Cobra?
She slips outside the door and clicks it shut behind her.
He frowns.
Why would Cobra be here?
The last time they spoke, the man apologized for needing to leave before they could talk on Tuesday.
When the door opens a moment later, Mal's eye twitches as Cobra leads her into the room by the shoulder.
"Hey." His eyes narrow as he rushes across the room to pull Mal away from him, "What gives?" He demands as he pushes Mal towards the other two.
"It is Tuesday," Cobra responds stoically.
"No, it's not." He shakes his head as he reaches for his phone before remembering it was still beside the bed.
Cobra lifts an eyebrow, "Yes, it is." He refutes as he surveys the room, steps in, and shuts the door behind him.
"It is," Carlos whispers quietly as he points at his phone.
He walks across the room and places several folders on the table, ignoring Mal's glare as she steps in front of Evie and Carlos, who were huddled behind her.
"Your classwork." He states indifferently before he steps back and turns towards him.
"Thanks?" He sighs as he eyes the folders.
Like the homework hadn't been enough.
Cobra nods before he leans against the wall, silently looking in the direction of the trash before he turns to the bedside tables where their pill bottles sat.
Unopened.
He doesn't comment.
Not even on the beds they'd pushed together.
He just stared.
"Are you going to say anything or just judge silently?" He demands as he crosses his arms over his chest.
It wasn't that bad.
Evie had been on top of them about showers.
He'd been pretty good about making everyone brush their teeth.
Mal had taken it upon herself to keep them distracted.
Carlos had been great getting them to sleep, and wake up.
And they took turns badgering each other to do their homework.
"Not judging," Cobra responds stoically.
"Then what?"
This man could kill him, though he was really starting to believe he didn't want to.
But he'd be damned if he was going to let the guy make his pack feel uncomfortable.
Cobra turns to him, "Observing."
"Tch," Mal scoffs, "How's that different."
"One is objective." Cobra responds evenly, "The other subjective."
"Like we're an experiment?" Carlos asks with a sigh.
"Softer science," Cobra explains simply.
"Okay, great, you've observed. Thanks for the classwork, see you next Tuesday then."
Cobra turns back to him with a raised eyebrow. "We have a session."
Seriously?
"Aren't you part of a team looking for our-" He shakes his head, "the people who attacked us?"
"It's an hour." Cobra shrugs. "I can spare one hour for you."
"They haven't had to go to counseling." He gestures to the others.
Cobra glances at the three at the table.
"No. They haven't." He agrees.
When he doesn't continue, he glares, "So, why don't I get to pick when I'm ready?"
"Because," Cobra takes off his glasses to clean them while he pins him with a stare.
But he doesn't continue his explanation.
And how the hell was he supposed to argue when Cobra was staring at him like that?
"Because?" Mal prompts in annoyance.
"Yes." Cobra places his glasses back in place.
"Because why?" He rolls his eyes.
How many fucking times had T tried to use that on him?
"I am your counselor." Cobra states, "And since I was called away last week, I'm not letting another week pass."
Mal blinks, "The fuck?"
"Precisely." Cobra nods.
He shakes his head as he holds a hand up to keep the others from talking again, "Okay, but if I don't feel like talking?"
Cobra pushes off the wall and walks towards him calmly.
But even that seemed threatening, made him want to run.
Fuck, was this how Deez always felt when she tried to fight against running?
T when unwanted questions were directed at him?
He locks his legs, telling himself over and over and over that he would not run.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he even remembered the promise to his parents.
The promise that he would keep trying.
Mal's growl registers and he holds his hand up behind his back.
Power play or not, he was not moving.
He'd been shocked when the ropes came out of nowhere.
Scared when he felt them tighten around his chest and legs.
Terrified when he felt them drag him down.
But he'd been out of his mind worried when he thought he saw Nani join him.
If he could fight against the ropes because he wanted to get to Nani, he could stay the fuck in place for her too.
For her and David.
His new ohana.
For all of them.
But when Cobra reaches him, he just continues by.
He hates how loud his sigh of relief was.
Hated the fact he's been holding his breath.
At a loud creak, he turns to find Cobra on the couch.
What the fuck?
"The hell are you-" Mal begins with frustration.
"Looking for your remote."
"I haven't fixed it yet." Carlos sighs
Cobra places his arm on the back of the couch and turns to study Carlos for a moment, "I'm glad you found your voice."
"It's like the only thing I haven't lost, actually." Carlos chuckles nervously before he falls silent again beside Evie.
"Understandable." Cobra turns back to the TV before he stands and walks over to it. His broad- Well, broad everything obscuring what he was doing.
"I- I can fix it now though," Carlos says before he races to the table on the other side of the room. "I think it's just a snapped connector."
Cobra turns and nods, "No need to rush on my account." He stands up straight again.
"I, M, maybe I should clean a little or something." Evie says as she fiddles with her shirt hem, "Tidy the clothes or something?"
"Don't." Mal frowns. "Start." She shakes her head. "We don't need to do anything just cause he's here." She states stubbornly.
"You are correct."
Evie rolls her lips together, "Yeah, but I want to. Actually, I think I need to."
"The latest fashion magazine is in your folder." Cobra states as he steps back from the TV, "Perhaps you can occupy yourself with that instead." He walks back to settle on the couch as the load screen for CoD kicks on.
"Oh, do, do you play?" Carlos asks, interest clearly piqued as he snaps the back of the remote in place and walks over.
"Casually," Cobra responds as he holds up a controller.
"Cool!" Carlos grabs another controller and starts a new game before he sits on the opposite side of the couch.
Cobra turns to look at Mal, "I believe Janice added a page or two especially for you." He turns back to the TV.
"Of-" Mal shakes her head when he doesn't respond and huffs before she walks over to the stack. "Oh." Her eyes widen as she takes her folder and moves to the bed, holding Evie's folder out to her as she walks past her.
Evie pouts before she sighs and opens the folder, her eyes widening before she lets out the first excited squeal in days.
"Come on." Mal pats the bed beside her as she reads over whatever it was Janice gave her.
"My dress is on the cover!" Evie gushes as she hugs the magazine to her before she scrambles to join Mal on the bed. "Snow did a story on it!" She rushes out.
He blinks before he pulls his eyes away from the back of Cobra's head. "That's great." he congratulates her, giving her what he hoped was a smile.
She beams at him prettily, "Thanks, Jay."
Mal leans over to hug her, "That's awesome, E." She shoots her a smile. "Dream come true and shit."
"It is." Evie nods happily before she opens the magazine and starts reading.
He sighs before he looks back to the couch.
He couldn't be upset that Cobra seemed to know good ways to cheer them up.
Carlos was a gamer.
Evie loved fashion.
He wasn't sure what Mal was drooling over, but she was definitely drooling.
But, why?
It was the only thing bothering him.
Why the distractions?
He looks around the room.
At the look of concentration on Mal's face.
The delight in Evie's eyes.
The sudden shift of Carlos's energy.
They were totally distracted.
Something they hadn't been able to do for each other since before the long weekend.
Huh.
He shifts when he feels eyes on him, only to find Cobra looking in his direction.
"Want to go a round?"
He frowns before he walks around the couch to grab a controller, perching on the arm beside Carlos.
"Really?" Carlos perks up as he turns to look at him with brighter eyes than he had in days.
"Why not." He shrugs, "You've been begging for a while now."
Cobra doesn't say anything as he customizes his character.
"Seriously?" Carlos snorts as Cobra decks out his character in bright pink camo. "You're like a walking target in that."
He chuckles as he loads his pre-made character, "Seriously, everyone is going to go for you."
"I like a challenge."
He frowns, "I thought you were a casual player."
"Currently. I've known Hiro for years."
He and Carlos exchange excited glances.
Hiro had been fun to play with.
And while David did his best, his confusion over the guns had been another clue that he wasn't comfortable with them.
But Cobra?
He knew the guy knew guns.
"Hand guns?" Carlos blinks.
"Naturally."
Or maybe not.
He narrows his eyes.
Or maybe he was just that good?
It's not long before their game loads and they start running around the map.
He quickly realizes Cobra was just that good.
It was strange to watch how easily he dodged attacks.
In fact, he was killed twice for watching Cobra's screen instead of his own.
And once for turning to the guy in surprise when he laughs.
Was this some kind of test?
Or was it just a distraction?
He frowns as he slips to sit on the floor in front of Carlos.
It did feel good to not think for a little bit.
To just focus on the game.
It took a little while to get back into it, but eventually he could remember what all the buttons and triggers did.
Cobra didn't even prod.
Or try to get him to talk.
In fact, the man hadn't said a word.
When the level ends, he turns to Cobra and Carlos.
And just as he expected, Carlos turns to him with his huge pleading eyes in his freckled face, "Can we play again? Pleeeeeease?"
He shrugs, "I'm down."
Cobra just nods.
He carefully slides up onto the couch between Cobra and Carlos, happy when neither comments.
Halfway through their second mission, he sighs.
He did need to start counseling again.
They all did.
The longer they waited, the harder it was going to be to get back into it.
Just like the game.
He glances up at Cobra without turning his head.
Inscrutable as always, even while playing a video game.
When the round ends this time, he high fives Carlos over their high scores, only to flinch when his stomach growls.
Cobra turns to him expressionlessly before he shifts and pulls out his phone. "Excuse me." He states before he stands and walks away.
When the door closes, he sighs and hangs his head.
"It's okay. My stomach is growling too." Carlos explains as he pats his back, "It's been a while since I actually felt hungry."
"Yeah." He sighs before he twists to face Carlos, "So hey, I've been thinking. If it's really been a week already, maybe it's time for us to start seeing our counselors again."
Carlos bites his lip, his eyes darting to the door with trepidation.
"I know. I'm not entirely sure either. But, it took me a while to remember how to play the game, right," he sets the controller aside, "and like, it just got me thinking and shit. I really don't want that happening to us with counseling."
"I know, just-" Carlos hangs his head, "I don't wanna leave the room," He mumbles.
"Then, then we'll ask if they can come see us first. I mean, Cobra did it." He shrugs, wondering if that was the plan all along, "I know David and Nani will too."
Carlos relaxes, "You think so?" He asks hesitantly.
He looks over the back of the couch at his phone, "Would you feel better if I asked first?"
Carlos bites his lip, contemplating it for a moment before he slowly nods, "I just- I just don't wanna bother them…"
He slowly nods. "I get it, I think I've been stuck there too." He runs his hand over Carlos's curls before he stands, "But, I also think they'd want us to bother them."
Carlos frowns but again slowly nods. "I guess you're right," He admits softly as he hugs himself.
He grins before he walks over to grab his phone, "I'm calling David and Nani to see if they'll be cool with coming here for a while instead of you guys going to them." He explains to Mal and Evie, "Cool?" He asks as he taps call.
"Kay," Mal shrugs, clearly distracted with- He blinks.
Spells? Those looked like the spells in her book.
He blinks again as he looks around their much cleaner room.
The trash had been emptied.
The tables were organized.
The floor was visible.
The laundry, clean and folded.
Even Dude's fur-covered bed was spotless.
"Jay? Are you okay? Jay, answer-"
"Sorry." He shakes his head before he turns his back on the room, "Sorry, something just, surprised me. Hey."
"Brah," David breathes in relief. "I'm too old for that shit."
"You're not old. But um, got a sec?"
"Course,"
"Do you think you and Nani could do sessions in our room?"
"Oh, thank Kai," He hears David breathe, "Of course, brah."
"You sound like you've been waiting for this?"
Or expecting something far worse.
He wasn't sure.
"We were waitin' for ya iki brahs to reach out. We didn't want to overwhelm you. We know it's been.. Just been."
He shrugs, "Guess no one told Cobra that."
"Kai," He hears David slap his face, "Sorry brah."
"No worries, we worked through it." He rubs the back of his neck as he stares out the window, "Actually, it's what made me realize we need to get back into it."
"Ey?"
"Yeah, so it's cool. Not sure if it was his plan or not, but yeah. I don't want to have to relearn everything, and I don't want them having to do that either."
"Never can tell with him," He breathes, "But yeah, just let us know when."
"Do you mind texting C? He didn't want to bother you."
"Sounds like him."
He taps Mal and Evie, "Tomorrow. Here. Nani?"
Mal waves him off, "Whatevs."
"E?" He taps her a little rougher, "You heard M, right? What time works for you?"
He turns as he hears waves crashing and smiles when he sees Carlos visibly relax.
"Yeah, yeah," She agrees absently.
"Time. I need a time out of your mouth."
"Six," Carlos chirps, clearly the only one actually paying attention to him.
"Good enough for me." He shrugs before he moves the phone back to his mouth, "They're saying six tomorrow."
"We'll be there," David promises.
He takes a deep breath, "Thanks, and you know, sorry I haven't been texting or calling more."
"Eh, don't sweat it, Brah, I knew you all needed time. But, thank you. We've been worried about you four. We all have."
"We're breathing." He grins.
"That's what's important."
"See you tomorrow then?"
"Looking forward to it," He could hear the grin.
"Me too."
As soon as he hangs up, he shoots a text to David and Nani, letting them know he loves them.
Both of them instantly text him back the same.
He smiles as he slips his phone in his pocket, feeling better than he had in days.
When he turns back to the couch, he finds Cobra back on it. "Round three."
"You've been here the whole time, haven't you."
"Most of it."
He groans exaggeratedly before he walks back to the couch, plucks his controller off the floor, and collapses between Cobra and Carlos.
He looks up in the middle of their fourth-round when he hears a knock at the door.
He looks back at Mal, who still seemed engrossed by her new spells.
With a sigh, he hops over the back of the couch. "Cover me C."
"On it."
He takes a deep breath before he opens the door a crack.
Only to find no one.
His brow furrows as he opens the door wider and looks around, frowning when he sees a strange cart parked against the wall beside their door.
And then the scent hits him.
Pizza!
Burgers and fries.
He looks around again before he pulls the cart closer.
Fuck, even the salads in clear bowls were enough to make his stomach growl louder.
He shakes his head as he pulls the cart into the room.
His eyes narrow when he spots the lower level of the cart, filled with colorful bags and cans of soda.
Yeah, that would be fun-
Later.
He quickly moves the bags out of sight before he looks back up, "Anyone hungry? Looks like someone left food for us." He asks as his eyes drift over to the couch.
Cobra had something to do with this. He just knew it.
Silence.
"Guess I'll just have to eat pizza all by myself, and these strawberries look amazing too."
When no one looks up, he glares
"Hey!" Carlos cries as he turns to glare at Cobra, "Friendly fire isn't friendly!"
He rolls his eyes before he walks over to the bed and snatches the magazine from Evie's hands and the spells from Mal's.
"Yo, what the fuck!?" Mal glowers at him.
"Jay!" Evie huffs as she tries to snatch the magazine back, only for him to walk over and place it and the spells on a shelf out of the girl's reach.
"Food. That's what the fuck." He gestures to the cart, "Unless you want me to eat all the strawberries and salad. I'm pretty sure I saw burgers too, C."
Mal's stomach growls in echo with Evie's.
"Don't you dare touch my strawberries," Mal threatens as she jumps to her feet.
"I could have five times over by now," He rolls his eyes as he jumps out of the way with the pizza boxes and a bag of burgers for Carlos.
"Salad?" Evie blinks as she scoots off the bed and rushes to the cart.
"Wait-" Carlos interrupts his accusations to Cobra, "Burgers?"
He holds out the grease-drenched bag, "Aren't these your favorite?"
"Don't care! Burgers." Carlos rushes him.
He shakes his head as he sets the pizza boxes down on the table and opens the first one.
He blinks before he looks up, "I'm assuming the mountains of cheese pizza is yours."
"Good assumption." Cobra stands as he walks over and steals the box.
He shrugs as he opens the second box, smiling at the extra pineapples.
Fuck, it smelled so good.
He watches Cobra settle at the table before he slips into the chair across from him.
"You are so hard to figure out." He says around a mouthful of hot cheese and sauce.
"Rule five," Cobra's lips twitch. "Always keep people on their toes."
"I see that." He shakes his head and looks to the others sitting on the couch, talking while they ate. "Not sure if this is what you meant to have happen," He sighs, "But, I appreciate it. I never thought about seeing if you guys would come to the room if we didn't want to leave."
"Rule five," Cobra states impassively. "You've had a lot of things on your mind."
He takes another big bite to give himself time to chew, "And, I guess I do need to get back into actually having sessions." He says after swallowing, "When you're not busy, maybe we can start meeting like three times a week or something?"
"The days and time."
"Always six-thirty." He sighs as he looks around the room again.
When he saw David daily, he always made sure to keep everything clear after practice and dinner.
"And would Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays work?"
He had to take charge of this; dive back in to help his pack and the others when they made it over.
"Yesh." Cobra deadpans as he pulls a slice away from his mouth, the cheese fighting between staying on the pizza or his mouth.
He snorts.
It was hard to be afraid of a guy struggling with a slice of pizza, not that it took all the edge away.
But it did make it easier to smile.
The guy might be hard to read.
And highly trained.
And deadly.
But he did really seem to care.
He didn't have to organize this, or even prompt it.
It had also been way more than an hour since he first showed up, not that he was going to point that out.
And he hadn't done any of the things they'd been afraid of.
He hadn't commented on the mess in the room.
Hadn't said anything about the beds being pushed together.
He hadn't told them to take care of themselves.
Didn't even mention their full pill bottles.
He just got food to their door.
And killed Carlos in the game when the pup wasn't listening.
Had they been on a team without him even knowing it?
A team to get his pack to eat?
He tilts his head to the side as he stares at him.
"Rule Six, not all things are as they appear," Cobra states absently without looking away from his pizza.
He sighs as he looks back down at his pizza, "I'm going to have to start carrying a pen and notebook with me."
"I find phones are less obtrusive."
His brow furrows as he pulls his phone out, "What, like text them?"
"There's a note app."
"There is?" He taps through his phone, shifting through the different screens.
Cobra's lip twitches, "You are David's son. "
"You make that sound bad-" He glares up at Cobra, "But give me a break, I just got this when they brought us over and only realized how bad it is when I or they don't have it last week."
"Touche."
He nods firmly before he pushes his phone across the table, "But, notebook app, please? I don't want to lug notebooks around if I don't have to."
He missed Deez, but he didn't want to start acting like her.
Cobra wipes his hands off on a napkin before he picks up his phone and swiftly taps his thumbs over the screen.
A moment later he hands it back, rules one through six written along with numbers seven to twenty with question marks next to them.
He didn't even flinch when Cobra passed it back.
"Rule seven, always be prepared."
He snorts as he thumbs the new rule in. "Cool." He hits the save button at the top of the screen before he backs out of it to see if he could have different notebooks.
Yes.
Yes, he could.
One was already waiting for him, titled learn your phone.
He sighs before he looks up again.
"Slick."
"Rule four."
He taps the screen to open Cobra's Rules.
Always expect the unexpected.
Dude was making up rules as he went and somehow also remembering them.
He shakes his head before he clicks his phone off and sets it aside in favor of another slice of pizza.
"Still have time to talk then?"
Cobra checks his phone, "Til five. I have a meeting at six."
He nods as he looks over at the couch again.
He couldn't tell them to get back into counseling if he wasn't willing to go first.
He takes another bite of his pizza, relishing in the tang of the pineapple with the saltiness of the ham and cheese.
Perfect.
"I don't like being scared."
He had to start somewhere, and anywhere was better than nowhere..
"Neither do I, but it happens, quite often."
He blinks in surprise, "You get scared?"
"Contrary to popular belief, I am human."
"It wasn't a question of species." He rolls his eyes.
"Balloons."
"Balloons?" He tilts his head to the side.
Cobra furrows his brow before he takes a deep, steadying breath and pulls out his phone.
"I- I can look it up later if that-"
Cobra looked-
Looked!
Like he was uncomfortable.
Was that his form of scared?
"It would be my preference."
He nods, though at this point he wasn't sure he wanted to know what a balloon was either.
He shakes his head, "Yeah, no prob."
He looks back over at the couch, watching as Carlos begged Mal to let him try a strawberry.
"I feel like your fear has nothing to do with being scared for yourself."
He frowns as he looks back, "I guess not. I mean that too, but-" He bites his lip, "When the ropes pulled me under, I thought I saw Nani trapped too. And when I thought it was Jafar I saw-" He shakes his head, "I thought he was going to go after David too. And then the thought of him, or one of the others getting to them-" His eyes dart to the couch again.
"There is nothing more powerful than fearing for a loved one's safety."
"And, I'm worried about the others. My friends on the Isle still." He swallows hard, "We, we saw the report about the Isle having side effects from when the barrier…" He trails off as he looks down again.
That was what really set them all over the edge.
They were all worried about each other.
It hurt to see Evie shiver every time she saw one of her apple pieces of jewelry. To watch her slowly tuck every single thing she owned that had apples on it into a basket.
Hurt to have Carlos suffering from nightmares and night terrors all over again.
Worse ones.
Ones that left him shaking and unable to speak for hours after he woke up.
"Understandable." Cobra frowns, "After the brushes you've all had, with having to relive your worst fears, both your own and each others. It would be concerning if you weren't. Fear is what tells you something dangerous is around. Helps to keep you safe."
"And it was fine on the Isle." He shakes his head.
"Because it was a constant."
"Well, yes-" He frowns before he leans forward, "But it didn't make me sick or whatever this was," He gestures to the room, "either."
"When you grow comfortable with civilian life, and you're suddenly thrust back into active duty, so to speak, it causes you to become more aware of the dangers. Causes your senses to become more vigilant. The sickness you felt? Completely normal for someone in your situation. David has discussed PTSD with you, correct?"
He nods, "Yeah. The dreams and night terrors. The weird feelings. Like feeling watched. The automatic movements or actions. Things like that?"
"That sickness is also a piece of it. It brings things we'd rather keep in the dark to light. Reminds us of the past. What we survived. Makes us question if we can survive it again."
He frowns as he sits back in his seat.
Was that what was wrong?
He was scared of everything going back to the way it had been.
Scared that he wouldn't be able to survive it now that he knew there was another option, another way?
Could he survive going back to the Isle after meeting David and Nani, getting to have them as parents.
Meeting Ben. Roy. Doug.
Lonnie?
Would he want to?
He blinks.
He was sure he'd try, but not for himself.
He'd do it for the others.
He sighs as he looks back up, "I think I can see that."
He blinks away the burning in his eyes.
Nope.
David was one thing.
"You have plans of returning to the Isle."
He shrugs, "Only if an asshole refuses to come over."
"The best I can offer you in this is the power to not feel helpless."
"Like training?"
Cobra nods.
"So that's all I need then? Training?"
"I didn't say that." Cobra states blankly, "This is a very nuanced situation. However, I do feel like preparing and training you to protect those you care about will give you a better sense of security."
"So then also talking and figuring stuff out."
"It's helped you so far."
He nods, "Fair-" He looks away, "Though I think part of that is that David really saw me at my worst like, day one."
That had been a real low for him.
Worried about T.
About Deez.
Scared for his pack and what would happen to them if Maleficent found out they were disobeying her orders.
What she could do to the people they left behind on the Isle.
The weight on his chest.
The uncontrollable tears and sobbing.
How lost he felt.
"That does usually open the playing field." Cobra laces his fingers and places his hands in front of him, "And David is a lot more approachable and has a way of putting people at ease. It's a natural talent of his that I admire."
He smiles. David was pretty awesome. And it made him strangely happy to hear that Cobra admired that.
"Sometimes we have to hit bottom in order to look at ourselves and our situations. Other times, it's just to realize that in the end we have no control and need to learn to let things go. If only for a moment. Living in the past is not living. It's regretting. Best thing to do in those situations is to see where you could have done things differently, and apply it to future situations. Dwelling on it serves no purpose for you, nor the things your decisions affected. "
He slowly nods, "So, what's your advice on knowing you've left behind so many people that need the same kind of help, or more help, and there's nothing you can do except try to be a good example and help out when you can?"
"There are several pieces of advice for your predicament. One, heal yourself. Two, work on your abilities to better help them once you've reunited. Three, fight for them. Any means possible. Four, forgive yourself for your mistakes. Five, understand some things are out of your control and they're not your fault. Six, do exactly as you just said, prepare yourself to be their compass and cut the path for them. Your asshole, as you've named him, sounds like he's going to really need six."
He nods before he narrows his eyes and pulls his phone over to open a new notebook, "T, by the way." He explains as he types everything he can remember.
"Ah," Cobra nods.
"You're brought in for hard cases right?"
Cobra nods.
"Yeah, you're going to end up being the one who talks to him then."
Cobra's lips twitch, "So it would seem after reading his letter. He seemed like… a very passionate kid."
"That's a word Deez might have used to describe him." He shakes his head, "But yeah, he is. He's also stubborn. He's sometimes a fucking idiot. Never asks for help. Lies out his fucking ass. Refuses to admit when he's tired or hungry or hurt. Likes poisoning himself, because again, he's an idiot doing stupid things for good reasons." He takes a deep breath when he realizes he wasn't breathing between words.
Cobra places his phone down, "You've become good at grounding yourself. Impressive for one in your situation."
"Belle got ahold of me before we even started counseling and helped me learn to breathe through the sick and pain."
"Belle is a genius in her own right, and other different circumstances would have made a fabulous counselor."
He smiles as he looks down at his phone.
She would have.
Her calm tone.
Her light humor.
The way she completely accepted him saying he wasn't panicking.
"So yeah, I try to breathe the way she told me to when I get-" He sighs, "Panicked."
"Panicked. Is another of the body's responses stemming from having little or no control."
He nods before he looks back up to find his pack watching him.
Well, at least Mal wouldn't be able to complain too much tomorrow when Nani showed up for a session.
They'd just watched who knew how much of that.
He slides his phone closer before his eyes widen.
"Dude, it's nine." He looks over at the windows, cursing himself for not noticing it had gotten dark.
When had Cobra gotten easier to talk to?
"And?"
"You said you had a meeting at six."
"AM."
He blinks. "Are you telling me you would have stayed all night?"
"If it meant helping."
He knew David would.
Shit, how many times had David stayed with him all night?
During the long weekend the three of them had stayed up late every night just talking.
The conversation hadn't always been about him, but when it was they both seemed ready to step up and be more than just mom and dad.
Wear different hats, as David put it.
He just hadn't expected the same thing from Cobra.
Cobra turns to the others on the couch, "That goes for any of you. I know I'm not your counselor, but I am a counselor. So if you feel the need to talk about something, I am here for you if you need me."
He looks away when his eyes start to burn again.
This guy cared.
Just like David and Nani.
Made them the same promise they made.
They could go to him.
They could talk.
He would listen.
Here for them.
He'd trusted David and Nani when they said that.
And even though the instinct to run was still there, he believed Cobra too.
It was weird. Went against every gut instinct he had.
But he believed him.
"Thank you." He nods before he looks back to the couch.
"Yes," Evie smiles at him before she looks at Cobra, "thank you, Mister Bubbles."
"Yeah, thank you." Carlos nods.
Mal studies Cobra for a minute before she sighs. "You're a fuckin' walkin' paradox, but," She sighs again, "thanks."
He snorts as he digs the back of his hand into his eyes quickly.
Leave it to Mal.
"Rule five." Cobra's lips twitch. "Naturally. It's my honor and pleasure to help you four."
The others stare at him in confusion.
"Rule five?" Mal quirks her brow.
"Always keep people on their toes." He explains with a smile.
Mal snorts, "The fuck type of rule is that?"
"A Cobra one." He shrugs.
"Counselors have rules?" Carlos pulls out his phone, "What are they? I wanna know."
He shakes his head before he looks up at Cobra, "See what you did?"
"Rule eight-"
Carlos's eyes widen, "What kind of a monster starts on eight?"
"Sometimes it's necessary to break the rules."
He chuckles as he types the new rule into his phone.
Not that he would ever forget that rule.
And eight was totally his number.
He blinks as he looks over to his coat.
And cobra's were totally his sigil.
Huh.
The coincidences were really starting to pile up.
He thumbs around the menu until he figures out that he can text a copy of the list to Carlos. "There you go, pup, the other seven."
"There's only eight?" Carlos blinks in confusion.
"He's telling me as we go." He shrugs.
"In order?" Carlos questions.
He watches Cobra, but when he doesn't comment, he shakes his head, "I have it on good authority that he's making them up as he goes."
Mal snorts.
Carlos's jaw drops, "Really?"
"Well," Evie covers her amusement, "You did wonder what kind of monster starts on eight."
Cobra's lip twitches again, "Rule number nine, some things are best left unknown."
He snickers as he types in the new rule.
Oh, one day, he was really going to enjoy this list.
One day.
Cobra was a different kind of counselor.
A very different kind.
But he was funny.
And in his own way, easy to talk to.
It was a rocky start, and he was sure they weren't even through the worst of it.
But it was a start for all of them.
I fucking loved this chapter, both writing it and rereading it, and I really hope you guys did too.
Writing Cobra is fun as fuck, and so different than writing David as a counselor. It's kinda refreshing to just write a blunt as fuck counselor.
Oh! Question!
Who would you rather have as a counselor?
Cobra? Or David?
I know Nani's a counselor too, but I also recognize we've never really covered her sessions so much as referenced them.
Writing rule # whatever, follow the plot.
If we wrote everyone's sessions, this shit would never end.
Though if you're ever curious- Pat reon is a thing.
Anyways, yeah. This chapter was dope. And per usual I had no idea where the fuck it was going- I'm an asshole for always making Dark lead, but I'm all about in the moment, and she's all about planning and the future.
We really do balance the shit outta each other both in writing and in RL. Side note, I fucking love that bitch.
Right, back to this chapter.
God, just all of it.
Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one. It's the longest we've posted in a hot minute.
Fave quote:
Mal studies Cobra for a minute, before she sighs. "You're a fuckin' walkin' paradox, but," She sighs again, "thanks."
-In reference to Cobra
What was yours?
Much love and appreciation,
-Twisted