FC, thank you so much for your review, it was probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said about our work. We're glad so many of you like the overall theme of this book.
I actually had a mental break last year and that's why we had to stop writing, though I'm super grateful Dark wanted to revise it cause I was bat shit fucking nuts in the middle of writing it.
Dobby thank you so much for the comments with how you love how we evolved this story this time around. It was so fucking great to hear our rewrite is better than the original.
We hope the rest of you are enjoying this story. It's painful to write sometimes because we pull from our on trauma's to make their reactions as real as possible.
On a completely different note…
WE FINISHED THE FIRST BOOK TODAY!
Which is why you guys are getting this second post. And we have already started the next book, so we want to celebrate the victory with the rest of you!
-Twisted
And as unusual as it is for the two of us to have separate into notes, I also wanted to say thank you to all our readers. I've been afraid of my own past for a long time. Fanfiction, and writing in general, was my way of working through things. So thank you FC for telling us it helps. That felt wonderful.
So we're all on the same page though, we use elements of our traumas, not the trauma in its entirety.
So for example, we have religious trauma influences, but the story element we wove is not the same as what one or both of us experienced. And our story is in no way meant to drive anyone from the sanctity of religious views. The beliefs and views themselves are not the problems. It's the way they are so easily warped into weapons and used to hurt rather than help. Being a part of a religion can be wonderful. It's a great place to find support and a sense of community.
We really hope you are enjoying the story. We promise some fluff is coming, but we are Dark & Twisted sisters, we were hoping the name would be enough of a warning.
Lots of love fellow Descendants
-Dark-
Three days later...
Uma straightens her back as she lifts her arms above her head, stretching until her back and shoulders pop deliciously.
It had been months since she last felt this rested. Maybe even years.
She grins as she looks around, happy to be on her ship. Her nearly sailable ship, instead of in the shop serving and building whatever monument to stupidity her mother had them working on. As much as she loved the early mornings alone on deck, she also enjoyed the twilight hours where her boys were invested in their projects.
Gil was tucked into a quiet corner with his sketch pad, concentrating on the design of her tattoo. He'd finished Harry's design but insisted on secrecy until he'd finished her's. Others might have felt slighted to be the last on the list to get anything, but when it came to her sweet boy, she understood. He always saved the best for last. And being last meant he got to apply all he'd learned in his artistry to make her's perfect.
Like her sword. She'd easily agreed to be the last to receive her sword. She even secretly thought it was a slight to Mal to be the first to get a weapon. Not that Gil would have ever given even her enemy anything less than the best he could do at the time. But that was just it, at the time.
Harry was with James, the two busy wrestling in the center of the deck shirtless. Trading insults as they tried to best each other physically as well as verbally. She smiles as her eyes caress the way the sweat glistened over their exerted muscles in appreciation. She was going to enjoy working those kinks out of Harry later. She was already drooling over the thought of him soft and pliable, purring with pleasure beneath her.
It was a stark contrast to the bleakness of their lives had been just a week ago.
That had started to change a few days ago when T- her jaw clenches before she can continue the thought.
When T had so rudely put her to bed.
She still wasn't sure what had been in that vile concoction Harry had gotten her to drink, but it had fucking worked. Impressively so. She wasn't sure she had ever had such a sound sleep in her life.
They'd all woken up so rested, so damned refreshed and feeling like themselves for the first time in forever.
No wonder they'd taken time to celebrate the small victory while they had the chance.
She smiles at the thought of the intimate side she got to share with her boys. The trust, the pleasure, the bliss. It had been a long time since she'd had the energy to spare.
Her smile falters as the image of T, with tears streaming from his eyes, interrupts her thoughts.
Why? She had never cared about T's secrets before, had never tried to press him for real answers. His actions spoke louder than any verbal response ever could anyway.
But now? After witnessing the strange display of erupting emotions, she hadn't even thought him capable of, she had so many questions. And yet he hadn't returned since she'd caught him looking in on them in the middle of… well… in the heat of it.
She leans against the rail of the deck, looking out over the open sea. Open at least until the barrier shimmered into view.
It was a weird awareness, knowing that even though T had been the one to walk in on their intimate moment, it was she that came away feeling like she had been the intruder. She'd never seen such raw emotion on someone's face, not even her boys. Well, at least not that type of raw. It left her feeling oddly small and uncomfortable.
But what had it been? Sadness? Anger? Fear? Revulsion? Recognition? She couldn't name what she'd seen, and it fucking bothered her. Whatever had gone on in the boy's head had clearly affected him on a visceral level, she found herself embarrassed to admit she was shocked T could even feel.
She'd thought to call out to him. But that would have been even more awkward. For him. She doubted her boys would have cared that T had seen them like that. Hell, Harry would've invited him to join. Again, not that she and Gil would have minded. They'd talked about having others join before, well, one other.
She sighs, as she attempts to rub away a chill she couldn't quite define. She just knew it had nothing to do with the temperature.
Where was T?
Her mind refused to let it go. Even putting aside his walk in on their intimate moment, she still had to thank him for everything he'd done on the ship with James as well as the work he and most of her crew had put in at the shop.
It was the only reason she and her boys had this reprieve. And part of her still wanted to ask for more, selfish as it was.
She couldn't stop the fear that her catching him like that had run him off forever. T was a reserved, private kinda guy. She felt guilty she had never really taken the time to understand more than the obvious. He took care of her people when she couldn't. She didn't have enough time alone with the boy to figure out much more than that. And the times they were together he was usually so consumed with kicking her out of the shop to rest. Or to meet up with Deez in the secret meetings he set up for them.
She wasn't even sure she'd ever heard the kid complain about anything short of being bored. And even then it was an easy fix.
"Here." She jumps as someone abruptly pulls her from her thoughts as an item is thrust in her direction.
"T?" Uma blinks in surprise as she looks from the boy to the soft brown leather strips in her hand and back several times.
"Sup." He greets blankly.
"You, you're back?" Uma narrows her eyes as she hesitantly lowers her gaze for a more serious look at the leather in her hands.
T shrugs as he leans over the railing and looks out at the sea she'd just become lost in thought. "Had shit to drop off."
"And that's it?" Uma sighs. T wasn't part of her crew, so it wasn't like she could force him to stick around, and she didn't want to come across whiny over his absence, "I mean, okay, I know we've been claiming a lot of your time lately, but it was weird for you to just dip like that with no warning."
"Wanted to finish what I started, but wasn't expecting a crowd." He admits, eyes not drifting from the sea.
Uma nods, easily translating that he'd been hoping they wouldn't be here, "Got it, you didn't want to see us." She sighs, "But how've ya been? We haven't seen you since you whipped the chip shop into shape." Whip… Her eyes narrow. Was that what she was holding? She firmly grasps the intricately woven handle as she lets the length of it spiral to the deck at her feet.
"Needed to take care of some shit." He responds coldly, not even trying to deny her assessment. His hand tightens over the strap of a backpack slung over one shoulder.
"Right," Uma rolls her eyes, "So, what's this for?" She lightly flicks her wrist side to side, setting the whip to slithering like a snake on the ground.
"Whatever you want." T shrugs, "Saw it. Thought of you. Here we are."
A cocky grin slowly spreads on Uma's lips, "Really. You think I'm a whip weapon kind of girl?" She chuckles as she flairs her eyebrows suggestively.
For the first time since he arrived T glances at her, "You are The Kraken, last I checked. Figured you should have a tentacle to crack for yourself."
"True. And they add a certain air of fear when used properly." She should know, her mother was a terrifying threat when she threw her tentacles around like eight large whips, "Thanks."
"No problem." T nods before he turns away.
Uma quickly grabs T's shoulder with her free hand, surprised when the kid tenses so swiftly his shoulder cracks under her fingers. She didn't recognize his cold eyes as they flash with something unfamiliar as he turns to look at her. She slowly lowers her hand, unnerved by his reaction.
"Need something?" He asks after a long pause.
"I mean thank you for, you know," She'd never felt so uncertain with T, and part of her hated how unbalanced she felt, "I mean for everything you've done for my ship, and letting us rest the other day."
T shrugs, as he looks away. "No big."
"But it was a big deal for us. And uh," She looks up, checking to see if Gil or Harry had even noticed his arrival, "Look, I don't know what happened the other day, but if we did something to you-"
"You didn't do shit." T interrupts with a snap.
Uma takes a step away from T, her back hitting the railing painfully with the force of her movement, "Okay. I just wanted to make sure-"
"I'm fan-fucking-tastic." T looks away, taking a step away from her as if he didn't trust himself either.
"Sure, you look it too." Uma snaps before she can stop herself.
T shrugs, not even bothering to respond as he drops his head so his face becomes shrouded in the shadows of his hood.
Uma lets out a sigh of frustration, "Look, I know ya don't owe us shit, but ya clearly have something going on, so just, know you can always talk if you need to. Or crash here." She rolls her eyes. As if she'd be able to stop T from crashing in the crow's nest, "Whatever you need. I know it ain't much, and I know you go see the dragon and her gang. Which I'm not knocking, you know, you getting to see and talk to Deez is great, at least you and Gil get to see her, I just. Yeah. If you have a need or anything." She looks away, embarrassed at her rambling, "Just know I'm here for ya, or whatever."
T's silence stretches out so long she can't help to shift in discomfort. He hadn't been this closed mouth since the first time she'd met him, shortly after the well.
"Thank you." He finally mumbles eyes downcast, his tone so soft and genuine it both hurt to hear and took her off guard. She couldn't recall ever hearing the boy ever sounding so soft-spoken.
His mouth opens again, only for him to shut again, almost as if he'd thought better of it, "It's not something anyone can help with. And I'm handling it."
Uma nods, "I get that, having to do something because you have to do it," she nods, she understood that only too well, "Just, let us know if it's something that's going to take you away for more than a few days if you can. Or if it's dangerous. It's always a good idea to at least let me know that, or the boys may go frantic with worry."
T studies her for a moment before he looks away. "Don't expect me around so much anymore. I'll come when I can, but-" He shrugs, "It won't be as much or nearly as often. That's why I was hoping to finish fixing the ship today..."
A painful lump catches in Uma's throat. She swallows a couple of times before she nods, "Will you let me know when whatever it is you have to do is done?"
"If I live through it."
Uma snorts, "You're T." She rolls her eyes and flashes a wicked half-grin at him, "if anyone can survive anything as dangerous as whatever this is that's making you so grim, it's your scrappy ass. As long as yer armed to the teeth and back."
T turns towards her, his eyes lighter than they had been the whole conversation as he studies her curiously. A ghost of a smile slowly forms on his lips. "Well, I ain't goin' out without a fight, your right about that."
"Good." Uma nods, "I'd be fuckin' worried if you were talking 'lay down an die' with me."
T scoffs, the sound much darker than any sound she'd ever heard the boy make. "Over my dead fucking body, Uma... Just trying…" He turns back to the ocean, "Just trying... To be honest for once."
Uma slowly nods as she looks the boy over, "It ain't goin' unnoticed. Just trying to help you loosen up a little." Her hand twitches, but she stops herself before she grabs T's shoulder again, "You're more wound up than a coil o' rope."
T shrugs before he slips his backpack off. "I don't really have the energy to do this a second and third time today. I didn't even want to do it once." He hands her the beaten-up backpack. "Give this to Gil?"
"Sure," Uma tilts her head as she stares at the bag. Luckily she didn't scare off bad attitudes easily, or she'd still be in the dark about what was eating T. Not that she was completely in the know, but she could respect that it wasn't her place right now to stop T from doing something dangerously stupid. And trying to right now would probably damage their relationship more than anything else. No, it was too late for her to try and pull T to her the way she had Harry and Gil, even Deez. Maybe if she had a few more months, and some actual time off to spend with the kid, but for now she was stuck with taking him at his word.
"On one last note, Imma figure shit out for you guys and Deez tonight." He adds in a lighter tone with his devil-may-care grin tugging at his lips as he crosses his arms over his chest. "Hopefully it sticks. Might not. Either way, I can at least say I did a thing. I just wanted to give you heads up. I've never gone toe to toe with a fairy. But not going to lie, after the last couple of days I'm looking forward to a challenge."
Uma's eyes narrow, "Much as I have no lost love for that damned purple and green newt, she ain't the one holding a death threat over Deez and the other princess."
"I'm aware," T responds evenly as he starts walking away again.
"T!?" She calls out, pulling Harry and Gil out of their worlds to watch the exchange, "You can't seriously mean you're thinking of taking on-"
The feeling of 'oh fuck you' clings to him like a second skin. "Enjoy that." T gestures to Harry and Gil. He salutes her before he darts across the ship to vault over the railing opposite from her.
Harry rushes to the spot T jumped from, swinging one leg over before he turns back to look at Uma for permission.
Uma sighs but shakes her head. T had made it clear he didn't want to talk to Gil and Harry tonight.
The look of disappointment on Harry's face cut her deep, and she absently covers the pain in her chest with a hand. Their whole conversation had been a choppy sea full of sand bars with no lighthouse. "Come on back Harry." She urges before her first mate can get any wild ideas.
Gil shuts his book as he stands and joins Uma near the railing, one huge arm wrapping around her shoulder in silent support. Leave it to Gil to always tell when she was upset.
Harry frowns when he finally joins them, "Cap'in, he ain'nah be showin' fer days an' then ya be ah stoppin' me from givin' chase?"
"T's in a mood over something." She shrugs in response. "Better to just let him be for now." She hoped she was right about that. Was she more confident in T than he was for no other reason than she didn't know what he was getting ready to face? At first, she thought he was just being insecure, but the more she thought it over, the more uncertain she was. T was usually cocky as fuck, and sure enough of himself to face her mother's wrath without flinching. Even went so far as to purposely seek it out for her families benefit. Hell, her bitch of a mother had nearly killed him and the kid had just shrugged it off.
"So why'd he show then?" Gil asks as he runs his thumb over Uma's shoulder.
"He wanted to drop a few things off apparently." Uma frowns before she holds the bag up to Gil, "This is for you."
Gil's lips pull into a smile as he steps back with the bag excitedly. He lifts it curiously, feeling out the shape of the object inside of it, "T always finds the best stuff." He grins boyishly as he tugs against the zipper, only to find it stuck fast.
Harry frowns as he watches Gil struggle with the rusted zipped hiding whatever treasure T had brought for him, "What he be ah sayin' that be gettin' ya all up in arms and makin' him jump ship?"
Uma frowns. Should she tell her boys what she suspected T meant? Or finally admit what she had witnessed the other night? Should she tell them he had something he had to do, and while it was dangerous, they had to respect it was his business. She sighs as her eyes narrow. Yeah, just like he always respected their business? Because he never did, not once. She purses her lips. As much as she'd love to get angry over the imbalance, she couldn't bring herself to ignore the fact that she'd been the one to set the standard.
She presses her fingers against her temples. She was starting to get a headache, "Look, we've always known T was a private guy and has his secrets."
"Like, how he got anything in this bag without ripping it in half?" Gil mumbles childishly.
Harry smiles at Gil's frustration before he reaches out and ruffles the boy's hair affectionately, "Aye Cap'in." He nods as he turns back to Uma, "We do be ah knowin' that. But that ain'nah bein' what I be askin'."
Uma looks away from him with pursed lips, one fist coming to her hip as she jutted the other. For the first time realizing the depth of her mistake for not taking a crowbar to T's life the minute he started prying into theirs. They were on such an uneven playing ground it wasn't even fair. She was going to live out her days paying back her depth of gratitude to T. It started the moment he'd saved Deez from a life of guilt at the well, and had spiraled into a whirlpool of debt since. A debt he'd never once acknowledged, or hinted at. Fuck he'd never even teased them about it.
"Ya really can'nah be tellin' me nothin'?" Harry reaches out to caress her cheek before he grips her chin to pull her gaze back to him
"You know my hands are tied on this, Harry. Kid likes to do things his way. And I've always stopped you from going after him out of respect to that…"
"Who he be ah goin' ta take on Cap'in?"
"Harry, chill." Uma sternly glares at him as she presses one hand against his bare chest to keep as much distance between them as she could. "If the kid needs us, he knows where he can find us."
Harry opens his mouth to continue arguing but is interrupted by Gil's sudden outburst.
"Yes!" He pumps his fist in triumph, completely unaware of the current conversation brewing between her and Harry.
This was one of those rare moments where Uma found herself genuinely happy for the obliviousness that struck Gil every time he was focused, "What did he find ya?" She asks, only too happy to change the subject on Harry. He wouldn't dare upset Gil when the boy was so clearly excited.
"A tattoo gun!" Gil scrambles to his feet with the machine in one hand and a fistful of bottles in the other. "He even got the real ink!" His voice raises with his excitement. "So we don't have to use the ones I've been collecting from pens!" His brown eyes glow with the excitement he was nearly shaking with. "Imma go see how this one works!" He races to their room.
Uma sighs as her chance of subject change vanishes, leaving her to face Harry's burning curiosity and intense questioning. Great. How the fuck did T manage to fuck so much shit up with fucking thoughtfulness of all things? She starts walking after Gil, hoping he'd drop it.
"Cap'in, ya be ah knowin' Imma get it one way or another." He whispers breathily into her ear.
Uma shivers as familiar warmth curls in her stomach and goosebumps race across her arms, unable to stop the purr at the unexpected threat before her senses snap back. "Not over this." She warns as she steps back with a hard swat to his shoulder. "Kid wants to handle shit alone, and it's not like he's not capable of it."
"Fine, be ah keepin' whatever secret ya be havin' ta," Harry shrugs nonchalantly, but she could see her words hurt him, "But if ya was bein' all worried 'bout ah keepin' it hush like, ya would'nah been ah shoutin' at him 'cross the deck." He challenges.
Uma looks away from him. The weight on her shoulders was suddenly a lot heavier. She swallows, unsure how to proceed without becoming a hypocrite or a liar.
"Look Uma, we both be ah knowin' I be havin' ah thing for him. And he be ah causin' me ah hellova lot o' grief for me feelin's. How it be being too much ta just be ah tellin' me what ya can be ah tellin' me?" He puts a finger to her lips when she opens her mouth to continue arguing, "And be ah trustin' that I be ah leavin' it ah what ya be ah tellin' me."
Uma drops her eyes, as she shifts with indecision. "I'm concerned you won't be able to stop yourself. And we owe T too much to be pulling stunts like this on him now." She sighs.
"Ya don'nah be ah thinkin' I know that?" Harry slips his arm through hers, making it look as though she was the one dragging him away, as he guides her to their quarters, "I just…" He opens the door and pulls her in, "Uma, please." He pulls her over to sit on the edge of the bed, "Ya be ah wantin' me ta beg?"
Uma frowns, unable to keep the whine back. But she knew she had made her first mistake by not shutting this down sooner. The way T had been acting still had her on edge. She couldn't help that it was overwhelmingly tempting to share her concern. And Harry was fucking smart enough to connect the dots enough to know something was really off. "Don't make me do this."
Harry holds her gaze evenly, her stern eyes drilling into his pleading ones before he gives up, "Fine," he breathes out in disappointment as his eyes drop to the whip in her hand, "T be ah givin' ya that?"
"Yeah," Uma shifts, as she hands it over to Harry. "After scaring the ever living shit outta me." She rolls her eyes. "Said he found it and thought I could use it since, ya know, he would be the one to compare a tentacle to a whip." She adds with a half-smile. She had completely forgotten about the odd gift in her hands. Which was weird for her. Any other day she would have been excited to try and practice with it. It just didn't sit well with her right now.
Harry nods, "That be ah soundin' like me lad. His brain be ah workin' funny like that." He runs the length of the braided tail through his hand, eyeing it suspiciously before he turns the hilt over to look at it. He closes his eyes, his breath leaving him in a low hiss as his skin pales. After a moment he hands the whip back to her, "If T be ah collectin' it for ya, yer gonna be ah needin' to learn to use it."
Uma accepts the handle, still warm from Harry's hand, back before she tilts it, curious as to what he'd found. Her eyes narrow at the small t made of golden threads woven into the leather. Had t marked it the way Gil was signing the swords? She frowns, she had a hard time picturing T mark anything, But, that didn't explain why Harry looked like he was going to be sick. "What do you know that I don't?" The accusation was clear in her tone as she glares up at him. She didn't like this. T's mood today had her worried enough on its own, but seeing Harry's reaction to the gift was making her paranoid that she'd made a serious mistake by telling him to stop in his pursuit. Her stomach turns with worry as Harry takes his turn to look away.
"I thought we be ah owin' it ta him ta be keepin' his bis-"
"Cut the shit, Harry." Uma snaps at him, both fists coming to rest on her hips. "This is fucking serious."
Gil lifts an eyebrow at Uma, her anger breaking whatever trance he was in. He sets the tool aside as he looks between the two of them in concern. "Everything okay?"
Uma bites her bottom lip before she smiles, "It's all good sweet boy, we're just disagreeing, we didn't mean to interrupt you figuring out yer new tool."
Gil frowns at the dismissal. His eyes dart back and forth between her and Harry. "Want me to practice on deck?" He hesitantly offers as he stands and walks over to the bed. "I'm worried, but neither of you seems to want to talk about whatever is bothering you, and I doubt having me in here as an excuse or distraction is helpin' things get better any faster."
Uma closes her eyes, ashamed that she'd done exactly that earlier, "I'm sorry Gil, that's not how I was trying to make you feel."
"Don't worry about it." Gil gives her an encouraging smile. "I know you'll let me know if it's important." He leans down and kisses Uma's temple before he turns and punches Harry's shoulder. "I'll be on deck, James'll be excited to see this anyways." He dismisses himself, gathering his new toy before he walks to the door. "Hope you can figure this out quick." He grins at them before he lets himself out of the cabin.
Harry sighs as he flops his back into the bed, "Great. I know he ain'nah mad 'or nothin'..."
"But that kinda just makes it all the worse, don't it?" Uma finishes with an understanding sigh.
"Aye." Harry nods as he pulls Uma back by the shoulder until she's tucked against his side with her head resting on his bicep, "When the hell he be ah growin' up like that?"
"He's always been like that." Uma sighs, "Peacefully objective, and lets everything roll off him like water. That's why he's our sweet boy, remember?" She boops his nose. "But seriously Harry, what aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing that ain'nah just me gut feelin'. And the same gut be ah tellin' me not ta be lookin' any further into it." Harry admits as he drags his free hand down his face.
Uma frowns at the confusing response. "What feelin'?" She asks cautiously. She was feeling more and more like she'd made a horrible call of judgment.
Harry sighs before he reaches over and tugs the whip from her grip, "Ya sure ya be ah wantin' ta know what I be ah thinkin'?" He asks, "An' be ah mindin' that I don'nah be havin' nothin' by way of proof, it all could be ah coincidence."
Uma frowns. "What are you thinkin' could be a coincidence?"
"I be ah thinkin'-" He points out the small t on the handle, "That the letter t and the cross at the big cathedral that be loomin' in the red lantern district like a whore outta place in ah church be ah lookin' awfully close." He sighs, "This ain'nah bein' the first weapon T be givin' away that be fancier than most I ever be ah seein', and is bein' marked with ah cross ta boot."
Uma frowns, "So you think the freak that calls me and Deez hellspawn is T's dad?" She asks, confused as to why that made him look so ill. She could only guess how much that must've sucked for T if that was the case, but who cared who the kid's parents were? He clearly didn't. Her eyes narrow. Or rather did too much? Ugh. When had everything become so complex with such a transparent kid?
"I dun'nah be ah knowin'." Harry sighs, pulling Uma tighter to his side before he continues, "But he be ah givin' me the shakes in me bones and eels in me belly when I be ah tryin' ta investigate things meself," He shivers before he can continue, "He be ah sayin' things that don'nah be ah makin' sense, and he be ah leerin' like."
Uma tilts her head to the side. That was impressively disturbing. There wasn't much that creeped Harry out, so the fact that someone had was alarming in its own right. "Must be some feeling…" She murmurs, still confused as to what about the information had caused Harry's reaction.
"Ya be ah knowin' everything I do be fer this family right?"
"I have never once doubted where your loyalties lie, pretty boy." Uma props herself up on her elbow to watch his face as she caresses his chin in concern. It wasn't like her melodramatic boy to be so… Blank? It was more concerning than any words could ever stir.
Harry nods as he continues to stare at the ceiling, "Good." He sighs before he rolls slightly, tucking himself against her chest, "I be sorry fer pushin' ya earlier Uma." He admits as he wraps his arms tightly around her waist, burying his head against her as he snuggles her.
Uma frowns as she looks over Harry in concern, her arms wrapping around him to secure them together tightly. Her head tucks against his hair as she absently strokes his back. Why was a suspicion this hard on him? Why did it disturb him so much he was shaking?
She runs her hands up and down his back, trying to connect dots that she didn't have. She just knew she was missing something important, something that clearly shook Harry to his core when she'd forced him to share it. She swallows, her mouth suddenly dry.
It was enough to let her make up her mind. It was one thing to keep someone's secrets, someone's privacy when there was nothing at stake- But it was another thing entirely if someone's well-being was on the line. If they were both seriously this concerned, with nothing but instinct to go on, there was a reason for it.
"He said he wasn't going to be coming around as much," Uma admits as she hides in his hair. "That he'd only really come back to drop off what he did, and attempt to finish the ship." She continues, "And I mean, he didn't really say much, but, he snapped at me, Harry." She lets out a heavy sigh, "Not that I care." She quickly corrects any misguided thoughts. "It was just, I've never heard the kid snap like that, not even when you get on his last nerve…Or when Tim pisses him off. It was…" She chews her bottom lip, struggling to describe what she didn't understand, "I never thought T could scare me, but it was enough to make me take a step back."
Harry sighs deeply before he loosens his death grip on her and pulls back just enough to tap their foreheads together, "That ah be concernin'. There ain'nah single person that can be ah scarin' ya."
"I fucking know." Uma agrees easily. "That's what I'm saying. He was just being so fucking… I don't even know. Vague, and kept volunteering things I wasn't asking for, and avoiding the things I was looking for."
"It be ah makin' me wish we be ah havin' our little fire princess here." Harry admits with a frown, "She be ah havin' ah knack fer connectin' dots no one be ah wantin' her to."
Uma lets her head hang. "Yeah, no kidding." She admits with a frown. She'd never missed her cousin's ability to pick up nuances that were nearly imperceptible to everyone else so desperately. She swallows her pride. "I think I fucked up Harry…" She frowns. "Next time the kid comes round I think it might be a good idea to either be keepin' him here or following him." She swallows, throat dry with concern. "He's not in a good place right now."
Harry shakes his head, "Ya ain'nah fuckin' up Uma, ya be doin' the same ya always be ah doin'," He runs his fingers over her braids, "Ya be ah givin' him the option ta be stayin'. Just like ya be ah doin' fer me an Gil. Ya've always been ah woman o' integrity me love, and ya always be ah lettin' it be our choice ta be ah joinin' ya." He rolls onto his back, lightly tugging a single braid free to bring to his lips.
"Yeah, but never like this," Uma admits, her voice soft. "I never for once thought there was a chance I would lose either of you completely."
"I seem ta be ah recallin' ya tellin' me that once when I be trying ta sneak off ta get ah hit o' the happy. I were in ah bad way back then." He continues to play with the braid in his fingers.
Uma frowns at the memories of having to wean Harry off whatever shit those disgusting fucks who'd used him had forced into his system. "But, I knew enough then to stop you."
"How many times had ya not though." Harry holds a finger to her lips, "Listen love, I just be ah sayin' ya have good instincts, trust 'em."
Uma chews on her lip before she sighs. "This feels different though. T is always such a cocky little shit… Tonight though…" Her eyes focus on the wall behind him, "Tonight he wasn't so confident in his ability to survive. And-"
"He be ah seemin' smug as ah shark swimmin' through ah school when he be ah jumpin' ship," Harry grumbles.
"Yeah, but that's the thing Harry, I think he was being dead-ass serious with me when he said he wasn't sure if he'd survive whatever the fuck it is he has planning… At the time I wasn't sure how much of a claim I was willing to force on him… But now, after talking with you?" She lets out a self-deprecating snort, "If he comes back 'round, or you come across him, you bring his ass back here and you shove it in the brigg like we used to do with you when you were fixin' for a hit. And not let him go till he gives us the answers we need. He can get over himself this once."
Harry sighs, "Aye Cap'in." He nods, "Ya be ah wantin' me ta be pullin' our sweet boy back so we can be lettin' him in the know?"
"Aye." Uma nods, "And best to let James know too."
"And maybe we can ah be," Harry walks his fingers down the middle of her chest, "Be ah makin' up proper like?"
Uma can't help her smile, "That only sounds fair." She needed the distraction.
Harry sits up in the bed before he rolls out of it, "Aye. I be ah bein' back momentarily me love." He bows deeply.
"See to it you do." Uma returns, playfully stern.
"Aye Uma." He purrs before he rushes out the door.
She falls on her back as she stares up at the ceiling, feeling very much like Harry was leaving out whatever it was that had him so concerned. Which was fair, because she had done the same. And she had a gut feeling they had nothing in common, but everything to do with each other. She wasn't blind to the fact that she and Harry were prone to paranoia when it came to the ones they cared about. Which was exactly why they needed Gil's cool head to keep them tempered.
So… We know you guys are probably getting frustrated, or are already frustrated by the fact no one is sharing T's secrets. But the problem is for as much as these kids are 'villians' they all, at least the ones our two little rebels picked, have some semblance of a moral/honor code and it's hard to get one of them to break it without messing with their integrity. We promise most of it will come to a head even if T doesn't make it to the next book. You can only handle so much concern before the levee breaks after all.
What did you guys think of T's gifts to Uma and Gil?
And how about that discussion between T and Uma? Heavy right?
We actually discussed whether Uma would step back or not at T's aggression, and agreed she would. T isn't usually this dark and short with her, and even he had to take a step back and evaluate what he was doing. Do you agree, or do you guys think Uma should've stepped to him?
Harry was so disappointed when he couldn't take chase after T, but how did you think we handled the conversation between him and Uma? Did it make you want to bash your head into a wall? Or shake the two of them for not fully divulging what they knew?
How about Gil? We usually don't use him for comedic relief but we couldn't help ourselves. That's just how legit excited he'd be over that particular gift. What do you think of Uma and Harry's assessment of his trust and loyalty to them? Of his shrewd evaluation of their conversation and the role he was unwilling to play in it?
Much love and appreciation,
-Twisted
