Hey Descendants,
We've got another update for you :)
Are you ready for some Tough Love?
Yeah, you knew this was coming.
Lots of love!
-Dark-
"Get back in the cabin!"
T jumps out of the chair, nearly knocking it to the ground as he blinks down at whatever project Faustina had been in the middle of. That sounded urgent.
He blows out the candles, hoping it wasn't going to ruin anything.
"NOW!"James bellows again.
"Right." He grabs Harry's pants before he runs to the door, "Fuck." He hisses as he rips the key from where it was hanging on the wall before he locks the door behind him. He takes the stairs two at a time. "Dammit, dammit, dammit," He repeats like a litany as he races to the deck.
"Ya tryin' ta get us in trouble?" James growls as he points urgently to the cabin door. "Fuckin' sea gods!"
"On it." T rushes to the cabin.
"See to yer damn feet!" James groans.
"Right." T salutes him as he rips the door open, his eye twitching when he slides. "Fuck." He curses as he looks down at the blood. "Sonovabitch."
"Aye, sonovabitch," James grumbles as the door shuts.
He rushes over to the drawers and throws Harry's pants in his drawer before he races to grab a cloth and dips it in the frigid water before he runs back to the spot to clean the blood off the floor.
A splash outside the door catches him off guard.
"Thank you!" He hollers when he realizes what James was doing.
"You better be ah thankin' me from yer damned hammock!"
"Yep!" T wipes up the blood before he stands, groaning when he sees the rest of the blood tracks he'd left in his wake. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me." He groans again as he looks down at his blood-covered feet. "Dammit."
He quickly runs and wrings the rag out over the tub before he drops it to the floor and starts cleaning his tracks back to the hammock. His eye twitches when he realizes he didn't know what to do with the rag once he's back to his corner of the room. "Fucking dammit." He bends and picks it up before he tosses it over to the top of a shelf.
This was going to bite him in the ass.
Fuck. What the hell was he supposed to do with his pants? He grimaces, his hands on the waistband when he hears James greet Uma.
"Hey, Captain. Enjoy your adventure at the cove?"
Fuck. He curses as he grabs his books from the table before he rushes to get into the hammock. His eyes sweep the floor, for the first time grateful the wood was so dark.
"Sure did. Anything interesting happen while we were gone?"
Dammit. He throws the blankets over him.
"Not unless you count a street urchin getting noisy."
He opens the workbook, closing his eyes with a sigh when he realizes it wasn't his handwriting in the stupid book.
Fuck his life, he drops his head backward.
Fuck it. Looks like Deez is lucking out today. He just hoped the four would be too tired to pay the fuck attention.
"Not so much." Uma chuckles, "So, ya get bored or something?"
He does his best to collect his breath as he throws up his hood, hoping to cover his flushed cheeks. He opens up the textbook to where Deez had left off and starts filling in the answers.
"You know me, Captain. If yer bored ya can be cleaning."
"Uh-huh…" Uma's voice trails off as the door opens, "Hey T." She greets, her eyes hard as she looks around the room.
"Sup?" He greets, not looking up from the workbook.
"Enjoy your reprieve from chaos?" Deez chuckles as she slips into her chair at the table.
"We ain'nah bein' so bad as ta be called chaos now are we?" Harry chuckles as he walks up to Uma and throws an arm around her shoulders.
"I wouldn't say chaos is an insult," T responds absently. He hadn't, at least when they were around he wasn't stuck with his shitty fucking thoughts. "Did you guys have fun?"
Uma looks around the room before she sighs. When she looks over at T she smiles, "Aye. T wait until you see what our Baby Girl made!" She trills as she chuckles, "It's amazing."
"Yeah T, you're really going to enjoy it," Gil adds with a big grin as he wraps an arm around Deez's shoulders.
"Sounds like it. I'm excited to see it. Sounds fucking boss."
"Aye," Harry winks, "I can'nah be waitin' 'til ya be up ta travel."
"That makes two of us." T breathes out. He was such an asshole, seriously he couldn't sit in silence for a few hours? He shuts his eyes. Fuck. He didn't smell like herbs did he? Fuck. If he didn't, the room did. Ugh. He swallows a groan.
"Alright. Deez, Gil, Harry, crack open those workbooks." Uma commands as she looks at each of them, "T?" Her eyes land on him.
He grimaces, oh shit. "Sup?"
"Show me what you got done while we were gone." She grins as she walks over.
"Not much."
"Oh?" She leans in closer, "So, did you burn the letter?" She asks in a whisper.
T's eye twitches. Damn it. He shrinks slightly. "No..."
"But you did bleed."
"Not like a lot."
Uma sighs, "Okay. You took care of it though?"
T drops his head with a sigh as he shifts in discomfort.
"You-" She covers her mouth with one hand, "You ran out of time?"
"Yeah…" He admits with a small pout.
"Well, I can't complain." Uma chuckles at T's confusion as she stands up straight again, "You're still here, maybe a little worse for wear, but I get wanting to push yourself."
"Safely." Harry snaps before Gil grabs him by the chin and redirects his attention back to Deez and the workbooks.
"Me and safely have never been synonymous."
"It means words that have similar meanings." Deez whispers
"I be ah knowin' that," Harry grumbles.
"Now." T can't help himself.
"Hey, this conversation is private between me and T," Uma crosses her arms over her chest, "you three get your asses back to work."
"Aye Cap'n," Gil quickly agrees as he drops his hands on Harry and Deez' heads and pushes them down to look at their workbooks.
Deez sighs, "Um, sorry… no point in keeping quiet anymore. Either my work is all done, or I need my workbooks back." She says as she ducks under Gil's hand and pulls the pile into her arms.
T holds up her workbook. "I did like five problems."
"Sweet, I hate math." She grins as she walks over to exchange books under Uma's watchful eye, "And thanks for the help with the letter."
"No problem, and who doesn't?"
"Carlos." Gil and Deez chuckle.
"True," T responds with a small grin.
"Alright, get back to work Deez." Uma playfully swats at her before she looks back at T, "Let me get what you need to clean your feet."
"Heard." He rubs the back of his neck. He used to be so much better at hiding this shit. He frowns. At least they weren't pissed. He probably would've been if he spent 'x' amount of time taking care of someone and then they up and ruined it on a whim. On top of his shit job of trying to hide it.
T really did know a lot about her. She blushes as she carefully reads over his notes, occasionally needing to stop and write a few words out. It felt like forever since the last time she'd deciphered their language. She smiles at some of the words he'd use to describe her.
Optimistic. Yeah, she knew a lot of how she looked at the world was very optimistic. Her favorite thing to do was look at the way things could be instead of how they were. It was something that drove all her friends crazy.
Committed. She grins, knowing exactly what he was referring to before she even deciphered the rest of the sentence that followed. He'd always commented on how she threw herself into her letters for years while yielding no results. Well, that was until recently. The people that had been pulled out were too random for it to have been anything other than the fact the person who had pulled them out knew they were a group.
Tenacious. This had slowly become something she valued about herself, even liked. Since the day Gil told her she was stubborn, but he liked it because it meant she had passion. After that conversation, she paid attention to when she dug her heels in and figured out he was right. It was only when she was truly passionate about something.
Thoughtful. She liked that one the most. She was both absorbed with her thoughts most of the time, constantly thinking about how things could be better. And how she was constantly reflecting about other people and what made them 'good' and worthy of more than the isle life provided. Her thumb brushes the symbols. It was sweet that T had referenced both.
Sensitive, but not in a bad way. He'd been really specific on that. And honestly, she knew she could be. Even when she didn't know what it was she was feeling she'd always felt things. Felt them in her chest, her heart, maybe even her soul. It was another reason she saw things differently. It was another one of those things she struggled to like about herself.
Inspirational. She loved how he'd described that one. She had no idea that her glass blowing had inspired the book club. Or that she inspired him to be more creative when it came to him helping her with her abilities. Or, she resists the urge to snort, never pick a side. Or that she was a constant reinforcement for him to stand up for what he believed. A soft smile pulls at her lips, no wonder why he'd written this in their language.
She had no idea that T could be sentimental or affectionate.
Her first letter to the king about herself had been an experiment in being completely open and honest about what life here was really like. She told a lot of stories about herself. A lot about T. She sighs.
He'd even referenced stories for her. Like the time he found her on top of the mountain.
Hmm, if she was expected to let the others read this, maybe that wasn't a good story to include yet.
The reason why Evie was pulled from banishment, which surprised her. Evie must have told him the story at some point. He talked about the reasons why she agreed to Maleficent's terms to join Mal's gang even when she was clearly meant to be with the Sea Three. His words not hers, but she believed them wholeheartedly. That part made her eyes blur.
The time they were playing their game of hide and seek and he found her having a picnic with Evie. He had been angry about that one but apparently had become more amused by it when he discovered that Evie followed Pain and Panic to reach her.
How they'd made up their own language. How they would tag-team bringing their friends food. And even though she'd already written about it in her first letter, she loved his rendition of their first meeting.
She wipes at her eyes before she pulls the blank letter back to herself. She had to start somewhere. She didn't want to disappoint Uma. Or Gil. And T had certainly given her a lot to work with.
To His Royal Majesty,
Hello again. If you received my first letter about myself, please allow me to apologize. It was poorly written, unedited, and, well I was very concerned for a friend while I was trying to write it. So I may have been a little down as well.
There. At least she could prove she was trying.
She bites her lip as her eyes bounce between the letter and her notes from T. She probably should also write about stuff that was happening now. Maleficent summoning her after Mal and the others were gone, her father's strange antics- Not that she was keen to include him in her letters.
She sighs and lets her chin drop to her chest.
"So. Ya be ah havin' ah hard time there fire princess?" Harry grins as he slides into the seat next to her, sending Gil on her other side a wink before he focuses on her again, "I could be ah helpin' out."
Deez smiles as she lifts her head, "That's okay Harry, it's all just part of my writing process when it comes to writing about myself apparently." She softly pats his cheek.
"Carlos wanted to crack that code so bad." Gil chuckles as he rests his head on top of hers.
Deez chuckles, "Yeah, when we found out we told him to go for it, didn't we T?"
T grins, "I got a lot better at burning the letters after that. So, ya know, Mal couldn't pressure him into translating them for her."
"I'm not sure he ever deciphered it. I know he figured out a few words." She grins, "A few names."
"Oh, he definitely figured out the three of their names for sure." T agrees.
"He figured Harry's name out first." Deez chuckles.
Harry leans over her and spreads the pages out, "Ya can really be ah readin' this?" He shakes his head, "My name be written anywhere?"
"Is mine?"
"Don't do it Deez."
"Do it Deez." Harry glares over her head, "Ignore the guppy gallery over there."
"Come on Deez, you know it's more fun this way-" He pauses before a shit-eating grin lights up his face. "wait no, go ahead and show them."
"That's mean." Deez shakes her head, but can't stop the smile from forming on her lips. She knew exactly what T was thinking. Let them know what their names were, so when they saw them they'd know they were talking about them.
"Ssshh you." T grins."They wanna know so bad, show 'em. It's not like it's hard to figure out, anyway."
"Be ah comin' on Deez. My name in yer secret language." Harry pouts, "Be showin' me."
"Don't be dumb." T snorts. "All of your names are in it."
With a sigh, Deez drops her hand to the table and taps her finger to a small question mark without the dot. "See, you're name was the easiest to come up with."
"Oh, I be ah seein' me name comes up a lot."
"No, the ones with dots under them are question marks." Deez laughs.
"What's my name look like?" Gil asks curiously.
Deez purses her lips, "You really want to know?"
"Yeah…" Gil scoots closer to her. "What is it? What is it?"
"This," She giggles as she points to a symbol that looked a lot like a 'W', except the lower points were curved half circles and the middle where the 'v's met was a lot longer with a line through it at the top.
"It's an anchor." Deez explains when Harry and Gil turn furrowed brows on her, "Even back when we made this up T knew you were the anchor."
Gil looks over at T with a grin, "Is that why you suggested an anchor instead of the shield when I was talking art for my tattoo?"
"Yeah, I've pretty much always considered you an anchor." T nods
Gil's face lights up with his signature grin, "I didn't know it'd been that long."
"Aye lad, ya be the anchor always." Harry ruffles his hair before he turns back to the pages on the table, "So, what that ah be?"
"That's not how this works." Deez teases.
"Dude," another shit-eating grin pulls at T's lips, "If I wanted people to read it, would've written it in English."
"Aye, but we be in school now, and I be ah likin' this subject." Harry chuckles
"Too bad you didn't sign up for the class sooner." T chuckles.
Harry glares over at T before he snuggles up to Deez, "Come on Baby Girl, what be Uma's name?"
Deez furrows her brow, "Come on Harry, I need to write this letter."
"It's the tentacle dude. Don't be dumb."
"What be the pup's?"
"Harry!" Deez glares up at him, "Let me work."
"Haha." T snorts.
"I ain'nah seein' a dog."
"Just-" T shakes his head, "Come here." He frowns as he starts writing the symbols for everyone's names. "Uma's been on top of her since fuck only knows when about gettin' that shit done, and she's finally writing."
Harry snickers under his breath before he wraps his arms around her and plants a kiss on her forehead, "Thanks love." he whispers before he slides from the seat.
Deez shakes her head, she should have caught onto Harry's scheme sooner, but she really was concerned with getting the letter done. She watches him and T for a moment with a small smile on her lips. "I didn't even catch that I was part of a bigger plan," she whispers, "we really were gone for a long time weren't we."
Gil chuckles at her before he turns to place a kiss at the center of her crown, "Harry and T always have bigger plans when it comes to messing with each other. It's easier to just assume it at this point."
"Seems safer too." Deez snorts.
Gil nods with a mock severe expression. "I think so."
Deez chuckles before she leans up against his side, "If you want to know what T wrote about me, I'll let you read the letter. Maybe you can help me make sure it sounds good?"
Gil shrugs, "If he wrote it in your language, I'm sure he did it for a reason. Though I would love to read your letter when you're done." He nuzzles his chin against her hair. "But I can't read anything if you don't get to it." His chuckle rumbles in his chest. "And Uma said we needed to work. It's bad enough Harry walked off. I just wanted to know my name, anyway."
"Work. Work. Work." Deez chuckles before she sits up and stretches, "It would be so me to get into a groove this late." She points out before she sets her pen back to the paper. Maybe she should include today in this letter. The highs and lows of their family being reunited.
Gil chuckles as he places another kiss on the crown of her head. "I really need to get at least a page of this done."
"Need help?"
"You're just looking for distractions," He chuckles.
Deez pouts, "But you're a fun distraction, and I like English."
Gil perks up slightly, "You also like writing, and you've written more tonight than you have all week and that's just sad…"
Deez nods before she bends back over the page. It was just time to get words on the page.
"Sea gods T, did you even try to organize the hold?" Uma grumbles as she stomps into the room, half slamming the door behind her.
"I mean I used too," T shrugs, "before I started running outta space and forgetting what I had collected."
Uma frowns and shrugs, "Well that checks out, I can almost point out exactly where that happened." She shakes the small box in her hands, "But I found the bandages. I knew we couldn't have gotten into all of them." She tosses the box to T.
"I'll find more later." T rubs the back of his neck before he tucks the box under the blanket, "Yeah, sorry about that."
A small smile slowly cracks Uma's sternness, "No big. You're the collector. I'm sure I can get someone to help organize it."
Deez blinks before she looks up at Gil. They could do that, but before she volunteers them she taps him on the shoulder.
"Yeah?" Gil looks down at her.
"Would you want to help me organize the hold?"
Gil studies her for a minute before he sighs. "Yeah." He turns to Uma, "Me and Deez can organize and write down what we have."
Uma turns to them with a smile, "Ya sure Sweet Boy?"
Gil's silent for a moment before he sighs, "Yeah, I offered."
"And I'll be right there to help." Deez adds as she takes his hand under the table, smiling when he squeezes it, "Just like you do for me."
Uma rhythmically taps her nails across the table as she stares at T. This was getting ridiculous. She was all for letting T take care of himself when he could, but the fact he hadn't even moved to clean his feet was starting to wear on her.
If she didn't do something soon, she was going to end up having to wait until tomorrow. She stands up, looking over the letter Deez had fallen silent while working on for the past half hour or so.
Good. At least one of them listened. Well, two of them. She looks over Gil, watching as he reads from his textbook before he nods and then turns back to the workbook.
Maybe it wasn't even T's fault he wasn't working on his injuries. Since she'd walked back in Harry had been glued to his side, pestering him about his and Deez's secret language.
"Harry, did you get any of the school work done?" Uma demands, wanting to give T another chance before she took matters into her own hands.
Harry blinks as he looks up at Uma. "Uh-"
"Nope." T deadpans.
"Did she be ah sayin' T?" Harry grumbles, "No, she be ah askin' me."
"Aye, I asked you." Uma crosses her arms over her chest, "So, did you?"
Harry sighs, "I did be ah gettin' some done, but it ain'nah bein' what ya be ah wantin'." He admits as he hangs his head.
"Get your ass over here and get your damn work done." Uma rolls her eyes.
"Aye aye Cap'n." Harry salutes, winking at T over his shoulder before he slides back into his seat at the table.
Uma nods in approval, before her eyes flick back to T, slowly counting to sixty.
When T doesn't move to take care of his feet, Uma shakes her head. She walks over and takes the box from his side where he'd tucked it.
T shifts as he suddenly looks up at her with a look she wasn't familiar with, "I thought you said I could do it?"
"I waited, T." Uma shakes her head, "You didn't even try." She pulls the blanket up, revealing his bloody feet. She blinks and lets it drop back into place.
She clears her throat, "Deez, Gil, why don't you two take a break and go walk the hold? You don't have to start tonight, but you should think about how you want to tackle the project." She takes another deep breath, "Harry, go make sure they have everything they need."
Gil looks up with fear, "But there's only so much air in there." He frowns, concern clear in his tone. "What if we run out?"
"What? Ya think I be ah takin' up too much air?" Harry chuckles rigidly, his jaw a little too tense for the carefree tease.
"It's okay." Deez offers as she stands next to Gil, "I can see well enough until we find a lantern."
"Here," Uma walks over to the bedside table. "Just take this one." She offers with a small smile. It was bad enough she was forcing this on Gil so late, she didn't want him to have to face his fear in the dark.
Deez nods before she turns back to Gil and hands it to him, "I promise I won't take much air." She smiles before she touches the wick with a blue flamed finger.
"Of course not, you're tiny." Gil half-smiles as he stands up and offers her his hand.
"Ah, found a benefit to my tininess." She teases him gently as she slips her fingers through his.
"You're fun to pick up, and protect too." Gil points out with a small grin.
Deez smiles and tugs him towards the door, "And just think, tomorrow you can pick me up and protect me from the water, but tonight I finally get a chance to protect you."
Gil's ears heat up as he looks away. "Yeah, I guess that's fair." He kicks at nothing.
"You lead the way?" Deez offers as they get to the door.
A small smile tugs at the corner of Uma's lips. If she wasn't so angry with T right now she would have gushed over how adorable her Sweet Boy and Baby Girl were together. She'd think about it later.
For now. She waits until the door clicks behind them before she looks at Harry, "Get a towel and rags."
"Aye Uma." Harry jumps to do her bidding without thinking.
She pulls the blanket up again, "T! This must have just quit bleeding."
T looks away, "I was going to take care of it."
"When?" Uma snaps.
"When you guys passed out."
"So in the fucking dark?"
"I'm used to it."
"Correction." Uma shakes her head as Harry hands her a small stack of towels and rags, "You were used to it. But from now on, when you're hurt you take care of it immediately. And if you can't you ask for help."
T opens his mouth to argue before he shuts it. "Right…" He shifts, "I'll work on it."
Uma tilts her head to the side, "Just like that?"
"I mean," T shrugs, "Would you rather I question it? Because totally can."
"No, I would rather you understand why waiting as long as you did was dumb. You could have patched yourself up before." Uma puts the towels down on T before she takes the rags and soaks them in the tub, "I don't understand why you waited."
T takes a deep breath before he lets it out in a sigh. "Because I didn't want you guys to see it."
"You want me to trust you, you want to take care of yourself, but when I let it go that you got up and hurt yourself this is what I get for it." Uma shakes her head and takes the small basin Harry was handing her.
"It's not like it's that bad Uma. And I was going to take care of it. I'm not a complete ass hole, I know you guys put a lot of work into, ya know, keeping me from dying." He sighs.
"Ya just be ah survivin' ah massive infection ya little idiot," Harry shouts as he shakes his head, his hands fisted tightly at his side. "Ya think-"
"Harry, take a walk." Uma snaps.
"But Uma, he be ah-"
"I said take a walk." Uma repeats without raising her voice, "Do I need to make it an order?"
Harry tilts his head to the side and closes his eyes, "No Cap'n, no need for that." He clenches his jaw as he opens his eyes again, glaring at T before he walks out, slamming the door shut behind him forcefully.
Uma lets out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Without a word she starts lightly dabbing at the different stages of dried blood clinging to his skin.
She couldn't blame Harry. She was also livid. Why? What made waiting make sense? Because he didn't want them to see it? But, they're family. They're supposed to help each other. Or, if he really didn't want anyone else to see, why not ask for a minute to clean up? So many options, but he chose to try and wait them out. To work blindly in the dark.
Tears of frustration and anger well up in her eyes.
"Seriously Uma, I can take care of it."
"I gave you a chance to take care of it." Uma snaps before she takes a breath, "Look, next time, or if something like this happens again, hopefully not, but you're T so it probably will, just take care of it as soon as you get the things you need. You needed more than just the box, but you never asked for it. Were you going to walk on your injured feet once you waited us out? Or were you not going to clean them properly?"
T scratches his cheek as he looks away. "I would've cleaned up the blood."
"But that's not what we're worried about, and if you don't know that then you need to learn it right now."
T takes a deep breath before he lets it out. "I can take care of-" He pauses as he looks away. "Heard. My bad. You guys have done enough without this stupid bull shit added to the mix."
"That's not what this is about either." Uma sighs. She wasn't sure what the disconnect was, but she definitely felt like there was one, "This is about you getting taken care of as fast as possible, with the least amount of suffering, and reduce exposure to shit that can make you sick."
"It's not like I haven't walked around for years with worse."
"That was before." Uma shakes her head, "Why take the risk now?"
T's eyes drop to his lap. "I just- You guys have already done way more than you had to for my stupid ass-"
"Stop." Uma holds up her hand, her eyes hard as she stares T down, "You are my family. I will do anything for my family, so there's no such thing as too much, do you understand?"
"But-"
"No." Uma shakes her head, "There are no exceptions."
T frowns, glaring at his lap for a moment before he sighs.
"Do you understand that there is no such thing as too much when it comes to family?" Uma repeats sternly.
T opens his mouth to argue before he shuts it. "I just-" He sighs as he hangs his head. "I hear you want me to understand that there is no such thing as too much when it comes to family."
Uma shakes her head, "But you still don't. You don't understand why this upset me, or why Harry was so freaked out-"
"No, I think I get that." T frowns, "I'd be upset and freak out if the person I'd just spent fuck only knows how long taking care of ruined my work. It's fucking obnoxious and pretty damn shitty- But I was going to take care of it Uma, I swear. I've patched myself up in the dark more times than I care to count. You shouldn't have to worry about this shit. I'm the fucking idiot who was running around the ship barefoot."
"That's not it." Uma shakes her head before she turns back to work on T's feet, "You don't understand how we feel." She frowns, "You understand how you would feel."
T looks up as he tilts his head to the side, "There's a difference?"
"Yes. A big one apparently." Uma sighs, "I am not upset with you for getting hurt T. I'm not angry that I had to take care of you. I am not hurt that you got up and walked around. I'm hurt that you would hide it from me and not take care of it right away, or let me take care of it. I am not looking at you like you're an investment I made. I don't feel like I wasted time taking care of you. I do not feel like you are obnoxious for needing space or freedom." Sea gods, she hoped this would help and not overwhelm the kid. The last thing she needed, they all needed, was for him to run.
"What I do feel is frustrated. I'm frustrated that you think you have to do everything on your own. I'm frustrated that you think that just because you've done something like walk around with an injury before that it's okay now. You're family. That means something, it's not just a word. I chose you. I hope you choose me, in fact, that's part of our initiation. It's important. Because in this family we choose each other. Past family is over, it isn't as strong as the bonds we have. We are a real family. And there is no such thing as too much with us."
T drops his eyes as he studies his lap for several long moments before he pushes himself on the hammock. "I… I don't think this was a good idea." He chews his lip. "I mean, I chose you guys years ago, but like, not like this. I don't want to hurt you, any of you, and I feel like that's what's going to happen. I wasn't thinking clearly. I wanted to give you what- I don't know if you wanted it, or just feel guilty or pity or whateve-"
"Fucking sea gods T!" Uma snaps, "Are you fucking kidding me right now? You seriously think we would ask you to join our family, our family, out of guilt or pity? You don't think I and each of my boys thought this through carefully? Thought about how we feel about you?" She snorts, "You don't want to fucking hurt us? Then get your head out of your ass! Stop making us sound like idiots who can't think or feel anything for ourselves."
She takes a deep breath, wishing she could stop yelling, or that she could break something, "You don't think this is a good idea anymore? Really? Why? Why do you think this is a bad idea? Why is admitting that you're a part of a family a bad idea?" Her head snaps up as the door opens and she finds Harry standing in the room again.
"I'm dead weight. I couldn't even take out an old man. I'm just going to end up disappointing and hurting all of you on a level I'm not comfortable with-"
"Why?" Uma asks simply, glad to have Harry hovering near her back for the moment, "Why are you just going to end up doing that?"
"Because I'm not comfortable with any of this."
"Oh, and you were comfortable with your life before?"
"Kinda, yeah. I at least knew how most shit worked."
"Ya be ah liar." Harry adds lowly, "Ain'nah no one comfortable with that kind ah life. I tried that lie on her too."
"And it didn't work on me then like it ain't working now." Uma continues.
"Look, I'm not trying to be an ungrateful dick, and I get that's how this is coming off- I just-"
"Want to do things your way and never do anything uncomfortable, ever, even if it means walking away from something you're already a part of." Uma shrugs. She could feel the anger fizzing up under her cheeks, like a Kraken waiting to strike.
T takes a deep breath before he lets it out in a sigh. "I think it would be better for everyone if-"
"No." Uma flatly denies, cutting T off, "You don't get to decide for everyone. You make a choice, you call it what it is." She shakes her head, "You want to walk away from the people who love you, your family. Fine, that's your choice. But you're not doing it because it's what's best for everyone, you're doing what you think is best for you."
T's silent for a moment. "Fair." He frowns.
"T-" Uma sighs, "You are the only one who thinks you've lost your, whatever. Value or worth or whatever it is. You. Only you. The rest of us see someone who came back to us, who fought and lived through hell. You're looking at yourself and seeing weakness, but the rest of us see strength."
T scoffs, "Some fucking strength." He grumbles, "And I didn't come back, Hook saved my fucking ass. What the fuck good am I? You've got Deez. Why the fuck bother with me? And yes, those are my thoughts and feelings on the matter. I fucked up and lost everything I was trying to fucking do. And over fucking what? A stupid prick that would've died of old age in like three fucking years?"
Uma pulls Harry back before he can say whatever had been on his mind, "And yet he's still controlling your life. From his hell he's still making you miserable. Keeping you from the people who want you for who you are, who love you no matter what."
T's nose twitches as his lip pulls up slightly, "Why? I got fuckin' chained by two different OV's in the same fucking day."
"We're fucking kids T. Kids. And we're fighting fucking adults that fucked over rulers and other powerful people before they got their asses tossed here. How the fuck are we supposed to win against that kind of fucked up experience?"
T opens his mouth before he thinks better of whatever he was about to say and shuts it. "I…" He sighs as he hangs his head. "You're right. We're not going to win without being more fucked up than them."
"That is not what I was- No," Uma furrows her brow and shakes her head, not entirely sure where she'd lost the kid, "we're not going to win without watching out for each other. Alone we are vulnerable and easy to pick off. But together, together, we can do so much more."
T studies them for a moment before he looks away with a sigh, "Look, I'm sorry I said anything. I should've just kept my fucking mouth shut. Clearly being alone didn't work out for me before, and honestly, I don't even like it most of the time. I don't like sitting still. I don't like silence. I don't like not being able to take care of myself, or being told the way I've done it for years isn't going to work anymore, when it's never been a problem before."
Uma sighs, though she keeps her grip on Harry's arm tight, "T, being a family isn't easy. We're going to hurt each other. I'm sorry, that's just the fact of it. But I hope you'll eventually agree that though it hurts sometimes, we all do our best to be our best for each other. And it's worth it."
T drags a hand down his face, "What the fuck in this shit hole is easy?"
"Nothing. Nothing is easy. But again, this family is one of the few things that makes life worth living, not just surviving."
"Yeah, I fucking know that. Why do you think I started stalking you guys in the first place. The problem isn't with the four of you. It's with me. I fucking know, not think, not feel, I know that."
"Can we please be ah gettin' yer damn feet taken care of?" Harry interjects as he shakes Uma off him, "Please. For me fuckin' sanity."
T lets out a sigh before he reaches to grab the bandages.
Uma lets out a sigh before her eyes widen, "T, you have stitches in your back. What the fuck was I thinking?"
"Right." T plops back in the hammock with a frown. "My bad, dick move."
Uma shakes her head, letting out a half-strangled protest when Harry takes the rag from her.
"I got this love." He assures her, "Ya be ah wantin' ta take ah breather?"
Maybe she should. But would Harry and T be okay if she left them together? And were Gil and Deez okay? With an empty ship, she was pretty sure her voice had traveled well. She sighs. "You two gonna be okay if I check in with James?"
"Aye." Harry nods as he starts washing T's feet.
"Go for it."
Uma nods.
Heyo,
Me again. I know I'm not usually your end of the chapter greeter, but I promise I'll try to love up to Twisted's reputation.
So, dive right in?
What do you think of James and T working together to 'hide' the fact T left the cabin. Did you cringe at the bloody footprints from his cracking skin?
What about that slapstick sort of comedy T raced through in the cabin while he was trying so hard to make everything look normal? Talk about a series of unfortunate fails.
What did you think of Uma not being even a little fooled?
Did Gil doing his best to keep Harry and Deez out of their conversation make you laugh?
In the next scene, we see Deez going over the 'notes' T wrote to help her with her letter. What did you think about her introspection on the words T used to describe her?
It feels so amazing when you have a friend that knows you almost better than you know yourself. T really did an amazing job summing up the Fire Princess, in all the best ways. And funny ways. Even pointing out how sensitive she could be. He made it clear it wasn't in a bad way, but Deez definitely struggles to see that quality in any positive light. But it is one of the reasons she writes so well, and is able to see more truth in people's action instead of the words they say.
It's a subject that hits very close to home for me, and for the same reasons. Sensitive was never a positive word, but was a word used to describe me a lot. Writing that aspect of this character was very cathartic for me. Like trying to tell a younger part of myself that it's okay to be a sensitive person.
Anyway, one of my favorite parts of this chapter was Harry and Gil getting excited over learning what their names look like in T and Deez's secret language. And the shenanigans that followed.
What did you think of her wanting to help Gil out with his fear while also helping Uma out with organizing?
And for the part I think you've all been waiting for. How did you feel about Uma putting her foot down and explaining to T the difference between trusting he can take care of himself, and trusting him to do it before it became a problem?
Were you glad she tasked Gil and Deez with the hold?
What did you think about her telling Harry to take a walk?
Do you think Uma got through to T?
Let us know how that conversation went. Did it go the way you thought it would?
Tell us what you think.
And don't miss us this Friday on Facebook as we stumble through being Live again. We're thinking of starting around 6 eastern time. (We're still under strict quarantine, the county we live in is the hottest spot in Florida right now, so we're not messing around with that until we get the all clear.) So, tune in with your questions and we'll be happy to answer them.
Until then, we live for your comments and reviews. And thank you for taking the time to read our story. It means so much to us that anyone enjoys the ideas running around our heads.
Thanks again,
-Dark-