Hey! Dark here. So, basically the only reason on why you guys are getting updates so fast is so I can catch this one up with Ao3 and Wattpad. Anyways, I don't own anything, and If you want I can post images of Nath's paintings(later in chapter) if enough people want me to. Enjoy!
Hayley POV
I ran home, hoping Claire and Ellie were alive and well. Well, mostly well. With Nathan in charge, something wrong was bound to happen. I unlocked the back door, and headed inside to find the house... silent? Weird. I snuck upstairs silently, hoping mom wasn't home. I peeked in Claire and Ellie's room, to see their room empty. I then peeked in Nathan and I's room and grinned. Nathan was asleep in the middle of the bed, with the twins on either side of him. I saw the faint lines of his binder on his back and sighed. He was an idiot. I shook him awake and he shot up.
"Wha-what's wrong?" he mumbled, one side of his hair flat and the other side completely sticking up.
"Take off your binder. And you might want to finish your painting for the exhibition. You can see if you can turn it in early and it can be there, but not you I guess."
"All right." He muttered, and drifted towards the dresser and dug around in his drawer for a baggy shirt. He found one, and I looked down at my phone pretending to check my messages, though I knew I wouldn't have any. I glanced back up to see Nathan in one of Elissa's old debate team shirts, drifting toward his painting. It was a two part one that he had finished the sketches on canvas for and needed to paint it. I can't describe it because he won't let me see. I grinned at him, then gently picked up the twins and headed tp their room, and put them to bed. I heard the front door slam open, and stumbling footsteps, and cursed silently. Mom was home, probably drunk. I peeked in between the railing of the stairs and the ceiling. I saw mom passed out on the couch, a bottle of whiskey in her hand. I tiptoed downstairs and gently pried it from her fingers. I headed to the kitchen and dumped the contents of the bottle down the sink and trashed the bottle, then pulled out a mug and a pitcher of my 'hangover tea' and made mom a glass for when she wakes up. I placed the hot mug of tea and mom's reading glasses next to the newspaper on the coffee table, then headed upstairs to bed, even though it was only nine. I collapsed on the bed and immediately fell asleep, clothes and all.
Nathaniel POV
I glanced over at Hayley, watching her as she fell asleep. I looked back at my painting and grabbed my set of blue watercolors. I carefully painted in the deep blue of the night sky, then grabbed the metallic gold for the stars. I painted until I could barely keep my eyes open, knowing that I would mess up If I continued. I headed to the dresser and pulled on a ratty t-shirt that Elissa had worn all the time when she slept, or hung around, or did anything. Even after a year, it smelled like her. I missed her so much. I sniffed and glowered as I felt tears prick in the back of my eyes. 'Guys don't cry. Guys don't cry.' I told myself. I pulled on the t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts avoiding looking down or in the mirror. Once in my pj's, I headed to the bed Hayley and I shared, shoved her to one side, and curled up in a ball under the blankets and fell asleep.
Juleka POV, Much Earlier
As soon as Hayley left we all ran off to get stuff for the baskets with a friend. Rose and I ran to the mall together, while everyone else ran other ways.
"What should we get Nathaniel?" Rose asked.
I frowned, "Maybe art stuff? He always seems to need more of those."
"But everyone will get him that stuff, or more clothes," Rose replied.
"Hmmm, your right," I muttered, thinking. "Oh! What about a new chest binder?" I asked Rose.
"Yeah! But what size?"
"We can ask Marinette. She would know."
Rose pulled out her phone and dialed the number Marinette had given her. I heard Marinette say something, then Rose asked her what size to get. Marinette said something, then Rose shut off her phone, ending the conversation.
"She said probably a small." She told me.
I nodded, then we went to search the mall for a binder and universe patterned anything.
Later
Everyone had decided to gather at Chloe's room at the hotel, much to her distaste.
"Wow, very pink," Kim muttered, looking around.
Chloe huffed. "Can we just get this done with?"
We all sat in a circle on the floor, Chloe sitting on her desk chair, saying she wasn't going to sit on the "disgusting, dirty, germy floor" .
"So waht did we get Nathaniel?" Alya asked, taking charge of the situation
Most people had gotten him art stuff, a few people had gotten him clothes, but Rose and I were the only ones who had gotten him a binder, thank god.
For Hayley everyone had gotten her universe patterned stuff, but Rose and I and surprisingly enough, Chloe, had actually texted him to ask what she liked. We both got her universe patterned cooking stuff.
"We can give the stuff to them at school tomorrow." Adrien told us, then we all headed home.
