Disclaimer: Game of Thrones and Life is Strange aren't my properties, they belong to D&D, George R.R Martin, DONTNOD and Square Enix. And the Lord is good, because if I were the owner, believe me, you'd hate what I'd do with that.
Summary: All he wanted was to forget, to have a fresh new start. And so did she.
Author's note: This is set after the end of LIS with the "Save Arcadia Bay" ending. As for Game of Thrones, it is set in a modern universe and the characters are at the end of season 2, personality wise.
WARNING! THIS FANFICTION CAN CONTAIN HEAVY THEMES SUCH AS MENTIONS OF SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS, BULLYING ETC. IF YOU ARE ILL-AT-EASE WITH THESE SUBJECTS, FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS FANFICTION.
Begin again
Chapter 5
"I'll go grab some coffee." Kevan stated
Lancel only nodded and smiled as his father gently kissed his forehead. Kevan wasn't a very demonstrative man, though his children knew how much he loved them and how much they could feel his love. However, the shock of having almost lost his eldest son shook him to the core and he couldn't help showing his affection more. When he thought of it, Lancel felt guilty. He had made his father worried, Janei was too young to fully understand but his brothers were perfectly aware of his situation. He must have made his mother cry. And now, his father was here and though he was happy he was by his side, he felt bad. Though his father drove a lot due to his work, though he was a very good driver, he wasn't getting younger and he had made him drive through an almost stormy night. He had made him leave the comfort of his bed, the arms of his wife.
"Quit thinking you're a bother to me."
Lancel looked puzzled.
"I know that look. I want to be here." Kevan said, staring at his son
The teenager had a small smile and looked through the window of his hospital room as Kevan left him. The sun was high in the sky, making the grass shine thanks to the drops of rain that remained from the previous sky was pale blue, all looked pastel and soothing. Lancel couldn't help it, he grabbed his camera and took several pictures. When Kevan came back, he couldn't help but smiling. Seeing his son like this again, concentrated on his target, the smile of someone discovering something beautiful, his eyes sparkling due to the passion he had, was a delight.
"He also made good friends. I'm glad he has them." He thought
"Kate will love those." He heard Lancel say
"You seem to like Kate a lot." Kevan stated
"Of all my friends, she's the one I like best." Lancel replied genuinely
That made Kevan laugh internally. Lancel was like him in that regard. He too had been shy and awkward for Love. For him as well, Dorna had been, for a long time, the friend he liked best in his group of acquaintances. To be fair, he liked Kate. Not because she saved Lancel's life, though it helped in his appreciation. He liked her because she sincerely cared about his son. She tried to visit daily, if she couldn't, at least, she sent a message. When she came, she always asked about him, how he felt, what he wanted to do, she never put herself first. Something Lancel wasn't used to in his friendships. He had to leave in a few days and he wasn't worried about leaving Lancel behind after what happened. He knew he was in good hands.
"Kate is a nice girl. Your mother would love her."
Lancel smiled.
"Yes, Mom would definitely love her."
Lancel looked at a picture Kate had drawn herself for him. A little character, blond with green eyes, with a red hat and a red cape, having a heroic pose. Near him, a red headed girl, cheering, along with a crowd of fanboys, and holding a banner stating "People can change". The tone was light-hearted, full of vibrant colours. He loved it. She even signed it. He wanted to frame it and hang it in his room. His room… He wanted to go back, he missed attending his classes, chatting with Dana and Juliet, the series marathons he had with Warren, the portofolios he was working on with Max, his tea sessions with Kate… But he also feared the day he'd have to come back. He was afraid of gossips, of what people would say, of how people would act. He didn't want to be pitied as he didn't want to be mocked. And did people really understand Sansa's words? Or were they going to twist them, once again? The thought of it gave him shudders, he didn't want all of this to start again. He wasn't sure he could handle it.
"But then again, you have Warren. You have Max. You have Kate."
At the thought of Kate, he found himself smiling, a feeling of warmth spreading in him.
Kate…
He really liked Kate.
She understood him so well it was almost scary but he always felt… In peace with her, himself, unjudged.
He recalled her words, on how she almost jumped herself and the idea that she could have died months ago left him scared and almost empty. He couldn't imagine his world without her anymore. He loved his friends, he loved them all very much, but Kate was above them. He craved her presence, her smile, her voice, he yearned for the slightest gesture from her. Picturing her sad, crying, hurt, was breaking his heart and made his desire to be with her and to protect her grow. And he couldn't deny that she was cute, that he had a physical attraction. He had felt that already, once in his life, when he was in love with Cersei. Or when he thought he was in love with her, because when he had felt that, it never felt as genuine, as strong.
"Is this what they all call Love?" He wondered
Was he in love with Kate Marsh?
He didn't know, but he was sure he had a connexion with her, a bond, something stronger than mere friendship, as he felt that with her only.
Whatever that was, he needed it, he needed her.
They both made him happy.
They both made him live.
XXXXX
Kate was in Lancel's room, preparing it for his return, along with Warren and Max.
His return…
He had been away for a week and a half only but she had missed him deeply. They used to have their weekly tea on Fridays, that Friday, she felt a degree of loneliness she had never experienced before, even at the bottom of her depression. She missed his smile, she missed his presence, she missed his voice. That feeling of emptiness vanished when she saw him, when she heard him, but it came back at night. She was at Blackwell when he was in a hospital room, alone. What she felt at his side, she had never experienced it before. She felt safe, she felt trusted, she felt happy, she felt cared about and she was sure Lancel was feeling the same thing. After all, he chose to come down the stair way and not the Icarus way… She tried to imagine him dead, cold on the ground, after his fingers had slipped from her hand. It made her frozen from her head to her toes.
She cared about him, she cared about all of her friends, but he was special.
And pretty handsome too.
A good mind, a good soul, in an attractive body.
She had felt shame when she had realized she desired him. She had dreams where he was more than a friend, when they were laying like a husband and a wife, dreams she enjoyed when she had them, leaving her in the morning with a feeling of satisfaction. And after, a feeling of shame, as it left her moist between her legs. She was pious but she was no fool, she knew what being aroused was. She felt desire, carnal lust, for a man. She had confessed everything at the church, and the priest eased her. She was chaste, they were nothing but dreams, and dreams were harmless for her as God was watching over her. She thought the Lord was testing her will to remain a virgin, to give her maidenhead to her husband, the man of God suggested that, perhaps, she was feeling those experiences because she had found the man that would become her husband.
Lancel, her husband…
Kate Lannister, née Marsh.
She admitted that the thought was pleasant.
"But, am I in love with him? Do I feel just protective because I saved him? No, I felt attracted way before… Is that Love?" She wondered
Whatever it was, she only knew one thing:
She couldn't wait until Lancel came back home, to her.
XXXXX
Max had jumped in Lancel's arms, hugging him tightly as he left the hospital, with a cry of joy.
"Wow, careful now, don't want to break Grahamfield up!" He joked as he hugged her back
"I'm just happy you're out."
Warren took out a scarf. Lancel raised an eyebrow.
"To celebrate, we organized a little something, hope you trust us!"
Lancel let himself be blindfolded and led into Warren's car. After about ten minutes on the road, he started to wonder where he was taken. The car stopped, he was led somewhere where he could feel steps under his feet. As Warren allowed him to see again, he could see the Two Whales crowded with people:
Joyce, Dana, Juliet, Zachary, Brooke, Stella, Alyssa, Taylor, Daniel, Samuel, Mrs Grant…
Above them, there was a banner, painted with red letters, saying "Welcome back!"
"Surprise!" They cheered
As they screamed, Kate rushed to hug him tight. A hug he returned instantly, holding her close.
"Yay, Marster!" Juliet stated with a smile
"Marster?" Dana asked
"Couldn't call them Kancel, bad luck." She joked
Lancel didn't even pay attention, too overwhelmed by the show of friendship he was offered, too busy hugging Kate back, feeling her delicate smell again.
For the first time in a long time, he felt home.
XXXXX
Lancel had missed having tea with Kate. But he could feel something was amiss. She was somewhere else. Her mind was somewhere else.
"Is… Is something bothering you?" He dared asked after sipping some lemon green tea
"It's… It's not easy but… With everything that happened, I realized that I care about you…More than I'd care about someone else… I don't know what it is or why but…"
"Kate."
She looked at him.
"I feel the same way." He blurted out
She seemed relieved. And blushing as she realized he felt the same way.
"Perhaps… Perhaps we could try… See if…" She started
"For my part, I kinda know what it is. I have my doubts. But saying it now would scare you. Let's just try. See if it works."
She nodded.
"Marster is on, as Juliet would say." He joked
The day passed on a lighter tone, with them being almost lovers.
XXXXX
"This is insane Uncle! You can't!"
"I can and I will, Cersei."
Joffrey looked at Kevan.
"You can't blame us for Lancel's lack of will to live or lack of strength."
"I can blame you for sending him death wishes and threats."
He showed him the prints, Joffrey only tore them apart with a wicked smile.
"I have others." Kevan said, unmoved
Cersei seemed lost, and angry, mostly angry.
"We're your family and you'd leave us when we need you?!"
"Lancel is my son! He is my family even more! And he needs me, he needs me more than you need me!"
He looked at Cersei, right between the eyes, and with his expression, she knew there was no bluff, she had lost and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.
"I am moving to Arcadia Bay."
To Be Continued