Sometime near the start of the year, I just had an itch to go back to this series, see where things had gotten. I was immediately intimidated by the sheer amount of lore being thrown at us at the time and I pretty much started skimming through to see if anything interesting popped up.
Then I got to this scene. This one little flashback that put Mandy's cruelty on full display. And I saw an opportunity.
Some notes at the bottom.
He stopped two steps into the hallway of their extravagant home. He'd left the emptied glue tube in the study, maybe he should go back and toss it? The trash was on the way to where he was going. He could always just gather everything up when he finished, but now the thought was stuck in his head and he'd already spun around.
Maybe he could get the drop on Minnie and give her a little scare. That could be fun.
Any trace of a smile on Junior's skeletal features was muted just as he was about to step into the doorway. The clang of striking steel stilled the young reaper in place. Before he could jump into action – whatever form it may take – someone started speaking. A very familiar speaker, he realized. Junior could feel ice in his soul, freezing him in place, as his mother began her "lecture."
He couldn't say he was surprised by her demeanor. The aggressive cruelty in her voice was pretty par the course for the Queen of the Underworld. Even hearing it directed at his sister wasn't particularly shocking but…
No, this was different. As the rather one-sided dialogue continued, Junior could feel a gaping pit forming where his heart should be. His mother's words were… too much. Too hateful, too cold. He wasn't even in the same room as her, he couldn't imagine how Minnie felt taking this "lesson" face to face.
Then he heard it, the sudden twack and the clatter of scattering bits that followed. Junior's body jolted – he knew exactly what that sound was without even looking. Still, he couldn't find the strength to move yet. There was the much softer sound of crumpling paper before his mother spoke one last time.
"Your brother spent a considerable amount of time on that project of his. Do be a good sister and console him for me."
And then there was silence. Life – or whatever he had that imitated it – returned to his form. Junior swiftly found himself tilting sideways, his arm catching his weight against the wall. The need to breathe was overwhelming, a series of short huffs rushing through pursed lips. That absent heart of his was beating hard regardless, the entirety of his boney frame quaking with each percussive strike. His mother and sister had to know he was standing there, how could they not hear the near panic attack he was experiencing?
There was a sob.
Junior seized up, his skull perking at the soft cry. A second passed and then… another choked breath called out from the study. Junior's arm left the wall, his hand reaching for the edge of the doorway. Pulling himself into frame, his empty sockets locked onto the sole figure remaining within.
Minnie was at the desk, holding the quite emptied tube of glue in one hand and shifting around the shattered bits of his broken model with the other. Her normally poised movements were nonexistent, her arms wracked with terrible tremors. Even at this distance, he could see the reflection of tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Her gaze was wild and desperate, unable to focus.
Not until she caught sight of him stepping into the room.
"Brother! It's not what it looks like!"
Junior just stood there, a few steps into the space, his blank eyes locked on the scattered remains of his miniature T-Rex skeleton. Minnie continued to babble, going incoherent as blind panic overtook her. The young reaper turned his gaze to his sister. His expression halted her ranting, her body locking up.
Silence overtook them. With his lack of actual eyes, Junior could chance a few glances around the room. Something shifted behind a book shelf and the boy took a single, deep inhalation. Funnily enough, Minnie copied his actions. On any other day he may have laughed. As one the two siblings released their breath, Junior steeling his features.
Minnie was startled when her brother marched towards her. He offered no words as he snatched up her hand, turning on a dime and beginning to drag her out of the study. She didn't even try to resist, catching sight of her mother peeking out from her hiding place. The children were out the door in the span of seconds.
Junior had no plan. He knew he had to get out of there. They had to get out of there. Had to get somewhere safe. For him, the safest place he could be was his room. So to his room they went.
Mini-Mandy wasn't sure what to make of being escorted to her brother's room like this. Because her depravity knew no bounds, notions of the carnal nature bubbled to the surface of her thoughts. What else would a strapping lad expect in taking a young lass into his bedchambers?
Her snuffing of those thoughts was swift and merciless.
The two crossed the threshold into Junior's room, the boy himself swinging the door shut behind them. Though it meant little, particularly if his parents were the ones who wanted in, he made sure to click the lock in place. The brief sound was not lost on Minnie, the girl able to intercept her erratic lusts and focus on the actual situation. Did he plan some sort of violent retribution and wish not to be disturbed in the midst of it?
That thought was… strangely calming. At least Junior's punishment would likely be sensible, it couldn't be any worse than what her mother subjected her to.
Junior stepped towards her and Minnie gave a short jump. The pair paused, staring at each other. The boy took another step, his features devoid of emotion. Minnie closed her eyes and willed herself to relax, prepared to receive whatever her brother would give her.
Her heart all but leapt into her throat when what her brother gave her was a hug. One that rocked her so thoroughly she fell backwards onto his mattress. Junior followed suit, landing half on top of her.
"Br-Brother? Wh-What is-"
"I'm sorry Minnie, I'm so sorry."
The girl's addled mind found less and less to grasp onto, the situation deteriorating by the second. Why was he apologizing? Her brother hadn't done anything wrong, not up to this point. As much as Minnie wished to articulate this inquiry, she found only the strength to wrap her arms lightly around Junior in return. He was clearly upset, her first priority was to offer comfort.
"I'm sorry," he continued, "I didn't know."
"Didn't know..." Minnie whispered, glancing down to the top of her brother's skull.
"Tha… That mom was-"
She had no control over her reaction. Where once her arms held her sibling, now they thrust the boy away. Junior sailed across the bed, hitting the edge of the mattress before toppling to the dark carpet below. He hardly even felt the pain, scrambling upright and lifting himself back onto the bed.
Minnie had jumped back, pressing herself between Junior's cushions and fully against the headboard. Her gaze was intense, her pupils shrunken to tiny black pinpricks in the wide whites of her eyes. It was similar to what he saw earlier, when she was struggling to piece together his broken model. But in addition to the fear, there was something he couldn't quite recognize. Something wild and irrational.
"Sis?"
His sister shook. That was all the response Junior was going to get, Minnie's gaze still locked in a thousand yard stare. The young reaper crawled forward, Minnie didn't move. Junior kept going.
He was next to her in seconds. Minnie's stare continued forward, the far wall of considerable interest. Junior reached out for her with both hands, very slowly.
"Minnie."
The boy spoke in time with his hands falling on her shoulders. His sister started to struggle, but this time Junior had a firm hold on her. Minnie's hands swung up, clamping down on the young reaper's dark sleeves. The amount of strength she had was frightening, Junior forced to either lose his grip or have his hands snapped off at the wrists. The show of force looked to be a surprise to Minnie as well, her own limbs going limp after the fact.
Junior blinked, a truly remarkable feat for a living skeleton. At least he had his sister's attention, even if she still looked midway through an emotional crisis. The boy paused, attempting to organize his thoughts. This… had never been a strong suit of his, but even Junior could see that this required a more calculated approach. In his musing, the kid skeleton fell back against one of his cushions and headboard.
Beside him, Minnie mimicked his stance. Her brother proceeded to take well over a minute thinking over his next course of action, enough time for the girl to calm considerably. She watched as Junior's face slowly twisted into a tight grimace, as though the "agony" of critical thought was translating into actual pain. The small grin that graced her lips went beneath Minnie's notice.
But Junior caught the slight shift in mood, his own features relaxing. Even then, his expression never went beyond sternly neutral.
"Are you okay?"
It was probably the dumbest question he'd ever asked. Things were not "okay," he doubted they'd ever be that way again after what he'd learned today. But he had to start somewhere.
Minnie's brief smile wavered, only a slight upturn at the corners of her lips. She leaned against the headboard, her gaze now cast at Junior's lap rather than his eyes. There was a short silence before she spoke, "No worse than usual."
"What does that mean?"
His sister's face fell further. "It's of little concern, my brother. I'm used to it."
Junior leaned over, propping his weight on one hand as he tried to look Minnie in the eye. Her hollow gaze turned away, facing the corner of the mattress and the headboard. "'Used to it,' do you even hear what you're saying? That's completely demented!"
Minnie shrugged, "It is the way of things."
The boy reaper wanted to rage, be angry at everything and everyone involved. His mother for doing this, his father for allowing it to happen, himself for being blind to it all. He'd never been good at reigning in his own temper. So it struck Junior himself as odd that he remained so still. Perhaps he could chalk it up to shock at his own sister's lack of caring, but he felt far too calm about the situation.
Instead of bursting with emotion, Junior dragged himself next to his sister. This time when he put his arm around her shoulder, she easily complied. Minnie shifted her weight off the bed's frame and all but melted onto her brother, her head resting atop his chest. Junior fell back onto his cushion as she brought her own arms around his torso.
With his free hand, Junior stroked his sister's hair.
"Minnie," the young reaper paused, trying to form the right words, "… I've got you."
It was a simple statement. She supposed it was to be expected, her brother was far from articulate in the best of times. But even so, those simple words were the tipping point. Burying her face into his black hoodie, Minnie allowed the tears to fall. Junior tightened his grip as the first sobs wracked her form.
She was a failure, every bit the disappointment her mother derided her as. She was supposed to be the protector, an executor of her master's will. Unflinching, unyielding, a force of nature made flesh. A perfect weapon for her future ruler – for the sake of her brother.
And here she was showing such blatant weakness, drawing comfort from the one person who should have seen only her strengths. But even despite that failure, Junior continued to hold her, to lovingly stroke her hair and allow her to cry into his chest.
"I promise, from now on. I've got you."
Maybe… it wouldn't be so bad to indulge herself. Just for now.
Mandy stood in the open door frame, a hand against the edge holding her steady. If not for that small tether, she may have stomped over to the sleeping pair and torn them apart – possibly in a literal sense.
It wasn't that she was particularly against their newfound "closeness," even factoring in her daughter's blatant infatuation with her sibling. She was honestly the last person to be lecturing anybody about "taboo" relationships. Besides, keeping things in the family was well in line with her future plans.
The problem was that they hadn't earned it yet.
As she mulled over her next course of action, she purposely ignored the looming figure coming to a rest behind her. The hand that fell upon her shoulder was tender, if not firmer than she was used to. Had it belonged to anyone else, it would also have been swiftly severed and stomped under heel.
"I tink you'll have to let dem have dis."
Mandy slapped the palm away, her eyes still fixed on the sleeping pair before her. Junior and Minnie were dead to the world – no pun intended – the latter strewn across her brother's chest with arms wrapped around him. Despite the small bag of bones likely serving as the worst pillow in existence, her daughter rested with the most pleased expression written across her features. Junior looked rather content himself, one arm slung around his sister's shoulder.
It was an overall sickeningly adorable scene, one that even Mandy was having difficulty resisting. This was partially what rooted her to the spot even as her husband pushed past her, gliding into the room like a black veiled wraith.
Grim drifted to the side of Junior's bed with nary a sound. From the foot of the mattress, his skeletal hand snatched a folded sheet, dragging it up towards the slumbering siblings. With practiced ease, he swept the blanket over the two, drawing it up to Minnie's chin and over the lower half of Junior's chest.
As the hooded reaper stepped back, he paused for a moment to look over his silent children. Still standing in the doorway, Mandy steadied her own gaze over the scene. A doting father tucking his kids into bed, you couldn't ask for a more suburban family image. The fact that two of them were visible undead did little to detract from this, at least from Mandy's point of view.
The Bitch Queen promptly crushed any notions of longing deep into the recesses of her mind. That tiny lapse was all the time needed for Grim to cross back over to the doorway.
"Ya alright der, me love?"
Mandy met her husband's curious gaze, acknowledging his question before staring past him once more. "This is going to complicate things," she stated, more to herself than anything.
Grim hummed in response, waiting to see if she would continue. When nothing further came, he decided to offer his own input, "Yer first plan was a bust, you'll just have ta work around it."
His wife fixed the reaper with a withering glare, the sort that would usually cow her enemies into silence. Grim gave back a brief smile and a short huff as he started to turn down the darkened hallway. With his back to her, he offered his queen a final observation.
"Maybe try a less brutal approach dis time around."
Mandy had half a mind to light the bone head on fire. It would be a fun nostalgia trip if nothing else. But she remained rooted to her spot, watching as Grim retreated around the far end of the corridor. She maintained her gaze for some time further, waiting to see if he would return. Satisfied after a short while, Mandy turned back to her sleeping children.
The scarlet moonlight shining down through the room's large window framed the pair perfectly, the soft glow taking care not to disturb them. Many thoughts ran through the mother's mind; of the past, the current, and things yet to come. For the first time in quite a while, she was feeling indecisive.
It would be many hours before Death's Queen would return to her own bed. Many hours that were spent, unbeknownst to them, in the company of her children.
I don't feel like I have too much to say regarding this piece. It kind of speaks for itself as it is.
I got a bulk of the tale all the way up to near the end of Junior and Minnie's scene done in near a single session of writing. Sometimes the words just flow from your fingers. But I was having some difficulty with the end bit, I just didn't know where to take it from there. The idea of shifting over to Mandy and Grim came to me about a week ago and I pretty much blitz my way through to the end on that concept.
Grim has a bit more of a backbone here than I remember way back when I was still reading GTFDB regularly. He can pick up on how this situation kind of unnerves Mandy and he takes the opportunity to kind of get his own say in the conversation when normally his opinion probably wouldn't be worth much. He's not quite critical of his wife, no one's that bold, but he makes light of her in ways that have her considering his words. I feel like, given an intimate setting, this is the sort of tone that Mandy would best respond to when coming from her husband - an "aloof authority" if you will.
Mandy's at a bit of an impasse by the end of this. On one hand, there's no doubt some minuscule level of affection she feels seeing her children finally starting to bond with each other. On the other hand, it'll probably take the form of them banding against her and her authority... which is itself divisive because while she'd be proud of them for defying her it could prove detrimental to her overall plan for the future. And, you know, they're also her kids... having them both against her might hurt a little? Maybe? Befuddled Mandy is interesting.
To that end, I really liked the ending where the only time the mother can have a quiet moment with her children is while both of them are unaware of it. That felt like it had some poignancy, pat myself on the back for that one.
The relationship between Junior and Minnie here can't not be awkward. Even if the situation is rather expected considering who we're talking about, having proof that your parent is tormenting your sibling is, at the absolute best, a jarring experience. Being a kid himself and one that's not too socially acclimated, Junior has no good course of action to resolve anything. All he can really do is be there and it's frustrating.
Minnie is finally getting the attention she wanted from her brother... but it's born of pity rather than admiration. The one part of herself she never wanted him to see is out in the open and the chance of them meeting as equals now seems well out of reach. But at the same time, now she has someone in her corner. I think that realization, spurred by Junior's promise, is enough for now. And hey, she got to sleep in his bed with him - great success!
No desire to make this anything full fledged at the moment, but I'd like to add some more one-shot scenes in the future.