Home Forum Wiki The Rules Newbie Guide Roleplay Guide Plot & Setting Wanted Characters Aedolis Teinar Edanith Libra Cancer Thanatos Inc. Contact Us Copyright Affiliates Advertise Us Advertise You Donate! Playing a Leader

Author Topic: It's Sunny Outside But The Skies Are Grey [one-shot]  (Read 330 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Draconian

It's Sunny Outside But The Skies Are Grey [one-shot]
« on: November 10, 2017, 08:45:48 pm »
(TW: vague reference to attempting suicide)

Walking with his head down, backpack slung over his shoulder, Harlequin stared down at his com. Eyes rolling before he smirked and fired back a reply while he wandered from the rail station to the next stop. Then from there to the next stop. His heart throbbed higher in his throat the closer her got to his family home. It was a kindess to him. Them. That he visit. They were his family. His real family. Real fake family? He pushed his hair from his face and looked at the building. All pretty and pseudo-marble. It reeked of credits.

It reeked of home.

It was a giant building. Businesses and homes and his own family - the Kingschildes. They were at the top. The last three floors of the top of the building were theirs. The elevator ride up felt like an eternity. Harley scanned his chip to be let into the building, went through the guard. Let his bag be checked. Get a pat down. Deemed safe ( on this floor ) and away he went. Harley waited for the elevator, com in hand, looking down at the little window to the Pilot chat. His little window of ... Friends? Were they his friends? They thought they were his friends.

Harley said his goodbyes.  Hit the send. Smiled at Addie's reply before he tucked his com away. Addie was nice. Harley swallowed thickly before he cast his mismatched eyes to the ding of the elevator. In he went. Up he went. There was one more check point in the middle, where he switched to the elevator that took him directly to his parents home. Another security checkpoint. The looks from the guards when they scanned his chip was the silver lining. They went from hesitant to frightened. A little in awe.

The one that scanned his chip today was kind of cute and the nervous jitter she gave made him blow a breath of cool air at her. Waved through, into the last elevator. His chest felt empty and he closed his eyes and tried to breathe. His pulse was thick in his throat and he swallowed back the strange wave of nausea. Anxiety. It was always the worst in the elevator. He closed his eyes and let his head rest against the elevator door.

ding.

His eyes popped open and he looked out to the room when the doors slid open. It was a grand apartment. Huge. A mansion on top of the world. Everett was sitting on the couch, relaxed in a suit and reading the news on a tablet. His finger scrolling through it and his bright eyes flicking across to read the words - it took a moment but finally he spotted the little black and white kulshedra at the entrance.

"Harlequin!" He said, grinning wide, moving to slide off the couch. Everett was a pretty man. Tall. Long dark blue hair. Bright amber eyes. Harley's heart gave a flutter and he dropped his bag before walking to his brother. The hug was warm but over too soon and Harley's shoulders were given a squeeze. "I didn't know you were coming over this wee--"

"Just tonight," Harley said, cutting him off smiling slightly before he finally looked passed Everett to his mother. A harsh but beautiful woman. Hair pulled back into a tight bun at the back of her head, Everett got his hair from his mother and most of his good looks. Harley swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to smile.

"Hello Mother," He said, voice soft.

"Hello, Harlequin my dear," She came forward, heels clicking against the stone floor. Her hand reached out and she stroked her hand over the top of his head. His ears flicked slightly and her own amber eyes watched them. She'd always suggested to him to keep his ears in check. Flicking them and moving them was a tell and having a tell on what you were feeling was bad. Harley did his best to smile at her. She gave a cold smile back, looked at him, looked at his backpack and just raised her eyebrows with the smallest of 'really?' smiles.

"Are you over for dinner tonight, my dear?" She asked, turning away and grabbing the tablet Everett had been using to read the news.

"Yes, I mean, that's what the invitation said so I --"

"Ah yes, I remember. Of course, my dear. Your Father won't be able to be here for the first course but he'll be by for the rest of it." A glance over her shoulder, another smile and off she went with the tablet, scrolling through various contracts and news articles. Always working. Harley pat his hair down from her head pat. A small smile at her retreating self. Everett smiled at Harley and Harley smiled back.

The evening wasn't any different than usual. Now that Harley was literally capable of stabbing someone through the neck with icicles nothing else happened. Being here brought back awful memories but... That was in the past. Things could be different now. Luckily dnner started at five sharp.  So he and Everett only had to make awkward conversation for an hour and a half.

"Harlequin," the deep voice made him shiver and his eyes flicked to his Father. A taller man. Salt and pepper hair. Goatee. Harley quickly flicked his eyes away and looked down at his food, the plate empty. "How are things in Solarta? You know we have mines down there that need looking after if you wanted some extra work to do." He chuckled and Harley smiled awkwardly before looking down and away.

"Things are fine, I'm actually pretty busy taking care of the squad. They're... An interesting bunch."

"Yes," His mother said, wiping her mouth politely with a napkin - which was immediately replaced with a clean one from a maid, " I heard about the Commander losing an arm. Dreadful news." She went back to eating. Didn't ask anything. Didn't ask if Harley knew him. Didn't ask how he was now. Didn't ask anything. Harley watched her for a moment, waiting for anything from her. Nothing. His throat tightened and he looked back down at his meal. Well, the new plate of food. The last course.

Dinner didn't take long, the courses were finished and as usual it had all tasted wonderful. Of course it did. It was strange to think that Yavul's experimental mac and cheese and been better than the chef made meal. Harley was pretty sure they didn't even use the table. Just sat on the floor and ate in front of the tv to watch some movie he'd been deprived of during his childhood. He smiled softly at the memory to himself at his plate.

"Well, goodnight my dears." Harley looked up at his mother at one end of the table, across the table to his brother. She got up, cupped his cheek and gave him a kiss on the head, moved to the other side of the table and kissed Everett just the same. The one dinner ritual he'd missed. The brothers scrunched their noses at one another. His father got up and left the table. Things were different now. They'd never be better though.

"Good Night," He said softly, getting up from the table, smiling over at Everett who nodded. "Good Night, Harlequin." Everett smiled and off he went. Harley sighed and relaxed, getting up and going to his bedroom. Same as ever. Sheets freshly washed. Black and white diamond pattern. The door to his bathroom was open and he looked at it. The bathroom was majestic, the tub sunk into the floor and had steps to get into it. A standing shower in the corner. Tile floor. Harley looked at the bathtub. He hadn't brought the stuff for his scales but... Would that matter? Harley didn't bother getting undressed while he started the bath, pressing a few buttons for it to fill up to the tippy-top. 

Didn't really bother making sure the water was nice and warm with the settings. This seemed like the best solution. Phareen was in Solarta. Everyone was everywhere. His own mother didn't care so... Why would anyone else. It was pity, Harley convinced himself. Harley took the first step into the water, disliking the feeling of wet fabric against his legs. Still in a suit.

The water was cold. Different than keeping himself cool in Solarta. A few more steps. Thighs wet. Just a few more steps and... He could just be a fish. He was already scaly.

Harley frowned, not realizing all he'd been hearing was the rush of his own blood in his ears and the throb of his heartbeat. His hand fumbled in his pocket and he sucked in a breath realizing the rhythmic chirping was from his com. The message sat on the screen, from a Pilot Hugh McConway. Harley gasped and looked around, blinking widely  before he swallowed thickly and sat down on the steps. It sunk him in the water to his chest and his hands trembled.

"Hey, what's up! are you free yet? I miss you. - Hugh "

Harley stared for a moment before he squeezed his eyes shut. Fuck. A glance at the ceiling.

"Yeah, just finished dinner. Was just getting into the bath, I can come meet you at your place if you want a movie buddy or something."

It wasn't an untruth, Harley hit send and wiped his face with the back of his hand. Soaked now. He almost did that. He shifted to sit on the edge of the tub, laying back on the floor to look up at the ceiling. One second later and his com would have been under water in his pocket and then... What?

Harley rolled over and crawled away from the water, heart pounding before he crawled to the toilet to throw up that pristine dinner. Again to laying on the bathroom floor. Eyes on the ceiling. That could have been so stupid. He had so much ahead of him and ... He didn't know why but people seemed to care. They weren't Mother. The one person he craved to acknowledge him. The little kid who'd do anything for her praise and approval.

Again, he was pulled from his thoughts by the rhythmic chime of his com and he rolled over to look at it, eyes burning and feeling awful but...

"8D yaaas! I'll send you the deets and we'll have a movie night! I can't wait. So excited to see you again. - Hugh"

A small smile and he got up on his hands and knees to go change out of his wet suit. Another chime.

"( ˘ ³˘)❤ ( ˘ ³˘)❤ ( ˘ ³˘)❤- Hugh "

Harley gave a chuckle and wiped at his face again before he scrubbed at his cheeks. Well, he had something to do this evening he guessed. Harley looked out the window. The sun had gone down a while ago. And now he had a date. Apparently. He changed into a different suit, wrung out his other one and shoved that into his bag. Harley needed to think. Thinking was good.  Moving to leave the apartment, his brother Everett was at the couch and he smiled at him from his work.

"Not spending the night?" He said softly, putting his tablet down and removing his glasses.

"Nah, got a message from a friend. Gonna meet up with them before I go back to Solarta."

Everett winced slightly and looked away, giving a small nod before he stood up.

"Well, it was nice seeing you Harlequin. Call me if you need anything, okay?" His voice was soft and he tried to smile again before he looked down and away, putting his glasses on and returning to his work.

"Yeah. See you Ev," Harley smiled, sighed and hit the button to call the elevator. The doors slid open and in he walked in, pulling his com out of his jacket pocket.

" Nuclear Ginger okay?- Hugh

Harley rolled his eyes, but smiled all the same.

" Ginger like the root? I can't wait."

For the first time in a long time, the elevator didn't make him sick and he waited impatiently for the little chirp of his com to signal a reply. The people in the sky didn't love him. But the people down here did. The ones that tried to get to know him. The ones that... Threw sandwiches at his face and took him to pretty star-projectors whatever that was called. Harley sighed and rubbed at his chest, palm pressed to his heartbeat. The Valkyries. The Hellions.

They were his family. He got it now. Well, the idea of it. The hurt little boy that craved his family's approval was still in there but... He was bigger now. And had the approval of other people. The ones that accepted him for him. Flaws and all. He flicked through his com while he made his way to the Citadel, smiling at Yavul and Grisham's names. Sparrow. Mia. Adele. RazzleRabbit. Even Hannibal's.  He could do better for them.

He just had to choose to and stop letting the choice be made for him.

"I can do that," He said softly to himself, smiling gently when the chirp of another message made his ears flick up.

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal