ungrateful little joey

you look BACK when there's nothing to look forward to Joey Parker

[drownedparker]

alexanderclaire‌:

Alexander Claire raised an eyebrow at the witch, waiting for more of an explanation, and then it came. Kai’s brother. He wasn’t Luke, in addition to the different name, he knew the blonde brother vaguely, which meant the man in front of him was either an impostor ( why he would do so was lost on the Claire ) or one of the siblings he’d killed back in 94. It was odd to think about, the past, especially his own anger and resentment regarding his father’s own. None of it mattered now though, Kai was long dead, and there was no changing that, and that fact left the butterflies in his stomach turn into writhing moths. Silently he nodded along with what the Parker had to say, not sure what he could offer other than a nod. Then he mentioned that he thought he had forever, and it stung in a way that he couldn’t explain, but he knew it hurt him too. “No one could blame you.”

“I kinda do.” If only by a little bit, Joey did blame himself. He had what felt like an entire lifetime to get past his fear and doubt. All he had to do was make himself known, to say his name aloud, to put a little less effort into hiding... and the rest would’ve worked itself out. He knew that now. Instead, he was left with a family that was too busy with fresh heartbreak to even notice. Was that what he wanted?  To be notice?  The irony stung. “It’s really nice to meet you, Alex. I mean that.” 

[drownedparker]

jolaughlin‌:

“Our lives have been fucked up since we were born, Joey.” It wasn’t an argument, just a statement of the facts of the situation. Even when things had been good, they weren’t perfect, all them living in a ticking time bomb of a situation, unable to stop the inevitable from tearing them apart piece by piece. ”Someone has to atone for the sins of our ancestors, it just happens to be our burden to bare.”

“But why?  Why is it our job to deal with it?  We didn’t fucking choose this. I didn’t choose to die and I didn’t choose to come back... but it happened, and here I am. What now, Jo?  What does atonement even look like to you...” 

[drownedparker]

mommygemini‌:

“You’re seeing your undead mother after being resurrected yourself.” the witch offered her son with a weak smile, understanding his reaction. “It’d be more concerning if you were jumping for joy.”

“I’d like that a whole lot better, if I’m honest,” the son quivered. The shock was starting to wear off but it didn’t leave him feeling any better -- just exhausted. “You, um, you’ve been around long?” A pause. “I have.”

[drownedparker]

thescourned‌:

“Possibly, but the world may never know.” It wasn’t exactly confirmation, but it was what the witch could offer the other. “Touche.”

“It might.. just be a me thing, but doesn’t it just, feel easier to hate yourself than to hate them?” A nervous laugh followed shortly after, and Joey is regretting the comment in an instant. “Pretty fucked up.”

[drownedparker]

mommygemini‌:

“Okay, I won’t go.” she offered gently, trying not to upset her son further. even if the damage had always been done. She certainly wasn’t going to pass up the chance to spend time with son though, if he wasn’t pushing her away she’d take it for all that it was worth. “I’ll do whatever you want.” she added after a moment, managing to put a weak smile on her face as she looked at him. “You have no idea how good it is to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Mom,” he said softly -- the word itself shaking out of his already very shaken form. “But I g-guess I could’ve done a better job at showing it.” It was difficult for him to look at her. So many years had passed since he had last seen her, both in spirit and body. It was a simpler time then. (Not necessarily better, but simpler.) Then, like a storm, death and destruction befell their family and it has yet to cease its assault. 

[drownedparker]

jolaughlin‌:

The longer the conversation drug on, the worse she felt. The indifference she craved escaped her, instead she was left feeling her numbness and the pain all at once, no matter how much she drank. His reassurance was laughable to her, but she was in no mood to laugh. No, she was much more liable to cry, and she knew once she started crying, she never stop, so as he offered her a pained smile, she offered herself another glass with the hope that it would bring her some peace. “Do what’s best for you, Joey, it’s what everyone in this family does.” There’s a pause, brief, but the silence hangs thick in the air regardless. “Coming from someone who spent her life running away from the skeletons in her closet, it never works out well in the end.” Another glass of wine gone, and she’s staring at an empty bottle. “But, don’t listen to me, I’m not your boss anymore.” 

“I was happy, alright?  It was easier being close to everyone but not.. close enough to fuck it up...” It was a testament to how well this conversation was going. Her advice was striking -- playing a tune he wasn’t exactly pleased to hear. “It’s not my closet and they’re not my skeletons, but why do I still feel like I’m atoning for something?” It wasn’t even a question at her, but for her. “I have spent years feeling like a half-person. Like I was brought back for a reason that I wasn’t fucking doing.”

[drownedparker]

thescourned‌:

“Nature’s all about balance.” A common theme in magic was the idea of finding the balance, something preached by those that came even before herself. If you didn’t maintain the balance, nature would take over and do it for you. “As long as you don’t forget to love yourself in the process, I could get behind that.” she offered with a kind smile of her own. “And tradition is boring and doomed for failure, there’s a reason history remembers the bold.”

“Does that mean someone hated him just as much?  Things I think about a lot,” he idly thought. More of a shower thought, really. “I thought history remembered the bold because it usually meant a lot of people ended up dead.”

[drownedparker]

alexanderclaire‌:

“Sometimes they don’t.” His response wasn’t full of malice or hate, just stated as a simple fact, and one he knew all too well. His life had been going well, better than he could have imagined, everything on track and then it all fell apart, and he died. Now that he was back, things were slightly better for awhile, meeting his daughter, getting to feel the butterflies of new love before it was snatched away from again and he was left lost and confused and struggling to stay above water for Gracie. He noticed Joey’s change in demeanor, and any other time, he would have been curious. But, with fear and uncertainty hanging in the air regarding the death of the patriarch of the Gemini Coven, he wasn’t all that shocked at all. “Yeah, I grew up around Will and Clary.” he offered with a quick nod. “Spent a lot of time with Kai and his family.”

Hearing the names of the niece and nephew he had yet to meet officially felt oddly.. comforting. “Now I know why you seemed familiar,” he admitted softly, more so as a spoken thought. “I’m, uh.. Kai’s brother.” He wasn’t entirely sure just how much light that sentence shed; where everyone was on the whole Parker Family history, but really, he didn’t care much. “I guess you could consider me estranged. Mostly by design.” His lips curled up in a kind smile, shy and trying to lighten the mood a little. “For a while there, it felt like I had forever to figure it all out.” And he should have. Everything about the world he woke up to made it seem like he had all the time in the world, only to prove him wrong in the most ironic way.

[drownedparker]

alexanderclaire‌:

It wasn’t often that Alexander Claire found himself stumped by something he heard, but the wisdom the man imparted on him managed to do just that. He paused for a moment, considering the words as they were with the expression painted on the other’s face. “- I guess not.” was his sheepishly reply, forcing himself to push it away to focus on their introductions. The first name was unfamiliar, but that last name he knew almost better than his own.“Parker? Like the -” he stopped himself short, remembering not everyone was aware of the supernatural happenings on the crescent city. “- one’s from Portland?”

“Things get better,” he offered in response. “They always do, some way or another.” The young witch’s life may not have been what he had wanted it to be, or what he had always imagined it would, but he was grateful for what he did have -- and he was relatively at peace with it. New Orleans had become like a home to him. Speaking of home... Hearing his name echoed like that struck him like a bolt, worry filling the boy’s lanky form. He knew his family was.. well, infamous. Especially in the city. His brother had made quite the name for himself. “You, um, know my family?” he thought to say instead; sheepishly, and swallowing the nerves as best he could. A nervous chuckle followed shortly. 

[drownedparker]

alexanderclaire‌:

“I’ve tried taking it slow, I’ve tried to push through, I’ve tried everything I can think of…” was all the exhausted Claire could offer, though he did nod in agreement as he turned to face the other man. “I don’t think so.” the vampire admitted, putting his hand to the other man. “Sorry, manners. Alexander Claire, and you are?”

“Well.. have you tried things you wouldn’t think of?” As sarcastic as the question could have come off, the Gemini wore a completely serious expression -- giving the sentence a whole new meaning. There were always lengths that someone refused to take, and they usually stayed that way until the situation called for something more drastic. He snapped out of his thoughts quick enough to catch the others hand in his own -- “Joey Parker. I might’ve just seen you around. No biggie.” The smiled he offered was shy but warm. 

[drownedparker]

thescourned:

“If I even had the slightest chance of him loving me… I would have done it a million times over.” she confessed to the gemini. “My duty was to myself, and all things considered, I think things worked out… well enough for most everybody.”

“Nature works itself out. It’s what it does.” Joey offered her a small, kind smile. “If I loved someone that much, I probably would too. Lord knows duty and tradition did nothing for me or my family.”

[drownedparker]

eleanor-parker:

Eleanor chose to completely ignore everything he said, only focusing on him speaking about their mother. “How is she back? Did you bring her back?” Her mind was going a million miles an hour trying to comprehend this. “How long has she been here?” She slowly sank to the ground and hugged her knees to her chest, this was all too overwhelming for her, too much was happening in such a short time. “I can’t breathe,” she gasped. “This..this is..I don’t even know.”

“Wasn’t me,” he answered calmly, though it showed a dozen signs of being a forced sense of self. “And I don’t know how long. Not too long, I’m guessing?  Or maybe she's been here the whole time.” He had to turn away from the sight of his sister breaking down. He had been there, and seeing it unfold in front of him like that only threatened to push him back over that edge.

[drownedparker]

eleanor-parker:

She nodded her head, “I got that note. I’m not really sure how to feel about that,” she sighed. Thinking about Kai just made her head and heart ache more than they have ever in her whole life. His next words made her look at him sharply, “What?”

“Yeah...” Agreeing with her comment about not knowing how to feel. “I definitely don’t like it, though, or this River Mikaelson. Smells like trouble.” As for her reaction, he wasn’t really fazed. “I saw Mom. Talked to her. She recognized me, which was pretty cool. I guess it was just a matter of time.”

[drownedparker]

eleanor-parker:

“I don’t really know how to explain it. I think that the more I live this life, the more I miss my old life and I don’t know how to cope with that.”

“Pretty reasonable reason to be sad,” he said with a nod, but there was a numbness to his tone. “Kai’s dead, did you know that?” Joey had thought to ask. “Oh, and Mom’s back...”

[drownedparker]

eleanor-parker:

@drownedparker

“Sorry, I haven’t talked to you in a while. I think I’ve been too sad.”

“Yeah?  What’s got you?” he asked, a smile on his face that showed no inhibitions of his own doom and gloom -- and his continued warmth towards her. 

[drownedparker]

mommygemini:

Rose had so many questions for her son, ranging from questions about the world they lived in to what she’d missed, how long had he been back. None of it mattered though, as she’d seemingly ruined everything by failing to think ahead. This, every, it was all too much, and by being there, she had tipped him over the edge. “Joey, I’m so sorry.” she sputtered out, stepping away from them as guilt threatened to reduce her to tears. She couldn’t cry, not now, not when she’d just brought her son to tears. “I’ll go.”

He hated hearing that tone of voice from her. He’d clung on the few memories he had; the untarnished, the unabashed. Sweet words of light and love. Not the sound of pain that befell his ears today. Though, it meant he had an anchor -- a jarring yet effective hold on reality itself. His head may have been reeling but at least he could shoot a glance back at his retreating mother. “No!” he cried out; pleading. A tremor shook through him and the conviction to his tone faltered again. “I can’t lose you again.. not you too.”

[drownedparker]

mommygemini:

It stung more than she could explain when he couldn’t look at her. She understood, but it didn’t make any of it any easier for her, just as she knew her presence wasn’t making things easier for her son in the moment. “I know this must be a lot to process,” she admitted, hesitantly taking a step toward her son and watching for any reaction so she knew whether to proceed forward or retreat back. As much as she wanted to wrap her arms around her son and never let go, his comfort came first. “But I am here. I’m not sure how I got here - but I am here, Joey.”

His hands flew up, fists clenched and held close to his chest in a defensive stance. It was purely instinctive, and he regretted the way it must have looked to her. Eyes twisted shut in frustration, blond locks bouncing as his head shook in protest. He stood his ground, however, tensing hard enough to stop any further tremors. “Coming back was hard enough. I don’t -- how am I supposed to deal with this right now?” He knew he couldn’t be surprised. His own resurrection was just as traumatizing, and lonely, but with the fresh death of his brother lingering overhead and the truth that he had spent so long in the shadows to achieve nothing, this was a reality check to shatter any sane mind.