46 - Skies (maybe glowing alien!Gucks AU? How often do the kids want to go out flying when they're older? Does Angie? DO THEY END UP WITH CRAYON DRAWINGS ALL OVER THE CEILING?)
Uhhh this ended up a lot longer than I planned. Sometimes I just can’t shut up. And I wanted to write some fluff, since things are currently going down the drain. So here are some flying glowing Gucks. Enjoy.
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Stan slapped a mosquito that hadlanded on his arm.
“Damn bugs,” he muttered. Fussing sounded from the baby carrier to hisright. He quickly checked the infantnestled inside, Danny. “Princess, youall right there?” Stan held out hishand. Danny grabbed his finger andgummed it excitedly. “I get it. You just wanted your chew toy.” While Danny chewed on his finger, he watchedAngie pace back and forth on the lawn. “Babe?”
“I’m goin’ to do it,” Angiemumbled to herself. She clenched herhands into fists. “I can do it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with notturning into a giant bug and flying away,” Stan said. Angie looked over at him. “We’ve been perfectly fine so far with justbeing human.”
“But I’m not human,” Angiesaid. “Not fully human.” She looked up at the night sky, filled withstars. “Part of me has always been drawnto the skies, Stan. Now I know why. That’s where that part of me is from.” Stan’s stomach churned. “I know yer not that comfortable with all ofthis-”
“That’s an understatement.”
“-but I need to try. If nothin’ else, it’ll help me make thingseasier on the girls when they get older. They’ll need to learn how to control their alien sides,” Angie pointedout. Stan grunted, not willing to admitthat she was right. “Okay. I’m goin’ to do it now. I’ll do it.” Stan watched with bated breath.
Angie stood still on the grass,damp with dew. She closed her eyes andleaned her head back, her posture relaxed. After a moment, a faint shimmer spread across her skin. Immediately after that, color rippled overher features as her pale tone was replaced with a pulsating, faint pinkglow. Her limbs, already slender, grewunnaturally thin, while her ears grew up and out until they resembled adeer’s. Two feathery antennae sproutedfrom her forehead. Angie opened hereyes, revealing that they had turned pure black. The stars spilled across the sky reflected inher eyes.
“Well, you turned bug, time tocall it quits,” Stan said brusquely. Angie looked over at him. A chillran down Stan’s spine at her obsidian gaze.
“No.” The only good thing Stan could say about herother form so far was that her voice was the same. “I need to try…” Her pink glow became interspersed with alight turquoise. “I need to try flying.”
“Ma can do it. The girls can.”
“That’s flying.” Angie looked back up at the sky. “I need to try it, too.” Stan pulled his legs closer to his chest,dread mounting. Angie took a deepbreath. She stared at the heavens asthough looking for an answer. A momentpassed. Then another. Finally, right before Stan was about to tellher that they should definitely call it quits for the night, Angie rose off theground.
“Fuck,” Stan swore softly,staring. Angie’s feet hovered a fewinches above the tips of the blades of grass. Angie let out a joyful laugh, like bells chiming. Her feet slammed back onto the lawn. She promptly sat down. “…You all right?”
“Yes.” Angie beamed up at the stars. “I am.”
It was balmy summer evening. Fireflies danced in the air. Once again, Stan sat between two babycarriers on the lawn, watching Angie tap into her extraterrestrial side. But this time, two others were doing the samething. Stan adjusted his hold on Emmett,who was going through an incredibly fussy phase and wouldn’t calm down unlesshe was being held. In contrast, Emorywas fast asleep in his carrier, not caring about anything happening around him.
Wish I could be asleep rightnow. Then I wouldn’t have to watch mykids turn into bugs. Stan hadlearned quickly to keep his opinions about Angie’s alien appearance tohimself. Not only did it upset Angie,but it upset Danny and Daisy, too. Astime had passed, he’d gotten more used to Angie’s alien side, as well as hisdaughters’, but he couldn’t help preferring them in their human form.
“Okay, girls, time to shift,”Angie instructed, already alien in appearance. Danny and Daisy, standing in front of her, quickly morphed. Their skin glowed a faint gold, antennae sproutedfrom Daisy’s forehead, and Danny’s eyes turned a solid, milky white. “Good work.”
“Now we fly?” Daisy askedeagerly. Stan grinned at the excitementin her voice.
“Close yer eyes and imagine whatit feels like to be weightless. Like yerin a swimmin’ pool, just floatin’,” Angie instructed. Danny and Daisy closed their eyes. After a moment, they both began to lift offthe ground. Danny opened her eyes,yelped, and fell back down. Daisy,however, upon opening her eyes, soared higher. She did an excited twirl in the air.
“This is great!” Daisy cheered.
“Don’t drift off,” Stan saidquickly. While Angie checked on Danny,Daisy flew over to Stan. She landed infront of him. “Hey, pumpkin.”
“Dad, did you see?” Daisysquealed. Stan nodded. “I love being part alien!” Daisy spun around, her sundress billowingaround her.
“Yep,” Stan said in a tightvoice, his smile forced.
“How’s my brothers?” Daisyasked. She peered closely at Emmett, whostared back at his older sister. “When’she gonna start glowing?”
“I don’t know, sweetie, he-” There was a flash of light. Stan blinked away the afterimages and lookeddown at Emmett still in his arms. “…Nevermind, I guess he’s gonna start glowing now.” A moment ago, Emmett had been a regular human infant, with thick browncurls and a large, distinctive nose. Those two traits remained the same, but he now looked anything buthuman. Unlike Danny and Daisy, who had amixture of human and alien traits, Emmett was looked exactly the same as Angie’sbrother Lute, when he was in his alien form. Stan stroked Emmett’s bangs out of the way. Emmett stared up at him with wide,pitch-black eyes.
“Wowie zowie, he looks likeUnclute!” Daisy gasped.
“…Yep,” Stan mumbled. One of Emmett’s antennae twitched.
“Sweetie, come back, you can lookat yer brothers later,” Angie called. Daisy looked over.
“Is he? Good fer him.” Angie sounded pleased. “But we can look at him when we’re done learnin’to fly, okay?” Daisy sighed.
“Okay.” She skipped back over to Angie and hertwin. Stan looked back at Emmett. Emmett made a mewling sound and stretched oneof his minute hands out. Stan’s heartsoftened.
“Hey there, sport,” he whispered,holding Emmett more tightly against his chest. Emmett nestled against him and smacked his lips in a satisfiedmanner. His antennae twitchedagain. Stan kissed Emmett’s glowingforehead. “Wanna watch yoursisters? That’s gonna be you someday.”
Stan sat on the grass, ignoringthe damp dew soaking into his pants and the blades tickling him.
I’ve really gotta mowsoon. Or better yet, get Daisy to do it. He watched sixteen-year-old Danny and Daisydo loop-de-loops in the air, glowing bright pink. They’re in good moods right now. I’ll tell her to do it later. Angie was giving ten-year-old Emory andEmmett the same instructions she’d given Danny and Daisy when they startedflying. Emory bounced on the balls ofhis feet excitedly, already in his alien form, which looked identical to hishuman one, with the except that he was glowing. Emmett, however, was still human, looking down at his feet, visiblydreading what was about to happen.
“Now, don’t worry if it takes abit to kick in,” Angie said. Herantennae twitched in the faint spring breeze. “Just keep tryin’. If nothin’happens tonight, we try again tomorrow.”
“I think we can manage,” Emorysaid proudly, puffing out his chest. Angie chuckled and ruffled his caramel-colored curls.
“I know you can, sugar-cube.” Angie looked at Emmett. “Emmett, you ready?”
“I think…I think I’m gonna go sitwith Dad,” Emmett mumbled. Angieblinked. “I don’t- I don’t feel good.”
“Okay, but-” Angie started. Emmett walked away silently and sat down nextto Stan. Stan put a hand on his shoulder.
“You all right there, sport?” heasked softly. Emmett pulled his legsclose to his chest. “C’mon, kid, talk tome.”
“I don’t like being alien,”Emmett said quietly. Stan stared athim. “I’m already weird enough, since Igot twelve toes. I don’t like that there’sthis other thing that makes me so different.”
“You’re only a quarter alien.”
“Then how come I look full alien?”Emmett asked.
“That’s just how things worksometimes. If I’ve learned one thingabout genetics, it’s that you can’t predict it as much as you think you shouldbe able to.” Stan scratched hischeek. “Of course, I learned that fromlistening to your mom and Uncle Ford talk about the alien thing, but still.”
“Yeah.” Stan’s hand fell to his lap. He chewed on the inside of his cheek,debating whether or not to tell Emmett. Hetook a deep breath. “I didn’t, either.”
“What?” Emmett stared at Stan. “Dad, what do you mean?”
“When we first found out about thewhole alien thing,” Stan said, waving a hand vaguely, “I didn’t like it. Every time your mom turned alien in front ofme, I wanted to leave the room. I hatedhow sometimes your older sisters looked like…” Stan glanced back at Danny and Daisy. “Don’t tell them this, but I said that they looked like bugs.” Emmett’s jaw dropped.
“But yer so casual about all ofit!”
“It took a while before I couldbe casual,” Stan said. “I didn’t wantany of this, I didn’t like it.” Stantook a breath. “But then I got used toit. And after I got used to it, Istopped feeling so uncomfortable. Andafter I stopped feeling so uncomfortable, I started liking how you kids lookwhen you’re all glowy.” Stan ruffledEmmett’s hair. “You being alien isn’t abad thing. So what if it makes youweirder? Is anyone in this familynormal?” Emmett managed a small laugh.
“I guess you’re right.” Emmett took a deep breath. Like when Angie transformed, there was aripple of color that passed over his skin as his human appearance was wipedaway. In alien form, Emmett shifteduncomfortably. He glowed a tense darkgreen.
“Think you’ll take a stab atflying now?” Stan asked. Emmett shookhis head.
“I think I’ll just start bygetting used to the antennae. It’s beena while since I’ve had them.”
“No worries,” Stan said with ashrug. “Take your time. You can stay grounded with your old man.” Emmett nodded silently. Angie walked over.
“Emmett, you ready to start flyin’?”she asked. Emmett shook his head. “That’s fine. When yer ready, just let me know. Emory ‘ll be happy to fly with ya.” Emmett nodded. Angie turned toStan. “Come with me, darlin’.”
“…What?” Stan asked. Angie grabbed his hand and pulled him up.
“How’s that fear of heights ofyours?”
“I don’t know how to answer that.”
“Want to find out?” Angieasked. She pulled him close. Stan felt his feet leave the ground. He looked down. He and Angie were hovering a few inches abovethe lawn. His stomach turned over. He looked at Angie. Her large, black eyes caught the lightemanating from her skin.
I got used to Angie lookinglike this, I should be able to get used to heights. I can always close my eyes if I need to. Like he had when Angie first learned to fly,Stan quashed the churning in his stomach and grinned at Angie confidently.
“Gross, Dad,” Emmettmuttered. Stan frowned at his son.
“No flying, no opinion,” he retorted. Emmett rolled his eyes. Angie wrapped her thin arms around Stan’s torsoand rested her head against his chest, her antennae tickling his chin. Stan returned the gesture, embracing her. He closed his eyes as they ascended into thenight sky.
