any headcanons for how arguments go between miles and jesse, both silly and serious ?
Okay I'm answering vv old asks and this is most likely a year late but
- Miles and Jesse? They argue for EVERYTHING
- And by everything I mean EVERYTHING
- Who's turn is it to do the dishes, one of them accusing the other of stealing a piece of clothing, who's mom's favorite etc.
- It's what they're used to, because maybe they're both stubborn as fuck and think they're right all the time.
- Of course there are some things that are absolutely off the table in their arguments.
- Jesse never mentions Thomas, he simply does not.
- But maybe he did once
- Maybe he was tired of Miles telling him he's immature and a baby, he was tired of Miles patronizing him and treating him as if he can't take care of himself.
- Maybe he yelled at him that he's not his son.
- And maybe,,,, that just cut deep for Miles.
- He waled away from the argument without saying anything.
- They didn't talk for two weeks after that.
- Jesse finally found Miles and apologized, they cried together.
- Jesse promised he will always have him by his side, even if they don't see each other often.
There is an old Tuck tradition where a father will spend a summer afternoon teaching each child to fish. Angus’s father taught him, and he in turn taught Miles and Jesse, and eventually Winnie (the honorary Tuck). Miles picked it up fairly easily, while Jesse saw the whole idea of sitting in a boat all afternoon waiting for a fish to show up as a colossal waste of a summer day. Miles was ecstatic about getting the chance to teach Thomas, and had the whole fishing trip planned since his son was born. It was only one week before they were supposed to go that Miles woke up to an empty farmhouse, with Thomas nowhere to be found.
OKAY, BUT BEING THE NEIGHBOR OF MILES AND ROSE TUCK??? HONEY, DO YOU HAVE A STORM COMING...
so you’re not close neighbors - you definitely have a lot of land separating the two of you
but on your way into town, you saw the farmhouse start to be made, and then, once it was finished, you saw a couple move in
so your first instinct was to give them a housewarming gift
and food is always the best option
so maybe it’s a pie or maybe it’s bread or something similar
and your first reaction is that this couple is so sweet?
both of them are clearly very in love - even if they are shy about it in company
and miles b e a m s with happiness and rose g l o w s with love
you had foreseen such a happy life for the two of them. nothing could have prepared you for what was to come
you sat with them and talked all afternoon
and they asked you what you did for a living, and you told them how you were a clockmaker - you would go into town to sell your wares, and that’s how you noticed them in the first place
and you found out that rose was once a seamstress, but that she had always had a passion for learning and teaching, and she dreamed of building her own schoolhouse right there in treegap so she could teach.
as far as dreams went, it was lofty for the way the world was, but when she spoke about it, her eyes lit up and miles looked at her as though the dream was already a reality
miles was a bit of everything, really, a bit of a carpenter... a bit of a fisher... a bit of a farmer... a bit of a hunter... in those days he could be anything, if you hired him for the job
he wasn’t nearly the strongest man in the town, but he knew more than everyone else put together, and he could get it done in the easiest, most efficient way.
you parted ways that day, him promising to come by if you ever asked for help, and you promising to bring by some more food, if they ever needed it.
and they did
life was simple, and at times it could be hard.
but miles and rose were together through it all.
you came over one day for some reason or another, and there was an excited smile on rose’s face
and maybe you didn’t know a lot of people and couldn’t read them the best, but when you looked at her, grinning like a cheshire cat, you knew
she was pregnant
you got to meet the rest of the tucks, after that, and her mother came by a few times, although not often
on sundays, the families would come together and you would be invited, especially if you didn’t have anyone to go home to
and the tucks always managed to make you feel a part of the family
you knew all about how reckless jesse tuck could be, how kind hearted angus could be, how strong willed mae could be, all within an hour
and for a moment there, you weren’t quite sure if this really was miles tuck’s family. but then you saw miles ruffle jesse’s hair, angus give his boy a proud hug, and mae give him a warning glance when things were going to far, and it all made sense.
angus, especially, was interested in your craft
he was a jack of all trades, and one more tool in the box was exactly what he needed.
you swapped recipes with mae
and miles very much appreciated that, seeing as you were constantly coming over with some kind of dish, and now it tasted like home.
and you told jesse all about the places you had gone, selling your wares
he would come with you, on some of those trips, and he was the best company you would ever have.
one day, when rose was very pregnant, you had miles come over to help you with his whittling skills
which he definitely had - he made thomas all sorts of tiny animals out of wood, you cannot convince me otherwise
and the two of you worked on something together
he kept asking what it was for, but you wouldn’t tell.
then, after rose has her baby, you gave him a grandfather clock, and he finally got to see the fruit of his labours
“did you have me working on my own gift?”
“oh, hush up, miles. you know you would’ve wanted it to be perfect, and now it is.”
“she does have a point, honey.”
and they named the little boy thomas.
and when you held him the first time, you thought your heart was going to burst
and rose and miles may have laughed at how soft your face became, teasing you about getting your own kids one day
and you told them you wouldn’t need one, as long as thomas was around.
and they were the happiest family
always laughing, always together, always free from any of the hardships that tied folks down and kept their heads low
you witnessed their downfall, and while you could never, in all those years afterward, pinpoint a certain moment in which it all began, you saw it coming long before it did
they were quieter, more resigned
miles worked longer and his frowns were etched deeper
rose kept her boy close, and her eyes were more dim
and maybe you had suspected a thing or two about the tucks, and maybe rose had asked you a few vague, open ended questions that you couldn’t quite answer, and maybe you could feel the storm coming in your bones
maybe you could see the time slipping away
and one day they were there, and the next, they weren’t
miles didn’t stay long in his empty farmhouse
and he never did clear it out, either
maybe he left you the key on your front doorstep (unable to look his past in the eye), and maybe you walked through the house, trying to understand all that had passed, like grasping at the air, trying to hold down ghosts
and maybe, you stopped to look at that grandfather clock, dusting off the residue of time, your fingers tracing over names carved into the wood
In honor of the 1st day of August, 2020, here is a list of the posts I have made so far on this blog about Tuck Everlasting (incidentally, this post is also the 100th post I have made on this blog, which is a bit of a milestone!)
How the Tucks Would Have Dressed in 1808 (With A Note About Winnie Foster’s Clothes in 1893)
Where Did the Tucks Come From?
What Miles and Jesse Would Have Worn as Children
What Winnie Would Have Worn as a Young Adult
What Mae and Angus Would Have Worn When They Got Engaged
Europe in 1808 vs. Europe in 1893- A Comparison Between the Time of the Tucks and the Time of Winnie Foster
For @tuck-everlasting-shitposts collab event, I made the art to go along with @mouserzwuzhere 's beautiful fic about Miles and Thomas stargazing. Go read it here!!
Written for @tuck-everlasting-shitposts‘s AU Collaboration! I got paired with @cherryfires for a Rooftop Astronomy AU! You can see their lovely art here! :)
Fandom: Tuck Everlasting
Warnings: None
Words: 554
A/N: I haven’t written any kind of fic or ficlet in like... a year and a half. So please bear with me and enjoy! :)
“Papa.” The little voice whispered from the side of his parents’ bed.
“Thomas?” A groggy voice answered, “What are you doing up?”
“I can’t sleep!”
The man sighed then slowly sat up, disturbing the bed just enough to stir his wife.
“Miles, what’s going on?” She asked, half-asleep.
“Nothing, Darling, go back to sleep.” He reassured her and she promptly obliged.
“Papa!” Thomas pouted.
“Come now, Son, I’ll read you a story.” He stood up and took the young boy’s hand.
“Can you tell me about the stars?”
“You know what?” Miles paused “Why don’t I show you instead?”
A few minutes later, the two were laying on the roof of their farmhouse, sprawled out on a blanket and staring at the night sky.
“See those three stars that are really close together?” Miles pointed out, “Those make up Orion's belt.”
“That’s his belt? Is Orion a giant?” Thomas asked in awe.
“No,” his father chuckled “Orion is the name of the whole constellation.”
He pointed out the stars around the “belt” that made up the rest of Orion.
“In Greek mythology, Orion was a hunter and the son of Poseidon.”
“Who’s Po-P-Po--”
“Poseidon is said to be the god of the sea. Do you remember your Uncle Jesse telling you about the ocean?”
“Yeah!” Thomas recalled in excitement.
“Well Poseidon is in charge of the ocean and it’s waves and all the sea creatures who live there.”
“I wanna go to the ocean!”
“How about I take you when you’re a little older?”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.” Miles crossed his heart with a smile, the irony lost on him.
Thomas grinned then pointed to the brightest star he could find. “What’s that one?”
“That one is Polaris. But it’s commonly known as the North Star.”
“Ooo!” The boy’s eyes lit up with wonder.
“Do you see how it kind of looks like it’s at the end of a pot handle?” He draws a line with his finger. “That’s the Little Dipper. And the big pot right there… That’s the Big Dipper.”
“That’s it’s papa?”
“That’s one way to look at it.” Miles laughed softly. “Do you want to know what makes the North Star so special?”
“What?” Thomas tilted his head.
“It always points north. So if you ever get lost at night, just look up and follow it. It will always lead you home.”
“So if I get lost, it will lead me back to you, Papa?”
Miles looked over at his sweet little boy with a tender fondness that only a parent could have. “I’ll always be there waiting for you to come home.”
Thomas smiled sweetly at his father then hugged him. “I love you, Papa.”
“I love you, too, Son.” He kissed the top of his head. “And I will for the rest of my life.”
After a couple of moments just staring at the sky in his father’s arms, Thomas yawned.
“Feeling sleepy again?”
“Mhmm.” He nodded.
“Let’s get you back to bed then, yeah?”
“Noooo!” He whined, “Ten more minutes? Pleeeease!!”
Miles sighed as he considered it. “Okay but only ten.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“You’re welcome.” Miles nodded, “We have to make sure you get plenty of rest, though, because tomorrow we start your lessons on telling time.”
Proofread: ha. Please tell me if there are words missing, it happens a lot
Summary: a prequel to the musical from Mae’s point of view
Warnings: Jesse falls from a tree (starts after ‘that’s just how parenting works’ and ends at ‘it wasn’t like Mae Tuck had never noticed…’)
The first time Mae had really spoken to Angus was when she was a tiny, but feisty eleven year old and he a clumsy twelve year old with two left hands. Of course she knew his name, because in this little town in the west, everybody knew each other.
She had been feeding the chickens on the farm when her father had introduced a gaggle of boys to her. None of them had been farmers’ sons and her father was kind enough to teach these children all about a farmer’s life. When these boys got married, they would probably be marrying into a farmer’s family and it would be a bit late for them to learn how to milk cows then. By letting these boys help him, her father killed two birds with one stone. They got education out of it and he a helping hand.
“Mae, could you tell them what you are doing right now?” The urge to roll her eyes became nearly unbearable, but she decided to be polite. “Feeding the chickens. Does one of you want to help me?” Some of the boys scoffed and one grinned. Typical. The lot of them felt too high and mighty to get mud on their shoes and approach a bunch of stinking birds. She felt sorry for the future wives of these boys.
“I’ll help.” A big boy said and Mae flashed him a smile. While he climbed over the fence and went toward her, she observed him. She noticed how he fiddled with his sleeves and the way he carried himself. Insistently he looked at the floor, as though he was hoping that it would swallow him. She handed him the bucket with food and watched as it slipped from his fingers and crashed onto the ground. Perplexed she blinked a few times and as she stared at him in bewilderment, his face coloured a deep shade of red. He kneeled to get the bucket while simultaneously getting mud on his pants and Mae groaned, while the other boys laughed in the background.
The malicious sound of their laughter made Mae glare into their direction. With her hands on her hips, she yelled: “You lazy bunch of good-for-nothings should shut your traps!” For a moment it shut them up, but then the snickering started again and some of them mimicked her stance while whispering in high-pitched voices. Frustrated, she grabbed Angus’ sleeve and pulled him along to the house. “Let’s get you cleaned up. I can’t handle this much stupid at once, so I’ll come along.” From a distance she could hear her father lecturing the boys and she smiled in satisfaction, though she still hated it that they hadn’t taken her seriously.
A few days after that incident, she ran into Angus again. Well, it was hard to not run into someone if they were in the same class as you. There were around fifty children in their class, all from various ages. The teacher didn’t get a lot done with his enormous group of students, but Mae had learned how to read, write and count so she was pretty much satisfied.
He was seated on the corner of a bench on the last row and the other boys on the bench were trying to shove him off of it. Irritation was painted across his face, but he still said nothing to them. Stubbornly, he kept pushing them back. The whole scene was so damned stupid that Mae couldn’t help but comment on it.
“You know, if you all stop pushing and pulling, you could all sit comfortably on that bench. Hell, I could join you all and there still would be space enough.”
“Are you that desperate to join us sweetheart?” a boy named William leered. Unimpressed she gave him a onceover. “No, I have more class than that. I just saw you all being stupid and thought that it would be kind of me to help you all out.” Immediately after that sentence she turned around and took her usual seat in the front. The whole lesson long, the boys she heard the boys whisper but paid them no mind.
That afternoon, she found herself at the river just outside her town. Those boys had gotten tired of gossiping about her and had taken to tugging on her hair. It had been grating on her nerves, but she was far too proud to even spare them a glance. As she watched the river slowly lapping at the shore, she calmed down. People were and would always, be kind of stupid. Life was just trying to figure out how to deal with all the different kinds of stupid you met.
Behind her, she heard a branch snap and someone breathing a soft “Oh.” As she turned around, she recognized Angus. Her eyebrows shot up in confusion until she saw the fishing rod in his hand and remembered that he was the son of a fisher. He gave her an awkward wave and said: “I’ll leave if you want me to.”
She tilted her head in confusion. “Why would I want that? I don’t own this place.” He shrugged. “I feel like we’ve ran into each other an absurd amount of times this past week and I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. I swear I’m not following you around.”
“That’s considerate of you. Your presence doesn’t bother me, so feel free to…” she gestured at the river. “fish or something.” Nervously he nodded and picked at his shirt. “I’m not very good at doing things when people are watching me.”
“Well then”, Mae said and a smile tugged on her lips,“ I suppose that you’ll have to get used to my presence then. Let’s be friends.” She mimicked tipping a non-existent hat. “Mae Miller, pleasure to meet you.” He curtsied clumsily and she laughed. “Angus Tuck at your service.”
-
Over the years, Angus and Mae became regular appearances at each other’s houses. Angus had become quite skilled at feeding chickens by then and James, Angus’ father, had dubbed Mae an expert fisherwoman. Seventeen year old Angus had also grown out of his gangly awkwardness and had become, as Mae’s mother put it, a most handsome and capable young man. Mae had snorted at that comment and Angus had kicked her underneath the table.
Angus’ mother had called Mae a gentle and most beautiful lady. Angus had laughed out loud at that and she had chased him around his house with a fishing rod. Just as she thought she had cornered him, he opened the door and escaped. She could have given up at that moment, but stubborn as she was, she let out a war cry and followed her friend.
At the river, they collapsed underneath a tree. As she laid her head on his shoulder, she gave him a half-assed tap on the head with the fishing rod. “You deserve that. For being mean.”
She got a snort in return. “Excuse you. You also made fun of me when your mom complimented me.” With a smile dancing around her lips, she squished his cheeks. “It’s not that I don’t agree with my mother. You are a most handsome man, but it’s the ‘capable’ part that got me. I got instant flashbacks to our first meeting.”
Groaning, he laid his head upon hers. “Erase that from your memory please. Forget it ever happened.” As she answered him with a: “No way, that’s my best memory of you”, he got up and took the rod out of her hand. With fondness she watched as he wrote with it on the wet riverside. Angus loved to write poems on the wet sand and watch the water erase it forever. Mae held this knowledge close to her heart and wondered if he would ever tell her what he wrote down. She could never decipher his writing but hoped that maybe one day, he would tell her.
Suddenly, a smug smile broke through his pensive demeanour. “So you think I’m handsome huh?” For a moment she was confused as to what he was talking about. Then it hit her and she shrugged. “Duh, I have eyes.” She’s not going to stroke his ego by blushing and stuttering, though she felt like her heart was going to leap right out of her chest. “But I’m not the only one. If I have to listen to Catherine Davis talking about you one more time, I will fling myself into this river.”
The annoyance on her face made him laugh. “I suppose you don’t have the trouble of people talking like that about me.” He shrugged. “It’s not like I’ve got many friends beside you, Mae.”
“Even if you did, I doubt that they had anything nice to say about the redheaded goblin girl.” With a frown on his face, he sat down beside her and jostled their shoulders together. “Hey, hey. What’s that face for?” he asked as he gently poked her cheek. “I don’t know”, she said listlessly as she held a fiery red curl between her fingertips. “I just feel…less than the other girls. I feel as though I’m too annoying, as though my laugh is ugly and my hair too red. I feel as though being less visually appealing makes me less of a human being to other people.”
She let out a choked laugh. “Isn’t that funny?” she asked with tears brimming her eyes. “Mae Miller” he breathed and wrapped his arms around her. Immediately she buried her face in his chest and hoped that he wouldn’t notice that she was crying. But her shoulders jolted as she sobbed and he hugged her tighter. Being in his arms was warm and soothing and slowly she calmed down.
As she withdrew herself from his arms, she apologized. “Sorry. That was a bit overdramatic of me, I believe.” The sentence made him glower. “Like hell it was. You listen to me Mae Miller and listen well. First off, whoever made you feel this way can go to hell. Second off, sometimes you are annoying, but you annoy me in the best way possible. You’re fierce, stubborn and gentle at the same time and it’s amazing. Thirdly, your laugh isn’t ugly. You may sounds like a dying pig, but it’s cute I swear. And lastly, your are gorgeous.”
In the way he set his jaw, she knew that he was ready to argue about it for hours if needed. “I’ll accept that I’m awesome”, she said and Angus pumped his arm in victory. “But I stand by the fact that red is an ugly colour.” When she saw his raised eyebrow, she knew that he had taken the sentence as a challenge. “I’ll make you eat those words”, he promised her.
It was barely six in the morning and someone was tapping on her window. Confused and still sleepy, she got out of bed and walked towards her window. When she saw Angus’ face, she looked at the fishing rod on her wall. It had been a gift for her twelfth birthday. She hadn’t been friends with Angus that long at that point and he had been quite clueless about what to give her. Over the years the rod had become an object that she connected with fond memories. It would be a shame if she broke it while whacking Angus over the head with it, but it would also be a beautiful tribute to their friendship. The handing over of the fishing rod would become a full cycle as it got reunited with its first owner.
Sighing deeply, she opened the window. “What are you doing here? The sun isn’t even up yet.” He gave her a self-satisfied smirk. “Exactly. Now get some clothes on and come with me. I promise it’ll be worth it.” The protest died in her throat as she heard the excitement in his voice. “Give me twenty minutes”, she groaned.
Twenty minutes later, she and Angus were sitting on a hill, a blanket underneath them and a basket between them. “Angus, what are we doing here?” she asked and he shushed her. “Wait”, he told her and passed her some bread from the basket. As she slowly munched on the fresh loaf of bread, the sun started to rise.
A gentle red coloured the sky and Mae forgot to breathe for a moment. Soon other colours followed and various shades of red, orange and yellow danced across the sky. The chill morning air and the chirping of birds, combined with the taste and smell of fresh bread turned this sunrise magical in a way that Mae would never be able to describe. “Oh Angus”, she sighed. “This is stunning.” As he watched sunbeams highlight her freckles and morning light set her red hair ablaze, he breathed a quiet: “Yeah.”
-
Angus’ eighteenth birthday was coming up and Mae had a vague idea about what to get him. The only problem was that to get her gift, she had to leave town. To make the surprise bigger, she decided to not tell Angus that she would be gone for a few days.
When she returned, she had a hard time finding him. This was both confusing and worrisome at the same time, because she thought that knew Angus well enough to tell where he would be by now. What was even weirder to her, was the fact that Angus’ mother had refused to talk to her and had slammed the door as soon as she saw Mae.
There was one place she hadn’t checked yet and she felt kind of dumb when she found Angus there. Of course he would be at the river, scratching poems into the mud. She frowned when she saw the bitter expression on his face. “Hey Angus, what’s going on?” she yelled and when he turned to face her, she saw tears on his face. Within seconds, she had his face in her hands. “Who?” she asked furiously. “I thought you decided that I wasn’t worth the effort anymore”, he confessed. “I thought you left.” While swallowing her own tears down, she reassured that she wouldn’t, hell she couldn’t, would never be able to leave him. “Angus Tuck, you’re one of a kind. There’s no way you’ll ever get rid of me.” She pressed a packet into his hands. “I was actually getting this for you. Eighteen tomorrow huh?” With shaking hands he opened the present, unveiling a sketchbook and a set of pencils. “Now you can write your poems down, if you want to.” He stared at the present for a long time and Mae started to get worried. “Angus? You alright?” He threw his arms around her and spun her around enthusiastically. “Mae Miller, you’re amazing.”
-
“Mae, I need your help”, nineteen year old Angus said as he stormed into her house. She looked up from the table she had been setting and saw her friend wiping his undoubtedly sweaty hands on his trousers. “Hello Angus”, Mae’s mom chirped and gave her daughter an big wink. Mae stared at her mom in utter confusion before turning towards her friend. “Whose body do I need to bury?” she asked grinning and her mother bristled. Angus ignored Mae’s mother and blurted: “Teach me how to dance.”
For a moment she was confused, but then she remembered that within a week the spring festival would be held. “Angus you sly dog”, she grinned. “Are you planning on asking a girl to dance on the last night of the spring festival?” Asking someone to dance with you then, was like asking their hand in marriage. He nodded. “Yes. I’m planning on asking the best girl of all.” The words made something inside of Mae twist and churn, but she decided to ignore it. “Well then big boy, auntie Mae will make sure that you don’t stomp on her feet too often.”
“Angus, what are you doing?” “Dancing” he huffed in a frustrated manner. He was getting impatient but there was no way that Mae was allowing him to enter the dance floor with his current skills. She told him that he was dancing off beat and he grumbled that there was no beat to be off to. “Wait a minute”, she said and let go of his hands. When she returned, she had a music box in her hands. “Here’s your beat.”
Admittedly, it went way better with the gentle music playing in the background. “You’re doing rather well”, she told him and he grinned. “Should I try anything fancy? Maybe dip you or something?” “Absolutely not”, she laughed. Twirling through the living room with Angus’ arms around her felt pleasant. His body was warm against hers and she swore that she could feel his heartbeat. When their eyes met, she shivered and the grip he had on her tightened the tiniest bit. “I think you’ll do great”, she managed to say and pulled back. “Good luck with asking your girl.”
The evening of the dance Mae pestered Angus to go seek his girl. “Man up Angus Tuck and ask her!” He gave her a confident nod and strode away and came right back. “Angus, what are you?” Mae stared in confusion until he held his hand out. “May I have this dance?” For a moment she was completely and utterly speechless. Then she threw herself into his arms with a dazzling smile. “Yes Angus. I personally give you permission to ruin my toes again. I love you, you big doofus.” Before they got to the dancing part, they were already kissing.
-
There was something different about todays twenty year old Angus Tuck and Mae couldn’t put her finger on what exactly it was. He had been grinning and smiling all day and whenever she asked about it, he rebuffed it. Her and his parents seemed to be in on it as well and they wouldn’t give anything away either. It was frustrating to say the least.
Seeing her mother’s music box in Angus’ hands was what finally gave away what was about to happen. Her mother had told her how Mae’s grandmother had given it to her daughter’s future husband. The day of the ceremony itself, Mae’s father had given it to her mother. Now, Mae’s mother had given it to Angus and Mae couldn’t be happier.
It was late in the evening and Angus had taken her to the river. Out of his pocket he got the sketchbook she had given him for his eighteenth birthday. This was the first time he allowed her to read one of his poems and anticipation built in her chest as he started to speak.
“April’s kiss, our very first
May there be more to come
In true love I’ve been immersed
And each day, I’ll give you some
You knew it all along
So did I
It was plain to see
April, May, June, July
A Sunday when the chapel’s free
True love is in short supply
Darling Mae,
Marry me”
“Yes” she breathed and kissed her future husband deeply. “Gods yes.”
-
The news spread fast. Everywhere they went, be it alone or together, people wished them luck with their future marriage and although she got these wishes on a daily basis, she never got tired of them. People whom she had known all her life were congratulating her and it filled her with warmth. Girls who had been in her class stopped her on the street, smiling as they told her about their own wedding and older ladies and mothers told her all about the joys of motherhood. She welcomed every piece of advice about that topic with open arms.
Angus got winks and secretive smiles from the other villagers as well. He went a step further than she did and actively sought out older, married woman to ask them how to be a good husband and listened intently as grandmothers told him fondly about all the little things that made starting your own family so enjoyable.
“Last chance to run lad” an older man had said and Angus had shot him a confused look. “You’re getting tied down soon buddy, this is your last chance to run. Run, or its bye bye freedom and hello to your wife.”, he clarified and Angus had smiled wide. “Wife.” He repeated, letting the word roll around in his mouth before he repeated it louder with a beaming smile. “I’m getting married!” he yelled and ran towards her, picked her up and spun her around. “I’m getting married and you’ll be my wife. I will be your husband.” He was stating obvious facts, but the giddy and obviously elated way he did it, made Mae grin as well. “Indeed. Mae Tuck has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” Angus didn’t stop smiling for the rest of that day.
It was a night in November when they tied the knot and Mae spent the day drunk on utter happiness. She remembered her mother braiding a blackberry bow into her hair, whispering about how her child was growing up. The tears were evident in her voice and Mae had forbidden her from crying with tears in her own eyes. “No crying on my wedding”, she choked out. Mother and daughter hugged before she walked down aisle.
The one who broke the no crying at the wedding rule first was not her mother, but her husband to be himself. As they met before the altar, she gently wiped away the tears on his cheeks. “If you start crying, I’m going to cry too. Stop that you doofus.” He gave her a watery smile. “I’m just so damn happy.” As tears streamed down her face, she chuckled. “Me too.”
They exchanged their vows and had to keep themselves from giggling while doing it. When she was fifteen she had told Angus that vows were stupid and he had agreed. She had it elegantly put it this way: “I don’t give a damn about what he promises me in front of a priest. It’s the everyday life that’ll make me appreciate my future husband, not his fancy words at an event that happens only once in our lives.”
“Mae Tuck”, he started and gave himself to smile about it. “Mae Tuck”, he repeated “You’ve grown on me. Or rather, you stubbornly attached yourself to me and never let go. I love and admire you and I don’t think anything will change that. I look forward to building a life and family together with you, I look forward to waking up next to you, I look forward to…you. And I always will.”
She opened with: “My dearest husband” and Angus gasped at that. God, she loved him. “I look forward to looking back.” The sentence seemed to confuse him, so she explained: “One day when I’m old and grey, I’ll be sitting in a rocking chair as our children and our grandchildren play in our garden. I’ll take your hand like this.” She gently his hand and squeezed it. “and reminiscence about everything we’ve done together. I can’t wait till that day, where I can’t tell my grandchildren about all the times you’ve made me happy in one afternoon, because there will be way too many.”
The two of them were so busy staring at each other that they barely heard the priest say: “You may now kiss the bride.” The kiss they shared was one they would cherish forever.
That night her father danced with her and told her this was one of the best moments of his life and Mae couldn’t agree more.
-
Roughly nine months later, Angus knocked on the Miller’s door in a state of panic. As Sarah, Mae’s mother, opened the door, he gasped: Mae’s giving birth. Please help.“ Within minutes a bunch of older women were helping his wife. They had tried to get him out of the room but he had refused. "Like hell I’ll leave her alone right now”, she heard him say and she giggled through the pain.
A long nine hours later, she was tired out of her mind and her both her husband and new-born were crying. Between his tears he managed to say: “Another milestone in our relationship.” He looked at her with shimmering eyes. “Let’s call him that.” She sat herself up and glared at her husband. “Angus, we’re not calling our son milestone.” He shook his head. “No not milestone, have a bit more faith in me. Miles. Let’s call our boy Miles.” That night she fell asleep with her little Miles tucked between her and her husband.
Miles definitely took more after her than after Angus. But he was way more himself than he was either of them. The stubbornness, that was all her and his studiousness was definitely from Angus’ side. But the things that made Miles unmistakably Miles were his blunt and sharp words. He was polite (they raised their boy right after all), but not interested in faking interest in people or topics he wasn’t interested in. He said exactly what was on his mind and it was both frustrating and endearing.
Five years later, they were blessed with another child. A few days before the child was born, Miles decided that he was going to hate ‘it’ with all his might. The then family of three had sat together and she and Angus had pried until they knew why Miles was so intent on hating his future sibling. “Lizzie says that parents make another child because they aren’t happy with the first.” Her son burst into tears after that and she placed him on her lap and hugged him close. “Oh honey, that’s not true at all. I love you dearly. Daddy and I just thought it would be swell for you to have someone to play with.”
“I already have Rose to play with”, he sulked, “and I’m five and babies are…not.”
Her husband kissed their son on the forehead. “That’s true Miles. But the baby will take a lot of attention and you can help if you want to. Also, never doubt that mommy and I love you. If you ever feel like we’re ignoring you or you want attention, just tug on one of our sleeves. We’re here for you Miles and we’ll always be.”
Miles hiccupped and nodded. “Okay then. I’ll judge it-” “them”, she corrected her son and he pulled a pouty face. “It”, he stubbornly continued. “When it’s born. Acceptable?” It wasn’t ideal, but at least he was willing to compromise. “Acceptable.”
Another baby boy joined the family, Angus cried again and Miles watched his little brother with distaste. “He’s…” Miles seemed to be considering his next words carefully. “Jucky”, he decided and her husband messed up his hair. “We have to wash him dummy.” Miles exited the room immediately with the sentence: “Good luck dad.”
Later that day, Miles climbed on her bed again and watched his brother with curious eyes. “He’s less jucky now”, he said and poked the baby’s cheek. At that moment, he opened his eyes and he and Miles stared at each other. Miles broke the silence. “He can’t do a lot, can he? He’s tiny, dumb and immobile. I’ll have to take very good care of him, don’t I?” Although he had insulted his brother, she heard the affection in his voice and silently, she was proud of him. “What’s his name?” Miles asked, still looking at his sibling. “Daddy and I thought that it would be nice if you chose a name for him.” Miles looked at her in surprise. “Really?” She nodded in confirmation and Miles pondered over it. “Jesse then. His name is Jesse.” The name rung a bell in the back of her mind, but she didn’t know exactly where she had heard the name before. “Jesse is a wonderful name, Miles. Thank you.”
A few days later, Mae left the house with Jesse in her arms. As she exited the door, she heard Rose, their neighbours’ five year old, yell: “Jesse, come here! Here, Jesse, here!” Totally confused she looked at her son in her arms and then she scanned the surroundings. When she laid eyes on Miles, Rose and Rose’s dog, everything fell into place. “MILES TUCK” she screamed. “TELL ME YOU DIDN’T NAME YOUR BROTHER AFTER YOUR NEIGHBOUR’S DOG!“ The guilty look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.
Jesse and Miles couldn’t be any more different, but Mae Tuck loved her boys nonetheless. Jesse was a naïve kid with an ever-present smile on his face, ready to believe everything people tried to sell him. Miles was a natural scowling sceptic, but both boys shared a curious nature. The could bicker for hours but if both of them wanted to know or do something, they got it done in record time.
-
The year Miles and Jesse turned twenty-two and seventeen respectively, they left their little town in the west to settle in the east. Miles had been grumpy for the whole journey and Jesse wouldn’t stop pestering him. She suspected that Miles’ foul mood was because he had to leave Rose behind. The two had been steadily growing closer and she felt sorry for her oldest son, but their farm had gone up in flames and they had wanted to move eastward for years.
When they were the thirstiest they had been during the trip, they stumbled upon a spring. Before she could stop him, Jesse jumped straight into it. Miles had a little more reservation and kneeled down to drink. While he was drinking, Jesse pulled him into the spring as well and both boys started to fight like little children. Mae watched them with a fond smile and decided to drink as well. Next to her Angus sighed and joined his family as well. The worst this spring could probably do was get one of them sick for a week.
-
Barely a year later, Miles and Rose were reunited. It had been a lazy Monday evening when somebody had knocked on their door. “I’ll get it”, Miles had sighed and when he opened the door, Rose had kissed him smack dab on the lips. For the first time in her life, Mae saw her oldest completely speechless. Her husband snorted in amusement and told Miles: “Let the lady in, you fool. I raised you better than this.” Miles nodded dumbly and stuttering, he offered her a chair.
That evening Rose told them that her old town held no future for her, so she decided to leave. “That town didn’t have what I wanted, so I decided to look for my fortune somewhere else”, she said as she slyly eyed Miles, who turned an interesting shade of red. “That fortune being my brother’s-” “JESSE”
It came as a surprise to nobody when Miles and Rose showed up with matching rings and smiles. With tear-filled eyes she congratulated them and kissed her son and daughter on their cheeks.
The day of the marriage, she braided her own blackberry bow into Rose’s hair. The girl’s own mother didn’t approve of her daughter’s actions and had decided that she wanted to break ties with her daughter. “Rose darling, I want you to know that, even though I wasn’t the one who gave birth to you, you are my daughter and you will always be. You’re a Tuck now and Tuck ties are everlasting. The young woman kissed her cheek and whispered: "Thank you mom. I love you.”
When Thomas was born, Mae saw Angus in Miles more than ever. Just like her husband, her son cried as he held his new-born child and through his tears he smiled and vowed to do everything in his power to protect his child. Jesus Christ, she was a grandmother now.
Everything was perfect and Mae found herself wishing that this moment would last forever.
-
Miles was a loving, but strict parent. Every day he taught Thomas new things and the lessons always started at twelve o'clock sharp. Today, the bouncy seven year old had managed to escape out of his father’s clutches and ran away screaming, Miles hot on his trail. The two of them zoomed through the garden and Thomas yelled for Jesse’s help. Never one to say no to his nephew, Jesse ran past Thomas, gave him a quick high-five and ran straight towards his older brother. “You’re going down Miles!” he screeched as he tackled him to the ground. Thomas had also turned around and just like Jesse, he sat down on his father.
“Dad, we’ve got you! No more lessons for me!” the kid whooped and Miles groaned. “Oh no, I’ve been caught” Miles sighed and played dead. “Noooooo!!!!” Thomas squawked. “You can’t die daddy. Never!” From beneath his son and brother Miles wheezed: “That’s a bit hard kiddo. But I’ll promise you this: I will always be there for you.” Thomas looked at his father with the wide eyed look all children seemed to possess up to a certain age. “Promise?” he asked and Miles pushed Jesse of his body and snuggled his son close. “Promise buddy.”
Something unreadable crossed over Rose’s face, who had been watching the scene unfold as well. “Something wrong, honey?” Mae asked and Rose shook her head. “No, just thinking.” Mae watched her with curiosity. “Worrying that hard will give you wrinkles, love.” Rose looked at her husband and son and she seemed to make a decision in her head. “I was just thinking that I would do anything to keep Thomas safe.” Mae gave her an affectionate pat on the head. “You and Miles both, love. That’s just how parenting works.”
-
Everything seemed fine until Jesse fell from the tree in Miles’ backyard and as she caught the moment her youngest son’s body made contact with the ground with a sickening sound, she screamed. Within seconds, she was seated beside him and as she lifted his upper body from the ground, his head lolled back lifelessly. With shaking fingers, Miles reached out towards Jesse. “Mom?” his voice sounded so small and instantly she was reminded of him and Jesse playing as children in their old yard. “Mom is he…” Miles couldn’t get the word ‘dead’ over his lips. Rose, who hadn’t seen what happened came closer. “What is going-oh my god.” She softly tucked a few strands of bloodstained blond hair behind his ear. “Jesse”, she breathed and Mae could hear the pain and sadness Rose felt as she looked at her younger brother’s body. Mae herself felt numb. There was no way that Jesse, her youngest, was gone already right?
With a cough, Jesse shot up. “Fuck!” he yelped. “That hurt!” While he was busy spitting out blood, the realisation that he had survived falling from a great height while landing on his head. The same disbelief was painted over Miles’ and Rose’s faces, but what could they do?
-
It wasn’t like Mae Tuck had never noticed that she looked really good for her age. This seemed to be a shared family trait, as her husband and sons seemed to be ageless as well. It could be considered a blessing, until the moment Jesse barely looked older than Thomas and Rose had almost as much grey hairs as Mae herself.
-
One day, Mae came home to her oldest sitting at her dinner table, hands in his dark brown hair. “Miles?” she called out and when he looked up, his face crumpled and he broke into tears. “They’re gone.” She wished that she didn’t immediately know what he was talking about. Rose had done what she considered the best for her child.
Hopelessly, she tried to console him. At that moment, Jesse entered the room with dishevelled clothes and rapidly healing bruises on his face. Without him telling her, she knew that he had taken a fall again. She didn’t want to think about the fact that it may not have been a fall at all.
As she sat there with her boys in her arms and her husband nowhere in sight (he was probably sleeping again. As of late, thathad been happening a lot), she hoped that time would heal their wounds. Time. They had plenty of it now and Mae wondered if it was worth it.
