UPDATE: This is a alternative version of my previous drawing. I got some messages that the puzzle pieces are not really liked and maybe inappropriate. 😓 I really don't want anyone feeling uncomfortable with my drawing or even getting upset about it. 😫 I didn't know that, so it was great that people told me that it might be a problem for someone. So I decided to delete my previous drawing and reworked it a little 😎
HAPPY AUTISM AWARENESS DAY
So a few weeks ago I was asked if I would like to join in a project for World Autism Awareness Day that themed Ty.
I love Ty with all my heart and soul and the idea was great so of course I was on board.🤩😍🤩
Today's the day (April 2) where I can finally share my result for this project. It was so much fun. 😊
Have fun with my new fanart. It shows Ty with headphones and touching a mug. (Maybe he likes the structure of it 😉)
I wanted to draw him calm, happy, distracted and comfortable. 😊
Hi everyone! So a few weeks ago, @julemmaes messaged me and asked me if I would be interested in a project for World Autism Awareness Day, which is today, April 2. Since Ty Blackthorn from The Shadowhunter Chronicles is supposedly an autistic character, the idea was to write something or draw something or make an edit about him. So here's my contribution!
Even though it is from Kit's perspective, I hope I'm able to convey the purpose of this project. Enjoy! :)
The Postcard
Kit Herondale was having his usual saw that movie/read that book fight with Tessa as both of them prepared the breakfast. Tessa appeared to be mixing some gross-looking, bland paste for Mina, which Kit knew Mina would throw away or spit out the moment it neared her mouth. And then Jem would make a loving comment about how his lovely little daughter was actually a wee little devil and Tessa and Jem would share a sappy smile, but after a while Tessa would get annoyed and hand the responsibility of feeding Mina to Kit. They had recently discovered that Choo- Choo train or airplane noises were much more believable when they came from Kit’s mouth, because both Tessa and Jem were 150 years old, and Jem had never even been on an airplane before. Kit usually offered one of his fingers to Mina, and she would clutch it tightly in her tiny hand and look at him with excitement bubbling in her large, sparkly eyes as he made train and plane noised and zoomed the spoon near her mouth. She would let out a peal of laughter and Kit would snatch that moment to stuff the food in her mouth. Tessa claimed that she was immensely grateful for his help, and it made Kit feel that he was useful, so even though he complained about his task everyday, he secretly loved it.
The door opened and Jem entered with Mina in his arms from their morning stroll. “Good morning, my love,” he said to Tessa with that quiet, beautiful smile and bent down to kiss her cheek. Mina leapt forward from his arms to catch Kit’s finger. Kit grinned down at her. “Hey there, Min-Min. How was your trip?” Mina made babbling noises and Jam ruffled Kit’s hair.
“Min-Min has a present for her favorite brother, doesn’t she?” Jem said with a grin and Kit looked at him in surprise. “Oh, did that bakery woman’s sister give me her number? I mean, it’s cool that she called me a beast, but I don’t really want her number.”
Perhaps if he took the number, he could make a new friend. But Kit didn’t want to. The thing that had happened with his previous friends still made his chest hurt at the mere thought of it. A vivid image of Ty’s beautiful curls bathed in the silvery light of the ritual and his intense grey eyes flashed in Kit’s mind and he brought himself back to the present with great effort.
“- something even better,” Jem was saying, “here,” he said and in his other hand which wasn’t holding Mina, he held a small rectangular piece of paper. Kit blinked. “A… letter?” He said dubiously, not quite believing what he was seeing. “It’s a postcard,” said Jem and he gave it to Kit, who automatically took it without being aware of his action. “It’s for you.” From the corner of his eyes, Kit saw Tessa and Jem share a curious glance and he turned away, shielding the postcard from their sight.
The postcard had a beautiful photograph of a mysterious landscape printed on it. Kit stared at it intently. It wasn’t a place that he’d ever seen. The picture was taken some time after sunset, and the sky was inky blue. The silhouettes of the mountains were dark and ragged and beneath them lay a bottomless, dim lake with water as still as a rock. Who had sent it? Kit thought, rolling the question in his mind, over and over. Magnus, perhaps? But why would it be addressed to him, then? Magnus was a friend of Jem and Tessa, and though Kit liked Magnus, he was sure that Magnus was definitely not interested in being his pen pal. Jace perhaps, he thought, but Jace had made no efforts to reach out to Kit again. Kit wasn’t upset about it at all. Kit was happy. With Jem and Tessa and Mina. Kit’s fingers slowly turned the card over and his heart came to a screeching halt as he saw the neat, elegant handwriting.
It was as though his brain had forgotten how to breathe, his heart had forgotten how to beat and his fingers shook and his throat felt dry. Kit touched his face numbly as he felt something on his cheek and realised with a start that they were tears. He wiped them quickly, as discreetly as possible and then began reading the letter, his eyes devouring every word in front of him as fast as they could.
Dear Christopher,
Ty had written. Ty, Ty, Ty. Simply looking at his name scrawled in Ty’s handwriting was enough to make Kit’s guts clench. He recalled how Ty wrote, how he took notes and scribbled down observations in that little notebook, how the pen moved smoothly and the ink flowed easily from his pale, nimble fingers, how his hair fell in his eyes as they were intensely focused on their task; the sheer serenity of Ty’s presence. Kit took a shuddering breath and read on.
I was about to write Watson instead of Christopher, as I used to call you when we were together a while back. However, my twin Livia insists that since this is the first interaction we are having in a long time, I should address you by your Christian name. And now she is admonishing me for sounding too formal.
There is not much space on this postcard, and therefore my handwriting is infinitesimally small. I must apologize for it. Magnus delivered the necklace you sent for Livvy and I. Livvy says it is very pretty. I would like to thank you for it. I have been noting down various observations about Livvy’s ghost form. This necklace will allow me to study the effect of its magical qualities upon Livvy.
I am afraid that I must take your leave now, as according to my schedule, I have to feed Irene.
I thank you sincerely for the necklace.
Much obliged,
Tiberius Blackthorn.
Kit ran his eyes wildly over the postcard again. It had already reached its end. Kit didn’t want it to. Absentmindedly, he ran his fingers softly over Ty’s beautiful, precise handwriting, and couldn’t help but smile. No one used this kind of language now, not even Jem and Tessa. But Ty did. Ty had gotten Kit’s necklace. It would help Ty. It would protect him and Livvy now, which was something Kit had failed to do.
Kit read the letter again and again and again. It was so short.
Ty seemed happy. He had made a schedule for himself, it appeared, at Scholomance, and knowing Ty, he would follow it religiously every day. Kit remembered how uneasy Ty got when something was out of line or when something unusual happened. Ty’s hands would flutter at his sides like butterflies or he would play with the lighter Julian had got him. If it got too much, he would put on his headphones and block out the world that was too bright, too harsh, too noisy for him.
The night at the London Institute flashed in Kit’s mind like a lightning bolt, how it felt to hug Ty, how soft Ty’s hair was, how devastatingly clear and true those vivid grey eyes were. And then Kit remembered another night by the lake in Idris, and his own hand on Ty’s shoulder and his own words echoing in the empty space, “I love you, Ty. I love you.” Kit also recalled seeing Ty on the beach with Dru, Livvy floating beside them silently. He had seemed so much at peace, Kit had not been able to bring himself to say goodbye to him. And now Ty had written to him. After months and months of silence, Ty had written to him.
Kit squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Kit?” he heard a gentle voice say and opened his eyes to meet Tessa’s concerned ones. Kit blinked multiple times.
“I’m going out,” was all that he managed to say with a tight throat before rushing out of the house and running wildy along the familiar path towards the hill.
The air was chilly, and the wind bit at his face, making his eyes and nose water but Kit didn’t stop running for a long time.
A few weeks ago @julemmaes and @tyherondaletrash came with an amazing project for World Autism Awareness Day and here my contribution to it.
I knew for the beginning I wanted to draw something about Ty and his special interest. So here he is, reading Sherlock ! I drew a soundless rune on his neck because it's remind me how sounds can be overwhelming for him and even if it's not how this rune work, I wanted to used it in a way to show him in a peaceful and quiet moment.
This has been written for Autism Awareness Day, Irene (@julemmaes) and Zey (@tyherondaletrash) had wanted to do something special for today and Irene invited me to join and clearly, I said yes.
I suppose this is a one-shot or a short story of sorts from Ty’s perspective when he and Kit meet for the first time in three years. I know there are many fics out there about this but I thought a sweeter one would be nice. I do apologise if anything is incorrect in advance on the ways Ty is feeling, but what I’ve read is everyone is different. Still, if anything is wrong or incorrect I am deeply apologetic and please let me know for future writings.
approx. 1.7k words I think probably more...
—–
It had been three years, each year feeling longer than the last. Three eventually successful years. Ty had gotten into the Scholomance and had become centurion, he had gotten what he wanted, well almost what he wanted but he would settle for this. It had been three years since that night by Lake Lynn, and all three years the regret and sorrow for his friend never left, an itch against his heart which he tried his best to ignore.
All those three years Livvy was a constant against his side, she was always there when he needed her and when he didn’t. He had grown closer to his sister Dru when he was back at the LA Institute and when she wasn’t with her friends. He treasured his newfound relationship with his sister, one that grew stronger when Kit had left.
He would sometimes watch Dru’s horror movies with her and she would sometimes help him with caring for Irene. Irene was not fond that of Dru but would let her care for her when Ty had his watchful eye on them.
It had been three years, three years since he had seen that golden grown upon his head, but here from the top of the institute’s roof Ty let his legs hang suspended in mid-air and he saw the boy with the golden crown of hair again. His breath hitched in his throat, his hands fiddling with the sleeve of his jumper.
Kit.
He could see him again, he could. He told himself over and over again. He had to. If he couldn’t he felt he might go insane.
Ty had not noticed that Jem and Tessa followed after Kit with a small girl holding each of their hands, jumping and swinging between them, an innocent smile on her face. He did not know her name.
“You should go down and greet them, Ty-Ty.” Livvy’s voice echoed from beside him, she was floating beside him, a wistful look on her face as she looked down towards Kit and his newfound family.
“Go down,” She said again, her wistful look turning hard as she looked at Ty, “If you don’t you and I both know you will regret it.”
Ty knew she was right, his fingers continued to play against the fraying edges of his hoodie as he stood up on the wall. Kit was gone from front steps, he had gone inside. He still wished he had understood why Kit had left, he was going to get an answer from him.
Ty stepped down from the wall and made his way across the roof to the door that led down into the institute. It was warm in the institute compared to the cool breeze outside, the sun was beginning to set and long shadows danced along the walls.
Ty made his way slowly down further into the institute until he was above the foyer, out of sight of the people below. Out of sight of Kit.
Julian was there welcoming them, and Emma too—those two were always together, Ty had observed that but he guessed that’s what happens when you love someone as fiercely as those two do each other, they never leave each other’s side—She was giving a hug to Jem and then one to Tessa before kneeling down in front of the small girl extending her hand in greeting, the little girl took it smiling as she said her name.
“Mina.”
Ty watched as Julian shook hands with both Tessa and Jem, smiling at Mina before turning his eyes to Kit. Ty could see the tenseness in his shoulders when he looked at Kit.
Ty watched Julian think of what he was to do with Kit. Julian knew Ty had been upset over an argument that had happened between himself and Kit, but Ty had never told him the truth of what had really happened.
His eyes slightly widened as he watched Julian pull Kit into a hug, and Kit looked a little surprised too. Emma gave Kit a hug as well as soon as Julian had let go but Ty had expected Emma to be more friendly.
Now Ty finally let himself look at Kit, no one else in the frame. He had grown a bit, but that was to be expected. He looked stronger, where scrawny arms used to be, were now muscles. He had filled his lanky body with the strength and muscle of a shadowhunter, he had been training Ty realised. He had finally accepted that he was a shadowhunter. That thought made his heartache in a way he wasn’t used to.
With that newfound knowledge, Ty noticed the Herondale ring on Kit’s finger, and the Herondale dagger strapped to Kit’s leg. He wasn’t in full gear, Kit was wearing a plain hoodie over his pants which Ty could tell were gear from the rigid way they held.
“You haven’t gone down yet, Ty,” Livvy said, not looking at him, her eyes trained on Kit.
Ty watched as Livvy slowly floated down to where Kit and the others were. Ty saw Kit’s eyes widen at the sight of Livvy before he offered her a small smile and a slight nod, she returned it with a small wave. No, it wasn’t a wave it was a beckon for Ty to come down after her.
Ty slowly stood up, making his way down the stairs his eyes never left the floor beneath him. He felt Kit’s eyes on him, he looked everywhere but Kit’s face. He didn’t know what would happen if he looked at Kit’s face, he didn’t like not knowing.
Ty looked at Jem who offered a small smile, and Tessa who had a knowing look on her face and then to little Mina who beamed up at him with such child-like innocence. He had nowhere else to look but Kit, but he had to know.
His eyes soon found Kit’s, whose eyes had never left him. It struck him then how blue they were, they were as blue as the sky if it had remained untouched by humanity. He sucked in a breath running his eyes over his face, it was still Kit but his jaw was hard, his cheekbones cast a shadow against his face in the dying light. Ty could see a look of sadness when he looked at him, and it hurt Ty to see it. He wanted to hold him until the sadness left but he knew that is not how it worked, you couldn’t just hug someone to get rid of the feeling of sadness.
Their staring was brought to an end when Mina pulled against Kit’s leg asking to be picked up. When Kit looked at his adoptive sister there was nothing but the warmth of love and the fierce protectiveness behind it, he did as she asked.
Mina’s eyes were trained on Ty.
“I’m Mina.” She said, giving him a smile with missing teeth, that made Ty smile.
“I’m Ty,” He said back, looking from Kit to Mina and back again. Mina’s face was lit up with a smile.
Ty found it odd, how children smiled for no reason but also cried for it too.
Julian had said something but Ty wasn’t paying attention and Tessa had taken Mina from Kit’s arms and the five other people had disappeared into the kitchen.
It was only Ty and Kit now in the foyer.
Ty knew what he wanted to say so he said it.
“Why didn’t you say good-bye?” His voice broke slightly on the words, but his gaze was strong and unrelenting as he looked into Kit’s eyes. It was hard for him to do, but at this moment he needed to.
Kit opened and closed his mouth, Ty could see his mind working at what he wanted to say.
“I thought you didn’t care—I thought you hated me,” He said finally, the sadness filling his eyes yet again. His voice fading.
Ty widened his eyes, in all his sadness and grief he never had hated Kit and he had never not cared.
“I could never hate you, Kit,” Saying Kit’s name again was a comfort he didn’t know he had needed.
As if those words were all Kit needed his body relaxed ever so slightly. Ty looked down at Kit contemplation in his eyes.
“Why would you think that?” It was an honest question that Ty asked.
“Because—” Kit’s voice faltered, “I told you I loved you and you didn’t seem to care.” His words were quiet and he was no longer looking up at Ty.
He didn’t know what to say, no words came to his mind for him to speak. He remembered Kit saying those words, he remembered but he had wanted Livvy back so badly that they had hardly registered and he had pushed them aside.
“Kit— I…” He didn’t know what to say and he wanted, needed to say something, he watched as Kit’s eyes held his own for a moment.
“I know you do not, it has been three years so long and while there were others there was never another you,” Ty wanted to say that it would have been impossible for there to be another one of him but the look in Kit’s eyes held him back from saying it.
“But I fear that what I feel will never leave and—"
Ty cut his words off, wrapping his arms around him. A feeling he never thought he would feel again swelled in his chest. To Ty’s surprise Kit lifted his arms up and hugged him back. This feeling Ty wanted, he had never known that he had missed.
When Kit touched his shoulder it had always been gentle and careful, but now in their hug, he held him tight as if he didn’t want to lose him again. It made his mind whirl and his tightened chest relax, Kit’s touch is all he wanted, his touch made him help calm himself.
"Kit,” He whispered against Kit’s crown of golden hair, he was testing his name again against his tongue.
“Yes?” Kit’s voice was muffled against Ty’s shoulder.
“I—” Ty hesitated, “I was blind, blind to this feeling which I feel that is so clear now at this moment.” He took a deep breath.
“I was too focused on Livvy, I did not mean to harm you or your feelings because I— because I also love you.”
Kit pulled away from the hug and stared back up at Ty, his eyes wide and full of tears. Ty feared he had something wrong.
“If this is a joke Ty, it isn’t very funny.” Kit knew that both of them knew he would never joke on such matters.
“I’ve had three years,” Ty began, “three years without you and when I saw you standing on the steps something filled my heart that had been missing for these three years.” He took a deep breath.
“This hole I tried to fill with the Scholomance, with studies and friends—with other people, but it always remained empty. I never knew how much Sherlock had needed Watson until my own had left.”
Kit’s brimming eyes spilled over and a vulnerable look was splashed across his face as Ty spoke his words, Kit knew Ty could be good with words when he wanted to.
Ty lifted his hand and wiped away Kit’s tears, running his fingers along his cheekbones and jaw.
“Ty—What are you doing?” Kit’s voice was quiet as Ty’s fingers curled around the front of Kit’s jumper pulling him closer until they were a breath apart.
“Something you will like,” He breathed before leaning down and placing a kiss against Kit’s lips.
Ty pulled away a second after, “Do you believe me now? That I love you?” His question was innocent and the vulnerability clear in his voice and on his face.
For World Autism Awareness Day, on April 2, a tribute to the one and only Tiberius Nero Blackthorn. (click on the picture for better quality)
The runes are Voyance (because Ty can see patterns where others can't) and Memory (because Ty has an eidetic memory). The background is painted with Ty's favourite colours, blue, green and yellow/gold.
Thank you @cassandraclare for creating this beautiful soul, and @tyherondaletrash and @julemmaes for organizing the celebration.
This is my portrait of Ty Blackthorn in honour of world autism day.
You may be asking yourself "why is it unfinished you lazy fuck?"
Well, here's why: I forgot where I put it about a day after inking the foreground, but I decided to post it myself to say that I am so unspeakably grateful for world autism day because it not only brings light to Autism, but to other neurodevelopmental disorders as well.
I am neurodivergent, I suffer from severe ADHD (which is why I forgot to finish the drawing) and the importance of reading about Ty in TDA is, for me, impossible to put into words.
I am so beyond grateful to @cassandraclare because she made the neurodivergent community feel heard and important
Support Autistic creators, support neurodivergent creators, speak up against misconceptions and get educated about autism and neurodevelopmental disorders in general
And my dear lady here (@tyherondaletrash) had the amazing idea of writing something Ty related to make this day special for her favourite baby boy, so we asked a few people if the cared to join our project and about twenty people answered our call. We posted fanarts and one shots and edits and headcanons (you can find them all here).
I hope you enjoy my part as much as I enjoyed reading the others and starring at the drawings cause we put ourselves into this.
Word count: 3,308
It was one of the coldest winter days ever in Los Angeles.
That afternoon it had even rained for a few minutes and the Blackthorns, who had gone out for a walk on the beach, had to run to seek shelter and by the time they reached the Institute they were completely soaked.
Julian had forced Tavvy to go take a shower, seeing that his younger brother had already planned to sprawl on the first free couch and sit there all evening, and Cristina had to drag her boyfriend Mark and Emma up the stairs, who had begun to jump into the puddle of mud and sand that had created at the entrance. Kieran had shaken his head, but his girlfriend had noticed the amused smile that had hovered over his lips before he mumbled Shadowhunters whispering, watching the two blondes in the group.
Ty had moved almost immediately, avoiding the splashes, but Kit and Dru, who had complained all the way to their rooms, had not been as careful and had spotted legs, which made Emma laugh satisfied. Although, almost an hour later, when the trio walked by the entrance, they saw her cleaning the floor, swearing against Julian that he must have told her something about setting a good example. Luckily, Mark was there with her, so at least she could complain to someone.
Ty, being careful not to trip over the bucket of dirty water, headed to the salon, where they would have had a party that same night. He didn’t realize that Kit and Dru were lagging behind, but he heard voices become more distant and realized that he was alone.
A large group of Shadowhunters would have arrived to investigate the unusual demonic activity that had been reported at the foot of the mountains, and Ty, who was among the first to gather information about what was happening, would have helped during the missions.
He entered the main hall and was surprised. Cold-colored tents came down from the windows like waterfalls and the tables, strategically positioned on either side of the room to give space to a dance floor, had already been set.
Cristina was giving orders right and left to the staff, with a crumpled sheet in her hand, and Julian was helping Kieran move a black piano to the center of the room.
His brother saw him and with a shake of the hand made him sign to approach.
"Would you help us out?" Julian asked, arranging the bench so that it would be ready for anyone who would play that night. Ty nodded and continued to watch the blue and violet rustles hanging from every wall. "We have to put a viola and two violins and they’re all still in the music room, so could you go?"
Kieran looked at Julian with an expression that seemed slightly frightened, "Don’t forget the-"
"The guitar, Ty!" cried Cristina across the room. The voice resounded throughout the institute. All three guys winced. "Julian the guitar! Please, they have specified it so many times." The girl seemed exasperated and even though she had just showered, it looked like she had just finished running a marathon from how sweaty she was.
"I still don’t understand why musicians shouldn’t carry their instruments with them, but okay." Emma said behind his back, taking him by surprise.
"No questions asked, Emma, let’s be good hosts and give them a guitar." Cristina retorted approaching the group, who was waiting for orders to be given. "We’ve already ruined the surprise of the party, the least we can do is satisfy a few small requests."
"I’m going to get it." Ty announced, starting to walk away.
Kit followed him without thinking it twice, "I’m coming with you."
Cristina had already started giving other directions, "Mark, there should be other boxes in the library, you think about those. Dru, go call Tavvy, everyone has to help. Julian, Emma..." the girl’s voice got lost in the hall.
"So? How are you feeling?" Kit asked, looking at him sideways.
"How do I feel about what?" asked Ty sincerely confused, not understanding what his friend was referring to.
They had found each other again almost a year earlier and the meeting was sudden and completely unexpected. They had solved their problems in a simple way, even though the emotions in play weren’t, at all, and now they were in a limbo that even Ty could not decipher and this sometimes put him under stress, because he did not know how to behave in the presence of the other.
"For the party tonight." answered Kit, "I, um, I remember you didn’t like being in crowded places." he said scratching his forearm.
"Oh." whispered Ty. "I guess it’ll be quiet. There won’t be many people and the music will be more classical, considering the choice of musicians." he opened the door of the music room, taking two long steps towards the part where they kept the string instruments.
"Wow. I didn’t know you had so many instruments here. I’ve never seen any of you play." exclaimed the blonde.
"Emma’s father tried to teach her how to play the violin when she was little, but she wasn’t good at it, and she never tried again." Ty replied, taking the only guitar that was there. "We Blackthorns have always had other hobbies." He saw Kit nodding, as he tried to look everywhere but at the figure of Ty. They returned to the main hall in silence.
They finished fixing everything and then Helen, who had spent the last hours checking that every room had the necessary with Aline, sent everyone to get ready and announced that the guests would arrive a half hour later. Anyone who wanted could go with her to welcome them when they would arrive through the portal and Ty saw with some relief that even Dru seemed little inclined to the idea.
He had changed and wore a pair of elegant black pants accompanied by a simple white shirt. Dru had passed by a few minutes before proposing he wears a tie, but he had decided not to wear it. He was wearing black shoes, and the whole thing made him even more handsome than usual. Not that Ty cared much, he only did it because Aline threatened them all in case they ruined "her wife’s party," as she called it.
He was going down the stairs when he heard the noise of dozens of feet slamming on the floor. Well, the guests had arrived. He began to open and close his fists. He forgot to take his headphones, and it was too late to come back, because Mark was making weird hand gestures to tell him to join them.
He arrived at the entrance where Julian was helping the last Shadowhunter out of the portal to stabilize. The girl had a pale face and looked about to throw up so Ty looked away, focusing on a movement that had caught his eye in the garden. He approached the window overlooking the desert, but saw nothing suspicious and after a few more seconds of observation decided that there were no animals or demons around the Institute, and that the sensors were working.
The introductions began, and he would just nod his head to anyone. He had noticed that most were young, as it was meant to be, but there was a particularly high number of adults. Normally in these missions they sent the kids with little experience and only one or two with a few more years of fighting behind, to supervise the situation.
Unusual, Ty thought, thinking about asking his brother Julian if they had discovered something that he had missed.
A good part of the guests had arrived a few minutes before and some were already dressed for dinner, with elegant clothes and lavish shoes. It wasn’t every day the Los Angeles Institute was dyed a thousand colors. In the midst of all the whips and hairstyles he could see the rag of concealed weapons.
He felt a hand resting on his shoulder and turned to find Kit smiling at him, his eyes sparkling, "You look handsome dressed like this." Ty looked at him and saw that they wore the same clothes, only that Kit had decided to wear a blue tie that surprisingly captured the color of his eyes.
"You too." he allowed himself to say, and Kit’s smile widened.
"Come on, before these cockroaches invade our house and steal all our food." the blond said whispering, pushing him towards the hall, from where a slight melody came.
Ty was about to correct him, but a voice behind them preceded him, "Actually, it’s the locusts that invade places, but, yes, we should hurry." Dru gave them both a broad smile and Ty greeted her with his hand, smiling in turn. She was wearing a dress with long sleeves of a dark grey and very simple.
Kit snorted, "Yeah, whatever."
When they entered the room, the atmosphere was quite different from what it had been a few hours before, when Cristina was about to have a nervous breakdown. The girl was now arranging the last place cards on the tables, but unlike before, she now had a completely relaxed expression and seemed to float with that cream dress of hers.
Ty seemed to start accusing the noise, the absence of headphones on his head was heavier than when he was wearing them. He put his hand in his pocket, hoping to find one of Julian’s games, but it was empty. He felt his back stiffen, trying to focus on the music and the people that were playing. The melody immediately overwhelmed him, but he kept hearing people’s chatter and mumbling, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t isolate that roar.
He was going to turn around, go back up to his room and get his headphones, a book, anything to distract himself, when he saw Dru stop beside him and her features hardened.
When she spoke, she sounded threatening, "What is she doing here?"
Kit and Ty followed her gaze to the table that was closest to the windows.
There, between four girls the two of them had never seen, was Paige Ashdown. And she was looking at them head-to-toe with a grimace of disgust on her lips. She turned to her friends and when they turned around again they all had an amused face.
"She’s part of the LA community, Dru. Helen told me that the other families in the city would come too." Ty replied, murmuring, as if he were afraid that Paige might hear him, looking at a flickering leaf of one of the centerpieces.
"Who is she?" Kit asked, squinting his eyes, trying to remember if that face was familiar.
"Paige Ashdown." Emma answered behind them. Dru jumped lightly, holding a hand to her chest and Kit cursed softly. But Emma was focused on Ty, a look that said ‘don’t touch my family or I’ll kill you’ in her eyes, "If she tells you anything, you tell me and I’ll take care of it."
Ty knew that taking care of something didn’t really mean that she would take care of that, and that it was actually a way of saying that she would beat her or kick her out of the Institute, but that thought wasn’t enough to calm him down.
He took a step back to the door, trying to talk. He didn’t like being stared at, and right now he felt five pairs of eyes burning on him.
The voices had become even louder. He cleared his voice and said, "Sorry, I forgot to take something. I’ll be right back."
He heard Kit call for him, but he did not turn around and quickly got past the people still crowded at the entrance who were heading very slowly to their rooms.
He opened the door of his room, slammed it, and ran in, grabbing the headphones and starting the music, and with his other hand he looked for his ball of rope in the drawer.
He was taking deep breaths while playing with the ball and when in his head it seemed to him that there was enough order he decided that he could go back down, but he would not enter the salon, no. He had to go out and get some fresh air.
He reached the edge of the desert and had almost completely calmed down, when he saw something moving behind one of the bushes in their garden. He snuck up, tried to make as little noise as possible, and avoided scaring any kind of animal that was hidden there.
The tail that sprouted from behind the leaves was very similar to that of a fox, but the color was more reminiscent of that typical of the coyotes. It couldn’t have been Irene, because it was too thick and not spotted.
"It’s a kit fox."
Ty nearly jumped up in the air like Dru did mere minutes before. He turned around and brought a hand to his belt, clenching his fist on a dagger. The sudden movement frightened the fox, that with two quick sprint was already running in the desert, away from Ty.
The girl who spoke, who Ty recognized almost immediately, covered her mouth to hold a giggle, "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I always feel sick when I travel by portal and when I went out to get some air, it was near the entrance." she said referring to the fox. She sat on the ground and hher long, blond hair was left loose. Ty found himself thinking that Emma’s were much more beautiful, more alive, but he relaxed, taking his hand off the knife and bending over to pick up the ball that he had dropped.
"What’s your name?" she asked him, sitting on the rock with her hands between her knees. She had a vague French accent, but it wasn’t as pronounced as you’d expect from a native speaker, she was probably raised in America, like him.
"I am Tiberius Blackthorn." He answered, looking at the dry land in front of him, hoping that the fox would come back and let him come near it.
"Oh, you’re Julian and Helen’s brother." she smiled.
Ty nodded, "And Drusilla, Mark and Octavian’s."
"Sure." she giggled.
"What’s your name?" Ty asked standing in front of her. Aline would surely scold him if he soiled his pants before dinner.
"Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m Cléa Dubois."
Ty looked at her for a moment, nodding, and then, in a quieter tone, he confessed, "I had never seen a kit fox near here."
"Macrotis vulpes." she basically blurted out. Ty turned surprised towards her. "It’s not so common around here, it’s more likeable to be found in central Mexico and inland, not so close to the LA coast." Ty noticed that she was blushing, and was certain that the girl was embarrassed when she started playing with the ring on her middle finger.
"It’s strange that it’s in this area. It’s also mating period, it really shouldn’t be here." This time it was Ty who spoke and, even though he wasn’t looking at Cléa, he noticed that she had stopped fidgeting.
"Do you like animals too?" she asked with hope.
The boy kept looking at the landscape, "I love them."
"Oh, lucky me. I get unbearable when I start talking about stupid canids and birds of strange colors and-"
Cléa couldn’t finish the sentence, because Ty interrupted her, maybe a little abrupt, "They’re not stupid." He started playing with the ball again, a frown formed between his eyebrows, "This just got lost."
The girl blinked a couple of times, surprised by the tone of the other. "I- Yes, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend the canids. They’re my favorite family of mammals." She tried to clarify, "For real, sorry."
Seeing that Ty did not answer, she didn’t speak anymore, and the silence that arose was a bit tense, but they both seemed to enjoy the desolate desert that extended before them.
They stayed there and after a few minutes Ty heard someone call his name. He turned in time to see Kit running in his direction, with wheezing breath and a worried expression on his face.
"Where the hell have you been?" he panted, "We’ve been looking for you for 20 minutes."
Ty imagined that ‘we’ includeed all his siblings, "I’m sorry." he said sincerely. "I went to my room to get the headphones and then I went out, I didn’t realize it had been so long."
Kit rubbed his hand on his face, sighing loudly, but then Cléa sneezed so hard that the blond jumped into the air, practically flying in front of Ty to protect him from any lurking danger.
The girl burst into laughter and even Ty found himself smiling in front of Kit’s terrified face.
"And you are?" Kit asked slightly relieved that he didn’t have to fight some weird demon.
"Nice to meet you, Cléa Dubois. You’re Christopher, aren’t you?" Kit nodded, always with frowny eyebrows.
"How do you know him?" Ty asked, moving from behind the friend, to be seen by the girl.
"I am very interested in everything that concerns fairies." she said in a flat tone, getting up and cleaning her hands on her jeans. "So I was surprised when I found out your story. You’re the reason I came here, actually."
It was Ty’s turn to stand in front of Kit. He felt his friend’s hand resting on his back. There were only a handful of people who knew about the lost heir, and the fact that this unknown girl knew about his whole story was concerning.
"And what exactly do you want to do to me?" threatened Kit.
Cléa seemed confused, "I’m not trying to intimidate you. I want to help you."
The hand on Ty’s back slipped away.
The boy could not understand, but before he could ask for anything else, Cléa interrupted him, "But we will talk about it in a… safer place, maybe even with the others. For tonight, I’d rather eat something warm and talk about animals with you, if that’s okay." she first turned to Kit and then to Ty, and with that friendly smile, she went inside.
"Now, I’m afraid." Kit bit.
Ty hadn’t really heard him, he was still too focused on the girl, too upset to understand if she was a threath or not. And yet, when he spoke, he said the thing that made him trust her more, "She likes canids."
Kit moved in front of him, with an eyebrow raised. "What?"
"We met a kit fox." said Ty, with his eyes glimmering. "She knew what animal it was. I don’t think she’s bad."
"And so, if she likes dogs, she can’t be totally evil, you say?" Kit started heading up the stairs.
Ty followed him, reaching him in a short time, "She likes all canids, not just dogs. And the two things are barely connected. Why can’t a serial killer or a super villain like dogs?"
"I was just saying. Do you want to go to dinner?" Kit asked as they entered the warmth of the Institute, the voices already too loud even for the blonde’s taste.
Ty shook his head, "Let’s get some food and go to the roof. I don’t want to see Paige."
"I’d warn Julian first." Kit said walking towards the hall, then stopped and turned to Ty with an amused smile, "Do you want me to call the dog lady?"
"No, I’d rather be with you." the black-haired boy answered sincerely.
Kit nodded and Ty thought that yes, Cléa would have to wait the next day to dump the mess that was their lives on him.
This is part of a project brought to me by @julemmaes called the TyBProject for World Autism Awareness Day (August 2)
"It was one of the great things about Ty, actually- he made you consider the threads of subconscious logic that wove beneath the surface of ordinary conversations. The suppositions and assumptions people made without ever considering why, the implications of certain words and gestures." (Queen of Air and Darkness, 250)
