#wroef oc

[graceandtheidiotsquad]

You (WROEF Oc)

A/n: This was originally written as a vent piece for some stuff going on in my life right now-but I loved how it turned out at least so here it is-

The first few weeks were the worst.

That’s how Eliza remembered it, anyway. The first few weeks, when someone goes missing, were always the worst.

She still remembered every detail of that day, right down to the beaten up sneakers she’d been wearing. She remembered rushing towards the tower-carelessly letting her stupid cardboard birthday hat fly freely from her head. She wouldn’t need it-she never needed it. 

Sometimes she forgot it had been her birthday. That felt so trivial now..

Had it been her fault..? Had she just-not pushed hard enough..? She still wondered about that. If she hadn’t been at the party that night-could she have talked him out of whatever he had done..? Would-would he still be here if anything had been different..?

Hell. This was hell-this felt like some sort of perfect, Inescapable hell. And that wasn’t even the worst part.

The worst part was the waiting. 

During those first few days she had hope-maybe he’d change his mind, maybe he would come back. Maybe this was some big misunderstanding and he’d just needed a break..! ..But then the days turned to weeks. And the weeks turned to months.

And the months turned to almost 20 years now.

And the worst-the absolute worst-part of it was she still had hope. She still, somewhere deep inside her-hoped he was still out there, that one day he would finally come home. The other parts-though she felt guilty for even the idea of saying it-..hoped she’d hear he was dead in a ditch somewhere. It was nothing against him obviously, just-..at least she would have some kind of closure. But as it stood-..there was still nothing. Just this empty, reeling pit of the unknown that made her feel anxious, it made her feel empty.

And it wasn’t like she didn’t have friends anymore. She had her support system, she had wonderful friends and family whom she loved.

She felt so guilty for still being upset. Why should she be, she still had friends-! She still had a loving family..! It’s not like she was alone-! ..but sometimes it felt like it. It felt like a whole piece of the gang was just..gone, and never to be replaced. She wondered if the others still thought of him, or worried-or if they’d forgotten, if they just wanted to move on and for her to shut up about it and save them all the griping.

But for now-..all she could really do was wait. 

Eliza Krolik..the girl who waited.

”..Hey Milly…” Eliza’s hands softly ran across the interior of the old tower. It still felt so strange coming back here-it felt empty, like a castle without a king. 

“I brought you something today..! Something really cool I found-“ the artist gave a weak smile, fishing around for something in her cluttered satchel-she never really did bother to organize the many layers of art supplies and whatever trinkets she could stuff in there. Maybe she would someday, but-not today. Today was more important.

Today she’d found a heart shaped rock on the beach. ”I know, I know it’s not much but-“ she spoke to thin air-she knew there was no way in hell he’d hear her-..but it felt natural at this point. “It’s a Heart shaped rock..! How cool is that..!” 

Minutes of painful silenced passed-a joke with no answer, no laughter or reply.

“..Anyway..” she sighed, her face falling a bit. “..I hope..I hope you know out there that someone misses you, Milton. All of us do..! And I know you may not believe me-but they do. In their own ways..! ..and then there’s me-“ she gave a weak, untrue smile. “..The idiot sitting in your old tower, talking to thin air like you’ll actually say something back.”

After another round of uncomfortable silence-Eliza sighed, gently setting the rock down onto the floor in front of that old door painting. It had been the last thing he ever painted-a cryptic, concerning message left behind that never got explained-and likely never would at this rate. “..I love you, Milly..” she muttered as she slowly backed away-turning to leave through the window she’d clambered in through. “..Maybe someday..”

Maybe someday. That sounded like a good summary of how she felt.

Maybe someday, he’d come home. 

Maybe someday, there’d be some sort of answer-anything..

Maybe someday.

[the-shipping-machine]

Mother and son|| a WROEF fanfic

Every sense Sanjay died, Lewis was quieter. He wasn’t talking as much as he used to before, he hasn’t shared his opinions that much, and if you tried to talk to him too much he’d just leave without a word. Dawn would kill to hear her oldest son having a conversation with anybody again.

She wasn’t as close to him as her husband was, and that was the thought that kept her awake for nights. “What if he doesn’t trust me?” “What if he thinks that I’m a bad mom?”. She never talked to him about her feelings that much, and that’s because she was scared that they’d make him feel uncomfortable. 

A year later, Milton disappeared. Some might say that he ran away, some might say that he got lost... after all, the Finches were known for their misfortune. Dawn searched a few months, believing that her son is still alive, but Lewis wasn’t much of an optimist person. “What if he’s dead, mom?” He asked her one day, as she was copying some more “Missing” posters.

“What?” she turned around, surprised to see that Lewis is finally talking to her.

“It’s been a long time. We’ve searched in so many places.” Lewis said. “It’s been almost a year and a half! If we find him, he’s probably dea-”

“Shut the fuck up, Lewis!” She yelled at him, with anger in her voice and tears in her eyes. “Just shut up!”

She couldn't control her emotions.

“Just do everyone a favor and shut up!”

Lewis nodded and went over to his room, quietly. 

Dawn, who just realized what she has just said, ran after him, trying to apologize, but he didn’t listen. He just closed the door to his room, not allowing anyone to get in.

----

A few years went by. Lewis became a high school graduate, but instead of finding a job, he did the thing he was good at- not leaving the room, smoking drugs, practicing the guitar and playing video games.

Dawn grew sick of it. She couldn’t be the only working person in this family and he was a grown man. She decided to get him a job at the closest cannery, even though Lewis hated fish. 

“Lewis, try to sleep early tonight.” She told him.

“Why?” Lewis asked, rolling himself another cigar.

“I got you a job!” she said.

“What?” he asked. “Without asking me?”

“Honey, you would’ve said ‘no’ if I’d ask you,” she said.

“Mom, I’m a grown man!” he said, trying to remain calm. “It better be at a good place.”

“Does the cannery counts as a good place?” she asked.

“Mom. What the fuck?” he asked, almost losing his self-control. “you know I hate fish!”

“I know, I know, but this is the closest workplace that would hire you without you having to go to a university!” she said. “I do it because I know what’s best for you, you know!”

At that moment, Lewis smiled. But not an understanding smile. Not a sad smile. It was an angry smile.

“YOU know what’s good for ME?” He asked. “Give me one good example for a time that your choices did something good for my life. And no. The therapy was Edie’s idea. Not yours.”

Dawn remained silent.

“All these times when you chose to remain sleeping while dad was taking care of me... The time that you told me to do a favor and shut up even though I was bearly talking... Getting me a job at a place I hate without asking me...” He said as tears are showing up in his eyes. “You’re probably thinking that I should’ve been the one who went missing instead of Milton, are you?”

He sighed.

“Lewis...” She began talking, but he cut her off.

“That’s okay. I would think the same way if I was you.” He said, and with that, he went inside his room.

----

A few years went by. Lewis still hated his job, but he kept all the complaints to his therapist.  He met two friends there- The Jayiung twins, Mayson and Anna. but as time goes by, Lewis mind began to wonder. He was daydreaming, he didn’t speak to anybody... Anna took it as if he hates them, but Mayson tried to talk to him every day and even brought him food.

At one point, Lewis forgot to come back home. When Dawn tried to talk to him, he was still quiet, as if she wasn’t there. A few hours later she gets a phone call.

“Hello?” She asked.

“You’re Lewis’ mom, right?” The voice on the other line said with a broken and panicked voice.

“Yes. Who is it?” she asked.

“Mayson.” He answered. “I’m a friend and a co-worker of your son, but it doesn’t matter now. You have to come!”

“What happened?” she asked, worried.

“So I forgot something at the cannery and when I can back I saw Lewis... He used the fish cutter to chop his head off...” he began sobbing. “I already called the police. I...I’m so sorry...”

For a few moments that felt like an eternity, Dawn felt the storm inside her heart. Guilt, pain, fear, grief, anger... she wanted to scream, but nothing came out of her throat.

Her son just died, and she never proved to him that she can be the mom he wanted her to be. She disappointed him, she disappointed Sanjay, she disappointed Edith, she disappointed Milton... she disappointed everyone.

“Mrs. Finch?” Mayson’s voice from the other side of the line brought her back to reality. 

“I’m on my way, Mayson. Don’t worry.” she said. “And you can call me Dawn.”

“O-okay, Mrs. Fi- I mean Dawn.” he said. “I’m so sorry, I really wanted to stop him but I was too slow and-”

“It’s not your fault, Mayson.” She said. 

She hung up the phone, rushing over to the cannery. On the way, she called Edie and told her what happened. Another Finch fell a victim to the family curse. 

She came into the cannery at the same time the cops came.

“My son...” She said as soon as she saw Lewis’s disconnected head. She sat on the floor, crying.

Mayson put his hand on her shoulder, and by the look on his face, he was crying this whole time. 

Lewis was gone.

And she never got the chance to apologize.

---

Edith and dawn began packing as soon as they came back from the funeral, ending up leaving everything behind.

Edie? Died the day after they left.

Mayson? Died in a car accident a day after Lewis’s funeral.

Anna? Moved away.

It seems like so many people they knew were leaving.

And quickly, Dawn got sick.

As she was lying on her bed in the hospital, breathing with the help of medical technology, she could’ve sworn that her little brother Gus came to her.

“You coming, sis?” he asked. “You’ve been out there for too long!”

She smiled, knowing that this is the end.

“Come on, Gus,” she said with her final breath. “Let’s go home. The family’s waiting for us.”.

---

The afterlife world looked like an exact copy of the house.

She hugged Gus and greeted the others. After meeting most of them, she went upstairs to her room, where she saw her love, Sanjay, sitting on the bed, watching both of their sons, Milton and Lewis, sleeping.

She ran quickly over to the bed, pulling the three of them into a huge hug (Waking both Lewis and Milton up on the way) and cried of happiness. She missed these dorks so much, and she finally has the chance to apologize to them for the disappointment she thought she was.

“I missed you guys so much.” she said between the sobbing.

“Same here.” Sanjay said and Milton nodded.

“Sorry I was a little bit over emotional back then,” Lewis said. “I mean, shit, I guess I should’ve-”

she hugged her older son tighter.

“Shut up and get a hug, you dork.” she said.

“You’re great, mom.” he said, smiling and hugging her.

Suddenly, death didn’t seem so bad after all.