King For A Day

“I’m just happy she still has her sense of humor,” Axel shrugged, but stood up anyways. “But yeah, let’s get some air. He doesn’t talk yet, but I still don’t want his first words to be influenced by his sister.” Grabbing Luke under the arms, he helped the boy stand up and walked with him as he toddled to the door.

“I don’t think you want his first words to anything my sister or Nate says either. Imagine the things they’re talking about, and what Luke would learn. It’s a good thing we got him out before the started talking about anything else,” Alfie shuddered as he opened the front door and stepped out.

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

“Someone had to warn me we were getting surprise roommates,” Alfie attempted to joke and he pulled his sister with him to the couch so Evan wouldn’t have to stress her neck to look at him. “How are you two doing?” He asked the older siblings but kept his gaze on the smallest of the group. He hadn’t really been expecting this when Dahlia called him to tell him.

“We’re here,” she shrugged, turning her gaze to Axel and Luke. Evan had caught Alfie’s gaze at her littlest brother, and caught on that he wasn’t expecting a third new roommate. “I had to get him out of the house,” she explained. “I couldn’t leave him alone with Kobra. Mom would kill me if I did.” Her mouth pulled into a frown at her last sentence, the words escaping without her realizing. Evan let out a long sigh and rested her head on Nate’s shoulder once more.

"I can't lie to you and say it gets easier," Alfie attempted a small smile and reached over to pat Evan's knee in a comforting manner. "You just stop thinking about it. But when you think about it again, the pain is exactly the same. I don't know what's worse, finding out your mom is dead from random people at a bar, or what you had to go through, but it's all still shitty."

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

danger-doll

Dahlia visibly winced when Axel pulled away. She looked away from him, instantly, unsure if what she had had upset him, but she wasn’t going to risk it. Her mind was going to the bad place again when she heard the front door open. She perked up and stood up from the bed, making her way to the living room to meet who ever had just arrived. Her mood instantly changed when she saw it was Alfie, and she hurried over to cling to her twin.

Alfie knew what had happened with Lith, but he had no idea what had happened with his sister. He just held her to his side and looked over at Nate, Evan and Luke, “Can I get you something?” He asked the poor girl, unsure of what else he could say.

Axel left the room not long after Dahlia, more keen to checking on his siblings as opposed to anything else. He slipped past the one set of twins and made his way to where Luke was sitting, collapsing in the floor next to the boy.

Evan swiveled in her seat, pulling away from Nate just enough to look over her shoulder. “Oh, hey, Alf,” she muttered, attempting a half-hearted smile. “I guess you’ve heard the news?”

"Someone had to warn me we were getting surprise roommates," Alfie attempted to joke and he pulled his sister with him to the couch so Evan wouldn't have to stress her neck to look at him. "How are you two doing?" He asked the older siblings but kept his gaze on the smallest of the group. He hadn't really been expecting this when Dahlia called him to tell him.

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

“He’ll let us know when he’s hungry,” Evan sighed, leaning against Nate’s shoulder. She gave the mug a few more stirs, making sure everything was dissolved. “Mom fed him a little while ago.” She stiffened when the words left her mouth. Evan’s gaze dropped to her mug, refusing to look anywhere else.

Nate took that as a cue to keep quiet. Nothing he could say now would make it better. Instead, he started playing with her hair again, trying to relax her stiff form.

Dahlia had finally stopped crying and was reduced to sniffles when she finally thought it was appropriate for her to walk in the house. She kept her gaze on the floor as she made a beeline towards her room and was slightly startled to see Axel on her bed. “Hey,” she told him, almost shyly, closing the door behind her and staying put.

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

“Coffee would be nice,” she nodded. Evan twiddled her fingers and let Nate play with her hair as she watched Luke meticulously play with his toys. “We’re gonna have to grab him some clothes and stuff out of his room before long. He won’t be happy wearing the same thing.”

“I’ll get the twins to do that. Don’t worry about a thing,” Nate smiled at her and left her hair to go make her a mug of coffee. He came back, still stirring the mug and handed it to her, while he carefully sat down next to her. “Let me know when it’s time to feed him. You know his schedule better than I do.”

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

Gently handing off a water to Luke, and then to Evan, Axel tried guiding his sister off the couch and into a bedroom. “Come on, Ev. let’s just do lay down for a bit. Nate’s gonna watch Luke,” he tried to persuade.

“No, I’m staying here,” she retorted, throwing all of her body weight back onto the couch. “You go lay down. I’m fine here with them.” Evan gave him a pleading look to leave. As much as she wanted to spend time with her brother, Nate was a bigger comfort. “Please,” she added.

Axel nodded and sulked to a back room, sure Dahlia would find him later.

“Want me to make you coffee with a lot of sugar?” Nate asked her, walking to her side and playing with her hair in the way he knew she loved. “Or we could just sit here in silence until it’s time for me to feed your little brother,” Nate offered up, not yet sitting, in case she did want the coffee.

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

“This kid is different,” Axel argued, knowing his brother wasn’t keen on new people. “Don’t let Dahlia near him at first. He doesn’t like being smothered. If anything, you’re the best bet in taking care of him. He’s special, he’s not like Sam’s kids or anything. You can’t treat him as a regular kid,” he warned, backing out of the kitchen. He spun around, taking the water bottles to their respective owners.

“I know, Evan talks about him a lot,” Nate let him know. “Alf will be here soon and he’ll be a big help.” He turned around to shut off the kettle before it started whistling, not wanting to startle anyone in the room. “I’ll watch him, you take Evan in one of the rooms and you guys take your time. I’ve got Luke.”

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

“Maybe she’ll pop back up,” Axel sighed, letting his shoulders slump. “I know that’s the one thought Evan’s going to have to hold on to. I mean, it’s happened before.” He partially unscrewed a cap on a bottle, loosening it enough for Luke to get a drink. “I can mourn later. Right now, I need to focus on taking care of my little brother. No one does it as well as my mom, but I can sure as hell try.”

“Axel, you’re fine,” Nate let him know, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m here to help, and you know the twins will help out as well. We might be teenagers, but we’ve had to raise ourselves since we were kids, we know how to take care of kids. So why don’t you go and mourn her, I’ve got Luke and when Alfie comes home and Dahl gets a little less shaken up, they’ll help too.” He took the bottle meant for Luke from Axel’s hand and gently pushed him in the direction of his sister. “Go.”

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

“I’ll probably take a mug of coffee,” Axel nodded, pulling out two bottles of water. “The other two probably just need water to start with.” He turned to head from the kitchen, but stopped. His hands clenched around the bottles enough for the plastic to crackle. Swiveling around, Axel faced Nate. His mouth opened and closed once as he searched for words, finally settling on some. “I’m surprised, but I kinda had a feeling this would happen sooner or later,” he admitted, letting out a long sigh. “Is that bad?”

“You knew it would happen, you didn’t hope for it, so no, I don’t think that’s bad,” Nate spoke truthfully, shrugging his shoulders. “If you thought it was bound to happen, you have a reason for it. But things go on, Axel. Life goes on and we all have to accept that. Mourn your mother, we’ll be here for you, but life goes on.” Once again, he shrugged his shoulders, letting him know there was no pity, but he was there as a friend for them.

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

“We can talk about it more later, you don’t have to explain right now,” Axel whispered to his sister. As much as he wanted to worry about his mother, things were out of his hands. Evan and Luke were his priority at the moment. He let go of his twin, trying to swallow past the dry sensation in his mouth. “I’m gonna grab us some water.”

Evan nodded and slipped into her steely silence once more. Her body stayed rooted to its spot on the couch. She tried concentrating on Luke playing in the floor, desperate to drive the images out of her head. She was more than thankful neither of her brothers had to see the scene, but the experience didn’t help her psyche one bit.

Axel slumped into the kitchen where Nate was standing. He tried avoiding his gaze, not wanting to show anything on his face. His feet shuffled to the fridge, opening it up to search for a bottle of water for his siblings. “What’s the kettle for?” Axel asked, trying to change the topic of conversation ever so slightly.

Nate knew how it felt to be pitied. He saw it in Anthea’s eyes when she picked him up, bloodied and left for dead by his father, he’s seen it once again when she had died leaving him and the twins orphans, and he knew how much he hated it. He never wanted to feel that, he didn’t want to look in the eyes of someone and see it painted in their features, so he didn’t pity Axel or Evan one bit. “It’s for coffee or tea. Who ever wants it,” he shrugged trying to make a neutral expression on his face as he spoke to Axel. “It’s almost ready. There are mugs in that cabinet if you want some.”

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

Axel slid off the arm and gathered Evan into the tightest hug he could muster. The news hit him hard, not expecting something so heavy. But he made his face stay stoic, being the strong twin this time.

Evan pulled back, not bothering to wipe her face. “It was terrifying, Ax. I heard the gunshot, and Dad rushed back to the bedroom. He started breaking everything. I saw her laying on the ground. I didn’t know what to do. I grabbed Luke and ran here.”

As Dahlia stepped into the room, Nate grabbed her arm and shook her head at her. He pulled his sister into the kitchen and set the kettle on the stove to heat up some water. “Not yet,” he told his sister. “Wait until they’re ready for us. I know Evan’s your best friend, but they need to be alone for a moment.

Dahlia looked up at her brother and nodded. As sensitive as she was, it came as no surprise when she felt the emotion bubble up in her chest and tears started slipping out of the corner of her eyes. Nodding once again, she stepped outside to call her twin and let him know what was happening.

Carried Away || Closed Throwback RP

Axel looked past Nate’s shoulders to his sister on the couch. Even from the doorway, he could see how deathly pale she looked and how violently she was shaking. “I’ve never seen her like this,” he whispered to Nate, stepping inside.

He walked slowly over to his sister, not noticing Luke playing in the corner. “Evvy, what wrong?” Axel asked slowly sitting on the arm beside her.

Evan’s lower lip jutted out at the sight of her brother. Her head shook and she let out a violent sob, everything she’d been holding in bursting at the seams. She buried her face in her hands, muttering indecipherable words between sniffles and sobs.

“Evan, I didn’t catch that. Please, tell me, what wrong?” Axel asked a little more urgently never seeing his sister this shaken up before. He wrapped one of her hands in his, holding his breath as he waited for her to speak.

She let out a few more hiccuped cries, wiping at her eyes although the tears kept coming. “I-I-I said,” Evan paused fighting another round of sobs, “M-M-Mom’s dead.”

Nate felt as if he had been punched in the gut when he saw Evan crying. He didn’t know why it was affecting him so much, but he didn’t ever want to see her this upset over anything ever again. He knew there was very little he could do in this situation, but he knew he would do anything for her at the drop of a hat. He stared at both siblings, knowing now wasn’t the time to ask questions and he let them have that to themselves.

Dahlia finished her cigarette faster than she thought was possible and hopped on her bike, speeding in the direction of her house. She, too, was curious and a little worried about what was happening with her best friend, but she had to make it seem as if she didn’t have a clue when she got there. She took a deep breath when she got home and put on a big grin as she stepped through the door, only having it fall when she felt the stifling atmosphere.