Chapter Text
Mischief was 10 years old when his mother disappeared. She’d come into his room in the middle of the night, as she’d done every night before, gave him a kiss on the forehead and whispered, “Kocham Cię moje serce.”
I love you, my heart.
His stepdad, Chris Argent, had been a little off the next morning, dodging his questions about where his mother was. It wasn’t surprising that she had left overnight, though usually she made sure to leave a note for him when she had a sudden trip. His parents both had jobs at his grandfather’s company Argent Arms where they went away for extended periods of time. But after a few days of no contact, Mischief was starting to worry. His mom called him almost every night when she was away. Chris still wouldn’t tell him where she was, just that she was on a trip with Aunt Kate, but he seemed to be getting more agitated too.
At the end of the week, Chris had gotten a call, disappearing into his office in the middle of dinner. He didn’t come out until well after Mischief had finished eating, put away the food, did the dishes, and wrapped his stepfather’s plate in saran wrap for him to eat later.
Mischief spent that night in his room, looking out his window at the full moon. He was scared. He had never gone so long without talking to his mother. What if she had gotten into an accident. What if she was hurt. What if she was lying somewhere hurt and alone, with no one to help her. Then he remembered something his mother had once told him.
It’d been the night before she was leaving for her first long trip, he was only four at the time. She had sat on the edge of his bed, stroking his hair. “Mieczysław,” he and his mother were the only ones who could pronounce his name. Chris hadn’t been able to pronounce it, so his mom and agreed that Mischief would go by Mischief for the sake of his stepfather. It had stuck and even made school much easier. Chris had said that his nickname fit him almost too well, which always made his mother laugh. It also made his real name feel all the more special.
“I’m going to tell you a secret. You see that moon there?” She asked, pointing to the white orb, rimmed in blue, that hung fat in the sky.
He nodded.
“No matter where I am, we will always be looking at the same moon. So if you ever feel lonely you can ask her to send me a message and I’ll hear it.”
Mischief scrunched his face and his mother chuckled. “What’s wrong?”
“The moon is a girl?”
This time his mother’s laugh was loud and warm. She scruffed his hair, “I did say she, didn’t I? I’m not sure if the moon would be considered ‘a girl’, since she is not human, but she is divine feminine.”
“Divine feminine.” Mischief repeated, rolling the world along his tongue, tasting it. “What does that mean?”
The smile his mother wore was soft and sweet. “Never lose that curious mind, moje serce. It may bring trouble, but it could also save your life one day.” She kissed his forehead. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get back from my trip. Something to look forward to.”
Mischief's cheeks were warm, like they always did when she called him that, and his curiosity burned, but he let himself settle and drift off into sleep.
So Mischief went to his window and opened it. The fresh air was cool as it filled the room. He stared at the moon, his heart thudding in his chest. “Um, hi- I mean- hello, Ms. Moon… Your Majesty? Your Mooniness? Sorry, I don’t know what to call you. Um… my mom hasn’t been home in a few days and I’m scared. She told me to talk to you if I needed to get a message to her. So, um, hi- oh! I’m Mischief, by the way, my mother’s name is Claudia Gajos, well it’s Argent now, but it was Gajos, before she got married. That’s not the point though. Right. So could you tell her to call me, please. I know you’re probably like super busy commanding the tides and orbiting and stuff, so, if that’s too much, um, could you like maybe… could you just check on her? Make sure she’s okay. Because I need her to be okay.”
He felt something burn in his chest, but he ignored it like he ignored the burn that had started behind eyes. “She needs to be okay. Like, I don’t know what I’d do without her. I’ll even research how to properly honor you and stuff tomorrow, I promise. I’m good at research, I’ll figure something out. But like, I don’t care if you need a sacrifice or something, you can take me, I’ll do anything. Just make sure she’s okay, please.”
It was then that the burning in his chest flared and, before he knew it, everything had gone dark.
He woke up in his bed, not quite sure how he got there, but quickly got up when he remembered last night. He rushed down the stairs, only to find his stepfather sitting at the kitchen table, the place his mother made him banana walnut pancakes every Sunday morning before they spent the next few hours watching cartoons together, cuddling on the couch.
“Did Mom call?” Mischief asked, causing Chris to look up and Mischief swallowed thickly.
Chris had never been one to show a lot of emotion. He knew that his parent’s marriage was arranged by his grandparents. He also knew they didn’t act much like a regular couple. They were friends though, good friends. He didn’t care. His mom seemed happy still, and that’s all that mattered to him.
Chris’ face was now crumpled in grief, a look he had never seen there before. “Have a seat, Mischief.”
That’s how Mischief learned his mother had died in an accident.
A week later he changed his name.