Chapter Text
Fathers are the first friend you make
and the last love of your life.
∘₊✧ ────── ✧₊∘
He was young then, yes, but not stupid. He understood that his dad leaving meant what was best for his family–him and his mom, together against the world.
He was around eleven years old when everything happened and, at the time, he’d been quite proud to say that he’d seen it coming. The memories of his dad in their house were… scarce, so as not to say inexistent because they did exist. He remembers his dad taking him–and only him, because as much as he tried to remember, his mom wasn’t in that memory–to the debut of a passing circus once. Flowy fabric and flashy faces colored with glitter and make-up, live music and lights of every color inside the tent. He had sitten on his dad’s lap, watching as people threw themselves onto the air only to be caught moments later by their fellow performers in an act of trust so big that it left him speechless to the point where he could only stare in awe.
His dad had taken him to meet the musician for the night after the performance was over; a lovely pachydan named Lorena. She had let him touch some of the instruments she’d played during the night and even shook hands with him, though at the time it was more of Orym hugging her hand with his whole body and less of a handshake.
His dad being gone doesn’t affect him. He misses the little happy moments on occasion but never more than that.
He resented him for a long time. His own self being hurt was never something that bothered him, losing a father meant nothing when you paired it up with the wonder woman of a mother he'd been blessed with, so understanding and caring. No, what truly made him hate his father for the longest time was the fact that he’d hurt her. His mother was the strongest, smartest and most beautiful woman he’d ever met and he doesn’t say it only because she is his mother. Everyone around them knows it.
So why would his father leave her?
He is older now, wiser–or so he’d like to believe. Fifteen and less resentful of his father and that means that when news of father’s day fastly approaching in Zephrah spread across town, he isn’t as angry anymore. Surprisingly, he is actually quite happy this time since his best friend–Will–had asked him to help him and his sisters plan a surprise father’s day party for their dad, Derrig.
Orym has known Derrig ever since he was very little. The half-elf and his mother were good friends which led to their families being very close from a young age. They always go to each other’s birthdays and celebrate all sorts of things together. They bake together, sing together, dance together and even train together. They are as close to a family as anyone could be.
That’s how and why he finds himself in the middle of Derrig and Nel’s kitchen with Berenie, Lita and Maeve fussing over what they should make while he and Will giggle in the corner like two idiots over the triplets’ banter.
“At this rate, they’re going to burn the kitchen down before dad gets home!” Will whispers to him, unable to keep a wide grin off his face.
“Oh, please no. My mom will kill me if she knows I was here and didn’t stop it,” he whispers back, way too sparkly-eyed to actually sound scared.
“Will you two stop gossiping and help us or are we supposed to do everything around here!?” Berenie demands and squints her eyes at them. “You sort out the flour and start cutting strawberries while we go out and collect some more stuff, okay?”
“And it all better be done before we get back,” Maeve agrees with her sister and collects three bags before they’re gone through the door in the blink of an eye.
Will and Orym stare at each other for a few seconds before they break into a fit of laughter at their departure. He doesn’t know what they’re even laughing at, but with Will it’s never mattered. He feels lighter around him, like he can laugh about anything or cry about anything and the half-elf will just be there for him and accept him no matter what. He hopes to be something similar for his best friend.
“I guess we better get to work before they come back and cut our heads off,” Will says and opens a cabinet to take the flour out while Orym gets the cutting board, a small knife and a box filled to the brim with strawberries that look like he could choke on them and die happily from how tasty they seem.
It’s their first time fully alone in the kitchen, with Orym and Will’s moms buying them time for the surprise while distracting Derrig around in the shopping district. He’s probably figured out that they’re planning something by now, but he’s been sweet enough to let them go through with the surprise anyway.
Silence fills the room as they work together in the kitchen. Orym is happily sitting on a stool as he cuts the fruit into tiny cubes that they’ll turn into jam later, if what little he understood of the sisters' banter is anything to go by. Will takes to measuring the flour, sugar, butter and even some sunflower seeds–what for, he isn't sure. He reaches down at some point and pulls out a heart-shaped cake mold to dust it off, humming absentmindedly all the while. A thought about how they work so well together crosses Orym’s mind like a shooting star.
He tries not to think too hard about it. Like how he blames his racing heart and flushed cheeks on the time spent training and not the way looking at Will makes him feel. How they’ll sometimes brush their hands together on accident and pull away as quickly as possible. How Will’s laughter and smile never fails to brighten his days. How he’s laid awake at night one too many times, looking at the moons and thinking about how it must feel to hold Will’s face closely and gently and maybe, just maybe, kiss him–
“Hey, so…” Will's voice startles him and he almost cuts his pinky finger instead of the next strawberry into little cubes.
“Uh–yeah?” He says. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no. Not at all,” he chuckles nervously. “I just… I wanted to thank you for being here this year. Helping us, I mean. I know how this day can be for you and… well, yeah. Just– Thank you,” he finishes his sentence closer to a whisper than anything else, like he’s scared to hurt or upset Orym with his words.
How foolish, Orym thinks. As if anything Will ever did could make him feel that way.
“Oh, that… It’s no problem, really.” He turns around to face Will so that he knows he means it as much as possible. “It’s high time I let go of that dumb grudge… I have my mom, your family is amazing and I… I also have you.” He blushes a little at that last part and he swears he sees Will’s ears turn a shade darker too. “I don’t need to go around feeling miserable for the rest of my life over someone who didn’t even care enough to stay.”
“I– I know that, Orym. I really do. But if you–” He sighs, his eyes wandering around like whenever he is unsure. “If you ever feel… I don’t know, uncomfortable? You know you are free to leave and none of us will judge you–”
Orym takes a deep breath and puts the knife down. He takes Will's hands and waits until their eyes meet. He smiles at him, then presses a small kiss to the back of his hands. “I know.”
Now Will is definitely blushing and Orym is pretty sure he is too, but he doesn’t care all that much right now. He knows he likes Will, more than he’s ever liked anyone in his entire fifteen years of life. Gods, he isn’t even sure he’s liked anyone before Will, if he's being truly honest. The thought is equal parts terrifying and fulfilling, making him dizzy with happiness in a way he wouldn’t be able to express with words even if his life depended on it.
He’s not sure what he’d do without Will in his life.
“Orym, I–” Before he can get any more words out, the triplets are back, their bags filled and their faces radiant with a determination and mischief that Orym has rarely seen. The last time he saw those faces, he’d ended up with green streaks on his hair for three months and Will had teased him endlessly.
“We have all we need!” Lita exclaims, a wide smile illuminating her face. "I swear to the wild mother, if you forgot to prepare anything–”
…
"Happy father's day, dad!" The children cheer when Derrig finally arrives, faking surprise for their enjoyment though none of them seem to notice.
Orym is surprised to feel himself tear up when the older half-elf takes the time to hug each of his children and spins them around with all the love and care in the world.
Derrig may not be the best when it comes to words, Orym can relate to that, but he never shies away from demonstrating his love for his family fully and freely like he doesn't have a care in the world. When he's done spinning Will around, he puts him down and asks him and his sisters to line up and kisses their foreheads.
"Thank you, my sundrops," he says sweetly, a soft smile on his face. "I will cherish this forever."
Lita and Maeve giggle while Berenie and Will snort and they all say in unison; You say that every year! and Nel finds herself unable to hide her smile in the background and rushes to squeeze her family into a hug that sends them all flying to the ground on top of their father. They laugh and laugh all while the lights decorating their garden illuminate them, like this picture-perfect family taken out of a thick book filled with fairy tales.
And Orym–
His mom puts a hand on his shoulder, grounding him before his head shoots straight into the sky and his heart drops to the bottom of the ocean.
"Are you staying for dinner?" She asks kindly. It's an invitation to leave if he wants to, but also one to stay.
He sighs while staring at the happy family a little longer. He blinks rapidly a few times to push away the tears threatening to spill and manages a half smile.
"I did help with the cooking," he shrugs. "It would be foolish not to eat at least a bit.”
His mother smiles fondly and wraps an arm around his shoulder, drawing him into a half hug. "Let's get to setting the table then—"
"Hey! What are you doing? Get here you two!" Will shouts from his cozy prison between his sister and parents, his smile bright and his voice filled with joy.
And, well, when has Orym ever been able to tell him no?