Work Text:
(They played the Mash)
They played the Monster Mash
Henry and Mercedes wiggle around in the living room, dancing along to the music.
On the couch, Sparrow is torn between clapping along in glee and covering their face in embarrassment. Next to him, Lark is cross-armed and scowling.
“How fucking long is this going to go on…?” Lark mutters just loud enough to be heard over the music. Sparrow stills, their smile frozen in place as their eyes waver between their parents and his brother, unsure of which they’re going to place his loyalty with.
Sparrow looks away from Henry and Mercedes, having fun for one of the first times since the Forgotten Realms, and stares down at his lap.
In the end they’ll always choose Lark.
Mercedes pauses the music and struts up to the two boys. “You do not need to be down here if you don’t want to be, kids. Feel free to go upstairs and to bed.” She reaches down and kisses each of them on their foreheads. Sparrow folds into his mother’s embrace, wrapping their arms around her tightly ( do not lose her again, Sparrow. Maybe this time, if you hold on tight enough, someone you love won’t get hurt . If you had held onto Boreanus- Barry- Bandits- Walter- Henry- LarkLarkLark they wouldn’t have gotten injured) .
As Mercedes leans down to hug Lark, brush away his long, curly hair — L for Lark, L for long — and give him a smooch, Lark starts to lean into it, starts to want to feel the warmth of something other than the burning hatred inside of him. Then he jerks away and rushes over to his brother.
“Let’s go, Sparrow.”
As much as Lark craves affection, as much as he wants to collapse into his mom’s arms, as much as he wants to stop being angry — he can’t. He can’t open up the possibility of stabbing another person he cares about. The only person he can allow himself to be close to is Sparrow (and only because he’ll slit his wrists before ever hurting Sparrow in the way he wants to hurt himself).
The twins rush upstairs, and Henry and Mercedes hear their door slam behind them.
“They never shut it gently…” Henry chuckles.
Mercedes glances nervously at Henry, then to the stairs, then to where the boys were sitting, and back again to Henry. “I- I just wish I understood what happened .”
“Well, with Lark specifically, I drew a card- ”
“No, no! I mean… in general,” Mercedes walks over to where Henry stands and drapes her body over his shoulders. “I feel like there’s a gap between us now.”
He reaches up and pulls Mercedes into a greedy kiss — full of hunger and fire and a deep deep desire. Henry takes her lip between his teeth and deepens the kiss, awkwardly pulling her body closer to his.
“Mmghhm, mi león .” Mercedes pushes them towards the couch, but misjudges how far away it is, slamming them onto the radio. It clicks back on (obviously set to Mercedes’ station, which is playing Halloween songs for the week before Halloween).
Monster Mash had finished, and they must’ve just missed the last wave of commercials, because the start of a new song blasts through the speakers.
Mercedes and Henry break away from their passionate kiss and start giggling at each other.
Spooky, scary skeletons
Send shivers down your spine
Shrieking skulls will shock your soul
Seal your doom tonight
Henry backs away from Mercedes and holds his hand out, “May I have this dance, gorgeous?”
“You’re such a dork, Henry.” She takes his hand (obviously).
Spooky, scary skeletons
Speak with such a screech
You'll shake and shudder in surprise
When you hear these zombies shriek
Henry leads Mercedes around the couch and around towards the base of the stairs, swaying their hips together in rhythm to the song.
Upstairs they can hear the faint whispers of their beautiful boys, conspiring some new prank or ranting about something else Henry did that day that had Lark seething. La da da da dadada da da da da da da , Henry hums in time to the song.
We're sorry skeletons, you're so misunderstood
You only want to socialize, but I don't think we should
Mercedes lays her head on Henry’s shoulder and twirls her finger around one of Henry’s curls, now streaked with gray. “I’ve missed this.”
“So have I.”
They dance to the song, clinging to each other like a lifeline, the only way they can stay afloat — to not drift away.
“Mercedes I- ” Henry says. “I’m so sorry.”
'Cause spooky, scary skeletons
Shout startling, shrilly screams
They'll sneak from their sarcophagus
And just won't leave you be
“What for, darling?” She asks, her swaying dance stilling.
“If I had been better , if I had just parented our boys right, everything- everything would've been fine. Lark wouldn’t hate me. Sparrow wouldn’t be so fucking torn — it’s like he’s scared that by going with either of us or with Lark he’s going to lose the other.” He sniffles. “I- Just. Everything in the Forgotten Realms was so bad . Mercedes, I killed so many people. People that we knew. Innocents . I- I don’t know how you can stand to look at me, let alone touch me .” With that, Henry pulls out of his wife’s grasp and curls into himself.
“I’m not a good person.”
Spirits supernatural are shy what's all the fuss?
But bags of bones seem so unsafe, it's semi-serious
“ Henry , you are fine . You are not disgusting or- or evil , you are my amazing husband. You are the father of our beautiful boys.” Mercedes walks up to him, laying her hand on his shoulder.
“And look how well that turned out! I fucked up their whole lives too! Why hadn’t I just trusted them ?” Henry throws his hands up as tears start to leak out of his eyes. He goes to turn off the music, sick of it.
Mercedes grabs his wrist as he walks away and pulls him into her arms.
Spooky, scary skeletons
Are silly all the same
They'll smile and scrabble slowly by
And drive you so insane
“Lark will come around. For now, let’s just enjoy the music and each other. I don’t get to see you often enough,” Mercedes murmurs against her husband’s ear, wiping away his tears. “Let me have this one night.” She releases him and holds her hand out.
Henry takes it (obviously).
They dance and dance and dance and dance — until their feet hurt, until their backs hurt, after the music changes and their clock rings out twelve times.
They kiss. They cry. They talk. They laugh.
Their silhouette — because at this point, it is only one — a mass of black shadows curled in on eachother, unbreaking and unfaltering. The love of parents, of one another, of (eventually) themselves.
When they finally collapse on the couch, limbs intertwined like vines, the music continues…
Sticks and stones will break your bones
They seldom let you snooze
Spooky, scary skeletons
Will wake you with a boo!