Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

(Clancy's POV)

Clancy repeatedly tapped his foot on the ground as he tried to get a hold on his horrible anxiety. Ever since he had accepted Thomas's proposal, he knew this had been coming, but he didn't think it would be this difficult to just make a commitment and follow through on this. But they were counting on him to follow through, and so here he was, standing behind Duncan and Anastasia as he waited for Duncan's parents to answer the door.

He knew some stuff about his parents, but not much. He knew that they adopted Duncan and his little siblings after their biological parents were arrested. He knew that the abuse his bio-parents put him through was why he had Duncan and Thomas, and not just one or the other. He knew that his parents were very accepting of gay people, and he knew that they were so excited to meet him and Anastasia. So he knew that he would be fine, and that there was nothing to worry about.

But for some reason, he felt, scared, and he didn't quite know why. He probably just had social anxiety or something, so it was probably nothing, but deep down, something felt wrong, and all too familiar.

The front door opened, and he heard a feminine voice greet them. He let his boyfriend-no, his fiance-drag him inside, and at some point they all sat down in a couch or something. Every voice was muddled together, and he couldn't quite make out what they were saying, and nothing was quite intelligible. His vision seemed to blur, and his heart was too loud. He couldn't-

"Clancy?" Duncan asked. "Are you paying attention?" His vision returned to normal, and the ringing left his ears.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, I was thinking. What were you saying?" He asked, putting his fake but terrifyingly real smile on. The woman-Duncan's mother-smiled.

"I asked you what you've been doing for a job lately." She reminded him.

"Oh, I'm a police officer." He said, and she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Wow, that's interesting. How long have you been doing that?" She asked brightly. God, why was she still asking questions?

"Uh, like, a week?" He said, half questioning and half pretending that he wanted to be there. She nodded again.

"So, uh, where's Dad?" Duncan asked, trying to break the silence.

"Oh, he's talking to your siblings about meeting your fiances. Do you want me to go get him?"

"No, that's alright. How about I help you with dinner? I've gotten better at cooking recently."

"Oh no," his mother said, "I wouldn't want to ask that of you and Anastasia."

"No, really," Anastasia smiled, standing up. "I'd love to help you cook. What are you making?"

His future mother-in-law and future wife walked into the kitchen, and Duncan rose to join them, but stopped to look back at Clancy before he left. "Do you want me to stay with you? I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable or anything." He shook his head no, and Duncan nodded and followed the girls into the kitchen.

He went out into the backyard to get some fresh air, but it only got harder to breathe. Everything was too familiar, and not in a good way. Something about this house just felt wrong, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Hw couldn't quite place where in his memory he had visited this house before, but it felt like he had been here not all that long ago. He could have sworn that he recognized everything, and he was certain that he had been here before. Then it came to him, muddled and broken, but there all the same.

The boy laid on the table, barely alive, and struggling to breathe. The demon inside him was fighting for control, and if they didn't actually quickly, he would die. The boy likely wouldn't remember this, or pretty much anything of the time he had been possessed, but this was necessary if they wanted to save his life. He let out a scream of agony and fought against the restraints they had been forced to use to keep him safe from himself, digging them into his flesh.

"Is he going to be ok?" A woman asked, and a man shrugged.

"I don't know. But if we work fast and get that thing out of him, and manage to do this procedure right, we might just be able to save his life. But at this stage in possession, it's highly unlikely that he'll live."

"But you'll try, right?" A boy asked, and the man nodded.

Blades digging into his flesh, blood everywhere. He has been sedated, but it didn't work. His mind was asleep, but it also wasn't. The smell of chemicals was strong in his nose, and it was too bright. He couldn't quite recognize if he was still screaming, and if he was, if he was still making noise. He wanted it to die, he wanted it to end. He was half dead and his body wasn't his own and he was in so much pain. Would it never be over?

Hands reached down into his body, between his torn muscles and sliced open organs, and pulled something out, he didn't know what. He screamed, he couldn't stop himself, and he felt his body grow lighter and heard the snipping of scissors. "Dead, just like the rest of them," he could just barely make out, and for a few moments he thought that it was finally over. Then his entire body convulsed again, and he felt sickeningly dizzy, like he was going throw up.

"He's losing too much blood!" What was that? He couldn't quite hear. There was so much blood, too much blood. Where was all this blood coming from? "Wait, there's one more!"

Hands plunged back inside of his body, and he arches his back, screaming and convulsing in pain. As much as his body tried to fight back, he couldn't stop what was happening to him, and finally they were pulled out of him, taking something with them.

There was the sound of crying, and celebration, and then things went dark as a loud, low, continuous beeping sound rang through his ears. For a few moments, everything felt light, and he wasn't in pain anymore. Then electricity was sent through his body, suddenly his body put back together. He had no idea when he had been stitched back up, but he did know that he was going through a living hell, and whatever these people were doing to him, it was fucking torture. He just wanted them to kill him.

For a while, whatever they were doing, it didn't work. And then he was back, his heart beating and his lungs taking in air. Tears he never knew were there fell down his cheeks, and finally, he lost consciousness. It was all over.

(Clancy's POV)

Clancy couldn't breathe. He had been right. Everything had been so familiar for a reason. Duncan's parents, they did something to him, he just didn't know what. But why didn't Duncan tell him? Didn't he love him?

"Clancy, babe?" He heard his fiance say, and he turned to see Duncan, standing on the back porch, a drink in hand and a concerned look on his face. "Are you ok? I said your name like five times."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Can we go home?" He asked.

"Darling, we just got here. Are you sure that you're ok?" He asked, setting down his drink. Clancy nodded quickly, and tried to shove past him so he could get inside.

"Yeah I'm fine, can we just go?" He asked, and Duncan grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eye.

"Baby, if something's wrong, you can tell me. I won't be mad. But I can't just drop everything and take you home if I don't know what's bothering you. I can't read your mind, Bluebird."

He sighed, and blinked away his tears. "I remember," he whispered, and a panicked expression came into his face.

"Oh gosh, Clancy, are you ok?" He asked.

"So you knew?" He asked, and he could see plainly his beloved'e guilt.

"I didn't know that was you, not until you had that meltdown a couple months ago and I had to take you to the hospital. I figured it out then. But I didn't want to tell you, because you already had so much on your plate. I'm sorry." Clancy forced a smile onto his face.

"No, hey, it's ok, you were doing it to protect me. I don't remember much of what happened to me here, mainly just bits and pieces, and at some point, I'm going to be ready for you to tell me. But for now, why don't we go back inside, and we can start over. Introduce me to your parents and siblings. Have fun. It's just a bad memory."

"But, I should have told you."

"Hey," he soothed, "it's ok. I don't hate you. You were just doing what you thought was best, you didn't know." He smiled, and this time it was real. "Now come on, let's head inside."

They walked back inside and were met with a man Clancy vaguely recognized. "Hey kiddo," he said, smiling kindly, "I was wondering where you went."

Duncan smiled. "Hey, Dad. There's someone I want you to meet." Clancy was gently nudged forwards. "This is my other fiance, Clancy." Familiarity crept onto his face, but Clancy still smiled and put out his hand.

"Hello Mr. Beaumont, I've heard nothing but lovely things about you from your son-well, sons, actually." He said, trying to keep an air of civility even though both of them were mildly uncomfortable.

"Please, call me Daniel." He observed Clancy for a moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"Yeah, probably. But it's been two years so I'd be surprised if you actually recognized me." He was probably a little rude, but he didn't care. He had been up all last night doing his job, and he was not in a good mood.

"Duncan!" A bunch of small voices yelled, and Clancy quickly dodged out of the way as two kids came barreling into his fiance, nearly knocking him down.

"Guys, don't kill your brother! He's getting married soon!" Mr. Beaumont protested, and Duncan laughed.

"No it's fine. Hey guys, how are you?"

His little siblings began to talk and talk and talk without stopping, constantly getting louder to talk over each other. With a sigh, he went to leave the room, only to be blocked by Duncan's little sister. When did she get there? "Hi, I'm Adriana! What's your name!"

"Clancy," he said, before trying to move past her, only to be blocked by Duncan's brother.

"Well that's a weird name, but I guess I can say anything, seeing as my parents named my Kieran."

"That's....cool...I guess. Can you please move?"

"Guys, stop harassing my fiance!" Duncan interjected, and a look of confusion crossed his siblings faces.

"Wait what?"

"I thought Anastasia was your fiance?"

"I have two fiancees." Duncan explained.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Adriana exclaimed, and Clancy took a step back from them. Duncan looked over at him with concern.

"Hey, you ok?" He asked. Clancy nodded.

"Yeah, I just, uh, don't like kids." He admitted, and Duncan smiled apologetically.

"Yeah, sorry about that. They're a handful, but they mean well." Duncan said, and Clancy shrugged.

"Hey guys," Anastasia stuck her head out from behind a wall. "Dinners ready." The kids made a mad dash for the dining room, nearly knocking him over in the process. 'God, I never want kids,' he thought, walking into the dining room and taking a seat next to Anastasia.

As the rest of the table conversed about various topics Clancy probably didn't care about, he ate dinner in silence, occasionally nodding or shaking his head when addressed, as not to be rude. As he was putting his fork down in between bites of his steak, he noticed he was getting a strange look from Kieran. Quickly-but not to quickly, he swallowed and carefully wiped his mouth off using the corner of the fabric napkin he had been allowed to use, before setting it back neatly in his lap. At this, Adriana also gave him a strange look.

"What are you doing?" She asked, a piece of meat balancing precariously on her fork.

"Eating," he said cautiously, trying to not notice their bad table etiquette. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"You're kinda weird y'know," Kieran said, and yelped when his dad whacked him with his own rolled up napkin, like how you might bop your dog on the nose with a rolled up newspaper whenever they misbehaved.

"I mean, come on though, it's almost as if your parents sent you to etiquette school or something," Duncan joked. Clancy rolled his eyes.

"No, it was just how I was raised." Then he noticed his fork, and sighed. "Gosh, you too?" Duncan looked confused, but then looked back down at his fork, which had an obscene amount of peas speared through it.

"Oh you mean this?" He asked, putting his fork in his mouth and eating the peas.

He whacked his future husband, And only got laughter in response. "I hate you."

"If you hate me so much, then why did you agree to marry me?" Duncan teased, and Clancy rolled his eyes at his favorite idiot.

(Clancy's POV)

Clancy straightened Thomas's tie as music played over the stereo. Anastasia was busy getting ready in their shared room, and he already was. "I don't see why I need to wear a tie." Thomas grumbled. Clancy sighed.

"It's 'cause you need to impress my parents, Tom. Good impressions are important, and they take manners and tradition very seriously." He took a step back and observed his work. Thomas looked a little awkward, but adorable. Good, his parents would love him. And blue was definitely his color!

"Alright guys, I'm ready!" Anastasia practically floated out of the hallway into the living room, wearing a floor length tight-fitting silky green dress. She did a little twirl for them, smiling like a little girl playing princesses. "How do I look?"

"Absolutely gorgeous!" Thomas smiled, gently kissing her. She giggled and batted him away playfully.

"Careful, you'll mess up my makeup!" God, Clancy loved those two. He just hoped that his mother and father would approve.

Clancy sighed, and knocked light on the door. Behind him, Thomas fidgeted nervously. Of course he was nervous, everyone was always weirdly scared of meeting his parents. It was really weird. His mother opened the door, a warm smile on her face. "Oh, Clancy, darling!" She pulled him into a hug. "Gosh we've missed you so much! Look how much you've grown!" Then she noticed the two standing behind him, and she let him go, moving towards them. "Oh you must be his fiancees! I've heard so much about you two!"

"All good things, I hope." Thomas joked, and his mother laughed.

"Why of course! Now come on inside, you'll catch your death out here!" They walked inside, Anastasia closing the door behind her, and they moved into the living room, where his father was sitting, reading the newspaper. Upon seeing them, he got up and moved towards them.

"Hey kiddo, how's it going?" He grinned, patting his shoulder with a heavy hand.

"I'm doing alright, father." Then he turned to Thomas and Anastasia. "Guys, this is my father, Terrence Wagner, and my mother, Delilah Wagner." He turned to face his mother and father. "Mother, father, these are my fiancees: Anastasia and Thomas."

His families exchanged pleasantries, and then they sat down at the dinner table to eat. Thomas reached for his fork, but he slapped his hand away. Clancy's mother and father took each other's hand, and he took his mother's other hand, his own right hand resting in Thomas's left. At his silent urging, Anastasia took Thomas's and his father's hands, and his father began to lead them in prayer.

[Authors Note:The Following text, which shall be in block quote, is being spoken by the characters in Latin in the case where it is being spoken at all. Thank you.]

"Our Lord, we thank you today for these gifts you have bestowed upon us:the gift to meet my son's beloveds, the gift of life, and-who could forget-the gift of knowledge." Thomas and Anastasia exchanged concerned looks, and Clancy kicked them under the table. It was rude to talk or to have your eyes open during the prayers.

"We hearby gift you part of each of ourselves as we eat this blessed meal," his mother continued. "We gift you our loyalty, for we know that it is to be given back to us in return in the very end. We gift our souls, so that we may achieve the greater afterlife. We gift our minds, do you may fill them with heavenly knowledge. And we gift you our bodies, in hopes that you will select one of us to be the vessel you speak through in these trying times."

Now, it was his turn. "When demons overtook me and tried to overrule my faith, your followers were the ones to truly save me from myself and put me back on the path to redemption. You have saved my soul, and the souls of those I love by extension, even if they believe not. Give me strength, my Lord, to overcome every next hurdle which comes my way, and give me stamina, my Lord, so I may power through any challenges you throw at me. Bless our souls."

"Bless our souls," his mother and father echoed, and then they were allowed to unlink their hands, and open their eyes.

They then were permitted to eat, but Clancy simply stared at his food. Around halfway through, his mother noticed. "Clancy, darling, why haven't you eaten your food? I made you one of your favorites!" He answered honestly.

"Well, mother, after our prayers, I no longer had an appetite. Our Lord must have given me his blessings at last." His father smiled back.

"Well it's about time, isn't it?" He laughed. Clancy nodded, and the housekeeper, Edith, took away his plate, instead providing him with water. Thomas and Anastasia, they were concerned, but there was no need. He was quite alright. Really, he was! Right?