Chapter Text
Stone was taught to be perfect.
He was taught to be a scholar, a renaissance man, someone worthy of inheriting his family’s business. He was taught how to rich richily, making even the richest envious of his prowess. What came naturally to him was praised to the highest level, and if something didn’t, then he’d just work ten times harder.
Stone was taught to be perfect, and he was. Well, at least as close as he could be.
He stared at himself in his dresser mirror. His dark hair looked like a rat’s nest. His sage green eyes had bags beneath them. He looked like a corpse a necromancer reanimated, especially with his pale skin that barely saw the sun.
He looked like a scrap, and that wouldn’t do.
He combed through his hair, which was a tough feat with how thick it was. He spent a good ten minutes wrestling with it, until he gave in and just tied it in a small ponytail. At least he was able to unknot it.
As for the eyebags, he just prayed his parents would take it as a sign of his hard work. He didn’t have makeup to cover them like his sister did, and even if he did, he wasn’t sure how approving his parents would be if he wore it. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if there was anything that came in the ghostly white his skin was.
So, he’d just have to make do.
He looked over at his desk, a mess of last night’s work. Music scores, math homework, history books, unfinished essays and works of poetry were scattered across the surface. The lamp’s lightbulb was flickering, and there were three cups of coffee stacked in the corner.
With a sigh, he started organizing the stray papers. Music score with music score, math homework with math homework, essay with essay and poetry with poetry. He put his history books back in his bookshelf, making sure to organize by genre and author as if it were a library. He turned off the lamp and stacked the cups, holding them close to his chest to ensure they didn’t sway and fall. He looked back at the desk, its mahogany wood finally visible.
Better, he thought with a smile before opening his door and exiting his room.
He climbed down the huge staircase that led to the bedrooms of the house, the cups he held letting out a clank for every step he took. If his family didn’t know he was coming by now, they’d all have to get their hearing checked.
Finally, he made his way to the dining room, a grand room with a chandelier suspended from the ceiling and a table of an absurd length for four people. He didn’t understand why their table was so long, but he figured that it was for parties or family feasts.
When he poked his head into the doorway, he saw his family all sitting down on the side closest to the wall. His mam was reading the local newspaper, his dad was fidgeting with a ring, and his sister Avrille was twisting her cane side to side. She froze, looking over to him with a smile.
“There you are, Stone!” She exclaimed. “I was about to go fetch you!”
His mam looked up from the newspaper, adjusting her reading glasses. “I expect you’ll enjoy doing the dishes as much as sleeping in.”
He nodded. His family had implemented a rule that the last to the table was to do the dishes as a payment for holding everyone up, and he was always last. While it wasn’t as bad for things like family breakfast, it was hell on holidays and after parties.
“Good. Now that Stone’s here, we may finally eat,” his mam said with a smile. She poked her husband to snap him out of his trance and the two headed into the kitchen, with Avrille and Stone not far behind.
Avrille limped by his side, the gray and white gown she was wearing trailing behind her on the floor.
“Geez, Stone. You look like you’ve risen from the dead,” Avrille remarked, stating the obvious.
“Do you need to rub it in?” Stone asked, making eye contact with her fiery green eyes.
“I’m just concerned for your health, that’s all,” She answered, not breaking the stare until she pulled him to her side. “Oh, I know! How about you come with me to run errands! You need the vitamin D, and I can just tell our parents that we’re going out to eat so you don’t have to do the dishes again. What do you say?”
Stone stared at her for a moment. She was really good at proposing deals, a perfect business woman that could make anything sound appealing. Hell, she could probably get somebody to eat a rotten tomato without any effort.
Stone gave a sigh. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”
Avrille gave a happy squeal and pulled him into an awkward hug. “Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!! You’re not gonna regret this! Who knows, maybe you’ll see me hit someone with my cane! I mean, it happens every time I go out to get things or hang out with friends. I remember this one guy…”
Stone's brain didn’t process anything beyond “maybe”, but Avrille didn’t seem to notice. She continued on her story as he placed the coffee cups in the sink to wash later and got food. He grabbed a pint of yogurt, since he wasn’t that hungry for a full scale breakfast. Plus, it meant less dishes to wash afterward.
He went back to the absurdly long table and took his seat, patiently waiting for the rest of his family to arrive before eating. He never understood why his family implemented this rule other than “it’s improper”. Even if Stone was starving, his parents would insist on waiting. He sighed, picking at the plastic covering in order to keep his brain occupied.
Avrille arrived at the table first, a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and a side of strawberries. Lots of strawberries. She took a seat beside him, finishing off her story as if Stone had been listening this entire time.
“Yknow, I love this city, but sometimes the people here suck! Don’t even get me started on those scraps!” She huffed, rolling her eyes. “All they do is beg or scam, no in between! It’s so anno- is that all you’re gonna eat?”
“Yeah. Not that hungry. Plus, we’re gonna go out to eat, right?” Stone replied nonchalantly, continuing to pick at the plastic.
“I guess,” Avrille sighed. She opened her mouth to say something else, but their parents arrived with their plates, taking their spot across from the both of them. He opened his yogurt as Avrille struck up a conversation.
“By the way, I’m going to take Stone with me to run some errands,” Avrille said, acting as if her concern for his eating habits had disappeared.
“Oh, I was hoping that Stone could help me in the shop. He needs to start doing that more,” His dad responded as he looked over to Stone. Stone looked away.
“Yeah, I guess I do,” He responded. “I’ve just been so caught up with work.”
“Plus,” Avrille cut in after she popped a strawberry in her mouth. “Both of you can agree that Stone needs to get out more. Why not let me teach him the ropes of how to navigate Ramshackle before he starts settling into his role in the shop?”
“Avrille, honey, don’t talk with your mouth full,” His mam chided.
“Oh, sorry,” Avrille apologized, putting her hands over her mouth.
“However, I do agree with you, Avrille. So, I’ll allow it. Stone will run errands with you today. Then, once he can confidently navigate the city, he can start helping in the shop. After all…”
Stone had tuned out the rest of breakfast as he finished his yogurt. He could feel the guilt rising in his stomach. The guilt for not helping his parents out. The guilt for not preparing for the role he was meant to play, the role where he followed in his dad’s footsteps.
When a silence hit the table, he stood. “May I be excused?”
His mam thought for a moment, before giving a nod. “Yes dear.”
He thanked her as he headed to the living room and flopped down onto the couch, giving a sigh as he looked up at the ceiling that seemed so high.
Today was one of my only chances to relax after a week of hard work, he thought. And I agreed to run around the city with my sister. I mean, I enjoy her company, but I also enjoy my solitude.
He looked up to the family portrait that hung proudly in the living room. His mam and dad in the back, wearing smiles of warmth and deceit. Even in a setting outside of business, they looked as if they wanted to sell the next pedestrian to cross their path sparkly jewels to adorn their body.
Then, on the right, there was Avrille. Her hair in the portrait was fiery red, having been done before she dyed her hair pink. Her smile was big and wide, still carrying that childlike wonder even though she was around thirteen in the picture. She held her cane with both of her hands, using it like a prop for the picture to aid her pose.
Then there was him. Younger him. His black hair was still messy as ever, with each strand swaying a different way. His skin was still pale, though it wasn’t the ghostly white he had now. His smile was small, unlike Avrille’s wide grin. He was way shorter than he was now, though the one thing that remained true was him being the shortest.
Stone couldn’t help but smile. Him and Avrille looked so happy, so lively. Even if they still had a workload to worry about, they still smiled.
But he knew damn well that all good things had to come to an end.
“Stone!” His mam’s shout knocked him out of his mind. “It's time to do the dishes!”
“Coming!” He replied, rising from the couch. He glanced at the portrait once more before heading to the kitchen.