Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Icarus was able to accept the role of Quixus despite it not being ideal. They missed their brother, best friend, everyone. They wanted to meet Vaeh, Calypso, Argo, Terry, Cari, Kyr, and all the new pets. They wanted to see their mom again. They wanted to see Soul, Malitae, and Momboo.

They wanted to see Venear Atlan, the person they could only wish for, the person they longed for, the person they wished would become their one true love.

They wanted their family again.

So when it was time to resign as Quixus they didn't do what Midas did and went... home.

They had the talk with Sherbert about being Quixus, except Icarus told a different story.

They told Sherbert about the people they cared for at home, what they hoped for their own future, and how to manage being a person in the World Port.

They explained the eye and the others of themself, they remember that conversation took most of their time.

As they took the mantle off they remembered when Midas did the same for them. They looked around, silently praying that... they... would come with them. They knew... they... were there, ...they... had promised to help. He wondered how they were able to exist in this time, how they have lasted years and years with them in the World Port watching over everything.

They looked into the mantle, their yellow eyes staring back at them with a softness they hadn't seen in a decade or two.

They hadn't aged much, of course, they knew they were over one hundred years old due to all the resets but they still looked... young.

Their family has aged as well, they looked older but yet still so young as they lived their lives in their infinite days.

They took a step closer to Sherbert, cupping their face with one of their hands as they placed the mantle on their head.

They watched as a white and silver rope wrapped around their head, connecting the mantle and turning into a crown before they saw black.

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It was time, they saw it happen. Sherbert had woken up in the middle of the night with a lime bleeding eye. Icarus sighed, knowing what was to come. They were excited to see their family again, don't get them wrong but... they have been Quixus for so long now that they were afraid. Their family would remember everything, but there would be a blank space of time without them when they were Quixus. Part of Icarus didn't want them to remember all the horrible things that they did, they all looked so happy without them. For them to remember though, they had to see Icarus, so all Icarus had to do was make sure they didn't. So before pulling Sherbert, they made a fake identity.

Their name will be Eris Stardrift, they could change their hair to a similar color to Rae's, and they can turn their eyes purple. They would wear a light purple button-up shirt with their black armor on top, they had their usual belt and then some black cargo pants, some mismatched purple and blue Converses, and a chequered cardigan that was also purple and blue. They even went as far as making a backstory. They would be a traveler who traveled all the land and wanted a place to call home. It was a simple yet believable lie. They knew that once they retired they would still have the ability to change things and remember their time as Quixus, thanks to Midas, so they had to keep that in check. They also knew that Sherbert would overpower their change, if they used Quixus's power, Sherbert could change it back. That was okay.

Quixus walked towards the portal from which they had to pull Sherbert. They stared into the glowing purple, they had gotten used to all the bright lights so it didn't bother them. They closed their eyes, focusing on what Sherbert looked like, and imagined pulling them through the portal and appearing.

"Hello?" They heard Sherbert's voice speak from in front of them, it sounded almost exactly the same as theirs. They opened their eyes just to look into Sherbert's purple and blue ones as they smiled. "Welcome to the Worldport Sherbert, my name is Quixus but you can call me Icarus." Shebert stared at them for a moment and Icarus just chuckled. "Let me start from the beginning, Quixus is a title that you have been chosen to hold next. I know you are next because of the bleeding eye." Their hand flies under their eye, a bit of blood smearing. "So my eye means I'm the next Quixus? What does Quixus even do?" Icarus smiles, ready for all the questions they most likely have. "Quixus is basically the god of change and abnormalities, they have to watch over all the worlds and keep everything in check. I've been here a long time and it honestly becomes kind of fun. You will have to be here for a long while though, but eventually will get to go home."

Sherbert smiled at that.

"That doesn't sound too hard." Icarus shook their head. "It isn't, I remember the day I first got here, the previous Quixus, Midas, messed some things up but I was able to fix it for you. When I go back, I will keep Quixus's power but you'll have the power over me in a way. When I change something, you have the power to change it back, the twist is I can't change back something you do. I hope that makes sense." They nod, looking around. "It does. Where is your world?" Icarus walked them over to their world's portal, staring into it. "You can see my brother Rae and his husbands baking, the little girl's name is Vaeh and the baby is Cari." Sherbert's eyes lit up, watching the family mess around in the kitchen.

They then turned to Icarus once again. "Sorry to backtrack but can you explain the eye and the other version again?" They asked anxiously and Icarus nodded. "Like I said before, the eye just means you are next in line to become Quixus, it's more of a sign for me than it is you, tells me I have to pull you in here. The other versions well... it's a multiverse, in every world there is another one of us, and every single one will become Quixus one day, it's like a system. I don't expect you to understand so much but I know you'll figure it out the more time you spend here. If you're anything like me, it'll take time." They nod hesitantly, taking it all in.

They start walking down the long hall slowly, making sure to take in everything around them as Icarus follows a few feet behind them. "How do... I become Quixus?" They pause, turning around as Icarus walks till they are standing in front of them again before they take the mantle off. "This, think of it like a crown." Icarus stares at their reflection in the mantle, their yellow eyes staring back, it's the first time they've seen themself in years.

They remember when Midas had been in a similar position to them, passing off the mantle.

They remember the first major thing they did as Quixus, they put Ven back in their timeline only to have them come back and ask if they could take it back.

They step closer to Sherbert, cupping their face with one of their hands as they place the mantle on the middle of Sherbert's forehead. A white and silver rope appears and wraps itself around Quixus's head to make a crown. Icarus looks at them one last time before their vision turns black.

They slowly open their eyes, their head pounding, stomach empty, and a feeling of tiredness. They wait for a moment before closing their eyes and pushing themself up.

When they re-open their eyes they look around, recognizing Purgatory, Elysium? as the place they've come into. They stand on shaky legs, starvation, and sleep deprivation starting to sink in fast. They take a deep breath before changing into their false body, their hair turns dark and their eyes turn purple. Their outfit changed along with their eyes and hair just like they wanted.

They look down at themselves, smiling slightly before a familiar voice speaks up behind them.

"Uhm, hi?" Arisana's voice sounds bright, like some sort of light. They turn around, Arisana looks the same as she did when they saw her through the Worldport, she only looks more real now. They blink a tear out of their eye before quickly wiping it away. "H-Hi, sorry, my name is Eris, you?" Arisana's head tilts slightly to the side before she smiles. "My name is Arisana, nice to meet you."

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"I haven't seen a new person around here for a long time, especially someone who isn't dead." Arisana stares at Icarus for a moment longer. "Well, that doesn't matter. Mind if I give you a tour?" Icarus smiles and nods as Arisana turns around to start giving them the tour. "So Eris, how'd you end up here?" Arisana glanced back at Icarus. "U-Uh, not sure, all I know is that I randomly woke up here. I'm a traveler, so anything could have happened." They reply, hopefully implying enough to support their story. "That's cool, you've probably explored everywhere." Icarus smiled in relief. "Anyway, like I said, this is Purgatory Elysium, it's where the dead go when they die. We have got a portal that leads to here, though, so we can come here too even though we're not dead. I know it's a little confusing but you'll get it eventually." She continues walking down the hall towards the center as Icarus follows her.

"So these hallways that have all the books of present, past, future, everything you'll ever want to know are here." The two reach the main area where the book of the present is, and she walks in front of it. "This is As it is, the book of the present, please don't touch or mess with it." Icarus looks down at the book, it looks the same since all those years ago, only a little more worn. "That's really cool, I thought I explored everywhere, but I've never been here." They looked around in fascination, hoping it was more convincing than it felt. "I know, right, this is like my home and I find it gets better every day!" Icarus smiled back at her. "Do you have a notebook or something? I lost everything I had on me when I got here, and I'd love if I could write some stuff down." Arisana smiles wider than they've ever seen before. "Sadly, I don't have a notebook for you, but I know who does! I'm glad you really like it here!" Icarus chuckles at their enthusiasm, and she laughs as well. "I like you, Eris, you are now my friend." She says through her laugh. "I've never had a friend before, I've been alone for so long." She gasps and hugs them. "I can be your first friend!" Icarus hugs her back tightly, and all their memories of co-workers and their friendship come rushing back.

Icarus remembers when they got back from a mission and just walked around till they found a snowy mountain and the three of them had a snowball fight. They stayed up there for hours just playing around and forgetting everything except for that moment. They lay in the snow, Icarus's head on Ven's lap and Arisana's head on Icarus's stomach. They watched the stars till sunrise, it was one of the best nights of their life.

Another time was when Arisana and Icarus were in the office, and Icarus accidentally cut their hand while sharpening their sword. Arisana freaked and rushed to help them, she didn't let them out of her sight or do anything for a few days.

They remember the last time they saw Arisanna in the office, they were acting a little unusual, nicer in a way. She packed some stuff in her bag before going up to Icarus and hugging them. "I'll miss you, Icarus, I hope you will realize what he's doing to you soon. I know he hurts you, I know that's why you stay, because he made you dependent. If you ever need something, just message me or Ven, okay? Love ya, Icarus, I'll see you soon." That was the last thing she whispered before walking out of the office. The next time they saw them, they acted like nothing had happened.

They remember the last time they saw her when they were Icarus, she and Ven hugged them tightly, it was right around where Arisana and they were hugging now. "I'm happy you realized, I'm happy you're okay. I meant it when I said I love you, and I still mean it now, I'll always be here for you when you need a friend. Just walk through the portal and you'll find me somewhere, I'm willing to drop everything if you need." Little did she know that she might've never seen them again. Little did she know that Icarus was dying only to be reborn as Eris, the person hugging her for the first time now.

They've never realized how much they missed the warm embrace of a hug till now. Although Arisana was colder to the touch, the longer they hugged, the warmer she got. Being alone all those years, they got used to it, not talking much except for when they thought aloud, and no other human contact, so they got used to the cold. They got used to not knowing what time of day it was, never hearing birds chirp in the morning, and crickets at night. They got used to never feeling the grass or looking at the stars, never feeling the hot sun or the heavy rain. Not being able to eat yet feeling hungry, not being able to sleep, but feeling tired. The only thing that kept them alive was being able to watch how happy their family was living. They got to see their nieces and nephews, even though they couldn't hold them. They got to see their brother get married and their best friend get married, even though they weren't really there. They got to see their mom and brother build a memorial for them right outside their brother's house, and got to see their nieces and nephews visit it sometimes to place flowers. They got to see the town everyone built fill with people just going to live their lives.

"Eris? You back with me?" They suddenly become aware of their surroundings as Arisana speaks softly. She was still hugging them because their arms were wrapped around her tightly. One of her hands was on their head as she ran her fingers through their hair, and the other hand was wrapped around their waist. They're vaguely aware of the tears running down their face and soaking into her shirt as they cry. "O-Oh shit, s-sorry-" Icarus started apologizing, going to pull away, but she stops them, holding them tighter to her. "It's alright, just checking that you're okay, you went all quiet and started crying, and I got worried." She says quietly, continuing to run her fingers through their unkempt hair. They try to control their breathing, and their nails dig into her back as they sob into her shoulder. "I-I just haven't seen a-anyone i-in so l-long..." She quiets them, holding their head still. "You don't need to explain yourself, it's okay, you can hug me as long as you want, I haven't hug-hugged someone in a long time either, the last person I did was... well that's not important."

The last person she hugged like this was them, or they guess Icarus.

After a few moments, they pull away slowly, wiping their eyes and taking a deep breath. She puts a hand on their shoulder, smiling softly at them as she moves their hair out of their face. "You better?" They nod, blushing a little in embarrassment. "Gosh, this is not how I wanted to make friends." She chuckles softly. "It's all good, I get it, you never had a friend or a shoulder to cry on, I'm happy you were comfortable to show me that side of you, even if we just met." They laugh softly along with her. "Thank you, sorry you had to deal with that. I don't know what came over me."

They do know, they know exactly what happened, they haven't felt this safe for years. Arisana was there for Icarus in one of their darkest times, they could never thank her enough.

She waves Icarus off, "Seriously, it's okay, now, how about I continue the tour?" They smile and nod as she grabs their hand and leads them on.

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As Arisana is about to start continuing the tour around Purgatory Elysium, they hear the portal whoosh as someone walks through it. Arisana smiles at Icarus, "That's probably Caspian, he's cool, I think you'll like him." She changes course, dragging them over to the Purgatory entrance. Caspian walks down the path towards Arisana and them, and Arisana waves, and he waves back. Then Caspian noticed Icarus and his eyes go wide for a second before going back to normal and walking towards both of them. "Hey, Arisana! Who's... this?" He looks at Icarus softly and in recognition. They swallow nervously, bringing their hands together and fidgeting. "Caspian, meet Eris, Eris meet Caspian!" Arisana says excitedly, Caspian sticks out his hand. "Nice to meet you Eris..." They hesitantly shake his hand, his grip firm as he stares at them, and their palms turn sweaty. "Y-you too." Icarus stutters a little, quickly taking their hand away and wiping it on their cardigan. "Well, I'll let you two talk, I have to get back to work! I'll finish the tour for you later, Eris!" They wave goodbye before rushing off somewhere in the long halls. Icarus nervously looks back at Caspian, and he smiles.

"Hi, Icarus." His words make them freeze, how did he know? They cover their mouth with their hand, tears ready to spill again as they prepare to apologize and explain. Instead, before they could get a word out, he hugged them. The dam breaks fully as they cry loudly into his chest, their nails digging into his grey shirt.

When they planned to go home, this wasn't how it started. They guess they didn't realize just how much they missed their family. Icarus didn't even take into account that Caspian, Patron of Memory, would remember them even though they looked different. They were hanging out one day when they were over, and Rae had to leave for something, and they got into a colors conversation. They said that if they weren't yellow and purple, they'd want to be purple and blue, and Caspian must have quickly put things together, how they dress, their hair is similar, they didn't really age, so they look relatively the same, and he has the power of memory on his side.

Caspian and Icarus were never really that close. Sure, they talked to each other if they ran into one another, sometimes made potions together for fun once or twice, and they've conversed over Rae if one of them was concerned about him, too. Now, he's their brother-in-law, and he's more family to them now than ever, they feel comfortable letting everything out that they've held in for a decade or two.

"This whole time, you were just out of reach," Caspain whispered against their hair on top of their head. They chuckle wetly into his chest before moving a little so he can see their hands. A small light emerges from their hands, and a blue orchid grows slowly out of the light. They hold the orchid in between their fingers as they both look at it. "I thought only Quixus or... he could do that?" He looks at Icarus, a little confused yet also in admiration. "I am Quixus, well, I was Quixus." He pulls away, shocked, keeping a hand on their arm. "Quixus is a title, not a person. The Quixus we knew was Midas, who then passed the title to me. The whole reason everything went wack was because when I was young, like really young, I was supposed to be pulled. To them, though, I was too young, younger than them, so they waited and waited till the resets happened and it messed everything up." They start to explain as Caspian listens. "So it's like royalty, Quixus is like the king or queen, and the crown gets passed down to the heir?" He looks at them for confirmation. "Exactly," They reply, smiling at how fast he got it, at least they think he got it. "So then, like, what is Quixus? In like, simpler terms, I guess." They both stand up straight again, fully pulling away from the hug. "It's like the god of change and abnormalities, due to Quixus being messed up and stuff, I still have the powers, but Quixus now has power over me. I can still make things disappear, re-appear, change, move, the whole nine yards basically." He laughs, and they follow shortly after.

"So Eris, huh?" Caspian and them sit on the pure white stairs to the Purgatory Elysium entrance. Some allays float around the two, their blue glow soft to their eyes. "Eris Stardrift, lone traveler, simple enough to make believable." He watches as an allay flies slowly by him. "Smart. Why do you... not want people to know... that it's you, I mean?" He suddenly turns serious, tearing his eyes away from the allay to look at his brother-in-law. "I don't... want people to remember me for who I was but for who I can be. I don't plan on being Eris forever, just enough time to show them that I'm a better person. I know he messed with me a lot, and that's why I was bad, but... I still feel guilty after all these years. I mean, it hasn't been so long for you guys, only a few years, but for me? It has been hundreds of years. I'm scared that the moment they know it's me, they will freak out. I left on better terms, but if I were them, I'd be infuriated. I'm surprised you aren't, to be honest." Caspian smiles, grabbing their hand and holding it in both of his. "I did say you were a lovable asshole, you were an asshole, sure, but we still cared about you. You're a human being, you can make mistakes, I know I have. If anything, I was angry because we hadn't seen each other in so long, yet you were so close. I'm not angry at you, per se, I was upset that he put you in a mindset that was affecting you negatively. Besides the point, I get it, you want to start over, and you don't see a way to do that as Icarus, so you're Eris instead. Same person except different name and brand." Icarus nods, squeezing his hand as they take a deep breath.

"Remembering you this whole time wasn't a burden, it was a blessing that I get to be a part of the life that is yours and Rae's. I would watch Rae go out to your grave sometimes and smile to myself, thinking of the time I spent with you that he would hopefully remember one day. I've sat by your grave, talking about the great things you did that they didn't remember. You changed the flowers nearby to orchids, trying to tell me that you were listening. I realize that now. I realize that this is what had to happen for you to finally be happy and not have the heavy weight you carried everywhere. I remember a time when I was sitting outside your grave with Vaeh, her magic bird, which again I'm now realizing is you, and Isla walked over to us. She said hi to Vaeh and me as Vaeh started talking about how she thought that your spirit was in her bird." Icaurs chuckles, a tear falling from their eye and rolling down their cheek. "Isla then noticed all the flowers were orchids, and she asked who did that. I replied with something like 'Maybe Icarus is watching over us through Vaeh's bird' Enderian came by later that day, jokingly scolding me for making Isla cry so much." They sob through their laugh. "Did you apologize?" Icarus smirked, and he burst out laughing. "O-Of course I did, they both knew it was just a nice thought." They laugh together for a while as they continue talking.

"I know you're relationship with Enderian isn't the best, but I think you should talk to her. Maybe you, your mom, and she could have lunch or something? I could drag Rae, Aax, and Fenris along too if you want." Caspian looks at them curiously, still holding their hand, which they are now grateful for as bad memories start coming up. "I-I mean, as long as I'm not alone with her, my mom will be there, sure, but I can't hug her because I'm not Icarus. If you could be there, I'd really appreciate it. You could bring the others as well, just... I need you to be there so I don't do something... rash." He nods before pulling them into another hug. They sigh deeply, burying their head in the crook of his neck. "Thank you, Caspian, it means a lot that... you could be here, y'know? Now thinking about it, I don't think I could do this alone. It's better that it's you too, I wouldn't want it to be Rae, Ven, Centross, or my mom, better you, Fenris, Aax, or Ocie." He hums in acknowledgment, rubbing their back. "I get it, you want to take this slow, and someone like Rae or Centross would make it go a bit too fast for you." They nod into his shoulder before pulling away and wiping their face.

"Alright, let me go say bye to Ari and I'll be right back." He stands up before rushing off to find Ari. A few minutes later, he comes back and they walk to the portal, they fix their hair and clothes as they walk. "Don't be nervous, I'll be with you." He says as they stop right outside the portal. "I know, thank you," Icarus replies quietly. He takes their hand, squeezing it, before letting go and walking them through the portal.

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They walk down the stairs, their shoes softly hitting the marble with a clicking sound. They feel the sun for the first time in years, and it almost feels too hot. Their shoe hits the soft grass, and they feel as it slightly sinks into the earthy ground. The scent of fresh flowers and the breeze hit them at the same time, and they inhaled deeply. Their eyes close automatically, and they almost feel overwhelmed, swaying as they take another step. The ground sinks under them again, the breeze continues to carry the scent of flowers, and now what smells like baked goods as well. They remember the first time they walked into Starbarks and smelled all the freshly baked bread and pastries. They hear the faint movement of branches and leaves brushing against each other as the wind shakes the trees lightly. They feel the need to touch and smell and hear and taste everything again. The only thing they could do from the Worldport was see and hope that they'd see the day to actually experience it again.

They open their eyes, the overwhelming feelings still there with Caspian's hand grounding them so they don't float away in it all. They look around and see glimpses of the new buildings and the pretty fields of flowers that surround them. They crouch down, running the grass between their fingers till they reach an orchid. They carefully pluck it from its roots in the ground, putting it to their nose and smelling its sweet scent. After a moment, they tuck it into their hair before standing back up. They look at Caspian, and he smiles brightly, "Compliments the outfit for sure." They chuckle, looking down at themself. The blue does complement their blue and purple outfit extremely well. "C'mon, Eris, time to see your mom and step-mom." Icarus breathed shakily before nodding and letting him lead them towards the house.

"So I know this is a huge deal for you, and I just want you to know that I'm gonna be there, okay? If you need to leave or something, just let me know and we'll be out of there in a minute tops." They nod, briefly hugging him before he knocks on the wooden door. There's some shuffling and mumbled talking before someone's steps get louder and louder as they approach the door. The click of the lock sounds as the door opens to show Isla. "Hi, Caspain, who's your new friend?" Her voice is soft like the orchid petals, running smooth and clear. "Hey Isla, this is Eris, they appeared in the Purgatory Elysium, Ari found them before I did. I've talked to them a bit about some people, and I thought a good way to introduce them to people is a lunch. I was thinking, Rae, Aax, Fenris, Vaeh, Cari, Vi, and Ocie, if they want to come too." Isla smiles brightly before turning back to Icarus. "I think that's a lovely idea, for now, come on in, it's early, so I think we can have lunch today if that's alright with everyone?" She holds the door open as Caspian and Icarus walk in, and they immediately see Enderian as they round the corner. They freeze for a moment, Caspian squeezes their hand, and they continue walking through the small house. "Dear, we have a new guest, Eris." She walks over to Enderian, kissing her on the cheek before gesturing to Icarus. "Hello galaxy, welcome, it's nice to meet you." She reaches her hand out and they shake it, glancing at Caspian, who gives them a reassuring smile. "She gives everyone nicknames, if you're uncomfortable with her calling you galaxy, just tell her," Isla speaks up from somewhere behind Enderian. Enderian turns around playfully glaring at her. "Uh, n,o it's alright," They reply, smiling a little, trying to be reassuring like Caspian is to me

"See!?" Enderian yells back at Isla, proud as she disappears after their mom.

Isla and Enderian were cooking in the kitchen while Caspian and Icarus were sitting at the table. They both tried to help but were immediately denied, so Caspian decided he'd message people to see if they could come. Everyone but Centross and Ocie (And the kids, obviously) replied, saying they could come, Athena and Bruin also saw the message and invited themselves. The lunch starts in about an hour, but Athena wanted to come early, so she and Bruin were on their way.

A knock sounds on the door, and Caspian gets up to open it. "He,y Cas," Bruin says as Athena hugs Caspian. Caspian lets them both in after hugging them, and they immediately spot Icarus. "Hey! New person!" Athena runs up to them, their eyes wide as they admire Icarus. "What's your name? Oh, and favorite flower?" Icarus chuckles, thinking for a moment. "My name is Eris, nice to meet you. My favorite flower is uh... blue orchids, like in my hair." They decided to go with their actual favorite flower, it's not like they could tell they're Icarus, cause it's just a flower, not like they'd really know anyway. They pull out a bunch of blue orchids, handing them to Icarus, and they take them gratefully, mumbling a thank you. Athena then goes on his way to the kitchen as Bruin comes over too. "Hi, I'm Bruin, nice to see a new face around here." They shake hands before he walks into the kitchen as well.

"They don't seem too different from when I saw them through the World Port," They say to Caspian once they can't see Bruin anymore, and he hums in acknowledgment. They take a deep breath, trying to calm down again. Caspian places a hand on their back and rubs it up and down. "Sorry, sorry, jus' a lot, seeing Athena and Bruin again, along with seeing my mom and... stepmom. It's more than I thought." Caspian nods, stopping his hand on their back but keeping it there. "Take all the time you need."

Athen, Bruin, their mom, and their stepmom set the table, Caspian and Icarus finally being able to help them. After a minute of setting up, the doorbell rings, and Caspian glances at them before going to open the door. Upon opening the door, Vaeh jumps into his arms, and he catches her. "I missed you!" She says as she hugs Caspian, Caspian kisses her on the head. Over Vaeh's head, he kisses Rae, then Aax, and hugs Fenris, who is carrying Cari, Day was off with someone else for the day. Rae, Aax, and Fenris walk in, and Caspian shuts the door behind them. Like the others, they look the same as they did at the World Port.

Icarus looks away from them, trying to keep their racing breath calm before they cry. They take a shaky breath, fidgeting with a button at the bottom of their button-up shirt. They close their eyes for a second before looking back up. Caspian is talking to the three adults, glancing at them every once in a while to make sure they're okay.

Suddenly, there is a tug on their pant leg, and they look down to see Vaeh. She smiles when she sees that they look at her. "Hi! I'm Vaeh! What's your name?" She asks excitedly, her yellow eyes glow with a child-like admiration that they never had. They can definitely tell how she is, Rae and Fenris's, especially now since they can see her more clearly. Her yellow wings are small yet prominent on her back, her bare paws on the floor, her little purple horns sticking out of her head, and her tail is a perfect mix of Fenris's and Rae's. Even though she looked more like Fenris, she had Rae's kindness and curiosity, along with a bunch of other things from each of her parents. "I'm Eris," They see as her face lights up more when they respond. "Er-...is, Eris! That's a pretty name! You also look cool, my daddy likes those colors on your clothes!" She admires their clothes and they stop fidgeting with the button. They never thought they'd be good with kids, but Vaeh was just so...easy. Sure, she was their niece, but she didn't know that, and that somehow made it better.

"Vaeh, starshine, don't bother them just yet." Fenris walks over to the two, still holding Cari. "Sorry, Papa!" She apologizes, hugging her dad's leg. "Well, you've already met Vaeh, this here is Cari, and I'm Fenris, nice to meet you. Caspian has been talking to Rae and Aax about you since you got here, and it hasn't even been a day." Fenris chuckles and they follow suit, albeit a little awkwardly. Caspian, Rae, and Aax walk over, Caspian standing next to them as the other two stand next to Fenris. "Hey there, I'm Rae, this is Aax." Aax sticks out a hand and they shake it. "Eris, nice to meet you all, Caspian has said many things, good things." Rae and Aax both smile brightly at them. "I could say the same about how much Caspian has talked about you." They laugh once more, they don't remember the last time I've ever been this happy.

As they finish setting up and everyone greets each other, they sit down. Enderian at the head, then Rae, Aax, Fenris, Isla at the other head, Caspian, Icarus, then Vaeh. Cari was in a highchair behind Rae. Vaeh wanted to sit next to them, so they sat in the middle so Caspian could be next to them too.

They felt anxious, if Caspian didn't remember them, they wouldn't do this. They're around Enderian, the woman who corrupted them and brought out the worst in them. She made them hurt the people they care about, all because they were Fable's child. They're around Rae, their brother, whom they want to hug so badly but can't because they're scared. They're around Fenris, who they hurt and who hurt them. They would apologize so much, and he would apologize too. They know Fenris, and they would work it out, at least they'd try to, he's their brother-in-law after all. Their around Aax, who they also hurt. It may not have been direct, but they hurt the people they both care about. Their around their mom, who they haven't seen in who knows how long, alive and well. She and their brother think they died at 10, she doesn't know all the nights they wished she was with them. They're around kids, and they're terrified they're going to accidentally hurt them, they don't want to be like Fable, and they will try their hardest not to be.

People start passing around the food, bowls going back and forth over the table. Once everyone gets their food, they start talking as they eat. "So Eris, we've much from Caspian, but I want to know what you do through you." Aax pipes up after a moment and they chuckle. "I'm uh, a traveler, I've explored a lot of places, apparently not all of them since I've never been to the Elysium place." Aax nods as he takes a bite of food. "That's cool, what's one of the craziest things you've seen?" Fenris asks, and they think for a moment. "Once I saw this really cool structure, it reminded me of a castle, it was built like one. It was very beautiful." They reply, also taking a bite of food. "How'd you get here?" Isla asks next. "Great question, I don't know. I just woke up on the floor in Elysium, I met Arisanna and we talked for a while till I met Caspian, and well, here we are." A few people chuckle.

Vaeh taps their arm and they look over at her. She shows them her closed cupped hands before opening them and revealing a daisy. "Watch, this is a magic flower, it'll change into an orchid soon!" She says excitedly, watching the flower. They realize that she's waiting for it to change so she can show it, and that they have to change the flower. The problem is that they can't without revealing their powers, it'd be semi-obvious that they changed the flower. Lucky for them, the flower changes anyway, and they thank Sherbert quietly. "Wow, that's really cool, Vaeh!" She smiles, kicking her legs happily as her tail waves behind her. "You can keep it! I have many magic flowers already." She hands them the flower and they take it gently and put it in their hair next to their other one. Her eyes twinkle with happiness as she stares at the flowers in their hair. "Thank you, Vaeh. Now, eat your food, come on." Icarus pats the back of her head once, encouragingly, and she goes back to eating. They also turn back to their food to continue eating, and they catch Caspian smiling out of the corner of their eye.

"Was it just you, or did you travel with other people?" Enderian asks as she cuts Vaeh's chicken into smaller pieces. "Just me, as far as I remember, I've traveled shorter distances with other people before splitting ways, but that's about it." Enderian nods as she hands back Vaeh's food, and Vaeh starts eating again. "Daddy? Papa?" Vaeh speaks up, looking across the table at her parents. "Yes, moonlight?" Fenris replies as he and Rae look up. "Can Eris stay at our house for a sleepover?" She asks excitedly, and Fenris and Rae smile. "I mean, sure, why not, if they want to, you don't have a place yet, do you?" Rae answers his daughter before turning to Icarus. "Not yet, no, and I'd love to have a sleepover." They smile, and Vaeh leans into their side, Icarus puts an arm around her. "Vaeh, sweety, you have to eat more," Aax says, noticing that she's getting comfortable against them. "Not hungry no more." She replies before burying her face in their side. Aax chuckles, "She really likes you, she doesn't usually warm up to strangers so fast." Icaurs smiles, looking down at Vaeh, who looks very relaxed. They go back to eating as Vaeh climbs onto their lap, laying her head on their chest. Icaurs runs their fingers through her hair as the rest of them eat and chat over lunch.

If Vaeh fell asleep and many photos were taken, she didn't have to know.

Chapter Text

Enderian remembers a time when they didn't hate their stepson Icarus, don't get her wrong, they never hated them, just didn't like them because they were Fable's kid. When Enderian saw how Eris acted, she thought about Icarus and how alike she thought they'd both be.

For example, when Isla told them they were going to have a baby sibling they were ecstatic, even that was an understatement. They put their hands on their mother's stomach, as Isla chuckled and told them they couldn't feel their sibling yet. Icarus pouted as Isla tucked their head against her stomach. "You'll be able to feel the baby soon enough little bird," I say, running my fingers through their hair. "But I want my sibling now! They'd be my best friend!" Icarus whined against their mother's stomach. "I know little bird, you'll meet them soon enough," I reply to them.

Throughout Isla's pregnancy, Icarus trained themselves to take care of a baby. Always asking Isla and me questions about how they'd protect and care for their little sibling, who they newly knew was a boy. They prepared to change diapers, feed him, play with him, basically, everything they thought they needed to know. Eris treating Vaeh is how I would think Icarus would treat Rae when they were both young.

Icarus was also surprisingly a quiet kid, surprisingly, to me anyway. Fable was always one for the public, yet his child was not. They never wanted a crowning ceremony because it was too many people watching, they never talked much when visitors came over except for when they had to, and most of the time they shut themself in their room. Sometimes they'd go out to play with some kids but they never stay out long, they come out for food or if they're needed but otherwise they're in their room. They wrote a lot of stories most of the time.

One was titled "Protect" and it went like this:

Hi! My name is Icarus, and I am six years old. I'm going to have a little brother soon! I won't meet him for a while, but he is already my best friend. I want to take him on adventures! Here is an adventure I'd want to take him on.

Today, we went on a big adventure in our backyard, and I want to tell you all about it!

It was a sunny day, and Mom said we could play outside. Rae and I grabbed our shoes and bags, I had a magnifying glass and a notebook, and Rae had his favorite stuffy whose name is Theseus. (I already made the stuffy with Mom and named it Theseus. My dad wanted to name my little sibling Theseus if I ever had one but now he's not here and I know Mom doesn't like that name)

First, we decided to explore the chorus fruit growing all around. I was the leader, and Rae followed behind me, we were both really excited. "Look, Rae! An enderman!" I pointed to the dark black figure that was in the distance and Rae smiled. We walked up to the enderman, knowing it'd be friendly.

"Hello, Mr. Enderman," Rae said softly. "You want to come on our adventure?"

The enderman didn’t answer, but we pretended it did. We imagined it saying, "Yes! I want to explore too!" When really it just made a weird noise. So, Rae carefully grabbed the enderman's hand and we took it with us.

Next, we went to an end city. It is our favorite thing to explore. I walk inside, climbing the stairs as Rae (and the enderman) follow me. We sat on the main bridge, our legs dangling off the ledge.

"Rae, do you see the dragon?" I pointed afar, the obsidian pillars stand tall and their crystals glow bright. The dragon flies around, sometimes stopping to rest on the ground or its nest.

"Maybe the dragon's tired," he said. "We can protect their nest while they’re asleep!"

We pretended to be the nest's guards, keeping it safe from imaginary pirates and thieves, and whatever other bad people. Rae waved an end rod like a sword, and I used my knife. We were the best protectors ever!

After a while, we got hungry, so we climbed down and went to our secret base. It is hidden under an end city skyscraper, where we keep all our snacks. Mom packed us some sandwiches too. We enter our base which is a little small but we like it! We have blankets all over the floor and a table filled with snacks. We unpacked our sandwiches and grabbed a few snacks before we sat down to have a picnic!

"Rae, do you think there are treasures in the skyscraper, we never checked?" I asked, taking a bite of my sandwich.

Rae’s eyes sparkled. "Yes! Let's go find them!"

We climbed to the very top and pretended we were treasure hunters. I drew a map in my notebook, and Rae followed it carefully. We found some gold, some old leather armor, and even a diamond! Rae said the diamond was from our Uncle Alerion, we think it's a sign from him.

By the end of our adventure, we knew we had to go back. We put our treasures in a special box in our secret base and said goodbye to Mr. Enderman, letting it go back to roaming.

"Today was the best adventure ever," Rae said and I squeezed his hand.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, and tomorrow, we can have another one!"

Rae grinned, and we high-fived. Being brothers was the best thing in the world. Every day was a new adventure, and I couldn't wait for the next one.

Enderian remembered smiling when she first read the open page of the notebook on Icarus's desk. She was happy that Icarus was excited to have a brother, even pretending he was already there, following them along.

Another thing she thought of was how Eris stuck around Caspian. Icarus never liked meeting new people so they always stuck to Isla or I's sides. There was one dinner in particular when they couldn't be in the room with Isla and me for privacy reasons so they had to play with the other kids. At some point, I had to leave to get something and found them wandering the halls. The moment they spotted me they ran up to me and hugged my leg tightly. When I told them they had to get back they just held on tighter. I crumbled quickly, picking them up and bringing them back to the meeting with me. They sat on my lap, leaning back against my chest and being quiet the whole time.

Eris is really how she thinks Icarus would be like as an adult. They even had the same mannerisms that Icarus had when they were young like fidgeting, smiling awkwardly, head tilted down, and tapping their foot when anxious. They picked at the skin around their nails, they ran their fingers through their hair when speaking to try and stop their shaking, their eyes wandered whenever they were distracted or thinking, and they were always looking around the room to familiarize themself. Enderian could name hundreds of things they saw Eris do that she could connect to Icarus. So naturally, Enderian liked Eris, she always wanted Icarus to see her as a mother because she always wanted to see Icarus as a son.

Another story she saw in their notebook was called "Fly Away" and it was something like this:

Once upon a time, in the grand kingdom of Gilded, there lived a young prince named Icarus. Icarus was not like other royalty. While their peers enjoyed the luxuries of palace life, Icarus yearned for the sky. Every morning, they would gaze out of their bedroom window, watching the birds soar and dream of flying alongside them.

Icarus lived in a magnificent castle made of white marble, perched on a cliff overlooking the endless sea. Their mother, Isla, was kind and wise, always encouraging their curiosity. Their father, King Fable, was a brave warrior, yet he often worried about Icarus's daydreaming ways. "You have a kingdom to inherit, my son," he would remind Icarus gently yet sternly.

One day, while exploring the castle's ancient library, Icarus stumbled upon a dusty old book filled with tales of legendary inventors and their fantastical creations. Among the stories, they found plans for a pair of wings crafted from leather, feathers, and wax. Inspired, Icarus decided that he would build these wings and achieve their dream of flying.

For months, Icarus worked tirelessly in secret. They collected feathers from the palace gardens and carefully shaped them according to the book's instructions. They melted wax and leather in the kitchen, molding it to form the frame of the wings. Their hands bore blisters, and their eyes were often weary from lack of sleep, but Icarus's determination never wavered.

Finally, the day came when the wings were complete. Icarus stood atop the highest tower of the castle, the wings strapped securely to their back. They took a deep breath, feeling the wind ruffle their hair. With a mixture of excitement and trepidation, they leaped from the tower.

For a moment, they plummeted, the ground rushing up to meet them. Then, they spread their wings, and they caught the wind.

Icarus soared.

The sensation was beyond anything they had ever imagined. They flew over the castle, the village, and the vast, shimmering sea. They felt free, unburdened by the weight of royalty.

However, Icarus's joy was short-lived. As they climbed higher, reveling in the warmth of the sun, they began to feel something strange. The wax holding their wings together was softening. Before they could react, the feathers started to come loose. Panicked, Icarus tried to descend, but it was too late. The wings disintegrated, and they fell from the sky.

But this is not a story of tragedy. Icarus had a protector in the form of a magical creature—a great, golden phoenix named Prometheus, who had watched over the kingdom for centuries. Seeing Icarus in peril, Prometheus swooped down and caught them just before they hit the ground.

Gently, the phoenix brought Icarus back to the castle, where their mother awaited with bated breath. Isla wept with relief as she embraced her son.

From that day forward, Icarus's dream of flying was no longer a secret. With the discovery that they could make wings to fly they adapted and grew wings by themselves, it was painful but very worth it. They became known as the Sky Prince, beloved by their people for their adventurous spirit and boundless imagination.

And so, in the kingdom of Gilded, under the watchful eye of Prometheus the phoenix, Prince Icarus soared—not just in the skies, but in the hearts of all who heard their tale.

The End.

When Enderian first met Icarus, she saw their immediate liking for flying and birds. They liked being thrown in the air and caught by Isla or me, they liked to pretend they were a bird, and they even made a nest on their bed. Eris's nature to Vaeh reminded her of Icarus's nature to their birds. Treating them like they were the most precious things in the world.

She didn't realize until now how much she actually missed her son, or how big of an effect the child had on her life. She felt horrible for being cold at first, not giving them a fair chance until her beloved told her to.

"Love? You okay?" Isla whispered as she was suddenly beside her to snap her from her thoughts. "Yeah, just... thinking." She smiled, kissing her before walking into the kitchen.

Enderian looked at Eris, only to see they were looking back.

Chapter Text

Rae's communicator dinged, and he looked down at the message, stepping out of the kitchen. Vaeh stayed asleep in Icarus's arms as they helped clean up dinner with everyone. Rae walked back in a little stressed as he pocketed his communicator. "We have dinner tonight, I completely forgot, so we don't have anyone to help watch the kids." He says, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I'm sleeping over tonight, so I could watch them?" Rae's expression turns to relief. "Holy shit, thank you so much, Eris, Athena, and Bruin will be there too, so don't worry. So it'll be you three, Vaeh, Day, Cari, Oscar, Calypso, Argo, and TJ. Those last three are Centross, Ocie, and Jerry's kids, you'll meet them eventually." Icarus nods, Vaeh still asleep in their arms as she loosely clings to their shirt.

They followed them as they walked back to their house. They look around Loadstar Grove, seeing all the new buildings and scenery. Aax opens the door, and everyone files inside, but something catches Icarus's eye. They walk over to the side of the house and they see a grave. A grave with their name engraved in it, orchids scattered everywhere, and small post-its lying on the floor.

"Rae and Isla made it, Enderian helped a little too. As Rae and Isla told people stories about you, the flowers and notes just kept growing." Caspian speaks up from beside them suddenly. They stare at their own grave, bouncing Vaeh gently in their arms as they try to read some of the notes.

"C'mon, let's go inside." He smiles, and they walk back into the house. Everyone sits down in the living room, and Vaeh stirs awake. She blinks up at Icarus, smiling, then turns around in their lap to face the TV. She leans her head back against their chest, grabbing one of their hands and fidgeting with it. Aax, upon seeing Vaeh is awake, turns on Frozen before sitting back in their seat. Vaeh's attention was immediately caught by the sight of one of her favorite movies playing on the screen.

A few hours and 4 movies later, it was time for the others to leave for dinner. Ocie, Centross, and Jerry would drop off the kids soon, along with Day, and then everyone would leave. Icarus watched as Vaeh and Cari were playing on the floor when Caspian came up next to them. "You gonna be okay?" He asks, glancing at them, his arms crossed nonchalantly. "I think so, Bruin and Athena are also easy to be with, so it can't be that hard. Especially since the kids are like a distraction." He nodded before pulling them into a hug, seeing that they were still anxious. "I'm scared I'm gonna hurt them," They whisper, balling their fists around his vest. "You won't, you may think you will, but I guarantee you won't. You're better than him, you've protected Vaeh for a few years now, what's another day?" Icarus nods, exhaling deeply before pulling away and wiping their eyes. He squeezes their shoulder before the doorbell rings. Rae goes to open the door, and Oscar, Day, Calypso, Argo, and TJ all run in and immediately go to Vaeh and Cari and start playing with them. Everyone says goodbye to each other before it's just Athena, Bruin, Icarus, and the kids. Bruin and Icarus decide they'll make dinner while Athena watches the kids.

The two walked into the kitchen, an island in the middle with counters surrounding it in a semi-circle. "Alright, so I was thinking we could make steak and cut up some vegetables, and then bake something for dessert?" Bruin asks as they take the steak off the counter from where it was defrosting. "Yeah, sure," Icarus replies as they open the fridge and take some vegetables out. Bruin takes out two cutting boards as Icarus washes the vegetables in the sink. "You know what to do?" They smile and nod at him, handing him some vegetables to cut. They go to stand next to him, and they start cutting the vegetables.

Feeling the weight of a knife in their hand was unsettling. It reminded them of when they held a sword that hurt the ones they loved. They're hands are shaky as they cut, the vegetable slices coming out a little jagged. They take a deep breath, stopping for a moment before cutting a little straighter. "Are you okay? You're shaking." Bruin had stopped cutting vegetables to watch their hands to make sure they don't cut themself on accident or on... well. "Just bad experiences, I guess, I'm fine, though." They try to give them a reassuring smile, going back to cutting the vegetables. "If you want to start the dessert, it's just going to be brownies and cookies." Bruin still stares at them. "No, i-it's fine- shit," They mutter as they feel the knife slice their finger. Bruins' eyes go wide before they hurry to grab paper towels. Icarus watches the blood trickle down their finger and onto the floor before it gets covered by the paper towels.

It reminded them of their eye. Where is their eye? They can't feel it. There isn't any blood running down their face. Their clothes don't have a stain on them. Where did their eye go? Why does their finger hurt? Oh shit, the knife. Did they hurt someone? Did they kill someone again? Is he back? Please don't let him be back. They don't want to hurt people anymore.

A heart beats in their ear, they feel the pressure of a chest rising and falling against the side of their head. "-ight, you're okay, just try to breathe with me." Bruin's voice is a refreshing replacement for their own thoughts. They can see Calypso in the doorway as she anxiously plays with her webbed fingers. "Calypso, aren't you supposed to be with 'Thena in the playroom?" Calypso looks at Bruin for a moment before walking over to the two and hugging Icarus. They take a deep breath, the weight of Bruin and Calypso grounding them so they don't get lost in their thoughts. "S-Sorry," They say, but Bruin quickly stops them. "It's alright, how about you just start dessert like I suggested, Calypso can help, yeah?" Calypso cheers as she lets go of them and they chuckle. Bruin lets go of them after they put a bandaid on their finger and Icaurs helps Calypso take out everything they need. "Let's make the brownies first, so get out the mix and I'll preheat the oven." Calypso goes to the closet to get the mix and they preheat the oven to 325°F. Calypso also grabs the vegetable oil and then climbs onto the counter to get the measuring cup and bowl. Icarus takes out the eggs and Calypso passes them the cup so that they can fill it with water. Calypso takes the cup back and pours it into the bowl. They hand her an egg to crack before putting the now-empty carton in the trash. She passes the cup back to them, and they pour the vegetable oil in, and she then pours it into the bowl. Icarus takes out a wooden spoon from one of the drawers to mix. "Can I mix? Please?" She asks, giving Icarus puppy dog eyes. They chuckle and hand the spoon to her, she turns to the bowl and happily mixes it. After a minute, they pour the brownie mix into the bowl, and she starts mixing again. As she's mixing, they pull out the pan and spray it with the non-stick spray. Calypso finishes mixing, and they both pour the mix into the pan. After spreading it evenly, Icarus puts the pan in the oven and closes the oven.

"Now cookies?" She asks, and they nod. "Now cookies."

After a while, everything is being cooked and baked, so they have to wait about half an hour for the dessert, and then Bruin has to sear the steak after a few minutes in the other oven. The three of them head to the playroom, where everyone else is. Vaeh, upon seeing them enter, drops her toys and runs over to Icarus. She then notices the bandage and gasps softly, grabbing their hand and examining their finger. "What happened?" She lets go of their hand to wrap her arms around their waist. "I'm okay, just a little nick, nothing serious." They pick her up, placing her on their hip and she re-wraps her arms around their neck. Athena smiles up at them, Bruin walks over and kisses them briefly before engaging in whatever the other kids are playing with.

Icarus sits down next to Athena, Vaeh staying on my lap, and TJ slowly walks over to them, he lays his head on Icarus's knee, looking up at Vaeh. Vaeh is quickly distracted by TJ and gets off their lap to grab some toys. She comes back over with Day being dragged along, sitting down in front of Icarus as Icarus pulls TJ onto their lap and they start playing together. Athena was feeding Cari their milk that was just warmed while talking to Oscar, and Bruin was playing with Calypso and Argo.

They played for a while, Bruin leaving to check on the food every few minutes or so. "Dinner's ready!" He calls from downstairs, they carry TJ while Athena carries Cari and they all walk downstairs. When they get downstairs, Bruin is setting the table. They place TJ on the seat with a booster on it and Athena places Cari in the high chair. The kids take their respective seats and Athena and they help Bruin set the table. The kids get one piece of steak with a side of vegetables and mashed potatoes because apparently, Bruin made some. TJ gets cut-up pieces of steak and a small side of vegetables with a little bit of mashed potato. Lastly, Cari gets some cut-up steak and vegetables with mashed potatoes, yet smaller than TJ's. The adults get two pieces of steak with a load of vegetables and mashed potatoes. They sat by Cari so they could feed them too.

They all eat their dinner, talking about whatever they can, mostly the kids talking about school and Athena, Bruin, and them listening. After eating, Athena takes all the plates, cleaning them off of the leftovers and storing them before putting the plates in the dishwasher. They all filed back into the living room, TJ back in their lap, Vaeh leaning into their left side, Calypso sat next to them on the other, Day against Vaeh, Athena had Argo in their lap, and Bruin was sitting next to Athena with a sleeping Cari in his arms. They put on another movie, the kids demanding Frozen 2 since they watched Frozen earlier.

Everyone keeps close together, the room falling dark as they shut the lights off and watch the movie.

Chapter Text

I made a Spotify playlist for this book! I'll keep adding stuff over time but if you have any suggestions please say! Also, lmk if the link works!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7byqoczQsmVq3eUGg9axpr

Thank you so much for all the support on this book too!

Chapter Text

The door opens and happy chatter fills the house, Bruin pauses the movie and looks up. Calypso, Day, Vaeh, Argo, TJ, and Oscar all run up to their parents. Bruin carries Cari over, and Athena and Icarus follow. Caspian takes Cari from Bruin before going over to Icarus. "How was it?" He bounces Cari in his arms as they stand next to each other. "Good, actually," They smile at him. "Really? Then what's the bandage on your finger?" He asks, concerned, and they sigh. "I was helping Bruin cut some vegetables and was anxious about using a knife. I accidentally nicked my finger, Bruin and Calypso helped, so I'm okay now." He grabs their hand, examining the bandage before humming contentedly and letting go.

Icarus excused themself to go talk to Rae, Arisanna suggested they get a notebook from him. "Rae?" They walk over to him, and he turns away from his conversation with Athena. "I was talking to Arisanna when I first got here, and she suggested I get a notebook from you? She said you'd have some." They smile, and he nods. "Yeah, follow me, if you want to bind it, Athena can do that for you, but for now, I'll direct you to Ven, they have spare quills and ink and a better desk since you don't have a house yet." They nod, hoping he doesn't notice the blush that rises on their face at the thought of seeing Ven again.

"Here you go!" He hands them an empty notebook and they thank him. "So I'll show you to the guest room and you can stay there until you get a house," Rae explains as the two walk upstairs to where the guest room is. He opens the door next to the playroom, and inside it's just a simple bedroom. A bed under a window, a desk in the corner, a bookshelf, and a hanging chair in the corner next to the bed. "This'll be your room, you can decorate and stuff too. If you couldn't tell, we have a huge house, it's because our house is the place people go if they need to, so everyone has their own room and bathroom. If you ever need a place, if you don't want to be alone or just feel like hanging out here, this will be your room." Icarus smiles at the memories of when almost everyone lived in Banner Fam's house. "Thank you so much." Rae places a hand on their shoulder before walking away. They enter their room, close the door behind themself, and get ready for bed.

The next morning, they get ready to go to Ven's house, dressing a little nicer than they normally would, but they try to ignore that. Rae drew them a map of how to get to Ven's house, which seems to be in a different place than they thought it was. He also promised to make them an elytra, which they were excited about, they haven't been able to fly in so many years. They say goodbye to everyone, hug the kids, and then go on their way. They follow the map towards Ven's house, the empty notebook clutched under their armpit.

Icarus walked up the pathway to the front of his house, which they immediately noticed was very Ven-like. It was secluded, away from the town, it was a simple two-story, with a basement, most likely with an office and entertainment. They knock on the dark oak doors anxiously, they fold the map, and put it safely in one of their jackets' inner pockets. Footsteps sound from the other side of the door, and a quiet "I'm coming" follows. The door opens to reveal Ven, who has his usual cardigan, a plain shirt, and sweatpants, but for some reason, they blush this time.

"Hi?" Ven answers. "Hi, sorry, I'm new here, my name is Eris. Rae sent me to you because I need quills and ink, and a desk for my notebook. I hope you don't mind." They explain, and Ven smiles. "Not at all, come on in, I'll give you a tour." He steps aside, opening the door wider and they step inside. It was pretty much the same layout, living room to the left, kitchen straight ahead. "So my bedrooms upstairs, please don't go up there unless I say you can. Here is just the living room and kitchen, bathroom to the right." He slowly walks inside so they can look around before telling them to follow them down the stairs. "So down here is my office area, extra bedroom, and another bathroom. Here is also like a chill room that some people come over and we'd watch movies and stuff down here." Ven continues to give them the tour, but they don't really pay attention to that. Instead, they pay attention to their voice, how smooth it is, how he talks so easily and clearly. They stare at his face, the way he has light freckles that dot his face, how his soft white hair curls around the sides of his face, framing it.

They remember clearly one of the last times they spoke. "I wish we could have been something." He said, and they wish the same. They hope maybe now, they can actually be something.

"Eris? Are you okay? You look kinda...sick?" Ven asks as he's suddenly standing right in front of them. "Y-Yeah, I'm okay..." Icarus feels themself blush furiously, thankfully, Ven only thought they were sick. "Are you sure? Here, why don't you sit down?" Ven directs them to the couch. "I really don't w-want to bother you, I'm just h-here for notebook help." Ven waves them off as they sit on the couch. "You might want to take your cardigan off, you seem to be hot." They sigh, shrugging their cardigan off, and Ven takes it. They watch as he carefully folds their cardigan and lays it over the arm of the couch. "Have you had anything to eat yet?" They hesitantly shake their head, they forgot to eat breakfast, and they didn't have to eat in the Worldport. "Okay, I'm going to make you something to eat, and you're going to stay here," Ven says before walking back upstairs.

Ven's P.O.V

He walks upstairs and into his kitchen, pulling out his communicator and messaging Rae.

You whispered to Rae: Hey, did anything seem wrong with Eris this morning?

Rae whispered to you: No, why?

You whispered to Rae: They seem to be sick, I'm making them food right now

Rae whispered to you: Hm, well, if you need me to get them, I can come by after they eat

You whispered to Rae: No, I've got it, thanks

Ven puts his communicator back in his pocket, preparing to make Eris's stew. They hear Eris turn the TV on and silently thank them for listening to them. He finishes up the stew, carrying it with both hands down the stairs. Eris was sitting with their legs pulled to their chest, arms wrapped around their legs, their head on their knees, staring at the TV, blinking idly. He walks over to them and they lift their head, glancing at the stew. "Here you go," Ven hands them the bowl, and they carefully take it, dropping their legs into criss-cross-apple sauce to place the soup between their legs. "Thank you," They reply before they start slowly eating the soup. He sits next to them, laying his arm on the back of the couch and getting into whatever they put on.

Icarus's P.O.V

They slowly eat the stew, not used to food yet, as they watch the TV. They take a couple of bites before stopping, feeling full already. They place the bowl on the coffee table in front of them, pretending not to notice Ven's concerned glance.

They lean back, curling into their original position, trying to ignore Ven's overall concern for their well-being as they continue watching the TV.

Chapter Text

Ven's P.O.V

A knock sounds on the door and Ven excuses himself to go and open it. He walks upstairs and over to his door, opening it to see Ocie. "Hey, wanted to stop by!" She walks in without invitation, strolling over to his kitchen and taking something out of his pantry. "Eris is downstairs," He informs it and it immediately goes downstairs. They shake their head, following after her.

Icarus's P.O.V

Fast footsteps sound on the steps as Ocie's face appears suddenly. "Hi! Nice to meet you finally. I saw you briefly when I dropped off my kids, but I didn't get the chance to introduce myself. I'm Ocie!" She walks over to Icarus, sticking her hand, and they flinch. Quickly, they shook her hand though, hoping that she didn't notice, but her expression changed, her eyebrows furrowing. It looks like she's about to ask a question before Ven interrupts. "They're sick, a cold or something, Ocie, don't go being too loud now." Ven chuckles, and Ocie's smile returns as she lets go of their hand. "Well, I hope you feel better. Do you mind if I stay?" They shake their head, retracting their hand and placing it back on their knee. Ocie's smile widens as Ven walks over, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, I forgot, I finally finished fixing the jacket! That's what I came here for." She pulls out a jacket... their jacket. "Where'd you get that jacket from?" They ask, staring at the purple and yellow jacket. "I don't know exactly, all I know is that it belonged to someone important to me. It got damaged a while ago, so I had Ocie fix it for me." Ven explained as they hung their jacket on a hook near the desk, straightening it out to make it look better. 

Icarus watched how carefully Ven handled their jacket, describing how it meant something to them. "Yeah, sorry about that again, don't know why TJ kept messing with it." They look at Ocie, confused. "What did TJ do?" Ocie looked back at them, sighing. "TJ kept pulling on the jacket, causing it to tear off the hook, so there was a big hole. I told Ven, offering to just replace it, but when I mentioned what jacket it was, he just started crying. I didn't know it was that special to them. I felt really bad for how TJ behaved, so I offered to fix it as quickly as I could." They smiled, trying not to show how happy they really were. "I see." Ocie just nods as Ven walks back over to them. 

It was a little sad that Ven didn't remember who it was from, but it was enough that he thought it was special. The thing is, they don't remember giving their jacket to him, they were wearing it before it changed into white. Maybe it transferred with Ven when they sent him back? The first time they saw him as Quixus, he did mention they were familiar, he did know them. Maybe they accidentally sent their jacket back with him, and in the back of his mind, he knew it belonged to someone he just didn't remember. Seeing their jacket being taken care of like it was worth something, not just to them but to someone else. It reminded them of Centross in a way, they were opposites. Centross didn't care for their clothes that much, taking off their gloves to drink because he didn't care if they changed something by accident. He also didn't care for their jacket, he said that if it ever got ruined, he'd just make them a new one (He'd ask Rae, let's be real) and give it to them as a gift. The weird thing is that whenever he had possession of their jacket, like when he did their tattoo, he held it carefully, laying it flat on the back of the couch in the parlor. 

"Oh! How about we do sleepover things! I know we haven't established that this is a sleepover, but I say it is, so you're stuck here now!" They're snapped out of their thoughts as Ocie is suddenly pulling them off the couch. They're pushed onto the ground as Ocie suddenly has a hairbrush running through their hair. Their hair wasn't that long, a little past shoulder length now, you could probably make a small ponytail. Ven goes behind Ocie, who took their place on the couch, and starts brushing her hair. 

Icarus feels Ocie's fingers run through their hair before abruptly stopping. "Cool white streak in your hair. Did you know you had it? It's far back, you wouldn't be able to see it in a mirror. You also have a weird white 'q' on the back of your neck." They had a white streak in their hair? It's like Fable, they don't want to be like Fable. Maybe it's just because of Quixus, Ocie also said they had a 'q', which is the Quixus symbol. But why was the white streak hidden in their hair? It's almost like Fable was taunting them, showing them that a part of him will always be with them. 

Arms wrap around them as they're forced to lean back against the couch. They felt a weight on top of their head, assuming it was Ocie's head as her arms were wrapped around their chest. Icarus's hands were shaking as they reached up to grab Ocie's arms, moving back against the couch. "You alright?" She mumbles against the top of their head as she presses the back of her hand against their forehead. "S-Sorry-" They apologize, curling into Ocie's arms as they wipe their tears. She kisses the top of their head, moving back to running her fingers through their hair. "It's okay, do you want me to dye it? Might make it better." They inhale deeply, nodding at Ocie's request. Ven goes through a closet and pulls out different colored hair dyes, laying them in front of Icarus. "Choose a color." They look at the assortment of colors, pointing at the cornflower blue. It went with their outfit and had another meaning to them, like it reminded them of their mom and Rae. Ven smiled, putting all the other colors away as he got out all the supplies Ocie needed to dye their hair. 

Ocie put clips in their hair to separate their black hair from their white streak. She put tin foil under their white streak, grabbed the brush, and dipped it into the dye. She carefully stroked the brush over their hair, keeping one hand under the tinfoil to hold it up. "Okay, so I'm going to leave it for a moment before washing it out." 

Ocie left their hair for a moment before going back over the streak. They waited a while longer before they went to the bathroom to wash it out. They get undressed, leaving their clothes outside for Ven to wash as they take a shower. The warm water cascades down their back, and it is definitely a feeling they missed. They've felt gross for the day or so they've been here, feeling like they were dirty, which, technically, they were. They wash their hair and body thoroughly before turning off the shower and drying off. Ven left clothes outside the door and they took them, quickly getting dressed. 

They look in the mirror, their now blue streak still not visible to them. They were wearing one of Ven's shirts that was a little big. It was pretty simple, grey with the sleeves having some sort of black design. He also just gave them some grey sweatpants, which were comfortable. Besides the clothes, they definitely looked more alive and cleaner.

They walk back outside the bathroom, going into the main area where Ocie and Ven were talking. They cleaned up all the dye stuff right after they went into the shower. "Hey, so I thought it'd be a good time for you to finally write whatever you wanted to in your notebook, now that you're more refreshed," Ven says upon noticing their entrance. "Yeah, that sounds good." Icarus agrees, grabbing their notebook as Ven shows them where everything is.

They open to the first page in their notebook, dipping their quill in the ink. The small chatter while they continued watching TV while they wrote in Quixian was comforting. 

They could get used to this.

Chapter Text

They finish writing right before Ven announces he has to go help Fenris in Starbucks. He quickly apologized for having to leave before running out the door, yelling how late he was. "Hey, Eris?" Ocie speaks up after a moment of silence. They hum in acknowledgment as they put their notebook away. "Uh, you could totally not answer, but... why does the white streak bother you so much?" Icarus sighs, sitting down next to her, weighing their options if they lie. "My... dad had one and he wasn't... the best person." They run their fingers through their hair, tugging gently. "He uh... he hurt my friend and me when we were young, like, he would hit me and stuff," They explain a little, not trying to give away so much about Rae's and their childhood. They don't know what Rae has told people about their past, if anything at all. "Can I ask what else he did?" They hesitate, it would be good to have another person know. They'll tell her the truth of the past without flat-out telling her they're Icarus.

"I remember this one time I took my brother and his partner out to the market. I wanted to get out of the house because there was nothing really to do, so I just brought them along. I didn't think it would be that much of a problem. We just walked around, looking through the little shops and stands, and we even bought some ice cream. When we got back later, my dad was sitting, cross-legged on a chair a few feet from the door. He grabbed the ice cream out of my brother's hands, throwing it out and sending him to his room. Then he turned to me. I went up to apologize, but he just... punched me." They demonstrate lightly, showing their fist and where he punched them. "He then grabbed me by the hair, throwing me into the cellar, where he starved me for a few days. That's just to name one event really. I remember another time when I woke up sick and I still had to go to school. It was so hot outside, and I already had a fever. Our first class was also outside, so I ended up passing out. I woke up in the nurse's office, my dad standing over me. He immediately yelled at me about 'passing out for attention' and 'trying to skip school', the nurse had to stop him. Even she was scared, for one, he was the k... an important person." 

Ocie stares at them for a long moment, trying to process everything. "That's weird, the first story sounds similar to one of the stories Rae told me. The only way you'd know that is if-" She cuts herself off, her eyes widening in realization. "Icarus?" She whispered, looking at them as they slightly flinched. "I'm s-sorry I didn't tell you o-or anyone, Caspian only knows because patron of memory and all, and I didn't want people to start hating me because of what I did. I wanted to show people that I changed before telling them I'm Icarus, the person they thought was dead, only to remember how horrible a person I was. I'm so so sorry that I hurt you, I'm trying to make it better, and being Eris was the only way I saw myself doing that-" They quickly say as they start to hyperventilate. 

Ocie was one of the people they hurt the most, hell, they threatened to kill her son! She's going to hurt them, she has to hurt them. She's going to throw them in the cellar like Fable did. Saying that they're an idiot and don't deserve her kindness. She's going to kill them. Oh my god, she's going to kill them-

"Icarus!" She says loudly as she's suddenly in front of them, gripping their shoulders. Their eyes quickly flick up to her, and she sighs in relief. "I'm not going to hurt you or yell at you, okay? Just breathe for me, please?" They nod, trying to calm their breathing, their hands shaking again. They grab their own arms, their nails scratching their skin, causing it to turn red and start bleeding. Ocie grabs their hands, holding them to her own chest gently yet firmly. "Don't do that, please don't hurt yourself over this. It's okay, you've been gone so long." Icarus just closes their eyes, nodding their head shakily. "Did you know that all the memories that Rae had that showed you were a bad brother were fake? Turns out some person was able to mess with Enderian's powers, so they tried to make Rae hate you." Ocie pulls them closer to her. "H-how d-did you find t-that out?" They ask, their voice small and quiet. "Rae was going through some of his memories of you, and Enderian and Isla were confused because that wasn't how it happened. Enderian restored the real memories he has of you. He's told us so many stories of your adventures, but also how bad he felt for you when you got into trouble for the smallest things. Like taking him and Aax out for ice cream." Ocie explained as she rocked them back and forth. 

"I'm sorry," Icarus whispers. "I know." She whispered back. "Trust me, I know, Caspian knows, all of us know. We couldn't see what was happening, so we judged you for what we've seen, which wasn't fully the truth." She stroked their hair and they felt her fiddling with one certain part, most likely my blue streak. "You didn't want to be reminded of him." She states, and they nod. "It's a pretty blue." She smiles and they chuckle lightly. "It is." They agree as she continues running her fingers through their hair. 

"Just... where have you been all this time?" She asks, her motions stopping for a moment. "It's a long story, but I was Quixus. Quixus is a title that every... me gets to hold at some point. I was supposed to become Quixus a long, long time ago, but Midas, the Quixus you know, didn't want to take me because I was 10. They waited and waited till the resets happened and everything got messed up." They explain, Ocie hums in acknowledgment. "How long were you Quixus? Can you still change things?" She asks as she takes her hands away from them to turn around and face her. "For me? It was hundreds of years, most likely more, because I left before Calypso was born, and she's like, 8." Ocie's eyes widen. "Holy shit, that's a long time." They chuckle. "At least watching you guys was entertaining." Ocie gives a fake offended noise before laughing, pulling them back to her chest.

They sit in a comfortable silence for a moment before Ocie smiles mischievously. "So... you and Ven?" They blush, hiding their face in their hands. "So you do still like him... tell me everything!" She says excitedly, and they laugh. "I don't know, he's just... been there at one of my worst moments. He's seen more than most, and he's just... cute. I mean, they have a good personality and can make me laugh and smile too." Ocie's smile widens. "It's like Centross... he does that too." Ocie makes an 'ooo' sound. "So you like both of them?" Their blush spreads more. "That's alright, I give you my blessing to borrow Centross on the weekends." She states proudly. "Ocie!" They yell and she laughs. "What? I give you permission to make my husband your husband as well!" Her hands fly up in accusation. "Oh my god," Icarus shakes their head and she just laughs more. "I want to be a bridesmaid! Centross will wear a white, long dress, and you will wear a suit. Ven will walk Centross down the aisle since you two would already be married, and Rae will be the minister." They start laughing with her.

As time passes, Ocie goes on and on about Centross and their fake wedding, even going into Ven and their fake wedding. They talk for another hour or so until it gets dark. "Okay, Ven is working with Fenris on the night shift, so how about we go to my house and you can stay there for tonight, yeah?" They nod in agreement as they get up and head towards Ocie's house.

Chapter Text

So, I already have a lot of plans of where I can go with this fic (It's gonna be a long one-) but I'm wondering about your guys' opinion. I can go at my originally planned pace of angst, with having maybe one or two heavier chapters or I can go angstier.

My original pace is with all the tags I have now, I may have forgotten some but who knows

Or I would have to add a few more tags and I'd post content warnings on more triggering topics that I would discuss in this fic.

By making it angstier I mean making the brothers have more of a traumatic childhood (They have one already but y'know-) My focus is Icarus like this fic so it'd center around them and more problems would arise and you'd have a better, un-canonical view of what the brothers went through (especially when it was just the two of them)

The things I would bring into this fic are harder topics, also for me, but I am the person who likes darkness and angst so just roll with it for now-

If you'd like me to go deeper into this fic with bigger and harder topics, please let me know If you are uncomfortable with it getting darker please also let me know.

If people want specific topics from what I mean by 'angstier' you may ask as well.

Any other questions are very welcome! (It could literally be anything-)

Also! Let me know if any of the cc's are uncomfortable with anything (I've read the boundaries so many fucking times but I have a hard thing for crossing boundaries and i'd murder myself if I actually did cross boundaries (That part is /j but seriously, boundaries are really important-)

Chapter Text

Ocie and Icarus walked to her house, which was close to Rae's and Centross's houses. 

"So what was the World Port like?" Ocie asks as they continue walking. "Bright, really bright, and colorful." She chuckles, "That must've been hard." They shrug. "You get used to it after a year or so, especially after over 100." Ocie whistles, placing a hand on their arm. "It's really been that long for you, hasn't it?" Her voice turns a little sad. "Too long," They reply as she wraps an arm around their shoulders, pulling them to her side as they walk.

Centross's P.O.V

Laughter fills the house, and he recognizes it to be Ocie and... someone else's. He walks out into the main area to confirm his suspicions, Ocie laughing and chatting with someone. "Hey, who's this?" He asks as he steps more into the room. They stop talking when he speaks, the strangers' eyes going wide, and they stop breathing for a moment. "Centross, meet Eris, they came a day or so ago, they were the ones Rae talked about who babysat with Bruin and Athena." He nods hesitantly, Eris still unmoving as they stare at him.  "They were hanging at Ven's house, and Ven had to leave, so I just... took them?" Ocie explains as Eris shakes out of their shocked? state and just smiles. "Okay... sure." Ocie quickly turns back to Eris and their smile widens as they go back to talking.

They move to the living room, sitting down next to each other as they chat. He silently watched them from the doorway of the kitchen, the familiarity between the two was weird. Ocie wasn't keen on immediately trusting a person, especially not after everything. With Eris, though, it was talking to them like an old friend, someone it's known for longer than a few days for sure.

After a few minutes, he walks over to them, sitting on the opposite couch. They stop talking again, Ocie looking at him, confused, as Eris avoids looking at him at all.  "What'd you say your name is again?" He asked Eris, I knew their name, but he wanted to hear them. "Vi, stop-" Ocie tries, but Eris puts their hand up to stop her. "Eris Stardrift." They finally face him, the blue streak vanishing in the rest of their black hair as their head turns. "I-I'm an adventurer, I've explored a lot of places. I just woke up one day in Elysium and here I am, I guess." They shrug, they definitely were uncomfortable. Their shoulders were high, they were fidgeting with their hands, and their foot were tapping against the floor. He still eyes them suspiciously before looking at Ocie, hoping she'd look back, but her focus is entirely on Eris. "Oc (Pronounced Osh), can I talk to you for a moment, alone?" She glances at him, her gaze hardening for just a moment. "If you have a problem with them, you can say it here, Centross." Ocie crosses her arms over her chest, and he sighs.

"I don't trust them... this." He points his finger between the two. "You never trust this easily, do you know them?" He asks, blocking Eris out of his vision. "Old friends, we met for some adventures every once in a while." She answered quickly, unmoving. "Why have you never mentioned them?" He shifts his stance, mirroring her crossed arms. "They aren't keen on new people, back then at least. I knew that if I ever saw them again, they'd be uncomfortable with everyone already knowing them. They are one for sharing their own story." Ocie replied, also fairly quickly, out of the corner of his eye, Eris nodded. "I still think you would've mentioned them." He shrugs, uncrossing his arms. "I didn't have to, Centross. Why are you so worked up about this?" Ocie stands up, placing a hand on Eris's shoulder.

"I-I don't know, okay? I-It's just... can we talk about this in private, please?" Ocie glances at Eris before grabbing his hand and leading him into the spare bedroom. "Vi, what's wrong? I'm worried now." Ocie says, keeping a hold of his hands. "They just- there's something about them that's weird. It's not necessarily bad, just weird. Are you sure you know them? It's a strange question, but..." Ocie sighs, squeezing his hands. "I know them, Centross, they're... a good person. They've had their ups and downs, but they are one of the best people I've ever had the blessing to meet. You'd love them, Vi, I'm sure, over time you'll become inseparable." She kisses him quickly, pressing their foreheads together. "Now, you've been kinda freaking them out, so I have to calm them down," He mumbles an apology, and she kisses him again. "I love you, okay? I apologize if I overreacted." He smiles, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I love you too,"

They hug each other for a while before Centross lets go. "I forgot I have to talk to Epros-" Ocie chuckles, letting go of him completely. "Go, go." He quickly gso, grabbing his cape and the reaver before heading out the door.

Ocie's P.O.V

She walks back outside, pausing when she doesn't see Icarus. Centross left, so it's safe to call out their real name. "Icarus!" She calls out, walking more into the living room to make sure they weren't hiding. She starts to panic more when they don't respond, "Icarus!" She calls again as she walks into the kitchen. She noticed that the cabinets were open when she entered the kitchen like someone had rummaged through them. She goes through, shutting all the cabinets until she reaches the one where they have most of their alcohol. She noticed that some of the bottles were missing, a lot of the strong ones too.

Shit

Chapter Text

Centross's P.O.V

Centross quickly makes his way to the End portal, making sure no one sees him. Walking through it and then entering the city portal, walking to Soulstice, and sitting on the edge of the island. Epros' eyes appear, looking at him before void's body appears with voi's eyes. "Violet," Voi says simply as voi leans down to his level.

"Did you see the new person?" He asks, trying to cut to the chase. "Eris Stardrift? Yes." They reply, blinking in recognition. "Do you know them? Like, what do you know about them?" Voi's eyes brightened, and he'd imagine voi smiling. "I know all about them, Violet, and they know me. They are... an old friend, family, you could say. You know them, but for now... you don't." He looked at void, confused. "You aren't making any sense, 'pros." Epros sighs, coming closer to him. "I'm going to try something," Voi says, blinking idly. "You know where Isla and Enderian live. You know they didn't always live there. Something was there before." His confusion grows, eyebrows furrowing. "Okay...?" He replies, confusion evident in his tone. "The change that happens. Flowers turn into orchids, things change colors, Quixus." Suddenly, there's a pounding in the back of his head, like something is trying to get through.

"You know, I promise that you're my best friend... I don't mean it as a joke, I mean it for real."

"You're my best friend too."

Epros looks at him knowingly. "You don't remember who it is, do you?" He shakes his head, squinting his eyes as he tries to think. "I remember what we did together, not who they are." Epros nods as they watch him think.

"Goodbye, my family."

"David, no! You can't die, you idiot! Get back!"

Flashes of when Fable killed him go through his head. Another person was there, yelling at Fable for killing him. "Maybe this will help," Epros speaks up just as a book appears beside him.

"You are never alone, friend." He read aloud to no one in particular. He must've really cared about this person, so why can't he remember them? Whenever he remembers something with them, they're always glitched out, how can he un-glitch it?

"You're not staying alone, you don't have to."

They were on a snowy mountain, talking to each other. They had purple and yellow wings. He remembers that they wrapped their wings around the two to keep them warm.

There was also something about... things? And them being people?

"They're- they're weird dude. I've got some weird stuff about them."

"What's going on with the things now?"

"Dude, they're like-... I think they're people."

They were also stubborn.

"I don't want to mess up your brand-new tavern okay? I'm not taking off my g-"

He had to take them off for them.

"I swear to go- I can't hear the souls right now, but if I could, I think they'd be telling me to kill you."

They were close enough to joke about the souls and death. He barely even does that with Fenris or Ocie now, never really.

"Oh my gosh, no- no vodka for you... you're already spilling on yourself!"

They could be clumsy sometimes, but when they felt safe, they let themself have more fun.

"You just have to let it take over your bones."

"Are you gaslighting me?"

"Yes-"

Their humor was a little off, again, though, they only let it show when they felt safe enough.

He thinks that was only ever him.

"Please don't break anything-"

"I'm not gonna break anything-"

Clumsy, well, drunk hee guesses.

"I know that you hate my dad, but can't you like- chill?"

He hates their dad? The only person he really hates is Fable-

"Says me... I'm creation's child!"

Creation is Fable, they're creations' child. Fable doesn't have a child-

"I miss them."

"Who?"

"Icarus. They were my brother, half-brother. Fable and my mom had a kid before me... and it was Icarus Morningstar. They died when they were ten in the middle of the night from something."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

Icarus. His best friend. His first love. Icarus, Icarus Morningstar, and David Centross Mistvale. Failure-

They were his first exception. They somehow found a way into his heart and made a house. A house that they would live in forever. 

"I'm gonna swallow salt water."

"That sounds like a terrible idea-"

"While I take this to cheat, I'm gonna- you're not listening! I did not tell you to- we're underwater right now."

Sitting in the tavern, drinking together, they never failed to make him laugh. He stayed up that night, watching as they slept on the bed next to him. They seemed calm, all the stress washing from their face. He ran his fingers through their hair, feeling its soft texture.

God, he misses them.

"Icarus." He finally says, and Epros moves to do something like a nod. "What about them?" Epros laughs wholeheartedly. "Did you forget what the start of this conversation was about, Violet?" He nods hesitantly.

"Eris Stardrift is Icarus Morningstar."

Chapter Text

Ocie's P.O.V

"Icarus!" She yells again, her voice now full of concern. "This isn't funny, Ic, where are you?" She starts going through everywhere in the house, stopping when she hears what sounds like glass shattering. She quickly ran to where she heard the noise, which was from Rae's house. Their houses are connected by a short path from the inside, even if she's mostly at New Seaside, she knows where it is, and it seems like Icarus does now, too. She got to the pathway, and both doors on either end were wide open, so she quickly got through. Another thing shatters and she realizes it's coming from Centross and Fenris's room. She quickly goes upstairs and tries to open the door, only to realize it's locked. "Icarus, can you please open this door?" She says, loud enough for them to hear her through the door. There's a moment of silence before the lock clicks open, and she hears them immediately back away from the door.

She slowly opened the door, seeing the shattered glass all over the wooden floor. "Icarus?" She said as she fully opened the door, seeing them curled into the corner, a bottle of vodka cradled in their hand, half empty. "H-He doesn't remember me- h-he..." They sob out, their grip tightening around the neck of the bottle. As if he heard, her communicator dings with a message from Centross.

Vi <3 whispered to you: Is Icarus okay?

You whispered to Vi <3: You remember? 

Vi <3 whispered to you: Are they okay, Ocie?

You whispered to Vi <3: No, you should get to Rae's asap

Vi <3 whispered to you: Omw

Icarus continues mumbling to themself about Centross. She takes a step closer and they immediately stop, their head snapping to her. "Centross remembers now, he's on his way," She informed them, hoping it would calm them down. They continue staring at her, debating whether they believe her or not, till they let out a sob and tears start falling down their face.

Centross's P.O.V

He quickly thanks Epros before rushing to Rae's house, going through the portal, and teleporting to the front of the house. He glances at the grave before entering the house, spotting Ocie pacing at the top of the stairs. "Oh, thank the gods, come." Ocie's face softens in relief and he quickly follows her to his own room. Upon entering, he immediately saw Icarus curled in the corner. A dustpan was also on the floor, filled with glass, and a vacuum was in the other far corner.

Icarus' head shot up, their eyes widening as they looked him up and down. "Ic?" Upon hearing their real name, they stood up, albeit a little shaky. He quickly went over to them, and they collapsed into his arms, sobbing loudly. Their feet gave out under them, and he picked them up. They wrapped their legs around his waist and their arms around his neck as they buried their head in the crook of his neck. He ran his fingers through their hair, turning around to face Ocie, who was smiling.

Icarus was mumbling incoherently against his shoulder as he swayed side to side in an attempt to calm them. Ocie pulls out her communicator and he sees her typing something. She looks up just as his communicator dings softly. Icarus tensed in his arms, he kissed their temple, and they relaxed again as he pulled out his communicator.

My Seabreeze whispered to you: They're drunk, had half a bottle of vodka. Think they had a hard time seeing you since you didn't remember

You whispered to My Seabreeze: Thank you for letting me know love

He looks back up, Ocie nods, moving back into the room to continue cleaning the glass as he exits the room. He walks down the stairs, moving to sit on the sofa as they cling to him. "D-David?" They whisper, lifting their head and pulling back just enough to look at him. "I'm here, Ic," He replies, his arms wrapping around them to keep them from falling off his lap. "Y-You didn't r-remember, h-how?" He shook his head. "Epros helped. How are you feeling?" Icarus just stares at him, their eyes wandering over his face again and again. "I-I'm sorry-" They sob out and he pulls them back in against him. "You have nothing to apologize for." He waits a moment. "Can I ask you something?" They nod immediately, not bothering to move, and look up at him again. "Why? I mean, what led you to drink alcohol instead of going to Ocie?" They tensed once more, their grip tightening around him. "I r-remember sorta how it f-felt to be drunk and... t-thought it was the b-best way to... I don't know, f-forget?" He sighs, pulling back just enough to press their foreheads together. "I want you to listen to me really closely, okay? Don't ever do that again, it won't lead to anything good if you fall into that sort of pattern. You have to talk to somebody or figure out some better and healthier mechanism." They exhale shakily before nodding hesitantly, opening their mouth to say something, before he interrupts them. "Don't say sorry, I know you are, I know." They fall silent, leaning back into him, their arms slightly loosening.

"I was right." They say, suddenly, breaking the short silence. "The things are people. They stayed with me, where I was. They promised they'd be there and look after everyone, I know they followed through." He hums in acknowledgement, remembering the first time they mentioned the things being people. They were similarly drunk, and he thought it was the alcohol talking, but, even if it is now too, they seem comforted by it.

He guesses it's their way of seeing they aren't alone, not anymore, and never again.

Icarus, at some point, falls asleep in his lap. Ocie finished up cleaning and is now scrolling through the TV channels to find something to watch. "Do you know what happened to them?" He asks, looking over at her. She hesitantly puts the remote down, turning to face him. 

"They did the right thing, I realise that that was actually what they were trying to do the whole time. They didn't want to be the person they became, and they didn't want to be remembered as it either. So they became a different person, not completely different, but enough for us not to recognize it's them. They were in the Worldport, watching us live for 100 years, 10 years our time. They were content with it because they knew we were finally happy. They thought... think that it's all their fault, every bad thing that happens to someone that isn't them. We have to teach them that isn't true. I have happy memories of them, times when I genuinely had fun in their presence. Whether they made me laugh or just silently worked on something in each other's presence. We have to let them know that before it's too late, before we lose them forever."

Chapter Text

Not very long after they fell asleep, they woke up. Their sight was invaded by purple, and they became aware that they were sitting in someone's lap. They looked up, noticing it was... Centross. They immediately try to get off his lap, but his arms tighten around them. "You're alright, Ic." 

Ic?

He knows who they are?

Oh...

Oh yeah

They throw their arms around him the moment they remember everything that happened before they fell asleep. "Centross-" They gasp out a sob as they cling to him, never wanting to let him go. "I'm right here, Feather, I'm right here." He reassures them, and it works effectively and quickly. "Centross," They say again, and he just shushes them.

"I don't think we're leaving this place anytime soon," Ocie says, making herself known. "How about I call Caspian and we have a sleepover? I know we just had a sleepover, but this would be a great time to catch up and talk things out." Icarus hums in agreement and Centross gives her approval as well. Ocie pulls out her communicator and calls Caspian.

Caspian's P.O.V

He was having lunch with his husbands and nephews when he got a call from Ocie. "Who is it?" Rae asked from next to him. "Ocie," He replies simply, answering the call.

"Hey, Oc, what's up?"

"Can you come over to the other house? Vi remembers and we're all here and I thought we could have a sleepover and just catch up."

"Yeah, sure, I'll let Rae and Aax know and I'll be over soon."

"Thanks, Cas."

She hangs up after she thanks him and he pockets his communicator. "Everything alright?" Bruin asks from across the table. "Yeah, Ocie wants me to come over for some sort of sleepover with her, Violet, and Eris. Something about making Eris feel more comfortable." He explains, the lie not being so much of a stretch from the truth. "That sounds like a great idea, love, just be back by 5 pm tomorrow for our date." Aax smiles, and Rae agrees. "Alright, I'll finish up here and then head over," He says before finishing his meal and heading to the inside path that connects their houses.

He opens the other door, walks into the living and sees Icarus clinging to Centross like a lifeline and Ocie taking pictures on her communicator of the two. "Hey, guys," Icarus's head perks up to look at him, waving lazily before fully relaxing back into Centross. "Great! Everybody's here, Cas, help me with setting things up because those two lovebirds won't get off their asses to help. To be fair, I don't blame them." Centross and Icarus immediately responded with 'We're not lovebirds,' and Ocie and Caspian just laughed. They made no other protest to prove Ocie wrong, and so Ocie and Caspian started setting everything up. They lay their sleeping bags on the floor first. "Hey, Ic, what color do you want? I don't know if you're still comfortable with yellow still-" Ocie yells to the living room. "Yellow is fine!" They yell back, and Ocie grabs the yellow sleeping bag. They lay the sleeping bags all next to each other, Ocie's blue one, Centross's purple one, Icarus's yellow one, and then his own red one. 

Icarus finally, yet reluctantly untangles themself from Centross, only to sit next to him and lean into his side. "Alright, how about we play a game? I have Uno!" Ocie announces, grabbing Uno from the cupboard under the TV and sitting on the floor. Violet drags Icarus down onto the floor with him, Icarus sitting up straighter. They move a little away and turn so they can't see his cards, but are close enough for their knees to touch. He sits in between Ocie and Icarus as Ocie hands out all of the cards. 

They play at least four rounds of Uno before getting bored and Ocie puts it back away. Icarus moves back to lean against Centross, reaching out to grab Caspian's hand, he realizes it's shaking a little. "You alright?" He asks them and they nod, Ocie sits down in front of them. "Can I ask you a question?" Ocie says, placing her hands on Icarus's knees. "Sure..." They reply, uncertain until Centross nods encouragingly. "When you... left, why did the auras and the sparks, y'know... also go with you?" Icarus sighs, their hand slipping from his momentarily to move their hair before grabbing it again. "They were... abnormalities, I'm supposed to fix them, so I had to take them all away. They weren't supposed to be there. One of the exceptions I've made is Vaeh's fifth birthday, I let the auras come back for about an hour while Fenris and Rae were baking. After that point, it got hard to breathe, and I was extremely tired from using that much magic, so I had to pull them back. I could only let certain auras back like Cyan, Light Blue, and Light Grey. They're all still here with me, too. The things, who are real people, by the way." They look to Centross and he chuckles. "I still hear like, my left glove, or like the dirt talk to me. I can hear the sparks like Light Blue, Light Grey, and White. I can also hear the souls of Onyx, Deadly, J, and so many more. They're all here, I see them, I feel them, I have the power that clings to, to stay present instead of them being attached to the Quixus now because they are technically from this world." Centross is surprised to hear the familiar soul names, Icarus backs off of him, moving a little closer to Caspian.

They seemed to be scared of his reaction.

"You can hear the souls?" His voice cracks in vulnerability, he felt guilty about not hearing the souls, not having them taunt and torture him. "Yeah, I can. Y'know, they're actually pretty great, out of all people, they kept me entertained even if they weren't always there. Everyone was grateful, when the auras came back, I profusely apologized for not being able to keep them longer, and they thanked me for just that one glimpse in five years, telling me it's not my fault at all." They smile as they continue talking about the auras and the things and the souls as the rest of them listen contentedly.

A while later, they stopped their stories (They promised to tell more later), and they made dinner. They sat around the table, eating the steak and idly chatting, mostly Ocie lightheartedly complaining about her kids, Centross adding things here and there. 

They clean up the table, wash the dishes, and store the leftovers in the fridge. Everyone settles down on the sofa, all cuddled together as Centross puts on a random movie. As the movie continues, they start getting tired, and it becomes obvious as everyone occasionally yawns here and there. The movie finishes and they settle down for the night, Ocie is on one end, her arm casually thrown over Centross. Centross holds Icarus close to his chest, Icarus holding onto Ocie's hand loosely. Icarus was curled into Centross's chest (Except for the hand that was holding Ocie's), Centross's wings covered most of both Icarus and Caspian. He has one of his hands on their head, running his fingers through their hair as he's pressed against their back.

"Thank you guys... for being here," Icarus whispered before they all fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Caspian's P.O.V

They spent all of the next day going around Loadstar Grove and just having fun. They had breakfast at the Bed & Breakfast and then played some of the games in the casino, Icarus never got to play, so they were really excited. They played for about three hours before sitting under the giant tree and idly chatting while just enjoying each other's presence. A while later, they went to Starbarks for lunch, chatting around the back table as we ate. After lunch, they decided to grab horses and go on an afternoon ride, Icarus struggled for a moment because they hadn't ridden a horse in a long time, but eventually, they were on their way. They rode around and hung out until around seven in the afternoon, when they ate dinner back at the house. They stayed up until nine before going to bed in almost the exact same positions.

The next morning, they had breakfast together again, this time in the house before Caspian went back home.

He enters his house, gently shutting the door behind himself, and walks into the living room. Rae was sitting on the couch, head in his hands as Fenris was rubbing his back. Aax was sitting in the loveseat, staring at the floor. "Everything okay?" He furrows his eyebrows in concern, and Aax's and Fenris's heads snap up to look at him, equally looking disappointed. "Where have you been?" Aax stands up, their voice stern as they walk over to Caspian. "I was with Ocie, Centross, and Eris? We were having a sleepover and hanging out." He says, growing confused yet concerned. "Cas, you missed our date," Aax says, not holding back from the truth. "Oh shit, I'm so sorry I was so caught up with them-" Aax cuts him off with a sigh, Rae still not daring to look up at him. "Caspian, you never miss a date. What were you guys doing that was so important? I'm sure Eris didn't need you to stay an extra day." He stares at his husband for a moment. "We were just busy hanging out, and I got distracted. I'm so sorry." Aax keeps looking at him with a disappointed glare. "You always remember, Cas, always, even when you're distracted, you always remember, you're the goddammned Patron of Memory. What's going on?" Aax takes a step closer as Fenris chimes in. "You've been acting a little strangely since Eris came, you've been putting them first, and you've only known them for a few days." Aax nods in agreement as Rae finally stands up to look at him. 

"Caspian, if you like them, you can tell us, but don't just... ditch us." Rae's voice was soft, his eyes red, he assumed he was crying. "W-What? No, I don't like them like that! I seriously forgot about our date-" Fenris shakes his head in more disappointment. "Caspian, it's okay, just don't lie to us," Aax replies, hurt in their eyes. "I-I'm not lying-" He tries to argue, but Aax puts their hand up to stop him. "Caspian, you don't have to be ashamed, just please, please don't lie like that," Rae speaks up, putting a gentle but firm hand on his arm, but he flinches. "Cas?" Rae's brows furrow in concern, but he keeps his hand on Caspian's arm. His thoughts raced widely, did they really think he liked Eris and then just straight up not confide in them? "Caspian, what's going on, love?" Rae's voice breaks him out of his thoughts. 

"Why don't you believe me?" His voice breaks halfway through the sentence. He didn't even really mean to say it, it was just his top thought that came through. Rae and Aax were both caught off guard, and Fenris's eyes widened. He takes a step back, regretting his words even though it was a question he wanted answered. "Oh, love..." Aax takes a step closer but he moves back, Aax hesitates. "Caspian..." Fenris's voice is soft and airy, apart from his usual roughness. "I-I'm sorry, it's just, I'm not lying, I forgot! I was so focused on making Eris feel more comfortable, and they were just really happy we were all hanging out!" They seem hurt by his statement but try to hide it. "Love, it's just not you... why are you so focused on Eris?" 

A sob slips past his lips as he's suddenly overwhelmed, he couldn't answer honestly because he would cross Icarus's boundaries, but he didn't want to lie. "They just... they need my help and I want to help them." Fenris sighs. "They had Centross and Kai, you could've left and then gone back after." He shakes his head, "N-No, they need all of us, they need me. I- I can't explain it, I-I want to b-but I can't." Aax continues to move forward, this time, he's frozen in place. "Why can't you, Cas? You can tell us anything, Fenris can leave if you just want to tell us..." He shakes his head again, taking yet another step back. "N-No, I can't tell you!" His voice rises as he gets more frustrated with himself. "Caspian." Aax's voice rises with his as Rae flinches back. "Caspian, don't yell at us, we just want to know what's wrong." Aax stays firm, grabbing his hand to squeeze it. "Caspian... what is seriously going on?" Fenris does a worse job of hiding his frustration, a low growl at the end of his sentence.

"This doesn't concern you!" Caspian snaps at him, his emotions getting the best of him. "Hey! Don't yell at me, I'm trying to understand too." Fenris's voice becomes louder, and he feels Aax's grip on his hand painfully tighter. "Caspian! We are going to calm down and use our words, okay?" Aax is equally as frustrated but keeps a steady tone. 

"Get him out of here!" His voice isn't a full yell anymore, but it is still loud. "Ask nicely and I might," Fenris growls, moving to take a step forward, but Rae holds him back. "Cas... stop it, please, calm down and talk to us." Rae's voice is timid, almost... scared.

Tears rapidly run down his face as he backs himself against the wall, his hands violently shaking. "Cas, I'm going to need you to calm down." Aax's voice is softer, but he could tell they were still agitated. "I-I can't- I-I need to- I'm sorry." He sobbed, flinching once more as Aax tried to move forward. "Fenris, can you-" Before Rae could finish his sentence, Fenris was in front of Caspian, holding his shoulders firmly. "Don't touch me!" he recoils away from him, hitting his head against the wall. "Caspian! Enough, you have to calm down here, or leave and take a walk to calm down." He tenses... he wants him to leave, they don't want him here. 

"I'm sorry-" Aax cuts him off. "Calm down now, or take a walk, love." They don't let up and he glances at Rae but he just looks away.

He pushes away from Fenris, goes up to their bedroom, and rushes to pack a bag. "Love, what are you doing?" Aax's voice loses almost all of its anger as he follows Caspian upstairs in confusion. "I'm leaving," He replies, his voice soft and low as he continues shoving clothes into his duffel bag. "W-What? N-No, that's not what I meant-" Aax moves to stop him but he just moves away from her and continues to pack. "I c-can't be here right now, I'm so fucking sorry b-but I can't." He zips up his bag and walks past him to go back downstairs.

"Cas?" Rae's voice is full of shock as he walks past him and Fenris.

"I'll be back, just... I'll be back." He looks at him before walking out.

Chapter Text

Centross wanted to spend time with them alone today, so they bid their goodbyes to Ocie and went to Starbarks, again. It was closed for the day due to Fenris having to take care of something and letting all of his employees have a day off, but Centross had a key since it was his husband's business after all. He opened the doors to the semi-unusual quiet place, closing and locking the doors behind them. The atmosphere felt nicer, calmer in a way, with no violent smells of different drinks and pastries in the air (Not like they disliked its usual smell) since nothing new was being made. He made them sit on one of the barstools so he could prepare them a drink, coffee, it seemed, because that is what it smelled like. "You haven't had coffee or any type of drink besides water in forever, huh?" He says before turning around and sliding the coffee cup to them. "Nope, didn't need to drink." They simply reply as they grab the warm coffee cup with both of their hands, taking a sip of the sweet-tasting coffee. "This is really good, Cen'," They say in between taking another sip, he chuckles, leaning against the counter in front of them. "Glad you like it, I've been practicing for a long time now." He comments, and they hum in acknowledgment, continuing to drink their coffee.

"You seem a little... tense, Ic." He suddenly says after a silent moment, and they gently place their coffee down, not letting go of it though. "It's just the switch from a loud environment to a quiet one. In the World Port, away from the portals, it was deadly silent, but near the portals, it was deadly loud. I think my body thinks I'm back in the World Port and... adjusted." Centross stares at them for a moment before grabbing their hands away from the coffee and leading them behind the counter. He goes up to the loft and they follow behind him a bit slower. The loft was decidedly bigger than when they last saw it, not many people used it, so they never saw it often. 

He brings Icarus over to the nest that they assume Fenris made and sits down, gesturing for them to do the same. As soon as they do sit, he pulls them into his side and they lean their head on his shoulder, and he wraps his arm around them. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He asks softly, and they think for a moment, staring at the floor. "Just a distraction, and not like a... normal distraction, if that makes sense?" They reply, pulling away to look at him.

He nods, thinking for a moment before he seems to have an idea, he moves a little farther away from them. "Do you... want to trace my scars? I know you like to trace your own for a distraction, but I have more, and it'll be distracting." Icarus stares at him, the disbelief quickly fading as the need for a distraction overwhelms them suddenly. They nod, and he moves to pull his shirt off. He then turns around so his back is facing them, all of the purple scars exposed. 

They hesitantly touch his back with their right hand, testing the waters first. When they get no negative reaction, they move their hand up to his shoulder and use their finger to trace down the rough purple lines. He tenses a little before relaxing into their touch, and they quickly get distracted, like he said.

"I'm sorry," They whisper, their finger stopping on a particularly big scar. "You didn't do it." He replies like he knew they were apologizing for his scars, and he was right. "I'm still sorry," He hums in acknowledgment, moving his left hand to move their own, intertwining their fingers and squeezing lightly. They squeeze his hand back as they continue tracing his scars gently with their index finger. Icarus then moves closer to him, slumping against his back, and wrapping their arms around his middle. He curls a little forward and they bury their head in the back of his neck, he exhales contently.

"You 'lright?" He asks after a moment and they just hum in acknowledgment, holding him tighter. "Ic? I'm going to need more than that." He turned around a little, they could tell he was a little worried that they had just stopped to lie against him. "Sorry, jus' a lot of stuff, thanks for the distraction, 'm tired now." He kisses the side of their head before unwrapping their arms from around him, only to turn around and pull them into his lap. "You can sleep, I don't mind." He mumbles, but they just shake their head, curling into him. "I can't... not right now." He sighs, kissing the top of their head as he wraps his arms around them, and their legs lie over his crossed ones. "May I ask why?" They hesitantly nod, clearing their throat. "I think it's because I don't feel... safe enough, I mean, I know you're here and I feel safe with you, but just... not here. I feel safe in the house with you, Cas, and Ocie around me, even by myself, I feel fine because I know the only other people really ever in the house are the people I know. Here... it's just strange, open and exposed like my privacy can be invaded at any moment, it's more unnerving now too because I've been alone for so long." Centross listens contently, holding them tighter when they finish talking. "What do you need me to do?" He asks, running his fingers through their hair, untangling some of its knots.

"Can we just... stay like this for a while, please?" They ask quietly, and he responds, "Of course, my bird,"

Chapter Text

They hear the door slam open suddenly downstairs, and they quickly get off Centross as they both hurry down the ladder. "Ic? Vi?" Caspian's desperate voice sounded through the cafe, it sounded as if he were in tears. "Cas?" Icarus replies as they hurry over to him, where he is standing by the door, with Centross close behind them. He sobs, moving to cling to them after he drops his bag. They quickly wrap their arms around him, and Centross moves to stand behind him, placing a hand on his back as he rubs it. "Caspian, what happened?" They ask, his grip tightening as they feel his tears soak through their shirt. "I-I had a-an argument w-with R-Rae and A-Aax-" He cuts himself off with another sob before speaking again. "C-Can we just d-do something to d-distract me?" He asks, it seems like a lot of them need distractions lately. "How about I call Kai and we can maybe build Ic a house? It's a distraction and something we actually need to do." Caspian nods, his grip loosening as Centross goes to call Ocie.

"Hey, what's up?" Ocie says as she picks up the other line.

"Caspian needs a distraction, and we were thinking we could help build Icarus a house as one."

"That sounds fun! Is Caspian okay?"

"He hopefully will be, let's just do this first."

"Alright, where are you guys?"

"Starbarks."

"Okay, I'll be there soon." She hangs up.

"Ocie's on her way, so let's get ready to leave," Caspian says, letting go of them, re-grabbing his bag, and throwing it over his shoulder. A few minutes later, Ocie comes and we start figuring out a place they can build their house. "I don't want to be so close to everyone else, not yet anyway, so maybe like, the mountains?" Caspian was leaning against Icarus as they gathered in one of the booths. Ocie pulls out a map and lays it on the table. She pulls out a pencil as well, circling some areas in the mountains that could potentially be good. "I know you don't want to be close to people, but near Ven's house is a good spot, and Ven won't bother you too much, I'm sure. I could also just tell him off if you want," Ocie says as she circles an area near Ven's house. "I don't mind being near Ven, so that's fine." Ocie nods, darkening the circle and drawing a line of how they will get there. "Alright, let's go." They all get up and head towards the area near Ven's house, Ocie leads and Centross and Icarus on either side of Caspian.

They reach Ven's house, and Ocie goes inside to notify Ven that they want to build their house near his. Ocie comes back out with a thumbs up, and Ven waves to us from the window before retreating back into his house. They walk a little more to the spot and start clearing it out, cutting down the trees and terraforming the land. "What do you want to build your house out of?" Caspian asks, seemingly successfully distracted. "Well, I think just wood because I can change the material with my powers, it's mostly just the layout that I need to figure out." Centross and Ocie both pause, looking at them, surprised. "Did I forget to mention I still have my powers...?" They ask hesitantly. "You still have the power to change things?!" Ocie says loudly in shock. "Yeah..." They mumble. "That's really cool, and it makes this a whole lot easier," Centross adds.

They finish clearing out the space and start making the layout of the house. The kitchen, living room, bathroom, and guest room are on the first floor, followed by their bedroom, bathroom, alchemy room, and another little room for sewing and other things on the second floor. They built the walls, added some windows, and made the stairs and the interior walls, Icarus also decided to add a basement where they could practice their powers (It was also a panic room that had a lever on the inside so only the person inside the room could open the door or if you knew the passcode on the outside. Only Caspian, Ocie, and Centross know what the passcode is, for now, anyway.)

They all go outside, standing in a line as they raise their hands towards the house and close their eyes. They hear the house shift as they imagine what they want their house to look like before opening their eyes to exactly what they imagined. "That's so fucking cool!" Ocie yells excitedly, running back into the house, Centross and Caspian close behind her. Icarus follows after the three as they explore the fully finished house, furniture, and all. "I assume you guys like what I imagined." They laugh as they all give positive responses. 

Centross and Ocie sit on the couch, deciding they want to watch something on their TV and overall spend some time together. They said they could just do it here, so they did. "Hey, Ic?" Caspian says as he walks over to them. "Yeah, Cas?" They turn to face him, taking their eyes off Centross and Ocie cuddling on the couch. "Can I... stay here for a while? I don't think I'm ready to go back just yet." Caspian's voice is quiet and timid when he asks, the thoughts of the argument probably resurfacing. "Of course you can, you're welcome to stay as long as you want, okay?" They place a reassuring hand on his arm and he exhales in relief.

"Thank you, Icarus, for everything."

They both join Ocie and Centross on the sofa, Ocie pulling Icarus down against her and Centross as Caspian sits on the other side of him. They summon a blanket on top of them, purple, yellow, red, and blue, their colors, it only seemed fitting. "Ic, do you think you can embroider something on this blanket after? I have an idea." Ocie speaks up from where she lies behind them. "Yeah, sure," They reply and they go back to watching the movie.

They go up the stairs and into their sewing room, Ocie holding the blanket, after they finish the movie. She asked why they couldn't just use their power, and they replied that they could but prefer not to, it is also pretty tiring, and they used their powers a lot today, so to the sewing room, they went. Ocie lays the blanket on the table and measures each colored square before pulling out their sketchbook so they can design what Ocie wants. A sunflower on the red square, a fish on the blue square, a potion bottle on the yellow, and a sword on the purple square.

After they finish sketching everything, Centross, Caspian, and Ocie help them make it come to life, and eventually, the blanket is finished. They decided to hang it in the living room, a nice decoration to the house, They didn't add many paintings anyway. 

By the time they finished hanging the blanket, it was already dark outside, around midnight to be exact. It took them a while to make the blanket. They stumble tiredly upstairs, and Icarus lets them all sleep in their bed for the night. 

"Thanks for the distraction today, guys," Caspian speaks up after lying in the darkness for a moment.

"Thanks for trusting us to distract you," Icarus replies before they all fall asleep.

Chapter Text

Fenris's P.O.V

Rae and Aax have been a mess since the moment Caspian left, Aax especially, since they blame themself for it. Now Aax was lying against Rae, asleep, he was so tired from crying and pacing for the past few hours. Rae was still wide awake, though, idly running his fingers through Aax's hair as he stared into space. "I'm going to go find him," He says suddenly, it was 4 in the morning, but he couldn't stand Rae and Aax being like this. "Love, you don't have to-" Fenris shakes his head, standing up. "Vaeh already asked about the yelling and why her Uncle Cas wasn't here, I'm going to at least give her an explanation as to where Caspian is." Rae sighs but makes no other protest. He kisses him on the forehead, and then he leaves shortly after.

He first checked the house next to theirs, where the sleepover took place, but there was no sign that anyone had been there since. He walks around the Grove, checking in places he could be, like Starbarks or Bed & Breakfast, and other places before he gets to Ven's house. Ven was outside, writing something in a notebook intently, I didn't bother to wonder why he was up this early before he approached him. "Oh, hey Fenris!" Ven straightened when he noticed the wolf, closing his notebook and smiling. "Hey, have you seen Caspian by any chance?" He asks, crossing his arms over his chest casually. "Oh, uh, yeah, actually, him, Ocie, and Centross just built Eris's house up the hill. I think they're all still there." His expression hardens at Ven's words. "Thanks," He replied before heading up to where Eris's apparent new house is.

He knocked on the door, in all honesty, the house was beautiful, he didn't know how they gathered all the materials so fast. Violet opened the door, his expression turning from adoration to an angrier one within seconds. "Where's Caspian?" Fenris asks flat out, ignoring his reaction to seeing him, even though it was strange. "Love, I'm going to have to ask you not to do this." He replies, confirming that Caspian is still here. He pushes past him, walking into the house and he sees him tense. Fenris turned to the living room, where Caspian was behind Ocie and Eris was hugging him. "I need to talk to Caspian alone." He crosses his arms over his puffed-out chest. "Not happening, whatever you need to say to him, you can say with all of us. He explained the situation so nothing you say will come as a surprise, by the way, Fenris." Ocie replies, and Violet moves to stand next to Caspian and Eris. "Fine. Caspian, let's go, we're going home." Fenris stares straight at Caspian. "I-I can't, Fenris-" Fenris growls disapprovingly. "You have to, Rae and Aax are in shambles, they've been crying and panicking ever since you left, they don't deserve that-" Caspian cuts him off. "And what about me, huh? How do you think I feel about being accused of something that I've said isn't true? They're supposed to trust me, not argue that I'm lying because of one small thing. I get it, I never forget, but a lot has changed these past few days." He pulls away from Eris reluctantly. "Fine, if I can't talk to you, then I'll talk to Eris." He turns to Eris. "Do you like Caspian? Has Caspian admitted to liking you yet?" Eris's expression turns dark, and it, for some reason, reminds him of Fable.

"There is nothing between Caspian and I, he's more of a brother than anything to me. There is a lot that you don't understand, Fenris, about why things have changed for Caspian, Centross, and Ocie these past few days." Eris replies, matching his tone and disappointment. "Then make me understand." The four of them share glances before Eris steps in front. "My name isn't Eris, nothing that I have told you about me is true." Fenris's expression turns more confused than angry.

"I'm Icarus."

The name is familiar, Icarus, Icar-

Holy shit.

Rae's brother, Rae's brother is supposed to be dead.

"What-" They start to glow before suddenly they change their appearance. Their hair grows lighter, their eyes change, and their entire color scheme changes. He stares at them for a moment before they turn back.

Memories flood his head, the castle, Quixus, Fable, the list goes on.

"You see why it's different now?" Their voice, it's exactly how he remembers it. Oh my god, they really are here. He wants to hug them and ask them a million questions, but something darker reaches his mind.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

The sound of his sword unsheathing made them all flinch and step away.

"Trust me, you don't want to do this." Icarus replies, the faint 'q' on their forehead and back glowing brightly as his sword suddenly changes into the sand and sinks to the floor.

Chapter Text

Fenris's P.O.V

He watches as the sand falls through his fingers and disappears before it hits the floor. "Fenris, this isn't a fight you want to have, nor is it one you would win," Icarus speaks up, Fenris's anger is still simmering, all of his old emotions surrounding them coming back up.

"Are you doing what Fable did to them?" He gestured to Ocie, Caspian, and Violet, out of all the people, he didn't think he could be swayed by them so easily, he'd help them see the wrong.

"I am not Fable, we are different, do not dare compare me to that man again." Their tone is stern but also hurt, he hit a nerve pretty fast.

"What do you expect me to think? Just because we all hugged and you killed him doesn't mean shit!" Fenris yells.

"Fenris!" Violet yells back, interrupting the argument momentarily.

"How are you so comfortable around them?" He stared at him in disbelief.

"Fenris, you know what Icarus means to me, this shouldn't be a surprise that I'm with them." He stays calm, how could he be so calm?

"They're manipulating you!" Fenris takes a step forward, and Icarus tenses, pushing Caspian and Ocie further behind them.

"They are not, don't make assumptions based on something that happened hundreds of years ago for them." He's stunned by his words for a moment. For hundreds of years, Icarus has been away, their time.

After a moment, though, he tears his gaze away from his husband to look at his brother-in-law. "Why are you even trying to play the hero?" Icarus stares at him for a while, unblinking, before answering his question. "I'm not trying to play the hero, that is not my intention, my intention is to slowly let everyone remember once Eris has been around a while, so this would go smoother." Their voice is also calm, like Violet's, it didn't make any sense.

"That doesn't matter! You shouldn't be here!" Violet steps in again, moving to their side.

"They deserve to be here just as much as everybody else. You don't know what they suffered during their time with Fable, we do. You don't know what has been going on since they came back, we do, you don't have a place to judge them." His eyes narrow, and Icarus continues to stare, still unblinking.

"That doesn't make it okay! They can't come back here and think we just forgot about their part with Fable!" He yells again, trying to keep most of his cool for now.

"I didn't forget, I didn't expect you to either, I don't. Centross is right, though, you don't know what I've been through, you don't know my side of the story because I died before I was able to tell it." They explain, but it just aggravates him more.

"Don't fucking call him Centross!" He yells, hearing 'Centross' from their mouth annoyed him even more, they didn't deserve to call him that.

"You do not get to tell me what I can and cannot call him." Icarus takes a step forward, Violet replacing them by standing in front of Ocie and Caspian, Ocie places a hand on Violet's shoulder.

"You do not get to come in here and take my family away from me! You are doing exactly what Fable did, but with Violet instead of Ari!" He stands right in front of them, only slightly taller than them since they have grown somehow. "I will not let you hurt my family, not again." He lets his claws out, moving to strike at them, but they catch his arm, their grip tight. 

"I am not Fable!" They shove him backward and he slams into the wall, Violet, Ocie, and Caspian's eyes widen.

"How many times do I have to tell you that before you get it through your fucking head? I am not taking your family, they willingly came, they let me explain myself and have forgiven me, they listened, and they cared, but you? You come into my house, yell at your own husband, and then try to attack me! That is Fable, storming into my mother's house, yelling at her, and then kidnapping her. How could you tell me I'm Fable when you have just proved to me you are?" They breathe heavily, fists curled.

"Icarus-" Fenris tries to speak.

"Let me finish!" They yell, and he shuts his mouth shut.

"You don't even know my story, how he treated me as a child, how he treated me when he got here. He hurt me and destroyed me, so much so that I turned to Enderian and Perix of all people. I thought that of all people, they would understand, despite how much I hated them, despite how much they may have hurt me as well, they were better than my own father. Never, never will I hurt someone, a child, like he did me, and my mother, and my brother." Icarus had tears running down their face now, and he'll admit, so did he.

"When he got here, he manipulated me, he made me feel alone, like nobody cared about me except him, he made me dependant, desperate, so he could use me to get all of the power. He tried to kill me! He was going to take my power away and use it for himself, knowing I was going to die in the process, knowing that I was in pain. If it weren't for your husband, I would be dead, and I mean actually dead. Centross would never forgive himself, and Rae would never forgive himself, but Centross saved me. Then Fable had the audacity to justify it and manipulate me into thinking the same. I didn't grieve, I couldn't, or I'd be punished for it. Can you believe that? I would've been punished if I mourned for my friend's death, who I witnessed right in front of me, by my father's own hands."

Their voice is raw with emotion, tears moving faster and faster down their face.

"I am no hero, I never considered myself one, and I never will. I am a villain, that was what I was created to be. I am a monster of his own creation, I cannot stop that, but I can admit to my mistakes and try to make things better. That is a difference between me and him, a big one." They finish, and Fenris stands up, brushing himself off a bit, they were both still crying while the other three stood still.

He walked closer to them hesitantly, when they did move back, he kept moving forward before he pulled them into an embrace. They tensed for a moment before completely breaking down in his arms, sobbing as they dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry," Fenris mumbled over and over again as they cried, their sobs were all he could hear.

Violet walked over to the both of them, pulling them both to his chest as they cried, Ocie and Caspian were soon to join as they stayed like that for a long time.

No one moved, no one spoke, they didn't need to.

All they needed was each other.