Chapter Text
"I'm so tired..." A young mother yawns, rubbing at her tired eyes. She blinks, desperately fighting the urge to doze off, letting her eyes finally, finally rest. The exhaustion grabs at her, threatening to pull her into a deep sleep.
Strands of white hair billow around her, ruffled upwards and sideways in a crazed tangle. She tugs her fingers through them, trying to stay awake by keeping herself occupied.
A warm hand rests on her shoulder. Her husband, William, with his smiling dark eyes and dark hair, rumpled in the most adorable way. "We're parents, Jane," William whispers, his voice filled with so much love looking at his family. Family that didn't exist a few months ago, aside from his wife and himself. The feeling’s still very surreal to him; almost as if he could open his eyes and discover that it was a dream.
Jane leans into his touch, head pressed against his chest. Her eyes soften as they wander over to the cot where her two babies lay, finally asleep.
"I can't believe it, Will," Jane says softly, tears pearling in her golden eyes. The bed creaks slightly as William sits down on it, the mattress dipping as he rests next to Jane.
"I promise I'll be the best father to them," William whispers, hand inching around her shoulders to pull her closer into his warm embrace. Jane smiles, the dark circles underneath her eyes temporarily disappearing, overshadowed by the pure happiness reflected on her face. Her hand moves upwards, resting on his. Her fingers lace with his, the warmth of her hand transferring to his.
"I know you will."
Because to Jane, William was the best person in the world. He was kind, gentle, loving, affectionate. He was the one who always reminded her that maybe there could be hope for the world. She didn't need society telling her what kind of person she was meant to love. She knew that she loved this man sitting next to her with his arm wrapped around her lovingly.
And that was more than enough.
Her small children lay swaddled in the cot, their eyes fused shut as they slept. They're wrapped in matching pink and blue swaddles, picked out the second the couple learnt they were having twins.
She leans over the edge of the cot, smiling to herself.
John and Julia.
Her twins.
Her eyes threaten to become teary again, overwhelmed by a mix of joy and awe she felt seeing her arguably adorable children.
'Babies are cute enough, let alone twins...'
Julia makes a small noise, twitching in her swaddle. Jane quickly reacts, hands reaching out to pick her up and cradle her.
But her brothers already moved into action. John somehow manages to shuffle closer to his younger sister, small face pressed against his sister. Julia lets out a content sigh before settling again.
Jane freezes for a second, her heart filling with warmth from her adorable babies.
"Will! Will, did you see that?" she whispers, her voice hushed across the room. "Hmm, what?" her husband tiredly whispers, clearly eager to get sleep while he can. Jane smiles at her husband before pushing him down.
"Never mind. Get some sleep. I'll wake up when the twins start crying."
William murmurs something incomprehensible before dropping backwards in the bed, sleeping the second his head hits the pillow.
Jane turns around to her children one last time before pulling the covers over herself.
'I love you all so much.'
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"Big bo," Julia squeaks, toddling after her older brother John. She's wearing a onesie labelled 'Mama's mini', already looking almost identical to her mother.
The same white hair, the same golden eyes. The honey-brown eyes that all three of them share.
John's faster than Julia, able to walk towards his father and back without falling over. His little face forms a wide, proud smile, his cheeks fluffy and pink.
"Mama! You see?" John babbles, clutching onto the corner of the sofa with his chubby toddler hands. He turns towards his mother, an eagerness to be praised sparkling in his eyes. His mother, Jane, smiles happily, clapping for her son. "Come to mama!" she says, opening her arms to welcome him. John beams, toddling towards her as fast as his little legs can.
He crashes into her, his small head bumping into her chest. He looks up at her with his big, golden eyes, meeting a matching shade of gold looking right back at him. "Good job! You did it," Jane beams, picking him up and twirling him around. He giggles, letting his mother cuddle him close to her chest.
"Mama!" Julia calls, chubby legs wobbling as she tries to take a step forward. Jane turns towards her small daughter, resting her son on her lap. John looks towards his younger sister curiously, snuggling backwards into his mother's warmth.
"Come here, Julie," Jane calls, holding her hands out. Julia nods once before turning around, taking awkward but steady steps towards her. She makes the distance, crashing into her brother as she does so.
Julia immediately jerks back; her head having made contact with her brother's. She frowns before looking up, big gold eyes filled with tears. Her mother's eyes immediately widen, arms moving around her daughter to pick her up.
"Aw, it's ok Julie! You made it," she soothes, raising her tiny daughter into the air. "Is ok, Ju-yi!" John copies, his voice mimicking his mother's. She looks towards him, smiling with pure affection and love.
Julia beams, letting out a soft giggle. The tears in her eyes were gone.
Her mother brings her down, setting her down on her unoccupied thigh.
"Bubba," Julia says firmly, leaning over to wrap her chubby arms around her brother. John firmly hugs her back. Their mother wraps around the both of them, squishing them closer to her.
"Mama loves you both very much," she whispers.
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“Jane? Jane?”
Jane blinks, snapping out of her trance. Her hands grip around the handle of the pram loosely, her daughter sitting upright in the pram.
“Huh?” she asks, looking towards her husband, William who has their son on his shoulders. William holds onto John’s chubby arms, his hands gently grasping his son’s small hands.
William furrows his brows, looking over at her with concern. “Are you alright? You’ve been pretty spacey these days.”
Jane hesitates before looking around the park.
“Hey, Will… have you noticed people following you recently?” Jane asks, chewing on her lip.
William concentrates, trying to think of anything. He shrugs, carefree and unbothered. “No, I don’t think so. Why do you ask-”
“AHHH!” John cries, chubby hands yanking on William’s hair. “Ack!” William yelps, almost having the hair on his scalp yanked off.
He winces before laughing, running forward to appease his son. “Yes, yes, you want me to go faster? Let’s go!” William says, zooming forward.
Jane sighs before letting out a soft smile.
It doesn’t quite meet her eyes.
“Ama,” Julia babbles, kicking her arms around. Jane’s hands move automatically to pick her up, gently holding her close.
“Julia… mama loves you very much, do you know that? She’s just very scared at the moment,” Jane whispers, her small daughter looking up at her with her big gold eyes. Julia babbles something before leaning forward, giving her mother a hug.
Tears threaten to spill from Jane’s eyes, blurring her vision until all she can see is the silhouette of her daughter sitting in her arms.
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"Daddy? Where's mama?" John says, his little three-year-old self looking around, eyes sparkling. He looks around the room, running from one side of the room to the other, practically vibrating with energy.
"Daddy!" Julia bounds in, holding up a crayon drawing of the four of them. She's used light grey to replace the white of her and her mother's hair colors, and orange for the gold of their eyes. The crayon people are all smiling, hands joining together. A small, red sun sits in the corner of her drawing, a few birds drawn in black crayon decorating the sky.
"I wanna show mama my drawing!" she cries, her chubby hands crinkling the paper. The twins are both wearing matching t-shirts labelled Something 1 and Something 2, with matching blue stripes and patterns.
William sends a big smile that doesn't quite make his eyes. "Mama will be back soon, don't worry," he says, crouching down to look at his twins. "That's a pretty drawing, Julie."
The twins notice the break in his voice and look up, their matching gold eyes filled with worry. They both wear the same concerned face; a frown with a small crease between their eyebrows. Their faces are identical, the same rounded cheeks and big golden doe eyes.
"Daddy?" Julia asks, tugging on his pantleg. Her small fist pulls on the heavy denim of his jeans. "What's wrong?" John asks, arms wrapping around his father's other leg.
William looks down, unable to hide the tears brimming in his eyes. He holds his hands up to his eyes, trying to shield them as best as he can from the two of them.
"Nothing, Johnny, don't worry," he says hoarsely, his voice muffled by unmistakable pain. Julia looks up at him, eyes full of tears. Her eyes sparkle, her lips forming a small frown. "If daddy's sad, I'm sad too," she says, tears starting to drip down her cheeks.
John takes one look at her and starts to cry as well, tears sliding down his own chubby face. Soon, they both start wailing, all three of them breaking down.
Tears slid down William's own face. He wraps his arms around his children, pulling them into his chest.
"It's ok, prince and princess. Daddy's going to protect you guys. Mama's gone for a tiny while to play hide and seek. But it's ok, because daddy's here," William whispers, tilting his head down. Hot, salty tears streak down his face, hidden from the view of his small three-year-olds.
‘Jane… I'm sorry that I wasn't good enough. I'll be the best father I can be to them. I haven't forgotten our promise. I just- I just don't know how to do that on my own.’
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"Big brother!" A young girl's voice cries as she runs after her brother. She frantically scurries after him, already getting left behind at 6 years old. Her pink shoes with glittery laces kicks up dust behind her as she desperately races after her brother to the swing set.
"Hurry up, Julia!" the boy grin's, a wolfish smile stretching across his face. His dark blue t-shirt billows behind him as he shoots ahead, the wind puffing it up. His golden eyes light up teasingly as she struggles to run after him, no doubt gloating at his obvious victory.
"Wait for me!" she squeaks, shoes scraping against the gravel pavement below. She almost trips, the point of her shoe catching on a piece of rockier gravel beneath her feet. The matching pink accessories in her hair bounce around as she follows after him, the wind whipping strands of her white hair behind her. Her brother slows down slightly for her, his inky, dark hair whipping backwards in the wind.
"Ha, I win," he grins, finally skidding to a stop at the swing set. The swings were once painted a bright red, but that's now weathered away, leaving a rusted, reddish-brown color behind.
He places his hand on the rusted pole, waiting for his younger sister to catch up.
Julia pants, her breathing coming out in harsh, desperate gasps for air. "Y-you're too fast," she gasps, hands braced on her knees. Her brother just tilts his head, the same teasing grin still on his face.
Then, he shakes his head. "Nah, you just need to be faster."
He was always like that. He was always the faster one among the two, the taller of the two, the stronger of the two.
But he would always slow down so she could catch up.
He sits on the swing, the object creaking tiredly as it jerks into sudden movement.
"You're so mean, big bro," Julia pouts, walking over to the other swing. She sits down on it, plopping her body down on the plastic red seating of the swing.
"Whaaaat!?" he gapes, looking towards her with an incredulous look on his face.
Julia crosses her arms, the pout on her face refusing to move. "I'm not mean!" he protests, hands wrapped around the metal chain links of his swing. The chain creaks, as if loudly agreeing with her brother's protest.
He brings his legs upwards to start to swing, his movements quickly and sharply bringing the swings movements into higher and higher arcs.
She bites her lip, looking downcast at the sandy floor beneath her. She petulantly starts to swing back and forth, her legs kicking out to try and get more speed than her brother.
"Julia?" he asks, looking over at his younger sister. She promptly ignores him, turning away with puffed out cheeks.
Her brother just sighs before jumping off of his swing, flying out a bit before hitting the ground with a firm squat. He dusts off his hands before walking towards his sister. She just eyes him before kicking again, trying and failing to get higher.
She was always bad at going on swings.
"Ack!"
The swing suddenly flies high.
"Big bro!" she cries, her brother pushing her higher again. She squeals, clutching onto the chain links either side of her. Her knuckles turn white from the pressure she puts on it, hanging onto the chains for dear life.
"Don't be a scaredy cat, Julia!" he laughs, pushing her again. More gently, this time.
Julia was always the more scared of the two. The timider one. The one more likely to stay inside a safe boundary rather than go running off to explore what was outside.
Unlike her brother John. Who was the complete opposite. The one who did the exploring outside.
Julia would only go exploring if her brother went too.
Julia starts to laugh as John pushes her higher and higher, the swing creaking and protesting as it arcs higher and higher, threatening to soar across the endless blue skies with the birds. She screams with pure delight as John's hands come to her back again.
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“That cloud looks like a duck,” John says, flopped across a hill. The soft spikes of grass brush his back, tangling with the inky black hair.
“You always say that, big bro,” Julia points out, giggling as she eyes the cloud John was talking about. Her white hair spreads across the hill, contrasting to the dark green of the grass around them. She shuffles over to John, her shoulder pressed against his.
“It looks more like a rabbit,” Julia says, pointing to it. “See! There's the ears there, and the tail and the head,” she exclaims, squinting to trace over the details. She stretches out her arm, stalks of grass brushing against her skin.
John shakes his head. “Nuh uh. Those ears are the beak!” he protests, guiding his sister's hand to show the silhouette.
She just laughs.
John always saw a duck in the sky for some reason.
“Alright, I see it now,” she says, a toothy smile on her face. She's missing her two side teeth that she pulled out recently. She had cried for almost thirty minutes before pulling it out, scared that it would hurt.
John had literally wrenched out his tooth to show his sister that it was no big deal. Julia almost screamed when she saw the bloody tooth in her brother's hand before calming down.
John grins victoriously, the pink of his tongue peaking out from the gap in his teeth as he once again shows her the duck in the sky.
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Julia bites her lip, sniffles tearing through her body as she tries to stop the tears flooding down her face.
John sits in front of her, frantically trying to stop the huge cut across her knee from bleeding.
“It hurts,” Julia whimpers, tears painting her pink cheeks.
“Don't cry, Julie,” John says, leaning forward to give her a hug. “I-I'm not crying,” Julia sniffles, sitting upright. John nods, patting her shoulders.
“Ok, I'm going to carry you back home,” John says calmly, his gold eyes matching an identical (although glassy) copy. “But our house is too far away,” Julia says. And there were stairs leading to the park. Their home was around 400 meters away, an impossible distance for a 7 year old to walk to with their injured sister on their back.
“So? Remember, your big brother’s strong!” John says, pumping his arms. Julia stops crying, a smile on her face.
“Hehe, you're the strongest!” she says. She adores her brother more than anything in the whole world.
John dabs at her face with the edge of his sleeve, drying off her tears. He slowly squats in front of her, motioning for her to hook her arms and good leg around him.
He wobbles a bit as he stands up, getting used to the additional weight.
“I'm sorry I'm so heavy,” Julia says, snuggling into her brother's back. “Nope. Remember what I said? I'm strong so you're light as paper!” John grins toothily.
He lifts Julia higher before going down the first step to their house.
“We'll get home in no time!”
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“What happened, princess?” William asks gently, a hand stroking his daughter's hair. His fingers gently come through white strands of hair, trying his best to comfort her.
Julia sniffles, wiping away tears. “The boys in my class keep making fun of me. They wanted to be friends but I said no because they bully others,” she whispers.
“What are they doing to make fun of you?” William asks, crouching down so his grey eyes meet his daughter's gold ones.
He's always painfully reminded of Jane when he sees his daughter, who's now the complete spitting image of her.
“They- They say I'm not your daughter, daddy. Because we don't look alike,” she says quietly looking up at her father.
William immediately freezes at that, a look of rage coming over his features.
“Princess, it doesn't matter what those idiots say. Look at me,” he says, hands placed on her shoulders. She slowly looks up, his hands gently squeezing her shoulders.
“We're family. I'm your daddy. It doesn't matter if we look alike. Besides, you have a twin. It's impossible for them to say you're not related to me,” he sighs, shaking his head, which prompts Julia to giggle.
“If those idiots are bothering you again, tell me, ok?” William says seriously. Julia nods, a big smile on her face.
‘My daddy's the strongest and coolest person in the world! “
“Ah, do you know where your brother is? He still hasn't come home,” William says, worriedly looking down the hall to the entrance.
Julia shakes her head, a worried crease appearing between her eyebrows. William notices and smiles, placing a finger on the crease to smooth it out. Julia protests, pouting as her hair gets tousled afterwards by her father's hand.
“Big brother will be alright, right daddy? He's not going to play hide and seek, is he?” she asks quietly, voice trembling.
Julia found out about Jane recently. She didn't remember her after a while, her young toddler self unable to remember very well.
Until she found a photoframe in her father's office, the beautiful woman standing next to her father looking just like her. Her father didn't hide anything, instead calmly explaining that her mother was ‘hiding’ for a while.
“You look so much like her,” her father had said softly, a loving smile on his face. She pretended to not have seen the tears welling in her father's eyes.
Julia wasn't stupid. Her 8-year-old self knew that her mother wasn't coming back. She hadn't for 5 years already.
One day, she picked up a black sharpie before lifting it to her hair. Small scribbles at first, messily covering the white strands of hair. The ink didn't hold, instead smearing in dark smudges across her fingers.
She frowned, yanking at strands of her hair. She tried again, dragging the sharpie back and forth. It fails. She looked into the mirror, only able to see her ‘mother’, the person who had abandoned them and made her dad cry.
‘I don't want to look like her.’
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“John!” William cries out, his voice ringing across the school office. He's come in a hurry, shirt rumpled and creased. A few strands of his hair fluffed up, somehow flying astray from his gelled hair.
His son sits down in a chair in front of the principal, hunched over and frowning. His fingers dig into the leather armrests of the chair he’s sitting on, body tense.
“Dad,” he says quietly, not meeting his dad's eyes.
“What happened? Are you alright?” William asks, noticing the bandages on his son's face and knuckles.
“Ahem,” the principal coughs, coldly glaring at William. William just freezes and turns towards the principal, a look of anger barely composed before he bows.
“Principal Franklin. Would you mind telling me what happened to my son?” he asks, voice somehow masking his climbing fury.
The principal looks towards William, unimpressed and condescending. “Your son here, had an extremely violent exchange with 2 fellow students,” The principal takes a breath, gaze dropping towards John, who just glares back.
The principal continues, “They have come out with a black eye and broken nose. Such behaviour will not be tolerated here.”
“Would you mind explaining the events prior to this? My son isn't the type of child to attack others for no reason,” William says firmly, hand gently resting on his son's shoulder.
“Dad! They were hurting Julie-”
“Ahem, Mr Doe, if I may explain instead-” the principal attempts to interject.
“Excuse me!?” William snaps, eyes wide with disbelief. “If those children did hurt my daughter and my son defended her, why is he in trouble? Why are those children not here?”
The principal leans forward, annoyance coming over his features.
“Mr Doe, these children were in much worse condition compared to young John. Additionally, need I remind you of the hierarchy? How he managed to beat two mid-tiers as a cripple is still a mystery…” The principal trailed off, shaking his head.
“I'd prefer if you didn't say that word around him, sir,” William says firmly, noticing how his son flinched.
The principal waves his hand dismissively.
“He will have to get used to that at some point. Now, I will let John off with a warning. Next time, I will not be as considerate.”
All William can do is bite his tongue to prevent his son's punishment becoming worse.
“Thank you, Principal.” He stiffly bows before turning to his son. “Let's go, John.”
His son nods, clambering out of the chair and out of the door after his father.
John looks over worriedly at his dad, dark hair covering his eyes. “Dad… am I in trouble?” he asks, fingers playing together as he fidgets.
William looks over at his son. Then, he firmly shakes his head.
“You did the right thing, John. You protected your sister,” William says, pride clearly evident in his voice.
John smiles, the bandage on the side of his face warping slightly.
“The self defense you taught me helped, dad,” John says happily, clenching and unclenching his fists. William smiles, his hand coming up to pat his son on the head.
“Remember, it's called self defense for a reason. Just protect your sister and yourself, alright? Never try to hurt anyone.”
John looks over at William. “Dad, if I had abilities now, I'd definitely make everyone pay for hurting me and Julia.”
William looks over at his son. His eyes widen slightly as he sees the wild, untamed anger in his son's usually gentle eyes.
Not knowing what to say, he just nods.