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It had been instilled in Nikki Grace-Fischer her entire life by her appa to follow her instincts. They were good he had said, even if that was followed by a teasing remark to her dad about how “it’s a good thing she didn’t get her dad’s instincts.” Which would never fail to send them into 20-minute back and forth that would constantly make send her and her brother into fits of giggles.
All that to say, that she trusted her instincts. Whether they pointed to something good or bad, they never led her astray. And right now, Bear was making her incredibly uncomfortable. He had been looking at her weird all shift, eyes clouded with something that set her teeth on edge. He was fidgety more than usual constantly staring and watching what she was doing. He was going so far as to reading her texts over her shoulder at times.
Look, Nikki is not naïve, she can tell when someone has a crush on her. But this was making her feel weird and objectified and she did not appreciate it. And of course, the one day she needed a ride back home just so happened to also be the day that everyone but Bear had something that they needed to do after shift. She’s really regretting not just asking one of her parents for a ride back to her apartment, or Bryan, even if he just got his license.
“Take a right here,” Nikki says quickly ignoring the sideways glance Bear was giving her. “At that intersection.”
Bear clicks on his turn signal, quickly slowing. “But your apartment’s the other way.”
“I forgot I promised my parents I’ll eat dinner with them tonight,” Nikki brushes him off, a complete lie. The mandatory family dinner wasn’t for another few days. Bear didn’t need to know that.
“O-oh,” Bear stutter. His eyes flicker to her once again as she quickly pulls up her phone and goes to text her brother.
“Do you do that often?” Bear asks awkwardly. Everything about this guy was awkward.
“Yes,” Nikki says shortly hoping this would throw him off. “At least twice a week.”
“Oh, uh, Nikki?” Bear says glancing over to see if Nikki looks up from her phone.
She does with great trepidation. “Make the next left.”
Bear nods quickly. “Don’t let me forget,” he continues. “I got you something.”
Nikki snaps her head to fully face him. “What?”
Bear has a weird smile on his face as says cheekily, “You’ll see.”
“Ew, no,” Nikki blurts out without being able to help it. “Why does that make me nervous?”
Because Bear’s being creepy as fuck, she answers in her head.
“I don’t know,” Bear says haltingly. “That’s an odd… reaction.”
The smile has now fallen from Bear face, his mouth settling into a frown as he now focuses his full attention to the road. It sets her more on edge then the weird smiles and looks. A weight settles on her shoulders as she too stares out the window, being sure never to let Bear stray from her focus. They’re silent the rest of the way to Nikki’s parents’ house, save for Nikki’s occasional clipped directions.
She doesn’t know if she’s ever felt more relieved to see her childhood home than she is now. The blue paint that had long since faded into something more soft and gentle. The xenonite windchimes that she had brief memories off also having hung on their house on Erid when they had lived there for the brief years after she was born. The garden that he appa put some much love and care into. This felt more like home than her apartment she shared with two roommates.
“I appreciate the drive home, I know it was last minute,” Nikki says more to be polite than actually feeling it. She could see her dad lingering just beyond the storm door, bathed in a soft golden light form inside. Her savior waiting for her signal.
“Uh yeah, no problem,” Bear rushes out as Nikki opens the door.
She’s quick to step out and even quicker to go to shut it when she hears Bear call out again.
“Hey, wait Nikki,” Bear says leaning over the center counsel.
Nikki opens the door again peering down through it just barely managing to keep the annoyance out of her voice as she demands, “What?”
“I was gonna ask you, uh,” Bear seems to be rethinking what he’s saying as the words leave his mouth. He stutters a few moments more before averting his gaze and giving an awkward smile. “I lost my train of thought.”
“Goodnight,” Nikki laughs standing back up and making her way to the door.
“Good night, freaky Nikki,” Bear calls.
Nikki freezes immediately, a chill running down her spine. She turns around images of grade school bullies flashing through her mind. Of coming home in tears everyday until her parents pulled her out of school and transferred her to a more expensive private one.
“Ew, don’t call me that,” Nikki snaps.
“I know, I was kidding,” Bear says weakly.
Nikki stalks back to the car and scowl on her face. “You know I don’t like that.”
“Sorry,” Bear rushes out, looking cowed. “I know, I’m sorry.”
Nikki lets out a long breath leaning through the car window that Bear had opened. She casts her eyes around before locking them onto bear.
“Do you like me?” Nikki demands.
Bear sits there frozen for a second his brain trying to catch up, before he comes to life like some broken toy. “What?”
“Cuz if you do, now’s the time to say so,” Nikki says snappishly.
Bear shifts uncomfortably in his seat, looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He swallows around nothing, looking choked. He shifts again like he no longer knew how to hold himself and what was the proper way to sit in a car.
“I—” Bear cuts himself off. “I think we’re good friends.”
“Okay,” Nikki huffs brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. “Good. Goodnight.”
She stands up quickly and immediately begins making her way to the door as swiftly as possible. She’s walking stiffly towards the door, ready to shake that entire car ride off. She’s halfway towards the door when she hears a crack that sounded so far away yet so close at the same time. The world around her numbs as she feels herself turning against her will back towards Bears car, a smile stretching so wide across her face it hurt.
/|\/|\
Bryan was very familiar with weird magic shit. Considering that both his parents had come down from space and his appa had apparently dealt with some freaky fish monster before being teleported to some alternate reality on a foreign planet. As much as his dad hated to admit it, it wasn’t out of the ordinary or completely weird to say that magic could exist in the world. After all, there was some weird magic that brought his appa to his dad.
And he had just watched the little fucker that had been making his sister uncomfortable cast some sort of curse on Nikki that was making her act weird. Bryan slides out of the car he borrowed from his dad where he had parked further down the street. He makes a beeline straight to the box the guy had thrown out his window. Trying to be a quiet as he possibly can, he scoops it up before heading straight to the front porch of his parents’ houses where his parents were just starting to open the door.
Nikki doesn’t even notice him, a contorted smile stretch across her face, eyes blown wide staring at the guy in the car like he was the only person in the world. It was a disturbing look to say the least, especially since Bryan had never seen his sister look at anyone like that, let alone a guy that made her uncomfortable enough that she fled to their parents’ house.
Bryan passes by their dad as he makes his way quickly to the house, his hands clenched around the small box with some sort of stick inside. Grace gently grazes a hand over his head, skewing the beanie that he had made Bryan as he passes. Bryan is too thrown off to be too annoyed with his dad for messing with his hat like he normally would be, instead making a beeline straight to his appa on the porch.
“I don’t know what it is,” Bryan starts talking before Simon even gets the chance to. “But the fucker through this out of his car right before Nikki started acting weird and I have a feeling that it might have something to do it. I don’t know—she looked weird as shit, like a completely different person.”
“Kid I need you to breathe, give it here,” Simon says, quickly taking the package when Bryan thrusts it out to him.
“The fuck is a ‘One Wish Willow’?” Simon mutters under his breath.
“I’ll look it up,” Bryan says pulling out his phone.
He scrolls through a few different websites. Some say it’s a collector’s item, that people are dumb to think it works. And some say it’s something terrible that brings nothing but pain and suffering. He relays all of this to Simon nervously glancing over to where his dad is talking to Bear. The longer Bryan talks the more severe Simon’s face becomes. He looks over the package and stops when he reaches the back, a customer service number. It seems so dumb that it has to be the only way to get the answers they need.
“This is so fucked,” Bryan grumbles fidgeting as Simon dials the number.
“You really need to control of that mouth of yours,” Simon comments. “You know your dad doesn’t like that language.”
“I can control it around him,” Bryan protests.
Simon shakes his head slowly as his phone rings. “You may think that now, but you’ll slip up one day, and you’d hate to see that disappointed face.”
Bryan huffs crossing his arms over his chest. “You speaking from experience?”
The look his appa gives him is all that Bryan needs to tell that yes, he is speaking from experience.
The call gets picked up. They both stare silently for a moment before Simon speaks.
“Um, hello?” he calls tersely.
“Hey,” the guy on the other end mumbles. He sounds distant, down trodden. Like the mere thought of having to say another word is painfully exhausting to him. “What’s up?”
“Is this One Wish Willow?” Simon questions.
“Yeah,” the guys says. It’s more like an exhale than an actual word.
“Is this wish business real?” Simon demands the hard set of his jaw the only thing giving off his anxiety. “Do the wishes actually work?”
“Of course they do man,” the guy huffs. “Can’t you tell by now since you’re calling.”
Simon scowls at the tone, hand clenching around the phone. “Is there was a way to get rid of a wish?” Simon asks, he looked like he couldn’t even believe he was having this conversation. Bryan had a feeling the only reason he wasn’t being more demanding or rude was because while Nikki was acting weird, she didn’t seem to be in any harm.
“You’d like to file a cancel request?” the guy asks numbly.
“Yes,” Simon snaps. “A cancel request.”
“We don’t really do that,” phone guy says dismissively.
“Are you fucking with us?” Bryan demands glaring at the phone.
Simon shoots him a look that silences him immediately as he juts his chin to the car. His dad had looked up at them briefly before leaning into the car his face our of their view. Bryan was just barely able to catch a brief look of disgust on his face as his eyes land of car guy.
“You were just making it sound like we could put in a request,” Simon grunts out.
“I was just guessing your intention man,” phone guy grumbles.
“What the hell?” Simon snaps. “What can I do then? My daughter—"
Phone guy cuts him off. “Nothing really.”
“So, she’s just fucked forever?” Bryan demands, hands shaking by his side as dread fills him. He glances back towards his sister who’s still contorted into the window at an uncomfortable angle.
“Well, I mean, yeah,” phone guy sighs, shifting on the other end of the phone. “As long as the dude who casted the wish lives.”
A dark shadow falls across Simon’s face as he looks back towards the car. Bryan has never seen that look on his appa’s face. While sure the man was intense most days, and being deadpan was his natural state. He was very often so… so murderous. He was always so soft and gentle with them, the only thing that was truly harsh about him, were his scars. And even those didn’t matter to Bryan.
This… This was not the man who would spend hours every day tending to all the plants around their house. Who would name every plant he has ever laid eyes on. Who read to Bryan and Nikki every night acting out the stories with their dad. Making funny face and doing as many different voices as possible. Who would make the best desserts known to man when someone in his family had even a slightly bad day.
Bryan didn’t even feel slightly bad for car guy.
“As long as he lives?” Simon asks, voice dark and sharp.
“I-I mean when he dies the wish will go away,” phone guy says gently.
“How aware is the person the wish upon? What will she do if anything happens to the guy?” Simon asks.
“It’s hard to say, really depends on the wording of the wish,” phone guy mutters.
“And if we didn’t hear the wish be spoken?” Bryan demands.
“Then ya better hope and pray it ain’t too bad,” Phone guy dismisses. “Look is that all?”
“Yes,” Simon says before hanging up with nothing more.
“Piece of shit,” Bryan grumbles. “So, what are we gonna do?”
Both of them look towards the car as a door slams Nikki is hanging off a very uncomfortable looking car guy as they make their way up the walk way. Nikki is still holding herself weird, walking in such an awkward way just to continue to hold onto the guy. Grace doesn’t have as deep of a scowl on his face as Simon does, but there’s something calculating in his eyes as he watches his daughter cling to fucker that cursed her.
Bryan turns to face Simon worriedly chewing his lip. Simon’s eyes don’t leave Nikki for a second.
“Appa?” Bryan calls again, quieter as the trio make their way towards them. “What are we going to do?”
Simon turns to face him, his face softening back into the man Bryan knew. He brushes his hand over Bryan’s cheek before resting in on his shoulder.
“You’re going to go upstairs and stay up there,” Simon states.
“What—”
“No arguing,” he says firmly. “Don’t come down until we tell you to. Got it?”
“Yes sir,” Bryan mumbles. He looks back towards Nikki and their dad.
“Now, Bryan,” Simon says ushering him through the front door.
Bryan hears the tail end of his dad tersely introducing the guy, Bear, to his appa before he’s closing the door to his bedroom upstairs.
/|\/|\
Grace liked to consider himself to be a gentle man. He much preferred a quiet life with his family, in their cozy home at the edge of a small town. Occasionally going into Stratt’s lab when it was needed of him, or teaching the odd class to the up-and-coming astronauts at NASA. It was the life he had wanted to live before Stratt had launched him into what was supposed to be his grave in space. Sure, he technically didn’t image himself having a full family, maybe a cat at most. But he wouldn’t deny that this was the much-preferred course to his life.
Grace was finding out rather quickly, that the anger issues he had thought he gain control over so long ago, where still there just waiting for the perfect target. And this pathetic waste of oxygen in the car below him was the perfect target.
“You’re the guy who drove my daughter home right?” Grace questions leaning into the window of Bear’s car, a smile on his face. There was something off about that smile, it was sharp around the edges and not meeting his bright blue eyes.
Bear’s eyes flit around the dash of his car, unable to meet Grace’s eyes. He was tense as he pushed himself back into his seat, seemingly trying to get as far away from Grace as physically possible.
“I—yeah, I am,” Bear stutters hands fidgeting in his lap. “I’m Bear.”
“What an odd name,” Grace comments tilting his head.
“It’s—it’s a nickname,” Bear mumbles halfheartedly.
“It’s perfect,” Nikki says with artificial cheer.
Grace looks up at her, fighting the keep the worry from visibly showing on his face. Her face was contorting into mockeries of expressions, her eyes either empty of everything, or filled with some much confusion of fear it hurt. Grace’s heart twists in his chest as he watched his daughter.
Without warning Nikki jerks as if slapped pulling away from Bear, her eyes finding Grace’s immediately. The dark brown that reminded Grace so much of Simon filling with confusion and disgust.
“What is happening?” Nikki demands choking on her words. “Dad, I’m being so weird right now.”
Then she’s gone again, vanishing behind whatever mask was taking over her as she drops her head.
Bear laughs nervously, looking between Grace and Nikki. “Yeah, you are.”
Grace glares at Bear putting as much hate as he could behind the stare. He didn’t know what was wrong with his daughter, but by the deadly looks his husband was sending in the general direction of the man sitting in the car before him. It was nothing good.
Grace hums moodily, straightening back up again ignoring the sharp pain that shoots up his back. He lets himself glance over to his husband and their son on the front porch. Bryan looked incredibly nervous hugging himself around the middle as he swayed back and forth. He was so much like Grace, never able to hold still for a second.
Simon had a dark look on his face that promised murder. Grace had only seen that face once before and it ended with him having to hold his husband back from murdering Stratt. And he guessed it had been directed at him briefly after Simon first appear in Erid’s artificial ocean. But that didn’t last too long and end with Grace constantly being called Angel.
Between them was Simon’s phone, the light of the device casting harsh shadows across their face. Simon was very clearly talking with someone on the phone and Grace wouldn’t even be able to begin to guess who.
“Why don’t you come inside, we were just about to have dinner, and it would be nice to get to know one of the friends Nikki talks about,” Grace says. Nikki has never talked about this guy, that was bold face life.
“I don’t know man, I’ve gotta—”
“It wasn’t really a suggestion, we don’t want to be rude to the guy who so kindly dropped off our daughter,” Grace says with forced cheer. “We like to know the people our daughter tags along with, even if she complains we’re over protective. And I’m sure she would love to have you join her in her home.”
Bear glances to Nikki who’s watching with too wide eyes as she violently nods in agreement, then back to Grace who’s entire demeaner showed that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“I could eat,” Bear says reluctantly.
Grace nods once standing. “Good choice.”
The walk up to the house is tense, nobody daring to utter a word as Nikki cling to Bear like it’s the only thing keeping her alive. Grace watches as Simon sends their son upstairs to his room before turning back towards them.
“Si,” Grace says putting as much false cheer into his voice as possible. He did not need Bear running away now. “This is Bear. He was the one that offered to drive Niks home tonight.” Grace turns to face Bear. “Bear this is my husband, Simon.”
“Nice to meet you,” Bear says his nervousness practically leaking off him.
Simon nods had him with gruff, “yeah.”
“Don’t mind him,” Grace says stepping up beside Simon. “He’s not much of a people person.” Grace turns to address Nikki. “Hey Niks, why don’t you take Bearing to the dining room while your appa and I grab dinner.”
“Yeah, come on Bear,” Nikki says not taking her eyes off Bear as she drags him into the house.
Grace’s smile vanishes as soon as they’re out of sight. He follows Simon wordlessly into the kitchen, hiding just out of sight of the doorway to the dining room. Simon takes a deep breathe before turning to face Grace, Grace reaches out and sets a pal gently on his shoulder. Simon pulls the box Grace remembers glimpsing in Bryan’s hands and presses it into his open palm.
“The little freak made a wish and put some kind of curse on our daughter,” Simon murmurs. “Bry and I called customer service—”
Grace gives him an incredulous look.
Simon lets out a sigh. “I know, I know—but, the guy gave us answers. He was an asshole about it, but he answered our questions. The punk made a wish and altered Nikki.”
“I think she’s possessed,” Grace murmurs. “There… was a moment where she came back, she was so confused and scared. I couldn’t,” Grace takes a breathe, “What do we need to do?”
“Kill him,” Simon states bluntly.
“Excuse me?” Grace says startled. “Are you sure there’s no other way?”
“Yes,” Simon states. “They guy on the phone said the only way to stop the wish is to kill the person that casted it.”
Grace bites his lip, fiddling with the edges of his sleeve. “The wish is making Nikki obsessed with him. Will it hurt her?”
“Maybe for a second, but once he stops breathing it should go back to normal,” Simon states. He searches Grace’s worried face as his husband glances in the vague direction their daughter is. “I’ll do it. I’ve killed before, what’s one more?”
“Hey,” Grace snaps quietly. “Don’t just dismiss it like you don’t have nightmares about it still.”
“I’m not going to let you do it,” Simon insists. “I have a plan; you just start bringing the food to the table…” He pauses, thinking. “And maybe try to get some distance between Bear and Nikki.”
“Si…” Grace mumbles.
Simon presses a kiss to Grace’s jaw. “Don’t even worry about it Angel. You can focus on how we’re gonna clean this up.”
“Jeez,” Grace huffs snatching two of the dishes of food off the counter.
He could not believe he was planning a murder with his husband. This was insane. He, the savior of two planets, is planning a murder. He’s planning to murder one of the people on this planet he worked so hard to save. Though, this particular guy was pathetic enough to wish Grace’s daughter was obsessed with him or whatever the fuck. So, he really wasn’t as torn up about this as he probably should be. He’s more upset about the fact that he was going to have to hide a murder than the fact that he was committing one. Maybe Stratt would be willing to help him.
“Alright! Dinners ready!” Grace says cheerily. He places both of the dishes on the table with a loud thunk, startling Bear enough that he jumps in his seat.
Bear shifts awkwardly in his seat. “This looks… yummy.”
“Simon would be happy to hear that,” Grace states.
He glances briefly between Bear and Nikki, fighting to keep the frown from his face. He briefly mulls over how he could possibly get Bear away from his daughter.
“Hey Bear,” Grace says slowly. “You’re actually in my seat, would you mind sitting across from Niks.”
Nikki sends dark look towards Grace that sends shivers down his spine, he was more than certain now. That this was not his daughter, something had taken over her. He tries his best to give her a placating smile.
“I’m sure it would be much better if you could see Bear the entire time, right dear, and you won’t have to worry about anyone else sitting next to him,” Grace says quickly.
This thankfully seems to placate Nikki and she releases Bear enough that he can squirm from her grasp and nearly scramble to the other side of the table. Grace would’ve felt pity if this was the pathetic brat’s fault in the first place. Grace sits next to Nikki unnerved by the way she never takes her eyes off Bear. They sit in a very awkward silence until Grace starts to see Simon exit the kitchen, the last dish balanced in his hand.
“So, Bear,” Grace says quickly. “You work with Nikki right? At the record shop?”
“Y-yeah,” Bear says nodding absently. “Nikki’s actually the reason I have the job. A friend of hers’ dad owns it.”
“I remember that, Sarah used to come over all the time when her and Niks were young,” Grace says nodding slowly. “They were best friends those to. Two peas in a pod.”
Simon comes up beside Bear placing the dish in his hand carefully on the table. Grace can see something glint in the light underneath it. Just as he’s about slide the last bit of his hand out from under it, he suddenly moves snapping his hand back, the knife in it finally coming into view. Bear doesn’t even have time to flinch before buried deep in his throat. Simon yanks it out, before sliding it swiftly across Bears throat.
Grace flinches back as blood sprays across the table staining the table cloth. Bear gasps and chokes head lulling towards Simon, eyes filled with panic as he brings a hand to his bleed throat. Blood gushes as he tries to stand, only to fall sideways to the floor. Simon watches him fall to his feet with a look of disgust as he grips the knife tight in his hand.
Nikki makes a horrified noise, shifting to lunge towards Bear or Simon Grace didn’t know. But he knew neither would be good.
Grace grabs Nikki around her middle when she tries to jump over the table with an inhuman shout. Her voice is distorted and shaky as she claws at Grace’s arms. She thrashes in his grip uncaring for herself or Grace as she kicks, trying to reach Bear where he was slowly bleeding out on the rug under their table. Simon stands above him, bloody knife in hand as Bear weakly gropes at his ankle before his wrist falls limp.
Nikki stops thrashing a few moments later, going limp in Grace’s arms. Grace stumbles to the floor at the sudden lack of resistance from Nikki. His daughter his gasping and trembling in his arms as her chin drops to her chest. She heavy in his arms like a puppet with its strings cut. Grace carefully shifts her until she’s facing away from Bear bleeding corpse and facing towards him.
He holds her face in his hands checking her over in case of any injury. She appears fine, and it appears that Grace is the only one with any injuries from her thrashing. Good, he thinks, it’s better that way. Even if it hurts his scars like a no other.
Nikki is just barely holding back tears as she stares at her dad. “I—”
She breaks off, tears finally flowing as she takes a gasping breathe, her eyes catching on Grace’s bleeding arms.
“I’m sorry,” she babbles collapsing into his arms, burring her face into the junction between his neck and his shoulder.
“Hey baby, it’s okay. You’re okay now hun,” Grace rambles as Nikki cries softly into his shoulder.
“I don’t know what happened,” Nikki gasps. “I was so—it hurt so much. I was burning.”
“You’re okay now, we’ve got it handled,” Grace says carding his fingers through Nikki’s hair.
Simon crouches down just beside them, rubbing a hand up and down Nikki’s back. “Why don’t you go upstairs to your brother while your dad I handle this.”
After a few seconds Nikki nods, lifting her head with a sniffle. “Thank you—I don’t know what would have happened if you guys weren’t—”
She cuts herself off with a gasping breath.
“You don’t have to thank us,” Grace murmurs placing a gentle kiss against his daughter’s forehead. “We’re your parents. It’s what we do.”
Simon squeezes her shoulder once before helping Nikki to her feet. “Go see your brother, Niks, he’s probably worried sick.”
“Don’t go through the dining room,” Grace warns from the floor.
Nikki nods jerkily before hesitantly heading for the stairs, her eyes resolutely cast to the floor. Both he and Simon look to the steadily cooling corpse on their floor at the same time. They had absolutely no regrets, especially if it meant keeping their baby safe and happy.
/|\Extra/|\
Bryan hesitantly stepped into the shop with all the crystals Nikki liked were at. He knew he looked incredibly out of place in the store, but he didn’t much care. He made a beeline straight to the one wish willows, grabbing one and taking it to the counter. He barely even responds to the guy behind the register when he wishes him a good day, he’s more focused on unboxing the stick from within. He tosses the box in the nearest trash can as it plays a dumb little jingle.
He takes a deep breath picking his wording as carefully as he can. “I wish every One Wish Willow after this one in my hand, isn’t able to grant anymore wishes.”
He snaps the stick in half.