How Can This Be Fair?

Under the almost blue skies of Uranium City, the former Saint Cassian's Chamber Choir begin new lives in more ways than one. They lean on one another as they try to move on, but that's easier said than done. With new living situations, new people, night terrors, and different injuries to heal from, nothing will ever be the same. While most changes are for the better, there are things they now know that they have to carry with them. While some of them are just happy to be safe and alive, others are dealing with more issues than they ever anticipated they would. On top of that, the world around them feels... different. They start to notice things around them in ways they never did before. Around them, the world seems to have shifted. The people around them, while unaware of exact details, seem to sense it as well. When a new development strikes the group, they realize that even they don't know all the details about what happened September fourteenth, and, since they're waiting for the next semester to begin, they have nothing better to do than try to understand everything: the accident, their revival, and what's different about them...

Notes:

Moonrise! Sorry it's been so long, everyone. I've been trying to get back into the swing of things after June Doe, but things keep getting in the way. Life just gets like that; I'm sure you guys get it. But I am re-writing "How Can This Be Fair?" to improve it, since I didn't love the way I did it before. So have this one! I can't wait for you guys to see this. Make sure you leave thoughts, predictions, and comments. They keep me motivated, and the stars know I need it this time around.
CW for first chapter: Graphic depictions of past character death, nightmares, crying, comfort, mention of past domestic abuse, hidden lore.

Chapter 1: Sailing Through Space

Chapter Text

31 December 2009

Finally, the night had come. Constance had spent the whole morning helping her parents clean up in preparation for the sleepover, ecstatic that she’d get to have all her friends in one place again. She hadn’t had a sleepover here in a long time. She used to have them with Ocean or Noel all the time, but eventually they’d sort of grown out of it. Noel no longer needed to come here to get away from his father. Ocean had still come frequently, but she had eventually started showing up less and less whenever she got busy.

But things were different, now that she was connected to five people so deeply.

The last several weeks had been exhausting. It was all trials, convictions, therapy, and nightmares. They hadn’t slept in the same room since the night before Noel was discharged. That was their last night of anything resembling peace before everything kind of… exploded. The lawsuit, physical therapy, talk therapy, and custody battles took over everything. They called or texted one another when they could, but they mostly just sat silently together in court. No words could really comfort them as they listened to one another recount the event. Besides, who had the energy to talk through each recess? No, they just sat with whoever was at the trial that day and tried to relax.

They never really relaxed.

Documents were signed, evidence was shown, accounts were told over and over again. Before they could really focus on what was happening, almost everyone had a whole new situation to live in, and their lives would never be the same. But they changed forever the moment that axle broke the first time.

The holidays were their first real respite from that. Nobody bothered buying presents for one another, and everyone understood that it was not a priority. They just wanted to sleep through the rest of the winter and ignore how most of them were left restless and in constant pain. The holiday cheer was a buzz in the background as they figured out what to do with the settlement money and got used to their new lives.

The group had ordered pizza for dinner, letting the family have kitchen space tonight. Everyone was sitting either on the couch or on the floor, holding paper plates and watching Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Ocean had never seen it, but Ricky had all but begged to watch it when he realized that was an option in the Blackwoods’ collection of DVDs. Constance figured that, after all these years, they owed him that. Besides, it was turning out to be really enjoyable.

Towards the end of the movie, Misha asked, “So are the cowboy and soldier gay?” The others snickered at the confusion on his face.

Noel reached over Misha for the bowl of popcorn in Penny’s lap, shrugging. “It’s not explicitly said, but the things they say and do are very, uh, homoerotic.”

“They went from being enemies to being best friends to being hopelessly in love,” Constance commented. Ocean turned her head to look at her with an eyebrow raised. “Tell me I’m wrong! Octavius literally tamed a squirrel and found the president to save him. Jedediah had a whole speech about their relationship prepared for his death. They fought side-by-side to protect one another!” The others turned around to look up at her, grinning.

Ocean shrugged. “That doesn’t make them gay. They were close friends."

Noel groaned. “You did not just say that. Connie has a point, Ocean. Besides, are you seeing the way those two interact? There’s nothing ‘friendly’ about it.”

Ocean watched as he reached over Misha, pressing close to his arm to get the popcorn from Penny. She almost commented on it to save her pride, but she decided not to this time. She’d quickly learned that she’d never win a debate with this group, and she was slowly giving in on more and more pointless arguments. “I just don’t see it.”

“Okay, but historically, the Romans were totally fine with gay couples existing,” Noel pointed out. “Octavius would totally have been bi-curious.”

“But Jedediah–”

Then again, it was too easy to bicker with Noel. And now, she got to do it every day.

“Got stupidly jealous when Octavius started swooning over Sir Lancelot’s blue eyes,” Noel interrupted. Ocean went quiet after a moment, completely unable to deny that interaction. Noel crossed his arms. “Look, I’m the group’s certified gay. So if I say it’s gay, it’s gay. It’s official.”

“You can’t do that. If the creators don’t say it–”

“The actors are totally feeding into it,” Noel pointed out. “Look at them, Ocean. Look at them and tell me–”

“Okay,” Constance said, squeezing Ocean’s hand and giving Noel a look. “Can we be quiet for the end of the movie?” Reluctantly, the pair agreed, looking back at the screen and dropping the argument.

They could always argue about it at… Well, it wasn’t really Ocean’s home. It was the Grubers’ home, but she was staying there. Ocean knew she was legally an adult now, but she still needed a place to stay. If that meant sleeping in the cream-colored, undecorated guest room, sharing a wall with her rival, and having to see and hear him every day, so be it. It just gave her more chances to give him constructive criticism on his cooking and movie choices.

She couldn’t believe how grateful she was that they were watching the absolute fever dream that was Night at the Museum and not Rocky Horror Picture Show, as Noel had originally suggested.

When the movie ended, Constance shut off the television and glanced up at the clock, seeing that it was already eight o’clock. She didn’t expect that everyone would go to sleep soon, but it was probably time to set up. She gently nudged Ocean off of her shoulder and stood up, nearly kicking Penny in the head. She apologized softly as she motioned to the archway to the hall. “I’m gonna get Dad to help bring our mattresses out. Noel, can you–”

He stood up and stepped over Misha and Penny. “Yep!”

Noel came back after only a moment, carrying Constance’s mattress. Constance quickly knelt down to push the coffee table to the side, quickly deciding to use her body instead of her wrists, as they flared with pain the moment she tried. Noel quickly dropped the mattress on the floor, looking up at the others. He frowned when he saw Penny’s stare, sadder than usual. “Hey… What’s on your mind?” he asked, gaining Constance’s attention as well.

“Death,” Penny told him softly. Noel frowned, unsure how to move on from that. Before he could ask, Scott came over and placed the second mattress, presumably Misha’s, on the other space on the floor. Everyone wiped their eyes, not willing to explain the nuances of why they were suddenly upset.

“Is that all you guys need?” Scott asked, looking around.

Constance stood up and hopped over the mattress to hug her father. He chuckled and hugged her back. “Nothing else, Dad. We’re good.”

“Alright. You can grab any more snacks from the kitchen. Just don’t be loud enough to keep Wesley awake, and have fun.” He gave Constance another squeeze before pulling away. He noticed her eyes shining and frowned. “You alright, Cece?” The others all looked up at her.

“Yeah,” Constance said. She wiped her eyes. “Just… I love you lots.”

Scott smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. A year ago, she would have shoved him away for trying to do that in front of her friends. Now, she didn’t dare. A little embarrassment was worth every second with him. “I love you more, Cupcake. Now, you all get to sleep at some point.” He winked at the group, offering a playful grin.

Then, Scott went upstairs, and the group was left alone. Constance, Penny, and Misha made a quick run for their blankets and pillows. Ocean and Noel had brought pillows, but they hadn’t felt like trying to pack away all their blankets. Ricky had just not even tried, knowing his bed was covered in far too much cat hair.

The girls went to Penny and Constance’s room to get changed. Constance had eagerly agreed to share her room as long as Penny was living here. Besides, it was nice to have someone to talk to who wasn’t her parent or a toddler. Constance did the laundry, Penny helped organize the room, and they kept each other company. Misha and Ezra had a similar arrangement in the once guest room– except neither of them seemed to have designated chores and just didn’t bother the other.

As Ezra was alone in said room, Misha, Noel, and Ricky got changed in the living room. Once they were finished and just waiting on the others, Noel sat back and smirked at Misha. “I assumed you’d be the type to sleep in your underwear.”

Misha snickered hard and sat on his mattress. “If I did that, Ocean would get grossed out and start screeching like a banshee,” he commented. Noel and Ricky snickered back at that, but stifled it just as the girls came back. Everyone got settled in quiet, the thought of death clinging to them still.

It always did. Now more than ever. When things got quiet– not just the living room, but their lives as everything settled down– the anxiety and lack of understanding and trauma got louder, like approaching thunder.

Nobody was crying, but nobody was really smiling. Ricky got the whole couch to himself this time, since Penny had gotten comfortable sitting on the mattress but leaning on the end of the couch. She tended to sleep sitting up, and only Ezra would know whether that was an actual quirk of hers or a result of the neck pain. Noel and Misha got their own space, and Ocean and Constance shared the foot of their mattress with Penny.

When all six were semi-comfortable, they sat together without talking. Noel leaned on Misha’s left side, looking around at the group. Ocean and Constance were holding one another, already shedding a few tears. Ricky looked down at Penny, slowly moving so that his head was near hers. She leaned a bit towards him as well.

“Let’s…” Misha paused as everyone’s eyes turned to him. “Let’s sleep. This is sleepover, no?”

Everyone smiled at him. He’d let his accent thicken towards the end, whether it was to cheer them up or because he was tired, it had lightened the mood. They all agreed, quietly saying goodnight and laying down. Around the same time, all six teens fell into a tense slumber.

___

Everyone gasped as they found themselves on the rollercoaster, climbing the hill again. Ocean gasped quickly, watching Uranium come into view. Instead of seeing every road and large building, she saw the lake and a few trees. Everything else was shrouded in a heavy and dark fog. “No…” Constance said, reaching for Ocean’s hand. Ocean took it and gripped it as hard as possible.

“Stop the ride, stop the ride!” Noel shrieked, pushing at the safety bar and scratching at the side of the cart. “No. No! Stop, stop!” His fist slammed down on it. “Someone stop the ride!”

Before anyone did, the cart dropped, taking them back on the Cyclone.

Six voices rang together as they zipped down the hill and over several small humps. Constance didn’t laugh, instead shrieking and trying to pull back. It did nothing to slow how she was thrown up and down.

The group flew forward on the track, towards one of the sets of speakers blasting music. Ocean felt the lyrics stab at her brain as they approached.

“– cold black cloud is comin' down. Feels like I'm knockin' on Heaven's door–”

The group flew away from the sound, and they were thrown up the track and tilted to the side. Misha glanced ahead at the corkscrew spin, feeling bile sting his throat as he screwed his eyes shut. The nausea was taking over him again, leaving him feeling terrified and violently ill.

The group sped through the spin, and they quickly shot back up. Misha felt like vomit was rising in his throat, but it came out as a bubble that hardened on his lips before shattering. He coughed when it was over, and looked over to see Noel staring at him in fright.

Colors flashed everywhere, bold and blinding. The cart zipped through a few circles, leaving the group dizzy. Noel could feel his heart pounding in his throat, and his ability to breathe was taken away for a moment.

Another bright flash, and then everything was black, and the track flattened out. The screams of the choir got twice as loud as they echoed in the tunnel.

“Рятуй мене, мамо!"

“Stop the ride!”

“Get me off!”

“NO!!”

“Help!”

“Save us!”

The sun tried to blind them when they launched out of the tunnel. The light glared through everyone's tears as they tried once more to escape the cart. Ocean and Constance yelled extra loudly as they felt a loud CRACK from beneath them.

Misha pounded his fist against the metal, sobbing dryly. “Ні, ні, ні. Не знову!”

Penny grabbed at Ricky, trying to hold on tightly. Tears poured out of her eyes without her blinking, and a high-pitched scream came from her without pause. Ricky seized his chance to grab onto her, bracing himself as the cart went up and back. The metal screamed and sparks shot out around them.

Then, they were off the track, angled to the side now. Almost everyone shut their eyes, the sensation flooding them vividly.

Total darkness, spinning black.

The cart spun violently, tossing the students in their seats, forces seemingly uncertain which way they should go.

Pushing forward, pulling back.

Penny's lap bar suddenly snapped at the hinges, opening up. She felt her whole grip suddenly vanish. “Penny!” She slipped through Ricky's hands. “Please, no!” They grabbed for her, but she was gone. She fell from view, shrieking at the top of her lungs. Suddenly, the sound cut off and was replaced by loud cracking. Ricky screamed in horror and started crying, trying and failing to pull away from the cart.

Falling through the air–

Then, the cart slammed into the pavement. Ricky's safety bar suddenly snapped as well, hurling them out of the cart as it continued to tumble. He got a glance of the wreckage before he slammed into a rock, his spine snapping.

Noel and Misha saw Ricky get thrown, but couldn't respond as the cart tumbled forward. It hit something to the side multiple times, causing more of the safety bars to snap and bend. Unable to see exactly how, Noel and Misha felt themselves suddenly get run through. When the tumbling stopped, Misha looked up and around. No sight of Penny. Ricky was bent in ways no human should be, somewhere several meters from them. Ocean's lap bar came undone, and she tried to climb out, but her attempt was in vain. Her legs buckled in places that were not supposed to be joints, and she crumpled to the front of the cart. Another cracking sound. Constance's face was inverted, and she didn't move or make a sound. Misha looked down at Noel, seeing a bruised and bloody mess of a boy.

Noel's hand uselessly reached to the bar impaling them. Before he could attempt any sort of rescue, he coughed, and blood sprayed from his mouth.

“Mm… Misha…”

His hand fell limp before he could say another word, and he hung there.

Misha tried to take a breath to scream for help, but he felt something tear. He tensed and coughed up blood as well, shaking. The smell of everyone's blood hit him, and tears suddenly fell from his eyes. The hot, metallic scent made him want to wretch again. Before he had the chance, everything began to fade…