Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

GS: Please, Serpaz, the grubs miss you
PD: im aware the kids miss me but i simply cant come back knowing what you did
PD: its fuckin weird i would care a little less if it was about like goldbloods but tealbloods just hit it home
PD: youre fucking weird
PD: dont say jack shit to me ever again not even through connections
— pliableDecadence [PD] has blocked grandioseSaturation! —

Great. Just great. Your kismesis is gone and she didn’t even wanna see the kids. Just wonderful. You have nobody else to turn to.

> Receive message.

Except for him. For some reason, he’s texting you.

— unclaspedKahuna [UK] started bothering grandioseSaturation [GS] —

UK: >([wazzup]
GS: What do you want.
UK: >([#eard da news from serpaz]
UK: >([parently ur a freak lmfao]
GS: Did she say for what.
UK: >([na# dat s#it s#e keepin on lock]
UK: >([wateva it was its got to b bad]
GS: …Yeah. Anyway, what do you want?
UK: >([come outside]

Calder looked at his palmhusk with a curious expression. What could anybody want to do at 11:00 at night, especially somebody in his situation? He had nobody to watch the grubs, and he was especially not going out; what if somebody broke in and stole all his heirlooms?

> Go down and open the door.

Calder ties his silk magenta robe tightly as he proceeds to open the door to a tall, scruffy Murrit Turkin. Wearing baggy jeans, a jock sweater, and a stained black tanktop with god knows whatever the all-mother fuck is on it, Murrit asks:

MURRIT: >([can i come in]

With that, Calder gestures him inside and shuts the door.

MURRIT: >([noice place ya got]
CALDER: Thanks.
MURRIT: >([#ey]

>

Murrit turns around in response to Calder’s uninspiring attempt to a response in a conversation.

MURRIT: >([wats up wit you]
MURRIT: >([u usually counter wit# some snarky bloodline/financial #eritage quip, but just t#x is abnormal]
CALDER: I’m fine.
MURRIT: >([cal, what’s the matter?]

>

Calder looks staring down at the ground, bringing one hand to his head and the other his pocket.

CALDER: You don’t need to worry about it.
CALDER: It’s alright. None of your business.

Murrit came over and placed one hand on Calder’s shoulder, to which Calder promptly brushed away.

MURRIT: >([you can’t keep pushing everybody away forever.]
MURRIT: >([you’re gonna crack at some point.]
CALDER: That some point hasn’t arrived yet, so for the meanwhile, I’ll keep my routine up.

>

Murrit puts his hand back in his pocket and scoffs.

MURRIT: >([whatever. call me whenever that happens. ill be sure to pick up the phone.]

>

Murrit left Calder in the same spot as he walked out the door, to his car, and drove home. Calder was on the verge of tears, but he wasn’t about to show weakness. Not for this. He picked his head up, decided to do something about this, and go to sleep. He needed to be sure whatever he was doing was right and not crazy.

> Go to sleep.

Calder went upstairs to lay in his bed and did his nightly routine of skincare and turning the baby monitor on. He saw his wigglers sleeping peacefully and soundly in their room and he smiled. As long as he had them, he wouldn’t need anybody else.

It would be nice to have a companion though.

Chapter Text

ARCJEC: XDXD Wait so, Serpaz left Calder and their…wigglers? XDXD
MURRIT: >([yep t#ats w#at i #eard from #er n laivan]
ARCJEC: XDXD Wow. I’m way too out of the loop of things. XDXD
MURRIT: >([surprised laivy didnt tell ya]
ARCJEC: XDXD Okay, you can shut up about that name now. Haha, moirails have nicknames. Give it up for Murrit everyone! XDXD
MURRIT: >([ya still got it laug#ingstock]
ARCJEC: XDXD Whatever. XDXD
ARCJEC: XDXD I’m just surprised Laivan didn’t mention this to me. XDXD
MURRIT: >([wut can i say #es a quiet guy]
ARCJEC: XDXD Yeah, but usually we would talk about stuff like this. XDXD
ARCJEC: XDXD Maybe he’s just ignoring it for some reason.
MURRIT: >([#ey]
ARCJEC: XDXD What? XDXD
MURRIT: >([go talk to #im]
ARCJEC: XDXD …What? XDXD
MURRIT: >([arc, you’re clearly worried and this isn’t gonna get solved if you keep talking to me rather than talking to laivan.]
ARCJEC: XDXD … XDXD
ARCJEC: XDXD You’re right. XDXD
ARCJEC: XDXD Man, saying that to you feels weird. XDXD
MURRIT: >([#a#a u kno i am too]
ARCJEC: XDXD Don’t rub it in. Or else you’ll never hear me say those words again. XDXD
MURRIT: >([i got a #unc# you’ll say em again]
MURRIT: >([anyway go kiss your pale boyfriend]
ARCJEC: XDXD I want you to know I’m rolling my eyes really hard right now. XDXD
MURRIT: >([bye arc]
ARCJEC: XDXD Bye stupid. XDXD

Arcjec hung up the phone and jogged downstairs to put on his coat.

ARCJEC: XDXD Hey Taz. XDXD

Taz turns her head from the stove to see Arcjec putting his coat on.

TAZ: ~hey, where you going?~
ARCJEC: XDXD Out. Laivan’s hive. He hasn’t been talking these past few days. XDXD
TAZ: ~have fun a+ laivy’s. haha.~
ARCJEC: XDXD Oh, not you too. XDXD
TAZ: ~ya know, say wha+ you wan+, bu+ having a nickname for your moirail is kinda swee+.~
ARCJEC: XDXD Yeah, yeah, “Alby”. XDXD
TAZ: ~okay, shu+ up, i+ was funnier when i+ was you.~
ARCJEC: XDXD Hahaha. Anyway, I seriously have to go now, I’m getting more worried by the moment. Are we on for tonight still? XDXD
TAZ: ~yeah, i’ll see you la+er.~

Taz finishes her food and goes to hug and kiss Arcjec and shoots him a warm smile.

ARCJEC: XDXD You should really smile more. It’s- XDXD

Arcjec was cut off before his next word.

TAZ: ~go see laivan.~
ARCJEC: XDXD Right. I’ll see you tonight. XDXD

Arcjec gave her a kiss back and walked out as she waved goodbye.

Arcjec walked out his door and immediately began to text Laivan. He didn’t even look up to cross the road. A scuttlebuggy almost hit him.

— animatedHumorist [AH] started bothering windlessArtificer [WA] —

AH: XDXD Hey, are you alright? XDXD
AH: XDXD Murrit asked you to play AM but you didn’t respond, and that got me more worried than before. XDXD
WA: What-
WA: Oh-
WA: Yeah I’m fine-
WA: Why-
AH: XDXD Laivan, you haven’t texted anybody since the shit came out. XDXD
AH: XDXD Are you sure you’re alright? XDXD
WA: Yes- I’m- fine-
WA: Please don’t- come over to my place-
AH: XDXD Too late. XDXD

> Be Laivan.

He’s annoyed. Or upset. Conflicted for sure.

Laivan puts on some attempt at matching clothing, trudges downstairs, and opens the door to a scarily concerned Arcjec.

LAIVAN: What-
ARCJEC: XDXD Don’t say “What’s up-“ or “Nothing’s wrong-“ to anything. XDXD
LAIVAN: Alright- Why are you here then-
ARCJEC: XDXD You know why. XDXD

Laivan sighs and knows what’s coming from this.

LAIVAN: Pity party-?
ARCJEC: XDXD Pity party. XDXD

It was their first pity party. Thrown for Laivan, at least. The amount of Arcjec-centered pity parties are innumerable. Also unbearable sometimes.

ARCJEC: XDXD So what’s wrong? XDXD
ARCJEC: XDXD And don’t say nothing. XDXD
LAIVAN: Wasn’t going to-
LAIVAN: But since you’re so insistent-

> Laivan: Recall.

SERPAZ: ughhh!!!! that guy
LAIVAN: What’s the matter-
SERPAZ: hes so!! god!!!
SERPAZ: hes so annoying, crude, insensitive, annoying, obnoxious, and did it mention annoying???
SERPAZ: ugh!!!
LAIVAN: Hey- calm down-

Laivan walks up to Serpaz and gives her a hug, and she seems to calm down a bit.

SERPAZ: i just
SERPAZ: need to be left alone
SERPAZ: to think about things
SERPAZ: dont text me ill come back
SERPAZ: bye

Serpaz shut the door behind her, not even letting Laivan get a sound in. He, of course, did not follow Serpaz’s directions.

LAIVAN: I tried calling and texting and everything- even getting Sova- to text her- but she blocked every way I could-
ARCJEC: XDXD Woah, woah. Calm down Laivan. Deep breaths. XDXD
LAIVAN: I can’t- do that-
LAIVAN: I’m- worried she’s done- something- to hurt herself- or somebody else-
ARCJEC: XDXD Oh god, okay. XDXD
LAIVAN: I think-
LAIVAN: I’m gonna-
>
…
> Arcjec: Get call from Murrit.

MURRIT: >([so #ow’d it go]
ARCJEC: XDXD Not well. XDXD

Chapter Text

> Occeus: Let Serpaz drone on.

SERPAZ: god i hate him!!!!! he’s just so
SERPAZ: urgh!!!!!
SERPAZ: man how did you deal with him

Occeus looks up from his keyboard for the first time in a while and blinks.

OCCEUS: Eye
SERPAZ: you what? im confused

OCCEUS: Eye…g.o.tta g.o.
SERPAZ: what!!!!?!!?!
OCCEUS: Just d.o. n.o.t t.o.uch anything
SERPAZ: where are you

Before Serpaz could finish her sentence, Occeus threw on his coat and ran out the door.

SERPAZ: you can’t just leave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Serpaz shakes her fist in the air watching Occeus walk by. She huffs and proceeds to leave for somewhere else.

In the meanwhile, Occeus decides to text a significant someone…else.

— macabreExude [ME] began bothering grandioseSaturation [GS] at 13:56 PM —

ME: Just

He was cut off by Calder’s curt response.

GS: What do you want now?
ME: Can eye finish my first statement?
GS: Sure. If it’s criticism, I’m blocking.
ME: Just what in the naught-father’s name are y.o.u d.o.ing
GS: I’m blocking.
ME: Wait

“What is he doing being so stubborn now…?”
Calder looked at the clock. 1:24 AM. A single, borderline depressed father doesn’t have time for this.

GS: What? It is 1:24 AM.
GS: Now 1:25.
ME: Can y.o.u please just hear me .o.ut
GS: Fine. What.
ME: We need t.o. talk. Genuinely. Meet me at the cr.o.ssr.o.ads of y.o.ur ancest.o.r at 6.
GS: …
GS: Okay.

Calder could not understand what Occeus could possibly have to talk about. His chest rose and fell at an increasing rate, making him feel like he was becoming smaller and falling. He grew anxious at the thought of just meeting his ex-moirail, with new feelings he can’t simply bribe somebody to take away.

> Check on Laivan.

LAIVAN: Ugh…- Sorry-
ARCJEC: XDXD Hey.. calm down, you’ll be fine… XDXD

At this moment, Murrit burst through the door, a bag full of medical-grade inhalers in one hand, and a broken wrist with the other.

MURRIT: wut’d i miss
His chest was falling and rising rapidly.

LAIVAN: No- Nothing-
ARCJEC: XDXD Hey. Dumbass. Get over here. Now. XDXD
MURRIT: jeez ma guy, calm ya tits
MURRIT: im getting dere

Murrit walked over and took a sit next to both of them, handing Laivan his new ethically-acquired inhalers.

LAIVAN: Thanks-
He takes a hit of one.
LAIVAN: Have you guys heard from her at all-? Or even Sova-?

Both shook their heads no.

LAIVAN: Shit-
LAIVAN: Man I wanna know where she went-

> Serpaz: Finally get out of the shadows.

She didn’t necessarily do that. She got out of the dingy lighting Occeus had in his lab, yes, but from hiding? No.

Serpaz found herself walking around in the forest she knew too familiar. Her pace was slow, steady like the Reptonian waters at night, save for Calder fucking things up as per usual. Her stride ended when she came to a familiar spot that she knew.

The place she got shot.

Despite the circumstances, it’s actually a pretty romantic place for her. It’s where she met her bondmate after all, and he took her to his place to help her back on her feet. She has a permanent brace now, but it’s merely just a side effect of the weird way love worked in her favor. She sat down on a nearby log and smiled at the scenery. She took in deep breaths, as if she could smell the actual night it happened.

She stared down the disorganized aisles of trees, watching the wildlife chitter and scatter around, until she felt an oddly warm hand with a black cloak over top.

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