Malcolm Tent
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Wish upon the Stars chapter 660
🕑 Added 2024-07-02 15:49:50 +0000 UTCThe next hour or two was excruciating. Callie tried to get me to dance with her to take my mind off things, but in the end I just sat there staring at my shoes for two hours until my mom called for us to come find her. We hurried down the hall after the page she sent, and when we entered the surprisingly plush back room, we found Zeke lying in bed looking drained.
“You almost died. Ass.” I accused my uncle. “What am I supposed to do if you kick the bucket? Do you know how mopey Stella would get? And Amelia and Alexander both consider you friends. You would have ruined the whole wedding.”
He grinned weakly. “How selfish of me.” He said wryly. “I heard Eli was here?”
“I punched him in the throat.” I said proudly. “I broke SO MUCH of my hand. Just like…all the bones.”
The shocked burst of laughter he let out devolved into a coughing fit, and we all waited anxiously for it to pass. “Ow.” He with a chuckle. “Try not to make me laugh. Everything hurts. I think I dislocated my brain.”
“That presupposes you have one.” Said my mother waspishly. “Which is very much in doubt at this point.” He rolled his eyes and flipped her off, which just elicited a glare.
I shook my head solemnly. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course he has a brain.” She raised an eyebrow at me as Zeke nodded smugly, and I continued with a grin. “He’s not stupid, he’s an idiot. Being an idiot means you have a brain but decide not to use it. Much dumber.”
“Hey!” Snapped my uncle in an offended tone. “I was saving your life!”
“Well do it better next time!” I snapped back. “If you die in the process that’s not success, it’s like…barely above failure. I won’t have you half assing things like this.” He looked like he wanted to retort, but he went silent. I sat there uncomfortable for a minute before I finally said. “I’d be pretty fucking devastated if you died.”
He smiled wryly. “I’m not exactly itching for that outcome myself. But better me than you, kid.”
My mom swallowed hard. “Thank you, Ezekiel.” She said solemnly. “For everything. We owe you more than we can say.”
“But not enough to use my proper name.” He said sourly. “I’m on my deathbed, woman, you can’t cut me some slack?” I saw the color come back to his cheeks as they argued and smirked as I saw mom badged him the same way Maria had badgered Benny and I as kids. They really were like siblings.
She scoffed. “Please, you’ve already been healed. This is a painbed at worst. Don’t be such a baby.”
“See if I save your kids again.” He complained with a pout. “I get no respect.”
I rolled my eyes and reached into my ring, pulling out a few muffins and a plate along with a hot mug of cocoa (the best thing about spatial storage was keeping hot food at peak freshness) before shoving them towards him. “If you can complain you can eat. Have some muffins, you look like you got hit by a bus.”
“I feel like I got hit by a bus.” He admitted. “Made of S-rank sharks.” He sniffed the muffins and took a bite. “Bran.” He said with a grimace. “You don’t have anything better?”
I shrugged. “The chocolate chip are for Callie. She gets snacky. I have zucchini too, but I know you hate those. Bran is good for you…for some reason. I admit I have no idea why, but it’s supposed to be healthy.”
He glared at me, taking a bite of the fresh muffin with a thunderous expression but not willing to complain about it any more. I just smirked behind my mask as he sipped the cocoa.
“So…” I said after a minute of awkward silence. “Is this over? The banquet was supposed to be the end, right? So we can leave? Or is this mess going to strand us here for the foreseeable future.”
My mom shook her head. “Killian is already on the way back. He’ll take us all to Callus.”
“And by all you mean…” I trailed off hopefully. She gave me a gentle smile, pressing a hand to my masked cheek sadly.
“I mean those of us who came together.” She said kindly. “Your father…stepping in to help was already beyond what he feels he should have done. He told me to tell you he was sorry. He can’t come to the wedding. Having both of us there with both of you is too much. Chelsea provides a reason for me to be there, especially after this mess, but Eli…”
Someone would notice. I knew she was right. Being around me was one thing, but putting him next to Chelsea for a long period of time was asking for trouble. I looked almost exactly like my dad, barring a few minor features that could be brushed aside, but Chelsea was more a mix of our parents.
“He’s such a dick sometimes.” Sighed Zeke. “Couldn’t have told the kid himself? I’m guessing he’s already gone then?”
She grimaced. “Adramalech was just backup. He and the other S-rankers and their entourages couldn’t afford to stick around. My dad let me know they were leaving about an hour ago.” She reached out, plucking something from the air, and handed it to me. “He wanted you to have this, though.”
It was a small square object, flat and wrapped in paper. A wedding gift, I supposed.
I tore the paper, and inside was a small picture frome. In the frame was a photo of four people. Two of them were obviously recognizable, and two of them were familiar enough to figure out their identities, despite the age difference. A smiling couple with blonde hair, each holding a child on their hip, one the same sandy blonde as the man, and the other with distinctive black and white hair.
Mom glanced down at it and swallowed hard. “I didn’t realize there were any copies of that left. We took it on your second birthday. We didn’t take many pictures, and most of the ones we had were destroyed when we split you up.”
I noticed that the paper was folded in the center, creased deeply as if it had been opened and closed many times.
My reaction to the image was…complicated. I’d never seen my dad smile like that. Hell, given he had red skin and horns I didn’t know if I’d EVER seen my dad’s real face before today. He’d become a devil when I was younger, so he must have been hiding his appearance. Still, it was staggering to see him looking so…happy.
“That…” I trailed off, searching for the right word. “Fucking coward! I swear, I’m going to make it to A-rank before I see him again out of sheer spite. The next time I punch him in the throat, HE’LL be the one doubled over in pain! How dare he just take off without even talking to me?” I waved the picture at them furiously. “Like this is some kind of substitute? There’s not even a fucking note!”
Zeke was trying not to crack up and having trouble breathing. It took him a second to calm down. “That’s so classic Eli.” He said in a strangled voice. He probably meant it as a sort of unspoken apology.”
“If he wanted to apologize he should have fucking SPOKE it!” I snapped, almost panting with rage.
This was so…him. Just like Zeke said, I should have expected this. Show up, show off, and show himself the fucking door. I was so angry I could spit. Not even at him really, but at myself. Because why the fuck had I expected any different? Had I thought we were going to sit down and finally have that heart to heart talk I’d been wanting since I learned the truth about myself?
“Honey.” My mom said gently, putting a hand on my shoulder. “You know he loves you. He’s just…not good at these kinds of things. He shows he cares in subtler ways. You just need to be on the look out for them.”
I pulled away from her. “Why?” I demanded. “Why is that my job? He’s the fucking parent. He can’t say what he means?” I stalked across the room, pacing. “I’m so sick of everyone making excuses for him. And the worst part is I can’t even really be angry. Not completely. Because he DID save Zeke, and all our lives. And I’m sure he thinks that just makes it all ok, and I can’t even say that it doesn’t! Did you tell Chelsea?”
“I did.” She said sadly. “She took it better than I expected. Her relationship with Eli isn’t a complicated as yours. He just wasn’t around for her at all. Seeing him go like this doesn’t effect her much.”
I snorted, dropping into a chair. “Good for her.” I sighed. “Fuck. I’m sorry, ma. This isn’t your fault. I shouldn’t be flipping out at you. He just gets under my skin, you know? Nobody knows how to piss me off like he does. I’ve been planning what to say to him when I saw him again for so long and he just takes off.”
“Well, you DID punch him in the throat.” Zeke said with a wry smile. “I feel like that got most of the point across.”
I chuckled at that. “You know? You might be right. But I have plenty more to say, and I’ll be sure that next time I see him he’ll HAVE to sit still and listen.” I was approaching D-rank, and I knew I could keep going. Once I was A-rank, I could corner him and make him have a conversation whether he felt like staying put or not. That bastard owed me at least that much.
There was a knock on the door, and I opened it, unsurprised to find Callie standing there giving me a sympathetic look. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around me tightly, pulling me against her and letting me slump into her embrace.
Suddenly, I didn’t feel quite so bad anymore. Sure I was still frustrated and confused, but I wasn’t alone, not even in my own head. I hugged my fiancee back just as tightly as she hugged me, and I felt the stress melt away. When I let her go, she smiled up at me adoringly, and I knew the expression was mirrored on my own face.
My mother, watching from nearby, nodded in approval. “He’s lucky to have you.” She told Callie with a warm smile. She glanced between us for a moment, then clapped her hands excitedly. “Now, with all this depressing nonsense out of the way, how about we start work on the wedding. We’ll need to send invitations to any external parties ahead of time if we expect them to make it.”
Callie lit up, her face glowing. “Well several of the people we were going to invite are here, and they can come with us on Killian’s ship if they’re willing.”
Nodding, my mother manifested a pen and paper from her ring. Licking the tip of the pen, she nodded seriously. “Well that’s a good start, but I’m sure you’ve met plenty of other nice people you’d like to invite. Give me some names.”
They launched into a flurry of discussion about people we’d met on our adventures and who could and couldn’t come. Nat, Anna-Marie, Camden, a Wyndham wedding wasn’t just a celebration, it was a networking opportunity, a way to bring people into my future faction, and both of them seemed intent on exploiting it to the fullest.
I walked over to stand by Zeke, shrouding us both in Stealth. “Why do I feel like I’ve made a horrible mistake.” I said worriedly. Not the marriage, i was thrilled to be with Callie for the rest of my life, but I was starting to think this wedding was going to be…taxing.
He grinned at me wolfishly. “Oh don’t worry kid, That doesn’t ever go away.” I did not appreciate his laughter. The choking when it got too loud, on the other hand, was pretty funny.
