[PRP] This Impossible Year (Melany & Horace)

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace oozed up the stairs. It was the only way to describe it; he was worn out, mentally and physically. -We must apologize to the good.- "I know, Nugget, I'm going, of course." And he was. The fetches had even magicked him up a new shirt. It looked a bit like a gaudy bowling shirt, which was right up his alley. get it? hohoho.

He had so much to tell her, but he stopped in front of her bedroom door and hesitated. What first? Abruptly, he knocked. "Hey, Mels, got a moment?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Maybe," said Melany, grumpy by the sound of her voice. That or she was sleeping.

A minute later, she opened the door. "Nugget, if you bite me again, I'm gonna cry," she warned.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Nugget squeaked from where he'd nestled himself in Horace's shirt pocket. "He says he's sorry... and I am, too. He was only doing what I asked - to keep you from touching that altered charter." Horace looked very chagrined, glancing up at her through his eyelashes.

"How do you feel?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany didn't look super reassured, but she reached over to pat Nugget between his ears. Good Nugg. "Sleepy, mostly. But better. Like there was a big weight in my head and now there's not."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace smiled. "I'm glad. I was... really worried. Thank you," he said. "For believing in me, Melany." Nugget wriggled out of Horace's pocket to flap over to Melany's good shoulder. His wiggly little nose snuffled at her skin, a version of a bat smooch.

"So.... so much happened, Mels. It's crazy." Horace took a deep breath and shook his head. "Like I can feel people in my head, and your boyfriend was there, and I might have a dad?" He held up on hand, a plastic bag dangling from it. "Also, I brought sushi."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany reached up to continue giving Nugget little bat pets behind the ears. "Of course I believe in you," she said. "But once I've got my arm back you better believe I am not letting you leave me behind again."

She followed Horace down the stairs for sushi. "Yeah?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I don't think I could leave you behind if I tried," he said, laughing a bit. "Nugget is telling me you give better pets than I do - I feel a bit betrayed." The bat only squeaked and shot Horace a look that could be described as superior. Cheeky little dude.

He set up the sushi on the living room table. For some reason, he never used the kitchen or the nook off to the side for eating. "Which bit do you want to hear about first... Sorry, it's pretty jumbled for me. Been weird."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I'll write it in Sharpie on your forehead before your next magic party," said Melany. She patted Nugget affectionately and went to wash her hand before eating. Over the past couple weeks she'd gotten pretty adept at working one-handed.

Once she joined Horace, she rested her chin on her hand and said, "I dunno. Start where-ever you like? I'll stop you if I've got questions."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace, remembering he wasn't a neanderthal, washed his hands as well. "You'll ruin my good looks, then how am I supposed to get a date?" Nugget swooped off, presumably into his closet. Horace passed Melany some chopsticks.

"Well... uh. So. I'm pretty sure that the Ezra who broke up with you wasn't your Ezra. And that yours is back? If you have his number memorized you can use my phone or something to contact him." He organized his sushi into neat little rows, but didn't begin eating them. Horace was a little apprehensive over Ezra still, but he wanted Melany to be happy. "Basically, there was a big magic hullabaloo and he changed, so I'm thinking... anyway, I thought you should know. " He really, really, didn't want to tell her that the Ezra he'd been seeing was honestly super awful, and it didn't matter. Because, if he was right, that Ezra was kind of out of commission and only Melany's Ezra was there. It was kind of confusing. His phone sat on the table next to the sushi.

"But we did magic, and we - me and Oliver and Elliot - kind of vibrated your arm out of existence?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany looked at his phone. Then she closed her eyes and said, "That's a really lovely fairy tale, Horace, but I'm gonna wait for him to reach out to me this time. I'm all out of ********." She carefully broke her chopsticks in one hand. "That sounds pretty crazy. It all worked out, then?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He should have known it wouldn't be so easy. It had been months, after all, and not everyone was as disgustingly eager as he'd been when his ex would pick him back up after discarding him. It had been a boon that he'd never come after Horace. He set his chopsticks down, suddenly feeling queasy, despite the years and the distance.

"I mean, I guess it went okay. We won't know the true effects for some time, and it was... pretty crazy." Organize your thoughts, he reminded himself. "Do you get along with your parents?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"He tried to use me to hurt my friends," said Melany, who evidently wasn't as out of ******** and unaffected as she was trying to be, "if you were telling me the truth, and I trust that you were, so..."

She poked a sashimi roll, but didn't take it. "I don't really have any. I was raised by an aunt, actually. She and I get along pretty well. Why?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I understand that, and it's not like I'm going to try and push you to talk to him, you know?" If Melany chose to talk to him or not... it was her decision, and Horace was certainly curious as to whether Ezra was changed or... He wondered if visiting Ezra himself would be seen as a breach of trust by Melany. Not to tell him things about her, just to pre-assess the situation.

It seemed as though they were both bound to just play with their food, so Horace viciously stabbed a roll and shoved it in his mouth. After he chewed, he spoke. (There was still a grain of rice stuck to his shirt.) "Well, I mean - I guess in that way maybe you'd be best to ask? Because I was raised by my grandma - mother died, didn't know father. But... you see, Silk thinks my dad is one of the fetches. But I'm not sure how to.. to feel about it. We have to find a way to test for it and, if so... what then?" His mouth twisted. It was all a confusing blend of what-ifs.

"He's like a stranger, but... might be my dad? I don't know what to think."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Since Horace started it, Melany seemed to rediscover the sushi as food to be eaten, and took a roll while he talked. "Well, I mean... do you want to know him? If you do, then... take the risk, I think. If nothing else it's good for the medical history, right? You'll know if you've got any genetic stuff to look out for. That's important."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I mean... I'm not entirely sure? There's always the risk of opening up again and being stabbed." Though he doubted Odal would literally stab... that had, however, been a concern in previous relationships. "They have to run a magical blood test, I guess.... Would you wanna know?"

shirbogane