Don't Be Afraid To Be Who You Are - Auradon Side

[missrecalled_mods]

The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down

Just over a week after the Isle visit people would find themselves drawn outside. The reason might vary, it was a lovely day and the air had the sweet scent of spring. It was the first truly warm day, and perhaps that was it. But for whatever reason everyone, or nearly everyone, found themselves outside and then drifted peacefully off to sleep.

As they slept a gentle rain came down upon them, soft enough to wake only those in a cursed sleep. The water not only broke dark spells and curses on the people the rain touched but for some people it brought a very different sort of transformation.

A number of the Missrecalled might find themselves awakening older than they had been when they fell asleep. Some of them might awaken with all their older self's memories, or maybe those would come with time, or maybe the memories would need more help to return. But when everyone awoke with a light dew on their faces and clothes, some people would be in for quite the surprise....

Gift In Time Gift In Time Nary A Reason Nary A Rhyme Gift In Time!

After the odd outdoor nap, many might wish to head into their rooms to get changed and freshen up. Or maybe they wouldn't go back to their room for a while, but when they did they would find a gift on their beds waiting for them....

Comments

[papillion_de_resistance]

"I made sure Malia left a dish out for him, so I'm sure he'll go and get it when he's ready," he said. He was glad he'd thought of that much at least.

He still didn't comment on the tears directly, not wanting to embarrass the young man; he needed none of his abilities to know that Garfield was very emotional just then. Instead he stood behind him, looking at the shelf of plushies. "I see you got a gift as well," he said. Then after a moment, he added awkwardly, "Do you er... enjoy collecting plush toys?" He almost winced at how stiff that had sounded even to him, but managed to refrain.

[death_from_above]

"What.. oh.. um... Not really, not usually... it's just these...." He hesitated. Given they aren't biologically related it should be impossible for Gar to have inherited Gabe's awkwardness, and yet...

And sadly this wasn't acting to play the role convincingly. He just... really didn't know how to be both emotional and Gar with someone he wasn't already super close with like Adrien, Leia, or the Doctor.

[papillion_de_resistance]

"It's alright if you'd rather not talk about it," he said with a bit of a sigh. "I... know I haven't really given you much cause to feel like you could be open with me."

There was an awkward pause as he considered how to continue. Why did words come so much easier when it wasn't his children he was addressing? "I'd... like to apologize for that. If I've made you feel unwelcome, or like you were an intrusion or a burden, you should know that that's entirely a result of my own awkwardness. It's no reflection on you."

[death_from_above]

Why wasn't Adrien here? He was the one who was good at this...

He shrugged, awkward himself. Not sure what to say. How to explain that it was weird him being so different from the Gabriel that Spark and Adrien knew without letting everything else come out. Without sharing the secrets he had to keep to keep Adrien safe.

"You... don't remember me..." he finally mumbled. "In your reality there was no Garfield Agreste..." Dangerously close to the truth, but still.. should work. "So... it's not like you ow...owe me anything." His breath caught, hitched. The problem was there had been so many Storms that wanting Gabriel Agreste to love him and see him a son was so burned into him now. "I'm not...not your son... not really..." He mumbled. Too close. Too close to the truth. But he didn't know how to unsay the words.

[papillion_de_resistance]

Once again, it took him a moment to find the words. He took a deep breath, exhaled. "It's true that I never had a son named Garfield in my world," he finally said, "...but I have a son named Garfield here and now. I can't presume to take the place of your biological father, but... well, if you'd like to call me 'father' for however long we're both here, I'd be honored to accept the title."

There. He'd said it. Now he could only await Garfield's reaction.

[death_from_above]

He spun in shock so fast that he tripped over his own feet and tumbled to the ground. Stupid bipedal stance... "Wh... what?" he asked startled and confused as he looked up from the ground.

[papillion_de_resistance]

Setting the DVD on the desk next to the tray, Gabriel bent down to offer Garfield a hand up. "I said, while I can't presume to take the place of your biological father, if you'd like to call me 'father' for however long both of us are here, I'd be honored to accept the title," he repeated, though he quickly added, "though if you don't want to, you needn't feel obligated to." The shocked reaction, he felt, didn't speak well for the chances of Garfield accepting, but he wanted to make sure the offer was clearly understood, at least.

[death_from_above]

He took the hand up, and Gabriel would be able to tell he was shaking badly. "Even.... Even the version of you who is... who knows m... who..." he took a deep breath as he made it to his feet, but then sank back down to sit on the floor. "He never wanted to admit that... that I was connected to him..." he said, softly. "He'd rather only have Adrien and not me..."

[papillion_de_resistance]

After a moment of consideration, Gabriel sat down on the floor next to Garfield,, knees partly drawn up and his loosely folded arms resting on them in a less distressed mimicry of Garfield's pose. "Then if you'll pardon my saying so, your father was clearly a fool," he said. "At least in that area. I've made quite a few missteps with regards to you, and I guarantee that I'll make more. But I'd never actively turn you away like that if I had any choice in the matter."

[death_from_above]

"Even though I am clearly a mess up embarrassment of a kid who can't pass a class if my brother's life depended on it and am useless as a model, or to your work in any other way...?"

[papillion_de_resistance]

"Garfield," he said gently, "Emilie.... your mother and I didn't try for so long to have children because we wanted to raise models, or scholars. We wanted to raise children. And children shouldn't be required to earn their parent's love in any way. A lesson your biological father clearly very much needs to learn."

[death_from_above]

"He treats Adrien like that too," he mumbled. "But Adrien os so much better at everything. I guess there is that though... The one thing I contribute. Adrien looks even better than he is by comparing him to me."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"Well you can rest assured that I won't require any such justifications from you or from any version of Adrien, should one actually arrive," he said. "Though I'm not your biological father, you're still my sons, and deserve to be treated as such, not as commodities."

[death_from_above]

"Even... even though you have no memories of me and... and I'm not really... your son?" he asked, softly.

[papillion_de_resistance]

"Garfield," he said, "I may not be your biological father, but you are my son. And as for lacking memories... well, we can work on that here, can't we?"

[death_from_above]

"I.... I honestly don't know what to do with that," he admitted. "I... I mean.. I know other people with dads who..." he cut himself off. "But... I don't know what it is like having one," he mumbled.

[papillion_de_resistance]

Gabriel smiled. "Well, we'll both have a bit of a learning curve then," he said. "For now, how about we stick with something simple; breakfast. Thankfully prepared by Malia and not me."

He got to his feet with a bit of effort, then once again offered Garfield a hand up. "As talented as I am with a needle and thread, I'm not nearly so skilled with a skillet and saucepan. I made pancakes for your mother once, not long after we were married; she took one bite, then made me promise to never do it again."

[death_from_above]

He took the hand and got up carefully. "Too bad Sanji isn't here... he makes good food. Adrien makes good sushi though..." he said, so unsure.

[papillion_de_resistance]

Gabriel took the DVD from the desk, then stepped aside slightly so Garfield could more easily get at the tray, or sit at the desk to eat if he wanted. "Sanji is a friend of yours, I take it?", he said. "Is this in Paris, or this... chaos world you mentioned?"

[death_from_above]

"The chaos world, and he was more of a friend of Spark and Adrien's, but I heard a lot about him."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"What was it like there?", he said. "Beyond 'chaotic', that is."

[death_from_above]

"I mean, that is the best world since everything worked on chaos energy. The um... Well, the Storms were a lot more intense than the weirdnesses here or on the Train."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"'Storms?", he said. "I'm guessing that doesn't simply refer to rough weather, if they're more intense than the... unusual effects this place as had."

[death_from_above]

"Chaos storms. They made things weird. Like one time Adrien's bodyguard who was a friend of ours, she was our sister in some weird alternate reality where we were homeless. Except you. And you welcomed Adrien back but didn't seem to even see her or me. Then there was another storm where I had a tail and extra arms and I could breathe underwater. There was one where Mom was..." a swallow. "Mom was alive but out of town, and Adrien and I went to a private school you taught at, and at the prom I got sliced up by a bad guy who... actually came back after the Storm ended. Each storm lasted about a week and we all thought they were reality when trapped in them. But after the end of the week we became ourselves again, remembering everything. And sometimes something was there after from the storm. Also there were dolls. Almost every month. Of people who had left, or people who just arrived."

[papillion_de_resistance]

He hesitated slightly, but rested what he hoped was a reassuring hand on Garfield's shoulder as he recounted the effects of the 'Chaos storms'. He opted not to think too deeply on the implications of them himself, at least right then, lest he get emotional himself; right now, Garfield needed someone steady and stable.

"Well those certainly do sound... chaotic," he said a bit awkwardly. "So I suppose the name fits. " He looked back at the plush toys on the shelf. "I'm guessing these are the dolls you mentioned?"