robinnest | Children of Hades

[ mal smiles slightly before the expression fades. ] I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere. I’m kind of like a curse that way.

[ her hand goes to nico’s hair, brushing through the sleep-tousled locks. it had never occurred to her that she may have been relatively safe under the dome. with her mother in control of the isle, mal had it a little easier than most. but they remained wholly dependent on auradon. nothing was produced on the island. nothing grew. their lives were hard ( and their parents did not make the days any easier. ) yet, growing up, mal had not feared her for life. she and her friends had the run of the isle and any danger they encountered they had to find for themselves. it did not come hunting for them.

they even had the freedom to badmouth the powers that be, both good and evil, without fear of being struck by lightning.

mal has known hunger. she knows necessity. she knows neglect. she knows being feared and she knows being hated. she has never known war.

with the insidious bloom of the consequences still lingering underneath nico’s skin, she prays they never have cause to see another. ]

Edited 2019-09-13 00:10 (UTC)

[If there were another war, Nico would do everything in his power to encourage Mal to go back to Auradon and remain out of its reach. If he believed for one moment that she would have gone, he'd have asked her to take Hazel too.

He doesn't have the energy to smile at her self deprecating humor, but he warms to the words, grateful for her. More grateful than he could ever vocalize. He's never felt so safe after a nightmare. Never felt so loved. He can't imagine how anyone would have ever rejected Mal because everything she is is good, strong, and kind. He loves her with all of his heart.]

I'm glad you're here. [He manages, still quiet, voice shaking with a different emotion than before.] I'm glad. [He repeats, eyes shut.]

I wish...I wish I wasn't such a mess. I wish I could be a better brother. [Stronger, unbroken, less weighted down with all of his damage. Mal deserved a better brother.]

But I'm...I'm kind of. Broken.

Hey. [ her tone becomes stern. her hand falls on his shoulder and gives it a little shake to make him look at her. as soon as he does, she points one black-painted fingernail at his face. even so, her voice remains gentle. ]

You found me. You brought me here. You've been helping me through all this and you are the reason I'm still here. You are the best damn brother, and I'm not going to listen to anyone, even you, say otherwise.

[ or talk shit about her little brother and get hit. even if you are said little brother. especially if you are said little brother. ]

[This time he smiles weakly and one of his hands come to rest on top of hers. He doesn't agree but he's glad she said it either way, and he's not about to argue. Not now when he needs the words most.]

You should sleep. It's late.

You should too.

[ mal moves until she's seated on the edge of his bed. she raises her hand, palm up. the little lights still revolving around them are drawn to it like moths. each vanishes one by one into her skin until only one remains, floating lazily between them.

leaning over, mal plucks his pillow where it lay. one spell and all signs of tears vanish. she fluffs the pillow for good measure before putting it back on the bed. ]

I'll stay here until you fall asleep, [ she says, making it sound more like a decision than the offer it is. ]

[Nico lets out a soft snorting sound and shakes his head.]

I'm not going back to sleep. [Despite how softly it's spoken, there's a stoniness to the words. This isn't debatable. It's a wonder that in the last couple of weeks the dark circles under his eyes have been at their faintest in a long time, but perhaps the fact that they are always always there is beginning to make sense.]

[ well. ] I'm not going to sleep while you stare at your canopy all night.

Come on, [ she tries cajoling. ] You need your rest.

[He shakes his head once more.]

I'll end up back there if I try to sleep now. [There's an exhaustion in his voice that suggests he's speaking from experience. He's always too shaken to fight the nightmares off after waking from one. Maybe if he asked Clovis for help, but there was no guarantee he could reach Clovis before the dreams took him and he doesn't feel like walking all the way over to the Hypnos cabin to wake Clovis and ask him for help in the waking world.]

It's okay. I'll rest, just not sleep.

Okay.

[ she holds up her hands in surrender.

she does not get up.

mal sits cross-legged on the bed, looking to the other side of the room where her mother is back to scurrying around her tank. judging the room warm enough, mal opens her hand. the lights flit back to her like the others had, but she does not call them back into her palm. she sets them rotating gently.

and very quietly she starts to sing. ]

[When Mal doesn't leave, Nico relaxes again. He'd been afraid that she would when he made it clear that he wasn't sleeping, but she stays and Nico closes his eyes to listen to her sing. He has the faintest memories of Bianca doing the same, but Mal's voice is different. He likes the differences.

Eventually Nico shuffles closer, close enough to lean his head on her shoulder. He might not have any plans to sleep, but he'd meant it when he told her he would rest and it's made all the easier with his sister's sweet voice, calming his battered heart.]

[ when mal finishes one song, she starts another. her head comes to rest on top of his. she does not speak again, only sings the songs she knows and half-remembers.

back on the isle, music was what they had. no internet. no radio. only two channels on the television and only a few working televisions for an entire island. whether remembered or composed on the spot, music is music and music lifted the dreariness if only for a moment. music is the only thing she can offer. she knows no other way to help.

her brother calls himself a mess, but it's mal who has to guess at what to say, what to do. she can change iron to gold, create a feast with a wave of her finger, make a prince fall in love with her. but she cannot stop the nightmares haunting nico. all her power and all her potential and all she can offer to ease his distress are lullabies she heard others sing. her heart aches for him. he deserves so much better than her, and she is afraid.

she is afraid he will realize it, and pull away from her.

she is afraid he won't, and she will be the cause of more hurt. ]

Edited 2019-09-14 17:57 (UTC)

Children of Hades

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puts a pretty finishing bow on this