Happiness is a Myth

Chapter 12

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The door bangs open and Shepherd runs in, zeroing in on Link on the couch and throwing himself at him.

Link holds the shaking boy and looks at Rhett and Lando: "What's going on?"

Rhett shrugs: "He refused to speak to us all the way here."

Lando sits next to them on the couch and points at the tubes: "What's this?"

Link gathers Shepherd into his lap and pats his back while smiling at his son: "I need extra air to breath for a while. It's to make me feel better so I can play longer with you guys."

Lando scratches his cheek: "Oh. Ok."

Link points with his eyes to Rhett and the taller man says to Lando: "Wanna come help me prepare some snacks?"

Lando hops off of the couch and follows Rhett out.

Link rubs Shepherd's back: "What's wrong? Talk to me."

Shepherd shakes his head, tightening his hold on Link.

Link sighs: "You need to use your words. I don't understand sign language."

Shepherd mumbles into Link's many layers of clothes.

Link huffs a laugh: "I don't speak shirt mumble either."

Shepherd leans back just enough to say: "Some of the kids said mean things about you today."

Link continues to rub his back: "What did they say?"

Shepherd starts sobbing: "They said that you paid Eponym so he can make you famous and that there is nothing special about you.. And that you're the saddest human alive.. And .. and.."

Link stopped comprehending what Shepherd was saying with the tears mixed into it.

He leans back to look into the sobbing boy's eyes: "Why are you upset?"

Shepherd absentmindedly plays with the tubes hanging from Link's ears: "I hate it! I don't want them to say lies about you. It's not fair! It's not right!"

Link wipes the boy's tear stained cheeks: "It's not fair or right. But I know the truth and you know the truth and that's all that matters."

Shepherd shakes his head: "I want them to stop."

Link smiles sadly at him: "It's a free country, just like we have the right to speak our minds, they have the right to speak up too. But you know what?"

Shepherd shakes his head. Link leans in to whisper to him: "The truth always wins. So let them talk trash now because later they will look soooo stupid and you can tell them 'I told you so!' and it's going to be EPIC!"

Shepherd looks skeptical at him: "You think so?"

Link smooths his hair back and smiles with all the confidence he can muster: "I know so."

Shepherd leans his head on Link's chest: "Ok. I can wait."

Link looks up to see Rhett standing at the door frame, grinning at him.

Link raises an eyebrow and Rhett mouths to him: "Substitute-mom.."

Link reaches over, grabs the spoon left on the table from his previous meal and throws it at his friend. He huffs happily when he hears Rhett yelp as it hits his calf as he runs away.

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The next day, a video of Link's happy wiggle-dance that happened while he was eating Oatmeal set a fire storm in all the media outlets. It was the first image released of Link since Eponym's report and it was sent to all the media with a note from the masked stalker: