MINI CHAPTER. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ORION AND HAPPY 2 YEARS TO RUNNING! 04/04/2023
Yes, I did leave my gaggle of human friends to look after my one-year-old son.
Yes, this did end in disaster.
Orion is one and a bit now - meaning I'm quite close to turning 19 years old. It's been a wild ride, trying to juggle a full-time job, an avian baby who can't go to daycare and school. I rarely ever got a break, so when Miss Owen, my former art teacher and now form tutor called me and asked if I wanted to walk around town with her, my first thought was how I was going to get someone to look after the little rambunctious one-year-old.
You see, Orion seemed to develop a lot faster mentally than normal kids. He could already understand some insane things for a one-year-old and was even speaking semi-decently for a one-year-old. He could also write his name and a few other things. Mello volunteered to raise him as his own son, and had been teaching him emotional control - though, he was still a one-year-old. A one-year-old who wanted to run around and scream and throw tantrums.
So, Mello volunteered to look after him with the rest of my friends on their precious Sunday. I told him, as he held the 1-year-old spitting image of Iggy in his hands, to call me or message me I'd anything went wrong before I left the house and went to go meet up with Miss Owen.
She was waiting outside a café, carrying an art set that was similar to mine. "Hello, Miss Owen." I spoke with a smile, sitting down next to her. Miss Owen chuckled. "None of that, call me Brooke." She gestured vaguely with her hand. "We're not in school, dear."
"I know." I leaned on the table, watching the passersby. Miss Owen smiled and we began a nice little chat. We ordered some nice food and a drink and talked about life. About my new promotion at my job. About my life with Mello. About Orion. Then, she told me about Iggy and the others.
"James, Max and Nick are getting on alright. They've become... quite the popular bunch. They act out a lot in class, y'know." Miss Owen sighed. I sat up, interested in the topic at hand. "Oh? Are... Are they at least happy?" I asked quietly, squeezing my bag strap a bit tighter.
Miss Owen chuckled. "Oh, they're happy. I still don't trust Jessie and her family. They've been threatening to sue any child's parents who talk about any behavior Jessie exhibits. Obviously they can't legally do that, but the threat is enough to put off lots of people. Everyone wants to be her friend because she has money, but she's getting even more selfish by the day."
I felt my shoulders relax slightly. I didn't know if I should be happy, relieved or worried. "... As long as she's not hurting them in any way, then I'm serving my purpose right." I mumbled under my breath. My phone buzzed on the table, a message lighting up the screen to show a screensaver of me taking a photo of Orion and I as a selfie on a swing, his sky blue eyes so bright as he did out his arms like an aeroplane.
"Wow, he really looks like James." Miss Owen lips parted slightly. "I can see your jawline and lips, and a bit of your nose and eye shape, but he's almost the spitting image of James. I wonder if James looked like that when he was younger."
As I opened the image, I began sketching on my page. Using muscle memory and my usual memory, I drew Iggy around the same age as Orion.
Instagram
marssssssh.mello
Orion ate an entire tub of icing
without us realizing.
HUH???
He is bouncing off the walls.
He's not sick, don't worry.
BRUSH HIS TEETH BEFORE
HE NAPS
HOW DOES A CHILD GET A
TUB OF ICING WITHOUT YOU
SEEING???
I
slid the book over to Miss Owen. She studied the drawing. "Yeah, he looks so much like James. That's insane, he's like a photocopy... How do you feel about that?" She looked up at me over the book. I tapped my fingers against the table with a small frown, trying to collect my thoughts.
"...Sometimes I look at him, and I just want to cry. He's so cute, he's the cutest kid in the world, but... but he looks identical to Iggy. I love him so much, but sometimes his eyes catch mine and it feels like I'm looking at the man I can't have anymore. Like he's so close, in arms reach, but I'll never be able to stretch far enough." I clenched my fists. I had talked to Mello about this before, but it was still hard for me to put it into words.
Miss Owen nodded. "That's completely valid. I know that you love Orion, but sometimes love can hurt you in various different ways. As long as you don't neglect Orion on that premise." Miss Owen nodded slightly.
It didn't take long for the second message to go through while I was walking through the park with Miss Owen, trying to find something to draw with her. It was a photo of Orion hanging by his feet from Jackson's hands, giggling and waving to me through the camera with both hands. His pure black wings with white speckles that looked just like a galaxy were spread out wide, fluttering with excitement. I found myself smiling as I slid my phone into my pocket. I was glad he was having fun.
Then, more photos and videos came in one by one over a six-hour period. Photos of Jackson running around the room with Orion like he was an airplane, photos of Kat tying Orion's hair in pigtails while laughing like a maniac. Photos of RJ and Vienna throwing him back and forward like a football. All were taken by Mello - meaning they were print-worthy photos. Then, videos.
"Say hi to momma, Oreo!" RJ grinned as he bounced Orion on his knee.
"Mooooommmaa!!! I eat much cakeice!" Orion held his hands out wide. "We makes cake please?"
"No cakes today." RJ chuckled as the video ended.
"One," Mello began.
"Two," Orion responded.
"Three," Mello smiled.
"FourFiveSixSevenEightNineTenEleven I winned you losed!" Orion tried.
"No, that's not how you play." Mello chuckled.
Then, all forms of contact went quiet. I felt suspicion grow in me all the way until dinner half an hour later, when I received a video call. I excused myself and went to an alleyway so I could speak in private. "Mello?" I frowned.
"Uhm... hypothetically," Mello began. "If your child perhaps... began to fly, how would we get him down from the ceiling fan?" Mello winced. "Additionally, how much does a glass vase cost?"
"Oh god, already? Angel didn't fly until she was 4." I half laughed, half groaned. "I wanna see."
Mello flipped the camera to show Orion spinning around on the ceiling fan, squealing happily. Even Jackson couldn't reach him. I burst out into laughter, but managed a stern motherly voice through it. "Orion. Get your butt down right now." I growled.
Orion whined. "But spinnies!" He protested.
"You can do spinnies in the park on the things that are meant to spin. The fan will break and then we'll be really really warm in summer." I warned.
With a protested groan, Orion jumped off the spinning fam and clumsily flew to the ground, the sound of something smashing making everyone in the room and me wince.
"How much do two glass vases cost?" Mello asked through a forced smile. I laughed. "I'll get more tomorrow, don't let him touch the glass. I'll be home at 10:30." I said, before saying my goodbyes to Mello and heading back to Miss Owen.
-
Opening the door quietly, I saw Mello sitting in the living room with Orion cuddled up on his chest like a little puppy. His big blue eyes were shut, his blonde hair still a mess from playing. His wings folded over himself like a blanket. Mello kept his hand on Orion's back as he slept facing the TV, being the only light in the house. The others seemed to have left already.
I quietly lifted Orion, getting a sleepy "Mommmaaaa..." And a yawn before he fell asleep once more. I carried him upstairs to his crib in my small part of Mello's room, before going back downstairs. Mello was still fast asleep in the chair. I ran my fingers through his curly hair until he stirred.
"You should go to bed." I whispered. Mello blinked, he was disoriented. "Orion, where...-" He mumbled.
"In bed." I said quietly. "Don't worry. Thank you for today. Go to bed, alright?" I pushed.
Mello shook his head and leaned his whole body on me. "Not until you sleep." He muttered quietly.
I laughed quietly. "I'm going to bed now, silly. Come on." I took his hand and lead him up to his bed, where he all but collapsed and fell to sleep. I made sure he was comfortable before climbing into my own bed, falling into my own dreams that were peaceful and bright.