Ms. Kris, that's right the same therapist as last chapter, sat in her leather chair. Gyro and Gloria sat on the sofa in front of her. No, they didn't need relationship therapy like Mark and Ellie (thank God), they just liked to come together. Ms. Kris was happy to see them. They were probably her easiest clients. Their past was a shit show as well but they were normal. It was nice to speak with normal people.
She clicked her timer. "Alright. Let's get started, shall we?" Gyro nodded although Ms. Kris didn't need an answer. "Has anything new happened since last time? Good or bad news is fine."
Gyro didn't want to start on a low note so he chose to bring up that good tea. "I've been spending a lot more time with Boyd lately. It's almost like I have joint custody. I'm surprised with how compliant Ellie is being... because, well, you understand."
Ms. Kris did understand. "That's great, Gyro. I'm glad everyone seems to be getting along." That didn't include Glomgold. "Any bad news?"
"...Glomgold interrupted our date last night." He groaned. That wasn't exactly an issue to be brought up in therapy but holy shit was it annoying. Glomgold was a PTSD symptom just being himself.
"Glomgold's back?"
"Sadly."
Ms. Kris jotted down notes, but it was for herself. She needed to make sure to sneak in wine next time a group appointment was scheduled because that Scottish fuck was going to be there. "What about you, Gloria? Any positive news? Or negative?"
Gloria thought about it for a moment, thinking back on everything that had happened the past few months. "Oh, did I mention that I was buried alive at one point? I dunno how long but long enough to where I started to lose air." Her tone was very nonchalant.
"Excuse me?!" Ms. Kris looked up from her notepad and adjusted her glasses so they weren't slipping down her beak for once. "We've been seeing one another for weeks and you have never mentioned that! What on earth happened?"
"Well this happened while I was still imprisoned with Steelbeak. So first I was giving him an attitude, which he beat me up over. Then when I did it again he decided it was best to just... I dunno, bury me alive I guess."
Being a therapist, Ms. Kris had to keep calm in order to not start panic in her client. But Gloria's calm attitude was disturbing in itself. "How does that affect you? Have you been having bad memories and flashbacks lately? Newfound phobias?"
"Yeah I guess I've been having some nightmares over it recently. Losing sleep or not being able to sleep at all some nights. Not just the whole bury alive thing, but nightmares I guess over everything that has happened." Gloria awkwardly scratched her arm while she spoke.
Gyro was surprised she brought it up. He was aware about her nightmares but she was so adamant on not talking about it. At all. He laid a hand on top of hers.
He had been having nightmares himself, but Ms. Kris already knew about all of his twink ass issues. Dude was open about everything with the exception of his Star Wars collection and his past with Boyd.
She jotted down more notes, having a new pen after her other appointment. You can guess which one she was referring to. "...the miscarriage as well?"
She stared at the floor. "I haven't been getting nightmares over the miscarriage, no, but it's always on my mind from when I wake up till I go to bed. It sucks."
"I'm sure it does." Ms. Kris put down the pen to give Gloria her full attention. She was dead inside but she needed to show some empathy. "That's to be expected with PTSD. Flashbacks, nightmares, obsessive thoughts." The two had been already diagnosed because the shit they've been through was wack. "Is there anything that triggers the memories? Or does it just... happen."
"No it just sort of happens and I don't know what to do. Gyro's been a great listener though, so that's been helping."
"I'm glad." Ms. Kris smiled. It was nice to know not all boyfriends were like Mark. "Well, have you been practicing the coping mechanisms I suggested? Aroma therapy, mindfulness meditation, exercise, etc?"
"I've been lifting weights." Gyro added in. They were actually just cans of beans but he wasn't going to say that.
"Okay..." Ms. Kris already knew it was probably expired cans of food and took note of that. "Gloria?"
Gloria shrugged. "Kind of? Probably not as much as I should."
"What do you mean? Are you avoiding doing so?"
"I mean, I still feel like shit everyday so I'm not sure how much the coping mechanisms are helping. I know it'll take time but damn."
"It's only been a few weeks, but I can assure you that even if the difference is little, it is better than nothing." She paused. It was off topic but Ms. Kris felt the need to bring it up. "Has... being around Boyd been bothering you? Or being around children in general?"
That caught Gyro's attention and he waited on Gloria's response.
It took her a minute to respond. She didn't want to hurt or offend Gyro in any way but she knew he would understand. "I love Boyd! He's the sweetest kid I've ever met and I am so happy for Ellie and Gyro and I guess Mark." She muttered that last part under her breath "that they have him. But, and I know it's already been discussed before, but he came into all of our lives, my life, during the miscarriage. I dunno it just feels off still. I'm sad when I see him sometimes."
Gyro started internally panicking because he already offered to babysit Boyd that weekend.
Ms. Kris nodded. "That is completely understandable. Do you think he makes the symptoms worse? Don't be afraid to speak the truth. This is a safe space."
"...I mean, he might? I'm not sure I see him pretty often so it's hard to tell." Gloria started panicking herself. She wasn't sure how Gyro would feel about this.
"Oh God, Gloria." That was Gyro so she was going to find out how he felt. Cool. "I... offered to babysit Boyd. Do you want me to cancel? I promise it's not a big deal."
Ms. Kris was going to let Gloria answer before she spoke her mind.
"No no it's alright! Really! Like I said, I love that kid so it's not like I'm sad around him all the time."
"Well, if you insist it's not a trigger..." Ms. Kris tried to find her words. "Then I think it's healthy to continue being around children. Try to get used to them. But if you find yourself having a harder time then don't be afraid to distance yourself and bring it up in therapy. We won't push you unless you feel like you can move forward."
Gloria nodded, still staring at the floor while she spoke. "Alright. Thank you Ms. Kris."
"It's my job." She reassured. "Now, let's continue."
_____________________________________________________________________________________
After Mark and Ellie's relationship therapy session, they didn't exactly talk for the rest of the day. They weren't mad at each other, or upset, it was just plain awkward. What the therapist had said was right, they barely knew one another. The only reason they were "in love" to begin with was because they had been through so much together and were turning to each other for emotional support. That was about it.
They loved each other for other things too, but if they couldn't think of the reason then it didn't really count at the moment, did it?
Sure, Mark liked Ellie because she didn't judge on status or money. And Ellie liked Mark...for...his hair swoop (?).
Needless to say, they needed to get to know each other more in a normal environment... and what they understood about one another so far was that they didn't have anything in common. They didn't even know where to start. Mark "knew" Ellie was uptight and Ellie "knew" Mark was obsessed with social media and his status, which was probably because he needed attention that he was starved of as a child but that was a whole other thing to be addressed in therapy.
When Ellie was preparing Pad Thai for Mark that night (he had only been eating Spaghetti O's and it was concerning) she got a call from Gyro requesting Boyd stayed with him and Gloria for the weekend after his sleepover with Huey. Ellie had no issue with that because the therapist wanted her and Mark to spend more time alone together but goddamn...an entire weekend? At least on a cruise Boyd would be there. Things weren't awkward with Boyd around because they both loved him and that was the one thing they had in common.
After a silent dinner, with small talk sprinkled here and there, Ellie decided to head to bed early. 7:00 pm early. Mark figured she had been shutting down at night recently because she wanted to act more organic but unbeknownst to him it was because she wanted to stop stressing for a few hours. The current situation wasn't what was stressing her out (for the most part); it was the flashbacks she was having of being tortured and brainwashed by Steelbeak. She did have nightmares but she deemed them better than staying awake and thinking about it all night until she broke down or some shit. She liked to think she was getting pretty good at acting "normal" again. The therapist wouldn't like she was doing that but therapy was where she could cry once a week so she could wait a few days. Probably.
Ellie had given up on trying to talk about her issues with Mark. He didn't know how to handle that sort of thing and she didn't want to stress him out when he was dealing with his own shit. Like recovering from a stab wound and a coma. Normal stuff.
Mark ended up joining her in bed around midnight and that was that. He was tossing and turning all night, he just couldn't get comfortable. While still half asleep he turned to his side and wrapped an arm around what he thought was Ellie. The two of them woke up to loud screaming and kicking.
"OI! DON'T YOOH TOUCH ME, MARK BEAKSSSSS!" Glomgold shot up, wearing a pair of Ellie's pajamas. They were very stretched out.
Mark immediately screamed and fell out of the bed. "GLOMGOLD?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN OUR BED? GET OUT!"
Ellie didn't know how to respond so she just slowly got out of the bed and walked a few feet away.
"YOUR BED?! THIS IS MEH HOUSE TOO, YA KNOW!? WE WERE LIVING TOGETHER AT MISS GAMER'S AND THEN YOOH DITCHED MEH!!!!!" He screamed, cockroach crawling in circles on the bed. "I DESERVE TO BE HERE BECAUSE YOU ARE ME FAMILY AND YOU OWE ME!" He snatched Mark's pillow and took it for himself. He circled around the middle of the bed like a dog until he was comfortable enough to go back to bed. He fell asleep very fast. Dude was already out before Mark could yell at him again.
Mark just laid on the floor, his legs still hanging on the side of the bed. His body made an L shape. He didn't even bother to move at this point; he was too confused and tired to process what just happened.
Ellie knelt down beside Mark and poked him. "Do you want me to make coffee?" It was 3 am, not Mark's designated coffee time, but neither of them were going back to sleep after whatever the hell just happened.
"Yeah." He slowly picked himself up and walked with Ellie to the kitchen.
"I did not even get the chance to ask where he has been." She started while beginning to brew the coffee. "He's been gone for two months and he is covered in filth." Ellie sighed. "Now I'm going to have to wash the sheets."
Mark was yawning and rubbing his eyes the entire time. "Where did he even come from? Wait, I don't even think I care. But why did he come back? I dunno about you but I was doing just fine without a round Scottish dude yelling at me all the time."
Ellie handed him his coffee just the way he liked it, because that's one of the few things she did know, and sat down beside him. "He probably came back for food. But I am glad he's safe nonetheless, even if he is difficult to care for..." She trailed off. "I should probably prepare a guest room." There were plenty considering it was a mansion, but with Glomgold running around the place it was going to feel really small. She needed to find a guest bedroom that for sure had a lock on the door.
Mark sipped his coffee. "Damn..." He rubbed his eyes again. "Well, now that Glomgold's back we should take up our therapist lady's advice and hang out together! Boyd is going to ugly's this weekend, right? We should do something together then!"
"That sounds like a wonderful idea but..." She gestured to where they had come from. "Do you trust Uncle Glomgold to be here alone? He may- will cause some damage."
"I hired my boy Graves to work here too to clean up any mess he may make. Well... my mom is making him too..." He took another sip before continuing "And if G-gold gets too crazy, Graves can always kick him outside! He seems to really like the outdoors."
"If you say so." Ellie stayed quiet for a second. "Ms. Kris was right. I never do what you want to do so you can pick."
Mark smiled "Woah, for real?! Thanks, Ellie!" He picked up his kitchen phone (he left a phone in every room just in case he forgot to bring his go-to phone somewhere in the house) and scrolled through some date ideas. "How about this? It's a rave and it's hella fun!" Mark gave Ellie his kitchen phone to check out the rave info he saved.
Just one glance at the photo told her everything she needed to know. Maybe Mark was right about her having a stick up her ass because she was going to hate it. It was going to be crowded and loud and there was going to be no place to read. "It looks entertaining." She straight up lied, handing him back the phone. Ellie knew she had to give it a chance for Mark's sake if their relationship was going to heal at all. Mark did sit through a library date before and he definitely hated that.
"I know, right?!" He looked at the photos before turning his phone off and putting it back where it was on the table. He would've checked twitter but it was too late for there to be any new updates on literally anything. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll love it ! And if not, I promise I'll make it up to you! We could go to a cafe bookshop place. What do they call that? Anyways we could go to one of those places for an entire afternoon!" He smiled again. He knew he would probably get bored of it very quickly but he figured it was a great way to get a more coffee bookstore aesthetic for his Instagram.
Ellie laid her hand on top of his. "Alright."
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Donald rang the doorbell at Gyro's (and now Gloria's) humble abode. He was the only one free to drive Boyd over from his sleepover.
When they didn't answer right away he kicked the plant next to the door. Boyd hugged his pillow tighter.
The door finally opened to reveal Gyro, and Gloria behind him. "Hey Boyd! And, um, Donald. Thank you for driving the kid over."
"Gujherivuirebv problem vurfbiueirvberuy."
"Problem? Was there a problem?" Gloria gave him a confused look.
He shook his head and started yelling. "NOOOOO FEHUWEIHFWHEUIFH WIEFWE SAID FHURBVIUBVIE PROBLEM!!!!"
Gloria and Gyro looked at each other for a second before Gloria spoke up again. "Um... No, we don't know Sarah."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Gyro waved for Boyd to come inside.
"Well, thank you very much, Donald. I'll give you a call if we need you... to drive him home for whatever reason..." He closed the door to let him continue screaming. The pot could be heard shattering on the doorstep.
"Hi Aunt Gloria and Dr. Dad!" Boyd chimed. It was his first time calling Dr. Gearloose that but he technically was his part time father so he decided Mark was "dad" and Gyro was "Dr. Dad". Remember that because we ain't explaining that again.
Now that made Gyro's whole diddly darn day. He knelt down to give Boyd a hug. "It's good to see you! How was your sleepover?"
"It was fun! We played Minecraft and talked about Uncle Glomgold!"
"....ohhhhh okay. That's cool." Gyro gave a strained smile because Glomgold's name was a sin in itself. "Well, I hope you're ready for a super exciting weekend that does not include your Uncle!"
"I am! What do you two want to do? I'm up for anything!" Boyd was too sweet for this world. He would be okay doing anything with them. As long as it wasn't illegal. He had standards.
"Ummm..." Gyro turned to Gloria. "Why don't you choose." He figured if she was having a hard time with Boyd she could choose a place to send him off like a library or an aquarium or something. Gyro would be able to take over if needed.
"Well I know Boyd doesn't want to do anything illegal so all my plans of committing tax fraud are off the table for today." She joked "It's such a nice day outside. What if we just hang out at the park or something?"
After putting down his pillow on the couch, Boyd gave her a beaming smile. "That sounds really fun, Aunt Gloria! I really like to explore the city! I know I live here but I still haven't seen that much of Duckburg... not under a dictatorship."
Gyro didn't know what to say to that. "Well... the park just got rebuilt so that's cooooool." It should be mentioned he wasn't good at talking to children either.
"...can we go on a picnic and feed ducks?" Boyd asked. Don't question ducks feeding ducks, okay? This universe is wack as is.
"Sure! I can make us some sandwiches, would you like to help me in the kitchen, Boyd?" Gloria was already making her way to the kitchen while she spoke.
He skipped on after her. "Of course I would!"
For the sake of not writing everything despite it being cute, the three made their cool ass sandwiches and went to the cool ass park with a cool ass plaid blanket and a cool ass basket.
Boyd was the one to pick out the cool ass spot by the pond where he was sure there would be baby ducklings. It was the beginning of summer but there still had to be babies around.
He squinted while looking up at Gyro and Gloria because they weren't quite blocking the sun. "I know we just got here but can we eat now, please? I'm a bit hungry."
Gyro shrugged. "Uh, sure?" It was only 10 am but whatever. "We can go on the swings after or walk or whatever you want to do, okay?" He placed everything down, patting the blanket for the two of them to sit. He made eye contact with Gloria to see if she was doing alright.
Gloria opened the cool ass picnic basket and unwrapped Boyd's food for him. "Is it okay if I eat my sandwich later, Boyd?"
"Sure!" The little man did not care. He stayed silent for a bit as the three enjoyed the early summer weather before he spoke up again. "I'm really excited for August!"
Gloria gave him a confused look. "Why, what's happening in August?"
"Well, it's my birthday!"
"Aw, really? When's your birthday?!"
Gyro answered for him. "August 11th. Gee, I forgot about that. Sorry, bud."
"It's okay. I gave you a heads up!" He handed Gloria his sandwich so she could take off the crust. "But you know what's going to make it even better?"
"What?" Gloria asked while peeling the crust off of his sandwich.
"The family therapist said dad and mom need to spend more time together so they're going on a carribean cruise and I get to go along too! I've always wanted to go on a cruise!"
Gyro gave Gloria a look. "Oh... do you know what cruise line, Boyd?"
"The Carnival Crow Cruise!"
"...ohhhhh goodness... that's nice...?" Gyro coughed into his fist. That was the same cruise Gloria and him were going on in August as well. The tickets were already bought and everything. Boyd was awesome... but Mark and Ellie being there was bad news. He knew Gloria was BFFs with Ellie or whatever but oh man... Gyro was not pleased. "...is your Uncle Glomgold coming?"
"No. I don't think so."
Gloria let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god- I mean darn."
"It's okay... he does smell and he's really loud." Boyd admitted. "What are your guys' summer plans? You must be doing something other than science work, right?"
Gyro looked at Gloria again. "Yep... we sure do."
"Should we tell him?" Gloria whispered to Gyro. She didn't want to tell Boyd that they were going on the same cruise if Gyro didn't want him to know for whatever reason.
Gyro shrugged which meant "your choice", which was not helpful.
Gloria turned her attention back to Boyd. "It's funny that your summer plans are going on a cruise Boyd, because that's our summer plans as well. I guess we will see you there?" She smiled awkwardly.
Gyro let out a sassy groan from under his breath. Not because they would be with Boyd, but because he wasn't a fan of the other two. Maybe Gloria would be happy around Ellie. He didn't care enough to ask because Mark would ruin everything anyway.
"Really?! I'll make sure to tell my parents!" He jumped up. "Can I have the crust, Aunt Gloria? I want to use it to feed the ducklings." Yep. That was the only reason he got rid of the crust. What a sweet boy. "You can feed them with me if you want. I can share."
"Sure!" She gave half of the crust pieces to Boyd and kept the other half. The two walked over to the nearby pond together while Gyro watched them.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Mark pulled up to the rave in his Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita with Ellie in the passenger seat. It was 4.8 million dollars just so you know. Dude had to flaunt his money.
The rave looked concerning to Ellie to put it lightly. Not only were there wasted people screaming, but it was in an abandoned mansion littered with graffiti. She looked over at Mark. "Is it legal to enter this abandoned lot?"
He opened the passenger door for Ellie like the "gentleman" he was. "Anything is legal as long as the cops don't see it!" He winked.
"So... you are telling me this is not legal?"
He sighed while locking his fancy car after she got out. "I mean, technically, but we are all filthy rich so the cops know not to crash it. I think one of the guys who attends these raves owns the police station."
Ellie already wanted to leave but she just smiled and followed him inside. The inside was crowded, trashed, smoky, loud. You name it. It was your common illegal party that was definitely a fire hazard with it's over crowded population.
She could barely hear and looked down at her purse in despair. There was going to be nowhere quiet enough for her to read her mathematics book she brought with her.
Mark was immediately greeted by all of his wacky and zany friends. All of whom were either high or drunk or both.
"Ayyyyyy, Tuffy! My man! How's it hanging?" Mark finger gunned at a guy who was the first to greet him. Tuffy looked like he was about to pass out.
"AYYYYYYYYYYY MARK! WHAT YOU SAY?! IT'S TOO LOUD IN HERE DUDE, YOU GOTTA SCREAM!" He punched him in the arm a little too hard. "WHAT'S UP, MY BROTHER?! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU AT A PARTY IN, LIKE, AGES!!!!"
A girl who definitely looked like she was on heroin peeked out from behind Tuffy. "YEAH! WHERE THE HELL YOU BEEN, BEAKS?! PARTY LIFE SUCKS MORE THAN A DICK WITHOUT YOU!"
Mark put his hand to his heart. "I'M TOUCHED, FELLAS!" He looked over at Ellie "OH HEY, THIS IS ELLIE! SHE'S MY GIRLFRIEND! ELLIE, THIS IS TUFFY AND J-CHAINZ! THESE TWO ARE FUCKING INSANEEEEEEE AT RAVES!"
Ellie looked at them and their relaxed attire and then herself. She was a bit overdressed and definitely looked like a milf who should be teaching kindergarten rather than attending a party.
Tuffy punched Mark again. "DAMN, MARK! I THOUGHT THE ONLY THING YOU WOULD EVER DATE WAS YOUR PHONE OR SOME OTHER PIECE OF TECH! IT'S BECAUSE OF YOUR MONEY ISN'T IT!? NOT EVERYONE CAN BE A BILLIONAIRE, BITCH!"
Mark laughed awkwardly but no one could hear him over the music. "ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, SHUT UP ALREADY! ARE WE HERE TO CHAT OR ARE WE HERE TO RAVVVVEEEEEEEEEEE?! PEW PEW PEW!" He "pew pewd" the air as he ran up towards the large crowd of people in the center of the room. Ellie slowly tagged along behind him.
J-chainz grabbed Mark's arm. "DUDE, YOU GOTTA GET YOURSELF A DRINK OR SOMETHING MAN! YOU KNOW DANCING SOBER AIN'T NO FUN!!!! I ALREADY SHOT MYSELF UP!" She gestured to her arm referring to heroin because we are in an illegal party now! In a Ducktales fanfiction...
Yep.
Ellie prayed to their lord and savior Duck Jesus that Mark did not do illegal drugs.
"HELL YEAHHHHHH PEW PEW PEW!" He ran to the side bar and threw back... he didn't even know what, but it was strong. He threw the red solo cup on the ground and went back to his spot of the rave and went absolute apeshit with his dance moves. He danced for about 30 seconds until he realized he forgot his hoverboard in the car. He walked back to Ellie "UGH! I LEFT MY HOVERBOARD IN THE CAR! I REALIZED THAT I LEFT IT WHEN I FELT THE SENSATION OF EXERCISING THROUGH MY LEGS! COULD YOU GET MY HOVERBOARD FOR ME, PLEASE?!"
"Okay. I will go get that." She wasn't going to walk to the car alone, she was just going to stand in a corner or something. This was the perfect excuse to leave.
"WHAT?! I'M JUST GOING TO ASSUME YOU SAID YES!" He screamed, while being pulled away by Tuffy and J-chainz. "OH! OH! GET ME A TOM COLLINS AND SOME MOLLY FOR MY PALS HERE!" He threw 200 dollars at her face right before he was pulled into the crowd by his druggy friends. Who also seemed to be bad influences.
Ellie sighed, putting the money into her purse. She wasn't planning on buying him alcohol or drugs either, she just needed an area to stand to the side and thankfully there was a spot close to the wall by the bar, where they were also selling said illegal drugs but whatever. She was far enough away from the crowd but the music wasn't any quieter so it still wasn't an option for her to read her mathematics textbook or debate the physiological relationship between x and y. She was still content that she found a spot nonetheless.
The longer Ellie stood there the louder the music seemed to get. The ground was vibrating making her feel like the rest of her body was doing so as well. It reminded her of something very bad.
She slowly brought her hands up to feel her neck. No, there wasn't anything there and she didn't feel any pain. It was fine. Everything was fine. (insert dog in a burning house meme).
After about ten minutes or so a wasted couple walked by, shoving her when she was in their way. Ellie let out an unneeded scream as she stumbled a few inches back, almost hitting some dealer behind her. She raised her hand to her neck again. No. Everything was fine. This was fucking fine. It was as dandy as mathematics. She just had to keep telling herself that.
Steelbeak wasn't anywhere. The dude was dead. He was dead.
...he was dead, right...?
Someone tapped her shoulder and Ellie nearly attacked whoever it was. "YOOOOOOO! YOU'RE THAT CHICK WHO WAS WITH MARK BEAKS, RIGHT?! THAT'S COOL AS HELL!"
It was a middle aged man that looked, well, as shitty and drugged as most of the other people here. He was bald and had an abundance of tattoos that reminded Ellie of the prisoners in Agartha.
She decided to not say anything and just gave an unnatural smile.
"UHHHHH... OKAY!? DID HE SEND YOU OVER HERE TO GET SOME MOLLY AND A TOM COLLINS?! I KNOW MY GUYYYYYY!"
Ellie was able to get a quick glance of Mark in the crowd. He was leaning on another girl and looked like he was about to pass out. It definitely wasn't the best idea to get him more wasted and buy products that were a health risk for both him and his friends.
"No."
"OH OKAY! WELL, DO YOU WANT SOME MOLLY? HEROIN?! I GOT IT ALL, MY DUDETTE!"
Ellie quickly scanned her data to figure out what was in said drugs. "I am not capable of ingesting those products, nor would I want to do that to my body if I was."
He laughed. "YEAH! IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET USED TO! TRUST ME!"
She looked down to a sharp and shiny object he was holding. "What is that you have there?" Ellie asked.
He gave her a confused look before looking down at his right hand. "OH! JUST A BROKEN PIECE OF MIRROR!"
"Why would you carry that around?" Ellie started to wonder if she should grab something to protect herself too if a large man like him thought it was a good idea.
"I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING TO BREAK UP COKE LINES SO I JUST BROKE A MIRROR!!! GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO!"
"Can I have it?"
He laughed again. "COKE?! SURE! IT'S 100 BUCKS PER GRAM!"
"Oh, no. I do not want Coca-Cola." She pointed to the mirror shard. "I would like that."
"...THE PIECE OF MIRROR?! DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN COKE ALREADY?! MAN, THAT'S COOL!"
She wanted to stop talking with this guy already but she really wanted that piece of mirror for a specific reason she came up with last minute. The Ellie that was tortured by Steelbeak was in the past. "Yes, I have coke already." She lied. "May I have the shard now?"
"NAH!" He shook his head. "DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK FOR ME TO FIND THIS?! ALL THE MIRRORS ARE ALREADY DESTROYED AND TAKEN AROUND HERE!"
Guess coke was a common thing at this rave.
Ellie sighed, taking out the 200 dollars Mark had given her. "How about now?"
His jaw dropped. "YOOOOOO WHAAAAAAAA?????" He shoved the shard in her hand before ripping the money out of her other hand. "DEAL! PEACE OUT, DUDETTE!!!!" Running over to his drug dealer friends, he waved the money in the air to show it off. He immediately got tackled by another guy who snagged it from him but whatever.
It took Ellie longer than she had hoped, but she finally found the ladies' restroom. She entered, slamming the door shut behind her. She could hear people doing very unorthodox things in the stalls but she didn't care. At the moment she solely focused on her hair, taking down her bun for the first time and throwing the hair tie onto the sticky tile.
Her mind had gone fuzzy and what she was doing wasn't completely in her control. It was a dream. A dream where her decision made little sense.
After a minute of hesitating, Ellie grabbed a lock of her hair and chopped it off around chin length (more like sawed it off because it was difficult as hell.) And then she grabbed another piece and did the same. And then another. And another. Each piece she cut was a completely crazy and uneven mess and to be honest she almost looked as insane as the other people at the party now. Putting her hair in a bun to hide the sudden decision wasn't even an option anymore.
She dropped the shard and started giggling, yet it was drowned out by the other people in the restroom.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
After what felt like hours of raving, Mark finally realized that Ellie was nowhere to be seen and had not returned with his hoverboard. He put two and two together when he felt his legs hurting from all the dancing and moving. He didn't want to be a buzzkill so he kind of did a weird shuffle rave dance thing around the entire room to look for her. She wasn't there.
"YOOOOO!" J-chainz was at the bar. "THE HELL YOU GOING MAN? YOU CAN'T LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE, DIPSHIT!"
"J-CHAINZZZZZZ, QUEEN, I'M NOT LEAVING! THE RAVE JUST STARTED! I'M JUST LOOKING FOR ELLIE. HAVE YOU SEEN HER?"
"WHO THE HELL IS THAT?!"
"BRO MY GIRLFRIEND! I CAME HERE WITH HER!"
"OH, THE MILF?! NO I HAVEN'T SEEN HER!"
"DAMN... ALRIGHT I'LL BE BACK IN A BIT THEN!"
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Ellie was on the roof for the past few hours to look at the stars. Nevermind the fact there was a drug circle and a homeless man also there but they were a good ways away and left her alone.
She didn't notice them anyway because she was too busy giggling to herself as she rested her chin on her fist and admired the view of the city that was sorta rebuilt.
It took him awhile but eventually Mark decided to check the roof. His first idea was that she wouldn't be up there, but he could use the roof as a high point to look for her.
"Ellie?!" Mark yelled, running towards her. "Duck Jesus I've been looking everywhere for you! Why did you leave? Oh, hey your hair... Ellie are you alright?" His first thought was that she was high.
She continued chuckling. "I know. I did it on purpose."
Mark gave her a weird look. "Are you high or something?"
"How?" She laughed, still looking ahead at the city. The mansion was pretty high up on a hill similar to the McDuck manor, just not as lavish.
Oh right. Mark didn't think about the fact that she literally couldn't get high. "So why are you acting... different?"
"I am just happy. I left the old Ellie behind. The one with all the issues."
He nodded slowly. "...should I call Ms. Kris for you?" He asked quietly.
"No! The new me has no issues and I know Ms. Kris does not like us. I do not like her either."
Mark ignored that, he wanted to be in denial and think that there was one adult in his life that thought he was cool. You know, besides his rave friends. "Would you like to go home?"
"No. I am having fun."
"Okayyyyyyy?" He sat down beside her, still giving her a worried look. "Did you have fun at your first rave?"
"Absolutely! A man gave me a glass shard for 200 dollars which I think is a steal."
"The same 200 that I gave you?"
She nodded, continuing to giggle.
He sighed. "Okay, Ellie, we should probably go home now."
"Why?" She laughed.
Mark didn't know what to do so he just sat next to her while she continued to do whatever the hell she was doing for a few minutes.
She finally quieted down after a bit and put her head in her hands. "...oh, gosh." She whispered before looking over at him. "I apologize. I do not know... what happened."
"Oh hey, it's chill." Mark scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her. "What's up? That was a little cray."
"I honestly am not quite sure. It's all a bit fuzzy but I..." She trailed off and didn't continue. She had no idea where she was going with that.
"Was it from the rave? Shit, Ellie, if it was I'm sorry. I remember my first rave; it was so insane! I probably should've given you a better heads up. That's a my b on my end."
"No. It's not that." She scooted away from him. "Sorry, I do not want to be touched right now. It's not you."
Mark put his hands up like he was surrendering "Oh hey, no ish. I said this already but we can leave if you want."
She ignored that and decided to just come clean before they left. "It is just from all the torture I've been through, Mark. I can't stop thinking about it. Sometimes it's like I am experiencing it all over again." She paused. "I guess, in the moment, I thought if I cut my hair I could just forget but I suppose that did not go over so well."
"Shit..." Mark was no therapist, that's why he's been clinging to the idea of therapy for a while. "Should I call someone? Ms. Kris? My personal hairstylist? I dunno what to do here."
"Ms. Kris at 2 am?" She asked. The two sat in silence for another minute before Ellie continued. "We can't fix "us" because of me, Mark..."
"Woah hey don't talk like that, Ellie! That's what therapy is for, right? We can figure this out, 'kay?"
She sighed and stood up. Bringing this up with Mark wasn't a good idea on her half, she was just stressing him out more and tearing them apart. "Can we just... go?"
Mark got up too. "Yeah we can leave. Sorry that tonight was a total bust."
"It's alright." She said. "It is just because I have a stick up my ass, correct?"
"Ummmmm..." Mark didn't know how to respond to that. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. It was going to be a long car ride home.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Ellie:
Gloria: