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── omg me updating relatively quickly? absolutely
shocking! anyway you alr know the drill; this is for the baes
Dekuthenerdz and saggyballslolz !!! shitpad won't let me tag
you so js feel the love i have for you radiating !!!! the support
for a book i rarely update is unreal, yall have my heart x ──
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❝ trying to keep our feelings secretly covered,
you touch me and it's almost like we knew
that there would be history ❞
𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐲 | 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐯 𝐟𝐭. 𝐣𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐬
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"𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐄 with all this stuff, Kar...I'm sorry you had to come early to help me set up everything," Thalia murmured apologetically as she and Karolina helped to decorate the room that was meant for parents to see the performing arts. Though she was acing the sciences, Thalia had always had a soft spot for the arts, particularly drawing and music, growing closer to the teachers as she submitted pieces every now and then for them to give her feedback on, being unable to join any clubs with her obligation to look after her brother.
"No problem, Tal...I'm your best friend, of course I'll help you with all this stuff. Besides, it's an excuse for us to hang out...and for me to look at your works," Karolina replied kindly as Thalia laughed, helping Karolina to hang up some of the works the teacher had asked Thalia to help them with. "Are you playing today?" Karolina asked softly, looking at the acoustic guitar as well as the piano, two of the many instruments on the other side of the room as Thalia turned, shaking her head adamantly.
The pair had taken down the partition between the music and art rooms as per the teachers' request to combine the arts exhibits, the teachers entrusting Thalia with this responsibility as Karolina had volunteered to assist her best friend. Thalia tiptoed to hang up a few portraits other students had painted as Karolina admired the instruments and artwork the pair had spent all morning setting up neatly for the open house.
"I was asked...but no, I offered to look after the booth instead," Thalia answered hastily as Karolina felt slightly disappointed for it had been so long since Thalia had played guitar or piano for Karolina despite learning both when she was younger. Karolina always liked it when Thalia sang, it was the only thing that seemed to make Thalia happy but she stopped as soon as Violet disappeared. Violet was the only reason she'd continued after Elizabeth's death so now that Violet too was gone, Thalia felt no reason to continue playing, sticking to art instead to find a way to preserve memories permanently.
"I wish you still played," Karolina commented quietly as Thalia shrugged, brushing off Karolina's words as she helped to set up the remaining statues and pottery pieces while Karolina positioned the guitar carefully as the two girls smiled at the room it had taken them just under an hour to get ready for the open house that day.
"Well...not anymore," Thalia replied dryly, picking up her bag as she remembered they were meant to meet the others in front of school. "Come on, Kar...we have to go meet the rest," Thalia reminded patiently, quickly changing the subject as Karolina reluctantly dropped the subject, following after her as the two made their way towards the front of school, where the other five teens were waiting for the two girls.
"Sorry we're late, I was helping Thalia with the arts exhibit," Karolina explained slowly as the other five teens nodded, Thalia awkwardly fiddling with the simple violet pendant around her neck. They stood behind the others, who sat on the steps in front of their school, having just rushed over. Just that morning when Thalia was looking through her jewelry box for her favourite pair of butterfly earrings, she'd found Violet's old necklace inside, deciding to wear it to the open house so she'd feel less alone on a day generally made for Atlas students to spend time with their parents when Thalia knew no one was attending for her.
"Of course you two were together," Nico commented flatly as Thalia looked at the raven-haired girl in confusion, wondering why Nico sounded so exasperated, as though it wasn't common knowledge that Thalia and Karolina were the only two who'd stayed in contact through it all and were naturally closer as a result.
"Anyway...what's happening with the decryption of the data? Any progress when it comes to getting our hands on that data?" Chase asked, picking up on the awkwardness as he decided to hurriedly change the subject, much to Thalia's relief.
"I'm still working on it...if I'm being honest, it's really a lot harder than I thought it would be to unlock this. Now, my parents are on my ass too, which doesn't help at all," Alex lamented, sighing as the rest of the group tensed up, hoping the parents weren't anywhere on their tails.
"Yeah, mine too," Gert admitted uncomfortably, which made Thalia feel slightly nauseous at the idea of their plan failing and them losing their only leverage against their parents, which left them completely vulnerable should PRIDE catch on to what they were doing.
"D-do you think they know?" Karolina stammered nervously as Thalia placed a hand on Karolina's shoulder to comfort her, shaking her head adamantly as Karolina turned to the brunette, eyes clouded with worry as the two sat down beside the others after getting tired of standing, Karolina leaning her head on Thalia's shoulder as Thalia smiled at Karolina, never realizing the way Nico was looking at her and Karolina.
"I...I'm really not sure how, we haven't said or done anything...that suspicious," Alex sighed, trying to diffuse the tension just as Molly's double helix model she must've done up for biology slipped out of her hands as the teens gasped, Karolina and Thalia scrambling to help Molly pick up the broken pieces of the model.
"Molly! Oh my stars, are you okay?" Thalia exclaimed in worry as she handed the bits and pieces back to the clearly frustrated girl. "It's okay, Molls...I can help you mend the model if you want," Thalia offered gently as Molly shook her head violently, snatching away the pieces, which Thalia took as a sign to back away as she sunk back into her seat, Karolina noticing the change in Thalia's demeanor as she wrapped an arm around Thalia, who sighed, watching the younger girl nervously.
"Who cares? It doesn't matter anyway...who gives a damn about a stupid double helix?" Molly exploded, losing control of her temper as Thalia flinched at Molly's sudden outburst, surprised that the typically gentle and demure younger girl had snapped so rudely at them.
Noticing the looks she was getting, Molly sighed, deciding it was time to come clean with the others as she blurted out everything; starting from her first encounter with Catherine Wilder in Timely the day she'd stormed off at the beach, the lie she'd spun about them sneaking in for alcohol, throwing Catherine off their trail only for her to accidentally let it slip that she was running out of time to get answers as Thalia gasped, unable to believe the younger girl had hidden so much from the others, observing that even Gert looked stunned to hear Molly ramble.
"A-are you kidding?" Gert exclaimed in shock, the first one to react as Thalia shook her head in denial, unable to believe that everything was unraveling now. "Why...what?" Gert freaked out, exclaiming in horror as Molly groaned, shaking her head too.
"I...I know, I panicked!" Molly spluttered apologetically, "I can't help it, your mom is very intimidating," she said, turning to Alex, who nodded, understanding how intimidating his mother could be considering she scared him though he was her son. Perhaps it was especially because he was her son.
"Understandable, she's a top-notch lawyer for a reason...and has the conviction rates to prove it," Alex sighed, knowing that holding a grudge against the younger girl was pointless as banding together was one of the only things they could hold over their parents, who were clearly divided after the reveal of Janet and Robert's affair.
"If they know about what you saw, they must know we found the staircase...which explains the disappearing coasters that let us in in the first place," Nico deduced as Thalia nodded, realizing that everything added up now. The parents were on to them from the start and Molly had just given them all the proof they needed that the teens indeed did know something.
"If I'm being honest though...things in my house...have actually gotten better," Chase confessed as the others turned to him in confusion. "Nothing has really changed for us...it's just gotten better," Chase explained sheepishly upon receiving strange looks, thinking of how he and his dad were bonding over their common interest in engineering, the pair reconnecting after his father recovered.
"Wait, let me see if I get you...it's better now that the whole world knows our parents are having an affair?" Nico exclaimed in disgust, wondering how exactly Chase's two brain cells worked together to form that twisted conclusion as she almost gagged at the thought of her dad and Chase's mom sleeping together. Though it was undermined by Victor's disastrous fall that night, it preyed on Nico's mind a lot.
"No, no, Nico! It's all over, that's what my mom told me this morning," Chase rushed to assure the Asian girl, filling them in on how his parents were still together, happier than he'd ever seen them in a long time.
"Okay...well now it makes more sense why my parents are acting like hawks and basically living in my room," Alex mumbled uncomfortably as Thalia sighed, feeling bad for Alex, who had much responsibility on his plate as the only one who really knew how to work computer algorithms and also had to deal with his new helicopter parents.
"You're always welcome at mine, Wilder," Thalia offered sweetly as Alex nodded graciously in her direction.
"Dude, I'm really sorry," Molly sighed, feeling guilty for having (in)directly caused Alex's miserable family situation.
"What I don't understand though...is why didn't you tell us, Molly? W-why didn't you tell me?" Gert mumbled, unsuccessfully hiding the hurt in her voice as Molly turned to her adoptive sister. Though the two had been brought up as sisters almost all their lives, it cut so deep that Molly couldn't even find trust in Gert to confide secrets in her. Seeing Thalia and Karolina, who weren't even truly sisters and were still attached at the hip after everything that had happened to the teens, didn't make Gert feel any better.
"Because! Every single time I try to tell you guys something, you act like I'm some kind of stupid kid who just spews lie after lie and can't be trusted! When I told you guys I was crazy strong...none of you believed me until you saw me lift that car! You guys don't think I'm trustworthy, why would I bother telling you guys when you wouldn't listen anyway?" Molly fired back indignantly, knowing that they weren't even concerned for Molly's safety given that she'd let slip that she knew things, knowing they were only truly focused on the impact of Molly's mistake on them.
"It's not your fault, Molly! This is why I tried to protect you from this! There are some things you can't unsee, Molly...some things someone your age shouldn't have to see," Gert tried to explain their view as Karolina nodded while Molly glared at the two girls, Thalia wincing as she'd realized what Gert had implied.
"You're literally just a few years older?! Whatever you can handle, so can I! Stop treating me like a baby, Gert!" Molly grumbled in frustration as Thalia tensed, uncomfortable with the amount of tension rising.
"Guys, please stop!" Thalia begged desperately as they turned their attention to the brunette who was clearly distressed as she sighed. "We can't do this...any of this if we don't trust each other! What we have here...is one of the only things we have over our parents! They don't trust each other so they can't work as one...but we can! We have to trust each other for this to work," Thalia pleaded as Karolina rubbed Thalia's back sympathetically, knowing how much the brunette valued peace and harmony between people she cared about.
"You guys can always trust me! I'm always super honest!" Molly chirped optimistically as Thalia offered the younger girl a weak smile, not wanting to be the one to tell her that her honesty was the whole reason the teens had gotten into the mess in the first place.
"Yeah, Molly...maybe a little too honest," Gert snapped coldly as Molly finally lost her temper, smashing the model she'd spent the past week working on on the ground, parts of it falling into the trash as she stormed off, feeling as though no one in the group was ever on their side and often underestimated her simply because of her age.
"Molly, wait!" Karolina cried out, upset to see the younger girl so distraught as she let go of Thalia, who nodded as Karolina chased after the younger girl, hoping to go comfort her as Thalia stood up too, walking over to the trash can as she bent over, pulling the pieces out as she carefully held onto what was left of Molly's model, ignoring the weird looks she was getting as Thalia continued to pull out all the broken pieces of Molly's model from the trash can, walking off to the art studio where she could work on mending the model, not bothering to engage any of the others as she slipped away, knowing no one would miss her at the principal's opening speech.
After all, it wasn't like anyone was planning to attend the open house to see her.
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"Hey! Mind if I hang out with you at your booth?" Thalia looked up from where she was sitting on a stool, working on a painting on one of the easels to find Karolina smiling at her. "I don't have anywhere else to be...thought I'd give you some company," Karolina continued as Thalia shrugged, motioning for Karolina to sit down beside her as Karolina playfully grabbed the guitar off its stand, awkwardly strumming out-of-tune chords as Thalia groaned, putting down her paintbrush to clap her hands over her ears.
"Pretty sure that's not tuned," Thalia laughed, taking the guitar from her friend as she started tuning the strings. Though she hadn't played in a long time, she could still recognize the proper sounds of tuned guitar strings, listening closely so she could tune the guitar before the first group of parents strolled in as she handed the guitar back to Karolina.
"Witchcraft," Karolina teased, "how'd you do that?"
"It's called musicality, you wouldn't know," Thalia replied jokingly as Karolina kicked her shin, causing Thalia to yelp as the two girls laughed. "You're doing it all wrong, Kar...those aren't even chords!" Thalia exclaimed in dismay once the blonde started strumming the strings randomly, causing a ruckus as Thalia shushed her.
"Show me then," Karolina challenged, knowing exactly what she was doing as Thalia rolled her eyes, knowing what game Karolina was playing as she slipped off the stool, sitting beside Karolina as she propped the guitar up on her lap, slowly strumming the strings, pressing down the strings as she played the chords she still remembered. Falling back into the comfortable rhythm of strumming the guitar, Thalia hummed under her breath, tapping the guitar rhythmically as Karolina smiled, having missed seeing Thalia play.
"You're so talented, Tal," Karolina praised as Thalia blushed profusely, pushing the guitar back to Karolina hastily as Karolina laughed, slinging her arm around Thalia, who grinned stupidly at the blonde, glad to have Karolina's company as she made the typically awful open house slightly more bearable for her.
"Shut up," Thalia said, shoving Karolina as the two stayed tangled together, Karolina's legs tangled with Thalia's as they laughed, talking quietly as parents and students alike wandered around the exhibit, looking over at the art as Thalia just sat down, hoping no one would ask her any questions so she could simply stay with Karolina, the two taking silly pictures on Karolina's phone for Karolina's social media.
So much love for my ride or die, Karolina typed as the caption for her story as Thalia smiled, grinning as Karolina tagged her, the picture of the two girls sitting together, Thalia's head on Karolina's shoulder. The two continued to chat, Karolina playfully playing the guitar crazily, pretending to serenade Thalia as the two girls kept giggling as though they were just having fun, ignoring everyone around them, so oblivious that they didn't see the look that flashed in Nico Minoru's eyes when she walked in with Tina Minoru to see Thalia now lying on Karolina's lap, playing with her phone as Karolina strummed the guitar.
"Chase texted us...he heard something, you wanna go meet them or just stay here?" Thalia asked, feeling quite comfortable. "You can go if you want, Kar...I have to stay here at the booth," Thalia sighed as Karolina shook her head, smiling down at the girl who was lying down on her lap, half asleep.
"I'll just ask him to fill us in later, doesn't matter anyway. Now come on, teach me how to play this thing," Karolina beckoned teasingly as Thalia sighed, sitting up as she guided Karolina's fingers to the respective strings, teaching her how to play the most basic chords as the two girls stayed together, fooling around the whole time.
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"Karolina, come, it's time for us to go home," Leslie called out as Karolina, who'd been playing a few chords that she'd mastered, looked up to find her mother, turning apologetically to Thalia, who shook her head, shrugging it off as Karolina stood up, grabbing her stuff. "You disappeared on us the whole day, I almost knew for certain I'd find you here so I decided to wander around then come pick you up at the end," Leslie chuckled as Thalia smiled politely in Leslie's direction, "lovely exhibit you've put up, Thalia."
"Thank you, Leslie," Thalia replied softly, meeting Leslie's watchful gaze for a few seconds to be polite before looking down awkwardly. She and Karolina were the last two left in the room, Karolina having helped Thalia pack up most of the art pieces, leaving only a few paintings and instruments for Thalia to clear up on her own as Thalia waved goodbye to Karolina.
"Want me to stay and help?" Karolina offered kindly as Thalia shook her head, wanting Karolina to go home with her mother as the mother-daughter duo waved goodbye to Thalia, who sighed tiredly, starting to pack up the remaining instruments and place them neatly back in their cupboard. "Text you later, Tal, bye!" Karolina said as Thalia waved once more, watching as the two walked away, leaving Thalia alone in the empty room.
"Need some help?"
She turned around to find Chase watching her from where he was standing at the doors of the art studio, peering in curiously as Thalia started to shake her head but he invited himself inside anyway, helping her wheel the piano back into its original corner as she thanked him quietly.
"You didn't go home with your parents?" Thalia asked shyly as he shook his head, walking over to her side as the pair placed the trumpets, oboes and flutes back in their cases to pack back in their cupboards. "How was your open house? I saw your dad here today, that must've been nice," Thalia said kindly, if not a little bitterly as Chase smiled, thinking of the nice day they'd had together.
"It was cool and stuff...though I was wondering where you and Karolina were when I dropped you guys a text. Anyway, aside from that, I did have a fun time with my parents...but I figured I'd stay back and see if you were still around, see how you were doing," Chase replied softly as Thalia widened her eyes, wondering why he'd want to come check on her as the pair exchanged an awkward smile as Thalia started to take down the pictures that were still hanging up on the wall.
"Hey," Chase said, pointing at Thalia's painting, "I recognize this. This one's yours, isn't it? I saw a bit of it on your Instagram story, you posted just a corner of it once before. It looks even better in its complete form," Chase marvelled as Thalia blushed, shaking her head in embarrassment. "It's something else...you've always had a knack for painting," Chase added, continuing to compliment the embarrassed girl.
"Yeah...that's one of them. I have a few paintings here, the teachers asked me to choose some and I just pulled out whatever I could find," Thalia explained timidly as Chase nodded in amusement.
"Oh no...well, technically, it's not all mine. I found it in Violet's room one night when I couldn't sleep, I was just looking at all her old stuff and I found the half finished canvas resting on her easel. She's the one who taught me everything I know about art anwyay...and seeing her half-done painting didn't feel right, so I just finished it based on what I thought she was trying to say," Thalia replied hesitantly, looking up at the picture she'd given the teachers for the display exhibit.
"Which part did you do?" Chase asked, looking over at the image of someone's silhouette, a girl who was painted purely in white like a ghost, a fiery red monster lurking behind the girl, whose face was contorted in panic and fear. The canvas, painted completely gray, made the pale white girl stand out even more as Chase noticed the way the monster's fiery hand almost grabbed the frightened child in the picture. He nodded thoughtfully, wondering what could've possibly inspired this as the Thalia looked over at the painting fondly, brushing her finger against the girl Violet had painted..
"The monster," Thalia replied flatly, looking at the demonic eyes she'd painted of the monster just a week before she and her friends had reconnected on another sleepless night. "I found it...ghostly white girl on a gray canvas. Maybe it was done in her eyes but seeing the...oddly specific way she'd drawn the girl's eyes and mouth, the girl looked to me like she was crying for help but no one was listening. So...I painted her something to be frightened of," Thalia explained, eyes looking at the eerie red and black splotches of paint she'd left on the canvas to make it feel more as though the monster's essence was catching up with the girl.
"Dark," Chase mused under his breath as Thalia shrugged indifferently. Violet, in some way, reminded her of Nico Minoru or at least the way Nico was now. Dark humour, dark clothing, dark art, that was Violet Soleil in a nutshell after her mother's passing. "I wouldn't have known it was done by two different people if you hadn't told me...it fits well," Chase said, unsure what else he could say as Thalia smiled sheepishly, wondering if he knew that was the highest form of compliment she could get from anyone; to be compared to Violet and be told they were of the same caliber.
"I don't know...I just knew what she wanted to say. I guess...the monsters got to the girl in the end," Thalia mumbled quietly, thinking of the girl in the picture as Violet, wondering if Violet truly was trying to tell her and she was just filling in the blanks aimlessly on her own. "Violet's heaps better than I am...or ever will be, I probably just messed her painting up...and it's her last painting, the date she wrote at the back was just a week before Dad shipped her off," Thalia sighed sadly, taking down the other paintings as Chase continued to scrutinize Thalia's painting.
"I don't know...I feel like it works. It's scary though...how your sister put so much detail into everything. If it really was her last painting, d-don't you think...it's interesting how the girl's disappearing? Like...you can see how the strokes here...I don't speak art but like...are dragged out? Like she's fading away?" Chase said, having noticed the extended brush strokes as Thalia widened her eyes, never having seen it that way.
"Yeah...makes me wonder sometimes if you know...the painting was ever missing something in the first place," Thalia commented quietly, taking her phone out of her pocket to look for the picture she'd taken of the original work before she'd added touches to it. She showed the picture to Chase, the two comparing the two works as Thalia continued to speak. "It was never very...Violet to leave something unfinished. Perhaps the picture was already complete when I saw it," Thalia said softly, the two staring at the painting in silence.
"But like you said...what was the girl so scared of then?" Chase asked, wondering if there was some detail in the art he was missing considering he'd never been one who liked looking at art, only going to the Brentwood art museums with Thalia because he liked seeing the way her eyes lit up when she looked at works that inspired her.
"Something she couldn't see, maybe," Thalia quipped gently as the two fell silent once more, thinking of what Violet could've possibly been trying to say. They knew Violet, they knew everything Violet did was meticulously planned out and behind all her paintings, Thalia had always found a message, it was only this one that truly stumped her. "Do you...think Violet knew something?"
"What do you mean?"
"That day I ran out of Timely...it was because Elias called me, saying my dad was acting up again. When I got home...it was kinda different from all the other times because my dad said some weird things...l-like weirder than normal. He kept calling me...by my mom's name and saying things like Violet was going to get both of us killed, that Violet knew something she shouldn't know. I don't know...looking at this painting just makes me wonder if she really did know something," Thalia confessed timidly, sharing what had been preying on her mind with Chase as he nodded thoughtfully.
"Like...about PRIDE? How it's a cover-up for...some weird cult?" Chase asked curiously, not wanting to give his input on Violet, rather preferring to hear things from Thalia's point of view. He didn't know Violet very well ── all he knew about her was that she was Thalia's biggest idol and the one person in the world whom Thalia admired more than her parents. "You think...she knew?"
"I mean, maybe," Thalia trailed off awkwardly, "I was thinking about how we were in the basement of the Wilder's house and Gert covered Molly's eyes to keep her from seeing what y-your parents...it made me think about how I would do the same for Elias. Shield him from all the evil of the world...makes me wonder if Violet tried to do the same for me. Maybe that's what my dad...Matteo, I mean...was trying to tell me. I've...it's just been such a hard pill for me to swallow, thinking...how much have I missed, Chase? C-could I have saved her?"
"I didn't know her very well," Chase admitted sheepishly, "but one thing I know for sure is that your sister would've done anything to protect you. It's not your fault for not knowing, you were a kid when everything went down. You're not responsible for everything and everyone around you, Thals...you can't carry the weight of the world alone."
"It's all I've ever known, Chase."
"Besides, she could still be out there...you know," Chase offered hopefully, trying to be more optimistic as Thalia shook her head.
"She's gone, Chase...I can feel it, I just know she is. She wouldn't have gotten out of that wretched place...a-and not come back and said goodbye," Thalia whispered, sniffling softly as Thalia slumped down against the wall, eyes teary as Chase sat beside her, upset with himself for upsetting her as he slipped a supportive arm around the crying girl.
"I'm sorry...f-for saying that, I shouldn't have suggested that──"
"It's okay, you were just trying to make things better," Thalia said, unable to find it in herself to be mad at Chase when it wasn't even his fault that he believed so strongly that Violet could still be out there given no one had ever recovered Violet's body though she'd been missing for so long.
"I'll shut up now...and just stay here. W-would that make things better?" Chase asked gently, sincerely wanting to make Thalia feel better as she nodded timidly, too afraid to say something she might regret as the two stayed quietly sitting together, both thinking about what was to come, quietly savouring the time they got to spend together. "Will a hug make it better?" Chase asked shyly as Thalia giggled softly, nodding obligingly as Chase wrapped his other arm around her.
"You...don't mind staying? You can go home now, I should really clean up and start locking up..."
"Thals, put yourself first for once, okay?" Chase requested softly, his concerned brown eyes boring deep into her soul as she felt her cheeks heat up profusely, biting her lip as she leaned against his shoulder. "I'll stay, we'll clean up together once you feel better, alright? I got you, Thals...just take a deep breath for a moment. I'll do my best to make things better for you, okay?"
"Thank you," Thalia whispered under her breath as she angled her body towards him, cuddling close to him as Chase tried to ignore the rampant pounding of his heart against his chest.
Temporarily, the growing pain that had been gnawing away at both teens subsided as Thalia stayed in Chase's arms, hoping the pain would stay away forever if she pretended he could keep the monsters away.
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"I actually wanted to show you some additions I made to the Fistigons, I've been working pretty hard on them and I don't know...I thought it would be sick if you could give me some feedback on them? Unless...you have to rush home for Elias...I get it," Chase proposed once the two had finally cleaned up the art studio and music room. They'd grabbed something to eat together from a burger place nearby, now walking home together.
"Sure...just for a little while," Thalia agreed sweetly, not wanting their day to end. Though it had been rough at first considering what the open house was even meant for, she was happy to have spent the open house hanging out with Karolina before getting to share her insights with Chase. Despite her newly discovered hurricane of feelings for the brown-eyed boy, amidst all the mess of teenage feelings was always gratitude. She was glad that he'd wandered into the art room, glad he was now by her side.
"Cool!" Chase replied happily, trying to conceal his excitement as the two continued to walk together, Thalia kicking a pebble along the cobblestone pavement as she watched it bounce down the pavement, over the few cracks while Chase found himself looking over at Thalia every now and then, feeling his heart race just a little when she'd turn around to offer him a small smile when she caught him staring.
Once they'd finally made their way to Chase's house, the pair walked inside Victor's lab as he showed Thalia the table and the stand the Fistigons were mounted on as Thalia marvelled at the improvements and little tweaks Chase had made to it, sitting down on the table, watching Chase intently as he continued to work on them, wanting to show Thalia what he'd been working on and his work so far.
"Think these look pretty good," Thalia said, complimenting Chase, who smiled goofily at her before he adjusted a few screws on the Fistigon. "You say I'm talented for painting a stupid monster...but you've built gloves that literally fire at people! Come on, Chase! Don't flatter me...look at your own handiwork!" She said playfully as Chase elbowed her between laughs, Chase working on one Fistigon as Thalia fooled around with the other.
"Be careful with that thing, wouldn't want you setting your hair on fire or something," Chase teased playfully, a note of seriousness behind his voice as Thalia rolled her eyes.
"So if I accidentally blow my brains out...that's okay...but if I fry my hair, then it's an emergency?" Thalia joked as Chase stuck his tongue out at her playfully, which made her blush a little as she watched Chase working on his Fistigons silently. "Am I disturbing you? Because I could go, you know...I could──"
"Thals," Chase interrupted gently, causing Thalia to fall silent instantly as he smiled lovingly at her, "I asked you to stay. I want you stay. Please...stay?"
"Okay," Thalia agreed quietly, staying seated on the table as she placed one hand on his shoulder, "I promise I'll stay."
They stayed like that for a while; Thalia's hand on Chase's shoulder, Chase tinkering away at the Fistigons, stealing glances at Thalia every now and then only to catch her glancing at him too, looking away with a mortified expression whenever she got caught ── but her eyes would always betray her and find their way back to him. The beauty of something unspoken hung over the two teens but Thalia's stomach churned, wondering if the words she wanted to say and her decision to let them go unheard would be one she was going to regret.
However, before she could speak up and ask Chase what this was, what they were, the voice of Victor Stein boomed across the Stein laboratory.
"O-oh...h-hey Mr Stein," Thalia stammered awkwardly, having felt a pair of eyes on her as she looked up to find Victor Stein staring blankly at her and Chase, "sorry..."
"What are you two doing in here?" Victor asked flatly as Chase turned to face his father, shoulders tensing slightly as Thalia gently placed her hand on his shoulder, not wanting Chase to lose his temper. Admittedly, she felt uneasy even looking at Victor Stein, having always avoided him because she didn't know if she could hold herself back from yelling at him for all he'd put Chase through. "I thought we had an agreement," Victor said dryly when Chase stared at him in confusion.
"W-what?" Chase stammered softly, his voice shaking as he prayed that his father wouldn't try anything stupid, not when Thalia was here at least. "Thals...maybe you should go," Chase whispered, wanting Thalia to be gone before Victor showcased his true self but Thalia shook her head, refusing to leave his side.
"I'm not leaving you, Chase," Thalia said quietly, her voice filled with determination as she knew exactly what Chase feared would happen. She couldn't bear to just be hearing of what Victor did to Chase anymore, she wanted to be there to stop it from happening, to make sure Victor paid for everything he did to Chase. "I promised, remember?" She repeated under his voice as Chase reached his hand behind him to clutch hers, squeezing her hand gently.
"Okay."
"You were never supposed to be in here without me...let alone bring someone else...who doesn't know how to treat lab equipment properly...in," Victor chided as Thalia felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment as she awkwardly climbed off the table, standing behind Chase as he pushed his chair in front of her, wanting to at least keep Thalia behind him if his father did revert to his old ways.
"N-no...that's not what we──" Chase cut himself off when he saw the stern look in his father's eyes. "S-sorry, I didn't realize it was a big deal," Chase mumbled half-heartedly, changing his tone, "I mean...we've been working together in here so I just thought I could come in, show Thalia what we've been working on and just make some minor adjustments. I mean...t-this is ours," Chase rushed to explain once he saw the weird look on Victor's face, his gut telling him that something was wrong just as Thalia's hand, that remained on his shoulder, squeezed him tighter, a silent way of telling him he wasn't the only one getting bad vibes.
"O-ours?" Victor scoffed, which hurt Chase more than he cared to admit as Thalia looked down anxiously at Chase, noticing that his shoulders deflated slightly after his father's snide remark. "T-that's funny," Victory chuckled dryly, though something in his tone told both Thalia and Chase otherwise. "Was it your money that paid for it?" Victor questioned icily as Chase froze. "Was it your work? All the long hours...when no one else was interested? I brought this entire operation into existence," Victor crowed proudly as Chase laughed sarcastically, shaking his head in disbelief.
"This is bloody exhausting," Chase cursed, unable to control himself any longer as Victor arched his brows. "I thought we were finally moving on...but apparently not," Chase sighed defeatedly, knowing that what he'd thought was a new and improved relationship with his father was too good to be true.
"What? What were we moving onto?" Victor fired back, walking dangerously near to the two as Thalia tightened her grip on Chase's shoulder, terrified that Victor would strike and trapped behind Chase, she would be unable to do anything as she saw her phone sitting on the other end of Chase's work table, knowing she couldn't call for help even if she'd wanted to. "Father and son? Playing together at the beach?" Victor taunted as Chase rolled his eyes, realizing he'd fallen for Victor's trap once again.
"I'm a goddamn idiot," Chase swore, realizing his mistakes as he turned to Thalia, his eyes telling her everything he couldn't say aloud in that moment.
"I...am making you a man!" Victor roared furiously, storming towards Chase as Chase shot up to challenge him, wanting to keep his father as far away from Thalia as possible. "But you don't want that!" Victor yelled, looking down at Chase, all he could see was a weak, useless runt. "Do you? You just want to be a baby!" Victor sneered as something in Chase snapped, causing him to lash out as he lunged for his father, pushing his father's chest hard as he stepped away, leaving Thalia shaking behind Chase's chair as Chase kept his father's attention on him, not wanting Thalia to deal with any of Victor's rage.
"You did it again!" Chase shouted angrily, frustrated that he kept falling for his father's stupid tricks. "You tricked me! Into thinking you'd changed! But you know what...I'm fucking done now! It would've been better if you'd just-"
"Chase!" Thalia shrieked fearfully when he was cut off as his father tried to punch him, only for Chase to have anticipated his father's aggressive attacks by now, ready to counter them as he punched his father violently across the face, causing Victor to collapse on the table as Thalia ran over to Chase's side, making sure he was alright. "Come, you can stay at mine tonight...p-please," Thalia whispered harshly, pulling Chase after her as she started to drag him towards the exit.
"D-dad," Chase stuttered lamely as Thalia turned around to see Victor grabbing the edges of the table tightly. "Dad, I'm sorry," Chase stammered nervously between heavy breaths as Thalia kept pulling him aside, not wanting there to be any more physical attacks as she cried out once more when Victor turned around, glaring at the two, one Fistigon on his left hand as he panted heavily, eyes shining with fury the way Thalia's father's eyes used to when Violet and him would clash.
"Chase, look out!" Thalia screamed in panic, knowing what the look in Victor's eyes meant as Chase stayed rooted to the ground, paralyzed with fear as Victor aimed the Fistigon for Chase. Unable to move his feet as though he was trapped in quicksand, all Chase could manage to do was push Thalia behind him, wanting the brunt of the Fistigon's force to hit him and not Thalia.
"Dad, no!" Chase pleaded but it was too late as the Fistigon whirred, firing as Chase grunted, Thalia stepping to the side hurriedly, trying to grab Chase's arm but she was too slow, the Fistigon's hit smashing the glass as Chase flew backwards, causing Thalia to cry out in panic as she flicked her fingers forward instinctively, causing Chase's crash to be slowed as Chase hit the wall with barely a sound, standing on his feet as Victor staggered towards him.
Though she was able to cushion Chase's fall, the blast from the Fistigon sent her flying backwards too as she landed hard on her back, having inadequate time to have braced heself, barely able to force herself to tilt her head up as she saw Chase, whose knees had gone weak, collapsed on the floor. The car's alarm blared loudly as Thalia could feel her head pounding once more, the loud alarm not helping as she forced herself to weakly tilt her head up, raising her shaking fingers once more as she watched Victor position the Fistigon in Chase's direction once more.
"Dad...please...don't," Chase coughed, begging his father desperately but his father's eyes were completely devoid of emotion as he stared at Chase, about to fire the Fistigon as Thalia used all of her remaining willpower and strength to force her shaking fingers out of their clenched positions at a rapid speed, summoning a gust of wind that blew Victor Stein right off his feet, causing him to crash into the car just as a gunshot sounded, startling Thalia as she felt herself losing consciousness, turning her head to the side to see Chase sprawled on the floor weakly as she closed her eyes, unable to stay conscious for much longer as she prayed that the bullet from the thunderous gunshot hadn't struck Chase.
Unsure what had just happened, Chase sat up frantically, looking for Thalia only to find his mother trembling, walking over nervously, a silver gun clutched in her right hand as Chase's mouth opened in shock. He took one look at the blood that now spread all over his father's white shirt, staring at his father's unmoving body as his right hand touched the blood that leaked from his bleeding ear, eyes meeting his mother's tentatively as Janet put the gun down slowly, watching as Chase's eyes widened with shock as he put the pieces together.
Janet, who wanted to rush over to Chase immediately, was waved away as Chase motioned for her to call for help, choosing instead to wait until she was out of earshot to sit up slowly. Crawling across the floor with all his remaining energy, Chase reached Thalia's side, gently cupping the girl's head in his arm as she coughed. His hands felt eerily warm as he realized that the glass had sliced part of Thalia's neck but he didn't care about getting his hands dirty, cradling Thalia's head in his hands as he sat down, leaning against the car to prop himself up as he lay Thalia's head down on his lap.
His pants stained with crimson red blood the longer the brunette rested on his lap, she coughed feebly as Chase lifted one of his hands to touch her forehead, realizing the brunette was ice cold. Holding onto her gently, his eyes brimmed with tears as he saw Thalia slowly losing consciousness, her eyes barely able to focus on him.
"It's okay, I got you," Chase promised, stammering as Thalia blinked several times, barely able to see Chase as her vision got more and more blurry. The gears in his muddled brain began to churn as he watched the girl bleed out in front of him, realizing that Thalia had been his guardian angel all along. She fixed him up, saved him but just as his father said ── he broke everything he touched.
"I'm okay," Thalia whispered hoarsely, "as long as you're okay."
"That day...with Old Lace...you saved me. The wind...that was you," Chase whispered as Thalia shrugged, unsure what he was talking about with her head being so fuzzy as the girl was barely conscious. "You saved me again..." Chase mumbled with quiet reverence, wondering how he could possibly repay her as she smiled painfully, reaching her trembling hand to cup Chase's cheek gently as he felt a gentle gust of wind tickle his cheek too as her thumb stroked him gingerly.
"Since day one," she laughed dryly, coughing several times as the throbbing in her head only got worse, causing her to succumb to the pain as she closed her eyes, the last thing she remembered being Chase calling out her name before everything went pitch black, the last thing she saw being Chase's dazzling brown eyes.
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