Collen 🗣‼️

“Hey, are you alright?” Alice asked, leaning her face closer to his. “You don’t look so good, Ed.” She added, and he rubbed at his face with his hands, taking in a deep inhale. 

“I’m fine.” He said, though his vision began to blur. He looked towards the ground, spotting that his hands were trembling. He flicked his gaze towards the spot on the counter where Hendrick used to sit, half expecting to see the blonde still sitting there. Of course, he wasn’t, and Edmund felt himself sink further. Two arms wrapped around him, and he tilted his head up to look at Alice. 

“No, you’re not.” She sighed, squeezing him slightly. “Did something happen? I knew I should’ve been here these past two weeks, just in case, but-”

“Alice.” He rasped, feeling his voice crack in his throat. He swallowed the feeling away. He clasped his hands together, hoping the tremors would stop, that for a moment he could feel numb and get back to work. But he couldn’t. For a fleeting moment, he’d had someone who treated him like he was special. He had allowed himself to feel that way, anyway. With the way Hendrick had interrupted his confession, there was no way that feeling was mutual, no matter how much he wanted it to be. “He-He… He left.” He mumbled, and Alice raised an eyebrow for a minute before seeming to realize what he meant.

“Well, he had to leave eventually, right? He wasn’t here for you, Edmund. He was on some sort of quest.” Alice tried to rationalize him, coming down to look him in the eyes. “Do you want me to close the shop?” She asked softly, and Edmund nodded slightly. He wouldn’t be able to do much of anything like this, even if he was on autopilot. He feared he might burn something by accident. Alice moved away, but lingered at the door for a moment. “Will you be alright for now?” He nodded again, watching the door close behind her before rubbing at his face again. He pushed his palms against his eyes, trying to keep himself from crying again. He would miss Hendrick very much, and it was likely that the knight would never return to him. If he had just gotten the chance to explain his feelings, to give Hendrick a reason to stay, maybe they could have been good together. Now, he would never know. 

But that didn’t mean he would stop thinking about it.

----

Jack couldn’t sleep that night. He had been up for a while now, his eyes just not feeling tired, and his thoughts couldn’t stop racing. Today had just been so… easy. Almost too much so, and it made him slightly suspicious, but he decided to focus on what had been good instead. That was what kept him up. It was odd, feeling as though the giant he was burdening didn’t feel that way. That Roger thought that he was the problem, not that Jack was. The teen chewed his lip as he continued to ponder it all, until the flicker of a shadow against the window caught his attention. He watched as it moved back and forth. The figure was looking for something. Jack clutched the blanket a little tighter for a moment, before taking a deep breath the way Mabel usually told him to. There was no reason to freak out, this most definitely wasn’t his mother. He closed his eyes, trying to relax again. The figure would probably disappear in time, it’s not like whoever it was came for him, right? Even if they were here for him, he was safe under the protection of the giant and his wife. So, he pulled the covers over his head to offer some sort of extra protection, even though he knew it didn’t do much of anything, and tried to fall back asleep. He had just about drifted off when the feeling that he was being looked at forced him to open his eyes.

“Jack? Is that…” An incredibly soft, slightly familiar voice came from above him, and he slowly pulled the covers down just enough to take a peek. The green eyes in front of him softened, and the blonde man before him smiled softly. “Jackrabbit, do you remember me?” Jack's eyes fixed on the man, and a realization slowly came to him. 

“Uncle?” He guessed, remembering his eyes and face shape. It was odd to see a face coated in such hazy memories. He sat up, incredibly curious about why he was here at all. “What are you-?”

“I brought something for you. I thought you might like it.” Hendrick interrupted. He pulled out a stuffed cow that looked almost exactly like Milky White. Jack took it with wide eyes.

“It looks exactly… Thank you.” Jack mumbled happily, his eyes lit up. He held onto it with trembling hands, fingers twitching against the plush fabric. 

“You… look older than I thought you’d be. H-How old are you?” Hendrick’s smile seemed to fade.

“Fourteen.” Jack replied, still staring at the cow in his hands. “How did you know?”

“Your favorite word - your first word, actually - was cow. I hope you still like cows. I… I know I wasn’t really there much as you were growing up.” Hendrick said, seeming slightly proud of himself.

“I… I miss Milky White.” Jack murmured, pulling the cow close to him. He nuzzled the head, and the fabric felt nice against his skin, “Thank you.” His uncle smiled.

“Now, let’s get you out of here. I’ll be able to care for you. Don’t worry about your… Don't worry about Beatrice. I don’t think she’ll come back.” Jack raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t really thought of his mother at all today, and the mention of her almost made him feel uneasy.

“What-?” The light turned on suddenly. Jack’s head snapped towards the door, his eyes widening. Fear stabbed through his stomach the instant his eyes met Roger’s face. “Wai-” He tried, stepping closer towards the edge of the shelf, hoping to get in between the two.

“WHO ARE YOU!?” Roger charged the desk, startling Jack backwards only an inch. The teen tried to fight through the petrifying feeling, trying to speak but no words came to his tongue. His uncle was quick to leap in front of him protectively, shoving him back, and once again he failed to properly explain the situation. He was about to ruin things again, and his hands trembled at the thought. The shadow of a massive hand dwarfed him instantly, and he hardly had time to blink before it encompassed him entirely.

----

“HE IS MINE!” Roger bellowed, snatching up Jack and holding him with no way he could escape. The knight held his stance, clearly waiting for something. Roger faltered for a minute, catching a glance at Jack’s face. The boy looked terrified. Had he really just said that aloud? He froze, now petrified. He’d said it like a petulant child talking about a toy they didn’t want to share, and he realized that he had verbally confirmed his greatest fear. He was selfish. Possessive. He would never escape it. His anger flared again, realizing that even if he was being terrible, the knight still had no reason to try and steal Jack from him. He had never given a reason, he didn’t kidnap the boy, he wasn’t holding him hostage. He paused again. He wasn’t holding Jack hostage, right? Sure, Jack had expressed the desire to go home, but Roger had assured him that there was no way to do that, and then the two had bonded. Jack wouldn’t want to leave, would he? Roger’s heart ached slightly at the thought of that, before turning back into a mix of rage and shame. He was becoming like his mother, wasn’t he? The knight took the opportunity to dash for the nearest shelf, trying to gain the high ground. “You will not lay a finger on him!” Roger rumbled, trying to snatch up the knight, who slashed at his hand. He opened it reflexively, watching as the blood trickled down his palm. Jack squirmed in his other hand.

“He won’t hurt me!” The teen yelled, and both men paused. They each exchanged dirty glances, but ultimately their attention was on Jack. “You don’t have to hurt him. He…He takes care of me.” Roger blinked, wondering if what Jack had said was solely meant for him. 

“You… want to be here?” Hendrick asked, genuinely looking confused. Jack swallowed thickly. 

“He cares about me a lot. And… I care about him too. And his wife. They both take care of me.” Hendrick paused, tipping the point of his sword down but not quite sheathing it.

“...he cares for you?” Jack nodded. Hendrick lowered his sword. “Better than my sister?” Jack nodded again. He sheathed his sword with a sigh. “I suppose I should’ve guessed this after...” He noted with a sigh, his body relaxing while he ruffled his hair. Roger kept holding Jack up in the air.

“Can I go down?” The teen asked, trying to maneuver in Roger’s tight grip. The giant’s fingers loosened instantly and he set him down. “Th-This is my uncle.” Jack explained. Roger’s body relaxed.

“Sir, I swear to you, I am only here to retrieve my nephew.” The blonde man replied, and Roger furrowed his eyebrows. This uncle had never been brought up before, which fueled his suspicions about this blonde human before him. He narrowed his eyes, but kept the rest of his face as normal as possible. 

“Why don’t we discuss that over some breakfast?” Roger offered, doing his best not to speak through gritted teeth. Jack seemed to perk up at the idea, and Roger felt himself ease just a little. 

“I would not be opposed to that, sir. Thank you.” The blonde replied again, smiling politely in a way that only aggravated Roger. 

“I’ll come back and get you when it’s ready.” The giant said, mostly to Jack. Once the teen nodded, he left the room and left the door open only a little, just in case Jack needed help at any time. He paused for a moment, sighed, then returned back to his bedroom to inform Mabel of the situation. He found her still sleeping peacefully on her pillow, mouth slightly open, buried under the covers. He smiled slightly before planting a kiss on her face. As he pulled away, he watched her eyes flutter open and she yawned. She stretched her arms above her head, smiling up at him sweetly.

“Good morning, dear.” She chimed, before reaching her arms out above her head to signal that she wanted to kiss him. He descended slowly, resting his chin in her hands. She sat up quickly and kissed him. Mabel caressed what she could of his chin, and he melted slightly under her touch. 

“Jack’s uncle is here.” He said, unsure of how else to put the news. Mabel’s eyebrows shot up.

“Oh.” She looked him over. “Are you okay with that?” He exhaled slowly, glancing away.

“He wants to take him back to the human lands.” He mumbled, his heart sinking. He felt as though he had finally gotten to connect with Jack in a meaningful way, and now that was going to be ripped away from him. He finally got what he had always wanted, and he needed to cling to it desperately. 

“Well, honey, he is related to him.” Mabel mentioned, and Roger exhaled through his nose again. “I’m not saying that I want him to go, I… I quite like the boy, but…” She seemed to wilt, and it pained him. 

“He never showed up until now, what makes him think that he’s what's best for Jack?” Roger accused, glaring off to the side. He moved his head closer, rubbing his nose against her face. He didn’t even think before he said the next words, and had he, he would never have said it. “He’s mine. You’re both mine, and nobody can take you from me.”

“Roger!” Mabel snapped at him quickly, and his eyes flicked to her with surprise. “I am not your possession, and neither is he!” She huffed, genuinely seeming angry. He froze. It wasn’t often that Roger made her mad, but when he did, it usually had to do with his mile-wide possessive streak. 

“I-I… I’m sorry, songbird.” His voice wavered softly, and he felt his fingers begin to tremble. He clenched them into fists to try and regain some sort of control over himself. “I didn’t- I don’t…” He swallowed thickly. Mabel softened.

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.” She apologized quickly, adjusting herself to be able to see him better. Roger felt so ashamed of himself, keeping his gaze on Mabel even though it hurt.

“I-I don’t see you that way, I just…” The words drifted out of his throat. Mabel took a deep breath.

“I know, Roger. It’s just that sometimes… sometimes it’s more difficult to recognize.” She noted. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.”

“No, I-I!” Roger’s voice cracked. “You were mad for good reason, I-I… I’m being…wrong.” Mabel’s heart sank.

“You’re just being…” She trailed off, not wanting to use the word possessive. “Your same old protective self, that’s all. We’ve… We’ve handled this before.” She caressed his chin again, trying to ease him.

“I didn’t mean to say it like that.” He mumbled, looking right at her. He needed to face the shame to get through it this time.

“I know, dear.” Mabel replied, holding his gaze. “It’s okay.” She tried to assure him, but Roger averted his gaze. He didn’t deserve her patience, her kindness to continue to see the good in him. He pulled away.

“No, songbird, it isn’t okay. I-I… I need to work towards not thinking that way anymore. It’s not okay to treat you this way.” He admitted aloud. “I especially don’t want to think that way about Jack.” Mabel moved to stand, wobbling a little on the plush surface of the pillow beneath her.

“Okay. If… If you want help, I’m here.” Mabel reminded him softly. He smiled at her, leaning forward and kissing her. 

“Thank you, songbird.” He said, remaining close to her. “You’re too good to me.” 

“Oh, don’t give me that.” She teased, chuckling slightly. “You’ve been so accommodating and kind about my needs, even when I struggle to communicate them.” 

“That’s not so hard, I love you.” Roger replied easily.