INVENTIVE

Date: 1 January 2021 Time: 00:42 AM Location: Evening Primrose

“Sarah?” 

Hugh wakes up to the voice, finding himself lying on the corner booth of Evening Primrose. He remembers dropping by for the New Year’s. He must have passed out. The light is out in the diner, and all is quiet– but the air is dark and heavy and familiar… like walking through the hospital corridor at night. “Herb?” Hugh calls out, kicking off the blanket over his legs and climbing out. The voice in his head warns him, be wary. “Not now,” he dismisses it with a shush, and ignores the migraine it gives him. He fumbles through the room to the store front. Hugh finds his father on the street, staring at a figure in front of him. He grimaces as his eyes play tricks on him, mixing up a shadow and that figure… he doesn’t recognize his own voice, uttering the word he had not in a while. “…mom?” 

Sarah Stewart, emaciated and in a hospital gown, does not appear the way Hugh remembers but as the image from her dying days. His mind doesn’t compute with his heart beating hot with fear and confusion and anger and sorrow. “Sarah.” He hears his father whispering, whimpering. “Dad, no, get back–” he sees Sarah reaching out to touch Herbert in the cheek. He sees his father collapsing to the ground. His eyes meet with his mother’s, and they nail such horror into his chest. “I’m so sorry, baby.” Her otherworldly voice echoes as she glides toward him. His legs move on their own, backing away from his mother, as the voice in his head goes, do not let it touch you. 

@hal-stewart​

It had been over a year since Hal has spoken to his father. Other than the two corresponding souless ‘happy birthday’ texts father and son exchanged, 2020 had gone by as a record breaking year of not words exchanged face to face. Even in the bad ol’ days, Hal would at least argue with the man face to face and call him an asshole to his face. Over the year he’d heard from plenty of people that Evening Primrose was doing quite well since its reopening, and yet he hadn’t set foot there, not even once. Hal did in no way buy into the whole ‘New year, new me’ bullshit and the positive resolutions that no one really kept, but a tiny part of him -the one that his girlfriend wisely nurtured to make better decisions- thought it might do him some mental and emotional good to somewhat mend the rift with Herbert Stewart.

He knew he had zero intentions of apologizing -Herb owed him about a dozen more apologies than he owed him to begin with...- and he just walked on towards the diner, trying not to picture how the conversation might go down because he’d just think what his father always said, he’d just get pissed, turn around and walk back home. Hugh had enough on his plate to also be their mediator, so with any luck the alchemist and his father would reach some semblance of serenity between them that allowed them to talk sporadically and maybe even up their two yearly texts to a healthy eight or ten, if things went well.

Hal was getting close to the diner when he spotted two figures on the street far ahead. He immediately got a sense that something was wrong when a third person dashed out to the street and the first man collapsed to the concrete. Hal’s steps slowed, a deep frown furrowing his brow. Fuck, he thought as he was close enough to see the building those people had walked out from bore the old school diner sign of Evening Primrose. His slow and wary steps turned into a quick sprint in seconds and he distinguished his brother and his father, fainted, as they were both showered by the dim light of the street lamps. “Hey, back off!” he shouted as he ran to them, certain without shadow of a doubt that the woman that stood there was a threat to his family. His magic was pulsating warm through his veins, ready to transmute his wristwatch into an enchanted weapon to fend off that bizarre looking woman. The second she turned around to look at him Hal could feel his legs fail him, making him stagger, come to an abrupt halt. His insides lurched, his breath caught in his throad violently. The image of that woman hurt him, shattered him in all the familiar ways and all he could do was stare at her, wide-eyed, lowering his hand from the watch he was about to use as raw material for a weapon against her... “Mom?” he muttered, taking a hesitant step closer, eyes suddenly bright with tears. A sob shook him. He didn’t even have a chance to question how or why she was there before he was fully blinded by emotion. Even though she looked withered and as gaunt as she had in those last days when Sarah Stewart smiled at him, Hal was ready to reach out and hold his mom.

PORTUGAL THE MAN - “FEEL IT STILL”

Date: December 10th, 2020 Location: Oona and Hal’s Home  Time: 5:45pm Status: Closed @hal-stewart

Something Oona’s gotten into lately is playing music for her baby. It’s something she read in an article once, it’s supposed to help the baby’s development. Even if it doesn’t, she likes the idea of introducing her favorite songs to their unborn child. Music is a big deal in the Potts household, in fact, there have been many arguments over what good music is in the Potts household. Oona and her father share a similar taste in music, but her mother and brother Gabe? Well, they have quite the opposite taste. The song Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey ends just as Hal calls out dinner is ready. It’s a process to stand and situate herself now that she’s six months pregnant. The first step is to take the headphone’s off her belly, which Hal manages to get to before she even has the chance. He is quicker and he is already standing. Oona thanks him and takes his hands, lifting herself up off the couch. “Jesus Christ,” she huffs out, stretching. “Oh my god this thing’s huge now! No offense baby,” she chuckles, patting her stomach. “I had him listening to Journey this time. Let me know if you want to throw something into the mix, he should know his dad’s crappier taste in music as well,” she jokes, leaning over to kiss Hal’s cheek. “So, what did your father make us for dinner, huh? It smells great, Hal.” 

Dinner was ready and Hal even set up the table with three flowers on a vase. Not natural flowers, of course, but silver filigree sunflowers he’d transmuted for his girlfriend earlier: decorative flowers that he’d magically infused with the natural scent of the sunflowers and with the added perk that they would never die. And he hadn’t made them because there was something special to celebrate, he’d made them simply because he’d felt like it. The alchemist didn’t believe in big occasions to have gestures of affection for Oona, after all. Every day was game and Hal Stewart was sponatenous and creative enough to tinker around and find artistic ways to translate his love for Oona in various tangible ways. He grinned as he went over to the living room and found her with the headphones over her belly. “The little man’s not so little anymore” he chuckled as he helped her off the couch. His soft expression quickly morphed into a dramatic mask of offense and he clicked his tonge. “Excuse me?” he laughed. “I may have some guilty pleasures, yes, but who doesn’t?” Because even he had listened to -and liked- some Bieber jams from the Sorry and Where Are Ü Now era .“And you can’t say Jungle, Arcade Fire or Portugal The Man are crappier than Journey. Come on. They’re glorious” he said as he placed a hand on his chest. Oona knew by now how much he listened to those groups when he was in the middle of his creative frenzy. Especially Jungle. Jungle was life according to Hal Stewart and his son would definitely grow up listening to them. “I made some grilled salmon and a broccoli souffle. I read it’s good for pregnancy. So yeah, lots of salmon and broccoli” he said as placed a hand at the small of her back and led her towards the table so they could have dinner and so Oona could see the little suprise he’d crafted for her.

Hugh shoots a look that reads ‘very funny’. The shadows under his eyes are disturbingly deep now. “Yeah, yeah, I am a robot sent from the future to fix your life. Your jokes are getting repetitive, man. Perhaps you should update your program.” He deadpans, lifting a bottle of fine wine in his hand. “For your soul.” He says as he enters the house at 8:00 exactly. He is punctual– not too early, never late, because he keeps the promises he makes. “Yeah, well, family comes first.” He shrugs, taking off his coat and hanging it over his arm. He is either going back to work or finish up at home after dinner– either way, it wasn’t like he would get some sleep. He clicks his tongue at the nudge. When will his brother learn that he doesn’t care for physical contacts in all forms? “That depends on your definition of ‘proper meal’. I bet I eat healthier than you do.” Oatmeal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and salads or occasional take-outs for dinner. Sure, sometimes he’s too busy so he just eats energy bar and his daily consumption of caffeine is the level of heart attack yesterday, but still. He eats regularly. “Huh. Looks like you actually clean.” He remarks offhandedly after scanning the house. “Where’s Oona?” 

“Man, have you not seen every scifi movie ever? Robots from the future are evil and fuck shit up, they don’t fix it” Hal pointed out with raised eyebrows. He wasn’t expecting his twin to get scifi movie references though, Hugh probably only watched... zebras documentaries? His expression shifted at the sight of the bottle of wine, dramatically warming up to practically give heart eyes at his brother to make him uncomfortable. “My soul thanks thee” he finally said with a laugh. He make his way to the kitchen, only pausing to look back at Hugh when he argued he ate better than him. “Unlikely, ‘cause I actually eat”. Considering his twin’s workaholic tendencies, he could bet skipping meals wasn’t that rare for him. And no, Hal wasn’t counting coffee or energy bars as meals. He grabbed a mitten to check the lasagna he had on the oven to check if it was ready. Focusing on their dinner didn’t mean the alchemist didn’t hear his brother’s backhanded compliment. “Of course I do. What did you expect, douchebag?” he asked casually, pulling out the lasagna out from the oven. Yes, yes, order had never exactly been Hal’s thing, but he wasn’t that much of a chaotic mess... most days. Sure, having Oona around helped to make him be a little more diligent with house chores. “She’s working tonight”. With the pregnancy soon would come the time where she’d have her leave, but so far his girlfriend was still out there making this crazy town a better place.

Christian nods and sits up a bit straighter when his friend admits to his fears of being a father. “Yeah I get that,” he says, nudging Hal’s shoulder gently. It’s a pretty common fear he’s heard from other friends who were expecting, but there’s one simple answer. People are people, and people are imperfect, which means they’re going to make mistakes. And even parents make mistakes. “But hey, you and Oona seem like a great team, real perfect for each other, you know? It’s kind of gross to watch, but I’m happy for you, man. You guys are going to be just fine. You’ll be great parents, you’ll be a great dad. Trust me when I say even though you’re a nutcase, that kid is going to love having you as a dad,” Christian chuckles, patting his friends’s back. He means every word of what he says, genuinely, even if he hasn’t known Hal longer than about six months. Even in just that time, he can tell Hal is a good person at heart. 

“Ha, I am not worse than Hugh. No one can beat Hugh’s brood,” the nymph nearly cackles, some of his beer sloshing out onto the counter. Seriously, no one could be Hugh, he owns the brood. “You know her?” The fact that Hal knows who Christian’s taking about when he says, ‘Kozlov’s assistant,’ throws him off a bit, but perhaps he shouldn’t be so surprised. His brother is the witch councilman, after all, he’s probably around City Hall often. Christian shrugs at Hal’s assessment of Natalia, “yeah a little at first, but she agreed to go out with me on her lunch, so. Can’t be that standoffish, now can she?” That’s not entirely what happened, but he can fudge a bit, can’t he? “She’s a challenge, I like that,” he says in a matter of fact tone. It’s funny, the persona he puts on for Natalia does not seem so far off from how she is, but to everyone else, Christian is very different from her. Maybe that means he’s doing well. The nymph snorts, “two times in a row is double rounds too,” he adds. What doesn’t surprise him is Hal’s little outburst and he can’t help but laugh, nodding to everyone with his beer when they turn around to stare. “That’s right, and we’ll have to get their numbers too so we can call them up if they need to testify,” he jokes. “Ben’s not getting out of this one, nope.” Ben would probably laugh and agree to pay for drinks upon principle, but really, spending time with just Hal isn’t bad either. In fact, Christian supposes it’s good he’s out making more friends in town. Best to act normal. “Hey you know what we should do? Record a video  and send it to him, it’d be a riot,” Christian chuckles. 

It felt good, having people with whom he could express his fears. A year ago he would have said everything was chill and just indulge in more alcohol than he should to quiet down his self-doubt. Hal was fortunate enough to have people who had his back and to know that admitting fear or doubt or guilt didn’t make him a fuck up, it just made him human. The alchemist chuckled as the nymph said Oona and him were gross to watch. “You only say that ‘cause you envy us, man. You wish you had the Oona to your Hal” he said to his pal with a proud grin. He knew he was the luckiest man on the planet and he didn’t shy away from admitting it -and occasionally boast about it with his friends. “You know what? I’ll take that as a compliment. If me being a nutcase means I’ll raise a non-conforming, somewhat odd but in a cool way free-thinking child, I think we’re all good. Oona’s just going to love having a lil’ nutcase running around the house in diapers” he said with an easy smile. Man, if that kid turned out to be even a little bit like him the two of them might drive the lovely Ms. Potts crazy one day.

“Yeah, you’re right. From one to Hugh in the scale of brood no one could beat my brother”. Hugh was like the impossible eleven of that scale, in the sense that the distance between one number and the next was relative and it took a lot to jump from ten to Hugh in the scale. The alchemist eyed his friend with raised eyebrows, not bothering to mask his interest -or nosiness, really- in the slightest. Well, well, broody, reserved ‘I’m too cool to have a social circle bigger than five’ Christian Yates had a good ol’ crush. “Good for you, my man!” he told him as he patted his back, glad to hear the aloof secretary had agreed to have lunch with him. “And, how as it? Is there a second date in the horizon or did you bomb it big time?”.

So after they established the laws of missing these friendly gatherings of merriment and drinks, Hal pulled out his phone. Christian wanted to send a video to Ben so that was exactly what they would do. The alchemist raised his phone and began recording. “Ben, buddy, let me begin by saying you’re fucked” he began, sounding quite serious at first. “It has been established that whichever of us who misses these meetings, pays for the drinks next time. You’d obviously know this valuable information if you’d been here, but well- you weren’t. We voted without you. So that sucks for you but it’s great for us” he said as he grabbed his sunglasses, which hung at the collar of his shirt. He quickly put them on for dramatic efect and grinned at his phone’s camera. “Free drinks for us next time!” he hollered triumphantly and then angled the phone towards Christian.

@hugh-stewart​

“You know, it’s scary how much you operate like a machine” was the first thing Hal said to his twin as he opened the door. He’d told him he could arrive at 8:00, which obviously meant it was a suggestion, that there was a bit of leeway when it came to when he could arrive. But it was Hugh, he should have known that dinner at 8:00 meant dinner at 8:00, so the fucker was knocking on his door like clockwork, almost as if he’d calculated that if he knocked at 7:59 he would most certainly be stepping into Hal’s house at 8 o’ clock without margin of error. A surefire way to be unnervingly punctual. “But hey, I’m glad you could make it” the alchemist said to Hugh, content that his workaholic brother had made enough room in his busy schedule to come to have dinner. Besides, someone needed to make sure his twin was properly fed every now and then. Who knew what garbage snacks he ate at the office when he didn’t show up to give him paninis or grilled cheese sandwiches. “And you look like you could use a proper meal” he nudged his brother before he closed the door after him.

Christian draws in a breath of air, ready to wind up and let go some big declaration that it was indeed ‘bullshit’ that they would ditch guys night for their women, but it really isn’t. He sighs instead, nodding, “yeah that’s the right way to go, though. Oona’s great.” Not that Ele isn’t, no,  he’s just in the mood to complain is all. It’s been a few weeks since they’ve all had a night free, so, yeah. Christian’s a little pissy his friend bailed on them, but he gets it. More or less… “Yeah you’re a little more than halfway there, man. That’s crazy,” he muses aloud, patting his friend on the back. “How do you feel?” Though the thought of being a dad has always been at the back of Christian’s mind, he never really saw himself settling down, at least not any time soon. He has so much ahead of him, so much life to live, so many thing to do. Besides, he can’t think about settling down when this is the closest he’s been to Natasha Rosakova. 

He rolls his eyes, “yeah, it’s just me and my ‘brooding corner.’” That’s what Oona called it once and it sort of just stuck. Now whenever they get together, the guys razz him for being a broody little fuck. Christian is indifferent, though acts annoyed for everyone else’s benefit. “No, not really. I mean maybe one, but I don’t know if that will actually go anywhere,” he says, shrugging it off. “She works as an assistant for one of the councilman, the werewolf one. Kozlov, the one who keeps dodging me,” the nymph goes on to explain. Might as well let people know he’s got a ‘crush,’ right? Then it’ll seem more natural later on, he thinks. Christian laughs, “oh we’re all aware you two are whipped, I’m just the only one who’s ever honest about it.” When Christian met Hal, he was already with Oona. But he met Ben way, way before Ele was even in the picture. It’s a little strange seeing him with someone else now, but he’s glad his friend is happy. “Oh we need guidelines without a doubt. Though I’m glad Ben’s happy. That’s what we want…right?” He jokes at the end, chuckling. “Anyway, maybe the person who misses out has to buy drinks next time or something. We’ll enact it now that way Ben can’t say no.” 

Hal rose his beer bottle, drinking to that. Of course he knows Oona is great and he still counts his blessings every single day that she’d given him this second chance. He was less of a grumpy eccentric day drinker since then. Now he was a happy eccentric occasional drinker. “It is crazy” he said, looking at his friend with wide eyes because holy shit, right!? “I’m excited. I’m fucking nervous too. I mean, I’m terrified as hell I’m going to traumatize him, you know?” he said, trying not to sound too serious even though it was a genuine fear. Christian didn’t know the whole story of his family, but he knew he didn’t have a particularly good relationship with his father, to put it nicely... So with his mom gone and his dad being practically nonexistent, he hadn’t really had much of a parental guidance in his life. Hugh was the closest thing he had to someone looking out for him, and that was fucked up. “I mean, I’m not going to be on my own, I have Oona and she’s the best person I could ask to have my back. But I don’t know, I just- I want to be a good dad. I really want to be a good dad for our kid”.

The alchemist laughed as Christian mentioned ‘the brooding corner’. The nymph was a cool guy but he could really be a quiet grump sometimes “Man, you’re worse than my brother and that’s saying something”. He really wasn’t worse than Hugh. No one was worse than Hugh. Hal raised his eyebrows as Christian mentioned he’d taken an interest in someone. He nudged him playfully, taking another swig from his beer. “Wait. I know her” he said as it suddenly dawned on him who it was the nymph was talking about. He knew the assistants from almost every Council member because of the times he dropped by at City Hall to feed his ungrateful twin with paninis or grilled cheese sandwiches during Hugh’s nonexistent lunch break. “She’s pretty. But isn’t she a little-” she scratched his stubble, searching for the right word to describe the cold behavior he’d perceived from his very few interactions with her “...standoffish?” Yeah, he was judging without really knowing her but it was hard to picture someone as polished and proper as Kozlov’s assistant with this chill idiot he called a friend. Again, he didn’t really know her but they seemed like a strange pair. With Ben, he’d seen it coming from a mile away that he and Ele would get together. The whole town had seen it coming, for sure. “Even if he said no I’m saying yes, it’d be two to one, so he’s fucked. This is his second time not coming so next time, he’s paying!” he stated, raising his beer bottle in victory. Then the alchemist spun around on his stool to look at the other patrons at Terrance’s. “Let it be known Ben Rivera’s paying next time!” he shouted with excitement, and then turned to Christian with a grin. Yeah, Hal Stewart wasn’t even drunk yet. “All good. We have witnesses now”.

Date: November 22nd, 2020 Location: Terrance’s  Time: 8:36pm Status: Closed @hal-stewart​

“I tried to get him to come out tonight but he said he had a ‘dinner date’ with Eleanor. Can you believe that? Ditching us, for Eleanor,” Christian snorts, shaking his head. “Your girlfriend’s pregnant and your here,” the photographer points out, gesturing to Hal with his beer. “How far along is she anyway, four, five months now? Jesus, you’re about to have a fucking kid,” he chuckles, taking a swig of his beer. When he first met Hal, he didn’t peg him as the kid type. Though now that it’s happening and he’s seen the way his friend’s eyes light up whenever his woman walks into the room, it makes a lot of sense. “Last time I was over, Oona was cooking gumbo getting pissed about swollen ankles.” Oona often insists he or Ben join them for dinner, and he always says yes. Watching them interact can often be like a show, though he also enjoys getting a chance pick on Hal. Christian pelts his friend’s head with one of the bar peanuts in a small bowel next to their beers. “You think Ben’s going to be any fun now that he and Eleanor are attached at the hip? Not to say she’s bad for him, but…well he’s not here, and we can’t very well be the ‘three amigos’ without the third amigo, now can we?”

Hal couldn’t help but chuckle at the level of indignation from Christian over the fact that Ben was a no show. “No offense, man, but I’d also ditch you two for Oona” he admitted with a shrug before taking another swig from his beer. The alchemist would be more inclined to ditch his friends especially in these days because even though his girlfriend wanted to kill him some days, it was still pretty amazing getting to experience the pregnancy next to her. “Yup. Five months now. We’ll be meeting our little guy in no time” he said widening his eyes before he gave the other guy a grin. Hal was excited about becoming a dad. He was fucking terrified, but excited. And frankly, the best he could do was try to be there for Oona when she got swollen ankles. Or a sore back. Or weird food cravings in the middle of the night.

He was nursing his beer when the peanut the nymph threw at him hit his head. “You know, you’re just bitter ‘cause it’s just you and your lonesome, Christian” he said playfully, since Ben had Ele and he had Oona. “No ladies or gents caught your eye yet?” he wiggled his eyebrows, obviously poking fun at his friend. “Ben seems happy with Ele. And I can’t really say anything about him being whipped because I know I’m whipped” he said with a carefree laugh. “But yeah, ‘the two amigos’ doesn’t have the same ring to it. We’ll have to establish a rule or something” he said, thinking it over as he tapped his beer bottle “There will have to be consequences if one of us misses three of our lil’ get-togethers in a row”.

HAL STEWART Playlist - [ listen ]

The thing about being friends with Hal Stewart was expecting the inevitable yelling whenever he accomplished something or didn’t. Given how often he tried, this was often, and Ben was unsurprised that he was yanked towards his workshop without even a hello. “Are you surprised that I’m here? You called me,” he pointed out with a laugh, only half following along with Hal’s mumbo-jumbo involving runes, metals, and alloys. Ben wasn’t much of a scientist, he could only nod and pretend to understand, and let Hal’s enthusiasm run free. He stopped short at the wrist watch flung into his view, blinking in surprise and then reaching out for it slowly. “You’re kidding? You got that drunk idea to work?” Ben held it up to his eyes, eyeing the runes along the edges. The idea had come from an evening of one too many drinks together, and Oona’s own urging for him to tell someone about his issues. It hadn’t been easy telling Hal, particularly since he wasn’t sharing it with Eleonor yet, but it was necessary. “Your rune work was well done, I couldn’t have done it better myself. This is amazing, have you tested it out yet?” he asked, lowering the watch slightly so he could look at Hal with a raised brow. After a second, he put it on his wrist, a curious frown on his face. “If this blows up in my face, let’s not tell Oona what we were trying to do. She’s still going on about just embracing it - we should probably move away from your workshop if it does work though. Unless you’ve water-proofed all your papers.”

“But you got here fast” the alchemist pointed out, as the fact that his friend had gotten here so soon meant he could finally show him what he’d accomplished. “I can get anything to work” he stated back in a way that surprisingly didn’t sound too cocky or egocentric. He was simply a inventor that never stopped tinkering with an idea until he got it to work. Some might call it a waste of time, so might call it determination, but Hal Stewart was obsessive like that with his work. “But yeah, I did, man! It works beautifully!” he said with excitement, looking at Ben and then at the watch with clear anticipation to see the nymph test it. “What am I? An amateur? It’s not going to blow up, man. I used a little magic to do something like your waterbending thing and if that worked, it means it’s going to work with the real thing” Hal said as he gestured at his friend with a hand. Oona would definitely kick his ass for encouraging Ben with this when she was trying to encourage him in the opposite direction, namely embracing his rather dry situation. “Yeah... let’s not tell her. I’m having enough with the mommy hormones” he admitted with a light-hearted laugh. “I don’t need to waterproof anything. I’m telling you, it works. So come on, man. Just try it”.

It had been easy, falling into a routine when she moved in with Hal. Getting up and making sure she kissed him goodbye before leaving for work, coming home to him there, the warmth she felt when he slid into bed every night. All of these moments she craved and looked forward to came to mind now, and for a moment she’s worried it may all end. What if the news of this baby terrifies him? What if they don’t agree on an outcome? What if…there are so many what if’s. And it’s this fear of what if’s that causes her anxiety to spike, her heartbeat drumming against her chest. But then there’s also excitement, and joy because…because she wants to have this baby. Oona reminds herself of this as Hal sits down beside her, one of her hands reaching out to toy with the end of his sleeve. “You always do get a sense of satisfaction watching my reaction…I’m starting to think you’ve got an addiction,” she teases, bringing Hal’s hand to her lips so she can place small kisses against his knuckles.

Thus far their conversation has been light, airy. News of her pregnancy really spoils that, or at least she assumes it does given Hal’s prolonged silence. As she waits for a response, she begins to put the pieces back together, to make a plan in case this spiraled out of- Oona’s gaze snaps upward as Hal’s speaks, surprised by what finally leaves his lips. “I…yeah. Yes,” she breathes out, a light prickle of tears forming at the corners of her eyes. The gentle squeeze of her hand causes a light laugh to escape her, and she’s quick to wipe away the tears that began falling down her cheek. Maybe she doesn’t need a contingency plan after all. Maybe, this time around, they’re exactly on the same page. All in. “You’re gonna be a dad,” she repeats softly, letting her head fall forward gently into his. “Ugh, I was so worried you might not…it doesn’t now. You do, and you’re…I mean you seem, excited,” Oona laughs breathlessly, moving to the side slightly so that her lips can press to his cheek. She places several kissing there before wrapping her arms around him, pulling him close. “I love you.” 

Hal shrugged, giving her a fake innocent look. He did have the kind of personality that developed addictions, and being addicted to her happiness was certainly the best of them all. He chuckled as she kissed his knuckles a few times, looking at her with nothing but adoration in his eyes. Damn, he really loved this woman like crazy. But the smiles and the caresses stopped for a while there as she revealed the news of her pregnancy. It caught him off guard. Fuck, it really caught him off guard completely, and part of him was mildly freaking out and was definitely kind of terrified but he honestly felt so... happy. “You’re gonna be a mom” he said again, grinning as he took Oona’s face in his hands. This kid -their kid- was going to be so goddamn lucky to have her. And Hal honestly never thought of him himself as a father, and he certainly had plenty of shortcomings to do a decent job on that front, but the whole notion was a little less scary as he got to picture that the two of them were doing this together. “I am. I mean, am I’m freaking out a little? Sure. But-” the words didn’t come out easily, he just smiled and laughed. It was a beautiful thing to know she was carrying their baby. Oona planted kisses on his cheek and Hal turned to the side to capture her lips, kissing her deeply, lovingly. “I love you” he whispered back as he pulled away slightly “I love you so much”.

“Man, it’s so good you’re here! You’re not gonna believe it!” Hal practically screamed with excitement the second he opened his door to find Ben on the other side. He’d told his friend he had big news and everything about the way he walked and talked made it very clear it was an ‘I got and invention to work beautifully’ kind of big news. “I started tinkering with some stuff, I was doing some work with magical runes and different metals, testing alloys that serve as better conduits for magic-” the inventor rambled as he led Ben to his garage/workshop “and boom, I made this beauty” Hal said with reverence and undeniable excitement as he handed over a wristwatch to the nymph. It was a finely crafted piece with a carefully polished chrome finish. The dial was lighter in color and next to the numbers there were small linear carvings. Water runes. “You wear that and you’ll stop having troubles with your powers, man. The runes enhance your hydrokinetic skills and the dial actually turns dark when you need to recharge it- you know, in water”. A proud grin crossed Hal’s lips “Mindblowingly awesome, right!?”.

As Hal comes over to greet her, one of her hands rests on his chest, fingers brushing against the fabric of his shirt. She thought she’d be more nervous the moment she saw Hal, and to a certain extent she’s actually quite calm. Maybe it’s the look on his face, the adoration she catches in his glance or the way his hands briefly rests on her hips as they kiss. Any uncertainty she had before begins to fade, and she takes a deep breath, sitting down once Hal begins to speak. “You better be sleeping, I know what productive means to you and that usually includes late nights,” the werewolf teases as she reaches out to tug on his sleeve gently. The motion is casual, but soon she gives another tug meaning that she indeed wants Hal to take the seat beside her. “Really?” Oona perks up, looking down at their coffee table. A small smile spreads across her lips as she turns back to him. “Well now I’m dying to know what it is! What exactly has the brilliant inventor Hal Stewart thought of today?” She murmurs happily, leaning over to capture his lips one last time.

All right. Enough stalling, Oona thinks, clearing her throat once they’ve pulled away. “Actually, I had a rather eventful day. Play hooky with Ben, we went and had lunch, talked a little bit. It’s why I’m home early; actually, for once I wasn’t working myself to death.” Somehow she manages to still sneak a bit of humor in there; it eases her worry in situations like this. Maybe Hal’s caught onto it by now, knows her well enough to know big news is coming and she just hasn’t said it yet. “I…also went to the doctor this morning. I mean that’s the real reason I played hooky with Ben, I asked him to go with me because I thought maybe…” Oona trails off, her lips still parted as her eyes finally meet Hal’s gaze. “I was pregnant. So, we went in they did some tests. I guess it turns out that I am. Pregnant, I mean, I’m…I’m pregnant,” she slowly finishes her speech, pausing to let Hal take it in. Their hands were still intertwined and she could feel him tense slightly, probably from shock. It’s not every day your girlfriend comes home and tells you she’s pregnant, Oona thinks, biting down on her bottom lip. “I think I want to have this baby. I know that’s…I mean we didn’t plan this but I think- no, I know I want kids. And I know we haven’t really talked about it, but this…eventually I always saw this for myself. With you, with kids…I want that, Hal. And I hope maybe you do too.”

“Yes, ma’am” he responded with a chuckle as she told him he better be sleeping well. He was a night owl, they both knew it, and while he did slip out of bed sometimes to work on some new creation since Oona moved in he actually didn’t pull that many all nighters at the garage. After all, few things beat the feeling of sleeping next to her, of holding her close at night. He went over to sit down by her side as she tugged at his sleeve, letting an arm drape around her at the back of the couch. “Can’t tell. It’s a surprise. Why spoil it when I get to see the look on your face later?” he said with a grin, proud of the artifact he had been working on, and already looking forward of Oona’s smile and the gleam in her eyes when he revealed what he’d made for her.

His expression turned serious the moment she mentioned she’d gone to the doctor, concern crossing his features. He was about to ask if everything was okay when she told him of her suspicion that she might be pregnant. He remained silent, eyes widening a little as his eyebrows rose. Pregnant. It had been only a suspicion at first but then she confirmed. She was pregnant. They were going to have a child together. Hal remained silent for a moment, processing the news, letting it sink it. Was he even ready for this? He never exactly had the best role model when it came to being a father, so who the hell was he going to turn to for advice, for support? Holy f- “You’re gonna be a mom” he whispered slowly, saying the words as the realization fully dawned on him. A small smile crept on his lips as he gave her hand a light squeeze. Who else did he need for advice and support but the woman in front of him? “And I’m gonna be a dad” he finally said with a joyous chuckle.

Date: July 1st, 2020 Time: 3:10 pm Location: Oona & Hal’s House 

This, out of all the other days this year, is perhaps one of the only days Oona finds herself home before Hal. Most of his work is done in the garage of their home, so any time he went out was usually when Oona wasn’t home. Today though, is different. After an impromptu visit to the doctor with Ben, they decided to play hooky for the rest of their day, getting lunch and talking things through before she decided to come home early. How to tell Hal, she thinks, pacing the hallway, standing in the living room one minute, and their bedroom the next. “I’m pregnant,” she says, letting out a light sigh. “Hal. I’m pregnant,” she tries again, still unsatisfied by the way it sounds. As she paces, her eyes fall onto the spare room, the room they used for books, her case files, and various other things needed to work from home. One of her hands dares to reach down to her stomach, running over it softly. This would be the nursery, she thinks, a small smile curving on her lips. 

It’s not that she hated the idea of being pregnant. On the contrary, there’s a sense of joy in knowing her and Hal’s child is growing inside of her. But the problem of the matter is whether they’re ready for this. Having a baby, it’s a big step. It’s a step she would’ve rather chosen, than been surprised by. But she supposes that’s their own fault, isn’t it? For not being careful? She hears the knob on the front door turn, keys rattling, and Hal’s voice calls out her name with slight uncertainty. He too spots the difference in her being home early. Of course he does, she thinks, moving into the living room. “In here,” she calls out to Hal, quickly trying to shake the nerves out of her. When he reaches her, she finds there’s bag in his hand, and a smile on his face when he sees her. It manages to ease the nerves rising in her stomach, seeing Hal like that. Last year had its ups and downs but this year has been good to them so far. Maybe this could be good too. “How was your day?” Oona asks, leaning forward to accept the quick kiss hello. Hopefully less nerve racking than mine, she thinks, taking a seat on the edge of an armchair.

@hal-stewart

The light from the living room and from their bedroom was on when he got home, puzzling him a little. “Oona?” he called and soon enough there was a smile on his lips as he saw her walk out from their room. “Hi beautiful” the alchemist greeted with a very infatuated look in his eyes, setting aside his bag with materials for his inventions before going over to his girlfriend. It was in little and simple moments like these when Hal still caught himself feeling surprised and grateful that this was their life. Together. In love. Managing to make things work out. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve this but he was infinitely grateful that he got to feel happy and that he had a woman like Oona by his side.

“It was good. Productive” Hal told her after greeting her with a quick kiss. He’d spent a good part of the day working on sketches and plans and then went out to buy materials for his next creation. “Let’s just say our coffee table won’t look so empty anymore” he added with a knowing smile. She’d mentioned once or twice that she wanted to put something on that table and Hal had finally figured out what would be perfect for it, something that Oona would love. “And you? Did anything interesting?”.

hal-stewart‌:

The fact that she could love him after the history they had, after the way he let everything fall apart between them, is almost miraculous to Hal. Part of him didn’t feel worthy of that love but part of him had been wishing for quite some time that he still lived in Oona’s heart in that way. That part was bigger tonight so when she responded that she loved him too, he didn’t question it. He accepted her love openly, fully.

It felt like Oona would break, that her legs would fail her, and so the witch kept holding her close at all times. Slowly and tenderly Hal washed her hair, taking away every trace that there was ever blood in it. Then he grabbed the sponge and some soap to rub against her body being careful with the areas that were still in process of healing. She pressed a butterfly kiss against his chest and Hal held her close, cradling her head with great gentleness. “Of course” the witch whispered back, moving his hand down to her back, creating soft circles against her skin. “You can stay here tonight. Tomorrow. All the time you want”. His free hand moved to her chin, tilting it up with two fingers so he could look at her in the eyes. “You can always stay with me, Oona” Hal said to her before he leaned close to press his lips to hers, kissing her as the warm water continued to fall over them.

Light strokes of soap and water wash over her skin, the sponge taking off most of the dirt and blood left behind. Oona wishes the sponge could wash away her memories too, the ones from the woods. Even though she’d been a wolf, she remembers every moment of it, specifically the moment life left Nathan Friedman’s eyes. She said it to him before and she meant it; Oona had every intention of chasing him down to kill him. There was no other option in her head, not at the time. Death was her only option. Her eyes close as her lips press against Hal’s skin, letting her head fall into his chest. 

It felt safe, this space within Hal where she could hide herself if she wanted. Maybe it’s even been like this for years, but neither of them talk about it. This home, Hal’s home…it always felt like hers too. Staying here just felt right. Oona lets out a soft sigh as hands move across her back, drawing small circles into her skin. Slowly, her feelings of grief and guilt begin to wash away. She wished the sponge could do it, maybe even the water, but it hadn’t been either of those things. It’s Hal. It’s always been Hal. “Careful, I might not leave,” she teases softly, life returning to her cheeks. With a slight raise of his fingers, Hal lifts her chin, causing their eyes to meet. He sounds so sure of it, so sure of the fact that he wants her to stay with him, that he wants her. Oona’s lips part slightly as if to speak but she pauses, eyes fluttering shut when lips meet hers. It’s easy to forget about everything else when she’s kissing Hal. It’s easy to forget the town around them was in chaos, and that only moments ago she’d killed someone with full intention of doing so. It’s just so, so easy to forget when all she really cares about in this moment, is kissing the person kissing her. Because she loves him, and he loves her. For once, that’s enough.