#sun mentioned

I wrote a little scene that I had bouncing around in my mind. Hope some of you might enjoy it.

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The phone is ringing. It’s been ringing for quite a while now. Unfortunately, the number on the screen is all too familiar to you—and at the same time, it’s the reason why you’re still standing there without picking it up.

It rings again. If only it would just stop. Of course, it refuses to do you that favor. Reluctantly, as if you were reaching for a snake—though you’d prefer a snake by far—you finally pick up the receiver and answer.

“Hello,” you say. That’s all you manage to say before your mother cuts you off.

“Finally, it's about time you answer! I almost thought no one was home. I was so close to hanging up.”

If only she had.

“You could have hurried up a bit more, if you’re already home, you know?”

That’s typical, Mom. No “Hello.” No “How are you?”

More and more, you are regretting that you didn’t just keep ignoring the ringing. Had you seriously expected her to call because she was worried about you?

“Anyway,” you hear her start. Aha. So now she’s getting to the actual point.

“Is one of your husbands there?” Your fingers clench around the receiver. “Your father and I absolutely must discuss something with them—”

That’s all you need to hear. You can already tell where this is going. It’s always the same. It’s frustrating. Hot and searing anger flickers in your chest. For so long you’ve suppressed it, silently endured it, believing that there was no point in arguing. But this is enough. You don’t want to hear any more of this. You don’t want to be dragged any deeper into their petty games. Not now that you’ve finally found a little piece of happiness.

“Don’t call again.” That’s all you say before hanging up.

Silently, you stare at the phone’s screen. Only for it to mirror your silence. But not for long. Then it rings again. Loud and piercing, the sound reminds you of her shrill voice when she’s angry. Only when you unplug it, does it finally shut up.

The silence that follows is suffocating. It’s as if that brief conversation had drained you of all your energy. In a daze, you stand there before your hand sinks and lets go of the plug for it to carelessly drop to the floor. The floor moves closer as you sink to your knees. It’s not fair. They always show up in your life only when they want something of you. It’s sickening.

You feel nauseous and cold. The smoldering anger from earlier has vanished, leaving only a wide, empty hole in your chest. Slowly, you sit down, pulling your legs as close to you as possible while resting your forehead on your knees.

You’re not sure how much time has passed before you hear the front door slam shut and the footsteps accompanying it.

“Darling?”

His voice sounds warm and deep. It’s unmistakably Eclipse.

You want to answer him. To run to him. To just let him wrap you in his arms. But you can’t. Your body simply won’t move. All you can do is wait, in the hope that he’ll find you.

You don’t have to wait long. Of course he’s searching for you. Even without looking up, you can hear him getting closer until Eclipse comes to a stop right in front of you.

A few heartbeats pass as he remains silent, probably taking in the sight of you and trying to figure out what has happened. Then: “The phone’s unplugged."

“It wouldn’t stop ringing…” You bury your face a little deeper between your arms. What on earth is wrong with you? You probably look pathetic, crouched there like that.

“Do you mind if I keep you company?”

You shake your head. That’s all you’re capable of right now.

You can hear the rustle of fabric and the soft click of metal as he slowly settles down on the floor next to you. His arm brushes against yours. A quiet invitation to lean against him, if you’d like to.

You shift your weight to the side. It feels good to have him close while you just sit there together like this.

Of course, you're aware that Eclipse would like to know more. He's definitely worried about what happened. Understandingly so. If you'd found him crouched on the floor, you'd feel the same way he does.

“Just give me a minute,” you murmur softly.

“Take your time,” his voice sounds calm beside you, without any rush. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Just to hear, you are allowed to catch your breath.

You’re really lucky to have him, and the thought brings a faint smile back to your lips. Just having him by your side is enough to feel the hole in your chest slowly being filled up again. Very slowly, you lift your head with a sigh and rest it tiredly against Eclipse’s arm.

“Six months,” you say. “Six months without a single call. No message. Nothing.” Ever since the wedding, they had ignored you completely. “And suddenly she calls, and the first thing she does is asking for one of my husbands. How I might have been doing wasn’t even on her mind.”

Eclipse listens to you. He just lets you talk. And you’re grateful for that. Somehow, you just have to get it out now that you’ve started find your voice back.

“I don’t know why I still have any expectations for my family at all. I mean… I thought I was over it. That I had accepted that this is just who they are. So why does it still hurt so much?”

Eclipse gently wraps his arm around your shoulder, pressing your head carefully against his chest, where your ear can hear the soft hum of his fans. “Oh sweetheart.” His fingers stroke your arm, with just enough pressure that you can still feel it.

“We can block their number if you’d like,” he muses aloud. “Maybe we should have done that from the start,” he says, his face turned toward you, his gaze fixed solely on you. It’s the same tender look he gives you so often. He leans down a little closer to you, just enough to place a kiss on your head. Where his lips touch you, it releases a little tingle, it gives you the feeling that you can breathe freely again.

“I think that would be best, yes.”

His face is still buried in your hair. And yet you feel as if you can sense the smile on his face.

“Sun wants me to tell you something.”

“Oh, does he?” You sound almost amused.

“He says he wouldn’t mind letting certain scum know where they belong. Ah… and that he’ll personally remove any trash from our property and out of your life that dares to approach you without your consent.”

That finally elicits a first, faint chuckle from you. “Yeah. That sounds like him.”

“I have no doubt he’ll deliver on his word,” Eclipse replies with a slight grin.

Neither do you. “Thanks. To all of you,” you’ve come to realize by now that you’re no longer alone.