will-never-be-a-swan:

mira-starling:

ulric-on-the-strings:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“Your friend from high school?” Jack nodded. “Yes, I remember him.” He remembered, too, that Ulric had only started getting into punk and goth fashion after he started hanging out with the other boy. It wasn’t the clothes (or piercings) he minded, but changing your appearance for someone wasn’t usually a good sign. Had Jesse gotten him in trouble … ?

“He’s the reason I wanted out of town.” Ulric has to take his chance to breathe, make sure he was still able to continue.

He’s looking Jack in the eyes for the next part despite the screen. “He wasn’t interested. Wanted to get closer to Gail.”

‘Asshole!’ Mira thought to herself, brows furrowed as she glanced away from the screen, looking off to another direction. If she ever met this guy in the future, she’d gladly track him down with her motorcycle. The same way Ulric had thrown Mason in the trash. Then again, maybe she was just thinking too darkly over this. But she’d let no one, no one, ever hurt her family. She’d been hurt too many times in the past to ever let something like that happen to one of her loved ones.

Mira took a quick glance up at Ulric to make sure he was okay before tightening her hold on him, giving him a little squeeze for some comfort. He needed this right now.

Katelynn had continued listening in, rubbing her husband’s back soothingly as best she could to calm his ire down. She wanted to learn the story and get all the details before passing judgment, trying to assess the situation as best she could.

When he began mentioning the story, her eyes grew quite large, feeling a stab of annoyance hit her. “Horrid young man…If I had known that I wouldn’t have let him into our home. Oh my poor baby„” Her heart went out to her son, knowing her daughter would have just kicked the man if she knew. But she was so devoted to Vycter at the time that she doubted anything happened between them.

Plus Gail was very devoted to her brother.

“Wasn’t int-” It took Jack a moment to realize what Ulric was getting at. When he did, however, his eyes widened sharply. 

Oh. 

Ohhhh. 

He supposed it shouldn’t be such a surprise. Gail had been pursuing Vycter since she was a little girl, but Ulric had always kept his romantic interests to himself. In high school, he’d dated at least one girl that Jack knew of, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have been interested in boys too. Even so, the blue man mentally kicked himself for being blind to such a big part of his son’s life. 

“Ulric, why didn’t you tell us?” His voice was much softer now. He instinctively reached out to the screen, wanting to comfort the young man. “We could have helped." 

How, he wasn’t sure. But it was all he could think of to say. 

mira-starling:

ulric-on-the-strings:

wrapped-in-shadows:

In spite of his anger, Jack did notice how his son was standing up for himself. He wasn’t acting like a child who’d been caught doing wrong – he was keeping his calm, and speaking levelly, in a way the older man had rarely seen. When he saw that determined look in Ulric’s brown eyes, he was strongly reminded of Katelynn. 

“… Ulric, what did happen last year?” He remembered those quiet weeks, when the boy had barely spoken to his parents and spent so much time out of the house. Jack had known something was wrong, but, “I tried to talk to you, but you wouldn’t tell me. What was so terrible that you couldn’t share it with your mother and me?” All those old fears rose in his mind now – drugs, crime threats, and worse. 

Ulric’s arm is immediately around Mira’s waist, wanting the contact right now and hoping she did as well.

Here goes, then. Mira already knew, at least. So did Gail. “… You remember Jesse, right?”

Jesse… Mira’s teeth gritted at the name, remembering what Ulric had told her about him. Remembering what he’d told her about the reason for traveling back to the past. The hurt that this guy caused her fiancé infuriated her and only caused her to move closer as her head settled against his shoulder for some comfort. Mira and Ulric had both come to Metro City heartbroken. But somehow they found each other.

Mira was sure to keep herself quiet for the moment, knowing Ulric was talking and confessing directly to his father. Right now, she could only stay close and give him as much comfort as he needed. 

“Your friend from high school?” Jack nodded. “Yes, I remember him.” He remembered, too, that Ulric had only started getting into punk and goth fashion after he started hanging out with the other boy. It wasn’t the clothes (or piercings) he minded, but changing your appearance for someone wasn’t usually a good sign. Had Jesse gotten him in trouble … ?

mira-starling:

ulric-on-the-strings:

wrapped-in-shadows:

Jack felt a sharp pang of guilt as he watched Mira carry the baby out into the other room. She’d tried to hide her tears, but he knew well enough what that gesture meant. Damn it, it wasn’t her fault the poor girl had gotten involved with a boy from the future. And he heard Ulric’s words – that they were all going to come home, permanently, by the year’s end. 

But he’d already said his words. He couldn’t back down in front of his own child. He’d already been much too lenient with Gail and Ulric when they were growing up, and he knew it. There was no choice but to stand his ground. 

“And what happens in the meantime? That’s almost a year from now, Ulric. Look how much you’ve already messed up the past! Who knows what else you could do in that time!” Jack groaned, rubbing his temples, his eyes tightly closed. “I’m not saying you should abandon Mira. You did this, you have to take responsibility for it. But … Ulric, you can’t do this. You’re going to destroy your future. In more ways than one.” 

He knew in his heart that it wouldn’t really be that terrible. If they did bring the baby back to the present, he and Katelynn would help take care of it, just like they’d been planning to help with Joey. But that wasn’t what he felt Ulric needed to hear. 

Watching Mira as she gets up and walks out of the room, Ulric turns back to face Jack again slowly, a look of determination on his face. “It can’t be any worse than how badly I’ve messed up before leaving.”

It was long past time to bring this up and he knew it. “And yes, I can.” And he was going to. Both of them were willing to. “It’s… I know it’s not going to be easy. Still easier than staying at home was last year.”

“But wanna be out there…” Joey started whining as Mira set him down on the floor next to a few toys. A rocket ship and a bouncy ball. Minion joined his little master’s side and looked up at Mira with even more confusion than Joey had. His fins flickered around in the water slightly but his eyes had been glued on Mira’s face along with Joey. 

Mira on the other hand had a pained expression on her face, but tried her hardest to smile down at her little boy. She kneeled next to both of them, unable to fight a small tear trickling down the side of her left cheek. “Daddy and I are having an important talk, okay? I want you to play in here with Minion until we’re done, alright?” she kept her voice soft. Joey did manage to catch sight of that little tear, though. So he stood up and patted her face gently. ”Don’t cry, mama…”

That actually got Mira’s eyes to widen, heart skipping a beat until she sniffled and pat Joey’s scalp, leaning in to give the top of his head a small kiss. “I won’t, honey. Be good, okay?” 

With that, Mira slowly got up, crossed her arms to hug herself, and left for the ling room again. She was nervous to even sit back down, but she did. She’d wiped the rest of her tears away just before appearing back on screen.

In spite of his anger, Jack did notice how his son was standing up for himself. He wasn’t acting like a child who’d been caught doing wrong – he was keeping his calm, and speaking levelly, in a way the older man had rarely seen. When he saw that determined look in Ulric’s brown eyes, he was strongly reminded of Katelynn. 

“… Ulric, what did happen last year?” He remembered those quiet weeks, when the boy had barely spoken to his parents and spent so much time out of the house. Jack had known something was wrong, but, “I tried to talk to you, but you wouldn’t tell me. What was so terrible that you couldn’t share it with your mother and me?” All those old fears rose in his mind now – drugs, crime threats, and worse. 

mira-starling:

ulric-on-the-strings:

wrapped-in-shadows:

But Jack ignored his wife’s plea. He didn’t notice the ring on Mira’s finger, either. All his attention was on his son. When he spoke, it was in that cold, rough whisper that had always came out when he was furious with his children – in a way, it was worse than yelling. 

“Ulric, how could you have been so stupid? You … look, I don’t want to know the details, but weren’t you being careful at all? For god’s sake, we had this talk with you!”

He could feel his old stutter creeping in, he was so distraught, and it made him even angrier. “And you’re in the past. You might be altering all our lives. Dammit, didn’t you think?!”

Reminding himself to keep meeting his dad’s eyes, Ulric keeps himself still. That was something he recognized, that whisper. Right now, though… He glances toward Mira briefly and gives her a quick squeeze.

“Of course I thought.” He’s looking at the screen again, keeping his voice level. “About everything. Why I came back, why I’m here… and why I’m coming back.” When it was time, that was. “When we’re all coming back.”

Mira started trembling a little. There was that angry tone she was bracing herself for. She could already feel this conversation heading toward a bad direction. And what could she say right now? Mira squeezed him tightly as it pained her to hear Ulric’s own father calling him stupid. And it made her feel even worse. They way Jack had worded things made her feel more like a fuck buddy rather than Ulric’s girlfriend – something so far from the truth. They loved each other dearly.

Staring to feel a few stinging tears forming at the corners of her eyes, Mira quickly turned her head to hide herself from wiping them away. If this conversation escalated, it was best to move Joey to a different room. So Mira got off the couch and picked up a very confused Joey. “Just gonna take him in his room…” she informed Ulric quietly. 

“Mama?” Joey asked as Mira scooped him up along with Minion in her arms. Mira simply hushed him softly and told him things were okay. She walked off with the little guy and would return fairly soon.

Jack felt a sharp pang of guilt as he watched Mira carry the baby out into the other room. She’d tried to hide her tears, but he knew well enough what that gesture meant. Damn it, it wasn’t her fault the poor girl had gotten involved with a boy from the future. And he heard Ulric’s words – that they were all going to come home, permanently, by the year’s end. 

But he’d already said his words. He couldn’t back down in front of his own child. He’d already been much too lenient with Gail and Ulric when they were growing up, and he knew it. There was no choice but to stand his ground. 

“And what happens in the meantime? That’s almost a year from now, Ulric. Look how much you’ve already messed up the past! Who knows what else you could do in that time!” Jack groaned, rubbing his temples, his eyes tightly closed. “I’m not saying you should abandon Mira. You did this, you have to take responsibility for it. But … Ulric, you can’t do this. You’re going to destroy your future. In more ways than one." 

He knew in his heart that it wouldn’t really be that terrible. If they did bring the baby back to the present, he and Katelynn would help take care of it, just like they’d been planning to help with Joey. But that wasn’t what he felt Ulric needed to hear. 

will-never-be-a-swan:

mira-starling:

ulric-on-the-strings:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“… What?”

The blood drained from Jack’s face, leaving it a sickly-looking gray. He felt as if his stomach had dropped out – as if something inside him had gone cold and crumbled away. He heard the words, but could only gape for a moment as the full impact settled in. 

His son had gotten someone pregnant. After all the hard work Jack and Katelynn had done to educate their children about sex and safety, one of them had still gone and made the ultimate screw-up (pun very much intended). There was no way Ulric was ready for a baby of his own. He was too young – he hadn’t even finished school! – and worse, he was stuck twenty-five years in the past. 

When he turned to Ulric, there was no happiness in his expression. Only anger, grief, and fear. “Is that true?” 

Ulric winces, recognizing that expression on his dad’s face. Katelynn was one thing, he knew it was likely she’d react well, but Jack… this wasn’t going to be easy.

“Uh, y-yeah… ?”

Mira’s body felt like it was going to tremble out of how nervous she was. Jack did not look happy. Breaking the news to them was much, much harder than it was to Gail. One of Mira’s immediate thoughts was thinking she shouldn’t have said anything at all. Or maybe she’d spilled the beans too soon. But either waiting longer or saying it sooner, it really didn’t matter. 

At any rate, the cards were out on the table. Mira hadn’t expected a somewhat happy reaction out of Katelynn and that did make her feel a little better. But it was Jack that she was scared and worried about. She could see the way his face paled it it made Mira cringe, biting the inside of her lip and moving in closer to Ulric. If this progressed, Mira was going to have Joey move to the other room.

“…y-yes, it is.” she brought her hands together, holding onto the engagement ring around her finger. She didn’t want to say much. Not right now when the news was still sinking in.

Being unable to hardly speak, Katelynn’s hand merely traveled down to clasp her husband’s, knowing this wasn’t going to be pretty. Words of comfort would hardly work, knowing he needed to let out the emotion and have his say.

Still it slightly broke her heart, glancing at her son from the corner of her eye and giving him a fearful glance. She wanted to be encouraging but was torn between that and wishing her son had waited until he was older. The deed was done however and she squeezed Jack’s hand.

“Love..” she tried, but failed to form any words.

But Jack ignored his wife’s plea. He didn’t notice the ring on Mira’s finger, either. All his attention was on his son. When he spoke, it was in that cold, rough whisper that had always came out when he was furious with his children – in a way, it was worse than yelling. 

“Ulric, how could you have been so stupid? You … look, I don’t want to know the details, but weren’t you being careful at all? For god’s sake, we had this talk with you!”

He could feel his old stutter creeping in, he was so distraught, and it made him even angrier. “And you’re in the past. You might be altering all our lives. Dammit, didn’t you think?!”