All That Is Gone and Left Behind [2b/??]
anonymous
April 10 2012, 06:17:14 UTC
He stared up at her for a long moment, letting the noise from their boys playing in the other room to filter. What if he was sick? He had hardly had enough energy for the boys lately; if he got worse he couldn’t leave Emily to look after them alone. He owed it to them and his wife if nothing else. He nodded to her. She smiled in relief and pressed a kiss to his temple. “You should try to just relax until I get home-just play with the boys for a bit.”
“Can’t,” he sighed, eyeing his coffee gloomily. “Promised I’d help Ethan fix up his roof today.”
“You can’t do that when you’re like this, Al!” She smacked his shoulder for emphasis. “What if you get dizzy and fall?”
“I’ve taken worse tumbles than a fall off a one story roof,” he grinned, more to himself than her. Like hopping over the side of an overpass to escape the cops… He paused, blinking slowly before he remembered that he’d only done that in his dreams.
Maybe he really should stay home and rest until they went to the doctor’s. “…really don’t want you up there-Al, are you listening to me?” When he stared dazedly up at her, Emily sighed. “Al, please stay home. I’ll worry myself into the grave if you do.”
He knew that he should say no, that he had promised his friend a week ago to help, but he was so tired. “He’s going to kill me,” he groaned at last.
Emily pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Al.” She brushed the hair out of his face before standing up. “I need to go get ready. You just try to relax, alright? Besides, you have that ceremony in a week, remember? You need to be rested for it.”
The clamor of running feet made him glance up; at the doorway, their two young boys looked in at them. Al could never get enough of looking at his sons; he had missed more than two years of their lives already when he was stationed in South America. Since his return, he could never get enough of them. He smiled as they shoved at each other to take up as much space of the doorway as possible.
“Dad, can we go to the park today after we go over to your buddy’s?” Aaron, the more outgoing twin, demanded. He, like his brother, was slightly out of breath but wasted no time in trying to stretch out his arms to reach the other side of the doorway to squeeze his brother out.
“Boys, stop pushing each other,” Emily frowned, pushing her chair back. “And no trips today; I’m going to need you guys to behave and not give your father trouble, do you understand?”
Both of them whined, perfectly in unison. He often wondered if being twins caused them to synchronize, or if it was just a sibling thing. He wouldn’t know-he never had a sibling of his own.
“Sorry, guys,” he tried, using his most apologetic smile. “We’ll watch movies today, okay?”
“Daddy needs to rest today,” Emily said, standing up and walking over to the boys, taking their shoulders and turning them around before gently pushing them back towards the living room. “Try to be quiet and not bug him too much.”
All That Is Gone and Left Behind [2c/??]
anonymous
April 10 2012, 06:22:25 UTC
“Yes, mama,” they replied.
Before they slipped into the other room, Adrian-the quieter twin-looked back to Al. “Daddy, will you be okay?”
Al managed a smile. “Sure thing, bud. I just need to relax and I’ll be fun. You go have fun with your brother, okay?”
Adrian nodded and finally ran off with his brother.
He sighed and nodded into his arms. I should be in there playing with them, he thought with a frown, not sitting here exhausted before its even noon. Maybe I really do need to go to the doctor.
Emily patted his shoulder and wandered off, putting her mug into the sink before going up the stairs to get ready for work. Speaking of work, I need to call Ethan to let him know I can’t work today. Wincing at the thought of letting his friend down, Al stifled another sigh and stood up. He was almost out of the room before he remembered his coffee mug still sitting on the table. Grumbling, he turned around to put it away; as he turned and reached out, he glanced up and then paused as he saw his reflection in the patio’s sliding glass door.
He nearly chucked his mug at it in pure shock-there, in the reflection was a strange man. For a moment, he almost thought it was some trespasser staring in at him before he realized the man was in the same pose as he was, wearing the same startled expression. Slowly, he eased away from the table and inched towards the door, the man in the reflection copying him perfectly until Al got directly in front of it. Haltingly, he reached out and pressed his hand against the glass.
It was an imperfect doppelganger; where Al was black haired, the man was blond. Where he was grey eyed, the man was blue. But coloring aside, there biggest difference was the clothes they wore-Al was still in his tank top and sweat pants that he’d tossed on earlier, while this man was dressed in some antique military uniform and bomber jacket. Over the man’s sky colored eyes, a pair of glasses rested on his nose. And yet, in height and width, bone structure, hair style, they matched. Even the pale scar on Al’s third finger was mirrored on the other.
And then the man in the reflection relaxed and gave Al a tired, but warm smile.
Al put his fist through the glass.
There was a pause as the glass cracked and fell around his arm. Al looked down at his hand in surprise, hardly noticing even a sliver as pain as he inspected his knuckles which had torn open, probably broken on contact. Behind him, there was a clatter as Emily hurried back in, calling for him while their sons raced in behind her.
Slowly he turned and held up his hand which was bleeding profusely now. “Em, I think I need to see the doctor now rather than later.”
Re: All That Is Gone and Left Behind [2c/??]
anonymous
April 10 2012, 14:29:59 UTC
Third anon from before here. Okay, I just thought I was hooked before. This is just...I have no words. The changes that are happening with Al, the vision in the glass, his and his wive's feelings (that she has given voice to) about everything that's going on with him are just so poignant and emotive.
Re: All That Is Gone and Left Behind [2c/??]
anonymous
April 12 2012, 02:00:17 UTC
OP HERE
I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY GETTING FILLED!
Eeeeeeee!
Ooh, I love the build up already! His family is so sweet (oh shit he has kids this is gonna hurt so good) and I love the little memories of the other nations peeking through.
The reflection scene was awesome though. (The new Al looks so different!) Argh please continue!
She smiled in relief and pressed a kiss to his temple. “You should try to just relax until I get home-just play with the boys for a bit.”
“Can’t,” he sighed, eyeing his coffee gloomily. “Promised I’d help Ethan fix up his roof today.”
“You can’t do that when you’re like this, Al!” She smacked his shoulder for emphasis. “What if you get dizzy and fall?”
“I’ve taken worse tumbles than a fall off a one story roof,” he grinned, more to himself than her. Like hopping over the side of an overpass to escape the cops… He paused, blinking slowly before he remembered that he’d only done that in his dreams.
Maybe he really should stay home and rest until they went to the doctor’s. “…really don’t want you up there-Al, are you listening to me?” When he stared dazedly up at her, Emily sighed. “Al, please stay home. I’ll worry myself into the grave if you do.”
He knew that he should say no, that he had promised his friend a week ago to help, but he was so tired. “He’s going to kill me,” he groaned at last.
Emily pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Al.” She brushed the hair out of his face before standing up. “I need to go get ready. You just try to relax, alright? Besides, you have that ceremony in a week, remember? You need to be rested for it.”
The clamor of running feet made him glance up; at the doorway, their two young boys looked in at them. Al could never get enough of looking at his sons; he had missed more than two years of their lives already when he was stationed in South America. Since his return, he could never get enough of them. He smiled as they shoved at each other to take up as much space of the doorway as possible.
“Dad, can we go to the park today after we go over to your buddy’s?” Aaron, the more outgoing twin, demanded. He, like his brother, was slightly out of breath but wasted no time in trying to stretch out his arms to reach the other side of the doorway to squeeze his brother out.
“Boys, stop pushing each other,” Emily frowned, pushing her chair back. “And no trips today; I’m going to need you guys to behave and not give your father trouble, do you understand?”
Both of them whined, perfectly in unison. He often wondered if being twins caused them to synchronize, or if it was just a sibling thing. He wouldn’t know-he never had a sibling of his own.
“Sorry, guys,” he tried, using his most apologetic smile. “We’ll watch movies today, okay?”
“Daddy needs to rest today,” Emily said, standing up and walking over to the boys, taking their shoulders and turning them around before gently pushing them back towards the living room. “Try to be quiet and not bug him too much.”
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Before they slipped into the other room, Adrian-the quieter twin-looked back to Al. “Daddy, will you be okay?”
Al managed a smile. “Sure thing, bud. I just need to relax and I’ll be fun. You go have fun with your brother, okay?”
Adrian nodded and finally ran off with his brother.
He sighed and nodded into his arms. I should be in there playing with them, he thought with a frown, not sitting here exhausted before its even noon. Maybe I really do need to go to the doctor.
Emily patted his shoulder and wandered off, putting her mug into the sink before going up the stairs to get ready for work. Speaking of work, I need to call Ethan to let him know I can’t work today. Wincing at the thought of letting his friend down, Al stifled another sigh and stood up. He was almost out of the room before he remembered his coffee mug still sitting on the table. Grumbling, he turned around to put it away; as he turned and reached out, he glanced up and then paused as he saw his reflection in the patio’s sliding glass door.
He nearly chucked his mug at it in pure shock-there, in the reflection was a strange man. For a moment, he almost thought it was some trespasser staring in at him before he realized the man was in the same pose as he was, wearing the same startled expression. Slowly, he eased away from the table and inched towards the door, the man in the reflection copying him perfectly until Al got directly in front of it. Haltingly, he reached out and pressed his hand against the glass.
It was an imperfect doppelganger; where Al was black haired, the man was blond. Where he was grey eyed, the man was blue. But coloring aside, there biggest difference was the clothes they wore-Al was still in his tank top and sweat pants that he’d tossed on earlier, while this man was dressed in some antique military uniform and bomber jacket. Over the man’s sky colored eyes, a pair of glasses rested on his nose. And yet, in height and width, bone structure, hair style, they matched. Even the pale scar on Al’s third finger was mirrored on the other.
And then the man in the reflection relaxed and gave Al a tired, but warm smile.
Al put his fist through the glass.
There was a pause as the glass cracked and fell around his arm. Al looked down at his hand in surprise, hardly noticing even a sliver as pain as he inspected his knuckles which had torn open, probably broken on contact. Behind him, there was a clatter as Emily hurried back in, calling for him while their sons raced in behind her.
Slowly he turned and held up his hand which was bleeding profusely now. “Em, I think I need to see the doctor now rather than later.”
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I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY GETTING FILLED!
Eeeeeeee!
Ooh, I love the build up already! His family is so sweet (oh shit he has kids this is gonna hurt so good) and I love the little memories of the other nations peeking through.
The reflection scene was awesome though. (The new Al looks so different!) Argh please continue!
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