What's in a name anyway?
Title: Biology
Characters: Marshall Malone (astar_isborn), Elena Munez
Universe(s): Tethered Satellites
Timeline: The Tethered Satellites timeline comes after Nebula; this takes place shortly after the release of Tethered Satellites, Falling Starlight's fourth full length album.
Rating: T
Written for astar_isborn/sksdwrld
She was sitting on the porch, out of the sun, watching him spin circles in the back yard. She had to get the poor kid up to her parent's ... her father's ... house and let him play in the pool. The restrictions on backyard watering were smart for the environment but annoying for people watching after restless children when they could just be happy running through a sprinkler. Mat's shoulders were starting to pink up and she picked up the t-shirt he'd discarded a bit ago. "Matty, come on back over and put your shirt back on. You're made like your father and are turning into a lobster."
He groaned and obeyed, tracking back over, and took the shirt. "How come you don't turn into a lobster?"
She snickered. "Do you see me out in the sun?"
"Oh. Okay." He grinned and took the water bottle she gave him. "Dad said you're gonna teach me to surf."
"Yes, I'll get you on a board this summer. At least a small one."
It had taken work to convince Marshall to allow Mat on a surfboard. His accident wasn't exactly something that could be ignored and it was the reminder that surfing was dangerous and that Mat was an only child. But Elena knew it would be good for all of them. There were still some wounds that were healing.
"Did you and my dad ever go surfing?"
"Yeah, we did actually. I think it was our first date, but that was a long, long time ago."
Mat sat down on the grass and looked up at her. "How long ago?"
She laughed. "Oh, about a million years."
"I'm serious!"
"I was eighteen. Your dad was nineteen or almost nineteen."
"Wow." He furrowed his brow and looked just like Marshall when he did. It made her smile. "So why didn't you guys get married?"
Elena sighed. "Honestly, Matty. Your dad and I were really young and we made some mistakes." He didn't need the whole history. It didn't matter. Not right now. When he was older, when he could understand better, maybe. But by then he'd probably have taken the initiative and looked things up and she didn't want to be the one to hurt his image of his father. "We needed to go be with other people, to do other things. My career kept us apart. We just needed to grow up."
"Oh."
"Anyway, if your dad and I had stayed together, he never would have met your mom and you wouldn't be here." She laughed as his eyes widened.
"But you and my dad would have had other kids, right?"
She sighed. "Probably not, sweetie."
"Why not?"
"Well, you know how your dad has talked to you about how sometimes I just get so sad that I get sick?"
"Yeah."
"Well, my doctors are all really concerned that if I had a baby of my own that it would make me so sick I might never get better. So we made a decision a long time ago that I wouldn't do it."
"Oh." Mat furrowed his brow again. "Do you want a baby of your own?"
She sighed. "I do, but I don't want to risk what could happen." She could see the worry in his eyes, the same worry that haunted Marshall when he'd learned about his mom being pregnant with the twins, the idea that he wasn't good enough. After all, Kaylee hadn't wanted Matty. She'd walked away and left him behind and now here she was, talking about kids of her own to a child she already considered hers. "Hey," she held out her hands. "Come here." He did, reluctantly. She squeezed his hands and looked into his eyes. "You have nothing to worry about, you know."
He tried to be all cool and brush it off. Just like his father. "What do you mean?"
"You are so important to me, Matty. You have no idea. You have been since I first met you. Even when I thought I'd only ever get to see you from a distance, I was so happy because you made your dad so happy."
That made him smile. "Really?"
"Really."
Mat shrugged and then leaned over to hug her. "You know, I think it's okay that my mom left you know," he said as he let go of her.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I get you for a mom and you want kids. And I'm right here. So even though you're like, not my ... what did my friends call it? My biol..."
"Biological?"
"Yeah! Bio...logic ... mom. You're more my mom than my real one ever was. And you can't have kids. So that's why you and my dad split up for a while. So I could come along. But now you're back with him. So you're my real mom."
She couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes. Reaching for him again, she clutched him tightly, loving the logic of children because it wasn't ever messed up with all of the other crap that adults put into life. "Thank you, Matty."
"Thank you too." He said.
She sighed and stood up, still trying to keep the tears at bay. "Let's go see if there are more popsicles in the freezer."
They walked in to see Marshall in the kitchen, staring at the pantry like there were monsters inside. "We're going out for dinner," he said. "This ... yeah no."
Elena laughed. "Mat, go wash up. Popsicles later."
The kid took off like a shot and Marshall rolled over and took her hand. "I saw you two talking and I see you're trying not to cry. Things okay?"
She took a seat in her boyfriend's lap and stroked his cheek. "Perfect," she whispered before kissing him.
Characters: Marshall Malone (astar_isborn), Elena Munez
Universe(s): Tethered Satellites
Timeline: The Tethered Satellites timeline comes after Nebula; this takes place shortly after the release of Tethered Satellites, Falling Starlight's fourth full length album.
Rating: T
Written for astar_isborn/sksdwrld
She was sitting on the porch, out of the sun, watching him spin circles in the back yard. She had to get the poor kid up to her parent's ... her father's ... house and let him play in the pool. The restrictions on backyard watering were smart for the environment but annoying for people watching after restless children when they could just be happy running through a sprinkler. Mat's shoulders were starting to pink up and she picked up the t-shirt he'd discarded a bit ago. "Matty, come on back over and put your shirt back on. You're made like your father and are turning into a lobster."
He groaned and obeyed, tracking back over, and took the shirt. "How come you don't turn into a lobster?"
She snickered. "Do you see me out in the sun?"
"Oh. Okay." He grinned and took the water bottle she gave him. "Dad said you're gonna teach me to surf."
"Yes, I'll get you on a board this summer. At least a small one."
It had taken work to convince Marshall to allow Mat on a surfboard. His accident wasn't exactly something that could be ignored and it was the reminder that surfing was dangerous and that Mat was an only child. But Elena knew it would be good for all of them. There were still some wounds that were healing.
"Did you and my dad ever go surfing?"
"Yeah, we did actually. I think it was our first date, but that was a long, long time ago."
Mat sat down on the grass and looked up at her. "How long ago?"
She laughed. "Oh, about a million years."
"I'm serious!"
"I was eighteen. Your dad was nineteen or almost nineteen."
"Wow." He furrowed his brow and looked just like Marshall when he did. It made her smile. "So why didn't you guys get married?"
Elena sighed. "Honestly, Matty. Your dad and I were really young and we made some mistakes." He didn't need the whole history. It didn't matter. Not right now. When he was older, when he could understand better, maybe. But by then he'd probably have taken the initiative and looked things up and she didn't want to be the one to hurt his image of his father. "We needed to go be with other people, to do other things. My career kept us apart. We just needed to grow up."
"Oh."
"Anyway, if your dad and I had stayed together, he never would have met your mom and you wouldn't be here." She laughed as his eyes widened.
"But you and my dad would have had other kids, right?"
She sighed. "Probably not, sweetie."
"Why not?"
"Well, you know how your dad has talked to you about how sometimes I just get so sad that I get sick?"
"Yeah."
"Well, my doctors are all really concerned that if I had a baby of my own that it would make me so sick I might never get better. So we made a decision a long time ago that I wouldn't do it."
"Oh." Mat furrowed his brow again. "Do you want a baby of your own?"
She sighed. "I do, but I don't want to risk what could happen." She could see the worry in his eyes, the same worry that haunted Marshall when he'd learned about his mom being pregnant with the twins, the idea that he wasn't good enough. After all, Kaylee hadn't wanted Matty. She'd walked away and left him behind and now here she was, talking about kids of her own to a child she already considered hers. "Hey," she held out her hands. "Come here." He did, reluctantly. She squeezed his hands and looked into his eyes. "You have nothing to worry about, you know."
He tried to be all cool and brush it off. Just like his father. "What do you mean?"
"You are so important to me, Matty. You have no idea. You have been since I first met you. Even when I thought I'd only ever get to see you from a distance, I was so happy because you made your dad so happy."
That made him smile. "Really?"
"Really."
Mat shrugged and then leaned over to hug her. "You know, I think it's okay that my mom left you know," he said as he let go of her.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I get you for a mom and you want kids. And I'm right here. So even though you're like, not my ... what did my friends call it? My biol..."
"Biological?"
"Yeah! Bio...logic ... mom. You're more my mom than my real one ever was. And you can't have kids. So that's why you and my dad split up for a while. So I could come along. But now you're back with him. So you're my real mom."
She couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes. Reaching for him again, she clutched him tightly, loving the logic of children because it wasn't ever messed up with all of the other crap that adults put into life. "Thank you, Matty."
"Thank you too." He said.
She sighed and stood up, still trying to keep the tears at bay. "Let's go see if there are more popsicles in the freezer."
They walked in to see Marshall in the kitchen, staring at the pantry like there were monsters inside. "We're going out for dinner," he said. "This ... yeah no."
Elena laughed. "Mat, go wash up. Popsicles later."
The kid took off like a shot and Marshall rolled over and took her hand. "I saw you two talking and I see you're trying not to cry. Things okay?"
She took a seat in her boyfriend's lap and stroked his cheek. "Perfect," she whispered before kissing him.