Heart of the Storm (Epilogue)
Title: Heart of the Storm
Authors: lizynob and lorafantastory
Pairings: Oscar/Block as the Anna/Hans dynamic
Characters: Oscar Schlumper, Wayne Schlumper, Dr. Block, Dr. Tease, minor mentions of Party Mania characters
Word Count: 47,002
Warnings: Descriptions of anxiety, some bullying, angst, references to death
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Bonus Content
I Will Be Right Here
Wayne bolted upright in his bed, drenched in a cold sweat. The image of Oscar lying dead in his arms lingered before his eyes, even as dream and reality fought for dominance. Lightning sparked across his hands and he curled in on himself instinctively. Stop it! Keep it down, hold it in…
No. No, not anymore.
He felt blindly out beside him until his fingers found the copper piping he’d had installed near his bed. He grasped it tightly and the sparking died down as the electricity surged into the grounding rod, flowing down through conductive metal to be dispersed safely into the earth under the house. He closed his eyes and fell backwards onto the pillow, focusing on channeling the energy out through his right hand and trying not to think about his brother lying so horribly still.
Calm down. It was only a dream. Calm down and the lightning will stop.
Thunder rumbled through the room and the electricity surged stronger, but he was still grounded.
Calm down.
It only took a minute or so to get himself under control, as opposed to the several minutes he normally would have spent wrestling with the sparking and trying to keep it inside.
But even after he’d released the copper rod, his brain would not be calm. Yes, this time was a dream, but it had happened. Oscar’s heart had failed because of the current Wayne had sent through it. It had been weeks and Oscar was fine, but…but might there still be a possibility…could something belated still happen…?
Wayne heaved himself out of bed and made his way silently down the hallway toward his brother’s room. It was stupid, for certain. He had made this same nightly trek four times in the past two weeks and every result was the same. But he knew that he would never be able to settle down if he didn’t.
He just had to make sure.
He took his time opening the door to the other bedroom, careful to make no noise that might wake his brother up even though the pounding of the rain on the window made that possibility unlikely. Oscar was sprawled out on his side in the bed, the blankets draped haphazardly around him. It was difficult to tell in the darkened room, but Wayne was pretty sure he could see the younger man’s chest rise and fall with slow, even breathing.
Pretty sure.
Wayne reached out and gently rested one finger on the back of Oscar’s hand. With enough concentration, he could sense the tiny electric impulses that told his brother’s heart to beat. He stayed there for a solid minute, counting the number of pulses in a given span of seconds, making sure they were steady and even without him having to influence them. Of course they were. Oscar was fine. He was fine.
When he had assured himself that everything was indeed what it should be, he removed his careful touch and headed once more for the door.
“I’m not a child, Wayne. I’m twenty six.”
Wayne froze at the voice from behind him, his face instantly heating up in embarrassment at being caught. Turning around to face Oscar’s wide-awake eyes, he managed a tiny, sheepish grin. “Forgive your big brother for trying to get some peace of mind. I tried not to wake you.”
Oscar pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the bed and with a light tug on Wayne’s sleeve, pulled the older brother down beside him. His eyes were soft as he took Wayne’s hand and gently pressed it to his own chest. “Is it beating all right?”
It was permission for Wayne to reassure himself without feeling guilty about invading Oscar’s privacy. Wayne allowed his attention to slip far away as he focused in on the minute impulses. He let himself get lost in the rhythm of them, feeling them strong and steady on a level no one else could.
“Yes,” he murmured with a smile.
Oscar stroked Wayne’s fingers with one thumb. “And is your mind at ease?”
The contact of human skin on his own was still strange but welcome. He sat quietly for a while, just listening to his brother’s heartbeat. “It’s well on its way. Thank you.”
“Good.” Oscar gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
“I just...I keep dreaming about what happened up on the ridge,” Wayne murmured, the words sounding unbelievably silly now that he said them out loud. “I-It shouldn’t be a big deal…”
“If it has you up at 2am I think it is a big deal,” Oscar told him quietly.
Wayne sighed as thunder rumbled through the sky outside. “I don’t think I’ll be going back to sleep tonight,” he admitted.
Oscar stretched a little. “Well I’m quite awake now, so you’re welcome to stay if you like.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that.”
Wayne removed his hand from Oscar’s chest and made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed, Oscar settling in beside him. A bright flash drew both of their attentions to the window, where the faint outlines of trees could be seen swaying in the wind of the storm.
Oscar had always loved rain and lightning and the way the leaves rustled in the air currents of low pressure systems. He always enjoyed the sounds of it, especially at night. But Wayne… His brother had never liked storms, had always avoided them as much as possible. Now Oscar finally understood why.
Thunder rumbled as the rain pattered harder against the glass. Oscar glanced over at his brother. “Do you want me to close the blinds?” he offered.
Wayne didn’t take his eyes off the darkened clouds, even as sharp light flickered behind them. “No,” he murmured at last. “I’ll be all right.” His voice was slightly bemused, as though this fact was unexpected even to him. After a moment he seemed to come out of his trance, and he turned to his brother with a small smile. “I’ve got my ground.”
He rested one hand on top of Oscar’s. There was no conductive rod here for his other hand to grasp. But Oscar could tell he wasn’t talking about copper..
He smiled back and leaned his head on his brother’s shoulder as he watched the rain come down harder. Wayne’s head rested gently on top of his. Oscar could feel him tense slightly at each crash of thunder, but it seemed more out of reflex than anything else and it only took a few seconds for him to relax again.
The two sat together while the storm rumbled away around them.
“Hey Oscar,” Wayne whispered.
“Hmm?”
His brother held up a hand, grinning as he let electricity spark at the tips of his fingers.
“You wanna do some science?”
Authors: lizynob and lorafantastory
Pairings: Oscar/Block as the Anna/Hans dynamic
Characters: Oscar Schlumper, Wayne Schlumper, Dr. Block, Dr. Tease, minor mentions of Party Mania characters
Word Count: 47,002
Warnings: Descriptions of anxiety, some bullying, angst, references to death
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Bonus Content
I Will Be Right Here
Wayne bolted upright in his bed, drenched in a cold sweat. The image of Oscar lying dead in his arms lingered before his eyes, even as dream and reality fought for dominance. Lightning sparked across his hands and he curled in on himself instinctively. Stop it! Keep it down, hold it in…
No. No, not anymore.
He felt blindly out beside him until his fingers found the copper piping he’d had installed near his bed. He grasped it tightly and the sparking died down as the electricity surged into the grounding rod, flowing down through conductive metal to be dispersed safely into the earth under the house. He closed his eyes and fell backwards onto the pillow, focusing on channeling the energy out through his right hand and trying not to think about his brother lying so horribly still.
Calm down. It was only a dream. Calm down and the lightning will stop.
Thunder rumbled through the room and the electricity surged stronger, but he was still grounded.
Calm down.
It only took a minute or so to get himself under control, as opposed to the several minutes he normally would have spent wrestling with the sparking and trying to keep it inside.
But even after he’d released the copper rod, his brain would not be calm. Yes, this time was a dream, but it had happened. Oscar’s heart had failed because of the current Wayne had sent through it. It had been weeks and Oscar was fine, but…but might there still be a possibility…could something belated still happen…?
Wayne heaved himself out of bed and made his way silently down the hallway toward his brother’s room. It was stupid, for certain. He had made this same nightly trek four times in the past two weeks and every result was the same. But he knew that he would never be able to settle down if he didn’t.
He just had to make sure.
He took his time opening the door to the other bedroom, careful to make no noise that might wake his brother up even though the pounding of the rain on the window made that possibility unlikely. Oscar was sprawled out on his side in the bed, the blankets draped haphazardly around him. It was difficult to tell in the darkened room, but Wayne was pretty sure he could see the younger man’s chest rise and fall with slow, even breathing.
Pretty sure.
Wayne reached out and gently rested one finger on the back of Oscar’s hand. With enough concentration, he could sense the tiny electric impulses that told his brother’s heart to beat. He stayed there for a solid minute, counting the number of pulses in a given span of seconds, making sure they were steady and even without him having to influence them. Of course they were. Oscar was fine. He was fine.
When he had assured himself that everything was indeed what it should be, he removed his careful touch and headed once more for the door.
“I’m not a child, Wayne. I’m twenty six.”
Wayne froze at the voice from behind him, his face instantly heating up in embarrassment at being caught. Turning around to face Oscar’s wide-awake eyes, he managed a tiny, sheepish grin. “Forgive your big brother for trying to get some peace of mind. I tried not to wake you.”
Oscar pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the bed and with a light tug on Wayne’s sleeve, pulled the older brother down beside him. His eyes were soft as he took Wayne’s hand and gently pressed it to his own chest. “Is it beating all right?”
It was permission for Wayne to reassure himself without feeling guilty about invading Oscar’s privacy. Wayne allowed his attention to slip far away as he focused in on the minute impulses. He let himself get lost in the rhythm of them, feeling them strong and steady on a level no one else could.
“Yes,” he murmured with a smile.
Oscar stroked Wayne’s fingers with one thumb. “And is your mind at ease?”
The contact of human skin on his own was still strange but welcome. He sat quietly for a while, just listening to his brother’s heartbeat. “It’s well on its way. Thank you.”
“Good.” Oscar gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
“I just...I keep dreaming about what happened up on the ridge,” Wayne murmured, the words sounding unbelievably silly now that he said them out loud. “I-It shouldn’t be a big deal…”
“If it has you up at 2am I think it is a big deal,” Oscar told him quietly.
Wayne sighed as thunder rumbled through the sky outside. “I don’t think I’ll be going back to sleep tonight,” he admitted.
Oscar stretched a little. “Well I’m quite awake now, so you’re welcome to stay if you like.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that.”
Wayne removed his hand from Oscar’s chest and made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed, Oscar settling in beside him. A bright flash drew both of their attentions to the window, where the faint outlines of trees could be seen swaying in the wind of the storm.
Oscar had always loved rain and lightning and the way the leaves rustled in the air currents of low pressure systems. He always enjoyed the sounds of it, especially at night. But Wayne… His brother had never liked storms, had always avoided them as much as possible. Now Oscar finally understood why.
Thunder rumbled as the rain pattered harder against the glass. Oscar glanced over at his brother. “Do you want me to close the blinds?” he offered.
Wayne didn’t take his eyes off the darkened clouds, even as sharp light flickered behind them. “No,” he murmured at last. “I’ll be all right.” His voice was slightly bemused, as though this fact was unexpected even to him. After a moment he seemed to come out of his trance, and he turned to his brother with a small smile. “I’ve got my ground.”
He rested one hand on top of Oscar’s. There was no conductive rod here for his other hand to grasp. But Oscar could tell he wasn’t talking about copper..
He smiled back and leaned his head on his brother’s shoulder as he watched the rain come down harder. Wayne’s head rested gently on top of his. Oscar could feel him tense slightly at each crash of thunder, but it seemed more out of reflex than anything else and it only took a few seconds for him to relax again.
The two sat together while the storm rumbled away around them.
“Hey Oscar,” Wayne whispered.
“Hmm?”
His brother held up a hand, grinning as he let electricity spark at the tips of his fingers.
“You wanna do some science?”