Tide Me Over (closed, with Irridatedwarden)

[Interstellar Bun]

"Different does not always mean better. I like to think everything happens for a reason. It is...hard to believe that when you see good people die, or get hurt, but I have to believe something good will come of it, that everything will be okay in the end."


Esette spoke as she gave a flick of her wand. The dishes lifted to start washing themselves and she moved to start a pot of tea.


"Perhaps your loss will let you help someone else because you'll understand what it feels like. Either way, there is no changing the past as lovely as the idea sounds, but we can make the future better for ourselves and others. That, my dear, is what matters."


She put the kettle on to heat up just as the door opened with a quiet jingle, letting in a rush of cool air.


"Amour?" Celaden could be heard moving forward.


"We are in the kitchen, dear."


He rounded the corner, hands behind his back and cane nowhere to be found. "Ah, there you are. My darling, I just wish for you to know that I love you very much."


That said, his hands moved and there was a pop as he pulled back on a small cylinder, sending confetti spraying towards her as small green and red lights sparkled up and danced about in the air, before fizzling out in a grand display.


Esette squealed in surprise as Celaden descended into laughter. "You are an absolute child! Where are the other ones?"


It was then Felicia waltzed in with a large paper sack. Esette grabbed one of the poppers and proceeded to chase her husband down as he tried to limp away, shooting one right back at him. Felicia smiled brightly at Mark. Confetti caught in her hair and cheeks pink from the cold, she offered him the bag.


"I know they are a bit childish, but they are quite fun."

 

[sumurset]

Mark listened to Esette carefully. He liked her. She was so nice, but so wise. Definitely an adult he could spend time around.


When Fi and Celaden burst in with their poppers and fun, he couldn't help but laugh and smile with them; pearly whites showing proudly.


These people were amazing. He was so glad to have been able to know them.


He took the bag happily, pulling one out to look it over. A mischievous look began to twist his features and he looked up at Fi.


Then, without warning, he popped one at her and ran off; a hearty laugh leaving him as he retreated down the steps towards his room.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Felicia let out a startled sound when confetti suddenly blinded her. The noise of surprise ended with her giggling as she grabbed one of the poppers for her own. She chased after him, the sparks dazzling in her wake as she hurried down the steps after him.


"You snake!"


Not terribly fast, she had to hop down the last few stops to try and catch up with him and his stupidly long legs.


How did people even get that tall? It wasn't natural.


He was making a dash for his room and she popped the cylinder at him, looking quite pleased with herself as the colors and lights started to dance once more.


Oh yes, she was very glad she had talked her dad into buying all of these.

 

[sumurset]

Mark yelped in surprised at the sound, stopping and turning around just inside his room to see the sparks and colors.


He laughed again, shaking the bag of the rest of them in Felicia's face.


Then, he ran over to the bed and jumped on; pulling out another popper and aiming at her.


He didn't fire it, but the intention was known.


"Don't come any closer! I have a popper and I am not afraid to use it."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She had darted into his room in hot pursuit and managed to skid to a stop as he held the popper out towards her.


Grin hurting her cheeks, she held her hands up, another airy laugh escaping her all the while.


"You would threaten me in my own home? How rude of you!"


It was hard to keep the act up with how amused she was, yet she tried anyway.


"Do you have a list of demands if I am to get away safely?"

 

[sumurset]

"I demand you give me one of your cookies once they are done. Then I may consider letting you live!"


His cheeks ached from smiling so much, but he didn't mind. This was fun.


They were having fun.


He enjoyed it.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"You expect me to part with my cookies? My friend you do not know me at all!"


With that said, she lunged towards him, aiming to take him down by the legs and wrestle he popper from him in one way or another.


In the back of her mind she wondered if he had ever goofed off like this before. He always seemed so serious.

 

[sumurset]

"Whoa!"


Mark attempted to dodge, but ended up on the bed; tangled in the blankets. His popper was nowhere to be found, most likely rolled up against him somewhere.


Once he realized he couldn't move properly, he stopped. His popper was no longer in his hand at that point, and he began looking for it in the folds of the blankets.


"Crap.."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Felicia started digging for the popper as well. Seeing the glimmer of shiny green paper next to his side, she grabbed it and gave a triumphant laugh. Stepping back from the bed she pointed at him and wondered if it would be unfair to use it when he couldn't move.


Confetti burst into the air with a loud noise and she grinned wickedly. As some stray curls dotted with colorful paper fell into her face.


"I do believe you have been bested."

 

[sumurset]

He watched with faux-horror as she popped the popper. Glitter and confetti was stuck in his hair as well; caught in the golden strands that he had started to grow out. Not that he had long hair at all. He had simply stopped trimming it.


"That was evil!"


Mark batted away some of the sparks and pieces of paper as he sat up, carefully untangling his legs from the sheets.


"Curse you. I know where you live!"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Felicia pushed her hair out of her face, starting to pull the confetti out of her curls as she stepped back from him. A few more giggles escaped her before she finally started to settle down, getting a hold of herself. She was still smiling like an idiot.


"The Sorting Hat almost placed me in Slytherin, I do believe that gives me the right to have a bit of a devious side."


Really, she hadn't had a preference for houses, she hadn't even understood what they really were or the blood between them when she was first being sorted. Sometimes she wondered how things would be different if she hadn't been sorted into Ravenclaw, if she hadn't met Kir.


"Ah, but I could have done much worse, you should think yourself lucky."

 

[sumurset]

Mark scoffed, shaking his head as he sat up.


"That gives you no right to be devious."


He was smiling as well; a goofy, crooked grin that lit up his features.


"And, had this blanket not betrayed me, I would have gotten you."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Gotten me?" She blinked, placing a hand on her chest dramatically. "Please, that is nothing but wishful thinking. I obviously have the superior tactical mind."


It was an empty boast. Taking advantage of him when he was down and previously breaking his arm didn't quite prove her to have a tactical mind.


Rather, she was just lucky and used a few too many strong spells in simple duels.


Once getting a good bit of the confetti out of her face, Felicia looked towards the door.


"However, I believe the cookies should be done by now if you believe we can put our differences aside to go indulge."

 

[sumurset]

He let her have that. No use turning what was play into an argument. That would just ruin the fun, and, who wanted that?


Surely he didn't.


So, with a smile still on his face, Mark pushed himself up off the bed and followed Fi up the steps.


"Next time you will be the one tangled up in the shee--" his sentence stopped dead when he noticed Celaden looking at him with a concerned, confused, and angry expression. The man didn't have to speak for Mark to know what he thought.


Esette even looked pale.


"I didn't mean--We weren't--"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Felicia stared at her parents, not quite realizing what had caused the shift in atmosphere until it suddenly hit her like a disarming spell.


She looked to Mark before staring back at her parents.


"Poppers."


Well, that was a lame explanation.


"Excuse me?" Celaden took a step closer to them, still trying to settle on one emotion. Merlin he was not ready for this step of being a father.


Felicia blanched, paling so quickly she thought she might very well faint. She hadn't seen her father look like that before."He fell and flailed and I popped a popper in his face and he wants revenge for my use of a low and unethical tactic."


There was a pause before Celaden snickered. Hand pressed to his mouth he tried to swallow the sound. Felicia was being honest, he could see that, and the fear that had spiked so quickly in his heart was quelled once more. Though, he supposed he'd have to be a bit more alert from then on.


The warmth in Esette's face seemed to return as she let out a sigh.


"Yes, well, I assume everyone is ready to have some cookies now that we have covered one another and my house in glitter and paper."


She shot a look to Celaden, a mock expression of irritation that made him smile.

 

[sumurset]

The color returned to Mark's face just as it had Esette's. Though, it returned a bit too forcefully, as he was left blushing rather brightly.


Merlin's beard that had been an awkward situation.


Letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, the young man ducked his head and walked into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table.


Celaden may have made him uncomfortable, but Esette never did. She reminded him of hugs.


Her husband reminded him of knives.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The cookies were good and everything else seemed to go well for the rest of the day as well. The light snowfall proved to be interesting as a set of Wizards Chess was pulled out so they could all play and eventually divide into teams of two to plot the downfall of the other between whispers and giggles and more than a bit of sabotage.


Felicia ended up laughing so hard once she was in tears, wheezing, and her father joined her in the downward spiral of uncontrolled giggles. In that way, they were more than identical.


The next day went easy as well with Celaden finally bringing in the yearly tree and dragging out the decorations. Esette moved her wand gracefully to hang small glimmering orbs of light across the ceiling molding as the students worked on decorating the tree.


Everything seemed to be going fine as they sat down for dinner and, in the midst of recounting a rather questionable story involving the other three in their group of friends, Felicia was interrupted by an angry knocking on the door.


Her parents exchanged looks with one another before Celaden stood. The knocking continued as he made his way to the door and Esette quietly trailed behind him, leaving Felicia and Mark at the table.


Brows furrowed in confusion, Celaden opened the door.

 

[sumurset]

There was a sinking feeling, deep down in Mark's gut when the door knocked.


He hoped it wasn't who he thought.


His days visiting had been far too enjoyable to just all come to a sudden end.


The game of chess, when he had to actually hold Fi up as she laughed too hard to stand properly. All of the bonding between he and the family, and between the family itself. The night before, after the game, when Mark had dug around in his travel pack and found a DVD. His small portable player had provided a few hours of entertainment.


Felicia seemed to enjoy Muggle movies. She especially enjoyed Marley & Me, though Mark had to comfort her for an hour afterward while she cried.


"Why do I enjoy this torture so much?" she had asked, much to his amusement. Then, even better, "why do they make such devastating things for entertainment?" Both questions asked between sobs, of course.


Around ten o'clock the two students had wrapped up in blankets and talked for hours. Until Celaden came in, looking very tired, and very irritated. "Venir a lit, Felicia.Tu avoir besoin de reste." Mark still had no idea what they said when the spoke in their native language, but he quite enjoyed it. Especially on the rare moments when Fi responded in kind.


Now, he was looking at the door as though it would come alive and eat him.


When Celaden opened it to reveal an extremely angry Ivan, Mark blanched. He didn't want to see his father.


So, to avoid detection, he glanced at Fi with a pleading expression before moving onto the floor. Luckily, by the counter's set-up, he could sit down and hide behind it; blocked from the doorway's view.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Felicia blanched when she saw Mark slip under the table. Something was wrong. The whole air in the house changed as soon as the door opened and Felicia wasn't sure what to do. There was a quiet uncertainty in general and pure fear on Mark's end.


Always a master at not drawing too much attention to herself, Felicia slipped down next to Mark, assuming something bad was about to happen.


She looked to him, her brows furrowed in concern as she reached out to gently touch his arm in what she hoped was a sign of comfort.


Celaden, on the other hand, stared at the intruder. There was a calm expression on Celaden's face, something cold and calculating.


His grip on his cane shifted slightly, Esette hovering behind him.


"Can I help you?" He asked.

 

[sumurset]

Ivan glanced around Celaden, eyes narrowing.


"Where's my boy? He said he was here, staying with you."


His voice was low, gruff with anger. He was obviously not happy about the situation.


"He knows he's not allowed to go to other people's houses. He can't stay the night. He can't stay the holiday with you people."


He gave Celaden a once-over and sneered.


"I don't even know you, hex-breath."


Mark closed his eyes, wishing this was a bad nightmare.


His dad was so close-minded. Hateful.


He found out his girlfriend, Mark's mother, was a witch only after she'd passed. He blamed it for her death, claiming she wouldn't have passed if she was a human.


Liliana was the only woman he'd ever loved.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"You are right." There was a firmness to Esette's soft words. She reached up, gently placing a hand on her husband's bicep when she saw the way his knuckles whitened with his grip tightening. She could still feel the way the muscle in his arm was drawn tight, ready to snap.


"You do not know us, but perhaps if you did you would see you have no reason to be upset. I am sorry your son disobeyed your orders, but I am sure he did not do so with the desire to harm you any. I am absolutely positive this is just a big misunderstanding."


She smiled at him.


Felicia didn't have nearly as good of a response. A soft gasp caught in her throat, a hand shooting to her mouth when she heard those words.


How dare someone call her father that? How could they be so...so hateful?


Wide confused eyes turned to Mark, silently looking for an answer.

 

[sumurset]

He kept his eyes squeezed tight. This couldn't be real.


Why did it never work in his favor with his father involved. He was so embarrassed.


"You gonna let me in, or what? I want my fuckin' son."


By the sound of his words, he wasn't completely sober. There was the slightest lilt to them. One that implied a drink too many.


Ivan might not have been drunk, but he sure as hell wasn't sober.


"And if I have anything to do with it, he's never leaving the house again." They were spoken like a growl--like a man gone feral.


Ivan was pissed and he wanted everyone to know it.


Mark opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling before his gaze settled on Fi. He spoke softly, his words nearly inaudible.


"I should go. I do not want to cause your family any discomfort."


Esette's words only seemed to make him more angry.


"It isn't any misunderstanding, he deliberately disobeyed me. He knows he's not to go anywhere but home and school. Now I know I can't trust the little shit."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Felicia gripped his arm a little tighter and furiously shook her head. No, she wasn't about to let him get in the middle of that, not with what she knew was about to happen. Her father was kind to those who were kind to him, but there was a reason he had been so good at hunting dark wizards. He was deadly and his temper, when broken, wasn't one to be trifled with. She knew that from the stories he had dared to tell her, she could only imagine the ones he kept quiet about were worse.


"Please." She mouthed the word.


Celaden stood up a little straighter and Esette whispered his name quietly.


Merlin she didn't want him fighting again.


There was a whisper of sound, a hiss as Celaden pulled his wand from his cane. He didn't point it at the man, but the threat should have been clear even as he held it by his side.


"I'm not going to let you in my home when you're acting like a drunk baboon who would struggle to pour water out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel. Either you're going to start showing some respect and acting like an adult, or I will be forced to remove you from the presence of my family."

 

[sumurset]

Ivan sighed, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He was in no mood to deal with bratty wand waggers. There was a reason they used to be burnt at the stake.


"Put your 'magic stick' away. I didn't come here askin' for violence, I came here askin' for my son. Just give him to me and we'll be on our way. Like neither of us were ever here in the first place."


Mark gulped, looking at Fi with a terrified expression. With his father so angry, he really didn't want to go back. There was no knowing what the man would do. He could hardly drive sober, let alone tipsy and raging. ...but it would probably be for the best. These people were too nice to have to put up with his dad's bullshit.


"I really should, Fi. He's just going to get more angry."


His son must not have been quiet enough, because Ivan looked around Celaden and Esette again. His eyes were narrowed threateningly.


"Boy you better get your arse out here right now, unless you want my foot up it!"


Mark simply groaned.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Without warning Celaden reached up and placed his hand against Ivan's chest, shoving him back and way from the door way.


"That is not how you speak to your child, do you understand me?"


"Celaden." Esette spoke a little louder before stepping back and placing a hand to her mouth. There was no helping what was about to happen, she knew that.


"No, I'm tired of dealing with these little shits who think they can call themselves parents just because they let a kid live in their house. I know men like you, you're slime and you beat up on people verbally, mentally, physically, because you feel empty inside and you know you're a damn shame so you wanna make someone else hurt for it."


"You want to threaten someone? You think that makes you big? Then threaten me." He stepped forward out of the doorway, his accent growing heavier and much less refined. He had grown up on the streets and it was starting to show. "Or are you too afraid? Even without magic I could kick your ass to Bordeaux and back you English fuck. You should be honored to have a son as fantastic as Mark is, and until you learn that I ask that you get off of my property and go drink yourself under a table somewhere where I don't have to see your ugly face."


Instead of just grabbing Mark's arm, Felicia wrapped hers around his and drew him closer to her, trying her very best to make him stay.


"Mark you do not want to go out there."