#the missing piece | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tenshiharmonia · 5 months

Text

The Fourth Piece

"Courage that is untempered by kindness risks eating itself forever. Wisdom that is untempered by kindness is no wisdom at all."

I recently played Tunic, and the above quote reminded me of something I wanted to write about for quite some time now, in regards to The Legend of Zelda. You see, I'm a big enjoyer of the "Tetraforce" theory. I guess the name is pretty self-explanatory, but for those who don't know, it's the belief that the Triforce as it is is incomplete, and that there is a fourth, missing piece, taking the shape of an inverted triangle meant to fill the hole in the middle of the sacred relic*.

Now, I'm fully aware that it will likely never be a thing in canon (I even heard that the theory has officially been addressed and refuted, but I never really checked the veracity of that statement, so make of it what you will), but hey, as far as my headcanons are concerned, it's quite a fun and interesting idea to toy with. :3 Of course, if you're a fan of the Zelda franchise, you probably know that a core aspect of its mythology is that each of the existing pieces of the Triforce corresponds to a certain quality. We have Power, Wisdom, and Courage, so the question is : what ideal would this hypothetical fourth fragment stand for ?

I think you see where this is going, but personally, my favourite take on the matter is that the lost piece would represent Kindness. This is definitely not an original idea, of course. As you may know, it initially comes from Majora's Mask, where four of the great fairies who inhabit the world are referred to as the Great Fairies of Power, Wisdom, Courage and - you guessed it - Kindness. So it already has some basis in the series' lore (even if the great fairies have technically nothing to do with the Triforce XD ), but most of all, I really like how well it complements the other three pieces. Kindness fosters harmony. It helps bring balance. For Courage and Wisdom don’t amount to anything without Kindness, as explained by the line I quoted earlier from Tunic. And Power will just set the world on fire without it. They need Kindness to temper them, but Kindness also needs them to help guide its efforts. Really, I love the dynamic it creates, if that makes any sense.

Alas, Kindness and its champion are missing from the world. But what would happen if they were to awaken ? Who knows, they might hold the key to putting an end to Demise’s curse, the curse that was born from wrath and hatred… On the other hand, the events and context that led the fourth fragment to be "missing" in the first place also make for an interesting topic. First of all, the existence of a fourth Triforce piece naturally implies the existence of a fourth deity, a deity who would be on a par with the Golden Goddesses and who would have also partaken in the creation of the world. But once again, what could have led to their contribution being erased from the legend ? I mean, considering the level of almightiness we are dealing with, it can reasonably be assumed that it could only have been the doing of the other three creators - or at least one of them -, but even then, it doesn’t tell us much. XD

Really, there are so many directions this story could take. I’m almost afraid of picking one ! So here is a bunch of mostly inconsequential details I was musing about instead. :p

First thing first, I should probably mention that I like to imagine this fourth deity as a god rather than a goddess. Don’t take it as a statement of any kind, I just like the immediate contrast it creates. XD (Also, I love the idea of Kindness being represented by a buff and burly - yet gentle and caring - man. :p )

I was also toying with the idea that he could be related somehow to the "Fierce Deity" whose power imbues the eponymous mask. Maybe it could be an incarnation of the rage he felt after getting erased from the world’s history. I don’t know, but it could be interesting…

Since Din, Nayru and Farore are respectively associated with Fire, Water and Wind, it’d be fitting for their "brother" to have an elemental attribute as well. And it just so happens that we are missing one of the four classical elements to have the complete set : Earth.

Which, based on the iconography of Minish Cap and the Four Swords games, means that his dedicated colour would likely be purple. (I was going to say yellow**, to match the aforementioned Great Fairy of Kindness (and because I kind of feel like it complements the other three better), but the colour is already associated with the Triforce as a whole, so it’d probably be redundant…)

As for his name, I’d like to base myself on Twilight Princess. Since three of the game’s four provinces are named after the golden goddesses, it’d make sence for the last one (which is apparently not considered a part of Hyrule) to reference the fourth deity, one of the few hints of his existence left in the world. That’s where it becomes a bit difficult, considering how vastly different the English name (Ordona) is from all the other versions (that are mostly variations of the Japanese name, Latoan). Naturally, the version I’m personally used to is the French one, Latouane, so you can guess which one I’d base myself on. :p (I was thinking, maybe something along the lines of "Latoun", but there is obviously nothing definitive about it.)

Another thing to consider is what his contribution to the world’s creation could have been. We know that Din modelled the earth and everything material, Nayru defined the laws of nature, and Farore was the one who created life, so what does that leave us with ? My first idea was that it was him who gave living beings a heart (metaphorically speaking, of course), bestowing them with free will and a sense of self, as well as the power to defy destiny. Which, naturally, could have contributed to his ultimate erasure. But once again, I’m just brainstorming out loud…

By the way, is it just me, or does it start to sound like I’m basically recreating the Diamonds from Steven Universe ? I mean, four impossibly powerful beings, each tied to a particular colour and elements, with the fourth one being strongly associated with Earth and freedom and having disappeared under mysterious circumstances ? I swear it wasn’t intentional, but the similarities are definitely here. XD (Even the Diamonds’ sigil seems to hark back to the Triforce in a way, especially the triangular version used after the shattering…)

Anyway, this is pretty much everything I had to say on the matter. As you can see, it’s quite a mess of ideas. I would have said it’s a work in progress, but let’s be honest, it barely counts as a work to begin with. XD Still, I needed to get it all out of my system. Of course, if you have anything to say about the content of this post, I’ll be more than happy to hear you. As I said earlier, there are so many directions you can take with this concept. But then again, it’s also what makes it so fascinating in the first place. ^_^ (Also, go play Tunic if you haven't already ; this game is an absolute gem. :p )

* Note that while "Tetraforce" is an useful term, the object itself would probably still be called "Triforce", as the fact it was already named as such when there were only two pieces seems to indicate that it likely got its name from its shape, and not from the number of components… ** Which is actually purple’s complementary colour, funnily enough.

13 notes · View notes

dirtwatchman · 5 months

Text

PARTIES: Caleb (@dirtwatchman) and Erin (@corpse-a-diem) TIME: Last week of September, after the goo hit WHERE: Erin's house SUMMARY: Caleb finds Erin after work and the two of them start checking in with each other. Both are holding back secrets from each other with one of those secrets standing right in front of them. WARNINGS: Eludes to domestic abuse at times, parental death, lots of feels

He’d seen him a few times around the funeral home now. Ever since Mr. Nichol’s death, the man would show up in that ethereal form on occasion as if he was checking in on Caleb to make sure he was doing okay. It was comforting and heartbreaking all at the same time to know that even in death the one person he’d always looked up to was thinking of him. Jack never spoke to him, only appeared for a minute or two before leaving him once again and going off to do whatever ghosts did, something that had always remained a mystery to the zombie.

That night it was hitting Caleb harder than usual though. He’d gone over to the funeral home for a routine check on the sinks down in the basement when he’d spotted Jack hovering around Erin. It took a beat for him to divert his eyes so that Erin didn’t think he was staring at her but seeing him around her again sent a pang of hurt through him he hadn’t been expecting. If he was missing Jack this much, she had to be hurting so much more.

It was all he could think about as he did his checks that night. Of course, he’d checked in on Erin a few times but it had been a little while since he’d asked how she was doing with everything going on with the cemetery and he was feeling like he’d let her down somehow. When he got done with his check, Caleb made sure to search for her, eventually finding the woman outside on the front steps leading to the home.

“Hey.” He took a seat next to her, the tool box clanging against the concrete as he set it down harder than he’d intended, the numbness in his hands not doing him any favors. The sound made him wince, a grimace on his face as he turned to look at Erin. But soon Caleb was chuckling at himself, knowing his newfound clumsiness was never going away again. “Sorry, I just wanted to check in on you and see how things were going and here I go waking up the dead.”

The night was winding down into a simple silence, a calm after the storm kind of deal. Erin was thankful for the reprieve. The day had been especially busy–death never took a day off, but in Wicked’s Rest, somedays it was like he’d put up shop there right beside them. Her father was better at this. Maybe it was the grace that he’d perfected after decades of navigating this field, in this town, but he made it look easier than she ever could. But her mother was a huge help, as was Caleb, and even to an extent, her dad was a help when he’d pop in. His visits were never expected and neither of them truly knew how long they’d last. She was hoping for a visit today, if she was being honest. It made her wonder if she was leaning too much on his impromptu support. It was more than most people ever got after a loved one passed and she was finding herself becoming weirdly… comfortable with the situation, if that was possible. And that worried her.

A cool breeze settled over her skin as the sun faded in the distance, temporarily quiet, until familiar footsteps loomed closer. Another welcome visitor. The clang of the toolbox startled her and with a chuckle, she sat up straighter. The warmth in her face froze at his offhand comment. ‘Waking up the dead’. Would have earned him a solid laugh not long ago. It hit different now. But she shook her head and rolled her eyes playfully, scooting over to give him room. “I’ve had a long enough day with the living, don’t subject me to more people to please today,” she quipped with a wry grin. Her eyes glanced back towards the dark town, then back to Caleb. Thank god for Caleb. “Are you still working?” She asked, eyeing the toolbox beside him. “I would’ve thought you were done for the day. I’m beginning to think you sleep less than I do.”

“That’s the thing about the dead, though, they don’t take much.” If he knew anything about the ghosts that roamed around this place it was that they didn’t bother him much. He’d seen his fair share since dying himself, another undead being that wasn’t hard to please, and they’d never once asked him for anything. Most of them just roamed the cemetery looking lost before they disappeared but maybe that was because of his own lifeless heart. As he gazed over at Erin, though, all of the other playful words he had sitting on the tip of his tongue died out. Caleb could have been reading too much into it but she looked tired, worrisome, like she was downplaying how long the day had truly been for her. “You want to talk about it?”

Her question had his head swiveling towards the toolbox and he waved it off as if he hadn’t been working on the preventative stuff all day. He didn’t need the sleep, his body went on without it, just like it went on without the heartbeat that most needed. “Found a problem with one of the sinks earlier but it’s been fixed. I had to go to the hardware store though and ran into an old friend so it held me up.” No, he hadn’t been distracted by a client while he was out, not at all. He’d rather forget about that anyway. Just like he wanted to forget about the fact that he didn’t need sleep anymore. That was the beautiful thing about talking to Erin, his life as a zombie didn’t come into play that often. Caleb could sit and pretend that they were back in the days before he had died a gruesome death, before Jack had passed. Most of the time he spent with Erin was spent in blissful ignorance and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Don’t they? Erin wanted to bite back. Bits of her childhood and a few chunks of her sanity seemed to have been taken without asking. They needed quite a bit from a young girl who didn’t know any better, if she recalled correctly. She rubbed a hand over her mouth, almost like she was wiping away the words before they slipped out of her in anger. Caleb had been with her family long enough to know that surely something had been not quite ‘right’ with the only Nichols’ child but she had hoped her father had never fully diverged too many details to him. Caleb had been a comforting calm ever since her father had brought him into their lives. “Nah,” she shook her head. “Just one of those days, you know?” Her eyes peered back over the lights twinkling over the town. She always liked that the home stood on a small hill. Even from her room she could watch over the town as it lived and breathed beyond her walls. “It’s been a lot lately, though, hasn’t it? More than usual? More than usual for Wicked’s Rest, anyway. We’ve been… busy.”

She brought her coffee cup to her lips, sucking down the last few cold drops. “Mmm, right. The leaky one. Right? God that thing’s been dripping for days now. Like one of those slow, background drips you don’t realize is driving you mad until you’re already angry and you don’t know why.” She paused, smirking, and gave a nonchalant shrug. “Don’t worry about it. Take your time fixing it. I obviously didn’t notice at all.”

She wasn’t wrong about the influx of the dead and yet Caleb wanted to say it hadn’t been enough. Not enough for him to get what he needed. That was partially his own fault…well, entirely his fault, but at the same time he wished he had more access to the basement when he needed it. Sure, he could come up with excuses all day long but eventually Erin would notice him spending an ungodly amount of time in there to ‘fix’ everything. Not to mention her needing to work down there as well. “I feel like it has something to do with those crystals popping up around the place. People act weird when they’re near them.” Or turn into weird creatures. “But no, you’re right. There’s been a lot lately. With um…” He paused, not really wanting to say what he was about to say. “With Jack gone, do you need me around here more often? I know I’ve been spending most of my time at the cemetery.”

He couldn’t help the smile that appeared at her words but the look he sent Erin was tinged with disbelief. She’d known the sink was leaking for a couple of days now? “You know that’s what I’m here for, right? To call when you need something fixed?” Caleb shook his head at her, still baffled as to why she wouldn’t have told him about the sink sooner. It probably had something to do with the growing amount of funerals around here. “Next time let me know. Wouldn’t want you getting angry and taking it out on some poor unsuspecting armchair or something…wait, what do people take their anger out on? Armchair doesn’t seem right.” He was the rare one who took his anger out on unsuspecting humans…or was that rare around here?

Erin’s brow furrowed at the mention of the crystals. For the most part, she’d avoided them entirely somehow, but it was hard to miss the impact they’d made on the town. When she had said things had been worse than they’d ever been, she hadn’t only meant deaths. Behaviors of even the most mild townsfolk had become erratic. It was no wonder she was exhausted as she was at the end of each day. “You haven’t gone near any of them, have you?” She cast a sudden worried look his way. “I don’t know much but I know enough to stay away. Every time someone tells me about them, they’re just… off. Not quite like they were before.” She gestured towards the town with her empty cup of coffee, wishing suddenly there was something harder inside. “Plus with this… sludge-goo-whatever erupting all over the place…” she shook her head again. This town was becoming a downright hazard.

She quirked an eyebrow up at him, a teasing lilt to her voice. “So excuse me for forgetting about a leaky sink in the middle of this place falling apart,” she laughed dryly, fumbling with the cup in her hand again. That was when she felt it. Her skin prickling and an internal pull. Her eyes bounced up in front of them. Jack Nichols smiled at the two from the porch like a proud father watching his kids. Not now, dad, she thought nervously, all too aware of Caleb’s presence.

“The only time I go near them is when landscaping needs to be done around them but I haven’t touched one. There’ve been people that have and they’re…like you said, they’re not right afterwards.” Caleb wouldn’t mention the weirdest parts of those interactions, the ones who basically became different people or didn’t remember where they were. There was no need to alarm Erin further. There was too much going on already. It was funny though. Caleb felt like half of his time was spent trying to shelter her from the harsh realities of this place, of him, while the other half he was doing everything he could to keep her and the other people he cared for around Wicked’s Rest safe.

“Right, the goo. How could I forget? I guess we’re fortunate that it hasn’t hit Deersprings yet.” And hopefully it wouldn’t. His gaze went to the town as she gestured towards it and Caleb couldn’t help but wonder how a place so pretty from afar could be so ugly through and through. As the thought hit him, Jack suddenly appeared in front of them, the zombie doing his best to show no indication that anything had changed. “Not trying to fuss.” Caleb raised his hands in mock surrender, his eyes locking with the ghost’s before he turned his head to look at Erin again. “Just trying to make sure you’re taken care of. I feel like I owe you guys that much at least.” More. He for sure owed this family everything he could give.

With the appearance of her father and his current thought process, Caleb deliberately sighed. It was a good way to let her know that a heavy question was coming but also a nice reminder to himself to breathe while in her presence. “How have you been, by the way? I haven’t asked in a while.”

Wicked’s Rest had never been a normal town. Even with Erin’s own personal issues, she’d seen that much. She knew the town had a high death rate growing up but it was their normal. Nothing to be questioned. And she never did. Not really. Now more than ever though it was hard to ignore just how strange this place could be compared to other towns she’d lived in briefly. And what was even worse–how little was being done about it. Was this just their fate? Was this scary strangeness their new normal? Sometimes she thought about packing her and her mother up and taking the business to another town, somewhere safe from mysterious goo and cursed crystals. And maybe she still would. But this was her home and she wasn’t sure her mental state could handle the intricacies of a move like that. So for now it was Wicked’s Rest, and this front porch step, and Caleb. Part of her was more than fine with that.

“Let’s hope not. We’ve got enough on our plates,” she murmured, her eyes flitting back and forth from the view of the town and her father. When she was sure Caleb wasn’t paying attention, she shirked her head back, trying to signal to the dead man to get out.

“I’m just trying to–” her dad started, looking at the both of them, suddenly closer than he was before.

Erin cleared her throat to interrupt him, then tossed on a quick but sincere smile, forcing her attention back to Caleb. “No, I know. And you know I appreciate it. Honestly I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t around.” She wrinkled her nose, shaking her head. “You don’t owe us anything. You’re family, Caleb. You know that right?”

She stilled at the question, staring at her silent but definitely dead dad watching them from just a little down the yard now. “I’m dealing. As much as we all can be. I’m worried about mom mostly. She misses him, we all do. He left big shoes to fill.” She turned her head towards Caleb, resting it in her palm as she watched him carefully, remembering how close him and her father had been. When she’d said they were family, she meant it. It was hard to remember a time when Caleb wasn’t a part of her life at this point. “How are you?”

Jack’s voice cut through like a knife. He’d seen his ghost around plenty of times but the zombie had yet to have a conversation with him, something that Caleb wasn’t even sure he could do. In the five years since he’d been dead he’d heard them speak only a handful of times. With the pang of despair that came with hearing him again, he was almost glad he hadn’t heard him speak before, almost wished he hadn’t heard him this time. Caleb closed his eyes as soon as Jack had spoken, glad that Erin cut him off enough to get him to stop talking. It was hard enough talking to her about him without the man trying to interject knowing full well that she couldn’t hear her dad. It wasn’t fair to her.

“Probably spend a lot more money on plumbing.” Caleb tried to hide the smirk he had formed, but it was futile, the zombie looking up at Erin again as it spread. The smile turned more genuine with her next words though and he looked down at the step in front of them as a spark of hope burned in his chest. He’d been working for this family for so long that he knew it was logical to feel like they thought of him as such but it wasn’t something he dared hope for. There had been a lot of families that had shunned him or worse throughout his childhood and he couldn’t bear the heartbreak of it happening with the Nichols’ clan. As good as it was to hear her say that he would never truly allow himself to believe it. “That’s what family does, right? Take care of each other? So let me take care of you guys.”

Big shoes was an understatement and he worried about her trying to take on the whole business like this while dealing with the grief of losing a parent. Tack on worrying about her mom and Erin had to be tapped these days. Another reason for Caleb to take on what he could around here. “I’m sure she does. I couldn’t imagine being in either of your shoes right now.”

The question turning on him shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise but the shock mostly came with not knowing what to say. What could he say? ‘Oh you know, working on becoming a murderer all while trying to navigate a life without your dad, I’m doing great.’ Yea, that would have gone over well. Instead Caleb offered up a meager shrug, not wanting her to worry about him when she had enough going on. “Just taking it a day at a time, I guess. At least we have goo to distract us.”

Erin didn’t want to look at her dad. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say or watch the way he looked at them with a profound sadness in his eyes that made her heart ache. Gone but not. Out of reach but lingering. There were some days she wished she could just… grieve like other people. Maybe then she’d have a chance to move on. Her mother could move on. Even Caleb in some way. She chuckled, shaking her head briefly before letting her head rest against his larger form, something she’d done dozens of times before. “Probably. My bill would be insane.” Fall was in full swing and the weather wasn’t as warm as it had been but– “Are you cold? Do you want to go inside?” She asked, noting the iciness in his skin and she sat up straight again.

Her eyes flickered back to her father one more time, widening them, like a warning. Get out. This wasn’t a moment for him to observe. There were some moments Erin didn’t want a ghost skulking about, family or otherwise. Some moments deserved to be hers alone. Jack seemed to get the hint though. It looked like he had something he wanted to say, to the both of them, but he held his tongue. Just nodded, turned, and disappeared into the horizon. He’d talk to them eventually, if they didn’t figure it out themselves what he knew was obvious. They could both see him. But the denial ran deep in this family. He wasn’t feeling so positive about that possibility.

Erin wrapped her arms around her legs, glancing over at him. Studying his features as best as he could for what he wasn’t saying. Caleb was good for that. “Yeah. Guess that’s all we can do, huh? But you know if you needed to talk, like for real—I’m here. Don’t ever forget that, okay? Even just to whine or cry or whatever you need. I’m very good at listening.” She paused briefly, glancing one more time to the spot where her father had vanished into thin air. And maybe, just maybe, if there was something her father could part with to help Caleb with his own grief, maybe she could help there too.

As soon as her head landed on him, Caleb felt his body tense. He’d been careful around most, tried his best to not allow skin to skin contact since he’d died, but it was hard when it came to the people he absolutely did not want to push away. All he could do was hope Erin didn’t notice anything off until she confirmed that she had. “No, not really. Are you cold?” It took everything in him to keep a straight face, allowing his eyebrows to knit together as if he were confused by her question. He’d never really been great at lying but these days he had to try at least. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was sure that most people knew he was keeping secrets but until anyone wanted to confront him directly he wasn’t going to let on about them anymore than he already had.

Again, he turned his head to look forward so Erin didn’t see anything that resembled as such. But spotting Jack again seemed worse. The ghost looked disappointed? It suddenly struck Caleb that maybe the worry that Jack had for Erin had nothing to do with his own death but everything to do with Caleb’s. How stupid could he be? Of course Erin’s dad didn’t want someone who didn’t have a heartbeat hanging around his daughter no matter who it was. Even with how close Caleb was to her there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t end up hurting her one day. Of course, it was all starting to make sense. The ghost didn’t even have to say it before he turned and left them, almost as if he knew the zombie had gotten the hint.

He probably should have left. Should have gotten in his truck and drove until he left the town in his rearview to never be seen again. But then Erin started saying the nicest, most reassuring things, and he couldn’t bring himself to do it. If he left now he’d always be left to wonder if she had lived a happy life or if she was safe and that worry wasn’t something he wanted to carry with him for however long he walked the earth. Caleb kept looking straight ahead, not wanting her to see the prick of tears that had started to form, and nodded his head to show her that he understood. “I know you are. You always have been.”

Then why couldn’t he open up? It had been this way since he’d met her. At first it had been because she was a little younger than him, still a tween when he’d come into their lives, and he didn’t want her to know the horrors that some people had to face. Then it turned into not wanting to burden her by putting his own problems in her hands. Erin knew a little bit about his home life growing up but he’d never seen any reason to reveal the whole truth when he had her dad to talk to about it all. But now, now that Jack was gone and Caleb needed someone more than ever, the secrets were just too much. Being dead wasn’t something you just blurted out to anyone much less the fact that he was stealing brains from her clients. So, he swallowed it down like always, allowing time for the tears to fade out of his eyes before he gave her a faint smile. “And you know the same goes for you. I’ll always be here if you need to talk about anything.”

As long as Erin had known Caleb, he’d always been a private person. Quiet. Always kind. Not much about those two traits had changed, especially the appreciation she had for that inherent kindness. The silent part could get a little annoying. Like now. She had known him long enough to recognize that there was something going on but she also knew when to leave well enough alone. If he didn’t want to talk, there was no one who could get Caleb to speak. She shrugged, glancing at his arm again. “I mean, a little but–” How was he not cold? He was lying to make her feel better again, wasn’t he? He did that a lot. Inconvenienced himself for her sake. That was the only time his kindness was annoying too. “We can go in if you want. You don’t have to be a strong, tough guy in the face of weather. I won’t judge you. Promise.” She teased, though her tone was a little more serious with those last few words. She would never. Not Caleb. Not about anything.

Even with Caleb’s acknowledgement, he remained quiet, and she felt another string of disappointment tug inside of her. It was hard to talk. She got that. They both preferred to listen. To not have to divulge what was brewing on the inside. It was easier that way, until it wasn’t. But that was later’s problem.

The porch door creaked open behind them and the last member of the Nichols’ family stepped out, a warm smile on Diane’s face. “Oh–Caleb! I was just coming to grab Erin. Join us for dinner? I made my famous homemade chili…” She tilted her head like a warning, pointing at him. “And before you try to say no, I have a fresh bottle of that hot sauce you love so dang much.” Her mother glanced at her, finger jutting in her direction this time. “And no, you are not going to catch up on work. You need to eat. Both of you.”

Erin smiled softly up at her mom, then to Caleb, and something gripped at her chest like a vice. She’d just shooed off the missing piece to this picture, though it wasn’t a complete unit unless everyone could see her father too. It wasn’t the same. It never would be. This was what things would look like from now on. Though from her viewpoint, it wasn’t half bad at all. “Alright, alright,” she laughed out, pushing past the hard block pushing against her chest. She didn’t stand yet but prodded Caleb gently with an elbow. “You heard the lady. Doesn’t sound like we have a choice here.”

‘I won’t judge you. Promise.’ She wouldn’t, would she? Erin had never once judged his way of life or who he was. She’d never been like the people at school or at home who would nit pick at every decision he’d ever made. Never turned her nose up at anything he’d liked like so many had before. She’d done nothing but be that one constant in his life that he’d so desperately needed, just like her father…the whole Nichol’s family, really. All of them had treated him like their own, giving him that love that he’d been deprived of for far too long. Didn’t Caleb owe her the chance to decide whether she wanted to continue having him around? Owe her the trust that she had never broken before?

He was staring at her after those words, not matching her humor at all. For the first time in five years he wanted so desperately to tell someone what he’d become and let them decide the course of their relationship from there because Erin deserved that much at least. He opened his mouth, the words poised on his tongue, until her mother’s voice cut through his thoughts and Caleb looked behind them to see her smiling face, a smile that in turn lit up his own features despite the disappointment filling him. When would he ever get the courage again?

God, he loved Diane. The woman knew them both so well, Caleb laughing softly as she chastised both of them in the middle of inviting him to dinner. How could he say no to the offer…or, well, demand? “You know I can’t say no to your chili, Diane. Who could?” He pointedly looked at Erin when he said that, nudging her back just the same. He stood and started to walk back toward the house with her but decided to take one last glance at the city, spotting the familiar outline of their missing family member as he faded back in with a smile.

#Threads #Thread: Erin #The Missing Piece #//I loved this thank you Mar #tw domestic abuse #tw parental death

4 notes · View notes