Silas sighed, finally satisfied with his appearance, or at least not angry enough about to change anything. He made sure everything suspicious was hidden, just in case, before slipping his phone into his pocket and following the directions that Atticus had given him. Luckily for him, he had a good memory and good sense of direction, and while Atticus’s apartment wasn’t particularly close to where Silas was currently living, it was within walking distance. He walked quickly, his natural walking speed already fast, but this time he was trying to be brisk. He didn’t want to seem like he was going on foot. He supposed he could have called for a taxi or something, but he didn’t like more people seeing him than absolutely necessary, which he realized as he walked down the street with his hoodie obscuring his face, was stupid. If he wanted few people to see him, a taxi would’ve worked better. What was with him today? Normally he could have made that snap judgement in an instant, but today his head was everywhere. It was probably that shithead Evan, messing everything up again.
At any rate, several minutes later Silas showed up at what he hoped was the right place. He stood there for a couple of seconds, trying to regain his composure again before he pressed down on the buzzer. This was so odd for him. He hadn’t seen Atticus in years and today Silas was going to have seen him twice. Who would have thought? Thankfully, between the time he spent walking and the time he was talking to Atticus, the swelling from his crying had gone down considerably. It was nigh impossible to tell he’d been upset earlier. Good.
Atticus sat plates and utensils down since the food was not completely ready yet. Along with the mac and cheese, he prepared fish sticks and salad just in case. Next, he moved all the crayon stuff to the right side. The tub of crayons sat next to the chair. Now everything was ready, he hoped that it was good enough. It was hard for him to tell whether or not he should've done more.
Buzzing came from the door then the lock system played a short tune. Silas must be here already! He leaned over from the fridge shutting it carefully. Addy rushed over wearing one of Atticus's long sleeve Nova University shirts over her clothes; it was so large it look like a dress. "DO YOU COME IN PEACE?", she shouted in question.
He shook his head as he laughed at her question. Gently, he picked her up again. Both of them look through the small peep hole. Yeah sure is Silas alright, thankfully he didn't appeared to be sick or stuffy. On the other hand, Atticus assumed that his friend still needs to be cheered up.
Using his free hand, he fluffed up his hair trying to make it look less chaotic than it already does. He took a step back while opening the door. "I know it was out of the blue, but I'm happy you're here.", Atticus exulted.
Silas smiled. “Thanks, I’m happy to be here,” he replied, walking in and studying the place. It was pretty nice, definitely much nicer than Silas’s current dwellings. Of course, his current dwellings was an old, abandoned building so it wasn’t much of a contest. His family had always been fairly well off, so it struck Silas as the kind of place he might be living currently if he hadn’t run away two and a half years ago. “Nice place.”
Then his gaze shifted to Addy and he smiled. “And who’s this little cutie?” he asked, glancing back up at Atticus. The kid looked sweet, and Silas was sure that she and Atticus got along well. Atticus was just that type of person. Silas had never been great with kids, always managing to say the wrong thing or do something stupid in front of the kid. He much preferred animals like cats who wouldn’t judge him for being clumsy or having dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. Kids tended to just say whatever came to mind, and that was weird to Silas. Of course he’d been a kid once too, but he’d never been the type to just blurt out any observations he had.
The apartment wasn't far from anything, downtown to the waterfront; it was still close to where Silas's parents live. Atticus did not really like moving here after his mom remarried. That was when he would still get nightmares about the car crash. His powers did not fit well with him then too. Now everything is settled into place, his life before feels as if it happened centuries ago. To a certain degree, it's more spacious. He nodded whispering a thank you while closing the door behind him.
Atticus glanced down at Addy who was laying her head against him. She did not look up, her silver eyes only stared ahead at Silas with a small grin. The kid is an angel, at least to him, yet tends to act like a little devil at times. He knew just what to say. "The absolute worst, don't fall for her tricks. She's pure evil.", he quavered while tensing his shoulders.
Addy frowned at his response shaking her head in disagreement. "I'm Adeline, but everyone calls me Addy.", she stated,"And I'm not evil, thank you very much." He chuckled when she made a face at him before she pulled down the sunglasses.
So far so good! He hoped that they would get along. Noticing the volume on the television, Atticus placed Addy down. News was not on anymore, just those talk shows usually having commentary on the current events. He didn't pay much attention to it. "Should I start getting stuff ready?", he asked turning back to Silas.
"Sure, do you want any help?" Silas offered, trying to at least be of some use, since he was here after all. He didn't just want to sit here and take up space when he could be helping. Something about doing something to help would make him feel better about the way he always felt like a burden to other people, one of the insecurities that Evan had acted on viciously. He tried not to look as awkward as he felt, managing not to bite his nails or ruffle his hair a million times, even though he definitely wanted to. Addy looked nice, and something about her gave him a happy feeling. It took him a moment to realize that it was because she reminded him of Charlie. Thankfully, his earlier release of emotions helped against the swelling tide as he put up a wall between himself and his feelings. He waited a moment until he was numb again.
That was not as close as it had been earlier. Thankfully. He mustered up another smile for both Atticus and Addy, cheerful as ever on the outside but his eyes told another story. Those stupid eyes, always "windows to soul" or some shit. The only parts of Silas that would betray his lies, even if he could successfully hide those lies most of the time.
Biting his bottom lip, he tried to think of something. Atticus was perfectly fine with Silas just getting comfortable while he got everything; it was not much trouble for him. He might not have super speed, but he is pretty good at moving around swiftly. Silas is the guest after all! Though, it was super kind of him to ask. "If it's not too much, could you turn off the burner and get some glasses? I was thinking of lemonade or water, you can pick whatever though; hopefully it's in the fridge."
He shuffled over to the bathroom to pick up the stepping stool for Addy. Washing hands before having those pizza bagels totally left his mind; oh well. Atticus past by the refrigerator seeing the drawing managed to caught his attention. The picture looked pretty good, but it didn't sit right with him. Phantom? In attempt of not making a big deal, he took it down, folded it, then placed the paper in his pocket. He'll have to ask her about the picture later; let the spirits know, he'll kill that son of a bitch if it's the last thing he does.
"Addy, come wash your hands. I'll put your hair up with a tie.", he said as he turned around with a beam. She replied with a smile of her own. She used too much soap only to see all the mini bubbles fly as the sink faucet was turned on. Giggling to herself, she washed her hands while Atticus used a green hair tie to put her hair up in a simple ponytail. He washed his afterwards then went to get some napkins.
Silas nodded. "Of course!" he responded, smiling at Atticus before going over to the burner and turning it on. He was glad to have something to do, knowing he would have felt awkward if he was just standing there waiting for Atticus to finish everything up. After Silas did that, he hunted for the glasses, managing to find them after a brief search. He looked for what to drink and ended up getting both water and lemonade because he wasn't sure what the others would like.
As he did that, he noticed Atticus pocketing a picture drawn in crayon, probably by Addy. He happened to notice it looked like a lot like Phantom before Atticus took the picture down, looking angry. It only made sense for him to hate Silas's alter ego, and Silas knew that if Atticus knew it was him, or knew anything about him right now, he'd probably hate Silas too. Everyone did. He turned away from the fridge and headed towards the table, pasting a smile back on his face. All he had to do was not think of that. Maybe he could pretend he was in middle school again, before his dad had become a tyrant and his brother had died. Before his mom had decided that Silas wasn't good enough to carry on the family legacy.
Right as Addy went to sit down, Atticus turned facing the sink. His fingers curled into his palms as he started taking deep breaths. This should not be happening now in front of Silas and Addy. Out of everything he can do, hiding how he feels is not one of them. It was only just a drawing, just a random scribble that the kid made up with her imagination. Hell of an imagination to be making a picture of a villain barely anyone knows yet out of the blue. Worst thing to happen is if she draws Adonais next.
Turning right back around, Atticus plastered on his vivid face expression from before. To make it more convincing he kept the grin wider. Sooner or later the happiness will overturn the worry and anger built up inside of him. He went back to putting food on everyone's plate making sure that there was enough on Silas and Addy's. Pulling Addy's seat back, she gave a nod then sat down. When Atticus went to sit down in his, she made noise clearing her throat.
"What?", he whispered. He was almost half way close to sitting down. The hesitation left him in a weird position before standing up.
"Go do his.", she mouthed. Tucking a curl back behind her ear, she pointed at Silas.
Atticus couldn't help but exhale deeply as he went to do so. His cheeks flushed pink again. Bringing the seat back, he motioned for Silas to come over. "Thanks for helping.", he cooed,"Come on, you look like you need some food in your system."
Silas blinked, smiling to himself at Addy's antics. He took the proffered chair, sinking into it and then giving Addy a grin. He was really taking a liking to her, probably because she reminded him of–don't think his name, don't think it–and she was kind of funny. Not to mention she was an adorable little kid. "Thank you, Atticus," he made sure to say, looking the other boy in the eyes for a moment before turning to his food.
All of his own lying and being lied to had made Silas good at reading body language and facial expressions, and it might have been his imagination but was Atticus's grin wider? Like, just a little bit too wide as to be quite convincing, at least to a manipulative little liar like himself. Maybe he was imagining things. Atticus was surely tired and a bit worn out, but he had everything he wanted, didn't he? Why would be upset?
Silas shook it off, his stomach growling at the smell and sight of food. He chuckled at that, trying to play it off. Maybe he had been hungry after all. Still, he couldn't help but think something was bothering Atticus and while he wanted to know what it was and how to fix it, he wasn't sure he deserved that. He didn't think he deserved to be here at all, in fact. But the idea of food and seeing someone he used to be so close to was too good for him to resist.
The black pupils in his eyes dilated in an instant as Silas glanced at him. His lips trembled lightly trying to formulate words. For the first time in his life, he is having trouble saying something as simple as "No problem". Atticus lost complete control over his reactions; as if someone was using a remote control on him. Forcefully, he bowed his head then went to sit down. Geez, what's going on with me?
Addy just moved her head side to side as she grinned back. Though she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Atticus malfunctioning like a robot. Never in her memory does she recall that ever happening. Shrugging, she began to eat her food trying to avoid the tomatoes that she was given. "Hey Silas, I'm really good at arm wrestling.", she stated as she picked up more mac and cheese with her fork,"Like really really really super good, better than Atticus. Are you good?"
Keeping his gaze averted from the two, he covered his face with his hand as he chuckled. Thank God the conversation is being turned somewhere. He was not sure where it was going after that brain freeze. "She's not lying, Addy really is a champ at it.", Atticus agreed.
Silas was a bit confused about why Atticus didn’t reply, and why he reacted the way he had. It wasn’t because Atticus could tell Silas was hiding things, right? He was probably just being paranoid. He was a good actor, and Atticus probably just had something in his eye. Or maybe, he was still upset. That was probably it. Although Silas had to wonder why.
Once the subject of arm wrestling was brought up, Silas grinned. “Oh yeah? We should arm wrestle then,” he responded. “I can’t say I’m very good at it, but if you beat Atticus then you must be really strong.” He started to eat his food slowly, which was nothing out of the ordinary. He’d always been a slow eater, even in middle school. Back then it was because he’d wanted to savor his food, but now it was simply because he couldn’t fit a lot into his stomach.
Atticus raised his eyebrows shooting a look at Addy. "Do you really want to bring Silas into this?", he mouthed. She nodded before rolling back the long sleeves to flex her arms. Every time he watches over her, she challenges him to arm wrestling. He always fakes it even in front of other people. She always proposes something the loser has to do too. Push-ups, wacky outfit, or whatever she thinks is silly. "I don't know, Addy takes arm wrestling very seriously.", he warned,"She comes up with the most terrible penalties too."
"Push-ups aren't bad! You do them all the time!", she tried to defend herself then smirked,"What are you scared?"
His lips pursed suppressing any laughter. He glimpsed over at Silas giving him a smile. Atticus placed his fork down then softly slammed his hand against the table. "Okay, you're on. Only after we're finished eating though; and no cheating.", he emphasized.
"No cheating!", she repeated giving a thumbs up.
Silas chuckled, looking at the two of them. Their bond was so pure, so wholesome. “Yeah, no cheating, Atticus,” he teased. “I can be the announcer if you want. I’d do much better at that than actually arm wrestling. I used to announce me arm wrestling matches when I played…at my house.” He was originally going to say “with Charlie”, but he didn’t want to bring down the mood. The gap between words was short, just long enough for Atticus to notice, probably, though Silas hoped Addy hadn’t noticed.
He kept his grin on, though for just a moment he’d flinched. But this was what Silas was good at. Pushing onward, pretending things were fine when they were the furthest thing from that. He was good at it.
In all honesty, though, Silas couldn’t say he’d be sad to watch Atticus get beaten in arm wrestling by a little kid. Even if it was probably going to be obvious he was faking it. That almost made it sweeter. Silas wished he had the childlike innocence that Addy posessed.
He nudged Silas a little giving him a wink. "I can guarantee you two, I won't.", he promised. He'll do everything in his power to not break the table while "losing" and still give a perfect match.
Charlie, it had been while since he's thought of him. Thinking about Charlie must be very hard for Silas even to this day. The days after his younger brother passed were nothing but gloomy and bleak. It was when Silas started to become more quiet. Just remembering it made him feel wistful to this day; the feeling was already heavy in him. Atticus can recall the times they would arm wrestle with Silas's younger brother. The pure joy they all had on their faces… Him and Addy have a lot in common, now that he thinks about it. Both of them just have this bright aura that can make anyone stop and smile.
Atticus wrapped his arm around Silas giving him a side-hug. He didn't want to say anything in front of Addy despite the kid being distracted with her flexing and trying to finish her food. Once their arm wrestling game ends, it's probably nap time for her anyways. This time, he is not going to pass the opportunity of talking about what's going on. For him it is hard to read Silas, he is always good at hiding things, but this time, it seems that hiding isn't the best thing. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.", he smiled,"What do you think Addy?"
"I think we should do three rounds!", she replied,"Then loser has to do a match with the announcer."
Silas smirked, glancing over at Atticus for a moment during the side hug. So Atticus had definitely guessed what Silas was about to say. He figured that Atticus might try to talk about it, and so the best thing he could do for that was more lying.
He tried to focus on the happiness from the other two to ground himself again. “Sounds good,” he responded. “But I don’t know if wrestling me will be as much of a challenge. I don’t exactly have much arm strength.” He smiled nonetheless, clearly not caring about that. “Alright, as soon as we finish our food, then the match can begin!” He said the last part in his announcer voice for effect, glancing at Addy to see if she liked it. It had worked before, with little kids finding his announcer voice amusing.
After that comment, Silas went back to eating, finishing up his food and taking a long swig of water. Maybe his plans to not eat weren’t such a great idea after all. Eating a normal meal here with these two almost made him feel human again.
Addy's small shoulders bounced up and down. Her mouth was full of food, but ignored it and tried to laugh. Pushing her fork and plate away, she gave a thumbs up in approval. Grabbing the crayons, she went back to drawing things.
The brightness that radiated from Atticus's smile disappeared. No, he wasn't in a somber mood, in fact it was quite the opposite. His heart started to feel light again as it pounded like a drum. Weird, he's never felt this before today, before fifteen minutes ago. The aching was not one full of misery or anger this time.
"Excuse me", he hummed while taking all the plates and utensils. He stack them in a way in which they wouldn't fall; he'll either take care of it after the arm wrestling and talking to Silas, or he's going to forget it then his stepdad does it instead. "I'll be back." Atticus went over to the bathroom taking off the flannel and superhero cape. Either the heat must be turned or something else is going on. A couple of second went by as he had his hands over the sides of the sink. He decided to turn the faucet on splashing his face with some water.
Stepping back out, he strutted over to the kitchen. "So, are we doing this?", Atticus asked,"Cause I think I might have a chance at beating Miss Adeline Hepburn this time. I really think so." Addy's eyes shot up from her paper. She looked over at Silas then back at Atticus scrunching up her nose as she shook her head.
Silas gazed at the wall for a moment as Atticus took up the plates, his mind beginning to wander to when he would eat dinner with his family back when Charlie was alive. But he couldn’t think about that, so he looked back at Addy. This was a different kid, a different time. This was a different moment altogether. He looked at the drawing she was coloring, thinking about how cute kids were. They may be annoying sometimes, or even downright rude, but they were always innocent, not meaning harm. Or at least the ones that Silas had spent time with.
He longed for that childhood innocence, that simplicity and safety in knowing only what was going on in your bubble. The excitement at seeing your friends at recess or eating a candy bar that Silas hadn’t felt in years. The nostalgia swept over him, making him want to get lost in the moment. This was a nice scene, the three of them. A life that Silas knew he could never have, but suddenly wished for.
When Atticus stepped back out, Silas grinned at his words, running a hand through his hair. He looked back at Addy and shook his head slightly with a wink. Then he cleared his throat to use his announcer voice again. “Ladies and gentlemen, gather ‘round for the match of the century. Atticus the awesome versus the defending champion, Addy the amazing! Will he able to beat her, or will Addy win yet another time? Tune in to find out!”
Atticus pretended to roll up his sleeves. He drank out of his glass again then sat it on the counter. Him and Addy chuckled at Silas's announcer voice, it was really good and funny at the same time. "You are going down.", he declared.
"Let's go!", Addy shouted pushing her sleeve up. They both sat down scooching forward in the most comfortable position they can be in. Addy had to reach forward a little bit more in order to get close. Under their breaths, they counted down from three then started.
There are plenty of times where having enhanced strength becomes a curse. Always forcing yourself to be gentle with others, thinking cautiously before closing the door. He has had many arm-wrestling matches with Addy, yet he still had to mentally tell himself to not grip tightly at all. The struggle of it all comes down to faking the tension too.
Addy kept squeezing her hand in hopes that it would help her force his arm down. He stood up from his seat letting his grip become a little loose. They each tried to make it go in their way but then were overtaken by the other. It was a lot of back and forth for a couple of minutes. As excitingly expected, Addy won the first round. "No way!", Atticus gasped,"How unbelievable! Impossible, this is just the first round!"
“Aaaand the first round goes to Addy the amazing! The defending champion continues to reign, but it’s not over yet folks! It could still be anyone’s game!” Silas announced, grinning as Addy won. It was clear that Atticus had let her win, but that made it sweet. Atticus would be a great dad someday, Silas thought to himself. “Now, time for round two!”
He did his best to look excited about Addy winning, which wasn’t at all difficult in the wholesomeness of the moment. For a moment, Silas actually forgot about all of his problems. For now he could just exist in the moment.
(sorry this one’s kinda short)
(No worries! :) )
"One down, two more to go!", Addy giggled,"You're going down old man!"
Atticus felt like he stuck in some sort of dreamland. It was always just the two of them, him and Addy, but this moment senses to be different from before. Silas is really great at bringing so much more fun and warmth to anything. He might have changed a lot since the last time Atticus has seen him, but deep down, he knows that it's still the same Silas he became close friends with a long time ago; so many years apart cannot change that. Must be the reason why his heart is feeling so light and out of sorts.
"Me? Old man? You don't call my brother or step-dad that, and you know very well that I'm not old!", he remarked then turned to Silas,"See? Don't fall for her cuteness, she's a trickster."
Next round came and went, so did the last one. Last round took longer to complete as the competitiveness from the opponents were high. It did not matter what the penalty was nor how many times they've done this before, it was still very important who would walk out as the winner. No one can lie that Addy is most likely the best arm-wrestler in Nova City, Atticus can confirm that for sure.
"See? I am the BEST!", Addy stated then jumped onto the table,"VICTORY!" She rolled her sleeves back down throwing them around as a little victory dance. Once she got back down, she stuck her tongue out at Atticus.
He pained on a dumbfounded look which only stayed for a few seconds. Atticus rested back into the chair in disbelief. Suddenly, he began to burst with laughter. "No matter how many tons I can lift, I'll always get defeated by Addy. Ah, I should just give up."
Silas watched the matches play out with amusement, grinning and clapping for Addy when she won. He was easily able to act excited for her, especially since Addy was clearly so excited herself. He kept announcing the matches his announcer voice, leaning back in his chair to comment on the arm wrestling.
“Maybe you should just give up,” Silas agreed. “Addy is really good at arm wrestling. Maybe it’s just not meant to be.” He shook his head, laughing slightly. “Good job, Addy.”
Then, in his announcer voice, he added, “And the winner is….Addy the amazing! What a show, what a show! The reigning champion wins again!”
Despite the constant ache (which Silas had managed to mostly numb at this moment), he was feeling better than he had in weeks. Maybe this kind of interaction had been all he needed. But he had a mission to fulfill, he couldn’t go soft now. No, once he thought about it, this atmosphere only highlighted his parents’ shortcomings. They would never have such a lighthearted meal; at least, not after the shit hit the fan in middle school. In those last few weeks, Silas’s house had felt like a prison.
"Who knows? I'm always persistent on what my mind and heart are set on.", Atticus imparted as he turned to look at Silas, "I won't exhaust myself this easily, I'll find a way."
Addy rolled her eyes then shook her head in disagreement. "Yeah right.", she said with a sarcastic tone. Not when it comes to arm-wrestling, that's for sure. He always says he'll win next time, but it has been over a gazillion amount of times already.
The clock on the wall read a quarter to two. Really had time pass by this fast? As much as he'd want for the fun to continue, he still has to listen to Miss Hepburn's rules. Time really had flew by due to all the fun they were having. "Alright, it's nap time.", Atticus announced.
He cannot forget to talk about whatever is on with Silas. Have a better conversation than the one they had back at the café. Atticus can only pray that nothing will happen, he just wants to talk and listen to his friend he hasn't seen in three or so years. He cannot stall like yesterday or all the times before. Doing so leads to no good outcome which to him is worse than trying to discuss or attempt to dig deeper. Addy having to take a nap is a good opportunity time-wise.
"What about the penalty?", she whined. The punishment she came up this time was not the others one, but she really looked forward to it. Still, it was hard for her to fight off the piece of tiredness that was ever-present. Exhaling in defeat, Addy
"Soon, maybe next time.", he answered, "But first, naptime; go give Silas a high-five and don't forget to say thank you."
Silas smiled and held up his hand for a high five. Addy was such a cute kid, and he felt that she was lucky to have someone like Atticus to babysit her. He was so kind and understanding, not to mention it seemed like he and Addy had a lot of fun times together. Addy definitely seemed like she was going to be someone important when she was older, and Silas was excited for that day.
“It was nice to meet you, Addy,” Silas said in farewell, giving her another grin. “You were right about being really good at arm wrestling.”
(sorry this one’s a bit short too, i have a bit of a headache rn)
(Hope you feel better!)
Speeding up to him, she got on her tippy toes to high-five Silas. "Thank you!", she beamed, "It's good to meet you too." She went down the hallway past Atticus's room into the spare bedroom; no one ever uses it so she takes the opportunity to do so. Addy turned around giving a wave before closing the door. Even from the table, you could hear her footsteps and giggles as she ran over to the bed. They quickly faded into the silence.
Atticus chuckled to himself quietly. He really didn't expect for things to go this way. Who would've known that he would find his friend, go get coffee with him, and then have him over for lunch with Addy? There was also the abruptly leaving cause of a bank heist part, but nobody needs to know that. Unbelieve able how it all just happened and the day isn't over yet. He's just happy that Silas and Addy get along so well, normally he wouldn't bring anyone over. When he would, she'd hide or stay quiet.
Standing up, he went over to the right side of the table putting away all the crayons. He placed the bin on top of the table. "Seems like you had a lot fun, you didn't look really well a couple of minutes ago."
(i am feeling better now, thank you!)
Silas watched her go with a smile, chuckling softly as her laughter faded away. He was busy thinking about how nice it was to be around other people, or at least, people who weren't as awful as he was. He didn't deserve this, anyway. It was just a glimpse into a world he'd left behind long ago–a future he could never have. Silas knew that his current path had taken him away from any chance to be apart of this life. It was saddening, but he knew it was all his own fault.
At Atticus's words, Silas's eyes moved onto the other boy. He smiled softly, looking down. That smile spoke more than any words he would bother to share, but it also hid volumes. One could write several books with all of the information that Atticus didn't know about Silas. "I'm fine, it was just allergies, you know?" he lied, as convincing as ever, except for the slight distractedness in his voice. "It happens to me a lot."
It was a bit of a weak excuse, and Silas could admit that part of him wanted Atticus to see past it. But what then? Silas knew that would only lead to more questions, causing himself to tell more lies. And lie some more was honestly the last thing he wanted to do right now. Of course, telling any more than the occasional minuscule bits of truth was out of the question. Atticus didn't have to know how terrible of a person his friend had become. As they say, ignorance is bliss.
