Chapter Text
As the Prill family ran as quickly as they could, adrenaline pushing throught their veins, Fynn carrying Juno and David and Samira leaning on eachother, their house consumed by flames. The family ran down the road and into the city, and after some more scrambled running and a kind citizen who gave them a ride to the hospital, the family was finally safe. Samira went immediately into surgery, and David was checked by a resident and a bunch of tests were ordered to see if everything was right. Fynn was sitting on a chair in the waiting area, with Juno resting on his chest, hugging her brother tight, until their mother will e out of surgery and their father will be treated for the minor injuries he had. After an hour Juno started to sob, crying softly, and blabbering some nonsense.
"Hey No, look at me. Everything is going to be ok. Everyone is going to be ok and we are safe now. Cassandra isn’t here anymore and I promise I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Take a deep breath with me. Ok?"
"Ok..."
"Inhale....and exhale. Inhale....and exhale. I’m here and nothing will harm you. We escaped, we are survivors, but most of all, we are a family again, and we are together and safe. Are you hungry?"
"Yeah."
"Let’s go eat something."
"Ok."
The kids went to the hospital’s cafeteria and ate some sandwiches, talking about what happened that night. A doctor told them that their mother is out of surgery and everything is going to be ok. He showed them her room and near the bed, holding her hand and crying was their father. Juno saw her mother and immediately ran up to her to hug her, while Fynn grabbed her other hand and held it tight. As they made themselves more comfortable in the room, they decided it would be better to talk after Samira wakes up, to get the stories cleared up and to decide what will happen next.
It was 4 am, Juno was fast asleep on Fynn, while the boy looked at his mother and her continuous breathing, and his father who is still holding her hand. He got his father’s attention and looked him dead in the eyes.
"To think that we sent mom to an mental institute. We thought she was crazy, but Cassandra was really the one behind it all."
"I’m so sorry for not believing her, for not listening to her concerns. Look where it got us. And I’m so sorry to you two. I’ll explain it later, but I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better father and protect you three better."
"We’ll talk later, but I’m glad that we’re out of that hellhole, away from that deranged woman."
"She was not deranged. She wasn’t a monster. She was just a mother who would do anything for her babies, even sacrificing her own integrity and life to care for them. Samira told them through hushed breaths."
"Mom, you’re awake! Juno wake up, mom’s awake. "
"Honey! I’m so sorry! I’m glad that you’re ok! Forgive me please!"
"Mommy!!"
"I’m glad to see you all here, safe, with me. Now do you think I’m mentally derailed or not?"
"Mom, I think you were the sanest person in that house, and the only one with open eyes."
"I’m happy that you are all ok. Juno baby come to mama!"
The family embraced eachother and then the talking started. Juno wasn’t so interested in this and she was still sleepy so she made herself comforbale in Fynn’s lap, and opened the TV that was in the room. There she saw the local news. „Fynn, look!” she said, tugging at his shirt. They all turned their heads to the screen and the title of the news was: „The vintage house of the Prill family has burned down to the ground. Nothing remains intact.”
"Well great, now we’ll have some explaining to do. Let’s settle on the story and discuss the elephant in the room. Juno honey, go to sleep, it’s extremely late."
"Ok mommy. I love you! "
"I love you too baby! Good night!"
"Ok, first of all, what happened there? Why did you tried to kill mom?" Fynn asked sharp.
"You will have to listen to me and believe me. Cassandra knew you were trying to come back, and she entered my room, demanding that I would kill you. I told her that she couldn’t force me to do this, because why would I kill my own wife. Then she told me that she could not hurt the children, but that she could kill me and you. Then the kids would be all alone and nothing could’ve saved them. Also I didn’t want to challange her, because she may have told me that she couldn’t hurt them, but when I went to get the tree, she showed me on the screen her robot with the knife resting just a few cm away from Fynn’s back while you were playing the guitar."
"Wait you got a chance to go out?" Samira asked.
"Yes, and I tried to tell someone to call the police and help us, but they got scared and ran away from me. I would never hurt any of you intentionally. I’m sorry for everything my love, I’m sorry kids. I tried so many times to call you, but she would hide my phone and when I told you that we were at the mountain, she was holding an iron next to my face. Why did you defend her, Mira? She stabbed you, made you look insane."
"She had done it because she saw you as her family. She isn’t a heartless monster, she was a mother, and a great one at that. She cared for her children and for her husband. She sacrificed everything for them, especially for her children, only for both of them to die at the end. She isn’t a machine, she is a misunderstood mother. She saw us as a new family, her family, well not me, but I was the only one that understood her."
"Ok, but how did you escape her? How did you make her free us?" Fynn asked.
"I spoke to her like a mother who understood her. Her daughter that she protected at all costs and how she always thought of her children before herself. Also I begged her not to kill me because it would break all of you, because it will make you hate her even more. "
"What daughter?"
"She had another kid, who was deformed by the radiation. She vowed to protect it and she made Horst to promise to take her and to help her. But he ran and abandoned the little girl. She couldn’t take care of her and her poor little kid died."
"Oh god. I’m glad we escaped that house, but damn her story is so sad." Fynn said.
"I really hope you can forgive me. Especially you my dear. I’m sorry that I’ve done this."
"David, I forgive you, I understand you and why you did this, but I’ll need some space and time because after all you tried to kill me. And we all are going to theraphy."
"Yeah, I agree. But we need to set a story about what happened. Cuz no one will believe us if we would tell them the whole story. So we need to make it believeable."
"We’ll tell them the fact that our system went rampant and kept us hostage." Samira said.
"But that wouldn’t explain why you went to the mental institute, and the oven incident and the other incidents." Fynn pointed out.
"We can say that she tried to become the mother of our children and made us fight to death. That would explain our behaviour and injuries." his father said.
"Yeah but how did we escape if she held us hostage?" the boy asked.
"We managed to burn the main circuits and then we escaped from there. But I don’t wanna hear a word about Cassandra’s past. That is her story, her children, her memory. I don’t want to taint her memory. We know that she is an AI system, not a whole person, ok?" the mom said.
"Ok." they both said.
"Well then, let’s get some sleep since we really need it and tomorrow we will see what we’ll do. Good night David! Good night sweetie." she said as she placed a hand on her son’s cheek and squeezed the hand of her husband."
The family was fast asleep until the next day at noon, tired from all the emotional, mental and physical activity that they had done the previous night, escaping the house and staying alive. As they slowly started to wake up, they embraced eachother once again, grateful for being together, as a family once again, without all the crazy chaos of having a smart home and a sentient AI. The family then started to plan what they will do next. David and Fynn will go to their old house to try and get some documents if they escaped the fire and to tell the police their story, while Juno will stay with Samira and she will explain to her what they talked about last night.
The boys went to the police station to declare what happened, and the authorities helped them with the paperwork and with the next steps in the procedure. They declared the incident and from a legal point of view their story was accepted and classified as a case of rogue technology. One of these steps is recovering as many personal things from the wreakage as possible and they did just that. The fire squad report said that there weren’t any personal objects found, but they still tried their luck. As the two searched the place from top to bottom, their hopes of finding their things were getting smaller and smaller. Fynn couldn’t stop thinking about the little music box that Steve gifted to him the prior night, and then it hit him. He was probably worried to death and he couldn’t text him back and tell him that he is ok.
The boy was strolling around the remnants of the house, and worrying about Steve and the gift, until he stepped on something hard. He looked down and instantly his face lit up. It was his dad’s wallet and phone, Juno’s birth certificate and favourite plushie and his phone, guitar and music box. They were tucked into a neat corner into some bushes. He stepped on his father’s wallet that seemed to have been carried by the wind out of the bushes. On the guitar there was a note that said „Darlings, I hope this will make you forgive me and maybe your opinion on me will change. These are the only things I managed to save for you before the fire. Now I’m finally with my children. Thank you for the family you gave me, and I could never hurt you my kids. -Cassandra”. He told himself that forgiveness is a long road, but thankful he is indeed. He told his dad and the authorities about the objects, but he took the note and hid it in his pocket.
While this was happening, Samira was spending some much deserved time with Juno. She explained to the little girl what to hide from the outside world, to not tell anyone about this, except her closest friend only when she trusts them enough. She comforted her daughter and told her some stories while she cuddled next to her mother, hugging her tight and apologizing for believing Cassandra. Her mother told her not to apologize, because it was her fault too, since she didn’t pay enough attention to her and she was more preoccupied with her art and the mystery of Cassandra. The two girls made amends and Samira promised Juno that once she is out of the hospital she will take her to spend some time just the girls, going to the mall to buy anything she wants. The little girl huged her mother tight and said that she wishes for everything to be back to normal. Samira then opened the TV, cradling her daughter and kissing her head, singing her a lullaby, and on the local news the police gave out a statement about the fire, the situation with her family and a clarification for all the incidents that happen previously. While they talked, videos of Cassandra’s systems and presence were shown for the claims to be backed by the proof.
David borrowed Fynn’s phone to call the hospital and to get him in contact with his wife, and as she answered, they started to discuss about buying another house. Fynn could only think about Steve and he hoped that his father will finish talking quickly. The next 10 minutes felt like an eternity, and the only thing that grounded him was the little music box that he kept spinning. As he recieved his phone, the first thing he did was call his boyfriend and to ask him to meet. The father-son duo went on their separated ways, one going to talk with his boyfriend and the other going on a searching spree for a home.
David went to an estate agent and asked him for help with finding a home and dealing with the paper work. After some hours of them both working together, they settled on house that is in the opposite part of the city, at a good price and half of the paperwork was done (meaning collecting the insurance from the previous house, paying the insurance for the next one and other paperwork life house ownership and estate contracts). He thanked the agent and scheduled another meeting to finish the official paperwork, then they would be good to move in. After this, he walked to some shops and ordered essential things for a house like beds, desks, paint, kitchen appliances etc. He was glad that he and Samira saved up money in case something like this happens.
While all of this was going down, Fynn was running to meet with Steve. He was moving as fast as he could and he was excited to meet his boyfriend. He couldn’t wait and he was so excited for it. As he arrived to the place they set the meeting, he froze for a second when he saw the blonde boy. Then both ran to eachother and embraced into a deep hug. They stood like that for a moment and then they let out a sigh, tightening their grip on eachother.
"I can’t believe you’re fine! Thank god!" Steve said as he pulled away a little, his hands resting on the other’s hips.
"Yes I am. I can’t believe I am here, out and free." he said smiling.
"I’m happy to see you." he said as 2 tears fell from his eyes.
"Hey, what happened? Are you ok? Please tell me."
"... ."
"And please this time use words and not hands." he said teasingly, with a loose smile on his face.
"Pfff." he chucked. "I’m still sorry for that. I-I…, it’s just the fact that after I left your place everything seemed fine and then I arrived to my makeshift home and see on the phone the news. And they didn’t mention anything about the survivors. That was the moment I started to call you frantically, but you didn’t pick up. I thought that you were gone, and the fact that we had such little time…."
"Hey, look at me. he said as he grabbed him by the chin. I’m here, I’m real, in your embrace, wiping your tears away, and… kissing you." he said as he leaned in for a quick peck. I think I owe you an explanation.
"Yeah you do. After all, I’ve cried myself to sleep last night thinking my crush and boyfriend has died in a house fire." he said as he hugged him again, searching for his warmth and comfort.
He proceeds to tell him what happened that night, the version he and his family agreed upon. Fynn told himself that he will tell Steve the whole story after he moves in with him, but that will have to wait, since technically they didn’t have a home. The two spent some more time with eachother and they cuddled most of the time, being grateful for the time they had together. Fynn pulled out of his pocket the small music box and Steve smiled at it, kissing the other’s temple.
"I’m glad it survived the house fire. Now you can still keep my first gift to you. "
"Oh my gosh, I’ve just realised, I didn’t give you anything. "
"Well, you couldn’t really leave the house to give me anything or buy me anything, so I’ll give you a pass."
"Oh, such an understanding boyfriend I have." he said as he placed a kiss on his cheek, then making himself comfortable by placing his head on his chest and side-hugging him tight.
"And oh such a loving boyfriend I have." he responded, kissing his head and hugging him back, whispering in his ear softly a how much he means to him.
A few days passed since the incident and Samira is now able to stand on her feet and move around with little to no help. They have already started to move in slowly in their new house and things are starting to take a turn for the better. The new house is significantly smaller, but still very spacious. The walls have a new coat of paint now and the new furniture is fitting briliantly. The kitchen and bathroom are completely furnished, and David’s writing office and Samira’s workshop is mostly furnished aswell. The basement was converted into a storage unit and they are still waiting for a couple more things to be brought in, but the family is all settled in their new home. Since Samira is still recovering, most of the house chores and responsabilities fell on David and Fynn, but they are managing just fine. The father is mostly recovered from his injury and is glad they are all safe. With all this free time, the mother decided to start sketching some designs for her future works and with each design she seemed to be getting more of her happiness back. After they moved in, they all started therapy, a thing all of them agreed almost immediately since they knew what they went through wasn’t exactly easy. If it weren’t for the therapy the family would’ve probably broken up or have fought all the time.
2 months have passed since the whole Cassandra incident and the family is doing better than ever. Samira and David are working on their marriage, but thing are going smooth, Juno finally got comfortable enough to sleep alone again (until then she either slept with Fynn or with her mom) and Fynn is finally able to enjoy his teenage years again, without the responsabilities of an adult. His relationship with Steve is better than ever, and they spend most of their time together, studying for tests, chatting and cuddling or simply hanging out to take a stroll or watch a movie.
Fynn is pacing in his room nervously, from one side to the other, thinking of a way to ask his parents if Steve can move in with them. He was running all kinds of scenarios in his head, from happy ones to sad ones. He knew that his family was open and accepting, but he didn’t knew if this will sit right with his parents. He was scared that they will turn him down and Steve will have to live in that house for the rest of the year. Right as he was going over the 100th scenario in his head, Juno walked in, smiling and being happy because she got a good grade at math thanks to his help. She was confused by his brother’s nervous behaviour and innocently asked:
"Fynn are you alright?"
"Yeah, just nervous a little I guess. What happend No?"
"I got a 1 at the math test you helped me study. And I wanted to thank you! "
"Aww, you’re welcome sis. Glad to be helpful."
"But why are you nervous?"
"Well, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone, ok?"
"Ok."
"I wanted to ask our parents if Steve can move in with us, but I’m extremely worried they wouldn’t let him and I’m just making scenarios. I really want him to be here, but what if our parents say no, or what if they make us break up or..."
"Remember what you said to me in the hospital? "
"What did I tell you?"
"To breathe. So breathe." she said as she placed her hands on his hands and mimicked an inhale exhale motion.
"Ok." he responded, imitating his little sister.
"Are you better?"
"A little. Thanks sis."
"You stayed with me and I want to do the same. Just tell them what you think. I can’t wait to see him around the house all the time, but keep that kissing stuff out of my sight."
"What, little sis is afraid of showing love?"
"No, but kissing is just nasty, hate it when mom and dad do that."
"Pff, fine by me. But do you really think that they will be okay with that?"
"I know they will, because they are mom and dad. They tried to protect us from everything and they still tease you for falling so hard for him."
"Ok sis, I think I’ll listen to you. Thank you for calming me, your the greatest sis."
"I know. she happily said and went out of her brother’s room, to go play with her dolls, while Fynn was sitting on his bed, breathing in and out, thinking of a way to tell his parents about this."
He relaxed a little, breathing deeply, to focus and get his thoughts straight, then he braced himself for the worst case scenario in case his parents in fact did not accept Steve and got up from where he was sitting. The boy slowly made his way to the kitchen where his parents were cooking dinner, laughing and joking. There, for the first time in almost half a year, he saw his parents being happy and conversing freely, without any bad feelings and without tension between them, feeling calm and even dancing to the tunes of old german music. It was encouraging and it showed that they really were making some progress, which he was glad that they were doing since everything that happened put a strand in their relationship.
"Mom, dad, how are you?"
"We are fine honey, just talking and sharing some old memories from when we were young." his mom said.
"I’m glad to hear that you are better. I really am happy to see you like this."
"I know the last few months were hard , but we’re making progresses and it seems like you are too. By the way, how’s Steve?" David asked curious.
"About that, I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, what’s up?" her mother asked.
"Well, when he came out to his parents, he was thrown out of the house, and now he lives in an abandoned place living on scraps and I was wondering..."
"If he could stay with us?" his father completed.
"Yeah...I know we have a lot to deal with, but I really do care about him and seeing him live in that place and living like that when I know we can help. Plus I really like him and I feel like I’m betrying him, but I also know that we still have a lot of healing to do and I know another child in the house it’s a lot and it’s another responsability-"
"Fynn, calm down baby. We know how you feel, we were in love and I think we still are so we know how you feel. And if you trust him enough, we can only support you all the way through. "
"We have the money for that, and yes we may have somethings to deal with and to figure out, but we want to be here for you, and if that means to take care of him we’ll do that. Plus, he’s a really nice kid and he deserves better. "
"So, can he stay with us?"
"Of course honey. We have enough love for him too and we are doing better. Also it would be good to have a fresh face around here and it would help you a lot to have him around. I’ve seen the way you look at him son."
"Thank you so much! I love you guys! I really love you guys! I’m so glad he can stay here! Thank you! he said as he engulfed them both in a hug."
"What are you waiting for? Go after your boy and get him here. He doesn’t have to spent another minute in the cold and harsh outside."
"I’m going! He’ll be so glad! Thank you!"
"I see that you are as glad as him!" Samira told him, a smirk shaping her lips.
"Maybe." Fynn answered grinning.
He went out the door and ran to where Steve was crashing out, moving so fast that he arrived there 15 minutes later. As he knocked on the door, his boyfriend opened it, still groggy from his sleep and a little confused at the sight of the other smiling wide.
"What happened?" he asked, the sleep leaving his body.
"I have some good news. Some very good news."
""Mmmm, care to share? he said playfully.
"Well of course, but first let’s pack your things. "
"Why?"
"Because you’re moving in with me."
"WHAT-"
"Yeah, I talked to my parents and they agreed on you moving in with us." he said smiling as he moved closer to circle his waist.
"Are you for real?" he said a small smile appearing on his face as his hands circled the other’s neck.
"Yeah, I am. I’m so happy."
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much! I don’t even know what to say." he said happily as he pressed his lips against Fynn’s, a faint smile spread on them.
"You don’t have to thank me, that’s what friends are for, especially your boyfriend."
"I do need to thank you, because I will be living with you and I will be with you. I am very thankful for you , and thanks for being so patient with me. I know I’m not always the most calm and expressive person, so thank you. "
"That is who you are. So don’t apologise. But a little more openess would be great, just so you know."
"Wow so nice of you. But seriously, thank you. You didn’t have to. I kinda feel bad for this, I know that I am intruding and that I am an extra person for your parents."
"Stop. You are a person who deserves to be loved, and if your parents didn’t had it in them, my parents have enough love to give. Plus I really like you, and who knows, maybe I’m falling a little in love with you."
"Such a sappy one you are. I think I’m falling for you too." he said as he pressed his lips against Fynn’s once again, this time letting himself melt in his embrace.
"But we have one condition, we can’t kiss in front of our sister. She is utterly disguisted by people kissing. "
"How come?"
"Children’s things. What, you weren’t disguisted by these things?"
"Not quite. You were?"
"Yeah, I remember that I was 6 and I gagged when I saw my parents kiss. "
"Well it runs in the family it seems." he said smirking as he bumped his forehead against his. "You are cute."
"Where did that came from? "
"Don’t know, just thought you were cute right now. "
"Already communicating better? "
"Haha. Wanna help me pack my things?"
"Sure. Let’s get going."
They gathered the small amount of things that Steve had there and slowly they made their way to the Prill household, eagerly strolling and happiness oozing from every fiber of their being. They arrived and Fynn made Steve comfortable in his bedroom, settling down his things and installing him into the room. The two spent some time talking and catching up with eachother, sharing stories from school and from eachother’s childhoods. At some point, Cassandra entered the discussion and Fynn decided to tell his boyfriend the truth about her, that she wasn’t some crazy AI, just a mother who was wronged time and time again, and even if he didn’t want to accept it, he knew that it was true. Steve was shocked to learn this and he started to ask him tons of questions about her story, so the boy told him her full story, but made him promise that he would not tell anyone about it. The boy swore and as they prepared to start their homework, they were called for dinner.
The family was all chatting and smiling, jokes flying around and happiness being the general mood. Steve wasn’t talking much, responding to the questions Samira and David asked, but he was smiling non-stop. Even the smaller girl asked him things and they managed to struck a conversation, which was surpisingly sweet and nice giving the fact that he never had any siblings. The family was very welcoming, and he felt a little bad for intruding, but he remembered what his boyfriend told him, so he smiled once again and helped Samira cleaning the dinner table. The boy started to talk with the mother, asking if she was better, and from that point the two started to talk about lots of things, from school to art and sculptures. Fynn was glad that the boy was getting along so well with his family.
As they each retreated to their rooms, the 2 boys were chit chatting, and Steve was smiling wide. He sat on the bed and looked at the other one as he was changing into PJs and a tear fell from his eyes. It was so nice to actually have someone to talk to, to have a family that loves eachother and that helps eachother, to have a place to call home. And his home was Fynn and his family. He was quickly pulled away from his thoughts as the boy cupped his face and rubbed his thumbs against his cheeks. He pressed his forehead against the dark-haired boy and kissed him softly, thanking him and hugging him tight, the smile never fading.
"What’s up?"
"I’m just glad to be here with you. Just grateful for you and for everything that led me to you."
"And I’m glad to know what love is and that I had the patience to discover who you truly are. "
"I’m glad that I realised how stupid I was for not accepting my feelings." he said as he pulled him into a hug, letting both their bodies fell on the bed.
They kissed and stayed in silence for a while, just hugging eachother and basking in the other’s embrace. Steve looked in his eyes, smiling softly at him, then pressed another peck on Fynn’s temple ande went to get changed into something more comfortable, while Fynn was getting under the covers, making himself comfy. Steve was ruffling in his bag, when he realised that he didn’t had any t-shirts and pants that were clean since all his clothes were thick and dirty, but he was too ashamed to tell Fynn, so he pretended to continue searching for them. The other, ever the observant, connected the dots and silently got up to bring him some PJ’s and placed them on the bed, quietly slipping under the covers again. When Steve had enough of pretending, and gathered the guts to ask him for some clean clothes of his, he saw them on the bed. A faint blush spread across his face, a shy smile plastering on his lips as he took the clothes strolling to the bathroom. As he got out of there, Fynn whistled and called him extremely sexy, while he pulled part of the covers and opened his arms. The blonde boy grinned and hopped into bed and into his arms, telling him that he is a little biased and pressed his lips against his cheek. They laid on the bed looking at eachother for a moment, the silence comfortable and full of unspoken words, then they embraced, Fynn burying his head into the other’s hair while Steve was hugging his chest and covering his face with it. They both were smiling and were glad they had eachother. Soon they fell asleep like that, comfort finding its way between them, as they snuggled closer to eachother, closer to one another’s heart.
When the morning came, the sun found them buried into one another, the hope of dreaming and being in love ever so present in the room. Steve was the first one to wake up, still a little confused as to ho he managed to end up here, but his eyes went up, inspecting the curve of Fynn’s neck, then his mouth, then his closed eyes. Soon enough all the confusion went away, as the boy in front of him occupied his mind fully, and the only thing he wanted to do, was to kiss him and to bask in his attention and to cuddle with him. He admired how peacefull he looked, how calm he looked, how comfortable he felt, with his hands hung around him, and his face covered by his hair. He started to press soft kisses on his chest, trailing his lips up to his neck, then to his mouth earning hums of contentment from the other. As he placed more and more kisses, a playful tune filled the room when Steve started to sing quietly, each word murmured against the other’s skin. „Guten morgen, guten Morgen, guten Morgen Sonnenschein”. Fynn immediately woke up, panic getting the best of him and with each word his breathing became more rapid and he didn’t even realise what he was doing until he didn’t hear anything anymore as he was pressing a hand against Steve’s mouth and the other was pressed across his chest, shoving him into the mattress.
"mphmph"
"Oh, I’m so sorry! I-I don’t know wha-. I’m sorry!" he said as he collapsed onto the other and placed his hands on his face, trying to cover the tears that started forming.
"Hey, hey, it’s ok. You didn’t hurt me. But you scared me a little, it was like your eyes went dull and I could only see anger and pain in them."
"I’m sorry for doing that, I’m sorry." he said as he wiped his tears and forced himself to look his boyfriend in the eyes.
"It’s ok, baby." he said as he cupped his cheeks and ran his thumbs against them. "Talk to me, what happened?"
"Well, it’s just that this song... Cassandra used to sing it to us when we would wake up, and I guess I associate that song with her keeping us isolated and trying to make us her family. I just-
"Lost control?"
"Yeah, I just wanted the song to stop and to not hear it anymore."
"I’m sorry for doing that. I didn’t know that this song was a traumatic for you, and I just reminded you of that time. I’m the one that is sorry. "
"Don’t apologise, I never told you about it, so you couldn’t have known this. I’m glad you are here. I really am."
"I’m glad I’m here too. I’m glad I can be here for you, since you were and are here me for me all the time. "
"Thank you. I can’t imagine living after this whole shit show without you in my life." he said as he pressed a deep kiss on his lips.
"I’m pretty sure you’d survive."
"I didn’t tell you this before, but when I was trapped in the house, the only things that helped me control myself were the fact that Juno could get hurt, and you. That music box helped me a lot. I didn’t thank you enough for it. "
"Awwww, you are so cute. It’s nice to know you are loved by someone that chooses to have you and to love you, unconditionally. I am happy to have met you and to have made the decisions that I had made. I don’t regret a single thing. Well, maybe the punch I gave you, I do regret that."
"You broke my lip pretty hard not gonna lie. That hurted like a son of a bitch."
"I apologised for it, but I’ll do it again. I’m sorry."
"I know you are." he said as he went down, pressing a kisses on his lips and neck, then relaxing on the boy’s body, playing with his hair, while Steve rubbed his back and started to hum another song, one that wasn’t a trigger for the curly boy.
The two were chilling and relaxing, just basking in eachothers warmth and Fynn just loved burying himself in the other’s chest and crook of the neck because he felt comfy and safe with him. Soon Samira called them both downstairs to eat the breakfast, and the two groaned a little, but after some long kisses they got up and went to the dining table, hand in hand, small jokes and innocent flirting never leaving, thriving in the comfort the two boys felt with one another and with the rest of the family, the 2 feeling completely happy and safe for the first time in months, since the last few were a continuous shitshow that only got better recently.
As days passed by, Steve noticed that his boyfriend didn’t sing and play the guitar anymore, so he started wondering if something happened, because he misses the time the two would just sing and spend time talking about nothing and sharing their feelings through music in the nice space of notes and lyrics. He was especially worried since the boy played the guitar for the last 5 years and always expressed how important music was in his life and how happy it made him. Since he moved in, he noticed how sad and lacking of life Fynn was compared to when he firt met him. He wanted to know, but didn’t want to push it too far so the blonde boy didn’t ask him anything that could upset the other. After all, he was kind enough to let him stay with his family.
When he could, Steve would ask the curly haired boy’s parents if he played his guitar after the incident and they declined, saying that they didn’t hear him sing since that day. At some point his curiosity got the better of him and asked Fynn casually, lighthearted if he would want to sing some songs with him.
"Yeah, I would want to, but not right now. I kinda have some things I need to get done."
"Sure, maybe tomorrow."
"Oh tomorrow I have uhhh a project at the music history club."
"Fynn what happened? You know you can trust me. Why are you making excuses?"
"Hey, I’m not... .Yeah you’re right. I’m sorry baby, it’s just. Since that incident, I couldn’t find the strenght to go back to this. If I was more observant maybe we wouldn’t be here. If I didn’t play the instrument so much..."
"Nope, don’t even think about that. What happened, happened, you couldn’t have predicted it and Cassandra was smart enough to not let you catch her and uncover her motives. Plus, music was what brought me closer to you, that song stuck with me and it kinda is my reminder of you."
"Yeah... mine too... Huh, I didn’t think of it this way. It means a lot for me too, but I just replay in my mind those songs that Cassandra used to sing to us and when I try to play something, my mind goes to them and I get scared and I panic and then I kinda feel a hatred towards the guitar."
"It’s ok Fynn, we’ll find a way to solve this. I promise I’ll help you, but you need to promise me that you will be open to try it again. I miss when we would spend time joking and singing, and I miss when you were happy and bubbly, and for that I want to help you, because I care about you. So please let me help you, I really want you to feel better."
" Ok, baby. You really do know how to motivate and talk to someone who is down and bring his spirits up. You are so special for me. Thank you!"
"I learned from the best." he said as he pressed a kiss on his lips, then squeezing him in a tight hug, then squeezed his shoulders and side hugged his boyfriend, bringing his head to his chest and cuddling with him, telling one of his stupid and dumb jokes to make him laugh.
As time went on the boy started to slowly pick up the guitar again and sings some songs, encouraged by Steve and accompanied by him, at first more like a cheering squad, but with time, the two became a duo, their voices harmonising and the time spent singing becoming more and more productive and long. The dark haired boy was glad he had his boyfriend to help him and encourage him, the hesitation and anxiety feeling more and more fainter as time went on. Soon, Fynn would have no problem picking up the guitar and singing and playing different songs, he was being his old self again. Sure he had moments when he hesitated to play, fewer and fewer as months went by, but he remembered the words his sweet boyfriend told him, playing in his mind like a pep talk, then he would start playing, although most of the time his goofball was there to encourage him and to cheer him, and most importantly, to be there for the better and for the worst, to just be next to him. He was really grateful for him, yeah, he was happy and thankful for him to be there and maybe he didn’t believe strongly in a diety or a god, but he believes that fate pushed him towards Steve, fate brought them together and placed them in these situations to come out with an even deeper connection than what they previously had.