Chapter Text
Hours later most of the guests left. The Tholomules left first, then Porters and then the Parks. Raine’s parents and the Clawthornes were offered to stay the night, but both couples left. The Whispers to get some rest from the Chaos, while senior Clawthornes wanted to go back to re-forestation efforts.
While Raine didn’t manage to squeeze that important conversation with their parents in, at least they didn’t get to say everything they wanted to, they did manage to give them a small warning, to at least try not to speak ill of Collector.
The talk was still going to happen, but they did see their pere talking to Collector, even if it was simply about cupcake tastes-the two agreed that chocolate was a bit overrated-, and their dad ruffled the kids’ hair as the two were leaving.
Baby steps.
The Blights also left, as the family wanted to spend some time together, just Alador and the kids. If Alador Blight got to the point where he was doing a genuinely good job, if he fixed his mistakes to a point where all three of his kids wanted to spend time with him, Raine was certain their parents would manage too.
That left seven visitors: Darius, Eber, Katya, Derwin, Camila, Vee and Lilith. Having seven people over made things crowded but not unbearably so.
Darius teleported two armchairs from his house, one for himself, and one for Hunter as the boy was working on a new sewing project-yet another costume from his favourite book series for an upcoming convention. Meanwhile, Eber curled up next to the fireplace with O’Bailey.
Camila sat down on the recliner in the living room for what was supposed to be a short nap, but she ended up in deep sleep and nobody had the heart to wake her.
"She has a day off tomorrow anyways," Vee said, “is it ok if we stay the night?"
“Sure kid, I’m a bit scared to wake her up for no good reason anyway, even if she doesn’t have her bat with her,” Eda snorted as she sat down on the sofa next to Raine. “And you can cram Luz and Hunter in their room if it’s ok with them.”
“Cool.”
“At least Vee doesn’t toss and turn half the night like some people!” Hunter snorted.
“At least Vee doesn’t snore!” Luz countered.
“I don’t snore!" Hunter huffed, "It’s…O’Bailey!”
“Wow, dude, blame it on the palisman…” Looz shook her head in feigned disapproval, "I'd never do that to you Stringbean!" she pet her palisman, currently in snake form, on the head.
Vee looked very self-satisfied, “All I hear is that I’m both of your favourite sibling…and that you’re both totally right about the other!”
“I. Don’t. Snore!” Hunter huffed.
“Little prince, focus on sewing, you’re pulling too hard on the thread. And you do snore!”
“Hey!”
“Ah don’t worry, kid, snoring is fine! It adds to your charm!” Eda called across the room and Raine chuckled next to her.
“You only say that because you sound like a gryphon with bad sinusitis,” Darius scoffed.
"Eh, it's too bad that Alador is not here, maybe we could ask him if you snore!" Raine jumped into the argument though they knew that the answer is a pretty sound no. Still, earning that disgruntled glare from Darius was worth it, as was Eda's reaction-cackling to the point of being unable to breathe.
Lilith was lounging on the green sofa, with Hooty placing his head on her belly, “Any plans for the rest of the evening besides the familial bickering?
“Oh, oh, maybe we could have a movie night!” Luz asked, “Or a game night?”
“Too tired for board games,” Lilith waned, “I vote movie night!”
“Same!” Hooty agreed.
“I vote games!” Collector, as expected, exclaimed. “How can you ever be too tired for games!”
“A film,” Darius said, “I’m not playing against Eda and, when they inevitably wake up, Eber. They cheat like there is no tomorrow.”
“I vote games to crush Darius at whatever we’re playing!” King, who sat by the sofa playing tic-tac-toe with Collector, jumped in. "No cheating involved!"
“So, Raine?” Derwin asked them, “It’s your birthday after all.”
“We should do the dishes….” Raine said, but Eda grabbed them from the back and kept them on the sofa.
“Eda!”
“The dishes won’t run away; they can wait till the morning. I vote for movie night because that way we can cuddle. What film did you have in mind, kid?”
“Well, Raine mentioned that they want to see Augorix 2: Escuriada’s Revenge," Luz said and Raine had to admit that it did sound much better than doing the dishes. "Now, I don’t technically have a streaming service required…but…we can watch the film!”
“Joys of soap2morrow!” Vee grinned as she opened the portal, and the two girls stretched an extension cord from Eda’s rackety old TV to the living room.
“I’d say I take credit for this,” Eda watched the two girls set up, “but I know both have been sailing the pirate waters long before we met.”
“Luz is a sailor?” Collector asked.
“No, it’s just a phrase, kid, used for getting films trough…alternative ways…”
“She means illegally,” King cut in.
“Isn’t illegal bad?” Collector wondered. Sometimes, mama Eda was confusing.
Eda shrugged, “Movies are an exception. That is not a permission to steal DVDs once you’re in the human realm, ok?”
“I guess…” Collector still looked confused.
Eda winked, “I’ll explain tomorrow, ok?”
“Yeah,” they yawned, “I’m a bit tired again. Maybe a film is better than the games this time. But you'll have to explain what is going on because I haven't seen the first one-ack!"
Katya suddenly landed next to him, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. You want a recap of the first film?"
"Yes!"
"Ok, so, you have this Kingdom and this really Nice Queen…" Katya started and Collector looked at her Wide-eyed. She even got King's attention, even though he already saw the film. Katya was a good storyteller.
“So Raine, what do you say?” Eda asked them.
“Luz and Vee are setting the TV as we speak, you all made the decision for me,” they pouted.
“I don’t see you complaining much,” Eda kissed their cheek.
They sighed, leaning on her, “What can I say, you know that I can’t say no to cuddling like this and a film…”
“And just hanging out with all of us!” Katya said, "Right you two?" she ruffled Collector's hair and King's fur.
"YEAH!"
Raine shook their head, “Yes, and you are all using these things against me, on my own birthday!”
“Oh, how criminal are we,” Derwin joked, as he sat next to Katya, “tricking you into relaxing a bit!”
“Again, your birthday was five days ago!” King poked them in the side as he climbed on the sofa “Today it’s all fair game!”
“We just want you to have a good evening, so?” Eda wrapped her arm a bit tighter around them.
“Yes, fine, we can watch the film! Did you seriously think I was going to leave the comfort of the hug, and say ‘no, no, I have to wash, like 50 plates, and titan-knows-how-many-pots instead of staying here?”
“I don’t actually know how many pots there are, I’ll guess like five? Maybe even ten? And of course, we know,” King climbed on the sofa and snuggled next to them and, that way, pressed between Eda and their son, Raine was effectively trapped, “that you wouldn’t just go and do chores when you have us to pester you!”
“Yeah would be dumb,” Collector jumped in, “and you’re not dumb.”
“Eh, the jury is out on that one still…” Eda teased, earning a mild smack on the shoulder.
“You’re the one engaged to me!”
“Eh, never said the jury made the decision about me either,” Eda shrugged, “Raine!” she yelped as they blew a raspberry on her neck.
“You know what decision the jury has decided on?” Amber grouched, as sat down, squeezing herself between Derwin and Katya, “You two are way too sappy for your age!”
"You do know that forty-six is not that old?" Raine asked.
"It is! You're old!"
“Ah, you love us kid,” Eda, pushing Raine’s face away with her nubbin, reached over for the girl to ruffle her hair.
“Stop it!” she frowned at Eda, “ruffling my hair just adds to your sappiness! Darius, tell them to stop!”
“And when have they ever listened to me? Also, they are right, we are not old!”
Eda laughed as Amber stuck her tongue at her.
“Ok, so,” Luz said, “the TV set is, well, set. And now we can watch the film!” She sat down next to Katya. Hunter let down his sewing project and joined her on the floor, and Vee quickly followed, sitting next to him.
“Oh, how much does it follow the book?” Katya asked.
“Well it-“
“No! No spoilers!” Hunter covered his ears.
Luz gasped, “Have you not read the books!? I lent them to you!”
“I read the first one!” Hunter answered, slightly indignant, “And then…I got really invested in the book about palismen Dell gave me! I’ll read it the second one soon!”
“You are watching the adaptation before reading the book,” Katya shook her head, “shame on you…” she and Luz shook their heads, making exaggerated tsk, tsk, tsk sounds.
“Shut up!”
“Oh, it’s starting!” Luz grabbed Hunter by the arm and started shaking him.
“Ow,” the boy snatched his arm away, “Oh my goodness, he is in this one too?” he asked, excitedly as a name of a character appeared on screen.
“Yes! And you’d know that if you read the books! Oh, my titan! I can’t wait till you get to see this one fight he is in! Argghhh!””
“Guys, excuse us for geeking out a bit….!” Katya said to no one in particular, “This is just….aaah! It’s already so good! Oh, Hunter, I’m almost jealous that you’re going into this blind because you’re going to see everything for the first time!”
"Yeah,” Luz said, still clinging onto his arm, “You should see the scene where-"
"No! Spoilers!"
"It's not a spoiler, it was in the trailer! The flying ship! It was sooo cool!"
"You guys have to read my fanfic when I publish it!" Katya said.
"Um duh!"
“Oh, my titan it's starting!” Luz squeaked, “EEEEK!”
“You’re geeking out a bit?” Eda snorted and heard Darius letting out a matching chuckle.
“Ok, we’ll geek out a lot!” Luz corrected herself.
“You are not excused!” Amber huffed.
“They are excused,” Raine said, “It’s my birthday celebration and I say, they are excused.”
"We don't have to be excused, because we're not sorry!" Hunter insisted.
Amber stuck her tongue at him and then at Raine, but then the kids settled down. Derwin fell asleep, sliding down, his head on Amber’s lap, while she leaned on Katya. Collector was curled up in Katya’s lap, occasionally asking questions about characters, and Luz sat next to them.
Hunter relaxed, leaning his head on Luz’s shoulder and would only jump up in those moments when something exciting would start happening and Luz would start slapping his shoulder or arm excitedly, and Vee curled up next to the boy.
About fifteen minutes into the film, Collector started squirming in their spot, "I'm off to get some snacks, does anyone want snacks?"
"You got a huge bag stuffed with it next to the window seat," Vee said, "mum and I brought it from the human realm. Just drag it all here!"
"Got it!" He got to his feet and scrambled for the kitchen, and Luz paused the film.
Once the kid was gone from the room, King turned to Raine, "Ummm…He told me what you said earlier, about family and talking to your parents and stuff. You meant it, right?" King asked Raine, "Don't say stuff Like that if you don't really mean them."
"I…I did," Raine nodded, their disposition serious, "I meant if for a while. I should’ve said it sooner. And trust me, I feel horrible for not bringing it up before.”
Eda sighed, “King, don’t make Raine feel bad!”
“I’m not, I’m just saying…” King pouted.
“Eda, I can handle being called out,” they snorted and rubbed King’s back, to emphasize that they didn’t hold any grudges, "Don't worry, I don't make promises I don't intend to keep."
King's eyes softened, "I know," he curled up closer to them, "I was just making sure. If you don't talk to my parents, I will, even if I have to use my titan card."
"That won't be necessary," Raine chuckled.
“Eh, we’re one complicated family, aren’t we?” Eda asked.
“So, here is the bag of snacks,” Collector said as he re-entered the living room, “And I took another biiiig slice of cake," she showed off the plate he carried in one hand, "Can I have a huge slice of cake?”
“You should probably have some vegetables first, but, I’m not going to pretend to be a responsible parental unit today, so, you can just have cake!” Eda shrugged.
“Yes! Oh, also, pizza bagels have tomatoes on them and that is a vegetable…”
“Dang it, I knew teaching kids to find loopholes is going to bite me in the butt one day,” Eda muttered quietly enough so only Raine could hear her, “Ok kid, let’s put it this way, I’m too lazy to get up now and make you dinner. We can discuss whether tomatoes on pizza bagels count tomorrow, when I’m not lazy, k?”
“I want pizza bagels for lunch!” Amber said.
“I second that notion!” Luz added.
Derwin muttered something that sounded like I third it.
“I’m totally staying over if pizza bagels are on the table!" Vee said, "Hey how about we make our own!”
Collector’s eyes gleamed, “Can we?”
“No, tomorrow is leftover day because we have a bunch of leftovers from today!” Raine said. “We can have pizza bagels the day after tomorrow. We really shouldn’t let Darius’ stew go bad-”
“Yuck! I don’t like stew! Also, everyone has school or work the day after tomorrow, and Vee and Camila have to go back to the human realm!”
“Darius, do you hear this? We found someone who thinks your stew is yucky!"
"Eda, if you think I'll be offended that a child you know, a demographic known for pickiness doesn't like my cooking, you are mistaken," he sighed, "he has time to develop good taste unlike some!"
"Is this still because I liked the wine Alador bought?" Raine asked, and Darius huffed.
"So," Collector asked again, "came we make pizza bagels tomorrow?"
“Yes!” Eda said finally, “we can totally move the leftover night to the day after yesterday and have a baking day tomorrow!”
“Baking day! Baking day!” the kids chanted.
“Fine, you guys win…” Raine sighed.
“Songbird, you really are an awful actor if you think anyone here is buying that you are really upset…” Darius said from his seat.
“Shut up!”
“Can we just restart the film? Please?” Katya said, “I'm dying to see when Luna-” she spotted Hunter’s no spoiler glare, “I mean…one scene…”
“Yeah, we should,” Luz said, “Oh, wait, just a minute, I almost forgot. I got something for ou, a small gift from the Zoo,” she turned to Collector.
“But it's not my birthday…I don’t even know if I have a birthday…”
“Join the gang then!” Vee said, raising her hand and Hunter high-fived her. “We’ll pick you one too. Just don’t pick a day someone has a birthday too!”
“Ok, I’ll think of a date!” Collector said enthusiastically.
“Here,” Luz handed them a small, slightly crumpled package.
They barely took a moment before they tore into it, "Oh wow! A sea-star! It's cool!"
“Now, let’s restart the film before Katya has an aneurism,” Luz said.
“THANK YOU!” Katya basically screeched, startling Collector, who dropped the star. As he was reaching over for it, Amber playfully snatched the bag of crisps he had and he huffed indignantly.
As King then snatched the bag back from Amber to hand it back to Collector, it was clear exactly how integrated Collector was into the household.
Boy, was Raine dense for not picking up on fully it sooner.
Regret must’ve been clear on their face as they looked at the kid because they felt Eda tighten the grip around them and press a comforting kiss to their temple, “It will be ok,” she whispered, as if reading their mind, “We all mess up, but make things right.”
“I know,” they relaxed. And then, it occurred to them that they might have a way to start making it right, "Hey, Collector?"
"Hmm?"
"How about we make up for starting the party without you with another one?"
"Really? But whose birthday, is it?"
"Well, the next one is Amber's, in a month and a half. However,” they smiled warmly, “how about you listen to Hunter's and Vee's advice, and pick a birthday for yourself."
Collector’s eyes widened in surprise and his grin grew, "Really? Oh, gee! What day should I choose…hmm,” despite this big, important task he was just given, his eyes darted to the screen, “Ah, I'll think of it later when the movie ends! Will you all help me?"
"Of course."
"Cool! Oh, who is that guy?" Collector’s eyes were glued back on the screen as Luz and Hunter started to take turns explaining the character’s backstory. Raine got the feeling that the evening would turn into a backwards movie marathon, as there was no way they wouldn’t watch Augorix: Luna’s tale after this one.
"See," Eda whispered to them with a kiss on their cheek, "You got this."
"Thanks for the support."
"Eh, you're not the only one who messes up. Now, eyes on the screen, I want to see what happens next."
Raine relaxed into Eda’s arms, thinking how, as much as they hated when things would get complicated, they also enjoyed the way things were now, hiccups and all.
And sure, there were moments when it felt like the past was hanging above them. There would probably still be moments like that.
Like when they would remember moments from the time in the coven before they realized something was off.
Like when Katya would mention her birth family, who she still had a tense relationship with.
Like the moments when they or Eda would recall their break-up and the months that followed.
Like those now rare moments when a tiny bit of tension between Eda and Lilith would reappear.
Like the moments they knew existed between Hunter and Darius or Alador and his kids, or the two abomination witches themselves.
Like those brief, bitter moments when Eda would remember that, yes, in fact, she spent a good portion of King’s childhood lying to him.
But those moments were brief and rare, and, if properly addressed, would pass like summer rain in the human realm.
And there would be new moments, both great, and bitter.
But at that moment, all was good. Eda was with them, their family was close, two of their best friends were staying the night, and their kids, all of their kids were there.
Happy birthday to them indeed.