[ 30 ] 2014

-

"To be honest, this is my favorite movie of all time and I've always wanted to name a son after Giorno and a daughter after Narda. So fuck you, Andy. And fuck you too Niall, before you jump in and say anything, mate."

-

Michael stood at the door for minutes, while Arthur sat at one of the chairs in front of the desk, watching his son. He didn't want to force Michael to talk to him, like Harley was trying to do at the moment. He wanted Michael to come to him on his own terms. But he also could not control Harley's actions and as far as he was concerned, she wasn't going to let them out of that room until they could talk things out and have at least a cordial relationship with each other. Ultimately, that all depended on Michael mostly. Arthur loved his son and wanted a nice relationship with him. He was his first child, Harley being his second. The first born was always something special. Michael was still deeply hurt about things that happened in the past and he blamed Arthur for his mother Michelle's death.

He thought that if Arthur could have just been there for her--if he didn't want to be there for Michael, the least he could have done was to be there for his wife--none of those terrible things would have happened. His mother would still be alive. She was a wonderful person with a kind smile and a warm heart. She loved and spoiled Michael to no end and always, always told Michael about how much his father loved them. She'd continuously justify his absence.

He's doing this to protect us from harm, she always told Michael. But Michael didn't understand what she meant by that. All he knew was that he and his mother were special. They had powers that regular humans didn't possess. His mother could replay other people's memories in the minds of the people she touched, at will. She could also take memories that she liked and store them in her own mind for future use or reference. Michael could see into the future by merely touching someone's hands. It was something that had scared him as a child, and his mother had gotten him a pair of leather gloved to wear and conceal what he could do.

He blamed himself in a way for her death as well. Perhaps if he wasn't so damn afraid of the things he saw all the time, he wouldn't need the stupid gloves. He could have touched her hands and saw that she was in danger. He could have protected her from what was coming. But alas, he also learned with time that his visions were often absolute. There was no way that he could change them even if he tried or even if he wanted to.

Finally giving up on the idea of leaving that room any time soon, he heaved a loud sigh of frustration and leaned his forehead against the wooden door with a thud. He needed a moment to prepare himself for what was coming. It had already been over three years since his mother's death and he still held so much resentment in his heart towards Arthur Vega. He had once admired the man. A single person who could keep an entire organization afloat like that, adopting teenagers all over the world and providing them with a job and money. And he always gave them a choice. It was always their choice whether they wanted to become hunters or not.

Upon finding out that this person he always admired from the start was his father--the same man who was always absent in his life. The man who provided him expensive presents, money, and handwritten letters every birthday or important holiday. That wasn't enough for Michael. He needed more. He needed a role model, he needed a father.

His gloved hand balling up into a fist, he finally turned slowly and narrowed his eyes into a glare directed at Arthur. He then folded his arms over his chest defiantly. "Since it seems your daughter won't let us out any time soon, I guess I have to fucking listen to what you have to say." Michael said through gritted teeth. He guessed that Arthur had put Harley up to this, forcing him to hear him out. But he had no idea that Arthur didn't know what any of this was about either when Harley called him, asking if they could have a talk.

Arthur wanted nothing more than for Michael to let him tell his side of the story. Why he had to remain hidden all of the time and why he couldn't be there for him like they both wanted to. But he wanted Michael to want to hear it, not to be forced to hear him. He heaved a tired sigh. "If you don't want to listen to me, I don't want to force you." 

Michael rolled his eyes at him. "Don't try to act like you're some nice guy who cares about me. Just say what you're going to say so we can both get out of here."

Arthur sighed again, this time closing his eyes as a fond memory came to his mind. "I really wish your mother were here so she could show you everything that happened between us. I know she told you about me. But I wish we could have showed you that I was always watching, even if I didn't approach you."

There were tears stinging at his eyes at the mention of his mother. Three years and the wound was still fresh in his memories. He still missed her. She was the only person he had. It was just the two of them in their own little world. That was why he had clung so much to Harley when they first met. Sure, he had friendship with the hunters. But he hardly ever saw them. They were more like work friends. With Harley, she didn't just treat him like the lonely orphan. She treated him like he was part of the family, even despite the fact that he was rather mean to her from the start. Someone who treated him like he was good, like he was valid, and he liked that about her. It was the first time he had ever accepted someone else into his world.

"Don't bring mum into this." Michael warned.

"If you'll just listen then, son..." Arthur tried to appeal to him again. Still, he would respect his decision if he didn't want to hear him out.

Michael stomped over and grabbed the other chair that was close by Arthur in the room. He pulled it further back and plopped himself down on it, arms crossed over his chest again. "Get on with it then."

"I really cared about your mother..."

-

Harley and Calum were in the living room with Niall and Andrea. The four of them were watching an old gang film that was one of Calum's favorites when he was growing up. 

He used to watch it every week without fail and even dreamed of being like the main character. It was called Golden Experience, and it starred a fifteen year old boy in Italy, whose dream was to become the head of the Italian mafia. He had been bullied his whole life at school, his mother was an alcoholic, and his step father constantly beat him, until he left his home to find something better. The movie was old and had been out since the 80s, but it was still one of the best films in Calum's opinion. 

There was even a sequel out, in which the main character had earned his spot as the head of the mafia, and the second film involved him falling in love with a beautiful girl named Narda from a wealthy family of doctors and her family was very opposed to the relationship because the main character was a criminal. The sequel was called Golden Experience Requiem. The main character was named Giorno and Harley commented absently, her head rested on Calum's chest and a bowl of popcorn rested on her lap. 

"Giorno...I kind of like that name." She said aloud, making a mental note to keep that in mind for the future. She liked the way it sounded in an Italian accent and she liked the fact that it different than the more common names they saw in Australia. Then again, she and her friends all had more uncommon names, and two of the people in the room were not even Australian.

"Isn't that like...the Italian word for day?" Andrea pointed out, just about half of her petite body on top of Niall's. When she was still going to school back in England, all students had been required to learn a second language. Most people had gone with either Spanish or French--Spanish because it was one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, and French because just about anyone who learned a second language learned French. Her parents had been surprised when she chose Italian instead. It wasn't overrated like the first two and it sounded lovely to her ears as well. 

Harley gave a shrug of her shoulders, she never learned any foreign language. At her previous high school before she moved to Sydney, there was an option to take an elective in the arts or a foreign language. She went with the art class. Once she moved to Sydney, it was the same. She was asked if she wanted to take Art History, or a language class. She decided to take the Art History class. Now she was starting to think that she should have tried to learn another language. Especially since her biological father was half Hispanic. Then she pulled back away from Calum for a moment, her blue eyes searching for his brown ones. "I think it sounds nice either way. What do you think, Calum?"

He pulled his attention away from the movie for just a moment. He was getting really into it, especially because of the fact that this was a fifteen year old boy who was so quickly and easily climbing up the ranks of a powerful Italian gang. It was like he had some kind of stroke of luck, which was why it was said that the film was called Golden Experience. Because he was just so lucky to climb to the top like that, that the whole experience was something golden and somewhat magical. He had watched the movie dozens of times and it was just as great every single time.

"Yeah, babe. I think it's nice." He said, half paying attention. 

He just didn't want to lose sight of what was happening in the movie because there was so much going on that he felt like he'd miss something important if he even blinked. Andrea poked fun at Harley, teasing playfully. "He wasn't even paying attention to what you were saying. He's like a zombie." She had thought to say he was like a robot, but with Calum's current situation, she didn't want to say the wrong thing and accidentally trigger him. Harley was always taking care that no one in the house would hurt his feelings. He was still sensitive over the whole ordeal, especially after he had broken her hand that morning. It was strange for them to even think that he wasn't exactly the same anymore. But in a way, no one in the house really saw him as different. It was all in his head. 

Actually paying attention to the conversation this time, he painfully tore his eyes from the television screen only after grabbing the remote and hitting pause and shot Andrea a glare. But he had been playing as well. Andrea replied by blowing him a raspberry. Placing a kiss on Harley's forehead, he said, "To be honest, this is my favorite movie of all time and I've always wanted to name a son after Giorno and a daughter after Narda. So fuck you, Andy. And fuck you too Niall, before you jump in and say anything, mate." Calum had said his last sentence with a chuckle, pointing an index finger at them. The others joined him as well, before returning to watch the movie. For the moment, it was like they were all normal teenagers.  

The four teens continued watching the movie for a few more minutes before Niall interrupted the movie, providing another interruption which almost served to get on Calum's nerves. This was his favorite movie of all time and everyone had to make comments every few seconds and weren't letting him enjoy the movie properly. But he really contained himself, as he knew they weren't trying to mess with him or anything.

"Do you think they've talked things out already in there?" Niall asked, talking about Michael and Arthur. By then, the sun had set over the horizon, and he assumed they would be needing food soon and maybe to go to the toilet. Niall knew he'd definitely be wanting some food by now. The mere thought made his stomach grumble. "They've been locked in that room for quite a while."

Harley gave a small shrug of her shoulders. Her plan was easy enough. She wouldn't let them out until they were all better. She just didn't calculate about how much time that would actually take. "I don't know. But hopefully. I'll go check on them after the movie."

-

a quick little update for you guys.

thank you all so much for reading and supporting me. a little update on me and my boy: we both went to worked today and we talked and we kinda flirted a little bit. he left an hour before me though, and i felt bad because he was sooo frustrated when he punched out.

thats bc boss left him charging at the first dt window for his whole shift. and standing at the same station for 5-6hrs really fucking sucks. 

but i kept sneaking over to the back to keep him company. and my boss kept yelling at me bc she said i distract him. and i think she's onto us though bc lately she's been trying real hard to separate us. like she'll place us on opposite sides of the store, and she'll schedule our shifts apart.

-clary