Family Part 21
In all of the sixteen years that Frederick Crowley-Fell had been alive, he'd never once seen his parents argue. He was sure they did, but they just didn't do it in front of the children. Though he never had actually heard them from another room, either. And it was very, very rare to see his father angry at all. He was the calm one, for certain. He'd gone down to the shops to get some milk because they were running low and he knew that Oscar would just leave the empty carton in the fridge again.
"You arrogant.....pig headed.....cockwomble!" Crowley shouted before slamming the door that led to the garden. The glass door that miraculously never broke no matter how hard it was slammed. She was muttering to herself as she looked over the plants, trying to find something that she could take her anger out on.
"Mum?" Freddie asked as he walked through the gate. "Everything okay?"
Crowley had jumped a bit when she heard her son's voice. She'd actually forgotten he had gone to the shops. She took a deep breath and then put a smile on.
"Of course, dear. Everything's fine. You should get that in the fridge, dear." She pointed to the milk he was carrying. Freddie just nodded and did as he was told, taking the milk into the kitchen. He blinked a few times when he saw his father rather angrily rearranging books on the shelves in the living room.
"Dad? You alright?" Freddie asked, standing back in the doorway.
"Everything is lovely, my dear boy." Aziraphale said, though his tone was forced. Something was definitely going on. He just nodded and then went upstairs to find Oscar and Evan sitting in Oscar's bedroom.
"What's going on with mum and dad?" Freddie asked.
"They had a fight." Oscar said quietly. He was holding on to his favorite teddy bear as if his life depended on that connection.
"Well, I've gathered that much." Freddie rolled his eyes and went to sit next to his sister. "What was the fight about?"
"I want to keep going to school but dad thinks it's a bad idea. Mum says it's my decision but dad says I'm not old enough to decide." Oscar said quietly. He appeared to be on the verge of tears the whole time he was talking.
"Why wouldn't you be able to keep going to school?" Freddie tilted his head. Something had definitely happened while he was at the shops. He hadn't been gone that long.
"Show him, Oscar." Evan said, reaching a hand out to take the teddy bear from her little brother. Oscar nodded and handed over the bear. He moved to the center of the room, plenty of empty space around him, and then shrugged his shoulders. Two beautiful white wings appeared from his back, looking almost iridescent in the light of the room.
"Oscar, that's brilliant! You've got wings. And way earlier than expected." Freddie grinned. His little brother was only nine after all.
"It's not brilliant!" Oscar shrugged his shoulders again and the wings disappeared. "I can't go to school now and mum and dad are fighting and it's all my fault!" Rather than trying to get the bear back from Evan, Oscar simply crawled under the bed.
"Oscar, come on. It is brilliant. And just because dad says he doesn't want you going to school doesn't mean you won't be able to. You can hide the wings, yeah?" Freddie lay down on the floor to try to look under the bed.
"Only sometimes." Oscar muttered.
"We found out about the wings because he got upset this morning and they just sort of popped out." Evan said, sighing a little bit. "It's going to take a lot of practice for him to control them all the time. Right now they have a bit of a mind of their own."
"Oscar, will you please come out of there?" Freddie asked, moving back a little bit to give him room. He got to his feet and waited as Oscar crawled out from under the bed and looked up at his big brother. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise." He leaned down and kissed Oscar's forehead.
"But mum and dad are fighting." Oscar bit his lip. "Are they going to get a divorce?"
"Oh Oscar." Freddie pulled his little brother into a hug. "I promise you, mum and dad are not going to get a divorce." He sighed. The thought had crossed his mind very briefly. "Can I ask you something, though?"
"Okay." Oscar nodded.
"Would it be such a bad thing to be home schooled with us?" Freddie tilted his head as he looked down at Oscar. He'd taken off his sunglasses as soon as he got in the house. Oscar looked up at Freddie.
"Your friends don't come around anymore." He said matter of factly. "When you were in school, you had lots of friends and now it's just you and Evan and maybe someone will come by sometimes but mostly, they leave you alone."
"I have a feeling your friends are going to be very different." Freddie nodded. "But I'll talk to mum and dad and see what I can do about keeping you in school, okay?"
"Okay." Oscar nodded and then went back over to Evan to get his teddy bear. He sat down on the floor and hugged the bear to his chest. Evan looked at Freddie and simply mouthed "fix this." Freddie nodded and headed back downstairs.
"What have I told you about weeds?!" Crowley practically growled as she pulled a weed from her garden. There were plants that had been there before he walked into the house that had been pulled up and were sitting in a pile. One of them had a leaf spot. One had a misshapen flower.
"Mum, can we talk?" Freddie asked from just outside the back door. Crowley pulled another weed and Freddie watched as she composed herself before getting to her feet and turning to smile at her son.
"Of course, dear. What is it?"
"You don't have to pretend with me, mum. I know you're angry with dad. I saw the fight....sort of." Freddie ran his fingers through his hair. Crowley's shoulders slumped slightly.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, darling. We've tried so hard not to let you see our arguments." Crowley slipped off her gardening gloves and moved some hair behind her ear.
"You and dad need to work this out. Oscar is convinced you're getting a divorce and that it's because of him." Freddie crossed his arms.
"Oh that poor boy." Crowley sighed and closed her eyes briefly. "Your father and I have had worse fights than this and we're still together. Once we didn't talk for an entire century." She smiled at the memory. It seemed so stupid now.
"Yes, well. You two need to sort this and you need to assure Oscar that you are not, in fact, separating because he's terrified that he's ruined everything." Freddie sighed. Oscar hadn't said it in so many words but Freddie could tell.
"I just needed to get some of the anger out of my system. I'm sure it's fine." Crowley said with a shrug.
"Dad is currently rearranging the books in the living room alphabetically by author." Freddie raised an eyebrow. Crowley's eyes went wide.
"He's...he's actually putting them in a recognizable order?" She scratched the back of her neck.
"Yes." Freddie nodded.
"Oh dear." Crowley sighed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out some money, handing it to Freddie. She wasn't sure how much but it didn't matter. "Get your siblings and go to a movie or something. Just.....I need to talk to your father alone."
"Of course." Freddie nodded. He took the money and then went upstairs. It didn't take him long to get Evan and Oscar out of the house, especially with the promise of ice cream. The teddy bear came along without any argument.
"You arrogant.....pig headed.....cockwomble!" Crowley shouted before slamming the door that led to the garden. The glass door that miraculously never broke no matter how hard it was slammed. She was muttering to herself as she looked over the plants, trying to find something that she could take her anger out on.
"Mum?" Freddie asked as he walked through the gate. "Everything okay?"
Crowley had jumped a bit when she heard her son's voice. She'd actually forgotten he had gone to the shops. She took a deep breath and then put a smile on.
"Of course, dear. Everything's fine. You should get that in the fridge, dear." She pointed to the milk he was carrying. Freddie just nodded and did as he was told, taking the milk into the kitchen. He blinked a few times when he saw his father rather angrily rearranging books on the shelves in the living room.
"Dad? You alright?" Freddie asked, standing back in the doorway.
"Everything is lovely, my dear boy." Aziraphale said, though his tone was forced. Something was definitely going on. He just nodded and then went upstairs to find Oscar and Evan sitting in Oscar's bedroom.
"What's going on with mum and dad?" Freddie asked.
"They had a fight." Oscar said quietly. He was holding on to his favorite teddy bear as if his life depended on that connection.
"Well, I've gathered that much." Freddie rolled his eyes and went to sit next to his sister. "What was the fight about?"
"I want to keep going to school but dad thinks it's a bad idea. Mum says it's my decision but dad says I'm not old enough to decide." Oscar said quietly. He appeared to be on the verge of tears the whole time he was talking.
"Why wouldn't you be able to keep going to school?" Freddie tilted his head. Something had definitely happened while he was at the shops. He hadn't been gone that long.
"Show him, Oscar." Evan said, reaching a hand out to take the teddy bear from her little brother. Oscar nodded and handed over the bear. He moved to the center of the room, plenty of empty space around him, and then shrugged his shoulders. Two beautiful white wings appeared from his back, looking almost iridescent in the light of the room.
"Oscar, that's brilliant! You've got wings. And way earlier than expected." Freddie grinned. His little brother was only nine after all.
"It's not brilliant!" Oscar shrugged his shoulders again and the wings disappeared. "I can't go to school now and mum and dad are fighting and it's all my fault!" Rather than trying to get the bear back from Evan, Oscar simply crawled under the bed.
"Oscar, come on. It is brilliant. And just because dad says he doesn't want you going to school doesn't mean you won't be able to. You can hide the wings, yeah?" Freddie lay down on the floor to try to look under the bed.
"Only sometimes." Oscar muttered.
"We found out about the wings because he got upset this morning and they just sort of popped out." Evan said, sighing a little bit. "It's going to take a lot of practice for him to control them all the time. Right now they have a bit of a mind of their own."
"Oscar, will you please come out of there?" Freddie asked, moving back a little bit to give him room. He got to his feet and waited as Oscar crawled out from under the bed and looked up at his big brother. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise." He leaned down and kissed Oscar's forehead.
"But mum and dad are fighting." Oscar bit his lip. "Are they going to get a divorce?"
"Oh Oscar." Freddie pulled his little brother into a hug. "I promise you, mum and dad are not going to get a divorce." He sighed. The thought had crossed his mind very briefly. "Can I ask you something, though?"
"Okay." Oscar nodded.
"Would it be such a bad thing to be home schooled with us?" Freddie tilted his head as he looked down at Oscar. He'd taken off his sunglasses as soon as he got in the house. Oscar looked up at Freddie.
"Your friends don't come around anymore." He said matter of factly. "When you were in school, you had lots of friends and now it's just you and Evan and maybe someone will come by sometimes but mostly, they leave you alone."
"I have a feeling your friends are going to be very different." Freddie nodded. "But I'll talk to mum and dad and see what I can do about keeping you in school, okay?"
"Okay." Oscar nodded and then went back over to Evan to get his teddy bear. He sat down on the floor and hugged the bear to his chest. Evan looked at Freddie and simply mouthed "fix this." Freddie nodded and headed back downstairs.
"What have I told you about weeds?!" Crowley practically growled as she pulled a weed from her garden. There were plants that had been there before he walked into the house that had been pulled up and were sitting in a pile. One of them had a leaf spot. One had a misshapen flower.
"Mum, can we talk?" Freddie asked from just outside the back door. Crowley pulled another weed and Freddie watched as she composed herself before getting to her feet and turning to smile at her son.
"Of course, dear. What is it?"
"You don't have to pretend with me, mum. I know you're angry with dad. I saw the fight....sort of." Freddie ran his fingers through his hair. Crowley's shoulders slumped slightly.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, darling. We've tried so hard not to let you see our arguments." Crowley slipped off her gardening gloves and moved some hair behind her ear.
"You and dad need to work this out. Oscar is convinced you're getting a divorce and that it's because of him." Freddie crossed his arms.
"Oh that poor boy." Crowley sighed and closed her eyes briefly. "Your father and I have had worse fights than this and we're still together. Once we didn't talk for an entire century." She smiled at the memory. It seemed so stupid now.
"Yes, well. You two need to sort this and you need to assure Oscar that you are not, in fact, separating because he's terrified that he's ruined everything." Freddie sighed. Oscar hadn't said it in so many words but Freddie could tell.
"I just needed to get some of the anger out of my system. I'm sure it's fine." Crowley said with a shrug.
"Dad is currently rearranging the books in the living room alphabetically by author." Freddie raised an eyebrow. Crowley's eyes went wide.
"He's...he's actually putting them in a recognizable order?" She scratched the back of her neck.
"Yes." Freddie nodded.
"Oh dear." Crowley sighed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out some money, handing it to Freddie. She wasn't sure how much but it didn't matter. "Get your siblings and go to a movie or something. Just.....I need to talk to your father alone."
"Of course." Freddie nodded. He took the money and then went upstairs. It didn't take him long to get Evan and Oscar out of the house, especially with the promise of ice cream. The teddy bear came along without any argument.
Comments
Post a Comment