Chapter Text
Train rides were always so long. The slow creaking on the rails in the rainy air. It almost made the air thick. The laughs from little girls running around. A toy train in hand as the two chased their older brother. It was a melancholy day for any person. It was almost poetic. The girl's blonde hair flowed light down like beautiful satin. Her blue eyes had no trace of the remorse of the bad day she had left behind. The day where her voice was never heard. She could only continue forward into whatever she wanted to. It made a smile appear on her face, her legs moving faster as she hugged her older brother tightly. Her younger sister moved to his side and also hugged him.
They all laughed together. To any person, this was a heartwarming moment. Though I could only smile at the appearance of fake happiness. It was quite dumb. The thought of being happy. To her, this small moment could erase any trace of hurt from the past day. The youth of hers was powerful. To her, I'm just a person on the train. I only wished to be just like her. So young and youthful.
Many wished to be in her shoes. She was the light of the night, the brightest of stars. Though it was so grim. Her poor heart would have to deal with the thought of war after this. It wasn't the best way to feel as I stepped off of the train. It wasn't even worth the shitty feeling as she let go of her brother, the soft smile on her face, not knowing her mother and father were dead. I could only sigh and walk off of the train. I was hurt by the saddening thought of her anger and envy in others as she would grow up. Though, there isn't much I can do when I have yet to find my reasoning for my hatred and anger. Maybe I have yet to find a passion for them to strip me of.
The train station was cold, it was always oddly cold. though it felt different this time around. Like someone expected me to be here. Well, I wasn't waiting for anyone, that was for sure. I came into town just for some candles then I'd go back into my sweet little cottage. It wasn't the best idea but I'm missing the sweet air around there already.
His eyes sunk a small bit. Finally feeling the water dripping on his shirt. He pushed his hair off of his forehead with one hand. His nose twitched a small bit, wiggling his nose a bit as he used his bag to cover his head. Another man was waiting at the entrance to the train station. He offered him a curt nod and continued to walk, moving past the tall male, who seemed to be taking a record of what was happening. Though He couldn't put his finger on where he knew him from but he shrugged it off. He stepped through the door, seemingly following how the other boy walked.
He grabbed his arm, watching at the male turned quickly, staring at him with an uncanny look on his face, an almost curious gaze held within his eyes. "Who are you?" He said curtly, humming gently. "Who am I matters non to you, please let me go now, I need to prepare something in the city and you're holding me up." He responded, almost in a snappy way. He had a sluggish look on his face, promptly shifting eye contact.
"Oh.."
He sheepishly said, letting go of him and running a hand through his hair, letting it fall in front of his eyes, "Well, I'm William, William Gold. You appeared similar so I was wondering if we knew each other." Will said politely, offering him a bright smile as his hair flopped over his right eye. He held his leather journal in hand, rubbing the spine of it with a finger.
The male rubbed his arm, looking up at him, "No, I don't know that name from anywhere. I remember Mr Gold from the book store. Are you his son?" He asked, standing straighter with a slightly annoyed look on his face. This was kinda the last thing he wanted to be doing right now but he had little to no choice, there was a line to leave the train station. He rubbed his temple gently, fixing his hat. Will piped up, happy at the small conversation that was blooming. He pushed his hair back and stood straight, "Ah! Yes, I am his son. I saw you in the bookstore buying a potion book! I just was hoping for a friendly chat and maybe we could bond over some books." He said, resting back on one arm, "Although, I'd love to know your name." He said, eyes holding a curious gaze.
The boy fidgeted a small bit with his button-up shirt. "George... George Davidson." He murmured. He didn't like saying his name but he knew it was better than lying to this fellow. Will smiled and held a hand out. "Lovely to meet ya, George!" He said, watching as the shorter boy grabbed his hand with a loose grip, shaking it slowly. He let go after a solid 5 seconds and rubbed the back of his neck. "What brings you here to L'manburg?" He asked, tilting his head. His hair flipped a small bit, like a conscious curl. George hummed at the question. "Mr Gold was having a sale on candles and I've just run out. I needed to pick some up for my cottage back in AppleWood canyon." He stated, accent slurring his speech a small bit.
If it weren't for the fact that Will had an accent, to begin with, George wasn't sure if he would've responded to him in the first place, It was hard enough to talk to people after he had a shitty breakup with one of the town's girls. He never liked her to begin with but it happened to be his father's dying wish. The war was so shit for them to deal with. He wasn't a part of it thankfully but to see many slain and laying on the cold floor did something to him. He would always cringe at the sight of blood but seeing his friends and children who lay there dead... Well, It did something to him. He was quite a bit more skittish around loud songs and almost always a lot more frightened by people. Maybe that was why he was so scared of this 'William'.
Will nodded, tapping his foot on the ground before a frown settled on his face, "You were at the fall of Retro Palace weren't you?" He asked, watching the sour reaction that George had. He shook his head, "it was such a shame what happened there... The poor king ended up nearly killing everyone there... Luckily most got out alive but many died that day.." He stated the situation rested on his chest heavily. He could only lean his head back, hoping that maybe he could think of something to twist this conversation into a different light. "Ah- I'm heading to the bookstore now, I could take you in my wip- As the 'youngsters' say." He nudged the boy, a sly smile resting on his face.
George cringed at his 'slang' He rolled his eyes and nodded, "I wouldn't mind that, But I need to be back in AppleWood before dark. I have to tend to some crops and it would be a shame if they died." He said, rubbing his hand, cupping them together for some well-needed warmth. "I heard your mother passed recently. How have you been coping?" He asked, giving him a saddening gaze. He knew how hard it was to lose a parent. The look on Will's face was almost of mockery. "Oh, My mother? I havent seen her since I was little. My father said she came by before she had passed, offering him a letter for me. I didn't read it, It seemed like a waste of time. In reality? I'm waiting for my fathers.. Late wife. My step mother, if you will, to come back." He said, pointing up as if to say something more. George nodded, understanding what he meant.
George's mother passed soon after his father. Too taken up by guilt to continue further. He was left there to ponder his mistakes, still believing that maybe if he was a better child, that if he smiled at his parents a bit more, maybe... just maybe... Maybe they could've been a happy family. Boy, was he wrong?
"Dada!"
The child was wailing, trying to reach for his father who laid amongst the floor, the pool of blood still so fresh. A pale hand held him back, holding the poor child away from his father. He sobbed loudly, moving his mouth a bit lower before using his weak teeth to bite down onto his mother's hand, watching as she pulled his hands back in shock. The small child ran to his father, wrapping his tiny arms around his father's lanky ones. He sniffled and hit his arm gently, balling small fists together and hitting his arm. "Dada! wakey pwease..." His slurred English was even worse with his broken voice.
His mother didn't like that. No, she despised that. Her eyes red with anger as she grabbed the boy's arm, yanking him up off of his feet and pulling him away. "Mama no! No mama no- I don't wanna." He said with a light cry. His mother smacked him harshly, his face turned the other way with broken sobs. He looked down at the floor and sniffled. His mother, having an angered look on her face, pulled him along. She sighed gently and rubbed the back of his head, picking him up. His father was groaning on the floor, trying to get up. The wound on his head was bloodied, his eyes low. "One day Georgie, You'll learn, that I'm not the bad guy. I've never been the bad guy." She said, kissing his head and rubbing the back of George's head. He closed his eyes, still twitching while crying.
The door closed behind them, poor little George rested in his swaddle, enveloped in warmth. He held onto his blanket tightly. He was only 6 years old. He didn't know things were to ever get this bad. He only saw his mother so often but he knew trouble when both his mom and dad were together. He sneezed lightly and moved to suck on his thumb, a coping act. He was stopped at the tangy metallic taste on his tongue. He moved his hand back to see the dried blood all over his clothes and smeared it on his blanket. He couldn't understand why these things were happening to him. He had to have been the victim here right? He was the victim. Dad would come to save him! Dad would always go to help him. Dad loved George, Dad would always be there. Right?
George only sat there on the floor for days, eating the bare minimum and drinking water all day, curling up on the floor. He would just move to the corner of his room, hugging his stuffie. He wanted his Dada. His amazing Dada! He smiled shortly at the memory of going to the carnival. The day his Dada got him his stuffie. His prized possession. He lay down in the corner, suckling on his thumb. His friend Nick was able to come over for a day. He told the younger boy about all the stuff that had happened that day. Nick, just as clueless only piped up with a snarky comment. "Well maybe if you liked Pebble your Dad would come to see you!" He said, crossing his arms.
"But Pebble is a baby!" He said, crossing his arms and looking away from Nick who just shook his head. He laid down on his stomach and hit the two Voltron dolls together, tapping their characters together. "Well, maybe it's because he couldn't hear you! Sometimes when we talk, I can't listen to you because you don't know how to say specific!" "It's pacific!" George quickly snapped back, crossing his arms and hitting his foot on the floor accidentally hitting the other boy, making Nick whine and hold his leg. "Don't get mwad about me!" He shouted, throwing on some crocodile tears as Nick's dad walked in. "Aw Sappy.." Bad cooed. He crouched down and pulled the small boy into a hug. "Georgie is bwing mean..." He cried lightly, his tears fake but he only saw the British boy roll his eyes. "Is that true George?" Bad asked, his horns were always scary to him. He wondered if he pulled them hard enough if they would come off.
George shook his head. "He swaid that daddy is gone because I don't like Pebble!" He said, tears peaking in his eyes. He saw his mother at the door, staring down at him with her sinister eyes, making him shut up quickly. Bad frowned at this, moving to pull the boy into a hug too. "Sometimes people leave Pumpkin, Daddy is just busy right now. Once he is done, He'll come back with all his love for you! Then you and mommy will be able to go out to dinner again." He remembered that, The lie. Daddy wasn't ever coming back. Nor Nick or Bad. He learned that after he was isolated in his own thoughts. He could only focus on his principles.
George snapped back into reality at the display of William moving his hand back and forth in front of his face. "George? Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes peaked with worry yet a curious gaze still held within them. He nodded lightly, rubbing the back of his head. He hated his mother. He almost wished she killed herself sooner. He snapped out of it once more at the comforting touch on his shoulder. "You can talk to me about it." Williams's warm voice gave him a slight warmth within his stomach, yet he wasn't sure if it was because of the true feeling of bonding with someone or because he knew that he had a 'friend'. Nonetheless, he moved closer to him, nodding. "Thank you, William- Is it cool if I call you Will?" He asked.
William froze, only smiling and nodding curtly. He fixed his beanie and sighed. "I actually would prefer that, I don't suppose I could call you Georgie? Oh! My father has some beautiful handcrafted incents, I could grab you some!" He said, pushing his hair back. George laughed lightly, remembering when his father would call him Georgie. He nodded quickly. "Call me whatever you'd like Will, It's a pleasure to meet you." He said, placing a hand on his shoulder, feeling a lot comfier with him. Will hummed and passed some people, pulling George with him. "Sorry, Niki!" He said, watching as Niki sighed, waving him off while carrying her basket of flowers along with her. She only smiled at him. Will laughed and held George's shoulders. He walked out of the station. "Ah! Let me show you to my car." He said sweetly, watching as William walked to the cars, pulling George along for the ride.
George grasped a smile on his face. He was more than excited to follow. He watched as the taller boy walked up to a 1975 Mercury Bobcat. Its light tan paint job was immaculate. He watched as the tall male opened the trunk and set his work back inside. He looked over at George, "Do you have any bags?" He asked lightly, tilting his head a small bit. George nodded and handed him his cute mushroom-themed bag. Will examined it for a moment, looking at all the cute things engraved on it. "It's nice!" He said, setting it inside before closing the trunk. He walked to the driver's seat and got inside, unlocking the doors for George who complied quickly, getting inside.
George pulled himself into the car, seeing people walk past. The air seemed so thick. He tried his best not to think about it too much, putting his seat belt on. The rain still hit down against the car harshly. The red vinyl seats were a bit cracked and a bit worn but he didn't mind. He still rode with Will, watching the lights against the cotton candy skies. He never understood why they kept the lights on for over 6 hours of the day. It was almost annoying
He never had an issue with going into town but it was tedious. It was nice to see the townspeople laughing and having small events but it was still annoying nonetheless. He was happy to have a friend. Ever since Nick, he hasn't seen anyone else, Well maybe... 'No. Not him. Never him. Who is he? No one-No one. And that's the only way he'll have it. But he was his one true friend. What a crap friend- He was so sweet though...'
Will saw George staring off again, poking his cheek, tilting his head as he was stopped at a light, resting his left arm against the wheel. "Are you okay?" He asked gently, trying not to startle him as he looked back at the road to drive. When the boy's eyes opened widely he looked back over. George had tears running out of them, onto his wet jacket they dripped. His button-up was already soaked when he put his coat on, it didn't do him too much more. George rubbed his eyes and looked down at his cupped hands. "I'm sorry about that. I was thinking about the war." He bluffed, looking out of the window and into the rainy sky which seemed to clear. He rolled down the window slowly, putting his hand out to touch the cold droplets. He saw them slow. Will only placed a hand on his arm, rubbing it with his thumb, "My condolences, I know how hard that must be for you to have seen. Poor king Eret was buried with rage."
He only laughed, shaking his head. "He was a loose cannon. I don't expect him to understand how we feel anyway. the fact that he's still alive scares me though. He doesn't deserve to be. He killed so many children that day. I saw so many die and it's so- It's so shit!" He exclaimed, slapping his hands onto his legs before letting out a chuckle. "Then again, it's not our job to judge, is it? After all, we made him king." He said, unsure of how to continue the conversation further. He knew the king was a shit person but there wasn't much more he could do about that. The king would remain king and until he is dead, nothing changes. Will nodded, agreeing. "I couldn't agree more. People picked him as a shit king and now they have to live with it like the rest of us." He said, "I heard AppleWood happens to be pretty quiet though. I thought maybe of moving there for my birthday. My dad is against the move though." He said, pushing his hair out of his face. He only leaned back against the cherry red seats, using one hand to drive. He pulled over in front of an old store.
"Maybe next time we can go to my crib!" Will exclaimed, hoping he used the crappy saying correctly. His face was bright as he opened the door, stepping out. He pushed his beanie back on his head, stepping out and opening the door to the store. His father piped up, "Oh Wilbur! My amazing son." He said, watching as his father's wings flutter with joy. He walked over and enveloped him in a hug. He rubbed the boy's back slowly. "I miss you so much Will! How have you been, son?" The older male asked, moving to grab his cheeks, and placing a loving kiss on his forehead.
Will flushed, "Da- Please my friend is here." That made the older one peak up. He walked past Will. He looked over at George and froze for a moment, thinking about who he was before George piped in, "I'm George Davidson, I used to come and wash your car when I was in high school." He said, smiling. "Ah! Lovely to see you, George, Did you miss the old Phil?" He asked, a bright smile on his face as he ruffled the younger's hair. George laughed and nodded. "I came by for come of your famous candles." He said, pointing at the jars of wax in the corner. "Ah! Of course. Which ones were you looking for? I remember you like the sticks too." He said, walking over to the candle area and picking out some. George nodded, "I need a couple of boxes like last time. The kingdom removed power from AppleWood again. It's so frustrating but every year they do this, it's not even surprising anymore." He shook his head in disappointment. Phil nodded, agreeing with him as he set some boxes aside. "It'll be around..." He hummed in thought, just trying to find a general price. "I'd say 20 silver per box." He said. George nodded, grabbing his man purse and digging into it, grabbing a hand full, setting the onto the counter, "That's 100. Do you have 5 boxes?" he asked, tilting his head.
Phil hummed again in thought. "I do. I think one of them is scented though, is that fine?" He asked nicely, walking around to the counter and placing his hands on the counter. George bit his lip in thought. His cat was okay with the smells. "Do you have pet-friendly candles? Catnip candles preferably." He asked. Phil's smile brightened. "Yup! I do." He leaned down and pulled out the box and set it on the counter. "It has about... 10 less than normal, is that okay?" He questioned, staring at the boy curiously. George tapped his fingers against the counter and nodded. "That should be fine. I'll be on my way, unless... Do you have another potion book in? I need the next book to my set." He asked, grabbing more coins and setting them down on the counter. "Oh- I do!" He flapped his wings and moved into the higher part of the store, his wings flapping periodically. He grabbed a book and flipped through it before grabbing another and stopping his wings, landing on his feet. He set it down on the counter. "Book 7, AppleWood based believe it or not." He said, grabbing the coins and setting them into his register. He grabbed a couple of copper coins and set them down. "Your change. It's lovely seeing my son having a friend for once." He pulled on Will's ear, tugging him around before chuckling. Will whined and pushed the blond away from him. "Sadly, I'm closing next week. You came before closing." He said with a sad smile. "His mother was paying for this place so I'm sad to say It's going to be gone soon. I'll still make you candles though George." He said, cracking a grin.
George frowned, "Why? Business is always good here considering you make the best candles in town." he said, smiling at him. Phil could only roll his eyes, "Ah, You're just trying to flatter me." He said, fake yawning before snapping out of it, leaning on the counter. "Tell me more." He said playfully. Will rolled his eyes, smacking his Father's arm. Phil let out a cackle, pushing his son away. "You jerk," he said, rolling his eyes as he sat down. "Well, Are you planning to come back into town any time soon George?" He asked, watching George's reaction. "Soon enough, I need to stock up on food so next week I'll probably be back sooner or later." He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with a huff. "Till then I'll be in AppleWood studying some potion brewing. I need to travel to the Nether Islands to get in touch with someone. I'm not sure if I'll see him though, it's more of a... just to see kind of deal. Although I'm not too sure he'll be there." He explained to the winged man. Phil only nodded in an understanding way. "I understand how that is." He hummed out. His legs stretched out over the desk, not paying much mind to his books.
George only showed a toothy grin, his cheeks slightly flushed. Phil smiled back. Will seemed a bit on edge about everything but followed, grabbing some incents and paying for them. He simply just threw some silver on the table. "Well, We must go. I am going to take our friend Georgie home~!" Will said, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy, resting his head on top of his. George laughed, trying to push him away. He was a tad bit awkward around him but it wasn't as bad as before. It had only been a couple of hours with them being around each other. Perhaps it was because they happened to both be similar in a way. Will happened to be constant and George was merely captivating in a way. Though George nodded, pushing him away with a small laugh. He put on his cap and moved away from Will, "I suppose I'm taking him to AppleWood. I need some herbs from over there anyway." William stated, grabbing the boxes and picking them up. He opened the door with his foot and smiled at his father. "Bye father!" "Bye Phil!!" George said, smiling at him charmingly before following Will out of the door. He held his books in his hand tightly, following his friend out.
Will unfastened the trunk with one foot, tumbling a bit but recovering. He set the boxes down and shoved them against the back of the seats. "Alrighty! Well, Do you have a phone?" George had a straight face. "No power remember?" He said, getting into the car. He fixed his tie and buckled in the cherry red leather seats. He took off his damp beanie and set it down on his lap. Will nodded in understanding. He walked around and got inside of the car. He started it with one hand, pulling out. He drove down the lanes smoothly. "So... Do you mind if I do go to AppleWood with you?" Will asked, shifting to peer at him. George only agreed. "I could accommodate another roommate." Will only smiled. He tightened his hands on the wheel.