Chapter Text
They found the house still intact. Stella will always remember how she ran to the door, calling to her grandmother. She ignored the 5 other sickly bodies behind her. The only thing that mattered was that she was home, finally away from that horrible zombies-riddled city that now haunted her dreams.
She found her grandmother, sitting on her rocking chair. Her eyes focused on the book she was calmly reading. Stella took a whiff of her perfume, and oh. Oh she missed her home so badly. Hugging her tightly wasn’t enough, she needed to commit the memory of this moment so deep into her brain she could never forget it.
“Um…hi”
Her head was so deeply buried in the old woman’s hair, she almost forgot she decided to bring home literal strangers.
“Grandma, this is…some friends I’ve made when I went to look for Lyra. I have so much to tell you, but I’m gonna make sure they rest first” Stella stood up, it pained her deeply to leave her grandma’s side who was staring at her with wide eyes and parted lips.
Now, her grandmother’s house was big. Unfortunately, it was not big enough to have 8 different bedrooms. She led them through the house, pointing them to the bathroom right up the stairs.
“Ok, there’s not enough bedrooms but here’s the plan. Magic, you’ll sleep with me in my room. The couch is big enough for 2 people I think ? And umm-”
Saps sighed, he looked lost. His memory was very blurry since he took his own cure. He managed to get back some memories, but he still struggled to remember some names. Luckily he remembered Stella pretty clearly because she took care of him along with Thomas. However, trying to remember Magic was an issue. It didn’t help that Magic could barely look him in the eyes since she got cured. Honestly it was another can of worms Stella cannot handle thinking about when she just traveled kilometers upon kilometers just to get back to her farmhouse.
“Stella, I can sleep on the floor. Flux,Thomas and Augustus can sleep on the couch.”
“Wait, she just said it could only take two people. I don’t want to get squished between Thomas and Mr.Flux.” Augustus protested as he crossed his arms. Once again Stella observes the state of her friends, he too looked disheveled and absolutely exhausted. Apparently that didn’t stop him from complaining.
“Hey it’s fine ! Augustus we can—”Thomas started but Augustus simply turns his head to the side. Ah yes, Stella forgot these two are not on speaking terms right now.
“No need to get squished, I’ll sleep on the floor as well.” Flux interrupted
“Mr.Flux, you don’t have to-”
“It’s fine, Thomas and Augustus will have plenty of space and I do not mind. I slept on the floor plenty of times before.”
And with that, the rooming issue was settled. Everything moved quickly, they all took turns showering. Magic settled in Stella’s room silently. The redhead didn’t miss how Magic couldn’t stop looking around like some kind of caged lab rat. After everything they went through together Magic’s anxious thrumming heartbeat was something Stella couldn’t forget. The nights she spent looking at her squirming frame, fever high because of the infection. How the bluest part of her hair would stick to her forehead and she would try her hardest to not rip them out because of the frustration.
She knew something was wrong. Stella couldn’t blame her.
The boys weren’t doing much better, Thomas was so stricken with guilt after admitting to his lies back in the city he barely managed to meet people’s eyes. This once bright kid was stuck staring at the floor, swallowing every single idea he had. Stella missed the early days where everyday he would amaze them with new mechanical innovations. How Mr.Flux would compliment him while Thomas lights up and immediately grabs Augustus to spread the good news. Now, he looked sickly pale. Almost throwing up out of shame everytime someone would stare him down.
Let’s not even dive in the infinite black holes that were Mr.Flux’s eyes. Since he left them and decided to come back, he would barely speak. His eyes bore holes into everyone, almost like an all-seeing hawk. Stella knew he came back because he had no one out there. He always was obsessed with keeping them safe. Flux was just here because he probably realized it was better to have them where he can see instead of spending his days alone. Whatever was the true reason behind his decision, Stella appreciated that he was never complaining. Merely observing and helping whenever he can. It did surprise her that he didn’t even bring up the fact that the Doctor seemingly was back on their team though.
“Stella, can we talk?”
Right, her grandmother. The redhead did owe her an explanation on why strangers are currently settling in her house.
Stella spent the next hours in her grandmother’s room crying in her grandmother’s arms. She recollected every trial God put her through. How, she didn’t find Lyra but found so much more. Stella couldn’t help but sob trying to convince her concerned grandmother that her injured companions weren’t always this sad looking. How they built this home in the middle of the apocalypse, how they learnt to be gentle with each other’s emotions. Learn to simply know one another.
She told her about the others. The ones she didn’t bring with her. Some who died, some who left with their own made up family. Deep down, Stella thought about Magic next door who could probably hear her best friend cry her eyes out. Stella wondered. Did she hurt as well? Was she also crying ? What about the boys downstairs ? Were they sitting in silence because the burden of everything was too much ?
Stella never joined Magic to bed. She fell asleep in her grandmother’s bed who whispered encouraging words. She told in her overly sweet voice of hers “They can stay however long they want, you guys need to rest.”
Stella hoped everything will be fine tomorrow.
The next morning was tense. Stella’s grandmother provided them with pancakes she cooked early.
Augustus munched on his breakfast and broke the silence.
“Are we staying here now?”
Stella breathed through her teeth.
“If you want to, yes.”
“It’s less about wanting to stay and more about having nowhere to go” He said under his breath. Everyone heard it, nobody could tell him it was honestly rude to say it out loud because everyone was thinking it.
“Stella, I’ll try to jog my memory and I promise I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I can.”
Magic noticeably froze at Saps’ words.
“Saps, I promise it’s fine. My grandma allows you to stay here for as long as you want to. Take your time.”
Her grandma spoke up “Actually I need some hands to work at the farm. So if you feel bad for not paying to stay then manual work will definitely be appreciated.”
Augustus choked on his pancake “Oh man…”, Thomas perked up immediately “Yes, I’ll help!”
Flux and Saps merely nodded while Magic couldn’t help but nervously bite her lips.
Stella guesses that’s how they somehow settled in some sort of routine.
Every morning her grandmother would bake pancakes for breakfast. She would then send them to help on various tasks in the farm. Stella usually helped with domestic tasks, helping rearrange the couch that would be full of blankets or vacuuming diligently where Saps and Flux would sleep on the floor. She felt bad for them, they were sleeping on piles of blankets every night. They kept saying “it’s fine”, that they “didn’t need a bed”. Stella knew deep down it wasn’t comfortable.
The routine would make everyone gather at lunch to eat food prepared by her grandmother. Each time as soon as the awkward moment was over everyone would silently go back to work.
However, the most important part of that endless loop they got themselves into was after dinner. When everyone gets ready to sleep.
Augustus and Thomas were still not talking. Still, Thomas would always prepare the couch on Augustus’ side while the smaller one was brushing his teeth. They pretended that Thomas wasn’t doing this disgustingly domestic act when they settled to sleep. Augustus never says thank you and Thomas never waits for gratitude. He simply lays fluffy blankets for Augustus and goes to sleep.
Now the other two on the floor were a whole other story. Stella wasn’t one to start rumours but the more she looked at Flux and Saps the more she wanted to start to gossip, something she would do with Magic if the girl didn’t look three bad days away to killing herself. Anyways, Flux and Saps. These two in Paradise City were friends at first then fiercely hated each other. Now? Stella would find them discussing lightly and quietly before bed. This didn’t mean they were best friends, not at all actually. Flux always looked conflicted when talking to Saps. It was refreshing honestly, to not have everyone despise each other in silence. They were on speaking terms which was good. She ought to ask them how they managed to get from hatred to silent acceptance.
Finally, her routine with Magic was pretty much synchronized. They would brush their teeth together and lay in Stella’s childhood bed. Today as always they were laying closely together, Magic curled near her chest. She was humming with anxiety. Most nights were spent in silence. That night, Magic whispered.
“Are we ever going to be fine again”
It didn’t sound like a question. It was a plain confirmation of a situation they were in. Nonetheless, Stella felt she needed to answer.
“We’re going to be fine. We’re family.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
Stella looked down on Magic, grabbing her chin. They were staring into each other’s eyes. Her smaller friend was now visibly shaking
“Face it Stella, Flux abandoned us once he can do it again. Thomas is a liar, Augustus hates us and…” She trailed off “Saps…I…He…He tried to help me and I infected him and attacked him.”
Oh, guilt. Guilt is pooling at everyone’s foot. Guilt is gripping this family. Stella had to be strong, she just had to.
“Magic. We all fucked up. We all did. We need to make up for it, you can't have this defeatist mindset. Let’s try to be happy again okay ?”
She watched as Magic broke. The rest of the night was a blur, she held Magic when her body was being wrecked by sobs. They fell asleep like this.
Nobody spoke about Magic’s red eyes at breakfast.