InsaneJournal

Henry
I’m so thrilled to have George here.

Tema
Me too. He’s a great fucking kid, kitten. Takes after you in the best ways.

Henry
I hope so.
Though I suppose there is a need to discuss...something. Namely my..not being forthcoming about him with you.

Tema
If you want to. You don’t have to explain, Henry. I know it was... difficult.

Henry
I was ashamed. If I’ll be honest. I didn’t want my story to be so tragic that it seemed false
So I fudged some details

Tema
I won’t take you to task about it, Henry. If anything, I’m sad I couldn’t bear some of your burden with you. To help, somehow. I can’t imagine how hard those years were.

Henry
I had George. It was all worth it for George.

Tema
I think I’d agree with you. I fucking hate that all this shit has ever happened to you but George is amazing.

Henry
He’s a real blessing, isnt he? I’m glad you see it so immediately.

Tema
I mean, I might be biased. I’m very partial to blonde Belmonts, it seems.

Henry
He’s still a Brandon, but how I wish he would take my new name.
But thank you for being so kind to him right off the bat. Not to mention your incredible heroics

Tema
In the end, he’s your baby. Of course I was going to love him. And ugh, don’t even mention it, that asshole still got away. I barely did anything.

Henry
You saved our lives, Tema

Tema
I know. I don’t like thinking about it because if I had been just a few minutes late...

Henry
But you weren’t. You were right on time as you have always been for me

Tema
I try my best, kitten. I can’t lose you.
Now I can’t lose the kid either.

Henry
We’re your little family

Tema
Yeah, you are. You know I’ll do my best to protect you and the kid, right?

Henry
Without a shadow of a doubt.
In fact, if you feel so inclined and James can bear to spare you, we’d love to have you over at least once a week. For a sleepover.

Tema
I think I'd kick James in the balls and throw him over his own stupid boat if he tried to stop me. I'd fucking love to.

Henry
I mean I love that. You should do that anyway :wink:
But George wants you to live with us. I’m certain of it

Tema
I'm trying to save that for when he really pisses me off so I can't use it lightly. It'd serve George right if I did and pulled my father's tricks on him.

Henry
Your father’s tricks?

Tema
Lots of cabbage, shotguns on the kitchen table, sitting in the dark waiting for me to come home at night.
In the nicest way possible, I realized that sounded like a fucking nightmare.
He was sweet.

Henry
I don’t think we need to go so Soviet on our baby.

Tema
Of course we don't, the Union doesn't exist any more.

Henry
Instead we’ll do positive reinforcements

Tema
Like give him everything he wants?

Henry
Yes. That.

Tema
Maybe not everything. You're gonna turn him into a monster.

Henry
He’s 20! I feel he’s already fairly set in his ways and he’s no monster.

Tema
I don't know, if my parents suddenly offered me yachts and shit at 20 I probably would've become a monster.

Henry
I’m not offering him a yacht. Even I can’t afford a yacht. Unless you and James are volunteering to extend your generosity.

Tema
You mean "unless James." I can afford to maybe buy him a nice sailor's hat.

Henry
Well it just seems inevitable that you two will just be a single unit.

Tema
Ehhhhh. Who knows.
Do you think he'd wanna come over to mine sometime? Hang out? Or do you think I'm too old and uncool for him?

Henry
Georgey? Hang out with you?

Tema
Mhmm.

Henry
I think he’s a little in love with you so, probably!

Tema
... A little in love like, a cool uncle?

Henry
Like the coolest uncle

Tema
That's... cool. I'm. Yeah. Cool.

Henry
You’re the coolest. You introduced yourself in quite a badass way, you know. Even I was a little struck

Tema
Yeah? Too bad I can't just continuously take down bad guys for you. i don't think I have the energy.

Henry
We’ll try to keep the need to tackle bad guys to a minimum

Tema
Thanks. I'll keep feeding yall though.

Henry
He might eat me out of house and home. Especially once I buy him this horse.

Tema
You're buying him a horse?

Henry
Possibly. If he can present a good business case
But my mother, his grandmother, sold his beloved horse, Celeste.

Tema
I was gonna say it was kinda soon for a horse but fuck it. Buy him two. I'll chip in.
Now I'm mad.

Henry
He’s getting one horse.
Why are you mad?

Tema
Because that just sounds so fucking cruel to do that to a kid.

Henry
Oh, yes. No my mother is an absolute piece of work

Tema
It makes me even more amazed by you.

Henry
Really? She broke me. And she seems to have done worst with George

Tema
But you didn't become her, it would've been very easy to. And it's fucking terrible that she did it to George but you love him and you'd give everything for him. You treat him like he's precious, the way you should've been treated.

Henry
Oh they treated us like we were precious. Just for the wrong reasons

Tema
Henry stop being pedantic, you know what I mean.

Henry
I don’t know. I’ve only been a parent again for a week
It’s been a lot to be conscious of. She seemed like she was critical of his weight and that has deeply affected him

Tema
And I’m pretty sure in that week you’ve been an amazing parent to him.
That’s awful. We’ve gotta feed him all the fucking snacks.

Henry
It’s your duty!

Tema
I’ll take it every seriously.

Henry
as seriously as you take everything food related

Tema
It makes the world go around. And I hardly find people that can stay mad with good food in front of them.

Henry
I can!

Tema
That’s why I said “hardly.” You’re an outlier.

Henry
I just don’t want him to carry the toxicity and burden that she foisted on me all his life. He still has a chance to be free of it.

Tema
With him here, with you - with us, I think it's going to be okay. He's going to have that chance. And you have people around you that'll help, that only want the best for him.

Henry
I hope so. At least I have you.

Tema
You will always. And you know I’ll love that kid and protect him like he’s my own.

Henry
I’m so grateful, Tema. Beyond grateful for you.

Tema
It’s only cause I love you.

Henry
I was telling George I often wonder how different our lives would have been if I had known you then, when George was young.
Maybe we could have escaped sooner and together.
I just needed someone to see us, back then. See how much he was hurting us.
But we were both very visibly invisible.

Tema
If I had known you back then I would’ve brought the whole word down to help you, to keep you safe. And it’s fucking stupid but sometimes I get mad that I wasn’t. I would’ve taken you and George and we could’ve run, found a home together where you both would’ve been safe.

Henry
If I didn’t believe you were so happy with James I would say “fuck these guys” and just live with you forever. A weird little family.
I told george I was in love with you, and he asked so why aren’t we together. I said it’s different.

Tema
If I wasn’t so invested in that idiot I’d run away with you too. In just as in love with you, you know. If I’d had the balls to say something early I would’ve claimed you for myself. But I don’t hate what we have, now. I think it’s stronger than just romance. You’re my world.

Henry
I could have said something too. But I am happy like this. I feel like we can be close and be together in a way we couldn’t be if there was an intimidate dimension to it. Its not something I want to label - it just is.
Except maybe that I think you’re my soulmate.

Tema
I’ll be your soulmate, stick with you until we’re old and grey and they stick us in a nursing home together.

Henry
I like this. Except George better not stick us in a nursing home!
I want us to go on one of those cruises.

Tema
So you can look gorgeous and I can whack people with my cane?

Henry
So we can go be cougars but we can also do that!

Tema
At that age Henry I don’t think I’ll even wanna be a cougar. I’ll just be your wingman.

Henry
Pfft, we’ll still be young at heart. Perhaps younger than we are now.

Tema
Maybe we’d even have more energy. Think of all the people we could terrorize.

Henry
Exactly. Plus I think we could really rock those bingo visors.

Tema
Ewww. We’re gonna look Mrs. Johnson.

Henry
You love Mrs. Johnson!!

Tema
I do, but I don’t know if I wanna look like her.