#Siddhartha Arevalo

[wannabecatwriter]

This was written for a prompt on @legendofsim‘s Discord server.

Damaris woke up with a lot on her mind. Today was the day.

She and Sid have been going over and over this decision for a while now, and they have decided that it was now or never. 

Judging by his absence from the bed, Sid was nervous too, since he woke up even earlier.

But there he was, just behind the door. No doubt, waiting for her to wake up.

“Hey, you can come in, you know,” she called out.

Sheepishly, he came in. “Hey, you’re up early.”

“And you earlier still. How long have you been standing there?” she asked.

“Not that long. I just couldn’t sleep,” he admitted. 

He sat down next to her and they shared a moment of silence together.

“Ready?” he asked carefully.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she admitted. “A bit nervous, though. What if it doesn’t work? What if I waited too long?” 

“Well, then...” he wasn’t sure what to say. He knew a big reason for them not trying to have a biological child earlier was his hesitation around kids. But things went pretty well when Jin joined their family. Still, if things didn’t work out for them now, it would be largely his fault. “I think it’ll work. I think there was a reason we stumbled on this clinic’s brochure right before our trip here. It’s fate.”

“I hope you’re right,” she smiled. “What if it works? What if I really do get pregnant?”

“Then we’ll be a family of four. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it head-on.”

Let me know if I need to tag this with any TWs. I think I mentioned before that Damaris had an issue that made getting pregnant without assistance difficult.

[wannabecatwriter]

Almost there. 

They never thought this would be something they would enjoy, but the baby’s kicks are a source of excitement for the couple.

[wannabecatwriter]

This is for a prompt from @legendofsim‘s Discord server.

Jin knew there was something on his parents’ minds when they asked him to sit down for a chat almost as soon as breakfast was over.

“What’s up, guys? Is something wrong?” he asked, joining them.

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Sid hurried to reassure him. “We just have something big to discuss, regarding our family.”

“Oh, that,” he nodded. “Does this have something to do with those fertility clinic brochures that were in your room before we got on the plane?” 

Damaris and Sid exchanged a surprised glance. 

“You know about them?” she asked quietly.

“Of course! And no offense, but it’s about time, you two,” he mentioned, glancing at the clock. Of course, they both understood what sort of a clock he was referring to.

“We just wanted to make sure you didn’t think we were trying to replace you,” Sid explained. 

Jin’s incredulous expression shocked him.

“Wait, do you really think we could replace you?” he asked.

“No! Wait, are you two serious?” he laughed uncomfortably. “I am a little offended.”

“Sorry,” Damaris apologized sheepishly.

“Aw, I’m just joking. You two are in serious need of a laugh today. Nerves?” he asked, understanding.

They nodded in response.

“Well, I don’t know enough about reproductive medicine to tell you anything of value right now, but if it matters, I’m completely on board. I’ve always wanted a younger sibling. Of course, if it doesn’t work out, don’t sweat it. But in any case, best of luck to you, Mom and Dad.”

[wannabecatwriter]

Once Jin got a taste of protester life, he was hooked. And also, the group from the other day realized he was good with crowds and made for a good speaker.

They aren’t stopping until the local government listens to their demands.

And Damaris is happy to join in. She remembers going to a few protests in her youth. It’s nice to see that Jin is following in those footsteps.

Sid’s there too. Just not pictured.

[wannabecatwriter]

Back at the hotel, he tries to process everything. The girl left almost as soon as the kiss was over and he was too speechless to figure out what happened. One thing he knows for sure is, he messed up,

He would ask Damaris and Sid for advice, but... they are enjoying some well-deserved alone time and they have been acting kind of on edge lately. And also, the situation is kind of stupid.

A text grabs his attention. It’s from Marisela!

“Hey, what’s up? Did you have a safe trip?”

He can’t possibly tell her what happened! Crap.

“Yeah, all’s good. We’re settled in and exploring.”

“Alright, rest now. Miss you.”

[wannabecatwriter]

Of course, they take time to enjoy local nature as well, apart from joining protests and mingling with the locals.

[wannabecatwriter]

“You think Jin’s ok by himself?” Damaris asks her husband.

“He’s a big boy, if he survived in China by himself, what could possibly go wrong here?” Sid shrugs. “I’m sure he’s happy to explore the place on his own.”

Damaris has been more worried about their son than usual, lately. Maybe it’s because he’s at that age when a parent can say their child is growing up, for real. He’s got a girlfriend and everything. But he’s still young...

Of course, they’ve been thinking about the other matter too...

[wannabecatwriter]

One last practice before the trip to France. One could say, there are two exercise fanatics in the household.

[wannabecatwriter]

“You know, before we go forward with this, we really should talk to Jin about this,” Sid mentioned.

She nodded, understanding. She cared for the boy like he was her own. But she didn’t want him to think differently if they ended up with a new baby in the house. 

Yes, this did call for a big talk.

“Today,” she decided. “As soon as he wakes up.”

[wannabecatwriter]

Just spending some quality time together. 

[wannabecatwriter]

The next day, looking for more protests and protesters, the family ran into the Fouchiers. It was a bit awkward for Jin, since he knew his behavior with Eveline really wasn’t cool, but she seemed pretty neutral about it. 

He and the Arevalos soon figured out why…

Sid and Damaris were kind of bewildered by the young couple fighting right there for everyone to see. Jin was concerned.

“Hey, they are your sister and her boyfriend, right?” he asked Eveline.

“Yep,” she replied without much thought.

“Is everything ok with them?” he nodded towards the yelling couple.

“As ok as it gets with those two,” Eveline chuckled. “Want to join our pool? Henri, Noel, and I are betting on when they are going to finally call it quits for good. I say they’ll stay together for another year - they both just like to fight.”

Jin: … wow, just wow…

[wannabecatwriter]

Holiday Drabble

This is written for @legendofsim‘s Discord prompt. 

“I’m sorry we can’t spend the holidays together.”

The steady fall of the snow outside her window almost lulled Damaris into a sleep, even though it was only noon. There was something calming about it and she found herself lost in a pleasant daydream.

The phone’s ringing brought her out of her reverie. “Yes! Yes, Sid? Are you there?” she nearly jumped from the couch.

“Steady there, sweetheart!” his booming laugh responded. “Don’t fall out of your seat.”

“You know me too well,” she chuckled. Even an ocean away, he could predict exactly what she was doing. “How are you? How are things? Please tell me you are being safe.”

“Don’t worry, Dami. We’ve finally caught the guy, so you can rest easy now. He’s in custody.”

They weren’t supposed to be an ocean apart for the holidays. But at the last moment, Bridgeport PD called: there was a killer on the loose and as one of their best detectives, Sid was needed. And as she took her designated vacation days earlier this year for their Egyptian trip, Damaris was stuck in Cladbridge.

To say that she was driven to insanity not knowing whether her husband was safe in the giant metropolis would have been to say nothing. At any moment, she was half-ready to quit her work and to fly to Bridgeport herself. If only Sid had a less dangerous job…

“That’s good to know,” she smiled. She had no doubt that, with Detective Siddhartha Arevalo on the case, they had the right culprit in custody. “So what are you up to now?”

“Ah, not much. A couple of guys from work booked a nice lounge for the evening, so we’re just going to have a couple of drinks and something to eat. As for the case, it’s almost wrapped up. Just a couple more forms to file and I’m a free agent once more. Brrr, it’s cold here.”

She could hear him rubbing hands together. “You’re staying warm, right?”

“Yes, mother,” he chuckled. “The same goes for you. Don’t get sick on me now, alright?”

“Ay, ay, captain!” she agreed.

“Hey, you know, I’m sorry we can’t spend the holidays together,” he told her with warmth in his voice. “But I promise I’ll make it home to you as soon as absolutely possible. And I’ll make it up to you.”

“Just come home, Sid. I miss you.”

[wannabecatwriter]

Also, fyi: if you use Debug Enabler, you can click Summon Tomb Mummy on any present sarcophagus and voila! You get a mummy attack on the lot. 

Also, I must say, for all of his martial arts skill, Sid is pretty terrible at handling mummies. He always gets his ass handed to him. Damaris does better though - she beat up a couple.

[wannabecatwriter]

A bit later that week, the family was spending time at the local museum, where they came across another family on their outing.

“Hey, you know that girl?” Damaris noticed her son’s reaction.

“Yes, that’s Marisela,” he explained. “We’ve been dating.”

“Oh!” she gives the girl a closer look. Jin clearly picked someone who’s both very pretty and stylish. But the girl does look a bit nervous at their presence. “Is she so shy on our account?”

“Most likely,” Jin affirms.

“Go talk to her. You can tell her we don’t bite!” she laughs. Ah, young love...

[wannabecatwriter]

Going to do one more prompt from the Discord channel with these ones, just because.

“I can’t believe you’re here! You said you were going to be busy filling forms for the case,” she managed to breathe out when he finally stopped kissing her.

“I told you there were only a couple more forms to file, and the rest the Bridgeport guys can take care of. I did my part for the investigation. And there was no way I was letting you spend both Christmas and New Year’s alone. What kind of a husband do you think I am?” he chuckled. “And I see I made it just in time for the celebrations to start. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!”

“Oh my god, Sid, please tell me you didn’t travel halfway around the world just to scream ‘Happy New Year!’ then leave to go back to Bridgeport,” she sighed. Of the two of them, she was the one more likely to do something that wild, but still, he had spent enough years with her to pick up some of her habits.

“Nope! I traveled halfway across the world so that I could scream ‘Happy New Year’, kiss your sweet lips, and give you your present in person, dear,” he laughed. “Reach into my pocket. What do you think that is?”

Reaching in, she could tell her present was made of paper.

“Wait!” pulling out two plane passes, she was delighted to see the destination. Shang Simla. “China? These are tickets to China! But my vacation days!”

“You should be due for another vacation at the end of spring. So, keep your bags on the ready - we’re going to do so much exploring that I’ll have to carry you back to our hotel, sweetheart.”

“Oh Sid... did I ever tell you how much I love you? But you being here tonight is enough of a gift,” she could feel herself melting. “You really didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to. Besides, I hear China is exceptionally beautiful in late Spring. And I rather miss camping out in our tent in beautiful nature with my beautiful girl by my side.”

[wannabecatwriter]

“Sid?! Jin?!!! How did you guys find me? And Jin, you’re actually here!” she exclaimed.

The two of them just grinned conspiratorially. 

“Hi, Damaris! Of course I’m here. Where else would I be?” Jin asked. “What’s wrong with you?” he pointed to her leg.

“I twisted my ankle again,” she chuckled. “I always tend to do that at the worst possible moment.”

“And in the worst possible place,” Sid chimed in. “If Jin hadn’t known this route, I wouldn’t have found you.”

“Thank you Jin, dear.” 

As Sid helped her up, half picking her up, they invited the boy to come with them to their apartment. They had a big talk ahead of them.