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july13th2004 · 17 days ago

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Fictober 2024 Day 16 (Late)

Category: Fanfiction

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia

Characters/Relationships: Lloyd Irving, Anna Irving, Dirk, Kratos Aurion (mentioned), Lloyd Irving & Anna Irving, Dirk & Lloyd Irving

Genre: Angst/Family/Fluff

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1651

Prompt: “No, I'm not okay.”

Author's Note: So, I’ve decided to write for this event for the first time in three years. I planned on continuing to write for this event in 2022 and 2023, but two years ago I was going through a mental block/had low confidence in my ability to write anything at the time, so I decided not to participate. Then last year I simply wasn't interested in any of the prompts so that's why I didn't participate then as well. Anyway, I'll only be writing for three of the prompts this year (which is much more manageable for me than the last time I participated in this event), and they should hopefully be around 1k words, more or less. This one is rated G, while the next two will be rated T due to a little bit of spice that will be in those ones. The next two will be posted on the 26th and 31st.

Also, lastly, this one is set in my Anna Lives AU, and the last prompt I'll be writing for this event this year will be set in that AU as well.

(Sorry this one is so late… I kinda struggled with the direction of it. The next two should be posted on time.)

For as far back as he could remember, Lloyd had always thought of his mom as a positive and cheerful person. She always persevered through hard times, and her optimism through those trying times was greatly inspiring to him. So it came as a sudden and disappointing surprise to him, when that cheerful and positive demeanor of hers had all but completely disappeared over the past couple of years. He wasn't sure what to do to help his mom become that optimistic and determined person that he admired so greatly once again; but as a now thirteen year old boy, he was certain he'd do almost anything to help her.

So that's why one night, after hearing his mother quietly crying just outside of her closed bedroom door, he decided to finally ask Dirk, the dwarf who had become a dear father figure to him in the past decade since rescuing both him and his mother, about his mom's declining emotional state. The dwarf was currently in his workshop working on a project for someone far away when the young teen arrived to ask him for his advice and wisdom on the matter.

“Hey dad…” Lloyd started, hesitating a little as he entered the workshop. “Can I ask you a question about something?”

Dirk turned around to face his adopted son after setting his tools down on his work table, and flashed him a bright grin before happily replying with, “Sure, my boy! What is it?”

The young teen looked solemnly at the floor, “It's about mom… Why has she been so sad lately? And is there anything I can do to help her? Because I don't know what to do… I miss her being happy no matter what happens, and I just want her to be happy again.”

The dwarf’s grin dropped to a knowing, yet melancholic smile. “Ah, Lloyd, it's really simple… Why ya mother is so sad right now. Ya mother misses ya father terribly.”

Lloyd looked up at the dwarf and frowned, “If that's why, then I don't understand. I don't think he's coming back to us. He could be dead for all I know.”

Dirk sighed and stepped toward the young teen, “Ya might be right, my boy. Yet, I really think ya mother believes your father is somewhere out there, and that he'll return to ya both someday.”

Lloyd’s expression softened slightly and turned thoughtful, “I really hope she's right then, even if I don't care if he returns to us or not… But still, what can I do to help her be happy again? That's all I want…”

The dwarf placed a large, gloved hand on the young teen’s shoulder, and gave him a soft smile, “The answer to that is also really simple, Lloyd. Ya let ya mother know that you're there for her, as ya would with a friend. Let her know that she has the two of us by her side. Most importantly though, ya let her know that everything's gonna be okay.”

“I guess that makes sense…” The teen nodded and his smile widened, “Thanks dad! Then I'll try to talk to her about that tomorrow night.”

“Now remember, Lloyd, be patient.” Dirk stated after taking his hand off the teen’s shoulder, “She’s not going to be all happy and like herself again right away. That's gonna take some time.”

“Okay, I'll try to be patient about it then, dad.” Lloyd said as he turned to leave the workshop.

“Oh, before you go, my boy!” Dirk called out just as Lloyd was about to leave the room, “I've one last thing to say. Talk to ya mother tonight, right away. I wouldn't hesitate and wait until tomorrow.”

The young teen turned around and nodded before giving the dwarf a grin, “All right then, I’ll go talk to her now. Thanks again, dad!”

_________

Lloyd immediately headed back upstairs the moment he left the workshop, with a new resolve after talking with his adoptive father. When he reached his mother's bedroom door, her room being directly across from his own, he couldn't hear the sound of her crying anymore. He hesitated a moment before knocking on the door as the sudden thought of her possibly already being asleep crossed his mind. But the thought left his mind as he considered that she wouldn't go to bed without wishing him good night and to sleep well, first.

“Hey mom, are you still up?” Lloyd asked after gently knocking on the door, “Can I come in?”

“Yes, Lloyd, I'm still awake.” He heard his mother's response from the other side of the door. “You may come in…”

The young teen quietly opened the door and entered his mother's bedroom. She was sitting on the side of her bed and holding a handkerchief in her right hand. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and that was all he needed to see to know that he needed to talk to her right now. He closed the door behind him and stepped toward her.

“Hey mom, are you okay?” Lloyd gently inquired.

He already knew what her answer would be, but he wanted to actually hear her voice her response.

Anna let out a short, sorrowful laugh, before giving her son a knowing and despondent smile, then answered, “No, Lloyd, I'm not okay.”

The young teen glanced from her to the floor, then back at her, and his expression turned sad again as he commented, “I know mom, I could hear you crying earlier.”

She blinked and gave him a mild look of chagrin, a little taken aback that her son would eavesdrop on her.

Lloyd continued, his tone now somewhat nervous, “I-I know you probably didn't want me to hear you crying, and I'm really sorry about that, but I've also noticed that you haven't been your usual self lately. So I-I wanted to talk to you about that tonight… B-Because I-I just want you to be happy again…”

His mother's expression softened, and she gave her son a gentle smile after letting out a sigh. “Oh, Lloyd, I should apologize to you… I wasn't aware of how my current mood has been affecting you, and for that I sincerely apologize. …So yes, I suppose we should, no, need to talk about this. It might help me feel better, and maybe it will help you fully understand why I've been feeling so down lately.”

All Lloyd could do was simply nod and give her a small smile in agreement with her statement. She gestured for her son to sit down next to her on her bed, which he immediately did without hesitation. The two then talked for close to an hour about how she was feeling and why. Anna had to take a couple moments throughout their conversation to let herself cry, and Lloyd would wait patiently for her to continue.

_________

“I'm just so tired of waiting for him to come home, Lloyd.” Anna concluded as she wiped away the last of her tears with her handkerchief.

“Yeah, mom, I kinda want him to come home to us, too…” Lloyd commented in agreement, his expression somewhat downcast.

Silence fell between the two for a moment.

The young teen then continued, his voice filled with a renewed determination, “But I want you to know, mom, that even if he doesn't, that you'll always have us, dad-I mean Dirk and I! We'll always be there for you! No matter what happens, it's going to be okay!”

Anna's eyes began to water, but she forced herself not to cry again. She gently wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him. “Oh thank you, Lloyd! I'm so glad we had this conversation tonight.”

Lloyd was all too happy to hug his mother in return. “No problem, mom! Do you feel any better, though?”

She released him and nodded in affirmation. “Yeah, I feel a little bit better. I think I just needed to talk with you and hear from you that everything's going to be all right.” Then she glanced at the clock on the wall near her bedroom door. “Oh, look at how late it is! You should go to bed now, Lloyd. You have school in the morning, don't you?”

The young teen let out a nervous laugh, then replied, “Ah, yeah, I do… Good night then, mom!”

He quickly hugged his mother again, then hurriedly left the room. Anna figured her son would probably go downstairs and say good night to Dirk before he headed to bed. She got ready for bed a short time later, wearing a small smile on her face, yet her thoughts were still focused on her husband once she crawled into her bed.

Oh Kratos, I know you're out there somewhere, and I hope someday you'll finally come home. I suppose all I can do is wait until that day arrives, despite being tired of waiting and losing hope that that day will ever arrive…

…Though you should know, our son put something in perspective for me tonight. I haven't been my usual self lately and I didn't realize how much that's been affecting him. He helped me realize tonight that even if you never return to me, to us, that I will always have him by my side. And that I also have Dirk, the gruff but kind dwarf who rescued us around a decade ago, by my side. Together, I think we've raised Lloyd into the nice, empathetic young man I always hoped he'd be.

…I still miss you, and love you so much, Kratos, and after tonight, my hope that you'll return to me and Lloyd one day has been somewhat restored. …And I'm now determined again to wait however long it takes for that day to arrive…

Anna then drifted off to sleep, and for the first time in months, she would sleep peacefully through the night.

#tales of symphonia #lloyd irving #kratos aurion #anna irving #fictober24 #dirk #my fanfiction

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