#my safe haven; my family 💜🏡

[violetsareblue-selfships]

#31. Halloween / Death

Selfshiptober 2024 | [WC: 863] / so uhhh heed the prompt warning (it's not like gruesome but still involves death so) also spoilers for Love & Deepspace if anyone cares about that - this just felt like the perfect opportunity to tie this off with a lore-important fic so yeah :3

"Should I go check on them?" April asks quietly, more to herself. The longer Caleb and May stay outside, the more she feels something's going on. Maybe there actually is a Wanderer outside, and if so, she'd be able to help.

"They'll be alright. They're very capable kids," Grandma answers, spooning more food onto her plate. "Eat. They'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah…" April murmurs, continuing to eat. Her unease doesn't quite settle, but she tries to ignore it.

It's supposed to be a good occasion after all. Caleb's back for a little while and it's lovely getting to see him again. It's odd to not be able to see him all the time like she could when they were younger. But April's incredibly proud of him, too. Becoming a pilot for the Deepspace Aviation Administration is certainly impressive.

To ease her nerves, Grandma asks her a few more questions and she answers each one, relaxing more as she gets to talk about her life out in Linkon City - how it feels to work as both a baker and a part-time Deepspace Hunter.

Soon enough, the door cracks open and a wave of relief grips her heart at hearing Caleb's voice playfully teasing her sister. He enters the building and shuts the door behind him, and that's when everything changes.

It happens fast - a loud blast of sound and flash of light, barely enough time for April to register that her Evol has activated, shielding her from whatever the source of the noise is. Her eyes automatically shut and her hands cover her ears, the familiar chill of her shadows covering her body.

Her heart's pounding in her ears, and she counts out several beats before cautiously opening her eyes. She leaps to her feet as her stomach sinks, her eyes briefly scanning her surroundings.

Without her shield, she'd be dead.

Guilt wraps around her heart as she stands in the rubble of Grandma's house. If only she realized what was happening a split-second faster, she could've thrown her shield over them too and maybe…

No. May was still outside. Her eyes scan further out and she runs to the body she can see, tears prickling her eyes with relief as she sees movement. She watches as May reaches and grips Caleb's necklace in her fist before going limp against the pavement.

She's alive. She's alive.

"I've got you," April murmurs as she kneels down to her sister's crumpled form. She grabs the necklace and bracelet off the pavement - a matching set that they had bought Caleb before he left to start his job - and shoves them into her pocket.

She then carefully lifts her sister up into her arms, her mind whirling at what the next step is. Taking her to the hospital, obviously, but it's next to impossible to take an unconscious body on a motorcycle. Plus, the looks she'd receive.

She carries her away from the flames in the rubble, somewhere that she can sit and wait. Then she pulls her phone out of her bag and dials a familiar number.

"Zayne?" She asks as soon as he answers, her relief tipping him off that something had happened. "Are you busy? Can you pick us up?"

"I'm free. Where are you?" Through the phone, she can hear the sounds of him getting ready to leave wherever he is. She fills him in shakily, and he promises he'll be there soon.

"Should I stay on the line with you?" Zayne asks, his voice notably concerned. It's not rare for her to be on the brink of tears, but she knows how intuitive he is. He's bound to know something happened.

She's torn. She needs to let the authorities know that something's happened. Whether this is the doing of a Wanderer or something else… it's important to call Captain Jenna. She'd know who to contact for something like this.

So as much as she'd love the comfort of his voice, she tells him no. That she needs to call someone else.

His reply is even more alarmed as he's putting all the pieces together. "Alright. I'll be there as quickly as I can. Just hold on."

With that, he hangs up and she shakily makes the call to Jenna. She lets her know that she's taking her sister to get looked at medically, and that she'll come answer any questions she has to afterward once her sister's safe. Not that she has any clue about what happened, but it's her duty to report back.

Thankfully, Jenna understands. She says that she'll handle the rest from there, and April relaxes.

Once she's off the phone, she looks down at May. She doesn't look too injured. Given that she was outside still, she was shielded from the majority of the blast. But better safe than sorry.

Now, all she has to do is wait for Zayne while trying not to let it sink in that their family has been halved. There won't be time for those tears until after her meeting with Jenna.

She needs to stay strong for her sister.

She's all she has left.

[violetsareblue-selfships]

finally came up with some familial/platonic tags i'd been wanting to make so this is like the big update post before i go update my carrd/rentry! :3

firstly adding lyney, lynette, and freminet as my kids :3 | tag: mon soleil; ma lune; et mon étoile 💜🪄

also nahida as like a sister (physically younger, technically older? anyway she's my sis :3) | tag: we're each other's sanctuary 💜🌱

beyond that i have a generic familial tag (aka i have so many that i might talk about rarely but don't need individual tags for since it won't be as often :3) across all fandoms | tag: my safe haven; my family 💜🏡

and a generic platonic tag for star rail (like i do with genshin :3) | tag: Finding Friends Among the Stars 💚💫