#suzette tba

[randomoranges]

idk why im so blocked with writing recently. everything is so hard lamao. but here is a thing

October Long pt 2

October 7th 2023

Edward had excused himself to take a quick shower and change into more appropriate clothes and so, when he steps out of Élyse’s washroom, it is to more commotion coming from the living room. It seems that the rest of the family, minus Samuel, has arrived and he realises, not for the first time, that it’s been quite a long time since he’s last properly seen and spoken with Jacques and Suzette.

He tries not to panic as he wonders how they’ll react, but before he can discreetly hide anywhere else, Suzette seems to spot him from the other end of the room and she lets go of Étienne with an ear-piercing shriek, before making her way quickly towards him.

“Edward?! Is that really you?! I haven’t seen you in forever!”

He doesn’t even get a chance to respond and he soon finds himself with an armful of Suzette, who is going on about how good it is to see him and how much she’s apparently missed him. He’d forgotten just how energetic Suzette could be – and how strong – given her small stature, but she nearly picks him off the ground with her embrace and when he gets over the initial shock, he finds a way to hug her back. He spares a glance towards Étienne, silently asking for help, but his boyfriend shares a look with his brother and the both of them shrug, amused.

“It’s good to see you too,” He manages to wheeze, when his feet are fully back on solid ground.

Truth be told, he’d always enjoyed his holidays at Jacques (and Suzette’s). If anything, it had been a fascinating observation exercise in the strange dynamics of Étienne’s family. Compared to his own, Étienne’s family had never felt close. Sure, Étienne was close to Élyse, and sometimes Étienne would spend hang out with his cousin Charlie (even though it always felt as though it was done under duress), and he didn’t mind visiting Jacques on occasion, but Étienne and Samuel were like fire and water and it rarely felt as though any one of them would lend a hand to the other if there was some sort of grave situation.

At least, Edward thought, he had civil relations with most of his own family – to some extent – and knew that if one was going through something, the others would pitch in to help out. In most cases. Or – more so than Étienne’s family.

Anyways.

It had been quite interesting to see that despite everything, come Christmas, everyone made an effort and gravitated around to Jacques’ place, as if Catholic guilt, maybe, pulled them all back together. It was always fascinating how it was Jacques who seemed to be able to pull this, given that he was the quietest of them all, and maybe, Edward reflected, that was the key to the success. A stable force of nature to balance out Samuel’s snark and Étienne’s easy to ignite temper when he was around him.

Still, it had never felt forced, or at the very least, more often than not it had never felt forced, and maybe it meant that deep down, they all wanted to get along in their own ways but years of hurt had stopped them from reaching out properly.

But Edward keeps fond memories of those evenings filled with laughter and good food and that, if nothing else, has to count for something.

“You know, I was starting to think we would never see you again. Does this mean you and Étienne have patched things up?”

Edward spares Étienne another glance. It’s not that he doesn’t want to tell Étienne’s family that they’re dating, but he also has not had this conversation with Étienne either. Technically, he also knows that Étienne’s family wouldn’t bat an eye at the notion, but he also doesn’t know if he wants to explain the particularities of his relationship just yet.

“If you’re asking if we’re friends again, then yes, we are.” Étienne comes to his rescue and Edward lets out a sigh of relief. “We finally pulled our heads out of our asses, rekindled our friendship, and El invited him over.”

“Oh! That’s wonderful; I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks,” They both manage to say in unison.

Edward is amazed that Suzette doesn’t push it, but he’s also glad. He wonders as well if she’s that naïve, or if she’s giving them both the benefit of the doubt. He also has about half a dozen questions he’d like to ask his beau about where Suzette thought he’d been for the past few holidays and whether or not she’d ever really knew that they’d been sort of together back in the days. He’s not about to push his luck and ask, but he’ll have to have a chat with Étienne about it later; it would be nice to have a clear plan and version of facts for when it’ll be needed.

“You should come for Christmas! Like you used to. I can make you a new stocking and it would be lovely to have you over again. Oh, say you’ll come over for Christmas, Edward, please?”

Suzette looks at him with imploring and pleading brown eyes and she looks so very hopeful and pleased with her sudden little idea. Étienne squawks besides him, babbling on about how he must already have plans and how he has a family of his own and such. Edward appreciates the easy out he could take but at the same time, they had spoken about this last year; about alternating. And – it would be nice. He’d have to speak with Calvin and he knows for a fact that Étienne would tell him that Calvin is more than welcome. Plus, Samuel would be happy to see Calvin and vice versa, but he still needs a moment to figure it all out.

“Honey, tell Edward he can come over for Christmas.” Suzette nudges Jacques in the thigh and Edward still thinks it’s comical how this smidgen of a woman has such power over the quiet giant that is Étienne’s brother, Jacques.

“Of course.” Is all Jacques says and Suzette beams, as if that’s all the answer anyone needs.

“I’ll – that’s very nice of you to invite me – I’ll get back to you once I’m back home, but I would love to be there.”

His answer seems to be good enough for Suzette for now and she hugs him tightly once more, mentioning all the things she’s going to make. Edward lets her, oddly calmed by her chatter, until Élyse calls them over to the dining room.

FIN

[entwinedreams]

specialty food items for characters that don't have them. not 100% done but i want this out of my drafts

mondstadt.

salem: Northern Smoked Chicken / [tba]

viktoriya: Braised Meat / [tba]

adelinde: Sticky Honey Roast / "Dinner of Speculation"

imogen: Minty Meat Rolls / "Inventoress' Breather."

andrius: Goulash / "Wilderness' Comforts"

dvalin: Barbatos Ratatouille / "With an Utmost Sincerity"

rhiannon: Minty Fruit Tea / [tba]

mina: Milky Mushroom Crisp Tower / [tba]

melina: Fish With Cream Sauce / tba

rostam: Barbatos Ratatouille / Saudade für Rosalyne.

liuye.

havria: Adeptus' Temptation / "A Goddess' Delight"

yue: Jewelry Soup / "Cygnus Fleet Staple"

azdhaha: Cured Pork Dry Hotpot / [TBA]

inazuma.

egawa teppei: Sangayaki / Watatsumi Style Sangayaki.

yoshinaga sango: Berry Mizu Manjuu / "The Prez's Secret Stash".

hamasaki tomo: [tba]

hiiragi chiasto: Tri-Flavored Skewer / [tba]

yukimura emi: [tba]

iwakura yuko: Sashimi Platter / 14

gendou ringo: Sakura Shrimp Crackers / Shrine Maiden's Snack.

sumeru.

dunyarzad: Tulumba / "This is Something I Can Also Do."

fontaine.

alaia: Fruity Trio / Moziac Meringue Masterpeice

ariadne: Ile flottante / Oeufs a la fue.

jason: Fish and Chips / Cider-Batter Fish and Chips.

andromache: Crepes Suzette / Paper-thin Pancakes

[manonamora-if]

Aide Suzette à se préparer pour une sortie avec sa grand-mère un peu particulière.

Jeu soumis pour l'EctoComp 2022 (Français), La Petite Mort (créé en moins de 4h). A atteint la première place!

English version: TBA

[gritboy]

Linework NW this weekend!

Linework NW this weekend!

Sparkplug will be at Linework NW here in Portland this Sunday!  Linework is free and open to the public – doors open at noon.  We’ll be debuting our newest book, Ce/Ze by Suzette Smith.

I (Virginia) will also be part of a panel on LBGT comics at some point on Sunday (time TBA).  Linework is a great little festival and the lineup of guests and exhibitors this year is fantastic – I highly…

[randomoranges]

salut là, here’s another soft xmas fic with a song title. hey do you know what is my fav xmas trope? it will be evident after reading this fic hahaha.

song is from Kenny Loggins Celebrate me Home 

I Believe I’ve Missed Each and Every Face (Home for the Holidays)

 Étienne sighed, melodramatic, and flopped over on his back on the living room sofa. He glared at the Christmas tree branch that hung over him and crossed his arms over his chest. This was the first year he was spending Christmas without his partner and he was – feeling it. Ever since they’d started dating, he and Edward had spent the holidays together. At first, it had been since Edward couldn’t fly back home and so Étienne had invited him along and afterwards, once their relationship had grown serious, they had alternated; one year with Étienne’s family, the following with Edward’s and so on. It worked. It was perfect. He enjoyed the compromise.

 Until this year.

 Sure, he had once upon a time spent the holidays without Edward, but he liked being with his partner during the festivities. This had been going on for nearly a decade and he just – wanted to have Edward next to him on Christmas morning and kiss him silly at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. Sue him.

 He missed him something fierce.

 He pouted.

 The worst was – it shouldn’t have even happened, but there had been a last minute emergency, Edward had been called in to work a conference at the other end of the universe and there just wasn’t enough time, or money, for him to fly back home for two days and then jet back out. Étienne had thought of joining him, but funds were a little tight at the moment and he had his own work obligations that would just make it a bigger headache than necessary.

 Therefore, they were celebrating apart. For the first time ever. And it was terrible and horrible and unfair.

 He felt bad for Edward who would be spending the holidays, alone, in a foreign place, even if his partner had assured him that it would be fine and that they could video chat at some point. It wasn’t the same.

 Therefore, two days before Christmas, Étienne had headed north to crash at his brother’s place where the rest of the family would be congregating to celebrate the holidays. He could mope all he wanted, could give out a hand with the preparations, and he could flood Edward’s inbox with increasingly wistful messages.

 He had no idea when he’d become such a sap, but he no longer cared.

 Étienne was counting down the minutes until his niece and nephew would be done with their naps so that he could at least pass the time with them, since he’d been kicked off kitchen duty for now and the laundry had been taken care of ages ago, when the doorbell rang.

 “Oh, can you get the door please, Étienne? That must be Jacques back from his errands,” Suzette asked him from the laundry room where she was loading up the next batch.

 Étienne rose from the couch, one long slouch of limbs and dragged himself to the front door. He unlocked it, braced himself for the gust of cold win, and opened it up.

 And then closed it shut again.

 For the briefest of moments, he was convinced he’d hallucinated Edward standing on the front steps of his brother’s house. But he knew that wasn’t possible, since Edward was miles and miles away for work related reasons. In fact, he had a conference today. They were going to talk about it later on.

 The doorbell rang again.

 “Étienne? Door please.” Suzette called out to him again.

 Étienne steadied himself with a deep breath and then slowly opened the door, peering first to steal a peek. He heard his brother laugh and then say something to someone else – maybe he was on his phone, but then he recognised the other figure – the one he’d seen before. He recognised his partner’s coat and his Oilers hat. He would know that figure – that stature anywhere.

 He just – couldn’t understand.

 Étienne threw open the door, cold be damned and stared in disbelief at Edward A. Murphy who stood on his brother’s front porch, grinning like a loon from ear to ear.

 “Hey there, gorgeous,” Edward had the audacity to tell him as he took a careful step closer.

 Étienne blinked.

 And blinked.

 And blinked again.

 “Eddy?” He asked to be sure this was real and not some poor attempt at wishful thinking from his brain. He hated how small his voice sounded or how it cracked a little towards the end, but Edward offered him a kind and gentle smile, before he stepped closer to him, an arm’s length away.

 “Hi, sweetheart,” He said, softer this time, before he closed the distance between them.

 Étienne proceeded to fling himself into his partner’s arms and hugged him as tightly and as closely as possible. It was him. Edward was here. He wasn’t sure how, but Edward – his darling Edward was here. It wasn’t a dream.

 “Eddy,” He breathed, furrowing his face in his partner’s chest. It was amazing how much better he suddenly felt, how elated he felt knowing that Edward was here. “Missed you,” He added, before he cupped Edward’s cold cheeks with his already cold hands to get a proper look at him. He sighed in relief at familiar, kind hazel eyes and perfect lips he could never tire of kissing. It was his Edward with his infamous Oilers hat and scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. His heart felt full to bursting knowing that he was here with him now.

 “Missed you more,” Edward added. They shared a private smile, before Étienne kissed him nice and slow, glad he had the chance to do so and already planning to catch up on all the kisses he had been deprived of in the past few days.

 “I don’t understand how you’re here,” Étienne said when they pulled away. He didn’t dare step out of his shared embrace, even if it was cold and his ankles were now blocks of ice, but he felt that if he moved, this illusion would fade away.

 “Your brother picked me up at the airport.”

 Étienne then remembered that his brother had been outside and looked in his direction, asking him for clarification.

 “Let’s get inside and Ed can explain.” Jacques offered and before Étienne could protest, Edward had let him go and was leading him back inside.

 The moment they were all in and the door was once more closed and locked, Jacques gave them some space while Étienne wasted no time and proceeded to kiss every inch of Edward’s face, making Edward laugh and squirm. He wanted to steal Edward away and hold him close for days on end, but they could do that later, he convinced himself, even if he still indulged some more, rejoicing in the sound of Edward’s laughter.

 “I thought you wanted answers,” Edward said once Étienne had let him go long enough for him to remove his jacket, before he snuggled up back into his arms.

 “I do, but this is very nice as well.” Étienne looked up to Edward and smiled softly at him. This was, honestly, one of the many things that made him truly happy and he was content to be in Edward’s arms for a moment longer, simply to be held.

 “You’re ridiculous,” Edward told him, fond and amused, before he kissed him again, and Étienne melted just a little bit more on the inside as he went pliant under Edward’s soft caresses.

 “I know,” He murmured, moments later, as he drank in the sight of Edward and then hugged him closer for good measure, “So, how did you manage to get here?” He asked, caressing Edward’s face, trying to get his fill of Edward as best as he could, his fingers dancing from his rosy cheeks down to his shoulders and then back to trace his brows. Edward let him, used to this, and frankly not minding one bit.

 “It’s a long story, but – there was never a second set of conferences. The last one was last night and I caught the red eye out to catch a connecting flight to Montreal and then a jumper out here. I ran the whole thing with Jacques and Suzie and now, here I am,” He grinned at Étienne, pleased as punch with his little devilish plan, “Surprise.”

 “You absolute mad man – I can’t believe you pulled this off.”

 “Was worth it, though. Your face was worth it – getting to be here with you is worth it.” He murmured to him, soft and sweet and Étienne had to, so he pulled Edward down for another kiss, letting it linger as he wrapped his arms around Edward’s shoulders.

 When they parted, Étienne ducked his head, his cheeks burning and instead he contented himself with keeping a hold on Edward, “I’m glad you’re here,” He added once his brain had caught up with what had happened and he’d found his voice again.

 “Wouldn’t have been the same without you,” Edward added with all the sincerity of the world and it did something funny to Étienne’s insides.

 Étienne had never thought he could have this – that he could be this happy and yet – he had somehow managed to find Edward. He got to have Edward and Edward was here – with him. He spared Edward a glance and was rewarded with one of those soft smiles he had missed so much and could right almost every wrong in his world. This, he decided, was going to be the best holiday ever.

 FIN

[randomoranges]

this drawing from 2017 [my first digital art in like 10 yrs at the time] always bothered me cause i never liked the skin colours. 

then this year i finally got a tablet of my own and i finally found a skin colour for étienne i didn’t hate.

so since for the first time in my life i seriously have more free time than i ever thought id ever have, i decided to revisit it and fix it up.

everyone got new skin colours

however, looking at this, i had Questions.

is this - was this meant to be a 2020 picture?

i say this because, ed’s hair isn’t his 80s-90s do.

i say this because fred is in the picture (and in my head fred always appeared as sam’s bf in the 21st century)

what plane of existence was i on back in 2017????? 

anyways. this version absolutely is post 2020. 

also this was LITERALLY the ACTUAL first TIME i drew EVERYONE ELSE in this picture other than étienne and élyse.

[randomoranges]

amnesia au part 147

He tried his best to even out his breathing and not focus too much on the pain in his leg, but it was hard.  He distantly heard someone run down the stairs to the basement and was only partially aware of his bedroom door opening. He felt a dip in the bed and cracked his eyes open to find his sister-in-law sitting beside him, worried look on her face. He hadn’t even realised he’d shut his eyes.

“Are you okay?” She asked and he winced when he tried to turn towards her. “D’you need anything?” He gasped and managed to blurt out something about pain and nightmare and she nodded, as if that was helpful and scurried out his room again. There was the same sound of footsteps – up the stairs this time – and Étienne was still reeling to be really able to process any of what just happened.

He tried to sit up in bed with his back against the pillows and he let out a low groan of pain when Suzette reappeared, mug in one hand and cradling something else in the other. She sat by him again, mindful of his leg, “Here, I got you one of your painkillers and something to help calm you down.” She said as she handed him the pills that were cradled in her hand, “I made you that tea you like as well,” She added giving him the mug.

Étienne knocked back the pills and washed them down with a gulp of the tea and it was just right – perfect amount of milk, not too hot and it may have been the psychological effect of it all, but he already felt less shaken. Suzette rubbed at his back with a soothing hand and he leant into the contact, “Thanks,” He managed to say.

“Don’t mention it; I’m just glad I happened to be in the kitchen getting myself a glass of water. What happened?”

Étienne shrugged and recounted what had happened – the nightmare that never seemed to want to leave him alone and then the pain in his leg. Standard stuff. “It’s the same old thing all over again. When does it ever stop?” He asked, tired, “It’s one step forward for three steps back. Nothing ever changes. I’m really trying here – to move on, but whenever I finally start to feel like I’m managing, the nightmares return stronger than ever – because it’s not as if they’re ever gone, and the leg won’t ever leave me alone.”

“You’re not being very fair to yourself,” Suzette started, “You have been doing better – you have changed. So much, since you got here, even since the accident first happened. You might not realise it, but I see it. You have to be gentle with yourself,” She pulled him in for a hug and Étienne let himself be held, falling boneless in her arms, “You’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for,” She added, carding a hand through his hair, careful not to pull on his curls.

“But I’m just so tired of it all – the pain – the nightmares – especially those. I wish I could remove them from my brain – seeing him there, lifeless, covered in blood. I’m tired of reliving it almost every night,” A sob managed to escape from his throat, followed by a tremble of his shoulders. If it was only his leg, he could probably deal with it, but the recurring hell he lived through when he slumbered off was enough to drain and sap him of any good he managed to gather in the day.

“I can only imagine, sweetheart, and you’re being so brave, you really, really are. The proof is that you’re still here – still fighting and trying, and it’ll take time, but eventually it will stop. It’s okay, though, you’re not weak for feeling this way or for still having these nightmares,” Suzette held on to him a little tighter and did her best to calm him down. She tried telling him every soothing thing she could think of, offered every encouraging word she knew, and let him quietly sob against her shoulder. Eventually, his breathing evened out and his shoulders stopped shaking, the medication probably finally taking effect. She carefully tucked him in, made sure he was all right, and then let him get some well deserved rest, hoping he would have some pleasant dreams for a change.

--

PREVIOUS: CXLVI

CURRENT: CXLVII

NEXT: CXLVIII

[randomoranges]

amnesia au part 143

It was weird, having his phone around him, after so many months without it. If anything, he was able to reconnect with some of his friends and keep a running conversation with them as well. His biggest surprise had come when he’d found a few messages from Stéphane, buried amongst unanswered texts. He hadn’t expected to ever hear from him again after the disastrous way he’d handled himself, but Stéphane simply wanted to check in that he was okay, apologise for anything he may have said or done that could have pushed him away and wanted to tell him that they could always be friends, if anything.

Étienne wrote him a rather long message, which seemed to be his new thing now, and explained that it really wasn’t anything he had done. Stéphane was a good person really, and maybe under different circumstances, it would have worked out between them, in one way or another, but Étienne wasn’t ready for that. Stéphane was understanding and told him that he was glad to hear Étienne was doing alright and that being friends was fine. After all, misery did love company, he said and Étienne had to laugh and agree with that. They could be miserable friends together.

Meanwhile, he and Edward were playing it safe. They didn’t talk about anything of consequence and kept it simple. Sometimes, Edward would ask him about their past, if he remembered something and needed clarification, but most of the time, he would send him funny photos he had found on the internet or ask him about his day. It was easier this way and felt less loaded. On most days, it almost felt as though he was talking with just another friend and not with the man he had been ready marry. He tried not to think too hard on that and figured it was best to let things play out they way they were meant to.

“You know, ever since you got your phone back you’ve been carrying it around with you all the time and smiling at it an awful lot. Are you trying to give me a preview of what it’ll be like to have teenagers in the house with their phones?” Suzette teased one evening as she came to sit beside him on the couch. Étienne gave her a sheepish grin and put down his phone, “Constance has already started asking and we’re trying to be firm on the whole “not until you’re in high school/until there’s an actual need” – so, what’s got you so captivated, if I may ask?”

Étienne hesitated for a moment. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell Suzette, but this was still very new and he wanted to keep it for himself, in case it didn’t end well, but – she had been very kind and patient with him and Suzette was easy to talk to, she would understand, he hoped, “Edward,” He said plainly, “I’ve started talking again with Edward – nothing serious,” He added when he saw the flash of concern over her face.

“Oh, sweetheart, are you sure it’s a good idea?”Étienne could hear the maternal concern in her voice and he laughed softly. “I mean, you can do whatever you want, but after everything that happened...”

“Look, I’m not saying I’m hoping for a date out of this, because I’m not, but, Edward’s been my friend for so long...” He sighed, this was hard to explain, “There’ll always be a small part of me that’ll hope –for things to get back to how they were before, I can’t deny that, even if it’s small and even if it’s only one percent of me, but – it’s like if it happened with you and Jacques, would you be able to just forget about him? Move on and not want to reconnect on any possible way? Even if it was just as friends?”

Suzette fell quiet and took a hold of Étienne’s hand, squeezing it tightly. She understood what he meant and knew that if she ever found herself in Étienne’s shoes, she would probably be as much as a mess as he was, “You’re right, I wouldn’t be able to move on without trying, like you said... just, promise me you’ll be careful?”

Étienne nodded and promised he would. He reassured her that Dre. Labonté was aware of this and that he was checking in with her as often as she wanted him to. “I know it’s dumb, but I still want him in my life...” He admitted to, voice small, and Suzette pulled him in for a tight hug.

“I just want you to be happy.”

--

PREVIOUS: CXLII

CURRENT: CXLIII

NEXT: CXLIV

[randomoranges]

amnesia au part 126

“I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Suzette started off, just as Étienne finished his ice cream, “Élyse has been asking after you… she’d like to see you,” Étienne felt his insides go numb – he missed Élyse something fierce – he missed their weekly hangouts and missed having her around; Élyse was his first best friend and as much as they spent half their time antagonising each other, she was also his sister and he loved her; they had been each other’s first confidants – whispered secrets in their shared bedroom late at night – special codes and handshakes only they knew – and not having her to bother him day in and day out felt strange, but Étienne was afraid Élyse would think he had gone too far – that she would think of him as an extra burden instead of a brother.

It had taken a lot from him to be able to speak to his parents, let alone see them, and it was only after weeks and gentle mental preparation that he had found the courage to see his mother; meeting with her had been both emotionally exhausting but also beneficial, and now when his parents came over for dinner at his brother’s house, Étienne could actually sit with them and carry a conversation without feeling like a total failure; it was progress, his therapist reminded him, and he shouldn’t be so hard on himself; Étienne supposed the same would happen with Élyse – if anything, he owed her at least an apology for falling off the face of the planet with nothing more but a simple text message and no assurance that he was still even alive.

Élyse was his sister and he did miss her and part of him did want to move on from the mess his life had become – if it meant taking this other step and seeing her again, then he felt maybe now was the right time, “I’d like to see her too…” He finally said and Suzette seemed relieved to hear it as much as he did, “I’m glad, if you want, I can invite her to come over for dinner this Saturday?” Étienne thought it over and nodded – under the pretext of dinner, there would be enough people to divert conversations and to keep them from getting into anything too serious – the kids would be happy to see their aunt and he would get a chance to see Élyse again, “That sounds good.”

-----

PREVIOUS: CXXV

CURRENT: CXXVI

NEXT: CXXVII

[randomoranges]

amnesia au part 125

--

“Well? What did you think?” Suzette asked him at the end of the session, once they were dried off and dressed again, “It wasn’t so bad, actually; the class was a little bit much, but it was nice just… floating, does that make sense?” Suzette beamed at him, so proud of his progress, “Of course, does that mean you want to come back next week?” Étienne thought about it for a moment – he wouldn’t mind and the change of scenery would be nice, even if he didn’t take the class – being in the water hadn’t been as bad as he thought it would be and his leg had more or less behaved, “Depends, how serious was your offer of going shopping with me for some swimming shorts that actually fit?” He joked, his tone light, and for a moment, Suzette saw a flash of the old Étienne and she so desperately wanted to hang on to it, before it vanished, “Very serious; we can go Friday after I pick up Lucie and Anaïs from daycare – I was going to stop by the mall since I had to get some things for the girls; you’re more than welcome to come with me.”

“Are you sure I won’t be in the way?” Suzette assured him that he wouldn’t and that she would enjoy his company and that seemed to do it for Étienne, “Excellent, now that it’s settled, it’s ice cream time!” Étienne wondered if it wasn’t code for something else, but as it turned out, Suzette really meant ice cream, “It’s part of my ritual after class,” She admitted as she looked through the rather impressive menu of the ice cream parlour, “They make the absolute best soft-serve – it’s nice to sit for a few minutes and just eat ice cream,” Étienne could understand that; for as much as Suzette and Jacques led a happy life, it was also a very full one, what with four children, jobs, responsibilities and everything in between, “And they have all sorts of sizes, so even if you’re not very hungry, but you want a little something you can get their miniature size – plus it’s really cute,” She laughed.

“Mind if I join you on this great little venture?” Suzette seemed even more pleased and passed along the menu, “By all means, and also, feel free to get whatever you want, my treat,” Étienne opened his mouth to protest and tell his sister-in-law that he hadn’t asked to get free ice cream out of her, but Suzette insisted, telling him it was fine; Étienne relented, knowing there was no point and eventually settled for a miniature cone of banana flavoured ice cream – and he had to agree, it was really good ice cream and the size of the cone was cute.

----

PREVIOUS: CXXIV

CURRENT: CXXV

NEXT: CXXVI

[randomoranges]

Amblesia au

part 122

Suzette’s firstinstinct was to barge into the washroom and assist Étienne in any way possible,but she had to remind herself that Étienne wasn’t one of her younger children;instead, she patiently waited on the other side of the door and tried her bestto give Étienne the space he needed, even though she could tell and feel thatsomething was wrong, “Étienne?” She called out when he hadn’t answered her, “Doyou need help?” She itched to open the door and bounced back on the balls ofher feet – it wasn’t that she wanted to overstep on Étienne’s privacy – farfrom it – but her maternal instincts were screaming at her, “Can I come in?”She finally asked, her resolve cracking – there was no answer from the otherside – at least, none that she could hear and she started to wonder if maybesomething had happened to her brother in law – if maybe he hadn’t fallen andknocked himself unconscious – if maybe she had been lost in her own thoughtsand therefore hadn’t heard him fall – or if something else equally sinister hadhappened and she was here worrying about proper etiquette when Étienne could bein serious trouble.

“Étienne, I’mcoming in,” She opened the door gently and focused her eyes upwards – in case –but instead of finding Étienne passed out on the floor – or worse – she foundhim standing in front of the mirror, completely transfixed, and she let out arelieved sigh; “Are you okay?” She asked gently as she placed a careful hand tohis shoulder; Étienne seemed to snap out of his trance and turned to look ather, blinking, his eyes a cascade of emotions, “I…” Étienne’s green eyesclouded over with tears and Suzette gently pulled him in for a hug, “It’s okay…”She tried, uncertain what could have caused such a reaction; she heard him takea few shuddering breaths, before he stepped back, “I’m sorry – I didn’t mean toworry you…” He mumbled; Suzette sighed and lead them towards the ledge of thebathtub so that they could sit, “It’s fine, really, what happened?” Étiennegave her a pitiful look and then passed a hand through his hair, “Got overwhelmed,I guess.” He started softly, after a while, “I look like garbage. I mean – I knowI look terrible, but being confronted by it… made everything real,” He slumpedagainst Suzette, suddenly exhausted.

“D’you thinkcovering up a little more might help? I think I have some swimming t-shirts youcould use…” She asked after a moment, Étienne shrugged and Suzette took it as agood enough answer; she got up and  headedout, promising she would be right back; for a moment he was alone again, butbefore he could start overthinking all over again, Suzette returned, “Here, trythis on,” Étienne raised his arms above his head and Suzette chuckled toherself as she gently pulled the t-shirt over Étienne’s head – she’d done thiscountless of times with her kids and the irony wasn’t lost on her, “What do youthink?” Étienne slowly rose from the ledge and scrutinised his reflection – he couldn’tcount his ribs anymore, so that was a start, and the t-shirt wasn’t a terriblefit and matched the shorts – it even had sleeves that reached his elbows; “It’lldo, I guess,” Étienne shrugged, “Thanks,” He added – he didn’t want Suzette tothink that he was ungrateful for all her help and everything she was trying todo for him, “No problem; I’ll let you get dressed,” Suzette headed out againand Étienne took a moment to breathe before he slowly changed back into hisclothes – and if he did it with his back to the mirror, well, no one needed toknow.

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PREVIOUS: CXXI

CURRENT: CXXII

NEXT: CXXIII

[randomoranges]

this ask is for the au that you posted 5 asks ago (so i'm sure you'll find a way to make sure you answer 5 asks of amnesia in a row and hit me with the 6th like a sucker punch) BUT THEY HAVE TO BE ASKS you cant just write amnesia without an ask for it ha HA

joke’s on you, buckaroonie ;) 

amnesia part 121

Once upon atime, Étienne would have worn these maternity swimming shorts with a strut tohis step and he would have walked into that swimming pool with the confidenceof a conqueror and sunglasses perched on his head without a care in the world;hell, he wouldn’t have even needed to be dared to do it and would have done itfor the sole purpose of doing it because he could; but times had changed andnow he found himself staring at his reflection in the mirror and he wasdisgusted by what he saw; he looked terrible.

Suzette’sold shorts fell loosely on his hips and it was a good thing there was a stringhe could pull on to tighten them, but even then they were too big and only seemed to accentuate how much weight he had trulylost over the past few years and the outcome of his never ending yo-yo effectwith his weight; his fingers could slide and feel down each and every one ofhis ribs, he could see every defining feature of his collarbone and his skinnylegs looked like twigs under floral blue fabric – and that was withoutmentioning the ugly scars that crisscrossed over his left leg; he wasrepulsive; he felt revolted and sick to his stomach and everyone would stare at him tomorrow if he dared show up to thepool this way and someone was bound to come up to him and ask him if he wasokay – or worse, they would tell him he needed help or call an ambulance on himand really, he didn’t need that.

“Étienne? Areyou okay in there?” Suzette knocked on the bathroom door and asked, snappinghis attention away from the mirror, “Yeah…” The last thing he wanted to dowas have another breakdown over everything that had happened, “Are the shorts okay?”He hesitated over that – maybe he could go to the pool next week – or maybe hecould never go and find something else to do – something where he could hide inhis baggy t-shirts and sweatpants – something where he wouldn’t feel so completelyself-conscious of the shell of a person he had become; but he was supposed tobe getting better and be beyond allthis and it was quite honestly exhausting forever taking one step forward forevery eight steps back he took, “They’re…” He started and then stopped,feeling his throat clog, “I don’t know…” He whispered.

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PREVIOUS: CXX

CURRENT: CXXI

NEXT: CXXII

[randomoranges]

Harmnesia plz

part 120

“Jokes put aside though,” Suzette started and Étienne didn’tmove, letting the sound of her voice lull him into that familiar sense of comfort,“I’m starting my aqua gym classes again tomorrow and I thought you could joinme,” She went on and Étienne frowned at that, “Maybe not for my actual class,but they let people use the other side of the pool for lane swimming and theyhave a slow lane you could maybe start in…” Étienne sat up and opened hismouth to protest, but before he could, Suzette cut him off, “Look, the physiosaid you could use and actually do some low impact exercises – swimming at aslow leisure pace might be good – even if it’s just floating on your back – Ican assure you there’s no one else in the lanes during the class and if it’llmake you feel better, I can even ask the instructor before class.”

Étienne fell quiet and mulled it over in his head – it wasn’tthat he was against the idea, per say, but he was slightly afraid of somethinggoing horribly wrong, “I’m not saying you have to swim for the entire hour, butI know you used to be on a water polo team as a kid and I thought you mightenjoy doing something,” Suzette didhave a point – as much as he did what he could to help his sister-in-law and asmuch as he tried to keep busy, there were times when he felt his nervous energybubbling and he itched to do something else other than sit around and read; heneeded an outlet and maybe Suzette’s idea wasn’t so bad, “Alright… I’mwilling to give it a try, but… y’know, when I called Jacques to pick me up, Iwasn’t expecting this to be a pool side retreat, so… I don’t have a bathingsuit.”

Suzette frowned, slightly disappointed – they didn’t have timeto hit the mall and she didn’t want to wait an entire other week to bringÉtienne along either, “Even on a good day you wouldn’t fit in Jacques’ swimmingsuit,” She said mostly to herself, as she tried to come up with a plan, “Ah!Ok! Hear me out – I still have a pair of swimming shorts I wore when I waspregnant with Lucie – they’re not the best option, but maybe they can do thetrick and tomorrow after the session we can hit the mall and get you a pairthat fits? If you wanted to continue?” She suggested, knowing it sounded alittle implausible, but it was the only option she could think of – Étienne ponderedit for a moment and then shrugged, “Nothing to lose in trying them on, I guess,”Suzette beamed and headed for her bedroom to find the shorts, assuring him thatit would be fine.

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PREVIOUS: CXIX

CURRENT: CXX

NEXT: CXXI

[randomoranges]

Hewwo I would wike some amneshiya au blease

part 119

Étienne wasquite frankly enjoying this new life; it had the quiet break he needed and ithad the chaotic lifestyle that came with having four kids present at almost alltimes – he was slowly carving himself a place into his brother’s family and itfelt good to feel like a human beingagain; he loved spending time with the kids, marvelled whenever they madeprogress over something they had been struggling with just last week and thestorm in his head didn’t seem to be raging as much as it had in the past fewmonths; he felt he could breathe without fearing he would crash and the personhe had to thank for this really was Suzette who had the patience of a saint –Étienne wasn’t sure if it came with raising four kids, but she was alwaysgentle-but-firm with him and since she still hadn’t returned to work, Étiennefound himself spending most of his time with her and developing an even closerbond with his sister-in-law; he loved this chance of getting to know her onanother level and understood all over again why it was his brother had fallenhead over heals for her.

Today hadbeen a rather pleasant day with the girls and the first truly warm June day;Étienne had made them breakfast, since Anaïs and Lucie weren’t in daycare andafterwards, Suzette had decided to take them to the nearby park, much to thegirls’ joy; the park was a few blocks away and they had made their slow waytowards it, Étienne doing his best to keep up, but no one had complained abouthis pace; the warmth of the sun had felt particularly soothing and for amoment, he had sat on the bench with Suzette, eyes closed, listening to thesound of the children playing, the birds chirping and the gentle breeze thatrustled the leaves in the trees; he built a sandcastle with the girls, much totheir delight and afterwards they’d gone for ice cream – they’d then made theirway back home, Étienne already feeling the strain in his leg and body, but hevolunteered to make lunch and went to take a nap afterwards.

Étienne returnedto the main floor and found Suzette sitting in the living room, doing somelight reading, he went to join her and she put her book down when she noticedhe was there, “Feel better?” She asked and he nodded – he still felt a littlegroggy, but the nap had done him good and he didn’t feel as drained as he hadearlier, “The girls are still asleep, but you’ll be happy to know that I haveat least two friends who think I’m having an illicit affair with you,” Shelaughed as she handed her cell phone to him, Étienne took the device and foundthe messaging app open – he read the few messages and couldn’t help but chuckleat them, “Apparently, someone’s seen us hanging out together over the last fewweeks and they think I’m seeing you on the side, while my husband works allday,” She rolled her eyes at that and Étienne laughed, “Have you answered yet?”He asked and Suzette shook her head, much to his delight, “Good, let’s give ‘emsomething to talk about,” He motioned for Suzette to sit closer to him and thenslung an arm around her shoulders, “Let’s take a photo,” He said and handed thephone back to her, Suzette shook her head, laughing, but opened the camera appon her phone and leaned closer to Étienne who kissed her cheek just as she hitthe shutter, “That’ll get them going,” She said, as she sent the picture andÉtienne wheezed when she showed him the message she attached with the picture, “TradedJacques for a younger model – his brother!!” Étienne laughed and leaned hishead on Suzette’s shoulder, feeling perfectly content.

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PREVIOUS: CXVIII

CURRENT: CXIX

NEXT: CXX

[randomoranges]

Adventing

part 25

Day 19

Word: Godfather

Object: A white mug with black text that reads “Only thebest uncles get promoted to godfather”

Étienne helped Constance with her shoes, while Edward helpeda very pregnant Suzette up the last two stairs into their home – Jacques followedbehind, carrying what seemed like every bag imaginable a parent couldpotentially own, “Are you sure we’re not imposing?” Suzette asked as she waddledon, sitting down on the chair Étienne provided to remove her own shoes, “Areyou kidding? We haven’t seen you in what feels like ages, we’re more than gladto have you over for the afternoon,” Jacques helped his wife to the livingroom, while Étienne helped Constance settle down on her play-mat and Edwardwent to start the tea, “How was brunch and shopping with El?” Étienne asked,joining Edward in the kitchen and politely shooing him out of it, “It was great– she was such a good help! Too bad you couldn’t join us,” The original planhad been for all six of them to have brunch together, but last minuteobligations had them occupied and so they had agreed to meet up at theapartment for some tea and catching up.

“There’ll be other times;” Étienne said as he brought outthe tray with the teacups and cookies Edward had made that morning, “So how’sthe last trimester going? Still don’t want to find out the gender of the baby?”Edward asked as he politely took the kettle out of Étienne’s hands after he nearlydoused his right hand with scalding tea, “We made it this far without knowing,what’s a couple of more months, right?” Jacques joked as he placed an armaround his wife’s shoulders, all the while keeping an eye on Constance who wasfar too busy playing with her blocks to care about what the adults were doing,“So far it’s been smooth sailing with this one, way easier than when I waspregnant with Constance, here’s hoping the rest goes as well,” They fell silentfor a moment, each busy with their tea and cookies, until Suzette put her cupdown and made a hand motion to her husband, “Chéri, the bag for Édouard andÉtienne! I was almost about to forget!” It seemed to be enough of a cue forJacques, who also put his cup down and returned to the entrance where he hadleft his multitude of bags, before he came back with two gift bags in matchingcolours.

“These are for you,” Suzette beamed excitedly; both Edwardand Étienne exchanged curious looks, since there was no apparent reason forthem to be receiving presents, but then pulled out the tissue paper whenSuzette told them to open them up; Étienne was the first to finish unwrappinghis present and at first he didn’t think much of the white coffee mug he foundin the bag – he thought maybe it would have Constance’s handprints on it, orsomething equally adorable, but as he turned it around to see what was printedon it, he heard Edward gasp beside him; Étienne peered over his boyfriend’sshoulder and saw what had made his boyfriend react – instead of a mug, Edwardhad received a tea cup – probably to go with his collection – and Edward washolding it from the other side, so Étienne could read the text that was on it, Only the Best Uncles get Promoted toGodfather – Étienne blinked and checked on his own mug, only to find thesame text on his.

He felt his entire body swell with pride and emotion.

“For real?!” He asked to make sure that this wasn’t some bigmisunderstanding and that he still knew how to read properly.

“Of course; we would love for the two of you to be thegodparents to this little one, if you want, that is,” Jacques said, placing ahand on top of Suzette’s, which was resting on her stomach.

Étienne and Edward turned to each other, silentlycommunicating, before Edward nodded and Étienne grinned, “Of course,” Edwardstarted, “We’d be honoured.”

Étienne rose from his seat and walked over to his brotherand sister-in-law; he hugged them both tightly, mindful of the baby bump,before he got on his knees to be at level with Suzette’s midriff, “Hey you inthere, it’s me, your Mononcle Étienne, and let me tell you, you’re gonna havethe best set of godfathers this world has ever seen!”

Étienne watched, fond,as Edward and Julien sat together, huddled over some 3D puzzle they werecurrently making and Étienne still remembered how Edward had gotten theirgodson his very first 3D puzzle, so many years ago, and how it had become oneof Julien’s favourite things to do; it was nice to see that despite everything,the two of them had found their way back to each other and they could stillhave this.

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PREVIOUS: XXIV

CURRENT: XXV

NEXT: XXVI

[randomoranges]

Amnesia au uwu

part 118

As promised, within the next fewdays, Étienne gathered up his courage and finally called his parents, using thelandline – he still didn’t want to look at his own cell phone, afraid of allthe voice and text messages he might find on it, or the ones he might not find and as expected, his mother wasabsolutely worried about him, absolutely relieved to hear from him, and theyboth absolutely cried a little – but even though he had freaked out and worriedover the call, talking to his mother had also felt good in its own way and hadremoved some of the stress and pressure he had been feeling.

In the new spirit of keeping upwith promises, Étienne made sure to contact both his physical therapist and histherapist to get back on track; his therapist agreed to do Skype sessions withhim, since Étienne didn’t feel like having his file transferred over to someoneelse or start over, for that matter; he liked his therapist fine and wasthankful she was willing to accommodate him; “going to his first appointment”was a challenge and luckily Suzette had been there to help him set up thecomputer and make sure he didn’t bolt out of the room the moment the call connectedand surprisingly, that hadn’t been all that terrible either.

As for his physio therapy, Étiennedid not really feel like bothering Suzette to drive him all the way back toMontréal however many times a week, back to the clinic, and so he had made hisfinal call and had explained that he was staying in Trois-Rivières for anundetermined amount of time; his physio had understood immediately and hadrecommended one of his good friends who worked at a clinic close to Jacques andSuzette’s place; Étienne had been relieved and Suzette had driven him onemorning, before going for groceries, and after she picked him up, they had goneout for coffee and Étienne believed it was the first time he had felt so normalin a really long time.

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PREVIOUS: CXVII

CURRENT: CXVIII

NEXT: CXIX