Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 98: Ice Ice Baby

 It was a cold winter afternoon in San Myshuno. Fresh snow blanketed the landscape around the center park, where Orion and Skylar were seated on a bench beside of a skating rink, caught up in conversation.  

"Are you really sure they'll like me?" She wrapped her arms around herself insecurely. "From what you've told me, these friends of yours sound a bit less... chill than the others I've already met. I want to make a good impression." 

"I... I won't lie, they're probably going to be looking for red flags... especially Emiko, but I don't think they'll be too hard on you. Once they all see that you're nice it won't be as big of a deal as you think," he sighed. "Don't take it personally if someone seems judgemental at first. They'll warm up to you fast, I promise." 

"Or they'll find a way to determine I'm no better than your ex and come after me with torches and pitchforks," she said dryly. 

"I know I said they could be kind of melodramatic, but I think you're overthinking that a little." Orion managed a slight chuckle. "I highly doubt they brought torches or pitchforks and there aren't exactly any laying around the skating rink." 

Skylar's lips curled into a slight smile. "You know what I meant, Orion." 

"Still... trust me, you aren't in any way comparable to my ex." His face fell at the mention of her. "You're everything that she isn't and they'll easily see that. You have nothing to worry about."

Feeling slightly reassured, Skylar nodded. "I really hope you're right..."

Silence fell between them, but only a few moments afterwards, familiar faces entered the park and, upon spotting the two, excitedly approached. 

"Orion!" Uranus was the first to speak, and also the first to arrive at the ice rink. "It feels like it's been forever since we got to see you! How have you been?"

Orion smiled as the other two caught up with his enthusiastic friend. "I'm doing... surprisingly okay. Better than I've been in a long time."

"Really?" Emiko teasingly cocked an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you feel better because you have a pretty girl all to yourself now?"

"Oh, leave him alone, Emiko," Amalthea scolded, "he looks happier than I've ever seen him."

Orion's smile widened. "I am happy."

The three seemed somewhat surprised by the apparent authenticity of his words. For Orion to say he was happy and clearly mean it was perhaps something none of them had ever seen, and if they did, it was always a short-lived statement. Yet, even if he didn't admit to it, you could see it when you looked at him. The emptiness that was once apparent in his eyes was replaced with a small spark of genuine joyfulness, his smile no longer seemed forced and shallow... he looked, for once, content to be alive, which was more of a miracle than anyone would have liked it to be. 

Emiko's teasing expression turned to a warm one. "Well, do you mind introducing this miracle-working woman that clearly has you so smiley?"

"Oh, right! Sorry..." He softly laughed as he pulled his lover closer to him. "So, um... as you already know, this is my girlfriend, Skylar."

"It's great to meet you all," Skylar quickly added. "I've heard a lot about you. Orion really values your friendship."

"You've heard a lot about us?" Emiko's face contorted into a suspicious expression. "He hasn't been trash talking, has he?"

"Only a little," Skylar joked. 

Uranus's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, what do you mean a little!?"

Orion muffled a snicker. "I was just honest with her about your... unique personalities." 

"That sounds mean," Uranus whined.

Skylar shook her head. "He isn't capable of being mean."

"Don't be so quick to put him on a pedestal. Eventually he'll stop with the innocent image and show you what he really is," Emiko said.

"...and what is he, really?" Skylar questioned. 

Emiko took a quick glance at Orion, who had the tender expression of what must have been an angel, and sighed in defeat. "...exactly what he looks like. A giant baby." 

 "Hey!" He protested. The group, aside from him, erupted into laugher as he tried his best to look offended, which only made him intensify his pathetic excuse for a sour expression. "Idea. Let's skate instead of finding reasons to pick on me."

Emiko snorted. "Okay, fine, but... that won't be nearly as much fun."

---

Emiko and Skylar were the last of the group of friends to put on their skates and prepare to enter the rink. As they sat side-by-side and tied up their laces, Emiko made an attempt to break the slightly awkward silence. "So, um... Orion's said a lot of good things about you."

"He has?" She smiled in response. "That's sweet of him... I know you're probably really worried about him. He's told me about his ex. I want you to know I would never treat him that way."

"I surely hope not, because I'd make you regret it," Emiko said. "No offense, but I can't take your word for it. I'll trust you once you show me you mean what you say... I really do want you to work out for him, because it's obvious you make him happy. I just hope you're as amazing as he thinks you are."

"I understand that. I'm going to try my best to prove that I'm worthy of your respect," Skylar replied, feeling a bit more anxious than she already was. Orion's friends seemed nice, of course, but it was also becoming clear that they probably wouldn't hesitate to murder her if she made a wrong move. "I don't know if I'm all that amazing, but I do know that I love him."

Before the conversation should continue, Uranus spoke up from a short distance away. "How long are you guys gonna take to tie some shoes!? I'm getting impatient!" 

"We're coming, we're coming!" Emiko exclaimed. "Just wait one more second--"

"I'm not waiting, I'm skating!" Uranus declared and took off toward the ice, not caring about the fact he had no idea how to actually do this. "Last one in the rink is a rotten egg!" 

"Uranus, wait, you're gonna fall and die!" Amalthea huffed out an exasperated sigh when he didn't listen and entered the rink anyway. "Be careful--"

"This thing is too slippery," he whined, skidding awkwardly along the frozen floor. "How are you supposed to skate on this!?"

"It's ice, did you expect it to not be slippery?" Emiko glanced over at him and rolled her eyes. 

Uranus was now flailing around in an overly dramatic manner. "Amalthea, help!" 

 "Hold on!" Amalthea skated after him, and she was hesitantly followed by Orion, who had just about as much balance and finesse as Uranus did. 

Before either of them got much closer, Uranus fell flat on his rear end with a loud yelp. 

"You shouldn't just go in the rink by yourself. You don't even know how to skate," Amalthea groaned and quickly moved to help him up. "Am I your wife or your babysitter?"

Unscathed by the fall, Uranus looked up at her and laughed. "A little bit of both."

Orion, still struggling not to slip, smiled at them and attempted to make his way over to the railing for support. His legs were far too wobbly for that to be a success, and he was consistently teetering on the brink of a fall. "S-Skylar--"

"I'm not going to let you fall, hold on," she interrupted and stepped onto the ice. For a moment, she seemed stable, but when she reached out to grab his hand, her sense of balance disappeared and it sent them both slipping around in random directions. 

"How are you not going to let me fall when you can hardly even keep yourself from--" Orion abruptly cut himself off to wriggle around helplessly in a failed attempt to regain balance, "--falling!?"

"I-I've got this perfectly under control!"

Meanwhile, Emiko gracefully glided past them. "Do you? From where I'm skating, I don't see any control." 

"Hey, wait a minute, since when did you learn how to ice skate?" Uranus scowled. "You're cheating!"

She grinned. "How, exactly, does someone cheat at ice skating?"

"Magic?" Orion suggested. 

"I-I'm not using magic..."

Uranus gasped as though her lie was the biggest scandal of the year. "Yes you are, your feet are sparkly! That's magic!" 

"Shut up!"

Hand in hand, Orion and Skylar managed to find their balance as the rest of the crew bantered back and forth. Slowly but surely, they were getting the hang of it and making their way to the other side of the rink. 

"I-I'm kind of scared of slipping again," Orion said nervously. "What if we fall and... I don't know, break bones?"

Skylar chuckled. "Well, right now I'd say we're doing great, and I don't think falling would break our bones."

"I really hope not, because--" He finished his sentence with a shriek rather than words as he, once again, lost his balanced and desperately reached for anything to hold onto. There was nothing except Skylar, who he turned to and grasped for desperately...

...which wasn't the best idea.

Now they were both screaming and heading straight for the ground, which sent them sliding along the ice for several feet as soon as they made impact. When they finally came to a stop, there was startled silence, but it quickly turned to fits of giggles.

"Well, that was graceful... are you okay?" Skylar laughed, still holding him protectively close from the fall, although he was now resting on top of her.

Orion chuckled lightly. "I'm fine, as long as you are... you kind of broke my fall, so thanks for that."

"I'm glad I could be of service," she snickered in response, hoping to hide her slightly flustered state as she finally registered that his head was resting directly on her chest. "...pillow service, apparently."

Orion's face flushed and he quickly lifted his head to meet her gaze. "S-Sorry about... um... t-this position, I... I should get up now..."

"You should definitely get up before you start getting gross and flirty," Emiko suddenly butted in with a disgusted, yet joking, tone. "I don't wanna see that."

Orion's blush intensified. "W-We weren't going to!"

"Oh, leave them alone, Emiko," Amalthea said. "They're cute together." 

"I still haven't decided if I agree," she grumbled in response. 

Amalthea rolled her eyes. "Lighten up a little, would you?"

Still flustered, Orion moved off of Skylar, allowing her to struggle to her feet, although the ice made it easier said than done. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, offering her hands to help him up. 

Orion smiled and began to stand. "I'm okay, really... you're the one that had the worst of the fall, anyway... do you promise that you're okay?"

Once he was back on his feet, she pulled him close to her and cupped his face in her hands. "You know what? I'm more than okay," she replied, pressing a quick kiss to his nose and smiling widely at him. "I feel amazing as long as I'm with you."

Orion wrapped his arms around her and returned her smile. "You make me feel amazing, too..."

---

Alexander knew something was strange when he checked his phone to find that there were multiple missed calls, all from the same number: Alyssa. 

And something told him she wasn't just desperate for another one night stand. 

"Hello?" Her voice, oddly stressed sounding, came from the other end within moments of him dialing her number. "Alexander?"

"I'm surprised you remember my name," he said. "Was I that memorable of an experience?"

"I can hear the smirk on your face, and I'd recommend for you to wipe it off before I smack it off." Alyssa sounded angry, which couldn't have been a good sign. "I remember because I put it in my phone with your number, idiot." 

"Okay, jeez, what's your problem?" 

"I... I don't really know how to put this gently," she sighed, the anger seeming to dissipate a little. "My problem is that I'm pregnant. The baby is yours, the conception date lines up with our... encounter."

Alexander lowered the phone from his ear and stared blankly at the screen in disbelief. A million emotions overtook him at once, none of which were positive, and after a few moments he managed to stammer out a reply. "W-What?"

"I know this is probably a lot to take in, but... all I'm asking is that you're involved with your kid.I have  an appointment with an obstetrician--"

"N-No!" He interrupted. "No, there's no way this kid is mine. How does an estimated conception date tell me anything? You probably slept with ten different guys around that same time!"

"Excuse me?" Alyssa snapped. "I think I know who I've slept with far better than you do. It's your child, there is no chance another man is the father."

"W-Well... it's not my problem that you got pregnant, and I'm not just going to take your word for it that I'm the father, so--"

"How is it not your problem!? You're the one that got me pregnant! I didn't do it to myself!"

Alexander clutched the phone tighter, losing all sense of sensibility. "I didn't sign up for this! I wanted a one night stand, not an eighteen year liability! You're on your own, Alyssa. I don't want anything to do with this."

She was silent for a moment before speaking again. "...I can't believe you. Either way, you'll be taking a paternity test so that I can prove you wrong. And expect a court date, because you're not getting out of child support."

His eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not taking a paternity test. And go ahead, try to sue me for child support. I can afford a top-notch lawyer, you won't get anywhere."

"Oh, we'll see about that," Alyssa growled. "You're a pathetic excuse for a man. Or perhaps you aren't one at all. Only little boys are so immature and irresponsible."

"Insulting me isn't going to help you!" Alexander yelled. "I've made it clear that I'm not having anything to do with your kid, so don't call me again!" With that, he hung up abruptly and lowered the phone to his side. The rage that swelled up in him was melting into heartache. He couldn't deal with this. He wouldn't. Even if, deep down, he knew it was wrong. 

"Alexander..."

He tensed and finally noticed Amelia watching from the kitchen archway. "...how much of that did you overhear?"

"Just about all of it," Amelia said, approaching him with an unimpressed expression. "You need to take the paternity test. If she's telling the truth and the baby is yours... you have to take responsibility for your actions, and that means taking responsibility for your child. She doesn't have that choice, so neither should you. She's right, you know. You're being immature and irresponsible. I know you're a better man than this..."

His eyes narrowed. "No, I'm not going through this again. I took responsibility when it came to Aurora. I'm not making that same mistake twice."

"Is that how you view your own son? A mistake?"

He sighed. "Amelia, you don't understand what I've went through, emotionally, because of all of this. I can't handle it a second time!"

"What do you think Aurora's gone through emotionally? How do you think this other woman feels right now, especially after the way you talked to her?" Amelia scowled. "You have no excuses, Alexander. None."

"What is it that you want from me!? You tell me that you want me to get better, and then you pressure me into things that will only make me feel worse!"

Her expression contorted into anger. "This isn't something that can be about your feelings! This is going to be a living, breathing child that needs care, and support, and loving parents! Don't you love Artemis?"

"Yeah, of course I do," Alexander admitted. "But--"

"Then you can love this child just the same," Amelia interrupted. "You need to do the right thing."

It seemed like, at least for a moment in time, he was considering her words. But the ache and the fear were just as strong as his pride, and together, they overpowered his rationality. "You're right, I need to do the right thing," he began. "The right thing for me, not everyone else. And the right thing for me is to have nothing to do with Alyssa or her baby, regardless of whether it's mine or not, which I don't care to find out."

Amelia crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief. "Then you're nothing but a selfish jerk."

"And I'm fine with that."

"...sometimes, the person you've become disgusts me," she said, with pure disdain, and averted her gaze. "Are you fine with that? Disappointing the people you love so much?"

He looked away but had no answer.

"I'll leave you to think about that." Amelia turned away and headed for the stairs. "Whenever you feel like being Alexander again, come talk to me."

'Then maybe,' he thought, 'I'll never talk to you again.'