Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 104: Progress
The two tiny cousins were already inseparable friends, though they didn't spend as much time together as he'd have liked for them to be able to. The time that Aurora allowed him to spend with his son was still limited, but lately, he was more enthusiastic about every opportunity he was given. He had started seeing a therapist in a desperate attempt to pull himself together months ago. Amelia was the first person he opened up to about his seemingly endless struggles: coming to terms with his poor mental state, working on his alcohol addiction, finding his sense of self worth again... accepting that he wasn't okay, that he did need help, and that he could have a better life than the one he'd been living for so long. Progress started slow, but he hadn't set foot in a bar -- or in a stranger's bed -- for months. Deep down, he still questioned how long it would take for him to fail again and go back to his old ways, which was exactly the reason he never told Aurora about any of it. He didn't want to let her down more than he already had so many times. Why get her hopes up that he could be the father her son deserved when, really, he was probably still just as much of a wreck as he was when they broke things off?
Despite his worries and insecurities, it felt like burdens the weight of the world were lifted off his shoulders. He felt alive again. The sun shined brighter and his smile was wider. For the first time since Brynn's passing, he was becoming the Alexander that he thought died along with her; and there was nothing he wanted more than that.
He only hoped that he really could make that change.
"Awtie, hurry up, I wanna slide!" Kiera squealed, impatiently hopping as her younger cousin slowly ascended the steps to the slide.
"Be patient and wait your turn," Alexander said. "...if patience is a thing you actually possess. I kinda doubt it."
Artemis heaved himself to the top of the slide, Kiera quickly following to come up behind him. He hesitated, only now realizing how far to the ground it was.
"Go!" Kiera whined.
Alexander frowned. "Hey, don't be freaked out. I'll catch you. It's fun, not scary!"
"Pwomise?" Artemis scooted closer to the slide's downward slope.
"I promise."
The toddlers slid to the bottom, shrieking, one sounding far more delighted than the other. Alexander swooped his son up before Kiera had the chance to squash him underneath her.
"Again, again!" Kiera giggled, bouncing right back onto her feet as soon as they connected with the grass.
Artemis clung to his father. "Nooo!" He shook his head insistently. "I don' wanna slide anymore!"
She stuck her lips out in a pouty expression somewhat akin to that of a hooked fish and declared; "You a scadey cat! I'm not scaed of anything!"
"Leave him alone, kiddo, he can't help that he's just like his mom," Alexander teased, "whiny and scared of dirt and worms."
"I heard that," the aforementioned woman scolded from behind him.
Kiera grinned from ear to ear. "I'm bwave like mommy!"
"That you are," he mumbled, "and twice as difficult to deal with."
"Am I bwave too?" Artemis looked up at him with pleading eyes.
He smiled. "Of course you are, you're the son of the bravest, smartest and coolest guy in the world, me. So that makes you the second-bravest, smartest, and coolest."
"Woooow, it does!?"
Kiera was clearly offended. "Whaddabout me!?"
Aurora chuckled to herself as she watched their antics. Normally, she would have almost dreaded spending part of the day with her ex, but there was something different about him lately that she couldn't quite put her finger on. His entire demeanor was changing. She'd assumed the man that she fell in love with was gone a long time ago, and now, she was seeing bits and pieces of him resurface.
It was a welcome, and long overdue, change.
Perhaps seeing him being a more involved father was what surprised her the most. It wasn't that he'd ever been disinterested in Artemis; since the day their son was born, it was clear he wanted to be in his life, but it was also clear that most of the time Alexander could hardly be responsible for himself, much less a young child. He wasn't going to be winning any world's best dad awards anytime soon, not with his seemingly endless list of issues. Yet seeing the two of them playing together, smiling and joyful, without a care in the world... it made her happier than she'd like to admit. The curiosity about his sudden shift in personality was getting to her.
And today, she decided she was going to get to the bottom of it. "Hey, Alexander, can you come here for a minute?"
"Uh... yeah, I guess so?" His brows knitted together in confusion. Aurora wanting him anywhere within a ten-foot radius of her was a small miracle at this point. Much to Artemis's disappointment, their playtime was put on hold as he stood up and put him down on the ground. "Why don't you go play with Kiera for a little while?"
"Okay!" The toddler scampered off to catch up to her, who was inevitably getting into some sort trouble.
Alexander approached and sat cross-legged on the ground in front of her. "So, uh... what's up?" His question came out staler than a three-month-old bag of chips.
"Well," she began, pursing her lips, "It's just... I... think we need to talk."
"Sounds like bad news for me." He sighed. "Alright, what am I in trouble for this time?"
"Actually, you're not in trouble or anything. I'm not mad at you."
"...what?" Alexander was dumbfounded. "You mean... you're not going to spend the next half hour yelling at me?"
She rolled her eyes at his dramatic assumptions. "No, for once you haven't done anything to deserve it. The opposite, actually. It's just that... I've noticed you're acting different lately."
"Different?" he questioned.
She averted her gaze from him, slightly nervously, as she struggled to find the right words. "I guess I mean you're acting more like... yourself than I've seen in a really long time. You haven't been as insufferably irritating, you actually smile and laugh like you mean it... not to mention how much better you've been doing with our son. I-I don't know, I just... I feel like I'm with another you when I'm with you now. The same Alexander that I used to love so much." Her eyes met his again, expectantly, like she knew he was hiding something.
"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that," he said softly and lowered his gaze. "The truth is that there's something you should know. Something I should have told you a while ago, but... it's been so hard, and I've honestly been scared I'll just mess everything up... you don't deserve to be disappointed by me again."
Aurora's attitude remained shockingly calm. "I can't be disappointed by your honesty."
Some of the tension seemed to fade from his shoulders at her reassurance. "...several months ago, I...I started getting help. Going to therapy and things like that, I mean."
"R-Really?" Her eyes widened with surprise. "You're... you're not lying to me, are you?"
He frowned. "What? No, of course not. I know you probably feel like you can't trust me, but I wouldn't lie to you about this. I'm trying really hard to get my life together. I swear."
"Have you been making any progress...?"
He hesitated. Of course he'd made progress, but would it be as much as she was hoping for? He didn't even believe in himself, how would she? "Well, um... I finally haven't had a drink in a couple of months now." He tried to smile as he spoke. "I haven't been out clubbing or had any hookups either. My therapist said the... wild lifestyle I was living was just an attempt at coping with trauma and depression, which I already kind of figured, but... that meant that the only healthy thing for me to do was to work hard to replace all of that with healthier ways to cope and a healthier mindset. I can't honestly say I'm mentally all the way there yet, and I have a long way to go before I'm even close to considering myself fully recovered, but... I'm trying. I want to get better. I really do."
Her face lit up. "...Alexander, that's amazing, you should have told me sooner! I'll be honest, I didn't ever expect you to admit you needed help and actually work on getting better, so... this makes me really happy."
"Happy?" His bewilderment was obvious. "B-But... I want you to understand that I could still relapse. I don't know that I'm strong enough to get better, Aurora. What if... what if I'm so far gone that I'm beyond help? You shouldn't get your hopes up, I--"
Aurora silenced him with a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around him and burying her face in his shoulder. "I'm really proud of you," she whispered.
Trembling arms hugged her in return. How long had it been since they'd communicated so openly like this? Since she touched him like this? He pulled her body as close as possible, savoring the moment while it lasted, because he didn't know if he'd ever get another one.
"Come on, come on!" Orion excitedly nudged his fiancée forward in an attempt to make her walk toward the front desk of the animal shelter a little faster.
"Someone's impatient." Skylar chuckled down at him. "Calm down, I know you're excited, but the cats won't be going anywhere in the ten seconds it takes us to walk to the counter."
He smiled sheepishly. "I know, it's just that I've been looking forward to this since last week."
Last week, or more specifically, the day that they both had a long conversation about the possibility of adopting a pet, since their wedding would be soon and they'd settled in to living together rather well over the past few months. Things were stable for them, the timing was perfect. In the past, his therapist had suggested a psychiatric service dog, namely for his PTSD. He did like dogs, but they were a little more demanding than he could handle in an apartment, so he and Skylar discussed settling for adopting a pet to be an emotional support animal -- a cat.
On days off, a few times a month, Orion often volunteered at a local animal shelter. It was therapeutic, in a way, and all of the other volunteers became good friends of his. When he learned he wasn't the only Supernatural working there, he entrusted them with his alien identity and was met with a surprising amount of support. So, naturally, this rescue was the first place that came to mind for adopting his new best friend from, and he'd scheduled a time after their normal hours to come meet some adoptable cats, without crowds of eager adopters and the need for his disguise form.
"You kept the cats waiting, you're an entire two minutes late to your adoption appointment," his fellow volunteer joked from behind the counter and turned to the brunette beside him. "You must be his fiancée, Skylar, right? It's nice to meet you. I'm Katsumi."
"Nice to meet you too." Skylar smiled. "What kind of cats do you have for adoption?"
Katsumi grabbed a set of keys, presumably for cages, and started toward a short hallway leading to a door. "Well, we have plenty of them, that's for sure. I have a few in mind that are really sweet and friendly, it sounds like exactly what you guys are looking for from what you said on the phone... but, of course, you're free to meet all of them. Follow me."
She lead them into a large room with rows of roomy kennels lining either side of it. It was quiet, save for the occasional jingle of a toy ball or a meow from a curious kitty.
"Orion, you probably haven't met most of the cats here. You've been working with the small animals since you started volunteering, right?" Katsumi asked.
"Right," he nodded, glancing around the room. "I really like seeing the bunnies."
"Really? Maybe a bunny should be the next pet on your adoption list."
He smiled brightly and looked up at Skylar. "Aww, could we get a bunny someday? Pleeease?"
"Don't give me the pleading look," Skylar sighed. "...but, um, I'll think about it."
"That's a good enough answer for me." Orion's smile widened. "But, for now, back to the cats..."
"Right, the cats," Katsumi reiterated. "First, I'll give you a rundown of the technical stuff. You'll have to fill out adoption paperwork for whichever cat you pick, of course. They're all spayed, neutered, and up to date on their required vaccinations, but you will need to take them for a check-up to get established with your new veterinarian. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but there is a new vaccine available for animals that you can get a complimentary free dose of for adopting from our shelter, produced by FutureSim Labs, based on their patented anti-aging serum. It's basically the same thing: it halts the biological aging process in pets, making them effectively immortal, but unlike the human version it isn't permanent and requires a booster every year to continue being effective. It's expensive, but worth it for some pet owners. Of course, it's totally valid to want your pet to live a natural life, too."
"Really?" He seemed relieved. "Honestly, I think I'll definitely get that... I really don't want to go through losing a pet anytime soon."
"I don't blame you. So, um... that one over there staring at you is Fluffy," she said, pointing to a hairless cat.
Skylar raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't look fluffy to me."
"...and her sister, Fuzzy," Katsumi continued, paying no mind to the comment.
"They're cute, but I think I'd really like one with fur," Orion said.
"Of course. Well, let's see, there's..." her voice trailed off momentarily and she began pointing at cats as they walked down the row of cages. "...Rosie, she's really cute, and, uh... Bob, he's just lazy. Oh, wait, how about Raymond?" She paused in front of his cage, but Orion kept walking to look at the cats ahead of them. "Raymond's popular with the other employees. He's kind of the it cat, you know? Everyone wants him..."
Her words were drowned out as he reached the very last kennel. "Hey, what about this one?"
Inside, huddled in a small bed in the back corner, was a very fluffy, plump cat. She lifted her head when she heard his voice and stared up at him with her wide, green eyes. Her ears flattened and her tail twitched with uncertainty as he came closer.
"T-That one?" Katsumi stammered. "Well, um... you see, the thing is..."
"She's so cute," Orion interrupted, sitting on the floor and slowly reaching his hand toward the wire. "What's her name?"
"...Angel, but she's--"
"Angel," he interrupted again with a smile. "Come here, Angel, it's okay... I just want to be your friend..."
Angel hesitantly rose to her paws and edged closer until, finally, she was close enough to sniff his hand. After a few whiffs, she seemingly decided she didn't mind him and rubbed her face against the bars. Orion carefully reached his fingers through them to rub her head, his smile brightening when she began to purr softly. "Aww, you're such a good kitty..."
"What is it that you were trying to say?" Skylar glanced at Katsumi, who seemed nothing short of stunned.
"Yeah, tell me more about her," Orion said.
"Well," she began, "it's just... Angel isn't usually very angelic. She's roughly a couple of years old, she's been here for months because no one wants her, and we don't know a lot about her past other than she was rescued from an abusive home. We've tried everything to give her a chance at a new life, but she's just so scared of people. Honestly, she doesn't like anyone... you're the first person I've seen her be comfortable with. It's amazing... you're like a fairytale princess animal whisperer or something."
"That's terrible, but... I understand how she must feel," he sighed. "I... I think I want her, Skylar..."
"Really!? You'd consider adopting her!?" Katsumi was ecstatic. "You have no idea how big of a difference you could make in her life... I don't know what to say!"
"Are you sure?" Skylar seemed reluctant. "D-Don't get me wrong, I'm okay with whatever cat you feel a connection with, but... it sounds like she has a lot of problems. Are you ready to take on a pet like that?"
"Well... at the very least, I want to meet her up close."
Katsumi nodded. "Of course, I can help you with that. There's a little room out by the front desk you guys can go wait in, and I'll bring her in there so you can interact with her."
"That sounds great," he replied, but then looked to Skylar for approval, "...if you're okay with it?"
"I guess there isn't any harm in meeting her..." Skylar managed a small smile.
"Then it's settled!" Katsumi walked up to the kennel. "Head on out and I'll bring her to meet you!"
The moment Orion got his hands on Angel, it was clear to Skylar he was already smitten with this kitten. Although the cat seemed nervous, she didn't cower, hide, or lash out at either of them, which seemed to be a good start, and when he scooped her up into his arms, she was content to be held.
Maybe the kitten was smitten too.
"Skylar... we can't just leave her here. She's the one. I'm sure of it."
When she saw the look on his face, she knew it was over, and honestly, his happiness was all she could ask for anyway. Besides, how could she resist a beautiful smile like his?
"I can tell she really likes you, so if you're sure she's the one, I am too." Skylar smiled warmly. "And she is awfully cute... almost as cute as you."
Orion's cheeks heated up and he laughed softly. "No, she's definitely cuter than me."
"Not possible," she responded with a grin. "Anyway, I'll go ask for the adoption papers so we can get them filled out and take her home."
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