fandomocweekly | [ Prompt: Memory ] Dancing in the Rain on Broken Glass (TWST)

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland

Characters: Original Male Characters, Original Female Characters

Pairing: None

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Mentions of parent divorce and minor uses of profanity

Notes: Had this in the drafts for a WHILE and this prompt was a perfect excuse to set it free! Enjoy!

Summary: Theo is only 10-years-old when he discovers his Unique Magic, but it's in a way he doesn't expect.

Posted here and on my journal!

“Theo, darling, where are you?!”

“Theodore! Theodore, please come out!”

Theo’s parents fought through the pouring rain, crying out for their son in vain as they race into the woods behind their home in Briar Valley. They knew he wouldn’t take the news of their divorce well—even less so considering that they joked about it matter-of-factly—but they didn’t expect him to dash out of the house and off into the forest to Seven knows where. The raging storm doesn’t help matters, making this race against the clock much more difficult than it needs to be.

The boy in question took refuge underneath a large tree, unable to hear his parents’ calls for him amidst the howling wind. His anger for their divorce is quickly replaced by fear. He didn’t expect it to rain, he just needed to get away from it all, away from his parents’ constant arguing, away from carrying the weight of his siblings’ well-being on his shoulders, away from feeling like the third wheel in the whirlwind of this “situationship” when he was supposed to be enjoying his childhood.

“No wonder they’ve been so distant…now this,” Theo stammered through his tears. “Hate it here…I wanna go to Gramma’s…I don’t wanna be here any-fucking-more…”

Wet, cold, and quickly losing hope, Theo sinks to the ground, curling up and holding his knees tight to his chest. The heavy rain slaps against his skin as he thinks of his grandmother’s living room in the Queendom of Roses. The large, inviting fireplace, the couches with a criminal amount of throw pillows, his favorite weighted blanket strewn across the couch waiting for him. It all felt so real, down the smell of hot chocolate coming from the kitchen, accented by his grandmother’s hearty laughter.

That smell especially was so distinct—homemade hot cocoa with extra marshmallows—Wait, Theo thought to himself. I’m in the forest, that smell shouldn’t be here—

All of his senses go numb, barely able to recognize the weightlessness he feels before the sound of the rain subsides and is replaced with a bright light and a sudden stillness.

What?

The serenity of silence is jarring enough that Theo’s eyes fly open, quickly recognizing that he’s not in the forest anymore. He knows this room, could pick it out from a lineup if asked. Tie dye blankets, cat plushies, galaxy night light plugged in on the nightstand—this was his guest room at his grandmother’s house.

“Wait, but—the hell? How did I get here? Wasn’t I just—“

Before Theo can properly take in his surroundings, he’s greeted by his Grandmother’s startled yelp through the open door across from him.

“Theo?! Goodness, Love Bug, when did you get here? Wait, how did you get here? You all just left a week ago!”

Relief washes over him in waves, and before he can even try to explain what happened, he’s collapsing in his Grandmother’s arms, letting go of all the exhaustion that weighed heavily on the poor boy. His anguished wails fill the room, and the older woman puts every bit of love she can muster into her embrace.

****

“Oh thank the Seven!” Sylva can barely contain herself as her mother gives her the good news over the phone. “Augustus, he’s with mom—but wait, Mom how did he get over to you? We’re nowhere near there!”

The older woman heaved a sigh, felt by her daughter on the other end. “Sylva, I think Theo discovered his Unique Magic.”

Sylva’s eyes widen on the other end. “The teleportation magic from Dad—“

“My thoughts exactly,” a beat passes as she looks over at her sleeping grandson before turning her attention back to the conversation. “If it’s similar to your father’s circumstances, then something triggered it. So you know what I’m going to ask you…don’t you?”

Sylva couldn’t deny it no matter how much she wanted to. The silence speaks volumes before she finally admits—“…We told him about the divorce today.”

A grandmother’s intuition is never wrong, and if Theo being here is anything to go by, her daughter and her soon to be ex-husband didn’t break the news to the poor boy well enough. The damage is done, she thought, all that’s left is damage control.

“Figured,” the old woman huffed. “Let Theo stay here for a few weeks. I’ll talk to him about his UM, then we can talk about the divorce properly this time, as a family.”

She wanted Theo home right that second, but Sylva knew better than to fight against her mother when she put her foot down about a decision.

“Yes, Mama.”