Part two of Not my son, my /daughter/. did this because it was too long for one project just go here if you haven't read this yet: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1269875635/ it's part one click for quick sketches of their looks sihs here ya are: Abbot shook his head, curling in tighter on himself. Parsley placed a calming, calloused hand on his kid’s head, tenderly sorting through the brown waves. Abbot had always taken after his mother, while Paige was a spitting image of Parsley’s green eyes and blonde hair. Parsley hadn’t been able to simply touch Abbot in a while, as he didn’t show up a lot. It felt nice to be affectionate with him again. Abbot seemed to feel the same, because he immediately crashed into Parsley’s side and pressed himself close. A shaky hand reached up and gripped Parsley’s sweater, with Abbot’s head nuzzled under his arm. For only half a second he was frozen, then his paternal instincts kicked into high gear and he wrapped his arm around Abbot, rubbing up and down his back. He whispered soft words in Abbot’s hair as he shook and sniffled. “Sweetheart,” Parsley whispered, his voice suddenly rough with emotion. He took a moment and collected himself again. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s wrong. I want to see you happy, I want to help. Please, Abbot.” Abbot started sobbing. What did I do wrong? He thought in horror as his son screamed and sobbed into Parsley, the sounds so tragically muffled. “H-Honey.” What do I do? “Hey.” What can I say? “Look at me.” How can I help? “L-Look at me.” What is wrong? What in god’s name is wrong? Parsley grabbed Abbot’s face and turned him so their eyes were locked. Abbot quieted down, only if it were so the other boys didn’t hear him and worry. “Look at me and calm down. You need to tell me what’s going on that has you s-so-... worked up like this. You’re scaring me, Abbot! You’re my boy, and I love you, and I need to ke-“ “I’m not!” Abbot cried. He jerked back, pressing against the bed again with his hands clapped over his ears. Parsley paused for a moment, trying to understand what he meant. Nope. Wasn’t clicking. “What?” “I’m-… I-I’m not your boy,” He choked out, tears streaming down his red cheeks. He must’ve seen the confusion and hurt written all over Parsley’s face even in the dark, because he clarified, “I’m- yours. But I’m not your-… b-boy.” It took a moment, then the realization spread on Parsley’s face. “Oh,” He breathed. “Ohh.” He looked over at his s- daughter- and saw the terrified posture and expression. What did I do to make her think she couldn’t tell me this? “Well, I always wanted a daughter. I guess I didn’t realize I already had one. Wait, are you a girl? Or a… the- other one?” “Uh-… Yeah, a-a girl.” “Okay. That’s fine.” They were silent for a long while, until Abbot carefully lifted her head and risked a glance at Parsley. He just gave her a soft smile and lifted his arm in an invitation. She slowly unfurled and, instead of leaning in, completely climbed into his lap, tucking herself into his chest. “Canopy?” She requested quietly. He overcame his momentary shock and slowly pulled his wings around to cover the two of them in a cocoon of feathers and warmth. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. You’re safe. You’re so safe and so wonderful, my sweet girl,” he whispered as he pulled her tighter against his body. The comfort and the affirmation got to Abbot, and she sniffled into the groomed feather fluff of Parsley’s neck. They sat like that- the last time being when she was ten- in the darkness, warm together, for a few minutes. Parsley thought and thought, and thought some more. He finally let out a decisive sigh from his nose, and he felt Abbot tense up. “Don’t worry, honey, it’s alright. It’s just- we have a lot of things we need to sort out.” He felt her nod against his neck. “I’m sure you don’t want me calling you Abbot anymore-“ she took in a sharp breath at the name “-so what do you want me to call you?” She was quiet for a moment, rubbing her still-shaky fingers over Parsley’s shoulders as she thought. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “I’ve always liked ‘Abbot’ but it wasn’t meant for me.” “Well… How about something similar?” A few beats of silence and some shifting.
“What about… A-Allis?” She mumbled hesitantly. “Allis.” The name felt warm on his tongue, familiar even though it was his first time saying it. “I like that. Allis.” They sat in companionable silence for a while, then Parsley spoke up again. “Can we talk about why you weren’t eating?” Allis shifted uncomfortably, clinging onto Parsley a bit more. “I didn’t want to eat with you guys. I didn’t want to hear you call me the wrong things and hate you for it. I-I love you. I don’t want to despise being near you all because I c-can’t even tell you to call me something differ-erent,” She explained, her voice breaking and hitching. Parsley carefully calmed her down, and she stilled again. “What about not eating at lunch today?” “Everything looked disgusting.” This made Parsley laugh, which made Allis comfortable enough to let out a tearful chuckle. “I’ve eaten, though. I eat when you guys are done eating. And I had a snack bar in my bag that I had instead of lunch. I don’t like being hungry, so I don’t think I’d ever purposefully avoid food. Though, I guess I’d be more likely to pass up on eating than Paige.” The joke made them both giggle. “Allis, there is something else we have to talk about, though.” She failed to hide the slight smile that grew on her face at hearing Parsley use the new name, but she instantly tensed at the warning. “Nothing big, it’s okay. Well, I guess it’s big. We have to tell your brothers sometime, you know? Unless you don’t want to, of course. But I’m assuming you do?” She nodded. “It doesn’t have to be now, or even anytime soon. You don’t even have to do it- I could instead. But I feel like they would want to know, don’t you?” She nodded. “Next time you see them, could you tell them? E-Even if I’m not there?” She asked tentatively. Parsley made sure that this was what she wanted, and she nodded. They then sat in silence, letting the dark wash over them comfortingly. Allis soon fell asleep in her father’s arms, and he let his tired wings fall away. A little while later, the boys knocked on the bedroom door, no doubt wondering why Parsley had been in there for so long. He whispered to them to come in. The kids stumbled inside and their eyes immediately locked onto their sleeping sibling. They met their father’s eyes with a pleading look, and he nodded. Dër and Paige scampered over as quietly as they could and nestled up against the two. “Is he alright?” Dër whimpered. “He looks like he was crying,” Paige worried. “Your sibling will be alright,” Parsley assured them, pulling them close to snuggle in their makeshift nest of blankets the kids pulled from the bed and feathers that occasionally shed from Parsley’s old brown wings. “This one right here,” Parsley patted Allis, “Wants me to tell you guys something. Stop wiggling and get comfy. Now, this is important-…” The boys were introduced to many confusing ideas that night.
