Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The days at the Silver home all looked alike. Don was always the first to get up, wash up, drink a cup of coffee in total tranquility, before his day was declined by the two tornadoes that were his boys.
"Kevin! Sean!" The man shouted at the top of his lungs, breakfast dishes in his hand. "If you don't come down in five minutes I'll throw everything in the garbage can!" Don was well aware that threats were empty with those two, but it cost nothing to try. 
"We're coming!" Kevin came running down, his brother right behind him. "Sean couldn't find the math homework, I told him to tell the teacher our dog ate it, but he won't!" 
"Sure, because we don't have a dog!" Sean leapt forward, brandishing a fork sticking it into the stack of pancakes. 
"She doesn't know that!" Kevin turned to his father, "tell him dad! It would be so much easier that way!" 
Don lowered a corner of the local newspaper and looked straight at his son; "We don't lie in this house, young man. Sean," The eldest raised his head, his mouth full of food, "you've done your homework, haven't you?" The boy nodded vigorously, almost choking. 

Don lowered a corner of the local newspaper and looked straight into his son's eyes; "We don't lie in this house, young man. Sean," the eldest raised his head, mouth full of food, "you've done your homework, right?" The boy nodded vigorously, almost choking.
"Of course! I'm not a liar, like Kevin!" 
"Hey!" The younger snapped forward, pinching his brother's arm, who responded by shoving him. 
"Okay enough, I didn't raise two monkeys." Don stood up, smiling at the antics two of his sons, pouring them juice. "I'll write to your teacher and explain how it went, but next time I want your homework on the kitchen table," he drummed his fingers on the hardwood, "so it doesn't get lost in that pigsty you call a room." 
They both nodded, too busy eating, when a noise upstairs made them leap. 

They both nodded, too busy eating, when a noise upstairs startled them.
Don sighed, picking up his plate and carrying it to the sink, "come on guys, we're going to be late if we don't hurry." 
Sean stood up, handing the plate to his father, a frown painted on his youthful face; "hasn't he come out yet?" His father dissented, looking up the stairs.
"He's been in there for two weeks!" Shouted Kevin, from the table, almost lying down to get the last pancake. He raised his other hand as well, trying hard not to stand on the chair, but hell, it was hard! He huffed, sitting back composed, and finishing his juice, he would eat the pancake at snack time when he returned. 

"I know, don't worry, I have all under control." He pushed them toward the living room, urging them to put on their shoes. 
"You said that about my turtle, too, and now he doesn't even live here anymore!" Kevin sentenced, leaning over his red shoes, the blue laces hanging too long. 
"I said I was sorry, I just turned around for a second, what kind of turtle wanders down the driveway so fast?" Don laid the brothers' lunch on the table and then adjusted the laces on both of them. 
"Lightning McQueen, that's the one! He was the fastest turtle in the county!" Kevin smiled at his father, his blond hair flapping in all directions. 
"We'll be late if we don't hurry, I can't miss practice!" Kevin, who was already outside the door tried to open the car, almost disassembling the door. 
"We're coming!" Don handed the backpack to the junior, "I opened the car, I'm going upstairs for a minute, don't beat yourselves up, please." Sean nodded and got out, the backpack clutched in his hand.  

Don's shoulders fell for a second. He looked up at the top floor, approached the fridge and took out a plate of pancakes with bananas, put cream and a fork on it. He took a cup and filled it with black coffee. He went up the stairs slowly and stopped in front of the second door on the right. 
“I made the pancakes, I’ll leave them outside for you.” Don rested the plate and cup on the cupboard, next to the door. 
“You know, you can go out if you want. The kids miss you, even though you’ve been here just over three weeks.” He scratched his foot, “and I miss you a bit too, to be honest, you know, your tricks make us laugh.” 
He heard a soft sound on the other side of the door, which remained closed. 
“Take all the time you need, we’ll be waiting for you outside.” He raised his hand, as if to knock, when the sound of the horn broke the atmosphere. 
“DAD! KEVIN TOLD ME I WAS ADOPTED!” 
“BECAUSE YOU ARE!” 
“Someone give me strength.” He ran down the stairs, took the keys and locked the door. 
“You’re unbelievable, I’ll leave you alone for five minutes...” He muttered, turning the key into the dashboard, and rattling the engine. 
“Did you take everything?” They both nodded, “Do you think he’ll come out today?” Kevin leaned over the seat, trying to look at his father's gaze, his mustache was a pale blonde, as was his hair, though by now it tended to be grey.

“I don’t think so, buddy, we have to give him some time, he’s always been a bit... delicate...” He squeezed his grip on the steering wheel, not really wanting to talk about it 
“Ah, like Sean then, weakling.” He laughed when Sean punched him in the arm, “That looks weak to you?” 
“Yes, a lady pulls harder fists!” 
“Guys!” Don stopped the argument in the first place, stopping the car at the traffic light.
“I don’t want either of them to say any of this when they come out of that room, you know? He’s family and we’re not going to be recognized, are we?” 
“Right.” 
“Right...” 
The car was silent for a few seconds before the brothers started arguing again. 
Don parked the car and got out, opening the door for the two boys.
“All right! We're here, have a good day, guys! And Sean don’t set fire to anything, please!” 
“It will be done! Bye, Dad!”
“Bye!” They both ran to the entrance, greeting their friends. 
Don got back in the car, leaned on the wheel and sighed, took a few deep breaths and started the car, he couldn’t be late even today. 

“Goodbye!” Don threw his arms towards the exit, greeting the client, who, embarrassed, came out with his head bowed. 
“And even today. We. Did. Our. Best.” Dale looked at him, a look of pure amusement on his face. “Autumn is coming, no one will buy jet skis for autumn.” 
Don leaned against the counter, took a doughnut and bit it. 
“Hey! Those are only for customers!” Dale tried to get it out of his hands, Don jumped back and took his hand out of the boy's trajectory; “Come on, I’ve earned it!” He took another bite. “The weather forecasted a lot of snow for this year, hopefully it’s true, hey...” He smiled raising his arms, “we could sell snowbikes too! That would be a big step forward! A bike for every season.” He smiled and looked at the clock. 
“It’s time for me to go.” He reached out and grabbed two more doughnuts, leaving behind a bewildered Dale, “They are for the trip!” Don smiled, putting them in his backpack and walking out the door. 
“Happy weekend Dale, I will enjoy my two days of well-deserved vacation.” Dale greeted him without even looking up from his computer.

As he headed towards the parking lot, a cold breeze suddenly rose, making him shudder. He put his backpack on the ground and rummaged through his pockets, looking for a pair of keys. Paperwork, receipts, candy, a lighter, change, but no trace of the keys. 
“Oh come on... I just said goodbye it would be embarrassing to go back inside...” He mumbled, touching his pants. 
Another gust of wind arose, causing the leaves scattered on the ground to swing.
“-ius...”
Don turned around in a flash, eyes wide open probing the lonely parking lot. 
“What the hell...” He bent over to get his backpack, but something caught his attention; a small green vine was detached from the right mirror of his yellow van, vibrant in kaleidoscopic colours, brittle and striped. 
“Oh...” With a curious look and an open mouth, he stretched out a trembling hand, tried to touch it, to see what it was all about, but in an instant he disappeared. He turned around, trying to figure out if he had moved or if he had just vanished into thin air. 
“-bius!”

The whip blow was unavoidable, someone had just touched his shoulder, grabbed, squeezed, pulled. 

The air became sparkling, in an instant it became dark, the sun completely covered, and a tall figure stood up behind him, just before his eyes, the reflection of someone approaching was a dirty and fuzzy reflection on the window. 
Don touched his pockets, all of them, the 32 “father” pockets he had, the anxiety clutching his chest and the rising wind. 
“-obius..!” 

The strong wind caused the rubber man to turn, and he moved furiously, waving his long arms and his red tufts.

Don looked up, the blurred figure behind him, with long horns and an imposing cloak, did not move.
He touched the pocket of his vest, his hands trembling and sweaty, then his fingers touched something, maybe the keys, maybe the keys, maybe the house keys, or the shop keys or those... The door opened, a hand grabbed his left arm, Don plunged in, the rancid breath in his lungs, the empty gaze, someone screamed something, turned around and nothing happened. 
He breathed deeply, his eyes closed, tight, sealed, and blindly picked up the phone. He dialed the number, the bile rising in his throat, with sweaty fingers called. 

“Hi?” A hoarse voice answered from the other side, and squeezed the man’s mouth.
“I think someone knows where you are.” Don slipped the keys into the dashboard and the engine turned on, in a second he was on the road, his cold, tight fingers split between the steering wheel and the phone; “It’s no secret that I’m here, Don.” 
“Someone just called me by your name, sorry if I got a little scared...” 
The silence on the other side was deafening, Don pushed the accelerator, faster. 
“Do you think he’s back?” Don’s voice was the only sound that filled the silence, he put a hand over his face, letting go of the steering wheel for a few seconds, passing through the red light, someone rang him, but he barely heard him. 
“I...I don’t know...” The trembling voice squeezed the heart into the man’s chest. 
“Okay, we’ll fix it, don’t worry, are the guys back?” 
“Not yet, no.” 
“Good.” Don hung up and in a few maneuvers parked in the driveway, turned off the engine, jumped out of the van and with great strides came to the front door of the house, the door opened wide and time stopped for a second.

Don looked at the other man, long hair and a sweatshirt that fell soft to his waist, black and purple sweatpants. 
“We need to talk, Mobius.”