The Age of The Masrui

“Nothing to forgive himself for, that’s the most heartbreaking part.”

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Rhys nodded, taking the card before pulling Reid into a hug. “Thanks...”

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“You should bring out a cookbook, help other adoptive parents who take in a vegetarian who throws meat off the table.” Karsi laughed.

"They are really good as well, twenty four hour access; someone always picks up the phone and if they can't see you then and there they will talk to you for hours." Reid hummed, slowly lifting his arms up to hug him back as he added so quietly only Rhys would be able to hear; "Don't hold it against my brother, he is a dick when other people feel down because he feels it a lot himself, he can't deal with his so he can't deal with anyone elses. When I was going through it though, your mother was my life line - confide in her, and your fiance. It's okay to not be okay, you've gone through so much."

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Ronan nodded in agreement. "It's so difficult."

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Tesni laughed quietly at that, whispering, "You should go back out there and enjoy your brothers wedding, mom. You like these kind of things, enjoy it before the building collapses or something like the last party I went to."

((Brb half an hour- hour or so, usual Sunday big clean :joy: if I don’t put my phone down it just won’t get done))

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“Are we okay? Or... are we going to be okay?” Karsi asked as she looked at her, brows furrowed. “No more moving out and leaving us all behind? You’re family. You’re my daughter... our daughter.”

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“I feel like preventative therapy is the best option for Esme and Eric... Rhys stopped going to his when he hit sixteen and he’s spiralled since. Esme has a lot to say with my dad and yeah... I think we need to look into it all.”

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“Thanks uncle Reid.” Rhys held him tighter, sniffling as he tried to pull himself together

"I still want my own place as soon as I can get it, that isn't anything to do with us; it's just something I want. I want to be able to look out for myself, have the space... everything that it comes with." Tesni whispered, though added quietly; "We're fine."

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"Lets not discuss this right now, we're at a wedding where it is supposed to be all sunshine and flowers not therapists and misery talk. I'd rather not face the reality that our kids are doomed to being miserable because we're always going to fail in one way or another, it is depressing and just inappropriate for the setting."

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"There isn't any need to thank me." He hummed, stepping back from the hug then.

Cleo reached forward the first opportunity she got to take a gentle hold of Rhys arm, stepping forward to touch her forehead to the side of his head affectionately.

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After about an hour, Marlowe let herself into the house by herself. Dropping car keys into the bowl near the front door and headed straight into the livingroom to drop back onto the sofa tiredly.

(( Have fun! ))

“Okay... come and dance with me then?”

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“I love you.” Karsi whispered, hugging her tightly for another brief minute before heading out, not wanting to push her further.

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Rhys swallowed thickly before carrying on walking, though aimed for home this time.

“Poor kid.” Astrid frowned, taking Reid’s hand.

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Maddox turned the tv off when she walked in, looking over at her quietly.

Ronan nodded, getting to his feet and offering her a hand up. "It would be a crime for us not to have a quiet moment just for us too, in ode to our favourite meeting place before we finally got to be with each other." He chuckled.

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Louis was still leant against the bar, nursing a drink. When he spotted Karsi come through the crowd, he picked one up for her and held it out ready.

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"He'll be okay. We were, if we can get through what we went through then anyone can get through anything; especially someone like Rhys who has so many people to support him."

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Cleo kept a hold of Rhys' arm as she walked alongside him.

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"Turning the television off," Marlowe observed quietly, reaching her hand out towards him. "That always means you're expected a serious talk, right? So... who is going to start it off?"

“All these years later still feels weird not sneaking around with you at these events.” Bella laughed in amusement as she took his hand and went to the dance floor with him. “Feels even weirder knowing Dane is here somewhere sneaking around with your sister - despite the fact he doesn’t have to anymore.”

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“Thank you.” Karsi hummed as she took the drink, sipping at it before leaning over to kiss his cheek.

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“I’m proud of us, of you, for getting through it.”

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“I imagined you’d want to talk after meeting your dad again?”

"Maybe a big part of what they were enjoying with each other was the thrill of it all; the secrecy - the fact no one was supposed to know." Ronan laughed, leaning down to press his lips to the crook of her neck. "That is part of what we enjoyed so much, wasn't it? It adds just a little bit of something to everything."

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"How did it go?"

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"You had a lot more to battle then I ever did, you had bigger mountains to overcome - you've done amazing, Astrid."

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"It's all just a bit strange, isn't it?"

“I couldn’t have done it without you fighting my corner.”

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“She still wants to move out, and I think she still needs space but... I think we’re okay.” Karsi nodded as she leaned into him.

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“Very... what did he have to say?”

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“As much as I loved it back then, I do love it more now that I don’t have to hide you.” Bella hummed.

Reid turned his head to the side so that he could lean down and place a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "It hurt so much to hear you think of yourself that way, it hurt so much that I had to fight so hard just to be able to spend one hour a week with you. It was a really difficult time, for both of us."

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"Good," Louis sighed in relief. "One down, two more to go and then everything is going to be mended again. It can go back to how it was before, only with a very irritating grandfather figure in the kids lives."

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"Now we just have to find ways to create our own adrenaline rush."

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"We didn't talk about much in the end. None of the uh.. none of the things we really should of spoken about; so nothing about that day, not much more about the years after other than what you had heard and not anything about the Marsui. We just.. kept it light and he was exactly who he was before whatever broke him that day." Marlowe whispered, offering Maddox a sad smile. "It was amazing,"

Karsi nodded, finishing her drink and taking his hand over the bar. “Do you think we should invite the Lang - my siblings over for dinner?”

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“You think the excitement has gone?”

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“Nobody will ever do that to us again.” Astrid promised, closing her eyes at his touch. “Never. We won’t allow it. We won’t ever have to fight like that again.”

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“Have you arranged anything further with him?”

Louis frowned, lowering his gaze to watch their hands as he ran his thumb over her knuckles. "If you do that then they may believe you want to discuss with them the whole 'family' aspect. Do you think you are ready to make decisions like that, or to have that kind of conversation?"

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"Not all of it, an aspect of it though, yes."

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Reid nodded, slipping his arms around her waist and hugging her tightly.

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"Tomorrow, he wanted to show me his apartment so I told him I would go there during that spare half hour." Marlowe whispered, "How are you feeling about it? What do you think of him - first impressions."

“Can’t bury my head in the sand forever. I want no part in their business, silent or otherwise... I know that for sure. But... Ronan keeps trying and - I’m doing to him what Tesni was doing to us and it stings. Least I can do is hear him out mm?”

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“Right.” Bella nodded, expression falling. “Is it something I’m not doing anymore? I try...”

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“I’m wary of him... almost too good to be true that he’s all happy and willing. You know what I mean?”

"If you're ready," Louis nodded.

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"No, no it isn't that. We just don't have to sneak around anymore, the vultures have lost interest in us too. I suppose I'm just feeling like we are getting old, hm?"

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"Yeah, yeah it's scary." Marlowe nodded. "That's why I don't want him near the kids for awhile, not until I can work out if there are ulterior motives."

“As I’ll ever be.”

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“If you want to give people something to look at then there’s a room upstairs with windows that face out into the street where the cameras are all waiting.” Bella chuckled, teasing as she rubbed her nose against his.

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“Did he mention Dorian?”

"Okay then. We'll organise a lunch with all three of them."

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Ronan just laughed quietly, leaning in to kiss her deeply.

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"Nothing at all, not even a peep; even when I brought him up, or I spoke about things that involved him too it is like he blanked out his existence." Marlowe frowned. "That is bad, isn't it?"

Bella kissed him back, snaking an arm around the back of his neck.

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“Thank you... for being so supportive.”

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“Maybe it’s guilt?”

"I have no reason not to be,"

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"Maybe. I've decided I'm just not going to push him on any of that, it'll all come up when the time is right, won't it? I'm all for enjoying the moments of escapism when I can too, you know that. This is idyllic escapism." Marlowe whispered, "He said he liked you anyway, he thinks we look good together."

“Tick that off the list of things i thought I’d never get.” Maddox laughed.

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“Just let me thank you, stop acting modest.” Karsi elbowed him playfully

"It isn't modesty when I haven't gone out of my way to do anything, you've put up with a lot recently with my father being around and you have been supportive too. It is just something we do, right?"

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Marlowe smiled at his laugh, shifting her weight so she could sit on his lap; legs wrapping around his waist as she touched her forehead to his. "It's been a good day. Cal never spoke to us but he was there, my father wasn't a pyscho, Theo is home. There has been lots of laughter. It's been a while since things have looked this bright."

“I’m glad I have you.”

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“We got an invite which in itself wasn’t something I was expecting. Karsi didn’t throttle me either though judging my the looks I got from Ronan somethings obviously been said...” Maddox shrugged. “No casualties, certainly a feat for our family. The nanny said Faye and Christian went down fine.”

"A good day," Marlowe concluded, before humming lowly as she walked her fingers up his chest to loosen his tie; "All we need now is the icing on the cake, my dress is terribly tight - I think you are going to have to help me out of it."

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"And I'm glad I have you,"

“I think... I think we’ll be alright, you know, with everything? I think it’ll be okay...”

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Maddox nodded, hands going to the back of her dress to unzip.

"We have gotten over the worst of it. I didn't think we would this time, makes me terrible, doesn't it?"

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Marlowe leant forward to press her body against his, pressing her lips against his neck; using her teeth to nip gently.

"We have gotten over the worst of it. I didn't think we would this time, makes me terrible, doesn't it?"

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Marlowe leant forward to press her body against his, pressing her lips against his neck; using her teeth to nip gently.