The Glass Scientists micro-fanfictions

Fireplace Stories

The rain came fast and heavy upon the roof, pounding out a rhythm of dangerousness and intrigue in its intensity. It seemed the perfect weather to be out splashing in puddles and getting soaked right now to the bone in a wonderfully chilly soaking. So why, by god, was he trapped inside?
He'd barely gotten three steps out the door before he'd been snatched unfairly up, dragged against his will back inside, a prisoner in a cruel and unjust purgatory.

But, sitting there in front of a roaring fire, a cup of warm cocoa, adorned with a near excessive and even comical amount of marshmallows, clamped in his hands, and a blanket draped tenderly about his shoulders, well, Edward was at peace with the moment.

"There I was!" he declared out to his audience of Rachel and Jasper - who had decided to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't sneak outside into the rain - as he gestured wildly with a hand he freed up solely for wild gesturing purposes, "A knife at my throat, positively surrounded by drunk sailors out of my blood, for some silly reason or another!"

"Gosh!" exclaimed Jasper, following a glance from Rachel that suggested, as subtly as she could, that he really ought to entertain whatever wild claim was made even if it was doubtfully true.

"Aha!" Hyde declared, enthused by this touch of validation, "Fear not, my dear wolf pup! Not a blade pierced my flesh this night! 'My good fellow!' said I, said I, 'Your target is not I, but the villainous cur who had yet to look this way, out of guilt no doubt!' Then, when his attention left me, do you know what I did?"

"No, what did you do when his attention left you?" Rachel asked, stifling a laugh when Edward brought the mug from his lips, revealing a moustache of cocoa foam, making him appear even less dangerous than he ever was.

"I ducked away, and swung wide, striking as many unsuspecting people as I could!" His laughter was far from threatening, coming as closer to a childish giggle than the laugh of a madman, "And in the following brawl, I ducked out the closest window and vanished off into the night, leaving nothing but the memory of a daemon born of the darkness night can bring!"

If he wanted to appear a might and devious imp of darkness and deception, this had vanished wholly when he plucked out a marshmallow from his cup, unceremoniously tossed it into his mouth and declared, mere seconds later, "Too hot! Too hot!" as he fanned at his mouth, eyes wide and alarmed.

"Very, uh, fearsome Mr. Hyde."

"Quite so, Jasper my man!" he declared, assuming this to be spoken in earnest, "I instil a deep rooted fear in those who are my enemies, and delight to those I decided to like!"

"Sure you do," Rachel stated, something in her voice giving the impression of a sympathetic path on the knee without her having to reach over and do anything physical, "Sure you do."

"Sure I do!" he echoed with none of the sarcasm that had followed her words.