Your Voice

Chapter 19

Thank you guys so much for 1.4k reads! This chapter might be a bit weird but whatever; it's fanfiction! Enjoy!

Christine

"Say ahhh," forming my mouth into an O, I direct the spoon to Melody's mouth.

"Gustave, why aren't you eating?" Erik points the the plate of untouched spaghetti.

"I- I'm not very hungry..." he mumbles almost inaudibly, his head hung low. His dark hair is tousled and unkept, and he has grown so much taller and thinner.

"What's wrong Gustave?" Gently, I touch his hand.

"Nothing," he forces a smile.

"Gustave Destler. I am your mother. I know when something's wrong. Don't be afraid to tell me and your father." I reassure him. I knew this time would come - when Gustave would be starting adolescence and I would have to bear with the moodiness and problems of my teenage boy.

"Well, it st-"

"Speak up, we can't hear you if you're mumbling." Says Erik.

"It sta-" Gustave's voice cracks and Erik sharply turns to me, his face as white as a marshmallow. I can't help but smile a little - his unsteadiness in parenting is kind of adorable. His eyes flying open with worry, Gustave madly gestures to his throat.

"I see the problem." I say as calmly as possible; I am slightly panic-stricken at my ignorance of giving 'The Talk', as Meg once called it. Our whole dance group was forced to go through 'The Talk' by Madame Giry, and that resulted in half the girls being absolutely horrified by any mention of reproduction. "We'll have a chat soon. First, finish your dinner." I pick up my plate and Erik's. He follows me to the sink.

"What is a father supposed to do at this point in his child's life?" He asks in a low voice.

"Well, erm... have you ever gotten 'The Talk'?" I talk to him as I scrub the dishes.

"What's that?"

"It's basically when we explain how babies are really made," I say, his face turns cherry-red and I kiss him on the nose, chuckling. "It's alright, Erik, we'll do it together this time - I'm not so sure how to do it myself."

"So are we going to tell him about that night?" I immediately see the old lair again, the sketches of me plastered across the walls, and the swan bed. A rush of bliss runs through me for a moment, recalling the joy I felt when I found him. And then there it was. The familiar memory of waking up to an empty bed, my body aching all over, but what hurt most of all was my heart; it was as if Erik ripped it out of me in my sleep and took it with him. I don't notice that I'm digging my nails into my palms until Erik pries them apart - my hand is bleeding slightly.

"No, no, Erik. I- I still can't bear to think of it when it always reminds me of the next morning." Swaying, I have to steady myself against him.

"Okay," he whispers and tenderly, he pulls me into him, locking his soft lips with mine. His touch dulls the pain. "Okay."

***

I come down the steps after putting Melody to bed. The two boys sit in armchairs facing each other, Erik awkwardly gazing into the distance. Drawing in a breath, I take a seat next to Erik, who turns and shoots a confused look at me.

"Now, Gustave..." I begin, carefully planning out the words as best as I can. "What do you know about how babies are made? Do you know where they come from?" I glance over at Erik, who has sweat running down his cheeks which are blushing so hard they might explode. "Be mature about this," I lean in and mutter in his ear.