Work Text:
The first postcard Steven received showed a picture of The Leaning Tower of Pisa on a sunny day, with ‘WISH YOU WERE HERE’ in a bold font in the top left.
Steven,
WOW - what a trip! They don’t call it the leaning tower for nothing! Wishing you were here my son, I love you!
Love, mum xx
Steven had pinned it on Gus’s tank. It helped brighten that part of the flat up, alongside making Gus look well-travelled. Steven was giddy when it was in his pile of mail. He rarely got post, with the flat being his mum’s he got no letters relating to bills.
The second postcard had arrived two and a half months after the first. Steven almost jumped for joy when he saw that oh-so-familiar handwriting on the bit of card. He traced his fingers over The Golden Gate Bridge before clutching the postcard to his chest. It cheered him up significantly after spending his entire day being screamed at by Donna.
Stevie,
Just a quick trip this time. Work has me all over the place! I just wanted to write that I am very proud of you and I miss you! Stay you!!
Love, Mum xx
Postcards started to litter the edge of Gus’s tank at a rapid rate. Soon, the tank was full of them. Steven would always smile at them when he woke up, and always looked at them when phoning his mum.
-
A picture of Madrid.
Love, Mum xx
“I got your postcard. I’m putting it up on Gus’s tank now. It’s very nice.”
-
Steven looked out the window of his flat, watching as the latest of many storms welcomed London with darkness, wind and rain. He was gripping onto a cup of tea, the steam blowing into his face. Marc had gone to rest an hour prior, leaving Steven alone. Layla was meant to be visiting, however the storm had led to her flight from Ciaro being delayed.
He hadn’t felt the wave of loneliness that he was currently feeling in quite some time. Before he knew about Marc. He didn’t want to disturb Marc’s rest, he deserved it. Steven reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out. Muscle memory had him mindlessly holding the phone up to his ear when a clap of thunder snapped him out of it.
“Oh.” Steven stared at his phone screen. He wasn’t even on the phone app. There wasn’t a number to call. “There never was.” He whispered. He clutched the phone to his chest, feeling tears start to well up. “There never was.” He repeated again through gritted teeth, and he let out a cry of frustration as he threw the phone on his desk.
Steven jumped up out the chair, the cup of tea crashing onto the ground. The sound of the mug shattering triggered something in the system’s mind, and he felt memories of his mum seeping over.
“You can’t do anything right, can you?! You can’t even make a cup of tea right. Useless. You’re a waste of space, aren’t you? Well, answer me - it’s a very simple yes or no question.”
Steven gasped as he recalled the eyes, empty of love, staring through him. He remembered that morning very differently - his mum had shown him how to make a cup of tea, he dropped it but it ended in giggling and hugs. Not the verbal berating.
“No.” Steven felt his breathing get faster, and he started to clutch at his chest even more. He threw his jumper off before pacing around the flat, trying to calm down. His usual grounding methods were not working. Steven froze in front of Gus the II’s tank.
He found the postcard of The Leaning Tower of Pisa in his hands. The first ever postcard Steven had received. He held it up before scrunching it in his hands. “It was all a lie.” He threw it to the ground, and watched it fall. “It was all a lie!” Steven turned, ripping every single postcard off the tank onto the floor.
Steven’s knees buckled underneath him, and he found himself surrounded by the little pieces of lies. The tears were continuing to fall, and breathing got harder. The postcards were staring back at the shaking man.
Love mum xx
They just kept staring.
Love mum Love mum Love mum
They wouldn’t stop staring.
Love
Love
Love
Love
Love
Love
Love
Love
Steven felt his breathing come to a halt when he heard a tear sound. He looked down to find himself holding two halves of The Leaning Tower of Pisa. “No.” Steven gasped, looking down at the postcard. He started to cry out of pure grief and hurt, sobbing over the life he never had. “I’m sorry.” Steven whispered to himself and the postcard. He felt his arms tense up as sobs continued to rack through his body.
-
Jake’s knees hurt. In fact, his everything hurt. He blinked quickly as he held onto the ground, trying to take in his surroundings alongside calm his heart, which felt close to beating out his chest.
It didn’t take long for him to get a quick idea of what had happened. “Hermano…” Jake whispered. He started to pick up each of the postcards, piling them neatly on the desk near the fish tank. “Hola, amigo.” Jake smiled at the fish. Although he knew he was hidden away from Marc and Steven, that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate their lives - as much as he craved to be part of it.
“Jake Lockley.” Jake turned around to find Khonshu standing behind him. “We must go now!”
“No.” Jake looked at Khonshu, before turning back to face the desk with the pile of postcards. “Not tonight. I need to do something important. I am protecting my travellers of the night.”
“Very well. Just this once, Jake Lockley.”
With a gush of wind, Khonshu vanished. Jake then got to work. He swept up the smashed mug, wiped away the split tea, and ensured Steven’s phone wasn’t damaged. After that, Jake threw his jeans and t-shirt off, leaving him in boxers.
Jake fed Gus the II some food and grabbed a glass of cold water before heading toward the bed. He climbed in, staring at the glass of water on the bedside unit. Sleep was never Jake’s forte, usually letting Steven take the wheel - however he had hidden himself for the night. Jake closed his eyes and tried to let sleep take him.
-
Marc opened his eyes and heard his phone vibrating. He stretched and got up, seeing it was a call from Layla. “Hi Layla.”
“Hi! I’ve just landed at London. I’ll be at your place soon.” Layla spoke through the phone. Marc looked out the windows and saw the sun starting to shine through clouds. He smiled, finishing up on the phone before looking at the flat. He got himself ready and made sure to clean up any loose items in the flat.
As he was cleaning, he stopped at the desk. He stared at the image of The Leaning Tower of Pisa. His breath was shaky as he picked up the pile of postcards, looking at them for a brief second before throwing them at the bottom of the desk drawer.
-
The next postcard to find its place on Gus the II’s tank was a picture of the pyramids.
Marc, Steven, and Jake!
My trip is going well. We managed to securely move the piece to its rightful owners. I also stopped by my favourite snack place. I’ll need to show you it sometime. I think they have a vegan option for you, Steven! And yes, Jake, you can ride my motorbike when we go. There’s a cute restaurant I’ll take you to Marc. Remember what we had on our first date? Think that, but even more delicious.
I miss you boys. I’ll be home soon. I promise.
Love, Layla xxx
PS:
Marc - yes, I’ll pick you up one of the ridiculous dad caps you like
Steven - I found an Egyptian hieroglyphic book I don’t think you have, I’ll bring it home with me
Jake - yes, I’ll get you off-duty cigarettes