Chapter 365: Gifts are meant to be from the heart
"What sweet children we created. Alright, we’ll open Kellen’s first, and then yours. Alright Gwen?" Gwen nodded willingly, listening to her Mom as they both turned their focus to the brown paper bag.
It wasn’t big. It was quite small, actually, and Kellen shifted nervously. It was something he already had, so he didn’t need to leave the Guild, but he was worried what they would think that he had given them it.
The shock was their faces as they stared into the bag, before Kellen’s Mom reached in and pulled out a gun. A specific gun. The same gun Kellen had been carrying around, and had shot the shooter with. Kellen swallowed when she turned her purple gaze towards her son.
"Why-"
"It’s enchanted, made with monster parts, so it should work with your powers even if you don’t put it in the briefcase. Has a scope, an invisible one. If you point it somewhere, it has a 95% chance of hitting. It’s the first gun I bought with my own money. It can’t take any bullet, but anything smaller than a shotgun shell should fit. I’ve even used pebbles once in desperation, but wouldn’t recommend it. I got a lecture for that one." Kellen’s lips turned up slightly, before his face fell again. "Just, you know, in case." Kellen muttered.
Kellen’s Mom swallowed, before she slid her gaze to Rhys, Sakura, and then Gwen. She finished by looking at her husband, who nodded. Kellen found himself enfolded in his Mom’s arms, her thin, but powerful arms squeezing him tightly.
"My sweet boy." She whispered, her grip tight, knowing that Kellen could take it. "You didn’t need to give us such a precious gift. Isn’t this important to you?" She asked and Kellen nodded.
"So come back with it." Kellen replied, his voice tight. The room grew tense as Kellen held his Mom, the parent he was a mirror of, and heard her inhale. She held it, held him, for a long, quiet moment before she exhaled and squeezed him tighter.
"Okay. Alright. I’ll-We’ll bring it back." Kellen nodded, his throat closing shut so he wasn’t able to speak. His breathing was a little shaky. He hadn’t been like this before, but then again, their deaths hadn’t been so real before. He hadn’t worried that they would go away and then never come back before.
Until he’d seen his Dad go down.
His Mom went to put the gun back into the bag when Kellen cleared his throat. Or, tried to.