(no subject)

[dreamkid]

WHO: Matthew Lynch and YOU possibly
WHERE: De Chima, primarily in raven camp aka The Meadows
WHEN: Throughout the Road Not Taken plot
WHAT: Matthew being a wee child
WARNINGS: Child endangerment maybe??? Not sure yet. Possibly extremely vague hints of child death.


I. FIRST MORNING, THE MEADOWS
[ When Billy's spell hits, it replaces Matthew with a version of himself who has been asleep and unchanging for close to nine years.

He does not know this, only that when he stirs and opens his eyes, everything around him is very strange. The bed is wide and tall, made for a wider and taller boy than himself, and he has to completely roll over just to get to the edge where he can slide out and onto the floor. He's wearing a set of pajamas he doesn't remember, soft cotton, freshly laundered. Despite his long slumber, his curls are neatly brushed. Maintained.

Nine years motionless and someone still loves this boy.

At first, he's quite anxious, and then he notices something on the desk. Two jars, both filled with light. One is rather dim now but the other is much brighter, and they make him feel a bit better, for some reason. (Because they look like something his dad might bring home from one of his trips, is why, but Matthew doesn't realize that's the reason.)

Still, he picks up the brighter one in his hands and holds it to his chest as he leaves the room, wide-eyed and lost, but unable to even imagine that he might be alone in this unfamiliar place, that his family would leave him here. ]

Mom?

[ He's following his nose to the kitchen. ]

Dad? Declan?

[ He doesn't call for Ronan. Ronan is-- Something happened to Ronan. He probably isn't here yet. ]



II. CLOSED TO BILLY KAPLAN
[ There's a boy under Gansey's bed. There's a boy under Gansey's bed and he's around Matthew's age, and Matthew is very curious about him, so during a moment when the area is all clear of grown-ups--read: teenagers, and Noah, who is an adult though hardly grown up--Matthew quietly sneaks in and stretches out on the floor, lying on his stomach, resting the curve of one cheek on his pudgy, folded arms.

He looks at Billy, his eyes round and blue and utterly non-threatening. ]

Hey. Why are you hiding under there?



III. GENERAL ROAMING AROUND THE MEADOWS
[ So--

So he doesn't really know people here. It's a big change from the life he's used to, being surrounded by the warmth and fierce love of his family in their safe, sheltered home. He's less accustomed to strangers than the teenage version of himself.

But he's also still Matthew. He's still made for light and laughter and playtime, so it's not an impossible thing to win him over, by any stretch. It's also not difficult for him to be at home in the house itself, full of dream things as it is, and at times he's just like a travel-sized version of the regular Matthew. Stuffing his face in the kitchen, following the ducks in circles around the pond, falling asleep in strange places (don't worry, he's not missing, he just dozed off in the back seat of a yellow Mini Cooper), climbing trees. ]



IV. WILDCARD, please note that wee Matthew will not be running around De Chima by himself, he is seven and NOT THAT PRECOCIOUS. If you would like a thread with him outside of the Meadows, PM me and we can figure something out!

Comments

morning

[admemoriam]

[There's a sound in the hallway, a clumsy sort of shuffle, and then one very blond young man peers into the room. His hair is spiked about, holding up expensive sunglasses, and he's in the process of buttoning up a white oxford. His face is a comical mix of sheer confusion and vague disappointment.

Shit. He can't remember who he went home with last night, but apparently they've got a kid.]

This your house, little dude?

[International Business Superstar Slash Genius Inventor (IBSSGI™) Noah Czerny is great with kids. He's a fucking fantastic babysitter. Just ask Adele, who totally lets him look after her maltipoo sometimes.]

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew just stares at him, his eyes wide and round and his mouth hanging open slightly. He's not afraid but he is genuinely stumped by the appearance of this strange man.

Who...? Maybe one of his dad's friends? The Lynch family does not have friends over. Then again, this is not the Barns. Maybe the rules are different.

He shakes his head slowly from side to side, hugging the jar of light, which is a rather poor replacement for Burney (aka Matthew's beloved stuffed bear.) ]

It's not mine. D'you know where my dad is?

[admemoriam]

[Okay, the jar of light is kind of weird. But the rest of it is totally normal, 100% fine. There is zero reason to panic.]

Nah. Um, what's he look like? Your dad?

[This kid looks... maybe six? Fuck if he knows. His dad could be literally any age. And did he mention a mom...?]

[dreamkid]

He's-- [ Matthew's face scrunches in thought. He's dad. He looks like dad. ]

He's big and he tells real good stories.

[ That's helpful, right? ]

Or my mom?

[ Matthew just wants to hide his face in her lap. ]

[unenchantment]

[He's been under the bed for almost a day; it's just better under here. Safer. He misses Tommy and he misses his grandfather and he thinks he messed up but he trusts Gansey, and he knows he's safe here, under the bed.

And now there's a kid. Billy's eyes glow blue a little in the dimness of the space under the bed.]

Hi.

[He doesn't know how to answer so he doesn't at first.]

It's scary out there.

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew considers this answer, and then nods in agreement, or tries to. It doesn't really work with the way he's lying down. ]

Can I come under there with you?

[ Billy's eyes look a little weird but they aren't as alarming as some other things, like getting yelled at by scary people, or feeling alone. ]

[unenchantment]

[He considers that for a minute, but then he scoots over a little. He's a little boy so he must be okay, right?

Grandfather wouldn't be angry about that.]

Yes, all right.

[He curls up tight so that Matthew has space to come in next to him.]

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew wriggles sideways across the floor, sighing a little once all his limbs are tucked in the shadow of the bed.

Maybe it is safer under here. ]

I'm Matthew.

[ His voice is just above a whisper, now that they're close enough he doesn't have to talk any louder. ]

iii

[unguibusetrostro]

[He missed him stepping out originally because he was busy with Adam and busy dealing with that garbage. He didn't even notice that his little brother was-

-different.

But Chainsaw spots him first, and caws, and Ronan eases over when he sees a kid-

-and stares.

Shit.

Shit shit shit shit.]

Matthew!

[He's scowling. He doesn't need this shit. He looks furious.

He looks terrifying.]

[dreamkid]

[ Suddenly there's yelling.

No one ever yells at Matthew, not angrily like this. Declan did, once, shouting at him and grabbing his shoulders and making Matthew cry. Seconds earlier, he'd used a shovel to smash in the head of a pit viper that had been coiled within striking distance of where Matthew lay oblivious in the grass.

You have to stay closer to the house if you're going to play by yourself! And pay attention, for God's sake!

Matthew sniffled, tears spilling down his cheeks, and then Declan hugged him fiercely, so hard that it almost hurt.

He does not think that he is going to get a hug now. ]

I didn't-- I didn't do anything!

[ He scrambles back so quickly he almost falls over. This is not normal Matthew behavior at all but everything around him is weird and different so he feels different, too. Who is this tall, scary man and why does he know Matthew's name and where are his parents and his brothers? ]

[unguibusetrostro]

[Christ, he's going to make him cry.

But Ronan reaches for him, grabbing him by a chubby arm and stares at him. What the hell is he supposed to do with this? What the actual hell is going on?]

You can't-

[He isn't yelling but he's not particularly warm]

What happened?

[dreamkid]

[ He's definitely going to make Matthew cry, in fact the dimple appears in his pudgy chin the instant Ronan takes hold of his arm. ]

I don't know. I don't know. [ He's too confused and frightened to even try to get away. ]

Where's my mom?

[ Not mom, not our mom. Matthew wants to know where his mother is. ]

wildcard

[quaerit]

[ Gansey had not been here when this started. He had not been here, because he was in the magic store in De Chima, dealing with Billy at the start of all this. Now, he has brought Billy back with him, because Billy is clearly terrified, and at least he knows The Meadows will be a safe place while he tries to figure out what the hell happened.

That was before he realized that whatever Billy had done had clearly affected more than just Billy. He's in the kitchen, fixing Billy a snack of Lucky Charms, since they still have plenty of that left over from when Gansey was de-aged.

That's when he spots a golden head running through the living room. ]

Hey!

[ Gansey steps out of the kitchen to get a better look at the cherubic kid - and stares, when he recognizes Matthew's face, far younger than it ought to be, under those curls. ]

Jesus Christ. Matthew? What happened to you?

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew looks at Gansey with wide eyes, just as utterly confused if not more so than the older boy. He doesn't know anybody here, or how he got here, or where 'here' even is.

Gansey doesn't seem horribly angry, at least (unlike some other people), but the way he's looking at Matthew still makes him feel like he's done something wrong. ]

I don't know. I didn't do anything. I can't find my mom.

[ Those are the important facts, according to tiny Matthew. He still thinks he is going to find at least one of his family members around here someplace and his entire demeanor just about shouts PLEASE HELP. ]

[quaerit]

Your mom?

[ Oh, Jesus.All at once, Aurora comes into Gansey's mind. She's not even living where he's from.

Christ, okay. Get a grip. Billy's magic must have touched Matthew too, that's the only explanation. If Gansey can fix what's happened to Billy, he'll fix what's happened to Matthew. He can do this.

He can deal with this.

He makes himself smile. ]

Well, she's not here. It's safe here, though. Your brother, Ronan, thought it'd be best if you stayed here for a while. I'm Gansey.

Listen, there's a friend of mine, called Billy, who's playing in my room. [ He says 'playing' instead of 'hiding', and 'my room', instead of 'balcony'. Gansey does nod to the balcony, though; you can see the bed from here. ]

I was just making him some cereal. Do you want some? They're Lucky Charms.

[dreamkid]

[ Ronan wanted him to stay here? That's... Matthew doesn't know. It sounds a little fishy; Ronan is nine, and anyway, he--

Ronan--

Matthew looks up to the balcony when Gansey nods toward it, his thoughts redirecting to something easier, something less fearful. Then he looks back to Gansey himself and, after a moment-- ]

There's food?

[ Even teenaged Matthew can only absorb things in bits and pieces, sometimes, his curly dreamed up head only able to hold so much at a time that isn't pure, unadulterated happiness. This smaller version is even more like that, and he's pretty unhappy right now, which is not at all how he was made to be. But food is a pretty reliable way to get and keep his attention, and Gansey seems okay.

(Matthew doesn't think he can be right about his mother, though. She loves Matthew; she must be nearby somewhere.) ]

wild card 'cause reasons and if this isn't cool, you know where to reach me

[oceiteres]

[ Blue Sargent is having a Day. First of all, she's apparently Joseph Kavinsky's bosom buddy. Then, she's Noah's drug dealer. Now, she wants to go back to bed until everything is not weird anymore.

Yes, that was inappropriate for this situation. And yes, she'd regret thinking it if she knew what was about to happen to her. Or rather, who?

She's stomping about in the yard, holding her phone clutched in one hand when she notices something.

In a tree.

Off to the side. She ceases her stomping and leans closer to investigate. Catches sight of golden curls. Surely there's no way a bizarro world edition of Matthew Lynch could do anything to make her day worse. There is absolutely no chance of that happening. ]

Matthew? [ ... ] Are you up in a tree?

THIS IS GOOD, THIS IS GOOD

[dreamkid]

[ He is indeed up in a tree, tucked close to the trunk, his cheek pressed to the bark. He's not exactly hiding, but he is planning to stay up here out of the way until he gets hungry or someone tells him to come down.

Matthew is not having his best day either, and this is how he's dealing with it for the moment. ]

Yeah. Hi.

[ Blue is a strange, stompy creature (read: a girl, who is not his mom) and he has no idea what to make of her yet, peering at her from his safe perch. ]

You know my name, too.

[ He's definitely hit his processing limit for the day, maybe the month; it's almost not even weird anymore that's she knows him. ]

excellent!!

[oceiteres]

[ Blue peers up through the leaves. Oh.

She guessed "Matthew" based literally upon beautiful golden locks. She actually wasn't expecting him to be so small. Smaller. Younger. But it is clearly him, because he replied to her in the affirmative. This day...

We reiterate: there's no way a bizarro world Matthew is going to make her day worse. No way at all. ]

I do. [ She says this simply, possibly to give herself more time to think as she approaches the trunk of the tree. ] You look like you found a good spot there.

[ She leans on the trunk, peering straight up at his spot. ] Do you like climbing trees?

June 13th | For Ronan

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew has never had a nightmare before. He knows the word, knows what a nightmare is, in theory, but has never experienced one for himself.

Until now, that is. He felt safe with Billy, safe enough to leave the house with him, and then they got separated. Now Matthew is lost again, and alone again, which is bad enough but it gets even worse when he stops to rest his tired feet and a huge, dark, evil-looking thing comes out of the trees. It's looking one way and then the other, except it can't be because it doesn't have any eyes, and Matthew just stares at first, stupefied with fear and disbelief. Then it turns its massive beak in his direction and without an instant of hesitation starts right towards him.

He unfreezes and immediately staggers backwards, trips and falls when he tries to run, and throws his arms over his head when it reaches for him with its deadly claws. ]

No! Don't!

[ It's a terrible sound, the thin, frightened pleading of a child. ]

[unguibusetrostro]

[When the boys had gone missing, all Ronan could think was I lost him, and then that burst of worry had slammed through him. Losing Matthew was unacceptable; not just because he was disappointing his mother, but because this place wasn't safe.

Luckily, Henrietta was practically a Matthew stalking machine. She was built for this, one dream thing to another. So of course she finds him first, screeching that terrible noise she makes.

Ronan is moving, then. They're behind him, so he's coming up from behind, and he picks Matthew up suddenly, because Matthew is terrified - and why shouldn't he be?]

Here.

[He tells Henrietta firmly:]

Go home.

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew has been trying to stay out of Ronan's way for days, but when he feels the arms around him, and hears the firm, steadiness of Ronan's voice, and opens his eyes again, this time he finally sees something other than a scowling teenager. This time it's not fear that overtakes him but desperate relief, the kind that allows him to only see what he needs to see. ]

Dad!

[ And he promptly buries his face in Ronan's neck, overwhelmed, and starts to cry. ]

( III )

[aberth]

[ He has a vegetable patch.

It says so on his notes, in handwriting he recognises as his own. Water the fucking vegetables. Adam doesn't exactly know why it's so urgent that he tend to it especially because he doesn't remember to tend to himself half the time, but even in a world where he doesn't strive for more than making it through the day, he still can't shirk his responsibilities. So he heads out one morning when the house is quiet and he knows he won't have to talk. It's easy enough finding the tools, the watering can, the fenced off little section with its ever growing beanstalks. Easy, because it's almost like it's instinct.

He doesn't expect to see a kid though. There were definitely no kids mentioned in his notes. But he's passed Billy in the hall and now this. A tiny angelic child playing in the dirt. His first thought is that maybe Lynch also kidnaps children, but then scolds himself for being unkind. His second is that it's probably a playdate. Or that Gansey is actually an eighteen year old father.

So he stops, sets down his watering can. ] Y'know, there are probably toys inside. Better'n sticks. [ What does he know, he rarely had more than sticks ... ]

[dreamkid]

[ Matthew certainly doesn't have any notes, and even if he did it's doubtful he'd be able to recognize the handwriting of his sixteen-year-old self.

But he has this great stick, and this pile of dirt, and he's using the former to draw squiggles in the latter, meaningless little patterns that meander harmlessly around the edges of Adam's garden.

Matthew's feet are bare and dirty, but his curls are soft and full, his pajamas a bit smudged with dirt as well but in otherwise perfect condition. He doesn't look like a lost child. He looks like a very loved child who's been playing in the dirt. When Adam comes closer, Matthew lifts his head, and blinks at yet another person he doesn't know. There are so many of them here. ]

Oh, yeah, probably, [ he agrees, but he scrunches his nose as he glances up toward the house and doesn't move from his spot.

That guy who says he's Ronan is in there somewhere. ]

[aberth]

[ This is awkward.

This is the most awkward Adam has ever felt. Because while there were kids who lived at the trailer park, they usually kept to himself. Families from the dirt tended to do that. Adam has never once been called on to babysit and having no siblings of his own has meant that his life is definitely childless. He kind of wishes it remained to be.

But no, there is still a kid playing in the dirt.

At least he looks well cared for. His pajamas - though a little dirty - aren't caked in mud or falling apart at the seams. He looks happy enough. Adam could probably ignore him and get on with his work and then go. But there's still alarm bells going off in the back of his head. ]

Hey. Who's looking after you?

[ It sounds so accusatory, unfortunately. ]