S2 Episode 7: Aftermath
Chapter 7: Aftermath
Henry’s smiling face came into focus, surprising the young woman as she sprung up, losing her balance and falling out of the booth. “Ah!” She squealed in surprise as her back met the floor.
Everyone slowly woke up, wondering what was going on.
Nikki groaned as she buried her face in Rami’s neck. “Rami… tell them to be quiet… it’s too… loud…” She mumbled tiredly, her voice lacking its usual enthusiasm.
Rami leaned over slightly and felt his face heat up slightly at the sight. “Oi! Shut the alarm off… too fucking early for that shit!” He grumbled, wrapping his arms around Nikki again and burying his face in her thick hair.
Jackie snored quietly as she rested against the window, her arms snugly wrapped around Nick as he rested against her chest. Neither woke up despite the commotion as Octavia stood up and brushed herself off, noticing how her blouse had found itself untucked.
She looked over Henry, trying to decipher what had happened the night before. Several cups were sprawled across the booth they had been sharing, but that was all the evidence of last night’s activities she could readily see. Octavia grunted as she rubbed her temples, attempting to jog her memory as Henry sat up quietly, fishing his phone out of his shorts.
He tapped her shoulder, biting his lip softly as she flinched away from him. “I thought we had finally… you know…”
Octavia sighed as she gazed at him sadly, scooting closer as they sat on the floor. “I’m sorry, Henry…” She whispered quietly. “I-I really want to, believe me. I would love to b-but… I just can’t. I don’t kn—” Henry wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug before pulling back just as quick and standing up, walking into the kitchen.
Tara approached Octavia slowly. “Tavi?”
“Yes?” She mumbled quietly.
“Why don’t we go for a walk, get some fresh air?” The blonde suggested.
She stood up and tossed her long hair over her shoulders. “I… I suppose.” Octavia said curtly, carefully fixing her attire. “Do you have any sunglasses we can use?”
Tara leaned over the counter, her hand digging around until she pulled out a box. “Yup. Bought sunglasses for everyone for the hangovers just waiting to happen.” She handed a pair to Octavia before putting on her own. The two left quietly, only the bell chime hinting their exit.
Henry walked out back to the booth, throwing everything away in the large trash bag he grabbed, his lips drawn into a sad frown as he slowly worked. Mac stood up and grabbed one of the many trash bags he had set on the counter and joined in the effort, letting the rest of the group sleep quietly. Neither made any effort to communicate, but worked diligently to clean up all the garbage they had left on the booths and floor without pause. In just under an hour, the two had managed to collect every scrap of trash from the party.
“Ah’ll take these out back.” Mac said quietly as he grabbed the bags. “Could ya get started on wiping the booths down? I’ll mop up the floor and clean the counter as soon as I throw this stuff out.”
The young man nodded once, grabbing a cleaning bottle and rag from the counter as he begun to wipe every booth down from the door onwards.
Henry tiredly laid on his back, staring blankly up at the ceiling. ‘Fuck… I really fucked up. We we’re both wasted and I thou— no!’ He growled and bit his lip hard, breathing deeply through his nose. ‘I deluded myself to think that she and I finally worked out this stuff. Man… I wish it didn’t hurt so much, but I’m head over heels for her...’ The young man sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair as he mulled over his options.
He leaned over to his night stand, grabbing his phone before swiping through his contacts. His eyes darted about as he considered who to contact. “Rami…” Henry thought idly as he pulled up his contact and sent him a text message.
[5:49:20 PM] Henry: Rami, you busy?
[5:53:46 PM] Rami: At the moment, nah. What’s up, buddy?
[5:54:15 PM] Henry: I was wondering if I could come by your house and hang out with you. If that’s alright with you.
[5:58:59 PM] Rami: Mi casa es tu casa. Come on over man, Nikki might be coming over though if you don’t mind.
[6:00:39 PM] Henry: Of course not! She’s welcome to hang out with us whenever.
[6:02: 14 PM] Rami: Great! See you in a bit.
Henry shut his phone off and got out of bed, smoothing out his clothes as he threw on some shoes and went to the door. As he put his hand on the door knob, he looked over into the living room at Octavia. Her back was turned to him and as far as he could tell, she was writing down sheet music. Fortissimo was resting his head on her lap, sleeping soundly.
He bit his lip and shyly approached her, tapping her shoulder. Octavia’s shrugged away from him, shaking slightly as she turned to look at him. Though she smiled softly at him, her eyes held uncertainty; untrust towards him as she scooted away.
Henry flinched slightly as he held out his phone in her line of sight. “I’m gonna go hang out with Rami. I’ll be back later. Would you like if I brought home some Chinese food like always?” He queried.
Octavia closed her eyes and shook her head. “No… That’s quite alright. I’ll just cook my own dinner tonight.”
He nodded in respect and typed away at his phone. “If you need me, don’t hesitate to call or text.”
She turned away from him and begun to write in her notebook again. “Yes… I shall keep that in mind.” Octavia said softly, ignoring him as she focused on her music.
Henry walked away from her, feeling empty as he left the apartment.
The hispanic youth walked with his messenger bag strapped tightly to his side as he conversed with Nick inside of the mall. “So how are things between you and Jackie now?” He queried.
Nick shrugged his shoulders. “It’s going good I suppose. We’re a lot closer now and um… yeah…” He mumbled, his cheeks glowing red.
Henry smirked, patting his back as his eyes danced with mirth. “Ah. So you and her have hit second base I suppose~?” He teased playfully, watching as Nick’s face burned a shade darker.
He bit his lip. “Fuck you, man. Just because you haven’t gotten some, doesn’t mean you get to tease me for getting it with her.” Nick retorted, shoving him lightly.
“Excuse me, lover boy. Didn’t mean to step on your toes.” Henry wrote on his phone with a roll of his eyes.
Nick laughed and squeezed his shoulder. “It’s all good. All’s fair in love and war, right?” He chuckled as they reach the pet shop, stepping inside.
Jackie noticed them and finished ringing out the current customer before approaching them, hugging Nick gently and kissing him on the lips. “Hey there, sugar, nice of you to stop by for once.” She teased as she stuck her tongue out.
He turned his nose up, his cheeks flushed lightly as he booped her nose. “Yeah, yeah. You wouldn’t get off my back so I brought some back up.” Nick murmured, pointing at Henry with his thumb.
She laughed and pulled Henry close, hugging him tightly. “How ya doin’, Henry?”
Henry smiled and pulled his phone out. “I’m doing pretty good. How you handling the store on your own without the goof?” He teased.
Jackie chortled and patted his shoulder. “We’re doing just fine without Michael here. Him being out “sick” doesn’t hurt the store at all. Not sure if it would apply to him if Tavi or I were out there.”
He nearly froze up at the mention of Octavia. “She said ‘we’re doing fine’. If she isn’t speaking about her and the manager the—”
Octavia came out of the back of the store holding a kitten in the crook of her arm as she fed it milk. “There you go, girl. Jackie and I will take good care of you if you just let us know.” She cooed softly, giggling at the happy purring coming from the kitten as she approached her friends.
Nick stepped forward and ran his thumb across the kitten’s cheek. “Hey there little fella. Who might you be?” He whispered.
“She’s one of the kittens born in last week's litter. We’re grooming her up since her buyer is coming tomorrow to pick her up,” Octavia explained, pulling the bottle away and gently rubbing the kitten’s back.
Henry quietly shuffled back from his friends while they were distracted, quickly making for the door before taking his leave.
“I was just hanging out with Henry and we wanted to see how you girls were doing,” Nick said with a smile as he hugged her.
Octavia looked about slowly. “Where is he?”
Nick looked behind him. “The hell… when did he leave?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Octavia mumbled.
Henry played his synth, eyes roaming over sheet music as he kept playing. Nikki padded out his playing with a soft drum line while Rami softly played along.
Rami nodded his head gently as he played with his eyes closed. “Alright… I’m feeling this song guys.” He murmured.
The brunette nodded and tapped her cymbals softly as she let the drums die down while Henry held the last note in unison with Rami. Slowly, they eased up and let the song fade out completely.
Henry tapped Rami, holding up his phone. “That was really good… it’s been a while since I got a feeling like that from playing music.”
"Yeah, I can't wait to hear what it sounds like with Octavia singing! Too bad she had stupid work to go to!" Nikki affected a pout and crossed her arms.
Rami nodded, adding "Yeah, when we have her cello in this as well, it should sound loads better, and it honestly sounds pretty damn good already."
He nodded his head, looking away from them. “Yeah… It definitely will…” Henry wrote, walking over to his bag and shouldering it as he checked the time on his phone with a sigh.
"I have to go, guys.Work calls all who need it." With a farewell to his bandmates, he headed out. Henry walked to his car and got inside. ‘Maybe Octavia and I can share a nice dinner… like civil people instead of strangers.’ He thought to himself as he set the car in gear.
Henry walked inside, licking his lips at the pleasant smell of Italian cooking as he went into the kitchen.
"Well, well, Henry! You're a bit late aren't ya? The afternoon rush starred tween minutes ago!" The chef laughed as he rushed past Henry, clearly too busy for idle chitchat.
The young man walked into the bathroom and quickly dressed into his uniform before walking back out and pulling out his notepad.
Looking around, he quickly took note of those already being helped and those still waiting. Gauging which were more patient than others, or simply hadn't decided yet, he plotted a course through the restaurant with a practiced ease.
The hours seemed to blur together for Henry as he worked as fast and efficient as possible while attending all the clients. He had worked through his break, which didn’t bother him any. Henry panted lightly as he diligently worked to clean all the tables and reset them so he could go home. Eventually, he finished and re-dressed himself before clocking out and saying goodbye to his co-workers.
As he pulled away from the restaurant, Henry hummed in thought. 'Octavia is always there, wherever I go whether in person or as part of the topic at hand. I really doubt I have any friends who don't know her, do I?' Henry shook his head as he slowed to a stop. 'I'm going to be as pleasant as I can be tonight, but I need time away from her to think. What to do...'
As he pulled into his apartment's garage, he heaved a sigh. 'Well... the show must go on, as they say...' With that, he got out of his car and locked up, heading inside for another tense night on the homestead.
Henry saw her sitting by herself at the kitchen table with bowl of chicken soup and a salad on the side. He timidly approached the young woman, tapping her shoulder as he held his phone out.
“Good evening, Octavia.”
"Henry. Good to see you. Please, take a seat, and I'll get you some food," she said softly as she stood up.
He nodded and sat across from her, looking down at his hands. Octavia resulted into the kitchen, moving with an ease that Henry still was awed with, considering the quadrupedal body she had insisted she'd had before spraying in his bathroom, all those months ago. It was funny, really... she seemed so completely human, except... not. Was it that difference that made him believe her? Was that why he was infatuated? "Here's your soup," Octavia announced as she sat down once more, startling Henry out of his thoughts.
The young man jumped back slightly, smiling sheepishly as he nodded his thanks and began to dig into his meal with gusto. He occasionally looked up at Octavia, but she seemed to gaze through him with an empty expression that made him feel uncomfortable.
"... I've decided," she said at last, "that returning home may not, in fact, be possible. It's been almost a year, and no one has come for me. Maybe..." She set her spoon down and looked away, her body trembling. "Maybe they've given up hope. Maybe I've given up hope. I..."
Henry was at a loss for words. Never in the time that he had known her had he seen the young woman give up on anything. He stood up and walked over to her, pulling her chin up as he watched her cry. Bringing her close, her wrapped his arms around her supportively.
"No, please... Henry, I just..." His heart ached as she pulled away again, hugging herself tightly. He moved away silently, grabbing his keys.
‘I guess I was right after all… maybe we do need time apart. Sort things out and see where we stand.’ Henry thought to himself as he walked into the living room, snapping his fingers. Fortissimo barked softly and walked out of his cage, nuzzling Henry’s leg affectionately as he accompanied his master out of the apartment.
Henry drove around town in a daze, Fortissimo keening every now and then. He scratched the base of his ears, smiling slightly as the dog purred deeply. Pressing down on the brakes gently, he parked the car and killed the engine. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve set foot near here...’ Henry looked up at an old house, the lawn overgrown in places and barren in others. 'My old home...'
He stepped out of the car, letting Fortissimo out as well. The pair made their way up to the doorstep. Henry leaned down and lifted part of the dusty welcome matt, grabbing the key and unlocking the door. He breathed slowly as the door creaked, bathing the inside of his home with the yellow light of the street lamp outside.
The only thing that light the abandoned home where the street lights; filling the large living room with a soft, eerie yellow glow. He stepped in, turning the light on and sighing as he gazed at the dusty room. Fortisimo scrunched his nose before sneezing loudly. Henry picked up the puppy, holding him close as he marched up the stairs. He rubbed the dog’s nose and gave him an apologetic smile, turning on the lights for the second floor.
‘It feels like it was yesterday when I lived here...’ He thought to himself, standing at the top of the stairs as his eyes roamed the pictures that decorated the hall. Henry continued onwards, opening the door immediately on his right and walking in, setting his dog down on the bed. A large, elegant wooden desk sat across from the bed coated in a fine layer of dust.
He brushed his hand across the surface of it, clearing the dust before patting his hand clean against his pants before sitting down. His hands caressed the table, feeling the smooth wood and the small signs of wear he had inflicted on it years ago. Pulling the chair back, he sat down, wincing as the sound of crunched glass caught him by surprise. Henry rolled back the chair, leaning down and grabbing the picture frame. Glass fell onto the floor as he pulled it close, shaking it gently before setting it down on the table.
Carefully, Henry pried the picture from the frame, gazing at it with a neutral expression. The picture itself looked worn from the lack of proper care, but he could still clearly make out the details. A younger boy was smiling at the camera while being hugged from behind by a beautiful woman with long brown hair, green eyes an--
A teardrop fell onto the picture as he shuddered. ‘Mom...’ He thought sadly, biting his lip as he brushed his hand across the face of his mother. The right edge of the photo ruffled slightly. He unfolded it gently, his eyes locking with the man holding his mother and him close. His lips pulled back in a snarl, Henry’s fist slamming the table so hard that Fortisimo yelped in fright. He left the photo on the desk, turning around and petting his whimpering pet to soothe him. ‘I’m not gonna be like him… I’m better than that...’ He picked up his dog and walked towards the door, looking in the direction of the photo one last time silently before exiting the room.
Henry unlocked the door, setting Fortisimo down who eagerly barked and ran into his bedroom. His eyebrow rose curiously as he took off his shoes, following after his dog.
“Hey there Forti, how are you, cutie?” He heard Octavia coo, his dog barking and lolling his tongue out in glee. Approaching his room, he leaned against the door frame and watched them interact.
Fortisimo panted lightly from having his ear scratched before curling up on Octavia’s lap and closing his eyes. “You poor thing, you must be exhausted, hmm?” She whispered, running her hand down his back before gently laying him down on his doggy bed on the floor.
Henry walked towards her, sitting down near the foot of his bed. Octavia looked up and folded her hands into her lap as she looked him in the eye.
“I… I wanted to talk to you about something, Henry.” The cellist began softly, tucking back a loose strand of her long, brown hair.
‘I’m all ears, Octavia.’ He wrote on his tablet.
Octavia sighed and looked down at her hands. “I want to apologize for being so aloof as of late to you…” She begun with a whisper. “It hasn’t been quite fair for me to treat you the way I have when I’m just as equally responsible if not more for what happened at my birthday party. We both… we both drank a lot more alcohol than either of us had in mind and while I’m glad it didn’t get out of control… I just wasn’t prepared to deal with the aftermath that morning.”
Henry nodded, tapping away at his phone before holding it in front of her. ‘I know… same here. You know how I feel about you and all that alcohol just brought out what I’ve always tried to restrain. I still feel terrible for what happened at your party and for that, I’m truly sorry. I don’t want our relationship to fall apart over one incident...’
Octavia felt tears prick at her eyes as she grasped Henry’s hands in her own. “I know you’re sincere about it… the fact that you’re also sorry is more than enough for me.” She pulled the young man close, hugging him tightly as she rested her chin on his shoulder. “I-I forgive you, Henry. I mean it.” She whispered. Henry nodded, patting her back before gently rubbing soothing circles. The two held each other for a while, neither refusing to move until the sound of gentle snoring filled Henry’s ear.
With a soft smile, he set Octavia down on his bed and tucked her in before shutting the light off and closing the door behind him. He went to the living room and grabbed her pillow and blanket, adjusting his couch and laying down on it. Henry gazed up at the ceiling, closing his eyes as he sighed.
‘Our relationship may not be where I wish it could be, but I promise that I will always be there for you, Octavia.’ He thought tiredly, letting sleep’s embrace take him in.
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Right in the feels man
3540053 Wait till the finale comes out. You may not have anymore feels left
i.imgur.com/QlgvDWy.jpg
Released without my greenlight?
HOW DARE YOU. THERE SHALL BE WORDS FOR THIS, I ASSURE YOU.
Regardless, an excellent chapter. Oh, and all of you perusing the comments, the finale is going to TOTALLY AWESOME.
What, you want spoilers? Go bug someone else.
Bang.
How far is the finale from now?
Also, totally called the repercussions of drunk love
3202697 Then Tara would shank all three of them.
....
Tara leaned over the counter, her hand digging around until she pulled out a box. “Yup. Bought sunglasses for everyone for the hangovers just waiting to happen.”
Mac: I stashed boxes of 'em all over town in case of sunglasses emergencies!
She handed a pair to Octavia before putting on her own. The two left quietly, only the bell chime hinting their exit.
3542498 The finale is quite literally looming upon us. What's coming next may cause you health problems so talk to your doctor before reading the finale of any season of The Mute Octave before reading.
I'm waiting for the guy to decide to speak again. His mute-ness is purely psychological, so it only makes sense that he could start speaking again. I'm sure that's still a ways away though (if it happens) as it'll take something just as traumatic to make him speak again.
3542965
Oh boy
I went to see the Doctor, so I live with my heart problems. Hit me with your best feels
I don't mean to rush you, but do you plan on publishing it soon?
3545033 I know I shouldn't spill any info, but the finale is almost completely written. This season's finale will also be a two parter with part one coming out next week and part two the week after. I may make exceptions regarding giving a sneak preview since you seem so eager. PM me
3546504 I'll wait for the whole thing, but cheers for the offer
3546600 you're welcomed. I'm aslways looking out for my top fans.
3547252 I'm a top fan?
...What an honour. I came gallons of buckets
3547623 Inside Rainbow Dash, right?
3547806 Dude...no
It's Pinkie or nothing
But seriously, no.
3548004 Maybe I'll ship you with Pinkie
3552049 Maybe that kiss will come.
Aw yeah man.
3547252 I'll take that invitation if tis still valid
3567264 PM me.