Consequences and Chicken Noodle Soup [Felix]

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

September 9, 2025
felix valentin fortescue

"No, mum. I'm fine. No, you don't need to come over. It's okay. I promise, all good. No, don't tell dad. Mum, please, it's fine. What why did you- Mum, don't write Ilija. Please. Mum, it's not that big a deal!"

Vasilia lay in bed, hand over her eyes, phone up to her ear. The Fortescue mother was, to no surprise, worried sick. For someone that should be resting, she wasn't really doing much of it. The bed was absolutely covered with books and papers. She'd convinced one of the Violet Hound employees to bring by all the books for the pub last night, and while Felix hadn't been watching she'd sneaked down into the ice cream parlour to grab theirs. She might not be able to physically do all the labor for the two shops, but that clearly wasn't stopping her from trying to do all the paperwork.

"Yes mum. We're good. Felix is here, we really don't need anything. I have to go, I love you." She hung up the phone, and groaned. This was an absolute mess. Her sweet mother, bless her soul, was understandably very worried after hearing Vas had collapsed. No doubt that worry was intensified considering the health of her husband, Vas's father. This was why Vas hadn't wanted her parents to know. And now that her mother knew, her mother planned on telling everyone in the family. God dammit. If Felix had just let her rest yesterday instead of take her to the hospital this could have blown over without too much noise. She didn't blame Felix though. Vas collapsing must have scared him to death. She'd probably do the same if the roles had been reversed. 

Vasilia moved her hand from over her eyes and brought her phone up to her face, her thumbs quickly typing out a fast text and sending to one of the employees of the hound. Asking how things were going. Then, she shot one to an employee down stairs (the convenience of living above the ice cream parlour), asking them to check on a few of the batches that were mixing. Of course, it didn't cross her mind that the ice cream parlour's employees were already warned about her required bed rest, and would shoot Felix a text immediately telling him that Vas wasn't exactly resting...

[felix valentin fortescue]

September 9, 2025

Since Vasilia had exhausted herself to the point of collapsing the day before, Felix had taken over or delegated as many of the responsibilities that his sister had taken on for herself as he could. In spite of her protests that she couldn't afford sick days, she had at least kept to her bed, and Felix had been up and down from their flat above the ice cream parlor to check on how she was doing. It was convenient for him, and he imagined that it made Vas feel more involved in spite of her needing to rest. She was taking the whole thing as some sort of punishment, which didn't really help matters, but she hadn't fought him too much on it.

Felix was busy in the kitchen—their own and not that of the ice cream parlor—fixing Vas some soup for lunch. As good as ice cream was, it wasn't particularly nutritious, and she needed to keep up her strength through something other than caffeine on caffeine. Just as he was preparing to grab a bowl for the soup, his phone buzzed. It wasn't Vas, whom Felix had advised to text him if he needed anything, but one of the employees downstairs. Vas, according to the message, had just contacted them to ask about some of the batches of ice cream in the freezer, and they were sounding the alarm.

Quickly replying with a word of thanks, Felix poured Vas's soup into a bowl and brought it, a spoon, and a napkin into her bedroom for her. He hadn't so much as handed her the bowl, though, when he saw that she had the books for both the pub and the ice cream parlor in her bed with her. "I'll check the ice cream as soon as you finish this soup," Felix told her pointedly without directly mentioning that he knew that she'd been texting downstairs without his realizing it—and getting work done, apparently. "I know you didn't summon those books here," he added, "but at least set them aside so you don't get soup on them, will you?"

vasilia abigail fortescue

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

September 9, 2025
felix valentin fortescue

Vasilia heard her door open and immediately stashed her phone. There wasn't much hiding the books, but she could pretend like she hadn't been working on them. Her phone, and the numerous texts she'd been sending wouldn't be as easily explained away. She sat up a little, smiling as innocently as she could, like she hadn't been trying to work, she reached out to take the bowl from him, when he mentioned the ice cream. Was it just a coincidence that he mentioned it now? Had to be. Maybe he'd just been keeping track of them too, and knew she would so he'd put her mind at ease before she could ask. Though, then he mentioned the books. While he wasn't immediately chastising her... her at least told her to put them away for a minute. She opened her mouth, as if to protest, but then immediately reconsidered. He hadn't told her not to work. Just not while she was eating. So, she immediately closed her mouth and nodded. She pushed the books away to the edge of the bed with her foot, and then took the bowl of soup from him. "Mum called. She's over reacting," Vasiliia didn't think her collapse was nearly as serious as everyone else. And now, heaven forbid, her mother was telling their ailing father and writing their rather absent brother all about it. Not that she really expect much to come of that second one. Ilija only came home for Christmas. His letters, when he did deign to respond, were vague, and unimformative. No doubt they'd just get a response back telling her to take it easy.

[felix valentin fortescue]

September 9, 2025

Vas sat up and at least moved—or kicked—the books out of the way so that they wouldn't get soup on them, though Felix was tempted to pick them up and take them with him when he left her room. She took the bowl of soup from him, and Felix was careful not to spill any as he handed it over to her. Their mother had called her, Vas informed him then, and she mentioned that she was overreacting.

Their mother wasn't really one to overreact, in Felix's opinion. She had had enough experience with their father's ill health to know when something warranted a visit to St. Mungo's; it wasn't just though their father was in and out of the hospital just because their mother felt that he needed treatment constantly. Vas's comment about the supposed overreaction, then, made him awfully curious. "Overreact how?" Felix questioned, wondering what she had told Vasilia over the phone. Their mother was probably just stressed, he guessed; Vas's having collapsed was a pretty sudden thing. "Do you want me to call her?"

vasilia abigail fortescue

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

September 9, 2025
felix valentin fortescue

Vasilia wasn't the sort to really let people know when she needed help. Of any kind. Particularly of late. Ever since their father's health had taken a turn for the worse at the beginning of the year and Vas had stepped up, taking more and more responsibilities. Because there'd been no one else she even could ask for help. Her independence, and need to prove she could do things on her own had intensified, to a clearly unhealthy level. She'd been good at hiding it though, until yesterday. And now Vas was on her entire family's radar. It be much harder to go about like "normal" now that they knew just how much she'd put on herself. "She's telling dad." Who, in Vas' mind did not need that added stress when he was already dealing with a life threatening illness. He had enough to worry about. HE didn't need to worry about his daughter on top of that. "And she wants to write Ilija." Ah, the eldest Fortescue. Who they only really saw once a year. He'd been very distant ever since he graduated and Vasilia didn't really know how the eldest would react to the news.

Vasilia sighed as she asked if he should call her, and shook her head. "No, god no. Just... tell her everything's fine if she calls you." Fine? eh, still to be determined. She still felt pretty tired and weak. But better then yesterday. With the extra rest, actually drinking water (instead of caffeine) and eating real food. Did wonders for your health! But she also knew she had to be careful not to push herself.

[felix valentin fortescue]

September 9, 2025

Vasilia relayed to him that their mother was telling their father about the fact that she had collapsed, which wasn't all that surprising. Their father was ill himself, but he wasn't so badly ill that it would devastate his health to tell him. Besides, as long as Vas took care of herself, she would be back to her old self in no time; their mother wouldn't have to worry about stretching herself thin with caregiving duties for two people. "And she wants to write Ilija."

Felix tried not to let his jaw hit the floor. Ilija, their elder brother, was never around. They both knew that, and they knew that their mother knew that. Travel was still a mess because of the Hag's Fever outbreak, and Ilija was out of the country. They would be lucky to get him back at Christmas, Felix felt, yet their mother felt it was necessary to write to him?

"He can't exactly pop 'round for tea," Felix remarked, equally displeased that their mother was going that far, yet Vas emphasized that she didn't want him to phone their mother to talk some sense into her.

Instead, Vas instructed him to tell their mother that everything was fine if she were to call him. Felix, who planned to give an accurate update on Vas while simultaneously reassuring their mother that it really wasn't necessary to write to Ilija, nodded in order to appease his sister.

"Alright," he agreed, expecting that it wouldn't be long before their mother would try to call him, too. "How're you feeling?"

vasilia abigail fortescue

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

September 9, 2025
felix valentin fortescue

Felix seemed to have the same reaction to finding out their mother would be writing Ilija as she did. That... what exact would happen of that? It wasn't exactly a productive task! Ilija had been distant since graduation. Since moving away with the love of his life. Again, they only saw him once a year, at Christmas. "Exactly my thought!" Telling Ilija would only worry him, but it wasn't like he lived around the corner! He lived thousands of miles away! What did telling him accomplish?

Though, thankfully, Felix seemed more cooperative today. Agreeing with her "demands" instead of insisting it be handling differently. Like her collapsing. Being on the same page was nice. As he asked how she was doing though she paused, and fake shrugged. She wanted to pretend she was fine. That she was right as rain and ready to take on the world again. But considering the trip to the hospital yesterday, she knew Felix wouldn't buy it at all. "Better." She settled with, which was the truth. In a way. "I'm sorry for pushing myself so hard, I must have really scared you. I'll be more careful in the future." And by "careful" she actually seemed to me "I'll make sure you don't see it.". Because she was still very much convinced she had to handle everything and keep Felix "safe" from the struggles.

[felix valentin fortescue]

September 9, 2025

Although they both seemed to be on the same page when it came to Ilija, Vas gave a shrug when Felix asked her how she was feeling. "Better," she answered him, though Felix knew that there was no way that she could have been completely better after what had happened. Even if she wasn't going to faint again, she needed to get her energy back and keep from overdoing things. "I'm sorry for pushing myself so hard," Vas added in apology, "I must have really scared you." And she had, though it couldn't have been comfortable for her, either. "I'll be more careful in the future."

"I just want to make sure you're alright, Vas," Felix reminded her. It had scared him when she'd collapsed, but he had been able to get her to St. Mungo's. "You need to get your strength back," he told her, because that needed to be her main concern, "and take care of yourself. I know you don't want to stop working, but you can't keep working yourself to the point where you're physically collapsing, either. You've got to trust me, alright?"

vasilia abigail fortescue

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

September 9, 2025
felix valentin fortescue

There was... definitely secrets between Vasilia and Felix. Or rather, secrets that Vasilia kept from Felix. He'd been only just graduated from school. She'd been home, even when she was in secondary school. She had seen the way their father's illness had progressed. Saw how it had affected both their parents. Felix had seen it during the summer, and now that he'd graduated, but he hadn't seen the progression, or been there to pick up the slack as their father grew weaker. Vas had been the one to start stepping up, filling in where their parents couldn't. It had just kept progressing though... Getting worse and worse. Until Vasilia found herself carrying a very heavy burden on her shoulders. Of doing everything she could for the parlour. From payroll, to inventory, to prep, to employees. By the time Felix graduated, she'd already been filling the shoes of their parents.

But not only that? She felt like she owed it to Felix. Because he didn't know how bad things were (well, he knew, but he didn't know how much she'd taken on so that their parents didn't have to worry about it and struggle), and she didn't want him to worry. She wanted to protect him. Let him enjoy his new freedom, and be a teenager. Go have fun, party, spend time with friends. Enjoy life now that he didn't have to worry about school. He didn't have to be an adult right now... did he?

Vasilia set the bowl of soup down on the night stand, smiling softly at her little brother and shifting over a bit, making room on the bed for him and patting the now free spot to silently tell him to join her. "I trust you Felix. I'm sorry I made you worry. Sometimes I just get so tunnel visioned I don't stop. I need to just stop and remember that you're not in school anymore and you're here to help."

[felix valentin fortescue]

September 9, 2025

Felix knew that Vas was used to taking on challenges on her own. Her being a Squib put her in a different position from the rest of their family, and so she had been forced to make her own path, in a way. She couldn't really rely upon the magical world, because not being able to use magic was limiting, no matter how much she persevered. She had done very well for herself and was hardly whom someone might have pictured when they thought of a Squib.

That had never kept Felix from being close to her. There were differences between them that could have driven them apart, but that wasn't the case. Vas set her soup aside—and off of the bed—and then moved over, motioning for him to join her. He moved to do so as Vas spoke again.

She apologized to him, reiterating that she trusted him. It was just that she got caught up in her tunnel vision, she said, and she added that she needed to remember that he was an adult and not in school anymore.

Sitting beside Vas on her bed, Felix reached out a hand to her. "Hogwarts isn't in the way anymore," he noted, as strange as it felt to him, too, that he hadn't had to pack up and leave for school for the first of September. "And I'm here because I want to be." He had NEWTs to his name; he was in the working world for real. "I don't mind it." His family and the ice cream parlor were his priorities, and stressing over marks was a thing of the past. Not that his academics had ever been his only stressor, but removing them from the equation helped a little bit. For better or worse, he was there, and he could help Vas with just about anything that she needed him to do.

vasilia abigail fortescue