Chapter Text
Humanity has a funny habit of trying to make something unfortunate seem like something good.
A blessing in disguise.
One man's trash is another man's treasure.
It is almost like humanity is incapable of seeing tragedies and such. Sometimes there is no way around the obvious. Sometimes, a tragedy is just that.
Tragic.
And sometimes, when the stars align just right, a person's whole life could be nothing but a tragedy.
But what happens when it is not just one person's life, but four?
Then it becomes more than tragic.
Then, those lives become unfinished.
****
Our story begins in the early morning of the 7th of July, 1977. With the first few rays of sunlight bathing the city of Los Angeles in gold, a baby boy was born. A mother and father present and proud, alongside the priest of their church. And yet, his parents didn’t even move to hold him until the priest bathed him in holy water. Alex Mercer would be born into a well-off family, with a mother who would love him and a father who would always be at his side. He would be a blessing.
For now, at least.
It wouldn’t be until he turned eight would Alex began to realize that the love his parents felt for him was not as unconditional as they had claimed for so long. It wouldn’t be until he was eleven would he meet the first person who wouldn’t judge him. It wouldn’t be until he was thirteen would he began to realize his parents were wrong. And it wouldn’t be until he was fifteen would he meet another pair who would genuinely love him.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Alex, though his life looked nice and polished, would be filled with needless pressure and anxiety. He was the oldest; he had to be the example. And he was aware of that from a very early age. So Alex would soon find himself slowly trying to cut away parts of himself to fit into the mold that his parents made for him. And it would only be so long before he couldn’t do it anymore.
****
Just over a month later, on the 13th of August, as the afternoon summer heat swept over the city of angels, another baby boy was born to another pair of parents. Still a proud mother and father, but there wouldn’t be a priest present for this baby boy. No ceremony to promise this baby to the brief of God before he was able to think for himself. Just two parents, happy and loving. Luke Patterson would be born into a small but loving family, a mother who would always be there when he fell to kiss away the pain, and a father who would always look at him in pride. He would be loved.
For now, at least.
It wouldn’t be until he was eight would Luke realize that he was different than the other children he knew. It wouldn’t be until he was ten would he meet someone who also carried the burdening title of ‘different’. It wouldn’t be until he was thirteen would he realize that his parents would never support his dreams. And it wouldn’t be until he was fifteen when he would meet another pair of voices that would help make the most beautiful four-part harmony he’s ever heard.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Luke, though always knowing the love from his parents, would never show how much being different actually hurt him. He would push down his pain, wear his quirks and differences like a target on his chest, and wait. Wait for the day he would be able to show everyone that they were wrong. He knew it was coming. He just had to wait.
****
Summer would bleed into Autumn and freeze into Winter. And as the sun dipped below the horizon on the 21st of December, the first day of Winter, a third baby boy would be born. Born to a young and tired mother and without a father in sight, this baby would never know the feeling on a bassinet, always being held by his mother until it was time to go home. Reggie Peters would be born into a loud family, a mother who tried to love him but was too young to know what she was doing, and a father who screamed and threw things. He would withstand.
For now, at least.
It wouldn’t be until he was eight would Reggie begin to see his mother was fighting a losing battle against the darkness in their tiny little home. It wouldn’t be until he was nine would he realized he was scared of his parents. It wouldn’t be until he was ten would he meet the first person who would be able to make the smile on his face a real one. And it wouldn’t be until he was fifteen would he finally find a family he didn’t have to be scared of.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Reggie, though raised around screaming matches and abuse, would be the happiest kid anyone ever saw. It wasn’t that he wasn’t angry or hurting because he was. It was just that he saw how those feelings could tear people apart. So he would go through life trying to ignore the darker parts of his emotions. How hard could it be?
****
A fourth baby would be born on the 16th of March, just as Winter came to a close. With half of the moon and a sky filled with stars as witnesses, this baby would be born to a cold mother and another absent father nowhere in sight. This baby girl would be given a name that wouldn’t match in a few short years and left waiting in a bassinet in the nursery, swaddled in a blanket that would be the only trustworthy source of comfort that baby would have for a long time. Rebecca Wilson would be born into a quiet family, a mother who would only hold her on rare occurrences, and a father that would be gone more often than not. She would survive.
For now, at least.
It wouldn’t be until he was eight would Bobby realize that the name he had been born with was wrong. It wouldn’t be until he was eleven would he first meet someone who was just like him. It wouldn’t be until he was thirteen when sleep would slowly become as absent as his parents. It wouldn’t be until he was fifteen when the icy shell around his heart started to melt away.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Bobby, though raised in the silence of an empty house, would be overflowing with anger. How could he not? In a world so cruel as this one, his anger would seem natural and justified. Yet, it would still leave him feeling cold and empty. And as he continued to cut himself off from the world around him, it would be all too easy for him to be left to self-destruct.