the next holders//mlb fanfiction

31//Rune's father

In the next week, the attacks Autumn heard about on the news happened more frequently. Sometimes even multiple in a day. The police has said that they're trying to get the situation under control, but need everyone to stay inside as much as possible and travel with at least one other person at all times.

That Tuesday, after school, El and Autumn walk home together. Since they live near each other, they decided to walk to school and home together until the attacker is arrested.

"Is that Rune?" Autumn asks, pointing towards a person walking alone at the opposite side of the road, they're looking around cautiously but don't seem to notice Autumn and El.
"We should walk home with her." El offers. Autumn wants to tell her that she's in a hurry to get home, she still has a bad feeling about Rune, but agrees. She might not like them, but she doesn't want to risk them becoming a victim of the attacks.

"Rune, wait up!" El shouts, she and Autunm cross the road and meet up with him.
"What?" Rune asks, she's a bit shaken but doesn't show it.
"You shouldn't be outside on your own due to the attacks. So we'll walk you home, where do you live?" Autumn explains. Rune doesn't want them to walk him home and doesn't even try to hide it, but they're not given a choice.

"It's right around this corner, you guys can go now." He tells them, but as if it was planned, a car drives past them and stops right next to them. Through the open window, they see a middle-aged man "Hey, you're home early. And are these your friends? I told you you could do it. Why don't you invite them in?"
"I'd rather not." Rune tells him.
"If you don't invite them I will. Besides, it's not good for them to be out on their own, I just saw some police cars rushing past, there must've been another attack."
Rune looks at El and Autumn, who're standing awkwardly next to her.
"Fine." She says, gesturing to El and Autumn that they should follow him.

Only five minutes later, they're all in Rune's house. It's not big, but it isn't small either. Rune's father is busy cleaning the house, or he's trying to make it more representable, Rune takes a seat on the couch and Autumn and El follow his lead.

"Would you girls like something to drink?" Rune's father asks after piling up the plates and glasses in the kitchen so it doesn't look too messy. Autumn looks from Rune to their father and back to Rune, they're looking rather uncomfortable, she doesn't understand why.
"No thanks, I'm good." El says, "Me, too. Thanks for asking though"
They keep waiting for Rune's response, but he doesn't give one. "Linn?" His father then asks, it looks like Rune could either break down or start a fight at that moment, and it's impossible to tell which one.

"Who's Linn?" El asks, exchanging confused looks with Autumn.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Rune, I keep forgetting you've changed it. You see, she moved here not too long ago, I hadn't seen her in years because of her mom. But when her mom, you know." He pauses, then continues as if he didn't just stop. "I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that she changed her name, that's all." Their father explains, taking a sip from his water.
"Well, Rune seems to feel uncomfortable so you could try remembering it for his sake." Autumn says, she still doesn't like Rune, but hates it when people invalidate someone.
El hadn't noticed Rune was feeling uncomfortable yet, but quickly adds to Autumn's point "Yeah. It might be hard to adjust, but if there's something that can really hurt a person, it's invalidating them."
Rune looks at Autumn and El, unsure what to say. Her father is quiet, too "Well, I guess you're right." He says, but it's hard to tell whether he's sincere or not.

After a long pause of complete and awkward silence where everyone kept exchanging looks with each other, Rune's father leaves the room, which seems to lighten the mood almost immediately.
"Thanks." Rune mumbles, not making eye contact with either of them. Autumn and El just smile.
"Do you want us to stay here a little longer?" Autumn asks, Rune nods.
"Cool, then could you show us your room? Not trying to be rude, but your living room is boring." El adds, Rune nods again.

They walk upstairs together and Rune opens one of the doors, walking in. El and Autumn follow. His room is still messy, due to the fact that he hasn't completely settled in yet. Half-unpacked moving boxes are laying in her room, her desk is filled with some pens and a picture frame with a photo in it. El picks it up and tries to take a look at it, it's Rune, they're a lot younger here. He's standing next to his mom, at least she assumes that's their mom. She doesn't get a very good look at the picture though, Rune snatches it away and puts it in a moving box. "Please don't."
A bit shocked by this reaction, El apologises "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine." Rune interrupts, walking around his room, getting some other things and putting it in boxes.
"I don't mean to be cruel and I understand if you don't wanna talk about it, but did something happen to your mother?" El asks.
"No. She couldn't care for me anymore, so I had to leave. That's all." Rune answers, finishing storing the last few pictures.
They stay quiet again, it's getting pretty awkward. "It's probably best if we go now. But if your father ever invalidates you again, text or call either of us, okay?" Autumn says, Rune nods understandingly. The three of them walk downstairs and Rune watches as Autumn and El walk off together.

"I guess that's why Rune kept his distance." El says, Autumn nods. She might've been wrong about Rune, maybe they're just trying to adjust to the situation they're put in, they're not that bad.