kittylands | i watch the ceiling buckle

fandom: aquaman
relationship, characters: kako
rating: pg
warnings: none
word count: 545
summary: Set during Aquaman Vol. 5 #5. Kako waits.
links: cfaa, superlove

Kako waits. What else can she do?

Just after they finished breakfast, a scream rang through the village and Koryak had to go. He’s always running off nowadays. Not by choice, but. It’s still frightening, knowing he’s out there, fighting something grander than what they’re used to. Kako absentmindedly chews on her lip as she settles on the couch, the TV gently playing in front of it. She needs something to numb her mind a bit. Kako’s just so worried about him. She’s proud of him too, of course. He’s fighting for them in a way that no one else in the village can. It’s my duty, she remembers him saying. He sounds just like his father.

She wonders why these monsters are here, why they won’t let her and Koryak rest for more than a minute. As the days go on, Kako worries more and more that she won’t ever see her son again. He stays out later, comes back home less often. When Koryak is home, she notices how tired he looks. He moves slower, like his muscles are exhausted. He drinks more water, which should be a good thing, but she thinks he’s just trying to stave off headaches. He’s been doing so much with so little rest.

Kako hopes that in turn, he doesn’t notice how tired she is. She’s always been an obvious person, but she doesn’t want to pressure Koryak even more. It’s just that she hardly sleeps at night, sick with worry, yet spends all day cooped up inside the house, restless until Koryak returns. There’s another thing she has against these monsters: she lost her goddamn job. Nobody trusts her or Koryak anymore, not really. At home, she tries to keep herself busy, mending clothes and working on writing her book, but nothing can keep her attention for long. Kako pushes herself off the couch. She needs to pace. The TV drones on, white noise for her anxious mind.

This whole situation gives her a horrible feeling, like she can see the outcome of it all. Like she’s seen this happen before. Kako supposes she has. She digs her nails into the skin around them. Of course. How had she not seen it before? Arthur’s curse on her family remained ever present. Although he’s long gone, his presence haunts them.

Kako doesn’t hate Arthur. He still holds a special place in her heart and she’s grateful for Koryak, she loves him more than anything, but. She is disappointed, and maybe more than a little angry, that he never thought to come back to Alaska. She knows he’s a busy man. Yet surely there’s some time in his schedule, during all these years, that he could’ve made the trip. It’s not like it’d be a difficult thing for the king of Atlantis, for Aquaman. Kako tries not to think about the possibility that he forgot about them.

She takes a deep breath, suddenly exhausted on her feet. She really needs to get some actual sleep soon. Instead, Kako decides to sit in front of the fire, craving its warmth. She can’t sleep while she’s waiting on Koryak, but the least she can do is try to relax instead of walking holes into the floor. It’s hard to sit still, not knowing when or if her son will return. Sometimes, it makes her feel like she’s still the pregnant young girl waiting for Arthur to show up on her doorstep. She suddenly feels so alone, just her in her grandparent’s house.

But what else can she do? Kako waits.