To be human.

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/44823409.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandom: Call of Duty (Video Games)
Relationship: John "Soap" MacTavish/Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish
& Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish & Simon "Ghost" Riley
& Original Child Character(s)
Character: John "Soap" MacTavish, Simon "Ghost" Riley, Original Female
Character(s), Original Child Character(s)
Additional Tags: Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Romance, Some angst, Just two ex-
soldiers taking care of kids, They're gonna speedrun each other's
therapies., Soft John "Soap" MacTavish, Soft Simon "Ghost" Riley,
Getting to Know Each Other, Getting Together, oh yeah, Author Has
Never Played Call Of Duty
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-02-06 Updated: 2023-07-08 Words: 254,524 Chapters:
21/?

To be human.
by Mizu (andrugy_ftw)

Summary

The kids kept silent, staring at them with bright, blue eyes. They looked identical. He was
told, at least, that one was a little girl and the other a little boy. But they had the same face,
the same haircut, and the same clothes.

He was so concerned with trying to find any difference between the kids, he never realized
the silence was dragging for too long.

And then.

"So ugly!" The one on the right pointed to the top of his head, and he felt the way Ghost
flinched. But they didn't mean Ghost.

They meant his hair.

Or: Soap and Ghost promised to take care of two kids. It might not have been the wisest
decision at first, but they'll come to enjoy it. Everything takes it's time.

(Please make sure to read the warnings on the first chapter!)

 (-1) Warnings and clarifications.

Hello, I'm (not) Mizu. Pleased to meet you. This is my first fanfic, I hope you enjoy it as much as I
enjoy writing it.

>English is not my first language, I hope you can forgive any mistakes, since I'm writing and
editing this all by myself. I used to have a beta reader but they decided to f*ck my ex-
partner (owo)b

>I don't know how to write accents, sorry. I did try to add some for Soap but I'm scared of it being
disrespectful, just imagine he still has the accent when reading.

>I haven't written a fanfic in... *checks weather app* *opens clock app* nine years. I hope it's not
that bad. I never published anything in AO3 myself, please excuse any mistakes you might find, I'll
try my best, I just ask for your patience.

>I never played any CoD games, the only knowledge I have for the characters come from watching
my brother play when I was little (I didn't understand much then, honestly, I was 8.), my nephew
playing warzone on the background when he visited, Soap's Journal, Ghost's comic, and an 8 hour
stream I tried to watch (and never actually properly watched cuz I fell asleep all the time).

>I apologize if the characters are too OOC.

>Also, I know very little about the army, so I have no idea if the little things related to that are
accurate.

>The rest of the 141 and CoD characters won’t appear much (because I barely know about them
aside from Price) but they’re there, I guess.

>This was originally an OC-centric story, but my brain mixed things and I ended up including Soap
and Ghost. And then re-wrote the entire thing into this.

Content/Trigger warnings:

(I tried to not write anything graphic or too detailed, but sometimes my brain goes back into Edgy
14-year-old-me mode and writes genuinely concerning things. Sorry about that.)

(If a chapter gets too explicit I'll make sure to put the warnings on the notes.)

>Child abuse. (At the beginning, only mentioned later on.)

>Substance abuse. (Again, mostly at the beginning.)

>Minor character and animal death. (Nothing graphic, I promise.)

>Graphic depictions of violence. (This goes for the prologue, nothing graphic after.)

>Descriptions of panic attacks and night terrors. (I'm not sure if this should be a warning, maybe
it's just me who dislikes reading panic attack scenes. Not too graphic for that same reason.)

>Language. (It's not that bad but just in case.)

>Mentioned bullying/harassment.
That should be it. In case I forgot something I'll make sure to post it in the notes as well.

Make sure to send me d*ath threats or ideas, to keep me from dropping this once the inspiration
runs out, on twitter (@NotReallyMizu). I'll probably be posting some art there too.

This is going to be a long story, by the way. Expect more than a 100k words, I'll try to update as
soon as I finish the chapters, but I can't promise a schedule. I'll be aiming for at least 10k+ chapters
every week.

Enjoy.
 (0). Choices and Consequences
Chapter Summary

Soap learns why he should never promise something while drunk.

Every choice has a consequence.

He knew more than anyone that choices had consequences. His L.t had reminded him of that, some
time ago. He was sure the only way for him to leave the SAS was in a coffin. But fate had other
plans for him.

Nerve damage they had said. And sharpnel on his lungs. He tried to convince Price he could keep
going, but the captain wasn't fooled. He couldn't run for half the time he used to before losing all
his strength and having to stop before he passed out, breathless. He hated it.

But he was lucky, and he knew that.

Months before, that woman had walked into the base, a new addition to the team for a mission.
They were going after Makarov, after months of chasing the fucker around the world. For some
reason they thought only five people were enough to get him.

It wasn't that he didn't trust himself or his L.t, but that was just a suicide mission. And with a new
teammate to add insult to injury.

"Captain Rusnav, pleasure to meet you." The woman was built like a bull, her voice was deep, her
accent was more british than russian, despite the surname, and her hairstyle was definitely not
allowed by military standards.

Her eyes, though, were the most terrifying thing of her appearance. Ghost's were scary, yes, they
usually were filled with any negative emotions you could think of. But hers were straight up
lifeless. Throughout the months they worked together, they never changed, even if she smiled or
lashed out in anger. Even as she killed, nothing sparked in those orbs.

They were on that mission for what felt like ages, slowly gathering intel on Makarov's exact
location and planning accordingly, trying to leave no traces behind.

Putting aside how creepy the woman was, she was pretty social with him and Ghost. She could join
in the banter effortlessly, fill silences when needed, giving courage when the situations turned for
the worst. She was a natural leader.

Slowly, they gained pieces of information, he was sure the woman was doing it on purpose,
considering how good she was at hiding things when talking. Evading giving information by the
way she phrased things.

~
"Captain Rusnav, nice to meet you." She approached with a confident stride, short hair falling
over her eyes, and a much shorter and thinner man trailing behind. She dismissed said man after
exchanging some words and gave them her full attention.

"Pleasure's ours. Let's get ourselves a win, aye?" Ghost let him do the talking, like most of the
time. The man became a literal ghost as soon as someone, that wasn't Johnny, was around. After
Las Almas' entire situation, the two were always seen together, when Ghost wasn't in a solo
mission, clearly.

"Where is that accent from?" The three were walking side by side towards the helo that was
waiting for them and the rest of their squad.

"Scotland. That's actually a very soft accent compared to what I usually hear." His L.t decided to
open his mouth only to tease him. As usual.

"Awa' an bile yer heid!" The woman laughed at Soap's sudden outburst.

"Let's keep our accents to ourselves, yeah? I can barely understand brits." This time, she left her
very thick and very russian accent out. Soap chuckled and nodded.

"Think I'll get another medal after this?" The three were in a run down house in a god forsaken
city in Afghanistan. They had to take apart a small enemy base, where there was allegedly more
intel about Makarov's whereabouts. Everything went as great as it could, if you ignored how he got
shot in the shoulder. Again.

"Not like you did much, buddy." The woman was searching through her vest, finding and taking an
emergency first aid kit. She got to work immediately, taking off his vest and cutting his clothes to
get to the wound.

"You've done this before?" His L.t was standing a couple feet away, making sure no one was about
to ambush them. Not like there were many people left to plan an ambush.

"If it makes you feel better, my dad was a surgeon." Before he could tell her that 'you're not your
dad', the captain shoved a piece of fabric into his mouth and immediately started working on fixing
his shoulder. He won't admit he was screaming and crying in pain, even if that was a natural
reaction for someone digging into his flesh with tweezers. At least the stitching wasn't that bad.
"Good as new, friendo."

"Those look pretty good." His L.t had walked over and crouched next to him, looking at the now
stitched injury. "Price says they'll come for us in the morning."

"I hope the intel was worth something, those two kids died in vain otherwise." Right, the other two.
He didn't know them, since they came with the captain, and they were pretty reserved. Doesn't
mean he didn't care they died. "I'll keep watch, you two rest for a while." Her smile never reached
her eyes.

"Fuckin'–" He turned around, watching his lieutenant try to get up. The man was clutching his leg
were blood was now falling into the rain. He immediately started rushing towards him, Rusnav
shooting at anyone that dared to leave their cover to shoot at them. They found cover behind a wall
nearby, gunfire raining around them. He wasn't surprised that they were the only ones left alive,
again.

"Is it bad?" He watched as his CO tied the tourniquet around his injured limb, the blood slowly but
surely flowing less by the minute.

"Think I'll live." He said as he tried to stand, failing miserably and looking shocked as his leg lost
strength.

"Don't have time to patch that up now, big boy." She shot with deadly precision, even if she didn't
have any idea where the enemies where. Her reflexes were inhuman.

"Just go, if we stay here we're all dead." He could hear the enemies calling for backup, and Ghost
seemed to already have accepted his demise. He was loading his guns and trying to move on the
floor. The woman scoffed.

"Yeah, no way. MacTavish, cover me." She shot again, he could hear at least four bodies drop, and
then she went to the ground. She fucking lifted Ghost. The man was completely taken aback by
someone carrying his weight and making it look so effortless. She started sprinting towards the
woods they were headed to in the first place, carrying the 6'4 man as if he was nothing on her
arms. Soap decided to concentrate on shooting anything that followed them.

After they were far enough, having lost the enemy soldiers with lots of circles and turns, they
spotted another ran down house. There were no indication of human lives in kilometers, and
Rusnav deemed it safe enough.

"I would recommend starting a diet." She finally let the bigger man down on a chair, starting to
look once again for the first aid kit. Soap let his gun down and stood by the closed door.

"You seem very good at carrying people twice your size." The woman lifted an eyebrow at him,
slightly offended.

"Yeah, I used to carry my husband around like that." She started cleaning the area around the
bullet wound, Ghost watching silently, seemingly still shocked at the recent events. "Kids love
being picked up too." Her smile was soft, her eyes closed. "And this bastard is only four inches
taller than me." The brit let out a startled noise as she started to dig to find the bullet, and Soap
only laughed at his L.t's death glare.

Tomorrow was the big day, and knowing full well this could be the last day they would stay alive,
they decided to go for drinks. Rusnav usually followed them around while they were on the base,
the woman loved social interactions and most of the people staying on base were terrified of her.
Except of course, by the sergeant with a death wish and the lieutenant that was mostly dead inside.

They were all tipsy, sitting on the emergency exit of the barracks. Ghost had gone easy on the
drinking, the other two not so much. The woman had drank at least two bottles of vodka and he was
sure she should be currently dying or in a coma, but she looked far from either. And Soap had tried
to keep up with her, only stopping when he realized that the woman was certainly immune to any
effects the alcohol could induce. The three were smoking, talking about whatever their alcohol
dazed minds thought off, when Soap suddenly remembered one of their conversations.

"You have kids!?" The woman turned and laughed hysterically at the sergeant's bewildered face.

"Took you that long to process?" She smiled before inhaling more smoke."Yeah, they turned seven
like, three months ago. Cute lil' shits, they look just like their father." For a second, Soap could see
an emotion come to those eyes, before the spark disappeared and vanished. "You think we'll make
it tomorrow?"

"I think so, if we don't Price is gonna resurrect us to kill us again. Too much paperwork." They all
chuckled sadly, knowing full well Price would be devastated, but not because of paperwork.

"If I don't make it..." She paused, uncertainty on her face for the first time since they met. "Think
you two can take care of those demons?" She fixed her gaze on the ground, refusing to look at the
men beside her.

"I'm sure you're the one with more chances of getting out alive tomorrow." She lifted her gaze just
to glare at the sergeant.

"Not like we know how to take care of kids anyways." Ghost supplied a very fair point. The woman
was determined though.

"Neither do I. And that was my point too, you two are trying to get yourselves killed before you've
even lived." The words settled around them. She was right, they knew how to be soldiers, yes. But
they've never lived a normal life. "Promise me that if I die, you'll take care of them." She was
almost glaring, if it wasn't because her eyes were still a void. "Please. You're the only people I
trust, that are still alive."

See, the thing is that, neither of them had a reason to accept, they liked it here, and they were sure
they were going to die before they could retire. But those words struck Soap's heart. After the last
months with her, where she saved his ass more than once, at least he could fulfill her dying wish.

"Can't promise anything." His L.t spoke first, throwing the cigarette butt to the ground and
stepping on it. He was looking away, as if looking at the russian's pleading eyes would change his
answer.

"I'll do it." The words left his mouth before he could even process them. Both of them looked at him
shocked, before the woman hugged him and thanked him.

It's not like they were going to die tomorrow, anyways.

Rusnav was a strong motherfucker, that's for sure, but getting shot more than seventeen times in
the torax was excessive.

Both he and Ghost had fallen behind while chasing Makarov throught the hotel, the wound on the
brit's leg was apparently re-opened, and he had gained a fresh one somewhere close. Soap had
barely escaped an explosion, his chest and arms hurt in the process. Price was with the other
captain, chasing the bastard around.
He didn't remember most of what happened, the blood loss making most of what he saw a blurry
mess. He remembered struggling to the roof of the hotel, his lieutenant beside him, and Price's
horrified eyes as they finally reached where Rusnav was.

The manic laughter of the woman was drilled onto his ears. Makarov was dead, a bullet through
his brain, right between his eyebrows. He still had the machine gun on his arms. The mangled
body of the woman mere inches away from the person she killed. They had no idea how she was
alive, or how she remained conscious the whole flight back to safety.

Her last words were predictable.

"You promised."

Amazingly, Rusnav was still somewhat alive. In a coma, paralized from the neck down, more
broken ribs than healthy ones. Her lungs didn't work by themselves anymore, and some other
organs he couldn't remember had also shut down. As soon as he was discharged, he had to go see
her to make sure Price wasn't lying to him.

He wasn't.

When a doctor came in during one of his visits, he asked about her prognosis. The man looked
troubled, but ultimately admitted that at best, she would stay in a vegetative state for a long while.

So he was fucked.

It was during another visit that he met another person who visited the captain, aside from him.

"You're a relative?" He had asked after minutes of very awkward silence. The man had stared at
him for some seconds before answering.

"No, not really. I'm guessing you're Soap?"

"Depends on who's asking."

The man explained that he worked as a secretary for the russian, handling all her paperwork from
some businesses she had back home, along with other things.

"Are you keeping your promise?" The question came out of nowhere, but he wasn't really
surprised.

"Yes. Not like I can do much in the army anymore." And there's nothing back home.

"Do you know what Mister Riley has decided?" Mister Riley...? "Simon Riley." He added at Soap's
confused silence.

"I have no idea." The man sighed and left the room in silence, holding an ungodly amount of
papers inside a binder.

He should start preparing himself psychologically for what was inevitable. He was basically
becoming a single father out of nowhere.
 ~

The man, Soap had learned, was called Alexander, and had started visiting more often. He seemed
happy to talk about Rusnav's life, answering any questions the scot threw his way.

What was her name? Karenina Rusnav, if you're a close friend. She had way too many names when
she was undercover on missions.

Born in Russia forty-seven years ago, lived in Japan with his father since she was twelve, until she
turned seventeen and decided to go back to his homeland and join the army. Apparently she had
some issues with the japanese organized crime back then, she basically ran away back to Mother
Russia.

Did she know Makarov? Well, yeah, she had seen him before, I think she said they worked together
sometime when she was still in Russia, but she didn't say she knew him personally.

She left her homeland too, went to the UK and joined the army again. She somehow got to work for
the government gathering intel, a spy, basically, but eventually she always came back to the
battlefield.

She was good, and if she had accepted any of the offers she had she would be buried in paperwork
as a general or colonel instead of...here.

Her husband? Killed around five years ago, she had taken a break, taking care of the kids and
planning to raise them and never go back to the army. Then one of his past commanding officer's
gave her away to who-knows-who. Apparently a lot of people were after her head. She left the kids
in a safe place and went out to burn the world down.

She found out some mexican cartel resented her, she was lucky she was out with the kids when they
found her husband. She took down in a night what neither special forces nor governments could
even find. Shepherd found her and made her go back to the UK. Hasn't seen her kids since then.

The depressing talks continued on and on between visits, eventually Ghost started joining too,
finally allowed to walk freely with crutches that looked too small for the gigantic man.

Who was her husband? A pretty boy, for sure. Bright blue eyes and blonde hair. They met on that
man's first mission, she was his captain then. The ordeal turned into hell, they were the only two to
get out alive, she visited him everyday when he was in the hospital. It was his first and last mission
for the army. He could still go on missions, after he recovered, but almost dying made him rethink
his entire life.

They hit it off almost instantly, she would ask for leaves pretty often, running back home to her
love. They married after two years of dating and she got pregnant some months after. She was
almost forty, so they wanted to be careful. She left the army for some years, gave birth to two
healthy kids, and took care of them as best they could. She said she was thankful the twins looked
exactly like their father, when they were born. If you asked her now she would say it was a curse.

Alexander told them they were scheduled to go with the kids by the end of the month. Due to
Rusnav's condition he decided to put everything under their names, so not only did they inherit an
insane amount of land in the middle of nowhere, including the house, and of course the custody of
the twins, but also all of the woman's wealth, which honestly made Soap freeze when he asked the
estimate amount. She had some contract with who-knows what company, her savings were enough
to let them live comfortably for the rest of their lives . Although being a jobless couch potato
sounded inviting, he knew he would get bored eventually.

After an entire month of spending his time in a hospital room listening to machines and stories
about a life now lost, he was finally leaving. He can't say he isn't excited, although very scared.
Ghost looked genuinely terrified, having to fly his first comercial flight in probably years, already
overwhelmed by the amount of strangers around. He found it funny, but had enough mercy to ask
for first class in advance and letting his L.t take the window seat.

Price had bid them farewell, the rest of the team was out of base and busy, but the captain promised
to let them have their contact information in case they wanted to keep in touch. They had to change
their phone numbers since, well, they were going to a whole different continent and staying there.

He was surprised when he learnt that Ghost had agreed to come along. Apparently he wasn't as
invincible as he looked, an injury to the hip and some other thing that he didn't dare ask was what
finally made the man leave. He had a permanent limp, apparently, and judging by the pills and the
way he'd grunt and bend over sometimes, the pain was there to stay for a long while.

It was only minutes after they stepped into the airport when John got a call from Alexander.

"Yeah?" They saw a black car through the window, a small sign saying Rusnav, and guessed that
was their ride. The silence from the other line was almost deafening.

"She...the doctors say she's in a...persistent vegetative state. Apparently she barely has brain
activity. We're just waiting for brain death to be declared, at this point." Well, that fucking sucks.

"Fuck." Ghost looked over, curious at what the other man could be discussing.

"She asked to be buried over there, so good news is you won't have to travel back to the UK."

"Yeah, okay. Keep us updated, man." The other man hummed before hanging up. Soap let out a
shaky breath and looked at his companion."She got worse, I think. Barely any brain activity, says
they're waiting for brain death now."

"Well, fuck." Somehow, this didn't affect them as much as they wished it did. They had given up
on any hope of the woman waking up when they found her a month and a half ago. They could
both agree that this entire situation was fucked up, though. "She was a tough bastard until the end,
huh?"

"Tougher than you, even. Didn't think that was possible." Ghost glanced at him with a look he
didn't quite read.

"I'm not reckless like her. That's what made us different." That was true. His L.t always thought out
every action throughly before doing anything, and considered the consequences as well.

'Actions have consequences.'

He wondered which of her actions led to her current status. Was it going back to Russia? Never
leaving the army? Working with Shepherd? Avenging her husband? Deciding to go after Makarov?

Only she knew the answer.

She knew she was going to die. She probably knew the moment she walked their way on that first
day. She knew the night before the mission, when they made that promise while drunk.

She knew all along, didn't she?

That all of her choices led her to where she was now.

She had accepted it long ago, too, because no matter how you look at it, Alexander couldn't have
made all that paperwork overnight.

She knew it was coming, and her eyes were a void because of that. She couldn't afford to mourn
her past nor her future, when she should focus on getting things done before she had to leave. She
made herself an emotionless machine, to carry out her last wishes.

She was the toughest and smartest person he knew.

"Russian bastard."

Ghost stopped and looked away to give him a moment.

"Alright, time to do this, aye?"

"No accents, MacTavish. The kids only understand british english." He rolled his eyes. Alexander
did mention that the kids spoke spanish and english, and that it would be better to speak to them in
a british accent first since it was what her mother taught them and what they're most familiar with.
Soap wasn't giving up though, he will teach those kids enough to annoy the shit out of Ghost.

>
 (1). Promises are Promises.
Chapter Summary

New beginnings, new places, and new faces.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The airport was smaller than he imagined, even if he knew the country was of the smallest in Latin
America. He looked to his right, the anxious mountain of a man beside him was staring left and
right as they approached hurriedly the black car waiting for them. Seeing The Ghost act like a lost
kid in a crowd was a first, the buzzing crowd around them more terrifying to his lieutenant-well,
ex-lieutenant- than all of the enemies he had faced in the battlefield together.

They were still recovering, the limp on Ghost's usually silent and calculated steps, and his still
aching ribs and arms a proof of that.

The co-pilot for their ride gave them a nod as a greeting, taking their suitcases as they each got into
the car. The driver gave them a small smile through the rear view mirror but stayed silent, even as
the other guy got into his seat beside them, and as they drove for more than two hours through
cities, but mostly green, extensive fields filled with cows and sheep.

His companion remained still throughout the entire ride, shoulders tense and arms crossed. He
wanted to sleep, it had been more than twenty-four hours since he last closed his eyes to rest and
even more since he had a proper night's sleep. But he couldn't sleep even if he wanted to, the entire
plane ride he had to make sure Ghost didn't either snap someone's neck for getting too close, or
decided to jump off the airplane just to get away from the crowd. The man had been in a terrible
mood for the entire week and now he was a nervous wreck too.

"We're thirty minutes away, call Anne." The driver looked at the man beside him for a second and
he was startled before grabbing his phone and dialing. The man beside him had flinched as well,
Soap noticed, ready to attack for a split moment before he realized the voice that cut the two-hour
long silence wasn't an enemy. He hid his laugh, not wanting to sour the man's mood any further.

The co-pilot kept dialing the number without getting an answer and he seemed more annoyed with
each failed attempt. After long minutes of no response he broke the silence again.

"This— why now?” He sighed and dialed another number this time. “Nico, tell Anne to answer the
damn phone.” He ended the call and waited a moment, his tense shoulders relaxing when he heard
the phone ringing. "Finally, you– we're twenty...fifteen minutes away. We're bringing them over,
yes." The man suddenly fell silent, staring out the window while thinking. "I'm sorry Anne, but she
doesn't really..." He jumped on his seat and everyone could hear the yelling coming from the other
side of the line. Soap didn't understand a single word, not from the tone or the way the woman was
speaking as if she was trying to beat the world record for fastest speaker alive, but because it was a
foreign language. The woman stopped talking and ended the call immediately.

"I'm guessing that was the sister." Soap couldn't handle the uncomfortable silence that was settling
between the man in front of him, although Ghost seemed completely unfazed by everything that
happened in the last ten minutes.

"Yes, she's got quite a temper." The driver answered, a humorless laugh following his sentence.

"I noticed." He hoped they didn't have to deal with said bad temper. His companion already had
that, and he didn't want to find out how an interaction between those two would end up.

As if Ghost read his mind, he glanced over, first at his face, then at his bouncing leg, and back to
his face. Soap immediately stilled, realizing now he was moving his leg, and touching Ghost's as
well, which wasn't good considering that was his hurt one.

"Nervous, MacTavish?" Before he could mutter an apology, the brit was the first to speak. Soap
smirked and laughed internally. Because how dare he try to sound mocking when he looked like a
scared stray cat about to jump out the car.

"Aren't you?" He bit back, the same tone as Ghost in his voice. The man seemed to lift an eyebrow
at him, as if daring him to say anything else. Soap allowed himself to chuckle at his reaction and
looked away.

"We're five minutes away gentlemen, I would recommend getting rid of any weapons if you don't
wanna get mauled by Rexie." The co-pilot turned around to look at them with a grin that widened
at Soap's confused look.

"Rexie?" It was Ghost the one to voice his question, although sounding uninterested on the answer.

"Yeah, big fella', I'm telling you. That dog is built like a bull, purebred german shepherd." He
turned to pay attention to the road, just as a big, fenced and, at least from this far, very secure house
came into view. "That's gonna be your house for some time."

"That looks nothing like a house." He turned to stare at his companion, who was trying his best to
ignore him, but failed eventually, glaring at him after at least two minutes passed. "No weapons,
L.t."

The man scoffed and reached for his boot, taking a hunting knife still in its sheath, handing it over
to the man in front of him.

"Happy?" He turned to Soap again, clearly pissed for whatever reason. If anything, he just saved
him from getting his ankle bitten off by a dog.

"Very." Ghost rolled his eyes and turned to face the window. As much as he loves teasing and
bickering with his lieutenant, with his current mood he's lucky he hasn't been beaten to a pulp by
the much bigger man.

Within minutes they reached the main gates to the house, the armed men next to the gates made
both men on the backseats antsy, Soap shuffling on his seat to get ready in case anything
happened, and Ghost tensing his shoulders even more, holding his breath. The tension grew as one
of the men approached the car.

"Fucking finally." The driver showed his ID to the man, who already knew him and completely
ignored the plastic. He looked to the backseats and smiled, slightly concerned for the men who
looked ready to run away from the house. "You two must be the guys Kare– Catherine sent, yes?"
Soap nodded slowly, guessing that the woman they met was called Catherine. "Alright, make
yourselves at home, we'll see each other around."

Finally, the man stepped away from the car and the driver kept going until he was next to a much
smaller gate, deep into the property. Both the gate and fence were smaller and less threatening than
the main ones. If you ignore the gigantic german shepherd sitting patiently by the main entrance.

"Fuck..." Soap muttered under his breath, answered by Ghost's curious glance as he got off the car,
and the driver's smirk as he opened his door.

"Why so scared? Forgot to leave a weapon?" The man pat his shoulder and guided him to the
house, the dog got up and stared and dear god it was even more terrifying while standing.

"No, dogs just generally hate me." He warily directed his glance towards 'Rexie', and the beast
stared back.

"You'll love her, and the other pups too." Their co-pilot opened the gate and, as he was expecting,
the dog started sprinting their way. Soap let out a noise that can only be described as a squeak and
hid behind Ghost's threatening 6'4" frame.

A body hit the ground and instead of growling and screams, a loud laugh was heard. The scot
opened his eyes, which he never noticed he closed, and looked at their driver, pinned to the ground
by the massive canine. That was wagging her tail, her paws around the man in what looked like a
hug, her muzzle hidden under the man's neck, leaving saliva wherever she licked. Ghost half
turned, looking down at where he was grasping the fabric of the man's jacket, and he let go
immediately. He could imagine the smirk under that face mask.

The door opened just as the dog was getting up and heading the foreigners' direction, and two little
figures could be seen standing at the door.

"Hi, kids." The driver fixed his suit and motioned for both men to go in. Now it was Ghost's turn to
hide behind John, the anxiety at being around strangers was back full force. Even if said strangers
were 7 year-olds. "These guys will be taking care of you two from now on."

The kids kept silent, staring at them with bright, blue eyes. They looked identical. He was told, at
least, that one was a little girl and the other a little boy. But they had the same face, the same
haircut, and the same clothes.

He was so concerned with trying to find any difference between the kids, he never realized the
silence was dragging for too long.

And then.

"So ugly!" The one on the right pointed to the top of his head, and he felt the way Ghost flinched.
But they didn't mean Ghost.

They meant his hair.

As realization hit the man behind him, he could hear a barely kept silent laugh. He did it on
purpose, Ghost can perfectly hide a laugh.

Before Soap could even think what to answer, a hand came over the frame of the door and slapped
the back of the kid's head. Hard.

"Be respectful, you fucking brat." A woman, who looked to be way past her fifties, emerged from
the door with a bottle of vodka in hand and a lit cigarette. Her accent was thick, sounded russian.
"These will be the only people who'll give a shit about you two for the rest of your lives."

All four men outside the house looked troubled. The kid that was hit was crying while holding
their head, and all of them seemed to want the same thing; hit that asshole at least ten times harder
than she hit the kid.

The woman sighed, smoke leaving her lungs, and picked up her suitcase, passing past the twins
without even saying goodbye.

Soap couldn't stand the awful atmosphere around, so he crouched to be eye-level with the kids, and
smiled at them.

"What are your names?"

"I'm Leo." The boy, on the left, looked at him-no, he was glaring at him, apparently guarded from
any adult that came near him. He had an arm around his sister's shoulder, patting her to get her to
calm down."She's Leah." As soon as the car with the woman drove away, the girl started sobbing
in earnest.

He had no idea what to do about this, and no one was near to tell him what to do either. He looked
back to find only Ghost and the suitcases. And Ghost seemed to be having flashbacks to whatever
this situation reminded him of, his eyes wider than usual, and breath hitched.

As if the situation couldn't get worse, the little boy started crying too, for some fucking reason.
Now he wanted to cry. Ghost snapped back to reality as soon as Soap's hands started trembling
mid-air, not sure if he should touch the kids or that would make them more agitated.

"Does it hurt too much? We should put ice on it." His voice was the softest the man had ever
talked in, now kneeling by John, face still partially covered. His eyes looked calm. The little girl
looked up then, and nodded while still grabbing the hair at the place she was hit.

Ghost hit his arm slightly with his elbow, nodding towards the boy, face full of tears and snot, no
longer crying but glaring still.

"How about we go clean our faces, hm?" He smiled at the little kid, who didn't stop looking at him
as if he had personally offended him. The boy nodded anyways, reaching his tiny hand towards
John's extended one.

All four of them entered the house, suitcases forgotten for the time being, and the adults tended to
the still very distressed kids. Thankfully, the kitchen was within sight from the entrance, Ghost
found an ice pack on the freezer, while Soap took an apparently clean rug, wet it with lukewarm
water, and cleaned the little boy's face. John was distracted for a second, looking at how careful
and gentle Ghost looked when placing the ice pack on the girl's head.

As he cleaned the kid's face, he tried to find any distinguishable feature, just so he could tell him
apart from his sister. He had a small mole under his right eye. That should do.

"Okay, that's better, no?" He patted the boy's head and ruffled his hair a bit, before standing and
heading to the door. He picked both suitcases, arms aching from the amount of strength it took to
lift Ghost's. What on earth did this man have in there...

Soap could basically feel his soul leave his body as he turned around to see the boy standing right
behind him. He let go of the suitcases and let out a few curses. The noises alerted Ghost, who
appeared within seconds through the doorframe, Leah holding the ice pack against her head as the
man carried her.

"What are you doing?" Ghost sounded so tired of him already, and he was going to bicker a bit, but
stopped as he heard the small laugh of Leo, now helping pick the suitcases up, struggling with
Ghost's.

"I'm sorry sir, I scared him." The boy answered for him, breathing heavy now that he stopped
fighting against the suitcase's weight. Ghost looked extremely amused at the situation.

Better that way, even if it costs Soap's dignity.

They all headed back to the house, Ghost taking his own suitcase in hand once he was close
enough to grab it. Soap was grateful, really, but he still glared at the other man. Ghost saw through
him anyways.

Leah asked to be put down eventually, ice pack forgotten on a counter as both twins ran away to
who-knows-where. So they were left in the main room, no idea where to go or what to do.

They weren't used to living outside a military base, or out in a battlefield, and that was clear to see.
They looked at each other, as if they could find the answer in the other's faces.

"Sir?" A small hand tugged at his jacket. There was no mole on her face.

"What is it, Leah?" He smiled down, and the girl looked anxiously around the room, a small blush
on her cheeks.

"What's your name?" She stuttered a little, probably out of embarrassment, which made her look
like the cutest thing Soap had seen all day.

"Oh, right. I'm John, you can call me Soap if you want too." The girl nodded and looked at Ghost.
The fist that was holding his clothes got tighter."That over there is..."He wanted to spare the girl
the fear of asking Ghost directly, but what was he supposed to say? Ghost sounds too threatening
for a kid, but John never called Simon by his name, it felt almost illegal to say it out loud. Plus, he
doesn't know if the man will have the same boundaries he has with others, towards the kids.

"Simon." He could hear the smile in his voice. Cheeky bastard.

"Simon. Soap." The girl's eyes seemed to spark under the lights.

"Leah..." An aggressive whisper came from the doorframe, all of them looking at the boy hiding
most of his body on the other side of the wall.

"Oh, right. Titi Anne took all the vodka and the cigarettes... so..." The concerned look both man
gave the kids only made them more nervous. Did the kids already drink and smoke? What the
hell? Soap then realized how strongly it smelled of alcohol and tobacco.

"Go on..." Ghost said, a warning on his voice, making the girl twice as nervous. John could see
tears forming on her eyes again.

"We don't have anything to serve you...sorry..." She was staring at the ground, her brows furrowed,
refusing to cry again. Her brother went to her side, glaring at them again. When he looked at the
other adult of the room, he could see his own anger reflected on his eyes.

Good to know he wasn't the only one finding this entire situation so fucked up.

"No need." The deep voice of the brit made both children flinch before they relaxed, processing the
answer. Soap sighed heavily before crouching again, smiling at them.

"How about we get something to eat instead, hm? Did you guys have lunch yet?" The twins looked
at each other before shaking their heads no. John got up, heading towards the kitchen, holding both
kids' hands as he went.

The whole kitchen was almost empty. Well, the sink was overflowing with dirty dishes, but food-
wise, there was almost nothing. Leah opened the fridge and took a bowl with moldy rice inside.
She started taking out the fuzzy fungus from the rice and throwing it in the trash bin, before
serving four incredibly small portions on plates. Soap could only look, both concerned and
heartbroken at how used she seemed to doing that. How she found it completely normal.

The girl looked at him confused, offering a plate to him. Ghost walked then into the room, taking
the plate while also looking at him as if he was the weird one.

"What is it, MacTavish?" Leah handed a fork to the man who actually took the food.

"Don't!" He yelled louder than he meant to, sounding way more authoritative than he meant,
making the girl flinch in fear, dropping the plate she was holding and the fork she was about to eat
out off.

She started to cry again, apologizing between sobs, although she didn't know what was wrong
exactly. Ghost just looked at him, exasperated at having to deal again with a distressed child. He
sighed heavily before grabbing Soap's arm and leading him to the other room, not before telling the
kids to stay put.

"Why did you do that?" Once they were far way from the kids, the gentleness he had seen from the
other man disappeared. He looked angry, which was understandable.

"She can't eat that! There was fuckin' mold on it!" The day had made them both stressed, and now
that he was arguing, both his anger and his accent came to the surface. Simon took a deep breath
and seemed to calm down for a minute. One of them has to be the voice of reason here.

"Right, but you can't yell at the kids, Johnny. They've already been through too much. Let's try to
be kind to them, alright?" He wasn't expecting Ghost, of all people, to be so understanding. The
man had his hands on his shoulders, thumbs rubbing circles to get him to calm down. "I'll go take
care of them. Try to find someone in this entire place to help us get food, yeah?" Soap only nodded,
watching his L.t walk back to the kitchen.

He left through the main doors and went back to the main gates, with Rexie trailing behind him
happily. The armed men looked at him and smiled, all too happy to see people again.

"You guys have any idea where the closest store is?" The men exchanged confused looks before
staring back at him.

"Should be about half an hour. Did Nico not see you when you got there? Thought he said he
would help you guys..." That name sounded familiar. He started sprinting back to the house,
leaving the two guards even more confused.

Now, thinking logically, Ghost wouldn't kill someone in front of two kids. But the man had been
stressed all day, now he was angry after seeing the conditions the children lived in, plus he was
alone in an unfamiliar place. Whoever this Nico dude was, he was in trouble.

When he walked back into the house, he could hear the TV from what he guessed was the living
room. He peeked into it to find the two kids watching some cartoon. No Ghost.

He searched frantically through all the rooms until he found what he was looking for. Ghost was
standing, taking the weight off his bad leg by leaning against the wall, and in the center of the
room was a gagged, tied up to a chair, and very terrified man.

"You must be Nico?" Soap walked towards the man, taking the piece of fabric out of his mouth,
while Ghost looked at him carefully.

"Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you, Soap." He also took off the ropes, which, now that he thinks
about it, where on earth did Ghost get them from?

"Sorry about Ghost, you're lucky you caught him in a good mood today." The man paled at his
words, rubbing his now sore wrists while analyzing his face for any sign of playfulness. John
showed none.

"Uh-huh. Lucky me." Nico stood up, standing at least around ten inches bellow Soap, he didn't
seem to be a guard, and by his plain clothes he assumed he wasn't an employee. "I was Karenina's
brother-in-law, she asked me to get you two accommodated here, I'll be leaving later in the
evening, so let me show you around."

Nico was almost as talkative as John, explaining almost every little detail about the entire place.
The house was big, Soap counted at least ten rooms, four downstairs, three upstairs, the kitchen
and living room and the bathroom. According to Nico all the bedrooms had a separate bathroom,
but they were smaller than the main one. And didn't have a bathtub like the main one.

The kids slept in separate rooms next to each other, and the two rooms they were staying in were in
front of them. Upstairs was the studio Karenina-or Catherine- used to work in, and a playroom for
the kids. The attic was locked, Nico said the keys were in the keyring he gave them, but no one
knew what was up there, no one had been up there in years.

Outside the house was just as big. He realized there was a couple other buildings in the property.
One of them was a house, where the guards stayed when not on patrol or standing by the gates.
There was a pool, with a small barbecue, and what he could only guess was a bar.

"Do you guys like animals?" The question seemed out of nowhere, until Soap caught the sound of
not so distant barks. He stilled for a second, only walking again when Ghost glanced at him.

"Johnny is scared of dogs." He could see the face mask shifting and knew the bastard was
smirking under it.

"I ain't scared of them, they just hate me." It was true, he isn't scared of them, a lot of them are
pretty, and they're adorable as puppies. They are not so adorable when trying to eat him alive.

"Oh, well, these won't bite you. Promise." The building was bigger than the other ones, the fences
extending far from said building. He could hear sheeps and cows as well, now that he was closer.

Nico took out and blew a whistle, and a mass of fur came out of a side structure. There were around
ten dogs, but Soap felt dizzy since the moment he saw them run towards them, not in a condition to
count them. Ghost reached over, a hand on his shoulders to prevent him from falling. Until he felt
the warmth across his back, he hadn't realized his knees were shaking.

"These buddies are harmless, unless you got a weapon." As soon as the word weapon was said, all
the dogs collectively stopped wagging their tails, growling while they started sniffing around
everywhere. Soap actually leaned against Ghost's side, the man only huffing, which was the closest
thing to a laugh he has seen today, as a response.

Nico blew the whistle again, making all the dogs go to him again. He pat most of them as they
started to walk away. Once far enough from the barn, all the dogs returned as a group to where they
came from, and Soap finally breathed.

"I'll give you a list with all the names of the animals on the barn, the rest are on that field over
there." The two man stared out and saw the unbelievable amount of animals on the field. There's no
way they were taking care of all that.

Nico guided them back to the house, showing them the garage, which had a minivan and a car,
explaining the keys were in the keyring as well.

"Actually...I got a call from 'Captain Price'. Says Ghost isn't allowed to drive any car 'unless the
house is burning down and he's the only available driver.' Only Soap has keys for the cars, sorry."
His Price imitation wasn't half bad. Ghost scoffed beside him but didn't protest.

Finally, Nico let them back into the house and said goodbye, he was going to start packing up now
so he could get home before tomorrow. He left a diary on the table by the entrance, saying
anything he could've missed was there, along with the dogs names and information about the kids
and their routines.

Both men let their weights fall on the wooden chairs next to the table, sighing heavily. Soap's head
felt at the brink of exploding into a million pieces, the amount of information he had to store and
process in his poor, sleep-deprived mind made him want to just pass out and wake up in an
alternate universe. Ghost’s face—or the part of his face he could see— told him he felt the same
way. But there’s no turning back now.

“We should go grocery shopping with them.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling the hours of
rest his body needed come crashing down on him. Ghost nodded and stood up, waiting at the
doorway for Soap to follow. He did, after yawning and rubbing his eyes.

The kids were still watching TV, eating bread while laying down on the couch. Each one had a cat
on top of them, and Soap internally groaned at having to remember even more names of breathing
things inside this place. He pushed down his tiredness and walked over to the couch.

“Leah, Leo, we’re going out in a while. Get ready, yeah?” He smiled down at the kids as they
turned around to nod. Ghost started limping towards the bedrooms, turning around when he was
almost to his door, to show Soap he wanted him to follow. And he did.

Once they entered the room, the bigger man threw himself on his bed, face down, leg twitching as
he hit the mattress. Soap walked to the other side and imitated him, instead laying on his back.

“I’m fuckin’ tired.” Ghost only groaned as a response, feeling the same. They stayed like that for a
couple minutes, before they both passed out, the countless hours of missed sleep coming back to
them.

Soap was the first to wake up, the incessant thrashing by his side making his fight or flight instinct
kick up before he had waken up. Ghost was clearly having a nightmare, and this wasn’t the first
time he had seen this. He got up slowly, looking for anything that he could use to wake the man
from afar. The first time he woke the man up by shaking him, he had gained a punch to the face
and a nosebleed that lasted enough for get dizzy, along with a concussion. Ghost told him to just
poke him with something next time.

He used a floor lamp that was forgotten in a corner, no lampshade nor lightbulb. He shook the man
as best as he could without hurting him, and within seconds the lamp was yanked out of his hands.
Ghost seemed to come back to reality slowly, looking at John with both embarrassed and thankful
eyes.
“How long were we out for?” Ignoring everything that had just happened, the brit stretched while
yawning. Soap looked out the window and saw that the sky was still blue outside.

“Probably not too long, looks like it’s still the afternoon.” As if on cue, there was a weak knock on
the door, definitely from the kids. He rushed to the door and opened it, revealing the twins, holding
hands and looking slightly scared they were annoying the men inside.

“We’re ready to go, mister.”John smiled at the kids and ruffled their hairs, glancing back at the
man that was still at the bed, massaging his hurt leg.

“Let’s get going then, Simon will come in a minute.” Saying that name was weird to him, but,
honestly, everything felt weird today, and the past month. It’s gonna take a while to get used to
everything.

Soap made sure to put the belts safely around the kids in the back seat, checking twice they were
fastened properly, before going to the driver’s seat, searching again for the keys in the keyring.
Ghost got into the car and for the second time of the day John felt his soul leave his body. Even
with a limp and in plain sight, the massive man moved without a sound. Ghost smirked under the
fabric covering his face, amused at Soap’s annoyed sigh.

The kids were staring happily out the window, heads bobbing every now and then to the music
Soap put on the radio. The drive was barely twenty minutes long, and to both men’s surprise, the
shop wasn’t just a desolate gas station next to a grocery store, but an entire hypermarket. There was
an entire city nearby, which meant they didn’t live in the middle of nowhere as they thought. They
weren’t sure if it was a good or bad thing.

By now, the kids were buzzing with excitement, Leah was swinging her legs under her seat, and
Leo was clinging to the car window, eyeing the lights of the city happily.

Soap couldn’t hide his smile. Ghost was staring, not even trying to hide it, only shying away when
John looked his way, and eyebrow raised and his smile turned into a smirk.

"Didn't know you had a staring problem, L.t." He chuckled while taking off his seatbelt, hurrying
out and to the backseats to free the kids. Simon took a moment to sigh away the miniscule amount
of embarrassment he felt, then got out of the car as well. The kids' excitement was almost
contagious.

"Mister Simon?" Leah was looking at him nervously, and to Ghost's surprise, she never broke eye
contact, even if she looked five seconds away from crying. He nodded to her, telling her to
continue. "The sign says you can't enter with your face covered..."

Oh.

Soap looked nervously between said sign, the kids which were now looking at the ground as if
they did something wrong, and Ghost, who looked very much like a statue. He didn't even notice
before, but he wasn't wearing the medical face mask, probably replaced it, with the plain balaclava
he had now, when he woke up to come here.

"Eh...I'm sure that if we all stay together he won't look suspicious, so they'll let him be." Leo was
right, but people would still stare, and judging from how Ghost acted at the airport, that'll be worse
than getting kicked out. Not like they had many options.

"Yeah, I'm sure that'll work." The look Ghost gave him was unreadable, before he could even try to
figure it out, the brit looked away and started walking towards the big doors of the market.
"Simon." The man turned around slightly, watching the tiny hand stretched towards him. Leo
wasn't glaring anymore, thankfully, he just looked confident and determined. These kids were
completely opposites.

John muffled a laugh and looked away from Ghost's death glare. Leah grabbed his hand and
looked up at him, expectantly. Soap only smiled at the kid, and for the first time, he received a
smile back.

This place was fucking huge. He felt genuinely lost inside here, trying to at least remember where
the exit was. Ghost looked five minutes away from murder, glaring to anyone that got too close or
that stared for too long. The security guard had approached them when they entered, and Soap
thought they were done for, but apparently they knew the twins' mother, so no questions were
asked, only a warning in case other guards stopped them.

Tell 'em you're friends with Carlos, and they'll leave you alone.

He's gonna start pulling his hair out if he has to remember another name.

Their cart was almost empty, mainly because, well, what were they supposed to feed kids? Surely
living out of take-out and instant food can't be good, but it was better than whatever he could cook.
Maybe Ghost knew how to cook something? Did the man ever cook something, at all? He knew
how to make tea, is that cooking?

"You're staring, MacTavish." Ghost was looking at him expectantly, as if he knew he wanted to ask
something. Soap swallowed harshly and nodded.

"You know how to cook, L.t?" They all stopped, the kids looking up them wondering what was the
hold up. Ghost nodded, and he could tell he was raising an eyebrow, as if the answer was obvious.

"So what's for dinner?" Leah was staring at Ghost now, probably hoping the man was going to say
they're eating her favorite food.

"What do you wanna eat?" He wasn't going to try to guess what the kids liked, when he could just
ask. The girl's eyes sparkled as she showed them the brightest smile they've seen in, probably, their
entire lives.

"I want chicken nuggets!" An old lady that was passing by stared at them with a smile, not
annoyed by the screaming kid probably by the amount of joy she was screaming with.

" I want...fries. And a burger." Leo was staying calm, trying very hard to supress a smile.

"Right. Well, I'll go look for some other things we need. Let's meet near the..." Soap walked a to
the end of the hall to see the registers. "...tenth regis–?" The three of them had followed him in a
row, holding hands. His brain did a quick reboot, because jesus christ how could the 6'4" beast of a
man look adorable. The three were looking down at the apparently very interesting floor. "At the
tenth register, yeah? Go look for that food." He left before anyone could protest.

Everything in the house reeked of tobacco and vodka, so he was determined to clean until it
smelled of artificial flowers. After several long minutes of looking he finally found the cleaning
products, he guessed what most things were, since everything was in spanish. He decided to pick a
couple towels and personal items as well, because why not? Not like the ones he brought were in
ideal conditions, anyways.

He found his companions at the snacks aisle, looking nervously at all the things they wanted but
couldn't ask for. Ghost was just standing nearby, making sure they didn't go far, while he talked to
an employee. Soap approached them and looked at the kids, who only looked back with puppy
eyes.

"You want something from here?" Leah nodded excitedly, pointing at the chocolate bars. Leo
pointed at the chips instead. Yeah, opposites indeed. Soap smiled before ruffling the girl's hair.
"Alright, pick something, but don't over do it." The twins immediately ran towards the snacks they
wanted and started their own internal debates on what to choose.

"You're already spoiling them." Ghost's voice made him turn back, the man had a transparent bag
with chicken and another with various vegetables. The cart already had some other ingredients that
John couldn't exactly tell what they were. Except for two boxes that didn't need translation.

"You're spoiling yourself, too. Can't live one day without tea?" He picked one of the boxes with a
smirk, looking at Ghost as the other sighed.

"Fair. We need anything else?" He looked at the cleaning products Soap put on the cart and
grumbled something Soap didn't quite catch. The man sorted all the items so the food was away
from the chemicals.

"Not that I know of. Maybe something to drink?" Soap stared at the fridges nearby, finding
different brands of sodas. Ghost approached them and grabbed both soda and plain water.

The kids returned minutes after, happy with their treats, and looked at the adults.

"Can we get food for the cats?" Leah was a little more comfortable asking for things, she didn't
stutter now, although her cheeks still got a little red everytime she spoke to them.

When Soap nodded, the girl grabbed his hand and led him to where all the pet-related products
were. Thankfully the kid knew where exactly everything was and they didn't spend more than two
minutes getting what they needed.

"Anything else?" John left the cat food on the shopping cart, and Leo nodded, grabbing Ghost's
hand instead. The man flinched, only Soap noticed, and apparently the little boy too, looking
confused at the adult for a second, but ignoring it before dragging the man by his hand.

Soap grabbed the girl's hand again and pushed the cart to follow the other two, pausing when the
little kid put a bag of what seemed to be milk and a pack of cocoa powder. John used the
opportunity to sneak a box of coffee sticks into the cart as well.

"We're done now?" The brit was looking at the boy below him, who nodded and went back to grab
his sister's hand, without letting go of Ghost's

Soap pushed the cart to the relatively empty register and looked at Ghost, who was slowly falling
behind, the limp on his leg way more noticeable.

"(Next.)" He walked forward and started putting the items on the counter for the cashier. "(Bag?)"
The man looked at the woman confused, and he remembered something quite important. Yeah,
they speak spanish in Latin America.
"She's asking if you want a bag." Leah noticed Soap's dilemma and decided to help.

"(Yes, thank you.)" The woman didn't seem interested in the man in front of her, nor the clear
accent. She started packing everything in different bags.

"(Cash or card?)"

"She's asking what you want to pay with." Now it was Leo the one helping, but he didn't exactly
know how to respond. His spanish knowledge goes so far, didn't really learn much aside from what
he understood at Las Almas, and he didn't exactly go shopping there.

"With a debit card? How do I say that..." Leah chuckled and looked at the cashier.

"(Debit card.)" Ghost's amused huff didn't go unnoticed by the scot.

The trip back to the house was just as silent as the one towards the store, the only remarkable
moment was when the kids asked to put music and started a karaoke with Soap, to Ghost's dismay.
Who was the asshole that made the kids listen to California Girls? And why did Soap know all the
lyrics?

Once the car was parked in the garage, and they had their bags in hand, they started the walk back
to the house. The kids seemed excited with their snacks in hand, running ahead so that Rexie would
follow them, and Soap couldn't help the soft smile on his face, just like Ghost couldn't help staring
at said smile.

Once inside, the kids asked to keep watching TV, and Soap let them.

He was a man with a mission right now, and that was to clean every spot on the house. He looked
around for Ghost, who had unsurprisingly disappeared without a sound after helping put the
groceries away. He found him in his room, massaging his bad leg, and a face mask replacing the
plain balaclava he was wearing outside.

"Does it hurt that much?" He stepped further into the room, looking at the man's face for any sign
of pain, finding none.

"My leg? No, but my ears do." Soap scoffed and shoved him, not putting any real strength behind
it.

"You're just jealous of my incredible singing skills." The man glanced at him and scoffed. John just
smirked. "Will you be using the kitchen soon? I wanna clean this place up." He wanted to be
finished before evening, so he could go to bed early and hopefully catch up on all his lost hours of
sleep.

"I'll start in a while, you can go ahead." He nodded before exiting the room.

He started with the seemingly endless pile of dishes, and cleaning the sink and counter as well,
considering how much grime had accumulated there. Next was the fridge, where he had refused to
leave the freshly brought products before cleaning it. There were stains of who knows what, rotten
fruit at the bottom, and a couple bowls of spoiled food, including the moldy rice from before. He
made sure every spot was shiny before arranging the groceries inside.

Once he finished cleaning the stove top, oven, microwave and floor, he decided to take a break
before starting with the other rooms. He could hear the kids laughing occasionally on the other
room, and was surprised to find Ghost with them, reading a book on the sofa close to them. The
man glanced up, putting his book aside after a minute and standing to get close to him. He was still
limping, but it didn't seem that bad now.

"Kitchen's all yours." The man hummed as a reply and went past him to start cooking. The sky was
slightly darkening outside, according to the clock it was almost 6 P.M. He grabbed the notebook
Nico left for them, noticing how a whistle was now next to it, and threw himself onto the sofa
Ghost was just in.

It was wednesday, which meant tomorrow was a school day for the kids, according to the very
detailed guide Nico left on the notebook. He looked at the location of the school on his phone, it
was around forty minutes away from here, and since the classes started at 8 a.m, they would have
to wake up at least at 7 a.m. Fun.

He also read what the kids liked for breakfast, a very short list of what the kids shouldn't eat, and
some other activities they had, storing as much as he could on his brain, before he put the notebook
down and headed to another room to start cleaning.

The more cigarette butts and empty bottles of alcohol he found forgotten, the more he was
determined to clean the house. After around two and a half hours, he was content with the place, he
couldn't smell anything but the sweet, flowery smell of the products he used, and couldn't see a
single stain or spot of dust. He could also smell the food Ghost was making, and he had realized
then he was starving.

As if on cue, the taller man walked through the door holding a tray, limping even harder than when
they went out. He decided to go to the kitchen and help carry the rest of the food.

The kids didn't need to be told to go to the table, they turned off the TV and ran to help set the
utensils and plates to eat. Ghost thanked him for helping with the trays, then started serving the
kids what they had asked for dinner.

"What do you want to eat?"

"No idea." Everything looked good, he genuinely didn't know what to choose. Ghost sighed and
served him two burgers with some salad, then serving the same for himself.

The kids were waiting for them to sit before they started to devour their food. Leah's eyes shined
with joy as she tasted the first chicken nugget, looking at Ghost with pure adoration. Leo had
basically the same reaction, but on his own way, more reserved and calm than his sister.

"This is the best food ever!" She finished swallowing before talking, almost immediately picking
another piece to eat. "Thank you so much, mister Simon!"

"Eat the salad too." Although he didn't say 'you're welcome', he was sure Leah understood it,
starting to eat the lettuce and tomato on her plate.
Soap was entranced by the whole interaction, coming back to earth when Ghost elbowed him
softly, nodding at his plate so he could start eating.

The kids were fucking right, alright.

"What the he-how do you cook this good?" Simon gave him an amused smile as a response. Not
that he could see it, but he could feel it.

"Any adult past their thirties should know how to cook, don't you think?" Cheeky bastard.

"I'm still three years away from my thirties, assho–" He stopped himself, looking at the kids that
were still occupied devouring their foods. Ghost raised an eyebrow, half amused, half daring him
to continue. "...Dummy..." The man actually chuckled at the watered down insult, and John
couldn't find it in himself to keep arguing, smiling softly at the brit before going back to eat.

Dinner was silent, everyone was either too hungry or too amazed at the food to actually concentrate
on anything besides their plates. Ghost wasn't eating, even if he did put food on his plate, and after
Leah finished her food, she took notice of that.

"Why don't you take off your mask, mister Simon?" Her brother gave her a concerned look, as if
sensing the topic was complicated.

"You don't have to say mister everytime, you know? Just Simon." Leah nodded, but still looked at
the man waiting for an answer.

"He's just unbelievably ugly and doesn't want to scare you two." The kid giggled, contrary to
Ghost's unamused huff.

"It's okay even if you're ugly mis–Simon! We won't laugh at you." She left her chair and got closer
to the bigger man.

"Too much." Leo shrugged as Soap looked at him completely dumbfounded. The kid is fearless.

"But it's okay if you're shy, we'll look away so you can eat." The little girl covered her eyes and
turned, to prove her point. Simon chuckled, for the second time today, which felt surreal, and
turned her around.

"I'll eat later, you two should start getting ready for bed, yeah?" Leah pouted and took her plate
from the table, Leo imitating her seconds later, both of them taking the dirty dishes to leave them in
the sink. He heard the hurried steps towards the bedrooms and two doors opening and closing.
"...am I really that ugly...?"

"What?" He was actually confused by the question, until he remembered what he said a couple
minutes ago. It was clearly a joke, so he was concerned about what was going on inside the other
man's head. "'Course not, I was kidding. You said it yourself, 'quite the opposite' of ugly..."

He wasn't lying, he didn't have much time to analyze the other's face the only time he saw it, but if
anything, the brit was handsome. Very.

He could feel his cheeks burning.

"Keep it tactical, sergeant." He chuckled away the embarrassment he felt, and stood up to leave the
used plate on the sink as well.

"Either way, you should show that pretty face of yours more often, it's a shame to keep it hidden
all the time." He didn't even look at the other as he sneaked away from the kitchen to the main
room. Silence was the only response he got, which made him wonder if he pushed his luck too
much.

Before he could overthink anything, the children came running to where he was, throwing
themselves on the sofa around him, and turning the TV on. He concentrated on the cartoon on the
TV for a while, but eventually he fell asleep there.

Once Simon heard the TV, he decided to free his mouth and actually eat the food. He was
surprised to find that the food was, indeed, delicious, despite convincing himself that it was
average at best. He wasn't a great cook, despite what he made the others believe, but he was good
at following recipes perfectly.

He noticed that there wasn't any noise coming from the living room besides the audio from the TV.
He walked towards the room carefully, he knew if anything had happened Johnny was more than
capable of taking care of it, or at least he would've called, but the paranoia still gnawed at his brain.

He wasn't expecting to find everyone sleeping on the couch, the twins snuggling to Soap's side.
Leah was hugging onto the man's arm like a baby koala clinging to their mother.

He did not find his sergeant cute.

Maybe.

He kicked the man's legs to startle him awake, which thankfully didn't wake the kids up too. He
looked as offended as he could, while still sleepy.

"You're going to complain about your sore neck all day tomorrow if you sleep there." He lifted the
girl up, which refused to let go of her hugging pillow for a while, eventually giving up and holding
onto Ghost's shirt. Soap followed with a barely awake boy in his arms, walking towards the
bedrooms, after turning the TV off.

Once the kids were put to sleep, both adults stood on the hallway, looking at each other. Soap
opened his mouth once or twice before looking away.

"I'm going for a smoke. You comin'?" It was Ghost's invitation for whatever conversation the
sergeant wanted to have. He nodded, trailing behind his L.t as his brain arranged words and
phrases.

Outside it was eerily silent, no animal sounds in the distance, no traffic sounds either. Everything
was illuminated, and they could see two guards doing patrols around the perimeters, each with a
dog on a leash. As if on cue, Rexie got out of her doghouse to go greet them, standing on her rear
legs to nuzzle at Ghost's chest. That looked comfy.

What are you thinking, MacTavish!?

Both men sat at the chairs they didn't even know where in the backyard. A pleasant surprise, if
anything.

Ghost got his cigarette box out of one of his pockets, taking one out and handing the box to his
sergeant. Ex-sergeant? Whatever. Soap took one cigarette as well and lit it with the lighter his L.t
was keeping on for him.

They stood in a comfortable silence at first, looking out towards the fields filled with mostly
sleeping animals, and the sky, filled with more stars than usual now that the city lights couldn't
contaminate the view. They could get used to these views.

"Is everyday going to be as taxing as today?" He sighed out the smoke on his lungs, deciding to
break the silence to open the conversation.

"You're already giving up, MacTavish?" He laughed quietly, not finding any energy to actually be
loud. He couldn't give up, even if he was tired already. And this was only the beginning.

"Nah, I never give up." He inhaled more smoke, feeling the slight burn on his throat, his barely
healed lungs filling with chemicals. "Usually people have more than a month to prepare before
they become parents."

"Fair." The other man let the mostly consumed cigarette fall next to his boots before stepping on it.

"Didn't think I'd become a dad this young." He could feel the amused stare the brit was giving him,
refusing to meet his eyes.

"You're almost thirty, you're not a kid, Johnny. You're closer to being an old man than you think."
He scoffed.

"Looks who's talking." He did turn his head this time, staring back at the other's serious eyes.

"I don't act like a twelve year old."

"And I do!?"

"Sometimes." The scot let out a humorless laugh and let the silence settle in again.

After they were done, they headed inside again, turning the lights off in the rooms that were
empty, and each headed to their respective rooms.

"Oh, yeah. Tomorrow we have to be up by seven." By the look he got as a response, he could
assume Ghost hadn't read the notebook. "They have to be at school by eight."

"Bloody fucking hell..." He sighed heavily. Yeah, he could understand. They both needed at least
two days worth of sleep, and they were lucky if they could sleep for eight hours.

"I can take them there myself, just guessed you wanted to tag along..." He wasn't going to force the
man to lose his precious hours of sleep, if he was going to sleep anyways. He remembers seeing
the man running outside, when they were on base, at ungodly hours of the night. Nightmares were
something that came with their job, alongside PTSD, so getting proper rest was a privilege for them
both.

"I'll go." He didn't say anything else and went to his room.

Well, alright.
 He'll worry about tomorrow when he wakes up.

>

Chapter End Notes

I'm still trying to figure out how this site works, I swear I paid more attention to the
guides on how to post than the books I had to study at highschool.
 (2). Someone your size.
Chapter Summary

Learning to stand up for yourself is easier when someone shows you an example.

Chapter Notes

*Content warning:
>Bullying.
>Strong language.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

He liked waking up in the morning, and with his line of work, it had become a habit. For the first
time in years he genuinely wanted to ignore his alarm. But he couldn't.

He stretched and yawned, waking up on his first alarm, which meant he had fifteen extra minutes
before having to go wake up the twins. He should take a shower, now that he realized.

The warm water only made him want to go back to bed, but he ignored how cozy the blankets
looked and went out his room.

Leo was already awake when he walked into the boy's room, although he still was reluctant to get
up. It didn't take much insisting for the kid to get up and start getting ready. Leah, on the contrary,
was fast asleep, and she didn't wake up before making him shake her awake. The girl was looking
at Soap as if he'd ran over his dog and burnt her house down.

"I don't wanna go..." She took the blankets, wrapping herself and turning around. Soap chuckled
and uncovered her again.

"You have to go, lassie. If I don't take you to school your mom is gonna beat me up." The girl
turned around pouting.

"I don't want that...but..." She seemed to be thinking something, before she sighed and finally sat
up. "Fine. Just because you bought me candies yesterday." Soap chuckled and left once he saw the
little girl run to the bathroom.

He walked into the kitchen, still having around fifteen minutes before leaving. He prepared some
chocolate milk for the kids, along with some bread and butter he never saw Ghost had bought, and
made some coffee for himself. Should he make some for Ghost? Wait, no, he drinks tea in the
morning. Where even was he?

The kids walked sleepily to the table and started eating their breakfast in silence, and the scot
decided to go look for the other adult. He was sure the man wouldn't still be sleeping, didn't find
him in his room nor in any bathroom, or the living room. His last stop was outside, and there he
was. He was sitting on the stairs leading to the house, Rexie curled up on his legs, a cigarette in
hand.

"How long have you been out here?" It had to be a while, maybe when he was showering? The
man turned and told the dog to get out of his lap so he could stand.

"A while. Went for a run, took a shower. Played with the dog." He noticed now that the man's hair
was damp still, at least the bits he could see the cap on his head didn't cover.

"Did you even sleep?" He didn't exactly go to sleep, he was sure his body gave up and he fell
unconscious, but the brit didn't seem to have the same luck.

"I did. Not much, but enough." It would take time for him to feel like this place was safe. Time and
probably too many sleepless nights. Soap sighed and decided to drop the subject.

"I was gonna make you tea but...y'know..." He could see the others eyes crinckle a bit.

"But you don't know how to make tea?" He teased. Johnny scoffed, turning around to go check on
the twins.

"Not my fault you're a princess and won't drink your tea unless it's made a certain way." Leah was
rummaging through her backpack, her eyes shining when she found a tiny teddy bear, hugging it
tightly while she put her books back in place. Leo was looking at her, uninterested. He checked a
clock on the wall, they still had ten minutes before leaving. "You have ten minutes, I already
boiled water." Ghost nodded and went to the kitchen.

The kids watched some TV with Soap while they let the brit drink his tea. It was Leo who turned
off the TV, Leah protesting but standing up and picking up her backpack like her brother. Soap
went to check on Ghost, finding the man already on his way, changing his medical mask and cap
for a plain balaclava. Very kid-friendly attire. At least there were no skulls.

The ride was mostly silent, the kids barely able to stay awake, while Soap asked for directions
from Ghost, who had the GPS on his phone. They made it on time, even five minutes earlier than
what they expected. The kids left the car dejectedly.

"You're staying in the car? I'll walk them to the gate." It was an invitation, that Ghost didn't want to
take. At all.

"I'll stay here. Make sure the car is safe." Soap's eyebrow twitched. Right, the car needed to be
watched.

"Don't drive away. If you leave me stranded here I'll make sure to find you to beat your a-" The
kids perked up at his words, as if expecting him to curse so they could repeat it. "-rm..." Ghost
chuckled and started rolling the window up.

"You would never find me anyways." He really hoped the man wasn't petty enough to actually
leave him here just to prove a point. As far as Soap knew, the man didn't hold grudges, so he
should be okay.

"Let's get going, aye? Do I need to walk you to your classroom or just the gates?" Each kid took
one of his hands and started walking beside him. The classes started at 08:30, but the kids were
asked to be there by 08:00 for whatever reason.

"You could take us to the classroom..."

"Well, lead the way."

The hallways were flooding with kids of all ages running around and chatting, some older kids
were staring for suspiciously long at the twins, and he tried to remember their faces to ask the kids
about that later. When they reached the classrom Leah turned around and looked at him with big
eyes, expecting something he didn't quite know.

"You'll pick us up later, right?"

"Of course?" Maybe the answer wasn't so obvious to the kid. The little girl beamed at him, finally
letting go of his hand and dragging her brother into the room. A woman that Soap knew was
staring approached him, finally.

"(Hello, it's nice to finally meet you.)" He could guess what the woman said by the few words in
spanish he understood.

"Might I ask who you are?" He tried his best to be polite, not knowing who this person was.

"You don't speak spanish? You're lucky I'm the english teacher." Lucky indeed. "You're the kids'
father, no? I've only seen their aunt leave them at the gates before, it's nice to finally meet their
parents."

"Uh, no. Not their father. I am their legal guardian now, yes. But not biologically related." He
shuffled in place, slightly uncomfortable, or embarrassed, he couldn't tell which. Or why.

"Oh, my. Sorry for assuming. If you don't mind, can you come with me for a second, then? We
should change the contact info for the twins, if their aunt is no longer their caretaker." He nodded,
following the woman. Midway to wherever office he was going to, he remembered that Ghost
existed. He should come along too, right? He was also the kids' guardian. He should ask him if he
wanted to come, at least.

"Excuse me, miss. Can you give me a second? I need to get something from my car." The woman
turned confused, but nodded anyways.

The certain 'something from his car' was smoking, sitting with the car door open. He should get
one of those anti-tobacco fresheners he saw...

"You didn't run away? Does that mean you actually like me?" The brit lift his head to look at him,
eyes unreadable, while the scot chuckled at his own joke.

"I felt bad for the kids. Imagine having to be taken care of by you alone. Poor souls." I mean. He
wasn't wrong. Soap glared anyways. "You done? Took you a while, was starting to get worried you
got lost in there. Thought I had to go get you."

"That's sweet, L.t. But no, a teacher wants to update the kids' contact information, thought I should
at least ask if you want to tag along..." The man contemplated his options, throwing the half
finished cigarette and standing up, closing the car door. He followed John without a word.

The woman was waiting by the entrance, her smile faltering as she saw the towering man beside
Soap.

"Over here, please." She kept throwing side glances as she guided them to a small office at the end
of the hall. She sat at her desk, pointing to the two seat opposite her for the men to sit, and started
rummaging through cabinets filled with folders. "Ah, here it is." The one folder she took looked
miniscule compared to the others. "So, let's start with your names?"

"John MacTavish." Soap was the first to speak, the woman smiling at him as she wrote in a blank
form. She looked up at Ghost, her fake smile now frozen in place.

"...Simon Riley." Ghost went back to observing all the different objects in the room. He should do
the talking, the man looks uncomfortable as hell in this place. It would be fun to see him struggle
with normal, everyday conversations, but Soap's not that heartless. Right now.

"I'll need your phone numbers in case of an emergency, you address, copies of your IDs and..." The
woman trailed off, reading the different empty boxes in the form. Soap gave her the info he could
provide. Thankfully the address was the same as before. He had to check his phone for his and
Ghost's number.

After what felt like ages, the woman said they were done.

"Kids get out at two, we only let them out of the gates if someone picks them up, aside from some
exceptions. If you need anything, you can come to me and I'll help as best as I can." Soap shook
her hand and stood up. Ghost was already at the door when he turned, opening it to get out. The
woman stood confused, her hand outstretched towards where the man used to be.

Does he have another kid to teach manners to?

"Sorry, he doesn't like being around strangers for too long. Nothing personal, believe me, he's just
overwhelmed I think." The woman smiled again, following him out the door and walking slowly
besides him.

"I get it, social anxiety is hard to manage sometimes, especially when you're in new environments.
Thankfully he has a supportive partner." Huh? "And the twins are sweethearts too, he'll warm up to
them fast, surely it'll make getting used to this place easier." The woman completely ignored how
Soap's brain was doing a quick reboot, and kept rambling. "I barely met their mother but she must
have incredible patience to raise her kids so perfectly." She paused, looking out the door, seeing
Ghost stand by the gates, arms crossed and shoulders stiff. "I'll let you go then, your man really
wants to get away from here. Have a nice day." Soap really wanted to clarify that they didn't have
that kind of relationship but the woman seemingly vanished into thin air, nothing behind him as he
turned around.

"Don't like teachers?" As he approached the man, he visibly relaxed and got closer to Soap, going
back to the car.

"She looks like she talks too much. And my leg was cramping up, needed to stretch it a little." He
left himself fall on the passanger seat, massaging said leg, as Soap went to the driver's, turning the
car on and starting to drive.

"She does talk a lot."

They decided to drive around town, memorizing all the important places. There was a mall, around
half an hour away from the school, which had an arcade and cinema included, as well as another
hypermarket and a casino connected to it. It was surrounded by different types of stores, fast food
places and a very fancy-looking restaurant. Aside from that zone, most of the buildings were hotels
and apartment buildings. There were two hospitals relatively close to each other, around twenty
minutes away from the school each.
It's nice that everything is close by.

Soap also made a mental note of the location of some gyms, because he was definitely going to
one when he recovered properly from his wounds.

"Are we done sightseeing?" Once Soap drove into the mostly empty road that led back to the
house, Ghost decided to speak.

"Not sightseeing, recon." He looked over to the other man just to see how his eyebrow lifted under
the fabric of his balaclava.

"Didn't know we were on a mission." Treating the whole situation like a mission was helping him
keep it together, he didn't care if his L.t thought it was dumb. "We should do the same with the
house."

"I'm scared of what we can find there." He cleaned the rooms on the first floor, but he didn't bother
going upstairs or to the attic. He wasn't really scared, and he was curious of what the rest of the
place was like.

"Probably more vodka bottles. Maybe a corpse in the attic."

"Why would there be a corpse in the attic?" Well he thought of many things that could be on that
attic, but a corpse is just too much.

"Why wouldn't there be one? Imagine a poor maid or something got trapped in there and no one
noticed."

"I will not imagine that." It's not unlike Ghost to jump to the worst case scenarios, he wasn't
surprised by his logic. "Also there's no cleaners or maids on the house."

"There's one now." He was confused for a second, peeling his eyes off the road for a second to
glare at his companion, who's only responses was an amused huff. "I guess there's just old stuff up
there. Maybe the husband's things." Now that made more sense.

"We'll find out."

Once they were on the second floor, they stopped, Soap had the key that led to the attic in hand.
Neither of them knew why they were hesitating, taking time to prepare themselves even though
they knew they would find pretty average things. Curiosity eventually got the best of them,
ignoring the other rooms on the second floor.

The door opened slowly, the rusty hinges making it difficult to open, and a pair of stairs greeted
them. Soap cringed at the insane amount of dust and grime they were covered in. There were no
lights coming from upstairs, although there should be at least a bit of daylight from a window.

They walked up the stairs, Soap following Ghost and his slow pace. He found the window, heavy
curtains tapped to the wall around it. The first thing he did was take that off so they could see
properly what was in the room.
Most of the room was filled with old furniture, most of it damaged by time, wood filled with holes
made by insects or water damage. He could see the ones that didn't look old had holes that were
definitely made by either punches or kicks. A couple of mirror frames stood at a corner, the actual
mirrors shattered beside them.

"At least there's no corpse." His L.t turned to look at him, face blank.

"Didn't think I'd scare you that much. I'll tell the kids not to tell you any scary stories, you'll lose
sleep for weeks." He rolled his eyes and went further into the room. Opening a bedside table that
looked unscathed enough, they found mostly papers, a lot of male cologne bottles that were past
their expiration dates, most of them almost empty. On a desk not so far, they saw a lot of framed
pictures, the glass broken on all of them, the photos were damaged beyond repair, humidity
making it impossible to make out anything. They could assume what was in them, though.

They noticed when looking at the house, the few pictures that were displayed were of the kids,
some of them with Nico or their aunt, or with pets. There were no traces of the parents. So this is
were they ended up. Soap figured the reason why some walls and shelves had suspiciously empty
spaces was because these used to decorate the place.

"We should clean this place up." He grimaced at the mold on the surface of the table and went out
the room to look for the cleaning products he bought.

"'We'" He stared at the man, when he returned, wondering what he meant. Took him more time
than he wanted to admit to recall.

"Aye, we have just a couple hours before going to pick up the kids." He put on his gloves and
grabbed a bag, opening the window carefully, seeing that one of the hinges wasn't attached to the
frame anymore. "You know how to fix window frames?"

"I could learn." The man approached the window to examine it. Soap handed him the plastic bag
he was holding, going back and taking another one.

"Let's try to fix it after cleaning. Put all the glass pieces in there. Careful with the edges." The man
groaned but did as he was told.

"I'm not a kid, Johnny. And I also didn't agree to be your servant."

"Don't like taking orders?" The brit warned him with a glance and continued to put the broken
shards in the bag.

"I'm used to giving orders, not taking them. You should know that." Soap just chuckled and
decided to not answer. Instead he started to rummage through the rest of the furniture.

There was a very big and very broken wardrobe, and he expected to find old clothes instead of piles
of boxes. As soon as he opened the door, at least two cardboard boxes fell and hit him on the foot,
before he could move aside and watch half of the boxes drop one after the other. Ghost heard him
yelp when he got hit and was immediately by his side.

"You okay?" They both started to pick up the boxes again, putting them on another desk nearby.
They were heavy, he was lucky to get hit by the lighter ones. His foot hurt, still, since they fell
from higher up.

"I'll live." Once the boxes were all out of the wardrobe, Ghost gave him a last glance and went back
to picking glass.
John started to open the boxes instead, carefully cutting the tape as to not damage either the
contents inside or the carboards itself, already damaged by the humidity of the room. There were
clothes there, at least five boxes were filled with, at least what it looked like, male clothing.
Another two boxes had baby clothes, or toddler clothes? Both? Some were too big to be for a baby
and some too small to be for a toddler. They were cute though. If he stayed too long looking at the
clothes, it was only for him to know. And for Ghost, that was still watching him while putting
away the shards, noticing how confused and amazed his sergeant seemed by the pieces of clothing.
If he found it slightly adorable, it was really only for Ghost to know.

One of the boxes was filled with different personal objects, a couple of wristwatches, glasses, a
cellphone, and a lot of things that were either in pieces or consumed by mold. He wanted to throw
most of it away, but these were surely from the twins' father, and he should at least ask before
getting rid of everything, no matter how damaged the stuff was. He put the box aside and grabbed
another one.

This one was different. There were plastic and paper bags covering the objects, and he pulled them
away to reveal another, smaller, box, some photo albums, what looked like a baby album, and a
very old journal. As he was going to open the smaller box, Ghost spoke right next to him, making
him flinch and turn.

"I'm done with the shards." The man looked at him, amusement clear in his stare. Soap was
expecting him to say something else, which turned into a silent staring context, with Ghost looking
at him confused and Soap staring back even more so.

"Thought you didn't like taking orders?" It finally clicked on his brain, that the L.t wanted to keep
helping, but didn't know exactly what to say. "Can you check what's on those drawers? I'll finish
with the wardrobe in a second." Ghost nodded and turned to go do as he was told.

The smaller box had a wooden box inside it, and this just felt like playing with those russian dolls,
opening a box and finding more boxes. The wooden box didn't actually have another box inside,
and Soap was grateful for that.

Inside were portfolios storing negative film reels and polaroids, a box with a lot of SD cards, a
couple CDs and cassettes, and some floppy discs. There was also a recorder that looked quite
modern compared to the rest of the box, and an old camera next to a couple of unused camera rolls.
He was scared of even touching anything, but doing it anyway, carefully analyzing the condition of
all the things inside. Miraculously, there didn't seem to be any damage to anything.

He turned around excitedly to call Ghost over and almost dying on the spot when he turned around
and saw the man already behind him. His limp and the squeaky floor didn't stop the man for being
dead silent, it seems.

"Check this out." He ignored his racing heartbeat just like his L.t pretended to ignore the tiny
scream he let out just now. He looked actually interested in the objects, picking them up and
watching closely. "Think there's still stores that work with these things?" He pointed at the
negatives and the floppy discs respectively.

"Surely, there is. I'm not sure if we should mess with this, though." Ghost carefully placed the
objects back in the box and left his side, going back to what he was doing.

"You're telling me you're not curious about what's in these?" He started putting everything back in
place, including the photo albums he was certainly going to snoop on later.

"That's not what I said." He'll take that as a yes.

"So we're going to check at the city later." He started walking outside the room with the box in
hand, Ghost following him.

"MacTavish." Where should he leave these things?

"I think my laptop can read SD cards and CDs-" Should be safe in his bedroom.

"Johnny."

"-and there was a cassette player on the living room."

"You're not taking a 'no' for and answer, are you?" He left the box on the desk by the door and
finally turned to smirk at the other man. "Fucking hell..."

"I trust you can search up any stores near us?"

"I know how to use my phone, yes."

"Great. Now let's keep cleaning." The man groaned but followed him nonetheless.

After throughly cleaning the room, moving the furniture so it wouldn't take space, losing more
than a couple pieces of said furniture in the process, and cleaning the floor while also locating the
boards that creaked, Soap decided that the room was as best as they could leave them right now.
They'll have to figure out what to do with the clothes, and personal items, how to fix the window
and floor, and what to do with all the wooden pieces of what once was furniture. They'll figure it
out later. Now he needed a shower, he could feel the dust cling to his skin and the sweat that
moving things produced. Ghost had already left to shower a while ago, not wanting to actually
clean, saying he had to start cooking so the food was done when they came back with the children.

Right, the kids.

He looked at the time on his phone and panicked, running down the stairs towards his room. He
probably broke the world record for fastest shower, putting on his clothes and rushing to the
kitchen to get Ghost.

"You done with the food? We have to leave."

"How much time do we have?" The man turned, almost panicked, checking something on the
stove top.

"We're five minutes late already." He went back to his room, remembering he needed something
warmer than a t-shirt.

"Fuckin'– couldn't you have told me sooner?" Ghost hurried to turn the fire off, gathering his things
and following behind Soap.

"Couldn't you look at the clock?" He turned to look at him once he was seated on the car, the brit
staring back, clearly annoyed.

"I think I told you I was making lunch."

"I think I told you I was cleaning." They both huffed and kept silent, the guards staring confused
when Soap didn't even greet them as they passed the gates.

Surely the teacher wouldn't mind if they got there five minutes late, but he didn't want to be late the
first time he picked up the kids. Mostly for the kids, remembering how Leah was so happy when
he said they were picking her up.

"Slow down a little, it's better to be late than not being there." He huffed again, still annoyed by the
man's earlier attitude, but driving slower nonetheless. He had a point. This time.

They didn't say anything else the whole forty-minute drive, the silence slightly tense and
uncomfortable. Once at the school, Soap got out of the car first and waited for the other man for
what he deemed too long. He opened the door to the passenger's seat, Ghost glaring at him as he
finished putting a scarf to cover the lower part of his face, his hair and forehead covered by his
hoodie. He noticed then the man wasn't wearing a balaclava as yesterday, probably forgotten when
they left in a hurry.

"Should've left sooner if you were so impatient, MacTavish." Soap almost felt bad for rushing the
man, but then he had to open his mouth. He scoffed and left him behind, going directly to the
school gates, hearing the car door close and a sigh that was definitely by Ghost.

The teacher from yesterday was waiting by the main doors, smiling nervously as she saw the two
men, and approaching them to meet in the middle. The twins weren't with her. Soap felt anxiety
rise and spread through his mind immediately. Did someone take the kids? Were they hurt? They
would've called if they were hurt, right?

"The kids are still in the classroom, come with me please." Once Ghost joined the woman turned
serious and started guiding them to the classroom. As they started to get closer, he could hear the
voice of Leah as she argued with her brother. The teacher sighed and opened the door, making both
kids turn around and stare in silence. "These two had a little problem when we let them out after
class."

Leah was holding her now damaged teddy bear, while Leo pressed some tissue paper to his nose,
blood staining the white paper. The girl's face was red, she clearly had been crying, but aside from
her now crooked and mangled ponytails, she didn't seem hurt.

"What happened?" Soap immediately got closer to the kids, slowing down as he saw them panic
when he approached so fast. He wasn't angry, not at them at least, he was just very concerned.

"Some problem kids, I've talked to them countless times but they don't stop. It never got this bad
though, it's always either insults or taking other's things. Maybe the principal will finally listen
now, since they hit someone." Ghost got closer to the twins as well, Leah immediately getting
close to him and catching the brit off guard with a hug, starting to sob against his clothes.

"Does this happen often?" John checked Leo's nosebleed, finding it had already stopped, but the
blood was somewhat fresh still. "When did this happen? We didn't get a call." He tried not to sound
accusatory, but he couldn't help it. The woman sighed and looked at her wristwatch.

"Around fifteen minutes ago, I didn't call because it was almost time to get them, figured you
would be here soon anyways, and the kids weren't that hurt. I'll make sure to give you a call
anyways, if it happens again." Leo lifted his arms, face blank, and Soap picked him up, guessing
that's what he wanted. Ghost had the little girl still crying on his shoulder, clinging to the man's
chest as if her life depended on it.

"Let's make sure this doesn't happen again, aye? I want to talk with either the principal or the kids'
parents." The teacher seemed genuinely scared, and he realized how angry he sounded. Who could
blame him? Not only were the kids treated like trash at home, but also bullied at school, and no one
cared enough to help them. His blood was boiling.

"We'll probably need a translator, maybe make an appointment with the parents and you. And us of
course." He was surprised when Ghost talked after him, he was using his lieutenant voice, and the
woman stood by the door, still scared, as the man exited the room, carrying the girl and her
backpack.

"Thank you for looking after them. We'll see each other tomorrow." Soap decided to soften his
voice, not wanting to intimidate the woman any further, and followed after Ghost silently.

The kids got into the car by themselves, Soap made sure to check their belts before getting into the
driver's seat and driving away. Leah was still crying quietly, looking at the back of Ghost's seat
intensely. She seemed mad more than sad, frowning as she was. Leo reached a hand towards her
and she swatted it away angrily, turning to look at his brother.

"Don't touch me! This is all your fault!"

"How is it my fault!? You're the one that pushed them!" Soap turned for a second to look at the
kids, concerned, but unable to do much as he kept driving. He looked at Ghost instead, pleading
with his gaze for the man to calm the siblings down. He seemed to understand, sighing and half
turning to face the kids.

"Don't fight, nothing is any of you two's fault." The twins pouted but didn't reply anything. Even if
they were mad they knew they shouldn't answer back, especially to Ghost. Not like he would get
mad, but he was still intimidating to the kids. "Can you tell me what happened?" This time he
spoke softly, realizing the way he spoke before sounded too stern and made the kids tense.

"We were just waiting on the bench after class and Luis and Mauricio came to annoy us. He said I
was stupid for bringing Mister Hugs to school and never letting go of him." Leah's anger
resurfaced, she threw herself further into her seat and crossed her arms as she told the story.

"She told them to shut up and they tried to take the teddy bear. She didn't let go and they ended up
tearing the fabric."

"It's Mister Hugs! Not just 'the teddy bear'!" She sat up and glared at her brother, who responded
by rolling his eyes. "They pulled my ponytails to take him away and laughed because I started to
cry. And then they insulted Mister John too so I got up and pushed them."

"And they wanted to punch her so I pushed her out of the way. The teacher saw us then and scolded
them. And put paper in my nose."

"And she gave me Mister Hugs back."

"Is that really that important?"

"Yes!" The girl hugged the mangled plushie. "If you had helped me sooner he wouldn't be hurt!"

"I'm the one that got hurt! Don't you care abo–!"

"Enough, the two of you." Ghost's voice cut the sentence. "I told you none of this is your fault,
didn't I?" The man sighed again, not knowing how to deal with the situation. Soap could relate.

"Leah, Mister Hugs can be fixed easily, you and your brother can't. You can't just shove people,
and if they're bullying you, you should run to a teacher." The scot decided to give his L.t a break,
seeing how the man had no idea what to do to make the kids calm down.

"But they hurt me! And they insulted you! I know your hair is kinda stupid but they have no right
to do that!" Soap let out a startled laugh, not knowing how to react to that sentence but finding her
honesty funny.

"Don't call his hair stupid when he's right there, Leah." Leo panicked, shoving his sister softly. She
didn't mind the contact, which was an improvement.

"Sorry Mister John! It's not that stupid, it's just funny." Did these kids never see a mohawk? Surely
they'd seen weirder hairstyles, somewhere.

"Even if they did that, you should've just walked away and told a teacher. I'd rather buy you a new
plushie or sewing it back together than taking either of you to the hospital." Leah hummed, still not
happy with his statement, but not finding anything to justify her actions.

"Mister Hugs can't be replaced, a new toy won't be Mister Hugs."

"Your safety is more important, Leah. You can't be replaced either." The girl frowned and held the
teddy tighter. It's arm fell off then, and both Ghost and Leo looked horrified between the piece and
Leah's face. She started weeping again, Leo scrambling to put the teddy together at least until they
get home, the brit reaching over too when the girl started swinging the toy trying to hit her brother.
The wails slowly turned into giggles as she kept hitting the man's arm and watched her twin try to
dodge her attacks.

"Sorry." She kept giggling, not trying to flail the already abused teddy bear anymore, letting the
other kid push the arm of the bear inside the toy so it would stay put together for a little more.
Ghost sighed relieved, finally turning around and staring at the road ahead.

"Don't do that again." His L.t sounded way too tired, his tone nowhere near threatening or
authoritative. He received a hum as a reply.

Everyone stayed silent the whole ride back to the house, the only one to speak was Soap, greeting
the guards back as they passed the gates. The kids ran out the car as soon as they parked and
rushed inside, taking their uniforms off as they went. The white fabric of Leah's uniform had some
dirt from where he guessed she had fallen today, so he decided to take both of the uniforms to clean
them later.

"Go wash your hands so you can eat lunch." The twins rushed to the bathroom, both of them using
the sink to quickly wash their hands and go back to sit on the table. Ghost served three plates of
food, still warm somehow, and sat on the table without serving himself anything. Leah looked at
him confused while she ate.

"Are you not hungry mi–Simon?" Ghost looked at her and shook his head.

"I ate while I was cooking." The girl seemed happy with the answer and went back to eating in
silence.

"Do you sleep with the mask?"Leo had finished eating and had questions of his own.
"Yes."

"And you use it during summer?"

"Yes."

"And when you exercise?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a lot of them?"

"Yes."

"Are you ugly?" Ghost paused, almost letting the 'yes' slip out, the kid looking at him with a smug
smile.

"Quite the opposite." Soap chuckled, the kid seemed almost disappointed the brit hadn't fallen for
his little prank. He waited for his sister to finish before picking both plates and heading to the
kitchen.

"Can we watch cartoons, Soap?" Leah poked her head from the hall, looking at John with puppy
eyes. As if she needed to act cute for him to let her do that, he doubt he could deny the kids
anything, especially something so mundane as watching cartoons.

"Wash your teeth first." Ghost answered before Soap could accept. "Do you have homework?" The
kid stood silent, nervously looking everywhere except at the brit. "Do it before it gets too late, you
can watch cartoons for a while now." She immediately brightened up and nodded excitedly.

"Thank you Simon! You're the best!"

"Your teeth."

"Yes, sir!" She hurried to her room, telling Leo to brush his teeth as well as she passed through the
kitchen. Soap had finished his food a while ago, finally deciding to go clean the dishes after the
kids had returned to the living room. He didn't know what to do the rest of the day, he could clean
and investigate the few rooms he hadn't checked, but his arms were sore, even doing the dishes was
difficult and he noticed how his hands started trembling a bit. He should do that tomorrow. Maybe
he could take a nap? But that would mean leaving the kids alone with Ghost, and he didn't want
that, just in case anything happened and his L.t didn't know how to fix it. Just to avoid stressing the
man or the kids.

He decided to go with the kids, scrolling through his phone on the sofa next to the kids, who
slowly but certainly had gotten closer, only noticing when Leo leaned on him using his arm as a
pillow to watch the TV more comfortably. Ghost was on the other end of the couch, reading a book
completely ignoring the girl hugging his arm and leaning on his side. Cute.

The hours passed fast, after some minutes of scrolling Soap had excused himself to go pick his
earbuds and decided to watch a movie on his phone, inviting Ghost who surprisingly accepted. The
kids kept watching the cartoons and peeking at the phone screen whenever there was a commercial
break, and using the opportunity the men were distracted to get even more comfortable on the sofa
while using them as pillows.

Once the movie was over, Ghost stood, stretching and limping his way to the kitchen, the kids
timidly trailing behind. The brit came back with some two glasses of water and offered one to
Soap, and the twins each had a glass with soda, still behind the taller man. They both sat silently on
the couch, on the opposite side to Ghost, with Soap in the middle, and started changing channels
while glancing at the adults.

"Don't act dumb, you know you have to do your homework." They simultaneously whined, but left
the couch to go pick up their backpacks.

"Can you help me?" The girl was pulling gently at Simon's hoodie. "Please?" She started pulling
out her notebook while she waited for an answer. Her brother was already silently writing whatever
he needed to write on his notebook.

"What do you need?" Leah took her book and sat next to Ghost, starting to point at what she didn't
understand. They were simple maths, as expected for a second grader, but the man explained
everything patiently, not giving the girl any answers but helping her figure them out by herself, and
correcting her mistakes before making her try again. Whenever the kid struggled for too long but
eventually found the answer, he would praise her and the girl beamed at the man, looking happy
and proud of herself, and Soap could see how those emotions were mirrored in Ghost's eyes.

T hose two are adorable.

He reluctantly looked away to check on Leo, that was also staring at his sister from his spot by the
coffe table next to Soap. The kid noticed his staring and decided to stare back. Right through his
soul. He got up without breaking eye contact and sat next to him. Soap looked at the notebook on
the kid's lap and noticed that at least two thirds of the page was blank, a lot of the spaces were
written in and erased later, but the few finished operations that were on the page were correct.

"Do you want some help?" Leo nodded, starting to work again without a word. Soap didn't know
how to help exactly, since the kid didn't tell him what he didn't understand, so he watched him
work. Every now and then, the kid looked up with his pencil right next to a blank space, and Soap
explained how to get to the result. Contrary to his sister, he thought things thoroughly before
writing, and understood quickly. He didn't take too much time to think either, which surprised Soap
a little. Well, it's not like adding twenty and three should take that much time, but he was
surprisingly fast compared to Leah. Eventually the kid stopped looking at Soap and solved all of
his math problems by himself.

The boy closed his notebook, once Soap checked all the answers, and stretched on the couch, going
back to leaning against the man and watching TV.

"Do you like maths?" A documentary about fish was playing and the boy seemed very interested
on it until the comercial break started.

"They're fun." Yeah, he won't say that in a couple years. Or maybe he will, who knows.

"You're very good at them. Very smart, too." The boy looked up then, slightly surprised and
definitely caught off guard by the praise. A small blush appeared on his nose and he looked back at
the TV.

"Thank you." It was barely above a whisper, but he could hear the happiness, just like he could feel
the boy smiling slightly against his arm.

Leah closed her notebook, making him turn to look at her, and he found the other two people in the
room staring back at him. He raised an eyebrow and the duo exchanged a quick glance before the
kid turned and shook her head. Soap didn't know it, but in the pair's head, there was the same
thought he and Leo were having minutes ago; Those two are adorable.

The screen displayed a short video of cows and it made the kids perk up, both of them looking at
Soap.

"Did you check on Daisy?" That question was enough to make him rethink his entire existance. He
was a farmer in the middle of nowhere now. Well not really a farmer because he hadn't even seen
the animals yet but he had to take care of them eventually. And there were a lot of them.

"I'll go check on her." The kids got up to let him stand up and walk over to get the notebook Nico
left him the day prior. He looked back at Ghost, to see if he was coming too, but the man didn't
even try to move from the couch, so he sighed and went on his way. He'll try to convince the man
to join him tomorrow.

Thankfully Nico was thorough with his guide, explaining what food and how much did each
animal eat. The man had even out pictures of every single one and how he told them apart from
each other when they looked too similar to others. He couldn't be more grateful for all of it.

He followed everything Nico had written and was done after almost an hour. Everything went
smoothly until now, but he had put for last the most dreading activity for him. Time to feed the
dogs.

He blew the whistle and tightened his grip on the notebook as he saw the same amalgamation of
fur as yesterday. The dogs all stopped in front of him and looked up excitedly. He could feel his
heartbeat, the organ seeming to want to break out of his torax by the way it pulsed against his ribs.
Right, just breathe. They're just dogs.

He filled the plates and left them in front of each dog, trying to associate the names with the colors
of the bowls. The canines waited for him to blow the whistle again before starting to eat. Soap
decided to sit down on a nearby fence, making sure the dogs didn't fight over food, although
according to the notes that never happened. The smaller dogs–which were still big for Soap's
standards–were the last to finish. The only exception to the big dogs was a seemingly young corgi,
that picked his bowl and went to stand in front of Soap, dropping it at his feet and walking back to
their shed. As if that was the signal the other animals were waiting for, they all started to bring
their bowls over and leaving. How the hell do you even train dogs to act like that.

He left the food bowls in their place and went back to the house. He was tired, having to move
more bags of food than he thought, and they were heavy. His arms were barely able to hold the
notebook, hands trembling again. As soon as he opened the door, he felt as tiny hands grabbed his
legs and tried to bring him down. In his panic he threw the notebook as he scrambled to grip the
doorframe. The kids whined but let go, leaving the man even more confused.

"It didn't work, Si!" Leah looked at him as if he was the bad guy for not falling instead of them for
attacking him.

"What are you doing?" He followed the kids into the living room, where Ghost was sitting on the
couch, reading a book as if the kids hadn't ratted him out.
"Mister Simon taught us how to defend ourselves." He left for an hour. That's enough time for
Ghost to teach them how to break necks, probably. "Well, we asked him. He looks big and strong,
so we knew he could teach us..." The girl trailed off as Soap's gaze turned more and more
concerned.

"Don't do that again, I'll talk to you in a second, aye?" The twins nodded and went to sit down,
pouting at what they assumed was an incoming scolding. "Ghost, a word?" His voice dropped the
sweet tone he used for the kids. Ghost left his book, and for the first time since he met this man he
looked nervous, and not because there was people he didn't know around. He followed Soap
silently to the room, leaving the door ajar and standing next to it. An easy escape.

Maybe he sounded too aggressive, for the man to act this way. He definitely didn't plan on
attacking him, but by the other's demeanor he really was thinking that. That explained why he
looked nervous, he could easily overpower Soap, but he didn't want to.

The scot pulled at his hair in frustration.

"...they wanted to learn..." It was the closest the ex-lieutenant could sound to shy.

"I know that." He softened his voice again, the man in front of him visibly relaxing a bit. "But we
can't encourage them to solve violence with violence." He decided to push his luck and stepped
closer. Ghost watched his every movement intensely, until the man stood in front of him. He
flinched as the scot tenderly touched his cheek over the face mask he was wearing, softly guiding
his head up to make him stop evading his gaze. "This isn't the battlefield, Ghost."

"I know." His voice was still low, momentarily thrown off by the sudden gentleness of the other's
actions. He looked at Soap in a mix of confusion and awe.

"They have already lived through too much neglect and violence, and they're still too young." The
man nodded, signaling he understood but refusing to speak anymore. "Let's keep this house safe,
aye? No screaming or hitting. They need to forget those things and learn new ways to deal with
shit."

Once a couple seconds had passed and Ghost didn't reply, he sighed and took his hand back. The
man almost looked disappointed.

"Stop looking at me like that, it feels like I'm scolding you." He chuckled at Ghost's attempt to
hide his amusement and trying to glare. He realized that the part of his face he could see above the
mask was turning pink, probably embarrassed, and decided to stop laughing out of mercy. No need
to hurt his pride. "I'll let you alone now, have to deal with the kids." He left the room to give the
man his space and went to the living room where both children still were, sitting together and
looking at the floor as soon as they heard Soap get close.

"We're sorry, Mister John." Leah was the first to speak. She seemed honest, and he was surprised
the girl wasn't at the verge of tears even if she was nervous. That was a great improvement.

"It's okay. You can't do that to the bullies, though. You can only do that if you're in huge danger."
Which he doubted would happen, he'd make sure of that. "You have to solve things with words
first, aye? And if it doesn't work then you ask for help."

"It's easier to just punch them." The boy was grumpy, clearly disappointed he wasn't allowed to use
whatever the brit taught them.

"It is easier, but it makes things worse. If you hit people you're just as bad as those who hit you.
You shouldn't lower yourself to their level." He pouted but nodded at the man's words. Ghost
walked in then, Leah turning and looking concerned at the man.

"I'm sorry mister Simon! It's our fault you got scolded!" The man was omce again caught off
guard, the girl running to him and hugging his knee. The brit just looked wide eyed at the girl.

"It's not your fault, Leah." He gently pried the girl away from his bad leg, ruffling her hair once she
let go. "And I didn't get scolded."

"You didn't?" There was genuine surprise in her tone.

"No. Did you?" She shook her head no.

"Mister John didn't scold us. I think."

"He can't, he's too soft." Leo said as if it was a fact and Soap only scoffed.

"Hey!" Both twins tensed and turned around, almost terrified. Ghost glared at him too, and Soap
immediately cooled down. He could hear his L.t calling him a hypocrite even if he didn't say a
thing. "Just because I'm not yelling doesn't mean I'm not scolding you. Take what I say seriously,
aye? Or I'll get mad for real." The kids nodded and relaxed again.

Maybe it would take a while, but they'll learn to deal with everything without resorting to any form
of violence.

"Can we get ice cream for dessert tomorrow?" Leah had finished eating and was back at the table
after leaving her dishes in the sink. Ghost thought for a couple seconds before answering in a
monotone voice.

"If you behave and do good at school, then yes, we can get ice cream tomorrow, when we go for
groceries." The little girl beamed at the older man. Leo looked happy too, he could see the way his
eyes sparkled.

"I'll be good, mist- Simon! I'll get all the math things right, like you told me!" Ghost let out an
amused sigh and nodded.

"You have to learn all the other things aside from maths, too." Maybe using ice cream to blackmail
the kids into studying wasn't so bad.

"Yes, sir!" Soap couldn't hide it any longer and chucked at the two's conversation, the girl turning
to stare at him, puzzled.

The four of them eventually moved to the living room to watch some more TV before getting
ready for bed. Leah looked confused at the screen and turned towards Soap.

"Mister Soap, do you have a lot of friends?" His eyebrows knitted together at confusion, not
understanding why the child was so interested in his personal life out of the blue.

"I don't have that many, but I have some. They live far from here." Leah nodded, getting ready to
keep interrogating him.
"Did you have many friend when you were little?"

"I don't really remember, I think I had the regular amount." The kid frowned then, apparently not
getting the answer she wanted. She turned to the other adult in the room.

"Simon, did you have a lot of friends when you were little?" The man looked at her with a serious
look and that couldn't mean anything good.

"I didn't have friends." Before the girl could pry any further into the very dangerous and
complicated topic that was Ghost's past, Soap interrupted her next question.

"Why are you asking these things, Leah?" Her legs started swinging as she looked anywhere
except Soap's direction. The questions weren't to know about the adult's lives, clearly, but about
friends. "Do you have a lot of friends, Leah?" She shyly shook her head.

"No one talks to me, and I thought it was normal, but the kids on the TV always have lots of
friends..." Leo focused on his sister instead of the TV, now interested in what his twin was saying.

"Have you talked to the other kids?" If they rejected her, then it's their loss, but if she wants friends
she should've at least tried to talk to her classmates.

"I get scared when I try to talk to them so I never end up doing it." That explains things.

"Well, how about you try talking to them tomorrow, aye? You can try to help them with all the
things Gho–Simon taught you today, or ask them to play during recess." The girl nodded, not so
convinced. "If you're that scared then just bring Leo along, he can help you, I'm sure." She turned
to look at her twin, who only nodded nonchalantly. He didn't seem nervous around strangers, if
anything he was careful around them, but not scared.

"If I make a friend can we get pancakes for breakfast from now on?" Huh?

"You could've just asked if you wanted pancakes." They both were confused by her logic, but it
probably made sense in her head. "Don't you like Soap's breakfasts?"

"It's nice but..." Leah trailed off, trying to think of something to change the topic.

"It doesn't taste like anything." It's chocolate milk! How can it taste like nothing? Surely it tastes
like milk, at least?

"Shut up, Leo! He's lying, mister John! It's yummy!" The kid desperately tried to fix the situation
as she saw that Soap looked sadder by the second. "It's just that pancakes are even more yummy!"

"No, I get it." He smiled, knowing he couldn't really get mad at the kids, and also knowing his
rushed breakfasts couldn't compare to whatever Ghost could make.

"You believe me right? he's just trying to make me look bad." Leah pouted and glared at her
brother, making him avert his eyes and act as if he didn't hear her.

"I believe you, don't worry." He ruffled her hair and smiled again to show he didn't hold anything
against her.

"It's getting late, go take a shower and get ready for bed." Ghost spoke as soon as the silence
started to settle, the kids groaning in unison but doing as told. The brit looked at him for longer
than usual.
"You're gonna tell me to go to bed too, L.t?" The man tried to keep a serious expression,even if
most of his face was covered, but Soap could see the amusement in his eyes. "I'm not a kid,
y'know?"

"You sure looked like one five minutes ago. Did the kid hurt your pride?" He could only roll his
eyes. "I think your ego is never recovering from that."

"Awa–"

"English."

"Go fuck yourself."

He got up before his alarm started, taking a shower fast and headed to the kitchen with a mission.
Surely he could make something the twins actually liked? He won't admit he lost at least an hour
of sleep because he couldn't get their comments out of his head.

Ghost was already at the kitchen, which only made his plans more complicated. Not because he
would interfere, but because he would never leave him alone if he saw how serious Soap was
about this. He must've been staring, since the brit tilted his head in curiosity.

"What's got you so riled up in the morning?" He grabbed his cup of tea from the counter and
approached him slowly.

"Nothin'." The other raised his eyebrow but decided to drop it, walking past him into the living
room. He checked twice to see if the man was really gone and started working when he deemed it
safe enough.

He made himself a cup of chocolate milk, alongside two more for the twins, and gave it a taste.

Well.

It tasted like something.

Maybe.

He heard a chuckle from behind him and felt dread settle over him. Fucking bastard and his
fucking silent steps.

He turned and glared at the man, but he was unfazed by Soap's anger.

"How does it taste?" He grumbled and crossed his arms, making sure not to spill from his cup.

"It's great." The lie didn't hold even for a second.

"Let me taste it then?" The way his face paled only made the other man more interested in the
drink. He refused to give his mug to the other when he reached over, and after at least two minutes
of dodging the taller man's hands, the brit got tired and pinned him to the nearest wall, taking the
mug from him before he could spill anything.
"Why are you so dense?" The grip Ghost had on his one hand holding Soap's arms wasn't enough
to even make him uncomfortable, but he knew when to accept defeat. His lieutenant could very
easily make his hands hurt and leave bruises if he put more strength into it, he was holding back.
Mostly because he is just messing around.

"I'm the dense one?" The man let go and pulled his balaclava up to his nose. He knew not to stare,
since it often made the other uncomfortable. But today he felt like being an asshole, so he stared as
hard as he could, making sure the man noticed. There was nothing he hadn't seen before, really, he
had seen the other's face a couple of times, and his mouth even more so, since he always found him
when he was taking smoke breaks back when they were on active duty or on base. What was new
was the unshaved stubble that definitely wasn't just a day or two old.

"You tryin' to grow a beard?" He got closer to get a better look and immediately remembered who
was the other man. Staring was already pushing the line, getting straight up on his personal space
and basically telling him you were analyzing his face was way too much.

"No, I didn't bring my razor and forgot to buy a new one." The man didn't make any indication that
he was uncomfortable by the shorter distance, nor that Soap's observation made him
uncomfortable, and wasn't that a surprise? Who was this person and where is his L.t? "How did
you manage to make milk taste like water?" Oh, right.

"I don't know, leave me alone." He snatched the mug back and dropped the small amount of liquid
that was still on it. Huh, he didn't drink that much.

"I'll go wake the kids, go sulk somewhere else." A scoff was the only reply the brit got, but he
seemed satisfied with it. Soap could see the smirk on the man's face before he put the fabric over it.

"Simon, you remember the ice cream, right?" A weight shifted beside Soap, the man looking back
at the girl to indicate her to continue. "I want strawberry ice cream."

"I want lemon. Or mint..." For the first time since they met the boy he seemed genuinely interested
in something. He kept thinking the rest of the drive to school, which was five minutes at most.
"Mint with chocolate chips." So that was the verdict.

"Alright." As soon as they were freed from their seats the excitedly went towards the gates, waving
back at the car once they were inside the schoolyard.

"See you later, Mister Soap! Don't forget the ice cream!" Just wave and smile, John. Ignore the
people's confused stares.

"You really shouldn't have told her to call you Soap." By his side, standing almost awkwardly, the
man waved to the kids too.

"At least they don't know I call you Ghost." For an outsider, hearing a kid call someone Soap was
funny, but hearing them call for Ghost was probably concerning.

They saw the teacher from yesterday approach the kids, probably asking where we were since
Leah pointed in their direction. They both walked into the school to talk to the woman.

"I got an appointment with the kids and their parents for today, around recess. The principal will be
there too, I'll mostly act as a translator. Can you come or should I plan for another day?"

"It's fine, we'll be here at..." When did kids have recesses?

"Eleven thirty. It's half an hour of recess, since some kids use it to have lunch, and then the last
class of the day after, the classes finish at one forty-five and–"

"We'll see each other later then." A hand grabbed his wrist and gently but still firmly dragged him
back to the car. He smiled at the woman apologetically and received a smile back. He was thankful
for Ghost being there because otherwise he would be listening to her talk all day."Fuckin' hell, she
does talk a lot."

"Told you."

The room was silent, the seven adults stating at each other without any idea lf what to do. They
stared at Ghost a lot, and he felt the way the man's body was tensing more and more. He was
already both weary and anxious from their trip to the market, deciding to go grocery shopping
before picking up the kids. Now he was in a very small place, with a closed door that was far from
him, and with five strangers staring intensely at his covered face.

He saw how the man's leg started to bounce, and felt even worse for putting the man into this
situation. This anxious, more human side of Ghost was always fascinating and terrifying to witness.
This wasn't Ghost, this was the person behind the mask. And said person seemed five seconds
away from running out of the building. Probably through that window he's been eyeing for the past
five minutes.

He carefully and discreetly reached his knee to put it against Simon's, and the other stilled, looking
at the now touching joints. He glanced at Soap for a second, and went back to staring at the
window. He felt how the other's knee rested against his own, but eventually started bouncing
again. The scot sighed and put his hand on the other's thigh, and he stilled again, tense. The
bouncing stopped at least. The action was discreet enough for the others in the room to not notice,
and the contact seemed to ground the man for the time being, the muscles under his hand relaxing
more as time went on.

Finally, the teacher came back with all four kids, apologizing for taking longer than expected.
Leah beamed at the men and ran to sit on Ghost's lap, meanwhile Leo walked up to Soap and stared
at him until the man picked him up and sat him on his leg. The other kids stood behind their
parents silently.

"(Can you two explain what happened?)" The principal spoke first, looking at the two kids
standing on the opposite side of the room.

"(We didn't do anything, the boy just fell.)" The taller kid shrugged his shoulders, uninterested in
explaining anything further.

"(He didn't fall! The teacher saw you!)" All the people in the room looked at the teacher,
meanwhile Ghost and Soap looked at each other.

"(Can you tell the parents what you saw, Miss Kraft?)" The woman nodded, clearly not affected by
all of the eyes on her.

"(I did see them punch Leo, and I did see them pulling Leah's ponytail and her teddy bear. I only
got to them when it was already too late.)" A gasp was heard from the other side of the table and
for the first time he actually paid attention to the other parents. A woman, –dressed way too formal
for just a school reunion, hair perfectly styled and immaculate make up– was looking at the
teacher, horrified with whatever she just said.

"(My Mauricio would never do that, right?)" She turned around to look at the chubby, smaller kid,
who only nodded frantically."(We taught him well at home.)" The man beside her looked
absolutely miserable, and he kept silent.

"(There's also another teachers who saw the situation, and some kids that were nearby also told us
what they saw because they were concerned. I'm afraid you'll have to accept the evidence, this
time.)" Soap could understand the twins weren't in trouble by the few words in spanish he did
catch.

"(I'm sorry for what he did, I promise he's s good kid, we just haven't given him enough attention.
We talked about this yesterday and he's really sorry, right, Luis?)" The other woman in the room,–
who looked older and dressed more casually– turned to her kid as well, and what he assumed was
the father also looked at the boy.

"(I'm really sorry, I promise it won't happen again. I'm sorry for breaking your teddy bear, Leah,
and for punching you, Leo.)" At least he sounded genuine.

"(And?)"

"(And I'm sorry for causing trouble to you two, as well, misters.)" The kid turned to them this time,
Soap panicking at what to answer.

"(It's okay, as long as you know that what you did was wrong and don't do it again.)" He gawked at
Ghost. When did this fucker learn that much spanish? He still had an accent, but it was still
amazing. The kids stared at him as well.

"(I forgive you, if Simon says it's okay then he's right. But I'm still mad you hurt Mister Hugs.)"
Leah pouted and crossed her arms, leaning back against Ghost's torso.

"(I got you another teddy. I know Mister Hugs is important to you but I hope this can replace him
while you fix him.)" The kid pulled a pink rabbit plush out of his backpack and handed it over to
Ghost's extended arm. The man examined it carefully before giving the toy to Leah.

"(Thank you so much! You're really forgiven now!)" The girl hugged the plushie, the artificial long
fur hiding most of her face as she nuzzled into it. The older boy smiled a bit before turning to Leo.

"(I forgive you, just don't bother her anymore.)" A boy of few words.

"(I won't. Let's just get along from now on.)" They nodded in unison and the principal smiled at
them.

"(We'll that solves that! You can go, make sure to bring Luis to the talks I asked you too.)" The
adults smiled and got up, the taller kid bowed his head at the two men, and before leaving he gave
Leo a smaller, blue version of the rabbit Leah got. He saw the little boy smile softly as he was
thanking the other kid.

The other parents, who were silently watching, also got up to leave, for some reason.

"(Where are you going?)" The pair smiled to the principal, confused as to why they were being
stopped. "(Mauricio didn't apologize, you're not free to go.)" He could tell this was going to take a
while, so he put Leo down, got up to bring the two, now empty, chairs to their side of the table, and
sat the kids on them.

"(Why would he apologize? The other kid said he did it, Mauri didn't do anything.)" The principal
sighed and took of her glasses, massaging the space between her eyebrows.

"(Both kids did this, the both of them are at fault.)" She looked genuinely concerned at the parents'
reaction.

"(He was the one that said mean things, and he pulled my hair!)"

"(No I didn't!)"

"(Let's not lie, Mauricio. Remember that people saw everything.)" The teacher cut the kids'
dispute, which only earned a glare from the mother.

"(Are you threatening him?)" The father sat up and basically growled at the poor teacher.

"(That kid could be lying, people could be wrong. I believe my son.)"

"(I'm not lying and neither is the teacher! Momma said lying is bad!)" The way Soap and Ghost
flinched at the mention of Rusnov made Leah turn confused.

"(Well you sound like a liar, and so does your teacher.)" The woman was more childish than a
literal child. And he didn't even understand what she was saying.

"(I'm not a–!)"

"(Shut up you annoying shit!)" The boy's father stood from his seat, hitting the table with his fist
and leaning over it to point at Leah. The moment they saw the man get up, they stood as well.
Ghost grabbed the man's wrist and bent it awkwardly, not breaking anything but definitely painful,
meanwhile Soap shielded the startled kids from the scene.

Once the man stopped trying to escape Ghost's hold and calmed down, he let go and stood straight
besides Soap, both of them looking menacing without effort, in their 6'2 and 6'4 frames. Any trace
of fight the man had in him left, and the woman finally shut up, having been screaming since her
husband stood up.

"(Listen, old man, I don't care who you believe or not. Your kid hurt mine, and I'll imagine that if
you have the guts to even try to hurt her while I'm right here, you'll have the balls to make your
spoiled little shit admit his fault and apologizes.)" The man turned around and barked something at
the kid.

"(Sorry, Leah, Leo. Won't happen again.)" He was looking away and clearly pissed that he had to
apologize.

"(You happy?)" Holy shit this man is dense.

"I want an apology too." Ghost turned around to look at him, half in disbelief, half in amusement.
"He scared the shit outta me! And Leah! I deserve one." He saw the face mask move in what could
only be a smile.

"(Apologize to the kids. And to us.)"

"(The kid already–)"

"(I didn't mean the kid, dumbass, I mean you. And your brainless wife too.)" They stood silent for
a second but eventually sighed.

"(I'm sorry, Leah. I'm sorry, man.)"

"(Yeah, sorry.)" Watching their unhappy faces as the stood with their tales between their legs was
apology enough. I hope they feel what the kids felt, when someone bigger than you belittles you
and threathens your safety. He would explain that to them but he's stuck on the language barrier.

The teacher and principal, who were watching in silent fear, finally came back to earth and looked
at each other.

"I hope we don't have to see each other like this again." They sat down on their chairs and started
gathering the kids' belongings. The teacher translated his sentence, and he could hear the man's
'(me too)' as a response. The four of them left the room, and no one dared stop them.

On the way to the car, Soap noticed how a group of girls was pointing their direction and felt
annoyed at the thought of having to deal with even more mean kids. He turned to Leah.

"Do you know those girls, Leah?" The spark in her eyes as she turned and saw the girls could only
mean something good.

"Yes!" She was waving and telling them to get closer. Within seconds the group of four girls and
two boys was there. They seemed to be the same age as the twins. "(This is mister Soap and mister
Simon!)" The collective, amazed 'oh' they let out made him chuckle. Ghost didn't seem too happy
to be surrounded by second graders.

"(It's nice to meet you mister Soap. You too, mister Simon.)" A blonde girl with short hair was the
first to speak, clearly the voice of authority of the small group.

"(We're Leah's friends now, we'll protect her!)" This time it was one of the boys, he was wearing a
sports team jacket over his uniform.

"Leah, tell them I'm very happy that such nice kids are friends with you." She translated and the
kids smiled at the hidden compliment. A last look at his L.t made him realize they needed to leave
as soon as possible. "(Sorry kids but we have to go. We'll see you around.)"

"(Wait! Can we go play at your house someday?)" Maybe after a couple weeks, once they get used
to dealing with two kids.

"(Someday, yes. Not now.)" They seemed happy enough with the answer.

Ghost was already at the car, he made the kids were safely sitting on the back and started the drive
 back home. They couldn't just leave the kids at school after all the stress the man put them
through, and it was easier this way, since the trip home and back to school would consume most of
the time they had before picking the twins up.

Leah was hugging her new toy happily, and Leo was holding his on his lap. They were silent, but it
was comfortable. What wasn't looking too comfortable was the nervous wreck sitting beside him
on the passenger seat. Ghost had his fist clenched and both his legs bouncing slightly.

Soap sighed and went for the same strategy as in the room, this time going for the man's arm. He
flinched at first, but relaxed a second later. John decided to run his hand up and down the other's
bicep and shoulder, and he was amazed at how he could feel the other's toned muscle even through
the thick and loose fabric. He kept his attention on the road, so he couldn't notice how the man and
his anxiety slowly melted at the touch, nor how the twins were now completely focused on them.

"Thank you for helping us, Johnny, Si." The sweet voice of the little girl broke the silence inside
the car, a soft smile and some pink rising to paint her cheeks and nose. He couldn't bring himself to
tell the kid not to call him Johnny.

Now, there are only three people allowed to call him that.

>

Chapter End Notes

*Sips coffee* Damn I wish this was tea. *A crowd of british people materializes and
starts clapping and cheering*

Anyways, my computer decided to be funny so I'm a day later than I wanted to. Next
chapter will be probably late as well since 1. I wrote most of it while dr*nk, so I have
to rewrite a lot of it + fix mistakes and 2. I'm getting a root canal so I'm gonna be
whining about it for some days. I hope you can understand.

Thank you for the kudos and messages, they made me really happy! I hope you liked
this chapter as well! <3

Oh, I'll also try to post some doodles on twt on the following days, I found some of the
earlier sketches I made of the OCs ages ago and decided to re draw them. I'm not the
best artist but if anyone is interested in how I picture the characters, then head over
there.

As always I apologize for any mistakes, I'll fix anything I find later.

See you in a couple days!

 (3). Memories and sand.
Chapter Summary

Conversations, family traditions, and confessions.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

"Wake up, MacTavish." The alarm was most often ignored than not, lately. It had been around
three weeks since they first got into the house, and Soap had gotten lazy, to his own dismay. Sure,
he did spend his time caring for the kids, taking care of the farm animals and the still terrifying
pack of dogs, but he hadn't done anything else besides that. The days were taxing, and sleep came
easily to him.

The first days he was the one to wake the kids up, but now that was Ghost's job, the man woke up
at least at 6:30 a.m, having something delicious for everybody to eat. The kids were always in high
spirits after whatever breakfast the brit would make. He won't admit he was jealous, both of the
man's abilities and the kids praise.

"Aye, just five more minutes..." He turned around and covered himself with his blankets.

"You've said that twice already. I'm not asking nicely next time." The man let him be anyways, he
could hear the door close. Yesterday was more taxing than the rest of the week, Leah was excited
about a small project her teacher had given her and she wanted to go all out. Which meant he had to
make posters for her very exciting presentation about fishes. Until 2 a.m. Because kids love to
remember things at the last minute. He really didn't understand why the girl was so happy or why
the teacher would encourage her to do this, but if it meant he could see the girl's bright smile he
couldn't say no.

He got up and went to his small bathroom, coming back to see his L.t leaning on the doorframe, his
apron still on. Leah had seen it when they went grocery shopping, liking the pastel pink color and
the tiny bear pattern it had. She said Ghost had to use it because she couldn't cook yet, and the man
had refused before the girl could finish asking, but since Soap loves making his L.t miserable –in
harmless ways– he had bought it anyways, and joined the twins in insisting he had to use it. After
only a day of persistent begging, the man gave in. Leah was always happy to see the design, Leo
and Soap were always laughing internally at the taller man.

"Get moving, we're leaving in ten." The man got tired of Soap staring and not moving, leaving as
quickly and silently as always. He trailed behind, taking his coffee and toasts the kids hadn't eaten
once he reached the kitchen.

"Good morning, Johnny!" The girl was running down the hall, all of her materials for her
presentation on her arms. Glad to know someone in this house had energy at this hour. Leo walked
tiredly behind his twin, still sleepy, which was odd for the kid.

"How's the fish expert feeling? You ready for class?" It was a mistery to him, still. How a kid that
barely knows how to read was going to try to teach others about something.
"Yeah, I'm ready!" Leo sat down beside him and stared at his sister with nothing but disdain.

"Are you okay, lad?" Seriousness was natural on the boy, and he was grumpy sometimes too, but
he had never seen him look so tired.

"My head hurts." Ghost turned while leaving his apron on it's hanger, concern barely hidden on his
eyes.

"Do you want to stay home, for today? Maybe you're getting sick." He shook his head.

"It's not that bad, and Leah wants me to see her fish thing."

"You can stay home if you want to, I can teach you about fish later." Although the girl didn't seem
to mind, the boy hesitated.

"Will you really be fine?" The girl nodded. "Then I'll stay home. Can I still go with you? I don't
wanna stay alone here."

"Sure, champ, go take your uniform off and get something warmer, it's cold outside." Soap left his
used dishes in the sink and started walking towards the car, Leah excitedly following with her
posters and her rabbit plushie.

They had already gotten used to the morning routine, always arriving five minutes before time to
school, the twins always had their new friend group waiting for them at the door. Of course Leah
had made it a habit to scream her goodbyes at the two men, the parents that were around when she
yelled were no longer surprised by it.

"You wanna go say hello to your friends? I'm going to tell the teacher you won't be attending
today, since you're feeling unwell." Leo nodded and waited for both Ghost and Soap, to walk
between them. As soon as the other kids saw him they approached to greet him and the adults let
him stay behind to talk to them for a while.

"Oh, Johnny, it's nice to see you again." The nickname caught him off guard, he immediately
turned the direction he heard the voice from and saw the person he was looking for.

"It's John." Ah, of course. It had to be Ghost to correct her so coldly.

"Sorry, sorry." She seemed amused by the man's tone. "What brings you here today? You usually
stay outside the gates."

"I think Leo has a cold, we'll let him stay home today since his head hurts, just wanted to let you
know, if he doesn't come to class next week it's because he's sick." She looked puzzled at the man,
and he didn't understand why exactly.

"Next week? The winter holidays start this weekend, the kids don't have classes for two weeks."
Winter holidays...? "You weren't told? The kids are always excited and making plans with friends."

"I had no idea." He looked at Ghost to see if the man knew anything about this, but the other only
shook his head, just as lost as Soap.

"Well, I would start questioning the kids, I'm pretty sure I overheard them talking about bringing
their friends over."
"I will, thank you." He turned as soon as the woman smiled, knowing that if he stood there for
more than needed she would start rambling as always.

The bells rang just as they were close to Leo, the kid bid farewell to the rest of the group and took
back his position in between them.

"The teacher just told me you guys don't have classes for two weeks." Tiny, puzzled eyes looked up
at him.

"You didn't know?" How was he supposed to know? "I thought every school had a winter
vacation."

"Winter breaks aren't all at the same time." If anything, that made the kid more confused. He
sighed. Right, he can't expect the kid to know everything. "Not all the countries live on the same
season. While it's winter here, it's summer in the UK."

"Then you would have summer vacations, right?" Wait, he did have a point.

"No, they aren't at the same time." Thankfully, Ghost seemed to know more about this, or at least
he acted like it. Leo didn't question the taller man, they got into the car and Soap started to drive
home.

"Did you make plans for the holidays?" He glanced at the kid through the rear view mirror.

"Leah wanted to invite our friends to play but I told her we had to ask you first... can they come
over?" Surely having eight kids running around the house was the closest thing to hell he'd
experience while still alive, but the kid looked at him, pleading with his eyes.

"Maybe..." He'll have to talk about it with Ghost. "I'll think about it." He would've said yes right
away, the moment he saw the disappointment on the boy's face.

"Okay..." Now he feels even worse. He looked over at Ghost, the man looking back completely
lost as to why Soap looked so guilty. "Is Alexander coming over?" That caught him off guard.

"Why would Alexander come over?"

"Mom used to take us to the beach during winter break, but then she went away so Alexander takes
us instead." He genuinely didn't know how to react to that. Who would take their kids to the beach
during winter?

"I'll give him a call, but I think he's too busy." The man always seemed busy anyways, but with
Rusnav's state and being a couple flights away, he doubted he could come.

"If he doesn't have time, you two could take us..." Ghost turned slightly to look at Soap, warning
him with his eyes.

"Sure." The other man groaned. He really has to learn how to say no.

"Okay." The tiny smile the kid had was worth it. He could ignore Ghost's annoyed glare for a
while.

~
"The teacher said I got extra score for the next...! What's it called in english?" The kid was at the
gates, excitedly telling Soap about her presentation.

"What's what called?" He was surprised the kid hadn't asked before for translations, her vocabulary
was pretty wide for a seven-year-old.

"That thing were they put your grades in, the little book." She was searching for the word in her
head, unsure if she ever heard it in another language besides spanish.

"A report?" Apparently that wasn't quite was she was thinking, but she nodded anyways.

"I guess so, the teacher said she was giving me extra points in the next one!" If he kept getting
such bright smiles he would eventually go blind. The smile he gave back was unconscious, the
little girl's happiness contagious.

"That's great, Leah." Before even processing the words, she spotted her friends and started rushing
towards them, meeting in the middle.

"(Did you talk to your dads about going to play at your house?)" Leah's sudden nervousness made
him curious, so he got closer to the group of children. "Hello mister Soap!"

"(I didn't ask yet...)" A pair of blue eyes looked up at him. Not the puppy eyes again... "Can my
friends come over to play? You said they could someday..."

"I'll think about it." Learn to say no, Johnny.

"Please!" The rest of the group perked up at the word they could understand.

"Please, please!" Dear Lord somebody save him.

"What's going on?" His savior has arrived. Ghost was curious at why Soap had went back into the
school yard with Leah and decided to follow them.

"Mister Simon, can my friends come over?" Surely his L.t could say no or tell them to wai–

"Sure." Huh?

As the kids cheered, the scot turned wide eyed to stare at his L.t. So kind of him for asking the
other adult. The bastard would probably find a way to dissappear and leave Soap to deal with all
the children on his own. Sensing his answer wasn't what the sergeant wanted, Ghost sighed and
turned to look at the kids again.

"Not today, though. Maybe on monday." Leah seemed slightly disappointed, but nodded anyways.
She translated what the man said to her friends.

"(I should tell mom, give me your number, Leah.)" One of the boys took out his phone and as if on
cue, all the other kids took out theirs too and talked to the twin, who was clearly panicking in her
confusion.

"(I–I don't have a phone.)" The group looked up, even more confused at the girl, and exchanged
glances.
"(Why not?)" Alright, maybe it's time he stands up, he could understand the situation.

"Ghost." The man flinched, not noticing how Soap had gotten closer to murmur next to his ear.
"They want Leah's phone number."

"I know that." He murmured back, the kids distracted trying to find a solution.

"She doesn't have one."

"I am aware?" Fuck's sake.

"Give them mine, asshole. They're gonna stand there for ages before they ask us." The brit finally
caught up and scoffed.

"Shouldn't give them your number." The way the other said it as if it was obvious puzzled him.

"Why not? You wanna give them yours?" The brit rolled his eyes and faced the kids.

"(Give me your parents' numbers, we'll call them to organize everything, yeah?)" The kids nodded
in unison and started spelling numbers that Ghost wrote down on his notes app. "Alright, let's go,
Leah. Leo's waiting in the car." The girl cheerfully bid her farewells and rushed ahead of them,
getting into the car.

"Wouldn't it had been easier to just give them our numbers?"

"No, they're going to spam your phone all day, and we need to get permission from their parents,
not them." Fair point.

When they got into the car, Leah was showing her brother the pictures from the poster while
explaining something in spanish, probably giving her presentation again. The whole ride back
home she spent talking to the boy about tropical fish, whales, sharks, and sea creatures. He had
stopped listening ten minutes into the drive, not because he didn't care about the kid's passion, but
because he didn't exactly care about the topic. Thankfully the conversation wasn't directed at him,
Leo was the target, and he looked entertained, at least.

Ghost had made the kid some tea in the morning, because of course he would. It was lemon tea
with honey, which he knew would help the kid if he had a cold, and it seemed to have worked. Leo
never had a fever, so he guessed it wasn't that bad. Either way he made the kid wear extra layers
just in case.

"(You think they would let us have goldfishes if we ask them?)" Ghost turned on his seat and
glanced back, the kids staring back, wide eyed, at the man.

"What is it?" Maybe he missed something important, but the twins were speaking spanish, so
surely they didn't talk to them.

"Dunno." Leah smiled nervously and stared between Ghost and Leo rapidly. The taller man sighed
and sat back properly.

"We'll talk about it later." Well that was even more confusing. What could the twins have said to
make Ghost react like that?

The rest of the drive was completely silent.

 ~

Ghost had sent him the parents' numbers, because of course he wouldn't be the one to talk to them,
even if he knew more spanish than him. Luckily, or not so luckily, the first mom he talked to
immediately recognized him as 'the guy Leah screams at every morning' and after some messages
he was added to a group chat the kids' parents had.

The group the kids befriended lived in the same neighborhood, had been going to the same classes
since kindergarten, and knew each other since they were babies. Apparently they were also the
kids that had seen Leo get punched and told the teachers about it. The parents were all friends, and
he might be feeling a little out of place, but everyone was very respectful and seemed happy the
kids got along.

"Ghost?" Google translate can only be so helpful, so he stepped into the kitchen to ask for help. He
had forgotten to interrogate his L.t about where he learnt so much spanish, and now wasn't the
time. He'll ask later.

"Hm?" The man was making some tea for himself, the kids had decided to play in the front yard
for a while, he could hear Leah's laughter from outside.

"Help me out here." Ghost had walked into the living room and he had followed without realizing,
noticing only when the man had sat down and patted the space next to him on the sofa.

"You're still talking to the parents?" He showed him the chat as he got comfortable on his seat.

"Aye, they're sending too many messages now. As soon as I translate one I have ten more to read."
The other man chuckled and took his phone to read the past texts. By the look on the other's eyes
he didn't like what he found. "What is it?"

"They want to meet us as well. For some reason." Well it's only natural to want to know, he
definitely wouldn't leave the twins with someone he didn't know in a place he didn't know. But he
can understand why Ghost hated the idea of meeting all those people.

"Well... we could invite them for, like, lunch, maybe? The kids could play in the afternoon after
eating and they'd get tired before evening..." He stopped as soon as he saw the other's face again.
He hated the idea. "We can't just tell them no, Ghost. I'm pretty sure these are the first friends the
kids have, it'll be cruel to tell them they can't meet them just because you don't want to meet their
parents."

"We can meet at school."

"You don't get out of the car and I don't even get past the gates anymore." For a moment Ghost
stood silent, looking for more excuses. "Let's make a deal?"

"What deal?" The unsure tone and narrowed eyes almost made him laugh.

"You cook and I socialize. You won't need to talk, you can wear your favorite mask even." The
fabric above the brit's eyebrow moved and Soap could see the other's confused gaze.

"What makes you think I have a favorite?"

"You don't?" Surely he had to at least have one he prefers over the others, if not for the looks, for
the texture or something.
"Didn't say that."

"So you do." The other sighed and gave the phone back.

"Didn't say that either. You should just take the kids to a park and meet the others there." 'You' as
in I'm not going anywhere. He didn't want to push but he also didn't want to take care of this on his
own.

"You know the kids like to have you around, especially Leah. And they probably have never gone
to a park either, how am I supposed to deal with the parents and the twins by myself?" A
notification popped up on his phone, someone had mentioned him in a message and he decided to
pay attention to that instead. The other man was still thinking of an answer, anyways.

The parents were asking where he would like to meet, everyone offering their houses, since they all
lived nearby the other, but one of the mothers said that it was unfair since they were 'welcoming'
him, he shouldn't be the one to go out of his way to meet them. So they started proposing parks and
restaurants that had a kids zone.

Now, a restaurant was a public space, and with a kids zone, it would be only be the parents and
them, so it would be hell for Ghost, and he was determined to make the man tag along. A park
would be nice, and some of them were close by, but they would only have two options, socializing
or running after kids. Also hell for Ghost.

"What is it?" A hand reached towards him, probably thinking he needed to translate again. He
handed the phone to the man once more and watched him as he read the texts.

"I still think inviting them over for lunch is the best idea, the kids have plenty space to run around,
we can buy them more toys to play outside. A ball or something." His phone was returned, the
other staring at the floor in silence. "Ghost."

"Johnny." Tired eyes looked at him, as if accepting his defeat.

"Just do it for the kids, aye? It's just a couple hours. I promise I will do the talking." The man
looked back down at the ground. "You can run away if you feel overwhelmed, too. It's fine."

No answer was spoken, but he knew the other couldn't say no anyways. He sent the message to the
group chat and everyone agreed, seemingly excited.

"They're coming this wednesday." Silence again. "Stop sulking."

"Leave me alone, MacTavish." It was a genuine warning, and he was a little taken aback. Had he
taken it too far? He still had time to cancel the whole thing. But the kids...

"Simon, Simon! Look!" There they are. Leah came running through the front door, she had a
puppy in her han–

"Where did you get that?" The kid stopped on her spot, frozen in place by the cold tone Ghost had
used. She looked terrified.

"It's okay, Leah. Let's go to the living room, aye?" She nodded and started walking back to the
other room. "Don't take it out in the kids, you moron. Go for a run or something, be an asshole
somewhere else." At least this time the man reacted. He walked past him and out of the house.

"Does he hate puppies?" Right, the kids.

"No, he's just in a bad mood. Where's your brother?" She thought for a second, silent.

"He was in the barn with the vet, maybe he's still there." There was a vet? Since when?

"Let's go look for him." He extended his hand and the girl took it. The puppy she was holding
wasn't a newborn, so the vet wasn't here because of the dogs. As they approached the barn he
could see a young woman step out of it, and Leo besides her.

"Oh, hello. You must be one of the kids'...guardian?" She smiled politely and extended her hand in
greeting. Leo left her side as soon as he saw the other two, relaxing once he was behind Soap.

"Yes, I'm John, nice to meet you. I'm guessing you're the vet?" He shook her hand and smiled back.

"Yes, I was on my way out. As you saw there's a few pregnant ladies in that barn, Daisy should
become a mom in two weeks, she's the one closer to giving birth. Lila still has a month to go." That
wasn't in the notebook. Or was it? He genuinely couldn't remember. "If you'll excuse me, I'm
already late to the clinic. I visit every couple of weeks, we'll see each other often. Goodbye."

"See you." The kids didn't wave goodbye, and that was very weird, at least for Leah. Once the
woman was far away, he turned and crouched to look at the pair eye to eye. "Don't like her?"

"She's weird..." The girl was awkward and unsure, which made him even more concerned.

"How is she weird?" The twins exchanged looks, as if sharing thoughts, then turned back to Soap.

"She just...changes out of nowhere. She is all happy around the animals and then she talks to us
like she hates us. I don't like her." Is there anyone in this town that doesn't treat these kids as pests?
He sighed and messed the girls' hair.

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you, don't worry." He'll just have to make sure the kids don't stay with
her alone. "Let's give that puppy back to it's mom, aye?" Leah held the puppy closer, reluctant to
let it go.

"I wanted to show mister Simon..." Right. The brit had disappeared out of thin air, which was his
specialty. He didn't want to go looking for him, it would take a while, and even if they found him
the man was in a bad mood.

"Let's show him some other day, he's tired today."

"Okay..." He realizes now how much he hates to see the girl's sad or disappointed eyes. She was
always cheerful, beaming at everyone and everything, seeing her any other way felt wrong. She
turned and started walking to the dogs' shed silently.

"She named the puppy Bones. Because of the white face." Leo spoke up for the first time since he
came here. "He reminded her of Simon's skull mask." One day Ghost wore the balaclava they used
when they worked on the ghost team and the kids had loved it, for some reason. He remembers
Leah saying it was cool at least a dozen times throughout that day.

"Oh." Leah was sprinting back to them, her hands now empty. "Let's go back now, I have some
stuff to do at home." The twins followed silently until they reached the house, rushing to the living
room as soon as the door was opened.

First of all, he had to call Alexander, as he promised Leo he would. His phone still had the group
chat open, the parents were delighted to come over, excitedly talking about what they should bring
to eat. He had to ask Ghost if he wanted to cook or if he wasn't even going to participate. He could
understand the other wanting to keep a low profile, it would be disappointing if he didn't show up
and left him alone to deal with everything, but he wouldn't hold it against him.

He'll deal with it later, now he was dialing Alexander, who answered within seconds.

"Hello." It was 9 p.m over there, but the man sure sounded like he just woke up.

"Were you busy? Sorry." He heard a sigh from the other side of the line.

"No, it's okay. What's up?"

"The kids told me you usually come around this time of the year and wanted to know if you were
going to visit soon." A soft 'shit' could barely be heard from the other man.

"I completely forgot. I'm sorry, can you tell them I won't make it? I'll make sure to visit maybe
next month." No surprises there.

"Leo told me you take them to the beach? We can do it for you, doesn't seem that complicated."

"Karenina used to take them to see the sunrise, with Chris,. She couldn't stand going back to the
beach after..." The other man paused, his voice was sweet when he remembered the woman's life.
"...she asked me to take the kids there instead. Didn't want to make them lose the experience just
because she couldn't let go of...yeah." Rusnav didn't give herself time to grieve, he was sure of that.
But she didn't have any choice. "I just take them before the sun rises, give them some hot chocolate
and watch them when they start roaming around. They like collecting things they find, there's an
entire space for the seashells and other stuff they find, in their mother's office."

"Oh, right. I didn't go into the office yet, didn't know if it was okay. I found some stuff in the attic
though, do you know if the husband has any family left? There's some belongings that I should
give them." A confused hum was the only answer he got, for a second

"Didn't you meet Nico? He's Chris' brother." The brother? But he lived with Anna, and Anna was
Karenina's sister, right? Is that allowed?

"I thought he was Anna's partner?" The other man choked, the only sounds coming out of the
phone was coughing for a solid minute.

"No, why did you think that?" At last he managed to struggle out some words.

"I just assumed, since they lived together. Makes sense he said he was the 'ex-brother-in-law'" He
could hear the other man drinking water. "But Anna is the sister she mentioned, right?"

"No, she doesn't have a sister...wait, she said she had a sister?" Well, this was getting complicated.

"When we were drunk, aye. She said her sister was taking care of the kids, and if she died they
were going to be left alone." 'That woman is more insane than me, she would probably run away,
knowing I won't go looking for her. Or she would off herself, she doesn't seem to be interested in
anything besides vodka.'

"...I'm unplugging her." That was a sentence he heard.

"What?" It came off in a mix between confusion and panic. Surely Alexander wouldn't just–

"I'm the 'sister'. Anna is my wife. Well, she used to be, haven't seen her more than two times in the
last six years." Sounds like a healthy relationship.
"Sorry, didn't know." He heard the familiar sound of a lighter turning, the man chuckled as he
sighed out what he assumed was cigarette smoke.

"...she always called me that, because I look like our mother. Didn't think she wouldn't say it wasn't
a joke." The tone was bittersweet, it almost sounded like he was holding back tears. Rusnav
definitely did something on purpose there, she didn't describe Alexander, for what he could tell.
The man definitely wouldn't leave the kids to fend for themselves, he even took the time to come to
them every winter. "It doesn't matter, anyways. Make sure to call Nico for that. If you find
anything from Karenina you can do what you want with it, I don't want anything. Gotta go." He
couldn't even say goodbye, the call already ended.

"Johnny?" Leah looked at him, concerned. He had been spacing out, after calling Nico, who said
he would pick up the things some day, and going through his daily routine of feeding farm animals
and having almost heart attacks while watching the dogs. Ghost hadn't come back, and it's already
bed time for the kids. He knew the man could defend himself, he shouldn't be in danger, he
would've know by now. But it was driving him insane.

"What is it, sweetie?" He tried to reassure the girl with a smile, but she wasn't fooled. "It's time to
go to bed, you should get ready."

"Okay..." She turned and went to her bedroom, Leo did as well. He shouldn't worry the kids over
this. If anything, everything was his fault, he pushed the other too much, he'll have to fix this
himself. But.

He needed Ghost to be here to fix this entire situation. Where could he even go? He hadn't seen
him in the house, he wasn't outside either, he asked the guards and no one knew anything. He even
checked if he had left in the car, but both vehicles were still parked in the garage.

Did he leave?

Surely he hadn't pushed that far, right? Ghost didn't seem to hate being around him and the kids,
did he read everything wrong since the beginning?

He waited all night on the couch, an endless cycle of negative thoughts and questions he couldn't
answer spinning in his mind. He didn't hear the kids' 'goodnight Johnny', Leah had tried to walk
over to him but her twin stopped her. They were worried, it's not like they didn't notice Ghost's
absence, but they knew that Soap was just as worried, and he didn't have answers.

Then there it was. Something fell against the front door, something very heavy, and Soap snapped
back to reality. He didn't sleep, just stared at the ceiling in a daze for hours.

"Fuck..." That voice, he knew who it was. He stood up, noticing a bit too late that there was a cat
on his lap, and rushed to the front door. Ghost was leaning against the door frame, looking through
the keychain and failing to find the main one. The door was unlocked.

"What are you..." The other flinched and stepped backwards, almost falling down the steps, if it
wasn't because Soap reached over and pulled him back towards him. He could smell the alcohol
now. "Where the fuck were you?"
"Leave me alone, MacTavish." Not this again.

"Ghost!" The frustrated tone caught both of them off guard, the brit stopped on his tracks, already
halfway through the door. "Let's talk, aye? Let's go to the backyard." He guided the man through
the living room into the back door, making him seat on a chair outside.

The sky was painted in soft pinks and oranges, he hadn't realized how late it was. Surely the man
hadn't been drinking since he left until now? It probably was twelve hours ago he left, and he was
acting the same as always. Well, if you ignore how he fell face first against the front door. He
hadn't slurred the few words he spoke, nor was he stumbling.

"...I'm sorry." He turned surprised at Ghost. He wasn't expecting the other to talk first, mostly he
expected to be the one talking until the other got tired and left him rambling alone.

"What for?" The annoyed glance the other threw his way made him mad himself. He knew he had
to stay silent, though.

"I don't know." This bastard–

"Why are you apologizing then?" He scoffed and turned, not expecting an answer anyways. The
fact Ghost was the one apologizing made him feel guilty, he should be the one apologizing for
forcing him into the meeting. That doesn't change the fact that he's pissed, though. He had stayed
all day and night worrying the other had decided to leave and let him deal with the kids, or that he
had gotten hurt, or kidnapped, or ki–

"Were you waiting for me?" It finally clicked in his L.t's fuzzy mind, that yes, he opened the door
in record speed and was here with him because he was awake and out of his room. "I just–sorry."

"Is that the only word you know?" He sighed and stood from his chair, he was cold and had gotten
out barefooted, which wasn't his greatest idea. The moment he started walking to the door, a hand
reached out and grabbed his wrist, tight enough to probably bruise. "Let go." Ghost loosened his
grip but still held his wrist firmly. "I'm fuckin' freezing and I'm not staying out all morning just to
hear you say 'sorry' over and over."

"You were the one that said you wanted to talk." Right. Well, it's true, but he didn't exactly know
how to approach Ghost. The man was still in a bad mood, even if it wasn't as bad as yesterday, so
he didn't know what he could say and what he couldn't. He'll have to try anyways. With a sigh, he
went back to his chair, facing the other.

"What happened? I know you don't like being surrounded by strangers but I really thought you
could endure it for the kids. I can cancel the plans still, if that's what you want."

"Don't." It almost sounded like it physically hurt him to say those words, he was looking at the
field that extended far and wide around the house. "If you laugh I'll snap your neck." Whatever he
was going to tell him, he surely wouldn't laugh. Not because he was scared of the threat, but
because it didn't sound like the other was going to tell something you would laugh at.

"What is it?" A moment passed, in silence, Ghost gathering his thoughts for a second before letting
them out.

"I don't want to– I'll stand out, no matter how much you try to bring the attention to yourself."
Well, that was inevitable, he knew that. "I don't want to leave a bad impression. The twins could
lose their friends because the parents will get scared and–"

"It's okay-"
"It's not!" Ghost was hiding his face–more like, his balaclava– from him. His head lowered and
facing the side opposite to him. "I can't take care of them, I'll just be a nuisance."

"You're not a nuisance." He had no idea how the other got to that conclusion.

"They'll never have a normal life if I stay, they'll be better off without me around, I should
just–"Maybe he was right, at least a bit, but hearing him sound so defeated made his heart break a
little.

"Simon." The whiplash hit both of them, the name catching even Soap off guard. He said it without
thinking, pronouncing those words felt wrong, he didn't think he was close enough to Ghost to call
him by his name, only doing it when the kids were around. He recovered quickly, trying to speak
his mind before his panic made him backtrack. "Do you think they would lead a normal life,
anyways?"

"What?" Ghost was clearly still stuck on his own head.

"Their mother won't come back, their father died in one of the most traumatizing ways. Their aunt
doesn't like them." 'They don't have anyone else'. He won't say it, it sounds like he's trying to guilt
trip him. "Even if we're not the best option around, I think we're doing pretty decent, no?"

"Doesn't mean–we've barely been here, doing good at the beginning doesn't mean we'll do good to
the end." He was looking at him now, at least.

"We'll just have to try harder to be good, then. We won't know until we try, at least. You said it
yourself, we've barely been here." Silence settled between them, but Soap wasn't done. "And I don't
think you're going to ruin the kids' life by being around them."

"You don't know that." The man was back to looking at the ground, the defeated tone back in his
voice.

"The kids like you, and I know you somehow like them too. You've been wearing that apron Leah
liked even if you hate it, you taught them things and helped them with homework all the time. You
make their favorite foods all the time too, watch TV with them." Finally, there were eyes on him.
Very surprised eyed. "It's not that hard to see, Simon."

"They like me because they haven't seen Ghost, they only know Simon." Maybe it was the alcohol,
or maybe it was just the last few weeks' stress finally catching up, but it seemed like the walls
surrounding Ghost had crumbled at least a bit tonight. "They don't know the shit I've done, they
would hate me if–"

"You're not a monster, Ghost. Stop talking about yourself as if you were one." He reached over,
guiding the other's face slowly so he could face him. "You're only human, no matter how much
you try to hide behind that mask. You did what you had to do." His eyes were only focusing on the
other's, the only visible part of his face under the mask. "You're not a monster, Simon." Oh. Those
are tears.

Distantly, he could hear the roosters from the barn, announcing that morning had arrived. They
didn't care, though, for now, it was only them. Johnny's hand rubbing circles on the other's back,
hugging him carefully, and Simon's wrecked sobs.

He would care about the rest of the day later.

 ~

"Mister Simon?" The little girl was standing closely to him, but not too close. She had been wary of
the taller man since the morning, shyly glancing at him as they had breakfast and lunch. She didn't
have the high spirits she usually had when they were grocery shopping.

Ghost was tired, he had refused to go to sleep and after lunch he looked even more miserable,
probably because of a hangover. He still looked down at the kid and crouched to be eye level when
she saw the girl's afraid demeanor.

"What is it, Leah?" The words were spoken softly, the tone you'd use to calm down a spooked
animal. The girl perked up immediately, getting closer to Ghost.

"Do you feel better?" If only he could record the scene, Leah reaching with her hand and patting
the man's head, standing on her tiptoes. Ghost was staring straight ahead, frozen in place by the
kid's actions. "When momma was in a bad mood she always said that getting hugs made her feel
better. But I won't hug you, don't worry." Rusnav had to be some sort of deity, to have blessed the
world with the walking sunshine that was Leah.

"I do feel better. Thank you, Leah." The girl gave him a smile and stepped back so the man could
stand properly. Leo wanted to wait in the car, so it was only them doing the shopping. "Did you get
the chocolate you wanted." The girl nodded beside him, holding the chocolate bar to show the
other man she did.

"Do we have everything for monday?" The had agreed on the car ride to go to the beach on
monday morning, so they had bought some other things aside from groceries. He had picked
marshmallows, the kids had said they never ate them before, so Ghost and him had decided to buy
some and make a campfire on the beach. The twins seemed even more thrilled for the trip, now.

Soap had also bought the kids containers, tweezers and latex gloves, so they could collect
whatever they wanted at the beach more easily. And he bought himself some gardening gloves,
since one of the mothers from the group chat had said she was giving him some plants as a gift, for
some reason. Ghost gave him a confused look when he had seen the items, but didn't say anything.

Checkout was easier now, the cashiers already recognizing them and not even asking questions
anymore. Leah excitedly got into the car, Soap right behind to make sure the seat belt was properly
in place. The girl and Soap were always the ones talking during the drives,–well, actually, maybe
they were always the ones talking– Leo and Ghost joined in conversations every now and then,
their silence was normal. But there was definitely something off about Leo, lately. He had noticed
the kid was way to quiet, even for himself, since the day he skipped school. He was worried, but he
hopes that the boy would come to him if he had any problem.

As soon as they reached the house, Leah fell behind and Soap let the other two go in first, waiting
for the girl to tell him whatever she wanted to. It's not the first time she had done this, walking
slower until only Soap was in earshot.

"Can I show him the puppy?" Surely Ghost wouldn't mind? He's tired and a bit grumpy but it
should be fine.

"Sure, want me to go pick him up?" The girl shook her head and started sprinting towards the barn.
He watched her go and waited until she came out, running more carefully this time, the puppy
cradled in her arms.

Ghost was in the kitchen, getting ready to start making dinner, and Leah approached him silently.
The man had seen and heard her, of course, but decided to play dumb until the girl gently tugged
on his apron.

"Look." She slowly took the puppy from her arms and held it up carefully. Ghost crouched and
took the puppy himself, slowly petting it across his head and back. Leah was beaming, looking at
them. "I wanted to call him Simon but Leo said that was wrong, so I called him Bones. He has a
mask like you!" She reached over and lifted the puppy's head gently, showing the white, skull
shaped patches of fur on his face. It did look like he was wearing a mask like Ghost's.

"He's cute." The man handed the dog back to the kid and she went to the living room with it. "Is
that a new pet?" He flinched, having been an spectator for too long, he wasn't expecting to be
addressed.

"It could be. She probably loves the thing already." He couldn't say no to the girl, but he was
dreading having to deal with a dog. For what he could tell, that looked like a border collie, and it
seemed to be two months old at most. "Should ask the vet if it has his shots, and start training him.
Gotta be careful with Rexie too..." Ghost's amused stare was completely ignored, Soap's attention
somewhere else.

Maybe this wasn't the greatest idea, after all. It was too damn early, they had agreed to be at the
beach by seven, since the sunrise was around 7:30 a.m. He was exhausted, the kids had been
excited for today all weekend and didn't want to go to sleep yesterday. They stayed up until way
too late, and Soap had barely slept. He parked the car on a small parking lot not too far from where
they were going, Ghost following the kids immediately when the got out of the car.

Leah picked the spot, he gave her his phone to use the flashlight. It was still night time, the barely
could see anything even if the moon was still shining brightly. Ghost got to work as soon as the kid
started sitting down in the beach towels. He made a small campfire, a bit far from the towels just in
case, and sat nearby it to keep warm. There was no denying it was winter, and even if it didn't
snow, the cold was impossible to ignore. Soap sat between the kids and Ghost, his hands facing the
fire.

"Are you that cold?" Leah was looking up at him, concerned. She had brought Bones with her,
since Ghost said the pup was cute she hadn't let go of him, even sleeping with the dog.

"It's not that bad." She wasn't convinced, so she got closer to him and cuddled to his side, dragging
Leo with her as well.

"Momma used to make us cuddle under a blanket, she said it was the best way to keep warm, to
share heat." As if remembering there was someone else besides them, she looked up to Ghost,
reaching over and pulling at his clothes carefully.

The man got the hint and reluctantly got closer to the three. Leah walked to the other side, now
sitting between the two men, happily petting her dog as she got comfortable against Soap's arm,
meanwhile Leo did the same on the other side. It was comfortable, this cozy little bubble they had
created within minutes. It almost saddened him to think they would have to leave in an hour or
two.

He gave the marshmallows to the kids and Ghost gave them instructions on how to roast them,
meanwhile Soap poured some hot chocolate the brit had made and stored in a thermos so it
wouldn't be cold.

"Can the puppy eat it too?" Leah was holding a stick with her marshmallow, looking expectantly at
Ghost.

"No, it'll hurt his tummy." He hid his laugh as best he could, both at the kid's pout and at the word
'tummy' getting out of his L.t's mouth.

"Okay then..." She had no right to look so disappointed over something so small. Well, not like she
kept that face for long, as soon as she ate the first marshmallow her face brightened up, looking at
Soap with pure joy. "This is yummy!" Leo hummed in agreement.

To his dismay, the kid had only grown quieter through the weekend, answering in hums and nods,
he doesn't think he had spoken a word in two days. Ghost had noticed, too, asking if he knew
anything about it, and he didn't. He had decided to confront the kid later in the day.

After minutes of watching the kids eat and drink, Leah noticed that the sky was changing colors
and focused on that entirely, getting up from her place and getting closer to the shore.

"Don't go into the water, Leah." Although it had an authoritative tone, his L.t's voice was still soft
when addressing the girl.

"I won't! It's cold and yucky." The puppy in her arms was whining and she momentarily distracted
herself by tucking him into her cardigan, so it won't feel the cold. She resumed watching the sky
change into pastel colors and getting dangerously close to the water. Ghost stood up and went to
her, just to make sure she didn't wander too far. Leah was pointing at the sky and rambling
excitedly, he could barely understand what she was saying, the distance making her voice quieter
than it was.

"Mom is not coming back, is she?" He turned shocked at the sudden question. Leo was looking up
at him, his eyes unreadable. How can he answer his question? Giving him false hope seemed cruel
but saying the truth felt worse.

"She..."

"I know she isn't." He did? "She sends letter every two months, she's never late with them, always
in the first day. For years. She hasn't sent one in six months. And you guys came here to stay
instead of uncle Alex." He had to give credits to the kid, he definitely was smarter than he should.
"Is she dead?"

"She's not." It was the truth, at least for now.

"Does she not want us anymore?" The kid looked the other way, making sure Soap couldn't see his
face.

"That's not it." If there's one thing he's sure about Rusnav, it's that she loves these kids to death.

"Is she dying then?" He really wished he had Ghost's ability to stay stone faced at everything, the
kid's serious expression while he cried broke his heart into tiny pieces.
"I'm sorry." He couldn't say anything else, the knot in his throat making it impossible to speak
anymore. The kid buried his face into Soap's jacket for a minute, wiping away his tears before
looking at the sunrise. Her sister was still looking at it excitedly, but Ghost was staring at them,
concerned.

"At least I'm glad mom sent you two." He got up, going towards the other two. "You're good guys,
even if you clearly have no idea how to treat kids." A smirk spread through the boy's lips and he
started sprinting with Soap half-heartedly chasing him.

"Not so brave now, eh?" He picked up the kid once they were by Ghost and Leah's side, tickling as
the other squirmed and tried to break free. Leah joined in too, making her brother laugh even
harder.

"Please, I'm so–" He busted out laughing again, finally getting a break when Ghost stepped in. The
boy was wheezing, and Soap worried he might have overdone it. The smile still on the kids' faces
must mean it was fine.

After Leo got his breathing under control, they finally settled and watched silently as the sun
finally started peeking from the sea, the sky turning brighter with the pastel colors of sunrise. It
was beautiful, unlike on friday, when he couldn't be bothered to look at the scenery when he was
with Ghost. The kids were completely mesmerized, both of their eyes shining with pure joy.

"It's pretty." It was indeed. He looked at the sky as well, wanting to memorize the few minutes this
lasted.

"It is." He turned to look at Ghost, who was already looking at him. The man quickly looked
somewhere else, nervously, and Soap was completely lost at what that could be about.

The kids were ahead, walking by the shore grabbing and storing any kind of interesting thing they
found. Ghost walked beside him silently, keeping watch of the children with him.

"What was that back there? With Leo." Oh, right. He had to tell the other.

"He knows about Rusnav. That she's not coming back." A quick glance at the man beside him
showed him the surprised look the other had.

"Did you tell him?" It didn't sound accusatory, almost as if the man knew the answer already.

"No, he figured it out himself."

"Does Leah know?" That, he didn't know. The kid was always cheerful, surely they would notice if
she figured it out.

"Don't think so. I'm not planning on telling her." Maybe he was selfish, the kids deserved to know,
but they were still so young. It was their mother, they needed to know, but he couldn't bring
himself to tell them and break their hearts. Seeing Leo today already broke him a little, he can't
even imagine how seeing Leah have the same reaction, it would destroy him.

"Let's keep it a secret, for now. When Rusnav dies, they need to know." When, not if.
"Johnny, look!" Leah ran they way, something in her hands. The puppy was inside her cardigan
still, held securely by Ghost's scarf.

As she got closer he could see what it was.

A very alive and very pissed bird. The wings were cut, and the thing couldn't fly until they grew
back.

"I don't think you should–" She shoved the animal into Ghost's hands, the man hissing when the
bird started biting him, trying to escape, and she ran back to her brother.

"We found a nest!" Fuck.

"We should just–"

"Can we keep them?" No. Not the puppy eyes. Leo joined only to imitate Leah's pleading
expression. Soap looked at Ghost, pleading with his eyes, but for another reason.

"..." The other made the mistake of looking down at the twins, his denial stuck on his mouth.
"...sure." While the kids celebrated, going to pick up even more birds, both man groaned and
looked at each other.

"We've gotta learn to say 'no'."

"That, we do."

Leah came back to them everytime she found something interesting, a cool seashell, a dead crab,
an alive crab, a sea sponge, a sea star, a fishing hoo–

"Leah, don't touch that, you'll get hurt." He hurried to get the thing away from the kid, throwing it
in the bag where they had put the already extinguished embers and ashes and sticks they used for
the campfire.

"Do you know how to fish, Si?" The kid didn't seem disappointed that he took the hook, instead
focusing on the other man.

"I know a little." He narrowed his eyes at the other, who wasn't looking at him but he was sure he
noticed. That sounded like a lie.

"My friend, Maxi, says he goes fishing with his dad all the time. Can we go fishing? I wanna
learn." He stood silent, watching as the other man thought.

"Sure, we can go some other day." It would take a while, learning to say no. Now they have to do
research to teach the kid to fish and buy equipment. He wanted to beat his L.t, but he's sure he
would be the one given a beating instead.

They went back home with a few new pets, enough sand to fill a sandpit, and a wide collection of
seashells, rocks and the other things the kids they found in the beach.

Of course, the most important thing they gathered that day, was the warm, fuzzy, happy feeling
inside their chest, and the memories they hope never vanished.

>
Chapter End Notes

"Boo!" said the author, getting out of their grave. They wanted to say 'I survived', but
they couldn't make it. Sad news.

Anyways, I'm late to my own schedule, my gums hurt, I burnt my fingers with oil and
cut my palm slicing food. Overall, writing is hell. I wrote ~2k words less than usual,
which I hate. I'll try to make the following chapters a little longer as compensation.
Hope you enjoyed, I'll be fixing any mistakes in this and the previous chapter
tomorrow, and hopefully you'll see another chapter on saturday or sunday.

As always thank you for the kudos and comments<3

 (4). A good impression.
Chapter Summary

Meeting new people wasn't always hard, but making a good impression can be a little
tricky

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

"Come on, Johnny, we're going to be late!" 'It's 9 a.m Leah, leave me alone' would be too harsh.
But the kid is jumping on his bed and hitting him with a pillow, she might deserve it.

"We're not going to be late, Leah. Let him rest a little more. Simon made breakfast, let's go." His
savior, the voice of reason, Leo. He'll buy him ice cream as a reward for this later.

It's wednesday morning, which means he does have to wake up to go buy groceries for later. They
were having lunch with the parents, they had to get the food and the toys they promised to the
kids. Ghost decided that since it was a lot of people, they should just use the barbecue near the
pool, it had a bar, a table and some chairs as well, so they should be fine. The guests should start
arriving around 12 o'clock, so he should get up as soon as possible and get the day started. But the
bed was so warm and comfortable...

"Come on, MacTavish. Get up." There goes his rest. He got up sluggishly, dragging his feet to the
bathroom, but when he came out Ghost was still waiting by the door, pink apron and spatula in
hand.

"What is it?" He could tell the man was nervous, and he knew why. It was too late to cancel now,
so he better not be thinking of disappearing before people arrive. "Are you oka–?"

"C'mon, Johnny! We need to go!" Leah was pulling him towards the dining room, pointing at the
chair in front of where a plate was served for him. Ghost didn't usually make anything for him, the
most he had gotten was the man serving him coffee from the coffee maker one morning, when he
was running late. But today he got pancakes and what looked to be a handmade cappuccino, if he
guessed by the foam on top. He had bought the coffee sticks a while ago and hadn't used them yet,
but apparently Ghost found them.

"You're awfully nice this morning." As soon as the brit got into the room he took out his apron and
left the spatula, looking at him slightly annoyed. Leah finished her food quickly and ran towards
the rooms, Leo following behind slowly. "Do you need to talk?"

"I–no, I don't." He was almost fooled.

"You're going to be fine, Simon. Stop over thinking." The other didn't have time to answer before
the twins ran back into the room. Leah had Bones in a blanket inside her cardigan, looking at
Soap's barely touched plate with both disappointment and exasperation.

"Come on, we have to go..." Alright, fine. He didn't exactly get time to enjoy the food, but he could
tell it was delicious. Within minutes they were already in the car and driving to the store.
As always, Leah filled the silence the entire ride, talking back and forth with Soap, or with herself.
Her happiness was always contagious.

"You have to leave Bones in the car, we can't take him into the store." Ghost had freed the little
girl from the car, fixing her beanie and scarf.

"Stay there, baby, I'll be right back. Don't pee in there or I'll sell you." She left the wrapped up dog
on the back seat and carefully closed the door.

The security guard greeted them, as usual, and they followed Ghost through the store as he picked
the food.

"Go get some snacks, we'll be here. Don't get lost." The kids nodded and went happily to pick what
they wanted. "Don't talk to strangers."

"We know!" They disappeared at a nearby aisle, Soap getting closer to it so he could hear them
even if he didn't see them. The kids liked doing stuff by themselves, sometimes, having learnt to
fend by themselves because of their time with their aunt. He let them, it's good they like being
independent. Or he assumes it's good. As long as they know they're not completely alone.

"I'll take them to go pick toys after this, are you good by yourself?" Ghost was a grown man, but
he didn't like stores, he needed to know if the man was comfortable alone in here.

"I'm good." The brit turned around and continued picking vegetables and fruits.

"Alright..." He could tell the other wasn't lying this time.

When the kids came back they put all the bags in the cart and went to hold the adult's hands. He
threw a last glance at Ghost and started walking towards the section of the store that had toys and
other kid-related items.

"Pick things you wanna play with your friends with, I'll buy you anything else some other day,
aye?" He could tell Leah fell in love with the plush toys she saw but that wasn't what they needed
right now.

They wandered through the aisles, choosing things they liked, leaving Soap behind but always
staying within eye range. Leah had picked some kit to make bracelets, and what he could only
guess was a jenga set. Leo had decided to go for a soccer ball, a board game and some card games.
That should do.

"You got everything?" The kids nodded enthusiastically and gave the items to him, walking beside
him now that his hands were full. "Let's find Ghost and go to the register." The man wasn't where
he was last time, which made him panic a little. Leah stopped suddenly.

"Can I get another apron for mister Simon?" It caught the girl's attention because it had a tiny skull
pattern. Which would definitely be more fitting than the pink bears the one at home had.

"Sure." She excitedly picked it and started walking beside him again. Ghost wasn't that far after all,
he was waiting nearby the registers, scrolling through his phone. The man spotted them as soon as
they were in his field of view, putting his phone away and getting closer.

"Didn't think you'd buy half the toy store." Everything went into the cart, Ghost helping Soap put
everything away. Leah handed the apron over and the brit looked at her, puzzled. "Another one?"

"It has skulls, it suits you more." The man sighed, but didn't say anything else, nor did he put the
item back. "Oh! Can I buy a harness for Bones? I wanna take him on walks." According to his
phone, they had time to spare. He took the girl's hand and started walking towards the pets section,
Leah analyzing every dog harness as if it was the most important decision of her life to pick the
right one.

"I think this one is cute." He took one from the shelf she wasn't looking at, handing it over to the
girl.

"I like it!" It was very simple, the pattern was just black with small white polka dots, but it seemed
comfortable for the dog and the leash was pretty long. Leah dragged him back to the rest of the
group after finding what she wanted. They checked out and left without issues.

"Did you decide which dress you'll wear?" Leo handed over the bags he was carrying to Soap and
turned to face Leah. The girl entered the car and sat with the door open, looking back at her
brother.

"I'll use that black one, it'll match with Bones' harness." The boy waited for his twin to move to the
other seat and got into the car as well. Soap put the bags in place and went to check their seatbelts,
Ghost doing the same on the other side.

"Then I use the black shirt?" Now that he thinks about it, what should he wear? Something casual
should be fine, right?

"It's too cold, you should use a sweater and jeans."

"But you're wearing a dress..."

"I'll put a coat over it, and I'll put the fluffy socks that I have." The kids sure thought about their
outfits beforehand.

"You're wearing socks with a dress?" Ghost looked at him, confused.

"It's those long socks that are like...pants..."

"You mean tights?" The kid looked up, completely lost.

"I guess?" Ghost sighed and turned to look at him, again. "Do you guys want to match with us?"
The brit groaned. So that's why he didn't like Soap including himself into the conversation.

"I don't think we have anything black..." Of course he did, and Ghost's entire wardrobe consisted of
dark or black clothes alone. He just hopes the girl believed him.

"Hm...we could buy some, next time." Mission accomplished. Not like he hated the idea of
wearing matching outfits, he just knows his L.t hated it, and Leah wouldn't stop insisting until the
four of them had matching clothes. "Maybe on halloween! We could dress up and go trick-or-
treating together!"

"All of us?" He raised an eyebrow at the boy, even if Leo couldn't see it.

"Yeah?" The girl was just as confused as her brother. "Why?"

"Aren't they too old for that?" Leah seemed actually surprised by that.

"Oh, yeah." She was thinking now, probably of a solution for the very far and very small problem.
"Well they can just come with us. Without trick-or-treating."

"Then why would they dress up?" Another long minute of silence as the gears turned inside the
girl's brain.

"Because they can?" Leo shrugged and directed his gaze to the window. Leah kept talking the rest
of the ride, receiving the occasional answer from Soap or her brother.

Once they were at the house, the twins ran to their rooms to start getting ready, even if they still
had a couple hours left.

He helped Ghost put all the groceries in their respective places, turning to look at the man once
they were done. And the other was looking anywhere but at him.

"We should go get dressed too." He didn't have anyone to answer to, the brit had left the room at
record speed.

"Johnny?" Leah was looking up at him, already dressed up and with Bones in his leash. They were
waiting for Leo, Ghost had already left to start the fire at the BBQ. "Can you help me with my
hair?" A hair brush was pushed into his hands.

He did try his best at it, but his hands were trembling too hard. He had cleaned most of the house
yesterday, helped with the groceries and moved the chairs and the table near the pool. Leah yelped
when the hairbrush fell off of his hands and he let a frustrated sigh.

"Sorry, Leah." The girl rushed to pick the brush before he reached for it. She looked up at him
nervously. "I'll try again, give me–"

"It's okay, I'll ask Simon, or just...not tie it." She left without waiting for an answer, running out of
the front door with the puppy sprinting behind her. Leo came out then, looking around for his sister
and staring at Soap when he didn't find her.

"Let's get going, she already left." The boy huffed but obeyed, walking beside him, slowly.

"Traitor." He chuckled, following the boy's gaze to the girl standing a couples meters away.

"You should just leave it untied, you're going to lose the ties when you start running around." That
was a good excuse, he'll steal that from the brit.

"Oh, right." She put the hairbrush inside Ghost's pocket and ran to his side, taking Leo's hand and
dragging him to the table. "Can we cut the fruit?" She picked one of the knives and left it
immediately when Ghost looked at her.

"With Soap's help." The girl lit up and grabbed the fruits, looking at him expectantly. He sighed
and sat besides her, starting to peel the fruits and handing them to the twins so they could dice
them with butter knives.

Ghost had already started with the meat, the vegetables for the salads waiting in the kitchen. When
they were done with the fruits for the fruit salad he took them to the kitchen as well, leaving it
ready alongside the other dessert options they had gotten.

He could see the gates opening and a couple of cars driving in. He looked panicked between his
phone and the cars. They sure were punctual.

"(Hi, it's nice to meet you!)" He was glad he decided to study a bit more spanish in these last few
weeks. He was still nervous, as he saw more and more people get out of the cars.

"(Nice to meet you too, I'm John.)" He reached over, shaking hands with everyone as they walked
towards him. "(This way, they're waiting near the pool over there.)" The kids started sprinting
towards the tables, the twins getting up and running to meet their friends as well.

"(If only I could have that energy...)" One of the women behind him sighed, looking at the
children. He could relate to that. He should really start exercising more.

They arrived to the tables and he sensed something was off. Right.

"(If you'll excuse me, I think I lost a kid.)" Where did Ghost run to? He wasn't going to force him if
he really didn't want to interact, but at least he needed the cooking instructions. Although, cooking
meat can't be that hard, right...?

The kitchen, is where he was. He was changing his balaclava for a medical mask, a scarf and a
beanie. He turned around as soon as he saw the man's face was completely uncovered.

"Johnny?" If anything, he sounded startled and not angry, which was a good sign.

"Are you presentable?" He peeked from the door frame and stepped up when he saw the covered
face.

"Are you stupid? You're making it sound as if I was butt naked in the kitchen."

"It's almost the same, I think." The other huffed, hiding a chuckle, and put on his new apron.
"You're okay, right?"

"I'll survive." A last glance to confirm he was okay and he was holding the other's hand, guiding
him out.

"Treat it as a mission like I do." The other actually chuckled this time. He seemed more relaxed
than he anticipated.

"Will do."

Leah ran towards them as soon as she saw them, holding Ghost's hand and pulling him towards the
other adults with a smile, and Soap followed them closely.

"(And this is Simon!)" Ghost nodded towards the parents and shook the hands that were extended
towards him. "(He was momma's friend. I think.)" 'Was'?

"(Oh, I see...)" The group collectively looked at Soap, not as discreet as they thought, and waited
for the kid to run back to her friends. "(So you're the father?)" Leah perked up, looking at hims
confused.

"(Oh, no, I'm also just a friend of their mother. We all used to work together.)" He wasn't sure what
he could share, looking at his L.t for any help.

"(Her mother asked us for a favor, so here we are.)" He really hopes they won't ask much.
"(My bad then, sorry for assuming.)" The lady smiled, genuinely apologetic. He smiled back,
waving his hand and brushing the conversation off. Leah looked at him again, then ran back to her
friends. He knows the girl will have questions later. "(This is a nice place.)"

"(It is, I would love to move to somewhere like this.)" The topic changed quickly, thankfully.

The parents were acting like this was a friends reunion, talking about their jobs and catching up on
gossip. One lady, much older than the rest of the group, approached Soap when took a moment
away from the group, near Simon.

"(How's Catherine doing?)" He almost flinched. Ghost turned around to look at them, noticing
John's internal struggle.

"Confidential." The lady looked up at him and nodded.

"(I see. I met her back in the day, I was a teacher when she enrolled the kids at school. Didn't get to
know her, but she seemed like a nice person.)" His brain was desperately translating anything he
understood.

"(She w-is...a nice person.)" She's still alive, technically.

"(Is her brother still around? Haven't seen him since last year.)" Is that still confidential? Surely
not, right?

"(He's quite busy nowadays, he said he was visiting in a couple months.)" His L.t didn't interfere,
so he guessed that was allowed. One of the men walked their way and put his arm around the lady.

"(Are you harassing them already?)" He smiled and guided her back to the group, bickering back
and forth on their way.

"This is harder than I thought." The brit chuckled behind him, checking on the meat before turning
to face him.

"You reap what you sow." This bastard.

"Whatever." He got closer to the othee, resting against a wall close to the grill. He didn't feel like
going back to the group yet, and Ghost's company, even if in complete silence, was always
comfortable. "They probably think we're a couple." Ghost actually flinched at that, and Soap
couldn't help but laugh, stopping only when the other looked about to murder him.

"Why would they think that?" Why, indeed.

"Neither of us is related to the kid, and we said we're the mother's friends, the teacher thinks the
same."

"You never thought about correcting her?" He smirked and walked towards the other.

"Does it bother you that much?" The other only huffed. "I always forget, and I don't want to hear
her tell me her entire life story when I talk to her."

"Fair." They both stayed silent, one watching the food and the other watching the kids. They
seemed to be playing catch, Leah's laughter and bright smile making him feel happy as well. Leo
wasn't running much, a little confused, and the rest of the group was encouraging and teaching
him. It was a little sad, realizing how the twins hadn't ever experienced something as normal as
playing catch with friends. He's glad they get the chance to do that now.
He went back to the table, offering drinks and putting more snacks on the plates. He really was
trying to catch up with the names and the topics, at least the parents didn't seem offended when he
took a little longer than usual to say their names.

They spent the time like that, the parents sharing stories and talking about whatever events were
happening in town, without getting into any complicated topic. Soap joined more and more into the
chat as time went on, either by sharing his opinion or cracking jokes. The atmosphere was nice, he
could tell these people knew each other for a long time. It reminded him of the small reunions he
had with the 141 back on base, or when they went out for drinks after missions. Although he surely
didn't know his teammates for as long as these people knew each other, the familiarity between
them felt just like this.

Before he could start feeling nostalgic, Ghost approached him to tell him the food was done. He
got to work immediately, arranging the dishes and cutlery for each guest and for the kids on a
smaller, separate table he had put near the adult's one.

"Leah, Leo, time to eat." The kids immediately stopped playing and started walking towards him,
their friends following behind.

Once everybody was in their place he served what people said they wanted. He filled his plate last,
and then looked at Ghost, who stared back. If he looked closely he could see the man panicking a
little. Right, he needs to take the mask off to eat.

"You don't have to take it off if you don't want to..." He was whispering, just in case anyone could
hear them from the table.

"Wouldn't it be rude to not eat?" Would it?

"Doesn't matter, just do what you're comfortable with, yeah?" The man didn't seem too sure of
what to do, his hands fidgeting. "It's okay, Simon, you don't have to." Two brown eyes looked
intensely at him, and now it was his time to fidget in place. The other seemed to reach a
conclusion, sighing and leaving his plate behind.

"Can we begin?" Leah turned to look at him, her fork in hand. The other kids had not so sneakily
started to eat, at least trying to pretend they were waiting for the others. He nodded and the girl
started devouring her food, the same sparkling eyes lighting up her face whenever she ate anything
Ghost cooked.

"(This is delicious!)" He was startled back to reality when one of the mothers spoke. They all
nodded in agreement, looking at Ghost completely amazed. He is, once again, not jealous of the
man's skills.

"(Might as well replace Gaby, we found a better cook.)" Gabriel, one of the fathers, looked slightly
offended, but laughed along anyways. Ghost didn't seem to happy with the suggestion.

"(I'm jealous of you three, you get to eat this every day?)"

"(Yeah, don't have many options, I can't cook and fast food isn't an option.)" The food was, as
expected delicious. Somehow, the conversation turned into people sharing recipes, and Ghost
seemed actually interested, even if he hadn't said a word since he introduced himself to the group.
They didn't find him weird or scary, they treated him as they treated anyone else. Maybe that's why
the brit hadn't ran away yet.

After eating the desserts, the kids were excited to go play again, one of the mothers stopped them
and told them to stay put for a while. They weren't happy, but they settled back on the chairs and
were now playing with a board game Leo had brought. He could hear both laughter and small
arguments, but nothing were he needed to interfere.

"(So...how did you two meet?)" A lady, María if he remembers correctly, was looking at him,
expectantly. And how did he explain it? 'Oh, we were on a mission trying to find missiles on
Mexico, we were betrayed, I got shot and Ghost helped me navigate through a town filled with
dead bodies and cartel members looking for us to kill us' doesn't sound good. He needs these
people to trust him and that wasn't a pretty backstory.

"(We were on an assignment together, Simon was a...co-worker of mine, he helped me when I got
into trouble. He was a lifesaver back then.)" Hopefully that was enough. Ghost looked at him,
seemingly happy with the story he made up on the spot. Well, it wasn't really made up, it's just the
family-friendly version of their story.

"(That's nice! How long have you two known each other?)" That was...more than a year ago? Had
it really been that long? They met Rusnav a little bit more than a year ago, and the whole Las
Almas ordeal happened a couple months before that...

"(A bit more than a year and a half.)" María seemed surprised at the answer, for some reason.

"(That's not that long. For how long have you two been dating then?)" Ah, there was the question.
He heard Maikol almost choke on his drink and look completely baffled at the woman. He also felt
the way Ghost's leg tensed beside him, probably because of the sudden movement of the dad.

"(We're not really a couple.)" He laughed at the way the woman's face turned slightly red.

"(Really? Sorry for assuming, again.)"

"(One day you'll learn to think before speaking.)" Another lady pat her in the shoulder and laughed
as María kept turning red.

"(So you're just friends?)" Jenny, a single mother he had learnt, was suddenly curious.

That was a tricky question. Were they friends? Ghost was his L.t, and their interactions could be
considered more friendly than professional, but did he really know the other enough to call him a
friend? Did Ghost consider him a friend? Well, they've known each other for a while now, and the
brit did treat him differently than the rest of the 141, according to everyone he knew, but should he
assume?

"(Yeah, we're friends.)" Apparently his internal struggle was noticed by the other man. So he did
consider him a friend. Or was he just lying to the parents? Why would he lie, though?

"(That's nice.)" Is it?

The rest of the group continued with their usual chatter, not commenting on Soap's sudden silence
and Ghost just as suddenly deciding to join in the conversation. He should find something to
distract himself from his overthinking.

Oh right.

"(Wait, but how does that work...?)" Leah looked confused at her monopoly money, trying to
figure out why she had to give so much to her brother.

"(Because I have a hotel here, so it's more expensive than your house...)" Her twin seemed to be
just as confused but he still acted confidently.

"(But that's not fair...)" He chuckled and went to the kids' table, no one noticing his exit.

"(You just have to make more money and put a hotel with your house, and then whoever steps into
it will have to pay you more.)" A boy beside the little girl explained to her. That was Maxi, if he
remembered correctly, the kid that went fishing with his dad.

"(I see...)" Leah perked up and smiled up at him, moving her seat a bit so Soap could crouch
beside her. "Can you help me, Johnny?"

"I think that's a bit unfair." It's not like he was a master at this game, but he knew more than the
kids. Leah was always persistent, though.

"Please!" The other kids looked at her, not having noticed Soap was with them. "(Can he play with
me?)" The group nodded, not really bothered by the adult joining.

"Alright." Leah stood up, pointing at the chair and waiting for Soap to sit on it, before climbing on
his lap and showing him the things she had. So that's why they let him play, Leah was about to go
bankrupt anyways.

A couple of dice rolls after, not only was the girl even worse off financially, but she had also
landed on jail. He really has no idea how to turn the game around.

"(I don't like this game.)" She had left her fake money on the table and leaned back against Soap,
pouting and crossing her arms.

"We can still win..." That was definitely a lie, Leo was a property away from winning, somehow.

"I don't trust you. You were supposed to help and I ended up in jail!" How was it his fault that she
had bad luck on that roll? And that she didn't roll any doubles in her three turns?

"It's not Soap's fault you don't know how to play." Even if Leo is saying the truth, saying it like
that is too harsh. He could see Leah tearing up and groaned internally.

"It's okay, losing is normal, it's how you learn. You learn from your mistakes, aye?" As if to rub
salt on the wound, Leo rolled his dice and landed on the last property he needed to win, buying it
and smirking at the group of both amazed and annoyed kids.

"(There's no way that's the first time you played that.)" The kids started putting away the board
back into the box, already done with the game.

"(It really was, it's not that hard if you know the rules.)" Leah was still mad, like the sore loser she
was. She got up from his lap and walked away from the children, going to Ghost instead. He
decided to follow.

"What is it?" She climbed the other man's lap and sat with her arms closed, actually starting to cry
this time. He approached the both of them and shared panicked stares with Ghost. The girl won't
answer.

"Let's go take a little break, hm? Come with me." He turned around and heard how his L.t got up
and followed.

"I don't wanna! You made me lose!" It's not like she lost after Soap joined, but he won't argue with
a 7-year-old. He kept silent until they were back at the house, in the kitchen.
"Why are you crying?" Simon sat the girl in a counter and stepped back, resting against the wall by
the door. Leah wanted to jump and follow after him, but Soap stopped her."You can't just cling to
Simon all day, Leah. Stop crying and talk to me." She pouted but eventually stopped whining.

"It's not fair..." He wasn't expecting a board game could affect the kid this much.

"What's not fair?" Ghost handed him a damp towel, giving him a heart attack as well. So kind of
him.

"Leo is good at all games and I always lose. It's not fair!" He used the towel to clean her face,
erasing the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"That's not true, you two are good at different kind of games. You run much faster than Leo,
right?" A nod. "Did Leo cry when you won the little race you had earlier?"

"...no..." She looked away, still pouting.

"Then you shouldn't cry because you lost to him. The other kids didn't cry either, right?" The girl
shook her head. He really hopes she is understanding his point. "You each are good in something
different, and that's okay. You can't be good at everything."

"Simon is good at everything." Well...he won't explain to the kid why she is wrong. And pointing
the man's flaws right in front of him is not so kind.

"I'm not." Leah seemed confused but didn't push.

"I'm sure Leo didn't want to make you feel bad for losing, so let's go back and keep playing, aye?"
She nodded, jumping down from the counter and basically dragging both men by their hands.

One of the boys, Maxi, was already waiting for Leah, and he notices now how odd Leah acts
towards him. She let go of their hands as soon as she saw the kid, and shyly grabbed his hand when
he offered it. She was actually following someone instead of dragging him or walking beside him.
And the ground was too interesting to her it seemed.

"Would it be too cruel to tease her for this?" He nodded at Leah's direction so Ghost could
understand, but he seemed lost.

"For what?" Was he blind?

"Little miss has a crush there, do you need to get glasses?" The man looked back at the girl, this
time apparently seeing what Soap saw.

"That's cute." If he tried, he could see the other smiling under his face mask. Leah was sitting in
the ground, discussing with the other kids what to play next, while still holding the other boy's
hand. He would let it be for now, teasing her for something she doesn't even understand yet would
be just stupid.

Leo handed his twin her leash, Bones happily running to her after being forgotten when the kids
went to eat. Apparently they were going to play some football, and the girl was desperately
thinking of what to do with the dog.

"Johnny! Can you watch Bones for me? He was lonely back at the house and I wanna play..." It
can't be that hard.

"Sure, go have fun." She ran back to her group and the puppy tried to follow, whining when he
couldn't break free from the leash. "Come here, Bones." He was completely ignored, and he could
hear Ghost's amused scoff at the tone he used to call the puppy.

"Sit." To no one's surprise, Ghost's firm tone and the command made the dog sit down and look at
him, expectantly. "Come." And the dog did, standing by the man's feet. "He's more well behaved
than you are, MacTavish." That might be true but he's not admitting it.

"You don't know how well-behaved I am." He's not sure why he's trying to defend himself, but the
other seemed to be finding the situation funny, at least.

"I think I do." Right, this man was his lieutenant, and had to see and deal with any trouble he
caused.

"Whatever." He pulled on the leash slightly and the dog followed him back to the tables. He fed
him some left overs, and decided to take him for a walk while Ghost stayed behind with the
parents.

He seemed at ease now, even if still silent. And the parents never seemed concerned as to why the
brit covered his face, or why he refused to talk about certain topics. He would be fine on his own,
for a while.

Maybe because he was distracted thinking about other things, or just because he hates dogs, he let
out a small–still loud– scream when Rexie jumped at him. He had completely forgotten the dog
was let loose around the property, since she hadn't been around the guest nor the kids. She had
been waiting in the house's frontyard all along.

"What is it?" He looked up, Ghost standing above him, slightly out of breath and concerned. It took
him s couple seconds to process the situation, the dog leaving Soap and going to him instead. "Sit."
Both of the dogs sat down. "Are you alright?" The brit helped him stand and, checking for any
injury in the process.

When he stood up he realized that he had an audience, and quite a big one. The kids were holding
down their laughter, while the adults just looked concerned.

"I'll live, I think." Thankfully he could brush it off, everyone eventually going back to their
respective activities, except for Ghost, who was locking the older dog inside the frontyard, with the
puppy in hand. "You're good with kids and dogs too, you're making me jealous."

"Don't worry, I won't replace you, MacTavish." That's flattering, but not quite what he expected.

"That's not what I mea–!"

"You're a combination of both, anyways."

"Away n' bile yer he–"

"English."

He groaned as the other man chuckled.

~
"(You're lucky you don't have to deal with babies or toddlers. You'll definitely suffer when they
grow up though.)" Everyone was settled on the dinner table, the kids playing cards in the living
room, he saw Leah making bracelets with her friends too. It was almost evening now, they decided
to move inside the house now that it was getting colder.

"(They're not that difficult, thankfully.)" He sighed. He didn't want to think how the kids would
behave when they became teenagers, it was still somewhat far into the future.

"(You're even luckier then. Don't get me wrong, I love Maia, but she makes me want to rip my
hairs out sometimes.)" They all seemed to agree to that.

They haven't taken care of the kids for that long, but after watching them and the other kids, there
was a vig difference between them. The other kids were loud, unlike Leah that was just a happy
and cheerful kid, the others were just annoying. He's glad he doesn't have to see the other kids for
more than a couple hours.

The conversation kept going, the parents telling their horror stories about the kids when they were
younger, with Ghost listening not so interested and Soap joining every time he had something to
add.

"Soap?" Tiny hands pulled on his sweatshirt, making him turn. Leah showed him a bracelet,
definitely too big for herself. "I made you this." She didn't even wait for him to react, pulling his
arm and tying the thing on his wrist. It wasn't ugly at all, to be fair. Not like he could complain
anyways.

"This is cute, thank you Leah." He ruffled her hair and received one of the girl's signature smiles.

"Do you think Simon would like one?" He would definitely not like it.

"Definitely." He's a man with a deathwish, after all. He knows Ghost won't say no to the girl, just
like he knows that if the girl slips up and tells the brit it was Soap's idea, he was a dead man.
Hopefully, not literally a dead man.

The girl left in a hurry and came back a while later, climbing on his lap and facing Ghost. She
showed him, discreetly, another bracelet. This one had the same colors as his, just a couple shades
darker. He's not surprised at how thoughtful the girl was, taking her time to think of which colors
would be the ones his L.t would like.

"Mister Simon?" The man turned his head, giving hid attention only to them. "I made this for
you..." She lift her hand and showed him the bracelet, looking at Soap's neck instead to Ghost's
face.

"That's...cute." That made the girl look back at the man, her smile back in place. "Can you tie it for
me?" She happily obliged, tying the bracelet on the man's wrist. The fond look on the other man's
face made Soap melt in his place.

"Now you're matching!" He flinched, the girl ignoring the movement and grabbing his wrist to
show Ghost the other, more colorful bracelet.

"So this was your idea?" The others smirk was obvious, even if hidden under a facemask. Leah
looked at them both, suddenly uninterested at them, and left, back to the living room with her
friends.

"Not really, she just asked me if you would like one." It wasn't a lie, but it did sound like one.
"And you said yes."

"Aye?" They had a silent staring contest, Soap not knowing what to say and Ghost not knowing
how to react.

"...these are pretty cute." The brit turned around before he could read his face, listening to the
conversation between the other adults.

I mean, he's right. They are cute.

"(I don't want to~)" One of the kids was protesting against the car window, trying to open the door
to escape.

"(Today was amazing, thank you, you two.)" María was the last one to get in the car, everybody
waiting for her outside the gates, after saying their goodbyes, so they could leave together. "(Let's
do this again some other time.)"

"(Sure, we'll be looking forward to it.)" At least Soap would. They waved the woman goodbye and
went back to the house. The twins were putting back their toys, Leo meticulously arranging cards,
fake bills and other monopoly pieces in a certain way before putting everything in it's box. Leah
was, as expected, throwing everything randomly into the bracelet kit. Polar opposites.

"Let's get dinner and go to sleep, aye?" The kids didn't protest, already tired from playing all day.

After dinner, the kids went to take a bath and came back to watch TV with Soap and Ghost, but
they were falling asleep on the adults only a few minutes after.

"Let's go to bed, hm? Come on." He picked Leo up as his L.t picked Leah, effortlessly carrying
them to their respective beds. "Sleep tight, laddie."

"Goodnight, Johnny..." The kid turned around and buried himself into his sheets. He smiled and
got up to leave. Ghost was exiting the girl's room as well, they closed the doors and looked at each
other.

"I'm fuckin' tired." He let his weight fall against the wall for a moment, finally having time to
properly relax. Ghost nodded beside him and began limping his way to the living room.

"Me too, Johnny." He turned around to look at him, unsure. He's not sure of what the other's unsure
of. "I'm going out for a smoke, want to tag along?" He could use a smoke.

"Aye." They both went to the usual spot, the backyard. Soap cringed at the amount of cigarette
butts that were in there already, at least ten more than he had seen yesterday night. "Were you
trying to break a world record or something? That's a lot."

"I was nervous." Ghost didn't seem affected by his remark, which was good. What wasn't good was
the amount of cigarettes he had been smoking lately.

"I can tell." He took the already lit cigarette from his L.t's hand and took a puff from it. "You
should tone it down a bit, for your own good, if anything."
"I know that." The other grabbed back the cigarette and kept it far away from him, just so he
wouldn't take it again.

"We should start going to the gym again." As far as he knows, exercising was a better alternative to
relieve stress and anxiety. Plus it would help with their recovering wounds. And he missed being
active. Really missed it.

"We should." It wasn't unusual for Ghost to be silent, but it was odd right now, for some reason.

Ah, he remembers. The last time he was invited to go out on a smoke break with the other was
when he wanted to talk. He used the same words, even. Took him too long to realize that.

"What is it?" The brit turned his head to look at him, considering his words. He waited patiently.

"Do you not see me as a friend?" That was something he wasn't expecting. He did consider Ghost
as his friend, to some degree. He trusted the man, obviously. He had saved his life more than once,
he felt safe around him, no matter the situation.

"Of course I do." Maybe his hesitation earlier made the man think otherwise, but that was not why
he hesitated. "I didn't know if you considered me your friend."Now the other was the one
surprised.

"You're the only one in this country who has seen my face, Johnny." Well, even if that's true...

"I'm not the only one, though. Los vaqueros and anyone in Ghost Team saw it too." He's sure the
man doesn't consider those friends, he probably doesn't even remember some of their faces. Or
maybe he's just wrong about the man.

"I didn't quit my job and move to the middle of nowhere with any of them, though." Well, that was
true. Ghost seemed annoyed, now, for some reason. "I thought it was clear that I considered you
a...friend."

"Maybe it was and I'm just dumb."

"You definitely are." He scoffed, pretending to be annoyed but still smiling despite his efforts.

"Go fuck yourself." Ghost chuckled as well, throwing the finished cigarrete to the ground and
stepping on it.

"You finally speak english. Good job."

"Shut up." He's glad this wasn't as serious as he thought, just like he's glad the other is voicing his
concerns more frequently now. "I'm glad Leah made us friendship bracelets." He laughed harder
than he meant to when he saw the other's exasperated glance.

"Is that what these are? You really made a child work for you."

"Would you prefer one made by me?"

"Yes." It didn't sound like a joke. It feels like he just digged his own grave. "Leah's is probably
better, though." He was not going to make a bracelet just to prove the other wrong. Maybe.

"Whatever." He opened the door and entered the house, his friend walking behind him, but
stopping at the doorframe.

"...Why do you see me as a friend?" Well, he didn't have that many reasons, he just did. But that
wouldn't answer the other's question.

"You saved me more times than I can count..." As expected, the other looked disappointed. He
carried on. "But you're fun to hang around with, even if your jokes are terrible you're funny. And
reliable." He stopped, not sure of what else to say. "Are you fishing for compliments or what?"

"Perhaps I am." He scoffed and turned around, ready to leave. It didn't feel right, to leave like that.

"...I trust you, Simon. You helped me back on base when I had nightmares, or when I needed to
talk or complain to someone, you were always there. You are always there." Ghost's breath hitched
and he turned halfway to stare at the man. "It feels safe, with you around."

Maybe he was a coward, for basically running away embarrassed to his room, but he really didn't
want to know his L.t's reaction. He was sure the other needed time to properly digest his words, if
he guessed by the way the man stood frozen in place at the doorway. But telling him that was
necessary, at least to him.

He buried himself under his covers, hoping he would fall asleep fast so he didn't have to think
about anything.

But of course he couldn't sleep.

Around ten minutes after he had gotten into the room, he heard a knock. He knew who it was, of
course, the kids were happily sleeping. He was jealous of them.

"Johnny?" He could pretend to be asleep, but that wouldn't fool the man. So he sat up, looking at
the door instead of the face peeking through.

Face?

"Yeah?" Now he was even more nervous. He couldn't bring himself to look at the others bare face,
now that he realized it had been that way since they went out for a smoke. He was definitely tired,
to not even realize the other wasn't wearing his mask.

"...I– Can you look at me, you dick?" He laughed, startled, and did as told. The other looked
between mad and concerned, and he had to fight the urge to look away.

"What is it?" The silence was dragging for too long, his L.t was hesitating for awfully long. "You
can step into the room, you know?" He could feel how uncomfortable the man would be if he
stood in that same position for long. Ghost stepped into the room and left the door ajar behind him.
An easy escape, again.

Now, he considered himself a patient man, but his friend was testing his limits. He was staring by
the door, completely silent and staring daggers at the floor. He sighed for the umpteenth time in
the last few minutes and threw himself back into the mattress.

"Just say it, Simon." The man shuffled in place and finally looked up.

"I–You–" Great. He loved the new silence, it was so different from the one before. He was more
frustrated now.

Think, MacTavish, what could Ghost be trying to say? If he thinks back to their last conversation...

"You trust me too?" The brit looked up, his eyes big and surprised for a second before he regained
his composure.
 "Yes." That was easier. He knows that Simon has his own struggles, he's not surprised the man has
a hard time expressing his feelings. The other opened his mouth a couple of times but didn't say
anything.

"And you feel safe around me, too...?"

"Yes." This time he didn't try to speak after that, so he guesses that's what he wanted to say.

Soap sighed and sat up again, making eye contact with his...friend. Friend.

"I'm glad. Thank you for telling me." The other looked down, starting to get embarrassed.

"I didn't say anything." Well, that is true.

"It's the thought that counts. You'll get there eventually." Ghost looked back at him, surprised, and
smiled softly at him. The fact that he could see the smile this time definitely did something to him.
He could feel his cheeks heat up a bit, but he didn't look away from the other's face at any time.

"Thank you, Johnny." Simon left the room silently, putting his mask back on before getting out,
and Soap layed down on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Was his Lieutenant always this pretty? That's actually a question he knows the answer to, which is
'yes, you've always thought he's hot MacTavish'. It's different because he's realizing it now that he
always thought that.

If he stayed an entire hour wide awake, tossing and turning, only he would know. And the fact that
the culprit of that was Ghost and his face, haunting him with it's beauty, would also be only known
to him.

>

Chapter End Notes

The author: man, i finally have some time to relax, let me finish writing this chapter so
i can post it and be done for today.
The author's cat, zooming through the house just to go to the author's bed and
projectile vom*t on top of her owner: no one rests without my permeowssion.

Anyways, I promise the plot is going somewhere. I think.

I also promised I would make longer chapters and didn't quite deliver, I'm pretty sure
this chapter is shorter than the last-

Next chapter should be up sometime next week, I'll be busy so I can't promise two
chapters this time, apologies. I'll be fixing any mistakes tomorrow, i just want to go to
sleep now.

Thanks for the kudos and messages! See you next chapter <3
 (5). Mamma told me.
Chapter Summary

Her mother taught her a lot of things. Leah just wants to help.

Chapter Notes

Content warning:
>(Past) Child abuse and neglect.
>Mentions of substance abuse.

Feel free to skip the chapter if you're uncomfortable, or skip after (∼***).

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Mamma told me, that she wasn't coming back.

The last time I saw her, she had her bags packed and ready to leave. She thought I was asleep, and
had left a note for uncle Alex. I remember how she hugged me, so tight that it almost hurt.

"I love you, Leah." I could feel it even if she hadn't said it. I could feel how her hands trembled
when she caressed my hair. She smiled when I started to cry.

She said she couldn't stay, that it was her only choice. To leave.

"Don't cry, baby, you have to smile." So I do. I can't cry.

'When I'm gone, promise me you won't cry.'

I tried, mom, but I failed you.

When those two men appeared at the doorstep, I knew what that last letter meant. It didn't hurt
anymore, when auntie Anne hit me. I wouldn't have cried for that, but I knew that those two people
were coming because you couldn't come back anymore.

I'm sorry I cried, I'll smile from now on.

'You have to take care of Leo, you know he's not as strong as us.'

I think you're wrong mamma, Leo is much stronger than me. He always looks out for me, just as
much as I look out for him.

He always stepped in when auntie Anne got weird, after you left. She always started screaming and
throwing things, and I always stood in front of him and took the hits. It doesn't hurt anymore. But
Leo is always the one to tell auntie to stop, and he's always the one to make her go away. He's
stronger than he looks, I would just take the damage, but he's to one brave enough to stop auntie's
rage.
'Someone is going to take care of you two properly, some day.'

We thought uncle Nico was that person, he always played with us, he was good to us. But he didn't
love us. He never let us go with him, even when he saw how bad auntie was treating us.

'I'll never take them with me.'

He was angry when he said it. He didn't want us to meet his family, because we were not his
family anymore. He said he doesn't hate us. He said it's complicated. That it's not because we're
bad kids. It's because he wants to forget. Auntie called him a coward, but I still don't know why.
She called him selfish, too. I don't want to understand.

I remember everything you taught me, mom.

'You have to talk things out, communicate. That's how you solve most problems.'

You used to say that when you visited and Leo and I fought. We were too little, but you guided us
so we could understand each other.

'You have to understand and accept others' opinions, and if you don't agree with the other, that's
okay too. But you have to try.'

I don't fight with Leo anymore, we understand the other perfectly. Even if I blame him for things
sometimes, I understand that most of them are not his fault. You would be proud of us, right?

'Auntie is just lonely, there's a lot of people like that. You can help them, and they can help you.' Is
what you wrote, in one of the letters.

I know how lonely people act, and how they look. Simon looks very lonely sometimes, and you
said I could help. So I'll give it my best!

He was cooking dinner, Johnny had left with Leo to feed the animals, so this was my opportunity.

He looked at me when I walked to the kitchen table and sat with my markers and my notebook. I
smiled at him and I think he smiled back. He wears a mask like you did when you came to visit,
but I don't think it's for the same reason.

"Simon..." I can't really remember how I wanted to say this, maybe it'll work if I just say anything?

"What is it, Leah?" It feels weird, being called by my name. It's good that he's not calling me 'pest'
like auntie, it's odd because it's more affectionate than when uncle Nico said it. It's sad that it's not
'princess' or 'sweetie' like you and dad called me.

"Do you have friends?" I asked him that before, didn't I?

"I have some."

"Besides Johnny?" He stopped and turned to look at me. Did he get angry? Doesn't look like it.

"Yes." Why did he have to think for so long?

"Do they live far from here?" I hadn't seen anyone besides Johnny talk to him, maybe he meets
them when we're not around.

"Yes, very far." I'm happy that my friends live so close, I can visit them if I just ask nicely, or when
I go to school. Maybe that's why Simon looks so lonely sometimes, he hasn't seen his friends!

"Don't you miss them?" Oh, no. Just keep drawing and looking at the paper, this isn't the time to
get nervous. I can feel him watching me.

"Not really." He doesn't miss his friends? Then why...

"Really?" Then he isn't lonely because he doesn't see his friends? Would it be rude to ask him why
he looks lonely?

"Really." The food smelled delicious...

"We're back!" No, no, no! I didn't finish my talk! "That smells amazing."

"It'll be done in a while, go set the table." I'll talk to him some other time, then. Maybe Johnny
could help me?

"Yes, sir! Come on, Leah, let's set the table." I followed Johnny to the living room and helped him.
He was different from Simon, way more happy but not as useful. And his hair was weird, but he
doesn't like me saying that.

"What were you doing?" Leo whispered in my ear when we were far from the adults. He knows
whenever I'm doing something weird, he said it's his superpower.

"Nothing bad, I promise." I whispered back and ran with the forks, just so Leo would stop asking
me. He can't stop me, I need to help Simon!

I'll keep trying tomorrow!

Johnny was scared of dogs, so I don't know why he insists on training Bones and Rexie. I already
trained them, with uncle Alex's help. He was outside, confusing Bones with commands he didn't
understand yet. I see Rexie waiting to run at him as soon as he's distracted. She loves to do that, but
not today.

"Johnny?" He looked at me and smiled. It's much easier to talk to him than to Simon.

"What is it, Leah?" He talked just like Simon, though. Was it because he always smiles, then, that
talking with him is easier?

"Do you have friends?" Did I say something funny? Why is he laughing?

"You've asked me that before, you already forgot?" Oh, right! Soap had friends!

"Do they live far away like Simon's?" Johnny makes friends fast, since he talks a lot. Maybe he
already made friends here?
"Aye, most of my friends are his friends too." Then, maybe Johnny doesn't miss his friends either.

"Do you miss them?" There's that look! Loneliness!

"Fu-Uh, yeah, I miss them a lot." But if they have the same friends, why doesn't Simon miss them?
"What's this about? Do you miss your friends?" I didn't, I saw them at school today. I don't want
Johnny to be concerned, that look doesn't fit him at all.

"Nuh-uh. Just curious." I learnt something today, maybe this could help me help Simon...but how?
So confusing!

Oh, right! Leo is smart!

I see Rexie sprinting towards Johnny, so I ran to his side.

"Sit!" Rexie always listens. Except to Johnny. "Good girl!" She deserves a treat for being obedient,
according to uncle Alex.

"Why doesn't she listen to me?" Johnny looks afraid, he really is scared of dogs.

"She is just too happy when she sees you, so she doesn't listen in time." Maybe.

Simon and my brother came back then, a little confused as to why Johnny looked so pale.

I have to talk to Leo, so he'll help me understand.

Don't worry mamma, I'll help your friend!

"What are you doing?" Oh, this is perfect! The teachers had left to do whatever teachers do at
recess, and Leo and me are the only ones left in the classroom.

"Do you think mister Simon is lonely?" Surely Leo remembers what mom told us? I can't be the
only one!

"A little, but he doesn't seem bothered by it." Not bothered? Well, he isn't angry or sad like
auntie...but there's no way he likes being lonely, right?

"Do you think he doesn't care about being lonely?" Leo was thinking something. Good, he should
have the answers I want.

"I think he doesn't look lonely when he's with Soap. Or with us. It's always when he's on his own."
Hmm... he has a point.

"He said he doesn't miss his friends, but when I asked Johnny he said he missed them a lot..."

"Maybe it's because he just likes Soap." Likes?

"Because Johnny is his favourite?" Thinking about it, everyone must have a favourite person,
right? I like Leo, maybe Simon likes Johnny?
"Yeah, maybe he doesn't miss his friends because Soap is enough for him. He doesn't seem to like
talking to other people, but he's always teasing and messing around with Johnny." I get it now! I
think...

"You're right, I would be lonely if you went away, even if I had friends around me." Why is Leo
surprised?

"Right. That's because we're always together, if we were to separate it would be weird. It would be
sad." Maybe Simon would feel weird and sad if Johnny wasn't with him.

"Thank you Leo, I will continue my investigation." I grabbed my notebook and pen and ran to the
benches outside.

"What investigation?"

Mamma taught me how to write.

Well, not personally, I learned because I wanted to understand her letters and write back to her.
Uncle Alex gifted me a big dictionary so I could learn faster, so by five I already knew how to read
and write.

Writing is important to send letters, so you can communicate when someone is far. But mom
taught us to write each other letters when we were to embarrassed to talk. She also told us how to
write in diaries, so we could 'understand ourselves', sometimes there are things we don't want to
say out loud.

I remember mom told auntie Anne to go back to writing in her diary one time. Maybe this could
help Simon? I should tell him to do it...

"Leah?" Johnny? Where is he?

"Yeah?" Maybe in the living room...

"There you are." The kitchen. Close enough. He's wearing a lot of clothes, so he must be going out.
"I'm going to buy groceries, you coming?" Leo already had his coat on, so he said yes, and Johnny
is the only one allowed to drive. This is my chance!

"Can I stay? I want to keep drawing." Leo definitely knows I'm lying, his eyes narrowed as he
looked at me.

"Uh...sure, that's fine." Yes! Now I need to make Simon sta- "Do you mind watching her? We'll be
back as soon as possible." Simon nodded, and Soap left with my brother. Everything is going
according to plan! Well, I don't have a plan, though...

I'm supposed to be drawing, so I'll start with that. Mister Simon is sitting on the couch, watching
something on his phone. I put the paper on the tiny table and started drawing. He's looking at me, I
can feel it. Now's my chance.

"Simon?"
"Hm?" Oh, he isn't looking at me. Where is he looking at? Those eyes...

They look like yours, mom.

"Do you have a journal?" Stick to the plan, Leah. It doesn't matter if his eyes scare me, I have to do
this.

"I don't." Finally, his eyes are looking at me. "You're asking a lot of weird questions lately. Is
anything wrong?" Concern doesn't fit Simon's eyes either.

"No, I'm just curious." He doesn't look like he believes me, but it's the truth. "Do you want to have
one?" I have some spare ones in mom's office, I haven't finished my last one.

"I don't think so. I don't have much to write." I'm sure he has a lot to write. I'll just insist a little
more.

"Don't you have things that bother you? Or things you can't tell others?" Oh, that caught his
interest! Good job, me!

"Of course I do."

"Then you should write it all down. I have some spare ones, come with me!" I grabbed his hand
and guided him to the second floor. Mom's office has been locked for a couple months, but there's
a key in the plant pot next to the door. Simon seemed surprised when we entered. Was it the piano?
Or mom's paintings?

The journals were in the bookshelf's drawers, the orange ones were for Leo, the purple ones for
me...it should be fine to give him one of mom's, right? She won't use them anymore.

"Here. You can write all you want, when you want. It'll make you feel better!" He took the book,
looking at it. Oh no, he can't write without a pen!

Hm...do mom's pens even work anymore? Hopefully they didn't dry. Red, blue, purple,
green...which one would Simon like? The black one had a little panda at the end of it, and it's cute,
but would he like it? I'll just show it to him and if he looks unhappy I'll choose another one.

"That's cute." So he likes it! Mission success! "...thank you, Leah." No, no, no. Why are his eyes
like that? They're happy but...not right. Maybe the journal won't work, after all.

I'll just have to try harder!

Mom, you didn't teach me how to fix people.

Simon still looks lonely, sometimes. Writing didn't work, maybe he's not writing what he feels, or
maybe he's not writing at all.

How can I help him?

Sometimes you looked lonely too, when dad was still here. You looked just like Simon does, back
then. What did you say then?
'Sometimes you miss things you can't have anymore. Or you miss things you don't have yet.'

Is that what Simon misses? Maybe he lost something. Could he have a puppy back home? I would
miss Bones or Rexie if they were far from here.

"Leah?" Johnny? What is he doing here? "What's wrong, sweetie? You look sad." I look sad? That
can't be right.

"I'm just thinking about something." He sat down on my bed, looking at me with those concerned
eyes. I don't like them.

"What are you thinking about? You know you can tell me anything, right?" Maybe he could help
me? He knows Simon better, since they're friends.

"Do you know if Simon misses anything?" Did I say something wrong? Why are his eyebrows
furrowed like that?

"I'm not sure about that, he doesn't seem to care about much." Oh, he was just thinking, then. But
that doesn't help me. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, just curious." I should come up with a better excuse, they'll start suspecting eventually.
They can't find out, this is a secret mission after all.

"Don't worry too much about him, he's fine." Does Johnny not see what I see?

"Okay." If Johnny isn't worried, that just means I have to worry for two people. I have to help
Simon, at all costs! So he won't end up like auntie!

I won't let you become scary like her, Simon!

Mamma told me about music.

In her last visit, she played the piano for us, and taught Leo how to play a bit.

One of the songs was slow, or the sounds dragging for too long, I can't remember. She sang along,
her voice deep and filled with emotions I don't understand still.

'How did that make you feel?'

A lot of sad things. It felt like a goodbye, like crying. I didn't like it, but it still sounded beautiful.

Then, another song, faster than the other. Mom's voice sounded higher then, her singing cheerful,
and a smile on her face always. She was jumping from key to key, as if dancing along with the
music.

'And this one? How does it make you feel?'

Extremely happy, it sounded like playing with friend, or watching a funny movie.

'Sometimes, you can't say things with words, or you can't understand what others feel or say. But
music is an universal language. Anyone can understand it.'

Maybe writing won't work because Simon doesn't know what to write, but music could work!

But I don't know how to make music...

Using songs that already exist should be fine, right? I'll just tell Simon to listen to music he likes. I
haven't seen him listen to anything, and he looks unhappy when we play songs in the car radio. But
if he listens to songs he likes, he would be happier, right?

"Simon?" He was alone in the kitchen, Johnny and Leo were feeding the animals again. I know
Leo goes with Johnny just so I can carry on with my mission. Thank you, Leo!

"Yeah?" He didn't look back this time. His eyes have gone far away again.

"Do you like listening to music?"

"I do." Good! Now, how do I do this...

"What kind of music?" Maybe if I listen to his music, I can understand how he feels. He turned
back for a second, looking at me with narrowed eyes. Uh-uh. Just smile and act cute, Leah, this
always works. "Can I listen to it?" He sighed, tiredly, and stirred something on the pot that was on
the fire. He grabbed his phone and put something on.

Hm...this music...

It sounds sad. Like missing something.

He stopped the music when he saw my face. I didn't mean to make a face, but I couldn't help it.

"What's up with you lately?" Simon was back to cooking, looking at me every now and then.

"I'm just curious." Oh, no. He isn't convinced.

"Are you sure that's it? You can talk to me." I can? Of course I can! But...no, telling him is not a
good idea.

"Yup, that's it. Nothing's wrong." Narrowed eyes again. At least he's not insisting. I think I need
Leo's advice again.

"What are you doing?" Who!?

Leo. Just who I needed. How did he sneak up on me? Did I leave the door open?

"I'm thinking." I locked the door just in case, Johnny and Simon were outside moving some old
furniture from the attic.

"Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself."

"Yeah, yeah." Thinking is Leo's specialty anyways. "I think Simon is sad."
"Why would he be sad?"

"That's what you need to figure out." He doesn't seem happy with his role in this mission. Too bad,
he has no other options. "I think he misses something."

"He said he doesn't miss his friends, didn't he?" He did say that. I nodded. "Maybe he misses his
family? He lived far from here." Oh. Family.

"Hm..." I don't think I should ask him about his family. I remember when Maia's mom asked him
about something similar and he didn't answer at all. That's a bad sign already. "I don't think it's
family, he probably doesn't have anything like that."

"Maybe he misses having one, then." Oh. That could be it.

"So he misses something he doesn't have?"

"I think it was called yearning. Maybe he wants to have a family again." That sound like it!

"But aren't we already like a family? They're the dads, and we're the kids." Leo nodded. Does
Simon not think of us like that?

"He probably doesn't see us as his kids, though. He just met us." That's right...

I saw a shadow move under the door, and-Oh, no. Did they listen to us?

"Leah, are you there?" Leo looked just as scared as I felt. We're doomed! My mission! "Why did
you lock the door?"

I unlocked the door and opened it, looking up at Soap. He looked confused. And sweaty. Ew.

"I was–uh..." Think, think, think...

"I locked it without realizing, I wanted to borrow some of her pencils." Good one, Leo. He showed
Johnny the pencils he had on his hand. Why did Johnny look not convinced, though?

"Alright. I'm going to feed the animals, wanna go with me?" It's been a while since I saw Daisy...

"I think I'll pass today, I have homework to do." Leo wasn't going? Huh, weird. He's giving me the
same look I give him when I need to talk with Simon. Do I need to talk with Soap? But what do I
say?

"I'll go." At least I get to see Daisy.

"Alright." I followed Soap all the way to the barn and watched him struggle with the bags of food.
He looked strong, but his arms always trembled when he held heavy things.

Daisy is as cute as always, I'm sure she should've had her baby by now. I'll ask the vet when she
comes back. I hope her dad returns soon, I don't like talking to her.

"So..." Hm? Johnny had something to say? "I heard you two talking..." So he did overhear us! Is he
going to be angry?

"I'm sorry!"

"Hey, hey! It's okay!" He grabbed my shoulders gently and crouched so he could see my face. He's
not mad? "I'm just worried about you, I'm not angry, sweetheart." Sweetheart?
"Worried?" What was there to be worried about?

"I know you're concerned about Ghost, but I promise you don't need to worry about him." It's not
the first time he calls Simon 'Ghost'. The nickname fits him, but it's not pretty. "He's still getting
used to living like this, but he cares about you two. He just shows it in a different way." I know
that. Like when he makes me my favourite food when I'm tired or grumpy, and how he draws little
things with ketchup on my food.

"I know that." That's not what I'm worried about. I know he likes us.

"Then stop worrying so much about him, aye? He just needs time." He needs time...

Maybe Johnny is right. But Nico said the same thing about auntie, and she only got worse. I won't
let him end up like auntie.

"Okay." I'm sorry Johnny, but I can't risk him getting worse.

Mamma told me about paintings.

When she came back on our birthdays, she painted a lot. She always liked that. The first time I saw
one of her painting was at our old house, dad was snoring too loud, so I ran to her study to play with
my dolls. I can't remember what the painting looked like anymore, I just remember that it was
pretty.

'What do you feel when you look at it?' She showed us a canvas, the paint still fresh. There was
what looked like a lady, looking down. It's as if the painting was made of water, blues and...green-
blues? Green blues. The lines were mostly straight, the only curves were on the woman's hair.

It felt sad, and lonely. Cold.

Mom smiled, her eyes distant.

'How about this one?' That one was the opposite. The lady was looking up now, a small smile on
her face. It was as if it was painted with lava instead, oranges, reds and yellows swirling around the
woman in circles and waves.

It was warm, happy.

Mom hummed, we answered right.

'Paintings can make you feel things, like music. The colors, the shapes, they each mean something,
they all make you feel something. Painting is a good way to let out your feelings. It doesn't matter
if it's pretty or not, what matters is that you leave your feelings in the paper.'

The office was full of mom's drawings, and every one of them had her feelings. So everytime I
look at them, it feels as if a part of mom remained here. Whenever I miss mom, I just go look at her
paintings.

Maybe if I give a painting to Simon, he won't feel lonely? I hope he feels the same way I do when I
look at paintings. It's a good plan, I think.
Mom told me I can always grab her art supplies, as long as I didn't touch her paintings. I waited
until everyone was busy and sneaked into her office.

Hm... now what should I paint for him...

If I think of Simon, I can see a lot of blues, the darker ones. The lighter shades don't fit him, they're
cold. Simon isn't cold...I think?

I grabbed mom's guide from her desk, she had written a lot of things for me when I asked her to
teach me to draw like her. I don't understand much, but the instructions on how to mix colors were
easy. Let's see...

'Deep Indigo' and 'Cobalt' are the colors I was looking for! I think? Maybe 'Prussian Blue'...? Why
are the names so weird?

Now what to draw... I don't know how to draw people, maybe some animal? Or just shapes? Simon
liked skulls...but he also liked dogs...hm...

Dog skulls? How do dog skulls even look like? There was a book about dogs somewhere here...

Maybe I'll just draw tiny skulls instead. Dogs have weird heads.

I won't use the big canvas, mom said those are for when I'm old, if I want to use them, because
they are hard to prepare. So a normal paper sheet should do.

By the time I was done it was already evening, I'm glad I did my homework during recess, I'm
tired...

"Leah?" Huh? I have to hide this! "There you...what are you doing?" It's just Johnny, thankfully.

"Painting." He crossed his arms, looking at me suspiciously.

"I can see that. But why? And why here?" Uhm...

"It's a surprise! For...uh..."Think, Leah!

"For Ghost." Ah, he caught me.

"Maybe..." He sighed, but chuckled after.

"Can I see?" Should I show him? It's not like he's not allowed to look, but...

"Sure." It doesn't matter. I took the paper out of the drying rack and handed it over carefully.
Johnny looked surprised, for whatever reason.

"This is really good! Good job, sweetie." Was it that good? He put it back on the drying rack and
looked at me with a smile. "Where did you learn to draw like that?" I looked at the countless
paintings around the room. I think it's pretty obvious.

"Mom taught me." I pointed at the portrait right next to him. That one was made by mom and me,
she did the lines and I painted it how she told me. It looked like one of her paintings, but messier.
"I helped with that one." Why did he gasp?

"No way? This is amazing!" It's a bit embarrassing, the praise, but it also makes me really happy.
"You're really talented, Leah." Mom said that too!
"Do you think Simon will like the one I made?" If Johnny liked it, surely Simon would too? But
they are a bit like opposites...

"Definitely, you should show him when it's dry. He'll love it." Great! I should put the things away
and go back...Or maybe I could draw something for Johnny, too? He's looking at mom's paintings
with such a pretty face. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow, I'm tired. "Simon made cookies, they're waiting
downstairs."

Cookies!

"Leah? I'm going to the store with Leo, do you need anything?" Samantha needs food.

"Cat food? Leo knows the brand." I think I don't need anything else.

"Okay, Simon is taking a nap, wake him up if anything happens, he said he would be up in thirty
anyways. I'll be back in a while." I don't think anything will happen, I'll just keep painting.

"Okay." I heard the door click behind me. Mixing these colors is harder than the blues. Everything
looked almost the same, so it took longer than I thought to get the right shades. It was done in a
couple minutes after Soap left. The end result was pretty, though. Johnny will like it. Now I just
need to put it to dry and...oh. Simon's painting. He should already be up by now, right.

But it's silent...

I sneaked around the house, but he was nowhere to be seen. So he must be still sleeping. Just to
make sure, I sneaked into his room.

Hm? Why is he moving so much? He's making little noises too.

Oh, it's a nightmare.

'Don't wake me like that again, Leah. I could hurt you.'

You always said I should let you deal with your nightmares alone, mom.

It feels wrong to leave him deal with his nightmares alone.

'I will feel worse if I hit you than what I feel because of the nightmares.'

I stayed by his bed, sitting on the floor while he thrashed and whined. It wasn't fun to watch, but I
didn't want to leave him alone. I can tell he woke up by the scream I heard. I stayed still until he
calmed down, not wanting to scare him even more. He didn't seem to notice I was here, so I moved
a bit, and he saw it immediately.

"Leah? How long have you been there?" I stood up and walked to his bed.

"A while." I sat down and looked at him. He still had tears in his eyes.

"What happened? Why are you here?" Hm... I don't want to give him the painting right now. I'll
give it to him later, when he's not sleepy nor stressed.
"I was just bored." I hid the paper behind me and started walking back to the hallway.

"I'll be out in a minute, we can watch TV."

"Okay." I put the painting in my room and walked to the living room. I'll have to think of another
way to help Simon. The painting won't help, because it's not me he misses.

He was calling for Johnny in that nightmare.

"So he was crying and screaming Soap's name?" I nodded. Leo was writing on mom's desk while I
fixed some things in Johnny's drawing.

"Yeah, and he was like...empty. Until you two returned." He hummed. Yes, think, dear brother,
think!

"Maybe...the person he misses is Soap?" That can't be it.

"But Soap lives with us." Oh, no. Leo looks confused! This is bad!

"Then maybe he doesn't miss him. Maybe he–what was the word?" The word, the word...

"Yarn?" Nope, Leo's face can only mean I said something dumb.

"Maybe he yearns...something. Related to Soap." What did that word mean again? Time to get the
dictionary...

'Yearling', 'Year-long', 'Yearly'...

'Yearn'!

'to wish very strongly, especially for something that you cannot have or something that is very
difficult to have'...

Hm...

"Say, Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Simon likes Johnny?" He seemed confused by my question.

"Of course he likes him. They're friends, are they not?"

"Not that kind of like." He looked up with surprised eyes.

"It could be." It could?

"Should we ask him?" Leo narrowed his eyes, thinking.

"We could, but Soap can't be around, or he could lie." That's true. I went to grab my notebook.
"We should write what we need to ask him. If we ask him directly, he could suspect we're onto
him."

"True, let me think a bit, you write the questions."

I'm going to understand you, mister Simon! Just you wait!

"I'm going to run some errands in town, do you two want to come with me?" Finally! The chance
we've been waiting for!

"We–uh, we have homework!" Oh, no. Soap is suspicious.

"Yeah, we have a lot of it. The math teacher gave us some extra tests so we could practice a little
more." Nice save, Leo. Soap never doubts my brother.

"Alright, don't cause any trouble for Simon." Trouble? We never cause trouble!

"We never do." I'm glad Leo and I think the same.

Johnny left, and it was time to get moving. Simon was in the living room, napping on the couch.
I'm sorry, mister Simon, but we have to wake you up.

"Simon?" He opened his eyes slowly, looking at Leo and at me a couple of times before stretching
and sitting up.

"What is it?" He looked around, trying to find something. "Where's Johnny?"

"Soap is gone." Leo's serious tone confused him, looking at me slightly concerned.

"He went to run some errands." I hit Leo with my elbow, without much force, so I won't hurt him.
He hit back just as weakly.

"We have questions." Simon groaned and rubbed his face.

"Not you too." Maybe he was getting tired of my constant questions, but it was important! "What
questions?"

"Mister Simon." He lift his eyebrows, amused. "Do you like someone?"

"...what?" That's a funny face, confused and surprised.

"Answer the question, Riley." Leo! That's rude! Simon let out a startled laugh. Crisis averted. I
think.

"Why are you asking these things?" Hmm...how do I explain without ruining our plans?

"It's for an experiment." Good answer, Leo.

"When did I become a test subject?" He's trying to make us forget the question. That's why Leo
made me write everything down, he knew the man would do this.
"Just answer the question, please!" He narrowed his eyes as he looked at me, not answering and
staying silent for a minute.

"...I do." Bingo!

"How would you describe the person you like?" Take notes, Leah!

"...they're cheerful, and thoughtful." That checked two marks.

"Go on..."

"They're annoying. Sometimes." Another check. "But they're good at listening and comforting
others." More checks. "Pretty strong too, and very pretty. Stupid hair, though." There's no doubt
about it.

"Hm..."

"Did I pass the test?" Is he annoyed? He looks annoyed.

"You did." Leo was looking at my notebook, confirming our suspicions were true. "Does this
person know you like them?"

"Of course not." 'Of course'?

"Do you think they like you back?" I think we're prying too much, Leo.

"They don't." Oh, no. Not those eyes.

"How long have–"

"I think that's enough." I closed the notebook and stared at Leo. Simon looked way, too
uncomfortable, and I feel bad for forcing him like this. We have enough information anyways.
"Sorry, mister Simon..."

"Not 'mister', remember?"

"Sorry."

"Stop apologizing."

"So–"

"Leah."

He's really annoyed. It's time for a retreat. I grabbed Leo's hand and dragged him towards the
office. We need to plan what to do next.

"So he does like Soap." He was walking in circles around the room.

"I think we went too far. He looked uncomfy."

"But he did answer all the questions." That's true...why did he answer the questions if he didn't
want to?

Cornering him wasn't the best idea, and interrogating him was just as bad. But at least we know
why he's lonely, now.

"What do we do now?" Leo looked up at me, confused. He thought for a little before answering.

"I have no idea." But if Leo didn't know, how am I supposed to know? "Soap can't know about
this."

"Of course not, it would be disrespectful to tell him." I won't spill Simon's secret, it would just hurt
him and make everything worse.

"You're the one that knows about this kind of stuff." I know about what kind of stuff? I'm just
doing what mom taught me. "I actually have homework to do. Don't do anything dumb."

I never do anything dumb. At least not on purpose.

Mom, what do I do now? Can you teach me something new?

Mamma taught me how to speak.

Well, yes, she taught me how to speak, but I mean– that's not what I mean. She taught me how to
communicate. How to have conversations. Important ones.

Just like I learnt to talk by listening to her, I learnt to have conversations by watching her do that.

One night, when dad was still around, I overheard them when they were talking.

'We're safe here, you're just paranoid, Karenina.'

Dad was a liar. He didn't keep any of his promises. He didn't stay with us forever, he never picked
us up from school, nor did he play with us like he said. I just hope his 'I love you's weren't lies as
well.

Mom tried her best to compensate. She never was late to pick us up, she played with us, picking me
up and running with me in her arms, even if she looked seconds away from falling asleep. She tried
to stay with us, but she couldn't. She never promised any of that, but she did it anyways. Mom
never promised anything.

When she came to visit, I saw all her conversations with auntie Anne, trying to convince her to get
help. With uncle Nico, telling him that it was okay to let go. With uncle Alex, telling him he didn't
need to follow her all his life.

She was always confident, never doubting a word of what she said. Never going back on what she
said.

Mom, I don't think I can be like that.

I know I have to talk to Simon, but I'm scared. What if he hates me after I talk to him? What if he
leaves?

Were you scared of those things, too? You didn't look like it.
"Leah?" That's not Johnny.

"Hm?" I'm scared.

"Can we talk for a minute?" I'm scared.

"Ye–sure." Please, not yet.

"Leah–? It's okay, honey, don't cry." I'm crying? Why am I crying?

"I'm sorry–" Warm arms wrapped around me. This is nice. Mom, I'm sorry, but your hugs can't
compare to this. I can't remember them anyways.

"It's okay, Leah, I'm not angry. Don't cry, I just want to talk." I can listen.

"Talk about what?" He wouldn't mind if I get comfy, right? He's a good pillow.

"About your little 'experiment'." I'm not ready. "You know you can't tell Johnny, right?" Oh? He
knows that we know?

"Why would I tell Johnny? I'm not a snitch." His chuckle always meant good news.

"How did you even figure it out?"

"Mamma taught me some things." Talking with Simon was easier now, somehow. Is it because I
know his secret?

"Did she, now?" Mom taught me a lot more things, I didn't use all my tricks yet.

"Why did you tell us when we asked you? Isn't it a secret?"

"I was sleepy." That was it? That's so dumb!

"Is that why you look so lonely?" He pulled away to look at me, brows furrowed and eyes
confused.

"I look lonely?" I nodded.

"You always look like you miss something." I was surprised when he picked me up, walking to the
bed.

"Well, that's happens sometimes, when you like someone. You're still too young to understand
these things." But I'm smart! I can understand things...

"I want to understand you. I want to help you." He smiled down at me, not mocking. I couldn't see
it, but I felt his mouth shifting against my hair. "What's it like to like someone?"

"Hm...when you like someone, you want their attention and their love." That's not too hard to
understand! "You want the other person to like you just as much as you like them."

"So you're lonely because Johnny doesn't feel like you?"

"Something like that." I get it, I think.

"What do you do with someone you like?"

"You're too young to know that." He had that tone that meant I couldn't protest.
"I'll ask Johnny, then." He narrowed his eyes, as a warning. I'm not budging, yet!

"Don't." I wasn't going to, anyways, but the threat was enough to change his mind. "Fine. I can tell
you some things." I didn't know he could look embarrassed. "You do things like...hold hands, kiss,
hug...and uh...go on dates." Oh. Like mom and dad used to do. I know about these things already! I
watched it on TV too!

"Like a couple, then?" Why was he surprised? This is basic information.

"Yes, like a couple." He narrowed his eyes again, suspicious. "Where did you learn that?"

"I watch TV." Did he not learn these things from movies or cartoons? Maybe that's why he's having
a hard time.

"I'm not letting you watch TV by yourself, from now on." Come on! That's unfair! "You'll become
too smart. And you'll get bad ideas." Well, that might be true...

"Whatever, I'll just read then." Books are harder to finish than series, but they teach me just as
much.

"I'll confiscate those too, until I make sure they're appropriate." So! Unfair!

"You're mean!"

"It's for your own good. Don't try to grow up too fast. You should just have fun while you're still a
kid." There. Those eyes, I still don't understand what emotion that is. It looks like pain, but not
exactly. "I have to go make dinner, don't plot anything weird again."

"I didn't plot anything." He left me on the bed and left the room in silence.

Mom, I think I did okay. Well, I did cry, but I still managed to express myself.

I still have work to do, I'll keep trying my best!

Maybe Johnny didn't like Simon, but they could still do the things couples do. As friends.

This is the second part of my mission!

I need to get Leo as an accomplice. So I told him to meet me at mom's office, and he should be
here soon...

"What do you want, now?" Perfect timing.

"Soldier, we have a new mission." He's not even slightly amused by this.

"Why am I a soldier? Shouldn't I be higher rank?" Is that what he's concerned about?

"What's one rank lower than captain?"

"Lieutenant, I think." That's too long! And where did he learn that!?
"Then, lieuten-tenant? We have a new mission!" Now he seemed interested.

"What's the plan, captain?" I showed him what I wrote in my notebook, and he seemed excited for
this. "This is fine. But, if it makes Soap uncomfortable..."

"We stop immediately." He nodded. Of course, I want to help Simon be happy, but it shouldn't cost
Johnny's comfort.

"The first phase begins in our next shopping trip."

"Which should be today..." That's true. Johnny takes us shopping every two days. I'm glad I hurried
planning this. We don't have much time before he comes to invite us to go, so we read and
discussed how the plan goes, and then read it again, just in case.

The door opened and I threw the notebook to the ground in a rush. Johnny didn't see it.

"I'm going to the store, are you coming?"

"Yes!" I looked at Leo and he looked back at me. It's showtime.

Simon was picking vegetables, and Johnny was looking at some snacks nearby. I got closer to Leo,
now that they were distracted.

"You ready?" He nodded. We just have to wait until they're do–

Simon is looking at us. He knows. Maybe if I smile he won't scold me?

Nope, didn't seem to work.

But he was done, so I went and grabbed his hand, and Leo did the same with Johnny. Usually we
stay in between them and hold hands between us, but that wasn't the objective right now.

I started to walk away from Johnny and Leo, dragging Simon with me. It took Johnny a bit to
notice we had separated, and when he did notice, he turned to look at his friend, panicking when
people started to walk in between them. It's perfect, it was that hour where a lot of people came to
buy.

"Don't get lost, L.t." Johnny grabbed Simon's hand and directed him through the aisles as he picked
what we needed. Simon was silent from then on, even when we were checking out, which is
usually when he steps up to pay. Was he angry at what we did? I looked up just to check–

Ah, he's embarrassed. No, not that word, what was the other one...Flustered! The skin above his
cheeks that could be seen was slightly pink, and his eyes were looking at his still joined hands and
away constantly. I can tell he's not exactly uncomfortable. More like, uncomfortable in a good
way? Is that possible?

Johnny didn't let go if his hand until they reached the car, and I could see Simon was a little
disappointed. He shouldn't be, he still held hands with the person he likes!

Whatever, he was happy for a while, sl the first phase of this mission could be considered a great
success!

"We're back!" Johnny? When did he go? Where am I...? "Ah, sh–hi Leah." I blinked the sleepiness
awake, looking as Johnny slowly put the bags down on the table. I don't remember the couch being
this comfy.

Ah, that's where Simon is. I'm glad I didn't wake him up, he looked tired today.

Leo looked at me with narrowed eyes, definitely planning something, and looked up at Johnny. He
grabbed the adults hand and guided him to the other side of the couch, making him sit besides
Simon.

"Leo?" He was whispering, not wanting to wake his friend up.

"I want a nap too." I'm pretty sure this was one part of our mission that we decided to do later, but
if the opportunity is there, then good job for taking it, Leo!

"You can sleep in your bed, you know?" He still relaxed against the sofa, letting Leo cuddle on his
side. Hm...

"Don't wanna. This is better." My brother pushed him a little, and he got closer to us. So he kept
pushing until they were shoulder to shoulder. Simon didn't wake up, somehow. He always wakes
up easily, but today he must be really, really tired.

"Go to sleep already, we have things to do in the evening." Leo narrowed his eyes, looking at me.
He gave a last push, this time putting a bit of force, and Johnny was startled. He lifted his arms so
he wouldn't push Simon as well, and now his only options were putting it around his friend's
shoulder or sitting up and waking him up. First option it is, then.

"Alright, I'm sleeping..." I should sleep a little more, too, I'm tired...Hm? Why is Leo looking at
me? Oh, right.

I put a little weight on Simon's side and slowly made him lean on Johnny. He shifted a bit, and I
stopped, because I don't want to wake him up. He got comfortable, while still asleep, and let his
head rest on Johnny's shoulder. Johnny looked surprised, but he wrapped his arm a little tighter
around Simon. That should do, right?

Captain and Lieutenant Rusnav are going to nap, now!

"I don't know about this one, Leah." Well, neither do I. I haven't been to a date, I'm too young! But.
I've seen some on TV.

"It's fine, we just have to ask to go out and then leave them alone for a while."
"But we do that everyday." Huh. That's true. What's something we don't do everyday...Oh!

"How about a picnic? We ask to have one at the park, and then we just go play all afternoon. And
they have time for themselves!" I'm smart!

"That's not a bad idea..." Very smart! Not even Leo had thought about it.

"It's still early, you think they'll agree to go today?" It's saturday and we haven't had lunch yet,
maybe we can ask them to go there to eat instead of having lunch at home...

"Yeah, you ask them, though." Me? Why me? "I don't want to." He never wants to. Fine.

I ran downstairs, Simon was cooking and Jhonny was having coffee at the kitchen table. He had
gotten up later than usual, because it's the weekend. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Good morning Johnny! Good morning Simon!" I sat on the other side of the table and grabbed
one of the toasts Johnny hadn't eaten yet. He doesn't mind.

"Good morning, sunshine. You look happy today." I always do!

"Heh." I finished the toast first, leaving all the crumbs on the table to throw them away later. "Can
we have a picnic today? We want to go to the park." Simon turned to look at me while Johnny
thought. He's been suspicious of everything we've been doing, but he hasn't said a thing, which
means it's okay, right?

"Sure? We don't have any plans for today." He turned to look at his friend by the stove and nodded
when the other didn't say anything. "We can go at noon and have lunch." Everything according to
plan, as always.

"Okay!" There's still a few hours before noon, so I should go get ready after finishing the paintings
I'm doing at the office. I ran upstairs and met with Leo in our base. "They said we're going at
noon."

I already finished Simon and Johnny's paintings, but I decided to make one for uncle Alex. He's
been busy these last few months and hasn't visited, so it's just a little gift for when he comes home.
Hopefully he likes it!

Mom used to tell me about him, before she had to leave. I met him when dad went away and mom
was on her own with us, he came to help and take care of us when mom went to work. He was
always serious, so we didn't like him at first, but after spending some time with him we started to
understand him.

When mom went away, we stayed with him and auntie Anne, and he seemed always sad around
her. I could hear auntie screaming at him all the time, and all he did was listen in silence. And then
he went away too. And auntie Anne started screaming more.

Whenever he came to visit she always ignored him. When mom came to visit auntie always
screamed at her, too. Mom always made her shut up easily, though. She never used that tone with
us, but we heard how serious and cold she was towards auntie. It was a bit scary, but at least she
wouldn't yell for a while.

"We should get dressed already." Leo was right, I forgot about time while I was painting.
We ran to our rooms and got into warmer clothes. Winter should be over next month, sadly. Leo
likes summer more, but I prefer winter. I can drink hot chocolate in winter, but not in summer, so,
winter is better!

Johnny was getting out of the kitchen when I went out, he looked at me with a smile, as always.

"I was about to go look for you guys, we're leaving in ten, Simon is packing the food."

"Okay!"

The drive there was fun, Johnny was humming along with the music we put on the radio. Simon
did look a little nervous, but he always looked like that when we went out. Maybe we should've
asked to have lunch at the garden? But dates aren't supposed to be at home, right? I don't know.

We left the car and started walking towards the tables near the park. I looked at Leo, and he looked
back at me. Time for a race!

We ran towards an empty table and sat next to each other. This way, Simon and Jhonny had to sit
on the same side of the table, like we planned.

"Are you that hungry?" I'm not even hungry, but the faster we eat the faster we can go play. Yes,
because even if this was part of the plan, I still want to go to the slide!

"Yes." Johnny laughed and started taking out the food. This wasn't what Simon was cooking, it
was just sandwiches. Which is good anyways. I ate as fast as I could and waited for Leo to finish
before getting up. "Can we go play, now?"

"Aye, stay where I can see you." I nodded and dragged my brother to the swings.

"This will work, right?"

"I don't know what our objective is, yet." Objective? We're just making Simon have the things he
wanted, right? It's not like we can do much more, if Johnny doesn't like him back.

"I dunno. giving them time alone?" Leo nodded. "I'll push you." He doesn't like going too high,
like I do, so I pushed him lightly and went to the swing next to his.

"Do we have any other plan for the mission?"

"Nope, this is the last one." Most of the mission was a success, if this goes well then we did it
right. I think. How do missions work?

It doesn't matter, now we just need to play.

A kid nearby invited us to play football with his friends, so we spent all afternoon running around
the park, staying where Johnny could see us, of course.

We came back later, when Leo fell and hurt his knee when trying to score a goal. He's not very
good at running, so he played as a goalkeeper most of the time, but he seemed to like that. He
never saved any of my goals, though. I'm too good!

"Did you have fun?" Leo sat on his side of the bench and flinched when he hit his knee. He didn't
cry or make a fuss when he fell, so Johnny probably didn't notice he was hurt.

"Yup! Leo hurt his knee, though. He fell when playing football." Leo glared at me, but I had to tell
Johnny. He needs to clean the wound!
"Are you okay? Let me see." Johnny got up and checked Leo's knee while Simon put our things
away and got up, ready to leave. "We'll check that at home, you have a bruise and some cuts."

Well, a scraped knee is the price to pay, but we finished our mission.

If I had to guess, this was a success too. Simon doesn't look tense or nervous like when we arrived,
and he seemed happy, somehow. Not like I can see his face to confirm it.

I'll take that as a win.

~***

"I'm tired." Johnny groaned before falling on the couch, throwing his body against Simon. He's
been doing that since we made them hug while sleeping, that one time. Simon is always surprised
when he does it, but he doesn't seem to mind that much.

"Is Daisy okay?" She should have her baby already, I wanna see it!

"Aye, the vet said she's coming tomorrow to check on her again." Not the vet! Mister Horacio
should come back already, I don't like his daughter.

"Okay." I'm bored. I already watched this episode, and Leo is doing his homework. I should go
paint upstairs. "I'm going to mom's office." Johnny nodded. He looked like he was about to fall
asleep.

Mom, I thought I had done the right thing.

Even after all we did, Simon isn't any different. If anything, he looks worse, he's always spacing
out when cooking. He looks sad now. And still as lonely. I don't know what else to do. I would ask
you what to do, you always know just what to say. I wish I was more like you, mom. I wish I had
the answers to everything I want to know.

'You're just a kid, Leah. You'll learn with time.'

I finished uncle Alex's painting. You said he liked whales and sharks, so I tried to draw some,
looking at the pictures on the books. It looks good, I think!

It's not as good as what you used to draw, but I'm not you.

I have to give the paintings to Simon and Johnny, but I always forget. I'm not scared of giving them
to them! Definitely not!

Hm? Leo?

I opened the door expecting to see my brother, but instead it was Simon standing an the other side.

"Let's talk a bit, Leah."

Mom, maybe I made a mistake.

I let him into the room and closed the door behind us. He leaned on the desk and looked at me. I'm
not moving from here, I can run faster if I stay by the door. That's what you taught me.

"I know what you two are trying to do. You need to stop that." So he did know. But why does he
look sad again?

"Do you not like it? You said that's what you wanted..." He sighed. He looks more and more tired
as days pass by.

"It's not that I don't like it. Remember what I told you? You're too young to understand this."
Maybe I am, after all.

"I won't get it if you don't explain..." But I can't give up! I have to help!

"No more explanations, just let it be." Sorry, mister Simon.

"I know your secrets..." Oh, no! I went too far! He's angry!

The door unlocks to the right, I can't run on the stairs and the attic is locked, but the play–

"Don't threaten me, missy." He's not moving from his place. No need to run yet. "Let me think..."
It's really easy to make him talk, now that I think about it. Does he think Johnny would believe me
if I told him? "If you were hungry and I showed you a picture of your favorite food, how would
you feel?"

"If you showed me a picture of a burger...hungrier?" What does this have to do with anything?

"Correct. But what else? What if you know you can't eat the hamburger no matter how hungry you
are?" Is this going anywhere?

"Sad? and what's that other word...when something annoys you but not exactly...fru..."

"Frustrated." Big words.

"Yes! That one!" I could tell he was smiling, despite his eyes still being sad.

"That's what I feel. It's nice that you're concerned about me, but you're not exactly helping with the
situation." How come? The hamburguer thing doesn't make sense!

"But! You can just get a hamburguer some other day, right? It's not like you won't ever be able to
eat one. Or, like...if you can't make a burger you can just...eat meat with veggies. It's not the same
but it's similar." I'm hungry.

Simon stood there, looking at me surprised. Did I say something wrong? I was thinking of food,
but I think he asked me those questions to explain something. Maybe I should start thinking with
my brain and not my stomach?

"Well, you are right about that...but that wasn't the point." I knew it wasn't! Think, Leah.

The hamburger must mean something... Oh! Johnny. Because it's what Simon likes, right? So the
hamburger would be liking Johnny–no, the hamburger is Johnny liking him...so the vegetables and
meat would be...

I'm hungry!

"You should be happy even if you can't eat the hamburger yet, if you still have meat, eventually
you'll get the burger?" I don't wanna think about food anymore.

"That's–just stop doing what you're doing, yeah? I'll solve my problems by myself." But I want to
help! "You've done enough, Leah. You can't help with something you don't understand."

"But–"

"Enough." That voice? It's the same as–

'Shut up!'

Run.

'The room next to the playroom locks from the inside, you can hide there if anything happens.'

"Leah, wait!"

'Leah, come back here right now!'

'The door locks to the left, step away from it, in case it gets hit.'

Left. Hide.

Did Simon already become like auntie?

I couldn't stop it, after all?

"Leah? Where are y–"

'Where the fuck are you, you piece of shit!?'

Why are you outside again? You left! You can't come back!

"Leah, it's okay..."

'It's okay, Leah. Come out, auntie isn't angry.'

Glass. Everywhere. When did this room fill with glass?

The lock? She found me again.

"Are you there? Open the door for me, please?"

'Open the fucking door, you fucking rat!'

No, no, no. Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone, leavemealoneleaveme–

"Leah, hone–"

"Stop it, please!"

I don't want to. I don't want her to hurt me again. The glass hurts so much.

"I'm not angry, princess. I just want to talk."

'I'm not angry, Leah. Let auntie see you, yes?'

It hurts–Stop hitting me! I didn't do anything!

'I wish you were fucking dead. Everyone would be better if you hadn't been born in the first
place.'

I can't feel my arms anymore.

Why did you come back?

"I'm so sorry, sunshine. I'm sorry."

'Sorry'?

Auntie doesn't say sorry.

"I'll tell Leo to come, yes? I'm sorry."

A man? That's not auntie.

Simon? Simon is safe. Simon isn't auntie. It's safe.

'Enough.'

No, not safe. Never safe.

The door handle isn't moving anymore.

'Don't open the door too early. You never know if they're still on the other side.'

Just wait. Someone will come. Someone always comes to help, right?

"Leah?"

Leo is safe.

I unlocked the door and looked up, someone was standing by the entrance.

Never safe.

"What happe–" Leo needs to be safe too. I pulled him into the room and locked the door again.
"What's wrong!? Leah?"

"Auntie." Auntie is back. Did he not notice? But she's outside!

"What the fuck did you do!?" She's outside the door! Can't you hear?

"I'm sorry."

Auntie doesn't say sorry.

"Anne is not here, Leah. We're safe. It's Simon and Johnny outside, remember? They're good."
They're good. "Let's open the door, yeah? Johnny is worried."

"Sorry doesn't fix shit, Simon! What did you do!?" Leo was going to open the door.

"Stop!" I must stay hidden. We can't open the door.

"Leah, let go, you're hurting me." I'm hurting Leo? I can't hurt Leo. "Johnny, don't yell."

Silence.

"Let's go out, Leah. It's okay."

It's okay.

"Leah?" Johnny. Why is Johnny scared? "It's okay, my love. Don't cry." I'm crying?

It's warm, now. I like Johnny's hugs. They feel like mom's. But a little different. Mom's felt like
goodbyes, Johnny's feel comforting, like drinking cocoa by the fireplace, like sleeping under
blankets after a long day.

They feel safe. We're safe.

Mom, I think I hurt Simon.

He doesn't look at me anymore, and Johnny barely talks to him either. His food isn't that tasty now.

I made him angry, and now I have to fix it. It's my fault, after all. He looks hurt, when Johnny
ignores him. If I apologize, would they go back to how they were? Simon would be happier that
way, right?

Just one more mission, and I'll be done.

I'm not scared of him, I know that he didn't mean to frighten me. And he apologized, many times.
When he put me to bed that night, with Johnny. And he apologized when he thought I was asleep.
This morning, too. He made pancakes for breakfast.

'Apologies aren't always said, Leah.' It's what you said, that time I fought with Leo over a toy and
he broke it by accident. He didn't say sorry, but he gave me one of his plushies. That was his
apology.

I think it's the perfect time to give Simon that drawing.

I wanted to give it to him when Johnny wasn't around, but he doesn't leave me alone anymore, he's
always around me, or he makes Leo stay with me. Simon doesn't stay around me either, he doesn't
wake me up anymore.

I could try to think of a way to make Leo and Johnny go away. Or I can just ask Simon to come
with me.

Second option it is. It's easier.

I grabbed the painting and put it on a folder, to hide it until I gift it to him. Simon was sitting by the
dining table, looking at his phone. Johnny and Leo were watching TV on the couch. Simon should
be with them.

You've got to fix this, Leah!

"Mister Simon?" All eyes turned to me. I'm nervous, don't look at me!

"What is it, ho–Leah?" You can call me 'honey'!

"Can you help me with something?" Johnny had fully turned to me, sitting up.

"I can help y–" Interrupting people is rude, but!

"I want Simon to help me." Sorry, Johnny! He's not angry, just surprised. His eyes went to Simon,
suspicious.

"Okay." Nice! I went to grab Simon's hand but stopped. He won't like that. I'll just walk and hope
he follows me.

It was a little cold outside, but I don't think this will take too long. Rexie got up from where she
was sleeping and walked towards us, her tail wagging excitedly. Not now, puppy!

I sat at the stairs at the entrance and looked up at Simon. He hesitated before sitting a couple steps
above me, on the other side of the stairs. Rexie sat beside me, expecting pats. Don't distract me,
I'm on a mission! Well, she doesn't understand anyways.

Here comes the hard part.

"I'm sorry, mister Simon." He looked confused, and surprised. Why?

"What are you talking about?" Huh?

"About the other day. I made you angry, right? I'm sorry." The laugh he let out was weird, it's not
the kind you let out when you're happy. He looked like he couldn't believe what I said. Did no one
ever apologize to him?

"Leah, you did nothing wrong. You don't have to apologize." What? But making him mad is
wrong. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that, everything is my fault." No, don't look so hurt!

"But that's fine! You said you were sorry for that, so it's fine! I should apologize for making you
mad, too." He shook his head. He can't accept my apology?

"You shouldn't say sorry, sweetheart. It's my fault I didn't watch my tone, and it's my fault I hurt
you. I'm the adult and I didn't act like I should have." 'Sweetheart'!

"And I forgive you for that! It's okay! We all make mistakes." I know he didn't mean it. I know he
would never hurt me. He's not auntie.

Auntie didn't regret what she did. Simon does.

"It's not okay, Leah. I won't do it again." I know that too.

"I trust you. I know you won't do it again." I don't like his eyes when they look so sad and hurt. "I
made you something." Maybe he'll feel better with the painting? I took it out of the folder and gave
it to him.

"This is–you did this?" There we go! Surprise is better than sadness. I think. "This is great, Leah."

"Johnny said that too. It's a gift, as an apology." He kept staring at the paper, happy. I think he was
happy, at least. He is not so good at expressing his happiness, I've realized.

"I should get you an apology gift too, is what you're saying?" He's telling jokes! That's better.

"Maybe..." That wasn't the intention but a gift is always appreciated. Maybe I could ask for a
plushie? Or ice cream? Hm...

"Thank you, Leah." I can't see his smile, but I think I can hear it. "Let's buy something when we go
shopping tomorrow, yeah? Whatever you want." He got up, heading for the door. I ran towards
him and hugged his arm.

"Remember that plushie I saw?" Johnny can't pick me up too much because his arms start to hurt,
so I missed being carried. Simon gave me the painting so I could hold it for him and lifted me off
the ground.

"The owl?"

"Yeah! The fluffy one. Can we get that one?" Johnny was standing near the living room door,
looking at us a bit surprised when we walked in.

"Sure." He left me on the couch and sat beside me, Leo on the other side, with a small smile.

"Oh, and can we get nail polish?" I gave him the painting back, he put it on the tiny table and sat
back again.

"Yes."

"And ice cream?"

"Okay."

"Thank you!" I looked at my side and saw Johnny again, looking down with a smile as well. I
shifted a little and pat the space between me and Simon, so he could sit.

"Do you even know how to paint your nails?" He sat and kept looking at me.

"I can learn." I never painted my nails, but Clara had shown me hers and they looked pretty.

I got comfy under Johnny's arm and started watching TV.

I think I did something right this time, mom.

They were back to normal! Well, I think so, at least. Johnny was holding Simon's hand when we
were shopping, like he had been doing since we completed our mission. He hadn't done that the
day I got scared, but now he was doing it again. And he was talking to Simon like he used to, too!

I fixed that, right?

The owl plushie was even fluffier than it looked. I'm going to name her...hm...Miss Fluffy!
"Do we need anything else?" Let's see; plushie, check. Nail polish, check. Ice cream, check.

"Noup!" I don't want anything else, at least.

"Do you mind paying? I'll take them to the car, it's cold." Simon nodded, turning to us. I gave Miss
Fluffy to him and started walking with Johnny to the car. He put our seat belts and turned the
heater on, then went to his seat.

"Leah?" Mm? Why is he so serious out of nowhere? And why is Leo suddenly uncomfortable?

"Yeah?" Did I do something again? I don't think I did anything.

"It's nice that you're concerned with Simon, but don't push him too much." A traitor! My own leu–
liu– higher ranked soldier! "He's not used to people worrying about him, he doesn't like it."

"I just helped him. I didn't mean to upset him..." He doesn't like people helping him? But you can't
do everything alone. Like homework. You need others to teach you.

"Sometimes people don't want help, honey. You can't help someone that doesn't want to be
helped." Is that so? "And his problems are not something you can understand anyways. Even I
don't understand them."

Johnny doesn't understand...so that's why Johnny doesn't help him...

That's it!

I can't fix Simon, but Johnny can do it, right?

"It's not that hard to understand him, you've just gotta try!" He turned to look at me, with a weird
smile. The kind of smile you have when someone says something funny or silly. Don't mock me!

"You're telling me you understand him?" Well, a little. It's mostly because–

"I know his secre–" I didn't mean to say it out loud!

"His secret?" Oh, no! "What secret?"

"It's secret, I'm not a snitch!" He laughed and shook his head. "If you want to know it you have to
ask him yourself."

"Maybe I will." It's not like Simon would tell him, anyways.

"I'll stop troubling him if you help him instead." To be honest, I have no idea what to do anymore.
Johnny is older, he can do more than I can anyways.

"I'm always trying, Leah." Not you too! I don't like the sad eyes. "Just, trust in me, aye? I'll keep
trying, so stop worrying about it. Leave it to me."

"Okay." I'm trusting you, Johnny. I know you won't disappoint me.

He flinched when someone knocked on the window. It was Simon, of course. He gave me Miss
Fluffy and got comfortable on his seat.

Oh, I almost forgot.

"You!" Leo jumped when I pointed at him, moving a little towards the car door. "You dared to
betray your captain?"

"I can explain."

"Save your excuses for hell!" Miss Fluffy was a good weapon. A very cute one, too.

I noticed when we were watching TV, all of us cuddling on the couch. The paintings were on the
wall next to the screen, framed. Both Simon's and Johnny's. They liked it that much?

They also used the bracelets I made, I haven't seen them take them off. They look perfect together,
somehow.

I think Johnny has been helping Simon as he promised. His food was tasty again, and he was
humming when making breakfast this morning.

I think I can finally give up on my mission. Well, not give up, just consider it finished.

Simon doesn't look lonely anymore. His eyes sparkle a little when Johnny holds his hand when
we're shopping, or when Johnny rests against him when we watch TV. I also saw he had been
writing on his journal, when I went to wake him up from a nap.

Mom, I helped your friend, at least a bit.

I hope that can be enough, so you can forgive me for leaving you alone.

'I can't come back, Leah. I'm not who I was before.'

If I had done the same with you, back then, you wouldn't have looked so lonely.

'I still love you, with all my heart. But I'm not your mommy anymore.'

You'll always be mamma, even if you can't treat us like you used to.

'You have to be happy, even if I'm not here.'

I am. I feel bad, sometimes, for feeling happy when you're not around. You wouldn't like me
feeling bad for that, though.

'Keep smiling like you always do, little star.'

I will mom.

I'll keep what you've taught me, and never forget it. All of your lessons will stay with me, now that
I can't see you anymore.

Goodbye, momma.

'Good night, firefly."

 >

Chapter End Notes

'Alexa, play Mamma told me, by Mother Mother.'

My sleep paralysis demon, confused. 'You do know we don't have an Alexa, right?'

Ah, I hope that scene wasn't too much, I was thinking of just not posting this chapter,
but the twins trying to play matchmaker was actually fun to write, and writing Leah as
purely happy and innocent didn't quite match what I imagine her to be. It's just part of
the plot, you know? Character development or something.

Anyway, next chapter will be up around friday next week, I'm still busy. Sorry 'bout
that.

Thanks for the kudos and messages, as always! See you next week<3
 (6). Fairies, mouses, and colds.
Chapter Summary

The adults have important conversations, Leah tries to catch the tooth fairy, and Ghost
learns why normal people don't sleep outside during the coldest days of winter.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

These last few weeks were strange. The kids had been acting weird, and Leo had come clean about
their 'mission'. There was no denying Leah was her mother's daughter, now, calling herself a
captain. He doesn't quite understand what she was trying to accomplish, but he was glad she was
done.

Ghost wasn't weak, quite the opposite, actually, but he was human. If you push too hard, anyone
can break. So when he saw the man run down the stairs, shaking and looking like he was going to
cry, asking for Leo, he knew something had gone horribly wrong.

He wasn't expecting Leah to be like she was, though. He jumped to the worst scenarios, and he was
enraged at the other man. But he didn't get any explanations, only apologies.

Leah was an angel, he's sure of it. Trust was hard to get and easy to lose, he was fully expecting the
girl to never get close to Ghost, or him, again. But that didn't happen, she didn't look scared, she
looked like guilt was eating her alive.

There's no guide on how to deal with these situations. Well, maybe there is, but Soap didn't have it.
Leah knew how to fix it, thankfully. He wanted to eavesdrop when the two went outside, but he
had to respect their privacy. He wasn't expecting to see them come back hugging and laughing.

When the kids weren't around, Ghost was distant. Even if he acted tough in front of the twins and
pretended nothing was wrong, when they were alone, he could see the guilt and self-hatred drain
away any resemblance of happiness.

Soap promised Leah he would try to help.

"Ghost?" The man half turned, pausing the show he was supposedly watching. He wasn't really
paying attention to it, he just needed the background noise for his inner self-deprecating speech.

"Johnny?" That's his name. He sat beside the taller man and started to think what he wanted to talk
about first. He gets the feeling everything that's bothering the other is connected.

"Can you tell me what happened the other day? With Leah." It was something he had decided not
to ask before, when he realized the man wouldn't say anything besides 'I'm sorry' whenever he
asked what he had done. Ghost turned his face away, sitting up and moving away a couple inches.

"I got frustrated and didn't watch my tone. I scared her." That was it? Surely not. "She just wanted
to help me and I– I can't let her worry about me." If he remembers correctly, Leo had said that
Leah was trying to help Ghost with something, but she didn't really understand the situation.
"You know about their 'mission' too?" Leah had a weird way of thinking, probably because she
was a kid, still.

"How– 'too'?" Oh? That's an interesting reaction. Why is he panicking? Since when does his L.t
panic? "What did they tell you?"

"Nothing much, really." Leo just told him he had to stop Leah from going too far. He didn't stop
her in time, sadly. Actually, he tried, but the kid didn't listen. It's his fault for not insisting. "What
was that about, anyway? You seem to know more than me."

"It's complicated." Huh.

"Is it about your secret?" If Ghost had been drinking he would've spit everything. Soap had to
physically fight the urge to laugh at the other's face.

"What did she tell you?" He would be intimidated, but sadly for his L.t, he's very used to ignoring
warnings.

"Oh, she told me everything." He pretended to be serious, and that definitely wasn't the right
approach. Leah was right about lying, it's bad.

"I'm sorry." Just what on earth could his secret be, for him to apologize? For him to look so
heartbroken?

"I'm just messing with you! She said she isn't a snitch." The other sighed, relieved, then glared at
him.

"You're not funny." Look who's talking, Mr. disgusting and unfunny jokes.

"I could say the same." If he keeps getting side tracked, he'll get nowhere. "You trust me, right?
Can you please just talk to me? I can tell something's bothering you."

It could be his fault, after what happened with Leah he had refused to even look at his friend, and
that definitely affected the other man. They grew distant, and they hadn't exactly closed the gap
even after everything was sorted out.

"Of course I trust you, Johnny." It's nice to know that. But he needs the other to communicate with
him, not just trust him. "Don't worry about me." None of that. He's already worried.

"Simon, you can talk to me. Let me help you." Maybe pushing him again, when Leah had just
stopped pestering him, wasn't that good of an idea. But Ghost knew perfectly how to tell him to
back off. And he wasn't doing it.

"If you laugh–"

"You'll snap my neck. I know that one already. I'm not laughing." There's nothing to laugh about.
No, seriously, not even his jokes are worth laughing at.

"You don't know that." Did people usually laugh, when Ghost talked about important things? John
is not that cruel.

"I do know." He received a glare as an answer. This was the other's way to think of what to say,
losing time and hopefully making Soap forget about what he asked. It doesn't work, though.

"I'm scared." Ghost? Scared? No, not Ghost, Simon was scared. It's hard to remember there's a man
behind the mask and cold attitude. "I don't want to hurt them like that again, but I don't know if I'll
do it again. I didn't even realize what I did until Leah ran away and started crying."

"It was just a mistake, they happen, and you learn from them." He knows it was just a mistake, he
could tell by the somber expression his friend has had for the last week. "You won't hurt them
again, Simon. I know that."

A tense silence hanged between them, Ghost still had something to say, but he was fighting with
himself, deciding whether he should talk or deal with the thought on his own. A little push should
do.

He reached his hand, and when he touched the other's face mask, he felt a sense of déjà vu. This
time, Ghost refused to look at him.

"I don't want to be like him." The vitriol on that sentence hit him like a train. He doesn't know
much about Simon's past, but the context told him that he meant his father. He gets that, actually,
maybe not as much as Ghost does. If you're trying desperately to get in the army when you're just
sixteen, there's definitely something off.

"I don't think–You won't–" Not knowing what to say is not something he's used to, his specialty is
filling silences. But this is different, he can't say just anything. The wrong words would have worse
consequences. Disabling a bomb made him feel less dread than this conversation.

The silence was too long.

"Forget about it." He stopped Ghost when he tried to get up.

"I won't. Sit down." They exchanged glares for a second, neither of them willing to budge, until
eventually Ghost obeyed. "I don't know who you're talking about, but it doesn't matter. You're
doing–We. Are doing great."

"But what if it doesn't stay like that, Soap? I can't make mistakes and learn from them for the rest
of my life. The twins are not experiments, they're just kids." It stung a little, both hearing 'Soap'
instead of 'Johnny', and the defeat on Simon's voice. The second one was more concerning, he can
ignore his own feelings for a while.

"What if you stop worrying about the 'what if's? Nothing has happened yet, aside from that little
incident. You regret it, and Leah forgave you. It's solved." If anything worse happened, they can
figure it out. But they shouldn't worry so much about things that certainly won't happen.

"My regret means nothing. Leah is probably scarred for life." She is. But not because of them–does
he not realize that? Has his brain decided to ignore the kid's past so he can blame himself for their
problems?

"Leah is like that because of her aunt. Did you not hear her, when she was in that room?" He didn't.
He really thinks everything is his fault. "Simon–seriously. Stop blaming yourself for everything.
Remember what I told you?"

"What?" Good to know he's talking to a brick wall.

"You're not a monster, you're just human. You make mistakes because of that, and you learn
because of your mistakes. It's part of being human, all of that." It must be hard, coming back from
years of,–probably– hating yourself, and thinking you're just a machine designed just to follow
orders. It's hard for him, even, and he doesn't have half the issues his L.t has.
Apparently, the conversation was over, neither of them knew what else to say. Soap was a little
disappointed that he didn't get to know about Ghost's secret, but now doesn't feel like the right
time. And he probably has more chances of getting it out of the kids than from the man himself.

Said man suddenly yawned, his eyes blinking slowly as if trying to focus again. Right, Ghost hasn't
sleep at all in the last week, if he guesses by the sounds of the backdoor opening all night, every
night. He hasn't even taken naps, which had become a habit of his. The kids loved napping, and at
first they had forced Simon to join them, by falling asleep on top of him. He had gotten used to
taking naps even without the kids, but Soap hasn't seen him do that in the last couple of days.

"You should sleep a couple hours, you look like shit." The eyes were the only permanently visible
part of Simon's face, and the eyebags under them only became worse as days passed.

"Feel like it too." He didn't move though. Does he really have to force him to go rest?

"Come on, move your ass to the bedroom." He got up and pulled on his friend's hand. Ghost
eventually gave in and followed Soap to the room.

"What am I, a toddler?" Yes.

"You're acting like one. Want me to read you a bedtime story and kiss you goodnight?" It would be
funny, to do it as a joke, but the two outcomes are either Ghost beating him up or Ghost never
talking to him again. Perhaps both.

"Shut up and get out, dumbass." He would, but he knows very well Simon could pretend to sleep
for an hour and go back to pretending he's not dying for some rest.

"Aw, I was expecting some cuddles..." The other looked at him as if he said the stupidest thing.
Which is a bit true. "Go to bed or I'll tie you to that matress myself." He could see the way his eyes
said 'I dare you to try anything', and unluckily for his L.t, he very much loves a challenge,
especially if it's dangerous.

He threw himself on the bed and grabbed the other's waist before he could throw himself out of the
mattress and away from him. His arms were definitely going to be sore later, from the amount of
strength it took to hold the other in place, but that's the price to pay for victory. Maybe. He
wrapped his legs around Simon's thighs and then the man stopped resisting, relaxing under him.

"You're insufferable." That's rich coming from an adult throwing a fit over having a nap.

"You could've gone to sleep without being a prick." Ghost tried to stand up, hissing when Johnny
held him down and ended putting too much pressure on his bad leg.

"Let go, I want water." Does he think he's that dumb?

"I'll get it for you." He got up and walked to the kitchen, filling the glass in a rush and standing by
the doorframe. "You got to be kidding me."

There he was, standing in the middle of the hallway and trying to sneak past him. Before he could
grab him while he was still reachable, the brit started running the opposite direction, towards the
stairs. Soap stood there for a fraction of a second, perplexed, then sprinted towards the other. Not
like he could run that much faster than Soap, with the limp. He reached for his waist again and
dragged him the couple steps he had managed to climb, all the way back to the bedroom.

"You're annoying." He's the annoying one?

"You have to be fucking joking." As if trying to run away one time wasn't enough, he actually tried
to get up again. "Stop it." Soap let his weight pin the man down, and the other hissed, moving to
grab his leg. Right, his leg.

As soon as he moved and freed the man, Ghost turned to his side and scurried away to lay at the
edge of the mattress, his bent knees hanging off the bed. He grabbed the man's waist for what felt
like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes and pulled him towards the middle of the bed.

"Why are you like this?" The twins were not even close to half as complicated at bedtime as Ghost
was being, and they were actually little kids.

"Don't we have to pick up the kids in a couple hours? I'll sleep in the afternoon." Today is the only
day that excuse doesn't work. Soap trapped one of Ghost's legs with his own, stopping him from
trying to escape once again.

"They're going out with Maia and Lautaro. María is bringing them back at five." Soap relaxed the
hand that was still firmly grabbing the other's waist, and Simon suddenly sighed, relaxing against
him.

The silence extended for a while, Ghost's breathing slowing down by the minute. He shifted,
leaning against Soap a little and trying to lay on his back. Johnny untangled their legs and let his
arm rest on top of the other's torso. It was probably unconsciously, when the taller man guided
Johnny's leg to rest on top of his own again. Simon sighed, content with the added weight, and
melted under Soap.

Hopefully he's asleep, so he won't notice the way Johnny's heart seemed to want to break free from
his ribcage. Since they moved here, Ghost had softened a little, and Soap is having a hard time
dealing with his friend's actions. Especially when he looks as calm and absolutely adorable like
right now. He could feel against his chest the tiny smile the brit had when he fell asleep.

He has no way to go now, Simon opened his eyes a bit to look at him when he tried to move away.
His hand was stuck under the man's head, and he doesn't remember when he put it there.

"Mm?" Ghost tried to get up and Soap stopped him with his hand. The other didn't protest, now
that he fell asleep, the exhaustion of an entire week of barely resting came to take revenge. He
looked up at Johnny, his eyes barely open and blinking slowly. A cat?

"Nothin'. Go back to sleep." And he did, his eyes closing again and his face nuzzling into Soap's
arm under it.

Maybe more like a puppy? Or a kitten?

If Ghost could read minds he would be a dead man.

Something woke him up, a real cat had slipped through the open door and was now kneading and
digging it's claws against his arm. He never sees the cats, no idea where the twins keep them all
day. The movement alerted the man sleeping beside him, stirring a little before settling down
again.
Soap doesn't remember when he fell asleep, he wasn't expecting to actually fall asleep as well. He's
glad he was the first one to wake up, though. Seeing Ghost sleeping, with his guard down, was
quite a sight to behold. It was a little weird, too, looking down at the other, the small height
difference making it always impossible.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket, thankful for bringing it along, and checked the time. The
kids would be back in a bit, so he really needs to get up, and wake Simon as well. He'll do it, okay?
Just a few minutes more...

Staring isn't weird, right? He's just...admiring. It's not something he sees everyday, he has the right
to be curious.

It's just curiosity, nothing more.

"Simon..." He tried to get his now numb arm from under the other's head, without startling him.
Ghost shuffled, waking up slowly and looking at him with unfocused eyes. "We have to get up, the
kids will be back soon."

Ghost looked at him for a few more seconds, as if trying to process that he was not still sleeping.
Could the man even dream? He looks like he believes he's still in a dream. He snapped out of it
after a moment, sitting up and stretching, slowly and still drowsy.

"I'll go start dinner." The man left for the bathroom, and that was his cue to get out of bed and start
his day. Again.

The cat looked unhappy for being moved and left outside the room. It was heavier than what a cat
should be, if he knows anything about cats. It looked old too, probably older than the kids
themselves. 'Sammy' is what the tag in her neck said. Another name he probably won't remember.

After some minutes, Ghost walked into the kitchen, glancing at him and starting to cook without a
word. Soap didn't have much to do until the kids arrived, so he was sitting by the kitchen table,
scrolling on his phone.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked just in case, he knew the answer anyways.

"Mhm. Better than I've been sleeping these last few weeks." He didn't know Ghost's voice could
sound that deep. He also sounded like he didn't mean to reveal that much information.

"Great." He knows what the other meant. Even if his arm was numb after it, he slept better in those
few hours than in the last month. He's definitely going to regret it tonight, though, when he has to
go to sleep. There's a reason why naps aren't supposed to last more than an hour and a half.

After a while, he heard something being placed in front of him, and looked away from his phone
to find a cup of coffee and a plate with toasts. Simon looked at him briefly and turned to the stove.

"You're spoiling me too much, you know? I have to go back to the gym soon." He's still in shape,
miraculously, but he definitely has gained weight. It's impossible to say no to Ghost's food.

"Is that a complain? I'll take the food then, apologies." He reached to grab the cup.

"Not a complain, sir! Thank you for the food." He knows Ghost was only joking, but just in case
he pulled the food closer to himself. He wasn't even finished when he got a call.

"(John? Sorry if I'm bothering, I'm already on the way.)" He could hear someone crying in the
background, it was a girl. Was it Leah?
"(What happened?)" Are the kids okay? He shouldn't have let them go alone.

"(Sorry, I'm driving. We'll be there in ten.)" Well that didn't help.

"What the fuck?" They weren't hurt, surely? He would have known before they started the drive
back home, right? Maybe María was just busy and had to send them back earlier.

"Watch your mouth." Ghost looked at him and turned down the flame, giving him his full
attention.

"Didn't know there were kids around." His friend lifted his eyebrow, looking slightly offended.
Right, mind the tone, MacTavish.

"Only you." At least he's biting back. "What is it?" He took off his apron and sat down on a chair
nearby.

"I don't know. I think Leah was crying, they're almost here already." He should go to the gates and
wait for them, actually. And bring Bones so Leah is happy.

"Didn't you say they were coming back at five? It's not even four yet." Good to know he's not the
only one concerned.

"I'm going to wait for them at the gates." Ghost nodded and turned off the fire. When he came back
to the living room with Bones, Simon was already waiting for him there. They walked in silence to
their destination, waiting for the car without saying a word either.

After what felt like hours, they saw the car arrive, the kids running out of the doors as soon as it
was parked.

"Johnny!" So it was Leah, the one crying. Leo looked scared too, but he was fairly more calm than
his twin. "I don't want to lose my teeth!"

What?

The woman got out of the car, too, looking exhausted. She looked at Leah and then up at him,
apologetic.

"(Sorry, they saw Maia's tooth fall and they got scared. I couldn't get them to calm down, they
wanted to come back.)" Oh, right. Kids lose their baby teeth.

"(It's okay, sorry for the trouble.)" María smiled, relieved.

"(I have to get back, I have work later. See you.)" She was already walking back to her car.

"(Thank you, María. We'll see each other around.)" She waved them goodbye and drove away.

Leah was pulling at his clothes, ignoring Bones' greeting. That was serious, Leah never ignored her
puppy.

"Let's go inside, aye? It's cold out here." The girl looked up, stopping her cries for a second, and
nodded. She raised her hands towards him.

"I want up." His arms hurt just thinking about it, but if that's what she wants...

"Come here." Oh? Ghost noticed him hesitating and decided to spare him. The girl went happily
and held onto Simon's sweatshirt so she wouldn't fall.
When they got into the house, Leah basically jumped down from Simon's arms, taking Bones and
running to the couch, her brother following closely. It seems like she forgot why she was cryi–

"Johnny!" Nevermind. She wasn't crying like before, but her voice was wobbly, as if she was about
to cry. He walked into the living room and sat beside the kids.

"What is it?" Ghost had followed too, sitting on the other corner of the couch.

"Will our teeth really fall out?" He wanted to laugh, but that would be cruel. Now that he's an adult,
he can't really remember if losing his baby teeth was painful or scary, because it's something
almost insignificant when it's done. But the kids hadn't lost any of their teeth yet, and he can
assume no one ever told them they would lose them.

"Aye, they need to fall so your big girl teeth can grow in." The girl curled up, hugging her knees
and tearing up again.

"But I don't want that! That's gonna hurt!" Leo paled as well, getting closer to his sister.

"It doesn't hurt, Leah. Mine fell too, you know? It didn't hurt, not even a bit." She doesn't seem
comforted by that.

"That only happens to girls, right?" He really doesn't want to deal with two crying children. Please,
Leo, you never cry about anything.

"Do I look like a girl? I just said I lost mine too." Well, that didn't help in the slightest.

They both started whining, and isn't that just great? He really feels like the other adult in the room
should be helping.

"You should be excited about the tooth fairy." Oh, right. That's what parents use to make the kids
less scared, right? Wait, isn't that just bribery?

"Tooth fairy?" As expected, no one ever talked to them about these things.

"Aye, it's a fairy that takes your teeth when they fall out, and she leaves money under your pillow
when she takes them." They perked up at that, Leah looking at him with big, surprised eyes.

"It's like that mouse Maia talked about!" Mouse? Is that the spanish version of the tooth fairy? "So
it is real!" Well, at least they aren't crying anymore.

"What do they need teeth for?" Uh. That's a good question.

"They eat them." That's the worst explanation you can give. Of course it was Ghost the one to say
that. He probably thinks he's funny, even.

"Gross!" Very. He turned slowly, looking at the man, who seemed indifferent to his glare.

"He's lying. The fairy grinds them and makes magic fairy dust." Ghost dared to scoff. Sure, it
sounds dumb, but it's a better mental image for a 7-year-old.

"And the mouse?" He could see the brit open his mouth on his peripheral. Not again.

"The mouse sells the ones he founds to the fairies. So they can make more dust." It was funny, how
the kids believed anything, no matter how bizarre it was. And the disappointed eyes his L.t had
when he talked above him was even funnier.
The twins looked at each other, and the glance they shared could only mean trouble. It's the same
glance they had when they were on their 'mission'.

"So, if we catch the mouse, we can make him tell us where the fairies are. And then we can ask
them to give us their magic powder..." It wasn't clear if the twins' intelligence was a blessing or a
curse. They love scheming things, in this case it's harmless. A bit cute, too. But the last time...

"We can use my loose teeth! Punch me!" Ah, there it is. That's where their plan goes wrong.

"Don't." Leo stopped, his fist in the air, and they both stared confused at Ghost, not understanding
why they couldn't do what they wanted.

"You can't take them like that, you have to let them fall by themselves." They seemed
disappointed, and he'll never understand how they went from crying because they didn't want their
teeth to fall to punching each other to take them out.

"But how do we make them visit us..."

"You just wait until it falls, the mouse is going nowhere." She reluctantly nodded, looking at her
brother.

"And the fairy?" Maybe he should've explained they are one in the same. Well, it's not like their
mother didn't leave enough money, anyways. It won't hurt anyone to leave them two 'gifts'. They'll
probably spend it on candy.

"The fairy won't go anywhere either."

The kids will have time to think how to catch the non-existant creatures, and he'll have time to
convince Ghost to be the one to play the role of tooth fairy.

Even if the kids are smart, they aren't good liars. Leah came running to the room, saying her tooth
had finally fallen, a few tears in her eyes and a very red cheek. Leo walked in a few seconds later,
hiding his hand behind his back and looking anywhere but at Soap.

The twins are a menace.

"Do I just put it under the pillow?" The crying from last week was useless, it seems. Her fear of
losing her teeth had completely disappeared under her excitement. That's good.

"Aye, and then when you fall asleep, they'll come to take the tooth." The girl ran back to her room,
and didn't come back. He should have said they come at night, not in the afternoon. Leo had
disappeared as well, probably to go make a plan with his sister.

"Johnny?" Oh? Did Ghost come back, already?

"Welcome back." Simon had left with Jenny to town, the woman offered him a job at a butcher
shop and to Soap's surprise, he actually seemed interested. The woman had taken him there to
show him around, before he accepted the job. "How did it go?" It was obvious in his eyes that he
was at least a little bit happy.
"Good. The owner said I start next monday." He's not going to question how he was hired so
quickly considering he has barely any documentation, or licenses. It's probably better if he doesn't
know.

"That's great!" Soap should begin looking for a job too, now that he's gotten used to living here.
He's getting bored of staying home all day. And he should find a gym, too. He has to find a way to
manage his schedule, though. He can't leave the kids alone.

"Mhm." Now that he thinks about it, Simon can't use the car, so he has to drive him to work, right?

"Do you know what your shift is?" Hopefully not when the kids got out of school.

"The closing shift. The owner doesn't like Jenny working until late, because she walks home and
it's dark when she gets out." It makes sense, no one likes walking alone at night, it's probably
scarier for a woman. "I start at five and get out at eleven." Ah, he should bid farewell to his
precious eight hours of sleep.

"Alright. I have to drive you there, no?" It looks like Simon hadn't thought about transportation, if
he can guess from the other's eyes.

"...I can take the bus, or something." The nearest bus stop is a twenty minute walk away from here,
and the buses passed once per hour. So no, he's not taking the bus.

"I don't mind, actually. It's faster this way. Send me the address later." Ghost stared for a couple
seconds, before nodding.

"I saw Leah run down the hall." Ah, he almost forgot.

"She took out her teeth, she's waiting for the tooth fairy." They had talked about this, and it took a
while but Simon ended up agreeing to be the tooth fairy, since he's better at sneaking around. And
his hands didn't tremble most of the time.

"Did she ask Leo to punch her again?" They had to stop her more than once from using brute force
to get the tooth to fall. He should've kept an eye on her...

"Affirmative." Ghost chuckled, then started rummaging through his pockets, eventually pulling out
some bills.

"You think they'll suspect if the fairy gives them dollars instead of pesos?" Not like the kids care
about the money, they want the fairy.

"Nah, they won't notice." The brit put the money back and went to sit by Soap's side, looking at the
TV with confusion.

"Why are you watching SpongeBob?" He hadn't really been paying attention to the screen, the
cartoons were his default channel in case the kids came to the living room.

"Uh, don't know." He grabbed the remote and put the news. There isn't a lot to report on, somehow.
They always talk about the same crimes for weeks, news broadcast always end up turning to
documentaries or movie reviews, for some reason. He won't complain about that, it's better that
way.

~
"Why didn't the fairy come?" Leah put her dishes in the sink and went to the table again, she was
the last to finish today. Her disappointment was clear. "I waited all evening!"

"She comes after midnight, when you're asleep." The girl pouted, looking at the fallen tooth she
still had with her. "You can't stay awake waiting for her, you have school tomorrow."

"But what if I don't catch her?" It's not like they'll catch anything anyways. Right, he can't say that.

"You have more teeth, don't you? You'll get more chances." Well, perhaps that wasn't what he
should have said either. Leah put her hand on her mouth and started checking for more loose teeth.
"They won't fall yet, you have to be patient, Leah."

"Fine." She got up, annoyed, and grabbed Simon's hand. "Bed." The man picked her up and started
walking towards the bedroom, Leo getting up as well and looking at Soap expectantly.

The kid won't ask for it, but Soap knows what he wants. He can't pick him up like Ghost, so he
took his hand and walked with him to bed. Unlike Leah, her brother didn't need or want that much
attention, he usually went to bed by himself, Soap only went with him to turn off the lights by the
door, and to make sure he actually went to sleeo, of course. The girl was different from her twin,
she wouldn't go to bed unless someone took her there and tucked her in, and usually it was Ghost
doing that, since he doesn't have a problem picking her up, nor telling her to behave when she
begged to stay up for a little longer.

"Goodnight, Leo." He turned the lights off and heard the bed rustling.

"Goodnight, Johnny." It wasn't that weird for the kid to be used to sleep in the dark, right? Usually
children had some source of light when they went to bed, but Leo had refused to have one when
they offered to get a nightlight for him. Leah was curious, so she said yes, but she hadn't used it at
all since the first night.

Ghost joined him on the couch in the living room some minutes later, letting himself fall on it. The
man had to wait until the girl was sleeping deeply, and he didn't mind waiting with him. He started
to change channels randomly, not really knowing what to watch. 'Tooth fairy'? Isn't that just too
much of a coincidence? Now that he thinks about it...

"Want me to get you a pink dress and fake wings?" He turned with a barely repressed smile and
laughed at Ghost's death glare.

"I can kill you with my bare hands." There's no doubt about that.

"I'd like you to try." He should really stop challenging Ghost, but it was fun. They looked at each
other for a moment, not really knowing if the other was serious. Soap didn't even have time to
process what happened, he just knew that a millisecond before he was sitting and staring at Simon,
and the next he was pinned down on the couch. The other had grabbed both of his wrists with one
arm, not putting any strength so he didn't hurt Johnny.

"You've become even more of a brat since we came here. Don't get cocky, MacTavish." Ah, he had
forgotten how scary his L.t sounded when he was serious.

"Yes, sir." He felt the pressure on his wrist fade, the other getting off of him slowly. He was still
straddling him, looking down slightly concerned.

"Sorry. Took that too far." So he was just joking. Well, of course, it shouldn't have taken him that
long to notice. The other looked guilty, starting to get up, and he moved without even thinking.

"It's fine! I asked for it." The man was startled by both the sudden movement and unexpected
contact, when Soap grabbed his waist to keep him where he was. "Uh–sorry." He took his hands
off as if he had touched a hot knife, and Ghost only looked at his hand, eyes unreadable.

"I don't mind." Huh. Was he asking him to keep his hands there? Surely not. Simon is just being
nice, so that Johnny doesn't feel bad for touching him.

Right?

Soap let his hands fall and watched as Ghost got up and sat at his previous spot, changing the
movie before getting comfortable on the couch. A couple moments after, Johnny decided to sit up
as well, pretending to watch the movie the other had picked.

Since a little after the kids started school, after winter break, they had been more cuddly with them,
for some reason. He doesn't mind, but he couldn't help notice that he always ended up cuddling
with his L.t as well. He doesn't mind either, but it's definitely doing something to him. He's not
going to admit he likes the physical contact with his friend, but he can't deny it, either. He couldn't
even get too close to the other while they were on base, and now he spends every afternoon
snuggling in the sofa with him and the twins. His brain is having a hard time processing those
facts.

So that must be what caused the disappointment, when Ghost got off and away from him. He won't
accept any other reason as to why he felt disappointed, it was just some mixed wires in his brain.
Nothing else.

When did the movie end?

"Johnny?" He saw those concerned eyes again, and smiled to try to make them go away.

"What is it?" Well, the smile didn't work. Also, when did the other stand up, and how didn't he
notice?

"I said you should go to bed already." It didn't sound like an order, just a suggestion.

"What about Leah?" The kid would be gloomy all day if she didn't at least get money from the
fairy.

"I'm going to her room now." He stood up and went towards the bedrooms, turning to look at Ghost
and waiting for the man as he turned off the TV and lights on the empty rooms. Surely, Leah
hadn't just left the tooth under the pillow, and he wanted to witness whatever the girl had planned
to catch the fictional creatures.

Ghost looked at him confused, but didn't comment, and instead he opened the door silently and got
into the room. He could barely see inside, the only light was the lights from the garden, filtering
through the curtains, and the flashlight from Soap's phone. He covered his mouth to muffle the
laugh he almost let out when his L.t tripped on something.

The kid had littered the floor with building blocks and squeaky toys from the dogs. Bold of her to
assume fairies walk. No, wait, fairies don't even exist.

Simon looked around and stepped on every place that didn't have any toy, which weren't exactly a
lot. Seeing the man tiptoe around the room was funny, especially if he considered how he could've
just moved the obstacles. The noise of putting the things away can't wake the girl up, but he won't
tell the other, now that he was already next to the bed.

The man moved precisely and deadly silent, taking the tooth from under the pillow and slipping
the bills in place. There was a little problem, though, and at least one of them should've seen it
coming. Literally seen it. The cat had effortlessly sneaked into the room through the open door,
getting on a desk and, as the bastard they are, it decided to throw things off of it.

Soap saw the pencils fall and closed the door on instinct to hide himself. New problem: Ghost was
still inside. He saw the brit move to the ground and try to hide before he closed the door, so he
should be able to hide if Leah woke up. Which she definitely did. He heard someone stumbling to
the door, and the light switch too.

Leah's excitement died as she saw Johnny standing in front of her door.

"Did you see her?" The girl looked down the hallway, searching for something. He could see
Ghost moving behind Leah, going to hide at the bedroom's bathroom silently.

"See who?" Playing dumb for a bit should give his L.t some time.

"The fairy! She was here, right? She closed the door." Well, it definitely wasn't the fairy.

"I didn't see her, I just heard the door closing." The girl pouted, running back to her bed to check
under her pillow. She pulled out the money and stared at it, disappointed. "She already left?"

"Yeah..." Getting to the bed was indeed, very hard. He has no idea how the girl got there without
effort, avoiding everything on the floor. "Don't worry, you'll catch her some other time." She didn't
look happy. But she didn't protest when he put her to bed again, though. After making sure she was
sleeping, he went and opened the door to the bathroom. "Did you see the fairy anywhere?" Ghost
just stared and huffed as he followed him out of the room.

"I did. She says she's going to rip your teeth out if you keep being unhelpful." He couldn't be mad
that Soap closed the door, right? Actually, he could. Soap should have kept the cat out.

He was going to answer, but a small gasp caught his attention when they went out of the room.

Shit.

"She's going to..." Leo was standing by his door, completely horrified of what he overheard.

"No, no, it's okay! She doesn't do that." The kid was already terrified of losing his baby teeth and
now he's probably scared of the tooth fairy too. Which is the thing that's supposed to make him
less scared of losing his teeth.

"She could if you–ugh." Someone doesn't know how to read the room. Ghost lifted his recently
kicked knee and leaned on the wall.

"She won't. Don't listen to him. Now let's go back to bed." Before his L.t could make matters
worse, he guided the kid towards the bed. It was the first time the boy was reluctant to go to sleep.

"What if she's still in the house? She could still get into my room and..." Good job, Ghost, you
unlocked another fear for the kid.

"I promise you she won't come to your room. She doesn't take your teeth out either, Simon was just
messing with you." Thankfully the kid was still sleepy, and seemed to give up.
"What about the mouse?" Right.

"The mouse won't do anything either. Go to sleep, buddy." Leo hid himself under the covers then,
staring between the door and at Soap.

"Can I keep the lights on?" He's going to beat the shit out of Ghost. The kid didn't even want the
lights out when they had watched a scary movie,–by Leah's request– and now he was scared
enough to ask to sleep with the lights on.

"Sure. Goodnight." He left the room and tried to find the other man, but he had already
disappeared, probably hiding in his bedroom. He'll scold him tomorrow, then.

The alarm went off earlier than usual, he could tell by the silence in the house that not even Ghost
had woken up yet. Perfect. Maybe he'll regret losing a few minutes of sleep, but he wanted to get
up earlier today. He took a quick shower and made himself some coffee, starting to look for any
store that was looking for new employees. Toy store...flower shop...coffee shop...cashiers...ugh...

Something is something, at least.

Security guard...? Night shift on a hypermarket...He really shouldn't. Something more ordinary
should do, even if most of the time nothing happens at a store, there's still the chance to get injured.
He has more to lose now, he has to take care of the kids. Can't leave the twins alone. Or Ghost.

One of the mothers had offered him a job at her flower shop, since it was close by. 'It's not taxing
and you can work there while you get used to the town' is what she had said. But he doesn't see
himself taking care of plants and making bouquets.

This is annoying. He has to prepare a resume before deciding on anything, anyways. What he
needs to do soon, though, is wake the kids up. He should start with Miss 'just five more minutes'.

"Leah?" The floor was still littered with toys, but he can turn the lights on this time, at least. The
girl groaned as the light woke her up, turning so she could shield her face from the world. "Come
on, rise and shine."

"I don't wan–ah?" The girl turned slowly, confused. "Where's Simon?" Now that he thinks about it
where is Ghost? The man should've woken up while Soap was making coffee, at least. He is
waking the kids ten minutes earlier than usual, but Simon is always up at least half an hour before
the current time.

"Uh...I don't know." Actually, it was odd the man wasn't already up when Soap got up. He usually
starts breakfast early. "I'll go get him. Get ready for school, aye?" Leah reluctantly got up and went
to her bathroom. Leo was already up when he went to wake him up, which is the usual.

Now, where was his L.t?

He couldn't find him in any of the rooms he searched, which only worried him more. Did he run
away? Surely not. Maybe he needed some alone time, and the man was good at hiding. He doesn't
remember anything happening to make the man want to hide, though, but he knows Ghost doesn't
really need something to happen to spiral into anything. His brain was damaged enough to find
negative thoughts without an incentive.

"Did you find him? I'm hungry." The kids were already prepared for school, waiting by the kitchen
door.

"Didn't find him, no. I'll go make you something for breakfast." Leah scrunched her nose and
walked to the fridge.

"I'll just eat fruit..." This little shit–

"Really?" The girl ran to the living room while giggling and he decided to follow.

"Did you check outside?" He didn't, and he doesn't know why his L.t would stay outside
considering it was freezing, but it was worth a try checking. Leo walked in with a piece of bread
and stared at him.

"The backyard door locks by itself and you can't open it without the key." Oh, he didn't know that.
He walked towards the back door, and alas, there he was. Curled up against the door and looking
like a puppy forgotten in the rain.

"What are you doing?" The man was startled awake, flinching away from Soap's voice and slowly
waking up.

"Just taking a nap." He stretched and got up with some difficulty.

"Why are you outside?" Ghost was shivering, and his injured leg was not cooperating with him.
Soap decided to have mercy and helped him walk inside.

"Went for a smoke and forgot the keys." Leah screamed out of nowhere and he had enough time to
react and dodge the banana flying their way. His L.t wasn't that lucky.

"Sorry! There was a spider!" Ghost curled up, grabbing where the fruit had hit him and grunting.
"Are you okay?" The girl ran their way and tried to grab the brit's face.

"It's okay..." Soap looked back and saw the spider Leah was talking about–

"Shi–" Leo walked in, way too calm for the size of that thing, and put it in an empty glass.

"It's a wolf spider. It's harmless." The kid was fascinated by the bug, examining it before slipping a
paper under the glass and taking the thing outside.

"He likes bugs." Leah made a disgusted face and grabbed her fruit from the ground. "Can I watch
TV?" He looked at the clock. They still had ten minutes before having to leave.

"Sure. We're leaving soon, make sure you have everything ready." She nodded and ran to the living
room. "And you...why the hell didn't you knock on my window or something?"

"Didn't want to wake you." His L.t shrugged and walked towards the bedrooms.

"Are you insane? I wouldn't care if you woke me up for that." If he thinks about it, he wouldn't
care if Ghost woke him up no matter the context. "Go get some proper sleep, I'll take the kids to
school." The man turned then, looking at him with his eyes narrowed. "Not again..."

"I'll go with you." He really doesn't feel like wrestling with the man this early in the morning.

"Put something warmer on, then. And you're going to bed as soon as we get back." The other man
only rolled his eyes.

"Yes, mom." If it wasn't because Ghost hurried inside his bedroom he would've replied. Whatever.
He has to check on the twins anyways.

"(...I don't think he's like that, he just forgot the keys–)" Leah turned around to look at him,
nervous. The TV was on but the kids weren't really paying attention to the cartoons, apparently.
"Hi, Johnny!"

"Hi, Leah." Ghost had scolded the kids a while back–well, not scolded, he just had a little talk with
them. The twins sometimes talked in spanish because they knew Soap couldn't understand all of it
yet, even if he was trying to learn more to fit in with the rest of the population of the country. "Are
you two ready? You can go to the car, I'll be there with Simon in a bit."

They both stood up, grabbing their things and running to the garage. Ghost was taking a little
longer than he would...surely he's fine? It won't hurt to check on him.

"Si–Ghost?" The door to the bedroom was open, but the man was nowhere to be found. The light in
the bathroom wasn't on either, so he was left with no other option but to enter the room and
investigate. Well, not like the man had many places to hide. "L.t?" No answer.

Where the hell could he be? He wasn't on the bed, or under it–because there's no way he could fit
under it, even if he tried. Not in the closet either...

"What are you doing?" He turned, his fight or flight instinct almost making him punch his friend.
Ghost just looked at him, confused.

"Where were you?" Walking back to the hallway and having a better look at the man, there was
something odd that he couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Your room. Didn't have any clean sweatshirts, I borrowed one from your closet." He doesn't
remember agreeing to that. Also, he's pretty sure he had seen more than a couple sweaters and
hoodies in the closet, and he doubts the man would put them there if they were dirty.

"You're welcome? Did you even ask to borrow one?" That was what was off, he recognized the
hoodie the man was using. He doesn't mind anyways, he hadn't used the thing in ages.

"No. Can I?" Well, it's a bit late to ask, no?

"Sure." They both walked to the car in complete silence, Ghost turning the heating on as soon as he
was inside the vehicle. He wasn't shivering anymore, but he must still be cold.

Leah was looking between her brother and Soap, looking like she wanted to talk but not daring to.
After more than five minutes of silence, Johnny sighed and decided to ask.

"What is it, Leah?" The girl stared at her twin for a couple seconds before focusing on him again.

"Leo's–"

"Don't." Leo kicked her slightly and, as expected, she took great offense.

"Why did you kick me?" She started swinging her toy at her brother, which is the usual. It's not
like she actually hits her brother, it's just the threat that she could if she wanted to what scared the
boy. "Just tell them!" The kid shook his head.
"Ghost." He didn't get any response, looking the other's way he found the man hugging himself,
already asleep. The kids had apparently noticed Simon's condition and stopped their quarrel.

"Leo has a loose tooth." Leah whispered, getting a huff and a glare from her twin.

"That's it?" He was expecting something worse, but he won't complain. "Don't start punching each
other again, aye? You can seriously hurt yourselves." The girl pouted, for some reason.

"Fine..." Her attention shifted to the sleeping man in front of her. "Was he always this sleepy?"
Well, no, he wasn't. His L.t is usually the first to wake up, and the last to go to sleep. He was never
drowsy in the morning, either, Leah must've realized that he was not acting like always.

"He just didn't sleep properly today." The girl shook her head.

"I mean, he should've woken up with us moving so much and talking so loudly right now. Right?"
Huh. Actually, she's right. "Is he alright?"

"I-uh...I think so? I'll check when we get to school." They were not that far anyways.

As soon as he parked, the kids took their seat belts off, but didn't get out of the car, looking
expectantly between Ghost and him. His hand slowly touched the other's covered face, finding that
even the fabric over his skin was too hot. Of course, a fever.

"Is he sick?" Leah got up from her seat and got closer to them, reaching with her hand to touch
Ghost's forehead. "Oh, no! He has a fever!" He's not going to question how the kid knew that.

"He does. I'll take care of him, you two have to go to class." The girl took her hand back and
grabbed her backpack, getting off the car in unison with her twin. Soap gave Ghost a last glance
before getting out of the car as well.

"There's medicines in the bathroom at home, if he doesn't feel okay when he wakes up. Give him a
lot of water and tell him to rest..." Since when is the girl a doctor? Also, why is she telling him, the
responsible adult, how to take care of someone? "He should take a bath with warm water...that's
how I deal with Leo's fevers..." Oh. Of course.

"I'll deal with it, okay? You worry about school now, aye?" Leah nodded and tugged on his sleeve.
He crouched, confused and stared at the girl.

"See you later, Johnny!" Both of the twins took turns to give him a peck in his cheek and ran
towards the school gates. Huh. That's new. Leah excitedly waved her hand once she was in the
school yard and kept running towards her classroom.

His smile remained on his face the entire drive back home.

He regrets these last few months away from the gym, now. His L.t wasn't exactly that much bigger
or heavier than him, but the bastard was out cold and he had to drag him to the house. He really
should have insisted for the man to stay home. It's not like Ghost was unconscious, he had told
Johnny to 'leave me alone, I can walk by myself', right before almost becoming one with the floor.
He can't remember ever seeing the man get sick since he knew him, he was sure Ghost was some
kind of weird experiment, a super soldier that didn't need to concern himself with the troubles of
mortals. But of course he wasn't. And apparently not even the man himself was conscious of that
fact. It's probably the first time in years he's caught a cold, and he was near delirious from the
fever. That's what he gets for sleeping outside during winter, he's lucky he didn't get hypothermia.

"Come on, you prick, you're fuckin' heavy." He had tried to leave his friend against a wall while he
tried to unlock the door, but the man decided to try to stand for himself, for some unknown and
very dumb reason, so he had to come to the rescue and hold the brit. Now he was stuck with a very
heavy body leaning on his back, while trying desperately to make his hands stop trembling for
enough time so he can open the door. Without much success.

"'m not that heavy..." Nice one, L.t. He sighed and decided to make the man sit on the stairs. Not
like it did much, he almost fell head first down them, so he had to make him lie down. But now he
can open the door and get them inside. Finally.

He dumped the man on the couch and threw himself in the empty space nearby. He's very tired,
and it's still early in the morning. Some more coffee should fix that. He'll help Ghost after he
doesn't feel like he's about to collapse.

Once in the kitchen, he noticed the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the window, quite violently if
he should add. At least the weather was kind to him, letting him get inside the house before it
started pouring. He hadn't even noticed the sky was overcast, but now he couldn't ignore it, the
sound of rain and the wind howling were the only thing he could hear in the silent house. And a
thud from the livi–

"Jesus fuckin'– Can't you sit still for five seconds!?" Ghost was lying on the floor, face down,
trying to get up and clearly failing, his arms weak.

"I don't feel–" A cough interrupted his words, he lifted his balaclava and started heaving. That's
great, he really wanted to clean vomit out of the carpet today, it was on his to-do list, actually.

"Shit, Ghost." He hurried to find a bucket and came back as soon as he could, helping his L.t sit on
the floor and handing him the bucket. The man barely held his face high enough to look at him, his
eyes glossy.

"Tha–" He looked away as soon as the other lowered his head and started throwing up inside the
plastic container. He really didn't know what else to do, besides rubbing circles on Ghost's back.
"Sor–" Ew.

"It's okay, Simon." He can't be mad at the other for getting sick, even if he was stupid for staying
the entire night outside in the cold. Did it rain yesterday night, too? If so then he was even more
stupid. "Stay here, aye? I'll take you to bed, give me a second." He left to turn off the fire once the
man had calmed down, taking his coffee in big gulps and preparing himself mentally to take his
friend's limp body to the bedroom.

He waited for the man to stop dry heaving and lifted him as best he could, ignoring the other's
whining. If he didn't already admire Rusnav, he did now. How on earth did the woman lift Ghost
up and run for almost an entire hour without even complaining? He feels about ready to die and he
had only walked for less than a minute.

"If you move again I'm killing you on the spot." He carefully let the man on the bed and went out
to check what he had in the bathroom. Leah wasn't lying, the first aid kit was well stocked, but he
really didn't know what to give his L.t. There was no need to check for a fever, but aside from that
and the nausea he didn't know if the man had any other discomforts. And he couldn't exactly ask.

He took a few bottles of meds he thought could help and a few cloths he wet, going back to the
man's bedroom.

"Still with me?" Ghost lift his hand and waved weakly, telling him he was at least still awake. He
was about to put the wet cloth on the other's forehead when he realized that–well, there's no
forehead to put it on. It doesn't seem that comfortable to have a wet balaclava sticking to your face,
and he's not sure if putting the wet cloth will do anything if there's another fabric between the skin
and the cloth. "Uh, you think you can put this yourself? Don't want to...uh...uncover your face. I'll
let you have your space."

"Just take it off, MacTavish." The voice was broken and quiet, barely above a whisper, but it still
sounded like a command. He chuckled and complied, taking the balaclava off carefully and placing
the wet fabric against Ghost's skin. He's trying his best not to stare at the man's bare face, but he
couldn't help looking. Still as handsome as last ti–

"You should rest for a while, if you feel better later you should take a bath." He interrupted his
own thoughts and got up from the bed. Ghost was in no condition to cook, so he should start
looking for something he could make for the kids and himself. He stopped when he felt fingers
barely holding into his sleeves, turning to look at the sick man.

"Can you..." The hand fell limp on the bed, his eyes blinking slowly. Soap sat back down and
waited for the other to finish his sentence. "Just stay a little."

"Uh..." He wouldn't mind, but if whatever his L.t caught was contagious they would be doomed.
Well, he had carried the man around the house and stayed with him in a closed space, so if it was
contagious he probably is already infected, but still.

"Plea–" He started coughing again and Soap immediately went to help him sit. So much for not
wanting to catch his sickness, surely standing in front of the sick man while he's coughing won't
have consequences.

"Try to sleep, Simon. I'll go get you some water." He fixed the cloth on his forehead once he had
stopped coughing, helping the other lay on the mattress and getting out of the room. There were
some vegetables and meat they had bought yesterday...maybe he could make stew? Can't be that
hard. And some soup for Simon, because he probably won't be able to eat much in his condition.

He carried the glass of water to the bedroom and left it on the bedside table, helping the man sit up
so he could drink.

"You good?" The man finished the water slowly, taking breaks to breathe through his mouth.

"No." He chuckled and made the other go back to lay on his back. He also helped Ghost getting
under his covers, since he started shivering again.

"Sleep a little, I'm going to start making lunch." Simon tried to reach for his hand again but failed
to grab onto anything this time. "Calm down, won't you? If you need anything I'll be in the kitchen,
I'll check on you and leave the door open, aye?" He received a nod as a response.

Making stew wasn't that hard, indeed. He just followed the instructions he found online and it was
done by lunchtime. Maybe it won't taste as good as if Ghost had made it, but it was still pretty
decent.

He had checked on his friend every half hour, changing the wet cloth and giving him some water
when he was awake. The fever had diminished as time went on, and he seemed more aware now,
which was a relief.

"You good to stand up? You're soaked in sweat, go take a bath." The man was still weak but he
could stand with little to no help now. "I'll go pick the kids up in a bit, are you okay by yourself?"

"I'll survive." He walked him to the bathroom and left him by himself once he was inside.

Well, there's that much he can do.

"Johnny, look!" Leah excitedly got into the car and showed him a tooth. Leo was silently glaring at
both of them. "Leo lost his tooth too!" He could tell.

"Did it hurt?" The boy was upset, he could tell even if he was acting like nothing happened.

"No..." So it wasn't that what was bothering him. "Leah made a scene when it fell and I'm
embarrassed." That sounds like something Leah would do.

"I didn't mean to! I was just excited...sorry..." Leo looked away on his seat and kept quiet. The girl
looked guilty but didn't know what else to say. It was weird, having to spend the entire drive home
in silence, and even when they were home no one said anything. Soap didn't exactly know what to
tell the kids either, without upsetting them. And he was too tired to deal with any conflict, if he was
honest.

The kids eventually stopped being so awkward between them, chatting as they ate. He wasn't
paying that much attention at what they were saying, concentrated on making some soup for
Ghost.

"Where is Simon?" Leah put her dishes in the sink and stared up at him.

"He's resting." He was a little surprised it took the girl this long to remember the other adult of the
household.

"Can we see him?" That didn't seem like the best idea. If the kids get sick too he would have to
take care of three people, and probably get sick himself in the process. "Please?" Puppy eyes won't
work this time, Leah.

"He's sick, you can see him when he feels better." The girl looked disappointed but she didn't insist
any further. She went to the living room to watch TV with her brother, occasionally standing up to
go look at Soap from the hallway. A little creepy, actually. Pretty sure there's a horror movie with a
scene like that.

He served some soup and waited until it cooled down a bit before going to the bedroom. Ghost was
sleeping in new clothes, the cloth he used to have in his forehead left behind somewhere. And he
was cuddling with the same cat that had gotten into the room before. That's cu–

"Ghost?" He left the bowl on the nightstand and gently shook the man awake. "I brought you
something to eat..." The man turned slowly and stretched his arms, sitting up slowly. The cat
glared as if Soap had personally offended her.
"Thanks." That was probably his cue to leave. Ghost was covering his face again, under a medical
face mask this time, so he had to take that out to eat. He'll give him some privacy.

When he was about to exit, he saw that Leah was peeking through the open door, trying to hide
after being caught. Not like she did anything wrong.

"I told you you'll see him when he's better. What do we do if the princess of the house gets sick
too?" She looked down with a smile and shook her head. Ghost seemed to understand what was
happening, looking at their direction with fond eyes.

"Hey, Leah." She looked up with a bright smile and waved her hand without stepping into the
room.

"Hi, Simon!" He really wishes he could be as energetic as the kid, especially now that he
remembers he still has a long day ahead of him. Feeding the animals was going to be especially fun
today, with the mud and the rain. 'Fun' as in not at all.

"Let's go, now, he needs to eat." Leah waved goodbye and left hurriedly to the living room again.
This time, Leo was nowhere to be seen, which surprised the girl as well.

"Oh, the piano..." She apparently remembered something and started running down the hall,
stopping to look at Soap from the bottom of the stairs. "Come with me?" Not like he has anything
better to do.

As they got closer to the office, he could hear someone trying to play the piano. Not like they were
succeeding much, but since it was clearly Leo trying to play it, it was actually decent for a 7 year
old that had never taken lessons. The door was left open, but neither of them wanted to interrupt, so
they just sat against the wall and listened as the kid tried to play the song.

"Mom said he could start taking lessons when he was eight, so he wants to practice..." Now that he
thinks about it, he didn't memorize when the kids' birthdays were, but he's pretty sure they're quite
far from now. "He also likes to play it when he's upset." Ah, that one makes more sense.

"What did you do at school? When his tooth fell, I mean." The girl looked away and started
playing with her hair.

"We were eating some snacks at recess and it fell while we were with friends...and I screamed too
loud...but I was excited! Because we can try to catch the fairy again!" Oh, right. The fairy. Would
telling her the tooth fairy took a sick leave make her suspect something?

Yeah, definitely.

He didn't think about that, but Ghost is in no condition to go around sneaking in the kids'
bedrooms, the man couldn't even stand by himself this morning. It's going to suck, considering
how much of a light sleeper Leo is, but he'll have to play as the tooth fairy tonight.

"I can hear you two." Leah flinched as she heard her twin's voice, opening the door completely and
staring at her brother.

"We..."

"You're pretty good, Leo." He decided to spare the explanations from the little girl and change the
direction of the conversation. "What were you playing?"

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star." It did sound a little like that. "If you can't recognize the song it's not
that good."

The kid closed the fallboard and stood up, annoyed.

"It's–uh..." He had a point, but that only made Soap look bad.

"Forget it." Leo walked past them out of the room and ran downstairs. Perhaps he made a mistake
when he said the kids were easy to take care of. He has no idea how to fix Leo's mood, and the boy
acting like that only made Leah feel guilty and upset. She looked on the verge of tears already.

"Why don't we go watch some TV, aye?" Watching cartoons won't fix anything but he'll have time
to think of what to do. Leah nodded and walked with him to the living room.

Leo was doing his homework in the kitchen, completely ignoring the rest of the people on the
house.

Time passed slowly and silently, and he didn't find any solution. He noticed the rain had stopped
for a while, and he should use that small window to go feed the farm animals, but leaving the kids
alone didn't seem like the wisest idea. And Ghost...

"I'll be back in a second, Leah." Maybe his friend could at least stay in the living room with the
kids while he went out. "Simon...?" The room was dark, he could faintly hear a cat purring from
the direction of the bed, but nothing else besides that.

He got closer to the bed, his L.t was sleeping. He checked for a fever but found nothing, the man
seemed to be breathing just fine too, which meant he didn't actually catch a cold or the flu. He
woke up slowly, the contact of Soap's hands against his skin bringing him to the waking world.

"Johnny...?" Now he feels bad for even asking him to watch the kids, his friend sounded and
looked tired as hell. Well, he was, too, but at least he slept in a very comfortable and very warm bed
last night.

"How are you feeling?" The other sat up, turning on the lamp by the bed and looking up at Soap
with tired and drowsy eyes.

"Better." Now that he could see properly, Ghost didn't look pale anymore, which is a great sign.

"Sorry, but can you watch the kids while I go to the barn? They fought at school and I dont want to
leave them alone." Simon stared at him for a couple seconds, then nodded. "Thanks."

He helped the man stand up, even if the other didn't need much help, and walked with him to the
living room. Leah stopped looking at the TV and ran to their side instead, smiling happily at Ghost.

"Are you feeling better?" She carefully reached her hand towards Simon's, examining it as if she
could diagnose any illness from it. She found nothing, clearly.

"I am." Soap left the two by themselves and got his coat and keys, noticing how Leo was looking
towards the living room where Leah and Ghost were. He could tell how much the kid wanted to
join them, or at least he wanted to go watch TV, but his pride wouldn't let him. A little push should
help.

"If you need anything you can go tell Simon." The kid looked up, finally acknowledging there were
other people in the house. "He can help you with homework too. I'll be back soon." He gave him a
smile and headed outside.
He saw Leo gather his things and stand up before leaving.

The kids had apparently gone back to normal when he came back from the barn, now they were
both heading to bed after finishing their dinner. Ghost had disappeared a couple hours ago, he was
nodding off when the kids were still watching TV, so Soap made him go back to his room to keep
resting, and the man didn't argue.

Leah came running back to the kitchen, her brother calmly walking behind her. She pulled on his
sleeve and led him to her room, jumping on her bed and looking expectantly at the ex-sergeant.
Soap tucked her in, but the look didn't leave her eyes.

"What is it?" He has no idea why the girl is pouting, and it's easier to just ask her what she wants.

"No good-night kiss?" He doesn't remember doing that before. Did Ghost usually do that? Probably
not. He kissed the girl's cheek and received a smile as a reward. "Goodnight, Johnny."

"Goodnight, Leah." Leo was watching the scene, indifferent, from the door. He turned off the
lights and walked with her brother to the boy's room. As always, Leo got into bed by himself, but
this time he hesitated before laying down.

"Leo?" The kid was looking at a piece of paper he had on his hand, looking at Soap after hearing
his name. "What's wrong?" The look on the twin's face was a mix of fear and concern, and Soap
can vaguely remember seeing that same face before.

"You're sure the fairy won't rip my teeth out?" Right. That's where he remembers that expression
from.

"Aye, I'm sure. Don't be scared, no one can hurt you if we're here, not even fairies." Those weren't
words just to reassure the kid, it was the truth. He would never let anything happen to the twins for
as long as he's alive, and he's sure neither would Ghost. Not only because of the promise with
Rusnav, but because he genuinely cared about the kids.

"Alright..." Leo put the tooth, wrapped in paper, under his pillow and finally went to bed.
"Goodnight, Soap."

"Goodnight, Leo." He closed the door and headed to Ghost's room. The man usually payed for
things so he was the only one with bills in the house. It's not like Soap didn't pay for his things, he
just used his card most of the time.

Simon was gently patting the cat that spent the entire day with him, he looked like he had woken
up recently.

"Johnny?" That is, indeed, his name. Soap got closer to the bed and started to stroke the cat as well,
the thing was apparently very pleased with all the attention, purring happily and turning to show
her belly.

"Leo lost a tooth, came here to steal all your life savings in the name of the tooth fairy." Simon
chuckled and reached for his nightstand, handing him five dollars as he shook his head.
"Leah told me that's why they fought. She really doesn't know how to be subtle..." That seemed to
remind him of something, and even if Soap wanted to know what he was remembering exactly, he
didn't know if he was allowed to pry. "Good luck to the tooth fairy. Leo wakes up easier than me."
That's comforting.

"Whatever." He left the room with the money and waited for a while in the living room.

Leo should have been asleep when he went to the room, but something was off and he could tell
the moment he opened the door. Not wanting to risk it by turning the lights on, he used his phone's
flashlight to check for anything on the floor, and he found nothing. The kid was apparently asleep,
so he put the phone on the desk near the bed and slowly lifted the pillow, trying to find the paper
with the fallen tooth. Instead he found the boy's hand, tightly holding onto the object, and once he
realized it was a hand it was already too late. The kid woke up immediately and rushed away from
him.

"Uh..." Now, how did he explain this without ruining everything. It was impossible, actually.
Especially if he considered he had the five dollars in his hand. "I can explain?"

"So it really doesn't exist..." He wasn't expecting Leo to sound so relieved by that fact. "Maia told
me the other day, but I didn't know if I should believe her." Well, at least he won't be scared of the
tooth fairy anymore. The kid threw him the piece of paper and he barely reacted in time to catch it.

"Don't tell your sister." That smirk can't mean anything good.

"My silence has a price." Good to know he's raising a businessman.

"I have five dollars?" The little bastard pretended to be pondering something, looking at the side.

"Gimme." He handed the bill to the kid's extended hand. "I want a phone." Isn't that way too much
for just keeping a secret?

"I don't think so, sir." The kid narrowed his eyes and stared at him.

"I can't imagine how sad Leah would be if she knew...she would cry for weeks, can you imagine?
She would be heartbroken..." Soap could faintly hear Rusnav using the same tone, a memory from
a while back. Yeah, definitely his mother's son, he inherited her manipulation skills.

"What do you even want a phone for?" He's not giving the kids their own phone, they're too young.
They already use their mother's computer, in the office. Soap has seen them playing some games or
searching things for homework.

"I wanna play with my friends, they play a game...I don't remember the name, though..." If it's only
that, then he can find another solution.

"You can just use my phone for that, you're too young to have your own." The kid looked up
surprised, but not disappointed.

"I can?" Surprise turned to excitement when Johnny nodded his head.

"Aye, you could've just asked me." By the look on the twin's face, it seems like asking Soap for
something was never an option. The man sighed and went to retrieve his phone from the desk. "Go
back to sleep, you can play tomorrow after school, aye?"

"Alright." As he was about to go out of the room, he heard the kid sitting up, so he turned to stare,
confused at what Leo could want.
 "...no good-night kiss?" Leo too? That just confirms that this wasn't something Ghost used to do
with Leah. He wondered what made the kids suddenly want goodbye and goodnight kisses, but
pushed the thought for later.

"Goodnight, Leo." He brushed the hair away from the kids forehead and kissed him there.

"Goodnight, Johnny." The kid couldn't see the smile Soap gave him, just like Soap couldn't see the
smile Leo had.

He could get used to this life, where the worst conflict of the day is just a cold or a small fight
between the kids.

Well, he could get used to this, but he'd rather exclude the bribery, of course. Ghost will never stop
pestering him if he knew how terribly he failed tonight. It's not like it's Soap's fault the kid was
paranoid and terrified of a fairy.

>

Chapter End Notes

*looking at soap*: i know what you are.

It's already very late where I live so I apologize for posting at night to whoever shares
my timezone. My sleep paralisis demon threw me off a cliff for calling him Alexa all
the time and I was busy climbing my way back home.

Uh, anyway. Next chapter should be up next friday.

I'll fix any mistakes I find tomorrow because I just want to go to sleep rn.

Thanks for the kudos and messages!<33

 (7). The warmth of winter, the cold goodbyes.
Chapter Summary

Comfort and safety can be found in the most unexpected places.

Chapter Notes

Content warning: Night terrors (with not-so-graphic descriptions of injuries.)

(Just in case.)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

'...just go, Soap.'

There's no way he's leaving. Another flash and the loud noise of an explosive going off made him
turn, Rusnav standing guard at the door looked back, dread stealing all the color in her face.

'Get out MacTavish! You're the only one that can leave!'

'I'm not–!' He didn't get to finish the sentence, the woman pushed him out of the window with her
remaining strenght. He tried to climb back in, but it was too late. Another explosion finished the
job, the roof collapsing on the room, leaving only silence behind.

'Fuck–!' He's still alive!

'Ghost!?' He desperately climbed his way to the rubble, throwing away pieces of concrete and the
metal rods that used to hold the ceiling in place.

'Not quite.' He found Rusnav instead, body crushed under the few furniture of the room and the
ceiling that was above her. That's not what he's looking for, Rusnav is already dead.

'...where is he?' The woman didn't reply, laying where she was and looking at Soap every now and
then, pity in her eyes.

'Soap...' He's not listening. He has to find Ghost. 'John.' She's not there. 'MacTavish.'

'Shut up! I have to find him!' He noticed the movement then, small, but still movement. If he hadn't
been looking that way, he wouldn't have noticed. The skin on his fingertips started peeling and
bleeding, digging in the rubble until his entire hand was numb, but he got to where he wanted.

'Johnny...?' He's alive!

'Ghost, come on, I need to get you out.' The pieces of concrete and broken furniture kept piling
besides him, but Simon was never closer to being free. 'Shit, stay with me, L.t.'

'Soap...' He can't feel his arms. 'He's gone, John...' That can't be, right? He's still breathing?
'Don't–!' He pulled one of the metal rods, and immediately covered his ears from the piercing
scream he heard. A scream? Not Rusnav, she was calmly looking at him.

'Why'd you...' Simon? Where's his balaclava? He doesn't want to see his face like this.

'Ah, too bad.' Karenina was standing beside him now, crouching to hold his shoulders as he
watched Ghost. He couldn't move, rendered to a spectator, as his friend slowly slipped away. 'He's
dead now, Johnny.' He is. He had taken his last breath just seconds ago, his entire body going limp
under the endless rubble above him. 'And it's all your fault.' The metal in his hand was covered in
someone else's blood. His hands were covered in his lieutenant's blood.

All your fault, Soap.

He can't be dead. He can't be killed, he's The Ghost. He can't die. He's still–

Empty eyes stared back at him.

No, wait, he can still save him, he just has to dig him out and he can help.

'Just help me and we can–' Rusnav was not by his side anymore, she was back under the rubble,
her body bloodied and limp a few meters away. He really tried, but he can't move.

When did he get under the rubble as well? The endless pile of concrete and metal was swallowing
him too, and he can't fight it. He could only stand and watch as he drowned. Until he couldn't
breathe anymore. Until he couldn't see anything.

He needs to breathe.

It took him a second to realize he was awake now, but that didn't stop his panic. The bed covers
were thrown away from him, not really caring where they landed, and he fell off the bed, his legs
feeling weak.

He needs to breathe.

So he hurried, crawling to the door and using the walls of the hall as support once he could stand
up. He ran the small distance from the living room to the back door, opening it and letting himself
fall on the cold and damp grass of the backyard.

"What the–" There was someone else outside, he could barely hear their voice over the blood
rushing and his heartbeat on his ears. Soap saw the movement and crawled away, trying to take a
defensive stand but feeling weak by both sleep and the lack of oxygen. He was hyperventilating,
but didn't notice. The other figure slowly reached out and Soap immediately threw a punch, hitting
something without even thinking of who could be there. His brain said they were an enemy, and
only after he hit the other did he stop a second to think. It could be one of the kids.

"Fuck–Johnny!" He knows that voice. Knows it very well, he was listening to it screaming in pain
a few minutes ago. "Hey, calm down." Easier said than done. "Breathe with me, yeah?" He doesn't
need to breathe, he needs to–

"You're alive." Ghost's confused face made him realize then, that the man wasn't wearing a mask.
And that his nose was bleeding, which only made him remember the scene from his night terror.

"Yeah, I'm alive, you are–woah." Completely ignoring Simon's words, Soap threw himself at the
other man, he would be embarrassed of the way he started grabbing at his face and chest, if he
wasn't desperately trying to confirm the other man was alive and safe. Simon kept quiet,
understanding what Johnny was doing.
"You're–" Maybe he should start listening when people tell him to breathe. Ghost pat his back as
he choked, finally trying to control his breathing, before he actually blacked out for the lack of
oxygen.

"I'm fine, the kids are fine. You're safe, Johnny. Now breathe." The man spoke with the same
voice he talked to the twins when they were distressed, soft and caring. Soap concentrated on his
hands, finding his friend's chest, and the heart beating steadily against his palm, warmth radiating
out of his entire body. They were fine. "It was just a nightmare, Johnny." He felt stupid for
panicking over a bad dream, but he was only human. Some things are bound to affect you, no
matter how tough you act. Ghost also had nightmares and he didn't think less of the man because
of that.

After what felt like ages, he finally was breathing regularly. He didn't want to let go of Ghost,
though. It was freezing outside and he was on a T-shirt and sweatpants, his feet bare since he didn't
care to put on anything before escaping his room, and the man holding him was warm. He had
somehow ended up basically hugging him, his hands against his chest, and the man had been
drawing circles across his back with his palms, both grounding him and keeping him away from
the cold.

"Didn't take you as a cuddler." He laughed weakly and started to pull away from his L.t. Somehow,
Ghost knew how to lighten the atmosphere easily. And also darken it, with grotesque jokes, but he
can't complain, the bad jokes always helped him get his shit together.

"I mean, we all like to cuddle every now and then, right?" The other seemed to think his answer
for a while.

"I guess we do." His eyebrow shoot up at the admition and he smiled, ready to tease his lieutenant.
The man looked away and got up, holding his hand out for Soap to take, and he decided to not
annoy him for now, considering how he just helped him.

"Why were you out there?" They both got into the house, the taller man as a barrier against the
cold breeze behind Soap before closing the door. He could see the clock near the TV and it marked
it was 2 a.m, which is too early to wake up, even for Ghost. They had put the kids to sleep at ten,
after feeding them and telling them to take a shower, and then they had stayed up for a while more
watching some TV, which meant that they had slept at most for three hours.

"Couldn't sleep, went out for a smoke." He noticed the man wasn't smoking as much, he mostly did
so at night, after the kids were sleeping and they had some time for themselves before going to bed.

They were walking back to their rooms when they found Leah on the hall, she had opened the
doors to both their rooms, and the terrified look she had on her face, along with her tears and quiet
sobs, made Soap's stomach churn.

"What is it, honey? Come here." The girl didn't think twice and ran to hold onto Soap.

"I heard something hit my door and I got scared and I wanted to find you and I couldn't so I
thought–" She cut her own rambling and just kept crying. "I thought you guys left." Ghost got on
his knees and tried to pick the girl up, but she refused to let go of Soap, so the scot picked her up
instead.

They carried her to her room and tucked her in bed, both of them sitting by one side of the bed
each, until they thought the girl was asleep.

"Don't go." Ghost had tried to get up, and not even Soap had noticed the movement, but Leah did,
instantly grabbing both of their arms tightly.

"We're not going anywhere, Leah. You have to sleep, you have school tomorrow." The girl went
back to crying and they both let out a tired sigh.

"I don't wanna, I wanna sleep with you." Now that's complicated. They clearly didn't fit in the kids
bed to pretend to fall asleep with her, not even one of them. And the kid didn't seem keen to the
idea of sleeping with only one of them, by the way she was holding both their hands now.

"You have to sleep on your own, you're a big girl, aren't you?" She shook her head and sat up.

"Please." He was still trying to learn to say no, but this didn't seem like the right situation to deny
the kid anything. He sighed and looked at his friend, maintaining eye contact as if communicating
without words, and they seemed to reach a conclusion.

"My bed is bigger, let's go." Leah jumped into the taller man's arms and clung to him until they
reached the bed, staring at Soap the entire way there, just to make sure he didn't run away.

She hid herself under the covers, the only part left in the open were her still glassy eyes, looking at
the adults expectantly. Ghost turned around and headed for the door, and both Leah and Soap
perked up, in confusion and panic.

"I'm getting water, relax." Leah calmed down and went back under the covers, while Soap tried to
get to the door.

"I can get it fo–"

"You better be in that bed when I come back." He wanted to reply with 'I'm not a kid, sir.', but
Ghost narrowed his eyes, as a warning, and left the room anyways. Leah lift the covers and pat the
space beside her, inviting him in. Now that he realizes, Ghost's bed was definitely a king size,
compared to the single one he had. If he had known beforehand he would've picked this room as
his own...

"Johnny?" Right. He got into bed, sitting and resting against the headboard behind him. He really
doesn't think he could go back to sleep, after having a nightmare, but he would pretend until the
girl passed out. Ghost came into the room, a glass with water in hand, and locking the door behind
him. He stopped beside the bed to drink some water, sliding under the covers after leaving the
glass on the nightstand.

Leah threw herself half on top of the taller man, snuggling against his chest and catching him off
guard. She wasn't entirely satisfied, though, as she turned to look at Soap and decided to pull him
closer as well. She kept maneuvering with the adults' limbs until she was comfortable, finally
settling down and getting ready to sleep.

The kid was comfortable, yes, but he sure wasn't. Leah was hugging his neck, laying on top of his
arm and chest, and Ghost's hand was thrown over the kid and him. He was going to hate this in the
morning. The brit had tried to take his arm away when the girl had seemingly dozed off, but of
course she was still awake. She pulled the other even closer, this time pulling him enough so that
he would be hugging Soap and squeezing her between the two bodies. The kid sighed, happy, and
went back to trying to sleep.

He shared glances with Simon, in complete silence. He managed to read the other's lips as he
mouthed 'try to sleep', and he couldn't help but huff, annoyed. He wasn't going to sleep, he wasn't
used to this much contact when trying to sleep. It had been quite a while since he last shared a bed,
even during missions. But the bed was more comfortable than the one on his room, and Ghost was
a human furnace, all the cold from outside vanishing under the blankets, spreading wherever his
friend touched.

This wasn't so uncomfortable.

It was pretty cozy, actually. Leah was basically asleep already, she had decided to completely trap
Soap under her, a leg thrown over his stomach. He can't leave now, and he wasn't going to tell the
owner of both the bed and the room to go sleep somewhere else.

Maybe he could go to sleep after all, he barely remembers–

And it's your fault.

A hand tightened on his side, bringing him from where he had gone. Right, it was just a dream.
He's safe.

He moved a little closer to his friend, enough for him to reach over and rest his own hand on the
other's arm. He could feel his pulse.

He's alive, nothing happened.

Ghost watched as Johnny slowly but surely went back to sleep. Only when he knew his friend was
sleeping did he allow himself to drift off.

His brain had decided to spare him from another nightmare, and even granted him a small dream
he couldn't exactly remember when he woke up. Ghost's alarm was what woke him up, and also
the main source of warmth leaving the bed. Leah had also noticed the man leaving the bed,
wanting to chase after him but deciding against it and flopping back beside Soap.

He can stay in bed a little more, right? He's comfortable, even if he is a little sore from the position
he fell asleep in and the extra weight he had on during the night. He had slept for less hours than
usual, but he felt well rested.

"Johnny?" He groaned, not really wanting to address the man, because that would mean he had to
get up and start the day. He just wants five more minutes. Ghost sighed and got closer to the bed.
"Leah?" The girl imitated him, the only answer she gave was a groan. "You know you have school,
get up already. You too, MacTavish." Simon left the room and they stayed in bed for a little longer.

Eventually, he did get up, stretching and turning to look at Leah, who was kneeling on the bed,
looking at his direction but with her brain somewhere else. Her head kept drooping as she nodded
off and got startled awake.

"Go get ready for school, aye?" The girl looked at him blankly for a couple seconds, then stood up
and left the room. He didn't wait much to leave the room as well, going to his own bedroom to take
a shower before going to the kitchen. He took a seat by the kids and drank the coffee Ghost had
made for him. "Good morning."
"Mornin'..." Leah was barely awake, and Leo was basically shoving her breakfast into her mouth.
The girl only chewed while looking blankly at the wall on the other side of the room. Ghost was
watching the scene, seemingly amused, while he drank his tea.

"Uh...should we get going, then?" Once Leo had finished feeding his sister and himself, there was
no reason to stay in the kitchen. And they were going to be late if they didn't leave soon. Leah
didn't move from her chair, though.

"You two get going, we'll be there in a sec." Soap was dragged out of the kitchen by Leo, without
having time to ask what was happening. Ghost can take care of it, surely.

"Did she have a nightmare? I saw her leave Simon's room." Why does he sound so annoyed by
that? "And I saw you leave his room too." And why is the kid smirking now?

"Did you want to join the sleepover? You sound awfully jealous." The boy huffed and got in the
car with Johnny.

"No, thank you. But she's going to sleep with you guys for the next month if you don't tell her no.
And you never say no." It sounds like this has already happened before, and it certainly wasn't
because Leah asked to sleep with her aunt. She'd probably get kicked out of the house if she even
thought of waking that woman up. So, it was probably Leo she went to when she had nightmares.

"I can say no..." Maybe.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Even if he couldn't say no, Ghost could. One night sharing his bed was more than
enough, he will tell the girl to go sleep by herself. For sure. "Did you see mother's cat? Leah
couldn't find her yesterday. It's the brown...ish one. Very fat." 'Mother's' cat?

"No. I'll look for her when I come back." It's probably the one that likes cuddling with Ghost, she
can't be too far, it's not like there are a lot of places to go. If it went to the fields then that's a
problem.

"Alright." They sat in silence and waited until the other two came back. Leah still had a blank look
on her face, she wasn't holding onto any plushie today, which was concerning. He'll ask Ghost
what's wrong when they leave the kids at school.

Apparently the drive was enough to give the girl some energy, she didn't have her usual smile on
her face, but she wasn't walking around with empty eyes anymore. Surprisingly, Ghost got out of
the car with them today, for some reason.

"Johnny..." Leah was holding her arms up, which usually meant he had to crouch. The girl pecked
him on the cheek, and so did her brother, then they both stopped to stare at the other man, who was
staring back, clearly confused.

"Too tall." Without any kind of warning, Leo kicked behind Ghost's knee and the man crouched in
an attempt to not fall. Leah giggled and went to kiss the man's covered cheek. "Sorry." The boy
kissed the man's cheek as well and ran away behind his sister.

"They're a menace." Simon stood up, puzzled, and nodded.

"I wonder where they got that from."

~
It wasn't until he heard the loud desperate meowing and scratching on the other side of the door
that he remembered he had to look for the cat. He got up from the desk at Rusnav's office, he was
using the computer to make a resume, even if he hadn't decided where he wanted to work yet.

The cat sprinted inside the room, trying to get inside the drawers near the desk, while still yelling.
The thing had been in the room for less than a minute and he was already going insane. But she
wouldn't leave, no matter how much he tried to shoo her away.

"Ghost?" His friend probably didn't know what to do either, but two brains work faster than one.
Light footsteps told him the other had listened and was nearby. The screaming cat probably a good
indicator of where Johnny was.

"What's...?" The meowing got somehow louder as the other man entered the room, the animal
trying to run towards his friend but giving up halfway there, flopping to the ground and sighing.
"What is it kitty?" As if the cat could understand him, she meowed loudly and tried to climb on the
man's arms, but he stopped her.

"What does she want?" Soap is not that bad with animals, except for dogs, but he really couldn't
understand what the cat wanted.

"She's having kittens." So the thing wasn't just obese? This house is slowly turning into a zoo.

"Right now?" He doesn't know how to help deliver kittens, and his L.t looks just as lost.

"No, she's rescheduling it for tomorrow." The question wasn't that dumb, no need for the sarcasm.
"She probably shouldn't have them here."

They took the cat very carefully out of the office and went to leave it in the living room. She wasn't
happy to be moved but it's not like she could run away. Ghost found some old blankets and towels
and made her a little bed in the corner of the room, the animal seemingly satisfied with the place.

"Do we need to help her or...?" The cat seemed fine by herself, but he doesn't know if it'll stay that
way.

"You'll figure it out. I'll go make lunch." Huh?

"Wait you can't just–" As soon as Ghost tried to leave the room, the cat started meowing again,
getting up from her little bed. The man had no other options but to stay by her side. It took about
two hours until she was finally done, they didn't need to do anything but keep watch as the three
kittens were born. The mother was exhausted, laying limp as the newborns drank milk.

"I actually need to go make lunch. Make sure they don't leave." Not like any of the animals could
move from their little nest. The kids are going to be excited about this, but he's already dreading
telling them they can't keep the kittens. They already have too many animals living in the house,
the ones at the farm are not a problem, because caring for them takes very little time and effort, but
the ones at the house are a different matter.

Also, how did the cat get pregnant, to begin with? He knew the only two cats of the house were
female. Was there a second pack of cats somewhere? He should ask the kids.

And he should also finish that resume.

 ~

"The teacher gave me extra homework because she said I need to practice more math, but that's so
unfair! Leo gets even less homework!" As usual, Leah was ranting about hrr school day, telling the
adults about what snacks she bought at the cafeteria or how difficult some assignments were. She
was back to her cheerful self, it seems.

"I told you I could help you with homework but you always say no." Leo was reading a book he
had picked a few days ago, and he really doubts the kid understands most of it, but he seemed
genuinely interested in the plot.

"That's because–! Whatever..." Interesting. He should start offering his help to Leah. Well, offering
more help than he already does.

He couldn't help feeling like he forgot something, and it wasn't until they were back home and
already sitting to eat lunch that he remembered. It's monday.

"We're leaving in...two hours. You should do your homework after eating." He's not leaving the
kids alone while he takes Ghost to work, at least not for now. Leah stared at him, confused.

"Where are we going?" Even Simon seemed confused, surely he didn't forget today is his first day?

"We're taking Gho–Simon to work." The girl smiled and started eating her food faster, elbowing
her brother so he would hurry up as well.

The kids did as they were told, finishing their food quickly and running to the living room to do
homework. He used the time he had before leaving to finally finish his resume, and printing a few
copies to leave at some of the places he saw in town that were hiring.

"Johnny!" Having more than twenty minutes of peace and quiet was a privilege in this house. He
can't really complain, though. At least he doesn't get bored.

"What is it?" Leah grabbed his hand and led him to the living room. Ah, right.

"There's kitties!" She went next to the nest of blankets and pointed at the cats. The mother was
more awake now, grooming the kittens as they kept feeding.

"Don't touch them, they'll get sick." He's not sure if that's true, but the least the kids interact with
the animals the easier it'll be to convince them to give them away. It won't be easy anyways, at
least in Leah's case.

"Okay. Can I give Samantha some food? I didn't feed her yesterday..." That's why she looks so
tired, then. It never crossed his mind to feed the animal.

"Sure, leave her some food and water by the nest, she'll eat eventually." Before he had finished
speaking the girl ran to her room to find the cat food.

The girl spent the rest of the time watching the cats and smiling at them, and just by her face Soap
could tell he'll have to start getting used to the new family members, because there's no way he can
deny the girl when she asks to keep the kittens.
"We have to get going, go put some warmer clothes, it's cold outside." The kids got up in unison
and left to their rooms. Ghost was apparently watching TV, but he could tell the man wasn't really
paying attention to the screen. "Nervous, L.t?"

"No." What a bad liar.

"Tell that to your leg." The movement immediately stopped, as if the anxious bouncing was
completely involuntary, which it probably was, actually. "Why are you nervous? I'm sure you'll do
fine." The man seemed to ponder if he should tell Soap what was bothering him or just keep it to
himself.

"Can't cover my face." That was a problem.

"Not even a face mask?" Surely they should allow that, at least. The hard skull mask was too
much, even a plain balaclava would be pushing it, but a medical face mask should be fine.

"That's not enough." He doesn't know exactly why Simon needed to cover his face all the time,
because it wasn't to keep his identity hidden anymore, since they're not in the battlefield nor
anywhere where someone could recognize them. There was definitely more to it, but he won't ask
now, since it's a sensitive topic. He doesn't need to make the other man even more anxious.

"A beanie? It's something at least." That didn't seem to solve the problem either, if he guessed by
Simon's eyes. "Maybe a scarf too..." No. That didn't work either.

Before he could think of any other solutions, the kids came back to the room, Leah fighting with a
scarf she couldn't put the way she wanted to.

"How did mom put it so easily..." Leo sighed and turned to fix the scarf, covering most of his
sister's face with it. The girl giggled and pulled it down to free her eyes from the fabric. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." The boy looked up at him, expectantly. "Are we going?" There's no sign of it,
but he knew the kid was excited to leave the house, even if they were just dropping Ghost off and
coming back.

"Uh..." Ghost didn't seem ready to go. "In a while." What other options did the man have? "A
hoodie?" The only response he got was a sigh. A very tired sigh.

"Don't have any." But he cleaned and dried at least two yesterday?

"Take one of mine, then." That was enough to convince Ghost, who stood up and left for the
bedrooms.

"He seems to like your clothes more than his." So even the kids realized. He didn't mind lending
his friend his clothes but he's not sure why the other prefers them over his own.

"That's because–ouch!" Leo slapped his twin's arm, to stop her from saying whatever she was
going to say.

"Because?" He's not giving up on trying to find Ghost's secret, and it seems like the girl almost said
it out loud. Her brother is way too cautious, though.

"Because your clothes are pretty." Lying is bad, Leah. And you don't know how to sound
convincing.

"They're pretty cool, even." The monotone voice only made the sentence feel even more fake. He
doesn't need two 7 year olds to lecture him about fashion.

"Unlike your hair..." That's it.

"No ice cream for two weeks." He doesn't get the obsession with ice cream the twins have, even
when it's way too cold to enjoy it, they ask for it every couple days.

"What!?" It's not that bad of a punishment, if anything less sugar is only good for the kids. Not like
the girl understands that. "Simon, Johnny is being mean!"

"You're the mean one, his hair isn't ugly." The voice of reason. "Let's get going." The kids knew
not to argue with Ghost. They both left for the garage, dejected.

"Is that better?" He's not surprised his clothes fit Ghost perfectly, but it was still a bit odd to see the
man in them. He seemed comfortable in them, though, so he won't complain.

"Yes." A man of few words. As usual.

The drive to the shop was unusually quiet, since Leah was still offended she wasn't getting ice
cream and Leo never talked unless he was addressed. The girl went back to her cheerful self as
soon as the car was parked in front of the store.

"Can we get down?" She was already free from her seat belt and ready to open the door. Soap
looked at his friend, not sure if the man was okay with the kids being nosy. Especially since he
was so nervous, back at home.

"Sure. Don't wander too far from Johnny." He seemed genuinely okay with it, so Soap let the kids
out and led them to the store, Ghost following behind. They were ten minutes earlier, so they could
kill some time before Ghost's shift started.

Behind the register, there was a blonde woman on her phone, who didn't even greet them as they
entered the store. Another woman, but at least ten years younger, was not too far, stocking the
shelves tiredly. As soon as she noticed there were people at the store she stood up, smiling and
going to the register.

"(Welcome, what can I help you with...?)" She seemed to recognize Ghost, but was unsure what to
do about it. The older woman finally looked up and scoffed.

"(You're finally here. That's the new guy, show him around and explain things to him, I have to
go.)" She stood up and waited by the door, apparently annoyed at something. "(Well? Get me my
bag already. And food, I'm starving.)"

The other, much nicer girl, hurried to the back of the store to get what she was asked for.
Meanwhile, the woman by the door got back behind the counter and took money from the register.

"(Here you go.)" The girl handed over the bag and another paper bag with food. Without another
word the woman left the store. Being polite was not her forte it seems.

"William?" A male voice yelled from somewhere far into the store, hurried steps got closer, and a
young boy slided the short distance towards the register. "The new guy is here."

"Hello, new guy." Their accents weren't that bad, they barely had any, actually. "Simon, right? I'm
William, you can just call me Willy like everyone else. I'm not the manager but I act like one."

"And I'm Soledad, just call me Sol." The girl extended her hand towards Ghost and he took it,
sharing a brief handshake.

"She's the boss' sister, so she has to take care of everything around here. If you need anything just
come to us." They finally seemed to notice that there were more people around than just Ghost,
smiling at Soap and the kids.

"Hell–"

"Do you want a job too? We're in need of stong people around." The girl looked down at the guy
besides her, who was clearly offended by the remark.

"Uh...maybe." He wouldn't mind working at the store, it doesn't seem that busy and it's relatively
nearby.

"You got a resume? I'll give it to my sis personally, she'll hire you for sure." Well, that was a
problem, if his boss was that rude all of the time they'll probably not get along too well. "Don't
worry about her, she's only here, like, two hours a day. She comes to gossip with her friend and
pretend she's useful." Maybe his concern was written on his face. If that's the case then it shouldn't
me so bad.

"Who do we have here? What's your name, princess?" Leah hid herself behind Johnny's leg,
slightly scared at the attention, and her brother was back to glaring at people. This brought back
memories, not so pleasant ones.

"I'm Leah..." She reached her hand towards the young man, and he only laughed but shook it
anyways. "And he's Leo..." The boy only nodded, instead.

"Nice to meet you, Leah, Leo." He took some lollipops and handed them to the twins, who looked
at them but refused to take them.

"We shouldn't take things from strangers..." Good to know they remember what Soap tells them.

"It's okay, you can have them." Leah excitedly left from behind him and grabbed both lollipops,
handing one to her brother.

"Thank you, mister!"

"No problem." The guy stood up properly and looked at his coworker expectantly. "You're giving
him a tour or do I need to make you?"

"You want to get beaten up, asshole? Who are you giving orders to?" The girls voice went a lot of
tones lower, actually intimidating. The man wasn't fazed though, giggling and walking away.
"Follow me, I'll show you around and explain some things. You can join us too, if you want. Saves
me the trouble of giving you another tour when you're hired." Without waiting for an answer, she
turned around and walked away slowly.

"When is the store open? I can't work at the same time as Gh–Simon... because of the kids." She
turned around as she thought.

"We're open twenty-four seven, so we can talk about that. If you need a babysitter I'm also
available, I was studying to become a teacher, but, y'know, gotta help the family..." She kept
walking then, going behind the counter at the butcher and pulling an apron from a hanger. "This is
for you, you don't have a uniform like us, thankfully. This thing is uncomfortable."

"You never wear your uniform." The other guy yelled from the store, and the girl only sighed,
annoyed.

"Shut up, will you? Who's giving the tour?" A chuckle was barely heard from somewhere.
"Anyways, you write down your sells in this notebook, and you give the costumers two tickets
with their totals. Give them the meat if they bring you a ticket, if they don't have it you tell them to
wait and call the cashier over."

"That sounds complicated." She nodded, running her hand through her hair.

"It is, and annoying too. Can't do anything about it, though." Ghost followed the girl behind the
counter and put the apron on. "Meat gets delivered at night, around ten. Have fun carrying the cows
to the fridge. And make sure to put something on the door before going in, it closes by itself
sometimes. Not fun to be stuck in the freezer."

She seems to be talking from experience.

"Will do."

"There's not much else to explain here, time to show you the store." She was looking at Soap this
time. "Willy, you can man the counter for a while?" The man came back, sliding again, and stood
to attention.

"Yes, sir." Thd girl rolled her eyes and walked past him, towards the back of the store with
everyone following close behind.

"That's the kitchen, the hag fighting with the oven there is my mom. She doesn't speak english, so
she doesn't know what a hag is." A middle aged woman turned around and smiled, her arms
trembling as she carried way too many trays of food. "(This is Simon and... his friend? They're the
new guys.)"

"(Nice to meet you! I'm Graciela, the cook. Find me if you need any help in the kitchen.)" The lady
left the trays in a table nearby and extended her hand.

"(Nice to meet you too.)" The lady went back to struggling with the trays after shaking hands. He
would help her but her daughter didn't give him a chance.

"We don't have lockers or anything, we just put our things in a pile over there. I would recommend
not doing that, just leave things in the car. There might or might not be a thief around." She pointed
at very messy pile of clothes and bags at the end of the table. Is that even legal?

"I think you suck at convincing people they should work here."

"I think I told you to take care of the register." The banter between them was a little familiar.

"Sorry, your majesty, I shall return to my duties." Another sigh. The girl turned and opened a door
nearby. Well, it was already open, since it didn't have a handle.

"This is a place where you should never enter." She closed the door as soon as she opened it,
scoffing and walking away.

"What is there, exactly...?" The room was completely dark inside, so it was impossible to see what
was in it.

"A health and safety hazard. Or the bathroom. William is the only one who cleans it, and an old
dude showered in it once. It still smells terrible, even months after." That sounds like something
that shouldn't happen.

"Why did he–?"

"Dunno. He just walked out dripping wet." She left the kitchen and pointed at the space right next
to the kitchen. "This is the...uh...I don't know what it's called, honestly. The menus, desserts, bread
and cold cuts are all sold here. And frozen products, on that freezer over there." She opened the
fridge and pointed at the piled bags of frozen food. There was so much stuff just in this place, it
was overwhelming.

"You take care of this and the register?" There weren't any other employees besides her and
William, it just hit him that just these two took care of the entire store. Including the butcher shop.

"And the fruit stand. We're a little understaffed, had to fire some folks, they were stealing. My
nephew comes to help when he wants, around this time." She walked to a door near the counter,
struggling to open it. "I would recommend holding your breath for a second." The door opened and
a chemical smell started to seep out.

"What's with that?" He could figure out what it smelled like exactly, but it wasn't really unpleasant.

"Mom cleaned the room with bleach. This is the storage room, anything you need to restock the
place is here." There wasn't much in there, just a couple boxes and soda packs. "It's a little empty,
we get deliveries tomorrow." That makes sense. "And... that should be all for the store. You won't
use the register, and I'll tell you how to use the slicing machine when you get hired."

"Cool." It doesn't seem like a bad job, if anything the worst was having to deal with the boss and
having no bathroom.

"The fruit stand works the same way as the butcher's, with the tickets and that. We also have to
take care of it, taking out the spoiled fruits and restocking. There's a freezer by the meat storage
with all the fruit." She walked back to the store front and looked at everyone with her hands
crossed. "Any questions?"

"Whats the square root of–" When did William follow them?

"Go back to the register." She seemed genuinely done with the guy, but she still smiled a little at
his attempt of a joke. "Your shift started five minutes ago, big guy. You don't have to stay all the
time behind the counter, we usually take breaks and spend time over there." She pointed at a very
tiny, doorless, room right next to the store's entrance. He could hear and see the effects of slot
machines.

"Alright."

"Uh, Sol, I got a problem here?" The girl turned, slightly concerned, and stared at her coworker.

"Did she take money again?" Ah, so that was a recurring problem.

"We have five thousand in cash, we need to make ten more before...he comes..." William looked
warily between Sol and them. By the way he said that, whoever he was referring to sounded like an
Lovecraftian horror more than a human being.

"Jesus fucking christ not this again." She grabbed her phone and started looking through her
contacts. "Sorry guys, gotta do something. You're free to go, or to stay. Whatever you want." She
left to the back of the store again, dialing a number.
"She's a bit of an asshole sometimes but she's the nicest and most honest person here. You'll hate
most of the other guys." William left the register and walked to stand beside them. "She didn't say
it, but you can bring the kids during your shift. She plays as a babysitter after and during her shift,
since some people bring their kids to work."

"She seems nice." At least nicer than her sister.

"Yeah, she is. She's been working here since she was fifteen, it's taken a toil on her. She was much
nicer when she was a newbie." He could see why she had changed. Working at costumer service
was annoying enough, add a terrible boss and not being able to quit and you get a very stressed
young woman. "We're the oldest employees, you'll meet the rest eventually."

"Looking forward to that." Maybe. He turned to look at the kids, who weren't paying any attention
to the conversation, and that was probably his cue to leave. "I think we should get going..."

"Fair. Take care my guy."

"(Yeah, I got it, bye.)" Sol came back, clearly holding back her anger and stood in front of them.
"Good news for you, big guy, is that you're hired if you agree right now. Bad news for Willy is that
you need to go get money at the bank. Get money from the register for gas and get moving." The
man hurried behind the counter and ran to his motorcycle, driving away without a word. "You in or
do I need to call my sis again?"

If he ignores all the shady stuff and the clear declining mental health of the workers here, it didn't
look like a bad offer.

"Sure." This is probably not how hiring people should go. Ghost started to walk towards the
butcher's in silence, and the kids ran after him.

"Right. Come with me, we need to talk about your shifts and when you start." The kids will be
fine, if they stayed with Ghost.

"Lead the way."

They sat behind the register, in a way too cramped space, but it wasn't that uncomfortable. He
should've discussed it with Ghost beforehand, but he agreed to working from four to eleven, and
taking the kids with them. Sol did offer herself to take care of the kids while they worked, if they
didn't want to bring them along, but he couldn't trust someone he just met with the twins.

Their schedule was mostly full now, and they would have less than an hour to eat after taking the
kids home from school, before leaving for work, but they'll get used to it. Maybe.

"You can start tomorrow if you want to, it'll take a bit to do paperwork. You'll get payed daily, as
everyone does. I'd give you your uniform but I don't think we have anything that'll fit." She
somehow made that sentence not sound offensive.

"So, tomorrow at four?" She smiled and got up.

"Correct." They both walked out, just as William came back with an envelope and looked at them,
slightly confused.

"How did he get hired?" He wants to know too, actually.

"Desperate times." Doesn't make that much sense, but fair.

"We don't even know his name, though?" Silence fell over the three of them.

"...that's true." The both employees looked at him, expectantly.

"John. Or Soap." They both stared at each other, confused.

"Soap?" Maybe he should start thinking of another nickname. That wasn't 'Johnny'."Why Soap?"

"I was pretty good at cleaning." They better not ask what he cleaned.

"I think that makes sense?" They didn't push the topic and went behind the counter. "I'll see you
tomorrow then, buddy. You'll meet some other employees, too." It's weird being called 'buddy' by
someone at least five years younger than him. He didn't say anything, though, turning to go get the
kids.

Ghost had Leah on his lap, Leo sitting beside them and watching the screen on the phone with the
others. Watching cartoons even when they go outside?

"Let's get going?" The kids looked up, getting up with Ghost and walking his way. They each gave
the taller man a goodbye kiss and stared at Soap.

"You're not saying goodbye?" Does he need to?

"Uh, see you later?" Both men stared at each other, not sure of what the kids meant.

"No goodbye kiss?" He doesn't really do that with his friend, but the twins didn't seem to want to
go unless he did it. Whatever, it's just a peck on the cheek, and Simon had a face mask on, so he's
just kissing a piece of fabric.

"I'll pick you up later, good luck." He went for it before the man could even realize what he was
doing, and quickly got out of the store.

Ghost stayed in place for a while, his brain completely blank. Not like Soap stuck around to see
him.

He knew something was wrong the moment he saw a car parked by the main gates. His suspicions
were confirmed the moment he parked by the house and saw a woman he recognized very well
standing by the door, suitcases by her side. The kids recognized their aunt as well, stopping dead in
their tracks and hiding behind Soap.

"I forgot some things, just let me in already." No way.

The woman saw that he had no intention of opening the door and grabbed her suitcases, walking
menacingly towards the three of them, throwing one of the flower pots Soap had put by the stairs
in the process.

"Go away!" Surprisingly, it was Leah the one who stood up first. She walked in front of Soap,
glaring up at the woman. It's good that she's more confident, but this wasn't the moment to be
brave. Leo pulled her slowly back, hiding her behind Soap again.

The woman sighed and crouched, picking up the pieces of the broken flower pot and putting it far
from the stairs. She didn't reply for a while, looking at the trio with an empty stare.

"Since I'm leaving the country soon, I'd like to have a little chat, yes?" She didn't seem angry at
least. He doesn't know how the woman acted before, the only interaction Soap had with her was
when she left. But considering how the kids talked about her and how they reacted when she was
mentioned, she was easily angered.

"Did you actually come to get your stuff?" If that was what she really came to do, she should just
do it and leave.

"Yes, but I also wanted to talk." If Ghost was here would he be able to solve this? It's no use
thinking about that, but he couldn't help wishing the other man could lend a hand right now.

"Sure." He didn't have that many options, if the woman got violent or started insulting the kids, he
could easily take her out of the house. He opened the door, the kids holding onto him as they
glared at their aunt.

They all sat down at the living room, Anne sitting on a chair instead of the couch with them. She
was looking around the house as if she'd never been there before. The soft smile in her face felt out
of place.

"It looks just like when I first came here..." The tears on her eyes were barely held back. "I'm
leaving next week, so I just wanted to...you know, apologize. To the kids."

Oh. So she does have a heart.

"Go ahead, then." Her eye twitched, annoyed at the tone Soap used, but she didn't answer anything
to him, instead crouching to be at eye level with the kids.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you two, I was very sick. I wish I could've raised you two properly.
Even if I never showed it, I love you." She couldn't hold back her tears anymore, looking the other
way to wipe them away, before staring back at the kids. "I don't expect you to forgive me, and my
apology can never erase what I did to you."

"You don't love us at all." How could the girl sound so cold. But she was telling the truth, he could
see how this apology was only for the woman to feel less guilty about what she did, but not
because she really regrets it.

"That's not– believe what you want, I still owe you an apology." Leo scoffed and crossed his arms.

"We'll accept your apology if you pick up your things, leave, and never come back." Even harsher
than his sister.

"Fine." The woman stood up then, leaving for the bedrooms. The twins relaxed and looked at each
other, relieved.

"You two okay?" They nodded, getting closer to him and snuggling at his side.

"I'm happy." He could understand why. Never having to see the woman again seemed like a wish
come true for them.

They waited there, in their small bubble of safety until their guest came back to the living room,
putting a couple of dresses he didn't know were in the house into her suitcases. She stopped, with
her things in hand, and turned a last time, taking something out of her bag and throwing it to the
sofa.

Leo picked up a pair of necklaces, examining them, and apparently recognizing them.

"Those are not mine to keep." Leah grabbed one of the necklaces and teared up. "Goodbye." She
didn't wait for an answer and left the room.

"These are..." Leo stared at the piece of jewelry in his hands, tearing up as well. "Mother's..."

Leah started crying in earnest, clutching the metal against herself and hugging Soap's arm.

It seems like those were matching necklaces, from what he could see in Leo's hand. 'Christian's
moonlight' was engraved in the little pendant. He could only guess the other one had something
related to the twins' mother engraved on it.

"Hey, it's okay..." He's glad he doesn't have to see Anne again, the two times they saw the woman,
the kids always ended up crying.

Leo clung to his other side now, crying quietly with the necklace in his fist. He let the twins get it
out of their systems, and after a long while they calmed down, staying where they were on his
sides.

"Sorry, Johnny." The boy pulled away and cleaned his face with his sleeve. "I think there's snot in
your sweater." That's the least of his concerns right now.

"I don't mind, Leo." He pulled the kid closer again, without any resistance from the boy's side. "I'm
just worried about you two."

"I'm okay now." Leah got up as well, looking at the pendant one more time before handing it over
to Soap, her brother doing the same after.

"Can you keep them in a safe place?" He felt a little happy, realizing that the kids trusted him
enough to give him the only memento they have from their parents. They trusted him to keep it
safe.

"Of course." He put the matching accessories in his pocket, he'll leave them somewhere in his
room later. Now he needed to be with the kids.

"What's up?" Sol opened the gates at the store entrance and let them in. "The cow wrestler is still
working on something, you can wait inside, it's cold." The kids left without waiting for Soap,
sheltering themselves from the freezing wind behind the deteriorated wood walls.

"Cow wrestler?" That's a worse nickname than 'Soap', surely.

"Yeah, because, you know...cows...?"Ah, yes, of course.

"Just admit you don't know why you call him that." William walked their way then, stretching and
yawning. "What time is it?"

"Time to work. Start counting the money, we leave in thirty."

"Give me a break, man." The girl seemed to take pity on her coworker and didn't insist. "Did you
tell Simon they're waiting for him?"

"You go tell him, he looks like he'll kill anyone who dares interrupt him." That sounds like
something Ghost would do.

"I'll go." He reached a hand towards the kids, waiting until they joined him and leaving for the
butcher shop.

Ghost was standing in front of a table behind the counter, cutting meat and organizing it in different
plastic trays. He understands why the young adults were scared to approach him, but he was used
to seeing the man when he was concentrated. He wasn't annoyed or anything like that, he was just
very focused on his work.

"Simon?" Leah's voice pulled the brit out of his trance, turning around to face them.

"I'll be done soon, want to leave this ready for tomorrow." It was odd for the man to sound this
tired, it must have been a rough first day.

"We'll wait by the register then." He didn't want to distract his friend, so he's better off in the other
room. The other employees were behind the counter, counting the money on the register.

"(...so we don't have money for him tomorrow.)" The woman perked up at their presence,
elbowing her coworker as to tell him to shut up.

"All good?"

"Aye, he'll be done in a while." He forgot to ask how much. He hopes not more than half an hour,
the kids need to go to bed before twelve, at least, and they're already grumpy, both by sleep and for
the events earlier in the evening.

"Cool, cool. Do you mind keeping watch at the gates? Cristian should be here any minute." Not
like he has anything better to do. A man arrived in a motorcycle a few minutes later, staring at him
confused when he took off his helmet.

"(Hello.)" The guy smiled and went to the register, greeting his coworkers. "(Who's that outside?)"

"That's John, he starts tomorrow." Sol turned and looked his way. "This is Cristian, he works the
night shift."

"Nice to meet you, man." Just how many people speak english perfectly in this place?

"Nice to meet you, too." The man turned and grabbed his phone, music coming out of the store's
speakers a few seconds after.

"I'm so glad I don't work with you." The music wasn't that bad but it wasn't exactly good either.

"Jealous much?" Sol scoffed and left the register with William, exchanging places with Cristian.
"No. Good luck." The man waved dismissively and went back to his phone. "We'll just wait for
Simon and lock the gates when we leave." Ghost should be done soon...

Or maybe not. The minutes passed and his friend still didn't leave his workspace. Sol got bored and
took out a pack of cigarettes, but William stopped her before she could lit one.

"Hold it there, you already smoked too much." The girl rolled her eyes and lit the cigarette
anyways, blowing smoke in the guy's direction to make him go away.

"I'll just smoke one less tomorrow, no biggie." That never works.

"Just find something better to do with–"

"There's kids, you asshat." Well, the cussing was something he didn't want the kids hearing either,
but it seems to be at least half of the woman's vocabulary.

"Oh, sorry." William got close to his coworker, even if he seemed to hate the smell of tobacco.
"But really, you need to stop that." To be fair, the woman actually looked conflicted. Maybe he
should take notes to make Ghost stop smoking...

"I know that, I'm trying, buddy." He'll definitely take notes if he sees this type of conversation
again, because Sol actually threw her cigarette in the ash tray and gave the pack to William.

"It's for the best." She nodded and put her backpack and coat on. Ghost finally decided to come out,
a scarf wrapped around his neck over the hoodie.

"Good to go?" A nod.

"Good work today, buddy. The regulars already like you." It's good to know that people weren't
being mean to Ghost.

"I wonder why?" Sol smirked and winked at Ghost, who just stared blankly at her. Was that a
blush? What just happened?

"Don't tease him." William sighed and pushed his coworker gently out of the gates. He waited until
everyone got out before closing with the key. "Alright, see you tomorrow."

"See you, guys. Drive safe." She started walking, with William dragging his motorbike to walk
beside her, talking with her as they went.

"How'd the day go?" Once in the car, seeing how Leah was more asleep than awake and definitely
not going to fill the silence, he decided he needed to distract himself, because he was just as tired as
the kids.

"Good." Maybe Ghost isn't the best option, when it comes to people to have a conversation with,
but currently, he doesn't have any more options.

"Were the guys annoying, or something?" Sol was a little too blunt, from what he saw today. He
doubts Ghost could get mad at anything she says.

"No, they're okay. I can't imagine how annoying you three will be when you start to get along."
'Annoying' doesn't seem like the right word.

"They seem like good kids." Overworked and very tired, but good kids.

"William is older than you." That's a surprise.

"What?"

"He's twenty-nine." He doesn't look or act like it. Soap thought he was twenty-five at most.

"No shit? And Sol?" At least Simon had bothered to listen and talk to his coworkers.

"She's twenty-one." That's also a surprise, considering how much mature she acted compared to
William, he had guessed she was older. The world is filled with unexpected things. "I heard they
already hired you." Oh, right. He hasn't told Ghost.

"Aye, I'll be working from four to eleven, and bringing the kids along." His friend didn't seem too
happy with that.

"Doesn't seem like a good idea." Ghost might be right, but it's probably too late to change his mind.
"You don't even need to work." That's true, but he'll go insane if he has to stay at home all day
watching over animals.

"You wanted to be the family's breadwinner?" Ghost scoffed but didn't reply. "I'll lose my mind if I
keep living like this."

"Right." It didn't seem like a good reason to the brit, but he didn't protest anymore. Thankfully they
were almost home, so the silence didn't bother him.

As soon as he parked the car, the kids woke up on their own, sluggishly getting out of the car and
towards the house. Maybe he should have thought more about the kids when choosing his shift.
They will barely get seven hours of sleep, and two hours to do homework and watch TV before
having to go to the store. At least they have the weekends.

Leo left for his room, not even sparing a glance to the rest of them. The twins already had dinner,
before they went to pick Ghost up.

"Johnny?" Leah was just as tired as her brother, but she didn't go to bed by herself. Which she
never does anyways.

"What is it?" She lift her arms, asking Ghost to pick her up with the gesture, and the man did.

"Can I sleep with you again?" Denying her would be the correct answer, but she did have a stressful
evening, and she doesn't look like she'll take no for an answer. There's still a problem though.

"We don't fit in my bed, and we can't keep bothering Simon. You're a big girl, right? You can sleep
by yourself..." Apparently she can't. Tears started to appear in her eyes, threatening to spill any
moment.

"I don't mind." Ghost?

"So we can?" No, wait, this isn't how it was supposed to g–

"Sure." Does Simon really not see what he was trying to do? He was actually trying to help here, so
he could have his room to himself, but of course the brit would think about Leah's comfort before
his own.

At least Leah looks happy.

The girl clung to Ghost this time, hugging the man as best she could while sleeping. At least she
hadn't forced Soap to cuddle with them too, like yesterday's night. He could leave, because nothing
 was stopping him...but the bed is warm, and comfortable.

Surely, Leah would be upset if she woke up and Johnny was gone, right?

He's staying just for that.

And he's only sleeping closer to Ghost than necessary because the man is a human furnace and
Soap was a little cold. Nothing else.

And if he stared at Simon's barely awake eyes for too long, it's because it was interesting, how hard
the man was trying to stay awake, for some reason. Even Ghost couldn't win against sleep, he
blinked slowly a couple of times, but eventually his eyes opened less and less, until he didn't have
the strength to open them again.

He easily drifted off, the soft snoring breaking the silence of the house, as well as the warmth of
the bodies beside him, lulling him to sleep.

He understands why Leah feels so safe when they sleep like this, now.

>

Chapter End Notes

"Hey, better late than never, amarite?" They were not right, the author got beaten by
an angry mob. And their sleep paralysis demon who decided to join too.

Sorry for being late, but I didn't have much time (still don't). I wrote most of this
during smoke breaks and bus rides and only had time to properly write on the
weekend.

Next chapter will probably be next week, I don't think I'll be able to finish it by friday
(because I'll take my time to properly edit and review previous chapters since I'm
almost mid-way through the story).

As always, thank you for the kudos and comments! See you next week. <33
 (8). A new ally.
Chapter Summary

Leah entrust her mission to a reliable adult.

Chapter Notes

There are two POVs for this chapter: one tilde(~) for Leah's, two(~~) for not Leah.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

I know that Johnny told me not to mess around. But.

I want to be nosy.

Miss Sol was very kind, and she looks happy when she takes care of me and Leo at the store. I miss
watching cartoons and napping in the afternoon, but staying at the store is a bit fun. Especially
because of the candies mister William gives us secretly.

I was watching videos on Simon's phone and I got bored, so I went to look for miss Sol so we could
draw together again. And that's how I ended up here, eavesdropping.

"(I do like her, but I don't think she likes me back.)" That's why I'm eavesdropping. William has the
same problem as Simon. So if I listen I can think of something to help him!

"(You don't know until you try. Just talk to her.)" Hm...Simon won't tell Johnny, I know that for
sure. "(The worst that can happen is she rejects you and you keep being friends.)" That's probably
also what would happen between those two, they won't hate each other, no matter what, right?
They like each other too much.

"(Easy for you to say, you're not the one that has to deal with the embarrassment if she rejects
me.)" Embarrassment? Is it embarrassing to admit you like someone?

"(You think I never liked anyone? Of course I know how it feels, but it's better to be embarrassed
for a while than keep stressing over the issue.)" Are they already standing up? I have to hide. "I
saw you ages ago, princess. Don't eavesdrop on people, you might hear things you aren't supposed
to." Ah, shoot. "Or things you don't want to hear..." But it's a good way to get information...

"I know that...I just–" I'm glad someone interrupted me.

"Hey, Sol?" Johnny? He's looking at me. "What is it Leah? Don't go wandering around." That's the
first rule, I remember! First: don't wander around and stay where Simon or Johnny can see us. Two:
don't talk or take anything from strangers. Three: uh...

"I know! I wanted to draw something, came to look for paper..." I might have forgotten about the
paper, but it's the truth.

"Alright, I'll give you paper, don't pester Sol when she's on her break." Am I annoying her? I don't
mean to pester her, I just don't want to distract Johnny...

"It's alright, I like drawing with her, she's good." So I'm not bothering? "What did you need? I'm
already done." William came out of the room too, silently.

"Boss said I should clean the slicing machine, but, you know. I don't know how." The slicing
machine is very scary! It's too loud!

"Right, I'll teach you. Willy?" Mister William had gone on by himself. He looks a little worried.
"Give Leah paper and my pencils. Watch her for a while, yeah?" Hm...well, at least I get to draw.

"Alright. Let's go?" Yup.

William is very good at drawing too, he's showing me his book full of his art. It reminds me of one
of those...comics? Comics...that dad had back at our old house. I don't really like drawing like that,
but it still looks pretty!

He gave me paper and I started drawing whatever came to mind.

Do I miss watching TV with everyone that much? I can't think of anything else...

Whatever I'll just draw that.

It's a but hard drawing Simon, because I don't know how to draw his mask, but it's good enough for
a sketch.

But I don't want to paint all this with pencils. Maybe Sol will let me use those weird crayons she
uses? They look greasy but the paintings she showed me look pretty.

"Eek!" I hate the slicing machine!

"It's alright, it's just the machine. Don't worry–"

"Shit–! Hold on." What happened? Is Johnny okay? I need to check!

"Wait, Leah–" No time to listen to William. I ran as fast as I could until I was at where Johnny was.
He looks fine.

"Are you okay...?" Doesn't seem like he's hurt. He just looks spooked. But Sol was cursing in the
kitchen. Is it bad to be glad it wasn't Johnny who got hurt?

"What happened–?"

"Go back to the register!" Is that–

"It's okay, Leah." It's not auntie. Not every angry woman is auntie. Auntie is gone, forever now.
"Let's go somewhere else. I'll call you if a costumer comes in, go help her."

"Thanks, man." William ran to the kitchen and closed the door behind him. I can hear them arguing
inside there, and they were saying bad words, so I need to leave. Johnny noticed too and he walked
with me to the front of the store, where I was drawing with William.

Now I hate the slicing machine even more! Not only is it loud, but it can hurt people? That's
terrible!

"You're not using the slicing machine." Don't laugh at me, I'm being serious, Johnny!

"I have to, it's part of my job, sweetie. I won't get hurt, Sol did because she has long nails." Oh,
that's true! Her nails are so long and pretty! She paints them in different colors and draws little
things in them, they look so cute.

Wait, did she lose her nails!?

That machine is pure evil!

"But what if you get hurt anyways?" I really, really, really don't want Johnny to get hurt! He needs
to drive us around and...uh, feed the animals...? What else does he do?

Not like it matters, Johnny is Johnny. He helps me with homework and listens to me, and he's
always taking care of us.

"I've had worse." Worse? He's been hurt worse than Sol? But it looked like it hurt a lot.

"Really?" He looks uncomfortable now. "How?"

"At my previous job." Oh, right. He worked with mom, so he must have gotten hurt by bad guys
like mom used to. A lady walked into the store and Johnny had to get up. "Don't go anywhere, aye?
I need to take care of something."

"Okay." He walked inside and disappeared at the back of the store. I know he said I should stay
here, but I'd rather be with Simon and Leo. Johnny will find me.

Leo was busy playing some game he had on Johnny's phone, he plays with the kids from school.
Somehow. I don't understand how they can play when they are not here, it's some kind of magic,
probably.

And Simon was...is he sleeping? No, not sleeping. He's just relaxing. He probably gets bored of
waiting for costumers and for the big pieces of meat to get here. But he looks very happy when he
has stuff to do, I can tell even if he has a mask on.

"Are you bored?" Hm...not bored. I like drawing, I don't think I can get bored of it. I shook my
head. "Tired?" I slept very well last night, and it's still early. "Hungry?"

"Nope." There's nothing bothering me, but Simon always asks when I come to the butcher's, just in
case. "Are you bored?" He looks very bored.

"No." Lying is bad, Simon.

"Tired?" I giggled when he looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "Hungry?"

"Are you mocking me?" Oh, no! He stood up, it's time to run!

"I'm sorry! Please don't–" Not the tickles again! Why is my second in command laughing at me!?
"Help me, Leo!"

"You deserve it." I'm surrounded by traitors! Time for plan B, then. If I hold my laughter a bit and
pretend to be angry he'll stop, right? Or maybe I can escape if I crouch and run under him...

Or I can tickle back! That's it!

I reached out and did the same he was doing to me.

"No, wai–" There it is! He does have tickles! Leo was surprised too. Isn't this the first time we hear
Simon laugh like this?

"You have tickles?" So I'm not the only one who thought he didn't have them. Leo stood up and
came over here, looking at Simon. Oh, he's going to join now? I'm not forgetting your betrayal,
brother!

"I don't–" Lies. Are. Bad. The good thing about having a twin is that we're always coordinated, and
within seconds Simon went from crouching to be at my level to shivering and laughing in the floor.
Serves you right!

"Ghost, have–?" Uh-oh. Leo and I both froze as Johnny looked at us. Simon immediately stopped
laughing and looked at Johnny, embarrassed. "Oh, no, don't mind me, keep doing what you were
doing."

"Cool." Leo, no, wait! This time, Simon tried to hide his laughter. Hm... What to do... I could join
in until he goes back to laughing, but Simon would be embarrassed...but Johnny sounded a little
serious when he said to keep going...

Alright, sorry Simon!

Heh, his laugh is pretty. It makes me want to laugh too.

"Alright, stop torturing him." Woah, am I flying!? Ah, no, it's just Johnny picking me up. Bummer.
"He's supposed to be working, you can attack him all you want back home." Something tells me
Johnny is enjoying this too, somehow.

"Don't you dare." I know that whatever Simon says is absolute, but he doesn't sound so
commanding when he's out of breath and on the floor. I definitely know how to respond when he
tickles me, now.

"I think I told you to stay put." That's true. But what was I supposed to do? Die of boredom by the
gates?

"I was with Simon! I got bored." Finally, firm land under my feet.

"I left for less than five minutes." Was it really that little time?

"She's a kid, short attention span." Uh, yeah! Whatever that means!

"Don't side with her, she can't just wander around because she's bored." Ah, I feel like I shouldn't
talk anymore.

"Don't be so strict, you know she doesn't stay put for more than two seconds." Wait, so I'm the
problem, here?

"So what? She still should stay where I told her to. What if she gets hurt or someone takes her–" I
don't like this.

"I was watching her, MacTavish."

"Things like that can happen in a second, Ghost. Just because you were watching her today doesn't
mean it won't happen some other day when you're not watching her!" Just stop, I don't like this.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt your married couple quarrel but, like, the kid is about to cry." Married
couple...Heh, they do act like that sometimes. Reminds me of...what little I remember from mom
and dad.

"Sol! Are you alright?" I don't know why everyone was looking at me weird.

"It's just a scratch." She lifted her finger, with a bandaid on. She lost her long nail, that's so sad!
"Let's go paint like you wanted, yeah?" Finally.

I walked past Johnny and to the kitchen with Sol. The cook already left and we can use the table
there to paint as much as we want. Sol isn't working right now, so she stays with me until we have
to leave.

Now, I shouldn't be doing anything weird like Johnny said. But.

"Miss?" Not the time to get nervous just because someone is staring at me.

"Yeah?" Oh, purple pencil! I thought I lost it.

"Do you like someone?" Did she choke on something?

"Didn't know we were close enough to talk about our love life." Uhm...does that mean I can't ask
that? "Is that why you were eavesdropping earlier? You like someone?"

"No! Not me..." How do I explain it without telling her Simon's secret...? "I have a...uh...friend...?"

"Go on..." So she doesn't believe me. Whatever.

"He likes one of his friends, but he won't tell him because he says his friend doesn't like him back."
I think I didn't reveal anything.

"Is your 'friend' sure that his crush doesn't like him?" Hm...is he? Probably. No, it's more like he
can't admit that Johnny could like him. Or something like that?

"No, I don't think so."

"Then your 'friend' should make sure his crush doesn't like him." That's tricky, Simon won't do
what I tell him anymore.

"But how does he make sure?"

"Don't know. I would just ask directly."

"But he won't ask Joh–" Oh, no. Wait, don't panic, maybe she didn't hear it!

"John?" I'm doomed! It's all the purple pencil's fault, it distracted me!

"No..." I know lying is bad, mom, but it's necessary.

"Yeah, right." Guess even lying can save me now. "So, wait, who likes Soap?"

This is a bit tricky. To explain it to her I need to tell her Simon's secret, and I don't know what she
could do with that information. But she doesn't look like she'd do something bad if she knew his
secret...
"I don't know..." I can't trust her, yet.

"Is it Simon?" You can't read my mind!

"No!" I'm not admiting defeat yet.

"So it is! I knew it." Oh? How did she know it. "Either way, you shouldn't be meddling in adult's
problems. You're too little to understand them." I'm not that young.

"I still want to help...wait! You can't tell Johnny!" Now that she knows, she could tell Johnny and
he would be mad and Simon would get mad and–

"I know that. I won't tell him..." Phew... "I will ask him if he likes someone. Because I love
gossip." It seems I have gained another ally.

"And you'll tell me, right?" Surely it would be easier if she gathers information and gives it to me.
So I can plan my missions.

"I don't know. Why would I?" Hm...Leo always says that everything has a price.

"I have kittens, I can give you one." We can't keep them anyways, mom always tells us we should
have few pets so we can love them better.

"Deal." Easy.

"Good. I'll be waiting for the info, sergeant." I chuckled with Sol, but I don't know why she's
laughing. This is a serious matter.

~~

The only thing that makes working in this hellhole is the drama and gossip. See, when you talk to
all the old ladies of the neighborhood a couple times a day, you start to get a little addicted to
hearing about their lives. Because hearing about what the witch that lives in front of old Leticia's
house did to piss her off is way more entertaining than cleaning the floors or staring at the wall
until closing time.

So now, Leah accidentally spilled some interesting information, and I would be a dumbass to let it
go to waste. Plus, the kid seems to look at this as some sort of mission? I don't know why she
called me sergeant and I'm too scared to find out.

I know that whatever the kid is trying to do won't go well, because she can't play matchmaker no
matter how much she tries. She's a child, she doesn't understand what she's doing, and the adults
won't take her seriously anyways.

But I'm not a child.

Don't worry, Leah, I shall do your job. Or get fired for harassment. One of the two, whichever
comes first.

The thing is how do I do this subtly? I can't just go to John and say 'Hey, man, do you like the dude
you live with? Asking for a friend' even if that's the fastest route.
I can just pretend I'm being nosy because of my own interest, but I'll be in trouble if he ends up
thinking I'm interested in him.

And I can't send Willy because no. Just no. I'll have to explain to him why I want to know if John
likes someone, and whether I tell the truth or lie, I know the dumbass will end up telling John
something he shouldn't because he'll get nervous.

I'll just wait until he takes a smoke break and casually ask.

"(Did you check the oven?)" Sadly, I'm still at work. With my nephew, which is the equivalent of
being alone.

"(Yeah, I took the bread out already.)" And...he's back to his phone.

Now that I think about it, where is Soap? He likes to clean the floor around this time, since no one
comes in. Maybe spending time with Leah? Not that I mind but I would rather not be re-stocking
the entire cleaning products aisle by myself.

Not in the kitchen, not in the storage room...

"Are you still hungry? We have some cookies left from school." The kids are by themselves. So
they must be outside.

I'm not the most graceful when it comes to manners, but I know how to be silent when I need to. I
learnt that eavesdropping is not good the hard way, though this time is necessary.

"You really should tone it down, with the smoking." If I haven't heard those words come from
William a thousand times.

"You've said that already." Hah, that's the answer I usually give too.

"Because I mean it. It's for your own good, Ghost." So I didn't hear it wrong yesterday. I shouldn't
judge a book by it's cover but these two just reek of ex-military men, and the nicknames just
confirm that.

"I know." To give Simon some credit, he doesn't take more than one or two smoke breaks while he
works. Sure, they don't work fifteen hours like I do, so they have less time to take breaks, but that
few cigarettes is still pretty normal.

"If you know then why aren't you trying to fix it?" 'Because I don't want to' is always the answer.

"Fuckin' hell, you've been more annoying than usual lately." I think this is my cue to stop the
arguing before they end up throwing hands.

"Yo, what's up?" It's not like I've known these two for long, but I can tell that the arguing is
something new. It's not that frequent, but when they do argue in front of the kids, the poor twins
look like they have no idea what to do.

"Nothing. I was heading back anyways." Hm...I don't think it's the right time to interrogate Soap.
I'll just go inside with Simon. "Don't you have work to do?" Ouch. So cold.

"My shift ended like, two hours ago. I'm only staying because I'm that kind." And because I have
nothing to do at home.

"Sure." I'm not getting any more words out of him, it seems. He's a man of few words, after all.
If there's one thing that's good about being paranoid, is that with time you learn to notice even the
smallest things in your surroundings. And I definitely can feel eyes on me. Actually, I could see
them if I turned, but I know who is watching anyways.

See, I'm not an expert when it comes to romance, but I have friends. And I know that spying on
your friend when, one; you just talked to them, and two; you should be working, is not that normal.

Jealousy is a funny thing, even if I don't remember ever feeling it. I might know how to find out if
Soap could like Simon.

"Hey, big guy, I was wondering..." The first day I almost got punched because I stepped too close,
so now I know to make my contact obvious when it comes to Simon, and even if he was confused,
he wasn't startled by my hand in his shoulder. "A little bird told me you have a secret."

"What secret?" Should I tell on Leah? She'll probably get scolded for this. I should convince him
not to scold her first.

"I'll tell you if you promise not to take it out on the birdie." That sigh can only mean he knows who
I'm talking about. "Just play along for a while." I guided his hand towards my waist as discreetly as
I could, and by the steps I could faintly hear, Soap walked away then. Alright, showtime's over.
"So you like him."

"Did Leah tell you?" She didn't exactly tell me, to give her some credit, she actually tried to keep
her mouth shut.

"Not quite, I just figured it out." Hopefully that makes Leah's scolding less severe. "Do you know
if he could like you?" Maybe he already does, actually, but I need more evidence for such a claim.

"No, he's straight." Ew, straight people.

"You sure?" It sounds a bit more like Simon refuses to even try to believe John could like him.

"Yes." Well, none of the other actually straight guys that work here have ignored Diana's antics
like Soap did when he met her, so I'll allow myself to be skeptical.

"We'll see." I'll stop if either of them get uncomfortable, obviously, but until they do, I'll make sure
to get as much information as I can.

Playing matchmaker can be a little bit fun.

Johnny has been a little weird since yesterday, so Sol probably did something. It's a bit scary that
he's so annoyed all the time, but I know he is not mad at me or Leo. Is he mad at Simon? But what
did Simon do?

"Go to the car." There it is again, that weird tone. Leo pulled me to the car and away from Johnny.
He has noticed that something is off, but we haven't talked about it.

Wait, is it my fault? Surely not, right? I did ask for Sol's help, but that's because she figured out
Simon's secret. What if she told Johnny!?
No, wait, she wouldn't do that, right? And even if she did, Johnny wouldn't be mad about it.

Right?

"What's with Soap? He looks annoyed since yesterday. And he's barely talking with Simon." He
did notice, then.

"I don't know, this time I didn't do anything." I know he doesn't believe me, but it's still the truth.

"Try not to be anno–" The door to the front seat opened and we both froze. Simon was very calm,
as usual, but Johnny...

"Put your seatbelts on." But he's usually the one to do that for us... Ghost got out of the car and
came to the back seats' door to put our seat belts. Johnny always does the same, why is he being
mean? Is he tired?

"There you go." Ah, no! My hair!

"Thank you..." I'll let it slide since he helped me. The seat belts are weird and I don't know how to
make them...click? They have to make that little sound and it means I put it right.

I don't really know what to talk about, because Johnny looks like he doesn't want to talk, Leo and
Ghost never talk during the car rides either. I'll just look out the window.

It's almost october, which means halloween is near, but also, that we can fly kites when it's less
cold. And if uncle Alex comes home. It's a bit weird he didn't come in july, when we usually go to
the beach, but he must have things to do.

Johnny and Simon wouldn't mind taking us to the fields to fly kites, right? Even if Johnny is acting
a little weird, he'll go back to himself in a couple days...right?

Hm...maybe he's just feeling down? Should I cheer him up with something? But what if he gets
mad? Leo could talk to him instead, he's better at dealing with grumpy adults, because he's always
grumpy himself.

I'll tell him tomorrow at school, he will obey my commands because I'm his captain. Or else–

"Leah?" Simon? Ah, are we home already? "Everything okay, princess?"

"Yeah, I'm just sleepy." I should've slept a while in the car when we were at the store. I got out of
the car and...walking is so tiring..."Simon...?"

"Hm?" Ah, poor me, I'm so exhausted. If only a tall, strong man like da–

Ah?

Not dad, Simon.

Don't mix them up, brain!

"Up?" Heh, I'm a great actress. I could walk home perfectly, but it's better if someone carries me.

He put me down as soon as we reached the living room and went to take out his scarf and coat. We
should do the same...Where is Leo? His room?

Yup, his room.

I threw my coat and extra clothes in the desk and went to find him.

"What do you want?" So rude!

"Nothing..." Alright, he knows I'm lying, what's the use to pretending to be innocent. "Any theories
on why Johnny could be so mad?"

"I don't know, maybe because his arms hurt?" Oh, so he's just uncomfortable? "Didn't you hear
him? He was complaining whenever he carried stuff." And no one helped him? So cruel.

"I didn't know, I thought he was–" What was that loud noise!? Did something explode?

"Johnny!?" And I was the crybaby between us two? At least I don't cry as soon as something scares
me. Leo hurried out of the room and I followed. Not because I'm scared of being alone, of course.

"It's okay, it's just thunder." Yeah, that was it! I thought I saw some flashing lights through the
window.

Eek–! Alright, that one was scary, it was definitely louder. Simon pat my head gently and I turned
to him. Thunder isn't scary, it's the sound that surprises me. But Simon looks more nervous than I
do. Is he scared of thunder? I mean, mom was scared of them, and fireworks, so I guess even
grown-ups have silly fears.

"It's okay." I tried to reassure Simon, and Johnny chuckled as I pat his arm. What? If he's afraid I
should calm him down, just like he does with us. "What's so fu–eh!?"

Who turned off the lights?

"I think we should head to bed." Johnny's right, I would if I could see where my room was.

"But, I'm scared!" Of course he is, thunder is the only thing that scares Leo. He asks to sleep in my
bed when there are thunderstorms, just like I ask to sleep on his when I have nightmares. Well, I
used to do that, now I just ask...

Oh, right!

"Can't we all sleep together? Darkness is scary." I'm not afraid of darkness, of course...I'm lying too
much lately.

"I don't know..." Come on, Johnny! Simon's bed is the best one in the house!

"I don't mind." Yes!

"Alright..." I followed Johnny's figure, which is the only thing I can see, since he's the one using
his phone's flashlight. "You two ate at the store, right?" Surely he doesn't want to cook, right? His
food tastes funny when he can see, I can't imagine how it'd taste when he can't.

"Yeah, Sol gave us sandwiches." And fruit, and candies, and soda, and–

"Go to bed then, I'll be back in a sec." Simon left...into the dark? Johnny was a little confused too
but he took us to bed instead of following him. I won't complain about my bed, but Simon's is so
soft and big and comfortable, I don't want to sleep in my own bed again. I know I'll have to,
probably soon, but as long as my da–

Stop it, brain!

It's all my friends' fault, they keep calling Johnny and Simon my dads!

Well, not like they don't act like parents, it's just that they don't act like our parents. I can't
remember how dad was, but he definitely didn't give us as much attention as Johnny does. And
mom...She loves us, I know, but after dad went away, it was not the same.

Simon reminds me a bit too much of that version of her, sometimes, it must be because they both
cover their faces. And because they're both tall and strong, too.

How did mom's face look like...?

I could see a big flash of light through the curtains, and just by how bright it is, I can tell it's going
to be–

"Wah!" –a very loud thunder. Leo clung to me and hid even further under the covers. I understand
why Johnny doesn't like sleeping together that much, it's a bit uncomfortable having someone
clinging to you when you're trying to sleep. But it's not that bad, and I don't mind, because it's Leo.

"Sh...it's okay." Johnny wrapped his arms around both me and Leo, holding us closer to him. I
didn't even notice Simon was back, but I felt the way the bed moved when he laid down. I tried to
calm Leo too, brushing his hair to distract him.

Auntie didn't let us sleep with her when we were scared, so Leo always had a tough time during
spring and summer, since there's a lot of thunderstorms then.

But now, I don't have to help him alone.

"It's okay, buddy, it's just noise." Yeah, that! Thunder is just noise, and lightning is very far, it can't
hurt you. I felt Simon's arm wrap around us as well, covering Leo's ears when another lighting
struck.

Maybe Leo won't sleep for a while, but I'm actually sleepy. I'm comfy here, it's warm and it feels
safe, with Johnny and Simon right next to us.

"It can't hurt us..." Ah, that was a thought, I didn't mean to say it. But it's true.

I don't think anything can hurt us if we're like this, not even the thunderstorm outside. Even if it's
the end of the world, as long as we're like this, we'll be fine, right? Simon can keep us safe, Johnny
too.

Nothing can harm us, as long as they're here.

"So, you told Sol?" I hate that we can't go out during recess, but Johnny won't be happy if we get
mud on our uniforms, so it can't be helped.

"I didn't tell her, she figured it out." She read my mind, she must be some kind of witch. I'll ask her
to teach me to do that too.

"What if she tells Johnny? You shouldn't have asked her for advice anyways." That's true, but...ah,
I don't have an excuse.
"She's not going to tell him! She promised..." She can't break her promise! I trust her to keep the
secret safe.

"Whatever. If she does, you know not even an apology would be enough, right?" It won't? Surely
Simon won't be that mad. "Simon will be very disappointed." Oh, right, he won't be mad, he'll be
disappointed in us. Well, of course he would be, that's why I'm keeping the secret as best as I can. I
don't want to think about what would happen if I fail to keep the secret, because I won't fail to
begin with.

Ah, all this thinking is making me hungry. My brain needs fuel, and I need to go buy the fuel.

"I know. Let's go buy pastries, I'm hungry." Leo finally looked up at me, then closed his book and
put it on his backpack. That means go.

Most of the kids were running around in their...what did Nico say they were called?
Welli...something? Rain boots. They were jumping on puddles and making a mess, and even if it
did look very fun and I would love to join, I can't. At least not until classes are over. Leo looked
annoyed at the other kids, though, probably because he hates getting dirty like that. Such a party
pooper.

The floors inside the school were very slippery, and covered in mud too, so now I'm wondering if
the food is worth falling when trying to get it.

Hm...

Yup, definitely worth it.

Leo doesn't seem to think the same, though. He grabbed my hand and I stopped, standing in front
of the main doors beside him.

"A couple pasties aren't worth your kneecaps." That's an opinion, not a fact.

"We all have wrong opinions." I let go if his hand and slid across the floor until I reached the dry
part of the entrance. Take that, dummy. I'm so good at...can this be considered skating?

"Go get the food, then." Sure! It's not like he proved anything, why is he so smug?

Wait, was that huge puddle always there? I can't cross it without getting dirty...

"Uh..." Maybe I should've listened to the smarter one of us two.

"Go on." Fine! I don't care, I'm getting my food.

If I jump far enough, and then quickly jump again on that cardboard over there...Or I can slide
through the mud next to the puddle, but my shoes...

Whatever, it's for the snacks!

"Wait, Leah–!" Not listening to a traitor. Surprisingly I didn't get any water or dirt on my uniform.
My shoes, though...

"You're not getting any food!" I can barely see Leo's annoyed face from the school gates. Of course
I'm sharing my food, but just to make him worry, I won't admit it until we get back to class. It's
what he gets for being a coward!
I crossed the road, making sure to look both ways twice, and finally got to the small store in front
of school.

It's oddly empty and quiet here...

"(Hello?)" The lady that's always behind the counter wasn't here, and I can't hear anything from
anywhere. Did I do all that for nothing!? "(Lady?)"

"(Good morning, sweetheart.)" There she is! Oh, she was taking pastries out of the oven! "(The
same as always?)"

"(Yes, ma'am!)" The school has food in the cafeteria, but it's always old, and it doesn't taste as good
as this lady's.

"(On it.)" She put the food in a paper bag and handed it to me. "(Careful, it's hot.)" I know! I gave
her the money and walked towards the exit.

"(Thank you! Have a good day!)" I think I heard her say goodbye but I was already out when she
said it.

Here's the complicated part.

There's more to lose if I fall, now.

And my shoes are already wet, too...

"Not so brave now?" At least I was brave to cross the puddle once!

"I just don't want the food to get ruined..." Oh, I know. "Hey, Leo?"

"What? I'm not going there to help you." I know that, coward. If I don't have food to ruin, then I
can cross without worrying.

"Catch!" Oh, nice aim, me! I mean, I hit him in the head, but the pastries are safe.

"Johnny is going to kill you when he sees your shoes." They're not that bad...it could be worse.

"Don't think so. He'll just scold me a little." I think I'm getting used to being a bit annoying. Well,
not annoying, but...how do I say it? Before I wouldn't have done this because auntie would've really
killed me if I had messed up my shoes. But Johnny isn't like that, so we get away with more stuff
than before.

"Can I have the custard tarts...?" I always buy those for him, I don't really like them.

"No. These are all mine." He doesn't believe me, but he doesn't take out the food either.

"You'll get fat if you eat this much, we should share." How dare you?

"You eat much more than me!" And it's not as healthy as fruits! He should be the one concerned
about weight.

"Yeah but I'm–(hello, miss.)" Uh-oh.

"(Leah, did I see you outside the gates just now?)" I'm in trouble.

"(Maybe it was a girl that looked like me?)" It could be, right? There's a lot of blonde girls in
school.

"(Where did these pastries come from, then?)" Uh...an oven?

"(Johnny gave them to us, we just heated them up at the kitchen.)" Nice save, Leo!

"(The kitchen doesn't have a microwave.)" Oh, no. How were we supposed to know that? Why
don't they have a microwave anyways? "(I'm calling your parents, you can't get out of the school
like that.)" If we can't leave the schoold then why did no one ever stop us? We do this every day.

"(Sorry, miss...)" Johnny will probably really be mad this time.

"(Go to class, we'll talk when school is over.)" Leo grabbed my hand and pulled me to our
classroom.

"See what you got us into?" I'll admit it's my fault, but no one ever told me not to go out of the
gates, so it's not only my fault. "You're explaining it to Soap."

"That's unfair! You go out too, sometimes!" He was the first one to get out of school, even!

"Fine, I'll talk with Soap." That easy? "You talk with Simon." Oh.

I mean, they can't be that mad, right?

~~

"(Thank you, have a nice day...)" Surely hell can't be worse than this. If I have to keep listening to
Diana and my sister's loud, and very fake, laughs for another minute I'm going to rip my ears off.
Please, Willy, for once in your life, come to work on time.

"(Sol? Come here a second.)" I would rather not. It's not like I'll get fired if I refuse, where else can
she find an employee who works for almost fifteen hours without days off, and accepts less than
ten dollars per shift as payment?

"(What is it?)" I have a reputation to uphold though. And this smells like gossip from a mile away.

"(Look at this...)" Hm? Isn't that just Simon? Wait, are they really spying on Simon through the
security cameras? Get a life already. They even took a screenshot of the footage. "(I can barely see
his face, there. Isn't he a little weird?)" It's weirder to be obsessed enough to review six hours of
footage to find someone taking their mask off.

"(Have you seen his face? You work during his shift.)" Technically, I'm not working at that time, I
just stay to help William and Johnny. She should know that, since she's my boss.

"(He covers it even when he goes for a smoke, so no.)" Unlike some other people, I respect other's
boundaries and privacy.

"(Think you can snatch it off? In front of a camera if possible.)" Disgusting. Can't expect anything
better out of my sister's friends.

"(Absolutely not. Have you seen his size? He'll beat me to death.)" I won't do something that's
clearly off limits. Thankfully I can use our size difference as an excuse.
"(Don't care, just do it. He won't break anything, you got cushions to soften the blows.)" I know
that some people have very little education, but it should be common knowledgeable that a couple
centimeters of fat won't stop your bones from being crushed.

"(I'll tell him he can't use the mask anymore, and that should do.)" Great way to make someone
resign on the spot, boss.

"(Just leave him alone, he's not pretty, according to Johnny.)" He didn't really say that, but I'm a
good liar.

"(Really?)" No. "(Actually, what's up with those two? Are they, like...)" Come on, Diana, put those
two braincells to work.

"(I hope not.)" I don't like this conversation anymore. "(I'll have to fire them if so.)" I hate this
world. Even if she meant it as a joke, I know she's somehow serious too. I've lived with this person
for twenty-one years.

"(They're just friends.)" For now. I'll try to make that change, since it seems to be what Simon
wants.

"(Friends that adopted kids together?)" Well, yes, dear Diana, that seems to be the case.

"Boo!" Ah, thanks William, I really needed my ears to bleed today. How high can these idiots'
voices go?

"(Don't do that, asshole!)" No, no, keep doing it, but when I'm far away, if possible.

"(Finally.)" It seems like the lady is tired and wants to go home. Poor boss, it must be exhausting to
stay on your phone and gossip for three hours. Truly a terrible job. "(Let's go, I'll give you a ride.)"

Thank God they're gone.

"I've never been more glad to see you." It sounded more serious than I meant it to. "I'm so tired of
them. You know what they were doing?"

"What?"

"They were talking about Simon. They watched all the footage from the butcher's and took
screenshots whenever they could see a pixel of his bare face." At least I'm not the only one who
finds that completely outrageous.

"What the hell?" I picked up a sweater that fell when William threw his coat into the pile.

"I know, right? I mean, I get it, the guy is hot and all, but...that's just too much." I'm only human,
and I have eyes. I can see when a dude is attractive, even if he isn't my type.

"He's...you think he's hot...?" I don't think he's hot, I know he's hot. The guy is tall and strong, has a
nice voice, and that serious and mysterious aura around him. It's as if he was taken out of those
crappy novels I used to read as a teenager, but better.

"You don't? Does it hurt your pride to admit another man is handsome?" It's not like Willy to get
offended by these kind of conversations, we always talk about our celebrity crushes, or handsome
customers we get every now and then. You know, like total creeps.

"No, I just...don't see it." Sure. Just admit you're jealous. He seems genuinely bothered by this, and
I love to rub salt on wounds.

"What about John, though? He's even hotter, and that personality? Man..." I mean, it's not a lie, or
an exaggeration. He's not my type either.

"Alright, go fangirl somewhere else."

"Ah, you got shy out of nowhere." Time to go back to pretending I'm a normal and sane member of
society. "My sister said to clean the fridges today, I'll help John since he can't carry too many
things, you should man the register."

"Cool." Giving me the cold shoulder, are you? I can play that same game, mister.

The hour went by quickly, I decided to clean the fruit stand and throw away all of the rotten fruit.
The good thing about this is that I can take all the overripe fruits and make smoothies at home, the
bad thing is...the rotten fruit. There's a reason why no one besides me cleans this place, the flies
and the smell aren't that nice. But it's better to get rid of the bad products before a client finds them
instead.

A familiar car parked near the entrance and immediately after it stops, the twins bolted out of the
back doors. John and Simon got out just as fast and followed after them, inside the store.

Huh. The kids are causing trouble? That's new. They seemed upset, and the adults looked mad.

"Good afternoon, I guess." Alright, I'll mind my business, no need to glare, Soap. Their shift
doesn't start for another ten minutes, so I'll give them space.

I haven't forgotten my deal with Leah, but it seems like my plan to see if John could get jealous
was working a bit. He did seem annoyed, it could also be because I was with Simon instead of
helping him with boxes. But my shift was over then, and he knew that. And that was one time, the
other times there's no excuse other than jealousy.

Today doesn't seem like the best day to keep testing my method, but since he's already annoyed,
maybe I'll get a reaction out of him this time.

I'm doing this for that kitten I was promised.

Hm...I should bring more tomatoes...but the crates are too heavy...

Why did everyone have to be busy? William was still ignoring me, and the other two were
lecturing the kids. So no one can help me carry the boxes.

Fine, I'll do it myself. I'll cry about the back pain when I'm home.

Obviously, I should've remembered that the crates in this place are old and ready to break down
the second you lift them. I wouldn't have minded if they broke near the fridge, but why did it have
to happen in the middle of the store?

I saved the fruit from falling by holding the...remains of the crate with my thigh. And now I'm
stuck, standing in one leg, in the middle of the store. I think I have a splinter on my hand...

Man, it sure would be nice to have co-workers.

"Do you need help with that?" Yes, thank you very much. Simon took the crate out of my arms
carefully and started walking towards the fruit stand.

"Thank you, my guy. I didn't want to pay for ten kilograms of ruined tomatoes. And having to
clean the floor as well." I shouldn't even me doing this, but I have a tendency to get in trouble for
doing unnecessary things.

"That sounds fun." For a clean freak maybe.

"Sure does." According to my phone, his shift doesn't start for another five minutes. And mine
ended fifty-five minutes ago. Allegedly. "Want a smoke? Berry flavored." Allegedly, too. I barely
feel the flavour of anything beside chemicals and tobacco, but it does taste a bit fruity every now
and then.

"Sure." That's new. Usually I get a 'smoke real cigarettes if you want to smoke' when I offer them.
Especially when I offer them to man. I took one out of the pack and gave it to Simon, passing my
lighter as well before lighting one for myself. "It's not that bad."

"Doesn't taste that different, right?" We sat by the stairs and looked at the empty road in front of
us. It's usually empty around this hour, people start coming by once it's darker.

"Yeah, it's not as strong as what I usually smoke, though." True, the menthol makes it easier to
inhale.

"What do you smoke? Marbs? Luckies?" I mean, not like you can find anything else that isn't the
national brands. There aren't that many options for foreigners.

"Whatever I find." So he just smokes whatever? Boring. "Don't really have a preference, they're
just..."

"Cancer sticks?" If he isn't that interested in flavor, price or brand, he should at least have the ones
that damage his body less. "You should pick these, they're the only ones that don't fuck up my
throat."

"Sure." That easy, huh? I handed him my pack, that was almost empty anyways, and he stared
back, confused.

"Give me yours, I'll fill the difference if you have more." He took his cigarettes out of his pocket
and gave them to me. He had the same amount that I had. Odd. "Were your hands always that big?"
Maybe it's because I never had anything to compare them to, but the box looked way smaller when
he's holding it than when I'm holding it.

"No, they grew overnight." Funny.

"Has anyone ever told you you're hilarious?" Imitating his deadpan voice is not that hard. I took his
empty hand and compared sizes.

"No." It reminds me of my dad's hands, big and calloused. Well, he has all his fingers at least.

"Figured." He threw his finished cigarette in a nearby ashtray, and stared at me.

"Are you trying to read my hand or something?" I'm just curious, it's not everyday you find
someone like Simon or Johnny around here.

"Nah, gave up on that a couple months ago." Did he actually believe that? I look that much like a
witch, huh. "Just comparing sizes."
"They're not that big, yours are just small." That's not it, I don't think my hands are that small.

"Maybe it's the short fingers?" Not maybe, that's definitely it. "The nails make them look longer."

"Is that why woman get acrylics?" How am I supposed to know? Oh, my alarm went off. It's time
to go to work.

"Maybe, or maybe it just looks cute." I stood up and pretended to pull on his hand to help him
stand up. It's not like I did anything, he can get up by himself.

Staring at the road and getting lost in small chat makes you lose track of your surroundings. So I
got jumpscared by the other two men standing at the store's doors.

I feel like I just got caught cheating on my husband of forty years. Why are they glaring with their
eyes narrowed? What are they, our moms?

"What's up?" They have no right to be pissed, we were talking outside our shifts.

"What were you doing?" Oh, so now William wants to talk to me.

"Comparing boob sizes. Simon's are bigger." I heard Simon's startled chuckle and walked past the
other two flabbergasted men. "What? Just friendly behavior."

They can act offended all they want, I have work to do.

I looked for the kids, who were sulking behind the counter at the butcher shop. It's the first time I
see them actually get scolded, and it's apparently the first time they see it too.

"What did you two do?" Leah looked up at me, teary-eyed and still upset.

"We got out of school to buy snacks and we got caught." Ah, that's bad. Simon walked in with John
following behind. He put on his apron and started working. I think.

"You can't do that. I used to do that too and I got ran over by a bike." That's not what she wanted to
hear, but I'm not going to side with her.

"But I checked the road twice..."

"I did too." It wasn't a fun experience, I broke my leg and spent months in pain. "You could also
get kidnapped. My brother almost got taken away once, he went to fetch a ball outside the school
and they tried to take him in a car." Alright, terrorizing the kids isn't the best idea, but they'll learn
that way. They can't get out of the school if they're too scared to do so.

"But..."

"No buts, Leah. Don't do it again." Damn, I'd hate to be Simon's kid, the man is terrifying enough
when he's calm, imagine when he's mad.

The kids are probably grounded, so I can't take them out to draw or give them treats to cheer them
up.

Well, I guess I have to actually work.

"John, we have to clean the fridges." I left the scene before I make anything worse and headed to
the deposit. Of course this is part of my job, but it's also an excuse to talk with John about
something we can't talk in front of the rest. "Let's clean those ones first and then take them out."

"Yes, ma'am." I'll pretend that didn't offend me.

"So..." I put down a couple of soda packs and gave a wet cloth to him. "How are you liking it
here?" I haven't received any complaints from neither of them, nor from costumers, but just to
make sure, I want to hear his opinion.

"It's nice. The costumers are surprisingly friendly, and I haven't had any trouble with the staff."

"Good, good. You're getting along with everyone, I'm assuming?" He works most of his shifts with
me and William, but he also has to work with Diana and Cristian every now and then. It's not more
than an hour every couple of days, but I know those two can be a handful.

"Aye." Hm...he's unusually quiet today. It's probably because of the– "I see you're getting along
with Simon as well." Oh? That's interesting.

"Yeah, he's pretty cool." No response? Time to push my luck. "Do you know if he's single? Asking
for a friend." I couldn't help smiling when I heard his huff.

"I thought you were dating someone." Yeah, no. I have given no indication of being in a
relationship. That's just his excuse to not reveal the answer.

"Well, I said it's for a friend, didn't I?" I can trap you in your own excuses and lies, Johnny boy.

"He's...uh...he has a girlfriend." My evening conversations say otherwise.

"Does he? I think he told me he was single, but I don't remember correctly." You have to be a fool
to be around Simon and John and not realize how down bad the brit is for his friend. And John
seems to be completely oblivious to this fact.

"Aye, he's been dating her for some time now." The question is why he's making up a person to
hide the fact that his friend is single. It could be because he's worried about something, or because
he doesn't want to let his friend date someone.

"Oh, you mean that girl! He told me he broke up with her a while back." He wasn't expecting me to
actually catch his lie. No, wait, what if he thinks Simon has been hiding a girlfriend from him.

"He did...?" Yeah, definitely the second option.

"Yes. So he must be single then. My friend is quite lucky." See, I could say that I'm making up a
friend, but technically I could say I'm doing all this for John. Future John, that is.

"I don't think so, Simon is not easy to lo–like." Gotcha. I think. So he is worried about his friend.

"Hm? Why?" I know this is a sensitive topic, so I won't get a genuine answer.

"He just is." As expected.

"Is that so? I'll tell my friend to be patient then." I grabbed my phone as if I was going to open a
chat, and John immediately stood up.

"Don't. I'm serious." I can tell. Time to push my luck even further.
"Why? If I didn't know better I'd say you're trying to keep him to yourself." Ah, maybe I overdid it.
Is he in shock? "Jealous, even." Good job, me. Keep pushing people.

"What are you talking about?" At least he recovered fast. I answered his confused chuckle with a
smile.

"Do you like him? You look like you want to snap my neck any time I touch him." That isn't
friendly behavior. I saw how pissed he looked when his friend helped me with the crates today.
And I could feel him staring daggers at me when I was comparing our hand sizes earlier.

"What? We're both guys." I don't think 'guys' would be the right word to describe them, but fair. I'm
not going to try to change his sexuality, nor assume he likes men. But.

"You'll have a blast hearing about my exes. Who cares, dude? I asked if you liked him, nothing
else." That's the most subtle way to come out to someone. Well, maybe not, but it's not like I keep it
a secret anyways.

"I–no?" Very convincing.

"Are you asking me?" I grabbed the plastic crate filled with now clean bottles and cans and started
walking towards the fridges. "You know, you can talk to me, I won't spill. I know we're not close
but believe me, you can trust me." I hope I sounded as sincere as I am.

"It's just– I don't know." He's just confused then? I mean, I was when I was, like, fourteen. But he's
clearly not that age. Whatever, it's never too late to question your existence.

"Since when have you been...confused?" I tried to keep my voice as quiet as I could, not because
Simon could hear us, since he's far from here, but because a client could sneak up on us.

"A couple weeks. I think." So it's pretty recent, unlike Simon. He told me he's liked Johnny since
they met, but he hadn't realized it was a different kind of like until a couple weeks later.

"Are you genuinely confused or just in denial?" Important question, since it could save us both a lot
of time and a lot of conversations.

"I don't know." Alright, you were going to be a kindergarten teacher, Sol, you have a lot of
patience.

"We can figure it out. Preferably during smoke breaks." He seemed confused, so I nod my head
towards the approaching client.

"(Can you help me find something? I'm a little lost.)" Lady, I'm not working. Well, I should just
help her and leave John to work in peace.

"(Sure, what is it?)" I wish I got payed for this.

~~

"Say, Willy?" I turned around in my chair to stare at him. It was finally my day off of the month,
and I had a lot of work to catch up with. He was already looking at me.

"Yeah?" I went back to staring at my desk. The jewelry isn't gonna make itself.
"I have this friend, they recently realized they like their long time friend and they are a bit
confused." He knows that by friend I mean an actual friend, I'm not ashamed to admit when I have
a crush.

"And?"

"And..." Time to put myself in John's place. "They're not sure of what to do. They don't think the
friend likes them back, but he clearly does."

"Shouldn't she just confess?" Alright, he has no clue of who these friends are. "I doubt it could go
wrong."

"I know, but she's scared of how the relationship would change, between them." I'm not making
this up, John has talked with me during breaks and these are his words.

"If anything, it's going to change for the better." That's true, but I can't just tell him 'hey, Simon
likes you too, just go for it' because I promised to keep Simon's secret. And I can't tell Simon
anything because I promised the same to John. Besides, they should figure it out themselves, in
their own time.

"Still, not an option." I carefully took the ring I just finished and turned to show it to William.
"How's it looking?"

"Beautiful." At least look at the ring. "How about just...y'know, flirting with them? Try to make
him like her back."

"To court him like she's a victorian gentleman? Take him out on walks and spend time and dance in
a fancy ball, then get engaged and have ten kids?" I actually got a chuckle out of him.

"Don't say it like that. It sounds stupid." It did, but I know what he meant. "It's the best option she
has, and I doubt she has much to lose." True.

"I'll try to convince her." I put the ring in the small box and left it aside. Five done, ten more to go.

"Are you going to spend all day making those?" Well, yes. The bills aren't gonna pay themselves,
are they?

"Yeah, you can go if you're bored." He never leaves. He'll stay all afternoon looking at the wall if
it means he'll get to spend time with me.

"I'm not bored. I like the things you make." I'm glad my work receives that much praise. It's not
fancy or special, I mostly use prefabricated things, but I still try to make it look original, and to be
of the client's taste. "Can I ask you to make a couple rings for me? When you have time." Oh?
That's interesting.

"Are you finally tying the knot? I thought you would at least date that girl you liked, you're
jumping straight to marriage with her." I'm only joking, because I would cry if someone proposed
to me with these kind of rings, and not exactly out of happiness.

"Nah, just matching rings. For a friend." A friend...

"You sure it's a friend?"

"No. It is for that girl, but not for proposing. Just cute matching rings until I'm brave enough to
confess." Is that an option?

"Isn't that like, part of trying to get her to like you?" He can see where I'm going with this.

"Yes. Are you going to make your friends rings now? You have enough orders already." I'll just
spend the entire night making them, then. "Seriously, just do it some other time. You'll look like a
zombie at work."

"Your opinion has been received and ignored." I went back to work, trying to finish as many pieces
as I could.

William kept quiet, watching TV with low volume to not distract me, until he had to leave for
work.

The room feels so wrong without people around. Sure, the cats are good company, but it still lacks
that sense of familiarity. This doesn't feel like home as much as the store does.

Ah, whatever, just focus on the work.

Since I'm a little evil, while I worked on the orders I thought how to give the rings to Simon and
John, and came up with the perfect plan.

Simon knows his feelings well, and he won't get jealous of me because he knows I'm not interested
in John. But Soap, on the contrary, doesn't know if I have feelings for Simon, because I never
cleared that out. Sure, he might hate me for a while, but I'll make sure he realizes he likes Simon,
as more than his friend.

I remember Simon's ring size, because that's the first thing I noted when I grabbed his hand, out of
instinct. And John should have similar sized hands, from what I can remember.

I'll just give one to Simon and wear John's until he comes to terms with his feelings. What's the
worst that can happen?

Actually, a lot. I should just keep Soap's ring in the box until he understands what he feels.
Hm...but they'll realize they're matching if they look at the other, and they'll start suspecting I
know something they don't... maybe I should put John's ring in a necklace.

Ah, whatever, they're just friendship rings.

Johnny's been acting weird again, not annoyed, but he seems a bit down. Something tells me it has
to do with the ring Simon has been wearing for the last couple of days, but I'm not sure.

He said it was a gift from a friend, but he doesn't have friends around here. I don't understand why
it's a problem though, it looks pretty!
I got out of the car and went inside the store to look for Sol, since she promised to teach me how to
paint with those weird and oily crayons today. And it's time for her to report to me.

"Hello, princess." There she is! "Excited today, aren't we?" I am!

"Yup, let's go to the kitchen?" There's no time to lose! Leo followed us too, since he didn't finish
his homework and said he wanted a quiet place to do it.

The cook was taking some things out of the oven, she cleared the place as we organized our art
supplies and left after giving us some dessert she had made. She's nice, not only because of the
food, of course.

"Alright, let's draw something first." I took one of the pencils and started drawing whatever shapes
came to mind.

"Have you got any progress on your mission?" Sol was startled for a second before chuckling.

"Straight to the point, eh?" I mean, I'm curious! "I have. It seems like John is a bit confused, but he
could like Simon too." That's good news! But, eh...what do I do with that information? "I'm still
working on something, don't worry about them, I'll get them together." She's doing my job, then?
That's good!

We have caused a lot of trouble for Johnny and Simon already, so I shouldn't be messing around
anyways.

I forgot that there's a lot of things I can't do, and since Johnny was so understanding and never
scolded us, I might have misbehaved a bit. He was angry when the school called them, and even
Simon was disappointed. No matter how we tried to explain that we weren't in the wrong, they
weren't convinced.

They explained to us why we shouldn't go out unsupervised and now I see what could have
happened to us. So maybe we were a bit wrong.

"What do I do now?" Sol was standing by the door, looking outside with a weird expression, but
she turned to me with a smile.

"Just paint with the colors you like, I'll be back in a while. Stay there." She left the kitchen in a
hurry and went to the front of the store. Something's wrong.

Time for an undercover mission.

Leo looked at me weird, but he followed silently behind as we approached the entrance. Sol was
sitting in the break room with Johnny, and Simon was nowhere to be found.

"What are you two–" I lift my finger to my mouth, telling William to be silent. He lifted his
eyebrow but kept quiet.

There's not a lot of places to hide outside, and we would have to walk past Johnny to hide anyways,
so instead we went behind the store doors and listened to their conversation.

"...you look like a mess, mate. What's got you so upset?" So I'm not the only one who noticed. Sol
is very smart, so I'm not surprised.

"It's just–nothing." It's not nothing, Johnny! Just talk to her, she's a trustworthy ally.
"Is it...that ring?" She knows about the ring too? She's even better than I thought at this. I might
have to promote her.

"No–why would..." So it is the ring.

"Why does it bother you?" She's asking all the right questions too. It's as if she can read my mind.
Again.

"I don't know." That sounds like a lie.

"Is it because you're jealous?" Oh? Is Johnny jealous of Simon's friend?

"Why would I be jealous?" William joined us too, crouching beside us and getting his ear closer to
the wall so he could hear the conversation.

"Because the person you like suddenly has a matching ring with somebody you don't know, so
you're scared they might replace you or reject you if you eve–"

"Alright, alright, I get it! No need to explain my feelings with such detail." Heh, he sounds
embarrassed. Wait, William can't hear this!

"So you do like him? Are you finally admitting it?" No, wait, stop talking!

"I do." Shoot, if I don't get William away he might hear something he isn't supposed to. I pushed
him slightly, and Leo seemed to understand what I was doing, so he joined as well. William looked
offended, but he went back to the register in silence. Crisis averted.

"Nice. Have this." I peeked a little through the window and saw that Sol had thrown a small box
into Johnny's lap. "I want to be a bridesmaid. Or is it groomsbaid? Whatever. Invite me to your
wedding." Wedding?

"That I like him doesn't mean he'll like me too. I don't think he sees me as anything other than a
friend." Oh, Johnny, if only you knew...

"You can change that, y'know? I'm not keen on outing people, but he said he isn't exactly straight.
Just flirt with him, try to woo him with deep and romantic quotes from crappy books, tell him the
worst pickup lines you can think of. Just...make a move." I have no idea what any of that meant,
but yeah, do that!

"You sure?" We're all sure, here!

"Yeah, go get him, champ. But when work is over, there's at least five boxes of chips to restock."
Oh, no, they're already done? Hurry, Leo, we need to hide.

We ran to the counter and stood there, pretending we just arrived. Nothing suspicious here, no sir...

"Did you get tired of painting already?" Oh, yeah, I was supposed to be painting...

"I didn't know what to paint, I came looking for you but William told me you were busy." William
sighed but he didn't say anything.

"Alright, let me get the boxes from the deposit and I'll go help you." Nice, we didn't get caught.
Now I'll just go and wait at the kitchen.

Oh, is Johnny coming too?

He opened the box Sol gave him, and inside there was a necklace with a ring as a pendant. It
matches with Simon's! Like the bracelets I made.

Well, the those got ruined, but these can't break like the ones I made. They're sparkly, so they must
be made of metal instead of yarn like the bracelets.

"Pretty..." The ring had a smaller black ring in the middle, and a small sparkly rock.

"You like it?" Oh, he can't give it to me! It's supposed to match with Simon!

"It's pretty, want me to put it on for you?" I didn't give him time to reply and took it from his hands.
"Turn around." I climbed on the table so I could reach his neck and put the chain inside that thingy
that looks like a lobster claw.

He hid the ring under his sweater and turned around to help me get down from the table. I don't
know why he's hiding the ring, it's the prettiest part of the necklace...

"All done, sir. Good luck with those chips." Johnny left to go back to work and Sol came into the
kitchen instead. "I saw you two spying on us." Ah, so we did get caught. At least Johnny doesn't
know.

"We weren't spying..." We were eavesdropping, there must be a difference.

"Good job, for shooing Willy away. But also, no more eavesdropping, I told you it's bad." I don't
think we need to do that anymore.

"Alright. I think our mission is over, anyways." My only mission right now is figuring out how to
use these annoying crayons.

"Mission?" Oh, right, I never told her she's part of a mission to begin with.

"Yup, now Simon and Johnny can solve their problem by themselves, right?" That's what I
understood from all this.

"Uh, right..." I'm not going to try to understand something I'm too young to understand.

"You did well, sergeant. I'm promoting you to lie...leu..." Uh, what was it called again?

"(Lieutenant.)" Oh, it's much easier in spanish! Does she not know how to pronounce it either?

"Lieutenant, Leah. It's not that hard." Says you, mister bookworm! Go back to your dumb math
homework!

"And Leo is...the opposite of promoted to sergeant!" Ha! Act offended all you want, you're not only
a traitor, but you refuse to take orders too! How dare you rebel against your captain!

"Alright, don't fight, you two." We're not really fighting, I haven't started hitting him with Miss
Fluffy yet.

"Okay." I took one of the plastic cups with the dessert the cook had made and started eating it
while thinking how to paint the drawing. I think I'm forgetting something..."Oh, your payment will
have to wait, Sol. The kittens are too young."

Uncle Alex said you can only give away puppies and kittens after they're two months old, and they
are not even a month old yet. I think. I should start giving away Bones' siblings too, since they're
all grown up already. Horacio is the one who said he was giving them away, though, and he hasn't
come back.

"It's alright, I can wait. I have to save up some money for their vaccines anyways." Oh, true! Bones
should be getting his shots next week, too. I could convince the vet to give all the kittens their
vaccines, but I don't want to talk with her.

"Do you like any colors? I have a black one, a brown one, and a white one with colored spots." I
like the black one the most, she's so calm and cute, her siblings meow too much and they run
everywhere.

"I already have the other two colors, so I'll take the black one." Good choice.

"How are you going to call her?" I should call her by her name so she gets used to it.

"Raven." Oh, such a cool name!

I'm sure Raven will like her name!

Hopefully she likes her name more than what I like these stupid oily crayons!

~~

Another day, another lazy afternoon. Winter is almost over, which means the entire country will
become a swamp every couple weeks. I'm going to miss the hats and scarfs, but I can't change the
fact that spring is almost here. The season of love my ass, who would want to fall in love when it's
either raining or there's so much pollen around you can't even breathe.

Maybe that's just the grumpy old hag in me talking, though.

Talking about grumpy old hags, there's my sister. Taking another two hour long smoke break in my
chair.

"(What's your opinion on consensual work relationships?)" She huffed, unamused, and didn't take
her eyes away from her phone.

"(Don't care. Won't ask.)" Good to know. "(Did Willy finally confess to you, or what?)"

Huh?

Willy? To me?

"(What are you on about?)" I couldn't help the laugh I let out, but apparently she wasn't joking. "
(No way.)"

"(He said he was going to talk to you about it.)" No way in hell.

"(I'm not really interested.)" I don't see him as anything else more than a friend. I see him as a big
brother, even.

"(Told him so. Try not to make a scene, I don't want to fire him.)" Shit.

Well, now I'm starting to think that the kitten wasn't worth it. If John and Simon don't work out it's
 going to be awkward as hell, not only do they work together, they live together and have to take
care of the twins. I get why Soap was so stressed over this.

I'm sure they'll end up together though. No need to assume the worst. The kitten was worth it, Sol,
you did the right thing. They're not the same.

And there's no way William likes me, because he's told me who he actually likes. She's cute, and
she seems like a nice person too. I approve. As long as she still let's him go to my house on my
days off.

Being the love doctor of the store is fun while it lasts, but once I have no one else to play
matchmaker for, life gets a bit boring.

And the house is always so empty.

Ah, it's whatever.

"(He likes a girl he met at the gym, she showed me pictures of her and all that. So no, he doesn't
like me. He talked to me about that girl.)" I don't think she cares, but I know how much she loves
spreading rumors, so I need to make it clear.

"(Then why did you ask about relationships at work?)" Ah, shit. I forgot I started the conversation
with that. I mean, it's such a weird way to start a conversation, surely I can convince her I wasn't
seriously asking.

"(I was just joking.)" The beautiful sound of silence. "(I'm going to clean the deposit, you'll take
care of the register while Diana gets here, right?)"

No answer. I'll do whatever I want then. Screw the deposit, I'm cleaning the kitchen.

Hm? Did I leave my art supplies here yesterday...?

Oh. Leah, you're such a great artist.

Sure, it took you ages to understand how to use the oil pastels, but this is beautiful.

I'm sure John would love to put this on the fridge.

She drew the four of them, sitting down and staring forward, with a blanket covering all of their
backs. It still amazes me how much you can identify what she draws. Sure, it's nothing you would
see in an art gallery, but it's amazing considering kids her age can barely draw stick figures. And
she can paint pretty well, too. She says her mom taught her most of it, and since she told me that
I've been dying to see what her mother's paintings look like.

I carefully put the painting inside one of my folders and made a mental note to give this to either
Simon or Johnny when they come to work on Monday.

They're going to love it.

>

Chapter End Notes

The author is currently trying to comprehend how love works as an ace who never had
a healthy relationship.

So, this is basically a filler chapter, in the original novel this part was mostly centered
around Sol, so it doesn't add much, but I decided to add it to this story, for some
reason. I hope it's not that boring, sorry if it is.

Next week there won't be a new chapter, sorry(again), I won't have my laptop to
update and I'll be busy anyways. I'll use the time I have to actually review the previous
chapters, since I didn't have time this week. I didn't have time to check any mistakes
for this chapter either, I'll try to correct anything tomorrow.

As always, thanks for the kudos and comments, see you next chapter!<33
 (9). Expect the unexpected.
Chapter Summary

Enemies don't knock on your front door, do they?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Now that Johnny had realized that the feelings he had towards his friend weren't exactly platonic,
his everyday life had become a bit harder than before. Especially the 'going to bed together with
Leah and Ghost' part, because the girl still refused to sleep by herself. He was too embarrassed to
touch Simon more than it was necessary, but his friend didn't exactly feel the same, since he keeps
hugging him unconsciously when half asleep.

It was one of those rare occasions where Soap woke up before Ghost, and he stared at the man for
too long to be considered normal. It was raining outside, again, and he didn't have to worry about
getting up, since it was saturday, the kids didn't have to go to school nor did the adults have to go to
work, so he had all the time in the world to appreciate Simon's long eyelashes and his perfectly
messed up bed hair. The mask was still on, a little crooked, enough to reveal the other man's nose,
and he had to fight the urge to just take it off.

Leah shifted between them, getting comfortable and burying herself deeper into the blankets. He
has to convince her to go back to sleep in her room, but he must admit that he doesn't want to,
because that would mean he himself had to go back to his own room. Waking up on his own,
without the extra warmth and comfort didn't seem that appealing.

Minutes passed, and eventually Ghost woke up as well. It's a little later than when they usually
wake up, but they need to catch up with the hours of sleep they miss during weekdays. He
pretended to be still asleep, hoping his friend hadn't realized he was staring, and finally opened his
eyes once the man had left the room. Thankfully Leah was still asleep, because he was too tired to
deal with the girl. The twins weren't annoying, or anything like that, he just wants to ignore his
responsibilities for a little longer.

Ghost came back to the room, and he closed his eyes again, pretending to still be asleep. He could
hear the other man walking towards the bed, and standing in front of it for a couple seconds before
getting in again. Soap tried not to flinch when Simon's hand touched him, resting against his
abdomen as his friend got comfortable to sleep a little more.

He might be a little paranoid, but he swears he feels eyes on him.

Even if he wanted to go back go sleep like Ghost, he couldn't relax enough to doze off, so he was
stuck in a barely conscious but still awake state, listening to Simon snore softly beside him and
looking at the ceiling for what felt like eons.

Maybe he didn't want to ignore his responsibilities that much.

Leah finally seemed to wake up, stirring a bit before sitting up. She examined him from above for a
while before she started poking him in the cheek.
"Johnny...?" The girl whispered in an attempt to not wake up the other adult in the room, and it
seemed to work. "Are you awake?"

"I am now." Insistently getting poked cheek would have woken him up, anyways. He got up
carefully and took the kid in his arms, walking out of the bedroom without waking Simon up.
Which was a surprise, considering how the smallest of noises could make the man wake in an
instant. Or maybe he was pretending to sleep so he could rest a little longer. "Go brush your teeth,
I'll make you something for breakfa–"

"I'll just wait until Simon wakes up..." Seriously? At least he's been trying to improve on his
cooking skills, his breakfasts were decent at least. Leah ran away as soon as she saw Soap's
offended stare.

Whatever, the kids are just ungrateful.

He decided to go to his room and get ready for the day, and when he went back to the living room,
both of the twins were already there, sitting on the couch and watching TV. What an exciting way
to start the day, watching the same episode as last week.

Hm...there's nothing interesting on his phone either.

That wall looks interesting, though.

He should've stayed in bed.

"Good mornin'..." Finally, Simon woke up. It's a bit concerning how no one noticed him walking
into the room, but that's just normal behavior for the brit. They didn't call him Ghost just because it
sounded scary.

"Mornin'!" Where does Leah get this much energy from, so early in the morning? Is she eating too
much sugar? Maybe she's been secretly drinking coffee, or something?

"Someone's in a good mood today." Ghost barely had time to catch the girl who jumped out of the
sofa into his arms, the man stumbled backwards a bit, but recovered fast enough to not fall.

"Yup!" She gave him a peck on the cheek and stared expectantly. "Are you making breakfast?" So
it was hunger what was fueling her cheerfulness.

"Yes. If you let me go." The hands around Simon's shoulder immediately loosened and she jumped
back to the couch.

"Can we have pancakes?" When do they not have pancakes?

"Sure." That was enough to rile her up again, she followed behind the man cheering, heading to the
kitchen.

If only pancakes made everyone as happy as that kid.

Leo stayed where he was, staring blankly at the TV. The boy probably has memorized the episode
he's watching already, and he's never as excited to watch cartoons as his sister.

"Are you still sleepy?" The twin turned to him, staring with tired eyes. He nodded and got up from
the couch, walking up to him and sitting on his lap without a word.
"Wake me up when breakfast's ready?" Did he not sleep well? He should've gotten eight hours of
sleep at least. Or maybe he's just still sleepy, since he woke up recently. No need to worry.

"Sure." Soap doesn't mind being used as a bed, or pillow, since Leah does that every night
anyways.

He spent time looking at the parents' groupchat, there wasn't anything interesting, it was mostly
everyone making plans for the kids to play together. Or María sending pictures of her plants. The
woman had a weird obsession with giving away the plants she grew herself, which was odd itself,
that she had a private collection just as big as the one at her flower shop. It's almost as concerning
as those ladies that collect dozens of cats of different colors and sizes.

There was a notification on his phone that he hadn't seen, though. Apparently someone had left him
a voicemail, but he didn't have any missed calls.

"Are you two coming? Food's ready." Leo woke up at the sound of Simon's voice, getting up and
stretching before heading to the kitchen. The other man stood at the doorway, looking at Johnny
and waiting for him to join them too. "You too." Again, not a kid L.t.

"Aye, aye. I'm going." Why did they make it so hard to listen to voicemails? He barely remembers
his phone number, how is he supposed to remember his default password?

Patience is key. But it's not the password.

He kept trying different numbers as he ate, the kids completely ignoring him, unlike Simon who
was just staring at him, confused. He'll explain later if he needs to, it's not like he's a teenager that
has to put his phone away at the table, he's actually trying to do something important.

The quiet of the house was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the front door, the four of them
perked up and stared at each other. They aren't expecting visitors. They shouldn't be getting
visitors, at least not without hearing about it beforehand. The guards hadn't said anything about
someone coming to the house, either. Something's off and even the kids could tell, just by looking
at Johnny.

Whoever was outside knocked again, Ghost took one of the kitchen knives and started walking
silently towards the door. Johnny followed close behind, making sure the kids stayed far from the
entrance. You can never be careful enough, especially if you consider what happened to the twins'
dad.

His phone chose the worst moment to actually let him hear the voicemail, the sound making both
adults stop and look at the device.

"Son, I'm sorry, but I couldn't stop them." Price? Fuck. What the hell does that even mean? Just
who is outside the door? This only makes him more paranoid.

Soap exchanged glances with Ghost and moved faster now, enough to reach the door and stay
beside it. They could hear the footsteps on the other side, muffled a bit by the rain. Another knock.

"Who's there?" It's weird that they keep knocking, if they had any ill intentions they would've just
ignored that step.

"Hey, it's Alex." Huh? What is Alexander doing here? Soap could tell it was his voice, so he
opened the door after Simon put the knife away, but still within reach. "It's been a while." Well, it's
only been a couple months. Alex was pushed to the side by someone, and he looked annoyed but
kept quiet.
"Holy shit, Price wasn't lying." What? What is this asshole doing here!? And who is that beast
beside him!? "What the fuck, mate?" So not only does he dare to come uninvited but he dares to
swear near the twins. They've been avoiding cursing in front of the kids, all their efforts went down
the drain in two seconds.

"What are you doing here? And who's that?" Yeah, sure, invite yourself in, he doesn't care that the
carpet got completely ruined with mud and rain water.

"I missed you too, bastard." Alexander at least had enough manners to leave his raincoat outside,
and to clean his shoes on the doormat. Unlike someone else. "Seriously, what the hell are you
doing here? I thought Price was just in denial and you had died." That doesn't sound like something
the captain would do. "I thought he was delusional or something, and the whole 'Soap went to the
middle of nowhere to take care of kids' was his version of 'the puppy went to the farm'."

"Uncle Alex!" The kids finally noticed their family member and rushed towards him, but
immediately stopped and hid behind Ghost when they noticed the other guests.

"Bloody fucking hell, you have to be fu–"

"Sergeant Garrick, I would recommend you use kid-friendly words." Gaz finally noticed Ghost,
who had been standing at the side silently.

"Who the–Ghost!?" It's a bit hard to not notice Simon in an empty room, but Kyle did seem to be
having an existential crisis, so it's understandable. "What the fuck is going on–?"

"Alright, Leah, Leo, go to the kitchen, I need to have a little talk with our guests." Said guest's face
immediately paled, panic rushing through his body.

"No, wait, don't leave! Kids!" Alex stepped forward and tried to take the kids to the other room,
but failed to do so, since the twins were still peeking from the hall. "I'm sorry, mate, don't kill me."

"Call me 'mate' again and I'm busting your kneecaps." That's a very serious warning, as if Simon
needed to use that tone to sound menacing.

"Yes, sir."

"Say anything you're not supposed to in front of the kids and I'll beat the crap out of you." Soap
decided to let them talk, staring amused at the scene.

"Yes, sir...? What do you mean 'not supposed to'?" Actually, that's a good question.

"The army. And no swearing." Maybe they should start addressing the other, very big and tall,
elephant in the room.

"Can I ask who that is?" The man turned to look at them, he was covering his face with a mask like
the one Simon was using, so Soap couldn't identify him.

"The closest thing to Ghost's replacement. He's, uh...König." That explains nothing.

"And why is he here, exactly?" Johnny will add 'bringing a stranger to his house' to the offense list.

"We both were on leave and he wanted to meet you. I might've told him too many stories about you
two." It's not like they were legends or anything, why is Gaz talking about them with other
soldiers?
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, I'm a big fan." That's a bit weird. But he's heard and seen
weirder things.

"Uh, pleased to meet you too, I'm guessing there's no need for introductions." Soap is a bit
concerned about how much of the stories Gaz told this man were true and how much were just
exaggerations.

"Can we come out?" Both Simon and Johnny turned to look at Leah, who was curiously watching
from the hall. Leo was glaring at the strangers, as usual. That brought back memories.

"Sure. This is Kyle, one of our friends from far away." The girl rushed to the adults' side and
looked up at their guests.

"I'm Leah. And this is my brother Leo." It's such a big difference from when they met the kids, he
feels just a little but proud on how the girl had become more confident.

"Nice to meet you, buddies." It was a little funny, how Leah offered her hand to shake, and Gaz's
complete confusion at the formality of it all.

"You ruined our carpet." Of course those were Leo's first words to them. But they were a bit rude,
and that was Soap's first thought too, so he won't scold him. "I'm going to finish my breakfast." The
boy turned around without another word and headed to the kitchen, with everyone staring at him.

"Oh, right! My pancakes!" Leah grabbed Johnny's hand and dragged him to the kitchen. Alex was
already there, sitting on one of the chairs and looking like he was about to fall asleep. It was
probably a long flight and ride, made worse if he had to stay with the other two soldiers through it
all. "Do you want pancakes, uncle? I still have some."

"I'm alright, thanks." The least Soap can offer is coffee. Because he didn't have much else. He
should serve some for the other guests as well. "Ah, you didn't need to." Alex took the mug
anyways, drinking the hot liquid carefully. Soap is just worried the man is going to pass out in the
kitchen.

Ghost got into the room with the other two men following him, looking around the room as if it
wasn't just a normal house. He knows it's just instinct, because he used to inspect his surroundings
throughly whenever he entered a room as well. He still does it, just not at home.

Johnny sat down next to the kids, after giving the guests a mug each, deciding to finish his own
breakfast. Simon went and sat next to him, looking at his tea as it slowly grew cold. Right, he's not
taking the mask off, especially in front of strangers.

"Simon, can you bring me my coloring book?" So Leah noticed the man's problem too. Hopefully
Ghost understands the three pairs of eyes on him trying to telepathically tell him 'go get a
balaclava'.

"Sure...?" Well, he seems to understand what the girl tried to do. He got up and left the room, an
awkward silence settling between everyone. Except for the kids, who were mostly oblivious, or too
busy with their breakfasts to care.

"So, uh..." He knows Gaz must have a lot of questions, but answering them all would take a lot of
patience and time, which he doesn't exactly want to waste.

"Why did you come here?" It didn't sound rude, but the sergeant still looked offended.

"Because I seriously thought Price had gone insane, had to check you were alive by myself."
Again, that doesn't seem like something the captain would do. Sure, he would be devastated if
Johnny had died, but going insane or denying his death is just too much. The man is strong, both
physically and mentally.

"Couldn't you just call, though?" Using a phone is faster, easier and cheaper than flying across the
world. "And shouldn't you be working or something?"

"I'm on medical leave, I got shot so I could come see you." The amused huff he let out made his
friend smile back. "The captain must be bored out of his mind, all his kids are away from home."
That's an interesting way to put it, but he has a point. "Have you called him, lately?"

"Not really, I haven't called him since I came here, haven't had the time." Simon came back with
Leah's coloring book and his iconic skull mask. The only one to notice the change besides the kids
and Johnny was König, who looked a little bit too amazed by the mask.

"So that's why he looks so depressed." That's surely an exaggeration.

"I doubt I have anything to do with that. He's probably got a life, you know?" Price liked him and
treated him like a son, and Ghost too, but the man knows they're alright, so if he's feeling down it
can't be because of them being away.

"Just give him a call every now and then, it'll cheer him up anyways." That's actually true.

"Uhm, Johnny?" Leah reached over and grabbed the fabric of his sweater. "(Are they going to
stay?)" That's a good question.

"Until when are you on leave?" Hopefully they had planned ahead for their visit and didn't need a
place to stay, but something tells him that's not the case. Except for Alex, of course, because the
man plans everything beforehand.

"A couple more weeks." That's a while.

"For how long are you staying here, then?" He doesn't mean it in a 'please leave already' way, he's
just curious.

"A week at most? I don't know, maybe a bit more if I don't get bored." Ghost huffed beside him
and crossed his arms.

"Did you even book a hotel?" Straight to the point.

"Didn't plan that far ahead." Of course they didn't.

"So you have nowhere to go?" It's not the time to be a kind soul, Leah. "They could stay in your
room, right? And we bring another mattress from upstairs." There were mattresses upstairs?

"If they stay in my room where would I sleep?" It's not like they know that he sleeps in Ghost's
room–

"But you sleep with Simo–?" Too slow, Leo. The girl looked confused at her twin and slowly took
away the hand over her mouth.

"You do what with who?" No need to spill coffee on the table, now.

"What? It's true." Leah didn't realize what she had just done, completely ignoring everyone's stares
and looking at her uncle instead. "Are you staying too?"
"No, I need to do some things in town, so I'm staying at a friend's house." Alex stretched a little and
smiled softly at the now disappointed girl. "I'll still visit you before I leave, don't worry."

"Wait, no, are you just going to ignore what she just said?" That was the plan, Gaz.

"If you stay you're sleeping on the floor." He doesn't mind guests for a few days, but he has a
routine to keep up with.

"Oh, sure, make your guests sleep on the floor while you go around–"

"Careful with your next words, sergeant." It's been a while since Soap heard that tone coming from
Ghost.

"Come on!" It's not that weird to share a bed with your friend. Every night. For a bit more than a
month.

"Why is it weird? We've been sleeping like that for a while." That didn't help, Leah.

"For a while?" Telling him 'it's only been a month' won't make him shut up anyways.

"You got a problem with that, Garrick? Do we need to have that chat we didn't have earlier?" As if
that sentence wasn't terrifying enough, Ghost got up and towered over the poor, younger man.

"No, not a problem, it's just...man...I didn't know you guys were like that..." He'll have time to
process it.

"Alright, I have to go, good luck." The kids complained and followed their uncle to the entrance.
It's understandable he didn't want to hear the conversation.

"Like what?" It's clear that Gaz was misunderstanding something, but Soap really didn't want to
have this conversation in front of the kids. Thankfully Alex was entertaining them for a little in the
other room.

"You know..." Ghost sighed, tired, and sat down beside Johnny again, waiting for Gaz to elaborate.

"I don't know what you're thinking but I think you got something wrong. We sleep with the kid
because she has nightmares." It's the truth, even if the reason why he doesn't tell the girl to sleep
alone is different.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I just assumed..." Somebody please make this less awkward.

"Johnny?" Everyone turned to the girl, making her feel nervous. "Can we go for a walk with the
dogs?" Her voice was trembling, her eyes bouncing between the different faces in front of her.

"It's raining, Leah." Kids get sick easier than adults, so there's no way he'll allow them to go
outside.

"But–!"

"He said no, Leah." Watch the tone, Simon. The girl was taken aback by the way the man talked to
her.

"Sorry..." Now they just feel bad. But no is still no.

"Aw, don't be so strict, let her go play." It's probably for the best that Gaz doesn't have any kids.
"She'll get sick. Don't take her side." Is he scolding two kids, now? Kyle has no right to look
disappointed.

"And we'd ruin the carpet when we come back." Leo is never forgiving them for that, huh?

"Come on, it's not that bad." It's not that bad because he's not the one that has to clean it. Leo left
the kitchen without a word, leaving his sister behind. "Are you doing anything today? I know it's
raining and all, but you must have plans..."

"Not really? We don't work on the weekends..." It's not that weird to not have plans for the
weekend, they're not that young, nor can they afford to just leave the kids by themselves. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" Is he missing something? "What's the date today?" Ghost perked up at
that, sitting up and looking at him.

"It's your birthday." Is it? He had to check his phone to make sure this wasn't just a very elaborate
prank. Not like Ghost would contribute to a prank, but just in case.

"Did you really forget it was your own birthday today?" Apparently he did. "How do you even
forget your own birthday?" Good question, perhaps it's spending every hour of the day busy with
something. It's not like he celebrated his birthdays, anyways. The best he had gotten in the last
couple of years was Price giving him gifts and people taking him out for drinks. He doesn't need a
party, or anything like that, it's not that special.

"Happy birthday, Johnny!" Leah didn't give him time to think how to explain why he forgot the
date, jumping to his arms and hugging his neck.

"Happy birthday..." Simon's hand rested on his waist for a second, the man was going to hug him
as well but decided against it, remembering the other people in the room.

"Oh, I need to get a gift!" Of course that's the first thing she thinks of.

"There's no need, really–"

"But that's the most fun part of birthdays! And cake!" He's glad the kids knew how birthdays were
supposed to be, at least. It's nice people didn't take that part of their childhoods as well.

"We can bake a cake for tea time." Leah turned, staring at Ghost with pure glee.

"I can cook with you?" Isn't she more excited about his birthday than he is?

"Sure, only if you follow my orders."

"Yes, chef!" He doesn't like sweet things that much, but since the kid looks so happy to make it,
he'll accept it. And it's definitely not because Leah and Ghost are making it. "What flavor do you
like, Johnny?"

"I don't have a favourite, I'll let you pick." It's just cake.

"Alright!" The girl went to the fridge and started rummaging through it. "We have strawberries...?"
That sounds better than chocolate or vanilla.

"We can use that." Ghost went to check on the fruits, apparently giving his approval.

"So...uh...I'm assuming we're not going drinking like last year?" Well, it'll be impossible with the
kids. But he should consider it, it's been a while since he'd done anything with friends, without
children running around.

"We can ask someone to take care of them and go out at night." Simon noticed his hesitance and
tried to come up with a solution.

There's a certain someone he can think of that can take care of the twins.

"What do you even do all day? This place is so...quiet..." They don't spend much time in the house
anymore, but he understands what Gaz means. It was a bit boring before they started working, if he
looks back.

"We watch cartoons and play with our pets!" Leah was wearing a chef hat he had no idea where
she got from, and to Ghost's disdain she had forced them to wear the aprons. No one dared
comment anything about it, even if Gaz could barely hold his laughter back the first time he saw
Simon with his pink apron on.

"Huh...how many pets have you got?" Oh, that's just a terrible question to ask the girl.

"We have Bones, and Rexie, then Samantha, and Sky, then we have some birds we rescued! And
we have a fluffy cow! Her name is Daisy, and she had a baby a while ago! And–"

"We live in a farm, Gaz. You shouldn't have asked." Soap felt bad just looking at his friend's face
drop as the girl kept naming animals.

"We have crabs and a little turtle, too! Do you want to see it?" She got down from the chair she
was standing on to 'help' Ghost make the cake. Leo stopped her with his hand before she could go
fetch the animals.

"You can't grab them, you'll get dirty and won't be able to cook." The man beside him sighed in
relief and nodded, agreeing with the kid.

"I'll show it to you later!" Simon helped her get into the chair again and gave her a board with the
strawberries, and a small knife. That sounds like a bad idea but he's not the chef. "In four?"

"Eight. Careful with your fingers." The girl started cutting the fruit slowly as Ghost kept mixing
whatever ingredients were necessary for a cake.

"Are they usually like that?" Ghost looked at them from the corner of his eye, and Gaz
immediately tried to rephrase. "The kids, I mean. They're well behaved." That's how you talk about
a dog, Kyle.

"Aye, they have their moments, but they're like this most of the time." He'll always be grateful for
Karenina teaching them how to behave.

"How old are them?" König had been silent since this morning, which was understandable
considering how he's in an unknown place surrounded by strangers, but he decided to join the
conversation for once.

"I'm seven! Well, Leo is too, but I'm older!" The other twin huffed, slightly annoyed at the remark.
"Keep your eyes on the board." Leah immediately turned to the cutting board again and went back
to her task.

"I didn't think seven-year-olds were this smart." Well, they are a bit of a special case.

"I don't think they are, but I don't have any other kids to compare them to." At least none that he
can remember. Ghost paused for a second, the action, or lack thereof, would've gone unnoticed if it
wasn't because Soap was staring at him.

He shouldn't ask.

After a while, Leah finished cutting the strawberries and was getting bored, leaning a little too
close to Ghost as the man kept mixing ingredients. He took out a hand mixer Soap didn't know
they had and put most of what he had prepared into a metalic bowl, before taking the flour out of
the cabinet.

"Can I pour it?" That sounds like a terrible idea, again.

"Sure." And that is a terrible answer. Ghost looked back at Leo, and the boy stared back. "It's
loud." The twin immediately covered his ears before Simon turned on the machine.

See, Johnny can't see the future, but he knew that letting the kid help with barely any instructions
wasn't smart. Leah started to pour the cup of flour into the bowl and in a couple of seconds they
were both covered in white.

He rubbed his face, sighing as he heard the laughing of their guest beside him. He would laugh too,
if it wasn't because he'll have to clean both the kitchen and the clothes later.

"Ah." Simon turned off the mixer and looked a little surprised at their current state. Even Johnny
knows that throwing flour directly into the spinning beaters would result in this. And Ghost
should've told that to the kid beforehand.

"You're grounded." The gasp Leah let out only made Gaz laugh harder, and when Soap got up to
help fix the mess he could see that the man was recording. He'll need that video. And Gaz
understood that with just the look they shared.

"That's so unfair! What did I do!?" The kid has a point.

"The only one that should be grounded is you. At least tell her what to do." Leah nodded in
agreement and got down from the chair, dusting the flour and letting it fall to the floor. Which he
cleaned yesterday. "I take that back."

"Come on! Not you too!" Of course she's not getting grounded, and he should drop the act, now
that the girl looks like she's going to cry. "You're mean..."

"I'm joking, go change your clothes." She left the room dejectedly to get cleaned up. "You're
cleaning this later." Simon sighed and nodded.

"I see who wears the pants in this–"

"I can make you swallow your elbow." That's more of a fact than a threat, coming from Ghost.

"Sorry, sir."

They made small chat while Simon kept cooking, without his sous-chef now, and without any
more incidents. Gaz told Soap about how things were going on base, and some stories that he
found funny as well. It didn't feel that different from when they were on standby and bored out of
their minds, talking about whatever came to mind. Surprisingly, König wasn't as shy as he had been
earlier, talking whenever he had things to add.

Ghost and the twins kept mostly to themselves, the kids too entertained with coloring books and
actual books, and the man too concentrated on baking and decorating the cake.

This wasn't so bad.

After what must have been two hours at most, Ghost was finally done with the cake. As expected,
Leah was the most thrilled to taste it.

"Do we have candles?" Probably not.

"We don't need them?" The girl stared confused at him.

"How are you going to make a wish, then?" He can't tell her why he doesn't need to make a wish.

"He'll make one later, we can't go purchase candles now." Ghost probably had thought about that
excuse since the moment he started making the cake.

"Alright." She seemed satisfied enough with that answer, thankfully.

"If you start singing 'happy birthday' I'm kicking all of you out." He could see Gaz's intentions
from a mile away, the smirk he answered with only confirmed them.

"But that's an important part of birthdays!" Goddammit, Leah. "Ha–!"

"No ice cream."

"You're mean!" Of course she won't risk her ice cream privileges for this.

Simon silently gave him the knife so he could cut the cake, and even if he appreciated the thought,
his hands were acting up again. It's probably something he'll never get used to. They were stable
enough most days, but sometimes they tremble too much, or he loses strength out of nowhere.
Simon noticed after he cut the first slice and decided to have mercy and cut the rest of it.

"Hey, this is pretty good." Ah, right. They are used to Simon's food being great, but their guests
seemed genuinely shocked that the food wasn't bad. It was normal to be skeptical, considering how
Ghost hadn't touched the cake even if he was the one who made it.

"Yup! Simon's food is the best!" Maybe not the best but definitely good. He's not going to
complain nor correct the kid.

"Si–?" A single glance from Ghost told him to keep his mouth shut. It can't be that shocking to
learn the man's name, right? Or did he actually think he was called 'Ghost'?

"It's not that impressive. Anyone can follow a recipe." Soap huffed. Not anyone, he should be a
little more proud of his abilities.

"Johnny can't." Of course Leo will always find an opportunity to rub salt on the wound.

"Alright, shut up and eat." The boy only smirked at him.

 ~

"Thank you, Sol. We won't be back too late." The woman was very much excited to babysit the
kids. She had brought with her a game console and her drawing supplies to keep the twins
entertained.

"Don't worry about it, dude. Just go have fun." They gave orders to the guards to not let anyone
into the house, at least not without giving them a call first. Soap is still anxious from what
happened in the morning, and how easily Alex got Gaz and König into the house. Plus the fact that
this is the first time they leave the kids by themselves, even with a babysitter. "Don't start
explaining how to take care of them again. Go or I'll kick you all out, don't care if it's your house."

"Let's go." They all headed for the door, clearly excited.

"Remember to tell them you're friends with me!" Sol not only had accepted to take care of the kids
for the night, but she also gave them information about where to go for drinks. Apparently she has
connections with some bar owners and had given them the location of the best places in town.

Of course Johnny wasn't driving there, because they'll have to drive back somehow, and he isn't
risking it by driving while drunk. They have to come back safely.

So instead they opted to take the bus, since it had rides until late into the night, and it was only a
reasonable walk away from home.

"How have you two not gone insane yet? No offense but living like this for more than two days
would make me lose my mind." Again, it was a bit too quiet and even boring when they came here,
but establishing a routine helped.

"Saying no offense doesn't make it less offensive." At least König had manners.

"You can take care of the farm tomorrow if you're so bored." Gaz actually seemed to consider it.

"Can't be that bad, right?" If only he knew.

"Have you seen the fields around the house? There's enough animals to feed the entire country."
König has a point, Soap is sure that's exactly what the goal of having all those cows is.

"Ah, right." They walked in relative silence, waiting once they reached the bus stop, and thankfully
they reached it just a few minutes before the bus got there.

As expected, there weren't that many people inside, since it's late. Seeing two masked men get into
the bus scared even the driver, it would be reasonable for any passenger to get scared as well.

Gaz kept showing him videos he saw on his phone the entire ride, and although most of them were
funny, some of them were a little concerning. Maybe it's because his humor isn't as weird as the
brit's, or maybe he just wouldn't get it anyways and Kyle had some kind of forbidden knowledge to
understand the punchlines.

The other two were just silently looking out the window, trying very hard to ignore the manchild
giggling at his phone.
Ghost was the one that knew how to get to the bar, so they followed him out of the bus and the
couple streets from the bus stop.

The place was pretty big, and it was filled with both teenagers and adults alike. Simon led them to
the back of the place where they could sit away from the crowd. He sat beside his friend, and he
noticed they could see the entrance perfectly from here, just like they also had both covers and
hiding spots nearby. The perfect place to sit if you're paranoid or trying to hide. Or maybe he's
thinking too much about this, but knowing Ghost it probably wasn't the case.

Someone approached them carrying a tray with drinks already in them, and they all stared confused
at the glasses.

"(You're Sol's friends, right? She showed me a picture of you.)" It's a little concerning that the
woman had a picture of Soap but that's a matter for another time. "(Those are on the house, call me
when you want something else, I'll be near the bar.)"

Well, he's not a big fan of beer, but it's free.

Surprisingly this tasted different than the cheap beer he had drank before. It tasted expensive, even.
And apparently everyone else noticed as well.

"Huh, it's not that bad." Ghost didnt seem to agree.

"It's decent at least." He would argue that it's a bit better than decent, but he's not a beer expert.
Wait, neither is Ghost–

"Ah, does Your Majesty, King Ghost the Third, not find the beverages appropriate?" Alright, Gaz
is just asking to get beaten up, now.

"King Ghost?" Ah, he was lucky Simon ignored the rest of the sentence.

"Ghost King sounds better, to be honest." König had a point, again, and Soap forgot what he was
going to answer as he saw the man down the entire glass in one go. Hm...is this a challenge?

It's actually not, but he'll ignore that fact.

Johnny grabbed his own glass and drank the remaining liquid as fast as he could as well, under
Ghost's judging glare. He should take it slow, considering how he hasn't touched any kind of
alcohol in months and his tolerance has probably lowered.

But.

It's his birthday, and he doesn't know when he's going to have the chance to do this again, let alone
with friends. Or acquaintances.

Ghost apparently understood that, taking his glass and drinking the beer in one go as well. Gaz was
left there, a bit confused but getting the idea.

After the brits finished their glasses, they called the guy that gave them their drinks and ordered
more. Of course Ghost ordered bourbon for the both of them, without even asking what Johnny
wanted. At least it's not tequila.

The drinks came to the table relatively fast, and they were gone even faster. It might've been Soap
who started the drinking contest without meaning to, but surprisingly, it was Ghost and König who
were silently competing on who could get more alcohol into their system.

"Nah, look a this." Gaz was, once again, on his phone. And Johnny was, once again, oblivious to
what was funny on the video he was shown. But this time he actually laughed instead of
confusingly staring at the screen like on the bus.

"I don't get it." Kyle only laughed harder.

"Me neither." Then what was the point of showing him?

A couple hours passed by without them even noticing, half of them were drinking just for a game
no one is counting drinks for and the other half is just observing amused. And talking complete
nonsense, of course.

It was only when the crowd started diminishing that they thought it was time to head out.

"I'll be right back, don't do anything stupid." Ghost got up from his seat, stumbling away towards
what Soap assumed was the restroom.

"It's a good thing it stopped raining in the morning..." It was, indeed. The sun had dried most of the
rain on the streets, so he didn't even remember it was pouring earlier.

"Aye..." It was still relatively early, probably not past 2 a.m., so he was wondering why a lot of
people were already leaving. Ghost went to the bar and talked with the man that had been giving
them drinks and food, before going back to the table and reaching for his coat.

"He says he has orders to put everything on Sol's tab. 'You can pay her later'." That's handy. "Can
you stand?" The world might be spinning a little, but he can walk perfectly. Ghost helped him
either way, guiding him outside with the rest following behind.

"I wanna go to the beach..." Ah, they lost Gaz. Actually, going to the beach doesn't sound like that
bad of an idea.

"There's easier ways to die than drowning." Well, surely he wasn't planning to go swimming.
Right?

"I don't want to swim, dickhead. The beach is nice at night." It is, especially the ones at this place.
The lights of the city make a pretty landscape, when there are stars in the sky. Or so he assumes.

"It is..." Ghost only sighed, taking his phone out and checking something Soap didn't get to see.

"This way, then." So they're actually going?

After a while of walking and watching as there were less and less buildings around, Soap started to
wonder if Simon had finally had enough of them and decided to kill them in an isolated area and
escape the country.

"Hey, L.t, you sure there's a beach this way?" Gaz seemed to have the same idea on his mind.
Before the other man could answer the question, the sound of waves crashing could finally be
heard.

Ah, it was as pretty as he imagined. The lights of all the buildings from the city dimmed the stars,
but they could still be seen. And the moon was bright enough to reflect in the water.
"We're here." Gaz walked past them and towards the sand, König following close behind to
illuminate the other's way with his phone's flashlight. "Are you sure you're alright?" Ghost was a
little more protective than usual, today. Maybe he's just making sure he's enjoying his birthday?
Could be that.

"I am." He didn't want the other two to wander too far, so he grabbed his friend's hand and dragged
him towards where he could see the two figures stumbling through the sand.

Maybe, just maybe, they overdid it with the drinking.

"Ah, this is nice." There's no doubt about that. It wasn't as cold as it was in winter, and the breeze
felt nice when it brushed past the skin. Plus the view was pretty, and the sound of the water going
back and forth was calming.

Sure, this is nice, but now what?

Gaz sat down on the sand, which didn't seem like the wisest idea, but König did the same, and he
didn't want to feel left out. The brit took out his phone again and laughed at whatever the app he
opened showed him.

"It's just a piece of bread falling over..." But the dramatic music, –and probably all the alcohol
finally starting to have an effect– made it funny. Now he was just laughing at Gaz's laugh, and
König was laughing at them.

And Ghost was genuinely concerned about the entire situation.

"Don't get too comfortable, we have to get going soon, the last bus will be passing in an hour." The
collectively ignored Simon and kept giggling, laying down on the sand. Which is the opposite of
'don't get too comfortable'.

Eventually, seeing that no one listened to him, he went and made them all stand up. Which took a
lot of effort, since Ghost drank even more than them.

"You're such a bore, man." Someone had to be the responsible adult.

"Uh-huh. Get moving." The three of them stumbled behind Ghost, forgetting to turn on a flashlight
to see their way and tripping more than a couple times. Ghost eventually gave up after they ended
up on the floor, definitely not feeling the pain, by the way they were laughing. "I'm going to get
water at that gas station. If any of you move, I'm killing you." Another warning ignored.

"What was that?" The second Ghost was away, Gaz started following something, which no one
could really see since it was dark, but they followed anyways.

"Did you find it?"

"Find what?"

"Weren't we looking for something?"

The stupidity is contagious.

"Where did Si said we had to wait?" They spent who know how long looking for something that
didn't even exist, and Soap is sure they were quite far from where they were supposed to wait.

"Oh, shit." They were definitely getting killed tonight. "Wait I got a plan." Gaz took his phone out
and started looking for something.

"What are you doing?" If he puts on another video he's going to kill him before Ghost gets the
chance.

"He'll follow the music." Oh, that's actually a good idea.

"Wait, I know the perfect song." Gaz handed over the phone and they all started giggling as soon
as the song started playing.

"You gotta be fuckin' kidding me." There he is. Wait, those steps are too fast. "You're all dead."

That's probably the most visceral reaction someone has had when listening to 'Barbie Girl'.

They quickly scrambled, trying to run away from a very pissed off Ghost, but their laughter gave
away their positions. Even if he couldn't see, Simon's aim was perfect, and Soap was glad that the
man didn't have a third bottle of water to throw at him.

The other two recovered fast, getting away from what could possibly turn into a crime scene.

"Not in the face, if possible." Johnny got tired of running in the dark and finally stayed still. Ghost
only dragged him by the elbow towards where there were street lights, and left him there before
going to fetch the other two.

"Can you three act like adults for three seconds?" Simon looked more tired than mad, and perhaps
it was already time to have some compassion and actually listen to him.

"Maybe." Shut up, Gaz.

Ghost took out his phone to look at the time, then sighed heavily.

"We won't get there in time for the last bus. Congratulations, pricks. We have to walk home." That
seems fun. Sleeping in a ditch sounds better, though.

"Can't we just get a cab or like...something?"

"There are no cabs at this hour. And we'll probably get home faster walking than waiting for a
ride." Perhaps they should've thought about this sooner. "Let's go. And you." Simon's index hit his
shoulder without any real strength. Because he would've fallen if he had pushed him in the
slightest. "Turn that fucking song off and drink water." He'll do one of those two things.

Soap took one of the bottles and drank something that wasn't alcohol for the first time in the last
couple hours. Then proceeded to play the song that Ghost seems to hate with his entire being.

At least the other two knew how to have fun and sang along with him. They all clung to each other
while swaying, and it would take just one of them to misstep for the three of them to fall on their
faces. Ghost just walked right next to Johnny, ready to catch him if he were to fall.

"Once you party with us, you'll be falling in love~" Johnny disentangled himself from Gaz's arm
and clung to Simon instead. And to the brit's dismay they kept singing the chorus, now with the
addition of Soap screaming right next to his ear.

"I hate all of you." Soap would've felt bad if it wasn't because he heard the tiniest hint of a chuckle
right after Simon's words.
"Doubt that." He only huffed as a response and tried to help Johnny walk properly. Without much
success. Not only had Simon's vision started to spin as well, but his leg decided to join the
inconveniences party and make his limping worse.

"You love us." Well, that's an overstatement, surely.

Their laughter only got louder when Johnny tried to imitate Katy Perry's voice towards the end of
the song. Well, everyone was laughing, except for Ghost who was having an existential crisis at
Soap moaning with Katy Perry.

He really hopes the alcohol does his work and makes him forget this in the morning because he'll
never live normally with the sounds Soap just made engraved on his brain.

"Alright, put something else, I don't wanna hear you moan anymore." Soap gave back the phone to
it's owner, who put on more old pop songs.

"Ah, I see you guys had fun." Sol opened the door after hearing someone struggle with the keys for
at least five minutes. Her usual eyebags seemed to have darkened and her hair was disheveled.

They had enough consciousness to be silent once they entered the house, knowing the twins were
surely asleep and that waking them up was a terrible idea.

"Sure did." The woman waited for all of them to get inside before locking the door behind them.

"I'm glad. But you should go to bed, even Simon looks wasted." It's true. It was probably the hour
long walk home that finally made the man give up the responsible adult attitude, and even if he
didn't join them in their improvised karaoke nor in the uncoordinated dancing, he still laughed
wholeheartedly at their pure, unfiltered idiocy.

They took the girl's advice and headed to the bedrooms. Simon's idea to leave the beds prepared at
Soap's room proved to be useful, because in their current state there's no way they can carry a
mattress from upstairs.

Out of habit, Johnny went to Ghost's room, only realizing that he should be sleeping somewhere
else, since Leah wasn't here, when Ghost walked into the room and stared at him. If it wasn't
because of the alcohol, he would be way more embarrassed. Just play it cool, MacTavish.

"Do you usually come here?" Simon's startled laugh made him laugh as well.

"I usually do, yeah. I sleep here most nights." The man didn't seem to mind that Johnny was laying
on his bed, he closed the door behind him and walked towards the bed. "Drink some more water."
Soap took the glass he was handed and drank most of it. He didn't even realize how dry his throat
was, leave it to Ghost to think of everything.

"Thanks." He gave back the almost empty glass and got comfortable under the sheets. His friend
got into bed as well and looked at him for a second. Then the man took the mask off and looked
anywhere but at Johnny.

"Has anyone ever told you you're very handsome?" The words left his mouth before he could even
stop them, at least he stopped his hand from reaching Ghost's face halfway through.

"No. Am I?" Simon's smirk under the low light of the room was the best thing he'd seen all day.
And he had seen Gaz fall on his face trying to tie his shoes less than an hour ago, which was
hilarious to him then.

"Very." The smirk turned into a shy smile. "Pretty enough to not have to fish for compliments."
Ghost laughed a bit and looked at him after, blinking back slowly.

"You'll need a bit more than that to make me fall for you, MacTavish. I expected a bit more effort."
He should really know better than to challenge the scot.

"Do I really? I thought I was on the right track." This time Johnny did reach out for the other's face,
trailing from his neck up until his fingers covered the man's cheek and jaw. He gently rubbed his
friend's cheek gently, a few centimeters under Simon's eye, and looked straight into them, through
his eyelashes. It was impossible to not notice as Ghost's pupils dilated slowly, and the way his
throat moved when he swallowed thickly. Alright, this is getting way more far than he though it
would. "I'll take notes for next time." His hand flew away from where it was and he winked, just to
make sure it was taken as a joke.

"I'll look forward to it." He can't tell if Simon is serious, because it could be that he was actually
liking Soap's attention, but he could also just be playing along. Either way, he's better than this, and
won't push someone who's just as drunk as him to...

To what exactly? What was he expecting out of this? He can't deny that he if Ghost proposed it to
him, he would sleep with the man. Well, he already does, but the other kind.

But that's not what he wants.

"Ah, I missed the bourbon, think we can get some free time and go drinking again?" He'll just
change the topic so he doesn't have to think about it.

"I'm sure Sol would be happy to babysit again." That's true, she loves the kids already, and she's
great at taking care of them. The problem is that the kids still prefer spending time with Johnny and
Ghost.

"She would." Silence fell between them, and it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Or maybe it was and
Johnny was just too drunk, or sleepy, to notice.

"Did you have fun?" He was fighting the urge to fall asleep now that he was comfortable in bed.
His eyes looked up slowly at the man, and he smiled unconsciously.

"Aye, I did. I enjoyed pissing you off." Ghost chuckled and got closer to him.

"You didn't piss me off. Gaz and König, however..." It's not like they did anything more than what
Soap did. If anything, Johnny was even more annoying than the other two combined.

"Is that favoritism I'm sensing?" Apparently, laughing came easier to Ghost when he had a couple
of drinks on him. He's laughed more in the last couple of hours than in the entire week.

"I don't know what you're implying, soldier. I don't have favourites." Very believable.

"Why am I in your bed, then?" He seemed taken aback by the question. Maybe Ghost didn't really
want him there, and he had let him because of their routine?
"There are no other beds available." But–

"There are. We saw like three extra mattresses upstairs." Maybe he should learn to shut up.

"Do you want to go get them?" Honestly? No, not at all.

"Do you want me to go get them?"

"If you want me to want–"

"I don't." This could go on all night, he'd rather admit that he wants to sleep in the other's bed than
think what he's supposed to say after whatever Simon was about to say.

"I don't either." Ah. Someone's honest tonight. "Go to sleep, already."

"I will if you shut up." He will anyways, he was already dozing off.

"You shut up." Soap chuckled, caught off guard by how childish his friend's answer was.

"Make me." Huh. It's not like Ghost to stay silent, so he opened his eyes again, staring up and
expecting to find the other man had fallen asleep. Instead he was greeted by a pair of unfocused
and clearly troubled eyes looking back at him. "I was jo–hmph!"

A pillow got shoved into his face, startling him awake.

"You're a bastard." The bastard here is someone else. Someone who's trying to choke drunk people
with pillows.

"I'm the bastard!? You almost killed me!" Maybe that's an exaggeration, but he really got scared
for a second there.

"I wouldn't kill you. And lower your voice." Right, the kids are in the other room. Well, there's
people in every room on this floor, so the kids aren't the only ones he should think of. "Johnny?"

"Hm?" He was dozing off, but sitting up and looking at the wall in front of him, completely
unaware of Simon's concerned panic.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you or some–"

"I'm cold." He finally laid on his side again, curling in on himself under the blankets.

"Do you want to...ah, neverm–" Just by the way Simon had lifted his arm towards him, he knew
what his friend meant.

"I do." It's not really cold, but he still would like to be warmer. Seeing how the other man had no
intention of moving, he decided to get closer instead, curling against his friend and holding onto
him as if he were a teddy bear.

"Uh...are you..." Simon is clearly overthinking something and he doesn't have the energy to deal
with that right now.

"Go to sleep, Si..." Whatever it was, he would deal with it in the morning if he has to. He thought
Ghost had listened and gone to sleep, and then the other man wrapped his arms around him, so
tight it almost hurt. Almost.
He won't complain, because he doesn't want to. His brain is still fuzzy with the memories from the
night, and now that he was surrounded with warmth, and held in the arms of the person he likes, he
feels like the happiest man in the world.

Simon sighed and loosened his arms a bit, without letting go.

"G'night." Soap was too sleepy to even try to say it back, he just hoped the nod he gave was good
enough for his friend.

The last coherent thought he had before drifting off was how much he wanted to not forget this in
the morning.

Leah's screams woke the two of them up instantly, the distress in her voice making them panic.
They pushed each other off the bed and sprinted towards the living room.

Leo was doing his best to stop, with his plastic sword, Gaz's attacks, and his sister was just off at
the side, König trying to get her to stop wailing.

"You're strong, but not strong enough..." Kyle did the most theatric spin Soap had ever seen,
getting to the kids back and moving the plastic sword he took from Leo across the kid's neck. Of
course, both twins started crying even harder. "Ah, shit–"

"You're dead, Garrick."

"No, wait– I can exp– Ghost please!" Within seconds Gaz was caught and pinned against a nearby
wall, the kids starting to hit him with their toys. "That hurts! Have mercy!" Surely it can't hurt that
bad. The toys, that is, because Ghost's grip on Gaz's arms looks painful. "Help me, Johnny!"

"And you dare use that name?" Since when is Ghost so protective of him? Whatever, they can't kill
their guests. Not on the house.

"Y'know, no matter how many connections or money you have, murder is still murder. Will you
still be able to sleep at night after killing your friend?" Sol walked up to both men and kicked them.
And they actually fell. All that speech promoting peace just to solve the problem with more
violence. "Are you guys doing fine? I can ask for a day off and take care of the kids if you're tired."

"Oh, no, there's no–"

"Please." Ah, she just wants an excuse to have a day off, then. Well, the panic made them ignore
everything and rush to the kids, but Soap was starting to feel the headache that was probably there
all along. And considering how Ghost hadn't even tried to stand up from the floor, he should be
starting to feel the hangover as well.

Maybe they should take the opportunity to relax a bit.

"Alright, then." Sol smiled brightly and turned to the kids, who thankfully weren't crying anymore.
They were still poking Gaz with toys, though.
"Let's go play, yeah? Johnny is tired." Leah pouted but agreed, taking the woman's hand and going
with her to the couch. "I made coffee and toasts, if you want to eat something. Or you can go sleep
a little more." What time is it, anyways? He doesn't feel like he slept enough, but going back to bed
isn't going to fix that anyways.

"What time did we get back yesterday?" Surprisingly, he remembered everything from last night.
He would feel embarrassed, but he had fun, and he refuses to feel ashamed for having fun.

"Around five. You barely slept four hours." So he did sleep too little. He'll just go to bed earlier
tonight, then.

Soap decided to bring breakfast to everyone, since Gaz and Ghost hadn't left the floor, and König
was looking at a wall as if he could find the secrets of the universe by staring for long enough. He
went to help Simon up after leaving everything on the table.

"You're not helping me?" Gaz looked offended, once they both turned and left him on the ground.

"You don't deserve our help." König helped the even more offended brit and went to sit at the
table.

"So petty." At least they aren't try-harding kids and beating them at fake swordfights.

The place felt alive, now, with the small chatter from the table and the TV on with a fighting game
the kids were playing. Unlike a certain someone, Sol was letting the kids win against her so they
could play against each other. Like any adult should.

He's not sure if they should be playing something as gory as Mortal Kombat but he'll let them be
for now. Besides, it looks like the woman had turned the level of blood and guts down, he
remembers the games being way more violent that what he could see.

"I'm the best!" Leah won once again. She hadn't lost a single round for as long as he's been
watching. She wasn't the best, but she was better than her brother, at least. Gaz perked up then,
smiling and getting up from the table. There he goes again.

"Can I play?" The three glared at the man, but he completely ignored them and sat down on the
couch. Leo reluctantly handed over the controller.

Sol looked warily at Gaz and waited until he inevitably beat the girl. Soap knows that look.

Determination.

This is going to be hilarious. And apparently the other adults at the table thought so too. They all
stood up after finishing their breakfast and sat closer to the rest of the group.

"Wait, no, that was a tie, right?" Usually a tie doesn't mean getting K.O'd, Gaz.

"How is that a tie? I have more than half my HP and you're dead." That explains it pretty well.

"Whatever, I demand a rematch." Of course he does. The kids didn't seem to mind, they looked
pretty entertained just watching someone else play.

"No rematches. Accept defeat." Leah seemed to notice the other adults had joined them and looked
up at Ghost.

"Let Simon play!" The man was taken aback, not really knowing why the girl wanted to have him
play, from all the men in the room she could've chosen from.

"I don't really know how to play." It can't be that hard if the kids could do it.

"It's easy, I just pressed all the buttons really fast!" Sounds like a good strategy.

Ghost sighed and took the controller out of Gaz's hands, waiting for the man to get out if the couch
and let him sit.

"Go easy on me." Sol smirked and nodded. Of course she knew how to play better than anyone
here, she is the owner of the console, and probably has a lot of practice. Soap doesn't know why
Gaz was so confident when going against her.

"Ah, let's make it a competition! The loser chooses who plays next, and the one that wins once
everyone has played gets...uh...a kitten?" What a great reward, it's not like they have an insane
amount of pets in the property already.

"Is that the only thing you use as prizes?" Sol chuckled and turned her attention back to the screen
once the round started.

"I don't know what else I can use..." There's not much to offer, they could use money but gambling
in front of the kids is not something Johnny nor Ghost want to do.

"The winner gets The Excalibur." Both kids gasped and looked concerned at Johnny. Of course,
'The Excalibur' was just the cheap plastic sword they had been playing with earlier, but the twins
seemed to love it. He has no idea why Gaz chose that as a reward but Soap isn't letting him get it so
easily.

"Wait, no. Why are you good?" Sol seemed concerned, looking at the round two screen. They had
been so focused on the kids they didn't even notice that Ghost had won the first round.

"I'm just spamming buttons." The thing is, he isn't. Johnny could tell that Simon was actually
thinking of what to press, and most of the times he got good combos in.

"No way." The woman stared at the game over screen, perplexed. The best player had already been
eliminated, which meant they lost the chance to give the sword to the kids by letting them win the
final round. Because there's no way Gaz would let the kids win.

"Who's next?" Simon seemed confident, at least that's what he picked up behind the monotone
voice.

"The other big guy." Well, good luck, König.

The kids cheered when Ghost won once again. It didn't take much effort, since his opponent was
completely lost. A win is still a win, though.

"Gaz, you go." Now, this could go two ways, either Ghost wins and they get rid of Gaz, who is
obviously going to try to make the kids lose, or Ghost loses and Johnny has to try to win.

"I won't go easy on you." As if Ghost needed that. Soap is sure Sol didn't go easy on the man after
the first round, and he still won.

"Me neither." They can tell.

"Woah, what!?" Leah got up from her seat, way too excited. "How'd you win so fast?"
"It wasn't that fast!" It was ten seconds into the round, Gaz. "He was just luck–" Less than ten
seconds into the second round, the victory screen popped up. "I was–hold up!"

"No rematches." Soap is sure that Ghost tried really hard to get rid of Kyle, and it was
understandable, but this seems a little too harsh.

"Whatever, man. You go, kid." The man handed the remote to Leo, who looked at it silently before
looking up at Ghost.

"Don't let me win." Ah, so he knew Sol was just having mercy when playing with them. Leah
seemed a little confused, though.

"Don't you want to keep The Excalibur? It's important, we have to win!" Apparently that thing was
a treasure for the kids. He wouldn't be surprised if he found an altar dedicated to the piece of
plastic.

"You can win it for us right? You're better than me." Ghost waited until the twins stopped talking
before starting the match. He didn't let the kid win, but he let him play at least. The two rounds
were almost as long as the matches the twins had against one another.

"That was fun. At least I didn't lose less than ten seconds after the start." Leo gave the remote to
Johnny and stared blankly at Gaz. "And ruined our carpet."

"I didn't mean to!" The boy is probably going to remember the offense until the day he dies.

"Whatever, carpet-ruiner." Ghost looked at Soap expectantly, and it was only then he remembered
he has to actually play. Even if he couldn't really win and he knew that, he had faith that Ghost
would let Leah win.

"Go easy on me?" It's not the first time he touches a video game but it's definitely been a while.

"No." Ghost's actions didn't match his words. Gaz stood up, in disbelief, after Johnny won the first
round.

"You're letting him win! You can't play favourites L.t, that's unprofessional." No one's playing
favorites. Maybe.

"I don't like what you're implying, sergeant. I would keep my mouth shut." Gaz wasn't scared of the
threat though.

"You're literally standing sti–hey!" Leah stepped on his foot to shut him up and it was enough,
apparently.

The second round went just as the first one. Unlike with his previous opponents, Ghost was mostly
staying in place and blocking some attacks every now and then. It was impossible for Johnny to
lose.

"Well played." Playing against a toddler would've been harder. He'll pretend he's oblivious of
Ghost's actions and carry on. "It's your turn, Leah."

"Yay!" She picked the remote and stared at Johnny for a second. "I'm sorry Johnny, but I have to
win." Not like she'll have to try.

"Let's see who wins, then. I won't go easy on you." Lying is not bad, sometimes.
 The kid wasn't half bad at the game, he actually struggled to win the first round before letting the
girl win the other two. She let the controller fall on the couch and jumped up, cheering. Everyone
cheered along, even Gaz, who was still clearly upset about being the one that got defeated the
fastest.

"Your highness, your sword." Sol kneeled and bowed before Leah, holding the plastic toy in her
hands and offering it to the little girl.

"Thank you, my loyal servant." The woman giggled and stood up, watching the kid rise the sword
up in victory. "I, Queen Leah, declare myself as the winner." That's not how that works, but he
won't explain that to the girl. Leo left the room silently and came back with another, different
plastic sword.

"Do we compete for Durandal, now?" Ah, this is never going to end, is it?

"It's on!" A grown man shouldn't be this excited over a fake sword, Gaz.

This time, Sol was the one making sure the kids got to the final round, when Ghost lost after
Johnny. But somehow, she lost against Gaz.

Thankfully Leah had learnt from her mistakes and actually won against the brit in two rounds.
They both were hunching to get closer to the screen, moving their controllers and occasionally
elbowing the other to make their rival miss a button, but it was still the little girl who came out
victorious. And Gaz was just annoyed, because there was no other excuse for that besides him
being bad at the game.

The twins fought the final match and it was Leo who ended up winning the third round, somehow.
Maybe Leah noticed the adults let her win and decided to do the same for her twin. She looked
happy, even if she lost.

"Your majesty, your sword." Sol repeated the same as when Leah won, and Leo was more graceful
but still just as dramatic when taking the sword.

"I, King Leo, ruler of this living room, accept my title." Not how that works, either. "We should
play again and the winner buys us a new carpet." The boy smirked at Gaz and the man rolled his
eyes before falling back on his seat.

The next day, when Johnny and Simon went to work with the kids, Gaz took König shopping,
looking for the ugliest carpet and doormat he could find.

>

Chapter End Notes

The author is finally back home.

Oh? What's that? They're OOC? König can't work with the 141? There's no way he
would know them? He wouldn't visit them anyways? You might be right! I might also
be inside your walls! I never said whose home I was back to! You should hide.
I don't think I'll ever let the California gurls bit die, actually.

Anyways, hope this chapter was okay. I'm going to start posting every saturday as
planned. Except for next chapter, because it's t w e n t y t h o u s a n d words (and
counting!!!1!) (insomnia doesn't take breaks with you!!1!). I'll post it on thursday so
whoever wants to read it can have a little more time before the next update.

As always, thanks for the support, see you next chapter!<3

 (10). What we were and what we'll be.
Chapter Summary

Moving forward gets a bit easier when you start leaving the past behind.

Chapter Notes

(Not content warning but still a heads up): very long and slow chapter, enjoy?

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"I'm fucking tired." Gaz sat down at the couch beside him. They had decided to buy gym
equipment a couple weeks ago and their guests were more than happy to use them in their spare
time. König was brave enough to have spar matches with Ghost, even, and of course Kyle had to
remind Johnny how he was slightly better at things. Soap will make sure to keep training to beat
him at least in speed at the treadmill. "Did you ever call Price?"

Ah, he forgot again. He answered the 'happy birthday' message the captain had sent him before the
night they went drinking, but he hadn't talked to the man any more afterwards.

"No." He took out the phone and stared at the number for a while. What was he even supposed to
say, anyways? He can't say his relationship with his captain was strictly a professional one, but he
just can't think of anything to talk about either.

"That's not how calls work." Gaz took the phone out if his hand and started a videocall before he
could even try to get the device back.

"Wait, Gaz, he could be busy–" The call got cut off, only confirming his suspicions. Or maybe
Price was mad for the lack of contact? That can't be, right? His captain knew better than to get
angry over something like that, he knew they were busy.

"What are you two doing?" König was walking right behind Ghost, the both of them looking at
Soap who was thrown over Gaz. He was trying to get the phone and the idiot kept putting it far
from where he could reach, and he didn't want to stand up from the couch so he just leaned over his
friend. Now he just has to explain that to the other two who were very clearly confused.

"Uh..." Too long and too detailed, it sounds more like a made up story to hide something than an
actual explanation.

"He sent a message." Gaz showed him the screen, and deciding to ignore his situation, he grabbed
the phone and opened the chat.

'Give me moment, I'm almost done with something.'

"Who sent a message?" Well, someone is getting comfortable on Soap's personal space. "Price?"
Ghost immediately relaxed as he confirmed who the mysterious sender was.
"Aye, this arsehole called him without even asking if he was available." Play dumb all you want,
Gaz, there's only one person in the room who could've done that.

"He's always lazing around at this time, I don't know what he's busy with." Well, he shouldn't be on
a mission, or at least not in an active battlefield, so the captain was surely doing paperwork, in a
conference, or another call.

The phone rang and almost everyone flinched at the sound, Ghost being the only exception. Gaz
used the moment to snatch the phone away once more and got away from the group as he answered
the call.

"Hey, cap, long time no see." Even if they couldn't see the screen, they could tell Price wasn't
happy when they heard him sigh.

"I saw you last week. Why are you there and where is Soap?" Gaz pretended to be offended and
finally handed over the phone to it's respective owner.

"It's been a while." Maybe Johnny is imagining it, but isn't Price's hair graying a little too much for
his age? He definitely has at least double the gray hairs he had when Soap left. Or maybe it's been
that long since he last saw the man he'd started to forget how he looked like, and he's always
looked that way.

"How are you, So–ap?" Nice save. He still noticed though. "Happy birthday, by the way. I didn't
have time to call that day."

"Ah, it's okay, thank you." Simon was standing on the other side of the room, looking at him and
clearly anxious. Price noticed how Soap kept looking somewhere far from the screen but chose not
to ask. "I'm doing great here, surprisingly. I wish I could introduce you to the kids." Leah would've
gone insane if she saw an actual captain in uniform.

"They're a menace, they keep beating me up with toys." Of course they do, he asks for it. "And
made me buy a new carpet."

"Something tells me they're justified." They definitely are. "You can call me any other time and
introduce me to them." That's true, it's just coming to mind that he doesn't need an excuse to call
Price. He doesn't seem to mind making time for Soap. "How's Simon doing?"

Ghost froze on his spot, looking back at Johnny with slightly wider than usual eyes. Soap only
looked back at him, wondering if he should answer for the man or let him do it himself.

"Am I the only one who didn't know his name?" Yes, you were, Gaz.

"Why would you need to know my name?" Simon finally stopped hugging the walls and walked
towards the group. "I'm doing good, sir."

"Ah, I'm glad. You haven't answered my messages, I guessed you were busy." Oh? Price has been
messaging him? And he's been ignoring the captain?

"Very. Sorry about that, sir." The man's eyes narrowed, clearly not buying the excuse of 'being
busy'. "How are you been doing, old man?" Ah, yes, tactical topic change.

"I'm great. At least I didn't get shot recently." They looked at Gaz for a second only to see him
smirk, and went back to paying attention to the screen. "Have you called Alejandro? He asked
about you two some time ago." They forgot as well, apparently. They used to chat and call
frequently, but then they met Rusnav and got very busy. Then they moved here and got even
busier. "I'll take that as a no."

"We...uh, we were busy?" That excuse is going to get old fast. "I'll call him later, promise."
Probably right after this call.

"Sure, I was just letting you know." Price's eyebrows furrowed and he got slightly closer to the
screen. "What's he doing there?" Soap turned to look at who he meant, and only found Ghost, right
behind him.

"He lives here?" He thought it was pretty obvious Ghost and him lived together but maybe the
captain thought otherwise.

"Not Ghost. König. What the hell is he doing there?" Both Gaz and König looked at each other and
slowly started getting away from the phone. "Kyle. What is he doing there."

"I just remembered I had something to do–" They both fled the scene and headed to who knows
where.

"Those bloody–sorry about them. They've been pestering Rusnav's brother for weeks." He can tell,
Alex looked more than done with them. "Just kick them out if they get too annoying." They're
leaving in a couple days anyways, no need to throw them out.

"Will do." Ghost looked away from the screen and towards the backyard. Then he left without a
word.

"Can we talk about something, son? In private." He's not sure if he likes that idea.

"Sure. Give me a second." The best place in the house to have private chats was Rusnav's office, so
that's where he went, locking the door just in case. "What's wrong?"

"Is Ghost actually doing good, there?" Now that it was just the two of them, Price allowed himself
to sound tired. And very concerned.

"I think he is, at least. Why?" He doesn't know how his friend feels most of the time, nor does he
know what goes on inside is skull, but he seemed more than fine.

"He wasn't, uh...in the best place mentally the last few weeks he was here. I'm just a little worried."
Soap probably wasn't either, but that's part of the job, surely.

"I think he's fine. Is there anything I should worry about?" He's been living with him for months,
and known the man for longer, he knows when the other needs space or to be left alone. But the
captain definitely knew Ghost a little better, and if he's worried then he should make sure to pay
more attention.

"No, I don't think so. Just don't let him drink or annoy him too much." He did both of those the last
weekend. And he annoyed him an acceptable amount on the daily.

"I won't."

"And try to listen if he talks to you." Ghost doesn't talk that much, but he gives the man his full
attention whenever he does.

"Of course." The captain sighed and nodded, looking past the phone before sitting up.
"I have something else to do. I'm glad you're okay, son. Make sure to call me more often, though."

"Yes, sir." The bid farewell and ended the call.

He promised to call Alejandro, and Price sent him the contact info right as he was about to ask for
it. Now he just needs to go look for Simon and ask if he wants to join him.

Gaz and König were lazing around at the living room, looking at videos on Kyle's phone. But there
was no sign of Ghost there. Nor in the kitchen or bedrooms.

The backyard it is then.

There he was, sitting at a corner, sheltered from the still cold spring breeze, smoking what didn't
look his first or second cigarette of the day.

"Simon...?" He wasn't sure if he should leave him alone or talk to him, and the balaclava wasn't
helping him figure it out, since he couldn't read his expression. The man looked up and waited for
him. "Are you okay?" He didn't look okay, but he has no idea why.

He didn't get a reply. But the silence was an answer itself. He walked closer, slowly, just in case
his presence wasn't appreciated, and eventually sat down beside his friend.

As soon as he finished his cigarette, he pulled another one out of the pack, and completely ignored
Soap's concerned look.

"I– I don't know." Johnny has the slight suspicion that Ghost did know, but he either didn't know
how to explain it, or how to talk about it. Or maybe he just didn't want to talk about it.

"That's okay, you don't need to explain, you can talk to me when you feel like it." He carefully put
his hand on Ghost's back, rubbing circles against the fabric once he was sure he wasn't getting
pushed away. "I just– I was worried." And he still is.

"Sorry." Simon curled a bit, hiding his already covered face by looking at the wall. He couldn't
help wanting to comfort the man, not because of his feelings, which definitely helped, but because
they were friends anyways.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Simon." He opened his arms once the man looked back at him,
an open invitation that Ghost took after hesitating for a couple seconds.

They remained in silence, clinging to each other and relished in the comfort that the action brought.
Simon completely forgot about his cigarettes the moment he hugged Johnny, hiding his face in the
space next to his neck. And Johnny just kept caressing his friend's back, not minding how the
hands on his sides were squeezing him and probably leaving bruises. It's just a small price to pay, if
it means getting Ghost out of his mind.

"I–" Simon huffed against his neck, and he tried to ignore the way it tickled in an effort to listen to
what his friend had to say. The man tried again, only getting frustrated when he couldn't come up
with anything to say.

"You don't have to, if you can't–"

"I want to, it's just–" He groaned and looked up, his eyes red but without any tears. Soap doesn't
know if that's good or not.

"Take your time, then. I'm going nowhere." The kids don't get out of school for a couple more
hours, so they have all the time they needed.

Some minutes passed without anyone saying a word, the physical contact being the only indication
that the conversation wasn't over. Simon looked up again, this time deciding to rest his chin on
Johnny's shoulder where it connected with his neck.

"I...help me a little..." How was he supposed to help? He didn't know, but he'll try anyways.

"Was it the call with Price?" He noticed the way Simon nodded. Well, that was a start, at least he
knows what made his friend so upset. "Why?"

"I...just wasn't ready." Ah, maybe he should've talked with Ghost beforehand, or at least warned
him before calling. That was his bad.

"Did you not want to talk to him?" Perhaps they weren't on good terms, or something had happened
before they left, but it didn't seem like it from what little he talked with the captain.

"Not that, it's just...I was trying to forget everything from back home." That sounds impossible. Or
maybe it's just Soap that feels that way. He could never forget his years in the military, he spent
most if his youth there, and he made great friends and acquaintances.

"Why would you want to forget it?" It's a complicated topic, he expected his friend's silence. "Did
you two argue or something?"

"No." He should leave it at that. "I don't want to remember how I was back then." Oh. So that was
it.

Ghost hadn't changed that much from when they were on active duty, he still had his weird sense of
humor, the quiet and strict personality. But he definitely changed in these few months, he was
softer, and he didn't mind being vulnerable or admit he's tired. He's not a killing machine anymore,
and Soap thought he had come to terms with it, but apparently it wasn't the case.

"Why not? It's in the past, isn't it?" He's not that person anymore, and Soap has to remind him,
before he spirals down even further.

"It is, but still..." Simon pushed himself away from Johnny's arms, looking at the fields instead. "I
don't want to be that version of myself, but I have to be that in front of Price." That's where he's
wrong.

"Do you really think that?" The incredulous tone Soap used made his friend turn to look at him.
"The old man doesn't care as long as you're alive. If anything he's glad you're not like you were
back then." He knows this as a fact, the captain needed them in his team, sure, but they weren't just
tools for him, they were people. Price only let Ghost be Ghost because it's the only thing the brit
knew how to do, but he doesn't need to be that anymore. He's not The Ghost anymore, he's just a
person, flesh, and bone. And scar tissue. A lot of the last one.

"You don't know that." He does know, but considering how annoyed Simon sounds he shouldn't
deny it.

"I don't. Either way, don't force yourself to be someone you don't want to, just act like you always
do, and if Price has a problem then..." The possibilities of Price having a problem are close to zero,
so he didn't really have to consider what to do. "We'll just stop calling him."

"You sure?" He nodded, patting Simon's shoulder to make sure he got the point across. He's sure of
both of the things he said, he knows Ghost would be fine being himself in front of Price, and he's
also sure that he would push the captain away if he dared reject Simon's current self.

"Is that why you've been ignoring his texts?" The brit looked at him, unsure, before taking out his
phone and giving it to him, unlocked. Then he got comfortable in his previous position, resting his
head on Johnny's shoulder and sighing against his neck when Soap started playing with the hair he
could reach, without lifting the balaclava up any further than it already was.

He read through the chat which was mostly filled with Price's messages, and he was nosy, so he
read from the start. Simon didn't stop him, he could see from the corner of his eye that the man
was looking at the screen too. The first messages were just Price telling him to go meet him, but
something caught his eye. It was from around two years ago, Price told him he had booked a
therapist appointment for him and Ghost's only reply was 'okay'. For months, Price kept asking if
he had gone to the appointments and Ghost kept replying that he hadn't.

"Did you ever go to therapy?" Eventually the captain had stopped asking if he had gone, the only
messages were asking to meet or to give him a call.

"No." That's just a repeat of the last couple of messages he read.

"Why?" He's not going to pretend he's better than him, because he had refused to see a psychiatrist
or psychologist as well. But it would've been nice if Simon had gone to at least one session.

"Didn't feel like it." Fair.

The most recent messages were all from Price, the first one was from when they had just left the
base, saying that he could go back if he didn't like the new environment. That was new. Wasn't
Simon here because he couldn't go on missions anymore?

"You can still serve?" He realized a little too late that his tone was too harsh, by the way his
friend's arm on his side tensed and immediately let go. "Not that I'm saying you should. If you
don't want to. I just thought you were here because you didn't have that many options." It's not like
he's the one who made the promise with Rusnav.

"I don't want to. Not anymore." That's a relief, because if the man did want to go back, the kids
would miss him terribly. And Soap would miss him even more.

He kept reading the messages, the majority being from Price, as expected, asking how he was
doing and if he needed anything. Then a message, back in august, made him backtrack.

"Your birthday was in august!?" It's not a lot of people who know Simon's personal details, but if it
came from Price then it was accurate information. Soap doesn't remember ever celebrating Ghost's
birthday, which should've happened at least once since they met, and he's just realizing that.

"Yeah, why?" Because he didn't even know? He wouldn't have thrown a party or anything like that,
but he could've at least bought the man a cake and a bottle of his favorite whiskey.

"You know why!" He saw the way Simon rolled his eyes, smiling, probably not even remembering
he had his mouth uncovered. That was until he saw how Soap had focused for a little to long on his
lips, he did feel self-conscious, but he didn't pull the fabric down anyways. "Happy belated
birthday, prick."

"Thank you." At least they had a chance to go out for drinks and eat cake, even if it was months too
late.
He handed the phone back after reading the messages, and somehow he gets why Simon didn't
reply to anything. It's got nothing to do with the messages themselves, it's just that the man isn't
sure how the captain would take the replies.

Before he could think of what he should give as feedback, because he did just read all those
messages, his own phone buzzed, and he took it out of his pocket.

Gaz had just sent him a couple videos, and he didn't want to go back inside anyways, so he opened
the first one, trying not to laugh when he saw it was when Ghost got covered in flour thanks to
Leah.

The rest were mostly from the night they went out, he could barely figure out what was happening,
the camera kept going out of focus and Gaz's hand was too unsteady, but he heard the crappy pop
songs the were singing along and laughing at.

Then there was a video of Ghost and the kids playing with the dogs in the front yard, which he
must have taken when Soap went out to feed the animals at the barn, and another one of when
they had the competition over the plastic swords.

"Why did he record all that?" Simon was staring at the screen, a little confused.

"To keep as memories?" They don't take that many videos, nor do they share them, but they do
take a couple pictures of the kids every now and then, especially when they go out of the house to
anywhere that isn't work, school, or the grocery store.

Another message arrived, this time it was a picture. He opened it only to see the view from
window, and the both of them sitting in the ground. Gaz sent a text saying 'Get a room' right after
the photo. They looked up to see both König and Gaz staring at them through the window a couple
meters from them.

It was a compromising position they were in, especially from that angle, and they didn't even
notice how they ended up like that. Johnny was sitting with his back against the wall, while Simon
was sitting between his legs, with his own thrown to the side, and most of his body laying against
Soap's torso. That wouldn't look that bad, but their arms were wrapped around the other's waists
too.

"I don't want to go inside." He knows Gaz isn't letting this go until he dies, and he doesn't want to
deal with whatever jokes or comments he's going to spit out.

"We can always kick them out." Soap laughed, thinking it was a joke, but it did seem like his L.t
was serious.

"No." It would be the easiest option, but that's just rude.

"Bummer." Ghost got up then, pulling Soap up as well, and glared at the other two as he went to
the door.

"What were you–"

"Say another word and you're sleeping with Rexie." Gaz's mouth closed shut immediately as Ghost
pointed at him.

They walked past their guests onto the kitchen, Soap hadn't finished his coffee and Simon had to
start lunch around this hour anyway. He feels like he's forgotten something though...
"Oh, right. I was going to call Alejandro, did you want to join?" His friend glanced at him without
turning, uncertainty in his eyes. "I mean, only if you feel like it, no pressure." They just talked
about this, he won't push the other man to do something he doesn't want to, if he's not ready for it.

"I'll be here." It's a mix between a yes and a no.

"Alright." He opened the chat with Price to find the contact info and wrote their friend to ask if he
was available. To which he got a 'Who are you?' and 'How did you get this number?' as a reply.
Right, they don't have the same phone numbers.

"Look who decided to give life signals!" He called once he explained who he was and confirming
the other man had time. "How have you been, Soap?"

"I'm doing good, sorry for the radio silence, I've been busy." Being busy seems to be the cause of
all his problems, from how many times he excused his actions with the same phrase today.

"Glad to hear that." Alejandro moved a bit from his phone and looked somewhere behind it.
"(Rudy, come here, Soap is calling.)" In a couple seconds Rodolfo appeared on screen as well, a
little surprised before he smiled.

"Hey."

"Hey! Long time no see." It's almost been a year, if he remembers correctly.

"Where have you been, hermano? We've missed you." How does he explain everything without
getting into much detail? It's probably impossible.

"I was out chasing terrorists with friends, you know, the usual." The other men laughed, before
waiting for him to keep talking. "One of our friends got hurt, and I had to leave because I got hurt
too. I'm living in a farm now."

"So you're not...? That sucks, man..." Well, maybe it did, but he doesn't see it that way.

"Not that much, I've been doing great, and the kids make my days both fun of exhausting." He
didn't understand why they looked so shocked until he realized that he didn't say anything about
the twins.

"You got kids, too? You move fast, man."

"They're not mine, I promised a friend that I would take care of them if something happened to her.
And it did. So..." They seemed to relax a little at that information. For some reason.

"Why would you promise that? Were you drunk?" The silence and the way Johnny cleared his
throat was enough answer. "At least you don't seem to regret it." That's because he doesn't. The
only thing he regrets is not being able to save Rusnav.

"Have you talked with Ghost, too?" Hm? Why the sudden interest in the man? Could they see him
on the call, or something?

"He hasn't." His friend appeared beside him, the people on the other line smiling as they saw him,
even if they looked a little confused.

"Ghost! I'm guessing you've been busy too, huh." Soap feels like there's an inside joke somewhere
in Ale's words but he doesn't quite get it.
"Very. I've been taking care if three kids." Three? But they only had–

"Ah, fuck off!" The man beside him dodged his elbow and chuckled before going back to the
counter.

"You've changed, Jabón, where's the scottish nonsense?" Wait, no, he has a point. Has he really
spent that much time away from home? Surely it's because he listens to Ghost and the twins all
day, plus Sol and William's american accent. He promised himself he would teach the kids enough
to annoy Ghost , and Alejandro just reminded him of that.

"Don't remind him. Please." Whatever.

"So you two are living together, now?" Ghost panicked a little, who knows why, and turned to look
at the back of the phone.

"I decided to help a friend out." Soap could see how Ale' eyebrows knit together for a moment.
"My leg got fucked up too, I just used the opportunity to run away from the army." That seems way
too sincere to be just an excuse.

"Ah, so El Fantasma isn't invincible after all, huh?" He looked up just in time to see the way Ghost
paused. He should've seen that coming.

"Eh, who is, really?" His first thought was 'Rusnav is', but her current state only proved him wrong.
He doesn't want to compare Ghost with her, anyways.

"That's true." Rudy got up, then, walking off the screen and saying something to Alejandro from
afar. "Alright, we have to go. You two better call us again, we're going to hunt you down if you
don't." He laughed and nodded.

"I'm sure you will."

"Take care, hermano. Just ask if you guys need anything." The call ended shortly after. He still
wanted to talk some more, they didn't talk about anything but them, but he'll make sure to get up to
date with his friends' lives in another call.

Now, he needs to tend to something else.

"You good?" Simon kept cutting vegetables in silence. "Get out of your head, Si." Ghost turned his
head enough to look at him for a couple seconds, before going back to his task.

"I'm fine." The man relaxed his tense shoulders, sighing. "Don't worry so much about me."

"Why not?" Leaving his phone behind, he got up and got closer to his friend. "I'm just worried
about you."

"Why?" Isn't it obvious? Well, maybe to Soap it is.

"Because I care about you." Ghost flinched when Johnny touched his shoulder, caught off guard.

"How sweet of you. Are you trying to get on my pants, or something?" Another tactical topic
change.

"Maybe I am. Am I doing a good job?" His friend stopped cutting again to look at him. Ah, did he
go too far? He was just playing along.

"Yes." Huh. How is he supposed to reply to such a genuine-sounding answer? And why does his
face feel hot?

"You two disgust me." He's never been happier of Gaz interrupting him.

"You're brave for saying that when I have a knife in my hand." Ghost lifted the knife just to get the
point across, but Gaz wasn't fazed.

"Don't care. Keep flirting in front of me and I'll leave." That's a terrible threat.

"You should've told us sooner that's all it takes to make you leave." Gaz gasped, pretending to be
offended.

"You want me to leave that badly? I'm hurt, I thought we were friends." Soap walked towards the
table again, completely ignoring Kyle. "Can I talk with you for a second?"

He's not sure why Gaz wants to talk to him, and König didn't come along when they left the room,
so whatever it was, it sounds serious.

It seems like the backyard had become the default place for these situations. Kyle sat down in one
of the chairs and pointed at the one next to him, for Soap to sit as well. He kept quiet for a while,
looking at the fields ahead, and then finally looked at Johnny as he spoke.

"Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?" That's the only thing he didn't expect to
talk about, especially with Gaz. Has he been obvious enough for others to notice how he likes
Ghost? That can't be, right?

"What are you–"

"I don't care if there is, I was joking when I said you disgusted me." It's good to know he's
supportive, but they're not like that anyways. "I was just expecting you'd tell me if something that
important happened, you know? We're best mates, right?" They are, they've known each other for
too long to be anything else.

"Don't you think the reason I haven't told you is because nothing happened?" Gaz opened his
mouth but nothing came out. Soap just lifted one of his eyebrows, waiting for the other man to say
something.

"Wait, but–you sleep with him!" Oh. He has no excuse for that.

"I–"

"And you can't say it's for the kid, because I haven't seen her get into the room the entire week."
Leah decided to go back to sleeping on her own since the night they went out.

"Where else do you want me to sleep?" They do have more mattresses, but he doesn't need to know
that.

"You have a couch. You could've told us to sleep there if you wanted your bed." Uh...

"I won't make you sleep on the couch." That's just rude, even if the couch isn't that uncomfortable
to sleep in.

"You could've slept in the couch then. And Leah said there were more mattresses upstairs." That
damn kid keeps selling him out. "Look, mate, if you're together–"
"We're not." He's getting tired of repeating it.

"Not even as fuckbuddies, or something?" God, why are they having this conversation? He
couldn't find his voice so he opted for shaking his head. "Whatever you have going on then. You
don't need to hide it from us, you know? I mean, you don't know König, so I get it, but don't hide it
from me at least."

"You're nosy." He doesn't want to have this conversation anymore. He stood up and looked back
from the door when he noticed Gaz wasn't following him.

"Do you like him?"

"Fuck's sake, Gaz." There's already one person who knows about his feelings, there doesn't need to
be a second one.

"You do, then." What's with people and assuming he likes Ghost? "Alright, I'll stop. Just know that
I'm rooting for you." Kyle finally stood up and walked towards the door. "I want to be best man at
the wedding though." Soap elbowed him in the ribs and walked away.

That's the second person to invite themselves to his nonexistent wedding.

Leah ran from the school gates towards the car, jumping on the backseat excitedly and completely
forgetting about her brother and Simon who were just confusedly staring from afar.

"Johnny!" He still doesn't know why the girl is always so excited to see him. They live in the same
house. "Did your friends leave yet?"

"They're leaving on sunday. Why? Do you want them to leave already?" Even if Gaz bullied them
a little and kept annoying them, the twins seem to like playing with him and König.

"No!" Hopefully she won't be too upset when they leave. "I want to go to the fields and fly my kite.
With Leo, I guess..." They can do that on the weekend, they won't have time now, they still have a
job.

"And uncle Alex." Leo opened the door of the car and got in as he spoke. That's a bit trickier,
Alexander was always busy, and he did promise the kids he would visit, but he hadn't contacted
Johnny or Simon yet.

"Well, if he wants to...but we can go with just Johnny and Simon!" He doesn't know if he's the first
or the second option here.

"Where are we going?" Ghost got into the car just in time to hear what Leah had just said.

"To the fields!" That doesn't explain much, Leah.

"I thought we were going to work?"

"We are. We might go out in the weekend, though." The girl cheered, forgetting for a couple
seconds about her ongoing fight with the seat belt. "Want help with that?" She shook her head.
"I can do it..." They stared at the girl in silence while she kept trying, until eventually they heard
the buckle click, she lift her face and smiled brightly. "I did it!"

"Good job, honey." They can finally drive home now. The girl had been refusing to let them put
her seat belt on for a couple days, she saw her brother could do it himself and she didn't want to be
left behind. But she did take a while longer than her brother.

Leah kept rambling the entire drive home, as usual, but he did notice how Leo kept joining in, and
has been doing so for a while. It's nice to see he's more comfortable around them now, even if it
took way too long compared to his sister.

But what really surprised him was when Ghost decided to join the conversation. It's not like he
doesn't talk to the kids, but most of the time all he gives are short answers, or necessary questions.

Maybe that talk they had about being himself actually worked. He looked happy chatting with the
twins, he even laughed, which caught the kids off guard a little.

"Simon?" Leah suddenly looked serious, and he could tell something was going to go wrong.

"Yeah?" The girl shifted on her seat, getting closer to the locked door.

"Can I ask you something...?" The man was tense now, noticing how the kid was anxious unlike a
minute ago.

"You already asked." As soon as the girl giggled Simon's shoulders relaxed just a bit. Soap should
be paying more attention to the road than to his friend's body language.

"No, silly, another question!" Ghost only nodded and waited for Leah to elaborate. "Why...why do
you wear a mask all the time?"

Ah.

Well, this conversation was going to happen sooner or later, too.

"It's not because you're ugly." At least Leo didn't decide to be an asshole today.

"I'm..." The silence only made the girl think she upset Ghost, and the man seeing the girl so
nervous only made him feel bad for not answering. And so it was an endless circle.

"It's a habit, he always wore it when he worked, and now it feels weird to take it off." There's
definitely more to it than just that, but he won't explain it to the kids. Mostly because Soap himself
didn't know why his L.t kept the mask on now.

"Oh! So it's not like mom?" Rusnav never wore a mask in front of them, so he was taken aback by
the question. And the woman hadn't visited her kids since she lost her husband, according to
Alexander. It could be the kids just misremembering.

"Mother wore masks when she came on secret visits. She said it's because she didn't want to show
us her scars." Her face was mostly intact, though. "And because she said she didn't want bad guys
recognizing her." That one does make sense.

"Yeah! But you don't have to run from bad guys, right?" She has a point. If anything, there's more
people who would recognize him with a mask on than without it.

"I don't." Soap hopes they don't. He can't think of anyone that holds a grudge against them, but
who knows.

"Then...are you ever going to take it off...?" The kids are just curious, but Johnny knows that
there's no way–

"Someday." Perhaps he miscalculated. He saw the way Simon lift his hands just a bit, then let
them fall back on his lap before he answered. He thought about taking it off right there.

"Okay!" Just that promise was enough to rile the girl up again. Thankfully they were almost home,
so she could use all that energy in playing or painting instead of talking.

As soon as they parked the car, both kids ran out and started chasing Rexie around the yard while
they waited for Soap to open the door. The dog ended up more tired than the kids.

"Look who's back." The kids ignored Gaz and went towards their rooms. "You should teach them
some manners."

"Your feet are on our table and you're eating our food without permission." Leah yelled from her
room.

"And you ruined our carpet." Gaz groaned when he heard the boy yelling, leaving the bowl with
popcorn he was eating from. At least he didn't eat their dinner. Yet.

"I bought you a new one!" It's the ugliest carpet they've ever seen and they're replacing it as soon
as he leaves, but he did buy it.

"Whatever." The kids walked in with their notebooks and pens, getting ready to start their
homework before they left.

"Are you sure you don't want me to babysit them?" He's sure. The kids will either be crying or with
too much sugar in their system when he comes back. And he doesn't want to deal with either at
11p.m.

"I don't want to stay with you." Don't be so honest, Leah.

"I thought we were friends!" He knew the kids enough to know they didn't hate Gaz, nor did they
dislike them. But they definitely weren't used to someone borderline bullying them, even if it was
in a friendly way.

"We're not." Leo felt bad at Gaz's hurt face. "Maybe..." Kyle is a good actor apparently.

"Can you help me with homework?" Leah looked up at Ghost, who was there only to give them
food. The man sat down beside her and started reading what she had to do.

"You have done this before, did you not understand last time?" The girl looked away.

"Heh." Simon sighed and grabbed a pencil. "It's hard..."

"That's why you have to tell me if you don't understand. I'll explain it again." Leah has a lot of
trouble understanding math, for some reason. Maybe she doesn't pay that much attention in class?
They should ask the teachers next time they have a reunion with them.

At least Simon has enough patience to help her.

 ~

"Yo'." Sol got out of the break room just as they were about to enter the store, stopping in her
tracks to look behind them. "Hey, do you know that guy?You look like you'd know that guy."

"He's my best ma–"

"I don't know him." Gaz had decided to tag along, since König had gone out to who knows where
and he didn't want to be left at home alone. Like a toddler.

"Do you want to work here too?" Just what is it with her, always looking for employees?

"Uh, no. I'm going home next week."

"Unlucky. If you ever move here and want a minimum wage, extremely tedious job, just come
here." It's not that bad. For anyone but her.

"I'll...keep that in mind." He clearly won't.

The kids stood with their respective books by the door, looking at Sol and waiting for her to stop
talking so they could go to the kitchen.

"Alright, I have to stay in the register today, William is sick, can you two stay by yourselves?"
They nodded, disappointed, and left for the kitchen. "I'll still check on them, don't worry."

"I can keep an eye on them..." A crying kid in the store is worse than one at home.

"No." Gaz dejectedly went outside, sitting on a chair at the break room and taking out his phone.
They explained to him beforehand what he could and could not do at the store. And he only kept
answering 'I'm not a kid, mate'.

Cristian was taking care of the back, so Sol made him take care of the fruits stand during the rush
hour, and he never thought helping that many people bag vegetables could be exhausting. When
things started calming down, around nine, he finally had time to take a break.

Simon was done as well, apparently, at least until they delivered the meat for the next day, so they
sat by the store's entrance and looked at the mostly empty road.

Ghost wasn't smoking, this time.

"Jesus, people really love coming here together. You think they have a groupchat to coordinate
when to come buy dinner?" Sol appeared from behind, a lit cigarette in hand. There goes the
comfortable silence.

"Probably." Maybe she'll take the hint that they didn't have the energy to make small talk.

"Aw, are you two tired?" Johnny sighed and nodded. It's not the first time they work at this hour,
but it never felt this exhausting. Maybe they were just tired from all that happened this week.
"You'll get used to it. You can leave early if you want, I'll close the gates any minute, anyways."

"It's alright." They're not tired enough for that. And leaving her alone was just cruel.
"Alright...if you change your mind just let me know." She sat at the floor next to the gates and
stared at the road as well, letting them have their peace.

He feels like he's forgetting something, though.

Oh, right.

"I'll go check on the kids." Ghost stood up as well, deciding to go with him. The moment they
passed by the door and saw that Gaz wasn't in the break room, they started walking faster towards
the kitchen.

Surprisingly, no one was crying. Leo was reading a book on the corner and Leah was happily
painting at the table, Kyle watching on the other side of it. There were some paper bags nearby,
which means Sol gave them food at some point. She refuses to take their money for the food she
gives the twins, saying that it was cheap anyways. It doesn't look cheap, but the woman doesn't
accept the money anyways.

"Johnny, look!" Leah held up the paper she was coloring in, a drawing of what seems to be the
dogs back at home on it.

"That's so pretty, Leah. Good job." He isn't impressed of how good the girl is, not because the art
wasn't good, but because it was always good.

"Kyle has been drawing too, look." Ah, now that's how a seven year old should draw. Wait, is that–
"I don't know what this is, though..."

"That's a d–ah!" Simon slapped the back of Gaz's head and grabbed a pen from the table.

"Dog. It's a dog. Don't draw them like this." He corrected the drawing and tried to make it look like
a dog.

"It's ugly." It is. How immature can Gaz be? At least he should try to be kid-friendly around the
twins.

"C'mon, don't I get a little praise, too? The rest of the drawings are descent!" Ghost slapped him
again. "What was that for!?"

"Because you suck." Sol called them from the store, probably calling for back up, and they glared
at Gaz, as a warning, before leaving. They can only hope he behaves for the rest of their shift.

Cristian smiled awkwardly as they passed by, which was normal, at this point. The man loved
talking about the weirdest things and jumping from one topic to another, so they didn't initiate
conversation with him unless Sol was around to tell him to stop.

Once they reached the storefront, they stood there, looking for Sol or any costumers, but there was
no one around.

"She did call us, right?" He doesn't remember ever having hallucinations, but there's a first time for
everything.

"Yes." Ghost walked into the butcher's but found nothing.

Huh. This is weird.

"What are you guys doing?" Sol appeared from behind, clueless as to why they were there.
"Weren't you with the kids?"

"You...you called us, right?" Her eyebrows knit together, even more confused.

"I didn't." So it was a hallucination. No, hold on, Simon heard it too. And Gaz had looked outside
as well when she yelled. "What's with you guys?"

"We heard you call..." This is just way too weird. There wasn't anyone else in the store who
could've called, either.

Something fell at the back of the store, and they slowly walked towards it. They were expecting to
see Cristian and something he had dropped, but they only found a box in the ground.

"What the hell, man." Sol picked up the box and immediately let it fall back, yelping. "Fuck!" A
centipede walked away from under the box, hiding under the fridge nearby.

"Are you okay?" She was looking at her finger, and it was bleeding a bit.

"No–yeah, I'm fine, don't worr–shit, why does it hurt this much!?" He's never been stung by a
centipede, but considering how other smaller bugs' bites hurt, that must be painful.

"Go take a break, I'll take care of whatever this is." He picked the box up from the sides, and
stopped immediately when he noticed it didn't have a bottom. He flipped it instead, finding even
more insects inside. "What the hell..."

Is this place cursed?

"What the f–I'll go get something to kill all that, stay put." Sol went into the kitchen, coming back a
minute later with an insecticide. "Cover your nose, this smells terrible." They did, and watched as
all the bugs started trying to crawl out and died as they reached the floor.

Well, they got rid of that, now they just need to find out how did that get there, and who called for
them before they found the box.

"So you really didn't call for us?" Sol was cleaning her wound and had taken some pills she took
from her bag.

"I really didn't. I was taking some fruit crates outside." So it'll remain a mystery, then. "Did you
guys–" A voice from outside called again, but this time they yelled 'Soledad'.

"I'll go check." Simon decided to be the brave one, since Soap and Sol were frozen in place. It
wasn't Cristian, either, because he walked out of the kitchen right then, looking puzzled.

"Did you guys hear something? I think I just heard someone calling for Sol?" It wasn't a
hallucination, again.

"This place is haunted, dude." It seems like the only explanation. Or this was just a really bad
prank.

Time passed and Simon never returned, and even if he was a little scared of whatever could be
outside, he was more scared of something happening to his friend.

"Go with the kids, please? I'll go find Simon." Sol nodded and left.

He moved quietly through the store, checking if, for some reason, someone had snuck in, because
maybe this entire situation could be a distraction. Or maybe he's too paranoid.
Simon was near the gates, crouched and looking at something in his hands.

"Did you fi–woah, there. Easy..." He should know better than to sneak up on the man, but he
expected Ghost to be alert, at least enough to hear him get closer.

"There was a letter." He handed over an envelope, and if it wasn't for the fact that they had seen a
lot of blood throughout their lives, the painting outside of it could be scary.

So it was all just a very elaborate prank.

"I can't read th–" The gates shook violently, out of nowhere, and without anyone around to hit
them.

Maybe they should get inside.

Soap noticed then, that Simon had put himself in between the gates and him, to act as a shield if
there was any danger. Even if it was very sweet and made him feel funny things in his stomach,
Ghost shouldn't really be doing that. Self preservation should come first.

"Let's go inside." He won't argue with that. They walked towards the kitchen, where everyone was
grouped, and they all looked scared. Leah looked like she was about to cry.

Leo was still reading his book, calmly, in the corner.

"Johnny!" The little girl ran towards him and hugged his leg. "What's happening?" He wish he
knew.

"It's just someone trying to prank you, halloween is next week." Ah, how come a seven year old
boy is the voice of reason in such a situation.

"Oh, yeah, that makes–" The door was slammed behind them, getting locked seconds after. "What
the fu–dge..." Sol looked down at Leah, but she was too scared to even pay attention to the almost-
swear.

"I wanna go home!" Simon was trying to open the door, because either if this was a haunting or a
prank, they still had to work.

"I know, princess, we'll go home in a while." He should at least try to comfort the twin. Whoever it
was that was messing with them, Johnny will make sure to have a talk with them. Or beat the shit
out of them, if he's allowed.

"Damn it this idiot isn't–William?" Sol was on her phone, trying to get help from anyone. "Hey,
can you come to the store? We got stu–wait, no, this is serio–Willy!" Apparently they weren't
coming to the rescue. "He's with his girlfriend, in another city." Wasn't he sick?

"What do we do, now?" Gaz went to the door to try to help Ghost, and they could try to break it,
sure, but that's a last resort.

"(Hey, Diana! How are you, queen?)" Sol was using a sweet voice but her face was completely
blank. It was a more than a little bit uncanny. "(I'm glad! Listen, I know it's late, but could you
come to the store for a sec? Oh, nevermind then, thanks anyways.)" She hung up and sighed. "My
sister isn't answering either."

Well, they were screwed, then.

"Isn't there any way to get out of this room? That isn't this door." If there was, Gaz, everyone
would've left already.

"There's the bathroom window..." The bathroom had a window? "It's boarded up, and I think
anyone who tries to get the planks out will die before doing anything." She looked up at Ghost
then, hope in her eyes. "Unless you have a mask on."

He can feel his friend's dread.

"Do I at least get something to pry the boards off?" Sol got up and started rummaging through the
boxes under the table and the sink, pulling out a crowbar eventually.

"This will have to do, buddy." She went to the bathroom door and took out her phone, handing it
over with the flashlight on. "Good luck, soldier."

"Don't actually die in there, L.t." There's no way someone can really die just from
smelling...whatever was in that place.

"Shut up, Garrick." Leah panicked even more at the word 'die' leaving his side to go hug Simon's
leg instead.

"Don't die Simon! We can't live with Johnny's food." Sol and Gaz choked down a laugh and stared
at the scene.

"...I won't die, princess, go back with Johnny, yeah?" The kid returned to a safe place and Simon
sighed before opening the door and closing it behind him.

The minutes passed, the only sign that Ghost was okay were the planks getting ripped off the wall.
And after what felt like ages, the man stumbled out of hell.

"Did you do it?" Sol reached over, opening the door and looking inside for a brief moment.

"It's to small for me to pass through." Well, that's bad. Kyle and him probably couldn't get through
if Ghost couldn't, and Sol wasn't that small either. Cristian was...not an option.

"I don't think I can pass through..." She looked back at everyone in the room, trying to decide who
could pass through the window. Her eyed stopped at Leo, who wasn't even paying attention to
them. "The kids can–"

"No." There's no way he'll let the kids go out there, at night, to who knows what or who is outside.

"We don't have any other options, dude!" They can figure something out, surely.

"I don't mind." Leo stood up from his place, walking towards the group. "I know how to hide if I
need to." It's not the same as hiding from his aunt.

"See? He'll be fine." Before he could protest, Sol picked the kid up and ran inside the bathroom. He
followed as fast as he could but when he got into the room Sol was already alone. "If you're going
to kill me do it outside the bathroom."

"Are you–" A cough interrupted his words. How can a place reek this badly. They hurried out of
the room and gasped for fresh air.

The group couldn't do more than wait for Leo to come back. The more time passed the more
anxious they got, but after what must have been two minutes, they saw the boy running towards
the door, panicked.

Someone with a Ghostface costume was chasing him from behind, and he doesn't know how the
kids could beat them in speed. The door unlocked and they all got out, making whoever was
behind the disguise stop dead on their tracks.

"Uh..." Sol started sprinting towards them, catching them quickly and tackling them to the ground.
"(Wait, no, hold up!)"

"(You fucking asshole! Are you insane!?)" So she knew who this was. Can't beat them up, then.

"(It was just a prank–stop hitting me!)" Sol is taking care of the beating anyways.

"(A prank my ass, dickhead! You scared the kids, can't you act your age!?)" She took out the mask,
and they all recognized that face. It was the boss' husband. He's never been more glad he didn't hit
someone.

"(Alright, alright! Sorry!)" A sorry doesn't fix anything, the twins were both scared out of their
minds, clinging to him and crying. This was just too far, especially since the man knew there were
kids here.

"(You suck, dude. Not cool.)" Sol stomped her way to the kitchen and came out with all of their
belongings. "(We're all going home, you can rot in here until the shift change.)" The man got up
and dusted off his clothes.

"(Fair.)"

"(You're an asshole.)" Cristian kicked him as he walked past him. Ghost threw his apron and hit
him straight in the face as well. He deserves it.

"I'll see you tomorrow my dudes, careful on the way back." Sol got on her bicycle and rushed
home. Gaz was already in the car with the kids.

"Who was that?" Right, all the employees knew the man, but Kyle isn't an employee.

"My boss' husband." He was technically also their boss, but he only came to the store to get things
and sometimes help with the register.

"Thank god I didn't punch him on the way out." Ah, so he wasn't the only one. "Are you sure he
won't fire you for throwing your uniform on his face?"

"Yes." Even if he was offended by that, Sol will make sure they keep their jobs. For some reason,
that man was scared of the woman. Well, she did just beat him up on sight, so that might explain
the fear.

"Are you two alright?" The kids looked more tired than scared now, it definitely was a terrifying
situation, even for Soap. But it wasn't because he was the one running to safety, it had more to do
with helplessness he felt when he saw Leo being chased.

"Yeah..." Leah yawned and leaned on her brother. " I'm just sleepy now." It's earlier than when
they usually got home, but he understands that the situation took a toil on them.

"We'll be home soon."

By the time they parked the car in the garage, both the kids were asleep. Ghost took Leah, and Gaz
decided to take Leo when he saw Soap hesitating at the car door. He never explained that his hands
were still hurt, but he has the slight suspicion that Price warned the man before he got here.

They left the kids in their respective beds, surprisingly neither of them woke up while they carried
them there.

When he was on his way to Ghost's bedroom, Gaz looked at him, an eyebrow raised, and he
remembered the talk they had before. König had left already, he had texted Kyle while they were
away that he had to go back. So he didn't have an excuse to sleep in Simon's bed when his own was
free.

"What's your choice, Soap?" Now he's just being an asshole.

"What choice?" Simon came out of the bathroom then, staring at the two, puzzled.

"He said he wanted to sleep with me." He swatted away the hands that tried to wrap around his
shoulders and glared at Gaz. When he turned to answer, Ghost looked lost, and a tiny hint of
disappointment hidden under his stare.

"I mean you guys can do whatever you want, I didn't need to know." Huh? Why did he sound ma–

"Not that way! And I never said anything!" Gaz laughed at the situation, and Johnny made sure to
shut him up.

"Ah, why the shoulder, mate? It still hurts." He's right. Should've gone for the face.

"Because you're a prick." He muttered under his breath and got into Soap's room. Ghost hadn't said
anything, but he didn't seem upset after he clarified everything. "Uh...I should go back to my room,
then?" He didn't mean it as a question.

"If that's what you want." Simon opened his door and leaned on the frame, leaving enough space
for him to enter, as an unsaid invitation.

"I don't want to keep bothering you, and Leah can sleep on her own now..." His friend only nodded,
remaining on his spot with his arms crossed and looking at Johnny, expecting him to keep talking.
"And..."

"You can share the room with Gaz if you want to, no need to come up with so many excuses." He
thought he had made it clear he didn't want to sleep in the same room as Gaz, but apparently it
wasn't the case.

"I'd rather not." Ghost walked inside his room and left the door open, Soap didn't hesitate in getting
in as well and closing it behind him.

Maybe it was him that felt awkward, he blames it all on Gaz, of course, for starting this entire
situation. Usually they come home too tired to even think anything of it, but now he feels self-
conscious. Maybe he should actually go sleep on the couch? No, but Simon would take it the
wrong way, wouldn't he?

There's no way he'll make the other man think he doesnt want to share a bed with him.

He laid down on the edge of the mattress, not wanting to take more space than needed, not wanting
to get too close to Ghost. Facing the wall seemed like the best option, not wanting to face his
friend and feel even more awkward. Now that there's no kid in between them asking for comfort,
they had no need to cuddle or hold onto each other for warmth. But the bed felt cold, and the room
did too.

"MacTavish." He hummed to let the other man know he heard him. The bed shifted behind him as
well, he could feel the heat of the other body besides him, so close yet too far. "Johnny..." Huh.

"Ghost...?" Without notice, he felt arms wrap around him and pull him towards the center of the
bed.

"You're shivering." Is he? A quick look at his hands told him it was the truth. "Ah, sorry." The
hands around him quickly left and disappeared behind him.

"I don't mind." He tried looking for those hands again, yet he found nothing. Guess he's not getting
spooned tonight. Truly tragic. The silence between them was heavy, he tried to stay awake because
Ghost looked like he wanted to say something, if he had to guess by the way he felt eyes on his
back.

"Are you and Gaz...?" God not this.

"No. And I never said I wanted to sleep with him, he was just messing with you." He turned around
to speak, making sure to look his friend in the eye so he knew he was serious. That did the trick, or
at least he thinks it did. Ghost looked away after a couple seconds.

"Alright." There's no way he'll fall asleep with the tension that had built up. He went back to his
previous position and thought how to make things less awkward. Well, if he jokes about the
situation...

"Were you jealous or something?" It could make things even more tense. The silence that followed
his question made him turn again, looking at the now amused man behind him.

"Yes. Can't I be?" Ah, wait, this isn't supposed to backfire. Either Ghost has no shame or he's a
great actor, because how can he sound so honest?

"There's no reason to be, really. Who would choose Gaz over–" Perhaps he talked more than he
intended.

"Over...?" Oh, whatever.

"Over you." It was Ghost's turn to panic this time. Well, now he knows what Soap feels when he's
so sincere. Wait, but Johnny feels like that because he likes Simon, he doesn't know if the man
likes him back. He doesn't even know if he could like him back. Maybe he doesn't even like men
and Soap is here, in his bed, trying to flirt with him and cuddling with him every night, and he just
basically admitted that he'd rather be with him than with Gaz and– "Sorry, I'll sleep–"

"What are you apologizing for? A compliment?" Before he could get out of bed, the hands he had
been looking for earlier grabbed him and kept him in place.

"No, it's because I keep...doing this..." He doesn't know how to explain it, and his still present
panic isn't helping him arrange the words he wants to let out.

"Flirting with me?" If he knows then why doesn't he stop him?

"That. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"It doesn't make me uncomfortable, you just caught me off guard." He's not...

"Why? Shouldn't you just tell me to fuck off?" As far as Soap knows, Ghost had never taken an
interest in another living creature, at least romantically. So he's lost as to why he let's him–

"Why would I do that? I like–" What does he like? Don't just cut the sentence.

"You...like flirting with me?" Simon lift his eyebrow, and after a couple seconds, he nodded. "I'm a
man."

"I am aware." Alright, no need for the sarcasm, prick.

"You're also a man."

"I am also aware."

"Am I getting this right or...?" Ghost sighed and pushed him until he was laying on his side again,
then hugged him from behind.

"Shut up and think about it some other day."

Oh, no need to worry about that, he'll be thinking about it for the next century.

Well, at least he got the cuddles he wanted.

To say he had a terrible sleep would be too kind, considering how he barely slept at all. And it
wasn't just today, the entire week had been the same. The kids had decided to have a great memory
when it comes to promises, so they remembered when Soap had said they could wear matching
outfits for Halloween. And they didn't want anything simple that could be bought at a store, of
course, they'd been thinking about this for months.

So he spent all his mornings gluing and sewing pieces, instead of exercising until his muscles gave
out, as he'd like. Ghost had offered to help, but he already took care of the cooking and taking care
of the kids before and after school, so Soap had told him he didn't need the help.

Of course that's not the only thing that's keeping him awake.

Simon had ignored every attempt Johnny had made to have a conversation about a certain topic.
He wouldn't call his L.t a coward, but there's no other way to describe him. He was dodging
questions, changing the topic or scurrying away to another room where someone else was in. And
Soap didn't insist twice in a row, because he knows what happens when you push the man too
much.

The alarm on Simon's phone rang again and he stretched a bit to turn it off. The hands around his
waist squeezed him tighter when he moved, trying to keep him from leaving.

So he's too embarrassed to talk but not embarrassed of using him as a teddy bear? In what universe
does this make sense?
Whatever. They had to wake up anyways.

"Simon?" He started slowly playing with the hair at the base of his friend's neck, hearing him sigh
as he slowly opened his eyes. "We have to get up." He wasn't thrilled by having to wake up this
early in the morning when it's the weekend, but they have to drive Gaz to the airport, which is
roughly two hours away from here. Ghost groaned and buried himself deeper under the blankets.

And he said Soap was the third child of the house.

The man groaned again when Johnny pulled on his hair, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get
his attention.

"Leave me alone..." He would, really, but they need to get up soon.

"Just get up, or I'll let Leah come get you up." The silence didn't last long, Ghost got up after just a
few seconds and stumbled to the bathroom. One morning Gaz woke the twins up, and Leah had
decided to wake them up as well, but since they ignored her at first, she started jumping on the bed.
Which resulted in a lot of bruises and sore bones. The kid was fine, of course. His leg still hurts,
though.

After thet got up, they went to wake the kids up, who were just as reluctant to start the day so
early. Leah was being more difficult than usual, and not even the promise of pancakes for
breakfast made her want to get out of bed.

"Come on, princess, we'll be late." The girl finally opened her eyes, looking up at him still half
asleep.

"Don't wanna..." Alright, then they'll go back to sleep. Or so she wishes.

"I'll tell Simon to come wake you up, then." The girl immediately sat up and rubbed her eyes.
Ghost didn't wait for her to wake up and just carried her out of bed, which is probably not the best
way to wake her up, in her book. "Go take a bath, we'll leave after breakfast."

"Yeah..."

"Don't fall asleep again." She got up from her bed and stumbled her way to her bathroom. The girl
is definitely spending too much time with Simon, it's funny that, now that he realizes, he can use
one to wake up the other. They both loath each other's way of waking people up. Well, he hated
getting used as a trampoline first thing in the morning, and he'd probably hate getting ripped off his
bed too.

Once they were all eating breakfast, he realized they were lacking something important. Can't take
Gaz to the airport if they don't have Gaz with them.

"Is he still sleeping?" Everyone looked up from their food and stared confused for a while, slowly
realizing what the problem was.

"Oh, can I wake him up?" If Kyle is anything like Soap or Ghost when they had just gotten here,
the chances of the kid getting punched or kicked were too high.

"Go with Simon." At least the other man could shield her if anything happens.

Minutes later, the other three walked into the kitchen, their guest looked more asleep than awake,
as expected, but at least he had the decency to eat breakfast fast so they could leave on time.

Leah walked into the kitchen with a small crate, a purring kitten inside. To Soap's surprise, the girl
had already gifted all of the cats, and she didn't seem upset in letting them go. As far as he knew,
one was Sol's prize for...something she didn't disclose, and another was a birthday gift for one of
her friends. The last one she had decided to give to Gaz, he has no idea how the man is going to
take care of it when he's still on duty, but he won't ask.

"Don't forget the kitty!" Gaz's face told him he had already forgotten about the animal.

"Of course not, how could I?" What a liar.

"What are you going to name it?"

"Is it a boy or a girl?" How is the kid supposed to know that. He's sure that only veterinarians
could tell the gender when they're this little. "I'll think about it and tell you later."

"Okay! Don't forget!" He will forget.

"I won't–"

"You will." Leo got down from his chair and walked towards the exit. "We have to go, right? Let's
go." So bossy.

"He's going to get beaten up someday with that attitude." The boy only acts like that around people
he knows, so Soap doubts that's ever going to happen.

"I'll just beat up whoever hits him." What a great older sister.

"Please don't." Right, they can't encourage violence. At least Ghost remembers that.

They got in the car after putting all the luggage in the back, the cat was in Leah's lap the entire
ride, occasionally meowing when they hit a bump. The girl kept talking about anything that caught
her eye on the road, pointing at cows and sheep they saw on their way. Doesn't she see those
everyday? How can she be so excited?

The kids left the car and walked beside Soap into the building, Ghost and Gaz carrying the man's
bags as they stepped in. The place is just as crowded as the first time they saw it, and Simon was
just as anxious as that time. Guess this many people around him was still overwhelming.

"Are planes scary?" Leah was walking ahead of him now, skipping as she went and looking at the
airplanes outside the windows. She seemed excited to see the airport for the first time.

"Why would they be scary? Aren't you just a coward?" The girl looked at Gaz, puzzled.

"They're big and they fly."

"Birds do that too." Ah, so Leo is joining in the teasing as well.

"Yeah, but...they're not made of metal..."

"It's just like a very weird bus ride, I think." Hopefully the kids won't have to take planes until
they're way older.
"I don't know...can we ride a plane?"

"No." Ghost threw the bags towards their friend and crossed his arms. "Next time tell us
beforehand you're coming."

"Aw, is that an invitation to come back?" Don't poke the bear.

"If you don't get mud on the carpet you can come back whenever you want."

"Come on, get over that already!" Oh, no, that's never going to happen. Leo is never forgetting
that, mostly because it was his first impression on Gaz.

"Here, kitty." The girl carefully gave the crate to the other man and looked at the animal inside one
last time.

"Alright, I'll get going. Don't forget to keep in touch, ars–mates..." Could it be? He finally learned
how to speak around kids. Better late than never.

"Will do." It's not like they could forget, Gaz had made a group chat with Price, Ale, and Rudy.
They barely talked, but it was there.

"We'll miss you, mister Kyle!" Both the twins stepped back and waved at the man.

"Just Kyle, kiddo. I'll miss you all, too." Gaz left his things nearby and walked up to hug Soap,
patting him a little to hard on his back before putting distance between them. Then he looked at
Ghost, rising a hand and fist bumping as a goodbye. "Remember to invite me to the we–"

"Fuck off already." He got away just in time to dodge Johnny's kick and started walking away,
waving a last time before disappearing in the crowd.

"Don't swear, Johnny!" Ah, he's being scolded by a seven-year-old.

"Sorry, princess." Gaz was a bad influence.

"Can we go back now? I'm already hungry." They ate two hours ago. Well, in Leo's defense, they
will be back around lunchtime, so they do need to go back soon. "Come on."

The boy dragged the two men by their hands, his sister following beside them and grabbing their
coats to not get far from the group.

Alexander had sent them a message while they were on the road, asking if they had time to take
the twins out for a while. He was going back to the UK soon, going back to look after his sister.
The kids were excited, remembering they wanted to go to the field and fly their kites.

As soon as they got home, they started preparing to go out, even before he had confirmed with the
other man that he could come visit. Apparently they were taking their dogs too, judging by the
harnesses they were dragging around. Rexie didn't look too happy to be restrained, she was used to
running around without a leash and patrolling the house. Bones on the other hand was sitting
patiently by the door.
How did Leah train that thing so well?

The kids wanted to eat out, too. Which is probably a bad idea, but they let them be. Ghost made
them sandwiches and packed them.

They didn't have to wait for long, their guest knocked on the door after what must've been half an
hour, getting basically tackled by the siblings.

"Uncle Alex!" So the man is capable of smiling, after all.

"Did you miss me that much?" If only he knew. The twins talk about him all the time, whenever
they see something that remind them of their uncle.

"Very much!" Even Rexie loved the man, sprinting towards him– That's bad, really. Even Soap
would have a hard time standing upright with two kids clinging to him, and he's way more taller
and stronger than Alexander, if you add the force the dog puts into her jumps...

"Rexie, no–" He tried reaching for the harness, the dog ignoring him completely.

"Sit." At least she still listens. She stopped immediately and turned back to look at Ghost. "Come
here." He never thought a dog could look this sad. "Good girl."

"Thank you." Alex sighed and put Leah in the ground. "I'm guessing we're all going out?" The little
girl nodded enthusiastically and ran towards the kitchen to grab her things.

The twins refused to get far from their uncle, they were telling him all the stuff they had done in
these last few months, and the man seemed happy to listen and catch up with their lives.

So now they were stuck in a car with two very excited dogs, following Akexander's car towards the
fields the kids kept talking about.

Soap can already feel the exhaustion from taking all the dog hair and the dirt from the car. It's
going to be a fun weekend.

The place they went to was pretty close to their home, as close as everything was, which was at
least a twenty minute car ride. The kids got out of the car and ran to the other one to get the dogs.

These fields were way cleaner and easier to walk on than the ones surrounding their house, the
most noticeable difference was the lack of farm animals, at least for a couple miles. The grass was
significantly shorter as well, and there wasn't mud under it. This was nice.

"Can we go, now?" Leah already had her kite in hand, jumping in place with both dogs' harnesses
in hand.

"Don't go too far." Losing the twins here would be hell. As nice as the place was, the green scenery
extended for kilometers. And looking for them would take years if they got lost.

"Yes!" She started running towards a small hill, dragging the poor animals behind. Alexander
laughed at her enthusiasm, following behind to make sure she didn't misstep and come rolling
down.

"Are they always like this?" Leo was also running with his sister, happily looking at the small
patches of flowers blooming on the ground and probably trying to find any insects lurking.

"Not always but most of the time." They were just kids, what were they supposed to do besides
running around and playing?

"It's been so long since I saw them this...happy. I'm glad they're doing better." Oh, right. They were
so different when they first met them, he can see why the other man asked.

"We're trying our best to make them happy." They found a spot not too far, but not too close to the
twins to sit down. Leah was waiting for the breeze to pick up a little, throwing her kite up once a
gust of wind came in.

"You're doing more than enough." They're doing better than their aunt, at least. "It's a shame I can't
visit more often."

"You can come visit whenever you like." Even if they don't know the man that much, the twins do,
and they love seeing him.

"Don't think I'll be able to come here very often, I still have to..." Take care of his sister.

"Is she doing any better?" This conversation eventually had to happen.

"Not really. There's no hope of her waking up again." They knew that, but they still hoped to hear
something different. It would take more than divine intervention for her to ever recover, though.
"She has a DNR order, we're keeping her in life support until her heart gives up."

"That..." So there really is no hope. It's not like she would be any better if she did wake up. She
would be bound to either a bed or a wheelchair for the rest of her life, and Soap can't imagine her
living like that. She used to spend all day training, without a second to relax. A life so different to
the one she had...she would hate it.

"Hopefully she makes it for a couple more months." Why would Alexander wish that? He has no
idea.

"Should we tell the twins?" Ghost seemed less affected by this whole situation.

"I'll tell them when the time comes. Let them be happy for as long as possible." Looking up at the
hill, and seeing them running around with their pets, dragging they kites and making them go as far
as they could... would they be able to see this again, once they knew Rusnav was gone?

He dreads the day they have to break the news.

"Do we even have to tell them?" The kids knew that their mother wasn't coming back, was there
even a point in opening a wound they're already healing?

"They will hate you when they grow up, if you don't tell them. Even if it's for the best." They have
the right to know.

"I can handle being hated..." He can't, really, but he can pretend he can.

"It'll be good for them, in the long run. They'll get over it in time." He's not sure if anyone can 'get
over' their parents dying. It's sure to leave a scar for the rest of your life.

But Alexander has a point. They'll have time to mourn the loss, even if they're too young to even
fully understand what death means.

They all fell silent when they saw the kids run their way, Rexie pulling Leah towards her uncle, the
girl barely able to keep up with the dog.
"Uncle Alex! Are you leaving soon?" If he remembers correctly, the man is leaving the day after
tomorrow.

"Yes, I still have things to do." Both the twins pouted before sitting down, Leah using Ghost's lap
as a cushion.

"We wanted to go to the sea museum again..." There's a sea museum?

"You can go with John and Simon." If it's not too far, they can take them there any weekend they
want.

"Oh, right." Leah looked up, her head almost hitting Ghost's face. "Can we?"

"We'll see." That was a yes in her mind. "Eat a little before going back." Leo took the food and
gave his sister a sandwich before eating one himself. They had to keep ordering the dogs to stay
put, the presence of food too much of a temptation for the animals.

"Uncle Alex...can I ask something?" Oh, no. Leah's 'can I ask something' always ended in disaster.

"Yes?" Alexander was oblivious to that fact, obviously.

"Is..." Leo put a hand on her shoulder and warned her with a glare. "...nevermind."

"What is it?" Even if he tried to push, Leah won't go against her brother's judgment.

"I'll ask some other time. I'm going back, now!" She picked up Bones and started running up the
hill again.

"She wants to ask about mom." Did they overhear the talk? They kept their voices low so the kids
didn't hear anything. Maybe it was their somber faces what gave them away.

"Oh...about that..."

"Don't want to ruin the mood. I'm going back too." The kid stood up and muttered something for
the bigger dog to follow him, walking up the hill to join his sister.

"He knows a bit already, he figured it out by himself. Leah...I think she knows too, but she hasn't
talked about it with us, like Leo." If she didn't figure it out by herself, she would've asked her
brother anyways.

She has a habit of putting herself down, comparing herself with her brother when it comes to who's
smarter. Sure, she has trouble with numbers, but she's smarter than most kids her age. She doesn't
give herself enough credit.

"Well, that just makes it easier for them to accept it." It's still terrible news. "They haven't seen
their mother in years. I don't know how it will affect them."

So Rusnav was that good at covering her tracks. The twins had told them that their mother always
visited them, in secret, and not even Alexander seemed to know about it.

Either way, it doesn't matter how much or how little they saw their mother, she was one of the few
people that treated the twins properly in years, they love her just as much as she loved them.

"Oh, n–!" They all stood up as they saw Leah trip on something, the girl rolled down the hill on her
side. Leo tried to catch her and ended up falling as well. "Heh." No crying? Maybe kids are made
of rubber after all.
"That was a bit fun." The two had grass sticking to their now messed up hair, but there were no
injuries in sight. They tied their kites on the dog harnesses and looked up towards the top of the
hill.

"Let's do that again!" They're going to be the end of him.

"Leah–"

"We'll be fine, Si!" She didn't wait for Ghost to respond before running up the hill once more,
waiting for her brother so they could roll down together.

Well, they'll be fine, but their clothes...

"Let's use the cardboards we saw over there." Leo started sprinting towards a pile of trash, taking
out two boxes and disassembling them. "Just hold onto any part." Now this is like sledging over
snow but way more precarious. They...should be fine?

"Yay!" At least they're having fun.

"...How do you deal with them?" Ah, now he's concerned about them. Well, this is just one of their
many ideas, probably the worst yet. But kids will be kids. "If they're really like this all the time I'm
a little concerned."

"Today they're more rowdy than usual, they got to see you after a long time." And maybe they had
too much sugar in the morning. They did give them candies during the two-hour car ride.

"Are you sure they'll be alright?" No.

"Sure." At least Ghost is confident.

Many hours passed, the kids never getting tired of running around, almost breaking their bones
rolling down the hill, chasing the dogs or just watching the kites go so high up into the sky they
were barely able to see them.

Meanwhile the adults talked, Soap telling Alexander about Leah's apparently new obsession with
sea life, Leo's love for bugs. About plans for the future, like Leo's piano lessons and what they
should do with Leah's talent and love for art.

Once it started getting darker and colder, they started their journey back home, the kids deciding to
share the backseats with the dogs this time, all their energy spent from the long afternoon.

"Uncle Alex..." Now that they were home, and tired–and grumpy, in Leo's case– they got out of the
car sluggishly and went to talk with their uncle. "Do you really have to go?"

"I do, I have to take care of your–" The twins' eyes focused intensely on the man, immediately
catching what he was about to say.

"Mom is still alive?" That's not how she's supposed to say that. There's no hope or excitement in
her voice, only pure dread.

"She won't come back, right?" And Leo sounds annoyed. Just what is up with these two, today?

"She...won't?" Both of them sighed in relief. "Why aren't you...?"

"Sad? Because we don't want her to come back." Is this some kind of rebellious phase he didn't
read about? Either way, Soap can see that those words hurt Alexander.
"Don't say it like that! Of course we love her but..." Leah is here to save the day. Maybe.

"If mother comes back so will auntie. We like living like this better. With Johnny and Simon."

Huh.

"They don't leave after a few days like mom. We like it better this way."

"We like that you visit us too, but...we don't want to live with anyone else that isn't them."

These are just too many words for his brain to process.

"You...don't worry about that, they won't be leaving any time soon." Their uncle looks like he's
about to start crying, the words definitely hurt him, and he definitely wants to get out of here. "I'll
be going now, I have some stuff to do before leaving."

"You're not angry, right?" The man looked back from his place in front of the car, smiling as best
as he could and shaking his head.

"Of course not, sweetheart. I'm glad that you two are happy now." The tremble in his voice didn't
go unnoticed by anyone.

"You will come back, right?"

"Of course." He hurried inside his car and drove away, a little too fast in Soap's opinion. The kids
just sadly waved goodbye and turned to look at the other only adults left.

"Did we mess up?" A little. But it's an acceptable amount, since they're kids. "Johnny?"

"Johnny?" Ghost put a hand around his shoulders, leaning down to look at his face. He doesn't
know how to properly process everything that just happened. The conversation happened so
casually. "Are you...?"

"Johnny!?" Leah hurried to his side and hugged whatever part she could reach, Leo imitating her
shortly after. "Don't cry Johnny! What's wrong?" Is he crying?

"Let's get inside first, yeah? Come on." Ghost guided him to the house, the twins trailing behind
and staring at him, concerned. "Just give him some space, go do something else for a little." They
didn't want to leave, but they wouldn't disobey any order from Simon. The kids left the living room
slowly, glancing for a last time before leaving to the second floor.

Ghost didn't say anything else, he just sat at the couch with him, rubbing his shoulders to try to
ground him and bring him back to reality a little.

It was bittersweet, because even if he was glad that their efforts to make the twins have a better life
are working, it's unfair they thought that way of Rusnav. They meant the world to that woman,
even if they barely spent time with her.

But he can't explain that to the kids, and they wouldn't understand it either.

He feels terrible for the happiness he felt at Leah and Leo's words, but shouldn't Rusnav be the
target to them? If only she had stayed, the kids wouldn't have had to live with their aunt, they
wouldn't have gone through hell, they would be happy and loved by their mother. They wouldn't
want to live with anyone that wasn't their mother.
But that's not what happened. Soap wonders if Rusnav saw this coming, too. If she had planned this
outcome, just like she planned her entire life since she lost her husband. Did she expect the kids to
think of her like that? Would she be mad that she's being replaced by someone else?

"Johnny..." A hand grabbed his own and squeezed a little too tight for his liking. "Stop thinking so
much." It's not that easy.

"Aye, sorry, I just..." He stared at the wall for a couple seconds, which only worried the man
beside him even more.

"Can you...talk to me?" It's weird to hear the words he usually says to Ghost being repeated at him.
But he's not sure if he should tell him, he shouldn't worry his friend over something like this.

"It's nothi–"

"Johnny." He wasn't expecting to find so much worry in Simon's eyes. "Please talk to me."

"I...I just feel bad. For Rusnav." It wasn't necessary for him to elaborate, Ghost understood what he
meant.

"I'm sure she saw this coming." But how could they know? Maybe she didn't think this would
happen, maybe she wanted the twins to wait for her, may– "You're thinking too loud." He can't
help it.

"Sorry–"

"Don't."

"It's just–"

"Listen to me." Ghost grabbed his shoulders, making him look straight at him. "Whether this is
what she wanted or not, we can't fix it anyways." Can't they, really? "When they grow up they'll
understand her." Right. They're too young to understand the sacrifices Rusnav made. "What they
feel doesn't mean they don't love her, either."

"I know. I just wasn't expecting...God, Alexander must be devastated." The poor man can't change
the way the twins see their situation, either.

"He must understand too. Just give him some time." Time should heal that wound, too. "Go wash
your face. And stop crying." Is he still crying?

"Sorry for–"

"Don't apologize for having feelings, Johnny." Huh. That's a nice way to put it.

"Thank you..." He got up and went to the bathroom, seeing how the kids ran upstairs when they
spotted him getting closer. Ah, he's such a mess. He should control himself better in front of them,
hopefully they don't feel guilty after seeing his reaction.

The mirror showed him just how badly he looked, his eyes red and puffy, and that only made him
feel worse.

"Johnny?" Leah was looking at him from the top of the stairs when he came out of the bathroom.
He smiled up at the girl, giving her the confidence she was lacking to get closer. "I'm sorry for
making you cry..."

"You didn't make me cry, I'm sorry for making you think that." Leo came down the stairs as well,
keeping his distance unlike his sister.

"Then why were you..." He can't explain everything to them. "Was it because we talked about
mom?" It's not because they talked about her, but because of how they talked about her. He shook
his head, anyways.

"Do you miss her too?" That 'too' stuck a cord, making him feel just as bad as a few minutes ago.
They kids did miss her.

"It's okay, Johnny. Even if we miss her, she's probably better wherever she is." If only they knew.
"We'll see her again someday. If she ever wants to come back." They'll definitely see her again, if
there is an afterlife.

"Don't make him cry again, Leah." Leo finally got close and took both their hands, guiding them to
the kitchen where Ghost was already cooking. "Talking about mother is sad. Let's not be sad."
That's...what they agreed with Alexander, too, isn't it? Let the kids be happier a little longer.

He'll make sure to protect the smiles he saw today, as long as he's alive.

"Woah, there. You guys put too much effort into those costumes." Sol walked into the house. She
had decided to tag along with the kids to go trick or treating. According to her she knew where they
gave the most candy because she used to take his nephews and nieces all around the city. And she
seemed to know where they did events for kids as well. Today, she's their personal guide. And
make up artist.

"They're so pretty, right!? Johnny made them!" He only added some details to things they already
had. And bought some accessories. Nothing out of this world, really, but Leah was beyond happy
with the results.

"You all look gorgeous. The prettiest group of vampires I've seen." The twins decided they wanted
to dress up as vampires, but Leah was, as always, extra. Her dress was way too fancy for just trick-
or-treating, he'll make sure to fix it for other occasions. Half of her wardrobe is black clothes,
anyways, the dress won't stand out.

"Did you bring the make up?" Sol perked up and went outside to retrieve a suitcase, opening it on
the table to reveal...a lot of things. He doesn't know how to name most of it.

"'Course I did. How can a vampire princess go out without her make up?" Leah's face brightened
up even more when she was called 'vampire princess'.

The woman had way too many talents, and apparently doing make-up was another one he had to
add to the list. Leah looked way better than they expected, the gothic make-up fitting her costume
perfectly.

"Am I done? I want to see!" Impatient as always. Sol shook her head and started rummaging
through her suitcase.
"Open your mouth." She put two fake fangs in the girl's mouth, carefully, and cleaned her hands
afterwards. "Try to bite down, do they hurt?" The girl shook her head. "Good. Put those on too, I'll
start with your brother now." She pointed at some metal... finger claws? Or is that a glove? Leah
grabbed them from the table and put them on. A perfect fit.

Leo wasn't showing it, but he was excited to get his make-up done as well. It was most likely
because he saw how good Leah looked. Sol skipped the black lipstick and exaggerated eyeliner, on
him, but he still looked amazing.

"Thanks..." Sol finished making sure the fangs fit.

"No problem, champ." She got gel and started fixing his hair, and once she was done, she looked
up from her seat towards Johnny and Simon. "You two next, big boys." They didn't agree to this.

"It's al–"

"Come on, Johnny, you promised!" Did he? Leah dragged him to a chair anyways, and Sol
immediately started working before he had a chance to run away. At least she didn't over do it, just
making his skin paler and adding a bite mark on his neck, fixing his hair a little before giving him
a mirror and looking up at Ghost. "Hm...what to do with you..."

"Not taking it off." The skull mask didn't really fit the vampire costume, but he isn't forcing his
friend to show his face when he isn't comfortable to do it yet.

"I know, buddy. But I got this other option..." She looked through her bag, taking out a masquerade
mask, which looked way too fancy to be something she had just hanging around. "It covers most of
your face, and it fits more than...whatever that is." And it was a skull as well.

"So cool!" Leah took it in her hands, examining it. If he knew his friend as much as he thought, he
could see that he liked it, just by the look in the other's eyes. "You have to wear it!"

"Alright..." If it wasn't because the little girl ordered him to do it, he probably would have refused
to use it.

Another perfect fit.

Sol is either buying useless things that don't fit her, or she's being too generous.

"Let me do your make-up." Ah, there's no way Ghost will let her–

Or perhaps there is a way?

Simon sat in a chair, rolling up his mask to reveal the lower part of his face. Sol didn't comment
anything as she worked, finishing with the fake fangs and giving him the mask so he could go put
it on in the bathroom.

"Go grab your bags." The kids ran to their bedrooms, coming back with–for now– empty bags
where they'll keep the candies they get. Simon came out of the bathroom with the mask on, his
face covered except by his jaw.

"I'll fix your hair and we'll be good to go." It didn't take more than two minutes for the woman to
be done, putting back all the materials she used in her suitcase before shutting it.

Now that he thinks about it, she looks...awfully underdressed for the ocassion.
"What is your costume?" She's just wearing a suit.

"I'm an accountant." Truly terrifying.

"Why an accountant?" Not he feels like they put too much effort into this.

"Because of what they do." Helping with finances?

"What do they do...?" He feels like he's missing something here.

"You don't want to know." This is definitely a joke he's too old to understand.

"Can we go now?" They should leave before it starts getting dark. According to Sol most people
only give candy until nine, which is reasonable. When they stepped out of the house, there was
another car parked, and four of them collectively stared at it. Sol looked at them, confused.

"You didn't expect me to go everywhere in my bike, right?" They don't remember her having a car.
"She was a gift from my godfather, I barely take her out." The car is a she? "I'll pick up my nephew
and his sister on the way, they wanted to go out with me this year." That makes sense, they
wouldn't all fit in their car.

"Alright, you lead the way."

Their first stop was a small neighborhood near the store they work at, people didn't really decorate
their houses here it seems, but kids were running around in costumes all the same.

Sol went to the house they parked in front of, jumping the gate and greeting the dogs that
recognized her. A few minutes later she walked out with a kid that was around the twins' age and
her nephew, who they knew from work.

The more costumes he sees the more overdressed he feels.

"(Hi.)" The twins waved at the other kids, a little shy. The other little girl kept looking at Leah,
then at Sol. "(Why didn't you come do my make up?)" So arrogant.

"(Your mother told me she would do it herself.)" Well, Sol's sister abilities were definitely nowhere
near Sol's. He can understand why her niece was so upset.

"(You should've come anyways. I would look prettier in her make up.)" Ah, good old jealousy.
Wait, Leah understands the other kid.

"(You're ugly anyways, make-up won't fix you.)" The teenager slapped lightly his sister's head and
walked to the car. Sol looked back at Leah, apologizing without a word, and hoping the kid
understood.

They all got into their respective cars and started driving towards the center of the city, which was
already packed with families and kids.

"Do I look that ugly...?" So that kid's words did affect Leah.

"You're kidding right? We look amazing." Soap wasn't expecting Leo to be the one to say it. "Don't
listen to that girl, she's stupid." And very mean.

"Okay!" She knew they all looked good, anyways. She just needed the reassurance.
They parked next to Sol in a relatively empty area, a little further from the crowd. They don't mind
walking, and the kids will be too excited to get tired. Hopefully.

"(Auntie, do we have to go with...them?)" Does the girl never give up? If anything–

"(You're only coming with me because they let you. Be nice to them or I'll drive you back.)" If
anything they were the ones tagging along. Sol's words were a little harsher than needed, but it was
the truth, even if her niece was now extremely mad.

"(Stop acting spoiled, we're not with mom.)" The other teenager tried to calm her down, to no avail.
Well, they can tolerate a spoiled kid. It's just a couple hours, at most.

The twins kept their distance, the one time they tried to get close to the other kid Leah got shoved
and glared at. Now he sees that they were lucky the siblings are the way they are.

They approached a store that was decorated with spiderwebs and a witch mannequin, Sol going in
first and greeting the employee behind the counter.

The kids looked up at him, at a loss as to what to do and slowly panicking. Did they never go trick-
or-treating?

"(Trick or treat!)" Thankfully they could learn from the other kid of the group. The man smiled at
the little girl, a little awkward.

"(Hm...what happens if I don't have candy?)" The girl gasped and looked up at her aunt. Sol got out
a bag of confetti and gave it to her niece, who just showed it to the man as a threat. "(Just that? I'm
not scared by papers.)"

"(Give them candies or you'll be cleaning egg yolk out of the walls for months.)" Sol took out an
egg from the same bag she took the confetti from, smiling as she saw the man's face drop. "(I
bought two family packs.)" The woman knew how to be scary when needed.

"(Come here, have all the candy you want!)" The girl started throwing candies inside her bag
enthusiastically, her brother being more considerate and only taking a reasonable amount. "(Don't
you two want candy too? Come here, I don't bite.)"

"Go get your treats." The twins were waiting for Soap's approval, hurrying to the counter to take
some candies into their bags. "Good jo–"

"(That's all?)" Sol was leaning over the counter, looking intensely at what seemed to be his friend,
an egg in hand. "(I remember when I came here as a kid...they gave me money,
lollipops...macaroons...so many things...)" Is she seriously threatening someone over candies?

"(That's...sure, we have little bags over there...)" The man pointed at a corner, a little table with a
tiny sign saying 'Happy Halloween!'. It was clearly hidden so no one would take them.

"(Nice! Grab one, Candace.)" Everyone took a turn grabbing a bag and smiled at the man once
they were leaving.

"These are a lot, already! It's going to take years for me to eat them..." It was a lot, and he's praying
the kids don't consume that much sugar in one go.

"(Why is she speaking english? So weird.)" Soledad rolled her eyes and stopped to crouch and look
at her niece.
"(Listen, she's a great kid, and you are too. Why don't you try being her friend instead of her
enemy, darling?)" She didn't seem like a 'great kid', but Soap will be happy as long as she stops
antagonizing Leah.

"(Do I need to speak english, too?)"

"(I speak spanish just fine.)" Leah slowly walked closer to the other girl, shyly extending her hand
as a greeting. She always does that when she's nervous around someone new. "(I'm Leah...I like
your dress.)"

"(...I'm Candace.)" They shook hands and stared awkwardly at each other. "(I like your dress too.
Where did you get it? I'll ask mom to buy me one.)" Well, that went better than expected.

"(I don't know...I think we bought it online...)" They did.

"Jeez, she was driving me insane." The kid was annoying everyone, but the pressure fell on Sol for
being the one to bring her along.

"(She's usually worse than this.)" The teenager joined them as well, everyone walking side to side,
except the kids who were walking ahead. Leo didn't seem too interested in the conversation about
dresses and cartoons about fairies, instead looking at his bag and apparently counting his candies.

"Are you bored?" The boy looked up, surprised at the question.

"Of course not, this is fun." The monotonous voice didn't help his case. But the tiny smile did.

Before they could talk any more, Sol and her nephew sprinted inside what looked like a toy store.
This was their next stop, then.

"(Welcome!)" An older lady was rearranging the aisles, smiling as she saw clients get in. "(Look
at that! Those are the prettiest princesses I've seen today! Such a handsome prince, too!)" The
twins shyly went back with Simon and Johnny, hiding behind them, embarrassed at the praise.

"You have to say trick or treat, if you want candies. Go with Candace if you're shy." It took a
moment, but they did as instructed.

"(Trick or treat!)" The three spoke together, the twins' voices barely being heard under the other
girl's yelling.

"(Oh, no! This old lady completely forgot to buy candy...! I guess I'll have to take the trick...)" Sol
smirked as she saw the confetti fly and fall on the wooden floor. That's going to take some effort to
get rid of.

"(Did you really forget the candy, Melissa?)" Is she seriously threatening an old lady!?

"(Of course not! Who do you take me for!?)" It seemed to work, considering how wobbly the
woman's voice was as she walked towards the back of the store. "(Here you go, sweethearts.)"
Another bag full of treats, but this one had chocolate eggs and small toys in them.

"(Good luck with your floor.)" The woman flipped her off as they all walked out. Apparently only
Simon and Johnny didn't take anything there, judging by the chocolate eggs Soledad and her
nephew were eating.
"We're going to the game store next, and then there's a little play at the town's square." They were
going somewhere else in the city too, if he remembers the itinerary correctly. "Are your kids scared
of clowns, or anything? The costumes at the play scared the sh–oes...out of me as a kid."

"I don't think they are." They aren't scared by horror movies, either. He's wondering if they're
actually scared of anything. Well, Leo is scared of loud noises, but besides that.

"Cool, cool. Let's hurry then. The game shop gives the best treats but they run out quickly." They
all hurried behind Sol, not really running, but very close.

"(I wanna buy some things here too, don't leave me. And wait for me to be out to do something
stupid.)" The teen got into the store and waved at the young man that was cleaning confetti on the
floor near the counter.

"(Not you again.)"

"(Aw, you remember me!)" It doesn't sound like he remembers Sol fondly.

"(Trick or treat...?)" The kids seemed equally confused at the interaction between those two.

"(Will it be trick again?)" She took an egg and smirked at the poor guy's terrified expression. So
that's why he remembers her.

"(Treat, of course! Come here!)" He started giving the kids candies, a fake smile glued to his face.

"(Only candy? This place did cheap out, huh...)" The egg in her head only made the man panic
even more.

"(Of course not! We still have those...uh...)"

"(The figurines.)"

"(Right! The figurines we give out to the first five kids that come here!)" It's definitely too late for
the kids to be part of the first five. "(We only give five because we can't afford to gift more...)" Sol
rolled her eyes and left some bills behind the counter, without the kids looking. "(But of course
these sweethearts got here just in time! Come pick which one you like more!)" Sol smiled at her
niece and stood by the counter.

Of course they followed the kids to the back of the store. There's no way they're leaving them
alone with a stranger. And the kids looked less nervous when they stared back and saw them
walking behind them.

"Which one should I pick...?" Leah was having trouble with her decision. None of the kids knew
the videogame characters the figurines were, but Candace had picked the one that looked closest to
a fairy, and Leo picked one that had little bugs as accessories.

"(Just pick whichever one you like! Don't you like this one? She looks like a princess.)" Leah got
closer to the one her friend pointed at, but saw one behind it that she liked more.

After everyone had their prize, they went back to the store, where Sol was looking through her
phone by the counter, the same spot she was in when they left. The difference was that her nephew
was standing next to her with a couple games in hand.

"(You're buying those or are you threatening me with eggs too?)" By the glare Soledad threw his
way, it seems like the man is pushing his luck.
"(Debit.)" So cold, he didn't even laugh at the attempt of a joke.

"(Thanks for your purchase, please don't come again...)" That sounded more like a plea than a joke.

"Some people are just so rude nowadays..." She's the one saying that? When she threatened to
throw eggs at an old lady? "You all can go ahead, I wanna have a little chat with the guy." They
walked to the next intersection and looked back, just to see Sol throwing eggs at the store
windows. That can't be legal, right? But she's just walking so calmly after doing it.

"Are we going to get arrested?" She took out a cigarette and lit it, walking close enough to not be
separated but far enough for the kids to not inhale the smoke.

"Nah, we've been doing this with my brother for years." They've been harassing store owners and
employees for years. Got it. "I'm not heartless, I come the day after to make sure I didn't break
anything and even offer to pay for the cleaning products. That's why he isn't chasing me or
screaming at me." That makes sense?

They walked for a couple more minutes, Ghost joined Sol, walking behind the group to not annoy
anyone with smoke.

After a while, they saw the red and green lights at the square, surrounding a small stage and a lot
of chairs, mostly filled with children.

The kids weren't paying attention to the stage though, the hot dog stand seemed way more
interesting. Leah and her brother were looking between the food stalls and Johnny. And perhaps he
feels a little mischievous today, so he pretended to not get the message.

"Do you want something?" He would usually offer it first, knowing that the kids are too shy when
it comes to asking for things. Leo saw right through his act and just stared blankly at him. Leah
was playing with her hair instead, trying to gather some courage to ask.

"Can we get...hot dogs...?" Ah, he can't say no to that. Stop with the puppy eyes, Leah, there's no
heart that can stand this much cuteness.

"Sur–"

"(Leah, Leo, come on! Auntie is buying us hot dogs and popcorn!)" Popcorn too? That's just too
much food, isn't it? He made a mental note of all the things he had to pay Sol for later.

Now he was left behind with Ghost, the two of them standing by each other as they saw the rest of
the group stand in line at the food stall.

"This isn't so bad." Ghost turned to look at him, smirking.

"How can trick-and-treating be bad, exactly?" Ask the guy at the videogames store. "As long as
they're having fun. This thing is digging into my skin, though." Simon put his finger under the
mask and moved it a bit. Maybe it wasn't that much of a perfect fit as he thought.

"Is it? Let me see." Simon didn't even flinch when Johnny touched his face and the mask. To be
fair, he didn't even realize he had gotten this close to his friend, but if he didn't shy away, then he
was good. "Ah, there's the problem." Some of the ornaments that decorated the mask had turned
backwards, he fixed it without taking it off. "Is that better?"

"Yeah, thank you." He'll save the mental image of that little smile with all the other ones.
"You two are cute and gross at the same time. Go be lovey dovey somewhere else. I feel lonely."
'Lovey dovey'? Oh, right. He took his hands off his friend's shoulders and turned to face the group.

The twins sat at a nearby bench to eat, being way too careful to not drop anything in their clothes.
The other girl...at least she didn't get ketchup on her dre–nevermind. Sol was looking for a place
for the kids to sit, coming back and looking at her niece, horrified.

"(What?)" She didn't even realize she has food all over herself.

"(Didn't I tell you to be careful with the ketchup?)" The girl finally looked down, noticing the
stains in her clothes.

At least if fits the Halloween vibes.

The woman cleaned Candace as best as she could with some wet wipes she had, giving up on the
clothes after trying multiple times to get the stains off.

"(Let's get you to your seats.)" Sol looks annoyed, for obvious reasons of course.

"We'll stand back there, alright? If you get scared or you need anything, come to us." Leah sat
down on her chair and nodded. "Don't get separated."

"Yeah. We know."

"We'll be watching." It wasn't a warning, he's just telling them that they'll be there if they see
anything's wrong. And the twins knew that.

The costumes for the small play weren't really scary, maybe Sol just remembered them differently.
The kids didn't look scared either. If anything, Leah was amazed by everything she was seeing.
One of the guys in the costume got closer to the twins and made them stand up, alongside some
other kids that had pretty good costumes. Ghost stopped him when he tried to get closer to the kids.

"Let them be." He doesn't like strangers getting close to the kids. But it seemed harmless, so he'll
leave them alone. Plus, nothing bad can happen in a stage in front of a crowd.

"They just dance around and give them gifts. The rest of the children will try to steal the prizes,
though." She seems to have gone through this before. Probably not if she dressed as an accountant
as a child, too.

"(I used to win those things all the time, because of the costumes grandma made. Auntie had to
punch our way out of the crowd of children.)" Ah, so that's why. The teen had a smile on his face,
and so did his aunt. Those are fond memories to them? Getting swarmed by a crowd as kids?

After what must have been ten minutes, at most, the kids came running back excitedly, showing
them the little puppets they were gifted.

"Look, Simon!" Leah was holding a ghost puppet, smiling brightly as she played with it. "It's a
ghost!" They can see that.

"That's cute." The kid or the puppet? Maybe both.

Leo started a puppet fight, for some reason, struggling while trying to control the thing's hands to
make them clash with her sister's.

"(Why didn't I get anything?)" Ah, please don't start fighting with Leah. Again.
"(Because your costume was ruined with ketchup.)" Candace seemed upset but she actually
believed what her aunt said. "(Let's get going, we still need to visit another neighborhood and then
the shopping mall.)"

There's more?

The kids were, as expected, exhausted. Sol had dragged them through every house and every store
she saw, and they weren't finished until late in the evening. Even he was feeling a little tired, but he
still had to get them home before he can relax.

"(That was fun...)" Candace was rubbing her eyes, looking at the twins as she looked down at her
candies. "(Can we play some other day?)" The question was directed at both the other kids, and her
aunt.

"(If you behave, maybe.)" If they ignored how rude she was when they first met her, the girl
was...not that annoying. "I'll see you guys at work, I gotta get these rascals home before nine." Is it
that late already?

"See you tomorrow then." Sol waved and got the girl and her brother into the car before driving
away. Now they just need to figure out where the hell they are and get back home. "Where even
are we?"

"I'll use the GPS." Technology, humankind's savior.

"Alright." They got the seat belts secured around the kids and started driving. The kids were bored,
apparently, and they started taking out all the stuff they got. He doesn't remember ever getting
anything besides candies and money when he went trick or treating, but maybe he's old, or this
country just works differently. "Did you two have fun?"

"Yeah! I can't wait for next year!" Next year...they'll be doing this for a couple more years..."Those
monsters at the square were so cool!" He should focus on the road.

"Did Sol really throw eggs at that store?" Is that what Leo remembers from all of the events
tonight?

"She did..." His sister had completely forgotten, it seems.

"Isn't that, like, very bad?" It's more than very bad. It's illegal.

"It is. Don't ever do that." Ghost finally spoke. He had been quiet for most of the night, not because
he felt anxious or out of place, he was just...enjoying in silence. "Turn left."

After more time than he would've liked, they found the route that led home, trying to get there as
quick as he could. He didn't want the kids falling asleep on the car, but he didn't get to the house
fast enough. So they had to carry them.

"Get Leah, she's lighter." How considerate of Simon. The kids weight almost the same.
They got into the house without any problem, leaving the kids in their respective beds. They should
take the costumes off, though...

"The fake fangs..." He doesn't want to wake them up, but he doesn't want the kids to choke in their
sleep either. "Leah...? Come on, honey, you need to get the costume off." Leah stirred a bit, starting
to take her claws and fangs while half asleep. He should tell Leo to do the same.

"Did you take Leah's fake fangs off?" Ah, so Ghost thought the same as him.

"Aye, she's getting ready for bed." At least he hopes so, she could have fallen asleep midway
through redressing. He'll check later.

"Will this thing come off with water?" This thing...? Oh, right. They still had make-up on. Sol had
given him some wipes that should take care of that easily. That reminds him they didn't pay for
what they owed her...he has the slight suspicion she would've found a way to reject the money,
anyways. She's always complaining about being underpaid and not having time to make jewelry,
but she never seemed to struggle financially. Not like he's going to ask how.

"Come here." He grabbed the pack of wipes and walked to the kitchen, sitting in front of another
chair and waiting for Simon to join him. "Uh, use this..." He already pushed his luck today when
fixing the mask, he's not sure if his friend would appreciate being touched again. As much as
Johnny would like to clean Ghost's face himself, he has to respect boundaries.

"...will these really take it off?" They should. It says 'Make-up removing wipes, a 100% effective!"
in the packaging. He was going to answer when Simon took off the mask and started rubbing his
lower face with the product. "I don't know if it's doing anything."

"The–it's–" Will there ever be a day when he's not caught off guard by Simon's face?

"Use your words." Right, words. What did he want to say.

"I–Let me help you." Ghost was doing okay, but he doesn't need to know that. Soap helped with
the remaining make up, being more gentle with the skin than Simon was, the parts his friend
cleaned were turning red from the pressure he applied to the skin. "There you go." He finished
taking the make up on the neck last, noticing how his friend started fidgeting with his hands when
Johnny touched the area for longer than necessary.

"Thanks." Simon didn't cover his face again, he was just staring at Johnny instead. He has that look
he always had when he was about to say some terrible joke. "How do you know when a vampire
gets sick?"

"Please don't."

"By how much he's coffin." Hilarious, really. He's laughing internally. "Let me do it for you."
Before he could reply, Simon took the pack of wipes and started slowly taking off the paint. His
friend was more gentle with him than with himself, as if pressing on Soap's skin too harshly would
break him. There's no way that could happen, but the gesture was sweet.

The silence was comfortable, or at least it was better than whatever awful jokes Ghost could come
up with. He swears that the spots his friend is cleaning were already done, in fact, he doesn't feel
any paint on his skin anymore. But Simon looks concentrated on his task. When did they get this
close? He can feel the other's breath, even.

"Is it done?" The other man looked up at him, staring straight into his eyes and dropping the fabric
used to clean his face.
"Yeah. You look better now." Finally, the distance between them grew. Not like he didn't want to
be close to Ghost, it was just...a bit too much.

"Now?"

"You don't look dead anymore." Now that he thinks about it, he didn't look at himself in the mirror.

"Right, you like me better alive." Simon smiled, softly, his eyes looking back fondly. Hopefully he
doesn't remember Las Almas' incident that way.

"I like you in any fo–" Oh? He doesn't look like he wanted to say that, his surprised face as proof
that those words weren't meant to be said out loud.

Johnny just stared up in silence, waiting for the other to continue even if he knew what he was
going to say. But he decided to have a little mercy when Ghost's surprise turned into panic.

"Even if I was a little worm?" The response caught Simon off guard, letting out a startled laugh,
staring down with a slightly confused but still happy expression.

"Of course. I think." Good to know. His friend stood up then, extending a hand to help him get up
as well. "Come with me?" He followed his friend towards the backyard, still holding his hand.

The night was beautiful, and he's glad this place is so far away from the city, in moments like this.
The stars can be seen so much better without the city lights.

Simon lit a cigarette and looked at him, asking if he wanted one too without any words. Soap took
the one that was already lit and gave it back after taking a drag.

"Sol scammed you with those things." She had said they tasted of something, but he couldn't feel
anything besides the tobacco.

"You have to click the flavor capsules. I never do." So that's why. "They don't taste different
anyways." So he did get scammed?

The conversation was over, it seems. They just kept looking at the fields and the starry night,
sitting right next to another on the concrete floor, in silence. That is, until he turned to his friend
and saw the same expression he had before the vampire pun earlier.

"Did you eat a clown today?" He's not going to complain about Ghost's good mood, but he will
complain about the jokes.

"Maybe. What do you call a dog with no legs?"

"Please stop this."

"It doesn't matter, it isn't coming anyways." And he dares to chuckle at his own joke. Even having
the audacity to look cute.

"How do you even come up with that?" Does he have them written down somewhere?

"That's a secret." He probably looks them up online. "Another?" He doesn't want to say no,
because Simon would be disappointed, but he doesn't want to hear another one either.

"I've got one." He didn't have one, so now he's desperately trying to remember any joke, or just
come up with something on the spot.
 "Let's hear it, then." Here goes nothing.

"What did the grape say when he was crushed?" Ghost lift his eyebrow, waiting for him to
continue. "Nothing, he just let out a little wine." His friend exhaled out of his nose, shaking his
head but still smiling.

"Could be worse." It's better than his jokes about dogs.

"You don't like my puns, L.t? I have other ways to make you laugh." The kids already showed him
one of Ghost's weaknesses.

"MacTavish." He saw how his friend subtly got in position to run if Johnny tried to get close.
Shouldn't have challenged him if he didn't like the consequences.

Not like he actually got challenged to anything.

He jumped from his place and quickly trapped Ghost under him, pinning his hips by straddling
them. And then he immediately started wiggling his fingers against the fabric covering his friend's
ribs and torso, before the other man could even think how to escape. He knows that the laughter is
an involuntary response, just like he also knows Simon doesn't mind this.

"You're enjoying this too much. It was supposed to be a punishment for insulting my jokes." He
gave the other man a break. As much as he loves to hear Ghost's laugh, he doesn't want to overdo it
and make it uncomfortable.

"Who's enjoying it?" Alright, break's over. He went for the neck this time, making sure to be more
gentle and slower. "I get it, stop torturing me al–" His sentence got cut short by more laughter.

"Apologize, then." Simon looked up with glossy eyes, making Johnny stop his actions
immediately.

"I'm sorry. Stop it already." Oh. He's not crying because he's upset, he's still smiling and giggling
after Soap stopped tickling him. He's fine.

"Apologies accepted." He brushed of the strands of hair that had fallen over Simon's face, resting
his hand against the other's cheek after doing so.

The moonlight shined bright enough so he could see the man under him. Breathless, ears, cheeks
and neck a perfect shade of pink, and the prettiest smile he had ever seen. Johnny could die right
now, and he wouldn't even care. He has seen the best there is to see in this world. Actually, if he
saw Ghost breathless and blushing under him in another contex–

"Let's go back inside?" Thankfully that thought process was shut down. Simon was smiling softly
up at him, and he smiled back, involuntarily, as he got up and helped his friend.

This smile...he will also try to protect it, for as long as he's alive.

>

Chapter End Notes

The author is-

I'm allowed to be drunk at 1pm, it's my birthday and I'm an alcoholic.

I wrote this during my holiday, I had too many things to write but when I was done I
didn't know how to split the chapter. So now you have 21k words of nonsense. Which
I hope you liked at least a little. Next chapter should be a little more interesting (or
not! who knows? (I do.)) I'll edit this when my brain works as intended.

König got his autograph and left, that was his only purpose on this.
I swear Sol's character is just making this a crack fic, she was more annoying and
important in the OG work. Also please don't throw eggs at people like her, it hurts and
it sucks to clean it.

Thanks for the support, I'll see you next chapter!<3

 (11). Late spring
Chapter Summary

Accidents happen.

Chapter Notes

Content warning: (not so graphic) depictions of violence/injuries + language.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

In these last few months, he has taken the help of many strangers, which ended up being
acquaintances, or friends, even. He won't mind helping those same people back.

But Soledad.

"Stop mucking around, we're only getting started." And she was bossy too, even Simon looks tired.
"Guys, we started an hour ago. You can't look exhausted." She has no right to say that.

"It's nine in the morning. Leave me alone." The woman scoffed and threw another empty box at
him.

"Weren't you in the army? I'm sure you've woken up earlier to do more tiring things than cleaning
a deposit." It's been too long since then, he's used to being lazy until later, now. "And I'm helping,
aren't I?"Another empty box fell.

Ghost was carrying fruit crates from the back of the room, the smell of spoiled products could be
sensed everywhere, even with the face masks they were wearing.

"We're getting paid for this, right?" Sol sighed from the second floor and nodded. He couldn't even
see there was a second floor from the amount of stuff that was stacked everywhere.

"You're getting the day off later too." Well at least they get to rest after this.

The piles of cardboard kept growing, just like the smell of rotten fruit kept getting worse. They'll
get to rest if they don't die here, either choking on the foul smell or buried under trash.

"I'm done with the crates." Simon sat down, massaging his leg, his eyes closed tight.

"Does it hurt too much? Take a break, king." His arms hurt too. Does he get a break? "Help him
out and stop glaring." Sol jumped down from where she was sitting and went to the door. "I'll help
outside a little, you get a fifteen minute break." Finally. They've been disassembling boxes and
moving crates for an hour. Sol left the room and closed the door, which was a terrible idea. How
many rotting oranges were in those crates?
"Are you alright?" He's not the one sitting down and clearly in pain, so he's relatively fine.

"Want some help?" Ghost looked up at him, nodding without even thinking.

Soap is not an expert, but he can give a massage. Maybe. He's done it before, at least. He got in the
space between his friends legs and started stroking the tensed muscle on the man's thigh, applying
more pressure each time he touched, trying to not make the pain any worse.

Eventually he found the amount of pressure that didn't seem to hurt and could actually help. He
kept stroking along the muscle until he felt it relaxing and going softer under his hand.

Huh. He's doing a great job in his opinion. He doesn't need to keep touching his friend but he's not
being stopped.

Simon sighed and that made him look up, the man above laying back with his head lolling to the
side, looking relaxed. Blissful even.

Time to look anywhere else.

He kept massaging the leg softly, not even trying to untense the muscle, now, he just didn't want to
go back to his task. Until the door opened abruptly.

"Did you guys–shit." Sol closed the door just as abruptly and knocked on it instead. They both
stared in her direction, lost as to what just happened. "Hey?"

"What're you doing?" She can be a little weird sometimes but this is odd even for her.

"What am I doing?" Yes, that's what he asked. "What are you guys doing?" They're taking a break?

"What do you mean?" She opened the door again and stared with her arms crossed.

"You know, I did say you should help him but I didn't mean..." Oh.

"It's just a massage." He got up from his place and put distance between him and his friend.

"I see that now. I still had a heart attack." He chuckled and went to his previous position, already
glaring at the boxes on the ground. "It's not the worst I've walked into in this deposit." He can tell,
she seems to have experience dealing with awkward situations.

"Are you feeling better?" Ghost finally snapped back to reality, sitting up and nodding.

"Get to work then. Put all the spoiled fruit in that bag over there. We need to weigh the losses." He
would sacrifice himself and do Ghost's job. But. Not today. "And you." Sol pointed his way then.
"Hurry up with those boxes, we need to take them outside so we can organize the ones that have
stuff inside." There are even more boxes? When does this torture end?

"What kind of stuff?" Hopefully no more rotting food. If he thinks about it, this place would be
closed down if someone saw the deposit. "Why exactly are we cleaning this?"

"Who knows, really..." She does. "The...thing that inspects food and stuff is coming tomorrow. We
clearly need to make this acceptable if we want to keep the place." His suspicions were right.

"Shouldn't we keep it cleaned all the time?" No one cleans in this place, Sol at least sweeps the
floor a couple times a day, and she's the only one to clean the deli slicer too. Of course Ghost
doesn't know that, the butcher's is always spotless, so it was only reasonable he expected the rest of
the shop to be the same.
"No one likes cleaning, they don't like putting stuff in it's place either." As if they couldn't tell.

They kept silent as each did their task, Sol was singing along to music she had on her phone,
dangling her legs to the beat as she kept throwing down empty boxes and moving full ones. She
jumped down out of nowhere, stumbling before grabbing him and forcing him to dance along with
her.

"Look what you made me do~ I'm with somebody new." She pointed at Ghost, who was
obliviously looking at the hell inside the fruit bag. "Uh, baby, baby, I'm dancing with a stranger..."
Sol doesn't let people ignore her. She went and took Simon's hand, dragging him away from his
task and getting him towards Johnny. He was still lost as to what was happening, though.

"What...?" The woman laughed as she saw his friend's face.

"You good, my guy? You're a little pale." More than a little actually. "Let's get some fresh air, I'm
going to die here." It's a mutual feeling.

She danced all the way to the break room, completely ignoring her nephew's stare as she passed
him. At least she still has energy left.

"How do you even have the strength to dance right now." It reminds him a bit of Leah's
cheerfulness, she always had that positive attitude that didn't seem forced, and was never too much.

"It's the six coffees I had." That's a bit too much for 10 a.m.

He looked at the corner of the small room, watching how Ghost looked nervously at the doorframe
and the woman smoking by it.

"Are you alright?" He still looks pale, and this room didn't exactly have fresh air, the smell of
booze and old cigarettes was asphyxiating, most of the time.

"Yeah, it's just..." Simon rubbed his nose above his face mask. Ah, he can't smoke with the mask
on but he can't take it off in front of Sol.

"Should I look the other way? Or maybe just leave." She had realized what the problem was,
starting to leave the room until Simon spoke up.

"It's–you don't need to." The woman looked surprised, but she went back to her seat by the
entrance, pretending to be looking at something outside. She stared by the corner of her eye at them
when she noticed Ghost pulling down his mask.

"Can I comment?" At least let him light his cigarette before making him uncomfortable.

"No." That won't stop her.

"You're hot." Soap can only agree, mentally.

"Thanks." It doesn't seem like Ghost takes compliments seriously.

"I see why a certain person in this room likes you." There's only three pe–

"Is that your way of confessing?" Yes, please don't think of the alternative.

"Do I look like I like you?" Maybe he's a bit biased, but is there anyone who wouldn't like Simon?
Sol just looked his way and lift her eyebrow. "There's only that many options left."
"I don't know what you mean." The woman let out and exasperated groan and stood up.

"I've watched you two flirt and dance around the other for the past two months." Her grip on their
shoulders wasn't exactly light. How can she get frustrated over someone else's love life? "You
either get together already or I'll lock you in a room and let you starve like my Sims."

"Why would we do that? It's not like we actually li–"

"Finish that sentence and you're fired." Simon immediately closed his mouth, glaring down. She
wasn't intimidated, unsurprisingly.

"We're just jok–"

"Shut." Alright. "You two know you like each other, stop ignoring it. Gosh, you're way older than
me, why do I have to give you the push..." She kept rambling as she walked away. Perhaps they
should let her calm down.

"What was that about?" Oh so now he wants to talk about this.

"You tell me." Simon squinted his eyes and glared. He's not giving in, now, he's tried to have this
conversation for days and was ignored. "I'm heading back."

He left his friend in the room, since he didn't have anything else to add. Sol was frantically typing
on her phone, waiting by the deposit's door.

"These are all so bad..." Talking to herself, too, apparently.

"What are you doing?"

"Competing against you. If you're not going to make a move on him, I will." She can't be serious,
right? "You seem to forget that people won't wait forever, you know?"

"He's ten years older than you." Sol turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Do I look like I care? Not only does he look young, he is gorgeous. Age is just a number, in this
case." She is serious.

"You can't–"

"Then you do it!" A phone was shoved into his hands, the screen still on. "I'm so done with you
two's bull. It's frustrating and I have nothing to do with this."

"'Bad pick-up lines?' Why did you search for this?" And why were some of these right up Simon's
alley?

"His sense of humor is so weird I have no idea what he would like." Probably something related to
dying dogs. "Just say whatever, not like he'll hate anything you say." It's weird, how she's more
confident about this than he is.

"These are just horrid." Whoever wrote the entire article has probably never gotten a date.

"The chloroform one is funny." If you say it to a girl in a club you'll probably get kicked out.
"Nevermind." The silence made her recalculate, it seems.
"I'm not saying any of these." They're not only terrible but also unfunny. And Sol was very
offended by the rejection.

"I won't either, but like–c'mon! You're getting nowhere like this, you're both cowards." She doesn't
have permission to tell him the truth.

"Just drop it." They're still at work, this isn't the time to talk about this.

"Ugh, I can't believe you..." She got into the deposit and climbed the ladder to the second floor,
starting to throw down boxes that weren't empty anymore. They put the empty ones in the
bathroom by the fridges, so they could have more space. "You know I'm just trying to help, right?"

"I know." That also reminds him of Leah. The little girl is always trying to help people, even if she
doesn't understand the problem. That's why he's not mad with Sol for meddling, she's just...trying
her best.

"What is it then? Are you still scared?" What has changed exactly, that would make him less
scared? There's barely any difference from the months before he started working here, when Sol
made him realize his feelings for Ghost. The way they talked to each other has always been the
same. "Look at me."

"I am looking." The woman just looked tired now, her eyes filled with pity.

"Has he ever told you he's uncomfortable when you say something flirty?" He said the opposite,
really.

"No."

"Did he ever tell you to fuck off?" Not that he remembers.

"No?"

"Have you realized you're the only person besides the kids he's ever allowed to touch him?"

"Uh..."

"Have you realized he's waiting like a kicked puppy every evening for you to go take breaks so he
can spend some time with you?" Has Ghost really been doing that? Soap would've realized,
surely...

"That's just things that I would do for a friend, too." Sol rolled her eyes and threw another box
down, putting way more strength than needed.

"Listen to me, mister. I don't look at my friends the way Simon looks at you. For the love of
whatever deity is up there, just–talk to him!"

"Talk to who?" His savior. Sol will drop the subject now that–

"You! Talk to him!" Oh, she isn't dropping the subject. She took out her headphones and put them
on. "I'm giving you five minutes. If you don't talk about it you're working the evening shift with
me."

"That's just unfair." She didn't hear it. The music from the headphones could be clearly heard from
his spot, and even if she looked in pain, she didn't turn the volume down.

"Talk about what, exactly?" He's not ready for this.

"Earlier..."

"What happened earlier?" This is why he doesn't know how to breach the subject. He has no idea if
Ghost loves to play dumb or if he's the only one that sees their interactions as something more than
friendly.

"The break room." That should give his friend an idea, at least.

"Break room...?" Is he trying to avoid the subject or does he really not get the hint? "Is it my face
or–" Of course that's what he remembers.

"Why would it be about your face?" He should've paid more attention back then, Simon is clearly
trying to hide his face less, and he was so distracted by Sol's scolding that he didn't even pay mind
to his friend's struggles.

"It's not that pre–"

"It is pretty." He has no idea how Ghost doesn't see it. He has scars, yes, but they don't make him
any less handsome. If anything, it just made him look even prettier. "Don't think about yourself like
that. You're not ugly at all, Si."

Now he just feels embarrassed, and by the way Simon's ears turned red, the other man was too.
Whatever, he doesn't care now, he needs to reassure his friend, a little embarrassment is nothing as
long as his words get to Ghost.

"Thank you?" He'll learn to accept compliments one day. "So this isn't about...?"

"No, it's got nothing to do with your pretty face." Maybe he should learn to think before speaking.
Simon looked away, the back of his neck and ears getting impossibly more red.

"Then what are we supposed to be talking about?" The music stopped.

Shit.

"Time's up." Sol jumped down once more, taking off her headphones and squinting her eyes as she
stared at a very confused Ghost. "You're working the evening shift, then." Another small price to
pay. Comforting his friend was more important.

"Why am I working too?" Pretty good question, really. Simon's got nothing to do with their
conversation.

"'Cuz...you're part of the problem." Very unfair, and also bad choice of words. "Now go back to
your bag of rotten fruits." Ghost did as he was told, still confused but without protest.

"You're cruel." Sol just rolled her eyes, starting to open the boxes and checking the contents.

"And you're a coward." He just got sidetracked.

He'll have more opportunities to have that talk, hopefully not in a disgusting place that smells like
death.

And hopefully he'll have time to prepare.

~
"Johnny!" That's his name.

"Leah." The girl looked at him, smiling as brightly as always. Her brother, on the other hand...

"John." What does he mean with 'John'? This is worse than when Simon calls him Soap.

"Leonardo." The boy dropped the serious attitude and chuckled.

"That's not my name." He knows, it was written on the little notebook they were left with when
they arrived.

"What would the complete version of Leah be...?" That's not how names work.

"Your name is already complete?" Leo just stared as his sister processed the information.

"Is it?" Does she not know her name, now? "Doesn't matter! Johnny, I have questions!" Not her
questions again.

"What kind of questions?" By her attitude, it doesn't seem like her typical questions that had
awkward or depressing answers.

"What's christmas?" There's no way.

"What do you mean?" Ghost decided to answer once he saw Johnny's smile drop. It can't be that
the kids never celebrated christmas, or any other holiday.

"The kids in our class were talking about it today. And the kids last year talked about that too."
Leo looked genuinely interested in the answer too.

"It's when Santa comes to leave gifts for you." That just confused them even more.

"This 'Santa' guy, is he like the tooth fairy?" Ah, the boy was onto them, already.

"Aye, He makes gifts all year round, then in december he goes to the houses of all the kids in the
world and leaves them under the christmas tree." He never thought he had to explain this.

"How does he make so many gifts!? How does he give them away!?"

"He has little elf helpers and he has raindeer that...push a sleigh..." She looks more confused by the
second. "Through the sky."

"That's...weird...deers don't fly..." That's what she's worried about? Leo rolled his eyes and opened
his book.

"It's magic." That answered whatever questions she had in her mind.

"What kind of magic?"

"Christmas magic?" Why is he the only one explaining? He's running out of ideas.

"How do I learn this magic? I want to be a Christmas wizard." That's...an interesting ambition.

"Why a Christmas wizard?"

"I could make Daisy fly! And Bones, and Rexie, and Samantha, and–"
"We get it." Thanks, Leo. They would be all day listening to names.

"I think only Santa can do that." Only a fictional character can use magic, but it's not like she
knows Santa doesn't exist. Yet.

"I'll become Santa, then!" That's not that ambitious, she could become Santa one day, just not the
way she wants. "I'll do my research..."

"You should spend that time learning math." Leah gasped and looked at her brother, offended.

"You should spend your time...! Uh..." Nothing to criticize about Leo when it comes to studies.
"Learning how to run!" He's actually offended by that?

"I– I'm trying!" Is he? He spends all his time reading the same three books, he isn't exactly
practicing.

"Not hard enough! So lazy..." Alright, this is slowly turning into a fight.

"You're good at different things, there's nothing wrong with that." Leah crossed her arms and
pouted. "You could teach each other, you know?"

"We...could do that." They have the patience.

"Want to learn about whales?" Leo rolled his eyes again and went back to his book.

So the rest of the ride, they had to listen to Leah rambling about sea creatures. Again.

He's glad they got home fairly quickly, he doesn't need to hear the same facts about whales and
sharks they've been hearing for the last few months.

The girl directed her attention to the animals in the yard, trying to pick Bones up and failing to do
so.

"He's not a puppy anymore, you can't pick him up." Leo was looking at his twin, slightly
concerned at the effort his sister was putting in to lift the animal.

"I need to get stronger..." That's the determination he's seen somewhere else.

"You'll lift him when you're older." Ghost picked the girl up, surprising her for a minute before she
started giggling.

"Will I be as tall and strong as you?" Huh. That's a good question, actually. If they inherited
something from Rusnav then they'll be pretty tall.

"Maybe." Hopefully not as tall as Simon, he'll feel left out a bit.

The girl cheered as they got into the house, and Leo seemed happy too.

Good to know they're all excited for the future.

~
He was scared for his life.

For the last couple of weeks, he's been trying to let Ghost drive the car, so he could get more
practice. He wasn't bad, at all, but the problem is when they have to drive through the city. The
man gets a bit nervous, for unknown reasons. It was probably the amount of people driving like
maniacs and way over the speed limit. So they had avoided going to the city when Simon drives.

Today is different, because he's driving to work.

"It's going to be fine." He could see the anxiety behind the mask, somehow.

"I know." Does he? It doesn't look like it.

"If you crash the car we can buy a new one! Don't worry, Si!" That's not reassuring, Leah.

"I'll try not to crash it anyways." He's going to be fine...

He has to be the one to trust his friend's skill. If not Johnny, then who's going to have faith in
Ghost?

"You should drive today, I can try–" None of that.

"Simon, you're not going to crash the car. You've been doing great." They haven't even left the
gates, if he really insists he would drive. "I'm here to help, too, aren't I?" And because he also
needs to go to work.

"Yeah, but–"

"You can do this." He's not going to drive through cars and fences like in Las Almas, this is not a
life or death situation.

"I can do this..." There's the confidence he wanted to see. Alright, he feels awkward being stared at
for so long, no matter how pretty the eyes watching him are.

"Eyes on the road, L.t."

It wasn't any different from when he drives, the kids are staring out the window, as usual, and he
was paying attention to the road and their surroundings, in case his friend didn't notice something
he should.

They got to the store safely, as expected.

"We made it!" Maybe Leah wasn't expecting that, considering how relieved she looked while
getting out of the car.

"Good job." Simon flinched when he pat his back. Ah, he's still on edge.

"(Bye, have a great day!)" Sol was lighting a cigarette by the gates, looking completely disheveled.
"Thank God you're finally here."

"Did you miss us that much?" They saw her in the morning.
"No. We're just us three today, Diana is sick and William can't make it." So there's two people to
take care of three different places, plus making bread and restocking the shelves. How wonderful.

"Cristian?" Or the boss? Her husband? The son, even. Just anyone should come and help.

"He works the midnight shift." They're fucked, then.

"We can help!" If it wasn't because he's a responsible parent he would accept the little girl's help.

"You can't. But you know what you can do?" Sol took out her phone and handed it out. "Take care
of my farm."

"Okay!" Leah started running to the back of the store.

"You have to charge it. I already fixed the space behind the register so you can play there." The
girl stopped, backtracking and going behind the counter.

"How long have you been by yourself?"

"Around two years, it's a weird topic to bring out of nowhere." That's not what he meant, and by the
smirk the woman had she knew that. "Around three hours, Diana was about to puke so the boss
took her home and never came back." Favoritism is fun.

"I'll get going." Simon wasn't interested in their conversation, leaving to his workplace.

"You think you can take care of the fruits, before the rush hour? I have to take care of some things
inside." He won't ask what those things are, just in case he gets dragged along to clean another,
secret deposit.

"Alright." It's only a couple hours until people start piling up inside, so he should start as soon as
possible.

Ghost was kind enough to take all of the crates outside for him, even if he was complaining about
his leg after. Not verbally complaining, of course, he was just constantly rubbing his thigh and
limping his way back to work. He should ask him if he wants to go to the doctor, maybe they could
prescribe him something...no, nevermind. He's sure neither of them want to see a hospital, after all
the time they've spent in them.

When he was taking out some spoiled products from the crates, he noticed someone was walking
inside the store, one if their hands inside the pockets in their hoodie. The man looks shady, but he's
not covering his face, or anything, so there's no need to worry. Soap went back to work only when
he saw the man leave. No one screamed or called for help from inside, so it was fine.

But then the man kept coming back, at least every ten minutes, and there was definitely something
odd there. There's no way someone could be so forgetful, maybe he was planning something. Or
maybe Johnny is being paranoid.

Once he saw the same man go to the store again, he decided to go inside as well, through the
butcher shop's door, so he goes unnoticed. He was done outside, anyways.

"(Hello, again. What did you forget now?)" The man laughed and started looking for something in
one of the aisles. So he just had a bad memory? Sol doesn't seem nervous in the slightest, she was
raising an eyebrow at him.

"(Kids wanted cookies.)" He was noticed when the client walked to the register, smiling at him.
"(He's not going to rob us, John.)" Maybe it's a regular and he's just being rude.

"(Oh, sorry. I don't have anything in my pocket.)" At least the man was understanding, he probably
knew how suspicious he looked.

"(Literally.)" What does that even mean?

"(I don't have an arm, I just put the sleeve in the pocket so it doesn't look weird.)" Oh, now he feels
like an asshole.

"(Sorry.)" The man just laughed and turned to look at Sol.

"(It's alright. The other girl asked me to not rob her when she first saw me.)" Doesn't sound like
Sol, it was probably their boss. "(Thank you.)"

"(Thanks for your purchase, have a nice one.)" The woman smiled and waved as the client left.
"Can you check on the oven for me? I'm almost done with this." She pulled a book from under the
counter and started writing. "Oh, and clean the slicer if you don't mind. The gloves are in the
pantry."

"Sure." He walked to the kitchen, turning off the oven and letting the door open so the bread inside
could cool down. Now he just needs to wait for the tray to cool down and take it to the front.

He should clean the deli slicer while he waits. After the first time Sol had shown him how it
worked and ended up losing a piece of her finger, she has bough cut resistant gloves, which he's
sure won't do much to save his hand when it comes to an accident, but it should save his fingers if
anything goes slightly wrong.

He was going to turn on the slicer to begin cleaning it, before disassembling it, but the thing didn't
turn on. The plug was pulled out of the wall along with the socket, all the cables sticking out as
well.

So that's were that noise was coming from! This place is going to catch on fire someday.

When he went to try to take care of the safety hazard, he heard someone getting inside the store,
and Sol didn't greet them immediately, which is odd. He sneaked enough to see another man with a
hoodie, not the same one as before. There was definitely something in that pocket.

"(Welcome, how can I– shit.)" That doesn't sound good.

"(Give me the money, no need to get hurt.)" Definitely not good. He should make the kids stay
away and let Sol–

The kids are behind the counter, too.

He can't get Ghost, the door to the deposit makes too much noise and he would need to walk in
front of the register to get to the butcher's.

So he went for plan B, grabbing the kitchen knife they use to cut food in the back. Trying to walk
slowly and silently is not that easy, he wants to take care of this as soon as possible so the kids are
safe.

"(I don't have any money, man, I just payed for products.)" He had a gun. Sol was too calm for this
situation, her face blank while she held her hands up.
"(Don't lie to me, bitch! Give me the money! And your phone too!)"

"(I told you I don't fucking have money! My phone is back home, do you want me to go get it!?)"
Leah has her phone. She's trying to keep the kids hidden.

The robber was stunned for a moment by Sol's response, and he used the opportunity to attack
then.

"Johnny!" Fuck. He should know better than to get distracted when doing this. But he couldn't help
it, he thought Leah had gotten hurt somehow, he needed to check. Thankfully he still managed to
throw away the gun, but now he had a knife on his shoulder.

"Stay where you are–" The man pushed him against the shelves, and he could only grit his teeth
and try to get up again.

"(Leave the kids alone, man.)" At first, the man had gone towards the register, but then he saw his
weapon and changed route.

Sol jumped the counter and went to stop the robber, noticing that he was walking to where the gun
was. She wasn't exactly strong, so she couldn't stop the man for long. What she did, though, was
kick the gun, making it dissappear under the fridges.

"(Fuck!)" And now she couldn't run away. The man slammed her head against a nearby wall until
her arms went limp enough so he could escape. Her body crumbled to the ground, not even an
attempt to stop the fall. She can't be dead, right? He can't see her torax to confirm if she's breathing,
the only thing in his field of view is her face, completely covered in blood and her eyes open wide.

Oh, she blinked.

Wait, the kids–

The scream Leah let out finally seemed to catch Ghost's attention, the man hurried to the room and
immediately went to help him stand up, noticing a little too late there was a knife on his shoulder.
He's pretty sure he hurt something else in that fall too, he couldn't get up even if he tried, the pain
was unbearable.

"Are you okay? What the hell happened...?" The robber panicked and started sprinting outside, and
Simon immediately followed behind.

He should've helped, but there's no way Johnny could blame him for following the man.

"Ugh..." That confirms Sol is alive. "Did the world always spin around me or am I dying...?" She
got up, unsteadily walking his way.

"How many fingers do you see?" He took the hand applying pressure on his shoulder and lifted
two fingers.

"Uh..." Great, she lost her two remaining braincells. "Put some more pressure into that, I'll call the
cops." After getting behind the counter, which took a lot of effort, the woman picked her phone and
started a call. "(Uh, we just got robbed...? Yeah...Yes, we'll need an ambulance...thank yo–" The
call ended abruptly. 9-1-1 operators can't do that.

"Did you actually call the cops...?" She looked down at her phone and shook her head.

"Don't remember the street names, can't go check outside...called my sis'..." Good enough.
Hopefully they hurry, he doesn't want to bleed out in a pile of broken chip bags. He could've died
in a more honorable way.

Ghost came back, with what he hopes isn't a corpse, on his shoulder. There were two hunting
knives on the robber's leg, which he guesses Simon has been keeping with him just in case.

The body fell not so gracefully to the ground, and Simon started walking his way again. This time
he was careful with the wound, helping him stand and eventually deciding to carry him to a chair.

He likes the attention, but the whole reason this happened was to keep the kids safe. They're safe,
yes, but terrified out of their minds.

"The kids." Ghost sighed, exasperated, but complied, walking slowly to the twins. They were
clinging to each other, Leah hiding her brother under her, staring wide eyed. Shit. "Wait."

"Get away!" They won't let anyone close.

"It's me, baby, Simon." The girl doesn't recognize anything or anyone, she looks like a feral animal
that's been trapped, kicking Ghost's hand away from them. "Look at me, Leah."

"Stop!" They're getting nowhere like this. Simon understood that and walked away. They need to
calm down a bit, first.

Leo grasped his sister's arm, trying to get her to look down, and after many attempts it finally
worked.

"It's okay." The girl snapped her head towards him, noticing the small movement he didn't even
notice himself. "It's just Simon. We're okay."

"It's–Johnny!?" Ah, here come the tears. She crawled out of their hiding spot under the desk, trying
to get to him until Simon stopped her. "Let me go!"

"You can't, honey." As much as he'd love to comfort the girl, he still has a knife inside him. And
he's covered in blood.

"I don't care!" She tried to squeeze her way out from Ghost's grip to no avail, giving up after some
struggling.

"You can go with him when he's better." Leah sighed, annoyed, and glared at Simon.

"Then make him better!" If only it was that easy. Until the ambulance gets here, there's not much
his friend can do.

"I–"

"Hurry!" She pushed Ghost a little too hard, the man caught of guard by the sudden violence, but
still holding back the scolding.

It's a bit weird how he doesn't feel the pain from the wound now that the adrenaline rush was gone,
thankfully Simon was there to make it hurt again. His friend made a tourniquet to stop the blood
loss, he doesn't know with what, because he wasn't paying attention.

"I'm fine, go close the gates. And help Sol." The woman was stumbling aimlessly around the room,
looking like a zombie from a horror movie.
"You don't look fine." He doesn't feel fine, either, but he knows he'll be alright, he's been in worse
situations.

"You're pale..." Ah, so zombies can talk? "Bro I think you're dying..." How comforting.

"I'm not..." Maybe he is. Simon, who had left to close the gates, started sprinting towards where he
was and barely caught him before he fell from the chair.

"Johnny?" Was it always this tiring to speak? "Stay with me, yeah?" He's trying, really, but he's
also very tired.

"I'm..." There's no strength left for comforting words. And he hates the way Simon's eyes filled
with panic, and dread, when he realized that.

"You're going to be fine, just hold on a little longer..." They were both startled by Sol falling to the
floor, rivers of blood falling from her nose and mouth. "Fuck, what happened to her?"

"The wall." Leo pointed at where the woman had been hit, the boy's stare completely empty.

"You should go help her–"

"I'm not leaving you." That's very sweet, but she's going to choke on her own blood if she stays like
that.

"She's going to choke." Leah stomped her way to the woman and pushed until she was laying on
her side.

"There!" He has no idea what's going through her head to be this mad at them.

"Thank y–"

"Fix him already!"

"I can't do anything, Leah!" The girl was, as expected, scared by the way Simon spoke. She also
understood there was no anger behind those words, only frustration.

"Why does it always take ages for the cops to arri–" Sol's complaining got cut short by a cough,
which only tainted the once white floor with more red.

"What do you mean?" Simon was not worried in the slightest about the woman's current condition,
it seems.

"Last time I needed an ambulance they arrived, like, half an hour later." That much?

"Half an hour?" He can't be bleeding that much, Simon is just–

Was there always that much blood under him?

"Wh–"

"Don't look down, look at me!" The way Ghost's hand grabbed his face was a little too strong, now
he feels even more disoriented.

"Don't be so rough." His friend started messing with the tourniquet again, making sure it was as
tight as posible.
"Just assumed you liked it that way, my bad." Ah, of course, tactical flirting. He's pretty sure that's
not how people distract others in stressful situations, usually it's just jokes.

"I do when I'm not half unconscious." Ghost didn't even react, instead focusing on applying
pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding even more.

"There are kids, here, degenerates." Oh, right. Well, they don't understand, nor will they ask.

"Shut it, stop wasting your braincells, I think you lost half of them." She's been trying to get up and
failing miserably for a couple minutes, so it's a possibility. "Johnny?"

"Mhm...?" Now that there's been nothing to startle him back to action, like when Sol fell, he feels
more exhausted.

"Don't close your eyes." He can't keep the open either. "Soap, no." How cruel, to call him that
when those could be the last words he hears. "No, Soap, come on!"

"Johnny!?"

He can't die in front of the kids.

"I–"

"Don't talk, just stay awake." Great, keeping his eyes opened is less taxing than speaking and trying
to make sense. "Go back to where you were, Leah." At least he's trying to be nice to the kids. The
girl went all the way back to their hiding spot from earlier, hugging her brother again and crying in
silence. "You can't leave me like this..." As if seeing the kids crying didn't break his heart enough,
Simon had to go and whisper that.

"I'm not leaving you." With the strength he didn't know he had, he lift his non-injured hand and
started combing Ghost's hair, or at least the little amount he could reach, with his fingers.

"I don't know what I'll do if you're not here–please, just–"

"I'm going to be fine, Si." This isn't the best moment to have a breakdown, but it's understandable
anyways. He would be the same if Simon was the one hurt and bleeding out in his arms.

"Please–I can't live without you."

"It's alright, honey..." Ah, he's not Leah. Whatever, no one else is hearing their whispers anyways.

"I hope you're confessing your eternal love for each other there. You know, one of you could die
and the other will live without knowing how down bad you were for each other." He doesn't have
the strength to tell her to shut up, and Simon was too focused on–

"What did you say?" So he was listening?

"If you didn't realize you liked–"

"No one's dying here." That made her shut up. She's probably got the worst concussion ever known
to mankind, so they'll forgive her for not reading the room.

But she did have a point. He could die here, or on the way to the hospital, or any other day by
some other cause, and Simon would never know he reciprocated his feelings.

Reciprocated...It's a bit too late to realize his friend likes him too, isn't it?
"Simon?" He can deal with the consequences of this later, no matter what they are.

"Don't talk, they'll be–"

"I love you." Maybe love is a little too soon, but it's what he feels. Ghost was frozen in place,
looking up from the wound to look eye to eye.

"You're not dying." He hopes he doesn't die, at least. "You're living and you're going to tell me that
when you're not...like this." Ah, how romantic it is to confess your love in a puddle of your own
blood.

"Aye. I'll do that." He wouldn't disobey a direct order from his L.t.

"And–" Simon pulled down his mask and got closer, leaving a chaste kiss on his lips, not giving
him enough time to realize what was happening before he went back to his place and pulled the
mask up again. "I'm telling you 'me too' and kissing you properly when you do." If it wasn't
because his body is lacking a significant amount of blood, he would be blushing.

"I–"

"God, I can't believe the last thing I see before I pass away is two people kissing. Making me feel
lonely even in my last breaths, huh?" She should learn to shut up. The moment is ruined now. Not
like he knew what he was going to say anyways. "Oh, hey, they're here." They could tell, the sirens
and the flashing lights were enough indicator.

"You–you're going to be fine, yeah? They're here." Ah, the way Simon relaxed a little, and the way
his eyes brightened up with hope made him want to live even more. Of course, he didn't want to
die, especially not like this, but he did think for a second that this was it.

"I know. You have to stay with the kids, though." There he goes, killing all of Simon's hopes and
dreams. Not really, but he did seem upset that he couldn't go with him. "I'll see you at the hospital,
aye?"

"Yeah. I'll be there."

So much for not wanting to see a hospital ever again.

It doesn't matter, as long as Simon is there when he wakes up, he'll be fine.

Or perhaps he won't.

His shoulder and arm was in pain, and he's sure he already has painkillers in his system, but they
weren't enough at all. Plus, the light in the room hurt his eyes when he opened them, and the smell
was not bad, but he hated it anyways. All in all, he loathes hospitals.

Something moved besides him and he forced his eyes to open again.

"Simon?" The man immediately perked up, looking up and checking if what he heard was real.
"Hey."
"Are you alright? Do you need more painkillers?" Does he look miserable or is Ghost just being
thoughtful?

"I'm okay, calm down..." It was when he tried to move his healthy hand and couldn't lift it that he
realized Simon was holding it, tightly.

"You sure?" Actually, he could use some more painkillers.

"It doesn't hurt that bad." Thankfully Ghost can read him like a book. He stood up, the coat he had
thrown over his shoulders falling to the ground and being completely forgotten, and he rushed out
of the room.

"Stop acting tough and admit you feel like shit." The voice caught him off guard, but he recognized
it shortly after.

"Shouldn't you be crying in another room?" The kids were resting in a couch nearby, using Sol's
lap as a pillow.

"I'm babysitting. Your boyfriend wouldn't leave your side for a second." He was expecting that to
happen.

"What time is it?" The sky outside the windows was still dark, he could see the city lights, too.

"Four." That's not that long. "You scared the shit out of me, I was joking when I said you could
die." He remembers the last thing he saw before passing out were her and Ghost's panicked faces,
and he feels a little bad about it.

"I said I was going to be fine." As if that meant anything. Simon came back to the room with a
bottle of pills and some water.

"The doctor said these should be fine." No more needles, then. His friend helped him take the pills,
which was the only option he had, anyways, since he only had one functional arm.

"Thanks." Hopefully the medication works fast.

"I'll be going back, now. Call me if you need anything." Sol tried to not wake the kids up when she
got up, then left the room slowly, hugging the walls for support. He's pretty sure she's in no
condition to go back anywhere, but who is he to stop her?

"How are them?" Simon looked at the twins, still sleeping on the couch, and sighed.

"Leah is pissed, and Leo is terrified of everything. They didn't want to sleep for hours and passed
out an hour or so ago." Sounds about right.

"I don't think they'll ever want to go to the store again..." Not only did they have two terrifying
experiences there, but it wasn't a safe place anymore, for them.

"About that..." Did he miss something? "We might–maybe...we got fired." For what, exactly?

"What did you do?" Simon squinted his eyes at him.

"I didn't–Sol got into a fight with her sister, and she got fired first. Then the boss said you had two
days to recover or she was making you work double shifts for an entire month–" Two days?
"That's–"

"–So I told her to go fuck herself." Two days to recover from any major injury is just unreasonable.
He doesn't need the job, anyways. "Sorry if you liked working there but..."

"It's alright, didn't like the place." It wasn't great, but at least he shared shifts with Ghost.

"We'll find something else." They can still work at the flower shop. If they really needed to. "Are
you feeling any better?" He doesn't want to rip his arm off anymore, which could be considered an
improvement.

"Aye." Simon tried and failed to hide a yawn behind his hand. He must be tired, he's been awake
for almost an entire day, if he didn't sleep while Johnny was unconscious. "Why don't you sleep a
little?" They were both exhausted, there's no need to stay up.

"I'm fine." He should look in the mirror.

"I'm going to sleep a little more too. Get some rest." He used the strength he barely had to lift his
hand again, cupping his friend's cheek. Simon just leaned to the touch, closing his eyes and
sighing.

"Fine." Using his crossed arms as a pillow, Ghost leaned on the bed, still looking up at him.

"You know I didn't mean here, right?" Even if he appreciates the gesture, sleeping in that position
is a terrible idea. "Go to the couch with the kids." There was enough space left for him to lay
down.

"No." He's not changing his mind, is he?

"Ghost."

"Don't call me that." Huh. He always calls him that way, when the kids aren't around.

"Simon." The man looked away, then, refusing to make eye contact. "Si...?"

"Don't do this again." He didn't mean to get stabbed, nor does he want to get stabbed again. It was
an accident.

"Are you mad at me?" That got his friend's attention, turning his face just to glare up.

"I'm not mad, Johnny." Then what is it? "I–" Maybe he isn't getting an explanation. Simon just
looked frustrated, either at the situation or at being incapable of putting his feeling to words. Or
both.

"I'm fine, aren't I?" Perhaps that wasn't the best words he could've said.

"What if you weren't, Johnny?" That's something he didn't think beforehand. He just wanted to get
over the situation and make sure the twins were okay. "What was I supposed to do if you died?"

"I didn't die–"

"I don't care!" The kids were startled awake by the noise, Leo scrambling to run away from the
voice and Leah immediately following behind to shield him. "Fuck–"

"Johnny!?" They got over their panic and immediately started running towards the bed, climbing it.
"Hey." Leah hugged him and he bit down a scream when he felt the soaring pain that shot
throughout his right side.

"Don't 'hey' me!" Right, she's still mad.

"Careful with the arm, Leah." The girl let go instantly, with guilt in her eyes.

"Sorry!" He can forgive her, it's a deserved punishment. "Why did you do that?"

"I needed to help Sol." That only made her more mad.

"She could deal with it by herself!" Maybe she could, but if she didn't the twins would have been in
even more danger. "You can't do that, what if you died!?" Is everyone in the room going to tell him
the same? He didn't do what he did with the intention of dying.

"You can't leave us!" He tried to reach for Leo to calm him down, but couldn't find the strength.
Seeing the boy cry, terrified, hurts more than the wound on his shoulder.

"If you die then who's going to take care of us, huh?" Simon still exists. "You can't leave! You
can't dissappear like dad and mom!"

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart. I'm sorry for making you worry..." Leah sighed, frustrated,
but decided to have mercy and drop the subject. She crawled under his healthy arm and hugged
him softly.

"We were so scared..." He could tell by the shake in her voice that she was crying, and he wished
he could hug her properly. "And you!" She pointed at Simon, her anger refueled.

"I'm sorry." Just what happened while he was out?

"How dare you ignore me!?" He chuckled and immediately regretted it, pain flaring up once again.
"I was scared and you told me to go away! You're horrible! I don't like you." Alright, the words are
actually hurting Simon.

"He was scared too, honey. Don't say those things if you don't mean it." The girl glared up, her
anger being replaced by guilt as the seconds passed.

"I'm sorry, Leah..." The girl extended her arms towards the man, waiting for him to get closer.

"I didn't mean it, I'm sorry too." She took the man's hand and squeezed it.

"You should let Johnny sleep, he's tired." Everyone in the room is tired, really.

"Can't I stay here?" He's pretty sure they're not allowed to even be here right now, even less to
share a bed. But Leah isn't going anywhere, by the way she's gripping his clothes.

"Let her be..." He's not uncomfortable, no matter how crowded his private space feels, with Ghost
resting on the edge of the bed and the girl nested under his arms. Leo was reluctant to go away too,
but he climbed down from the bed and went to the couch. "Simon."

"I'm not sleeping in the couch." He's going to regret sleeping by the bedside later.

"Stop being stubborn and go rest properly." Ghost glared at him, annoyed by the tone he had used.
"I'm not going anywhere, ho–Si..." His brain was still thinking of comforting the kids, the slip up
can be understood.
"I'll take care of him, go to sleep, Si." The girl isn't taking care of anything, but she was trying to
help.

"Fine." The man finally stood up, standing in place, still holding Johnny's hand. He reluctantly let
go and walked to the couch, sitting in it with his arms crossed.

That's...at least a little bit more comfortable.

He woke up when Leah started stirring beside him, either waking up or having a nightmare. By the
mumbling he can figure out it was the second option.

"Leah...?" He could move his right arm a bit more, now, so he reached towards the little girl and
started combing her messy hair softly. "Wake up, sweetheart..." The girl stirred a bit more before
sitting up.

"Dad...?" Well, now he just feels even worse about this entire situation. He thought he couldn't feel
any more guilty.

"...sorry." Leah rubbed her eyes and looked at him, smiling softly.

"Johnny!" It looks like whatever bad dream she was having had already been forgotten. She
jumped up and hugged him, and again, he had to swallow down the scream of pain he wanted to let
out, the weight and pressure on the wound almost made him cry.

"The shoulder..." That's all he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh, sorry!" She got up and looked at him, feeling guilty.

"It's okay, honey." His shoulder would say the opposite, if it could speak.

The noise and movement awoke Leo as well, stretching and rubbing his eyes. Meanwhile Ghost...

The boy looked at his side to see what Johnny was seeing. Simon was still in the position he was
last time he saw him, except for his head, thrown back and leaning to the side.

The neck pain is going to be great.

"Should I...?" Waking him up so he could fix the posture would be nice, but he probably didn't
sleep at all during the night, and he won't sleep once he gets up.

"Let him sleep for a little longer." The sun was already up, and it was probably almost noon, from
what little he could see through the curtains. Someone was kind enough to cover the window so
the sunlight wouldn't disturb them. If not Ghost, then a nurse, maybe.

Leo got up then, silently, and went to his bed, getting comfortable at the end of the bed, making
sure to not crush Soap's legs.

Meanwhile Leah was back under Johnny's arm, snuggling to his torso and trying to sleep again. It
doesn't seem to be working, but she's persistent.
He might've dozed off a bit, feeling too comfortable where he was to even try to get up. Sharing a
bed with Leah was like sleeping with a very big and annoying puppy, it wasn't comfortable, but it
felt nice. Just knowing that the girl was okay and by his side left him feeling at peace.

It was when he felt a hand against his cheek, way too big to be one of the twins', that he came back
to reality. Simon was staring down at him, his eyes still red and puffy from sleep.

"Sorry, didn't want to wake you..." It's usually what happens when you touch someone's face.

"I wasn't sleeping, anyways." Leah perked up from the couch, looking up from the phone she was
holding. Huh. Wasn't she just kicking his ribs a moment ago?

"Johnny!" Ghost sighed, picking up the girl when she tried to climb the bed again.

"Let him rest, you bothered him all morning." She didn't bother him, really.

"But..."

"When are we going home?" Leo was sitting in a coat, on the floor, reading his copy of The Little
Prince again.

"In a minute." That's less time than expected. "We are going home, you stay until next week." Ah,
he wasn't part of the group now?

"But I don't want to go without Johnny!" And he doesn't want to be left alone either...

"We'll come visit, you two still have school." That's true, this is the first day they don't go to school
since they've started taking care of them.

"But he'll get lonely..." Even if that's true too, he can manage.

"The animals at the farm will also get lonely if we don't go take care of them." And probably
starve, too.

"But..."

"I'll be fine, Leah. You have to go to school." His idea was to never have to get the kids to the
hospital unless it was for their own consults and checkups, but now that they're already in this
situation, he doesn't want them to stay all day here.

"I'll leave you with Miss Fluffy so you don't feel sad..." She fetched her plushie from the couch,
handing it over reluctantly. "Take care of her."

"I will." If something happens to the toy she would be devastated.

"You two can go to the car, go with Sol." She's still here? Doesn't she have a life? "She asked to
babysit for us until she gets another job." Ah, right, she fought with her sister. At least Simon won't
have to deal with everything himself.

"Is she any better?" She still had a concussion, though. Taking care of kids is easier than carrying
boxes and crates, but it's still hard.

"She says she's fine. 'A broken nose and a few lost braincells won't stop me', she said." Sounds
about right.

"At least she can help you out. Sorry for leaving you alone for a while..." Simon just stared at him,
eyes unreadable. "Si–?"

"Don't apologize." He doesn't want apologies, now? "Just don't do this again. Sol can't replace
you."

"That's..." Was everyone's objective this morning to make him cry? Ah, nevermind his feelings,
Ghost is upset too, if he guesses by the way the man is gripping his coat. "I didn't mean it like
that."

"Just making sure you know." Simon let the coat on the edge of the bed and sat down near him,
still looking at his eyes. "No one can replace you, Johnny." Those words combined with the intense
eye contact were making him more than just a little nervous.

"I–" How is he supposed to answer to that, exactly? "I don't know if that's–" Maybe not that way.

"Shut up." His L.t's orders are absolute, so he kept quiet, looking down at his hand to avoid Ghost's
glare. "Look at me." Not possible. "Johnny." His friend took his hand, the cold skin meeting his
warm one caught him by surprise.

"You're freezing." His eyes went up to look at Ghost out of concern, and he found the man was also
concerned, for another very different reason.

"Don't change the topic." He didn't mean to, he's actually worried at how cold his friend is. "Sol–
No one can replace you, Johnny. They can do the same things you do but they'll never be you."

"I kno–"

"The kids won't like anyone that isn't you anymore. I won't like anyone that isn't you." Perhaps this
is what dying actually feels like. "Just like you wouldn't like anyone that isn't me, I'm assuming."
The light at the end of the tunnel looks so appealing.

"You're right." At some point he had freed his hand from Ghost's hold, covering his eyes as if that
would make the world dissappear. The thing is, when he said what he said last night, he really
thought he could die, and Sol's words made him panic. He didn't care about what would happen
after the fact very thoroughly. Now here they are, the consequences of his actions.

"I'm glad." he thought the conversation was over until he felt cold fingers trying to pry his hands
away from his face, carefully and without any real strength. "We don't have to talk about that, I just
want to see your face." Maybe in a couple of years when he isn't blushing like a schoolgirl.

"No." Simon stopped then, taking his hands away for a couple seconds before letting them rest
against Johnny's neck, being careful with the wound.

"Please?" Those same hands kept traveling up, caressing the skin under them as they slowly
cupped Soap's lower face.

"I'm embarrassed, leave me alone." His friend chuckled, not taking his hands away from his jaw.

"You weren't so embarrassed last night." That sounds terrible without context.

"I was delirious instead." He felt how the man's fingers twitched, before they started to back away.
"Not that–I meant what I said." Confessing his feelings a second time would be hell, especially if
Ghost thought he wasn't sincere the first time.
"You–stop scaring me." He peeked through his fingers right on time to see Simon's eyes replace
worry for relief.

"Sorry." He gave in, then, taking his hand off his face slowly and looking at the window. "I'm
actually nervous, look somewhere else, prick." Simon chuckled and moved..

"Why are you nervous?" Why is he pulling the mask down? Not like he could ever complain about
seeing Ghost's face, if anything he can distract himself by observing everything he loves about it.
"Hm...?"

"I–you're close." He remembers them being more distanced last time he checked.

"Am I?" He swallowed, thickly, not knowing if he should focus on Simon's hands on his cheeks, or
the way Simon's thumb was softly caressing his skin, or his friend's eyes, or his lips or– "Can I get
closer?"

The last line didn't sound like teasing like the other ones. Simon didn't look like he was joking
either, his eyes showed that he was nervous too.

He's...not the only one scared of this. That was comforting, somehow, to know that Ghost was just
as afraid as him, and just as happy, maybe. It means he feels just like him.

"Can you?" It was almost a plea–not almost, it was definitely a plea. The tension that had built up
in just a few minutes was unbearable, and the closer Simon got, the more anxious he got. He could
feel his friend's breath against his face, could see how the other's eyes kept going from his eyes to
his lips. If only he got a few milliliters closer, he could–

"Hey, Si–Holy shit." Holy shit indeed. They both frantically crawled away from the other, Ghost
covering his face hurriedly and staring at the door.

"What's happening?" Leah had her eyes covered by her brother, completely clueless. And Leo was
just staring wide eyed at them.

"Nothing." Sol looked down at the boy, covering his eyes as well.

"Something unholy."

"I already saw." Leo shoved the hands on his face away and glared at the woman.

"I'm so sorry, little one." The boy kicked her foot, getting a glare back as a response. "Sorry to
interrupt this but, like, they said you were coming down soon and you were taking your–I
should've seen this coming. My bad." He's never hated a person more than he hates Sol right now.

"I'll be there in a second." Ghost apparently feels the same way.

"Sorry, my guy." In her defense, she looked more guilty than what was necessary for the situation.

"But what happened?" Leah was turned around and guided out of the room, trying to look back but
unable to see anything.

Everybody left the room, Sol being the last, giving them an apologetic look before closing the
door.

"I have to leave, sorry." The moment was gone anyways.

"Aye, it's okay." Soap laid down on his bed again, disappointed. Simon just chuckled at the almost
pout he could see, getting close enough to grab Johnny's hand.

"We'll come back later, don't miss us too much." The man pulled down his face mask again to
leave a kiss on that hand, getting up and leaving the room quickly.

Johnny still saw his blushing ears and neck, though.

Cute.

"I'm going to kill you." Sol laughed hysterically at the very serious threat.

"I'm sorry for stopping you from eating Soap's face." Leah just stared confused at the two adults on
the front seats.

"What does tha–"

"You don't want to know." Leo stopped her before she could ask. She won't do something her
brother tells her not to do. But she will ask again later.

Most of the ride they spent in silence. The twins were used to Sol being around, but they didn't feel
comfortable enough to ramble the entire drive home like they usually do.

And Ghost wasn't talking. Not only because he doesn't like starting conversations, but because he
was actually annoyed. Specifically at the woman beside him.

Sol wasn't clueless, she just didn't care.

"To be honest, did you really want your first kiss to be in an ugly hospital room?" That's...not a bad
point. But he's been waiting for this to happen for more than two years, he's allowed to be
impatient.

"Not my first." The woman rolled her eyes, putting her phone down.

"I know that, knucklehead, you're forty." They stopped at a red light and Ghost turned to look at
her, both confused and offended.

"I'm thirty t–"

"I know! My point is, it's your first kiss together. Make it special, man." Well, she's right. It would
be nice if they didn't have bad memories attached to something that's meant to be good.

"You're–...fine, you win." She knew there was nothing he could defend himself with. "I'm still mad
at you."

"Aw, come on, I did you a favor and you repay me like this?" She did more than one favor.

Not only had she kept the kids safe while she was held at gunpoint, made sure to keep the gun
away from the man that had attacked them, and took care of the kids when he was focused on
Johnny alone, but she also prioritized Soap when help came. For some reason they had sent an
only ambulance that couldn't take more than one injured people, they wanted to take her first and
leave paramedics behind to take care of Johnny until another unit arrived, because she looked
terrible at that time, her face barely recognizable from the amount of blood covering it. She
remained calm and explained it was nothing more than a concussion and that 'that guy is literally
bleeding out, shut up and take him before he becomes a corpse'.

And then she fought with her sister to defend them. Because that woman was not only terrible at
being nice, she was also very much disgusted when Simon had a breakdown.

So he's more than in debt with Sol.

"I gave you a job, didn't I? Be grateful." She had asked for the job, really, but it's the least he can
do. Rusnav left more than enough money for a babysitter.

"I am grateful. You kinda saved my butt yesterday." None of this would've happened if he wasn't
so invested in his work, and inside the cold room. He could've taken care of this easily.

"Could've done more." It's unforgivable for him to be so reckless.

"You probably would've ended up like Soap." According to Sol, everything was going great until
Johnny heard one of the twins scream and got distracted. He wouldn't have...he would have gotten
distracted too, and he can't deny it.

"I would rather be the one–"

"John wouldn't have liked that." It's annoying that everything she says is right. "Alright, thanks for
the ride, dude." He parked where Sol told him, the woman leaving the car slowly. "I'll see
you...tomorrow at the hospital, probably."

"Take care." She tried to nod, regretting it shortly after.

"You too." And then they were back on the road.

He noticed the twins were nervous, too. Usually he would ask what was wrong and then let Johnny
take care of the conversation. But Johnny is not here today.

Ah, how could he miss him that much? He saw him less than an hour ago.

"Simon...?" He couldn't turn to look at Leah, not wanting to look away from the road, so instead he
hummed, waiting for the kid to keep talking. "Are you angry?"

"Why would I be angry?" Maybe he looks annoyed, but he's not mad at the kids. He has no reason
to be mad at them, to begin with, so he has no idea why the girl–

"Do you want to be angry...?" What did she do now?

"She left your phone at the hospital." Of course they decide to tell him when they're already home.
Too late to turn back, now, and they'll be back in a few hours. It's not like he used the phone that
much, nor does he have anything to hide–

No, wait, he does have things to hide.

He can only pray Soap doesn't find the thing before he goes back to the hospital.

~
And Ghost's prayers were ignored.

Soap isn't really known for minding his own business. He wasn't trying to find anything on Simon's
phone, he wasn't a jealous partner trying to find proof that he was being cheated on, they have
been–wait, they aren't even together yet, are they? Either way, he knew the man wasn't really
interested in other human beings in general.

He was just trying to find some more information on Ghost's interests. He understands and knows
the man a lot, in his opinion, but there wasn't much he seemed to like, besides bad jokes and
cooking.

His first surprise was when he went to unlock his phone. The lock screen's wallpaper was a picture
of Johnny, looking at something at his side. He has no idea how that picture was taking or when,
it's weird he didn't notice the phone pointing at him, but considering the smile he had on his face,
he was probably too preoccupied looking at the kids. He recognizes the fields in the background.

Ignoring the heat on his face and his racing heartbeat, a very normal reaction to his finding, he
unlocked the phone and thought on what he should snoop on next.

The gallery, maybe, since he doubts his...friend, has many pictures saved.

And a few seconds later he was proved wrong. It wasn't an excessive amount of pictures, but three
hundred was more than he expected. Most of it was on a folder labeled 'recipes' which he knows
what it's filled with without even checking the pictures.

He scrolled through another folder, labeled 'the twins', with a smile on his face seeing how many
photos and videos Ghost took of the kids just having fun wherever they went, or just around the
house and playing with pets.

Then, the almost final folder was named 'the birthday incident', it had the pictures and videos Gaz
had sent him, and some that Ghost apparently took himself while he was still sober and not taking
care of them. He criticized Kyle for taking pictures but he did the same...

The last folder was labeled '1', and it was protected by a password. He tried the lock screen code
but it wasn't the same. Just when he was about to find something interesting...Ah, no, he shouldn't
even know about the folder's existance, he can't be disappointed he can't see it's contents. The only
thing he should be disappointed at is at himself, for ignoring Simon's boundaries.

That didn't stop him from checking the browser history.

There wasn't much, the thing was probably cleared recently. The only things he found were
bookmarked recipes, a website about puns, which he wasn't surprised to find at all, and some
random Google searches. Nothing interesting.

Checking the chats is a little too far...Whatever, he had already gone too far.

The password was the same as the lock screen this time, so he didn't have much trouble opening
the app. He didn't know the password because he was nosy, Simon just never tried to hide it, even
Leah knew the combination, since she used the phone frequently.

There were just three chats, the group chat they had with their friends, silenced, his chat with
Johnny, pinned at the top of the page, and Gaz's chat.
He knew all the messages that were in two of those chats.

Of course it was Gaz the first to start the conversation, sending 'Are you interested in trading?',
which was very concerning. Even more concerning was Ghost immediately sending 'Go on.' as a
reply.

He didn't know there was an underground market of pictures of him. Gaz sent at least ten pictures
he had taken of Ghost and Soap together, asking for different things as payment. Who knows why
Simon would exchange a bottle of whiskey for pictures of them together when he could've just
asked.

Also, how did Gaz take a picture of them while they were sleeping? Was it the night they went
drinking? Actually, there's not that many options, Ghost would have woken up and snapped his
neck any other day. Johnny would have done the same.

But the picture was...cute. Simon was sleeping clinging to Johnny, the low light of the bedside
lamp was perfect. It looked warm. He can't shake the feeling he's seen the picture before, though...

Ah, it's the chat wallpaper.

"Johnny!" Shit. "Did you miss us?" He smiled nervously and closed the app in a hurry before
Ghost got into the room, locking the phone and leaving it by the bed.

"I did. Come here." The little girl was more than happy to do so, running to the bed and jumping on
top of it and hugging him carefully.

"I missed you too!" He can tell. Ghost entered the room with Leo, scanning the room discreetly.

"We were gone for five hours." Only five hours? Why did it feel like an eternity?

"Doesn't matter, I miss him." He hugged the girl back, listening to the giggles she let out. "He
missed us too..."

"Did you really get lonely in five hours?" Today Leo is more harsh than usual.

"Aye. Come here too." The boy squinted his eyes, but decided to do as told, trying to not look that
eager when he climbed the bed. Ghost kept looking at the room, more desperate this time, but still
trying to keep his cool. "Looking for something?"

"Yeah, did you...you snooped through my phone, didn't you?" Ah, he should've kept quiet.

"Uh..." Ghost would probably notice that he used his phone, lying would only make him look bad.
"I wanted to check who was the owner so I looked at the lock screen..." A half lie. Non-truth?
Non-truth.

"I'll change it, don't worry." No, wait, he's not–

"Don't do that. Please." It's not uncommon for Ghost to jump to the worst conclusions, but
sometimes it's amazing and terrifying how easily the man's brain twists the smallest bit of
information. "I...Let's talk about it later." He wants the chat's wallpaper too.

"Alright." The kids waited for them to stop talking before asking to play. They get bored easily,
and usually they asked to watch videos with Ghost, which is exactly what they were doing now, the
three of them on the couch and leaning on the man's side.
 Ah, he gets why Simon likes taking pictures in secret now.

"Congratulations on your baby!" Sol opened the door, a balloon saying 'It's a girl!' and flowers in
hand. It's a bit late for the flowers considering he's getting discharged tomorrow.

"What baby?" The kids were with her, since Simon stayed with him all morning, she picked them
up from school. "Are we getting a brother!?"

"No. He's a man." Leo shouldn't know how babies work. "Only moms can have babies."

"Then...no brother...?" Why does she look disappointed? She already has one. "Wait, where do
babies come from?" Sol laughed loudly, left her presents, and quickly left the room.

He's going to kill her.

>

Chapter End Notes

The_Author was blown up by Creeper.

I lost my enchanted trident too, so sad.

I kinda forgot this was supposed to have romance, my bad. /j

Also, fun fact, Sol died in this chapter (in the original work) but I decided to have
mercy because she's not as annoying as the OG. But she will appear less because, you
know, she didn't exist after this.

Thanks for all the support, see you next saturday!<3

 (12). Sunsets by the sea.
Chapter Summary

The Beach Episode(TM) but make it sad.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

They are used to moderately warm summers back home, so it's normal that he feels like he's going
to die any second. Looking at Ghost and seeing him wear long sleeves and a mask made him
wonder if he fell for a psychopath. As if there weren't any other indications.

The kids weren't doing any better, laying in the floor and looking at the TV in a daze.

"I'm melting..." You're not the only one, Leah. "Can't the conditioner be colder...?" It can't, it
probably needs maintenance considering how little it was doing to stop the heat.

"Should we get inside the fridge...?" Ah, they lost Leo too.

"I want to swim on ice cream..." Now that's just disgusting. "Wait, don't we have a pool?"

"The sun is too strong, you can go later if you want." Seriously, how is Ghost so composed? Maybe
he stays cold the same way he's always warm in winter? The opposite of a human furnace... "Got
something on my face?"

"How are you alive?" Simon just looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Are you okay?" His brain is melting alongside his body, so maybe he's not okay. "Let me find a
fan or something." Ghost walked to the door and left without expecting any answer.

"Why are you on the floor, by the way?" Leah turned to lie on her stomach, her arms outstretched.
It doesn't look comfortable but she seemed relieved anyways.

"The floor is cold." Leo sat up and stretched. It might be cold but it'll make their bones hurt. "I
can't read like this."

"Just watch TV then." It's what they were supposed to be doing, anyways. Leah had put on a
cooking show and Ghost was pretty invested on it.

"Right..." Not a big fan of watching TV. It's a little odd, that he came to take care of one of the few
kids that didn't like using technology when they're bored. Well, Leah would draw all day if it
weren't because her hands get tired, she only used the phone or watched TV while she relaxed. So
both of his kids were weirdos.

The door opened again and Simon walked in with a fan he didn't know they had. Where do they
keep all those things? There were mattresses upstairs too, apparently, but he hasn't find where they
are.
"Is that better?" Well, the wind on his face felt nice, but he was still melting.

"Aye." Not like Ghost can fix that. Leah climbed on the couch and sat in front of the fan as well,
closing her eyes and relaxing on the cushions.

"Do you need anything else?" A trip to the arctic sounds very appealing, right now. "Does anything
hurt? Want some–?"

"Stop acting like my mother. Shut up and come here." He noticed that after leaving the hospital
Ghost was paying more attention to him than usual. Sure, he got stabbed, so it was nice to get some
extra help, but he can do things by himself.

Simon put his arm across Johnny's shoulders when he sat down, glancing at him for a last time
before giving his full attention to the cooking show.

Soap wanted to lean on him a bit, but even if he loves physical contact, it's too damn hot to even try
to get close. So he just took the other man's hand and–

"You're joking." The bastard's hands were freezing. That's just got to be bad circulation or
something, there is no way he's not even warm when the weather is this hot.

"What is it?" Oh, don't mind him, he's just going insane.

Before Ghost could even turn to him, Johnny grabbed his other hand and put them on his face, the
only thing his friend could do was stare down at him as if he'd lost his mind. Which is definitely
the case.

"You're cold." His cheeks were squeezed by Simon's hand, so the words came out a little muffled,
but the man understood anyways, staring down at him, clearly amused. "Why."

"I don't know." Magic then. "You're too hot, I think."

"Thanks." Ghost's concern disappeared for a moment, a small laugh escaping his mouth. "You're
hotter, though."

"Don't think so." The hands left his face as Simon stood up, laughing again when Soap pouted, but
leaving for the kitchen anyways.

"I want to go...to the beach..." Ah, the poor girl is delirious. So sad.

"That's not a bad idea." Did they forget about the scorching sun? "Can we go?"

"I don't know..." He's not sure if he should drive in his current state, nor does he know where's a
good place to go.

"Please..." He doesn't need the puppy eyes to be convinced.

The door opened again, the other man getting into the room with a few drinks in a tray. He feels
spoiled.

"Drink something, you need to stay hydrated." He knows that, he just forgot.

"Thank–"

"Can we go to the beach, mister Riley?" Ghost slowly turned to glare at Leo. The boy had found
out that being called that way pissed Simon off, for some reason, and now he uses it every chance
he gets. Like the little demon he is.

"No." Leah groaned and sank further into the couch.

"Why..." Even Soap wanted to get out of the house now.

"I don't like the beach." That's the only reason?

"But we do." Leah is right, it's three against one.

"Johnny can't go, he's still hurt, remember?" The girl looked up at him, disappointed.

"If I don't get into the water I'll be fine." That's not the answer Ghost wanted but it's the one the
kids needed.

"Fine, then." The twins cheered and stood up, waiting for orders. "Go close your windows and get
ready, we'll go after lunch."

Once the kids dissappeared, Simon let himself fall beside him on the couch, leaning close to him.

"Sorry, I want to go out too." The man just sighed and leaned his head on Johnny's shoulder. "If
you want to–"

"I'm not staying. You can't drive." He can drive, but he shouldn't. At least his most recent injury
didn't make anything worse, he should keep it that way by not doing unnecessary things.

"We can take the bus or something. Maybe Sol can–"

"No." Right, still mad at Sol. He should get over it soon, it's been two weeks since he was set free
from the sterilized hell that was the hospital, and they hadn't seen her since. "Unless you don't want
me to go."

"Of course I do, I just don't want you to be uncomfortable." If he really doesn't like beaches Johnny
is not going to force him.

"I don't mind if you're with me." He smiled at the man, not really knowing what to answer. He just
combed through his...not-friend's hair as he let silence fill the room.

They didn't really talk about what happened at the hospital, but they didn't ignore it either. Simon
isn't bad with words, but he's bad at expressing his own feelings, and Johnny is too nervous to
bring the topic up, because he knows Ghost isn't comfortable. So they reached a silent agreement,
apparently.

"Don't we need to get ready?" He tried to stand up when Simon had moved from his shoulder, but
as soon as he was on his feet, two hands grabbed his waist and pulled him back down to the couch.

Or not the couch.

"Maybe." Simon's lap is just as comfortable as the couch, it seems. He was going to say something,
but Simon had pulled down his mask and was currently covering his neck and shoulders with small
kisses. "We have a little more time..."

"Behave, the kids are around." That didn't stop Ghost.

"I'm not doing anything." There's no way he's not aware of what he's doing.
"Take your hand back, then." Simon stopped, slowly getting his hand out from under Johnny's shirt.
It looks like he didn't notice he had done that.

"Didn't mean to do that." So he didn't notice. He's not going to complain, really, but he is always
taken aback by Ghost's physical affection. For somebody who loathed being approached he sure
loved touching Soap. But Simon isn't that strict anymore, and Johnny was always an exception.
"What's gotten you so distracted...?" Huh, what could it be? Perhaps it's because the innocent small
kisses turned into open mouthed ones, and he's trying very hard to remain composed.

"Just thinking about how touch-starved you ar–hey!" He knows the difference between a kiss and a
bite, as any person should. "Are you a dog?"

"Yes." Simon had mercy and went back to giving him pecks, paying special attention to the spot he
bit down on just a moment ago.

"I'm all sweaty, let me go already..." Suddenly, Ghost is deaf. "The kids can come back any
second..." They're actually taking longer than he expected.

"Don't care." Soap does. The kids don't need to see this.

"Come on, let m–" He bit down on his lip, suppressing the noise he was about to make when
Simon started kissing and nibbling near his earlobe. "You're a bastard." And he had the audacity to
chuckle. Right next to his ear too.

"Why? Am I bothering you?" No. Also yes. He suddenly feels the urge to make that cocky attitude
dissappear.

"Yes, want me to show you how much?" Simon's smirk vanished when he saw Johnny turn around.
"You can handle that, right?" He saw the way Ghost swallowed, his throat tight. Ah, now he's
nervous and embarrassed.

"I don't know what you mean." Trying to run from the consequences of his actions. He expected
more from his L.t.

Simon relaxed a bit when Johnny started playing with the hair at the back of his neck. That was not
Soap's objective, though.

"Don't worry, I'll show you." He tugged at Simon's hair, not too hard, but enough to expose his
neck. Even if he was masking this as a sort of punishment, he's actually doing it because it's only
fair he returns what Ghost gives him. Not like he'd admit that.

"Wait–" He won't. He knows exactly how far he can push. Maybe. Simon fell silent when Soap
started doing the same he was doing a while ago, softly kissing his neck and slowly going up until
reaching his jawline. "Johnny–"

"What is it?" He kept leaving small kisses until he reached Simon's earlobe. "Hm? What's wrong?"
The man under him let out a whimper when he started softly biting the skin on his neck, right
under his ear. Alright, maybe he's going too far.

"Please–" Definitely too far. The hands that were gently hugging him a few minutes ago were now
grasping at his T-shirt, pulling him as close to Simon as he could get.

"Ah." The man leaned forward once Soap let go of his hair, hiding in the crook of Johnny's neck.
At least he learnt his lesson, it seems. "I'm sorry..." He should know Simon is a bit more sensitive
than him.
He tried to calm the man down the only way he knew, but it wasn't the right approach. He's
overwhelmed and touching him only makes matters worse. All he did was just stay where he was
and kept his hands still, holding Ghost's sides.

A thump at his side caught him off guard. Leah collapsed on the couch next to them, she had a
different dress on, and a backpack was thrown on the floor next to her.

"I can't take this anymore..." Someone hates summer. "What happened to Simon?" She lift her head
slowly and looked up at him tiredly.

"He's..." Overstimulated because Soap was an asshole? Not kid friendly. "...uh, the heat got to
him."

"He looks like a tomato." True, his ears and neck are blushing, as expected. Thankfully the
evidence of what he did can't be seen because of that. "Will he be okay?"

"Of course, he just needs to rest a little." Maybe more than a little.

"Is lunch ready?" Leo was blankly staring at him, for some reas–ah, he's still in Simon's lap.

"Fridge." It was barely above a whisper, but the boy heard Ghost's shaky voice.

"Cool." The boy came back with a plate for him and his sister, having to basically drag her to the
table so they could eat.

Soap doesn't mind the situation he's in, but he needs Simon to put himself together and the position
isn't helping at all.

"Si..." No response. "Ghost...?"

"Don't call me that." The strain in the other's voice made him more concerned.

"Sorry. Do you want to go somewhere else?" The living room is the only room with an air
conditioner, but it was also very bright and very noisy. Simon nodded and loosened his grip on
Soap's clothes, letting him stand up.

Ghost's– Their room was way too warm but Simon didn't seem to mind, throwing himself on the
bed and covering himself with the blankets, hiding his head as well. He doesn't know whether he
should stay by his side or leave him alone.

"Come here." Well, that answers the question. A hand shyly crept out of the blanket cocoon and
searched around for Soap's hand. "Hand?" At least he's talking on his usual tone now.

"Here." He grabbed Simon's hand, who held it tightly, but not enough to hurt or cause any bruise.

Soap sat there, slowly stroking the other man's wrist with his finger and waiting patiently for him
to calm down.

Eventually he came out of the blankets, taking a deep breath and stretching, before laying face
down by Johnny's side.

"Sorry." None of that.

"I should be sorry, I did that." Simon turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Not like you did anything bad." He...didn't? But he overstepped–why did– "Not your fault that my
brain shut down. I'm not used to...that...kind of thing."

Oh.

"Should've asked first." He didn't ask and he ignored Ghost when he told him to slow down.

"I didn't ask you either." That's...true, nor did he stop when he asked him to, either. But it's
different, he's used to being more open to physical contact with others, meanwhile Ghost...

"It's different. If you don't like–"

"I liked it." Good to know, but he should've still asked. He feels bad for what he did and Simon
won't accept his apology. "You don't have to ask next time." He'll ask anyways. Wait–

"Next time?" Simon looked away then, hiding his face by looking at the wall.

"I said I liked it, didn't I?" He did, but..."Didn't you...?"

"Oh, shut up." How could he even think that? He was going insane with both what Ghost was
doing to him, and with what he did to Ghost. The little noises he made? That whimper? Never
leaving his memories.

"Is that a yes?" He has no right to even try to tease him.

"Not as much as you did." He planted a kiss on the other's still sensitive neck and made a quick
retreat.

Once he was in the safety of what used to be his room, he crouched and covered his face.

Did he really just do all that?

"Are we there yet?" He's pretty sure Leah is imitating a scene from a certain movie, from the
amount of times she asked the same thing.

"Almost." They are ten minutes away, if there's not much traffic at the city. He had asked Sol to
recommend him a place to go, because his google searches didn't help him at all. She said the best
place was a small beach around fifty minutes away from their home. She said it was the place
where less jellyfishes get stranded, which wasn't comforting at all because she didn't say there
weren't any jellyfishes.

"Oh! I can see it!" The ocean was still far away, but it looked beautiful from where they were.

Thankfully the sunlight was dimmed by the clouds that started to gather, and they waited until it
wasn't so strong too, so the kids wouldn't get sunburn.

Leah was rambling as usual, his brain had gotten used to zone out whenever he heard the same
facts about sea creatures the girl always told them.

What got him back to reality was Simon's hand resting on his lap, stroking his thigh close to his
knee to get his attention. He looked at the man but didn't say anything. By the way Leah was still
talking excitedly he didn't miss any question or any important information, so he doesn't know
what Ghost wanted.

What he could notice after a few moments of staring, was that Simon was tense. He doesn't know
if it's because there were way more cars than at town and he's scared of driving around so many
people, or if it was because he didn't want to get to the beach.

"You good?" He kept his voice low so Leah wouldn't notice they aren't really paying attention to
her. Simon looked at him for a second, not wanting to take his eyes off the road for too long.
"Want me to drive?" The man shook his head and looked at him again, apprehensive.

He decided not to ask anything else, instead putting his hand above the one resting on his knee, and
waited patiently until the car was parked.

Leah was excited but knew not to get out of the car until Johnny opened the door for her. She
walked ahead, not going too far, as instructed.

The beach was a bit crowded, but there were places that gave them space, separated from strangers.
Leo was the one to point at a spot, close to the water, so they could watch them if they went
swimming.

"Can we go swiming already?" The girl was impatient, jumping in place as she waited for Simon to
place the umbrella on the sand.

"Did you put sunscreen on?" She sighed and nodded.

"I did when we were still at home..." She got closer to him and showed him her arm.

"Fine. Don't go too far into the water and stay were we can see you."

"I know!" She took her dress off and started running towards the water. Leo dejectedly threw his
book on one of the towels and started walking behind her.

"Make sure she doesn't touch any jellyfishes." The boy looked back with pure dread. Not because
there were jellyfishes, but because convincing Leah not to mess with one was a very difficult task.

"Can't promise anything." He left more hurried now, jogging towards where his sister was.

Soap watched as the girl kept running into the water. She threw herself when a wave came in, his
heart racing as he saw her dissappear under the water, finally breathing when her head popped out
and she started laughing. Her brother went and did the same when he made sure it was safe.

They're going to be the death of him.

Simon sat down on a towel beside him, looking at the kids as well. It's unbelievable the man can
wear long sleeves, pants and his face mask on without looking like he's going to pass out.

"Is it your hobby to stare at people or do I have something on my face?" He doesn't like staring at
people, he likes staring at Ghost.

"You do have something on your face." The man turned, confused. "The mask."

"Not taking it off." Of course he isn't. He'll let him be, if he wants to suffocate it's not Soap's
problem.

"I know that." Simon sighed and laid down, his hand going to Johnny's lap again. "Why were you
so nervous at the car? You hate beaches that much?"

"Yeah." Should he ask why? The other man knows he can tell him to mind his business, but he
doesn't want to make him uncomfortable.

"Why?" He's just curious, and if Ghost doesn't want to elaborate he can understand.

"I feel out of place." Ah. That was it, then. It's true that he's wearing way more clothes than most of
the people around him, but no one is paying attention to them. "Don't like sticking out." He knows
that too, the man felt at ease in the shadows.

"You're not sticking out." He can't deny that wearing long sleeves wasn't that common when you
go to the beach, but they weren't really going into the water. "Don't think too much about it, no one
really pays attention..." Soap can feel some stares at them but they're definitely not the kind Simon
was thinking of.

"Easier said than done." That's true. He just needs to get distracted and he'll eventually calm down.
Now what can he do to distract the man...

He felt fingers tapping on his leg.

"Hm?" Simon looked up, his eyes looking somewhere else when Soap met his stare. "What is it?"

"Nothing." He won't push, it doesn't seem like something that important anyways.

He kept thinking what they could do until he felt the hand on his leg move again, stroking up and
down his leg just like in the car. Ah, that's what wrong.

As much as he'd like to let Simon show his affection the only way he knows how, that would bring
the attention they didn't want.

"Didn't know you were this needy." Except he did, but after he was discharged from the hospital
Simon is more confident and comfortable with touching him.

"Sorry for liking you." He chuckled and took the hand on his leg, lifting it so he could leave a
small kiss on the back of it.

"Didn't say I hated it." He heard Simon's breathing stop when he kissed his wrist and the palm of
the hand. He doesn't want a repeat of what happened back at the house so he put the hand back on
the sand. "Should've thought of what to do before coming here." They still had their phones, but
who goes to the beach to be on their phones when they could do that at home?

He checked on the kids again, sighing when he saw them throwing water at each other, and laid
back on his towel.

At least the breeze here is nice...

"Don't fall asleep." Why not? He's comfortable, even if the sand is getting in his hair. "Don't leave
me alone." He's still there, isn't he? The worst that can happen is Simon getting bored.
"MacTavish." He isn't intimidated when he's called that way anymore. It's only slightly annoying,
now, especially if it's Simon saying it.

"What is it, Ghost?" The man sat up, looking down at him. "Got anything to say, mister Riley?"
Simon pinched his arm and he laughed at how disappointed the man looked.
"You suck." It's just harmless teasing.

"Sure do. Don't have much practice though." Simon just stared at him, confused, before he
realized what he meant. His face went blank as he looked straight ahead, his mind somewhere he
didn't know.

"You..." He broke him.

"Don't picture it too much." He laughed as the red started to spread around the man's face. It's
interesting how Ghost's face won't turn red, no matter how much Soap tries to embarrass him. In a
harmless way, of course.

His companion was still lost in thought, so he made sure the kids were doing fine once more and
closed his eyes for a bit.

He wasn't tired, really, but the warm breeze was nice, and the sound of the waves crashing was
relaxing. This is probably the equivalent of cats napping in the sun.

The person by his side moved a bit, he peeked through one of his eyes to see the man laying down
as well, his arms crossed over his chest. After a few moments, he felt a hand next to his own,
Simon was shyly rubbing his pinkie finger against the side of Johnny's hand.

It's a bit odd, but also adorable, how much confident Simon was when showering him in kisses, but
felt shy whenever it came to certain things. He doesn't understand the thinking process behind it,
but he found it very cute.

That same thought process is also what's getting in their way when it comes to actually kissing.
The closest they were to making out was that day at the hospital, and though there were other
opportunities, one of them always ended up chickening out.

It's not like he doesn't want to, nor did he think Simon was going to reject his advances, he just felt
like crossing that line would make things serious. He is serious about Ghost, and the other man
seems serious about this too, but it's still a difficult boundary they can't get the courage to break.

They'll get there when they get there, he's fine with all the affection Simon already gives him, and
he hopes the man is content with the love Johnny gives back.

He heard footsteps approaching, which were definitely from the kids, and felt how Simon's hand
darted away from him.

"Johnny, look!" He was expecting to find a jellyfish, but thankfully it was just a rock. "So pretty!"
It's...just a rock.

"It is." Playing along is his only option, the girl would get upset otherwise. And it's not like he'll
just disregard her likes and dislikes. If she likes plain rocks then so be it.

"Right? Leo says it's just a rock!" Of course the boy would be so honest.

The kids turned to Simon, who was completely ignoring them and looking up at the beach
umbrella above his head.

"Why is he depressed?" There's many causes.

"I'm not depressed." Good to know, he still looks sad, or more like a dog that was left out in the
rain.
"Aren't you hot? You can take off your shirt, like Leo did." The girl slapped her brother's chest, to
prove her point, and the poor boy almost fell backwards, caught off guard.

"I'm alright." He's sweating, though, so the girl isn't convinced.

"It's alright, you can hide under...!" She looked for her bag, rummaging through it until she found
what she wanted, taking out a very thin...blanket? It's way too thin to be considered a blanket, but it
was the right size to be one. "This!"

The blanket flew towards Simon's head and the man barely had time to catch it, examining it
before looking at the girl.

"I really don't need–"

"You'll be uncomfortable, being all sweaty! Just do it..." The man sighed, seeing as he wouldn't
win this argument, and hid himself under the blanket, which it wasn't of that much use from this
close, since it was almost transparent, but from far away it served it's purpose.

"Happy?" The girl nodded as she saw Simon throw his shirt to the side. She left the rock on
Johnny's hand and ran back towards the sea, backtracking a bit so she could drag her brother with
her.

When he heard a sigh from his side, he turned to look at his companion, who was very
uncomfortable now. He was holding onto the fabric and crossing his arms under it so that his body
was covered as much as possible.

"You can put it back on." Leah wouldn't be mad if he just said he's uncomfortable, Johnny has no
idea why the man went along with what she asked.

"Don't want to." So it's one of those occasions where he uses the girl's requests as an excuse to do
things he actually wants to do. "Why didn't she say anything to you?"

"Because I'm not wearing long sleeves." He's using the t-shirt that he usually sleeps with, because
he couldn't be bothered to find anything else. "Why? You want me to take off my shirt that badly?"

"Yes." He should know better. Before he confirmed that Simon had feelings for him, he thought
the way he answered his teasing was just good acting, but now he knows it's not acting, and he's
just very honest. "Come on."

"Bossy." He took his shirt off anyways, it's not something that bothers him, at all. He threw the
piece of clothing on top of Simon's and looked at the man, who was staring back. And not exactly
at his face. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." The bastard actually took his phone.

"Thanks." Unbelievable. Not even a hint of shame on those eyes. Is he still taking–

"Stop that." He didn't really agree to being a model.

"Make me." He knew that behind that mask was a smirk. He also knows that Ghost knows the
consequences of daring him to do anything.

"You asked for this." He could've gone for the predictable route and tickled him, but that would
only bring unwanted attention to them. So plan B it was.

He quickly approached Ghost, keeping track of where the phone was, and put his hands under the
fabric covering the man. Said man froze when he felt the hands touching his belly, instead of his
ribs, which was what he had expected.

"I–" Panic started to take Simon when those same hands kept roaming his bare skin, firmly but still
gentle. He wasn't prepared for this.

"You should hand that phone over." Soap might or might not delete the picture, depending on how
good he looks.

"Never." Ah, so he's actually enjoying this. Johnny glanced around, finding there were no
spectators, and got his head closer to the other man's neck, which he knows must still be sensitive.
But he didn't do anything there besides standing too close.

"Why not? Got something to hide?" Something like an unreasonable amount of pictures of Johnny,
perhaps.

"Of course–ngh–" One of his hands slid dangerously low, while the other gently squeezed at the
other's chest. He could hear Sol's voice saying 'unholy', echoing on the back of his head. He took
the moment of distraction and snatched the phone out of Ghost's hands, the man didn't even try to
stop him, then rolled away and started looking at the pictures.

"These are not that–" Oh. So Simon's face can get red. "Are you dying?" No answer. The man just
pulled the fabric over his head and rolled to his side, curled up in a ball. "Did I go too far?"

"No. Yes. Fuck you." He laughed and tried to make the man turn to look at him.

"If you want to." Ghost just whined and curled up even more, which only made him laugh harder.

"You're despicable." Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

"You love me." He locked the phone without deleting anything and went to keep trying to turn
Simon around. "It's unfair you have so many pictures of me, when do I get to take pictures of you,
hm?" That caught the other's attention.

"How do you know I have pictures of you?" Shit. No, he's just playing defensive, he couldn't know
Soap snooped through his phone. Right? "Did you look through my phone?"

"Maybe." He's not going to deny it nor admit it. Simon sat up and looked at him through the fabric.

"So you did." He hates himself for not telling Ghost he looked through his gallery, but he didn't
have the guts to admit what he had done. "I don't mind, it's just embarrassing." Did his face reveal
how guilty he felt?

"Why is it embarrassing?" If Soap didn't reciprocate his feelings then it would be understandable,
it would be creepy, even, but that's not the case.

"Because it is." Excellent reply, now he understands everything.

"It isn't. If it wasn't because you don't like taking pictures my camera roll would be pretty similar to
yours." The words left his mouth without even thinking, the embarrassment coming shortly after.
Maybe he knows why Ghost was embarrassed, now.

"I don't mind taking pictures...that much." He doesn't like it, and Soap is not going to force him.
He's fine, he sees the man everyday, he doesn't need pictures.

"Sure." Simon knew that Johnny didn't believe him. "Let's take some, then?" There were two
possible outcomes, one was Ghost regretting his words, which is what Soap was expecting.

"Alright." And the other one was Ghost actually agreeing. "Come here." The man lift the fabric
covering him, patting the space next to him so Soap would sit by his side.

Once they were both under the fabric, Johnny gave back the phone, and Simon leaned on him a
little so they both fit in the photo.

They looked...nice together. It's a shame that Simon still had his face mask on in the picture.
Maybe he'll get a photo in the future where Ghost isn't covering his face.

"Send it to me." He won't use it anywhere nor share it, because if Gaz found out he'll never shut up
about it, and neither would Sol. But he still wanted the picture. "Oh, and the one you use as your
chats wallpaper, too." Simon stared at him with wide eyes.

"You looked through my messages?" Oh, shit.

"I–Let me explain!" Ghost waited for him to elaborate, which only made him panic more, because
how was he supposed to explain? "I was...uh..."

"Why did you–what were you even expecting to find?" He's actually mad at this, and Soap can't be
defensive because he did invade the man's privacy. "I'm not talking to anyone if that's what had you
worried."

"That's not it, I promise...I was just curious." Maybe just asking Simon to look through his phone
would've been the right approach, and he has no idea why he's thinking of that option now that it's
too late.

"Curious about what?" Well...

"About what you like..." Just anything that interested the man. And he found nothing.

"What do you mean?" He really doesn't want to tell him, but explaining it to Simon is the least he
could do, even if he was embarrassed.

"I just...don't know what stuff you like and what you don't like...I wanted to know a bit more about
you." Ghost sighed and grabbed his hand, catching his attention.

"You already know what I like and what I don't. And if you wanted to know more you could've just
asked me." He knows that already, and the way Simon said those words, slightly disappointed but
still trying to sound neutral, made him feel even worse about his actions. "There's nothing on the
phone, though, so I doubt you found anything interesting anyways." Except for his messages with
Gaz. Soap is not going to bring that up now. "Next time just ask me beforehand, I don't mind. I
have nothing to hide." Neither does he...

"You can look through mine if you want to. It's only fair." Simon looked at him, trying to come up
with a decision. He must be curious too, but looking through someone else's phone still feels
wrong, even if you've got the owner's consent.

"Can I...?" Curiosity won, then.

He took the phone from the backpack he had his things in, handing it over to Ghost and sticking
close so he can look at what the other man does.

"Ah, the pattern is like this..." He drew a G on the lock screen, the phone immediately unlocking
and showing all the apps. It was a coincidence that the pattern he chose was the G, it had nothing to
do with Ghost, but now he won't change it. Or maybe he could use an S...

"Can I..." Simon just stared nervously at the screen, not knowing how far he could investigate. It's
understandable, since Johnny uses his phone more, so he has more things to find, but he doesn't
mind revealing anything the other could see.

"I won't say anything, just look at whatever you want." Maybe Simon wasn't nervous because of
the contents in the device but because Johnny was standing right next to him, now that he thinks
about it. "Want me to go away?"

"No." Just to make sure, the man grabbed his side and pulled him even closer. "What did you look
through?"

"Uh...your gallery–"

"Let's look at that then." Alright. He could try to sound less eager.

He watched as Simon scrolled through his camera roll. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary,
just pictures he took of the kids every now and then, the most recent ones, and pictures of animals
he found around base from when he was still serving. The oldest ones were just selfies he had taken
with friends back when he hadn't joined the army yet, and he didn't even know those pictures still
existed.

Once he was done looking at the pictures, he looked up at Soap, expectantly.

What does he–?

"I–uh, looked through your..." Looking at someone's search history must be even worse than
looking through their camera roll. Ah, whatever, he has to suck it up. "Through your browser
history." He decided to check on the kids, clearly not because he's embarrassed, he's just a
responsible parent, even if the twins hadn't moved from their spot for ages.

"Did you find anything?" The deadpan look Ghost gave him only confirmed his suspicions that he
cleared the history regularly.

"Just read through your recipes." The man hummed and opened the browser. There wasn't much
there either, he didn't search for stuff on his phone anyways.

"Why did you search so much stuff about cooking? Are you trying to take my spot?" Not quite
that, no.

"I wanted to learn a bit so you could take some breaks." He does feel like it's a bit unfair that
Simon takes care of the food all the time. Even if he doesn't look tired or bored of it, there's still the
chance he'll stop liking it.

"You could've asked me all these things..." That's true, but asking the internet is easier and faster.
"We could cook together, I'll teach you a bit..." That could end in Ghost kicking him out of the
kitchen or a very good time.

"Sure." He'll take the risk. Nothing else caught his L.t's attention, so he did the same he'd done a
few minutes ago, waiting for instructions. "I looked through your messages, I already told you."

"Just making sure." The man looked at the screen, waiting for Johnny to tell him the password.
Instead he typed it, making sure Simon could see what he pressed.
"I said you could look at whatever you wanted, no need to ask for permission." Perhaps he
miscalculated when he said he had nothing to hide.

Sol's chat was the first one after Ghost's, because he pinned the chat after seeing the man's phone.
He had completely forgotten about the messages he exchanged with the woman, though.

"Why is she planning a wedd–?" What did he get himself into? "Our wedding...?"

"She's just joking." At least that's what he thinks.

"Are you sure?" There's nothing he's sure about when it comes to her, so no. "You would look nice
in that dress though." Of course he said that.

"I'm not wearing a dress to–we're not getting married." His priorities got mixed up for a second.

"Why not?" Because they–are they even dating? Another topic he'll bring up when they're not in
public. "Your legs suit the...skirt...part...thing." Oh he's talking about the dress.

"How much have you stared at my legs to know that?" The words were completely ignored.

"Why are her stickers so weird?" He stopped asking himself that same question a long time ago.

"She's weird." They silently agreed on that.

Apparently Simon wasn't interested in any of the other chats he read, and they weren't important
either. So now he was staring at him once more, asking for permission to open another app without
actually saying anything.

"Did you look through anything else?" There wasn't anything else to look at, only games for the
kids and apps to watch videos or movies.

"Do you want to look at anything else?" The only thing he can think of that Simon can look at is
his Instagram, but surely the man can look at that from his account...wait, he didn't have the app on
his phone. "You can do whatever you want."

Ghost hesitated a bit, but ended up opening the app anyways, scrolling a bit before opening
Johnny's profile.

"You..." The last time he posted anything was more than four years ago, before he met Ghost. He
used to post pictures of himself or with friends every couple of months back then, but he didn't feel
like doing that anymore, as time passed. Now he only logged in to kill some time or to look at
whatever cursed posts Gaz could send him.

"What is it?" Simon hadn't touched the screen at all for a minute, nor had he finished the sentence.
The phone displayed the latest post, a picture of him, shirtless and with his– when did that get that
many likes and comments? He should pay more attention to his notifications.

"Nothing." Finally coming back to earth, his L.t opened the comments and scrolled through them,
not really stopping to read any of them. He saw enough fire and water drops emojis already, he's
not going to read those comments either. "You sure get a lot of compliments." Oh?

"Did you get jealous?" He didn't really care about the comments, so there was no reason for Ghost
to be jealous, but he likes to tease him.

"No." A person who's not jealous wouldn't have swiped to the direct messages as fast as Simon did.
"Are you sure?" The man was focused in trying to read all the messages that Soap had received,
finding that no one ever got a reply. "Simon?"

"Hm?" Ghost finally looked at him, apparently satisfied with what he had seen.

"Did I ever tell you you're the prettiest man I know?" Perhaps he should save the teasing for some
other time. He doesn't know why Simon got jealous, it could be just because he's possessive, but it
could also be because of some insecurity, and he's not going to joke about something like that,
especially while they're outside.

"No. Am I?" Ah, did compliments lift his mood this much?

"Yes." He kissed the other man's shoulder and got out from under the fabric, looking at the
seashore to check on the kids. Still there, still alive. "Want to go with them?" Simon pulled the
blanket to free his head, glaring at him.

"Your wound." He was hoping Ghost had forgotten, but of course he didn't. It's not like the wound
is still open...well, it's not completely healed either.

"I won't go into the water, I'll just walk by the shore." It seems like that's all it took. Simon got up
and offered his hand to help Johnny stand. "You're wearing pants."

"I'm not going into the water." Boring.

"Your shoes." He might like this man very much but if he gets his shoes and probably socks wet
and doesn't care, he might rethink his feelings.

As if.

"Fine." The shoes disappeared quickly, thrown with the rest of their clothes, and Simon rolled up
his pants as well, since he was already sitting. "Stop staring."

"I'm not?" He is, but what's wrong with looking at his legs? "Let's go."

The kids brightened up as they saw them approaching, getting out of the water and trying to run
towards them. Sand is hard to walk on when you're that small, and Leo was breathless when they
finally got to their side.

"Are you coming to the water with us?" It's sad he'll have to reject the offer.

"I can't." Leah pouted, then looked at Simon.

"No." At least give her an excuse.

"Boring. Can we at least make castles together?" That they can do.

"N–"

"Yes." Why would Simon not want to make sand castles? He has no idea, but he'll have to
participate anyways. The twins cheered and started running towards their spot, taking a bucket out
of who knows where, and putting wet sand on it.

"Let's make it near the umbrella, if we get distracted someone might steal our things..." That's a bit
paranoid, but also very true.
It took a couple trips, but eventually the kids got the amount of sand they wanted, staring to build
without asking for help.

"Let's walk a little?" Simon nodded, walking beside him and looking at the ground. Now that they
weren't in their safe place, hidden by the umbrella and the blanket, it was inevitable to draw some
stares. More than he expected though.

"I don't like this." The man's eyes were still glued to the ground. "What's so interesting about two
men walking?"

"You're hot." That made the man take his eyes off the sand.

"I–they're probably staring at you." People are staring at the both of them, but he's not the one that
needs a confidence boost.

"My point still stands." Fighting the urge to throw himself at Simon was a bit hard, especially when
he shyly looked at him, his eyes soft, and his ears slowly turning red. Get yourself together,
MacTavish. He doesn't know where Ghost stands when it comes to public displays of affection, so
he'll control himself like the adult he is until he knows what Simon will and will not accept when
they're out. He has patience.

"...thank you..." He. Has. Patience. This is probably the first time Simon actually accepts a
compliment.

"Not only hot but also cute? The universe loves me for letting me meet you." He's actually
flustered now, Ghost chuckled before going back to looking at the ground.

"I think I'm the lucky one here." Patience.

He could tell Simon was smiling by the way his eyes looked, and he wants to rip that stupid mask
off.

"We're both lucky then." They both stopped and looked back, barely seeing the kids.

"We should head back before they start panicking." Or before they get distracted and start moving
away. Leah has a tendency to follow anything that resembles a living being, and Leo is always
following her to make sure they don't get in trouble.

They started walking back just as slowly as they came there, enjoying the noise of the waves and
birds flying nearby, and trying hard not to focus on the mixed voices of people minding their
business.

His brain froze for a second when he felt Simon brush his hand, the other's pinky finger touching
him like he had done earlier. He glanced at the other man through the corner of his eye, seeing
how he was staring back with shy, half lidded eyes.

Patience.

It was an unsaid question, again, and even if Ghost was the one asking for permission, he didn't
know just how far they could go. So he just intertwined their pinkies and kept walking as if
nothing was really happening.

They reached their destination that way, not letting go even when they sat down on the towel. The
twins didn't pay them any mind, too busy making a hole in the sand.
Wait, that's not how you're supposed to make castles.

"Why are you digging a hole?" Leah looked up at him then, mischief written all over her face.

"We're burying Simon!" Ghost flinched beside him.

"You're doing what?" For some reason, he sounded terrified.

"We're burying you." Leo crawled out of the still shallow hole, shaking the sand out of his hair.

"Why don't you bury Johnny instead?" Simon is actually scared, so he grabbed his hand properly,
squeezing it gently to try to calm him down.

"But the wound..." Right, he can't offer himself as a replacement.

"Not me." The man looked away from Leah's pleading gaze, looking at him instead. "Please..." It
was a whisper, and the kids didn't get to hear it. Whatever made the man so scared was definitely
something he didn't want to know.

"How about I bury you instead?" The girl thought about it for a couple seconds before shrugging.

"Alright. Leo too." She smiled at her brother, ignoring how he was slowly crawling away from the
hole. "Hey, come back here!" Too late, the boy sprinted and hid behind Simon, looking over from
his place to make sure his sister wasn't chasing him.

"Not interested." That's not what she wanted to hear, but she gave up and threw herself into the pit.

"Bury me like a sand crab." That's...a weird way to ask for it. "All alone, because I'm surrounded
by traitors." Leo looked away from his sister's glare, completely ignoring the words.

"Help me out?" His shoulder still hurt, so Ghost's help would be appreciated. But the man didn't
look like he wanted to, staring between the pile of sand and Johnny.

"I–can't you do it yourself?" He's asking for a reason. His silence only made Ghost feel guilty.
"Please, I can't–"

"I'll help." Leo walked towards them and started shoving sand on top of his sister.

He'll ask Simon what this is about later.

After a couple minutes, Leah was buried under a very small amount of sand, her head peeking out,
smiling. At least she's happy. For some reason.

"I get why crabs like this so much now." She's...not a crab.

"We're leaving her here, right?" Leo turned to look at him, looking way too serious for the
question.

"Wait, you can't!" She tried to move, obviously unable to do so. So now she's panicking. "How do I
even get out!?" They'll dig her out, of cour–

"Wiggle your legs." And Simon is apparently panicking too. The girl did as she was told, her feet
coming to the surface after some effort. "Now try to do the same with your arms and push yourself
out."

That's actually working. Or at least it was until the girl gave up, exhausted.
"Just help me out!" Leo looked the other way, ignoring her again. He was going to help her, but
Ghost got there faster.

"You shouldn't have buried her to begin with." They didn't bury her deep enough to be dangerous,
and they were going to help her anyways. "It's okay, Leah." When did she start crying?

"I hate you!" He crawled closer and tried to reach to the girl, but his hands got kicked away. "Don't
touch me!"

"Sh...it's okay..." Leah didn't seem to have any fears before, but they definitely just unlocked a new
one. "You're okay..." She buried herself in Simon's chest, and the man only looked blankly at the
hole in the ground.

Does he share the same fear as Leah?

"We're sorry..." Leo touched his sister's hair, this time it was Ghost the one moving away. This is
getting slightly dangerous.

"Come here Leo, let her calm down a bit." And let Simon calm down as well. He didn't know how
to distract the boy, thinking of what they had brought that could get his interest. Well, there's
that..."Want to read your book?" His eyes sparkled for a second before he nodded. Soap gave him
the book that was buried under their clothes, the kid accepting it and opening it immediately.

Now he was the one with nothing to do. He wanted to comfort the other two, but just looking at
Simon's dead eyes made him want to cry. And he doesn't know how to approach them anyways.

Maybe it's because he couldn't help but stare, but Ghost noticed the attention he was getting, slowly
turning his head to look at him, still blank. Johnny was going to look away and give them privacy,
until he saw the way Simon reached his hand out.

Oh.

As soon as he touched the other's hand, he was pulled close, enough for Simon to hug him as well.
There's definitely going to be bruises where he's grabbing...Ah, whatever, he deserves it. If he had
been more thoughtful they wouldn't be upset.

Even if he was being pressed tightly against Simon, he didn't know if it was okay to touch him
back, so the only thing he could come up to warn the man without speaking was to move the sand
where his hand was. Ghost fixated in the movement, noticing the hand that was causing it as well.
He didn't protest when said hand touched him.

So they sat there in silence, the only thing Johnny dared to do was rub circles on the other's back
and let himself be hugged. He didn't care about being in public, as earlier, because they needed
comfort and he won't deny them just because people could stare.

Leah moved a bit, glaring up at him with squinted eyes, before huffing and crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry..." Even if he didn't intend on leaving the girl buried in the sand, he should've clarified it
right after her brother joked about doing that. Or at least he hopes Leo was joking.

"I'll forgive you if you give me the cookies." That's...easy. He was planning on giving her the
cookies they had brought soon, anyways. "And if you help me with my castle." Also easy.

"Clean your hands, don't get sand on the food." The girl hurried to grab a clean towel from her bag
and waited for him to hand over the bag.
"I want cookies too." Leo put down the book and crawled closer to his sister.

"No." Ah, she's very mad at him.

"You have to share, Leah. And you have to apologize, Leo." This could turn into a fight and he
doesn't want to deal with that. This was supposed to be a fun day out and it's already gone wrong.

"Sorry." The boy should try to look less emotionless when asking for forgiveness.

"...Fine. Here." That's better. "Can I play on your phone?" Why did they come here if they wanted
to use the phone...?

"In my bag." It's a good way to distract them while he takes care of a certain issue. The kids took
the phone and started playing videos as they ate.

Now, the issue.

Simon was still looking at the sand, his eyes lifeless. He was so lost inside his head he hadn't even
tried to cover up like earlier. Which Johnny wouldn't complain about in any other context, but right
now it was just concerning.

Johnny doesn't know why the man was scared of...well, anyone would be scared of being buried in
sand, but not in this situation. He's not being buried ali–

Simon has been buried alive.

He learnt that a while ago, when he overheard a conversation between Ghost and Price. He wasn't
eavesdropping, they were talking right in front of him. And they talked about it so casually that it
never worried Soap.

Of course you can't go through that and not be affected. Simon just acts like it didn't matter to him
because Price was around, because he was The Ghost and god forbid the scary monster of the 141
had feelings.

Johnny knows very well that Simon is, and always has been, just a human.

"Simon..." If only he had been a little more careful, this wouldn't have happened. The man already
dislikes the beach, he'll probably hate it even more now.

"Hm?" Ghost isn't here, his eyes show that he's in a very different place. A very bad place.

"Come here?" He doesn't have to fight his way out of that coffin again. Johnny is here, he can dig
him out. "Here." Simon sat next to him, not even looking his way. He grabbed one of Leah's
cookies, the girl furrowing her eyebrows but not saying anything as she kept watching the video on
screen. "Open your mouth." Taking the mask off could make things much worse, he only moved it
a bit so he could get the food on the man's mouth. "What does it taste like?"

"Chocolate...?" He fetched the blanket while Ghost thought on his answer, throwing the fabric over
both of them, and resting his hand on Simon's leg when they were both covered.

"What else?" At least the man is coming back to the present, a little.

"Strawberry?" Close enough.

"Good job." That wasn't enough, though. What else, what else... "Look at that cloud..." He pointed
at the sky, Simon following his finger. "What does it look like?" Nothing, but it's not his job to
analyze it.

"I don't know...a dog?" How does he see a dog?

"Really?" Ghost turned to look at him. Ah, there he is. Johnny couldn't help smiling.

"What do you see?" He's in a bad mood, but at least he's back.

"A pretty man." He laughed when Simon glared at the cloud, actually trying to find what he saw. It
took a moment, but eventually the man understood.

"You're funny." Alright, he doesn't need to make the other's mood even worse.

"Thanks." He turned away to find that Leo was, as expected, judging them silently. "Are you
building those castles or not?"

"Yeah, give me a sec..." Leah threw the now empty bag of cookies inside her backpack and stared
at the screen for a couple more seconds. And then some more.

"We're leaving in half an hour." That made her look up.

"What!? It's still early!" It's really not. If his calculations are correct, sunset is pretty close, and he
doesn't want Simon driving at night. So they had to leave soon.

"You can watch that at home." She put the phone down and grabbed her bucket, standing up while
glaring at him.

"I'm getting water..." She's going to go swimming, isn't she?

"Leo can get the water." The boy wasn't happy but took the bucket and went to the shore anyways.
Leah sat on the sand and started building...something, with the wet sand they had brought over
before.

"Can we–oh!" The bucket, this time filled with seawater, landed right next to the girl. Leo just kept
walking to the towels and threw himself face first on them. He really should work on his stamina.
"As I was saying...can we get McDonald's?"

"No." Leah glared at Simon, crossing her arms. "We have food at home."

"But I want the toy!" She wants more toys?

"We can get toys some other day." Ghost clearly doesn't want to be away from home anymore, but
Leah doesn't see that.

"But they don't come with food!" As the responsible adult he should stop this.

"We can get McDonald's." Ghost turned at him, tiredly, and pleaded with his eyes. "...some other
day."

"Okay..." He'd rather see Leah's disappointment than Simon's exhaustion. "Now help us!"
Especially because her disappointment lasts two seconds.

Ghost went and poked Leo on his sides, the kid eventually getting up, giggling.
He wanted to help Leah, since she can be a bit exhausting to handle when she's happy, but Ghost
took his place before he could even speak.

"We're making the best castle..." Ah, Leo is very determined.

He tried to keep up with the boy, at least, but Leo was doing most of the work anyways. The only
thing he did was pass sand and make piles that the kid later shaped to look like what he pictured.

This isn't a castle, it's an entire fortress.

"We're done!" They both looked to the side, Leah smiling and sitting between Simon's legs.
That's...not a castle.

"That's a mermaid." That's what it was? Oh, he's looking at it upside down.

"It is." Why did Simon look just as proud as Leah?

"Castles are boring!" She was the one that suggested it. "Yours looks cool, though." Leo smiled,
proud of his work.

"Thanks, your mermaid looks pretty, too." The girl chuckled, also very proud of her work. It's
weird how they aren't that competitive, especially since they're siblings. That's not a complaint.

"Thanks!" The girl stood up and walked his way, looking at her brother's sandcastle as to not step
on it. "Can we take pictures of them?"

"Sure. Get my phone." She did as she was told, coming back with the device and handing it over.
He was the one taking the pictures, since the kids wanted to be included with their creations.
"Alrig–"

"Let's take a picture of all of us!" Oh. They've never done that.

"Yeah, as a fam– a group." Leo? He hates pictures most of the time, why is he so eager to take
them today? "Come on, Johnny."

Simon was waiting for him with the kids.

"You take it." He doesn't want the responsibility of their first picture together being bad. And
Ghost won't allow that to happen.

"Sure?" Simon was confused but took the phone anyways, pointing it at them and waiting for the
camera to focus. "Are you smiling?" The man poked at the kids, making them giggle, and took a
couple of pictures. "One more..." He felt the way Simon's head leaned on his shoulder, distracted
for a second, and then heard his phone taking what he assumed was the last photo they'd take
today.

"Let me see!" The phone went to Leah's hands, the girl swiping to look at the pictures. She liked
them, it seems. "These are good!"

"I'm glad." Simon took the phone and gave it to him, still unlocked and with the gallery open.
"Send them to me later." Of course he will.

"Oh, Johnny, look!" The girl's voice caught his attention, he followed her finger towards the
horizon to find...the sunset. "So pretty..." It was beautiful, indeed.

The sun slowly sinking under the seemingly endless sea, and the pastel hues of the clouds and the
sky, it was the most mesmerizing thing he'd seen since he came here. Or maybe it was the fact that
he was watching it with the people he loved and cared for the most.

The twins were looking at the scene with wide, curious eyes, probably seeing something like this
for the first time. It's different from a sunrise, and also different from the sunsets they could see
from home. There's something special about the contrast between the fading sun and the sea.

The hand resting on his side pulled him a little closer to the man beside him, catching his attention.
He looked at his side, Simon was looking at the horizon as well, his eyes half lidded and soft. He's
probably thinking something similar to what he's thinking.

The orange light that the sun was still giving made Simon look even prettier. It reminded him of
when the only light in their room is the one at the bedside, almost the same color and intensity.
The difference is that this time, the light is illuminating his features instead of hiding them.

He's once again wishing that mask wasn't there, so he could see the smile that's definitely hidden
under it.

It's a little too late to regret the trip. He should've remembered that beaches have a lot of sand, and
that said sand usually ends up everywhere. Including the car.

He closed the trunk and walked towards Ghost, who was holding the kids, both wrapped in towels
and squirming under his arms. The twins were reluctant to let go, so his solution was to wrap them
like a burrito and carry them to the car. Which was a little helpful in keeping the sand out of the
car, but they didn't seem happy, by the way they were trying to escape.

"You can put us down, already! We're not running away!" Leah finally stopped moving once she
touched the ground, huffing as she glared at Ghost. "That was fun at first, but I got dizzy!"

"Sorry." Simon let Leo down as well, the poor kid stumbling away until he found the car to lean
on.

"You okay?" The boy shook his head and leaned on him instead. "Let's rest for a bit, then." He
doesn't want to clean something more than sand from the car.

While he let the kids sit on the car's hood and gave them a bit of water, Simon went the other way,
and by the sound of the lighter he can tell what he was doing.

He thought Ghost was in a bad mood, but it didn't look like it was the case. He wasn't in a good
mood either, though. He looked sad, and haunted by the memories he relived earlier, the only thing
Johnny could do was distract him so he wouldn't keep spiraling down.

Helping Leah with the castle, taking pictures, watching the sun set, and even chasing the kids
around to try to get them to the car, all those things distracted him, sure, but they don't erase the
memories, nor do they heal the wound. Not entirely.

"Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back." He handed his phone to Leah, just to make sure they were
entertained while he talked with Ghost. "Hello, gorgeous. What is a pretty thing like you doing all
alone?" The man turned to look at him, his face mostly covered by his cap.
"Sorry, I have a boyfriend." At least he's playing along.

"Leave him, I'm better." He took the cigarette that was handed to him, giving it back shortly after.

"Don't think so." They both chuckled before going silent, looking at the crowd that was slowly
disappearing around them. He was hoping they would leave before it was dark, but they weren't so
lucky.

While he looked absentmindedly at the sea, he felt, once again, Simon's pinky finger rubbing at his
hand.

"You know you can just grab my hand, right?" He said it the softest way possible, as to not sound
annoyed. If anything, he found the action adorable, especially coming from Ghost, so there's no
need to make the man think otherwise.

"Didn't know if you'd like that in public." So they had the same concerns.

"I don't if you don't." Simon just took his hand, intertwining their fingers and looking at their hands
hang in the space between them, smiling at the sight.

"Can I hug you too?" That's...a bit too far. It's not as discreet as holding hands, but he's guessing
Simon doesn't mean hugging all the time, just when he needs– Does he want a hug?

"Sure." He was pulled closer by his hand, until they were right next to each other. He looked up,
expectantly, but Simon just looked away and threw his cigarette in the nearby sand. Nothing else
happened.

"Let's get going, before it gets darker." So Ghost was just messing with him, making him excited
for absolutely nothing. And the smirk the man had before he pulled his mask back on was just the
proof he needed.

Johnny will remember that.

"Are you feeling better?" Leo jumped down from the car, nodding as he went to open the door and
get on the backseat. His sister followed after him, pushing him so she could sit where he used to
be.

"Can we put music?" Ghost froze for a second, looking at the kids through the rear view mirror.

"If you put Barbie Girl or California Girls, I'm leaving you here." Leah groaned and crossed her
arms.

"Nevermind then."

"Goodnight, Johnny!" Leah ran to her room, backtracking to where he was in the sofa and looking
up expectantly. "Goodnight kiss?" He doesn't even know why she's going to bed by herself tonight.
A miracle, perhaps?

"Of course." The girl got closer to say goodbye for the night and disappeared to her room. So now
he's all alone, in the living room. Except for the cat sleeping on his lap, of course.
This cat wasn't part of their long list of pets, last time he checked. But it was cute and not feral, so
he'll assume it was just a forgotten part of the house.

He was alone because Simon had went to sleep way too early. And the kids went to bed by
themselves as well, after watching some TV.

The twins deciding to act different isn't concerning, but Ghost being silent since the moment they
stepped into the house and going to bed at 7 p.m is. Soap doesn't know if his decision to leave the
man alone was the right one. Simon looked like he didn't want to talk, nor to be around anyone,
and Johnny had to fight the urge to just be with him and comfort him.

So now that it's bedtime and he has to go to their room, he doesn't know if he's allowed to do so.
Maybe he'll sleep in the couch? It's not that uncomfortable...

He should check on Simon, and then go back to sleep on the couch. The man should be sleeping
anyways, he's just making sure he didn't...do anything.

He crept to the room, trying to make as little noise as possible, and when he got there, he gently
opened the door.

To his surprise, Simon was awake, listening to something with his earbuds on and writing on a
journal. He had seen said journal before, it had fallen off the bedside table when he was cleaning
once, but he never thought of reading anything inside. It's more personal than a phone, and he
would never break Simon's trust in him in such a way.

The man didn't notice him at all, so he closed the door and went to the living room again. He didn't
feel like sleeping yet, so he killed time on his phone.

Something he regretted instantly, as Sol sent a message the second he opened his messages. And
then she called.

"Dude, I'm bored." Why is that his problem, exactly?

"It's almost midnight, go to sleep." She groaned, shuffling on wherever she was sitting, if the noise
on the background told him anything.

"Don't wanna. Did you watch the show I told you about?" No, he didn't. He was supposed to watch
it with Simon anyways.

"Didn't have time." Nor did he want to. The only reason he proposed watching it with Ghost is
because it was about baking and the man would be interested in it. And he loves making Ghost
happy.

"Right...you were on your beach date." It wasn't a date, it was a family trip. Very different. " How'd
it go? Did you guys have fun?"

"Aye, the kids drove us insane. Leah wanted to bring home a jellyfish she found." It's an
exaggeration, except the jellyfish part. She actually wanted to bring a dead portuguese man o' war
home. Knowing full well what the jellyfish can do if you get stung, too.

"Not a sea wasp, I'm hoping?" Those get stranded here, too?

"No, the less deadly equivalent." He's never taking them to the beach again.

"Cool, cool. Listen, my niece wants to play with your kids someday, do you think you have some
spare time, next week?" Ah, so that's why she called. Next week...they had to go shopping for
christmas decorations, and for gifts, too, so they shouldn't be that busy.

"I think we have time. Is our place okay or do you want us to go over to yours?" He should clean
soon, and guests are a good excuse to do it.

"Candace will go insane with the animals, I think I can handle that, so if you're up for a kid
running around your property, your place." He has kids running around his property everyday.

"Tell her to not piss off the dogs and we're good." No one needs to see a 7-year-old get stopped by
a herd of trained dogs just because she was being annoying. They won't bite, but they know how to
make people back off.

"Deal." A notification popped up on his phone, and apparently Sol could hear it too. " I'll let you go
now, hit me up later so we can plan this a little more. Goodnight, my guy."

"Bye." He ended the call and went to check who was sending messages at such an hour.

It was Ghost? He sent two messages, one asking who was he talking to, and the other asking him to
go to bed with him. And he won't disobey his L.t's orders.

"Hi." He slowly opened the door again, this time Simon didn't have his earbuds on, but he was still
writing on his journal. The man looked up at him and extended his arms. Someone is spending too
much time with Leah.

Simon's arms wrapped around him in a hug as soon as he was within reach, forcing him to sit on
the man's lap and straddling him. Of course, he hugged back.

"Why didn't you come to bed?" Maybe he should've thought about this beforehand, because Simon
sounds both disappointed and sad.

"Didn't know if you wanted company..." Of course he would want company, since they came here
anytime he needs comfort he looks for Soap. "Let me go turn the lights off and I'll be right back."
Simon looked up then, puzzled.

"Why didn't you turn them off earlier...?"

"I was going to sleep on the couch." Instead of letting him go as he expected, but he was held
tighter and closer.

"Don't." Well, he isn't going to, now.

"I won't, let me turn off the lights and I'll be right back." Still not letting go. "Simon..."

"I'll go with you." That's just unnecessary, but the man isn't budging.

So they made the trip to the living room, with Simon holding his hand and walking slowly. The
man had definitely slept a couple hours and woke up recently, he noticed that when the light in the
room illuminated his face better, showing his red eyes and messy hair.

More importantly, Ghost was tired, so he turned the lights and the TV off quickly and guided them
back to the room, laying on the bed when they got there. The journal was thrown to the bedside
drawer and quickly forgotten. And so was the face mask Simon was wearing.

"Hello, cutie." Simon chuckled and hid his face in Johnny's chest, hugging him tightly and
intertwining their legs. "Are you tired?" He didn't need to ask, because he could see it in the other's
face.

"Mhm..." It was an exhausting day, even if they had fun, so it was understandable. "I missed
you..." They were apart for just a couple hours, and Simon was probably awake for less than an
hour, so he doesn't get how could the man miss him.

"Did you really?" Ghost nodded against his chest. "I'm here now, aren't I?" The other looked up
then, staring absentmindedly at his eyes. "Are you okay?" He's just realizing that maybe those red
eyes were there for other reasons.

"Yeah..." Doesn't look like it.

"You can talk to me." He didn't want to ask about what happened at the beach just in case Simon
could've forgotten about it by now, but it doesn't look like that's the case.

"Don't know how." Ghost hid his face again, looking down.

"Do you want to?" Maybe that was Simon's way to say he didn't want to talk about it, but it could
also be that he just genuinely doesn't know how to communicate how he feels. Which is possible.

"Please." It seems he doesn't want to talk about it, he needs to talk about it.

"Alright..." Now he just needs to think on how he can help him. "Is it...what happened today?" A
nod confirmed his suspicions about what this was about. "Why?"

"Bad memories." 'Bad' could be the understatement of the century.

"I'm sorry for making you remember that..." His apologies mean nothing, now.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault that it happened." He isn't the one that put Simon in that grave,
but he was the one to throw him back into it after so many years. Remembering the situation isn't
any less horrifying.

"Still...should've been more careful." Simon squeezed him harder, looking straight at his eyes
apprehensively.

"I'm not...I–"

"Take your time..." The huff the man let out reminded him of Leah, whenever she couldn't get the
answer for her math homework, and he couldn't help smiling fondly. It doesn't matter if it's
frustrating, both the kid and the man had patience, Johnny has enough patience to wait until Simon
gets the answer he wants.

"Today...I–" Another deep breath. "It made me realize that...I didn't die back then." Shouldn't that
be obvious...? He's still alive and safe here, right now. "It had happened so long ago, and I was so
desensitized to it. And then I saw Leah panicking and suddenly I was crawling my way out all over
again."

"What do you mean you didn't die?" He'll try not to keep apologizing, since Simon didn't like that.

"I convinced myself that Simon Riley had died in that grave and the only thing left was
just...Ghost." Oh, that's what he meant. "But Ghost wouldn't have reacted like I did."

"You're not just Ghost." He's not a separate being, Ghost is just the mask that had protected the
very broken and tired man hidden under it. A man that was slowly healing. Slowly taking back his
place.

"I'm just..." And that mask was breaking the more Simon healed. "I'm just glad I'm still alive. I'm
glad I'm here."

"I'm also very glad you're here." It's only the truth. Johnny wouldn't even be alive if it weren't
because of Simon. Even if he was alive, he has no idea how he would've survived taking care of
the kids.

"Thank you. For putting up with my bullshit." Ah, none of that.

"I do it because I care about you, Simon. You don't need to thank me or apologize to me for doing
something so...basic." Simon looked up at him, his eyes glassy and biting his lower lip. "Oh,
honey..."

"I'm sorry." The only thing he could do was hug the man back, as tightly as possible, letting him
sob against his chest as he rubbed circles on his back.

"It's okay, darling..." That only made him cry harder. Seeing the person he loves like this broke his
heart, but he couldn't afford to cry even if he wanted to. One of the two had to be strong, and it was
his turn this time.

Time passed like this, the only sound in the room were Simon's wrecked sobs and sniffling, and
Johnny whispering reassuring words. He wasn't trying to make him stop crying, Simon needs to let
it out, and Soap is there to make it easier for him.

"I'm so–" Simon's voice broke, he didn't finish the sentence but Johnny didn't want to hear the
apology anyways.

"Don't apologize, my love. Just let it all out..." He didn't expect Simon to look up, and he was even
more devastated by the sight. His eyes closed on instinct, not wanting to see something so painful.
"It's okay, we're okay..." The wrecked sound the man under him let out as a response only hurt him
even more.

But this wasn't a bad thing. Simon gets to mourn the past, and he gets to help him. This is
necessary. It's helpful.

It's their way to let that part of the past go, as if going back to that grave to find it empty. To help
Simon confirm he's still alive, that they didn't break him beyond fixing. That he survived.

"We're okay..." He's glad the man is calming down, because he didn't know how long he could go
without breaking down himself if he had to keep listening to his partners pain. "I'm fine..."

"You are." Johnny opened his eyes then, needing to check Simon's state.

"We're fine." It came out as a question, so he nodded his head, smiling sadly at his companion. "I'm
alive." And there goes his composure. He held Simon even tighter, hiding his face on the man's
hair and hoping he didn't realize he was crying.

"You are." His voice came out shaky and muffled, but it was heard anyways. "I'm proud of you."
The man tried to pull away to look at him, suspecting what was happening, but he didn't let him.
He's not the one that needs support. "You're so strong, and so brave."

"Johnny–"
"You're the toughest person I know." Simon finally managed to break away from their embrace,
and he curled up and tried to compose himself quickly to not worry the man. It worked, to a certain
degree. His fake confused stare made the other relax, because he couldn't see the tears in their
current lighting. "Come back here." Within seconds they were hugging again, leaving gentle
touches to calm down his still distressed partner.

"I don't think I deserve that much praise." The way it was said, half joking and half serious, only
worried him.

"You deserve way more." He felt how Simon snuggled on his chest, sighing. "You deserve
everything good that comes your way. Don't ever think otherwise." After all the shit he's been
through, the least he deserves is everything good this world can offer.

"I don't deserve you..."

"Don't think that way. You deserve this. Me, the kids, this life. Everything that makes you happy."
He felt the way Simon opened and closed his mouth, probably going to deny his words, but
deciding against it. That only means he's getting the words into the other man's head.

"Fuck–I'm such a mess, I'm so–"

"Don't apologize." He doesn't want to hear it. "I'm only doing what I'm supposed to do, Simon."
This is the bare minimum. He knew what he was getting into when he accepted his own feelings
for Ghost. The other man needs support and a lot of love to heal, and he's more than happy to
provide it.

"I lo–" It was clearly not intended to be said out loud, and Simon caught himself in time to stop the
words. Johnny knows he's loved anyways, he doesn't need to hear it. He can wait until Simon is
ready to say it.

"It's okay, you don't have to." He also doesn't want the man to feel guilty for not being able to
express his feelings openly. Simon kept quiet, calming down after a long while. "Let's wash your
pretty face and then go to sleep, yeah?"

"Don't want to..." That's...okay. They can do that in the morning. But he doesn't feel his arm nor
leg, so he actually needs the man to move a little.

"Let me turn off the lights, then." He can't tell Simon to move because he's cutting his blood
supply to his limbs. The man would probably take it as Johnny saying he's a burden, in his current
state of mind.

"Fine." As soon as his limbs were free, he tried to make them come back to life quickly before he
laid down again, the bedside lamp's light now gone.

Simon didn't wait long until he was crawling to his side again, holding onto him by his side. He
doubts the man could fall asleep again, and he doesn't want to leave him alone with his thoughts,
so he thought of a way to distract him enough to let him relax.

Ah, there's that.

Experimentally, he gave the man beside him a peck on his forehead, immediately feeling how
Simon nuzzled on his shoulder, as a reply to the action. Since he had permission now, he kept
showering the man with little kisses wherever he could reach, not lower than the other's neck. And
Simon's response was to hold him tighter and move so he had better access to his neck.
 Then, Johnny noticed the way Simon's legs were moving, his feet rubbing against the other, up and
down slowly. The motion reminded him of a cat kneading, and perhaps it's not that different. Cats
do that when they're at ease, and he really hopes Simon feels at ease around him.

He tried to ignore how absolutely adorable the action was to concentrate on his task, only stopping
when he felt the hands around him go limp, just like the legs intertwined with his. He could tell
Simon had fallen asleep by his breathing.

His job here is done.

He's glad it was over, because even if this was important and very necessary for his partner, he
feels exhausted. He would do it again, though. No matter how many times he has to do it, he'll
never give up, as long as it helps Simon.

This is only one of the many things from the past that haunt the man, he's sure there's more to
come. But he'll be there, no matter what.

He'll be there for the bad days, and bad nights, like this one, just like he'll be there for the good
ones.

>

Chapter End Notes

The author is fighting the urge to put -premarital handholding- as a content warning.

Hi, I'm tired, my cat decided to have a kitten at 5.30am and the kitten decided to be
ded (i saved it at the end, they're fine).
I don't really like this chapter and the next one, I feel like I'm writing too much angst,
sorry about that.

Thanks for the support, as always! See you next saturday!<3

 (13). Rice lights.
Chapter Summary

They decided to go buy christmas decorations, what could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

It was a very calm morning, Simon cuddling to his chest and snoring softly. And then he heard
what can only be Leah zooming through the house and coming to their room.

"Johnny, Simon, wake up!" Shit. He barely had enough time to shove Simon away from where the
girl had thrown herself in their bed, but sadly that meant she fell right on him. "We're buying
christmas things!"

"We are..." Leah had been waiting for this day the entire week. She didn't even know what they
had to buy, the mystery must be what's got her so excited. "Simon?"

"Yeah...?" The man slowly opened his eyes and blinked at them, completely unfazed by everything
happening around him.

"Get up! Also, good morning!" Leah stared at the other man as he stretched, then he turned and
curled up to keep sleeping. "Come on!"

"Just five more minutes..." He could only laugh at the girl's frustrated sigh. Since the kids didn't
have school for a couple more months, they didn't have to wake up so early, which apparently
caused Simon to get used to getting up later. They usually were up before the kids anyways.

"Johnny, say something...!" The store didn't open yet, they could still sleep a bit more.

"Why don't you go get ready and let him sleep a little longer?" Leah shrugged her shoulders and
went out of the room. "Wake up, moron."

"Don't want to." Neither did he, but they still have responsibilities.

"Come on..." Soap was only human, so when he saw Simon curled up and looking so huggable, he
couldn't fight the need to cuddle with him. "We need to get there before it gets crowded..."

"You're making me want to keep sleeping..." The man turned to face him, putting his hands around
Johnny's shoulders. "Can't we just go in the afternoon...?"

"Sol is coming over, remember?" The woman only had time today, the only day of the week that
they had planned to do something. She was bringing her niece over, so the kids could all play.
"Come on, get up, we need to make breakfast." Simon groaned and let go of him, finally sitting up
and stretching again.

"Why did you agree...? I don't want to see her." So petty. She only interrupted them once, by
mistake, yet it seems like Simon is going to hold a grudge until the day he dies.
"Why?" Maybe there was an unknown reason for his dislike towards the woman.

"She's a menace." That's...not wrong. But it's not enough for the treatment she's receiving. "And she
talks to you too much."

"Am I not allowed to have friends...?" That's a weird thing to ask for.

"Of course you are..." He can't be jealous of Soledad. Right?

"Simon?" The man just looked at him, putting a new T-shirt on. "Are you jealous of her?"

"No?" Why is that a question?

"You know she literally got us together, right?" Sol was the one to insist for annoyingly long for
Soap to just go for it, and even made them matching rings.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't know why you'd think I'm jealous of her." Because he's being weird
about her being friends with Johnny. "I don't want to see people in general, if that's your concern,
she isn't an exception."

"But why did you say she talks to me too much?" They only talked every now and then, he's sure
he talks with Gaz and in the group chat more frequently. "Why does that bother you...?"

"Because she doesn't know how to keep secrets." Oh?

"She knows your secret too?" Not only did the kids know his secret, but Sol did too? Why is he the
only one excluded?

"Yes...?" That's just unfair.

"Why don't I know your secret?" The bastard smirked under that mask, he can tell.

"You don't? What a shame..." Oh, he'll get it out of someone. He was, once again, trying to win a
challenge when no one even challenged him to anything.

They heard Leah's footsteps coming back to the room, so they hurried and finished changing their
clothes before the girl got inside.

"Come on...I'm hungry..." When isn't she hungry? The girl walked up to them and grabbed them by
the hand until they reached the kitchen.

"Go wake your brother up, yeah?" Simon basically told her to scram, but she was happy to go do
her task. "Pass me the flour."

"Yes, sir." This had become their routine this last few days. The man woke up one day and decided
to make him his sous-chef, and he isn't complaining, because he's helping as he wanted.

"Hurry." He had one complaint.

"Bossy." Simon stopped a minute to look at him. "Does my king want anything else...?"

"No." He hugged the man from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder, looking at him work.
This is for educational purposes, of course, how is he supposed to learn if he doesn't watch? This is
the best position, he gets to see everything from Simon's point of view. He's not really paying
attention to the food, Simon's neck seems more interesting. "Actually...I do want something..."
"Hm? What is it?"

"Move. You're in the way." How sweet.

"You're a prick." He bit the man's neck, softly, to not leave any marks, and moved away. Simon
only chuckled and turned to give him a small hug, returning to the counter quickly.

"Leah, give it back!" He heard the giggles of the girl approaching. "Seriously...!"

"Catch!" She threw what he could only guess was a plushie, something falling and breaking as
soon as the toy flew. "Ah, crap!"

"Language, missy." He hurried to check what had fallen, and if Leo had gotten hurt.

"Sorry..." Was there always a picture frame in the hallway? He's been living here for months, how
come he didn't realize that was there?

"Where was that?" Leah looked up at him, getting more confused as she thought of the answer.

"Hidden near the ceiling." At least her brother knew the answer.

Simon came out of the kitchen then, looking at the shattered glass in the middle of the hallway.

"Are you going to clean that up or...?" Ah, right. He should hurry before the kids decide to do it
themselves. "Breakfast is ready."

"Alright!" Leo carefully walked around the mess and went to eat with his sister, who was waiting
for him by the doorway.

Now he's curious about what could be displayed on there, for it to be so bad to not be displayed
anywhere visible, but so important to not be thrown away.

The broken glass was discarded carefully, wrapped inside a paper bag, and after making sure
nothing could cut his fingers, he picked up the frame to see whatever picture was inside it.

Ah. A wedding photo, from Rusnav. This is the first time he sees her husband. Also the first time
he sees Alexander without eyebags, and Anna without...everything that was wrong with her. They
looked so happy...

This reminded him of the box full of photos he found in the attic. He had already gotten all the old
videos and pictures from the memory cards and old recorders in digital format, but he couldn't
bring himself to see anything. Would Rusnav be okay with them watching those things? He will
never know. He thought about showing some of the pictures to the kids, but he doesn't know if that
would be a good idea.

"Johnny...?" Cleaning. That's what he's supposed to be doing. "What is it?"

"Look." A hand crept up to his side, holding onto his waist, while another one went to grab the
picture. "They look so different..."

"They do." It's only natural, tragedy and grief can change people a lot. At least they were happy
then. "Why are you smiling? Thinking about weddings?" He didn't even realize he was smiling.
"Are you getting married anytime soon?"

"Nah, don't have anyone to marry." Simon chuckled and gave the photo back to him.
"So I don't exist now?" It's a joke, clearly, because they both know it's way too early to even think
about getting married, but this gives him the opportunity to talk about a certain topic.

"I mean, we aren't even together..." The man behind him froze, he could feel the small smile
Simon had fade against his neck. "Are we...?"

"What– We aren't?" Did Simon not think the same? He did confess but nothing else has happened.

"I–"

"Johnny, we've been–" They both stopped to look at the two heads peeking from the kitchen
doorway. "We're not fighting, go back to the kitchen." Leah squinted her eyes but obeyed, her
brother following after. "Come with me." He didn't get time to agree before he was pulled to their
bedroom. "Explain yourself." Is he being scolded now?

"I didn't know we were dating." Simon pulled at his own hair, gently, but still frustrated.

"Why?" At least the man is trying to not sound disappointed.

"Nothing has really changed..." Except for the hugging and hand holding.

"Really?" Alright some things definitely changed, but not enough for him to assume they were a
thing now.

"We haven't kissed yet..." Those words caught Simon's attention. He looked up, pure panic in his
eyes. "Not–we don't have to! I'm more than okay with waiting until you're ready..."

"Sorry." Great.

"Don't apologize, Si..." He had nothing to apologize for, anyway.

"It's just–I can't do that yet. I'm sorry." Johnny should already know this.

"It's okay, you don't have to be sorry, Simon. I'll wait for you, no matter how long it takes..." This
conversation was okay, but they didn't solve the issue that started it. "About...you know..." The
man in front of him just stared, apparently clueless about what he meant. "Us. Dating."

"Ah." 'Ah'? Nothing else to say?

"Are we doing it or not?" Should've phrased that better.

"That's a bit too fast–"

"Be serious." Simon exhaled out his nose, amused, but took a couple seconds to think.

"Can we just take it slow?" Of course they can, there's no need to put a tag– "Still dating." Maybe
there's a need to put a tag on what they have.

"You want to be my boyf–my partner that bad?" The other raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment
on his correction. 'Boyfriend' sounds so immature, to him. And probably to Simon too.

"Yes. Don't want anyone else to take you." That possessiveness could be considered a red flag, but
sadly Johnny is suddenly colorblind. "Only if you're okay with this, maybe–"

"I'm okay with that." They both stared at the other, in complete silence, not really knowing what to
say or do.
"Alright." Alright. "Let's go back?"

"Aye. Let's do that."

Holding hands was a little more embarrassing now.

But that didn't stop Simon from holding his hand. Thankfully it wasn't that hot today, yesterday's
rain making the temperature go down a lot. So their joined hands were kept in his partner's pocket,
as they walked through the store behind the twins.

The place was a bit too crowded, so the kids knew not to wander off and to stay within arm's reach.

Obviously Leah was ignoring those orders and running everywhere.

"Come back here." The girl turned to look at Simon, not even realizing she had gotten separated
from the group. "Behave or I'm putting you on a leash next time."

"Sorry! I was just looking at the shiny things..." They know. She had been looking at ornaments
and lights as if she'd never seen those before. Well, she probably hasn't seen them before, now that
he remembers.

It's the first time the kids decorate a christmas tree, so they were both amazed by everything they
were seeing. And Leah was very disappointed when she found out they weren't taking a real tree
home. He would look for some place that sold actual trees, but apparently that's not a tradition
here, so there are no stores in the city that sold them.

"Stay close, you can't break anything." The twins came closer and held their free hands. Plastic
ornaments couldn't break that easily, but there were so many porcelain and glass ornaments around
them, it was better if they kept the kids close. Not because they'd have to pay for the damages, but
because they could get hurt if anything shattered.

"Can we get the cute pigeons?" Those are doves. "And the deers! And the little turtles! And–"

"Too many." Leo made sure to stop his sister before she named every possible animal that she saw.
"We should buy the tree first." That's true.

Thankfully that's exactly where they were heading, reaching the part of the store filled with
different types of christmas trees.

"Pretty!" The one with snow was the one that caught the twins' attention. They've never seen snow,
now that he thinks about it. Maybe they should take them to see it someday. When they're way
older. "Can we get this one?"

"Su–"

"Or maybe the tiny one..." Well, maybe the smaller one is the better option, it would take less
ornaments to decorate it. "What's your opinion, L.t?" Did she just–

"What?" Simon was confused, and so were the twins.

"What?"

"What did you just call me?" Where did she even hear the term from? Maybe he said it in front of
them and didn't realize?

"You? I was talking to Leo?" Oh, that's right. She calls herself captain every now and then. "Why
would I call you leu–liu–"

"Lieutenant." Leo decided to help explain. "She can't say the word so she just uses L.t."

"It's not my fault the word is weird..." It's definitely a big word, but her brother can pronounce it
perfectly. "Were you an L.t?"

"So we're taking the big tree or the small one?" He needed to redirect the conversation, since
Simon couldn't answer.

"What do you think, Leo?" The boy turned to look at the different trees, analyzing which one was
the better option.

"I don't know." Great.

"Can't we just take both?" They could, but.

"Why would we buy both? We only need one." They have space in the house to put as many trees
as they want, but it's not necessary.

"If we put two trees we get two gifts, right?" That's...not how it works.

"No." Simon finally came back to earth, walking towards the trees to look at them properly.

"Bummer..."

"Which one do you like?" He looked up at his partner, since he was addressed.

"I don't dislike any of them." Except the ones with unnatural colors, all the trees looked fine.

"Let's take the big one!" Finally, a decision.

"Go pick up things to decorate, I'll wait here." How kind of Simon to decide to wait for an
employee instead of having to deal with the kids filling the cart with garlands and ornaments.

The twins took the lead, going back to where they were minutes ago and throwing everything that
they liked inside the cart. And they liked a lot of things. Even Leo was excited about picking
spheres and garlands, which is surprising. Not as excited as Leah, though.

"We can buy the pigeons, right?" She had the ornaments in her hands already, so that means she
won't take no as an answer. Not like he was denying her that.

"Aye, but don't pick that much stuff, we can't fit that many things in the tree." The girl put the
decorations carefully on top of the rest and turned to look at the other animal-shaped products.

"The deer?"

"Yes."

"And the turtle...?" She's going to ask for all of them, isn't she?
"And that's it." The tree is big but not that much. They still have to buy the lights as well... "What
are you doing?"

"Me? Nothing!" He didn't mean Leah, but now that caught his attention. He'll probably find out
later, anyways.

"Not you." He pointed at Simon, walking their way with a box in hand. It's not big enough to be
the tree, so that's why he's confused.

"I bought the little one too." Does anyone ever listen to him?

"Great! We can buy more things, then, right?" The cart is almost full already, what else does she
want?

"Sure." Not 'sure'! They have to stop the kids from doing whatever they want, at some point. They
need limits.

"Come here, Leo, let's pick some more...tree scarfs...?" What even is a tree scarf.

"Garlands." That's what she meant?

"Tree scarfs sounds better." He'll let them wander a bit, only because there's no one around, and
because they're in the same aisle.

"Why did you..." How long has he been stared at? As soon as he turned to look at Simon he found
that there were eyes on him already. "What is it?"

"Nothing." After all the time he's spent with Simon, he has come to realize when something is truly
wrong and when the man just wants to...look at things. It's the second option this time.

"You just like my face that much?" The man chuckled and left the box on the floor.

"Yeah, but also, I'm trying to think how to take your hand while carrying the tree." It looks a bit
heavy, even if it's small.

"Shouldn't have bought two trees, then." His partner shook his head, before grabbing his hand and
looking at it as if the body part could tell him the answer to his problem. Ah, maybe he could have
a use to that video he saw ages ago...

"You–" He could only giggle when Simon looked up, flustered. He's glad the man knows at least a
bit of sign language to understand what he tried to communicate. Also, he's glad his brain decided
to remember how to sign 'I really love you', even if he didn't intend to store the information. "Me
too..." No need to look so cute and shy.

"You can hold my hand while we check out. Let's go–" Where did they go? They didn't pay
attention for less than five minutes and the twins disappeared out of thin air. "They're on the run."

"I'll check the right." They aren't panicking that much because they know the twins won't separate
between them, and neither of them screamed or caused a scene, they would have noticed. So they
were probably distracted looking at something shiny or related to animals.

"Oh–!" There they are.

"(Stay back, honey.)" Now that's a voice he doesn't recognize. "(Who are you?)" Who is this lady?

He finally was able to see what was happening, a middle-aged woman was standing in between
Simon and the kids, a group of other, younger, women standing behind her.

"(Who are you?)" That's his question too, the twins don't seem to know any of the people
surrounding them.

"(Answer my question. Do I need to call the security guard over?)" That's a bit...

"Si...?" It's not really that surprising that people are wary of Simon, considering how he's wearing a
face mask and covering his head with a hoodie. In the middle of summer.

"(Do you know this man?)" Oh, he sure does. Not like the woman was going to let him explain the
situation. "(Kids, stay back.)"

"Johnny!" Leah tried to run over to him, and the lady tried to stop her.

"(Don't you dare.)" Leo had slapped away the woman's hand before it could even get close to his
sister. She looked taken aback, but recovered quickly.

"(Calm down, sweetheart, I know you're scared.)" The boy isn't scared, he's annoyed. Very
different. "(Let's call security so we can find your mom, yes?)" Good luck with that.

"(Why would we look for mom–?)"

"(Because these men are trying to take you away.)" If the woman wasn't rude and would let them
explain, she would know why they're trying to take the kids.

"(What do you mean?)" Leah is just getting more confused as time goes on, and Simon looks like
he's about to start punching people.

"(Lady, I know you're trying to help, but–)"

"(Shut up.)" So rude. "(You know what you're doing, helping a man like him. The kids don't even
recognize you two scumbags.)" They're trying to get to Johnny's side, maybe the woman is just
blind?

"(Of course we recognize them, grandma, they're our dads!)" Even Leah was frustrated at the adult
causing a scene. "(That's Johnny, and that's Simon.)"

"(That's what we're trying to say.)" The girl sprinted towards them, dragging her brother as well, as
soon as the lady got distracted. "(Next time try to let people speak before embarrassing yourself.)"

"(Yeah! What Simon said! You're so rude!)" They should get away as soon as they can, before
Leah and Simon make an even bigger scene.

"Should we get something to eat as well?" His partner understood quickly, following him away
from the now embarrassed crowd and carrying the kids too. He can tell that Simon is furious, but at
least he's good at keeping it inside.

"Can we eat muffins?" He meant lunch, but sure, they can get muffins. "Oh, we can bake muffins!"
If the head chef of the house feels like it.

"Sure." Apparently he does. "Let's get flour, we don't have any more left." Simon left Leah on the
floor, visibly tired from carrying both the girl and the box. "Do we need anything else?" Not that he
remembers.

"Depends on what you're making for lunch." They have ingredients, they went shopping yesterday
too.

"Depends on what you want to eat." Him? Shouldn't he be asking the kids?

"Can we eat chicken nu–"

"No." She eats chicken nuggets most days of the week. Doesn't she get tired of the same food?

"Then just chicken?" That's not that bad of an idea. Why is Simon staring at him?

"Sure?" They shouldn't be deciding what they all eat based on just Johnny's choice, surely.

The group followed Simon as he picked ingredients, and to the register as well. It's weird that the
kids hadn't spoken a word for more than five minutes, but a look at them confirmed that they were
just focused on following Simon. And staring at–

"She's still following us?" What's with that lady? He gets that some people are paranoid but this is
just too much.

"She called the security guy..."

"Bloody fucking hell." Ah, Simon is pissed. Before they could check out, a guard stopped them.
It's not one of the guards that know them.

"(Gentlemen, I'll need you to come with me, for a second.)" Can't they just have a peaceful day?
The kids weren't allowed to follow them into the office, instead staying with the woman. Leo once
again slapped the lady's hand when she tried to touch Leah's hair, and even the girl became
defensive.

"(Can't they come with us? That lady is acting really strange with them.)" He's thinking now that
perhaps the woman is projecting her intentions onto them. He couldn't protest, the guard had
closed the door on his face before he could even ask again.

"(We need to verify if those kids are with you first–)"

"(They came into the store with us!)"

"Calm down, Si." Even if he understands the frustration at this very unnecessary situation, being
aggressive is not a good look. "(Those are our children, they live with us. They recognized us in
front of that lady, I don't know why she's causing a scene.)" The guard kept looking at the screen,
apparently finding what he was looking for.

"(She didn't tell me that. Sorry to make you waste your time, I saw they're with you in the foota–)"

"She's gone." He fucking knew it. He shouldn't have closed the door like he was instructed. Both
Simon and him sprinted out of the office and started running to the exit. "Fucking–" Why did the
parking lot have to be so big and full?

"I'll check that way." They separated and scanned every car that could be leaving.

"(Let me go!)" Yes!

"Leah!" He can always count on the girl's lungs making the loudest noises the human body can
produce.

"Johnny, help!" Oh, he's helping alri–

"(Let her go and no one gets hurt.)" Simon got there quicker, jumping over a car's roof. That was
kinda cool.

"(I'm taking them to the police station.)" No, she isn't. Definitely not in a van and with a big, fat
guy holding Leo in it. Leah used the distraction and rammed her entire body against the woman,
making her trip and fall. She looked at them, turning to run to safety, but she remembered her
brother.

"Go with Johnny." The girl obeyed once she saw Simon was sprinting towards the van. He moved
too, when he saw the woman try to get up and defend the man inside the van.

"Stay there, sweetheart, it's okay." Leah didn't seem panicked or scared, she looked furious. And
she definitely didn't want to come over to just be safe, he can tell she wanted to hit the person
currently laying on the ground, pinned under him.

Ah, she's definitely Rusnav's daughter.

"(Bitch.)" He'll allow the insult. Just this once. Leo sprinted towards his sister, and he heard the
van's door closing. Simon's going to have fun in there. No, wait, he can't, even if he's completely
justified.

"(Are you all okay?)" Finally, the guard caught up with them. "(What's happening in there?)" Don't
mind the screaming inside the van, it's just someone getting beaten to death.

"(Do you have anything to restrain this...)" Lady doesn't fit her anymore.

"(Yeah, of course. But the van–)"

"(I'll take care of it.)" The poor guy would probably get beaten up too if he tried to stop Simon. He
was just doing his job.

"(Should I call for an ambulance too?)" Another scream escaped the van. "(I think that's a yes.)" It
definitely is.

He walked carefully to the vehicle, trying to not startle Simon, and also giving him time to give the
disgusting man the punishment he very much deserves.

"Simon...?" His partner stopped, looking back at him with his fist still raised. "I know he deserves
it but we're in enough trouble already." They'll probably have to go to the police station to give
their statements, which isn't exactly how he wanted to spend the remaining hours of the morning.

"(Put these on. I'll take care of him.)" The guard pointed at the man in the van, who was just laying
there, shielding his head. He grabbed the handcuffs that the guard gave him and stared at his
partner, apologetic. He never thought he'd ever have to restrain Simon. At least not in this context.

"(Why is Simon getting handcuffed!? He didn't do anything!)" Well, he did beat up a man, even if
he was completely justified to do so. "(Is he going to jail!?)"

"No, Leah, he's not going to jail." Hopefully. It doesn't seem like he beat the man that badly, he
was still conscious, which is impressive considering it was Ghost that was hitting him.

"Then why..." Leo stopped her from asking any more questions, putting a hand on her shoulder.

There was no reluctancy from Simon to put the handcuffs on, he made sure to put them on the front
of the man's body so he didn't feel that restricted, and also making sure they weren't tight at all.
"You look good on these." His partner finally looked up, surprised. At least the phrase was enough
to get him out of his head.

"You'd look even better." Does the man always have a comeback to embarrass him?

"Johnny..." Ah, now that the situation calmed down, he should be comforting the kids. Simon also
realized that.

They both walked towards them and crouched to be at their height, immediately getting hugged by
both twins.

"Are you okay? Did they do anything?" They looked fine, and they didn't have enough time to
even try to do anything, but he needs to make sure anyways.

"My hands hurt..." Well, Leo did get held down my a man at least three times his size, so perhaps
he should be even more concerned. "I'm okay, though." They'll check those hands later.

"Those people are so...rude..." The kids, or at least Leah, didn't quite understand what was
happening entirely, and he doesn't know if that's good or bad. He won't explain what could've
happened if they got taken away. They don't need to know.

"They are. And very bad too. This is why you can't get separated from us." It's not like the kids got
taken because they wandered off, it was the security guy's fault, partly, for not letting them keep an
eye on their kids. He should've insisted, so it was his fault too. Should've been more careful.

He hugged the kids tighter, and his partner too, in the process. Simon just let his head fall on his
shoulder, not being able to hug anyone back, with his hands restrained.

"(Disgusting fa–)"

"(Finish that sentence and you'll be taken away in a body bag.)" It's impressive the woman had the
will to still fight.

"(You two are disgusting! Those kids should be in a normal family, with a mother and a father like
it's meant to be!)" Ah, so this whole situation happened because of bigotry?

"(A mother like you? A criminal?)" They should just ignore her, but Simon didn't seem too keen on
the idea.

"Just let her be, honey." His partner looked down at him, then turned around to give his back to the
woman, huffing.

"She's crazy." Anyone with working eyes can see that, and that included Leah. "Why would we
need mom if we have you two as da–" Leo elbowed his sister, looking up with panic. "Uh, not-
dads I guess..."

"What do you mean non-dads?" The girl laughed nervously and looked at her twin.

"Uh..." Leo? Embarrassed? "You guys probably won't like us calling you our dads so..." Huh? Of
course they wouldn't mind. Or at least he wouldn't mind, he hasn't asked Simon. They just didn't
want to force the kids to use the term to address them. They wouldn't want to make it look like
they're trying to replace their biological father. "So..." He kept quiet for too long.

"We don't mind at all, really, you can call us whatever you want." Suddenly being called 'dad'
instead of the usual Johnny will be very weird, but he can get used to it.
"Father." He can't get used to that.

"Oh, shut up." Leo giggled and stood up from the ground were they were all sitting. The police had
just arrived, and they were kind enough to let them be until they had already escorted the other two
adults to the police car.

"(I'm sorry, but we have to take him. I'm guessing we need to question all of you?)" Why are they
asking him?

"(Are you dumb? Just take them.)" Another policeman, who was probably ranked higher than the
first one, came over and took Simon.

"(Ah, this way, please.)"

There was something off when they came back home, it was probably the car already parked in
front of their house. With no people around it.

"Sol is already here!" Right, they had visitors today. They did get home way later than expected,
since they had to go back to the store to get purchase what they wanted. And they had lunch out
because Simon didn't want to cook anymore. He didn't say it, but Johnny could tell.

His partner's knuckles were hurt and they were all mentally exhausted, so it was only natural that
they didn't want to do much when they got home, except relax and do absolutely nothing until
nighttime.

"Hey." But those plans were frustrated as well. Sol was inside the house already. It's not a surprise,
she knows where the spare key is. "You look like sh- terrible. What happened?"

"Later." They all walked past her and into the living room.

"(Candace, go play with the twins, yeah?)" Leah was already waiting by the door for her friend and
her brother. Enthusiastic as always.

"(Sure.)" And so they went, disappearing to the front yard. He could hear them playing with the
dogs.

"So...You good?" They were fine, just tired.

"No." Simon left the bags he was carrying on the table and beelined to the couch, dragging him as
well so they could sit together.

"Fun." Apparently his partner didn't care that they had a guest, hugging him and hiding in his neck.
"I was wondering why you hadn't decorated this place..." Sure, go ahead, look at the bags, Sol, they
don't mind.

"It's not that odd." Maybe they were a little later than most people in decorating, but who can judge
them.

"Christmas is next week." That close already? They should start thinking on what to give the kids.
"You guys are from europe, right? Shouldn't you be decorating your entire house and yard like in
those movies?"

"We live in the middle of nowhere, why would we go that far." Simon has a point, it's not like
anyone besides them is going to see the decorations.

"Are you the grinch? You have zero christmas spirit." Whatever. Johnny doesn't feel like
decorating to that extreme, a christmas tree and a couple lights in the living room is more than
enough. "You're decorating today, I'm assuming? I'll let you be in an hour or so, you look like
you're about to pass out."

"Thanks." It might be rude to just tell a guest to go away, but they genuinely don't feel like
socializing. "I'll go put the groceries in the kitchen." He tried to get up, but Simon didn't let him,
holding him tighter so that he couldn't move.

"You can go later..." So clingy...

"The food will go bad, it's already been out of the fridge for hours..." At least the chicken and the
vegetables should be stored properly, they were in the security guard's office for a couple hours,
and then in the car.

"It'll be fine." That's a lie.

"It won't, I'll be back in a second." Still not letting go. "Si..."

"Just a few more minutes..." Those minutes will turn to hours if he let's him be.

"You can have those minutes when I come back." He wasn't planning on spending more than five
minutes with the groceries, anyways.

"I'll go with you..." As much as he likes Simon and all the hugs, they should behave properly,
they're not alone in the room. Sol was awkwardly staring at the ceiling, trying to find anything
interesting but finding nothing. Not even cobwebs.

"No. Let go." The words came out harsher than intended, and his partner flinched slightly, taking
his hands back and sitting properly. "So–"

"I'll help you with your groceries! Let's go..." He didn't get to apologize, getting dragged to the
kitchen by Sol instead. She carried all the bags as well, leaving them in the counter as she started
taking out their food. "You two should learn how to– Listen, I know it's hard, but if you behave like
that in public you'll find all the assholes in the country picking up fights with you."

"This is our house?" The woman sighed and opened the fridge.

"I know that, but you're going to tell me he wouldn't do that in public?" Simon wouldn't...well, it
depends on the place, really. "You gotta learn how to put a stop to him."

"He knows when it's appropriate to–"

"He doesn't, though. And you're too soft to tell him anything." It's true that he doesn't like denying
anything to his partner, or the kids, but Simon knows when he is uncomfortable. "If you don't then
your opinion stops having any value and he'll do whatever he wants." That's not the case at all.

"Why are you assuming–"

"My guy, you had to insist for so long just for him to let you go. And you were just going to the
kitchen." But today is different. They were still stressed out by what happened in the morning, it's
okay to seek comfort. "What would happen if you had to leave for a few hours? A few days?"
That's...

"Fair." It's a good point, he doesn't know if he'll have to travel alone someday, and with Simon
liking physical affection as he does, he would miss him. Wait, but that's supposed to happen, isn't
it? You miss the people you love, no matter if they were away for a minute or an hour. "Not fair,
actually."

"It is! No one wants to date someone clingy, that's always craving hugs and kisses. You get tired of
it, even if you think you can't!" He won't get tired, because that's the way Simon expresses himself.
Him getting tired of the physical affection would only happen if he ever gets tired of Simon's love.

"Who's no one? I don't mind."

"Yeah, yeah. But that's not the only problem here." She's going to start rambling, isn't she.
"Someone like that eventually becomes a burden, you know? And if you want a burden you just
get a pet. Why would you go out with someone that monopolizes all your time? People like that
don't deserve to have relationships. They don't deserve the people that actually fall in love with
them."

"You're just projecting here, I think." And she's also eating their cereal.

"Maybe I am, but am I wrong?" Yes. "You always get tired of people wasting your time, and then
you start looking for other people, then you realize you wasted your life with someone that you
didn't even love. You were just there because they needed help, but not out of love–"

"Definitely projecting. Don't eat that." She sure loves talking, and Johnny loves not listening.

"–So eventually those people end up getting cheated on or in bad relationships. I mean I know a
few leeches that definitely deserve to get beaten up and insulted but those are very rare
exceptions." There's...no possible reason why someone would deserve to get that kind of treatment.
Especially if it comes from someone you love.

"What was even your point?" This would be entertaining if the entire speech had any kind of
direction or if it had an objective.

"That I don't want to see you guys like that. You two are cute together."

"We were just hugging." It's really not that deep.

"Whatever, build your funny codependent relationship all you want." She has no right to be
annoyed for something like this. "Try to put a stop to him anyways, I don't wanna see you two
cuddling everytime I come over." That's the only point he'll give to her.

"Don't come over, then." Ah, they were being spied on. He's not surprised, Simon had glared at the
woman from the moment she had gotten close to them in the living room.

"I'm your babysitter." And their friend.

"You're also very annoying." Such honesty. Sol wasn't fazed, though.

"I'm the anno–" Rexie sprinted into the kitchen then, dragging a kid along with her leash. A crying
kid. That wasn't blonde. "(Are you okay!?)"
"(No! Help me!)" The dog was just as distressed as the girl on the ground, and Sol didn't even try
to approach the scene.

"Sit." The animal sat down and looked up at Simon, awaiting any more orders. "Grab the kid
already."

"Jeez, you're in a terrible mood today." She isn't making it any better. "(I think we should go ho–)"

"Rexie!?" Leah came to the kitchen as well, sighing in relief as she saw her dog, taking the leash
and guiding the animal back outside

"We'll leave early, sorry." The twin didn't look disappointed that her play date was over. If
anything, she looked happy. And so did Simon. "I'll see you guys after the holidays, I'm
assuming?"

"Yeah, we'll let you know." The woman got basically kicked out of the house by his partner.
"Finally."

"You actually hate her, now?" Maybe it wasn't just pettiness and Simon really disliked the woman.

"I don't like that she talks to you...like that..." Huh?

"Like what?" He tried to look for Leah, but the girl had disappeared, her voice telling him she was
in the backyard with her broter.

"She's...her advice is not that great." That's true, really, but it's not enough to hate a person. "She
sounds so bitter sometimes, too. I'm worried she'll end up upsetting you or something."
Upsetting...? "Or that you'd actually start taking her advice."

"I won't. I trust you, and I trust myself too." If anything, all of the woman's words from today didn't
change his perspective on anything. He knows himself, and he knows Simon.

"You never know." That's...

That's why he doesn't like her. It's Simon the one that believes Sol's words, not Johnny.

"I do know." At some point in their conversation, his partner had lowered his face to hide, and he
gently pulled it back up, so he could look at him. "I'm sorry for earlier, didn't mean to sound so
harsh."

"I–" Simon was surprised at the apology, taking a step closer, but backtracked immediately. 'No
one wants to date someone clingy', was what she said. "It's okay."

"You can–"

"I'll go check on the kids."

Oh. Now he gets the hatred towards Sol.

This is more than annoying.

"Do I put the sugar now?" He nod his head to Leah's question, stopping the hand mixer so the girl
could pour the ingredient.

Simon had left to who knows where, leaving only a note behind, since he had sneaked out of the
house. And the note was just the recipe for the muffins. And a short 'I'll be back later' as the only
indication he hadn't fled the country.

"Go grab the chocolate chips." The girl climbed down and walked out of the kitchen. He used the
distraction to sift the flour into the bowl. There's no need to end up covered in flour again.

"Found them!" She came back minutes later with the bag, jumping on top of her chair so she could
see the batter.

That looks good enough.

"Put them in and stir it a bit, I'll get the trays." He took out the headphones Leo was wearing as he
passed by the kid. "It's not loud anymore." The boy sighed in relief and closed his book.

"Can I help with filling the...things...?" The muffin cases...? "You know, where you put the batter."
The muffin ca–

"Liners!" That's the name? "It's written in the recipe." Oh, it is. The girl paid more attention to the
note than he did.

"Of course you can." The girl climbed down from her chair again, this time going to the table
where he'd put down the trays.

"Just two thirds..." She picked up a spoon and looked a the trays. "How much is two thirds again?"

"Put two spoons in." Leo was already working on his tray, meticulously putting the exact same
amount in every liner.

"Right!" There's already batter in the table. He's always surprised at how opposite the twins are
from the other. Leo is such a perfectionist while Leah is...Leah.

They took the same amount of time, Leo making sure all the liners were exactly the same, and
Leah making sure to not to throw more batter outside the tray than inside it.

While the kids were occupied, he grabbed his phone again, sending yet another message to Simon
asking where he went and if he was okay.

He wasn't even getting the messages now, the single tick mark meaning the other man didn't have
internet connection or had just turned off the phone.

He's going insane.

"We're done." He turned to look at the kids, trying to compose himself. "Fathe–"

"Let's put it in the oven then, aye?" The boy thought it was funny to call him father, so he'd been
doing it every chance he got since this morning.

"How long will it take?" Maybe she didn't pay as much attention to the recipe as he'd thought.

"Half an hour." A little less, he has to remember to swap the trays in fifteen minutes. "You can
watch TV meanwhile."
"Okay!" Both the twins left the kitchen, and once they were away in the living room, he allowed
himself to panic.

When he woke up this morning, they had the entire day planned; go buy decorations, come back
and let the kids play with their friend, spend some time with their own friend, make food together,
and decorate the house.

Not a single thing went right. And now Simon went MIA, just to add that to the list of concerns.
The last conversation they had didn't end in a good way, to be precise. Add to that the fact that his
partner can misinterpret anything he hears, and that he spirals down easily, and you get an
extremely worried Johnny. Crouching in the kitchen and tearing his hair out.

At least the kids weren't being difficult and making his stress worse. But not even baking or
watching TV had distracted him, not even for a second.

Is Simon mad? Or did he just need space? But he would've just talked to him, if it was the case.
They have solved this issue before, they can communicate with each other, since that time Ghost
had went out–

He didn't go drinking again, did he? He took the car as well, surely his partner is smarter than that,
and not planning on drinking and driving back home. Right?

Fuck.

"Hey, Gaz, quick question." There is no other person he could call, even if his friend was literally
on the other side of the world.

"Yeah?"

"Did Ghost text you, or something? Today, I mean." The probabilities of that happening were close
to zero, but he should at least–

"No, he didn't." There goes his nonexistent hopes. "Did something happen?"

"No, no, don't worry. Sorry for–"

"I'm telling Price."

"Wait–" The call had already ended. Shouldn't have trusted Kyle. Also, what is up with telling
Price? Is he a kid?

This time he was the one being called, and he didn't even need to check to know it was Price.

"Hello."

"What happened?" Where should he start explaining?

"Ghost dissappeared and isn't replying my texts. He isn't getting them either." The captain sighed
on the other side of the line, the sound of papers being moved being the only thing he heard while
he waited for a reply.

"Did something happen before that?" Price's calm and patient voice reassured him a little, his
panic receding just a bit as he thought on his answer.

"A lot. The twins almost got kidnapped, we spent some time at the police station...then we came
home and we had a little...disagreement. With a friend." He wouldn't call it a fight, it wasn't even
an argument. At least to him.

"He's just in a bad mood, then." Johnny knows that, and he also knows that Simon is justified to be
in a bad mood.

"But he would've talked with me if it was just that." The shuffling of papers stopped suddenly, and
he was left wondering if he said something wrong for a moment.

"He would?" Ghost would talk with Price about things like this, surely? At least once in his life he
had to have gone to the captain.

"Aye, why wouldn't he?"

"I don't know." Right, Price doesn't have all the answers. " Don't worry too much about it, he's
probably fine."

"I know, it's just–I don't even know where he is, he took the car too–"

"He took the what." Now he's concerned?

"The car." Price doesn't know that Simon actually tried to get better at driving, and he doesn't feel
like explaining. "Last time he disappeared like this he went drinking, so I'm just–"

"What are you doing?"

"–fuck!" Leah had crept up behind him, and he recognized her just in time before trying to defend
himself.

"Bad word!" He's justified, she scared him.

"Don't do that!" The girl was just confused, with no remorse behind those eyes. "I'm talking with a
friend."

"Can I see?" That's...not how calls work.

"It's not a video call." She wasn't fazed, though, waiting for him to do something so she could be
included in the conversation. "You'll meet him some other time, aye? Go back to the living room."

"Okay! Goodbye Mister...Friend of Johnny!" She left the room in a hurry, grabbing her brother
who was hiding behind the doorframe. How did they sneak up on him so easily?

"Were those the kids?" Price sounded more calm than the last time he spoke.

"Aye. That was Leah." Maybe Leah just has that effect on people, making anyone's mood better
with her endless supply of joy.

"Say hello for me later." He will if he remembers. " And, about Ghost...don't panic, he'll be back
eventually. If he took the car he's probably planning to go back."

"Right..." Price is right. Simon will be back. He said he would on the note. "Sorry for making you
worry, I'll let you go now, I have things in the oven."

"Don't worry about it. Call again if you need anything." The call was ended before he could reply.

At least talking with Price helped him a bit, even if he's still very concerned.
He swapped the muffin trays and waited for another fifteen minutes until they were done. The
smell of fresh food piqued the kids' interest, and within seconds they were standing right beside
him, looking at the trays.

"Are they ready?" Technically, yes.

"They have to cool down." If she's brave enough she can try to eat them now.

"Cool. We can wait for Simon and eat them together!" They...could. "And then we decorate the
trees!" He really hopes Simon gets here soon.

They all went to the living room and sat on the couch, watching TV as they waited.

A sound at the front door woke him up. He looked up at the clock to check the time–

It's four in the fucking morning.

After waiting for hours the kids had given up, clearly disappointed. He made them something
quick for dinner and sent them to sleep, promising to eat the muffins and decorate the tree
tomorrow morning.

Simon hadn't seen him in the couch, apparently, he was tiptoeing his way to the bedroom.

"Where the fuck were you?" The man flinched, turning in the dark to try and find him.

"Out." Oh, no, he's not avoiding the interrogation. Simon was taken aback when Johnny grabbed
his clothes, but put no resistance as he was dragged towards the backyard.

"Sit." The man did as he was told. "Where." As Simon thought of his answer, he approached the
other, grabbing the cigarette pack from the pocket he knew Ghost kept them in, and saved them in
his own pocket, after lighting one.

"That's bad for your–"

"Shut the fuck up and answer the question." He's not going to even try to hide his anger. Simon
was gone for more than half a day, with no communication, for basically no reason.

"MacTavi–"

"'MacTavish' my ass, answer the damn question." He can't raise his voice, because waking the kids
up right now would be a great mistake. Instead he grabbed Simon's shirt and pulled him closer–
Alcohol. "Did you fuckin' drink before driving!?"

"No."

"You reek of whiskey!" As if he didn't even know he smelled of alcohol, the man grabbed his shirt
and pulled it to his nose to check if it was true.

"Shit."
"I can't believe this..." Cigarettes are supposed to help with stress but it doesn't seem to be
working. "Did you really need to do this?" Even if he's very mad, he can't help but be relieved that
the man is back home. Safe.

"Yeah." It seems like said man only wants to piss him off even further.

"Why?"

"Don't know." Good to know he does this for unknown reasons.

"Quit it. We talked about this, you can talk to me–"

"Didn't feel like it." Oh. Where did this wall come from?

"Simon..." He really hopes this is just because the man is drunk, and they didn't actually lose all
the progress they've made throughout the months. He's seen this wall before, just like he'd seen it
crumble since that night, months ago, when Simon had come back in the same state as right now.

"Can I go in, now? I want to sleep." If he goes to sleep and they don't talk about it...

"No. We're talking about this like adults." The man huffed and threw himself back on the chair.

"There's nothing to talk about, Soap." He'll try not to feel the sting being called that way brings.

"I think there is, Simon." There needs to be a reasonable adult here, and he's the only one available.
"You can't just do this shit, I thought we were over this."

"I don't think we'll ever be over this." But they were doing great before today...

"You won't get over it if you don't try." Simon laughed, bitter.

"Maybe I don't want to get over it." Ah, alcohol can really change a person.

"You can't keep...getting drunk and hiding like this, Si..." He saw the way the man rummaged
through his pockets. He doesn't even remember he took the cigarettes and it happened a few
minutes ago. "What if something happened to you? You scared the shit out of me. And the kids.
You're not returning to an empty home, Simon, there's people waiting–"

"Should've seen this coming when you started living with me, no?" What is he even talking about?
"I could just dissappear any day, you shouldn't be surprised." This fucker.

"Fuck you!" All his efforts to keep calm were thrown down the drain with just a phrase. "Fuck you
for even thinking that! You can't just live with us for months and then say you will dissappear out
of nowhere!"

"Wait–"

"Did you even stop to think what it'd mean to leave!? The kids love you! I love you! Do you just
not care about that?" He knows the answer to that, just like he knows that Simon didn't think this
through. "Is that what you really want, to get away from us?"

"Of course I care–"

"Do you know how fucking hard it was to put Leah to sleep tonight!? How fucking devastated she
was thinking you had left us!?"
"So–"

"Do you know how fucking worried I was, all day!?" He tried to escape the hands grabbing his
shoulders.

"I'm sorry, please..."

"Sorry doesn't fix anything, Simon!" Maybe he should lower his voice again, they woke up the
dogs. "You can't do this shit again!" The embers from the cigarette started to burn his fingers, so he
threw them away as he waited for the man to even try to reply.

"I won't, I'm sorry." At least he sounded sincere.

"Fuckin' hell." He let the man hug him, but he didn't hug back. "I'm still fucking mad, let go."

"Just for a little–"

"I'm sleeping in the couch, go to bed." He's not continuing this conversation.

"No, please, let's–"

"Simon, I'm really trying to keep my cool and not say shit I'll regret later. Go to fucking bed." Still
not letting go.

"You can say all you want to me, I deserve it." At least he knows he was wrong. But no, he won't
take it out on Simon, even if he was justified.

"I won't say anything. Go. To. Bed." Apparently alcohol didn't make the man any weaker. Johnny
couldn't set himself free from his partner, no matter how much he tried. "Fuck you..."

"I'm sorry..."

"I told you that fixes nothing, Ghost."

"Don't call me that." Oh, so calling him Ghost was off the limits but being called Soap wasn't?

"Let me go. Don't make me hit you." He was held tighter. For some reason.

"I deserve it." Well, no, no one deserves to get hit–

Oh.

His brain finally caught up with the entire situation.

It's decided, he's killing Soledad.

"You're not a fucking burden, Simon." The man flinched, looking up in shock.

"How did you...?" It took a bit of effort, considering how little he had paid to Sol's rambling, but he
got there.

"You told me not to listen to Sol, why are you going against your own words?" Simon just hid his
face in Johnny's chest, embarrassed.

"I don't know." He's sure the man doesn't actually know, so there's no use in pushing him about it.

"I said I loved you, didn't I?" He carefully grabbed his partner's face, lifting it so they could be
face to face.

"You shouldn't–"

"But I do. And you can't change that." Even if he does this kind of stuff, Johnny can't find it in
himself to resent or hate Simon, even if he's mad at him.

"I'm sorry, I'm acting like a child." At least he realizes that.

"Promise me you will talk to me before something like this happens again." Even if he's drunk,
Johnny hopes that he'll remember this.

"I promise." Sounds sincere enough.

"And next time you want to get hammered, just do it here." Sure, the kids don't deserve to see that,
but it'll be better than wondering where he went for hours.

"The twins–"

"Hole yourself up in Rusnav's office, I don't care." It's not like he would do anything to the siblings
anyways. "I was so fucking worried, Simon."

"I'm sorry."

"We were so scared..."

"Please don't cry." He can't help it, the rage had died down and all that's left is just...relief.
Overwhelming amounts of it.

"I'm so glad you're safe." A couple hours is enough to imagine and picture a lot of ways a human
being can die. And paranoia only made his mind more creative and productive.

"I'm so sorry– I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere..." He's home, they're all safe...

"You're definitely not going anywhere. Give me the car keys." The man froze, then reluctantly took
out the keys from his pocket. "What were you thinking?"

"Nothing." Doesn't sound right.

"You're lucky you didn't get into an accident." Even if Simon's alcohol tolerance was good, the
fact that he still decided to drive while drunk was concerning.

"Yeah. I'm glad I'm here." Ah, alcohol also makes him more honest. "I'm glad I'm with you..."

"Sure, you're still sleeping alone tonight." He swallowed the laugh that he almost let out when
Simon's head shot up, looking at him with panic.

"But– I–" Words are hard, huh? "Cuddles." Was he really expecting to come back home and just
cuddle with Johnny as if he hadn't ruined half of the day and their plans?

"You can cuddle with Rexie." The dog seemed more than happy to do so, too.

"I'm not dating Rexie, am I?"

"I hope not. I'd have to add that to your list of crimes." Simon tried to hold his laugh as well.
"I want to sleep with you. Please." He's setting himself up.

"I thought you wanted to take it slow." It took a couple seconds for the man to process it, hiding
his face again once he understood the innuendo.

"You know what I mean." He does, he's just making time so he can decide where he should sleep.

He could make Simon sleep alone, as a punishment for his actions. But considering what made the
entire situation happen, that would probably make the man think that he's still angry and
disappointed on him, or that he isn't loved anymore. Which, the first two are a bit true, but he still
loves Simon, even if he's a prick.

So that leads to option B. Just sleeping with his partner, like he'd wanted the entire night as he
waited for the man to come back.

"Fine." The arms around him hugged him impossibly tighter, and out of nowhere, he was in the air.
"Are you insane? Your leg–"

"Don't care." Johnny does. Not only because Simon will whine about the pain, but because there's
no way they won't fall. "You look scared."

"You almost slammed me against the wall, dickhead." His head, more precisely. Johnny is very
glad he has good reflexes. "Let me walk, you're drunk."

"Not happening."

They eventually reached their room, and Simon carefully put him on the bed before letting himself
fall next to him.

"Do you still not care?" His partner was massaging his leg, clearly in pain.

"I deserve it." That phrase again.

"You don't. Move." He pushed away Simon's hands and started massaging the muscle himself. He
might not have the best pulse but at least he has coordination.

"Johnny." Now what.

"What do–"

"I don't feel so good." Not in the bed. He helped his partner up, dragging him to the bathroom and
taking off the mask, with barely enough time to leave Simon in front of the toilet.

"How much did you drink?" He saw the inhumane amount of alcohol Simon could drink when
they went out with Gaz and König, and even then he didn't throw up like now.

"A bit more than a b–" That's insane. Just half a bottle would be too much. "Sorry..."

"It's...fine." It's really not, but he doesn't feel like scolding him even more. He just kept rubbing the
man's back, looking away from the very disgusting scene in front of him.

At least the hangover will be enough to make him not want to drink again.

~
"Why is Simon...dead?" The kids stared at the man laying on the bed, both curious and concerned.

"He drank too much." They didn't go to bed until around five, so when he tried to wake his partner
up around the usual time they get up, he was completely ignored. "He'll wake up in a couple
hours." Hopefully.

"So...no muffins?" It's not like Simon would want to eat muffins when he wakes up.

"You can eat some if you want to." The girl cheered and went towards the kitchen. They agreed to
let Simon rest and to set up the trees and lights in the afternoon. The twins weren't happy, but they
didn't have any other options.

Leo followed his sister after staring for a while, and he got deeper into the room once the kids
were away, closing the door behind him.

"Get up, prick, I know you're awake." The twins might be fooled, but he has watched the man sleep
enough to know when he's awake. As creepy as that might sound.

"Everything hurts." That's what he gets for drinking an entire bottle of whiskey by himself.

"Tough luck." His partner groaned and tried to sit up.

"You don't love me anymore, do you?" That exaggerated pout means it was a joke. So he'll play
along.

"I don't. I found someone better, sorry." Just to make sure, he went to hug Simon, so that he knew
he was just joking too. "Are you feeling any better?"

"No." As expected.

"You can sleep a little more, it's still early." Not like sleeping will help much, really. "I'll bring you
some aspirins, go lay down."

"Thank you..." There's no need to thank him, he just wants Simon to feel better. "I–...I..."

"I know." He's been trying to say those three words for a while, and failing to do so. Johnny knows
anyways. "I'll be right back."

It didn't take less than a minute to fetch the medicine from the cabinet, and then go pick up a glass
of water. The kids stared at him for a couple seconds, but they went back to stuffing their faces
with muffins shortly after.

"Thanks." The man threw himself back on the mattress, regretting it immediately as his head hit
the pillow. "Fuck."

"Language." Simon just huffed, knowing full well that there were no kids around. "You want
anything else?"

"Yeah." His partner pat the space next to him. Tempting, but he has to go supervise the kids, before
they eat all the mu– "Please?"

"Ugh." Can't say no to that. He sat down on the bed, not wanting to lay down because he knows
that he won't go back if he does that. "Five minutes. Then you go back to sleep."
"Yes, sir." They spent those five minutes in silence, Simon crawling to where he was and resting
his head on Johnny's lap.

Did he really fall asleep...?

"Simon...?" No answer. Passed out, again. He's tired from dragging his limp body around, he did
enough of that earlier.

After putting the man in a comfortable position to sleep, and making sure he was properly under
the sheets, he went back to the kitchen to find the kids gone, Leah's laughter telling him they were
playing outside. At least they didn't eat that many muffins.

Now that he can finally relax a bit, he took out his phone and checked his notifications, finding a
couple missed calls from Price and Gaz. He had his phone muted, knowing that Simon wasn't
going to call or text at all, and not wanting to interact with anybody until he had his partner back
home.

"Hey." At least he should tell the captain he found Simon already.

"Any news?" He isn't going to like this.

"He went drinking, came back at four." The other man kept quiet for a while, sighing heavily once
he realized Johnny wasn't giving any more information.

"Didn't he take the car?" He was uselessly hoping the man had forgotten that information.

"He did. I have no idea how he made it." Another pause.

"Don't let him drink again." There's no way he can actually stop him if the man wants to, he's
sneaky enough to run away without Johnny noticing. But he'll pay more attention, anyways.

"I won't. Sorry for worrying you."

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing." True, but Simon is in no condition to apologize personally,
right now. "Is he awake?"

"He just passed out." Oh, he's in so much trouble. Soap won't interfere, his partner deserves the
scolding.

"I'll talk to him later. Make sure he picks up the call." He will. "I have to get back to work, thanks
for the update."

"Alright." Price hung up, not giving him any chance to properly say goodbye nor thank him for
yesterday. He's glad the captain had called him, the conversation was enough to ground him and
not having a breakdown on the kitchen floor. He'll have more chances to thank him.

Calling Gaz as well wasn't necessary, he just sent a 'found him', receiving a 'thank fuck' as a reply
shortly after.

That was enough social interactions for today. Now he just wants to lay on the sofa and do
absolutely nothing for the rest of the day.

~
Since Simon wasn't exactly getting up for now, he had to cook lunch for everyone, and he won't
complain about it, even if he's currently struggling to follow the recipe.

"Ugh..." The sound of something being dragged caught his attention, looking at the doorway to see
Rexie dragging Leah across the living room, gently, until leaving her in the middle of the kitchen,
next to Johnny.

"Good girl?" The animal sat down and wagged her tail, probably expecting treats for her hard
work. What can he give the dog that won't harm her...

"Johnny..." Ah, right, the kid.

"What happened?" Did they get hurt? He hasn't been paying that much attention to them, maybe
they were playing too roughly and got hurt. But she didn't seem hurt. "Where's your...?"

What are they doing?

Leo was dragged slowly by Bones, and the corgi from the barn, both dogs struggling to move the
kid's weight. Until eventually they got the boy right next to his sister.

"Training!" For what, exactly? The twins stood up and went to the counter, taking out dog treats he
didn't know they had there. "Good boys!" The poor dogs couldn't even celebrate, they looked
exhausted. "You're a good girl too, Rexie!" At least she had an easier job, Rexie is bigger than
Leah.

"What are you training them for?" There's no reason for their pets to be trained anymore, and he
can't think of a situation where they'd need to drag the kids around either.

"Uh..." So they're just bored. "You never know...?"

"Uh-huh." The pets took their treats outside, knowing very well they aren't allowed inside. "Go
wash your hands, food will be ready soon."

"Is Simon awake yet?" How weird of them to remember Simon exists right when he mentions
food...

"I'll wake him up in a–"

"Rexie!" The dog sprinted towards the kitchen, waiting for more orders. "Fetch Simon!"

"Wait, no–" He didn't have time to stop the animal, when he managed to get out of the kitchen, the
door to their bedroom was already open.

Cleaning dog hair and dirt out of his bed wasn't on his plans for today.

The dog actually managed to drag Simon to the door, giving up midway through her task and
looking up, waiting for more treats.

"Is he dead?" It's amazing that the man could still sleep after being dragged out of bed.

"No." Even if he looks like a corpse. "Go set the table, I'll get him up." The kids ran away from the
scene, to the living room. "Simon?"

"Give me a sec..." Ah, so he isn't in a coma after all.

"Are you alright?" Johnny helped him up, until he was standing.

"I'm alright..." He looks fine, compared to a couple hours ago.

"Are you helping decorate or do you want to sleep a bit more?" Usually it's impossible for his
partner to go back to sleep after he wakes up, but maybe today is an exception.

"I'll go get the mask." That sounds like he'll help. Or that he's putting a mask to sleep. Johnny will
assume it's the first option.

As he approached the kitchen, he could hear the kids arranging the cutlery and talking. Leah
noticed him first, looking up at him with an empty glass in her hands.

"Is Simon awake now?" Ah, this.

"Yes." The twins looked at each other, communicating with their eyes. Or trying to.

"Do you think he'll eat with us today...?" She always asks this. Simon sits with them at the table,
but he never actually eats, unless he's wearing a balaclava. The kids live with them, they've
technically already seen the man's face, but he tries to understand that it's still hard to not cover it.

"Probably not. I don't think he's hungry." They can be disappointed for now, some day Simon
will...might stop covering his face.

"But we'll decorate the tree, right?" He'll make sure of that.

"Yes, we'll decorate the tree." The girl turned towards the voice, watching Simon enter the room
and running the man's direction.

"Simon!" His partner barely had enough time to react and grab the girl, spinning her around a little.
"We missed you!"

"Who's we?" Leo can act tough all he wants, he was asking about Simon more than his sister.

"I missed you too." Somehow, Leah ended up being carried like a potato sack, over Simon's
shoulder. She didn't seem to mind, until she was put on a chair.

"Did you have fun?" Ah, right, he told the kids Simon had gone out with friends, just to get them to
calm down and go to bed.

"I...did?" His partner was looking at him, wondering what that was about.

"Good!" The girl started eating, since Johnny served them lunch while they were distracted with
Simon.

"I'll go get the tree." As soon as he started walking towards the stairs, he saw the other adult
following him. "I didn't say I needed help."

"You never do." That's...true. But that's because he never has to, Simon is always asking first, or
just helping without asking. "Where did I go last night?"

"You went out to celebrate a friend's birthday." Hopefully the kids have no idea that their social life
is almost nonexistent.

They brought the trees down without much effort, since they were still in boxes, and they waited
until the kids finished eating before taking them out. Which wasn't long, since Leah started
devouring her food even faster as soon as she saw them come back.

"We're done!" Leo is still eating...

"Let's get the–"

"Yeah, I'm on it!" The girl ran to the cabinet where they stored the decorations, bringing as many
as she could carry in her arms and going back to fetch more.

At least that gave her brother more time to finish his food.

"Did you get the lights too?" Leah looked down at the mess she had created, searching for what he
asked for.

"Yeah, they're here!" They should put those at the end...right? Or maybe not...

"Uh..." How do you decorate a christmas tree, again? "Where should we put it..."

"At the corner should be fine." His partner seems to be more informed about this than he is. "The
small one can go...somewhere else..." Maybe not.

"We can put it near the entrance! Or outside..." It's not like it's going to get stolen, but if it rains
during the night it'll get ruined. "Or on that...thing..." Leah pointed at a...what even is that?

"Could work, if it's not too heavy. It's not like we use it anymore." Use it?

"What is that?" Leo looked up at him, saving the sarcasm when he noticed that everyone was just
as curious as Johnny.

"It's a record player." The boy stood up and took out the tablecloth that was covering it. "I think it
was our grandfather's...wedding gift...or something." It looks way too old.

"Wasn't it...grandma's gift for mom...when she was little?" How did they even remember those
things.

"It was, but mom left it back where she lived." He looked at the thing while the kids decided on the
story. '1886'. Definitely very old. "We used to listen to the vinyls mother had, but..."

"Auntie broke them." How vile. He can't think of any reason why someone would do that. Not only
are those discs valuable for being antiques, but they're irreplaceable for the twins, since they were
gifts passed down for generations.

"Do you still have them?" Maybe they can be fixed, or they can find copies. Leo opened the
compartment where the speaker was, taking out a lot of shattered vinyls. There's still some
hope...maybe?

"We can put the tree here, let's put the records somewhere safe, just in case." Simon grabbed the
pieces of vinyl records and waited for him to follow.

"Didn't know we had an antique at home." His partner chuckled and opened the door to their room.

"Neither did I. Also, I know what you're thinking, but these things can't be fixed." Ah, so there was
no hope.

"We can try searching for the same discs somewhere, I'm sure the kids would be happy to have
those back." Simon looked at him, uncertain, as he put the broken discs on the desk nearby.
"Or we can just buy them different ones, more modern than...a recording from the twenties." That's
true, but also, he doesn't want to replace the memories the kids already have.

"Or we can do both." It's going to be very hard to get ahold of the oldest records, so they can
replace those with newer ones. "I'm pretty sure that we can glue those, though."

"They can't be played, they can break the record player." Huh. He knows about this, too?

"How old are you again?" Simon glared at him and guided him out of the room.

"Four years older than you." He was joking when he asked, but now he realizes that he didn't know
his partner's exact age. At least he knew his birthday.

"No way?" Simon scoffed and turned his attention to the kids, watching as they tried to make the
small tree stay up.

"You have to put the stand." Leah let go of the tree, watching it fall to the floor without even trying
to stop it. Maybe they shouldn't have picked the ones with fake snow, they're going to be cleaning
it out of the floor for weeks. "Here, like this." His partner demonstrated how to put the legs on the
tree and gave the other two to the twins.

"Oh, nice." Leo adjusted the tree a bit and climbed down from his chair. "Now we decorate, right?"

"Aye, we need to try the lights first." They should work just fine, but just in case. The boy went
and grabbed the lights, looking up at him expectantly. Someone's excited.

"That means they work, right?" Well, yes, now he just needs to check the other three sets they
bought.

"Yes, put them on the tree." Leah giggled as she was picked up again, holding the box with the
lights close so they didn't fall. "Close to the center..*

"Here?" Simon nodded, fixing the position of the tiny lights so they looked a bit better. "I think
these are too many..."

"We just put them at the bottom." The excess lights and cable went to the bottom of the tree. "And
then we hide them with some garlands."

"Okay!" All eyes suddenly were on him, for some reason– ah, the lights.

"They work." He wasn't paying that much attention, but nothing exploded or caught on fire, so they
should be fine.

"Come put decorations up, then..." He squinted at Leo, the boy smirking back. "...fa–"

"What do you want to put next?" He can't tell the kid not to call him that, but it's getting a little
annoying. That's why the kid is doing it, probably.

"The...thingies." Great choice, Leah.

"Yeah, the thingies." Leo too?

"What things?" The twins pointed at the box with ornaments. "Spheres?"

"They're called thingies in spanish." Are they? He should check that online, later. "Where do we
put them?"
"Anywhere you want." They probably have enough for more than two trees.

"Hm..." Both kids were analyzing where to put the decorations, looking at the tree from different
angles. "Maybe some here..."

"And these ones over there." Leo passed a box with different ornaments to his sister, pointing at
where he wanted them to go before starting to place them as well.

"Yeah, then the stars go...there..." They seem to be doing just fine without help. "That should be
enough..."

"What about the porcelain...things. The doves and all that?" Leah just stared confused at her
brother. "The bird."

"The pigeons?" It's a do–nevermind. If Leah says it's a pigeon, then it is. They're technically the
same anyways.

"And the turtles." The kids started looking for the pieces in the different boxes they had.

"They're..." Where did he put them? He kept them apart because they could break easily, but he
doesn't remember where he left them. "I think they're in the car, I'll go get them."

"I'll go." Simon stopped him, hurrying out of the house before he could be stopped. Odd.

"We should put them low, if they fall off they won't break." Leah nodded, agreeing with her
brother.

"They're too pretty, we can't break them." Leo nodded as well. "Johnny?"

"Hm?" The kids looked up at him, and he has no idea why.

"How does Santa know what to give us?" Oh, right.

"You write a letter to him." Both kids panicked, staring at each other.

"But, if we write it too late, how will he read it?" What story can he make up now?

"It's magic, he can read them as soon as you leave it on the tree." How long will he be able to use
the christmas magic excuse?

The kids calmed down then, relieved that they're not too late to ask for gifts, and looked at the
door, waiting for Simon. Again.

The man eventually walked in, carrying a bag that the kids immediately recognized. They were
more careful hanging the ornaments, knowing how fragile they were.

"Now...?" They were done?

"The garlands." Leah got down from the chair she was standing on and walked towards the table,
grabbing a couple of said garlands.

"Tree scarves." No, Leah, not tree scarves. "These?" She lifted a couple more, showing them to her
brother and receiving his approval.

"How do we put them?" Uh...

"You put them around the tree, like this..." Simon explained, once again, how to properly put the
decorations.

"See? They are tree scarfes." Leo sighed, annoyed, and fixed the placement of the garlands that
Leah had put. "It looks great!" It did, surprisingly. It's mostly because of the boy that kept fixing
every little detail, so the tree looked neat and tidy.

"Now we put this at the top." Leah brightened up as she saw the tree topper, but stopping before
grabbing it.

"What is it?" Simon said they had to put it up, she has no reason to hesitate.

"Hm...Leo should put this one up, I'll put the one on the big tree..." Her brother stared at her,
confused, but went to Johnny's side anyways, waiting to be lifted so he could reach the top of the
tree.

"You just don't want to mess up." Ah, that was it? She wants an example on how to do it. It's
amazing how Leo can read her so easily. "Done." It's a little crooked, but it looks– "No, wait." Of
course the boy would want to fix it.

"That looks fine." Leo seems to think the same, asking to be put down after making some small
adjustments.

"I'll plug the lights, help them prepare the other one?" His partner did as he told him to, assembling
the tree and instructing the kids on how to fluff the needles.

"Is real snow as annoying as this one?" The girl shook her head, a lot of fake snow flying from her
hair and face.

"No, it isn't." It usually dissolves before sticking to anything. "I think that's enough."

"Okay." Leo crawled from the bottom of the tree, covered in even more fake snow than his sister.
"I'm sorry, Johnny." Ah, finally, he's not saying fa–

"Oh, pretty...!" It's not going to be pretty to clean all that later. Leo had followed his sister's steps
and shook all the snow to the floor. So that's why he apologized...

"Have fun cleaning that." He should make Simon clean it, just for saying that. "Bring the lights,
we'll do the same as with the other one." Leah ran to where the lights were, bringing them over.

"I can't reach the top..." Leo rolled his eyes, taking the lights and putting them at the bottom, where
he could reach. "Up?"

The girl giggled as she was picked up, Simon letting her sit on his shoulders and helping her fix the
lights.

"That looks good enough." Since when was Leo the expert? "I'll pass you the...things."

"Shiny balls." That's worse than tree scarves.

"Ornaments." They'll keep calling them things anyways. "Careful with the porcelain ones." He
should've bought acrylic ones, even if Leah didn't like them that much.

"Yes, father." Goddammit.

"Why...?" Because Leo likes annoying people with things that shouldn't annoy people.
"Don't worry about it..." Well, this can be interesting, actually. What will he choose to call Simon
to try to annoy him, besides 'Mister Riley'. "Taller father." That's horrible.

"What did you just call me?" His partner sounds genuinely offended by the nickname, and he's
completely justified.

"I can't call both of you the same." Just call them by their names, then.

"Right..." Leah started an internal debate then, her eyebrows furrowed as she kept hanging the
decorations on the higher part of the tree. "I can't call you father, that sounds weird..."

"Does it?" The boy knows full well that it does sound odd, that's why he uses the term.

"Yeah, you're a weirdo..." So sincere. "What do you call dads besides dad...?"

"Daddy?" The internet has ruined that term for him, sadly. "Papa, maybe? Like in spanish..."

"Pops? I think I heard that before..." She definitely has, in her cartoons at least.

Simon was looking at him, eyes unreadable, as they let the kids talk.

"Pa? Also like in spanish."

"Right...but which ones do we choose..." He's pretty sure Leo will actually call them 'father' for a
while. "Hm...Johnny, look at me." He did as the girl said, confused. "You look like..."

"An idiot." Leo?

"Not that, dummy! Don't be mean!" At least Leah knew how to be respectful. "I don't know, just
call him Johnny until we choose..." That's exactly what he was expecting.

"Sounds good." No more 'father's then?

"Are you done chatting? We still need to put the garlands." His partner looks tired, possibly
because Leah is not as light as she looks. She isn't heavy, really, she's just the average weight for
her age, but that means she is hard to carry for too long.

"Right! Pass them to me!" Since Leo couldn't really reach that high, and Simon didn't really want to
crouch, Johnny decided to hand them over instead. "Thank you!"

"You're wel–"

"Not like that." Leah stopped midway through her task, looking down at her brother. "The golden
one needs to be lower, put the red one up so it matches the...ribbon at the top."

"Right..." That's...very specific. Do they really need to think this much over a tree that no one
besides them will see? "Like this...?"

"Yeah, that's good." The boy seemed happy with the result, going back to decorating the lower
branches. "I think we're done."

"I still have tree scarves..." They bought too many.

"We can use them somewhere else." Simon looked at the tree topper, a big, red ribbon that caught
the twins' attention. "You can put this up now." Leah grabbed said ribbon when it was handed to
her, fidgeting with her hands as Simon got her closer to the tree top.
"Alright..." She doesn't really need to be nervous over something so simple. "Is it crooked?" The
girl looked down between her brother and Johnny, awaiting a veredict.

"No. It's perfect." The boy fixed some other ornaments and stepped back, looking at the tree with
pride.

"It looks pretty!" It does, it's impressive how neat everything is considering only the kids decorated
it.

Simon let Leah on the ground, stretching his back and shoulders. The girl paid no attention to that
and instead kept walking around the tree, fascinated by the colors and lights.

"You have to write your letters so we can put them in the tree." The twins perked up then, running
to their rooms and coming back with papers and pens.

"What do we ask for, though..." As long as they ask for things that actually exist...

"Whatever you want." Leah looked up at him, squinting her eyes as she thought.

"I want more books." Of course Leo would want that. "I've already finished the ones mom had at
the office..." Those...are encyclopedias...

"Don't you two want gifts? You have to write your letters too!" Well, they have to play along.
Simon sat down a little far from them, grabbing a paper and pen, and staring at Johnny. "I want...I
don't know..."

"Maybe toys?" The girl shook her head. She already has a lot of toys, maybe they have spoiled her
a bit. It's reasonable she doesn't know what to ask for when she already has so much stuff.

"Can I ask for food?" When does she not have food, exactly?

"You should ask for something else, if you want food we can just...buy it..." Leah pouted and
stared at her paper, completely lost.

"Can I ask for things that aren't...like...a thing?" No.

"What do you mean?" The girl looked up and thought for a little.

"Like...something I want to do...? Like, a trip, or, I don't know...asking to see someone...?" Does she
want to see...?

"You can. I don't know if Santa can help you, though. Depends on what you ask for." That seemed
to be a good answer. She wrote her wish and folded the paper, before anyone could see it. "Are you
all done?" Simon perked up then, folding his paper as well, and hiding it with his hand.

"Yeah! Do we just put it on the tree, now?" Leah stood up and grabbed her brother's hand,
dragging him towards the tree as well. "Can we read the other's wishes?" That would be bad,
considering how he didn't even write anything. Simon probably didn't either.

"If you read it then it won't come true." The girl immediately closed the letter she was about to
open, shoving it between the artificial leaves.

Everyone put the letters in the tree as well, stepping back once more to look at their work.

It looked pretty, and even if it didn't, he wouldn't change anything. It's the first tree the twins
decorated, and it was also the first they decorated as, well, a family.
And definitely not the last.

"Did Price call you?" His partner turned to look at him, walking towards the bed.

"Yes." He was expecting a little more information.

"What did he say?" Simon looked away, turning off the lamp at the bedside table and getting under
the sheets.

"He just scolded me. Told me to stop acting like an edgy teenager." So true. "Are you still mad...?"
He wouldn't be in bed if he was really mad. Sure, maybe he still is a bit angry, but knowing what
caused the issue helped him be a little more understanding.

"A little." The bed moved at his side, his partner putting some distance between them.

"I'm sorry." He's heard those same words way too much in these last twenty-four hours.

"I know." As long as the situation doesn't repeat in the future, he can accept the apology.

"Can I–no, nevermind. Goodnight." Is he mad enough to not want to cuddle? No.

"Come here." The other man immediately did as he was told, hugging him from behind and sighing
against his neck.

"I don't want to be too clingy..." Would killing Sol and disposing of her body be that difficult?

"I don't mind." There were enough issues inside Simon's brain, but the woman had to go and add a
few more with her completely useless advice. "You know, nothing of what Sol said relates to us."

"I don't know."

"I'm not getting tired of you anytime soon."

"You will eventually." Hopefully not, they still have to raise the kids.

"Shut up." It came out harsher than he meant to, considering how Simon tensed up behind him.
"Listen, we've been...together, for barely a month. Are you already giving up on this?"

"No, of course not." The man relaxed a bit. "I'm not giving up on this." That's the determination he
wanted to hear.

"Then stop worrying so much about what could happen." It's easier said than done, clearly. "You
said we should take things slowly, didn't you? Let's do that. Live one day at a time."

"I can't help worrying, you know that." Of course he does. "I don't think I've ever...felt, like this."
Oh. "I don't want to ruin this."

"You didn't ruin anything–"

"But I did. I did something stupid, and I made all of you worry..." Worrying them was the least
stupid thing he did yesterday, really.

"But we forgive you, because you won't do it again." If he actually does that again, Johnny won't
be so forgiving. A mistake can happen once, maybe twice, but his patience only goes that far.

"I really don't deserve this." Those words again.

"We've already talked about this, Simon..." He doesn't mind repeating the speech, as long as it
actually gets into Simon's head– wait, he just has to do the same he does with the kids. "Say it after
me..."

"Hm?" He turned to grab his partner's face, finding that there wasn't any fabric covering it. It's not
like he always sleeps with a mask, but it's still not that common for him to sleep without one.

"You deserve this."

"I deserve this...?"

"It's not a question." The skin under his fingers was warm, and even if he couldn't see a thing, he
can figure out that his partner is embarrassed.

"I deserve this..."

"You deserve to be loved." Simon's face looked down, trying to hide even if no one could see him.
"Come on..."

"I–..." At least he's trying, that's good enough for Johnny.

"It's al–"

"I deserve to be loved." Oh, he actually did it.

"You're good enough."

"I'm...good enough." That should be it. "Why are we doing this, again?"

"So you won't forget." Using his hands as a guide, Johnny got closer to his partner's face, putting
their foreheads together. "I love you."

"I– you love me." He chuckled, getting a groan as a response from Simon.

"You weren't supposed to repeat that one." He'll make sure Simon won't forget that, anyways.

"Should've told me sooner." The other man sighed, and Johnny could feel it against his face,
reminding him of how close they were. "Do we have to get up early tomorrow?"

"Not that early." They had to go buy the presents for the kids, Sol had agreed to come watch them
for a while, to Simon's dismay. "I'll wake you up."

"Alright..." With that, the conversation was over, the silence letting them relax enough to fall
asleep. Or at least for Simon.

Johnny only closed his eyes, noticing how his partner's breathing slowed and evened out, before
turning into the soft snores he's used to listening.

It was when he tried to get more comfortable that he realized he was still holding Simon's face,
 their foreheads no longer connected but their faces were still close.

Would it be that wrong to just...get a little closer...? Ah, what is he thinking? Simon trusted him
enough to fall asleep just like that, his face cradled in Johnny's hands and no masks covering his
face. There's no way he should break that trust, Simon said he wasn't ready yet.

But a small kiss on the cheek should be fine.

>

Chapter End Notes

The author is posting this before they regret writing it.

Soledad after giving the worst advice a human being can give, and eating someone's
cereal: adios.

Anyways, I'm still tired, I'm a little behind with the chapters because I kept coming
back to this one trying to fix it(and failed to do so). I give up, hope it's not that bad.

In other news; the kitten opened their eyes! they're the ugliest thing I've seen in a
while, but somehow they're cute.

As always, thank you so much for the support! See you next Saturday!<33
 (14). Mistletoe.
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Even if it was the middle of summer, and sleeping together was uncomfortable, he couldn't find a
reason to sleep in any other way that wasn't hugging or being hugged by Simon. It was comforting,
a safer space than the rest of their home.

Sadly, as much as he wanted to ignore the world outside that room for a little longer, he can't
ignore the twins.

"What are you two doing?" A tired whisper in the silence of the room. Both kids flinched and
stopped their movements. "Don't wake Simon up yet..."

"Sorry..." Leah crawled under the sheets carefully, her brother settling in the space between her and
Johnny.

"Did you two have a nightmare?" It must be impossible to be coordinated to that level, but the
twins are a special case...

"Mhm..." They weren't agitated or upset, so it could also be a lie. "Leo did, I just missed Simon's
mattress..."

"I didn't?" So it was a lie. "You said you wanted to–"

"Sh...you'll wake him up." Simon is already awake, anyways. He's just pretending not to be so the
kids ignore him for a little longer. "Just sleep..."

"Aren't we supposed to be getting up...?" Johnny remembered then that they had plans, taking his
phone to check the time.

"Sh–" Should've set an alarm. At least they had enough time to make breakfast for the kids.
"Simon, come on."

"Five..." The kids turned to look at the other man, then stared back at Johnny.

"Do we wake him up...?" Well, that would be interesting.

"I'm up." Coward.

"Bummer." Leah just loves terrorizing people, doesn't she? "Can we stay here?"

"Sure." That makes Sol's job easier. "I'll go make breakfast–"

"I'll do it, don't worry." Huh.

"Alright?" What was that about?

As every morning, they got ready for another mundane day, the only exception was that Simon
wasn't asking for help in the kitchen, which was definitely weird, at least to Johnny.

A knock on the front door made the both of them flinch, an unexpected noise in the mostly quiet
house. They knew who it was, and maybe it was because they knew that neither of them moved
from their places. Johnny was still annoyed from what Sol caused, but it's not really her fault that
Simon reacted that way to her words.

"Open the door, dickhead, your kitchen has windows." They were caught. Didn't they have guard
dogs? Do they just allow people to wander around their house?

"I'll go." Again? Why is Simon so...attentive today? "Here." A plate was placed in front of him, his
partner pausing for a second to stare at him before he left the kitchen.

Odd.

"Finally." The woman paused as she left her bag, looking at them warily. It was probably because
they were glaring at her. "What's with you guys...?"

"Nothing." Simon kept glaring at her as he went to sit down next to Johnny. And Johnny kept
glaring as he ate his food.

"Am I about to get killed?" Not that far. She looked genuinely concerned, but that won't stop them
from messing with her. "Jeez, what did I do?"

"You should know." That only made her more anxious, fidgeting with her hands as she stood in the
kitchen doorway.

"So you found out..." Huh? Did she actually do something?

"We did?" She laughed, dropping her act and walking to the table.

"Didn't do anything. Why are you two so grumpy? I mean it's normal for Simon..." That's not true,
the man is only in a bad mood when Sol is around.

"Finish that so we can leave." He's trying to eat as fast as he can.

"Where are the kids, by the way?" She didn't wait for an answer, walking around the house as if it
was hers.

"Our room." Hearing Simon say the room was theirs now made him feel something. It's good to
know the other man is on the same page as him.

"Am I allowed there or...?" It's not like they have anything to hide. "I don't wanna find anything
weird..."

"What do you mean?" Simon was just as confused as him.

"You know..." They actually don't.

"Do you think we'd let the kids in if there was 'something weird' in there?" That's a good point.

"I'm just saying!" What's weirder is her being embarrassed about something, considering how
shameless she is most of the time. "Alright, go, shoo."

"We'll be back soon." They were basically kicked out of their own house. "So annoying..." Sol
opened the door again, squinting her eyes.

"You need the letters, I'm assuming?" Did they really forget that? "This annoyance was kind
enough to bring them over." Such a kind soul.
"Thanks." The woman handed the papers to them and closed the door once more. "Let's go then,
we'll read them in the car." They knew what Leo wanted, but they had no idea what Leah had
asked for. Could be art supplies, considering how much time she spends drawing. Or maybe some
toy she had seen?

They had to stop at the store anyways, since they needed to buy cat food for Leo, so that's where
they went first. Simon had spent the entire car ride fidgeting with the letters, which was just
another thing to add to the odd things he'd been doing this morning.

"Let's read them, then?" The man reluctantly handed the papers over, keeping one of them to
himself. The one he had written. "What did you write...?" Maybe that's what he's been trying to
hide? Johnny was sure that there was nothing on that paper, but maybe he was wrong.

"Nothing, really." Right...

"Why are you hiding it then?" He wasn't even being subtle, and the fact that he's nervous only
concerned Johnny even more.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Huh. "You can read it later." They should focus on the
ones the twins wrote, anyways.

"I will." After parking the car, he grabbed the first letter. "Leo wants...a lot of books..." The list
was very lengthy, but it did say that he only wanted three, since 'he would ask for three more next
year'. "Any idea if Roald Dahl's books are appropriate for kids?" Half the list was by that author,
and he has no idea how the boy knew about said author.

"Do I look like an expert in literature?" No.

"We can ask at the bookstore, then." As he read the list, the last book caught his attention. "Anna
Karenina...?"

"That one's not for kids." He's aware of that. It's still weird that the kid would ask for it. "There
should be some other Tolstoy novels for sale." Those should be good to traumatize the kid.

"Won't he get scared of those...?" Simon turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

"He won't get scared of anything in those books, he loves horror movies." That's a bit true, but still.

"Shouldn't we at least try to not raise a psychopath?" His partner chuckled and shook his head.

"Sure." The kid is seven, close to eight, he can read all the morbid stuff he wants when he's not so
impressionable. "What did Leah ask for?"

"She..." The note was a little lengthy as well, but instead of a list of items, the things she asked for
were...sweet, to say the least. "She wants to keep living with us." Simon was taken aback for a
second, his eyes softening a few seconds after.

"Of course she would." It's still adorable, and also concerning that she had to ask Santa for that.
She doesn't think they'll go away, does she?

"She also wants to go to the sea museum." They knew she wanted to go there, but it doesn't open
for visitors until next month.

"Anything else?" Of course there's more.

"Try to guess?" There's no way he'd actually guess–

"Does she want to go see the whales?" Huh?

"Close enough?"

"Binoculars to see the whales, then." Why is he so confident and why is he right? "She told me
about it the other day."

"There are no whales around here, I think..." Johnny is not a whale expert but surely they don't live
here.

"Haven't you listened to her? They come here in winter and leave in spring." Is Simon becoming a
sea life fanatic as well? "The place is pretty far but I'm sure we can make the trip, when they're
here." He doesn't mind, as long as it makes the girl happy.

"She can use the binoculars for something else meanwhile." Like watching any other animal she
can find. "My letter is empty, give me yours."

"Not happening." Before he could protest, the man got out of the vehicle, taking the piece of paper
with him.

The sound of the car door opening startled him as he was gathering his things, Simon standing
outside and holding said door open for him to get out.

"What's with you today?" Not that he minds the attention but it's a bit odd.

"What's with me today?" Once again, he has no idea if Simon is playing dumb or genuinely
unaware of what he's doing.

"I don't know? You're acting weird." The man didn't seem offended by that, if anything he seemed
to find this amusing.

"How am I weird?" Johnny huffed and got out of the car, the door closing behind him thanks to
Simon.

"You're acting like you want to impress me." His partner chuckled and caught up with him,
walking side by side into the store.

"Can't I do that?" As always, Simon was asking permission to hold his hand by rubbing his pinky
against Johnny's.

"You can. But why?" He held the man's hand and started walking towards the pet food section.

"Why not...?" There's definitely something hidden under his actions.

"That's not an answer." It's fine to push a little, and if Simon refuses to give an explanation he'll
find out eventually.

"Just..." Johnny separated their hands for a moment, picking up a bag of the cat food they usually
buy, and looking at the man once he was done, giving him his full attention. "Because of what I
did..."

"You don't have to do this, just don't do that again and it'll be fine." So it was his way of asking for
forgiveness?
"I won't do it again, I just..." Maybe he shouldn't have said anything, considering how awkward
Simon looks now.

"I'm not complaining, it's just something you don't usually do." Their hands joined again as they
kept walking to find Leah's gift. "And it's a bit weird to get this much attention. Still nice, though."

"So do I stop or not?" Cheeky.

"Do whatever you want." Either way is fine. "I think these should do..." It's not like there are many
options, those were the only binoculars that were around the store. "You think she'd like them?"

"Definitely." It's a shame they don't have smaller ones, or something made for kids, but at least
those would last for a few years, if Leah doesn't break or lose them first.

"Do we need anything else from here?" If he remembers correctly, they have food at home, so they
didn't need that.

"No. I'll go out to buy cigarettes." But they still have cigarettes...?

"You're abandoning us during christmas? You're a terrible father." Simon froze on his spot, turning
to look at Johnny and his barely contained laugh. "You still have half a pack, in the car."

"I thought I lost them." No, but they were stolen, technically.

Once they were done buying and on the way to leave their purchases in the car, the security guard
they met on their first visit came over to them.

"(Hello, gentleman. It's been a while.)" Well, they see him every now and then, but besides a head
nod they don't interact that much.

"(Hello...)" He turned to look at Simon, hoping the other man actually remembered what this
person was called.

"(Hi, Carlos.)" Right, that was it.

"(Ah, don't worry, I'm just here to apologize about what happened the other day.)" Right. They
could've avoided the entire situation by saying they knew Carlos. And they forgot. "(The woman
and her husband have been arrested, as far as I know they had done this stuff before.)"

"(Really? They're not letting them free, right?)" He's going to be even more careful with the twins
from now on.

"(I doubt it. You were lucky, they had already taken a couple of kids before.)" How can they get
away with that? "(Thanks to you two the police actually managed to catch them.)" So that's were
the man was going.

"(We were just doing what we had to.)" There's no way they'd let the kids be taken away.

"(Still, a tragedy almost happened because of my subordinate, I apologize for that.)" The poor guy
was just doing his job, the only ones to blame here was the deranged couple.

"(It's alright...)" This conversation was going nowhere and Simon looked uncomfortable, they
should just–

"(I was also wondering if you were interested in this job.)" So he was here for that.
"(Not rea–)"

"(What do we need for it?)" Is Simon actually interested?

"(I'm assuming you're already trained in most of what is required.)" That's a weird assumption. "(I'll
take care of it, if you're in.)"

"We should talk abo–"

"(I'm in.)" Simon ignored his glare and instead shook the other man's hand.

"(Come around when you have time so we can sort things out. Hopefully you'll get started after the
holidays.)" If Soap doesn't kill him first.

"(Alright, you'll hear from me.)" The man waved goodbye and quickly retreated to his office,
probably noticing how unhappy Johnny was.

"Before you start–"

"Why did you do that?" And why do people give jobs so easily around here?

"Can't we talk about it later?" They didn't have that many options, anyways. They had to get to the
bookstore before the mall starts getting crowded, and he isn't making a scene with hundreds of
people around.

"Right." The ride back home looks promising. Simon left the bag in the car and walked to his side,
looking at him for a couple seconds.

"Are you angry?" Not really angry, just disappointed. They could've at least talked about things
before accepting a job that's as dangerous as that.

"I'm not." That didn't stop Simon from fidgeting by his side. "What is–?"

"Can we hold hands...?" Ah. There's no way he can say no, and he doesn't want to. The fact that
Simon said it out loud instead of just touching his hand discreetly, as always, made him feel all
warm and fuzzy. A normal reaction. Or not.

"No." He couldn't see it, but he knew Simon was smiling, his ears turning red when Johnny
grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles. "Let's get those books."

"We should get wrapping paper. Or wrap the presents at some store." They could do it themselves,
not like the kids would notice if the gifts aren't wrapped perfectly.

"Let's buy paper and you'll wrap them on the way home." Having to do a task that requires
precision while they're in the bumpy road towards their house seems a bit complicated. "What?"

"If you hate me you can just tell me." It can't be that hard to do. "We can..."

"Hm?" Has it become a habit, for Simon to be this shy around him?

"Stop at a café...and...you know..." Is he asking for a date? "Wrap the presents there..."

"Uh-huh." It is a date, then. "We can do that." They have to buy the books first, though.

Thankfully the bookstore wasn't filled with people yet, they could freely browse through the
shelves and see what options they had. Leo didn't specify in what language he wanted the books,
and they didn't sell any english versions, apparently.

One of the workers approached Simon, and that caught his attention.

"(Can I help you with anything?)" Why wasn't he the one offered help? Ah, maybe it's because he
can't be seen from the desk...

"(I'm looking for something for my son.)" The woman's smile faltered, and Johnny held back a
laugh.

"(Do you have anything in english?)" She turned to look at him, confused, but recognizing they
were together a few moments later. Probably because Simon held his hand when he was within
reach.

"(How old is he? We have a few books in english but I'm not sure if they're okay for his age...)" As
long as it's not too explicit, Leo can read almost anything, really.

"(He's almost eight.)" The worker turned around and started walking to the back of the store. What
they were looking for was at the very bottom of a corner.

"(I think this one is okay...)" Was 'The velveteen rabbit' on the books list? "(And this one should be
fine too.)"

"Alice in Wonderland..." He's definitely going to like that one. Leah is always happy to talk about
magic and surreal things, but Leo prefers to read about it. The proof is that half of the books in his
room are fiction novels and short stories. And encyclopedias.

"What else?" Right, three books. "(We'll look around and choose one more, thank you.)"

"(Okay, I'll be at the register.)" The worker smiled and hurried away, disappearing in the room
behind the counter.

"You shattered her dreams." Simon laughed and guided him to the children's section, scanning
through titles.

"Not my fault she assumed we were just friends..." Fair. "He'll hate us if we give him a coloring
book." It's what ninety percent of the shelves have in this section.

"You mean Santa?" Leo clearly knows that they're the ones buying gifts, but they have to be careful
around Leah.

"You like roleplay that much?" This bastard. "Wasn't this one on the list?" It was, indeed.
'Charlotte's Web' was somewhere at the beginning.

"Here." He pointed at the place where it was written, and Simon took the book and put it on top of
the other two. "We should get another one." One of the copies was too short. His partner seems to
think the same, looking at The Velveteen Rabbit book.

They kept looking for another novel, trying to ignore the sagas and coloring or interactive books. Is
that–

"Did Edgar Allan Poe actually write books for kids?" It must be a mistake, and someone put the
book in the wrong place.

"I don't think so?" It doesn't seem like they made a mistake, though. The book has cartoon-ish
cover art and the stories included aren't that bad. "Leo will like it anyways."

"Sure, next year he'll want to read Lovecraft." They'll buy it anyways.

"At least he isn't asking for Stephen King books." Yet. They'll probably be browsing the horror
section instead of the children's, in a couple years. "I'll go pay for these."

"Mhm." Somehow, his eyes noticed a very hidden section of books, under the display in the middle
of the store. They were for sale, clearly, since they had price tags, but they were impossible to see
unless you were looking for them. Simon noticed he was paying attention to something else, and
backtracked to see what it was.

"Leah would love those." She would. "Should we get one for her...?"

"Why not?" The more gifts the better. For her, anyways. "The ocean life one or the–"

"Are you really asking?" He grabbed the ocean life encyclopedia and walked towards the counter,
with Simon ahead of him.

"(Are you done?)" The woman walked out of the room, hurrying to the computer behind the
counter. "(Do you want me to wrap these up?)"

"(No, thanks.)" Two pairs of eyes fell on him, because the way he elbowed the man beside him
wasn't that subtle, even if it was softly. "(Ah, do you sell wrapping paper?)"

"(Yes, give me a second.)" They were left alone in the store, again.

"We need tape and ribbons, too. I think there was a store nearby..." It's the store they buy art
supplies for Leah, when she needs anything. "Let's meet there, and then we go to the coffee shop?"

Simon looked around, trying to see if there was anyone around, before taking his hands and pulling
him closer.

This is just more confirmation that whatever speech Sol tried to give the other day didn't apply to
them. Even if they were holding hands, they kept them hidden from anyone, and they kept their
distance enough to not look suspicious. It's not like he's ashamed or embarrassed of holding hands,
he just doesn't want to deal with anyone's comments. And with what those comments could do to
Simon.

"Wait for me and we'll go together..." Apparently he didn't leave all the kids back at home. "Don't
laugh." He didn't laugh. Maybe. It wasn't a laugh, it just sounded like one...

"It'll be faster that way, we'll see each other in five." Simon reluctantly let go of his hands and
watched him get out of the bookshop.

It was a little odd, how relatively empty the store was considering christmas was around the corner.
Maybe they're the ones late, and everyone already had bought gifts?

"(Hi, good to see you again!)" Ah, the cashier recognizes him? He doesn't frequent the store that
much..."(What can I help you with?)"

"(I'm looking for some tape and ribbons...)" Or maybe he does come to the store that often, since
he found what he wanted without any help. And also a pair of scissors, they'll probably need those
too. "(These should do.)"
"(Your friend didn't come with you today?)" Hm? Simon?

"(He's helping Santa pick some gifts.)" The girl seemed confused, thinking as she bagged the
items.

"(Oh! Are you giving each other gifts?)" Huh. They should give each other gifts, they did write the
letters in front of the kids. "(Sorry if I'm overstepping but...do you know if he's single...?)"

Ah.

"(I don't know, sorry...)" He can tell the difference between this girl and Soledad, when asking the
same question. He almost feels bad for the cashier.

"(Oh, that's fine. Maybe I'll ask him next time I see him, then...)" That's just a terrible idea.
Hopefully Simon rejects her kindly. "(Thanks for your purchase, have a nice day!)"

"(You too.)" Spotting his partner was easy, even if the place was slowly getting more full. "Hello,
sweetheart, what is a beauty like you doing here, all alone?"

"You know you sound like a creepy old man everytime you say those things, right?" He's aware.

"I'll stop doing it when you stop blushing everytime I say them." Even if he was covering his face,
his neck is still visible. And his ears.

"Let's go?" Tactical retreat.

"Mhm." Once again, they walked side by side, hand in hand, towards their next destination.

Unlike the rest of the mall, the café was more packed with people, and he could tell Simon wasn't
too happy with the amount of strangers standing in line and around them.

"Maybe we could find somewhere else..."

"I'll get us something, go pick a table." There weren't that many people actually sitting down to
enjoy their food and drinks, so that would be an easier task for his partner. And he seemed relieved
by said task, too. "Coffee?"

"No. You know what I want." Of course he wants tea.

"Sure. Now go, shoo." His partner chuckled as he went towards the tables, leaving him alone to
stand in line.

As he waited, he kept checking on Simon, relieved to see how calm the man was when there were
no people surrounding him. He was relaxed enough to scroll through his phone, instead of
continuously scanning his surroundings. And Johnny was bored enough to take his phone out as
well.

'Did you see that guy at the back?'

'No?' Simon looked up at him, clearly confused. 'Who?'

'That one with the mask, he's kinda hot' He watched as the other man started looking around,
discreetly. 'Behind you'

'????'
'Did you see him?' He chuckled silently when he saw Simon turn around, the only thing that he
would see is his own reflection on the glass. Maybe the empty seats if he ignores the glass.

'I hate you.'

'That's a weird way to say you love me'

Before he got a reply, he put his phone on his pocket and walked towards the counter to get their
drinks.

After waiting for their orders, he walked towards the back of the store, tray in hand, and tried not to
laugh at Simon's crossed arms and unamused stare.

"You're not funny." Depends on who you ask.

"Are you still looking for the guy?" His partner softly kicked his leg under the table, shaking his
head. "I think he's pretty handsome."

"I really thought you were checking someone out." Simon looked at his drink, squinting his eyes.

"Why would I, when you're right here?" Even if he were to look at someone else, why would he
tell Simon? "Want to drink that on the way back? They don't really have–" Oh. He pulled down the
mask.

"It's fine." His partner looked at him, confused. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Hiding his smile is hard. He's just proud of Simon, but if he keeps staring the man will
get self-conscious. "Let's wrap these up, then?"

"Yeah." The bag with the gifts was placed between them, neither of them even trying to get them.
"We should write a note for Leah." Right. They'll try to take her to the sea museum as soon as it
opens, she'll be disappointed if she only gets binoculars and a book, without explanations.

"You got any paper?" Going to the art supplies store again, after the last interaction with the
cashier, would be more than a bit awkward. Especially since she saw them walk by.

"No." Well, they don't have that many options now. "I'll write the note at home..."

"Alright..." They're still not taking the gifts, though. Nor are they drinking or eating. "So..."

"So?" Well, maybe he's the only one that's not drinking. "What?"

"I don't know, I'm not the one that asked for a date." Simon immediately stopped sipping his tea,
definitely holding down a cough.

"I–This isn't a date." Sure.

"It isn't?" Maybe he's not the best actor but his partner apparently believed his disappointed tone.

"It...maybe it is..." 'Maybe'? "It is if you want it to be."

"So it is a date." A very short one, because Sol had to leave and they can't afford to be out for more
than two hours. They should have at least half an hour more before heading back... "What do you
want for christmas?"

"Nothing." Then why is he hiding the letter as if his life depended on it? "Do you want
something?"

"Who knows?" Not him, clearly. He didn't really think of what he wanted as a gift, and currently
he's more concerned about what he should buy for Simon.

Hm...what does the man like? That is legal to own, of course. Hunting or throwing knives are not
illegal, right? And Ghost lost a few from his collection before coming here...But they won't be of
that much use here...But he likes taking care of them and cleaning them...But–

"Your coffee will get cold." Right, he got a little sidetracked there. "Don't think too much, your
brain isn't made for that."

"Go fuck yourself." He kicked the man's shin under the table and decided to start drinking his
coffee.

"Fuck me y–..." Not so brave as he was on his mind, huh?

"Say it, coward." He could only laugh as Simon pretended nothing happened and kept drinking his
tea. "I'll wrap Leo's and you take care of Leah's?"

"Sure." They dedicated their full attention to wrapping the gifts, in silence. "Pass me the..." His
brain froze as he felt something rubbing against his ankle, slowly going up his calf until reaching
his knee, then back to his ankle.

"Hm?" What did he need again?

"Scissors." If his hands are trembling is because they just do that after his injuries. And definitely
not because Simon's foot keeps going up to his knee– above his knee?

"Give those back when you're done." He'll be done in a couple years, maybe, when he's not trying
to remain calm because of the weight on his thigh. Very high up his thigh.

"Here." The paper was cut uneven but it was good enough. Leo knew he didn't have the best pulse
anyways.

"Thanks." How can he keep a blank face when doing this? He can still see the pink ears, so he
definitely knows what he's doing.

At least Johnny is glad they picked the spot at the back of the store, his flustered face kept hidden
by the glass' reflection and the wall around him. He'll think twice before sitting across the table
from Simon from now on, though.

"You–" Now he's just rubbing a little too close to a certain area, and he isn't letting this go any
further. And the bastard in front if him was smirking knowing full well the consequences of his
actions.

"What is it?" Simon seems to be enjoying this, at least. It's a shame he has to ruin the fun. His
partner's foot dropped to the ground as he moved his leg, disappearing to the other side of the table.

"You're a prick." The smirk slowly disappeared, the other man pretending to be clueless.

"What did I do?" He can play this game too.

"Nothing." Simon flinched slightly, glancing down at his legs where Johnny's foot was rubbing,
exactly where he was rubbing just a few seconds ago, on the other man. "You seem a little
distracted..."

"Jo–" Ah, so it's not so fun when he's the one getting attention? "Please..." He would feel bad if
Simon didn't look so pretty when begging.

"Hm? What was that?" They both kept their voices low, not wanting to draw any attention, but this
is also the perfect excuse to pretend he didn't hear his partner.

"Please..." Even his cheeks were starting to turn pink, so he should stop...

"Please what?" The dread on his partner's face told him that was enough. Simon relaxed his
shoulders and sighed as he was left alone, going back to wrapping Leah's gift.

Neither of them said anything again, concentrating on their tasks.

No one saw their intertwined ankles, and they weren't acknowledging that either. Nor the small
smiles on their faces.

"Took you two long enough." They barely had time to get into the house before Sol rushed past
them. "They're in the kitchen, I already fed them." That sounds like she's talking about pets.

"Thanks." The woman nod her head and rushed to her car, turning around to talk to them again.

"Are you two doing something for christmas?" They didn't have any plans, really.

"No. Why?" Is she including herself on their plans? Again?

"I know a spot to watch the fireworks, I was going to go there by myself, but, you know..." That's
depressing. "We can go together, if you want. I'll bring the alcohol."

"Why alco–"

"Deal." Goddammit. "Johnny is driving."

"I don't think I agreed to th–"

"Nice! Gotta go, I'll text you later." Simon rushed to the kitchen as soon as Sol drove away,
running from Johnny's scolding.

"Simon!" The twins stopped and looked behind the man, concerned, before taking some steps
back. "Johnny...?"

"Go upstairs, I need to talk with Simon." Neither of them protested, running away from the scene.
"Sit."

"What'd I do?" Feigning ignorance won't help him, anymore.

"You know very well what you've done." Simon was avoiding his eyes, which was a little odd.
He's not actually upset over this, his partner can work in whatever he likes and he doesn't mind Sol
joining them. What he doesn't like is that he wasn't asked anything at all before the decisions were
made.

"Sorry?" He's not sorry at all. "It's not that I don't care about what you would say..."

"Whatever. Not like I could make you change your mind either." His partner sighed and pointed at
the chair close to him, waiting for him to sit down. "You're not drinking with Sol, though."

"Why not? Just a little..." Is he trying to become an alcoholic?

"No." Maybe he shouldn't have sat next to Simon, considering how he can't avoid the pleading
eyes that were looking at him. "Simon."

"Just a little bit. I promise." Well, he is good at keeping promises... "Please?"

"Fine. But why am I the driver?" They can have fun and drink the night away and he has to babysit
the kids and them? Very unfair. "I wanted to drink."

"Didn't think about that." Isn't that the reason why they're having this conversation?

"Should've asked, huh?" Simon scoffed and took out his phone. "What are you–"

"Yo?" He called Sol? "I've been gone for like, five minutes. You miss me that–?"

"Shut it." Such a gentleman, he understands why he fell in love with this man. "Change of plans,
you're driving on christmas."

"Drunk driving is illegal in this country, irmão." Multilingual, are we? "Unless you want me to
bring someone else?"

"You can figure it out, you're a smart one." They heard the woman scoff.

"Yeah, right. I'll see what I can do. Later." The call ended without giving them time to answer
anything. She was probably driving, so they should just let her be.

"That solves everything, then." That solves one of their issues.

"Your job." His partner groaned and stood up, walking to the counter.

"What about it?" Not only is it dangerous, it's also very stressful.

"Why." They didn't need to work, if anything they worked because they get bored around here.

"Why not?" There are a few reasons.

"Because you hate crowds." Simon seemed to realize then that being a security guard meant
standing at the store where thousands of people went to on the daily. "Also, the gun."

"I know how to use it." There's no doubt about that.

"I don't want you to use it." If Simon has to solve a conflict with a firearm then it's a very bad
situation. "I'm not going to tell you not to work there, I just want you to be careful."

"I will be. I promise." Another promise that he hopes Simon doesn't break.

"You have to come back to us." His partner sighed and got closer to him, pulling him up by the
hand.
"I will. Don't worry about it..." Johnny trusts him, but he will still worry. "I'll try to manage my
shifts so I can spend time with the twins..."

"Right." When the kids start going to school again, he really hopes he won't have to take care of
them by himself.

"Maybe the night shift..." The night shift? But–

"You would be out all night, though." He probably won't have enough time to go pick Simon up
and then come back to get the kids up for school.

"You'll miss sleeping with me that much?"

"Aye." His partner was taken aback by the honesty, chuckling as he walked towards the door.
"You're leaving me here alone, I'll miss you anyways."

"Sorry, someone has to work in the family." That's bullshit and they both know it.

"So you get to be the breadwinner while I get to be the househusband?" Technically, Rusnav was
the breadwinner here.

"Yeah." Not even trying to deny it. "I taught you how to cook, you should be fine."

"You didn't teach me anything." The only thing he learnt from Simon was how to bake muffins and
how to make rice. "Leah will cry when she doesn't get her pancakes for breakfast."

"I'm not getting pancakes for breakfast!?" They heard footsteps approaching from the stairs, Leah
appearing within seconds.

"You'll still get them, calm down." The girl sighed in relief and walked towards the table.

"Are you still scolding Simon?" Leo walked in as well, with a book in hand.

"I wasn't scolding him, we were just talking." Leah didn't seem to believe him, but she kept quiet,
doodling on her notebook.

"Sure." The boy opened his book, looking up at them before giving his attention to the pages. "Did
you take two hours just to get cat food?"

"Yes." They won't give explanations to the boy, they're the adults here. "I left it at the couch."

"Time to feed the beasts..." Why...

"Weirdo." Leo turned to glare at his sister, being completely ignored by the girl. She isn't wrong,
but she's just as weird as her brother.

"Whatever." The boy got out of the room and walked towards the bedrooms with the bag of food.

"Where do you keep the cats?" It's a question he's had since he started living here, but was too
scared to ask. But now it's a bit concerning because there are more cats that weren't here before,
and they aren't feral.

"Outside?" In the yard? "I'll show you if you want..." He exchanged a glance with Simon, neither
of them knowing if they wanted to find out what the twins have been hiding.

"Sure." Leah shrugged and walked towards the front yard, walking to where their windows were.
"They get in through the window..." As if on cue, Leo opened the window, staring at them. "They
also get out through the window."

"What are you doing?" A few cats started jumping out from the room, running towards the fields.

"Johnny wanted to know where we keep the cats." His questions were already answered,
apparently. A hoard of cats started rushing to the window, without making any noise.

"In the field. Where else?" He's allowed to be confused. "Our aunt kept throwing kittens to the
field. And then twice as many came back."

"Bloody f–" That's an insane amount of cats. "We have to give them away."

"The vet was going to take them but he isn't back yet." At least Leah wants to give them away too.
How come they never saw an entire family of cats living on the fields? "Oh, they had more
kitties!"

"We only have Samantha and Sky stay inside, they were mother's cats, so..." The boy climbed back
inside and apparently started giving food to the animals. "I don't like cats anyways."

That doesn't seem to be the case, considering how much time he spends giving pets and playing
with Sky.

"Rexie..." They all turned to look at the dog. The poor animal was swarmed by cats, she already
gave up trying to fend them off.

That would be them if they didn't start giving them away soon.

"Get in, losers. We're going to therapy." Leah stared confused at Sol, getting in the car anyways,
her brother following her closely.

"Shut up." He stared back inside, Simon used the little time they had before the kids started to get
suspicious to put the gifts under the tree, so they would be there when they came back.

"Rude." She's not that polite either. "Hurry up, we're already late."

"How many people did you invite?" His partner closed the door and walked with him to the car.

"I invited a friend and that friend invited a friend. And so on." Great, they're going to he surrounded
by strangers. "Don't worry about it, you won't have to–" Her phone rang then, before she could
start driving. "(Hello?)"

"Are there more kids?" He turned to look at Leah on the backseat.

"I don't know." They were whispering, trying not to interrupt Sol's call.

"(Really? Yeah–No, it's okay, I'll be there. Right. Bye.)" She hung up and threw the phone into her
bag. "We'll make a stop somewhere before going there, sorry."

"Did something happen?" It looks like something happened, considering how annoyed she was
after the call.

"My sister left my niece at a friend's house and forgot to pick her up. And she isn't answering any
calls." The guards waved them goodbye as they passed the gates. "One more kid to bring along, I
guess."

"So there are more kids!" At least Leah will be entertained.

"Yeah, some of my friends are bringing their kids, so you can play together." Where exactly are
they going? It's not like they had any information about this 'spot' Sol had mentioned, now that he
realizes.

The ride was mostly silent, until they reached the house where they had to pick the girl up. The
poor thing looked disheveled and sad, which was understandable. At least the kid's mood seemed
to lift a bit when she saw her aunt was picking her up. Sol sat the child on her lap and started to
comb her hair, trying to make her look decent at least.

"(Where are we going?)" The girl got down from her aunt's lap and walked to the back seats,
waiting for Leah to move a bit so they could all sit.

"(You remember that restaurant we used to go?)" A restaurant? That's not a–

"(The abandoned one?)" Where on earth is Sol taking them.

"(Yes, that one.)" She closed the door and started driving again.

As time went by, the less buildings were around, eventually everything was just plain fields, and a
small forest on the distance. Apparently that was their destination.

"...And that's why they're mammals, and not fish!" Leah finally stopped rambling about whales, the
girl next to her looking bored out of her mind. "Are we there yet?"

"Huh?" Sol had zoned out as well, it seems. "Yeah, we're here." The car stopped moving then,
parking next to a couple other vehicles. At least it didn't seem like she invited that many people.
They got out of the car and waited for Sol to guide them.

"(She's here, everybody!)" The woman in front of them laughed and started running towards a
building, the only properly illuminated place around.

"(What's up, homies?)" At least she remembered they were still there, turning around to face them.
"There's a patio upstairs, on the roof, if you don't want to spend time with these assholes. I'll go get
your whiskey in a sec."

"You didn't need to–"

"I said the drinks were on me, didn't I?" She did say that, but he feels bad for making a younger,
jobless friend pay for alcohol. "My godfather gifted it to me anyways." He doesn't feel bad
anymore.

"Alright." Leah pulled on his shirt, making him look down. "What is it?"

"Can I go with the kids?" She pointed at a group of children, running around and playing in a
nearby playground.

"Sure...don't get in trouble." Leo will make sure they don't. Both of them ran towards the slides and
Leah started talking with other children, her brother hiding behind her. Sol's niece had disappeared
as well, probably following her aunt somewhere.

"So..." Simon was looking at him, uncertain. "Do you want to stay with the group or...?"

"Nah, let's say hello and run away." These people are just as young as Sol, and even if they got
along with her most of the time, they didn't exactly share the same interests or humor.

"Right..." And Simon doesn't like staying around strangers that much. They climbed the small
stairs to the main room, greeting everyone as fast as they could before going to the place Sol had
mentioned, upstairs. Thankfully there was a door to separate them from the crowd. Plus they could
see the kids if they walked a little. It was the perfect place.

"Oh." This is a nice spot to watch the fireworks. The entire city could be seen in the distance, and
he hadn't noticed they were on a hill, nor near a beach, so seeing the sea from that height caught
him off guard. "This place is amazing."

Simon walked to his side, scanning the place as well, and apparently it was just as pretty on his
partner's eyes.

"It is..." The door opened abruptly, both of them flinching and turning around.

"Sorry! Here." Sol walked in and left a bottle of bourbon on a nearby table, and a tray with snacks
and glasses. "A couple girls asked for your numbers, do I tell them that you're gay or that you're
married?"

"You're funny." She laughed and sat down on a chair near the entrance. "I'm neither of those." Two
pairs of eyes centered on him "What?"

"I know you're not married but you're kinda dating a guy." Well, that's true, but still. "A man,
actually."

"But I don't like men." Maybe that wasn't obvious? It's not like he's had time to actually think about
what he does and doesn't like, these past few years. "I just like Simon." Sol fake gagged and stood
up.

"Disgusting, really. I'll let you two be, find me downstairs if you need anything. Also, William is
the babysitter, since he can't drink." She walked out and closed the door behind her, leaving them
alone once more.

"So you like me?" He rolled his eyes and walked towards the couches near the table Sol had left
things on earlier.

"Are you just finding out?" Simon chuckled and followed to where he was, sitting next to him. "I
don't like you."

"Hm?" His partner was clearly panicking internally, but trying to remain calm.

"I love you." Simon pushed him gently, chuckling. "I think I already said that, a couple times."

"You did." His partner glanced at the door behind him, checking if anyone was around, before
pulling him even closer by the waist. "I don't think I hate her that much now."

"So someone gives you free alcohol and you immediately like them? Should've told me that
sooner." Not like they even opened the bottle yet.
"I'm not an alcoholic." Yet. "And you don't need alcohol to make me like you." How sweet. That's
the closest he'll get to saying he likes him back, isn't it? "What do we do for the next few hours...?"

Right. They got here pretty early, there's still a few hours until midnight. They were allowed to
stay until whatever time they wanted, but the kids will probably get tired in a few hours and they'll
need to head back.

"Drink the night away, I guess." Everyone downstairs was already a bit tipsy, except the few that
were driving and the ones taking care of the kids. They don't really have anyone to talk to, as a
distraction– "You think Price is busy?"

"Isn't it midnight over there...?" So it's the perfect time.

He ignored Simon's disappointed stare and took out his phone, calling the older man.

"Hello?" Considering how fast the captain answered, he must have a few minutes to talk.

"Hey." His partner got impossibly closer, trying to hear the call over the music coming from
downstairs. "Merry christmas."

"Merry christmas, old man." Price laughed on the other side.

"Merry Christmas to you too. Did you two go out? I hear music."

"We're with a friend, we brought the kids over." He could hear some other people talking on
Price's end as well.

"Ah, nice. We went out for drinks here, too." Nice way of saying he's babysitting. He could hear
someone talking to the captain, the man covering the phone to answer.

"Johnny~" Of course Gaz is drunk too. "Merry Christmas!"

"Go easy with the drinks, man." It's a bit too late to say that, but it's the thought that counts.

"You too, don't make Ghost chase you around like last time–" He won't get that drunk, the kids are
around and they're surrounded by strangers. "Wait, Roach, that's m–"

"I have to stop the girls from fighting, let's talk tomorrow?" He could hear Kyle's voice in the
background. So much for not wanting to make scenes.

"Sure." Price hung up, the last thing they heard was the beginning of what was probably going to
be a very long lecture. "Who's Roach?"

"No idea." So Simon didn't know either. Well, they didn't know all the soldiers in the UK, maybe
the guy is a new addition to the 141. "Are you calling anyone else?"

"You can open the bottle." It was clear that his partner wanted to, since he'd been eyeing said bottle
from the moment they sat down. Simon was just waiting for the go ahead. "Al is busy, remind me
to call him tomorrow."

"Sure." He'll set a reminder just in case, they should give a call to Alexander too, when the kids are
around. "Here."

"Thanks." The music downstairs got even louder, but not enough to be annoying. "Want to keep
watching the show?" They had actually liked the series Sol had recommended, and it's not like they
had much to do for now. Maybe the whiskey will give Simon enough courage to go downstairs and
socialize in a while...

"Alright." His partner grabbed his own glass and crawled closer, resting his head on his shoulder to
see the screen better.

Paying attention to the screen got harder the more time passed and the more glasses they drank.
Paying attention to their surroundings was just as hard, so they didn't notice Sol sneaking into the
room until she threw herself on the couch in front of them.

"I'm not as young as I used to be..." She's complaining about her age? "Came out for a smoke, don't
kill me."

"It's fine." Simon's words surprised her, apparently.

"You don't hate me anymore?" She shouldn't push her luck. "You want one?" His partner
rummaged through his own pockets, not finding what he was looking for.

"They're still in the car." And that's far away. "I want one." The man beside him turned to look at
him, disapproving, and he completely ignored it.

"Catch." Simon reacted faster and caught the pack of cigarettes and the lighter before he could
even react. "I just checked on the kids, by the way. Leah caught a frog and is terrorizing everyone
in the playground."

"The adults too?" He grabbed a cigarette and waited for Simon to hand him the lighter.

"Yeah." As expected.

"We're raising her well." They definitely are, but not because of that. "Come here." Simon held the
lit lighter in between them, sharing the flame so they could light both cigarettes at once. They were
a bit distracted looking at each other but eventually they managed to do their task.

"You guys want anything else? We have beer and fernet downstairs. Also, food." The whiskey is
fine. But.

"I'll go down in a while." Simon froze next to him, but didn't say anything.

"Suit yourself. Everybody got drunk already, so you'll have to fight your way to the bar." He'll
survive, probably.

"I know how to fight my way through a crowd." Sol smirked, standing up and walking towards the
railing. "Don't lean over that."

"It's not a lethal fall." It's still a fall. "This place is so nice, I should open the restaurant again."

"I don't think you'll get many costumers." The views and the building are great but it's in the
middle of nowhere.

"Nor do I have any chefs to hire." That's also a problem. "Unless Simon wants to cook?"

"I'm not a chef." He doesn't have the title, which is very different. "I'm a security guard."

"Not yet." Until next year he isn't, at least.

"Just quit and become a chef. And John can be a waiter." She sure does have a creative
imagination.
"No." Someone has to tend to the kids.

"You two suck, I'm going back." She threw her finished cigarette down, hopefully not on the grass,
and walked slowly towards the door. "Ah, I have something for you guys, I'll be back."

"What's that about?" Simon shrugged and turned to him, taking his phone to check the time.
There's less than an hour left until midnight.

"I don't know if I want to find out." Right, they never know what to expect when it comes to Sol.
"She'll probably forget as soon as she gets downstairs." That's also very true.

"Want to go get some beer with me later?" Simon squinted his eyes, looking at him for a couple
seconds, but nodding anyways.

Maybe the couple glasses he drank were starting to have an effect on him, or maybe he was just in
the mood to appreciate his partner, but Simon definitely noticed that he was staring after a couple
of minutes of being watched.

And the man stared back, a mix between a soft smile and a smirk on his face, and getting closer to
him, now that they were alone.

"Got something on my face?" He took a drag of his cigarette, looking down at how little was left of
it.

"No, you're just...so pretty." Simon chuckled, his lips forming a proper smile now. "If my
boyfriend wasn't the hottest man alive I'd date you." That made the man laugh.

"You think your boyfriend would be happy if he saw you blowing smoke on someone's face?" Shit,
did he do that?

"Didn't mean to. Also, no, he wouldn't." His partner smiled at him, again.

"And here I was, getting excited." So the man can make jokes about normal topics.

"I mean, I'm a bit tipsy, if you don't tell my boyfriend we can do whatever you want." He stood up
and extended his hands towards Simon, helping him up and guiding him to the railing.

"So you would cheat on me that easily?" The cigarette embers died against the metal railing.

"The only person I would cheat on you with is with yourself." And maybe with Chris He– No, not
even with a celebrity. "Let's go down?" Simon threw his cigarette down as well and followed him
to the door.

The first thing they saw was someone laying at the bottom of the stairs. They walked around the
man, who seemed to be alive, at least, and they squeezed their way through the crowd until
reaching the bar. Simon sat at the very corner, not wanting to draw any attention.

The bartender looked exhausted, but he came over anyways and gave them two bottles of beer as
requested.

So they stayed there, drinking without saying anything, because even if they wanted to talk the
music was too loud to allow it. Instead, he looked at the people around them, everyone that could
was dancing in the middle of the room, while some others were sitting around and talking happily.

"Hi, there." He flinched and turned at the woman that sat beside him. "Can I buy you a drink?"
Uh...

"I already have some." He won't assume this person was flirting with him, maybe she's just
friendly.

"Do you mind if I stay here, then? I'm a little tired." It's not like he owns the place.

"Of course." She smiled at him and ordered a drink, sipping from the glass as she kept staring at
him.

"Sol said she was bringing her foreign friends, I'm guessing you're one of them." Oh, she's not
speaking spanish.

"Yeah, I'm John. It's nice to meet you..."

"Jésica. Nice to meet you too." The woman extended her hand and he shook it. "This place is so
loud...want to go chat somewhere else...?" Not really.

"(What are you guys doing?)" Another woman came over, smiling at him as she sat between him
and Simon. Should've sat there first.

"(Get away, I saw him first.)" Oh. They don't know he speaks spanish? "(Go flirt with the weird
one, I'm taking this one home)"

"Is something wrong?" He'll pretend he didn't hear that.

"She's just a little drunk, don't mind her..." The other girl turned to Simon, smiling as well. "About
that chat..."

"I don't really want to, sorry." Not only was she rude, but she dared to call Simon 'the weird one'.

"That's fine, we can talk here, I guess." Taking a hint is hard, huh? "Where are you from? I don't
know that accent..."

"Scotland." His accent is still very identifiable, even if it has died down a bit, thanks to the people
surrounding him.

"Oh, that's so cool! I want to travel there someday..." Would the kids like to go there, someday too?
He should talk about it with– "You got a girlfriend back home?"

"No, not really." He has a boyfriend here, though. One that's very uncomfortable and trying very
hard to ignore the woman talking to him. "Sorry, I should get him upstairs again, he doesn't like
crowds." It's the perfect escape.

"How about you leave him with my friend and we go upstairs instead...?" Nope. Should've stopped
this sooner.

"Stop harassing my friends, harpies. I told you they were taken." His savior arrived. He's dedicating
a shrine to Sol.

"Is she better than me?" Someone is too confident in their appearance. Or maybe too drunk.

"Way better. If you'll excuse me..." He got up, grabbing his bottle and a closed one, and taking
Simon as well. "Sorry about that."

"It was a little funny." He opened the door to the roof and waited for Simon to get in before closing
it again.

"How was that funny?" At least he wasn't upset about the situation. Simon took out his mask and
grabbed the bottle on the table.

"You are clueless to people flirting with you." He didn't want to assume, the girl could just be
looking for friends. "You were like that with me too." Was he?

"What do you mean?" He definitely wasn't clueless. Not because he didn't notice the flirting, he
just didn't know what to do about it.

"I kept flirting with you for two years and you didn't even bat an eye." Two–

"Since we met!?" Simon laughed and threw himself on the couch.

"Yeah, since we met." How did this man have that much patience?

"I didn't know if you were serious or not." Like with the girl downstairs. But the context was very
different, he should've noticed sooner with Simon. "I'm sorry for not taking the hint." Simon
hugged him as soon as he sat down.

"You got there, eventually." He felt the way his partner was nibbling at his neck, not enough to
leave a mark but very close to that.

"You didn't get jealous, did you?" Ah, there's the bite. "You're terrible."

"I didn't, I'm just making sure you don't get into awkward situations again." That's just bullshit.

"Thanks." He doesn't mind anyways, no one will pay attention to the mark, and it can be hidden
easily if he needs to cover it. "Don't complain if I bite back."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" Both.

The door slammed open, Sol stumbling through it once more, but this time they weren't surprised
because they heard her laughing as she climbed up. Someone didn't go easy on the beer.

"Catch!" Something flew over his head, Simon having to stretch to catch it. The woman left
without explanations.

"What is it?" His partner sat down properly again and showed him what he caught.

"Mistletoe." A very mangled, plastic mistletoe branch.

"Huh." He gets what their friend wanted them to do, but... "Do you–I don't want to..."

"To kiss?" Ah, finishing sentences is important.

"Not that. I don't want you to feel pressured." He can wait until Simon is ready.

"I don't feel pressured to anything." He doesn't? "But if you don't want to–"

"I do!" Both of them were caught off guard by his words, he quickly retreated and sank on the
couch. "I'm just nervous. In a good way." Simon chuckled and stared down at him, his eyes soft.

"You think I'm not?" A hand took his, guiding it to Simon's chest, right over where his heart was.
Oh.
"I didn't..." The heart under his hand seemed to have a life on it's own, beating fast and hard, as if
trying to escape the other man's chest and stay on his hand. "...know."

They stood there, awkwardly, not really knowing how to proceed. It's not the first time he kisses
someone, and it's probably the same for Simon, but this was different. The short distance between
them only made him more nervous, and more excited. From this close he could smell the other
man's cologne and the faint smell of his aftershave, hiding under the alcohol and the tobacco.

His partner decided to take the initiative, a hand coming to softly cup his cheek, a thumb slowly
caressing the skin under his eye, guiding his face up, closer to the other man's. They stared at each
other, a softness in their eyes almost masking their nerves.

Even if they tried to look at each other's eyes, their glances always drifted down, to the other's lips.
Neither of them wanted to close their eyes, too scared to be left hanging there in case the other
wanted to back off. Even as they were close enough to feel the other's breath against their faces.

"Can I...?" A whisper he barely heard, but the distance made it sound louder than the voices and
the music downstairs.

"If you promise you won't forget it in the morning..." He's sure they wouldn't forget this, even if
they got even more drunk. How could they?

The taste of whiskey and beer wasn't something he liked that much, but it was what he wanted to
taste at that moment, and it's exactly what he got once his lips met Simon's.

His hand crept up to his partner's neck, unconsciously, just like when he closed his eyes. The heart
that was still under his hand started beating even harder, and for a second he thought that it was
matching his own heartbeat.

For a moment, there wasn't anything else besides them, and their lips, shyly and carefully moving
against the other's. He smiled into the kiss, both with relief and happiness that they finally got over
this small step.

A hand crept to his waist, pulling him impossibly closer as Simon deepened the kiss.

He did think that this wouldn't be that much different from the kisses he'd had before, and that's
where he was mistaken. It wasn't his first kiss, but it definitely felt like this should've been his first.
The feeling of sharing this with a person he loves was what made this that special, the butterflies
on his chest and stomach were there, when they never even appeared before on his life. He couldn't
compare this with anything he'd felt before.

Simon caught his lower lip, gently, and dragged him back for another kiss. He doesn't mind the
taste of alcohol anymore, maybe it was said alcohol what made him chase the lips that tasted like
it. Addictive, like all the substances he could identify on the other man's tongue.

A loud noise caught them both of guard, breaking the little bubble of safety they had created, as
they immediately separated to look out towards the sea and the city beyond it.

Right. Fireworks.

"Fuckin' hell." He laughed, and so did Simon, the leftover nervousness slipping away with their
giggles. He looked down at the plastic branch, forgotten on the couch, and picked it up.

"I think this was supposed to be above us." His partner took the mistletoe and held it over their
heads, a smirk on his face as he waited for him to move. So he did, the fear he felt a few minutes
ago completely gone as he sat up and met the other man's lips.

Perhaps it was because he wasn't scared that he was a little more aggressive now, his partner
caught a bit off guard but not pulling away, letting him take control as he slowly relaxed on the
couch under them. The mistletoe was forgotten once more, having served it's purpose.

Simon's hands went to his waist again, keeping him steady as he moved to sit on the man's lap.

He didn't really want to pull away, but breathing is necessary to keep living. And he wants to live.
Simon didn't seem to think the same, trying to chase after his lips, but giving up as Johnny got
further away from him.

That's the sight he wanted to see some months ago, Simon breathless, blushing, and looking like an
absolute mess under him. A bit confused, too, probably because of the proud smile Johnny had on
his face.

A knock on the door made them turn, both of them trying to look presentable to whoever wanted to
enter the room.

Of course it was Sol.

"Sorry to interrupt if you were doing something but you have kids." Leah busted through the door
then, dragging her brother as she rushed to the railing.

"So pretty!" They should at least acknowledge the fireworks decorating the night sky, since it was
what they were here to see.

"Merry Christmas, lovebirds." Sol got close and hugged them, then struggled to crouch so she
could hug the kids as well.

"Merry christmas!" Leah jumped to Simon's arms, giggling as she got picked up.

"Merry christmas, fathers." And he thought Leo was over that, how naive of him.

"Oh, do you have a lighter? We have sparkly things!" Who gave Leah fireworks and why did they
think that was a good idea?

"Sparklers." At least those didn't explode. Sol took out her lighter and showed it to the kids, the
both of them beaming as they got closer to her.

"Woah..." Leah started walking around and drawing shapes in the air. "So pretty...!"

"Careful..." The girl smiled up at him.

"I know!" She kept walking around, completely mesmerized by the sparks. And so was Leo,
happily drawing figures in–are those numbers?

"Oh..." They didn't expect those to be lit forever, right? "Can we get more?" Sol smiled awkwardly
and discreetly looked through her pockets.

"Let me check downstairs." She's not coming back, is she?

"Do you think Santa already left our gifts at home?" Good to know they're still good at stealth
missions, since not even Leo seemed to notice they left the gifts at the tree when they left.

"He should have, you can check when we get home." The kids didn't seem tired, so maybe they'll
stay a little longer.

"Cool! Can we go play a little more?" She wants to keep scaring people, is what she means.

"Don't go grabbing animals, I heard what you did." The girl chuckled and started running to the
door. "Don't let her grab any frogs." Leo nodded and followed after his sister.

Once they were alone, Simon guided him back to the couch, sitting next to him.

"Merry Christmas." He closed his eyes and accepted the small peck Simon left on his lips.

"Merry Christmas..." Now that the kids mentioned gifts... "Are you going to let me read your letter
or...?" Simon's eyes widened, and he started to search through his pockets until he eventually found
the piece of paper, handing it over and looking away.

He unfolded the letter as fast as he could and got his face closer to it, making the blurriness
dissappear a bit.

'Dear Santa Johnny

I love you.'

"Don't laugh." He's not smiling because it's laughable. He's smiling because this is absolutely
adorable.

"I love you." Simon smiled back at him, his face a little red.

"I love you, too." He–Said the– "Calm down–!" No, he's not calming down, he already threw
himself at his partner.

He laughed along with Simon as he showered the man with kisses.

Apparently the kids had more stamina than he expected, considering how it was almost 3 a.m and
they still wanted to keep playing. Alone, because all the other kids were already tired and left.

Leah rushed out of the cab as soon as it parked in front of their house, and they followed after her.
Sol had already payed for it when they got in. Apparently the person that had promised to drive
them back had gotten drunk as well and paying for the cab was her way of apologizing. And as if
that wasn't enough she had also given them a lot of leftover food and drinks. And three boxes of
sparklers she had managed to steal.

They should buy her a gift for christmas, too, since she won't accept money when they offer to pay
back.

"Sir, we got a couple packages delivered today." It's weird that the guards call them 'sir', but he's
too tired to even try to correct them. "We already scanned them and they don't seem to be a threat."

"Thanks..." He doesn't want to carry whatever they got, so he'll come pick them up later.

"I'll bring them to the front door." Well, that's a good option too. They walked alongside the guard
to their home, he grabbed the boxes and said goodbye to the man, as Simon struggled to open the
door.

"Want me to open it?" He drank less than his partner, since one of them had to be conscious
enough to take care of the kids. "Grab this." Simon stumbled his way and took the boxes, handing
the keys over.

"Is he going to be dead tomorrow?" He laughed and looked at the girl, opening the door without
problem.

"No, he'll be fine." Probably. "Go get those gifts."

They watched as the kids ran excitedly to the tree, taking what they could only assume were their
respective gifts. They were both careful when unwrapping the presents, knowing that something
fragile could be inside.

"Yay!" Leah's joy is always a nice thing to see. "Santa has an interesting handwriting..." She's more
concerned about that?

"He tried his best." And why is Simon defensive?

"We should write thank-you letters!" That's...not what kids usually do, but whatever. "You guys
got gifts, too!" Oh, right. The kid brought said gifts to them, and they sat at the couch nearby to
open them.

"Oh." He looked at his partner, thinking that perhaps what he had gotten for him wasn't what he
wanted. Instead he found pure glee on his eyes. No sane person should be that happy over hunting
knives.

"Knives?" Leah just stared at them, confused. "You like those?"

"Yeah, I used to have a lot of them, but I had to leave them behind." That didn't clear her questions
but she didn't want to ask anymore.

"What did you get, Johnny?" Well, they're about to find out. "A journal? Oh...! Those pens look so
cool!" Indeed. And a small letter on top of it. 'I haven't seen you use your journal in a while, have
this one instead. With love, Santa.'

"I should write a thank-you letter for Santa too." He looked to his side, exchanging glances with
Simon.

"Yeah, let's write those tomorrow, I want to sleep." So Leah was finally tired. "What's with the
boxes...?" He's wondering the same, he doesn't remember ordering anything. Simon didn't seem to
know anything either.

"I don't know. Go to sleep, you'll find out tomorrow." Just in case, they'll open the packages when
the kids are away.

"Okay! Goodnight." Leah gave them a quick kiss on the cheek and ran to her bedroom, holding
onto her gifts.

"Thanks for the books. Goodnight." Simon ruffled the boy's hair and got a glare as a response. And
then Leo walked away, without saying anything else.

Simon grabbed one of his new knives, pointing at one of the boxes on the floor.
"Can't get up to grab it?" He knew full well that his partner would struggle to pick it up, but that
won't stop him from teasing the man. "These are heavy."

"I noticed." He dragged the other boxes closer to the couch as well, so he didn't have to make
multiple trips. "Do they have an address...?"

"No." He didn't see any, at least. "What are the chances of these being filled with bombs?"

"Not zero." They didn't have that many enemies. Simon cut the tape keeping the first box closed,
finding a present inside.

"Ah, of course." It's christmas, at least the kids will get gifts from other people. "You know how to
read russian?"

"No." It wasn't an actual question. Whoever sent the gift didn't seem to have the wrong address, the
twins' name was written on one of the notes attached to the gift. "Ask Google."

"It's from their grandma?" The kids had a grandmother? "She says that if we're not taking care of
them properly she will come over to beat us up." Simon laughed and put the gift to the side,
grabbing another box and opening it.

"These aren't for the kids." That's definitely from Gaz, considering how the note that came with it
said. 'This is going to be awkward if you're not together yet'. "At least they're cute." They're not
wearing matching sweaters. Unless Simon insists. A lot. "Not using them, though."

"Great minds think alike." Another box was brought into the couch, as another empty one was
thrown off of it. "Alexander sends his regards."

"Cool."

"He also wishes us luck getting games for...this?" He didn't specify what the gift was. Probably a
game console? "We'll find out tomorrow, I guess."

"Hand that one over." Simon pointed at the smallest box, and he picked it up. "Of course she would
give us this."

"I'm glad we sent the kids to bed." Johnny grabbed the box and hid it behind him, including the
letter inside it that said 'protection and lube so you can go fuck yourselves<3'.

"Yeah." Now he's rethinking the whole 'buying her a gift' idea. "Next?" He passed another box.

"This..." From Rusnav. Or more like, Anne, saying it was what Rusnav had planned as a gift.
"How do we explain that to them...?" They already assumed their mother was dead, so this could
only give them hopes. And then they'd have to shatter them again.

"Hide the letter and we'll tell them it's from Alexander." He didn't want to make them remember
their aunt, either.

"Right." Simon crumpled the paper and threw it inside one of the empty boxes. Or tried to, at least.
"Give me the last one."

"Bossy." His partner shook his head and opened the last box. "I think this is from Price."
Definitely. He can't think of anyone that would send them a shadow box with the 141 logo.

"At least you'll have a place to display your precious medals." He had completely forgotten those,
they're probably somewhere on his room.

"I think I have some extra space in case someone wants to display theirs too..." Simon looked at
him for a couple seconds, the shrugged. "I'm pretty sure you had more than me."

"Never counted them. Don't know where I left them either." So they're the same. "Put these on the
tree so we can go to bed already..."

"Yes, sir..." They're both tired, so he was going to do that anyways. He went and grabbed Simon's
hand once his task was done, turning off the lights and slowly making their way to the bedroom.
"Did you have fun?" His partner threw his shirt somewhere on the floor and laid next to him, on his
side so they could look at each other.

"It wasn't that bad." It wasn't that different from what they would've done at home, except for the
free drinks and food. And the view...he wonders how the fireworks would've looked from here.
He'll find out in a couple days, on new year's eve. Sol said people throw even more fireworks then
than on christmas. "Get in here already."

"Why are you so impatient today?" His shirt was thrown in the same direction as Simon's, and he
hid Sol's 'gift' in the bedside drawer just in case the kids snooped around their room.

"Cuddles." Of course. Who is he to deny Simon anything?

"Come get them." Within seconds his partner had pulled him closer and trapped him in a hug. Not
like he would try to get away, anyways. Simon got comfortable against him, his head resting near
his shoulder, trying to to crush him with his weight.

It was a bit weird, how even if they were a bit tired and a bit tipsy, neither of them could fall
asleep. Maybe it was because they were too busy looking at each other.

"Can I...?" Simon's voice caught him a bit off guard, too concentrated in looking at the man's face.

"You don't have to ask every–" Why ask if he's not waiting for the whole answer...?

"Just in case." He didn't even try to think of a reply, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to
talk again.

It's a bit hard to talk when someone has their tongue in your mouth.

They didn't have much time alone after midnight, considering how Sol had passed out on one of
the couches where they were and the kids wanted to be around them. The last couple hours they
spent at the party they were outside, where they could see the kids play, drinking and casually
chatting with the people that decided to get close to them.

They had enough decency to not make out with that many people around, including kids.

"Ow–" Simon bit his bottom lip a little too hard, still not enough to actually hurt him, but enough to
catch his attention.

"Stop thinking about whatever you're thinking." He could only laugh at Simon's sulking face.

"I won't. I like thinking about you." That was enough to make the other man happy, nuzzling
against him as he hid his face on Johnny's chest. "You got shy now?"

"Leave me alone." He laughed again and held Simon closer, combing through his hair in silence. "I
don't want to sleep..."

"It's late..." His partner stretched enough to reach his face again, leaving kisses along his neck and
jaw. "We can't make out all night, Simon."

"Says who...?" Johnny.

"I'm tired." And Simon is too. "We can do that tomorrow."

"It's already tomorrow..." True, since it's almost four. "Just a little longer..."

"So much for being nervous–" Rude. Is this a new way for his partner to shut him up? He can't
complain about it, really.

"Shut up." Ah, so he was right. He smiled and pulled away, to Simon's dismay.

"You're so rude to me, why do I even like you...?" The man beside him froze, looking up at him.

"I'm not– Am I rude...?" Not at all. Maybe to other people, but he's already gotten used to the way
Simon speaks and behaves.

"Aye, you never say anything nice to me. Do you even like me?" His partner panicked a little,
before he realized it was just teasing.

"I do like you a little." Understatement of the century.

"Prove it?" He put his hand up, covering the other man's mouth when he noticed he was about to
get kissed again. "Use your words, honey."

"I–You..." He's actually trying? "...have beautiful eyes?" Why is that a question.

"So you don't like me." Simon groaned and hid his face again. "You can't think of anything you
like about me?"

"I can't think. I'm drunk." He said he wanted to drink, he can't complain about that. "But you do
have pretty eyes."

"Do I?" There's one thing he can take advantage of, while Simon is drunk, and that's the man's
honesty.

"You do. And a pretty face..." It's not like he needs the compliments, he knows Simon finds him
attractive, but hearing those words felt nice. "A great body too..."

"So I'm just a pretty face?" His partner looked up at him, eyes unfocused but still concerned. "I'm–"

"No, you're...more than a pretty face." He was joking, but the other man didn't seem to get that. "I
love spending time with you. And you're the most understandable person I've met–"

"I–"

"You forgive me even when I do shit no one would tolerate–" He wasn't expecting Simon to
actually answer. "I feel like you're the first person to actually understand me in a long while. The
first to accept me...and all my problems."

"I..." He digged his own grave, here. How was he supposed to reply? He did ask for the praise but
he didn't think on how he should answer to it.
"And you're so good with everyone around you, too. I have no idea how you understand Leo so
well." It's not that hard, the boy usually says the opposite of what he wants. "I love everything
about you..."

"I lo–"

"...even if you're a bit annoying sometimes." Ah, still a bastard.

"I'm sleeping on the couch." Simon laughed and grabbed him, before he could even pretend to
stand up.

"I was joking." He deserves to be teased, he started this. "You're not saying anything back to
me...?" He wants compliments, now? Who is this man and where is his L.t?

"Do you want me to stroke your ego that badly?" That smirk can't mean anything good.

"If you want to. If you don't I have something else you can stro–"

"Shush." Should've seen that coming. "What do you want me to say that I haven't said already?"

"I don't know, just say the same you always say." Where to start?

"You have nice ti–"

"I'm going to sleep." He laughed and pulled Simon back when he tried to turn around, combing
through his hair. "Why..."

"Why do I like your–ow!" He might deserve that kick. Not like it hurt, anyways.

"Why did you start to like me? No one even tried to talk to me when I was back on base."
Understandably so. He was a bit scary, lurking in the shadows or hiding on corners.

"You looked like you needed friends." Saying he looked sad and lonely would be rude, even if it
was a bit true.

"So we're friends now?"

"Sure, this is friendly behavior." He guided Simon up, enough so that he was above him. "Let's
sleep already." Now he can rest his head in the best pillows on the house.

"You weren't joking."

"I wasn't." He buried his face on Simon's chest, sighing happily. "Did you know you knead like a
cat when you're falling asleep?"

"Sorry." His partner stopped moving.

"It's cute." The movement was a little more subtle now, knowing that it didn't bother him.

"It just feels nice. My hip hurts less when I do it." So it wasn't only because he was comfortable?

"Can you purr too?"

"Shut up."

"Maybe you can meow? For me?"

 "I hate you."

>

Chapter End Notes

The author is...where...where's the angst?

Ehe~

Anyways, I'm kinda sick and still tired, I fell asleep yesterday and I forgot to upload
this. Sorry about that.

Imagine being a new reader and having to read through 170k+ words just to read two
paragraphs of a kiss scene. I would cry (I wouldn't).

Thanks for the support, as always!<33 If I don't die during the week, next chapter
should be up on saturday!
 (15). What they left.
Chapter Summary

Sometimes people try to teach you what you don't want to learn. And sometimes
people teach you just what you needed, without meaning to.

Chapter Notes

(Leo's POV.)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Mother, I wish you hadn't taught me how to read. Ah, no, scratch that. I love reading, but I don't
like that I understand what father wrote on his journal. It's a bit unfair, that the only thing I have of
him is a diary saying how disappointed he was in me.

Leah ran from the front yard, Johnny and Simon turning to look at her as she got into the kitchen. Is
that–?

"Look!" It is an animal, as if the horrible screeching wasn't enough to know that. "It's an owl!"

"Where did you–put that back!" What? No, it's pretty! We have to keep it!

"It's so ugly, have mercy." Johnny turned to look at me. "If it had a mother Leah wouldn't have
stolen it."

"We can't keep it, it's a wild animal." Ah, we can't argue with Simon.

"But it hasn't eaten in ages! I've been keeping watch, their mom isn't coming back to the nest
anymore..." She's been using those binoculars a lot, lately.

"It's probably sick, then." It's screeching pretty loudly, so probably not.

"We have to take care of it, then!" We helped the seagulls too, we can help this owl...

"It's too much trouble, we should leave it with someone that knows how to care for it." Too much
trouble...?

"Please? Pretty please?" How come she always gets what she wants by just acting cute? So unfair...

"Uh..." Johnny and Simon looked at each other. Simon doesn't seem that convinced, but the
defeated sigh must mean we can keep the thing. "Fine, but no more pets, Leah. We have more than
enough." They're going to cry when the horses and ponies come back. And the goats. And the
donkeys and mules. The pigs too.

"Yay!" Good job, Leah. Now we just need to figure out how to take care of it. "I'll go make them a
little bed!" We should worry about foo– she's already gone.
"The house is becoming a petting zoo." It already was, since we moved here. "What's up with you
today? You seem a little down..." I am. Simon noticed? I should try to hide it a little better. "You
can talk to us if something is bothering you." I...can?

Of course I can! I should tell them that I found...!

'He's always complaining about things, I can't be bothered to actually listen to him.'

I can't tell them about father's journal.

"Just sleepy." They don't believe me, but I know they won't insist.

"Did you not sleep well?" Johnny seems concerned, so maybe he did believe me.

"Had a nightmare, that's all." I didn't, really, but I need to stick to the lie. "Couldn't sleep after."

"You should've gone to us, or your sister..." I feel a little bad for lying, now that Johnny looks so
worried, but lying is necessary sometimes.

"Didn't feel like getting up." Simon was looking at me, not believing a single word I've said.

"Next time go wake us up." I might do that when I actually have a nightmare.

'So needy too, not even Leah is so annoying.'

No, not happening.

"Sure." I can handle my nightmares by myself.

"Right..." Johnny got away from the counter and walked towards the door. "I'll go check on Leah."

Now it's just Simon and me. And the silence. I should go read to the living room...

"Did you really have a nightmare?" It's unfair how easily he sees through my lies. "You don't have
to lie to us, if you don't want to talk about it." I...don't? But that's the best option, isn't it?

"Sorry." At least Johnny wasn't worried, he probably believed me. Or he didn't want to force me to
talk. But Simon isn't forcing me either... "It's something I can't talk about." I can't talk about
father's journal. I have to throw it away.

"Will your captain scold you if you do?" Leah probably doesn't remember the thing exists, and it's
better that way. "Here."

Hm? Oh, did we have strawberries and chocolate at home? And why does Simon know these are
my favorite?

"Thanks." At least I get to eat my favorite food, but that doesn't make the journal dissappear.

'Always asking for things, and making a fuss if he doesn't get what he wants. You're raising a brat,
Karenina.'

Maybe I should just eat whatever the rest is eating for breakfast...

"You better eat those, I got them just for you." Just for me...?

"Why?" It's not worth it to buy food specifically for me. Maybe for Leah, since she's a bit more
picky.

"You deserve it." I deserve this? "You do like those, right?"

"I do." Mother always got us strawberries and blueberries when she was in a very good mood, and
we'd go eat them in the garden. "Thank you..."

"No need to thank me." I'm just being polite, you don't need to be so modest.

Maybe what's written in that journal isn't actually true. At least I can hope that father was lying.

Huh. Did strawberries always taste this good?

Playing football was a little harder than I remembered. At least Leah is winning the match for us,
but these kids are so much older than us. So competitive too.

"Leo, careful!" Ah. Was that rock always here? "Oh, no!" Well, at least the fall wasn't that–

"Ow!" Scrapped knees didn't hurt this much.

"Wait here, I'll call Johnny!" No, don't call Johnny! I don't want to worry him!

It's just a twisted ankle, I don't need– why does it hurt this much!?

"(Are you okay? Can you walk?)" I can see Johnny hurrying this way, so I should just wait here.

"(Can't be that bad if he's not crying.)" Crying? I do want to cry, this hurts a lot.

But.

'Stop whining, Leo, boys don't cry! Have you ever seen me cry?'

Father said I couldn't.

"Are you okay? Where does it hurt?" Finally, backup. Johnny touched my leg and I accidentally
pulled it away, which obviously made the pain worse.

"Ankle." He picked me up as best as he could, without touching my injured leg, and started
walking towards the benches where Simon was, Leah walking right behind us.

"We'll go home so we can put ice on it, if that doesn't help we'll take you to the doctor." The
doctor...?

'You just tripped, Leo, I'm not taking you to the doctor. Just be a man for once, yeah? The hospital
is too far away and I don't want to drive.'

Surely I didn't break my arm again, so I don't need to go to the doctor.

"It doesn't hurt that bad." I'll pretend it doesn't, at least.

"I don't know about that." Simon was already waiting by the table, all of our things packed up. "I
think your knee is bleeding too..." It is, it stings. Oh, my pants got torn when I fell?

"Sorry about the pants..." Why isn't he answering? Does that mean–

"I don't care about your pants, Leo. Your legs are more important, don't you think? You can't wear
pants without legs." True, but still.

"You'd have to wear skirts!" No, that's not– "You can't wear skirts all the time, you'll freeze in
winter!" She wears skirts in winter, though?

"He's not wearing skirts." Of course I'm not, I still have legs. "Unless he wants to."

"I don't." They don't look comfortable.

"Try not to move it too much, we'll get home soon." Johnny put me down on the backseat and went
to the driver's seat. At least Leah doesn't look disappointed I made us go back earlier, probably
because we were winning the match anyways.

"Can we get ice cream on the way back?" Do we have to? My leg actually hurts, Leah.

"We already have ice cream." Simon finally got into the car, so Johnny started driving back.

"But we don't have mint..." Because it's disgusting.

"We have strawberry." She turned to me and rolled her eyes.

"But I want mint!" Since when is she this spoiled?

"We can get–"

"At least we have ice cream, Leah." We didn't eat it everyday with auntie, nor with our parents,
why is she acting like we have to eat it? We only started eating ice cream regularly when Simon
and Johnny came here.

"Sorry..." Maybe I was too harsh? I didn't mean to make her sad.

"We can get ice cream later." Simon was looking at me weird, probably because I upset Leah. And
because I interrupted Johnny.

"No, it's okay." Yeah, I was too harsh.

"Didn't you want–"

"I don't want it." Is she...actually mad? It's just food!

"Why did you ask for it then?" Really mad, even.

"Because I wanted it then." It was a minute ago.

"If you change your mind that quickly it just means you didn't really want it." She has no right to
make a fuss over this.

"Shut up! I did want it, but you made me not want it anymore!" Johnny turned to look at Simon a
second then went back to looking at the road.

"Then–!"
"Stop it, you two." Oh, we annoyed Simon. "We'll get ice cream when Leo is at home. He got hurt,
remember?" Did she really forget? How bad is her memory?

"Okay..." She shouldn't get spoiled anyways, but I'll talk about it when the adults aren't around.

As usual, we spent the road home listening to Leah singing to the songs on the radio, which wasn't
bad. It was better than hearing the thousand fun facts about sea creatures she always tells.

And when we were back home, there was a truck I recognized even from afar.

"We have visitors...?" Oh, Johnny...

"It's Horacio! Finally!" Simon looked at her for a brief moment, then turned to look at me, waiting
for an explanation, probably.

"The man that takes care of the farm." Sure, Johnny fed the animals at the barn, and the dogs, but
Horacio and his employees take care of the rest of the animals. Especially the ones at the fields.

"I see..." I don't know how they'll react when they get told we're having a lot more animals at
home for a couple months...

"Hurry, I want to see Nova!" And I want to see Nero. It's nice to see our ponies back after months,
but I still don't know why Horacio has to take them with the other horses...

"Nova...?" The car stopped moving behind the truck, one of the guards running to us.

"Sorry, sir, the trucks are having a bit of trouble. I'll get the car to the garage when they make
way..." So we have to walk home...?

"Right..." Johnny turned to look at Simon, then at me. I can walk, they don't need to–

"Don't." Right. It still hurts. A lot. "I'll carry you." But I don't want to be a burden, if Simon carries
me Johnny has to carry our things and his hands will hurt. "Stop being stubborn, you'll make your
leg hurt more."

Fine. I didn't want to walk anyways.

Simon carried me carefully to our home and helped me put ice on my ankle. And he might've
stayed all day around me and taking care of me, but that's just because he doesn't want me to get
worse. So they don't have to take me to the hospital.

It's too far away.

It seems like our dads are now regretting spoiling Leah so much. A bit too late. Maybe more than a
bit too late.

"Leah we're not keeping the cats." Even Johnny looked annoyed, which is new. Sure, he gets
annoyed when I call him 'father', but it's not as serious as right now.

"Why not!? There aren't that many!" There's way too many, really. I'm already tired of feeding all
of them. Sky and Samantha are more than enough. Maybe Arthur the Third could stay, but nothing
more than that. We have the owl too, and all the farm animals, I don't get why she wants even more
pets.

"Leah, we said no." Don't be so harsh, Simon.

"But–"

"Stop it. They're leaving." Ah, she's about to throw another tantrum, isn't she?

"I hate you!" No. Wait. Leah, you can't say that!

"Leah!" She was already gone. Did she throw that glass, too? "Fuckin' hell..." Johnny's eyes
widened as he looked at me.

"Fuck." Simon is swearing too?

"Shut up!" I laughed at their panic, I could repeat the words just to make them feel bad, but they're
already in a bad mood.

"I don't like swearing." At least they seemed a little more relieved at that, but that didn't solve the
other, bigger, problem here. "I'll go talk to her."

I'm done with her attitude, anyways. Someone has to bring her down to earth, and she isn't listening
to our dads.

As I thought, she's hiding in mother's office. She locked the door too? At least she isn't smart
enough to take the spare key with her.

I unlocked the door and looked around the room, finding her furiously drawing in one of the small
canvases at the back of the room. At least she's taking her frustration out in a healthy way. Ignoring
the poor glass that she threw at the living room.

"Leah." She turned to glare at me, throwing her paint brush at the floor and standing up.

"Go away!" I'm not going anywhere. I closed the door to let her know that.

"We have to talk." She doesn't seem too interested in talking, but we need to do it.

"We don't have to talk about anything." Why is she being so unreasonable? She doesn't even take
care of the animals, she wouldn't want to keep them if she did.

"Stop being so bratty." Well, that's an easy way to offend her. "Do you want Johnny and Simon to
leave too?"

"What?" And that was enough to make her rage turn into dread. "Why would they leave?"

"You're being annoying. They'll get tired of it, if you keep acting like this." It's not like they can
actually leave us, but she doesn't know that.

"I'm not being...!" It looks like she's just realizing the way she acted.

"I mean, you don't care, anyways. Right? You said you hated them." Now she feels guilty. I would
feel bad for manipulating her if she wasn't misbehaving. "I do, though. If they leave you they'll
leave me too."
"I do care! How can you think that? I was just annoyed!" It's about time she learns that words hurt
other people, and not just us. "It's not like they'd leave just because of me, anyways!"

"What do you–"

"You're so annoying too! Always making those...annoying comments! And being weird!" But– "At
least I'm always smiling and having fun! You're just boring!"

Boring? But this is how father said boys should act, surely Simon and Johnny don't see anything
wrong with me?

"I'm not boring..."

"You are! I always have to take care of you too! Such a burden!"

Such a...

"At least I'm not acting like I'm stupid all the time! You're acting so spoiled it's unbearable!" She
has no right to say those things to me! "You can't even do maths, they have to help you all the
time! Are you not just a burden too!?"

"Shut up! You can't even run to the front yard without taking a break!" Sorry for having weak
lungs!

"I don't care! I don't deserve to be left behind just because you're an idiot!" Wasn't I supposed to be
the voice of reason?

"I don't care if they leave us! You deserve it!" I...deserve it...?

"We...! Do you really want to go back to eating moldy rice and stale bread!? To be beaten up for
even talking!?" I don't deserve it! I changed to be a good kid! I–!

"At least you were better when you didn't talk!" I–! "Now you're just a burden! I have to take care
of you because you're a weak, useless–argh!"

Weak and useless.

Maybe father wasn't wrong.

"I..." I– Why can't I deny it? Why can't I say anything back?

"Get out!" She shoved me out of nowhere, and I fell back. I didn't even see she was this close.
"Why are you crying!? You're a crybaby, too?"

"Shut up!" I regretted pushing her as soon as she pushed back, stronger this time. And pushing and
shoving turned into rolling around on the floor and pulling at our hair. "Let go!"

"You let go!" If I let go and she doesn't then she'll have to advantage here. She's probably thinking
the same.

The door opened beside us, and neither of us cared to even try to look at what I can guess was
Johnny.

"Leah–! Stop that!" Johnny tried to pick me up but she was still holding and pulling at my hair.
"Simon, come help me!"
"No, don't call–"

"What is–" Simon ran towards us and pried Leah's hands open, finally getting her away. "What are
you two doing?"

"I'm sorry..." I couldn't calm her down because she got on my nerves. Should've remained calm...

"What are you even apologizing for?" Failing my task. "Let's go wash your face." Johnny carried
me to the doorway, looking back at Simon, who was holding Leah. Why is she still fighting? She's
not getting away from Simon. "You're grounded, Leah."

"Why am I grounded!? I'm not the useless one here! He should–"

"Leah!" She finally stopped moving, looking up at a very annoyed Simon. "You're grounded.
That's final."

"But–!"

"Take him downstairs, I'll be having a little chat with her." Is this finally a proper scolding? I can't
say she doesn't deserve it, but this is partly my fault–

"Right." I should be punished too...

"Why am I not staying with them...?" Johnny sat me down next to the sink, taking a small towel
and wetting it there.

"You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sure you didn't hit her first." Well, she did shove me first, but
still.

"Sorry." I'm not supposed to be crying. I already cried too much in these past few months.

"What are you apologizing for, now? I told you, you didn't do anything wrong..." Ah, did she hit
my cheek? It hurts...

"Crying." Johnny stopped moving the towel, looking at me with concern.

"You're not supposed to apologize for that, Leo." I'm...not? But... "You're allowed to cry when
you're hurt or sad." Am I? But father said that boys don't cry...

"I'm not crying in front of you." I don't want to worry him.

"You're allowed to do that, though. Don't bottle it up, it only makes things worse." I see... So crying
is not bad? But Johnny and Simon never cry, right? I'm supposed to act like a boy, and they're
boys. Well, men, because they're grown-ups, but it's the same. I think.

"Thanks." He finished washing my face, being careful around my cheek even if I never said it hurt.

"Does anything else hurt? Your ankle isn't healed yet..." It didn't hurt that bad. I'll live.

"I'm fine." He looked at me for a couple seconds, before picking me up again and taking me to the
living room.

We sat in silence, looking at the screen. Surely it's a coincidence that Johnny put a documentary
about insects. I never told him I like these.

I like the film but I'm a little concerned about Leah. And Johnny seems to be concerned as well, by
the way he kept looking back towards the hallway. Are they okay? Surely Leah isn't still throwing
a tantrum, right? Simon has patience, but she's being difficult for no reason today...

After a long while, midway through the show we were watching, Leah and Simon finally came to
the room. She didn't look upset, nor annoyed. Just guilty.

"Sorry for calling you–"

"Don't apologize! That's the problem, Leo!" Simon cleared his throat behind her, making her look
back at the man.

"Behave." She huffed and crossed her arms.

"I'm behaving." Is she? "I'm the one that's sorry. I didn't mean what I said. And I'm sorry for hitting
you." It didn't hurt that much.

"It's okay." I'm more concerned about what she said to Johnny and Simon. I know that she doesn't
hate them. "You shouldn't apologize for it, I know you didn't mean it. I didn't mean what I said
either..."

"I know that..." Simon sighed and walked to the couch with us, looking at Leah to see if she would
join too. "Johnny...?"

"Hm?" Why...is he still watching the TV? Is he actually invested in the show?

"I'm sorry for what I said, I don't hate you..."

"Aye, I know. Don't worry about it." At least look at her? "Come here."

"Sorry for being annoying." She wasn't annoying...well, maybe a bit.

"As long as you don't keep throwing fits it's all good." I hope she doesn't forget whatever Simon
told her. "What are you two watchi–?"

"Don't." Johnny took the remote away from Simon's side, hiding it between us as he kept looking
at the screen.

"Really?" It seems like someone else likes this show in this house, now. Finally, an ally. "Can't we
at least pick something we all like...?"

"No." Isn't this show meant for kids? The guy in it talks as if the watcher is a kid, at least.

"Johnny?" Simon looked at me, now that Johnny is not answering him. "What have you done?"
Me?

"He put it himself, don't blame me." I mean, I am enjoying this. Both the show and Simon's
confusion.

"I like this one too!" She does? But it doesn't have a lot of sea life episodes...?

"So we're watching this." Simon doesn't look happy, but he still stayed with us, hugging Johnny as
we watched at least five episodes in a row.

He might have fallen asleep ten minutes into the second episode but he didn't look that unhappy
while resting against Johnny's shoulder.
 ~

Hm...was Nero always this small? It's been only a few months, so I couldn't have gotten that tall,
right? And Leah doesn't seem to be having any problem when riding Nova...

"Why aren't you riding him...?" There's something odd here...

"He shrunk." There's no other reasonable explanation.

"Leo..." What? Why does is she looking at me with pity? "You're just taller..."

"But it can't be that much of a difference, right? We saw them..." Ah. It's been a year, not just a
couple months. "I see..."

"He'll remain tiny..." In a couple years we won't be able to ride them, is what she means.

"We'll be able to ride Knight in a couple more years." Mother's favorite. Anyone's favorite, really.
The thing is so pretty.

"He's scary. And cool." He's beautiful, and Horacio takes care of it as if he was a king. "I like
Valkyrie a bit more." She's also cool, and also treated like a queen. They're like the taller, stronger
versions of Nova and Nero, now that I think about it... "Get on him, already. I want to race."

"Yeah, yeah." She never gets tired of losing races, does she? I can't recall a single time she actually
beat me when riding horses. It's very different from when we race by ourselves. "Read–?"

"Go!" Huh?

"That's cheating!" I think! Whatever, Nero is faster than Nova anyways.

"Says who!?" How did she gain so much distance from us!? Definitely cheating!

"I do!" She...she won...

"Ha! I win! Easy peasy!" Poor Nova, she looks exhausted... "Daddy!" Huh? Since when was
Johnny there?

"What is it?" Leah got down from her pony and walked to him, giggling.

"I won!" Johnny looked confused but he still smiled at her.

"Good job!" How come she gets praise for her first win but I don't get any for my countless wins?

"She cheated..." So embarrassing. I should've checked no one was around before accepting the
race...

"I'm sure she didn't." Ah, he saw her cheat, didn't he? I can tell by the look he was giving me. "You
did a good job, too, Leo." I did? But I lost...

"Yeah, good job!" Why is she comforting me too? Do I look upset, or something?

"Hone– Uh..." At least Simon didn't see my loss. "Johnny?"

"What is it, honey?" Simon rolled his eyes and looked at us, troubled.

"The cats..." Oh. We're sending them off today. At least they let us keep Arthur the Third too.

"We have to say goodbye! Let's go, Leo!" She isn't upset about it anymore, apparently Simon
convinced her to let the pets go.

"Yeah, sure." I got down from Nero and gave Johnny the reins. "We'll be back."

Keeping up with Leah is a bit easy today, I have the slight suspicion that she's running slower than
usual. Horacio was waiting by the truck, all of the cats inside, in crates, and suspiciously calm
considering how noisy the truck's noise and the dogs barking around it.

"Came to say goodbye?" Leah nodded and jumped into the truck, getting close to the crates.

"Goodbye kitties! I'll miss all of you..." She won't miss all of them, she'll forget most of them in a
couple days.

"Bye." Horacio laughed and messed up my hair. "I'm glad I don't have to feed you anymore."

"So cruel...but true." She never fed them, she only feeds Samantha and Sky. Why is she agreeing
with me? "Find them good homes, mister Horacio..."

"I will, princess. Don't worry about it, they'll have very good and happy lives." That's good to
know. I might not like them but they deserve a happy and healthy life. Or lives. Cats have nine of
them, I think.

"Okay!" She jumped down from the truck, stumbling a bit after landing. "When are you taking the
other animals again?"

"A couple months. Before winter, so maybe in april." So this year they'll stay for our birthdays!
"We'll be taking Daisy and her baby too, but they'll be back earlier."

"Are they sick?" I doubt that, they're active and adorable so they must be fine.

"No, but we have to prevent them from having more babies. Daisy is too old and she can get sick if
she gets pregnant again." She's only seven, though. Mother said she bought her when we were
babies and that she was the same age as us.

"Okay...take very good care of them, though!" They couldn't be on better hands, really.

"I promise I will. I have to take these guys to the shelter now." Leah looked at me, then turned to
Horacio again.

"Wait! I have a question!" The man stopped and looked down at her. "When do you think we can
ride an actual horse?"

"Hm...we can try that tomorrow. Not Knight though. Nor Valkyrie. They're too big." Shoot... "I'll
get some of the more tame ones, so they don't throw you off."

"Okay! Thank you!" Horacio smiled and waved goodbye, slowly driving the truck out of the gates.
"We're riding horses!"

"We are." This is exciting. I think. It's scary, too, most horses are so tall...

"Do you think he'll let us ride Valkyrie if we ask a lot?" That's just annoying. Plus, I don't want to
ride Valkyrie yet.

"We'll probably ride one of the older ones, the ones that don't race..." Which is most of them. "Or
the ones that don't compete on anything."

"Hm...Well, whatever. Let's go back." Rexie followed us to where Johnny was, probably thinking
we were playing catch with her. I'm not running to get there faster, I'm running because she wants
to jump on me.

"Sit." My savior...! Wait, why didn't Leah tell the dog to sit? "Take them back to the stable."
Already?

"Okay..." Leah grabbed both reins and guided the ponies towards the stable. "Oh! Look!" Ah,
they're there! The beauties!

"Why aren't they in the...?" Well, I guess Johnny wasn't here last year, but Knight and Valkyrie are
never tied or in the stables during the day.

"Because they don't like it." They don't mind, really, but Horacio trained them so they don't wander
off or make a ruckus. "Don't worry about them." Maybe we should–

"You should come meet them! They're mom's favorites!" Everyone's favorites. They've been
winning competitions since they were babies, so even judges love them.

"I don't know about that..." Is he scared of horses too? Dogs can be scary when they bark but
horses don't bark...

"Come on! It's safe!" Leah is right. If they don't want to we can go when Horacio is around. "Come
on, hurry!" The ponies started trotting behind her, very slowly. Johnny looked at me, a little
concerned.

"It's safe, I promise. They look tall and scary but they're really tame." Horacio wouldn't let them
free if it wasn't the case.

"Right." He finally started walking towards the horses, waiting for me to take his hand. "Your
mom's favorites?"

"Yeah, she raised them since they were babies. She got them around a year before we were born."
Leah came out of the stable without the ponies, dragging Simon towards the horses. "They're
purebred, or something. Mom was always proud of them..."

"I see." Valkyrie walked slowly towards Leah, lowering her head and breathing in her face. "Are
you sure they won't freak out?"

"Yeah, very sure. Come on." Knight came our way once he saw me, the slow trotting making
Johnny panic. "Hi, Knight." The horse stopped right in front of us, looking at Johnny as he got
closer. "Your hand."

"Uh– Sure, yeah." He lifted his hand slowly, touching Knight's muzzle, the horse not minding at
all. "I don't like this."

"Stop freaking out, he's just sniffing you." He got bored of Johnny quickly, though, coming to me
instead. "Don't be mean to him, he's scared."

"Did I scare it?" Huh?

"I was talking to the horse." Knight lowered his head and nudged on my hand instead. Guess he
wants scratches? "Oh." No, he just wanted to greet me.

"What is it?" Ah, it'll take a while for Johnny to get used to them...

"He's just saying hello." The horse leaned a bit on me, resting his head gently against me, to not
throw me backwards. "Ew..." Knight is not disgusting, obviously.

But now that I can see where Leah was, I can also see that Valkyrie is licking and kissing her face.
Simon looks just as disgusted as us, by her side.

"He won't do that, right?" Not to Johnny, at least.

"No." Knight stood straight then, walking towards the other horse and nudging her instead. Simon
tensed when the horse walked past him, for some reason.

"Alright, go with Knight, we have to go to the house now." Both horses huffed and started walking
back to where they were minutes before. "See? It wasn't that scary!"

"Were you scared too, mister Riley?" Simon turned to look at me, tired, and sighed.

"I wasn't scared of the horse, I was scared they could hurt you." Huh. So he was scared? I was
expecting him to deny it. "Let's get back already, lunch is ready."

Oh, food!

I have a theory.

And as mom– mother taught me, journals are good to take notes and help me do research. Or
something like that.

According to father's journal, boys have to act a certain way so they can be proper men when they
grow up.

But.

Johnny and Simon are men. So I think there are a few flaws in father's observations.

This needs a thorough research. Which I'm starting. Right now.

"Johnny." He turned to look at me, nodding for me to continue. "Have you cried, recently?" Ah,
he's choking. Who told him to drink when I'm talking to him, anyways? This is his fault only.

"What's with that question–?" I don't think there's anything wrong with it? "Give me a second." We
don't have much time, Simon and Leah will be back soon.

"Fine." He can't answer while coughing anyways. Eventually he calmed down enough to speak.
But he wasn't speaking. "Answer the question, MavTavish."

"Who are you calling MavTavish?" Should've called him father. "Why are you doing this? Last
time you two started asking weird questions it didn't end well." Ah, that's true. But this isn't Leah's
mission, this is a very serious experiment.

"That's not important. Are you answering or do I ask Simon?" I think he doesn't want me to ask
Simon. I can tell by the look he gave me.

"Don't." I was right.

"Then answer. Have you cried?" Why is he embarrassed now?

"Of course. Who hasn't?" Well...probably someone. "Seriously, why are you ask– Are you writing
it down...?" Yes. This is important information.

"Has Simon ever cried...?" That question wasn't part of the plan, but I'm curious now.

"Well, yes. He's human, too." So even Simon is allowed to cry...

"Hm...but why would you cry...?" I looked up at Johnny when I heard him chuckle.

"There are a lot of reasons." Besides getting hurt?

"Elaborate." This could be useful for the investigation.

"Well, when you're sad, or hurt, obviously. But also when you're frustrated, or very angry..." Oh, so
it's not only when you get hurt? "Or when you're happy, sometimes."

"Happy?" Does that really happen?

"Aye. Tears are a natural reaction to strong emotions, so when you're really happy, you cry." Huh. I
didn't remember that.

"I see..." Well, it seems like my first interview was a success.

"Where are you–? Ah, whatever..." No need to stay in the kitchen when I should be working on my
next interview. I need to process the information and compare it... how did researches go again?

Doesn't matter, this just proves that father was wrong. At least regarding being allowed to cry.

Next step should be...ah, too tired to think. The stairs are always so hard to climb. I'll write
everything down and go back down to rest.

The office is always a nice place to relax, mom's paintings and the books around the piano look
nice. The piano...

'Why are you wasting your time with a piano? Leave those things to your sister, you should be
playing football, climbing trees, or whatever. That's what boys–'

'Do you like that song? It's the first one I learned, I'll teach it to you. Sit here, honey. First you put
your hands like this...'

If mom taught me how to play it then it's fine, right? Mom never said it was something Leah had
to do. Not like Leah was ever interested in learning how to play it anyways.

I haven't learned anything, since I always remember what father said when I practice.

'Good job, baby! Did you like playing it?'

It's fun to play the piano...

'I'll make sure you get lessons from someone that can actually teach you how to play...'

I would've liked to learn with mom, even if she wasn't an expert.

'If you stop liking it, then there's no need to push yourself. Remember that, yeah?'

I'll never stop liking the piano, it's the best thing you left me, mom.

'I'm sure you'll play it perfectly! And even if you don't, I'm sure it'll sound beautiful anyways...at
least it'll surely be better than what I play...'

Hah, well, probably. She wasn't the best pianist around, that was obvious, but she still tried. And
she looked happy while doing so.

She never got to listen to the song I made for her...and she never replied to the video uncle Alex
showed her, of me playing the song.

'That was great, Leo! Let me hear it again, come on...'

You would probably say that, wouldn't you, mom?

I wish I could hear that again.

Ah, since when do I miss her this much? Is it because she hasn't visited in a while? I know she isn't
coming back, it's useless to want to see her.

Hm? Since when is the door open? And when did I move here? I was supposed to write down my
notes, not play the piano...

Johnny...looks concerned.

"What?" He smiled sadly at me, uncrossing his arms and leaving them open. A hug?

"Come here..." He always gives me hugs so why would I deny him one if he wants one. "What
happened?"

"With what?" I looked up at him, not knowing what he meant, and he looked down at me with that
same sad smile.

"Nothing. That song was really good." Was he listening to it? How long has he been standing here?
"Let's go downstairs?"

"Sure." I don't feel like writing anymore, my scientific research can wait until tomorrow.

Johnny picked me up and held me closely as we went back to the living room, letting me sit on the
couch while he went to the kitchen.

I'm glad someone got to listen to that song, even if it wasn't mom. Johnny liked it, and that's more
than good enough.

"What are you thinking about?" Oh, he's back. With iced tea, too?

"Nothing." I won't tell him, he'll feel bad. Last time we mentioned mom...that's right! He cried then
too! That's why he was embarrassed to answer, earlier? It wasn't lame or anything like that, we
were just worried, back then. He shouldn't feel embarrassed about it...

"Alright..." I should make a note of that in my journal, too.

Johnny put Animal Planet and we spent the entire hour watching the show we were watching the
other day. I think he likes it a bit more than I do, but that's fine. It's an interesting show...for kids...

Eventually Leah opened the door and ran into the room, giggling as she carried plastic bags. Simon
got in as well, with way more bags.

"We're back!" At least she looks like she had fun. How come she can be so excited about going
shopping? "We bought ice cream!"

"Cool." It's probably mint again. Yucky.

Simon touched Johnny's face as he passed by, then stopped and looked at me, squinting his eyes.
Do I have something on my face...?

"Should I ask why he's crying?" Who's crying...?

"No." Johnny looked down at me with a soft smile, messing up my hair a little. What's the
obsession with messing with my hair? Simon does that too. My hair is always tangled anyways...

"Right..."

"Did you watch a sad movie?" If you consider a bald man going around and picking animals up
sad, then yes. "Do you even know you're crying?" Leah squinted her eyes at me too, waiting for a
reply.

"Ah." I was the one crying? But I'm not upset– "I just missed mom." Johnny and Simon's eyes
widened, looking at each other for a second.

"Oh..." Even Leah was surprised. She hurried to the kitchen with Simon to leave the bags and came
back just as quickly. "Why?"

"I don't know." Maybe thinking about father all the time was the problem. But I've been doing that
for as long as I can remember. Is it because we haven't seen her for too long? That can't be helped,
since she isn't coming back...

She isn't...

"It's okay, Leo..." She really isn't coming back. It's not like I didn't mean what I said to uncle Alex,
we really don't want her to come back, we prefer to live with our dads. But I still miss her visits,
and the time we spent with her... "Come here..." So the hugs were for me and not Johnny...

"I miss her too, but..." Ah, now I made Leah upset too. I shouldn't had said anything. "We can't see
her, so it's useless..." At least she's reasonable.

"You can–" Johnny looked up at Simon, probably doing that thing I do with Leah when we try to
read each other's minds. "We have pictures of her, you can see those..."

"Pictures?" Since when are there pictures of mom, here? I'm sure auntie threw them all away.

"They're...in our room, I think? I'm sure there are videos too. Will that help?"

"Yeah!" Leah was excited now, and I can admit that I am too. It's been a while since I saw mom's
face or heard her voice.

"Let me go get them, then..." I let go of Johnny's clothes and watched as he walked to the hallway
towards the bedrooms.

After some minutes, he came back with a box and his laptop, leaving everything in the small table
next to the couch. Those are a lot of pictures...

"Uh..." He grabbed one of the albums and searched for something on the cover. "Ah, from the
wedding..."

"Oh! I want to see mom's dress!" Right! That's interesting, she never wore dresses, or at least I can't
remember her ever wearing one. "Woah..."

"Pretty." She looked very different then, in the closeups there weren't any wrinkles on her face.

"Very..." Ah, Leah is looking at the dress. "Father wasn't really that dressed up, though..." She's
calling him 'father', too? "Oh, is that uncle Alex?" Definitely. He always looks so small next to
mom.

"Tiny." Leah laughed and kept looking at the pictures, until she got bored. Most of the album was
filled with almost identical photos, or pictures of other people. "Another."

"This one?" Simon passed us another album, getting closer so he could look at the pictures as well.

"That's Mister Hugs, right?" Mom was sitting next to a fireplace, sewing a teddy bear. She looked
extremely concentrated, probably because she had no idea how to sew a teddy bear.

"It is." There's no mistaking it, the bear is as ugly as the real one.

"Why is her belly so– is she..." We hadn't been born when that picture was taken, it seems. "She
looks funny."

"She's just focused." There were more pictures of mom, which were probably taken by father when
she wasn't looking. Towards the end there were pictures of her holding us as babies.

"We were so ugly..." True.

"You still are." She gasped and turned to look at me, but then laughed.

"You know we're twins, right? If I'm ugly you are too." No...wait... "Heh."

"I was just joking." Why hadn't I thought about that before?

"She looks so happy there." She does. Oh, is that what Johnny was talking about? She's crying but
she doesn't look sad at all. I looked up to watch him, and he looked at me confused after I stared
for a while, a small smile still on his face.

"What is it?" Uh–

"Another?" There weren't any more pictures in this album, so it's a prefect excuse.

"Sure..." His eyebrows furrowed as he read the label on the album, but he handed it over anyways.
I understood why he was confused when I looked at that same label, it was written in some other
language, somewhere close to China...? At least I recognize the numbers, '1988' and '1993'.
"Who is that...?" Maybe this wasn't mom's album, but someone we didn't know...? "There's things
written on the other side but..." We don't speak this language.

"I'll translate it online..." Good idea, Simon! "First summer..." So this was this person's first
summer...but they look too old to be one year old? They're probably older than us.

"Huh. Weird." There were a lot of pictures of this same girl growing up, and since a couple pages
from the beginning there was another blonde girl always on the pictures. "Wait..."

"This is mom." Leah seemed to realize that same thing. She didn't look like mom when she was
young, but towards the middle of the album her face looks familiar. "Who's the blonde girl,
though?"

"Probably a friend." We definitely don't know her. Simon slowly got the album away from my lap,
going back to where the first pictures with that girl was.

"'First autumn with Sayoko' is what it says." Sayoko...?

"Is that...?" I read that name somewhere. Was it in mom's office? "I'll check later." Simon looked
at me confused but he gave me the album again. It was weird to see how their appearance changed
through the years, mom looked stronger and taller with each picture, and her friend looked prettier
and more girly as time went by.

"Huh?" Leah stopped me from passing another page, going back a few ones. "She's not here
anymore." That's...true. The girl stopped appearing in pictures, and there weren't that many after
she disappeared.

"Can you check what this one says...?" I took the last photo there was of mom's friend and gave it
to Simon.

"...it's–" He looked at Johnny and hid the screen just so we couldn't read the translation.

"Sayoko went to another country." That's a lie, obviously. I can tell by how nervous they both are.
"Let's check another album?"

"I want to see the videos..." Mom's voice...

"Sure, here." Johnny already had them ready on the computer.

"Just three...?" Ah, never mind, it's something at least.

"Those are the only ones I had time to check..." So there are more? I'll ask later then.

"Oh, is that grandma?" It is. The witch looks just as old as she did when she visited. I only saw her
once but I remember her and her horrible food very well. "Where is mom..." She appeared on
screen just in time, smiling at the camera. She was young but not as young as in the pictures.
Probably the same age as Johnny or Simon...?

'(Why are you recording? I don't have any more memory cards until I go to the city...)'

Spanish...? But grandma–

'(We're saying goodbye to mom, it's an important moment.)'

"Uncle Alex...?" Definitely. The camera moved to point at... "Auntie!?"

"Woah..." She looked...pretty. I didn't know she could look like that. I guess she was younger
then...

'(Sure, you're buying the cards then, since you like wasting them)'

'(So grumpy...)'

"I know where you get your attitude from, now." How dare she. I'm not grumpy...I think. "Next
one!" Running away from an argument, huh?

"This looks terrible..." I can tell this recording is old by how weird everything looks.

"It's old..." I know, Johnny.

"Ah, it's the girl!" Mom's friend...?

'You're recording?'

She smiled at the camera, happily. I can only guess mom was the one holding it.

'Yup. I just got some tape for the other camera, we can take lots of pictures at the summer festival.'

'What's that got to do with recording? The festival is next week...'

'I just want to record! Next year we'll be graduating, what if we don't have time for each other? At
least I'll have videos to remember you...'

Mom turned the camera so it was pointing at both of them, hugging her friend and smiling.

'Pfft–! I'm not going anywhere, Nina! We live next door, too!'

'But Yoko~! Let me record you...'

'Let's record at the summer festival instead, hm?'

'Fine.'

They smiled at each other and mom cut the recording while they were hugging. They were both so
happy. I wonder were Sayoko went...maybe we could try to find her? They looked like great
friends, would she like to get copies of the photos and videos?

"Are there more videos with Sayoko...? After this one..." Johnny looked troubled, sharing looks
with Simon. "What is it?"

"No, it's nothing. I'll look for more videos with her later." Weird.

"Okay! Last one!" Leah started playing the last video. It's more recent than the other two, by the
quality. "Oh, look at us!"

'Leah, what are you doing?'

'Drawing!'

Ah, obsessed with painting since she was that little...

'And you, Leo?'

I didn't answer? Mom sighed and pointed the camera at me, too focused on a small xylophone to
even hear her.

'Music?'

I was this dumb as a three year old?

'Good job, Leo! Can you play that again, for mommy?'

It was pretty good for that age, could've been better. Mom still applauded when I finished, and
Leah ran to us so she was on camera.

'That was good, Leo!'

I looked at the Leah on the screen and the Leah in front of it, and both had the same smile on their
faces.

'It was! That was great, honey...I'm so p–'

Ah, the recording got cut off...

"That was nice..." Very nice. It's good to know we have these videos for whenever we want to see
mom...

"I'm sorry for..." Johnny stopped talking as soon as Simon put a hand on his shoulder. "Never
mind..." He started putting everything back in the box, leaving it with the laptop on the cabinet
next to the TV.

"Do you know if there's videos of mom playing the piano...?" At least one is enough...

"I'll...check. Later." Hm. Ah, right! They miss mom too, since they were friends. I think. Looking
for videos would make him sad...

"Okay." I still want to see her play the piano again. Sorry, Johnny...

"Are you feeling better...?" Yup. It's not like I don't miss her anymore, but seeing her so happy
made me happy too.

"Yes. Let's watch the next episode." Johnny smiled and unmuted the TV.

"You're still watchin–?"

"Sush!"

After lots of research I've reached a conclusion with this experiment. The conclusion is that father
was wrong.

For his first point, 'men are tall and strong', my evidence is a bit weird, but uncle Alex isn't tall, and
he's not that strong either. Johnny and Simon are, but so was mom, and she wasn't a man. She was
stronger than father, and the proof is...
The long collection of pictures where she's picking him up instead of the other way around.

On that same point, he always said that I should be able to run faster, and for longer than a couple
meters. My evidence for this is... Johnny. He can run, yes, and pretty fast too, but he's breathless
after a bit so he has to take breaks. He said his lungs were damaged while he worked, so he can't
run as he used to. My lungs are damaged too...or something like that. So it's only natural I can't run.

His second point, about me not playing the piano...I just had to look on the internet for a while, and
most famous pianist are men. I don't get why he would say that I can't play the piano...

Third point, about not crying, Johnny already helped me deny the claim. If Simon can cry when
he's upset, then any other man is allowed to.

Fourth point...about complaining...Well, Leah complains all the time and she isn't annoying.
Actually, she can be a little annoying. But not when she complains about important stuff, like when
her teddy bears get dirty and she has to clean them, or when Bones gets to clingy and doesn't let her
play in peace. Simon and Johnny always help her out when she complains about that kind of stuff,
just like when she asks for help with homework.

Leah is a girl, though. So I compared her to our dads. Simon complains when we watch shows and
series he doesn't like, or when Johnny doesn't let him hug him. And Johnny always complains
about Simon's jokes being bad, or the dogs eating the floorboards outside, or the horses scaring
him when he's feeding the animals at the barn. They're allowed to complain, so I am too.

Fifth point was...this one is just dumb, now that I think about it. What did he mean that I wasn't
serious enough? Johnny is always cheerful. Sure, not as happy as Leah is all the time, but he isn't
grumpy or serious. And Simon is a bit grumpy sometimes, but he's always happy when he's around
Johnny and us. Maybe not in the same way as Johnny, but he's never cold or indifferent like father.

Sixth point, about being a coward or being scared of everything...Johnny was terrified of the
horses. He's always tense around dogs, too. And Simon is scared of thunderstorms, like me.

And...there was...uh...

Seventh point...? What was it again...?

Ah, being a burden. I haven't got evidence for this one. Time to gather some.

Johnny and Simon were sitting at the table with Leah, playing some card game while watching
TV. Everyone looked at me as I walked into the room, smiling as a greeting.

"Johnny." He looked at me, confused, until he understood that I wanted him to follow me. Once
we were away from the other two, he crouched to be at my height.

"What happened?"

"Would you consider me a burden?" His eyes widened as he looked at me. Hm...he could be
surprised because I found out or because–

"Wha–of course not!" Because it's very wrong. So father was wrong on all of his statements. I can
finally conclude this experiment.

"Cool–" I tried to turn around to go back to the office but Johnny stopped me.

"Where are you going? Come here." But I need to write my final evidence down... "What's with
you, lately?" Ah, I made him worry...

"It's just..." Well, now that I finished my research, I don't need that journal anymore. I can just
throw it out, but I can show it to Johnny to make him understand... "Ah, I'll show you."

He waited at the bottom of the stairs as I fetched both father's and my journal.

"A diary...?" Well, it's more like a research notebook, but sure.

"I'll show Simon too, let's go." He followed me to the living room again, Simon looking at both of
us as soon as we came back.

"Everything okay?" I guess.

"Yeah, just wanted to show Johnny and you..." I looked at the journal in my hands. It's fine to show
it to them, right? "This. I need to throw it out." I don't need it anymore. Nor do I want it.

"And that is...?" I handed it over, Leah getting closer to see what we were talking about.

"Father's journal? Why do you still have it?" That's a good question. Even if the words in it were
horrible, it's the only thing we have left of him. "I told you to throw it out, it's full of...bad things..."

"Full of rubbish." Simon looked and sounded angry as he read the book. Johnny just looked sad
and a bit annoyed, resting his head against Simon's shoulder to read together. "Seriously, don't take
his advice. In anything." Should've told me sooner.

"I won't. According to my research not a single thing he wrote is correct." They both turned to look
at me. "Wait, let me write the final point and the conclusion and you can read it." Thankfully I
brought my pen along, so I hurried to write what I needed as the rest kept reading the journal.

"This is all so stupid..." True.

"Here." My research is finished. Johnny grabbed my journal and closed father's, not wanting to
read it anymore.

They read through my notes, smiling at what I wrote. Is it funny? Well, I am just a kid, they're not
allowed to laugh at me. I think.

"At least you're smart enough to know all he said is bulls– Uh..."

"Bullshit." They both turned at me, horrified.

"Bullshit...?" Ah, Leah learnt a bad word now...

"Don't–! Ah, whatever..." Simon turned to look at Johnny, even more horrified. "What? They know
they can't say that..."

"Still. Don't say that again." We both nodded, to let him know we weren't swearing again.

"I don't like bad words, anyways..." Neither of us do. "You wrote so much...you should've just
thrown the journal away and forgotten about it..." That's true, but I don't regret my experiment.

"I wanted evidence that he was wrong." So if I ever doubt about what father said I'll have proof
that he was wrong...

"How long have you been...?" Doing research?

"A week." I think. Johnny looked up at me once he finished reading, as Simon discreetly tried to
hide both journals. "I have to throw father's..."

"We will, don't worry." Simon is taking care of that, then? "You know that your father was wrong,
then?"

"Yup." I can start acting like I want now...I think...It's hard to start acting so different after trying to
be a certain way for so long. But I'll still try.

"Now you can start another journal! Not one with weird notes..." Huh. I didn't think about writing
in a journal like Leah did. "There are some on the office, mom made a lot of spare ones for both of
us!" She did...?

"I'll get one later..." I don't know what to write in a journal though...

"Okay! Do you want to play cards, now?" That's a good plan. I wanted to join earlier...

"Sure." Leah started grabbing all the cards on the table and putting them together, then handed then
to Simon.

"Do that funny thing!" 'Funny thing'...?

"Shuffling." Ah, that. Johnny walked out of the room, I didn't notice until he came back, because I
was too concentrated looking at Simon mixing the cards.

He messed with my hair as he passed behind me, sitting next to Simon again.

I'm starting to not hate that, too much.

Today was weird, because Johnny was cooking instead of Simon. Not like his food is that bad. It
was never bad, really, I just wanted to bully him a little and Leah joined me in the teasing without
asking. I wonder if she actually didn't like the food or if we just agreed on being mean, without
noticing.

"Where's Simon?" He didn't go out with Leah, since she's drawing in the living room, and he isn't
in the room, either.

"He had to go to work early." Right, Simon has a job... "Food will be ready in a bit." It smells nice.

"Okay..." I should go watch TV for a while, then...

"Oh, I found some more videos, the ones you wanted to see." The ones with mom playing the
piano? Or the ones with...her friend? I forgot the name already...

"Can I watch them...?" If he told me it's because I can, but just in case...

"Of course. You know where they are, right?" I do. I nodded and went to the living room, carefully
taking Johnny's laptop and turning it on.

While I waited for the thing to start up, Leah noticed what I was doing and rushed to me, also
curious at what I was going go watch.

"Do you know the password?" I don't...what could it be? I'm too lazy to go back to the kitchen...we
have a couple of tries before it gets blocked right?

"Any suggestions?" Leah looked at the screen, concentrated, and then typed something on the
keyboard. "Huh? How did you know?"

"I just guessed." So she's just lucky?

"What did you write?" I didn't look at what she typed, I want to know too!

"Secret!" Whatever. I'll check next time I see Johnny unlocking it. "Do you miss mom again?"

"No, Johnny found more videos of her." Instead of the three that were there last time, there's a
couple more videos in the folder. "I asked him to check, remember?"

"Oh, yeah..." She didn't remember. "Play this one!" Why? Whatever, I can't see or read what the
videos are going to be like, there are no previews or proper names...

'Look, Sayoko!'

Ah, it's that girl again...

"Cute!" There were a lot of kittens around the blonde girl, and she was giving them treats.

'You're recording? Don't come crying again when you run out if memory!'

'This is important! The kittens are cute, I need to record them!'

Maybe mom didn't have the right priorities back then...

'Then record the cats instead of me?'

'You're so boring, Yoko...'

The girl laughed and mom recorded the kittens before cutting the video.

"I wonder where Sayoko is." Surely Leah is curious too. They looked close, it's a bit weird that we
never knew of the girl...

"She should be mom's age, right? Maybe we can ask uncle Alex about it..." Maybe. It doesn't look
like uncle Alex knew her, though, since there wasn't any video or photo of them together... "Play
the next one!" So impatient...

'Yoko!'

'Nina? Agh, you're recording this too!?'

Mom laughed and pointed the camera at the bags of clothes they were carrying.

'I sure am. We're buying clothes together, this is important too!'

'You won't have any space to record the festival if you use all the memory cards!'

So that festival hasn't happened yet?

'I bought more, don't worry.'

The blonde girl rolled her eyes and stopped walking once she got inside a bedroom, turning to face
mom and the camera.

'Why are you recording, really?'

'Don't worry about it. Show me the clothes!'

She laughed and started taking clothes out of the bags, posing with them without actually trying
them on.

'We bought kids clothes too...'

That's–!

"That's my dress!" It is! And I recognize one of those jackets too! "They're that old!?"

'Those are so cute! I'm saving them for when we have kids...'

Mom...she thought about us even before we were born?

'I'm sure they'll look cute in them, too...'

'You think the kids will look as cute as you when you were a kid? A blonde, blue eyed angel?'

'Oh, shut up!'

Sayoko took out something from a cabinet behind her.

"That's also..." Those are matching outfits we still use...how could they know our size, before we
even existed...?

'I made these, they're even cuter.'

Mom cheered from behind the camera, making her friend laugh.

'I lov–'

It got cut off again...

"Hm..." So this girl made clothes for kids...? I know why so many of our clothes don't have tags,
now. Mom knew how to sew clothes too, I saw her making a sweater for me, once...

"Is there another one...?" It looks like most of the videos are about Sayoko and not about mom
playing the piano.

'Nina! Say hi to the camera!'

'Fuck off–'

"Bad word!" Leah covered her ears for a second, then looked at me. "Don't tell Johnny..."

"I won't." He probably already heard, the kitchen is close and he didn't close the door.

'Come on, cheer up! Play that song again, for me?'
'No.'

'The teacher is just dumb, don't listen to her...'

"She's..." Crying, yes. I don't know what they're talking about but I can guess mom got scolded by a
music teacher, or something like that. She's sitting near a piano, putting things into her bag.

'Why are you recording this?'

She's annoyed, but her friend doesn't care.

'I want you to play that song again. Please?'

'Fine.'

This song...it sounds like that one song she used to play when she visited, but it sounds a bit more
cheerful, now. Maybe it's just similar, and not the same one.

The audio wasn't that great, so it could also be that I'm hearing it wrong. The quality is bad but it's
enough to see mom smiling as she played, and how her smile got wider as she finished the song.

'That was gre–'

Ah, it's the same with all the videos. They always get cut off...

"Can you play that song too?" I could try.

"I'll practice it." We both turned to see Johnny walk into the room, with our food.

"Are you guys done?" There are still some videos left but I don't feel like watching them right now.

"Yup!" I followed Leah to the table and sat close to her. I can't sit next to her, she lifts her elbows
too much when she eats, I keep getting hit by mistake. I hope it's by mistake, at least.

"Sol is coming to babysit you soon, I have to go out. I'll come back with Simon, later." Not Sol...

"Why her...?" She isn't mean or anything like that...

"Yay!" But Leah and her together are insufferable.

"We'll be back soon, don't let them bully you..." Johnny smiled at me and turned around to look for
his keys.

Maybe Sol can actually be useful for once, and help us look for mom's friend... She's good with
technology, maybe she can find something our dads can't...

"So you want me to find someone you don't even know the name of?" Yes, that's exactly it, Sol.

"Her name is...! Sa–So...?"

"Saso?"
"Sayoko." It's not that hard. "You're smart, you can do it." Sol huffed and opened the browser on
mom's computer.

"I need a surname, kiddo. I'm not a magician, there's thousands of people named that way." Huh.
She's right. "There's thousands of 'Leo's and 'Leah's too, but there's less 'Leo's with your surname..."

"I don't think there's a Leo with our surname besides...Leo..." I'm sure our surname isn't that rare.

"Right. Give me some information about this girl you want to find." We only have the pictures and
the videos. "I can't read japanese..."

"Translate it?" I might have overestimated her intelligence.

"Yeah, yeah..." She drew the characters on the screen as best as she could. "Hm...it still says
Sayoko..." Mom only wrote about her with that name? "Don't you have anything else?" Something
else...

"The–thing!" Thing? "Remember that diary? The really old one that mom has somewhere–" Leah
started rummaging through the bookshelf at the back of the room. "This one!"

"Oh, right!" That's where I read the name from! We snooped through that bookshelf ages ago, and
we found really old journals from mom. She wrote about her friend all the time, so it's normal I
found the name familiar...

"Let me see..." Leah gave the book to Sol, and we both watched as she turned through pages. "It's
still in japanese..." Translating the entire journal will take a lot of time, and the ones in english
don't have Sayoko's full name...

"Let me see something..." I took the picture from the album where Sayoko first appeared and found
a date. I'm glad mom also put dates on her journal. "Here?" I found the characters that I think said
Sayoko on the book and gave it to Sol.

"You're a genius, kid." I'm not– Maybe a bit. "Sayoko Nakano..." It rhymes a bit, but it's a weird
name. Maybe because we're not from that country? "Hm..."

"What is it?" She kept scrolling through the screen but she didn't seem to be finding much.

"They were classmates, right? How old is your mother?"

"Forty-seven. Almost forty-eight." Her birthday is in a couple months, now that I think about it.

"There's nothing about her here...Let me look for the kanji..." 'Kanji'? "Oh..."

"What–" Oh.

"She's..." Dead. She died years ago. That's why the album only had pictures until 1993. And that's
why there's no more pictures of Sayoko after that year.

"Oh..." Leah looks sad too. "Maybe that's why there's no tapes of the festival..." That's right... "I
wanted to meet her..."

"I'm sorry..." Even Sol looked sad, and she didn't even know who Sayoko was. "Was she an aunt?"
She started looking through the pictures, looking at us in case we wanted her to stop.

"An aunt..." I think Leah is thinking the same as me. Mom and her friend were close enough to act
like sisters, if she was alive and still talked with mom, we probably would consider her an aunt.
"She was mom's best friend, I think." Leah pointed at one of the pictures for Sol to see. They were
both hugging and smiling at the camera, their happiness almost contagious.

"Is that your mother?" Ah, she doesn't know mom.

"Yup." Sol started looking through the albums, taking out the one we saw yesterday, with the
wedding pictures.

"Is she still married?" What's with that question?

"I don't know?" Can she be married to father if he's not alive?

"What do you mean?" Sol was just as confused as me. "Don't you two have a father?"

"You know our dads! They're Johnny and Simon!" I know what she meant, but Leah is a bit
slower.

"No– Like, a father before them? You know, the one that was with you when you were babies.
You don't have Johnny or Simon's surnames, so you have your father's. That's the father I'm talking
about." Huh. Well she's in for a surprise.

"We have mom's surname only." Yup, definitely surprised.

"Really? What's your full name?" That's confidential.

"Leah and Leo Rusnav?" Shut up, Leah!

"No middle name?" That's right. Mom wasn't that creative, at least she gave us matching first
names. "No second surname either?" Nope.

"Do you have all that? How do you remember your name?" Sol looked blankly at Leah, which only
made her confused.

"You have a goat with the longest name I've heard." That's true!

"Sir Kled Arthur Charleston the Fourth, King of the Barn, deserves the name." Does he really? All
he does is just...exist.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Sol put everything back and turned off the computer, stretching as she got up.
"Santa left gifts for you at home. I forgot to give them to you." She bought us gifts?

"We didn't leave a letter at your house, though...?" I looked up at Sol, and she looked back at me,
panicking.

"Uh–It's– Johnny wrote it for you!" Nice save!

"Woah, he's so nice..." I feel bad for Sol, she doesn't get any credit for her gifts...

"Yeah, he sure is. They're not wrapped because I thought they were for me, then I read Santa's
note..." She was too lazy to wrap them up, is what she means.

"So what are the gifts?" We walked to the living room together, sitting in front of the TV.

"Video games. Johnny told me you have a–"

"Nice! Uncle Alex sent us a...what's it called? The game player thingy?" I don't remember the
name either, we have barely used it. "The same thing you have!"

"Playstation."

"Yeah, that! Santa gave us one at uncle Alex's house, but we haven't used it much." It's the only
gift we haven't touched. Well, not the only one, there's also–

"They're mom's cameras." Both of them stopped talking and turned to look at me. "The gift uncle
Alex sent along the Playstation. They're mom's cameras." And uncle Alex didn't have them. Auntie
did. I remember her saying she was going to sell them, a long time ago.

"But one of them is new?" Leah went to the drawer where we left them, taking all of them here, to
the sofa.

"Those are all analog...and these are digital ones..." Sol knows about this? "I'm not sure where you
could get film and memory cards for these...This one is pretty modern, I'm sure Johnny won't mind
buying SD cards for you. Those are sold everywhere."

"Cool!" Indeed. I think I get why auntie sent us these, now. After watching the videos, I can agree
with mom that recording important moments is necessary. And recording not-so-important
moments is just as necessary. "We can take pictures with this instead of daddy's phone!"

"Yeah. I'll show you how to use it." Sol gave me the camera, looking a bit confused.

I can read the things on the screen, and I'll look at the manual and tutorials about things I don't
understand. Leah has to learn something much easier; how to hold the camera.

We completely forgot about the video games, instead we spent about two hours taking pictures of
the cats, the dogs, the owl, a few insects we found outside, and Sol, everytime she looked away.
She looks funny...

Leah understood pretty quickly, and her photos were good. It's good to know we're on the same
level, on something.

"Ah, this one looks so pretty..." Leah smiled, proud of her work. "Good job, sis'."

"Thank you! Yours are amazing!" I'm sure we'll get better the more we use the camera... "Oh, let's
take a video! Like mom used to take with So– Sayoko?"

"Sure. I'll film..." She gave me the camera and started running into the house, to where Sol was.

"Hi, Sol!" She turned around from the counter.

"Are you eating our cereal...?" She's done this before, I think.

"Are you recording me?" I lifted the camera and zoomed in on her face, just to make it clear that,
yes, I'm recording her. "Don't show that to Soap."

"Silence has it's price..." I zoomed out enough so Leah could be seen too. "Twenty."

"Twenty dollars!? I can buy four boxes of cereal with that!" That's true.

"You can, but will you be able to not make Johnny mad with four boxes of cereal? He's already
scolded you for eating them, replacing them won't make him less disappointed..."

"Why are you smart?" I got it from mom, I think. "Fine. Here." She handed the money to Leah, and
I made sure to record that too.

"I'm showing this to Simon." I made sure to record Sol's terrified and offended face before stopping
the recording. "I'm kidding." I'm not, but she doesn't need to know that.

This is not really a special moment, but it's still nice that we got to record it. I'm sure mom didn't
think recording Sayoko at class, or surrounded by cats, or showing clothes that they got, was
special. But the fact that those tapes and pictures still exist to this day, after...thirty years, it means
that they're very special.

I hope this normal, nonsensical recording doesn't become a special one, like mom's and Sayoko's.
Like mom's and ours.

We're on a mission. A very dumb one, which is not weird considering this is Leah's idea, but still a
mission.

"Are you ready?" Why does she look so serious? And also why did she make me wear face paint...?

"Ye–"

"Go!" Well, okay.

I ran behind her to the kitchen, the camera already recording, as instructed. Johnny was the first to
see us, very confused as to what was going on. He still smiled at the camera when he saw it.

"What are you two doing?" Leah jumped towards him and he barely had time to catch her.

"Recording!" That's obvious, Leah.

"Documenting memories." That's the name of the mission. She came up with it.

"I see?" He's still confused but he doesn't seem against it.

"Simon?" It looks like he didn't even pay attention to what was happening, turning around and
looking at Johnny.

"Mm?" Yup, clueless.

"Say hi." He waved his hand, turning our way.

"What are you two up to, now?" Well, it is a mission, technically. But we're not up to anything.

"We're keeping memories! Like mom with Sayu–Suyo..."

"Sayoko." Is she ever remembering her name?

"Why?" I'm sure none of us is ending up like Sayoko, but mom probably thought the same when
she was recording.

"Johnny is getting old, he can look at the recordings when he wants to feel...less old..." Johnny
 furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

"You mean young?" Heh.

"You're not young, though."

"You–"

>

Chapter End Notes

The author is crying.

Lost my trident again, and my bow. feelsbadman.

I'm late again, sorry about that. I don't have an excuse I was just playing mc. For way
too many hours to be considered normal.

Anyways, Idk what to do with Rusnav's backstory, honestly. I'm not sure if the chapter
from her pov will be interesting since it's centered around her but I might shorten said
chapter and publish it as an extra between other chapters. I'll see.

Thanks for the support, as always! Until next week<3

 (16). Date night.
Chapter Summary

Good company makes bad days a little better.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The house was...surprisingly quiet. It was early in the morning, still, but Johnny knows the twins
get up before them to sneak out to play.

The twins...

"Boo!"

"Fuck–!" He moved away from the noise, Simon catching him before he could fall off the bed.
"Leo!?" It was impossible to notice the kid was more playful lately, but this was new. It's usually
Leah the one surprising them or barging into the room at ungodly hours of the morning.

"Heh." That small laugh has been drilled into his brain, from how much he's heard it in these last
few days. "Get up, already. I'm hungry."

"You think you deserve breakfast, now?" Leo wasn't fazed, if anything he found his reaction
extremely funny.

"I think I do. Has anyone ever scared you like that?" Is that something to be proud of?

"Where's your sister?" Simon got up then, stretching as he yawned and walked towards the
bathroom.

"Feeding Ophelia." That damn owl. He should've insisted more on leaving it where Leah found it,
the thing screeched horribly when she was hungry. "She's responsible and feeds her
daughter...unlike a certain someone..."

"You're talking as if we didn't give you dinner and dessert eight hours ago." The kid is not really
complaining, but still.

After some time, they went to the kitchen, Leah waiting for them at the table, the bird relaxing on
her shoulder. At least it doesn't look like an abomination anymore, it resembled a bird a little bit.

"Good morning!" As energetic as always. Ah, to be young...no, he's still in his twenties, what is he
thinking?

"Good morning." It was a good morning until he almost had a heart attack. "Leave the owl some–"

"Ophelia!"

"...Leave Ophelia somewhere else, you can't eat with her around." She looked disappointed but she
still left the room with the bird. She's behaving a lot better, lately. Probably because of whatever
Simon said to her when she fought with Leo.

"Can I have strawberries with...my pancakes...?" Leo has been a bit more open about things that he
likes and wants, now that he finished his 'research'. It's good that he doesn't try to act the way his
father wanted him to. It's also good that they solved that while he's still very young, if he had
grown up that way...he probably wouldn't be very happy as an adult.

"Yes." Simon had already prepared the strawberries, the kid ruined the surprise for himself.

Leah came back to the room, looking at the adults for a little too long before she took a seat.

"Did you wash your hands?" He took the plates his partner handed to him and got them to the table.

"Yes, look!" She should've dried them as well...

"Here." He handed her a kitchen towel before leaving Leo's food in front of the boy. "And here."

"Thanks da–" Still not ready to say it out loud?

"You're welcome, son." The kid looked the other way, embarrassed, before starting to eat his
breakfast slowly.

They had a busy day today, and tomorrow too. First they had to make a quick video call with the
people back at base, since the kids had wanted to meet them. Then in the afternoon the twins had a
birthday party. And after that they had a sleepover at Sol's house.

And Simon wanted to take him out, since it was his day off and the kids weren't home.

Johnny is nervous about all of these events.

The twins already knew Gaz, and they get along, so he's not that worried about them meeting
Price, Al and Rudy.

But it's the first time the twins go to another kid's birthday party, and also the first time they stay at
someone else's house. If Leah starts missing home then Sol will bring them back, obviously, but he
really hopes the kids enjoy the sleepover with the woman and her nieces, and they don't find a
reason to come back early.

It's also the first time his partner asks him out on a date. They're just going to the movies, it's not
that out of the ordinary, but they haven't had a proper date since, well, ever.

"If you keep thinking you'll hurt your brain." Ah, Simon is always so sweet. "What are you
worrying about, now?" He looked at the food in front of him, and also at the kids' empty plates.
For how long has he been zoning out...?

"Nothing." His partner stared at him for a second, a bit concerned, but he didn't say anything else.

"Can we go play for a while...?" It's still early, there's no reason to say no.

"Don't bring more animals." She didn't seem too happy about that but she nodded anyways,
dragging her brother outside as well.

It's amazing how the kids went from pulling each other's hair and saying the worst things they
could come up with to just...playing and working together.

Apparently looking at their mother's videos also helped them, and now they've been recording
everything they can. Sol told him that they looked for Rusnav's friend online, and that they found
out she had passed away when Rusnav was still in Japan.

The kids don't look sad, but it must've been hard to know a person they were interested about,
someone that knew their mother so much, and could possibly talk to them about her...was gone.

"...Johnny?" Ah, he spaced out again. Simon took his hand and slowly guided him to the living
room. He doesn't even remember finishing his breakfast...

His partner sat on the couch, pulling him as well so he sat on his lap, and hugging him from
behind. He didn't mean to make the man worry, it's not like he should be anyways.

"Do you want to sleep a bit more...?" When he turned his head to look at the other, he saw that his
eyes were closed, as his chin rested on Johnny's shoulder. Even if he looked tired, he shook his
head slightly and looked up.

"Not sleepy..." Just tired, then. Simon's shifts were a bit of a mess, but Carlos had promised him
that they would be fixed by the time the kids started school. Johnny is glad, because getting up at
four in the morning to go pick the man up from work was eventually going to be the end of him.
"You're thinking a lot today..."

"Sorry." So much for not wanting to worry him. If he keeps zoning out it'll only make his lover
worry more. But contrary to Simon he is still sleepy.

"What are you thinking about?" A lot.

"Today." The day has barely started and he already wants it to end. "We have a lot to do." The
hands around his torso held him tighter, and the weight on his shoulder dissappeared.

"We can cancel–"

"No." Their date is what he's more excited about, even if it makes him nervous. Plus, it's very hard
to get time for just the two of them, since the kids are always around. He's not wasting his chance.
"We should start setting everything up..." And so they moved to the living room's table, again, to
set up the laptop.

Making a video call was Gaz's idea, since he kept asking about the kids and sending pictures of the
cat Leah gave him. On the group chat. Because direct messages are an unknown concept to the
man, apparently. The rest of the group chat didn't seem to mind, if anything they were more
curious about the kids.

And the twins were curious too. They managed to convince Leah to save the sealife facts to herself,
and she didn't seem too upset about it. But she did go and take pictures of most of the animals in
their property.

Hopefully they have patience to hear the kids talk about their pets for a while.

"...MacTavish." Alright, he gets that getting lost on his thoughts this much can be weird but there's
no need to call him that.

"L.t." Ah, he's not bothered by that? "Mister Riley." That did the trick.

"Shut." It's a bit funny how annoyed Simon gets by that. Probably thanks to Leo. "I'm worried–"

"I'm fine, I promise." He has the right to be anxious about new things, it's nothing to worry about.
"Let's call the kids–"

"They'll come back soon. Come here." There...there's only one chair?

"Where–?" Simon pulled him to his lap, hugging him again. Not that he minds the closeness but it's
a bit uncomfortable, with the little room they had. Plus, the chair looked like it was ready to give
up. "Let's go to the couch?"

"...fine." And he was picked up, to his dismay.

"I didn't mean–!" He should really know better. His partner cares very little about his old wounds
until they start bothering him. Because he keeps doing unnecessary things like this. "The
computer." Can't do the call without that.

"Stay there." A hand pushed him lightly, just so he leaned back on the couch. He smiled as he saw
the other man hurrying to get the laptop to the coffee table in front of the couch. "Got something
on my face?"

"Aye." The mask. Simon furrowed his eyebrows before understanding what he meant. And he
actually pulled the face mask down, walking to the couch and sitting next to Johnny.

"Happy?" Very. But also, is he going to keep it that way during the call? Simon doesn't exactly
have to keep hiding his face, but he won't force him to show it to their friends. Nor is he going to
force him to hide it. It's his choice alone, and Johnny is okay with whatever he chooses to do.

The same arms that were hugging him a few minutes ago pulled him back to Simon's lap, hugging
him from behind once more.

Ah, there's also this. Would Simon be okay with telling the rest that they're dating now? If he plans
to keep this position there's no way they can avoid the conversation. Of course he doesn't want to
force his partner to reveal they're a thing now, but if he asks him directly he will certainly think
Johnny doesn't want to tell their friends.

Once again, Simon has the choice, and he will support whatever decision his partner makes. But he
doesn't know how to ask without making the man self-conscious–

"Ow– stop that!" What's the obsession with biting him?

"Pay attention to me..." He's not ignoring him, it was impossible for him to not notice the kisses the
man was leaving on his neck. "Should we tell...?" Oh. Simon is worried as well.

"I don't mind if you don't mind." Surely the other men wouldn't care, and they won't center the
conversation about that. The call was supposed to be about the kids anyways.

"I don't mind..." When he tried to turn to face Simon and give him the attention he had asked for,
he noticed that bites don't usually hurt the way this one did. And his partner had given him an
unusual amount of kisses to the area.

"You bastard–" The bite was hard enough to break the skin, and draw a very small amount of
blood. Nothing to be concerned about, of course, but still. "How sharp are your teeth!?"

"Pretty average." His partner kissed the small wound and nodded towards the computer. "We
should call the kids in." They're already a bit later than what they had agreed on with their friends,
but it's not like anyone was talking in the groupchat about being late.
As he was about to get up to call the twins, Leah ran past him towards her bedroom, while her
brother stood at the doorway, looking at him.

"Hm?" He has no idea why the kid is staring at him. "Something wrong?"

"You look funny." Huh? "Your hair isn't weird anymore." It was never weird. But it's true that he
hasn't cut it since he came here, and it was getting a bit long. Not like he's planning to cut it now,
he likes the way it looks. "You actually look cool now." Should he be offended by that?

"He does..." Ah, Simon likes the long hair too? He's keeping it that way, then. Not only because
Simon and Leo liked it, of course.

"Alright, I'm back!" The girl had changed into another dress, and tied her hair a bit better. "What'd
I miss?"

"We were looking at Johnny's hair." Leah looked up at his hair, a bit confused.

"He hasn't changed it, though...?" She probably doesn't see the difference because they see each
other everyday.

"It's longer." Leo decided to help when he saw his sister wasn't seeing the difference. "It's the same
haircut as before."

"But it didn't look nice back then." So cruel. Very typical of Leah to be brutally honest. "It looks
cool now, though." The damage is already done. "Anyways! The call!" She grabbed her brother's
hands, pulling him to the couch and sitting together. "Come on!"

"Calm down, missy." She's not calming down. Ever. Their only option was to oblige.

"Wait, I forgot something!" Couldn't she had remembered that before they started the call? Good
thing they hung up before anyone noticed.

"Do we all fit in the camera?" Well, yes, he made sure of that.

"We do." For some reason the boy was still confused.

"Then why are you sitting–"

"Alright, now I'm ready!" She went to get her plushie...?

"Are you sure?" Simon started the call again, and Leah sat next to her brother, hugging her toy.

"Yes!" She crawled over them to get to the other side of the couch, facing the laptop and waiting
for the call to go through once she got where she wanted. "Hi Kyle!"

"Hi there." Of course he was the first to pick up.

"Carpet ruiner." Before Gaz could protest at Leo's words, the rest joined the call.

"Carpet ruiner?" Ah, they got to hear that? "Good to see you again, Simon." Only Simon–? He's
not wearing the mask...

"Good to see you too, old man." Price smiled fondly, and before he could answer, he got cut off by
Gaz.

"I'll be right back–" The last thing they saw on Kyle's end was a blurry mess.
"Is he okay...?" Who knows, really.

"Are those your kids?" Right, the kids. They don't have to wait for Kyle, since the man already met
the twins. And Price had already heard Leah a couple of times, since she's always sneaking up on
Johnny when he's calling the captain. But Alejandro and Rodolfo hadn't even heard the kids before,
so they're curious about them.

"I'm Leah!" Did she eat sugar...? "And this is Leo!" The boy waved his hand at the screen, smiling
slightly. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, miss." Ale seemed a little taken aback by the girl's enthusiasm, and Rudy
was just holding back his laugh behind the man. "I'm Alejandro–"

"Alejandro..." Did the name ring a bell for her? "(Sounds spanish.)"

"(Did Soap teach you spanish?)" He doesn't have the patience for that.

"(Mom did!)" Simon could've taught them too, though... "(She also taught me a bit of russian so I
can understand grandma's letters...)"

"We can't speak it, though." It's amazing that they can speak two languages fluently at seven, but
apparently Leo isn't satisfied with just two. "Where did Kyle go...?" So he bullies the man
everytime he sees him but then gets worried when he dissappears for two minutes...?

"He–" Price got, once again, cut off. This time it was because of a knock on a door. They all
looked around, out of instinct, probably. Johnny knew it wasn't in their house because they get told
before anyone enters the property, unless it's Alexander or Soledad.

Alex wasn't visiting for a long while and Sol just gets in without knocking. She had a copy of the
keys. That they didn't give her. He would be concerned about it but the woman has actually needed
the key before, when babysitting.

"Hey." So he went to Price's office. Should've told them that instead of disappearing. "It's easier
this way."

"Why did you bring that pest?" Ah, terrible choice of words.

"Is that the cat!?" Leah was even more excited now that the animal was on screen. Thankfully she
didn't pay attention to the word 'pest'. "So big...and fluffy..."

"I've been taking good care of her." Price scoffed and pushed Gaz to the side.

"You haven't taken care of anything." Well that's interesting. Is the captain the one taking care of
the pet? Also, why is it at base?

"I've tried my best." Not even Leah seemed to believe that. "What did I miss?"

"Oh, yeah! What's your name, mister..." Come on Leah, you can think of something not offensive–
"Funny mustache?"

"Funny?" Gaz held his laugh and walked away from the camera, letting Price process the
nickname. "I'm captain John Price."

"Captain!?" They saw this coming, but it was still cute to see the girl getting so excited. "Like
mom! And me!"
"You...?" It's a long story.

"Yeah!" And she isn't going to explain. "Wait, are you all captains?" Should they explain military
ranks to a seven year old?

"They aren't." Simon decided to speak for once, then went to grab the girl from the edge of the
couch before she could fall.

"Is that– When did he take the mask off?" Shut up, Gaz. Don't make him self-conscious.

"So what are they?" Leo decided to completely ignore Kyle and redirect the conversation.
"Lieutenants?"

"Stop bragging." The boy sticked his tongue out to his sister and went back to staring at the screen,
waiting for answers. "Wait, I don't know your friend's name, mister Alejandro..."

"This is Sergeant Major Rodolfo Parra–" Rudy elbowed the man beside him, scoffing.

"Just Rudy."

"Those are a lot of words." Leah was trying to process the title, giving up in a couple seconds.
"Nice to meet you, Rudy!"

"You said that as if your goat's name wasn't longer–" The girl turned, offended, to her brother.

"Well, Sir Kled Arthur Charleston the Fourth, King of the Barn, won his name fair and square." By
doing what, exactly? That's something only she knows. And the goat, maybe.

"You guys have a goat?" Oh, Alejandro. He made the same mistake that Gaz did, when he came to
visit. Most of the faces on the screen were curious, but Kyle was already dreading what was to
come.

"Yeah! We have a lot of pets–! Let me fetch Ophelia!" She didn't wait for approval before she ran
towards the second floor.

"I'll bring Rexie." Leo was going to brag about the animals too? That's new.

"You really shouldn't have asked." Rodolfo just stared back, confused.

"At least she isn't bringing the horses in." True.

"I didn't know you two had a zoo back home." They did say they lived in a farm. "How many hours
are we going to sit here listening about pets?"

"Hopefully not long." They had plans for the day. "I'll stop her." And by stopping her, he means
distracting her with another topic.

"I'm back!" As if the running through the hall didn't warn them. "Look!" The owl was calmly
sitting on her shoulder, again. She got close to the camera so they could watch the animal. "It's
pretty! We also have cats and dogs!"

"This is Rexie." Leo walked in with the dog, right on cue, and looked up at Simon. "She only
listens to dad lately." That's true, she's– Dad?

"That's the one I told you about. She's huge!" Price looked at Gaz, blankly, then back at the screen.
"Really! Johnn–"
"Soap for you." Alejandro chuckled, probably thinking Simon was joking with the warning tone.
He wasn't.

"Soap, stand up." Why does he have to stand up? The dog was taller than Leah, that's a good
enough comparison. He stood up anyways. "See?"

"It's just a bit bigger than the ones here, what are you so..." She's bigger and more muscular than
the dogs at base, really. "That's a big dog."

"She's our guard!" Rexie turned to look at Leah, completely unaware at the attention she was
getting on the other side of the screen. "And a good girl. Who's a good girl?"

"Good girls go to the front yard." The animal stopped wagging her tail and dejectedly turned to go
outside. And Leah started following the dog too, pretending to be as sad as her pet. "Where are you
going?" Simon snatched the girl up before she could get too far from him, bringing her back to the
couch as she giggled.

"But I'm a good girl too..." Leo handed over the owl, grimacing at the thing. Still ugly.

"You are, but you don't live in the yard." She's probably trying to get compliments.

"Yet." What does that even mean? "I'll go put Ophelia back!" Great plan, Leah. She ran to the
second floor again, not waiting for any answers.

"Is she always like that or is she just excited today?" Ah, right, they're still on call.

"Always like that." Leo came back after closing the front door, getting comfortable against Simon.
"You should see her when she gets pancakes for breakfast."

"I can imagine."

"You can't." Leo and Gaz said it at the same time, then both glared at the screen.

"What's with these two...?" Alejandro is missing a lot of back story, here.

"Gaz ruined our carpet when he came over." Kyle scoffed on the other side, keeping quiet once he
saw the glare Price was giving him. "And Leo doesn't know what forgiving people is."

"I even gave you a new carpet!" Still ugly. "Move on, man..."

"Never."

Leah came back to the room, jumping on the couch, and started happily chatting and showing
things to the other men. They didn't seem to mind, if anything they looked invested in what she
was telling them.

And whenever she had to take a break, Leo was the one to carry the conversation, asking questions
or just answering whatever it was said to him.

"Oh, no! The time!" Huh? "We have to get ready!" Before Johnny could even process the words
the kids were already leaving to their bedrooms.

"Leah." The girl stopped, turning to look at Simon.

"Ah, right! Bye mister Kyle! And captain!" She waved at the screen, waiting for her brother to say
his goodbyes too. "(Bye Alejandro, and Rudy!)"
"Bye." A boy of few words. Very few.

"Goodbye, kiddos. Have fun wherever you're going..." Price and Alejandro waved back, and the
twins decided to run away to their rooms.

"So..." That tone can't mean anything good, coming from Gaz. "Are we going to address it or not?"

"Address what?" Why is Simon so defensive, now?

"The fact that you've been hugging and acting like a married couple for the last thirty
minutes." No subtlety, huh? Price elbowed the man beside him, with more strength this time, and
glared at him.

"I mean, I am curious but I wouldn't ask like that..." Huh. Have they been that obvious? It's not like
they did it intentionally, it's just how they usually act around the other.

"I don't know what you're–"

"He's sitting in your lap, mate. You're not very good at hiding things." Ah. Did he really not realize
where he'd been sitting for the last half hour?

"Where was he supposed to sit? There are no available–"

"Ghost, there's an entire empty couch around you." Even if the kids were still sitting with them
there's plenty of space to sit.

"Uh..." Simon said he didn't mind telling them, but they didn't exactly think on how to tell them.
"We–I guess we..."

"So you are together!" Why does he look so smug? "Pay up, old man!"

"Really?" He's not surprised by Gaz doing this, but Price?

"Wait, but how?" What does he mean how? "Which one of you took the first step?" Is that really
that important? Why are they suddenly invested in their love life?

"Johnny did, I guess." Rudy smirked and held up his hand.

"You too!?" Alejandro groaned as he handed the bills to the man beside him. "You're all terrible."

"Sure." Why did they bet on these things? And why were they so sure they would end up together?
"Congrats, by the way." Should've said that sooner, instead of paying attention to their bets...

"I'm actually curious, though, how come Johnny–"

"Soap."

"Jabón." Simon squinted his eyes at the screen but didn't add anything. "How come he was the first
to...?"

"I was dying a bit." Or at least he thought so, at that moment. "Got stabbed at work and I
panicked."

"Huh. How romantic." Were they really expecting something special? "So you weren't kidding
when you said you were taking it to the grave, huh?" To the grave...?
"I wasn't." Oh, they meant Simon?

"Taking what to the grave...?" He heard Alejandro clearing his throat, and looking away from the
screen. "Simon?"

"Uh, I think we have to end it here, I just remembered we had something to do..." So he doesn't
want to explain, either. Rudy waved at the camera before hanging up.

"I would love to see you two fight but we actually have stuff to do." Gaz is running away, too? "I'll
send pictures of the cat later."

"Right. We'll talk later." The captain sighed and moved to hang up, Kyle getting there before he
could even say goodbye. "Taking what to the grave?"

"You know..." He actually doesn't, is he missing something? "Me. Having a crush on you." Ah,
that was it–?

"They knew!?" How come he was the last person to find out?

"They just guessed. I was being too obvious apparently." Well, not obvious enough for Johnny to
notice, clearly. "Everyone just assumed I liked you, really."

"Except me." Simon moved to hang up the call from their end, in case anyone joined again. "Sorry
for being slow."

"You're not slow..." If he had been a little less oblivious they would've gotten together sooner.
"What matters is that we got here."

"Right..." That's...true. Even if it must've horrible for Simon during these last few years, and
especially these last few months, because they've been living together, at least they're together
now. He'd like to think that he's making up for the lost time. Simon is surely happy with him, even
if he had to wait for this long, right?

He looks happy at least...

He should know that his partner isn't holding it against him, the time it took for him to realize their
feelings weren't exactly platonic. But he still feels bad, being oblivious for so long, he must've
tested Simon's patience more than once.

Ah, whatever, it's the past. What he can do now is give the man the love he was denying him
before.

"You're–" Thinking too much, yeah. He's heard that more than once this morning. Since he didn't
want to hear it again, he choose the best method to shut his partner up, grabbing his face and
joining their lips before he could finish the phrase.

It was always nice to see how Simon melted under him, letting him take control whenever they
kissed. And as usual, the man is always reluctant to let go, pulling at Johnny's lower lip and
chasing after him until he couldn't move closer.

"You were saying?" His partner sighed under him, softly, and tried to recall what they were talking
about.

"I...forgot." So his plan succeeded. It's the perfect time to change the topic, before he remembers.
"You did great, by the way..." He didn't comment anything before or during the call, but he was
happy to see Simon showing his face. "I'm proud of you." The man groaned and hid his face on
Johnny's neck. He could feel the small smile on his partner's face, against his skin.

"We have to go get ready." That's true, and he wasn't expecting any other answer from Simon,
anyways.

"Let go, then." To his surprise, his partner did let go of him, immediately. They aren't in a hurry,
and he's usually reluctant. "Uh..."

"What?" Can he really find this weird, when he's the one that asked Simon to let go of him?

"Not even a goodbye kiss? You just...let go?" The other man looked at him, blankly, before
furrowing his eyebrows.

"We're...we change in the same room, why do you want– we're not even separating?" Right. He's
just being dumb, but still... "Come on, the kids are probably ready by now."

They both stood up and walked to the bedroom, changing into something better to go out, in
complete silence.

He shouldn't be worrying over something so small, but Simon didn't even give him a small kiss.
On the cheek would've been fine, too. But no. And he had asked for it too...

Does the other not want to kiss him? But they were kissing right before that, so that can't be the
case, right? He was the one to start the kiss, though, and he had caught Simon off guard...

Maybe he's just the only one...that likes kissing...? No, but...Simon never starts it, he just goes
along with whatever Johnny does.

"Ah." Something flew his way, and he realized only when the piece of fabric hit his shoulder,
lightly.

"Stop zoning out so much, you're worrying me..." Right...

"Sorry." He really should stop thinking for a while, it's not really helping him. "Let's go, then?"
The kids were already running around in the house, he could hear their footsteps and voices
through the slightly open door.

"...Fine." Simon grabbed his jacket and went for the door.

He's not waiting for him...?

To everyone's surprise, except Simon's, the place the birthday party was held wasn't a house. It
looked more like a park than a house, really. If he had paid more attention to his surroundings
while he was driving he would've noticed the lake and the lack of houses around. He was too busy
thinking and ignoring Simon's concerned gaze.

The twins got out of the car with their gifts and started running towards where the other kids were,
without asking for permission. It's not like they need to, they won't get lost or
kidnapped...here...surely? No, he should keep an eye on them anyways. They don't know most of
the people here, who knows–

"Let them be, they'll be fine." Is Simon reading his mind, now? "Let's go say hi." Do they really
have to socialize...?

"(Oh, hi! It's been a while!)" Ah, Maria is here. Every parent from the groupchat is here too, now
that he actually decided to look around.

"(It has.)" Simon looked at him for a second and stepped in front of him, smiling at the woman. "
(How have you been?)"

"(Same old same old. I've been meaning to reach out so the kids could hang out, but I've been so
busy!)" Busy being buried in plants, probably.

The conversation carried on as they were guided to where the other parents were, sitting around a
table with snacks and drinks. He could see someone taking care of a grill a couple meters away
from the circle, and the kids playing near the lake, or at the bouncy castle a little further away.
Leah was near the lake, watching some other kids that were fishing. And Leo was...

Where is he?

"Johnny." Ah, was his panic that obvious? Simon placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him.
"They're fine. Leo is there." His partner nodded towards the chairs where a couple men were
sitting. Leo was sitting in the shade, playing with another kid on the ground. He hadn't seen the
boy, since he was mostly hidden by the chairs. "Are you–"

"(Oh, Simon, look at this!)" Thankfully someone interrupted them. He really doesn't want to be
outside today, but the kids deserve to go out, and play with other kids. At least no one is making an
effort to talk to him–

"(Hi, there...)" Shouldn't had thought that. And just when Simon wasn't around to do the talking for
him. "(Nice to meet you, I'm Alexa...)"

"(John.)" Usually he wouldn't mind the small talk but today he doesn't feel like entertaining
anyone. But he has to be polite. "(I don't think we've met before...?)" Well, yes, she just said it was
nice to meet him.

"(We haven't! You're from the parents' groupchat, right? I'm here as family, like all these old
people. I'm the birthday boy's cousin...)" Uh-huh. Very interesting. "(And you are...?)"

"(My kids are friends with...)" Whose birthday was it again? "(...the birthday boy...)"

"(You have kids? You look so young! I thought you were an older brother, or something!)" That's
because he's still young. "(Did their mom stay home?)"

"(Uh– they don't have a mom.)" Explaining Rusnav's situation would take ages. And he's probably
not allowed to, anyways. It's confidential.

"(They don't...?)" Is this–? How come he always ends up in these situations? "(I'm–)"

"(Sorry, I forgot something at the car.)" Before the woman could say anything, he stood up and
hurried his way back to their car, locking the door once he was inside. Thankfully no one noticed
his absence, since he was sitting separated from the group.
He desperately looked through the vehicle, trying to find where Simon had left his cigarettes last
time they were here, and apparently the pack wasn't there anymore.

"Fuck." It's not like he smokes frequently, he only does when Simon offers him his own cigarette.
But right now he could really use a smoke. Maybe he was stressed about the call and realized after
it was done, or it's because he's still worried about the rest of the day, but he's anxious and he can't
think of any other way to relieve the stress.

All he could do was curl up on the front seat and pull at his hair, trying to ignore the tightness in
his chest and hoping it would go away. He has to get out soon, people will start noticing he's not
there eventually, and as much as he wants to cry that would be very noticeable. Attention is the
least he wants right now.

He also has to get out before Simon–

"Johnny?" A soft knock on the window made him come back to earth, looking up to find his lover,
confused and worried. "Unlock the door? Please?" The soft click on the locks told the other man
he was welcomed, and he got into the passenger seat, still looking at him.

"Sorry." He doesn't exactly know why he's apologizing, and his partner seemed to be just as lost as
him.

"Come here?" Before moving he made sure to check his surroundings, even if it was useless, since
no one could see them from outside. Once he was sure they weren't being watched, he moved from
his seat to Simon's lap, hiding his face on the man's neck. "What's with you today...?"

"I don't know." It was honest, he really didn't know why he was this anxious. "I'm just tired–"

"Johnny..." That excuse can only work that much, eventually Simon would realize that he's not just
tired. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I really don't know." His partner just held his head, slowly combing through his hair. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay..." Worrying the other man was the least he wanted to do, he had enough things to deal
with already. "Can you hang on a little longer? We have to leave soon anyways."

"I'll be fine." He's dreading having to go back to the very noisy crowd and actually interact with
people, but he doesn't have that many options.

"...I'll tell them you have a headache." Huh? "We'll be back as soon as we can." But–

Ah, he's already gone.

At least he doesn't have to torture himself by listening to Maria's rambling about plants, or any
other parent talking about stuff that he didn't have the energy to process. But he has to wait in the
car for a while.

He's not complaining, at least he got what he wanted. Simon probably noticed that he took the
cigarettes from his pocket, but he didn't say anything about it.

Of course he wouldn't smoke inside the car, the kids already suffered enough from their aunt
smoking everywhere she went, so he got out of the car and tried to remain as hidden as he could.

But it wasn't enough, apparently, as he saw the woman from earlier walking slowly towards him.
"(Hey, sorry if it came the wrong way earlier...)" The wrong way...? "(I wasn't trying to flirt,
really. My fiancé is over there.)" Finally, someone that was just friendly.

"(Don't worry about it.)" Even if she was just trying to chat casually, he didn't really want to chat
altogether.

"(You just looked...uhm...nervous. I saw you alone so I wanted to help with that.)" That's...nice.

"(Thank you...)" Now he feels bad for running away.

"(Your husband told us you weren't feeling okay, I have some painkillers if you want some.)" His
husband–!? "(Let me go fetch them.)"

"(No, it's alright!)" He can't tell her he's just in a bad mood, though. "(I already took some, but
thanks.)"

"(Oh, okay.)" The woman looked towards the group of people, clearly unhappy, then turned to him
again. "(Do you mind if I stay here a little longer? I don't really like crowds and my fiancé is a little
busy...)"

"(...be my guest.)" At least he'll have something to distract himself for a while.

"(Thanks.)" She sighed and leaned against the car beside him, without invading his personal space.
"(I met your kids by the way, the boy is a little weird.)" That's a weird thing to say to a parent, even
if it's true. "(Not in a bad way–!)"

"(No, I get it.)" The twins are still learning how to socialize. They should've learned sooner, but
they didn't have friends at school nor did they have anyone at home that actually cared. Until
Simon and him showed up. "(He's a bit odd, but he's a good kid.)" It feels weird to say that about
the boy, but he doesn't mean it in a bad way.

"(He surely is! And his sister is a sweetheart, too. She was giving flowers she picked to anyone that
talked to her...)" Sounds just like Leah.

"(Her happiness is contagious.)" Even if she was way too cheerful sometimes.

"(It is...)" They both smiled, but he couldn't help but notice that the woman looked a little sad. "(I
wish my kids were a bit like that.)"

"(You have kids?)" Now it's his turn to be surprised, because this girl looked even younger than
him. Maybe the same age as Sol?

"(Mhm. A boy. He's...)" That look on her face couldn't mean anything good. "(I'll sound like a
terrible mother, but...)"

"(Does he give you too much trouble?)" She looked uncertain on how to say what she wanted to
say, so he decided to try to help her a little.

"(He makes my life a living hell.)" Ah. That's more than 'too mouch trouble'. And it didn't sound
like an exaggeration. "(I swear sometimes I wish I could just send him off somewhere. But I still
love him, you know?)" He doesn't, really. His kids behave perfectly, most of the time. And even
when they misbehave it's nothing too serious.

"(You're not a bad mother for getting tired...)" At least she seems to be trying.
"(I...you're right, I think...)" She didn't look convinced though. "(I just wish I could do more for
him.)"

"(You're trying your best, he'll realize that when he grows up.)" That's also how he sees it with the
twins. They're definitely not the best parents, probably, but they're doing the best they can. He can
only hope they'll see that and forgive whatever mistakes he can make, when they're older.

"(I hope so.)" She sighed and looked up at the sky, visibly more tired than when she walked here. "
(When did you adopt yours? If you don't mind me asking, of course.)"

"(Uh...)" What month are they in? February? "(Around june last year...)"

"(Really!?)" Why is she so surprised? "(Mine doesn't call me mom and I've had him for three
years!)" Wait, so her son is three? Or maybe...

"(He's adopted too?)" That explains why she looks so young, maybe.

"(Yeah, he's ten now.)" So she adopted him at the same age they adopted the twins. "(Those two
adore you, they kept talking about their 'daddy' and their pets.)" Sounds about right.

"(Don't ask them about the pets, you're going to regret it.)" She laughed, confused, but still not
asking why.

"(I didn't know they were your kids until your husband called them over. I can tell they're very
happy kids.)" Ah, is this why other parents gush about their children all the time? He felt more
than happy hearing that.

"(We're trying our best to keep it that way.)" The twins deserve it, after all.

"(And you're doing a great job!)" He smiled, the other woman's honesty making him even more
happy. "(Oh, talking about your husband...)"

"(Hm?)" Should he correct her and tell her they're not actually married? She'll surely feel bad for
assuming...

"(Sorry for asking...uhm...about their mom. I found out later that you two were a couple...)" Their
situation is way too complicated to explain it anyways.

"(Don't worry about it.)" He can't really get mad if she just didn't know.

"(How long have you guys known each other?)" Ah, looks like he'll have to correct her after all.

"(We met around two years ago...)" She didn't seem fazed by the short amount of time.

"(Ah, I get it. I met my fiance around three years ago.)" That's such a short amount of time to get
engaged... "(We dated for a year and I just knew he was the one.)" Hopefully she doesn't regret
that decision. "(Everyone said we're rushing into things, but whatever.)"

"(It's your life, after all...)" Apparently that's exactly what she wanted to hear.

"(You get it!)" He really doesn't, but he'll let her he happy. "(When you meet the right person you
just know they're the one...)" She smiled fondly, probably thinking about her partner.

"(Alex? I finally found you!)" A man approached them, smiling.

"(Ah, sorry, just having a little chat.)" The woman walked towards the man, taking his hand and
smiling back. "(It was nice talking to you, John. I hope you feel better soon...)"

"(Thank you. It was nice talking to you too.)" She just waved goodbye and went back to the party,
chatting happily with who he can guess was her fiancé. She definitely looked happy with him.

Does he look like that when he's with Simon? Probably.

Looking away from the crowd of people, he found the twins. Leah was running close to the lake,
catching whatever unfortunate fish was on the shore with a fishing net, and Leo was running
behind her, with a bucket in hand. At least they looked happy, but the fish probably aren't.
Although, knowing Leah, they'll be back in the water soon, and mostly unharmed.

Then, his eyes wandered towards the crowd again, spotting his partner between all the people. He
didn't stand out too much, he was just taller than anyone around. It was nice seeing that Simon
wasn't uncomfortable around mostly strangers, and socializing too. He's changed a lot in these last
months, and he's changed for good. While still being himself, too.

The other man probably felt he was being watched, scanning his surroundings before his eyes
landed on Johnny, a bit concerned.

He just smiled at him, to try and put his worries away, and then he got into the car again.

Even if the little chat with...that woman, who he doesn't remember the name of, was nice, he still
didn't feel like socializing. He felt better now, clearly, but he knows that the crowd will overwhelm
him sooner or later, and he'll have to escape again. So he's sparing himself the trouble by staying in
the car.

And meanwhile he can think about the fact that people think he's married to Simon. Do they really
act like a married couple? Gaz said that earlier, but surely he was joking? Although they do have
trouble keeping their hands to themselves whenever they're together, but surely it's not that bad...

Not like much would change if they were married, right? They already live together, have pets
together. They're raising kids together, too. What else do married people do...?

Not like he's planning on ever breaking up with the man, so the lifelong commitment of marriage
is a bit meaningless. And shared expenses...they're just living with Rusnav's endless saving. Not
only savings but all the money they get from whatever contract the woman had with the country's
meat industry or whatever. He should've paid attention when Alexander explained.

So...they are like a married couple...but without the papers...?

Well, he won't actually ask to get married, for a couple years at least. They've barely started dating.
And if anything he won't ask until Simon feels ready for something so serious. Which will also
take a couple years, even if the man has been pinning for him for two years already.

Someday they'll take that step, but it's too early to even think–

"Honey?" He looked out the window, startled by the sudden noise. Simon always looks
embarrassed after calling him by a pet name, which is a bit adorable. It's clear that he never means
to say it out loud, but 'honey' and 'Johnny' do sound a bit familiar, and the man's brain is always
messing the terms up.

"Hm?" He won't tease the man. "What is it, sweetheart?" Too much.

"Maria sent you food." Simon passed him a small tray, using the opportunity to give him a small
kiss on the forehead, since he had gotten close to the window. "Text me if you need something."
And then he was gone.

Now that he was left alone, he opened the lid on the small tray to find some pastries. His favorite
ones too, which would be too much of a coincidence if Maria was the one to pick them. He couldn't
help smiling at the fact that even when he isn't having the best day, Simon was still trying to make
him feel better. Even if the man was trying to be nonchalant, it was his way of showing his love.

Maybe he should start thinking about marriage. He can't think of anyone he would rather marry
that isn't Simon–

Ah, no. Too early.

It seems like the kids were told that he had a headache too, considering how Leah is saving her
rambling for another time, and Leo is ignoring his books to stare at him instead.

Great, even the twins are worried. He should really get–

"Daddy?" The girl beside him pulled at his clothes, getting his attention. "Are you okay?"

"I am. Don't worry about me, princess." That didn't make her feel better, clearly. She just crawled
closer and hugged him. "I'm–"

"Does anything else hurt?" Leo joined his sister, each kid hugging one side of his body. "Maybe
you're getting sick?"

"But he doesn't have a fever..." Huh. Leah had checked that, already?

"He's just tired." Simon was looking at them through the rear view mirror, concerned.

"You should sleep, then." He doesn't feel like sleeping, though. "Dad."

"Hm?" His partner focused back on the road, but still glanced at Leo so the boy knew he had his
attention.

"Take care of him." If the kid didn't sound so seriously concerned he would've laughed. It's not like
Simon needed to be told what to do, especially if what he had to do was take care of Johnny.

"I will." The car stopped moving, the house in front of them catching the twins' attention. "We're
here."

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay...?" Even if he loves the kids' company, there's not much
they can do if they stayed with him.

"I'm sure. Didn't you want to go braid your hair and paint your nails? Don't worry about me, just go
have fun." Leah doubted for a second, but she still got out of the car and went towards the front
seats.

"Johnny?" Leo is worried too? "I'll miss you." Oh.

"I'll miss you too." They'll be apart for half a day, it's not that bad... "Make sure your sister doesn't
get in trouble."

"I'll try my best." He got out of the car as well, walking towards his sister.

"We'll be right back." Simon turned to look at him, clearly wanting to say something else– "I love
you."

"I love you too." His partner smiled softly at him before getting out of the car, walking beside the
kids to the house's yard, where Sol was...

Is she okay?

She had a kid on her shoulders, pulling at her hair and face. A very tired face. Her nephew was just
laughing at her misery, right beside her.

He could see the twins were concerned, but they didn't seem to join whatever conversation Simon
and her were having.

Apparently that conversation had to do with Johnny. She snapped her head towards the car, quickly
taking the toddler from her shoulders, giving it to her nephew, and sprinting in the car's direction.

So she can jump gates that easil– couldn't she just open it!?

Slowing down wasn't an option, it seems, as she not so lightly slammed her body against the car,
before getting in the backseat with him. He would be concerned if she didn't look completely fine.

"Hi?" It's understandable that not getting down from the car to say hello was a bit rude but did it
really deserve all the theatrics...?

"Don't 'hi' me, what's with you today?" Is he not allowed to feel under the weather, now...? "It's
time for girl talk, what's bothering you?"

"You're the only girl–"

"Boys talk, then." Her hair got tied tightly behind her head, and her voice got deeper, just to get the
point across. "Don't talk about your dick though."

"I wasn't planning to." She sighed, relieved and amused, then went back to staring at him,
concerned.

"Did you fight with Simon?" Even if that would upset him, his mood doesn't depend entirely on his
partner.

"No, that's not it..." Does he really need to explain this to her? He didn't even talk to Simon about
his worries, it feels weird to go to someone else before him...

"Did something else happen, then?" Ah, whatever. She's not good at keeping secrets, but this isn't
exactly a secret.

"I–...don't laugh." She raised an eyebrow, slightly offended that he asked for that.

"I will." That's her way of saying she won't.

"I don't know if Simon likes...kissing. With me."

"Are you stupid?" Maybe. He also thought he was dumb for thinking that, but his brain hasn't let
the idea go away. "The dude is crazy for you, you think he cares if your kisses suck?"

"Still. He never kisses me first, I don't think he doesn't mind–"

"He's just shy, dumbass. He'll get there eventually." Simon isn't...shy...

"Ah." He is shy, whenever they do stuff by themselves. Should've thought that sooner. Did he
really need Sol to make him realize that? "I see."

"Cheer up a bit, my guy. Even the little demons are worried about you." 'Little demons'? "Just talk
to him about it, instead of mopping all day." But he doesn't want to worry Simon...

"Right." He already worried Simon.

"Alright. Boys talk over, I need to go back to hell." They both looked out of the window,
grimacing. The toddler from earlier was pulling at the teens hair too, laughing. "I really should
charge my family for taking care of the kids...I could be watching movies and eating ice cream,
today..."

"Today?" Isn't that something she can do any other day?

"Are you just finding out it's valentine's or...?" Today is what? "You really are dense..."

"I–that's..." That's why Simon wanted to go out on his day off? They usually stay at home and just
spend time with the kids, so it was a bit weird that he asked to go out, but Johnny didn't find it that
odd.

"You're hopeless. I feel bad for Simon..."

"Get out." She protested as she was shoved out of the car.

"Remember to use–"

"Shut up, already!"

"I don't want more kids to babysit-!"

After a very silent, but not uncomfortable, drive back home, they had agreed to go out after all.
Simon kept insisting on staying home, if he wasn't feeling well, but he still refused.

So now he was trying clothes on for the third time. He really had no one to ask for advise, since his
lover was in the shower, and had been there for a while, and when he asked Gaz the only response
he got was 'do i look like i go out on dates?'.

It's not like he should dress up too much...right? It's just the movies...So a pair of jeans and a shirt
should be fine...but what colors should he choose...?

"Still thinking?"
"Fuck–" One of the shirts he was putting aside flew past Simon's head, ending up in the bathroom
floor.

"I still think we should stay at home." Does he actually not want to go, now? He should've thought
about– "Not because I don't want to, Johnny." Ah. Is he saying things out loud?

"I want to go, though." White shirt it is, then. Simon wasn't wearing anything too out of the
ordinary either, so it should be fine.

"Just tell me if you want to get back." Two hands sneaked around his torso while he was putting
the chosen shirt on, hugging him from behind. "I don't mind coming back earlier, I just want you to
be okay."

"I am okay, I already told you that..." He isn't overthinking things anymore, and he really feels bad
about bringing the mood down earlier. "Sol gave me a pep talk, kind of." She basically told him he
was an idiot, but it worked, somehow.

"Did she?" He knew full well what the man behind him was about to do, so he put his hand on his
neck, before he could get bitten. Again.

"I'm seriously thinking about getting you a muzzle." Not like he minds the marks that much, but
the last one still hurt.

"Kinky." And the bastard dared to bite his hand.

"Do you get jealous of everything that breathes?" He heard the chuckle from behind him, but he
didn't get an answer. "Simon..."

"Not jealous." He could try to sound like he was sure, at least. "I don't like that you went to her
first."

"I didn't exactly go to her..." More like she went to him. Sprinted to him, even. "I was going to talk
to you first, she just helped me before I had a chance."

"I see..." Why does he sound so disappointed?

"So you're still jealous." The man scoffed, still nibbling at his fingers.

"Not jealous." He already said that. "You trust me to tell me what's bothering you..." Of course he
does, it's not like he trusts his friend more than Simon. "Right?" Maybe it's not that clear to his
partner.

"Of course I do." This is a bit tricky. He didn't want to make the other man think he didn't trust
him. He would obviously go to his partner before Sol if he needs support. But sometimes you need
advice from a friend too. Wait– "That doesn't explain the bites, though."

"I just like people to know...what's mine." Well that's nice to hear. To him, at least.

"You should come up with a way to do that without actually hurting me, no?" The hands around
him held him tighter, the man behind him resting his head on his shoulder.

"You don't wear the ring, so..." The ring...? "This one."

"Ah." The thing had been around his neck for so long, he had completely forgotten he could wear it
on his hand.
Simon helped him take the necklace off, seeing how he was struggling with the clasp. It's still a
mistery to this day how Sol got their ring sizes perfectly.

"That's better." If he knew that wearing the ring would make his lover this happy he would've worn
it sooner. "I'll let you get dressed." The hands around him disappeared, his partner leaving a small
peck on the nape of his neck before leaving the room.

So...white shirt and jeans...and those shoes...maybe a jacket, since it gets colder at night...

Is the shirt even his? He's realizing now that most of their clothes were mixed, because Simon
liked wearing Johnny's clothes more than his own. Thankfully most of his clothes didn't fit his
partner, so he still had options.

Surely Simon wouldn't mind if he took one of his jackets...? It was a little big on him, but he liked
it. And he hasn't seen his partner wearing it in a while, so it should be fine. The man probably
doesn't even remember he has it.

Or maybe he did mind, considering how much he stared at his clothes when he got to the living
room.

"Something wrong?" That got his attention, the man moving his head to look somewhere else.

"No. Let's go." He grabbed the hand that was stretched towards him and walked towards the car.

They didn't talk about much during the drive, since Simon isn't the best at carrying small talk, and
Johnny didn't feel like talking to himself today. And the silence wasn't uncomfortable either,
somehow.

"Last chance to turn back..." He knows his partner is just being thoughtful, but the last chance to
turn back was back at the house. And they're already parked at the mall. So no, they won't go back.

"I'm fine. Let's go." Simon glanced at him one last time before they got out of the car.

Now that they're outside, he's realizing just how many cars are in the parking lot, which he
should've expected. It's not that late, the sun is still in the sky, even if sunset is pretty close, and it's
the only shopping mall in the city. And the only cinema in the city is here too.

The crowd around the entrances made him worried. Will Simon be okay showing his face around
this many people? He saw how the man put one of his masks on his pocket, when he got out of the
car.

"Are you not putting it on...?" He got close to his partner, putting his hand outside the fabric of the
other's jacket, where he knew he had put the mask.

"Am I that ugly?" It's good that he's confident enough to say that with a smirk, now.

"No, but what if someone falls in love with that pretty face of yours, huh? You have to be
considerate of others..." Simon chuckled and shook his head. "What if someone steals you from
me, hm?"

"You don't have to worry about that, I wouldn't change you for anyone." He smiled, happy with the
statement, and kept walking side by side with the other.

"Not even for...Chris Evans?" Simon looked down at him, an eyebrow raised.
"Not my type." Is he actually taking the question seriously?

"Scarlett Johansson?" Surely he–

"No." Damn.

"Your standards are too high, I think."

"Sorry for only having eyes for you." Despite the endless amount of people around them, Simon
grabbed his hand, kissing the back of it, before smiling fondly at him. And he could only smile
back the same way.

It was a bit surprising, coming out after almost two hours and finding an even bigger crowd outside
the cinema. Apparently there was a premiere for a superheroes movies and most of the people
waiting were teenagers. Very annoying teenagers.

"(Damn, it sucks that Drax died at the end...)" Simon turned to look at him, confused. Mostly
because they watched another, completely unrelated action film.

"(Yeah, and Rocket too...)" At least he played along. They hurried away before anyone could
complain. "You're a menace."

"Maybe." He's just ruining other's experiences the same way the couple behind them did while
they were watching the movie. Seriously, who brings a baby to the movies? Of course they'll start
crying, they don't even know what a movie is. "That was nice."

"I'm glad..." They held hands again, walking around the mall and absentmindedly looking at the
windows.

"Oh." The arcade is still open, at least for another hour. "Simon...?" His lover smiled at him, softly.

"Go pick a game, then." And he didn't even need to ask. Simon let go of his hand and walked
towards the counter where they sold whatever they needed to play the games. Do these things even
use tokens, nowadays...?

Hm...what to play was the more important question...

He walked through the entire place, ignoring the machines designed for kids. Not ignoring them,
really, he wondered which ones the kids would pick of all of them.

He actually misses the twins, now.

"Help me pick?" Simon tried to sneak up on him, but sadly for the man, there's no way he can go
unnoticed in such a bright, open space.

"Bowling?"

"Too much effort." He doesn't want to actually get tired.

"Pool?" That's not a bad idea, but he'll get bored quickly.
"Maybe later..." Simon looked around at the other options they had.

"Air hockey...?" That's good, actually. At least to begin.

"Sure." They approached one of the two available tables, leaving their jackets in a nearby bench.
"Don't cry when you lose."

"Uh-huh." His partner swiped a card on his end and took out the puck.

Perhaps he overestimated his abilities. No, clearly he's just distracted today. It's because Simon
looks good on the other side of the table, maybe. Or the way the other laughs whenever Johnny
complains because he's losing.

"I don't like this game." He can't actually be mad when Simon looks so happy. Even if he lost four
times in a row.

"I'm sorry." He's not sorry at all. He should try looking less giddy if he wants to actually sound
convincing. "Another round?"

"No." He doesn't want to lose again by just one goal. Always so close... "Let's play that." Simon
turned to look at what he was looking at, the bright colors on the screen of a shooting game
catching his attention. Probably the plastic guns, too.

"Yeah." The man grabbed both their jackets and waited for him to follow.

"This brings back memories." Not so pleasant ones, mostly. But he'd be lying if he said he didn't
miss his old job, even if the using guns to kill people part wasn't that fun. Simon only hummed in
agreement, holding his own fake gun and starting the game. "I trust you will win this for us..."

"You trust me too much." Should he be surprised that his partner still has an amazing aim, even at
video games? "Your left."

"Thanks." How can he pay attention to both their screens, too? "You're good at this..." Simon is
basically winning by himself–ah, he almost died.

"You jinxed it." Of course he did. "Hide–" He barely had time to duck under one of the– why are
they this invested in this!?

"Careful with..." Simon didn't really need the full instructions, really.

After some time, they managed to beat the last boss, under the close attention of a couple teens that
were on the same game at their side. Not like they noticed they were being stared at until they
were done.

"I'm amazing." Huh? Is this a parallel universe where Simon actually has an ego? "You too..." No,
no, he doesn't need the praise.

"I know." Simon just laughed and grabbed their jackets again, scanning the place to find something
else they could play. "Let's play that one?" His partner might be good at shooting things, but there's
something he's not that great at.

"Do we have to?" Driving.

"Aye. Come on." The other man followed him to where the racing game was, handing over their
clothes to swipe the arcade's car so they could play. "Good luck."
"Thanks." He'll need more than luck.

To his surprise, Simon managed to win one of the races. Out of the five they got to play. That one
win was enough for him, at least. Thankfully the game was over just as he was getting bored of
winning.

"I think we should start heading back..." An employee was turning off the kids games, even if
most of the arcade was still open. Especially the section with games for adults only, where the pool
tables were.

"Yeah." They didn't feel like playing anything else anyways...

"Wait..." The claw machine. Simon let out a small noise that almost sounded like a laugh. But he
didn't care, he has his mortal enemy in front of him. "I have to."

"You really don't." His partner handed over the card, anyways.

"You wouldn't get it." He's never gotten anything out of these in his life. Some would say that he's
just unlucky, but he refuses to believe it. "If I don't get anything by the third try..." Third one's the
charm. So if he doesn't get anything he'll just have to–

"I'll get you something instead." Well, no, that's not what he was going to say, but that's a nice
option. More legal too.

"Man..." He wasn't even close to getting anything. Not like the plushies inside were even cute, the
only acceptable ones were the little sheeps...He has to–

"It's okay." Simon grabbed his hand, kissing the back of it, and discreetly pulled him away from
the machine. "Don't hate me if I don't get anything."

"I would never hate..." The bastard got two damn plushies in one go. "I hate you." His partner only
chuckled as he handed over the toys. Two of the sheeps, too. Maybe it's time to accept he's just
unlucky, then.

"You break my heart." Ah, he should at least thank the other for getting the plushies. Not like he
actually wanted them. If anything he won two plushies but lost his pride. And five dollars.

"Thank you. For these." They walked out of the arcade, hand in hand again, and looked at the
windows of the shops as they went to the exit. He had fun, and he's sure Simon did too, if anything
he's a little sad their date is almost over... Oh– "Do we have anything for dinner at home?" Asking
was useless, because he knew they didn't.

"Don't think so." They both shivered as the walked out of the doors, rushing to get their jackets on.
"Wait, that's yours." Huh? Oh, the jacket.

"Right." He took out the piece of clothing and exchanged it for the one his partner had.
"So...dinner..."

"There's that place." They both looked towards the fancy restaurant next to the casino, neither of
them looking too excited to get in. "Or we can go buy ingredients." Going shopping could also be
fun, but they do that multiple times a week.

"McDonald's, then?" He doesn't feel like cooking. Simon probably feels the same.

"Yeah." Thankfully they didn't have to walk much, since the place was right next to the restaurant.
"I'll go get us something..." He trusts whatever Simon can pick for him. "Do we stay here or...?"

"To go." There were a lot of people inside, and the tables available were surrounded by groups.
And also, there's a lot of kids around. "I'll wait outside?"

"Mhm." Simon doesn't look bothered by the crowd, somehow. So he left, looking at the mostly
empty parking lot. There's so many people but there's barely any cars around...

That's good, maybe. He doesn't want to go back to the mall to find somewhere to eat, he just has to
convince Simon to eat their trash food in one of the benches nearby.

He took out his phone as he waited, scrolling mindlessly through different apps. Sol had sent him
message earlier, and she was online, so he decided to read what she had sent.

'Your kids are insane.' It's hereditary. 'They're keeping a lizard in a jar and calling it Ms.
Godzilla.' Sounds like a name Leah would pick.

'Congrats on the new pet' She saw the message almost immediately.

'I kinda grew attached to it now, maybe I'm already shopping for an enclosure.'

Good to know they won't have more weird pets at home.

'Are they giving you too much trouble?'

'Nah, they good. Leave your phone and go back to your date, dummy'

Not like he has much to do until Simon comes back...

'Love?' He can text Simon, though. The man took a while to see the text, since he wasn't even
online, but he got a reply within a couple minutes.

'What is it?' Now he has to think what to annoy him with. 'What is it, babe?*'

He hid his smile with his hand, still thinking on what to reply.

'Quick, tell me something stupid I can send to Simon.' Time for backup. Both Sol's and Simon's
humor is weird, so she could be helpful.

'something stupid I can send to Simon.' Or maybe she can't. 'You really made me Google pick up
lines'

'Send something now and cry later.'

'i lost my keys can i check your pants?' That's terrible. 'You're welcome.'

'I get why you're single now.'

'I hope Simon kills you tonight.' That's a weird thing to hope for. 'Remember to use'–

He's not reading the rest of that. Simon didn't reply when he sent the line Sol had sent, but he did
see it. Maybe he shouldn't had–

"Fu–" Something hit his head, lightly, and he looked up to see Simon walking his way. "Hey."

"Hey." His partner didn't look annoyed or uncomfortable, he just handed over the food and drinks
he bought. "What the hell?" Ah, so they're not ignoring the text.

"Is that a no?" The other man turned and stared blankly at him.

"That's–" He won't laugh, as much as he wants, because that could end up actually annoying
Simon. "Why?"

"I mean, you took me out on a date, got me plushies, bought me food..." The text wasn't meant to
be serious, but now that he thinks about it... "I think you deserve something back."

"I–shut up and eat." He's doing that already. "I didn't take you out to get something back..."

"So it is a no." Simon turned to look at him, his eyes unreadable.

"It's not because I don't want– can't we talk about this in the car?" That's the other's way to say he
doesn't want to talk about this.

"Or we could do something else in the car." He bit down on his lip to hold his laugh, watching as
his partner almost choked on his food.

"You–" If he keeps doing this Sol's wishes will actually come true.

"Alright, I'll stop." For now. They kept eating in silence, the distant sounds of the city and the
people nearby as background noise. A gust of wind caught him off guard, shivering despite having
more than enough layers of clothes on him.

"Come here?" Simon pat the space right next to him, lifting his arms so Johnny could sit there.
And he did.

"You really are like a furnace..." Even more useful in winter. "Hot in more than one way..."

"You're funny." Sometimes, but also–

"I wasn't joking. Just reminding you that you're hot." The other looked away, barely giving him
enough time to see the smile that was on his face. Cute.

"Shut up." Ah, he said the last part out loud. Whatever. "If Leah finds out about this she'll never
forgive us."

"That's why we won't tell her." They'll bring her and Leo here, some other day. He's sure the twins
have never been to the arcade, so he's a bit excited to see their reactions.

"How are you going to explain the plushies, though?" Huh. Well, he can just give her one and keep
the other...but Leo...

"I was just going to give them to her." Simon just looked down at him, pretending to be
disappointed. Or at least he hopes the man is pretending.

"But I got those for you..." Maybe he isn't pretending.

"I–" And he's actually sulking now. "I'll hide them when she's around, or something, then." Simon
dropped the act and tried to hide his smile.

Neither of them said anything else, enjoying the silence as they kept eating their food.

He finished before Simon, because he was actually hungry, since he hadn't eaten much at the
birthday party nor at home, so he used his time to stare at his partner.

It was clear that they both enjoyed their date, or at least that's what he deducted. It wasn't what
people their age usually did on dates, clearly, not even the movie choice was right for a valentine's
date, but he still loved their time together. Even if he's hurt by the damn claw machine's hatred
towards him.

Now that he thinks about it, what made this such a good time was probably the company he had.

"Stop staring at me, I'm eating." He wasn't looking at him eating, he was just staring at him
overall.

"You look like a hamster." Simon glared at him and stood up to throw their garbage in a nearby
trash bin. Then he extended his hand towards him, offering help to stand up.

"Let's head back, already. It's getting late..." True, but it was still a shame. He can't think of
anything else to do to prolong the date, either...

"Alright." He took his lover's hand and stood up, grabbing the plushies before starting to walk.

"We can come back some other day. Bring the kids, too." Was his disappointment obvious?

"I know." Watching over the twins will be exhausting, since Leah will follow anything shiny or
animal-shaped, but it will probably be fun too.

Simon wrapped an arm around his shoulder, bringing him closer as they walked, and shielding him
a bit better from the cold wind that was starting to pick up. He looked up at the man, smiling at the
other's attempt to maintain a neutral expression.

His ears are still red, though.

They had decided to watch the series they were invested in as soon as they got home, since it was
too early to go to sleep. If they did fall asleep then they would've been awake before the sun was
up.

Since Simon had decided he wanted to go out for a smoke after finishing the last episode, he
followed his partner outside.

The nights were getting colder, even if it was still summer, so they were both glad that they had put
long sleeves, despite being pretty warm back in the room.

Simon rummaged through his pocket, taking out his cigarettes as he went to sit down. Now would
be a good time to talk about the day, probably, since they will be here for at least ten minutes.

Or he could play that game Leah downloaded on his phone...

"Simon?" The man turned to look at him. He looked so tired, though... "No, nevermind..."

"What is it?" Should've kept quiet.

"About today..." Will his lover tell him he's just being dumb, like Sol did?

"Which part?" Right. A very eventful day.

"The afternoon?" Simon stopped moving, his hand frozen still midway to his face. Maybe it's not
the right time? "Ah, don't wo–"

"I'm already worried." Of course he is. "I already told you, we can talk about it when you're ready."
Is he ready? Maybe not, but this is probably his last chance to talk about his worries.

"Don't...laugh..." Not like Simon would, really, but he felt the need to say that. Contrary to Sol's
deadpan face, his partner just looked concerned.

"Come here..." He walked towards the other, sitting on his lap as instructed. "I wouldn't laugh at
something that's bothering you, Johnny..."

"Still..." The other man left aside his barely touched cigarette, hugging him as he waited for an
explanation. "Remember this morning...?"

"The call?" That too, but no.

"After that." It took a moment for the other to catch up, but he knew what he was talking about,
apparently. "It's dumb but–"

"Not dumb." It feels that way.

"I...do you..." The fact that he was being stared at only made him more nervous, so he looked
away, just to ignore his embarrassment. "...not like it when we kiss...?"

The silence that followed didn't do anything to calm him. Maybe he was right, after all, and Sol's
'advice' was wrong, as usual. It did give him enough confidence to change his mood, but it didn't
fix the issue.

Now he doesn't really know what to do. Simon's silence can only mean that he's right, and the man
doesn't know how to admit it. Probably.

How is he supposed to fix–

"I do like it." Ah, is he lying, now? His brain can't tell whether Simon is just denying it to not make
him feel bad or if the man is genuinely not bothered by it. "Did I do something to make you think
that...?"

"No..." Maybe he's not as good at lying as he thought.

"Is it because I didn't kiss you earlier?" Does Simon read minds?

"Maybe..." It was childish, and he knew that. Just like he knew he's making drama out of nothing.

"It's not like I didn't want to." Then why did he–? "We really had to go out, and the kids were
around."

"We still had a few minutes..." It was his partner's turn to look away, now, embarrassed for
whatever reason.

"But I don't have self control, so..." That's...

"What do you mean?" What has self control have to do with anything–?

"I–" Thankfully he has time to wait for his lover to figure out how to say whatever he wants to say.
Simon is not the best with words, so it's not that odd for the man to take his time. "If we
kept...making out...we would have been late..."

"It was just a few minutes..." Probably until the twins showed up. The most they would do in front
of the kids, when it comes to showing affection, are brief kisses on the cheek. They don't need to
see anything else.

"I wouldn't had been just a few minutes if I..." Oh, he gets it now. That's where the self control part
came from.

"So you like kissing me that much?" It seems like Sol was right, after all, and he was just being
dumb.

"Yeah." Simon smiled softly at him, just to put his worries to rest.

"Prove it?" The man got closer to him, carefully brushing his lips against Johnny, as if he was
handling something fragile.

The sudden tenderness took him by surprise, but it was welcomed nonetheless.

The dogs barking on the distance, and the cold breeze against him were completely ignored now,
his full attention given to the man that was kissing him softly, and the hands holding his face as if
they were holding the most precious thing this world had to offer.

It was as if Simon was telling him how much he actually loved him, in the way he knows best.

And then it was over, to his disappointment. Now he gets why his partner always chases after him.
He sighed, putting some space between them, and stared mesmerized at the other man's soft eyes.

"I love you." The smile on his face appeared on instinct, and he had to look away from the other's
face, overwhelmed by the affection he was showing.

"I love you too..." It's not like him to be embarrassed over something like this, but he couldn't help
it. Simon hugged his waist, pulling him closer and giving him the chance to hide his face on the
man's neck.

But when he was going to, his phone vibrated, catching his attention.

Ah, right. Leah's game. Well, he plays more than the girl anyway, but she was the one that
installed it.

They both stared at the screen, his partner slightly confused but deciding to keep his questions to
himself. He had a message in game, from Sol. Because of course she would be playing when she
should be looking after the kids.

But he ignored the chat to tap on the little cat on screen, completely forgetting it showed the name
once you interact with it.

"Johnny." Maybe he should check the message after all– "MacTavish."

"Yes, my love?" The pet name didn't stop the other man from glaring at him.

"Why is the cat named Simon?" It didn't have anything to do with his Simon, obviously. The name
came from...uh...a movie character? But he's not really fan of any movies...or it was a randomly
generated name, and it was just a coincidence...?

"Leah...picked it?" Out of all the excuses he could come up with, he chose the worst one. Leah
would pick a weirder name than just 'Simon'. Like the dog they have called Puppuccino.
Thankfully it's not a real dog.

"I'm not a cat." That's something a cat pretending to be a human would say...

"I didn't say you were..." Or maybe he did, before?

Ah, whatever, he wants to check Sol's message now, just so he can escape from this conversation.
He knows Simon will make him change the name, if he keeps talking.

'yo, dude' Just that...? She's definitely wants something if she texted him through the game.

'I'm not visiting your farm again.' It was a mess, and he isn't obsessed with things being
symmetrical or organized in a certain way, but her decoration skills are...odd, to say the least.

'youre just jealous' Not at all. 'can you marry me?'

'I'm in a committed monogamous relationship.' She probably meant in the game. He doesn't want
to marry her in the game either. 'You know my boyfriend, I think.'

'dont care, i want free stuff' The game gives you rewards for getting married? If only life was like
that... 'tell simon it's like a green card thing'

"What's the name of the game?" Huh? Is he suddenly interested in farms–?

"You're joking." Judging from the man's face, he isn't. "You have to get to a certain level to–"

"I'm already downloading it." Is he going to speedrun to game just so they can get married?

'Sorry, I'm marrying Simon, apparently.'

'i know that already, but i mean in the game' No, she doesn't get it.

'He's currently installing the game.' Sol sent a sticker of one of the characters with a question mark
emoji.

'can't have **** in this town'

He laughed, then turned to see his partner's concentrated face as he tried to understand the story of
the game while he was rushing through it.

"I'll wait for you, you know?" Both in the game and in real life, but Simon probably knows that.

"I'm a better option than Sol, she lives purely on cereal and coffee." He laughed at that, even if the
fact that their friend has terribe eating habits is a bit concerning.

"You're a better option because I love you, not her." It was necessary to say it, just in case that
wasn't clear enough. "Let's get inside, I'm freezing."

They walked back to the room and went to bed, deciding to leave the show they were watching for
some other day.
 As he was trying to sleep, he could swear he heard the farm game's sounds from the other side of
the bed.

>

Chapter End Notes

The author is ascending to- no, come back, you still have to write.

Hi. I didn't die. A friend asked me to temporarily be the vocalist to his band for a gig
and I had to accept because I owe him too much. It had been five years since last time
I sang live. Never again (it went great tho). Sorry for no updates I was busy practicing.

Anyways, I hope you like this one, I had to edit and redact so much stuff it doesn't
even follow the original chapter anymore. Since I'm not posting the suggestive/nsfw
scenes this originaly had, I replaced those scenes with the farm-game-thingy. Simon is
a gamer now (the good kind).

Sorry for the absence, again. Thank you so much for the support, as always, next
update should be next week!<33
 (17). Happy birthday(s).
Chapter Summary

Family members you didn't even remember you had always show up when it's your
birthday.

Chapter Notes

Birthdays + Extra scenes I didn't know where else I should put them.
Content warning for one of said extra scenes: Stalking (Or mentions of?) (Also,
dolls?) I think I left something to mark(*) where that begins and ends.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The twins are, as expected, growing up too fast. It feels weird saying that when he sees them
everyday and doesn't notice any difference, but now that he's out, shopping for school uniforms,
he's realizing how much they've changed since they first met.

"Can we buy this too?" Does she really need more color pencils?

"Sure." They'll probably last for a couple years. Or months.

The old uniforms were already small, and they had been sewn and patched too many times already.
The same with their backpacks. It's not like he didn't want to buy new ones, the kids refused to get
new things until the school year was over.

"And this?" A pencil case, too...? She has at least five of those thrown around at home.

"Uh-huh." Leo picked one too and looked up at him, expectantly.

"Can I?" It's only fair, since his sister gets to pick one for herself.

"Yes." Simon grabbed a couple notebooks and put them in the cart as well, looking around for
what they were initially looking for. The man had been awfully quiet the entire morning, but he
was obviously tired.

They didn't exactly ask him to come with them, considering that he got off of work at five and the
kids got up to go shopping at eight. But Simon still came here. Surprisingly he doesn't look like a
corpse, but his bad leg is giving him trouble and his eyes kept closing on their own on the trip here.

So they should hurry and go back home. And the kids seemed to realize that too.

"Here!" Leah pointed at an aisle filled with white smocks and dark blue ribbons, hurrying to look
through them. "Oh, this one is pretty..." All of them are pretty compared to what they used to
wear...

"Leah..." Leo was getting impatient, apparently. Well, his sister had been going back and forth for
the last five minutes, but they have patience.

"Just pick one, already." Both of the twins froze and turned to look at Simon. That wasn't nice,
especially since those were the first words he's said since he got up. "Sorry, I'll wait outside." At
least he knows he shouldn't have talked like that.

"Is he mad...?" It doesn't look like it, but the kids aren't used to Simon being like this.

"No, he's just tired." He should've insisted for the other to stay at home and rest.

"I see..." Both of the twins put their new uniforms in the cart and started walking towards where
they saw backpacks earlier, dragging the cart as they went.

They didn't like wandering away anymore, since what happened last time they did. Which is good,
clearly, but their panic whenever they walk a little too far and don't see anyone they know behind
them is just sad.

"Hm..." Leah is staring between her and her brother's backpack choice, debating internally.
Because they both choose black ones. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

"But you always lose?" Leo has a point, apparently.

"Just take both of them." They go to the same classes, anyways. It's not like they can't exchange
them if they mix them up. "We can add some decorations to tell them apart." That convinced them.

And that should be all they needed. He went over the mental list he had made as they walked
towards the registers, the kids getting more nervous the closer they got there.

But the twins didn't say anything as they finally reached the counter, so whatever was bothering
them...

He doesn't remember putting half of these things in the cart.

"Leah." No, not only her. "Leo?"

"Yes, daddy?" Play innocent all you want, Leah, the snacks didn't just fall into the shopping cart.

"You should ask." The cashier completely ignored them, bagging their things silently.

"But we asked..." They definitely didn't. "Simon...before we came here..." And Simon agreed?

"We don't need this many–"

"(Cash or card?)" It's too late to put everything back, now... "(Thanks for your purchase, have a
nice day...)" The cashier sounds as depressed as always.

As he turned around with the bags, he realized that the kids had ran off on their own, using the
minor distraction to escape whatever scolding he had prepared.

Did they completely forget about the 'not wandering on their own' rule?

He hurried to the exit anyways, relieved when he saw both kids by the car.

"Didn't Simon open the doors for you?" Surely the man didn't run away, again?

"We didn't want to wake him up..." After putting everything in the trunk, he unlocked the doors,
watching as his partner flinched on the passenger seat thanks to the noise.

Simon didn't look any happier from last time they saw each other, glaring at him silently as he got
into the car.

It's not the right time to ask what's got his partner so moody, so he just concentrated on the road.
And the twins did too, sensing that the other man wasn't in a good mood.

The silence was cut thanks to his phone, ringing inside the glove box on Simon's side.

"Can you get that for me, honey?" The man lazily sat up and answered the call, putting it on
speaker. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Alex." Did something happen? He's not the only one panicking, if this has to do with
Rusnav then the kids shouldn't listen.

"Uncle Alex!?" Leah sat up as well, excited.

"Hi, princess." The man sounded too happy for this to be bad news. "Sorry if you were busy, I'm
around town and wanted to have a little chat with you guys." He's...here? "In private, if possible."

"Sure..." Having the twins at home for said conversation wasn't a good idea, since they love to
eavesdrop. "When do you have time?"

"I'm like...ten minutes away from your house. If you have time I can drop by." Maybe Sol could
watch over the kids for a while...

"Alright. We'll be there in a while, we have to run some errands." The woman's house is nearby, so
he turned to drive there. "I'll let you know."

"Cool. I'll see you in a bit, then." Simon took the phone and ended the call, looking at him
expectantly.

"Can you ask Sol if she has time?" Simon scoffed but sent a message anyways, receiving a reply
before he could even try to put the phone down.

"She says she does..." And probably something else, considering how his partner kept watching
the screen after reading the message.

"So we're staying with Sol?" For the time being. Hopefully Alexander doesn't take much of their
time, and the kids probably want to see him.

"Just for a while. We'll pick you up after we sort things out." If anything the kids looked happy to
stay with the woman.

When they got to her house she was already waiting by the gate.

"Is everything okay?" Probably.

"I think. Can you babysit them for a while?" The kids had already ran into the house.

"Yeah, sure. Did you read my message...?" No, but Simon did.

"Uh..." His partner looked at him, refusing to give the phone back. "Sorry, I didn't..." He'll read it
later, then.
"Ah, okay." The woman walked inside the gates, looking back at them. "Tell me when you want
me to drop them off..."

"Sure. Thanks, Sol." She just waved dismissively and got into the house.

Now he just needs to prepare mentally for whatever Alexander wanted to talk about. If Rusnav got
even worse then he wouldn't have been so happy when he talked to the kids, so it has to be
something else...

What he definitely wasn't expecting was for Alexander to bring somebody else along. This was
definitely his mother, if Rusnav was in the right. They looked almost identical, the only difference
was how one of them was clearly older.

"Hello...?" Simon was hiding behind him, so he was the one to do the introductions.

"Oh, my! Are these the gentlemen you were talking about...?" The woman got close, patting his
shoulder and looking at Simon. "Don't be shy! I don't bite..."

"Sorry for not telling you we were coming, we didn't have much time." Did they really have to
wait until they were at their front porch, though?

"Don't worry about it..." What's done is done. "Not to be rude, but why exactly...?" He stopped as
he saw his guests look at him in disbelief.

"For the kids' birthdays." Birthdays!? What date is it–? "You are planning something for next
week, right?" Next week!?

"We are." Are they? He didn't forget the twins' birthdays, he just forgot what day he's living in.
"Nothing too big." At least Simon sounded confident. Maybe he was already planning something...

"I see!" The woman walked down the stairs towards one of the cars in front of the house, looking
back at them with a smile. "I have something to do, I came here to meet you two. I was really
hoping I could see the kids, but I guess I'll have to wait until next week..." Maybe he should've
brought the kids over, after all...

"It was nice to meet you..." She didn't say her name, did she?

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Olga!" Alexander sighed behind them, walking down the stairs
as well to help the woman get into the car.

"Nice to meet you, Olga." She waved goodbye and shut the door to the car, driving away. "She
seems nice."

"Maybe. Don't let her in your kitchen or you'll think the opposite." Right, the kids have said before
that her food was bad.

An awkward silence settled between them, as he remembered that their guest wanted to talk with
them.

Alexander looked like he hadn't slept in days, which is probably the case. Now he almost feels bad
for having to ask the man some questions.

The other read his mind, sighing and nodding towards the door. That can only mean this was going
to be a long chat.

Simon was the one to open the door, letting their guest in and following him to the living room.
Then he sat in the couch, looking at Alexander as the man sat in a chair in front of it. And then
looking at Johnny, waiting for him to sit by his side. Which he obviously did.

"Sorry about her, she really missed the kids."

"Don't worry about it, she isn't really bothering us..." At least for now. And the twins probably
want to see their grandmother too, so if anything she's more than welcome to visit.

"Oh, she will, don't worry about that." Does he hate his mother? "She thinks you two are just
friends, by the way." Well, that's a problem.

"She's in for a surprise." Every adult that's attending knows that they're a couple, so there's no way
they can actually hide it. And he doesn't want to. Simon probably doesn't want to either.

"She also doesn't know that Karen..." There's no way. "I didn't know how to tell her." Telling her
now is just a terrible idea. "If she asks about her, just–I don't know."

"The kids will tell her if she mentions their mother." That's also true. Both the twins have already
accepted that their mother isn't coming back. They don't know she's...technically dead, but they
don't think she's alive either.

"I'll have to tell her soon, anyways. I don't want her to be sad during the party, but I'll tell her not to
talk about...yeah..." It's not the most fun topic to talk about, especially at the twins' party.

"We'll talk with the kids, too." It's the best option they have. The twins will understand too.

"If she upsets the kids I'm kicking her out." He can agree with those words. It doesn't matter if this
person is the kids' family, if she's a threat to their well-being then she has no place here. Especially
if she makes the kids sad in such an important date for them

"Right..." Alexander seemed a little taken aback, again, but he didn't add anything as he got up.
"You two are planning something for the kids' birthdays, right?" No. "You looked a little surprised
back then, Johnny."

"Soap." He's never allowing another person to call him that, is he? "As I said, nothing big." So
Simon was already planning what to do.

"I'll see you then, I guess." The twins will be extremely disappointed if their uncle doesn't show
up. Maybe. "I also wanted to talk about...you know..."

"Her?" Since when did it become such an awkward topic, to talk about Rusnav.

"Yeah. She's not...dead, yet." Is she even alive, to begin with? "The doctors said that she will
probably live for a couple more months."

"That's..." Is it bad or good that she's passing away this soon? "What's 'a couple more months'?

"Maybe by the end of the year." That's more than a couple months. "I'll talk with mom after this
and maybe she'll agree to just...let her go sooner."
"Maybe that's for the best." He turned to look at Simon, surprised by the man's honesty. Even if
they both thought the same, saying it so bluntly was a bit rude.

"It is. I already agreed with the doctors to not resuscitate her if anything happens." As far as he
knows, her body wasn't shutting down. "I'm already making arrangements for..."

"The funeral?" She did say that she wanted to be buried here.

"Mhm. She wants to be buried somewhere close to where her kids are." Of course she would. "The
closest cemetery is quite far from here, so you'll have to drive for almost an hour if the kids ever
want to visit her. Sorry about–"

"Don't worry about it." It's not the longest trip they've planned this far.

"Right..." The man got up from the couch, sighing as he walked towards the main doors. "I just
wanted to give you an update, and since mom was on her way here, I thought it'd be better to talk
in person."

"Thank you for keeping us posted..." What else is he supposed to say...?

"I have to go now..." Apparently the man saw he was a bit lost, waving his hand goodbye and
opening the door.

"See you around." Simon basically shut the door in the other man's face, turning to go to the
kitchen. Still in a terrible mood, it seems.

But whatever, he has to ask Sol if they have to pick up the kids or if she wants to bring them. The
woman looked nervous today, and that's concerning, considering how carefree she usually is.
Maybe it has to do with that message he hasn't read yet.

His phone wasn't on his pockets, nor in the car, which is where he was currently looking for it.
Maybe his partner forgot to give it back?

"Simon?" He went to the kitchen, watching the other man as he made tea for himself. As usual.
"Have you seen my phone?"

"Here." He took the phone, unlocking it as he went to sit beside Simon.

Once he opened Sol's chat, he noticed that there wasn't any message after her reply when he asked
if she could take care of the kids. And there should be something, because she asked if he'd seen
the message.

"Simon." Did he delete the message? "What did the message say?"

"I don't know what–"

"Ghost." He trusts Simon with his phone, but there's no reason to do things like this.

"Don't call me that." It's playing with fire, the man was already in a bad mood. "Ask her what the
message was about."

"Why–" His partner left the room, leaving his tea behind as well. And he'll leave him alone,
because the other clearly needs some space. And because he still needs to text Sol.

'I can pick up the kids now, if you're not doing anything?' Leah is always disappointed when she
doesn't get to finish a movie, or any other activity, when he goes to pick them up, so he's getting
used to asking before leaving.

'yeah sure' Should he tell Simon he's going out...? He knows already... But what if he takes it the
wrong way and thinks Johnny is mad at him...? 'I'll bring them over, actually' Well that solves his
problem. 'i have to talk to you anyways'

'Okay, then.' They can talk about the message when she comes over, then.

"So, why does he look like he's about to murder me?" That's how Simon usually looks when he's in
a bad mood. Leah looked up at the man, grimacing.

"He's sad." How is he sad, exactly? "Did you not drink tea?" His partner just scoffed, looking back
at the kitchen. The girl is right, he didn't drink his tea. But why is she right?

"That's..." Concerning, yes. He can tell that Sol is just as worried as he is, but neither of them want
to ask Simon what's wrong. "Uh, anyways..."

"What did you want to talk about?" The woman just looked between the twins and Simon, getting
even more nervous.

"Uhm..." Maybe it's something she wants to talk in private? He'll find an excuse to–

"If you want us to fuck off you can just say it." Leah gasped, looking up at Simon once more.

"Language!" The man huffed and went for the door. That's just rude, and he needs to solve this
before it gets worse.

"I'll be right back." He followed the man out of the room, grabbing him by the waist before he
could get into their room and dragging him to the second floor, to Rusnav's office. "Talk."

"No." This isn't how communication works.

"Simon." He sighed and thought of another way to approach this. "Please talk to me." Maybe
begging isn't the best way to get the man to speak but it's the only thing he could think of.

"There's nothing to talk about." There clearly is.

"I get it that you're not feeling...great, today, but you can't take it out in others." Especially in front
of the kids, they're supposed to be good examples for them.

"I'm feeling fine, really." Surely Simon doesn't expect him to believe that.

"Just tell me what's wrong, sweetheart..." As he was about to regret using a pet name, he saw the
way the other's eyes softened, looking guiltily back at him.

"I'm just tired..." That's an excuse he's used before. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for being tired." The man works all night and still tries to spend time
with them during the day, if anything it's weird he didn't even look tired before. "Come here."
Simon followed him to the chair behind the desk, sitting down when Johnny pointed at it.

"Sorry for–"

"I already said it's okay." And he should be saying sorry to Sol, anyways. "Did something happen
at work?" Maybe that's the reason behind the sudden change in attitude?

"Mhm." His partner moved the chair closer to the desk where he was leaning on, grabbing his
waist. "Just a bad day..." That explains it a bit.

"Do you want some time for yourself? I'll keep the kids entertained for the day..." Or maybe he
could actually sleep before his shift, since he barely got any rest today.

"Maybe." That's not the answer he was looking for. "I don't want to go out." Go out? They don't
have any plans for the rest of...

Oh.

"You can stay here if you want to." At least he said he didn't want to run away like he used to. This
was why he escaped the house and went drinking before? Because he was stressed?

"No, I'll just go to sleep." That's a good idea. And a healthier one than drinking until his liver
collapsed. "Tell Sol I'm sorry." He was planning to do that even if Simon didn't tell him to do it.

"I will." They both walked out of the room, he followed his partner to their bedroom and stared as
the man got in bed, just to make sure he was actually going to sleep. "Text me if you need
anything..."

Seeing as his partner wasn't giving him any answer, he got out of the room and followed the noises
in the living room, finding the kids watching TV with Sol. Or more like...Sol forcing the kids to
watch TV.

"Johnny..." Leah looks miserable, she'd definitely rather be doing anything else that isn't watching
the cartoons the woman put.

"Hm?" This is probably his chance to make the kids go play so he can have that chat with Sol.
"What is it, sweetie?"

"Can we go play with the horses?" He does need the kids to go play, but the horses...

"Horacio is at the stable." Surely they'll be fine, then? The man won't allow the kids to get hurt,
and he knows how to handle the animals...

"Okay..." Leah got up and ran out of the house, without waiting for her brother. "Be careful."

"Yeah." Leo walked slowly out of the house too.

The TV's audio cut off, suddenly, and it was then that he realized Sol had put those shows knowing
the kids would get bored.

But she was hesitant to speak, even now that they were alone. And he doesn't know how to start
the conversation either, without pushing his friend.

"Uh..." It's concerning that she's so shy, since she usually acts the opposite way. "I have a favor to
ask..." Ah, that explains it. She doesn't accept any kind of help from people, so having to ask for
something is weird for her.

"What favor?" As long as it's something legal and within his capabilities, he can't deny anything to
her. She has done a lot for them in the past.

"You were in the army, right?" She just assumed that from the start, because he never talked about
their lives before moving here, and neither did Simon.

"I was." Now he's worried about what she's about to ask of him.

"So you have, like...experience with dealing with people..." 'Dealing with people'?

"Just how illegal is this favor?" That caught her off guard, immediately looking up with panic.

"I don't want you to kill somebody!" He wasn't going to accept if that was the case. "Listen, I'm
being stalked by a dude." Oh. "He's obsessed with me because, you know, I was nice to him as a
cashier."

"I see." The difference between her in private and her when she worked in costumer service is
abysmal. "Do you know anything about him?"

"No. Not even his name." That makes it harder to report it. "But he's always around my street
during the night."

"You haven't called the cops? Or asked your neighbours?" Surely she knows that the police can
help her better than he can.

"All the people on my street are old, I don't want to put them in danger..." Of course, always
thinking about others first. "I called the cops once and they didn't find him. They thought I was
making it up because I couldn't describe him..." Great.

"So what do you want me to do?" If he was asked to confront the guy a couple months back he
would've accepted without problem. But after getting stabbed...he doesn't want to get hurt again.
Simon and the kids will be disappointed, and he doesn't want that.

"Can you, like, pretend to be my dad, or something? And scare him off?" Her dad? He's barely
older than her...

"He won't believe the dad thing."

"I don't know, dude!" Right, he should be trying to help, with ideas at least. "I'm scared,
dumbass..."

"I don't know what to do either, I can't just go up to him." The woman beside him sighed and let
herself fall further into the cushions.

"Why not? He's tall, but not as tall as you. And he's skinny too, you can beat the shit out of him."
Not legal. But also–

"He can be hiding a gun, or something." That was probably a bad thing to remind her of.

"Fuck, man." Maybe if they get evidence they'll be able to file a report? "He tried to get into the
yard yesterday, I don't want to go home again." It's that bad!?

"Shit, Sol..." How hard is it for her to get help, that she had to let it get this bad?
"I think I'll live in a hotel for a couple days, maybe he'll think I died or something." Probably not.

"If you have evidence he tried to get into your house we can file a report." If he goes with her to the
police station they'll take her seriously.

"The fucker knows where my cameras are, he stayed out of range." So he's smart, too. "I opened
the curtain a bit to see what was going on and he stared right at me, dude." Is this a horror movie,
now?

"Don't go back to your house." It's too dangerous. Although it won't solve the issue, it would give
them time to think of what to do. If only those cameras... "Oh."

"Did you use your brain?" Rude. But yes.

"I'll stay at your house and take a picture of him." And if anything goes wrong he knows how to
defend himself.

"Would you really...do that?" It's the least he can do. "But– I don't want you to get hurt again– I'll
stay with you!" She won't be of much help. And also, the reason why he's doing this is so she isn't
in danger. Letting her stay at the house doesn't really help to keep her safe.

"No."

"Go with Simon, then!" That's not a bad idea, but the man works at night except...on
saturdays...which is today. He had forgotten about that. So that's why he didn't want to go to sleep,
today. Usually he stays up all day on his days off, just so they can sleep together all night. He's
also just realizing now that's his partner's strategy. "Hey, come back to earth."

"I'll try to convince him to go today." Hopefully he wakes up in a better mood. "Did I tell you he
said sorry?"

"No, but I kinda guessed he was. I could tell he was grumpier than usual." Great to know she didn't
take it to heart.

"He didn't sleep." For more than an hour. "Can you stay with the kids tonight, then?" There's no
way he's taking the twins when it's dangerous. And Sol will be safer too, considering how their
home was probably the most protected house in the city.

"Sure. I'll send you my alarm code and all that..." She took her phone out, typing fast and sending
the message within seconds. That reminds him.

"I didn't read your message this morning..." He didn't explain that Simon deleted it, and he won't
explain because she'll start ranting again.

"You didn't?" Why does she look relieved, now? "I thought I pissed you off."

"What?" Where did her anxiousness go? "What did you send? Simon deleted the message." She
looked at him, apprehensively, but she handed her phone over.

"He shouldn't go deleting his boyfriend's messages, but who am I to judge...?" Nice, she isn't going
to give her terrible opinion on this.

'Can you watch the kids for a while?'

'only if you give me your cat'

She sent pictures from the cat he had in the game, the one that is coincidentally named like his
partner. Definitely a coincidence. Apparently it was a rare pet that only has a 0.001% chance of
appearing, and that for some reason people paid a lot of money for. All of that was explained in the
20-minute rant Sol went on before begging to get the fictional pet.

"No." She groaned and extended her hand to retrieve her phone. "He's mine."

"Just get another one." Why doesn't she get one herself? "Why are you so stingy? You don't even
play that much."

"Don't care. Simon's mine." She laughed, startled.

"You named it Simon?" Ah.

"It was a coincidence." Just by the look on her face he can tell she doesn't believe it.

"Sure, and your birds being called Leah and Leo is also a coincidence." That was actually Leah's
idea.

"Are you stalking me?" Why does she know what his fictional pets are called? At least she–

"Wait–! Your raccoon is called Sol, though!?" Also Leah's idea. She said it's face reminded her of
Soledad's eye bags.

"I just remembered I had something to do."

"You're not running away from this!"

It's not a surprise that Soledad's house is just as much of a mess as her life, but this is a new level.
It's not like there's trash or clothes thrown around, everything was clean. But.

"Who the hell puts a bed in the middle of the room?" They were checking there wasn't anyone
inside already, as they were instructed, but the more they saw the more they wanted to get out of
the place.

"That's your concern?" Simon pointed at the wall, completely covered in clothes, all of them in
wooden hangers.

"Let's get out of here." Just looking at the way the woman organized things made his head hurt. At
least the living room was relatively normal. "She said the guy comes around at nine."

"I'll put a reminder." It's almost an hour until that time, so they won't have much to do until then.
"I'll stay downstairs in case he gets to open the door, you stay at–"

"No." He's not leaving Simon alone, they don't know who they're dealing with. "We'll stay
together."

"...Fine. We'll watch from the second floor, then." Their friend said there was nothing upstairs, that
she doesn't dare to go there, and that the lights didn't work, so she left a flashlight in one of the
drawers by the entrance.

This actually feels like a horror movie, now.

"You go first." Simon raised an eyebrow at him, taking the flash light anyways and waiting for him
by the stairs. At the end of the long, dark hallway.

"Why are you so scared, MacTavish?" Because this looks like the perfect scenario for a death
scene in a horror film.

"Why did she say she doesn't dare to go in there?" That's what's bothering him the most, the
woman had such a haunted look on her face when she said it, too. It's not like he believes in
ghosts...but.

"It's either rats or a corpse." Ah, his lover is always so sweet, comforting him when he's terrified.
"Or a demon infestation–"

"Shut up." He walked the hallway, hurrying to get to his partner's side, and followed closely
behind the man.

They're definitely getting killed in here.

The wallpaper was falling apart, the wooden floor was crooked and creaked under their feet, and
the door hinges squeaked horribly too. To make everything worse, there was a sound coming from
the far end of the house, and he can't figure out what could be making it.

"Can't we just go downstairs?" Challenging the stalker to a fist fight would make him less nervous
than staying in this place for forty minutes.

"No." Simon looked behind, and he could barely see the way his partner was looking at him. "It's
fine, Johnny..." Is his discomfort that obvious? "Come here."

Taking the other's hand, he was dragged close enough so the man could wrap a hand around his
lower back, guiding him through the place while trying to not step on the few broken floorboards.

His partner's presence did make him feel safe, but they were getting to the place where the weird
noises were coming from, and it was making him even more nervous.

"Shit–!" Something sprinted out of the room right next to them, way too big to be just a rat.
"Simon–"

"It was a cat." Takes one to recognize– "We should wait in this room." His partner approached the
window, looking outside through the barely open curtains. "Did you leave the lights outside on?"

"Aye." Sol said she leaves them on all night, since they activate with movement. And apparently
the lights didn't stop the guy from trying to get into the house, anyways.

"Give me the camera?" He's just remembering he was the one carrying it. "Thanks..." Simon took
the camera and pointed it outside, seemingly satisfied with the angle. "Now we wait." How nice.

"Am I the only one hearing it?" There's no way his partner can ignore the incessant sound
of...whatever it is, coming from the other room.

"It's probably woodworm." They can't be that loud, though? "Or rats." It's not the same noise. It
sounds almost like murmuri–

"Simon." He hurried to his partner's side, looking at the door. "Did she say if she lives with
someone else?"

"She lives alone." Then who is mumbling on the other room?

"Any other cats?" Not like it sounded like a cat, but it could be.

"Only one." And it ran downstairs a few minutes ago. "I'll go check–"

"I'm coming too." Simon looked at him, then sighed, handing over the flash light.

"Don't run away if you get scared." Why would he do that?

"I wouldn't leave you alone like that." If anything he'd be more scared of leaving his lover alone
when there's danger.

They both walked carefully, avoiding all the damaged floorboards as they approached the room.
Simon took one of his hunting knives from...does he always keep one in his boots? Or is this just a
special occasion? No, it definitely is, he hasn't used those boots in ages.

The man nudged him softly, nodding at the door and walking towards it. They can't open it slowly,
if it creaks like all the other ones then whoever is inside will be alerted. So they have to open it in
one go and rush in.

Huh. This feels familiar.

He watched as the other man raised a finger, then a second one. There wasn't a third one, since
Simon kicked the door open instead. He ran with the other inside the room to provide light and
found–

"Bloody fuckin' hell." Indeed.

"Damn." They knew their friend was probably a psychopath just from the way she decorated but
this was a new level.

"Do you think these were the ones talking or those ones?" Funny. He would laugh if it wasn't
because they were surrounded by old, decaying dolls of all shapes and sizes.

"Where is the noise..." A record player. "Did she put these on before leaving?" The dolls couldn't
have changed the vinyls.

"That's a record changer." His partner pointed at the pile of records near the player itself, before
making the music stop. "We either did her a favor or got ourselves cursed."

"The dolls might eat us alive, now that there's no music to keep them calm." Simon chuckled and
started looking through the albums. "Find–" Before he could finish his sentence, something
dropped from the ceiling right behind them. He moved away from the noise, his partner moving
towards it instead until he was shielding him from whatever had fallen.

"Shit–" Why is that bag corpse-shaped? "I think this place might actually be cursed."

"Can you shut up!?" He pointed the flash light at the bag, then at the ceiling, watching the small
hole it fell through. It didn't smell rotten at all, if anything the room smelled nice, surprisingly.
"You open it."
"We don't really have to open it." Now he's getting scared?

"If there's a body in there we need to call the cops, L.t." Simon dejectedly approached the bag,
cutting it open with the knife he still had in his hand, and revealed yet another doll.

"How nice." The difference with this one is that it was the most realistic porcelain doll he has ever
seen. And the fact that it's shattered all over the place only makes it more uncanny. "She's staring
at my soul."

"Didn't know you had one." It's definitely staring at their souls. Both the doll's very realistic eyes
and the huge spider crawling from the hole on it's cheek. "Can we get the fuck out of here, please?"

Just as they were leaving the room, they heard voices from outside, reminding them they were here
to do something more important than getting creeped out by haunted dolls.

One of the neighbours was talking to a man in front of the house, and he decided to send a picture
to Sol to see if she recognized said man. Not like he needed the confirmation, seeing how the man
got into the yard and dismissed the concerned neighbour.

"Is it nine already?" The alarm never went off, so it can't be.

"No." He checked the time when he opened Sol's chat to see her reply, confirming that it was
earlier than they expected.

"She says that's our guy." Simon was already taking pictures anyways, so their job here is
practically done. "Where is he going...?" The intruder disappeared from their sights, walking
towards the back of the house.

"Let's move." They tried to keep quiet, even if the noises from the TV downstairs masked whatever
sounds they could make. "I don't see him." That's just great.

"Maybe he's right below us." They can't open the window to check, but there aren't that many
options.

"Does she...did we lock the back door?" Fuck. They didn't. And his expression probably answered
Simon's question.

"What do we do?" Their whispers got even quieter, knowing that there was someone else in the
house now.

"Call the cops. Keep him inside." Well that's a good way to prove there was a stalker. "Let's jump
down from a window, lock the back door with the keys, and wait."

"Okay." It came out shaky, because he was definitely nervous, and that made his partner stop to
look at him.

"We're fine, love. If anything he should be scared of us." That's...that's very true. "Turn off the
flashlight, let's jump from the doll room."

"Does it really have to be that one?" He followed anyways, walking slowly behind Simon until
they reached the cursed room. It's the only room with an open door, and without metal bars on the
windows, apparently. The other man definitely noted that as an escape route as soon as he saw it.

"Got something on my face?" He's just staring because he's amazed at the man's observations, and
nothing else. "Let's get moving." His partner taking the lead, sneaking around and being so focused
reminded him a bit of old times.

"I kinda miss seeing you in uniform." Simon just raised an eyebrow at him, landing silently on the
porch roof and waiting for him to follow.

"The mask or the rest?" Of course he didn't have any trouble landing just as silently as his partner,
but the other man still decided to hold him close, pretending to help him as he grabbed him by the
waist.

"Both." As much as he'd love to keep doing what they're doing, there's still a criminal inside the
house. And an old lady across the street is looking at them completely horrified.

"Call the cops, I'll go lock the door." Simon gave him a short kiss before jumping down from
where they were and sprinting towards the backyard.

"(Nine-one-one emergency services. Good evening, how can we help?)" That's a mouthful.

"(I'd like to report a break-in...)" He should probably call Sol too, now that he thinks about it. He
gave directions to the operator before hanging up and calling his friend as well.

"Hey, everything okay?" For now.

"We caught him." There was silence on the other side of the line, then a sigh.

"Thank f–uh...god..."

"Fuck!" Was that–!?

"Leah!?" What is Sol teaching them?

"I'm sorry, daddy!" Sorry won't fix it, but he'll scold her when he sees her. And Sol too.

"Johnny?" Huh? Is that Simon?

"Try to come here as soon as you can. I have to go." He ended the call before getting a reply,
jumping down from the roof and going where his partner was supposed to be. "Simon...?"

"Up." Following the voice, he found who he was looking for. And also–

"Is he alive?" The guy had his torso thrown over the window, completely limp. At least there's no
blood.

"Yeah. He tried to escape through the window." Not very wise.

"You're fast." It wouldn't be that impossible for his partner to sprint from where he is to the second
floor in just a couple of seconds. Still impressive. "Need help?"

"Please." He hurried upstairs too, blindly walking through the hallway while trying to remember
where the broken planks were, until eventually he got to the room where his partner was. "You still
have the flash light..."

"It doesn't work, I think I broke it." No, he just forgot in his hurry, but Simon doesn't need to know
that.

"Help me pull him up." Sol wasn't wrong when she said this person was skinny, but it seems like
his partner is having trouble staying up too, and it had nothing to do with the weight.
"Did you get hurt?" Now that he can pay attention to the other, there doesn't seem to be any
important injuries on him, but that doesn't help explain the limp on his leg.

"Just tripped on the stairs, don't worry." Too late, he's already worried.

"Let's get out of here..." The stalker won't go anywhere, and the room still creeps him out, so he
guided Simon to the first floor, making the man lean on him so he didn't put weight on his hurt leg.

All in all, it went pretty smoothly. They did what they were asked to and no one got injured. Too
badly. Hopefully the other guy wakes up again.

As they were about to go down the stairs, the door at the end of the hall opened, and they both
stopped. They didn’t know if this person had brought someone else with him, so as much as they
don’t want to, they have to check the room filled with dolls, just in case.

“I’ll go.” Very brave of Simon, but he’s injured.

“Stay here.” It was probably the wind that opened the door. Hopefully.

His partner ignored what he said, following behind him as he sneaked towards the room. Then the
door was opened even wider, with way more strength that any wind current could have. As they
were about to rush in and look for a second intruder, they saw the doll was moved, now thrown
against the door and gaining even more cracks.

“We should leave...” They should. But he wants to find who moved the doll. “Johnny.”

“You can go back if you–” The doll moved once more. By itself, apparently. “Did it–?” It’s
definitely moving by itself.

“Johnny.” Simon pulled on his hands gently, trying to get him to follow, but he doesn’t want to
leave yet. Of course he’s not scared of a doll, he’s more curious about what’s making it move.

“Give me a minute.” He ignored the other man’s exasperated sigh and walked towards the doll,
turning the flash light on to see the thing properly.

“Didn’t you say it was broken?” Right, the flash light wasn’t supposed to work.

“It fixed itself?” Examining the doll, he realized that there wasn’t any wire around it, nor were
there any mechanisms inside. So this thing is actually cursed and moving by itself. “I think–” The
doll’s hand moved towards him, so he jumped away from it, grabbing his lover’s hand and running
away from the room.

Once they were downstairs, with the still unconscious intruder, he dialed Sol’s number once more,
to get answers.

“Heyo. I’m on my–”

“What the hell do you have up there!?” Are they even safe downstairs?

“Ah, grandma’s dolls?” They look old enough. “They move by themselves.”

“I’ve noticed.” So this is normal for her?

“I don’t know how, grandma designed them so they moved but I didn’t figure out how, yet...” Her
grandmother was a with, then. “I’m driving, buddy. We’ll see each other soon.” The woman ended
the call before he could say anything.
“Let’s go outside.” Simon was staring at the top of the stairs, with the same eyes he used to see
whenever there was danger. He followed said eyes to find the doll, her face resting at the floor on
the second floor. “We’ll run at the count of three.”

“Three.” He sprinted after his partner, dragging the stalker as well, and trying to ignore the noises
behind them that can only be caused by porcelain falling down the stairs.

Even after locking the door, he doesn’t feel any safer.

It was a bit late too realize they shouldn’t had turned off that record player.

Up until now, he'd never thought he would end up preparing a birthday party for kids. With his
previous job, the possibility of death was higher than that of forming a family. Yet here he is,
slicing strawberries at six in the morning to help Simon make the birthday cake Leo asked for.

It was pretty clear that the both of them would rather be sleeping, but they couldn't afford to do
that.

"You don't need to slice them that small..." His partner yawned and walked closer, a cup of coffee
on his hand.

"Mhm..." He didn't mean to cut the strawberry in pieces that small, he just zoned out.

"I'll start making breakfast, you can go sleep for a little longer." Tempting. But no, he has dogs to
dress up. Because Leah wanted to show off all of her pets, so he spent the entire week making little
ornaments for the poor animals, following the girl's design.

"I'll help with Leah's too..." Thankfully his partner had left most of the work done the night before,
so all they needed to do was bake the cakes and decorate them. Which is most of the work
anyways, but they didn't wake up the kids with the batter mixer.

"I'll call you when it's out of the oven, then." Simon pinched his cheek, smiling softly at his tired
stare.

"Do we have to do this every year?" Hopefully not for the rest of their lives.

"Maybe." The hand on his cheek disappeared, instead going to his waist to pull him closer to the
man in front of him. "It's a bit too late to regret it."

"I didn't say I regret it." He let himself be hugged, nuzzling into his partner's neck as he was held
tightly. "I love your hugs..."

"Just my hugs?" Well, no...

"And your great personality." He decided to hug the man back, burying his face in the other's
chest.

"I'm starting to think you don't really mean that." Simon slowly pulled away from him, going to the
oven to get the cakes out, and leaving them out so they cooled down. "Come with me?"
His partner pulled him gently by the hand until they reached the living room, patting his lap once
he sat down on the couch, as an invitation. Which he clearly took.

What he wasn't expecting was to be pulled down with Simon as he laid down, barely having time
to catch himself before he actually landed. The man didn't look like he did that on accident, if
anything he looked disappointed.

"What are you doing–?" The hands on his sides pulled him further down, until he was completely
laying on top of the other man.

"Nothing." He gave up trying to get up on his first try, since Simon wasn't letting him go. Instead
he moved a little to the side, just so he wasn't putting that much weight on the other.

And that was enough for his partner, apparently. He wasn't exactly uncomfortable either, if
anything he's cozy resting on the man's shoulder, but they didn't quite fit together on the couch. At
least not like this.

"Don't fall asleep..." It's not clear whether he's reminding Simon or himself, since the both of them
were equally tired.

"I won't." Looking up, he saw that the other man already had his eyes closed. So he crawled up a
little bit, until he was close to the man's face, then started to leave small kisses on his neck and jaw.

It was supposed to be a distraction so he wouldn't fall asleep, but it seemed to do exactly the
opposite. The man sighed, relaxing further into the couch, and eventually the arms around him
grew limp.

"Simon...?" It was a whisper, and no one besides him heard it. Now he'll feel bad if he wakes his
partner up, so he'll let him nap until it's completely necessary to wake him up.

Instead he kept giving attention to the other's neck, smiling when he saw Simon sigh and move his
head to give him a better access to the area, while still not waking up in the slightest.

It's not like he had much to think about, but eventually he started wondering if Simon would mind
a couple marks. The man keeps biting him, and he did leave some hickeys the other day...

But he can't do it while he's asleep, right? Even if the probabilities of his partner being against it
are low, considering how proud he looks at the marks he leaves, Johnny still wants to ask first.

Or not.

"Mm...?" Simon stirred a bit, and he stopped immediately, looking up to see if the man had woken
up. It wasn't the case, so he lowered the other man's sweatshirt again and kept marking the skin on
his collarbones. It was low enough to be hidden with any shirt, so hopefully his partner doesn't
mind. But now– "Mn–!?"

"Wake up." The other lifted his hand to where he had been bitten, opening his eyes slightly to stare
down, still half asleep.

"I wasn't sleeping..." A hand crept under his sweatshirt, caressing the skin slowly, and the owner of
said hand didn't seem to notice he was doing that, too concentrated in keeping his eyes open.

"Stop resting your eyes then." And he was ignored.

"Mhm..." He moved from where he was, intending to get up to start decorating the house before
the twins woke up. But seeing how soft and cozy his partner looked, he stayed a little longer,
straddling the man's hips instead, and leaning down to catch the other's lips in a soft kiss.

Simon responded, to his surprise, opening his mouth slightly to give him access, and sloppily
trying to match his movements. And then he stopped moving, clearly falling asleep again.

"Cute bastard." Now he did get up, hurrying to their room to get a blanket and covering his partner
with it, before he started taking out the balloons and other stuff they had gotten to decorate the
house. The party was going to be outside anyways, so the rest of the decorations were left in the
box they were in.

Once he was done with that, he went to the kitchen to make breakfast for the kids, and to get more
coffee for himself. And tea for Simon, because he didn't drink the one he made and it had gone
cold by now.

He heard one of the bedroom doors opening, turning away from the stove to see Leah stumbling
through the hallway, looking for them. She stopped rubbing her eyes once she saw him, smiling
and sprinting his way.

"Good morning!" Jumping at people and expecting them to catch her is probably a bad habit, but
he won't correct it today. He lifted the girl up and let her hug him.

"Happy birthday, sunshine." Leah giggled and let go of him, running to a chair as soon as her feet
touched the ground.

"Thank you!" It seems like she noticed then, that Simon wasn't in the kitchen as usual. "Where's
dad?"

"Sleeping on the couch." She looked confused for a second, before she noticed the food he left in
front of her. "I'll go wake him up in a minute." It's still too early for a weekend, but the kids are
usually up by this time. And Simon usually goes to sleep at this time instead.

"Leo is awake too, he's staring at a wall." So he's not awake yet.

As if on cue, another door opened, and he heard the way the boy dragged his feet through the
hallway, slowly making his way to the kitchen as well.

Then the boy stared at them from the door, dazedly, before walking to the chair next to his sister.

"Happy birthday, Leah..." The girl hugged her brother, letting go when she realized the other kid
was too tired to even try to hug her back.

"Thank you!" She went back to eating shortly after.

He handed Leo his breakfast as well, deciding to clean the dishes while the twins ate, just to give
Simon some more time to sleep.

But it wasn't really necessary, since when he turned around he saw the man approaching the
kitchen, the blanket still wrapped around him.

"Simon!" The girl cheered as soon as she saw the other man.

"Leah." He watched as Simon got close to her, crouching to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Happy birthday, princess."
"Thank you!" His partner stood up, limping slightly as he went towards the counter. "We're going
to the museum tomorrow, right?"

"Yes." It's what they had agreed on. They would celebrate both their birthdays on Leah's, and go to
the sea museum on Leo's. Because they didn't share the same birthday, since they were born
around midnight. He had to call Alexander to check if it was a mistake, the first time he saw it. "Go
dress up after you're done eating, we have to go shopping."

"For food?" For gifts. Because they paid too much attention to what they needed for the party that
they forgot to buy presents for the kids.

"Maybe." Simon would buy the gifts while he distracted the twins at the store, if everything went
according to plan. As a last resort, if they get curious about where his partner was he can just take
them to the pet shop around the corner. The problem would be making them leave the pet shop
later.

Leah waited for her brother to finish his food before getting up, running to their bedrooms
excitedly.

Meanwhile he finished making Simon's tea, putting it in front of the man. But he didn't even notice
the cup put in front of him, too busy staring into space. So Johnny's idea to bring him back to earth
was to grab his nose, and it somehow worked.

"I didn't–" The other lifted his hand, taking the fingers around his nose away so he could breathe
and talk properly. "–make this."

"I did." He thought that part was obvious.

"I see." Why is he staring at the drink like that? It's just tea, and he made it the same way Simon
usually does, so there shouldn't be anything wrong with it.

"It's not poisoned." That didn't convince him, and he kept staring at the cup. "Simon?"

"I'm deciding what to do with it." What to–?

"Drink it, maybe?" That's what people usually do when they're offered a drink.

"But you made it." Well now he's offended.

"You're lucky I love you." As he went to grab the tea to put it away, Simon grabbed his hand,
pulling him slowly towards him.

"I didn't mean it that way." There's not that many interpretations. "It's the first time you make me
tea by yourself, I should keep it."

"Did you hit your head?" It's not even the first time he's made tea for Simon, so he's a little worried
about this reaction.

"Many times." That could explain it.

"Just drink it, it's not that special." It's just tea...

"...fine." It's the first time he sees Simon look so unhappy to drink tea.
 ~

As they parked into the driveway, there were two things they couldn't ignore.

First, Sol was wrestling with Rexie, trying to keep the animal away from the entrance. They knew
she would be here because she offered to help decorate the place. And she also brought a piñata.
That they didn't ask for but still appreciated.

And second, Alexander and his mother were waiting at their door, both completely horrified at the
scene a couple meters away from them. Probably because they think the dog is trying to attack
them, which is not the case.

Before they get out, they have to talk with the kids.

"Remember what we talked about." Both of them understood what they had to do if their
grandmother mentioned Rusnav. "If you need anything you come to us." He had been very clear
that if the woman made them uncomfortable he would deal with her.

"Yes, sir!" Leah didn't look any less enthusiastic, and by the way she answered, she probably sees
this as one of her weird 'missions'.

The doors were unlocked, and not a second after the twins were already running towards the house.

Simon followed behind him, walking slowly towards their porch, giving the twins space to talk
with their family members.

"Hi, grandma!" Leah caught herself before jumping towards the poor woman, opting to hug her
legs instead.

"Hello." Leo didn't look anywhere near as happy as his sister, but he isn't running away at least.
The lady noticed this, reaching a hand to mess the boy's hair. Of course, Leo didn't let her.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart..." Leah smiled up at her grandmother and hugged her legs even
tighter. "You too, baby. I don't know if I'll be able to tell you tomorrow." Leo just nodded, looking
up at his uncle instead.

"Can you move?" Where did he go wrong, raising this brat? "Please." That doesn't fix it. But
Alexander moved anyways, letting the kid open the door and get into the house.

"Sorry about that." At least the man didn't seem upset at Leo's lack of manners.

"Can you let me go...?" Ah, Leah too? "Please...?" She looked miserable now, squished between
her grandma's arms. "I have to go get dressed." Oh, right.

"We'll be back in a minute, you can go ahead to–" They all turned towards where Sol was,
watching her finally lose against Rexie and be thrown to the side. The dog started sprinting
towards them, Johnny's instincts immediately kicking in and making him hide behind Simon.

"Rexie, sit." The man just glanced back at him, amused. He should know the animal just wanted to
greet them, but it was still scary to see her sprint towards him. "You can go to the backyard, we'll
be back soon."

Grabbing Leah's hands, they walked inside the house, his partner following closely behind and
shutting the door once their guests had walked away.

The girl ran away as soon as they reached the living room, so he grabbed Simon's hand instead,
walking towards their bedroom to get dressed.

The twins had decided to wear matching outfits, as usual, but they had asked for them to wear
something similar too. As a birthday favor, in Leah's words.

They didn't have much blue on their wardrobe, though. Simon still wears mostly black, even the
clothes he borrows are the same. And Johnny's clothes weren't that colorful either.

As he rummaged through his drawers, he found a hoodie that he didn't remember he still had. His
partner turned to look at him when he lifted it up to look at it better.

"I don't think that's yours." No, it technically isn't. Simon lent it to him way back in the day, when
they hadn't even met Rusnav yet. They were in a meeting, he had forgotten to put a jacket on, and
he was freezing. As it often happens when you wear only a T-shirt during the coldest days of
winter.

"It is." He's not giving it back now. The thing was comfortable to wear, since it was big even for
Simon, plus the fabric was warm. That's why he hadn't given it back, back then.

"Johnny." Wait, does he actually want it back?

"It's mine." Lowering the hoodie, his partner's confused face was visible now. "Finders, keepers."

"I was wondering where that had gone." Well, he used it very often until they moved here. He
stopped using it because he didn't want the other man to find out he still had it.

"I used to sleep with it. It's cozy." Simon turned slowly to look at him, his face blank. "I'm not
giving it back."

"You should use it to sleep if you like it that much." So he doesn't want it back. "It looks nice on
you."

"Does it?" It's way too big to look nice, but he doesn't exactly care if he's dressed properly when
he's going to sleep.

"Mhm." He put the hoodie aside for the moment and kept looking for something else to wear.

Eventually he found a navy blue shirt, that he didn't remember he had, and put it on with some
jeans. All under the attentive gaze of the other man in the room.

It's probably because the man was paying more attention to him than to his closet, but he still
hadn't changed into anything. So he decided to help, walking to the other's side and looking
through the endless black clothes he had.

"How come I've never seen you wear these?" It's not like he'd even went through Simon's entire
wardrobe, so he was surprised to find the small collection of leather and jean jackets hidden in the
very back of the closet.

"I haven't used them." That was obvious. He would've noticed.

"Why not?" It's not like his partner could look bad in them.

"I don't know." Actually, he wants to see how he looks in them, now.
"This one looks nice." He separated the jacket to the side and went to look for a shirt and pants.
"And these."

"Why are you picking my outfit?" Because he can.

"Dress up already. I'll go look for the kids." The last thing he heard before getting out of the room
was Simon's quiet chuckle.

Finding the twins wasn't that hard, they were both looking at the full length mirror near the stairs,
fixing their clothes.

What caught his attention was how messy Leah's hair was.

"Johnny!" She saw him through the mirror, running towards him with a hairbrush in hand. "Braid
my hair!" He doesn't really have an option, does he?

"Sure." He doesn't know how to do that but it can't be that hard. Usually Simon is the one to fix
Leah's hair.

Or maybe it was hard, but at least it looked decent. A little. The girl was happy with it, and that's
what's important.

The three of them turned to look at Simon as he walked into the room, making the man a little
nervous at the sudden attention.

"What is it?" The kids just looked at them because they were waiting for him. Johnny, on the other
hand...

"You look nice." Since the twins are around he has to compliment his lover in an appropriate way,
but the man looked more than nice.

"Thanks." Leah got away from him, running towards a nearby mirror to look at her crooked braids,
and immediately brightening up at them. "You forgot this." His attention went to his partner, who
sat next to him on the couch.

"Hm?" Simon handed him the hoodie he had left back at the room. He didn't intend to actually
wear it today, but just looking at his lover's eyes he can tell the other man knows that. "Thanks,
love." If it makes the other happy then he doesn't mind wearing it.

His phone buzzed, the notification sound telling him it was the guards, probably wanting to tell
him that the kids' friends were already here. He confirmed it, telling them to let their guests in.
Although it'll probably take a while, since they check everyone for weapons at the gates before
letting them in.

The main door opened, catching all of them off guard, before they realized it was just Sol.

"What's wrong with your dog?" Rexie didn't do anything, really. "Also, there's a car pulling up."
Already!?

"Yay! Friends!" Leah ran out of the house before he could stop her, and so did Leo.

"I'll go. Go find Leah a jacket, it's cold." True, and she's only wearing her dress, even if she runs
around all afternoon she'll get cold eventually.

Simon left, closing the door behind him, and Sol went for the door as well.
"I brought beer." But...

"It's a kids party?" She'll be drinking alone, all of the parents will be just dropping the kids and
leaving. Alexander doesn't drink, and Olga probably doesn't either.

"That's exactly why. I can't stand twenty kids running around if I'm sober." Fair point, actually. "I
won't drink more than a can, promise."

"Don't make a scene." She nodded, then went to leave the drinks in the kitchen. "And don't let
Simon drink."

"Nope, at least until the party's over." Not then, either. It's been months since he last touched
alcohol, and it should be kept that way.

He fetched one of Leah's cardigans from her bedroom and went back to the living room, just as
Simon came back to the house with gifts.

"They said they want to open them later." That's fine. They forgot to give their gifts to the kids, so
it's the perfect excuse.

"Come here." They'll be busy the rest of the evening, so this is probably the last time they'll have
time for themselves until nighttime.

"Hm?" He got close to his partner, using the last moments they had alone before stepping into the
yard and having to take care of children, to kiss the man's cheek.

"I knew this would look good on you." Seeing that the door was closed and no one would see
them, he went to grab the other's hips to pull the man closer. Then he got closer to his ear, leaving a
kiss right under it. "You look so fuckin' hot..." It was a whisper, because he didn't want anyone else
to hear them, just in case someone was passing by.

"Johnny..." His partner's hands went to grab his waist, clenching at the fabric. "Let's– not now..."
Fine. He can tease his lover some other time.

"If you start making out I'll barf." Ah. Sol was still inside. She looked as disgusted as usual. "Want
to say hello to my sister? She brought my niece over."

"No thanks." They didn't really want to invite the girl over, but Leah kept insisting.

"I'll go then." She still doesn't get along with her sister, huh? "Stop being...gay...and go with your
kids. Come on." The woman pushed them out of the house, and into the small crowd of kids
surrounding Rexie at the front yard.

This is going to be a long day.

Turns out that taking care of this many kids wasn't that hard. But making sure that Leah didn't do
dumb things was. It's the third time he's told her not to go with the horses.

"But I want to show them..." The animals probably don't want to see the kids.
"They already saw them, princess. Just go to the..." Ah, she's already gone. At least the bouncing
castle has them entertained.

Now that she's busy, he decided to walk towards where the other adults were. Sol had apparently
become good friends with the kids' grandmother, and Alexander was silently listening to their
chatting. Meanwhile Simon...

"Uh, Sol?" Where did he go? He was at the table five minutes ago.

"Sorry." His friend stood up and walked the short distance towards him. "What are you looking
for?" She followed after him as he searched through the house.

"Have you seen Simon?" He's not in the house.

"Oh, your husband went...uh...I forgot. But he said he'd be back soon." That didn't help but at least
he knows the man didn't go too far. "Hey, I think that hag doesn't know you two aren't married."

"We're not married." At least for now. "Don't tell her anything."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't want granny to have a heart attack." The woman isn't that old...

Sol grabbed a beer as she passed through the kitchen and waited for him at the back door, looking
as the kids played not so far from them.

It's getting a bit late, so he should call the twins and start wrapping up.

But...

Leah looks so happy doing...what are they doing...?

"Your kids are fucking weird." Sol was also confused. He didn't leave for more than five minutes
but Leah had gathered all her friends around...something. Whatever it was, the kids looked
fascinated. "Are they doing a ritual or something?"

"She thinks she found an emerald." Simon appeared from behind, startling the both of them.

"Jeez, man..." He can understand Sol, his soul left his body for a second too.

"An emerald?" What exactly are the kids looking at?

"It's a glass shard." Why are there glass shards laying around? He's making sure to clean the
backyard later. "It's getting late."

"Mhm." Their friend had already walked away towards the tables, so when Simon pulled him
closer he didn't put any resistance. "I was thinking–"

"Simon?" They heard Olga walking in, they pushed each other away, still being careful not to hurt
the other, before standing awkwardly side by side as the woman approached them. "There you are!
Come on, let's finish that conversation..."

Even if he was basically ignored, he followed after the other two towards the table. He's a bit
curious, though, about Simon and Olga's conversation.

But first.

"Leah, come here. Leo, you too." The twins perked up and left their friends to approach him
instead. "It's getting late–"

"(The piñata!)" Now he had every kids' eyes on him, the glass shard completely forgotten. "(I'll go
get it!)"

"Wait–" She didn't wait.

Sol chased after Leah, knowing full well that the girl couldn't bring the thing by herself, and came
back shortly after with her.

"But why is it a whale?" is she complaining about something shaped like her favorite animals?

"Don't you like whales?" The girl looked up at Sol as if what she said was dumb.

"That's why I don't want to hit a whale..." Thankfully no one is hitting anything.

"Yeah, you're not hitting it. I wouldn't be holding this thing if it was the case." The woman grabbed
a chair and struggled to climb it, but eventually she got to stand on top of it to rise the piñata, high
enough so that the kids couldn't grab it.

Leah was confused, like most of the kids, so he decided to help.

"You forgot to explain I think." His friend looked down, finally realizing her mistake. "(Grab these
strings and pull on them. One of them will let the candies fall.)" Leo rushed to get to his sister's
side, and the other kids made a line so each had a turn.

And even after all of the kids took a turn, no one pulled the right string.

"Damn." Does this thing even have a right string?

"Did you forget to–?"

"It's this one." Simon caught them off guard, again, but actually pulled the correct string. Leah
checked that the paper whale was still in one piece before jumping towards the pile of candies with
the rest of the kids.

Once Sol managed to get down from the chair, they all walked together to where the other adults
were.

"Now I need to do surgery on the whale..." At least it isn't completely destroyed.

"It could've been worse." Simon went to grab his hand, stopping as he remembered the
grandmother was around. "We should cut the cake already."

"Inside? Or out?" His partner just stared at him, blankly. And then he hid his face with his hands,
embarrassed. For some reason that Johnny doesn't know. "Huh?"

"Are you a teenager!?" Did he say something wrong...? Why does Sol sound so outraged? "In front
of grandma too?"

"Oh? Did I miss something?" The lady was too busy watching the kids.

"No, you didn't. Let's call them in, it's too cold here." Simon finally answered the question, turning
around to get into the house.

Whatever that was about, he'll find out some other time.
 ~

It was already late into the evening when the last kid was picked up. Leah didn't seem too happy to
see her friend go, but she didn't exactly look upset either, as she waved goodbye to the car driving
away.

As soon as the car disappeared in the distance, the girl's enthusiasm died, slumping down on his
arms and yawning.

"Are you that tired?" She just nodded, nudging at his chest and getting comfortable. It's too early to
put them to sleep, though. "Did you open your gifts?" He knows they forgot about their presents,
they were too busy playing.

"Oh, right!" As soon as her feet touched the ground, she ran towards their living room.

Now he was left alone with Simon, the man grabbing his hand and standing beside him for a
moment, not trying to follow the girl nor go into the house where the rest was.

"Are you tired...?"

"Yeah." He can see it in the other's face, anyways. "Come here." His partner pulled him closer,
hugging him gently as they stood on the porch.

"What are you doing...?" Not like he minds, but they've done a great job at keeping their distance
when the twins' grandmother was around. He doesn't want his efforts to go to waste.

"Recharging." He chuckled, hugging the man back and letting him be for the moment. A noise
from behind them startled him, but considering how Simon didn't separate from him, when he can
see whoever was there, must mean they're fine–

"Johnny..." Ah. There's that.

"I thought you said you wouldn't drink more than a can..." Of couse she lied. Sol is not really
drunk, but she's definitely acting like she was. "Where's your niece, by the way?"

"Fuck if I know." What a responsible adult. "I think I left her sleeping somewhere..."

"Go look for her." Even if Simon wasn't saying much he can tell the man didn't want to be
interrupted right now.

"Don't wanna." And she isn't taking the hint. "Let me join the hug..."

"No–"

"Oh, there they are!" Shit– "We were looking for you two...!" They weren't away for more than
five minutes...

"I knew you two would be doing this." Sol whispered between them, sounding tired. He realized
then that she is actually trying to look drunk. "What would you do without me, hm?"

"Group hug!" Leah jumped to join them as well, and they tried to ignore how confused the old lady
looked as she stared at the scene.
"Well, we were about to head back already..." Finally. Not that the woman was annoying but
they've been walking on eggshells around her all day.

"You're leaving already...?" Leo looked disappointed, contrary to the rest of the day, when he tried
to ignore his grandmother whenever she walked close to him.

"Yes, sweetheart. Grandma has to go back home..." The lady walked closer to the boy, patting his
head and trying not to mess with his hair too much.

"Alright." He took his sister's hand and dragged her inside the house again.

Sol finally let go of them, stumbling inside the house. It was an act, obviously, because as soon as
she passed Olga she walked perfectly fine.

"Did you grab your things...?" Alexander almost bumped into their friend, if it wasn't for the girl's
reflexes. "Uh, sorry."

"It's fine." She waved the man dismissively and turned to look at all of them. "I'll check on the little
demons."

"Thanks." It's not like they'll be out here for much longer.

"It was a lovely evening, thanks for letting me spend time with them." His attention went back to
Olga, who was wrapping a scarf around her neck.

"Of course. You're more than welcome to visit again." The lady didn't do anything wrong, and the
kids liked her too. "Let me walk–"

"I wanted to have a little chat before I go back, if you don't mind." Even Alexander was surprised
at those words, considering how he looked at his mother.

"Sure..." This sounded more serious than just a farewell, but he had no idea what it could be about.
His sudden nervousness was probably obvious, and even if it wasn't, Simon would've noticed
anyways. His partner pat his shoulder, leaving the hand there for a second before he walked to
close the door.

And then they all stood in silence, looking at each other's faces while not knowing what to say.

"I'm a bit disappointed..." Huh? What is she– did she realize– maybe something to do with the
kids? "Did Karenina not even write, to say she wasn't coming?" Oh. It's just this.

"Uh..." Both him and Simon looked at Alexander, waiting for the man to come up with something.

"She was busy." Not the greatest excuse but it should suffice. "With an emergency."

"Is it really more important than her kids' birthday?" That was his first thought, too. "What am I
going to do with that girl..."

"She must've had her reasons..." The least he can do is make his friend look good in her mother's
eyes. If she was in conditions to come she would've definitely been here.

Apparently this wasn't everything the woman had to say, considering how she didn't move from her
place.

"I'm a bit curious..." Oh, no. "Simon, didn't you say you had a wife?" A wife...?
"Do you?" Now he's curious too.

"You didn't know, Johnny?" He glared at Simon, knowing that his lover would try to correct the
woman for the name. "You were so busy watching over the kids, you didn't get time to listen to
him..."

"I'm curious as to what he said..." Since they were both wearing their rings, Olga must've noticed
the one on Simon's finger. Thankfully she didn't notice the matching one...

"Oh, he's absolutely crazy about this girl! You should've seen how happy he looked talking about
her..." His partner looked away, avoiding his eyes as best as he could.

"I didn't know you had a wife, Simon. Is she pretty?" This is obviously a person the man made up,
just to answer Olga's questions.

"Very." A man of few words. Leo is learning from him, isn't he?

"Ah, no need to be modest now! Tell him all you told me!" He's starting to like this old lady a bit
more.

"Please do, friend." He tried not to laugh at the way Simon's eye twitched at the word 'friend'.

"No, thanks." There goes his material to tease the man later.

"I recorded it." He turned to look at Alexander, who was holding his phone up with a neutral
expression.

"You did– why?" Now he's even more intrigued. His partner is usually composed but now he looks
genuinely worried.

"I was recording the kids and you were talking right behind me." Alexander just unlocked his
phone and found the video within seconds.

"Don't–" Too late, it's already playing.

'So, you do have a wife?'

'Mhm.'

'Does she not live here?'

'She does, she's just busy today.'

'Ah, I see. Did you two meet here?'

'No, we met at work, around two years ago.' Even with the kids talking in the background, he could
hear Olga's gasp.

'That's such a short time! Kids these days...' Didn't most people have at least two kids at their age,
back in the day?

'I just know she's the one...' He turned slightly to look at Simon, and the man was looking away,
clearly embarrassed. 'She's the prettiest person I've ever seen.'

'Oh? How is she? A blue-eyed blondie?'

'No, she's got...the prettiest blue eyes I've seen, so maybe you're right about that part.'

'Of course I am.'

'She's a brunette, though. The kids said she had a funny hairstyle when they met her.' That sounds a
bit familiar.

'Those crazy colours people use nowadays?'

'No, no. Just...short hair.' Huh. 'But it doesn't matter. Even if she was bald I'd still love her.'

'Of course! Beauty doesn't last forever...' Is she talking from experience, now? 'So I'm guessing she
has a great personality, then?'

'Mhm. She understands me, like no one else had ever understood me before. She loves to go
against what I say a lot, though.'

'Ah, do you fight a lot?'

'Not at all. We understand each other very well, so we talk things out before arguing or
fighting...' This isn’t a made up person, Simon is talking about Johnny, isn't he? 'Not like we have
reasons to fight to begin with.'

'Ah, that's nice...' He heard a glass being lifted, before the woman cleared her throat. 'So, what
else?'

'Hm...She's...very considerate of others...?'

'That's good.'

'It is. I wish she thought about herself before others a bit more, though.'

'But it's nice that she's so thoughtful, isn't it? At least she isn't selfish...'

'Extremes aren't good, no matter which end.'

'Well, that's true, I'll give you that...'

'Did you record it?' That's Sol's voice.

Alexander quickly stopped the recording and cleared his throat, definitely hiding something.

"I need to talk with Soledad. If you'll excuse me." Olga grabbed Simon's arm, stopping him from
getting inside.

"Don't be shy!" He's not shy, he's annoyed. "It's cute that you talk like that about your wife!"

"It is." His partner turned to look at him, confused. "What a shame I didn't know about her
before..." Maybe he shouldn't have said anything, considering how worried Simon looks. His lover
probably thinks he didn't notice the person he talked about was Johnny, and he obviously did. So
he winked at him to let him know he didn't need to worry.

"Right?" The old lady was completely oblivious, though. "But, back to my question. Where is
she...?"

"She's at home." If they managed to fool her for this long, they might as well keep trying.
"She doesn't live here?" Uh...

"No, Johnny does." Hopefully the woman didn't snoop around the house while they were
distracted, because Leah hung pictures of them together everywhere.

"So...the kids live only with Johnny?" Alexander cleared his throat again, and then walked towards
the car.

"I visit them everyday." It was impossible to ignore his partner's tense shoulders, getting impatient
the more questions the woman threw at him.

"Wouldn't it be better if they lived with you and your wife? Driving all the time must be tiring." He
could see how his partner was completely lost as to what to answer.

"Simon doesn't mind, really. It's on his way from work."

"Yes, but I don't understand why you're both taking care of the kids..." This lady is too curious for
her own good. "One day you'll have to find a girl for yourself too, young man. The kids could
become a problem then..." What exactly is she trying to get at?

"No, I don't think they could." He's not exactly going to be looking for a partner again...

"My point is, I can raise them." Oh. "I know my daughter was always selfish, so she didn't think
about you two when she left them in your care." It's nice to know that they could count on her if
anything could happen, but...

"I don't think–"

"Alex can do the paperwork in no time, too." He turned to look at the man, still standing by the car,
and even he looks surprised at what his mother is saying. "I really think you should consider this."

"That's very nice of–"

"No." He turned to look at Simon, who was standing with his arms crossed now, his eyes coldly
staring at the woman in front of him.

"Simon–" They don't need to fight with this lady, she's only being thoughtful.

"They're not going with you, ever." Goddammit. "They're not Karenina's kids anymore." That's
harsh, considering this is the woman's mother, and that Rusnav loved these kids so much. They'll
never stop being Karenina's kids, really, but he gets what Simon meant.

"Excuse me?" The woman looked both surprised and offended, and he doesn't know how to fix this
situation anymore. "How dare–!?" Simon grabbed him and shoved him inside their house, closing
the door on the woman's face.

"That was dumb." He's not opening the door, no matter how much the woman knocks on it.
"Couldn't you just keep quiet?"

"No." As they walked towards the living room, they noticed the kids looking at them from the
hallway. Leah didn't look as happy as last time he saw her.

"What's wrong–?" The girl sprinted in his direction and held onto his leg.

"I don't want to go with grandma!" Were they eavesdropping? Also, didn't Sol say she would take
care of them?
"You're not going with your grandma, sweetheart..." As long as he's alive, the kids won't leave his
side.

"I told you..." Leo walked closer then, lifting his hands towards Simon so he would pick him up.

He decided to pick up the girl up as well, and they all went to the living room, sitting on the couch.
Completely ignoring the constant knocking on their doors and windows.

It was after a while in silence that he noticed Leah was crying, and he only realized because of the
wet spot on his shirt, because the girl was silent, for once in her life.

"Leah?" She lifted her head, with tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Princess–"

"You can't leave us!" Ah, she really is scared of them leaving. He thought the girl had gotten over
it by now...

"We're not going anywhere, darling..." She hugged him again, tighter than before.

"You're not going anywhere, either." Simon placed a hand on the girl's back, patting her as he tried
to comfort her. Thankfully Leo didn't seem upset at this, and he only asked to be carried because he
just didn't want to walk, apparently. "Unless you–"

"Not the time." Whatever he was going to say it was to scare the girl so she behaved. "You don't
have to worry about that."

"It's not– I just don't want to live with someone that isn't you..." She finally stopped crying and
raised her head again, wiping her tears with the fist of her cardigan. "You're our dads now, you
can't disappear."

"We won't." After staring at him for a few seconds, she seemed to trust his words. "Let's go clean
that pretty face, hm?"

"Don't wanna." The girl yawned, and so did her brother. "Sleep." It's still so early...

"Alright." They'll just have to deal with the kids when they wake up, then. Even if they wake up
too early. He can only hope they'll sleep more than usual because they're exhausted.

By the time they reached the bedrooms, Leo had already fallen asleep in Simon's arms, and Leah
was almost there too. He left the girl in her bed, bringing her more blankets to keep her warm
through the night. Then he stayed, sitting at the edge of the bed as he waited for her to fully fall
asleep.

After a while, Simon walked into the room as well, silently standing in front of him as they both
checked on the kid a last time, before exiting the room.

"Are you two deaf or am I hearing things?" They're ignoring the knocking, but that isn't an option
for Sol, it seems.

"Go check on your niece." He can understand why his partner is annoyed. The lady outside doesn't
seem to care that she's being ignored. "I'll go talk to her."

"Are you sure...?" Ignoring her isn't really solving the issue but he was going to talk to her once she
had calmed down.

"I'll be right back." Simon hurried outside, closing the door behind him as he went to look for Olga
on the other side of the house.

"He's not going to kill that lady, right?" Why does she always jump to murder whenever they're
mad?

"Don't think so." He watched his friend sit on the couch, throwing her head back in exhaustion.
"Did you find your niece?"

"My sister picked her up a while ago." That explains why they hadn't seen the kid in hours. "I
should head back already."

"Are you driving?" He's not too happy to have the woman stay over but it's safer than letting her
drive.

"Mhm. Don't worry, there was no alcohol on the beers." Huh. So she does think every now and
then. "I'll leave now that your husband is keeping granny busy."

"Not my husband." She stood up and grabbed her coat, heading to the door.

"He is." There's no use in arguing with her. The woman turned around before reaching the exit,
apparently remembering something. "Ask Simon to give me the recipe for those cakes later." His
only response was a nod, he knows he'll probably forget to ask anyways. "See ya'."

"Don't come back." They both flinched as his partner got into the house, the door not making a
sound. Sol looked offended until she realized those words weren't for her.

"Uh–"

"Listen to me, young man–!"

"I'm not listening." Ah, so the negotiations didn't go very well.

"Mom, let's go already." Alexander tried leading his mother back but he was completely ignored.

"I'm not leaving." This is going nowhere if the lady doesn't calm down. "I have more rights than
you two when it comes to the kids. They're my family–"

"You didn't remember they were your family until now, did you?" Simon is not remaining calm
either, and this conversation is going horribly. "Neither of you cared about the kids before–"

"Excuse me!? I would've stepped in if I–"

"But you didn't." He stared at Sol, who was just standing awkwardly behind Simon, unable to
leave the house. "We're the only two who actually gave a shit about them. That actually tried to
help them–"

"Simon." This isn't a good way to end the day, but the damage is already done. He just has to figure
out how to deescalate the situation.

"Not even your daughter cared about them." Olga gasped, outraged.

"She didn't come today, but she'll come back some other day–"

"She isn't coming back anymore because she's–!"

"Ghost!" Simon turned his head to look at him, his angry glare freezing him in place. "Don't–"
"Don't take her side!" He's not taking sides here, if anything the man is a bit justified to be angry.
But so is the woman. "She thinks–"

"How dare you– My daughter didn't abandon her kids! I can't believe you would even think of
that!" She's definitely missing a lot of information here. "They're still her kids, and they're still my
grandkids!"

"They're not–"

"You two are nobodies!" Ah, now he's getting pissed off too. "I'm taking the kids with me, you are
clearly not suited to take care of them–"

"You're not taking anyone with you. The kids don't even want to see you." Why isn't Alexander
even trying to help? He can't think of anything to solve this and he's the only one trying to calm
these two down.

"Why are you lying!? They clearly–" Sol sighed before looking up at him. Why does she look so
determined...?

"Lock the door and talk this out, yeah?" 'Lock the'–?

The girl kicked Simon out, literally, and threw herself after him before slamming the door shut.
Alexander hurried to lock the door before anyone could try to get in again.

At least Sol is taking the beating instead of this old lady.

"Mom, just let it be. They're not wrong." So now he decides to help?

"Of course they're wrong!" No one was in the wrong, really...Or, maybe the both of them were in
the wrong? "Start with the papers tonight, I'm taking them back home as soon as I can."

"...No." So Alexander agrees with them. Not like Johnny would allow it. Simon wouldn't either.
"This is Karenina's...last wish." This is also a terrible time to break the news.

"Last...wish...?" He's getting the feeling that going outside to witness Simon's rage would be better
than standing here and listening to this conversation. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry." The woman started crying, understanding without any further explanation. "I should've
told you sooner." At least she doesn't have the will to keep fighting now, but this is still awkward.
"Let's go back already, we'll talk on the way."

"No, we're not done here." They're not? "John."

"Sorry, but we're not sending the kids away with you." He wants to make it clear from the start.
Even if he's more calm than Simon is, they both feel the same about this.

"...Fine." Huh. That easy? "If that's what she wanted..." They should've brought Rusnav up sooner
if it would solve the issue this easily. "Take care of them."

"We will." There's no need to tell him that, he's already taking care of the twins. "I'm sorry about
all this..."

"No, no...I'm the one that started this. I should be the one apologizing." At least she knows it.

"We're not trying to replace their mother, they'll always be her children. But she's not the one
raising them..." He doesn't want to start another fight, so he's choosing his words carefully. "You're
still their grandmother, too, but..." It sure would be nice if Alexander kept talking.

"The kids don't want to live with anyone that isn't John and Simon." It seems like staring at the
man made him understand the message. "They've told me themselves. They...they don't want
Karen to come back, either."

The woman just stared blankly at the floor as the silence settled between them. He could hear
whatever noises were coming from outside. Probably Sol fighting for her life.

"I see." Olga wiped her face one last time before looking up. "I'll leave them in your care then."

"Thank you..." All this arguing was useless. There wasn't another outcome to this, because they're
already the twins' legal guardians, and when Rusnav...passes away, her will would appoint them as
their guardians anyways.

"I won't be visiting anymore." But–

"You can–"

"I won't." If that's her choice... "It was nice to meet you."

"You too..." If he ignores the past thirty minutes, the woman was pretty nice.

As he saw Olga get close to the door, and hesitating to open it, he remembered what was
happening outside. It's not like he can hear any more noises, but that's not exactly a good sign.

"Maybe we should leave through the back?" They'll still have to go to the front of the house, that's
where the cars are.

"I'll talk to him..." Simon would never do anything to him, he's sure of that. But he was still
nervous as he unlocked the door. "Simon?"

"Hi." Instead of a murder scene he found both his partner and his friend sitting calmly at the top of
the stairs. "Sorry." Those words aren't meant for him alone.

"I'm sorry too." The old lady walked past them and went to her car, not waiting for her son, nor
saying another word. And Alexander only gave them a small nod as a goodbye, running after his
mother without saying anything either.

Once he heard the car drive away, he could finally relax, sighing as he walked towards the other
two people outside and sitting besides his lover.

"Family drama sure is fun." She's one to talk. "The little demons aren't going anywhere, right?"
Simon perked up at the question too, looking down expectantly.

"No." His companions sighed simultaneously, relieved. "She's not coming back."

"Good." Even if the other man is remaining calm, it's very clear that he's still mad at this entire
situation.

"Right. Well, I'll be going now." She stood up, unsteady, and having way too much trouble going
down the stairs.

"Are you okay...?" She wasn't drunk, so she shouldn't– "Did you actually hit her?" Even if Simon
was pissed off he didn't really think he'd take it out on their friend.
"No, no! He didn't!" His lover didn't have time to think of what to reply before Sol started
defending him. "I missed a step while running away and hurt my leg."

"Do you think I would–...?" His intention wasn't to make Simon believe he didn't trust him, but his
words definitely made it come out that way. "Nevermind."

"He really didn't!"

"Why were you running away, then?" Maybe he shouldn't have asked. The man beside him huffed
and stood up, walking away before he could try to stop him.

"Wouldn't you, if you kicked someone twice your size that was already pissed off?" That actually
makes sense. "I just ran and told him that if he hits me you would be disappointed."

"Why me...?" But it's true.

"Doesn't matter. He helped me stand up and all, don't be too harsh on him." It's not like he was
planning to. "Alright, I really have to go."

"See you around..." How many times has he said goodbye to her in the last twenty minutes?

Once he saw his friend drive away, he walked to the door to get in the house. The problem was that
the door was locked. And Simon didn't come help him when he knocked.

Not only did he forget his phone inside, but he also didn't bring his keys along. And Sol just left,
too. She still has a copy of their keys.

After trying again to get his lover's attention and getting nothing back, he sat in a corner to wait,
shielding himself from the wind. It was definitely going to rain soon, and he can see some lights
flashing in the sky, far away, but still getting closer.

He looked at Rexie and Bones, both dogs curiously staring at him and waiting for permission to
get close.

"Guess I'm sleeping with you guys tonight..." The animals walked towards him and settled next to
him. At least they'll keep him warm until Simon decides to stop being an asshole and opens the
door.

It's not like he deserves this, but he can understand why the other man is angry. Not only did he not
help at all when Simon was arguing with the old lady, he also assumed that the man would hit one
of their friends.

But he still doesn't deserve to sleep in the rain with the dogs.

As time went on, the wind kept picking up, and the storm got closer. Close enough for him to hear
thunder now, and the dogs weren't exactly happy about it.

Even if he was wearing more than enough clothes for the season, he was freezing, his body
shivering even as he curled up on himself and hugged his furry companions.

He tried knocking on the door again and didn't get any answer. Shouting at Simon so he would
open the door wasn't an option, it would wake up the kids and he didn't want that.

So he just kept waiting, even as it started to rain, the water that fell violently kept splashing on his
direction, the roof over his head being completely useless in keeping him dry.
And just as he thought that nothing could make it worse, the thunder got even louder, startling both
the dogs and him. He's not scared of thunderstorms, but that's because he's never outside when they
happen.

He's not only terrified, but he's also soaked and more than cold.

"Simon!" He knocked on the door desperately as he saw a flashing light and immediately heard the
loudest thunder he's heard in his life. Not even a second went by after the sky lit up before the
sound, so the lightning was way too close.

But he still got no reply.

Calling for help wasn't working, so he stopped trying. Instead he went back to his previous
position, giving his back to the rain and hugging the dogs, not because they were warm, but
because it was the only thing to give him comfort at the moment.

Did Simon go to sleep already? Does he not hear him from the room, or because of the rain? He
doesn't want to think that his partner is ignoring him on purpose, and that there is a logical
explanation as to why he's being left outside.

Going to knock on their room's window was a good idea, but his legs are going numb from the
cold, and moving them in the slightest hurt. Even if he tried he probably would fall on the way,
thanks to the mud.

Just as he was accepting the fact he was going to spend the night out and use the dogs as blankets,
he saw that Leo's room had it's lights on. Ignoring how his legs complained, he crawled up to the
door and started knocking on it again, trying to make as much noise as possible.

And someone finally heard him. The footsteps that he heard running towards the door weren't light
enough to be the kids', which means that Simon has been awake this whole time.

"Johnny!?" But maybe the man really didn't hear him, considering how he still had his earphones'
cables around his neck. He looked up, crawling inside the house alongside the dogs. "What the
fuck are you doing!?"

"Taking a bath." Before he could ask for any kind of help, his partner picked him up, dragging him
to their bedroom. "I didn't bring my keys."

"Couldn't you just call me!?" The other man grabbed a blanket from the bed and shoved him inside
the bathroom.

"Didn't bring my phone." His body trembled even harder as Simon got all the wet clothes off of
him. "I wasn't exactly planning to get locked out of the house."

"I'm sorry." His partner stopped for a second, looking at him with nothing but remorse in his eyes,
before he finished drying him off. "I'll go get more clothes..."

The man wrapped him in the blanket he had brought and left the room, returning shortly after and
giving him a change of clothes, leaving the bathroom right after that, silently.

He got into his new clothes as fast as he could, not doing much to keep him warm but at least it
stopped his body from getting colder.

Stepping back into their bedroom, he noticed that Simon wasn't there anymore. He could see the
hallway from where he stood, since the door was left open, so he decided to go out to find the other
man.

"Simon...?" Leo's room still had the light on, but he didn't find who he was looking for there. The
kid was asleep, so he turned off the lights and followed the sounds coming from the kitchen.

"Go back to the room." Doing completely the opposite, he dragged his feet and walked closer to
where the other man was.

"Are you still–" Of course he's still mad, there was no reason to ask directly. "I'm sorry for–"

"MacTavish, go back to the room." Does he really deserve this treatment?

"Don't call me that..." Simon turned to look at him, concerned. Probably because of how wobbly
his voice sounded. "I'm sorry–"

"Fuckin'–" The other man sighed, frustrated, before walking his way. His brain didn't register the
action as friendly, making him take a step back. Of course Simon didn't like that either, stopping
dead on his tracks and staring at him in disbelief.

"So–"

"Stop–!" His partner cut his own sentence and took a deep breath. "I'm not mad at you, love. Stop
apologizing."

"But..." Why was he apologizing, again? "I didn't help you earlier..."

"Go back to the room, honey." Simon walked his way again, and he didn't move back this time.
The man only wrapped the blanket tighter around him, helping him back to their bedroom and
leaving him sitting on their bed. "I'll be back in a sec. We'll talk then."

"Okay..." His partner gave him a small kiss on his forehead before leaving the room again.

It didn't take more than five minutes for the other to come back, sitting next to him and dragging
his body so he could sit between the man's legs.

"Here." Simon grabbed a mug from the nightstand and gave it to him. His hands immediately
started warming up thanks to the liquid inside the mug. Coffee? So that's what his partner was
doing in the kitchen... "I'm not angry." Ah, the conversation.

"I didn't help you when you were arguing with Olga..." He didn't want to say he was sorry because
he was just told not to do that, but the way he said those words made the apology obvious.

"I don't care, I shouldn't have argued with her to begin with." That's true.

"And I also thought that you hit Sol– No, I didn't think you would do it, I was just surprised when
she looked hurt." He didn't think the man would hit somebody until he saw their friend limping
down the stairs.

"...I wouldn't hurt her."

"I know. I just panicked." He drank the coffee silently, not knowing what else he could say.

"I wouldn't hurt you either."

"Hm?" Of course he wouldn't. Is there really a need to clarify that?

"The kitchen." Right.

"I know you won't hurt me, Simon. I just moved without thinking." His brain processed that
someone was walking towards him and not who it was. "Sorry for doubting you."

"I didn't care about that." But if he didn't care–

"Why did you get mad and leave, then?" There's no denying he was angry when he left him
outside, if he hadn't slammed the door he wouldn't have gotten locked out of the house...

"I wasn't–..." Simon took the now empty mug and put it aside, probably thinking on how to reply
as he did so. "I was mad, but not because you thought I'd hit her."

"Because of Olga, then?" The other man shook his head. Two hands slowly pushed him back so he
would lay on the mattress. "Because you're tired?"

"No." Simon pulled the blankets over the both of them and hugged him again, hiding his face as he
usually does whenever he's nervous. "Maybe I was jealous." 'Maybe'?

"...Of what?" What exactly was there to be jealous about?

"You asked her if she was okay first." Well, yes, she looked hurt.

"And?" He felt how Simon lifted his face for a second, before hiding it again.

"She kicked me." He'd completely forgotten about that part.

"I didn't mean to– I just assumed you were fine..." It's not like he can read the other's mind.

"I wasn't." Well, now he feels worse. "She tripped after throwing us both down the stairs."

"What?" That's a very important piece of information he was missing. "How did you..." She did
throw herself at him after kicking him, but Simon should have enough strength to not fall. Maybe.

"People usually fall when they get pushed." Especially if they're caught off guard.

"Did you get hurt?" The man scoffed, lifting his hands and moving to turn away but deciding
against it at the last minute.

"Of course I got hurt." The question felt a little dumb now. "I hit my head."

"I didn't know..." It's not the time to get defensive. "I'm sorry." Simon didn't seem to like the
apology. "Does it still hurt?"

"Yes, Johnny. It still hurts." Perhaps he should just shut up.

"Does anything else hurt...?" But he's still worried. A sigh was the response he got.

"Everything hurts. I fell down the stairs." At least the man doesn't look annoyed anymore, instead
he looked exhausted. "My back is still killing me..."

"Want a massage?" By the look he was given, no, he didn't want a massage.

"I think you're not aware of how fucking cold you are right now." But his hands are warm... "I'll
get more blankets." The man didn't wait for an answer and got out of bed, rummaging through the
drawers in the room to get what he wanted.
"I was doing fine with just you..." Simon just lifted an eyebrow and threw the pieces of fabric on
the bed.

"You're still cold." His partner went back to his previous position, holding him close as he tried to
share warmth. Unconsciously, he slipped his hands under the man's sweater, completely forgetting
how cold they were until he saw the other flinch and shiver next to him. "Fuckin' hell, Johnny..."

"Sorry." He's not taking the hands off though. Instead he kept running them up and down the other
man's back, watching as he relaxed under the touch. It's a good time to remember how warm his
partner is, the close distance was doing a better job in warming him than the pile of blankets on top
of him. "Good thing I'm dating a furnace."

"So I'm reduced to a heat source now..." Looking up, he saw Simon's soft smile under the low light
of the room, smiling back unconsciously, even if the man couldn't see it with his eyes closed.
"Demoted from pillow to a heater..."

"You can be both." His partner opened his eyes to look at him, curious. So he pushed the other
slowly to lay on his back, half climbing on top of him and resting his head on his chest. He looked
up at the man to make sure it was okay, since he just complained about his back hurting, but from
how relaxed he was it didn't seem to be a problem anymore.

Now that they weren't talking, he could hear the thunderstorm slowly going away, the thunder was
still heard, but at a long distance. The rain wasn't as violent now, if anything it was soothing to hear
the raindrops hit their window gently.

The man under him moved, getting more comfortable before holding him closer. Simon started
imitating him, rubbing circles on his back absentmindedly as he fell asleep.

And then the silence was cut by a sneeze, taking the both of them off guard. His lover flinched at
the noise before settling down once again, unhappy at being woken up.

"Sorry." He really feels bad, but the other just shook his head and went back to rubbing circles on
his back.

"Try to sleep..." It's not like he wasn't trying, he was almost asleep just a few seconds ago.

The coziness of the situation only made it easier for him. The rain outside, the hand on his back,
the warm body under him, and the weight from the blankets on top of him, all of it contributed to
making him feel comfortable and safe.

It was a long and tiring day, both mentally and physically. Getting up early to decorate the house
and make food was tiring enough, but he had to look after kids for hours too. And on top of that, he
also had to argue with the twins' grandmother.

Sadly for Leah, he doubts he'll be able to take them to the museum tomorrow. He definitely caught
a cold, if the chills and the beginning of a headache he's feeling are any indicators. Hopefully the
girl can forgive him.

He'll worry about disappointing Leah some other time, for now he's going to enjoy his last
moments with a clean nose. And the warmth surrounding him.

>
Chapter End Notes

The author is a LIAR.

Did I say next week? mb I meant next year. (I'm sorry.)

Although the brainrot is as strong as ever, I don't have time to edit/proofread the
chapters, even less time to post. Thankfully for me there's just a few chapters left.

This chapter took so much time to edit because I had to take out so much family
drama. The kids' step sister was thrown to the abyss (aka my folder for rejected
ideas/scenes) which is a shame because I liked her but this has enough OCs.

I'll post the remaining chapters during the week, before I have to go back to work.
Thanks for the support, as always, and sorry (again) for the delay! See you next
chapter<33
 (18). Whale bones.
Chapter Summary

Time to visit the sea museum!

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

The last weeks of autumn were surprisingly colder than he expected. Since it doesn't snow where
they live, he supposed he would be used to the coldest months, but it doesn't seem like it's going to
be the case.

It's not time to complain about the weather yet, anyways. It was a sunny day, and the kids would
be out of school in a few hours.

The twins were feeling a bit down, since their horses and most farm animals that participate in
either racing or any other competition were taken away until next year. And so did Leah's cows.

To try to cheer them up, he decided they would visit the sea museum like Leah had been asking for
months now. They couldn't go after their birthdays, since he got sick, and after he got better they
were busy. So he talked with Simon and made some space on both their schedules to take the kids
out.

For now he can still rest a bit more, though. Unlike his partner that is sleeping soundly beside him,
he doesn't work all night, so he's not tired enough to actually fall asleep again. But he still wanted
to just lay with the other man.

Getting up would wake his lover up, and he'd rather be bored for a few more hours than doing that.
He'll probably fall asleep eventually if he stays like this, too.

But he's not exactly comfortable, after staying in the same position for so long. So he decided to
move slowly, stretching his limbs while trying his best not to wake the man beside him.

For a moment he thought that his efforts were in vain, as Simon stirred beside him, but the other
just curled up a bit more, hugging the cat that had decided to join them when they were sleeping
and refused to leave the bed.

Seeing that he could move without consequences now, he reached for his phone on the nightstand,
scrolling through apps just to kill time until his lover decided they could get up.

What caught his attention was the amount of messages that were sent just this morning in the
parents groupchat. It's not like he ignores the messages often, he usually reads what seems
important, but currently he doesn't want to read through more than 200 messages to see if
something happened.

What he could read, though, was Sol's single message sent at three in the morning.

'Happy mother's day<333' Is a weird thing to send someone that isn't a mother. Nor a woman.
'Were you drunk?' It's not like sending messages at ungodly hours of the night was odd coming
from her, but the message itself is what's weird.

He's not expecting an answer for a couple hours, so he just locked his phone and went back to
laying down, looking at the ceiling as if there was anything interesting there.

Just as he though he could fall asleep again, a hand fell on top of him, patting his chest and belly
and clearly looking for something. He doesn't know what Simon is looking for, exactly.

The man groaned and turned slightly to look at him through barely open eyes.

"Hand." So that's what he wanted. As soon as he reached his hand towards the other, he was pulled
slowly until he was flush against his partner's back, like he was before.

Having woken up with this person so many times, he could tell there was something off even if it
wasn't evident.

They usually cuddled for as long as they were allowed before having to either sleep or get up, so it
wasn't that what worried him. It was the fact that Simon was holding his hand as if it was his
lifeline.

"Simon...?" His hand was pulled closer to the other's chest, held in place by the man's own hands.
"Are you...?" Now that his hand was right over his partner's heart, he could feel just how fast it was
beating. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Nothing." It didn't exactly sound convincing but he won't push any further. Instead he moved so
he could hug his lover properly, watching the man curl up once again, still not letting go of his
hand.

"Do you want to sleep a little more?" Not like Simon was totally awake, anyways, he could tell by
how he slurred the only word he'd spoken.

"No." Maybe he had a nightmare? "Just hug me." Definitely a nightmare.

As requested, he held the other tighter, leaving small kisses at the nape of his neck just to give him
something to focus on beside whatever might be going on in his head.

Contrary to what he had said, Simon fell asleep again after a few minutes. Johnny could tell once
the hands holding onto his arm grew limp.

So he just stayed there, holding the sleeping man between his arms to make him feel safe.

He could easily fall asleep like this. Not only was he warm and cozy under the blankets, but he
could still feel Simon's now steady heartbeat, just like he could smell the man's hair products and
his aftershave, as well as the detergent he used to clean their fresh sheets.

All of that combined made him feel...at home.

Well, he is at his house. But it feels like he is where he was always supposed to be. It's not where a
younger version of him would've expected to be, surely, but this place, the person currently snoring
softly between his arms, the two little kids probably bored out of their minds in a class right now,
and their seemingly endless list of pets; that's his home. What always made him feel safe, and
loved. The place he can always come back to, the place where he can be comfortable.

Getting impossibly closer to his partner, he realized how relaxed the other man looked now. It still
amazes him how much they've changed in...almost a year. Who would've thought that The Ghost,
the scary monster of the 141, who used to terrify rookies with just a glare and haunt their enemies
in their nightmares...could look like this. Curled up in a ball and hugging a cat, peacefully sleeping,
and waking up in a bad mood if he doesn't get cuddles before getting out of bed.

He left a small kiss on the other's cheek, watching as the man nuzzled against the pillow and hid
his face on it. Slowly, he pulled his hands from under his partner, trying not to wake him up again.

Now his efforts were in vain, because as soon as he was able to free his arm, Simon's phone rang.
The good thing is that, since he was already looking at his partner, he got to see what resembled a
pout for a second, before the man grumbled and sat up to answer the phone.

"Yes?" Whatever he was told wasn't good. "(Yeah, we'll be there as soon as we can.)" Apparently
they're in a hurry now. "(Thank you.)"

"What happened?" He got up and got dressed as fast as he could, still waiting for an answer.

"Give me a minute." Simon still had his phone against his ear, calling someone. "Sol, are you at
home?" Why is he calling...? "Can you go to the school?" The school? Did something happen to
the kids? "No, we'll be there soon, but you'll get there faster." She does live less than five minutes
away from the school. But why is this so urgent? "Thanks."

"Are they okay?" If something very bad had happened his partner wouldn't be this calm, so maybe
it's not–

"Leah broke someone's nose." She did what–!?

"Wha– Did they say anything else?" Simon shook his head, grabbing two of his jackets and
throwing one at Johnny. "I already have a hoodie–"

"Take it off then." Bossy. He still did it, though. "You're driving."

"Why...?" He took the keys on his way out and waited for his partner by the car.

"I still need at least half an hour of sleep." 'Need'? Since when does Simon care about his sleep
schedule? He's not complaining, clearly, if anything he's happy that the man cares a bit more about
himself now. "Why are you smiling?"

"Nothing." He's not telling him, that he's proud. His partner knows anyways.

To his surprise, when they arrived at the principal's office, they didn't find two crying kids. Leah
looked extremely angry, though, her arms crossed as she sat on Sol's lap. Meanwhile Leo was just
staring at a wall, indifferent.

What he did expect was a very angry woman at the other side of the table, and a boy holding his
bloody nose.

"(Sorry for the delay, we live a little far.)" He sat next to his friend, Leo immediately getting up
from his chair and walking to sit on his lap instead.
"(It's alright, John.)" The principal was sitting at her desk still, looking at some documents. "(It's
just you, today?)"

"(Yes.)" Simon had stayed at the car. Not because he didn't want to come here, but because Johnny
insisted that he kept sleeping. The man looked tired and he probably wouldn't have the energy to
deal with this. "(What happened, exactly...?)"

"They were–!" Leah closed her mouth as soon as the woman at the desk stood up, walking towards
the table.

"(Spanish. And don't yell.)" That tone wasn't friendly, but he can't exactly correct the principal.

"(Sorry, miss.)" The girl looked down and pouted. "(He said something mean.)"

"(I didn't!)" Well, he knows his daughter very well. It's not just 'something mean', if Leah hit him.
She's a bit too energetic, but she isn't violent, nor a bully. "(I swear–!)"

"(Don't. Yell.)" At least she's being fair here. "(We asked the kids that were with you and they said
you were saying something bad.)" So his suspicions were right. "(Would you mind repeating
that?)"

"(I didn't say anything bad...)" This is going nowhere.

"(He's not a bully, miss. You know this, he's a good kid and a better student.)" Good students can
still bully people. But besides that, kids can say hurtful things without realizing. Like insulting
someone's hair– "(From what we've been told it's not the same on Leah's case...)" Huh?

"(What do you mean?)" Sol asked before he could even try to speak.

"(She doesn't have the best grades, right? And she's been in trouble before...)" How does this
woman know that, exactly?

"(I...)" Leah didn't know how to defend herself against that.

"(She doesn't have bad grades. And she has been in trouble because someone bullied us.)" Now it
was Leo the one getting annoyed. And he's more than justified.

"(I asked a very simple question. Will you repeat what you said before, or do I have to get the
recording?)" There was a recording?

"(I–! Fine!)" Maybe there isn't a recording, but it served as a threat. "(I just said the truth
anyways!)"

"(It's not the truth. You're just a dummy.)" Not the time, Leah.

"(I'm not! It's true that you're weird!)" Can't deny that, actually. But he's the only one allowed to
think the girl is weird, because he doesn't see it as something bad. "(Why would you want to make
a card for your dad instead of your mom? It's a mother's day's card!)" So that's what this is about?

"(I told you I don't have a mom anymore.)" She could've still made a card for Rusnav... "(I wanted
to make a card I could give to someone.)"

"(You're still weird. Everyone has a mom.)" The principal sighed and sat down on a chair, looking
at the boy across the table.

"(You're not supposed to laugh at someone because they don't have a mother, Brian.)" Kids are
truly awful creatures.

"(I didn't laugh because she doesn't have a mother...)" If that were the case he wouldn't have a
bloody nose. "(She said she has two dads. That's weird, right?)" The other adults in the room turned
to look at him, suddenly making him more nervous than he already was.

"(I don't see why you would laugh at that, either.)" Sol spoke up once again, seeing that he was at a
loss for words. "(At least she has two parents, hm?)" The girl smiled awkwardly as if she hadn't
insulted both people on the other side of the table.

"(Excuse me?)" Leave it to Sol to turn a bad situation to a worse one. "(Even as a single parent I'm
doing a better job than those kids' parents.)"

"(Your brat wouldn't be saying nonsense and getting hit for it if that was the case.)" As fun as it is
to watch the other woman seethe, he needs to stop this.

"(Sol.)" His friend turned to look at him, shrugging. "(I'm sorry about that.)" The mother huffed
and sat back on her chair. "(Their mother...it's a complicated topic, and still very recent. She
shouldn't have hit him, anyways.)"

"(Of course she shouldn't.)" The principal sat back as well, crossing her arms as she thought. "(I'm
sure this won't happen again, and that today is a difficult day.)"

"(You never know. What if it happens again?)" She doesn't know how to give up, does she?

"(It won't.)" He stared apologetically at the woman at the end of the table, since he spoke over her.
But they said the same thing. "(I know my students very well. Leah has great grades, she just
struggles a bit with maths. She's also kind to others, and is part of the school's red cross group.)"
He didn't know about that last one. "(She apologized immediately after hitting you, didn't she?)"

"(...yes...)" At least the girl seems to know what she did was wrong.

"(And she helped you with the nosebleed until we got you here, right?)" Now that he looked
closely, the blood on the kid's nose was already dry.

"(Yes.)" The boy crossed his arms and stared at the table.

"(Have you told her you're sorry for what you said?)" The boy's mother scoffed and crossed her
arms as well.

"(I don't have to say sorry, she hit me!)" The principal sighed and stood up, walking towards her
desk.

"(If you don't apologize you're both getting suspended.)" He could see the outraged faces from the
people on the other side of the table.

"(Are you going to suspend him for getting hit!?)" That's not the problem here...

"(I'm going to suspend him for going against our school's rules. Discrimination of any kind is not
allowed here, and we've said this in every speech.)" He can vaguely remember something like that
during the first day of school... "(As parents, it's our duty to teach our kids to tolerate others–)"

"(He doesn't have to tolerate this!)" Why exactly is she pointing at him? "(He shouldn't be raising a
kid with another man, to begin with!)" Ah, shit.
"(Lady, with all due respect–)"

"Sol. Don't." He should've known that something like this would happen eventually. "(I'm very
sorry for this situation, and I'll be more than happy to pay for any hospital bills. But...)" How does
he tell her to mind her business without sounding like a jerk?

"(You have no right to judge people–)"

"Sol, stop it." The support is appreciated but everytime she speaks she makes this worse. "
(Whoever I decide to date is not something you can have an opinion on. It's not your life.)" The
woman just scoffed and turned to look at the principal, waiting for her to take her side.

"(I can have opinions all I want.)" Fuck's sake. "(Who the hell is her, by the way? I feel like she
shouldn't be here.)" This lady isn't fooling anyone, she just wants Sol to go away so she has less
people against her.

"(I'm their aunt.)" Since when–? Ah, whatever.

"(Don't you have a boyfriend? Doesn't seem like he cares enough about the kids.)" Leah
immediately tried to stand up, being stopped by Sol. "(See!? The kid is so aggressive!)"

"(Don't insult dad like that! He cares about us, he's probably on the car!)" She knows them too
well. "(Daddy, call him!)"

"(Why do you–)"

"So he can tell her to shut up!" Actually that's not a bad idea. Not to tell the woman to shut up, but
to help him talk this out. Simon is definitely more calm in stressful situations.

He looked up at the principal, the woman giving him a nod as approval.

"(If he's here already I don't see why not.)" But he wanted to let him sleep...

He took his phone from his pocket and dialed the first number on his contacts, looking at Sol. She
should go as soon as Simon gets here...

"Johnny?" As expected, it sounds like his partner just woke up.

"Can you come to the office, please?" He heard a hum and the car door unlocking, then the call
was ended.

"(I don't see how this is going to change anything. That girl should get suspended and we should be
going home.)" Leah is probably not getting suspended, no matter how much this lady complains.

"(She's not the only one in the wrong, here.)" He watched as his friend stood up and grabbed her
bag, turning to leave the room. "I'll wait by your car."

"Right." The door opened before she could reach for the handle, Simon walking in and looking
around the room. "Come here." Leah stood up and waited for Simon to sit on the chair she was on.

"Dad!" As soon as the man sat down, the girl jumped and sat on his legs. "That lady is being
mean!"

"You shouldn't have hit her son if you didn't want her to be mean." Leah looked down, pouting,
and remained silent. "(I'm sorry for what she did. She doesn't usually act like this...)"
"(We already went over that part.)" That's not the tone you use when meeting new people, but he
doesn't want to make things worse by saying that to this lady. He's not surprised that the boy Leah
punched doesn't have manners. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree... "(We're just waiting for
the principal to suspend her.)"

"(Is that so?)" It's not the time to scold her, and Simon probably guessed that from the look Johnny
gave him.

"(I'm not suspending anyone if Brian apologizes.)" The kid isn't apologizing.

"(I didn't do anything wrong.)" Leah looked down again.

"(Well, then.)" The principal grabbed a paper from her desk and brought it to the table. "(You're
both getting a five-day suspension.)" Leo looked up then, panicking alongside Leah.

"(Miss, you can't do that! I have to–!)"

"(You should've thought about that before hitting him.)" The cold tone the woman used only made
the girl feel worse, and she started crying, while still trying to say something in her defense.

"(But I have to come to my maths class! The teacher is giving me extra lessons–!)"

"Leah..." The papers are already signed, and even if the principal can just throw them away, it
won't happen.

"(Can I know why this happened?)" Ah, right. Simon didn't get the details.

"He said I was weird because I have two dads! And because I don't have a mom!" The principal
sighed and rubbed the space between her eyebrows.

"(Spanish, Leah.)" The girl turned towards the woman, looking at the ground instead of her. "(But
yes, that's what was happening.)"

"(So she's getting suspended for defending herself?)" No, she's getting suspended for–

"(You don't answer mean words with a fist, mister Riley.)" Simon wasn't fazed, though.

"(If you don't want to get punched you don't say those words to begin with.)" The situation
somehow turned into a staring contest. "(I'm not teaching her to back down when she's being
bullied. She did that before, didn't she?)"

"(Violence is not–)"

"(I know it's not the answer. But you didn't exactly do anything to the kids who hit Leo and bullied
them for months.)" He's a bit surprised at how his partner is not so bad with words, when it comes
to defending the kids. "(You let one go with a half-hearted apology. Leah is actually sorry, but
you're suspending her for an entire week?)"

"(These things have no correlation.)" Simon scoffed but remained silent.

"(Yeah, my kid isn't a bully. Yours is.)" Thankfully this woman knows how to dig her own grave.

"(Your kid isn't a bully? Why does he act like one, then?)" The mother tried to glare at Simon but
failed miserably, looking away as soon as she got a glare back. "(Leah doesn't hurt other kids, has a
lot of friends, and helps others at home and at school. Do you really think she's the bully here?)"
"(Ten day suspension. Get out of my office.)" Huh!?

"(No, wait!)" Leah jumped down from the man's lap and hurried to where the principal was.

"(I'm not changing my mind. My request was simple.)" If only the other kid didn't see the
suspension as a holiday...

"(I'm already sorry! Please, just say it! I don't care if you don't mean it!)" Now the girl was begging
the other kid, still crying. "(I just got angry because you pushed–)"

"Leah!" Are they missing something here? Why did Leo stop her? "Don't."

"Don't, what?" The boy looked away and pretended to not hear him.

"Leo." Simon's tone scared him, and the man relaxed his shoulders to make himself look less
threatening. "(Do you have something to add?)"

"(I don't.)" That sounds like a lie.

"(Your sister is getting suspended...)" Simon's words made Leah turn to look at her brother, her
eyes pleading. Manipulating kids sure is easy.

"(Fine.)" The boy got down from his lap, walking towards his backpack and grabbing two
dirty...those look like papers. They're soaked and covered in mud, so he can't exactly tell what
those are. "(He threw our cards in a puddle and tried to push me in while I was trying to get them
out.)"

The room was filled with silence for a good while, the principal just looked at the papers
skeptically.

To anyone else, they have no way of proving that the cards didn't fall into the mud by themselves,
or by accident. But both Simon and him know that Leo wouldn't lie, and that Leah wouldn't hit
someone just because.

But they have no way of proving that either.

"(Oh! Wasn't Maia recording something, when this happened!?)" That's just too much of a
coincidence. "(The birds eating worms, in the mud! You can ask for the video!)"

"(...Let me call her.)" Finally, the principal decides to have some sympathy. "(Can you ask the
teacher in 3-B to call Maia in? Yes, that Maia. Thanks.)" They all waited in silence for whoever the
woman called to do what she asked.

After a few painfully long minutes, the door opened again and another girl walked in with a teacher
following her.

"(Good morning...)" She sat awkwardly at the end of the table, looking between everyone's faces
before staring at the principal.

"(Leah told me you were recording something.)" The girl panicked and held her pocket.

"(I didn't–! Sorry for using my phone...!)" Ah, that's probably against the school rules too.

"(We'll talk about that later. Lend me your phone.)" Maia took her phone out of her pocket and
gave it to the woman after unlocking it.
It didn't take more than a minute for the principal to find what she wanted, giving the device back
once she was satisfied with what she saw.

"(Am I in trouble...?)" The girl looked genuinely scared, but the woman shook her head.

"(No. You can go back to class. Thank you.)" The teacher guided the kid back outside and closed
the door slowly, looking into the room curiously before leaving too. "(Leah, you're taking extra
classes for a week.)" Those words caught her attention, as she looked up, hopeful.

"(I'm not getting suspended?)" The woman sighed and let herself fall on her armchair behind the
desk. She crumpled one of the papers and threw it towards the trash bin.

"(No suspension.)" Leah smiled and turned to look at him. "(If this happens again–)"

"(It won't!)"

"(...don't interrupt me.)" The girl immediately shrank in on herself and nodded. "(Brian, if you
don't apologize you will get suspended.)"

"(I'm not sorry...)" That apparently was enough for the woman. She got up from the chair she just
sat on and walked towards the door.

"(John, Simon, come with me for a second.)" They both stood up and looked at the kids. "(You
two, too.)" That's better, they don't want to leave the kids in a room with strangers. "(I don't want
this happening again. We don't accept any form of violence in our school.)"

"(We know, miss...)" Leah held onto her clothes and looked down. "(It won't happen again! I'll
learn how to stay calm!)" The woman looked both surprised and confused, before changing her
face to look neutral once more.

"(Don't forget about the extra classes.)" He should ask what that is about...

"I think Sol told me she had a surprise for you two..." The twins turned to look at him, excited,
then ran away towards the exit, leaving their backpacks behind. Sol didn't have any surprise, but
she's smart enough to know she's being used as a distraction. "(I'm sorry this happened, we'll make
sure she doesn't do it again–)"

"Has Catherine called?" Catherine...? "Rusnav."

"Uh..." Since when does the principal know Rusnav?

"Listen, the kids are sweethearts, and you two are not bad parents, but I think they should really see
their mother." That's just impossible. "Leah was fine until someone mentioned her."

"It has nothing to do with her mother." It has more to do with being called weird, getting their
things thrown in the mud, and getting almost pushed into a puddle. And insulting their parents,
both the alive and...not-so-alive ones. "We'll take care of it."

"...Fine. Leah's classes are from two thirty to three. Leo can't join her, I know he'll ask." Only half
an hour? That's not that bad.

"Thank you for understanding..." The woman sighed and turned around, walking into her office
again. He stood there for a moment, looking at the door. Simon was staring at him, instead.
"Should we take them to the museum today...?"
"Why not?" Taking them out when they did something bad isn't the best idea.

"Shouldn't she be grounded?" His partner started walking towards the exit.

"She didn't do anything wrong." Are they talking about the same kid?

"She did." Even if Leah was just defending herself, she shouldn't had hit someone.

"She won't do it again, anyways." That's true.

"But she already did it. If we take them out, they'll see it as a reward, right?" The other man
stopped walking to look at him.

"They're not dumb, Johnny. They'll know that it's not a reward." The kids are smart, so that's a fair
point... "And they need to go out somewhere that isn't school or the market." Also a very fair point.

"You're right, but..."

"Let them have it. They haven't done anything wrong in months." Leah did swear that one time...

"Fine." The reason they wanted to take the kids out is more important than this. They can talk with
Leah about what happened today when they get back home.

Crowds were never something that bothered him that much, unlike Simon. He's not as paranoid,
nor uncomfortable around strangers, as his partner is.

But now that he's in a McDonald's full of kids and teenagers during the most busy hours of the day,
he gets why the other man doesn't like this.

They decided to come here first because the kids didn't eat anything besides their breakfast, and
going back home to make lunch would take too much time. And he didn't want to cook.

A bit of trash food won't do the kids any harm, it's just one day.

What could do some harm is how careless Leah is inside the playzone. She has too much trust in
those tubes and the ball pit.

"Stop worrying about her." He can't help it. It's the third time he's almost had a heart attack seeing
her throw herself headfirst into the ball pit. "Kids are made of rubber."

"You're terrible." Kids might be made of rubber but their bones sure aren't. "What time is it?" The
museum closes at five, so they'll have to head out soon.

"Still early." Very useful. "Do you think they'll be able to eat ice cream and not ruin the car?" Oh,
no. Not on his precious car. He cleaned it yesterday.

"Don't." Simon completely ignored him and went back to the line for the register. Why ask for his
opinion if he's not going to listen anyways?

He'll just have to clean the car again when they get home, then.
Since he was left alone on the table, he took out his phone while he waited, checking his messages
to find even more texts from the parents. That he's not reading at all.

It was still early, to his surprise. He forgot the kids got out of school earlier, maybe that's what
made him think it was late. So they still had a few hours before the museum closed. Leah will
probably want to stay until closing time, but they had planned to go to the mall and let the twins go
to the arcade before going back home.

They should head out soon.

When he looked up, he couldn't find Simon. Anywhere. In the few minutes he spend scrolling
through his phone the man had vanished.

'where the hell r u?' His partner read the message immediately, yet didn't answer. 'did something
happen?'

'No.' Good to know he's still alive, but that didn't answer his first question. 'I didn't run away, I'll
be back soon.'

He should use the time it'll take the other to come back to get the kids. And that isn't an easy task.

"Leo?" The boy wasn't running around like his sister, instead choosing to stay at one of the tables
and doodle with a few other kids. "Can you go tell Leah we have to go?" There's no way he'll go
look for her himself, mainly because she won't get out of the tubes and he isn't allowed to go in.
And he doesn't want to.

"Uh-huh." The kid stood up, grabbing a few pieces of paper and handing them over. "For you."
Oh.

"These are pretty. Thank you..." Leo just nodded and walked towards where his sister was.
Looking at the drawings, he can tell that Leah was the only one to inherit their mother's talent in
this form of art. At least the figures kind of looked like them, but if it wasn't because of the written
names and arrows he'd have no idea what anything was.

Of course he won't say any of that to the boy.

After putting the drawings away in one of the kids' backpack, he looked up to see if Leo was done
with his task, only to find Leah jumping into the ball pit again. This time with Leo holding onto her
leg and falling with her as well.

They're probably fine, but he still hurried to where they were and waited for them to come back up
from under the plastic balls.

"Leah...?" The girl jumped up, startling him. A few seconds after he saw Leo dig his way out too,
looking extremely unhappy.

"Hi!" She hurried to get out and run to his side, not even trying to help her twin. "Are we going
home already?"

"Yes." The visit to the museum is a surprise, at least for now. "Put your shoes back."

"Yessir!" He sighed as the girl kept running around.

"I feel dirty." Ah, he forgot about Leo for a second. "I don't like ball pits." He doesn't like any kind
of activity that requires jumping or running.
"It's not that dirty." Surely they clean the place every now and then... "Let's go look for Simon."
Stopping for a second, he realized that Leah's shoes were untied, so he crouched to fix it before the
girl fell while running.

"Where did he go?" That's a good question.

"I don't know." Definitely not in here. Didn't he want to buy ice cream? "Let's wait for him in the
car." Leo grabbed his bag and ran behind his sister towards the exit. "Stop running..." They already
left.

Thankfully there weren't any cars driving near the exit, so he doesn't have to worry about them
being in danger. But he still doesn't like it when they go too far.

They didn't need to go look for Simon because the man was on his way to the car as well. The
twins immediately saw the ice cream he had and ran even faster towards him.

"Don't let it fall or we'll all be sleeping with the dogs." He's right about that.

"Okay!" Leah threw her backpack inside the car and grabbed her cup before getting in. Just from
the face both Leo and Simon made, he could tell that she already threw ice cream on the seats.

"What did–"

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Ah, what a coincidence, his partner remembers to express
his love right when something bad happens.

"Has Rexie ever told you how much she loves sleeping with people?" Leo got into the car as well,
being more careful than his sister, and Simon closed the door after the kid was comfortable.

"She doesn't talk." Whatever. "I love you..."

"You're cleaning the car." The other man just sighed and sat on the passenger seat, beside him. "I
love you too."

As soon as the museum's name could be read on it's sign, Leah had regained any energy she had
spent while playing. And now that they already parked the car, she ran out the moment he
unlocked her door. Calling her back would be useless, they need to go in anyways and she isn't
running on the streets anyway.

At least she was patient enough to wait for them at the entrance. Probably because she can't get in
without paying.

"Look!" They didn't even go in and she's already amazed at things. In this case, a very interesting
replica of a shark that was displayed at the building's entrance. "Is that real?" Definitely not. It's the
ugliest shark on earth if it is.

"Who knows?" Anyone with eyes does. "Wait for me here, I'll be right back." Huh. Surely Simon's
helpfulness doesn't have anything to do with the ice cream stains on the car's backseats...

They did as instructed, Leah being the most impatient one of the three, as she kept walking in
circles around them. Eventually Simon came back for them and gave her the go ahead.

"Remember not to touch anything..." The girl looked back for a second, nodding her head, then
kept walking ahead of them.

It's not the most interesting place, for him at least, but Leah was fascinated with everything
surrounding her. And having a hard time keeping her hands to herself, as expected.

She was doing a great job until she saw the whale skeleton. Since the bones were displayed a bit
higher, she couldn't quite reach them, so she turned to look at him.

"Daddy...?" The puppy eyes won't work.

"No." He didn't read any sign that said you couldn't touch things, but that rule should be obvious
since it's a museum. The girl didn't give up, though.

"Dad?" Surely Simon thinks...the same...?

"Simon." The man completely ignored him, looking around to see if anyone was watching them,
before picking Leah up and getting her closer to the skeleton. "You're sleeping on the couch today."

It looks like his partner took the words seriously, as he turned around with pure dread in his eyes.
At least Leah was happy after touching the remains.

"Don't worry dad, the couch is very comfy!" It might be for someone her size. "Oh, look!" They all
turned to look at where she pointed, finding a real shark. A dead one, sure, but it wasn't plastic like
the one outside.

"You can't touch that one." The girl didn't seem too happy about that but she still kept her distance
from the glass where the animal was. After staring at it for a moment, she moved on to watch the
other preserved specimens displayed nearby.

"Oh, no, look at it's fin..." The shark's fin...?

"What's wrong with it?" It looks fine, a bit discolored but fine. It's probably old.

"Dolphins' fins get droopy when they're sad, so this shark was probably sad..." That's true, but
sharks aren't related to dolphins. And also–

"It's because it's dead." He wasn't going to say it so bluntly, but Simon spoke before he could.

"Oh, yeah!" Why is she not sad anymore? "Look at that!" She's going to make them look at every
animal in here, isn't she? At least his partner seemed happy to chase her around everywhere. It's not
like he isn't happy too, but... "So pretty..."

"Leah." The turtle looks pretty, yes, but she isn't supposed to touch it.

"It almost looks like it's swimming towards me..." Why is she looking at Simon, now? "Can I give
it a little kiss?"

"Leah, don't." It might be well preserved but it's still a dead animal. "Simon." The man is looking
around again.

"Sure." He didn't have enough time to catch the girl, and she moved away as soon as she did what
she wanted. "Swee–"
"Simon. Riley." Leo ran away too, chasing after his sister in case she gets in trouble. "Are you
insane?"

"I thought you knew that already." The bastard has the audacity to joke, as if he hadn't let their
daughter kiss an animal's corpse.

"Didn't know it was this bad." It's not the time nor the place to argue.

"It's harmless, let her be." He's not answering to that. Or anything. They won't have this
conversation here, and he doesn't feel like talking to the man anyways. "Johnny?" He's not mad,
really, but Simon ignored his words a few times this afternoon, surely he's allowed to do the same.
"So–"

"Daddy, look!" He can't ignore the kids, though. "These are so cool..."

"Seashells?" The girl nodded and kept walking around, watching the vast collection of shells of all
different sizes and colors.

"What are these?" Isn't she the sealife expert?

"Corals." The girl pointed at something else and looked up at him expectantly. "...Starfishes." That
should be a bit obvious, but she's a kid. "Those are sea urchins."

"Urchins...?" She looked at the animals, a bit confused, before moving on. "What are urchins?"

"(Hedgehogs.)" Leo grabbed his sister's hand and pointed up. "Seahorses."

"So cute!" Those are very cute... "Are they related to horses?" They all stopped to look at the girl.
"What?"

"They're not related to horses." She understands a lot about fishes and marine life itself, but she's
just a kid. Even if her questions are dumb, they can't really be surprised, nor laugh at her. It's good
that she still has enough imagination to think a fish and a horse can be related somehow.

"So what are they...?" He's not a marine biologist either.

"Fishes...?" Maybe. "Let me check." Her questions made him curious as well, so he took out his
phone and searched for more information. That he'll probably forget by the time he gets out of the
museum. "They're fishes..."

"Does it say anything else?" Well, yes, but Leah is too young to learn how weird their birth is.
"Give me seahorses facts!"

"Uh...They have no teeth, nor stomach...?" She looks interested at least.

"What else?" Is this another obsession she's going to develop?

"The smallest ones are thirteen milliliters long." That's very tiny. He didn't know this was going to
be such an educational trip. "The biggest ones can be thirty-five centimeters long."

"That's so tiny..." They are fishes after all. "One more!"

"Uh...they...find companions that they'll stay with their entire lives." That's cute, even if they're not
smart enough to understand the behavior.

"I'll have to do my research..." He's definitely going to pay more attention to her when she uses the
computer. "Is that a sea lion!?"

And she was gone.

As he put his phone back on his pocket, he noticed that Simon was staring at him. But as soon as
he stared back, the man looked away from his eyes.

"What is it?" Keeping the silent treatment can wait, since his partner looked like he wanted to say
something.

"Just thinking about seahorses." Huh.

"Are they that interesting?" He understands that Leah loves anything that lives on the sea, and that
the animals are cute, but are they really interesting enough to catch Simon's attention?

"The last fact was interesting." The last...fact.

"They're not the only ones to do that." There are wolves, eagles, owls–

"I know." Then what's so special about them? "Some humans do that too." But they were talking
about animals... "Guess humans aren't just following their instincts."

"Hm?" Why does he feel like he's missing something...? "Instincts?"

"We're smarter than fish, so we can actually choose who we spend our lives with...Ah, nevermind."
Well, he does have a point. He's not informed enough about animals to know whether they feel
emotions like humans do, but they probably don't get the concept of love the way people do. So
they just follow whatever pair they are most likeable to survive with.

What he doesn't get is why he's suddenly analyzing an animal's behavior. Nor why Simon was so
interested in...

"Oh." Maybe he's misunderstanding, but the way his partner looked with a smile at the kids, and
the way he turned curiously to look at him, his eyes soft and warm, makes him think he isn't.

"We need to take Leo to the bugs thing." He'll go once he stops having an internal crisis.

"Insectarium." If he plays it cool, he can ignore the fact that Simon's first thought when he said that
seahorses only have one companion their entire lives, was Johnny. And the fuzzy feeling on his
chest, as if he had an entire swarm of butterflies flying inside him, just because of the implication.
"Let's go, then."

He took his partner's hand and followed him as they went to look for their kids. Hopefully his face
isn't as red as he's imagining.

The twins weren't exactly happy to leave the museum. But he managed to convince them, after a
lot of effort. It was mostly thanks to Simon's ideas that they got the kids out of the building. They
only had to buy souvenirs, take pictures of Leah with every animal and skeleton she liked, take
pictures of her next to the 'famous pirates' display, take pictures of most of the bugs in the
insectarium because Leo wanted to look at them later, and having to go to the 'deep sea room'
twice. Also, taking a picture next to the ugly shark replica by the entrance.

A very small list of things, clearly.

It's understandable that he's tired, after having to chase around two very excited kids throughout a
gigantic building, but they're not done yet.

"Leah." They just got to the arcade and they're already running around. "Wait here, you need a card
to play." Did Simon bring the card they got last time? "Honey?" The man was busy looking
outside, so he just grabbed the wallet he knew he had on his pocket.

"Hm?" A bit late to realize he was called.

"Here." Leo grabbed the card before his sister had the chance, walking away with the girl
following behind him. "Don't break anything."

"We know!" They probably can't break anything anyways.

"Don't get in trouble..." Leah waved dismissively and ran towards a game that caught her attention,
dragging Leo with her.

They could follow the kids around, or they could sit in the benches around the place and just keep
watch from afar. Seeing how his partner sat down in a bench and left their coats on it, the second
option it was.

"I'm tired." They both were. At least he told Simon to ask for a day off tomorrow, because he knew
they would be exhausted by the time they got home. And he was right. "Come here...?"

"Alright..." As he got closer to the other man, until he was right next to him, he could distantly
recall one time Sol told him something related to PDA being a magnet to all the jerks in the
country. But he couldn't bring himself to care, he was comfortable where he was, with Simon's arm
wrapped around his shoulders.

To be fair, there weren't many people in that specific corner of the arcade. It's filled with kids, who
are too busy looking at the screens, and the bench they were in was basically hidden from the
entrance and the rest of the arcade.

Not like he actually cares if someone sees them anyway.

"I think we need to go chase them." They kids moved away, but he can see them if he moves a
little. Besides, if anything happened, Leah knows how to shatter everyone's eardrums and call for
help.

"Don't want to..." Simon pulled him closer then, leaving a kiss on top of his head. As much as he
loves seeing Leah this excited, he can't wait to get home and sleep. "You think they'll beat our
score?" His partner looked at him confused, so he nodded towards the game they played when they
came here by themselves, where the kids were playing.

"Don't think so..." They might be kids, but they have more practice than them... "I think they
already lost." Ah, nevermind then. Leah left the plastic gun and ran towards another machine
nearby. "You should play air hockey with Leah."

"Me?" Not like he would mind, but Leo deserves to play too.

"Yeah, maybe you could win against her." 'Maybe'?

"Fuck off." He's not that bad, he was just distracted last time. "I'm going with them." Simon didn't
have time to protest, since he had already gotten up by the time he said he was leaving. But the
other man still tried to follow him.

"Why are you so easily annoyed today?" Not like he's actually annoyed, maybe he just became a
better actor.

"Because I'm taking care of three kids instead of two." His partner just chuckled and kept
following him, walking side by side towards where the kids were playing.

"I don't remember getting another one..." Another what? Since Simon hadn't answered for a while,
he completely forgot what they were talking about before, he was too focused on watching Leah
trying to win against her brother. She is quite good at fighting games, now that he–

"Ow–! What are you doing?" Not like getting poked hurt that much, but he was caught off guard.

"Did you have another kid?" Huh?

"Wouldn't you know if I did?" Usually adopting a kid is not something someone can keep hidden
from their significant other.

"I don't know. Maybe you're cheating on me." He would feel offended at the implication but he
knows that Simon is just joking.

"I would never, sweetheart." Maybe trying his best to look nervous wasn't the smartest move.
"Definitely not. I swear." But he loves testing his lover's patience.

"MacTavish." That's an interesting reaction. If it wasn't because he knows the man in front of him
loves him, he would think he's about to get murdered.

"Hm?" The kids ran to another game again, and Simon stopped him from chasing after them.

"Johnny." Surely his partner didn't really think he would cheat on– "We need to talk."

"You're not breaking up with me in public, right?" The man just glared and dragged him to the
bathrooms, thay were literally right next to where they were standing. "The kids–" It's not a
surprise to him that Simon is possessive, but is making out on a public bathroom really a good
idea? "Simon–"

"Shut up." Rude. "Am I not good–"

"Are you dumb? I was joking." He couldn't help laughing at the other's baffled expression. "I'm not
stupid enough to cheat on you."

"What does that mean..." Thankfully the bathroom was completely empty, but he still felt uneasy,
leaving the twins unsupervised for...a minute. Many things can happen in a minute.

"You think I'd choose anyone else when I can have you?" He ignored his partner's unimpressed
face and took his hand, dragging him out if the bathrooms to go with the kids again. They didn't
move from the game they were on, but they clearly looked terrified. "Look at what you did..."

"Daddy!" Leah spotted them easily and ran towards them, Leo following her close behind.
"Where'd you go!?"

"Sorry, princess..." He won't tell her where they'd gone, obviously. "Let's go back to the–"
"We already tried all the games." Already? They've only been here for...almost a hour, apparently.

"Oh, the thingy! Plushies factory!" The...what?

"Claw machine." Ah, that. His mortal enemy.

"I don't know–"

"Let's go!" The girl didn't give them any other options beside following her, so that's what they did.
"Hm...those sheep look like the ones I saw at home..." When did she go into their bedroom?

"So you have been here before." It's scary how fast Leo can come to conclusions. "I thought so,
why would you have a card otherwise..."

"Traitors!" Leah's outrage was predictable. "You don't want to take us out..."

"It's not that, sweetheart. You had a sleepover the day we came here..." Contrary to her brother,
who was staring at them with an eyebrow raised, the girl didn't seem to find any flaws in the
excuse.

"Okay! Now help me get a sheep!" Maybe today he'll be able to win something. It's for Leah, he
has to get at least one plushie...

Of course he didn't get anything, his pride was hurt, once again, but seeing Leah's disappointed
face was even more hurtful.

"You're terrible." He's really starting to think he's done a terrible job when raising the kids,
whenever Leo says stuff like that. "Let me try." The boy turned to look at Simon, who just nodded
his head.

"What's with you two...?" To his surprise, Leo managed to get a plushie, and he gave it to his
sister. "How?"

"It's easy. You just need to wait for some idiots to move the plushies first." Are Leah and him the
idiots? "Dad said that, at least."

"So you're calling us idiots?" Simon panicked, shaking his head. The man knew he was joking, but
Leah didn't know that it was a joke.

"Of course not. Leah is very smart." Just Leah?

"What about daddy!?" At least someone thinks about his feelings here.

"Daddy too." Huh. See, he would've thought nothing of that, if it wasn't because Simon suddenly
looked embarrassed. So it wasn't just a slip up, and this bastard took the chance to call him 'daddy'.

What's worse is that he doesn't mind at all.

"Can we get candies?" Not now, Leah, both of your fathers are having an existential crisis over a
word. "Oh, those gummy bears we saw..."

"And the worms..."

"Yeah! And the gummy snake!" The twins looked up, trying to find any sign of approval. "Dad?
Why are you red?"
"Are you sick? Put your jacket on..." Leo tugged at Simon's sweatshirt and got no response.

"Hm...Daddy, can you give me money?" Johnny absentmindedly gave the little girl some bills,
before she ran off with her brother.

"Are they okay...?" She nodded, looking around the candy store next to the arcade.

"Keep an eye on them." They won't move anyways, but she wants to make sure they don't get lost.
"(Miss, can you help me...?)"

"(Sure, darling. What did you want?)" Though choice, she has an entire shop to choose from.

"(What can I buy with this...?)" She showed the lady behind the counter the bills she had gotten
from her dad, getting confused by the woman's shocked expression.

"(Whatever you want, really.)"

"(Oh, nice!)" She started running through the aisles and picking some snacks, before going back to
the counter where all the candies were. "Hm...Leo?"

"Yeah?" The boy was more concentrated looking at their parents that at the candies.

"Choose for us, I'll keep watch." They exchanged places, but Leo didn't seem any more decisive
than his sister.

"(These ones...and those ones...)" The lady kept running from one place to another as she tried to
bag everything as quickly as she could. "(That should be it.)"

"Did you get gummy bears?" The boy nodded, moving a bit to look at their parents again, before
returning to the counter.

"(How much is it?)" The woman showed him the total on the register, and he handed over the
money.

"(Thanks for–)" Leo looked at the money he was given, and it took him less than a second to
realize there was something off. He can count, he's not that young.

"(I'm not dumb, miss. The change is wrong.)" The woman smiled awkwardly and opened the
register again, giving him the proper amount back. "(Thank you.)"

"(Have a nice day...)" They both got out of the store and walked slowly towards where Johnny and
Simon still were.

"How much did she try to steal?" Leah has been practicing maths nonstop, she also noticed that the
numbers didn't add up.

"At least seven hundred."

"Dollars!?"

"...Pesos. We didn't bring seven hundred dollars, did we?" Even if Johnny didn't check the money
he gave them, that would be just too much.

"Oh, right..." Seeing how the two adults were still not back to earth, Leah pretended to fall in front
of them to get their attention.
And it worked, as they both immediately crouched to help her stand. Meanwhile Leo just laughed
internally, way too used to his sister's antics.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" She shook her head and gave back the money. "Are you sure
you don't want to play some more?"

"Hm..." They did try most games on the arcade, but there was still... "Can we go to that thing?"
Does she not know what a bouncing castle was? Even if it's bigger than the ones on birthdays, it
should still be recognizable.

"Sure. Let me go–"

"I'll go." He sighed and watched as Simon walked away.

"Keep our candies safe." Both kids handed him bags. He's realizing now that it's a lot of food.
Maybe he should help the twins– "Don't eat them."

"I would never." That definitely wasn't his intention. Definitely.

"I can see it in your face, MacTavish." Leo is definitely spending too much time with Simon.

"Who are you calling MacTavish, huh?" The boy smirked and moved away, trying to run, but he
was caught quickly, lifting him and messing up his hair.

"I don't like you." So grumpy...

"Why don't you like being called that?" His last name? That's a good question.

"It sounds like I'm being scolded." It's too serious. But he doesn't like being called Johnny either...
"Too formal."

"But I like your surname. It sounds cool." Good to know that Leah likes it...?

"Tha–"

"Oh! Can I have your surname too!?" Huh?

"Uh..." Surely they can change the twins' last names, but it feels wrong, somehow.

"That doesn't seem like a bad idea..." Leo too? "But, what about Simon?"

"What about him?" The girl looked at her brother, confused.

"He has a nice surname too." Leah hummed, lifting a hand to her chin as she thought.

"Leah Riley does sound a bit nice...but so does Leah MacTavish..." They're both thinking too much
about this.

"Since they're both our fathers, we get both surnames, dummy." It's probably not that easy...

"Do you guys not like your last name?" Rusnav is a nice last name, right?

"I don't. It sounds weird." Weird...? Well, it is a bit out of the ordinary considering the last names
the people on this country usually have...But his and Simon's last names are also out of the
ordinary, if he follows that logic.
"I don't like it either. It doesn't sound as cool as your surname." But Rusnav...

"You can go in." The twins turned to look at Simon, and forgot the topic as soon as they were
given permission to leave. "We have to ask Alex."

"I know." He also knew his partner was eavesdropping the conversation with the twins. "It feels
wrong to...you know..."

"Rusnav wouldn't mind." They don't know that... "We should think about it a bit more, anyways."
That's true, the kids might regret it– "We have to figure out which last name should go first..."

"That's what worries you?" He was thinking about the fact that changing the last names would only
separate the kids even more from their biological family, but apparently that's not a concern to his
lover. "Mine sounds better."

"Says who?" Well...

"Leah did." And Leo too. "Usually the father's last name goes first, but..." They're both men.

"I'm the one working, I should be considered the father." That's–!

"I also worked!" He shouldn't get defensive over something that was clearly a joke. "I can get a job
anytime, too..."

"Uh-huh." This bastard– "You're too comfortable being lazy at home to–"

"You're actually sleeping on the couch today. Prick." Obviously Simon isn't trying to belittle him,
but still...Maybe he should take that offer to work at Maria's flower shop, after all...?

"No, wait–! I'm sorry, I was just–"

"Couch." Simon sighed and looked down, defeated. What pissed him off more than the man's
teasing was that he couldn't find something to tease him back...with... "You sure sounded like a
hypocrite."

"Why?"

"You called me daddy a few minutes ago." The other man's eyes widened, and he could see how
his face got red before he covered it with his hands. "I think that's more important than whoever
works or not."

"Shut up..." Oh, no, he's not letting it go now.

"Why are you embarrassed? You said it so casually too..."

"I didn't mean to..." Obviously. That won't stop him from teasing the other man, though.

"It didn't sound like it. It sounded more like your brain betrayed you. Maybe you've been calling
me that in your head..." He didn't expect Simon to look even more embarrassed after that. Maybe
he actually hit the nail with his teasing.

"I hate you." Definitely hit the nail.

"You said the opposite last night." His partner groaned and turned around, still hiding his face.
"What's wrong, babe?" He couldn't help laughing at Simon's exasperated sigh.
"You're awful." He didn't start this.

As he thought of a way to make the man feel at ease again, he saw a figure roll down the gigantic
bouncy castle. A figure that looked very much like an eight year old.

Normally he wouldn't worry about Leah doing risky stuff, but after a few seconds passed, the girl
didn't get up. Simon looked where he was looking too, and after waiting just a bit more, they both
ran towards the girl.

"Leah...?" Leo was concerned too, running towards his sister, since he was allowed to do that. "Is
she okay?" They can't really go to where she is, since they're adults and the place had an age
restriction for this zone. Of course they will ignore those restrictions if the girl is hurt.

"I don't–"

"I'm fine!" She lifted her head, crawling on all fours towards the exit. "I hit my head..."

"Does it hurt too much?" The top of the castle was very close to the ceiling, but she probably didn't
realize that until it was too late.

"Yeah. But it's alright..." There doesn't seem to be any injuries, but he should still keep an eye on
her. "I don't want to play anymore." Understandably so. Leo got out as well, looking as bored as
usual.

Their shoes weren't that far away, he took them and put Leah's on, since she looked a bit too tired.
And probably in pain too. It's a bit surprising how kids are able to get into situations that should at
least break a couple bones, but walk away unscathed.

"Let's head back, then...?" Leo nodded, lifting his arms so Simon would pick him up. The man
shook his head, giving the boy his coat instead. He also gave Leah her coat, and his own jacket to
Johnny. Because of course he would.

Since Leah couldn't do it herself, he helped her into her coat, and the scarf that she had brought.

"...Why...?" She looked a bit unhappy, probably because she can barely see with the scarf on. It's
not his fault she chose one that was way too long for her, but maybe he shouldn't have wrapped it
so many times around her neck...but she looked adorable like that...

"You'll get cold." He grabbed the girl's cheeks with his fingers and smiled at her. "Let's go, then."
Simon was already waiting by the entrance, with Leo sitting on his shoulders. They won't be able
to go through the door like that...

"Daddy...?" And now Leah wants to sit on his shoulders as well. "Please?" He'll probably regret it
later, but he picked the girl up anyways. At least she's happy again, giggling and holding his hands
to not lose her balance.

Surprisingly, Simon didn't have much trouble passing the doors with Leo, and neither did he with
Leah. He remembers the doors being a lot lower, for some reason...

"Wait in the car for a minute, yeah?" His partner helped the boy get in the car, then turned to him
and helped to take Leah off his shoulders.

"Thanks." The girl didn't protest when she was put down, she just got into the car as well.

"Here." Simon gave her his phone and closed the door, taking his cigarettes out and walking to the
back of the car. "You'll get cold too."

"I don't mind." Spending a few more minutes alone with his lover is worth getting a bit cold.

"I do." Oh. Maybe the other man doesn't want company– "Johnny." He looked up to find Simon's
tired gaze. "Come here." So the other doesn't mind if he stays...?

Apparently his partner could read his mind, pulling him close enough to wrap an arm around his
shoulders. Not like he needed it, but the closeness fended off the evening's cold breeze.

He was thinking on what they could talk about while Simon finished smoking, then he realized
that the man was glaring at something in front of them. Following the other's gaze, he saw a group
of teenagers walking away and giving them side glances.

"You know, you can't pick a fight with someone half your age." Although staring at people isn't
exactly polite, they probably don't know any better.

"They were staring." Ah, right, Simon doesn't like that at all. Even if he's comfortable enough to
not wear masks when they go out with the kids, he's still getting used to showing his face.

"They either think we look cool or that we're about to rob the place." There are also some other
options but those two are the most probable.

"Or that we're fa–"

"Don't say that." Not only because the kids can still hear them, but because it's not a good word to
refer to themselves with. "They have no reason to think that."

"Are you sure?" Unless the teens had seen them get out of the mall with the kids on their shoulders,
there wasn't much to give them away.

"Not like we were making out or something." Grabbing someone's waist is not something
exclusively romantic, so that wasn't giving them away either.

"We could be." That's not what he meant. And Simon knew that.

"No." His partner leaned on the car, looking at him with what looked very much like puppy eyes.
"We're in public."

"There's no one around." True, but that could change.

"No." He watched as the other man sat on the car, still looking at him, with a pout now.

"You don't love me anymore..." So dramatic... "Can I take the car on the divorce?" Is the car really
the most valuable possession they have?

"What divorce?" Simon smiled, dropping the act when he saw Johnny finally get close to him.
"We can't get a divorce."

"Are you saying we're never breaking up?" No, not that. Even if he's not planning on them
breaking up anyways.

"I'm saying we have to get married first." Being married is a very important requirement when
someone wants to get a divorce. "Why the car?"

"So I can live in it." Terrible idea, really. "Or I can drive it off a cliff."
"Not that." He has more reasons to not let Simon drive, now. "If you do that you can't visit the
kids..."

"Will you let me visit the kids?" Are they really imagining their lives after a divorce?

"Of course. They love you." His partner pulled him by his clothes, slowly, until he was standing
between the man's legs. "You'll have to visit me too, I'll get lonely..."

"You'll miss my co–?"

"Shut it." He shouldn't have said anything. "Finish that so we can go home." As if on cue, the
embers fell from the cigarette filter and to the ground.

"Sh–" Unluckily, they fell on Simon's hand before they reached the floor.

"You okay?" The man's skin is not exactly delicate, and the ashes didn't touch his hand for more
than a second. But he still grabbed his partner's hand and rubbed it, trying to make the sting
dissappear quickly.

"I am now." So he didn't even feel the pain and was just being dramatic, is what he meant. "A kiss
might make me feel better..." Is he a child?

"Aw, do you want me to kiss your boo-boos? To make them–"

"No, but you can kiss my a–" Before the man could finish the sentence, he grabbed his hips and
pulled him forward, making him almost fall on his back on top of the car. "Guess not?"

"Not in public, at least." He made sure no one was around before leaning down and joining their
lips. Simon immediately opened his mouth and tried to deepen the kiss, but Johnny pulled away
before he had a chance to.

"Just that?" 'Just'– Even if they're in a very secluded area on the back of the parking lot, it still
probably counts as public indecency to pin your lover down and aggressively make out. But more
importantly, the kids are still inside the car. "Come on–"

"Behave." The other man closed his mouth, standing up after a while and walking towards the car
doors.

Thankfully both the twins were focused on whatever they were watching on the phone. They
should hurry home before Leah falls asleep.

The kids weren't the only ones that fell asleep on the ride back home, and he realized when they
were already home that Simon was sleeping soundly on the passenger seat. He can carry the kids
just fine, but his partner weighs a bit more than an eight year old...

Deciding to let the man sleep for a bit more, he got to work on bringing the kids inside the house.
It's way too early to put them to bed, so he'll wake them up in a while. They have to talk with Leah
anyways.

It took only two trips to get the kids and their bags inside, he left them on the couch at the living
room and covered them with some blankets they had nearby, before going to the car again.

Now he feels bad for having to wake Simon up, seeing how peaceful and comfortable he looked,
but he'll probably regret sleeping in a car when he wakes up.

"Wake up, honey..." His partner stirred and turned to face him, but he still didn't wake up. Seeing
that this would take a bit longer than he expected, he sat on the driver's seat and placed his hand on
the other man's thigh.

Eventually his partner woke up, as unhappy as usual. Although he looked more sad than grumpy.

"Leave me alone..." That's new. And he turned the other way, too.

"Nightmare...?" It's been a while since Simon has had nightmares bad enough to make him want to
be by himself, but this morning was the same. Maybe there's something bothering him...?

"No. It was a nice dream." Huh. Then why– "I didn't want to wake up."

"What were you dreaming about...?" Now he's curious about this, since his partner's brain doesn't
usually make up nice scenarios.

"Things."

"What kind of things...?" Why is the man trying to hide–?

"None of your business." That's rude...He was just curious, but he can't deny Simon is right.

"Get up. We have to talk with Leah." He'll pretend that being told to mind his business didn't hurt
him a bit. They have a more important task at hand, anyways.

Simon huffed and got up, or so he could guess from the noises he heard behind him, since he didn't
stay with the man after telling him to get up.

Even if they were away for about five minutes, it was enough time for Leo to wake up, and to get
himself something to eat too. The boy was currently watching a documentary, eating bread on the
couch with his sister's legs thrown on his lap.

And Leah was more asleep than awake, but she had her eyes open at least. She looked at them for a
second, then sat up and brought her backpack closer.

"Johnny...?" Why is she back to a first name basis, now? "Uhm..."

"What wrong, princess?" It's not like her to be this serious, or nervous.

"Sol helped us make these..." The girl pulled out two pieces of paper and gave them to him, hiding
behind her backpack as she waited for feedback. "I know it's not father's day, but..."

"Thank you, sweetheart..." He could tell Sol had helped make these by the fact that the word
'mother' was crossed out instead of just changed. "This one's for you." Simon grabbed the card that
had a lot of skulls drawn on it, looking at it with a smile.

"These are cute." The girl looked up, smiling brightly as she saw that they were happy with the
gifts. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Now he feels bad for having to talk about what happened at school...
Apparently his partner did too, by the way he was looking at him indecisively, but they had to do
it. Praising kids is just as important as lecturing them when they do something bad.

"Leah, let's talk a bit." The girl looked at them with a smile, curious about what this conversation
was about.

"What is it?" She's in such a good mood, though...

"We're..." Leah's happiness isn't making this any easier, so he gets why Simon is hesita– "We're
raising your allowance."

"Nice!"

"No–"

"Really? That's cool." Leo joined them too, sitting by his sister.

"What are you–? We're not raising your allowance." His partner pretended to be surprised. As
much as he could without laughing.

"But daddy..." Well, Leah isn't happy anymore, at least. The problem is that he's the villain, now.

"We need to talk about what happened at school." The other man nodded and sat next to Leah.
"What you did was very bad."

"I know. It won't happen again, I feel bad about it..." Huh. She's either a great actress or genuinely
remorseful. Probably the second one.

"If someone is bullying you, you need to tell an adult. Us, or a teacher, or whoever is available."

"I know! But the teacher was watching and she didn't help me!" That's more new information.

"What teacher?" They should ask Maria to send the recording from Maia's phone, just to see if
there was actually a teacher there. "Did you call for her?"

"Yeah! And she looked at us and everything!" That's not how a teacher should act.

"It was the math witch, she didn't let us make a card for you too, said it wasn't okay to have two
dads." So this started because of that. The kid that got punched wouldn't have been brave enough to
be an asshole if he didn't have the approval of a teacher..."The english teacher helped us then, but
she wasn't outside during recess."

"I see..." He's definitely having a talk with the principal tomorrow.

"You shouldn't tell people you have two dads." That's not the problem here, is it...?

"But it's true." The kids probably won't understand what the problem is even if they explain it.

"It is, but a lot of people think it's weird or bad. You should only tell people you know very well,
so you don't get in trouble." It's the best way he can put it. It'll save a lot of trouble for everyone if
they just keep it as a secret.

"But it's not weird. They used to say the same when we said we only lived with auntie." It's not a
surprise that the twins used to get bullied for anything they said. Kids can be cruel, and these two
didn't stand up for themselves at all, nor did they have anyone to defend them. Before they lived
with Simon and Johnny, of course.
"It's not something important, anyways. If you don't say it people can't bully you for it." He texted
Maria while he talked, asking the woman for the recording.

"But it is important...you're my dads, why can the other kids brag about their parents being cool but
not us?" Because those same kids bragging about their parents don't know how to be polite.
"You're cooler than their dads!"

"Just– Don't." Even if she doesn't look happy, this is for the best.

"Why are we cooler?" Is that really that important? Also, does Simon really need to know why an
eight year old thinks he's cool? The one he's raising, too...

"Because you are! All they talk about is that their dads are cool because or their jobs or their
cars...or because they go fishing..." It's just kids bragging about their stuff, the man should know
about this. "But Johnny is cool and he doesn't have a job or a nice car!" Huh?

"Uh-huh. He doesn't have that, you're right..." No, why is Simon agreeing with–

"And he used to have a horrible haircut but he was still cool." Leo too!?

"True, true..." So now they're ganging up to bully him instead. That's funny.

"Leah, you're grounded." The girl looked up, her smile vanishing. "Leo, give me your books and
the key to the office." And her brother had the same reaction.

"That's–" He's not done.

"Give me my hoodie. And you're sleeping on the couch. For real this time." Now that the three of
them looked absolutely devastated, he got up, taking all the things he asked for, and hid on his
bedroom.

Of course he's giving everything back later, and letting Simon sleep with him, but they don't know
that. Maybe. He's not hearing the twins crying, which is weird, but good.

Since he's not going out for a while, he's just going to watch something on his phone until he gets
bored.

Although he was using Simon's earphones to listen to a show he found, he still heard footsteps on
their porch, which wouldn't be weird if it wasn't because it was 09:50 PM and no one told him they
were going out. So now he's curious as to who could show up at their doorstep at this hour.

"Daddy, come here!" Halfway through the hall, he heard Leah whisper from her room. "Dad said
we should hide!"

"It's fine. Go back to bed." If anyone wanted to hurt them they wouldn't be trying to open the door
so loudly. And the fact that they were using keys made their possible visitors list much shorter.

Simon was looking at the door with his arms crossed, probably knowing who was on the other side
now. Since his partner wasn't willing to let the woman in, he walked around him and opened the
door.
"Hi, dear friends of mine!" There's something off. "Alright, don't look at me like that..."

"What do you want?" Was Simon in such a bad mood the last time they saw each other?

"Uh...you see, I was about to flee the city and my car broke down. Nearby. I promise it was
actually a coincidence." They live near the route that leads to another city, so it can be a
coincidence. "Can I crash in your couch today? I'll leave as soon as the fuc–" She apparently
remembered there are kids in the house. "...the good man from my car insurance company decides
it's work time." There's no reason to say no to a friend who needs–

"I'm sleeping in the couch today. So no. Goodb–"

"She can sleep with me, then." That didn't make Simon any happier, for obvious reason, but the
man let the woman in before slamming the door.

"You know, Johnny–"

"Not–"

"You can call me Johnny." Sol looked even more awkward under Simon's glare, but she tried to
ignore it.

"Soap. You know, everything cool with you, but like... I don't think your boyfriend would like us
sleeping together." Oh, she's actively trying to piss Simon off. "At least try to keep our past a
secret, man."

"What past?" If she keeps this up Simon might actually kick her out.

"Oh! No, it's nothing sir!" Such a terrible actress too...but that's probably on purpose. "My
relationship with your husband is purely platonic!"

"Are you dumb?" The first thing she does when she is allowed into their house is try to annoy
Simon. "You're sleeping on the couch now. You creeped me out."

"So I win." So that was the point of her terrible attempt at acting? "I don't like guys, by the way."

"I already figured that out." Sol just raised an eyebrow, slightly offended.

"I was talking to mister grumpy, next to you." Ah. Simon is still in a bad mood. "You can't get
jealous of me. It's the law."

"Shut up." He knows that his partner didn't get jealous. Not like Sol's acting was convincing
anyway, they're already used to her antics.

"Yeah, yeah. Go away." This is their hou– whatever. The kids are already in their rooms and they
should head to bed anyways.

"Don't eat our cereal." They should lock the kitchen just in case...

"I have my own." Does she just bring cereal everywhere she goes? "Why was Simon sleeping on
the couch, by the way?" Long story.

"He called me jobless." The other man turned to look at him, confused, and then went back to
glaring at Sol when she laughed.

"Do you want a job?" Not like he really needs it...

"Maybe." Apparently his friend was ready for this. Which doesn't surprise him, considering how
she offered him a job before.

"My godfather opened his restaurant again and he's hiring servers. If you're in–"

"I'm in." Simon looked at him in disbelief but he completely ignored the man. "When do I start?"

"Probably on monday." She took out her phone and texted someone, receiving a reply almost
immediately. "He says you'll have to go on sunday so he can explain the basics."

"Alright." It's better than watching over plants all day. "Make sure to turn off the lights."

"Yes, mom." He glared at the woman but walked out of the living room anyways, with Simon
following him to their bedroom.

The silence was something he expected, but he didn't think it'd be this heavy. His partner clearly
had something to say, yet he didn't speak at all.

Since the man wasn't making up his mind, he just got in bed and took his phone again, scrolling
through it while he waited for the other to say whatever he wanted to say.

"Johnny...?" And it only took him five minutes.

"Hm?" The phone was just a distraction, so he put the device aside and looked at the man who was
still standing awkwardly by the bed. And still wearing clothes that weren't exactly comfortable to
sleep with.

"Did it bother you that much...?" He's a bit lost here.

"It?"

"What I said. Today." Oh, the job thing? Not really, he already knew he was becoming a couch
potato. And he didn't mind that, anyways.

"You calling me dadd–?" A pillow hit his face, and he couldn't help laughing.

"I'm trying to be serious here." That's the problem.

"I don't mind. Not like you tried to insult me with it, it was just banter." It helped to make a serious
topic look less serious, at the time, so it was fine. "I didn't take the job because of what you said,
I'm just getting bored of...this."

"Me?" He rolled his eyes when he saw Simon's smirk.

"Yes. I'm getting bored of you." His partner chuckled and finally got ready to get in bed. "Were
you really going to sleep on the couch?"

"Yeah. You told me to do that." Well, he wasn't serious.

"You know we have spare beds, right?" The bed on what used to be his bedroom is available, and
they have extra mattresses upstairs, so sleeping on the couch would be unnecessary.

"You said the couch, I use the couch." Two hands crept to his waist and pulled him closer to his
lover.

"So obedient. Do I give you treats?"

 "You can call me a good boy."

"Do I need to add that to your kink list?" It's quite a long one too–

"It's already somewhere there." Probably. "Goodnight." Ah, he got shy now?

"No kiss?" He can still make the other more embarrassed.

"...fine." His partner got closer to him, leaving a small peck on his cheek before going for a proper
kiss. Eventually he ended up half on top of Simon, and the man didn't seem to mind the extra
weight. He didn't seem to mind anything, actually, because he's almost asleep already.

"You're cute." He finally managed to get away from the man, yet he grabbed the other's face and
left a kiss on his cheek too.

"Thanks..." Ah, he wasn't asleep, after all? No, he definitely is more asleep than awake by now, but
for some reason he's trying to stay conscious.

"Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow..." Simon nodded weakly and buried his face on
the pillow under him, finally passing out.

He'll do that too, pretty soon. It was a long and eventful day, but it was fun, if he ignores what
happened at school with the kids.

And it was a very educational day too.

Today he learned that seahorses stay with one partner their entire lives, too.

>

Chapter End Notes

The author is not tired. A surprise, really.

I wanted to visit the sea museum but no one wants to drive me there, nor do any buses
leave me near. I'm still crying about this. I had to write this chapter based on my
childhood memories to ease the pain.

Next chapter should be up some day during the week, and the final chapter next
weekend. If everything goes to plan, clearly. Not a lot has been going according to my
plans, lately.

Thanks for reading!<3 See you next chapter!

 (19). Just a sunny day.
Chapter Summary

Time to say farewell.

Chapter Notes

Content warning(s).
-(Minor?) Character death.
-Animal death(s) (I took out the most explicit parts but still, it's ugly.) (Like, 'there's
blood' kinda ugly.)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

There was something wrong, he could tell even if he hadn't even woken up yet. It didn't have
anything to do with Simon, the man was right behind him, hugging him, and still asleep.

The kids were fine too, they hadn't woken up considering how it's still night-time, and he hasn't
heard any screams or any noise that could indicate they were in danger.

He was about to let the feeling go, thinking that maybe it had to do with a dream he just had but
couldn't remember. Until his phone rang on his night stand.

His partner complained as he moved away, sitting up and looking at him through groggy eyes. He
turned for a second to smile at the man before picking up the call, forgetting to read who it was
from.

"Hello?" Whoever it was better had a good reason to call at this hour. Not like he knows what time
it is, but there wasn't a hint of sunlight coming from outside.

"Sorry for waking you up." The voice on the other side was completely wrecked, but he could tell
it was Alexander.

"No, it's okay." The man wouldn't call at this hour if it wasn't important. The question is what
could be so important. "Is everything alright?" Simon moved closer, resting his head on Johnny's
shoulder, trying to listen to the call as well.

"My sister–" By the way the other man's voice got caught in his throat, he could tell that something
bad had happened. "They– She's gone."

"Shit–" It's not like this was something they didn't see coming, but it still seemed too soon. "I'm
sorry to hear that." His brain is not awake enough to know how to react.

"I'll call you later to tell you about...things." Right. She wanted to be buried here. "I should've
called you later."

"Don't worry about that." If he called now it's because this happened recently.
"I'll talk with the kids when I get there..." That...They should talk with the kids instead. They didn't
know the twins that much when they got here, so they agreed to let Alexander talk with them when
Rusnav passed away. But it's been a while since they met the kids, if anything they'll be more
comfortable talking with Simon and him than with their uncle.

"We'll talk with them." He heard a sigh from the other side of the line. "Call if you need anything,
man. Or if you just need to talk with someone..."

"Thanks, Soap." A door opened wherever Alexander was, and he could tell the call was muted for
a couple seconds. "I have to go. Sorry for waking you up, again."

"Don't worry. Take care." The call ended and he let the phone fall on the mattress, looking at
Simon who was silently looking at him. "Rusnav–"

"I heard." Of course he did. "Let's tell them later." Definitely. Waking the kids up right now to tell
them their mother died is just cruel, especially since the funeral won't be held for at least a couple
of days. There's no need to rush, right now, so they should think how to talk with them first.

After putting his phone back in place, he crawled under the blankets, reaching for Simon so they
could hug.

He didn't know how to process the news, especially since he didn't have time to even wake up
before hearing them. On one hand, Rusnav was just someone that they worked with for a while,
and they knew this would happen sooner or later. They didn't know the woman enough to consider
her a close friend, even. But this was the person that saved their lives, more than once. The person
who tried her best to keep them safe while on the battlefield.

On the other hand, this person was also their kids' mother. She didn't stick around to raise them,
nor did she leave them in good hands before them, but she was still their mother.

In both cases, if it wasn't for her they wouldn't be here.

It's only natural, to be sad after being told that she's no longer on earth, even if he knew the woman
wouldn't wake up again. Maybe deep down he still hoped some miracle would happen and she
would get out of the hospital bed she'd been on for a year. But miracles like that don't happen
unless you're in a novel.

Grief is something he should've gotten used to by now, yet this feels so different from that. How is
he supposed to react to the death of someone that is so important, but he barely knows? The person
who allowed them to live the life they're currently living.

His thoughts were interrupted when two arms wrapped around him and pulled him closer to
Simon's chest. As he yawned, he looked up, finding that his partner was lost in thought as well.

"Simon?" The other's eyes focused on him now, the only emotion behind them being exhaustion.
"Are you okay?"

"Mhm." The man stretched a bit before pulling him even closer. "Are you?"

"I think so." He still doesn't know how to feel about this, but what he does know is that it's three in
the morning and he's tired.

"We'll talk about it in the morning." Simon is tired too, it seems.

Falling asleep was easier when he could concentrate on the arms around him instead of his
problems.

They didn't talk with the kids that day. They also hadn't received any news from Alexander in two
days, since the man called.

It's not like they're avoiding the topic, at least for Johnny. He genuinely didn't know how to have
this conversation with the twins. And Simon probably doesn't know, either.

His phone buzzed, telling him it was time to pick the kids up from school, and bringing him back
to earth. Staring at the wall for half an hour didn't give him the answers he was looking for, so
maybe he should try talking with his partner instead.

"Simon....?" The man was in the kitchen, making lunch so the kids could eat as soon as they got
home.

"Hm?" Maybe he looked more tired than he thought, and that's why Simon's expression changed to
one of concern as soon as he turned to look at him. "Johnny?"

"We have to talk with them." It won't be long before they get news from Alexander. "About..."

"Their dead mother?" So blunt– "I know, Johnny."

"Today. As soon as we get home." His partner turned to look at him, then walked his way.

"I don't know how to tell them." He's just as lost as Simon, but they need to find a way.

"I'll do the talking, just stay with us." It's not like the other man is good with words anyways, so it's
better if he's there just for emotional support. "We have to go pick them up."

"Already?" Leah will be out of her extra classes in thirty minutes, and they should be there by the
time she gets out. Leo stays in the classroom with her, too, so they don't have to hurry. "Let me go
grab more clothes."

"Bring me a hoodie." It's cold even inside the house, he can imagine how cold it's going to be when
he gets out.

Simon came back with two of his own hoodies, and gave one to Johnny, before they slowly made
their way outside.

For such a sunny day, it was freezing, and not even the car's heater or the extra clothes helped to
fend off the cold. He's thankful that they sent the kids with extra layers, even if Leah said she hated
it.

Even after parking the car in front of the school, they didn't exit the car. Not because it was cold
outside, but because what was to come after they pick up the twins.

"I hate this." The impending doom or the heater he's glaring at?

"I know." He hates both of those things too. "We'll talk with them after lunch–" His phone rang as
he was about to open the car's door, and as soon as he read the name 'Rusnav', he felt his heart
drop.

"You talk with ghosts now?" It's obviously Alexander, but it's still eerie to get a call from a dead
person's phone.

"I talk with you, don't I?" He's just trying to delay the inevitable. Because he has to pick up the
phone whether he wants to or not.

"You're funny."

"Hello?"

"Soap? Sorry for calling from here but my phone died." And here he was, hoping he'd woken up in
a parallel universe where Rusnav was still alive and well, calling him to tell him she's coming back
home. No, he doesn't want that, really. He's too attached to the kids now. As selfish as that sounds.
"We're– I'm already here."

"I see." They're not ready yet.

"The funeral is tomorrow." They're not ready yet... "I'll send you the cemetery's location as soon as
I charge my phone."

"I...see. Okay." Alexander paused for a second, clearly having more to say, but waiting for Johnny
to process the information. "What time?"

"Around four. I don't know if the kids will be there, but I tried to organize it so they don't miss
school." How thoughtful. They'll miss school anyways. They can take as many days off as they
need, if they're not in the mood to go.

"Thank you." Simon put a hand on his leg, knowing what he was being told despite not hearing a
single word.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I guess. Goodbye." The call was ended before he could say goodbye too.
And he just stared at the screen, at the name of the last incoming call.

"I'll go pick them up." That's probably for the best. He shouldn't had offered to be the one
speaking, it'll only make him feel guilty once the kids get sad. And he's realizing a bit too late. "It's
going to be fine." Simon grabbed his hand, squeezing it to get his attention. As if the fact that it
was way too warm compared to anyone else's hands wasn't enough. "We'll be fine."

"I know– Don't worry about me. Go pick them up." It wasn't his intention to sound so cold, but he
was nervous and still trying to figure out what words he should use. "Simon." He wasn't dumb to
not notice the man was caught off guard when he spoke on that tone, though.

"Yeah?" He squeezed the other's hand too, before letting go.

"I love you." His partner smiled softly and opened the door to leave.

"Love you too. We'll be right back." And just like that, he was gone.

Now he can have a meltdown in peace.

How the hell is he supposed to explain to the twins that their beloved mother died? The woman
that they waited for months to see for just a day and still felt happy when she arrived? They always
watch videos of her when they feel sad, and they didn't know she was dead then.
He should've kept his mouth shut and let Alexander be the one to break the kids' hearts. That might
be selfish but it's better than having to do it himself. He knows that as soon as Leah starts crying so
will Leo, and he'll have to stay strong and not cry along with the kids. Because that would put even
more pressure on Simon, too.

What's worse is that even after the conversation the kids will still be sad, so he'll have to watch
them grieve and not be able to do much about it besides staying with them.

He didn't lose his mother when he was just eight, but it's probably one of the worst things that can
happen to a child. And he was hoping he wouldn't have to witness it.

Couldn't Rusnav just hold on for a couple more years? It's cruel to think that, since her state wasn't
something that could be considered living, but just one or two more years would've been enough.

Enough for the kids to enjoy their childhood as normally as they could. And to be as happy as they
could.

Maybe he could...keep it a secret? No, the twins deserve to know, he already thought about this.
They have the right to know what happened to their mother, and they could end up hating him
when they grow up and find out he kept the truth from them.

It has to be done, no matter how much it might hurt. They'll be there to support the kids as they
learn to move on. It's their duty, after all. To help them, support them, and protect them.

"Daddy, look!" Leah startled him as she opened the door and jumped on the back-seat, holding a
drawing in her hand. "I got a...what's it called?" Leo entered the car as well, carefully.

"It's like, an A score."

"I got a nice...grade...? Daddy...?" He's not ready.

"Johnny?" Not yet, he doesn't want to see such a happy face disappear. "Love?" Not only Leah, but
Leo too. He's not always cheerful like his sister, but a few smiles are better than none. "Fuck–"

"Daddy?" Will Leah be able to draw after she knows? Her mother taught her how to draw to begin
with, surely she won't lose something she loves so much just because...No, it's very possible she
won't want to draw anymore after she knows.

"It's fine, princess." And Leo too. He loves playing the piano, and listening to his mother play too.
The boy is good at it too, it would be terrible if he gave up now.

"Is he okay...?" And now he's making the twins worry too. And he can't find his voice to tell them
everything is fine.

"Put this on. Don't peek." He tried to look at what Simon was doing, but as soon as he tried to turn,
the man grabbed his clothes and pulled him towards the passenger seat. To his partner's lap, to be
precise. It's not like he would mind but it feels a bit more crowded than usual. "I'm sorry."

"For wh–" The other man pulled him to his chest, hugging him way too tightly for his liking. The
car already feels too small when he's sitting on the other's legs, and this wasn't helping at all. "Let
me go–"

"I will." Why is he hugging him even tighter, then? Normally he wouldn't mind the situation but he
feels like he's suffocating, and being trapped isn't exactly helping at all. But no matter how much
he tried to push Simon away, the other man wasn't letting go. He stopped trying to get away after
he hit his partner, by accident, and realized a little too late.

"I'm so–"

"It's fine." It isn't. But he's panicking over something else. "Just calm down..." The arms around
him loosened up a bit, and he immediately felt hands rubbing circles on his back. "It'll be fine..."
Of course it won't be, he's about to ruin the twins mood– "Johnny."

"It's not–!" Now that he was able, he pulled away and immediately regretted it, because Simon had
opened the window and it was still freezing. "Fuck." It was mostly on instinct that he went back to
his previous position, hiding his face on the other man's neck.

"Try to breathe." He is breathing...isn't he? No, he is breathing the wrong way. He can tell because
of how slow Simon's breathing is when compared to his own. "That's it..." This isn't something he
should make the kids see– "They're fine, Johnny. Look at me." Was it always this hard to focus on
something? "Only me."

"I am looking." He shouldn't be surprised at how horrible his voice sounds, but it still caught him
off guard. "You're kinda cute."

"Sorry, I'm married." At least his partner is playing along. But he doesn't have the energy to keep
the banter up. "Breathe, sweetheart..."

"I'm trying my best here." Just breathing hurts, his lungs burning every time air gets in, but he's
trying to follow Simon's calm, deep breaths.

It took him ten very long, exhausting minutes, but he didn't feel like he was dying anymore. And
even if he probably looked better now, the hands on his back didn't move an inch, still keeping him
in place and preventing him from running away.

Since Simon wasn't letting him move for a while more, he looked at the back seats, the twins
hidden under a blanket that didn't let them see anything happening around him.

"They're fine." They look more than fine, really. At least better than him. "I'll drive."

"You don't have–"

"You're not driving, MacTavish." Rude. "I don't want to die. Today." Interesting wording.

"Just today?" His partner kissed his neck, then moved to get out from under him. "I thought you
liked living now."

"I do." He waited for the other man to get on the driver's seat, then waited for him to elaborate. "It
was a joke, Johnny."

"Uh-huh." It fits Ghost's terrible sense of humor.

"As long as you're alive I don't mind being alive too." That's equally sweet and terrifying. "You
two." He lifted the blanket off the kids and looked at them.

"Hm?" They're completely oblivious to what happened in the last fifteen minutes, each with a
phone in hand and eating chips that who knows where they got from. "Was the drawing that bad?"

"Of course not–!"

"Daddy is just tired. Your drawing is beautiful, princess." Considering how nonchalant she was,
she probably knew that already.

"Did you not sleep?" Leo took the bag between them and threw it in his bag, ignoring how his
sister protested.

"Maybe." He slept fine, really.

"Let's go home so we can take a nap!" 'We'? Is she tired too? "Oh! Maia wanted to come over after
lunch!"

"She can't–"

"We'll see." He glared at Simon, and the man ignored him, throwing the blanket he took from the
kids towards him, waiting for it to be wrapped around his shoulders. "We have to talk after lunch."

"About what? I didn't do anything!" That sounds suspicious.

"...You'll see after lunch." The girl pouted but sat back on her seat.

"Fine..."

He can do this. Maybe.

It's been at least half an hour since the kids were done eating, and he'll have to start getting ready
for work soon, yet they haven't talked. At all.

Not only with the kids, Simon hasn't spoken a word to him since they got home, which is making
him think that he was an idiot for panicking the way he did and his partner is done with his shit.

It doesn't make sense, but it could be.

Just as he was about to spiral down into an even worse thought process, there was a knock on the
door. And it couldn't be anyone else that wasn't their babysitter.

"Yo' yo' yo'." No one has the energy to deal with her today. "Jeez, your house gets more depressing
each day." Ah, he forgot to clean up. "Uh..."

"Hi, Sol." If she's here then he probably should go get his uniform.

"Don't 'hi' me, MacTavish. You look like shit." How kind.

"Feel like it, too." A quick glance at the clock told him that he wasn't running late, his friend had
arrived earlier.

"What's wrong? Do you need anything?" A new identity so he can flee the country. But he would
have to leave Simon and the kids behind... "Did you guys fight, or something?"

"No." He looked around, finding no one besides Sol in the room. The kids were playing outside,
and Simon must be somewhere near them. Definitely not in the house. "The twins' mother died."
"Oh." Ah, now she feels awkward. "Shit, man. Sorry to hear that." He nodded, not really wanting
to focus on that.

"I don't know how to tell the kids." For once in her life, she was trying to think on what to say.

"Well, as long as you don't do what my dad did, you'll be alright." Should he ask what her dad did?
"He told me 'Soledad, your grandparents are getting a divorce...'"

"We're not getting a divo–"

"'...because grandma died.'" What the hell. "As you can see, I grew up normally. As long as you do
better than that, the kids will be fine." That somehow makes him feel better.

"I'm not sure how someone could do worse than that." It's probably impossible. "I'll have to go to
the funeral tomorrow, by the way."

"Don't worry, I'll give you a day off." At first he was skeptical about having Sol as his manager,
but she's doing a perfect job, to his surprise. "You'll have to work today, though."

"I know." His shift starts in an hour, and he has to call a day before if he wants to change his
schedule. "We'll go after I talk with them."

"Right. I'll give you guys space. Find me in my car later." The woman stood up, patting his
shoulder as an attempt to comfort him, then left the house.

It was too cold outside, so he grabbed one of Simon's hoodies, again, and went for the door,
looking around the yard and trying to find the kids. Apparently they were in the back yard, playing
with Rexie and Bones, with Simon looking from the distance.

"I thought you were quitting." Looking at the floor, he found way too many cigarette filters and
ashes, all recent too.

"I thought that too." Well, he can try again some other time. "Are you okay?"

"Doesn't matter. Call them over." His partner glared at him, but decided to not insist and called the
twins back.

"Daddy! Are you feeling better?" No, he feels worse, actually.

"Sit down. You too, Leo." The twins looked at each other and did as they were told, getting
nervous by the serious tone. And by the fact that Simon lit another cigarette as soon as he finished
talking.

"Did something happen...?" Leo is defensive now, which is probably a terrible sign.

"Something did happen. Something...bad..." And now Leah is panicking too. "I know this is going
to be hard to process, but it's important that you know it."

"Just say it." Why the hell is Leo angry now!?

"Your mother–" He can't say it. And he's actually trying to.

"Your mother passed away a few days ago." As soon as the words left Simon's mouth, he forced
himself to look away from the kids.

"Oh. Just that?" Huh?

"She was alive? Really alive?" They already said that Rusnav was alive before, right? "I thought
you were going to say you were leaving."

"We're not leaving." They already said that too. "Why are you two so calm?"

"Want us to cry?" Leo definitely spent too much time with Simon. He's starting to act as dead
inside as the man. As cocky too. "We already cried when she left, and the first couple of times she
visited."

"Yeah! She told us that we can't cry every time she leaves..." But it's different than that. "I guess
she's not coming back, though."

"But I don't feel like crying." They're raising a sociopath.

"I do, a bit, but not enough to actually cry." Two sociopaths. "Uh...can I ask a question...?"

"Depends on the question." Surely the kids are curious about what happened to their mother, but
he's not sure how much he can–

"Was she happy?" Happy? That's something he wasn't expecting. Alexander did say that she loved
putting her life at risk, so she probably died doing what she liked.

Ah, wasn't she laughing?

"She was." He's beginning to understand why she was laughing, back then. And it's because of
how much they've learned about the woman through this year they've been with the twins. She
wasn't delusional, or had lost her mind, or even as an effect of the blood loss and the pain; the
hysterical laughter was because she was actually happy.

The russian bastard was happy she finally died.

"Then it's fine." Now he's happy that the kids aren't that affected by the news. Rusnav doesn't
deserve the pity. How dare she? Choosing to go with the people she lost before instead of coming
back to the twins? With her brother and her mother, even. Leaving the people that still cared about
her for...ghosts.

Leaving these two sweet and caring kids behind. The two kids that needed her the most. Not only
leaving them behind, but leaving them with their aunt too, before that.

"Johnny." Simon grabbed his hand and brought him back to earth, offering the cigarette he still had
in his hand. "Would you two like to go see her?"

"See her?" He won't explain any of his thoughts to the kids. They can figure it out when they grow
older or live blissfully unaware of why he was so angry at the moment. "Where?"

"Her funeral." It's their choice after all. "It's fine if you–"

"We can say goodbye forever, then." So that's Leo's intention?

"We should go." He's really surprised that Leah isn't crying, but he won't complain at all. "And if
we miss her we can visit the...thing."

"Grave." The girl nodded, looking back at them.

"It's better than watching videos of her, because she'll be actually there." Technically she's right.
"Even if she can't answer, she can hear, right?" Ah.
"Yeah." At least Simon has enough guts to lie to her. But it's for the best, hopefully she'll learn the
truth after the wound isn't this fresh.

"I already called the principal and told her you're not going tomorrow." Both the kids thought for a
second but seemed to understand what that meant.

"Can we go play, now?" Simon and him stared at the kids in silence, and the kids stared back,
expectantly.

"Go ahead." They didn't even hesitate to run off to where the dogs were waiting for them. "Fuckin'
hell." He grabbed the other man's hand before he could pull another cigarette from the pack. "Get
your hand off."

"No." It's not like he doesn't understand that it's his partner's way of getting rid of stress, but his
lungs are already damaged enough.

"Soap." Not this again.

"Fuck off. Stop that–"

"It's the last one." Before he could tell his partner no again, he realized that it was the last one in
the pack. And that it was upside down.

"...fine." Simon didn't wait for his approval anyways, by the time he took his hand back the other
was already lighting the cigarette. "Why are you angry?"

"You tell me." Did he come to the same conclusion? That Rusnav would rather give up on this than
let go of the past?

Asking wasn't necessary, so instead they sat in silence, Simon thrown back on his chair, his eyes
closed as he kept throwing smoke up, and Johnny watching with concern.

Of course the man would notice that he was being stared at, but apparently the five minutes of
silence were enough to calm down a bit. When he opened his eyes, the look he had was soft, even
if he was zoning out.

"What did you wish for?" His partner came back to earth, looking at him curiously.

"Hm?" He nodded towards the cigarette, almost finished in Simon's hand. "I forgot."

"You still have time." At least two drags before he can burn his fingers, or the ember falls down.
Whichever came first.

"Let me think." He exhaled a laugh, watching the man take the request seriously. "Ah." The ember
fell before he could make a decision.

"Too slow." Simon looked down at the ground and sighed, throwing the filter with the rest.

"Don't need a wish, anyways." Not like wishes came through because of tobacco. "My last one
came true already." Or apparently they did?

"What was your last wish...?" Now he's curious as to what could this man want so much.

"Not telling." What a shame. He almost had another thing to tease his partner with.

"Scared it will go away?" Is that how wishes work? If you tell them before they happen, they won't
come true, and if you tell after they happen they'll disappear...?

"I don't think you can–" Oh?

"What was that?"

"You didn't hear anything, MacTavish–"

"Did you wish for a handsome, funny, amazing boyfriend?" Simon rolled his eyes and stood up.

"If I had I wouldn't be with you, would I?"

"Oh, so I'm not good enough, now?" He chased after the man, getting into the house.

Simon can act tough all he wants, his ears always end up betraying him, turning that pretty shade of
pink.

After a while, they managed to convince Leah that no, she can't wear a bright pink dress to her
mother's funeral, and Leo that no, he can't bring books to read while they buried his mother, and
they were finally able to leave the house. One small problem.

"I think I told you I wasn't going to work today." Sol waved dismissively and got closer to the
porch, completely ignoring Simon's glare.

"Yeah, yeah. See, the thing is–"

"Go away."

"I was just checking in on you t– four." She either forgot about the kids or her friends. They'll
never know. "I'm supposed to be here to babysit, since you didn't tell me not to come." That's their
bad. "And to confirm if the little demons were going to my house as planned." She should've
guessed that the twins wouldn't want to have a sleepover after their mother died. Even if they
clearly want to.

"Can she come too?" A funeral is not a party, Leah. You can't just bring anyone. "For emotional
support." How...does she know what emotional support is?

"Go where?" Well, at least she's dressed for the occasion.

"Mom's funeral!" That sentence and that tone shouldn't go together. It gave all the adults whiplash,
for obvious reasons.

"Christ." The woman walked a few steps back, realizing now that she should really leave. "I'd love
to but I'm not allowed inside most cemeteries since...an incident..." What did she do to be banned
from a cemetery...? "And I don't know your mother, it'd be disrespectful if I go."

"I don't mind." Even Leo wants her to tag along? "She can go, right?"

"Uh..." He should really ask Alexander, but how exactly does he do that without being
disrespectful?
"If she stays far away." So Simon is allowing this? "Try to look sad at least."

"Alright. Didn't think I'd spend my evening like this..." Serves her right for showing up uninvited to
people's houses.

"Leah, try not to look so happy." It's fine if she's as cheerful as always, but they don't know if it'll
be seen as disrespectful by whoever is attending the service.

"Okay!" She didn't hear him at all...

"Leo, try to look less apathetic." A big word, but the kid knows what it means.

"Yes, dad!" Ah, he took it too far, that's too much energy. He'd rather see Leo's blank face than that
fake smile. "I'm always like this."

"I know. That's the issue." He sighed defeated and got in the car, waiting for everyone to get in
except Sol, who was using her own car. "Remember what we told you."

"Yeah! Only answer 'thank you', run away if people start crying–"

"I didn't say that." That'd be just rude, even if it made the kids uncomfortable.

"Dad did..." He turned to look at Simon, and the other just shrugged. "So we don't run away?"

"Just stay with us and we'll take care of it." It's not like the twins know how to react, if someone
were to start sobbing in front of them. "Don't get–"

"Distracted by animals, I know. And don't run around." At least they remember everything.
Hopefully they'll act accordingly.

The drive to the cemetery was long, and the kids were clearly bored by the time they got to their
destination. Also, his fingers are frozen stiff, and he didn't bring gloves, so he'll just have to suck it
up and pray his digits don't fall off before they're done.

Even if it was way too cold, it was still a sunny day. It's almost too good for a sunny day, if it
wasn't because he was shivering, he would think it was summer.

The twins were shivering as well, so he rummaged through the car, trying to find something he
could use to keep them warm. And found nothing, because he cleaned the car recently and put the
clothes laying around back inside their house.

"What are you doing?" Simon's voice startled him, and he ended up hitting the back of his head
when he flinched. "Are you okay?"

"No." At least he tested how sturdy the car's roof was. And how sturdy his cranium is, too. "Don't
we have spare clothes somewhere?"

"Are you cold?" Yes, but the twins are the priority here.

"The kids are." Leah was shivering too, and he doesn't want to deal with sick kids for now. "Maybe
Sol has something."

"Don't need her." He grabbed his partner's coat before he could take it off, and stared at him.

"Let's ask Sol first, yeah?" The other man mumbled something under his breath and walked
towards the kids. Finding Sol wasn't hard considering how lost she was, trying to stick as close as
she could. "You can go if you want to."

"It's fine. I just haven't been in a cemetery in years. Feels weird." Especially if you don't know the
deceased. "It's fucking freezing too."

"About that." He waited as the woman put on another coat. "You think you have something for the
kids? I didn't bring extra clothes."

"You're a terrible mother and an average father." What does that even mean? "You're lucky I'm a
great aunt, though." She pulled a bag out of her car, rummaging through it before taking out some
black sweaters and scarves.

"Should I ask why you have that?" He took the clothes and started walking towards the rest.
"Thanks, by the way."

"I take care of kids on the daily, my guy. I need extra clothes all the time." Right, she's her family's
underpaid babysitter. "I'll stay around...here..." Something caught her attention, so he turned to
follow her gaze.

Now, if he didn't know better he would think that was Alexander wearing a wig and a dress,
walking towards the kids. But that can't be, right?

"Huh." It definitely is Alexander wearing a wig and a dress. And freezing to death, too.

"How immoral is it to flirt with someone at a funeral?" Very. At least the man put effort into
looking good. Enough effort to fool Sol, apparently.

"His sister died." She grimaced, but still walked towards the man. And he joined her, giving his
attention to the kids and trying to warm them up a bit with the borrowed clothes.

"Should I ask?" Simon probably realized who this person was before he even got close.

"If she was alive I would strangle her myself." Ah, so this was Rusnav's doing. "I can't believe I
promised this..." Probably a bet. But he understands what the man feels, a bit. He's here because of
a promise with Karenina too.

"Sorry about your loss." Sol apparently didn't give a damn about how annoyed the man was, nor
who he was.

"I think I know you?" The woman nodded enthusiastically, offering her hand. "The babysitter?"

"Y-yeah. Just the babysitter." She has no reason to sound disappointed. What did she expect,
exactly? "Let me lend you this, you must be freezing." But she just put that coat on...?

"...thank you...Sol?" Alexander is oblivious to how happy that word made her.

"Yup, that's my name." At least she's trying to not sound as ecstatic as she clearly was. Kids these
days... "I'll stay over here..." The man just looked at her through squinted eyes, before sighing.

"It's fine, if you don't mind seeing people crying you can come with us." Sol smiled for a split
second before nodding with a neutral expression.

They all followed Alexander silently, up until the place where Rusnav's casket was. Closed, for
reasons he can imagine. He knew very well how the woman looked when she was in a coma,
Alexander probably decided to hide her so that people don't get a bad last impression of her.
He was expecting very few people to be here, considering how secretive the woman was when it
came to her personal life. So he was surprised to see that many people standing around the casket.
He could tell most of them were just civilians too. The principal, the guy that introduced them to
the kids, and Simon's boss were here. There's also some other people he recognizes but can't quite
remember from where.

Rusnav was friends with the entire city, apparently.

It was Alexander who told them they should wear casual clothes, and he was glad because he
didn't feel like looking for his dress uniform. Nor Simon's, if the man even brought it here. A
black suit was easier to find.

The same probably applied for any other vet or soldier that could be attending.

It's not the time to analyze the guests appearance, though, because as soon as they got close,
everyone's eyes were on them. On the kids, to be more specific. And the twins didn't like that at
all.

At least all the other adults attending were considerate enough to wait until the service was done
before approaching them. That didn't stop the stares, through all the speeches.

The twins weren't that nervous by the time it was done, if anything they were extremely bored, but
they were polite to anyone that approached to give their condolences or offer support.

After a long while, most guests had left the halls, except for them and Alexander. Sol was using
her chance to offer some comfort, being the man's literal shoulder to cry on. It's not a surprise she's
shameless enough to try to flirt with someone, while at that someone's sister's funeral. At least she's
smart enough to be subtle about it.

After a few minutes, Alexander sighed and started walking outside, everyone following him
without really knowing what to do.

"Uncle Alex?" Leah walked ahead then, the name catching Sol off guard.

"Uncle–!?"

"Don't be sad..." Both of the twins ran to the man's side and hugged his legs, once he stopped.

"I'm not sad, sweetheart. I'm angry." Because of the clothes or just Rusnav overall...?

"Ah, I see...Don't be angry then!" Alexander ruffled the girl's hair with a small smile, before staring
up at Johnny.

"You don't have to stay for the burial if you don't want to." Well, they are freezing, but they're
already here. A few more minutes won't do any harm.

"If they want to stay, we don't mind." Ah, Simon is right. If the kids want to leave then they'll
leave. "Leah?"

"What is a burial?" Should've explained that before.

"Burying the casket." She doesn't know what a casket is either...

"Cas–?"

"The wooden box. The one from earlier."

"Oh, right!" He lifted an eyebrow at the girl, and she stood still for a second. "I don't mind
staying..."

"Do you want to stay...?" Her response wasn't as clear as he expected, and he doesn't want to make
her stay just because she thinks everyone wants to.

"Yeah. If you let me..." That's a yes then.

"Leo?" The boy looked up, still refusing to let go of his uncle's leg, and nodded. "Alright–"

"I'll go buy flowers." Sol? Is she suddenly not interested in Alexander? "I'll be right back." At least
she's making herself useful...

"We'll be over there." The woman looked at where she was pointed at, nodding and leaving in a
rush. "Let's go, then..."

The twins walked ahead of them, always by their uncle's side, as if they were trying to comfort him
but didn't know how.

"Johnny?" A whisper caught his attention As they were following the other three to the gravesite,
Simon grabbed his hand. "Are you okay?"

"Why are we whispering?" Not like the kids nor their uncle were listening. "I'm fine."

"You're still cold." He's an adult, a bit of cold won't harm him.

"If you try to take your jacket off again I'm leaving you here." The other man dropped his hands
and kept walking.

"Freeze, then." So kind.

After a while of waiting by the hole in the ground, Sol appeared again, out of breath. She didn't
need to run, really, but he's glad she did.

"I found this lady, too. Said she knew...uh...Rusnav?" The kids looked at Sol, confused. "I guessed
it was...her. Because, you know. Your surnames."

"How did the lady look like?" Is this someone the kids know?

"Uh...pretty...?" Leah squinted her eyes and started walking in a circle, slowly. "I can't tell, really."

"Did you tell her we are here?" The woman shook her head and looked back.

"I told her I would ask someone." Well, he doesn't know if this person was a guest, he has no idea
who Rusnav was friends with, but apparently Alexander did know who it was. "Should I...?"

"I didn't know she would come." Now he's more curious. "I'll go look for her. Wait for us." Not
like they had anything better to do. At a graveyard.

Less than five minutes later, Alexander walked in with someone they definitely knew very well.

"Auntie...?" Both the twins hid behind Simon, not trusting the woman in the slightest.

"I'm here for your mother, don't look so scared. I'm not taking you anywhere." At least she's not
even trying to fix her mistakes anymore. Can't make things worse if she doesn't do anything.
"You're taking mom?" They all paused and looked at Leah, confused as to why that sounded like a
genuine question. "What?"

"...I'm not...taking your mother." The girl nodded, apparently happy at that response. "I'll leave my
flowers and go."

"Okay..." The twins glared at their aunt as she approached the grave, and as she let the flowers fall
in.

"I might actually miss you, Nina." She sighed and walked away from the grave, stopping for a
moment to look at all of them. "I really won't come back, from now on. I hope you have a nice
life."

"Can't say the same–" He elbowed Simon before he could finish the sentence.

"You too, auntie." Leah walked out from behind them, at last, and waved at her aunt. "I might
actually miss you."

"You..." The woman laughed, quietly, and waved back at the little girl. "I hope you don't." They'll
probably forget she exists by the time they get home.

Now that she was gone, they all stood in awkward silence. Sol being the most awkward, because
she didn't know why everyone seemed to hate Anne, nor who she was. And it's not the time to
explain.

"So...flowers?" Leah could tell that everyone wanted to be done with this, so she raised her hands
towards Sol, who gave her a couple of the flowers she had bought.

"Uh..." They turned to look at the woman, as she looked around to see if someone didn't have
flowers. "Right. I'll wait by the car–" Alexander grabbed her hand to keep her in place before she
ran away. "Guess not."

"Do I have to say something before throwing them in?" Leo looked like he would rather be
anywhere else instead of here. Because he's bored, and nothing else.

"If you want to..." Didn't he say he wanted to say goodbye? Was the boy just planning to wave at
the graveyard and be on his way...?

"I won't miss you too much, mom." Contrary to the words he just said, the kid let the flowers fall
gently.

"Yeah. I will miss you a little bit." These two are heartless. "I hope you're happy...in there...?" Leah
stared at the casket, probably waiting for any response, then dejectedly let the flowers fall in as
well. "We'll come visit you, so you won't feel lonely."

"Man..." Sol was grimacing at the kids, unable to understand what just happened. "You two
are...strong...?"

"We aren't. Daddy is strong." He understands what their friend meant, but the little girl didn't. "Dad
too."

"I– How about we get going, hm? Let's leave them for a moment so they can say goodbye, too."
The twins nodded and followed Sol towards the parking lot.

As soon as the kids were gone, Alexander threw his flowers in and started walking away as well,
deciding not to say whatever he wanted to say.

It's not like he knows what to say either, and Simon looked just as lost as him. Maybe the man just
feels dumb for talking to a casket. They were really not that attached to Rusnav.

They are here because they owed her too much. And somehow the debt keeps piling up.

"I don't know if I should say 'thank you' or 'fuck you'." It's a mutual feeling.

"I guess both." Simon nodded and threw his flowers in the grave. "Thank you for this, Rusnav."

"And fuck you for leaving them." He doesn't feel like correcting his partner's language, and he was
the one to give him permission. "I'll see you again, someday."

"Just you?" Letting go of the flowers, he noticed that the man beside him had his hands in a fist.
"Honey?"

"Let's go." It looks like he isn't getting any answer.

Following after Simon, slowly, he couldn't help noticing how pretty this place was, in such a sunny
day. So quiet too, since it's a bit away from the city, but the sounds of birds in the trees nearby and
other animals from the small forest nearby made the place seem so peaceful.

It's... a nice place to rest, for someone like Rusnav. She'll have the peace and quiet she couldn't
accept when she was alive.

The first thing he noticed when they arrived home was that something was off. He couldn't quite
tell what it was, even as he was almost at the door, but Simon stopped him as he was taking out the
keys, so he definitely wasn't the only one thinking something was wrong.

"Stay back." The kids stopped running and looked up, confused. Sol and Alexander had decided to
follow them home too, for some reason. He didn't mind, but now that there was danger, apparently,
he didn't like the idea of having more people to protect.

"What is it?" Even if his partner noticed something, he's still a bit lost as to what was wrong.

The man didn't say anything, but nodded at the grass near their porch. One of the flower pots they
keep there had fallen and shattered on the ground, and there was a trail of blood. Whatever or
whoever had gotten hurt had run away to the side of the house, and considering how fresh the
blood was, they could still be there.

"I'll–" He grabbed Simon's hand before he could walk away.

"I'm going too." Probably not the wisest option, but it's better if they're both there to confront
whatever is waiting on the other side of the house.

Their guests understood when he pointed at the cars, taking the kids away and getting inside Sol's
car, watching impatiently through the windows once they were inside. They can trust Sol to ditch
them as soon as any sign of danger arises, which is good in this situation, and terrible in any other
one.
His partner walked silently through their yard, hiding in every spot he found, and with one of the
hunting knives he gave him on christmas. So he always has one when he goes outside, huh?

Once they were close enough to their destination, they realized that the labored breath they could
hear in the distance wasn't a good sign. The noises didn't exactly sound human, so maybe it was
one of the animals after all. They still got there silently, mostly so they don't startle whichever pet
had gotten hurt.

They heard a whine that could only come from one of the dogs, and that was enough to tell them
they had to hurry. As soon as he saw Simon sprinting towards their backyard, he ran behind him as
well, until they got where the animal was.

"Rexie? Come here, puppy..." The dog limped her way towards Simon, letting herself fall at the
man's feet. Not only was Rexie there, but so were the other dogs from the barn. And Bones, who
was just walking around, uninjured. Like the spoiled brat he is. Probably didn't even know there
was danger.

Sadly, most of the dogs took a beating from whatever they fought. Definitely not a human, a
person wouldn't be able to put up a fight against ten trained dogs and walk away unscathed.

"What did you guys do...?" Not like the dogs could answer him.

"Johnny..." His partner nodded towards the very far corner of their yard, and there was the intruder.

"A fox?" Do those things really live close by? He hasn't seen one since he started living here.

"Not important. Look at..." Oh.

Fuck.

"Why today..." It's as if the universe wanted to be very clear that it hates them. The twins, more
specifically. Not only did their mother pass away, but as soon as they get home from the funeral, a
huge fox decides to appear out of nowhere and kill their favorite cat. And hurt most of their dogs.

"I'll call the vet." Good thing she lives nearby, but the cat doesn't look very alive anymore. "Come
check on Rexie." Right.

The poor pup was the one that took the most damage, but it doesn't seem like it's that bad. She
definitely lost a lot of blood though, if animals work the same way as humans, he can tell because
she's about to pass out.

Simon made the call and came back as quick as he could, taking his place next to Rexie and petting
her. She was conscious enough to wag her tail, but she was way too tired.

"What do we do about..." He looked at the crime scene at the other side of the yard. "...that?"

"Put the cat in a box." To pretend there's a 50% chance it could still be alive in there? "The kids
can't see her like that." Ah, true.

"Two funerals in one day." They can't hide the fact that the cat died, the twins will notice as soon
as they get into the house and they don't get a greeting. And they can't say the usual 'it went to the
farm' excuse because they live in a farm. "I'll go find a box." There should be plenty of them in the
attic.

Before going upstairs, though, he washed his hands and sent a text to Sol, to make sure she didn't
let the kids get out of the car. And her only response was a picture of the kids watching something
on their uncle's phone, with Alexander sitting between them and holding the device.

So the kids are fine, and he has at least fifteen minutes to plan a cat funeral, before they get bored
and ask to get out.

Now with his last minute, DIY cat coffin in hand, he went back downstairs, grabbing a paper bag
from the kitchen, and an old rug from one of the cabinets, before going to the backyard.

Simon was still paying attention to Rexie, petting the dog who was a little more awake now, and
with a tourniquet on her leg. So he shouldn't ask for help, because the man is busy...

But how the hell is he supposed to get rid of a corpse? The thing is pretty big for a fox, so he has
no idea if it really is one. Maybe some weird wolf...?

Maybe he should focus on getting the cat out of the thing's mouth for now, but of course that won't
be easy either. The animal is already stiff, and the jaws don't move an inch.

"Hey, uh...darling?" His partner looked at him, waiting for a question. "How do I open a fox's
mouth?"

"Do I look like I know?" Actually–

"Aye. You do." The man glared at him. "No off–" Out of nowhere, a knife flew past him, far
enough from his body, but close enough for him to reach for it. "Are you insane!?" If he had
flinched that could've gone very wrong.

"We've talked about that before." About him being insane? Well, they had talked about that in the
past, now that he thinks about it. "I aimed far from you."

"You don't throw knives at your boyfriend, Ghost!" Ah, he didn't mean to– "Put that thing down."

"You might need two, you never know..."

"If you throw that knife we're breaking–" The bastard actually threw another knife.

"This is a trust exercise." He's definitely losing his trust here. "I trust my aim."

"Simon." The man shrugged and went back to giving his attention to the dog on his lap. "Do you
hate me?"

"I miss throwing knives." Not like he's not allowed to, as long as the kids aren't around.

"Did you have to use me as the target, though?" He took the knives anyway, looking at them and
still having no idea what to do with them. "What do I use these for, again?"

"Make sure it's dead." The thing is cold, so there's no need for that. "And then just...take his jaw
off, or something."

"No way." It might be dead but it still feels wrong. The poor thing was thin, so he probably was
lost, and coming here was a last resort. "He doesn't deserve it..."

"It's a corpse, MacTavish." But it wasn't always a corpse... "I'll do it." It's still gruesome, but if he
doesn't see it, he can pretend it isn't happening.

Simon walked over and took the knives, handing him his suit's jacket instead and pulling up his
shirt sleeves. Not like it helped much, since it was already stained from staying with Rexie, but the
less blood on their clothes the better.

Even if he looked away from the scene, he couldn't quite ignore the sounds happening behind him.
As much as he wanted to run away and throw up, he stood by the scene and waited for further
instructions.

"Are you done?" Looking behind him wasn't an option, so he just kept waiting, hearing how his
partner struggled with whatever he was doing.

"Hold this for me." He reached a hand towards the other man, dropping whatever he touched as
soon as he noticed it wasn't a knife.

"What–!?" Of course Simon would hand him a jaw so casually. "Can't you give me a heads up
before handing me that!?" And the bastard dared to chuckle. "You're laughing!?"

"You've seen worse things, MacTavish. Get it together." That might be true, but this is different.
"Here's the cat." He actually has to grab that.

"Oh, poor thing..." It wasn't mangled or anything like that, if anything it looked mostly normal.
With a good bath it would almost look alive... "I'm going to clean her up."

"Clean her–?" Before his partner could convince him otherwise, he ran to the bathroom and
grabbed one of the plastic tubs they've never used and filled it with water. Of course he regretted
his decision when he put the body in said water, and it immediately turned red.

But now it was too late to go back, so he just washed the animal as quickly as he could and dried it
with an old towel.

Good as new. Except for the...not breathing, part.

This was just unnecessary. But it gave him time to run away from whatever carnage Simon had
made on the backyard.

He wrapped the animal in the rug he had brought along with the box earlier, and put it in the paper
bag as well. If the kids wanted to see the pet before burying her, she was in a nice condition. A less
traumatizing one, at least. She looked peaceful, contrary to the way she died.

By the time he went back to the backyard, the vet was taking Rexie and some other dogs with her,
and the fox was being covered by Simon. Not covered enough for him not to see how it'd ended.

"I forgot you were a butcher." The image is going to haunt him for a couple days. Weeks. Maybe a
bit more.

"You can't leave me now." Not like he was planning to. He knew Simon and his many issues were
a package deal, the moment he decided to date him. "Please."

"I'm not leaving you." Did he really have to beg? "Where do we bury her...?" Definitely not the
backyard, it's covered in blood, and the fox's remains are still there too.

"Front yard." Seems like the most logical option. They can make a hole in one of the corners, and
put the box as deep as they could so the dogs won't dig it up again. "I'll get the shovel."

"I'll...talk with the kids..." They might end up hating him at this point, since the only thing he
delivers lately are bad news.
Simon nodded and went to look for the shovel. So now he was left alone, thinking on how to break
the news, and petting the cat as if she could feel it.

Maybe the kids would act the same way they did when they found out their mother died...? Losing
a parental figure is more sad than losing a pet, right? It should be fine...

Well, he should just get this over with.

After putting the body in the box, he cleaned his hands again and walked out of the house,
watching Simon dig a hole behind Rexie's doghouse. Of course he's finding any reason he can to
delay the inevitable. And he's definitely not thinking that his partner looks good while digging a
grave. Definitely not.

Sol looked at him through the window, pointing at his shirt, that he had forgotten still had animal
blood on it. Thankfully he could cover it with the suit's jacket, but now he was self conscious about
the stain.

"Everything alright, my guy?" She was definitely panicking, but she's a good actress. The twins
didn't seem to notice the woman's concern, nor the blood he just hid.

"Mhm. Leah, Leo, I need to talk with you." Both kids stared at him, before getting out of the car.
The other adults did as well, standing expectantly nearby.

"What is it now?" This little shit–

"I'm sorry, but Samantha..." Of course the kids would be more sad over their pet cat's death than
their own mother's.

"Where is she!?" He saw how Simon stopped moving, by the corner of his eye, probably worried
by Leah's tone. "What happened!?"

"A fox caught her–"

"No! You're lying!" She knows it's not a lie. "She can't be...!"

"You're lying, right...?" Sol walked slowly towards the kids, petting Leo's head and trying to
comfort him. Very awkwardly.

"Did you already bury her?" The girl looked to where Simon was, trying to find her pet.

"No. We wouldn't bury her before you said goodbye..." Both kids nodded, walking up to the hole
his partner just finished digging.

"Can we see her...?" Ah, so giving her a wash was a good idea after all.

"I'll go get her." Only after Simon threw the shovel to the side and went to the kids' side did he
leave, getting into the house and retrieving the animal.

The twins waited patiently for him to get to the grave, taking the box and opening it carefully to
look at their pet.

"She looks fine. Are you sure she's dead...?" Very sure.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart..." It was a miracle that she hadn't cried before. "Come here..." Joining the
rest, he sat down on the grass next to the hole and let the girl crawl onto his lap.
"Why did it have to be her...?" Leo was crying too, petting the animal inside the box a few times
before closing it again. "Can't the vet do anything?"

"It's too late for that..." The boy crawled up to him as well, holding onto his clothes as he cried.

Seeing the kids sobbing was painful, but he's also sad because of that damn pest. He's not spent his
entire life with her like the twins had, but the year he'd been here, he had grown attached to her.

Sure, he always complained when she meowed at three in the morning, or when he had to bathe her
because she had fleas. But he'll miss her sneaking into their room to snuggle with them, or when
she waited patiently by the kitchen door for treats whenever they cooked. Even when she was a
little shit, like when she got stuck on the christmas tree and threw it when she jumped out is
something he'll miss. Or that time that she stole a chicken from the kitchen with the other cats and
they had to chase her around the house.

Out of nowhere, he felt arms around him, and he knew they weren't Simon's. A quick look at the
side told him it was Sol, who was also sobbing.

"Why her, man..." Ah, she also passed time with the cat. She does babysit the kids a lot. "She was
the only cat I knew who wouldn't scratch me when I touched her belly..."

"And she loved that, too..." Alexander too?

Oh. It's Rusnav's cat. The thing was alive before the twins were, of course Alexander knew about
her, probably lived with her, too.

Now the five of them were sobbing in a group hug, the box in front of them only making them cry
harder everytime they saw it.

Meanwhile Simon just stared dumbfounded at the scene. Sure, losing such an important part of the
household was sad, but he wasn't expecting it to be this bad.

"It's...okay...?" The man has no idea how to comfort anyone, and seeing the kids and his lover in so
much pain only makes him want to cry as well. But someone has to be strong here, and apparently
he was the chosen one.

"It's not okay..." Leah's wobbly voice was barely understandable, but he tried his best to figure out
the words. "I'm never going to see her again...there are no other cats like her. She was mom's
kitty..."

"Uh..."

"Yeah, mom can't raise another cat...for us..." Thanks Leo, you made the situation even worse.

"Now Sky will be sad because her best friend isn't around..." If they keep going they'll never stop
crying.

Slowly, Simon took the box away from the group and carefully placed it in the hole, waiting to see
if the rest would calm down to say their goodbyes.

"Do you...have any final words–?"

"No! I'm not saying goodbye!" Ah, should've kept quiet. Leah stood up, glaring at him. "Bring her
back!"
"I can't do that, princess–"

"Yeah, being her back!" Of course the phrase made sense for Leah, but Sol is a bit too old for that
request.

"Get your shit together, you're–"

"Simon..." Johnny, too? "Get us another cat..."

"We have two more." They really don't need more pets. Sure, the other two cats had different
personalities and were not like Samantha at all, but the same counts for a new cat.

"Just one more..." A new cat won't replace this one.

"...if you stop crying." The kids tried to hold their tears, unlike the other three adults who were still
sobbing on the ground. Of course, Simon only cared about one of those three. "Johnny..."

"I'm fine." Doesn't look like it, at all. Even the kids realized that, going back for a hug and still
holding down the tears.

"What the hell..." Simon kneeled beside the three and held them in a hug, trying to comfort them a
bit. He doesn't really know how to deal with this many upset people around him, but he's trying his
best not to tell them to grow up and stop crying over a pet. "It's okay..."

"I don't want her to go...!" Great, Leah is crying again.

"There's nothing we can do, honey." It's definitely going to take a while, but she'll get over it.
Getting her a new cat will definitely help her a little–

"Are you sure? Maybe I didn't check properly–" Not this.

"MacTavish." The cat was gone before they got home. Even if it somehow was still alive, the
wounds were too serious to even hope for a recovery.

"Don't call me that..." Johnny's wobbly, broken voice only made the other man feel guilty for
trying to stand neutral.

"I know, I'm sorry..." Even if he finds the situation ridiculous, he can't be annoyed at the others for
mourning the cat.

"If we had gotten here sooner she–"

"We can't change that, Johnny." They don't know if driving here sooner would've done anything.

"If we hadn't gone to mom's–"

"You had to go, Leah." Saying goodbye to their mother was also important. "Stop thinking about
what we could've done." They can't change the past, and thinking about what they could've
changed would only make them feel guilty over something that wasn't their fault anyways.

The sun had completely disappeared by the time everyone had calmed down. Simon spent the
entire time holding his partner and their kids, while also fending off Sol's hands whenever she tried
to join the hug. Eventually the woman had given up and hugged Alexander instead.

So now they were all standing around the grave, looking at it with the same sad, nostalgic look,
and about to offer cat food instead of flowers.
"I'm going to miss you, kitty..." Leah is definitely throwing too much cat food in, but they'll allow
it.

"I would've given you more chicken yesterday if I knew you..." Leo stopped talking and covered
his face. "I'm not crying..." He's not fooling anyone.

"Uh...next?" Simon looked at Johnny, waiting for him to say his goodbyes.

"I'll miss you too, Sammy...I hope you can chase a lot of mice and eat a lot of treats wherever you
go..." Sol nodded in agreement, rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater and grabbing some
cat food.

"And get lots of cuddles and chin scratches, too..." Everyone looked at Alexander now, waiting for
him to step up as well.

"...I hope she's waiting for you." Ah, great. The kids didn't understand it, apparently, but Johnny
did, and now he feels even more sad. If there is an afterlife, Rusnav is probably very happy to see
her cat again, alongside all the people she's lost before.

Before they could find more reasons to keep crying, Simon started throwing dirt into the hole,
under everyone's gaze. It was clear that the man was throughly done with all of them, except the
kids, maybe. They didn't dare ask for last words from him, since he looked exhausted.

"I'll make a grave marker later." The kids looked happy with the idea, nodding in agreement as
they got up. "I have to take care of something. Don't go to the backyard."

"Okay..." Leah stood in front of the grave for a moment, then turned around and dragged her
brother inside their house.

Now that Simon had gone to take care of the corpse in the backyard, Sol and Alexander were still
looking at the grave with a sad smile.

"Can you two watch the kids for a while?" Before he was too busy crying, but now he's really
uncomfortable with his bloodied clothes. He has to help Simon dispose of the body before taking a
shower, though.

"Yeah, sure." Sol is their babysitter after all...

He guided their guests inside the house, and went to the backyard once he checked on the kids.
Then as soon as he looked outside he regretted even coming to help.

"Did you really need to do that?" Maybe Simon is having fun disposing of the body.

"It didn't fit in the bag." They have bigger bags.

"If you like...doing that, that much, you can just get a job as a butcher again, you know?" His
partner scoffed and kept trying to fit the body in the bag.

"I don't like doing this." Doesn't look like it. "I didn't like being a butcher either."

"You didn't?" As much as he hates it, he has to help Simon or they'll never be done with this. So he
kneeled on the ground next to the man. "Why did you take the job, then?"

"Because it's what I knew. I worked as a butcher when I was young." He feels like he's heard about
this before. It's not like he asks about Simon's past, he knows what the man has told him himself,
and if his partner doesn't tell him about something, it's because he doesn't need to know. "Hold
this."

"Is it a jaw...?" Ah, it was just a knife this time. He sighed and tried to remember what else he
wanted to ask. "Did you like it when you were young? Being a butcher..."

"I guess. I think I liked the guts more than the job." Of course.

"You say 'liked' as if you still don't like them..." The other man paused for a second to look at him.

"Did you check my phone?" No, because he was joking.

"I think I should." The kids use the phone everyday, and take pictures with it too–

"It was a joke. There's nothing on it. You can check later." He'll trust Simon. For now.

"Then..." It's not clear whether or not he can still ask questions, so he waited for any sign of
approval from his partner. "You didn't like it, when you worked with Jenny and all that?"

"I didn't hate it." That wasn't the question, though. "It wasn't fun, either. But it was distracting
enough."

"So you didn't like it." His partner stared at him, then finally finished shoving the animal in the
bag.

"I didn't. But I don't know why we're talking about something that doesn't matter." Ah, Simon is
annoyed? Maybe he pushed it a bit too far.

"Because...uh...you were butchering a fox?" It wasn't like the thing was in good conditions
anyways, but still...

"I was just trying to put it in the bag." Right.

"So you weren't butchering it." They both stood up and looked at the plastic bag.

"It's not butchering..." It isn't?

"What is it, then?" He helped Simon lift the bag and carry it to the side of the house.

"I don't know. At least the cows at the shop served a purpose when they died, so I had to cut them
properly." That's...true...?

"...do you feel bad for the fox?" It sounds like he's trying to find an excuse as to why he had to slice
up the body and isn't finding any.

"...no..." So it's a yes. "It's just a stupid fox."

"Uh-huh."

"I don't care about the cat either." That wasn't part his question. "We can just get another one and
forget about her."

"Simon."

"We can...get another one..." It would be nice if his partner didn't have an existential crisis while
they're carrying a dead fox out of their backyard. "But it won't be like her..."
"Honey..." He should've expected this kind of reaction from Simon, really. His lover has grieved
enough through his life, but it doesn't mean he's used to it.

"I don't need Rusnav's stupid cat– I don't need anything from her." She has already given them too
much, hasn't she? "We can get a new one."

"We can."

"We'll raise it better than she could." Probably. Knowing the woman she probably didn't do much
for the cat, Samantha just loved anyone that payed attention to her. "We'll raise the kids better than
she could too."

"Of course–" They don't have to try too much for that, to be honest.

"Our cat will be just as nice as her's." Such positive thoughts...

"She'll be better, maybe." Hopefully it doesn't meow at three in the morning for no reason. They
finally managed to get the body away, and placed it far from the dogs' reach. "What even was
that?" He assumed it was a fox, but it was too big to be one.

"Wolf?" Didn't quite look like that, either. "Look it up."

"After we clean...that..." How are they supposed to clean all that blood? Neither of them knows.

"I'll get...uh...the hose?" Simon didn't wait for an answer and went to retrieve the hose from
wherever they had left it.

The water somehow worked. Sure, now their backyard looks like a swamp, but it's not a bloody
swamp at least. Tomorrow will surely be a sunny day too, so it'll dry up quicker.

"I need a shower." Simon hummed in agreement, throwing the hose on the ground and waiting for
him at the door.

"We should save up water." True, they did use a lot of it washing away the evidence of a crime
scene.

He's not dumb enough to not notice what his partner was implying, but they still should take care
of their...guests...?

"Leah?" The girl looked up from her paper. "Where's your uncle?"

"He went outside with Sol." Shouldn't those two be taking care of the kids? Not like they can't take
care of themselves, clearly. "They just left."

"Alright." She went back to painting, helping her brother draw something too, apparently.

Since the kids were fine, he walked towards the front door, with Simon following closely behind.
From the window, they could see the other two adults sitting at the top of the stairs, chatting about
who knows what. Sol probably wanted to go for a smoke and dragged Alexander along.

Huh.

It's been a while since he's seen Alexander this relaxed. The man almost looked happy, too.
 ~

Just to be considerate, they had allowed Sol to stay, since it was a bit late, and she didn't like
driving at night, and Alexander too, because he had to take a cab and pray that there were available
rooms in the hotel he usually stays in.

Of course the kids were happy about this, since they had more people around. And he doesn't mind
either. Simon on the other hand...

"Can you please stop glaring at me?" Definitely not happy with people besides them in their house.
"I know you're torturing me in your head but at least try to hide it."

"I can still leave if you–"

"It's fine." Sol isn't leaving unless she gets physically thrown out of the house. And even then she
would still try to get back in, like the pest she usually is. "You don't bother us at all."

"Only him!?" Alexander isn't eating their cereal, now, is he? "Man, I even got us food and all...so
ungrateful..." The poor delivery guy that has to drive all the way here probably doesn't like her
either.

"Uncle Alex, look!" Leah was enthusiastically showing her entire collection of drawings to her
uncle. Again.

Since the man doesn't seem to mind, they haven't stopped her, and she'll probably get tired of
getting every canvas from upstairs, one by one. By bedtime she won't even need to be tucked in.

And Leo already looked exhausted, the only reason why he hadn't went to sleep was because he
was hungry.

Thankfully for the boy, it looked like the food Sol ordered was here.

"The guards say the pizza is here." The delivery guy is probably panicking, getting checked at the
front gates by armed guards.

"I'll go pick it up. Don't have fun without me." Maybe the woman doesn't realize it, but everyone is
too exhausted to have fun, even with her around.

"Don't come back." Simon closed the door behind her, walking to the couch and throwing himself
on it.

Of course no one feels like doing anything, but he's still surprised that Simon of all people looks
the most tired. Probably because he had to dig a hole in the yard and...carry a corpse...

"You okay...?" They've both gone through more emotionally and physically taxing things, though,
and his partner never looked this tired after that.

"My back hurts." Not his leg–? "Leg too."

"Want a massage?" The other man looked up at him for a second, then went back to staring at the
TV.

"Later." They'll probably fall asleep and forget later, but he won't push.
So they just waited in silence until Sol came back with the food, bringing her overly cheerful
attitude as well.

It was nice for once to have someone else fill the silence, the woman chatting away about stuff no
one could being themselves to actually care about, but still appreciated.

And after all the pizza was gone, the kids said their goodbyes and went to bed by themselves.

Simon stayed with him in the kitchen as he cleaned the dishes he'd been putting off since
yesterday, in silence. Meanwhile Sol and Alexander stayed in the living room.

"So...uh...I'll take the floor and you take the couch...?" So kind of her. They have extra beds,
though.

"Oh, no, you can take the couch–"

"I don't mind, really. I usually sleep in my car, the floor is already a luxury." She has a house,
though...?

"I'll feel bad if I make you sleep on the floor..." They really should ask where they're sleeping
before assuming the only option is the couch.

"And I'll feel bad too if I make you sleep on the floor." A quick glance at Simon told him that the
man was also listening to the conversation. "Uh...how about..."

"I mean, it's big enough for two people..." Huh.

"Yeah, I was thinking that too, but..." The couch is not big enough for two people to sleep in.
Comfortably at least.

"Bring the mattresses from upstairs?" His partner looked at him, then shook his head.

"We have a guest room." True, but he always forgets about that.

"Tell them?" If he didn't know better he'd think Simon is having fun watching those two struggle.
"Simon."

"Yeah, yeah." The man sighed and walked out of the kitchen. "The guest room is in front of Leo's
bedroom."

"Oh, okay." Sol sounded disappointed for reasons he doesn't want to know. "Then, I'll take the
couch."

"No, no, you should–"

"It's fine! You should get–"

"Fuckin' hell." Simon left the scene before he had to listen to the same excuses they heard before.
"If they want to share a bed that badly they should just say it." That's interesting, coming from his
partner.

"You never said it." The man lifted an eyebrow and waited for an explanation. "Before we started
dating."

"We slept together because of Leah's nightmares." Does he believe his own lies?
"Uh-huh. And when we didn't sleep with Leah?" Which was more time than when they slept with
her.

"That was..." The man didn't have an excuse ready, and his brain wasn't working fast enough to
make one up. "...just the routine."

"Mhm. Sure. I also cuddle with my friends out of habit." His partner rolled his eyes and threw a
kitchen towel towards him, so he could dry his hands.

"I hope not." Why cuddle with other people when he has Simon? "Let's go to bed already. I'm
fucking tired."

"I'll be there in a minute." The other man nodded and walked down the hall to their bedroom. He
walked to the living room instead. "You two." Both Sol and Alexander turned to look at him,
stopping their never ending cycle of offering the room to each other.

"Yeah?" The woman took the pillow from the couch and waited for him to talk.

"Don't stay up too late." Ah, he's acting like a dad.

"Yes, mom." Maybe she should sleep in her car after all.

"The bed is also big enough for two people." He could see Alexander's cheeks getting red. Did they
really think their conversation couldn't be heard from the kitchen? "Behave. There are kids
around." Sol also turned red.

"You–I–" He dodged the pillow that flew his way and chuckled, running away before the woman
could protest any further.

Serves her right, she always says the same type of comments to him.

By the time he got to the bedroom and was ready for bed, Simon was already asleep. The man
didn't even cover himself with the blankets, he'd passed out on top of them. Of course he was
freezing, but it didn't seem to bother him enough to wake up and cover himself up.

So the task fell on Johnny's hands.

Even after trying his best and managing to get his partner covered and comfortable, the other man
woke up. Right after he was done.

"I hate you." Simon wasn't awake enough to know it wasn't serious, yet he was conscious enough
to panic.

"What'd I do...?" The man was clearly sad, for whatever reason.

"Nothing, honey." Explaining that it was a joke shouldn't be necessary. "Why don't you go back to
sleep, hm?"

"Don't want to..." Seems like a lie. "Come here." Not like he has that many options, they share the
bed after all.

Simon clung onto him as soon as he laid down, hugging him and using his arm as a pillow. Not
like he minds, he's freezing and his partner is warm.

After such an emotionally draining day, he can't really stay awake even if he tried to, and the same
applied to the man next to him, who is fast asleep even after saying he didn't want to sleep a minute
ago.

Somehow, it doesn't feel like the day was that different from usual. If anything, the most out of the
ordinary thing that happened was...the cat...

He's still surprised at the kids' reaction to their mother's passing, but now that he thinks about it, it's
probably because the kids have already gotten used to saying goodbye to their mother and not
expecting her to come back, that they didn't find it so sad. How many times did Rusnav visit,
through their lives? She never said she was coming back, according to Leah it was the opposite,
really; their mom used to say she wouldn't come back.

That's why this farewell wasn't so different from all the other ones.

He's both grateful at Rusnav, for making the heartbreak less severe, and angry, for doing all the
things she did to the twins. He can't imagine what being left by a mother feels like, but the fact that
she not only abandoned them, but then came back to give them hopes, only to crush them
again...That's just cruel, isn't it?

Ah, he shouldn't be getting angry, he should just go to sleep and deal with his emotions later.

Hopefully in a couple years, Rusnav's actions don't have severe consequences. Maybe the kids
won't even remember it was their mother's funeral today, they'll definitely remember Samantha's
before that.

Or maybe they'll forget the cat too, and remember her a bit when they see the grave in their yard.
Maybe the same will happen with their mother, and they'll only remember her when they walk past
a cemetery, or on her anniversary.

Maybe they'll just forget this entire day altogether, the memories becoming blurry and distant.
That's probably what Rusnav would've wanted, too. For the kids to forget her, just like they'll
eventually forget her face and her voice.

Yet, the videos and pictures she left behind will do exactly the opposite of letting them forget. It's
as if she couldn't really decide whether she wanted to leave them or not.

She already made her choice, and there's no going back from it. If this is what she wanted or not,
no one will ever know.

It would be nice if the twins didn't remember what happened today at all, but that's just impossible,
isn't it? Even if they didn't seem affected, eventually they'll realize how bad their loss is, as they
grow up. Rusnav wasn't the best mother, sure, but she loved those two and anyone with eyes could
tell. And the kids loved her just as much.

Will they feel bad, when they grow up and notice that they didn't feel sad when such an important
person for them passed away? That they didn't react the way they were supposed to–

"You're thinking a lot." Simon's voice startled him as he was lost inside his mind.

"Weren't you asleep?" It looked like it at least.

"No. I've been staring at you for the past ten minutes." That's a bit creepy, but he doesn't mind at
all. "Want to talk?"

"I don't know." Would talking about it even do something?

 "What are you thinking about?" Way too many things.

"The kids." And their weird relationship with their mother. "Do you think they'll feel bad
about...today, in the future?"

"Doubt it." There was no hesitation there. "Rusnav didn't really train them to miss her."

"Train? Are they dogs?" The phrasing actually made him laugh. "I don't know. I'm scared they'll
feel guilty or something."

"They won't. Trust me." Well, if he says so... "Go to sleep already, they have school tomorrow."
Do they?

"Maybe they should take another day off..." Or maybe he just wants another day off his duties.
This entire situation has him stressed out and it's technically over already. "They'll be sad..."

"That's a lie and you know it." He was caught. "They're dead inside." Not really, they just don't
care about things as much as other kids do.

"They're learning from you." Simon glared at him and hugged him again. He sighed, letting his
shoulders relax, never realizing they were tense in the first place.

A few minutes of silence passed, and as he was about to finally fall asleep, his lover stroked his
cheek, softly, just to get his attention.

"Stop worrying about...the future, so much." He can't help it. The only thing he wants is for things
to go well, for the kids and for them. "We'll be fine, all four of us."

"I know..." As much as his brain tells him that they don't know that, he can't really believe it. They
will be fine, he's almost entirely sure of that.

"You still worry about it." It's a habit, at this point. "At least try not to worry about things that are
so far away. Worry about tomorrow instead. Or next week." A day at a time...it does sound less
stressful. "Don't think beyond that."

"When did you become a motivational speaker?" Simon scoffed and gently poked his sides, the
touch tickling him instead of making him uncomfortable.

"Not motivation. Just making sure you don't go insane." That's...nice. "Sleep now."

"Yeah, yeah..." He got comfortable again between his lover's arms, warm, and safe. "This is why I
love you..."

"The advice or the pecs?" Oh, so that's why he was so comfortable.

"Both."

>

Chapter End Notes

 The author doesn't know what day it is.

Didn't know it was already Saturday. I wish I was joking.

Killing the cat that had three appearances in the entire story hurt more than killing
Rusnav. I might've written her an entire 200k words story and been obsessed with her
for years, but she's not a cat. RIP Samantha. You'll be missed, kitty.3

Last chapter should be up on Monday because I won't be home for a few days.
See you then, hopefully! And thanks for the support, as always!<3

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!