The Broadmoors

After the last couple of days Nash had, he was feeling exhausted and yet glad to be back to work. Days off were beginning to make him feel restless, so he was lucky to have been thoroughly distracted the day before. When his phone rang, he was in the middle of chugging an entire bottle of water and catching his breath. Normally, he would have ignored a call during practice but, when he saw his cousin’s name on his phone, he found himself reaching for it immediately. The sound of Scamp’s voice brought a smile to his face.

“Perfect timing, actually. You caught me on my break.” He was still attempting to catch his breath, now plopping down on the field far enough away from the action. He let the cool morning chill coax him into lying back on the grass, free hand behind his back and eyes on the clouds overhead. There was so much Nash wanted to talk to him about, so much that he couldn’t even think of an entry point — so he let his cousin lead their conversation and hoped for an opening. They needed to talk about these damn Edwards twins. “What’s up, man?”

Normally when he needed to work through his thoughts Scamp turned to his father but he had been elusive with his parents in regards to Danica, for reasons even he hadn’t put his finger on yet. There was only one person Scamp knew to be dedicated enough to his craft to be conscious at this time anyway and he easily pulled out his phone to dial one of the few numbers he had committed to memory.

Margo’s laying on her back with her head at the edge of the bed, book suspended in the air at the flick of her wand, when Amara walks into her bedroom and startles her — a squeak as the book drops to her face. The blonde’s head falls back and her hair hangs from the mattress, a bright grin that slowly cowers as she watches her cousin drag herself across the room. “Uh ohhhhhhhh.” Margo builds up the drama, feeds into it to let Amara know she’s supported, and that Margo’s going to be as upset about whatever this is even if she doesn’t understand why. Margo leans up, resting on her elbows as Amara stretches for her. “It’s going to be really embarrassing for you if I’m the last social interaction you ever have. Nash’s bedroom would’ve been a much cooler option.“ She smiles, head tilting with curiosity. “So you like, can’t stop being social just yet. What happened?” 

“Girl, first of all, don’t undersell yourself. Nash is cool but you’re cooler. Especially when him and Scamp are out back challenging each other to increasingly reckless activities because...testosterone?” Amara shakes her head quickly, “Anyway...” She sighs and opens her mouth to continue but takes a detour first to point at the book Margo has since removed from her face, “Sorry about that by the way. Good story, crazy ending.”

Amara makes a face to refocus herself again. “Anyway for real...remember that girl I told you about that’s been making me crazy cause she’s too cool for no reason and has no reason to be into me back but I think I catch the vibes from her even though she’s generally pretty charming so I’m like are these vibes or just Cassie being Cassie?” She pauses to see if Margo is following but mostly because breathing is important. “She invited me to this party a couple of weeks ago and I went because I’m a sucker and we...totally kissed?” Amara shows her teeth in a lifeless smile. “But like...it was because she was being a bad influence and wanted to shotgun after she took hits of her joint instead of just passing me the thing so like, that’s a sign right? She’s into me?? Anyway, that happened and you can imagine I liked it so I kept letting it happen and then I...” 

The rest of Amara’s words come out in a quick jumble pressed directly against each other, “Got super high and called my dads after I panic ended up under my bed paranoid out of my skull??” A dramatic groan leaves her before she concludes, “Dad was pissed pissed, like you’re grounded for the rest of your life pissed so yeah. It’s going great.” She doesn’t bother to clarify which father she’s talking about, assuming it’s obvious given their respective dispositions. 

As the high began to slowly dissipate, the pumping of his blood quieting its own roars, Tahir’s breathing came back into a normal pulse. His eyes filling back in with animated life, as he brought himself back into the present moment. Tahir was obviously still moved from the kiss they shared. Though, he still caught on to the shift of Asha’s gaze. That one look could’ve written compounded sonnet after sonnet, but before he could even process the moment, Tahir’s fingers were being whisked away by Asha’s hand with an offer he would not dare refuse. His own focus fixed on her once again. A soft smile shown in his eyes as well as his lips. “Of course.” Tahir followed Asha blindly wherever she took them, admiring so well just how lovely and fun spirited the woman he clung to could be. Yet, something in him was still prickling to peel back the thoughts that hid behind her mind. Tahir would just not pull himself from the present moment to do so. Not just yet.

As for the boys back at the bar, the three of them could clearly feel a halt at the conversation. Junior’s overly stimulated mind was rushing to and fro, unsure of whether he couldn’t pick apart his feelings because the words hadn’t taken shape or from all the booze intake in his system. He loved his bestest friends dearly, but even in their joy, something still poked at him at the side of his gut. Junior was so internally flustered, for a moment, the thought of actually missing his sister’s presence happened to pass through his mind. 

In moments like these, Lochlan was known to never be one to hold back his tongue. His words did not strike as snakes like that of Junior’s sisters, or even bubble out without filter like Mick, but they were earnest and they were direct, without cover or reservation. However, this was a sensitive moment to approach. After all, Junior should be celebrated and celebrating. Discussions shouldn’t be revolved around complex entanglements of the heart - as Lochlan stood there convinced this matter surely was. But before Lochlan could make up his mind, or even Mick could interrupt for another shot, it was Junior to break the momentary silence. 

“I’m happy for them.” He blurted. “I am.” Junior’s voice was normal pitched, slightly tense, but not enough to cause any sudden alarm. In all this, Mick had already called for the next round, and as Junior reached for his straight Daisyroot Draught, he stuttered, “W-Weird, pfft. Yeah…” A chuckle intervening to play off the moment. “But it’s Tahir. It’s Asha! I’ve got Amy.” Not sure why the last thought popped out. “Amy got me.” His lips awkwardly curled, followed by a quick sip of his drink and another robust chuckle forced from the pit of his stomach. “They’re great. I love them. We’re great!”

Mick smiled, patting Junior on the back, but not spending too much time to marinate before he passed over the next couple of shots. And Lochlan… well, in his belief, it was the fault of their own for a friend to feel sorry for another. When as their friend, instead of looking down, you can bend over and place their hand over your shoulder to pull them up. Yet, in the corner of his heart, within the own secret guilt he harbored, Lochlan felt seen. And therefore, an ounce of pity unadmittedly slipped into his very being. 

Asha’s already bright expression grew at Tahir’s eagerness to join her in a dance. She only let go of his hand so she could let loose in front of him, all the more excitable to know the song playing. There was a mix of practiced club dancing coming from her, along with flares of an Indian girl who had been to one too many weddings in her lifetime. Of course, on top of it all was dramatically serenading Tahir from close enough that she could kiss his smile again any time she wanted. Alcohol induced and with her senses stimulated at all angles, this moment was perfect. 

party crashers | danicamp + jowards

The moments where they were breathing over each other might have lasted for just a few seconds, but every rushing exhale felt like decades worth of thirst quenched and lived in. Tahir could feel the pounding of his heart echo between his ears, as the pumping of his blood vibrated throughout his nervous system. As his fingertips slowly started reaching consciousness, he realized his hand still cupped the side of Asha’s face. With her, Tahir pulled away, coming into that funny feeling where he could have bet she was thinking a bit too hard over the kiss as it was happening. His eyes locked up to her gaze again to confirm how she was doing. He had no words to say - only thoughts of whether she could still taste the gin from his lips, and the secret desire to do that again.

Meanwhile, just a couple feet away, the two newly affectionate acquaintances were unbeknownst to a conversation between their mutual friend and a couple of his other closest mates. You see, once Lochlan picked up on an instinct he had, he was quick to follow it until it lead him to uncover either a confirmation to his suspicion or an entirely new truth for him to learn. And so when it came down to approaching one of his closest friends Junior, just because it was his Bachelor Party did not mean Lochlan would any less hesitate to pull him aside.

“Hey man, you alright?” Lochlan inquired, his eyebrows narrowing with the slight squint of his stare. Junior, still as head empty as a white snake, sipped on his latest drinks. His eyes spaced out through an invisible glare, as he stepped out to Lochlan’s call. “What?” “He said-” Lochlan stopped the other man from trying to help by resting his head on his shoulder. “Mick.” He settled him. A subtle I’ll take it from here, but thank you. He was the more delicate one of the two. “… You’re worried over her? Right?” 

For Junior, the phrase was ultimately too vague. Her on this night of all nights could have been anyone. Asha, Danica, the intoxicated girl dancing and hitting on Mick when he clearly he didn’t swing in that direction. After no response, Lochlan made sure to clarify before continuing. He knew Junior’s tells well, which is why his friends often wondered if he was a skilled legilimens or he was just innate at reading minds. “I’m not talking about Amy. I’m sure she’s having plenty fun with her friends.” Junior took another sip into his drink. He honestly hadn’t even imagined Lochlan was speaking about Amy.

“I mean Asha… you’re worried about her and Tahir fonding over each other.” That funny feeling in the pit of his stomach returned again. It wasn’t like Junior could understand and still, something inside his chest spoke to him like he had to come clean about a secret. One he didn’t even know about himself. “I am, a bit, yeah?” Junior glanced over for a second, checking to see the two people he was mentioning weren’t actually listening. 

It’s probably nothing. Junior meant to say that out loud. His throat tightened up. Lochlan seemed as if he was on the brink of a callout. He was close to reading the signs his body was trying to give to him, but before he could process his thoughts out loud, Lochlan was already coming in to put him at ease. “Tahir is a gentleman. He out of all of us knows how important Asha is to you. If there’s anyone who would respect her and treat her right-”

They weren’t the words Junior expected to hear from Lochlan. But it made sense, right? He was just looking out for his two best friends? It was normal… why was he so fixated on whether or not Asha might actually have feelings for Tahir? Just then, in those thoughts, Junior’s habit of looking over to his best friends stroke again. However, this time, when he expected to see the same smiles and giggles he had seen throughout the night - this time he was watching his two best friends share an intimate moment together. A kiss.

Junior’s eyes whipped back to Lochlan. The confused ‘Oh.’ face from earlier returned. Then he quickly hid behind another sip of his drink and a turn of his body towards the bar. Mick could already be heard making sounds assumingly obnoxious enough for even Tahir and Asha to pick up through the loud, crowded roars of the room. 

And Lochlan, knowing well that love was a lot more complicated then most people could understand, even when you held the power to change soothe those circumstances simple, knew that wasn’t just any look in Junior’s eye. Definitely not his first instinct. Definitely not a confirmation of his suspicion - but the uncovering of a new truth he wasn’t at all expecting from Junior’s Bachelor Party.

It was Mick’s unmistakably rowdy cries that brought the smile back to Asha’s features. The apprehension trembling just below the surface of what she’d done dissipated as she heard the sound of her new friend whose presence already sparked joy in her. Combined with the sight of Tahir’s lovely and understanding eyes, Asha relaxed visibly and licked her lips. She did still taste the gin from his kiss and it sent a shiver down her spine. She bowed her forehead to Tahir’s chest affectionately, hiding the laugh that escaped her to know that they’d been not just spotted kissing but being made fun of for it too. Like friends should. She slipped a hand to Tahir’s waist, holding his shirt lightly by his side as she tilted her chin in Mick’s direction to spare him a glance and an equally obnoxious tongue. This was what being with someone was supposed to feel like. Playful and unapologetic, public and warm. Being with Tahir was what she should be looking forward to now that…

“Grossss, man.” Boyd’s face scrunches, and if Chris’s intent was to get him to never call him Kippy again, he’ll be happy to know his wish has been granted. “Save that voice for your wife, or whoever else.” Because Boyd is clearly not against having a mistress, and while he knows Chris is too much of a simp to fuck around, he’d never snitch if his cousin ever did. While Chris is taking it easy, Boyd is upping the speed on whatever hunk of metal he’s sweating all over. He’s typically obnoxious at the gym, but even more so when he’s in the company of other strong, debatably larger men. Last time he worked out with Chris he couldn’t get out of bed the next day and blamed it on a naughty hangover and an even naughtier stripper named Helvetica, whose name he’s pretty sure he got tattooed on his ass (and not in the font you’re thinking). 

“Oh yeah?” Boyd can’t help the way he grins boyishly before he begins to laugh, like they’re in on a joke except he’s not sure what it is. “Can’t imagine my brother running. Don’t want to.” Boyd never picked Fraser for his team during family quidditch, and everyone knows why. “My man!” Boyd chants, nearly stumbling when he tries to get a high five mid workout. “Doing us all a solid. Hate those damn things. I think they were his Christmas gift to himself one year.” 

“Mmm, no, too late. The voice is for my wife and now you too. Sorry, I don’t make the rules,” Chris shrugs, easily molding into being just as annoying as his cousin when they're together. He laughs when Boyd grows so excited over the demise of Fraser’s tennis shoes and can’t resist a good high five when it’s presented to him regardless of the circumstances. “Hey,” he still points a finger. “Fraser getting himself those as a present? That just means we have to step up our gift giving game so he never feels that kind of urge again. It’s the only way.” Chris shakes his head, “My boy deserves better.” He laments, as though Fraser isn’t a small four years younger than him. Still, with the fierce protectiveness he feels over his oldest cousin rivaling that which he holds for Colton, he’d be hard pressed to take that tone out of his voice whenever Fraser came up.

“Speaking of deserving better, I had tickets for a game in two weeks that one of my co-workers was supposed to go with me to but he bailed so can I count you in or?”

Margo’s finger curls with Scamp’s knowingly, as though they'e been here before and this is one of many promises. “I think you guys are just programed to dislike anyone I date at first.” All of the evidence is in her favor considering Harrison was her first boyfriend, and her only boyfriend up until recently. She doesn’t say it in a way that implies it bothers her, more for teasing purposes, just as she says the next thing: “You won’t be laughing when everyone starts pointing fingers at whoever you’ve been seeing lately.” Margo means teasingly, because she’s the kind of person that thinks if she can’t see it happening then her family member isn’t dating or screwing around. She had lived a long part of her youth thinking her mother was a virgin. She shrugs, and considers skipping over the boot entirely before saying casually, as though it’s not something that bothers her, “Does friends have to be a demotion?” 

She slurps the rest of her smoothie and puts the empty cup beside her. She pinkens at Scamp’s call out, leaning her weight back on her arms stretched behind her. “Doesn’t that say a lot more about you than it does about me, since I’ve like, totally told you his name before.” I don’t know his name, Shyma. It’s a good thing Scamp specifies, because Margo’s a little lost in the sauce right now when it comes to boys. She smiles at his gesture though, a little laugh following. “Wheesht.” Margo hushes him, playfully rolling her eyes, wondering how they even got on the conversation of Harrison. “Where did you see him, anyway? You guys go to the same dentist now, or something?” 

Scamp only shrugs at Margo’s accusation about her boyfriends, neither confirming or denying. “Oh?” He raises an amused brow sharply at her threat about his own love live and he only wishes for a moment that she could know who he’s seeing just to then know how very wrong she is. If Danica ever meets his family all he’ll be doing is having a laugh, for sure. “Yeah, actually, if you were in a relationship,” Scamp opinionates firmly. “After all, what is a relationship but a deeply intimate and bonded version of the brightest friendship you’ve ever had? You need the latter to have the right form of the former.”  He shrugs then, dropping the rigidness with which he believes in love and fantasy. “It is a demotion to lose all that intimacy and bondedness with you. I might not know your new boyfriend’s name but for the time being, he sure is a luckier guy than Harrison.” 

Scamp lets out a breath and a small smile having revealed all his favoritism and bias for his little cousin. “You definitely haven’t,” he insists playfully, “But I’ll let it slide since I don’t necessarily care just yet.” He’s proving her very first point and he knows it. “And what if we did?” He teases at first, letting a beat pass before shrugging. “I caught him on my way to get coffee in the morning, harassing the bartender for a drink on the fly or something. He’s jumpy as ever, that much hasn’t changed.” Scamp is very aware of the effect he has on most people but still can’t help pointing out Harrison’s decidedly jittery demeanor around him, mostly thriving on the rises he’s been getting out of his little cousin their entire conversation. 

Margo responds to Scamp’s silent response with more silence. He puts his hands up to claim innocence on the comment she made about Boyd, and she flashes him a daring look that would be a threatening ‘don’t you dare tattle’ if Margo was the slightest bit threatening. She even sticks her finger out to point at him as she does it, slowly bringing the smoothie to her lips with her eyes still on him. The seconds of silence are interrupted by her loud slurp. 

“Geez, didn’t realize he was that much of a problematic draft when I was dating him.” Margo’s eyes widen playfully, but she didn’t like Harrison at first either so it doesn’t surprise her that her family finally came around. She thinks Harrison’s the kind of person you have to warm up to, but once you do it’s hard to imagine your life without him. “And he didn’t get the boot. We’re still friends.” Margo laughs. Thinks get the boot is a little harsh in general and she doesn’t want to think about herself as someone who maybe hurt him, even if she did. “I didn’t — you didn’t specify my boyfriend, okay!” Margo laughs but mostly out of preschool panic. “Uh, not yet but we did make plans. We’ve both just been busy. But I always make time to see him. He’s my best friend.” A beat. “Third after dad, of course.” Another beat. “Who’s second to Nash.” 

Scamp breaks their intense stare with a laugh just about the same moment that Margo slurps loudly. He catches her finger with his own to hook together in a silent promise for her silent threat. “Well, he’s still all of that but we find it endearing now so it’s more forgivable,” Scamp says as he pulls his finger away from hers. His eyes widened with a lack of belief in her words as he commented, “Well, he got some kind of boot since he got demoted to friends.” He gets a kick out of watching Margo scramble for words and lets it happen without any signs of throwing her a life line. And then he smiles to hear her list members of her family off as her best friends. It’s a brand, really, the Broadmoors were always like this, family first and then everyone else. He loves to see the spirit shine in his little cousin.

He clears his throat, not quite done harassing her yet despite his pride. “Oh and let’s not forget that I made it clear twice I don’t know your boyfriend’s name and that didn’t register as much of a priority to you as justifying your little...slip up. So...” He shrugs. “I saw him the other morning,” Scamp reveals, shifting gears in the conversation. And then he specifies pointedly, “Harrison that is. He’s looking interesting with the...” he gestures in his general ocular direction to indicate the younger man’s new glasses. 

I do, he thinks but instead shrugs nonchalant. He’s being plenty vulnerable, but he believes he’s already given Scamp plenty of information on how he feels about the Broadmoors in general.

The request catches him off guard, already preparing for something humorous or something related to the man’s father but instead the Auror is plainly asking for a conversation. Simple and so meaningful.

“Yes, of course. If anything I believe that we’ll have to unite forces whenever your dad gets too stubborn or competitive about things, like yearly health check-ups!” he laughs, “But thank you, Scamp. Thank you for coming here today, for being honest and thank you for accepting us.”

And with that he stands up and leans over to offer his hand, “If Christian were here he would be hugging both of us all at once but I figured I’d offer you the chance of going for just a handshake.”

“Oh yeah, good luck with that, we gave up on that battle ages ago, but if you can talk him into actually taking care of himself past the flashy then maybe you do deserve him after all,” Scamp teased with a shrug, having to pitch his two cents on his father’s extremely stubborn nature. He smiled sincerely when he was thanked though, nodding to acknowledge so. 

Scamp did take the hand that was offered to him, but he also rounded the desk to urge Will closer. “Well, you’re the one who said I was the best of him so…” He chuckled as he closed the space between them to wrap an arm around the back of Will’s shoulders in a tight embrace. 

Had he hugged his former professor once since he was a child? Not that he could remember, he simply didn’t have a reason to. Perhaps, Scamp thought, a person as observant as him had only been so blindsided by the recent events because he hadn’t made himself available enough to the things that warranted observing.

Terry was never one for dramatic instances, but there was always a sense of comfort and camaraderie with Scamp. So in moments like these, she found herself the most playful. With a small breathy gasp coming from a slight gaping mouth, she replied with “A girl?” A soft smile coiled on her face. The tease was sweet, but softened away with her smile as she opted into her instincts to listen in. it was humorous the way Scamp talked about the girl he liked, sensing just how much he must have been taken by her - even if she was as much of a pain as he described.

Unknowing of her own physical awareness, Terry’s body slightly clenched at the word complicated. She had a few unconscious thoughts about that - none that she was willing to unbox in that split second, so going against the uncomfortable feeling drawing her back, her mind moved on. Terry felt the need to prod Scamp a little. Maybe he wasn’t ready to get into detail, but they were going to be there for a while… and if he wasn’t ready to actually discuss about it, then he would never have brought it up to begin with. Right? “What’s complicated about it? If I may ask.”

Scamp rolled his eyes playfully when he was teased but appreciated Terry refraining from going on at him like she easily could’ve. “Most things. She’s aloof, uncommunicative, flighty, temperamental, unpredictable, and a complete commitmentphobe...except she’s not.” Scamp sat up straighter, narrowing his eyes. “She’s not because she lays jokes on me smart enough to choke anyone up any chance she gets and she tells me just what she wants, when she wants it. She spends the nights with me more than she doesn’t and she walks around my apartment like she’s the one that put the furniture in just the right places for herself to fall into. I know what her different smiles mean and sometimes if you ask her questions she just makes a sound and I could tell you what kind of drink she wants right there, right then, just from that sound alone. And I’ve seen how she looks at other people who come too close to me. See, she’s none of those things she initially leads with and yet somewhere down the line, something convinced her that was the only way.”

Scamp let out a breath and rubbed a thoughtful hand over his mouth. “How do you convince someone that they’re not so bad? Actually...they’re kind of great?”

Will’s face split into a shy grin hearing Scamp’s words, he hid it behind his hand and mirrored the motion adjusting himself in his seat as well. 

His eyes narrowed with the last request, eyebrow raising displaying his curiosity, “Oh, you Broadmoors, tsk,” he shook his head happily, “I can try… What is it?”

Seeing Will smile made Scamp follow suit, glad for the tone their conversation had taken considering both of their trepidation coming into it. And his smile only burst wider when Will seemed to compare him to his father in the fondest way possible. “You love it,” he spoke through his toothy grin, beginning to believe the statement himself the more he exposed himself to it.

He had to respect the practicality in Will’s refusal to promise right off the bat. He would have responded just the same had someone presented him with the same request. “I know you like your space and your privacy and I was pretty much an expert at intruding on all that when I was a kid but...I’m asking now. Can we do this more often?” If Scamp wasn’t mistaken, the last time he and Will had an excuse to sit down alone, it was because of the former receiving the last detention of his school career over a decade ago. And he would rather the next time be over a medium ground of the kinds of occurrences that seemed to bring them together- if there was a next time at all.

“You don’t owe it to a grown man that bizarrely thought the ground would be solid under his feet after a certain age...but he’d appreciate it.” Scamp leaned back in his seat again, his relaxed posture compensating for his apprehension at the potential for rejection. 

Hearing Scamp say he would’ve made a decent parent brings a soft smile forward and in that instant a handful of familiar faces came to his mind, “I’ll take your word, Scamp, thank you.” he speaks truly grateful to hear it.

“I hear what you’re saying,” Will refers to the boy’s questioning, something that he has asked himself as well given the situation that they’re in, “Do I care for him because he is who he is or is there a weight of all the past years loving him from distance clouding my decision? Hmm, they’re both true for me. The fact that he is the person I’ve cared for the most my whole life so far has to have a weight on my decision to be with him now, but it doesn’t change who he is and how I feel about the Christian of today and tomorrow. 

"I have no idea what will happen to us in the future and I’m okay with that. I’m excited to not know and still keep going, that’s what your father does for me, he’s unpredictable in his predictability, he makes me throw away all my calculated plans and ideas and embrace whatever comes and he does with a smile on his face… As long as we’re making each other better, I intend to stay by his side.”

Scamp’s expression flickered into a frown for a moment to hear Will say that part of his decision making was impacted by his lifelong attachment to who Chris was. Even more so to hear that Will wasn’t sure where their relationship was going. But oddly enough, his thoughts alleviated once Will got around to making his point. As a practical person who had himself seen the percentage of doom in a relationship and pursued in anyway, driven by something more powerful than logic and pragmatism, he understood the freedom in not caring. In chasing and hoping for the best, all while knowing he was lucky to experience today as it was no matter how tomorrow went. In some ways, Scamp wished for a moment that he too could one day reflect and be sure that he loves someone not just for who they are but who they’ve been and who they will be too.

Glancing down at an arbitrary spot on Will’s desk to gather his distant thoughts and bring them back to the moment, Scamp spoke quietly, in a manner to admit finally and indirectly where his true leanings were in terms of this relationship. “I do think you make him better. And you might not know what’s going to happen in the future but I think now...I have a good idea.” Predisposition to boundless and unrelenting hope despite his overwhelmingly Ravenclaw demeanor, was the Chris in him. 

Scamp leaned forward a little more, straighter in his seat as he let out a breath. “I’m sorry it took us this long to have this talk. I wanted to be calmer with you than I was with dad because he’s...he’ll always be my best friend, no matter what happens between us and the same goes for mum. But you...I wanted to be sure I could mean it if I came to you to say that this doesn’t change things between us. Like you said, whether you were dating my dad or not, you’re still the one who put up with me sometimes even when my actual family members didn’t and the one who taught me things with more patience, things that helped me get where I am today.”

And with those insecure words, Scamp was just a boy in front of him, trying to make sense of what was happening to his family, shocked and worried he might’ve been played with, he reminded William of his own young self, seeking validation and reassurance from the person he cared most.

“Scamp, you were never and will never be just anything,” his voice was low and firm, he took a deep breath, fought against his own instincts that screamed for him to stop talking and get away, but he stood straighter and began to talk:

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always carried feelings for your dad. I say this knowing how incredibly embarrassing this sounds, but there wasn’t a period of my life that I didn’t care for him, including back when I tried to completely cut ties I still held onto these feelings because reciprocated or not, they were the greatest sentiments I had felt so far.

When it became clear Chris didn’t feel the same way towards me, it took me a while but I did accept the reality of it and honestly I hoped that with time these sentiments would wane until all I had left was the love of a friend that your father seemed to want from me.

Your mom was the best thing to happen to your dad at the time, she was fierce – she still is – and she stood just as tall next to Chris, she challenged him and kept him on his toes, but more importantly, they loved each other and they were happy together. As bittersweet as it was for me, I was happy for them and when the news came that you were on the way, I knew your father would be over the moon.

I’ve always known he would be a good father, the same way I knew I wasn’t meant to be one… Scamp, you are the greatest thing Chris has ever made, you can’t possibly believe that you and your mom are hurdles. Not to him and not to me, you’re not.

I technically don’t have a family, but I like to believe that I adopted one and you’re part of it, Scamp, whether I’m dating your father or not, I want you to know that I consider you at least this much.”

William’s shoulders dropped with that last sentence, feeling lighter and exhausted all at once, “You came to me asking for the truth and my truth is simply this: I’m not trying to replace your mom, nor do I desire to diminish your importance in your dad’s life. I love him with all of my being and his happiness has constantly been my priority, that’s why I know that it’s of great necessity to know that you approve of us, Scamp, so if there’s something you want to say or ask, feel free to do so.”

Scamp wasn’t necessarily sure if he believed Will’s opening statement to be genuine or just a placating sentiment, so he was glad the older man moved quickly but collectively to explain himself. It was a surprise to hear that Will had harbored feelings for his father for longer than the few months or the years at most that Scamp initially assumed. He had no reason to even try to hide as much from showing in his expression, making it clear this was a part of their story that Chris had left out for Will to divulge if he ever chose to do so. Scamp’s brows furrowed steadily to listen on, even if some parts were lost on him, his mind storing away the more complex details of Chris and Will’s history to organize into a coherent timeline later. For now, he focused on the emotions.

Will had a certain way with his words, Scamp noted. He’d always thought this about the man, always watched Will carry himself more graciously than the vibrating mass of raw vigor he called a best friend. Even in his honesty Will’s sentences were rounded and on target and Scamp found himself once more muddling through the idea that he admired the same things in Will that he did in the very woman who raised him. The same who Will spoke so highly of and vice versa. 

There was something feather-light about hearing Will refer to him as his father’s greatest creation. The sentence served as parting clouds in a storm of words, though Scamp’s reaction to them wouldn’t indicate so on a surface level. Chin bowing to his chest in a seemingly natural gesture, Scamp swiped a thumb across his mouth, a buffer movement to deal with the fact that it wasn’t sadness or anxiety that ultimately poked the biggest holes in his armor of composure, but happiness. Blinking the dampness from his eyes, he only looked back up to hear Will proudly stake a claim for their positions in each others’ lives. 

Able to offer Will a slight smile out of the corner of his mouth, Scamp nodded in acceptance and belief that the man did indeed see him as family. And to know it was that way even before Will had a direct obligation to him loosened his chest. His relief at Will’s answers allowed him to casually listen to the rest of what he had to say rather than clinging to every syllable that left him and Scamp found that much of it reflected Chris’s own words when it came to adjacent conversations. Scamp had to wonder if the couple was just on the same page about how to tackle their future, having talked it through extensively as adults in an adult relationship, or if being together without actually being together for so long simply made things this way without an effort. 

Finally opening his mouth, the only thing that first felt necessary to say was, “You would’ve made a decent enough dad.” Scamp smirked very lightly, teasing in a very on-brand manner that highlighted the sincerity behind his words. “If that’s not something for your adopted family to decide, having to spend this whole lifetime under your care then I dunno who can.” 

He sat up straighter to speak more seriously next, eyes as intuitive as his mother’s, fixed onto Will. “Dad said you were really there for him when I was down for the count,” he spoke in somewhat of a strain of the incident that he himself was still working on coming to grips with. “That you made him feel better about something he didn’t think there was a feeling better about. I…” Scamp licked his lips in a moment of hesitation. “I didn’t realize you’d been that person for him since you were kids. Makes more sense why he dropped everything for you. More so than usual.” There was a flicker of amusement in his eyes to speak the last few words. He was no stranger to hearing how often Will’s name fell from his father’s lips or how often he’d try to get in touch and the men would be together.