why don't you do right?

“I’d rather rebuild one hundred more transmissions than clean up a crime scene.” Vidia took a sip of the beer she was nursing. The thought of cleaning up blood, guts, and whatever else could be at a crime scene sent a shiver through her body. “Sounds like a pretty shitty job.”

“It’s part of the career I love and have managed to develop a tolerance for it,” Jax answered with a light shrug while sipping at his own beer. It was the truth after all, minus a few rare times when the job took a toll or the mind over matter approach failed occasionally. Still, being a detective was what he loved at the end of the day. Plus, it paid the bills rather well and managed to help him do what he could to provide the best life possible for Dalton.

Vidia honestly didn’t expect the person next to her to respond to her mini rant, but she was happy they did. “What kind of messes do they make you clean up?”

“Since I’m a detective, the answer to that would be crime scenes,” Jax politely responded prior to sipping at his drink. After all, he wanted to be able to head home safely tonight. Plus, truth be told, he’d never been the type to unwind at a bar after work. It only perpetuated one of many law enforcement stereotypes in his opinion.

“Listen, if I have to build another transmission this week because some teenager runs their bike to the ground, I am going to lose my shit.” Vidia said to no one in particular as she sat at the bar. She swirled her beer in her hand, looking down at it. The kids were both busy, and her husband had to work late, so she took the opportunity to take the evening to herself.

Jax admittedly nearly fell off his own barstool when someone’s voice cut through, although that just might have been his clumsiness kicking in again. “Honestly, tell me about. Although the messes I get left to clean up are probably much different,” he responded. It was the truth because by the sound of it so far, being a detective was very much the opposite of his new companion’s career. Still, there had to be a middle ground somewhere that provided a stage to at the very least empathize with one another.

🍬 Don’t get him wrong–Acid loved people. Most of the time, they were way better than the candy and racers he had grown accustomed to in Sugar Rush. But being ignored was a pet peeve of his. “I could tell. I’ve just been standing here doing nothin’,” he said with a roll of his eyes. Acid shrugged, “Wha’ ‘cha doin’ anyway?”

Okay, second intro of the night! Lords, ladies, and non-binary royalty, introducing Detective Jax Roger Rabbit. Everything you need to know as well as some random tidbits can all be found under the cut.

🍥 “Sixth birthday, huh?” Aaron said, letting his mind dwell on the fact while it drifted from their past. “Your great uncle always was a smart cookie.” He missed the past. The long nights were they would just talk about their days or go on about anything. Or even farther past that when they were in high school and both vying for first chair. He had regretted letting Jax walk out the moment he happened. Truth be told, he had never thought he would even see the other again. But seeing him here, right now, Aaron’s crushing heartbreak all swarmed back.

🍥 He didn’t know how to respond. The truth was out there now. He was a dad. “It wasn’t too late, you know. If you had turned back around and just told me the true reason, I would have forgiven you.” Aaron shook his head, still not believing it. His identity had been carved by his mom, leaving him a mess of Wonderland craziness and Auradonian forgiveness. In trying to be his own person, he had become even more of a mess of traits from his different upbringings. Being with Jax had made him feel normal for once in the messed up roller coaster that was his life. “I believe you when you say that. Having a kid is hard–it’s why I didn’t want any. As much as I still love you, I’m not sure about if I can truly forgive you for the deception that took place all those years ago. Even if I want to. I just hate being lied to for what, four–five years. There was a kid out there with half of my DNA and you never thought to tell me?”

🍥 At the confession, Aaron’s face paled. “That’s impossible,” he said. His mind refused to accept the fact. The son of Alice didn’t want to think about the news he had just received. He was in shock to say the least. “We could have talked this through, you know? You didn’t have to break my heart.“ Even if he didn’t want to be a dad, Aaron find himself drawn to the idea. He had never given children much thought–they were messy and hard to take care of–but if it was with Jax… He would consider it. "I haven’t had a serious relationship since you left. I’ve only had flings and one-night stands and it’s all because of you. You could have saved me all this trouble if you had just been truthful from the start.” Staring out at the park, the baker sighed, “Sorry,” he said, barely audible. He didn’t know what he was sorry for. For wanting to chase his dreams? For not wanting kids? For opening the bakery? He didn’t know, but he was sorry.

🐾 “Ah! The age old sitter dilemma! Eventually they might actually make one that arrives on time! Still, better late than never!” He pulled the younger man into a side hug, before answering, “I was thinking we could do something chill tonight, like the Escape Room! A couple of smart, crime solvers like us could tackle it easy, right?!” Sliding his hands into his pockets, he awaited a response with a cheerful grin on his face.

🍥 Hearing that shattered Aaron’s heart into millions of tiny pieces. His mind filled with the thought that it had been his fault. Maybe he wasn’t responsible enough or he was too adamant about chasing his dreams. “What do you mean you did it was all for him?” he asked, confusion evident on his face. “The truth would be to heavy of a burden? What the heck did that even mean?” Aaron never thought that he was destined for anything, but hearing Jax say that made him feel just a little more confident about it. “I never had the works in the palm of my hand. People think I’m crazy–not what I would call living it up as master of the universe.” The longer he listened, the more muddled his brain got. It mixed past memories with reality and he wasn’t sure what was happening. He was just as confused as the night it ended.

🍥 Walking out of his bakery, throwing the comment that his employees could figure out was in charge among themselves, Aaron followed the others to the park. He looked over at Jax, trying to decipher what the other was feeling. The eldest Liddell gave up trying to read his ex’s mind–hoping to push out thoughts of the sweeter days or their relationship or even when they were rivals who both reached for the top. “So why’d you do it?” he asked, sitting down on one of the benches.

{{~~ @detectivercbbit requested a starter with Dug! ~~}}

🐾 Dug had invited one of the younger police detectives, Jax Rabbit, to hang out off hours. He really liked the young man. Not that he ever disliked people, but Jax was another person he had taken under his proverbial wing. Spotting his companion of the evening, Dug went over to greet him with a smile. “Hey! Did you find this place alright?!”

🍥 Placing the money in his back pocket with a paper clip over it to remind him to put it in the register later. With a nod of his head, the male replied, “A park sounds great.” An open setting, one where Aaron couldn’t yell. It would force him to be civil about it.

🍥 “Cute kid,” Aaron said as he saw Dalton. Looking at the clock, the eldest Liddell turned back to his ex-lover. “Give me five minutes. I’ll get your cookies, you can drop the boy off at school or wherever he goes, and I’ll talk. Things are slow right now so a break is within the realms of reality.” Nodding, he headed into the back and grabbed the requested items before heading back out. “Your total is $24.36, and I’ll listen if you want to talk.”

🍥 Aaron sighed, “I’m sure you have a perfectly good reason. And I’ll be here to listen when you’re ready to explain, but I don’t think it would be fair to my staff if I just sat to talk.” This isn’t how he had wanted his day to go. He had become accustomed to not seeing the one person from his past he regretted letting get away. But he wasn’t going to chase after the other man–it would have been pointless in his mind. The son of Alice jotted down the order, “Okay, sir, your cookies and muffins will be out shortly,” he said, reverting back to his professional state. No need to mix up his past in this.