MOONRISE

Mei's schedule during the week was normally pretty busy. With Benjamin's hockey and their daughter having physical therapy three days out of the weekdays it was hard for her to find a day besides Sunday. " It's okay. Sunday would be better honestly for me. I have to take my daughter to her appointments on Fridays. " Mei added not going much into details of what they were because as of right now she was comfortable sharing that about her family. It would take time to get there with Dominic. Her expression softened that she had two nephews and how badly she wanted her kids and them to be able to spend time together eventually. " I would love to meet them, I really would. " She had just such a s soft spot for kids, she always had which is why she was in the profession. " Carmen and I have twins, Benjamin and Bristol. " Mei felt the need to tell him his niece and nephew's name.

dominic nodded his head slowly, "sunday, it is. are you going to pick her up or should i drop her off somewhere?" he didn't mind either way, especially if she was going to give this a shit. it meant more to him than he'd be able to express. after all, he knew things were a little shaky right now between the two of them. "yeah, whenever you're ready. they don't really have anyone else, you know, besides me." and he'd been good with that, for the most part, but he also knew that they were all going to need more family in their lives other than just himself. "twins, huh?" he smiled softly. "they look like you, i bet but both of their moms are beautiful so they're lucky either way."

closed starter for @dominichuang at main squeeze

dominic glanced over at the other as she spoke and almost immediately shook his head. he was never the type to let anyone pay for him, no matter who they were but he did enjoy sharing his wealth whenever he could with the people involved in his life. "come on, i can't let you pay. if i do, that just means you're going to have to let me buy something for you next time." he paused and smiled over her, "it's nice to see you too. i feel like it's been a while since we've been able to stop and have lunch together. kind of sucks we can't take our time, you know, since you have all those meetings or are you done for the day?"

Mei understood where Dominic was coming from but she was willing to bring her back to school when her lunch break was over. " Of course, whatever you want to do. " Mei said quickly not able to think of how hard it was for Maia to lose her mother at such a young age. She couldn't imagine it with her own children, nor did she want to. " Usually I am free Sunday, so why don't we aim for Sunday? " Mei was willing to drive across town to take her niece out, she needed her, just as did her own family. " Two, I have two they're six. " Mei said softly grappling with herself to show her brother one of the many photos she had of Bristol and Benny on her desk. " You? "Remembering he also stated he had more than just Maia who didn't know her. Mei knew she could trust Dominic with information but still, she wanted nothing about her kids to get back to their parents. Those were her babies and unlike how she was raised, she wanted to make sure they were raised with love.

dominic didn't want to take her time away from her own kids and so, of course he appreciated the offer but he wanted to do something that would make things good for both parties. "you don't have to do a sunday. i know you probably want that time for your own family. we can find a way to make it work otherwise. maybe a friday would be best and i can pick her up after you two are done or you can drop her off at home. whatever you're most comfortable with." he nodded as she confirmed the amount of kids she had and he was happy that she got the family she always wanted. "three. i have two boys after maia. oliver and kai." he announced, pausing for a few moments. "i know they'd love to meet you."

She found herself sighing when he mentioned that their parents had sent her, she knew that her parents had flaws, in fact they were greatly flawed, but they weren't some kind of MI5 system sending in undercover operatives. "Mei wasn't there," she clarified, "and I walked away when I realised who they were." She realised she was defending herself, trying to make it clear that she hadn't approached them, it was ridiculous, sitting there and allowing her brother to make her feel like a criminal, but yet here she was, basically agreeing to his opinion.

dominic nodded in response. that made more sense. it wasn't that he thought that it would but he worst thing in the world if she saw mei's kids but he didn't know how their youngest sister would react. "you don't have to defend yourself to me. i was just surprised is all." he replied and glanced down at the menu. he and xiu had never been close but he was trying to do better, trying to fix his relationships with his sisters. "are you...going to have breakfast with me or were you just stopping by to say hi?"

Mei knew she wanted to make things right, for Maia at least. She didn't deserve to be cut out like she had everyone else. It was just she was still a part of that part of her life that she wanted nothing to do with. That changed now, things were different and Mei's had grown a lot in those last ten years. Mei nodded in agreement to having time with her. She knew that Domonic like her would do anything when it came to their children.

dominic was willing to do whatever it took to make things right between the two of them but he just wasn't sure what that was going to take. he did want his sister and his daughter to have a relationship, especially since maia didn't have anyone to turn to but he wasn't sure if he were willing to actually take her out of school. her education was important to him. "maybe just once. i don't want it to be a regular thing but it'd be nice for her to be able to spend some time with you. she'd appreciated that more than you'd know." it'd be hard for him not to attempt to make this work. "just tell me what day and i'll pull her out of school early to see you." he paused as she mentioned her own kids and he couldn't help but smile at the woman in front of him, "kids? how many do you have?" he wasn't sure she was willing to open up that much for him but he figured he'd ask anyways.

Mei knew that the past was the past and that it should be put behind her. She had grown up so much since then, she was a different person than she still was but it still hurt. It hurt more coming from Domonic not reaching out after everything that had happened at dinner. He out of anyone. Domonic had always been her biggest cheerleader, her support, and her protector. It had held such a sting to Mei even to this day when they were face to face. " I remember the day she was born. " Mei said after being silent trying to compose herself better. Mei went to sit at the chair at her desk ushering him to sit in a chair in front of him. " She was so small. " Mei added as she looked at a couple of photos of her own kids on her desk remembering how small they were.

dominic knew that they weren't going to be able to move on so easily. after all, he knew what he did and his wife had made sure that he never forgot it. she always loved mei and accepted her as a sister of her own before she passed away. he wanted to do right by her and fix things. it was the right thing to do and it was something he wanted to do. he nodded, "i know you would." he remembered the words that came out of her mouth the day maia was born. that day had been so special to him and the bond that the other was bound to have with her aunt was something he was looking forward to seeing, especially now that he was working on fixing things.

Mei made her way over to her desk. She sat in the large oversized chair that sat behind the large oversized desk. It had been the one thing she had paid more for because she had it specially made. Every desk that she had looked at was too small in her opinion. Mei wanted the room to be able to spread things out and not feel overwhelmed by her work. On her desk sat photos of her own family. Her wife, their kids the life they had built. Her eyes shifted up to him at the news of his wife's passing. Nina had always been so kind to Mei, they had always been so close. Losing her when she cut off her whole family. " Oh. " Mei spoke in a soft voice unable to comprehend what he was going through. " I'm so sorry. " Mei finally spoke ushering him to at least sit, she wanted to help her niece but the waters between them were still murky. " You can always bring her in. My door is always open to her. " Mei wasn't even sure Maya remembered her, she was so young when Mei had left. " She's twelve now, right? " Mei asked with amazement at how the time had flown.

it wasn't easy for him to do this, to face her after so long because the more he thought about it, the more he knew he was wrong for what he did. which, at the time, he'd only wanted to make his wife happy. he was willing to do anything back then to give her the life he thought she deserved and now, she was gone and he missed that relationship that he had with his sister. mei had been such a big part of his life for so long and he wanted that back, which was the main reason he was here outside of his daughter needing a female figure. he slowly took a seat across from her and took in a deep breath, "it's...alright." he sighed. it wasn't. he still missed his wife but there was nothing he could do about it except attempt to do his best. "yeah, already. i swear she was just a baby."

"Although I'm pretty decent, relying on my abilities seems a bit much," thought Ash. The game was evenly matched, and her position as short-stop had helped her tag out a few players from the opposing team. While it was just for fun, Ash knew that some people were naturally competitive. "If I manage to hit it out of the park, as you suggest, what do I get in return?" she asked.

dominic was pretty competitive but he wouldn't hold it against her if they ended up losing the game. after all, it was supposed to be for fun and on top of that it was for charity. he put his hands on his hips and lifted his shoulders up in a shrug, "how's a milkshake sound? or i could buy you a couple of those raffle tickets later in the week. what are you wanting?"

Hah, funny. Aiysha knew what a woman like her meant to a lot of people in this town, but somehow, she caught herself growing curious as to what it meant to someone like Dominic. "Giving your team good luck, of course." The petite brunette shrugged, resting her hands in the back pockets of her shorts. His question was ungrounded, she thought. Aiysha was very much a town supporter, despite this town not supporting her back, and to annoy and chase away those dry women and soft men — if you know what I mean? It was pure entertainment to her. "How dare you ask me that?"

dominic certainly didn't mean anything by it. not anything mean, anyways. he just figured that she had better things to do with her time than to attend baseball games. "i might just have to call you my good luck charm." at least this time around. he wasn't looking for anything but to flirt, maybe fool around a little bit. it hadn't even been two years since he lost nina and if he were being honest, his heart still belonged to her. he did get lonely every now and again and so that's usually when aiysha seemed to fill his time.

Aarti glanced around the dancefloor, taking in the lively atmosphere and the colorful lights that illuminated the space. As she observed the crowd, a familiar voice greeted her. She turned and smiled. "Oh hi, Dominic, right? Nice to see you again," she said, remembering how awkward he’d been when she first met him at Condom Sense. "Not sure what kind of moves I have, but I do enjoy a good dance now and then. How about you? Are you here with someone?"

dominic definitely didn't want to talk about where he'd met her or their first encounter, and he hoped that the two of them could move past how awkward he was. "yeah, dominic. it's good to see you again too and you know, somewhere more...appropriate." it's not that condom sense was inappropriate but it was just that it wasn't exactly the place he was hoping to strike up a conversation. "i'm not much of a dancer myself. not unless it's to get my kids to laugh. it's strictly for their entertainment." he paused for a moment and shook his head, "i came here to buy some raffle tickets but i thought i'd stick around for a little while longer. i'm here by myself though. what about you?"

Xiu wasn't ready to pretend that her parents didn't exist, she wasn't ready to shut that door and never look back, but she was ready to try and find who she was. She felt like it was possible, to visit them and look after them, whilst also navigating her own life. Sure she'd never done it before, her life had been their life, but maybe there was a middle ground that she could settle for. Apparently though there was no middle ground when it came to her siblings. "I have nothing to gain from 'reporting back', I'm an adult Dom, not a kid." Maybe this whole thing was pointless. "Yeah, I didn't mean to, but it's a small town."

dominic wasn't sure that he was going to be able to trust her. after all, why would he? he really had no reason to when it came down to it but then again, he had no reason not to either. while she was her own person, he was still curious to know whether she'd end up talking to her about him or not. a part of him wondered if his parents even cared to know how he was doing. "i know but that doesn't mean they didn't send you here." he paused for a moment and leaned back in his seat for a moment, "you're bound to have run into them eventually. i'm just surprised...mei's pretty protective. i don't know about carmen. it's been a while since i've spoken to her."

She put her weight back down into the chair, it seemed that he was less keen on her leaving, but he wanted answers. They weren't answers that Xiu had though, she felt lost, and that wasn't a feeling that she'd ever really embraced before, she'd managed to avoid it. "No," she replied plainly, it was the truth, she was still on relatively good terms with her parents but she was older now, she didn't live in their shadow in the way she had done before. "It's not sudden, I've wanted to reach out," she replied, but I was too scared was the unspoken next part. "No," she added again, feeling like a stuck record, "I did see Carmen and the kids at the ballpark."

the more questions he asked, the more confused that he seemed to be. none of this made any sense, at least not to him. "why? i mean, what's in all of this for you if you're still talking to mom and dad? xiu," he shook his head and looked away from her for a moment. the last thing he wanted was to cause a scene. "i can't do this if you're still going to be in contact with our parents, especially since i'm not even sure i can trust you. i mean, who's to say you won't go reporting back to them?" he asked. he wasn't trying to be a dick but he was trying to be honest. "you saw the kids and carmen?" and before he did.

— SETTING: spring extravaganza ; april 9th, the baseball game — AVAILABILITY: closed starter for DOMINIC HUANG | ( @dominichuang )

the last person that dominic expected to run into was aiysha. outside of the bar and the bedroom, he had yet to really see her around town. then again, he was usually more focused on his kids than anything else. he'd wanted to participate in today's game though and so, their grandparents took them for the day. he knew not everyone was lucky to have the help but he was and as a single parent, he appreciated that more than he could ever express.

Rachel laughed softly at the comment, and gave an innocent shrug in return. "Well really I can't blame them on that. I mean he really is just hard to not find infinitely adorable. But I mean I can't wait to see what type of animal you guys get!" It was easy to be excited for someone when they were getting a new companion, especially one as cute and adorable as some of the cats and dogs up for adoption. "Has your dad given you guys the whole responsibility speech?" She asked them teasingly, remembering her own parents giving her that speech when she was a kid. Unfortunately, she'd never gotten the wish of a family pet since her parents worked insane hours, but she was sure that was still a thing that parents gave their kids. "Yeah? Well who knows maybe I'll see you there! I'm helping a friend out with her kids there. Oh my gosh yeah! Are you guys going to be doing that too? I mean I get that it's a lot to do, but that would be great!" Rachel realized not everyone's schedules allowed for infinite flexibility, and with Dominic's career it wasn't like he could just tell his patients he needed to reschedule in order to go to an amusement park if that were the case.

dominic had no idea what his kids were going to choose but no matter what it was, he would accept it in order to make them happy. that was his goal, to make sure that his kids were both happy and healthy. maia, the oldest of his three, nodded her head. "yes! he sent the entire dinner doing it and the ride here." she confirmed and the older man let out a soft laugh, "look, it's my duty as a parent, is it not?" and it wasn't that he didn't think his kids could take care of it but it was just that he wanted to make sure that they knew that this pet was a permanent responsibility. "i wanna go!" oliver, his six year old, exclaimed. he took in a deep breath, "sounds like we'll probably be going once he get the lot of them a pet. who are you meeting up with? maybe i know them."

“oh, no problem. my son would’ve lost his mind if i dropped his stuffed animal.” he could remember micah losing his stuffed toys a lot as a child, but the truth was that saul wasn’t around much back then. his first few years out of law school were busier than ever, and it left his first ex-wife katie to do much of the childrearing by herself. saul regretted missing out on micah’s childhood, but it had been too late to fix it, and from the way his son had been dodging his calls, he didn’t want saul to try to fix it either. “he’s much older now, though.” he figured it was probably obvious that his son was an adult, but he had known other men in their fifties with very young children; saul had worked hard to prevent that happening to him. “how old are your boys?”

"you know how kids are. they all have their preferences." and that's why he was more than thankful that the other found his son's stuffed animal before they all got too far. there was no way he could have found one to replace it. "oh yeah? how many kids do you have?" dominic figured he may as well make small talk while they were all waiting in line for something to eat. "they grow up so fast, you know? i'll be saying the same about my own before too long. i mean, i already can't believe i have a twelve year old." he breathed out and nodded toward his daughter that was standing in line in front of him. "this one," he pointed toward the one in his arms, "is two and oliver over there is six."

Xiu had no idea how to handle this situation, and she went through life only putting herself into situations that she could control. She had never been close to Dom, growing up it had always felt like two against one, maybe Xiu had deserved it, maybe she'd always been detached and hard to connect with, maybe she'd been a terrible sibling. She'd just done as she was told, she was a child, she only really knew what was around her. "I know," she replied, "I guess I thought, maybe we could, uh, talk." Xiu didn't usually stumble over her words, but it seemed like recently that was all she was doing.

dominic just didn't understand why now, of all times, xiu decided that the two of them could talk. "alright, so," he started, inhaling a deep breath, "you in trouble with mom and dad or something? i'm not trying to make this harder than it already it is. i guess i'm just confused as to why things have changed all of the sudden." he paused for a few moments, "have you...spoke to mei?"