Rhythms of the night

Jade knew extremely well how isolating it was to be the new person in town. Don’t get her started! (But obviously, she will start.) Cause, dear as Wicked’s Rest and its adorable townsfolk were to her now, when she first rode into town with her megawatt smile and her flowy curls and exuding all her cool chick vibes that had previously left entire populations under her spell, the reception was pretty much… cricket noises. (Like you would’ve thought they were introducing an extra for one scene and not a major player.) (It was honestly a little rude that there hadn’t been a theme song, or fireworks, or a parade to announce her arrival.) (But, but… water under the bridge.) 

Basically, she never wanted anybody else to feel completely out of depth in a town that defied all expectations. She never wanted anybody else to feel inadequate and wrong and too much for the less enthusiastic, or straight up grouchy residents of the place she rashly considered a hellhole once. So, when she heard from Vic that somebody had moved into the neighborhood, Jade’s curiosity immediately sparked. She didn’t even have to think before deciding she was gonna welcome them into the craziness. Take them under her wing for all their needs.  

And okay, to say she heard it from Vic kinda downplayed how much grumbling and snarking Vic had done to explain the situation, really, but Jade didn’t wanna paint her friend in a bad light. (She didn’t wanna paint her at all, cause she was a pretty bad painter.) (And also her last attempt at getting artsy had resulted in a knife thrown at the wall, so.) (Wait, what did that have to do with the new neighbor? Did they like painting also? Well, she could give it another chance if that was the case.)

OH! Vic had complained, that was it. She felt some type of way (annoyed, annoyed was the way) about this new person’s presence in what was, in her opinion, the outskirts of her turf. They didn’t seem to wanna conform to the HOA’s rules, which Jade had learned involved mostly grass length and other aesthetic fixes, that honestly? Did end up making the neighborhood super pretty. (Vic’s job wasn’t all in vain, even if half the time, Jade was sure this was all made up.)

In an attempt to smooth things over, Jade offered to get to know the newbie, just cause her social lubrication skills were always lauded and admired. (She’d never heard anything but passionate praise from Regan.) And sure, Vic hadn’t been sold on the plan immediately, but once Jade reassured her that she was gonna be super subtle and not at all naggy and that she would come to her with all the deets she found out about the new person, she agreed to let this happen.   

Jade strolled toward the fancy house with a welcome basket in her hands. It had everything someone settling in could need, of course: fruit, a cute plant, candles, some baked goods (her beige cookies, and some of Regan’s banana bread), some other trinkets, and a bottle of wine. Plus, when her bone partner saw what she was doing, she decided to jump with some ideas that Jade gladly included, too. (Regan was so thoughtful like that.) (The two of them had learned to be better neighbors together, just like they were learning most things about adult life.) (They barely got any complaints about the noise coming from their place anymore.) Some of Regan’s gifts included: more fruit, possum bones, and a business card for a window repair business.

By the time she reached the house, Jade was practically vibrating with excitement. She really hoped that whoever was inside was cool and mysterious and a little eccentric, based on the vibes of the house, which kinda conflicted with the rest of the neighborhood’s architecture. It always caught her attention when she drove around, actually. (She liked that, correction, she loved it when people didn’t mind coloring outside the lines.) Cradling her basket proudly with one hand (like one would a football), she pressed the doorbell with the other and waited. 

—

Kelly was no stranger to homeowners’ associations. His folks lived in a gated community, down in Charlottesville. Drew less attention, they’d claimed, than standing out from the crowd. Helped ‘em blend in with the locals, have easy alibis for where they’d been, if a hunt had gone haywire. With an expanded garage, no one could really tell if they weren’t actually home, even the nosiest neighbors. And as far as the gate itself went? Well, how hard was doctoring footage for a security camera set to one, single vantage point? Easy, turned out, for someone dedicated. Easier, still, if you were the president of the HOA and reviewed all of the security footage, personally, to “see if there were any undesirables making their presences known.” ‘Course, his folks didn’t actually care about the neighborhood gossip; it was all about appearances. A glamour of their own, to fool the members of their little community into complacency.

There were other embellishments, too. They’d switch up stories about trips to hunter camps, to be stories, instead, about visiting the beach: “Gosh, wasn’t the beach great.” Kelly had gone to the beach exactly once in his childhood; the Brooks did own a beach house, though. But it was, in actuality, a safe house, for when they were called in to help beach-local wardens with nymphs lurking in deeper waters. But he’d been. Distracted the selkies who’d formed a water-based allegiance and, to his credit, avoided any unnecessary deaths. The beach-local rangers had acted more like, well, pirates, and he was uninterested in being a part of that sort of crew, but it’d been a learning experience. One of the few that the Brooks had actually been able to give him, despite their distaste for the… rowdier sorts of rangers. (Funny, now, that Kelly was a little rowdy himself.)

The point was: Kelly was decent enough at keeping up appearances without seeing the need to lock himself into a set of strange, seemingly arbitrary rules. His parents had minions (“They’re nice people, Kelly. They need direction.”) that would go out and measure grass. Post notices. Collect fees. It was a little much. So, when he’d bought the house, he’d made sure there was nothing in the contract, the deed, or the covenants about an HOA. The house itself was a big enough hint; it wasn’t like it matched anything else on the road. The land had been portioned off from the edge of the woods and was tucked back off of Lichen Lane—visible from the main road, sure, but through a thatch of trees. Trees that would grow, and grow, and grow, no matter what any president had to say about ‘em.

Only other neighbors, as far as Kelly had neighbors, were at the back of his property. Technically, he figured they lived outside of Deersprings proper. It was unclear. What was clear was that he had permission to cross through their yard, back into the woods, if he ever wanted to hunt on their land. Meant he could set up a tree stand (and a camera) somewhere back there, once he got more settled. Just had to promise to share the meat, if he got anything. Next hunting season, there’d be plenty of time to keep up that appearance, to protect those folks from encroachments onto their land. That was the kind of neighborly behavior that Kelly was looking for. Scratched backs and respectful nods. Not sitting in a meeting every Saturday, listening to bitching about how Rhonda’s trees were crossing Brenda’s fence line. Better uses of his time and energy.

So, he’d ignored the letter about his dues, and about the grass length (it was a normal length, for winter (what of it wasn’t just… dead), and, ‘sides, it wasn’t tick season quite yet), and just… focused on getting acclimated to town. Kelly’d argue to his last breath that it wasn’t his problem, that he wasn’t within the bounds of this Vic’s domain. Now, he should’ve been smarter. He should’ve expected a minion. ‘Cause why would Vic herself stoop to pay him a visit.

He’d left the front gate open (the controls were on the fritz), so the minion had made her way to Kelly’s front door. With a basket. Of all the… Kelly checked that Philip was secure in his high chair before wandering over to the door. He’d been planning on going out, later, with the kid, so he wasn’t a total mess. But Philip had flung food at him, so there was a spaghetti stain on his shirt that he’d never get out. He’d like to say that was the reason he waited a few minutes to open the door. As if he could will the minion to wander away, take her basket with her. But, no, she seemed… determined. At least Kelly hadn’t felt his senses go off. And it was daylight out. Ruled out lots of shit, between the two. (Didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous.)

“Look,” Kelly said, opening the door and barreling over whatever greeting that the woman had ready to go. “Sorry, but you caught me at a bad time. I—” His nose caught a scent. One of the few sweet treats that he had any weakness for at all. “Shit, you brought banana bread?”

—

Boy had Regan made a patient woman out of her. It was an indisputable fact at this point. Cause here she was, standing outside the house, minimally bothered by how much time the newbie was taking to answer the door. Jade was waiting for what would’ve felt like hours once upon a time. (Hey, she hadn’t even started tapping her foot yet!) But honestly? It was totally chill, cause she could hear faint movement inside, she could make out a silhouette moving, so whoever was in there would be with her soon. What was that saying about good things coming to those who wait? Yup. She was a true believer now. (Even if the good thing was straight up gossip in this case.) In the meantime, she put most of her weight on one leg, propping the basket with her hip. Her fingers drummed one of the sequences she’d been practicing yesterday. Any second now…

And then, she finally came face to face with her new neighbor, AKA, Vic’s potential nemesis. Weirdly enough, he didn’t seem honored by her presence. His eyes didn’t light up upon seeing her face. (She wasn’t ready to call him rude yet, since he didn’t know he’d just met the most important person in the neighborhood.) (He’d know soon enough, and he would… adapt accordingly. Right?) Instead of the expected pleasantries, the guy threw around some excuses about him being caught at a bad time, which was, like, the quintessential excuse for anybody who didn’t wanna answer the door. Despite this, Jade persisted, kept her smile intact until he ended up interrupting himself. (Sometimes she didn’t even have to open her mouth to wear someone down, she was so talented.)

“I did! I brought banana bread!” A glint of curiosity sparkled in her eyes, considering how quickly he’d been able to sniff out some of the goodies she’d brought for him. Huh, all without even taking a real glance at the basket yet! (She loved that, a guy with a good sense of smell.) (A guy who paid attention to details, those were rare.) She stepped forward, extending her hand for him to shake. (It felt a little too serious and robotic of a greeting, in her correct opinion, but also… she never knew when someone was gonna make a fuss about manners and all that.) (He did look a little on edge already, imagine if not offering a handshake had him crashing out?) “My name’s Jade, I live on Decompe Lane, so we’re practically neighbors,” by… a few streets, give or take. (She considered everyone in Vic’s domain to be her neighbor, what about it?) “And this is your ‘welcome to the crazy’ basket.” She presented her gift, making sure he got a good 360 of its contents. Then she handed it to him.

“Oh, technically, the banana bread is courtesy of my bone partner, cause sadly she couldn’t be here to visit. Work, you know? Extremely homophobic for keeping us apart. She was actually so curious about who decided to go for the house made of glass,” she pointed at the window repair business card pinned between the basket and the small plant pot. “She’s looking out for you from the get-go. We get a lot of disturbance around here, so you’ll definitely need this at some point.” In a way, the banana bread was also an apology in advance for the windows that might accidentally break during his stay. Windows that Regan may or may not be responsible for. (Whoever had built this house definitely didn’t know a thing about banshees, did they?)

“I caught you at a bad time, you said. Why’s that?” Jade tilted her head, not cause she was trying to get a peek inside his place or anything, but also the angle did help, should she want to do it. (Just sayin’.) “Moving woes? Did they misplace something? I hear that happens all the time. I can’t say I relate, cause when I moved in with Regan, we had like… two boxes tops between the both of us,” she took half a beat before continuing, a disarming half grin spreading across her face, “And I know what you’re gonna say, I give off the impression of someone who has suitcases and suitcases filled with clothes. I totally get it. I give hoarder vibes, which, yup. Fine. Maybe so. But those suitcases mostly stayed in Cali. I lived a pretty minimalist life in recent years.” Cruising the country on a motorcycle was an entirely underrated experience to teach anyone how to get by with little, you know? (She really should’ve capitalized on it and filmed a docu series, ugh.) “And now I’m finally… you know, planting some roots.” It definitely helped that there wasn’t an impending feeling that she was gonna have to bolt any second anymore. It helped that there was a home that made her feel all those cozy and warm feelings that movies talked about when they depicted home and belonging. (Not that she was boring anybody with the sad childhood memories, least of all herself.)

Wait, what were they talking about? Oh, right. She clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her chin up in determination. “I’m good with woes. Real or metaphorical. Lay ‘em on me.”

—

When Kelly had opened his door, he’d only had one objective in mind. Get the minion to leave. Now… Now, he had two. Getting the minion to leave was his second order of business. The first was acquiring her banana bread. Look. Look. You had to have your priorities in order, when you were raising a child. Bananas had always been a staple in Kelly’s life, from the ease with which he could scarf down one during intermissions between periods or breaks between calls, to, now, with their presence in the kid’s diet. Banana bread, though, was a little rarer, given he didn’t bake, and Kelly had no interest in denying himself. If he deemed it safe for the kid, Philip could even have a slice—as a treat.

So, Kelly might be a weak man, but, in pursuit of that newfound goal, he shook the minion’s hand, anyway. Jade. Her name was Jade. There’d be plenty of folks to meet in the coming weeks, especially once he went back to work. He hoped he could manage to remember her name. It’d be a little awkward if he forgot, right? Neighborhood Jade—maybe that’d help him remember. As Kelly mused over that, Jade kept on talking, undeterred by his quiet. It wasn’t something Kelly minded, exactly. He hadn’t always been the best conversationalist; in a way, it was easy to let chatter roll over him, only chime in when necessary. Some folks thought he wasn’t listening, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Listening was crucial. “Wow,” he said, taking the basket from her into his arms. “Welcome to the crazy, huh? Can’t say it ain’t appreciated, but, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was a bribe.” With a longer glance, none of the basket’s contents looked ready to leap out and maul him, so that was a point in the win column. (But if it was a bribe, there wasn’t much a point in poisoning Kelly.)

“You can send her my regards, then.” Kelly surmised a bone partner was a… romantic relationship of some sort? Maybe one of those more nontraditional types that he’d heard a little about? The homophobic barb didn’t make much sense, elsewise, but, even so, if he ever got serious with a man, he’d just call him his partner, leave the bone out, let folks just guess what he got up to, unless they had a reason to know. Still, he wasn’t going around judging anyone, not without cause. (Should be do some research? Was it a regional thing—another item to research. Kelly still hadn’t had a chance to run by the library, sign up for a library card now that his address was permanent. If they kept their collection current, maybe they had something about bone partners? Could resort to Google, if nothing else, he guessed.) Kelly was pulled from his thoughts by the warning. It raised his hackles, but it didn’t seem like a threat. “Disturbances? Far as I could tell, this is one of the safer neighborhoods in town. Ain’t callin’ you a liar or nothin’, just let’s both hope y’all are bein’ overly cautious.”

“Oh, I—” Before Kelly could think of a convenient lie, Philip made his presence known from a little deeper into the house with a thud as his sippy cup was thrown to the floor. That rascal. Curious little guy, wasn’t he? It was probably inevitable. If Kelly could hear Philip, Philip could definitely hear Kelly and Jade. And, like it or not, the kid wanted to know what Kelly was up to. Kelly was lucky he’d even made it through initial pleasantries. “Planting some roots, huh? I know a little somethin’ about that. Or… I’m tryin’ to.” Alright, okay. Kelly had to look at the limited information and reason that Neighborhood Jade… likely wasn’t intending on anything truly nefarious. On the smaller scale, like if there were any schemes from the HOA that she was here to enact, those plans would be enacted whether or not Kelly kept her standing out in the cold. It might help, actually, for this conversation to have a buffer in the shape of a toddler. If Kelly was a quiet stream, Philip was a babbling brook. (... No pun intended, Christ.)

Kelly heaved a breezy sigh, turning and gesturing for Jade to follow him into the house. “He ain’t a woe, but he is a menace when he wants to be.” Philip, sitting in his high chair, the picture of babyfaced innocence. The sippy cup, rolling lazily on the floor, the only evidence of the kid’s crime. This is why they hadn’t moved Philip to straws yet. First, Kelly sat the basket on the kitchen counter, to free up his hands. “You caught me at a bad time ‘cause Philip here ain’t the type to sit around and wait while I’m shootin’ the breeze with our neighbor. And as you can see from the very finest tomato sauce he’s wearin’, he isn’t at his most presentable. Take a seat.” He gestured to the chairs at the island. Then, with a chuckle, Kelly bent down to grab the sippy cup from the floor. Better to wash it. Kelly didn’t want to test the kid’s immune system by letting him drink or eat off the floor. He wasn’t a dog, just a werewolf—

The cup slipped from Kelly’s hands as he realized that there was every chance that Jade was a ranger. Shit. Shit. Kelly had only been worried about threats from the supernatural. His own kind, though… There was a reason he’d avoided ‘em, the last year. His own family, too, though there weren’t any rangers but him. Philip giggled brightly, unaware of Kelly’s new problem. Would a fellow ranger attack the kid in Kelly’s own house? No. Surely not. It was the middle of the damn day. He chanced a glance at Jade. She didn’t seem on the alert, but most hunters played a mean game of poker. 

“Uh, whoops.” Kelly knelt this time, as if he was concerned that, despite there being no visible mess, the lid had come loose. It gave him a hair longer to think this through. He was on his own turf. Jade might not have sensed Philip from the entryway. Depended on how attuned she was to her senses, right? Not like Kelly had set ‘em off. If she knew Philip was something, she knew Kelly likely wasn’t. Statistics would lead her to believe he was human. And if he was human, there was even less reason to make a scene in Kelly’s kitchen about the shifter toddler. Fine. Alright. He was being paranoid. Regardless of what the truth was, the only way out was through. Kelly got up, moved to the sink, and began to break apart the sippy cup. Just be normal, man. “Shoot, just realized. Shook your hand without even offerin’ my name.” He hesitated, just a hair. What could she do with his first name? Nothing. “Kelly.”

—

Wait, was this the real reason why Vic seemed to have it out for this guy? Was he bribing material? How important was he to the plot, then? (It was sus, she had to admit, based on the fact that he’d moved to this house in particular.) (In a ‘rich guy who murdered his whole family and then moved to a small town to live under a new identity’ kinda way.) Did Jade just randomly agree to chat up one of the big players? (So exciting! This was way better than agreeing to welcome someone into the neighborhood out of the goodness of her heart, obviously.) Hazel eyes lingered on him, equally curious and confused as he examined all the goods she and Regan had prepared for him. She nodded vehemently, agreeing to send Regan all sorts of regards on his behalf (she didn’t need to be told twice to regard her lady) (but it was always a good excuse) (she was gonna regard her so hard). “This is the safest neighborhood in town, totally. This was our very cautious, ‘better safe than sorry’ approach,” she confirmed. The problem was that the bar was in hell. Like sure, you might not get murdered by something with sharp fangs in broad daylight, but you would probably get played by some mischievous fae. (And there was her very loud, very adorable banshee, destroyer of all windows.)

Some noise from inside the house reached her ears, the kinda noise Jade wouldn’t have thought much of, if not for the guy’s disposition. (Had he slept at all? He did look a bit tired, actually.) (Mmm. She totally got it. When she and Regan first moved into their love nest, there was barely any sleep too.) Whatever the sound was, she was about to find out soon enough, as it had granted Jade entry to the house. (She really didn’t think she was gonna get that far, actually.) (She was more than happy with some casual chitchat outside.) (She was so humble these days.) As she entered the place, it was easier to understand the reasons behind his slightly frazzled vibes. She was not judging, cause despite it all, he looked super friendly. Plus, moving was super annoying. No time to put stuff away or decorate the way you’d seen in all those Pinterest boards. She could admit she had been nervous about people approving of her nude wall, too. (Ridiculous thing to worry about, in hindsight. Cause, who wouldn’t approve of hot, half-naked women and ulcer photography plastered all over the wall?)

And… what did this have to do with— Oh, right. Welcoming the very tired new neighbor. Who was also! A new parent. What a cute reveal. While he had moved to pick up a discarded sippy cup, Jade stared at the adorable baby in the chair. “Hi!” she cooed at him, approaching tentatively. Mostly cause it was hard to contain her excitement and not burst with energy that might startle the poor babe. Plus, she knew some parents could be strict about who touched their kiddos. So valid. Jade respected that. But she was (!) positively buzzing, her baby fever skyrocketing, her heart swelling with tenderness for the chubby little guy staring up at her with big eyes.

Jade would not have kids of her own. (Regan didn’t want kids.) (And Jade would never ever have children with someone who wasn’t 103 percent in on the parenting thing.) (Bit of a sore subject, she didn’t have to pull up her origin story.) Regan had given up so much to be with her for a few decades that Jade didn’t know if she could ask for more. Plus duty, and both of their natures and… She had accepted it and understood it. Not in like a ‘this is gonna be an issue later cause I haven’t totally made up my mind’ yet sorta way. Nope, she was totally on board with just being Regan and Jade forever and ever. But that didn’t stop a sweeping wave of… sadness. Gentle enough that her face remained bright and happy. (The what ifs, you know?) (A raven-haired, blue-eyed little weirdo running around did sound like the most adorable thing in the world sometimes.) (She actually didn’t even remember genetics enough to know if that configuration of character design was even possible.) 

Jade speedran the small bout of grief over hypothetical kids (which she figured most women dealt with), and focused back on the very real baby in front of her. She had way more auntie potential anyway, didn’t she? She already made sure to spoil Rosie. This was… a literal baby, though. She couldn’t exactly yap to him about KPop Demon Hunters or that dino Paw Patrol movie. Actually, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been in proximity to one. (Other than casual staring while walking down the street.) She wasn’t intimidated, though. After all, she was a former baby. She could totally relate. He was discovering the world just like she was! “I like his style.” Jade winked at the baby and grabbed the seat closest to him. “Very fashion-forward. Don’t let them change you, baby.” She laughed, extending a hand toward the tray in the chair, which his tiny baby fists were banging against excitedly. She knew a future drummer when she saw one. (He had a decent kick as well.)   

She had been so enamored by Philip that she’d sorta forgotten about the adult in the room. (Or, right, the other adult. She counted, too.) (And whoopsie, she hadn’t meant to ignore him, but she was sure dad understood completely.) Jade stopped making funny faces at the baby for a second, already missing his delightful giggles, and turned her head toward the sink. “Oh! You did forget to tell me your name, but I figured it was part of the mystery, you know… Nameless neighbor living in a house made of glass in a small town. It’s giving… typical horror movie intro.” She smirked at him, making sure he knew she was being totally unserious. If Kelly had been white, she would’ve run the other way. But he wasn’t, so Jade couldn’t help the sense of ease. More light banging against the tray drew her attention back to the baby. He was so valid. She would also protest if her bev was suddenly gone and her bartender was taking hours to get her a new one. She leaned closer, trying to meet him at eye level. “How old are you, Philip?” His babbling proved inconclusive.

“Moving with a kid has to be so much work,” Jade pondered, giving Kelly time to do what he had to do with the sippy cup. “Is your… spouse…” (look, he had a vibe, what about it?) “at work?” Vic made no mention of a second adult in the house from what she’d observed, but, if he was more important to the plot than Jade had initially believed, then maybe there was a strange schedule situation. “I do mean it, by the way… being a friendly neighbor. I know how overwhelming it is to navigate Wicked’s Rest when you first get here. And I was like, just by myself. I guess I was the baby. Twenty-eight is pretty young… Well, I was twenty-six when I first moved out on my own.” There was a point to this, let her cook. Right, yup. “This planting roots stuff, I’m guessing it’s for baby Phil?” She narrowed her eyes, that was an old person’s nickname. “Baby ‘Lip.” She did like Shameless, back in the day. 

—

Jade kept a respectful distance from the kid. Even if that didn’t weigh as to her intent, Kelly appreciated it. He’d have to get used to other folks wanting to poke and prod at Philip, like he was a particularly animated doll that Kelly was carrying around, instead of a living thing. He’d have to work on his paranoia, too, but that’d been beaten into him since— Well, not birth, but from the moment his senses had kicked in. It’d be a slow process, if Kelly ever thought to try. He wasn’t inclined to drop what kept him—kept the kid—safe.

“Guess it’s some kinda style. Fashion-forward, huh? You startin’ a new trend, man? Stains as statement? Needed a model for the line?” Kelly poked at Philip’s chest with a finger, snorting. “Does sound like somethin’ New York or Paris’d come up with, don’t it?” Not like he’d know. His personal style sat somewhere in “practical.” Once, thinking someone else would know better than him, he’d done a deep dive on men’s fashion. Most of the outfits were impractical, boring, or both. Kelly could take being boring on the chin, but no one would ever accuse him of being impractical. Too much jewelry or ruffled bits and bobs for claws to get snagged on? Nah. Good for some, but not for him.

If it weren't for the bright daylight outside (almost, if not entirely, ruling out vampires), and Jade’s obvious curiosity (read: he wasn’t sure she’d’ve quit), Kelly didn’t think he’d have let her in his house to begin with. Was that something Jade made a habit of? Seemed dangerous, especially if she didn’t know about the supernatural. Then again, the average Jehovah’s Witness likely wasn’t trying to take a bite out of her. The idea was hypothetical, anyway. “Ain’t tryin’ to be mysterious. Just don’t have my head on quite straight, with the move. Think I left some of my manners in one of the boxes, haven’t had time to unpack it.” That, at least, was true enough. “‘Course, if I was tryin’ to lure you into a trap, I’m doin’ a lousy job of it. What self-respectin’ serial killer brings a baby to the Saw trap? Audiences’d tear it apart.”

Jade’s attempts to communicate with Philip were just that: attempts. Still, it was a question, and one that Kelly could answer easily. “He just turned one a couple’a weeks ago.” It felt his record had skipped, sometimes. He’d found a gray, the other day. Just one, buried deep in his dark hair, not even visible. But Kelly knew it was there. Wasn’t like he was blaming the kid or nothing, but he hadn’t quite processed it, yet. How he felt about it was a mystery. It was novel—that was as far as he’d gotten.

Kelly finished rinsing the sippy cup and filled it with filtered water. When he returned it to the kid, Philip happily took a sip, processed it was not, in fact, a rare instance of Kelly forgetting his diet, and, predictably, made a face about it, shoving the cup to the edge again. This time, Kelly caught it. He’d been weaning the kid off formula, and the kid was not happy about that. Philip’d ask for it back, eventually, and the process would repeat. (Kelly supposed he was lucky the kid didn’t have a taste for blood, at least.) Kelly took one of the bar stools, slid it over to sit beside the kid, considering Jade’s comment. “Probably would be, but we didn’t have much to move. Spent most of that first year on the road. I used to work as a wildland firefighter, but, with Philip, I knew I needed to look for a more permanent spot, someplace I could get a childcare plan goin’. It’s all for him.” The sentiment was more true than Kelly liked.

“We’re…” Kelly paused, considering how to phrase it, decided one joke couldn’t hurt. “Kind of lone wolves, actually.” If Jade was a ranger, she already knew about Philip. If Jade wasn’t a ranger, it might only register as strange phrasing. Speaking of strange phrasing, Kelly decided to let her off the hook. “So, no. No spouse. No partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, or anything else, neither. Just me and him.” Kelly’d spoken to his adoptive mother just yesterday, but, as far as she knew, he was still in Virginia. He’d keep it that way, long as he needed. An expensive tank of gas or a plane ticket was easier to come by than any explanation. His family wouldn’t find him, up here, and, truth be told, unless somethin’ went wrong, they wouldn’t come looking. “Bein’ on your own gets easier, longer you’ve been alone, y’know?”

Even if Kelly still didn’t trust Jade, she didn’t seem all that bad. He wouldn’t take her up on her offer, ‘course, it was best to keep his circle drawn tight, but he was honest as he said, “I appreciate your sayin’ so. Ain’t never had a neighbor that wanted to be all that neighborly. Our last neighbors were the other cars on I-81. Total dicks.” Kelly winced, but Philip seemed to just be staring at Jade, moonstruck and interested in a new face, and, so, hadn’t noticed Kelly’s slip. (He tried, alright, but some habits were hard to break.)

“Oh, and, just to be clear? Both nicknames are gettin’ a firm veto from me. Tried ‘em all out, but he barely responds to his actual name. Don’t know how I’d get his attention, otherwise.” There might—might—be a nickname or two that Kelly would entertain. It wasn’t like he was opposed to the whole concept. (That’d make him a hypocrite.) The ranger looked down at the kid, lost in thought as a memory rose up, hidden in the back of his mind with care. He thought hard, examined whether it still stung. It did, but just a little less than usual. Still, it wouldn’t do no good to dwell on the past. “His, uh,” Kelly picked a spot over by the fridge (plain and undecorated for now), “namesake went by Philly, but that don’t really work. Virginia born, for one. ‘Sides, ‘Philly and Kelly’ is a little silly, right?” Unaware of how often Kelly had said that, Philip giggled at the sounds. It drew Kelly back to the present, to his surprise guest. “Yeah, bud? That all sound silly to you?” He poked the kid in the chest with a gentle finger. “Huh?” Poked at him again, laughing. Philip tried to grab at the finger, but Kelly was faster. 

Kelly cocked his head at Jade, wondering what she might make of the pair. He’d been told, once, that no one would ever guess that Philip wasn’t his blood. Whether Kelly believed that or not, he could act the part. A fond smile to Philip, then another, more apologetic, to Jade “Sorry. I ain’t much of a host, as you can see. Could you… come back, once we’re more settled?” Please?

—

Jade couldn’t wipe the grin off her face as she stared at the adorable father-son exchange. Well, it was more like she didn’t want to, cause again, how many times did she get to be in the presence of something as sweet and pure as this? (It made her feel extra grumpy that her siblings had decided not to give her nieces and nephews to dote on.) (It was really super selfish of them to deny her cute moments like this.) (It, also, made her feel totally normal, not at all insane, to realize that she never had any of these exchanges with her own maker). She nodded in wholehearted agreement when Kelly commented that his son was super fashion-forward. You had to start building that self-esteem early, right? Baby Philip deserved to be told that he could be whatever he wanted to be. (Otherwise, he might end up with what Regan would’ve described as “deficits”.)

“Oh, I bet all the babies are gonna be jealous at the daycare!” Jade hyped the little man up, even if she wasn’t totally sure how old kids had to be to start going there. (It was totally irrelevant anyway.) (This wasn’t a phase, baby Philip was definitely gonna be a trendsetter regardless of age.) And Philip seemed very appreciative of the compliment too, if his happy, drooly smile was anything to go by. But right, talking to the adult in front of her was also kinda important. (A little less exciting now, but she was sure Kelly understood.) He still sounded kinda apologetic about forgetting things like introducing himself and stuff. Jade had already moved on, so she dismissed his words with a chuckle, especially at the mention of a Saw trap. (But that was ‘cause she was imagining baby Philip riding around in a tricycle.)

Soon enough, Kelly brought back the sippy cup and joined them by the stools, which was honestly the perfect way to sit before some serious lore drop. (He could sing too, if that helped.) (She’d seen it work on Glee.) Jade was easily entertained by the sippy cup saga (she didn’t do much when she watched the baby push it to the edge, almost wishing it had fallen again), but she was able to multitask and listen to what Kelly was saying. Jade did mean it after all, she wanted to be a good neighbor for anyone who might need it. She didn’t play about hospitality. Or making people in town feel less alone. (That had been her hardship to overcome, it didn’t have to be anybody else’s.) 

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when he mentioned that he had been moving around (with a kid in tow!) for almost a year. A strong urge to interject and mention her own year on the road and compare experiences overcame her, but Jade held off. On account of having to explain exactly what it was she’d been doing during that year. (And she never told someone she’d just met what her duty was.) (At least, not unless she was positive the other person was also a hunter.) But she did vibrate with excitement at the prospect of discussing trip stories eventually. “Being out there with a kid is, like, even more hardcore than learning you literally fight fires in the woods,” cause wow, maybe Vic was onto something here, and Kelly was more than just an inconvenient neighbor slash not neighbor (she still counted him as part of Lady Larsson’s turf, obviously). “You’re gonna have to tell me how you got so badass.” Jade smiled at Philip, pointing at his dad. “Buddy, did you know your dad is, like, a literal action hero?” Her eyes shifted back to Kelly. “You’re gonna have so many stories to tell him when he gets older,” and really, if it wasn’t cause of his bold fashion statements, just having a firefighter dad was gonna make Philip the coolest kid on the playground.   

So it made sense, based on where the two boys had been, up until recently, that Kelly referred to them as lone wolves. (Also getting the scoop that he, in fact, didn’t have a spouse.) (And that he was open to having all sorts of partners.) (She was so good at this. They should let her improvise the census, really.) Jade offered a sympathetic smile, cause as nice as having all that father-son bonding time probably was, she was a little iffy on the whole… being alone gets easier the longer you are of it all. Especially if your partner in crime could only poop and cry. Like, you got used to it, but that didn’t mean it was easier. Crying one time instead of five cause you felt so painfully homesick, could be categorized as easier, sure, but that was still one awful time you felt like no one would be there for you. Loneliness was a bad thing to get used to. 

(But also, this invoked a sorta depressive aura into the convo that Jade didn’t wanna welcome.) (Cause then everybody was gonna have to start doing sad flashback exercises, and she really didn’t wanna think back to ‘22, to just her and Roxie and the town of the month.) (Reminiscing was only reserved for the fun, whacky roadtrip memories.) (And, also, she didn’t wanna be accused of not participating in the group activity, and she didn't wanna deal with a pang of FOMO so, nope. She wasn’t doing any of that.)

Thankfully, she didn’t have to dip into those waters, cause Kelly decided to insult his past neighbors instead. She cackled when he winced at his poor choice of words, but her gaze darted toward Philip, expectantly. This was the perfect time for him to say his first word in Jade’s presence. And she wanted it to be something funny. (She doubted he knew anything other than ‘dada’ or ‘hi’ or ‘yes’.) Alas, Philip was focused on her and not his dad’s words, so he probably missed the blunder altogether. (Which was a total honor, obviously, Regan did say she was awfully distracting.)

A beat later, there was a quiet moment between father and son that Jade wasn’t privy to. But it sorta confirmed one particular thing: Just cause Kelly hadn’t brought too much baggage into his new home, didn’t mean he wasn’t dragging something heavy and intangible with him. After all, there had to be a reason it was just a duo, right? She didn’t have the whole origin story laid out yet, and she didn’t need it. Cause she might be nosy, definitely top of the class in that department, but she knew that extracting that kinda info required talent. A talent that included retreating before making things too weird. “Um, you can definitely be a Philly from Virginia. This one’s already breaking molds—first fashion, now nicknames.” She pointed at the baby, who was fast to swat at her hand. (She would pretend it was him attempting a polite handshake.) He then proceeded to do the same with Kelly, giving his dad the sweetest smile. “Come on now, ‘Philly and Kelly’ totally has his approval, see? I’m totally reading his mind now.” She laughed with the smitten father, honored that he was even letting her experience this right now. 

So she barely made a face when his smile turned apologetic. Jade could read that expression everywhere. She was familiar with it. (Regan held it usually for about three seconds before she asked to leave any social situation.) “Oh. That’s totally chill. My duty was to make sure you knew there was a friendly presence nearby,” and she hadn’t even expected to get this far into his home in the first place! (So humble, these days.) (She needed to get some of that massive ego back.) “I can be on my way, yup. But thank you and Philly for welcoming me into your home, it’s, like… super pretty already.” Jade slid off the stool, smiling down at the baby before giving his teeny tiny arm a small rub. “Remember, 69 Decompe Lane. That’s us. Your friendly neighbors.” She patted Kelly’s shoulder and spun gracefully toward the exit.  

—

Kelly nodded, not really knowing what to say when it came to the subject of daycare. Philip needed proper socialization, with kids his own age, that much was true, but Kelly wouldn’t lie and say he was comfortable with the idea of said socialization taking place in such an uncontrolled environment. An environment where, by its very nature, Kelly wouldn’t be able to step in and protect the kid if he got too close to revealing himself. While Philip was still young, Kelly’d need to find one person, preferably another shifter, observe ‘em for a few days, try to convince ‘em to be more like a nanny for Flip. He’d need to do it soon, too. There was enough flexibility in his schedule with the WRFD to switch any shifts that fell near the full moon. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to do that too often, since that could get suspicious. And, shit, in order to do that, he’d need to be willing to take other folks’ shifts, too, and— Christ. Kelly couldn’t get distracted by this, not right now. He needed a plan, and he’d make one.

“Aw, ain’t nothin’, really. Just a job,” Kelly lied. He didn’t really agree with the idea that he was a badass or a hero, but he would swear up and down that other folks in his field were. It wasn’t being humble; Kelly had an advantage over his peers. Debris falling on him, minor burns, that shit’d hurt, but he wasn’t put at near as much risk as most of his crewmates. There was the odd exception, ‘course, another hunter that’d chosen the same path as him, or a humanoid that had a bit more durability. The other lie? It wasn’t just a job, to Kelly. It was his duty, as inextricable to him as hunting was (or… had been, he guessed). “Some of the stories from work ain’t really appropriate,” he added, not as a reprimand, but a simple fact. If Philip was a hunter, Kelly might not worry about opening the kid’s eyes to all of what firefighting entailed, early as possible. It was easier, most days, than hunting would be. Since Philip wasn’t like him, Kelly’d start out with the cartoon version of himself, slowly let on more and more as the kid got older. (Though, Philip would know—would have to be taught—about rangers, right? Safer that way.)

He avoided Jade’s idea entirely, not considering the prospect of telling Jade more about himself something he could even really joke about, if not lie outright. Kelly could talk around it, though. Loads of practice, at that. “Only fillies I know from Virginia are horses,” he said. “I’ll let you know if he picks up a nickname, though. ‘Course, once he’s old enough, he might tell me he hates whatever I call him. Want to go by his middle name,” which Philip didn’t have, Kelly hadn’t gotten that far (fuck, did he need a middle name?), “or somethin’.” Kelly let Philip catch his finger, this time, the toddler tugging on it, wanting to draw it closer, like a dog that just wanted to be pet. Kelly held fast. If the kid wanted to play tug-of-war, or just climb all over Kelly, it’d have to wait until Jade left the house. Usually, Kelly resisting the pull was enough for Philip to get bored, though with the occasional pout until Kelly relented. With a kid around, it was hard to get much done. That hadn’t been as apparent on the road, but, settled down, it was more and more of a juggling act. Philip was happy enough in a play pen, but he needed more from Kelly. Their first full moon here had been a mite more experimental that Kelly would’ve liked. He needed to build out a den in the basement, before the next one came around. To do that, Kelly’d have to keep the kid away from the sawdust and the power tools and— Shit. He was getting lost again.

Jade, to her credit, had decided not to resist Kelly’s attempts to get her out of his house. Which she complimented. How did normal people react to that, again? Gratitude, probably. (Even if Jade was almost certainly just being polite, given how… barren the house was. Or she could just mean the fixtures. Kelly hadn’t installed those. Maybe her own home wasn’t as nice? Shit, should Kelly make her a basket, now? No. No, that’d be crazy.) “69 Decompe. Got it,” he offered, though he knew he’d forget the exact house number within hours. Too many numbers rattling around his brain. “Nice to meet you, Jade. We’ll be seeing you.” When she left, the door locked with a click, Kelly slumped down on the stool, finger still grasped by a toddler who definitely didn’t have the capacity to realize how badly Kelly had fumbled that whole interaction. Still, Philip didn’t look all that impressed with him either.