Duende

“I honestly would,” the man held up his hands, shrugging lightly. “Y’know– by now I would have thought that you’d take Mira out on a date. Your brother and I have a bet going.” Beau held up a dress, turning it around as he inspected it. Knowing it would damn good on Piper but wondering if the woman would even wear it. Setting the piece back on the rack as he continued to scout out. “I was coming home form Pipers’.” He answered honestly.

The blonde went back to the dress picking it up an tucking it under his arm. “Least they still have shit– our dumbasses waiting until the last minute.” Beau chuckled softly, shaking his head.

He was considering telling Beau exactly what happened, but before he could make up his mind on whether or not he wanted to dish to the man Beau said something that had caught Jack off-guard. Jack was perplexed by that admission.  “Why would you go and think a thing like that? And bet on it no less? Who’s even winning?” Jack was too busy wondering why the man who’d become his best friend would think his best female friend and he would get together that he didn’t even think to tease Beau about his coming home from Piper’s rather than spending the night. Nor could he be bothered to focus on the shopping they were supposed to be doing.

She shook her head, brushing his hand off easily. “I’m fine. Dexter is more important, go to him.” Mira turned her face away from Jack, focusing on the cooking in front of her. Seasoning the pasta sauce, giving it a small taste before adding more. It was supposed to be spaghetti night but instead, it was stuffed shells. With a homemade caesar salad and a chocolate cake for Dexter. “I’ve been distracted enough, I need to focus on the food.”

Jack wasn’t a fan of her response, but he remained calm as he slowly made his way over to her. “Hey,” he said as he reached for her again, pulling her away from what she was doing so she’d look at him, “You’re both important to me.” He took a beat to stare into her eyes trying to make sure she knew just how important she was to him. He lightly pressed a kiss to her forehead before slowly backing away. “I’m gonna go talk to Dext, but when I bring him back down here I need to know that you won’t be giving off all the same tension you’re giving off now and somehow inadvertently get him upset again.” With how close Dexter and Mira were, Jack had seen the two sometimes get upset just because the other was. Even if they didn’t know the reason. “By the way dinner smells great,” he added in an effort to lighten the mood.

Jack slowly started making his way up the stairs to Dexter’s room. He hadn’t the slightest idea what he would say to the boy. Nor was he all that sure what state Dex would be in. Yet he knew he had to do something. He lightly drummed his knuckles on the boys bedroom door, which opened slightly since the latch on it hadn’t latched. “Dext?” his voice taking a soft tone that he reserved just for Dexter. It was funny how quickly he could switch into dad mode for the boy.

“My definition of fun is for everyone’s guess,” Noah said, pretending to be aloof and mysterious. It might have worked on some, but most knew Noah’s vices were as normal as everyone else’s. A smoke and some booze and he was as happy as he got. “It’s not a jedi mind trick if it doesn’t happen without a discussion. But if you’re offering, I won’t turn you down.”

“So you either have a really boring definition of fun, or a really exciting one. But the real question is do you get which version I’m referring to?” Jack raised a brow at Noah. He took a drag from his cigarette and looked at the man for a moment longer. Took him all over thirty seconds to shrug his shoulders and pull out another fag and his lighter. “True. But it would be easier to just ask.” As he spoke his cigarette bobbed up and down between his lips. 

The park was one of Tae’s favorite places to come sketch. There was always something exciting going on that he could capture, or the landscape would provide enough inspiration on his good days. His sketch pad in front of him, his mind elsewhere, Tae was startled nearly half to death when a loud noise erupted from his left. His pencil went askew as he turned around, looking for the source of the noise.

“Fuck!” Jack cursed. He went to go start his bike and the engine gave a loud roar before immediately cutting out. Though the noise that really worried him was the one that he barely heard, which lead him to believe a pin had somehow come loose in the engine and that he wasn’t going anywhere. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to call Mira to see if she could bring the truck over so he could load the bike up and take it home. However, his phone rang once before dying. “Fuck!” he huffed in frustration again. He glanced around and saw a guy looking in his direction. “Sorry,” he apologized though he wasn’t even sure what for, “Um, would you happen to have a phone I could borrow?”

Elliot had promised to help his friend out, but when he went to her place he hadn’t expected spending a day with a baby goat was the help his friend needed. But surely the baby goat was cute as heck and Elliot didn’t mind one bit. Although when he was walking home with the goat on his lap he realised he was getting rather weird looks from people. As one more pair of eyes looked at him Elliot had to say something. “Don’t worry, I didn’t steal her from anywhere. All the petting zoos are safe and have all their goats home. Do I really look like a guilty guy who goes stealing baby goats?”

“Now I’m only more convinced you stole it.”

Charlie had the grace to laugh, shaking his head as he imagined it. No, it would not be fun for him to be shit faced around others. He could be talkative, which could come with a slew of consequences that he didn’t want to bother with. “I can tell you for sure it wouldn’t be fun for me. I’ll l eave it to be a mystery of the ages,” he said, nodding to the waiter as he refilled the table and finally brought some of the food they ordered a while back.

“Though I do think Beau has seen me drunk. Ask him, if you want,” Charlie shrugged, throwing Jack a bone. Beau would filter out anything unsavory that Charlie might have done. “Anything up with you, then?” he asked, picking at his bread.

“You do know that only makes me want to see it even more, but I’ll allow you your mystery.” Jack knew he’d more than likely forget about this come tomorrow. He wasn’t much of a dog with a bone kind of guy. Well unless he really, really wanted something. And there have been a few things in his life that he’s only ever coveted that badly. And only one didn’t involve any of his personal favorite pleasures in life. That being finding his brother.

Jack smiled at the waiter and thanked them. He momentarily wondered what the waiter tasted like though that thought quickly faded as the smell of food and Charlie’s question stole his attention. “Same shit, different day,” Jack casually replied before taking his first bite. When he swallowed he added, “I mean I could tell you about Dext, but I don’t want to bore you.”

“And you never will,” Charlie said over his glass. Alcohol was more of a hobby for Charlie than a vice, but one could argue the difference. At this point, he could handle his liquor. He raised an eyebrow at Jack’s refusal, but didn’t comment. “I have the sense enough to get shit-faced behind closed doors like a gentleman.”

“But it would be so much fun.” He snorted. “Well fun for me. I don’t know about you. But I would love to see it. I get the feeling you are a talkative drunk.” Jack could vividly picture the type of drunk Charlie would be. He imagined him to be a fun one. Not that Charlie wasn’t already a fun person to begin with, but more amplified. Though he could also imagine Charlie being a terrifying drunk. Jack was certain there was plenty he didn’t know about Charlie and if the rumors were true, then there were things Jack didn’t want to know about him. But it definitely led him to believe that Charlie could be a heartless bastard when he wanted to be.

Charlie’s facial expression towards his lack of an answer in regards to the alcohol hadn’t gone unnoticed, but if Charlie wasn’t going to ask then Jack wasn’t going to explain himself. That was more work than necessary.