Paws

(ʘ‿ʘ✿) “what you say ‘bout me”

the original post

One day when Kevin is a little too drunk to think clearly, he's laying his head on Wymack's shoulder he tells his dad everything that happened in the Nest.

Everything.

Now, before this, Wymack had a pretty solid idea of what went on in there. Getting Neil from the airport, Kevin on his doorstep with a broken hand, saving Jean from the brink of death. No of them had given Wymack the dirty details but he hadn't needed any details. There were kids that needed his help and that's all that mattered.

But then his son is leaning heavily into his side, crying and shaking and barely coherent past the stomach full of liquor but Wymack is able to keep up, to listen and understand - gory detail by gory detail - exactly what happened to his kid. The son he should have been able to keep safe from the beginning. His kid.

And it takes so long. The stories keep coming. Eventually Kevin stops crying and his voice becomes unsettlingly steady but the words keep flowing. Every excruciating story makes parts of Wymack's soul decay and yet there's more and more and more and more a-

The sun starts rising. Kevin is fighting sleep cus he's not done. There's more. Wymack has his arms wrapped around Kevin in an iron grip but he doesn't seem to notice. Wymack is worried of hurting him but he also can't bring himself to loosen his hold, fearful that some Moriyama scum might come barging in him away to take him back to that fucking Nest. To take his son away from him again.

"And then he broke my hand. You know the rest," Kevin says, infuriatingly nonchalant. Wymack has to hide his face in his hair so Kevin doesn't notice he's been crying.

how could they do this to my boy?

- The Raven King

There’s never any mention of Wymack in Columbia other than right here. But he drove straight to the cousins’ house after getting Neil & Andrew from the hospital. With Bee, they mention she has a GPS. There’s never that distinction with Wymack. There’s obviously no talking in the car, otherwise Neil would’ve known where they were going before he started to recognize the area.

It’s mentioned previously that Wymack knows what the cousins get up to in Columbia, meaning he knows about the cracker dust. & Neil is surprised that he “allows” that.

BUT

Wymack may allow it but he knows exactly where his Foxes are. When they go to Columbia, he knows that house & how to get to it, without needing directions. He probably staked that place out as soon as he knew about its existence. Wymack gives them the illusion of free will. But he’s always watching over them. He’s always looking out for them.

He drops everything when Kevin shows up at the banquet hurt. He drops everything when Kevin calls that Andrew is hurt. He drops everything when Neil calls for help from the airport (NEIL with his mantra of “I’m fine”). I imagine that phone call from Neil is probably the most scared he’s ever been.

He loves them. Which has never been a question. But the way he shows up for them (don’t get me started on my emotions of him flying Jean to LA just to turn around & go right back to PSU!!!!)… It’s subtle. He covers it with his threats of marathons & laps but he knows these kids. He knows these kids inside & out. He knows more than they realize. They probably think they have him fooled sometimes. & he just lets them believe that. He probably knows if he comes off too overbearing, they’d resist him. But he understands them & he loves them in the way that they can & need to accept love. These are his Foxes. & he would do anything for them. Including mapping out the city of Columbia on the off chance he gets a call in the middle of the night.