The still, sad music of humanity

Basic Info:

full name: Walter ‘Wolf’ Cross gender & pronouns: cismale he/him age & date of birth: 40 years old, October 15th 1983 where do they live: Southside time living in lockwood springs: 40 years occupation: Florist at Grove Flowers, Clerk at Pump You Up Gas Station positive traits: Romantic, Loyal, Communicative, Optimistic negative traits: Impulsive, Reckless, Selfish, Stubborn.

About:

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“You’re such a fucking cunt,” Elliot returns, jabbing him in the shoulder before giving him a squeeze. “I would’ve gotten you,” he doesn’t speak for Hunter though it’s clear they both would’ve been there to welcome their older brother back to the outside world. “Still find it hard to believe,” Elliot snorts, “had to be a trade involved. You running drugs on the inside?” He wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case, though he’ll give Wolf the benefit of the doubt this time. “This asshole wrote you letters?” He gestures at Hunter, skeptical like if Wolf was saying the sky was green. “What’d it say? Things good here?” he mocks in a cave-man voice before pulling a face as Wolf manhandles him.  “Shit, man, let’s just get drinks and then we’ll talk,” Elliot says, pushing Wolf’s hands from his face but not before pulling him in for another bro-hug. “Speak for yourself, Wolf – you’re the one who looks like you haven’t showered weeks.” he sniffs, “smell like it too.” @hunter-cross·

Hunter was too busy laughing to talk properly, but he joined in with making a punch into Elliot’s other side and then giving Wolf one too, right in the ribs. “Yeah right, you were still tunneling your way out. Whole place is gonna be crawling with cops looking for you.” he jested. He was cackling at the same time, clipping Elliot on the ear with a little slap. “Shut up man, I can write. I just don’t do all the weird-ass fancy flowery shit you do. And you.” he looked between them both but was happy Elliot finally had someone who he could talk smart with again and he had someone he could randomly fight people with. Best of both worlds with their brother. He dodged out of the way from being pushed into Elliot’s face and grabbed his tobacco to start making them some smokes. “Yeah, let’s head to The Phoenix or something first before we get everyone over excited at Boots. You’d probably be useful at the junk ranch with me and Finn. Or just go instead of me when I got a hangover from hell.” @wolff-cross​

There’s playful punches going every which way, but Wolf is just grateful to be back with his brothers. Even if he shows the affection by ruffling their hair, or roughhousing them like he did when they were kids. “I’m stupid about a lot of things but I’d never bring cops back here. Or do the whole drug thing in there.” he laughs gallantly about it before his laughter teeters off into a childish giggle as he points at Hunter. “It was colored in too, everything scribbled in outside the lines. And It said Hun’er on the back.” he joins in, laying his hand flat into the middle brother’s face to give a playful push. He does the exact same to the youngest then, pulling the material of his own shirt to give it a large whiff through his nose. “Smell just fine. Besides, you two had a working and less predator stalked shower this whole time so what’s your excuse?” Wolf beams and while he does this, he starts shimmying backwards towards the truck. “Come on then, all this talk of drinks but you’re just standing around like the Augustus of Prima Porta. I’m broke as fuck bitches so you’re paying and you can’t back track now.” @elliotxcross​

★・・・・・・★

                           The deep voice made Kenzie glance up to the kitchen archway, her nose scrunched because she didn’t consider her long runaway trip to Arizona as interesting news any more. Then she saw Wolf and her expression lifted into a bright smile. “Dude! I heard you’d be out some time soon. We basically did the same damn time together, except I got a lot more sunlight.” she laughed with elation, moving over to him and jumping up a bit to give him a hug. “Not true, you’d be a good mom.” Kenzie grinned and then turned to make a grand gesture to Koda. “Uhuh, half Vaisman and half Anderson. What was I thinking, right? Kodes, come and say hi to Wolfy, you’re gonna love him.” she waved a hand and watched as the four year old came running through, pausing when he saw Wolf. “Hunter?” he asked and Kenzie laughed. “Ta-da, there’s three of ‘em, little guy. Worst thing to happen to Southside.”

Wolf laughs as he lifts Kenzie off the ground a few inches with the hug, squeezing a little even as he places her back down gently. “I guess when you look at it like that, I could’a just been in Arizona this whole time.” Wolf’s smile is ear to ear, waving off the strange yet comforting compliment about his nurturing abilities because his focus moves solely onto the Mini-Human running his way. “Sounds like he’ll be good at a lot of things but then got the Anderson side to humble him a little.” Wolf grins but stretches out his arms and lowers himself to Koda’s level. “Yeah there sure is three of us. I’m the fun one, Hunter’s the grumpy one and Elliot’s the camel that’s waiting for the straw to break his back.” he laughs and gently flicks a finger to Koda’s nose. “Damn those eyes are blue, Kenzie. You sure he’s not 90% Anderson and 10% Vaisman?” he looks up at her, finding it amusing to be closer to her eyelevel than before. “You’re still pretty from this angle, Kenz. I don’t even think you got a good side or bad side. Just all good side.”

Emma’s blood is still boiling after seeing Cody and she’s gone down a spiral of bitter thoughts when they’re cut off by a nudge, causing Emma to jump slightly, thoroughly pulled from an internal rant at the sight of a familiar face. “Jesus, Wolf,” she laughs, rubbing the back of her neck, “gave me a heart attack.” In her thoughts, she’d been thinking about how hard a horse’s kick was and if Cody could maybe cross paths with one. The distraction is probably for the best, she thinks as she takes a sip of her beer and nods at him, “did you just get out?” His presence on the Southside and in Lockwood overall was hard to miss but last she heard, he’d gotten locked up for stealing someone’s card game. Before she can say anything else, Wolf is gone but the tell-tale sign of chaos that erupts is enough to pull her attention, brows raised as he emerges with a smile. Emma gives him a bemused look, glancing back at her drink and shrugging yes at the offer. She downs the rest of her beer, welcoming the way it helps wear the edge off the day. “Me? I’m great,” she says with a nod, almost as if to convince herself. She wouldn’t let thoughts of her ex ruin her night too. “If you couldn’t tell by the whole drinking alone on a Wednesday,” she adds, with a self-aware, slightly self-deprecating laugh. “Vi is amazing!” A genuine smile spreads across her face, “she’s eight now and not quite as tall but getting there. I bet she’ll be taller actually.” Emma’s always hard pressed to not draw out her phone and show just how great her daughter is. Instead, she gestures at the seat beside her and then back at him, “seems like prison didn’t change you much, Cross,” said as she taps the cash with an amused expression. 

Wolf laughs, waving his hands to gesture to himself now that he is finally back in the flesh to terrorize and adore his usual friendships. “Just today. Great, isn’t it? Five years goes by kind of fast when you think about it.” he’s jovial and excited just to be there, feeling the fresh air and life even if Neon Boots is stuffy with business this evening. His frosted eyes move to her drink and then to the clock, as if it will indicate the day of the week but Wolf laughs again. “Well, you’re not drinking alone anymore.” he declares, joining the seat beside her at the bar and waiting patiently for their turn to be served. He’s giving an interested smile as she speaks about Vi. “She was just three when I got locked up, right? I’m gonna have to come over to say hi properly. Is everyone keeping good?” Then Wolf remembers the news and he gently touches Emma’s shoulder. “I heard about Jason. I’m sorry, but I know it won’t be long until we will be hanging the bastard up in a Blood Eagle to show everyone to leave us alone.” Wolf states passionately. Some may call him a fantasist until they realize he has potential to make the dreams a reality, even the sordid and strange ones. He taps the cash as soon as she does and laughs. “What you mean? He dropped it.” he chuckles, finally placing their order and then quickly getting rid of the money that’s not his. “You think those places are built for people to change in, anyways? If I reform, half of them would be out of a job. I’m technically...doing the community a service.”

Elliot’s attention is torn away from the Kardashians playing on the TV (he was there first so Hunter had to fucking deal with the trash TV) when someone walks into the room. If this was in the before times, his hand would’ve already been on the trigger. But it’s not so his hand isn’t and, instead, he’s left staring like an idiot at his oldest brother, standing there like it’s fucking nothing. “Wolf...what the fuck?” His incredulous look is replaced by a wide grin which is replaced by a raised brow as Wolf heads back out. Elliot follows him in a swift motion, Kim and her photoshoot all but forgotten as he pushes the swinging door open. “When the fuck did this happen?” he laughs now, clapping his brother on the shoulder and pulling him in for a hug. “Thought you had another…how long was it? Longer than this,” but Elliot’s grinning, his stupid brother back from the clink probably the highlight of his week…month maybe (not that he’d say as much). 

@hunter-cross​

Hunter didn’t know when women started to become shaped like wisdom teeth, but the more he was forced to watch Leeching with the Sanitarians he could suddenly see why Elliot was obsessed with Aiyla. “Scott always tells ‘em but they don’t wanna hear it.” Hunter grumbled, torn away from the fuzzy T.V screen when he heard a God Damn British accent. He turned just in time for the food to hit him in the face but he burst into laughter. “Wolf!?” he followed after the eldest, and suddenly the trailer felt full again. Him and Elliot could handle life just fine without their older brother, but that was it. Just fine, Wolf was always a ray of weird sunshine. “We were hoping we’d get a few more weeks of peace man, the fuck did you do? Bribe the officers with a shiny rock or something?” he pulled Wolf into a hug but then stepped back so he could place his hands on both of his brother’s shoulders. “Fuck finding a job, Wolf. We need to drink.” @wolff-cross​

“They told me yesterday but I thought ah, why bother the lazy asses I call brothers to come get me?” he teases Elliot with a laugh, jabbing a weak punch into his stomach before accepting the much needed hug. “Get on in here.” he then calls to Hunter, waving the other blond misfit into the pile. “No, no bribing. Just good old fashioned good behavior. One of the old timers had a heart attack and I took over the library trolley, been wanting that job since the last time I was in there. You can always tell when someone doesn’t give a fuck about books. It was the most organized it has ever been with me.” he explains away the life that he focused on for the previous five years. “You both gotta tell me everything. Everything you missed out in the letters and phone calls.” Wolf says excitedly, placing each of his hands on either side of his brother’s faces to try and knock their heads together. “Look at you both! Look at us three! Ugly motherfuckers.” @elliotxcross​

The quest for employment has become top priority for the older Cross, instead of the usual conquest that men attempt after five years without the softness of a woman’s touch. His brother’s suggestions have been useful but Wolf still likes to keep his options open, going from pillar to post throughout the day with crumpled up resumes. Neon Boots is where his day ends, and it isn’t surprising as he reunites with his old friends loudly. It doesn’t seem to matter that his wallet is empty right now until he reaches the bar and sees another familiar face. “You missed me too?” he asks with a gentle tap on Emma’s shoulder for attention. He looks to her almost empty glass and then back to her. “Oh, that simply will not do.” he mentions softly, and neither will his empty wallet. “One moment.” And then he’s gone. During his absence, there’s a rumble of chairs and a few yells of obscenities and a small crowd of M.C members surrounding the brief confrontation. Wolf returns to the bar without even watching the man he just robbed get carried outside nursing a black eye. “I’ll get the next one.” he smiles to Emma, placing the newly acquired cash on the bar top. “How you been, Jones!? I bet Vi is as tall as you now, huh?”

Having caught up with the past five years, Wolf makes his voyage to Kenzie’s house. It’s a staple for certain Southsiders, yet another place to congregate and share a feeling of home. A large grin is stuck on his face as he enters and sees a familiar scene but this time with an additional little fella. “So I heard you left then came back but with someone else for us to worry about.” he says as his greeting, leaning against the door frame as he reaches the kitchen instead of venturing into it. “I can relate to the first two but lucky for everyone around here, I don’t have the capacity to give birth. Man, I’d be a bad mother.” he smiles before his arms open out. “Well, come on then!? And bring little guy too. I gotta meet this dirt-eater for once and for all. No questioning that he’s Danny’s with that trait.”

It was easy to get mistaken as Hunter, even by their own blood. It was even easier for Wolf to play his brother’s role too, a few grunts here, cuss words there, mix a few words the wrong way around. He’d been doing this for twenty five minutes without Finn noticing, probably made easier by the way Finn didn’t look too much at him as they worked. Hunter hadn’t even shown up yet for work and yet all thanks to Wolf, had got the majority of shit done. “Notice anything different about me yet?” he asks to Finn, not sure how long he can keep it up for as he smiles and steps a bit closer. The whole game is also easier by the fact Wolf wasn’t expected to be home until a few weeks later. “Come on, I know you must’ve noticed something new.” 

He knows it’s too soon for either of them to expect him home, but Wolf loves the element of surprise. He purposely didn’t tell Hunter or Elliot about his early release and now here he is, breathing in the familiar air of home as he sees the top of his brothers heads side by side in the window. Like little Russian Dolls, round and identical even from the back. Now they’re no longer lone weirdos and have their older one to complete the set. The door is open, as it always is and it’s as if he has never been gone. He creeps, chewing on a snack he acquired from a friendly face. “Um excuse me, you wouldn’t happen to know if this is the residence of three Crosses?” he daintily speaks like an Englishman, waiting for the two heads to turn at him before he throws a chunk of the food at them. “Ha-ha, it’s me you fucking sorry asses. Come on, come and help me find a job. I have a felony now. But I love money.” he laughs as he disappears back outside, just to confuse them further but also because he knows the bundle that’s about to begin.