Entry tags:

30 seconds to mars, 30stm: cleopatra verse, 30stm: jared leto, 30stm: tim kelleher, 30stm: tim kelleher/oc

FIC: A River In Egypt- Cleopatra Verse. 30stm. Tim/OC. Adult 6/8
full header & part one || part two || part three || part four || part five



He waved Jared back, telling him to order something for supper if he wanted but there should be enough salad type shit in the fridge to be a meal for Jared and ducked back into his bedroom then the bathroom. The excuse of a shower giving him long enough to hide from Jared to try to pull himself together or at least brace for the hovering that he just knew was going to commence.

“What?” Tim muttered as Jared's jaw dropped and he just stared.

“Montgomery Gentry?!” Jared stared at his chest.

Tim glanced down...fuck. A concert or band tshirt wasn't a novelty in his wardrobe, just this particular one was a size too big and a country duo. He hadn't even noticed he'd grabbed it. “It was Code's. Got most of his CD's yet too. All the country is his, most of the 80s metal, toss up on a lot of the classic rock his or mine.”

Jared...Tim didn't know what to make of the expression on Jared's face.

“What?”

“Would you have ever said shit to any of us?”

“Yeah-Ange. Would've because of Ange, whatever the fuck we're doing is...yeah, no reason to otherwise. Not like I go out clubbing or would get caught doing anything that's gonna hurt you guys or the band. It was a temp gig to start with. Fill in for a tour, why the fuck would it make any difference if I was just the touring fill in musician? Didn't know you guys, didn't have fuck all to do with anything. Didn't expect it to work out to be a recurring job with friends out of the deal too.”

Tim headed for the kitchen, filled up a glass with ice, grabbed the diet coke from the fridge and a couple packs of cigarettes from the carton on top of the fridge. Jared followed along like a lost puppy still just fucking staring.

“You hungry?”

“No...”

“Well, you can go scavenging if you get hungry later or call for take out delivery,” Tim shrugged.

Jared helped himself to one of the beers he'd bought and stuck in the fridge, and trailed right along back to the living room.

Tim settled on the couch, filling the large tumbler of ice with a mix about half and half of whiskey and diet Coke, sitting both bottles on the floor next to the end table. At least his hands weren't shaking so badly anymore that he spilled and he actually managed to light his cigarette too. “TV, music, whatever. I don't care. I-fuck practicing tonight.”

Jared nodded and moved toward the shelves crammed with CDs and the pictures stuck in between or in front of the stacks in cheap ass plastic Walmart frames. “That's you and Ange?”

“Yeah,” Tim smiled a little at the picture Jared held up. Ange had been a tall bulky kid, and the bagginess of the t-shirt he wore mixed with the still baby-chubby of his cheeks yet made him look pudgy rather than just a smaller, slightly less ripped version of the brick wall he'd been in college and actually had been. Tim had been scrawny and skinny and in that picture on Ange's back like a monkey his cheek against Ange's, chin on his shoulder. Ange had Tim's legs caught behind the knee, Tim's arms tight around Ange, one arm curving up from under Ange's armpit the other around his neck, both of them caught somewhere between insane giggles, pure evil, hyper as hell on sugar, caffeine and silliness, and wanting to kill Salma or at least beat her with the camera she'd dragged along that day. “Ange's thirteenth birthday. Salma took him to Disney and he got to bring a friend, so he took me. We had a fucking blast. She swore she was never taking the two of us anywhere again.”

“You look like you're half in love with him there.”

Tim snorted. “It's Ange, I was. Am. It's Ange.”

“You never had us over here...”

“You order everyone to your place. You have more room, and the practice room in the basement. How fuckin' often do we end up over at Tomo's other than his birthday or Vicky's?” Tim countered and choked back the laugh at the stunned look on Jared's face.

“Kids?”

“The redheads are Jason and Bren O'Rourke's. Jase and Cody were business partners. Friends since they were like three or something. JJ's the oldest. He's ten now-the one there in the soccer outfit.” Tim pointed not really looking but knowing where the pictures were anyway. “Em's the tomboy. Little girl in the baseball outfit she's eight. Ash is the china doll. She's seven. Ryan's the middle boy that looks like he's up to no fucking good at all times. He's five. CT's the baby. He's gonna be two in few weeks. The darkhaired girls that look like pure trouble-those are Lara's. The dark haired girl and two dark haired boys that look like they wouldn't know fun if it bit them in the ass? Those are Alejandra's.”

“Your brother and sister?”

Tim nodded. Jared held up the picture he had from his graduation.

“Yeah. Rach was fourteen there, Jakey was ten. Last time I saw them was about two, not quite three weeks after that was taken, Jared.”

“He looks seven...”

Tim snorted. “So did I at that age, told you I was a scrawny little runt until I was about seventeen. Jakey seems like he was the same. Maybe...hope not. Fuck. Grew like five inches in three months. I was about ready to just bawl by the end of the school day I'd hurt so fucking bad. Of course I couldn't have managed to do that over the summer where I could've gotten away with sleeping through half the day. At least it wasn't football season. Supposedly went over to Ange's to do homework about every day. The one and only time we were nearly caught. Luisa walked in. I was laying on the bed, nothin' but my shorts on and thank god on my stomach or Luisa would've had a heart attack I think. Ange has amazing hands. What Luisa walked in on was just a massage I was hurting so bad, but that usually led to other things once I stopped hurting that I could move for other things.” Tim burst out laughing. “She clucked and fussed and got me some Tylenol before she left for work and ended up buying a bottle of massage oil for us...don't quite think she intended all the uses we put it to but..”

“Shannon did that. Remember him whimpering and moaning in his sleep, be up half the night because his legs hurt so damn bad. He grew all at once at about fifteen and kinda...stopped.”

Tim choked. “Ass. I should tell him you said that.”

Jared moved over to the large frame on the wall, an 8x10 in the center with smaller photos matted around it. Studio ones.

“Luisa's Christmas present four years ago, almost five. We all pitched in for going and getting family pictures done. Even Alejandra and her asshole. Robert wouldn't chip in a dime and had a fucking fit Ange not only put what he could toward it but came home for Christmas that year for the pictures. Can't say as anyone but Ange missed him or was upset he wasn't in the pictures.”

Jared stared at that a long while. The one and only studio portrait of him and Cody ever taken in the grouping. Luisa had insisted he be in the picture with Ange and his sisters, and the one of Luisa, Ange and the girls, declaring he was her fifth kid, Lara, Salma and even Alejandra, despite the prissy glare of her husband. threatening to get violent if he dared disagree he was their extra little brother. He and Cody both in the picture of the entire family.

Tim took another gulp of his drink. Jake. “Jakey looked good. Bo...can't believe that. Small fucking world. How the hell she ever hooked up with him.” He murmured. “Maddie's a sweetheart.”

Jake.

Jake had fricken showed up at his door. And...Jake all grown up and him and Bo with a baby. He hadn't been around Bo all that much, but when she had been around you had damned well known it. Cody had been decent friends with Ray and Nacho. Jason and Bren still were. Tim had seen Ray and his wife Julie occasionally at different things Jase and Bren had hosted. Bo hadn't been with them much the last few years in high school then starting college, plans and friends of her own. Nacho called almost as often as Jase did. Even when Cody'd been alive, he'd had his own insane schedule with work when he was lucky, auditions, scrabbling to keep up his share of the bills even if Cody didn't think twice.

Bo was the type who'd never met a stranger just people she loved or hated, and you knew which category you fell into within three seconds of meeting her. She'd informed him she was pissed she liked him when she met him because she'd had the world's biggest, and most futile, crush on Cody. Outrageous mouthy little thing. And he was willing to bet she'd gotten her way and in the family business. Jake had said his Lin had to get to work, and Ray was there to take Bo to work? Yeah. Doing the stunts Ray had sworn would be over his dead body when Bo was..what thirteen? Fourteen? She would have had to have been something like that then.

“How did you meet Cody?” Jared ventured.

“An ex-girlfriend of Nacho's, her sister dated a guy I used to know. They needed bodies for a shot, stand and look stupid and die of heat for ten hours. Get like thirty bucks. It was thirty bucks, ya know? So we ended up on the set for-I have no idea what the hell it was. Wasn't even anyone interesting as far as actors or anything around, film and stunt crew and extras pulled in from the crew's friends. Cody was there that day and he had JJ and Em with him. They got shoved at Nacho's girlfriend. They hated her and were instantly screaming. I ended up with them. They liked me, JJ was like two and a half. Em was just over a year. Ash decided she wasn't waiting another three weeks to be born. Jason was supposed to be there that day, she decided to come early so Code had JJ and Em and was the one on the set. I-kinda ran into him a few other times through my buddy and his girlfriend with her sister dating Nacho...” Tim shrugged. “Ran into him at a club few months later, Ange was back from college and we were out few beers and dancing. He asked for my number, I never expected a call.” Tim smiled with a little shake of his head. “Persistent fucker called I don't know how many times in the next few weeks. At least a couple times a day for over a month of it before I went out with him. He said he was about ready to give up. My schedule was that nuts at the time...that I wasn't bullshitting when I said I had this or that for every single time and date he came up with.”

Jared circled around staring at shit on the shelves.

Tim took another gulp of his drink and tried to ignore Jared. He glanced at the clock. Between traffic and having to stop at his place to check the Copper and the rest and grab a change of clothes, Ange wouldn't be there for another four or five hours.

Rachel's call...and Jake...

Jared nearly scared the hell out of him when he plopped down on the couch next to Tim, as usual not leaving a breath of air between them. He was so focused on just not thinking, not letting himself even hope he might get a chance to really know Rachel and Jake again, he hadn't noticed Jared's approach.

“Think I'm going to change my number,” Tim murmured.

“Huh?”

“If it doesn't...I mean, Rach and Jake decide looking me up was a mistake...fuck it. Done with mom's shit.”

He wouldn't be able to stand to put up with it. Not if...

“You're hitting that hard,” Jared eyed his drink.

“Uh huh so?” Tim snorted. “I've seen you drink in a mood, you don't have room to preach.”

Jared's arm crept along the back of the couch. Tim tilted his head back against it for a second. “I'm okay, Jared, just a really really fucking long couple of days.”

Jared nodded.

And if Jared scooted any closer he'd be on Tim's lap.

“Find something on TV,” Tim ordered. Some noise, some kind of distraction since Jared didn't seem to be putting any music on.

“Shit,” Jared grumbled at the ringing of his phone. “Shannon...”

“You can go on in the kitchen or whatever,” Tim shrugged and reached for the remote. “Tell-tell him whatever. Just-not shit I talk about, not that I didn't want you guys to know...”

Jared nodded, a kiss pressed to Tim's temple as he got up and headed for the kitchen answering the persistent ringing of his phone as he went.

Tim gulped down several burning swallows of his drink and reached for the remote, turned on the TV and stopped on the first thing that wasn't a debt reduction, credit card or ED commercial. His head starting to feel disconnected and buzzy as the alcohol fucking finally started to kick in.

*

“What?” Tim sighed as Jared settled back on the couch next to him.

“Shannon was upset and worried,” Jared said.

Just enough edge in Jared's voice Tim kinda wondered if Shannon didn't rip him one on the phone.

“A little pissed you don't like or trust us enough to have said shit before.”

Oh. Bullshit. Tim knew better than that one. Shannon and Tomo both might be upset for his sake when they heard all of this but, yeah. Complete bullshit. At least as far as the not liking or trusting them. That was pure Cleo there.

Tim shook his head with a sigh. “I-”

He was not up for this one.

He wasn't.

The arm was along the back of the couch behind him. He slouched down a bit and leaned his head back against Jared's arm. “Trusted you enough to risk my fucking job in Genting,” Tim pointed out.

Jared coiled up furiously. “You seriously thought we'd be fucking asshole enough that-”

“Jay,” Tim swallowed. “My dad's a school guidance counselor, or he was, assistant principal now. Supposedly all big on tolerance and and that happy horse shit. Look at me and...now Jakey. No, I really didn't. It would have shocked the hell out of me if you did. Just...like I said, had enough shit that...”

Jared stared at him.

Tim sighed.

“I'm gonna kill you if your overgrown boyfriend decides to get pissed at me when he shows up and you're too drunk to know your own name.” Jared finally said, some of the wound up easing out of his expression and his posture.

Tim laughed tiredly. “Ange'll be more shocked if I'm sober.”

Jared stared at him doubtfully.

“It's Ange, Jared.” Tim whispered. “He's...known me too well for too long. He's...been there through everything. Even...even the shit I've never said...he's got a decent enough idea because he was the one I'd have the breakdown on.”

Jared didn't seem to like that answer too well but that was his problem.

Jared's hand reached tentatively touching his cheek and brushing away the wetness there. Tears spilling over that he couldn't quite contain as he tried to reconcile the man he'd met briefly to the little boy frozen in his memory so long. The pictures he'd seen the day before had...just pretty pieces of paper, as much as he'd all but memorized them in a glance, that's all they were. Not real, not really there, not anything that was a part of his life anymore. Rachel's phone call had about killed him, but she didn't sound all that much different. How she spoke a little older but her voice didn't really sound any different, still what he remembered.

Jake showing up and all grown up. Bo. Ray sitting there in Jake's living room when the wreck they'd driven by already had him thinking of Cody when he was still reeling from Rachel's call and brunch with his mom.

“Jakey seems like he grew up pretty good. Bo too,” Tim whispered.

Jared nodded. “Yeah, he seemed like a nice guy.”

Jared was too close as ever, almost fucking petting him, a little-no a lot more awkward than usual. Jared was usually too oblivious to what he was doing to be awkward. Jared was for once actually aware of how he leaned and touched and was right there, mostly being Jared but that much more, just that much different than he was with Shannon or Tomo or Brent or anyone else. Then again the awkward might just be that Jared couldn't begin to comprehend not seeing or speaking to your brother for over a decade as close as he and Shannon were. Not being allowed to for years, and then having no idea where the hell to look the last couple years that he could have maybe. He knew went to college but hell...that didn't narrow anything down, no more than 'grad school in New York' really narrowed anything down to look for Rachel when he had at least a state to look for her in, and no idea if either of them wanted to be looked up by him.

If he was honest he was too fucking chicken to try. It just hurt too goddamned bad to even think of trying-he at least had the memories of them as kids. That wasn't ruined or dimmed by them hating him now. And they turned around and found him.

Jared started babbling. First about the Alexander shoot-which kind of made sense when Tim noticed vaguely a History channel commercial about a Hannibal documentary. Or maybe the fact they'd landed on what looked to be one of the discovery channels and something about deserts, or Egypt, or something, whatever the hell it was had a backdrop of nothing but sand and desert-ish scenery. Maybe it was something about rattlesnakes or Navajo? They didn't have cactus and sagebrush in Egypt he was pretty sure.

Fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck as Jared rambled on almost schizophrenically skipping from subject to subject, with not much that Tim needed to respond to, but enough it drown out the spinning in his own head at least a little. Screwed up or not, Jared really was a good friend.

*

Tim looked up at the sound of the door opening. Ange. Solid steady Ange. He really just wanted to crawl into Ange and not come back out for a good long while.

“You completely plowed, gatito?” Ange asked, worried dark eyes moving over Tim.

“Nope, just barely buzzed now, Jared gave me these sad eyes and got all upset and worried,” Tim snorted. It was kinda obvious how quietly Ange had let himself in and the tilt of his eyebrow he'd pretty much expected to have to carry Tim to bed and pour him into it. Jared started tensing beside him. He dropped his hand to Jared's knee and gave it a squeeze of thanks. “Your zoo all tucked in?”

“Yeah,” Ange nodded. “You okay?”

“Fuck no, Jake, Bo and Maddie are coming to supper next Friday.”

“Bo?”

“Yeah. Jake's Lindsey is Bo,” God he was still reeling at the improbability of that. “You've had to-Ray Arreguin's daughter, mouthy little thing.” Ange had met Ray a few times. “Ray and his son Nacho worked with Jase and Cody from time to time. Unless there's dying elk or some goddamned thing your ass is going to be here.” He wasn't going to be able to stand it without Ange. He wasn't. He set his empty glass aside and got to his feet, a little light-headed and slow but that was almost more tired than the lingering buzz of the whiskey.

Ange wrapped his arms around him. Tim just melted into Ange, wrapping his arms around Ange's waist and fighting the urge just to burrow in. A soft rustle of sound behind him-oh no. No. Jared wouldn't listen to him but he might Ange. At least be intimidated enough by Ange's sheer size to listen for once. Jared seriously had had too much to take Tim's car and drive himself home, and Tim didn't trust that he wouldn't be stupid and try to go out or drink himself into a stupor with Shannon out for the night. “Tell him he's not going anywhere. He's pretty close to kept up with me.”

“You're definitely not going anywhere, Jared. And try not to have a heart attack when the alarm goes off,” Ange said looking over Tim's shoulder at Jared.

“What's your bitch with my alarm? Thing doesn't wake me up most of the time...” Tim shook his head against Ange's shoulder. Ange really seemed to think Tim's alarm was loud enough to wake the dead.

Ange made a soft sound of amusement and shook his head. “I'm surprised your neighbors haven't complained about it.”

Love you Tim mouthed silently at Ange. Ange dipped his head just a little, Tim leaned into the kiss. Finally unwinding a little more with the big hand gently rubbing his back pulling him even closer.

“Lock up and get the coffee pot set? I'm gonna grab Jared some sweats and a pillow and blanket,” Tim said softly.

Ange nodded. Tim reluctantly pulled away and headed back to his bedroom getting his smallest pair of sweats and t-shirt, Jared was so damned thin anymore at least the sweats had a drawstring. He snagged one of the pillows from the bed and some sheets and blanket from the linen closet in the hall.

“You okay then?” Tim asked as he dumped the bedding and clothes on the couch.

Jared rolled his eyes, “I'm fine. Go to bed.”

Tim wrapped his arms around Ange's neck when the bedroom door closed behind them.

“You told me it went okay,” Ange murmured against his temple.

“Yeah, maybe, I think....wasn't bad at least. They're coming Friday.”

“Yeah-and you'll have me here however you need me-”

“Bullshit. You're my-fuck, you're my Ange. Boyfriend, lover, partner whatever the hell you want to use. You're my Ange....not.”

Ange's arms tightened around him.

“You-doesn't-Tim,” Ange whispered helplessly.

“Bullshit. Jake can deal if he's going to be a part of my life, and Bo. Bo can get over me being with someone other than Code if she gets stuck or stupid on that but I doubt she will.”

“I didn't-”

“It was Alicia's day, and they'd've all been fussing and the attention off of her,” Tim whispered. “They know now.”

“Yeah...”

“Ange?”

“She knew you with Cody. Cody's a hard act to follow.”

Tim shook his head. “Fucking tell me you know better than that, Ange,” he whispered unsteadily.

“I know better,” Ange said quietly.

“You better,” Tim swallowed.

“I do,” Ange insisted.

Tim stared hard at Ange. No fucking way. Ange just couldn't think he was...just there, convenient or wasting time. Cody was Cody. Ange was Ange. Simple as that.

Ange leaned in and kissed him. “I know.”


*

Ange jolted hard enough to shake the whole bed and nearly dislodge Tim from his very comfortable spot against Ange's side, head on Ange's shoulder and safe in strong powerful arms.

“Goddamn that thing's loud,” Ange muttered.

Tim harrumphed at the annoying faint buzz that was disturbing his sleep. He didn't want to get up.

The bedroom door banged open. Tim growled and lifted his head, glaring blearily. “What?”

Ange stretched managing to push Tim over just a little bit and hit the snooze with his fingertips with the arm partly pinned by Tim burrowed against his side and head on Ange's shoulder.

Jared stood there wide eyed. “I thought it was a fucking fire alarm or something.”

Tim grumbled and burrowed back into Ange. “Quit fuckin' laughin' at me,” he muttered feeling Ange start to shake.

Laughter rumbled up, spilling out as Ange rolled them both enough to reach the alarm and shut it off entirely, before the snooze went off.

“How do you make it anywhere on time?” Ange laughed. “I swear you're worse now than when we were kids.”

“Dumb bitch that does the weather on the morning news is so fucking perky want to shoot her. Leave the TV on and sleep on the couch. Her fucking annoying voice'll wake me up every time,” Tim muttered.

Ange shook his head chuckling. Jared just...gaped.

Tim growled at the sound of the doorbell obnoxiously ringing as if someone was trying to repeatedly poke it straight through the wall.

“You stayed up all night texting crazy to Shannon, didn't you?” he demanded lifting his head and glaring at Jared.

“I know how you sounded when you called me after you left Jake's, can't blame him for being worried and upset.”

“You're too fucking nice for ass o'clock in the morning, Ange,” Tim muttered into Ange's shoulder. He snuck a look at Jared out of the corner of his eye. He was still just standing there gaping like an idiot with his brother-it just had to be Shannon-trying to bust Tim's doorbell.

Ange, damn him, just laughed.

“Too fuckin' early for a sense of humor too,” Tim grumbled as he stretched to give Ange a quick kiss.

“I get to hide in the shower while you deal with the one trying to break your doorbell,” Ange whispered with a smile, hugging Tim tight for a second.

Tim groaned as he realized he was stark naked under the covers and the most easily grabbed sweats were...by Jared's feet.

“Toss me my sweats, huh?”

Jared's eyes didn't pop out of his head over the tossed and kicked clothes that landed between the foot of the bed and the door but it was a close thing. And he managed to toss Tim his sweats, which was even better. He still gaped as Tim slid out from under the covers and pulled on the sweats.

“Too fuckin' early.”

“You've got practice.”

Tim grumbled, words lost to a yawn and exhaustion as he stumbled toward Jared and grabbed him by the arm hauling him back out to the living room to stop the goddamned ringing of the doorbell.

Shannon was bleary eyed, smelling like he'd spent the night drunk in a whorehouse, kinda actually looking like it too in the clothes he'd worn out the night before rumpled to hell and his shirt buttoned wrong. Tomo was with him, practically sleepwalking with major bedhead, wearing a hoodie with his pajama pants and slippers.

“See, they're both alive,” Tomo grumbled at Shannon. “You better have fuckin' coffee or someone's dying,” he looked at Tim.

“You look fucking diseased. Buffy part Hoover or part vampire? Jesus.” Jared glared at Shannon.

Tim shook his head and stumbled for the kitchen. Tomo followed. He grabbed a coffee cup for himself and left the cupboard door open, poured himself a cup from the not-completely done brewing pot, silently thanking God for whoever invented timers for coffee pots and shoved the cup at the ice dispenser on the fridge door. Hot coffee splattered his hand and making him hiss but damn it he needed caffeine now, not in five minutes or more when it had cooled enough to do more than sip.

“That works,” Tomo muttered with a yawn and added ice to his own cup. “What the fuck, dude?” he yawned again and took a drink of his coffee.

“Brunch with my mother day before yesterday, phone call from my sister night before last. My brother showed up here last night...been a long fuckin' couple of days. Jared caught it all catching up.”

Tomo looked confused.

“I put up with mom to maybe hear how Rach and Jake are doing. Her demands for a lunch couple times a year are generally hell, but she'll let something slip about Rach and Jakey. Jakey all grown up with a kid. I got a six month old niece.” Jake. Jake and Bo. With a kid. That was going to take a long time to really sink in even having seen and held Maddie. Jake had been frozen as a little kid so long in his memory.

Tomo frowned, visibly trying to make his brain wake up and work.

Tim shook his head not awake enough, and just fucking not up to going through the whole pile of shit again. Besides, he had a potential Leto Explosions or maybe even a Leto War in his living room if Shannon was wound up enough to show up straight out of Buffy's bed, detouring only enough to drag Tomo's ass out of bed because of whatever the hell Jared had spent the night texting.

He caught Jared murmuring something about 'way too old' when he got back to the living room, Tomo stumbling half step behind him gulping coffee and trying to wake up. Shannon was looking at the picture of him and Cody that Lara had taken.

“Jared...Cody's birthday? June eighteenth...1972.” Tim shot at Jared a little nastily. Jared looked like he'd been slapped. Tim sighed and said quietly, “I don't have enough caffeine yet for Cleo shit, okay? Please.”

Fuck, he didn't want to deal with any of this. He had to have his shit together for the practice session.

Tomo rubbed his hand over his face and moved to look at the framed picture Shannon was holding. His jaw dropped and he turned back to Tim gaping then back to the photo, then back to Tim. Shocked into waking up, realization and confusion in his dark eyes.

“That's Cody, yeah. Lost him almost three years ago, car wreck.”

“Shit,” Tomo breathed. “That sucks.”

Tim took a drink of his coffee and eyed Jared warily as Tomo moved around and commenced snooping and gawking at the assorted clutter of pictures and odds and ends on shelves and the walls.

Tomo's eyes narrowing with each picture he looked at.

“Kelleher!” Tomo snarled.

“What, Milicevic?” Tim shot back.

Tomo picked up the picture from his graduation with Rachel and Jake. “You've got pictures all over fuck what has to be Ange's family. Buncha fuckin' redheads. Got pictures of these two littler. Not older. And nothing that looks like your parents for all the shit you got put around. The fuck?” Tomo demanded angrily.

“My little sister and baby brother.” With Rachel in between him and Jake it was obvious who Rach and Jake were, just Jake not so much.

“Yeah. No shit. So explain,” Tomo growled.

“Last time I saw or talked to them was around when that was taken til Rach hunted me up, sent a birthday present and phone call from her. She's in New York. Jakey showed up at my door last night. All grown up and a fuckin' daddy now lives less than a fucking mile from here. Shit that went down with Jake getting disowned too seemed to finally have gotten Rach and Jakey wondering what happened that I disappeared on them. The old man did give me a month or so after graduation to find a job and a place to stay. Jake he'd probably welcome back with open arms as long as he dumped Bo who's half Mexican and half-Chinese and never had anything to do with Bo or their daughter Maddie. Like I told Jared yesterday when we were stuck in traffic-clean up from a wreck. If anything ever happens to me Do NOT let my parents any fucking where near. And don't let them at Ange and his family. Ange has medical power of attorney, he has for years, it's all in with my shit for my contract. I don't want them anywhere fucking near, and Ange and his family have all the legal rights in the world and the paperwork to back it up. Got it?”

“They'd have the balls to show up and try to run Ange off and take shit over, wouldn't they? You said you had lunch with your mom, just to maybe hear about the other two...they would...” Tomo speculated.

“Yeah. Wouldn't put it past them,” Tim snorted. “They like their appearances too much, me not having anything to do with them spun as me being fucking horrible and on drugs cause I'm a musician or some damn thing. Poor put upon them. It wouldn't look good if they didn't try to show up and fuck over everyone if they caught wind of it.”

“No. Fuckin'. Way,” Tomo said dangerously. “Hope to hell it never happens, but I just hope they try if it does, 'cause we'll fucking take them apart.”

“Good,” he managed with a weak smile and swallowed down the rest of his coffee, escaping to the kitchen for a minute for more as well as to get away from the silent glaring contest going on between Jared and Shannon and any more questions Tomo might come up with.

Jared and Shannon were still wrapped up in their stare-off when he returned to the living room.

“Who're all the redheads?” Tomo wanted to know still eyeballing pictures around reading titles of CDs and DVDs and books on the shelves that covered over half the wall space of the living room.

“Cody's best friend Jason, his wife and their kids.”

Tomo nodded and moved on to a picture of Tim and Ange at about sixteen. Salma, despite swearing she was never taking them anywhere again a thousand times by that point, had hauled them off on a twelve day road trip just before she moved to Seattle for the job offer up there. The two of them looking up to no good in front of the Grand Canyon in that picture.

“Mmm, coffee,” Ange's voice startled him, and all the warning he got before Ange was pressed behind him, one arm wrapped around his waist and the other hand stealing his damned coffee.

“Ass,” Tim muttered.

“You love me.”

“Yeah,” Tim agreed with a smile leaning back against Ange. Ange's arm tightened around his waist and his cheek pressed against the side of Tim's head.

Shannon's eyes narrowed at Jared.

Tim really wanted to scream.

“Tomorrow? Like one?” Shannon asked with a yawn.

“Yeah sounds good,” Tim agreed.

“I'm fuckin' goin' home and you're going to goddamned go to sleep too, I'm tired,” Shannon grabbed Jared by the arm.

“One of these days I'm gonna kill you, you know that, right, Shannon?” Tomo yawned. “See ya tomorrow, Tim.”

“Mmm,” Tim tilted his head a little more as Ange nuzzled at his neck once the door shut behind the three of them.

“Interesting exit,” Ange shook his head a little.

Tim snorted. “Could be interesting tomorrow afternoon.” Probably would be, but right now he could only be relieved they were gone.

“They're not going to give Jared any trouble?”

“Hope not,” Tim sighed.

“I need to get going. And so do you...”

“Mmm yeah. Tonight? I'll even buy food and cook.”

“You going to burn down my kitchen?” Ange teased.

“You're the one that Luisa's always fussing about setting the place on fire.”

“One lousy dishtowel,” Ange laughed.

“One dishtowel, three grease fires and an exploded toaster.” All extremely minor 'oh shit' type incidents and the toaster was a bad cord that just went on Ange trying to make toast for his niece but Tim couldn't resist teasing a little.

“The toaster was Alicia's fault,” Ange huffed.

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