Ty Solomon (shadowbadge) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-05-11 12:25:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | #october 2017, sadie, sadie x ty, ty |
Who: Sadie and Ty
When: Monday, Oct 23, late afternoon
Where: Moxie’s
Status: Complete
The past thirty hours or so had been exhausting. Ty had caught a nap somewhere the night before, but it hadn’t been for long. A good bulk of the town was out in force, searching for little Amelia Lucas, but they needed organizing and direction, so all the cops had to be out too. The fact that they hadn’t found a single trace of her yet was weighing heavily on everyone, especially since she’d now been missing overnight. The longer it went on, the worse her odds were, especially since it wasn't summer anymore. And of course it had to happen to a family who always seemed ready to fight everybody at a moment’s notice. Ty didn’t envy Grady having to deal with the Lucases.
They’d all been taking breaks in small shifts, and by mid-afternoon it was Ty’s turn. He wasn’t even hungry until he walked into Moxie’s, and then his body reminded him that he’d been burning the candle at both ends and not feeding himself well. His head ached and he was worn out, but maybe a dose of protein and sugar would do him good. And some fucking coffee. Ty took up a spot at the counter, not even having to look at the menu to know what he wanted. He ran a hand over his short hair and pulled his phone out to check messages while he waited. Jared was out with the search parties and they’d seen each other in passing, but Ty still sent him a little miss you just to bolster them both.
Sadie hadn't been able to help with the search during the day, due to having to work, but she had fully planned on driving out to the search areas once she was able to get home and change into some more comfortable clothing and shoes. She had been feeling sick to her stomach ever since she found out Jasper Lucas's sister had gone missing. It happened far too often in this town with so few happy endings. It made her think of Danny, although in her heart she knew Danny was much more capable of taking care of himself in dire situations than a nine year old would be. She kept hoping to hear some good news, and the longer the hours went by with no news at all, the worst she felt. Everyone knew the first forty eight hours was the most crucial for a missing child.
She drove to Moxie's after stopping at home, intending to pick up a coffee to take with her, and maybe a couple sandwiches, just in case she came across Jared. He was probably working overtime and exhausted. And maybe hungry. Sadie didn't think she was overstepping any boundaries if she brought him food. If he had already eaten, surely someone else on the search team may be hungry.
Sadie walked into Moxie's and headed for the counter, pausing in her steps only slightly when she spotted Ty sitting there. There was a mild surge of awkwardness, but there were some more important things happening right now than whether or not she would feel strange talking to her ex-husband's boyfriend. So Sadie walked over and took the seat beside Ty, reaching out to place her hand on his arm gently. "How are things going out there?" she asked, setting her bag on the counter beside her. "Any news?"
Ty was aware of someone sitting down next to him, but the touch on his arm was a surprise. He looked up from his phone, brow raised, and saw it was Sadie. Which felt a little surreal in the moment, though it shouldn’t have. It was a small town and it wasn’t like she’d stopped existing. Ty’s cheeks got warmer and he got the unwelcome flash of shame yet again that he and Jared had been fucking when Amelia Lucas went missing. It was a stupid thing to even think about, but it kept popping up in his brain anyway. He was probably just overtired. It took him a second to process her questions, then he shook his head. “No sign yet,” he said grimly. “We’re trying though, widened the search perimeter even further a couple of hours ago.”
There was only so much land to cover. So many woods to comb through and tunnels to search. They had searched for Danny too. For awhile. "I was headed that way," Sadie admitted. "I thought I would stop in here for some coffee and food first." She paused, feeling that sliver of awkwardness seep in all over again. "Has Jared eaten?" She realized that maybe it would sound like Ty wasn't 'taking care' of Jared or something, which wasn't how she wanted it to sound at all. Hopefully Ty wasn't the aggressively possessive type. "I thought about taking him a sandwich. He and Grady," Sadie added, hoping that adding the sheriff in the group would make it seem less... weird.
Ty realized that he didn’t know if Jared had had a break yet, nor had he thought of getting some food to take back to his boyfriend. It might have occurred to him as he was stuffing his own face, but it hadn’t crossed his mind yet, and a bit of guilt gnawed at him. Ty shook his head a little and gave Sadie a grateful half-smile. “We’re assigned to different groups, so I dunno for sure, but I don’t think he’s had a break yet,” he told her. “I’m sure he’d appreciate it. They both would.” Ty was also sure Sadie had tacked Grady’s name onto that to not make it weird, but it wasn’t really necessary. Ty knew Jared and Sadie still had an amicable relationship, and he wasn’t threatened by an ex wife bearing sandwiches. Ty wet his lips and studied her face for a second. “How are you doing?” he asked. A missing girl upset everybody, naturally, but Sadie had just lost someone too.
Sadie nodded, parting her lips to ask if he would rather be the one to take Jared food, but... she closed her mouth and decided not to go down that path. Ty had said they were in different groups, so it was possible he wouldn't even see Jared for awhile. She managed a small smile in response to Ty's question, and Sadie's gaze diverted to the milkshake machine behind the counter. "I'm doing all right, all things considered. I feel... guilty," she admitted after a moment. "Because disappearances in Point Pleasant are nothing new. It happens so frequently with so few resolutions. Before Danny, I would hear about them and feel terrible. I would help search, but when that was called off, I went back to my life with the occasional passing thought to who had gone missing, and who they left behind. But the families don't get to do that, you know? But then Danny went missing and I think about it every day, and I wonder why no one else is thinking about it as much as I am." Sadie paused long enough to exhale and laugh a little. "I'm sorry. That was a lot of personal baggage to dump on you. People keep asking how I'm doing, and I keep saying I'm fine, or I'm hanging in there, and I think I'm just tired of lying. I just... I really hope they find Amelia. I don't want her family to have to feel this way."
Her candor was another surprise that took Ty back a little, but kind of in a good way. He wondered vaguely if she would’ve told someone else all of that, or if they had some kind of unique bond now, being with the same man. Or having been. It was a weird dynamic that Ty had never experienced before -- the only two guys he’d dated certainly hadn’t had ex wives. He wasn’t sure how to navigate that territory, but at the moment Sadie was just another human being in pain. “I think all that’s pretty normal,” he murmured, reaching over to briefly pat her hand. “And shows a lot of compassion. And I’m sorry you have to feel that way, and that we haven’t ... found him yet.” At this point? Ty doubted that they ever would find Danny. But Sadie wasn’t the only one who still thought about him, he hoped she knew that. The PPPD carried a lot of guilty weight on its shoulders, for all those cases that went unsolved. “I wish I could say it got easier, but I don’t think it does.”
"Oh, I don't blame you guys," Sadie assured him. Maybe on some level she did, but not enough to harbor any real resentment. "The department has always been understaffed. You're so low on resources and funding." Jared used to come home at night, frustrated by the lack of support the State gave them. Sadie knew there was too much going on for them to focus too long on one case, especially when there was nothing solid to build off of. Sadie also recognized the fact that Danny was probably gone gone, and even with Magnus and his friend in town, that wasn't going to change. She smiled softly at him when he patted her hand. "I don't think it does either. I think... we just have to find a way to live with it. Things won't ever be the same, and I can't change that." She exhaled softly and was thankful when the waitress appeared to take their orders. Sadie got a coffee to go, and four of the specials - club sandwiches with chips. After they were alone again, Sadie hesitated before asking, "How are things with you? How's your family?"
While the waitress was there, Ty ordered the burger he’d been thinking about, a milkshake, and a cup of coffee, though his appetite had waned some. Maybe it was thinking about other missing persons, maybe it was the weariness, maybe it was sitting next to the woman his boyfriend had been in love with for years and hadn’t known he was bi. Who could know. Ty let out an amused little huff at her questions, looking over at her wryly. “Things are ... well, they’re interesting,” he answered in a murmur, rubbing at his eyebrow with one thumb. “My auntie is great, she’s always good. My mother ... she’s not speaking to me at the moment. Since I’m openly living in sin now and all.” He shrugged like that was no big deal, but it was. Everything about his relationship with Jared was going amazingly well, but he wasn’t sure how much Sadie wanted to hear about that, so he left that part off.
Sadie's brows raised in interest, though she didn't feel like she could ask if he meant he and Jared were living together - unmarried - or if his mother meant living in sin with another man. It probably could have gone either way. Sadie smiled then and patted her hand twice on the counter between them. "Well... you know what Bon Jovi says, 'I call it love, they call it living in sin'." Of course, Sadie had no idea if Ty and Jared were in love, but she knew it had to be something close to it for them both to 'come out' to a town that, despite its progressive nature, could still be rather bigoted. The rumor mill was wide and vast in Point Pleasant, which was why so many people tried to keep their secrets secret. "You never want to disappoint family, but your happiness is more important than pleasing everyone else, which... I realize sounds stupidly selfish, but I guess I can speak from experience."
It went way deeper than just ‘disappointing’ his mother, but Ty wasn’t eager to tell Sadie Gaines about all of the homophobic trauma he’d endured. He didn’t know how much thought she’d given it, but he hoped she saw that Jared meant a lot to him. He’d been in the closet for almost ten years prior, after all. He gave her a wan smile at the last part. Ty supposed he ought to be grateful to her in a way -- if she’d never left Jared, they wouldn’t be together now, and Ty felt like he’d reached unprecedented levels of happiness with Jared. At the same time, she’d broken his man’s heart, so there were a few mixed feelings. But Jared was happy and healing now, so there was no good reason to hold onto any bitterness about it. It wasn’t Ty’s business anyway. “It doesn’t sound selfish, it sounds right,” he told her with a warm look. “Life’s too short to stay where you’re unhappy. All I want now is to just ... live my life, and whoever wants to be a real part of it is welcome to. Everybody else can piss off. I paid my fuckin’ dues, you know?”
"I think more people should live their life that way," Sadie said, even though she knew it was easier said than done. The world wasn't always willing to cooperate, and it was depressing when those standing in the way of someone's happiness was the people closest thing to them. And she was aware of how some people viewed her in town, especially those who seemed to adore Jared. Sadie had long since accepted that she had been the 'bad guy' in the marriage, and that she was 'heartless' for leaving Jared for no apparent reason. Oh, there were plenty of rumors as to why they split up, all of which were much more 'juicy' than the simple fact that Sadie had fallen out of love with him, but it was what it was. She couldn't please everyone, and she didn't want to waste her life trying to. Sadie thanked the waitress who set her coffee cup down in front of her, and Sadie got to work adding some cream and sugar. "For what it's worth, and it's probably not worth a lot, I think you two are really good for each other. Jared deserves someone amazing, and he seems pretty happy."
Ty’s coffee had arrived too, and his fingers moved to do the same, loading it down with more sugar than he usually used. He needed the boost today. He glanced over at Sadie, a bit of surprise followed by an unexpectedly strong rush of gratitude. Ty couldn’t help but smile broadly. “It uh ... it’s worth plenty, actually,” he admitted. More than he would have thought if someone had asked him a minute ago. Even though their marriage had ended, he knew you didn’t stay with someone for that long without caring about them a lot, and that caring didn’t just go away. So having Sadie’s approval -- especially since Ty was sure the news that Jared was now with a man had been a shock -- made him feel pretty damn good. Not to mention, he loved hearing that Jared seemed happy from an outside perspective too. “I know for sure he’s good for me. He’s ... I dunno, I’ve just never been in love like this,” Ty said, and it showed on his face for a moment as he stirred his coffee. He didn’t want to gush to her too much, but he couldn’t help just a little. “Doin’ my best to deserve it.”
It might have made any number of ex-wives unhappy to hear their ex was in love, or happy with someone else. Hell, a number of ex-wives wouldn't have been sitting here having a civil, if not quite pleasant, conversation with said ex's new significant other. But Sadie had always wanted Jared to be happy, even though that happiness wasn't going to be with her. She cared about him, and always would. It probably didn't hurt that she was feeling a tiny bit relieved that he was in a new relationship. Maybe some of the guilt she felt daily from breaking his heart had begun to finally ebb. Sadie smiled and stirred her coffee, glancing at Ty. "I'm sure you are. Jared has an enormously big heart, and I'm glad he gets to share it with someone."
Ty was sure that Jared would have found a girlfriend eventually. He was the kind of person who thrived in relationships, and some woman would’ve finally gone about it the right way and locked him down again. He couldn’t picture Jared being alone for too terribly long. Ty certainly hadn’t expected any interest aimed at him when he’d come out to Jared, but he was stupidly glad things had turned out the way they had. On really hard days like these, he was extra grateful. Having someone he knew he could wrap his arms around and feel however he needed to feel at the end of the day was incredible to him. He’d wondered so often why Sadie had given Jared up, and part of him still wanted to ask, but he was sure there was no easy answer. He kind of wanted to thank her, too, but there was no way to make that come out well, so he didn’t. Instead he nodded and took a testing sip of his coffee. “He sure does. And I feel real lucky that it’s me.” He paused, then glanced at her again. “Thanks for ... bein’ so cool about it. I know it was prob’ly ... weird to hear.”
Sadie hadn't been able to imagine Jared being single for very long either. Obviously there was some kind of appropriate timeline for moving on after a divorce... at least according to some people. But Sadie sort of had the feeling that Jared had been waiting, hoping Sadie might change her mind. She placed the plastic lid over her coffee cup and glanced down the length of the counter at the waitress who was packing up her sandwiches. Ty's words prompted another small smile and she returned her focus to him as she waited for the food. "I'm happy for you both," Sadie said before she shrugged softly. "I think it was a little weird to hear at first, for obvious reasons, but... despite what some people may think, Jared means a lot to me, and he always will. And I want him to be happy. Plus, I like you," she added with an easier smile. "And I know you'll be good for him."
Ty gave her a warm smile. “Thanks, Sadie,” he murmured, the sentiment absolutely genuine. She didn’t have to talk to him at all, but he felt like something was a bit more settled about the situation now. He had his boyfriend’s ex-wife’s approval. Not something Ty had ever expected to want, but now he was really glad he had it. The waitress came, dropping off Sadie’s bag and food and Ty’s plate at the same time. He straightened up a bit and nodded at the bag. “You’re gonna make some people really happy with those,” he said lightly. “Tell Jared he should still be jealous of my burger.” Ty flashed her a little grin. He almost added something mushier, but that might be awkward and that was what his phone was for. “I’m gonna stuff this down and get back to it, so I might see you out there.”
Sadie never once felt like Jared, or Ty, needed her approval, or her blessing, but they both had it. And it didn't feel like there was any resentment from Jared, or jealousy from Ty, and that was all she could ask for. It was impossible to erase their history, or how they felt about each other, nor did Sadie want to. But she wanted to remain on good terms with Jared, and hopefully move past any lingering awkwardness. Pulling out her wallet to pay for the food, Sadie smiled and nudged Ty gently with her elbow. "I'll do that. Enjoy your lunch, deputy." Not needing change, Sadie replaced her wallet in her purse and picked up her coffee and the bag of food. It was a somber reason for being out and taking Jared food, but her heart couldn't help but feel a little bit lighter, and she had Ty to thank for that.