rageandruin (rageandruin) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2017-11-28 15:10:00 |
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Entry tags: | #september 2017, caden, caden x gavin, gavin |
Who: Caden and Gavin
When: Evening, Monday, September 18
Where: Gavin’s house
Warnings: Language
Status: Complete
Since Caden had opened, and subsequently closed, the bar on Sunday after his fight with Gavin, Caden had ditched out on his shift today. Roxy had gone into work, and Caden simply assumed she would tell Gavin. He had spent most of the day lounging around the house, watching television when he wasn’t sleeping. After he ate some dinner, Caden found himself dressed and driving to the convenience store to buy a six pack. With that in hand, he got into his truck and drove to Gavin’s. Most of his anger from the day before had dulled, and while Caden could hold a grudge until his dying day, he knew he and his brother couldn’t actually go more than a few days without speaking. Well, they could, but the bar would suffer. Caden couldn’t actually admit that he might be sorry for the shit he said. Apologies had never come easy to Caden, unless they were to Roxy. He was pretty damn adept at those.
When he got to Gavin’s, he saw his brother’s truck in the driveway and pulled up along the curb instead. Jasper’s car was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t surprising. He grabbed the six pack and got out of the truck, locking it behind him as he walked up the grass to the front door. He knocked twice, unsure as to whether Gavin would actually open the door, and if he did, whether or not he’d let Caden inside. If not, Caden figured he’d just leave the beer on the porch and go home.
People didn't usually come knocking on Gavin's door. Jasper had a key and Amelia never came over without calling first - usually needing a ride. He would have guessed it was Roxy but she had been mad at him all day, not speaking to him more than was absolutely necessary on a professional level and flipping him off when he asked her for something. That was... well, it was fair enough. He had punched her boyfriend. He did feel bad about that part of it once the rage wore off. He'd spent the rest of his Sunday raging, then drinking, then feeling sorry for himself. Monday he was back to bottling it up but everything Caden had said was burning him on the inside.
He did open the door, mostly out of curiosity. Without speaking he looked at Caden, his eyes ticking down to the six pack of beer before he nodded and opened the door wider to let him in. Neither of them was good at making up but this he could do. They'd drink, then Caden would either punch him back or talk about something trivial and they'd be good.
Caden said nothing, just waited to see if Gavin would let him him or shut the door. When his brother moved back, Caden stepped inside and headed for the living room. He set the six pack down on the coffee table and shrugged out of his wet jacket. Caden had never been a big fan of the rain, but he had come to expect it this time of year, living so close to the ocean. Rainy days generally meant the bar was busier, so he couldn't complain too much. Caden tossed his jacket on a nearby chair and sat on the couch, tugging one of the cans of beer from the plastic ring and offering it wordlessly to Gavin. Anything he could say in that moment might not be welcome, so he was willing to have a drink or two before they were forced to speak to one another.
For a while it was almost like Caden wasn't even there. The movie Gavin had been half-heartedly watching was still running in the background, the dogs ignored them and snoozed on their dog beds next to the couch and Gavin drank like he had been doing for the last hour. The movie made for a good reason not to talk for a while and that was always a good thing after a fight. The beer was good and that was every bit as good as an apology in Gavin's book even if he wanted to ask Caden about the things he said. He didn't need to, he knew they were true, he just didn't know what the fuck to do about it all and he didn't want to chat about it with Caden - or anyone.
Caden had no issue whatsoever with the silence. Scarface was one of his favorite movies, and he was comfortable enough sitting on the couch, drinking with his brother. There was a lot unsaid between them, but neither had ever been much for talking about stuff. Important, personal stuff anyway. Caden was halfway through his second beer when he glanced at Gavin. "Rox give you a hard time today?" He figured she might. Roxy had been pretty pissed about Gavin and Caden's fight, and his girlfriend had never been shy about speaking her mind.
That question actually got a ghost of a smile from Gavin and he huffed as he thought about it, shrugging faintly. "Flipped me off a few times," he muttered and while it had irritated him at the time it was kind of funny in hindsight. That girl had a temper on her to match the family she'd become part of in the last years. He inhaled sharply and raised the beer to his lips. "Owe you a freebie," he muttered before drinking because Aaron had gotten in the way of a fair fight.
Caden smirked softly. Yeah, that sounded like Roxy. He’d have to show her how much he appreciated her later. He took another drink of beer and glanced briefly at Gavin before shifting his gaze back to the television. “Yeah, well, I’ll save that one for later.” Fucking Aaron. Their brother was always trying to get in the way, especially when fists started flying. Caden might have appreciated it if it wasn’t so damn annoying. Physical violence was just how he and Gavin worked out their issues. It had been that way for as long as Caden could remember and he hated not getting a shot in when Gavin took the first swing. He took another long pull from the beer can before speaking again. “There’s some stuff I shouldn’t have said, so... probably deserved what I got.”
Gavin thought about that for a few seconds, reaching for his pack of cigarettes and tapping one out. He didn't want to get into the things Caden had talked about. He could use help with all of them but he wouldn't know how to ask and even if he did, Caden would be the last person to ask. "You're always asking for a beating," he said instead, tongue in cheek as he reached over to grab the back of Caden's head, to jostle it roughly but affectionately. "I should know better than to give it to you." He let go and reached of his lighter, not sparing Caden a second glance.
Snickering softly at the jostle, Caden kept his eyes on the television. He decided not to point out that their dad used to say the same thing, because it was true. Caden knew he could be tactless. He knew he could be an asshole. But he didn’t think anything he’d said had been untrue. It had just been harsh. Sometimes it was necessary. Coddling and sugar coating had never been the Lucas way, and it wouldn’t have worked even if it was. Caden cocked a brow and finally looked at Gavin again. “So am I allowed to tease you ‘bout the girl at least? Or is she off limits too.” Gavin didn’t like to talk about much of anything, but he especially avoided all and anything having to do with emotions. Caden didn’t blame him for it. He was the same way. Their upbringing didn’t exactly nurture openness.
Gavin groaned at that question, smoke drifting out his nostrils as he considered it. "I'm no good for her," he muttered. "Never was. She'll stay away if she knows what she's worth." Gavin would have been willing to bet that she would if she hadn't actually shown up for church and made a beeline for him as soon as she came in. "She's off limits," he decided because he could handle some of Caden's ribbing about him but something about Charlie made it hard to hear jokes at her expense.
Caden was silent for a bit after Gavin fell silent. He reached forward to grab Gavin's pack of cigarettes, taking one for himself. After he got it lit, he leaned back against the couch again, contemplating what Gavin had said. Never was struck him as interesting. Caden couldn't remember Gavin showing interest in anyone but Ollie since they were kids. But then again, it wasn't like Gavin was an open book. Finally, he exhaled some smoke and glanced at Gavin. "I'm no good for Rox, but that didn't stop me." He smirked. "Figure life is shitty enough... nothin' wrong with havin' something good in it."
Gavin was not about to fall into the trap of talking about Roxy and how Caden was right but the sentiment did make him snort quietly. "Roxy's tough," he muttered and he didn't know if that went for Charlie too. Roxy was already all tangled up in their family so in a way it was too late for her but Charlie was still safe, so to speak. Still, Caden wasn't wrong. That was sometimes Caden's problem, that all the shit he spewed wasn't always inaccurate. The problem with pulling good things into his shitty life was that those good things tended to get tainted. Charlie was a grown woman and she'd figure it out soon enough, Gavin just didn't really feel like dealing with all the crap that came with her getting closer and then leaving again. "I've got my dogs and the bar," he said. "Probably more than I deserve already."
Caden shook his head and took another drink of his beer before he spoke again, licking the alcohol off his lip. "Man, you are the king of self-punishment. Ollie really fucked you up, didn't she. Made you think you don't deserve anything better." He brought the cigarette back to his lips. "If you wanna ignore a good thing, that's your business. You're probably gonna regret it someday, but..." Caden shrugged. Then he grinned around the cigarette. "You know, the bar is only partly yours. Aaron and I got a piece of that too. Just sayin'."
"Maybe that's why it's going so well," Gavin retorted with a faint smile but Caden was right. Again. "So you think I deserve better?" he asked and it wasn't really a genuine question, more a ribbing at Caden for being almost halfway to sentimental or some shit. He smirked as he asked, tapping ash off his cigarette and then sitting back and shaking his head. "Better than what."
Caden wasn't good at the sentimental stuff, and he knew Gavin was just giving him shit about it. Still, he had no trouble answering him honestly. "Better than Ollie," he pointed out simply. "She's a crazy bitch who made your life miserable for how many years? Treated you like shit and made you think that you didn't deserve any better than her. So whenever any woman, not just Charlie, shows interest, you pull that 'woe is me' shit, deem yourself not worthy of a real woman and retreat to this place alone every night. 'cept for the dogs, of course." It wasn't like Caden's feelings about Olivia were well hidden or anything. He had always made his opinion on Gavin's wife very clear.
Gavin could have pointed out that he had left Ollie, that he had moved out and when he said he didn't deserve better he actually meant better than sitting alone at home with his dogs and booze. He didn't though because that meant Caden would pester him about how he hadn't actually divorced her and that was a whole can of worms he preferred to keep shut. "I wish you had told me sooner," he said instead. "About Jasper." He shook his head and took a sip of beer before going on. "I don't know what the fuck to do." He didn't exactly expect his brother to have the answers and maybe it was dumb to actually talk to Caden about this but... It had been a while since he went to confession so it had been a while since he talked to anyone about anything.
Caden didn't consider Gavin to be truly free until he divorced the bitch, but he supposed Gavin had his reasons for staying married, even if Caden thought they were dumb ones. He cocked a brow at the change of subject, but didn't mind it. Jasper probably wasn't any easier to talk about than Charlie or Ollie, but at least Caden knew what was going on with his nephew. "If I'd told you sooner, what would you have done?" he asked with a shrug. "Besides, Jasper trusts me. I didn't want to break his confidence... probably shouldn't have said anything yesterday, but I was pissed." It wasn't Caden's job to play mediator between father and son, and frankly, he didn't want to. But he also didn't like the thought of Jasper not having anywhere to stay, not having a stable parent. Ollie was fucking nuts, and while Gavin was far from perfect, at least he had some decency in him. "Look, the kid just feels like an inconvenience to you. If you don't act like you want him around, he's not gonna come around. So it's either suffer through your painful silence, or deal with his screaming batshit crazy mom. What would you do if those were your options?"
Gavin knew what he'd do. He would drop out of school, start working full time and get his own place to live. He knew because that was what he had done when Ollie got pregnant and he knew his dad would beat the crap out of him as soon as he told him. It was better to have a plan and move out as soon as he was able - and his dad had beaten the crap out of him anyway.
"I need to find him a place to stay," he muttered quietly, more to himself than Caden. There wasn't a chance in hell Jasper would want to move in with him even if he offered. The kid pretty hated him and Gavin knew why. There was nothing there he felt like he could fix there. It would cost him more money a month but there were ways to deal with that. There always were.
"Or you could make an effort to get to know him to where he's comfortable enough stayin' with you," Caden pointed out as he exhaled more smoke. "But yeah, a temporary place to stay might be good. Better than sleepin' in his car." He paused for a moment and leaned over to tap some of his cigarette into the ash tray. "I can check with Rox and see if she'd mind him taking over our spare room for now. Or we can check with Aaron. Not sure where else to suggest except for mom and dad's and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy." Certainly not Jasper, though Caden knew their mom would take good care of him. It was Joseph Lucas that would fuck Jasper up more so than he already was.
Gavin had made it plenty clear to his father that he was staying the hell away from his kids and as soon as Caden mentioned their parents he snorted derisively. "He can move in with mom the day dad croaks and no sooner," he muttered darkly and while he had far more patience for their dad than Caden did it was no secret he longed for the day the old man drank himself to literal death. "I was more thinking... trying to find a small apartment. I could help him out with that, just need to buckle down some." Talking to Jasper sounded as bad as letting him live with old man Joseph did, Gavin was pretty sure even trying to would blow up in his face.
Caden shrugged. "That could work. But that'll mean you payin' rent on top of everything else." If Gavin thought he could swing that, more power to him. "On the other hand," he said out loud, "Jas might see the apartment offer as another way of you not havin' to deal with him. But maybe I'm wrong. Hell, maybe he'd be thrilled to have a place of his own away from his mom. A place to take his girl and have his friends over. Anything's got to be better than that car, as nice as it is." Caden set his empty beer can down. "And Jasper's eighteen, so it's not like it he'd need a guardian or anything."
If Gavin wasn't so entirely certain that Jasper wanted nothing to do with him he'd feel like he had more options but what Caden said made too much sense. Maybe he needed to put himself out there and let Jasper shoot him down. It would suck but he was used to the abuse. People had been telling him one way or another that he was no good since he was old enough to speak so hearing it from his son would just add to the choir. "I'll... talk to him," he said though the mere thought of it was enough to make him feel a little queasy. "Figure out what he wants to do."
"Probably the best route to take," Caden said. What the hell did he know? All he reallyknew was that Gavin needed to get his head out of his ass with his kids soon or he was going to be no better to them than Joseph was to Gavin and his brothers. Shame. Caden worked on finishing his cigarette, feeling like things were mended enough with Gavin. It wasn't the first time they fought and it wouldn't be the last time either. Most of the time throwing fists was the only way for the brothers to communicate. Another unfortunate trait picked up from the Old Man. Caden smirked. "Need anymore of my stellar advice?"
Gavin let out a little chortle at that, shaking his head. Stellar advice from Caden was always a bitter pill to swallow. His brothers were idiots too in their own ways but then they'd turn around and suddenly do or say something smart. "Just hand me another beer," he muttered and gave his brother a faint smile. He had a lot to think about but that didn't mean he was all that eager to keep talking about it all. He might need Caden or Aaron to come over and help him if he decided to move shit from the spare room. Maybe he'd rent a storage space, make that damn room a liveable kind of thing. If Jasper didn't want it it could come in handy for Amelia on weekends.
Caden grabbed another beer and offered it to Gavin. He was totally fine with not talking about shit anymore. He felt like what needed to be said had been said, and if Charlie was off limits, there wasn't much more he wanted to say. Maybe Gavin would step up and actually do something about Jasper's situation. Maybe he'd be too much of a coward to do shit. Only time would tell.