Aaron Lucas (thirdandlast) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2017-12-01 22:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | #september 2017, aaron, aaron x gavin, gavin |
Who: Aaron & Gavin
Where: Back Porch Pub
When: Noon, Wednesday 9/20
Status: Complete
The bar was pretty quiet and so it hadn't been much of a problem to give the girls and Caden the day off. It was Roxy's birthday after all so the other Lucas brothers could handle it. Not a lot of customers over the day. As usual, Joseph Lucas sat at the end of the bar and slurped down his booze but as long as he wasn't causing trouble he was easily ignored. The only problem with this whole setup was that now Gavin was alone with Aaron and while Aaron usually didn't hold a grudge, he'd been somewhat sullen since their Sunday fight. Gavin had not been raised to apologize, he was no good at that, so he'd let Aaron stay out of his way until now but that was a little harder when there was just the two of them.
Gavin was already on edge with Jasper coming in that afternoon and he wasn't even sure which worried him more - Jasper showing up or Jasper not showing up. There was enough tension without things still being terse between him and Aaron so he tried to think of ways to tell his brother... Something.
There weren’t a lot of customers, especially yet, but with Roxy and Mila and Caden all gone, Aaron had a bit more to do to help out. He could take orders and stuff as long as he wrote everything down and didn’t try to rush too much, so that was what he did, along with all his other normal duties. Not that the bar was packed or anything. Aaron had bullshitted briefly with his father, mostly about the game highlights they were showing on ESPN on the big TV mounted on the wall. It was pretty much the only thing the old man cared to talk to him about -- sports. Sometimes hunting, but mostly sports.
Neither Gavin nor Caden had said much to him since he’d broken up their fight, but that was pretty normal. Aaon was just keeping out of their way and doing what he needed to do. The vague tension would fade eventually, it always did. Until then he would just mind his own business and leave them alone.
He’d just finished a round of dishes, and Aaron brought a tray of glassware out of the back and behind the bar to put away. He grabbed one of the towels and started wiping the excess water off of them before he loaded them up on the shelves under the bar.
It wasn't the first time Aaron had broken up a fight between Caden and Gavin and it probably wouldn't be the last, but that didn't mean Gavin didn't feel a bit shitty about it all. Caden had made peace with him and in a way it felt right to make sure things were cool with Aaron too. At some point he headed back where Aaron was busy and patted his back firmly, giving him a little nod as he struggled to find words. "How's things with you?" he finally mumbled, uninspired but effective - he hoped.
Aaron had moved a bit as Gavin approached, assuming he was just going to walk past him. The touch was surprising, and he looked around with raised eyebrows. They’d both been there for hours already, so the question didn’t make sense to him right away. “Uh ... just fine,” he offered, his tone a tiny bit questioning. “I was gonna clean the bathrooms next. Just in case we get a lunch rush.” It wasn’t happening yet, but some days it did. The rain seemed to keep people away until they got off of work, nobody wanted to walk to the pub in the rain to have a beer with lunch.
"Good thinking," Gavin said, his hand still on Aaron's back so he patted him a couple of times more before letting go. "You're doing good, Aaron." It beat telling him he'd done the right thing with him and Caden, especially since Gavin didn't really think that had been smart at all, but he still felt a little guilty about all of it and that was a shitty feeling.
He felt that rush of pleasure he always got at praise from one of his older brothers, and Aaron smiled a little. It was probably dumb to be proud of taking the right initiative to do simple tasks, but ... well, he was dumb. People told him so all the time. So fuck it, whatever. “Thanks,” he said. Gavin looked like he wanted to say something beyond that though -- it was always kind of a constipated look on him -- so Aaron kept studying him. “You need me to do anything else?” he asked, just in case. He didn’t think so though, Gavin didn’t usually hesitate to give him directions.
Gavin thought about it, then shook his head. "Nah, you're doing good... Jasper's uh, Jasper's coming later so I might need to step out but uh, I think you can handle the bar." That wasn't even remotely connected to anything he wanted to say to Aaron but he was on that trajectory now so he just kept going. "He might not even come, I don't know, I never know with that kid... But in case, you know."
Aaron’s smile faded a notch at the mention of Jasper coming. He didn’t come to the bar a lot, at least not when Aaron was around, especially not for a Talk, and considering everything that Caden had said, Gavin might be gone for a while. “Okay,” he said, ignoring Gavin’s backtracking on whether his son was coming or not. “I got it, don’t worry.” Aaron turned a bit and patted Gavin on the arm. “You gonna talk to him about stuff?” That maybe should have been obvious, but considering recent events, Aaron was pretty sure Gavin would know what ‘stuff’ he meant.
Gavin nodded though the mere thought of it gave him palpitations. "Yeah I uh, we talked a little last night." Barely, to be fair. He had no idea how to talk to Jasper and he had a feeling Jasper didn't want him to talk to him anyway. He thought to tell Aaron again how he should have told him this a long time ago but it would only start another fight so he swallowed it down and tilted his head back to peek at the bar. "I uh, thought to offer him the spare room, maybe. I don't think he'll want it." He cleared his throat and folded his arms, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. "I'll need your help though, if he does. Some heavy stuff in there."
Jasper was a hard kid to talk to in general, even for Aaron. They’d bonded over mechanics while he helped fix up the Malibu with him, but that was about all. Bringing up any topic that wasn’t cars or pot or tv shows or something usually brought on attitude and stony silence. His nephew could be a real dickhead, and Aaron knew that. He loved him to death, but still. Gavin had a hard time talking to anyone, so Aaron didn’t envy his situation at all. “He might, you never know,” Aaron offered for some positivity. “But a‘course, anytime you need, just lemme know.” He was very slowly catching on that this conversation might be Gavin trying to make amends with him about the fight -- he didn’t look like he wanted to be there talking to Aaron, but he still was. After a beat, he added, “Good luck.”
"Thanks, Aaron," Gavin mumbled and it meant a lot, it really did. He needed all the luck he could get. "Can you watch the bar for a few? I need to smoke." He'd always felt like he should be allowed to let people smoke in his own damn bar if he wanted to but alas the law was the law and that was one law he couldn't as readily break. Just talking about Jasper coming over was making him crave his nicotine as his anxiety levels went spiking.
“Sure,” Aaron said, wiping his hands off on the towel. He started to turn away, then turned back as something occurred to him. “Oh hey. The processing place called me earlier, my buck’s ready. So I’ll bring a few steaks and some jerky to you tomorrow. It was a big ‘un, I can’t eat it all.” He grinned a bit, pretty proud of the ten-point buck he’d gotten on his hunting trip with Ian. Aaron clapped Gavin on the arm again, kind of feeling like that was all that needed to be said. It was more effort to make up with him that Caden would probably make, but that was okay too. His brothers were who they were, Aaron loved them no matter what.
Of course Gavin had heard all about the buck and he'd been suitably impressed. "Thanks, Aaron," he said with a little smile. "Could cook up some of it this weekend... Amelia's been wanting a cookout. You think you can come?" He was still holding out for hope that Jasper wouldn't be working. The longer they waited the more likely it was it would have to be an indoor party and he always preferred doing this in the yard. It was spacious and he could fire up the grill.
“If you give me the day off, for sure,” he answered with a brighter grin. “And if this godforsaken rain ever stops.” Aaron loved spending time with the whole family together. It didn’t happen very often anymore now that the kids were growing up, but it would be nice to hang out with them all again. He hadn’t seen Amelia in a while.
Gavin was already thinking he'd ask Caden and Mila to deal with the bar. Sure, it was a family thing but Caden usually stirred up trouble and he wasn't the biggest fan of family things anyway. "We'll work something out," he told Aaron. "They say it's supposed to clear up but who knows. Here's to hoping."
“Yeah,” Aaron agreed, still smiling. He didn’t have anything else to add, so he nudged Gavin’s arm again. “Go have your smoke, I’ll hold down the fort.” It would probably just consist of refilling their dad’s glass, considering the lack of a crowd they had, but that was all right. It was what it was, and it was never going to change.
Gavin gave him a little smile and a nod, patting Aaron's arm in turn before he headed out to the service entrance to smoke. Just like that things were good between the brothers again, though he didn't really know if Aaron and Caden had talked. Now he just had to wait for his son and that conversation was not going to go as well.