get off my lawn.

[chessmcquarrie]

wyattclayborne‌:

“Qatar…was nice. And Amsterdam, but I was only there for a layover. Spent more time in South America, and the Middle East than anywhere else.”  There were plenty more places on his bucket list that Wyatt wanted to see without a gun in his hand, but that was still a long ways off. He planned on staying in town as long as it took to repair his relationship with Ray. Whatever it took. Wyatt couldn’t help but grin and chuckle softly under his breath as Chess described his brother, “Yeah, that sounds like him. Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Chess, an’ I apologize for whatever my brother got up to as a dumb teenager. We’ve all had those moments, right?” Wyatt could remember a few things that he regretted doing in high school, joining up was only one of the things he’d been able to look back on in hindsight and wished that he’d chosen a different path. 

chess nodded, listening through. “trust me, i had my fair share of those moments. can’t tell ya the number of times i was passed off to my mom or dad from a squad car. some people just never develop that common sense. think you probably’ve ran into my siblings, too. tend to be friendlier than me, most part. uh, mcquarries. there’s a bunch.” he’d finished the scone, starting in fidgeting with the muffin. “can’t tell ya enough, these are...”

[chessmcquarrie]

coraxmcquarrie‌:

“Well isn’t this a nice surprise?” she said as a beaming smile formed on her lips, moving the book she was reading onto the table that was next to her arm chair. Standing up and following him, she saw the blood and instantly got into panic mode. “Whose blood is that, Chessy?” she asked, walking up to him and cupping his face in her hands, moving his head from side to side to check that he had no wounds.

chess snorted, shaking off his fingers into the sink, splattering the water over the counter-tops. it didn’t seem intentional, but it was definitely careless. “i was culling the chickens today.” it was messy work, taking the adult males and getting from them what he could take down to the market, but it was a necessary part of the job.he stepped back from her. “it’s good to know you care, though.”

[chessmcquarrie]

chess was pissed. not at anyone in particular, but he was just in a bad mood. he’d invaded his sister’s home after he’d seen her car in the driveway, certainly making himself known as he stomped back to the kitchen. he’d barely taken the time to leave his mud-covered boots in her doorway. “ya got any sandwich stuff?” he asked, stopping to wash grime and what certainly looked like blood from his hands in the sink.

@coraxmcquarrie​

[chessmcquarrie]

winterbvldwinn‌:

“I’d rather smell like spilled alcohol than goat shit,” her arms dropping from they spot before raising her shoulders in a slight shrug – a laugh following soon after; clearly intoxicated. “Why do you look like you’re moppin’ around, Chess? It’s a party, cut a little loose.”

chess was used to this, whether those around him were drunk or not. he’d heard these kinds of things since he was a kid, and his jaw was just set hard against it. going anywhere else was just going to start this cycle over, so he leaned against the wall. “i’m waitin’ for someone. you could be anywhere else, y’know.”

[chessmcquarrie]

kentackerman‌:

This is not at all the direction Kent wanted this conversation to go. This was the exact opposite direction, in fact. His head swung around to catch glances around them, making sure no one was in earshot of these accusations. Completely false accusations. His intentions were ill-advised, but completely pure. “Keep it down, man,” he urged. “I ain’t tryin’ to fuck a goat.” Unsure of which admission would be more embarrassing, he had nothing more to do than tell the truth. “I’m just tryin’ to teach it to skateboard so I can film it and beat a world record. Why is this so difficult?”

that hadn’t been the answer that chess was expecting, but he was enthused by it, nonetheless. “...well, that’s not gonna be the kind of thing you can accomplish in a day,” he said. he scratched the back of his head. “and what’s the record for here? is it a distance thing? is the goat going to do tricks?”

[chessmcquarrie]

holdcnhq‌:

“course not.” holden insisted without a beat. it was the preferable option for him on the grounds of safety. not that he thought chess couldn’t handle himself – they weren’t raised in so cushy a manner, but it wasn’t a short trip and he worried nevertheless. “think maddie’d like that. you’re better at that shit than me, for one. and she loves havin’ you around generally.” he rose from the chair stiffly, stretching with a visible wince. “you want a blanket?”

“yeah. i’ll keep an eye on her, make sure that she doesn’t burn the house down. you get some extra sleep.” chess couldn’t imagine doing what holden did day in and day out. he loved his niece more than anything, but sometimes he just needed a break. “nah. still hotter ‘n balls down here. i’ll be fine. i know where they are if i get chilly.”

[chessmcquarrie]

remyhcine‌:

Arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed, Remy made her best attempts at looking intimidating, though it was a little difficult when one was wearing a Rugrats shirt. Still–”M’not puttin’ a blanket ban on a customer, m’just sayin’” His words made no difference to her, she only slammed her hand down on the table. “Buy. Rent. No difference. I don’t know if you know this but Kent’s an idiot, he ain’t got no business with a damn goat.”

something about chess’s body language might have conveyed the message that intimidation wasn’t working on him. whether it was how his arms were still loose to the sides, or how he’d just taken another bite of custard, he didn’t look like he was about to run for the hills. he just shook his head. “now, this doesn’t sound like the kind of thing where i’d have to worry about the consequences. goats are pretty sturdy things.”

[chessmcquarrie]

holdcnhq‌:

he laughed airily and with a slight teasing smile. “’m always right. thought you’d know that by now,” settling back in his chair once more he leaned to one side slightly to glance at the clock on the wall. “exactly, yeah. ‘s probably the best thing we can do.” he’d thought about taking maddie somewhere else – however marginally better than frostford but ultimately changed his mind; she was settled now and seemed happy. he wasn’t going to risk changing that. “you stayin’ here tonight or headin’ back? because you can stay.”

“...think i’m gonna crash on the couch, if you really don’t mind.” it wasn’t the alcohol, or the late hour. it was the thought of making his way home, out through the miles and miles of woods, sneaking in to the house the same way he had done when he was thirteen and out drinking. “i can make breakfast, or somethin’.”

[winterbvldwinn]

It had only been an hour since the after party continued and the brunette was already drunk. So much so that her body body seemed to stumble towards the male in her sights, arm lacing around his shoulders without the smallest bit of hesitation. “Chess!” Winter’s enthusiasm linger in her words as her eyes rested on the male, “I never would’a thought you’d be here — or at least here not smellin’ like the stench of death.” / / @chessmcquarrie

[chessmcquarrie]

chess was not at the party. he had not purposely rolled into a social event in town, looking for booze and socialization. what he was doing was looking for... someone, someone whose name wouldn’t be mentioned, but who he was supposed to meet here. he’d been looking off in the distance, not paying any attention, and for the first moment, he’d thought this was his friend. it wasn’t, and he immediately started trying to shake himself free. “well, you smell like they spilled the keg.”

[chessmcquarrie]

holdcnhq‌:

“i think so, yeah.” he’d given it a lot of thought over the years, from the second he began weighing his options up in junior year all the way through to the present. in the end, all he’d really concluded was that turning it over and over in his mind didn’t make any difference in the end – the decision had been made so all he could do was live with the consequences. holden released another sigh, turning his glass idly in hand before taking a swig. “don’t think i would’ve come back here if i’d left like that, if i’m bein’ honest,” he considered adding that it wouldn’t have been out of a lack of love for his brother or any real desire to distance himself from his family, but left it. “i had that chance, i just chose not to take it. can’t say i’m happier now than i would be if i’d gone to college,” perhaps he would be able to sleep at night if he had, but he hadn’t – and that was that. “only thing i know for sure is that i wouldn’t have maddie, and we wouldn’t be sat here talkin’ like we are,” a breath. “and that sounds pretty shitty to me right about now.”

it brought chess a lot of comfort, although he’d never say it out loud, to hear his brother echo his thoughts. maybe there were other lives where things were different... but this one was good enough, and the odds were against pressing your luck, anyway. he nodded, listening as the cicada calls came in through the kitchen window. “...you’re right,” he said. “ain’t no point in changing things now. all it’s going to do is fuck up the good thing we’ve got goin’ here. should just... keep our heads down.”

[chessmcquarrie]

donniercllins‌:

Donnie laughed again, moving his legs so that they tangled with the other man’s under the blankets. He almost didn’t want this to end, wishing the sun wouldn’t come up anytime soon. “You’re cute, y’know that?” he said softly. “If you wanna thank me, you can gimme a kiss.” His voice lowered as he turned his head enough to be able to kiss Chess on the lips. 

 he’d done worse in the past few hours, but there was still a moment of hesitation before he could bring himself to kiss donnie. it was different, without the thick haze of the alcohol and the impulse of the moment. more of a conscious choice. still, though, he leaned in, kissing him. he couldn’t help himself, having been gnawing his tongue about it for ten minutes now. “you still wanna meet by the creek?”

[chessmcquarrie]

donniercllins‌:

Donnie was savoring the afterglow, smiling to himself as he was resting under the other man’s arms. He wasn’t even tired, just mostly…content. He released a small chuckle, his face nuzzling into the pillow. “Guava and strawberries,” he said, putting a hand on top of Chess’, his fingers making invisible tracings over the soft skin. “Thank you…for tonight. Honestly.”

chess wasn’t sure what the protocol was here, how much he was allowed to do. it was stupid, given everything that they had just done. “guava and strawberries,” he echoed back. he himself used bar soap, the kind that was sold in a four pack. he took another inhale, and couldn’t help his snort. “thank me?” he asked. “i’m pretty sure i should be the one thanking you.”

[chessmcquarrie]

holdcnhq‌:

lucky for them, it seemed to have worked to an extent. naturally, the mcquarries had been ( and often still were ) in trouble frequently, whether it was a feud with locals or the law itself and its enforcement officers but their mother had undoubtedly had a profound effect. in truth, holden didn’t even like to entertain thinking about where any of them would be without her influence. “hm?” he pulled himself from his thoughts, chin lifting. “ah, i know he went to yale – plannin’ on majoring in anthropology or some shit. but uh, we stopped talkin’ after i told him i wouldn’t be goin’ with him; that i’d enlisted instead.” he shrugged. “prob’ly a professor in new york or some shit by now. that was what he always wanted – to get as far as possible away from where he started.” holden had wanted it too, briefly and in a way he had got it; being flown halfway across the world and dropped into warzones was pretty far from frostford. 

chess had already had “but that’s where you got in,” on the tip of his tongue before his brother beat him to the punch. he took a couple of seconds, connecting up all of the dots, before that feeling of a heavy heart came back with a vengeance. still... though, maybe everything happened for a reason. his thoughts went to the little girl upstairs, quite probably his favorite human. he hadn’t known he could actually love a person that much, not until he had bonded with her. “...y’think things woulda been different now?” he asked. it was something he’d been thinking about not infrequently, especially lately. “i mean, these kids, growin’ up like all’a this is normal. if you’d’a gotten that chance...”

[chessmcquarrie]

holdcnhq‌:

“hell of a lot more than dad did, that’s for sure.” but then it had always been that way. he rubbed the back of his neck and sniffed. “mostly she just said that i needed to control my temper,” a laugh escaped. “promised me she wouldn’t tell dad everythin’ i’d told her, said she was glad i was okay and to not go ‘round to the bowers place ever again.” which had upset him – broken his heart for the first time, even. it had just felt so important at the time, having someone outside of the family give a shit and actually want to spend time with him instead of ignorantly crossing the street. clenching his jaw, he put out the cigarette and heaved a sigh, rubbing a hand down his face. “she was, uh, real good at lookin’ out for us, huh?”

“...didn’t want us ending our asses up in prison.” it was a mantra that had gone through his head a lot of times, when he’d been tempted to take action that would have had actual consequences, instead of just a talking to from the sheriff about where property rights ended and “shooting at children” began. in a bigger city, where, maybe, there hadn’t been such a concerted effort to keep the real government out of everyone’s business, things would have ended differently with a lot of the actions the mcquarries had taken over the years. “...what ever happened to him? you know what he’s up to?”

[chessmcquarrie]

holdcnhq‌:

he could blame chess if he couldn’t remember the specific incident – that wasn’t the important part of the story for one, and it was not the first nor the last time he had been brought home in such a manner. “i dunno if you remember her kid, aiden, but me an’ him were always pretty good friends, right. not sure she was ever too happy with that in itself but she certainly wasn’t fuckin’ happy when she caught us both sat on his bed. just holdin’ hands, mind; completely fuckin’ innocent.” brows pinched, holden drained his glass and poured himself a refill. “well she saw it fit to nearly damn well pick me up and throw me out the house an’ i’m pretty sure he cried. as you can prob’ly guess i was fuckin’ pissed, so she got a rock or two through her kitchen window that night.” he shrugged nonchalantly, smiling slightly. “don’t remember what i told dad about why i did it – not sure he gave a shit either, to be honest. mom got it outta me, though.”

aiden bowers. sure. chess had memories of his brother’s friend, before he’d split town. this was the first that he was hearing any of this, though. always one to follow his brother’s lead, he took a drink from the scotch, though he didn’t seem to have the same intentions. it tugged at his heart, a way that he hadn’t felt in a long time, to think about how his brother, and how that boy, must have felt that night. that, however, drew his eyes up to holden from where they’d been staring down the wood grain of the table. “what’d mom have to say about that one?” he quietly feared the worst, though he had no reason to expect that.

[chessmcquarrie]

holdcnhq‌:

“yeah,” he agreed flatly, just about managing to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “but uh, you know you’d just be able to stay here if that ever happened.” a pause, holden almost smiled. “maddie’d have a fuckin’ field day with that.” she was especially fond of her uncle chess and had taken a peculiar liking to mimicking his accent and comparing it to her father’s now much watered down drawl. taking another drag from his cigarette, he tapped it into the ashtray in the middle of the table. “oh yeah? best keep up with the ol’ motel room trick then, i s’pose.” head at an angle, his brows furrowed briefly in thought before he straightened up once more in the chair. “hey – you remember that time the sheriff had me escorted home after i put a rock through mrs. bowers’ kitchen window? think i was in eleventh grade.”

chess’s eyebrows drew together, trying to remember that particular time. there were several times, in middle school and especially high school, that it had been in the interest of the public good to make sure that the mcquarrie boys were home, so that they didn’t get a chance to terrorize the town. it was always rightful, at least from his own point of view. a lot of people in this town that had wronged them, or treated them poorly. “i s’pose,” he said, thinking about that particular night. he’d been thirteen or fourteen, out of school by then, and the days had started to run together. “what about it?”

[chessmcquarrie]

kentackerman‌:

Lips pursed and head nodding, Kent tried to keep his cool, make it seem like he was really contemplating the terms of this agreement, maybe even to the point of negotiating, but who was he trying to fool? Twenty bucks for the day? A fraction of what he was assuming. “Hard bargain, but I’ll take it,” he agreed, slapping the table in front of him like a seal of approval. “You can’t ask me what it’s for and you sure as hell can’t let anyone know about this, alright? Not that I’m trying to like– god, that came out weird. I’m not doin’ anything questionable with this goat, alright? I’m not– there’s no recovering from that. Shit.”

chess shook his head. the man had a few, simple pleasures in life, but this kind of thing was definitely one of them. “’fraid i can’t do that, ackerman,” he said, resting his elbow on the table in front of them. “’f you do that, i’m gonna half to assume that you’re fucking the goat.” he paused, like he was considering that. “or bein’ fucked by the goat. and, y’know, i’d have to report you to the police. and who knows who would overhear somethin’ in the meantime?”