A Father I Have Become

@scott-walters

Scott Walters | 26 | Magi I made a promise long ago that I'd survive to see better days for the sake of my family. As the days went by, there were times I thought that promise would be broken. That is until I met him. Having someone at my side to call a son has renewed an almost forgotten promise. I will continue to survive. For the both of us.

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Happy Father's Day || Julian & Scott

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Looking under the jacket, Julian finds the ball and places it gently in his knees where he can keep a proper eye on it. He bops it with his hands a few times, treating it like a drum until he gets bored, still nevertheless listening to Scott as he talks. Sunscreen would be a good idea, he thinks. And maybe some shovels to build a sandcastle. Or maybe an army fort where Superman could fight the dinosaur while the train drove around.

"But you take care of me, so you’re my daddy," Julian smiles, nodding his head so Scott can see him in the mirror. Realizing this, he sticks his tongue out and makes the funniest face he can think of. All the same, the whole thing really is as simple as that to him. Scott makes sure he brushes his teeth, gets him dinner, and plays games with him. So he’s his father, and while he misses his real daddy, he’s happy Scott’s here to look out for him.

Scott makes a face back at the boy in the mirror, silently happy he's handling this without resistance than the man had thought. He's glad Julian okay with it all, and with everything that he had planned to get done was over and word of his leaving probably spreading throughout the group by now, Scott flips the headlights and backs away from the other cars before hitting the road. "I hope you have enough toys to keep you occupied for some time." He says, eyes staying on the road, paying attention through the clearing in the fog the headlights provide. "We won't be stopping for a while."

This'll be good, he thinks, just the two of them at it alone, spending time with each other and not having to worry about the others, whether he'll be on someone else's shit that week, or worrying about helping this person out in a fight when all he wants to do is make sure Julian's safe. If at that makes him selfish, makes him a traitor to the group, makes all the others that make it to California shun him, it all doesn't matter. As long as he and Julian are taking on the world together, nothing else matters, and with a feet pressed down on the gas pedal, Scott has no regrets as they drive off into the distance.

#Julian #para #i found this gif last night and of course I had to use it

Happy Father's Day || Julian & Scott

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Julian rests comfortably in Scott’s arms, looking out into the fog. He hopes there’s less on vacation. He’s had enough of the spooky landscape in which the group has found itself as of late. All the same, he knows he has to be brave, and while there are monsters hiding out in the mist, he thinks he did a good job of dealing with them a few days earlier.

"Good. I need some fun," he smiles, pulling away to look the man in the face. He loves Scott more than anyone, and the man may be the funnest person he can think of. So their trip will be good, he decides. "Did you remember to take my ball from Santa? I’ll need it. And we need sunscreen. Did you remember sunscreen?"

He’s a little startled by the noise the car makes when the doors unlock, and he thinks maybe it’s some sort of magic. But once he’s in the vehicle, he climbs into the backseat and buckles up, nestling comfortably into place.

"No. Why would I hate you? You shouldn’t hate anyone. It hurts people’s feelings. I love you. You’re my daddy."

Scott lets out a chuckle, starting up the truck and looking in the rear view mirror as the boy buckles himself in. "The ball's under my jacket beside you." He says, giving the engine time to start up, and turning the head lights off for the time being so no unwanted visitors surprise them. "We can find sunscreen when we raid a store or something." They won't be needing sunscreen where they're going because there won't be that many stops.

His foot was ready to press down on the gas pedal until Julian says he's his daddy. It reminds him that today is Father's Day, a day that he has despised his entire life. One reason being he never had a man in his life to give his thanks and appreciation to for all the things that had been done for him. Growing up without a father, Scott has always worried that when the time came for him to become one, he wouldn't know how to approach things, what kind of tone to use, whether to spank them or slap them in the face. But now that he has taken in Julian as his own, calling him his son when really he shouldn't, and here the kid is now calling him his father. Scott should feel way better than he actually does, instead he feels like a father tearing their child away from something they like and having them silently hate them for it. "I love you too, Julian." There's no doubt behind the words, they come from the bottom of his heart. "Are you okay calling me your daddy? I'm not your real one after all."

Happy Father's Day || Julian & Scott

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“The dinosaur’s practicing for fighting the real trains,” Julian growls, still using his Tyrannosaurus voice. Looking up at Scott, he gives a wide, eager smile. Although he’s going to miss all his friends, he knows the vacation is going to be fun, and he’s left them all notes so they can have something nice to remember him by until he comes back. Looking back to his toys, however, the boy makes a face, tugging on his socks and pulling them as high as they go. “My socks keep slipping in my shoes.” He grumbles a bit, but once the problem is fixed, he scoops up the dinosaur and the train and hops to his feet, blond hair flapping wildly around his head.

“I’m all ready!” he smiles, bopping up and down. They’re going to see some trains, and then maybe they can go to the beach and play some games. He thinks maybe it will be fun to go swimming if all the fog goes away, but he doesn’t having a bathing suit, he notes. All the same, that has not stopped him from draping a towel over himself like a cape should the situation arise. Grabbing Scott’s hand, he starts tugging him toward the door, using his other arm to hold his belongings.

“We’re gonna have fun, right? Just me and you.”

When the boy takes his hand and starts to lead him towards the doors, Scott loos around wondering if he should say his goodbyes. It wouldn't be right to up and leave like he is, but he knows that if he speaks to any of his friends he'll only want to stay and he can't afford having those doubts. It may be selfish of him, the logic behind his reasoning may be questioned, but it's all out of the good of his heart. He lets out a sigh, scooping up the boy once the enter thick grayness.

"We're going to have all sorts of fun." He says, though he isn't sure how much of it is true. The most fun he plans on having is at the train station, and really, he only plans to stay there at least two hours, maybe even less. He wants to get in no danger while on this trip which is why he plans to drive, stopping when it's only absolutely necessary. The locks sound off when Scott presses the buttons on his key ring, opening the door with his free hand and placing Julian in the passenger seat. "Put your seat belt on." He shuts the door, taping on the window a few times in a deep thought, and heads around the other side before getting in himself. "You don't hate me for making you leave, do you?"

Happy Father's Day || Julian & Scott

All morning Scott has been loading the last of his and Julian's things in the backseats of the Raptor along with the three days worth of food and the first-aid kit. Resting on the metal bench in the ambulance is a note written by him to the doctor saying he's the one that took the kit. The last thing he wants to cause before he leaves is a fight withing the group over who took the kit. Though Omar will still probably be pissed about it since Scott hadn't come to him personally and instead decided to take it upon himself to retrieve it, especially since the ambulance had already been broken into by others in the group. He'd rather not face him and avoid him all together, in fact, Omar isn't the only one the man's been walking past. Since waking up this morning, Scott has been power walking back and forth from the Raptor and the winery simply to avoid having to explain himself to anyone and to avoid them trying to convince him to stay or leave Julian behind.

Absolutely not. The safety of the boy is the main reason why he's decided to leave. Someone would say it's suicide to go out there, others would say there's strength in others. But what's the point in all that if the group is under constant attack from zombies to demons to rifts that obviously lead to another dimension. The risk is greater in the group and it seems like Scott's the only one to see or say anything about it, and he rather risk it out there in the world. All those thought fade in and out as he walks through the fog back inside the winery to check on Julian. The last time he'd seen the boy was earlier this morning playing with his train and dinosaur. Standing where their belongings used to be, Scott looks down at the boy lying on the ground still happily playing away. "You ready to go?"

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It’s only for a little while, right? I’ll miss everyone an awful lot if it takes too long. [Julian’s voice is weak, and if he weren’t so tired, maybe he would have been more inclined to throw a tantrum. But trains sound fun, he thinks. And maybe they can go swimming and play on the beach and other fun vacation things.] Good. Tree would be lonely by himself.

We'll see them in California, Julian. Don't you worry about it taking long. They'll be joining us there when we all arrive. [It's all he says, all he can think of to say to keep the boy from throwing a fit or even crying, and Scott has the drowsiness to thank for that.] I bet he would. [Scott almost suggests they burying the invisible friend simply because he doesn't want to have to worry about him "borrowing" Julian's powers now that he's starting to get a better control of them.]

I'll let you get back to sleep now, I still have a couple more things to gather now that I think about it. [He sits the boy up before standing, hands on his hips, and looking down at him.] Remember to say goodbye before we leave. I don't want anyone thinking you forgot about them.

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A trip? How come everyone can’t go? [Julian’s eyes widen, and he’s not quite sure what to make of what the man is telling him. The train station sounds exciting, though, and it would almost be enough to win him over if it didn’t mean leaving everyone behind.] Is it like a vacation? Can Tree come?

Exactly like a vacation and on vacations you take breaks. Everyone else still wants to fight against the monsters, but I'm getting real tired of it. So you and me are going on our own. [If that's how Julian wants to view their departure then Scott has no problem with it, if it helps him cope with leaving everyone behind that's okay too.] Tree can come too. [He smiles, silently dreading that the imaginary friend is still around.]

{Rose relaxes, but only slightly when Scott says that he loves the child. He seems honest enough, but that still doesn’t justify why he’s taking Julian away from the group. His confession shocks her. A side effect from being a nurse so long is the ease that comes in hiding how much something had surprised her. Her face is completely calm for a few moments while she thinks. If the world had not ended, she would have nodded, walked quietly out of the room and told the doctor that the patient needed a pysch eval. The boy would be taken from him temporarily while a psychologist assessed his sanity. To Rose, a man that had consciously harmed himself because of jealously was not a man that was fit to be a guardian. However, she knows she doesn’t have the same power here as she used to have in the hospital. She takes a deep breath before she speaks.} Listen, Scott. I like you. You’ve helped me out, but if Kris wouldn’t want you to take Julian, I’m not sure if you should. I won’t stop you, but I want you to think about this. Think about what’s best for Julian, and if you’re really the right person to take care of him.

[Thinking doesn't need to be involved in the matter, Scott already knows he's the right person to care for the boy. Nine months ago when he found the boy alone, scared, and crying in that theater back in Stroudsburg while the tunnel he had been in collapsed, he had no idea how close the two of them would become. Had anyone else approached him to take the child off his hands, he would in a heart beat. He didn't know what it was to be a father and his own should a poor example of it, so if one of the actual parents took him, Scott wouldn't think twice about it. But no one did. It was him who told Julian his father had died, it was him teaching the boy to read and write, it was him to come running when evil dolls attacked, and it has and always will be him to tuck Julian into bed at night. Scott's done with the matter now, he can get the first-aid kit on his own when they finally head out tomorrow.] Guess I'll see you in California. [He says, clearly done here, before getting up and walking away in the direction of the food supply. Three days worth should be plenty.]

{If it wasn’t because Julian was going with Scott, she would have never even considered giving him a first-aid kit. Medical supplies were hard to come by. She sighs and looks around, trying to remember where Kris had left the kit when she had fetched it for her. The part about Kris has her pausing. Rose narrows her eyes. She doesn’t know if Scott hadn’t realized that Kris is her best friend, and that she valued her opinion over many others. Including his.} Why isn’t she fond of you? Why would she fight you for him? Did you do something, Scott? Because if you did something to hurt that little boy I swear to God I will ask Thomas to rip you to pieces. {She snarls. Her motherly instinct immediately drawing to aggressive solutions to this problem.}

#Rose #convo #read more just in case #tw:self harm

[The words don’t comfort her. They make her frown as she processes just what is going on here. After a moment, she tips her head at him, confused.] So…you and Julian are leaving? Because you think it’s safer for him out there? [She gives an almost incredulous scoff, but it’s not a mocking thing. Just a noise wrought of confusion.] So basically it’s going to be the two of you and if something happens to you, you’re leaving him out there in the world alone. Instead of having a group that can protect him?

It's better than falling in a rift. [He states, a point that needed to be made, though it might be a hurtful one, especially since it involves Robyn's love. From what he can gather they've only seem to happen to this group. So far there's been three and two deaths have befallen two members during one. If anymore are to occur and surely they're going to, who's to say five more will parish?] We're not going to be stopping like the group is. I'm going to drive straight to California, only stopping to fuel or when it's necessary.

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But tomorrow’s so far away. [It comes out like a whine, muffled by the way he’s burying his face into the man’s arm. But when Scott speaks, he looks up, blinking a few times as if he’s uncertain that he’s heard correctly.] Where are we going?

You can still sleep tonight. [It's all he says to keep him from whining about it anymore. When Julian looks up at him, he braces himself if the boy decides to send him flying with his power if he doesn't like what Scott's doing.] A road trip. There's a train station in Orange, Virginia I think you might like. Then we're going to head back and drive straight to California ahead of the group.

Nice to meet you. {He offers a smile when he gives the words back, and while he doesn’t know if they’re true it doesn’t cost him much to say them. He thinks the silence that follows is a little awkward, because he’s getting used to playing twenty questions with everyone he meets. He doesn’t fault the suspicion, if anything he thinks it’s more welcoming than what’s really smart.} So… been here long?

[Scott returns the smile, even if it's clearly forced. He spent the day away from everyone to avoid having a conversation because he know'll it'll only be harder for him to go if he talks to everyone the day before he plans to go. He doesn't mind talking to this guy at the moment, it's not like there's going to any kind of friendship formed between them in such a short amount of time.] Nine months.

{The group is too dangerous. It’s true that they’ve been through quite a lot over the past year, but Rose simply can’t believe that he would leave. The amount of people must be what’s drawing so much danger to them, but it’s also what keeps most of them safe. She raises an eyebrow at his request. She hadn’t spoken to Omar yet about taking the meds from the ambulance, but she can’t imagine he’s very happy about the broken lock on the ambulance. She shifts uncomfortably on her feet.} Josie and I had to break the lock of the ambulance a few nights ago to get some medicine for Noah. I don’t know if he’d take too kindly to me breaking in there again. I can get some stuff out of the first-aid kit if you want. {Besides, she isn’t quite sure how much he would need for two weeks or what kinds of things. Some gauze, some rubbing alcohol, maybe some painkillers. But everything else is supposed to be used for emergencies, and she’s not sure how frequent those would be for a grown man and a little boy on their own. In any case, she shouldn’t go outside while Noah’s sleeping.}

[The main things that concern him more than anything are those damn rifts. Had they never showed up, Scott wouldn't have considered the possibility of leaving, but they did and hear he is now packing things up and asking for the essentials needed to survive.] Is there another first-aid kit or anything? I'll just take a spare if you guy have got it. [There's not much he really needs and a first-aid kit will simply do until he finds some place to settle down.] Oh, and could you tell Kris for me? She's not really fond of me and if I tell her Julian's coming with me, she'll fight me for him. I don't want that to happen.

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But I’m sleepy. [He gives a little moan, pulling his blanket over his blonde head and ducking beneath. A moment later, however, he’s begrudgingly sitting up and resting his head on the man’s arm.] What do we need to talk about?

You'll have enough time to rest tomorrow. [Scott pats the boy on his head, glaring down at him before he decides to say anything. A certain way to go about this must be made, the only problem is coming up with it. Julian's going to be sad, going to be hurt, he might even hate the man that looks after him for a few days, but this is truly for the best.] I need you to say goodbye to everyone. You and I are going to be leaving tomorrow.

[Robyn stands there for a moment and the logic doesn’t seem sound to her, but she doesn’t say it to him. Instead, she nods, giving a shrug of her shoulders.] If that’s your decision, that’s your decision, I guess. [She lets her shoulders fall, looking back at him and there’s just a sadness settling in.] Safety isn’t a guarantee out there either, you know. It’s not a guarantee anywhere. It’s just…we’re a family here. We look out for each other.

[Scott squeezes the ball in his hand, listening intently to what she has to say. He understands it all, understands that his loyalty has lied with the group since he joined them in one of the many hotels they've stayed at. Sure, the group as a whole is considered a family, but when it comes down to it, whoever your closest to is your real family and his only family is Julian. Everyone else are just friends. Right now he's putting his family before everyone else and if that makes him seem selfish then to hell with it.] Julian is my number one priority. He comes first before everything else.

jennifer-sloane-blog

[Jen raises her eyebrows at the cryptic answer, but doesn’t press. It’s not her business, and in the long run, a baseball game is a trivial thing. They could always reschedule it.] Well, maybe the group will stay at a stadium once the fog clears. [It’s unlikely, but she thought it was a funny idea, enough that the corners of her mouth tip up slightly.]

[Had this conversation happened at another time when his mind wasn't made up, then maybe he'd find that funny. Instead he simply shrugs his shoulders knowing that if he gets the idea in his head he'll hope and pray for it and it'll only lead to disappointment when it never happens.] I think they'd like that.

{Her frown deepens momentarily until she understands.} You’re leaving the group? {Her voice comes out slightly louder than usual, causing the baby resting on her shoulder to whine, but she calms him down before he can start crying?} Why? {She asks when he’s back asleep.}

[He nods.] Julian and I are, yes. The group is too dangerous anymore. [A lot more needs to be done now the more he thinks about it. He'd talk to Omar, but he looks like he wants nothing to do with people lately. He waits until Noah seems to be asleep again before speaking.] Could you get me enough medical supplies for two people to last at least two weeks? [He thinks that's a decent amount. It's not like he plans to use it all in two weeks anyway. Two weeks worth should be enough to last him long enough until he gets settle elsewhere.]

{He quirks his mouth in a half smile and resists making any of the comments on the tip of his tongue. Even with what happened yesterday, for the moment he thinks he’s probably safer here than on his own, and he’s not about to start making waves or picking fights. So he just answers the man, because for all he knows he could tell him to turn around go back out the door he came through.} Nick. You?

[Scott lets out a sigh. He doesn't see the point in introducing himself if he's only going to leave. They're better off staying strangers at this point, but he knows better than to give someone the cold shoulder since the man were the one to approach him. Had it been the other way around, he'd be walking in the other direction by now.] Scott. Nice to meet you, Nick.

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