"You make a cute serial killer." Rusty laughs, nudging Reggie with the toe of his boot. He'd been the mastermind behind the triad's costumes, insisting that it was easy enough to dress up as the main cast of Scream- and that it'd be funny, truly, if it was Jack, the largest of them, dressed as the comparatively diminutive Sidney. It's while they're settled into a seat somewhere, Rusty sipping at a beer and absently munching at pumpkin cookies, that he takes the time to flirt, nudging Rusty with the toe of his boot. "I knew I could find something to do with that paint kit, shoulda known it was gonna be fake blood." Tattooed fingers reach forward to push a strand of Reggie's hair back into place. "I'm officially crampin' Sissy's style if I'm hanging around, so I think I'm all you an' Jack's this evenin'- oh. Right." He adjusts, pulling the older into a slow kiss for a moment- before tacking on what he'd remembered. "If you see Duck and Wren in the same place, you distract Duck. I know he makes you nervous what with all the everything he is. But you just gotta suffer a conversation long enough Wren can book it so he don't see 'er showin' off the candyshop." He grins wider, places a cookie in Reggie's mouth a moment later. "Okay. that was the trick, enjoy your treat. The treat that ain't me, of course."
"Hey, Reg." The greeting's not as peppy as it normally is- he's well aware the deputy is stressed, after all- Rusty is too, if he's honest, but if it's one trait that's made itself at home within the two remaining members of the Boone family- it's the desire to cheer others up- even in the depth of their own turmoil. So it's Rusty on the porch at sunset with his overnight bag- Another blowout with Sissy sending her to the Canne boy's house- in a way, he knows she's safe there. In another, he wishes she'd just trust his judgement. But he doesn't want to think about that, smiling slightly as the door opens and he shifts up on his tiptoes to wind arms around Reggie's neck, dragging him down into a kiss hello. "Sorry about the short notice but, I figured you could use a little company- and I'm off tonight- Duck's still on his tear about me 'getting out of my head' about what's been happening, and he wouldn't even let me into the station today." He sighs, another kiss set against the corner of the older man's lips. "How you holding up, big guy?"
"I'll catch ya later, Duck, got some wanderin' and pokin' around I wanna do before somebody needs me for somethin." Rusty steps away from the trailer shop the Romeros have set up, a glass of lemonade in hand and a brightly colored tart tucked into a folded cloth napkin for later as he makes his way back to main street proper. He'd spent much of the day helping with setup- moving displays around for people who needed assistance, ensuring booths that required power had access for their coolers and the like- but now, with all his tasks completed, he wasn't going to waste the whole day waiting for somebody to have a problem, setting off instead to take a look around. Of course, he's still Rusty, which means stopping to talk to everyone at their booth for quite a while would always be his pitfall- about to get himself roped into another half hour conversation about how things were going that week, until a familiar face passed behind him, quickly departing the booth and sauntering up alongside Reggie, tucking himself into the space under his arm with a grin. "Afternoon, Deputy. Fancy seein' you here." He chimes, a spark of mischief ever-present in brown eyes. "Keepin' folk outta trouble?"
Sissy and Rusty have a long overdue heart to heart. and lay the groundwork for another hard conversation.
sissy had been on her third bowl of crushed ice and hot sauce that evening, laying in bed. she'd been too nauseous for anything solid, but wanted something to spice up her ice—her mind taking it literally. she groans and sets it aside, curling onto her side for a long moment, staring at the bowl in the meanwhile. she wishes she didn't feel so alone in this, unable to find the courage to tell cyan about what was happening to her. she mostly wishes she could tell rusty, the man having been the one she was closest to, until recently. but she'd been absolutely rotten in the wake of gia's passing, unwilling to listen to him call one of the few friends she had alive anymore a dangerous person. but likewise, he'd been unwilling to listen to her just the same. she finds herself tearing up, thinking about how he surely must have changed his mind about her by now, about how he—she sits up, running to her bathroom, the contents of her stomach burning as it comes back up. then, her feet carry her to rusty's bedroom, knocking on the door. ”hey, uncle rusty?“ she'd already wiped her eyes, has a smile on her face—but it crumbles almost immediately. ”d-do you hate me?“
They've become little more than two ghosts haunting the same house, and Rusty would be lying, if he said he didn't hate every second of it. Jack had talked some sense into him- the recognition he was being a petty child, when all Sissy was looking for was something she could control in the wake of having absolutely none. But he's still not mustered the confidence to speak to her- every attempt met with the recognition that any apology might fall short, when he still didn't like the idea of her spending so much time around Cyan. It's a rare night off, settled on the bed in one of Leon's old sweaters and half-watching a movie over the top of a book he'd never finished prior to the paradox about cryptids around the world until he falls asleep the way he has for a while now- with no movie nights or board games Sissy's roped him into to hold his attention- He glances up, when she knocks at the open bedroom door, sitting the book aside when she calls his name. "Hey sweetpea-" He starts- and then her features fall, and she asks if he hates her. His heart breaks- and he's on his feet before the last word can linger too long- crossing the bedroom floor in only a few strides before he ushers her in, shutting the door behind her and waving her to the bed to sit down. "Now- now I know we ain't been seein' eye to eye but where on earth did ya get the idea I hated you, darlin'?"
she climbs into the bed beside him, sobs bubbling up. it takes her a moment to contain herself enough to speak again, rubbing at her eyes. "b-b-because, i-i-i been so rude an'--an' we been fightin' and, a-and b-because i wo-won't stop seein' cyan an' we ain't even talked to e-e-each other all n-night--." her drawl is all the heavier like this, overemotional and trying to speak between trembling inhales. she hiccups in breaths, trying to wipe at her face as she cries, not wanting to be a complete mess, her body shaking from the effort of simply talking through her sobs.
Dark brows crease, and he pulls her into him, tighter now, setting a kiss on the top of her head as he gently wipes soft brown eyes with careful hands. "Sissy, sweetheart…" He frowns a bit deeper, swaying back and forth slightly, as she cries, keeping her smaller frame tight to his own. "Honey- That doesn't mean I hate you- look, I know we've been arguin' and we don't… well we ain't ever done that, now have we? So I know it's scary. But I could never hate you. You're my little girl." He insists, smiling gently as he cups her face in his hands. "We ain't gonna get along forever- and I know we had a good run a' it, but that's just how it goes. I-" He sighs. "I know you like that boy. And I also know I been… well I been just like my dad, carin' more about what everybody else thought than th' person that matters- and that's you." He insists. "I don't hate you, lil bug." He squeezes her tightly. "And I'm sorry I made ya think I did, even fer a split second, okay?"
sissy simply lays against him, listening to his voice rumble in his chest. her breathing starts to calm as he talks, only a few tears rolling down her flushed cheeks as he holds them in his hands. there's still worry there, about how her body's grown, about how her stomach rejects food, about how she can hardly contain any sort of emotion. about how rusty might take it. she sniffles, blinking more tears down her cheeks, where they'd stuck to her lashes. "can--can you promise you won't hate me after i tell you somethin'? it's… i-i dunno if it's good. i'm--i'm real scared, uncle rusty."
She's quiet as he speaks, and he's thankful, really, as she seems to calm, setting another gentle kiss against the top of her head. "Atta girl." he sighs, rubbing her arm gently. it's short lived, the silence after her sobs, before she speaks again- asks him to promise he won't hate her, if she tells him something. "I could never hate you." he repeats. "I promise… What's eatin' at you, sweetheart?" He questions, worry on his features as he adjusts her to sit up a bit against him- wipes more tears away with the sleeve of his sweater.
her gaze drops, hands lifting to wipe her cheeks again. "i-i dunno if i can stop seein' cyan even if i went and listened to you, 'cuz i-i… i think i might be havin' his baby." her lips tremble anew, eyes shutting. she doesn't wanna see rusty angry or disappointed. "i just been eating so much, weird stuff, an' throwing up, an' i'm gainin' weight, a-and--and--th-this. i just been cryin' or angry or--" she cuts herself off, not admitting that most of the time she went to see cyan, regardless of what they'd planned to do, she'd end up horny. "i-i don't know what to do…"
If he's honest- he'd had the creeping suspicion that what she's saying had been the case. It made sense- she was sick most mornings, miserable and trapped in the bathroom until hours after she'd woke up- he'd assumed a stomach bug at first- but it had been a while, hadn't it? She'd always eaten a little oddly- but there was something perceptible about the way she snacked now- on strange combinations he'd never seen her entertain before- the way that despite the nausea, she'd put on more weight than her lifestyle would have allowed. She closes her eyes. He's quiet, for a long time- just holding her, gentle hand rubbing her back. "Well." He starts. "Have y' told him?"
her eyes peek open--confusion sits in them, that he hadn't gotten upset. she shakes her head, then hangs it. "i'm really scared. i-i don't know what he's gonna say. an' what if i'm not? what if this is just… stress?" she'd been stressed, spending almost all of her moments not in town, inside of the kitchen. but two missed periods and the rest of it, was plenty evience that she was trying to be in denial. "i don't wanna scare him."
"Honey…" He frowns, slightly. "I know you don't know what he's gonna say but stress don't make ya pick up twenty pounds in a couple a' months and so emotional ya start cryin' over a couple a bugs dead on the kitchen counter." He insists softly. "I don't think they got many tests in town…" There's a sigh, soft. "No real way t' know fer sure." But it's enough. And it's still a very real concern if she's to keep spending her time with Cyan- scare or not, the boy needs to know. Rusty knows that. He hums softly, shifts her to look at him properly. "But if you like 'im, then if this ain't what you think it is, he should still know it's somethin yer worryin' about. Because if you're gonna keep… seein him- this ain't gonna be the last time it'll be a concern fer you." He insists. "And I'd rather you know now if he ain't worth yer time than… years down th' line."
she bites at her lip, sighing. "yeah…" she knows he's right. it's both unfair to cyan to keep it a secret--and important that she knows how he'll take it, if they're going to keep being… whatever it is they are. she rubs at her eyes, giving a nod. "i'll--i'll tell 'im. i just gotta… work up my nerve." she shifts to lean back against him once more. she swallows thickly. "can--can we not fight anymore? i really miss you."
"Okay." He insists, squeezing her gently. "Yeah, sweetpea, we can stop fighting. I'm sorry we even started in th' first place." He sighs, resting his chin in her hair. "And no matter what happens- I'm gonna take care of you." he promises. "Just like I always have. Til I breathe my last. Yer the best thing I've ever had, you know." He sighs. "So no matter what, you always got a home here, okay? With yer uncle Rusty." His own eyes grow hazy, for a moment. "I just… was scared you were gonna grow up on me, you know? Decide that… you didn't need me around, anymore. Gets lonely, big house like this all by m'self. 'specially after spendin' the last 13 years with m' best friend in it."
his words start sissy's tears anew, arms wrapping tight around his chest. "i could never!" she almost sounds scandalized he'd even thought of it. "yer my best friend too, an' i'll always need you!" she rubs her face into his chest, sniveling. "but i am a grown up, y'know. i-i like bein' a little more adult. i just wish i didn't have to find out i liked it because of gia…" she frowns, squeezing close again. "y'aren't allowed to die, alright? i don't wanna lose anyone else."
He hates that it's a pressing worry for her that he might up and die. "Come on." He insists, smiling as she presses tighter. "you know I ain't goin' anywhere. yer stuck with me forever, okay?" He checks the time, shifts Sissy out of his lap and moves to stand up. "How about I read ya somethin' like I used t' when you were jus' a sprout, huh? I'll even let ya pick." If anything, he knows it'll distract her, from the way her mind's racing- from the picking open of the wound of Gia's loss, from the awareness she'll have to tell Cyan what's going on. He hopes beyond hope the boy's got the good in him to do good by his niece- Sissy likes him quite a bit- he's seen the stars in her eyes when she talks about him, after all. "And startin' tomorrow, I'll do my best t' remember yer a grown up. an' that means that you ain't… gonna want t' spend the rest a your life playin' Sorry and watchin' disney movies with yer borin' old uncle."
"okay." calmer, she stands too, to grab a tissue from lee's nightstand. "we can spend some of my life playin' sorry and watchin' disney movies, at least. i still love to do those things." the idea of being read to is compelling, and it sees her stalking off to find a book. she returns with one that she hadn't had when he'd known her as a child, far too young to enjoy even the shortest chapter book. a magic treehouse book about the california earthquake is delivered to his hands. "this was my favorite series when i was a kid," she says, "it ain't one from when i was little, but it's good anyways, and you'd probably like it."
"Well- we'll read it anyway." He'd missed enough of her growing up- had come home barely a man himself to raise a preteen. He takes a little time, to turn off lights save for the one on his nightstand and further draw blinds before he settles back in bed under the blankets- opening his arm to Sissy to settle close. He straightens blankets around her as well, curls her close with a soft smile. "Comfy?" he questions, opening the book and setting to reading. She was growing up- and Rusty knew no amount of stubbornly digging his feet in would change that. She'd spent longer than she needed to, clinging to an innocence he insisted she deserved- he could let her grow up- no matter how much it scared him.- but that could be tomorrow. Tonight, it was just the two of them against the world still- tonight she was still just his little girl and they'd made it this far- that was worth something.
sissy waits for rusty to settle in, before she does just the same, curling up beside him, with legs draping over his lap. she relaxes against him, an arm wrapping around his chest. "mhm." she hadn't spent time in his and lee's bed in a long time, her fits and night terrors from the accident and the start of the paradox long gone, able to sleep in her own just fine. there was something lonely about it just being them, with no man laying beside rusty, playing with her foot to distract her from her fears. but--as she looks up to him, the ache dissipates. she feels silly for thinking he hated her. she knows rusty couldn't hate her, and likewise she could never hate him. they were two peas in a pod. at the end of the day, he really was her best friend. she didn't want this to end for anything. she hardly notices, as he reads, that she's dozing off, cozy and warm and relieved.
He waits, until her breathing slows, soft and warm against his chest through the threads of a sweater his late husband had favored. A lot's changed- and he realizes, maybe, he's selfish for having hoped she'd stay the same forever. He closes the book- shifts to turn off the light beside the bed- careful, slow, as not to disturb her, fast asleep, tears drying on her cheeks. He settles himself, sighs softly as he kisses the top of her head. "Love you, lil bug…" he murmurs. "That boy best do good by you…" He doesn't want to see her hurting again- her screams rattle him in his sleep even still, in the aftermath of Gia and her parents- stir him bolt upright. But she sleeps peacefully now, and he knows he should follow her lead- He has work, tomorrow- and Sissy's bound to have a lot on her mind when she wakes up. He tunes out the tapping on the window, and shadows cast on second-floor curtains- as he always does- and slips away just the same.
"Evenin' deputy." The greeting comes smoothly, Rusty stepping down from the doorway of the ranger's station. "What can I do for ya?" He questions. "Oh. one sec. Station Alpha to Base B?"
"Romero, go for B?"
"Deputy's here, Duck, if you need my eyes on th' woods just give me a buzz."
"Understood. Evenin, Reggie." Comes the voice across the radio- Rusty turning back to Reggie a moment later. "C'mon in, it's gettin late." He reasons. "Won't keep ya long if you're just here for a pleasure visit, but me an' the Warden got an overnight watch again. Make yourself comfortable, take a load off, if ya got the time. Duck's not very good company half a mile up th' hiking trails so I'll take the visit as somethin' to do."
"Come on, handsome... Ain't no harm in at least lookin' around." Rusty insists gently, fingers laced in Reggie's and a nudge of the elbow clearly intended to encourage him to at least... try, to enjoy himself, today. He's not blind to the way Reggie's been hurting, lately. Knows that with Jessie expecting- and perhaps even Sissy having GiGi- there's a lot weighing on him, the kind of loss you don't get over. Rusty likes to pretend he gets it- he lost Lee, after all- but here, with his hand in another man's it's not the same- He'd managed, after time and effort- to find somewhere different- but happy, just the same.
Reggie aches. Rusty can't fix it- and doesn't want to pretend he knows how to. Hopes at the least- he knows he's there for him. "Why don't we poke around? See if there's not somethin' worth puttin' up on the wall in your place- or somethin' to fancy up that desk of yours, once you get back to work." the offer's half-hearted. concern's biting at him, still. He leans up, steals a kiss gently. "Or we can sit down a minute? I'll talk t' Ms. O'Grady and get you somethin' to snack on, and we can talk. About what's gnawin' on you these days?"
"Motherfucker." It's the report of a rifle followed by a swear, and that's been the case for the last several hours, out in the clearing behind the ranger station. His aim's still off- targets he'd managed to make a single, pinpoint hole in before now riddled with missed rounds in the white margins. He'd tried his best, not to let it get to him, but it hurt in a way he didn't know it could- he'd been the most decorated sniper in the Howling 13- a deadeye, capable of feats barely human.
He'd always been using his left eye. But singed shut and hidden under a bandage, he'd never use it again. "Come on. You... You don't miss, Russ, you don't miss." He can't miss, because that lets people down. His friends in the army- his family, here. One bullet was the difference between life and death. One bullet was the difference between dinner and nothing. He jolts, slightly, at the touch of a hand on his shoulder. "Fuck- Reg... hey." He breathes. "I uh. Didn't catch the radio call to say you were here... what're you doing so far out on that leg of yours?" He doesn't seem bothered, shouldering his rifle and winding arms around Reggie to kiss him softly. "How much of that did'ya see?"
"Oooooh the traitor returns!" It's a greeting bellowed from the very back desk of Station Alpha, Duck's familiar dust-covered cowboy boots kicked up on the top of it and his hat pulled down over his face. It's almost impressive, the fact he seems to have identified Trick by little more than a sliver of a ranger uniform from beneath his hat, lifting it up and sitting it back in place a moment later, flicking the front up. "Rust's doing a sweep if you're here to annoy him about something work related. They keeping you in line down at South Station or are they letting you run riot undoin' all my hard work?" It's sarcastic, playful as it always is. Duck seems to be the only one in right now, the actual rangers likely out making their morning and afternoon sweeps of the forest or hunting on their own- the game warden often left to sit around by himself.
"It's gonna be so much colder soon! And you're a migratory bird- so it's bad luck you-" Rusty's voice chimes behind Tricky in the doorway of the ranger station, the man absently conversing with a bird tucked into his jacket, peeping softly, snuggled against the biting wind. "Oh- Hey Trick- what brings you up? Business 'er pleasure?"
"Boy you ain't had a pleasure call since ya grew into yer beergut." Duck snorts, watching as Rusty throws a pencil at his head- only to wiff, and miss by a mile. "Missed." He mocks, drumming his hands on his desk in front of him. "Mockin' you boys aside, what brings you in, ain't it your day off, soldier?"
