#rrl02r8

[simgrump]

❦ Szalinski Household, Day Fifty-One ❦

tw drugs

After school, Dax did his usual thing. His time being grounded was up and he was allowed to go hang out with his friends again, so long as he let his Mom know where he was at all times. She didn’t need to know the details of what they were doing and he wasn’t exactly specific about where he was, just that he was with Jesus and Lester. 

Today, he found Jesus in a state. His friend had started in on the Bubbles ahead of him and seemed to be having a bad trip of it, sitting there with his head held in his hands. “You okay, dude?” Dax asked, coming to stand behind him and putting a hand on Jesus’s shoulders, leaning down to try and see his face.

“I’m in over my head,” Jesus complained. “Don wants me to sell way more than I’m able to.” 

“You’re selling for him now?” Dax asked, shocked that his friend would get so far into this whole with with Don Lothario. 

“It’s the only way he’d still sell to me,” Jesus told him. 

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❦ Zest Household, Day Fifty-Six ❦

“So? What are you thinking?” Felix asked as the two of them sat on their porch that night. Charlie had been unusually quiet and lost in his thoughts since the phone call and at the question, he turned to look at his husband. 

“I’m thinking I don’t see a world where I don’t walk in there and fall in love with that kid immediately,” Charlie told him. 

Felix snorted in amusement. “Well, let’s keep an open mind. It may not work out the way we think.” 

“Felix,” Charlie started, giving him a stern look. “In what world would we look at a kid and say, no not good enough?” 

“Point taken,” Felix smirked. “Let’s just...let’s not get our hopes up. It’s all of our choices, right? So the kid may not like us or want it to happen and then we’ll have to have a real discussion and...” he trailed off, shrugging. “Shit, I’m getting my hopes up.” 

Charlie laughed, sitting back in his chair to look at the sliver moon over their neighborhood. “I am too.” 

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❦ Zest Household, Day Fifty-Six ❦

Charlie couldn’t wait for Felix to be finished in the bath. He knocked on the door and then came in, garnering a raised brow from his husband who didn’t bother to hide himself, but played with the bubbles as he looked at Charlie curiously. “You need the bathroom that bad?” he asked playfully. 

“That was the agency,” Charlie said, phone in his hand still as he pointed at it. “We’re scheduled for a meet and greet.” 

“Really?” Felix asked, sitting up with his eyes wide with anticipation. 

“Really.” 

“Oh my god, it’s happening,” Felix said and Charlie laughed, unsurprised that his husband had basically the same thought he had. Meet and greet their ass, they were going to love whatever kid the agency thought to bring to them. 

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❦ Zest Household, Day Fifty-Five ❦

Beautiful. It was the only way Charlie could describe the Sylvan Glade that Felix had found. Absolutely beautiful with it’s pink sunset and misty mountains in the distance. He couldn’t believe a place like this existed just a small hike away from the home they’d just purchased together. 

“Come on,” Felix pulled at Charlie’s hand, tugging him down onto the grass as they laid there to cloud gaze. The smell of lilacs and daisies filled their nostrils as they laid there in the open circle, looking up at the clouds and for a moment, neither of them said a thing. Content with just each other’s company in this beautiful spot they’d found. 

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❦ Zest Household, Day Fifty-One ❦

“I tried,” Felix said and Charlie gave a laugh, looking at the monstrosity of a cake that Felix had baked him. It looked like he’d tried, the definition of try. But succeed? At least it was a cake. 

Charlie leaned in, giving a chuckle and kissed Felix on the cheek. “Thanks, babe,” he said. 

“It’s not every day you have a birthday, you know,” Felix told him, turning around and wrapping his arms around Charlie’s waist, pulling him close. Charlie went willingly, wrapping his own arms around Felix’s shoulders. “You’re gonna be an old man now, like me,” Felix laughed. 

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[simgrump]

❦ Szalinski Household, Day Fifty-Six ❦

tw drugs

“Can I ask you something?” Dax asked when they were done working out. He’d worked up a good sweat, and so had Charlie. He’d enjoyed his time at the gym with his uncle and it had loosened him up a little bit to want to talk to him about this whole Bubbles thing. 

“Sure,” Charlie coaxed. 

Dax bit his tongue for a moment, thinking about how to ask it, before he just went for it. “Have you ever tried Bubbles? Or...anything like it?” 

Lifting a brow in inquiry, Charlie shook his head. “Nah,” he said lightly. “I mean, there was that whole stint with vampirism...” Yeah, Dax had heard about that. “And jail...” He’d heard about that too. “But drugs weren’t ever really my thing. I like being in control of my head, you know?” He paused, looking at Dax. “What about you?” 

“Oh, uh, no,” Dax lied and he hated it the moment it was out of his mouth. His parents were one thing. His Uncle Charlie? Lying to him? That was a whole other feeling he hadn’t been prepared for. “It was offered to me, I just...I wondered if you ever had that experience.” 

“Well good thing you said no,” Charlie said, the look of pride on his face unwarranted. “That stuff can really mess with you before you know it.” 

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❦ Szalinski Household, Day Fifty-Four ❦

Nathaniel whined when Parker played with her dolls. On one hand, she thought she was getting too old for playing with dolls, but on the other she liked playing with her brother and her sister. Except today, Nathaniel wasn’t sharing well and threw a small tantrum while she played. 

“It’s okay, Nathaniel,” Parker told him, turning around to look at her brother, who looked angrily at the doll in her hand and wouldn’t make eye contact. She held the doll out to him but he gave a yell and hit it out of her hand. “Mom says don’t hit,” Parker reminded him calmly. Her Mom had given her instructions on how to deal with Nathaniel when he got like this and while she was downstairs making dinner, Parker was in charge right now. She could handle this and play with her brother, even if he was acting out. 

“Here, come down here,” Parker patted the ground next to her and Nathaniel sniffled slightly before he slipped off the stool and sat down where she’d motioned. “Here,” she said, holding the doll back out to him. “We can play together.” She lit up happily when Nathaniel took the doll finally and started playing with it in the dollhouse. Parker smiled, proud of herself for working through his tantrum. 

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[simgrump]

❦ Szalinski Household, Day Fifty-Three ❦

tw drugs

Dax chose to walk his friend home, just to be safe. He knew he was going to get in trouble when he went home, no matter if he texted his parents or not. If he could just explain to them it was to make sure Jesus was okay, they’d probably understand. But the piece of it he couldn’t tell them was because Jesus had a bad trip. They’d never let him out of the house again if they knew that bit of the story. 

It felt bad, keeping things from them. But they wouldn’t understand. Not this. Or maybe it was that they would and they’d try to get him help. He didn’t want it. Didn’t need it. He was using Bubbles, yes, but he was safe about it. Not like Jesus. And if he was going to start selling Bubbles to kids at his school... His parents could never find that part out. He’d be more than grounded for life, they might agree to send him to juvie or something. 

All these thoughts spiraled through his head as he made his way home, looking at the stars and the moon and wishing he just knew the right way to handle this all. He knew what his parents would say, to stop using Bubbles. To not sell. But he was already in too deep. There was no backing out of it now. Sad thing was, he didn’t think he wanted to, either. 

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