“No, no, Sy, hear me out.” Aava leans in. “Hypothetically, where do I get a copy of the paperwork I would need to take on a CI?” (Campaign White Collar AU, 2k, undertones of Tryst/Aava/Leenik)
AUcember || read on ao3
#
Aava has her gun up as she steps into the warehouse. She knows she doesn’t need to, knows this place like the back of her hand and exactly where she should go, but it’s good to be prepared anything.
“FBI,” she calls, not really trying to project her voice. The echo bounces around the warehouse. “Come out where I can see you. Hands up.”
“I’ll put my hands wherever you want them,” a voice calls back. It’s weak, like he’s making the joke because he thinks she’s expecting it.
Aava holsters her gun. “And if I want them in the air?”
Tryst Valentine, escaped fucking convict, leans out from behind a pillar. “You gonna shoot me, Agent Arek?”
“You gonna give me a reason to?”
“I hope not. C’mere.”
Aava sighs, but she goes over to where he’s sitting against the pillar and sinks down next to him, sitting on her hands. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Tryst gives her a wan smile. “How’ve you been?”
“Oh, you know. Solving crimes, chasing down escaped cons. The usual.” She cuts her eyes over to him, assessing. “How about you?”
“You heard from Leenik lately?”
She frowns. She has never visited Tryst during his sentence - it’s inappropriate for agents to fraternize with the criminals they catch - but she and Leenik get coffee once a week. Except. “Not in a couple weeks.”
Tryst thumps his head against the pillar behind him. “That’s what I thought.”
“Hasn’t he been visiting you?”
“Not in a couple weeks.”
“So you broke out of state prison to try and find him?”
“It’s Leenik,” Tryst says, like that makes absolute sense.
The problem is, it does make absolute sense. Leenik is an art forger, just like Tryst is, but he didn’t get caught in their job that went south. And afterwards, he and Aava had become friends, and Aava was… well, she was sort of taken with him. He’s sweet, and he’s smart, and he’s excitable. Aava understands why Tryst refused to give him up for a shorter sentence. Aava understands a lot about Tryst, because of Leenik.
“They’re going to put you away for a long time for this,” Aava says, as gently as she can. “This isn’t the kind of thing that you come back from. Forgery is a lot less of a problem than a prison break.”
“I couldn’t find him.” Tryst’s head lolls from side to side, and Aava sighs and lowers her shoulder. His head plops onto it. They haven’t had a lot of in person interaction, not outside of the investigation and hearings and the like, but she knows Leenik loves him. That counts for a lot. “I looked everywhere.”
“I’m looking too.”
“You don’t know all the everywheres that I do.”
“And you didn’t have a lot of time to look everywhere.”
“I don’t want to go back,” Tryst says, barely above a whisper. Aava’s heart clenches. “I don’t- Aava, I can’t go back to prison not knowing what happened to him. He’s not going to be able to visit me when I go back, I know the kind of sentence I’m going to get.”
Aava lifts a hand to stroke through his hair. “I can’t help you.”
“Can you find some way-”
“You can’t ask me to let you go.”
“Never,” Tryst says quickly. “I would rather have you in the FBI, because that means one of us can keep looking for him.”
Aava thinks about it, carefully. It’s true that she can’t do much - definitely can’t let Tryst go, definitely can’t keep him a secret. That’ll end badly for the both of them. But there are other things she can do, visitations and work releases and - hm.
“I’ll figure something out,” Aava says, slowly. “But I need to arrest you again.”
“Looking for a reason to hold my hand?”
“Looking for a reason to tie you up,” Aava answers tartly.
Tryst laughs, sounding a little more like himself. “Well, if the lady insists…”
“The law insists.”
“What you say matters more to me than the law,” Tryst says, with finality. The scary thing is, Aava’s pretty sure that he means it.
#
“Hypothetically,” Aava says.
Synox groans. “No, no, wherever this is going-”
“No, no, Sy, hear me out.” Aava leans in. “Hypothetically, where do I get a copy of the paperwork I would need to take on a CI?”
Synox narrows his eyes at her. Aava only gives him the most blank, professional look she can manage, like that’s going to prevent him from realizing that she has a plan of some kind.
“Who,” he says at last, which is promising, if she plays her cards right.
“Professional forger. Served most of his sentence.”
“You trust this forger?”
“I think he’s competent, and I think he’s going to be able to do his job.”
“That wasn’t a yes.”
“You don’t want me to say yes,” Aava says, which is true. It also masks the fact that her answer is a resounding, bone-deep yes.
“Agent Arek, you’re one of the best agents we have.”
She keeps her face impassive. “I’m aware, sir.”
Synox snorts. “No, Aava, I don’t think you are. You’re one of the only people where I don’t care if you say you trust this CI with your bleeding heart. If you say that, I will assume that the guy deserves it and give you the paperwork anyways. You’re asking because it’ll make you better at this job.”
“I’m asking because I want this CI to work with me.”
“Reason enough for me,” Synox says. “Paperwork will be on your desk tomorrow morning, and it’ll be back on mine by the time you leave for the day.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You and Mister Valentine had better solve a lot of cases for me.”
Aava finally lets herself smile. Of course Synox would know that it’s Tryst. The fact that he trusts her means a lot more when she knows the depth of that trust. “We wouldn’t do anything less, Sy.”
“Good,” Synox says. “Because I’m expecting a lot from you.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Aava says mildly, and Synox grins at her.
#
Tryst walks out of the prison gates and directly into Aava’s arm, burying his nose in her hair as he does. “Thank you,” he says, quiet against her ear. “Thank you, thank-”
“Uh,” Fentara says, with all of the grace of a highly trained new agent. “Should I do something about this?”
Aava waves her off, with the hand that isn’t currently rubbing between Tryst’s shoulder blades. “We’ll give him a minute.”
“Are you sure?”
“If it were anyone other than him, I’d let you tase him.”
Fentara’s eyes flick up and down Tryst as he steps back. She doesn’t look impressed, which is one of Aava’s favorite things about Fentara. “Whatever you say, boss.”
“Boss?” Tryst repeats. “Agent Arek, you mean to tell me you’re supervising this young lady?”
“Don’t get me wrong, she could knock you on your ass in a heartbeat,” Aava says. This is the wrong thing to say, judging by the weird look on Tryst’s face. “And you are barking up the wrong tree by even looking at her, so-”
“Ah.” Tryst’s face clears. “Not that I was interested to begin with, but-”
“I can tase you even if she doesn’t ask me to,” Fentara says. “It might be impolite, but-”
“But I trust Agent Ren’s judgment.” Aava arches an eyebrow at Tryst, who’s giving her this weird, sort of gross soft smile. “Please remember that I’m supervising you, Mister Valentine. So anything beyond professional courtesy-”
“Oh, professional courtesy,” Tryst says glibly. “Yeah, I know all about that. And you can tell me all about it later, but last week when I broke out was the first time I had food other than prison food in a very long time, so if I could get some more good food-”
“Has your ankle bracelet been outfitted yet?”
Tryst leans down and draws up the left leg of his pants to reveal a standard issue ankle bracelet, with a light blinking green. “Newest accessory, all the models are clamoring over it.”
“They explain to you how that works?”
“I have to be within a two mile radius of the office at all times, unless I’m with you, and that includes where I’ll be living,” Tryst says dutifully. “Now, what does this all mean for me being able to eat?”
Aava smirks. “It means we’re getting dinner together.”
Tryst gasps, putting a dramatic hand to his chest. “But Agent Arek, what about your agent in training?”
“Agent Ren has other plans.”
“Got a date with a girl,” Fentara says. “And I’m not interested in spending any more time with your clown ass outside of work hours.”
“Wow,” Tryst says. “You really are training her, aren’t you? She sounds exactly like her.”
“The way I raised her,” Aava says dryly. “Let’s go.”
#
“This isn’t a restaurant,” Tryst says as they pull up to the high-rise. “Not that I’m complaining about whatever’s going on here, but seriously, I wasn’t-”
“Trystan,” Aava sighs. They let Fentara out a few minutes ago, and Aava said something about needing to make one more stop. “You know where we are.”
Tryst looks out the window, eyes moving up and down. She can tell the exact moment he realizes where they are, because his mouth forms a perfect O. “This- have you-”
“I started stopping by every day two weeks ago, just to see.” Aava puts the car in park and leans forward, resting her chin on the steering wheel. “And then twice a day. Nothing ever changes or moves. He hasn’t been here in a while.”
“Does it look like there was a struggle?”
“Not at all.”
“He wouldn’t leave,” Tryst says, hovering somewhere between desperation and certainty. “Not without telling someone. You, or me, or- or the other contacts he has, or-”
“I know.” She lifts a hand without looking to stroke it down his shoulder, and he goes quiet. “I know he wouldn’t.”
“Is Tony still there?”
“The pit bull? He hasn’t been in the apartment, and I haven’t found him boarded anywhere.”
“God, Leenik,” Tryst murmurs. He reaches up and takes Aava’s hand absently, tangling their fingers together, and she lets him. “Why did you bring me here? To look for evidence?”
“Actually,” Aava says, “it’s because I checked with the landlord and rent is paid up for a couple months. And we are a cool 1.85 miles southeast of the FBI office, and this is a lot nicer than the place they were looking at putting you up.”
Tryst squeezes her hand. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, help me find him.”
“I will. I have resources you don’t have.”
Tryst and Leenik were part of a group. Aava knows this. Aava knows that he has people on his side that she doesn’t know about, that she’ll never really get to meet. She didn’t know how to get in touch with them. And sure, having Tryst out of prison will mean that she has someone else to help her at work, but more than that it means that she has more lines connecting her to Leenik. More ways to get him back.
“Okay,” Aava says softly. “We’re gonna figure this out. But now, let’s get you some real dinner. Anything you want.”
“The FBI will pay for anything I want?”
“No, but depending on what you want, I might.” She finally looks over at him, and he grins at her, all soft and mushy. “Oh, shut up.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Tryst says, looking as shit-eating and stupidly fond as he always does. “Take me wherever, I’m not picky.”
“Oh, you’re not picky,” Aava mutters, and starts the car. “Whatever you say, Valentine.”
But the fourth mystery that bothers Aava, for reasons that she can’t put her finger on, is that she can’t figure out if Hot Mailman is a cat person or a dog person. (Aava/Leenik/Tryst animal shelter AU, 1.7k)
AUcember || read on ao3 || title lyric
#
From: Leenik
hot mailman is back
To: Leenik
Again?
From: Leenik
was he here already today???
To: Leenik
yeah he was here this morning to look at kittens
From: Leenik
oh
From: Leenik
well he’s playing with puppies now
From: Leenik
also i don’t think he has any actual mail with him
To: Leenik
Does he ever have actual mail with him?
From: Leenik
i mean
From: Leenik
eventually he has to bring us mail right??
To: Leenik
Maybe.
To: Leenik
Take lots of pictures of him with puppies
#
Hot Mailman - whose real name is Trystan, which Aava knows because Leenik asked - is kind of a mystery. First off, there’s the fact that he’s hot, which is its own weird mystery. He’s not Aava’s type, and Aava didn’t even realize that Leenik had a type, but the first time Hot Mailman walked into the shelter both of them had been a little dumbstruck.
(“It’s not weird to flirt with the mailman, right?” Leenik asked pensively, not two seconds after the door swung shut. “Like, it’d be weird if I flirted with you, but it’s not weird if it’s him, because he’s not really a coworker. So that’s not weird, right?”
“Right,” Aava agreed. “And it’s not weird if both of us flirt with him, either.”
Leenik made a face. “You and I don’t flirt the same.”
“Your idea of flirting is how most people make friends.”
“And it works for me! Sometimes.”
“Mmmmhm,” Aava said, and Leenik rolled his eyes like she knew he would, and Aava grinned.)
Second of all, there’s the fact that he comes in constantly without mail. Aava and Leenik are the shelter’s only two full-time employees, and the rest of it is volunteer-run, so at least one of them is always in the office, and they sign for a lot of packages. Which isn’t unusual, but then Hot Mailman started dropping by without packages. Just to say hi. And, occasionally, to play with their adoptable animals.
(After his third visit, Aava mentioned offhand that she always preferred the cats, that she had a couple at home. Trystan had nodded as he absorbed this, and then said abruptly, “What about the other guy? The one who coordinates all the volunteers?”
“Leenik? He’s a dog guy, through and through.”
“I would’ve guessed,” Trystan admitted, and Aava tilted her head at him, and decided not to ask why he was trying to guess anything about Leenik.)
The third mystery - and this is Leenik’s addition to the list, because it’s something that Aava is totally willing to accept at face value - is that he flirts with both of them. Without abandon. It’s something that Leenik despairs over, because he doesn’t know what it means. Aava, well, she’s a simple woman, and she likes guys like Trystan. He’s sweet, and he’s sweet to Leenik, and that last one goes a long way.
But the fourth mystery, the one that bothers Aava for reasons that she can’t put her finger on, is that she can’t figure out if Hot Mailman is a cat person or a dog person. It’s not like it keeps her up at night, but most people have a pretty strong preference one way or the other. But not him.
#
“You all ever get any lizards in?” Tryst asks abruptly, about a month into his thrice-daily visits.
Aava and Leenik exchange a Look. People ask about weird animals all the time - Aava’s go-to story at parties is the story of the woman who was furious that the shelter didn’t have racehorses - but this is either a weird long con or a genuine question.
“Not normally,” Aava says at last. “Mostly people bring in furry things.”
“Or birds,” Leenik adds, which is also true. “A lot of people mix us up with animal control.”
Aava sighs. “We don’t even have a van.”
“Yet,” Leenik says, with a lot more confidence than Aava feels. She glances up at him, from where he’s sitting on the front desk counter, and he shrugs. “Never say never.”
Tryst looks between the two of them, looking amused. “So that’s a no on the lizards?”
“It’s a not yet.” Leenik cocks his head. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a lizard person.”
“Not me,” Tryst says. This is an actual package-delivery visit, and there’s a package sitting on the counter of the front desk, but nobody’s signing for it and he’s not really asking. He drums his fingers on it. “My, uh - well, the relations are complicated, but we’re just gonna call him my nephew. He’s going through this lizard phase, which I don’t remember going through as a kid, but maybe it’s just the prequel to a dinosaur phase.”
Aava shrugs and wheels her chair out from behind the computer to get a better look at him. “Kids are weird. I had a colonial America phase. Mostly the witch trials.”
“I had a pit bull phase,” Leenik offers.
Aava shoots him a look. “You own a pit bull.”
“I am still in a pit bull phase.”
Tryst chuckles. Aava gives him the most careful, most scrutinizing look that she can. He doesn’t look like he’s laughing at them, per se. Mostly like… well, like he’s actually enjoying being around them. “I had a pirate phase,” he says. “Drove my sisters up a wall, mostly because I used to go digging through their bedrooms for treasure.”
A laugh bursts out of Aava, so sharp and unexpected that she claps both hands over her mouth. Tryst and Leenik both give her looks of amazement, because odds are neither of them have heard her make that sound before. But goddammit, that’s charming. That’s a cute family anecdote, and Aava wants to hear more of his cute family anecdotes, what the fuck.
Leenik recovers first, turning back to Tryst. “I got really into NASA for a little while. My brother bought me all these T-shirts and action figures and stuff.”
It’s all Aava can do not to let her jaw drop. It’d taken Leenik the better part of a year to tell her about his brother. He’s come a long way, and she knows that, but it’s something else entirely to see him casually talking about his brother.
Tryst, who has no goddamn clue that Leenik has just shared his equivalent of a wealth of personal information, nods casually. “I think my sisters mostly just wanted me to stop. But one of them bought me this book about secret agents, and about postmen carrying secret codes. And now-” he shrugs. “I’m technically a government employee.”
“Mazel tov,” Aava says as coolly as she can manage. It’s nowhere near her normal level of cool, which Tryst doesn’t notice and Leenik definitely does. “You’re the best delivery guy we’ve had.”
“Nicer than the other ones,” Leenik says, which is a lot more to-the-point than he normally gets. Aava is absurdly proud of him.
Tryst grins. It’s the kind of debonair, suave grin that Aava would normally roll her eyes at, but she actually ends up smiling back, god, what’s happening to her? “I’m technically not supposed to say this, but you guys are my favorite customers.” He pauses. “Clients? Customers? People I see?”
“People,” Leenik suggests. “Just people.”
Tryst’s grin goes soft around the edges. “You’re on the list,” he says, and before Aava can think about what that means, he holds out his digital signature pad. “I’ve gotta hit the road, but if you could-”
“Of course.” Aava reaches up to take it and sign. “It was good seeing you again, Trystan.”
“Come back soon,” Leenik adds, absurdly. Tryst turns and gives him a look - mostly out of Aava’s line of sight, but she can see an arched eyebrow - and Leenik flushes slightly.
Tryst just shrugs and looks at them both one last time. “I will,” he says, surprisingly sincere, and he’s out the door before either of them can interact.
Aava drums her fingers on the table. “What’re you thinking, Nikki?”
“He’s definitely hitting on you,” Leenik says resolutely. “Definitely you.”
“I think he’s hitting on both of us, actually.”
There’s a pause as Leenik considers this before saying, aghast, “Why?”
“Boy knows where his bread is buttered?”
If anything, Leenik looks more aghast at that. “You buttered his bread already?”
“What? No, I don’t even have his phone number.”
“You don’t even have his phone number?”
“What, you do?”
“Of course I do!”
“You haven’t mentioned that at all,” Aava says slowly.
Leenik shrugs. “He visits while you’re here more often,” he says, not quite sullenly but pretty close. “And I wanted to talk to him too.”
Aava nods slowly, absorbing this. Trystan does tend to visit Aava more in person, although it’s hard to say how much of that is because of their schedules lining up. He seems to like talking to both of them, though. He visits them both, after all.
“This is weird, right?” Leenik leans down, putting his hand near Aava’s, and she absently rests hers on top of it. “Like, he’s- what’s he doing?”
“I think he’s just hitting on the people he likes.”
“People?”
Aava shrugs. “Stranger things have happened.”
“Aava,” Leenik says, “you’re my best friend, and I think it’s only fair to say that I don’t really want to have sex with you. Just so you know.”
“Leenik.” Aava squeezes his hand. “Honey, you’re my best friend, and I think it’s only fair to remind you that you have told me that, more than once.”
He shrugs. “It feels like it might actually be relevant this time, though.”
Aava pauses and thinks about him, and Tryst, and the way Tryst looks at them both. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” she says at last, and Leenik looks a little bit relieved.
#
From: Leenik
To: Aava, 661-283-9301
okay now that we’re all gathered here together i have a question for tryst
Tryst named the conversation: i’ll think of a pun about animal shelters later
From: Tryst
shoot
From: Aava
Why is this conversation happening over text, he was in here ten minutes ago
From: Leenik
would you consider yourself a cat person or a dog person
“What’s the final countdown?” Tryst snorts. “Geez, kid, it’s like it’s your first national tour or something.” (A Campaign rock band AU. Tryst/Leenik/Aava, with background Zero/Blue.)
This isn’t because everyone wanted a karaoke bar; quite the opposite. Tryst wanted a bowling alley. Leenik had fought, tooth and nail, for mini-golf. Tamlin wanted to rent out a zoo, and so Bacta was trying to talk him out of that. And in the midst of all the shouting and distress, Jane had looked at Lyn sideways and said “My cousin works at a karaoke bar,” and Lyn had jumped on that and planned the wrap party.
(“Singers,” Tryst snorted when he found out. “All that ego. You just want to show off.”
“There’ll be alcohol,” Jane said. “Like, a lot of it.”
Tryst sighed. “I can probably live with you guys showing off.)
It’s a small party, about as intimate as a party in a back room of a crowded karaoke bar can be, but Lyn suspects that they all prefer it that way. As far as rock stars go, she seems to have found the most insular bunch. No special guests, nothing over the top, just them and some karaoke.
About an hour in, Lyn is tipsy bordering drunk and alone on one of the couches, watching Leenik and Neemo warble their way through something she doesn’t recognize as Tryst and Aava cheer them on. She takes a sip of whiskey and when she lowers her glass, Tamlin plops down next to her. She smiles. “Hello, Tamlin.”
“Hi, Uncle Lyn,” Tamlin not-quite-chirps.
Lyn frowns. “Is something the matter?”
“No.” Tamlin turns and frowns at her. “I mean, maybe? I have a question.”
“What is your question?”
“It’s not for you.”
“Who is it for?”
“It’s for…” his frown deepens. “Can I practice on you?”
“Go ahead.”
Tamlin clears his throat. “I wanna call Uncle Bacta my dad.”
Lyn blinks a couple of times. “And you’re worried about asking him?”
“Kind of? I think he’d say yes, but-” Tamlin looks away. “I know you never knew Mom, but I never really did either. And I know she loves me, I’ve seen all the old videos, but Uncle Bacta’s the one taking care of me, right?”
“Right.”
“So it makes sense, and he’s my godfather so it makes double sense, but I’ve never done it before, and I’m worried about starting.”
Lyn takes a deep breath and stops herself from what she was about to say. The fact is, Tamlin called Bacta “Dad” for the first time three days ago, while he was sleepy and not quite sure of what he was saying. Lyn knows this because Bacta had called her almost immediately afterwards, tripping over his words trying to explain what had happened. It’d taken nearly forty minutes to talk him down, not from hysterics but from the fear of fully realizing he’s a parent.
“Okay,” Lyn says, and leans over to set her glass on the floor. “Why are you worried?”
Tamlin climbs into Lyn’s lap and looks up at her, chewing his bottom lip nervously. “If he says no, what does that mean?”
“It means that he’s still your uncle and you’re still his Tamlin.”
“And if he says yes, what does that mean?”
“It means that he’s your dad.”
Tamlin takes a deep breath and says, all in a rush, “And what if it’s too much to ask for?”
Lyn lifts a hand to the back of Tamlin’s head and lowers her own head so that they’re eye to eye, almost nose to nose. “Tamlin,” she says seriously.
“Yeah?” Tamlin barely whispers.
“Bacta would give you anything you asked for if he could. He loves you. We all do, but he is your godfather, and your uncle, and you are his entire world.” She lowers her forehead further so it’s against Tamlin’s. He blinks at her. “Do you know how he spent breakfast on Monday morning when he and I went out together?”
“No?”
“He and I were researching TSA rules about pets on planes to see if you could take the lizards to Europe.” And Lyn had been researching good ways to teach children French, but she can’t share that yet. That’s his Christmas present. Or at least part of it.
Tamlin gasps. “Really?”
“Really.”
“All of them?”
“If we can figure out how.”
“But what if we can’t?”
“Then we’ll figure out something else. He’ll figure out something else.” She smiles. “This is what I mean, Tamlin, do you understand?”
“Understand what?”
“He’d do anything for you. You are the most important thing in his life.” Lyn lifts her other hand and pulls back just enough to tap Tamlin’s nose; he wrinkles it and grins. “You are his family.”
“You are, too,” Tamlin insists.
Lyn pauses. She lost her brother when she was young, and her father, and she was never close with her mother. The Kaiburr Crystals had been her friends, and nothing beyond that. She never had much in the way of family. But this - she lives with Tryst, and she and Leenik have an unofficial wine club, and she was the one Bacta called when he needed advice. Even Neemo is always there to talk about books, or Aava to talk about the band. And there’s Tamlin. Her nephew.
“I am,” she agrees, voice thicker than she expected. “We all are. But you most of all, Tamlin. And he will not have a problem if you talk to him about this.”
“You sure?”
(Bacta had asked, when he called, if he should bring it up first. Lyn had said no almost immediately. “Because you can’t pressure him into it,” she’d explained. “If he believes this is something that you want, you run the risk of him mixing up those motivations. It needs to be something that he wants as well.”
“I know,” Bacta sighed. “I just… I do want this. I really do, Lyn.”)
Lyn smiles. “I’m sure.”
Tamlin’s face breaks into a wide, earsplitting grin. His eyes are shining. “Thank you, Uncle Lyn! You give good advice.”
“You’re welcome, Tama,” Lyn laughs. “You listen to advice very well.”
“Only the good advice.” Tamlin pulls away and turns back around so that he’s facing the karaoke stage.
Lyn rests her chin on Tamlin’s head and looks around. Her eyes land on Bacta almost immediately, sitting on another couch across the room, definitely watching them both. She smiles. “Can we invite Bacta to come sit with us?”
Tamlin nods excitedly, jostling Lyn’s chin in the process. He lifts a hand and motions over at Bacta frantically, something that Lyn doesn’t understand. Bacta clearly does, judging by the way he smiles and gets to his feet. When he gets to the couch, he picks Lyn’s whiskey glass up off the ground and hands it to her.
Lyn smiles. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Bacta sits down next to her, shoulder pressed against hers. “What are you guys talking about?”
“I’m afraid I spoiled a surprise,” Lyn says, before Tamlin has the opportunity to get nervous. “I told him about the lizard research.”
Bacta groans. “We weren’t going to tell him yet!”
“I know, I know, it just came up in conversation.”
“But it’s good news!” Tamlin bounces in Lyn’s lap. “It’s the best news!”
“Yeah?” Bacta smiles. “Well, then I’m glad you heard it.”
“Me too.”
“Lyn!” someone yells. When she looks up at the stage, Pliff is gesturing at her impatiently. “It’s your turn!”
“I have Tamlin,” she calls back. “I’ll go twice later.”
“You’re ruining the order!”
Lyn throws an arm around Tamlin’s waist and pulls him in protectively. Tamlin shrieks and giggles. “You can’t make me give him up!”
“Fine!” Pliff rolls his eyes and looks around. Clearly, his options aren’t good: Neemo is talking to an employee, and Tryst, Aava, and Leenik are all lying on top of one another on one of the couches, tangled together. He looks at the rest of his band. “Wanna go again?”
“If no one else is,” Hessa says.
Jane points at Bacta. “You!”
“Me?” Bacta points at himself. “No way.”
“Come on, do a solo!”
“Absolutely not, Jane.”
Tamlin gasps. “Oh, Uncle Bacta, please, please, can you sing something?”
Lyn can see the mental switch that flips in Bacta’s head, from “I don’t want to “ to “Tamlin wants me to.” It’s almost magical how fast he transforms. Just like that, he nods determinedly. “I can sing something for you, buddy, let me go see what they have.”
“Have fun,” Lyn says, patting his hand. Bacta threads his fingers through hers, just long enough to give her pause, and then he’s on his feet, striding towards the stage with more determination than Lyn expected.
“I should’ve suggested a song,” Tamlin says sadly.
“Yeah, he will.” Tamlin bounces a little more. “Uncle Lyn?”
“Yes, Tamlin.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“And also Uncle Bacta can’t sing, but we have to clap for him anyways, okay? It’s important.”
Lyn laughs. Bacta, from where he’s picking a song, glances over at her, and she grins at him. “We can do that.”
“Okay,” Tamlin says, as Bacta makes his way to the stage. “Have you ever heard him sing?”
“Only once or twice.”
“Get ready.”
Bacta grabs the microphone. The music starts playing. Lyn smiles. “I’m ready.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Good.” Tamlin settles in on Lyn’s lap. Bacta opens his mouth to sing. Lyn’s face splits into a grin. “Because here we go!”
#
a/n
The response to this fic was absolutely fantastic. I can't thank you guys enough for reading and commenting/messaging/even just saying in the tags that you enjoyed it. It was a delight to write and I hope it was just as fun to read. See you guys next fic! <3
“What’s the final countdown?” Tryst snorts. “Geez, kid, it’s like it’s your first national tour or something.” (A Campaign rock band AU. Tryst/Leenik/Aava, with background Zero/Blue.)
As soon as Aava opens the door, Leenik pushes his way into her apartment, a bottle of wine in each hand. She watches him in silence as he goes over to her couch, and as he sets one bottle on the coffee table, and then as he looks at her expectantly. His eyes are already glassy, and judging by the way he’s walking, he’s not sober. “Well?”
“Well,” Aava says, “I’m surprised you’re here.”
Leenik frowns. “Why’s that?”
Aava lifts a hand and ticks off one finger. “A, you don’t normally visit me.” Another finger. “B, you just got back from an incredibly long tour, I’m surprised you’re not at home with Tony.” Leenik grimaces at that; Aava ticks off another finger. “And C, you said when you came to pick him up that tonight was your big post-tour family dinner.”
“Oh, right.” Leenik scowls at the bottle he’s holding. “I’m skipping that.”
“Any reason?”
“Yes, there’s a reason. Do you have a corkscrew?”
Aava points at him. “You’re dishing.”
“Why?”
“Because you just showed up at my house. Call it your rent payment for when I let you crash on my couch.”
Leenik sighs. “Drinking, then dishing?”
“Deal.” Aava goes off to the kitchen. “Do you want stemmed or stemless glasses?”
“Glasses? No, I brought us a bottle each, it’s fine.”
“Some of us have things to do tomorrow.” Aava frowns. “Actually, I think both of us have things to do tomorrow, aren’t you performing?”
“Does that mean I can’t drink the full bottle?”
“It might mean that you shouldn’t. Stemmed or stemless?”
“Stemless. Are you sure?”
“Do you want to play your rock and roll concert hungover?”
When Aava returns with the corkscrew and glasses, Leenik is gazing mournfully at the wine bottle in his hand. He looks up at her, with his best kicked puppy look. “The worst part is that I know you’re right.”
“Must be hard dealing with that.” Aava plops down on the couch next to him; he plucks the corkscrew from her hand and uncorks a bottle. “Are we dishing now?”
“Not till I’m two glasses in.”
“Please. Half a glass.”
“One glass.”
Aava sighs, as though she didn’t know that that’d be his counter-offer, and as though that wasn’t her plan to begin with. “One glass, then feelings.”
Leenik makes a face, but he pours their glasses and snatches his out of her hand. “Are there rules about how fast I can drink the glass?”
“If I finish mine before yours, then that’s when we talk.”
“No, that’s how slow, I said how fast.”
“Don’t hurt yourself.”
“Good,” Leenik says, and chugs his glass.
Aava moves the open bottle away from Leenik and sips at her own glass. He gets like this sometimes, where he’ll do anything to avoid actually talking about what’s wrong. She’s no therapist, but she’ll listen, and he wouldn’t go to a therapist anyways. And besides, he always brings her wine, so it’s not like this is this is selfless on her part.
Leenik looks at her and blinks a couple times. “Refill?”
Aava hums and takes another sip. “Not till feelings.”
“I could go talk to Bacta instead, you know.”
“You could. But you’re here.”
“Yeah.” Leenik sighs, and all the tension leaks out of him. He goes boneless all at once, sagging against Aava’s shoulder.
Aava waits it out. They got all of their small talk out of the way earlier when he came to pick up Tony. She doesn’t have it in her to ask how the tour went, or how Tryst is doing, or any other banal questions.
After about a minute of Aava sipping wine in silence, Leenik groans. “I saw Chartreuse and it’s kind of my own fault and I think she hates me and I’m not sure she’s wrong.”
Aava thinks about that and knocks back the rest of her wine in one gulp.
“Refill,” Leenik says, a little impatiently.
“Mm.” Aava wipes away a stray rivulet of wine at the corner of her mouth. “That’s not feelings, that’s a situation update.”
“Semantics. Half glass?”
“Tell me why you saw her.”
Leenik sighs. “Tryst’s keyboard broke.”
“The one his sister gave him?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“The really shitty old one?”
“Yeah. Rosie.”
“Was he losing his shit?”
“Oh, completely.”
Aava smiles. “So. The keyboard broke.”
“And Chartreuse is good at fixing things, and I figured she could probably tune it up and stuff, so I told Bacta to call her, and then I ran into her.” Leenik sighs again, so hard that it pushes his head off Aava’s shoulder and into her lap. “And she hates me.”
“Does she?”
“I saw her face, she definitely hates me.”
“What did she do?”
Leenik grimaces. “Ran away.”
“And what did you do?”
“I’m not sure.”
Aava looks down at Leenik with her best not-buying-it bemused look. “Those hours are just lost to you?”
Leenik shrugs. “We rehearsed, and then our opening act rehearsed, and we went out for dinner together. And after about an hour I left early. Said I wasn’t feeling well.”
“Did anyone buy it?”
“Bacta definitely didn’t.” Leenik pauses. “The kids were all caught up in each other, they’re off in their own little world.”
“That’s your opening act?”
“Mmhm, they’re not half bad. Tamlin was worried, and I’d feel bad about that if he knew what was wrong. Tryst and Lyn were…” he makes a face. “I think they knew something was up, but they didn’t want to let on that they knew that something was up.”
“That sounds like Tryst,” Aava admits. “You could always-”
“Don’t say it.”
“It’s been seven years, Leenik.”
“They’re not going to look at me the same way.”
“That’s not a bad thing! If they know that this is a problem, then they’ll know how to help you.”
Leenik’s face twists into something painful. “I don’t want them to think something’s wrong with me because of where I’m from.”
Aava sighs. “Tryst didn’t leave the state of Arizona until he was twenty-one, is something wrong with him?”
Leenik’s face snaps into something offended. “Of course not.”
“Bacta was in the military and he’s still working through everything that comes with, is something wrong with him?”
“Okay, I see your point, but-”
“Our histories don’t have to make us who we are,” Aava says quietly. “If I’m more than the decades I spent in a bad family, then you’re more than your brother dying.”
“I think that’s a false equivalency,” Leenik says, and that’s how she knows that he can’t really argue. “Or maybe a strawman, one of those argumentative fallacies.”
“It’s definitely not a strawman.”
“Don’t look at me, I never went to college.” And then Leenik snaps his jaw shut with an audible click.
Aava sighs. “If I give you another half a glass, will you tell me what that’s about?”
“Do I have to?”
“Do you want wine?”
“I don’t have to take this, you know. I could be drinking alone.”
“If you wanted to drink alone, you wouldn’t be here.”
Leenik closes his eyes. “Fine, half a glass.”
Aava grabs his shoulder and drags him upright before pouring them each another half glass. Leenik’s a couple sips in before he says, almost absently, “What’s new with you, anyways?”
“Someone I know dislocated his hip,” she offers, swirling her wine around. “Work’s been boring.”
“Manage any good talent lately?”
“Good talent? In Hollywood?”
Leenik snorts and gulps down some more wine. “I mean, we’re here, right? The Mynock?”
“My point exactly,” Aava says. He shoots her a wounded look, and she laughs. “Oh, quiet.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You thought it.”
“Do you think I should go to college?”
“Community or four-year?” Aava asks without thinking.
Leenik frowns. “I don’t know.”
“You could always start with community college. It’s a little looser, a good way to get back in the academic swing of things.”
“You were fine at a four-year school.”
Aava pauses, wineglass already at her lips. “I think that’s… a little different.”
People have told Aava before that she grew up in a cult. She doesn’t necessarily think that’s true, although maybe she’s not the best judge of her own trauma. All she knows is that her family loved her, and they always made it clear what she had to do to earn that love. She would stay with her family, unless she married someone. She would keep the faith. She would go to a four-year school, preferably the one in the city. She would be everything they taught her to be, and she would pass that onto any children she raised.
She and Grizelle had fought tooth and nail for the chance to leave the state for education. Utah, they’d argued, wasn’t the entire world, and they’d be better if they knew what was out there. They’d had to move to Phoenix together, and Grizelle had taken to it instantly, like she knew that this world was better. Aava had only wanted to get through university to return home, but Grizelle had always wanted to cut ties. Aava envies that, sometimes.
Leenik must realize what he’s skirting around, because he changes tack immediately. “Is it bad starting with community college?”
“Not at all. It’s probably cheaper, too.”
“You know that’s not really an issue, right?”
Aava rolls her eyes and drinks. Being friends with a platinum-selling artist is exhausting. “Just because it’s not an issue doesn’t mean it’s not nice.”
“That’s true,” Leenik admits. “Aava?”
“Leenik.”
“I like you.”
She smiles. She can’t help herself. “I like you too, bright eyes.”
Leenik positively beams at her. She half expects him to say something else, but he just keeps grinning at her, like she’s doing something helpful. Like she’s doing something good.
“I’m getting you water,” she decides, because she can’t let him keep looking at her like that, and because she’s sure that whatever version of this story Bacta hears tomorrow will end with her getting Leenik drunk. The least she can do is make sure he’s not hungover, too.
“Okay,” Leenik says as she gets to her feet. “Can you take me home?”
“Absolutely not, you knew you were staying the night when you showed up.”
“Yeah, but Tony misses me.”
“He can miss you for one more night.”
Leenik makes a face. She doesn’t see it from the kitchen, but she knows him, and he definitely makes a face. “Am I a bad mom?”
“You came back for him, that makes you all right in my book.”
“You and I are in no position to judge families.”
Aava hands him a glass of water. “Maybe,” she says quietly.
Leenik finishes his wine before taking the water. “Do you talk to your family?”
“Never. Do you?”
“I don’t have much in the way of blood family,” Leenik says, and then grimaces. “That was bad to say.”
“But it was true,” she says, noncommittal. “What about family that isn’t blood?”
“You know I don’t talk to them about this.”
“Why not?”
Leenik closes his eyes. “We don’t need to go over this again.”
“I think we might.” Aava sits carefully next to him on the couch, and he slumps into her side, water sloshing dangerously. “I’m more than happy to listen to you if you need it, you know that, but it’s not the same if it’s me.”
“Why not?”
“Because the band is your family now, and I’m not in the band.”
“I think you and Bacta should talk.”
Aava feels her eyebrows rise. “And why’s that?”
“Because you knew Grizelle better than any of us.” Leenik takes a drink of water; Aava takes advantage of the opportunity to roll her eyes. “And because you didn’t mean to kidnap Tamlin that one time-”
“It wasn’t-”
“-and because you’re friends with me, and with Tryst, and I don’t like that you and Bacta don’t get along.”
Aava carefully bites her cheek, because Leenik doesn’t understand. She knows that technically, and legally speaking, she kidnapped Tamlin, but they all know that it was an accident. She hadn’t known that Grizelle had named Bacta as Tamlin’s legal guardian in the event of her death. She hadn’t even known that Grizelle had a will. All she knew was that Grizelle was her best friend, and Aava was supposed to be the godmother to her children. And then Grizelle had died, and as far as Aava knew, she was suddenly the guardian of an eighteen-month-old baby.
Bacta insists - or he did, the last time that Aava argued with him about it - that Aava shouldn’t have done it. And she knows that on some level he’s right. But at the time, all she had known was the family, and the faith, and that Tamlin was hers. So she took him home. More out of habit than because she wanted to raise him there, but habit is a powerful creature. And it turned out, of course, that she had actually taken Bacta’s legal ward across state lines, which was a definite felony. Bacta declined to press charges, mostly for Tamlin’s sake, but he hasn’t forgiven Aava. He said he understood brainwashing but he didn’t understand what she did.
Aava doesn’t want his understanding. She just wants to see her godson regularly.
“Tell you what,” she decides. “If you talk to them about your brother, then I’ll sit down with Bacta and talk about… all that.”
“I don’t want to,” Leenik says plaintively.
Aava wraps her arm around his shoulders. “I don’t want to talk to Bacta either. But sometimes we do things we don’t want to do for people we like.”
“Mmph.” Leenik’s head drops onto her shoulder. “I don’t like it when you’re right.”
“But I am right.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want me to get blankets for you?”
“Do you have to get up?”
Aava isn’t working tomorrow. She’s visiting Blue in the hospital, sure, but she’s not working. She’s half tempted to lie and say yes, that she can’t stay, that she has to retreat to the safety of her own bedroom where she can avoid thinking about the past if she wants.
“No,” she says, and she stays.
#
Tryst calls about twenty minutes after Leenik falls asleep on her shoulder. “He’s with you?”
“He’s with me.” Aava glances over. He’s not drooling yet, but he’s definitely going to start. She can tell. “He’s kind of sloshed.”
Tryst sighs. “Do you need me to pick him up?”
“Not at all. He can stay on my couch.”
“Is he… y’know, okay?”
Aava thinks about it for a couple seconds. “No less so than usual,” she decides, because whether or not Leenik always expresses it, she’s pretty sure that he’s always this sad.
“That’s not encouraging,” Tryst mutters.
“It’s the best I can tell you.”
“I know.” He’s quiet for a couple seconds, and then: “So. What are you wearing?”
Aava snorts before she can help herself. “Your best friend is asleep literally on top of me right now.”
“So? Wake him up, he can be a part of this.”
“You think he’d be interested?”
“Dunno,” Tryst says thoughtfully. Too thoughtfully. “Do you?”
She feels like it’s a joke, maybe, but she can’t resist giving an honest answer. “I think he’d at least listen if we asked him.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Huh,” Tryst says. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Aava repeats. “I’m hanging up now, I don’t want to wake him up.”
“Wait, we’re not talking about this now?”
“Tryst, he’s drunk.”
“What’s your point?”
“Asking him if he wants to date us when we’re barely dating each other is a sober conversation. For all three of us.”
“The fact that I know you’re right doesn’t make me resent it any less.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.” Aava smiles. God, these idiots. “Good night, Tryst.”
“Good night, Aava,” Tryst says. She can practically see him rolling his eyes as he hangs up.
Aava looks back down at Leenik, still fast asleep on her shoulder. She knows that in a minute she’s going to have to get up and go to bed properly, and maybe emotionally deal with asking her casual boyfriend to date a mutual friend, but for now, maybe she’ll live a little longer with Leenik asleep on her shoulder. There are surely worse fates.
#
FRIDAY
“Oh, god,” Blue says as soon as he sees Aava. “Are those flowers?”
“They are.” Aava can’t even hide her amusement; she’s smirking and she knows it. “But not for you.” And with that she turns to Zero and holds the bouquet out. “As a reward for putting up with him.”
“I’m touched,” Zero says, laced with so much sarcasm that Aava thinks he might actually mean it. He takes the bouquet and glances at Blue. “Hey. I got you flowers.”
Blue shakes his head. “Absolutely not.”
“What, you don’t appreciate my gifts?”
“Not when you’re regifting.”
“Primadonna,” Zero mutters, and Blue sniffs at him. It takes more effort than Aava wants to admit to keep her smirk from turning genuine. “You wanna sit down, A? Stay a while?”
“No,” Blue says immediately.
Aava, for the express purpose of fucking with Blue, sits in the chair next to Zero. It’s uncomfortable, because hospital chairs are probably required by some law to be uncomfortable. “So how did you dislocate your hip again?”
“We don’t have to do this,” Blue says. “You already know.”
“I know, but I want to hear you say it.”
Blue casts a pleading look at Zero, who’s suddenly very interested in the flowers, and then sighs. “I fell down the stairs.”
“You are a mess of a human,” Aava informs him. “Really, a disaster. I can’t wait to see you on crutches.”
“Oh, god, please,” Zero says instantly. “Anything to get him out of this fucking bed.”
“I don’t think you’re the one who has to be bothered by me being bedbound,” Blue says, and there’s a note in his voice that makes Aava sit up a little straighter. Some kind of a challenge, maybe.
Zero scoffs, apparently unbothered. “Yeah, I’m gonna leave my boyfriend alone in the hospital when he can’t walk, sounds good. You would’ve been even more insufferable without me there.”
“I don’t think being unhappy with a dislocated hip makes me insufferable.”
“That’s funny, considering I’ve been suffering.”
Aava thinks that maybe she was the one suffering, since she was also the one who had to drag Zero down to the cafeteria and make sure that he ate instead of just wasting away at Blue’s bedside, and Zero’s no fun when he’s moping. But it’s too much fun watching them snipe at each other to say anything about that.
Blue, for his part, rolls his eyes at Zero. “Then you could’ve left.”
“Yeah,” Zero says. “That was an option. Top of the list. Of course.”
Blue makes the same face that he always does when he’s confronted with genuine emotion in front of other people: one part affection, and at least four parts constipation. It’s there and gone in an instant before he looks at Aava. “Synox sent me flowers, you know.”
Aava raises her eyebrows. “Did he?”
“I think he had Fentara send flowers,” Zero mutters.
Blue ignores him. “I didn’t think he would.”
“Neither did I,” Aava admits. “Are you sure Fentara didn’t just send the flowers and put Sy’s name on it?”
Both Zero and Blue pause as they process that. “Maybe,” Blue allows after a few seconds.
Zero shakes his head. “Nah, Sy’s a genuine guy.”
“And he genuinely forgets Blue exists when he can,” Aava finishes, quirking an eyebrow.
“Maybe,” Blue says again. “Or maybe he’s a good friend, unlike some people.”
“I’m a good friend!” Aava protests. “Look, I gave Zero flowers, that’s friendship.”
“I meant a good friend to me.”
“Oh, I’m a terrible friend to you.”
Zero snorts. “At least she knows it.”
“I know it,” Aava agrees. “And I want coffee. Zero, do you-”
“He can get it,” Blue says quickly. “Right, Zero?”
Zero casts a strange look at Blue. “Are you asking me to leave you both alone?”
“You haven’t walked around much lately, get up and go.”
“Flimsy,” Zero says, but he still sets down the flowers and gets to his feet. “I can’t get you any.”
“Yeah, painkillers, whatever.”
Zero glances at Aava. “You take yours black?”
“Blacker than my soul, if you can manage it,” Aava confirms, and Zero brushes his fingers against her shoulder as he leaves.
Blue clears his throat. Aava raises an eyebrow. He narrows his eyes. “I don’t like you.”
“I don’t like you either,” she answers. “You’re annoying.”
“And you’re cold and distant.”
“Glad we had this talk.”
“But,” Blue says, and he’s palpably choking on frustration, “Zero likes you. And apparently you’ve been dragging him to eat while I’ve been doped out on painkillers.”
“Or napping,” Aava says.
Blue winces, because he knows her and has probably guessed that she has a lot of blackmail pictures of him slack-jawed and drooling. “Look, I’m trying to say something here.”
“Nobody’s stopping you, hotshot.”
“I appreciate you looking after him,” Blue says stiffly.
Aava could drag this out and she’s pretty sure he’d let her, too. She could drag him through hell and back trying to get him to say thank you. This may be as close as he gets, though, and the guy dislocated his hip. Not even Aava is that cold. “He’s my friend.”
“I know that.”
“And I want him to be in one piece too.”
“Jesus, I get it, it’s not about me, but you’re still helping him,” Blue snaps.
Aava raises her eyebrows. “Do you want me to get out of here before you get too worked up?”
“God, yes,” Blue says fervently. Aava flicks him a mock salute before she gets to her feet. “And if you see Synox, or Fentara, say thanks for the flowers.”
“Synox won’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Probably not, but tell him anyways.”
“I will,” Aava says. “It’ll freak him out.”
Blue flashes a sharp grin. “Exactly.”
Aava smiles to herself as she leaves. Blue is kind of a shit, but he has his moments.
“Hey,” Zero’s voice says. When she glances over, he’s looking at her quizzically, a cup of coffee in each hand. “He okay in there?”
“Yeah.” Aava reaches out, and Zero hands her one of the cups. “I think he just tried to thank me for taking care of you.”
“Oh, god, did he pull a muscle?”
“It was a close thing,” she admits, and Zero laughs quietly. “I don’t know how you put up with him.”
Zero shrugs and takes a long drink of his own coffee. “He’s an acquired taste. But he’s a good one.”
“You two are a good fit.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Aava smiles. “Get back in there, keep your boy company. I won’t be here to drag you out to lunch, but I’ll text you.”
Zero nods and reaches out a hand. Aava takes it, and he squeezes hers. “Thank you. I know you guys aren’t close, but thank you for visiting. And the flowers.”
“It was the least I could do.”
“No, the least you could’ve done was nothing, and neither of us would’ve thought twice about it.” Zero shakes his head. “Now you’ve probably gone and confused him.”
“I live to confuse him,” Aava says, and Zero laughs as he lets go of her hand. “I’ll visit again, really drive it home.”
“I can hear you,” Blue calls out petulantly. “And may I remind you that I’m injured.”
“I don’t think you’d let us forget,” Zero answers. Blue makes an indignant noise.
Aava grins. “I’ll see you two around,” she says, and starts down the hall, heels clicking on the hospital floor.
a regular pollyanna @stardancing
Replying to @themynockleenik
you should sing more, beatles or otherwise. (hard day’s night??)
Riley B @rileybread
Replying to @themynockleenik
omg the acoustics wherever you are are lovely!
#
To: Leenik Geelo
Are you still in my apartment?
To: Leenik Geelo
And I saw the Twitter video so keep that in mind when you answer.
From: Leenik Geelo
maybe
To: Leenik Geelo
Why are you still in my apartment?
From: Leenik Geelo
i’ll buy lunch and give you a ticket and backstage pass to tonight if you do my concert makeup
To: Leenik Geelo
I pick what’s for lunch.
From: Leenik Geelo
of course you do
To: Leenik Geelo
And I’m picking Thai.
From: Leenik Geelo
not that you’re predictable or anything but I already ordered it
To: Leenik Geelo
Of course you did.
From: Leenik Geelo
it’ll be here when you get back from errands
From: Leenik Geelo
so, y’know, not to rush you or anything, but.
To: Leenik Geelo
I’ll be back soon.
#
“I’m just saying, I think it’s worth a shot,” Leenik says, blinking wide-eyed at Aava.
“Stop blinking and close your eyes,” Aava sighs. He shuts his eyes obediently, and she leans in with her eyeliner. “And I’m telling you, no matter what you think of me-”
“And Tryst.”
“What about Tryst?”
“He likes you too.”
Aava snorts before she can help herself. Leenik cracks one eye open to glare at her, and she shakes her head. “Believe me, I know he does.”
“No, I mean as a person. Not just because you’re dating or whatever.”
“Well, I should hope whoever I’m dating likes me as a person. That’s not the point.”
“You’re being difficult.”
“Am I? Close your eye.”
Leenik closes one eye and opens the other. “I’m trying to say nice things to you.”
“Well, that explains why I’m being difficult, I’m not used to that.”
Leenik grimaces. “I don’t think I’m used to saying them either, so we’re figuring this out together. My point is that you’ve got more people on your side than you might think, so if you ask Bacta-”
“Then he’ll let me watch his son for the day even though he hasn’t so much as said hello to me in over three years?”
“You won’t know until you try.”
Aava sighs and sets the eyeliner pen on the counter. She places a hand on Leenik’s jaw and pushes, and he tilts his head obligingly, letting her look at her handiwork. Neither of them are physically intimate people, quite, but they’ve done this so many times that it’s a non-issue. He’s sitting on her bathroom counter, and she’s fixing his makeup, and that’s just how the two of them are. “Do you want mascara?”
“Nah, I’ll probably just pick it off.”
“What color do you want for your lips?”
“What are my options?”
Aava opens a drawer, and Leenik opens his eyes and leans over to look in it. “I can use any of these?”
“Any that you want.”
Leenik hums to himself and then plucks out a tube of bright pink, something that he definitely left there the last time Aava did his makeup. “This one?”
“You’re not much of an edgy rock star, huh?”
“What’s not edgy about neon pink?”
Aava smiles. “I guess it’s kind of glam rock.”
“Exactly.” Leenik grins at her, sudden and triumphant, and Aava’s not proud of the way her heart stutters to a stop for a second. He’s just so sad, so entrenched in old losses, and she knows the list of things that make him smile like that is fantastically short. Maybe she’s lucky to be on it.
She starts swiping the lipstick onto his lips. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll go with you to the stadium, and I’ll tell Bacta I want to talk to him. And if he doesn’t seem like he wants to kill me with the power of his brain during that conversation, I’ll ask about watching Tamlin. But you have to make plans for an emergency band meeting, or something like that. Press your lips together.”
Leenik glares balefully at her as he rubs his lips together. He smacks them a couple of times and then says, “That’s not how band meetings work.”
“Isn’t it? I don’t remember all your rules.”
“Formal meetings are every other Monday and to debrief from tours and recording sessions.”
“Don’t you have a provision for personal crises?”
“Not a formal one.”
“You could institute one,” Aava suggests. “Now is a great time for new rules.”
“Aava, the end of a tour isn’t the time to disrupt a routine.” Leenik shakes his head at her. “Honestly, you were there when we came up with the original rules.”
“That was six years ago.”
“We all remember them, why don’t you?”
“Because I don’t have to?”
“You’re an honorary member, you should learn the rules.”
Aava raises her eyebrows. “Since when am I an honorary member?”
“We each get two honoraries. Mine are you and Tony.”
“What about your author guy?”
“I think he’s Bacta’s?” Leenik frowns. “Or he might be an actual member at this point, I need a refresher on the honorary rules.”
“Ha!” Aava opens a drawer and pulls out a fluffy brush and a palette of glitter that was definitely also Leenik’s at some point. “So you admit that even you can’t keep track of them all.”
“I have more to keep track of than you do.”
“Not an excuse.”
“Perfect excuse.”
Aava starts dusting glitter on Leenik’s cheeks. “Make all the excuses you want. But promise me you’ll find a way to bring up your problems, and I will too.”
Leenik waits until she moves her hand away and then nods at her. “Promise. Can I see?”
She takes a step back. “You can see.”
He jumps off the counter and turns to examine his reflection, and his mouth forms a perfect O. “Whoa.”
“You ready, rock star?”
“We need to go back to my place and pick a good outfit.” Leenik turns and looks at her expectantly. “If that’s okay with you.”
Aava laughs, a little helplessly. “You know what, bright eyes, I think I can live with that.”
#
As soon as the two of them walk backstage, Tryst whistles loudly. “Hel-lo, ladies.”
“Aava did my makeup,” Leenik says happily. “She’s better at eyeliner than you.”
Tryst snorts. “Buddy, that’s not news to anyone.”
“Least of all to you,” Aava murmurs as she looks around. Tamlin is nowhere to be seen. The new singer, who Aava’s met all of twice, is talking to a group of college-age kids - the opening act, if Aava were to guess. And Bacta is off to one side, giving Aava an unapologetically wary look. She looks away from him.
“Wow, you don’t need to insult my eyeliner skills like that,” Tryst says, although he clearly doesn’t actually care. “Hey, since we’re all here, do we want to have that, uh, that big conversation we were talking about?”
“Big conversation?” Leenik repeats, shooting Aava an unreadable look.
Aava frowns at Tryst. “Is now really the best time?”
“Can you think of a better one?”
“Sometime that isn’t before you two go perform a sold-out concert?”
“Well, there’s no need to put it off any longer.”
“Uh,” Leenik says, looking faintly alarmed. “What are we not putting off?”
Tryst looks at Aava and then, deliberately, grabs her hand. She takes a step closer to him, and Tryst takes a deep breath. “You wanna date us?”
Leenik narrows his eyes and looks between their faces and their hands. “Me?”
“Yes, you,” Tryst says patiently.
“We can give it a trial run if you’d like,” Aava offers. “We don’t need an answer right now.”
Tryst frowns. “Uh, we would like one-”
Aava elbows him. “But if you need time to think about it, take as much as you need.”
“Or as little as you need.”
“Tryst-”
“Okay,” Leenik says.
Tryst blinks. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Leenik repeats, more firmly, and leans forward and smacks a kiss directly onto Tryst’s lips. Aava barely has time to react before he turns to her and does the same, nothing but a brief, warm press of lips before he’s retreating, looking shy. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Tryst says, looking a little dazed, but he manages a brilliant smile. “We can- we can work on that later, but. Okay.”
“Cool,” Leenik says. His lipstick isn’t smudged. Aava glances at Tryst; there’s no pink on him. A damn shame. “Aava?”
“Yes, Leenik.”
“You should go do that thing we talked about earlier.” He looks deliberately over her shoulder to where Bacta is undoubtedly watching them.
Aava sighs. “I will. You look after my boyfriend, okay?”
“I will,” Tryst and Leenik say at the same time, and then look at each other in confusion.
Aava smiles and squeezes Tryst’s hand before letting go and walking towards Bacta.
“Aava,” he says, looking unimpressed. “I’m not going to date you, you know.”
“I’m not interested, but thank you for the clarification,” Aava says.
Bacta’s glowering only intensifies. “If there’s something I can do for you-”
“Let me take you out for coffee sometime.”
Not that she would ever admit it, but seeing how much that throws him off is maybe the most satisfying moment of Aava’s yeaer. “Excuse me?”
“I told Leenik,” she says, just to see him visibly relax, “that I would try and make nice with you. And I figure since half of your band and I are friends, that might be a good move.”
“What if I’m not interested?”
“Then you’ll try anyways, because you care about Tryst and Leenik.”
“You kidnapped my son.”
“It was a misunderstanding.”
Bacta frowns. “Just because I didn’t press charges-”
“Makes you a better person than me, but that’s not the point.” Aava presses her lips together and decides she has to change tactics. “I know we were never really friends.”
“No, we weren’t,” Bacta agrees, because he’s more of an asshole than most people want to admit. And they weren’t friends, not even when Grizelle was alive. That was never them.
“And I’m not trying to be your friend now. I’m just trying to clear the air.”
Bacta narrows his eyes at her in suspicion. “So is this about Tamlin?”
“Yes,” Aava says candidly. “Or it’s about how I knew Grizelle better than any of you did, and he deserves that link to her. Or it’s about wanting to be on good terms with someone I may be spending more time around. Or I’m just tired of there being bad blood.”
“Never bothered you before.”
“Like I said. I’m not doing this for me. I’m doing it for Leenik.”
Bacta’s shoulders relax fractionally. “And what if I say no?”
“Then I respect your right to spend your time around whoever you want, and I’ll leave you alone. Just tell Leenik I held up my end.”
“What was his end?”
Aava waves a hand. “Something that’s against some bylaws that you guys have, I can’t keep track.”
“We do have a lot of bylaws,” Bacta admits, and Aava knows that she has him. “Just coffee?”
“Just coffee. We can even set a timer if you want so there’s an end to the conversation.”
Bacta snorts. “I might take you up on that.”
“And I’ll pay,” Aava says, because she might as well.
Bacta nods slowly. “All right. I’ll… text you, or something.”
“Thank you,” Aava says. She’s surprised to realize how much she means it. “Bacta, really. Thank you.”
“I’m doing this for Tamlin,” Bacta says. “Not you.”
“If we can’t make peace for ourselves, we might as well make it for him,” Aava says matter-of-factly, and Bacta nods his agreement. “Also, you should know, I have a front row ticket and a backstage pass for tonight.”
Bacta groans. “Is that why you did Leenik’s makeup?”
“I would’ve done it without the ticket,” Aava admits. “But I’m sticking around.”
“Yeah,” Bacta sighs. “Guess I’ll have to get used to that.”
Aava looks back at Tryst and Leenik. They’re off in their own corner now, heads bent together. Tryst has an arm slung loosely around Leenik’s waist. When he notices her looking, he grins, just for a second, before going back to talking.
She smiles, as carefully as she can manage. “Yeah. I guess you will.”
#
Mynock Tour Clips @mynockclips
Tonight’s tour clip is a cover of CREEP by Radiohead twitter.com/themynockband/status/629374014729
#
PATRICIA @paticaaaakes
the mynock: we’re not like those other bands playing bad songs like wonderwall. anyways here’s creep by radiohead
ali @alistairstares
Replying to @paticaaaakes
at least it was a good cover,,, like damn lyn can sing
PATRICIA @paticaaaakes
Replying to @alistairstares
omg i know… i want her to be my mom
ali @alistairstares
Replying to @paticaaaakes
HARD SAME, ACTUALLY?
PATRICIA @paticaaaakes
Replying to @alistairstares
@.lluroon adopt us please
#
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
no guerilla filming tonight, check back tomorrow
Aava Arek @aava
Replying to @themynockleenik
pic.twitter.com/a82ldjd9
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @aava
holy shit
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
apparently I lied, the guerilla filmer has become the guerilla filmee twitter.com/aavaarek/status/283018472937
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @themynockleenik
@aava why did you film that
Aava Arek @aava
Replying to @themynockleenik
Tryst started serenading you and you thought I wouldn’t film it?
“What’s the final countdown?” Tryst snorts. “Geez, kid, it’s like it’s your first national tour or something.” (A Campaign rock band AU. Tryst/Leenik/Aava, with background Zero/Blue.)
Now, talking to graves, that’s something that Leenik never understood. Aava says that’s a side effect of never letting himself grieve properly and not being able to conceptualize Venton as being dead, but honestly, he’s not sure how much he trusts her input in the whole situation. He grieved just fine. If you can call cutting ties and running a form of grieving.
It reminds him of losing the arm, in a way. He got into the accident and got pinned and his left arm was gone, from just below his elbow. And that was reality, from then on. That was the way things were, and he accepted that and moved on, and he was fine until the phantom pains started. And then he had to wonder if he’d really moved on at all. It’s like that with Venton, too.
Leenik clears his throat. The grave in front of him doesn’t react.
“This is stupid,” Leenik says, because it is. This chunk of rock isn’t his brother. The dirt underneath it isn’t his brother, not anymore. Maybe he has some kind of soul or spirit, some essence of Venton floating around, but it wouldn’t be tied down to this location. There’s no reason to believe that he would be listening.
He kneels down and reaches out with his hand, his real hand, and brushes his fingers against the stone. He wonders sometimes if Venton would recognize him without his left hand. Or now that he’s changed so much. Mostly that second one, because it’s not like Venton used his hand as a way to identify Leenik. But it’s not like the hand is the only piece of himself that Leenik has lost in the past few years.
Leenik takes a deep breath and tries to think of what people say to dead relatives. He’d asked Aava about it once, while they were both drunk, and she’d said to tell Venton everything he wouldn’t already know, but that’s stupid. If Venton were here, he would know everything Leenik could possibly tell him. He would know about Tryst, and about Aava, and Grizelle and Tamlin and the whole band. He would know. He would be there for it all.
“Uh,” he says, and it comes out a little scratchy. “I… I named my dog after you. That’d be different if you were here, I think, so that’s worth telling you. His name’s Tony, not short for Venton, but he’s still a Tony.”
The grave doesn’t answer, because it is a literal stone, but Leenik keeps going, because it’s not like he has anything to lose. “I’m kind of famous now. I’m not a Steve Jobs or anything, I’m actually more of a musician. I always told you-”
His breath hitches. He’d always told Venton he’d learn to play guitar.
“This is stupid,” he says again, and his chest is tightening, there’s a knot behind his ribs, there is a piece of him missing and that piece of him is buried six feet under the dirt beneath him. “You’re not here, you’re not listening, it doesn’t matter if I miss you because it doesn’t fix anything.”
“Missing people isn’t supposed to fix anything, dumbass,” someone says behind Leenik.
He yelps and whips around, falling backwards into the dirt in the process. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone else here.
Chartreuse narrows her eyes down at him. “You look like shit.”
“You don’t have to be mean about it,” Leenik mutters. She’s holding flowers. He hadn’t thought to bring flowers. “What are you doing?”
“The same thing you are, probably.”
“I doubt it.”
“I’m allowed to miss him too,” she snaps. “And I didn’t run away after he died.”
“I didn’t run away,” Leenik repeats, but it rings completely hollow to his own ears.
Chartreuse, apparently feeling magnanimous, ignores that. “Budge up, lemme sit next to you.”
Leenik moves over, and Chartreuse kneels down next to him, placing the flowers in front of the grave. “I don’t wanna talk about it,” Leenik says, voice hoarse.
“Tough,” Chartreuse snaps. “You never even told me what happened.”
“He got shot.”
“I know he got shot, I don’t know why.”
Because of me, Leenik does not say, because she’d ask more questions, and he wouldn’t have the answers. “Because the world is a shitty place,” he offers instead.
“Well, it’s shittier without him.”
“Yeah.”
Chartreuse looks at him. Leenik doesn’t look back at her, but he can feel her searching his face for… something. “You had your friend call me.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You kind of ruined our whole thing where we ignore one another’s existence.”
“I knew you could fix the keyboard.”
“Lots of people could fix it.”
“Well, yeah.” Leenik shifts uncomfortably. “But you’re the only one who I knew could.”
Chartreuse sighs. “What’re we doing here, Nikki?”
Leenik flinches. “Don’t-”
“Sorry, sorry.”
“You don’t get to call me that.”
“It’s been seven years,” Chartreuse says. It’s not an accusation but Leenik feels accused anyways. “Not that that’s- I mean, it takes time to move on, but it’s just a nickname.”
“It was his,” Leenik says. “Only his.”
“Other people can call you nicknames.”
“Not that one.”
“You can’t live like that.”
“I have for seven years.”
Chartreuse shakes her head. “I know you’re a big shot rock star now, and they aren’t exactly known for being well-adjusted, but there has to be a better way than this.”
“I don’t think there is,” Leenik says, maybe to be contrary. Maybe because if this is the best he can do after seven years, he can’t be any better than this. Maybe he’ll just be a walking memorial to his brother. There are worse things he could become.
“I’m not here to help you,” Chartreuse says. “I’m here for him.”
“He would’ve wanted you to help me,” Leenik says. It’s a low blow, and it’s definitely also true.
“He would’ve wanted you to try harder for your own sake,” Chartreuse shoots back, and ouch. She’s right, too.
Leenik gets to his feet. “I’m trying,” he says, and he remembers his promise to Aava. Venton would’ve liked Aava, once he got to know her. Maybe he would’ve warned Leenik away at first, but once he saw her as a person and as a friend, he would’ve liked her. He would’ve liked Lyn too. He and Bacta would get on like a house on fire. Would’ve hated Tryst, though. If they ever had the chance to meet.
“Try harder,” Chartreuse says. She doesn’t look up at him.
Leenik swallows. He wishes he had some kind thing to say to her, some heartfelt farewell, but he doesn’t. He just walks away, because it’s all he can bear to do.
He makes it to the gate of the graveyard before he takes a deep, shaky breath and fishes out his phone. He promised Aava. He promised Aava he’d do this.
Bacta picks up on the first ring. “Leenik?”
“Hey,” Leenik says, and he’s proud of how his voice doesn’t quite shake. “I, uh… can you come pick me up from somewhere?”
“Course I can,” Bacta says. Leenik can imagine him jumping to his feet, probably reaching for his car keys already, because that’s just the kind of friend he is. “Where are you?”
Leenik closes his eyes. “North Los Angeles Cemetery?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Bacta says without hesitation, so carefully nonjudgmental that Leenik could cry.
“Thank you,” Leenik says. His throat is so thick it’s hard to get the words out.
“Any time, buddy,” Bacta says, and the worst part is, he probably means it.
#
“This isn’t my apartment,” Leenik says slowly.
Bacta doesn’t look at him as he pulls into the driveway. “No, it isn’t.”
“What are we doing at your house?”
“I talked to Aava yesterday before the concert, you probably saw.”
Leenik nods. “We made a deal.”
“She mentioned. She told me that your half of the deal was against some of our bylaws, and I got to thinking, what could be against the bylaws?” Bacta puts the car in park and finally turns to face Leenik. “And then I realized. You can’t request an intervention.”
“Oh my god,” Leenik says. “That wasn’t what we-”
“It is now.” Bacta opens the car door. “Come on.”
“I don’t even remember the intervention etiquette.”
“Lyn and Tryst were brushing up on the rules when I left.”
Leenik groans. “Oh, my god, is this an actual intervention? Is everyone there?”
“Neemo’s not.”
“Neemo’s an honorary member, and honorary members deserve to be there.”
“Did you want me to call Aava, then?”
“Nope,” Leenik says as loudly as he can manage. Because if he lies, Aava will know, and nobody gets to know that. “No, just official band members, that’s fine, that’s great.”
“Leenik.”
“I don’t want to do this,” he says plainly, because he might as well lay out all his cards on the table.
Bacta pauses and swings the car door shut. “We don’t have to do a formal intervention.”
“We don’t?”
“Not at all. This can be unofficial, like a preparation for our tour debrief.”
“But?”
“But you’re going to have to tell us what’s wrong,” Bacta says. “And don’t… don’t try to say it’s nothing. Because if you’ve been considering going to college, then that’s stress that you’re not sharing. And I just picked you up from a cemetery. I didn’t even know you had someone to mourn.”
Leenik shrinks into himself. He can’t help it. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
Bacta sighs, and he’s disappointed now, and that’s almost as bad as him being kind. “I know you don’t, buddy, but we don’t want you to deal with these things alone.”
“What if I want to deal with them alone?”
“Do you?”
“I don’t know how to deal with them with other people,” Leenik says before he can help it, and he turns away, because he doesn’t want to see whatever Bacta’s feeling.
“And we might not know how to help you,” Bacta says. He lifts a hand. Leenik can feel it hovering in the space near his shoulder, not quite touching him. “But we want to try.”
Leenik swallows. “It can be unofficial?”
“Tamlin still might make us wear the intervention hats, but we don’t have to follow all the procedures.”
“Lyn and Tryst might not like that.”
“Lyn and Tryst can live with it.” Bacta’s hand settles on his shoulder, light but steady, and Leenik is more grateful for that than he could say. “You ready?”
“Probably not.”
“You going anyways?”
Leenik takes a deep breath. “Yeah. Okay, yeah, let’s go.”
Tamlin is standing in the front door as they approach, looking solemnly up at them, a baseball cap in each hand. He has a matching cap on his head. “Before you enter the house, we would like to ask that you put on the intervention hats.”
Bacta takes both of the hats. “Thanks, buddy. Can you go tell your uncles we’re doing an unofficial intervention?”
“Unofficial intervention?” Tamlin looks between them, and whatever he sees on Leenik’s face makes his lower lip start wobbling, which is maybe the worst thing that could possibly happen. “Uncle Leenik, are you okay?”
“We’re gonna talk about that in a minute,” Leenik answers, which definitely doesn’t reassure Tamlin, but it’s the most he can do right now. “Just go let them know, okay?”
“Okay,” Tamlin whispers, and runs off.
Bacta hands Leenik a baseball cap. “Technically you get to choose the intervention snacks, but I think Tryst guessed what you were going pick, so he actually picked the intervention snacks.”
“What did he pick?”
“I think it was popcorn.”
“I was going to pick popcorn,” Leenik admits as he settles the baseball cap on his head. “Do you think-”
“Unofficial?” Tryst repeats loudly from somewhere inside the house. “What does that even mean?”
“We should take care of that,” Bacta says, desert-dry.
“Yeah,” Leenik sighs. “Is he mad? He sounds mad.”
“He doesn’t get to be mad. Nobody gets to be angry during interventions.”
“Is that a rule?”
“It is now.” Bacta adjusts his cap and starts inside. Leenik follows him until they end up in the living room, where there are a dozen massive bowls of popcorn. Lyn is standing with her hands on her hips, and Tamlin is glaring stoutly up at Tryst.
Tryst turns to Leenik as he comes in, and he visibly relaxes, and Leenik’s brain chooses this moment to helpfully remind him that this is his boyfriend now. “We’re doing an unofficial intervention?”
“It’s still an intervention,” Leenik points out. “It’s just, you know, less procedural, more of a conversation.”
“Which rules are we keeping?”
“No getting angry,” Bacta says immediately.
“Snacks and hats,” Tamlin adds.
“We can wing the rest,” Lyn suggests.
Tryst nods. “All right, first rule broken is gonna be the hotseat rule.”
“Hotseat?” Leenik repeats.
“Yeah, you know how normally you would sit by yourself while the rest of us intervene?” Tryst comes over and grabs Leenik’s wrist to tow him over to Bacta’s massive comfy couch. “None of that. We’re in this hotseat together.”
Leenik sits. Tryst sits next to him and hooks one of his ankles around Leenik’s. Boyfriend, his brain shouts again, as if they’ve actually been on a date yet. “Uh. We can all sit down, right?”
“It’s less menacing if you sit,” Tryst advises. “Trust me, I’m feeling very menaced with you all staring down at us.”
Bacta and Lyn exchange a look before Lyn shrugs and goes to sit on the smaller, slightly less comfy couch. Bacta follows her and sits. Only Tamlin stays standing, baseball cap slightly askew, arms folded behind his back. “I get to run the intervention.”
“Okay,” Leenik says, because at least that means he has an excuse to skirt around some of the heavier things. “Go for it, bud.”
Tamlin clears his throat. “Uncle Leenik, we’re all gathered here today because you’ve been acting super weird, and we’re all worried about you. And also because I’m starting kindergarten in a couple of months, and that’s sort of scary, so I figure if we talk about you starting college we can also talk about me starting that, and it’s all going to be less scary for everyone. And because the lizards miss you, and afterwards you’re going to play with them. Do you have any clarifying questions?”
“Yes, I do.” Leenik leans forward. “If I get to visit your pets, do you get to visit Tony? Because I think he misses you too, and honestly, I haven’t spent a lot of time with him since we got back, and that’s frankly neglectful of me.”
“That depends on if Uncle Bacta lets me visit you,” Tamlin answer solemnly. “And also on how this intervention goes, because we could be here all day, but I do want to visit Tony.”
Leenik nods. “That seems fair to me.”
Tamlin glances at Bacta and lowers his voice to a whisper. “I get to add a twist now, right?”
“No, buddy, that’s dares,” Bacta whispers back.
“Oh! Right.” Tamlin turns back to Leenik. “Okay, uh, Uncle Leenik, now’s gonna be the part where we all tell you we’re worried. Does anyone want to go first?”
“I will,” Lyn offers. Leenik turns to her, and she leans forward, looking earnest. “Leenik, I appreciate that you want to continue your education, I think that’s a fantastic choice. But academia is stressful, and this is a big decision that you’re making about your future. It would be wise of you to talk to us about this, or to anyone, and get the support you’re going to need.”
“Can’t I ask you for support?”
Tryst nudges Leenik. “There’s no rebuttal portion in an intervention.”
“This is an unofficial intervention, I can fudge the rules if I want.”
“I think that’s up to our intervention master.”
Leenik looks at Tamlin. “Permission to rebut?”
Tamlin taps his chin. “Denied,” he says. “But only till the end of the concerns, and then you can rebut if you want before you dish.”
Lyn raises a hand. “Can I rebut his rebuttal? Just because it’s still related to my complaint.”
Tamlin gestures at her. “Proceed.”
“You can ask us for support at any time, and that has always been true.” Lyn points at Leenik. “But you don’t do it! You don’t ask us for help, which is why we are intervening in the first place.”
“Yeah, I wanna second Lyn’s.” Tryst carefully jostles his foot against Leenik’s. “We can’t help you if you don’t tell us what’s wrong. Gotta unlock the door so we can open it.”
“I never lock my doors,” Leenik mumbles, a little nonsensically.
Tryst frowns. “Wait, do you really not lock your door? Can Tony not open doors?”
“Should pit bulls be able to open doors?”
“The lizards can’t get out,” Tamlin offers.
Leenik shakes his head. “That’s not the same, they’re too small to open doors. But Tony is a genius, I have to-”
Leenik sighs and settles in. “Fine.” Tryst pats his knee in consolation.
“Okay,” Tamlin says. “Um, Uncle Bacta asked to go last before he left and picked you up, so I’ll go now. Uncle Leenik, I’m worried about you because you looked really sad when we met Miss Chartreuse yesterday, and you don’t normally look that sad. And I don’t like it when you’re sad, okay?”
Leenik takes a deep breath. It still feels like Chartreuse is next to him, saying there has to be a better way. When he speaks, his voice is steadier than he thought he could manage. “Thank you, Tamlin. Bacta?”
“I picked you up from a cemetery,” Bacta says, simple as that. “And you’re not answering our questions.”
“Thank you, Uncle Bacta,” Tamlin says. “Okay, Uncle Leenik, if you wanna rebut now, you can do that, and if not, it’s time to dish.”
“I don’t have a rebuttal,” Leenik says. His voice sounds far away. “What’s the next part?”
“Next is where you dish. So, uh…” Tamlin blinks at him. “Dish?”
And it sounds like Grizelle, and for a second Leenik is in Phoenix with Grizelle painting his nails, telling him to dish about a pretty boy. And it sounds like Aava, and he never knew if she picked that up from Grizelle or the other way around, but they both say it the same way. Dish. And it’s Tamlin, most of all. This kid that Leenik would do anything for. His family.
And it’s not something he means to say, really, but he hears himself say anyways, “I had an older brother who died before I met you guys, and it was maybe my fault, and I’m kind of still fucked up about it.”
There are a few seconds of perfect stillness - not even silence, but a lack of motion, of any signs of life. Leenik opens his mouth to say something to deflect - not that there’s really much to say, but he can’t live with this nothing - when Tryst takes his right hand carefully and squeezes. “I’m sorry,” he says, and he means it so much that Leenik almost starts crying.
“Leenik,” Bacta says, distress radiating off of him in waves, “I’m so s-”
“You don’t have to,” Leenik says raggedly. “I mean, really, I hated that part, all the people who kept trying to say sorry. Like they had anything to be sorry for.”
Tamlin bolts forward, in motion all at once, and climbs on the couch, and then onto Leenik’s lap. His arms go around Leenik’s neck, and he buries his face in one shoulder. “I’m not letting go till you’re not sad anymore,” he says, voice muffled.
Leenik huffs out a laugh. It’s harder than he thought it would be. “That might take a while, Tama.”
“Then I’ll stay here a while,” Tamlin answers, and then Bacta’s settling on the couch next to him, and there’s a heavy arm resting on Leenik’s shoulders. And Lyn is on Bacta’s other side, reaching out and resting a hand on Leenik’s knee.
And Leenik thinks, despite everything, I’m home.
“We, uh.” He swallows. “We didn’t grow up great, him and me. Venton. He was older than me, he practically raised me. He worked full time but I had a side business going. I could fix computers. And Chartreuse could too. They were dating, back then. And we-” he chokes back a sob, and immediately every hand and arm around him tightens, and he feels entirely, immutably safe. “I still barely know what happened, but I think we fixed up some computers for a gang or a mob or something. And I guess the rival gang or mob or whatever didn’t like that, because they sent someone after us. After me.”
“Oh, Leenik,” Lyn murmurs. She had a brother too, one that she almost never talks about. One who only exists in the past tense, in stories about childhood in the south of France and happy days that have long since passed. She sounds like she knows. Like she understands.
Leenik uses the hand that Tryst isn’t holding to pat her hand absently before rubbing Tamlin’s back in small, soothing circles. Tamlin is shaking. That can’t be good. “And, uh. They kicked down our apartment door and shot the first person they saw, which turned out to be… Venton. I didn’t know what to do, so I just stayed with him. Sat down on the floor and held his hand.” He’s crying now, he can feel it, but it doesn’t feel like the tears are on his face. It barely feels like anything. “He told me, he said, ‘Leenik, one day everybody’s gonna know your name.’ I guess he was right.”
“He was right,” Tryst repeats. He’s clutching Leenik’s hand so hard that Leenik’s fingers are going numb. His ankle is still hooked around Leenik’s.
“God, Leenik,” Bacta says, voice thick. “Who else have you talked to about this?”
“Aava. We were both kind of drunk when it happened, I didn’t think she’d remember.” Leenik sighs. “She remembered.”
“And that’s why she was trying to get you to talk to us,” Bacta says, something dawning in his voice. Leenik hopes that it’s something about Aava. It’d be nice if they understood each other better. “Oh, buddy.”
“But I’m working on it,” Leenik tries. He thinks everyone can tell that he’s lying, judging by the wave of sadness that ripples across them all. “I mean, this… this intervention is something, right? Progress. I’m getting better.”
“You are,” Lyn says tentatively. “I think… this is something that none of us are qualified to unpack, but if you want to talk about it, you’re welcome to talk to me any time. I’ve lost a brother, Bacta’s lost brothers, Tryst-”
“I haven’t,” Tryst says quietly. “But I’m here anyways.”
Leenik clenches his fingers around Tryst’s hand. “I don’t want this to be your burden. Any of yours.”
“We don’t want it to be yours either,” Bacta answers, and Leenik feels the tears redouble in his eyes. “We don’t have to talk about this any more, but we can help you find a therapist, if you’d like.”
“Does Aava count?”
“Aava does not count.” Bacta sighs. “But I’m glad you have her anyways.”
Leenik nods jerkily, chin bumping against Tamlin’s shoulder. “We can… what was the other part of the intervention? What else?”
“University,” Lyn says. Her hand on Leenik’s knee relaxes, and she starts rubbing circles with her thumb. “That’s a stressful environment to enter, or to re-enter, especially after seven years.”
“Aava suggested community college.”
“That may be a good entry point. Dip your toes back into the water, see if this is what you want.”
Leenik considers briefly saying that Venton always had a college fund set aside. Most of what he made at work was funneled directly into rent and food, maybe the most important things that their money could go towards, but some of it was for Leenik to go to college. And most of what Leenik made went to that fund, too. But he already knows that saying that would mean crying more, and not just him crying, either, and that’s too much to deal with today. He’s already dealt with too much.
“I think it’s what I want,” Leenik says. “I think- I don’t need to know, right?”
“Of course not.” Lyn leans in so she’s closer to Leenik’s line of sight. “We’ll be here whether or not you know.”
Leenik nods. “That’s all the dishing I can do today.”
“I don’t think we could ask for anything else,” Tryst mutters. His grip on Leenik’s hand relaxes fractionally; Leenik doesn’t bother loosening his own hand. “But since we’re doing unofficial procedures, I’d like to add a group hug here, minimum time two minutes.”
“I think I can live with that.” Leenik’s throat is raw, and he swallows a couple times. “Tama? You doing okay?”
Tamlin, face still firmly buried in Leenik’s neck, shakes his head, wiping his tears in the process.
“You don’t have to worry about me, okay? Uncle Leenik’s going to be just fine.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Tamlin lets out a long breath. “I’m still not letting go.”
Bacta’s arm pulls tighter across his shoulders. Tryst shifts until his head is against Leenik’s free shoulder, near Bacta’s hand. Lyn starts rubbing small circles on his knee. Leenik adjusts his hold on Tamlin and thinks about Venton’s hand slipping out of his, blood-slick, and about how this is the only family he has now.
“I’m not letting go either,” he says, and he doesn’t for a long time.
#
wildcard kids. @wildcardkids
Setting up for our final touring show. We can’t say it enough, but we’ll start now: thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/8wlduz93
wildcard kids. @wildcardkids
Replying to @wildcardkids
Thank you @themynockband for inviting us and letting us perform and travel with you for two whole months.
wildcard kids. @wildcardkids
Replying to @wildcardkids
(Thank you especially to Tamlin, the best stage assistant and videographer we could’ve asked for.)
wildcard kids. @wildcardkids
Replying to @wildcardkids
And thank you to every single fan who showed up. Couldn’t be here without you.
wildcard kids. @wildcardkids
Replying to @wildcardkids
Los Angeles, you’re our last show. Get ready.
#
Lyntel Luroon @lluroon
Tonight is @themynockband’s final show of the tour. Who’s going to be there?
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @lluroon
me
Lyntel Luroon @lluroon
Replying to @themynockleenik
And how long have you been a fan of the band?
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @lluroon
uh since we were in a dorm room in Phoenix
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @lluroon
actually shout out to @aava our real first fan
Aava Arek @aava
Replying to @themynockleenik @lluroon
I don’t think I had much of a choice. It was my dorm room.
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @aava @lluroon
Aava please don’t ruin this
Lyntel Luroon @lluroon
Replying to @themynockleenik @aava
Please ruin this. Please tell me all of the stories about this band seven years ago.
Aava Arek @aava
Replying to @lluroon @themynockleenik
We should do lunch sometime. It’ll be great.
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @aava @lluroon
@themynockbacta please help
Bacta @themynockbacta
Replying to @themynockleenik @aava @lluroon
I think you brought this one on yourself.
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @themynockbacta @aava @lluroon
no I definitely did that was never the question I just need help getting out of it
Aava Arek @aava
Replying to @themynockleenik @themynockbacta @lluroon
Lyn, I’ll just catch up with you next time I see you.
Lyntel Luroon @lluroon
Replying to @aava @themynockleenik @themynockbacta
I’m looking forward to it.
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @lluroon @aava @themynockbacta
no
#
Mynock Tour Clips @mynockclips
Tonight’s final tour clip is from the encore: the band’s first hit. GALAXY. twitter.com/themynockband/status/271490302876
Mynock Tour Clips @mynockclips
Replying to @mynockclips
Thank you @themynockband for a FANTASTIC tour, and thank you @neemosparks for filming all the clips! See you all next tour <3
Neimoidian Sparks @neemosparks
Replying to @mynockclips
<3!
#
The Mynock @themynockband
Tour two done. See you all soon.
#
The minute the curtain is down, Tryst is striding over towards Leenik, setting his bass down as he goes. Leenik barely has time to set down his own guitar before Tryst plants a hand on either side of his face and kisses him, so hard he has to stagger back a couple of steps. He braces himself with his hands on Tryst’s shoulders, and Tryst is smiling so wide that he has to pull away after a couple of seconds and switch to a hug, laughing right in Leenik’s ear.
Leenik can’t fight down his own grin as he hugs Tryst back. The adrenaline is still pumping, a lot more potent than Leenik expected, and everything feels sharp. Clear.
“We did it!” Tryst shouts. Leenik can barely hear it but it sends a shiver through him anyways. “We did it!”
“And nobody even lost an arm,” Leenik manages, and Tryst laughs even harder at that. And then something hits him from one side and grabs on, squeezing his legs. It takes Leenik a second to realize it’s Tamlin. Leenik automatically lowers one hand to press against Tamlin’s back, and then Bacta’s there, and Lyn, and they’re all knotted together on the stage, just breathing. Just breathing.
“I love you guys,” Leenik says, after what could be seconds or minutes. He loses track, sometimes, with his family all around him.
“Love you too,” Tryst says instantly.
“You are all-” Lyn breaks off, and Leenik reaches a hand towards her blindly, and she grabs it. “You are a better family than I knew I could ever have.”
“And you’re a part of that family,” Bacta reminds her. “Lyn, we couldn’t do this without you. We love you.”
“I love you all,” Lyn says, and her voice cracks. “I do.”
“You’re the best uncles,” Tamlin says, voice muffled by Leenik’s knee. “And I love you, and I know you’re gonna help me with school, and with the lizards, and I know we all live really close but I’m going to miss living with you guys in the bus because I love you a lot.”
“We love you too, buddy,” Tryst murmurs, and Tamlin curls a little further in towards them. “And we might be a phone call away now, but that’s still close, and we’d still do anything to be there for you, got it? That goes for all of us.”
“All of us,” Leenik repeats. “We watch each other’s backs, okay?”
“We’re a family, Tama,” Bacta says, and Leenik feels that all the way in his fucking bones. “Whatever comes next, we’re a family.”
Tamlin sniffs loudly. “Can we have a tour in Europe?”
“We can’t bring the lizards to Europe,” Bacta points out.
Lyn pulls back enough to shoot Bacta a strange look. “You can have lizards in Europe.”
“I’m not going to be responsible for intercontinental lizard travel.”
“I can be responsible for it!” Tamlin protests. “I can be in charge of the lizards! They’ll be fine!”
“Europe is a long way away, that’s a lot of responsibility.”
“But I can do it!”
“Do you think I could bring Tony to Europe?” Leenik wonders aloud. “Pit bulls can go on planes, right? He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“He might hurt the lizards,” Tamlin says, distressed. He breaks away from Leenik’s leg and the knot untangles at last, everyone stepping back just barely, and Tamlin glares up at Leenik. “You can’t let Tony near the lizards.”
“You can’t let the lizards near Tony. They upset him.”
“He upsets them too!”
“He does try to eat them,” Tryst murmurs. Leenik shoots him a betrayed look, but Tryst is smiling, a tiny, nearly invisible smile, like he can’t help it. It’s impossible to stay mad at that. “We’d have to keep them separate.”
“Either way, we’re not going to Europe until after we take a break,” Lyn says, in a tone that brooks no argument. “Europe or Asia, either of them.”
Tamlin gasps. “Uncle Bacta, can we go to Asia? Or Australia? Or Canada?”
“We can go to Canada on a long weekend,” Bacta says. Leenik can pinpoint the exact moment he realizes he shouldn’t have said that; it’s the same moment that Tamlin’s eyes nearly pop out of his head with excitement.
“I would go to Canada,” Lyn offers, ignoring the frantic look Bacta gives her. “It would be nice to be somewhere that speaks French.”
Tamlin nods. “Uncle Lyn, can you teach me French sometime?”
Lyn smiles. “Peut-être, ma petite chou, mais pas encore.”
“Does that mean yes?” Tamlin fixes his eyes on Leenik, then Tryst, then Bacta. “Did she say yes?”
“I said maybe,” Lyn admits. “But before anything else we need to help pack up the venue, I think we’ve waited long enough.”
“I will lead the charge on packing,” Tryst says, like it’s a noble responsibility and not something he’s unofficially banned from doing.
“No,” Lyn and Bacta say in unison.
Tryst rolls his eyes. “Fine. I’ll hang out with Tamlin while you guys do the hard physical labor.”
“That’s the way we like it,” Bacta says dryly. Tryst rolls his eyes again. “Leenik, are you loading buses?”
“I think so.” Leenik takes a step towards Bacta.
Tryst’s hand shoots out and grabs him by the wrist. “Wait, before you go-” he tugs Leenik around so they’re facing one another. Leenik realizes what’s about to happen right before Tyst cups the back of Leenik’s head and pulls him in, and then Tryst’s lips are on his again. He’s kissing like he’s being careful, like he’s trying to go slowly, and that’s enough to make Leenik’s heart skip a beat or two.
“We need to go on an actual date,” Leenik says when he pulls away, just a little breathless. “All three of us. We should figure that out.”
Bacta coughs. “Time and a place.”
Leenik frowns. “Why not here and now?”
“Bus loading?”
“I think we can put off the conversation till we can talk to Aava,” Tryst says, amused, but he ducks in for one more kiss. “Go on, we’ll work it out later.”
“We’ll work it out later,” Leenik repeats. And weirdly enough, he thinks they actually can.
#
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
our final guerilla film: Tamlin insisted on telling Tryst a bedtime story pic.twitter.com/a8k3l2hf
Leenik Geelo @themynockleenik
Replying to @themynockleenik
the countdown’s over. and so is the tour. good night, LA. good night, world. till we meet again.
