Realistic or Modern Family Ties: 1980s Gangs - IC (Ended)

[Melanin-Gxdess]

The Royal Taphouse
~London~
Darcey Hargraves & Alex King

​

Bruce had asked Billy for his opinion first, causing Alex to start fidgeting in his seat. He had so much he wanted to say, so many words he wanted to use but he knew better than to interrupt. Darcey's speech about May and giving her a chance had only fueled his desire to speak up so much more. However, he knew better than to start on one of his tangents again - at least, before it was his turn. Instead, he looked to Spencer to try and see if he could gauge what his reaction to the news had been. Unfortunately, his brother's face had been a bit unreadable at the moment - as in, he couldn't tell if he was annoyed because of the situation or because he was still pissed off with Bruce. Either way, he shook his head and turned to Billy. Darcey's speech seemed to resonate within Billy for a moment before he was finally able to give his own thoughts about the situation.

Billy seemed to be on the same page as Darcey, who had been nodding along to everything Billy was saying. So far, that was one person on her side. Alex, on the other hand, had shaken his head once more in disagreement. Something in him wasn't sitting with the idea of the two of them spending time together. What if she started spilling what she knew about their family to Trevor? Giving him advice and such? Granted, he was sure whatever the girl knew about them had only been what they allowed her to know and public knowledge, but still. The simple fact that it was a possibility was enough for Alex to dislike the idea. He didn't want Trevor or May around but to send them away together? That was a situation he couldn't control and therefore didn't like. Thinking that Billy's words had been final, Alex opened his mouth to respond when Billy spoke up once more.

​

The moment Billy interrupted Bruce mid-sentence, Darcey looked up from the table. She couldn't help but hide the smirk on her lips with her glass. As of late, his niece and nephews seemed to be... Speaking up against their uncle and while Darcey worried about how Bruce was feeling about it, Drunk Darcey did not. Drunk Darcey found his loosening grip on the kids to actually be entertaining. Mostly because she was still upset with him, mind you, but entertaining nonetheless. It hadn't slipped Darcey's mind that Harper was, in fact, not present during this vote but she figured they were making this decision for her. And while Darcey felt conflicted about that too, she tried not to dwell on it too much. "Harper's already making stupid fucking decisions," Alex said to Billy, Darcey looking towards him. "This don't need to be another one and you know what she would say." Alex rolled his eyes at the mention of his sister before looking between his uncle and brother once more.

Bruce regained control, asking Billy if sending them away was his final answer. Darcey made eye contact with Bruce and simply raised her brows in amusement before downing the last of her glass. It was then Alex's turn to speak and Darcey rolled her eyes. Alex looked between his brothers, Bruce, and Darcey - catching her eye roll but ignoring it - and looked down at his hands. He knew exactly what he wanted to say just a second ago, but that was the part of him just speaking. He knew that he should be making an informed decision and not thinking with his emotions, but it was difficult not to. "Leaving the two of them alone is just... Doesn't sound good. Too many what-ifs and it makes me uncomfortable, he said, shifting dramatically in his seat. "If we choose not to tell her there's always a chance they could bump into each other. The asshole seems to be in the right places at the right moments these days." He paused, rubbing his chin in thought.

As much as Alex disliked both his father and May, he couldn't help but feel a bit... Jealous at the idea of sending her away with him. She would get the so-called 'better bits' of him that he and the others weren't privy to? What kind of bullshit was that? However, if Trevor was still the same piece of shit Alex knew him to be then better it be May that ends up hurt than Harper. Clearing his throat and shoving his feelings aside, he looked up to Bruce. "As much as I hate all these ideas, I think I agree. Sending them away together is... The best option. I mean, killing them would be nice, but we can't just go around killing people we don't like so..."


Spencer ( Misty Gray ) Billy, Bruce ( Pyroclast )

 

[BloodLightning27]

~James Edwards~

---

Dublin Hospital | Waiting Room, Outside Conor Sullivan's Room

Overall, Edwards was enjoying the conversation he was having with Michelle. At the given moment, he did hope that the answers he had given her were enough to satisfy her curiosity. So far he also didn't really see a reason to not trust Michelle, so he didn't mind opening up a little bit. Nonetheless he wanted to tread carefully as to not scare the woman away. So far, the only difference between them that he really noted was that she had kids and he did not. Since he had went through his divorce without children involved, Edwards could only imagine the pain in the rear that would be. No doubt it would be hard on the children though. Other then that, he was mostly in the dark because he never had to deal with it as a child as his parents were still married to this day. Though it seems divorcing was become more and more common in this day and age...which sucks.

Overall, Michelle seemed rather intrigued when he shared his military background, especially with the career transition that came following his enlistment. Not a lot of criminals had military training like his. If they did though, it wasn't often they were heard of. Granted he would like to think that having a man, or men, with such training, their employer...or their boss...wouldn't want to throw that out into the open as it would like paint a big bullseye on their backs for rival gangs. "It was just the one time really. I didn't make a living off of it." He chuckled, shaking his head.

The more the conversation progressed, the more relaxed Edwards became. Aside from being intrigued by his background and what happened before he came to Dublin, Michelle seemed rather surprised to hear that he attended church. Edwards wasn't entirely a religious man or anything, it just helped him find peace after the end of his enlistment. And every other Sunday, he'd go to confession, talk about the things he has done, how it keeps him up at night...and cope with Survivor's Guilt as a War Veteran. His last question to Father Healy soon echoed through his mind. 'Father...Why do I still feel guilty?'

'The guilt, my son, likely means that your work, whatever it may be, is not yet finished.' The Priest's voice echoed through his mind as well. His train of thought left once he noticed that Michelle's cheeks and nose all turned red, prompting him to raise an eyebrow, even more so when the tone in her voice changed. Flattering. "You're not wrong. Hopefully the answers I've given to your questions were satisfying enough for you." He smiled before folding his arms.

Before he could say anything more, the door behind him opened and it seemed like Mrs. Sullivan was about to take her leave. As he turned around to make eye-contact with her, his blood ended up running a little cold, but nothing he couldn't really handle. Though he calmed down as soon as she smiled.

"Still holding up the wall, Edwards?"

"Yes Ma'am." He replied, keeping a reasonably straight face as Mrs. Sullivan announced her departure as well leaving a message for Dermot.

"I'm going now. Will you let Dermot know that I'll be back later tonight?"

"Yes, I will let him know once he gets back. Though he's been gone for a little longer then I expected. Hopefully there isn't anymore trouble outside of here. We already have enough to worry about as it is." He straightened out his jacket and his turtleneck. "Wherever you're headed from here, please do travel safely, Mrs. Sullivan."

Once their conversation came to an end though, Mrs. Sullivan moved onto Michelle. As soon as the two women made eye-contact, his blood ended up running cold again as he was expecting a possible argument. Though his fears were mostly unfounded. Just by looking at both women, Edwards could tell that there was some bad blood between them to some capacity. Despite Mrs. Sullivan being cordial, Edwards continued to feel uneasy.

---

Interactions: Mrs. Aliana Sullivan Melanin-Gxdess | Michelle Romano BasDorcha
Mentions: Mr. Conor Sullivan Misty Gray | Dermot

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer listened intently as Billy began to speak up to respond to Bruce. His own mind was trying to process the information and the best way to deal with it. He wanted to let his head guide him, but it was difficult to shut out his emotions. The last few weeks had been nothing but emotional. Anger, fear, guilt, devastation, all dragging down what should have only been feelings of love and joy for the arrival of his newborn son. Spencer wasn't wasn't sure when he'd stop spinning enough to get his head firmly back in gear and focused as it had always been up until the recent weeks.

Billy said it wasn't a good idea to keep Trevor around, that the man could use May as a reason to stay. His brother seemed willing to let Trevor and May know each other, but only if both of them were sent away. Spencer folded his arms and sat back in his seat, thinking over the options and whether or not Billy's opinion reflected his own. Billy reasonably pointed out that he needed more time to consider it, but Bruce put on the pressure, making it clear they did have to decide there and then. It made sense, with Trevor having already crossed the line by speaking with Harper. Not to mention, with both Trevor and May hanging around in the same areas of London, it was only a matter of time before the truth would come out, one way or another. Alex pointed out to Billy that Harper was making stupid decisions, which apparently justified not including her in the present meeting.

In the end, Billy relented and confirmed his vote was to send both of them away. Spencer took another swig from his bottle before his eyes landed on Alex, who was next to vote. Given his brother didn't like Trevor and May, it seemed more than likely he would want to send them both away, at the least. When he spoke up, he expressed his concerns about leaving the two of them alone, as well as that there was every chance they could bump into each other and discover the truth even if they voted not to tell them. Like Billy, Alex eventually settled on sending Trevor and May away together.

When the attention fell onto him, Spencer let out a deep sigh as he mulled over the situation. He could easily reflect the votes of his brothers in that moment and wash his hands of it, a clean sweep all round without any question. Spencer fixed his eyes on Darcey for a short time, aware the woman liked and apparently cared about May. The older woman had been a constant part of his and his siblings' lives for some time, so he liked to think she had his family's best interests at heart, which in turn meant her opinion of May had to hold some validity. "Well, after my recent failure, I'm not even sure what my opinion is worth to ya, Bruce. Maybe only those ready to be real leaders should be asked to vote," he remarked, thinking back to their recent argument.

He rubbed his hand down his chin and lightly shook his head, throwing aside his grievances to focus on the matter at hand. "May has to know the truth, regardless of where we take it. If we've learned anything over recent weeks, it's that keeping secrets from family doesn't do anyone any good and the truth will come out. Even if only comes out 12 years down the line and from the mouth of some wanker," he said, referring to the secret he'd kept from his family that Trevor had revealed the day he returned. "We can't pick and choose what lies we tell our family. Trevor's done enough of that in his lifetime for the lot of us."

Spencer folded his arms and sat back in his seat, eyeing his brothers and then Bruce. "We're a bunch of selfish bastards, aren't we?" he pointed out. "Trevor is a piece of shit and I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire. But what about May? Are we all good with the idea of telling her who her father is, knowing that will in turn reveal to her that she has four half-siblings she ain't ever known about until now? Only to tell her to fuck off with Trevor and leave us all in peace?" Spencer fixed his eyes on Alex and let out a deep breath. "I know you can't stand her and it's questionable that she's distantly related to that Irish piece of shit. But she's our half-sister, which is closer related to us than to whatever the fuck she is to Conor. Are we really comfortable with this?" Spencer shrugged his shoulders. "I've done some questionable shit in my time and I'm not sentimental, but isn't May just going to become another person messed up and abandoned because of Trevor?"

Spencer grabbed his bottle and knocked back what was left of his drink before loudly placing the bottle back on the table. He momentarily looked to his hands before focusing back on the others. "May needs to know who her father is. We have to tell her every horrible, filthy, sick detail about what kind of a man Trevor is. If she has any fucking sense she wouldn't want to know him and would stay away from him." Spencer paused before decisively nodding. "I vote we tell her the truth and let her stay here to get to know us."

Pyroclast (Bruce, Billy)
Melanin-Gxdess (Darcey, Alex)

 

[BasDorcha]

The Royal Taphouse
Maeve Thatcher​

May’s only response to Christian’s teasing her about her pay was an all-knowing wink and silence, as if to indicate he might actually be missing something. Truth was she wanted to treat him because she wanted his attention – the alcohol had lowered her normal inhibitions and she was not feeling as shy as normal. May was use to being hit on – you can’t work in a bar and not be use to it. Even the girls who were not as fair or sightly as others had men hitting on them regularly. It was different though, because in your head you remind yourself they don’t mean a word of it, and you could be a bridge troll and they’d still try and invite you home for a night.

That limited most of her interactions with men to a drunk night in secondary school right before summer started, and a single boyfriend she had before moving to London. The boyfriend had been short lived, and taught her the truth about men she met at bars and the type of relationships they were looking for. After that, she had lost most of her interest in dating, deciding that if someone came along they’d change that for her.

“Whose to say I didn’t become a gypsy?” The playful grin that crossed her face as she looked at him seemed to taunt him a bit, May unintentionally leaning a bit closer, her upper half resting over the lip of the table. “Maybe I secretly read fortunes and divine mystical secrets and that’s why I can afford to pay.” A laugh burst from her lips as she tried to keep a straight face and failed. At that moment the waitress came back and put their food on the table, the golden crispy chips smell filling the air. Distracted, she grabbed a few and started eating, then drank half her water in one go. “I needed that… Too much alcohol, I think. Don’t want to end up mentioning how cute you are, or how I just pictured kissing you…” Her voice trailed off, leaving her words lingering with no indication if she was joking or not. Her eyes did flicker to his lips for a moment though, then quickly back up to his eyes as that girlish grin played across hers.

Hearing him say he’d like to be an archeologist was interesting. She liked the idea of an Indiana Jones type adventure, running through old temples looking for treasure. “I could see you doing that, but you’d have to like being dirty, after all, archeologist like doing it in the dirt.” She paused, intentionally, before continuing, “Working, that is.”

A warmth flushed her skin, as she looked back at her food, considering more questions. “Hmmm, lets see, what kind of questions should I ask. “What do you think counts as an unforgivable action? Is there something I should remember to never do, should I hope to never cross you?”

@Misty Gray - Christian Brooks

 

[BasDorcha]

Le Hospital
Michelle Romano​

Michelle nodded and smiled, “Well, if you’re going to make a living off of it, or change your mind in the future, you’ve certainly come to the right place. If not, then maybe its good to have gotten out of your system. I appreciate you telling me about you though, it’s nice knowing whose going to be around.” She laughed lightly, looking up from her seat at the door as Aliana walked out. Instantly she was nervous, mostly because the tension in the air was palpable. The cold look she received from her step mother and the selective silence that occurred until she was ready to acknowledge her raised the hair on the back of her neck. She didn’t want a fight, but it suddenly felt like it was out of her control. Swallowing, she decided to ignore it and keep her calm. She would get through the apology and they would be fine again, right?

She stood up, standing before Ali, shifting awkwardly. She listened while Aliana told her about her father, and squashed down the urge to tell her that she was more then capable of speaking to her father without upsetting him, she didn’t need to be told like a child. This had been much of their conversations lately. Michelle biting her tongue because it felt like all of Aliana’s comments were nitpicking and like she was giving instructions to someone who didn’t understand common sense.

“I don’t intend to talk about the attack. I just want to see him. I didn’t get to see him a lot before all this with all of his work… So I just intend to sit and catch up with him. I’ll make sure to not turn on the lights.” She stood there quietly, the silence stretching as she tried to force herself to apologize even though she felt entitled to her feelings.

“Before you go, Ali, I wanted to say something. Can we step over here.” Michelle nodded her head to an empty spot a few feet away, just out of normal voice level range of hearing. She leaded over there, taking a seat in one of the waiting rooms chairs, eyes shifting to the seat next to her as she waited for Ali to take a seat next to her.

“I wanted to apologize to you. I didn’t mean to say what I said that day. It’s just a lot of stuff coming back up that I didn’t realize was happening at first. I thought I was handling the divorce alright, but I guess I’m really not.” She fell silent again, gathering her words, trying to make sure she said it right. “it’s not your fault that I feel the way I feel, and I shouldn’t have brought it up like that.” Michelle didn’t realize in saying it the way she did, it may come off as still blaming Ali, she simply should have kept quiet about it.

Melanin-Gxdess - Aliana
BloodLightning27 - Edwards

 

[Pyroclast]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce & Billy King​

The venom with which Alex spoke about Harper struck Billy, and although he gave his vote as was expected of him, he couldn’t help an unsettled feeling begin to creep in. Did everyone think Harper was stupid, or that she was some kind of liability? Were her opinions not listened to purely because they didn’t align with everyone else’s? Billy looked at Darcey, wondering how she felt about the fact that Harper hadn’t been included in the vote. And then at Bruce, who Billy was beginning to think had designed this whole thing in favour of his own desire: to get rid of Trevor, regardless of how it affects May.

Billy let his eyes linger on his uncle while Alex spoke, trying to catch any kind of reaction. But Bruce was well-practised at maintaining a neutral expression, and so when he didn’t appear to react at all, Billy instead looked towards his brother. Alex raised the issue of not having their eyes on Trevor and May once they had been sent away and seemed concerned that the two might get up to something that could fall back on the Kings; or otherwise, bump into each other, which, given that May had seen his photograph, would again put things out of their control.

Even though Alex had come to the same decision as Billy, he still wasn’t sure he was actually hoping for that outcome - none of the options sounded ideal. But when Alex off-handedly mentioned the idea of killing them both, Billy looked away, suddenly confronted by a mental image of Aidan. Up until a week ago, Billy might not have thought twice about his brother’s words, but since Alex was now the only one of the three brothers who had never killed anyone before, Billy could hear how obtuse he was to think that killing May and Trevor would be easy. And right after they had just found out that May was their sister…

“Yeah, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Bruce warned his nephew. “No one needs to get killed, ‘specially not May. As for leavin’ her and Trevor alone, I can have someone trail ‘em if you’re that worried - but unless any of ya’ got really friendly with her, I doubt she’d have much to share with him that could give him any power over us.” He briefly glanced at Darcey, wondering what she was thinking - if any of them had got close enough to May to share personal information, he figured it would be her.

“Alright, so, Billy and Alex want to let ‘em get to know each other, far away from ‘ere,” he summarised, before settling his eyes on Spencer. "What about you?"

Spencer sighed, eyeing Darcey for a moment before focusing on Bruce. He gave a snide remark about the recently failed job, referring back to the comment Bruce had made about Spencer not being ready to lead. His attitude elicited a glare from Bruce, though Billy only glanced at Alex questioningly, still in the dark about why his brother and uncle were on bad terms.

"Don't start, Spencer," Bruce warned him. "You got somethin' to say to me, you can wait 'til we're alone. Now, tell me what you make of this May business."

As Spencer began to explain his take on the situation, Billy started to feel guilty. He didn't hate May, and was already feeling different towards her now that he knew she was his half-sister - and yet, he had been willing to cast her out of London, with nobody to call family besides the man Billy knew to be an unreliable and abusive piece of shit. He glanced at Darcey, wondering if she judged him for it, and what she would vote for.

When Spencer was done, the room fell silent. Then Billy said, "I like that. I'll vote for that, too."

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. It had almost been unanimous - but of course, Spencer had to be different, and influence his younger brother in the process. "It's gonna make it harder to keep Trevor away if he finds out he's got another reason to stay. You'd only be makin' it harder for us, Spence. Harder for Harper. The prick's already been speakin' to her without our knowing - what are you gonna do to protect her?"

"No, it makes sense," Billy went on. "We can still send Trevor away. We just give May the option of either staying with us or going to find him - but not both. Chances are she'll want to find him anyway, for peace of mind. Either way, we don't have to see Trevor again."

"Yeah, okay," Bruce relented. "Because Spencer's gonna make sure of that." He bore a commanding stare into the eyes of his eldest nephew, letting him know that it would be his responsibility to take care of Trevor. "I do this for you boys and Harper - I just want to keep him out of your lives so he can never hurt ya' again. So, sure. If this is what you all want, you can let May choose. But if she decides to stay here with us, it's on you three to make sure she don't lie and reach out to Trevor in secret. We cannot have him around 'ere. I cannot have him near Harper, 'specially not in the state she's in. Am I makin' myself clear?"

Billy nodded, before looking to his brothers. "Alex?" he prompted. "You on board?"

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Alex, Darcey
Misty Gray Spencer

Mentioned:
BasDorcha May
Bellz Harper

 

[Misty Gray]

Laura & Spencer Stewart King
Trevor Stewart
Tuesday 17th October 1960
~ Bethnal Green, London ~​

Spencer had been in the Headmaster's office throughout his lunchtime break, until the old man finally presented the 12-year old with a sealed envelope addressed to 'Mr. Trevor Stewart'. After a final summary of the boring lecture he'd already received from the Headmaster, Spencer was finally permitted to leave the office to attend to his afternoon lessons. The boy was already in enough of a bad mood without adding History and then Religious Education to the mix. Instead, Spencer had left the school grounds and headed out for a long walk. Much of the walk had been spent mulling over the red mark on his hand caused by the strike of the Headmaster's cane, along with how he'd one day punch the old bastard to get his own back. Eventually, Spencer ended up returning home, not bothering to hide the fact it was early afternoon and he wasn't currently in school as he should be.

Spencer entered the house to find the place was in silence. With Alex at school, Billy at nursery, and Trevor out being Trevor, only Laura was home. The woman had been asleep on the sofa when the sound of the door closing had woken her. Pregnant with her fourth child and struggling with her addiction, Laura found herself sleeping most afternoons lately. She rubbed her tired eyes and sat up to allow her son to sit beside her on the sofa. She wasn't quite aware of the time, so hadn't processed that her boy was home from school too early. The envelope in his hand had been torn open during his walk home and he was grasping the folded letter with it. "What does the letter say, Robbie?" she asked, using the name she liked to call him; a more personable version of her grandad's name and Spencer's middle name.

"It says the Headmaster wants to see you an' Dad about my behaviour. I don't care what anyone says about Dad, because he is a dickhead. But John wound me up and mentioned you so I smacked him in the gob. Stupid old Mr. Barlow whacked me with the cane and droned on at me for ages, but he still wants to see you both," Spencer complained before placing the letter down onto the coffee table.

"Oh... No, sweetheart," Laura softly began, unhappy her boy had been punished but also not happy he felt he'd had to hit the other boy to begin with. "I know you mean well and I love that you stick up for me, but don't be getting into fights because some dumb kid runs his mouth off. Your dad won't be happy about having to go to the school ag--"

"I don't give a shit what he thinks. He don't care about us the rest of the time so why should he bother now?" Spencer protested.

"Hey now. He's your dad and he cares about all of us. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have three wonderful sons and another sweet baby on the way. He does love us, Robbie, okay? He just has a lot going on," she assured him. Still, the expression of disbelief Spencer pulled on his face was enough to stop her from pretending to herself that she didn't know a lot of what Trevor had going on was for his own gratification. Drinking, gambling, and most other things the man did to please himself. She knew her husband was often selfish, but she also believed he still loved her and she needed him. She let out a soft sigh. "Just promise me that if anything ever happens to me or your dad, you'll always look out for your brothers? And the new baby brother or sister you'll have soon," she asked of him.

"Course I will, Mum. I always look out for Alex and Billy already, don't I? And nothing's gonna happen to you anyway. I won't let it."

"I know you do, love. You're a great big brother, you know, just like Brucie has always been amazing to me. I've not made the best choices in my life, but he's always been there for me. Everyone needs their big brother," she said, sending Spencer an encouraging smile. She then wrapped her arm around his shoulder and placed a kiss on his cheek. Just as Laura was about to ask her eldest to make them both some tea, the front door closed again, prompting her to gently rub Spencer's shoulder to try reassure him into staying calm.

Having had a bad day trying to find work, followed by a streak of bad luck at the bookies, Trevor was already feeling irritable. So when he saw Spencer sitting with Laura when the boy should be at school, he already figured the boy had been in trouble again. Picking up the letter from the coffee table, Trevor quickly read over its contents before grabbing the envelope and holding it up in the air. "This is addressed to me, so why is it open?" he asked, eyeing Laura and Spencer.

Laura had been about to take responsibility for opening it but Spencer beat her to it and owned up. "I already knew what it was about, so I opened it anyway. If it was that important Mr. Barlow would have given you it himself."

"You don't open other people's mail, Spence. Get up!" Trevor commanded him to his feet. He then pointed in the direction of the stairs. "You get upstairs and get changed. Seeing as you're not at school, you can give your mother a rest and go pick Billy up from nursery. You better bring him straight back home, too. No mucking about."

"If you were so bothered about giving Mum a rest you'd pick Billy up yourself sometimes," Spencer argued back with an air of attitude in his tone. In an instant, his comment caused Trevor to hit him across the back of the head with his open palm before shouting at him to get out of his face. With Laura jumping up to her feet ready to intervene, Spencer decided to do as he was told and go get changed. It wasn't like he minded picking up his little brother, nor getting some fresh air, he just didn't like being bossed around by his father.

Laura anxiously folded her arms as she watched Spencer sulk off. She didn't want another argument with her husband, but she didn't like seeing him being so hard on their eldest. "You didn't have to hit him, Trev," Laura firmly berated her husband, looking him in the eyes as she lightly shook her head. "He already got the cane at school."

"Come on, Lollie. Now I have to go see that snooty old bastard Headmaster and sweet talk him into not suspending him. And you know Spence got in trouble for smacking some kid, so it's clearly the only way to get through to our lad," Trevor assured her. He then softened his features as he placed his hands on her shoulders and got her to sit back down on the sofa. "We're not going to have this conversation again, are we? You've seen how cocky our lad can be and he needs to pack it in. My old man would have beat the shit out of me just for looking at him funny." Sitting next to Laura, he placed his arm around her and pulled her in close. "You're too soft for your own good, Lollie."

Resting her head on Trevor's shoulder, Laura let out a deep sigh. "I just don't like violence, especially not against the people I love. He only hit that other boy because he was sticking up for me."

Trevor rolled his eyes before looking down to his wife's face. "He's cocky is what he is. I'm telling you we've been too soft on him. You remember how much as a scene he caused when I took him fishing? You need to be tougher on the lad." He fell silent before placing a kiss on her head. "But let's not get into a fight about it. We already argued last night and I'm tired of it. You've gotta keep your stress levels down for the baby," he reminded her. "Once the kids are all in bed I've got something to help us both relax. I know you've been struggling to sleep, and I can't have you tired and uncomfortable, Lollie," he said, drawing a grateful smile from Laura.

"Thank you. And you going easy on Spencer over this will also help me to relax," she added, clearly not backing down on the matter even if Trevor had buttered her up with the promise of the drugs she'd been craving.

Mentions: Pyroclast Bellz Melanin-Gxdess BasDorcha (King/Stewart Batch)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Dublin Hospital
~Dublin City Center, Dublin~
Aliana Sullivan​

Aliana playfully scrunched her face up the moment she heard 'ma'am' come out of Edwards' mouth. "Oof. Despite that being a respect thing it never gets easy to hear." After her birthday she had felt a little down about getting older. However, with all the compliments and reassurances from her husband and best friend she was able to get over it fairly quickly. Considering Edwards was new she was aware that he may not have known that she preferred to leave the formalities out of conversations. "You don't have to call me ma'am," she told him, waving her hand. "Makes me feel old and I just got over it." At the mention of Dermot having been gone for a while, Ali subtly raised an eyebrow. Edwards then followed his statement by saying he hoped there would be no more issues causing Ali to nod her head in agreement. "You and me both. I require at least a month in between dramatic events," she joked. Honestly, it seemed like every three to four weeks something crazy was happening and she seriously needed a break.

With her attention back on Michelle, Ali listened as she confirmed what she had told her along with her intentions. Ali understood all too well how it felt not being able to see or spend time with Conor; especially after her own attack. She was hoping the girl would be able to now and that she hadn't taken up too much time. Despite the two of them not getting along she didn't want to hog Conor all to herself. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Aliana nodded her head and gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Right. I have a meeting to get to so..." She trailed off, looking back to Edwards then Michelle. Just as she was about to walk off, however, Michelle spoke up once more. She raised a brow at the woman in curiosity, trying to sort out her intentions. Glancing at her watch she determined she had a bit of time and nodded her head. "Sure."

Michelle beckoned her to sit down and for a moment Aliana hesitated. It only lasted a split second before she decided to sit and hear her out. Her step-daughter opened up with wanting to apologize and it shocked Ali. Not because she didn't think the girl was capable but because she wasn't expecting it in such a place and at this very moment. She explained the reasoning behind her outburst had been because of the divorce she was going through, which Ali understood. Stress and emotion had a funny way of showing themselves and Michelle's just so happened to come out at an inopportune moment. Ali opened her mouth to express that she understood but quickly closed it when Michelle continued speaking. Aliana wanted to make sure it was clear she was willfully paying attention and wanted to get over this hump in their relationship. That is, until her final sentence that is.

Aliana couldn't help the contorted look that appeared on her face the moment Michelle stopped talking. The way she said it felt like she still blamed her; like she was only apologizing for her outburst and not playing the blame game. Ali was baffled at the apparent lack of understanding Michelle seemed to display when it came to the actual facts. The woman had no part in the decision her parents made and therefore didn't find it fair to be on the receiving end of Michelle's anger. Ali let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. An annoyed chuckle escaped her and she shook her head. "So, just to make sure my mind isn't deteriorating yet. You're... Apologizing for your outburst and nothing else in specific?" She asked, in case she just forgot the other part of her apology. Ali looked at her in disbelief. "Michelle. Let me ask you - truthfully and honestly - how exactly do you think I ruined your parent's relationship?" Ali crossed her legs to prop her elbow on top before settling her chin in the palm of her hand - eyebrows furrowed.

Conor ( Misty Gray ) Michelle ( BasDorcha ) Edwards ( BloodLightning27 )

The Royal Taphouse
~London~
Darcey Hargraves & Alex King

​

It wasn't a secret that things between Spencer and Bruce had been tense - you could feel it in the room. But Spencer's comment about real leaders definitely alluded to the fact even more. Both Darcey and Alex glanced to Billy and then each other to see if anyone else had picked up on it - Darcey subtly shrugging her shoulders in response. It wasn't her business so she was going to stay out of it; at least, for now, while she and Bruce were at odds with one another. Bruce then warned Spencer to keep whatever issues the two of them had between just them, Alex looking down at his hands. It was strange to see his older brother and uncle arguing seeing as they were so close. Alex didn't know what quite to make of it, so he shifted in his seat before looking up at Spencer. It was his turn to speak and Alex was more than interested to hear what the deciding vote was going to be.

The moment Darcey glanced up from the table her eyes met Spencer's. She tried to keep any and all emotion from both her face and her eyes so as not to sway his decision. Despite her desire to have May stick around in London, she wanted them to make the choice they wanted to make. Her feelings didn't matter in this - that much had been made obvious. She'd made many sacrifices in her life that she was used to them by this point. The moment Spencer revealed he agreed with letting her get to know Trevor, Darcey closed her eyes and gently rocked in her seat. With Spencer being the deciding factor it was clear what was about to happen next. May would be gone from her life forever and she would just have to accept that. While May was a lovely girl and Darcey had begun to care deeply for her, Bruce, the boys, and Harper were her family.

​

Spencer continued on, stating that it wasn't right of them to acknowledge the fact she was their half-sister only to turn her away. Alex scoffed, leaning back in his seat as Spencer directly addressed him. "Are we comfortable? I am." Alex said, shrugging his shoulders. However, the moment he said it, a pit started growing in his stomach. He wasn't sure if it were guilt or his conscience making him feel physically ill but for a moment he started feeling... Bad about his comment. Either Spencer's words were making him realize how shitty it actually was or he'd had too many shots, but he didn't appreciate it. Shifting again in his seat he clenched his jaw and tapped the top of the table with his index finger. He had a point, in terms of May becoming messed up because of Trevor, but she hadn't been around when the abuse was in full force. "The only difference with that is she's an adult. She can make her own decisions, so why should we care?" He said, the pit only growing. Is this what having a conscience felt like, he wondered? How the fuck does he get rid of it?

Snapping Alex out of his thoughts, Spencer then stated that his vote wasn't one of the options given to them. Instead, he voted to tell May about Trevor - the truth about Trevor and let her own decision, while getting to know them in the process. Both Alex and Darcey were surprised by this looking directly at Spencer. Darcey's lip threatened to twitch into a smile but she managed to keep a neutral expression on her face. Nodding her head in agreement. After Billy spoke up to change his mind, Darcey did the same before looking to Bruce. Now, it seemed, the only two against the idea were him and Alex - the former currently struggling with the idea on account of his personal feelings. Bruce was against the idea, of course, stating it would make it harder for them to get rid of Trevor. Billy spoke up to agree, Darcey quickly following behind. "It does make sense. If May decides she doesn't want to get to know him she'll make it known to Trevor in a way that he won't even try. A lost cause situation."

Alex couldn't help but cross his arms and shake his head. It sounded like they were leaving it all to chance, but Bruce made it clear that wasn't the case. It was all up to Spencer to make sure Trevor was dealt with. That tension between them had only gotten heavier and Alex could definitely feel it. However, he looked to his uncle as he stated it would be their job to make sure she didn't reach out to Trevor should she choose not to get to know him. He immediately sat forward in his seat, a frown on his face. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Why do I have to be on Sullivan duty?! Shouldn't that be Darcey?" He stated, thrusting his thumb at her. She rolled her eyes and sat forward in her seat as well, returning his frown. "Get over it already! God, you're such a baby - I swear! So her family tree has a little bit of Sullivan on it. She's been with me nearly all day every day. If she were in cohorts with them I would've caught on by now." Darcey then rolled her eyes, arms crossed as Alex narrowed his eyes.

She had a point, sure, but he didn't have to like it. It made sense though, but Alex would need more than a few seconds to get over his hostility towards her. In the meantime, he turned his attention to Billy - who'd asked if he was on board. Everyone else seemed to change their minds so quickly and if Alex didn't he'd seem like the asshole. Considering he felt like he was already on thin ice with his siblings because of his past attitudes and transgressions, he didn't want to continue to make things difficult. Therefore, he grumbled and waved his hand at him. "Fine. Whatever. BUT! I decide if I want to get to know her for myself and none of you assholes are goin' to force me. I'm also not surveilling her, either. That's a babysitting job and I ain't no babysitter."


Spencer ( Misty Gray ) Billy, Bruce ( Pyroclast )

 

[BloodLightning27]

~Stella Kwon~

---

Dublin, Ireland | Martial Arts Dojo

Now that she had plans for the weekend, there wasn't going to be too much going on. Sure, things may have been peaceful concerning work, but right now neither Stella or her colleagues could be too careful since their Boss was hurt and in the hospital following a bloody assassination attempt. Regardless, she got to spend more time with Ruby. While yes, Stella was supposed to examine and evaluate her combat capability, she still wanted to get to know the other woman as well as it was likely they were going to be working together long-term...not to mention Stella also did kind of have the hots for her. That was gonna stay on the low though.

Class was now in session as the girls began filling out their applications to join after Sensei Gonshiro went to tend to his other students. While yes, Ruby wanted to jump in right off the get-go, Stella wasn't too keen on that. Nonetheless, Ruby's eagerness to jump in and start was a good sign for Stella. While the students warmed up and did their stretches, Stella took note of how the students all had different colored belts on their uniforms. While Sensei Gonshiro wore a Black Belt with several symbols on it and stripes on it, she noted that some of the students wore various colors. Only three others wore Brown, some wore red, many wore orange or yellow, while the rest wore white. Given that the uniforms were white, Stella guessed that it signified a beginner or newcomer. Overall, it was very different from what she saw in Bruce Lee's films. Not that she minded, since Chinese Martial Arts Masters, from what she heard, mainly turned away pupils who were not of Chinese Descent. But Bruce did break that barrier...So she could only wonder what it was like now. But there wasn't a Kung Fu school around, and even if there was, Stella was pretty sure that she and Ruby would have been turned away. As these thoughts crossed her mind, she continued to watch the class alongside Ruby, taking mental notes for later.

Half an hour later...

After warming up and getting through the first third of class, Gonshiro dismissed the class briefly for a water break before approaching the two women. "So far, what do you think?" He asked, a smile on his face.

"I look forward to joining the class next week." She replied as she gave him the signed paperwork.

"I do as well, your friend here is very eager to learn. I look forward to working with you both." Gonshiro said as he smiled at Ruby and collecting her signed paperwork as well.

After getting Ruby's reception, Gonshiro proceeded to walk towards the back to put the forms away. "Well, this is very different from what I was taught and what I learned over the years on the street. And I do apologize for the misunderstanding earlier. It does have something to do with work, but I'll tell you after class. I'd rather we talk about in private." She stated, unsure if Adam had kept Ruby in the loop due to the simple fact that she was fresh blood.

After about another five minutes, following Ruby's response, per Sensei Gonshiro's timing, the students proceeded to start practicing on striking techniques against training dummies and on striking pads held up by Sensei himself. Watching the flying kicks in particular left Stella intrigued and captivated.

---

Interactions: Ruby Miller BasDorcha | Sensei Gonshiro Yamaji (NPC - Karate Instructor)
Mentions: Adam Harper, Conor Sullivan (Indirectly Referenced) Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Training Area
~ Shooting Range, Dublin ~

James Porter​

James couldn't help but smirk when Leo pointed out to Tom that the Sullivans were full of sceptics. After all, he couldn't deny he also fell into the category, even before becoming an official part of the Sullivan clan. When asked if Conor knew about Tom, James lightly shrugged his shoulders. "I'd like to think so, but Conor and I haven't spoken much since I got out of jail," he explained. He didn't want to go into too much detail about how he and Conor weren't on the best of terms since he'd got out of Rikers. He was inclined to leave it at that and let Leo assume lack of time had been the reason for James being in the dark about the current goings on within the mob.

Leo was keen to change the subject and by doing so, he put the attention onto James. The older man nodded his head when his nephew said he had a question for him. His nephew went on to ask him about when he took over the business and how he knew it was the right thing to do. James let out a sigh as he leaned against the wall behind him, folding his arms as he thought back to how things had gone down back then. He assumed Leo was asking to clear up his own doubts. Perhaps Conor's near death experience had prompted Leo to think about if and when his time to lead the business would come.

"That's a tricky one, mate," James admitted. "I'm not a Sullivan by blood, but I was born into your family's business. My dad worked closely with your late Grandad Emmet." James paused as he thought back to how it hadn't been until his late 20s that he'd also learned his mother was still alive and was the cousin of Vinnie Romano - a man who remained one of the greatest enemies the Sullivans had fought. "I worked for your family for some time before me and Luce got together. Even when we were married, it was never my intention to take over the business. I was always happy with advising Emmet and carrying out the jobs he asked me to. Even when he died, I didn't consider taking over as that position naturally fell onto your Dad's shoulders," he explained.

James sent Tom a glance before deciding to continue, knowing nothing he was saying could be used against them if it did turn out Tom couldn't be trusted. "We were at war with the Romanos - Michelle's grandfather," he told Leo. "Vinnie was a dangerous man, much like the ones who have challenged this family since," he said, thinking of the IWU and the Morettis in particular. "Conor wasn't ready to lead the business and he couldn't bring himself to making the tough call he found himself faced with to end the war in Chicago once and for all," he explained. The decision in question was to join forces with a Russian ally who's identity James wasn't about to divulge in front of Tom. The alliance had been a temporary one with the intention being to wipe out all of the Romanos in a single attack. On account of Conor having gotten close to Alex Romano and him been more guided by his heart at that time, Conor couldn't go through with it. "I was more hardened than Conor at that time and I knew stepping up was the right thing to do. Your family needed the war with the Romanos to end and I was ready to do what had to be done at the time. When I took over, I didn't expect to be in charge for as long as I was, but when I eventually stepped down I knew it was the right time, for me and Conor." James let out a sigh. "Your Dad will tell you the same, Leo, that if you take over the business because you think it's your duty to, then it's probably not the right time. Conor wasn't ready to step in when his Dad was killed and there's no shame in that. This kind of business needs a decisive and confident leader, not just someone who is bound by duty as the direct heir," he assured him.

Melanin-Gxdess (Leo) BasDorcha (Tom)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Spencer's snide remarks had caused Bruce to glare at him before the older man gave him a warning. His uncle made it clear that anything he had to say would wait until they were alone. Spencer had given only a single, subtle nod in response to Bruce's words. He hadn't expected the man to ignore his attitude, which was partly why he'd done it. He also intended on taking the man up on his suggestion of waiting until they were alone for him to say what was on his mind. He'd bottled it up for long enough, so waiting until the end of the meeting wasn't much longer to wait.

Spencer's attention had been drawn to Alex following his question as to whether they were comfortable telling May the truth only to force her to leave. As expected, Alex claimed he didn't care about how they treated May. Spencer couldn't blame him. They'd been through a lot as a children, experiencing what Trevor put them through, him then ditching them, and their mother dying of an overdose. May wasn't around for any of that and she was a grown adult who could look after herself now. However, Trevor's return had forced Spencer into doing far too much thinking back to his childhood. Spencer had promised his mother he would always look after his siblings. It was why he'd always been so protective of them and had trouble letting others into their circle. He'd made a lot of sacrifices in his life to ensure his family was safe, not only to make Bruce proud of him, but to keep good on his promises to Laura. Part of protecting his family meant not letting those they didn't trust get too close. By all accounts, Spencer's automatic response would be to shut May out, to send her away as Alex would also want. However, he had now learned that May was his sister and even though she had no connection to Laura, Spencer believed that his mother would expect him to look after his newfound half-sister too. If protecting his siblings meant keeping them away from Trevor, then sending May off with their father was the complete opposite of protecting her. After what he'd been through with Trevor, Spencer couldn't willingly risk May's well-being, no matter how much his father tried to convince them he'd changed. "I get it, Alex. She's an adult and old enough to look out for herself, but her being our sister complicates how easy it is to just send her off with Trevor. Mum was an adult, old enough to make her own decisions, and look what Trevor did to her."

Spencer hadn't intended to have Billy change his mind, he'd simply wished to present the reasoning behind his own decision and why he couldn't just send May away, no matter how much his head had first told him to. Still, he was glad to hear his youngest brother was on board. Having already alienated Bruce and Alex with his recent actions and choices, he didn't want to have Billy and Harper resenting him too. Spencer sent Billy a nod and a subtle smile to reassure him for changing his vote. If anyone was going to take the heat on the matter, Spencer knew it would be himself. Spencer looked to Darcey when she agreed with his choice. "May will choose between us or Trevor. She can't have both - none of us can. If she has any good sense she will accept that he's bad news and he's not worth knowing."

Spencer directed his attention to Bruce, who was of course unhappy with the way he'd voted. It wasn't surprising and Spencer understood why. Trevor was to blame for Laura's death and Spencer hated the man too, so he understood it was difficult for his uncle to accept. Bruce directed his words at Spencer, pointing out it would be harder for all of them, including Harper. Spencer tightened his jaw when he was reminded that Trevor had already been speaking with Harper. He was about to answer the question of how he was going to protect his sister when Billy spoke up first. Billy understood that no matter what happened, Trevor was going to go away, with or without May. Spencer lightly nodded, knowing it would be made clear to May that it was always going to be one or the other, not both.

Spencer looked curiously to Bruce when he seemed to relent. But his expression straightened when the man look him in the eyes, making it clear he was being ordered to make sure Trevor was taken care of. "Once we've told May, I will make sure Trevor disappears. If he can't be persuaded to leave on his own accord, I'll kill the bastard," Spencer darkly assured those around the table. He still believed Trevor's return was to blame for him failing to kill Conor, that he'd let his hatred get in the way of doing a clean job. With Trevor gone, he figured he could lock away his emotions once more and start thinking with his head again.

Alex eventually relented and accepted that he was on board with the resolution Spencer had put forward. Of course, his brother still put up some fuss, deciding if he wanted to get to know May it was on his own terms and that he wasn't going to be babysitting her through surveillance. "You don't have to, brother. Soon you will have Callum home and you can focus any babysitting him," he pointed out, flashing a small smile.

Unable to ignore the tension in the room caused by Bruce and himself, Spencer couldn't keep it held in for much longer. Looking to Bruce to confirm the man had said what he had to on the matter, Spencer looked back to the others at the table. "So it's agreed we will tell May and she has to choose between us or Trevor. Either way, and whatever it takes, Trevor had to fuck off out of London and away from Harper," he summarised. "But none of this leaves this room yet. May cannot find out before Harper does. We will arrange a time for us all to sit together and tell them the truth, along with giving May her options." Spencer got up from his seat and walked to the office door. "Now, if you wouldn't all mind, I've got something I need to say to Bruce alone." Spencer held the door open for Alex, Billy and Darcey to leave the office. "I love you, brothers," he assured the two younger men. Between discovering Billy's sexuality a short time ago and clearly causing Alex some frustration, Spencer wanted them to know he still had their backs.

Pyroclast (Bruce, Billy)
Melanin-Gxdess (Darcey, Alex)

*****​

Once it was just him and his uncle, Spencer closed the door and approached his uncle, standing close to the man as he looked him in the eyes. "You didn't think this meeting was something worth consulting me in advance of? One failed job and you've already washed your hands of me, is that right?" he asked, shaking his head in disbelief. Breaking eye-contact, he looked away and briefly paced a small area he was standing in before stopping again to look at Bruce. "For the record, my decision about May wasn't intended as some childish way to piss you off. In my head, sending her away is the easiest and logical thing to do, but that's not what Mum would have wanted. I promised to look out for my brothers and sister, and now May falls into that promise too."

Despite the moment of calm explanation, Spencer couldn't stop his mind from jumping back to what had been eating away at him for days. "I get that I fucked up. Not killing Conor was disappointing and it was my fault. I accept responsibility for that mess," he admitted, looking his uncle in the eyes again. "I've always put everything into this business and making sure I don't let you down. But last week, you talked to me like I was a piece of shit. Growing up, Trevor repeatedly drilled into me that I was a failure and a waste of space." Spencer could feel his heart rate increasing as the adrenaline built up in his chest. Whether or not his anger was intended for Bruce, he was the man standing opposite him in that moment. Before he could stop himself, Spencer reached forward and pushed Bruce backwards. "You made me feel worthless, like Trevor always did," he said, his voice now raised as he took a step forward...

Pyroclast (Bruce)

 

[Pyroclast]

Lucky Strike Bowling Alley
~ Dublin City Centre ~

Elena Velazco​

Spoiler: Trigger Warning

Sexual assault

Elena laughed brightly when Thomas commented on the difference in size between his feet and hers. Having handed her shoes in at the counter, she was in just her tights for a moment, and tapped her foot against Thomas’ to illustrate his point. Taking her bowling shoes over to a nearby bench, she sat beside Thomas as the two of them tied their laces together. His sudden compliment caught her off guard, drawing a rosy blush to her cheeks. She sat up when she was done and looked him in the eyes, smiling uncontrollably at him before letting out a laugh at his remark about getting her good looks from her mother instead of Adam.

“I tell him you say that!” she teased in a mock serious tone. “And your parents?” she asked in return, realising she wasn’t so familiar with either of them. “They have to be beautiful to make you.” Leaning forward, she cupped her hands around his face and traced her thumbs along his cheekbones. However, despite how well he seemed to be holding up so far, Lucky's presence reminded her to be careful. So, she let go of him and hopped to her feet. "Lane 3!" she exclaimed, beaming down at him with a hand outstretched.

Her first few tries didn't score very highly - on the first go, only 2 pins were knocked down, and the second time the ball ended up rolling down the gutter. Still, in Thomas' company, she could only laugh and have fun. On her third go, however, the ball flew triumphantly into all ten pins, knocking them down with a satisfying clatter and earning her a strike. Elena screamed and shot her arms up in the air, before turning around to Thomas and bounding over to him. "I did it!" she laughed gleefully. "Be careful Tomás, I'm going to win!"

Now that she had some points on her scoreboard, she began to see the game as more of a competition than just some fun messing about. She stood back as Thomas went for his turn, anxious for his score. However, just as he was about to send the ball down the lane, a man in the next lane over caught her eye. He was staring at her, and when their eyes met he flashed her a sort of sultry grin. Elena blushed slightly and turned away, still feeling his eyes on her. Instead of giving him any attention, she returned her focus to Thomas and cheered him on.

Once Thomas' score was calculated, Elena asked him to go get her a lemonade while she moved back to the ball dispenser to pick the right size for her next go. But as she placed her hand on the ball, another hand was placed over hers. She withdrew her hand in alarm and snapped her head up to see who it was. "Lo sient-"

It was that same man, with the same flirtatious smile on his face, his narrow eyes gazing at her. "Nice strike," he commented, and it took her a second to figure out what he meant.

"Oh…thank you," she said, flashing him a warm smile, despite feeling a little anxious.

"You wanna play with us?" He asked, nodding towards his friends behind him. "I could use someone like you on my team."

"I'm here with my boyfriend," she told him, reaching down to pick up another ball.

"That guy?" the man said doubtfully, pointing at Thomas with a small scoff. "But you're far too gorgeous for that guy. Far too nice for just one man." He started to walk around the dispenser so that he was standing in her lane, edging closer to her. "What's he got that I don't?" he asked, his voice deep and soft and alluring. If he weren't being so pushy, she might have found him more attractive, but as he leaned down over her, she had to steady herself against the dispenser and her usual confidence with men didn't serve to help her this time - perhaps from knowing that Thomas was nearby.

"Please go away."

"Does he please you?" he asked, and Elena gave a light gasp when she felt his finger trace up her thigh. "I bet I can do all sorts of things he can't. Make you do more than just gasp…cry out my name in that cute Spanish accent of yours." His wandering hand had travelled too close and when he suddenly reached up her skirt Elena screamed and dropped the bowling ball she was holding. It landed on the man's foot and he roared in pain.

"Tomás!" she cried out as she ran up to him. "That man, he touch me, he -" she grabbed onto Thomas' arm. "Can we go please?"

Interactions
Bellz Thomas

 

[Bellz]

Harper King
Trevor's Apartment
~ Islington, London ~​

Harper's face relaxed as Trevor raised his bandaged hand a smiled at her, the last thing she wanted or needed at that moment was to be lectured about her painkiller addiction. Harper let out a small laugh but was still very upset about the fact that her family had done that to him, so despite the way he approached the injury...she couldn't bring herself to smile more than a little bit. Hearing that the doctor said it would heal up fine was reassuring but Trevor's comment made about him refusing painkillers kept her silent.

Harper wasn't sure what to say after that but it seemed that her father had more to say, saving her from trying to come up with something else. Just when she thought she would be in the clear for not having to talk about pain pills anymore, Trevor mentioned that she probably knew a lot about her mum and him from the guys in her family. While Harper knew little bits and pieces, she had never really been able to learn more about her parents. Bruce was always so worried about protecting her that it rubbed off on her older brothers. Lately, she felt like she was being left out of so much, she wondered what they were doing at this moment as she listened to Trevor speak about his own struggle with addiction.

Harper bit the inside of her cheek to keep quiet, not wanting to interrupt the man before her despite feeling the need to, the urge to let him know that she was fine growing stronger and stronger by the second. He spoke about being completely clean a few years before his accident but the extent of his injuries and the time in the hospital had been enough for him to get hooked again.

Listening to Trevor talk about finally realizing that he needed to get help made Harper look at herself internally, wondering if that was something she felt safe to admit in a room with someone who was most definitely related to her -- yet a complete stranger. Trevor stated that his broken hand was a test, that he could just as easily run off again but that would confirm that he was always a coward.

Her brothers were anxiously waiting for him to prove that to them, but looking at her father...she could see the truth behind his eyes. He wasn't lying...and while she was sure her family felt that she didn't have enough experience with Trevor to know any better...Harper had enough sense of who she knew she could trust and who she knew she couldn't. Billy was one of the only people in the family who continued to reach out to her but it wasn't daily like it used to be. Jeremy cared for her, he made that crystal clear, and while she was still trying to sort out her own feelings for him...Harper knew that he also had a job to do to protect her.

Trevor's last words hit a nerve and she glanced towards the door she had stepped through only a short while ago wondering if she had made a mistake. But as she let the words churn inside her head, she knew that Trevor was ultimately just giving her a choice to admit to him that she had a problem. He wasn't cornering her or forcing information out of her like she felt her family was slowly starting to do. She had the option to walk out the door without so much as an answer for him if she wished -- far more freedom than she had in her own home.

"These...groups. Did you attend them here? or out of town?" Harper asked casually, looking to her water in an attempt to not let him see that perhaps she was asking for help, acknowledging that she needed it. Harper was prideful and years of being overprotected and sheltered made her do a lot of things to prove that she could take care of herself, things that a lot of people would call crazy.

"Did mom ever try to go to these groups? How come she never wanted to get the help?" Harper asked the questions but knew that perhaps her father wouldn't know the answer because he walked out before she'd passed. But Harper felt like she had to know that even her mother had sought help...
with: Trevor Misty Gray
mentions: Billy + Bruce Pyroclast ; Alex Melanin-Gxdess ; Spencer Misty Gray ; Jeremy BasDorcha

 

[Misty Gray]

Trevor's House
~ Islington, London ~

Trevor Stewart​

Trevor had noticed the way Harper had glanced to the door, her way out, during his words about his own addiction. It seemed like she may have been processing is words as relevant to her own situation. Though he hadn't had confirmation she had a problem, nothing Harper had said had been enough to reassure him he was wrong. Still, he couldn't vocalise his suspicions and risk scaring his daughter away, not when he felt he was making progress with getting to know her and she was so willing to hear him out.

Harper soon spoke up, asking Trevor about where he attended his counselling groups. "Yeah, I attend them here, in Islington. Before here I was living in Watford and I attended similar sessions there. With my recovery, they're less frequent these days, but the sessions are still real useful here in Islington. Call them top-ups - just to make sure I'm still on the right track and all that," he casually explained. It was true that he had been clean for some time now, but he wasn't deluded enough to believe the temptation was completely gone, especially not in the stressful times he was facing since he'd made his presence known to his sons and Bruce.

When Harper then asked about whether Laura had tried or wanted to get help, Trevor leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a deep breath. As he moved his hand away he shook his head. "She never did when I was still with her," he confirmed. "But... The thing is, we didn't think we needed help. Back then I thought I had control over it, that I could stop whenever I wanted to stop. There were times your mother was still on the stuff even when I wasn't, but I controlled that too. She didn't get the drugs herself, she always got them through me. I'm not proud of it one bit, but your mother didn't think she needed to get help because she had me and I convinced her we both knew what we were doing. As the years went on, her addiction got worse and so did the arguments, especially when she was suffering through the withdrawals." Trevor stopped short of claiming he walked out on his family to cut off Laura's supply, knowing most of the reasons were for himself, freeing him of his responsibility and commitments. "I'm not sure if she sought help after I left, but I suspect she didn't. From what I know, she managed to find her own ways of getting hold of the drugs. I'm made up you've been willing to hear me out here, Harper, but Bruce and the lads are right that I'm to blame for her death. I'm not saying she'd have got clean if I'd stayed, but Laura overdosed after I'd left and that wouldn't have happened if I'd still been there to control how much she used."

Trevor sat back in his seat, making it clear Harper had a choice to leave at any point. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you something more positive. I've lied a lot in my lifetime, but I can't lie to you about your mother. When it boils down to it, I am to blame for Laura's death," he admitted. He then glanced down to his injured arm. "That's why I don't blame Bruce and the lads for the way they're reacting to my return, even if I have changed."

Bellz (Harper)

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Christian Brooks​

Christian grinned back at May when she made her comment about still potentially having become a gypsy. His grin quickly disappeared from his face as he noticed the way she leaned in and rested her upper half on the table. He didn't want it to look like he was grinning at the glimpse he'd caught of May's cleavage and in turn look like some kind of pervert. He quickly nodded along as she spoke about reading fortunes or something. He wasn't entirely sure what she was saying as he was trying to distract his mind from overthinking if she thought he'd been staring. He still laughed along and was grateful when the waitress arrived at the table with their snacks.

Christian began eating some of his chips, listening as May spoke about how much she'd needed her water. When she went on to say she didn't want to mention how cute he was and that she'd pictured kissing him, Christian couldn't help but suddenly cough, a piece of food clearly going down the wrong hole as he was caught off-guard. He studied her for a time to determine whether of not she was joking, but once she grinned back at him he let out an awkward laugh. "You're crafty one, you know," he playfully told her before grabbing his glass and taking a long drink to wash his chips down.

Christian's attention was momentarily drawn to Kerry as the woman left the pub, given that her evening with Alex had apparently been put to a sudden stop. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the meeting room, and he glanced to the clock on the wall to see what time it was. Figuring the outcome would soon be known, he focused back to May.

May said she could see him being an archaeologist but pointed out he'd have to like being dirty - working in the dirt. "Oh, come on, May. In my line of work, past and present, I'm surrounded by dirt all the time. Granted, much of the dirt these days is more metaphorical than literal, but I've dealt with some messy crime scenes in my time as a Detective," he explained.

May took a while to think of a question to ask him. For all the mystery she and Darcey claimed surrounded him, it seemed difficult for her to think of what she did want to know. He wasn't sure if that was good as it meant he didn't have to withhold any truths, or bad that it meant he really had played the boring and average guy persona too well. "Unforgivable? I mean, I've got a real zero-tolerance for abusive people and sex-offenders, but you don't strike me as capable of those things. I just don't like being used, May. Having people get close to me to try find out information or deceiving me to benefit themselves. I know my line of work means there are things I have to keep secret, but I always make that perfectly clear to anyone wanting to get close to me. There are some things I can never share, but that's not a pass for others to lie to me."

Christian's attention was drawn away for a time as Darcey, Alex and Billy emerged from their meeting in the office. He tried to study their faces before they went their own separate ways, but he was unable to determine the outcome of the meeting from their faces alone. Given that Bruce and Spencer remained in the office, he suspected if any decision had been made, they would be the ones to deliver the outcome. Christian was sick of hearing about Trevor, but it was a name he wasn't going to shake off for a while, not when he was still having to scrutinise the man to determine his motivates for returning and what he'd been doing in the time he'd been gone.

"What about you, May?" he asked, turning back to focus on her. "Same question to you!"

BasDorcha (May)

 

[Pyroclast]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce & Billy King​

As Billy, Darcey and Spencer confirmed with each other that they had settled on an agreed course of action, it was obvious that Alex was struggling to accept the idea. He had made it clear that he didn’t like May and wanted nothing to do with her, and it seemed to bother him to hear that Darcey and his brothers were more open to having her in their lives. When Bruce asked that the three brothers watch May as part of the responsibility for their vote, Alex suddenly sat forward with a deep frown fixed on his uncle and protested that that duty should fall on Darcey. Before Bruce could correct him, Darcey retorted, clearly fed up with Alex’s childish and unfair attitude towards May. While she attempted to dispel his suspicion of the young woman, Bruce approached it from another angle. “If May chooses us over Trevor, the three of you will be responsible for watchin’ that she don’t betray our trust by reachin’ out to him. And you’ll do it - ‘cause if you don’t, you put Harper at risk.”

Alex finally relented, and agreed to match his vote to his brothers’ on the condition that nobody forced him to form a relationship with May and also to never have to guard her. Spencer assured him that he would never have to, and that he would soon have Callum to look after anyway.

“I ain’t askin’ ya’ to protect her, Alex,” Bruce said, if not simply to have the final word on the matter. “Just keep your eye on her, make sure she ain’t double-crossin’ us or nothin’. Once we have Trevor gone, we cannot under any circumstances let him return.”

Spencer then concluded the results of the vote, outlining that nobody tell May the truth until they had formally sat down with Harper and told her everything themselves. He then walked to the door and Bruce eyed him suspiciously, wondering where he thought he was going. But when his eldest made it clear to the room that he needed a moment alone with Bruce, Bruce nodded in confirmation and got to his feet to prompt the others to make their way out. He thanked Billy and Alex for their input and told Darcey he would catch up with her later; and then the door closed, leaving Spencer and Bruce alone together.

The younger man wasted no time in confronting Bruce, approaching him until he stood in his personal space. Bruce couldn’t help but sigh, as he looked down at his nephew, who questioned why he hadn’t given him notice about the meeting and suggested that he had washed his hands of him after the failed assassination mission in Dublin.

Rather than merit his questions with an answer, Bruce folded his arms and simply watched as Spencer started to pace, apparently gathering all the thoughts that had been on his mind over the last week. However, before really getting into it, he felt the need to give further reason for his decision on the May situation, clarifying that it wasn’t made with the intention to overpower Bruce but rather with his mother in mind. It made sense to Bruce, but still he said nothing.

Then came what Bruce had been waiting for: a call back to the Dublin mission. Spencer looked Bruce in the eyes and accepted responsibility for the mess he and the team had left behind, including leaving Conor alive - but he then went on to berate Bruce for the harsh and critical way he had treated him during their debrief the following day. He could see that Spencer was growing emotional, his anger rising to the surface, and when the younger man stepped forward and outwardly compared Bruce’s behaviour to Trevor’s, Bruce’s eye began to twitch.

“Now, you stop there, Spencer,” Bruce growled, putting a hand out in front of him before Spencer could get too close. “You're puttin' words in my mouth, you are. I ain’t washed my hands of ya’ - don’t be so dramatic.” With a wave of the hand, Bruce walked away from the wall and into the room’s open space so that he couldn’t be cornered. But he turned back to his nephew and stepped towards him so the man wouldn’t think he was trying to escape the confrontation. “Nah, what I wanted was for you to step up and work out how to fix this. You've always been stronger than your brothers, Spencer. Alex runnin' off to some hot Mediterranean party town, Billy drinkin' himself paralytic - you're the one I can always count on. 'Cept this time, I get a call from Shona in the middle of the night askin' me where the hell you are!” His own voice was raising now, stepping closer to his nephew. “And I don't know what to tell her, do I? 'Cause instead of sortin' out the mess you made, or lookin' after your own family, you went off on a bender of your own. You say I treat you like Trevor did? Well maybe you should take a look at yourself, first.”

Interactions
Misty Gray Spencer

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Even though it had hurt the way Bruce had spoken to him over a week ago, Spencer hadn't deep down meant to compare his uncle to Trevor. The heat of the moment and the anger he was feeling prevented Spencer from immediately retracting the way he'd worded his statement. Bruce was nothing like Trevor and Spencer knew that, but it didn't alter the way he'd ended up feeling after his uncle had berated him for the failed assassination.

Despite his anger, Spencer ceased advancing on Bruce when the man told told him to stop and held his hand out to maintain some distance. The younger man stood on the spot, his heart racing in his chest, as he gritted his teeth for long enough to listen to his uncle tell him he was putting words into his mouth. Spencer breathed deeply when Bruce pointed out he hadn't washed his hands of him. The older man walked away and turned his back to him, prompting Spencer to take another step forward, but he stopped on the spot instead of advancing on him, picking up on Bruce's attempt to maintain distance and for now accepting that. When Bruce turned back to address him, Spencer held his head high as he silently listened to his uncle explain that he'd expected him to step up and figure out how to sort the mess caused by the failed mission. Were tensions not so high, Spencer might have taken his uncle's words about him being the one he could count on as validation and potential encouragement, but his bubbling feelings prevented him from seeing past the issues created eight days ago.

Spencer's steely glare visibly faltered as his Bruce spoke of how Shona had called him asked where her husband was. The younger man's eyes softened as he briefly glanced downwards. His uncle's raised voice and steps towards him led Spencer to fixing his eyes back on the man. Having already spent the afternoon questioning his presence on Shona's and Eddie's lives, it struck a chord to hear his uncle mention how he'd been on a bender instead of looking out for his family and doing his work duties. Spencer clenched his fist as he grew frustrated by subject. Then when Bruce brought Trevor's name into it, this time to seemingly comparing Spencer's behaviour to Trevor's, something snapped in the younger man's head.

"Don't you FUCKING DARE!" Spencer's voice boomed inside the office. "I am nothing like that bastard!" Without second thought, Spencer's right arm swung before his fist violently connected with the left side of Bruce's jaw. In the seconds directly following the blow, Spencer froze on the spot. The split second seemed to be significantly slowed to allow a number of thoughts to temporarily delay his next action. Muddled thoughts of whether he needed to follow up with another strike, dodge a possible retaliation, or back down to prevent further damage. Usually it would come second nature to continue dealing further blows to beat his opponent into submission. Although his body was reflexively preparing to delivery a follow-up strike, his mental reactions weren't usually so clouded...

Pyroclast (Bruce)

 

[Pyroclast]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Billy King​

Once Alex was on board and Spencer and Darcey had backed him up, Billy felt more comfortable about standing up against Bruce. He didn’t really understand what had gotten into his uncle - ever since Trevor’s reappearance, Bruce hadn’t been himself. He understood why the man would be shaken, but it had somehow brought an oddly tense dynamic into the family. He wasn’t usually so controlling or disagreeable but he and Spencer seemed to be at odds with one another, over something that hadn’t been openly discussed. Seeing as how he had enough to digest from this meeting, Billy didn’t pry when Spencer asked for some alone time with their uncle. Scooping up his pint glass, Billy headed for the door, glancing at Bruce on his way out. Spencer reminded him and Alex that he loved them, and Billy patted him on the chest as he passed him. “You too, brother.”

As soon as the door closed behind them, Billy let out a heavy exhale and shot a wide-eyed glance at Darcey and Alex before taking a hefty chug of his pint. Part of him worried that Bruce and Spencer had fallen out because he had created a troublesome mess in killing Aidan, but both his brother and uncle had assured him multiple times that it would work out okay in the end. He wasn’t convinced, but he also figured that if it was just about that, they ought to include him in the discussion, too - which they weren’t. So he tried not to think about it for now. Besides, the news of May being his half-sister was still sinking in, on top of the residual anxiety of coming out of the closet to both of them. Darcey and Alex still hadn’t heard, and it made him uncomfortable to be around them, as if it might show on his face. He also didn’t really want to discuss what went on in the meeting in case either of them were upset with him. So, saying nothing, he downed the rest of his beer and left his glass on the table.

“So, I’m gonna head,” he said to the pair, keeping an awkward distance. “I’ll see ya’ both later.”

Making sure not to hang around long enough to give them a chance to keep him, Billy made a swift exit. As soon as he was outside, he lit a cigarette and got straight into his car, not even thinking about getting his pager out.

Erik's Place
~ Hackney, London ~​

Not long later, Billy pulled up outside Erik’s apartment building and made his way up to his door. He wasn’t sure if the man had gone out yet, but thought he would try his place first before paging him. He knocked firmly on the door, only just now realising how desperate he was to see him. When the door opened, Billy looked up at him, and found himself speechless, too many things going round his head at once. Instead of greeting him, Billy just walked past him into the hallway, listening out for any company he might have. Once he was confident they were alone, Billy launched himself at Erik, pushing him back against the inside of the front door with a desperate, passionate kiss. His hands reached up and swept through Erik’s hair, his body pressed up against him as if the two had been separated for a long time.

After a while, Billy released him from his kiss and let his head drop to rest on Erik’s chest, his arms wrapping around the man’s waist. Once he had caught his breath, Billy released him and backed away into the corridor again. He sent Erik his best casual smile, trying to act like he hadn’t just lost control. “Hi,” he finally greeted him, and leaned against the opposite wall, folding his arms. “You on your way out, or…?”

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Erik

 

[Pyroclast]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Bruce King​

The words Bruce had come out with had been enough to push Spencer to breaking point; he felt him snap as a hard fist slammed into his jaw, knocking his head back and causing him to stumble backwards and into the table. Bruce’s hand reactively flew to the point on his jaw from which the pain was rapidly spreading. He knew a hit like that could have done a lot more damage - knocked him out cold, even - had he not expected it. Even in the heat of the moment, deep down, Bruce knew what he should do was dispel the fight before it got worse; but emotions were running high now and his anger drove him on. He launched himself off the table, ramming a fist directly into Spencer’s eye socket in one swift and powerful punch.

“You better back down, boy!” Bruce shouted, raising a finger at his nephew as he closed in on him. “Don’t do somethin’ you’ll regret!”

* * * * *​

Spencer’s indecision meant that Bruce was able to retaliate and hit him in his eye socket, which was still bruised from his fight the previous week. Now there was a new pain there and no doubt fresh markings would find their way to his face. The younger man’s head had been jolted to the side by the blow. As he moved to compose himself and stand straight again, Bruce had moved to stand close to him, all the while warning him to back down.

Bringing his hand to his face where Bruce had hit him, he lightly shook his head. “Something I’ll regret?” he repeated the older man’s words. Spencer suddenly moved his hand away from his face, clenching his fist ready to swing for his uncle again. However, somewhere between pulling his arm back, he stopped himself and instead grabbed the front of the man’s shirt, gripping it as he pulled Bruce in closer. “I’m nothing like that piece of shit,” he growled through gritted teeth, their faces inches apart.

written by Misty Gray !

* * * * *​

Standing so close, Bruce had been quick to catch Spencer drawing back a clenched fist to throw in his face and stepped in to block it. However, his nephew somehow changed his mind at the last second and grabbed him by the shirt instead. While he didn’t appreciate being grabbed, there was something in Spencer’s words that tugged on Bruce’s heart. The trauma that Spencer carried, the abuse inflicted on him by Trevor, he must have spent his whole life using as a moral guide. Whatever Trevor did, Spencer knew never to do. By 37, Bruce trusted that his nephew had developed a strong grasp of how not to turn out like his father. While Shona’s phone call had concerned him deeply, more so than Alex or Billy’s more regular moments of going off the rails, Bruce knew it wasn’t a habit of Spencer’s.

Still catching his breath from their fight, Bruce stared into Spencer’s eyes as the man held him tight by his shirt, and this time he felt no urge to provoke him. “No,” he uttered softly. “No, you’re nothin’ like ‘im.”

Once Spencer released him, Bruce backed away and sat down in one of the chairs, one hand naturally reaching up to his pulsating jaw. “I’m sorry, son,” he said, looking Spencer in the eye. “I shouldn’t have said what I did. I never wanted to make you feel worthless, ‘cuz you ain’t.” He sighed, a heaviness forming in his chest. “It’s this Trevor business…” His voice was growing deeper and quieter, as if weighed down by the stress. Or maybe he realised that he wasn’t too far from crying and was trying to keep it at bay. “Seein’ him back ‘ere, it brings back a lot…a lot of guilt about your mum. How I didn’t do enough.”

He gave a small sniff, examining his knuckles after punching his nephew, shame etched into the cracks in his skin. “I don't need you to be on top form all the time, Spence, that's too much to ask of anyone. Just that week, your brother was in a bad state, and I couldn’t be lookin' after him, checkin’ up on Harper, preparin' the firm for potential repercussions and trackin' you down for your worried wife all at the same time. I was already stressed out about Harper, and then Trevor, and then the job went wrong and Bill took it hard and -” The look in his eyes had lost all its hostility by now, replaced by a weary, drained expression, and he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, willing himself not to cry. After taking a deep breath, he brought his hand down and met Spencer’s gaze again. “I needed ya’ but I drove you away. And I’m sorry, Spencer, I really am. Can you forgive your stupid old uncle?”

Interactions
Misty Gray Spencer

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Erik's Place
~ Hackney, London ~
​

The moment Erik was able to be alone with himself and his thoughts he'd broken down. He hadn't even fully closed his front door before his legs gave in under him and he fell to his knees. Forehead pressed against the cold floor, he could feel his chest begin to tighten as the tears fell from his face. He wasn't exactly sure what was making him feel this way - seeing Bruce and Spencer being so open and welcoming to Billy, knowing that he would have to keep his relationship a secret even longer than he'd anticipated. Maybe it was even a combination of the two along with some old emotions he thought he'd buried. Whatever the cause, it hurt. It hurt to the point that he'd eventually flipped over onto his back so he didn't have to keep himself up anymore. His foot pressed against the door until it was fully closed. He covered his face with his hands as if anyone were around to see the mess he'd become.

Eventually, Erik's sobs slowly drifted off until he was no longer crying but laughing. He found the humor in his sadness, hand resting on his chest as he looked up at the ceiling. Here he was, a grown man laying on the floor crying because daddy never accepted him. Erik had told himself for years Roger's opinion of him didn't matter as much as Ava's - the one person who had accepted him from the beginning. Yet he always found himself wishing and hoping that he would. And seeing the way Bruce accepted Billy right away and with no hesitation only made that longing resurface. Erik then put two and two together that the way Bruce had also accepted him - hell, even the hug - was exactly what he wanted from Roger. But then the realization that he never would shattered that desire. It stung, really, but Erik knew he needed to get over it. And what better way to do that than to drown out the thoughts with alcohol, dancing, and drugs? Or, wait, not drugs because he was clean now... "Fucking Billy," he muttered.

Taking a deep breath Erik forced himself to get up from the floor. After locking his front door he turned towards the living room where he kept his tape player and picked up a random mixtape to put in. The first song that started playing was 'Livin' On A Prayer' and the moment Erik heard the beat he immediately started singing along. He wasn't about to let his emotions get him down and keep him there - especially seeing as he couldn't turn to his usual outlet. Instead, he decided to shower and change and get himself feeling better. Then, maybe he would go out. And if Billy finished his meeting perhaps he would get a page so they could pick up where they left off. "...Take my hand - we'll make it I swea!" Bopping his head along to the beat Erik made his way to his bathroom with the tape player playing loud enough for him to hear.

'Modern Love' by David Bowie was playing and Erik had slid out of his bedroom in his socks, singing along. He was clearly in a better mood than he was before and determined to make it last the rest of the night. There was a slight pause when it came to the lyrics and he used it as an opportunity to put his pants on, buttoning them up before resuming his faux show. A knock on his door stopped his singing completely, worried his neighbors had heard and sent someone to tell him to shut up. Erik went back into his living room to turn the music down before going for the front door. To his relief and surprise, it had been Billy. However, before he had a chance to even greet him Billy walked inside and started glancing around. Erik closed the door with a perplexed look on his face. "What are you-," he started, only to be interrupted by Billy's sudden kiss. It took him a minute to catch up but eventually, he returned Billy's kiss with a passionate one of his own.

The moment Billy broke apart from him and stepped back, Erik let out a chuckle. Wiping the corners of his mouth he shook his head. "Well, hi. That was some greetin' Bill, you alright?" Though he was teasing him Erik was also serious. Billy then asked if he were on his way out and Erik nodded his head. "I mean, I was. Wanted to clear my head a bit." He paused before crossing his arms and tilting his head. "What are you doin' here? The meetin' go okay?" Realizing they were still standing in the corridor of the entrance, Erik softly grabbed Billy's elbow to lead him to the kitchen area, gesturing him to sit down. "I didn't really have any plans, so if you need to talk I'm all ears. Or if not talk then, ya know."

Billy ( Pyroclast )

 

[Pyroclast]

Erik's Place
~ Hackney, London ~

Billy King​

Smiling, Billy gave a coy laugh when Erik chuckled at his enthusiastic greeting. When asked if he was okay, Billy shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, fine," he answered, not really knowing where to begin. "Just a crazy day, you know?"

Hearing that Erik was about to go out to clear his head translated in Billy's head as him still processing the afternoon's events back at the nightclub. It made him want to take him in his arms again, talk about it properly now that they were alone, but instead Erik asked him what he had come over for and if the meeting had gone okay, and once again all Billy's thoughts returned to May. He was given a moment to collect his thoughts as Erik gently took him by the arm and led him into the kitchen to sit down, where he then offered to listen.

Billy smiled at him as he took his seat, though he couldn't quite relax into it, instead sitting forward and wringing his hands. After wrestling with his thoughts for a few seconds, he resigned to a heavy sigh. "It was weird," he finally admitted. "I'll tell ya' later…I just wanna focus on you right now."

A smile twitched at the corners of his lips as he looked up into Erik's eyes, but then he adopted a more serious expression. "You recovered from earlier?" he asked. "I'm really sorry 'bout all that. I…I don't really know what my plan was - comin' out and that - but I guess I would've wanted to talk to you about it first. Apart from Harper, I guess - I needed to tell her before anyone else. Anyway, I just…I guess I wanted to see ya', make sure you were alright with it and all." He paused, a flicker of anxiety in his chest. "And - and we can come out to Alex and Darcey together, if you want to do that."

"And…" Billy suddenly stood up and held out his hands to Erik. "And I was hopin'…well, wonderin' if…" He felt his face redden and was struggling to look the man in the eyes. "I want to call you my…boyfriend."

Interactions
Melanin-Gxdess Erik

 

[Misty Gray]

The Royal Taphouse
~ Bethnal Green, London ~

Spencer King​

Although Spencer was still gripping onto his uncle's shirt, the older man seemed to have relented from further physical retaliation. Spencer took deep, controlled breaths as Bruce's voice lowered and softened to agree with him that he was nothing like Trevor. Picking up on the change of pace, he took a deep breath before opening his hand to release his uncle's shirt. He took a step back as the other man also backed away to sit down. Spencer met his eyes as he apologised for making him feel worthless during their last conversation. Realising they'd got the aggression out of their systems, Spencer pulled out the chair next to Bruce's and turned it to face his uncle before sitting down across from him.

When Bruce made it clear Trevor was the source of his stress, Spencer nodded in understanding. Now that he was able to see past his own anger over how the debrief for the failed mission had gone down, Spencer was able to see how affected his uncle was by everything. "I know what you mean," he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He looked down to the floor between his feet as he acknowledged how Trevor's return had also dragged up a lot of his own thoughts and feelings about Laura. Looking back up to Bruce, his lip twitched as he tried to maintain his own emotional composure. "Sounds like were both going through the same thing, huh? Feeling guilty over Mum."

Spencer glanced down to his uncle's hand as the older man examined the markings caused by punching him. Spencer sat up straight and subconsciously brought his hand to his own face where Bruce had hit him. Silently acknowledging the discomfort, he lowered his hand to focus as Bruce spoke more to explain he didn't expect him to always be at his best. As his uncle listed all of the recent issues he'd had to deal with on top of failed assassination on Conor, Spencer's own features softened. "It's been a lot..." he agreed but trailed off to allow his uncle to continue offloading what he'd clearly been keeping to himself the whole time. The older man was usually so controlled and stoic, much like himself. But seeing how much everything was taking its toll on the other man made Spencer realise it hadn't only been himself struggling with everything that was going on. Not only that, it struck Spencer that he had much more in common with his uncle than he'd acknowledged before. More in common than he had with Trevor. It reassured Spencer to think he was a lot like Bruce, given how much he looked up to and was inspired by the man.

Spencer met his uncle's gaze and lightly nodded when the man began to apologise for driving him away. When Bruce asked if he could forgive him, a smile broke it's way onto the younger man's face. "Already have, Bruce," he assured him, his grin now growing. Getting up from his seat, Spencer motioned for Bruce to stand up so he could pull him in for a quick embrace and a firm pat on the back. Releasing his uncle, Spencer made a point of bringing his hand to his own bruised eye-socket where the older man had hit him. "I'm glad you smacked me back," he began, sitting back in his seat and waiting for Bruce to sit back down too. "Makes me feel less of a dick for hitting you first," he remarked.

Letting out a deep sigh, Spencer relaxed back in his seat but continued to look to his uncle's face. "I'm sorry for being an arsehole to ya and for going AWOL for the last week. I had a lot of shit I needed to think about, most of it was also stuff dragged up by Trevor showing up," he explained. "I'm sorry you had Shona on the phone to you. We've had a few arguments in the last week and I... I guess I was testing the waters and questioning myself; wondering if I really was just like Trevor and if I was, would I be better leaving Shona and Eddie now before I fuck up their lives." Spencer then quickly shook his head before Bruce had time to comment on the matter. "But I ain't. I haven't enjoyed a single second of the last week. The benders and not seeing Shona & Eddie - that's not me. I know I owe her a big apology and I will. I'll make it up to her," he assured his uncle.

"Bruce, I want to come back to work and get back on track with ya. I've missed how things were before all this shit kicked off. The fact we're both going through the same kind of issues about Mum, Trevor... everything, it means we've gotta work together, don't it?" he reasoned.

Rubbing his hands together, he decisively nodded his head as he allowed everything to catch up with him. "What a day, though, right? Finding out about Billy and Erik, then May... It's a lot of revelations for one day," he pointed out. "I've got Alex working on getting custody of Callum, which I can update you on later. But what about the business? What did I miss?" He then let out a deep breath. "And you're going to have to update me on Harper and Trevor. I heard about you giving him a talking to. Think he listened?" Quickly shaking his head, Spencer let out a dry laugh. "I mean... If you'll have me back?" he asked, referring to his position in the business. "I want to prove I can still do this."

Pyroclast (Bruce)

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Erik's Place
~ Hackney, London ~
​

Erik wasn't sure whether or not he believed Billy right away when he said he was okay, but instead of pressing the issue, he let it go. When Billy was ready to talk to him he would - there was no need for Erik to nag or insist. Besides, he wasn't really sure he could handle any more dramatics without breaking down in tears again. "Crazy day indeed," he echoed, looking off to the side. Truly he'd never been in a situation where it ended on a positive note. He wasn't sure what to make of it other than being relieved it didn't end in a fight or someone getting arrested.

It was clear Billy had more on his mind, though he wasn't sure if it were because of what had happened earlier that day or something different entirely. Whatever the case it worried him that he was struggling. "You can tell me, you know. I'm a very good keeper of secrets," he said with a joking smile. Obviously, he was considering how well he'd been keeping the secret about both himself and Billy. After a few more minutes of Billy thinking and trying to decide on what to say next, he finally settled on not talking about it at all. Erik couldn't help but wonder if it were because Billy felt like he couldn't tell him or if he simply wanted to keep it to himself. Either way, he informed Erik that he wanted to focus on him. Taken aback by his statement Erik gave him a curious glance. "Focus on me, huh? And what exactly does that entail?" With a suggestively, flirtatious smile, Erik winked at him.

The flirty mood Erik found himself floating into was stopped when Billy asked for his thoughts about earlier. How honest, he wondered, did he want to be when it came to telling him how he felt? That he didn't really want to hide anymore but he would for Billy? No, that would only make him feel bad and that wasn't what Erik was trying to do. "I guess I'm... Alright. I mean, for a second there I thought Spencer and Bruce were going to go nuts. With how tense things have been since you came back I thought things were gonna blow up but..." He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders. He was still in disbelief at how things went down between the four of them a few hours ago. Billy started speaking again, saving Erik from trying to find the words he wanted to say. He then asked if he were okay with how everything went Erik started playing with his fingers. "I mean I-... I don't know, to be honest. Never really had to come out to anyone who was important. You know me - I don't really care about the opinions of others but Spence and Bruce? They're not just my bosses but they're your family. When I imagined telling them about our relationship, Spence catching us in the bathroom wasn't really a scene in my head." The ease some of the tension, Erik let out a brief chuckle and shook his head. "But I guess I'm all good."

He wasn't lying, but he wasn't exactly telling the truth. When it came to some of his own emotions the last thing he wanted to do was talk about them. When it came to his romantic feelings for someone, he was more than adept at conversing about it. But when it came to his own? It wasn't as easy. Plus he was afraid he'd break down in front of Billy again and it was far too early for him to be doing that any time soon. At the mention of coming out to Darcey and Alex, Erik couldn't help but laugh. "Alex and Winny are the only ones who don't know?! Oh, fuck, I want to tell them now. Especially Alex. His reaction is going to be golden." Erik's laughter then died down when it was clear Billy had more to say. He stood up, offering his hand out to him which Erik tentatively accepted. Standing up he gave Billy a nervous once over and took note of how red his face had gotten as he spoke. Billy had finally gotten his words out and asked Erik to be his boyfriend, causing him to freeze. "What?" It took Erik a moment to process what he was saying before a wide grin spread on his face. He wasted no time in stepping forwards and placing his hands on Billy's cheeks. "Fuckssake, Billy, you know you don't even have to ask."

Billy ( Pyroclast )

 

[BasDorcha]

Le Hospital
Michelle Romano​

Michelle breathed a sigh of relief when the woman complied and sat down. At least they were making progress. She took a deep breath and waited for her response, but the tension jumped back the moment Aliana’s face jumped back to looking contorted and she pinched her nose. She appeared to be listening, but getting angrier, instead of less, like Michelle had been hoping for. Groaning inwardly, she rubbed her hands across her face, looking over Aliana’s left shoulder at Edwards who was shifting and watching, as if ready to break them up if it came to it.

Gulping, Michelle tried again, “I-… What I mean is… what I’m really trying to say…” Frustrated, Michelle stood up, pacing a few steps away then back again. She made one last round, pausing with her back to Aliana as she tried to situation the words right in her head – she could speak to strangers without a care in the world, she had no problems putting her words in the right order then. Why could she not do it with a woman she loved, even if she was only her stepmother who had been the thorn between her mother and father. From a child’s eyes, it was so hard to understand why she couldn’t be around her father.

As Michelle had become a grown woman, logic told her to let it go, that she was understood what happened and no one was to blame. Her own current circumstances spoke to that – she didn’t ask for her husband to cheat on her, to bring another woman into her bed, to make love to her in her own sheets. As the thoughts crossed her mind, her anger surged, and she let out a soft growl. Why couldn’t Aliana understand that she was entitled to her feelings but still wanted to apologize? Why did she have to make it so difficult?

Spinning back around, she stomped her foot in determination, she would try again to explain. “Ali, what I meant to say is, I’m sorry. It doesn’t matter who is at fault, nothing will ever be changed, not that I would change it now, and I shouldn’t be taking out my bad mood on those around me. Its not your fault my father was in love with you. Its not his fault you came along and made him fall in love. Its not my mother’s fault he chose someone else. Its not his fault he didn’t love her. I just want to go back to how things were.”

@Melanin-Gxdess - Aliana

 

[Bellz]

Thomas Porter
Lucky Strike Bowling Alley
~ Dublin City Centre ~​

Thomas snickered and shook his head as Elena said she would tell Adam what he said, "Oh now he's going to really kill me." He teased softly, all smiles up until the point she asked about his parents. The smile didn't completely fade but it had dimmed enough to be noticeable. When she cupped her hands around his face, Thomas couldn't look at anyone but her. "My parents? uh...you should meet them soon enough..then you can decide for yourself." He managed to utter out as his heart raced in his chest. Lucky's snout bumped into his leg, reminding him that she was there to tell him when to calm down. Clearing his throat when Elena released him, her excitement was a lovely distraction from the moment they just had and when she held out her hand to him, he didn't hesitate to take it.

The loud knocking of the pins was something to get used to and unfortunately, every time a ball hit them the noise caused him to flinch ever so slightly. Thomas did his best to distract himself, reminding himself that there was no threat anywhere near them as he looked around, focusing on Elena and teasing her about how terrible she was at bowling -- all in good fun, of course. Despite not having been bowling in years, Thomas wasn't all too rusty having earned a strike on his second go. A group of men in the lane next to them were being a little too rowdy, causing Thomas to glare their way quite a few times -- effectively distracting him from Elena earning herself a strike.

Her scream caught him off guard, causing him to jump up out of his seat in alarm but seeing the smile on her face immediately alerted him that she was excited rather than scared and when he looked at the screen above the lane, he saw the animated picture showing that she earned a strike. "H-hey! Look at that...keep it up and you are definitely going to win." Thomas said before moving to grab his own ball.

The muscles beneath his skin were twitching, making it hard to concentrate on rolling the ball down the center of the lane. He took a deep breath to try and soothe himself but with all the noise it was hard to do so. Eventually, Thomas took his turn and shook his head before returning to Elena in the seating area for their lane. When he returned, she asked him to go get her lemonade and he gave her a small grin, "One lemonade, got it. I'll be right back. I'll leave Lucky here." Thomas boldly moved and placed a kiss on her forehead before moving to grab the drink she had asked for.

The line was a little longer than anticipated and Thomas got stuck in his head while he waited in it, wondering if he really should introduce Elena to his parents and the rest of his family. Part of him couldn't see the harm in it considering his family was nice people, but Thomas wasn't sure he wanted to bring Elena into the chaos. Sure, she had connections with Adam being her father but Thomas had deeper connections than that.

His thoughts were cut short when a depressed-looking teenager at the counter asked him for his order, seeming annoyed as if he'd asked him several times. "Oh...a lemonade please." The kid let out a heavy sigh before moving to the drink dispenser when Elena's voice cried out, calling Thomas's name. He grew stiff immediately as he turned just in time for her to grab his arm.

She tugged on his arm asking him if they could leave, stating that the man he had been eyeing earlier touched her. "He what?!" Thomas growled out. Lucky had managed to escape her leash that had been tied loosely to one of the chairs in their lane, running over to them both whining loudly but Thomas didn't pay any attention to her as he watched the man in question hobble on one foot.

"Stay here." Thomas told Elena, "Watch Lucky!" He ordered her firmly before walking quickly towards the man, grabbing him by the collar -- catching him and all of his asshole friends by surprise. "Did you touch her?!" He screamed, his face turning beet red as his vision blurred. "Didn't seem like you were doing enough of it, mate." The man said, and Thomas grabbed him by the throat before shoving him back towards his friends. Without any thought of the consequences, he pulled the pistol out from behind him and aimed it at the man. "You wanna try that again?" He said darkly, watching as the man raised his hands in the air.

People were screaming all around them now but Thomas couldn't hear anything past the ringing in his ears. "You leave her alone, you hear me?! Or I'll fucking kill you!" It didn't feel like very long but it apparently had been long enough for the cops to be called and two of them to enter the building with their own guns raised. They were telling him to drop his weapon but Thomas refused to as he watched the man who touched Elena get down on his hands and knees. Once backup had managed to show up, it had taken four officers to get Thomas to his knees but soon after he was in handcuffs and being escorted out of the building.

"Elena!" He called to his girlfriend, managing to find her trying to follow closely behind. "Take Lucky and go home!" Thomas ordered her just as he was being pushed into the back of the police vehicle.
with: Elena Pyroclast