Fandom Forbidden and Scarred Love { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden looked around as he followed Theo. Sure they could cover more ground separately but he didn't want to walk this massive ship on his own. Kai looked around, listening, watching. So far he hadn't seen any infected but that didn't mean they weren't there. His mind was wandering as he thought about what was happening back home. This was important, this was needed but he missed his parents too.

Josh felt the finger on his lips, and heard his words before he felt that finger disappear and fall onto his chest. He watched Hayden sit up and listened to him. "I'm listening, my ears are open." Josh told him, watching him play with the ring on his finger and then watched him pull it off and raised it up. Josh looked at it, seeing those sharks he'd paid to have designed into the ring all those years ago. "I know you loved that ring, but I did not know it meant that much to you." Josh admitted, looking at the ring then at Hayden. He was ready to listen to his husband.

Jacob chuckled softly as he heard him. "Right. We are a fairytale." He agreed and blushed softly, Soren never failed to turn his face red, as he heard that. "I never thought I'd find a soulmate, never thought I'd find someone that I wanted to share my life with. Then I found you. And you're right. Now that I think back on it, it was definitely a demand." Jacob said with a small laugh as he felt a yawn come out. "And I got what I wanted. You."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

As Theo stepped into one of those little rooms, something like a storage closet, he found himself suddenly facing a runner who was very much awake. They probably woke it up with all that movement earlier. Or maybe it was already awake. It yelled as it came barreling towards him, and in his panic, he was not able to pull out his weapon in time. Instead, the hands of this runner were on his arms, pushing him back, and he dropped the bottle which shattered on the ground around them. That couldn’t be good.

“Of course it meant so much,” Hayden insisted softly as he gazed at the ring that he turned in his fingers. The details were exquisite. “It was a physical representation of everything I love about you the most.” He stared at it for a long, silent moment. “And maybe also the things I don’t.” Not anymore. His breath caught as he knew that he could only stall for so long. This was something they needed to do. They could not continue like this. Josh said so himself. He was ready to hear it. Hayden needed to be ready to tell him. “I think it’s time I told you about my dreams.” He slipped the ring back on. “And what I see when I’m awake too.”

Soren kissed Jacob gently as they lay there in their bed. In their room. Since just about the moment they met, everything was shared. He never wanted to go back. He smiled warmly. “You sound sleepy. It must be because we’ve had practically no sleep for actual days.” He nestled against him, demanding all of Jacob’s attention. “What do you say we start this week of us time with a nice, long, nap?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden was walking behind Theo, looking around as he saw him enter a small room. He froze hearing the yell of an infected and his eyes widened seeing Theo pushed back. The runner on his arms as he heard the bottle smash. Oh no. He drew his crowbar and swung, knocking it into the runner's head and pushing it back off Theo as he heard the clicking coming closer. Clicking and screeching. He grabbed Theo's arm and pulled him away from the runner. "Theo, we need get back upstairs, we can't fight all these." Kai said, turning to head towards the stairs.

Josh heard that soft insistence and looked at Hayden, hearing that the ring was both a representation of everything he loved about Josh and some things he didn't. "Tell me everything my love. I'm ready to listen to you." Josh told him, watching him slip the ring back on.

Jacob smiled into the gentle kiss as they laid on their bed. In their room. "I'm definitely ready for a nice long nap." He said with a smile, hearing that. Jacob curled as close to Soren as he could, feeling the nestle against him. "Good night love." Jacob whispered as his eyes closed, snuggled into Soren with a happy smile on his face as he fell asleep.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

This was not the plan. They were just going to explore a cool ship, maybe find some old world things, and have a grand ol’ time like they did at the water. Now they were definitely about to be surrounded, and Theo knew that Kai was right. They had to move before this got bad. He scrambled back and ran towards the stairs, looking over his shoulder and thankfully not seeing any of the bad that was coming. He could hear them though, and it sounded like a lot. Back up the stairs they went! “Kai!” he hissed in a whisper. “What do you want to do once we get up here?”

And so he did. Hayden swallowed away his pride and his fear, and for the first time in a very long time, he trusted someone – no, not just someone. He trusted Josh, whom he loved more than even Kai once and maybe still or possibly could again, with the worst nightmares of his world. “They come in waves, but they have never been gone. Even when I know they aren’t there, I am always afraid that they’ll come back.” Because they always did whenever they felt like it and not when he was expecting them, and he was always expecting them. “Sometimes I see the infected versions of people.” Like a mask or a suit. “Sometimes I see them when there aren’t any people there.” Like a phantom or a ghost. “But the worst one has been there since the very beginning. He haunts so many of my dreams.” Hayden took one of Josh’s arms as silent tears ran down his face. “Big, long arms like clubs that swing so fast. So violently. I just knew that if they hit me, I would crumble to the floor too.” He closed his eyes at the impending crack in his mind. “After all these years, you would think that I could tell you what the rest of him looks like, but I can’t.” He could say this. He had to say it. They couldn’t deal with this if he didn’t say it. “Because I couldn’t see your face.” That was when the tears got worse and weren’t so silent anymore. He raised a hand and quietly begged Josh not to do anything about it.

“It’s not fair to you. I know. I have wrestled with that for years once I knew that he-“ was you. That Hayden could see the monster who kept him from sleeping in the way Josh moved. Walked. “And you were gone. You were off killing more and more and more of these monsters that should have haunted me, and they did. You were being an officer. A general. So he evolved too. To match. Until I couldn’t see the difference.” Hayden did not look at Josh while he spoke. It was easier not to see him. Maybe it was out of fear that he would see the monster in the face he wanted to love. Maybe it was because it felt wrong to sound so awful. “And it got better. It did. You left FEDRA. You helped build up this better world. You were so much more present in our lives. You got to really be Kai’s father like I wanted you to be. It was better. But every now and then it would pop back up. When I hadn’t slept well. When I hurt more. When I was stressed. When I was worried.” He paused, knowing what needed to come next. “When I was alone. It was better, but it didn’t work, because you were trying to love me like I was when we were young and good together. But I changed too much to be the same person you knew.” The truth that hurt. That Hayden couldn’t let it go, because Hayden wasn’t Hayden anymore. How could he love Josh if this version of Hayden never did? He was afraid of that. Terrified. “So I pushed you out. I built up walls. I buried myself in work that I didn’t care about and Kai who was already more grown up than I could ever see with my blinded eyes.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kai looked at Theo when he heard the hushed whisper and cocked his head slightly. What should they do? He looked around and then to the stairs. "Get to the ladder and get out of here." He hissed back. There were too many to take on, on their own. They were only two and he didn't have enough bullets in his pistol for all of these.

Josh listened completely, for the first time since this whole mess started, he opened his ears, his heart and his mind. He listened to Hayden describe things he had never known about. Things he didn't even know Hayden had seen. He saw those tears run down his face as he felt him take one of his arms. Was.. his arms what Hayden saw, swinging like they did? Wait.. his face? Hayden's biggest fears were centered around him. Joshua's blood ran cold as he realized just what his husband had been through. He listened and paused, seeing that raised hand when all he wanted was to wipe the tears away. Josh's heart clenched painfully, hearing every detail. His demons, his fears were Josh. Evolving as he grew from an officer all the way to a General. He noticed that Hayden was not looking at him as he spoke. And then he heard that when he'd left FEDRA, it got better. But not completely better. Josh looked at Hayden, really looked at him and his eyes widened slightly at the realization that yes, his husband had changed and he was not the same one that Josh had fallen in love with in high school. But.. did that mean that everything he'd tried to rebuild between them was not going to last? Josh had noticed that Hayden had built walls, pushed him away and it had hurt, but it was also... something that had become normal. "I.. I don't know.. I'm sorry my love that you had to go through that. That I was your demons, that was never my intentions. I.." Joshua paused because he too needed to accept that he was not flawless in this. "I was not any better.. between my days in FEDRA and even here in the WLF. I.. I always thought I was a hero, to you, to Kai. To everyone. But I'm not. I am.. no where near a hero, at all. And it's not just you that should talk about how we've changed. I.. I need to as well."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo concurred with this run away conclusion. They couldn’t take everything that was on this ship, and frankly, they shouldn’t waste the bullets to do so when it wasn’t necessary. He bounded up the stairs and quickly searched the top. He didn’t see anyone but- oh no, something was definitely off to the left. That was fine. He dashed forward until he found the ladder, and made sure that Kai was behind him before he started the descent back down.

Hayden never wanted to make it sound as bad as it was. He never really wanted to admit what happened all those years ago when tragedy struck and he could not help but attach it to the first thing he saw. Like a dog who blamed a sickness on the food, because it was all that he could understand. Josh was the only truth that he could see. He still couldn’t look at him, especially not after saying all the things that made it sound like he didn’t love his husband. “You were my hero,” he said quietly. “My superhero. You were before you ever joined FEDRA.” He turned a little so that if he could look up, he would see Josh. If. “I know it doesn’t look like it, but I want this to work. I miss you. I have always missed you. Every day.” He lifted a hand and touched his cheek. And then finally he looked up at the man who used to be his hero. Who he used to love more than anything in the world. “I’ve changed. You’ve changed. We are not Josh and Hayden the high school sweethearts. I don’t know who we are.” Because he didn’t know who he was.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden followed Theo up the stairs and searched the top, then dashed over to the ladder. He swung his crowbar at a runner that was too close, and then he started climbing down the ladder. Kai went as fast as he could, adrenaline flowing through his veins. There was no reason to use bullets when they could just leave and go somewhere else.

Josh heard him, biting his lip as he sighed softly. Somehow in the last twenty two years, he'd lost himself, changed and became someone he did not know. He'd also put his husband through the worst years ever on accident. Josh looked at him, hearing him and feeling the hand on his cheek. "I want this to work too, that was why I left FEDRA but I didn't realize just how much I'd changed.. you changed. And no. We aren't the high school sweethearts anymore." Josh agreed, covering the hand on his cheek with his own. "I knew you'd changed somehow, back then. Deep down you weren't the same Hayden after the world broke. And I didn't know how to help, didn't know what to do so I ran. I threw myself into FEDRA taking patrols as often as I could. It was... the only thing that made sense to me at the time. And I told myself lie after lie to accept that I was doing it for you. For Logan. For Jacob and as the years passed for Kaiden as well. I lied to me, I lied to you." Josh paused as he let out a deep yet shaky breath. "I pushed my emotions away, locked them in a steel cage. Marked it don't disturb and kept going. When.. you left, it made me realize that perhaps running away from you wasn't the solution, but by that time, you and I had both changed. When the battle happened and you got so hurt.. it pushed at that emotional cage and I realized I needed to be with you, that I missed you and loved you more than who I was there. But when I came to you, you had changed and I defaulted back to running away again, this time defeating FEDRA and once more patrolling all the time or doing other things. So who are we now? I don't know but I want to find out. With you. And this.." He smiled softly. "This talking and letting everything out? This is how we start knowing who we are."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo climbed down the ladder until his foot slipped off of one of the rungs and he plummeted down, hands still on the sides until he could maneuver them onto one of the rungs and catch himself. Adrenaline pumping through him, he laughed and he laughed, because if he didn’t who knows what he would do. So naturally he jumped the rest of the way down, tumbling onto the ground, laughing as he waited for Kai to join him. “Dude, that was still pretty cool even if we almost died.”

It was so hard to listen to how much this hurt Josh too. For so long, Hayden told himself that Josh didn’t care, and that was easier because he could justify his anger that way. He was right in his fury if Josh wasn’t in this with him. But that’s not what happened. Deep down, Hayden knew that was true. Of course it was true. Their love had been so full and wonderful for so long. How long had it been since he felt like he could tell Josh anything? Long before their marriage. After Josh left FEDRA, finally came back to Hayden, it was better. But only better. They needed it to keep growing. Okay. Okay they could do this. He slipped off the bed and away from Josh. Despite the pain, the extraordinary pain that he needed to remind him of what his own delirium did to him, he moved away. He lifted a hand and shook his head. “Don’t.” He stood there, breathing, and then he mustered every ounce of will he had left, and he walked away. He still shook his head. “Don’t,” he repeated. He looked back over his shoulder. “Stay right there.” His last command. He bit into his lip and squeezed into his leg as he walked out of the room, and he shut the door. When it was closed, for just a moment, he broke from the mental and physical strain. Then he turned around, and he knocked on the door.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden followed Theo, and when he got near the bottom, jumped off too. He tumbled onto the ground too and laughed as he sat up, looking up the ladder and shaking his head. "That was pretty cool. I don't think I've ever done something that thrilling before!" Kai said as he stood up, brushing off his shirt and laughing some more. "Where else should we go?"

Josh sat there, waiting, watching. He had held onto this for years and it was hard to talk about. He could feel the tears brimming his eyes as he looked at Hayden, watching him slip off the bed. His first instinct, like always was to help Hayden, but he heard the word. He saw the shake of his head. It was killing Josh inside but he knew, somehow that this was something he had to do. Josh knew how much pain Hayden was in, but that command had him freeze in place. Right. He watched Hayden walk out of the room, shut the door and then it was quiet. Silent. Josh heard the knock on the door and he stood up, walking over and pulling it open. "Hello love."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo watched Kai get up and decided that he probably shouldn’t just be on the ground looking like a disheveled miscreant, so he also stood up. “Right? I bet, if we came back prepared, we could take them all. Maybe later when we can also bring some other people with us. And then we could have a ship!” He straightened himself out and stretched. “What could possibly top that? I mean we have the aquarium, but I bet Owen’s there. We would have to tell him what was going on, and I don’t know if I’m in the mood for that.”

Hayden knew that Josh would open the door. That was never in doubt. But what he would say was. If Josh did this to him, Hayden was not sure he would handle it with grace. He handled so few things with grace anymore. He smiled without even meaning to, because the door opened, and Josh was just so breathtaking. Like he used to be. That was why Hayden wanted to do this. He needed that physical representation of opening the door they closed a long time ago. “Hi.” And then all of his plans disappeared. He was going to do a whole silly thing that was getting to know him again. Shaking his hand like they were just meeting. Instead, he threw his arms around his love and gasped out the air as he grinned into this hug. “I missed you so much.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden looked at Theo and laughed shaking his head. "I bet we definitely do that. Though I'm not sure if they want a ship like we'd want the ship." He said with a smirk on his face. "Hmm. I don't know if I want to go to the aquarium honestly. Maybe we could go towards the flooded section of the city? I know it's closer to their territory but at least we'd far from our own." Kai suggested.

Josh looked at Hayden, a happy smile on his face. He heard that 'Hi' and he bit his lip wondering just what was going to happen. Then Hayden through his arms around him. Joshua wrapped his arms around Hayden, holding him close and grinning just as big. "I missed you too baby so much." He said, kissing the top of his head.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo laughed. “They have no whimsy which is why we are taking a break from the people who don’t want to captain a landlocked ship like this.” He turned to sort of face the direction that he thought the flooded areas would be. “You know what? Yeah. I think we should. What’s gonna be over there that we can’t handle? Some scars?” He smiled. “We don’t even fight them anymore.”

Hayden clung to him like he might have when they were young. They weren’t even that old, but he felt so much older than he had in a very long time. He pulled away just enough to be able to look at him when they talked. “I’ve forgotten how to do this, but I am officially inviting you on a date.” The moment he said it out loud, he knew this was the right thing to do. “But you don’t get to know the specifics, because it’s a secret. Like you did for me.” He had an idea, he just needed time to fine tune it. “Later though, because I am exhausted. How are you?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kai nodded as he looked at Theo. "Exactly, they don't understand the reason that having a landlocked ship would be a great thing." He said as he looked out over the area. "Cool! Maybe we'll find some scars, oooh maybe that note worked and they're searching for us?" He snorted a laugh at the thought, shaking his head. "Maybe we'll find them."

Josh felt Hayden cling to him like he used to. He looked down at Hayden when he pulled away to talk, and arched an eyebrow. "A date?" He asked curiously, tilted his head a little bit. "Okay. That sounds wonderful my love. I'd be honored to go on a date with you." Josh replied before he nodded. "I'm pretty exhausted too. Would you do me the honor of joining me for a nice long nap?"​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo laughed even harder at that. “Oh man, if we go out there and immediately run into them, I am going to flip. Like what are even the odds of that?” He readjusted his pack and started walking away from the ship backwards. “Maybe there aren’t even that many of them, and that’s why you keep running into the same guy. Maybe they’re just like… lethal or something.” He shrugged. “Oh oh oh, but what if like we are out there and they see us and are like, ‘we got your note and have been looking for you!’ What do we even say to that?”

“Yeah,” Hayden answered. “A date. One of those things where two people who like each other get together and bond over a shared activity.” He rested his head on Josh’s chest for a moment. Closed his eyes. He just wanted to feel him there. The Josh that he missed. The one who was his and not the military’s. Finally he pulled his cheek away and nodded. “I would love to.” As he started to move that way, the pain shot through his entire side, and he sucked in a deep breath. “Could you-“ This was a restart. “Could you help me?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden laughed himself as he shook his head, adjusting his pack as he walked. "It would be so crazy, though honestly that seems to be how life has been since I met him." He said with a grin and followed Theo away from the ship. "Maybe.." He said as they moved and then shrugged. "Mm how about 'hey, glad you got our note, we don't wanna fight with you. Crazy that you're here now' and they'll probably be so confused."

Josh laughed, like he used to before he was a military man. Back when he was just Joshua and not General Smith or WLF. "Right. I'm glad you remembered what it was." He finally said as he held onto Hayden. He went to move with Hayden when he stopped. "Of course beautiful." Josh said, hooking his arm around Hayden. "Would you like to be carried or walked over with support?"​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo bounced away and then eventually turned around so that he actually knew where he was going. “And then they’re gonna be like ‘who are these crazy people we have decided to be cordial with?’ I wouldn’t say friends since we have literal angry fights and what not.” Was that going to happen again is they saw them? Because that would be crazy.

Even if that was a joke, Hayden felt it as the heavy truth that it was. They hadn’t done something for themselves like a date in a very long time. Going to dinner together with the entire family and then retiring to their room where they went to bed all did not count. Josh said they could go to the aquarium, and that was for the three of them. The main, core family, and Hayden wanted that more than anything else. But he also wanted to find the two of them again. He wanted to find what they used to have. If they were going to have to wait for Kai to come back anyway, there was no reason to not to start now. “I am going to tell you that I can do it, and then you’re going to listen to me struggle as we very slowly make our way over there, so…” He smiled. “Could you just take me back to the bed?” Now that they did what he wanted to do, it seemed kind of silly that he left the place he was just going to go back to.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden laughed as he followed Theo and listened to him. "Oh most likely. Especially the older one.." He said with a snort of laughter as they walked. Perhaps they would run into them, and he had no idea how it would go. There was something, a little piece inside of him that wanted to see them again, but his training, his life told him to be careful. That perhaps one day they would turn on them and do what they do to them.

Josh looked at Hayden, happiness in his eyes as he heard him. He loved seeing that smile again and he could feel like things have shifted slightly. "I can do that for you baby." He said, shifting so he could take Hayden in his arms. He stood there for a moment, holding his husband close and smiling at him. Then he took them both over to the bed, setting Hayden down first and then joining him on the bed, arms out as an invitation.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

With renewed enthusiasm, Theo was bounding further out. He suddenly stopped and pulled out that map of theirs so that they didn’t get horrendously lost in places they did not go too often. “You never know. We could meet some very sweet people out there surviving in the wilderness.” He laughed and pointed to where they were. “Okay. So we’re here and we’re going… there.” He looked up. “You know, this map makes this city look way more navigable than it is.”

His initial reaction was to not want to let Josh do this for him. He spent so many years building those walls that he wasn’t sure if he could just break them down like that. He wanted to though. He really, really wanted to. So he told himself to stop. Stop being so negative. Let someone do something for you. Let Josh back in. He waited on the bed until Josh was there, and he stared for a long moment. A moment that asked him if this was the right choice. Was he going to get himself hurt again? He snuggled in close, ignoring the pain that was constant. If everywhere hurt no matter what they did, then he could lay however he wanted to. No. No, he was not going to get hurt again. This was going to be different. He knew it. “I love you.” His words were soft, because he was just so tired.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kai looked at Theo, then paused his footsteps as Theo stopped and pulled out the map. He shook his head and laughed. "Maybe. Maybe we'll find some survivors that just so happened to show up in the center of the city." He said as he watched Theo check the map. "Well, the only downside of the map is the fact that the city is completely different from when that map was created."

Josh looked at Hayden, waiting, worrying. Was this really something they could overcome? He wanted to, he missed his husband more than anything else. Josh smiled so big it hurt as Hayden snuggled in close. His arms wrapped around him like a life line. He kissed the top of his head as he heard those words. "I love you too. Now rest beautiful." He said holding Hayden as he allowed his eyes to close and took in the comfort of what could possibly be a new future for them.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

“You mean because of the part where everything got destroyed by bombs, warfare, weather, and terrible maintenance?” There was probably more, but who could keep up with all of the bad? It wasn’t even like they had ever seen the world when it looked like the map pictured. “You know what we should do? We should make a new map. We could be cartographers or whatever and make one that actually is accurate to what it looked like now. Like with the full on river that they had. He stuffed the map back in his bag and started just moving. They could find it. They had time.

Hayden felt himself drifting when a sudden very real fear hit him. “You’ll be here when I wake up, right?” Not just physically there but really there with him. He wanted this to still be there after they rested. He couldn’t have it all disappear. Not again. He didn’t think he had it in him to survive that again. Not after everything he just confessed. Everything he let go.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden nodded as he walked. "Yeah, all that. That's exactly what I mean." He said as they walked, and sighed heavily as he heard him. "Yeah, sure. We can become cartographers. We could go out and check out the city and never have to worry about getting into trouble because it's our job." Kai said with an amused chuckle as he climbed over a broken piece of pavement and kept going. The roaring of the river that ran through Seattle was loud.

Josh opened his eyes when he heard Hayden and looked down at him. "Yes my love. I'll be here when you wake up." He promised. He wasn't going to let this talking go to waste. He was going to be better, he was going to listen and love Hayden as he is now.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo thought this was a pretty good idea. They kept getting in trouble for wandering? Wandering being their job meant that they would never ever get in trouble again. “Not only that but then maybe we would get some serious respect. Oh you need to travel somewhere? Fear not, friends, for we have accurate maps!” Theo hopped across one large piece of pavement to another. “Oh man, that water would be really bad to fall in.” Was that going to stop him from jumping from one slab to another? Absolutely not.

That was all he needed. He chose to believe it. He chose to accept this as their new future. He didn’t even respond. That was enough piece of mind to pull him away from the fear for just a moment and fall asleep. He was unbelievably tired. He hurt, but because he was in such tremendous pain, he would probably be able to stay asleep. That was what his body had taught itself throughout the years. Sleep through the pain. And maybe, just maybe, they could deal with that too.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kaiden nodded as he too jumped from slab to slab. "Right? We'd be the ultimate guides. Oh you want to check out this part of the city? We've got you covered!" He laughed as he jumped to another slab, looking at the raging water. "Yeah, it would be. So don't fall in!" Kai said as he moved on.

Joshua smiled as he too closed his eyes and fell asleep. He allowed himself to relax completely.

Alex had woken up late that day since they had it off, and he was currently bored and searching for Ezekiel. The older warrior had mentioned some of the sights on the main land and he wanted to see if he'd be willing to take Alex to check them out. A little outing to get away from the island for a few.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch and Theophilus Sharpe (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 26, 22 | Current location ;; Washington

Was Theo reckless? Yes. There was no denying this. They, as in literally everyone who ever met him, had been telling him his whole life that he was not exactly careful. His parents, despite not really being around much, told him that he had to be more cautious. Kai’s myriad of parents and adults were constantly telling him that he was far too much like Kai for his own good. That wasn’t true. Kai was not the one who was running and leaping across the river that they just agreed would do badness to them if they fell in. He laughed as he landed on the other side. “I would never! I’m excellent at this kind of thing.”

Ezekiel sat on the edge of a wagon that was parked for the day. It would not be in movement until the next day when the worker required it. For now, it was where he came to think. He liked to sit on various places that allowed his legs to dangle without touching the ground. It was freeing. His mind felt untethered in the best way. As he sat, he noticed a familiar face coming along. “Good day!” He called to Alex. “How are you faring? What have you been up to on your day of freedom?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan and Alexander Brennan (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior | 23, 16 | Current location ;; Washington

Kai was not nearly as reckless as Theo, and even he tended to try and think some things through.. sometimes. Sure his recent decisions were not.. the best ones he’d ever made. “You fall in and I’m not dragging you out. I’ll let the sea take you.” Kai warned as he leapt across another slab of pavement. He crossed another one and landed beside Theo, then turned and looked at the building beside them. “Wanna check it out?”

Alex was walking when he heard a voice and turned, smiling. He walked over to Ezekiel as he thought about what he wanted to do. “Good day! I’m well. I admit I just woke up not long ago. How are you doing today?” Alex asked, watching the older Seraphite with a curious expression.​