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

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

As soon as they arrived and checked in, Soren parked the truck and handed over the keys. “I’m going to give the report up here if you guys want to go ahead and turn in everything and then go. You guys did great.” He smiled at Kai and Theo. “Welcome to the team, boys.” He moved away to deal with all the leader things. Theo walked backwards for a while and then turned around so that he stopped running into people and handed Rodney the weaponry. “That was great! Being back is so goooood!”

Ravi wasn’t sure why he told Luke all these things. It was not strictly legal that he took the parts instead of getting rid of them like he was supposed to. It was probably dangerous that he was building and crafting things on the side. He kept them in various places like his room and sometimes back here. The library currently had something he was working on. Anyway, despite everyone knowing, it probably wasn’t something anyone should admit. Yet, he did without hesitation. “I don’t know who that is, but I am going to take it as a compliment and thank you.” He rammed the rifle down to the floor and smiled at the satisfying clunk. “Got it.” He lifted it and kicked the discarded bullet under the desk. “I’ll get that later.” He lifted it back up and started cleaning it out. “Are you really willing to test something fixed by the guy whose mess via explosion was literally something you just helped clean?” That was weird. Shocking. Dumbfounding. Who would do that?​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Once everything was parked, he said goodbye to the two and followed Soren. He had to give his report as well, and then he was going to find Hayden. He just wasn’t sure where he was. Jacob was still busy, a patrol had just come in with some nasty wounds from a battle with Scars out near the marina. He was on patient two, this one with severe burns from a Molotov. Kai moved with Theo as he watched his father and Soren leave. He handed over his weapons and looked at Rodney. “That was pretty great, being back out there. Hey, Rodney. Is my dad still back there or did he leave already?”

Luke didn’t care that Ravi took these parts. If they got use in something else than at least they still got use. “It is a compliment and you’re welcome.” He replied as he watched him ram the rifle down to the floor and heard a chunk as the bullet was discarded. He was amazed at this man before him. Seriously. Luke had never met another man like him before. He blinked at the question and nodded with a big grin. “Yes. I am. And besides, sounds like fun.” Luke said. He enjoyed doing things that could be considered reckless every now and then, mix it up. Especially since his mom kept him stuck in the stadium for two years longer than everyone else his age who was to patrol.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

Normally, Soren wasn’t in any hurry. He was pretty chill for a fancy WLF patrol leader. Fancy FEDRA officer before that. Fancy military man before that. He never dropped that after no longer being the quintessential single soldier. Instead, he embraced that as a married man who was not about to allow anything on the job to ruin the rest of his life. Today, though, he was struggling pretty hard. There was something about being back in that hospital, being back on those lower floor, and also having the boys with them. It was almost too much even for him. But he kept it together giving a report and while he waited for Josh. As soon as they were done, he was not Officer Truelson-Smith anymore. He was just Soren who needed his best friend and also needed to be there for him too. “You ready to go find Hayden. I know where Jacob’s going to be. We can find yours first.” In the armory, Rodney took the weapons back and shook his head. “No, he left a little bit ago. He didn’t say where he was going. Ravi! Did Hayden tell either of you what he was doing when he left?”

Ravi, from way in the back, yelled in response, “Nope! Just that he was leaving!” That was all he could do. Besides, he was busy entertaining his new buddy. In fact, now that they found his groove, he was loving showing off. So few people would sit here this long and be so invested. Sure, the other guys would sit with him while he worked, and sometimes they watched or commented or something, but they weren’t like this. As he finished the clean, he put it on the table and instead of asking for another one, he kind of stared at Luke for a moment. Maybe in shock. Or amazement. Or something. “You ever think that maybe you’re something else too?” It wasn’t the way he normally talked. The parallel and repeat felt right for this. He realized he was being super weird with the staring and looked down at his hands feeling the utter awkwardness that was him. He laughed. “You just cleaned these.” His hands were already a mess.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Josh was not needy, he was not clingy. He’d never been that way before, and when he was General Smith of FEDRA, nothing affected him. But he also didn’t have his partner. They were living separately. And he went down into that same place that terrified him before. This time he fell, he went down. And his son saved him. If Kai and Theo hadn’t chosen to come down, hadn’t realized they were down there.. Josh might not have made it back. And that was terrifying too. He shook himself free of those thoughts and realized just how much he needed his husband right now. “Yes. I’m ready to go find him. He might be with Jacob actually. Wanna try there first?” Kaiden looked at Rodney and nodded. “Okay, thanks. I’ll go find him. Theo, you wanna come with me?”

Luke looked at Ravi as he spoke, and grinned a little bit. “No, I’ve never thought that. But maybe I needed someone to tell me.” He said with a smile. Something else. Huh. He also noticed Ravi was staring until he saw him looking at his hands. “Yes well. That’s the joy of water and rags. We can clean your hands again. And again. And again.” Luke said with a small laugh.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

“Honestly, he probably is. Didn’t he promise us that he would go there when he was done?” That was the rule after all. Hayden was not allowed on his own. Ever. If he was working, that was fine. If he was helping people out, that was fine. Otherwise, he was to be with someone. Primarily, he was with either Jacob or Josh depending on the day and time. So the likelihood that he was with Jacob seemed pretty high. That worked for Soren too since that was getting to Jacob who he wanted to see anyway. Theo looked over at Kai and nodded. “Sure, man.” He was down to go find Hayden. Actually he was down with a lot of things. He just was down. “Should we find your papa too? He’s probably also looking for your dad.”

Ravi raised a brow as he grinned. “You are willing to clean them again and again and again?” That’s a lot of agains. That was a lot of commitment. That was a lot of a lot of things, and he didn’t quite know how to feel about that. He looked at his hands, tracing the lines of his messes with his eyes. Silently. Finally, “If you’re going to test my things, then I am going to be there with you. I can’t let you do that on your own.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Josh nodded as he heard that, looking over at Soren. "Yeah, you're probably right." He said, with a soft sigh. He knew the rule, and to be honest, it was the best thing they'd put into place. Josh turned to head outside to the medical tents with Soren. Jacob had finished with the burn patient and was onto the third man. This was much trickier, he had a twisted ankle and a deep laceration down his side and across his chest. He was currently cleaning the laceration and had a splint and ice on the man's ankle as he worked. Kai nodded. "I bet they're all headed for the medical tents. That's where Hayden tends to go when Jacob's working. And that would be where Soren and papa would be headed."

Luke smiled and nodded as he looked at him. "I am sunshine." He said as he saw him looking at his hands. "What're friends for?" He added. Luke wasn't sure exactly what he was doing, but in all honesty, he didn't care. He enjoyed hanging out with Ravi, and listening to him show off and explain all the stuff about the gun, it was wonderful. "Okay. I can show off my own skills. As long as they don't blow up in my face." He said with a teasing grin on his face.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

Soren moved along with Josh towards the medical tents as Theo did with Kai. Everyone was on the search for Hayden who had been done with the ammunition guys for a while. He was able to do some of the other testing and things while Ravi and Luke were away. The guys didn’t really need him, because they were fully capable on their own. They were just afraid, which was understandable. So, in theory, he should be at the medical tents with Jacob now that he was done. He was not. Everyone was headed to these tents, and he was not there.

Friends. That was weird but also kind of cool. Friends so fast. Wasn’t it supposed to be hard to make friends? Or was it easy but hard to keep them? Ravi didn’t know, because he didn’t have those. He had a lot of acquaintances and buddies in certain venues and tasks. Not really friends though. He was quiet for a while as he thought about this. It was so weird. He was thankful for the teasing joke at the end. He as thankful for Luke. “I think I would very much like to see your skills. But first,” he slapped his hand on the desk, “we have to finish with these. How many more do we have? And then we can go blow up your face at the shooting range.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Jacob started sewing up the gash on the side when he heard the tent flap moving open. He looked up quickly to see Josh and Soren. A smile on his face as he nodded to them before continuing on with his sewing. Josh looked around as they entered the medical tent. His blood ran cold. “Soren.. Soren he’s not here. He’s not.. where is he?” Josh asked, looking around as he searched for his husband. Kai and Theo were not far behind them. Maybe a couple minutes at most.

Luke had a handful of friends, and he got along with his family, and his team. But this friendship seemed different than those. More special. He chuckled at the words as he heard the slap on the desk. “We have.. three more. None of them have notes.” He said as he grabbed a pistol and placed it on the table. “Oh and thanks sunshine. I love the vote of confidence in your ability to fix things and my ability to fire the supposedly fixed things.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

Quick scan. No, he wasn’t there. “Breathe. We don’t know for sure.” Soren stepped away from Josh, knowing that he needed to determine this sooner rather than later. He moved through the tents, checking everywhere before moving over to Jacob. “I know you’re busy. I’m not asking you to stop. Have you seen Hayden?” He kept his voice even. They needed to be calm. Theo came in soon after with Kai. “Oh man, Uncle Jay, we had the craziest time out there!” That was when he saw Josh’s face. And also Soren’s. “Uh, is everything good?”

Ravi sighed at the number left. Three. Okay. He looked at the pistol. Nothing. Great. “I have every faith in your ability to shoot. It’s me who will be at fault if this doesn’t go well for you.” He pulled it apart and started moving through the pieces to find the problem. “I’ll try not to get your face blown up. That wouldn’t make me a very good friend would it?” All of the pieces looked mostly fine. So what was wrong with this thing? He went through slower, examining all the sections.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Josh looked at Soren, and looked around the tents. Not today. Not after what he saw down there. He couldn't be missing. He took a deep breath in and out, eyes searching the area as he saw Soren move towards Jacob. Jacob, having started sewing the stomach gash, looked up. "No. I haven't. He hasn't been here yet today. And I wish I could help find him but as you can see, we've had a few.. battles with Scars." Jacob said sighing roughly. Kai looked at Josh's face, and then around. "What's going on? Where's Dad?" Kai asked as Josh shook his head. "I don't know."

Luke looked at Ravi as he spoke. "Well. I'll try not to hold it against you if my face gets blown off." He said with a chuckle as he watched him pull the pistol apart. "I suppose it wouldn't make you a good friend, but I trust that your skills are excellent and I'll test these just fine without any issues." He said, watching Ravi work through the pistol with a fascinated gaze.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

Soren shook his head. “Of course, you’re needed here.” He wished that he could have hugged him. Kissed his head. Anything. That was dangerous. Jacob was working on something serious. “We’ll be back when we find him. You are forever a hero.” He moved to the rest and placed a hand on Josh’s arm. “Josh. Were going to find him. Come on.” He nodded to Kai and Theo. “Let’s think about where we can find your dad if he’s not here. This is a big place, but everyone always knows where he is.” This was true. Theo twisted around. “Then let’s go ask some people. Someone seen or heard him around.”

Ravi narrowed his eyes, unsure what was happening with this pistol. There was something he was missing. He snapped it all back together, smacked the magazine, and emptied the whole thing. “You would think for safety they would do this before shoving it in a box with other faulty weaponry.” He shook his head. “This is why you have to be careful with that face of yours.” He pulled up the bullet that was loaded and turned it in a slow circle. “Oh! Got it! Light primer strike. Gotta take apart the striker. Maybe the firing pin.” And so he did that, swiftly pulling the pistol apart. “Maybe your face is safe after all if I can get this solved.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Jacob wished he could help, wished he’d could leave and find his brother. “Good luck love. I’ll see you soon enough.” He said before turning back to the man he was working on. He sensed more happened on the patrol than normal. Josh looked at Soren and sighed. “I know we will, but thank you Soren.” He said gratefully. They didn’t go through everything they had to end up losing him. Kai looked at Soren and nodded. “Let’s go on a search for my Dad.” Kai said, his anxious energy getting worse as he moved with Theo out of the tents.

Luke nodded as he listened, watching Ravi reassemble the pistol and saw him pull up the bullet. Huh. “See? I told you. You have magic in those fingers sunshine. Not many people would be able to find that or know how to fix it.” He said, smiling softly. “And I’m glad to hear that, because I do kind of like my face even if I’d be willing to sacrifice it to test these weapons out.” Luke said with a grin on his face.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo was not that worried. He was used to losing Hayden since they got to WLF. Hayden was often out and about somewhere. Granted, he was not aware of the situation a month ago and how bad everything had been. He just thought that he had a change of heart about how he saw Kai and also Josh. No big deal. Soren on the other hand was barely keeping this together. He was not usually the one to worry, but after the day he had, he was not sure if he could handle a lot well. Theo led the way out of the tents and back into the stadium. “Um okay so he was with the ammunitions guys. They didn’t know where he went. So if he didn’t go to Jacob, where would he have gone? Did he have something else to do?” Soren, as they moved, stopped people to ask if they’d seen him. Everyone so far had not.

Ravi shook his head with a nervous laugh. “No, anyone who knows what they’re looking for can see that.” He picked up the bullet and leaned in close to Luke. “Look. You see those marks. That’s a light primer strike. It’s not heavy or big enough to be what the expended shell should look like. Wish I could show you the other.” He threw up his hands and shrugged. “I’m sure I can later. Anyway, that’s how you know the striker or the firing pin needs some help.” He moved back to the pistol. “Just pulling it apart, making sure it’s clean and good, and then putting it back together like so should do the trick.” He did some more checks and nodded. “Feels right so probably done.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Josh was stopping every single person he could see. And no one had seen Hayden so far. This was not doing his mind any good. He was already barely holding onto his mind as it was considering where they’d come from. “Soren. You guys spent more time with him here before I came in. Where did he go then?” Josh’s voice was taut, a verbal indication of just how badly he was holding it together. Kai was thinking about where he could’ve gone. But his mind was blanking. “Oh! Is he in the lab? The one where he was working on his synthetic stuff?”

Luke tried to pay attention, really he did but.. with Ravi leaned in close, he kind of.. stopped focusing. It was like his body was more aware of Ravi than he thought. “Right. That makes sense. I see now.” He said, trying to get his mind to work with him and focus once more. He watched him and nodded as he listened. “Okay. So that was something I’d never known of before but it’s fascinating how one piece can really affect everything.” He said as he grabbed the second to last weapon. Another pistol but no note on this own either.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

That was a good question. What exactly did Hayden do before Josh joined them? Theo didn’t really know the answer. He was always around Kai and therefore also around Hayden. “The place of badness and evil?” Soren frowned and shook his head. “No. That was a mistake. He does other things there as well. It’s worth a shot.” Theo grabbed Josh’s hand and Kai’s. “Don’t worry! It’s going to be okay.” He smiled brightly and then started off down the halls in search of the lab.

Ravi grabbed the pistol from Luke, his fingers brushing across Luke’s as he took it. He began the same check and soon found the problem. “Same as the first.” He set about fixing it too. “Told you it doesn’t always matter what kind of gun it is. They’re all essentially the same.” As he worked, he smiled, because this was his thing. His jam. He loved fixing things. He loved building them. He thought he would love the chemical side of it, and he just wasn’t as good. “Now you can know all of my secrets, my new and highly trustworthy apprentice.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Josh looked at Theo, then at Soren. He didn’t like how the synthetic stuff had worked on his husband but the lab where he was making it. That seemed promising. He blinked as Theo took his hand and that bright smile made him smile a little bit. Though the worry still clouded his face. Kai squeezed Theo’s hand for support. He’d never not known where his dad was. And he too was worried, that knot in both his and Josh’s stomach growing and tightening. Burning like fire.

Luke felt those fingers brush against his and a soft blush came to his face. He watched in fascination as Ravi yet again found the problem. He loved seeing the smile on his face. Wait.. what? He nodded and then chuckled as he grabbed the last one. A shotgun. A note was stuck to it. “Well. I hope I can prove to be a good apprentice. And this one has a note that says the trigger wasn’t working when they pressed it.” He said, setting the shotgun down on the table.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

Theo was not always their most positive member of the party, but right now, he certainly was. The other three had really gone through something today, and he knew that. He could sense the tension in the air as they moved through the halls as towards the lab. He held onto both of those hands, refusing to let go, because they needed him. Soren probably also needed him, but to be honest, that was going to be difficult since he only had two hands. If he had more, they would talk. But he didn’t. Instead he hoped that Soren was capable enough of dealing with this on his own for now. “Maybe he got distracted. You know how he falls down the research hole sometimes.” Anything was better than what everyone was thinking.

Ravi was not looking at Luke. He was, as usual, distracted by the machinery in now held. “Trigger. Okay.” He did the same process of pulling the firearm apart, and finally pulled out specifically the trigger assembly. “These are so much harder to find. Honestly, it’s easier to take the long route and soak it overnight, cleaning it all out. Takes way longer of course but it’s a whole lot less hassle.” Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. He placed the individual pieces down and got up. “Hey, trusted assistant. Can you go over to those shelves and grab whatever bucket you can find. Plastic or metal is fine.” He was already moving to another shelf, searching for his own things. “I’ve got solvent over here. I’m thinking it’s just gunked up.” He grab the bottle of solvent as well as some oil and lighter fluid and met back at the desk.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Josh had never been more thankful for Theo. That positivity was encouraging. He swallowed hard and then reached out and took Soren’s hand. He might not be Jacob, and he might be worried about Hayden, but Soren had been there for him for all of his issues. His problems. So he was going to repay that and be there for him. “Thanks Theo. I hope so.” Josh admitted as they drew closer to the labs. The fear that he wasn’t there was clawing at Josh. Kai was just quiet. He didn’t say anything.

Luke nodded and then tilted his head a little. Soak it overnight? He was about to ask about that when he was asked to get a bucket. “I can do that Sunshine.” He said with a smile. He stood up and walked over to the shelving unit. He grabbed a metal bucket and walked back, meeting Ravi back at the desk. “One bucket as requested.” He said, grinning as he looked at him. Luke had never had a better day off than he was right now. “Gunked up? With what? Dirt or powder residue?”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

Soren was a little surprised as Josh took his hand. He appreciated it, though. It was comforting to know that they were all together in this. He chuckled a little. This must have been why they were known as a clan. They really did move as one unit. “And and and,” Theo continued, because it was easier to talk than to be in silence, “it’s not like he’s been gone too long. He probably got caught up in one of those books of his. You know, with all the words and the facts and stuff.” They reached the lab, and Theo dragged them all inside. Plenty of scientists were doing science things. Plenty. But not Hayden.

“I don’t know. Could be all sorts of stuff.” He poured a mixture into the bucket and unceremoniously dumped the trigger assembly and all its parts in. He pushed it further up on the desk so that he was away from any potential disasters, meaning himself, and spun around to face Luke. “Anything can get trapped in those tiny areas. Probably dirt. Could very well be powder.” He shrugged. “So instead of meticulously staring at it, we’re gonna let that do its thing and check on it tomorrow.” He was so used to doing things even when he was off. He wiped his hands on his pants, this was why they were permanently stained. “Well, that’s that."​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Josh heard that little chuckle and looked at Soren with a small smile. As they walked, he listened to Theo and chuckled, nodding. “Okay. You’re probably right.” Josh said as they entered the lab. As Theo dragged them inside, Josh was scanning and scanning. No Hayden. His grip tightened on Soren’s hand. “He’s not here. Why.. why isn’t he here. Soren..” Josh’s voice was tight. He never freaked, not like this, but today had been stressful enough. “Where is he?”

Luke watched as Ravi dumped the parts into the mixture he’d just made and nodded. “Huh. Never thought about that before. But you’re right. Anything can get trapped in those spaces.” He said as he thought about it. “Tomorrow?” He asked quietly as he watched him wipe his hands on his pants. “I was kind of hoping to see if you wanted to join me on a walk tomorrow.” He said softly.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

“Because he’s a weird nerd who likes to learn things and be super smart or whatever.” Theo was not aware of the predicament just yet, and was still talking. Until of course he was very much aware hearing Josh. Soren sucked in a breath. They were not going down this. Not again. He moved to stand right in front of his best friend. He needed his full attention. “We do not know that anything is wrong. This is a big stadium.” One of the scientists caught their attention. “Can I help you?” Theo was ready for it. “We’re looking for Hayden. Have you seen him?” She shook her head. “He hasn’t been in today. I thought he was working in the armory today.” Theo frowned. “So did we. Okay! Thanks. Cool.” This was fine. He was just… somewhere else. Another scientist came in. “Oh hey. We’re having a party? Hayden’s going to be sad he missed it. He was just talking about how he missed all of his boys.” The scientist, unaware of any issues, plopped himself down in his chair to begin his work.

Of course tomorrow. That was how overnight worked. His words stilled at Luke’s reminder. He felt his stomach in his throat. Bodies were weird. Everything made so much more sense with technology. “Oh, the walk. Right.” His hands fidgeted against his legs. He watched them, inspecting every part that already had streaks of his work plastered on them. “Well, who says we can’t do both?” He tilted his head up so that he was still mostly looking down though he could see him. He shyly smiled. He stood there for another moment or two as he soaked in the fact that he just agreed to hang with someone a second day in a row, which was new for him. Then he turned around, grabbed the original bin, and swept all the probably fixed guns back in. “You wanna test these things out now, or does your face want a little longer before mangle it horrifically?”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Josh listened to Theo but his words were drowned out under the fear in his body. His heart was racing, pounding against his chest as his blood felt like ice inside. He looked at Soren when he spoke, his blue eyes glittered with everything from fear to anxiety. “Soren..” He whispered before he turned his attention to the first scientist and bit back the chill of fear racing down his spine. The second one, who came in just then, gave him some hope. “Did you just see Hayden? Where was he?” Josh asked, pulling from Soren to look at this man.

Luke bit his lip, his eyes watching the other man. Seeing his hands fidget as he heard him. Did he not want to walk with Luke? Was Luke being too much? Then he smiled at the words, a rush of relief flooding his system. “I guess that is very true. We can do both.” He nodded, seeing that shy smile. Luke turned his attention to the guns. “We can test them out now. I trust that my face won’t be mangled horrifically.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

On any other day, they could have handled this. It would not have been easy, but it would have been possible. Soren closed his eyes and tried is hardest to look like this was okay. He had to do that for Josh. He too turned his attention to the second scientist who was pulling out his notes and beginning to read. “Hm? Oh I guess it wasn’t actually just. Maybe an hour ago? He was chatting with Laura in line for food. They were talking about husbands they were afraid to lose out there.” The scientist shrugged and went back to reading. Theo sighed. Way to be a scientist, man. That is not how you talk to a worried man about his… problematic husband.

Look at him avoiding additional awkward feelings like that. Or situations. Or anything. Everything was weird and awkward. He had no idea how to deal with any of it. He shook his head and hefted the bin. “Come on then, Rainbows. Let’s see how well I did.” He nudged Luke’s arm with his as he walked past. “Let’s see how well you do at the firing range. I want to see some magic.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaiden Lachlan, Alexander Brennan and Luke Smith (along with the Smith Clan)
WLF Member, Young Seraphite Warrior, WLF Member | 23, 16, 19 | Current location ;; Washington

Josh was almost shaking inside, but he contained himself. It wasn’t easy but he was trying. So hard. He heard that it was an hour ago. Well he could be anywhere between then and now. “Cafeteria. Should we check the cafeteria?” Josh asked, whipping his head around to look at Soren. He didn’t know where Hayden was, and he knew it was a big stadium and normally he wasn’t this freaked. Normally he’d find him eventually. But.. today. Today was not normal. At all.

Luke chuckled and nodded. “Okay. Let’s check these out. I can’t wait to show off my own magic.” He said with a grin at the nudge. He followed him, opening the doors as they made their way to the shooting range. “Prepare to be amazed Sunshine.” He said with a laugh as he walked.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Ravi Akuna (and also the Smith Clan)
Seraphite Warrior, WLF Members | 26, 22, 23 | Current location ;; Washington

They weren’t really the kinds of people to walk around holding hands. Soren had nothing against that. In fact, both he and Josh did that frequently with their husbands. It, however, was not the relationship that Soren and Josh had with each other. Except that in this moment, it was. Soren squeezed that hand. “Yes. We can go there, and if we don’t see him, we can try to find Laura. Or maybe even Holly.” He took Josh’s other hand, because Theo was not about to argue with that. “We are going to find him. Are you listening to me? Josh, we can and will find him.”

Ravi found himself similarly not wanting to wait for this showing off to happen. He got to show off his skills and now it was Luke’s turn. “I plan to be. I want to be wowed.” He walked out after Luke and then beside him as they moved to the range. “I hope you know that I will be disappointed if you aren’t the best shot I have ever seen.” He smiled crookedly as he teased.​