Fandom Tale of Two Survivors { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex watched the two, and he had to admit that he found the moment touching. He.. never liked big groups but he missed the camaraderie of a big family group. His eyes flickered between Hayden and Nate, before he nodded and smiled. “Yes come on in.” Alex said, moving away from Nate and into the kitchen. He did not know that Nate was bothered by the noise in the cafeteria, and Alex just wanted to surround himself with family again.

Jacob looked at Soren and blushed, nodding. “There is something about Nate that I can’t explain but I feel like, I want to take him under my wing. He seems to have lost his way, lost his purpose or passion. And I.. think I can help him. Or I’d like to try.” Jacob admitted, looking at Soren. “Is that okay? To try and take him under my wing?”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Now that he had permission to enter, Hayden stepped inside and moved as directed to put the box down. “I don’t have much. I can’t carry a lot and make it very far with my leg, though it’s not so bad today.” He eyed their front door. “I assume the rest of the boys will be here soon. Um, Josh, Jacob, and Soren.” He smiled. “We are, um, kind of a pack I guess. We so often move together. I hope you don’t mind. Soren really wanted to bring everything yesterday, but Kai and Ezekiel let us know that you needed time.” Hayden didn’t want to sound like he was judging or prying. “Whatever we can do to help, we are all here for you.” Nate stepped away from the rest. Observing. Waiting. His eyes and cheeks were so heavy as he peered into the little container of food.

If they had not been caring boxes, Soren would have wrapped his arms around Jacob and spun him around. “I told you years and years ago that it would always be okay if you wanted to adopt a kid. We were going to make it work. If you think you want to work with that boy, then that’s what we’re going to do.” He believed in no one like he believed in Jacob. They were coming closer now.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex looked at Hayden and nodded, hearing his words. He was touched that his brothers had paused this whole thing last night. They needed a night to themselves, to be alone. “We appreciate that. And of course, we’ll let you know if we need anything.” Alex said as he looked at Nate, concern in his features. Meanwhile the three men had gotten to the small gate by the farmhouse and Josh opened the gate for them. Jacob looked at Soren and smiled, warmly. “Thank you. I really think I can help him.” Jacob said as they walked towards the farmhouse, Josh shutting the gate behind them as well.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden turned when he heard the gate. “Oh, that must be them. They are so much faster than me.” He smiled as he turned back to Alex. “I wasn’t much of a warning, was I?” The longer he stood there, the more he decided that he wasn’t going to eat after all. It didn’t matter that he was hungry. So he stepped away from that and moved to the living room where he sat on the very edge of the couch, leaning against the arm. Soren moved up to the door and knocked. Nate jumped. Hayden stepped to the door to open it for them since he was the closest. “Good morning, everyone. We’re right in here.” He turned to Alex. “Please feel free to deny anything you don’t want. It will not hurt any of our feelings.” Soren shook his head. “That’s what you say. I’m going to be very upset if you don’t take this…” he set the boxes down and picked up the first thing he saw. “Plate with flowers on it.” He raised it and shook it. “Horribly upset.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex looked towards the door when he heard the gate, then he noticed Nate head into the living room. He sighed before his attention was drawn to the three new people. Jacob rolled his eyes at Hayden’s words, and then at Soren’s. Josh moved over to his husband, and set his own box down. Jacob’s went beside Soren but his attention was on Nate. He placed a hand on Soren’s arm and tipped his head towards the young medic. Then he moved over towards him, taking a seat beside him. “Hey you. How’s the wrist feeling?” Jacob asked, looking at Nate. Josh had a feeling of what Jacob was up to and he motioned for Soren and Hayden to help him unpack the boxes. “Oh Alex. Here, we found this.. wonderful silver utensil set.” Josh said, trying to keep everyone’s attention away from Jacob and Nate.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Soren followed Jacob’s gaze and nodded. He did not want to interrupt Jacob’s work. If anyone could work with Nate, it was probably him. He didn’t know much about Nate, but he did know about Hayden, and he was certain that Jacob was how Hayden survived. “Excuse you? Are you saying that your silver utensils are better than my floral dishes? These are priceless.” Soren looked at Alex with a grin. “You know, because we don’t have a currency anymore.” Hayden rolled his eyes. He gently pushed the two men out of the way. “If you two would stop playing around, we could actually show him what we brought. It’s a lot of household goods that we knew you didn’t have.”

Though it was so much better now that he had cried with Alex, now that they had shared this moment together, Nate was still not ready for more. He wasn’t ready for most things it seemed. He was broken. Literally and figuratively. Mentally perhaps. He was doctor enough to know that. Not a doctor. He could never be a doctor. He was not a hero. He looked up from where he was staring at the cast. He tried to smile at the man. “Um, it’s fine. It…” He looked back at it. “Hurts. But it’s… okay.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex looked Josh who smirked and nodded, holding his utensils in his hand. “I am saying that my silver utensils are much better than floral dishes.” He said, chuckling as he looked at Hayden. Josh rolled his eyes as he heard him and shifted slightly. “But dear I’m just proving my utensils are better.” Josh said with a laugh as Alex chuckled. He looked at the different household stuff that was laid out. Most of it he’d only seen a few times in his life. But some of it he had seen and used before.

Jacob could see that Nate needed someone other than Alex. He seemed almost broken and Jacob knew what that was like, he’d dealt with Hayden since the beginning of this mess. Twenty five years ago. “Well, I can give you pain medicine if you’d like.” Jacob said, trying to figure out exactly how to start getting Nate to talk him. Or how to let him know that he was there to listen.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Soren shook his head. “I don’t see why your silver is any better than my… what is this? Porcelain? I have no idea.” He shrugged and then went back to his silly argument. “The point is that I’m obviously the cooler adult adult here, so you should like us more.” He winked as Hayden shoved him out of the way, both of them laughing. They pulled out quite a few things from the boxes. One had a container of various foods and ingredients that they could use for meals. Most were household items. There was a lot. Soren grabbed a bunch of things that they never used or didn’t use as much anymore. He even brought things they did use with the thought that he had the means to get replacements better than these two newcomers. “So, how did we do?” He asked Alex.

Nate wasn’t expecting that. He shook his head slightly. “No, that’s okay.” He didn’t want to be a bother. Other people needed it more. “We never got to have medicine before. Don’t reckon I need it too much now.” What was the use of feeling less pain if he couldn’t use the hand anyway. That seemed like a waste when it could be used on someone who needed to move and do something. “But thank you.” He looked at the cast. Thought a moment. “Shouldn’t hurt this bad too much longer anyway.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Josh rolled his eyes as he looked at Soren, chuckling a little. “Yeah, you’re the cooler adult here, sure. Whatever you say buddy.” Josh said as he moved when Hayden shoved them, laughing. Alex looked at everything they brought and he felt tears of happiness and gratitude slip out. “This stuff is wonderful. Thank you all for it. We appreciate it.” Alex said, looking at them. He could see why Kai loved his family so much, they were really great. And he was glad he finally got to meet them.

Jacob listened to Nate and he couldn’t help the small chuckle slip out as he shook his head. “Okay. But you know, we have plenty and you don’t need to suffer from pain.” He said, the conversation reminding him of several he’d had with Hayden over the years. He would rather live with pain then take medicine from others. “So. When did you start learning and practicing to be a medic?” Jacob asked, perhaps learning more about his beginning will help him learn more about him. For the first time he really wanted to be like a parent, and he was starting to see why Hayden liked it so much.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden smiled warmly, taking a seat at the table. “I know it’s not perfect. You will still have to acquire some other things on your own and work to trade like everyone else, but it’s a start.” He reached for Alex’s hand. “And I meant it when I said that whatever you need, we can help you with. And also that you don’t have to take or use all of this.” Soren was holding a truly absurd looking cream dispenser in the shape of a cow. “Hayden Liam Smith. How dare you assume that Alex does not want this antique… thing.” Hayden rolled his eyes.

Nate knew about medicine. There wasn’t enough in the world anymore. He would know. He had traveled so many places, and they were having to work with what was left. The world was running out. He couldn’t see how Jacob thought that they had plenty. “Um, not really sure when exactly. Kinda was interested early on. I liked to read all the medical journals back home. And my mama let me keep them when we came across them when we traveled.” He couldn’t remember how old he was when he started actually patching people up. “I guess maybe seven years ago? Maybe more? Ben always needed something. Not enough people were helping. They just did a lot of fighting and falling. So I tried to learn.” He shied away a little. “I was training sort of when…” His words fell away. The memory was painful. “Never got to be anything too good. Not like… not like a real medic.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex chucked softly, before he felt Hayden take his hand. “Thank you, really. And we’ll take it all, even that thing.” He said, looking at Soren holding the cow cream dispenser. “And I appreciate everything you all have done so far.” Alex said softly, his gaze looking at each adult. “Y’know, I never thought I’d meet the men who raised Kaiden, but I can see now how lucky he was to have you. Really.”

Jacob looked at Nate, listening as he did. “I think I was a little older than you when I realized that I liked patching others up. Of course it was usually my twin brother or Josh, or Hayden that I’d fix.” Jacob saw him shy away near the end of the world. “Well. You seem awfully smart and knowledgeable about medical stuff. What would you say about working with me in the medical tent? I think you’ve got the makings of a real medic, and maybe even a nurse or doctor if we were in the old world. What do you think?” Jacob asked. Maybe getting Nate alone, where Jacob could really talk to him wasn’t such a bad idea. Sometimes when you separate and are alone, it’s easier to talk.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden almost blushed. He spent so much of his life trying to be a good father for Kaiden that he did not ever think about how it would be to anyone else. He never did it for Kai to tell others about him. He never even really expected outside sources to think about it. This meant that Kai talked about them a least some of the time, and it did not seem to be bad things. He lowered his head with a grateful smile. “We know that Kai has had many wonderful influences on his life, and I am glad that we have finally gotten to meet you. You mean so much to him. Both of them.” Now that they had Ezekiel too, they knew that Alex meant far more. “Speaking of them, I am sure that they were be along soon as well. I would not be surprised if Cameron and Emmett stopped by too. Everyone is very excited about your arrival.” He paused. “But we can slow down the welcoming if you need.”

All that Nate ever wanted was to become someone who could really help others. He could not be a soldier. He was not great at being a scout. He was never any good at being part of wars. He thought that there was too much death and destruction. It was time for some peace and healing. That was why he was so fascinated with the human body. With the right pushes, the body could do all that healing by himself. This medic, maybe more, was offering him the chance to be that person who could do more. He wanted it so badly. “I- I’m sorry. I… can’t.” He looked down at his cast then looked away. No amount of good could take back what he did.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex smiled at Hayden, smiled at Josh and at Soren. These men, and Jacob too, were names he’d heard in stories, names that he never thought he’d meet. But, life is different and anything can happen. “Kai and Ezekiel mean so much to me. And in all honesty, if they hadn’t gone out that day, I doubt I’d ever have met them.” Alex said softly before he looked over at Nate and Jacob. “Maybe slowing down their arrival wouldn’t be a bad thing.” Alex admitted.

Jacob sighed, softly but not disappointed. “You can’t or you’re scared to? Now, please don’t mistake my honesty for being crass. I’ve dealt with more than I could admit, but I see you. I see who you want to be but, you’re holding yourself back. I know someone who was so traumatized by this world, by fear and loss and death, but looking at him now? He’s come so far and gone through so much but he was so much like you. So, tell me Nathaniel. Are you scared to try and be a medic again?” He asked. Jacob needed to know if Nate was scared or just.. needed a little push. It would make helping him easier. “Because no matter what, you have me. I’ll stick around and teach you if you want, or just to make sure that wrist heals appropriately.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden could recognize how that might be true. It was the time of not following directions that led to their meeting Alex and Ezekiel. Hayden did not know the whole story, and it was better for a long time that he did not. Now, he would be able to handle it better. He was more equipped for it. “I think you may be right. You know what else? I think the day they decided to do that, a lot of things changed for the better. You and Ezekiel were one of those things.” He gently squeezed the hand that he had. “I am glad that I can now thank you properly for that. Thank you for being exactly what our son needed. What we needed too.”

The question caught Nate off guard, and he did not know how to react. Scared? Was he scared? Yes. He was terrified. He could recognize that in himself and his actions. Was he scared to be a medic? He had been helping people heal for so many years. He helped his mama and his brothers. He helped anyone that they met in their travels. He helped Alex and their brothers. Except he didn’t. He didn’t help them or his other brother. He killed his brothers. Alex could not make him think any different about them. He pulled that trigger. He looked away as Jacob spoke. He wanted to teach him. “Who?” He was stuck on the example. Like he needed proof that this could work. He needed to know.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex did not know if they could tell Hayden the whole story, or how much he really knew. He felt that squeeze and heard Hayden’s words. “Kai helped us too, he and Theo. They showed us that not all wolves were bad. That some were just.. soldiers following orders. And you’re welcome. I’m glad we helped them. Helped you.” Alex admitted, smiling at him.

Jacob heard the question, and a smile grew on his face. He simply pointed a finger towards Hayden. “Him. It took a lot to get him through his trauma. He had to break down and rebuild himself, and I was there for every step of that journey. I helped him heal. And he lost so much. Parents, sister, brother. Along with watching the world break around us. Watching it change and people turning on people, eating them. Watching neighbors get killed by his husband, fiancé at the time, and look at him. He’s gotten better. You can too. It’s very possible.” ​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden could not help but grin at that last bit. They did help him. In helping Kai and Theo, they helped Hayden and their entire family. It had been a long time coming, but Alex was always meant to be part of them as well. He dropped his hand and turned to his entourage of men. “I am sure you don’t want us bogging you down your whole morning. That was all we came by to say. I can intercept the others coming if you would like.” He turned his attention to Nate and Jacob, and he wondered what they were talking about. He want not sure if he should stop them.

Nate locked eyes with Hayden for a moment then looked away feeling a bit awkward for it. He would never have guessed that Hayden was so broken. Was may have been the keyword. As in not broken anymore. Or perhaps not broken enough to be so obvious now. If Hayden could change like that, could Nate? He didn’t know. He still was not sure he deserved the chance. So he took a chance. “I killed people. Didn’t just watch someone else do it.” He looked at his hands. “Doesn’t really sound like a medic, does it?”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex looked at Hayden and smiled, listening to him. Josh, chuckling looked at Soren. “Yeah, he’d hate to bog down their morning. Acting like he isn’t trying to adopt them.” Josh said with a a grin on his face. Ever since they’d talked and really started listening to each other, he found himself so much lighter. Laughing more, smiling even more, it was nice. “If you could intercept them that would be nice. We should be okay for visitors in the afternoon.” Alex said with a smile.

Jacob looked at Nate, an arm wrapping around his shoulder. “We’ve all killed people. Josh killed both my dad and Hayden’s, Hayden’s sister and he killed his brother on accident. I killed a few FEDRA when they attacked our medical tents. This life, medic or not, soldier or not, warrior or not, we’ve all killed. And look at Josh, he never used to be so happy, for a long time he held onto his emotions but once he broke and talked to Hayden, everything changed for the better. We love, we lose, we kill and we save. The circle of life moves on and all we can do as medics is save as many as we can, and accept and grieve those we lose.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Soren shook his head, arms across his chest. “He definitely wouldn’t stay here all day and dad them like they’ve been his for their whole lives. Do you remember when Emmett came by the medical tent and-“ Hayden swiveled around to face the other two men with wide eyes, but his smile was huge. “That’s enough, boys.” He stepped to them, hands on both of their shoulders. “We aren’t here for that.” He lightly tapped Soren cheek as well as Josh’s, though he then also kissed his husband’s. “You don’t get to scare away my prospective children.” He turned back to Alex with a chuckle.

Nate had not heard something so real and profound since his mama. That hit so deep in his core that he felt the tears welling in his eyes. His mama was the only one who could ever do that to him. She could look him in the eyes and tell him exactly how this world was. How it hurt, and they had to keep going. He missed his mama so much. When he looked at Jacob, he felt like maybe this man was like that. Like the parent he lost. Without even thinking about it, so moved by the moment, Nate leaned forward and threw his good arm around him. He meant to say thank you. He meant to appreciate what this man was doing for him. Instead, other words came tumbling out. “I’m so scared that I can’t do that. That I can’t… be the hero.” Alex told him that he was a real life hero, and Nate knew he wasn’t as much as he wanted to be. ​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Josh chuckled, nodding his head as he heard Soren’s words. He didn’t get to say much when he heard Hayden, felt the hand on his shoulder and then the light tap to his cheek. He smiled at the kiss though. “I would never scare away your prospective children, just.. warn them for what they’re getting into.” He said, grinning. “Though I think you lost one of them dear.” He said, nudging Soren and then Hayden. Alex flicked his eyes over and smiled, seeing the two.

Jacob felt the good arm thrown around him and Jacob wrapped around Nate. He kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back. He flicked his eyes up to Soren, one hand gesturing for him to come over. He pulled away a little and looked at him. “You don’t have to be a hero, you just have to be you and for him? That’s all he needs. Is you. Josh is a hero to Hayden, and Soren here is my hero. Because all I want is him as he is. And Nathaniel, he would be here for you too. He is my husband, and we’re both here for you. I’d love to teach you everything I know if you want.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

“Sorry Hayden,” Soren said as he nodded to Jacob. “This one is mine.” He walked away from his group to join the other. Hayden smiled at the display. As much as he loved to be a dad, he was excited for Jacob. This was something he was more than happy to share. He turned back to Alex. “Don’t let Josh alarm you. All he means is that this family is yours if you want it to be.”

Soren made his way over to Jacob and Nate, crouching down in front of them so that he could be more central to the conversation. He placed a hand on Jacob’s leg and listened. He had many years to get ready for this day, and he was. Nate didn’t know what to do. It felt like it had been so long since he had support like this. He had Alex, and he was wonderful. He had Kaleb and Carlos, and Kaleb really helped him a lot. He had Max and Ben. He even had Cameron. But none of them were like how is mama used to be. He craved that, and didn’t know just how much he needed it until then. He wished he could find a way to hug them both, so instead he hugged Jacob again and looked at Soren with pleading eyes. Soren was reminded of when Kai and Theo were little. He wrapped his arms around both of the others. “I’m gonna take that as a yes.” Nate snorted out a mixture of a laugh and a little bit of a cry. Nothing big. Just the moment where it was hard to breathe and the tears came falling down. Just a little. These people were just so good to him. It meant the world. ​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex watched Soren walk over to Nate and Jacob. His heart was full seeing his partner finding a family, finding them. This was wonderful to Alex. His attention was drawn to Hayden, hearing him as Josh chuckled. “I would love to join this family, and I think Nate already is.” Alex said with a laugh, he turned to Hayden and swallowed a little. His own father hadn’t been.. very loving. He was the epitome of a Seraphite warrior and his mother wasn’t as motherly as she should’ve been, not after the loss of David. He wanted a family, parents and brothers and his love. And he was shy, but he wanted to hug Hayden, yet didn’t know how to initiate that.

Jacob looked at Soren, felt his hand on his leg, then felt Nate hug him again. He hugged Nate tight and felt Soren join in on this group hug. He had never thought he’d find someone he wanted to adopt but here they were. He pulled away from the hug to look at Nate. He saw the tears on his cheeks and he slipped his arms free from the hug and put them on Nate’s cheeks and wiped his tears. “Welcome to our family Nathaniel.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden was usually pretty good at reading people, at least he was pretty good at reading people who needed him. That was why he insistent on coming here even before they were asked. Before Kaiden and Ezekiel or Cameron and Emmett could show up. He could see that there was a need for family. These two lost family. Hayden could see that in their eyes. It was his job to fill that vacancy. He grabbed Josh’s hand and pulled him closer to Alex before he gently pulled Alex into a hug. There was something about the way he was so specific in his answers. The way he stood there. Hayden knew this was what he needed. “Then this family is already yours.”

Because of the position of the hug, Nate could not bring his hand up to his face to hide away the tears. He could not wipe away the signs of this overwhelming emotion. For the second time that morning, and it was only morning, he was completely vulnerable. For the second time, he trusted the people around him to take care of him while he was. After a moment of trying to regain control of himself, he looked up to Soren who spoke. “Now I’ll never get away from all that science talk,” he chuckled. Nate wasn’t able to say anything back, but he did laugh.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Josh felt Hayden grab his hand and he moved closer to his husband and Alex. Alex who felt Hayden pull him into a hug. Who felt another pair of arms wrap around him. Alex felt tears fall down his face as he buried his head into Hayden’s chest, Josh tightened his grip on both as he heard Hayden’s voice. “Thank you.” Alex managed to say, his voice wavered slightly.

Jacob smiled warmly at Nate, and then his gaze flicked to Soren. “Hmm. I think we should only talk science whenever we’re around him. What do you think?” Jacob asked, his voice teasing as he looked at Nate with a smile on his face. “And our door is always open if you ever want to talk to me. And if I’m not home, I’m in the medical tent okay?”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Emmett Adler, Ezekiel Finch, and Theophilus Sharpe (and the Smith Clan)
Former Fireflies and Former Seraphite | 21, 24, 29, 25 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden was not sure how this morning would go given the way that the day ended yesterday and that they did not really know the two men, but he was more than happy for this to be the result. He may not have gained two more children the way he might have planned, and that was okay. He was content as long as Alex and Nate got what they needed. He held Alex close like he had known him his entire life. He kissed the top of his head like his parents did for him even when he was older and the way he still did for Kai when he needed that. “You are more than welcome.” Finally he pulled away so that he could look at Alex. “Here I was saying that we were going to go and then we didn’t.” He smiled at Josh. “That really is the most me thing, isn’t it?” He put both hands on Alex’s cheeks. “We all need a little help sometimes. Maybe a lot of help.” He lowered his voice in a fake whisper. “I need help all the time. I don’t know what I would do without everyone else. So whatever you need, you can always find us.”

Nate giggled. It was such a strange feeling to have this kind of goofy joking. They had this with Kaleb and Carlos. He had it with Max and Ben. He never really had this with his mama. All of that was sad, and he was glad that he could have this specifically with Jacob and Soren. He nodded, trying to find the strength to talk again. “Thank you,” he whispered so low he was afraid they couldn’t hear him. Soren reached over and lifted Nate’s gaze. “Chin up, kiddo. Everything is going to be alright.” Nate nodded again. He didn’t even mind being called kiddo. 21 wasn’t really that old. Sometimes, he still felt like a little kid.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Cameron Harris, Kaiden Lachlan and Elijah Lewis (And the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former Firefly, Former WLF, Former Seraphite | 19, 23, 26, 27 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex felt the kiss to the top of his head and it warmed his heart. He looked at Hayden when he pulled away and a smile grew on his face. Josh chuckled softly, kissing the side of Hayden’s head. “Yes love, it is a very you thing to do.” Josh said as Alex felt both hands on his cheeks and chuckled at the words. “Yes we do need help sometimes.” Alex agreed, feeling the tear tracks dry on his face.

Jacob heard that soft whisper and smiled warmly. He heard Soren’s words and nodded. “You’re welcome buddy. And when you’re ready, you can come down to the tents with me and we can talk science and medical all we want. Maybe not bore Mr. Boring patrolman over here.” Jacob said, looking at Soren then back at Nate.​