Fandom The Farmhouse Dream { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Josh listened to Nate, as did Jacob. To Jacob, the idea sounded like a really good one. It was entirely possible to give Hayden back his full range in his leg. In fact, he was kind of surprised he hadn't thought of that himself. Josh on the other hand wasn't so sure he wanted to rebreak his husband's leg just help him. It was a weird dilemma to him. But that little bit of hope in Hayden's eyes made Josh falter for a moment. He knew how Hayden had struggled for years with this, and how often his husband wanted to do things but couldn't because of his leg. "Hayden, if this is something you want to do, then I'm behind you and I'll support your decision." Josh told him, as Jacob thought for a moment before looking at Nate. "You say you're self-taught, but you're very smart at this medical stuff. You would've made a great doctor in the old world if given the chance." Jacob told him. Alex smiled, seeing Nate in his element, it was a beautiful thing to witness. So he continued to sit back and listen.

Kaleb nodded as he felt Asher take his hand and pull him out. Cam waved to them as they left. Kaleb moved with Asher down the street, and then heard his words. "Oh? You going to sneak me out once I'm allowed to leave the town?" Kaleb asked with a grin and a chuckle.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Nate blushed at the compliment. “No no, I don’t think I could have done that. There are real heroes out there who can do things like that.” Like the doctor who could have saved the world. The one who died at the same time as his mama. “And I only know things in theory. I’ve read a lot of the medical journals and texts. I had a lot of time waiting on my mama to get back home.” He walked around so that he could put both hands on Josh’s and Hayden’s shoulders. “I have never done anything like this before. I am not a doctor.” He pointed to Jacob. “He is way more of a doctor than me.” He placed a gentle hand on Hayden’s leg. “And we may not be able to get full range, but we may be able to get it a whole lot better than it is.” He moved to the other side and pointed at the guy who was just now walking into the place. “But we can try. And that’s the best part. We can try to make a difference.” The guy who just walked in was Soren who always came here after their patrols, especially when Josh got himself hurt. “What are we doing?” he asked as he joined Alex towards the back. Hayden laughed. “I think we are going to break my leg again.” He wrapped his arms around Josh. “If this works, you know what we’re going to go do? We’re going to go swimming.” With that okay, Nate bounced up and moved away from the rest of them. “Okay! Okay? Okay! I need to know literally everything we have.” He grabbed Jacob’s hand as he dashed behind and past him, pulling him along. “Aaaand I need to know everything you have access to. I will travel if we have to.”

Asher lightly swung their arms as they walked. “Of course not,” he insisted as he scrunched his eyebrows together. He looked forward to make sure he knew when to turn. “I was going to sneak you out before that.” He flicked his gaze towards his companion and grinned. He pointed forward. “We’re going to turn up here and then it should be close.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jacob saw the blush and smiled a little bit. He could see that he was one to not take compliments well. "The only difference between reading the medical journals and being a doctor or nurse is the field experience." Jacob commented as he watched the two of them. Josh eyed Nate but then he heard Hayden's words and smiled, feeling the arms wrapped around him. "If this works, I can't wait to go swimming with you." Josh said, looking at Nate and then Jacob. The same man who was looking at Soren then at Nate. "So we have a good amount of stuff here, but there's a hospital about forty five minutes ride from here that has all kinds of surgery supplies that we can gather, so what do you need? I know we'd need screws and stuff to screw the leg back and I don't think we have that here." Jacob said as Alex looked at the excitement in Nate as he listened to them.

Kaleb heard that and then the rest of his words and snorted a laugh. "Oh is that so?" He said with a grin. He followed Asher down the road, taking the turn. He looked up ahead to see a gazebo and smiled as he walked. "You are a bad influence." He said with a laugh.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Nate had not been so excited in a long time. Normal people were not excited about getting to cut open someone’s leg and potentially make everything worse. He was be devastated if he made it worse, but it was already pretty bad off. “Um, I don’t know? I’ve never done a surgery before!” To this, Hayden laughed, because he had essentially agreed to let a kid who had enough experience to have sewn some people together perform an extremely invasive surgery on his already messed up leg. He leaned his head against Josh’s. When he could feel him there, it was like everything felt a little bit better. “What’s the worst that could happen?” Nate thought about this and then answered, “You lose the leg?” Because he would amputate before he let it do something worse to the rest of the body. That he could do. He had done that quite a few times actually. Not that his mama knew about that. Hayden slowly nodded. “That’s not so bad. “I feel like that might be easier anyway.” Soren, sitting in the back with Alex, told him under his breath, “I’m actually shocked he hasn’t cut it off himself already.” Nate was running somewhere else in the room. He had so much more energy than Hayden or Soren had anymore. “Alright, let me make a list, and then ugh, shoot I wish I had this one old journal. No, it’s fine! I can do this. We can do this.” He swiveled around to look at as many of them all at once. “Hospital forty five minutes away, yeah? Can I come?” There were a million reasons to include because he should be there with Jacob to grab what they needed. Also, what was more exciting than that? He loved traveling the hospitals.

Asher dipped his head down low. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he countered. “I am not the bad influence. Jordan is by far the worse influence. I cannot help that I took so much from him.” He walked them up to the gazebo and stopped at the steps. “And you are a bad influence.” He grinned. “I wouldn’t have to sneak anyone out if you weren’t on probation.” He led them up the steps and opened his arms out wide. “Have your pick of spots.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jacob and Josh shared a look as they looked at Nate. Josh heard Hayden laugh and felt the head leaned against him. He wasn't so happy to hear that it could happen where he could lose the leg. He was putting a lot of trust in Nate, Jacob and supporting Hayden with this. He just hoped that it would end well for them. Alex looked at Soren, hearing that comment and snorted a laugh. Jacob couldn't imagine having as much energy as Nate had, and watched him. "Yes, you can come with us to the hospital. We're going to need all hands on deck to make sure we can get everything we need from there." Jacob said, looking at Nate then over at Alex and Soren. "Everyone, including you two." He said.

Kaleb looked at Asher, seeing him dip his head down low. "Hmm. Are we so sure it's just Jordan as a bad influence?" He asked, chuckling as they made it to the gazebo. "I am absolutely not a bad influence, that would be Carlos." He said with a shake of his head. "I didn't put myself on probation okay.." Kaleb added as he looked around. He took a seat on a two person bench and padded the seat beside him with a grin.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Nate suddenly jerked to a full stop and slowly turned to face as many people as he could. “This doesn’t have to be today.” It just occurred to him that he came in and potentially disrupted everyone else’s lives. “But also I’m on probation for like a month, so I am not entirely certain that I can go anywhere.” He pressed play on the bouncing and dashed around everyone so that he was beside Alex. If he was going to share his excitement with anyone, it would be him. “Which is probably for the best! A month means I could prepare and really know everything that we need and also see how to perform a surgery.” He smiled nervously. “It’s not that I’ve never done any surgery. I can amputate without issue. I have in fact done that. But I’ve never done an invasive surgery to this extent. I need to research to make sure that my knowledge is accurate.” Hayden squeezed Josh’s hand, and whispered for only him, “Think about what else we could do if this boy could make this work.” He smiled and kissed Josh’s cheek. He glanced towards Soren and grinned. “I have been tempted far more often than you believe.” Soren believed that. “Okay, medical journals, records, and books?” Soren stood up and nodded. “Sounds like a good game of a scavenger hunt. I’m in. There are several places to look in this nice town.”

Asher slid onto the bench next to Kaleb and placed his arm on the back behind them both as he placed the book in his lap. “I think that maybe we were a whole lot of bad influences who converged in the best way.” He held the book with his free arm to read the cover and flip it over to the back. “Are you ready to fall deeply in love with… this vampire guy? Or are we falling in love with the human? I feel that the best way to enjoy this is to be deeply invested from the beginning. Or at least that was what I was told by Emmett.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jacob chuckled, hearing that and then a nod. Right. He should've guessed that the newcomers would be put on probation. Especially after Abby. Alex looked at Nate when he came bouncing over and smiled at him, listening to him. Jacob nodded as he looked between them. "Yes, we can use this time to research and prepare. Perhaps having time to prepare and get things ready, this will work perfectly." Jacob agreed as he looked over at Josh. Josh had felt the squeeze to his hand and heard the whisper. His eyes widened as he flicked his gaze to look at Hayden with a grin. "Mm. So I can prove I'm still not an old man?" Josh asked, recalling a conversation from years ago. Alex looked at them as he heard that and nodded. "Scavenger hunt? Sounds like fun. Let's see what we can find." Alex agreed.

Kaleb looked at Asher as he slid next to him and he leaned back against the bench's backrest and slightly to the side, so his side touched Asher's. "I guess I can agree on that." He said with a smile. "I always fall in love with the love they share together." Kaleb said as he looked at the book. "But I think I'd like the vampire guy more."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Nate slid his hand into Alex’s. “Who doesn’t like a good scavenger hunt?” he asked with a grin. Soren shrugged. “Crazy people. Well, wait, no. All I know is crazy, and they all love a good scavenger hunt. So, is that what we’re doing now? Am I about to raid this town with our newcomers? Because that sounds like fun.” Nate laughed. “My mama told me that I was constantly shaking things up everywhere we went, so that seems about on par with what we do.” Hayden just smiled at all the movement around them. At Josh’s answer, he grinned. “Baby, you are an old man when it comes to the standards of this world.” He captured Josh’s face in his hands and kissed him. “But that doesn’t mean anything to me.” He pulled away and took Josh’s hands. Without looking away, he told whoever was listening, “I’ve got a collection of various science materials. I think I have some of the medical texts from the WLF still. I wasn’t about to leave all that hard work I point into it, even if it wasn’t what I actually wanted to do.”

Asher laughed. “I am trusting you with this story. But if I was going to trust anyone, it would be you. Jordan is lovely, but he doesn’t really sit around doing a lot of reading. I can’t trust that judgement.” He opened up the book. Skipped all the boring first pages. Then he began to read.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex felt the hand slide into his and he smiled, turning to look at Nate. "I have to agree there." Alex said with a smile, while Jacob walked over to Soren. "That's exactly what we're doing. And I resent that, I'm not crazy, everyone else is crazy." Jacob told Soren, taking his hand and smiling as he looked at the others. Josh saw that grin and heard him, chuckling a little bit. "Oh, I see. Got it." He said, kissing Hayden back before he heard that. "I'm glad to hear that." He said while he raised his eyebrows. "You actually brought those with you? Why am I not surprised." Josh said as he snorted a laugh, looking at the others.

Kaleb looked at Asher and smiled wide. "I'm glad you trust me with this." Kaleb said as he shifted, leaning his head onto Asher's side as he looked at the book. "I can't picture Jordan sitting around and reading." Kaleb commented as he fell silent, listening to Asher reading. A contented sigh slipped out as Kaleb enjoyed the moment.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

“I resent that you say that Josh is an old man,” Soren announced as he brought Jacob’s hand up to his lips to kiss it. “You’re right, my love, you aren’t crazy. He’s crazy and also old. What does that make us?” Nate had a potential answer to that. “Ancient,” he suggested as he pulled Alex up. He had things to steal. Hayden waved a hand as he dismissed everyone. “Of course I brought them. I didn’t know where Kai was taking us. I mean, I knew where and had a basic understanding, but what if we were bored? Sure, they aren’t exactly my favorites, however, science is science.” Nate raised a hand to that. “Science nerds for the win.” Soren high fived that hand which both shocked and amused Nate. “Yeah, I’m not a science nerd, but I wanted to join in.” He pointed to Alex. “It’s you and me and the old man surrounded by definitely not crazy people.” He laughed. "So who all is searching around to steal things?"
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jacob chuckled softly as he felt Soren bring his hand to his lips and kissed it. He was going to comment on Soren's question when he heard Nate's response. "Ancient. I like that. Or fossil, that's a good one too." Jacob said teasingly. Alex moved to his feet when Nate pulled him up and laughed softly. Josh looked at Hayden and shook his head as he laughed. "Alright my love. You stay here and keep Jacob company, we'll go find some medical articles." Josh said as he kissed Hayden's forehead. "Okay ancient one, say goodbye to your husband, its us two and the young ones." Josh said, moving towards the door with a grin as Alex shook his head with a laugh listening to them.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Nate turned to Alex. “Do you also feel like when he calls us the young ones that it makes us sound like small children?” Soren clapped a hand on their backs. “Well, since I am literally you having lived your lives three times, then I would see that is it exactly.” He swiveled around and quickly slid an arm around Jacob’s back, pulling him close without warning. He lifted his other hand and swept it across his cheek. “Farewell, my love. The old man cannot keep us apart forever. I will return to you after achieving success on this most noble quest.” He kissed Jacob like one might if he were leaving his love forever. Hayden pushed at his arm. “Josh, can you take the dramatic one now. We have actually work to get done.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Alex looked at Nate and then felt the hand clapped on their backs. "Yeah, it does sound like small children, but at least we aren't ancient." Alex said with a grin as he watched Soren move around and go to Jacob. Jacob felt the arm slide around his back and pulled close. Jacob laughed softly as he felt the hand sweep across his cheek. "Mm. Farewell handsome, I'll see you later. Good luck." Jacob told him, kissing him back the same way. Josh rolled his eyes and kissed Hayden's forehead. "I've got him. I'll see you soon baby." Josh said, grabbing Soren's arm and pulling, aiming to drag him from Jacob's side so they could head out.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Very many people were laughing at this goofy display of affection both from the couple and from the brotherly love. Soren moved away with Josh as he was yanked from his love, letting a hand linger between them as he laughed. “Alright, alright, I’m coming. This is me joining you.” Hayden waved as his people left, sitting down at what had become his desk at some point. He had a lot to think about since this group came to them. Nate held Alex’s hand as they moved out of the building after Soren and Josh. “So, where exactly are we going? Because I’ve only been here long enough to know that I don’t know anything about this place other than it works and it shouldn’t.” He was not sure he would ever get used to the fact that this town ran like a town. Soren shrugged. “This is what we know. We have a bookshop, though I don’t know if Em has serious medical journals and what not. Hayden said he took the ones from the WLF, which is so him. We could head back to their place. I think some people have a stash of old books and things from the old world as a bit of a collection. Josh. You got any other thoughts?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jacob smiled as he watched Soren get yanked away. He turned back and sat down at a desk that had been brought in before they’d come along. “So. Are you really okay with this?” Jacob asked, now that it was just them. Well, it was for about five minutes before the door opened again. Kaiden came in, alone at the moment. “Hey dad. Uncle.” Kai said, a smile on his face. He came in every few days after patrol and got a back massage. He’d fallen a few years ago and his back was already messed up from an old fight. Almost like a muscle was pulled and now it needs massages and rubs to keep it from tensing up and getting much worse. “Hey Kai. Sit down.” He said, as Kaiden sat down and removed his shirt and started massaging the muscle.

Alex walked out of there with Josh, Soren and Nate. Josh hummed as he thought about it for a moment. “Well. We could check our place first and then the book shop or, we each take one of these young adults and split up. One goes with me to my place and then the other goes with you to the bookshop.” Josh suggested as he looked at the other two. “Would you rather stay as four or split and cover more ground?” Josh asked looking at them. Alex shrugged, though he was curious to learn more about these two men. “I don’t mind, it might make more sense to split up.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden felt like he had just gone through a whirlwind of a time with everything that just happened. He looked at Jacob and wasn’t sure how to answer that. “I- I don’t know. I would love for this to be better. I would love to have a working leg again.” But the risk was a lot. Not having a leg, which did seem to be the solution if this went wrong, was not exactly the best solution. He just wasn’t sure. Before he could think it through more Kaiden came in. “Kai.” All the confusion of the moment drifted away as he settled on his son instead. “How has your day been? Is it less chaotic than ours?”

Nate shrugged as well then turned to Alex. “I don’t mind splitting to find things. We can come back and show off the spoils of our adventures.” Soren laughed. “Or lack there of if chance is not on our side. Well, then it’s settled. I’m taking this one,” he slid an arm around Alex’s shoulder. “We bonded over watching that crazy show of brilliance. We can go check the bookshop and maybe anywhere else we happen to find on the way.” He gestured to Nate and Josh. “You two can go check out your place, Josh. And maybe you can pick his brain some more about the potential of cutting open your husband’s leg and breaking his bones.” Nate nervously smiled. “You know it really does sound terrible when you say it like that.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Jacob had heard Hayden’s words but he didn’t have a chance to comment before his nephew came in. Kaiden looked over at his dad, biting his lip a little bit as Jacob started rubbing and massaging the muscles. “Well the patrol was quiet, we only found a handful of infected and they were easy enough to take care of. What was so chaotic here?” He asked, wincing slightly as Jacob found the worst part of his back.

Alex chuckled hearing Nate and felt the arm around his shoulder from Soren. He listened to the split teams and squeezed Nate’s hand. “You got this.” He said encouragingly and kissed Nate before looking at Soren. “Alright, let’s go see what we can find.” Alex agreed and Josh placed a hand on Nate’s shoulder. “Come on medic, you can talk more about this surgery while we walk.” He said, guiding Nate away from the other two.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

It was always a relief when Kai’s reports were that patrols were normal enough. Quiet enough. He had moved on since when he really used to worry, but that did not mean that he never worried. “That’s good,” he breathed as he thought about the chaos of their day. “Well, our new friends like the idea of using my leg as an experiment to see if they can put me back together.” He almost laughed, because the idea was crazy. “That boy really thinks he can do it.” He moved his chair to sit beside the other two. “I can tell. He really thinks that the two of you can do this. You can fix it." Hayden didn’t know what to do. It had been so long since he had the full range of motion.

Nate waved as he moved away from Alex and turned to Josh. “Okay. So, I know it’s a lot to ask, and it’s not like there isn’t risk. There’s so much risk!” He laughed nervously again. “Which isn’t helping my case, I know, but it’s important to know the risks. And that it also might not work. But imagine if it did! Wouldn’t that be incredible?” It would be exactly why he wanted to do what he did.

Soren chuckled as he steered Alex away from the others. “You been to the bookshop yet? Em’s got an amazing selection of things, but I don’t know if he has this. Any time we find books out on patrols and what not, we bring them back to him.”

​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Kaiden may have gotten a little more responsible in his older age of 26 but he still liked adventure. Quiet patrols were not his favorite but he knew his dad liked them. They’d gotten through the really bad days when Hayden worried a lot. He had never imagined he’d have to run away to fix it back then. As Jacob worked on his back, his attention was drawn when he heard that. “Use your leg as an experiment? But.. what if something goes wrong?” Kai asked, worry on his face. “What would happen to your leg if it goes wrong?”

Josh was worried too, but he knew how much Hayden could do if they can fix it. “How positive are you that we can get it fixed? I would love to see him have his full range of motion back. He doesn’t like to let on when it hurts, but I can see it.” Josh said as they walked. “I just want him to feel better. And if this has a chance to do so. Then I’m for it.” Josh said.

Alex looked at Soren and nodded. “I went there earlier with Cameron after we were done in the stables. But I didn’t really look around there.” He said as he walked beside him. “Can I ask you a question?” Alex asked softly, looking at the older man.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Hayden looked down at the leg in question. It hurt. It always hurt. There was a baseline of hurt that he had gotten used to with it. Sometimes, it didn’t even really bother him, because the stiffness was just a part of his life. “If something goes wrong, it comes off.” That was the reasonable answer. He was glad that Nate accepted that as the answer. It was why he asked. If he could say that there was a contingency plan, that made Hayden feel a whole lot better. “And though that doesn’t sound entirely exciting, I don’t hate that option. There had been many, many days that I have wanted to do that anyway.”

Nate considered the question. It was a great question. That was exactly the kind of thing that he wished more people would ask. Granted, he wasn’t go around doing this to people but still. “In this exact moment, doing this with only my memory and the tools that I saw in that building with us, I’m like sixty percent sure that it would work.” This was a low number, he was aware. “But that’s because we don’t have what I need and I’m not super certain my memory is perfect, especially with how the last few months have gone.” He grinned after that. “But, if we can get the right equipment from this hospital, a hospital!, and I can find enough to back up the theories and really support the medical knowledge, I am about eighty percent sure this will work. It’s not more, because I don’t have all that yet. I don’t know if we’ll find things we can sterilize at the hospital. I don’t know if I can find the right journals and texts to support my theories. But if we had that. If I knew we had the equipment and I talked it through with Jacob, I’m like ninety eight percent sure this is going to work. But it’s going to be hard. It’s not just the surgery. He’s got to fight to make it happen. I don’t know him. Can he do that? Can he work hard enough to make it work?”

“Oh the stables! That is great. I love horses.” They moved closer to the bookshop which was not far from where they were. He eyed the younger man. “Sure. I love questions. What would you like to know?” Soren had no secrets. If someone asked him anything, he pretty much would tell them whatever. He liked life better that way. He learned it from being with Jacob.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Kai listened, taking his father’s words in. He was surprised at the solution of things don’t go right. But his eyes widened at the last comment. He knew his dad’s leg hurt often but he didn’t realize it hurt enough to want it to come off. “Dad..” Kaiden’s voice was soft as he thought about what was being talked about. “What do you think? Is it.. this.. something you want? They aren’t pushing you into this are they?” Kai asked, a little distrust and a lot of concern in his voice. Jacob patted his shoulder to signal he was done and Kaiden pulled his shirt back on.

Josh didn’t like the original percentage but he listened. “So basically the more tools we can find, the more books and information, the better the chances that this goes well?” He asked as he summarizing what Nate said. “Because.. if so I’ll do everything I can to find the tools and literature for you. I caused this and I’ll do whatever it takes to make him feel better.”

“Me too. I used to work the stables on the island when I wasn’t training.” Alex said as they walked. “Okay. Uh. What was the world like before the outbreak? I only know what I was told by my people and I don’t know how much truth there is to what they’ve said.” Alex said, looking at Soren curiously.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

It was nice to see the concern on someone’s face who wasn’t Josh. He loved Josh. He really really did, but sometimes Hayden needed to know that it was not just his husband’s concern, especially with their past, that was the problem. “Who’s protective now?” he asked with a smile as he lifted a hand and summoned for his son to walk over to him. “But I understand your point. This was pretty sudden of a thought. He was very excited, and it is true that the excitement is a bit intoxicating.” He knew this about himself. He could easily be swept up in the emotions of someone else. He always had been. Hadn’t Isaac done that with him when it came to his hatred of FEDRA? “It’s not happening right now. And it might not happen. I don’t know. Which is why I wanted to talk to you about it. I want to know what you think. Because the idea sounds like a dream. Do you remember what it was like when you were little, and I could run through the halls with you? When we could do so much?“

“Basically,” Nate agreed. It was more than that. It was more than just that. It was skill and preparation. It was determination. “I know that it’s a lot to say yes to the guy you met yesterday, but I know we can do this. I have seen Jacob’s work, and I know he is more than capable too.” Which left the one real loose end that Nate didn’t know. “The rest is up to Hayden if we get everything else. He’s going to have to put in the effort to train his leg into relearning how to leg. He’s going to have to push it to and past its limits but not too much. He’s going to have to follow a regimented routine of exercises and practices to make sure we get it to do what we want.” He looked at Josh with a hope he always had even when he just met people. Or at least a hope he used to have too fast. He was always too fast to trust.

Soren was not expecting that kind of question. “Before the outbreak? Now that’s a question, isn’t? Well, I guess it was a lot like this town actually. Buildings that were functioning. People who had real jobs like these that aren’t just survive the world. Of course, we had things like money to exchange for goods, and we don’t have that here. I don’t mind it. The money thing was a big problem in the world that was.” He pointed to the lights. “You’ve traveled right? Saw all those things that were overgrown. Everything worked. Those poles with lights lit up light these string lights. Those cars drove like the WLF ones but there were more. I had this great truck. Kind of miss it.” He opened the door to the bookshop. “Clothing stores were nice. Then you didn’t have to wear the same things all the time. Lots of variety.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Kaiden looked over at his dad and sighed, his face turned slightly red. “It came from you.” He replied, but got up and walked over to Hayden. Kai pulled a chair up so he was sitting beside him. He listened to him, and took his hand. He was concerned and thanks to his dad, he’d grown protective of his family. That started at a young age, and the loss of his mother made it stronger. “I think.. it’s a good theory, but what if it makes it worse? And yes. I do remember that. And while I miss running in the halls with you, or running in general, I don’t want you to be even more hurt. Seeing you recovering from the original injury was hard enough but to rebreak it? Dad..” Kai said softly, his worry evident in his voice and tone.

Josh nodded, knowing that Hayden would have to be determined to help fix his leg. “I’ll talk with him tonight about it. Give him some time to think it over.” Josh said as he sighed heavily. He saw the hope in Nate’s eyes and it made him smile. They came to his house, a two story like most of them. “Here we are. Hayden keeps everything he brought from the WLF in the office on the second floor.” Josh said, stepping inside. Their house wasn’t overly decorated, and a few old world pictures had come along when they left Seattle. Him and Hayden in a few, Josh in a couple though his favorite was the one from graduation. Back when the world wasn’t so bad. So broken. He led the way upstairs and pushed open a door to the left of the stairs to show a small office with a bookshelf and covered in different texts that Hayden brought with him.

Alex listened, fascinated. Money? And all kinds of working cars? He tried to imagine the world like this, but it was hard. “Wow. I can’t imagine that.” He said, following Soren inside. Cameron was still hanging with Emmett, sitting on a stool near the desk. “Hey guys!” Cam called as he saw them enter. Alex waved at Cameron, as the conversation on the old world paused as Cameron came over, he knew just as much about the bookshop as his partner. He spent more time there than anywhere else.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Nathaniel Matthews, Carlos Price, Asher McCoy, Ezekiel Finch, Theophilus Sharpe, and Emmett Adler (and the Smith Clan)
Former Firefly, Aspiring Artist, Former Hunter, Former Seraphite, Former WLF, Former Firefly | 21, 25, 32, 29, 25, 24 | Current location ;; Wyoming

That protective nature of Kai’s certainly did come from Hayden. No one could ever top him in that. He smiled as he listened to his son. No one was as important to him as Kaiden. No one’s opinion mattered more. He squeezed his hand and nodded. “I appreciate your worry. When I think about this, it is hard for me, because there are days that I want nothing more than to be rid of the pain and difficulty of it all. There are days when I long for the time when I had the freedom to move like that again. So many days.” He pulled Kai close, holding him like the overprotective father he tried not to be anymore. It was hard. He settled for an unnecessary amount of embraces instead of sending armed guards to his room. “The scientist in me is jumping at the idea. What better way to experiment than on a subject I can control? But then I think about you. What would I do if this were you?” He paused them as he wrapped his arms around him. “That’s a much harder question for me, so I know this is a hard question for you. Every concern you have, I would have for you. And more.” He laughed. “We know how I am. So this is what I want us to do. I will not do this unless we are all sure. All of us. You and me and Josh. Jacob and Soren. If one of us isn’t sure by the time it comes around, we don’t do it.”

“Is this you?” Nate was instantly distracted by a picture. “Is this him? He has two functioning eyes and everything! Did you know that the two of you were the cutest couple I have ever seen? Oops okay analyzing cute phots after searching the office.” He quickly ran to catch up as they moved up the stairs and into the small office. Nate gasped at the bookshelf. “Oh, so he’s that kind of guy…” In that moment, he had no doubt that Hayden would do this. It was absolutely filled with books of all walks of science. Much of them were medical of some sort. A lot of chemical. And… “Marine biology? That doesn’t fit with…” Nate took in the titles more. He had far more chemical and human biology texts, but there was something different about the rest. He turned to Josh. “He isn’t a doctor or a nurse or a medic, is he?” Nate plopped himself on the floor and ran his hands over the spines. They were far more used than the rest. “The outbreak really did him a disservice.”

Emmett waved from the desk with a smile. “You got this, babe?” Cameron spent time in this bookshop like Emmett spent time in the stables. When one of them wasn’t at their normal place, they were at the other’s. With most things, they only needed one of them, so he stayed where he was in case anyone else came in. Soren waved to them both. “Cameron, we are on a mission. Alex has brought with him a medic who thinks he and Jacob can work some magic and fix Hayden’s broken leg.” Emmett, from afar, raised his brows at that. “So we wanted to see if in this treasure trove of a place you’ve got anything that could possibly help us with the kind of surgery that could do that.” Soren leaned in close to both of them. “I have no idea what that means, because I don’t work with magic like these lovelies.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Alexander Brennan, Kaleb Price, Jordan DeShay, Kaiden Lachlan, Elijah Lewis and Cameron Harris (and the Smith Clan)
Former Seraphite, Former FEDRA officer, Former Smuggler, Former WLF, Former Seraphite, Former Firefly | 19, 27, 30, 26, 27, 23 | Current location ;; Wyoming

Kaiden was quiet as he listened to his father and he shifted so he could lean into Hayden. Kai didn’t usually let anyone but Ezekiel, Hayden, Josh and Theo hug him often. Sometimes he’d allow Jacob too but more often than not, he didn’t. He just didn’t prefer people hugging him. It was a personal preference honestly. He listened to his father, and felt those arms wrap him up in an embrace. He was still wary, and concerned but hearing that if anyone had any issues with it or were unsure, they’d stop it right then. “That makes me feel better. Though I want to be here every step of the way. I’m sure I can talk to Maria about handing my patrol off when I need to.” Kai said, resting his head on Hayden’s shoulder.

Josh had paused, hearing Nate’s words and laughed. “He wasn’t always one eyed or injured. There was a time he was as spry as you.” Josh said fondly as he headed upstairs. He leaned back against the door, knowing that all of Hayden’s stuff was on the shelves. His eyes dulled a little with sadness as he heard Nate point out the marine biology and that the outbreak had done him a disservice. He sat down in the office chair and sighed. “You’re right. Hayden isn’t a doctor, a nurse or a medic. He’s a scientist. One that loves the ocean and all of its creatures. Though his favorite is the shark. Ask him about them or his engagement ring sometime. When the world ended, marine biology went with it. Everything changed. So he became a human biologist. Worked side by side with Jacob to create medicines for the WLF. He’s doing that now here. But it wasn’t what he was meant to do.” As Josh spoke, his words were soft and melancholic.

Cameron looked at Emmett. “Of course love!” He said, before turning to Soren and Alex. He rose his own eyebrows at that and hummed. “Fix a broken leg? Hmm. Let’s see.” Cam said, walking past a few aisles and ah. “These two shelves have all the medical stuff. I’m not a medic so I’m not sure exactly which ones would work for him though.” Cameron told them and Alex nodded. “Thanks for your help.” He said, looking at the titles. “Well, I’ll take one shelf and you take the other?” Alex asked looking at Soren.​