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

[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

A crack. His eyes instinctively moved towards the sound, and he smiled. The movement of the pinecone caught his eye, and he swiveled around to the opposite side. Good try, lovebug. He scanned the area quickly, but he did not see any movement. He stayed still, though the longer he did not move, the longer it occurred to him that Jordan was too well hidden. It was too quiet for him to have moved. Asher moved silently closer to where Jordan was, though he didn’t know it. He was not sure exactly where the pinecone came from. He had to be close. This was mildly frustrating but in a good way. He closed his eyes, shutting off the trick of eyes and enhancing sound. Touch. Any movement. Where did you go?

Theo shook his head. “Normal kissing is not gross. Old people kissing definitely is. They’re like dads. That is super gross.” Rowan nodded fervently, because all kissing was gross. They decided this the other day when they got the clothes. So gross. He and everyone else ate. Hayden sighed. “I think that is an unfair assessment. If you are calling the two of them old, you’re calling us old. And I don’t think we’re that gross.” He smiled, trying not to let himself fall into the trap of thinking about where Kai was. He was probably fine. Carlos laughed. “No one kissing anyone is gross. It’s great! You boys will get it one day.”​

 

[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

Jordan bit his lip as he lost Asher, not seeing where he went, so he let out a inaudible sigh and shifted in the leaves. The leaves in turn rustled a little as he slipped down to the ground, hiding in a bush as he peered out. His gaze turned left and right, trying to see if Asher was drawing closer to him. Ah! There he was... oh. This way, okay. Jordan took a step back, slipping around the tree and hiding behind it's trunk, pressing back against the bark as it dug into his back. He almost let out a hiss as the rough bark scratched his back a little bit but he remained quiet, still, silent. He wasn't going to get caught because of a simple scratch.

Killian looked at Theo and nodded as well, as he looked at Carlos, hearing him laugh. "No!" He giggled as he ate happily. Kaleb chuckled as he also began to eat while Alex looked over at Hayden, hearing his words. "I don't think it's gross." Alex replied as he smiled at them. Josh could see Hayden was trying to not think about Kai, it was just how his husband was. He pressed his body against Hayden. "He's fine. He's young and in a still new relationship. How many meals did we miss back when we first got together, and how often did Soren and Jacob leave us alone through the years?" His voice was soft as he leaned his face near his husband before kissing his cheek gently.​

 

[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

Did he hate that Jordan was so good at this or did he love it? Asher wasn’t sure. Maybe both. That was how he lived his best life. He thought about ways he could draw Jordan out. He could use so many different tricks. Throw his own diversionary rock to make Jordan move. Throw his voice. These were tricks he already used today, which made them less likely to work. They also required for Jordan not to be able to see him or to know where he was. Clearly Jordan already knew if he was working on moving Asher off course. Fine. New plan. He moved off course. If he was where Jordan wanted him, he would leave. He moved off to the side where he knew that Jordan wasn’t. Wish sharp senses, he looked for anything that could offer him clues of where he went.

Nate laughed. “You wouldn’t.” He looked over at the little ones who would say that anyone would be gross. Carlos would never think that. Theo saying it was a bit strange, though he guessed that it might be a bit strange if he watched his mama kissing someone. Hayden narrowed his brows at Josh. “They continue to leave us alone frequently. They are a bit much. I was not expecting for Kaiden to find someone and be so… similar to Soren and Jacob.” He shook his head as he ate. “But they have a right to be so. I understand.” He did. It was different, and he was going to be fine as soon as he got used to it. If he ever did.​

 

[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

Jordan caught sight of Asher once more and narrowed his eyes as he saw him slip away. Watched as he left the area, and he could only hope that it was the pine cone that had done its job of distracting Asher. He smirked and slipped away from the tree and headed in another direction far away from his partner, or so he thought. He moved through some thicker bushes and they rustled as he did so, he was moving in a wide arc of where he thought Asher was still. Jordan knew it was a poor decision to have him chase him, but it was quite enjoyable.

Alex chuckled as he looked over at Nate, as they started eating. Kaleb simply leaned into Carlos as he ate while Eli simply smiled as he listened. Josh looked at Hayden, seeing him and smiled a little bit. “But he’s happy love. Our boy is happy and loved. Even if they take more after Soren and Jacob with staying home more often and missing meals.” Josh replied as he ate. He knew this wasn’t easy on Hayden, especially after always sharing a meal with their son.​

 

[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

Asher’s ears and eyes were in hyperdrive. Somewhere, Jordan was hiding. He was clever. He was good at this. Suddenly he was really understanding why he lasted so long in Pittsburgh with so many ruthless hunters after him. This was how he managed to get passed everyone else to run into Asher. He was smart. Smarter than Asher? That remained to be seen. Rustle. There you are, sweet lamb. He smiled as he quickly changed course and silently moved through the trees, closer to where he was sure that Jordan had to be. It was finding him that was going to be the hard part. That may only work if Jordan really slipped up or decided to handle this like Asher handled the other and reveal himself with his own version of a win. They were so equally matched. Asher kind of loved that.

Happy. Yes, that much Hayden could tell. Kai was finally truly happy. Everyone was so happy. Even when there were things that were a little less amazing going on, everyone was still happy. For that, he was genuinely thankful. They worked an incredibly long time to finally be happy. “I know.” He too ate his meal as did everyone else. As they finished, Rowan looked over at Eli. “Can we go to school now?” Carlos raised both brows. “They’re going to… school?”​

 

[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

Jordan grinned as he caught of glimpse of Asher through the bushes. He slowly and methodically slipped around in a wide arc around him. Quietly, stealthily. Jordan had a grin on his face that couldn’t go away as he moved. There you are gorgeous. He snuck up on him, eyes focused on his partner with a laser focus. His feet barely made any sound, his breathing was so quiet it was like he wasn’t breathing at all. He smirked as he was about fifty feet from him when he took off running towards him, intending to bowl into him in a similar way as he ran into him in Pittsburgh three years ago.

Josh looked at Hayden and smiled warmly. He turned to his meal as well as everyone else. Kaleb heard Rowan’s question an then heard Carlos. “Elijah and Theo offered to bring the boys to school. They are of age after all and it would give them a chance to meet new friends. But only if you’re okay with them going as well.” Kaleb said as Killian looked at Carlos. “Please dad, can we go to school?” He asked as he gave him a puppy dog face.​

 

[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

In the quiet, it was like the two of them disappeared. There was no more Asher or Jordan in this world. There were trees and bushes. There were forest animals. Not them. They managed to phase out of existence as they hid and hunted. Asher scanned the area and was coming up with nothing. Jordan was so good at this that it was becoming a lot more than impressive. He was honestly amazed. They should do this more often. He had not been able to exercise these skills in a long time, and they were his best ones. He heard the crashing feet behind him as soon as Jordan started running. He whipped around and suddenly he had a moment of déjà vu. As Jordan came barreling towards him, he could see three years ago as Jordan was running straight at him. He had the same sense of wonder as he did then. Was he really running straight at a hunter? There were a couple of differences now. Then, he was so perplexed that he did not have time to get away. Also then, Jordan was not aware of Asher’s presence. Both of these were different now. Asher had very little time to react now that he settled into that. He smiled, hands on his hips as he waited for Jordan to reach him. Except he wasn’t about to lose that easy. In the last moment, he attempted to grab Jordan and use his own momentum to pull him to the ground and roll them over so that he could pin him there.

Carlos looked from one to another as he took in this new information. Rowan still didn’t know what school was, but he heard it earlier and he was always up to try new things as long as the people were nice like they were here. He pouted right alongside his brother as they stared at Carlos. Carlos bit his lower lip in possibly the most reserved or even shy way that Carlos had ever been around all the people of their table. “Um, sure. I guess that’s fine.” He smiled to play away the moment before. “It’s never too early to learn.” He leaned forward and placed a hand on the outside of the twins’ cheeks. “And you’re already so smart. You should definitely go to school!”​

 

[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

Jordan knew that Asher would hear him, somehow, he just knew that. So in turn, he wasn't surprised when he saw Asher turn and face him. He kept up his run though. A wide smile on his face as he did, though he wasn't expecting for the grab and then felt himself pulled to the ground and underneath Asher. He panted heavily, smirking as he looked up at the man pinning him to the ground. "You know, I think I like this over staring down the barrel of your pistol." Jordan teased as blue-gray eyes glittered with a happiness he hadn't had in months.

Kaleb saw that reserved and almost shy way Carlos bit his lip. Where did his partner go? He'd never seen the man act like this before. The smile did not deter Kaleb from speaking. "Honey, are you sure you're okay with this?" He asked softly, leaning in so it was just the two of them for a moment. Killian smiled at the hand on his cheek and giggled happily. "Yay!" He cried as he looked at Rowan. "School! We can go to school!"​

 

[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

This was probably not what other people thought about when they considered a simple game of chase either. First they played some strange hunting version of hide and seek and then the same with chasing. It was definitely strange. It was beyond unusual. Asher loved it. He had not had this much fun in a long, long time. When Jordan asked him to go camping for several days, he was not expecting this. He thought that they were going to wander around, eat some beans, and maybe tell stories about a past they were either trying to forget or remember. He let out a low, rolling chuckle. “I bet you do.” He dropped a kiss Jordan’s jaw. It was not planned. He didn’t even really know why he did it. “That was exhilarating. You are very good.” His voice was coated in the way that he was impressed with Jordan.

Carlos did not stop smiling. It was his job to always be strong for Kaleb. He thought about when he broke for Kaleb that night after Kaleb was threatened by those horrible people. He thought about how he really could trust Kaleb to be okay with Carlos not always being the happy and positive one. He also thought about all the years they had together where he needed to be. Now he had to be that for more than only Kaleb. He nodded. “Of course I am,” he answered before taking the hands of both of their boys. “So, when are you going to school?” Theo was right there butting in. “Right now! I loooove to go to the school. Being an adult doesn’t mean that you have to be boring always.”​

 

[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

Jordan looked up at Asher and grinned, chuckling softly as he heard that. "Of course I do." He said, smiling at the kiss to his jaw as he winked at his partner. Jordan heard those words and bit his lip as he grinned, hearing the way Asher's voice was coated, he knew hew was impressed. "Thank you. I agree my love, it was fascinating and I'll admit, you did a great job confusing me." Jordan whispered as he leaned up and kissed him gently on his jaw. "You caught me gorgeous what's your plan now?" Jordan asked, grinning up at him.

Kaleb looked at Carlos as he heard his words, but he wondered if he was just saying it because the boys were right there. He smiled over at them, and Killian was going to answer when he Theo did. Killian instead, worked to eat his food faster. Alex looked at Theo and chuckled, hearing his words. "You would be the shining example of being an adult and not always boring." Alex told Theo as he finished his own food. Killian finished a few minutes later as he excitedly bounced in place, ready to go to school.​

 

[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

Asher shook his head as he continued pinning him to the ground. “No no, lovebug. That is not how this goes.” He pressed a gently hiss to Jordan’s neck. And another. From there, he whispered, “This is your surprise outing. I think I like being at your mercy.” The Asher of a handful of years prior to this would have been appalled by these words. Not only did someone else have the upper hand, but the Asher of now was freely giving it away. In that moment, he loosened his grip and rolled off of him, sitting beside him. “So tell me, did you have a plan for the next thing?”

As everyone finished eating, Carlos stuffed away his thoughts so that he could be the best father that he could. He had so little to help him with that, and he was very quickly learning how incredibly unprepared he was for this. Rowan finished soon after and was bouncing until they could go. Theo, having found renewed excitement, was long since finished. He began cleaning up for anyone who was finished. Nate placed a hand on Kaleb’s shoulder. “We seem to have found ourselves a whole family of excitement.”​

 

[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

Jordan chuckled softly at the words and shifted a little at the kisses to his neck. He hummed as he heard the whisper, though his eyes widened in shock. It wasn't normal for him to hear that. Normally Asher wasn't one to be at someone's mercy, so Jordan felt so.. special. He looked up at him as he felt the grip loosen and then watched as he rolled off him. "Actually, no. I didn't have anything planned until dinner." Jordan admitted, rolling his head to the side as he laid there, looking at Asher.

Kaleb narrowed his eyes at Carlos, he sensed something was still off. He would talk to him when they're alone later. Killian was bouncing in his seat as he watched Theo clean up. "School!" He said excitedly as Eli helped Theo clean up for those that were done before he stood near the door. "Alright boys, tell your dads goodbye so we can head out." Elijah said. Killian looked around wondering how he was going to get down when Josh helped him down with a smile. Kaleb looked at Nate as he finished eating. "We certainly have." He agreed as he stood up and knelt down, as Killian gave him a quick hug before going to hug Carlos.​

 

[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

Asher laid on his back, staring up at the tops of the trees. He watched as leaves and branches moved all the way up there. The color drained from them so they were nothing but shadows. Light did that to you sometimes. “Is it a riveting dinner of beans?” he asked as he too turned his head to face Jordan. He smiled as he ran his fingers through Jordan’s hair. He removed a leaf, plucking it above them. “Lovebug, you’re becoming one with the forest. Maybe we should find a game that involves a little less wallowing on the ground?”

Carlos turned to Killian and specifically got up so that he could bend down and lift the little boy up into his arms for their hug. “You’re going to have such a good day, my sweet boy. You’ll have to tell me everything that happens when you’re done.” He may have decided the best thing to do here was smother him with kisses all over his face. He put him down and turned to Rowan who was standing up on the furniture. Carlos picked him up too. “I have the smartest, cutest little boys.” He did the same smothering for Rowan who squealed until he was put down. Rowan ran to Kaleb for a hug then. Theo was ready to take their hands as soon as they were done. Nate also started cleaning up so that they could more quickly move one. It was good to be efficient. ​

 

[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

Jordan rolled his head so he could look up into the trees above them and he chuckled softly, hearing his partner's words and turned his head to look at him. "It might be." He said with a smile on his face as he felt the fingers run through his hair and saw the leaf that was plucked out of his hair. "Then follow me gorgeous." Jordan said, sitting up and pushing himself to his feet, holding his hand out to Asher.

Killian giggled and laughed as he was picked up and he smiled at him. "I will!" He said as he squealed at the kisses all over his face. Once he was set down, he ran over to Theo, taking his hand with his good one. Kaleb smiled as he watched Carlos give both boys goodbye hugs and kisses. Kaleb knelt down and hugged Rowan when he ran over. "You have a wonderful day at school and listen to Eli. We'll see you tonight." He said, kissing Rowan's head then releasing him and standing up. Alex did what he could to help before everything was taken care of. "I don't think Ezekiel will be working today. So I think I'll go spend time with Cameron and help with the horses. Did you want to come with me?" Alex asked Nate 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

Asher was strangely content to lay there, though he doubted that even in his extremely high mood that he would be able to lay there too long. He smiled at the hand held out to him and without hesitation, he took it. He stood up with Jordan, keeping the hand close to him. He wasn’t ready to let go yet. This was the most them they had been in a very long time. “Okay.” That response shocked himself. Even now, when he was giving himself to Jordan, he still asked questions. He was always curious. This simple okay spoke wonders about the trust between them.

Rowan ran over to Theo as well, taking his other hand. He bounced with excitement. Theo, having been that kid and also still was that kid, laughed. “Eli, I think we are more than ready for this fabulous day of schooling.” He led the little ones to the door. Carlos watched them go as he pulled Kaleb into a hug. Everyone needed something. He needed lots of physical touch. Nate looked towards the door and then back at Alex. “Because they didn’t show up?” Hayden grinned. “Apparently they are very similar to their uncles.” See, he could be a good sport. Nate thought about that for a moment and then blushed. Emmett was the one to giggle at that. “Oh god, he’s so cute I could die.” He turned to Cameron and shook his head. “I could actually die.” Nate, trying to ignore that nodded to Alex and Alex alone. “I like that. I haven’t gotten to hang with Cam in a long time.”​

 

[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

Jordan smiled as Asher took his hand and he squeezed it gently as he smiled at him and he smiled as that hand was kept close to his partner. Without saying anything else, Jordan turned and led the way towards their camp. Once he got there, he turned to the left and went past it. "You're going to love this." Jordan said as he followed a less beaten trail down a hill and then around a bend. Once they came around the bend, the sound of the waterfall echoed around as they came to a swimming hole with a waterfall near the back. "Join me for a swim gorgeous?"

Eli smiled as he looked at the three of them and nodded. He waved to the adults before leading them out of the cafeteria and to the school. Kaleb smiled as he wrapped his arms around Carlos as well. He knew his partner needed physical touch. "Want to go relax at home?" Kaleb asked Carlos, looking at him. Alex nodded as he looked at Nate and chuckled softly before looking at Hayden, and then he saw the blush on Nate's face a few moments after. "Isn't he just?" Alex asked as he looked at Emmett with a smile before kissing Nate's cheek gently. Alex smiled as Cameron did too. "Alright, let's head to the stables. I'll see you soon love." Cameron said, kissing Emmett's cheek gently before he looked at Alex and Nate. Josh looked at Hayden and smiled. "Want to go relax at home?" He asked, wanting to just spend time with his husband.​

 

[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

Asher followed without question or concern. He was happy to go wherever Jordan wanted him. At first, he thought they were going to the camp, and he wasn’t exactly wrong. Except then they kept going. Asher knew the forest though he didn’t know this part at all. Jordan could take him anywhere. He thought about his earlier comment about being murdered and laughed to himself. If this was an elaborate rouse to kill him off, Asher was okay with that fate. He followed through this clearly less used path wondering where exactly they could possibly be going. Oh. The view was breathtaking. He was not moved by nature for the most part. It was probably Jordan’s own sappiness rubbing off of him. He slowed as they neared and blinked in surprise. Swim? “This is less wallowing on the ground…” He actually laughed out loud. “This day is the strangest day. Okay. Let’s swim.”

Carlos nodded the moment that their boys were out of the cafeteria. “I know we should be integrating ourselves into the town. But I need to fix the barn. Not really one for fixing. I used to tear things down.” He kind of shrugged. “I can figure it out. And then I should check to see what else is older and therefore dangerous around the farmhouse.” Hayden also looked at Josh and nodded. “I would like nothing more than that.” He slowly got up and led Josh out of the cafeteria and back home. Emmett was still shaking his head as everyone was ready to go. “Cam. Please play just a little for me?” He grinned as he walked to the door to leave. “He was your best friend so it can’t be hard.” He chuckled and swooned a little before disappearing as well. Nate stood there a little confused. “Do I want to know what just happened?” He was pretty sure that he didn’t. He walked to the door as well.​

 

[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

Jordan smiled as they got there and he looked at Asher, hearing his words and laughed softly. "Yes!" He said as he pulled off his shirt, dropped Asher's hand and ran down the rock, slipping into the water and gasped. It was a nice warm, not too cold and not too hot. "Come on in gorgeous." Jordan called as he looked at him, swimming backwards in a small circle.

Kaleb sighed heavily as he heard that. "Why don't we wait on that. We have a whole family to help us." He said as he looked at Carlos. "I think we should take the day and relax. The last few days have been a little hectic." Kaleb said as he took Carlos' hand and pulled on it to head out the door. Cam looked at Emmett and grinned wide. "Of course." He said, winking at his partner before he turned to Nate. "Nope." He said, taking Nate's hand while Alex grabbed the other one. "Come on love, let's go see the horses." He said as both Cam and Alex led him out of the cafeteria.​

 

[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

Asher’s hand shot to his mouth as he stifled a laugh when Jordan slipped into the water. “That was very graceful.” He considered his options here. He was going to get in the water, though he was not sure how much of his clothes needed to come off. He slipped off his shirt and considered his pants. Wet pants would weigh him down. Even if this was the most relaxed he had been in probably actual years, he could never be too careful. He tossed the pants to the side too and walked into the water like a reasonable person. Huh, that was not at all the temperature he expected. He sank down so that he was sitting on a rock, about half of his torso out of the water. “Not bad.”

Carlos was not sure he liked that idea. If they put this off, when was it going to get done? He had to make sure that the kids were safe. He could not fail them on that again. It was all he could do to be better at this. “Right, and if we wait for the whole family to come back, that is going to be days from now. We have the rest of our lives to rest.” This was not normally an argument that he made. As they walked down the street, he probably was weird that he was the one who was not wanting to laze about. Nate was pretty sure that he missed something, and he was not certain that he wanted to know what it was. Having not known Emmett very long, he was not sure the exact context, though as he thought about it, he could guess. He walked with two of his favorite people towards the stables. “Hey Cam. Whatever happened to Gaige?”​

 

[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

Jordan laughed as he looked over at Asher, winking at him. "I'm a very graceful person." He replied as he watched Asher pull his shirt and pants off before he joined him. Kind of. "Well that's not swimming gorgeous, that's sitting on a rock." He said as he swam over and grabbed Asher's hand, pulling on it to bring him into the deeper part of the swimming hole. "Come on love! Swim with me!" He said with a big smile on his face as he laughed.

Kaleb looked at Carlos and sighed heavily. "No, we can work on it tomorrow with the others while the boys are at school." Kaleb said adamantly. He never usually argued with Carlos, and usually went along with him. "I'm putting my foot down, you take one step in that barn and I'll be on the couch for the next week." He said as they headed for the main gate.

As the three moved towards the stables, Cameron looked at Nate and sighed heavily. "I don't know. He left San Francisco at eighteen, shortly after the last visit with the three of you, and he came back from Denver a year and half later, different." Cameron admitted as he looked at Nate. His eyes were looking down as he remembered that day. It wasn't long after that he and Emmett had left themselves.​

 

[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

“So I have learned,” Asher mused as he sat on his rock. Until he was no longer allowed on a rock. “Lovebug. I am in the water with you. I have given you the freedom to do whatever you would like. If you take me too deep into this, I will be forced to kill you later.” He said all of this with a smile that wouldn’t leave even when he was trying to be stern or assert what little dominance he still allowed himself to have. “I don’t… swim.” He decided to go with that instead of what else it could be.

“Kaleb…” Very rarely did they disagree on anything. It had to be something pretty big for them to actually do something like that. Kaleb was serious. He understood that there was a lot going on, and Carlos was trying to work through that. How could they sit around and pretend like it was okay that they weren’t fixing these things? “You’re always wanting to do things. Be productive. This is me wanting to do things and be productive. I don’t need to rest. We already did that. Why can’t you let me do this the one time I need to-“ the words caught in his throat and he blinked them away. This was not an argument that he was going to have, because this was not who he was going to allow himself to be. He had to be good for everyone. There was no admission of anything less.

Nate listened, frowning as Cameron told him what little that he knew. He sighed as well as they reached the stables. “Maybe it’s better that way. I don’t think I would want to tell him about Ben…” Nate knew that the two of them were close. They were incredibly fast friends. He did not want to have to deliver the news that he was dead nor did he want to say that it was Nate who killed him. He could only imagine what that would do to his old friend. “I hope he’s okay wherever he is.”​

 

[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

Jordan sighed, shaking his head as he heard Asher. "I doubt you'd have the heart to kill me." Jordan teased as he saw that smile on his face. He dropped his hand and swam over towards the waterfall himself. "Don't swim or scared to swim?" Jordan teased as he looked at Asher with that smile still wide on his face as he looked at him, grinning happily. He didn't really care if Asher joined him but he loved to tease his partner.

Kaleb heard Carlos and looked at him, sighing heavily. "You said yourself that you don't build, you've only ever torn down. So what if you ended up making something look safe when it's not? If we wait for our family, then we'll have more eyes to make sure it's safe." Kaleb said as he looked at Carlos when they walked through the main gate. "It's not a matter of not letting you do this, but making sure its done right." Kaleb added as he looked at Carlos, sighing softly.

Cameron looked at him and sighed softly, knowing how upset Gaige had been when Ben didn't come back. "I hope so. And I understand that." He said softly before he looked at Nate. "You remember my brother?" Cameron asked, knowing there was more to this story and he had only told Emmett and that was because his partner was there when it happened.​

 

[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

Asher could not argue with that. His love for Jordan superseded reasons and therefore meant that he absolutely would not be able to kill him even if he did drag Asher into the water where he couldn’t stand or breathe. He readjusted so that he pulled himself up onto the larger rock and lounged across it in a less him way than it would be something that Jordan or Carlos might do. “Maybe I don’t need to swim. Maybe I like the view from here.” He made a show of watching as Jordan did all the swimming for them.

Carlos did not get angry, so as they talked about this, he was not angry. He was, however, frustrated. Extremely frustrated. That was also one of those things that he tried not to show too often. He liked to be the cool-headed, flirty guy who never had a care in the world. He wanted to bring light where he went, and this was not it. How could he bring light when he was over and over having a hard time being someone that he didn’t know how to be? “You’re right,” he resigned. What else could he do? He walked down the street, trying to reconcile with the fact that he was not ready. He didn’t want to change it. He loved having them, but he wasn’t ready.

Nate nodded. “Of course. We drew a moustache on him.” He laughed at the memory. He looked at Alex to give him some context. “He was older than us, and he was so grumpy all the time. We played pranks on him.” He shook his head. “He had a girlfriend, and they never stopped kissing. It was really gross.” He thought about that and wondered if he should have seen who he was now from back then.​

 

[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

Jordan looked over at Asher, hearing him as he saw him move onto a larger rock where he seemed to lounge much like he or Carlos would. "Really? I'm sure I can give you a show gorgeous." Jordan said as he smirked, swimming towards the waterfall where he could stand just under the rushing water, letting it drench him before he stepped out from under it, his hair covered his face as he did. "Just how hot do I look?" He asked with a big smile on his face.

Kaleb sighed heavily as he heard that resignation as they headed through the gate. "Okay, you need to talk. I can sense that. And none of this, 'I need to be this super great guy who never talks about anything.' either." Kaleb said as they headed up the path. "Spill. I want to know everything that you're thinking. I saw that look at breakfast when school was mentioned, I know you're still beating yourself up for yesterday. How many times do I have to tell you to talk to me? I'm here for you my love. Like in Seattle. You need to break more often, don't hold it in." Kaleb said softly, taking Carlos' hand and held it, squeezing it gently.

Cameron sighed heavily as he looked at him as he explained to Alex who Devin was. Alex chuckled, hearing that though he sensed there was a reason he was brought up. "Well, you know how I said Gaige was different when he came back from Denver? Well. He brought back the news that Devin had been killed during a battle with FEDRA.. I thought you should know. You were my first best friend and you helped me pull pranks on him."​

 

[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

“Mmhm, I know you can.” Asher shamelessly watched as Jordan swam to the waterfall. He was not able to stifle the low groan and sigh as he realized what it was that Jordan was doing. The real answer to that question was immensely. It didn’t matter if he was drenched, though that was certainly not taking away from this, because Asher had always found him to be the most attractive person that he had ever seen. He bit his lower lip as he took him in. “Decently,” he answered, as he still smiled. He swayed just a little on his rock. “Almost enough to make me think about joining you in there.” He thought that this was a good chance to do some challenges. “Almost.”

Carlos could hardly listen to everything that Kaleb was saying for everything that was going on in his mind. He felt like he was being a horrible partner, unable to focus enough to retain it all. A horrible father for not looking out for the kids better. For not thinking about things like school. He was going to marry Kaleb, however that was supposed to work, and that would make him a husband. Could he do that well? He used to think that he was a very good partner. He spent most of his energy being the person that Kaleb needed. There were barriers to bulldoze through and marathons of waiting. He had to demand for his love to be seen. Maybe he was a good partner. Could he be a good husband. He was thinking so long that now it was quiet between them for too long, and he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to tell Kaleb that he had never been afraid like this before. In Seattle, he was afraid for Kaleb. Today, he was afraid for himself, and he had not ever truly had that. “I do talk to you. Every day, all the time.” He was stalling so that he could even start to think about what he could possibly say to him. They reached their gate, and he opened it for them.

“Oh.” Nate, despite the nature of the conversation that they were having before this, had not been expecting that. “I’m so sorry.” He did not know Devin well. Even when he was around, he did not feel like they ever bonded with him or anything. They had too different of thoughts. “Of course Gaige was different…” He really was glad that Gaige wasn’t around. He could never tell him that Ben and Max were dead too. That would be too much. He thought about sharing the circumstances of their deaths with Cameron, but he didn’t. He chose not to say anything about it. “It’s been hard for all of us these last years.”​