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[personal profile] oddbirdout 2024-04-22 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)

"Tough, you've got me holding it anyway," Jay returns, cool and calm in tone even if the look in his eyes is anything but. "I missed the signs once. I'm not making that mistake again."

Sure, it had nearly killed him, too, when their mother had tried to gas them both to death during the night, but he'd learned his lesson. Breaking his hand to escape the cuffs hadn't been fun, but if there's on thing both boys learned from their mother early on, it's to fight tooth and nail to survive.

And while he knows Rook would never hurt him, he knows the same courtesy might not always extend to the man himself. Losing Rook is not something Jay's willing to entertain.

"You're not working through this. At all. You know that's dangerous."

oddbirdout: (09)

[personal profile] oddbirdout 2024-04-22 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)

Jay's eyes narrow and his jaw tightens for a moment as they stare at each other, completely ignoring the people moving around them. He could hang onto Rook and force him to talk, but what good would that do? His brother's prickly at the best of times when annoyed, and this isn't even remotely in the same realm.

No, best he withdraw for now.

But first, "I want weekly check-ins from you. Call if you want, but at the very least a voicemail with the title of that day's paper headline. Do that, and I won't come stalking you like this."

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[personal profile] oddbirdout 2024-04-22 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)

Jay lets him go and doesn't bother to yell at him to do as he says. Rook knows he's not joking and he will do exactly as he's threatened if he doesn't get that first call in a week's time. But that's just how it's going to go - the boys limping along with their broken family dynamic until it eventually repairs itself again.