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Rook hadn't been a difficult man to keep tabs on when he was fighting, but after that last Incident, he'd completely vanished off the rings, both legit and underground. Still, Jay is nothing if not persistent, and finds his wayward brother, squinting in the afternoon sun as he approaches the construction site where most of the workers are strolling around for their lunchbreak.
After a few questions here and there, he pinpoints Rook's location and whistles up at him from the street, behaving the good civilian for now and not stepping into the construction zone.
"Oi. Lunch on me, c'mon," Jay calls, calmly waiting on the street as he peers up at his brother sat welding at a beam overhead. He doesn't care that it's been months since he saw Rook, it's high time they caught up and Rook got sorted out.
Sean likes Ulysse a lot, one of his best friends, even if there's no longer much in the way of romantic feelings towards. He will always be special, though, given that theirs was his first love. It's a simple, mutually pleasing arrangement they have, fucking whenever it happens to sound like fun.
Sean zips himself up, buckles the heavy utility belt over his uniform that's barely wrinkled and leans against Ulysse's desk, his thigh warm and heavy against Ulysse's right beside him.
"Tonight wasn't awful," he says quietly. "I mean, no one was sent to hospital."
They don't often manage to get everyone in at the same time to eat, but Aidan's been working the night shift so he's available for breakfast before he passes out, Grey and Midnight brought fresh coffee and Kai has cooked. The nurse had had just enough time to have a quick shower by the time the table is set and he gives his brother and Midnight a little smile and wave as he passes them by to stop by the kitchen.
There he finds Kai whom he steps up to from the side, slipping his arm around the other's waist as he murmurs warmly, "That looks lovely. But you've made enough for a small army again..."
He's seated at a terrace with his backpack, aviator sun glasses perched on his nose while he stares at the traffic crawling by. It's too warm to wear the leather jacket that he has thrown over the back of his chair. But he'll be thankful for it when he's riding bitch to either of the gents that are coming to meet him.
When he spots Kimi and Despil wading towards him through the scattered tables of the tiny cafe, he smiles widely and springs to his feet. Kimi will get a proper bear hug first, Arie slapping his back with a grin.
"Fuck, it's been a long time."
Ulysse lets out a quiet huff of amusement, exhausted but satisfied as he absently tidies himself up, pack of wet wipes put away in the desk, jeans done up, shirt pulled back down, hair still down for the moment as he gropes around for the missing tie. "It should say something that that is considered a victory," he comments drily.
The comment sobers him regardless and he sighs, giving up on his search for the moment as he sits a bit more heavily against the desk. "... Anton's been scarce, but that doesn't mean he's going to stop," he says quietly. "He's been getting worse with each visit, and you saw how it got the last time. His boys almost destroyed half the bar before you got here."
Kimi laughs as he's dragged in, playfully ducking Arie's arm at first before conceding to the hug. "Hey there, stranger," he crows, squeezing hard and lifting Arie off his feet for a second before setting him back down, stepping back to get a look at the musician. "Lemme get a look at ya. You're getting pale, man. When's the last time you saw the sun, or have you been too busy partying all night and sleeping the days away?"
He glances back at Despil, winking as he asks, "What do you think, babe? Maybe we need to go by a tanning salon to put some colour on him, first."
At first he thinks hearing his brother's voice is a hallucination. Maybe dehydration? Maybe he's finally going mad. Why would Jay be here bugging him for something so trivial as eating?
Yeah, it's just his ghosts making a noise. He listens for a moment before bending over his work once more. Go away, ghost. Apparently he doesn't eat lunch?
Jay waits a few seconds, seeing how Rook had paused before resuming his work. Rolling his eyes, Jay calls more insistently, "Get your ass down here, Rook. I'm hungry."
He glances towards some of the men on the beam close to Rook, wondering if he dares get one of them to tap his brother on the shoulder. They don't seem scared of him...
No, he doesn't. But he likes teasing Aidan and making him smile. Which is the reason why he's cooking a breakfast just four hours after his shift ended. He's going to keel over to bed with Aidan after they're done eating. But Aidan likes seeing his brother every now and then and Kai likes to provide them a reason to cross paths. Call him sentimental but he likes seeing the men in his life being happy.
"You better not slobber over the eggs," Grey tells them as he pours coffee to both himself and Midnight.
"There's very little I can do about this," he admits quietly. "I could put him to jail but the chief would let him out immediately and most likely I'd be kicked out from the same door opening as he would be let out. I'm trying to get here as fast as I can but it's getting harder and harder. I think someone must be giving him the heads up when I'm tied up with something else."
"Maybe it's a new way to build immunity," Midnight suggests with a laugh, holding his mug up for Grey. "Slobber on eggs instead of a shot of vaccine."
Aidan snorts and gives a warm squeeze to Kai's middle before he draws back, picking up the plate of pancakes to take to the table. "I hadn't heard of this sort of new medical practice," he says, sighing as he takes his seat and sets the pancakes down for people to get into. "Anyway, what are you two up to, today? Any interesting jobs?"
Turning as directed, Ulysse shakes his head and reaches back to give a squeeze to the cops' hip. "Honestly, that's probably for the best. I'm worried that if you keep interfering, they'll just go after you to get rid of you," he murmurs. "I'm thinking I need to invest in some security, but... There's no one game to take the job from town."
Part of him is tempted to just concede to Anton's gang's demands and to just give them the damn bar and leave, but his family is here. What's left of it, anyway... Arie would never forgive him for giving up so easily, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried fleeing would just leave Midnight in danger's path. Anton's proven to be quite the spiteful asshole, after all, and Ulysse suspects that the bastard would target the youngest of the brothers on losing his favourite punching bag.
Ulysse pauses, thinking, and then sighs, more irritated this time as he comments, "I forgot to buy more shells for the shotgun. I'll have to remember to go by the shop tomorrow before opening."
"Don't they let you out from whatever drinking hole you're playing in?" he asks as he reaches over to pinch Arie's bearded cheek and gets a slap for his trouble.
"No time to laze in the sun for a working artist," the man says with a grin and then steps back a little to look at the two. "Unlike you two, it seems. Look at you, gentlemen, obviously the road has been treating you well."
"What are you doing here?" he asks roughly. Nothing here to see, really. Better for Jay to just forget him and get on with his life.
"We failed at the trucker life, but we're hellbent on getting that leathery skin," Kimi announces with a snort. His smirk turns a touch sharp as he adds, "Should've heard my grandparents moaning about how awful it was last time I saw them."
Then he glances at Arie's table, asking, "Wanna eat before we head off? Or should we just hit the road?" He's changing the topic and he doesn't care that it's obvious, no. Both men know he's not exactly fond of his grandparents and their meddling.
"Maybe you should look one from outside the town," he suggests quietly. "Someone who isn't afraid to fight back. Maybe a little dirty too."
He hates the fact that he can't help, even his batch and gun isn't enough to deter these assholes. They know well enough that Sean, a junior cop, can't really do shit to them when the rest of the force is on the payroll.
"I worry about you and that thing," he says with a soft huff. "One day someone is going to take it as an invitation to get into a shoot out with you."
"Are you going deaf from all this banging around?" Jay retorts, hands on his hips as he does his best impression of a Karen. "Hungry. Lunch. Hurry up."
Jay could have just shown up after hours, but then Rook could slip off into the night. In the middle of his work day? The man's unlikely to just take off halfway through his shift, especially when that would mean no pay for the day.
"Nothing much," Grey admits as he leans back, his arm draped over the back of Midnight's chair. "The shop's been pretty quiet lately."
Then he glances at Midnight from the corner of his eye. "When was your brother coming back? One of these days, right?"
"Just as well I'm a good shot," Ulysse huffs without much pride, eyes closing as he leans into the stroking hand, prolonging the contact for a bit more. "And I can't afford to coax someone to move here. They'd be expecting some sort of compensation or assistance to move."
It's partly why Ulysse hasn't gotten a bouncer all this time. He definitely needs one with how rough the patrons get even without the gangs getting involved, but he just can't afford to pay someone to move into town for the job.
"... I guess I can try to hold down the fort a while longer," he mutters. He draws away from Sean and heads out the office door. "Do you want to take a drink for the road?" he asks over his shoulder.
Midnight hums as he sits up, divvying up the food for everyone because he was raised to be a mother hen, and at this point he knows how much each of the men will want to eat. "Yeah. He was coming by bus, but you know how he gets. I bet he's decided to find another ride to avoid the tourists."
Avoiding the coffee, Aidan sips at his glass of water, quietly leaning his leg to Kai's as he thanks Midnight for his plate. Then he glances to his boyfriend, asking hesitantly, "Wasn't Kimi saying he might come for a visit this month...?"
"Lets eat," he says before Arie has time to answer. "I'm not an undersized rockstar, who lives from booze fumes and adoration." His grin is similarly sharklike and Arie sticks a finger up to him.
"Yeah, I was thinking we should eat," he agrees though, and gestures at the chairs while reclaiming his own. "Gives us some time to catch up before home."
"Go away," he shouts back. "Text me if you need something."
He'll twist himself into a pretzel if Jay does need something, that's for sure. He's always done that and will continue to do so as long as he isn't going to kill himself with work. But other than that, there's nothing for him here.
Some of the tension eases up when Kimi feels the familiar touch at his nape, and he's even able to smile a bit as they take their seats. Menus are brought around for them all, and thankfully the waitress doesn't hover for them to order immediately. Kimi flips the laminated sheet this way and that, asking Arie, "Did you tell anyone yet that you're headed back? Or are you planning on making it a surprise?"
He stands up, adjusting his belt, and slips a lock of his own hair back behind his ear where it's supposed to be.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind a glass of something cold."
When they're walking out, he nudges Ulysse's elbow with his own. "You should ask your your brother, maybe, he probably wouldn't mind covering the fee. Because you need someone here who can kick back these assholes. I'm serious, think about it at least."
Jay's jaw clenches a little but then he turns and walks away. Moments later, the foreman is on Rook's case, telling him he's got a visitor who apparently has some urgent business to speak with him about. The culprit is stood in the foreman's office, looking sleepily relaxed to most but Rook would recognise how annoyed Jay really is from the set of his lips.
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