surprisingly, cian is the first to arrive.

"oh. am i early?"

he pulls out his phone, peering at the time. nope. he's even about five minutes late. but that's still earlier than everyone else, apparently.

"i asked caden to come but he said he's not sure if he can make it. hospital's keeping him real busy."

slipping out of his shoes, he approaches the kitchen with a smile, extending an expensive bottle of wine over to willow. he's dressed much better than how he had looked when he ran into her the other day. smart, formal, and stylish.

"need any help?"

willow atkins boruta maher Roman Maher

☉

it made him nervous to combine these two sides of his family which, until very recently, had been disconnected. hadn’t known one another, or at least the extent of their mutual relation. these people all had one thing in common: bo had lied to them.

he smoothed his shirt and cleared his throat before knocking lightly, and then letting himself in. nacho the vaporeon squeezed past his leg and homed in on the kitchen, on a mission for food.

”hey,” bo called from the doorway. he left his shoes before wandering further into the house.

when he found willow, he also found cian. it spooked him a little, and he had to pause to take it in, shaking his head.

“wow. seeing you two in the same room is a trip.”

he set down a six-pack of ciders and an applin pie, which had been made and given to him by a neighbor. it was clearly not store-bought, making it kind of bizarre, because there was no way in hell that bo had baked it.

he then pulled a pokéball from his pocket, and looked around.

”where’s roman?”

willow atkins CIAN MAHER Roman Maher

☉

only a quarter of a cider in and suddenly she's wishing it were four. as fond as she is of her working gal's muscles, they're certainly not helpful on the once in a blue moon moment where she's trying to get tipsy. before she can get there, the sugar from the ciders usually makes her stomach turn.

(you'd think she'd just drink liquor then, but she can't stand the taste. of any of it.)

cian joins her and she thinks it's so funny to see him standing in her kitchen. she even laughs a little bit and some of her anxieties about today melt away. 

"yeah," she says, "help would be nice. oh, cian, this is adelaide." after graciously taking the wine, she waves towards the woman who's just started skinning the potatoes. "my mother's here too. i don't know if you ever actually met. but she's resting right now in her room."

she'd offer cian to help with whatever adelaide needs, but before she can get the words out edgewise, the door opens again. and as bo comes up the stairs, she pretends to fix a tangle of the ivy on the table. 

a pack of cider is set down in the corner of her vision and she smiles softly, crow's feet around her eyes crinkling. 

"you know," she says, "i was just thinking the same thing." about cian. 

her gaze drops to the pokeball in bo's hand and she sighs. "if you've come to give him another dog, i might let gretchen claw your eyes out."

and then, louder, "roman! everyone's here!"

boruta maher  CIAN MAHER  Roman Maher

☉

It's hard work getting the pillows strapped to his arms, legs, and torso. They're attached to their respective limbs with sheets used like rope and looped as snuggly as Roman can get them. He stared at himself in the mirror on the back of his door. It's sloppy, but the battle armor of cushioning will have to do.

Emerald hues hardened for combat, Roman double, no - triple checked on the Weedle at his side. The needle at the top of its head was sharpened to a fine point. He poked it with the tip of his finger, wincing at the pain as blood pooled on his fingertip.

"Perfect." Roman wiped his hand on his shirt and grinned.

"roman! everyone's here!"

His ears twitched, heart beating like a drum in his chest. So, the time was now. The enemy was here. Roman plucked the Weedle up from the ground, and holding it awkwardly in his arms, he left his bedroom. An Electrike running through rolling fields of grass, he made a beeline to the kitchen.

"Uncle Cian!"

Roman's voice reached them before he did.

"Uncle Cian! You have an appointment with the pointy end of a Weedle."

The youngster rounded the corner adorned in his pillow armor, Weedle under his arm, and righteous fury in his eyes.

boruta maher CIAN MAHER willow atkins

☉

is he the only one that doesn't find it weird? this all seems like something that should've happened ages ago, and maybe that's why he finds comfort standing there in her kitchen.

cian's busy helping prepare a dish when he hears roman's little voice call out to him. he tenses then, remembering the promise he once made, and more importantly, the consequences of what would happen if he were to break it.

he hasn't, has he?

then why is roman dressed like that?

"nephew roman!"

slowly, cian places the bowl back down on the counter, then turns with the wooden spoon still in his hand.

"you're all armored up. i'll warn you: i've been training with my good friend Elliott Jenkins, and he's the best fighter i know."

like ser jaime in that one scene in game of thrones where he trains with bronn, he flourishes the spoon as though it were a sword, and takes a step towards roman.

"bring it."

willow atkins boruta maher Roman Maher

☉

his eyes raised towards willow’s with mischief and a smirk, reminiscent of a teenager she’d once known.

“oh, it’s not a dog,” he assured with mystery. it was even better.

uncle cian. bo might’ve smiled at it, had it not been for the ominous challenge that rang out in his son’s voice. bo no longer put anything past him.

when he saw roman in all his armored glory, brandishing a weedle (like a proper rocket), bo raised his eyebrows.

”roman—” but he looked to cian, and, seeing the spoon and his good-natured reaction, cracked a full grin. gave a laugh of relief, and at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. but…

how serious was this?

nonetheless, he reached for a cider and sat back for the rodeo they were about to witness.

”careful cian. he’s tough.” and mean as hell.

his gaze went towards willow, briefly, wondering what color of emotion he might see out of a spectrum of possibilities. wondering if he should step in.

he also wondered: who was top-notch fighter Elliott Jenkins ?

willow atkins CIAN MAHER Roman Maher

☉

and just like that, everything is pretty much normal. bo's under the same roof as roman, as willow herself, and they're sharing autumn's feast together. the holiday is a tradition her family has always celebrated. even the late atkins is a bit more lucid today. tired, yes, but she's there enough to recognize the season, the day, the festivity. 

and as much as she wants to worry about whatever new pokemon bo's brought her - their - son, she can't. he's looking at her like he did when they were kids and in this moment, she's happy enough to sink into it, to smile shyly back like she'd done then. 

and then roman emerges, clad in battle armor and willow's now very thankful she'd opted not to light all the candles about the house. she does, however, pluck a few potted plants from the splash zone and sets them on top of the fridge. 

when that's done and she can feel bo's eyes on her, she suddenly feels the responsibility on her shoulders. and she opens her mouth to tell roman to take the pillows off and get himself looking nice for the meal, but - 

she goes to bo's side, back against the table, and opens another cider, one that he'd brought, and clinks it to his own. 

"my money's on roman and his weedle," she says, grinning at roman as she does.

boruta maher  CIAN MAHER  Roman Maher

☉

Oh shit. Oh no. CIAN MAHER is armed, the mighty Spoon of Excalibur in his hands. An assuredly dangerous weapon.

Roman scoffed.

"I'm not scared of your spoon." he stuck his tongue out. Had the pillows not made reaching his eye difficult, he'd have pulled his bottom lid down too. He puffed his chest out instead.

They wouldn't be sword fighting. Roman took levels in Ranger, and he's about to put them to use. The Weedle under his arm straightened like a pencil, its body going stiff.

Uncle Cian should have told him he was with Team Rocket - that he's a bad guy. If Roman knew, he wouldn't have let himself get talked into running away. He wouldn't have met jayden cross.

He wouldn't have stabbed his friend.

Teeth ground against each other as Roman assumed the classic Quarterback throwing pose with his Weedle.

"Taste Weedle, you liar!" and he hurled it, aiming straight for Cian's eye with a lick of his lips.

The Weedle sailed like a missile (hopefully, Uncle Cian hadn't multi-classed into Monk) - not that it mattered. Roman's throw was far from perfect. A momentary distraction, the clink of beer glasses from his parents, pulled his focus away mid-toss.

They looked happy - like a family.

boruta maher CIAN MAHER willow atkins

☉

the clinking of glasses distracts him for a moment. he looks over, scoffing.

"i'll take a glass of cider for when i win, willow."

taste weedle, you liar!

uncle cian definitely isn't multi-classing into monk, but thankfully, his dexterity bonus is enough to make the attack miss. kinda, anyway. he sinks down, slipping past the weedle only for it to graze against his cheek, drawing blood.

"you little shi—"

he cuts himself off, knowing better than to swear in front of children. the distance between them is easily closed, and it's not long after that that cian's lunging to tackle pillow!roman to the floor.

gently, of course.

or as gentle as one could be when tackling.

willow atkins boruta maher Roman Maher

☉

the look in willow’s eyes filled him with warmth. he was content enough to feel it from afar—but content enough could be torturous at times. the possibilities, however slim they might be, swirled like disorienting pixie dust in his brain. it was usually easy to push down, but moments like this unleashed his imagination.

bo laughed again and brought the bottle towards his lips. his tall shoulder dipped as though speaking only to her, but it was more for roman’s benefit. “yeah, mine too.”

it all played out pretty quickly.

his brother’s request had him shaking his head, “hey, don’t be sour—” holy shit. what an arm. the form. the follow-through. was he proud? was it fucked up?

at the sight of blood, and a trickle of aggression, bo’s muscles tensed. his shoulders squared the slightest bit. he soon softened again, but not fully. this was… kind of weird. why was this happening?

nacho was still on the search for food. his attention was drawn by the chaos, and he paused in frustration that they were disrupting the culinary progress.

willow atkins CIAN MAHER Roman Maher

☉

it's all fun and games, she tells herself, but she can't shut out roman's words, as much as she wants to. as much as she wants this to be a normal family gathering. as much as she wants everything to go perfectly, to see a snapshot of what life could have been like for the two of them. as much as she wants to know if seeing lance is a mistake.

you liar!

the weedle's poison barb managed to draw blood and willow sighs. she takes a swig and then sets her cider down, stepping away from bo so she can stand over the tussling boys. 

"i'm declaring roman the winner," she says dryly. "for going into battle with such a noble cause." you liar! "and because those ciders are delicious and i don't want to share."

she offers a smile to bo and then moves away from the boys. thankfully, adelaide had disappeared downstairs to willow's stores behind the flower shop counter. she returns with a poultice that'll stop the swelling from roman's weedle. 

"come on, cian. before your face blows up like a balloon."

boruta maher  CIAN MAHER  Roman Maher

☉

Fight or Flight triggered when Cian came barreling at him. Roman's just a bit too slow and weighed down by his armor to get out of the way in time. When he hit the ground, his instinct is to start kicking and clawing, but he doesn't get that far.

Mom comes to Uncle Cian's rescue.

Once separated, Roman stuck his tongue out and snarled. "You're lucky mom saved you. I was gonna kick your ass." he's quick to taunt in a huff.

Being declared the winner does soothe his fury, however. Enough for Roman to discard his pillow armor with a sense of triumph. A bit of disappointment does linger on the inside. He hadn't exactly taken Cian's eye, but he'll settle for the small victory for now.

Like the imp he was, he'd scheme something up for later. A better plan to be executed in the presence of fewer witnesses.

He shuffled over to his father, leaving the pillows on the floor behind. "Can I have one?" Roman pointed to the bottle of cider in boruta maher's hand.

boruta maher CIAN MAHER willow atkins

☉

with roman saved, cian stands, huffing in return as he steps away.

"sure you were, kiddo."

a smug smirk later and he takes a seat at the table, peering over as willow approaches with a poultice.

"that smells...interesting. what's it made from?"

willow atkins boruta maher Roman Maher

☉