"Okay, but give me the drink first." Did Dad take him for an idiot? Bo would Ekans out of the deal once he carried the ciders to the fridge. No way was Roman letting that happen. Something extra in it for him or not.

boruta maher CIAN MAHER willow atkins

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"ah, yeah. i remember."

he stills under her touch, only moving after she's done.

"much better. thank you."

with a sigh, his attention falls back to roman and bo, watching their interaction with fondness. as much bad as roman's done, there's no denying the soft spot cian has for him. much like the soft spot roman stabbed...

"let's. not much left, if i remember."

willow atkins boruta maher Roman Maher

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cian and willow seemed to be bonding again, and while the sight in his peripheral vision warmed his heart, his attention remained mostly on the eleven-year-old in front of him—the one whole apparently thought him rather dumb.

fair, honestly.

his eyes pinched a little.

”nice try.” he smirked as he took another sip and shrugged, leaning back in his seat. ”you wouldn’t like it anyways, trust me.”

willow atkins CIAN MAHER Roman Maher

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Roman couldn't have rolled his eyes any harder if he tried. He knew it. Dad hadn't planned to give him a drink at all. A puff of hot air through his nostrils accompanied a pointed look at dear old dad.

"You don't know that, but whatever."

He took the case of ciders to the fridge, regardless. Trying to earn good boy points? Pff, as if. Just an attempt to tuck one of the bottles into the front of his pants when nobody was looking. As if they wouldn't notice the sudden bulging of his waistline.

Making sure the top of the cider was hidden underneath his shirt, he put the case away. Then, quick as a Yamper, he beelined for the bathroom, trying not to look too obvious but failing.

boruta maher CIAN MAHER willow atkins

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unfortunately for roman, his grandmother eleanor is having one of her good days. she's up and around on her own and just so happens to be walking out of the bathroom by the time roman comes sprinting towards her. noticing his odd waddle, hands pressed against something in his belt, she leans against the doorframe and smirks down at him. 

"what ya got there, little ro? something for grams?"

in the kitchen, willow reaches up on her toes to snick on her father's old radio. nothing like a little bit of music to relax an atmosphere. and it reminds her of candlenights past, celebrating as a family. 

with cian's help, there really isn't much left to do. the meats adelaide had prepared were pretty much cooked. all that remained was tossing the salad, preparing some dressings and dips, and popping the biscuits in the oven. 

she takes them out now, and with them come the mouthwatering smell of freshly baked bread. 

boruta maher  CIAN MAHER  Roman Maher

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cian is good at tossing salad, so that's what he helps with. and soon enough they have their feast ready, spread out across the dining table in a perfect display.

it reminds him of simpler times.

taking his place at the table, he looks around.

"do you, uh, say prayers here?"

because it sounds like something willow would do.

willow atkins boruta maher Roman Maher

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he would have given him a sip.

bo watched with thinly veiled amusement at roman’s cider theft attempt—and did nothing to stop it. punkass. as if they wouldn’t notice one missing?

it was a holiday, though. he figured he’d let roman figure things out for himself.

finally getting up, he sipped and supervised, just as fresh bread was coming out of the oven. it smelled incredible. he hovered uselessly, captivated.

”that smells great.” nacho clearly thought so too, right underfoot.

a few beats too late, maybe, he surfaced through the warm trance of nostalgia. ”uh, can i help with anything?”

willow atkins CIAN MAHER Roman Maher

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Oh shit, Grandma.

"Uh...nothing." Roman tried to play it cool, but he was got, and he knew it. Maybe the old hag let it slide and wouldn't say a word? Fuck he hoped so.

"I'm just going to the bathroom, Gran."

boruta maher CIAN MAHER willow atkins

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oh shit, grandma is right. she narrows her eyes down at him and slouches to the side, effectively barring him from the bathroom. "way you're grabbin' your pants there, boy, someone might think yer hidin' somethin'." 

the old woman looks up at the sounds in the kitchen - of chairs being pulled, plates being set down. she ruffles his hair and then quicker than she should be able to, lifts up his shirt and plucks the cider from him. 

"boy, it ain't even a twist-off," she says. "how you think you were gonna open this yourself?" she smiles crookedly at him and then sets the bottlecap against the banister on the wall, tilts it to get the proper angle, and then smacks it down. the cap pops off with a plink and she takes a swig before offering it to roman. 

"drink it at the table or not at all. only sorry asses drink alone in bathrooms." and with that she shuffles past him and into the living room

and spies, for the first time in years, boruta maher, father of her grandchild and the man who'd taken more from her daughter than anyone'd ever had the right. willow's had him around for a while, working the land, and she knows this, but oftentimes she forgets it. so she's puzzled, seeing him there, and doesn't notice the way willow's breath hitches as she regards him. 

"ten years later and he asks if he can help," she says with a bark of a laugh. 

willow's face pales, lips twisting sharply as she scowls and says, "mom." but the cruelty fades from eleanor's face as quickly as it had come. and in its place is a detached sort of tranquility, of bemusement as she looks at bo. 

willow pinches the bridge of her nose and then looks at cian. 

"no, we don't pray, but we do have a tradition. ro, why don't you start us off? tell us one thing you learned this year and the best day you can remember."

boruta maher  CIAN MAHER  Roman Maher

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'only sorry asses drink alone in the bathrooms—'

"—so, bo?"

cian can't help but interject from all the way down the corridor. not even sure how he heard it in the first place; man has good ears, apparently.

"ah, nice."

he smiles, then looks over at young roman.

"take it away, hotshot."

willow atkins boruta maher Roman Maher

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it was a good thing bo somehow hadn’t heard his small baby brother’s loud, highly uncalled for and inaccurate quip—but eleanor’s? ooh, it stung. his face didn’t twist half as badly as willow’s, however.

”it’s good to see you, eleanor.” he nodded and smiled, watching her face change. the sparkle in her eye. the newness. was it clarity, or fog? he had to look away, back to the oven, to the opportunity to help in some way, even it was just putting the biscuits on the table.

he looked to willow, having rolled with her mother’s jab just fine.

soon at the table, still smiling, he recalled with whatever accuracy, ”i think i remember this.” from years ago.

he looked at roman, curious what his answer might be.

willow atkins CIAN MAHER Roman Maher

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"Oh." is all Roman can muster in his surprise. He expected grandma to yell or something. Not open and hand him the drink. Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Roman grinned, snatching the drink away before she could change her mind. He followed into the kitchen and plopped into his seat. While the table's set, Roman took a big ol' gulp of his stolen beverage. Immediately he regretted it.

So bitter. "Yuck!" his face twisted in disgust. He could barely get it down. Frowning, he sat the bottle aside just in time for mom to put him on the spot.

What had he learned this year?

"If I'm going to stab someone, do it in an empty room."

boruta maher CIAN MAHER willow atkins

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willow shoots a look at her mother, knowing full well she's the reason that cider's sitting open in front of roman. she'd voice her concerns, but one sip and roman's face makes it clear he has little interest in it. from across the table, eleanor winks. willow rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her own cider. just as roman opens his mouth and says that. 

she coughs. the drink goes down the wrong way and her face reddens as she goes into a fit. the carbonation tickles her nose and instantly her eyes wet at the stinging sensation. she reaches for a glass of water and takes a small sip. 

eleanor stares blankly at roman and then her brows furrow. "think you're funny, you little shit? if pawpaw was still around, he'd beat your ass for doing that to your momma. now apologize. or i'll make ya drink that whole damn cider."

willow crumples. in the past, she'd have reprimanded her mother alongside roman, but she's so tired. and her little boy is a stranger beside her. 

boruta maher  CIAN MAHER  Roman Maher

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