”they probably have it bundled or something, yeah.” he looked around. it had been some time since he’d played games. the idea of it reminded him of his own childhood. it was exciting to relive it and share with roman.

a controller caught his eye. it was 40 pokedollars more expensive than a regular one, but its dragon design made it a must-have item amongst a sea of underwhelming normality. he pulled it off the hook, and held it up for willow to see with a grin.

”hey, check it out. so i can play with roman and uh... roman’s friend.”

it occurred to him that he actually still wasn’t sure if his son had any friends. he certainly had enemies. after the stabbing, he should have at least acquired a henchman or two.

willow atkins

☉

with the box still on the counter, she pokes at that. bo's right. it is, in fact, a bundle, and includes two controllers alongside a game called ratchet & clank. she nods to the shopkeeper, says she'll be taking it and to hold onto it while they continue to browse, and turns her attention back to bo. 

and he seems so happy. happy at the chance to share this with roman. happy to be here with her right now. it's infectious, really, and the stress of the holidays melts right off of her as she scoffs at the punkish controller he'd picked out. 

she snorts. "po's pretty good at tricks, but i don't know if he's that good." she's in the same boat as bo. roman had done a pretty damn good job of chasing off any potential friends in the schoolyard and not much has changed, even in the past couple years since bo's return. 

"the box comes with a game called ratchet and...clunk? clank. what else should we pick up? he talks about call of duty nonstop."

boruta maher

☉

punkish? it was a dragon. ”what? it’s cool.” he made a sly face back, slipping it in front of him and out of her sight as he turned to meander in the other direction. he stayed within earshot, casually browsing and lightly drumming a finger on the box in his hand.

bo didn’t quite know what comment to make about his son not having friends. he had had plenty of friends himself growing up, in large part because he had not spent his preteens breaking arms and stabbing strangers.

ratchet and clunk clank caught his attention.

”oh shit, really?” excitedly, he went back over to look at the box. ”i used to play this when i was a kid.”

”damn, it looks different now.”

willow atkins

☉

after reading the back cover for call of duty, maybe that's not the best choice for roman right now. the last thing he needs is to swap a knife out for a gun. hell. her thoughts go sour. it's just a phase. or maybe he needs therapy. or to get his frustrations and anger out on something that can't cause lasting damage. 

on second thought, maybe call of duty would be a good investment. 

she tucks the game under her arm and will leave the decision up to bo. and as she has that thought, she smiles, finds him staring over the ps5 box displaying the bundled game within. she sets the game on top of the box and says, "what do you think then? this all look good?"

boruta maher

☉

the game was set on top of the box, and the title took him by surprise. he blinked, his stare not wanting to find hers immediately for some reason. it lingered on the cover, on the gun in the character’s hand.

”call of duty?”

as soon as the tone of question left his lips, he wondered why he’d said anything. he’d been the one recommending roman learn how to box. this could be done on the couch, away from anyone he could attempt to actually hurt.

”uh... yeah.” it was far more than he’d have done, but, like his suspicions of willow’s mother, he kept these differences to himself. ”looks great.”

he grinned.

”you’re gonna get so many points for this.”

willow atkins

☉

she looks inquisitively at him and bites her lip. if he wants to say something, he should feel like he can. but should she really feel guilty knowing he's not fully onboard? she can't answer the hypotheticals chasing around her head, but mostly her frustration stems from the fact that bo's still too scared to talk to her about little things like this. 

before she can volley into a debate with bo and ask him for his honest opinion, his affirmation is enough for the clerk. all of their things start ringing up. 

she watches the number climb higher and has to remind herself that money isn't so tight right now. that this is what she's been saving for. 

she fishes a wad of cash out of her bag and counts out half of the total before handing it to the clerk. 

"brownie points or not, he better appreciate this," she says with a chuckle.

boruta maher

☉

how could he talk about it? after that day when she’d cried about Roman Maher ’s behavior and his demeanor. blamed herself for it, instead of him. it’d probably only be a repeat. he’d trust her judgment, or at least go along with it.

don’t let her pay. his heart was telling him one thing, and he was very conflicted as she handed over her half. but would denying her that be coming on too strong somehow? would it be wrong? or like he was trying to take over? after making a terrible move, he’d been tip-toeing a fair bit ever since. giving her space. he had no idea what to do.

”yeah, he better. if he doesn’t, i will at least.”

he smiled at her as he went for his wallet to hand over the other half.

”so what now?” actually, were they done? he figured he’d be shopping for gloves and a bag himself. the realization took some of the light out of his eyes, and the spirit out of his smile, but only someone who knew him well enough would catch it. someone like willow. ”i mean... is that it?”

willow atkins

☉

she thanks the clerk and takes the bags. with everything else in her hands, she looks a little bit ridiculous walking beside bo, but asking him to hold her things just... it's out of the question for her (because asking for help? now? how could she?) she shifts her shoulders and definitely doesn't miss the disappointment that seeps into his voice. 

normally she's pretty bad about having her phone on her, but lately she's been more on top of it - point of reason being in case roman/adelaide need her or lance wants to get hold of her. 

and, surprised by bo, she'd completely forgotten she'd promised to meet up with her new significant other for a date tonight. 

"you said you wanted to get gloves and a bag? well, let's find something sturdy." she snorts. "and easy to clean."

boruta maher

☉

she grabbed the bags as he was pocketing his wallet. he smirked at her, his brow furrowing, his nose wrinkling. ”yeah, no.” a) he felt bad. b) this clearly looked goofy as hell.

swooping in lower, he relieved her of most of the bags with ease. he’d help carry them wherever he needed to—unless she refused, of course. apparently, she wasn't leaving him yet.

the light in his face brightened once more at her suggestion. he figured she had no interest in this kind of stuff. they were hanging out.

”okay. good calls.”

he whistled.

”nacho, let’s go.”

the vaporeon, previously occupied by one thing or another, came bounding around a corner past them and towards the door. thankfully, there was nothing falling it its wake—or bo’s, as he’d decided not to chase after it this time.

”let’s try pokémart first. i think we take a... right.”

willow atkins

☉

and just like that, the bags are out of her possession. she stops momentarily, just in time to watch him flex as he readjusts to accommodate the weight in his hands. and then she frowns, gaze skirting away as something comes over her. but the relief in his stature and in his cheeks is enough to melt away some of the tension. 

"i gave up on some of his clothes, you know," she says, slipping back into conversation with ease. "when he was younger and all he wanted to do was play in the dirt. pa tried to get him to help farming, but that worked about as well as you'd think. but he'd come in for dinner caked in dirt.

"he had dirt outfits. 'cause i couldn't get the stains out of them after a while. i had to wash them separately. it was a whole thing." she shakes her head. her dad was just as sweaty and dirty and the two of them had sure looked like something when tromping back into the house for dinner. 

everything was simpler, back then. 

and on the right looms a pokemart. surprise, surprise, but willow doesn't often shop at the big chains like this. the fact that the mart is built around several trees is astonishing; more so is the interior. sleek and modern. 

she looks down at nacho. "this place is going to be a playground for him." then she clicks her tongue and taps her chest, ps-psing to try to get the vaporeon to hop into her arms. 

boruta maher

☉

he caught her frown, and his expression wavered, but the direction she took the conversation was explanation enough for him.

farming? Roman Maher ? bo grinned.

moments like these were cherished. little morsels of information about his son in those years he’d been absent, that he was always too nervous to ask about. did it seem like didn’t care? would asking be worse?

”sounds like me as a kid,” he chuckled. even as a teen, he had tended to spend his off-school hours in some amount of dirt. the mahers had been a sporty bunch.

taking a right, on towards the pokemart they walked. ”yeah, i‘ll keep an eye on him.” bringing nacho had maybe not been the best idea, but he hadn’t known he’d be going around to shops like this today.

nacho looked up at willow ps-psing and obliged to jump in her arms. bo looked over, surprised, but smiling.

”huh. he must really like you.”

willow atkins

☉

yeah, even when they were high school sweethearts, she'd had to beg him to shower before crawling under the blankets with her. it's no surprise where roman ever got his ridiculous amount of energy from. she just wished it had manifested in a more creative and less destructive way. 

"yeah, he was. is. in those rare moments i see him when he thinks no one watching, he's just like you."

nacho jumps into her arms and she squeezes reflexively. she's happy to have some modicum of support, even if it's from the vaporeon. she readjusts, moving her hips to readjust the weight, and feels like she's carrying a toddler all over again. 

"don't worry. i've got a pretty good eye. as soon as roman learned how to walk, i didn't sleep for...how many years has it been? ten?" she laughs and reaches up to fiddle with her dangling earring in an attempt to occupy the pokemon.

"looks like sporting gear's down that aisle," she says. 

boruta maher

☉

just like him. he had to grin, at first, but the more he thought about it... his smile wavered just a hair. maybe it wasn’t such a good thing, actually. thinking back, willow had seen him with his share of black eyes and blood on his knuckles, back in the day. cleaned him up.

maybe it didn’t matter if he’d always had a good reason. maybe at a certain point, his knack for getting into trouble said something about him.

and now they were headed for boxing gear.

”yeah...”

he sighed and shook his head, a shock of pain flashing in his face before he checked himself and his smile. still, some light had left his eyes when he looked back towards her.

”he’s not gonna be like me. i’m gonna fix that.” it was a promise.

ten years of no sleep. guilt wracked him, because in contrast, he’d slept a ton—literally and figuratively. checked out. fucking asshole.

nacho snuggled closer, full of love. purring, maybe? as they headed down towards the sporting gear aisle, he tried to think of what to say.

”shit, will... i—“

the dangling earring was too tempting. the vaporeon bit onto it, pulling.

”oh shit, nacho, no!“ dropping bags quickly, he rushed to help, hands going up to her ear to gently pry the fox-cat away. ”fuck, i’m sorry...”

willow atkins

☉