when the bedroom door yawns open, there is only one body for roman to see. gretchen purrs like a tractor and blinks one glowing yellow eye open. she meows loudly and stands, stretching her legs, tail springing as she trots to the edge of the bed. 

her purring grows louder and another meow follows when she sniffs and realizes willow's scent is still stale in the room. so she lumbers off the bed and trots past roman, goes down the stairs, and starts scratching at the flower shop door.

✺ ✺ ✺

her thumb presses gently to bo's chin, the tip of her fingernail resting on the skin just under his bottom lip. he's still asleep and she is curled up against his chest, still wearing the same clothes from last night. the jeans are chafing uncomfortably, but that thought is a million and one miles away, stuck in line behind a multitude of others she can't hope to get through before sunset. 

but it doesn't matter. 

for the first time in a long time, she wakes up and knows peace. she feels more than okay. she feels good. she feels like she's doing something right. 

even though her mouth tastes horrible and she's fairly certain her mascara had run, or she'd wiped it or something, she doesn't care. she curls up against bo and draws her hand back before her touching can wake him. but not before she presses a kiss to his shoulder, a love note all its own with her eyes squeezed shut.

the moonshine is a third empty. her guitar still rests forgotten on the floor. grace's car keys are beside it, her phone close by. it flashes with a couple of notifications, but she doesn't bother. she noses into bo instead. 

boruta maher Roman Maher

☉

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he was gentle in the way he woke, though shifting a little uncomfortably at first. he stilled again easily, happy to be pinned there. the hangover hit him like a brick, but it gave him a profound feeling of relief to wake up next to her. as the world had been falling down all around them, one of the greatest struggles had been being so close, yet so far all the time. everything had been so bittersweet, until now.[break][break]

how long would this last? it didn’t matter. nothing did, but the way the morning sunlight glowed at the edges of her eyelashes as he squinted down at her, and the warm feeling of validation that he hadn’t been imagining things. willow still had feelings for him. maybe she’d turn away, and come to her senses—but they were there. in his head, he was dancing about it.[break][break]

”good morning.”[break][break]

he smiled, despite the nagging pain behind his eyes. in them was some joke he didn’t put into words.

Roman stared at the empty bed. Now he was sure something had to be going on. "Where the fuck is my mom?" he asked no one in particular.

Mom wouldn't leave Gretchen shut in her room all night. Roman frowned, following the cat to the front door and opening it. Wherever she went, he didn't care.

"Po, find mom." he ordered. Immediately, Lycanroc went to work. His nose to the ground, followed the faint traces of Willow's scent to shed in the back.

Po barked at the door.

"The hell she's doing in the shed." Roman tried the handle but found the door locked. His frown deepened.

"Yo, mom? If you're in there open up or I'm gonna have Po break the door."

willow atkins

☉

it's not long before he shifts awake. his skin is a little clammy, which doesn't surprise her in the least. his pores had done some work last night trying to expunge the alcohol in him. but she could care less about him being a little stinky; it doesn't stop her from draping an arm over his chest and nuzzling closer. 

"good morning," she says softly, blinking up at him as he smiles down at her. 

they're all tangled around each other. bo is a big guy and the day bed is absolutely only meant for one. which makes it difficult for her to get up. not that she minds, really, until there's a jiggling of the doorknob to the shed. 

"crap." she raises her voice: "one sec, ro. we'll - i'll be right out." she takes bo's jaw in her hand and looks at him sternly. "stay. have a shower and breakfast and stay."

boruta maher Roman Maher

☉

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po’s sudden barking outside the door caused him to jump. it rattled his aching head, but he was still happy when he heard roman’s voice.[break][break]

this was messy. it was wrong, maybe, in a few ways. but at that moment, it felt perfect, and maybe even kind of hilarious.[break][break]

when she held his face, he grinned back at her. those words were the best thing ever. ”yes ma’am.” finally. [break][break]

trying to shift out of that position was painful. the day bed was made for one person, and he was more like one and a half persons to begin with. until she moved, he wasn’t going anywhere.[break][break]

”you gonna tell him i’m here?”

he says yes and her fingers tighten around his jaw. the beaming smile on her lips goes away only so she can plant another kiss on his lips. a jolt goes through her, a warm reminder of their time spent the night before. and then roman's knocking on the door again, counting down until po blows the shed down. 

so she slides off of bo. and at his question, she shoots a mischievous smile over her shoulder. she should think about this. about the best way to do this. but she's been thinking about it for so long without inaction and now that this has started, it can't be stopped. it won't be stopped. 

she opens the door a crack and leans against the frame. roman scowls up at her. 

"why are you sleeping in the shed like you're homeless?" his eyes narrow. "is mole face here - dad?" willow nudges the rest of the door open with her foot and thinks, i should have at least hidden the moonshine.

boruta maher

☉

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as she squeezed his face in her hand, he hardly protested, and the golden eyes that met hers were full of years of love. happiness, despite the nagging headache. she was nearly the cure for a hangover, but not quite.[break][break]

when she left him he groaned lightly, as though her healing powers had been taken with her.[break][break]

roman’s words hit his ears and a snort of laughter escaped him, despite himself. when the door was pushed wider he grinned, though unsure what reaction to expect. this wasn’t the way to do this, was it? nonetheless, it was happening.[break][break]

”hey roman. i needed to crash for the night. hope that’s okay.”

roman stares, mouth agape at his father lounging on willow's day bed. and willow tries her best not to make it too obvious that she gauging his reaction. her fingers tense on the shed's handle.

"did you guys fuck?"

"roman," she seethes, face reddening. before she can get a word in otherwise, he shrugs his shoulders and reaches a hand out for po, leaving the two to their own devices with a blasé, "whatever."

willow stares after him and then rubs her temples. "it's probably a lot for him to process. we'll let him sort it out on his own. but that does remind me..."

she grabs the moonshine and tucks it back under the hidden plank in the floorboards. after a bit of searching, she finds her phone - on ten percent - underneath the day bed. 

missed call from LANCE VOLLANS

crap.

she bites her lip, looks up at bo, and then back down at the screen. last night leaks back in and she remembers her anger. he doesn't deserve more than this, she thinks, as though that makes what she's about to do any better. 

Lance, I don't want to see you anymore. Good luck with everything.

"breakfast then?" she asks bo as she slips her phone in her jeans pocket. "and maybe a shower? no offense, but you kinda stink."

boruta maher LANCE VOLLANS

☉

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”no.” a pause. ”i mean none of your business. the fuck?”[break][break]

bo stared back, waiting to be lit into. that was just how roman was, and this was one situation where the drama might have been understandable. yet, there was none of it. stunned, his eyes quietly followed his son out the door.[break][break]

was it a bad reaction?[break][break]

”on his own?” that felt wrong. he already owed roman so many words, none of which he knew how to string together, except for sorry, and sorry was stupid even if it was honest.[break][break]

before he could protest any more, she was up and doing morning hangover things. organizing, searching, and cleaning up loose ends. what had it reminded her of?[break][break]

”you kinda stink.” he grinned, sitting up straighter. ”just kidding. you smell like flowers.” or was it herbs? she was earthy, either way, and he was into it.[break][break]

”i’m down for all of that.”

"his therapist says it's better to let him come to me when he's ready to talk instead of pushing him," she says with a shrug. she looks after him though, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. po wags his tail as he plods behind him.

"he'll come around. and if he doesn't, we'll entice him with pancakes."

her phone buzzes in her hand. she checks it, expecting a response from lance, but the buzzing was actually it dying. that's what she gets for not charging it last night. but she doesn't care. there were more important things to be done.

she tucks her hair behind her ear and gives bo a, well, you coming? look as she steps outside.

"i'll start whipping up breakfast while you shower. need to check on mom too." she stretches out a kink in her neck as she walks over the weathered stepping stones past the tauros pen. buckwheat and cowslip flick their tails, snorting as the pair pass by.

"there should be a spare towel under the sink cabinet. if not, just check the laundry room."

boruta maher

☉

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maybe saying nothing would have sounded fine to him had he not been silent for all of roman’s life already.[break][break]

he stood and made his way across the shed and into the sunlight, wincing against the rays of summer. ”sounds good. don’t tell her i’m here,” he smiled. it was a joke–mostly.[break][break]

as they approached the house, he wondered if roman had gone in or if he had run off to do shithead things. ”thanks,” he said absent-mindedly, about towels.[break][break]

once inside, his gaze peered curiously around corners on his way to the bathroom but found no sign of roman. the shower was quick–maybe a minute or two longer than necessary. after, finding his clothes wreaked of smoke, booze, sweat, and perhaps the tiniest bit of vomit, he opted to leave them behind, donning only a towel on his way out.[break][break]

”will?”

[attr="class","icon"]

up the familiar stairs leads him to an inevitability he wishes he could have avoided. for a while, he thought he could; thought that they could overcome their differences; but apparently not.[break][break]

a one-sided effort doomed them from the start.[break][break]

the door opens, and into the kitchen he steps.[break][break]

"i hate showing up like this but i'm not used to being ignored. can you talk to me now, will?"[break][break]

movement to his right causes him to freeze. his heart sinks as anger rises, realization settling in.[break][break]

"maher."

[attr="class","bottom"]freya morningstar boruta maher[break]

roman had absolutely run off to do shithead things. he's at least been better about letting po stretch his legs, though the trees probably don't agree, what with the bark being stripped off of them by the wolf's massive claws.

before bo can get away from her, she leaves another hasty kiss on his passing shoulder and watches him go. stares a moment longer until the shower water turns on. 

on her way to her mom's room, she picks up a few pieces of stray clothing. they're dumped in the laundry basket sitting in the hallway. laying coiled on eleanor's bed is gretchen. 

"you really shouldn't be climbing trees in your old age, gretch," she murmurs as she nears. the window is open. the old cat had most certainly clawed her way up and into the room. she purrs lovingly as willow nears and lifts her head to rub her cheek against curled fingers. 

eleanor sleeps on. normally she'd wake her - it's better, keeping her in the rhythm of things - but today she just kisses her cheek and settles for waking her up when breakfast is ready. 

so in the kitchen she goes, setting out flour and eggs and sugar and cream and some fresh blueberries (chocolate chips for roman though). she has a bit of flour on her cheek when the water in the shower stops.

her cheery humming continues when the door opens, as she assumes it's roman walking in behind her. but when she hears lance behind her, she whips around, mouth dry. her face flushes and she gapes like a cod down the hall as bo walks into the room with nothing but a towel wrapped around himself. 

"lance! this isn't - "

"maher."

LANCE VOLLANS boruta maher

☉