[Luck Harris]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","post-frosttalonlake-o"]

[attr="class","frosttalonlake-post"]

LIFE IS SHORT, MAKE IT SWEET

days will be long but the years will fly right by

Luck had arrived early. He was prone to doing so when it came to these sorts of weekends. It gave him time to empty his truck of supplies. Back the boat in the water. Time to breathe, enjoy the solitude, and level himself a bit before things really "began". Once everyone else arrived, a moment to himself to clear his head — should he need to — would be a little harder to find. [break][break]

Having done pretty much all he could do, he was breaking up sticks for the night's fire and cleaning away brush, when he heard the slow crawl of the Kubiks' vehicle down the site's drive. The SUV rolled to a stop, gravel crunching beneath its wheels, and Luck turned slowly toward the noise; lifting a hand to shield his face from the sun high in the sky. Beside him, Charlie whined with anticipation and — giving the dog a quick glance and seeing him start his excited shivering — Luck shook his head and spoke in a quiet, low-toned aside. "Steady, boy, come on now. Sit." [break][break]

The dog looked at him. Looked quickly back at the vehicle. Sat on his haunches after a beat. Then stood again just as quickly, rear end swaying violently as he started a protesting whiffle in his throat. He shuffled (almost inconsolably) on his paws. Luck just barely stifled a roll of his eyes, wondering briefly what the pair of them looked like in that moment — wondering if Luck looked just as much abandoned shelter dog, ears perked in waiting for the return of its family, as... well... the dog. [break][break]

A door popped open. As soon as it did, the muted chatter of chaos within the vehicle became louder and more distinct — Ella whining and wailing that 'it wasn't fair!' and for Quentin to 'wait for her!' Her brother arguing back. Kat raising her voice above them. The sound tugged Luck's grin a hair wider. What a trip that must've been. Strange, how he'd never have entertained — for even a moment — the idea of being stuffed in the backseat with the whole lot of them before. And now, he almost wished he'd have had the chance. [break][break]

A pair of sneakers hit the gravel and a boy half-fell, half-jumped from the backseat. Luck felt the skin around his eyes tighten with amusement as he watched him pick himself up and shoot down the incline. "Hey, Uncle Luck! Hey, Charlizard!" [break][break]

Charlie couldn't take it any more and shot forward. Boy and dog passed one another with only a brief pause — Quentin crouching with a ferocious growl and Charlie leaping up to swipe a tongue toward his face — before they moved swiftly on. Quentin continued his haphazard stumble down the incline toward Luck and Charlie raced to the parked SUV to dance and hop around on his hindlegs before the open door. Who he was more excited to see... Nate or Ella... Luck couldn't begin to guess. [break][break]

As Quentin neared, Luck grinned fuller. "Hey there, birthday kid," he started, voice sounding half a chuckle and the words clipped short as the boy closed the distance between them and, only barely slowing, tossed his arms around his middle in a surprisingly-strong hug. "Woah!" Luck pretended to stumble back, as if the embrace might knock them down the incline, but then steadied the pair of them with a more decided laugh while he dropped a hand to the top of Quentin's head. He gave the boy's hair a thorough muss and scrunched his nose when he unlooped himself and tugged back with a scowl. "What are you turning tomorrow, huh... sixteen, is it?" [break][break]

Quentin scoffed, mouth pinching with suspicious scrutiny as he shook his head. "No-oo-o! Ten, you know that!" Luck lifted his brow, repeating the number on a wordless breath (as if not quite convinced), then let his eyes brighten and face perk. "Hey, double digits! You know what that means, don'tcha?" Smacking his lips, he glanced up the hill to where the rest of the family was climbing out of the vehicle. He found Kat's eyes and held them conspiratorially as he knelt to cup a hand over Quentin's ear and whisper. "You go tell your Mom that you think ten is plenty old enough for Uncle Luck to drive the boat for real when we go tubing. It's old enough to be tough... but still young enough that broken bones ain't nothin'... right?"[break][break]

Quentin pulled back, bright eyes narrowing as his mouth slowly pulled into a mischievous beam. He appeared to think it over, then nodded and spun around to start a (more difficult) clamber back up the hill. Luck followed slower — making a conscious effort to seem a bit less eager and overexcited than Charlie had been. He looked to Nate and lifted a hand to hold level on the air in front of him... then lifted it a little higher as he cocked his head quizzically and mouthed: 'he got taller?' [break][break]

It hadn't been terribly long since he'd seen Kat's kids. But still, at their age, they were always changing. Growing. And so quick. The thought of it might have subtly panged, if only for the fact that Luck might not have noticed the difference at all, had he been around while it just gradually happened. [break][break]

But he didn't give the thought a chance to find any weighty purchase within him. He'd decided on his way out to the cabins that all of that could — would have to — wait until he was home and alone again. And it was easy to dismiss, when Quentin raised his voice to shout, "Mom! Luck says he wants to break my arms when we go out on the lake! He said I'm old enough now and it's okay 'cause kids heal fast! Can we?"[break][break]

Luck slapped a palm to his face and tossed his head back. When he topped the hill, he groaned through a grin and pulled Kat into a hug that he (very decidedly) didn't think twice about; didn't pause to consider whether he needed to hesitate "in ask" now. "To be fair... I didn't word it quite that way," he mumbled amusedly, hugging her a little tighter and dropping his voice a fraction. "Thanks for havin' me."[break][break]

He pulled back. Tossed a wave and small quirk of his mouth toward Joszef on the other side of the SUV. Then, with an inward brace, he turned in Nate's direction. He intended, of course, to face and greet him in the same, breezy manner — to be a textbook example of ease... absolutely zen... like a piece of him wasn't teetering on some invisible edge. He'd practiced the ease. Imagined it over and over — how not difficult this was going to be. How normal he was going to make it. He'd practiced it in his head, endlessly, until he was convinced.[break][break]

But he couldn't help but falter, just a little. The hand he raised — at first to toss around the man's shoulders like he'd done Kat — redirected to prompt a handshake... then lifted quickly... to finally clap him on the shoulder. "Nate," he greeted, smiling a beat belatedly.[break][break]

Fuck's sake. [break][break]

It pained. The very obvious not normalness of it. What felt like a too-tight stitch snagged in his chest and he inwardly winced. "Good to see ya."

we'll never be as young as we are tonight[break]
baby, ain't that right, yeah

Tag: Nathaniel Collins [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes! TBH, I should have just gone to sleep instead of attempting to write, so sorry it's a wreck lmao ;v;

[newclass=.frosttalonlake-post]background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/L0S7wDC.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;width:360px;text-align:justify;padding:20px 50px 25px 50px;background-color:#f5f5f5;color:#666;line-height:1.2!important;[/newclass]
[newclass=.frosttalonlake-post b]color:#3C584D;[/newclass]
[newclass=.post-frosttalonlake-o]background-color:#3C584D;width:460px;padding:15px;[/newclass]

[Nathaniel Collins]

[googlefont=Allura][googlefont=Montagu Slab][nospaces]

A time to sing, a time to shine

a time to leave, a time to stay

[break]

[attr="class","NATE_cabin"]

Normally the drive out to the cabins didn’t feel too long. This time though, stuffed in the backseat with Quentin and Ella — over Kat’s insistence that he should sit in the front with Joszef and she’d take the back with the kids, because Quentin had already begged him to sit in the back with them — it felt a bit longer. Not that he minded. He could handle the lack of legroom easily enough, especially when Kat pulled her seat way closer to the dash than she normally sat out of concern. He kept telling her it was fine, it was an suv and he had plenty enough space (even if he was a bit cramped), but she’d always been the kind of person to worry about putting someone else out. [break][break]

What really made the trip feel longer was the bickering between Ella and Q. Nate couldn’t help but smile at some of it, arguing over silly things like who saw the punch buggy first. Kat telling them that she’d switch spots with Nate if they punched each other one more time, yelling no punch back, like Joszef had taught them. Joszef, face hidden from the kids but visible to Nate in the mirror, was trying his best not to crack up until Kat swatted at his arm. “This is absolutely your fault.” She declared, then rolled her eyes and settled back in her seat. [break][break]

As they got further out of town and traffic thinned out, their bickering moved to things like who ate the last potato chip and who should get the extra gummy bear. Ella was pouting because, being older and the birthday boy, Quentin was winning more than his fair share of their tiffs. Being the little sister wasn’t as important on big brother’s big weekend. [break][break]

“Are we there yet?” Ella whined, tired of being in the car. “Yeah mom, are we there yet?” Nate ribbed at Kat, smirking. “Don’t think I won’t back this seat into your knees.” She threatened, eliciting giggles from Ella and Quentin. [break][break]

“Children.” Joszef glanced between Kat and Nate. “And I mean the two of you.” He tacked on, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t make me pull this car over.” [break][break]
“Okay, I have an idea.” Nate pulled out his cellphone and earbuds, handing one earbud to each kid, and he pulled up a show he knew they both liked watching, and then propped the phone on the back pocket of Joszef’s seat. [break][break]

It wasn’t much longer before they were turning onto the dirt road that led to the cabins. The kids’ attention had wandered from the show as they got closer. Almost before the car was fully stopped, Q had his door open and was jumping out, followed by cries from Ella to wait for her and Kat calling after him to be careful as he took off down the incline. It took Ella a moment to get untangled from her seatbelt and hop out of her booster seat, but Nate waited for her before getting out so she didn’t feel left behind. [break][break]

Charlie reached the car, and Nate pet the top of his head mumbling a good boy, but the dog’s tail was wagging a mile a minute and Ella’s face lit up when she saw him. “Charlie!” She jumped down from the backseat and wrapped her arms around his neck, scratching behind his ears. “Come on boy, let's go!” Ella started running toward the swing that Joszef had hung from one of the old oak trees on the property. “Hi, Uncle Luck!” She yelled out as she ran, though she was more interested in playing with Charlie since her brother had gotten to Luck first. [break][break]

Nate was helping unload the back, piling the cooler and most of the bags into the folding wagon Kat had smartly packed, when Luck and Quentin made their way up to the parking area. He nodded at Luck’s assessment of Q’s height. The boy was getting to that age where he seemed to grow like a weed. He was sure it would be more noticeable to Luck now that he saw the kids less frequently. He felt a prickle of guilt build at the thought, knowing it wasn’t fair to Luck or to the kids, but he pushed the feeling aside. This weekend was about celebrating, not about wallowing. [break][break]

Before Kat could react to her son’s declaration, she was pulled into a hug. “I bet you didn’t. Kids.” She laughed and wrapped her arms around Luck in turn. “I’m glad you came. The kids have missed you. I’ve missed you.” She knew it felt different now, but Luck was still a big part of the family she’d made for her kids’ sake, and for her own sake. [break][break]

Nate stepped around to the side of the car when Joszef headed up to the cabin, pulling the wagon with one hand and waving back at Luck with the other as he moved forward. Nate didn’t mention the awkwardness before Luck’s hand rested on his shoulder. Inwardly, he was almost relieved that he wasn’t the only one feeling some kind of way. “Hey.” Nate smiled, hoping his own uncertainty was well hidden. “How was your drive out with Charlie?” Even as he said the words, they felt more formal than he wanted them too. [break][break]

“I’m gonna catch up with Joszef.” Kat started toward the cabin, sidestepping Ella’s and Charlie at the swing on her way. “Uncle Luck! Come push me!” Ella hollered over, giggling while she tried to figure out a way to get the dog up on the swing with her, only succeeding in getting licked on the face instead. [break][break]

No matter how he and Luck felt about each other right now, Nate was glad they were both there. This was how it should be, even if it wasn’t quite perfect, even if it wasn’t the same as it had been, it was still good. It would be good.

[attr="class","NATE_cabin_note"]Luck Harris | sorry this took forever… let me know for changes!

[newclass=.NATE_cabin]padding: 15px;[/newclass] [newclass=.NATE_cabin b]color:#3183AD;[/newclass] [newclass=.NATE_cabin span]color:#856088;font-weight:bold;[/newclass] [newclass=.NATE_cabin_note]font-size:9px;border-top:1px solid #3183AD;padding:2px;[/newclass] [newclass=.NATE_cabin_note b]color:#3183AD;[/newclass]

[Luck Harris]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","post-frosttalonlake-o"]

[attr="class","frosttalonlake-post"]

LIFE IS SHORT, MAKE IT SWEET

days will be long but the years will fly right by

When Kat's arms came around him and she laughed in his ear, Luck laxed a little into the embrace; squeezed her a little tighter, just enough so she could feel it and know — without his saying it — that he'd missed her, too. He wished it had been as simple and easy of a thing to do with Nate, as well, but the man (thankfully) didn't acknowledge the uncertain, awkward attempt-then-dismissal of a similar greeting. He greeted him back, inquired about the drive, and it all looked and sounded very normal and casual. [break][break]

Luck let that reassure him, even as he felt his chest want to dip at his smile. He had to acknowledge — silently and swiftly — that he sorely missed the look of it. He thought it... felt it... then chased it from mind before it could settle in any sort of way; choosing, instead, to look away and mull over the question. "Uneventful," he answered, after a moment of deliberation, and shot Kat a quick grin as she started off after her husband. He stepped to his truck, parked beside the SUV, and dropped the tailgate to reveal the bags of snacks and party supplies he'd offered to chip in and bring. [break][break]

Quentin peeked inside — no doubt looking for something wrapped in birthday-themed paper — and Luck dropped his hands on his shoulders, gave him a couple of quick, disorienting turns until he giggled, straightened the boy's arms, and then started loading them up with bags. "Until we turned off the highway and he, being the clever dog he is, put together where we were headed. Then we couldn't get here fast enough." Only when Quentin's elbows looked properly encumbered, and the boy was pretending (quite dramatically) to careen wildly under the weight, did he add just one more bag and let him step off toward the cabin before putting the tailgate back up.[break][break]

"Hey, so," Luck tipped sidelong, glancing around Nate to make sure Quentin had moved far enough out of earshot and that Ella was engaged to distraction with Charlie. Still, he dropped his voice as he tossed his chin in their direction and slipped closed a single eye. "What did you get him? For his birthday." His mouth pulled at one corner before he sucked in a quick breath. "You were always the one good with that stuff." [break][break]

It'd always been Nate, it seemed, who picked out gifts for holidays and other celebrations. Or at least came up with the ideas for them. Wrapped them nice and included both their names on the card or tag. It seemed he could always find the perfect thing for anyone, whether the gift itself was ridiculously thoughtful or delightfully funny. Luck, his whole life, had been a little more hopeless and generic with that sort of thing. "I, uh..." a hand lifted to tip forward his ballcap enough to scratch at the back of his head and his face began a gradual scrunch into something resembling a wince. As he continued, his voice trailed with increasing uncertainty (though the tone of it was touched by enough humor to keep it from sounding truly castigating). [break][break]

"I got him a four-pack of hunting... geese?... Decoys?" His wince deepened and his hand moved across his mouth to stifle an irrepressible laugh-slash-groan. "I mean, he does like geese still, right?" For the longest while, the kid had always been going on and on with his "silly goose" this and "silly goose" that. Was that a trend or some sort of phase? Or did he actually like them? "I thought they could put them in their yards and that'd be sorta neat... and Kat would hate them... and they could... I dunno... dress them up for Halloween and Christmas... but now," he puffed up his cheeks and lifted his brow, re-straightening his hat as he blew an exasperated breath long and slow through pressed lips. [break][break]

It had seemed like a hilarious idea when he couldn't sleep at 3am. So hilarious that he'd had to jot it down in the Notes app of his phone so he wouldn't forget it. He'd then gone to three different outdoor sporting outlets, looking for a singular goose of sorts. Something a little "cuter" than the low-quality caricatures that most hunting decoys were. In the end, he'd had to buy a whole pack. And through the whole process — even after he'd paid and the box of geese had sat a couple of weeks in a corner of his living room, waiting to be wrapped — he hadn't second-guessed it once. [break][break]

After they were wrapped... when he looked over the hack-job of tape and uneven corners that he'd made of it (making the same face he was currently making now)... he'd imagined Quentin opening it up among his friends and finally thought — 'huh... this is terrible, isn't it?'[break][break]

"Now I'm having second thoughts." He grinned, the smile equal parts abashed and amused, then let his gaze pull from Nate's face when Ella called out for him. It did certainly look like Charlie could use some saving — though... it also sort of looked like the dog was soaking up the attention with a very willing tolerance. The two never could get enough of each other and the sight pulled his smile fuller as he snorted. He started in their direction, turning so he was looking back at Nate and walking slowly backward at the same time. [break][break]

As an abrupt afterthought, his face slacked and he quickly jabbed a thumb behind him. "Oh, right, are we staying next door like usual?" He'd considered unloading his things on the smaller, neighboring cabin's stoop while he waited for everyone to show up with the keys, but he hadn't wanted to presume.

we'll never be as young as we are tonight[break]
baby, ain't that right, yeah

Tag: Nathaniel Collins [break]
No worries! Take all the time you need! No pressure that my reply came hella quick either, I've just been on one lately (lmao). And, as always, give me a nudge for any tweaks/changes or if you need less/more!

[newclass=.frosttalonlake-post]background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/L0S7wDC.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;width:360px;text-align:justify;padding:20px 50px 25px 50px;background-color:#f5f5f5;color:#666;line-height:1.2!important;[/newclass]
[newclass=.frosttalonlake-post b]color:#3C584D;[/newclass]
[newclass=.post-frosttalonlake-o]background-color:#3C584D;width:460px;padding:15px;[/newclass]

[Nathaniel Collins]

[googlefont=Allura][googlefont=Montagu Slab][nospaces]

A time to sing, a time to shine

a time to leave, a time to stay

[break]

[attr="class","NATE_cabin"]

In the days leading up to today’s drive out, and on the drive itself, Nate purposely pushed out any thoughts about how the weekend might be awkward or uncomfortable. He thought about other things, like helping Kat make and pack up cupcakes for Sunday, when all the other kids would be coming out of the bigger part of the celebration, the party itself. He’d busied himself helping Ella pick out which ones of her half-dozen swimsuits she wanted to pack while Kat was busy chasing Quentin to get the spatula back from the bowl of frosting she’d made. It had been a chaotic week, but that was good. It left little time to focus on this part. [break][break]

Besides, they both deserved to be there, both needed to be there. It was important to the kids. And to Kat and Jozsef. And it was important to Nate. They had to be able to do things like this without it getting weird. So there was another conscious choice, to let it go unmentioned when a moment felt a little too stiff or a little too awkward. It didn’t need to be acknowledged, especially when he was certain that they were both already aware. [break][break]

“He’s a smart one for sure.” Nate smiled at the thought of Charlie, getting excited as they got close. He glanced over to where Ella was playing at the swing, tugging the old boy around with her. He seemed to be happily going along with her as she ran circles around the swing, chasing him. [break][break]

Once Luck loaded Q up and sent him up to the house he asked about what gift Nate had gotten him. It had been so hard this year, with ten being such a weird age now. He’d struggled with finding something that wasn’t too baby-ish, but would still be fun. [break][break]

A smirk spread to an all out amused smile as Luck explained the gift that he’d gotten. He was right, Kat was going to be so over it the moment they tried to dress them up. But the kids and Jozsef? This was absolutely something they’d get a kick out of. “That is just.. Pure gold.” Nate laughed, trying to keep quiet enough that Quentin didn’t turn around from his trek to the house to see what was so funny. “Honestly, I think he’s gonna love that. I got him one of those Gecko run things, the marble run kit. I was between that and a ninja warrior course for the backyard, but as much as Joszef would have been delighted about that one I figured Kat would be less likely to be mad for the marble one.” Until her kids stuck the tracks all over her living room walls or kitchen counters. He knew there were going to be shenanigans no matter what, but that was part of the fun with their kids. They were funny, creative, and outgoing. [break][break]

Ella pulled both their attention, calling out for Uncle Luck. Of course it was impossible to say no to Ella, so Luck started that way. Nate was about to continue on up to the cabins, but Luck turned around to ask about where they were staying. [break][break]

“Yeah, like normal. I don’t know, she might have forgotten to mention it to you... Kat asked if the kids could spend the night with us tonight, then they’ll go back over with them tomorrow. I told her it was okay with me if it was with you.” Kat was supposed to have talked to him about it already, but with all the planning she’d had to do it wouldn’t surprise him if she forgot. Or, if she took his ‘I’m okay with it if he is’ as an end all be all to the conversation and just didn’t bother checking. She liked to presume things sometimes. Thankfully for her, she was usually right. [break][break]

“Uncle Luck! Hurry up!” Ella was getting impatient, watching him walk backwards toward her. “I wanna go high! Like a big kid.” She giggled when Charlie’s paw slipped off the seat of the swing, setting her in a slow motion back and forth. “Look! Charlie is pushing me.” [break][break]

“I’m gonna get these up to the cabins.” He referred to the few bags he was still carrying that hadn't fit in Kat’s folding wagon, then he continued up the path. He could see Q arriving, Jozsef unloading his arms one item at a time. It all felt more or less normal, even if there were some differences. Nate let himself feel relieved, he let himself believe that it was all going to be okay. They could do this. [break][break]

At the very least, it was going to be less awkward than Christmas had been.

[attr="class","NATE_cabin_note"]Luck Harris | let me know for changes

[newclass=.NATE_cabin]padding: 15px;[/newclass] [newclass=.NATE_cabin b]color:#3183AD;[/newclass] [newclass=.NATE_cabin span]color:#856088;font-weight:bold;[/newclass] [newclass=.NATE_cabin_note]font-size:9px;border-top:1px solid #3183AD;padding:2px;[/newclass] [newclass=.NATE_cabin_note b]color:#3183AD;[/newclass]

[Luck Harris]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","post-frosttalonlake-o"]

[attr="class","frosttalonlake-post"]

LIFE IS SHORT, MAKE IT SWEET

days will be long but the years will fly right by

Nate's thoughts on the decoy geese did well to ease Luck's worry. His quiet laugh and wide smile — both seemingly easy — did well to soothe a lot more. Luck could feel lines gather at the corners of his eyes as he chuckled, thinking of the mess Quentin (and Ella) would make of the marble tracks, Kat's mounting frustration, and how — maybe just a month or two from now, when the novelty of a new game wore a little thin — the whole thing might be "mysteriously" difficult for either kid to find. [break][break]

Out of sight, out of mind; a parent's saving grace.[break][break]

Luck nodded quick when Nate answered about the cabin. Kat hadn't asked or warned him but he was hardly fussed — they didn't talk reliably these days and it was easy to imagine Nate thinking Kat was going to catch him up to speed... Kat thinking Nate was, and.... all forgivable. Not a big deal in the slightest.[break][break]

Similarly, the kids bunking with them was quite alright. Him and Nate had always been a reliable go-to for babysitting; a trusted door to drop the kids off at when Kat and Jozsef needed the break. Whether that break was dinner and date night or a weekend getaway somewhere fun (that was more fun while childless), neither them nor the kids had ever seemed to mind being dumped at the old apartment with bags and snacks. [break][break]

But... like normal, huh? That was rich. And unfortunately, of everything Nate said, it was those three, unassuming words that reverbed in Luck's ears. [break][break]

Rationally, he knew Nate didn't mean anything by it. That it wasn't even a "poor" choice of words and he should simply let it be. Let it go unspoken upon. But something about it was — so immediately — like a burr in his clothes; pricking skin, threatening to bury, and wanting to be picked at. [break][break]

Luck pressed his lips tighter, barely letting the corners edge up. He knew he shouldn't. He could hear Tawny's voice in the back of his mind, warning him "don't" through figuratively-grit teeth. But he... just... couldn't... wait, maybe he almost could... no... no, he couldn't help himself. [break][break]

"Like normal," he echoed, voice still amused and light, unchanged from before. As spoken, it wasn't a dig. There was nothing buried in the easy tone. But there was something telling — something the tiniest bit loaded — to the tip of his chin and the way he waited a long beat before nodding. "Sure." [break][break]

At best, they'd come around and (hopefully) navigate a new normal. But normal normal was Nate leaned back into Luck's shins while they boated, the both of them cheering loud as they watched Jozsef ease Quentin from his knees and to his feet for the first time while boarding. Fingers seeking fingers in the dark around the firepit, stroking knuckles and smirking when Ella's marshmallow fell from her stick. Sharing a cup of coffee off the dock in the morning while Charlie sniffed about the water. Slapping each other's hands when they found and began worrying at stubborn mosquito bites. Sneaking a kiss when heads were turned.[break][break]

But. [break][break]

This weekend wasn't about that, Luck reminded himself. It wasn't about them and it wasn't about him. He'd told himself — forced himself to promise — that he wouldn't go there. Wouldn't wonder (and certainly wouldn't ask) how Nate was getting along. How he'd been, where his head was at, or where they stood. He was here for the kids, for Quentin, and he was fortunate to be here at all. And if he wanted to be invited back — and he wanted to be invited back — he would need to stay good. Quiet. Not passive-aggressive quiet, either, easy quiet.[break][break]

"That sounds good," Luck amended, blowing a quick, weighted breath through his nose and giving the most infinitesimal shake of his head — trying to shed that stupid snide in him. He looked away and just as quickly back, mouthing a silent 'sorry' before Ella cawed her insistence and Nate excused himself to the cabin. He watched the other man's back for a moment — wincing to bite back a self-aimed curse — then cleared his face when he turned to finish making his way to the swing.[break][break]

"Alright, first — Charlie can't swing with ya." Looking into the girl's scrunched face immediately lifted his mood and his low, inconsequential mumble was easy to relocate. Everything else, he shoved aside as he scrunched his face back at her. "Sorry kid," he steadied girl and dog with a hand on one of the swing's twin ropes and motioned for Charlie to hop down. When he did, Ella's grabby hands followed him and, for a moment, she looked ready to protest... or pout... or a combination of the two. But Luck spoke up just as her lips parted. "Let's not wear him out all at once. Just cause you bring the pup outta him don't mean he ain't an old fart." [break][break]

It was true. Charlie wasn't ancient, at least not for a dog his size, but he certainly wasn't young, either. And though he drummed up a seemingly-boundless amount of energy for adventures, especially when around the kids, Luck was quietly aware of the stiffness he exhibited when the hangouts were long over and the overzealous spunk wore off. Sometimes he had to remind Ella to "take it easy" on extended outings — like weekend cabin trips — when she wanted to drag the dog with her and Charlie, tapped out by Day 3, was a little slower to find his paws.[break][break]

"And second," stepping more in front of her, he grabbed both ropes and dropped closer; eyes narrowing with an accusation that he allowed a beat to breathe. "How long since I've seen you, huh? What's this — 'oh, hi, Uncle Luck'," he trilled his voice an octave higher and tipped his head to-and-fro, making an exaggerated mimicry of her earlier greeting (which earned a sneaking, sassy grin). "Chasing after the dog, oh c'mon — you've seen Charlie a hundred-bajillion times since you've seen me." His brow lifted and he mirrored her sass, trying to look stubborn and playfully-threatening and hurt all at once. "And I'm not gonna let you boss me around until yo—" Ella cut him off with a giggle, lifting herself from her seat to throw her arms around his neck in a hasty, apologetic hug. He let the rest of his "admonishing" hush with a hum.[break][break]

"Hi, Uncle Luck," she repeated slowly (and sarcastically), voice sounding very much like she was rolling her eyes, before she unlooped herself and plopped back down. Then, in the tone only a seven-year old girl (used to getting her way most of the time) could achieve, she added much more enthusiastically, "Can I boss you around now?" She kicked her legs excitedly and Luck straightened. "Yep!" [break][break]

He swung her for a while, until she was no longer screeching 'higher!' and her giggles transformed into some cheery humming while they found a groove. Charlie, finding his own groove, stretched himself in the shade at the tree's base and watched their surroundings with a happy pant.

we'll never be as young as we are tonight[break]
baby, ain't that right, yeah

Tag: Nathaniel Collins [break]
This already got so long that I made myself stop, blah. But if you need me to make something actually happen or add more to work with, just give me a nudge! And feel free to move things along or move them around — I'm cool with whatever![break][break]

SPOILER: Click to show

[break]

Luck: *is a little pissbaby for four seconds*[break]
Rinse:[break]

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