02-02-2021, 06:10 PM
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waves gently crashed upon the shore, its ripples just barely visible in the moonlight. a soft wind carried a salty breeze throughout the empty beach as most northerners settled in for the night. mickey stood close to the shore, cigarette in hand, staring out across the dark waters with an aimless gaze. gently flicking ash from the end of his cigarette. on the surface he appeared serene, almost. while the exterior appearance could be convincing, just how troubled he felt on the inside went beyond words. anxious. knowing what was about to come.
“smoke any more and you’ll become an addict.” he had asked tamara to come and meet him by the shore, for a conversation he had put off, but ultimately was inevitable. he paused for a beat, waiting as tamara stepped to stand by his side. he lowered his head with a gentle huff in his own subtle way of amusement. the way his lips briefly twitched into a smile must’ve been the only answer tamara needed, her eyes wandering over his features before she looked out towards the shore. she crossed her arms across her chest. “guess i’m a little too late to warn you, huh?” mick wordlessly brought the cigarette back to his lips, inhaling. she gently kicked her foot in the sand, pausing in thought before she softly spoke. “i always told david not to smoke in front of you. that it would be a bad influence on you. everything he did, you wanted to do when you were growing up...” she let out a thoughtful sigh, nodding to herself. “he was always so proud to see you following in his footsteps. i could never bring myself to be upset about it.”
silence settled between the two. mick blew out a final puff of smoke.
“you can’t leave.” the abrupt words fell so easily from his mouth, as if they were something he’d wanted to say to her many times before. a conversation he wanted to finally have with his mother, but one he had dreaded to have all the same. he turned his head to meet her eyes, holding her gaze. a storm of emotion clouded over her gaze; from subtle surprise to a hint of sadness. mickey turned to look back out towards the ocean. “at least not for the reason you want to. vernon, arlo… they’d be crushed if something happened to you.”
the silence was suffocating. mickey’s heart raced in his chest, fingertips buzzing. knowing exactly where this conversation would go. tamara huffed a breath of disbelief. “i don’t believe it.” she searched for words. mick discarded his cigarette, clearing his throat. “when i saw you here, i thought that you would be on my side. but after all that he put us through, you’re siding with brock, of all people.”
mick’s face twitched briefly. “i’m not picking sides. this- revenge that you want isn’t going to get us anywhere.” shaking his head, he stared down at the ocean shore. “it’s not going to bring him back.”
“you think i don’t know that?” her voice rose, defensive. “but it’s better than just standing around and letting brock think that he got away with it. he killed your own father, and you’re just going to stand there and do nothing?” memories played in his head of that night at flintlock. fighting in the snow against brock. the both of them covered in cuts and bruises, bloodied and battered. sat beneath a tree, huffing to catch their breath. ”don’t you think this is what david would’ve wanted?”
“don’t.” his jaw clenched. tried to keep his calm while tamara was digging under his skin. “don’t say that this is what he would’ve wanted.” his words were cold as he stared at her and claimed icy, “we both know that’s not why you’re doing this. you’re doing this for yourself, not for him. it’s selfish.”
”and you think that leaving me to go and join some gang with elinor wasn’t selfish?” mick tried not to visibly flinch. the conversation had opened up the doors to conversations they wanted to have, but were always too afraid to. it brought mick to face a past that he didn’t want to think about anymore.
“i did it to keep everyone safe-”
tamara scoffed, unconvinced, “ha! please.” she opened her mouth, searching for words.
tense, words just above a whisper in that brief moment of quiet, he uttered, ”you left me, too.”
if tam heard his words, she didn’t acknowledge it. ”you know. when you left, i saw so much of your dad in you. but something changed. each time you’d come back to visit, i recognized you less and less.” her voice rose with each word cutting like ice as she vented, ”i knew exactly what you were becoming, and it terrified me. then i come here, and you look so much like your father. but you’re not like him at all! if he had been in your shoes, he would’ve had my back in a heartbeat!” her gaze bored into him as she coldly jabbed, ”but you’re somebody else. and it disappoints me that i’ll never see you like that again.” eyes blinked in surprise. mickey stared, stunned. hurt. ”you’re nothing like your father. if anything, you’re the exact opposite. you’re just- so empty. so don’t act like you know what he would and wouldn’t have wanted.”
he clenched his jaw, forcing himself to look as impassive as he possibly could as he muttered out, “if you leave, i don’t want you to come back.”
she visibly paused. brows raised, lips parted. then, her brows furrowed, eyes defiant as she tersely said, ”fine.”
tamara turned away, hands clenching into tight fists as she walked away. a few feet away, she paused, turned her head to look over her shoulder, and stated, “i’m leaving. tomorrow. to do something that i should’ve done a long time ago.” working his jaw, mickey met her softening gaze - her eyes holding possible guilt for what she had previously said. “i can’t make you understand. but maybe someday you will.”
she was met with silence. with a quiet, defeated sigh, she turned to continue walking.
“tell me that you’ll let vernon and arlo know you’re leaving.” the sudden words were enough for her to pause. “please.” she gave a tense, subtle nod before she kept going. he watched her leave until she turned a corner. gone. mickey then lowered his gaze, blinking a few times. pinched the bridge of his nose with a frustrated sigh. fought back the conflicting rise of emotions, and eventually turned to walk back home.
as he stepped quietly back into his and vernon’s room, getting changed before climbing into bed, he heard green start to stir. mickey took the moment to gently pull vern closer, the other man throwing his arm over mick and resting his head on his chest. “is everything alright?” the groggy, half-asleep words made his heart feel more at ease. his thumb gently brushed back and forth along green’s shoulder. it would’ve been all-too easy to pour his heart out to the other man. though he knew that these were words to best come from tamara. he gently sighed, turned his head to press a brief kiss to the top of green’s head.
“yeah. i was just out with tamara.” green didn’t seem to think much of the answer - and if he was, he was too busy drifting back to sleep to notice. mick felt restless, though within a few minutes, he eventually closed his eyes and started to drift off as well.
please, don’t wake me up too late. tomorrow comes, and i will not be late…
a smile came to her lips, a nostalgic look in her gentle eyes as the song started to play. “oh, green. i haven’t heard this song in ages.” tamara sat on the couch, foot absently tapping to the beat, eyes staring thoughtfully up towards the ceiling. green wore a familiar, warm smile as he moved to sit down comfortably next to her while gentle music filled the room. “i didn’t know you were a beatles fan.”
words sat on the tip of his tongue for a few moments of silence before he gently pointed out, “this was one of my mom’s favorite songs, y’know?” tamara hummed thoughtfully, turning her head to look at green. her lips twitched fondly at the reminiscent look in his gaze. he carried on, “i still remember whenever she was getting ready for work, she’d put this record on and she’d be singing under her breath as she put her makeup on. she knew every word-” he paused, brows furrowing before he corrected himself, “well, i thought she did until i was older and realized she was actually singing all the words wrong.”
“oh, really?” tamara hummed a few notes of laughter along with green, lowering her amused gaze down towards her lap. then, after a thoughtful moment, she quietly asked, “your mom… what was she like?”
the pure adoration in his eyes made tamara wish she had asked him much sooner. she watched attentively, a fond smile on her lips that mirrored green’s own as he looked away in thought. “she was really caring and loving, and such an amazing mom. she would do anything for me, even though i didn’t realize that at the time.” something in tamara’s gaze briefly changed, the soft smile wavering. green continued, “fiercely independent, which was so inspiring. she was a single mom, who worked two jobs to make ends meet, and the things she would do for her family…” tamara’s face fell, a sad look in her gaze. her lips parted gently, as if she was starting to speak--
vern shifted around in his seat, sighing as he concluded, “well, i strive to be like her. and you, because you remind me of her.” as green turned his head towards tamara, her features quickly changed to a soft smile, searching green’s own gaze. green’s grin would be enough to melt anyone’s heart. “it’s nice.” tamara was touched. she shifted in her seat to better face him. she leaned her elbow atop the sofa, resting her head in the palm of her hand as she mused, ”aw, you’re just saying that, now…”
“no, no. i mean it.” looking over his features, she shared a thankful look with him.
goodbye, goodbye, my love, goodbye...
she leaned closer, pulling her legs up as she began messing with his hair with a motherly touch. “you know. i always wanted another kid. a boy.” she tilted her head, humming. “david was so stubborn. i could never get him to change his mind about anything, let alone about something like having another kid. still, i couldn’t help but keep wishing for a second son...” her smile started to grow, looking at green adoringly before she said, “you’re the best son i could’ve ever asked for.” her gaze lingered, ultimately drawing her hand back down to her lap. ”i’m so glad mickey has someone like you. i can’t remember the last time i’ve seen him so happy… and arlo, too. we’re all so lucky to have you in our family.” green’s eyes were so bright and touched; he looked as if he didn’t know what to say. the look spoke louder than words.
the front door opened, the sound of dog paws pattering across the floor to where the duo sat. ginnie and midas scrambled on in to say hello to them two, followed by mickey and arlo. “hey,” she slowly drew out as arlo came around to greet her, pulling him into a sweet hug. “did you two have fun?”
“we saw a crab on the beach! two of them.”
“oh, did you now?”
“yeah! they-”
they talked for a while, what must’ve been only minutes when it felt like they’d chatted for hours. though as arlo yawned tiredly, tamara blinked before she stood up from the couch. “it’s getting late.” ruffling arlo’s hair, she hummed, “guess i better call it a night so you can all get to bed.”
“are you sure you don’t want to stay a while longer?”
the question was asked so casually. she lifted her head to where mickey stood, arms crossed over his chest. she shared a knowing look with her son, a small, sad smile made its way to her lips. she nodded, pursing her lips together.
“i’m sure.” with that, she went about saying goodbye to everyone - giving arlo and green a hug before green went with arlo to get ready for bed. unaware that that would be their last time with her. mickey walked her to the door.
”so this is it.” tamara said nothing as she opened the door, stepping outside. mick leaned against the doorframe. hesitated. then, “there’s still time to change your mind.”
“don’t.” she looked back at him. gently pressing her lips together into a thin line, voice wavering, she murmured, ”i couldn’t even tell them goodbye. how am i supposed to tell you?” she forced a smile; it didn’t belong with such sad features. “is there any chance you’ve changed your mind? could i come back after all this?” crossing his arms over his chest, he lowered his gaze down to the ground between them. he shook his head. her eyes welled up with tears, taking in a deep, shaky breath. she took a few steps back, mustering up enough feigned amusement as she said, ”you’ve always been so stubborn. guess i can blame your father for that, huh?”
mickey’s lip wobbled, unable to look her in the eyes. she must’ve seen it, too, pausing for a moment. she stood still, as if there was so much more she meant to say. then, wordlessly, she turned and headed towards her own home in the district. mickey lingered by the door, reddened eyes watching the corner she disappeared from. as if expecting her to appear from it again. with a sigh, he turned around, closing the door behind him.
“you should’ve seen it; i don’t think i’ve ever seen him fall asleep so fast. that must’ve been some walk-” vernon’s steps halted along with his words, brows furrowing in concern. “what’s wrong?” how could the other man read mickey like he was an open book when he was the exact opposite of one? stepping forward, he wordlessly wrapped his arms tightly around vernon. he stood like that for a moment, eventually pulling away enough to be able to look at green.
“i need to tell you something.”
//welp tamara has left to try and get revenge on brock for killing her husband,,,
part 2 coming soon :eyes:
waves gently crashed upon the shore, its ripples just barely visible in the moonlight. a soft wind carried a salty breeze throughout the empty beach as most northerners settled in for the night. mickey stood close to the shore, cigarette in hand, staring out across the dark waters with an aimless gaze. gently flicking ash from the end of his cigarette. on the surface he appeared serene, almost. while the exterior appearance could be convincing, just how troubled he felt on the inside went beyond words. anxious. knowing what was about to come.
“smoke any more and you’ll become an addict.” he had asked tamara to come and meet him by the shore, for a conversation he had put off, but ultimately was inevitable. he paused for a beat, waiting as tamara stepped to stand by his side. he lowered his head with a gentle huff in his own subtle way of amusement. the way his lips briefly twitched into a smile must’ve been the only answer tamara needed, her eyes wandering over his features before she looked out towards the shore. she crossed her arms across her chest. “guess i’m a little too late to warn you, huh?” mick wordlessly brought the cigarette back to his lips, inhaling. she gently kicked her foot in the sand, pausing in thought before she softly spoke. “i always told david not to smoke in front of you. that it would be a bad influence on you. everything he did, you wanted to do when you were growing up...” she let out a thoughtful sigh, nodding to herself. “he was always so proud to see you following in his footsteps. i could never bring myself to be upset about it.”
silence settled between the two. mick blew out a final puff of smoke.
“you can’t leave.” the abrupt words fell so easily from his mouth, as if they were something he’d wanted to say to her many times before. a conversation he wanted to finally have with his mother, but one he had dreaded to have all the same. he turned his head to meet her eyes, holding her gaze. a storm of emotion clouded over her gaze; from subtle surprise to a hint of sadness. mickey turned to look back out towards the ocean. “at least not for the reason you want to. vernon, arlo… they’d be crushed if something happened to you.”
the silence was suffocating. mickey’s heart raced in his chest, fingertips buzzing. knowing exactly where this conversation would go. tamara huffed a breath of disbelief. “i don’t believe it.” she searched for words. mick discarded his cigarette, clearing his throat. “when i saw you here, i thought that you would be on my side. but after all that he put us through, you’re siding with brock, of all people.”
mick’s face twitched briefly. “i’m not picking sides. this- revenge that you want isn’t going to get us anywhere.” shaking his head, he stared down at the ocean shore. “it’s not going to bring him back.”
“you think i don’t know that?” her voice rose, defensive. “but it’s better than just standing around and letting brock think that he got away with it. he killed your own father, and you’re just going to stand there and do nothing?” memories played in his head of that night at flintlock. fighting in the snow against brock. the both of them covered in cuts and bruises, bloodied and battered. sat beneath a tree, huffing to catch their breath. ”don’t you think this is what david would’ve wanted?”
“don’t.” his jaw clenched. tried to keep his calm while tamara was digging under his skin. “don’t say that this is what he would’ve wanted.” his words were cold as he stared at her and claimed icy, “we both know that’s not why you’re doing this. you’re doing this for yourself, not for him. it’s selfish.”
”and you think that leaving me to go and join some gang with elinor wasn’t selfish?” mick tried not to visibly flinch. the conversation had opened up the doors to conversations they wanted to have, but were always too afraid to. it brought mick to face a past that he didn’t want to think about anymore.
“i did it to keep everyone safe-”
tamara scoffed, unconvinced, “ha! please.” she opened her mouth, searching for words.
tense, words just above a whisper in that brief moment of quiet, he uttered, ”you left me, too.”
if tam heard his words, she didn’t acknowledge it. ”you know. when you left, i saw so much of your dad in you. but something changed. each time you’d come back to visit, i recognized you less and less.” her voice rose with each word cutting like ice as she vented, ”i knew exactly what you were becoming, and it terrified me. then i come here, and you look so much like your father. but you’re not like him at all! if he had been in your shoes, he would’ve had my back in a heartbeat!” her gaze bored into him as she coldly jabbed, ”but you’re somebody else. and it disappoints me that i’ll never see you like that again.” eyes blinked in surprise. mickey stared, stunned. hurt. ”you’re nothing like your father. if anything, you’re the exact opposite. you’re just- so empty. so don’t act like you know what he would and wouldn’t have wanted.”
he clenched his jaw, forcing himself to look as impassive as he possibly could as he muttered out, “if you leave, i don’t want you to come back.”
she visibly paused. brows raised, lips parted. then, her brows furrowed, eyes defiant as she tersely said, ”fine.”
tamara turned away, hands clenching into tight fists as she walked away. a few feet away, she paused, turned her head to look over her shoulder, and stated, “i’m leaving. tomorrow. to do something that i should’ve done a long time ago.” working his jaw, mickey met her softening gaze - her eyes holding possible guilt for what she had previously said. “i can’t make you understand. but maybe someday you will.”
she was met with silence. with a quiet, defeated sigh, she turned to continue walking.
“tell me that you’ll let vernon and arlo know you’re leaving.” the sudden words were enough for her to pause. “please.” she gave a tense, subtle nod before she kept going. he watched her leave until she turned a corner. gone. mickey then lowered his gaze, blinking a few times. pinched the bridge of his nose with a frustrated sigh. fought back the conflicting rise of emotions, and eventually turned to walk back home.
as he stepped quietly back into his and vernon’s room, getting changed before climbing into bed, he heard green start to stir. mickey took the moment to gently pull vern closer, the other man throwing his arm over mick and resting his head on his chest. “is everything alright?” the groggy, half-asleep words made his heart feel more at ease. his thumb gently brushed back and forth along green’s shoulder. it would’ve been all-too easy to pour his heart out to the other man. though he knew that these were words to best come from tamara. he gently sighed, turned his head to press a brief kiss to the top of green’s head.
“yeah. i was just out with tamara.” green didn’t seem to think much of the answer - and if he was, he was too busy drifting back to sleep to notice. mick felt restless, though within a few minutes, he eventually closed his eyes and started to drift off as well.
please, don’t wake me up too late. tomorrow comes, and i will not be late…
a smile came to her lips, a nostalgic look in her gentle eyes as the song started to play. “oh, green. i haven’t heard this song in ages.” tamara sat on the couch, foot absently tapping to the beat, eyes staring thoughtfully up towards the ceiling. green wore a familiar, warm smile as he moved to sit down comfortably next to her while gentle music filled the room. “i didn’t know you were a beatles fan.”
words sat on the tip of his tongue for a few moments of silence before he gently pointed out, “this was one of my mom’s favorite songs, y’know?” tamara hummed thoughtfully, turning her head to look at green. her lips twitched fondly at the reminiscent look in his gaze. he carried on, “i still remember whenever she was getting ready for work, she’d put this record on and she’d be singing under her breath as she put her makeup on. she knew every word-” he paused, brows furrowing before he corrected himself, “well, i thought she did until i was older and realized she was actually singing all the words wrong.”
“oh, really?” tamara hummed a few notes of laughter along with green, lowering her amused gaze down towards her lap. then, after a thoughtful moment, she quietly asked, “your mom… what was she like?”
the pure adoration in his eyes made tamara wish she had asked him much sooner. she watched attentively, a fond smile on her lips that mirrored green’s own as he looked away in thought. “she was really caring and loving, and such an amazing mom. she would do anything for me, even though i didn’t realize that at the time.” something in tamara’s gaze briefly changed, the soft smile wavering. green continued, “fiercely independent, which was so inspiring. she was a single mom, who worked two jobs to make ends meet, and the things she would do for her family…” tamara’s face fell, a sad look in her gaze. her lips parted gently, as if she was starting to speak--
vern shifted around in his seat, sighing as he concluded, “well, i strive to be like her. and you, because you remind me of her.” as green turned his head towards tamara, her features quickly changed to a soft smile, searching green’s own gaze. green’s grin would be enough to melt anyone’s heart. “it’s nice.” tamara was touched. she shifted in her seat to better face him. she leaned her elbow atop the sofa, resting her head in the palm of her hand as she mused, ”aw, you’re just saying that, now…”
“no, no. i mean it.” looking over his features, she shared a thankful look with him.
goodbye, goodbye, my love, goodbye...
she leaned closer, pulling her legs up as she began messing with his hair with a motherly touch. “you know. i always wanted another kid. a boy.” she tilted her head, humming. “david was so stubborn. i could never get him to change his mind about anything, let alone about something like having another kid. still, i couldn’t help but keep wishing for a second son...” her smile started to grow, looking at green adoringly before she said, “you’re the best son i could’ve ever asked for.” her gaze lingered, ultimately drawing her hand back down to her lap. ”i’m so glad mickey has someone like you. i can’t remember the last time i’ve seen him so happy… and arlo, too. we’re all so lucky to have you in our family.” green’s eyes were so bright and touched; he looked as if he didn’t know what to say. the look spoke louder than words.
the front door opened, the sound of dog paws pattering across the floor to where the duo sat. ginnie and midas scrambled on in to say hello to them two, followed by mickey and arlo. “hey,” she slowly drew out as arlo came around to greet her, pulling him into a sweet hug. “did you two have fun?”
“we saw a crab on the beach! two of them.”
“oh, did you now?”
“yeah! they-”
they talked for a while, what must’ve been only minutes when it felt like they’d chatted for hours. though as arlo yawned tiredly, tamara blinked before she stood up from the couch. “it’s getting late.” ruffling arlo’s hair, she hummed, “guess i better call it a night so you can all get to bed.”
“are you sure you don’t want to stay a while longer?”
the question was asked so casually. she lifted her head to where mickey stood, arms crossed over his chest. she shared a knowing look with her son, a small, sad smile made its way to her lips. she nodded, pursing her lips together.
“i’m sure.” with that, she went about saying goodbye to everyone - giving arlo and green a hug before green went with arlo to get ready for bed. unaware that that would be their last time with her. mickey walked her to the door.
”so this is it.” tamara said nothing as she opened the door, stepping outside. mick leaned against the doorframe. hesitated. then, “there’s still time to change your mind.”
“don’t.” she looked back at him. gently pressing her lips together into a thin line, voice wavering, she murmured, ”i couldn’t even tell them goodbye. how am i supposed to tell you?” she forced a smile; it didn’t belong with such sad features. “is there any chance you’ve changed your mind? could i come back after all this?” crossing his arms over his chest, he lowered his gaze down to the ground between them. he shook his head. her eyes welled up with tears, taking in a deep, shaky breath. she took a few steps back, mustering up enough feigned amusement as she said, ”you’ve always been so stubborn. guess i can blame your father for that, huh?”
mickey’s lip wobbled, unable to look her in the eyes. she must’ve seen it, too, pausing for a moment. she stood still, as if there was so much more she meant to say. then, wordlessly, she turned and headed towards her own home in the district. mickey lingered by the door, reddened eyes watching the corner she disappeared from. as if expecting her to appear from it again. with a sigh, he turned around, closing the door behind him.
“you should’ve seen it; i don’t think i’ve ever seen him fall asleep so fast. that must’ve been some walk-” vernon’s steps halted along with his words, brows furrowing in concern. “what’s wrong?” how could the other man read mickey like he was an open book when he was the exact opposite of one? stepping forward, he wordlessly wrapped his arms tightly around vernon. he stood like that for a moment, eventually pulling away enough to be able to look at green.
“i need to tell you something.”
//welp tamara has left to try and get revenge on brock for killing her husband,,,
part 2 coming soon :eyes:
![[Image: 3f73673bc625cb8aea6f96d0c13879b1.jpg]](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/73/67/3f73673bc625cb8aea6f96d0c13879b1.jpg)