18
—Day 1—
It was odd, being back home at long last.
It was nearly noon the following day of their arrival (Curly had slept in longer than planned, though then again he hadn't meant to fall asleep at Swansea's house in the first place), the blond having finally gone back to his apartment with Anya joining along.
He was thankful for her company, that's for certain. Elsewise, he probably would have just gone by himself and it would have been the first time (since Jimmy had moved in with him) that Curly would be in the apartment alone. He hadn't felt all that nervous about it at first, but the closer they got to the place, the more his nerves were starting to make themselves known. His palms were sweaty, his heart was starting to race for no good reason, and it just felt wrong.
In an ironic twist, he was now thankful it had only been Anya to join him, he wouldn't even know where to begin trying to explain things to his mother if he ended up having a panic attack. Sure, she knew what had happened officially, but, well. There was still a lot left unspoken. A lot left to process.
He didn't need to drag his mum into that mess, just content that he could go see her without hours of travel.
At the moment, his mum was staying over at Swansea's place. Carroll and her had apparently become fast friends over the time they'd been planning to surprise Curly with her arrival. Swansea's house even had two open rooms for guests, these being Willie and Robin's old bedrooms. Worked out brilliantly.
Curly dug his keys out of his pocket as he eyed his door, mentally making a note that he'd have to check in on his mail soon enough. Christ, he wondered how much was junk in there. "Imma just real quick apologize for the mess'n'here, uh, Jim's shit is just bout… everywhere honestly."
Anya hummed, giving him a raised brow, "Guess we'll have to come back with a trash bag at some point, right?"
It was a joke. Of course it was a joke. It should have felt more lighthearted than anything. And sure, it got a laugh out of him, but even then it felt hollow. He honestly wasn't sure if he'd be able to part with everything, besides, he didn't know what exactly was going to happen with Jimmy.
Sure there was the whole thing with them eventually sending Jim back to earth for his court hearing (that was the right word, wasn't it? He really did not know much of this legal jargon), but then what?
Would he be able to send Jimmy some of his stuff for where ever it would be best to have him settled? It felt shitty to just… get rid of all his crap, like it or not, the asshole was still a person. Then there was dealing with getting in touch with his lawyers and figuring out the mess with Pony Express and then there was the fact he didn't have a job anymore and—
Curly blinked out of his thoughts as he was gently nudged in the side, Anya's voice soft as she spoke. "You alright? You, uh, you were staring off for a moment there."
He smiled and it was an empty gesture. They both knew it. "Oh. Uh, you know. Just… thinking." With a shake of the head, he unlocked the door and eased inside with his friend following behind. Curly moved on autopilot; prying his boots off at the door, flicking the light on, and giving a deep breath in as he mused, "Home, sweet, home, eh?"
Jimmy would toss his shoes off with a grunt, shove past him with a tired grumble as he dropped his travel bag on the ground. Then he'd be heading to his room to sleep for the rest of the day.
Anya snorted, nudging her sandals off as she looked around curiously, "Goodness, you really need to dust in here."
"Piss off," he laughed, shoving her shoulder playfully. "But, yeah… yeah, I gotta do lot of tidyin,' especially if Daisuke was serious about being my new roommate. I, ah, I don't particularly know many folk, so I usually just… leave the apartment as is rather than ask someone to look after it."
"Well, I don't really have much to do today, so if you need a helping hand, I wouldn't mind."
"You're too kind, would be 'ppreciated." Curly rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully, "M'pretty sure we got bunch of cleanin' supplies under… no unless he did move that shit to the closet like he said… eh I can…" He waved a hand as he trailed off, heading along to check around for wherever the hell Jimmy had shoved the bathroom cleaners before they left for the trip.
~
Anya wasn't really expecting to spend her first day back on earth helping to clean a bathroom of all things, but she supposed there could have been worst things.
She glanced over as she set the rag she'd been using to the side, blowing a strand of hair away from her face from where it had managed to escape her tossed up ponytail. "Curly?"
He called back from the hallway, "Whuh—yeah?"
"I think it's about lunchtime, could you check?"
The blond's footsteps came over as he peeked into the bathroom, the man now having a baseball cap with a fish skeleton (she had no clue where it'd come from) settled on his head. He adjusted the arm-length rubber gloves he had on, "You gettin' peckish?"
"A bit," she lied. She moreso figured they both needed a break, Curly had yet to stop moving after they'd initially gotten started hours ago. Anya had been taking things slowly while Curly had practically tossed himself into the work.
She figured that was the man's response to most things the more she reflected on it, when a lot was going on in his head, his first instinct was to either bury it with work or try not to think about it in the first place. And well, there was easily quite a bit of overlap in both aspects.
He'd certainly gotten better at avoiding these habits, she had to give credit where it was due, Curly was not the same man he had been, but still.
Old habits die hard. She just hoped he wouldn't get himself into another spiral.
Curly took off his gloves before rubbing a hand down his face, "Got anythin' in mind?"
"Hmm… Daisuke did say to call him today, maybe we can all get lunch?"
"…Eh, ya know what, cheers to it. Sounds brilliant," Curly nodded, adjusting his hat. "Maybe I can try that, uhhh… what was it, the bobbie or somethin'?"
Anya stared, "The… what?"
He flapped a hand before looking at the ceiling, "The, the… it's like a drink made outta hamster's eyes? All jelly eggy?"
She gave a baffled laugh, opening and closing her mouth. "I. Curly, what?"
He gestured sharply, brow furrowing, "Look! Just! Is like a tea of some sort? Has lil jelly balls in it? Uh. Daisuke said he knew of a cafe near the port that had it…?"
Jelly tea… wait. Anya bit back a giggle as she removed her own gloves, "Do you mean boba…?"
He perked up with a smile, "Yes! That!"
"You're a strange man, you know that?"
"Ain't my fault I couldn't remember the damn name," The blond snorted, quirking a brow, "Also are you just realizing that, Anya? The, I dunno, time-travel thing didn't clue ya in?"
Anya was startled a moment by the man just bringing that up casually, though, if he felt comfortable enough to talk with her about it aloud, she figured that was much better than trying to claim ignorance.
"That's probably the most normal thing about you actually," she mused.
He gave a mock insulted sniff, "I'm feelin' rather attacked here."
She rolled her eyes as she moved to swipe his hat off his head and slam it down on her own, sticking her tongue out at him. Curly just chuckled, moving out of the doorway so Anya could slip past him as he moved to fix his hair.
~
Daisuke hummed as his māmā messed with his hair, crossing his eyes at her before she chuckled and gently smacked him in the shoulder. "Taku kōmata, your eyes will get stuck like that, toitoi okewa," she shook her head.
"You always say that, māmā!" He snickered as she moved to pinch his ear, "Whaaaaaaat?"
"You silly boy," she muttered.
"I am very serious, thank you!"
She gave him a look which he responded to by flashing her a cheerful grin in turn. She shook her head at him again but there was a smile worming its way onto her own face either way. She opened her mouth to make a comment when they both heard Daisuke's name being called.
He perked up, practically launching himself out of his chair so he could tackle Anya into a hug before eagerly dragging Curly into it as the captain (er… ex-captain? Oh, yeah, none of them really had jobs anymore, right?) stood just shy of joining in.
"It's been too long!" He said dramatically, already beaming as he heard Curly begin to chuckle.
Anya rolled her eyes at him as she managed to escape the hug, "We saw each other just yesterday."
Daisuke wouldn't lie, he had really missed them. He even missed Swansea's grumbling, ha! But they were here now and he could pester Swansea anytime now that he had the boss' phone number!
He slumped against Curly, placing one hand to his forehead with an over-the-top sigh, "Ages, so long! Oh, how time has flown!"
"Really?" Curly tilted his head at him as Daisuke peeked an eye open.
He grinned back toothily, "Uh-huh!"
"You're somethin' else, ya know it?"
"Something awesome~?" He winked.
Curly opened his mouth to retort when his māmā spoke up in a fond, amused tone, "Tamaiti, are you going to introduce your friends to your māmā or no?"
Daisuke blinked before quickly straightening up, "Oh— yeah, 미안합니다!" He turned to quickly introduce his friends. "This is the incredible and totally epic Anya!" He gestured grandly to his friend, watching the woman blush as she tried to quickly wave off his words.
His māmā just chuckled, standing up to come clasp Anya's hands with a nod as Daisuke moved to gesture to Curly next. The man side-eyed him, rubbing sheepishly at the back of his neck. "And here!!! We have the good ole Captain Curly! He knows origami!"
The blond moved to shake his māmā's hand with a dip of the head, "Pleasure, ma'am."
"Tēnā kōrua. Hello to the both of you, you can just call me Alene."
Curly fidgeted with his fingers as the handshake broke off, the man nodding with a nervous smile, "Pleasure, Alene."
"Good boy," his māmā smiled warmly, moving to sit back down at their table. She briefly adjusted her beanie (her hair was growing back now that she was done with her treatment but it had yet to grow beyond a slight fuzz) before motioning for his friends to take a seat, "Sit, sit."
Daisuke practically dragged Anya over to be sat by him as he plopped himself down, Curly trailing them and settling in after a moment of hesitation. The blond briefly cast a wary glance around the almost empty cafe before giving a soft sigh and turning back. Man, the captain was such a nervous guy now that he actually knew him better.
Daisuke moved to rest his face in his hands, kicking his feet giddily. "Sooooooo~? What have you two been doing? Swansea finally kick you out of his house?"
Anya smiled, "Actually we went over to Curly's place to get it tidied up."
He glanced to Curly with a new excitement, "Oh my gosh, yeah! You're like, still cool with me rooming with you?"
"I, uh," Curly glanced between Daisuke and his māmā before picking at his fingers, "If, if you still want to, I don't want to rush you to m-move in or anything at all! But, er, well if—"
"Epic!" Daisuke reached over to happily pat the man on the arm, silently pleased when the blond relaxed at the contact rather than shrink back, "Māmā's been telling me to get out the house already!"
Curly looked startled before his māmā interjected with a roll of her eyes, "He's been talking about moving out for some time even before the internship." She raised her brows at Daisuke, fingers moving to pinch his ear again, "Except he never actually did."
He chuckled warily, "Yeaaaahhhhh…"
Curly gave a laugh himself, pausing to perk up attentively as a waitress came over to their table.
"Hello, can I go ahead and get you all something to drink?" The gal looked around Daisuke's age and he sat up quickly to appear more presentable, ignoring the raised brows Anya and his māmā sent his way. Don't blame him! The waitress was like, really cute and the snake bite piercings complimented her vibe!
"Yeah! Totally, uh, can I like, get a strawberry-popping boba tea, please?" He'd wait until they were going to leave to ask for a phone number.
"Mhm," the waitress' eyes glanced him over to focus on Anya as she ordered a tea before getting his mother and Curly's orders as well.
Daisuke watched her leave before Anya spoke up, "You know how obvious you are?" He glanced over at her sharply and pouted.
"Leave me aloneeeeee!"
His māmā began to wheeze with giggles, the sound was music to his ears.
—Day 2–
Curly hummed faintly as he cleaned, having ended up spending most of yesterday with Anya, Daisuke, and Daisuke's māmā, Alene. He'd had dinner with his mum and caught a late bus back to his place since he was letting Anya borrow his truck (he trusted the woman with his life, of course he trusted her with his truck) to meet up with her mother.
It had turned out because of another delay (and a bad storm), Anya's mother Olenna had decided to just take a rental car the rest of the way. Anya would meet her halfway before they'd drive back.
He couldn't recall if Daisuke said he was going with her, but seeing as the guy had been blowing up his phone with pictures and selfies of his head stuck out a window and of blurry trees, he figured he had. Besides from that, Curly had mostly been by himself, his mum calling here and there to check in on him.
While he enjoyed catching up and having folk to talk with again, he was getting overwhelmed. At the very least, being by himself with some music playing while he worked helped ease him.
~
Swansea watched his dog run around the yard with a tired hum, the mutt was an old thing and yet still acted like a puppy on the odd occasion. Heh, if only he could feel the same way, the adjustment period after arriving back on Earth always was an irritating reminder of his own limits.
The gravity on Earth was greater than on Mars (and the Tulpar, this being only natural for a smaller, artificial system) and his joints weren't afraid to start their damned complaining bout it.
He leaned back in one of the rocking chairs set out on the porch and sighed. At least it wasn't too shabby of a day outside, the man glancing over as the door opened and Carroll came over to settle in the chair besides him.
He grunted and she gave an absent mumble in turn. He appreciated that about her, didn't have to say a damn thing while still being as much of company as he'd enjoy.
Swansea closed his eyes and let himself listen to the idle sounds around him. The damn dog running about in the grass, the creaking of the rocking chairs, and the world going about its own business.
~
"And then, then I was like, hellooooo? And this guy, this random guy just pops out of nowhere!"
Anya nodded along to Daisuke's words, sprawled out on the bed in the hotel room they'd booked for the night before meeting up with her mother about lunchtime tomorrow. "Are you sure they weren't just… already there and you overlooked them?"
Her friend puffed out his cheeks, "Pffff, what, no! I'm like, uh, definitely more observant than that!"
"You didn't notice Curly started to trim his beard for a whole week."
"Well, to be fair, he doesn't like people looking him in the eye so I just let my eyes wander when I talk to him!"
"…you didn't realize I wasn't wearing a sweater the whole time we drove here and got confused when you noticed."
"You, uh, like always wear sweaters though!"
"You tried to claim I hid it from you," she said in turn, raising her eyebrows at him.
Daisuke made a face, "Uh. Well… bleghhh."
"Wonderful argument, Daisuke."
Her friend flopped face-first into a pillow, blowing out a loud raspberry in retaliation.
Anya laughed, "Okay? Night to you, too, I guess?"
~
Curly leaned his face into his mum's shoulder with a deep breath, having come over to Swansea's after a nightmare that was just a bit too real (it didn't feel right not being able to find Anya and Daisuke after waking up).
While the older man had grumbled about him coming over (he'd had a bit of a panic attack before taking the first bus that left the city and came out around where Swansea lived), he'd let him in with little more said.
Now here he was, feeling like a child as his mum wrapped her arms around him and held him. Curly didn't exactly know how to explain where his head was (they'd barely been in contact before Curly had reached out after they'd got those laptops set up) but he appreciated her anyways.
He had really missed this gentleness.
—Day 3—
With a sigh, Anya smoothed her hair down as she waited for her mother to arrive at the meet point they'd agreed upon, Daisuke sat next to her with his gameboy in hand. She wasn't sure what game he was playing at the moment, but it seemed to be occupying him well enough.
Anya herself couldn't quite focus on one thing or another for too long. Her gaze moving from one thing to the next; a small beetle crawling across the ground, the sound of vehicles passing by the diner, the near foliage rustling in the breeze, etc. She shifted her feet, fidgeting with her sweater (she was wearing the cat one from Mars), and she puffed out another sigh.
She wasn't sure why she felt so nervous, her mother had flown in for Anya's departure a year ago (had it really been that long? Time had felt so strange on the Tulpar) and everything had been fine then.
She buried her face in her hands. It didn't take long for Daisuke to speak up. "Heyyy, you good?"
"Mmmm," she glanced up, brushing her hair back, "I feel pretty nervous right now."
"Uh-huh?"
She nodded, "I'm not entirely sure why though, I… this isn't even the longest time I've gone without seeing my mother. I've lived out of the house for some time, so I, well, I don't know?"
When Anya looked over to her friend, he was nodding along, biting his lip with a thoughtful nod. "Hmmm… well, like, have you ever, you know, almost died before?"
"W-What?"
He shrugged as he looked back down to his game, fingers hovering in place over the buttons. "I mean, I've been away from home before, too, dude. Once on this really epic senior trip and then this one time when I accidentally fell asleep in this one dude's backseat after getting drunk at a party and ended up in a different state for a few days."
"…you, I'm sorry, what?"
"Anywhoooo! It was chill, I missed my parents and stuff, but like, I wasn't afraid about being away from them? You know?"
Anya really wanted to ask about the 'ending up in a different state' thing, but she figured she could pry the answer out of him at a later time. "I… suppose?"
"Well, the trip was kinda terrifying after the whole 'oh no! Jimmy's trying to kill Anya!' And I felt like throwing up like, sooooo badly when we landed because I just reallyyyyyy needed to see my parents, dude. Like, I just… mmm. Yeah."
Well. He did have a point there. "It… doesn't feel like it really happened sometimes."
Daisuke nodded, a barely notable shiver running through him. She didn't doubt his thoughts had begun to think over what happened.
The glisten of the barrel as the gun was raised, the rage boiling in dark eyes. The gunshot that rung through the room. The blood and fear and panic— She swallowed thickly, clearing her throat, "It was pretty scary."
"For real." Daisuke scratched at his face, Anya noting how his fingertips lingered along the scar across his face. Too close. It had come way too close to his eye. While the injury had healed well, it definitely wasn't one that would fade.
"I think we all need to go to therapy," Anya half-joked, ruffling a hand through her hair. "…Probably would be a good thing to look into."
"Already three steps ahead of you," her friend mused, "I can recommend you if you want!"
"Mmm… if I can afford that," she mumbled.
"Dudeeee."
"Alright, alright—"
"Anya?"
Her head snapped up before she stumbled to her feet, ignoring the stares from a couple of people walking into the near diner. Her mother was stood there in a soft yellow dress, adjusting the bag she wore as she walked over.
Anya didn't hesitate to rush over and wrap her arms around her, a soft laugh sounding as a hand ran gently through her hair and a tender kiss was pressed to her cheek. "Я скучила!"
She paused, chewing on her lip as she tried to remember some basic phrases. After a moment she managed to speak, "Я-Як… справи?"
Her mother hummed, those sharp black eyes crinkling with fondness, "Коли ти щасливий, я щасливий."
Anya opened and closed her mouth before blushing, "I… I don't remember that one."
"That's okay, серденько," her mother soothed, "I'm delighted you've been trying to learn more either way… now who's this?" Anya blinked as her mother leaned away to look over at Daisuke with a little hum.
Daisuke eagerly came over with a bright grin, rocking on his heels, "Hi! I'm Anya's bestest friend, Daisuke~!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Her mother's face melted into a warm smile, a hand pressed to her chest. "I'm glad to hear of it. My sweet girl needs more good friends."
Anya felt her blush deepen, "Maaaa…"
"Oh, what, моє сонечко? You've always been such a busy worker, you need more friends. Hm… speaking of friends?" Her mother raised her eyebrows, "I don't wish to see you lonely."
"…only a friend." Anya sighed, "I don't ev—"
"OH! Wait!" Daisuke interrupted eagerly, "Are you talking about dating stuff!? Cause this really pretty girl totalllyyyy gave Anya her number the other dayyy~!"
"Ohhhh?"
"DAISUKE, SHUT UP!" Anya's face blazed.
—Day 4–
Curly sighed as he shifted another box out of Jim's old room, tapping a foot as he looked around. The room hadn't been this empty in ages and it felt painfully wrong to see it like this.
But well, he'd taken advantage of Anya and Daisuke being out of town to get things worked on (while Anya was genuinely helpful, he often got pretty distracted when trying to work on something with Daisuke around unless they were baking), moving the box to the pile he had got going out in the hallway.
He stretched out his back, cringing a moment as something cracked loudly, "Yeeesh." The man went to grab at his cleaning supplies when he heard someone knocking on his door.
Curly really hoped it wasn't another reporter who'd caught wind of his growing involvement in the Pony Express lawsuit. He was already tired of them damned vultures trying to ask him questions. He dragged himself over, peering outside warily before giving a confused hum at who he saw instead.
Looked to be Swansea's younger daughter, Willet (or Willie as she insisted to call her) stood there with some other lass he didn't recognize (though she did have a strong resemblance to Swansea so she might be related? A niece maybe?)
He opened the door and gave an awkward smile, "Ah, uh, hello?" He eyed the new woman, he guessed she might be about his age.
Willie held something up and he flinched a moment at the unexpected motion before his shoulders slumped back down. Huh, what in the hell… "Is that a cactus?"
"Mhmmm, hardy little plants!" Curly warily accepted it when he realized it was being held out for him to take.
"Ah, uh, thank you…?" His eyes darted towards the other woman and he was thankful that she seemed to read his mind.
The woman stuck a hand out (he quickly moved to balance the cactus in his good arm so he could shake her hand) and said in a confident, steady voice, "Heya, I'm Odette, Swansea's niece. Nice to meet you."
Aha! So he was right then, they both did have a similar face shape and way of holding themselves. He nodded, "Pleasure, well, I assume you might already know I'm Curly?"
The woman, Odette, snorted, "I do, uncle Swans would sometimes bitch about ya even before this latest trip of yours."
Yup… sounded like the old bastard. He snorted, "I ain't surprised to hear it… ah!" He remembered his manners, quickly straightening, "Would you like to come in, have some coffee perhaps?"
"Wouldn't mind sittin' down," Odette commented while Willie easily nodded along.
Curly glanced behind himself as he rebalanced his new cactus in both hands (bloody hell he didn't know how to take care of a cactus) before nodding. "Terribly sorry for the mess, ah, clearing out some things at the moment."
"No worries," Willie said as she stepped in, pausing when she noticed Curly was wearing only his socks before prying off her sneakers. Odette was right behind her, slipping off her boots in one fluid, casual motion.
"Brilliant," he moved to set the cactus on a near windowsill in the living room before moving to the kitchen (technically they were only separated by a change in flooring and the dining table), "Now, I can't help but be curious, but what exactly are y'all two doing here?"
Odette gave a laugh, "Oh, Swansea just wanted us to make sure you were alive while we were in the area."
Curly raised a brow, "I saw him just the other day?"
Willie wandered around his living room, speaking up from where her cousin had left off, "Dad got pretty wound up when you didn't answer your phone. Does the same thing to all of us."
Ah. So that's why his phone kept ringing… he hadn't even thought to check the caller ID. He flushed, "Ah."
"Oh, and your ma, lovely woman gotta say," Odette added, "Wanted us to tell you that she's going to be staying in town for a bit longer."
Curly nodded, grabbing a few mugs as he got the coffee machine going. "Well, thank you then for figuring to tell me, apologies y'all had to drag yourselves over here."
"We were in the area," Odette commented while her cousin nodded along. "Besides, it's looking like you might as well be family now, and we look after our own."
The man was a bit caught off by that, looking over quickly, "Oh— y-yeah?"
The woman nodded easily enough, leaning back in her chair. Willie had finally drifted over from her wanderings, leaning an elbow on her cousin's shoulder. "Mhmmm, and well, we might be a bit nosey and the old man ain't saying a damn thing about what happened on that ship."
Curly gave a faint chuckle, moving to place the mugs on the table, "That so? Well… what's it you two already know then?"
~
What Curly had thought would be some brief chatter and the eventual departure of the two women became an hours long conversation about everything and anything.
At the moment, he was practically wheezing with loud, snorting laughter as Odette told an energetic story about the time one of her ex-girlfriends (the two still friends as it turned out) accidentally fell into the cake at a family member's wedding after getting drunk.
"Sounds like a bloody mess!" Curly laughed, Willie snickering from where she was sat next to him.
"It was," Odette mused, sipping at her mug (now filled with some tea Anya had recommended he try), "I had to drive her home in my newly paid off pickup."
"Jesus Christ, mate." He flashed a grin, "Was the icing on top, yeah?"
She barked out a laugh, "You could say so—" Everyone jumped as her phone rang, the woman grumbling under her breath as she pulled it from a pocket, "Who the hell… ah, shit, gotta take this real quick."
"Oh, alright," Curly nodded as him and Willie watched her head out to the balcony to answer the call. He paused as he noted how dark it was getting outside, "Lookin' like it's gotten rather late."
Willie nodded, chewing on her hair. "Odette's probably got to head home soon, she got a long shift at the garage tomorrow."
Oh yeah, the two worked at the same mechanic's shop, didn't they? Reminded him he'd have to get Daisuke and Swansea into contact with that chap he knew. "Whatta bout you? I think my tomorrow's just gonna be more cleaning, unless my mum drags me off on that shopping trip she mentioned…" He didn't know how that would go, but well, if it'd make his mum happy…
"My day off tomorrow," she shrugged, "Might pester Robin at her job."
"She helps with that animal shelter, right?"
"And does art on the side," Willie nodded. "Actually, if you wouldn't mind, could I stay over the night? My place is an hour out but it's been fun to figure out who this 'Captain' guy my dad's been working with all these years actually is."
"Eh, wouldn't be an issue," besides he really didn't like being alone at night here, "And well… heh, I've been figuring it out a lot this last year myself. I, ah, I can't remember the last time I've genuinely enjoyed having company over."
"Suppose we'll just gotta come over more in the future."
Curly laughed, smiling, "Hell, I won't stop y'all, cheers!"
—Day 6–
Anya placed her head in her hands as Daisuke and her mother bounced right off of one another, the two had clicked startling well and now were apparently planning ways to set her up with people when they'd stop to eat on their trip back.
"I mean, he was cute as well, but I think he sounded a bit too prideful. Anya's a sweet girl, she needs someone a bit humble, too."
"And that haircut?" Daisuke snorted, rubbing at his wrist before making a face, "Nuh-uh."
"Hhmm. That young woman with the book might be an option."
"But, like—" Daisuke cut himself off as a waiter refilled his drink, giving a quick 'thank you!' "Like, okay so, but I think she's wearing a ring…"
"Oh, is she?" Her mother squinted and Anya spoke up with a soft laugh.
"Did you forget your glasses, mom?"
"Oh, shush."
She shook her head and waited for their food as the two kept up their odd matchmaker conversation. She'd imagine Curly would find this amusing when she told him about it later.
~
Daisuke stuck his head out the window as they got back into the city, grinning to himself. While the brief roadtrip had been fun, he was happy to be back now with Anya's mom, Olenna, in tow. He'd admittedly really missed his own parents and the rest of the crew, tapping his fingers against the windowsill as they drove along.
It was planned that they'd drop Curly's truck back off and then Olenna would come pick them up from the apartment after she'd got things settled. He was already texting his own parents about joining the three of them for dinner, pausing as he wondered if Curly would want to come as well.
He hummed quietly before speaking up, "Hey, Anya?"
"Mmm?" She kept her eyes on the road like any good driver would.
"You think Curly would want to come too? Swansea said he didn't want to leave his house tonight and Cap said he was tired, but Curly hasn't gotten back to me in at least an hour."
"Have you called him?" Anya briefly checked the rearview mirror, "His apartment isn't far from here either way."
"I could!" He was already typing in the man's phone number (he was so glad to be able to use phones again, he really didn't get why Pony Express didn't let them have them on the Tulpar!) before waiting for Curly to pick up.
It rang once, twice, then a click and the man's voicemail. "Sorry, I'm not able to pick the phone up at the moment, leave me a message at the beep, cheers!"
Daisuke hung up with a frown, "Blegh, I think he got distracted cleaning again."
"I wouldn't be surprised."
~
Curly couldn't breathe, tucked away on the couch as he wheezed in sharply, almost making himself gag with how hard his body shook with sobs.
It had been a good day! It had been fine! He'd gone out shopping with his mum and Miss Harold (she insisted he just call her Carroll, but it felt rude!) but the moment he'd gotten home and was all alone?
It was like he couldn't keep it together anymore! He fell apart and it fucking hurt. So maybe there had been a lot of people outside today and maybe things had been pretty loud and maybe there had been people that stared him the eye just too many times but it wasn't like he was in any danger! He was safe! He was home! He was— he—
He buried his face into his knees with another choked sob, trying desperately to get his breathing back under control.
~
The door clicked open as Daisuke used the spare key he'd been given, cautiously peeking inside with a frown, "Uh, Cap?"
He shared a look with Anya when there was no response, the woman giving a silent shrug as she moved to take her shoes off and step inside. Daisuke worked his boots off, eyes having to readjust as Anya clicked on the hallway light.
Huh, yeah, that was kinda weird? Why were all the lights off?
"Hey, Curly?" Anya spoke as she walked down the short hallway to peer into the conjoined living room/dining room/kitchen sorta area. Daisuke finally got his shoes off and slipped a moment as he hurried after her.
They didn't see anyone around, Anya sharing an uncertain glance with him. Daisuke chewed on his lip and went towards the hallway that branched off from the living room, glancing down it before pausing when he noticed the bathroom light was on. "Hey, Curly!" He called.
There was the sound of movement, a heavy sigh, and the man walked out of the room next to the bathroom instead. He looked tired, eyes locked onto the floor as he gave a little wave.
Daisuke let out a heavy sigh of relief, "Duuuude, I was worried you like, died or something."
"Heh, no." Curly's voice was rough, the man moving to wipe at his face.
"You good?"
The blond simply shook his head, moving back into the dark room, Daisuke hearing the bed in there creak as Curly either laid on it or sat down.
He frowned, fidgeting with his hands before creeping over to peek into the room, "Uh…" He squinted at the dark shape on the bed, "You want me to get you anything for dinner? Me and Anya are taking our parents out to that steakhouse down the road, man."
"…few of em bread rolls?" Came the quiet response.
Daisuke perked up, "Aye, aye! You, uh, you want us to turn the lights back off when we leave?" He figured if Curly hadn't brought up what was bothering him yet, then he probably wasn't ready to talk right now.
"Please."
"Can do, love you, byeeee!" He waved at the dark shape on the bed before heading back to Anya.
~
Curly sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, fidgeting with his fingers. It still felt odd that people came to check in on him nowadays, that they worried about him.
His mum knew he had a habit of disappearing and she'd let him do that, but well. He never had realized how lonely it had made him until now.
Curly didn't have many friends from over the years who still kept in contact with him, either they'd gone off to do their own thing or they were driven off when Jim got jealous.
The man rubbed tiredly at his face, unsure how long he had been laid there until hearing the front door unlock again. He could hear whispering, relaxing only when he recognized the voice.
Just Anya and Daisuke coming back, where had they gone again? Dinner? He hummed, rolling over so he had a better view of his door, watching as someone peeked into the room.
"Psssst, Cap?" The nickname felt bittersweet now.
"Hm?"
"Oh! You're still up!" He didn't feel like sleeping. "Uh, you want me to leave your rolls on the table or…?"
Curly sat up before he dragged himself to his feet, wincing as he put a bit too much pressure on his bad shoulder, "I could eat bout now."
Daisuke scouted out the way and he slipped on past, cringing at the bright lights that had been turned on in the apartment. As he stalked out from the hallway, he noted Anya was in the kitchen, messing with his toaster for some reason.
"What ya doin'?"
The woman jumped, "OH DEAR— CURLY DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME!"
"I… wasn't."
She blinked at him before letting out a breath, "Sorry, I… how old is this toaster?"
Curly frowned, "It works perfectly fine."
"…how old is it?"
"Uhm… 20ish years old…?"
"And it still works…?"
He snorted, glancing over as something was nudged against his arm. He thanked Daisuke and took the offered bag, which he presumed were his bread rolls. He didn't hesitate to sit down and pull them out to eat right then and there.
"You okay, by the way?" Anya spoke up as she moved to sit as well, resting her head on her arms. Behind him, Daisuke bit back a yawn, the guy leaning against Curly's chair.
"Got, uh, whatcha call it when… uhhh, when there's too much stuff happening? Lotta noise?"
"Overstimulated?"
He snapped his fingers with a nod, "That's it."
"Ah, have you looked into talking with those specialists I recommended? Or asking your doctor about anxiety medication?" Anya gave him a narrowed look and he accidentally made eye contact with her, cringing as he did. "Curly…"
"…I'll call in for an appointment tomorrow…?"
"You better." She stood up with a yawn, stretching, "Mind if I stay over tonight?"
"Oh, me too!" Daisuke's voice made him jump, he'd forgotten he was standing right behind him.
"Uh, yeah, course." He rubbed at the back of his neck, "I'll get some pillows and blankets out, the guest room's empty as well?"
"Wooooooo! Sleepover, sleepover!"
Curly silently hoped his neighbors wouldn't make any noise complaints.
—Day 7–
Curly hung up the phone with a sigh, having been dealing with phone calls and emails the whole day.
Lawyers, appointments, hell, he'd even had to call his insurance company to update his information. Just, a lot of talking to people and shifting through the dates and making plans and Jesus-fucking-Christ.
He hated being an adult sometimes, especially a mentally ill one, heh. At the very least Anya had forced him to eat some lunch and Daisuke had claimed the rights to making dinner.
It still baffled him that even when they weren't stuck on a ship together, those two chose to spend time with him. Though, what about when they started looking into their own things…?
Daisuke had started shadowing Robin at her job while waiting for a few places (including the chap Curly had recommended him) to get back to him. Anya was already trying to figure which college she'd apply to while working with Curly to figure how to set up her tuition and pay off her debt. Swansea was doing odd jobs and settling back into being at home again. And it wasn't like his mum could just stay here forever, she still had her house in another bloody county.
It just. Was all piling up and getting under his skin. God, and it had only been a fucking week!
And what then!? He just… kept doing this? Go look at job listings and deal with the justice system because of a shit situation and… go to sleep to do it again? Go back to living day after day after fucking day!? Curly gave a sigh as he stood on the balcony, tapping his fingers sharply against the railing as he stared out at the world below.
Jimmy often stood next to him during times like this, usually taking the opportunity to sneak a cigarette when he knew Curly didn't have the energy to say something about how it was bad for his health. The man never did listen to him.
It was getting close to night and he felt restless, unsure if his growing reluctance to go to bed was because of the nightmares that had come back to haunt him or if it was because he was wound up thinking about the lawsuit or Jimmy's upcoming court date.
The man sighed, moving to drag a hand through his hair before a voice from behind him just about gave him a heart attack. "Curly?"
He glanced over to see Anya looking back, she was wearing the change of pj's she'd grabbed out of her stuff in the truck, a soft purple pair of fluffy pants and an Alien shirt. He gave as much of a smile as he could muster, "Dinner ready?"
"Daisuke said it'd have to sit for an hour or so," she settled in to lean against the railing as well, staring down at the city lights below. "We're about to go out for a bit to kill time, I was wondering if you'd perhaps want to join. Daisuke told me he never really has seen a clear night sky before and I found this place a few miles out that I think will be lovely."
Curly had been missing the stars now that he thought about it, it was hard to see them in the city. "Would love to."
"I'll drive," Anya said cheerfully, slipping back inside while the blond lingered a moment.
He took a breath in and let it out slowly, moving to follow after— wait a second. Had Anya been planning to steal his truck…?
~
Anya admittedly had never really driven a truck before Curly let her borrow his, and honestly? She really, really had fun driving it. It made her feel tall and like she could go anywhere.
When she'd come into the city for the nurse position at Pony Express, she had at most buses to ride and the occasional carpool with briefly made friends (maybe she should try and get back into contact…?) She had sold her last car to make a desperate attempt at money and well, it hadn't really payed off.
So the fact that Curly trusted her to drive his own personal vehicle? She admittedly was going to do so any chance she got.
Anya hummed faintly to herself as the other cars driving past got less frequent and farther between, watching as tall buildings gave way to grasslands and patchy tree groves. After awhile, she eventually pulled over, determining they wouldn't have to bother with the city's light pollution any longer.
"There we go!" She said as she put the truck into park, Curly jolting awake from where he'd been dozing in the back while Daisuke was already popping open the passenger door. "We're here."
She turned the lights off and opened the back door for Curly, the blond stumbling out with a yawn, "This your spot, huh?"
"Certainly, look up."
The man did so and she could see as his eyes widened and his mouth gaped a bit. "Oh," he whispered.
With a smile, the woman looked up as well, it was a wonderfully clear night and the galaxy above them was a sight to behold.
The deep blues and purples of the sky created an ethereal collage of color, brightening around the dark nebulous arc of the Milkway. Stars glistened, millions upon millions of the bright, far away celestial bodies twinkling ever so faintly. Not a single cloud lingered as far as the eye could see.
She saw Daisuke climb up to sit in the back, Anya moving to lean against the truck itself as she stayed standing.
Curly plopped down fully on the ground, eyes locked on the sky above. The smile on his face was one of genuine joy.
—Day 9–
Swansea had the house to himself for the first time since arriving back and he sure as hell wasn't complaining.
Anya was out with her mother, Diane and his wife had gone off shopping (again), and Curly was off talking with lawyers (he really needed to make sure that brat wasn't running himself mad with all that horsecrap).
He could certainly call up one of his other kids or see what the hell Daisuke was doing, but he was not about to let this time go to waste— a knock on the door made him groan, the man having just sat down to watch some TV. With a wince and a grumble, he climbed back to his feet, briefly peered out the peek-hole, before he opened the door with a sour glare.
One useless ray of sunshine stood there in a pair of old jeans and a flower-patterned tee to greet him. Fucking brat had been manifested by just the thought of him apparently. Swansea squinted tiredly at Daisuke for awhile before setting his hands on his hips. "Who the fuck told you where I lived…"
"I remembered your license plate number and address!" The idiot chirped happily.
"…that's concerning." He muttered, pausing when Space Cadet realized there was a visitor, if the sudden barking from behind him was anything to go off of. The man turned to watch the mutt trot on up and Daisuke cheered.
"SPACE CADET!!!"
"This better not become a regular thing," Swansea muttered as he peered over the kid's shoulder, noting to his confusion he didn't see a car anywhere nearby. "…how did you get out here, boy?"
"I walked!"
"You… walked."
"Mhm!"
"…that must've taken you an hour or so…"
"About," Daisuke nodded as he crouched down to his dog's level.
"…why?" The idiot gave a happy-go-lucky shrug as he buried his face into his dog's fur with a snicker. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Swansea stepped aside and waved the idiot inside, "Just. Get inside and get yourself a water, kid."
—Day 12—
Anya swung her mother's hand as they walked, just the two of them wandering about a bookstore she'd been recommended to check out by Willie (Swansea's daughter had mentioned how they sold a variety of used books for low prices and that sounded simply too amazing to pass up).
The woman paused to pick up a book on psychology that caught her eye, her mother taking the moment to peer at the near shelves.
It was nice, Anya looking back over with a smile, "Look, they're actually selling this for about 16 credits!"
"Meant to be, моє сонечко," her mom said as she picked up a book to glance over herself.
~
Curly dozed from where he had his head laid in his mum's lap, her fingers playing with his hair and occasionally her nails scrapping against his scalp.
Her and Daisuke's parents were talking, but he honestly had zoned out most of what was being said. He'd had some tea, was offered a few little pastries, and now he was here just… existing.
He was bloody thankful Daisuke had dragged him out the apartment today, he needed this for sure. Cracking open an eye, he noted in faint amusement how Daisuke was sat next to his mum, nodding along to what was being said around him.
The guy was pretty damn good at worming his way into folk's hearts, wasn't he?
Curly closed his eyes fully again with a content hum.
~
Daisuke hadn't felt like his parents had really seen him in… quite some time. They loved him, of course he knew they loved him, but when his māmā had been dealing with her cancer and his da had to run himself ragged with work, well.
He had felt like such a burden. And it had sucked. Because he really wanted to try, he did! But it just… never really seemed to stick when he'd try something out, just always too far out of reach.
Mostly, he figured he'd been just like afraid to leave home and start doing his own thing, but now? Now he was sitting here, with his parents and Curly's mum and Curly, all… kinda hanging out.
He had a friend who was willing to let him be roommates with him, he had job applications he was waiting to hear back on, and maybe being away from home for his internship had actually forced him to look back on all his shit for once.
It was kinda crazy, though he probably could have gone without the whole knife-wielding copilot thing.
~
Swansea grumbled to himself from where he was pinned between his two daughters, the brats apparently having decided to pester him on their day off. Even his damn niece was over, the gal on the floor with the dog as she watched the TV.
Good for nothing brats, the whole lot of them. He huffed out a breath as he ruffled his hand through Robin's hair, the kid leaning into the contact.
Willie shifted a moment before settling, fast asleep against the other shoulder. Looked like Swansea wasn't going no where for the next hour or so.
—Day 16–
"—and then! The bastard's first fuckin' words were, and I bloody'amn swear! He says that 'Pony Express is more than willing to pay compensation for the Tulpar incident,' like that'll do bloody anything bout the fucking— just— ARGHHH!"
"Sounds bout right." Swansea grunted, leaning back in his chair as he felt a hand play with his hair.
Curly kept up his ranting, not even noticing that Carroll had entered the room. With a huff, Swansea looked up to his wife, "What's it woman?"
"If you must know, amor, it's late and I'm old."
"Headin' to bed without me, eh?"
She rolled her eyes, glancing briefly at Curly who was starting to get red in the face with his angry rambling. "…I think that boy's going to keep going til he passes out."
"Mmmphm. Probably gonna end up on the couch or with his ma."
"Perhaps he'll even stay for breakfast this time," she mused, bending down to press a kiss to his lips, "Buenas noches."
"Night, hermosa," he took one of her hands and pressed a kiss to her knuckles before she moved over to give Curly a little pat on the arm.
The idiot looked like he'd done forgot that other people existed, jumping as he turned to look at her wide-eyed. Carroll took the reaction in stride, "Night, dear."
Curly stared at her before finally stumbling out a 'oh sleep well, Mrs. Harold!' when Swansea kicked him under the table.
Carroll snorted, nodding tiredly before heading off to the bedroom. Curly rested his head on his arms, gaze following Carroll's departure before darting back to Swansea. "Uh, have. Have I been ramblin' for bit now?"
"Mmm."
"Ah." The kid blew out a breath before sitting up in his seat, "Suppose I best be outta'ya hair, eh?"
"Bah," he waved a hand, "Might as well finish what you were off bout first, can sleep on the damn couch for all I care."
A faint smile, "You're a goddamned softie, ain'tcha?"
"Shut the hell up ya damn brat," Swansea grumbled with a roll of the eyes.
—Day 18–
Daisuke decided right then and there that Robin was like, one of the coolest people he'd ever met.
He was on a fucking motorcycle right now, like an actual motorcycle!!! And he didn't even have to worry about possibly crashing it because Swansea's daughter was driving and absolutely slaying as she did so.
He held on tightly, giggling under his breath, "This is so cool, this is like, so cool!"
"What was that!" The woman called over the sound of the wind passing them by.
"THIS IS AWESOME!" Daisuke called back, smiling like a big doofus, "TOTALLY AWESOME, DUDE!"
Robin laughed, "Tell my dad that! The old fart's a fucking worry wart about the damn thing!"
He just broke into gleeful laughter as they made a sharp turn, "WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!"
—Day 22–
Jimmy was back on earth today.
Curly didn't know what he was supposed to be feeling in regards to that.
He wasn't exactly sad or angry anymore, the irritation and betrayal having long since faded to a low burning of something he couldn't quite name. He wasn't happy that Jimmy would most likely have to be criminally institutionalized for the rest of his life, but it wasn't like he thought the bastard should rot in a prison cell either.
It just… was as it was. And he couldn't change it, no matter the what-if's running through his head. You can't help everyone, and caring about them didn't fix all the problems that existed there. You can't fix anything when you refuse to even bring up the dirty, awful details.
He knew by now that their friendship wasn't healthy for either of them. Jim was an insecure bastard with an inflated ego and need for control, Curly was just so desperate to keep a hold of the one person who'd stay that he enabled every bad habit and ignored every warning sign. They were, in a sense, addicted to one another.
The man sighed. Yeah. That was the best way to put it. Curly liked having Jim around, to have someone that didn't give a damn about any of his flaws while also staying even when he was at his lowest. Jim needed someone to support him, someone that didn't give up on him no matter how much he hurt everyone around him. They needed each other so badly that they'd stopped caring how much it was destroying them both.
No wonder it had spiraled so out of control. It wasn't sustainable, no matter how many good laughs they had or how wonderful it felt to not be alone in the world. It didn't make up for the bitter words, the resentment, and the abuse.
Just. Christ. He'd have to condemn the person who'd once been his closest friend to his worst nightmare.
God, maybe Curly really did need therapy. At least he finally would be seeing his doctor tomorrow and would probably have an appointment with a psychiatrist soon after.
—Day 24—
Anya knew, eventually, her mom would make her way back upstate to return her rental car before flying back home, it didn't mean it didn't hurt when the day finally reared its head.
She might have been crying a bit as her mom got her things packed up in the car and looked ready to head out. Daisuke gently leaned against her side in silent support, Anya wiping at her face as her mother came over.
The hug couldn't last long enough, her mother pressing a gentle kiss to both cheeks, "I'll call you before I get on the plane and when I get off, okay, голуб?"
"Okay," she sniffled. Giving the woman one more tight hug before letting go as her mother got into the car to start the drive, she didn't stop waving until she couldn't see the vehicle anymore.
~
Swansea watched as Anya and Robin bickered over lunch, Space Cadet circling the table waiting for someone to drop scraps. The kid looked like she was doing better after her mom had left that morning, but still, she held that kinda sadness you'd expect from a goodbye.
Curly had looked bout the same when his mum had left, like a kicked puppy. Though, he supposed that was one thing with caring for someone, hurts like a bitch to be apart. Swansea flinched out of his thoughts as he felt a hand on his elbow, looking over to see Carroll giving him a knowing look.
"What," he mumbled, raising a brow.
She smiled, before leaning in to speak softly, "Stop worrying so much. I can see it etched on your face."
"Bah, don't know whatcha on bout."
She kissed his cheek with a hum, "Sure, amor, whatever you say."
Damn woman, he let out a sigh and turned his attention back to his own plate. He'd call up the rest of the knuckleheads later tonight, not cause he was worried or nothin, just cause he didn't have anything better to do.
—Day 33–
Curly couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed seeing he'd been rejected again, chewing on his lip a moment before figuring to try again later.
Christ, he forgot how shitty the damn workforce could be. Places saying they were looking to hire and then saying they weren't looking for anyone, others rejecting because he was 'over-qualified,' whatever the bloody hell that was, and then others just never got back in touch with him at all.
"Just… one day at a time," he muttered to himself before flopping onto his couch with a groan.
—Day 45—
Daisuke slapped up a new poster on the wall, the room finally feeling more like his own now that he wasn't stressing so much. It had been just a few days ago since Jimmy had been officially sent off to some institution or whatever and while Curly said that the Pony Express lawsuit might stretch over another few months, at least things were chilling out.
His roomie (it was still so cool that Curly let him be his roommate!!!) had been up the walls stressed. Like, seriously, Daisuke had caught him climbing onto the fridge at least once during the last few weeks and the guy still refused to explain why.
It wasn't like he didn't get it (at least a bit, he knew there was still a lot Curly hadn't told him about) but as Daisuke had told his therapist, the nightmares didn't really stop. They just kinda… got easier to deal with. So there was that.
And so sometimes it was hard to sleep, sometimes Daisuke got a little twitchy around knives, and loud noises always had him checking for a gun, but it didn't mean everything was shitty.
Like, for example? Curly had been talking about getting a service dog now, which would be like, totally awesome. Sure, Carroll had started paying Daisuke to walk Space Cadet (he loved that dog sooooo much), but the fact that him and Curly would have a dog of their own!?
That was going to be epic! And then Curly would always have someone around to help get him out of his dissociation episodes or his bad panic attacks! Which, like!? That was even more awesome! Then there was the fact that he had so many cool people in his life now and he didn't feel like such a failure anymore, and just… yeah!
Daisuke grinned to himself, rocking on his heels a moment. Yeah, life was pretty great.
~
Swansea grunted as he entered the little bakery with Myung, the two of them having an idle kind of talk before the both of them were glancing bout, trying to figure where the hell Daisuke was.
"This is the one he was going on bout, isn't it?" He muttered, scratching his chin as he looked around. Was a homey little place, scattering of tables around and some potted plants for color. A soft music played overhead but with his hearing, he couldn't tell if it was just a melody or if there were words mixed in there.
"Unless there's a bakery of the same name that figured to hire him," Myung commented, the man adjusting his glasses as they strode over to the counter.
Some kid with dyed hair and a hell's load of sparkly eyeliner was stood waiting, perking right up. "Hey, how can I help you?"
Swansea eyed the kid's name tag, 'Chie,' it said. "Uh-huh, sure. Myung, whatcha havin?"
The man blinked, looking over at him, "I said I would pay—"
"Too late," he scoffed, holding up his card.
Daisuke's father made a face quite reminiscent of his son's after losing a board game with Anya. "Mmmmm… I'll buy lunch then."
"Whatever you say," he snorted. "Now tell the damn kid wh—"
They both jumped at Daisuke's loud voice behind them, "OMG HI!"
Swansea looked over just in time to get tackled into a hug, one of the brat's arms going around his neck as the other dragged in Myung closely.
"Oh my gosh, are you here to see me~?" Daisuke beamed at the two of them, dressed in similar work attire as the kid at the counter.
Myung smiled fondly while Swansea grunted. "The hell we want to see you for?"
"Pfff, whatever you say, boss!"
If he smiled just a bit, no one had to say a damn thing about it.
—Day 53–
Daisuke kicked his feet with a grin, eyeing the game on his screen before speaking up teasingly, "Anya~? You going to make a move—"
"HUSH! SHHHHHHH!" The woman on the other end of the call practically hissed at him.
He snickered, "You're running outta time though!"
"DAISUKE I WILL DRIVE OVER THERE TO PERSONALLY KICK YOUR ASS!"
The guy was pretty sure that if she was there in person she might lowkey strangle him.
—Day 64–
Curly fidgeted in place as he waited to meet his sixth therapist, while getting onto medication for his anxiety had been helpful to reduce a good bit of his day-to-day stress, he still wasn't all that certain about this therapy thing.
He'd already had to stop seeing a couple because they just… didn't really listen, another because she thought the relationship he had with Jimmy was 'actually just how guys are,' and the last few because it just felt like they were going in circles.
But he promised he'd try to find someone who'd click, if not for his own sanity, then for his family's. Besides, since Daisuke had moved in, he couldn't quite avoid the topic. Especially when his new roommate ratted him out to Anya (now a couple hours away, she had managed to work things out with a local college and was rooming in a rental with someone Odette knew/previously dated) whenever he tried to pretend a phone-call was 'mysteriously glitching out' or that he was losing connection.
He swore Anya and Daisuke had even roped his mum and the girls (Robin, Willie, and Odette) into occasionally asking how therapy was going. Miss Carroll and Swansea didn't quite ask directly, but he was pretty sure they were keeping tabs on him as well.
Curly sighed as his name was called, walking over to the woman stood there. She didn't force eye contact like a couple of his previous therapists and greeted him simply by name rather than as Mr. Curly, so that already was winning her points in his book.
"You can sit anywhere you want, Curly," she said as she opened the door for him.
He gave a shallow nod and slipped inside, claiming the beanbag he spotted squished against the bookcase and desk in the room.
She moved to sit down on the adjacent couch, flipping through a notebook, "Mind if I ask you some questions to get an idea what you'll want to work on through our time together?"
He chewed on his lip, looking down to his lap, "S-Sure."
He let himself be a bit hopeful.
—Day 77–
Anya blew out a breath as she sat back in her chair, "So, how did you two feel about the test?"
Her two class-friends made faces (they often did that without realizing they were copying one another). Wright put his face in his hands, the man shaking his head sharply and messing up his curly hair as he did so, "Anyaaa, I don't want to think about that right now."
"For once, I agree with the idiot," Willow muttered, "That was hard. Like, stupidly so."
She hummed, "I guess so, alright. Okay, so what did you two do over the weekend then?"
Willow grinned, "Ohohohoho~! Do I have a tale to tell you two nerds—"
Wright huffed, "I'm not a nerd…"
"—so buckle up and listen to how I accidentally slept-drove a boat!"
—Day 83—
Curly hummed softly, hands settled gently in his lap as he tapped a foot. He really hoped this would work out well, thumbs rotating around one another as he tried to ignore any odd look he got.
The man did not need to be recognized right now, burying his hands in his hair with a sigh. He just wanted to meet with this dog trainer guy, see what they could do, and get this stuff figured out so he could go back home. He'd already had a long week as it was, he loved his new job (essentially he gave small plane tours for folk wanting an aerial view of the surrounding landscape) but christ some folk got under his skin.
He didn't feel any better when it felt like everyone was fucking looking at him, shivering a moment as he rubbed his bad shoulder.
"Grant Curly?"
His head snapped up and he winced when a few people looked his way, standing up and nearly tripping over his own feet as he did so. With a nervous smile, he hurried over to the desk, "Ah, yes?"
"The representative says you can go on in, just head on into that door to the side, darling. Alright?"
He smiled with a nod, almost scurrying off before remembering his manners, "Ah, of course, t-thank you, ma'am."
She gave a little nod of the head before he turned away and ducked into the door. He let out a heavy breath the moment it was closed behind him, only to jump when another voice spoke up in a drawl.
"Grant was it?"
He looked and saw a fella nearly a foot shorter than himself. He was an interesting sort already, Curly's eyes darting over the man's eye patch before sliding away to focus on one of several notable scars criss-crossing the man's face.
Curly stirred when he realized he was supposed to speak, not sure why his throat was tightening all of a sudden. It was just one more person to talk to, he was fine, everything was fine!
"C-Curly, uh, actually— just, just Curly, please." He cringed at how his voice practically pitched an octave, one hand coming up to fidget with the friendship bracelet Daisuke had gifted him a few days back.
The other man didn't seem particularly bothered, that idle kind of expression barely twitching. "Alright, I'm Sam, nice to meet you."
Curly nodded warily, waiting for the man to toss out a hand for a handshake before the guy just turned around and began walking instead. Ah. So. They weren't doing pleasantries then. That— huh. The blond found he actually liked that better than the whole song and dance of 'nice weather' and 'how have you been,' and all that shit.
He smiled, just barely, and moved to follow after, letting out a soft breath.
~
"And— and so, so this fella, Sam, this fella takes me to introduce me to some of the service dogs he's been helping to train!"
Anya hummed to show she was listening, adjusting the phone as she reviewed her notes for an upcoming test. "How'd that go?"
"Bloody wonderful!" The man said eagerly, "I-I, so, so there's still a lot to work on, uh, paperwork and all that, but this guy was awesome! He— he, didn't even look me in the eye the whole time we talked and, and it was, I, just— it was nice to talk with someone that… that was patient with me? I suppose?"
"More people should be patient with you in my opinion," she huffed, remembering how many different therapists and providers the man had gone through to find someone who'd work with him on his level.
"Heh, you and me both— oh! Hey, Daisuke!" There was a muffled shout back and Curly spoke into the phone, "Daisuke just got back to the apartment, I'm get him to say hi."
Anya smiled, glancing at her notes again, "Okay."
Some shuffling, the sound of footsteps, then voices talking briefly. When Daisuke yelled into the phone, she was already mentally prepared so she wouldn't jump, "ANYAAAAAA!"
She laughed, "Daisuke!"
"HEYYYYYYY~! How are you, man!"
"Alright, doing some review for a test—"
He made a fake gagging sound that made her roll her eyes.
"—then I'll probably go to sleep for my early day tomorrow."
"You beat that test's ass!!! OH, HEY! Guess who got a date tonight~!"
"I'll try," she mused before looking over with a hum, "Dunno, the mailman, maybe?"
"I GOT A DATE TONIGHT!" Daisuke squealed, "ME!"
"You!" She chuckled, settling in as he began to tell her in depth about the new friend he'd made and how his day at work had gone and etc, etc. She could practically see Curly's regret at giving the other the phone.
—Day 96—
Curly looked over as Daisuke shouted from down the hall, "Anya's here!"
The blond snorted, quickly slipping the postcard into its envelope and sealing it, "Coming! Coming, can ya get Tulpar into his harness, mate?"
"Already a step ahead, dude!"
He chuckled, standing up as he grabbed his coat and his bag, "You're a bloody delight, cheers!"
~
"Anyaaaaaaaa!" The woman glanced over, having just stepped out of her car before Daisuke practically rammed into her. She let out a laugh, excitedly hugging her friend back tightly, ignoring the tears already pricking at the corners of her eyes.
While going back to college had been something (stressful and exciting), she had really missed the crew. Even when she'd first left, she had cried something awful and had had to call Swansea several times to help convince her not to come back and just quit her degree (she'd decided to go into psychology).
Now being back with her friends after these last few months of hard work felt even better than she could imagine.
~
Curly smiled as Anya finally got to meet Tulpar (so what, he named his dog after his beloved ship, sue him!) The Australian shepherd eagerly sniffing her over when allowed to (this outing would be good for the dog's training) tail wagging a mile a minute.
"You're such a good boy," the woman mused, ruffling the dog's face with a smile. Tulpar gave a loud huff in response.
"He's been doing really good so far, too." He said, watching as Daisuke already claimed shotgun, climbing into the passenger seat with a happy little head bobble. "You sure he ain't gonna be a problem in the car? He's been shedding."
"That's why I got the seat covers," she mused, kissing Tulpar on the forehead before getting up. She dragged Curly into another hug, "Like I told you ten times already."
He snorted, quickly messing up her hair before skittering back as she gave a sharp gasp. "CURLY!"
The man was already motioning for Tulpar to climb into the back as he quickly slid into a seat as well. Anya gave him a look promising she wouldn't soon forget his betrayal.
—Day 121–
Jimmy was debating whether or not he actually cared to get out of bed today. At the moment he was sprawled out on his back, staring up at the ceiling and silently connecting shapes in the cracks.
God he was bored, but he'd fucking already read his current books and he didn't want to get out of bed to do something else. Fuck, he might even go to one of those scheduled therapy sessions early just to have something.
…Or maybe not. Nah. Then they started asking about his parents or trying to get him to talk about his 'hobby' (LOOK HE WAS BORED AND THEY GAVE HIM A SKETCHBOOK THE FUCK ELSE WAS HE SUPPOSED TO DO WITH IT!?)
He was just about to close his eyes and attempt to sleep again (nightmares be damned) when there was a knock on the door. Greeeeaaaat. Jimmy spoke up in an annoyed drawl, "The fuck is it?"
"Got a letter," came the guard's voice. Jimmy instantly perked up, already scrabbling to put on his leg brace and stumble to his feet.
He headed to the door and saw the guard glancing over the envelope before slipping it in the whatever the fuck you called the damn slide-y door thing. He snatched up the letter, grunting, "Thanks."
The guard (who was that one? Fucking Paul or Johnny? Oh wait, thats right, he didn't fuckin care!) walked away to where ever the damn assholes lingered during their shifts as Jimmy walked over to his desk. He sat down as he pulled open the envelope with his teeth, already having a vague idea what it'd probably be.
Yup. Another fuckin postcard by the looks of it, not a single word written on it. Jimmy flipped it over with a grumble to see what the picture would show.
Huh, so Curly did end up going to Tasmainia. Of all the places you could go, why the fuck waste it there? Jimmy himself would have gone to like… Vegas or something.
He snorted, pausing as he noticed that wasn't the only thing this time around. He tilted his head as he pulled out a pressed dandelion slipped inside a protective, clear sleeve. He looked it over a moment before moving to set the newest postcard in the box with the rest of the crap he'd been sent over the last few months.
There never was a return address and he never cared to ask for one, but it was… something. Not quite forgetting him, never forgiving— it didn't matter. It was something and he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, hm… speaking of gifts.
Jimmy picked up the flower with a squint, setting it up on his desk before pulling out his stupid fucking sketchpad.
Might as well draw something new.
He hesitated to admit that he always had liked dandelions. One of the few flowers he could respect.
—Day 147–
Curly stared at his hands, listening to Anya and Sam (the man had stayed in contact to help with Tulpar's contuined training and after a bit, they'd actually become quite good friends) talk as Daisuke painted his nails.
It was. Quite something. The crew and some of their family all gathered at Swansea's house, sort of celebrating the fact that they'd won the Pony Express lawsuit and sort of celebrating Robin's birthday (which technically had been a week ago but she'd been really busy at work and Anya hadn't been on break yet so it just worked better for everyone to do it now).
Curly didn't know where Robin was at the moment, but if he peered over his shoulder he would occasionally spot Swansea, Carroll, and Alene in the kitchen with Willie trying to sneak a bite of dinner when she could.
A few other folk (Robin's friends, Daisuke's da, etc.) were milling about, coming in and out to either talk to other folk or to see how the food was coming along. It was somewhat loud and busy, but in an oddly comforting way. Just. A casual kind of gathering.
But there was another notable thing about today, at least for his own silent pondering. Officially, it had been 147 days since the crew had gotten back to Earth. 147 days. That was how many days they'd made it through the original eclipse voyage of the Tulpar before it all went to hell.
Curly didn't think he'd ever forget what it had felt like back then. The rawness of the burns, the phantom aches of missing limbs, and the agony of knowing he was helpless to do a damn thing.
It had hurt. It still hurt. But in this moment? They were all okay. The chance had been taken, responsibility had been shouldered and even when he did get stuck a bit too long in his own head nowadays, Tulpar's cold wet nose pressing along his neck or hands usually helped stir him back to the present.
He felt… loved.