khajidont | MoM IC Contact: TAKE TWO

[Late afternoon/early evening.]

Busy?

Nope. What's up? Need a hand with the shop?

No. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd check in on you. Last time you were under the weather and I didn't follow through past that. You home?

Oh

Don't worry about it. I'm doing better now

[Not a lie. He's not great, sure, but he's coping. He's leaving his house again. All things must pass, good and bad.]

But yeah I'm home

[Coping is easier when there is free food involved. Guess who has free food. Free food in a paper bag held at his side as he strolls his shaggy self over to Jaime's place.]

Great. Mind if I come in for a little bit?

Sure thing

[Jaime opens the door for Will before he knocks, peering curiously outside, and knowing full well that Will wasn't just in the area. He'll keep the charade going for a little longer, however.]

[He sure wasn't, and Jaime opens the door to Will having juuust come up to it, about to look up and knock. There's a moment of surprise on his face before it melts into a fond smile. He's played the part well, looks like he just came from the shop, hat hair and all.]

Hey. [And then, like he'd almost forgotten the bag at his side, he gives that a surprised look before bringing it around to hold out to Jaime. It's packed, several containers, several days of meals. It smells divine, and it's still warm. Will is totally not putting his full effort into the charade with this aspect of it. Whoops.] Been practicing since the raincheck. Practice makes perfect. Think you'll like what's in there and this way nobody else can tear through it before you even get a chance to see it.

Wha...

[Jaime accepts the bag and it immediately sinks lower than it should as he inhales through his nose, surprised by the sheer weight of it. He could buy Will going and bringing by takeout, but not even Jaime could eat through all of this in a day. He inhales, and peeks inside, realizing that it's not takeout, that Will had actually cooked up a storm for him.]

Thank you! You shouldn't have, this -- this must have taken hours!

[He's touched, of course. How could he not be? There's nothing that spells out caring like a homecooked meal, let alone several of them.]

Wait, isn't that what I told you...?

[How the heck does Will remember stuff like that?]

[Hours, yes, including all the practice to get everything right. Which was really not a bad thing. All that practice kept the house in food for quite a while, and whenever Will thought anything wasn't up to snuff, well. Luggage had a gaping void, and Will had a hobby of making sure gaping voids held some liking for him. Everything worked out great.

Especially now. Jaime's reaction, so sincere (pure, even) and surprised, heartfelt as it is, that's the real payoff. He has a few new recipes under his belt, so what? Only matters if they're done well enough to make fill other people with joy as well as food, seems like he's hit the goal well. He can't help but smile, even when Jaime realizes his own words given back to him. Sometimes remarkable visual memory isn't terrible.]

Yes it is. I'd wanted to stop by then but if that was the most likely outcome, best I stayed away. [He points past Jaime toward where he figures the kitchen is.] Good as leftovers, too, and plenty for your housemates if you don't wanna go through the routine of writing your name down on stuff to later throw out empty containers.

[It's not that he doubts Jaime has some good folks in his house, no. It's just that he knows there are always going to be food thieves out and about regardless of how good they are elsewhere. That shit is known.]

I'm actually down one housemate, so... it'll go a little slower, anyway.

[He's sad about Minato leaving, sure, but he manages to inject that with more wryness than sadness. They've got other ways of dealing, after all, and he's trying to keep his chin up in the way that Minato would want him too -- and what better way to do it than to surround himself with the people who are here, with the people he adores, and who adore him in return? He gestures for Will to follow him inside, and while it'd be easy for anyone to miss that tiny smile on Jaime's face as he glances back down at the food.

Because sure, it's nice getting free food, and he'll almost never reject it, but he's from a big family. He knows exactly what a giant bag of food means. Maybe other people talk about the language of flowers a lot, but Jaime knows very little about that -- what he does know is the language of food, whether it's picked up or homemade, whether it's a sweet or an entire, healthy meal.

And Will provided him with several.]

Have you eaten yet?

[Maybe all this is for him, but he'd much rather share a meal with Will.]

[Will follows, giving Jaime's home only the most cursory of glances, taking the full picture in without focusing on any one aspect for long. If there's mess anywhere, or dusty shelves, that's Jaime's (and his housemate's) business, not Will's. Just like if there's a Spartan sort of cleanliness, or a hoarder's collection of kitty cat trinkets, whatever there may be, it's none of Will's concern. Short of a corpse or someone about to be a corpse laying on the floor, which he highly doubts would ever be a thing in Jaime's place except during some tremendous emergency, nothing would be worth drawing attention to.

Well. Maybe a cute fluffy dog, but that's beside the point.]

Hm? [Eyebrows raise as he mulls this offer for a second. Eating was a primal need, yes. So was companionship. Combining the two was a natural sort of routine, only ritualistic for special occasions. Jaime knew Will could cook. He knew he could go home and make himself something, or more likely eat whatever he had left from putting together Jaime's personal Blue Apron selection. Offering this, though...that wasn't Jaime being polite or asking only because it felt proper, felt he had to even though he didn't want to. He couldn't imagine Jaime would offer something so seemingly small and simple out of begrudging need. This was more sincere. And, perhaps, it was a way to keep Will around for a while. If he was down a housemate, he could be feeling loss. Where Will came from, people ate to grieve as much as they ate to celebrate. The language of appreciation and love injected in homemade cooking was fine on its own, sweeter and tarter and spicier when shared.] Not really. Sneaked a few bites in the process to make sure everything was seasoned right, s'about it. I'm fine with water.

[Because he doubts Jaime has beer and he didn't bring any.]

[Even for someone as observant as Will, there's not much to observe. There are the mainstays, of course (an Xbox with controller wires tangled about the TV; a ratty old book with a cheesy pastel cover dropped on the coffee table; a familiar schoolbook forgotten and shoved into the back of one of the countertops with a mysterious stain splashed across the cover), but otherwise there's no more clutter than one would expect from a home populated by three boys who are neither slobs nor clean freaks.]

You sure? You could have some of this with me, or some pan dulce.

[He keeps his house stocked well with sweet breads on a constant basis, because there's nobody around to lecture him on his diet, and he's got a shamefully large sweet tooth.]

I know I want to have some of this, but -- hold on. I left something in my room you'll wanna see.

[Or, rather, someone. Will's wishes for a fluffy dog may go unanswered, but there's a different sort snoozing on his pillow.]

Oh, I—I'll be here.

[He does his best to hide his confusion, but it's there just the same. Something in his room he wants to show Will? Wonder what that could be. Could be anything at this point, he realizes a few seconds later. Pun mugs, fishing stuff, a cute dog, a picture of some man with a truly magnificent beard, a write up of their art in a magazine that Jaime found especially humorous...

So he waits, like a good boy. And also like a good boy, he starts unpacking, putting what needs to be refrigerated away without doing anything obnoxious like rearranging the household fridge. Nope. Just wherever there's room is good enough for him.]

[Will gets a greeting from someone else before Jaime has the opportunity to as BB - a Blue Beagle, as befits his true name - comes scrambling down the stairs and charging straight into the kitchen to where he smells all those wonderful things. He does, in fact, crash into Will's leg, because he's not a clever dog.

Jaime jogs after him and enters the kitchen shortly thereafter, offering Will a crooked smile.] He's not mine. I mean, not really mine, I kind of -- co-own him? But Ted knew that my roomie got ported out, so he dropped him off.

[Nothing helps a recent wound like a dog. Does it actually help?

Hell yeah, it does.]

[Clever or not has no place in Will's mind whenever he feels the thump against his leg and spots what has collided against him. Jaime will be greeted with Will giving said Blue Beagle the hugest, happiest smile as he wastes no time squatting down. This is pure, unbridled joy on Will's end. All his carefully constructed guards come tumbling down in the face of a dog.]

Hey little guy. Look at you. [After the customary sniffing of fingers, Will ventures further to scratch at adorable ears and neck. There is, as always, a baggie of treats resting in one of his pockets. It's only a matter of time before they are sniffed out and Will is eagerly awaiting that moment. So absorbed in new dog friend, he doesn't look up when Jaime enters. Or speaks. He doesn't look up when he talks to Jaime, either, like this first impression on the beagle is the most important thing that has ever happened.] Looks like he's making himself at home pretty well. You keeping Jaime good company, boy? Takin' up half his bed and chewin' on his socks?

[Abruptly, still enamored with the dog, he tosses one Jaime's way.]

Where'd you and this Ted find him?

[Jaime probably shouldn't have expected anything else. He grins down at the back of Will's head, and even if BB is here for his own benefit, it feels a little like he's giving back to Will in exchange for all of that beautiful, beautiful food. He knew what he was talking out before, when he'd mentioned to Ted that they could probably pawn the sorry little thing off onto Will. BB would probably be better off with Will, frankly, but he's glad that they decided against it. Selfishly, Jaime enjoys the little thing too much, enjoys the basic responsibilities without having to pay for anything.]

He mostly likes my shoelaces. I've replaced 'em, like, three times.

[He almost bends over to pet BB, but no, he'll let Will have this moment.]

He belonged to a couple guys we saw getting arrested. We were gonna just take him to the shelter, but...

[Jaime gestures uselessly at BB, as if to say, just look at him. They were doomed from the moment they started holding him and trying to fight crime at the same time.]

[If ever there comes a day in the future wherein Jaime needs to shed himself of the doggie responsibility, yes. Yes, Will would take him in a heartbeat. Ask for something of Jaime's too—a shirt so the dog always has a reminder of him. For now, though, Will laughs at the idea of a shoelace menace. Once the dog has effectively propped himself up in Will's squatted lap, he takes that as a good sign and carefully stands with the dog tucked under one arm and safely nestled against his chest. Which means his scruffy neck is in prime dog kiss zone and this is his design.]

But then you saw his face. [A face Will turns from too much neck licking by giving him fingers to chew on. The whole dog loving process is so natural at this point he doesn't even have to think about it any more.] What's his name?

More than that, [Jaime says, a little mournfully.] I picked him up and he kissed me. It was meant to be.

[Love at first sight. He's just glad that Ted is as impulsive and irresponsible as he is, otherwise he would no longer have the joy of watching a cute animal demolish his things.]

His name's BB. It suits him, right? It's cheerful sounding, like him. [He crouches down beside him.] Nothing gets this guy down. I knew you'd like him, Will.

Awww.

[God, it's that drawn-out sort of "aw" people usually reserve for adorable babies, adorable old people, and adorable animals. Only it's coming from Will Graham and isn't forced or put upon. Jaime has seen him in class, he has seen him destroying a car, he has (secretly) seen him in distress, and now the social link levels up because they're sharing this incredibly personal moment of puppy love.]

Never met a dog I didn't like. Difficult not to like a dog. [Incredibly personal moment intensifies; Will lowers his voice like he's imparting a Sworn Secret while still showering BB with affection.] Animals in general. Cats too. Imagine BB with a cat who loves him and who he loves, that cheerful goes right off the charts.

[Seeing Will coo at BB is enough to make Jaime's grin grow just that much larger, amused at the way Will's practically falling apart over this little dog. It's kind of funny and cute all at once - not that Jaime will ever say that to Will's face - but however you categorize it, it's definitely an endearing sight. He reaches out, scratching BB's ass, because he's learned to be a true Dog Dad, and that occasionally means scratching that bit right in front of their tails.]

I dunno about a cat. You don't think he'd chase them? He likes chasing things.

He might! [Jaime can take the rear, Will is content to scratch that chin. Aw yes, maybe they can get one of those back legs kicking.] Part of the bonding process. Can be. If the cat allows it, the dog might get bored of it. If the cat scratches back, the dog'll learn to give the cat more respect.

[Kind of like a courtship. A friend courtship. But hah if Will is ever voicing that.]

You could always bring him by the house and see how he responds to our kitties.

If you really think it'd be okay. The last thing I want him to do is hurt anyone, even if it's by accident.

[Blue boys gotta stick together...! Even if one's idea of hurting someone by accident is throwing someone through a building, whereas BB just has very, very sharp teeth, though no moreso than any other dog on the market.]

But you gotta promise you won't try and keep him, [he can't help but joke. He knows Will has a proper zoo going on in his house.]

[Oh no. Does Jaime know his Darkest Secret? It's not that he's a cannibal, it's that he has a terrible vice of taking dogs that are not technically his. Has he been found out? Is this a warning?

Will laughs lightly in response, fading away into a sort of sigh. Haha, so funny, that would never ever happen. Will isn't pulling out a baggie of homemade treats from his back pocket to share with BB or anything. Except he totally is. This dog will love him even if they only meet once.]

'Course not. If you ever needed somebody to watch him for a while, sure, he could stay. But we don't keep guests at our place. [Enjoy that snack, BB. Enjoy the weird healthiness of it all.] Anybody who stays has gotta need to or want to. We don't take anyone against their will.

I didn't think you actually would, [Jaime says with a laugh.] Besides, BB here's loyal. He'd come back with me if I asked. Or if I rolled around in bacon beforehand, whichever one came first.

[Maybe Will has homemade snacks, but Jaime has junk food. Junk food will always, always prevail, even if BB is a world-class eater, when it all comes down to it.]

How many have you guys got now, anyway?

[That beaming smile seemingly incapable of quitting only grows at the mention of bacon, only to be struck down entirely at the question. Because Will looks at Jaime, slightly startled, and then puts on his best thinking face. There's enough pause to mentally list names before...]

Six. [Right? His face screws up before he decides yes, that's right. So close to his goal of having a pack like he had back home. So close.] April had Digby before we ever met, and Bark was some housemates' who've been gone for a while. Abigail adopted a Leonberger when I wasn't around. Sharkbait likes Jeff more than anyone else in the world. Charlie doesn't go out much...you know Gunther.

[As if Jaime needs the reminder, Will puts a crooked finger to BB's mouth to give him the appearance of being a mustached gentledoge.]

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