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 Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2023 6:36 pm
Brooklyn was terribly excited to go to the zoo…she hadn’t ever been, at least not that she could remember, and the idea of going with Talia and Julian and Talia’s friend Zac…it just sounded fun. She made it to Talia’s house and when she saw Julian already there she broke into a pleased grin. “Julian! You’re early! I bet you’re as excited as I am, I hope we get to see some elephants, have you ever been to a zoo before?”
She swooped over and hugged him, squeezing him gently.
“Have you knocked yet? If you haven’t we can knock together!”
Honestly, she hoped that he hadn’t knocked yet, and he was so shy that it wouldn’t be too far fetched of a thought.
“Have you met Zac much? I got to see him a little while ago when Talia was helping a friend of mine, but he seems…a little…not mean just…grumpy? I don’t know. I’m a little nervous about that.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2023 6:46 pm
Julian had honestly been fidgeting for as long as he could, dragging his feet and trying to take absolutely as much time as possible before he actually made it to the house specifically because he was aware of how early he was. He’d left early to avoid being late, presuming he’d have some hiccup or delay, so when he managed to make it there without any issue, he was left with a new issue–
Being too early and not knowing what to do about it. Talia probably would have invited him in if he’d knocked but he was so worried about being a burden that he decided he could just loiter around and burn a few more minutes.
With Brooklyn there he was able to breathe a sigh of relief; she was much more extroverted than he was and she already made all of this feel more comfortable.
“No, I only just got here,” he lied. Sort of lied. Fibbed. Just a bit.
“I haven’t met him, no.” He wasn’t feeling any better about meeting him now that he knew he was grumpy, and he felt his stomach plummet a bit more because now he was certain he was going to upset someone today.
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Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2023 6:51 pm
“I’m sure he was just grumpy from the like…situation. Maybe. I don’t really know. I’ll just step on his foot if he wants to be grumpy, like, I’ll give him a reason to be grumpy!”
Brooklyn beamed and took hold of Julian’s hand, something that she enjoyed doing. She liked being close to him. Like he was her responsibility, but not like, a bad responsibility. She felt like she got to be an older sister, or…something.
“Come on, I’m going to knock now, okay?”
She was already dragging him to the door and knocking on it, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she waited for Cambria and Zac to answer.
The day was wasting, and the zoo was waiting!
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Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:21 pm
“...Yeah, I’d rather you not try to step on me,” Zac said as he opened the door. He didn’t look particularly happy but neither did he seem upset. He might have just had a bad caes of resting b***h face; he looked tired.
His shoes were on and it was clear that he had probably been getting ready to go on the other side.
Like, maybe he’d seen Julian mulling about in the road and slowly dragging himself to the doorway well before they’d knocked.
Julian flushed and ducked his head when Zac spoke, like he was suddenly embarrassed to be here–or to have been caught talking about him.
And yet, Zac still didn’t seem too flustered. “Talia’s grabbing her bag, she’ll be here in a minute. Have you two had lunch yet? We were thinking we’d grab something on the way over.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 1:34 pm
Brooklyn didn’t yelp but she did recoil a little and burst out into nervous laughter. “I mean, if you’re going to be grumpy, I reserve the right to give you a reason to. This is zoo day! You have to be excited, this is literally the first time either of us have been to the zoo, so you should support our poor, lackluster lives!”
She threw Zac a look, and then grinned, hoping that he would relax a little and maybe tease back. Or…or not. She wasn’t totally sure, honestly.Talia poked her head out of the house and laughed softly, the sound as relaxed as it had been since the night she had broken her arm. “It’s good to see you too, how are you Brooklyn? Julian? I’ve missed you both a lot. I promise Zac won’t be too grumpy, that’s just his face, I think. At least it’s a handsome face, so I can’t complain about that!”
Her free hand found its way into Zac's and she squeezed his lightly. "We are both excited to go to the zoo too, don't worry about that."
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 3:28 pm
Zac squinted at Brooklyn for a moment before he let out an exasperated sigh. Teengaers. Not that he hadn’t been a hooligan himself, but he’d just been so busy lately, he was a little tired. Which wasn’t to say that he wasn’t looking forward to the zoo, himself; even if he did think it would have been a better date with just him and Talia.
She looked so happy to see the kids, though; who was he to deny her? A little half smile manifested as he watched her collect the last of her things. Evan was home today so there wasn’t any reason to lock up; as soon as Talia had everything, he stepped out with her and closed the door behind the two of them.
“Zoo day,” he repeated. “We’ll have to keep an eye on them, I don’t want to lose them with the animals. Did you hear them, Talia? Already planning on causing trouble.”
Julian’s eyes darted between Zac and Talia and he kept a tight smile on his face as his mind tried to recalibrate and determine how to answer.
“You’ve never been to the zoo before? I thought they had field trips for things like that,” Zac mused. He nodded to the car and gestured for the kids to head in that direction. “Black car, the doors are unlocked. Make yourself comfortable in the back seat. I didn’t hear if either of you were hungry?”
He already knew he was, and Talia too, but he was trying to be nice and not scare away these kids. He wasn’t making much of an effort to dismiss his grumpy face but that was a project for after he’d eaten.
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 3:55 pm
Brooklyn stuck her tongue out at Zac and shook her head. “I mean, never really got field trips in the children's home, and I’m always hungry so, absolutely. They’re supposed to be taking better care of us than they are but, you know. So long as the press is good.” Brooklyn got into the car and pulled Julian in with her, still holding onto his hand. Talia slid into the front seat, though looked in the back and grinned at the two. “I figured you’d be hungry, we’re planning on grabbing some food when we get to the zoo.” It would be pricey, but it was a special day, so. Money didn’t really matter.
Glancing back to Zac, Talia gave another grin. “Lead on, my macho man.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 5:51 pm
Zac let out a long, tedious sigh, like this was so much effort. Except, the corner of his lips twitched into a smile. “Oh, you’re just buttering me up because you know how bad this is going to be on my wallet.”
And yet, he also didn’t seem particularly concerned with the price tag right now.
Julian slid into the back seat a little nervously; he mimicked Brooklyn’s actions, albeit in a much more reserved manner. When she buckled, he buckled. It wasn’t exactly easy while holding her hand, but he managed just as well as he did, and he timed clearing his throat in tandem with the growl of his stomach. He had eaten! He’d had breakfast! But they kept talking about food, and–
Well, he knew he was spoiled, anytime Talia or Brooklyn were around they seemed to be fussing over how skinny he was, and he felt bad for making them worry but they always seemed so happy when he ate, he couldn’t help it.
He never really talked about things back home; he was happy to just live in the moment. It wasn’t that he meant to be secretive, he just wasn’t very interesting, and he liked listening much more than he liked talking.
Everyone else already seemed to get along well; he just hoped he wasn’t ruining their fun. For as quiet as he was, and even if he kept his head down, he still seemed excited.
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 7:36 pm
Talia only grinned at Zac and reached out, rubbing his shoulder. “I know that you’ll be okay with it.” He wanted to make her happy, so…this was definitely the way to do it. She was quiet as they drove but looked happier than she had in weeks. Being with the kids was one of the best things that she could have done, and honestly, she could tell. She felt like if things kept on like this…she could be happy again. That was honestly a really wonderful feeling.Brooklyn’s leg kept shaking, and she was growing more excited, but didn’t want to just keep talking...but.
But when the zoo came into view, her face was pressed against the window and she squealed. “Julian! We’re here!” They really honestly actually were taking them to the zoo. It wasn’t that she had doubts but…adults were hard to trust so. It was just…
“I hope that they have elephants, Zac, do you think that they do?” She moved her face from the window and hesitated. “Do you think we can ride an elephant or is that like….only the circus?”
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:01 pm
“I don’t think they let you do that at the circus. Legally. Don’t try it here, if you get banned from this zoo there’s not another one nearby,” Zac warned. They’d stopped for some fast food on the way in and he almost regretted telling them to be careful not to spill anything because he’d watched Julian eat his food like his life was over if a single grain of salt spilled out.
Julian had eaten quickly but carefully, keen to make a good impression. He’d thanked Zac and Talia, but his voice had hardly carried. He was glad Talia had talked to him some after he’d said it so he knew they heard. As soon as the zoo came into sight he was peering out the window as well. He didn’t know what he expected to see but while Zac parked the car he made sure he didn’t leave any sort of mess.
“But they should have elephants. Talia and I looked online at all of their exhibits last night. We picked a good time, everything’s open. Good weather. There’s a petting zoo, too. If you wanted to pet some goats and cows and whatever. They’re cute, there’s a lot of baby animals. If you’re into that sort of thing.”
Talia was, for sure. Brooklyn, probably. He suspected Julian would be as well; he had that gentleness about him that made him think small animals probably would like him.
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 6:56 pm
“Did you ever get to ride an elephant, Zac? You kind of have the vibe of ‘favorite child whose parents let him ride an elephant’. If that’s an actual vibe.”
Truthfully, Brooklyn wasn’t sure that it was an actual vibe but…still. Spoiled seemed to fit Zac…for some reason. “Yes I want to go to the petting part! I want to pet a goat and a cow, and it is beautiful weather! Thank you for taking us…it…”
She hesitated and shrugged, unbuckling and preparing to hop out. “...I really do appreciate it. It…it’s really nice. And you two are both really nice.”Talia swallowed and got out of the car, opening Julian’s door and offering him a hand before glancing over at Brooklyn, her expression fond. They were both such good kids…and now she wanted a kid again…terribly so. It…
Damnit. She would have to talk with Zac again but. “You two are very nice too, just in case you didn’t know that. I’m so happy to have you both in my life…and in such a special way. I can’t…I shouldn’t pick favorites but…you two are obviously it. Don’t tell any new…ah…family members that we get, okay?” She winked and gave a sheepish smile.
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 8:16 pm
Zac snorted, but his parents were something of a small sore spot. He hadn’t gotten to see them in ages. A ‘letter’ and some text messages. Phone calls where he ‘didn’t quite sound like himself’ anymore. He wondered if he could tell them about what had happened. He wondered if they’d believe him.
He had Malcolm at least, who–to his credit–had put in a good word for him and lied about face timing him and seeing him and knowing he was okay.
Talia was obviously thinking about adopting again, or maybe she wanted a real, actual baby. Maybe he could make Julian start crying and it would be such a horrible sound she elected to instead just dream about getting adult-ish, potty trained children instead of starting off from the beginning.
She’d be a good mother, though. It seemed unfair to deprive her of the chance.
He unbuckled and slipped out of the car before anyone could get too mushy but he moved to the other side of the car so he could close Talia’s door for her.
Julian looked a bit embarrassed but he smiled when Talia offered her hand, though he was careful not to actually put too much weight on it when he pulled himself out. “You don’t have to pick favorites,” he insisted. It wasn’t a competition. He didn’t want it to be! He’d definitely lose if it was, so he would rather think that Talia just told everyone they were her favorite. “Thank you for bringing us. Oh, and for lunch. It was really good.”
He turned behind him, trash all neatly collected, but just to be sure, he swept off the seat to make sure he didn’t leave so much as a single speck of mess.
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 12:29 pm
Brooklyn bounced on the balls of her feet and looked at Zac, huffing at his snort. “Whatever. It was kind of a compliment.” At least he had parents, that alone made him lucky.Talia gently tugged on Julian’s hand. “Come on, sweetheart. I will pick favorites, you are the two that I know and the two who I’m bringing to the zoo.” They were the only two that she knew, which…true but. They were special, and Talia thought that they would always be special. Smart and talented and Brooklyn at least was scrappy…but. They were just good kids. And there was nothing she would change about either of them.
“We’re going to have a great day today, and nothing is going to change that, okay?
Glancing to Zac, Talia did sigh and gave him a look. They made her happy. All of this made her happy. The zoo was going to make her happy and…
Now that she was feeling happy again…she didn’t really want to let that go. “Come on, let’s have a great day. All four of us.”
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