#interactions; ethan and ryan 002

[manybcdthings]

jones cabins

ethan jones, tammie jones and ryan cross @rviner @dxrkenedheights

"Tammie!" Ethan called for his daughter as soon as his and Ryan's boots trudged through the cabin. He waited for her face to peek from the bedroom and he nodded his head towards the obvious blood-stained Cross at his side. "Got somethin' of yours." he wasn't going to play coy any longer, because for anything that was thought of Beau, it had finally gone too far. Despite his age catching up with him at times, Ethan was thankful that it had given him wisdom. Wisdom that allowed him to see things exactly how they were, to connect dots and put two and two together with ease. And this little troublesome duo didn't need a detective to crack. It wasn't even a mystery. "Come and sit down, 'cause both of y'all need to hear this." he told her, gesturing to the couch.

With a sigh, Ethan sat on the couch opposite and his eyes scanned between the two of them. "Now, it probably ain't gonna be long until this gets back to Wolf so I'm tryna resolve this and work out the best way to go forward. Because usually, if someone attacks one of my wolves, I will be makin' sure they get given some Hell in return." an eye for an eye never really bothered Ethan. Except this particular situation was slightly messier. "And Tammie," he gave his daughter a sharp look. "You need to hear all this because I don't think for one second, this ain't got something to do with the damn triangle that's been going on between y'all. I love you to death, but for some reason I ain't taught you the art of being subtle. So let's stop pretending, okay? I'm about sick of it." Granted, Beau injected himself firmly in the middle of it all. But still. He looked to Ryan. "You flip switches fast, Ry but that-" he waved a hand to the door. "What did he do that made you wanna make a Picasso outta his face?"

[manybcdthings]

Ethan didn't enjoy playing games with people's emotions. He especially hated being sneaky when it came to his children. Sometimes, they gave him no God damn choice. He sat back to read both Tammie and Ryan's reactions, watching a ghost of their past come right back behind their eyes. It was almost an identical reaction. The way Ryan tensed, the way Tammie moved to her feet. Ghosts only came back when there was unfinished business, and Ethan was content in his involvement for the quick haunting they both experienced. He placated Tammie with nothing more than a hushing hand to ease her as he moved to his feet, considering his work done while he ventured to the cabin door.

"Uhuh, I'm an asshole." he gestured to the two of them, aloof and casual. "I'd never order something like that, what the Hell do y'all think of me?" he scoffed at the two wolves. "But this mess out there only happened because both of you were being a pair of morons. So now you both know. And while you both figure out how you're gonna solve this together, because clearly that's what's supposed to be happening but you're both stubborn, I'm gonna go deal with Beau. Then I'ma see Wolf so we can make sure this don't branch out into something messier." Ethan's hand flopped to the door handle, ready to make his leave before he twisted to look at them both again with a stern and unwavering glance. An element of playful cockiness as he pointed to Ryan. "Don't fuck it up. And I swear to God, get a control of those fists before you end up killing this whole town." and then he pointed to Tammie. "Stop being so God damn stubborn, and stop running. It's exhausting. I'm old. I can't keep tryna chase you into the right direction you're meant to be in." it was only after he parted that wisdom that he left, hoping the shock to their system was enough to wake the two of them up. Fucking finally.

★・・・・・・★

Ryan shifts his leg away from the lazy hit of Tammie's hand, but it flops back with his knee nudging to hers. He tries to focus on the responsibility, the seriousness of the situation. But Ryan has a sense of self gratification floating through his veins. Somehow the consequences still aren't registering, despite being well aware that this could cause a much bigger mess than he did of Beau's face. Years worth of an allyship down the drain if he isn't careful, and he can even picture the disappointment written over Wolf's face. It sobers him, Ryan sitting straighter as he listens. Ethan doesn't let either of them hide away, but Ryan tries to meet Tammie's gaze as her father repeats things with much better words than he was able to say to her.

The way she looks back at him catches Ryan off guard, his attention truly captured from the flicker behind her eyes. Another sobering moment that everything to transpire today has been a reaction identical to one of family. And now, there isn't anywhere for Tammie to do her infamous avoiding. His soul feels more exposed than when he tried to talk to her, confident that this time she can really see it. "He coulda said worse, but it was bad, yeah." he nods faintly to Tammie, words quiet.

Ryan's attention returns to Ethan, and he too grows silent. He wouldn't apologize to Beau, but he can avoid the Sullivan. That's perfectly fine. And then...Ryan tenses automatically to the other suggestion. His gaze sweeps to Tammie, reading her own reaction before he looks to Ethan again. "Sorry, what?" his body has the same response as it did years ago. A second of disbelief, but this time so much worse. How he handled it then haunts him, and Ryan doesn't even wait for Tammie's reply. "No. What the fuck?" @rviner

[manybcdthings]

Sitting opposite the embodiment of mischief doesn't deter Ethan. Considering he had three embodiments of it to raise, and had years of Tammie intent on mixing hers with a Cross chaos. It should be a walk in the park but the gravity of the situation is a little hard to ignore. Even his daughter's protesting just bounces over his head. He had heard one too many of those embarrassed calls of Daaaaaaaaaaad, from both Tammie and Nora. Ethan only shrugged at her. "Well, what do you want me to say? That it's a damn mystery how Beau just got half his face wiped away? And you want me to sit here and pretend that whatever is going on with you two, or not going on with you two, is half of this damn problem!?" he didn't care making it worse for Tammie either. Even though he waved a hand in warning to Ryan's laugh. "None of this is funny. Don't matter what either of you think about Beau, he's one of my wolves. This is the sort of thing that drives packs apart."

Ethan sat forward as Ryan explained himself, and the Jones Alpha fell into a thoughtful silence. He pondered over the fact that Beau clearly never knew when to say when. That pushing any sort of luck when it came to family comments made a Cross more dangerous than they were naturally. He thought about how Ryan had no reason to lie and that evidently, whether he'd admit it out loud, he had considered Eden family in that moment. Ethan remained quiet, because this was getting messier the more it unfolded. "Okay, well. We don't need to go into it. I believe you." he sighed, prompting himself to find a resolve. Ethan then nodded to Tammie's admission, happy that she accepted a level of responsibility. "All of this could'a been avoided with a conversation." he muttered, mostly to his daughter who he had seen evade any kind of resolve whenever Beau approached her. Which was too often, in his personal opinion.

"All three of you are adults, so you're gonna solve this like adults. Beau's still in our pack, Tammie. And Ry, I don't want us to stop working together. But all of this could easily fall apart if you both don't solve this. I'm giving y'all the chance to, and I'll say the same to Beau when I talk to him. Maybe the most mature thing is everyone leaving each other alone." he shrugged, and he purposely worded the resolve like a throwaway comment. Ethan waved his hand between Tammie and Ryan. "Including you two." he had never been that staunch of an Alpha or father, and he still wasn't. Nothing Ethan said was without intent or plan. "I mean it. Maybe whatever is you two are doin' here...or tryna not to do, should just be over with. Both of you grow up and move on. Be completely done." @dxrkenedheights

★・・・・・・★

He'd do it again, that's the more consistent thought that floats through Ryan's brain when they enter the cabin. Even as his gaze drops to the blood across his knuckles, it's too familiar of a vision. His hands move in a light tremble from the fallout of adrenaline. But all Ryan can think is that were always supposed to be stained red. His eyes drift upwards as Tammie appears, and he immediately has to look away. Not from shame or regret, because there's none to be found. But because a smile threatens as a memory resurfaces to him without warning. Years ago now, a similar vision of being called into a little talk like unruly teenagers because they almost got themselves arrested. Ethan giving the best advice a father could ever give, but Tammie and Ryan bowing their heads down to avoid a fit of giggles.

It's only the mention of Wolf that pulls Ryan into the present, sitting down beside Tammie. The reminder that now, he has a lot more at stake when it comes to his outbursts. Plenty that he's kept away over the previous three years, not quite good enough considering the droplets of blood kissing his skin. And then Ethan delivers a reading of Tammie that only a father can get away with, and Ryan's laugh threatens again. He sniffs it away, clearing his throat to hide the quick snort of a chuckle.

But then he's not out of the spotlight himself. He manages to look at Tammie with some restrain, reverting back several years in age as he shifts. "I er..." he coughs again, wiping his face with his arm to avoid the blood smearing over his jaw. "Well, he said some shit that I don't wanna...repeat." another look to Tammie, this time with concern but he has to pull his gaze back to Ethan. Because he's going to laugh. He just knows it. "But for the sake of makin' it easy, he was outright a lil bitch to Tammie and then...y'know. Got worse. Said somethin' about Eden." and Ryan would do it all again. In a bid to save Tammie's ass from this situation, he nods towards her. "She just told me to get him outta here, so I did. She ain't done nothing."@rviner