Chapter Text
Seth was beyond thankful when the ringing of the doorbell interrupted the constructive criticism Uncle Eddie was giving him over the things he and Richie had done (getting in business with Carlos, faking their deaths, going separate ways – the list went on and on) and the things they had failed to do (mainly letting their uncle know they were not actually dead and talking out their issues like the adults they supposedly were, were on the top of that list).
He could admit that they had fucked up on multiple fronts, but getting lectured by Uncle Eddie before nine in the morning, while the man withheld Seth’s coffee privileges, well, it felt like the definition of a cruel and unusual punishment. Especially when Richie wasn’t there to suffer through it with him. Lucky bastard.
He was considering adding length to his sentence by sneaking some coffee without Uncle Eddie’s explicit permission while the man was answering the door, when he had confirmation that the universe really did hate him.
Uncle Eddie’s pleased greeting at the door got answered by a cheerful female voice – a voice he knew. Unfortunately. It belonged to the very person who could make the whole clusterfuck of a situation indefinitely worse by just being there.
“How have you been, sweetheart? How was your drive, you’re here early?”
Seth couldn’t care less about the time of the day she was supposed to arrive, he wanted to know why the hell the witch was here in the first place and why did she and Uncle Eddie act so familiar.
“Just peachy, thanks, you know me. I feel like you were trying to imply something just there,” she sounded playful. “I’ll have you know I drove perfectly within the speed limits – you can’t prove otherwise, and there were zero incidents on the way. All in all, I consider it a win,” she laughed. She had always been a goddamn menace when it came to driving and he had his doubts that it would have had changed since he’d last seen her.
“If you say so,” Uncle Eddie sounded equally doubtful and amused by her claims. “Come on, let’s get you some coffee into you and you can catch me up on what you’ve been up to.”
Seth fought the urge to do something dumb, like hide under the kitchen table, as he heard them approach the kitchen. Why did it have to be her?
Uncle Eddie was telling her about his special coffee when they came through the doorway.
He became very aware of the silver spattering his stubble and hair at temples when she entered the kitchen with Eddie. He resented how she looked same to his eyes as she had all those years ago when he’d first met her. She was still a slip of a woman, with delicate features, doe eyes, and her long blonde hair was twisted in a loose bun that day.
Her height had not changed either and standing next to one of them had always made her look even smaller and more delicate than she was, no matter what footwear she tried to compensate for the difference with. Seth himself dwarfed her by closer to a foot, not to mention Uncle Eddie and Richie.
“I don’t know, drinking something that has already been eaten once…” she was looking up at Eddie with a skeptical look, very much unsold on the whole concept. Something that he agreed with her, not that he’d ever say that aloud.
“You’ll love it, I promise,” Uncle Eddie reached to a cupboard to get her a cup – one of the good ones too, Seth noted with some bitterness. Uncle Eddie had stopped giving those out to him and Ritchie after one of their tussles had led to some casualties on that front.
She clearly noticed Seth on the side but chose to ignore his presence, “So, how’s the knee?” She inquired as leaned against the counter next to Uncle Eddie as he prepared her coffee.
They both acted like Seth wasn’t even in the room and it was driving him nuts along with having the wicked witch there, acting like she was still part of the family, “Okay, what the fuck is going on! What is she doing here and why the hell are you acting like it’s a regular brunch you two have going on?” Seth burst out, interrupting Eddie’s explanation about his knee surgery that he missed the beginning of. He pushed the chair back with a screech to get on his feet and level a glare at the two of them.
“I see half of the idiot brigade got here,” she noted placidly as she glanced at him from top to bottom before turning back to Eddie who she’d addressed to observation to. “Surprisingly, seems like in one piece, too. I would’ve thought he’d manage to piss someone off badly enough to leave marks.”
Seth felt betrayed by Eddie’s wry reply of “You and me, both, honey,” and his trigger finger twitched reflexively along with his agitation.
Twisting around to address Seth’s outburst, her voice lacked all the warmth it’d had while she was talking with Eddie, “She’s standing right here.” Much to Seth’s consternation she somehow managed to look him down her nose even with their height difference, “And she is visiting her family.”
Seth was about to open his mouth to object, but she went on, “Not a word! I didn’t end my relationship with him,” she gestured at Eddie, “and unlike some people, I don’t just forget about family for months and months on end.”
Seth had had enough, and his voice raised with it, “I was in goddamn prison!”
“Oh! I didn’t know they didn’t have phones or writing instruments there,” she mocked him as she hopped to sit on the counter so she could literally look down on him, intentionally, he was sure. “Not to mention, it’s not like you got out today, now, is it?”
Seth chose to ignore her challenging tone in favor of looking at Uncle Eddie, “I’m serious, why is she here?”
“She has every right to be here. She visits at least once a month and stays for a few days – as she pointed out, unlike some. One of the guest bedrooms is basically hers.” The woman in question was looking unbearably smug, digging a cookie out of the package on the counter next to her. The same package Seth had been told not to touch.
“Christ, I already apologized! What else do you want?” Seth threw up his hands in frustration – family really was the worst. You’d think that Uncle Eddie would understand having in the same line of work longer than he and Richie had been alive, but no.
Uncle Eddie raised a bushy eyebrow of his, looking beyond unimpressed, “What do I want? How about you make nice with your brother and then we’ll talk.”
“Are you sure he knows what ‘nice’ means?” Buffy piped up from the sidelines as she separated the cookie layers and started on the top part.
“Shut up!” Seth bit out in her direction but focusing on Uncle Eddie.
“Well, in case you’re wondering, that sure isn’t it,” she smirked as she sucked off bits of filling clinging on her fingers. Bitch.
Eddie was looking amused but interrupted them anyway, “So, where is Richie exactly?”
“Somewhere with the new bitch of his,” Seth shrugged. Despite of what everyone seemed to assume, he was not his brother’s keeper.
“Well, you better get in touch with him. If you want to do this right, you’ll do it as the Gecko brothers.” Seth opened his mouth to try to wheedle out of what was surely to turn into working with both Richie and the bloodsucker girlfriend of his, but Uncle Eddie put a stop to that, “You hear me? In fact, if you want to use any of my intelligence, you’ll make up with Richie.”
“Fuck,” Seth cursed under his breath. There was no doing the job without all the info Eddie had gathered.
“What was that?” Eddie asked, having obviously heard. The old man had ears like a bat.
Seth remembered that tone way too well from his childhood, “Nothing. Fine, I’ll text Richie.”
“Good,” Uncle Eddie nodded, satisfied he’d gotten his way. “Now, Buffy, the room is the way left it, if you want to unpack. Since Seth’s friend is in the other room, he can take the sofa.” A look from him stopped Seth from even trying object and he resigned himself to an uncomfortable night or few.