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Angel has always talked a lot. Since he could get out words, even if they didn’t form coherent sentences he’d babble and ramble on.
He passes the lit blunt to Oj, hearing him mumble a small ‘thanks.’
Nobody tended to listen ever, most his life he’d spent rambling and talking to himself thinking he was talking to someone else.
Like his brothers, Javy and Gabriel. They were his older brothers, he tried talking to them all the time but they always ignored him or tuned him out leaving him just talking to himself.
Angel leaned himself back shutting his eyes softly and sighing
But there was one specific time, he remembered really vividly.
——
“They were back in the Philippines for the summer, the summer Angel turned 9, the last summer everyone called him Arjay.
That summer he was absolutely obsessed with baseball, he played Little League back in America. But here all he did was play with kids around, but most didn’t like to include the smaller black-haired boy.
‘You’re too little to play with us, maliit.’ He’d recall some kids saying.
tiny.
He hated when kids called him that, so he’d storm off home finding his brothers slouching around reading comics, and playing games, what most 13 and 15-year-old boys did. He’d walk into the house plotting beside Gabriel reading comics…
‘Hey, Gabe! Wanna play ball?’ Angel would peak over the book looking hopefully, only to be met with a kick soft enough not to hurt him badly but hard enough to push him back a little.
“No Arjay. I’m busy.” His Raven-haired brother would grumble turning away and facing his younger brother with his bare back. He’d pout for just a moment, then he’d walk to the next room to talk with Javy.
“Hey Javy,” the smaller mumbled rubbing his side as he stopped watching his eldest brother play video games.
“Oh, guess what. On TV today, I saw a baseball game.” Angel started recalling the moment he saw on TV. “Guy hit the ball right down the center, straight up line drive! Right pass the pitcher right pass shortstop right to the fence, then when the camera cut back to him, he was already rounding second! And he ran and ran by the time he was halfway to home plate the ball was leaving the palm of third base men..”
Angel would demonstrate everything he was saying with his hand but Javy cut him off with a loud groan.
“Arjay— uh.” Javy dropped the controller muttering swears remembering he was meant to be called angel now. “—Angel. God, can’t you shut up? I don’t care about baseball, I nearly beat my high score. It’s i stupid sport and I'm sure you’re the only one who cares about it.”
Javy poked him square in the chest, setting him back a few steps and he sadly frowned.
“sorry.” He mumbled clasping his hands together, rubbing his knuckle. A habit he’d start that wouldn’t break soon.
He left and sat on the back porch until his mother got home.”
—
That was also the last summer he played baseball after, he now remembers.
Angel always recalls his brothers genuinely hating him, everyone pushed it off as “Oh boys will be boys.” but Angel knew they never liked him.
Didn’t matter now, Gabe and Javy were two grown men now. Probably married, Javy probably had kids and a nice wife too maybe. Gabe maybe had a fiancé.
They hadn’t tried talking to him since he left the house.
Oj tapped his shoulder with a small ‘hm’ offering the joint back, but Angel shook his head politely, eyes still
shut.
“Your brothers seemed like assholes,” OJ mutters.
“They were, still are,” Angel shifts a little opening his eyes now, “Never talked to me after I turned 18.”
The room got quiet again before Angel sighed.
“Sorry. I'm dumping my shit on you.” He rubs his eyes.
“Nah. you good..” OJ hums. “Stuff like that happened with me n Em too.”
Angel didn’t expect that, he thought Em and OJ were great. Never seemed like anything bad happened to them.
“Really?” The blonde questioned
OJ was never one to talk much.
He took after his father.
“Uh-huh. Em’s only here now because of what happened pops then all this shit happened. Em never wanted to step foot back here after she turned 18.” OJ explains.
“She hated the ranch. Said she felt trapped and she left me here with Pops, I hated her for that in a way. Even though I was 22 when she left and could’ve left myself, I hated her for leaving just me and Pops in the silence, just hopin’ she was okay.”
OJ shrugs, “I know it isn’t some long detailed story but it’s been bottled up so long i forgot the specifics.”
“That’s a reason she left too, she was the one out of me and dad to talk the most. She hated how both of us rarely said anything, especially Pops. Outside of goodmornings, good jobs, and goodbyes, he didn’t say anything. Pretty sure it was something about mom that made him stop talking so much.”
OJ pauses for a minute, “and she claimed she hated talking to me because I was so literal, a party pooper.”
“Em was all I had though, I liked horses but Em was always first. Em was my friend, my only one, and my sister too. And she left without contact for 2 years.” OJ sighs. “My bad.”
Angel looks over at Oj softly, “It’s good.”
Oj hums a little looking towards the TV, before pulling the collar of his shirt. Fanning himself.
Angel ran a hand through his hair before placing it on his lap curling the string of his shorts.
”I’m glad you and Em listen to me, even when it’s stupid stuff.” Angel mumbles.
“Yeah.. Im glad you guys do too.
They stayed silent the rest of the night. Not in an awkward silence but a comfortable one, both happy to get a little something off of their chests.