Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ripp didn't like his family very much, sure he cared deeply for his baby brother and sometimes missed his mom, but Tank and his father were a different story.

So when he was given the chance to run, he did.

"You got enough money for the ride there?" Ophelia, one of the few good people he knew well of in his hometown, spoke to him over the phone, specifically her old flip-phone that still had a little sticker of a picture of a cat with hearts edited around, most likely placed by her former boyfriend, Johnny Smith.

His thumb soothed over the slight ridge the sticker made on the smooth plastic, adjusting the duffel bag hanging from his shoulder, "yes, and enough for a hotel until I can get permission to move into the apartment, thanks again for chipping in by the way, plus giving me this phone."

"I knew your dad was crazy, but I'd never think he would actually put a tracker on you." she was right in a way, Buzz was crazy, but he would have never done something like that before, Ripp assumed that as he got older though, he only became more unstable, guess being forced to retire due to permanent injury would do that to you.

Well, there was one other reason why he would start acting weird, but Ripp didn't like thinking too hard about that either.

It was around 2PM on a week day, so the trains were shockingly empty for the urbz, which was actually quite fortunate for him as he didn't want to awkwardly scooch past people with a stuffed duffel bag and backpack, plus with his overly conservative layering of baggy jeans, a sweatshirt and 2 under shirts, h'd look like he'd just robbed a bank.

As he sat for another hour-long trip to the closest hotel near his soon-to-be apartment, Ripp finally had the balls to ask, "how's everyone over there?" and he regretted having those balls as he heard Ophelia sigh deeply.

"Buck and Jill are fine, Buck had been struggling with you leaving at first, but I think he knew in some way you weren't happy here, I haven't talked to Johnny much ever since the breakup, but I don't really blame him, your dad's just a walking ball of anger issues, and Tank is... quiet."

"Quiet?" his brother was a lot of things, but to be quiet wasn't one of them, "it's really weird," Ripp could sense the headache Ophelia was gaining, "he's still trying to please Buzz, still wears those dumb military clothes and facepaint, but he just... doesn't argue with anyone any more, hell I think I saw him actually asking to burrow a pencil from Johnny during class at one point!"

That was weird. Really weird. And Ripp knew that it was more than his absence that was causing this.

"... I'm gonna say an idea, and you're gonna tell me if it's stupid or not." he was already regretting this, but he knew he needed to keep an eye out on his family, if not for his own sake then for the sake of Buck's, "can you find a chance for me to talk to Buck? Even if it's once, I want to know personally if he's okay and... if everything is safe in the house."

He could see Ophelia's grim expression now, everyone knew the Grunts weren't the most loving family, but it was an open secret at this point that there had been many calls made about them, and although the general had never raised a hand against him, Buck, or there late mother, Ripp could not say the same for the eldest.

Ripp had turned a blind eye to Tank in the past, but he wouldn't to Buck, and he tried not to do the same now to Tank.

"I'll try and see if Johnny is fine with me hanging out around their house while Jill and Buck have one of their little playdates, I can try to talk to him then, but I can't make promises."

"Thank you, Ophelia." they exchanged a few more words, much lighter than their previous conversation, but eventually Ripp had reached his stop, and they had to say goodbye. He noticed a group of people flocked together in the subway, all dressed in neon and cropped everything, did everyone dress like that over here? He could only assume, after all, he never did get a chance to leave strangetown till now.

There was something sketchy about the hotel, the desk front was mumbling to themselves about a freezer in the basement, whatever that meant, Ripp tried not to think too hard about it and tried consoling himself with the two current positives in his situation; the hotel was dirt-cheap, and he was able to get away from his shitty family.

Dumping his bags in the tiny corner closet, he fell back on the overly-firm bed and finally let himself relieve some tension in his body, everything will be fine in the end, he remembered Johnny telling him once, it's not your fault and so shouldn't be your problem.

He was right in that it wasn't his fault, his dad was a dipshit for making all of their lives' hell, but he refused to not let it be a problem, not only had he gotten hurt from this, but his brothers most certainly had too.

It wasn't late, so he might as well finish up some work on his laptop, spending some time working on his college degree and doing art commissions for randos on the internet, it was bizarre just how big the community of anthro llama lovers there were, and just how many would pay a fortune to have their own "llamasona" be painted by him, thanks Ophelia for teaching me how to make art on a dingy laptop and a drawing pad.

After a long day of work, making money, and playing solitaire for the hundredth time, he finally reached a suitable time to brush his teeth and sleep, choosing to sleep over the bedding rather than under it, he didn't want to touch whatever those sheets had touched before, plus the bedding added some softness to the bed that was bordering on being a concrete slab.

He slept fitfully, but did sleep beyond all the conditions, after all, the journey was tiring, and he'd gone through a rollercoaster of emotions trying to get where he is now, and throughout his tussles with sleep, one thought kept chewing on the back of his mind.

I hope Tank really is okay.

Chapter Text

Tank was, in fact, not okay, and he's starting to think maybe he didn't like his family as much as he thought he did.

His father was always an imposing figure, high-esteemed in his work to the point where he bought it back home to his domestic life, he held an air of strength, pride, security, everything a young scared boy needed in his life, everything Tank needed in his life.

His mother, bless her, did what she could while raising him, but she just couldn't stand being around the household, and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't exactly blame her, not everyone is cut out for the military life after all. Even now, he wondered what would've happened if he went with her, but only sparingly.

And then there was his brothers, as the eldest he felt like he needed to help them, to teach them how to be strong and secure, and how to protect themselves against threats like aliens and...

His father was hunched over on the sofa, with his clenched fists and locked jaw, tank already knew that he was sunk deep in pain, he was wearing cargo shorts, something he would've never worn before, but he did to keep the scabbing burn scars from sweating under his regular uniform and risking making them worse.

"General." Tank's voice was coarse when speaking normally, ruined by years of yelling and shouting, now softened and cracked as he noticed a flicker in the general's eye, he was listening.

"I'm gonna take buck to buy groceries, I will be back by the 16th hour." a tense second of quiet, then Buzz nodded, "make sure you return by then, I will not wait for either of you if you are late for dinner." Tank held back from releasing a sharp breath, moving quick to grab his shoes and to yell up the stairs, "Buck! Grab your shoes and meet me outside! We're going out!"

He could hear footsteps running, and stayed by the bottom of the steps just long enough to hear Buck tripping while attempting to walk and dress himself at the same time, he suppressed a smile as he walked outside to wait by his new second-hand car that his dad got him after being promoted to junior officer at just 19 years old, apparently he only reached that when he was 20.

Buck was out the door in under an hour, and he responded to that by turning on the engine and sitting into the driver's seat without a word, his brother joined him in the passenger's seat, the drive was quiet and boring with long stretches of desert and road and only the radio to keep them company.

"Tank, can I ask you something?" the ask interrupted from his drifting mind to reply with an affirmative hum, he noticed from the corner of his eye Buck looking down at his fidgeting hands, "does dad hate me?"

"Of course not." it was automatic, of course the general couldn't truly hate any of them, especially his youngest son, even if they all did some bad things, "what happened back then... it was an accident, okay? General knows you didn't mean to do that."

"But his leg is still-" "no." he could see him press back into his seat at his sudden firm tone, and for a moment he felt bad, god, everything's just be so... fucked.

He could blame Ripp for leaving, he could blame himself for his flaws, but blaming buck for simply trying to stop those fireworks? He was 8! On one hand he should've known better than to do something like that, but on the other hand, if he wasn't the one to notice that they were aimed directly at the single's household then would what...

He caught his spiralling thoughts again, they've been doing that a lot more lately, "it's not your fault, you were trying to prevent people being hurt and dad was trying to protect you, okay?"

Dad, he hadn't called him dad ever since mom left, but it felt appropriate when talking to his baby brother, so he tried to not think about how it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

It was quiet again for a long while, before Buck asked again, meekly "why did... why did dad do that to you?" he went tense, his hands were wrapped around the wheel to the point where his knuckles went white, "i just... we got into a fight that got out of hand, okay? I went too far and acted out of line and... just kicked me out for the night."

He met his brother's worried eyes in the rearview mirror, and added, "he wouldn't do that to you, don't worry, what I did was really, really bad, and I know you're too good of a kid to do what I did." "Who was that other man?"

He held his breath, focusing only the road as they finally reached the large grey block that was the grocery store, it was a week day, general would've been gone for work hours ago if not for his accident, "we're here." despite the heat, his insides felt entirely cold.

They parked in one of the many empty spaces in the car park, and moved inside to peruse the isles in silence, he noticed Buck anxiously fidget with his hands again as he followed after him, and made a mental note to buy him some sour gummies for the trip back as an apology for his coldness.

"Buck!" dammit. He recognized that shrill voice, he turned slowly as he witnessed his brother's face light up and sprint off to go greet his school friend, Jill Smith, with her lanky older brother following behind. Fuck.

While the two younger siblings babbled to each other during the shopping spree, Johnny and Tank walked slow behind, keeping their eyes anywhere but each other. As much as he hated the freak, he really didn't have the energy to fight with him, and from what he had seen of Johnny he didn't seem to have the energy either.

"You talked to my brother?" "Like I'd know where he is." the spitting retort was unexpected, and he paused to look like at the alien, who looked pissed, but the anger didn't seem to be directed at him.

"Ophelia's the only one who can call him at the moment." Tank was quick to shut his jaw before making any remarks, now was not the time to piss off one of the few people who still had some kind of contact with his brother, "ah..." he tried finding his manners, "is she... doing well?"

"Fucking. Fantastic." Johnny really didn't want this conversation, not about her and certainly not to him, he knew the breakup left them still friends, but both still needed time apart, especially when the 3rd member of their trio had become a runaway and his old man had started to lose his mind ever since he nearly lost his leg and even more control on his temper.

It was awkward. Really awkward. Tank couldn't believe what he was about to say but...

"I'm sorry." Johnny threw his head back up to stare at him, "for what?" "Everything. The fights and for me being such an ass," he stared for slightly too long at the ingredients list of some packaged steak, he couldn't face him when saying stuff like this, "me and my brother were never on the best terms, but I trust him to know a good person when he sees one."

"You are an ass." Johnny huffed, he was more sad than angry now, "but i... appreciate it. Just don't be saying this as a way to get to your brother, no matter what we are never telling you where he is, it's his own choice whether he wants you to know."

"That's fair."

The Smiths had finished shopping before the Grunts, so unfortunately Jill and Buck had to say goodbye to each other in the dairy aisle, "can I come to your house to play tomorrow?" Buck asked, and Tank side-eyed Johnny, who merely shrugged and nodded, seemed like that apology did him one good favour.

They left, and the two brothers went back to their menial chores, when they reached checkout Tank noticed a bag of gummy worms, and quietly scanned them, smiling as Buck rocked on his heels in excitement as he was handed them.

The drive back was a lot more sweeter, if not for the gummy worms shared between them, or the promise of tomorrow's playdate, then the feeling of a hopefully healing friendship between the two rivals.

Chapter Text

Buck liked his family, in fact he liked a lot of things, he liked dogs, he liked hanging out with his friend Jill, and he liked his family. Even if it seems like they don't like each other very much.

He remembered, one night, a few weeks before Ripp ran away for good, roughly two months after the fireworks incident, he heard a yell, a yell he instantly recognized as his older brother, but it sounded wrong, scared.

There was more yelling, something hit his door with a loud thump before he heard heavy footsteps, Buck was careful to crack his door open, peering through the dim moonlight to see his older brother sat leaning against the wall, his face covered by his hands as he hunched over himself, taking deep shivery breaths.

Next to him, a stranger sat crouched down rubbing soothing circles over his bare back, his words were soothing and apologetic yet unintelligible except for a final question of "do you want to stay with me for the night?" and Tank looked up from his palms, his eyes red and puffy, a bruise forming on his cheekbone, "please."

He sounded scared and tired, hollow even, as the other man helped him stand from his crouch, a sharp exhale came from Tank, mentioning how he nearly twisted his ankle under his breath, the other man replied, "you have a brother right? Should probably check if he's still asleep."

He froze as he saw his brother's eyes lock onto him, holding contacting for but a moment before Tank spoke again, louder so Buck could properly hear him, "what did you see?"

"I heard yelling but didn't see anything!" he confessed before he could stop himself, Tank sighed before moving towards the door, leaning down to meet Buck's eye level "I'm gonna go to a friend's house for the night, dad will be out for a while, do you wanna come with me or stay and wait until dad comes home?"

He stared at the bruising on his cheekbone, remembering the yelling, how Tank never called the general "dad" unless they were alone and speaking about him, and he nodded, "i wanna go with you."

The next hour or so was a blur as Tank ordered him to grab his supplies (AKA his toothbrush and toothpaste, alongside an extra pillow he kept in the back of his closet) and soon he found himself sitting in the back of Tank's car, pillow resting on his lap as he leaned against the window and stared out at the night sky.

Eventually they reached a lot, it was a small but nice house, not much decor to look at, but the stranger did have a TV and an old game station, while the adults talked Buck picked through the selection of games the man had.

The grunts didn't own any kind of game console, the general claimed they would be a distraction from their academics and duties, so Buck unfortunately could only recognize two of the games, which he played a few times at Jill's house: Harvest moon and Crash Bandicoot.

The other games seemed more darker, Silent hill, Resident Evil, Castlevania, just to name a few. Something finally caught his attention though, a colourful little game called Parappa the Rappa, he held it out to show the stranger, "can I play this?"

The stranger and his brother exchanged looks, like they were having an entire conversation in each other's minds, but eventually Tank nodded, and the stranger turned back to him and smiled, "sure, it's a pretty hard game though, so don't get too frustrated!"

"You'll have to go to bed soon though, it's a school night, so we'll give you 30 minutes." his brother warned, and Buck nodded as he quickly slid onto his knees and placed the disc into the game console, turning on the machine and grabbing the control.

The man was right, the game was pretty hard, yet Buck was able to finish two levels before Tank came from the kitchen to tell him to go to bed, handing him a glass of water and holding a warm mug of his own with what Buck could only guess.

Buck had to sleep on the sofa, the pillow he bought under his head and a blanket that was burrowed thrown over him, Tank mumbled "I have some extra clothes for the both of us in the car, tomorrow you'll get dressed, and I'll drop you off at school, I'll pick you up at the usual time, and we'll go back home, okay?"

"Okay." Buck wanted to ask a million questions, but he was tired, and Tank was tired, and everything was a lot all the time, they all just wanted to sleep. So he didn't say anything, and simply curled up under the blanket as he watched Tank turn off the lights, leaving the bathroom light and door open though to act as both a nightlight and if either one of them needed to use it during the night.

Tank closed the door behind him, and Buck could faintly hear him talking quietly to the other man, shuffling around as they themselves went to bed for the night, eventually the sounds stopped, and he was left alone with the night, the sounds of crickets and a chilly breeze gently moving the thin lace curtains on a nearby window.

He couldn't sleep, not yet, and once he knew they were fully asleep, he quietly pulled himself off the sofa and picked up his glass of water, walking to the window to stare out at the stares.

Not many people lived in the desert, so the night sky had no light pollution, and you could see the intricacies of the stars and planets, an occasional plane or helicopter passing by as a blip of green or red, or even if lucky enough, the rapidly flashing green and swiftness of a UFO, tonight he was lucky.

He thought things through, about his brothers, his dad, his neighbourhood, he did truly like them all, but as he got older the more he realized some things, how his brothers had their own flaws, how his dad cared more for control than his family, how all of his neighbours were not just neighbours who he could play with, but people with their own issues and lives.

Life, especially in Strangetown, was mundane and mean, it wasn't a place you're just born in, but a place you actively choose to live in, and sometimes you have no choice but to live here.

He guessed that's why Ripp always tried running away, he wanted a choice beyond here, and Buck could not blame him.

He took a sip of water, and crawled back into bed, tomorrow will come quicker if he sleeps, and he desperately wants to reach the time when he can go back to school, play with Jill again, have Tank and the general talk to each other and make up, and he be just a little older and closer towards having more control in his life.

Chapter Text

"Are you doing well in school?" Buck nodded and hummed an affirmative to his brother over the phone, rocking on his heels as he tried to contain his excitement over getting the chance to talk to his brother again after so many months of not seeing him, his smile could almost be heard over the phone, "ya, and I got a perfect hundred in my exam last week, so Tank took me out to get ice cream!"

It had become routine at some point, Ophelia and Buck would both hang out at the Smith's household on Sunday to see Jill and Johnny, and Ophelia would let Buck use her phone to call up Ripp, the call would usually only last an hour or so, but it was enough to remove some stresses over each other's wellbeing.

Buck heard murmuring in the kitchen from where Johnny and Ophelia were talking, to peered over his shoulder to see Johnny lean out from the doorway "Sorry to cut the call short Buck, but can I talk with Ripp for just a little bit?" He thought for a moment, then hesitatingly held out the phone to let Johnny take it.

"Hey Ripp, it's me Johnny," Johnny paused as Ripped talk, though Buck unfortunately couldn't hear what he was saying, he could make assumptions, "yeah, I was actually gonna ask you about that, can we visit you?" Buck perked up, If johnny could have a chance of visiting then so could he! He stared holes into the back of Johnny's head as he moved to lean against the doorway, making faces at Ophelia as a quiet sign of communication.

"Okay, alright," another pause with a frown, then a glint in his eye, "that could work too." he smiled, white teeth and blue gums showing, "perfect! Will see you next Saturday!" he stopped the call, and carefully threw the phone over for Ophelia to catch, Buck was quick to ask "are you gonna go see my brother?"

Johnny looked back at him again, like he just remembered he was there, and his jaw clenched, "yeah we are but... you can't come. I'm sorry." Buck was surprised, and then cried, "why not?!" Johnny sighed deeply, "he doesn't want to see his family right now, when he wants to he wants to see them all together, doesn't want to cause any more discourse in the family then there already is, I'm sorry Buck."

Buck didn't respond, instead he just sped off towards the nearest bathroom, shutting the door with a slam and locking the door, Ophelia hissed through her teeth "well he handled that well, great job Johnny."

"Oh like this is easy for everyone here." Johnny grumbled back, staring at the door and wondering if he should knock, Ophelia put a hand on his shoulder, "give him some time, you know he cares a lot." Johnny couldn't help but agree.

They left him to stew in his thoughts for a while, roughly an hour or so, until Johnny needed the bathroom, he knocked gently "Buck? Can you speak to me? I know your upset, but I need the bathroom." it was silent for a moment, but then the lock slid open and Buck gently pushed the door open, he'd been crying.

Johnny quietly led him out of the doorway, "Jill is gonna come back soon with mom, she'll probably want to play with you, so why don't you set up the tether ball and wait for her to come back?" Buck simply sniffled and nodded, running outside to do just so, as much as Johnny would like to talk to him and play a little while, he knew it would be a lot longer then an hour for him to sort through his feelings, plus, he really did need to use the bathroom.

Buck was good at setting up the tether ball, he was just tall enough to reach the top of the pole, and so was able to tie the ball's string on the hook at the top, usually the pole was used for the Smith's laundry, so it was a treat when it was empty, and they had a chance to play it.

By the time he set up the game and gave a few practice hits on the ball, he heard the Smith's car backing up into their parking spot, and quickly he turned to wave at Jenny who was peering at him through the car door's window.

The second the car came to a stop she launched herself out and ran to the ball, hitting it as hard as she could, so the ball went flying in a perfectly controlled swing, bouncing on the back of Buck's head, it didn't hurt, but Buck still rubbed where it hit as it was still a ball that had been used for playing outside on a dusty landscape for years.

"Was my brother nice to you?" Jill smiled as she heard her mother call Johnny's name, Buck huffed, "well he's never been mean to me before." Jill tilted her head slightly like a confused puppy, "did something happen?"

"Yeah but..." he paused, smacking the ball back her way, she laughed brightly as she caught it, "it wasn't a big deal, I'm just a little upset, can we play now?" he could see on her face that she knew there was more to it, and she wanted to ask more as well, but instead she simply slapped the ball back, and both were quickly distracted by the game until they could see the sun setting, and Tank walking up the street, he looked tired, and Buck knew something had happened.

Ripp's apartment was surprisingly nice for where it was situated, and with the spare money he could gain from his job he could afford some furniture, a cheap CD player, and grow his small collection of music, all in all, his life had become far simpler and easier.

His family was still... rough. To say the least. And his old friends had become slightly awkward to talk to, mainly due to the tension of long-distance and some drama that went down before he made his home in the city, but they all still talked to him, so it wasn't like he completely burnt that bridge down, plus with there help he can control who he can talk to, mainly just his little brother, but he was thinking of talking to Tank one day too, maybe.

He didn't want to think much more of his family, or his friends really either, he had more important matters to attend to, mainly buying tickets to some band that was playing nearby, and planning to meet up with some new friends he had met both in the city and online.

His phone rattled on his bedside, and it flipped it open to see he'd gotten a message from one of his said online friends, he'd talked to them for a few years now, and only recently gave them his new phone number, but they didn't seem like they would kidnap or possibly kill him, dammit they even sent them multiple photos of themselves to him!

"whts band name again?" the message read, it was from Dustin, though sometimes he was called Dusty or simply Dust online, they met through a band forum and found they both similar tastes in music and living in unfortunate circumstances, he also had sent him a very lovely parcel to him once, including a CD bundle with the price stickers still attached and a nice photo of him and his girlfriend, who also soon became a good friend of him.

"Black Eyed Peas" he replied, and a quick response was returned, "nvr heard of them" Ripp huffed a laugh, then shoved his phone in his pocket as he dressed for work, grabbing his satchel bag as he ran out the door, knowing his boss would have his ass for being late again.

4 tickets for a band no-one knows, simple enough, but still, the thought of getting to see them all for the first time was exciting.

Chapter Text

Tybalt was antsy. Though that was not new, his leg was restless as he tried to avoid staring at Dustin and his girlfriend currently chattering between themselves, practically sitting on top of each other, staring down at the latest message Ripp sent him, "be there at 2, have tickets."

"I swear to fuck," he grumbled loud enough to make Dustin and Angela pause, "if he doesn't get in the next 20 minutes, we're gonna get Pizza without him." Angela mumbled a disapproval about swearing while Dustin groaned, "we travelled all this way to meet him here Ty, plus he has the tickets we need for the show, don't get all pissy because he's a little late."

He scrunched his nose, leaning back to stare at the sky, it was a good day, rare in the city, but common enough in his hometown it just felt like every other day, he wondered what his family was doing back home.

"Hey!" a familiar voice barked over the crowds, pushing through to the slightly more empty clearing that the three were huddled in, "Ripp! Great to see you man!" Dustin stood from the concrete seating and hugged Ripp who threw himself at him, the kind of hug two shithead guys do, and then pulled back to let Angela join the now group hug.

"Ripp." Tybalt stood and made a beeline towards the newly-made city boy, the hug dispersed and he smiled, "Ty! How are you doing-?" "For the last time, please don't call me that, also, if we don't leave now we're gonna be late." Ripp huffed a laugh and checked his phone, "cold as ever, Tybalt... ah shit, he's right."

Ripp started moving quick through the crowds, and the lovers followed after with a humoured "hey!", with Tybalt stalking behind.

The concert was, as expected, loud. Yet the music was pretty good and the crowd wasn't too rowdy to be an issue, so the group found a good spot to huddle in where they could still see the band and stayed until the concert started slowing down until all that was left was a few people left, and the band was just slowly playing in the background, Dustin and Angela had ran off to slow dance, or something of that manner, leaving behind the two other guys.

"You been good man?" Ripp looked up from his phone at Tybalt, who'd been staring at him just a little too intensely, though that could be blamed on the weird face paint he always wore, Ripp shrugged "life's been pretty good, could do with a better apartment, but I'm hoping for a promotion or at least better pay until I even think of moving. And my family... well, it's been slow. But I'm talking with my little brother now."

Tybalt let out a sharp breath, it could just be how he was raised, but he could never imagine ending up like Ripp's family, he smiled slightly though at the mention of Buck, "has he been handling it well?" Ripp shrugged, "didn't at first, but now I think he's settling into it as the new norm, I've been thinking of talking to Tank too but..."

He jumped as a heavy hand landed on his shoulder, he hadn't realized his mind had wandered, Tybalt tilted his head "listen, your brother looks up your dad, right? i'm kinda the same in my own family, he just wants to make him proud, but if your dad is really as bad as you say he is then there's only two paths he can take: he can grow up to be like him, and never will truly know what it's like to be himself, or he'll realize how fucked your family is and will look for you."

Ripp couldn't help but smile at that last part, and turned to stare off at the remaining concert, "I... I don't think Tank's a bad person, not in the way our dad is, at least, but he's so high-strung and repressed I feel like every second with him in the room is a second where he'll just pop like a balloon."

"Well then," Tybalt stretched his arms up behind his head, "looks like you have two paths of your own, and in my opinion," he relaxed his arms and shook them to loosen them up, "you should talk to both your brothers." he then took a beeline towards the dancing couple, laughing as he joined them, and they attempted to slow dance as a trio.

Ripp slid away from the dance floor, where people were smoking in solitude, and flipped open his bedazzled phone.

Surprisingly, it only took one ring for Buck to answer, and that surprise turned to dread as he heard sniffling from the other side, "Buck, is everything okay?"

"Ripp, it's dad, he..." his whispering sobs were interrupted by a louder, more angry, muffle, and the sound of the phone being passed off to someone else, "hey Ripp, it's good you called, we need you to come home, now." speak of the devil.

"Goodbye, Tank." no matter how much he wanted to have a conversation with him, he wouldn't take that kind of talk from him, not any more at least. Tank's voice became rushed before he could hang up, "dad had a stroke." ...what? "He had it in the morning, only realized cuz he didn't get out of bed at the usual time, called the hospital to pick him up, but it doesn't seem like he's doing well, please god Ripp just... just come home."

It was quiet on the line for an awfully long time, the only sound the two could hear was what possibly was muffled music and the car driving along the desert road, Tank called for his brother, softer this time, "Ripp...? Please answer if you're still there..."

Finally, a voice, "I'll get the train if I can."