Chapter Text
David finished tying his shoes, and leaned against the wall as he watched his dad finish up the last minute phone call.
“Yes. . . . . Well, would it be alright if we took them with us? Mhm. Yes, I can come pick them up. . . What’s your address again? . . . Alright, thank you so much for letting them come help. I really appreciate it. I’ll be there in fifteen.” His dad set the phone back on the stand and grabbed his car keys from the counter.
“Ready to go, bud?”
David wasn’t sure why Darlin’ had been invited to help the Greer’s unpack their new place, but he wasn’t going to ask his dad about it because obviously there was a reason. His dad always had a reason. But David was certain that there could’ve been someone else just as available as Darlin’ was.
They had only been around for a few weeks, and certainly hadn’t made any friends fast, let alone Milo of all people. In fact, Darlin’ barely interacted with anyone outside of the occasional nod from passing in the hallways, but they had started eating at their lunch table after the brief invitation from Asher. David hadn’t minded it, considering that they were now part of the pack, but he was still wary of them.
When they picked up Darlin’ from their house, one that was located closer in the city compared to his home, they were sitting on the sidewalk curb. They got in the back and stiffly greeted Gabe before returning to their silence. His dad tried to make some small talk but ultimately turned the radio back up in the end.
The drive was awkward, even with the rock station playing. David chose to ignore the awkward aspect by silently looking out the window and mapping out the path to his friend’s new place.
The car pulled up in front of a brick apartment complex rather than the tan one that David had been to before. The two teens followed Gabe out of the car and up a flight of stairs, stopping in front of one of the doors. Gabe knocked four times before they heard any response.
After some shuffling, the door was unlocked, revealing a very weary and frazzled mother and boxes that were stacked in most of the room. A small table was only half cleared, the rest of it had paperwork stacked on every space. Chairs and a couch were pushed off to the side, and boxes stacked on top of them. One wall was lined with even more boxes.
Marie’s eyes brightened at the sight of them and she gestured the group in.
“Gabe. Thank you so much for helping us unpack!” She wrapped Gabe up in a quick hug. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Colm is off–” Her eyes traveled to the kids. “Colm is out. And I’m not sure how I’d survive putting up our bookshelves plus everything else without help.”
“Of course, Marie,” Gabe smiled. “This is a very nice place.”
“Well y’know,” She trailed off. “I’m just lucky that we can keep finding apartments around the area so we won’t have to move any further out. I wouldn’t want Milo having to go to a different school and driving so long to get to a pack meeting. I was honestly surprised about the price for this apartment–”
David saw Milo come down the hallway and tuned out the conversation. His friend sported the same tired look that his mother was wearing.
The two greeted each other, clasping hands. David apologetically smiled at the fact that he was brought to help unpack the house, something that felt a bit too intimate knowing what really was going on with their family. Mr. Greer’s occasional free-time had started to be taken up fully by going gambling and started to put a strain on the household.
“Thought Asher was supposed to come.” Milo remarked.
David glanced over at Darlin’ before replying, “He's sick, so we asked if they could come and help.”
Milo shrugged and waved the two to follow him back to his room, snaking around the living room boxes.
“Cool place.” Darlin’ commented upon entering his bedroom.
“Thanks. Hopefully we won’t have a cockroach infestation in this one,” Milo grumbled and stopped at one of the boxes over his small desk, grabbing out a few books. “Ugh. Or it being haunted. Lemme tell you, I’m 90 percent sure that the last one we lived in had a ghost.”
Milo rambled on about the supposed haunting, but David wasn’t listening. He was staring around the room wondering if anything had been discarded in the move. Only a few posters had been hung up, as well as Milo’s red bedding and sheets being brought out. Which made sense because the family had only moved in yesterday.
His eyes eventually settled on Darlin’, and he watched their expression turn from withdrawn to freaked out. Something about the butter bell moving across the counter by itself.
“That’s crazy,” They gaped. “It seriously just moved on its own?”
“My ma said it could’ve been a small earthquake, but I don’t think so,” Milo recalled. “There was no rattlin’.”
David moved further into the room and chose to sit on Milo’s bed. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but it seemed that Darlin’ did, given their involuntary shutter and expression.
“I tried a bunch of different things. Got some holy water and all that shit, but things would always fall down or move in that kitchen. But, uh, anyway, I don’t mention things like that anymore. We have other things to worry about than ghosts.”
“Like unpacking your room?” David butted in.
“Yeah- Right. . . Uh. David, do you want to work on my bookshelf and I can put away my clothes?” Milo suggested. David traded places with Milo, and the two set off to work.
Darlin’ shifted the weight on their feet, feeling uncomfortably useless. “Do you want me to stay and help with something or should I go see if your mom needs help?” Darlin’ thumbed towards the door, even though neither were watching.
“Do you have a preference?” Milo turned to look back at them, shirts in hand.
“I’ll just– go see if your mom needs help.” Darlin’ walked out.
Milo absentmindedly nodded, letting a small space of silence linger before bringing up, “Ash isn’t sick from an actual bug right? I shared my drink with him at lunch the other day.”
“Food poisoning,” David corrected. He examined the bookshelf and realized that Milo had just been putting random books in places, not actually organizing them. David was going to make sure to at least organize the rest of the novels he was putting up.
Milo clicked his tongue, “Rough.”
The conversation took a pause. Once Milo had finished putting his clothes in his drawers, he sat on his bed, holding his face in his hands. David had taken notice of it and warily placed the books in their spot before turning to his friend.
“What’s wrong?”
Milo startled and lowered his hands. “What? Nothin’. Everythin’ is fine.”
David watched him silently. “Milo. Fine people do not sit with their head in their hands. What’s wrong?”
Milo cleared his throat. “We don’t have to talk about it. It doesn’t matter too much. I mean– we don’t normally talk to each other like that. . .”
David paused and realized that it was true, but he wasn’t going to let his friend be miserable by himself.
“No. It’s fine. Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s. . . my dad. I’m sure you know the whole situation at this point, but my ma is sayin’ that his gamblin’ is starting to eat away at our finances. Which is the reason why we had to move, since we couldn’t continue payin’ rent for the other apartment. I just. . . don’t know what to do. She told me I couldn’t start workin’, even though that would bring in extra money, and said to only focus on my studies.” He balled his fists up and concernedly faced David. “It just sucks not being able to do shit! Y’know?!”
David leaned back and sympathetically nodded, “Yeah. I understand.”
“She's tryin' to get him to stop, but, they’ve had a few arguments about it already and I just don’t want my ma to be more burdened than she already is,” Milo defeatedly finished.
“She won’t,” David swiftly promised, “We’ll help. Just like we’re doing now. My dad has already decided that and. . . you’re my friend, so I also have the same intention.”
David hoped he had said enough. Milo pursed his lips together and smiled, nodding as he took in the full statement.
“Thanks David. That means a lot.”
- - -
It had felt wrong standing in Milo’s bedroom. They barely knew him, and being in such a close space with him and one of his best friends was too awkward for Darlin’.
So they left, and hoped that Milo could breathe easier knowing that they wouldn’t be going through his things. If a random acquaintance helped unpack their room a few weeks ago, they for sure would have hated someone invading their space.
Darlin’ cautiously wandered into the main room. They weren’t sure where anyone had gone, but heard stuff being moved. Maybe it was Mrs. Greer? They walked around a pile of boxes and spotted David’s dad.
“Hey, sport,” Gabe raised his head looking at Darlin’. “Need something?”
They glanced behind them, “Uh. It was too crowded in there, so I figured I’d come out here to help.”
Gabe nodded, and put a screw in between his teeth as he placed a board in-between two shorter ones. “Make shensh. Wanna hel-eh screw dings in?”
“Okay.”
Darlin’ walked closer. Gabe took out the screw from in between his teeth and pointed to something. “Can you grab the screw backing? The hexagon one.”
They kneeled down and grabbed one, holding it out for him. He shook his head and smiled, “How about you screw it in while I hold the board? It’s pretty easy. There’s a small screwdriver over on this side.”
Darlin’ frowned, but did as he said, taking the tiny screwdriver. They twisted the screw on and looked back at the alpha, wondering if they did it right.
“Wanna help finish this side?” He offered. Darlin’ assumed that the lack of criticism meant that it was done well and they grabbed more screws. After twisting things on for five minutes, Darlin’ successfully attached the board.
“This looks amazing,” Gabe praised. “Now where did I put the shelves?”
The afternoon was a blur of hearing boxes getting broken down for future use and shuffling of furniture. Marie and Gabe had taken care of the TV stand and its cabinets.
Darlin’ had reconnected the parts of the second bookshelf and finished working on connecting the DVD player and TV. Milo and David, at one point, came out and were sent to organize the rest of the kitchen. All that remained in the living room were some tote boxes that needed to be brought out to their storage unit and hanging up curtains.
Gabe and Marie had taken up sorting the rest of the living room situation and suggested that Darlin’ go help the other two in the kitchen.
“Why is he on the counter?” Darlin’ pitched an eyebrow, evaluating the sight that they entered into.
“Well, David’s the responsible one,” Milo explained, as they watched David put the glasses steadily into the cabinet.
“Milo should be the one doing this, considering that it’s his mom’s glasses and he’s taller,” David countered. He placed two more wine glasses upside down.
Milo laughed. “True, but I have the occasional butter fingers moment, and I’d rather not risk it. Besides, my ma will most likely go easy on you if you break anythin’!”
“If you end up breaking my wedding wine glasses Milo Anthony Greer, so God help you!” Marie’s voice hollered from the other room.
“Relax, Ma!” He called back, a smirk at his lips. “Nothing is goin’ to break!”
Milo’s eyes caught Darlin’s and he shook his head grinning.
Darlin’ puffed out a breath of air, holding back from saying anything about the mother-son interaction. The two seemed more at ease with each other, well, as easy as you could get between a kid and a parent. Something they could never get with their own mother.
David slowly shut the cabinet before hopping down onto the linoleum. It seemed to be the last of the boxes they had to complete for that room.
Grr. Darlin’ felt heat rise to their cheeks as their stomach growled. Both boys had noted the sound but David resumed breaking down the cardboard box.
“Was that you?” Milo cautiously asked.
Darlin’ nodded, embarrassed. “Sorry.”
He looked at the clock hanging on the wall. “Yeah. I guess it is around dinner time with it being almost six o’clock. And we worked through lunch. I’m not sure what we had planned for dinner though. . . do you have a certain food preference?”
“I don’t know. You really don’t need to get me dinner. I’m fine.”
“Do you like pizza?” David shot in and stared at them with a sharp gaze, as if his new mission was to find something that they would want to eat. They didn’t like that focus.
Darlin’ shrugged, “I guess so.”
“We’ll ask if that’s what we can have for dinner then. Any specific pizza?” He continued, dropping the dismantled cardboard box onto the others.
Darlin’ pushed down more heat of embarrassment, “Just cheese is fine.”
They hadn’t wanted to make them pay for food.
“Ma! Can we order pizza for dinner?” Milo called into the living room. A quick response of ‘sure’ followed. “Can we get garlic knots too?”
The latter request had been approved based on Milo’s grin and he walked over to the phone. Milo assured them that this was one of the first things his mom sorted out, always needing a phone to be ready in case of an emergency.
“Yeah, hi,” Milo began. “We need a medium pepperoni pizza. . .”
“My dad likes supreme.” David added.
“A medium supreme pizza, a medium cheese pizza, and uh, garlic knots as well. . . No, that’ll be it. . .” Milo rattled off his address before hanging up and rushing into the living room to relay their choices.
- - -
Gabe carried one of the pizza boxes in hand, filled with leftovers to take back with him.
“Well, we should get going. Get you back to your parents. I’m sure they are wondering where you are, huh, sport?” Gabe squeezed their shoulder.
“Probably not,” They quietly said and shrugged, looking at the floor.
Darlin’ didn’t notice the way that Gabe and Marie paused at their statement, but nothing more came of it. Gabe hugged Marie one more time, offering that if she needed anything else to contact him. Marie thanked Darlin’ and David as well.
“Thanks for dinner,” Darlin’ mentioned before stepping too far out the door. They took a look back and was greeted with a warm smile.
“Don’t mention it,” Marie smiled. “Have a goodnight kiddo!”
The drive back was just as silent. The radio was turned down lower to compete with the darkened scenery, and Darlin’ was certain that David had fallen asleep within five minutes if his slumped form said anything.
The car rolled into their driveway. The porch light hadn’t been left on, but that didn’t matter so much with their slightly improved shifter eyesight.
The car was shifted into park, and they unclicked their seatbelt, hurrying to not take up anymore of the alpha’s time.
“Hey,” Gabe quietly said before they could open the door too far.
Darlin’ stopped and kept their attention situated on the silver handle, their thumb rubbing back and forth along it.
“You also know that if you need any help that you can come to me, right? For any reason you can think of. Even if it's just needing help with one simple homework question.”
They hadn’t really thought about that. They were usually by themselves, and even when they weren’t, they were expected to figure out how to deal with things on their own.
Darlin’ hesitantly nodded, not wanting to tell him the truth, “Yeah. . . thank you. Have a good night.”
They shut the car door and ran up the steps. The front door had been left unlocked which was good, although they vaguely remember their father not being able to find the house keys earlier, which might’ve had something to do with it. They watched from the porthole window in the door to see the Alpha leave, his headlights sweeping across the front yard before driving off.
Relief of being home flooded through their system, and Darlin’ was certain they would crash within ten minutes. They happily thought about getting to lay flat on their comfy bed.
With a deep sigh they flipped the kitchen light on, going to grab a water bottle from the fridge, and then saw the stacks of dishes that neither parent had bothered to clean up. They angrily shut the fridge door before filling up the sink. Unfortunately, sleep would have to wait.