warning: not smut but some of y'all struggled a bit with them kissing a few chapters ago so
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IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG FOR THE THREE OUTSIDERS TO MOVE INTO THE FLANAGAN HOME. With Mag's assistance, they managed to relocate everything in one trip.
The house was nice, one of the more spacious one's in their part of town. The upper floor boasted four rooms. One was an old office, but Mags and Treech easily converted it to a room for Koa. The room was only a door down from the master, which the younger girl insisted they take.
"When my dad is home," Maggie explained, shoving open the door, "he sleeps on the couch. He says the bed is too soft compared to what he's used to on the ship."
Treech had nodded understandably, mentioning the hard few nights he had upon return to District Seven. In the zoo he used his jacket to cushion a rock for a pillow, in the arena he savored the moments he could lean against a wall and shut his eyes.
Mags paused in front of the door between her room and theirs. The faded white paint was peeling, like much of the house, but it was decorated with paper cut outs of stars and fish. "This is Mizz's room," she explained somberly, hand grazing the doorknob. "I haven't opened it since he left. I thought if he came back he would get upset that I went in there."
The two older teens nodded in acceptance, Cari offering a hand squeeze of reassurance.
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Treech's new job ended up being at the port, helping to haul in fresh catch and other cargo imported in. The days were long and he usually ended up smelling like fish, but he began to feel at home in District Four.
Most days Cari also worked, helping Agnatha out at her stand and selling her fishhooks alongside the seeds. Most were her own, though a few here and there were crafted by Mags, who liked to spend time with Cari at night, the two crafting away by the fireplace, laughing over stories from Mizzen's early childhood.
But, in mid August, Mags had to return to school, and someone had to watch Koa. Cari and Treech worked out an alternating schedule, so that one of them could always stay home with the boy.
As time went on, Araucaria began to notice the similarities between herself and Koa. When Treech returned home, he would bolt up and run to his brother, throwing himself into his arms with a squeal; Cari remembered doing the very same on the days her father would leave to The Clam or Hall of Justice.
Treech's mother was fading from the young boy's mind and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Koa clung to her, following her from room to room. Most nights he would ask for her to tuck him into bed, Treech hanging back in the doorway.
It became routine to sit together in the kitchen and talk in the hours after, when Koa was most likely to wake up again and wander off to find them. Any affection between the two was usually initiated by Cari.
