"Quiet them, Juby," Brandy murmurs at her side. He doesn't turn, still leaned around the corner of the wall they'd sheltered behind, but the implication that he'd do it himself hangs heavy in the sulfur-ridden air. Juby presses herself tighter against half-crumbling brick, making noises somewhere between a shush and a hiss. Bug rubs circles on Gin's back, partly to soothe and partly to keep them still. Liquid—Drool? Tears? A mixture of both, she's sure—soaks into the front of her shirt where Gin is held, thrashing and bawling either for the sake of it or because something is wrong, but she really, really does not have time for this, so they need to suck it up or—

"Juby." Her head snaps up. Pearleston, one of their newest companions, had moved from his position beside her. He kneels in front of her, arms outstretched slightly, and bug has half a mind to start shouting. He continues barely above a whisper, "Give them to me." As if an afterthought, he adds a halfhearted, "Please?"

For a moment, Juby holds them tighter, and she almost swears that Gin completely stills. The grime in the air has settled thick on his skin, flattening the fine hairs of his arms and layering on his face where hair doesn't obscure. She can tell that once, his hoodie would have been an array of bright, blocky colors—now mostly shades of gray, brown and red from life outside of one of the few cities left in New Zealand. His hair is shaggy and greasy, too-long and unstyled, if the natural wasteland-chic didn't count for anything. She can imagine that there must've been a time when he'd looked quite appealing.

Gin is squirming in bugs arms again, and against bugs chest bug feels them open their mouth to wail. "Juby," he pleads. She passes them over.

Gin cries for a minute, babbling out nonsense, and Juby turns her head. Necessity is necessity, but bug can't imagine a single thing someone like Pearleston could do to silence a child that bug'd want to see. Sure enough, Gin falls quiet. Before she can convince herself to survey the damages, Brandy rises and pulls her to her feet, hand locked around her wrist until she takes the hint and follows, Pearleston at her heels like a loyal dog. Bugs arms feel empty, and without the distraction of a wily toddler, bug becomes acutely aware of how much bug must look like Pearleston. She rubs lightly at the dirt caked on her skin as they walk in silence, half-wishing she was back in Whangārei, if only for the Falls and Hatea River.

Brandy barricades them inside what bug thinks must've been a spa, judging by the carefully open construction of the building (and the sign that very clearly says it was—but who can say what gave it away?) When he wanders off to investigate further, Juby steels herself and turns to face Pearleston.

Gin is fine.

Gin is fine?

They've settled on his hip, his hoodie pushed up lightly around their waist, head curled against his shoulder, and half asleep in his clutch. He rocks lightly on his feet, tracing a pattern on their side with his thumb. Pearleston looks just as bewildered by bug as bug feels seeing him. "How—you—what?" she sputters dumbly. Her confusion ferments in the seconds it takes him to finally respond.

"I was, uh... oldest son?" he says uncertainly. "I was old enough to take care of the littler ones so I learned how to... well, I just thought I could... I'm... sorry?"

Juby moves to grab Gin from him and only rethinks it and stops once she's in front of him completely. Bug breathes in, regretting it when the smell of Pearleston's sweat mixes with the rotten egg stench of Rotorua, but holds bugs ground. "Teach me," Juby orders. Pearleston opens his mouth, and bug can immediately tell he's either going to refuse or give bug some half-no not-quite-a-yes bullshit, so bug continues. "To be a mom! I love Gin, I do, but I don't know half the things about actually taking care of a kid as they grow that I need to—and you are the only one around! Time to step up, Pearleston! Earn your keep!"

He makes a strange face. "Step up like... a stepdad?" he frowns. The idea makes her flush, but she nods anyway. "To earn my keep...?" He adjusts Gin in his arms, peering down at them thoughtfully when they turn their face at him. Juby prays to whatever is listening that their sweet little doe eyes will convince him. "Uh, sure. Yeah. I'll be your weird... stepdad... thing."

(alas idk where else to go w this . pearleston the dad who stepped up /silly aff)