Chapter Text
WARNING: Lots of blood, mentions of suicidal thoughts and intentions, mentions of drug and alcohol abuse, and graphic descriptions of murder. If ANY of this bothers or triggers you in any way please please please do not read this.
Timing note: due to life, I haven’t been watching all the streams but catching up through the TDLR (Thank you all so much to all those who run that!!) As such the timing for this starts as TJ leaves Los Santos. So the stuff with TJ and Jesse on vacation together, the Lost and the sprays in Sandy, Cerberus going under, Issac (him in total, I was thinking of having him show up but I don’t think I am even going to mention him because it’ll make things more complicated), and everything with Dundee’s return beyond what TJ saw I am not bringing into this or I am going to write it out as I need it for the story. So anything beyond TJ flying out is not included! Enjoy!
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Ashes
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Chain sighed happily as he leaned against his turismo. It had been a long two and a half months, stressful. And now at least one part of that stress was diminishing. Chain turned to Jesse who was chewing his lip as he waited leaning next to Chain. Jesse seemed a bit nervous, but excited; a smile on his face, even if it was shadowed.
“The flight landed 15 minutes ago; wonder how long it’ll take him to get out here.”
Jesse shrugged. “He did something with the paperwork so Six could come with him in the plane, and he said he was bringing only one bag. So hopefully not long, especially after his layover got delayed, he’s gotta be tired. TJ said he wasn’t sleeping well before he left.”
Chain nodded. “I wanna take him to Canton Palace, Miss Wong will feed him right. Knowing TJ if he’s this stressed, he’s not eating well either.”
Jesse sighed. “Yeah…I’m worried about him. Really worried.”
Chain frowned lightly. “Yeah I mean the thing with Junior is worrisome for sure.”
Jesse shook his head. “Na. That was the last straw I think. He’s felt….fuck it we’ll talk to him together. Just, be understanding please. I think that’s what TJ needs the most right now, people in his corner.”
Chain looked out across the fresh wave of people that poured out of the airport exit. Keeping an eye out for the familiar form of his brother.
“When we came here, TJ had people in his corner. What happened?”
Jesse’s face grew darker at that. “I don’t know. But I know what my friendboy sounds like when he’s feeling defeated. And that’s all I’ve heard in his voice for the last 4 weeks.”
Chain sighed before lighting up as he spotted TJ walking out of the airport exit.
“There he is!”
Six was cheerfully trotted next to TJ as he came up, behaving herself perfectly until she saw Jesse. In a flash Six started howling at the top of her lungs as she leapt towards Jesse. TJ was drug along behind the normally very well-behaved pup as she hurled herself at Jesse.
Jesse dropped to his knees giving her a big hug as best as he could as Six spun and danced in his lap, happily chirping and howling. Jesse couldn’t help but to laugh at his dog’s antics as she pushed him down onto the ground. He took a moment to try and calm her down, but it didn’t appear to help much.
As Jesse and Six reunited, Chain stood back, a bit stunned. TJ was smiling at the pair on the ground, but that was where the good signs ended. Chain fully took in his brother’s appearance: from the black clothing to the dark bags under his eyes, to the fact that TJ had very clearly lost weight. Like most of the BBMC, living right next to the gym and living the life that they did had them in pretty good shape. And considering TJ worked out with Barry most days he had always been on the more ripped side of the spectrum. But TJ had clearly lost not just weight but muscle definition too. TJ looked more than just tired, he looked depressed, miserable and sad.
Chain didn’t waste another moment before he was taking a step forward to his brother. After everything had gone down with Dundee and the choices Chain made leading up to him leaving Los Santos, Chain had made the decision that he was going to put his love and attention towards the people that gave it to him. And TJ and Jesse were the only two who really seemed to give a shit. So now Chain wasn’t going to hold back, he wasn’t going to let anyone else tell him how to feel about the people he cared about.
Chain grabbed TJ from the side, wrapping his arms around TJ. Chain may have not had the height TJ had but he didn’t let that get in his way. TJ was startled, going stiff like he was expecting pain. Chain laid his head on TJ’s shoulder, speaking quietly.
“Missed you Brother.”
TJ calmed at Chain’s words, laying his head on top of Chain’s.
“Missed you too. I’m sorry, should have been here sooner.”
Chain shrugged. “You’re here now.”
TJ sighed a bit. “Still. It was a mistake. I should have come out with Jesse. Shouldn’t have stayed.”
Chain wasn’t sure what to say to that yet, so he said nothing as he stood still holding onto TJ before Jesse cleared his throat from beside them. Chain stood back, watching as his best friend and brother reunited, Six happily wagging her tail as she gazed up at them. There was something that tugged deep in Chain’s chest when he saw their eyes light up, saw some of the weight on TJ lift as they enveloped each other in a tight hug. He knew he had always been a bit jealous of their relationship. He was jealous of them for having each other, for having their person. Chain had yet to find his. He thought he had in Los Santos, but it became clear overtime that that was not the case. Chain shoved his feelings down though; he would not let his jealousy spill out onto them.
TJ was quiet as he wrapped his arms around Jesse. Jesse ran his hands up and down TJ, feeling each of TJ’s ribs a bit more then he used to, feeling less muscles across his lovers back. And it had not escaped Jesse’s notice that TJ’s eyes were sunken, his demeanor was gloomier then normal and he looked exhausted. Jesse pulled back just enough to run a hand around the side of TJ’s neck down to his chin. Jesse grasped TJ by his chin, gently turning TJ to face him. Jesse looked deep into TJ’s green eyes before sliding his hand back into TJ’s hair, gripping lightly to turn TJ to kiss him. TJ leaned forward to connect, Jesse returning the gesture before gently leaning back.
Jesse pressed his forehead against TJ’s, softly speaking.
“You’ve gotten that gorgeous brain of yours all twisted around don’t you friendboy.”
TJ was quiet before barely whispering, a quietly desperate look in his eyes. “The ticking is so loud.”
Jesse sighed as he rubbed the back of TJ’s head.
“I fucked up my love. I never should have left you there. I’m sorry, I should have stayed.”
TJ shook his head. “No, Chain needed you. And…I’m glad you weren’t there. It’s not good right now, I don’t think you’d be happy.”
Chain startled them both as he came up beside them, wrapping an arm around both Jesse and TJ.
“You’re here now. Time to move forward. Come on, we need to get you fed.”
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“There’s no way we can eat this much!!”
“Not them. Just you. Eat. Now.”
TJ sputtered as Chain and Jesse giggled, both familiar with the aggressive mothering that Miss Wong would bestow on those she felt needed it. They had been both been the recipient of such treatment and knew there was no way to say no. She gave them all a sharp look over and a nod before moving off, motioning to the plates.
Chain chuckled as he pushed another plate towards TJ. “Eat up she said.”
TJ looked around at the dozen or so plates around him, steaming and sizzling and smelling wonderful. “I…okay then.”
Jesse pointed towards one in particular. “Try the har gow, it’s amazing.”
Chain pointed at another. “The mochi balls are my favorite.”
TJ picked up one of each, raising an eye brow at his brother and partner.
“You know I’ll need your help to finish this all.”
Chain shrugged as he pulled out a joint. “She’s gonna make you keep eating until she’s satisfied. Trust me, she kept me here for like 5 hours the first day I came to the city.”
Jesse nodded. “Miss Wong would let me leave until I had three bowls of soup one day cause I said I skipped lunch.”
TJ gestured towards the joint. “She’s okay with that in here?”
Chain chuckled as he held it over. “I get the weed I push from her son. This is her personal strain, Sichuan cookies.”
TJ reached over, snagging the joint. “Welp, guess I’m getting the munchies then.”
Jesse smirked. “Smoke up and eat up friendboy, you need it.”
Chain and Jesse picked at a few of the dishes as they both watched TJ eat, making sure he was putting away a decent amount. Miss Wong checked a few times before she seemed to be mildly satisfied, leaving another plate of bao and a plate of raw beef for Six. As they ate and smoked, both Jesse and Chain could see TJ becoming a little less stressed, the frowns on his face becoming a bit less frequent, his eyes brightening. They chatted about light stuff, discussing what groomer Jesse wanted to take Six to, the annoying child that had kicked TJ’s chair for the whole flight into Liberty City, a new show they all wanted to watch, the disastrous football game from Monday night. They carefully danced around talking about anything dealing with Los Santos, the club or anyone in it.
It was a few hours later when they finally left the cozy Chinese restaurant, the air cooling slightly as sun down approached. They were all quite tipsy on some sort of sweet wine Miss Wong had poured them, lighter from the several joints but much heavier from the good food.
TJ sighed as he came up to the Turismo.
“I don’t think any of us is in shape to drive.”
Chain chuckled as he opened the trunk, grabbing out TJ’s bag, swinging it on to his own back.
“Good news, we’re already home. Welcome to the second chapter of the BBMC!”
Jesse laced his fingers with TJ’s as he pulled him down the street. “This way friendboy!”
TJ smiled as he walked next to Jesse, looking around at the neighborhood surrounding him. He could here the seagulls, smell the salt. They were somewhere near the beach; at least he hadn’t lost that part of his peace. The buildings were in decent shape, nothing fancy or new but nothing falling apart. There was a variety of colors through out the neighborhood, but there was an over tone of pink on several buildings. Most of the buildings were businesses on the bottom, apartments on top, with balconies showing clear signs of life as clothes dried on lines and a few women gossiped with each other while folding, a few dogs barking at Six as they went past.
Chain led the way pointing out a few places.
“That’s the bodega, better than the 24/7s in Los Santos, can never go wrong with a breakfast from there. That’s Shelly’s, avoid her when she’s drunk, she gets super handsy. But when she’s sober, she’s great at phone repair. Rimmer over there, that guy spinning the car wash sign, he’s crazy. Nice enough, but if he comes up telling you that the aliens are stealing the toilet paper again just tell him you’ll shoot them tonight and he’ll be happy.”
Jesse pointed towards one street in particular. “Watch out for that fucking curb, I’ve destroyed like 4 rims on it.”
TJ snickered lightly as he poked Jesse. “So it’s not just Los Santos curbs that hate you.”
Jesse tossed his hands up as much as he could with TJ’s hand in one and Six’s leash in the other. “It’s not my fault curbs like to attack me!”
Chain rolled his eyes. “Admit it fucker, you’d find the one curb in a mile and wreck a tire on it.”
TJ listened to Chain and Jesse go back and forth as they turned at the end of the street, entering a small parking lot with a gate across the front of it. There were a series of apartments surrounding the asphalt and several Bondi blue cars under the overhang in front of the units. Chain pressed for the gate to open, leading TJ through as he took in the area. There was a set of wind chimes hanging on a corner that had him smiling knowingly at Jesse, his love returning the smile. Most of the building was a soft grey, with dark green hand rails and doors. One of the doors was open with music pouring out, a car in front in pieces being worked on by a couple people in familiar looking kuttes.
Chain looked over to TJ. “Welcome to the Cove!”
TJ smiled as he looked around. “The Cove, so this is home?”
Jesse tugged at TJ’s hand. “It is now that you’re here.”
TJ gave Jesse a warm look as Chain gave out a loud whistle followed by a call out.
“Yo everyone gather up!!”
Within a minute or so, TJ was surrounded by new faces as they appeared from the apartments and the surrounding area. There were a lot of names, and he knew he would get most of them wrong in the next couple days, but a few stood out. Rex, the new VP, a tall blonde with a sharp eye and matching hand shake. Solo, a red head with a happy smile who Chain whispered was destined for Road Captain. Tucker, a quiet man with a softer disposition who was a patch. Isadora, a pale dark-haired prospect with hip length jet black hair and a flirty nature. David, a friendly hangaround with a warm hello. There were a few others, but they all became a bunch before Chain called everything to order.
Chain jumped on top of a car before addressing the gathered group.
“Alright listen up! This is TJ Walker, my brother, Jesse’s partner. He’s come from Los Santos for several reasons. Some like mine, some of his own. But he is a patch and club brother of each of you. In the next week or two, I am going to be getting him settled in. TJ brings a lot to us, he’s a demon with a gun, he can hack, he can drive, and he’s got two really big pluses: he’s a wizard with finances and believe it or not, once upon a time before he blew up cops this guy was one. So, money and legal questions, he probably has the answer or can help you figure out the answer. There are some law differences between here and Los Santos, so he’ll get caught up on those. But for now, everyone welcome TJ to Liberty City!!”
A loud round of cheers went up and Six barked excitedly as everyone came forward to welcome TJ. Jesse pulled her to the side to calm down, looking over the crowd. He caught the eye of Tucker in particular, jerking his head to signal for Tucker to come over to him. The slight man made his way over quietly as everyone else was distracted by the commotion of welcoming TJ.
Jesse pulled him to the side before quietly asking him “I need you to do me a favor, fast as possible. Not sure if you can get it done tonight but it would really help me.”
Tucker nodded. “Definitely, what do you need?”
Jesse sighed. “I need a loud ticking clock, like the old school alarm clocks. Needs to tick tock as loud as you can find.”
Tucker frowned a bit. “Didn’t you get a new clock like two days ago? Wasn’t that what Chain and you were using the drill to put up?”
Jesse nodded. “I did. But I need something portable, something that I can take with me places. I know this sounds weird, but it genuinely will help me.”
Tucker shrugged. “Not sure if I can find one this late tonight but I’ll try.”
Jesse smiled lightly. “Thank you. If you do find them, pick a white one over a black if possible.”
Tucker nodded. “A white ticking alarm clock, got it. I’ll let you know if I find it.”
Jesse thanked the man and patted him on the back before they made their way back to the group. Tucker introduced himself to TJ, shaking his hand and giving his number before nodding to Jesse as he quietly slipped away.
Jesse watched him drive off before he moved his way through the crowd. As much as he enjoyed TJ being so welcomed, he was not as happy with the flirting coming from a few of the group. Jesse walked up behind TJ, hugging him around his hips, making it obvious as he slid a hand in TJs belt loops. TJ leaned back against him as Six jumped up, Jesse correcting her gently.
“Down girl, you know better.”
TJ sighed. “She needs a good walk, she was perfect on the plane but I think she needs some zoomies time.”
Chain spoke up as he chuckled as Jesse marking his territory. “Come Brother, the beach is this way.”