[ It's almost by accident—okay, it's totally by accident—that his hand brushes something tough and pebbled buried in the fur at the dog's neck. A scab, is his first instinct. Or a chip, a tracker. He's trying to get the dog to hold still, petting with one hand, combing through dog hair with the other, when she starts calling their names.
Jupe's hands stop. He knows that tone—because he knows it, he can hear the fear it's tamping down. Shit kind of goes sideways in his head, thoughts slanting all over the place: what if they're here? Should he be yelling for them, what if they're not? What didn't she want to say about the sky?
Dog ambling at his heels, he drifts to the stairs. He can see the top of her head, on the landing. ] What's— [ His steps are soft; the dog's are not. She's thundered down to join Maureen, tail swishing against the wall, before Jupe's figured out how to end a sentence.
When he gets there, still a few steps above her, all that comes out of him is: ] Oh. [ Surprised, but with a kind of dawning recognition. Jupe slips down another step, looking from one photo to the next—vacation shots, dancing close, a picnic. Him with his hair slicked back, in an old-fashioned suit and narrow tie. He fights the urge to reach for one, following her gaze instead. ] When you were a kid?
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Jupe's hands stop. He knows that tone—because he knows it, he can hear the fear it's tamping down. Shit kind of goes sideways in his head, thoughts slanting all over the place: what if they're here? Should he be yelling for them, what if they're not? What didn't she want to say about the sky?
Dog ambling at his heels, he drifts to the stairs. He can see the top of her head, on the landing. ] What's— [ His steps are soft; the dog's are not. She's thundered down to join Maureen, tail swishing against the wall, before Jupe's figured out how to end a sentence.
When he gets there, still a few steps above her, all that comes out of him is: ] Oh. [ Surprised, but with a kind of dawning recognition. Jupe slips down another step, looking from one photo to the next—vacation shots, dancing close, a picnic. Him with his hair slicked back, in an old-fashioned suit and narrow tie. He fights the urge to reach for one, following her gaze instead. ] When you were a kid?