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The scent of the grill drifts on the gentle breeze, along with the crackle of the radio and Boba’s laughter as he plays in the waves with Loudmouth and Rabble, under Mischief’s watchful gaze. Jango squeezes his shoulder as he passes, and earns a small, warm smile in response.
Kix and Jesse are arguing playfully over the dessert table, and Jesse yelps after getting tihis hand swatted away from the macadamia cookies - probably Ruckus’ work, the boy’s even better in the kitchen than he is the sea. The betrayed look Jesse gives him at his bark of laughter only makes Kix start laughing before drawing Jesse in for a kiss. Jango shakes his head and leaves them to it.
Tup is draped over a beach chair, a wide-brimmed hat keeping his hair back and shading the pages of the book he’s buried in. He has one hand holding it open, but the other is running through Fives’ hair, his boyfriend sound asleep next to him, sprawled out in the sand with his cheek on Tup’s knee. He tilts his head up to give Jango a sweet smile, though his attention turns back to Fives after a moment, an expression of unspeakable fondness crossing his face. Jango rests a hand on his shoulder for a moment, and smiles when Tup takes it, squeezing lightly.
Echo is sitting on the cooler, watching the horizon. He passes Jango a beer before moving over to let him sit down for a second. “Waxer just called, I think they’re bringing half the store home with them,” he says with a grin, “After they find Hardcase and Numa.”
“They let those two run off together? Should’ve seen that coming,” Jango snorts, taking the bottle and cracking it open, “Only way that’d be worse is if they took Loudmouth and Rabble with ‘em.” He can practically hear Boil’s grumbling from miles away, and he shakes his head. The kids are trouble, every last one of them, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“That’s what I said. Boil hung up on me.” Echo’s sly grin makes him laugh again, and Jango ruffles his hair, standing up to head over to where Wolffe, Rex, and Cody are arguing about the best ways to grill the frankly enormous amount of food they have. Jango is fully aware that they’re going to need all of it and more, with the group they’ve got. Wolffe is insistent that he can cook it on his own, but Rex and Cody seem to be entertaining themselves by tossing in comments back and forth about what he ought to do.
Ruckus is the one watching the food the most, a tiny mischievous smile on his lips as he listens to the argument. He keeps glancing at the group playing in the waves fondly, but he looks over at Jango as he walks up. “Hey buir.”
“Hey, Ruck’ika. Making sure nothing gets burnt this time?” He chuckles when Ruckus grins.
“At least nothing that isn’t supposed to be burnt. I have the fireworks you asked for later.”
He nods his approval. “Good, you always have the best ones.” Ruckus beams at the approval, and Jango ruffles the kid’s hair before he heads back to sit with Mischief and watch the kids playing in the surf.
“They’re okay.” Mischief’s voice is a low rumble, the sound of thunder breaking on the horizon.
“I know,” he says with a little nod, “Got you watching out for them, yeah?” Mischief needs more praise, Jango thinks, when he sees the way he lights up - it’s subtle, but he knows the way light breaks through clouds.
Mischief just nods in response, and they both turn their attention back to the ocean.
With the sounds of his kids’ laughter and playful arguing drifting on the warm, salt-scented breeze, Jango thinks that this is damn close to heaven.