Killian and Aria had finally stopped bickering, though Aria was still glaring intensely at Ian's red hair as he turned back to Rhys, and his eyes immediately widened. Aria watched as Ian tensed and looked around cautiously before his eyes returned to Rhys, she couldn't quite tell if he was confused or concerned for Rhys. Aria preferred the latter.

"You okay Flowe- Rhys?" Ian quickly corrected himself, he was going to have to get used to calling Rhys by his actual name and not just Flower Boy. Though he supposed the name was pretty inaccurate considering that plants weren't even Rhys' main ability.

Rhys gave Ian a strained smile, "Just, ah..." He cleared his throat and firmly did not cry, "Nothing out of the ordinary. Can we head back soon, though? There are some things I have to do." Rhys firmly steered onto a new topic. He did not want to get into his family issues and drama right now. Although he trusted Ian enough, he still didn't feel comfortable talking about those more personal matters.

Right now Rhys just wanted to get home and zoom his sisters and try to brave the courage to look at his mother's messages.

Aria looked Rhys over, her eyes wide, while Ian nodded. He didn't really believe Flower Boy, but he supposed that it really wasn't his business. "Yea, we can get going now. Aria, do you need a ride back to the Macy's or something?" Ian turned back to the woman, raising an eyebrow at her wide eyes. Snapping out of it, Aria blinked rapidly and turned her eyes to Killian's tall form. "Nah I'll be good, I don't think you want to deal with me for much longer anyways." Aria shrugged, and Ian opened his mouth to counter but eventually closed it and didn't try to retaliate, she wasn't wrong. "Well then, it was lovely to mee you Rhys, hopefully next time I see you it won't be because you're being chased down by crazies. Anyways, if ya need me, call me." Aria winked then fluttered out the door, not giving Killian a second glance.

"You ready to leave?" Killian turned back around to Rhys with a subtle frown, concern making his eyes wide.

Rhys waved to Aria as she left, and turned to Ian, "Uh, yeah. I'm ready. Thanks for driving me back, by the way."

As the two walked out of the store, Rhys tossed his little pieces of trash away, although he kept a firm hold on his smoothie. It was already half empty.

If Rhys notices Ian's concern - which he did, and was promptly confused by - he didn't bother to explain much more than, "My mother is a... Well, she's an ass."

Rhys hadn't ever cursed around Ian before, and hardly ever did so. He tried not to, but sometimes, a word just fit.

"So I'm gonna bundle up in blankets and ignore my phone."

Although Rhys knew he didn't owe anyone an explanation, he felt bad about the sudden shift his attitude had brought, and how a relaxing moment for Ian - one Rhys had realized he got very few of - had swiftly ended. Hopefully he would understand, but if he didn't... Rhys mentally shrugged, and ended that train of thought.

Killian shrugged, it wasn't like he had anything else to do, and he didn't really want to go back to his place any time soon. Besides, Rhys had gotten stuck in this shit because of Ian's own mistake, he owed it to him. "Don't worry about it," Ian quickly waved Rhys off, taking a quick sip of his smoothie while keeping his eyes firmly on their surroundings. It was quite obvious that he didn't think they were safe, but then again, was he ever truly safe? Avery hadn't thought so.

As Rhys spoke again, Ian shook himself out of his head, best to ignore the thoughts roaming his brain, they led down a path that he did not want to go down. Instead, Killian focused on what Rhys was saying, which was nothing good. Mothers were assholes, Ian had never met one that wasn't fake, rude, and horrible to their children. He supposed that his mother hadn't been any of those things, but her problems had been just as bad.

There was a reason Ian didn't speak to any of his family anymore.

Once Rhys was finished, Killian stayed quiet for awhile, not quite sure if he should actually say anything. After taking a long sip of his smoothie, he spoke up. "That sounds like a good idea, I'm not gonna give you any of that bs that family means everything, cuz they don't. When it comes to family, you should always do what's best for you. They don't hold anything over you just because you share some of the same blood. Don't let people try to convince you otherwise."

Ian didn't look at Rhys as he spoke, and walked up to his car, his keys already in his hand. He supposed that he probably shouldn't have said anything, but family sucked, and too many people suggested otherwise. Maybe some considered what he'd just said 'selfish' or something of the sort, but it was also true. Family could be more toxic than any school bully, or boss, and people seemed to forget about that.

"Preach," Rhys murmured under his breath, and then louder said, "Yeah. Still sucks, though. That's why I'm grateful for my sisters. They really helped when I was too young to really get that I don't owe anyone anything." Rhys stopped beside the car, "Front or back?"

Once he got his answer, Rhys slid into the seat and let his head roll back to rest for a bit. With his eyes closed, Rhys wasn't sure how long of the drive passed before he spoke again, "I dunno what happened," Rhys didn't even know if he should mention anything, "And it seems like you definitely don't wanna talk about it which, yeah, I get. Just wanted to tell you thanks, for uh... all this. You've really helped me out with this stuff, and it seems like I might even be able to land a good job too, and just... yeah. Thanks, man. This means a lot."

Soon they were pulling up to the house Rhys was staying at, and he blinked open his eyes slowly, "Wait here for a sec, yeah? I'll get you the leftovers - which is another huge help, too."

It was good that Rhys still had some family left, he was one of the lucky ones that got a few pieces of family that weren't complete assholes. That didn't make his situation any better though, and Ian couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the dude. Not that it was any of his business or anything, but he hoped whatever happened went well for Rhys.

"What are you? A kid? Sit in the front obviously." Ian chuckled softly before sliding into his own seat, turning on the car and opening his window to let in the breeze. There was no point in using up gas for the AC when the weather was just so perfect. For a moment, Killian seemed at peace, the wind rushing through his red hair, silence other than the roaring of the wind. He loved driving fast and ignoring his problems.

This experience was almost immediately ruined by Rhys' words, and the change was visible. His leaned back, one hand on the wheel posture turned tense, and his hand tightened on the wheel, turning his knuckles white. Killian didn't need someone talking about how shit his day had been going, he didn't need a reminder, especially with Avery gone and with no one to talk to about all the new problems today had brought.

Blinking back the tears Killian hadn't realized had almost spilled out of his eyes, he quickly gathered himself. Rhys wasn't his friend, getting so relaxed around him shouldn't have happened in the first place. "Yea, I don't want to talk about it, so don't even think about it okay?" Ian's voice was harsh, a sudden turn from his earlier pretty easygoing tone. For a moment, Ian got caught up in his anger, but then he fully realized what Rhys had said and released a heavy sigh.

"Don't thank me, I'm the one that got you into all of this shit in the first place. I'm just trying to make up for it, and if you end up getting that job you'll be a lot safer than you were working at Macy's, so seriously, don't thank me. Just try not to get yourself killed and that'll be enough." Killian shrugged as he pulled up to the house, the harsh glare in his eyes had slowly softened, but that didn't mean he was fully calm yet, his moods were often unpredictable and wild.

Ian just nodded to Rhys' words, running a hand through his hair as he looked out his window.

It was less than a minute later that Rhys was opening the car door back up, and placed a tinfoil covered dish on the floor of the passager's seat, as well as a smaller dish as well, "Reheat on a microwave will be enough for a serving of it, and the smaller dish is some cake," Rhys shrugged, standing up straight. Although he had stayed silent during Ian's rant, the words still stung, and he wasn't into the idea of small talk right now, "Safe driving."

And with that, Rhys closed the door, and walked back inside, and if he was already messaging his sisters to see if they were available to call? .... well that was no-one else's business.

All you're gonna get after this is just depressed, annoyed Killian, I suggest a time skip. Any ideas?

to rhys applying for his job @ the bakery mb?

i don't have any ideas other than that.