The good son.

[pvt_church]

Church trudges down a dirt path past row after row of stones, statues, small fences and shrines. For all the advancement in technoology and preservation, this cemetery liked to stay old-fashioned. The more modern graves are usually around the outskirts people don't see when they pass. He picks his way by memory through the stones, a small

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[cappy_flowers]

Cap stays quiet, standing a few feet away from Church, trying to be as small as possible. This was Church's moment, not his, and he'd let the private have his space. He'd just sort of tagged along anyways...

Wasn't his place.

[pvt_church]

"It's been awhile," Church continues after a short pause. "I don't... there's a lot to tell you. You probably know most of it already. You keep an eye on your shit kid, right?" He chuckles dryly, sitting on the ground next to the stone and lying his upper torso across it, cheek next to the inscription:

~Lord Rest~
Carisse Helena Church
Loving Mother, Faithful Wife
Timeline and Health Progress Available Above."Y'know I stopped coming because I got thrown in prison, right? I should never have taken that job. You were right... I shoulda made Dad move us somewhere else

[cappy_flowers]

A glance towards Leonard and his mood sinks a bit. There's not much he can do for him, or anybody right now. He steps over the side walk, where a few small flowers grow. Silently, he sinks down and picks three before standing up. The blue heads back over to Church, standing behind him quietly as he speaks. Butch does not interrupt him, or do anything to bother the other male. He stays standing quietly, watching the photos.

[pvt_church]

Church falls quiet, feeling the presence behind him. He looks up over his shoulder and smiles wanly at Cap, gesturing.

"Wanna see some stupid pictures?"

[cappy_flowers]

Cap kneels beside Church, setting the three flowers down beside his daisies. He looks at Church, smiling slightly in confirmation. "I'd love to." The older man did, too. He wanted to see Church's family, everything. But this was good enough.

One of Butch's hands sneaked towards one of Church's, the one that wasn't pressing things on the screen.

[pvt_church]

Church gestures to the screen. "She made me the biggest fucking cake you've ever seen for my sixth birthday. I fed half of it to that pond in the background

[cappy_flowers]

Butch smiled at the thought of a Church as a child throwing cake into a pond. The image of the soldier dressed so innocently as a lion almost made him chuckle, but he restrained as to not ruin the moment. Heck, the thought of Church as a kid was pretty funny in itself. He just couldn't image this drinking, fighting man as a baby...

"Hell's Angels, yeah," he said softly, nodding. His father must have been quite the brawler. Big, bad ass motorcycle gang... "I'm quite fond of motorcycles. There's a Harley in my garage as we speak... too bad we didn't have the time for me to give you a ride around." It would have been nice... even in this day and age, Harley-Davidson was still the bigwig in bikes.

Thin fingers found their way onto Church's, and the owner spoke softly. "At least she tried, yes?"

[pvt_church]

"Well, she made him stop," defends Church quietly. His hand lies comfortably in Cap's, but his face looks slightly pained. "He was great until she died. I guess it wasn't worth it to him to be good to her memory. God..." Church pauses and laughs hollowly. "I guess he figured God wasn't with him." He says no more in that direction, for once respectful of religious boundaries. "She taught me how to make authentic pizza. I could never do it as good as her. I always burned the vegetables."

[cappy_flowers]

The gimped captain finally, tired of kneeling, plopped down on his ass. He didn't need to mention his leg was starting to hurt, because he was pretty sure Church knew. He had always known, and still did, when it was starting to pain him.

He gave a slight squeeze to Leo's hand, still quiet. Butch himself had no interest in religion whatsoever, and the topic didn't appeal to him in conversation. It was usually something he stayed away from. But he didn't remark about that to Church, and just let him continue on, talking about pizza.

Flowers smiled slightly, seriously doubting if Church could cook at all. But hey, when he died, the boy had to get along somehow, right? Plus, the thought of him in an apron was cute. But now was not the time for thoughts like that.

"Mind making me a pizza someday?"

[pvt_church]

Church grins, going through the menus again. "Sure, but you wouldn't like it. With real pizza..." He tries to think of a way to describe it, a phrase of Sarge's coming to mind. "...Options are optional. It's bread, and olive oil, and if you want sauce you have to ask for it... same for everything else. I always burned the bottom of the bread too."

He glances over his shoulder again. "Put your leg that way," he points toward the path. "You won't be stepping on anyone, you won't get in anyone's way. This was Grandmama Bella," he continues, a little more animated. "She kept me on weekends sometimes after Mama died." The picture refers to a small, frail old woman with a harsh grey bun under and behind either ear. "She couldn't cook to save her life, so she ate tuna with canned tomato sauce until she finally agreed to go to a home."

[cappy_flowers]

"Make me something you like, then," he chuckled. Anything without meat would be great. Wasn't too fond of that.

Butch obeyed, stretching out his leg to the side. It felt nice, the pain fading slightly. But it also relieved him to know that Church hadn't lost his touch. Still took care of his captain...

"Sounds... great." He made a slight face, thinking of how that would taste. Fish, gross, and tomato sauce. Ick...

[pvt_church]

"Don't want anything I like, either... good rare steak..." mumbles Church, going through the menus. "Grandma Cavenaugh might still be alive." He pulls up a photo of an angry-looking plump old lady with what looks like a white afro, holding an indignant fat white cat. "She was just as bad as the Carabios... probably woulda joined the KKK if they were still around. Liked me though, because I didn't bitch about her cats and th last in the family line. Wonder if she'd gimme a second glance now..." he mutters. "She kept her maiden name even though she stayed married. She hated permanent changes. Obsessive compulsive, worse than me."

[cappy_flowers]

Butch shuddered at the sight of the cat. Well, he already disliked her. Jesus he hated cats...

He stayed silent through the whole thing though, paying attention and attempting to memorize facts and the names that went along with them. If Church asked him about it later, he'd be ready.

[pvt_church]

Church goes through the menus once more, settling on a picture of a frowning man with shaggy blonde hair and a wiry frame gone to seed with pudge. It almost looks sort of like Pvt. Grif back on base, but older, blonder and more similar to Church himself. Church scowls at the photograph, his fingers retracting from the screen into a white-knuckled fist.

[cappy_flowers]

With a glance from the screen to Church's fist, Cap carefully put an arm around him, rubbing his side gently. He could only assume that was his old man, and therefore the reaction. There was only so much the poor captain could do to try and quell his private's rising temper, so he granted him a gentle kiss to his ear.

[pvt_church]

"Shane Douglas Church," he mutters, making an effort to refrain from jerking his head away. His fingers flit over the screen, away from the picture, out of the gallery, and over the menu until eventually his mother's face smiles up once more. With a deep breath, he smiles down.

"Mama, this is Butch. He's my captain on station. I told him about you sometimes, but we were drunk and I never told him much. That don't mean I'm not proud of you, I mean. I just... you know how bad I am at that, you always told me I was too quiet to be a boy." He grins. "I'm tryin' to stop being a stuffie. He helps." He lowers his voice. "He's... he's tryin' to help me quit, Mama. I swear to God right here for you. It's gonna stop. I'm not gonna be like Dad this time. I'm not gonna let him or Allie take you out of me anymore.

You'd like him," he continues. "He's a hippie and he plays acoustic like you used to play."