anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

"Marriage will do that to a person," for better or worse, marriage did end up changing people. For Anthony? It had been the latter. His marriage and the pressures that came with starting a family had been too much for him. He burnt his own marriage to the ground the day that he accepted another tour all those years ago. Anthony turned, going to keep working but Cohen's next words caught him off guard. The first bit of it made sense to Anthony about his younger brother not wanting to get into a car payment but it was the second bit that caught his attention. It was almost like Cohen didn't mean to say it aloud but now the words were out there. He looked over, locking his gaze on his younger brother before he let out a low whistle, "Did you just say diapers?" There was a moment of silence as his lips curled into a grin, "You're goin' to be a dad?" Despite the fact that it hit a little close to home, Anthony couldn't be happier for his brother. "Cohen, damn, that's big. That's real big." He moved away from the car, reaching out to giving Cohen a hug, somewhat unexpectedly. "That kid is goin' to be real lucky to have the both of you as parents." @cohenblake

Hearing the compliment from his brother made Cohen smile for a moment. He'd certainly never seen himself as someone that could grind well; he'd spent most of his teenage years proving the opposite and barely graduating military school due to it. "I've gotten better since I got married." he laughed. "Courtney helped me with that, I'll say." he shrugged, rag in his hand as he continued working, not wanting to look like he was slacking already. He paused as Anthony asked him what he was looking for and he shrugged. "I have no preference." he stated. "I'm potentially working with someone that's going to help me fix up the car that they want to sell me, but, I'm not sure if it's going to work out yet." he stated. "I just need something I can drive. Something affordable because I can't really afford a car payment." he stated, taking a breath. "I've got too many boxes of diapers I need to buy instead." he stated, out of the blue. It was so fast he wasn't sure his brother would even hear him, but he hoped so. He wasn't one to make giant romantic gestures when it came to talking about his personal lives. He just hoped it hadn't been too casual to miss." @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

Anthony's handshake was firm, one that had always come naturally to him. His father had always taught him that a firm handshake set the foundation. "Anthony Blake," he returned the introduction, following suit in allowing his full name to leave his lips. "I've thrown plenty of things in my day, but never axes." He admitted to the man, "Not something we have much practice doing in the air force." Anthony continued on, "Hopefully you won't be a witness to a lost toe tonight." Anthony cracked a joke, a small smile touching his lips. @julianxhawthorne

"Well, that's a lucky coincidence, then. Can't let a good night out go to waste just 'cause someone else flaked." He turned towards him, grasping the offered hand firmly, giving it a friendly shake. "Julian Hawthorne." He said with an easy hint to his accent, his full name given as he was always used to do. "Nice to meet you, mate. You ever thrown one of these things before, or are we both going to hope for the best?" He smirked, already stepping toward the open lane like the decision had been made for both of them. @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

Anthony gave a low chuckle, "You always have had a knack for grinding through." He was proud of his brother and all that he had accomplished. "Second vehicle, huh?" His brow raised with his words, "What are you lookin' to get? I can keep an eye out for you, too." And he'd help out. It was the least he could do as the older brother. "You ever need help with anything, I'm here, I mean it." Anthony added, figuring their nonverbal communication was not as good as it once was. @cohenblake

A nod of his head was about all that Cohen could muster at first; though this wasn't abnormal for Cohen when it came to his brother's. He'd never been overly expressive with anyone outside of his wife. "I appreciate it, really." he nodded. "It's not demanding, no, but, sometimes that's the best way to make money." he shrugged. He himself already had two other jobs, one that he was trying to get out of and one that seemed to pay the majority of their bills. It wasn't something he wanted to really think about at the moment, he was content with here things were even if they were busy. "I'm just glad to have the extra income. Trying to get a second vehicle, and well, I'll never say no to extra money either." @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

ANTHONY BLAKE UPLOADED AN IMAGE TO INSTAGRAM ;

april 11, 2025: bluebell as a puppy has my whole heart

[anthonyxblake]

Anthony had been trying to make a habit of getting out a little more and despite being bailed on, he still continued going out. He stopped into The Last Throw, getting ready to walk towards the host that would get him set up with a lane. That was, until he was stopped by someone else. "Oh, uh," he paused, caught off guard by the interaction. "I s'pose the same thing happened to me," Anthony mumbled a bit, raising his gaze to the man. "Anthony," he held out his hand, figuring an introduction were needed before he started throwing axes with someone. @julianxhawthorne

Julian had rented a lane at Last Throw to serve as a business meeting. A little out of the box thinking to entertain his potential new business partner -- or well, one for Hawthorne Brothers & Co. Except he had already arrived when he received the call that the other would not be able to make it. Julian would have considered it a tip, telling the staff to open up the lane again and to keep the money when he saw Anthony walk in. Despite the exhaustion of having newborns, he decided to throw spontaneity at the other, turning around as he locked his phone. "Before you get yourself a lane, my throwing partner tapped out on me. It's all yours if you want it." @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

Anthony let out a quiet laugh, "Okay, so you do know what you're doing. I take it back." He could admit that much. "Boot camp and grandpa wisdom," Anthony blew air over his lips, "I hear that's the ultimate combination in life." He half-joked with Rohan, "Favorite camping story," he paused, leaning back as he thought, a slow smile tugging against his lips. "Actually there was one time, this is pretty embarrassing," he had to admit before he began, "that my cousins took me camping and told me that bears could smell fear," he paused, "keep in mind, I was like six years old." Anthony stated, "Naturally, I spent the whole night trying not to feel scared which only made me panic more and then I ended up sleeping in the car." A slow shake of his head followed, "I've never lived it down," not even despite all that he had been through since, "What about you?" @rohanxwalsh

Rohan smiled as the other leaned forward slightly and gave him a look. Rohan listened and smiled before leaning forward too and speaking, "Actually I do know what am doing. I used to go camping with my grandfather often growing up. Came in handing during boot camp," Rohan laughed before leaning back back and smiling. "Even if I did not have the training from the military and also from my grandfather, it's great to know that I am in good company. Do you have a favorite camping story?" @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

"No, probably not." There were a lot of other things in life that could mess with the sleep schedule. For one, his nightmares tended to persist and they only got worse with the less sleep that he got. And they caused him to get less sleep. It was a vicious cycle, really. "Understandable." Anthony nodded his head. The space, though deemed a safe space, was not one that everyone had felt comfortable sharing in. Even Anthony was one to keep to himself a lot of times and when he did share, he certainly did not go into great detail about his reason for grief. He had plenty and they were only scratching the surface of them as of lately. "I don't think I am tonight, either." He paused, "Want to ditch and grab a bite to eat?" Suddenly, even listening was making Anthony anxious. @samxbradford

He raised his brow, a mocking grimace that spoke volumes. Doubt laced with heavy irony lay in the look he shot Anthony as they sat down in adjacent chairs. "Don't think you need coffee this late in the day to give up on an entirely normal sleeping schedule, to be honest." For a moment, as he lounged in the uncomfortable seat, he could hear his mother's voice. The critique of his posture clung to him more prominently than most other things she had once told him and Sam breathed out, as he aimed his gaze towards his own, restless hands. The fidgeting of his fingers, ceaselessly toying with the hem of his shirt found its abrupt end in the question posed by Anthony. For a moment, there was an almost eerie stillness, rendering Sam's body unmoving, like a perfect statue. Almost hesitantly, he looked over at Anthony and was unsure what to answer, in spite of knowing the answer already. Sam had never shared, barely even participated when other's revealed intimate parts of their life to strangers in a bare space. A safe space. And then, he shook his head, his answer a low murmur. "Don't think so." And he felt almost bad for it. "You?" @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

Anthony paused when he heard his brother, leaning against the side of the car as he did so. His smile was small, but it was one full of understanding as Cohen explained what they were going through. "I know things have been tough," he started, "so I'm happy to help keep your head above water even when it feels like you're drownin'." He told Cohen, "I'll always have your back." In a world when Anthony never thought he'd see his brothers again, he was doing everything he could to make sure that he made amends for all the years that he had been gone following in their father's footsteps and then those years that they thought he was dead. "It's not that demanding," Anthony gave a nod of his head, "part of why I'm not sure it's what I want to do long term but it's keeping me busy enough for now." @cohenblake

𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 @anthonyxblake

"I appreciate you helping me get a job out here, man." Cohen spoke, eyes focusing on the car he was detailing, only looking up at his older brother for a moment. "We've been struggling a lot recently; rent, bills, car maintenance." he sighed. "I want to save up money for a second vehicle and we sadly don't make enough despite the fact that I worked two jobs already." Sure, the maintenance job had started as a way for cheaper rent, but it had quickly turned into Cohen being used for bigger projects with little to no change in compensation. And Cohen being desperate to do anything he could for the family he'd chosen with Courtney, he'd never complain as long as she were fed. That was really the only thing on his list to accomplish every day. "I do have to say out of all of my jobs this is the easiest." he laughed. "At least so far."

[anthonyxblake]

"Some people like to live on the edge," he said, sitting down in one of the empty chairs. "Or they've just given up on having an entirely normal sleep schedule." There were days when his felt far from normal, anyway and he didn't even drink coffee this late. Sitting in the chair, he leaned against the back of it, loosely crossing his arms against his chest. "Plan on sharing tonight?" Anthony questioned quietly, leaning over just so that he was talking to Sam. The veteran had shared a few times, though he wasn't sure if he were going to be participating in listening over speaking. @samxbradford

There were few things Sam excelled at - the art of forming delicious compositions to flatter peoples' refined palettes ( pastry or meals alike ) was not one of them, as he had quickly learned during his upbringing. It had been his mother, alongside his brother, who had managed to transform plain food into something extraordinary, while his talents were placed elsewhere. And yet, he would never not judge a bad cookie. At Anthony's words, his gaze flickered toward the other, his sole response to the question asked a shrug, shrouded on nonchalance. Straight up offense. The words were truthful and yet, Sam felt guilty for the movie theater butter popcorn would have been his pick - hypothetically. "Anything would be better than cookies that taste like sand." He replied, before following Anthony toward the empty chairs, though not before shooting another last glance over his shoulder, towards the coffee pot. "Who drinks coffee this late, anyway?" He went on entertaining the superficial banter about nonsensical things. The setting's realness would hit him soon enough. @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

"Money can feel like the biggest of hurdles," though he had minimal experience with that. "I'd be happy to help out, Courtney." Anthony offered, finding himself more open to doing so than he might have been in the past. He was a changed man and in ways he was still figuring out. At her next words, his expression softened once more. "Yeah, they're still there." Though he hadn't been surprised that they never moved once they retired. "I know mine would love it, too." Though there was a part of him that wondered what it would be like to have all the family around together and that part of him was slightly overwhelmed. "Would be good to visit in the summer, probably." @courtneyxblake

END.

"Yeah," she said softly before nodding, "those obstacles are pretty big. Especially since it involves money. Money that we don't have." She shrugged, though not bitter by any means, she just felt like things were always out of reach because she didn't have a lot of money. And she hated to ask for help with that or anything else in life for that matter. "I know my folks are still at the same house and yours are too right?" She asked before smiling, "that'd be nice. Having us all around would be great. I bet my parents would love it." @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

Anthony blew air over his lips at the question that Brody approached him with. Something other than the air force? "Honestly," he shook his head in part to answer his younger brother's question, "that was never an option for me." He had always been one that was expected to follow in the footsteps of their father. Anthony had never allowed himself the time of day to think about doing anything else. "Alaska wouldn't be so bad," he gently joked in return to his brother, "I'll look into those," he told Brody, "it might be good for me to stay busier in that regard, working on a farm or something." Anthony looked up, smiling at Brody, "Thanks," he started, "I, uh, it's nice to be able to talk to someone about this." @brodyblake

END.

He nodded at his brother. He could imagine how it would feel. You focus all your energy on just getting out of a situation you were in and now that you are back in what was considered a normal life, what did you do with that? “Have you ever thought of something you wanted to do if you hadn’t gone into the Air Force?” When he was younger, that was something Brody never did so when he had his accident, it messed everything up and the only reason he picked being a fisherman in a boat in Alaska was because it was far away from everyone else and he didn’t have to be social. It was similar to how Anthony was feeling now. “You could always run away to Alaska?” He smirked a little. “Or just work on a fishing boat like I do.” Even if he was thinking of quitting himself due to the pain the cold of the sea brought to his leg. He had dealt with the pain for so long, but he was getting tired of it. “Or there’s a few farms or ranches around, right? Maybe something working for one of them?” @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

I've Endured, Now What?

Blue Iris - Mary Oliver / So This Is All I Will Ever Be? - Fatima Aamer Bilal / Vive, Vive - Traci Brimhall

[anthonyxblake]

starter for @rhysmorgann

location: wingman's pub

When Anthony first met Rhys at one of the local bars, he hadn't taking an immediate liking to him. Their conversations had been brief but Anthony had always got the impression that Rhys was shielded from many hardships due to his privilege. However, over time, Anthony began to see someone else beneath the image that Rhys presented to the public. Additionally, Rhys gave Anthony a new hobby. Photography was not one that he ever expected he would get into, but it was giving him the means to express himself as he continued to adjust to Kismet Harbor's slower pace. "A well deserved drink after that hike," not that Anthony was out of shape, but he felt like he had exhausted more energy taking the time to stop and take in the scenery. "Think I got some good photos today, though."

[anthonyxblake]

He let out a slow breath, running a hand over his face as he listened to his brother. The way he spoke, Anthony truly did believe that Brody got it, despite them having different histories in the last several years. "I don't know," he admitted after a beat, his voice quieter than he meant for it to be. "For so long, all I thought about was making it back here and now that I'm here," a concept that Anthony was still struggling with a year into living in Kismet Harbor, "it's like I don't know where I should go from here." He slowly shook his head, "Not really all that social, so I didn't want to try my hand at bartending," though it'd appease the sleepless nights he already had. "Maybe some sort of hands on type work." Anthony trailed off, "What do you think?" @brodyblake

Brody understood how his older brother felt. For so long, he was trying to do the same. While working on the fishing boat filled up the time and silence, he didn't think it was his purpose. He wasn't sure what his purpose was either and so Brody settled into the same job here in Kismet Harbor, but he was still searching for a purpose too. He couldn't imagine how his brother felt, though, for being gone so long and trying to piece things back together. "I get it." He told him honestly so his brother would know he wasn't alone in feeling this way. "Is there anything you think you should do? Or want to try?" @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

"I'm sure you think you've got obstacles standin' in your way," for what Anthony knew about the situation anyway, "but there's always a way around things, even if you can't see it right now." Anthony offered the minor tidbit of advice with an understanding smile. "I'm sure that'd be nice, I know they've brought it up a few times when I've talked to them." And he was still getting used to the social phone calls and catching up with his family again. "Maybe we can all go this summer." He offered with a slight smile. @courtneyxblake

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll figure it out when the times comes." Anthony didn't want to push, didn't want to pry if she did not want to share. "You've got the determination." That much he did know about Courtney, though. Even if he didn't know as much about his sister-in-law as he should have at this point. He chuckled at the mention of the weather, "The brutal cold of the northeast is no fun, either," he admitted, shaking his head, "you guys have plans to go back to South Carolina to visit any time soon?" @courtneyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

Anthony watched as the whole cookie scenario unfolded. He held mild amusement in his eyes, arms crossed loosely over his chest as Sam went through the suffering motions of realizing that the cookie was in fact bad. "Popcorn?" Anthony repeated, raising a brow. "Depends, are you thinking plain or movie theater butter?" He half-joked, "I think one is weird and the other's straight up offensive," not that he would blame Sam if he had done something like that. "Honestly, stale popcorn would be better than cookies that taste like sand." He offered with a partial laugh. "C'mon," he nodded toward the two empty chairs, "let's sit before you start contemplating the coffee next. I don't think I'm ready for that level of disappointment today." Or any day, but it was enough to keep the mood surface level to what they were all really feeling. The exhaustion had been practically carved into Sam's face. @samxbradford

The disdain with which Sam no second later, eyed the cookies once more, was evident. He scrunched up his nose, his displeasure evident by the look his features bore and the oddity of sweetened snacks in a support group suddenly weighed him down. Slowly and carefully, he reached to the plate with steady fingers and grabbed one of the baked goods and there was nothing that would not reflect the lack of surprise on his features, in his demeanor. "They feel like they're gonna taste like sand." And yet, he took a bite, a second worth of contemplation, before his mouth's corners wandered downwards in a dissatisfied frown. "Yeah", he muttered, tossing the cookie into the trash can not far from where he stood, before he turned to look back at Anthony. "You think bringing popcorn would be tactless?" And his question was enunciated as a question, obviously drenched in irony. "Not gonna lie, I wasn't sure if I'd come around today." He hadn't been feeling his greatest in a while and it showed by the dark circles beneath his eyes. The slouching of his posture. The ghosts he carried on his shoulders, weighing him down. @anthonyxblake

[anthonyxblake]

"Yeah, they're supposed to be," Anthony replied with a softened chuckle. He wasn't sure how that was to be the case, but that's what he was told they were. "I wouldn't swear by it, though," he shook his head, "might be more of a chocolate chip mystery cookie than the real deal." He moved his gaze to the plate of cookies, holding a light tone despite the heaviness that often coated the room. "I'm thinking we've got to start bringing our own snacks if we want something fresh." Anthony commented, "Glad to see you made it though, today," he added as he stood next to Sam. @samxbradford

He'd always been quiet during these meetings, oftentimes merely a listener on the sidelines, feeding himself the illusion that, in comparison, he didn't have it that bad, after all. Anything to make it more bearable, the weight that tore at his shoulders. Sam had contemplated earlier, if he should attend today, the sleeplessness tearing at his limbs and he felt heavy as a stone. With his hands buried deep inside his pockets, he scanned the room upon entering, seeing some familiar faces as well as someone he held no memory of. He swallowed and discomfort was about to seize him, when he heard Anthony's voice and a welcome distraction was presented to him in an instance. Walking towards table bearing snacks and coffee, he mustered an almost unnoticeable half-smile. He found Anthony's to be a comforting presence amidst the mostly familiar crowd, respecting the man's similar approach to these meetings. It made him feel less of an outcast. "Obviously. Never without." A beat and he came to stand beside the man. "Are these supposed to be chocolate chip cookies?" @anthonyxblake