#natasha trace fanficiton

[nurse-floyd]

New Beginnings

Pairing: Poly!squad Bob x Hangman x Phoenix x Rooster

Prompt: by the amazing @vivwritesfics “Current thoughts: poly!Squad where jake or Bob inherit a ranch or something from their grandparents and poly!squad do it up together and it's just them getting sweaty and messy and cute.”

Warnings: mentions of death (brief) but other than that just pure poly!squad fluff.

Taglist: @pretzelcat4-blog (if you want to be added let me know)

Bob removed his glasses as he wiped away the tears that had freely flowed down his cheeks with his hand. He pocketed his phone and took a deep, shaky breath. He had just received a phone call from his mom, excusing himself from the rest of the squad as he answered. His grandpa, who had been in and out of the hospital for the best part of the last year, had died. He had visited when he could but was devastated he couldn’t be there at the end. He had spent so many holidays as a kid on his grandfather's ranch and couldn’t imagine what life would look like without him.

A voice pulled him from his grief momentarily; it was Nat calling after him. She ran over after seeing the change in his posture and wiped away what she thought were tears. She could read him like a book. Jake and Bradley followed closely behind her.

“Bob? What’s going on?” she asked, concern evident in her expression.

Jake’s smile fell when he saw Bob crying; he had never seen the WSO cry, and he had never seen him so upset. Bradley placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Talk to us, Bob. Who was that on the phone?”

“It’s, uh…” he paused to clear his throat, “it was my mom. My grandpa, you know, the one from the ranch?”

The three nodded in unison.

“He died… earlier this morning,” the words caused him to get choked up again, the reality of it all hitting home.

Jake sucked in a breath. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Bob.” He took a step closer, closing the gap between them as he pulled him into a hug. “We’re here for you.”

Bradley and Nat joined in, circling Bob and squeezing him between the three of them as he sobbed, shielding him from any prying eyes. After a few minutes, Bob released himself from their comforting embrace and cleared his throat, his emotions still raw. “Thanks. I just... I can’t believe he’s gone.”

The group fell silent for a moment, letting Bob have the space he needed. Then he took a deep breath and straightened his posture. “There’s something else… he left me the ranch.”

Jake’s eyes widened slightly. “He left you the ranch?”

“Yeah, he loved that ranch. Practically built it with his bare hands,” Bob confirmed, nodding. “And it’s mine now… or I guess it’s ours. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it.”

Nat stepped forward, her eyes determined. “You don’t have to decide right now and you don’t have to do this alone. We’ll help you.”

Bradley nodded. “Absolutely. We’re going to figure this out together.”

Bob gave them a grateful smile, the tears still spilling over at his grief but also the gratitude for the people he loved most. They enveloped him in another hug, and he felt just that little bit lighter.

After a discussion with Maverick and the promise of a few days of downtime in between training sessions, the four of them were granted leave to help Bob. They packed up Bradley’s Bronco and all piled in. Nat stayed in the back with Bob as she held him throughout the journey, his emotions all over the place as they headed to the place that had practically raised him into the man he was today. Bradley was in the front with Jake, fighting over who got to pick the music and snacks for the journey as they broke up the driving between them. Despite the tears and minor disagreements, the journey was mostly filled with passing snacks back and forth and Bradley’s playlist that they all sang along to.

The sun filtered through the trees, casting a golden glow over the overgrown fields and stables as they pulled up. The property was both beautiful and overwhelming. Fields of tall grass and wildflowers surrounded a large, but neglected barn; its once bright red paint had faded to a dull shade. The farmhouse, where they all planned to camp out during the renovations, was just as tired and worn, paint peeling from its dusty windows. Memories of his grandparents and the ranch washed over him, filled with both joy and sadness, but it only made him more determined to get the place back to how he remembered it.

Jake, Nat, and Bradley unloaded their gear as they took a look at the ranch. It was huge and it was theirs now. Jake let out a low whistle as he really took in what they were working with. “Wow, this is something else.”

Sure, they had all heard stories from Bob and seen pictures he had shown them from when he was younger, but it was so much bigger than they had expected; so much more beautiful.

Bradley slung an arm around Bob’s shoulders. “You feeling okay?”

Bob nodded, trying to keep his emotions in check. They had their work cut out for them if they were going to get the ranch back to its former glory. “Yeah. Let’s unpack and we can get a sense of what we’re dealing with.” It was sad being back here, but Bob felt good having the distraction and the end goal in sight.

The four of them headed into the farmhouse and unloaded their things before filing out again to assess the different areas of the property. Nat headed to the barn, pulling open the doors to find the place covered in cobwebs and the workbenches covered in a thick layer of dust. She let out a soft chuckle as she brushed off her hands and turned back to look at the three men. “Hope you’re not afraid of spiders, boys.”

Jake looked less than pleased, which caused Bradley to let out a deep laugh as he shook his head and shoved him lightly. They inspected the fields, noting overgrown weeds and unkempt fences. Bradley looked enthusiastic as he took in the view and let out a low whistle. “It needs some serious cleaning, but it’s really not as much work as it looks.”

Once they had had a good look around, the four entered the farmhouse once more. They moved from room to room, noting the state of each and fought over who would have what room. The rooms were filled with dust-covered furniture, faded wallpaper, and the broken-down kitchen made the place feel like a ghost of its former self. Bob felt a pang of emotion as he walked through rooms that had once been filled with his grandparents' presence.

Nat nudged Bob gently. “We’ll get this place back in shape. One step at a time, yeah, baby?”

“I can’t believe how much work this is going to be,” Bob said, running a hand through his hair.

Jake nodded, placing a hand on Bob’s shoulder. “We’re in this together. We’ll make a plan and work through it.”

As the evening began to draw in, Bradley set about grabbing four beers as they sat in the living room and started drawing up a solid plan, dividing out the workload between them. Bradley and Jake would start with the barn, while Bob and Nat tackled packing up what Bob wanted to keep of his grandparents' possessions and what could be sold or thrown away. They settled in for the night, all in various spots around the spacious living room with blankets and pillows as they camped out for the night.

The next morning, as discussed the previous night over their drinks, Bob and Nat started on the farmhouse, cleaning up and making lists of repairs. They discovered old family photographs and mementos tucked away in forgotten corners. Nat loved hearing the stories of his grandparents and seeing a lot of baby photos of Bob, much to his embarrassment. She snapped a few photos on her phone, mainly for bribery purposes she knew would come in handy later.

Bradley and Jake tackled the barn, shifting hay bales and moving out old and broken farm equipment that they would have no use for. Nat and Bob would have been lying if they didn’t sneak a few glances out of the window or while they stood on the porch. Both of their tanned skin glistened in the sun, their muscles flexing in their slightly too-tight white tank tops.

“Like the view, sweethearts,” Jake called over once he had noticed them looking.

By the time the sun began to set once more, the group reconvened for the evening. They sat on the porch of the farmhouse, enjoying pizza and a few more beers as they reviewed their progress.

“We’ve made a good start,” Bradley said, glancing around at the cleared areas.

Nat stretched her arms over her head, her back cracking at the movement. “Yeah, but it’s looking better already.”

Jake raised his bottle in agreement. “We’re turning this place around.”

Bob looked at the group, feeling a deep sense of gratitude. “Thank you for being here. I couldn’t do this without you.”

They clinked their bottles together. The work was far from finished, but the progress was encouraging.

“One day at a time,” Bradley said.

It would take time, but they knew they would get there. The farmhouse would once again be the retreat it had once been for Bob, this time with his new family. The sadness, while still there, had turned into hope for what the future of the ranch would be under his care.