Collab with  jwolfman

Even more of these two...

Characters and FBA belong to their respective owners.

Fun Fact: this time the image is one I took the picture of. Not stock :)

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It was the night of the 18th, Adam didn't hear about the news until the explosion of tweets popped up in his phone. At first he thought it was a joke, but upon remembering how others said Julian's been overtaxing his body lately and the headlines over internet sites, he realized fully what happened. After several calls to his phone went unheeded during the first few frantic hours, he decided to wait until the next morning. He couldn't sleep, and only tweeted a one-word post about the whole incident before he went completely quiet on the social-media front until there was more news. After a fitful sleepless night, he decided to book a flight from Edmonton to Hawaii to visit his best friend.

In that afternoon of the 19th, after some heavy browsing, the linsang managed to find out where the saluki was hospitalized. He saw the receptionist, a genet, and asked about the whereabouts. "Sorry sir, Mr. Cross-Kiraly isn't accepting any visits..."

Adam sighs, worn out after such a long and stressful trip overseas. He massages his forehead slightly. "I'm his best friend... you know when he'll be open for visits?"

"In fact, he himself requested no one to visit him; only the doctor's and nurses are allowed... But he might be able to be released in some days, since he's stable and improving. The FBA's on a break no? He'll maybe be out before it's over"

Adam groans softly but nods. Rules are rules after all, and he respects his wishes. "Well... would you at least send him a note that I'm here in Hawaii?"

"Sure. In the meantime, since you're in Hawaii, might recommend to take some time off? I'm sure his management will make statements on his progress..." she nodded and the linsang took off. It was a bittersweet couple of days as, despite Adam satiating his thirst for surfing he had for the longest time, there was always that thorn in his mind. How was he? Was he going to be out? Was it serious? He got the word about what exactly caused it eventually. On the morning of the 22nd, fresh from the water, on a break from surfing, he planted his board into the sand and sat down to check his phone. His social media break making him miss the message by some hours, but he tweet still relevant "@scooniebarrett Just brought Jay back home. Still recovering but he's open to visits now. Any HawaiiKahunas caring to come over, hit me up. #StayStrongJCK"

Adam sighs in relief. "Finally dude..." He mutters to himself and after some bit of thought, he decided to give him a text on his phone. "Dude! Heard you're home finally."

The reply was a bit odd but still relieving: "Hey Adam! Scoonie here. Jay'll be happy to see you, sending you the direction now" The text attached to an address in a GPS app. Adam smiles and quickly dresses himself to his ordinary street clothes before driving his rental car to the address. Still though, he was slightly nervous, not sure on what he'll look by now and how he would react to his arrival. It wasn't long before he got to the saluki's house. It was nicely kept and modern looking. The otter answered to his doorbell ring, explaining he was helping him with the recovering for the meantime and that he told the nurse to scrap his message in order to give him a surprise, and walked him over to where the saluki was.

Adam chuckled, shaking his head. "You serious, brah? This is a surprise?"

“Yes. Figured that Jay needed a good surprise to lift his spirits”. Adam snerked and follows Scoonie to where Julian is. Upon seeing him, he simply smiles and waves.

The canine was down eating as he looked up at Scoonie's call. By sheer coincidence, he choked on his glass of water he was drinking at the exact time at the image he saw, still coughing afterwards for quite the while, recovering from the shock. Adam? Fucking Really?

Adam snickers and walks over to approach him. "Inkdude... sorry for the surprise dude, but it wasn't actually supposed to be like that."

“My idea…” the otter raised his webbed paw.

He was still bowled over, the coughing flaring up the aching a bit. (("Fuck... you going to kill me!")) he blurted out on his language, trying to breathe it over.

Adam blinks and his smile disappears. "S-Sorry..." He rests a paw on his shoulder. Suddenly, the saluki stood up and gave the linsang a tight hug, patting his back. "Like... how the hell?!" the tone a bit more lively, tail getting out from between his legs for a moment. He was truly happy for a second. The otter grinned, as he finally saw him truly happy.

Adam smiled again, embracing the saluki back. "Like what dude? I wanted to see you at the hospital but you didn't want to accept any visitors, so I stuck around. Did a bit of surfing, too"

"You fucking smell of saltwater..." they shared a laugh, the saluki wiping tears the coughing got out of him. "I mean as in...How why WHEN? Merde..."

"I took a flight from Edmonton the night after what... happened. I was so frightened about it that I haven't even dared myself to watch the replay. Even the stills are scary"

"Yeah... guessed as such..." the saluki adopting the sad tone he had, sighing, sitting down to finish the rest of his meal. "People are likely exaggerating..."

Adam chuckles. "They behaved like you're close to death or something, dude..." He moves to sit next to him. “...It was quite scary, tho.”

"Whatever... I know I'm on my last strings in the league. This is the last straw..." he took a spoonfuls of the soup.

"I've been hearing what you've been doing, through tweets done by your teammates... just why though?"

He put the elbows on the table, grabbing his floppy ears, covering his eyes with them. "Dammit!" he blurted out, trying to contain anymore emotion.

Adam blinks, confused and he leans back on his chair. He stays silent though, watching.

"I'm just fucking... tired... of being brushed away... AM I not... good or what? All Star Week, my dream turned into a fucking shit hole..." his fangs bared, but not at Adam, more from frustration. When he looked at his friend's worried expression, he retracted. "I have to be on top. Otherwise no one will recognize my success, since that's how it always been... Do it big or be a piece of crap... Now I know what many think" trapped into his sadness again. Scoonie watching from a distance, same old same old, even with a more positive friend who was less involved. He grabbed his phone, he knew he had to say what others feel. Julian was engulfed by his own thoughts.

"There's no middle ground in your eyes, dude?" He paused for a few moments. He had never been good in consoling people. "A lot of people were worried about you after that game, Julian. They worry because they care about you. We're both rookies, dude. We still got long careers ahead of us... not like the Hoppers and Healeys and Stoats of the FBA became high-end superstars by the time they were rookies, right?"

Julian grunted, veering away. "You know this has been the basis of my life, dude. Always... And it seems that regardless of my effort, I can't never get it right. I'm myself and honest, I get shat on, I'm 100% training, I get shat on... even by myself..." he held his head with jus palm, elbow resting on the table.

Adam sighs, not sure on what to do or even say. Julian's becoming a brick wall due to what had been going on with him, and Adam doesn't even know where to begin. "It's okay to want to get to the top, dude... hell, I have the same goals too. You just have to approach it differently." The linsang's cellphone buzzed, a text from an unknown number. "Scoonie. He's been like this since he got out, he's slowly opening, but he already heard my say, but figured you can divert him a bit, show people care."

Adam blinks and looks at the text with a slight frown, but remains silent, not replying back. He pauses for a bit, and then stands up. "C'mon dude, wanna head outside with me?"

He sighed... "Not... really dude... I need to rest and all that. I won't hold you back if you want to go."

"Heh, I've just been outside. Mind if you give me a little tour of your place?" He grins.

He looked at his friend, nodding. "Not much to tour... but sure." he got up and showed the house. It was fairly small, but all very modern, various pieces of art over the place, kind of like his tattoo shop. Julian remade the house's second room in an art studio of some sorts, the bedroom as messy/cozy as it was for the last days, they all sat down the living room, the big black leather sofa that doubled as Scoonie's bed for the time being, facing an enormous Plasma TV. "Not a lot... but I try to make the most of it."

Adam smiles, nodding in approval. "Got some good artwork here, heh. Better than the posters in my place, hah." He flops onto the sofa, sniffing at the smell of otter. "But hey, sufficient enough here, dude. I like it"

"How you treating yourself there?"

"Put it this way dude... I'm jealous you have a home here in Hawaii. It's fucking cold in Newark, dude. Like there were days I didn't want to even step outside for exercise."

"I admit dude... I was entertained on the idea living in or near a big city like NYC. Being an Advert student, the attraction is natural. Bright lights, art, ever changing scenarios. Plus... Canadien ici, mec. Cold doesn't' scare me" Adam thought he saw him smile, first time since he got in there.

Adam chuckles. "I didn't even feel snow until I was in college when my team traveled on the road... now there's like inches of the white crap at my door. I'm trying to adjust but man..."

The dog smirked a bit before taking a bit of a dour tone again. "You... didn't need to do this..."

"Dude, if I decided not to come here and see you, I would be kicking myself with regret for the rest of my days."

"Tch. Dramatique...I ain't that big of a deal..."

"Brah, like I give a shit? You're a big deal to me, that's all it counts on my end."

He sighed. After a while putting his arm around Adam. "Finally glad to have a non-FBA friend come over..." he was confused by the statement. "They're great, but I really don't have many friends where I can just... wind down, do what I want to do. Scoonie you're cool..." he pointed at the winking otter. "But the rest like that are far away... Merci, I guess"

Adam chuckles. "I think that's kinda what you need now. You can train, but find some kind of um..." He thinks for the next few words. "Counterbalance, ya know dude? A release. Take it easy and go your pace. You overdo it and… yah..."

"I've been trying dude... it's just been a shitty couple of weeks for me to find it. Something I felt I had to face... alone..." his voice broke a bit on the last word.

"Well you don't have to face anything alone, Inky." He snerks. "Hell, look at all the tweets about you, and if you don't believe them then believe me, at least. Someone that had put up with you since the Combine." He grins and winks.

"Put up with... feeling's mutual!" He elbowed the linsang's side. "As if you're all that magnetic and poised..." he laughed.

"You've seen me riding the waves, dude! I'm poised there... until I wipe out….But yeah, I think you just have slow your pace down. World ain't ending tomorrow, far as I know, and peeps get their time eventually"

"Yah, sure seen that one before..." Time sure went by. "...You can enjoy the nightlife if you want, dude. And I guess...until we meet again..."

“No sweat, brugh. See ya tomorrow!" This reply made the saluki tilt his head.

Adam noticed his confusion and he chuckles. "I ain't leaving back for Newark so soon. Like hell I'm going to go back to all that snow eagerly... not when I'm in a place like this."

The saluki smiled warmly, giving a pat to his friend’s back. "Well then... guess I'll see ya ...tomorrow... Thanks" he smiled.

Adam winks. "See ya tomorrow dude. And not a problem!"

Following day was pretty much the same tone, once the linsang arrived, trying to have fun for themselves, whenever was TV or talking. Scoonie was supposed to be out most of the day, trusting the saluki to take care of himself. But as he saw his friend, and all the effort he put into coming here, something clicked him. Despite depression and most orders, he had to say it. "Dude..."

Adam blinks and looks back at him while holding a bottle of soda. "Yeah brah?"

"I guess... if you want... we can head out?"

"Oh thank god. I won't have to drag you out then, hehe." He snerks.

"Pfft... I won't likely do any different or be more active, but it's something Scoonie has been annoying me to do. Plus, figured you're over the locked up smell now..."

"Eh, after smelling like seaweed... I can handle anything else." He chuckles and clasps his arm around Julian's shoulder. "We'll just take this step by step, ya know?"

He sighed. "Sure... I don't know what the Manager has to say or what will he do, but good to know I got some support..." he reached for his stomach, caressing his wounds

Adam lets go of him, leading him outside. They were both in beachwear, the canine riding shotgun. "Sorry I won't be able to be as much fun right now... Rest and all that, will probably sit down anyplace you decide to hold me hostage..." he chuckled, trying to be less morose for his friend.

Adam snerks, driving toward one of Hawaii's marvelous beaches. "Hold you hostage? I ain't that kinky, dude, not into that bondage shit." He winks.

Julian scoffed. "You know what I mean..." the saluki took the liberty of directing them to one of the beaches he thought best. Maybe not as wavey on its blander days, but far less crowded and easier access. He slowly got out of the car. "This place is a good one... Guess you'll surf and I'll rest?"

"As much as I want you to hang with me on the waves, think it's best if you stay out of the tides for now." He grins and climbs out of the car also and grabs his surfboard and a few towels. "Just enjoy a bit of sun and be glad you're not in some place like Newark."

"Why so many people bitch about Newark? I'd love to live in or near NYC. Back in France on that small town, there was barely any crap to do. I just get all kinds of energy from the big metropolis. Can't deny Honolulu's nice though"

"I'm just bitching about it because it's so damn cold. Other than that, it's really not that bad of a city. Honolulu's great, just... so far away from everything ya know?"

"Ouais..." the saluki sighed,hefty, veering away. "It can feel like that..."

"Maybe I'll buy a place here to spend time during the off-season, if I ever get a contract around $10 million..." The linsang snerks and upon finding a good spot on the sand, he flattens out the set of towels.

"There's always a spot in my house and my couch... dropping all that money, dumbass..." he snarked.

"Well hey, money is useless until it's spent for something or anything." He stretches and glances around. "You be alright here dude?"

"Yah, sure. Have fun!" he saw the linsang kowabunga his way to the sea. Today evidently wasn't one of those bland days, as Julian saw his friend ride quite a hearty amount of waves. In parts it was like seeing a fail recap video, but it was mostly him swooshing through the water seamlessly, the viverrid borderline magically touching land after all the maneuvers. Leaving the dog by himself most of these days lead to him getting eaten by his own depression and misleading thoughts, but that sunny Hawaiian day wasn't the case... as much.

Adam did wipe out a few times but he quickly came back to tackle the waves, and after he has his fill of barrel riding, he walks back toward Julian with his surfboard and his fur all dripping wet. "Woo! Dude! Ain't nothing like back in California."

"Lost your touch a bit no? That one wave got you in all the muzzle..." the linsang providing a temporary out card to his blue mood

"Just getting used to it! Ain't nothin to it though!" He plants his surfboard upright on the sand and then sits next to the saluki on the towels. He wraps his arms around his raised knees, back arching as he leans forward. "You doing alright?"

"Yah... all good here" he reached for one of his ears at his headfur, focusing at an imaginary point in the white sand before fetching Adam a drink.

Adam catches the drink and nods. "Good for the mind and body to have days like this. Just relax and clear the thoughts out, ya know? Back in California, whenever I have a bad day like with school or stress or whatever, I just tackle the waves and let the water wash the bad mojo out."

Julian laid down in the fairly large towel. "I don't mean this like, to bring me down, but hear me out..." Adam's ears perked and looked at Julian. "I feel that, even though I'm getting support and all that, friends and my agent. I feel that, it's all on my Manager's paws. Like, with all the crap I stirred, either being me or just freak accidents, I'm in terms of feeling that... my time out of the league is looming.... y'know..."

"Heh dude... all of us in the FBA are kinda feeling that. If someone like Barton Rouge can be traded like what happened earlier... besides, I seriously doubt your career will end short. You even got a few POTG awards, like that's more than what a lot of good players and Top 24 dudes and dudettes achieved."

"I just think about all of it in terms of... listing all that I've done in here, the prank to Chuck, the big drama with Adi...It was either all my own responsibility and character and me trying to "keep myself real" or accidents. Even though everyone raves about my manager's fatherly and benevolent ways, I kind of know or feel that he'll hand me my buyout check and fire me as soon as he can..."

"Well to us, this is a sport... but for him, it's a business. Two very different views, brah. I can't speak for him, but you're too talented to be just a one-and-done player, dude."

"Is just that... that's been a lot of adults and people "responsible" of me in my life. Mom, Dad, teachers.... I'm the One-and-done... The few ones I can trust I can count on one paw, and they're all either away in Canada or... yeah... I'm just placing him in the "Julian's disposable" pile as a safeguard..." he took a sip from the iced tea he had.

Adam sighs. Julian's beginning to sound like a broken record. "Look dude, are you trying to... impress someone? Your manager? Yourself? Family?"

"I just want to be happy..." he blurted out, resting his chin on his crossed arms on his knees . "Follow my dreams, and being myself at it... And I feel this tag of me of 'not fitting in any part of society' is now getting to me instead of being my pride and it's making everyone else think I...don't deserve this...A damn dejá vu of me trying to be me and all around not feeling support. It's clashing"

Adam sighs and scoots closer to sit beside him, embracing him with one arm around the shoulders. "Let me be blunt with you dude... you're different than everyone else, completely barking mad.” he couldn’t help to snicker, the saluki eyeing him. “But if people have a problem with that, then they can go drown in a shallow puddle. If you don't feel any support then maybe you just have to look again. There'll always be support, sometimes it's just harder to find than usual."

Julian sighed. "In Canada or dead here..." he raised his hand to Adam's not-question. "...With this and the Montreal trip, you must be thinking I'm a fucking trainwreck right now... I should stop this as lifelong, embedded and impossible to me as it is... Merde..."

"Heh, as long as you see anything in front of you as impossible, it'll remain as such. And you? Trainwreck? Please..."

"Sorry for being all fucking downy all the time... There's good beachside seafood not far away, maybe it'll be better to get a bite"

“Food? Alright!” they both got up, Adam helping Julian. "Hey… It's fine dude. I just want to see you recover and be happy again, ya know? And I know it's a slow process… but you’ll get there, Inkdude" he patted the canine’s back carefully.

The pair got up and sat down on a small restaurant, Julian's order far lighter than his bud's. He took out several pills, swallowing them before eating his shrimp order. "Guess I threw enough of my own crap at you. How's your life, your family?"

"Been away from my parents for too long, but they came to San Jose to see me play at the All-Star game, so that was pretty rad." He grins, taking a mouthful of the fried Mahi-Mahi. "Mostly I'm just trying to adjust to the cold... and trying to improve my shooting. The um... girl-issues have been... silent lately."

"Good to know; I haven't seen JP and Celine since I got here, but he was the very first to call me after the thing... 80 times" he chuckled. "Karmic are fine and I’m here... just wanting to be the best I can be… Nightlife’s cool, team jet’s is super classy too...And I might buy a surfboard in the future, yanno"

"Alright, another radical beach bum, dude! I have a feeling JP is beginning to be busy with one of your teammates..."

"Huh?"

"With um... Tanya, think that's the dudette's name."

"Oh Jean-Leon!" he laughed. "Meant my uncle, not the Karmic co-worker dude. Plus, it isn't any secret, not even pre-draft and I knew they were bonin’!"

Adam facepaws. "I always get the french names mixed up..."

"Oi..." he decided to snark it up with some fast foreign delivery. (("it ain't that hard, even though they're mostly Jean- this and Marie- that, there is plenty of variety to not sound monotonous. Still... Even some English ones in the mix, so you should get it easier. Plus context, I'd hardly mix Karmic and my family in Montreal..."))

"Dude, come on..." Adam makes a flat expression on his face.

He made a mock taken aback expression. "Moi? Quoi?"

Adam rolls his eyes. "Never mind."

(("Never mind what? I'm just stating that you shouldn't be as confused at this point after all this time meetin-")) he was cut short after Adam flicked a french fry at his direction, getting him in the nose.

"I've been training on the court too much for me to learn another language, dude."

"Life needed to be fair. Skinny and lanky, God had to give me the sexy accent and language to survive...and hook up" he winked.

"Uh huh..." Adam snickers. "While I have the build, tail, and fur patterns."

"Your accent wasn't the number one answer in Family Feud on the sexiest accent question..." he snickered. "Yah... might want to return after Scoonie flips out..." he stretched out, bad idea as the wound pain flared up, bowling him over.

Adam winces upon seeing that. "Dude... they tell you when that's gonna be healed?"

He held his head down, shrinking in his seat, breathing it out. "Random pangs on the first week... here and there... damn that one hurt..."

Adam clasps a paw on his shoulder, letting him brave it out.

The pain was subsiding. "Let's go... get the car. I'm better now..."

Adam nods and helps him up, escorting him to the car. The pair quickly arrived to the saluki's home. Scoonie's Scion was still out. "It was a pretty fun day, dude. Best in a long time"

"You needed it, dude," Adam said with a chuckle. "I'm just doing what a best bud should do."

"Yeah... despite what the Manager has to say… I'm glad to see I got support from buds" he reached the back of his head with his hand. "Still thinking you're doing way too much for me. What did the Pride said?"

Adam shrugs. "As long as I'm not sharing strategy secrets, they don't give much of a damn. Guys are all over the place in breaks"

"I know how you play anyways" he laughed. "Just..." he pulled the linsang in a hug, patting his back. "...So much crap these last days. Thanks for... all"

Adam embraced him carefully due to the wound and such. "Hrm, don't get all sappy on me dude." He chuckles, joking. "But seriously… If you need any help, call me up brah."

"Yah yah, you beach bum. Safe trip!"

"Get well soon, dude!" He waves, heading back to his hotel.

That spotty bastard’s doing too much, but this time out was needed. It was fun indeed. Bless him.