You never understood why you and Jess’ father had been so absent for most of your lives. Sure, you had Liz before the two of you moved to Stars Hollow, but her neglect towards both you and your brother upset you to no ends.

Moving to Stars Hollow and living with Luke was, to put it gently, not exactly enjoyable. You clung to Jess like you always did; like any sibling would do. You had your inside jokes, banter, and secret spots.

The one thing you weren’t very fond of was that Luke had insisted you and Jess work at the diner. It wasn’t ideal, but at least you were getting paid. After closing was quiet and calm — you and your brother cleaned the tables and put the chairs up with the company of a few corner lights and David Bowie’s Suffragette City playing through a stereo that sat on the counter.

You had stepped away for a moment, and when you returned, you saw Jess ask a simple question you couldn’t interpret as you were inspecting the man he was talking to, one who had apparently claimed to be your father — Jimmy. The absent, abandoning, dickface of a father.

You stepped back as Jess noticed you had returned. He noticed your demeanor changing quickly, how you guarded yourself; something he didn’t see often. Jimmy glanced at Jess in an unspoken question, which prompted Jess to speak up:

“Oh, that’s—” your brother started, glancing at you again, as if trying to figure out if you wanted Jimmy to know who you were. With a subtle nod on your end, he continued, “—that’s {{user}}.” The expression on your father’s face proved he understood.

With the silence that had flooded around the three of you — after having decided to sit down — other than Bowie from the stereo, you couldn’t figure out what to do, so you stared at your feet.

What the fuck.