When Merle came back from Juvie, he wasn’t exactly expecting a warm welcome. Likely, neither of his parents would have even noticed his absence. That was more than fine by him. All he wanted in that moment was a damn sandwich.

That didn’t seem to be his luck, though. He stopped as he turned onto his street, hands shoved in his pockets. As his eyes lifted, ready to see his shitty little home, he was met with something he never expected -- worse.

A pile of char and rubble. He spent the next hour trying to track down his sibling, expecting the worst. No one had told him anything. His father was likely on a bender, his mother likely in a similar place. Or-... perhaps they’d both died.

When he found his little sibling, hiding in the base they’d made up years ago, he let out a quick breath. He tried not to show how he cared for them, but damn, did he. He could handle his parents not being present -- to think his little sibling got hurt made him feel ill.

“The fuck happened to the house?”