Profile
Cook in the au is no longer living isolated in the mountains with a cursed house that wont let him leave it and is instead living in a modest 2 bed 1 bath not-cursed house on the outskirts of town. He lives with his longtime boyfriend Hunter, who he met in college. Though he did complete his degree plan, family events caused Cook to fall into a period of inactivity and self neglect but hes doing better now. Cook currently works at the universe equivalent of a waffle house / dennys / ihop and is quite good at it even if its sometimes hell because customers are insane. He technically doesn’t even have to work since Hunter makes a big enough paycheck to float the both of them but Cook would rather die than not pull his weight and he doesn’t want to use the law degree his late father pushed him into so if you don’t give him any trouble he’ll make you some good as hell hashbrowns. A big difference in the au is the fact Cook is honestly doing really well for himself. Hes accepted socially, thriving in his relationships, is essentially financially stable and not in a toxic relationship with a haunted house OR surrounded by isolating maze-like forests filled with hulking beasts. Theres a few hitches here and there but overall? Pretty good. He has a really fancy garden he works on in his spare time and likes to be a PINCH pretentious about tomato varieties, pickling methods, and soil composition. Attitude wise hes way more laid back and jovial but retains his stubbornness and bluntness. Hes the most tactful out of the three but only when he wants to be, knows when to be more patient with others and all in all is a pretty nice person, he has an awkward air to him but it’s a confident one. Au Cook is also a lot more interested in fashion and self expression, he doesn’t care what pronouns people use for him and has a more bit more of a feminine presentation when he goes out, big fan of tube tops and bright colored pants. He doesn’t really care about whats “mainstream” and mostly dresses in what he thinks looks nice. Cook is easily the most approachable out of the three and probably the most well adjusted in the au.
Relationships
Hunter- The two met at a party in college that quite frankly neither of them wanted to be at, Cook was being heckled by his friends for being unenthused about the whole thing and ventured off into a less populated corner of the room where Hunter was lurking. The two had small talk and at a point Cook joked that it would be really funny if someone went ape shit just to spice things up. Hunter decided to take him up on that idea and proceeded to break as many things as he could before dipping from the event. Cook thought it was hilarious and the two tended to stick around one another after that and kept in touch even after Hunter transferred to a trade school. Cook found and still finds him to be really easy to be around and also kind of funny in his own oblivious way, never a dull moment with him around. Currently they have been going steady for around 15 years. Hunter was Cooks primary support during the latter part of his 20s and his early 30s when things were really bad. Hunter has always been someone stable and patient to Cook, who can see past Hunters standoffish nature, penchant for violence, and general social weirdness. The two aren’t huge on PDA but are nearly attached at the hip when at home and not doing anything else. Wishes he would get a real phone and also stop trying to do DIY surgery on himself in his RV bathroom, but no ones perfect.
Chimera- Among Hunters quirks is his tendency to put himself in situations where hes looking out for someone he barely knows. After Hunter came home from an incredibly awkward car ride he mentioned to Cook he had “fucked up real bad” and wanted to try to make it up to the stranger, and he had an opportunity since they left their phone in his truck. While Cook thought the misunderstanding was hilarious he could tell it was really bothering Hunter, so Cook agreed to let Hunter give them his number in case they need a ride again since they probably wouldn’t want to see Hunter which was the end of that for a while. Months later Cook got a call from a number he didn’t recognize and was thinking someone had leaked his number to some journo or youtuber AGAIN and picked up with irritation before he remembered the person Hunter had mentioned and quickly made plans to get them. The two bonded over the trips and ended up hanging out one on one and eventually with Hunter as well. They have a LOT in common, similar interests in fashion, similar family issues, it makes sense the two would get close fast. Cook and Hunter have pretty separate interests and hobbies so it was great to be able to hang out with someone who “gets” it. Chimera also gives Cook more excuses to go out, as they have not done a lot in their life. After talking it over with Hunter they both end up dating Chimera as well.
Cook’s Father- The two were never close with Cook clearly being the least favorite of his fathers children. His “mother” wanted nothing to do with him either since he wasn’t her child, but she had to pretend he was to maintain public appearances. Cooks father was an influential financier who was neck deep in controversy near the end of his life for his potential involvement in the mysterious deaths of several of his clients. He himself died under mysterious circumstances which thrust all of his children into the spotlight since many had a grudge against him for whatever reason. Cook was not in contact with his father at the time of his death but still feels the aftereffects of the sheer amount of publicity the entire affair had. He changed his name in his early 30’s and has consistently refused to talk about it. Hes very very tired of being forced to relive that period of his life for the entertainment of others especially since he was already disowned by the time it happened. He is not in contact with his siblings or mother.
The Inherited Estate- Cook’s only inheritance from the whole debacle, it’s a small house and plot of land nestled in the wilderness which no one wanted enough to sue him for. The place also came with an outlandishly large mortgage which is now Cook’s responsibility since he cannot find someone to buy the place and the property’s value is worth less than what remains of the debt. Most of Cook’s paycheck goes towards this place which he resents but insists on paying it himself, not wanting to burden Hunter with it. He also has the place listed as an in-universe equivalent of an AirBNB to help pay it off. Its incredibly unpopular as visitors sometimes report an increasing feeling of disorientation, vertigo, nausea, and paranoia the longer they stay, as well as its isolated location being inconvenient. Theres no gas leaks or other biological hazards that can be blamed for the effects, giving the estate an ominous reputation. The only people who regularly stay at it are youtubers and podcasters who keep trying to offer to pay Cook in exposure or will outright break into the place thinking its abandoned and wanting to do a little “urbex”. Cook hates going there to run people off or maintain it because he always feels sick for days to weeks after he comes back home, he and Hunter suspect it’s a psychological response to the association with his father and hes been going to therapy for it. Chimera went to it once and refuses to go back and is reluctant to elaborate why, but insists Cook never stay for too long.
Funfacts
-his degree is a Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies, he has no interest in it
-is well liked by his coworkers but he can sometimes provide a learning curve for new people because hes very particular in his ways
-likes corny romance stories
-cries every single time a pet dies in a movie without fail
-is self conscious about how he looks without at least some sort of facial covering (hair, mask, scarves, ect), his father once drunkenly commented that he looks just like his mother and it bothers him to think about
-very appreciative that chimera is good at altering clothes because pants are consistently too short for him
-lost his tooth in a workplace scrap, would do it again
-loves Hunter’s family and regularly visits with them
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