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Adrian Landry

Adrian Landry was the son of Elliot Landry and Ayana Renée Brooks and the twin brother of Ariana Landry. The twins were conceived shortly after Elliot completed treatment for a grade 2 oligodendroglioma and born prematurely around 2051, requiring neonatal intensive care. Adrian grew up in Baltimore within the four-adult family formed by his parents, Jacob Keller, and Ava Keller.

Early Life and Background

Adrian and Ariana were conceived without fertility treatment after Elliot’s cancer treatment ended, while he was still recovering. The pregnancy surprised Elliot and Ayana, who had not expected conception to happen naturally after his chemotherapy and amid her polycystic ovary syndrome. Ayana suspected she might be carrying more than one baby when her test came back positive; a second-trimester scan confirmed the twins. Severe hyperemesis gravidarum, dehydration, pelvic pain, and warning signs of pre-eclampsia made the pregnancy dangerous and limited Ayana’s mobility. Elliot helped care for her within his post-treatment capacity, while Ava became Ayana’s primary support during the worst of the illness.

Adrian and Ariana were born early and required neonatal intensive care. Elliot held Ariana first, while Jacob held Adrian before Elliot did. Jacob cried into Adrian’s shoulder without speaking. When Elliot held Adrian, he promised to love him, make their time count, and build a life worth living despite the possibility of his own early death. Ava had been with Ayana in the delivery room and continued helping her recover while Elliot and Jacob bonded with the babies.

Adrian grew up with his parents in Ayana’s Baltimore home. Jacob and Ava had their own household, but all four adults shared calendars, held keys to one another’s homes, and took part in caring for the twins. Adrian and Ariana knew Jacob as Uncle Jake and Ava as Aunt Ava. For the children, all four adults were home; their regular presence mattered more than a distinction between biological and chosen family.

Main article: Jacob, Elliot, Ayana, and Ava

Cultural Identity and Heritage

Adrian inherited Southern Black family history through Elliot’s father, Vernon Landry, and Black and Puerto Rican heritage through his grandmother Jazmine Landry, whom the twins called Abuela. Ayana’s family brought Black American and Afro-Dominican heritage into Adrian’s upbringing. Ayana taught Adrian and Ariana about curl patterns, the history of Black hair politics, and how to care for their own hair.

Health and Disabilities

Adrian was small at birth and required neonatal intensive care for stabilization and monitoring after his premature delivery.

Habits, Routines, and Daily Life

At home, Adrian’s routines included Elliot’s bedtime voices, familiar snacks, and the songs Jazmine had sung to Elliot as a child. Elliot carried Adrian on his shoulders like a mini monarch and knew when one of the twins needed food or simply to be held. Adrian and Ariana also spent time at Jacob’s rehearsals and visited the other household regularly. CPAP, rest breaks, wheelchairs, medication schedules, and adults adapting to one another’s needs were ordinary parts of the twins’ childhood.

Family and Core Relationships

Elliot Landry

Elliot knew his health might keep him from seeing Adrian graduate, become an adult, or have children of his own. Adrian’s unexpected birth after Elliot’s cancer treatment gave him hope for a family future even as he remained conscious of its possible limits. He made memory videos, recorded himself reading favorite books, and wrote letters for future milestones. As a young child, Adrian felt safe with the father who played with him and Ariana; he burrowed into the crook of Elliot’s arm and fell asleep against his chest.

Ayana Renée Brooks

Ayana’s pregnancy had required extensive care, and she continued to parent Adrian and Ariana with attention to their health, their Black hair, and the network of adults who loved them. She taught Adrian that Uncle Jake and Aunt Ava were family. Adrian called her Mommy or Mama when young and Ma as a teenager.

Main article: Elliot Landry and Ayana Brooks

Ariana Landry

Ariana was Adrian’s twin sister. They were born prematurely and shared the same period of neonatal intensive care. Their early home life included both children learning the routines of their parents and of Uncle Jake and Aunt Ava.

Jacob Keller

Jacob held Adrian before Elliot did in the NICU and remained Uncle Jake as he grew. Adrian knew him as his father’s other heart, and he and Ariana went to Jacob for comfort after scraped knees, learned piano with him, and sometimes slept on his lap during rehearsals.

Main article: Jacob Keller and Elliot Landry

Ava Keller

Ava, the twins’ Aunt Ava, helped Ayana through pregnancy and postpartum recovery, then continued to share care of the children and advocate for their needs. To Adrian, she made the best pancakes and told the funniest stories; she also brought Pedialyte and blankets when the children were sick.

Main article: Ava Keller and Ayana Brooks

Characters Supporting Characters Living Characters Landry Family