#i found out about this book from avalonjoan

[mercutio-stan]

hey man welcome to the summer sons brainrot‼️ lmao. idk where ur at in the book but the freak intensity and need to commit road law violations never goes away (i finished it in october 2022, six rereads since then n jonesing for a seventh, my driving has just gotten worse 💯). who’s ur favorite character thus far? peace n love bro

I LEGIT NEVER CHECK MY INBOX HELLO HELLO SO SORRY I MISSED YOU!! I have reread Summer Sons three times in the two-ish weeks since I first finished it. I am indeed a full time student that just came back for the spring semester. Yes I am neglecting school work in the name of rereading this book. This shit is so crazy I love it sooooo much. I love Andrew and Sam’s unhinged dynamic but if I had to pick a favorite character I would say Riley. What a nice, normal man. I love the scene where he busts in on Sam and Andrew mid-makeout/haunting and calls him a fucking idiot for walking around with Eddie’s ring. The sibling-dynamic energy of him coming home after Andrew and Sam hooked up to see that they did it in his room and screaming at Andrew to wash his sheets and throwing shit at him. Iconique. And the fact that he was blasting MCR in his car. And has a tattoo of lyrics by The Wonder Years. He’s a loser and a badass simultaneously and had enough game to pull not one but two partners and could have more if he wanted. Riley Sowell is the only man for me.

Also Andrew lowkey lusting after Riley kills me. The scene at Sam’s party where Riley takes off his shirt to mop up Andrew’s bloody nose and Andrew tries to touch his top surgery scars… that is the gayest and horniest thing I’ve ever read thank you Lee Mandelo 🙌 Andrew musing about how easily Riley shape shifts between “grubby punk” and respectable academic. Buddy your homosexuality is showing. I truly believe there is a draft of Summer Sons out there somewhere in which Riley and Andrew explored each other’s bodies.

Anyways anon your message is so deeply appreciated would LOVE to hear about your fav moments and characters this fandom seemingly consists of seven people and a bot but by god y’all seem set on spreading the good word to everyone you can and I thank you for that 🫶

[indecentpause]

Ronan in yellow (Ronan was created by @avalonjoan, who I am borrowing him from for this story)

Ronan tag

ITBITS tag (In the Basement, In the Sky: the story he is from)

ITBITS Masterpost

cw: talk of drugs and narcotics anonymous

Eventually, [Angie] finally gets through the tangled clump, only to find another, work through that, and find another. She’s finally got it down to just a few small ones when Ronan comes back out of the bedroom. He stops in front of you, crosses his feet, lowers himself to the floor and into a crosslegged sit. He hands you a pamphlet and puts some other papers and little books to the side.

“This was the first thing my NA group gave me when I first started. It’s a Twelve Step program, like AA’s but focusing on drug addiction.”

Your reaction is automatic. You offer it back and say, “Oh, no, I’m not addicted to anything.”

Ronan doesn’t take the paper back. He just looks at you, carefully and thoughtfully, and asks, “Do you like your life better when you’re high?”

This feels like a trap, but you answer anyway, slowly and carefully. “I… guess so? I mean, it’s only because I can’t treat my actual problems, because I don’t have insurance so I can’t get a doctor and stuff, and --”

The more you go on, the weaker your excuses get. Your face burns under Ronan’s gaze, serious but nonjudgmental. Finally, you trail off and look at the pamphlet, wrinkling slightly under your tight hold.

“So if we got you set up with a doctor, you’d quit?”

You open your mouth. The lie is ready on your tongue. But with Angie’s fingers gently working through your hair, Ronan’s sock covered toes barely touching yours, you can’t bring yourself to say it. You close your mouth and swallow, looking down at your hands in your lap.

“Come with me at least once,” Ronan says, gently. “Staying clean while you’re here is all well and good, but if you’re going to start again after you leave, you’ll likely just end up back where we found you again. You understand that, right?”

“Sober.” It comes out abruptly, with no thought.

“What?”

“Staying sober while I’m here is all well and good. Drugs don’t make you dirty.”

Ronan looks at you for a long, long moment, then finally nods. He taps the pamphlet in your hands.

“Just let Angie finish your hair and read it, for now. You’re not moving anywhere until she’s done, anyway, and we still have an hour before we’d have to leave.”

You watch his face a few moments. But if you fight him, if you don’t go… they have literally no stake in whether or not you stay. They were already kind enough to let you stay overnight. They have no reason to keep you here past their own generosity and kindness.

So you open it and start to read.

“Our meetings are closed,” Ronan offers as your eyes slide over the text. “That means only addicts --”

“I’m not --”

“Only addicts and users will be there,” he finishes.

At first, the pamphlet looks okay. What you’d expect from a recovery group. But then you get to the Twelve Steps, and -- “This looks really… Jesus-y.”

Angie and Ronan both chuckle, and you look up at Ronan to be let in on the joke.

“I thought that at first, too,” he says. “I was nervous about going because I thought they’d all be judgmental zealots. But just… substitute the word ‘God’ with the concept of a higher power. It can be anything. Whatever version of God you believe in, if you have one. An angel, if you believe in that. A better version of yourself, even.”

A version of yourself that deserves to be with Kylie.

-from In the Basement, In the Sky chapter ten

Three Wishes: board / blog / my tag || Sheraton Academy || ebooks || WIP || Ko-Fi || Ao3

@abalonetea @reeseweston @elaynab-writing @lynnafred @ghostsmooches @roselinproductions @jellybeanwriter @hell-yeah-writing @ohlooksheswriting  @writer-grandma @katiehahnbooks @pen-for-sword @adorhauer  @riftversus @tiredbard @thewordsinthesky-andstars @rinisnotok @mcgillicuddy-and-murders-podcast @reininginthefirewriting @forlornraven