#not this lame ass “they hate each other but kiss in back alleys” shit

[awfulwhumpsideblog]

>Find something labelled enemies to lovers

>Look inside

>The "enemies" in question are just rivals who sass each other

[katsukikitten]

i know the last request have been with bakugo but “what happened to you..?” with him please :)

(For this one let's pretend people dont know heroes identities)

"What happened to you?" Bakugou asks sliding into the bar stool next to you. His eyes noticing the finger shaped bruises around your throat and the shiny purple circle around your eye. You fix him a sneer, looking over his own busted lip and bandaged wrapped throat. You throw back a shot.

"Could ask you the same. Where ya been?" You never understood how someone in a suit could always look so fucking rough but he wasn't an any organized crime you knew of. Hell you should know! You've participated a lot of shady shit.

But you can't tell this obnoxious asshole that the brute Pro Hero Dynamight wrong your neck, sure as hell couldn't tell him how much it turned you on or that you nicked his throat with your knife.

Wait...your eyes snap to him, staring at him from the corner of your eye as he answers your question, tapping the bar for another shot.

"Here and fucking there." He blows out, pushing a shot to you. Every now and again the two of you would run into each other here. Neither of you sharing occupations but both of you assuming the worst.

Except Bakugou wasn't here on hero work, he wasn't under cover or any of that bullshit. He just wanted to drink in peace and no one ever looked at a man in a suit in a bar since they were a dime a dozen. But you, well you stood out in your own way. Not afraid to be intimidating or too straight forward like most women.

It's why he tolerated sitting next to you every few nights.

"Looks like there has really fucked you up. Fighting with your boss or cheat on your wife?" You ask, jutting your thumb to your throat, he laughs.

"No wife, and my boss would get his ass handed to him, even if he does have 50lbs on me. Fucking nerd." He downs the shot and you do too.

"What about you? Lover's quarrel?" His voice gets dark at the end, almost possessive he bites the inside of his cheek. He shouldn't be worried about someone like you.

But he is, cause you're funny, and bad ass. And you fight well, he would know since the two of you started a bar fight when he first sat next to you and then ended up kicking the whole bar's ass through some sort of natural chemistry. He taps the bar for two more shots. You think of how he looked at you, how it was mixed emotions swirling in blood red eyes.

And how stupid you feel for never noticing that he had the same eyes as Dynamight before.

Shit he smells like him too, like summer festivals and hot caramel.

"Guess you could say that." You tap the wooden top too, the bar tender brings four shots.

"Trying to get me fucking drunk?" He growls, ever teasing in his own way. A wicked smile settles on your lips, the sight makes his throat dry and his pants tight.

"Maybe." Your voice is sugared honey before you down your two shots. The two of you going toe to toe.

After the eighth shot Bakugou starts to put somethings together.

"You look like someone I know..."

"Lame fucking pick up line." You roll your eyes hoping he's trying to shoot his shot but he looks you up and down, eyes settling on your throat. It registrars just exactly who you are and he swings on you, causing the bar tender to cuss, threatening to kick the two of you out.

But you dodge, like he did the first night, and he slugs some poor asshole next to you.

And just like that first night the guy ain't happy to be eating a knuckle sandwich. A tooth goes flying from his mouth, he bares what's left of his teeth at Bakugou throwing his beer bottle at the hot head who, although drunk as fuck, dodges.

Another innocent bloke is struck and the scene of a bar fight ensues.

Running on instinct you think to flee this time considering you almost got caught by this douche hours before. He follows suit, reaching the side door as quickly as you do before slamming you agaisnt the alley wall by the throat.

"How fucking long?!" He shouts, the question echos in the freezing air, "How long have you known?!"

"Tonight you fucking dick." You snarl, spitting onto his face. His eyes become dark and had he been Todoroki that spit would have boiled.

He wipes it off with a popping hand and you swallow thickly, having had more of your fair share of being on the receiving end of that quirk.

"Just tonight?" He snarls, nose to nose with you and you butt your head against his, a little too drunk to slip from his grip.

Not that you minded the impromptu breath play. Because that's how he was holding your throat now, with a V of his hand pushing on your pulse points instead of earlier when he was purposefully trying to crush your windpipe.

"Yes, just tonight, your neck gave it away. Maybe you should wear scarves after a fight. Your disguise kinda sucks."

"And yours is better?"

"Ya! It is! I look the part of a villain. You just look like a rich douche who runs his mouth and likes to hang out at seedy bars!"

"So robbing banks gets you off huh? Fucking slut." He squeezes a bit, pushing his body agaisnt yours, parting your thighs with his knees. You smile a nasty smile, mind racing but body wholly enjoying the promise of what's pressing into you.

"Guess you get hard by choking people out in the name of justice huh?" He must not like what you said, forcing you into a rasped breath as your vision starts to fade. You laugh as best you can, "I knew I was right, filthy hero."

The two of you lock eyes, yours fluttering while his are set hard before he kisses you with an urgency unmatched, imagining you in that tight black suit and that little black mask that just brings more attention to your eyes.

He was stupid to never notice, but then again the two of you always sat side by side, throwing back shot after shot.

And you would be lying if you hadn't imagined him in his hero suit as he devours you whole. Not afraid to kiss you with ALL of his want and desire, teeth gnashing agaisnt yours, tongue swiping over your wet muscle and even nipping at your bottom lip. Both of you moan and groan into each other's mouths, his sounds make your knees weak.

Fuck you really hated heroes.

[yikesharringrove]

What if Billy did l leave to Cali and moved in with his old friend, the guy who was kind of his boyfriend before Neil dragged him to Hawkins. After couple of years of him living there, they would go out to a bar with Billy’s old friends and him and the guy would kinda have this fwb thing going on. But then, Billy sees Steve. The guy he had a crush on before he decided he wasn’t good enough for him and left after a night where he had finally fucked Steve senseless —

Pt. 2. Billy would be shocked to see him and before he realizes, Steve’s already coming towards their table. He has came with one of Billy’s friends, Steve being that guys date. There would be some confusion and jealousy from both of them, but they would still end up fucking after the night. (lmao i’m sorry that this is long)

-

This is from forever ago, I’m sorry it took me a thousand years.

It doesn’t actually have smut, bc where I went with it, it just didn’t feel like it fit, I’m sorry about that.

-

“Billy, we haven’t gone out in like, a month.” Billy rolled his eyes.

“We went out last weekend, you little baby.” He pushed at Danny’s face. “Git outta here you monster, and maybe I’ll consider meeting you there.”

“Kyle is bringing that guy he’s been dating.”

“And?”

“I was talking to Andie, and she said he’s totally not Kyle’s type. Apparently he’s like, super femme.” Kyle was known for going for absolute macho douchebags. “So we’ll get to meet him, and totally make fun of Kyle for whatever he’s tryna do, changin’ everything up like this.”

Billy threw his head back, groaning at the ceiling.

“Fucking fine. But if he’s an asshole, like Kyle’s guys always fucking are, I’m leaving.”

-

They met the rest of the gang at the bar, pushing through the small crowd to reach the large table they had claimed. Billy greeted his friends, elbowing Kyle a few times and asking where his new honey is.

“He’s getting us drinks, lay off.” Kyle shoved Billy away, made him bark a laugh. he turned around, was going to head for the bar, but stopped in his fucking tracks.

Steve fucking Harrington was making his way towards him, a drink in each hand.

He hadn’t seen Steve since the night he left Hawkins four years ago.

They had been moving towards something for months, had finally fell into one another, having a night of the most tender sex Billy has ever had in his entire fucking life. Steve had looked at him with those big perfect eyes, and had told Billy he loved him.

Billy left when Steve fell asleep, packed up his car and didn’t stop driving until he reached the Pacific.

Steve spotted him, stopping in his tracks, glaring at Billy. He stomped forward, pushing a drink into Kyle’s hand.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Everyone turned to look at Steve when he spat that at Billy.

“Meeting my friends. Why are you here, Harrington?” Steve gestured lamely at Kyle.

“You two know each other?” Kyle looked at Billy with wide eyes.

“Yeah. Remember when I lived in that shitty hick town for two years? Steve is from there.” Steve looked livid. “Good for you for getting out, Pretty Boy.”

“You’re a real piece of shit, you know that, right, Hargrove?” Everyone was watching with wide eyes as the two went back and forth, heads turning like they were watching a tennis match.

“What the fuck did I do?” Steve’s eyes seemed to crackle.

“You know what the fuck you did. You couldn’t’ve even bothered to say goodbye? Had to run away like that?”

“Wait, did you two fuck?” They both ignored Danny.

“I had to get out, Harrington. You don’t know shit about me.” Steve’s eyes narrowed. Billy admired the pretty eyeshadow on them.

“Max told me everything. I knew it all. You’re just a fucking coward that couldn’t take the fact you felt the same way.” Everybody had lost the conversation, couldn’t derive enough from the fight to figure out exactly what had happened between these two.

“I was saving you from yourself, Pretty Boy. I was always gonna leave. Better right away than let you get your hopes up.” Steve stamped his foot.

“My fucking hero.” He picked up one of the drinks he had brought, chugging it down before slamming the glass back onto the table, grabbing Kyle’s hand. “We’re dancing.” He turned to Billy. “Don’t fucking talk to me tonight.”

They disappeared back into the crowd. Billy made his way to the bar, downing two shots right after the other.

“You used to date him, or something?” Billy shook his head, not looking at Danny.

“Nah. I fucked him once and he told me he loved me. I packed up and left the next day.”

“Wait, you only fucked once and he said that?” Billy slammed another shot.

“We were friends, I guess. He had a thing for me, and I just wanted some ass.” That was a complete lie, but Danny didn’t need to know the sweet warmth that had settled in Billy’s gut when Steve said he loved him, how badly he wanted to say it back, how he had gotten scared and made the stupidest decision he had ever made.

“And then you left without saying goodbye?” Billy nodded. “That’s kinda fucked up.” Billy just stared at him.

“What?”

“You knew the guy was into you, and you just dicked him and ditched him without saying goodbye. That’s fucked, Billy.”

“I don’t need this from you. You do not understand what that fucking town was like for me.”

“No, I understand perfectly. You’re a bigger asshole than I thought.” Danny shook his head. Heading back to the table. Billy downed two more shots.

-

His head was fuzzy as he stumbled into the alleyway for some fresh air.

He tried a few times to light a cigarette when he heard a quiet sniffle.

He turned to see Steve leaning against a wall further down the alley.

“You okay?” Steve stiffened.

“What’s it matter to you?” Billy shrugged.

“If Kyle tried anything-”

“Oh, shut up. He dumped me because of you.” Billy took a few unbalanced steps towards him.

“‘Do you mean?”

“He asked about what happened, and I told him. How you led me on for over a year, how you would let me open up to you, let me cry and feel insecure and would tell me that I was enough the way I am, how you fucked me and ran away the next day, didn’t even bother to call or even write for four years.” Steve had silvery tears running down his cheeks now, illuminated by the streetlights. “How I waited for you, like a fucking idiot before letting myself move on.” He wiped his eyes. “God, I told myself I was done crying over you.”

“Steve, I didn’t mean to-”

“Doesn’t matter. You still did it.” Billy’s heart sank. Steve looked fucking broken in front of him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run like I did. Especially, especially because you’re right. I was scared of how much I felt for you. Scared that if I let myself love you, I would’ve stayed in Hawkins forever. Would’ve never gotten out from under my dad’s thumb.”

“Bill,” Billy’s heart fluttered at the way Steve’s voice sounded when he said his name like that, was immediately transported to late nights sitting in his car overlooking the quarry. “I would’ve left with you. I didn’t like it there, either. I would’ve left with you.”

“I was an idiot. Still am sometimes. But I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m sorry for dragging you into my mess. You deserve a lot better than me.” Steve took a shaky breath.

“Y’know, it still sucks. After all these years of telling myself I hate you for what you did, standing here with you, I still-I mean I could never hate you.”

“You wanna come back to my place? Nothing implied, just to talk. Catch up.” Steve chewed on his bottom lip. His lipstick was a pretty deep red.

“Sure. We can, we can catch up.”

Billy led him the few blocks back to his two-bedroom he shares with Danny. He grabbed them each a beer while Steve studied the pictures tacked to the walls.

“Are you two together?” He pointed tot the picture, one of many, of Billy and Danny at the beach, arms around one another.

“Nah. We live together, and we fuck sometimes, but neither of us would be good in a relationship together.” Steve just nodded. “You date much?”

“Not back in Hawkins. I spent about a year there after you left. Robin graduated and moved out here, and I moved into a shitty apartment in Hawkins until she finished her first year and moved out of the dorms. I live with her now. She’s helped me embrace myself more.”

Billy remembers a night when he and Steve got drunk in Steve’s bedroom, how he’d found some dresses in Steve’s closet, the way he’d broken down and cried and said that he just liked to feel pretty, that sometimes he didn’t even feel like a boy.

Billy had held him all night. Bought him some makeup from the drugstore the next day. Probably shitty stuff, but Steve had looked at it like it was made of gold.

“I’m happy for you. I’m glad you get to be yourself here.” Steve sat down next to him on the ratty couch, leaving a solid two feet of space between them.

“You seem a lot happier out here. Like, you just seem lighter.”

“I am so much happier here.” Steve’s smile was tight, a little bitter. “I just mean, without my dad here, I’ve been going to therapy, and I have this support group for queer abuse survivors, and I’m just not angry all the fucking time like I used to be.”

“I’m proud of you.”

Billy had forgotten.

He’d forgotten that Steve had this lovely way of saying something simple and making it the best thing that’s Billy’s ever heard. Making billy realize he’d never heard that simple thing said to him before.

He didn’t even think.

Just leaned across the space and kissed Steve.

he pushed him away.

“Billy, I won’t let you do this again. It took me years to get over what you did. You can’t just kiss me and think it’s all okay.”

“I’m sorry, Steve.” Steve shook his head, went to get up off the couch. Billy grabbed his wrist. “You know, I wanted to say it back that night.”

“Don’t say that.” Steve’s voice was small.

“I did. I felt that same. But I got fucking scared. And I left and I shouldn’t have.”

“Yes, you should have. We just established that you’re doing better here!”

“But I could’ve held out a little longer, long enough that you could’ve come with me.” Steve finally turned to look at him.

“Billy, you did what you had to do. I forgave you a long time ago. When I first saw you tonight I was just, it made me remember the hurt.”

“I know I hurt you. And I’m so fucking sorry.” Steve blinked at him.

“You get one chance. One more chance. Do it for real. Take me out on a date. I want the whole nine. Pick me up, tell me I’m pretty, take me somewhere inexpensive but nice, hold my hand, kiss me on my doorstep, all of it.” Billy just nodded.

“I’ll do it. I’ll do anything. Whatever you want.”

Steve smiled at him, turning over his hand to hold Billy’s.

“Then pick me up tomorrow at six. Don’t be late.”

[whimzea-blog]

Day to Night 1.75/2

Title: Day to Night

Author: whimzea

Pairing: Zane/Heath

Summary: Heath and Zane’s Valentine’s Day is very different than last year’s.

Also up on AO3 here. (I lied. One more little part before the end.)

********

“God, you have gotten fucking awful at bowling!” Heath marveled, watching Zane walk back from throwing his fourth gutterball in a row.

Heath was beating him by almost one hundred points this game, and had beat him by about 150 the first game.

He could make the excuse that he just wasn’t totally focused, but that would ruin the next part of his plan. And mostly, he was focused. He actually just sucked at bowling. But he was having a blast, and Heath seemed to be, too.

“And why do you keep looking at your watch?” Heath asked as Zane looked down at his wrist, again.

“Because-” Zane paused as he saw someone walk through the door to the bowling alley, his arms full of boxes and bags. He grinned. “Because of that guy.”

Heath turned to see where Zane was looking. A young, handsome white guy with sparkling diamond studs was carrying several bags, his pants falling dangerously low off his ass. “Because of a fuckboy? Are you dealing drugs?”

Zane rolled his eyes. “Just wait. You’ll see.”

The guy paused and looked around the bowling alley. He seemed to sigh in relief when he saw Zane waving him over.

He dumped his armful of stuff on their table. Zane handed him some cash, and he left, without a word.

“He was friendly,” Heath said sarcastically.

“He did the job, that’s all I care about,” Zane said, smiling as he looked through everything. It was all there.

Heath sniffed. “Is there food? I’m fucking starving.”

Zane nodded. “Yes. Go bowl your turn and finish off the game while I set it up.”

Heath did, and the final score was 180 to Zane’s whopping 82.

“You never had a chance,” Heath said smugly. “Kicked your ass from here to Florida and back again.”

“Stop bragging and eat,” Zane replied, pointing to a seat where a napkin and ice cold Celsius was set.

Heath sat. “Oh, you so fancy,” he joked, holding up a paper napkin.

“Your first course, sir. Dinner à la Vine.” Zane placed a take-out box in front of Heath, as well as a pair of chopsticks.

Heath grinned as he opened the box and saw ten little sushi rolls- salmon, his favorite- sitting in front of him.

“Ooh, how you zew it?” Heath said, quoting from one of their favorite Vines and pretending to struggle with the chopsticks. Zane laughed, so glad that Heath understood. But of course he did.

“Ooh, I got it!” Heath picked up a destroyed piece of sushi and popped it into his mouth.

“Was that fuckboy from Postmates?” Heath asked a bit later, dipping a roll into a small plastic cup of soy sauce.

“Nah. I paid an Uber driver extra to go pick up everything,” Zane said. “I can’t believe he didn’t fuck anything up.”

“Well, this is damn good sushi,” Heath commented, chewing blissfully.

“It’s just the start,” Zane said mysteriously. Heath raised an eyebrow.

****

“Your second course, sir.” Zane placed a McDonald’s bag in front of Heath.

“Sushi and McDonald’s? You better hope I don’t puke in your car.”

Heath dug into the bag and pulled out a container of fries and a sandwich box. Zane dug into his own bag.

Heath opened his sandwich box. He lifted off the bun.

“Baby…”

“Yeah?” Zane took a bite of his sandwich, smiling ear to ear.

“You forgot my damn pickles!”

Heath yelled it so loud that the couple in the lane next to them looked over. Heath waved.

It was so perfect, and so comfortable. While reminiscing about old Vines, old vlogs, old times, Zane couldn’t believe how seamlessly they had transitioned from being Zane and Heath to...Zane + Heath? Zane <3 Heath? Nothing had changed...except everything had changed.

Heath burped and sat back. “Bitch, I’m getting full. My stomach must be getting smaller or somethin’...I definitely can’t eat as much as I used to.”

“You better have room for one more course,” Zane warned.

“I will, after we hit the arcade,” Heath said, stretching. “I gotta digest. And I’m not done kicking your ass around this entire place yet. I’m thinking...air hockey.”

Zane pulled out his wallet and gave Heath some cash. “Go get tokens. I’ll clean up and meet you in the arcade.”

Heath fanned himself dramatically. “When he gives you money for arcade tokens,” he said dreamily, his hand hand over his heart.

Zane flipped him off and Heath laughed, changing out of his bowling shoes and dropping them off at the counter before jogging towards the other side of the building.

Zane cleaned up their garbage and changed his shoes, but paused before going over to the arcade. He felt like he needed one more trick up his sleeve to make this the best possible night. He had dessert all ready for them, but he felt like he was missing something.

Zane was kind of feeling like a nice blunt would hit the spot, but since Heath had stopped smoking cigarettes, he had sworn off weed too. He said being high made him crave cigarettes even more.

Zane shook his head. Maybe inspiration would hit him again like it had that afternoon.

*****

Heath beat him at three games of air hockey and three games of skee ball, winning a boatload of tickets and bragging rights for the next hundred years.

“Fuck, Heath, are you on ‘roids?” Zane joked as Heath pumped his fist in victory, his basketball shooting skills earning him over two-hundred tickets.

“I guess you just bring out the best in me, baby,” Heath answered in his Heather voice, blowing him a kiss.

“You just like kicking my ass,” Zane corrected him, palming their last two tokens.

“True.” Heath winked.

“We have two tokens left. I’m outta cash. What do you want to play?”

“You pick,” Heath said. “I’m gonna go trade in these tickets.”

Zane chuckled as he watched Heath get in line at the prize counter behind two eight-year-olds.

He looked around the arcade. They had already played their favorites. Everything else was just sort of...lame.

He had almost decided on another game of air hockey when something caught his eye. He glanced at Heath before walking over to it.

It was one of those fortune-telling machines. ZOLTAR, it said in big letters across the front, with an eccentrically-dressed moustached guy inside, his hands hovering over tarot cards and crystals.

Zane had seen one of these at Disney World one time when he was a kid, but had been too afraid of it at the time to play. Now, he was just intrigued. What could a machine tell him about the future? As much as a fortune cookie, he surmised, but still. He was easily roped into these things.

He put in his two tokens. Zoltar’s eyes lit up an eerie blue color, and his hands began moving.

“Zoltar sees very great things in your future.”

Zane shivered. Zoltar’s voice was creepy as fuck.

“But I warn you- do not forget where you began. An abundance of pride will lead to your downfall. If you wish to see deeper into the future, Zoltar will need more...encouragement.”

A piece of paper spit out of the machine, and Zoltar’s eyes went black. Zane guessed “encouragement” meant more tokens.

From his fortune, he expected the lyrics of “Jenny from the Block” to be on the card from the machine. Strangely, though, the side not covered with ZOLTAR and a bunch of symbols was blank, except for one sentence, “You will find what you seek in the mountains.”

The fuck?

“Dude, check this out!” Heath said, suddenly appearing next to him. Zane jumped.

“Fuck, you scared me!”

“Look at this shit!” Heath held up an enormous clear plastic ball. He threw it on the ground, and inside, thousands of tiny lights lit up as it bounced. Zane and Heath, watched, mesmerized, until it finally stopped bouncing.

“That’s dope,” Zane agreed.

“I know, right?!” Zane had never seen a grown man so excited over a toy. It was cute.

“So, what did you spend your tokens on?” Heath asked. He looked at ZOLTAR. “Not this shit, I hope.”

Zane quickly shoved the card from the machine into his pocket. “Haha, no way. Just one of the claw machines. I didn’t get anything.”

“I bet I would have gotten something,” Heath said haughtily. “Although nothing as sick as this ball.” He bounced it again for emphasis.

“You ready to go?” Zane asked, sort of unnerved by ZOLTAR and ready to head home. “You bet.”

*****

“Bitch, where’s my third course?”

They were stuck in traffic on 134 again, and Zane could tell Heath was getting antsy.

“Oh, yeah,” Zane said, reaching into the back seat for the last bag of food. “Here you are, sir.”

“Boskon Kream doughnuts!” Heath screamed, taking a huge bite. “Don’t you touch my Boskon Kream doughnut!”

Pieces of chewed doughnut fell out of his mouth into his lap, but Zane was so used to Heath’s eating habits that it didn’t faze him.

Heath ate happily. Zane couldn’t stop thinking about ZOLTAR. He knew it was just a machine, but he had a weird feeling about it. He tried to distract himself by thinking about how well the evening had gone, despite the shaky start.

“Hey, why do you hate Glendale?” Zane asked, remembering Heath’s comment from before. “You never told me.”

Heath’s eyes narrowed again. “Because everyone in Glendale is a fucking asshole.”

“Everyone?”

“Everyone.” Heath tore off another piece of doughnut and didn’t elaborate.

They sat in companionable silence, except for the radio. Heath ate another doughnut, burped loudly, and then pulled out his phone. It was like any other night.

They were getting close to Studio City, and Zane hadn’t made any progress with deciphering his fortune, nor had he thought of his pièce de résistance for their night out.

They were five minutes from home when they drove by a middle-aged couple walking on the sidewalk. They had huge backpacks and hiking boots on, and were walking with poles.

“White people,” Heath said, shaking his head before looking back at his phone.

Zane figured they had probably come from Franklin Canyon Park, choosing to walk back instead of driving like normal people, but hey, to each their own. LA had plenty of hippie types.

As he looked back at them in his rearview mirror, it hit him.

“Oh my god,” Zane said abruptly.

“What?!” Heath looked at him, concerned.

Zane had it. He had figured ZOLTAR out.

[guardianofjunmyeon]

Seven (Part 2)

Paring: All of EXO x OC

Genre: Romance; Angst; Fantasy Post-Apocalyptic AU; Smut; Drama

Description: For a girl who has difficulty distinguishing emotionally charged decisions from logic, being placed in the middle of a growing war is the last thing the world needs. She finds herself stuck in a world full of mutants, magic, and privilege. It’s up to her to decide where she wants to stand. Will she save those who need her most, or will she let her own selfish desires turn her into the thing she once hated most. A human infected with the Seven.

Warnings: Literally…everything. R*pe. Self Harm. Eating Disorders. Slavery. Violence. Abuse. Not for the faint hearted.

Prologue, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Rest of the Story

*2 Days Prior*

The day after that was just another average day in the 3rd ring. I was wandering around after having come back from another drop off. Coke of some sort for the bum who lives outside of the hair salon. He always manages to buy the largest amount of drugs but never manages to leave his spot outside of the salon or change his clothes. I don’t know where he’s getting the money.

It might have been around noon and since that vile woman was still going to be gone for another day I decided to give myself the rest of the day off to relax. Also since she was gone, it meant that we were on our own for food until she got back. Luckily we had some frozen meats and a few...decent enough to eat vegetables lying around, so I could make some kind of dinner with what we had. If she had left some money we could have just ordered delivery, but of course, we don’t get that luxury.

As expected almost none of the kids were inside when I returned nor was there food money, and I could only hope they were hanging out with their friends and not getting in to trouble. It was early in the day, but I figured if I made the food now they could warm it up later as they all came home. I set out the meat to thaw, and turned on the stove under a pot of water and chicken broth. I went to work slicing up some carrots for what I decided would be chicken soup.

Taking care of all of these younger boys wasn't my responsibility. In fact, Momma actually hated it when I took it upon myself to help one of the boys, but that doesn't mean I was going to leave them to fucking starve and get killed while she sat on her ass.

Lost in my irritated thoughts I accidentally cut in to my thumb with the blunt knife. I hurriedly pull the bleeding extremity away from the food and rinse it off in the sink. It bled way worse than it actually felt, but I could almost definitely see a bit of bone. Little rivers of red washed down the drain.

After wrapping a paper towel around it I went to work searching for some kind of bandage. I knew that we had them more or less lying around all over to place due to the amount of injuries that occurred around here. As soon as I found the cabinet that held the box of plain bandages, the door to the kitchen swung open, banging into the wall rather loudly; I was greeted by none other than my best friend.

"Honey, I'm home!" He called out with a wide catlike grin. His arms were spread open as if gesturing for me to run in to them for a hug. I looked at him briefly and scoffed before returning to taking down my Band-Aid box.

"Tao why are you here right now?" I asked him monotonously. I was happy to see him, but his sudden presence could have led to trouble had I not been here alone. This wasn’t the first time he'd just busted in like he lives here, which he doesn't, and the last time he snuck in through the front door instead of the upstairs window he nearly got caught.

"Wow, nice to see you too." He muttered while situating himself on the counter next to the food. "And for your information, Joshua told me that she wasn't here, so I decided to pay my second favorite person a visit." He surveyed the kitchen in silence while I sit the box down next to the sink.

"And who exactly is your favorite person?" I asked, humoring him since I already knew his answer.

"Um, me of course." He said as if it’s obvious. As expected. King Tao is the self-declared best thing to happen to the 3rd ring.

"Shocker..." I whispered to myself as I turned my back to him so that I could use the sink again. I heard him jump off the counter, he landed on his feet, and then closed the distance between us to look over my shoulder. His torso and pelvis making contact with my behind and back.

“Yah! What did I tell you about coming to find me when you get hurt?” he said while lightly grabbing my wrist and examining the wound.

“I’m fine. It’s just a small cut. Stop worrying over nothing.” I ran the water again and let him guide it to the faucet. The spaces where our bodies touched were warm, and I didn’t mind the fact that he was closer than a “friend” should technically be. When I sucked in a breath at the slight sting from the water on flesh, Tao had the audacity to chuckle.

“Sounds like it hurts.” He quipped.

“Fuck off Tao.”

"Okay, June."

"I don’t know why you're saying my name like that as if you weren't the one who gave it to me."

"Yeah but you're the lame ass who accepted it." He retorted. He had a point. I hesitated as I tried to think of a witty response, but I was stumped. He let go of my wrist and I took out a Band-Aid and peeled off the adhesive papers on the back. He stepped back slightly.

"You're right. You win this time." I conceded. I could feel him smiling at my response even without looking up from wrapping my finger.

It's true that Tao gave me a name. My current name. It was back when we first met and I almost slit his throat thinking he was going to attack me. Now, the encounter itself wasn't all that exciting. It was around 4 years prior and I was on the way back from stealing snacks and fruit like I'd been doing for a while when he ran into me in an alley way. Neither of us had been paying attention to our surroundings if I’m honest, but I was scared and I pinned him up against the building with my knife against his throat. I wasn't going to be attacked by some mutant in broad daylight if I could help it. It didn’t help that he’s a fucking tree and his dark eye bags make him look like some kind of assassin.

He didn’t struggle, he just held his hands up against the wall innocently and apologized for bumping in to me. He wasn't watching where he was going he said. He told his name was Tao and I relaxed because I could tell he wasn’t a mutt. He was human.

He asked me my name and when I told him I didn’t have one he asked me what month it was instead. It was a dumbass question and in hindsight I should have known where he was headed with that. It was June at the time and that is what he decided to call me. It was a lame way to choose my name, but he was the first to want to call me by an actual name so I took it on as my own; somehow I haven't been able to get rid of him since.

I'd run in to him everywhere after that. Somehow in this huge faction he’d manage to find and run in to me almost every day. I assumed it was intentional, he swore it wasn’t at first but I’m convinced that it always was.

As we became friendlier if he didn’t see me on any given day he'd sneak into the orphanage. It drove me crazy at first and I kind of wished that I had cut him in that alley, but the genuine attention was a breath of fresh air. And as much as I hate to admit it, I became really fond of the boy I almost stabbed quickly.

Tao became my home in a way. He was the place I liked to retreat to when the world was too much, and I was his. Tao was a lot of my firsts as well, which probably didn’t help the dependence I had formed on him. He was my first crush at the tender age of 15, my first consensual kiss not even a year later, my first love, and he was the first person I had sex with that I actually wanted to have sex with, we were 16.

Our relationship had a complicated background, but being around each other was always simple. We enjoyed each other’s company, and we always had each other’s backs. Even with our romantic past, we carried on as best friends. I think we both still harbored some rather non innocent feelings for one another (well at least I did), but we decided to put our friendship first and stuck with being in a kind of platonic relationship.

He was still a little shit, and he was still clingy as hell, but I welcomed it. He was probably the only person able to see passed the bitchy front I tended to put up for the world, and it was nice to let it down every now and then. It also helped that he gave up the chance to hurt me when could have easy kicked my little ass in the alley that first day. Tao knows how to fight, and according to him my little knife really wasn’t that intimidating for an experienced fighter like himself.

"Hey..." He started, pulling me out of my drifting thoughts. A small smile had settled on my face at the memories and I shook my head to clear them. I ignored him and returned to cutting up the now thawed chicken on the counter for the soup. "June. Hey. I want to tell you something." Tao talking, and me ignoring him has become a routine. He, more times than not, has something stupid to say and he just wants me to react or give him some kind of attention. And unless I plan on teasing him, I will usually give him the attention he wants. "Okay I know you're listening, but it’s rude not to look at someone when they're talking to you. You know that right?" He said.

I put the cut up chicken and carrots in the boiling pot and turn the heat down a bit. Finally I gave him the eye contact that he's wanted. Even though he's a shit, I can never stay mad at him for long. He’s my shit after all.

"What is it now my precious little child?" I cooed mockingly.

"Can we go upstairs and talk? I kind of want to lie down." He admitted, ignoring my tone. I looked at the pot one more time before turning back to him and holding out my hand. He grabs it in his warm one and I guided him upstairs. Once we reached my cot he fell back, the cot letting out a grating squeak, and spread his long limbs out across my little bed. I found myself on the ground next to him with my legs crossed under me.

"Okay, did you actually have anything you wanted to say, or were you just trying to get my attention?" He turned his head to look at me and then let out a sigh.

"You know me too well." He said before letting out a yawn. "I just missed you."

"You saw me literally not even 48 hours ago."

"I know but it was more than 24 hours and so it feels like it's been a week. No one will shower me in affection like you do."

"...But I don't?"

"Your snarky comments come off as anger and annoyance to the untrained ear, but I know it's just your way of hiding how much you love me. And so I take it as your affection." He said while leaning over the bed and jabbing his finger in to my side. I let out a sound of dissatisfaction and squirmed away from his long limbs and digits. "Can I stay here tonight?" He asked after a moment.

I thought about it and cringed at how many bodies are usually in the room. It was always unusually warm even for July with all of our collective bodies. Adding Tao would have been just too much. "Mm I'm not sure about that. You know how many of us stay in here, and you're like the size of 3 kids. I'm not even sure if the boys will be okay with you here and-"

"Come on! Please! I won't take up space. I'll be sleeping in your bed and I just want to be held. We can cuddle. It's so cold at night and it’s been so long." He whined. He leaned over and grabbed on to the sleeve of my shirt while widening his eyes and letting a pout grace his features. God I hated it when he does that. It’s like kryptonite for even the stoniest of hearts.

"What are you? Five years old? Why are you so dramatic..." I faded off while swatting his hands off of my shirt before he stretched it out more than it already was.

"So I'll take that as a yes." He said with a sneaky smile. His eyes shone happily. I cross my arms and look at his now hopeful face.

"...Fine. You can stay tonight. But you need to be gone first thing tomorrow morning okay?" I told him with a finger pointing at his face. He let out a whoop and clapped his large hands.

"That's perfect. I have to go back home tomorrow anyway." He said. "Thank you! I love you, you know that right?"

"Yeah yeah I know. And I love you too. I need to go finish cooking dinner though. Do you want to join me, or are you going to lie here until I'm done?" I asked while standing up. He yawned again and said he'll take a nap while I finish up. I fluffed his black hair and he resituated himself on my cot. While he got comfy I headed back downstairs to finish the task that he interrupted.

After putting in the noodles, I let it cook longer, and soon enough the soup was done. The boys who returned home early were nearly ecstatic at the smell of food. They quickly fixed themselves a bowl and I put the rest in the fridge for later. The rest would know where to look when they got back. I sat in the lounge area of the house and took it upon myself to turn on the old television that we have. A show with subtitles was on and I watched it blindly, not interested enough to actually read what they are saying. A solid 5 episodes passed before the sun finally set.

When it got dark outside I looked out of the window and saw the street lights turning on even though the advertisement boards are bright enough on their own. I headed back upstairs and was met with Tao talking to 6 year old Joshua. Joshua was sitting in Tao's lap on my bed and Tao was reading him one of the e-books that we’d saved on the house tablet. When the two of them saw me, Joshua leapt out of Tao's lap and ran over to me. He took my hand in his own and pulled me over to sit across from them on my squeaky mattress. Joshua sat back in Tao’s lap and proceeded to read out the sentences that he knew to me; Tao filled in where he got stuck. It was terribly cute and I smiled wider than I'd like to, but I couldn’t help it. The scene was just too much and I wished that I owned a camera so that I could take a picture of them.

It was both sweet and saddening to see the scene in front of me. Now at 19 years old, I’d begun to think about what my future will hold. What it could have held. If I was a mutant, would I be in school? Would I have a boyfriend? If we hadn’t met in these circumstances in another life, would Tao and I be together? Would we have parents that would lend us money for dates? Would we sneak around late at night to meet up without out our parent’s consent like they do in the shows on TV? Would one of had confessed to the other shyly? Would we have gone to school dances together? Gone to a movie theater, gone to get ice cream, gone to a park and just have enjoyed each other’s company? In a few years would we be married and have kids of our own? Chubby kids who are well fed and happy?

Would we be happy?

Tao looked up from the tablet and called out my name softly. I looked away from Joshua’s soft reading, and my dreamy thoughts vanished when I realized that none of that is possible. Tao seemed to sense my change in expression and told Joshua to go find another good book on the tablet downstairs. We both knew that he’d be distracted for at least 15 minutes finding something to his liking if he left the room.

"June..." He started.

"Tao..." I mimicked. Looking at him I could tell that he actually had something serious to say, and I was already afraid of what was about to come out of his mouth.

"I- uh...look..."

"Spit it out. I don't have all day." I told him lightly. The thoughts that I had lingered around in my mind and I didn’t like to see Tao as distressed as he looked. In another life, would this have been when he would have told me that he was in love with me?

He frowned and his eyebrows creased together as he tried to gather his words. He looked down at his hands and then took in a large breath. When he looked back into my eyes he looked more serious than I ever thought he was capable of being. Now, I was terrified of what he wanted to say. He waited for half a second before he finally spilled what he'd been struggling to get out.

"What if I told you I could get you out of here?" I froze at his words and searched his eyes for a sign that he was joking. We used to joke around about running off together and escaping in to the woods where no one could find us, but that was back when we were still young and dumb. Coming up with fantasies to escape to when our reality became too much. We had long abandoned those juvenile thoughts, well we were supposed to. And yes, I had just imagined life outside of the 3rd ring or at least outside of this shitty part of town, but the fact of the matter was that the thoughts were just that. Thoughts. We were both stuck here. There isn’t a way out.

"...What?" I asked after a while. We both stared at one another for about a minute and then he broke both eye contact and the silence.

“I…know a guy. I’ve been living at his house for years now and he said that he could get you out of here. And before you freak out you should know I trust him. Listen to me. Okay, June, listen to me. You could come with me and get away from this place and live with us. He- He wants to fix all of this and you can help and-” I closed my eyes and shook my head.

“Get out.” I interrupted. He stopped talking and I opened my eyes at the silence. “Stop talking. And leave.” I stood up and backed away from him. The room quieted, and I knew the other boys in the room had stopped what they were doing to stare at the two of us. I didn’t care.

He’s a scout. I told myself. He’d been a scout this whole time. He was just befriending me so that he could help in selling me off to someone.

“June…”

“LEAVE.” I shouted. I grabbed my shoulders and felt my body starting to shut down. I started to tremble. In anger or fear I wasn’t sure. But I didn’t trust him. I wouldn’t trust him right now. He stood up as well and took a step towards me, I put my hands out to protect myself from him. As if it’d do much.

“He’s really my friend. I’m serious I’m not trying to trick you or anything please don’t do this. Don’t-”

“Get. The fuck. Out. I don’t want to see you right now you fucking traitor.” My chest heaved up and down and the tears started to fall. He stood there without moving or making a sound and a distressed sob slipped from my mouth.

“I…I won’t pressure you about it tonight, but tomorrow I’ll come back to talk to you about it and see if you’ve changed your mind. I’ll leave now, but I’m not trying to trick you, I promise. I care about you so much and he- I just want to help. I uh, I know my way out.” He left after staring at me for another second and walked down the stairs.

My hands found their way to my hair and I grabbed the strands in order to try and ground myself back in to reality. He wouldn’t lie to me right? We’ve been friends for years. Why would he say something like this right now? I didn’t understand. I lied down on my cot and quietly cried myself to sleep. Completely blocking out the rest of the world around me.

[devereauxsdisease]

A Very Darko Sequel, Pt. 15

First and foremost, I need EVERYONE to take a moment to appreciate the genius photo shopping of @wrathofthestag. Seriously, I couldn’t think of a better image to lead us all into the story this week. 

As always, Wrath and @chronicopheliac have listened to me whine and helped me sort out my humongous errors, so you should thank them if you’re reading this.

Catch Up: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14  

Chapter 15: The Right Fucking Moment

         “You sure you don’t want to go?” Nigel tugged a bright orange t-shirt over his head, it featured a cartoon oriole bird clutching a bat and scowling. Adam had picked it out, saying it reminded him of Nigel.

         “No. I don’t care about baseball.” Adam glanced up from his GRE Physics book with a small smile. “Though it’s nice you and Beverly are bonding. I hope your team wins.”

         “Thought you didn’t care.”

         “I don’t, but you two do. And if the game goes well, I won’t have to listen to you complain about it later.”

         Nigel rolled his eyes. “You’re all fucking heart, Cosmo.”

         “You love me anyway,” Adam said from behind his book. Nigel jumped over the arm of the couch, landing with a knee on either side of Adam’s legs. He tipped the book back and stole a kiss.

         “Yeah, I fucking do.” One more kiss and Nigel rolled off the couch, grabbing his wallet and keys as he headed to the door. “Study up, Dr. Cosmo. Bev said she’s giving you a practice test after the game.”

                                          -XXX-

         “I feel like Cosmo would count this as a lie.” Darko worried his beer bottle between his fingers.  

         Nigel rolled his eyes. “What fucking lie? We said we were going to a game, we’re at a fucking game.”

         Bev cracked a peanut and let the shells fall on Darko’s knee. She smiled at him as he brushed them off with a glare. Bev wore black shorts, an orange jersey with Jones on the back, orange and black feather earrings, oriole bird sneakers, and a baseball cap – even her nails were painted orange. She looked like a crazy person. A beautiful, funny, smart lunatic, and Darko hated how endearing he found the whole ensemble.

         “I’m with Nigel on this. We’re at a game, it’s not like we need to tell Adam what we talked about.”

         Darko sighed. “Alright, so then what are you plans?”

         Nigel smiled. “I was thinking stargazing dinner, propose under the stars, you know, like our first date.”

         Bev beamed. “I love it.”

         “Lame.”

         “Fuck you, nenorocitule.” Nigel threw a curly fry at Darko. Bev tugged his baseball cap over his eyes. “How many proposals have you done?”

         Darko threw the curly fry back and turned to Bev. “Do you know what his last proposal was? Puking in an alley and then pulling out a ring.”

         “I was already on my fucking knees.”

         “She said yes?”

         Darko raised an eyebrow. “Shocking that marriage didn’t last, right?”

         “Ok, Dorko, what’s your proposal scenario?”

         Darko stole a handful of peanuts and thought, before turning to Nigel. “I think you should take Adam to the observatory. Tell him that there’s some cool fucking space discovery shit and he should be there. Have them write Marry Me on a printout. Like it was written in the fucking stars.”

         Nigel scoffed. “You fucking realize I’ll be listening to a 40 minute lecture on why that’s improbable and the history of people making arbitrary shapes out of the fucking stars, right?”

         “Fine, what about a grand fucking gesture? On the scoreboard here, or we could get fireworks-”

         “I can’t decide what Cosmo hates more, loud fucking noises, crowds, or fucking sports.”

         “What about renting out the planetarium?”

         “I checked. Six month waiting list. I’ll be goddamned if I wait that long.”

         “Well, what about doves? We could release them when you propose…”

         “Fucking doves? Just what I want, feathers and bird shit – be still my fucking heart.”

         “Fine, do your boring shit proposal.” Darko pouted, taking a pull of his beer. “Bev and I can do set up. Same place as before?”

         Nigel nodded. Bev cocked her head.

         “Did you set up his first date with Adam?”

         Darko shrugged. “Not much to it, just put a table up, threw some mac n cheese in an insulated container and iced some sarsaparilla. Pilled a bunch of blankets next to the table so they could snuggle, then drove off a safe distance with Ralph and watched this sorry motherfucker pull out the cheesiest fucking moves I’d ever seen.”

         Nigel glared, moving to smack Darko. He stilled his hand when Bev’s got there first, gently cupping Darko’s jaw.

         “You’re fucking cute, you know that?” She kissed Darko softly, smiling when he chased her lips as she pulled back.

         “Can we get back to my thing before you come in your fucking pants?”

         Darko turned, sneering. “No. You get to watch me make out with my fucking girlfriend, nenorocitule. It’s the least you can fucking do after all the shit you’ve made me fucking witness.”

         Bev threaded her fingers into Darko’s hair, pausing to catch Nigel’s eye and shrug. “We’ll finish planning in one sec.”

         She dragged Darko’s smirking mouth back to hers.

                                          -XXX-

         The shop Eddie recommended was quiet during lunch hours, just a few well-appointed patrons leisurely browsing. Nigel and Darko moved inside, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the bright florescent lighting of the jewelry store. Darko shifted uncomfortably next to Nigel, he hated posh stores like this, it always felt like the service people could smell the poverty on him – like they knew he belonged in the streets and not among their polished displays. Nigel grunted, nudging Darko and moving toward a small smiling man behind a glass counter.

         “Welcome to Tiffany’s! I’m Franklyn. How may I help you gentlemen today?” The man sounded friendly enough, but Darko still glared, on principle.

         “I’m looking for an engagement ring, something fucking stunning.”

         The man didn’t blink at Nigel’s profanity or the hands smudging up the glass counter.

         “Of course, sir. We have a wonderful selection here.” Franklyn walked over to a counter in the center of the store, gesturing to a palette of diamonds. “Do you have a budget in mind, sir? Or perhaps a diamond cut or style?”

         Nigel frowned at the display. “These are women’s rings! The fuck am I going to do with these?”

         Franklyn blinked, before smiling with a furrowed brow.

         “It’s a gay marriage,” Darko supplied.

         “Bisexual fucking marriage!”

         “What the fuck are you talking about? There’s no such thing as getting bisexual married. You’re committing to a cock, just say you’re getting gay married for fuck’s sake.”

         “Sexuality is a spectrum, you fucking fuck.”

         Darko rolled his eyes, as he always did when Nigel started parroting Adam. “Yeah, but you landed on the cock side of the spectrum, so why not just fucking go with it?”

         “I landed on the Adam side of the spectrum, and he just happens to have a cock.” Neither man seemed to notice that the whole store had stopped to watch this debate. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t like women. I can see what a great fucking ass Bev has, gorgeous goddamn smile too.”

         “WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, NENOROCITULE?”

         A small cough made them both turn.

         “I’m so sorry for presuming, gentlemen,” the clerk interrupted softly. He smiled at Darko. “Would you like a moment to confer with your fiancé about what type of ring you’d like?”

         “HIM? You think I’d fucking put a ring on that finger? He doesn’t even understand how fucking bisexuality works!” Nigel grabbed his phone, turning it on and shoving the lock screen in Franklyn’s bewildered face. The screen showed Adam in blue light, face covered in the galaxies from his projector. “That’s the man I’m fucking marrying – a gorgeous little angel with dainty fucking hands. I couldn’t afford a ring that would fit on his fucking meat hooks.”

         “I have a girlfriend,” Darko blurted, brows scrunching. “And she’s goddamn beautiful!”

         “I know,” Nigel teased. Darko turned, a horrified expression taking over his face.

         “STOP THAT!”

         “Uh, sirs?” Franklyn was waving his hand and gesturing down the counter. “We have our selection of men’s rings here.”

         Darko and Nigel shouldered each other as they made their way to the display, knocking a bit harder than was wise around expensive merchandise. They peered into the case, Nigel squinting at the polished bands. Darko leaned over Nigel’s shoulder, a weird thrill running through him as he thought about buying a different pair of bands – maybe rose gold to bring out the slight flush Bev’s skin had when she ran?

         Nigel was still studying the case when Darko saw it – the perfect ring for Cosmo.

         “THERE!” Darko slapped his hand on the case, making Franklyn jump and Nigel raise an eyebrow. “That one! That’s Cosmo’s fucking ring!”

         “Where?”

         “Right fucking there, look at it!” Darko pounded his finger over a yellow gold ring lined with two rows of diamonds on either side of the band, the middle was plain gold, forming a capital T shape on each side of the ring.

         “Excellent choice, sir,” Franklyn pushed his hand under Darko’s, clearly afraid the bigger man was going to break straight through the glass. “I’ll just pull it for you, shall I?”

         Franklyn fumbled with the lock pulling the tray and offering the gold band to Darko. He grabbed it, trying to shove the band on his ring finger. When it wouldn’t fit, Darko cursed and slipped the ring on his pinky, extending his hand to admire the bauble.

         “No need to fucking thank me, nenorocitule,” Darko said, holding his hand up to Nigel.

         “That is the ugliest fucking thing I’ve ever seen and I look at you every morning.” Nigel swatted Darko’s hand away.

         “WHAT?” Darko snatched his hand back and glared. “This is fucking gorgeous. It’s fucking sparkly like the stars.”

         “It’s fucking sparkly like a whore at a club.” Nigel sneered at Darko’s hand. “Adam’s not going to want all that bullshit.”

         “He fucking will!” Darko angled his phone to take a picture of his hand. “I’m fucking showing him this after you propose. We’ll see who’s right.”

         “If I may interject-”

         “You may keep your fucking mouth shut.” Nigel glared, sending Franklyn two steps back. Nigel sighed, mentally filling a red balloon that looked suspiciously like Darko’s head. “Forgive me, Frankie, I’m just looking for something a little classier.”

         “Cheap fuck, you have no fucking taste.” Darko made a jerk off gesture before pulling the ring of his finger and tossing it to Franklyn. The clerk fumbled for a few moments before clutching the ring to his chest. He expelled a breath, replacing it in the case with shaky hands.

         “If you’re looking for something more understated, I could recommend our signature piece.” The clerk held up a plain platinum band with Tiffany & Co. engraved on the outside. Darko snatched it from his hand and shoved it on his pinky, taking another fucking picture.

         Nigel glared at the clerk. “Why the fuck would I want some fucking woman’s name on my Adam’s finger? The fuck is wrong with you? You want me to buy a fucking ring with a name on it, that ring had better say Nigel & Co.”

         “Sir, it’s simply a statement piece-”

         “It’s the wrong fucking statement, asshole.” Nigel rolled his eyes. “Fucking Americans, they need to fucking label every stitch of their goddamn clothing.”

         “You know your jacket says Adidas, right?”

         “Fuck off, Darko, take off the ring, we’re going to a less twatty store.”

         Darko took one last look at the band on his finger, deciding that when he married Bev, they’d have to consider yellow gold bands – platinum made his skin look sallow. With a shrug he tossed the band back to the clerk and followed Nigel from the store.

                                                  -XXX-

         The boys from Bucharest shoved through the front door of Nigel’s apartment. Still sniping and smacking each other.

         “So, I take it shopping was a bust?” Bev asked from Nigel’s sofa. She had only been there a few minutes, still a little nervous about using her newly-issued key. Nigel let out an exasperated puff of air and he settled into the recliner.

         “We went to six stores. Fucking nothing worked. I’m thinking of just getting something made.”

         “I still think you’re a cheap fuck,” Darko emerged from Nigel’s kitchen with two bottles of beer, he handed one to Nigel, and flopped on the sofa next to Beverly, free hand immediately seeking her knee. “There was this fucking Tiffany ring that was perfect. Nigel just didn’t want to fucking pay for it.”

         “That fucking ring was hideous.” Nigel downed a swallow of his beer and looked at his cell phone, brows furrowing.

         “Hideously expensive!” Darko wouldn’t let it go.

         Bev snagged Darko’s beer, taking a long pull. He squinted at her, sneering. Bev rolled her eyes and tapped the mouth of the longneck to Darko’s nose.

         “Should have gotten me one, then,” She shrugged. Darko muttered, getting up to grab another beer. Nigel smirked at Darko’s retreating form and raised his beer to Bev in a little toast. “Do you have pictures of this beautiful, hideous ring?”

         “Fuck no! It was all fucking wrong for Adam.”

         “No it wasn’t!” Darko stomped back into the room with a fresh beer. He pulled out his phone as he took his place next to Bev. He scrolled a few minutes and stopped, holding up the phone. “See? Fucking gorgeous!”

         Bev made a choking sound and coughed.

         “Dorko, are you…wearing the ring?” She tried so hard to keep the laugh from her voice.

         “He tried on every fucking ring we looked at. Every. Fucking. One.” Nigel muttered, still glaring at his cell.

         “You have to see it on a finger so you know how it looks!” Darko was indignant. Bev smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth, he couldn’t hold the frown any longer.

         “You’re an adorable, sexy man and I love that you helped Nigel today.” Bev whispered, peppering kisses onto Darko’s jaw. He preened at the attention shooting Nigel a smug look as his friend rolled his eyes. Bev pulled back. “But you have shit taste in jewelry.”

         Nigel barked out a laugh. Darko furrowed his brow and scooted away from Bev, pouting on the opposite end of the couch.

         “The ring was sparkly, like the stars.” He grumbled. “Cosmo would fucking love it, you assholes.”

         “Where the fuck is Cosmo?” Nigel said.

         Bev glanced at the clock. “It’s only been 15 minutes, Nigel.”

         Darko looked over at Nigel, face concerned.

         “No, that’s fucking weird. Cosmo isn’t late. Not ever. No text?”

         “Would I be fucking worried if he texted?”

          Darko rolled his eyes. “Why Adam puts up with your grumpy old ass is beyond me.”

         Nigel opened his mouth just as Adam opened the door.

         “Cosmo, you’re late.” Nigel was off the recliner and running his fingers gently over Adam’s face in the span of a breath, checking for damage to his beautiful darling. “What happened, gorgeous? Are you ok?”

         Adam was flush from exertion and smiled as he softly batted Nigel’s hands away.

         “I’m fine. The man at the shop hadn’t polished your ring yet and I had to wait.” He pressed a quick kiss to Nigel’s mouth as he took off his coat. “Hi, Darko! Hi, Bev!”

         Nigel blinked at Adam as the younger man carefully hung his coat in the hall closet.

         “Gorgeous, what ring?”

         Adam smiled, and dug in his pocket. He produced a small black box and opened it. The ring was a thick silver colored band with thatch marks throughout. It glistened in the light, looking almost otherworldly.

         “I, what, uh, Cosmo?” Nigel’s voice was unnaturally high. He glanced toward Bev and Darko, they were holding hands on the sofa, mouths open. Nigel looked back at Adam, his heart thumping in his ears.

         “Oh, right.” Adam dropped down to one knee. “Harlan said I should do this traditionally.”

         He cleared his throat.

         “Nigel Enric Balaur, I love you and now that you’re divorced I think we should get married.” Adam looked up at Nigel, who was staring with huge eyes and a gaping mouth at his darling. Adam frowned. “Oh, uh, I should have said would you marry me?”

         Nigel couldn’t breathe. He looked at the beautiful boy and the beautiful ring and tried to remember how to speak. His vision was blurry.

         “Nigel? Nigel, you’re crying.” Adam was up and touching Nigel’s cheeks, softly tracing the tears away. “We don’t have to get married. I didn’t realize it would be upsetting to ask so soon.”

         Nigel caught Adam’s fingers in a shaking hand, drawing them to his lips.

         “I-” He tried to clear the emotion out of his throat. “I was supposed to fucking ask you that question, Cosmo.”

         Adam squinted.

         “Why? Oh! Do…Do you want to take turns asking?”

         Nigel laughed, a wet huff, as he yanked Adam to his chest.

         “No Cosmo, this was perfect. You’re fucking perfect.” He buried his face in Adam’s hair, breathing deep. “I’d be fucking honored to wear your ring, gorgeous.”

         “Good!” Adam pushed back and kissed him swiftly, before pulling out the ring and offering it to Nigel. “Do you like it? It’s Gibeon meteorite.”

         Nigel smiled, of fucking course his goddamn Cosmo would find the perfect ring. He turned the thick band in his fingers, on the inside a small balloon was engraved, with the words love Cosmo. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by a high pitched wail. Adam and Nigel turned to the couch in tandem.

         Darko sat red faced on the sofa, fist pressed to his mouth, tears flowing down his cheeks. Bev was rubbing his back and trying to shush him, but the big man’s shoulders began to shake. Another wail escaped from behind Darko’s fist.

         “Phil, shhhhh! Shhhhh!” Bev soothed.

         “Meteorite fucking meteorite!” He sobbed, his voice squeaking. “It’s a space ring. He found a motherfucking space ring.”

         “Fucking Christ, Darko!”

         “Nigel! Don’t yell at Darko, he’s upset.” Nigel gaped as Adam moved from his arms to crouch by Darko. “Are you ok, Darko? Do you need a drink of water?”

         Darko squeaked, drawing in shaking breaths.

         “He’s fine, Adam.”

         “He seems really upset.” Adam’s fingers drummed on his thighs. “Why is he so upset?”

         Nigel’s hand ran gently through Adam’s hair, tugging at the ends - a soothing gesture that slowed the frantic tapping. “He’s not upset, darling. He’s fucking happy – and a twat.”

         Darko made another noise, but managed a nod. Bev was pressing small kisses into his shoulder as his breath evened.

         “You’re happy?” Adam studied the man before him, making eye contact. Darko managed a watery smile.

         “We’re all happy, Adam.” Bev offered a smile and Adam realized she had tears in her eyes too. “But I think it’s time for me to take weepy home so you two can celebrate in peace. How ‘bout it, big guy? You think you can make it to the car or should I carry you?”

         “It’s a space ring, Bev!” Darko was hoarse, his eyes rimmed with red. Bev didn’t think she could love him more than in this very moment. “Did you see?”

         “She saw it last Tuesday when we had lunch.” Adam supplied, awkwardly patting Darko’s shoulder. “She advised me to go with the thicker band, because it will look better on Nigel’s finger. She also helped me with the engraving, I wasn’t sure about the symbolism of the balloon since it’s not red, but Bev said you’d understand.”

         Darko and Nigel goggled at Bev, who offered a small shrug.

         “Adam said he wanted it to be a surprise.” Her grin turned crooked. “Plus, it was fun to listen to you two idiots plan proposals. There were going to be doves, Adam.”

         Adam scrunched his nose and looked up at Nigel. “I don’t like doves. You know that.”

         Nigel laughed.

                                                  -XXX-

         Normally, when Adam Raki was sucking his dick, two fingers deep in his ass, Nigel’s brain got caught on words like heat, fuck, or stretch repeating over and over in his head until they turned into a pleasurable buzzing in his ears. Today, Nigel’s pleasure-addled mind had found a new mantra.

         Shine.

         Nigel gasped as Adam rolled his tongue and crooked his fingers. The bolt of pleasure arched Nigel’s back made him adjust his grip on Adam’s hair. His engagement ring flashed in his vision. Brilliant, the unfamiliar metal was already a cherished weight on Nigel’s finger. He flexed his hand again, just to watch the ring glint. He was so busy chasing the light with his hand, Nigel was blindsided when he felt a sharp pinch on his upper thigh.

         “Nigel!” Adam frowned at him over Nigel’s spit slick cock. “Are you paying attention?”

         Nigel let his hand drop to the side, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, darling.”

         Adam huffed a sigh. “Do you think you’re stretched enough?”

         Nigel nodded. “Anyway you want me?”

         “Focused on me,” Adam admonished.

         This fucking kid.

         Nigel offered a toothy grin, waving his ring in front of Adam’s eyes. “Come on, Cosmo. It’s not every day I get engaged. Be a little fucking patient.”

         “You’ve been engaged four times, Nigel.” Adam sat up, unimpressed. “Get on your hands and knees, please.”

         Nigel pushed forward, capturing Adam in a sweet, slow kiss.

         “But this is the first time anyone’s ever asked me,” He whispered into Adam’s mouth. Adam nipped at Nigel’s lip, slick hand pushing against the older man’s shoulder. Nigel took the hint and turned, limbs clumsy as he eagerly fell into the position.

         Adam ran his nails lightly over Nigel’s spine, not a scratch, more of a tingle. Nigel arched into the sensation, already feeling heat pool in his gut. Adam murmured something softly before long fingers wrapped around Nigel’s hips pulling him back and onto Adam’s cock. Nigel grunted at the stretch, he’d missed this.

         Adam fucked him shallowly at first, giving Nigel time to adjust, revel in the position. When his tongue got loose and the moans started to spill out of him, Nigel felt Adam shift, wrapping thin arms around Nigel and pulling backwards. Nigel went willingly, he always did with Adam, settling himself on the younger man’s lap and whimpering at the new angle.

         One sticky hand wandered down Nigel’s stomach, playing over the stretch of soft flesh before it reached his cock. The other hand pressed into Nigel’s chest, keeping him firmly against Adam. The position made Adam more aggressive, thrusting hard and fast, leaving Nigel helpless to do anything but roll his hips and enjoy the sensation. Nigel let his head fall back, breathing in the mint scent of Adam’s shampoo as he buried his face in the curls he found.

         “C-Cosmo…Adam! Wait.” The hips behind him stilled and Nigel felt bereft.

         “A-are you O-OK? I-is it your knee?” Adam sounded dazed, but his hand left Nigel’s cock and immediately went to the bend in Nigel’s leg, prodding gently. “I read this position was good for prostate stimulation, but i-if-”

         “I love it, it’s fucking perfect, but I’m close gorgeous and I need to see you.” Nigel’s voice was hoarse. “Please.”

         Adam caught his mouth for a kiss, pressing his hips up into Nigel one last time before pulling out. Nigel was near boneless as he fell to the bed, he smiled as he felt Adam help him turn, adjusting legs and sheets with his brow furrowed in concentration. When he was satisfied with the way Nigel lay sprawled before him, Adam gave a little nod, and moved between Nigel’s legs.

         Hovering over Nigel’s mouth, Adam waited, smirking, until he was tugged down for a kiss.

         “My Nigel,” Adam said fondly, moving back to press into Nigel again. The older man keened, hips seeking more of Adam as they rolled.

         “Yours,” Nigel agreed. “A-all fucking yours.”

         Nigel’s hands grappled for purchase on Adam’s sides, finally falling to tangle in the sheets. His head lolled on the pillow, mouth gasping and eyes scrunched shut. The feel of Adam overwhelmed him – panting breaths sweeping through his chest hair, nimble fingers digging into his hips, droplets of sweat splashing on his stomach, the tortuously steady drag of Adam’s cock as it filled him over and over. Nigel was powerless to do anything but allow the consummation, his universe narrowed to two bright blue points above him.

         Adam’s right hand moved from its anchor in the divot of Nigel’s hip, seeking Nigel’s left hand. Nigel fought against the tide of his orgasm, opening his eyes to watch Adam gently disentangle his hand from the sheets. Adam was flushed, his neck and chest coated in a sheen of sweat, hair sticking up in wild tuffs, breath coming in gasping gulps as he continued to rock his hips.

         Nigel had never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

         He made a noise, his brain questing for words in any of the languages he knew. Nigel only managed a low moan. Adam’s eyes snapped to Nigel’s, holding the connection as his fingers tightened around Nigel’s hand, drawing it to his lips. With a soft smile, Adam kissed the ring that already felt like it belonged on Nigel’s finger.

         Nigel came with a scream, his hand shaking against Adam’s lips. Adam’s fingers contracted around Nigel’s as he followed him over the edge. Wrung out, Adam collapsed on top of Nigel puffing out happy little noises as he caught his breath. As sweat cooled and pulses slowed, Nigel kept their hands linked, the silver meteorite on his finger catching the light on every inhale.

         “Marry me.”

         Adam squinted, still a little breathless. “I’m going to.”

         “Now.” Nigel whispered. “Tomorrow. Let’s just get in the car and go to Vegas. Please, gorgeous.”

         Adam smiled at Nigel, but shook his head. “No. You’ll want a celebration. So will Darko.”

         “No. Fuck that. I just want you.”

         Adam ran a hand through Nigel’s hair and pressed another kiss to the older man’s ring.

         “We’ll have a proper ceremony, Darko and Bev standing with us. Harlan and Constanța would want to be there too. She wasn’t at your last two weddings, was she?”

         “The first one wasn’t really a wedding.” Nigel shrugged. “I just gave some girl my pinky ring when I was high, told people I was married. Shame, I fucking loved that ring.”

         “What about Gabi?”

         He shrugged. “Constanța hated her on sight. Said she’d seen me make too many mistakes to watch that one. I was so pissed I dragged Gabi to a priest that day, called Darko and made him leave Sunday dinner to be a witness.”

         “That was rude.”

         “Didn’t matter, next time I saw Constanța she hugged me. Told me that she’d drag me by the ear if I wasn’t at Sunday dinner next week, my wife could come if she wanted.” Nigel shook his head. “Never matters how much of a shit I am to her.”

         “She loves you. She knows you only act like a shit because you feel insecure.” Nigel glared at Adam, who shrugged. “You don’t trust love, but you want it all the same. That’s why you keep chasing inappropriate people who reject you. Darko gave me a book about it, it actually explains a lot of your actions and impulse control problems.”

         “There’s a book?”

         “Yes. I read it along with the anger management texts, it was very informative. Would you like to read it?” Adam bit his lip. “I gave it back to Darko, but I’m sure he’ll loan it to us again.”

         “How long has Darko had this fucking book?”

         “I think Constanța gave it to him.” Adam yawned, snuggling into Nigel’s chest. “We can ask when she visits for the wedding.”

         “You don’t have to do this, gorgeous.”

         “Of course I don’t have to, I want to.”

         “You hate crowds. You’ll hate a big wedding.”

         “Not a big wedding, our wedding. Family and friends, a short non-religious ceremony and a reception with pre-approved music at a reasonable volume.” Nigel felt his chest warm, he could picture the whole ceremony. How handsome Adam would look in his suit, Darko sniffling through the vows, Constanța watching him with pride. He smiled, prompting Adam to echo the expression. “I’d like my coworkers and family to see how much you love me.”

         “One condition.”

         “What?”

         “If it ever gets to be too much, we say fuck it and head for Vegas.” Nigel wrapped his free arm around Adam, pulling him tight to his torso. “Fucking deal?”

         “Fuckin’ A.”

                                                  -XXX-

         Darko stretched in bed, studying Bev’s slack face. He guessed he had about 5 more minutes of blissful silence before the snores started. Oddly, he found it hard to sleep without them now.

         Bev had taken him back to her place, stripped him, and deposited him in the bed before disappearing. He was still blowing his nose when she returned, holding two mugs of Irish Breakfast Tea. Darko had spent the next few hours watching 48 Hours reruns with Bev glued to his side, sleepily murmuring about the flaws in investigative techniques and which suspect was clearly guilty. They had barely even kissed, but Darko couldn’t remember being happier in his life.

         Now, he carefully brushed his fingers through Bev’s hair, his chest felt full and warm.

         “I’m going to marry you one day.” Barely a whisper, Darko said it more as a promise to himself than the woman snuffling into the pillow.

         “Fine.” Darko jumped, eyes wide. His first impulse was to reel backwards, but a firm hand caught his elbow. Bev squinted at him from her spot on the pillow. “But don’t ask me for at least another few months, actually let’s just say after Nigel and Adam’s wedding, alright? And let Adam pick out the ring.”

         Darko went through a complicated range of open-mouthed expressions starting with shock and settling on indignity.

         Bev’s hand slid up his arm, squeezing the shoulder and tugging him back to his place next to her on the mattress. She pecked a kiss on his nose before turning to resettle with her back to him. “Stop making faces and get some damn sleep, Dorko. I have work in the morning.”  

         Darko tugged Bev into his arms, pressing a grin into her shoulder until her snoring started.