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mayqueen517OMG, I BRING FIC, WHAT?
Title: Dressed In The Scenery
Pairing(s): Mike Carden/Tom Conrad (!!!!!), background Jon Walker/Nicole Anderson
Rating: PG-15
Wordcount: 2,882 (!!!!)
Disclaimer: DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF THIS I OWN? NOTHING, THAT'S WHAT. I DON'T OWN THE TITLE (thhhaaatt belongs to Empires, from Under The Bright Lights) OR THE PEOPLE.
Author's Note: This started from a prompt for my 15 characters meme a week or so ago.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hector_rashbaum said Mike Carden, Tom Conrad, and William Beckett get stuck in an elevator together. Details! and it morphed into this. I'm really pleased with it and glad that I wrote it, and thank you to hector_rashbaum for the prompt! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Also, the Nicole in the fic is Nicole Anderson (I've linked to a primer I did of her).
Summary: The elevator dings, the doors rattling open even though they should slide and for a moment, Tom can see Mike and Bill both hesitate. It's been years since he was in the same room with both of them; eight years, his brain supplies, helpful as ever.
"Don't cause any trouble, Mike."
"Bill."
"I'm serious. You know Tom'll be here and I'm not going to tell you to talk to him, but don't cause any trouble."
"I'm not entirely sure that you realize we're both adults," says Mike, with his back to the rest of the hallway, ruthlessly jamming his thumb into the already lit-up button at the elevator. Tom watches them talking, watching Bill's nervous gesturing and Mike's guarded amusement. Tom hasn't seen Mike for a few months; they run into each other at the store sometimes. They always meet eyes, just enough to acknowledge the other. Like saying I see you, but I'm going to pretend that I didn't to each other.
"I'm not entirely sure that you realize you two shouldn't have held a grudge for as long as you have," Bill says, crossing his arms finally and Tom can't help the small smile that slips out from that. It's Bill's way of telling Mike the conversation is over, that Bill's said all he can without knocking Mike's head against the wall. His camera hangs heavy on his shoulder, his hand hanging onto the strap lightly as he listens to them.
Tom thinks that he shouldn't be watching them so intently, that he should take the stairs up to Nicole's room where Jon's waiting for him to show up. He should say something, clear his throat, or scuff his flip-flop (though, he's not sure if it'd really make that much noise) to get their attention.
The elevator dings, the doors rattling open even though they should slide and for a moment, Tom can see Mike and Bill both hesitate. It's been years since he was in the same room with both of them; eight years, his brain supplies, helpful as ever.
It's been eight years since hearing you're just not contributing, I'm sorry, we didn't mean for it to go down like this. Eight years, Tom thinks idly. In eight years, he's been more honest than he ever would have thought. In eight years, he's grown up - at least, he thinks he has, - and when he looks at them walking through the elevator doors, it doesn't occur to him to turn and take the stairs (not like it would have before).
Instead, he walks forward and steadfastly ignores the way Bill eyes him. Bill's always had the strangest facial expressions; almost cartoonish on that too serious face, sometimes framed by long hair and sometimes stark with nothing to hide behind.
"When did you get here?" Bill asks easily.
"Not long ago; you?"
"Just got here, actually. Have you seen him?"
"Not yet. Jon just texted me and said they're ready for visitors," Tom says, finally looking over at both of them. Mike's leaned against the wall of the elevator, listening quietly, observing. He looks different with short-hair, less tired and more comfortable and Mike looks over at him, meeting his eyes once.
"Hey."
"Hi," Mike says after a moment. They stand in awkward silence for a few seconds that feel like hours, Tom shifting as he debates about taking his phone out and texting Jon. He decides against it before he clears his throat, shifting the strap of his camera on his shoulder. Bill watches them both for a moment, throwing his hands up finally.
"Oh, for the love of God, would you two say -"
"I caught last month's show down at Sub-T. It was good," says Mike, interrupting Bill abruptly. Tom picks up his camera, holding it close to his chest, like it'll stop them from talking or something.
"I. Uh, thanks. It was a good show after we got through the first song," Tom says, trying not to grab his camera to flip through the pictures so he doesn't have to look at Mike.
"So, um. Yeah," Mike says, awkward and distant as Tom watches him cross and uncross his arms. Tom wants to tell him they should put everything behind them, he wants to smooth it over, so when they go up to Nicole's room, they're not awkward. Instead, the ding of the elevator cuts through the tension sharply; leaving the three of them looking at each other and wondering what one is going to say. Tom sighs and quickly flashes a smile that feels tight and pained as they step out of the elevator.
"You know her room number?" Mike asks as the elevator doors shut behind them. Grabbing his phone, Tom checks his text messages before nodding quickly.
"Yeah, uh, 2355. Jon said it's on the left," Tom says, feeling better as they walk in silence down the hallway. It's not a comfortable silence, and it leaves Tom feeling unbalanced and makes him want to call Jon and tell him he'll be back later. But he thinks about Jon's voice, excited and scared, talking fast as Tom could hear Nicole in the background. When he thinks about that, and then thinks about leaving, he feels like a bad friend.
Bill leads the way and it leaves Tom and Mike walking side by side. Tom picks his camera up, holding the body of it comfortable, fiddling every so often. He doesn't know what to say to Mike; he never did.
"Have you met Nicole?" Tom asks finally, voice too loud in the forced silence of the hallway. He sees nurses wandering around, here and there, each one smiling at them in a polite way that Tom tries to return.
"Yeah, Jon brought her by a few times to hang out with us. She's sweet. Good for him, I think," Mike says, shoving his hands in his pockets and it makes Tom smile, thinking about her and Jon together.
"She is," Tom agrees, sharing a quick glance with Mike before they lapse back into silence. When they get to the door, Tom watches Bill knock lightly, and before he can stop to think about it, he's taking a picture of it. Bill turns and looks at him, surprise on his face and Tom ducks his head, looking at the display until the door opens.
Jon looks tired, eyes red and when he sees Tom and Mike standing side-by-side, he hides his surprise. Tom grins though, looking past him into the room and he can barely make out Nicole's feet under a couple of blankets.
"You gonna let us in, Jonny Walker?" Tom asks, letting Jon pull him into a hug as Bill and Mike wander in past him.
"Fuck, I thought you were never gonna show up," Jon says, laughing as he shuts the door, pulling Mike and Bill into a hug. Tom doesn't pay attention to whatever they talk to Jon about, because he's watching Nicole.
"Hey, hey, Tomrad," Nicole says, voice soft and Tom thinks that she looks softer than the last time he saw her. Which doesn't make any sense, considering he'd just had lunch with her and Jon two days before.
"Hey, Nic," Tom says, feeling too big, too loud, too much for the small room. His eyes are focused on the baby in her arms and he can hear Jon's quiet laugh from beside of him. Tom looks over at Jon and his eyes are bright even through the red.
"You can sit down," Nicole says, laughing softly as Jon sits down on the bed, leaving the chair to Tom. Tom lifts his camera once, taking only a quick snapshot before sitting in the chair. He can feel Bill and Mike watching as Nicole talks to them, but Tom only watches Jon's face. The thing about it is, Tom thinks, is that Jon is perfectly at home with this.
"Wanna hold him?" Jon says to him, quiet and underneath Bill, Mike, and Nicole. Tom looks over at Jon, seeing the soft smile on Jon's face, his finger tucked into the tiny fist of the baby. Tom manages a soft smile, shaking his head, but not saying anything.
"What'd you name him?" Bill asks, as Tom takes a few pictures, concentrating on framing it right and when he looks over at Jon, Jon's smiling.
"Joseph. Joseph Thomas," Jon says as Tom's head snaps up, staring at Jon and he can feel the way the rest of them are staring at him. Tom looks at the baby, at Joseph (and Tom knows, without a shadow of doubt, that Jon's already got some nickname for him), and then at Nicole. Nicole's watching him with a soft smile.
"I. Yeah?" Tom says as Jon grins and he pushes his foot against Tom's knee.
"Yeah, man. Nic picked out his first name and, y'know, let me suggest a few middle names," Jon says, laughing when Nicole swats his arm lightly, fingertips lingering too long and too affectionately to be threatening. Tom doesn't know what to say, doesn't know what to do with the feeling in his chest, overwhelming and sudden and sharp with something that he can't identify.
"I owe Sisky twenty bucks now, fucker," Mike says to Jon, breaking the tension of Jon and Nicole waiting for Tom's reaction. And it's not that Tom didn't miss Mike; that was never the problem. He missed Mike, sure, but he missed the Mike he was first friends with. The guy who wasn't prickly and defensive and unwilling to bend on anything. Jon laughs as Tom slowly scoots forward, reaching out and lightly rubbing a finger along the baby's cheek.
"It's a good name," Tom says finally, watching Jon smile and something in Tom's stomach stops rolling as he returns it.
"I thought so, yeah," Jon says, smiling at Nicole and that's the picture that Tom takes mentally. He doesn't lift his camera, doesn't want to disturb them, but it's the picture he's always going to remember.
Tom's out on the gazebo, smoking a cigarette and watching the evening sky darken slowly. He takes a drag off the cigarette, thinking back to Jon's soft smile and Nicole's tired, but bright eyes and he smiles to himself, exhaling. It's good, he thinks, getting to see Jon so happy and content.
"Still smoking, huh?" Mike says from behind him. Tom looks over his shoulder easily, wondering if he should be a smart-ass or if he should even say anything at all. Instead, Tom shrugs ineffectually, holding the pack out to Mike.
"Nah, I'm good," Mike says as Tom nods and pockets the pack again. Mike comes to stand beside of Tom and Tom wants to say a million things and nothing at all to him. Tom shifts a little, repositioning his forearms on the weathered wood of the gazebo railing. Mike copies his position easily, leaning into it and Tom looks away from him, out at the sky, out at the buildings. Out at anything but Mike.
"I woulda thought it would be Sisky and Bill coming to visit," Tom says idly, watching Mike nod slowly, interlacing his own fingers as they hang off the railing.
"Sisky's out in the Islands. With Butcher. It's...Jon's my friend too, you know."
And Mike's looking at him from the side, just barely making eye-contact and Tom sighs and nods.
"No, I know. Just. I figured Sisky would be with Bill, is all," Tom says, knowing that he's not really explaining anything and he's not helping either. But Mike nods like he understands Tom's rambling and that's enough.
"You could have ignored me in the elevator, you know," Mike says finally, watching him easily. It's the same look that Tom never forgets from Mike; the way he had of watching someone and making it feel like waiting instead. Tom huffs out a soft laugh, looking down at his own hands before flicking the cigarette butt away from him.
"You could have ignored me too," Tom says, watching Mike's lips pull into a crooked, amused smile. He shrugs easily, loose and comfortable and Tom likes that about him.
"Too much work, I guess," Mike says, drawing another laugh from Tom.
"Lazy bastard," says Tom, shifting around to hop up onto the railing. His legs hang over, lightly thumping against the wood of it and Mike looks up at him.
"You know, I always expected you to call or something," Mike says after a few minutes of companionable silence. They watch each other and Tom can remember kissing Mike after a fight, after laughing, after sex. He remembers the silences that stopped being companionable and started feeling barbed and sharp with unsaid comments. He remembers kissing Mike right before it all fell apart.
"I didn't really have much to say," Tom replies quietly, and it's the most truthful thing he can think of to refer to back then. It's the only thing he would have ever wanted to say or think and when Mike nods slowly, thoughtfully, Tom feels like he said the right thing.
"I don't think either of us did, in the end."
"Not really. But...It's," Tom starts and stops a few times, sighing carefully. He fidgets with the hem of his shirt, pulling out the thread to watch the fabric bunch up. He tugs the hem straight again, hearing the soft pops of the threads snapping. He starts again after a few breaths, "Things are good now, I think."
"They are," Mike says quietly, moving closer and this, this is what Tom was wondering about. He waits for Mike to say something else, but instead, Mike just slides his hand up Tom's arm and around to the back of his neck. Tom can feel the pressure of his fingers, small points of feeling and Tom wants to resist. He thinks about resisting.
Instead, he goes with it, leaning down and in to press their lips together. Kissing Mike is familiar and different all at once and easier than he remembers. Mike puts his other hand on Tom's knee, pushing lightly and moving to stand between them, pressing closer as he swipes his tongue over Tom's lips. It's comfortable, kissing softly in the dim light of the evening, breathing through his nose and opening his eyes slowly to watch Mike's face.
Tom pulls back slowly, feeling shaken and calm all at once, like he's almost fallen off of something but saved himself at the last minute as Mike opens his eyes to watch him. They seem wider this close, dark and Tom wishes there was more light so he could see the color.
"This okay?" Mike says softly, still crowded in against Tom and Tom nods slowly, reaching up to push some of his hair back as Mike watches the movement. Mike's hand is still on the back of Tom's neck, easy and light, not pushing or pulling and Tom watches Mike smile.
"Good," Mike says, smiling wider and tugging Tom back down.
"Stop freaking out," Mike mumbles from the bed as Tom sits at the window. The window's cracked enough to let the smoke out and when Tom looks over, crushing his cigarette, Mike's sitting up in bed. His hair's all over the place and Tom can see the wrinkles from the pillow on his face, the slight shine of drool from his lips and Tom ducks his head for a moment.
"I'm not," Tom says, looking back up, leaning against the wall for a moment before he pads back over to bed. Tom skims a hand over Mike's chest, feeling simple and calm as he slides into Mike's lap, straddling him. Mike smiles at him, easy and warm, and it would have startled Tom before.
He thinks of laughing with Mike as they had undressed, cursing and helping the other out. He thinks of kissing Mike with the laugh still hovering on his lips, feeling both of them relax into it. When Mike's hands slide up his back and back down, it pulls him back to the present.
Mike's warm, almost hot, under the sheet as Tom kisses him lightly. Mike smiles, arching an eyebrow and Tom shrugs, returning the smile slowly. He feels lighter somehow; like everything had been leading to this or something, like it was always meant to happen.
"You sure?" Mike asks, leaning forward to drag his lips across Tom's jaw. Tom turns his head into it, kissing him until Mike shifts and lays back, Tom on top of him. Tom feels like saying something, saying anything to break whatever comfortable atmosphere they've managed, but when Mike wraps his arms around him, Tom can't say anything. He doesn't want to say anything.
"Positive," Tom says, looking down at Mike, taking in the softness of his eyes, the way he stretches pliantly under Tom and it's all different and it's the same and when Tom smiles, Mike leans up to kiss him.
They meet in the middle and Tom doesn't worry about what's different or what's the same anymore.
Title: Dressed In The Scenery
Pairing(s): Mike Carden/Tom Conrad (!!!!!), background Jon Walker/Nicole Anderson
Rating: PG-15
Wordcount: 2,882 (!!!!)
Disclaimer: DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF THIS I OWN? NOTHING, THAT'S WHAT. I DON'T OWN THE TITLE (thhhaaatt belongs to Empires, from Under The Bright Lights) OR THE PEOPLE.
Author's Note: This started from a prompt for my 15 characters meme a week or so ago.
hector_rashbaum said Mike Carden, Tom Conrad, and William Beckett get stuck in an elevator together. Details! and it morphed into this. I'm really pleased with it and glad that I wrote it, and thank you to hector_rashbaum for the prompt! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Also, the Nicole in the fic is Nicole Anderson (I've linked to a primer I did of her).Summary: The elevator dings, the doors rattling open even though they should slide and for a moment, Tom can see Mike and Bill both hesitate. It's been years since he was in the same room with both of them; eight years, his brain supplies, helpful as ever.
"Don't cause any trouble, Mike."
"Bill."
"I'm serious. You know Tom'll be here and I'm not going to tell you to talk to him, but don't cause any trouble."
"I'm not entirely sure that you realize we're both adults," says Mike, with his back to the rest of the hallway, ruthlessly jamming his thumb into the already lit-up button at the elevator. Tom watches them talking, watching Bill's nervous gesturing and Mike's guarded amusement. Tom hasn't seen Mike for a few months; they run into each other at the store sometimes. They always meet eyes, just enough to acknowledge the other. Like saying I see you, but I'm going to pretend that I didn't to each other.
"I'm not entirely sure that you realize you two shouldn't have held a grudge for as long as you have," Bill says, crossing his arms finally and Tom can't help the small smile that slips out from that. It's Bill's way of telling Mike the conversation is over, that Bill's said all he can without knocking Mike's head against the wall. His camera hangs heavy on his shoulder, his hand hanging onto the strap lightly as he listens to them.
Tom thinks that he shouldn't be watching them so intently, that he should take the stairs up to Nicole's room where Jon's waiting for him to show up. He should say something, clear his throat, or scuff his flip-flop (though, he's not sure if it'd really make that much noise) to get their attention.
The elevator dings, the doors rattling open even though they should slide and for a moment, Tom can see Mike and Bill both hesitate. It's been years since he was in the same room with both of them; eight years, his brain supplies, helpful as ever.
It's been eight years since hearing you're just not contributing, I'm sorry, we didn't mean for it to go down like this. Eight years, Tom thinks idly. In eight years, he's been more honest than he ever would have thought. In eight years, he's grown up - at least, he thinks he has, - and when he looks at them walking through the elevator doors, it doesn't occur to him to turn and take the stairs (not like it would have before).
Instead, he walks forward and steadfastly ignores the way Bill eyes him. Bill's always had the strangest facial expressions; almost cartoonish on that too serious face, sometimes framed by long hair and sometimes stark with nothing to hide behind.
"When did you get here?" Bill asks easily.
"Not long ago; you?"
"Just got here, actually. Have you seen him?"
"Not yet. Jon just texted me and said they're ready for visitors," Tom says, finally looking over at both of them. Mike's leaned against the wall of the elevator, listening quietly, observing. He looks different with short-hair, less tired and more comfortable and Mike looks over at him, meeting his eyes once.
"Hey."
"Hi," Mike says after a moment. They stand in awkward silence for a few seconds that feel like hours, Tom shifting as he debates about taking his phone out and texting Jon. He decides against it before he clears his throat, shifting the strap of his camera on his shoulder. Bill watches them both for a moment, throwing his hands up finally.
"Oh, for the love of God, would you two say -"
"I caught last month's show down at Sub-T. It was good," says Mike, interrupting Bill abruptly. Tom picks up his camera, holding it close to his chest, like it'll stop them from talking or something.
"I. Uh, thanks. It was a good show after we got through the first song," Tom says, trying not to grab his camera to flip through the pictures so he doesn't have to look at Mike.
"So, um. Yeah," Mike says, awkward and distant as Tom watches him cross and uncross his arms. Tom wants to tell him they should put everything behind them, he wants to smooth it over, so when they go up to Nicole's room, they're not awkward. Instead, the ding of the elevator cuts through the tension sharply; leaving the three of them looking at each other and wondering what one is going to say. Tom sighs and quickly flashes a smile that feels tight and pained as they step out of the elevator.
"You know her room number?" Mike asks as the elevator doors shut behind them. Grabbing his phone, Tom checks his text messages before nodding quickly.
"Yeah, uh, 2355. Jon said it's on the left," Tom says, feeling better as they walk in silence down the hallway. It's not a comfortable silence, and it leaves Tom feeling unbalanced and makes him want to call Jon and tell him he'll be back later. But he thinks about Jon's voice, excited and scared, talking fast as Tom could hear Nicole in the background. When he thinks about that, and then thinks about leaving, he feels like a bad friend.
Bill leads the way and it leaves Tom and Mike walking side by side. Tom picks his camera up, holding the body of it comfortable, fiddling every so often. He doesn't know what to say to Mike; he never did.
"Have you met Nicole?" Tom asks finally, voice too loud in the forced silence of the hallway. He sees nurses wandering around, here and there, each one smiling at them in a polite way that Tom tries to return.
"Yeah, Jon brought her by a few times to hang out with us. She's sweet. Good for him, I think," Mike says, shoving his hands in his pockets and it makes Tom smile, thinking about her and Jon together.
"She is," Tom agrees, sharing a quick glance with Mike before they lapse back into silence. When they get to the door, Tom watches Bill knock lightly, and before he can stop to think about it, he's taking a picture of it. Bill turns and looks at him, surprise on his face and Tom ducks his head, looking at the display until the door opens.
Jon looks tired, eyes red and when he sees Tom and Mike standing side-by-side, he hides his surprise. Tom grins though, looking past him into the room and he can barely make out Nicole's feet under a couple of blankets.
"You gonna let us in, Jonny Walker?" Tom asks, letting Jon pull him into a hug as Bill and Mike wander in past him.
"Fuck, I thought you were never gonna show up," Jon says, laughing as he shuts the door, pulling Mike and Bill into a hug. Tom doesn't pay attention to whatever they talk to Jon about, because he's watching Nicole.
"Hey, hey, Tomrad," Nicole says, voice soft and Tom thinks that she looks softer than the last time he saw her. Which doesn't make any sense, considering he'd just had lunch with her and Jon two days before.
"Hey, Nic," Tom says, feeling too big, too loud, too much for the small room. His eyes are focused on the baby in her arms and he can hear Jon's quiet laugh from beside of him. Tom looks over at Jon and his eyes are bright even through the red.
"You can sit down," Nicole says, laughing softly as Jon sits down on the bed, leaving the chair to Tom. Tom lifts his camera once, taking only a quick snapshot before sitting in the chair. He can feel Bill and Mike watching as Nicole talks to them, but Tom only watches Jon's face. The thing about it is, Tom thinks, is that Jon is perfectly at home with this.
"Wanna hold him?" Jon says to him, quiet and underneath Bill, Mike, and Nicole. Tom looks over at Jon, seeing the soft smile on Jon's face, his finger tucked into the tiny fist of the baby. Tom manages a soft smile, shaking his head, but not saying anything.
"What'd you name him?" Bill asks, as Tom takes a few pictures, concentrating on framing it right and when he looks over at Jon, Jon's smiling.
"Joseph. Joseph Thomas," Jon says as Tom's head snaps up, staring at Jon and he can feel the way the rest of them are staring at him. Tom looks at the baby, at Joseph (and Tom knows, without a shadow of doubt, that Jon's already got some nickname for him), and then at Nicole. Nicole's watching him with a soft smile.
"I. Yeah?" Tom says as Jon grins and he pushes his foot against Tom's knee.
"Yeah, man. Nic picked out his first name and, y'know, let me suggest a few middle names," Jon says, laughing when Nicole swats his arm lightly, fingertips lingering too long and too affectionately to be threatening. Tom doesn't know what to say, doesn't know what to do with the feeling in his chest, overwhelming and sudden and sharp with something that he can't identify.
"I owe Sisky twenty bucks now, fucker," Mike says to Jon, breaking the tension of Jon and Nicole waiting for Tom's reaction. And it's not that Tom didn't miss Mike; that was never the problem. He missed Mike, sure, but he missed the Mike he was first friends with. The guy who wasn't prickly and defensive and unwilling to bend on anything. Jon laughs as Tom slowly scoots forward, reaching out and lightly rubbing a finger along the baby's cheek.
"It's a good name," Tom says finally, watching Jon smile and something in Tom's stomach stops rolling as he returns it.
"I thought so, yeah," Jon says, smiling at Nicole and that's the picture that Tom takes mentally. He doesn't lift his camera, doesn't want to disturb them, but it's the picture he's always going to remember.
Tom's out on the gazebo, smoking a cigarette and watching the evening sky darken slowly. He takes a drag off the cigarette, thinking back to Jon's soft smile and Nicole's tired, but bright eyes and he smiles to himself, exhaling. It's good, he thinks, getting to see Jon so happy and content.
"Still smoking, huh?" Mike says from behind him. Tom looks over his shoulder easily, wondering if he should be a smart-ass or if he should even say anything at all. Instead, Tom shrugs ineffectually, holding the pack out to Mike.
"Nah, I'm good," Mike says as Tom nods and pockets the pack again. Mike comes to stand beside of Tom and Tom wants to say a million things and nothing at all to him. Tom shifts a little, repositioning his forearms on the weathered wood of the gazebo railing. Mike copies his position easily, leaning into it and Tom looks away from him, out at the sky, out at the buildings. Out at anything but Mike.
"I woulda thought it would be Sisky and Bill coming to visit," Tom says idly, watching Mike nod slowly, interlacing his own fingers as they hang off the railing.
"Sisky's out in the Islands. With Butcher. It's...Jon's my friend too, you know."
And Mike's looking at him from the side, just barely making eye-contact and Tom sighs and nods.
"No, I know. Just. I figured Sisky would be with Bill, is all," Tom says, knowing that he's not really explaining anything and he's not helping either. But Mike nods like he understands Tom's rambling and that's enough.
"You could have ignored me in the elevator, you know," Mike says finally, watching him easily. It's the same look that Tom never forgets from Mike; the way he had of watching someone and making it feel like waiting instead. Tom huffs out a soft laugh, looking down at his own hands before flicking the cigarette butt away from him.
"You could have ignored me too," Tom says, watching Mike's lips pull into a crooked, amused smile. He shrugs easily, loose and comfortable and Tom likes that about him.
"Too much work, I guess," Mike says, drawing another laugh from Tom.
"Lazy bastard," says Tom, shifting around to hop up onto the railing. His legs hang over, lightly thumping against the wood of it and Mike looks up at him.
"You know, I always expected you to call or something," Mike says after a few minutes of companionable silence. They watch each other and Tom can remember kissing Mike after a fight, after laughing, after sex. He remembers the silences that stopped being companionable and started feeling barbed and sharp with unsaid comments. He remembers kissing Mike right before it all fell apart.
"I didn't really have much to say," Tom replies quietly, and it's the most truthful thing he can think of to refer to back then. It's the only thing he would have ever wanted to say or think and when Mike nods slowly, thoughtfully, Tom feels like he said the right thing.
"I don't think either of us did, in the end."
"Not really. But...It's," Tom starts and stops a few times, sighing carefully. He fidgets with the hem of his shirt, pulling out the thread to watch the fabric bunch up. He tugs the hem straight again, hearing the soft pops of the threads snapping. He starts again after a few breaths, "Things are good now, I think."
"They are," Mike says quietly, moving closer and this, this is what Tom was wondering about. He waits for Mike to say something else, but instead, Mike just slides his hand up Tom's arm and around to the back of his neck. Tom can feel the pressure of his fingers, small points of feeling and Tom wants to resist. He thinks about resisting.
Instead, he goes with it, leaning down and in to press their lips together. Kissing Mike is familiar and different all at once and easier than he remembers. Mike puts his other hand on Tom's knee, pushing lightly and moving to stand between them, pressing closer as he swipes his tongue over Tom's lips. It's comfortable, kissing softly in the dim light of the evening, breathing through his nose and opening his eyes slowly to watch Mike's face.
Tom pulls back slowly, feeling shaken and calm all at once, like he's almost fallen off of something but saved himself at the last minute as Mike opens his eyes to watch him. They seem wider this close, dark and Tom wishes there was more light so he could see the color.
"This okay?" Mike says softly, still crowded in against Tom and Tom nods slowly, reaching up to push some of his hair back as Mike watches the movement. Mike's hand is still on the back of Tom's neck, easy and light, not pushing or pulling and Tom watches Mike smile.
"Good," Mike says, smiling wider and tugging Tom back down.
"Stop freaking out," Mike mumbles from the bed as Tom sits at the window. The window's cracked enough to let the smoke out and when Tom looks over, crushing his cigarette, Mike's sitting up in bed. His hair's all over the place and Tom can see the wrinkles from the pillow on his face, the slight shine of drool from his lips and Tom ducks his head for a moment.
"I'm not," Tom says, looking back up, leaning against the wall for a moment before he pads back over to bed. Tom skims a hand over Mike's chest, feeling simple and calm as he slides into Mike's lap, straddling him. Mike smiles at him, easy and warm, and it would have startled Tom before.
He thinks of laughing with Mike as they had undressed, cursing and helping the other out. He thinks of kissing Mike with the laugh still hovering on his lips, feeling both of them relax into it. When Mike's hands slide up his back and back down, it pulls him back to the present.
Mike's warm, almost hot, under the sheet as Tom kisses him lightly. Mike smiles, arching an eyebrow and Tom shrugs, returning the smile slowly. He feels lighter somehow; like everything had been leading to this or something, like it was always meant to happen.
"You sure?" Mike asks, leaning forward to drag his lips across Tom's jaw. Tom turns his head into it, kissing him until Mike shifts and lays back, Tom on top of him. Tom feels like saying something, saying anything to break whatever comfortable atmosphere they've managed, but when Mike wraps his arms around him, Tom can't say anything. He doesn't want to say anything.
"Positive," Tom says, looking down at Mike, taking in the softness of his eyes, the way he stretches pliantly under Tom and it's all different and it's the same and when Tom smiles, Mike leans up to kiss him.
They meet in the middle and Tom doesn't worry about what's different or what's the same anymore.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 20 Oct 2010 05:26 (UTC)Also write me a million words about Jon and Nicole and their baby k thx.
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Date: 20 Oct 2010 05:28 (UTC)You know the nickname Jon has for him is Jojo from the Beatles song. JUST SAYING.
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Date: 20 Oct 2010 05:35 (UTC)no subject
Date: 20 Oct 2010 05:41 (UTC)(and OMG, I KNOW)
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Date: 20 Oct 2010 18:52 (UTC)/threadjack
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Date: 21 Oct 2010 04:15 (UTC)no subject
Date: 21 Oct 2010 04:16 (UTC)no subject
Date: 20 Oct 2010 10:24 (UTC)uwo. I like this, though tomrad/mike is kinda o_o but. oh yeah.
so jon is engaged to nicole not cassie? do you have her photo?
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Date: 20 Oct 2010 18:04 (UTC)And Tom and Mike have a very interesting push-pull type of dynamic to me. I mean, Tom is obviously good with the rest of TAI, except for Mike, and that says a lot, I think. But I would think, even with all of that tension and what-not, that in this situation (completely and totally fake, yes, but still, the situation of it) that Mike and Tom could put aside their differences for Jon. Especially after eight years, like I said in the fic.
And Nicole is actually Nicole Anderson (http://mayqueen517.livejournal.com/259266.html)(link goes to primer that I did) from the Disney Channel...I highly doubt she's even met Jon, though she does know Singer and Marshall from The Cab. No, I put Jon and Nicole together as a background pairing because of
Jon is still engaged to Cassie; I just don't feel comfortable writing significant others in fic, unless they're famous in their own right, IE: LynZ Way or whatever.
Thank you for the review!
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Date: 29 Oct 2010 04:04 (UTC)I love how you created such a sense of growing up (or being on the other side of growing up, I guess).
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Date: 29 Oct 2010 04:12 (UTC)And I really did want there to be a sense of...these guys have done a lot of growing up, and I didn't want it to be tense, but I did want a sense of awkwardness? Both of them strike me as being mildly awkward in social situations, and I wanted that in here. And it was one of those fics that came together very gracefully and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you again!
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Date: 30 Oct 2010 03:55 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Oct 2010 06:16 (UTC)