here's looking at you, ficlets
Long overdue batch of charity ficlets! A bunch of sequels again this time, and with more ficlets to come very soon when I carve out some more time to proof and format them. :D (If you're linked to this post directly and want to see it with the cut tags intact, click here.)
Disclaimer: No disrespect intended to any of the persons depicted herein, who I hope are all living happy and fulfilled lives with their partner(s) of choice. This is purely fictional, and not in any way intended as an accurate representation of reality.
Adam/Kris. 1061 words. PG. For pinkygoldfish. HS AU, part of the Six Months 'verse.
Boys Just Want to Have Fun
Prompt: A continuation of your high school AU-the July weekend at the lake.
Everyone goes up to the lake after graduation, everyone who's even peripherally in their group of friends. It's celebration and memories and hopes for the future and nobody wants to miss it. Some people are going to drive back into town later probably, or they have their own family place on this lake or one of the ones nearby to crash at, but Kris threw a tent in the back of his car just in case they aren't able to claim any bedroom space because he figures they aren't going anywhere.
"We're late," says Kris as they pull up behind a long string of haphazardly parked cars. Not that there's really any such thing as being late for one of these things-people will probably be showing up for hours-but still. They're later than he meant to be.
When Adam looks at him over the roof of the car, though, and smiles at him, Kris realizes he's not worried about being late. He's just nervous.
He smiles back and locks up and while he doesn't quite take Adam's hand as they walk up to the party, it's a pretty close thing. Later, though. Later it's not going to be almost anymore.
"It's about time!" he hears Katy say from the deck, and looks up to see her leaning way over the side to wave at him. "What, did you get lost?"
"Got distracted!" Kris calls up to her and, okay, they probably didn't actually need to stop at that rest stop on the way but it was just so private and deserted. Katy knows exactly what he's talking about and just smirks down at them. "Don't go anywhere, we're coming up."
He taps the back of Adam's hand with his, just a moment of brief contact, then they head for the stairs up the back of the house that head straight up to the deck and then on to the kitchen, both of which are pretty well populated. Not crowded, not like the yard or the dock, but definitely full enough.
"I'm going to grab us some drinks," says Adam, sneaking in a touch against the small of his back as they slip in the door past someone whose face he doesn't quite catch.
"I'm going to catch Katy before she comes looking," says Kris, and doesn't manage a quick grope of his own, but only for lack of opportunity, not for lack of desire.
"Kristopher," says Katy as he slips back out onto the deck, holding out both hands towards him. "You need to define 'distracted' for me."
"Shhh," says Kris, but then he laughs a little and rolls his eyes and lets her take his hands. "It wasn't like that. Exactly."
"Sure it wasn't," she says, and Kris just ducks his head and is glad it's getting dark outside now to at least hide some of his expression. "At least you made it, though."
"Are you kidding?" says Kris. "No way we were going to miss this. We've been planning for it."
"Everyone's been planning for it," says Katy. "I don't even think I know everybody here. It's like people even brought their cousin's best friend's neighbor's plumber or whatever."
"Katy!" they both hear, and Katy turns around and then practically leaps into someone's arms, and Kris just grins at them and moves out of the way and watches.
It's nice to take a breather for a moment while he still can, because he feels like the night is going to be pretty full. Katy's having an animated conversation and he sees another set of headlights coming up the road and then Adam's coming out onto the deck with the drinks.
Or at least he was, but he stops when he spots Kris standing there, just kind of stops and stares. And because it's Adam, because it's his Adam, Kris just stares right back.
The way Adam is looking at him right now, Kris feels like the only other person in the universe. If they've been waiting for the right moment, he feels like maybe this is it.
Kris has his back up against the wall, one foot flat up against it too, and he bites his lip and raises his eyebrow at Adam and waits. Adam sets both their drinks down on a bench and pauses there, just for a moment, then stalks over to Kris and puts a hand on either side of his face and kisses him stupid.
The moment he's there Kris doesn't pay any attention to anything else anymore. Because they did it. They just did it.
"What the heck was that?" says Charles when they part. "Did someone lose a bet?"
"Or won one," says Jim. "So we can talk about it now, right? Because I was seriously running out of euphemisms, and you know how I hate to use the same ones twice."
Kris is smiling too hard to even answer anyone, and because Adam is still close he grabs him and kisses him again, just because he can. Adam doesn't exactly protest.
"Oh my gosh finally," he hears Katy say from nearby. "I was wondering if you guys were going to do it this weekend."
"Yeah, me too," murmurs Kris as they finally part again. "Wow. Okay."
"I just saw you there," says Adam, "and...."
"Did exactly what I wanted you to do," says Kris, "in case you missed that. Which I don't think you possibly could have."
"Wait, I'm confused-" says Charles.
"They've been dating forever," says Katy, and Kris hears a noise that might be Katy smacking Charles on the arm but he's just not paying enough attention to anyone else to be absolutely sure. "They just didn't tell anyone."
"Seriously?" says Andrew. "How did I miss that?"
"Come on, you didn't know?" says Jim. "I thought everyone knew."
"I didn't know," says Cale. "I wondered a little, though. And I'm not just saying that because we all know now. I mean, we were seniors. Nobody studies that much."
And Kris almost has to laugh to see the three of them together like that, like his life flashing before his eyes, or his coming out process coming full circle in some strange way. Then he looks at Adam and is grateful that life led him here, to this moment, and to all the moments yet to come.
Adam/Kris. 1018 words. PG-13. For orihara_kaoru. HS AU, part of the Six Months 'verse.
Changes Upon Changes
Prompt: More HS AU. (Because I'd already done a Kris backstory, I decided that Adam needed one too.)
Adam has his first girlfriend when he's fifteen, much to the amazement of his friends and family. It just seems like everyone else is starting to date, so when this girl who takes voice lessons from the same woman Adam does seems sort of interested in him, he asks her if she wants to go to a movie with him. He's still more than a little surprised when she says yes.
All they ever do is hang out and hold hands and kiss a few times, awkwardly and without tongue, but she still counts as a girlfriend and that alone gets a lot of mileage, both for Adam himself and for the people interested in what he does. Even though it only lasts a couple of months before she starts dating this older guy and forgets about Adam.
And if Adam looks at things that aren't girls when he's alone at home on his computer, it doesn't have to mean anything, because he had a girlfriend.
He gets a lot of mileage out of that thought, too.
He doesn't really date after that, though. He's sort of got his group of friends who like him the way he is and they aren't really the dating types, they're all a little different and it makes Adam feel like it's okay to not try so hard to be something else. He knows it'll have to change eventually, but with them he doesn't feel any pressure to be anyone else or do anything he's not that into and he likes it that way. He can't say he's completely open with them, but then who's ever candid about everything? Some things are meant to just exist inside his head.
Adam thinks Alisan is pretty much the best thing ever. Danielle's his best friend but Alisan's his...something else. He's not sure what to call her sometimes. Partner in crime, maybe. They're not dating or anything, it's not like that, but she's his something.
He tells himself he can't be gay because Alisan's his something.
One night it just happens. They're both a little high, splitting a joint between them, and then they're on her bed, unbuttoning and unzipping and making out. They don't even talk about it first, or during, both just going on impulse and instinct. It's both too hurried and tedious, and even though it's kind of interesting and they laugh a lot, it all seems like a lot of work.
It gets a lot harder to lie to himself after that.
"Huh," says Adam, rolling onto his back and looking up at his ceiling. "I think I might be gay."
He worries as soon as it's out of his mouth, not that he's just outed himself but that he's horribly offended her. But she just laughs and reaches for her panties.
"Well, that's a relief," she says. "At least it's not me."
"Wait, was that bad?" he says. "Was I bad?"
"Well, it wasn't great," she tells him. "Obviously it wasn't great for you either." Adam feels kind of horrible, but then she leans over and laughs and kisses him. "Be honest."
"I think I'm just not into girl parts," he says. In fact, much as he adores her, thinking about doing it again just leaves him kind of cold. And bored. "Sorry?"
"Well, this is certainly one way to figure that out," she says, slipping her panties back on. "I'm going to roll another joint. You in?"
"Yeah, I'm definitely in," says Adam. "And can we, uh...?"
"Pretend this never happened?"
"Yeah, that," says Adam. He knows they're not going to forget, though, and he doesn't actually want to, he just doesn’t want to deal with all the implications right now, and he doesn't want things with Alisan to change.
They don't, except that she starts to really encourage him to be himself now that she's sure he hasn't been. He's pretty adamant about not coming out or anything, because he's got a lot of things to deal with before he ever feels ready to do that, but he takes her advice in other ways. He does some of the things he's always thought about doing but never really dared, liking changing the way he looks, the way he talks to people. It doesn't change him, but it makes his outside feel a little more like his inside.
He knows he's still insecure, and he knows he's still the musical theater geek who's not hot enough to get the leads even though he can sing the hell out of them. He knows this stuff, but he's a little more okay with it.
That's when Adam starts to notice Kris Allen. Not that he never noticed him before, because they've had the same group of friends for a while and they're the kind of friends who exchange gifts on holidays, but notice him. Notice him like he's never noticed a real person before. Adam's looked at a lot of guys, but they've mostly been virtual and when they weren't they were completely and utterly unattainable. Kris is a real guy that Adam can talk to and hang out with, and for the first time he starts to see a guy as someone who might be more than a friend.
It's a little bit terrifying.
He doesn't even tell Alisan, though she figures it out pretty fast. She doesn't tease him about it, though, like she teases him about everything else. Maybe because she gets how big it is for him, and how hard it is for him, and how it's both simple and confusing at the same time.
He doesn't know if Kris is looking at him the same way, but he notices every time Kris is the one to come seek him out and it's definitely more than sometimes. He starts to think maybe, just maybe. But he doesn't do anything, because it seems like such a huge risk if he's wrong, and he doesn't want to ruin what he has.
Adam's still uncertain about a lot of things about himself, but still he watches and waits and hopes.
Kris/Jim. 1386 words. NC-17. For capnzebbie. Sequel to Tequila Cake.
Pretzels and Beer
Prompt: Sequel to "Tequila Cake," on the phone or in person or whatever.
The first thing Jim notices is the shot glass that's set in front of him. Then he notices the person who put it there. Kris has one hand in his pocket, one hand on the shot glass and a definite smirk on his face.
"Oh no, Kris Allen, I am not doing shots with you," he says, jerking his head back to avoid meeting Kris's eyes. "This can only end badly."
"I guess that depends on what you consider bad," says Kris. "Go on, don't let it go to waste." He doesn't have one for himself, instead sitting down and reaching for the pretzels.
At least it isn't tequila, but as he sniffs it he realizes it's sambuca and that's almost as dangerous, even in small doses. Kris is looking at him expectantly, though, and a moment later Jim throws back the shot. He closes his eyes through the burn of it, and when he opens them again Kris is popping another pretzel in his mouth.
"Jess here tonight? he says, looking side to side like she might be nearby.
"Not this time," says Jim. "Katy?"
"She stayed home. I'll be back there tomorrow anyway. We've got an early flight."
"You should probably be in bed, then."
"That sounds almost like a proposition," says Kris. "Do you want another shot?"
Jim groans and faceplants into his crossed arms on the table. "I'm never going to live that one down, am I?"
"Live what down?" says Kris, with faux innocence. "I'm just offering to grab you another shot. Or maybe a beer, do you want a beer? Beer goes good with cake."
"I hate you."
"You really don't," says Kris and grins and him and orders him a beer. Beer is probably a much better life decision than shots, all things considered.
"Do we need to talk about it?" says Jim, the words coming out pained, talking more to the table than to Kris.
"We do not," says Kris, crunching on another pretzel. "We were both there. It was what it was. Everyone's got their quirks."
"We're calling it a quirk?"
"I didn't think we were calling it anything at all," says Kris. "So how many beers does it take to get you up to do karaoke?"
"More than one," says Jim. Especially if Kris is here listening to him. Not that singing karaoke is supposed to be used to impress anyone, ever. Jim's smarter than that. Except when Kris Allen is around. Kris kind of short circuits his common sense.
"Yeah, me too," says Kris. "Actually, I don't do karaoke."
"No, everyone else does karaoke," said Jim. "Kris Allen gets up and performs an original every time."
"Whatever," mutters Kris, but Jim can see the little smile on his face. "Try making a living doing covers and see how much you enjoy karaoke after that."
"Point taken," admits Jim, and tries not to be obvious about watching Kris's mouth as he pops another pretzel in it.
Only he doesn't so much pop it in as pause halfway, rest it on his lower lip and put just enough pressure on it that his lip is pulled into a pout. There is no way, just no way he doesn't know exactly what he's doing.
And if they don't want a repeat of the other night, Jim needs to do something about it.
"I'll be right back," he says, pushing his chair back so fast that it scrapes the floor and almost tumbles. "Beer goes right through me."
"Sure," says Kris. "You know where to find me."
Jim makes a break for the bathroom, slamming the stall door, and is just grateful that the room's empty because he just wants to do this, he doesn’t want to draw it out, he just wants to get it out of his system. He unbuckles and unzips and shoves a hand into his pants and he doesn't feel any relief at all. He just feels like he needs more.
It's more urgent than the last time, and in the back of his head he knows that Kris knows. He knows that this trip to the bathroom has nothing to do with the beer and everything to do with him.
There's a certain kind of embarrassment that comes with that, but there's a certain kind of excitement too. Because there's no mistake that Kris knows exactly what's going on and he's not stopping it. He's not even discouraging it. Jim would even say, and he doesn't think this is just wishful thinking, that Kris is kind of encouraging it a little.
He pulls his cock out and starts jerking it fast, leaning with his other arm against the stall wall and biting his lip so that even if anyone comes in, he's not making any telltale noises. Or at least, not making many telltale noises.
It's all kind of innocent in a way. Like a game. A sexy, sexy, sex game. And thinking about Kris actually saying those words making Jim's cock jerk in his hand.
The door does open then and Jim stops everything cold. He's gripping his cock tightly with one hand and his teeth are all but making his lip bleed and he is not making a movement and he is not making a sound. He hears whistling, then the sound of a zipper, then the unmistakable sound of Kris Allen's voice.
He's not even singing, not really, more muttering lyrics under his breath, but Jim still moves his hand a little. He can't help it. And then he moves his hand a little more because Kris shows no signs of hearing him. Not that Kris doesn't know he's in there. Kris has to know he's in there.
He lets out a soft sound, just a sigh, just a breath, really, and Kris's voice gets a little bit louder.
It’s then that Jim realizes he's only hearing Kris's voice, not anything else. Kris isn't actually using the bathroom he's just there. He's just there in Jim's space letting Jim know that he's there. Making him fully aware of Kris's presence, not on the other end of a phone line this time, but just on the other side of that stall door. If he opened it, they would see each other.
Jim doesn't open it but he does start jerking himself off again and just hopes that the noises he does make, the sound of skin on skin and the rustling of fabric, are muffled by Kris's own voice. Maybe that's part of the point.
"Too bad you can't watch me drink my beer," says Kris, just conversationally, and Jim almost chokes at the direct acknowledgement. "I got myself one while I was waiting. I know people watch me drink things sometimes."
Jim doesn't say anything. Kris knows exactly why people watch him drink things. But of course he still imagines it, watches imaginary Kris's lips wrap around the mouth of a beer bottle, maybe slide down it a little. He wonders how much of the beer bottle Kris can actually get down his throat, and then he's jerking and coming. Just like that.
As he gasps, and as his hand involuntarily bangs against the stall wall, Kris begins humming under his breath again, not enough to mask the sound though. Just enough that it makes his orgasm even more intense.
And then as Jim catches his breath he hears Kris's zipper go up again, hears the shuffle of his shoes on the floor then the opening and closing of the bathroom door as he leaves the room without another word.
Jim lets himself out of the stall but still takes a few more moments to compose himself, to let the color leave his face, to rinse his hands and then his neck in cool water, to pat himself down and straighten his shirt and look at himself in the mirror until he almost looks normal again.
It's not as though Kris isn't going to be sitting at their table, smirking and eating pretzels and knowing exactly what Jim just did, but he'll know what he just did too. He's not exactly an innocent bystander.
And it's that thought that gives Jim the courage to return, because he's not alone in this game, and he has nothing to be ashamed of.
Adam/Kris. 1837 words. PG-13. For pinkygoldfish. Follow-up to Tomorrow Takes Me Higher.
This Is Ourselves
Prompt: Follow up to Tomorrow Takes Me Higher-Anything with interaction between Adam and Kris's kids.
Adam was just glad he still had his earpiece in because he had one hand in the fridge and one hand flipping pancakes and he had to answer the phone with his hip as it was. Actually having to pick it up would've been an impossible task.
"Let me guess," he said. "You're running later?"
"Traffic," said Kris apologetically. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Did Katy get there yet?"
"Any minute now," said Adam, glancing at a clock and expecting that Katy was going to be a lot more punctual than Kris, since she had a flight to catch after dropping the kids off. "I cooked."
"How'd that work out for you?"
"Surprisingly well," said Adam. "I think your kids will find it edible."
"Remember no strawberries for Sadie."
"There aren't even any strawberries in the house, Kris," said Adam. As if he didn't remember that she couldn’t have them. He wasn't an amateur.
"Okay, traffic's moving, see you soon," said Kris, and the call was cut off right there. It wasn't that Adam didn't want to talk to him but he was kind of relieved by that because he wasn't quite done putting breakfast together and the doorbell was going to ring any moment now.
Technically, Adam didn't live here. Technically he still had a little house he was renting, where all of his stuff was, but he found he didn't miss that stuff all that much when he was spending half his time at Kris's house. Okay, some of it he missed, but he'd stocked Kris's bathroom to his satisfaction and enough of his clothes had made the migration that he was comfortable, and Kris always did have an extensive collection of music so that was covered.
Technically Adam didn't live here, but it was starting to feel like home.
The doorbell rang about fifteen seconds after he turned the stove off, but before he managed to get anything to the table, which Adam called a win, all things considered.
"Hey," he said, swinging the door open and letting Sadie launch herself at his leg, which she promptly did. "Kris is running late, but I promise to feed and clothe and lavish attention on them in his absence."
"Traffic, I know," she said.
"Ah," said Adam. "He called you."
"Just covering all his bases," said Katy, leaning in so Adam could give her a kiss on the cheek. As he did Max slipped into the house through the gap he left. "How's he doing?" he asked softly, petting Sadie's soft hair as she wrapped herself around him.
Katy shrugged a little. "I don't think you'll have any problems," she said. "I was hoping Kris would beat me here anyway, but it smells like they're going to be eating so that should get you a reprieve."
"Thanks," said Adam, glancing over his shoulder again just to make sure he had a handle on where Max was. "Anything else I should know?"
"Nothing you don't already know," she said. "You know where to reach me, and give Kris a kiss for me, would you? I'm sorry I missed him, but I've got to run if I want to catch my flight."
"I know," said Adam. "Have a safe trip. Max, are you going to say good-bye to your mom?"
"Bye mom!" said Max. "Come back soon!"
Katy gave Adam a significant look, then bent over to give Sadie a kiss good-bye. "I'll see you all in a few days," she said. "Tell Kris I'll call him when I land."
"Will do," said Adam, and didn't keep her as she dashed back to her car and took off, trying to beat traffic on her way to the airport. He was sure she had plenty of time, technically, but plenty of time didn't always mean anything in LA.
"All right, Sadie, how about you and me join your brother for breakfast?"
Sadie finally let go of his leg and toddled into the kitchen, and she didn't need the high chair anymore but there was a booster chair set out for her that Adam swung her up into.
Adam kept an eye on Max throughout breakfast while he helped Sadie with her pancakes (half of which ended up smeared on her face).
Max was quiet, which from Max was not a great sign. Even when Max was upset about something he usually babbled on and on. Quiet was something Adam wasn't used to dealing with when it came to Max.
"You want to talk to me about it?" Adam said finally after he cleaned up the breakfast dishes, really hoping that Kris was going to get home soon.
"With you?" said Max, shooting him a look.
"You used to talk to me about a lot of stuff," said Adam. "You used to talk to me all the time. I kind of miss that."
"That was before," said Max. Before what, Adam wasn't sure. It could mean before he started dating Kris, but that wasn't exactly recent anymore. Or maybe before Max started school. Or maybe before something else entirely that Adam didn't know anything about. He'd been in Europe, and then Brazil, and he'd missed a lot last month.
"So what changed then?" said Adam. "Did I do something?"
Max scowled at him and crossed his little arms and it was just so unlike him. Maybe it was just like Katy said last time they talked, maybe it was just a phase that would pass. Max was a happy, outgoing kid, but some stuff still needed adjustment. Some stuff still needed getting used to.
"Maybe," he said finally.
At least it was an answer. Adam wanted to ask him what, exactly, but then Sadie gave a little yelp and Adam realized she was tall enough now to reach the cactus on the shelf, and by the time he tended to that, Max had clammed up again.
Adam didn't jump up when he heard the door open, but it was a close thing. "I am so sorry," said Kris as Sadie went careening up the hallway to meet him. "There was an accident on the freeway and it took forever to funnel past it."
Adam thought Max would race for him too, glad to have his father back, but Kris seemed to be getting the silent treatment from him too. Adam hated himself a little for being relieved by that, but...okay, he was a little relieved by that, because it wasn't just him. And if it wasn't just him, then it definitely wouldn't be forever.
"Hey, Sadie girl," said Kris, swinging her up into his arms as he went. "What's new with you?"
"Daddy!" she said, which was apparently the newest and most important thing right now.
"Max is watching TV," said Adam, angling his head towards the living room. "He's...."
"It'll be all right," Kris reassured him, hauling Sadie on his hip as he went to greet his son. "So I see Adam didn't poison you." Max gave Adam a dark look, like maybe Adam had tried. "Hey, what's that about?"
"Nothing," said Max, looking at the TV again.
"Hey, don't nothing me," said Kris, pushing where Adam hadn't really dared. Kris was their father, and Adam was...Adam wasn't sure what he was yet. Maybe that was the problem. "Is something going on?"
"No," he muttered. Then, like he'd said to Adam before, "Maybe."
"Maybe what, then?" said Kris, letting Sadie down again when she squirmed. She headed straight back for the cactus, and Adam was kind of glad to have something concrete to do while he eavesdropped on Kris and Max's conversation.
"Maybe something's wrong," he said, crossing his arms again. "I don't want to go to school anymore."
"I think everyone feels like that sometimes," said Kris, sitting down with him and resting his arm along the back of the couch. "Any particular reason?"
"Just because," said Max. "Mom can teach me at home."
"Have you told your mother this plan?" said Kris, while Adam grabbed hold of both of Sadie's hands and made funny faces at her.
"No," admitted Max. "But she loves me and she said she'd do anything for me."
"I'm pretty sure anything didn't mean taking you out of school," said Kris. "Your mom has other things she needs to be doing."
"Nothing is more important than me," said Max. "She said so. Mom loves me and Sadie best."
"Of course she does," said Kris. "I love you best, too. But that doesn't mean you don't have to do to school."
"You love Adam better than me."
Oh.
"No," said Kris, though, unflustered by the turn the conversation had taken. "I love Adam different from you. There's nobody I love better than you and Sadie, nobody in the whole world."
"You used to," said Max. "There used to be nobody but you and Mom and me and Sadie. Then it changed."
Kris sighed and Adam wished there was some way he could take this off his shoulders, but while Adam was a part of this conversation too, he wasn't a part of this conversation yet.
"Sometimes when things change, that's not a bad thing," said Kris. "Do you think I'm not spending enough time with you anymore?"
"I wish we had more," said Max.
"Then maybe we can work on that," said Kris. "But look how much extra time you get with Adam now. Instead of just seeing him once in a while, you get to see him a lot."
"But you see him more," said Max. "You're more special to Adam than I am anymore."
Now that, that wasn't the direction Adam expected this conversation to take. Adam was the interloper. Adam was the new addition to this family that was changing everything. He didn't know Max's jealousy was going to run in both directions.
"Did you ask Adam about that?" said Kris, and Adam could feel Kris's eyes on hi back as he continued to distract Sadie. "Because I'm pretty sure Adam still thinks you're just about the most special little boy he knows."
Adam didn't answer, because he wasn't supposed to be eavesdropping, and Max didn't actually ask, but Adam prepared himself to answer that question in the near future.
"And you're not going to forget about me? Even though you don't see me all the time anymore and sometimes I'm at school and you couldn't even see me if you wanted to?"
"Are you kidding?" said Kris. "Never. Never ever ever ever. And if your mom ever dates someone, she's never ever ever going to forget about you either. You'll always be our boy, okay?"
Max didn't seem to be completely satisfied, but at least it was a start.
Adam sometimes missed the days when he was Uncle Adam, who came bearing awesome music and even more awesome toys and who Max was always excited to see. But once they got through this rough patch, he knew that the relationship they'd have now would be even better.
Kris/Cale, (Adam/Brad). 1913 words. PG. For wildchild1222. Sequel to One Night In Jacksonville.
Tomorrow Starts Today
Prompt: More Krale HS AU.
"We're going to the place at the mall," Allison told them on her third phone call of the day, "because some guy Adam is crushing on works there so Katy just vetoed everyone else because Adam wouldn't."
"We should just let Katy run our lives all the time," said Kris. "That didn't even take an hour for us to figure out what to do."
"Just imagine the shit movies we'd watch if we let Katy make all the decisions," said Allison. "Is Cale with you? Tell him too."
"Yeah, he's here," said Kris, shooting him a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, I'll tell him. So you'll be there in an hour?"
"Or so," said Allison. "Whatever. We'll be in the usual place anyway, because I guess it has a good view of this Brad guy."
"Well, that should be fun," said Kris, and it came out a little dry, but he meant it. And he was going to tease the heck out of Adam because Adam had been teasing him and Cale as often as he could get away with. "I'll see you there!" He slid the phone into his pocket and turned to Cale and just said, "Mall," and that summed it up.
It didn't matter where they were going, though. Wherever they were going, they'd decided today was going to be the day.
"So you're going to do it, right?"
"I thought you were going to do it?"
"But you're better at talking than I am," said Kris. "You should do it."
"It doesn't really matter, does it?" said Cale. "It's going to be both of us there, anyway. It's only a few words. It could be either one of us. If you still want to, I mean."
"Of course I want to!" said Kris. "We just need to figure it out before we do it, otherwise it's just going to be a mess. Anything that needs me to actually say something...well, you've seen me do presentations in class."
"They're our friends," said Cale. "It doesn't have to be articulate."
The next hour, though, was spent in a combination of deciding who was going to actually do the coming out part, and what to get to eat at the food court, and what shoes Kris was going to wear. And sort-of-accidentally-on-purpose touching each other at every opportunity.
"That's him there," said Allison when they found everyone at the big table in front of the crappy taco place. At least Brad didn't work at the taco place, he worked at the Italian one, not the one with the soggy pizza but the one that actually had pasta and salad and stuff.
"He's kind of cute," said Cale, and when Matt just gave him a look he just shrugged and said, "What? He is."
Kris thought that was a pretty good lead-in, but Cale didn't take it, not even when Katy agreed with him that Brad was kind of cute, even in that stupid green polo shirt they made all their employees wear.
"Where's Adam, anyway?" said Kris, stealing a french fry from Cale's tray.
"Fixing his hair," said Allison, rolling her eyes, though with his vast experience with gay crushes, Kris thought it was more likely he was pacing nervously outside. He was almost getting ready to go check, returning the favor Adam had once done him, when Adam finally joined them, sliding right into the empty seat with the best view of Brad.
"Sorry," he said, and he definitely hadn't spent the time fixing his hair. The fact that it looked a little windblown just supported Kris's theory that he'd been out in the parking lot the whole time. "You guys haven't been here long, right?"
"Forever," said Allison, stealing a sip from Andrew's drink. He shot her a look, but didn't complain. "But don't worry, we've been watching your boyfriend for you."
"He's not-" said Adam, and then just pressed his lips together and rolled his eyes. "Should I go get something to eat from him? Would that be weird?"
"Would talking to the guy you like be weird? Oh, I don't know," said Matt. "You could just spend the rest of your life staring at him instead, if you want."
"Yeah, I'll take that one," muttered Adam, and Kris grinned and kicked him under the table and mouthed "go talk to him!" at him.
"He's cute," said Katy. "Even Cale thinks so."
"And Cale is clearly the ultimate authority," said Andrew. "If Cale thinks someone is hot, it must be true."
"That's right," said Cale. "Would you like to hear what the ultimate authority thinks your prospects are?"
"Pass," said Andrew, but he actually almost smiled at that which wasn't something Kris saw every day. "Just go get some pasta or salad or whatever it is you want to get from him. We'll watch and gauge his reactions."
"I'll watch and gauge his reactions," said Katy, "and try to make sure the rest of them behave."
"That's more like it," said Adam, and he took a deep breath and pushed himself back from the table again.
It didn't take a relationship expert to know that Brad was flirting back, though, and Kris kind of wondered if this was what Adam had seen for the longest time when he watched Kris and Cale. No wonder he thought they were being completely obvious.
"Yup, he's into him," said Matt, and turned away after about two minutes of watching, already having firmly committed to his verdict. Nobody argued.
"How can you tell?" said Allison. "Did he touch him? Did he touch him and I missed it?"
"Sometimes you can just tell," said Matt.
Kris stole a glance at Cale, and Cale was looking town at the table but he knocked his knee against Kris's and he was obviously aware both of Kris's attention and the conversation that was going on around them.
It was ten minutes before Adam came back, which was more than enough time not only to have gotten food but to have eaten it, too.
"So?" he said when he sat back down. "Did you watch? What did you think? Do I have a shot?"
"Adam," said Katy. "If we hadn't been in the middle of a food court right now that boy would've climbed you like a tree. Just ask him out already. What's the worst that can happen?"
"He could be horrified and hate me and out me to the entire school and then someone could beat me up and scar me for life?" said Adam. Everyone kind of stared at him. "You did ask for worst."
"First of all," said Katy, "we've got your back. And second of all...seriously, the worst that can happen is that he says no. And then you come over and we commiserate with ice cream."
"Video games," said Matt.
"Rocky road," said Katy.
"Grand Theft Auto," said Matt.
"Whatever," said Kris, making sure Adam was looking at him and knowing Adam knew how much Kris had invested in this too. "It'd be okay. Sometimes you have to take that chance."
"Yeah," said Adam, looking at him again. "I mean, not today, not right now. But...I'm going to do it. Monday."
"Monday night we're all going out and we're going to ask you about it," said Andrew. "We're holding you do that. If you chicken out, we're all going to know it."
"I'm not going to chicken out," said Adam. "Monday after school. It's going to happen."
And Kris really believed it was, not because they'd issued threats but because Adam looked both excited and terrified at the prospect and Kris knew exactly how that felt.
And even after all of that, Cale never said a word. And because Cale never said a word, Kris stubbornly didn't either, until they were packing up to go and talking about whether they wanted to go to a movie tonight or whether there was something else going on or whether the party out at Megan's place was going to be worth checking out.
"You were supposed to do it," said Kris, giving Cale's shoulder a little shove as they headed through the parking lot towards Cale's car, about twenty feet ahead of everyone else.
"There was never a good time," said Cale, shoving back. "I tried!"
"There were ten good times," said Kris, grinning and shoving him a little harder. Cale stumbled but Kris was the one who fell, tripping on a pothole when he was too worried about having given Cale's shoulder a too-hard knock. Cale looked horrified at first, but then Kris just started laughing and Cale snorted at him and just left him there on his ass for a few moments.
Finally Cale offered him a hand up and Kris was abruptly levered right up against him. Then Cale was leaning down and kissing him and afterwards Kris gave him such a giddy, lovestruck look that he wouldn't have been surprised if the entire mall had noticed. He was so completely embarrassed, but Cale still had his hand so he couldn't go anywhere. Embarrassed about his ridiculous reaction, not about the kiss. The kiss...the kiss was pretty awesome.
"Shit," murmured Cale, sort of realizing what he'd just done, and Kris just laughed again because he said it completely within earshot of everyone as they caught up.
"So I'm guessing that's not how you planned this," said Matt dryly.
"Not exactly," admitted Cale. "I had a speech."
"You did not," said Kris.
"I made it up in the car on the way over," said Cale. "In my head."
"You know we figured it out, right?" said Matt. "I mean, before the kiss."
Kris just shrugged and yeah, he figured maybe there'd been more than a few clues these past few weeks. Given what they all noticed about Adam and Brad today, there'd probably been enough clues long before they got together. But knowing and knowing weren't the same thing.
"I didn't know!" said Allison, punching Kris's shoulder. "Jerk. Why didn't I know?"
"Because we just told you now!" said Kris. "Or at least, we meant to. That's how this was supposed to happen."
"It just never seemed like the right moment," said Cale, like he hadn't been set up for it about a dozen times. "I would've done it eventually."
"When?" said Kris. "After we made it back to my place and no one was around anymore?" He didn't make too much of it, though, because it of course always hung in the air that he could've done it just as easily. And besides, Cale was holding his hand now and it was hard to even play argue after that.
"Before the party," said Cale. "I would've done it before the party. If we're going to the party. Are we going to the party?"
"You're changing the subject," said Allison, but no one else seemed to think he was.
"I think it's going to be a good time," said Katy. "Do I need to make an executive decision again?"
"I agree," said Andrew. "I'm down with the party. Megan's good times."
"All in favor?" said Katy. "Do I need to call a vote?"
And it was then Kris realized that they weren't really changing the subject at all, it was just that him and Cale was something that didn't need to be talked about and for him, right now, there weren't a lot of better feelings than that.
Disclaimer: No disrespect intended to any of the persons depicted herein, who I hope are all living happy and fulfilled lives with their partner(s) of choice. This is purely fictional, and not in any way intended as an accurate representation of reality.
Adam/Kris. 1061 words. PG. For pinkygoldfish. HS AU, part of the Six Months 'verse.
Boys Just Want to Have Fun
Prompt: A continuation of your high school AU-the July weekend at the lake.
Everyone goes up to the lake after graduation, everyone who's even peripherally in their group of friends. It's celebration and memories and hopes for the future and nobody wants to miss it. Some people are going to drive back into town later probably, or they have their own family place on this lake or one of the ones nearby to crash at, but Kris threw a tent in the back of his car just in case they aren't able to claim any bedroom space because he figures they aren't going anywhere.
"We're late," says Kris as they pull up behind a long string of haphazardly parked cars. Not that there's really any such thing as being late for one of these things-people will probably be showing up for hours-but still. They're later than he meant to be.
When Adam looks at him over the roof of the car, though, and smiles at him, Kris realizes he's not worried about being late. He's just nervous.
He smiles back and locks up and while he doesn't quite take Adam's hand as they walk up to the party, it's a pretty close thing. Later, though. Later it's not going to be almost anymore.
"It's about time!" he hears Katy say from the deck, and looks up to see her leaning way over the side to wave at him. "What, did you get lost?"
"Got distracted!" Kris calls up to her and, okay, they probably didn't actually need to stop at that rest stop on the way but it was just so private and deserted. Katy knows exactly what he's talking about and just smirks down at them. "Don't go anywhere, we're coming up."
He taps the back of Adam's hand with his, just a moment of brief contact, then they head for the stairs up the back of the house that head straight up to the deck and then on to the kitchen, both of which are pretty well populated. Not crowded, not like the yard or the dock, but definitely full enough.
"I'm going to grab us some drinks," says Adam, sneaking in a touch against the small of his back as they slip in the door past someone whose face he doesn't quite catch.
"I'm going to catch Katy before she comes looking," says Kris, and doesn't manage a quick grope of his own, but only for lack of opportunity, not for lack of desire.
"Kristopher," says Katy as he slips back out onto the deck, holding out both hands towards him. "You need to define 'distracted' for me."
"Shhh," says Kris, but then he laughs a little and rolls his eyes and lets her take his hands. "It wasn't like that. Exactly."
"Sure it wasn't," she says, and Kris just ducks his head and is glad it's getting dark outside now to at least hide some of his expression. "At least you made it, though."
"Are you kidding?" says Kris. "No way we were going to miss this. We've been planning for it."
"Everyone's been planning for it," says Katy. "I don't even think I know everybody here. It's like people even brought their cousin's best friend's neighbor's plumber or whatever."
"Katy!" they both hear, and Katy turns around and then practically leaps into someone's arms, and Kris just grins at them and moves out of the way and watches.
It's nice to take a breather for a moment while he still can, because he feels like the night is going to be pretty full. Katy's having an animated conversation and he sees another set of headlights coming up the road and then Adam's coming out onto the deck with the drinks.
Or at least he was, but he stops when he spots Kris standing there, just kind of stops and stares. And because it's Adam, because it's his Adam, Kris just stares right back.
The way Adam is looking at him right now, Kris feels like the only other person in the universe. If they've been waiting for the right moment, he feels like maybe this is it.
Kris has his back up against the wall, one foot flat up against it too, and he bites his lip and raises his eyebrow at Adam and waits. Adam sets both their drinks down on a bench and pauses there, just for a moment, then stalks over to Kris and puts a hand on either side of his face and kisses him stupid.
The moment he's there Kris doesn't pay any attention to anything else anymore. Because they did it. They just did it.
"What the heck was that?" says Charles when they part. "Did someone lose a bet?"
"Or won one," says Jim. "So we can talk about it now, right? Because I was seriously running out of euphemisms, and you know how I hate to use the same ones twice."
Kris is smiling too hard to even answer anyone, and because Adam is still close he grabs him and kisses him again, just because he can. Adam doesn't exactly protest.
"Oh my gosh finally," he hears Katy say from nearby. "I was wondering if you guys were going to do it this weekend."
"Yeah, me too," murmurs Kris as they finally part again. "Wow. Okay."
"I just saw you there," says Adam, "and...."
"Did exactly what I wanted you to do," says Kris, "in case you missed that. Which I don't think you possibly could have."
"Wait, I'm confused-" says Charles.
"They've been dating forever," says Katy, and Kris hears a noise that might be Katy smacking Charles on the arm but he's just not paying enough attention to anyone else to be absolutely sure. "They just didn't tell anyone."
"Seriously?" says Andrew. "How did I miss that?"
"Come on, you didn't know?" says Jim. "I thought everyone knew."
"I didn't know," says Cale. "I wondered a little, though. And I'm not just saying that because we all know now. I mean, we were seniors. Nobody studies that much."
And Kris almost has to laugh to see the three of them together like that, like his life flashing before his eyes, or his coming out process coming full circle in some strange way. Then he looks at Adam and is grateful that life led him here, to this moment, and to all the moments yet to come.
Adam/Kris. 1018 words. PG-13. For orihara_kaoru. HS AU, part of the Six Months 'verse.
Changes Upon Changes
Prompt: More HS AU. (Because I'd already done a Kris backstory, I decided that Adam needed one too.)
Adam has his first girlfriend when he's fifteen, much to the amazement of his friends and family. It just seems like everyone else is starting to date, so when this girl who takes voice lessons from the same woman Adam does seems sort of interested in him, he asks her if she wants to go to a movie with him. He's still more than a little surprised when she says yes.
All they ever do is hang out and hold hands and kiss a few times, awkwardly and without tongue, but she still counts as a girlfriend and that alone gets a lot of mileage, both for Adam himself and for the people interested in what he does. Even though it only lasts a couple of months before she starts dating this older guy and forgets about Adam.
And if Adam looks at things that aren't girls when he's alone at home on his computer, it doesn't have to mean anything, because he had a girlfriend.
He gets a lot of mileage out of that thought, too.
He doesn't really date after that, though. He's sort of got his group of friends who like him the way he is and they aren't really the dating types, they're all a little different and it makes Adam feel like it's okay to not try so hard to be something else. He knows it'll have to change eventually, but with them he doesn't feel any pressure to be anyone else or do anything he's not that into and he likes it that way. He can't say he's completely open with them, but then who's ever candid about everything? Some things are meant to just exist inside his head.
Adam thinks Alisan is pretty much the best thing ever. Danielle's his best friend but Alisan's his...something else. He's not sure what to call her sometimes. Partner in crime, maybe. They're not dating or anything, it's not like that, but she's his something.
He tells himself he can't be gay because Alisan's his something.
One night it just happens. They're both a little high, splitting a joint between them, and then they're on her bed, unbuttoning and unzipping and making out. They don't even talk about it first, or during, both just going on impulse and instinct. It's both too hurried and tedious, and even though it's kind of interesting and they laugh a lot, it all seems like a lot of work.
It gets a lot harder to lie to himself after that.
"Huh," says Adam, rolling onto his back and looking up at his ceiling. "I think I might be gay."
He worries as soon as it's out of his mouth, not that he's just outed himself but that he's horribly offended her. But she just laughs and reaches for her panties.
"Well, that's a relief," she says. "At least it's not me."
"Wait, was that bad?" he says. "Was I bad?"
"Well, it wasn't great," she tells him. "Obviously it wasn't great for you either." Adam feels kind of horrible, but then she leans over and laughs and kisses him. "Be honest."
"I think I'm just not into girl parts," he says. In fact, much as he adores her, thinking about doing it again just leaves him kind of cold. And bored. "Sorry?"
"Well, this is certainly one way to figure that out," she says, slipping her panties back on. "I'm going to roll another joint. You in?"
"Yeah, I'm definitely in," says Adam. "And can we, uh...?"
"Pretend this never happened?"
"Yeah, that," says Adam. He knows they're not going to forget, though, and he doesn't actually want to, he just doesn’t want to deal with all the implications right now, and he doesn't want things with Alisan to change.
They don't, except that she starts to really encourage him to be himself now that she's sure he hasn't been. He's pretty adamant about not coming out or anything, because he's got a lot of things to deal with before he ever feels ready to do that, but he takes her advice in other ways. He does some of the things he's always thought about doing but never really dared, liking changing the way he looks, the way he talks to people. It doesn't change him, but it makes his outside feel a little more like his inside.
He knows he's still insecure, and he knows he's still the musical theater geek who's not hot enough to get the leads even though he can sing the hell out of them. He knows this stuff, but he's a little more okay with it.
That's when Adam starts to notice Kris Allen. Not that he never noticed him before, because they've had the same group of friends for a while and they're the kind of friends who exchange gifts on holidays, but notice him. Notice him like he's never noticed a real person before. Adam's looked at a lot of guys, but they've mostly been virtual and when they weren't they were completely and utterly unattainable. Kris is a real guy that Adam can talk to and hang out with, and for the first time he starts to see a guy as someone who might be more than a friend.
It's a little bit terrifying.
He doesn't even tell Alisan, though she figures it out pretty fast. She doesn't tease him about it, though, like she teases him about everything else. Maybe because she gets how big it is for him, and how hard it is for him, and how it's both simple and confusing at the same time.
He doesn't know if Kris is looking at him the same way, but he notices every time Kris is the one to come seek him out and it's definitely more than sometimes. He starts to think maybe, just maybe. But he doesn't do anything, because it seems like such a huge risk if he's wrong, and he doesn't want to ruin what he has.
Adam's still uncertain about a lot of things about himself, but still he watches and waits and hopes.
Kris/Jim. 1386 words. NC-17. For capnzebbie. Sequel to Tequila Cake.
Pretzels and Beer
Prompt: Sequel to "Tequila Cake," on the phone or in person or whatever.
The first thing Jim notices is the shot glass that's set in front of him. Then he notices the person who put it there. Kris has one hand in his pocket, one hand on the shot glass and a definite smirk on his face.
"Oh no, Kris Allen, I am not doing shots with you," he says, jerking his head back to avoid meeting Kris's eyes. "This can only end badly."
"I guess that depends on what you consider bad," says Kris. "Go on, don't let it go to waste." He doesn't have one for himself, instead sitting down and reaching for the pretzels.
At least it isn't tequila, but as he sniffs it he realizes it's sambuca and that's almost as dangerous, even in small doses. Kris is looking at him expectantly, though, and a moment later Jim throws back the shot. He closes his eyes through the burn of it, and when he opens them again Kris is popping another pretzel in his mouth.
"Jess here tonight? he says, looking side to side like she might be nearby.
"Not this time," says Jim. "Katy?"
"She stayed home. I'll be back there tomorrow anyway. We've got an early flight."
"You should probably be in bed, then."
"That sounds almost like a proposition," says Kris. "Do you want another shot?"
Jim groans and faceplants into his crossed arms on the table. "I'm never going to live that one down, am I?"
"Live what down?" says Kris, with faux innocence. "I'm just offering to grab you another shot. Or maybe a beer, do you want a beer? Beer goes good with cake."
"I hate you."
"You really don't," says Kris and grins and him and orders him a beer. Beer is probably a much better life decision than shots, all things considered.
"Do we need to talk about it?" says Jim, the words coming out pained, talking more to the table than to Kris.
"We do not," says Kris, crunching on another pretzel. "We were both there. It was what it was. Everyone's got their quirks."
"We're calling it a quirk?"
"I didn't think we were calling it anything at all," says Kris. "So how many beers does it take to get you up to do karaoke?"
"More than one," says Jim. Especially if Kris is here listening to him. Not that singing karaoke is supposed to be used to impress anyone, ever. Jim's smarter than that. Except when Kris Allen is around. Kris kind of short circuits his common sense.
"Yeah, me too," says Kris. "Actually, I don't do karaoke."
"No, everyone else does karaoke," said Jim. "Kris Allen gets up and performs an original every time."
"Whatever," mutters Kris, but Jim can see the little smile on his face. "Try making a living doing covers and see how much you enjoy karaoke after that."
"Point taken," admits Jim, and tries not to be obvious about watching Kris's mouth as he pops another pretzel in it.
Only he doesn't so much pop it in as pause halfway, rest it on his lower lip and put just enough pressure on it that his lip is pulled into a pout. There is no way, just no way he doesn't know exactly what he's doing.
And if they don't want a repeat of the other night, Jim needs to do something about it.
"I'll be right back," he says, pushing his chair back so fast that it scrapes the floor and almost tumbles. "Beer goes right through me."
"Sure," says Kris. "You know where to find me."
Jim makes a break for the bathroom, slamming the stall door, and is just grateful that the room's empty because he just wants to do this, he doesn’t want to draw it out, he just wants to get it out of his system. He unbuckles and unzips and shoves a hand into his pants and he doesn't feel any relief at all. He just feels like he needs more.
It's more urgent than the last time, and in the back of his head he knows that Kris knows. He knows that this trip to the bathroom has nothing to do with the beer and everything to do with him.
There's a certain kind of embarrassment that comes with that, but there's a certain kind of excitement too. Because there's no mistake that Kris knows exactly what's going on and he's not stopping it. He's not even discouraging it. Jim would even say, and he doesn't think this is just wishful thinking, that Kris is kind of encouraging it a little.
He pulls his cock out and starts jerking it fast, leaning with his other arm against the stall wall and biting his lip so that even if anyone comes in, he's not making any telltale noises. Or at least, not making many telltale noises.
It's all kind of innocent in a way. Like a game. A sexy, sexy, sex game. And thinking about Kris actually saying those words making Jim's cock jerk in his hand.
The door does open then and Jim stops everything cold. He's gripping his cock tightly with one hand and his teeth are all but making his lip bleed and he is not making a movement and he is not making a sound. He hears whistling, then the sound of a zipper, then the unmistakable sound of Kris Allen's voice.
He's not even singing, not really, more muttering lyrics under his breath, but Jim still moves his hand a little. He can't help it. And then he moves his hand a little more because Kris shows no signs of hearing him. Not that Kris doesn't know he's in there. Kris has to know he's in there.
He lets out a soft sound, just a sigh, just a breath, really, and Kris's voice gets a little bit louder.
It’s then that Jim realizes he's only hearing Kris's voice, not anything else. Kris isn't actually using the bathroom he's just there. He's just there in Jim's space letting Jim know that he's there. Making him fully aware of Kris's presence, not on the other end of a phone line this time, but just on the other side of that stall door. If he opened it, they would see each other.
Jim doesn't open it but he does start jerking himself off again and just hopes that the noises he does make, the sound of skin on skin and the rustling of fabric, are muffled by Kris's own voice. Maybe that's part of the point.
"Too bad you can't watch me drink my beer," says Kris, just conversationally, and Jim almost chokes at the direct acknowledgement. "I got myself one while I was waiting. I know people watch me drink things sometimes."
Jim doesn't say anything. Kris knows exactly why people watch him drink things. But of course he still imagines it, watches imaginary Kris's lips wrap around the mouth of a beer bottle, maybe slide down it a little. He wonders how much of the beer bottle Kris can actually get down his throat, and then he's jerking and coming. Just like that.
As he gasps, and as his hand involuntarily bangs against the stall wall, Kris begins humming under his breath again, not enough to mask the sound though. Just enough that it makes his orgasm even more intense.
And then as Jim catches his breath he hears Kris's zipper go up again, hears the shuffle of his shoes on the floor then the opening and closing of the bathroom door as he leaves the room without another word.
Jim lets himself out of the stall but still takes a few more moments to compose himself, to let the color leave his face, to rinse his hands and then his neck in cool water, to pat himself down and straighten his shirt and look at himself in the mirror until he almost looks normal again.
It's not as though Kris isn't going to be sitting at their table, smirking and eating pretzels and knowing exactly what Jim just did, but he'll know what he just did too. He's not exactly an innocent bystander.
And it's that thought that gives Jim the courage to return, because he's not alone in this game, and he has nothing to be ashamed of.
Adam/Kris. 1837 words. PG-13. For pinkygoldfish. Follow-up to Tomorrow Takes Me Higher.
This Is Ourselves
Prompt: Follow up to Tomorrow Takes Me Higher-Anything with interaction between Adam and Kris's kids.
Adam was just glad he still had his earpiece in because he had one hand in the fridge and one hand flipping pancakes and he had to answer the phone with his hip as it was. Actually having to pick it up would've been an impossible task.
"Let me guess," he said. "You're running later?"
"Traffic," said Kris apologetically. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Did Katy get there yet?"
"Any minute now," said Adam, glancing at a clock and expecting that Katy was going to be a lot more punctual than Kris, since she had a flight to catch after dropping the kids off. "I cooked."
"How'd that work out for you?"
"Surprisingly well," said Adam. "I think your kids will find it edible."
"Remember no strawberries for Sadie."
"There aren't even any strawberries in the house, Kris," said Adam. As if he didn't remember that she couldn’t have them. He wasn't an amateur.
"Okay, traffic's moving, see you soon," said Kris, and the call was cut off right there. It wasn't that Adam didn't want to talk to him but he was kind of relieved by that because he wasn't quite done putting breakfast together and the doorbell was going to ring any moment now.
Technically, Adam didn't live here. Technically he still had a little house he was renting, where all of his stuff was, but he found he didn't miss that stuff all that much when he was spending half his time at Kris's house. Okay, some of it he missed, but he'd stocked Kris's bathroom to his satisfaction and enough of his clothes had made the migration that he was comfortable, and Kris always did have an extensive collection of music so that was covered.
Technically Adam didn't live here, but it was starting to feel like home.
The doorbell rang about fifteen seconds after he turned the stove off, but before he managed to get anything to the table, which Adam called a win, all things considered.
"Hey," he said, swinging the door open and letting Sadie launch herself at his leg, which she promptly did. "Kris is running late, but I promise to feed and clothe and lavish attention on them in his absence."
"Traffic, I know," she said.
"Ah," said Adam. "He called you."
"Just covering all his bases," said Katy, leaning in so Adam could give her a kiss on the cheek. As he did Max slipped into the house through the gap he left. "How's he doing?" he asked softly, petting Sadie's soft hair as she wrapped herself around him.
Katy shrugged a little. "I don't think you'll have any problems," she said. "I was hoping Kris would beat me here anyway, but it smells like they're going to be eating so that should get you a reprieve."
"Thanks," said Adam, glancing over his shoulder again just to make sure he had a handle on where Max was. "Anything else I should know?"
"Nothing you don't already know," she said. "You know where to reach me, and give Kris a kiss for me, would you? I'm sorry I missed him, but I've got to run if I want to catch my flight."
"I know," said Adam. "Have a safe trip. Max, are you going to say good-bye to your mom?"
"Bye mom!" said Max. "Come back soon!"
Katy gave Adam a significant look, then bent over to give Sadie a kiss good-bye. "I'll see you all in a few days," she said. "Tell Kris I'll call him when I land."
"Will do," said Adam, and didn't keep her as she dashed back to her car and took off, trying to beat traffic on her way to the airport. He was sure she had plenty of time, technically, but plenty of time didn't always mean anything in LA.
"All right, Sadie, how about you and me join your brother for breakfast?"
Sadie finally let go of his leg and toddled into the kitchen, and she didn't need the high chair anymore but there was a booster chair set out for her that Adam swung her up into.
Adam kept an eye on Max throughout breakfast while he helped Sadie with her pancakes (half of which ended up smeared on her face).
Max was quiet, which from Max was not a great sign. Even when Max was upset about something he usually babbled on and on. Quiet was something Adam wasn't used to dealing with when it came to Max.
"You want to talk to me about it?" Adam said finally after he cleaned up the breakfast dishes, really hoping that Kris was going to get home soon.
"With you?" said Max, shooting him a look.
"You used to talk to me about a lot of stuff," said Adam. "You used to talk to me all the time. I kind of miss that."
"That was before," said Max. Before what, Adam wasn't sure. It could mean before he started dating Kris, but that wasn't exactly recent anymore. Or maybe before Max started school. Or maybe before something else entirely that Adam didn't know anything about. He'd been in Europe, and then Brazil, and he'd missed a lot last month.
"So what changed then?" said Adam. "Did I do something?"
Max scowled at him and crossed his little arms and it was just so unlike him. Maybe it was just like Katy said last time they talked, maybe it was just a phase that would pass. Max was a happy, outgoing kid, but some stuff still needed adjustment. Some stuff still needed getting used to.
"Maybe," he said finally.
At least it was an answer. Adam wanted to ask him what, exactly, but then Sadie gave a little yelp and Adam realized she was tall enough now to reach the cactus on the shelf, and by the time he tended to that, Max had clammed up again.
Adam didn't jump up when he heard the door open, but it was a close thing. "I am so sorry," said Kris as Sadie went careening up the hallway to meet him. "There was an accident on the freeway and it took forever to funnel past it."
Adam thought Max would race for him too, glad to have his father back, but Kris seemed to be getting the silent treatment from him too. Adam hated himself a little for being relieved by that, but...okay, he was a little relieved by that, because it wasn't just him. And if it wasn't just him, then it definitely wouldn't be forever.
"Hey, Sadie girl," said Kris, swinging her up into his arms as he went. "What's new with you?"
"Daddy!" she said, which was apparently the newest and most important thing right now.
"Max is watching TV," said Adam, angling his head towards the living room. "He's...."
"It'll be all right," Kris reassured him, hauling Sadie on his hip as he went to greet his son. "So I see Adam didn't poison you." Max gave Adam a dark look, like maybe Adam had tried. "Hey, what's that about?"
"Nothing," said Max, looking at the TV again.
"Hey, don't nothing me," said Kris, pushing where Adam hadn't really dared. Kris was their father, and Adam was...Adam wasn't sure what he was yet. Maybe that was the problem. "Is something going on?"
"No," he muttered. Then, like he'd said to Adam before, "Maybe."
"Maybe what, then?" said Kris, letting Sadie down again when she squirmed. She headed straight back for the cactus, and Adam was kind of glad to have something concrete to do while he eavesdropped on Kris and Max's conversation.
"Maybe something's wrong," he said, crossing his arms again. "I don't want to go to school anymore."
"I think everyone feels like that sometimes," said Kris, sitting down with him and resting his arm along the back of the couch. "Any particular reason?"
"Just because," said Max. "Mom can teach me at home."
"Have you told your mother this plan?" said Kris, while Adam grabbed hold of both of Sadie's hands and made funny faces at her.
"No," admitted Max. "But she loves me and she said she'd do anything for me."
"I'm pretty sure anything didn't mean taking you out of school," said Kris. "Your mom has other things she needs to be doing."
"Nothing is more important than me," said Max. "She said so. Mom loves me and Sadie best."
"Of course she does," said Kris. "I love you best, too. But that doesn't mean you don't have to do to school."
"You love Adam better than me."
Oh.
"No," said Kris, though, unflustered by the turn the conversation had taken. "I love Adam different from you. There's nobody I love better than you and Sadie, nobody in the whole world."
"You used to," said Max. "There used to be nobody but you and Mom and me and Sadie. Then it changed."
Kris sighed and Adam wished there was some way he could take this off his shoulders, but while Adam was a part of this conversation too, he wasn't a part of this conversation yet.
"Sometimes when things change, that's not a bad thing," said Kris. "Do you think I'm not spending enough time with you anymore?"
"I wish we had more," said Max.
"Then maybe we can work on that," said Kris. "But look how much extra time you get with Adam now. Instead of just seeing him once in a while, you get to see him a lot."
"But you see him more," said Max. "You're more special to Adam than I am anymore."
Now that, that wasn't the direction Adam expected this conversation to take. Adam was the interloper. Adam was the new addition to this family that was changing everything. He didn't know Max's jealousy was going to run in both directions.
"Did you ask Adam about that?" said Kris, and Adam could feel Kris's eyes on hi back as he continued to distract Sadie. "Because I'm pretty sure Adam still thinks you're just about the most special little boy he knows."
Adam didn't answer, because he wasn't supposed to be eavesdropping, and Max didn't actually ask, but Adam prepared himself to answer that question in the near future.
"And you're not going to forget about me? Even though you don't see me all the time anymore and sometimes I'm at school and you couldn't even see me if you wanted to?"
"Are you kidding?" said Kris. "Never. Never ever ever ever. And if your mom ever dates someone, she's never ever ever going to forget about you either. You'll always be our boy, okay?"
Max didn't seem to be completely satisfied, but at least it was a start.
Adam sometimes missed the days when he was Uncle Adam, who came bearing awesome music and even more awesome toys and who Max was always excited to see. But once they got through this rough patch, he knew that the relationship they'd have now would be even better.
Kris/Cale, (Adam/Brad). 1913 words. PG. For wildchild1222. Sequel to One Night In Jacksonville.
Tomorrow Starts Today
Prompt: More Krale HS AU.
"We're going to the place at the mall," Allison told them on her third phone call of the day, "because some guy Adam is crushing on works there so Katy just vetoed everyone else because Adam wouldn't."
"We should just let Katy run our lives all the time," said Kris. "That didn't even take an hour for us to figure out what to do."
"Just imagine the shit movies we'd watch if we let Katy make all the decisions," said Allison. "Is Cale with you? Tell him too."
"Yeah, he's here," said Kris, shooting him a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, I'll tell him. So you'll be there in an hour?"
"Or so," said Allison. "Whatever. We'll be in the usual place anyway, because I guess it has a good view of this Brad guy."
"Well, that should be fun," said Kris, and it came out a little dry, but he meant it. And he was going to tease the heck out of Adam because Adam had been teasing him and Cale as often as he could get away with. "I'll see you there!" He slid the phone into his pocket and turned to Cale and just said, "Mall," and that summed it up.
It didn't matter where they were going, though. Wherever they were going, they'd decided today was going to be the day.
"So you're going to do it, right?"
"I thought you were going to do it?"
"But you're better at talking than I am," said Kris. "You should do it."
"It doesn't really matter, does it?" said Cale. "It's going to be both of us there, anyway. It's only a few words. It could be either one of us. If you still want to, I mean."
"Of course I want to!" said Kris. "We just need to figure it out before we do it, otherwise it's just going to be a mess. Anything that needs me to actually say something...well, you've seen me do presentations in class."
"They're our friends," said Cale. "It doesn't have to be articulate."
The next hour, though, was spent in a combination of deciding who was going to actually do the coming out part, and what to get to eat at the food court, and what shoes Kris was going to wear. And sort-of-accidentally-on-purpose touching each other at every opportunity.
"That's him there," said Allison when they found everyone at the big table in front of the crappy taco place. At least Brad didn't work at the taco place, he worked at the Italian one, not the one with the soggy pizza but the one that actually had pasta and salad and stuff.
"He's kind of cute," said Cale, and when Matt just gave him a look he just shrugged and said, "What? He is."
Kris thought that was a pretty good lead-in, but Cale didn't take it, not even when Katy agreed with him that Brad was kind of cute, even in that stupid green polo shirt they made all their employees wear.
"Where's Adam, anyway?" said Kris, stealing a french fry from Cale's tray.
"Fixing his hair," said Allison, rolling her eyes, though with his vast experience with gay crushes, Kris thought it was more likely he was pacing nervously outside. He was almost getting ready to go check, returning the favor Adam had once done him, when Adam finally joined them, sliding right into the empty seat with the best view of Brad.
"Sorry," he said, and he definitely hadn't spent the time fixing his hair. The fact that it looked a little windblown just supported Kris's theory that he'd been out in the parking lot the whole time. "You guys haven't been here long, right?"
"Forever," said Allison, stealing a sip from Andrew's drink. He shot her a look, but didn't complain. "But don't worry, we've been watching your boyfriend for you."
"He's not-" said Adam, and then just pressed his lips together and rolled his eyes. "Should I go get something to eat from him? Would that be weird?"
"Would talking to the guy you like be weird? Oh, I don't know," said Matt. "You could just spend the rest of your life staring at him instead, if you want."
"Yeah, I'll take that one," muttered Adam, and Kris grinned and kicked him under the table and mouthed "go talk to him!" at him.
"He's cute," said Katy. "Even Cale thinks so."
"And Cale is clearly the ultimate authority," said Andrew. "If Cale thinks someone is hot, it must be true."
"That's right," said Cale. "Would you like to hear what the ultimate authority thinks your prospects are?"
"Pass," said Andrew, but he actually almost smiled at that which wasn't something Kris saw every day. "Just go get some pasta or salad or whatever it is you want to get from him. We'll watch and gauge his reactions."
"I'll watch and gauge his reactions," said Katy, "and try to make sure the rest of them behave."
"That's more like it," said Adam, and he took a deep breath and pushed himself back from the table again.
It didn't take a relationship expert to know that Brad was flirting back, though, and Kris kind of wondered if this was what Adam had seen for the longest time when he watched Kris and Cale. No wonder he thought they were being completely obvious.
"Yup, he's into him," said Matt, and turned away after about two minutes of watching, already having firmly committed to his verdict. Nobody argued.
"How can you tell?" said Allison. "Did he touch him? Did he touch him and I missed it?"
"Sometimes you can just tell," said Matt.
Kris stole a glance at Cale, and Cale was looking town at the table but he knocked his knee against Kris's and he was obviously aware both of Kris's attention and the conversation that was going on around them.
It was ten minutes before Adam came back, which was more than enough time not only to have gotten food but to have eaten it, too.
"So?" he said when he sat back down. "Did you watch? What did you think? Do I have a shot?"
"Adam," said Katy. "If we hadn't been in the middle of a food court right now that boy would've climbed you like a tree. Just ask him out already. What's the worst that can happen?"
"He could be horrified and hate me and out me to the entire school and then someone could beat me up and scar me for life?" said Adam. Everyone kind of stared at him. "You did ask for worst."
"First of all," said Katy, "we've got your back. And second of all...seriously, the worst that can happen is that he says no. And then you come over and we commiserate with ice cream."
"Video games," said Matt.
"Rocky road," said Katy.
"Grand Theft Auto," said Matt.
"Whatever," said Kris, making sure Adam was looking at him and knowing Adam knew how much Kris had invested in this too. "It'd be okay. Sometimes you have to take that chance."
"Yeah," said Adam, looking at him again. "I mean, not today, not right now. But...I'm going to do it. Monday."
"Monday night we're all going out and we're going to ask you about it," said Andrew. "We're holding you do that. If you chicken out, we're all going to know it."
"I'm not going to chicken out," said Adam. "Monday after school. It's going to happen."
And Kris really believed it was, not because they'd issued threats but because Adam looked both excited and terrified at the prospect and Kris knew exactly how that felt.
And even after all of that, Cale never said a word. And because Cale never said a word, Kris stubbornly didn't either, until they were packing up to go and talking about whether they wanted to go to a movie tonight or whether there was something else going on or whether the party out at Megan's place was going to be worth checking out.
"You were supposed to do it," said Kris, giving Cale's shoulder a little shove as they headed through the parking lot towards Cale's car, about twenty feet ahead of everyone else.
"There was never a good time," said Cale, shoving back. "I tried!"
"There were ten good times," said Kris, grinning and shoving him a little harder. Cale stumbled but Kris was the one who fell, tripping on a pothole when he was too worried about having given Cale's shoulder a too-hard knock. Cale looked horrified at first, but then Kris just started laughing and Cale snorted at him and just left him there on his ass for a few moments.
Finally Cale offered him a hand up and Kris was abruptly levered right up against him. Then Cale was leaning down and kissing him and afterwards Kris gave him such a giddy, lovestruck look that he wouldn't have been surprised if the entire mall had noticed. He was so completely embarrassed, but Cale still had his hand so he couldn't go anywhere. Embarrassed about his ridiculous reaction, not about the kiss. The kiss...the kiss was pretty awesome.
"Shit," murmured Cale, sort of realizing what he'd just done, and Kris just laughed again because he said it completely within earshot of everyone as they caught up.
"So I'm guessing that's not how you planned this," said Matt dryly.
"Not exactly," admitted Cale. "I had a speech."
"You did not," said Kris.
"I made it up in the car on the way over," said Cale. "In my head."
"You know we figured it out, right?" said Matt. "I mean, before the kiss."
Kris just shrugged and yeah, he figured maybe there'd been more than a few clues these past few weeks. Given what they all noticed about Adam and Brad today, there'd probably been enough clues long before they got together. But knowing and knowing weren't the same thing.
"I didn't know!" said Allison, punching Kris's shoulder. "Jerk. Why didn't I know?"
"Because we just told you now!" said Kris. "Or at least, we meant to. That's how this was supposed to happen."
"It just never seemed like the right moment," said Cale, like he hadn't been set up for it about a dozen times. "I would've done it eventually."
"When?" said Kris. "After we made it back to my place and no one was around anymore?" He didn't make too much of it, though, because it of course always hung in the air that he could've done it just as easily. And besides, Cale was holding his hand now and it was hard to even play argue after that.
"Before the party," said Cale. "I would've done it before the party. If we're going to the party. Are we going to the party?"
"You're changing the subject," said Allison, but no one else seemed to think he was.
"I think it's going to be a good time," said Katy. "Do I need to make an executive decision again?"
"I agree," said Andrew. "I'm down with the party. Megan's good times."
"All in favor?" said Katy. "Do I need to call a vote?"
And it was then Kris realized that they weren't really changing the subject at all, it was just that him and Cale was something that didn't need to be talked about and for him, right now, there weren't a lot of better feelings than that.