(no subject)
Title: And Only When You Can’t Come, Do I Want You Here The Most- PART 3/?
Author: EmonyJade
Fandom: Gaither!CollegeAU
Pairing: Ryan/Doug, Strongly Implied Marsh/Wes, Implied: Marsh/Doug
Rating: PG-13 for language and situations
Warning: None.
Word Count: 3588 (this part)
Plot: Marsh and Doug, and eventually Wes help Doug with his gay crisis- The American Eagle employee across from him in the mall.
Doug and Marsh celebrate finishing finals and discuss spending Christmas together.
Part of the As Complicated As My Life Can Get Verse.
Beta'd by katelynnlynn
**
Doug catches up with Marsh on the last day of finals.
“Hey, you done?”
Marsh looks up at him. “Yeah, man, I’m done.”
“You look beat, man.”
“Yeah, my first exam was at 6:30, and then I had one at eight, and then one at two.”
“Yeah, wow, I just had one today. All the rest of mine were, like, before today.”
“Seriously, I just wanna crash.”
Doug kicks a rock as they walk. “Yeah? I was thinkin’ I’d take you out.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, ya know, overtime pays off, uh, literally.”
Marsh laughs although he doesn’t sounds like he wants to laugh.
“Yeah, I could eat.”
“Where do you wanna go?”
“I don’t care.”
“I know every place around here by heart. So it’s your pick.”
“Well, what place has food that will warm me and fill me up so I go to sleep as soon as I get back to my apartment?”
Doug laughs. “Nu uh, I told you to pick.”
Marsh smiles lazily. “I am picking, and you’re helping me pick.”
Doug sighs. “Comfort food, eh? Then I suggest Fridays.”
“Fridays it is. Lead the way.”
Marsh starts walking towards the bus, out of habit probably, and Doug pulls on his arm. “Come on, I’ll drive.”
“Does that mean you’re gonna drive me home, too? Or are you gonna make me take the bus across town again?”
“Nah. I’ll drive you home. After all, you had fun today. You got to use your brains and your smarts all day…”
Marsh huffed out a breath and followed Doug to his car. “Aw, you know me so well.”
When Doug stops in the TGIFridays parking lot, Marsh shoves his way out the door, landing on his knees in the sparse snow, and nearly kisses the ground.
“I have never been so glad to be on the ground in my life.”
“Ah, come on, it wasn’t that bad.”
“Have you ridden with yourself?”
Doug’s face contorts. “Well, no but-”
“Then you have no idea how bad it was.”
Doug shakes his head and extends a hand to Marsh. “Come on, get up.”
Marsh takes hold and lifts himself up. “This is me seriously considering that cross-town bus.”
Doug shoves Marsh‘s back when he‘s back to standing. “Just get in there.”
Marsh is greeted by a giddy waitress, petite and redheaded and he stops, Doug tumbling in the door after him and running squarely into his back.
“Oh, shit, sorry Kip,” Doug says, trying to be coy with his distraction.
“Yeah, sure you are…”
“Are you two together?”
Doug wraps his arms around Marsh’s waist. “Yep.” He gives her the biggest grin he can muster.
“Wha- no, we’re not together, he i-”
Doug glares at Marsh from around Marsh’s shoulder.
Marsh takes a breath and starts again. “We’d like to sit, um, be seated together, yes.”
“Right this way,” she chirps, Marsh’s stuttering not phasing her a bit.
She leads the boys to a booth in the corner of the restaurant and places menus in front of them.
“Would you like something to drink?” She smiles.
Doug speaks up. “Coffee?”
She nods and turns to Marsh. “Sir?”
“Um, can I get an iced tea?”
“With lemon?”
Marsh nods. “Sure. Lemon’s fine.”
“Okay. I’ll be back with your orders.”
“Thank you,” they synchronize as she walks away.
“You like her?” Doug asks, eyebrows risen.
“Yeah, she’s pretty.”
“Pretty?! Marsh, she’s hot. Like my coffee will probably be cold until she touches it.”
Marsh chuckles. “Doug, what about Ryan?”
“What about Ryan?” he inquisitions.
“Ryan’s a guy.”
“And?”
“Well, you like him. I though that made you gay. Gay as in ‘I like guys now, not girls.’”
“Hey, Kip, I never said I was that gay. In fact, I don’t even think I said I was gay. I could be bi, what do you know?”
“Well, you’ve had girls like that walking up to you for as long as I’ve known you and you haven’t once, not once, taken them up on their offer.”
“Yeah, well none of them really caught my eye. Sure they might be attractive, but who says I want attractive. Maybe I just want love. Maybe I don’t just want a hook-up with some random waitress. I want something more.”
Doug, who has been invading Marsh’s space from across the table while he speaks, suddenly looks up to see the cheery waitress balancing a tray with their drinks.
She sets the iced tea in front of Marsh with a smile but it falters when she drops the empty mug in front of Doug and fills it, to nearly overflowing, with coffee.
Marsh mouths a ‘thanks’ with a smile to the girl as she walks away.
“Way to go,” Marsh says when he hears her go into the kitchen.
“Man, I didn’t even see her.”
“I know.” Marsh picks up his menu. “What’s good here?”
Doug sighs. “Um, they have the usual stuff- burgers, salads, soups. You can get- Oh, Kip, they make this amazing garlic butter. I kid you not, if I wasn’t starving for real food, I’d just order that butter.”
“What do you order it on?”
Doug rubs his forehead, mussing up his hair. “I don’t know, potatoes, some people put it on vegetables, I’ve only ever had it on steak though.”
“Oh.”
“What are you gonna have?”
Marsh hems and haws. “I think I’m just gonna get a cheeseburger.”
“Come on, I’m paying. You gotta at least get something else.”
“Okay. Pick something for me, then, if you’re so picky.”
“'Kay.”
A different waitress comes over then, gray hair, mid-fifties. “Hi, I’ll be your server now, Kara’s- indisposed.” Doug makes a face and Marsh. “What can I get you today?”
“I’ll have a cheeseburger.”
“What kind of side would you like?”
Marsh flips the menu over to read through a list of sides. “Um, can I just get fries?”
She nods. “Sure. And you?”
“I’ll have the steak, with extra garlic butter and two bowls of French Onion soup.”
“Mashed potatoes with the meal?“ Doug nods.
“Would you like the soups before the meal?” she asks, and turns slightly to Marshall.
“Yes. Please.”
“Alrighty.” She takes the menus from the boy’s hands and goes to help another table.
Doug lets an apparently uncontrollable burst of laughter out and Marsh raises his eyebrows.
“Oh my god. I didn’t think I was that mean…”
“Yeah, I guess you were. You’d better not make this one ‘indisposed’ too.” Marsh gives his own fit of laughter at that.
They’re still laughing a couple minutes later when their new waitress brings out their steaming bowls of soup.
“Thank you,” Marsh says.
“Thanks,” Doug repeats and picks up his spoon from it’s place on the saucer.
He looks at Marsh who starts to open his crackers.
“Seriously.” He places a hand on Marsh’s arm. “You put those crackers in that soup and I’m not paying for you.”
“Wha-”
“I know you. You have this funny little habit of putting stuff on your food before you even try it.”
Marsh sighs and exchanges the crackers for a spoon.
He breaks into the crust of cheese on top and slides the bread into his mouth. Immediately, Marsh opens his mouth, bread still on his tongue, and lets out long breaths of hot air in Doug’s direction.
“Dude, Marsh, what’s wrong?”
“Hawwt,” he says, open-mouthed.
“Dork. It’s steaming. That usually comes from being hawwt,” Doug mocks.
After a couple more open-mouth breaths, Marsh closes his mouth and swallows.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” Marsh replies, tongue moving nearly aimlessly.
“Was it good?”
“Hmm,” he says, slurring a bit. “That first taste, it was awesome. But now I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to taste the rest or, ya know, ever again.”
Doug smiles and blows on his spoonful of soup. “Told you it was hot.”
They finish their soups and almost immediately get them exchanged for the entrée.
“Don’t burn yourself on this now…”
“Oh, don’t worry, Doug, I’ve learned my lesson. Besides, can you really burn yourself on a cheeseburger when it’s surrounded by this many cold ingredients?”
Apparently, you can.
Doug laughs harder than he though was possible. “Oh, man! You’re having some luck today.”
Marsh sighs and gives Doug a deep-seated glare, downing most of his iced tea.
They’re about halfway through their meal when Marsh clears his throat.
“So tell me about this kid,” he says around a mouthful of ketchup covered fries.
Doug half-chokes on his mashed potatoes. “Kid? What kid?”
“The kid you made call me.”
“Oh.” He finishes his coffee and flags their waitress who promptly replenishes it. “I don’t know, what do you wanna know ‘bout him?”
“Does he go to school? What kinda person is he? Will I like him?”
“Why do you wanna know?”
“Well, if I’m gonna be stuck with him while you do whatever with your dream guy, I’d like to know that he’s not like some emo/atheist kid that hates the world, ya know. I wanna know I have something in common with him.”
Doug laughs. “God, you guys have more in common than you think.”
“What do you mean?” Marsh takes another cautious bite of burger.
“He’s a southern boy. I’m not sure where from exactly. Grew up super family-orientated and he’s almost as nerdy as you.”
“Really?” Marsh sounds interested.
“Yeah, and he likes gospel music.”
“No kidding…” He laughs. “Wow… Willingly?”
“Yeah, I mean, I guess. He’s pretty much on his own with things like that.”
“Huh. Anything else I should know about him?”
“He’s endearing to a fault.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know, he like, meets you once and from then until you die, I guess, he’ll follow you around like a lost puppy.”
Marsh takes the final bite of his burger and leans back, obviously feeling content.
“Oh, man, this guy’s getting worse and worse.”
“He’s a good kid, I swear. I wouldn’t be inviting him along if I didn’t think so. Besides, he probably needs the friends. I rarely see him hanging out with anyone.”
“I’m not promising anything but if this kid needs friends, I’ll give it a shot.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Doug is at the final bites of his steak when he suddenly stops.
“Dude, sorry. You want to try this garlic butter?”
Marsh chuckled. “No, I’m good.”
“You sure? I can give you a bite…” Doug cuts off a chunk of his steak and dips it into the butter, holding it out to Marsh.
“Can I tell you something?” Marsh asks. Doug nods.
“Dude, I have lived through your gay crisis up until now, and that is by far the gayest thing I have seen you do.”
“So…you don’t want a bite?” He holds the fork out farther and Marsh raises his eyebrows.
“What do you think?”
“Okay. But your missin’ out.”
“I’m sure…”
“Hey, are you going home for break?”
“If I’m going to your boy’s party, I guess not. Why?”
“Meaning you don’t have Christmas plans.”
Marsh stops. He hadn’t really thought about Christmas. He’d been to busy with school.
“Yeah, I guess, don’t even have a tree. I think I’m probably gonna be sitting with a book all break. Why? Didya have something in mind?”
“Yeah. Why don’t you come over to my house. My mom would like havin’ someone else around. And she always makes way too much food and I know you eat like a horse, well, if you don’t burn your mouth first.”
“You’re sure your family won’t mind?”
“Nah, what’s another person at the house? My sister’s coming up from Florida with her husband and kids and Charlie’s probably gonna be there so you might have to stay in my room but otherwise, it’ll be fine. ‘Sides, they’ve never really met any of my friends.”
“You sure you’re not gonna bring your crisis to dinner? Your parents would love him.”
Doug laughs. “Don’t be so sure.”
“Yeah, I’ll come over.”
Doug excuses himself to the bathroom and despite his previous comment, Marsh takes a nibble at the butter. Doug never finds out.
Marshall arrives at Doug’s house and is immediately greeted by their huge retriever, Sunny, with big laps of her tongue.
“Hi, Sunny…” He kneels down and immediately starts scratching her behind her floppy ears.
“I see you’ve met Sunny.”
“Yeah, Doug talks about her a lot. I’m Marshall.”
“Hello, Marshall, my name’s Christine. I’m Doug’s mom.”
“Nice to meet you.” He holds out a hand to shake hers but she waves it away.
“Sorry, we’re a hugging family.”
“Um, okay.” He barely gets the words out when he is swooped into the arms of her petite body.
Marsh sees Doug out of the corner of his eye, leaning against the entrance to the kitchen and laughing.
“See my momma got to you.”
“Yeah- can’t really- breathe.” He lets out a breath when she smiles and ends the embrace.
“I’m sorry.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll be alright.”
She turns to Doug. “Honey, can you bring his bags up to your room?”
“Yep, sure thing. This way.” Doug picks up one of Marsh’s three bags and walks towards the kitchen, Marsh hefting the other two onto his shoulder. They enter the stairway and Marsh follows Doug to his room.
Procedurally, Doug slumps the bag onto the floor at the foot of his bed and then collapses onto the mattress.
"Just set that anywhere."
Marsh looked around the room, obviously last painted and wallpapered when he was younger, the pale blue and red stripes on the wall having seen better days and matching too-small furniture straining to hold his stuff. He sat his bags down on the floor next to a blue dresser with red drawers and eased into Doug's desk chair.
"How long you plannin' on staying anyway?"
Marsh gave him a look and Doug tiredly sat up.
"Dude, you're here for Christmas and you have three bags. Don't tell me those are all just your clothes."
Marsh gives him a sheepish look. "Well, it kinda is all clothes. And a toothbrush and stuff. I just figured I was gonna stay here til' New Years. Unless that's not okay…"
"Nah, it's fine. I'd just like to know 's all. That makes more sense I guess, rather than staying home all break."
"Yeah, I've got my phone and charger and stuff so my family can get ahold of me. I'm almost positive that I'll have about five calls on Christmas day from them, and I figured it'd be okay if I used your computer to do some studying and-"
"Woah. Hold on. Kip, it's break. You're not gonna be one of those people that comes to hang with his friend for a week between semesters and ends up with his nose in a book the whole time are you?"
"Well, I've got this killer European history class next semester and I wanna read through the book so I know about the class, and then I have this other book that I got from the-"
Marsh reach for one of his bags and Doug nearly jumps off the bed.
"No fuckin' way. You are not studying here. We need to break you of this habit. It's ruining your life, man."
"Ruining my life? I think you're exaggerating a bit there, Doug. How can wanting to be prepared for a class that I know nothing about be hazardous to my life?"
"When was the last time you went somewhere- other than school or the library?"
"Finals. When you took me out."
"Before that?"
"Um, I think it was- yeah, I went grocery shopping."
"Before that?"
Marsh furrows his brow, obviously deep in thought. "I- I don't know."
"That's what I'm talking about. You're spending all your time studying or in class. You gotta get out more, or you're gonna turn into one of those hermit people."
"Those people are just anti-social."
"Name three friends you have."
"That- that doesn't count. I don't have time for friends. I just spend all my time-"
"Studying." Doug finishes and Marsh snaps his mouth shut. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Why do you think I pushed you so much to go to the party?"
"I-"
"Boys! Dinner!" Christine yells.
"We'll be down!" Doug yells back at her and then he turns back to Marsh. "Let's go."
They exit Doug's room and bound down the stairs to the kitchen where they see Christine taking a ceramic bowl out of the microwave.
"Food's on the table in there. Help yourself."
"Thanks m'am."
She smiles at Marsh. "Sure, Marshall."
"Come on, Kip. Let the consumption begin."
Doug leads him into the combination living/dining room and he is immediately bombarded by the wondrous smell of take-out. He relishes in the smells of chicken and beef and rice and vegetables and soup when-
"Doug?"
"Yep." He absently responds, spooning some vegetables on his plate.
"Chinese? On Christmas eve?"
Doug looks at him then. "Yeah." He says it likes it's the most natural thing in the world.
"There's gotta be a story there somewhere."
"Yeah, not really. Mom forgot to buy a ham one year until last minute and had to order take-out. It was a joke the next couple of years and ever since then we've had take-out."
"You couldn't go out and, I don't know, buy one precooked?"
"Well, she could've but Christmas eve, everything's closed."
"Oh." Marsh adds some glazed chicken to his plate atop a spoonful of rice from Christine's ceramic bowl.
"Yeah. But I guess there was this retired butcher down the street that had, basically, part of a pig that he had and we got that Christmas day." Doug walks over to the table and sits. "Ever since then, that's what we've done."
Marsh nods and takes a seat next to Doug.
"Who are gonna be eating with tonight?"
"Just me and my mom. My sis is comin' up tomorrow and Drew should be here sometime tonight."
"Oh. Where's your dad."
"He's- he's not gonna be here."
"Oh. Work?"
Doug sighs around a bit of beef. "Yeah."
The room is quiet for a moment, Marsh obviously hitting a sore spot, until Doug's mom speaks.
"So how's school going, Marshall?"
Doug and Marsh exchange looks and then Marsh smiles. "It's great."
After dinner, Marsh helps clean off the table and washes their plates and silverware but Christine boots him out when he offers to wipe off the counters.
He ducks his head and excuses himself to the bathroom.
Doug reenters from letting Sunny and refilling her water bowl to his mother smiling at him as she wipes her hands on a towel.
"He's nice."
"I know momma."
"You could learn a few things from that boy."
Doug huffs. "Yeah, I know."
He hears the bathroom door open and close again and Marsh joins Doug at the bottom of the stairs.
"We're gonna go play some video games in my room."
"Alright. Don't have too much fun."
"Thank you again for dinner, Mrs. Anderson."
"Your welcome again, Marshall, and it's Christine."
"Right."
"Come on." Doug says and grabs Marsh's arm, pulling him up the stairs.
After getting Marsh a sleeping bag and pillow, and watching him fail horribly at all RockBand instruments except the mic, Doug pops a racing game into the console.
"So what is this game?" Marsh asks as he beats Doug for the fourth race in a row.
"It's called Burnout."
"Why's it called that?"
"Well, the game's mostly about crashing and making a whole shit-load of destruction and mayhem. The more money it costs to fix, the more points you get."
Marsh nods. "Can I try that?"
"Sure."
Doug brings up the main menu and sets Marsh up with a mini-game. He shows him which car to pick and how to crash.
Marsh crashes once and racks up only a couple thousand dollars in damage and when Doug tells him how to try again and rack up more money- he's hooked.
They've been playing for a couple hours when they hear a car pull into the driveway and the front door slam, rattling the mirror in the attached bathroom.
"Um, stay here, I'll be right back." Doug says and gets up from his bed, stepping over Marsh.
"Yeah, okay."
Doug exits the room and Marsh can hear him running down the stairs, taking two at a time. Marsh shakes his head and resumes playing.
Doug comes back a few minutes later and retakes his place on the bed. Marsh looks up at him.
"What's up?"
He looks back at Marsh and rubs his face with a hand.
"Nothing." He breathes. "Did ya get any farther?"
Marsh shakes his head and looks back at the TV screen.
"You wanna race again?"
"Sure."
A while later, Marsh is crashing solo again and Doug can barely keep his eyes open. He checks his alarm clock one last time -11:55- and cocoons himself in the comforter, falling asleep instantly with the background noise of animated metal crunching.
Marsh looks over, about 20 minutes later, to Doug snoring softly, a leg falling out of the blanket and off the side of the bed. He sighs, pauses the game, pushes the power button on the ancient television and stands to pull the cord to shut off the lamp on Doug's bedside table. Marsh gropes around in the now pitch black room and slides into the sleeping bag Christine had brought up for him and he lets the silence lull him to sleep.
**
Author: EmonyJade
Fandom: Gaither!CollegeAU
Pairing: Ryan/Doug, Strongly Implied Marsh/Wes, Implied: Marsh/Doug
Rating: PG-13 for language and situations
Warning: None.
Word Count: 3588 (this part)
Plot: Marsh and Doug, and eventually Wes help Doug with his gay crisis- The American Eagle employee across from him in the mall.
Doug and Marsh celebrate finishing finals and discuss spending Christmas together.
Part of the As Complicated As My Life Can Get Verse.
Beta'd by katelynnlynn
**
Doug catches up with Marsh on the last day of finals.
“Hey, you done?”
Marsh looks up at him. “Yeah, man, I’m done.”
“You look beat, man.”
“Yeah, my first exam was at 6:30, and then I had one at eight, and then one at two.”
“Yeah, wow, I just had one today. All the rest of mine were, like, before today.”
“Seriously, I just wanna crash.”
Doug kicks a rock as they walk. “Yeah? I was thinkin’ I’d take you out.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, ya know, overtime pays off, uh, literally.”
Marsh laughs although he doesn’t sounds like he wants to laugh.
“Yeah, I could eat.”
“Where do you wanna go?”
“I don’t care.”
“I know every place around here by heart. So it’s your pick.”
“Well, what place has food that will warm me and fill me up so I go to sleep as soon as I get back to my apartment?”
Doug laughs. “Nu uh, I told you to pick.”
Marsh smiles lazily. “I am picking, and you’re helping me pick.”
Doug sighs. “Comfort food, eh? Then I suggest Fridays.”
“Fridays it is. Lead the way.”
Marsh starts walking towards the bus, out of habit probably, and Doug pulls on his arm. “Come on, I’ll drive.”
“Does that mean you’re gonna drive me home, too? Or are you gonna make me take the bus across town again?”
“Nah. I’ll drive you home. After all, you had fun today. You got to use your brains and your smarts all day…”
Marsh huffed out a breath and followed Doug to his car. “Aw, you know me so well.”
When Doug stops in the TGIFridays parking lot, Marsh shoves his way out the door, landing on his knees in the sparse snow, and nearly kisses the ground.
“I have never been so glad to be on the ground in my life.”
“Ah, come on, it wasn’t that bad.”
“Have you ridden with yourself?”
Doug’s face contorts. “Well, no but-”
“Then you have no idea how bad it was.”
Doug shakes his head and extends a hand to Marsh. “Come on, get up.”
Marsh takes hold and lifts himself up. “This is me seriously considering that cross-town bus.”
Doug shoves Marsh‘s back when he‘s back to standing. “Just get in there.”
Marsh is greeted by a giddy waitress, petite and redheaded and he stops, Doug tumbling in the door after him and running squarely into his back.
“Oh, shit, sorry Kip,” Doug says, trying to be coy with his distraction.
“Yeah, sure you are…”
“Are you two together?”
Doug wraps his arms around Marsh’s waist. “Yep.” He gives her the biggest grin he can muster.
“Wha- no, we’re not together, he i-”
Doug glares at Marsh from around Marsh’s shoulder.
Marsh takes a breath and starts again. “We’d like to sit, um, be seated together, yes.”
“Right this way,” she chirps, Marsh’s stuttering not phasing her a bit.
She leads the boys to a booth in the corner of the restaurant and places menus in front of them.
“Would you like something to drink?” She smiles.
Doug speaks up. “Coffee?”
She nods and turns to Marsh. “Sir?”
“Um, can I get an iced tea?”
“With lemon?”
Marsh nods. “Sure. Lemon’s fine.”
“Okay. I’ll be back with your orders.”
“Thank you,” they synchronize as she walks away.
“You like her?” Doug asks, eyebrows risen.
“Yeah, she’s pretty.”
“Pretty?! Marsh, she’s hot. Like my coffee will probably be cold until she touches it.”
Marsh chuckles. “Doug, what about Ryan?”
“What about Ryan?” he inquisitions.
“Ryan’s a guy.”
“And?”
“Well, you like him. I though that made you gay. Gay as in ‘I like guys now, not girls.’”
“Hey, Kip, I never said I was that gay. In fact, I don’t even think I said I was gay. I could be bi, what do you know?”
“Well, you’ve had girls like that walking up to you for as long as I’ve known you and you haven’t once, not once, taken them up on their offer.”
“Yeah, well none of them really caught my eye. Sure they might be attractive, but who says I want attractive. Maybe I just want love. Maybe I don’t just want a hook-up with some random waitress. I want something more.”
Doug, who has been invading Marsh’s space from across the table while he speaks, suddenly looks up to see the cheery waitress balancing a tray with their drinks.
She sets the iced tea in front of Marsh with a smile but it falters when she drops the empty mug in front of Doug and fills it, to nearly overflowing, with coffee.
Marsh mouths a ‘thanks’ with a smile to the girl as she walks away.
“Way to go,” Marsh says when he hears her go into the kitchen.
“Man, I didn’t even see her.”
“I know.” Marsh picks up his menu. “What’s good here?”
Doug sighs. “Um, they have the usual stuff- burgers, salads, soups. You can get- Oh, Kip, they make this amazing garlic butter. I kid you not, if I wasn’t starving for real food, I’d just order that butter.”
“What do you order it on?”
Doug rubs his forehead, mussing up his hair. “I don’t know, potatoes, some people put it on vegetables, I’ve only ever had it on steak though.”
“Oh.”
“What are you gonna have?”
Marsh hems and haws. “I think I’m just gonna get a cheeseburger.”
“Come on, I’m paying. You gotta at least get something else.”
“Okay. Pick something for me, then, if you’re so picky.”
“'Kay.”
A different waitress comes over then, gray hair, mid-fifties. “Hi, I’ll be your server now, Kara’s- indisposed.” Doug makes a face and Marsh. “What can I get you today?”
“I’ll have a cheeseburger.”
“What kind of side would you like?”
Marsh flips the menu over to read through a list of sides. “Um, can I just get fries?”
She nods. “Sure. And you?”
“I’ll have the steak, with extra garlic butter and two bowls of French Onion soup.”
“Mashed potatoes with the meal?“ Doug nods.
“Would you like the soups before the meal?” she asks, and turns slightly to Marshall.
“Yes. Please.”
“Alrighty.” She takes the menus from the boy’s hands and goes to help another table.
Doug lets an apparently uncontrollable burst of laughter out and Marsh raises his eyebrows.
“Oh my god. I didn’t think I was that mean…”
“Yeah, I guess you were. You’d better not make this one ‘indisposed’ too.” Marsh gives his own fit of laughter at that.
They’re still laughing a couple minutes later when their new waitress brings out their steaming bowls of soup.
“Thank you,” Marsh says.
“Thanks,” Doug repeats and picks up his spoon from it’s place on the saucer.
He looks at Marsh who starts to open his crackers.
“Seriously.” He places a hand on Marsh’s arm. “You put those crackers in that soup and I’m not paying for you.”
“Wha-”
“I know you. You have this funny little habit of putting stuff on your food before you even try it.”
Marsh sighs and exchanges the crackers for a spoon.
He breaks into the crust of cheese on top and slides the bread into his mouth. Immediately, Marsh opens his mouth, bread still on his tongue, and lets out long breaths of hot air in Doug’s direction.
“Dude, Marsh, what’s wrong?”
“Hawwt,” he says, open-mouthed.
“Dork. It’s steaming. That usually comes from being hawwt,” Doug mocks.
After a couple more open-mouth breaths, Marsh closes his mouth and swallows.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” Marsh replies, tongue moving nearly aimlessly.
“Was it good?”
“Hmm,” he says, slurring a bit. “That first taste, it was awesome. But now I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to taste the rest or, ya know, ever again.”
Doug smiles and blows on his spoonful of soup. “Told you it was hot.”
They finish their soups and almost immediately get them exchanged for the entrée.
“Don’t burn yourself on this now…”
“Oh, don’t worry, Doug, I’ve learned my lesson. Besides, can you really burn yourself on a cheeseburger when it’s surrounded by this many cold ingredients?”
Apparently, you can.
Doug laughs harder than he though was possible. “Oh, man! You’re having some luck today.”
Marsh sighs and gives Doug a deep-seated glare, downing most of his iced tea.
They’re about halfway through their meal when Marsh clears his throat.
“So tell me about this kid,” he says around a mouthful of ketchup covered fries.
Doug half-chokes on his mashed potatoes. “Kid? What kid?”
“The kid you made call me.”
“Oh.” He finishes his coffee and flags their waitress who promptly replenishes it. “I don’t know, what do you wanna know ‘bout him?”
“Does he go to school? What kinda person is he? Will I like him?”
“Why do you wanna know?”
“Well, if I’m gonna be stuck with him while you do whatever with your dream guy, I’d like to know that he’s not like some emo/atheist kid that hates the world, ya know. I wanna know I have something in common with him.”
Doug laughs. “God, you guys have more in common than you think.”
“What do you mean?” Marsh takes another cautious bite of burger.
“He’s a southern boy. I’m not sure where from exactly. Grew up super family-orientated and he’s almost as nerdy as you.”
“Really?” Marsh sounds interested.
“Yeah, and he likes gospel music.”
“No kidding…” He laughs. “Wow… Willingly?”
“Yeah, I mean, I guess. He’s pretty much on his own with things like that.”
“Huh. Anything else I should know about him?”
“He’s endearing to a fault.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know, he like, meets you once and from then until you die, I guess, he’ll follow you around like a lost puppy.”
Marsh takes the final bite of his burger and leans back, obviously feeling content.
“Oh, man, this guy’s getting worse and worse.”
“He’s a good kid, I swear. I wouldn’t be inviting him along if I didn’t think so. Besides, he probably needs the friends. I rarely see him hanging out with anyone.”
“I’m not promising anything but if this kid needs friends, I’ll give it a shot.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Doug is at the final bites of his steak when he suddenly stops.
“Dude, sorry. You want to try this garlic butter?”
Marsh chuckled. “No, I’m good.”
“You sure? I can give you a bite…” Doug cuts off a chunk of his steak and dips it into the butter, holding it out to Marsh.
“Can I tell you something?” Marsh asks. Doug nods.
“Dude, I have lived through your gay crisis up until now, and that is by far the gayest thing I have seen you do.”
“So…you don’t want a bite?” He holds the fork out farther and Marsh raises his eyebrows.
“What do you think?”
“Okay. But your missin’ out.”
“I’m sure…”
“Hey, are you going home for break?”
“If I’m going to your boy’s party, I guess not. Why?”
“Meaning you don’t have Christmas plans.”
Marsh stops. He hadn’t really thought about Christmas. He’d been to busy with school.
“Yeah, I guess, don’t even have a tree. I think I’m probably gonna be sitting with a book all break. Why? Didya have something in mind?”
“Yeah. Why don’t you come over to my house. My mom would like havin’ someone else around. And she always makes way too much food and I know you eat like a horse, well, if you don’t burn your mouth first.”
“You’re sure your family won’t mind?”
“Nah, what’s another person at the house? My sister’s coming up from Florida with her husband and kids and Charlie’s probably gonna be there so you might have to stay in my room but otherwise, it’ll be fine. ‘Sides, they’ve never really met any of my friends.”
“You sure you’re not gonna bring your crisis to dinner? Your parents would love him.”
Doug laughs. “Don’t be so sure.”
“Yeah, I’ll come over.”
Doug excuses himself to the bathroom and despite his previous comment, Marsh takes a nibble at the butter. Doug never finds out.
Marshall arrives at Doug’s house and is immediately greeted by their huge retriever, Sunny, with big laps of her tongue.
“Hi, Sunny…” He kneels down and immediately starts scratching her behind her floppy ears.
“I see you’ve met Sunny.”
“Yeah, Doug talks about her a lot. I’m Marshall.”
“Hello, Marshall, my name’s Christine. I’m Doug’s mom.”
“Nice to meet you.” He holds out a hand to shake hers but she waves it away.
“Sorry, we’re a hugging family.”
“Um, okay.” He barely gets the words out when he is swooped into the arms of her petite body.
Marsh sees Doug out of the corner of his eye, leaning against the entrance to the kitchen and laughing.
“See my momma got to you.”
“Yeah- can’t really- breathe.” He lets out a breath when she smiles and ends the embrace.
“I’m sorry.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll be alright.”
She turns to Doug. “Honey, can you bring his bags up to your room?”
“Yep, sure thing. This way.” Doug picks up one of Marsh’s three bags and walks towards the kitchen, Marsh hefting the other two onto his shoulder. They enter the stairway and Marsh follows Doug to his room.
Procedurally, Doug slumps the bag onto the floor at the foot of his bed and then collapses onto the mattress.
"Just set that anywhere."
Marsh looked around the room, obviously last painted and wallpapered when he was younger, the pale blue and red stripes on the wall having seen better days and matching too-small furniture straining to hold his stuff. He sat his bags down on the floor next to a blue dresser with red drawers and eased into Doug's desk chair.
"How long you plannin' on staying anyway?"
Marsh gave him a look and Doug tiredly sat up.
"Dude, you're here for Christmas and you have three bags. Don't tell me those are all just your clothes."
Marsh gives him a sheepish look. "Well, it kinda is all clothes. And a toothbrush and stuff. I just figured I was gonna stay here til' New Years. Unless that's not okay…"
"Nah, it's fine. I'd just like to know 's all. That makes more sense I guess, rather than staying home all break."
"Yeah, I've got my phone and charger and stuff so my family can get ahold of me. I'm almost positive that I'll have about five calls on Christmas day from them, and I figured it'd be okay if I used your computer to do some studying and-"
"Woah. Hold on. Kip, it's break. You're not gonna be one of those people that comes to hang with his friend for a week between semesters and ends up with his nose in a book the whole time are you?"
"Well, I've got this killer European history class next semester and I wanna read through the book so I know about the class, and then I have this other book that I got from the-"
Marsh reach for one of his bags and Doug nearly jumps off the bed.
"No fuckin' way. You are not studying here. We need to break you of this habit. It's ruining your life, man."
"Ruining my life? I think you're exaggerating a bit there, Doug. How can wanting to be prepared for a class that I know nothing about be hazardous to my life?"
"When was the last time you went somewhere- other than school or the library?"
"Finals. When you took me out."
"Before that?"
"Um, I think it was- yeah, I went grocery shopping."
"Before that?"
Marsh furrows his brow, obviously deep in thought. "I- I don't know."
"That's what I'm talking about. You're spending all your time studying or in class. You gotta get out more, or you're gonna turn into one of those hermit people."
"Those people are just anti-social."
"Name three friends you have."
"That- that doesn't count. I don't have time for friends. I just spend all my time-"
"Studying." Doug finishes and Marsh snaps his mouth shut. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Why do you think I pushed you so much to go to the party?"
"I-"
"Boys! Dinner!" Christine yells.
"We'll be down!" Doug yells back at her and then he turns back to Marsh. "Let's go."
They exit Doug's room and bound down the stairs to the kitchen where they see Christine taking a ceramic bowl out of the microwave.
"Food's on the table in there. Help yourself."
"Thanks m'am."
She smiles at Marsh. "Sure, Marshall."
"Come on, Kip. Let the consumption begin."
Doug leads him into the combination living/dining room and he is immediately bombarded by the wondrous smell of take-out. He relishes in the smells of chicken and beef and rice and vegetables and soup when-
"Doug?"
"Yep." He absently responds, spooning some vegetables on his plate.
"Chinese? On Christmas eve?"
Doug looks at him then. "Yeah." He says it likes it's the most natural thing in the world.
"There's gotta be a story there somewhere."
"Yeah, not really. Mom forgot to buy a ham one year until last minute and had to order take-out. It was a joke the next couple of years and ever since then we've had take-out."
"You couldn't go out and, I don't know, buy one precooked?"
"Well, she could've but Christmas eve, everything's closed."
"Oh." Marsh adds some glazed chicken to his plate atop a spoonful of rice from Christine's ceramic bowl.
"Yeah. But I guess there was this retired butcher down the street that had, basically, part of a pig that he had and we got that Christmas day." Doug walks over to the table and sits. "Ever since then, that's what we've done."
Marsh nods and takes a seat next to Doug.
"Who are gonna be eating with tonight?"
"Just me and my mom. My sis is comin' up tomorrow and Drew should be here sometime tonight."
"Oh. Where's your dad."
"He's- he's not gonna be here."
"Oh. Work?"
Doug sighs around a bit of beef. "Yeah."
The room is quiet for a moment, Marsh obviously hitting a sore spot, until Doug's mom speaks.
"So how's school going, Marshall?"
Doug and Marsh exchange looks and then Marsh smiles. "It's great."
After dinner, Marsh helps clean off the table and washes their plates and silverware but Christine boots him out when he offers to wipe off the counters.
He ducks his head and excuses himself to the bathroom.
Doug reenters from letting Sunny and refilling her water bowl to his mother smiling at him as she wipes her hands on a towel.
"He's nice."
"I know momma."
"You could learn a few things from that boy."
Doug huffs. "Yeah, I know."
He hears the bathroom door open and close again and Marsh joins Doug at the bottom of the stairs.
"We're gonna go play some video games in my room."
"Alright. Don't have too much fun."
"Thank you again for dinner, Mrs. Anderson."
"Your welcome again, Marshall, and it's Christine."
"Right."
"Come on." Doug says and grabs Marsh's arm, pulling him up the stairs.
After getting Marsh a sleeping bag and pillow, and watching him fail horribly at all RockBand instruments except the mic, Doug pops a racing game into the console.
"So what is this game?" Marsh asks as he beats Doug for the fourth race in a row.
"It's called Burnout."
"Why's it called that?"
"Well, the game's mostly about crashing and making a whole shit-load of destruction and mayhem. The more money it costs to fix, the more points you get."
Marsh nods. "Can I try that?"
"Sure."
Doug brings up the main menu and sets Marsh up with a mini-game. He shows him which car to pick and how to crash.
Marsh crashes once and racks up only a couple thousand dollars in damage and when Doug tells him how to try again and rack up more money- he's hooked.
They've been playing for a couple hours when they hear a car pull into the driveway and the front door slam, rattling the mirror in the attached bathroom.
"Um, stay here, I'll be right back." Doug says and gets up from his bed, stepping over Marsh.
"Yeah, okay."
Doug exits the room and Marsh can hear him running down the stairs, taking two at a time. Marsh shakes his head and resumes playing.
Doug comes back a few minutes later and retakes his place on the bed. Marsh looks up at him.
"What's up?"
He looks back at Marsh and rubs his face with a hand.
"Nothing." He breathes. "Did ya get any farther?"
Marsh shakes his head and looks back at the TV screen.
"You wanna race again?"
"Sure."
A while later, Marsh is crashing solo again and Doug can barely keep his eyes open. He checks his alarm clock one last time -11:55- and cocoons himself in the comforter, falling asleep instantly with the background noise of animated metal crunching.
Marsh looks over, about 20 minutes later, to Doug snoring softly, a leg falling out of the blanket and off the side of the bed. He sighs, pauses the game, pushes the power button on the ancient television and stands to pull the cord to shut off the lamp on Doug's bedside table. Marsh gropes around in the now pitch black room and slides into the sleeping bag Christine had brought up for him and he lets the silence lull him to sleep.
**