FIC: Familiar Stranger (1/2)
Title: Familiar Stranger
Pairing: John Paul McQueen/Todd Grimshaw
Rating: PG-13
Note: This story is a crossover with "Coronation Street". Since Todd is back on Corrie for a little bit, I couldn't help thinking about what would happen if he ever met John Paul. If you have anything to say, please let me know! The second part should be out in a few days.
--
Maybe it was the sweater.
John Paul was in the Dog, listening to his HCC mates talk about some party. Or had he been until he realized he was the only one at the table. He remembered them asking him if he wanted to go, and he assumed the word "no" had come out of his mouth at some point, because they'd all left.
John Paul was concentrating on a very quiet man who was also by himself, only he'd been alone the entire time. He'd been nursing the same drink for what seemed like hours, all while he seemed to be staring into his own private universe. He was wearing a hideous, hideous red cardi that made him look like a color blind grandfather. The shirt underneath didn't look much better. Even Craig had better taste in cardis.
The young man with no fashion sense certainly wasn't the fittest choice around, but John Paul could find plenty of overmuscled nobodies prowling around campus if that's what he wanted. No, there was something different about this man. Something deeply intense, yet innocent and kind. He looked like he had a story to tell, a story John Paul could understand. His short dark hair offset his somewhat paunchy face in an unflattering manner, but brought attention to his deep, dark eyes. John Paul would do anything for deep, dark eyes.
Before John Paul lost his nerve, he walked up to the stranger. The other man jumped slightly, almost as if he'd suddenly realized he was in a roomful of people. John Paul tried to offer a reassuring smile.
"Sorry 'bout that. Name's John Paul McQueen."
The stranger looked John Paul up and down in a way which seemed completely normal, yet had the undertones of something more.
"Todd Grimshaw."
After a pause, he extended his hand, somewhat clumsily, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do. Their handshake lingered just a second too long.
"Can I join you?"
Todd managed a combination of a nod and a shrug, leaving John Paul to occupy a space adjacent to him at the small table. The noise in the room had gotten so loud that John Paul only heard every other word as Todd tried to talk to him.
"...so that's how I ended up here for the night."
John Paul patched together something about Todd leaving for a trip at the last minute and stopping in Chester for the night because he was nervous about getting in too soon.
"So you were in a rush then?"
"Yeah."
Letting his lager intake push him into camp mode, John Paul ran his relatively bleary line of vision up and down Todd's mismatched wardrobe.
"That explains the getup."
Todd simultaneously blushed and winced, but when he saw the affection in John Paul's sparkling blue eyes, he let out a big laugh. John Paul saw this flirtation, conversation, whatever it was, as a distraction, as something new, but Todd reminded him so much of some combination of the men who'd occupied John Paul's life for what seemed like forever but then ended in the blink of an eye. It was almost as if Spike and Craig were put together in one body, only Todd was not quite that easy to categorize.
"Me boyfriend practically threw me out when I told him I was going back home for a visit, so I had to grab anything I could find."
Todd's mouth hung open a few seconds after he finished his sentence, as he realized he'd just come out to a stranger. John Paul could see the wheels turning as Todd then realized John Paul sitting down and having this conversation with him was pretty gay in itself. Still, they were in a public place, and Todd's eyes seemed to lose some of their luster.
"Sorry mate...I still get a bit anxious in public places, saying it, I mean. Maybe not when I know where I am, but not in a strange place, and..."
John Paul knew.
"I've had some bad experiences of my own with this pub."
Instinctively, he squeezed Todd's hand. He looked over towards the bar and saw the prat formerly known as Jake Dean shooting his usual sneer in John Paul's direction.
"Why don't we go someplace else?"
--
The streets were mostly empty and the stars were beautiful, so Todd and John Paul ended up sitting on a bench, watching the street light flicker in and out. It was oddly relaxing. John Paul felt very comfortable with Todd, a complete stranger. He didn't have to prove anything, didn't have to make a big impression, or hide what he was feeling. It was the most liberated John Paul had felt in a long time, because he didn't have to be liberated at all.
"Going back to see me mam. Well, me brother's having a stag 'do and I'm on the invite list, much to my surprise. We didn't part on the best of terms and I want to change that. But I mostly want to see mam again, I know she misses having me around."
"Must be nice though, never having to worry she'll come bounding around the corner, telling you all about how to fix your life and shaking her fist at anyone who looks at you funny."
The forlorn look on Todd's face told John Paul he wouldn't get the answer he wanted.
"Nah. I miss her. You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, like the song says."
John Paul didn't say anything. He knew he'd feel the same way if he left town, no matter how overbearing his mother could be.
"So you ever feel like you're the only gay in the village?"
John Paul laughed.
"At first, yeah, but not now. Well, sometimes I still do. People are cool here, long as you remember your limits. That's the hard part. I sorta made a spectacle outta myself not long ago..."
Todd put on a half-smile of sympathy, and as John Paul had done for him earlier, squeezed his hand.
"Before I left Weatherfield, it got to the point where I couldn't even leave me own home. If people weren't hurling abuse my way, they were eyeing me like I was a science experiment gone wrong. A real live poof, what will they think of next!"
Todd was so animated and jumpy. At first John Paul wrote it off as camp, then he realized that like him, Todd was just so relieved to have someone to talk to.
"So, Todd...if you don't mind my asking...when did you know?"
Todd was quiet for a few moments.
"I guess maybe part of me knew for a long time. Didn't really kick in 'til I got drunk and kissed my girlfriend Sarah's brother. She should've kicked me out for good, would've done us both good. Instead..."
John Paul groaned. Todd looked down with a mixture of shame and resignation.
"I know, ain't one of my finest moments."
John Paul mentally kicked himself for how he'd made Todd feel. Not really thinking of what he was doing, he ran his fingers down Todd's cheek.
"No, I just feel like we're both in the same bad script."
John Paul told him about falling in love with Craig, Craig kissing him when they were drunk, Craig having a girlfriend named Sarah. Discussing this with someone who could understand, someone who had been there, yet someone who had no emotional investment in the situation was a release for John Paul. Finally, he got to the part about trapping Craig during his engagement party at the Dog.
Todd's reaction was sympathy for his new friend, but also a look of what John Paul could almost interpret as envy.
"At least nobody was hurt."
Before John Paul could object to that statement, Todd went on unburdening himself.
"I really did believe I was straight. I did good after that, for months. Then I met a bloke at work. His name was Karl. He loved to wind me up and tell me how gay I was. He'd give me those looks and I'd just melt. Most of all he just loved me. Once I met him, I knew I was gay. Just about the first time I laid eyes on him, way he made me feel...no girl'd ever done that. Not even close. I made love with him. That's what it was. I never knew sex could feel that good. But I had a duty. I'd made a baby and that's what my priority was gonna be. I told Karl we were done. Hardest day of my life...up to that point."
Todd paused for a moment, blinking back tears, tears glistening in the lamplight. His hands trembled, knotting as he remembered those dark days.
"I couldn't go on any longer with the lie, even though I'd given up the man I loved. Sarah was in the last few months of her pregnancy when I told her. I thought I was doing her a favor. Me a favor. Oh, noble Todd, honesty's the best policy. I broke her heart, and then she went back to work even though she wasn't supposed to, she was already having problems, and we lost our baby...my son...I...oh God it's been over three bloody years, I thought I'd gotten over this already, and I still..."
John Paul pulled Todd to him, hugging him tight, letting Todd cry on his shoulder, trying to absorb some of his pain. In the back of his mind, he thought of what had happened with Craig and Sarah, and was so relieved that at least no children had been involved. He couldn't say anything to help Todd, all he could do was offer his support, his strength. They sat there for many moments until finally Todd gathered himself together, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. John Paul was a more gentle touch, rubbing his thumbs underneath Todd's big, sad, wet eyes, helping remove the tears.
Todd looked so ashamed at what he'd said to a complete stranger that John Paul tried for a joke.
"Hey, we both learned a good lesson. Our lives will be perfect as long as we avoid anyone named Sarah."
Todd laughed, more because he needed a laugh than anything else. Then he tried to change the subject, babbling about everything and nothing.
John Paul didn't want to stare, but all he could notice was what a lush mouth Todd had. He felt such a comfort with Todd. He knew the more he got to know Todd, the more that comfort might be replaced with the same complicated feelings he had already had for other men in his life, but this was probably the last night he would ever even see Todd Grimshaw.
As Todd still went on about something or other, John Paul kissed him. He didn't know what he was doing, but he knew Todd had some of the softest lips he'd ever tasted. Todd seemed surprised at first, but did nothing to stop John Paul, and soon began actively kissing the younger man.
They had every reason to not take this further. They were almost complete strangers. Todd was living with someone. John Paul was on the rebound. They might get hurt.
Yet, as they left the bench and locked eyes one more time, they both knew how this night would end.
Pairing: John Paul McQueen/Todd Grimshaw
Rating: PG-13
Note: This story is a crossover with "Coronation Street". Since Todd is back on Corrie for a little bit, I couldn't help thinking about what would happen if he ever met John Paul. If you have anything to say, please let me know! The second part should be out in a few days.
--
Maybe it was the sweater.
John Paul was in the Dog, listening to his HCC mates talk about some party. Or had he been until he realized he was the only one at the table. He remembered them asking him if he wanted to go, and he assumed the word "no" had come out of his mouth at some point, because they'd all left.
John Paul was concentrating on a very quiet man who was also by himself, only he'd been alone the entire time. He'd been nursing the same drink for what seemed like hours, all while he seemed to be staring into his own private universe. He was wearing a hideous, hideous red cardi that made him look like a color blind grandfather. The shirt underneath didn't look much better. Even Craig had better taste in cardis.
The young man with no fashion sense certainly wasn't the fittest choice around, but John Paul could find plenty of overmuscled nobodies prowling around campus if that's what he wanted. No, there was something different about this man. Something deeply intense, yet innocent and kind. He looked like he had a story to tell, a story John Paul could understand. His short dark hair offset his somewhat paunchy face in an unflattering manner, but brought attention to his deep, dark eyes. John Paul would do anything for deep, dark eyes.
Before John Paul lost his nerve, he walked up to the stranger. The other man jumped slightly, almost as if he'd suddenly realized he was in a roomful of people. John Paul tried to offer a reassuring smile.
"Sorry 'bout that. Name's John Paul McQueen."
The stranger looked John Paul up and down in a way which seemed completely normal, yet had the undertones of something more.
"Todd Grimshaw."
After a pause, he extended his hand, somewhat clumsily, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do. Their handshake lingered just a second too long.
"Can I join you?"
Todd managed a combination of a nod and a shrug, leaving John Paul to occupy a space adjacent to him at the small table. The noise in the room had gotten so loud that John Paul only heard every other word as Todd tried to talk to him.
"...so that's how I ended up here for the night."
John Paul patched together something about Todd leaving for a trip at the last minute and stopping in Chester for the night because he was nervous about getting in too soon.
"So you were in a rush then?"
"Yeah."
Letting his lager intake push him into camp mode, John Paul ran his relatively bleary line of vision up and down Todd's mismatched wardrobe.
"That explains the getup."
Todd simultaneously blushed and winced, but when he saw the affection in John Paul's sparkling blue eyes, he let out a big laugh. John Paul saw this flirtation, conversation, whatever it was, as a distraction, as something new, but Todd reminded him so much of some combination of the men who'd occupied John Paul's life for what seemed like forever but then ended in the blink of an eye. It was almost as if Spike and Craig were put together in one body, only Todd was not quite that easy to categorize.
"Me boyfriend practically threw me out when I told him I was going back home for a visit, so I had to grab anything I could find."
Todd's mouth hung open a few seconds after he finished his sentence, as he realized he'd just come out to a stranger. John Paul could see the wheels turning as Todd then realized John Paul sitting down and having this conversation with him was pretty gay in itself. Still, they were in a public place, and Todd's eyes seemed to lose some of their luster.
"Sorry mate...I still get a bit anxious in public places, saying it, I mean. Maybe not when I know where I am, but not in a strange place, and..."
John Paul knew.
"I've had some bad experiences of my own with this pub."
Instinctively, he squeezed Todd's hand. He looked over towards the bar and saw the prat formerly known as Jake Dean shooting his usual sneer in John Paul's direction.
"Why don't we go someplace else?"
--
The streets were mostly empty and the stars were beautiful, so Todd and John Paul ended up sitting on a bench, watching the street light flicker in and out. It was oddly relaxing. John Paul felt very comfortable with Todd, a complete stranger. He didn't have to prove anything, didn't have to make a big impression, or hide what he was feeling. It was the most liberated John Paul had felt in a long time, because he didn't have to be liberated at all.
"Going back to see me mam. Well, me brother's having a stag 'do and I'm on the invite list, much to my surprise. We didn't part on the best of terms and I want to change that. But I mostly want to see mam again, I know she misses having me around."
"Must be nice though, never having to worry she'll come bounding around the corner, telling you all about how to fix your life and shaking her fist at anyone who looks at you funny."
The forlorn look on Todd's face told John Paul he wouldn't get the answer he wanted.
"Nah. I miss her. You don't know what you got 'til it's gone, like the song says."
John Paul didn't say anything. He knew he'd feel the same way if he left town, no matter how overbearing his mother could be.
"So you ever feel like you're the only gay in the village?"
John Paul laughed.
"At first, yeah, but not now. Well, sometimes I still do. People are cool here, long as you remember your limits. That's the hard part. I sorta made a spectacle outta myself not long ago..."
Todd put on a half-smile of sympathy, and as John Paul had done for him earlier, squeezed his hand.
"Before I left Weatherfield, it got to the point where I couldn't even leave me own home. If people weren't hurling abuse my way, they were eyeing me like I was a science experiment gone wrong. A real live poof, what will they think of next!"
Todd was so animated and jumpy. At first John Paul wrote it off as camp, then he realized that like him, Todd was just so relieved to have someone to talk to.
"So, Todd...if you don't mind my asking...when did you know?"
Todd was quiet for a few moments.
"I guess maybe part of me knew for a long time. Didn't really kick in 'til I got drunk and kissed my girlfriend Sarah's brother. She should've kicked me out for good, would've done us both good. Instead..."
John Paul groaned. Todd looked down with a mixture of shame and resignation.
"I know, ain't one of my finest moments."
John Paul mentally kicked himself for how he'd made Todd feel. Not really thinking of what he was doing, he ran his fingers down Todd's cheek.
"No, I just feel like we're both in the same bad script."
John Paul told him about falling in love with Craig, Craig kissing him when they were drunk, Craig having a girlfriend named Sarah. Discussing this with someone who could understand, someone who had been there, yet someone who had no emotional investment in the situation was a release for John Paul. Finally, he got to the part about trapping Craig during his engagement party at the Dog.
Todd's reaction was sympathy for his new friend, but also a look of what John Paul could almost interpret as envy.
"At least nobody was hurt."
Before John Paul could object to that statement, Todd went on unburdening himself.
"I really did believe I was straight. I did good after that, for months. Then I met a bloke at work. His name was Karl. He loved to wind me up and tell me how gay I was. He'd give me those looks and I'd just melt. Most of all he just loved me. Once I met him, I knew I was gay. Just about the first time I laid eyes on him, way he made me feel...no girl'd ever done that. Not even close. I made love with him. That's what it was. I never knew sex could feel that good. But I had a duty. I'd made a baby and that's what my priority was gonna be. I told Karl we were done. Hardest day of my life...up to that point."
Todd paused for a moment, blinking back tears, tears glistening in the lamplight. His hands trembled, knotting as he remembered those dark days.
"I couldn't go on any longer with the lie, even though I'd given up the man I loved. Sarah was in the last few months of her pregnancy when I told her. I thought I was doing her a favor. Me a favor. Oh, noble Todd, honesty's the best policy. I broke her heart, and then she went back to work even though she wasn't supposed to, she was already having problems, and we lost our baby...my son...I...oh God it's been over three bloody years, I thought I'd gotten over this already, and I still..."
John Paul pulled Todd to him, hugging him tight, letting Todd cry on his shoulder, trying to absorb some of his pain. In the back of his mind, he thought of what had happened with Craig and Sarah, and was so relieved that at least no children had been involved. He couldn't say anything to help Todd, all he could do was offer his support, his strength. They sat there for many moments until finally Todd gathered himself together, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. John Paul was a more gentle touch, rubbing his thumbs underneath Todd's big, sad, wet eyes, helping remove the tears.
Todd looked so ashamed at what he'd said to a complete stranger that John Paul tried for a joke.
"Hey, we both learned a good lesson. Our lives will be perfect as long as we avoid anyone named Sarah."
Todd laughed, more because he needed a laugh than anything else. Then he tried to change the subject, babbling about everything and nothing.
John Paul didn't want to stare, but all he could notice was what a lush mouth Todd had. He felt such a comfort with Todd. He knew the more he got to know Todd, the more that comfort might be replaced with the same complicated feelings he had already had for other men in his life, but this was probably the last night he would ever even see Todd Grimshaw.
As Todd still went on about something or other, John Paul kissed him. He didn't know what he was doing, but he knew Todd had some of the softest lips he'd ever tasted. Todd seemed surprised at first, but did nothing to stop John Paul, and soon began actively kissing the younger man.
They had every reason to not take this further. They were almost complete strangers. Todd was living with someone. John Paul was on the rebound. They might get hurt.
Yet, as they left the bench and locked eyes one more time, they both knew how this night would end.