Fic: You're one big sugar rush (I've always dreamt that I'd be your favorite) [8/14]
Title:‘You're one big sugar rush (I've always dreamt that I'd be your favorite)’ [8/14]
Author: jen_jm
Pairing: Gabe/William, Butcher/Sisky, Ryland/Vicky-T, Alex/Nate vs Alex/Tom, others minor pairings.
Rating: NC-17 overall
Word count: 80,000 total words
Warnings: Upper East Siders AU (it needed a name, didn’t it?), but this is NOT a Gossip Girl AU.
POV: third
Disclaimer: Completely not true. I doubt Gabe can actually write softwares, anyway. It’s all fiction.
Author’s Notes: title from Cash Cash’s ‘Sugar Rush’ and Cobra Starship’s ‘The scene is dead - Long live the scene’
As ever, feel free to report any mistake. Constructive criticism is welcome, feedback makes me happy!
Summary:“Can I offer you a coffee, then?” Gabe tried once again, not too hopeful, but to his surprise, the singer didn’t flip him off.
“Why?” William asked, genuinely curious about all that interest.
“Because,” Gabe just said, shrugging a little, but at the boy’s stubborn look, he gave in and smiled. “I like your voice.” - Gabe Saporta is a rich 26 years old computer nerd who lives in the Upper East Side. William Beckett is a broke 22 years old musician who works as a bartender and lives with his best friend in Brooklyn. When they meet in the subway where William is playing their worlds collide in more ways than one.
Crossposted
Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7
Chapter 8 - The one with the New Year’s Eve parties
Two days later - 26th December
“Thanks for the ride,” Gabe said as he took the last of their suitcases from the trunk.
“No problem, guys,” Alex replied and helped them put their luggage on the airport cart, then looked the car. “Go get these through check-in, I’ll go park the car and meet you there so we can eat something together.”
“Sounds great to me,” Gabe agreed with a smile and he and William headed for the doors.
“You were right about him,” William said as they took their place in the queue. “I like him.”
“Even with his rather disturbing taste in boyfriends?” Gabe asked with a careful glance, only half-joking.
“You just insulted yourself, you know that, right?” William laughed, much to the other relief, then his expression turned to a little smile. “Tom is different from a year ago, I can barely recognize him.”
“Are you having second thoughts about him?” Gabe looked at him in the eye, worried the question could anger the boy.
“Never,” William just said, but didn’t look upset, just a little amused. “Why would I?” he added and gripped Gabe’s t-shirt to pull him closer. “And besides, I feel like you wouldn’t let me go that easily.”
“I wouldn’t let you go at all,” Gabe confirmed and circled the boy’s waist with an arm. “I’m not stupid.”
“I wouldn’t let you go either,” William admitted, looking at him in the eye, and smiled when he read the surprise in there at his words. “Hey, don’t act so shocked, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t like you a lot,” he added with another soft laughter. “I mean, it was supposed to be just sex and instead here we are, leaving for London. It should tell you something.”
“It does. Can I say something you’d probably define horribly sappy?” Gabe rested his hand on his hip, stroking it through the clothes.
“No,” William replied with a glare, which prompted his boyfriend to laugh out loud. “But you can kiss me.”
Gabe looked up and made an exaggerated thinking noise, gaining a playful slap on the chest that prompted him to smile at the boy. He moved forward until their lips met and felt him relax as the kiss deepened. He was barely aware that people around them were looking at them, either pleasantly surprised or disgusted, but he had to acknowledge that when he heard someone say the words ‘fucking faggots’ from a point near them.
William immediately interrupted the kiss and they both turned to look at the young boy who had insulted them, he couldn’t be more than fifteen. Much to both the guy’s and Gabe’s surprise, William started laughing out loud, visibly entertained.
“Wow, you must be proud of yourself, aren’t you?” William pointed out, breaking the hug, just as Alex reached them and threw a confused look at the unknown boy. “Insulting people with the bad words, just like the big boys. Next what, a driver’s license?”
“Who the fuck d’you think you are?” the boy retorted, visibly upset and angry, while both Alex and Gabe looked at each other, amused.
“I’m the faggot who’s gonna fuck your ass if you don’t run back to your mommy and leave us alone,” William told him with a wide, wicked grin and saw the boy pale and take a step back. “Evaporate, now.”
When the boy walked away, honestly disturbed by William’s words and gaze, Gabe laughed again, along with a couple of people next to them.
“I never thought you could be that threatening,” he admitted with a nod, then placed a kiss on his cheek.
“I like homophobic kids,” William said with a shrug. “They’re easy to scare.”
Alex shook his head, unbelieving, then gestured them it was their turn at the desk. Ten minutes later their suitcases were on their way to the airplane cargo and the three of them headed for a nearby fast-food to get something to eat.
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” Gabe asked Alex when they sat down at one of the tables with their food. “You have a deadline at the end of January, right?”
“First half of the season, yep,” Alex admitted with a nod, then threw a careful glance at William and added, “But Tom convinced me to take this week off.”
“How?” Gabe chuckled, genuinely surprised. “We’ve tried to get you to take a break for weeks.”
“We made a deal, he offered himself as a creative assistant, but only if I took some time off,” Alex replied with a smile and a little shrug. “So here I am.”
“That’s a good deal, trust me,” William pointed out with a nod. “He’s the right man for the job, he always found the right music for my lyrics whenever I couldn’t.”
“You write songs?” Alex sounded pleasantly surprised, but his enthusiasm faded when the boy took a sip from his coke, avoiding his gaze.
“I stopped when we broke up,” William just said, then shook his head and looked at him again, smiling. “But I’m thinking that maybe it’s time to try again.”
“Well, if you ever want to put that creativity to work for something else than just fun, let me know,” Alex replied with a serious nod. “The network’s looking for someone valuable who knows shit about music and is willing to work on some original soundtracks for a couple of shows.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” William replied and from the sparkle in his eyes, Gabe could tell he was thrilled by the idea.
~~
The following day
“Here you are, finally,” Vicky greeted them with a wide smile, waving happily.
“Sorry, my fault,” Butcher apologized and scratched the back of his neck. “We just had a little detour to buy a few supplies I needed to finish a work,” he added with a little shrug.
“No need to apologize,” Vicky replied with pat on his shoulder, then pointed at a spot behind her and added, “Let’s go, the others are right there.”
“Thanks for inviting us,” Sisky told her, gaining a surprised glance.
“Are you kidding? Gabe’s friends are my friends,” she said as they started to walk towards the group they could see not far. “And that includes William’s friends, of course.”
“I guess we can say the same,” Sisky replied and she nodded, pleased.
“Hey guys!” Ryland greeted them when they reached the group, immediately followed by Alex, who was messing with the camera, and Tom.
“Are you still practicing?” Butcher looked at the Nikon and laughed a little as he and Sisky sat down next to Vicky on the wooden bench from which they could see most part of the beach.
“Yep, I think I’m starting to get the hang of it,” Alex said with a convinced nod and the painter saw Tom try to repress a smirk. “Or not,” he added when he noticed his boyfriend expression.
“Keep practicing, babe,” Tom just said, then placed a kiss on his shoulder.
Sisky felt a little smile for on his lips despite himself, realizing how close those two looked even after such a short time together and for a moment he wondered if the same thing was happening to Gabe and William. He knew it was probably true but he couldn’t bring himself to consider it a bad thing. He turned to look at Butcher and saw him lit a cigarette, which prompted a brief glare.
“I thought you were quitting,” Sisky pointed out, more resigned than upset.
“I am,” Butcher confirmed with a nod. “One step at a time.”
“Ouch, not an easy one,” Vicky admitted with a grimace.
“You smoke too?” Sisky seemed surprised by that piece of information.
“Used to,” Vicky replied with a nod, then looked at Butcher. “You know, I read an amazing book when I was trying to quit, it did the trick for me. I can lend it to you, if you’re interested.”
“He is,” Sisky said before his boyfriend could answer, much to Ryland’s amusement.
“Yeah, I couldn’t stand it either,” the doctor declared with a glance at his fiancée. “The book really is good, though.”
“See? We’re already bonding,” Vicky pointed out, addressing them a smile.
Alex raised his camera at that and Vicky leaned a little towards Sisky, while Butcher just looked at him, a bit uncertain. Once the boy snapped the picture, she looked at Sisky again and patted his leg.
“So, have you heard from the sweethearts?” she asked, while Alex looked at the photo in the little screen, not too satisfied.
“Bill texted me when they landed, they should be at the hotel now,” Sisky replied and threw a careful glance at Tom, who seemed to be completely unaffected by the topic as he leaned over to look at Alex’s picture with a grin.
~~
The following day - West End, London
Gabe had just stepped out of the shower and was ready to get dressed when he heard someone knock on the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see William standing there, leaning against the doorframe. Gabe had to do his best not to laugh when he realized the boy had locked himself out for the second time since they had gotten there.
“Room service,” William joked with a flirtatious smirk.
“Really? And what kind of service do you offer?” Gabe hooked a finger in the boy’s jeans and pulled him closer, careful not to make him spill the coffees he was holding.
“Perv,” William just said, but kissed him briefly and handed him one of the Starbucks cups.
“Yes, proud to be,” Gabe announced and closed the door as soon as William stepped in. “You went to Starbucks?”
“There’s one right down the street, five minutes from here,” William replied as he flopped down on the bed and rested his cup on the nightstand.
“They make pretty good coffee here too,” Gabe pointed out with an amused frown. “That’s what the real room service is for.”
“I just wanted to walk a little, and you were in the shower,” William said with a shrug, then smiled up at him as he took off his shoes. “Besides, Starbucks is Starbucks.”
“Our first coffee together,” Gabe admitted with a mirror smile as he put his cup down as well and approached him. “Good memories?”
“You know, I was freaking out big time at first,” William confessed as Gabe pushed him down on his back.
“No, you weren’t,” Gabe protested with a skeptical laughter.
“I was, I thought you were some kind of nutjob,” William insisted, equally highly amused.
“What made you change your mind?” Gabe frowned a little, then placed a few soft kisses on his chin.
“The way you said you had a crush on me and the way you didn’t try to hide it, you were unexpectedly honest,” William replied and waited for Gabe to meet his gaze. “Yeah, they’re good memories.”
Gabe smiled widely at that and kissed him without a word, feeling the boy’s hands settle on his hips to pull their bodies closer. The moment the kiss ended, William started snickering and tried to move away.
“You’re wet, get off me,” the boy whined, but didn’t lose his smile.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Gabe replied, trapping him against the soft surface, and William kept struggling and laughing at the same time. After several seconds Gabe took pity on him and rolled on his back next to him, amused. “So, what d’you wanna see today?”
“I don’t know where to start,” William admitted, turning on his side to look at him. “The classics, maybe? Westminster, Big Ben, you know.”
“The London Eye,” Gabe added and smirked when he saw the surprise on the other’s face. “I won’t look down, it shouldn’t be too hard.”
“You don’t have to do this,” William said as he scooted closer and his hand found its way to Gabe’s now half-naked chest.
“Hey, this is my gift for you, I want you to enjoy every part of it,” Gabe insisted with a nod, watching his reaction.
“Talking about gifts, I thought we’d be staying somewhere, you know, less expensive,” William pointed out, then bit on his lower lip for a brief second. “I mean, I was ready for the Hilton, maybe, but definitely not the freaking Infinity Suite at the Langham,” he paused and shrugged with the shoulder that wasn’t resting on the bed. “How much are you paying for this place?”
“It doesn’t matter, as long as you like it,” Gabe replied with a warm smile. “I just want you to enjoy those good, innocuous sides I was talking about. And this is one of them.”
“Surprisingly enough, I do like staying here,” William admitted with a mischievous smirk, still looking at him to let him know he was telling the truth. “But it doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune for me.”
“Hey, I’m overpaid for my job, and money’s only good when you spend it for someone you care about,” Gabe pointed out as his hand started playing with the boy’s hair. “It’s a win/win situation for me, too.”
“Bullshit, you’re just trying to spoil me,” William just said with a grin, curling against his side, and placed a kiss on his chest.
“Yeah, that too,” Gabe admitted and laughed out loud, then watched him sit up and reach for their coffees.
“Then let’s get you dressed and hit the streets,” William proposed with a cheerful smile. “And one more thing,” he added, looking at Gabe in the eye as the boy sit up as well.
“What?”
“This is the best fucking present ever,” William whispered against his cheek, then kissed it and Gabe’s eyes lit up. “Thank you.”
~~
Three days later - 31st December
“Alex?” Nate reached his friend in the hallway, throwing a quick glance behind to make sure everyone else was in the living room.
“What?” Alex looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but his voice was detached, almost suspicious.
“I just-- I want to apologize,” Nate said with a resigned sigh. “I don’t want to start a new year with you mad at me,” he added, looking at his friend in the eye. “Just let me finish what I’m here to say, okay?”
“Okay, go on,” Alex agreed with a nod, hoping the boy was sincere about that.
“I like you, I’ve liked you for quite a while, to be honest, but I just wasn’t sure I was the kind of guy you were looking for,” Nate explained with a calm, collected voice, but his eyes showed regret, maybe hope. “I’ve acted like a jerk, to you, to Tom, to many people lately and I really want to apologize for this.”
“Apology accepted,” Alex just said with a brief nod, then waited for him to speak again.
“I really, really want to ask you to give me another chance, but I know I’d just end up making things worse,” Nate continued with a sad smile. “I’m not sure I’m ready to give up on this, but I can’t stand the fact that you’re not even talking to me anymore.”
“We’ve made each other miserable, Nate,” Alex replied, taking a step closer. “Even if I wanted to give you another chance, even if Tom wasn’t part of the equation, there would always be regrets and resentment between us and it’d be just another failure.”
“You don’t know that,” Nate objected, looking up at him with confusion.
“I fell in love with you a while ago, and now I realize it was a mistake, because ever since that happened, things have gotten worse and worse for us,” Alex explained, feeling his heart clench at the hurt look in the boy’s eyes. “We’re meant to be friends, nothing more.”
“Are you happy with him?” Nate just asked, blinking away the tears.
“Honestly? Yes,” Alex replied without any trace of hesitation in his voice. “More than I’ve been in a while. And maybe I’m not in love with him right now, but there’s a good probability that that will change, eventually.”
“Just promise me you won’t cut me out of your life,” Nate said, looking at him in the eye. “Because that, I’m not willing to accept.”
“I could never do that, Nate,” Alex reassured him and pulled him in a hug, unsure. After a few seconds he felt Nate relax and smiled a little. “How did we get into this mess?”
Nate huffed out a laughter against his arm and whispered, “I charmed you with my ass.” Alex laughed as well at that, but it was still weak and unsure. He pulled back and cupped Nate’s face with both hands, leaning closer. “Tom’s lucky.”
“Sooner or later, you’ll make someone lucky too,” Alex replied, then placed a small kiss on his forehead. “But as a friend, let me give you an advice. Playing hard-to-get is not a good tactic.”
“As a friend, let me tell you to fuck off,” Nate retorted with a little smile, but didn’t push him back.
After a few, long seconds of silence, Alex stepped back and took a deep breath. “Let’s go back to the party,” he said, and gained a nod from the other boy, who headed down the hallway. Alex was about to follow him, but he heard someone call him from a nearby room and froze. “Tom?”
“I was in the bathroom,” Tom said as he walked out of a door next to Alex. “I didn’t want to interrupt you two.”
“You heard us?” Alex looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights and Tom nodded, but instead of speaking, he took Alex’s hand and dragged him in the bathroom too, closing the door after him.
“You’re in love with him,” Tom just said, looking at him straight in the eye, and the boy couldn’t tell if he was upset or just confused.
“Won’t be for long, if I have any say in this,” Alex replied, trying to slow down his heartbeat. “But yes, right now, I am.”
“And you think some day you will eventually fall in love with me,” Tom continued, still keeping his tone unintelligible.
“Yes, that’s what I think,” Alex confirmed, then took a deep breath, trying to figure out if what he’d said was the right thing.
“You’re in love with him and you turned him down to stay with me, even though we have no guarantee this will work out in the long run?” Tom stepped closer as he spoke and Alex found himself with his back pressed against the door.
“I believe in us, Tom,” Alex whispered, keeping their gazes locked. “And I don’t want anything more than you’re willing to give me,” he added, but still didn’t dare to reach out and touch him. “But it’s you I want to wake up with, not Nate.”
Tom stared at him in complete silence for several seconds, then suddenly, he moved forward and pressed their lips together, half-laughing in the kiss when he felt how tense Alex was. When his boyfriend finally relaxed, obviously reassured that Tom wasn’t mad at him, he pulled back and looked at him in the eye.
“I’m sorry for eavesdropping,” Tom apologized with a little smile, keeping his hands on Alex’s hips. “But I’m glad I did.”
“Maybe it’s better if we keep the eavesdropping thing between us, to avoid more drama,” Alex proposed with a soft laughter.
“Definitely,” Tom agreed with a convinced nod, then they both heard the doorbell ring and his eyes lit up even more. “It’s probably Ryan, you have to meet him.”
“Ryan as in your best friend Ryan?” Alex panicked for a second, Vicky had told him she had invited Tom’s friends, but he hadn’t expected Ryan. The Ryan who had been Tom’s best friend and inseparable shadow for the past five years.
“Relax, he’s gonna love you, he already does, actually,” Tom said as he pulled him away from the door and opened it.
They walked back into the living room and Alex immediately spotted Mike and Hayley walking in from the main door, quickly followed by another guy, Ryan, whom Alex recognized from the pictures he’d seen in Tom’s apartment.
“Hey, buddy,” Tom greeted him as soon as the boy reached them. “It’s good to finally see you back in New York,” he added as they exchanged a hug.
“It’s good to be back, man,” Ryan said with a wide smile, then turned to look at Alex. “You must be the hottie he told me about.”
“Alex,” Tom corrected him with a brief glare, than glanced at his boyfriend. “Don’t let Ryan scare you.”
“I won’t,” Alex reassured him and held his hand out to Ryan, who just looked at it and frowned.
“Seriously?” Ryan took the hand and pulled Alex in a tight hug. “My buddy’s man deserves more than a cold handshake.”
Tom smiled at the scene and saw Ryland, Nate and Vicky nearby, so when the hug ended, he caught their attention with a wave. “Guys, this is Ryan,” he introduced him to them and the rest of the group, who stepped forward for the presentations.
“Luciani?” Vicky looked at him wide-eyed, incredulous. “Ryan Luciani?”
“I’ll be damned, Beavy?” Ryan laughed as well, shocked. “Is that you?”
“You know each other?” Alex asked with a highly amused frown, then seemed to realize something. “Wait a moment, Beavy? Isn’t that--”
“My high school nickname, and not of the internet kind,” Vicky confirmed, still stunned to see her old friend there. “I had a little problem with my front teeth.”
“You went to high school together?” Ryland looked at Ryan first, then his fiancée, who nodded in reply.
“Then you know Gabe,” Nate said as he handed the boy a glass, which earned him a wide smile.
“Are you kidding? Gabe Saporta isn’t an easy one to forget, especially when you spend senior year prom making out with him in the locker room,” Ryan confirmed with a casual tone.
“Hey, that’s where he went!” Vicky stared at him open-mouthed, then shook her head. “He never told me, that little bastard.”
“Where’s Gabe now? I wouldn’t mind a little reunion, if you know what I mean,” Ryan said with a devious smirk, which prompted Vicky to slap him on the arm.
“Okay, I think that’s too much information,” Tom declared with a disturbed frown.
“Gabe is dating someone,” Vicky told him with a warning glare, while Ryland excused himself and went to open the door. “And right now he’s in London with that someone.”
“Is he pretty?” Ryan kept his tone casual, but there was a sparkle of amusement.
“He’s dating William,” Tom deadpanned, addressing his friend an eloquent look.
Ryan stared at him for a few seconds with his best ‘cut the shit’ look on his face, but when he realized Tom was serious, he let out a soft laughter. “Okay, it doesn’t get any more ‘off limits’ than that, I guess.”
“Good guessing,” Alex agreed with a wide smirk.
Ryan took a sip from his glass, then turned to look at Nate and paused for a second, unsure. “I think I know you.”
“Yeah, right,” Tom huffed out, rolling his eyes at his friend.
“No, no, it’s not a pick-up line, I really know you,” Ryan insisted, taking a better look at him. “You work at Methodist Hospital, you’re a nurse in the pediatric ward.”
“How d’you know?” Nate was a little taken aback and blinked several times.
“I was there for a job interview,” Ryan replied and shook his head, amused. “Looks like I already met half of your new friends, Tommy.”
“Always the lucky ones, uh?” Vicky joked and Ryan blew her a kiss, starting a round of laughter.
~~
“This is amazing,” William whispered as he looked at the brightly illuminated London Eye. “I can’t believe we’re here.”
“Once we make it through the crowd, there’s a private party right down there,” Gabe told him, pointing at a point at the base of the ferry wheel. “My boss put us on the list.”
“Your boss is hosting the party?” William looked at him, incredulous.
“No, but he’s always invited,” Gabe replied as they walked down the stairs and into the crowd. “Now hold on tight and don’t let go, this is the ugly part.”
“You won’t lose me in the crowd, I’m not five,” William retorted with a glare, but followed him closely anyway and his fingers tightened around Gabe’s.
It took them fifteen minutes to get through the huge mass of people, but once they finally reached the delimited area of the party, they both started to look for someone who could let them it. They saw a man standing not far at the only visible point of entrance and they quickly reached him.
“Good evening, sir, are you on the list?” the man asked with a not too convinced look at Gabe’s purple hoodie.
“Saporta and Beckett,” Gabe replied, clearly unaffected by his behavior. “We’re Pete Wentz’s guests.”
The man - whose name was Vince, according to the tag he had on his jacket - checked the list he had in hand and after a few seconds he looked up, smiling. “Go ahead, sir, have a good time.”
“Thanks,” William replied with a nod and followed Gabe inside, not once leaving his hand. “Hey, aren’t we a little underdressed?”
“Nah, don’t worry, the grannies are having their formal party at the aquarium,” Gabe reassured him, then pointed at the door on their right, where well-dressed men and women were chatting and walking in the elegant building. “The real party is down there,” he added and pointed at a point in front of them, where a DJ station had been set.
“We’ll be right below the fireworks,” William pointed out, beaming at the realization of how close to the London Eye they were gonna be. “Have I mentioned that I love fireworks?”
“Nope, but it’s good news,” Gabe replied with a wide smile, happy to see how enthusiastic the boy was. He spotted Pete not far and tugged a little at William’s hand, catching his attention. “Let’s go, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
William followed him and looked at the people around them, most of which were dressed like them, not at all the snobs he had expected. They reached a two of the guests, who immediately turned to look at them.
“Pete, Ash,” Gabe greeted them and hugged them both, then turned to look at William and added, “William, these are my boss Pete and his wife Ashlee.”
“The infamous William?” Pete’s smile lit up and he shook William’s hand, then Ashlee did the same a couple of seconds later. “I can’t believe I finally get to meet you.”
“I’ve heard quite a lot about you too,” William replied with a wide smile. “Thanks for getting us on the list.”
“Don’t mention it,” Pete patted him on the shoulder and couple of seconds later someone called him from a few feet away. “Sorry guys, business seems to follow me everywhere,” he apologized as he pointed at the man. “Enjoy the party.”
“Sure,” Gabe told him as he watched him and Ashlee slowly walk away. “Don’t cheer up yet, he’ll be back.”
“He looks nice,” William said and slapped him playfully on the chest.
“He looks short,” Gabe objected with a grin, gaining a brief glare.
“Hey, that man pays your bills, not to mention the ten thousand dollars suite we’re staying in,” William pointed out looking straight at him in the eye. “Ten thousand per night,” he corrected himself, then raised his eyebrows at Gabe’s surprised expression. “What, you though I wasn’t gonna look it up online?”
“I kinda hoped you’d let it go,” Gabe admitted, taking the boy’s hand in his own. “I’m not trying to impress you, I just want you to have a good time.”
“I know that, but I was just too curious to let it go,” William replied, stepping closer, surprised by that contact. “I don’t care how rich you are and it probably wouldn’t impress me anyway. Money’s just numbers,” he added, then pulled him in a slow kiss, letting him know he meant those words.
“I was trying to impress you yesterday, though, when I got on this thing,” Gabe confessed as soon as William withdrew, and pointed at the London Eye.
“Well, that worked,” William admitted, glancing at the giant structure. “Even if you spent the entire time looking at my shoes.”
“They were fascinating,” Gabe offered with a fake innocent tone, then laughed and gripped his hand tighter as the music got a little louder. “C’mon, let’s dance, it’s almost midnight.”
William didn’t say anything in reply, just kissed him again for a few, long seconds, then followed him closer to the DJ station.
~~
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” Ryan asked as he walked out on the balcony, where Nate was leaning against the railing. “It’s almost time to open up the Champagne.”
“Sorry, I don’t really feel like celebrating right now,” Nate replied with a dry smile, then took a long sip of wine from his glass to fight the shivers that the cold wind was causing.
“Well, it seems serious, what’s going on?” Ryan reached the spot next to him and his gaze fell on the view below them.
“I don’t think talking to you is such a great idea right now,” Nate just replied and looked away as well.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m drunk and miserable and you seem like the kind of guy who would take advantage of that,” Nate explained with a shrug, then glanced at him for a brief moment. “No offence.”
“None taken,” Ryan accepted with a genuine laughter. “You’re not completely wrong about me, but I do have a honor code.”
“Really?” Nate smiled a little at that, and kept his eyes on him.
“And I wasn’t hitting on you, anyway,” Ryan reassured him with a nod, then took a deep breath. “Especially because I got that job I was at the hospital for and I don’t hit on coworkers.”
“Tom Conrad’s best friend is my new coworker, just my luck, uh?” Nate asked after taking another sip of his wine. “Apparently he wants to ruin my entire life, not just a part of it.”
“Well, you won’t see me everyday, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Ryan replied with a smirk and Nate was surprised to realize he was amused and not at all offended. “I’ll be mostly in the neonatal ICU.”
“Tough choice,” Nate pointed out with a raised eyebrow, honestly surprised.
“I like kids,” Ryan said with a shrug.
“Me too,” Nate agreed with a little smile and felt his stomach clench a little. “I’m sorry for what I said about Tom, it’s just-- I don’t really like him much, right now.”
“He told me about you and Alex,” Ryan replied and studied his reaction before speaking again. “And I know it’s hard to accept this kinda things, but sometimes the choice isn’t yours.”
“Why do I have the impression that you’re not talking only about me?” Nate turned his body to face him, confused by his words.
“I’m talking about everyone,” Ryan corrected him, then turned to glance at the window from which he could see the party. “Alex seems like a really great guy and I’m sure he and Tom will be very happy for a very long time, but he’s not Tom’s missing half, he’ll never be.”
“And his missing half is currently in London, right?” Nate pursed his lips a little, surprised to hear those words.
“It kinda sucks,” Ryan confirmed with a little, sad smile. “But sometimes soulmates are just not meant to be together.”
“That’s not exactly a cheering thought,” Nate pointed out with a bitter chuckle.
“It’s the wrong night to be talking about this,” Ryan admitted and addressed him an apologetic look.
“Okay, psychotherapy session is over,” Nate declared as he pushed himself off the railing, intentioned to walk back inside.
Ryan stopped him and made him turn, smirking at his suspicious expression. “I have this habit of kissing cute guys when they look sad, just to cheer them up, but I know you’d misinterpret that, so I’ll just go for a hug,” he announced, then hugged him before he had a chance to say anything.
Nate laughed against his shoulder, unbelieving, and some of his wine spilled on both their shirts. “You’re crazy,” he said, still highly amused, but didn’t push back.
“Wow, you must be some kind of genius,” Ryan just replied, rolling his eyes at him, then they both headed inside and Nate felt his heart get a little lighter. They joined the group just in time for the countdown to midnight, much to Vicky’s relief.
~~
“Gabriel Saporta?” a voice yelled from somewhere behind them as they danced. They both turned and Gabe’s smile lit up as he recognized the girl who had called him.
“Leight!” Gabe gestured William to follow him just as No you girls from Franz Ferdinand finished and Rihanna’s Please don’t stop the music started. As soon as they were far enough from the speakers to talk without yelling, they stopped.
“Well, this is a surprise,” Leighton pointed out, but she seemed happy to see him, then looked at William with a friendly smile. “Who’s your friend?”
“William,” the boy introduced himself without letting Gabe the time to talk. “His boyfriend.”
“Oh, the William?” Leighton looked delighted to hear that and hugged William briefly, while he tried to keep smiling through the shock of recognizing her. “We haven’t talked much lately, but he definitely mentioned you a lot.”
“Bill, this is Leighton,” Gabe introduced the girl and he saw his boyfriend blink several times.
“It’s great to meet you,” Leighton replied happily, then looked behind here. “Wait here, I’ll get us something good to drink, it’s almost midnight,” she added, then took off after one of the waiters.
“Leighton Meester? The actress from Gossip Girl?” William asked him, wide-eyed and unbelieving. “You know Leighton Meester?”
“Wait, you watch Gossip Girl?” Gabe laughed out loud, genuinely amused at the thought.
“Are you kidding? It’s awesome,” William said as he slapped him on the chest. “I’ll deny saying this, but me and Sisky turn into fifteen years old girls when it comes to that show.”
“I never suspected you’d be a fangirl,” Gabe admitted, incredibly amused by that piece of information. Leighton came back right in that moment, managing to bring three glasses of Champagne with her.
“Here you go, guys,” she said as she handed them their drinks.
“Thanks,” William told her with a wide smile, then cleared his throat when he noticed Gabe was doing his best not to snicker. “So, how did you two meet? Gabe hasn’t had the time to tell me, yet.”
“I was at the network to have the final audition for the show and while I was waiting my laptop died on me,” Leighton explained with a brief laughter. “I freaked out big time, until Alex came up to me and told me he knew someone who could fix it on the spot.”
“And apparently I saved her ass,” Gabe pointed out with an amused frown.
“What about you two?” Leighton looked at William, thrilled to have a chance to hear the story from him instead of Gabe.
“I was, uh, playing my guitar in the subway and Gabe came up to me and offered me a coffee,” William replied with an uncertain tone, but when she smiled widely in surprise, he regained a little bit of confidence. “That’s pretty much when he had me hooked.”
“I’m not sure how he did it,” Leighton pointed out, glancing at Gabe, then back at William. “But trust me, you got yourself a good one, William.”
“I know,” William admitted as he hooked his arm around Gabe’s, much to the boy’s silent happiness. “What about your golden boy?” he added, surprising both of them. “I’ll drop the act and confess right here that I do read your Wikipedia page.”
Leighton laughed out loud at that, obviously amused and not at all annoyed by his words. “Sebastian is somewhere around, I’d better find him before midnight.”
“Don’t worry, go get your prince,” Gabe told her as he shook his head. “We’ll be here.”
“Uh, no need, there he is,” she said, then waved her arm until the boy saw her and headed in their direction.
Just as he reached them the DJ lowered the music and announced the start of the countdown. William looked up at the London Eye as they all counted together, then moved his eyes back to Gabe after a while.
“Do I get a midnight kiss?” William spoke right to his ear just as the ‘8’ passed.
“Of course you do,” Gabe replied with a smile and pulled him closer, looking at him. When the count arrived at 3, he leaned down and pressed his lips to the boy’s, hearing the crowd raise their voices around them.
Once the count arrived to ‘0’, the fireworks started and the music came back, louder than before, while people started screaming and clapping their hands. Gabe felt William smile in the kiss and pulled him flush against his chest, feeling him laugh silently when Leighton whistled next to them.
Once they stopped kissing and broke the hug, she addressed them a smile and raised her glass to offer a toast, but avoided words, since the loud music was making it impossible to talk. The song changed right in that moment and William recognized the new one; he took Gabe’s hand and dragged him close once again as he started dancing.
Gabe immediately started to do the same, moving with him and the rest of the crowd.
“Thank you for this,” William managed to tell him, raising his voice.
“Thank you for being here,” Gabe replied, equally loud, then caught the smile on his face and understood he had heard. They didn’t say anything else and just danced as Dance all night by Kids in glass houses kept playing and the fireworks kept going off above them.
~~
A/N:before I say anything else, for those of you who don't know him, this is Ryan Luciani. He’s the drummer of Tom’s new band Empires and he is adorkable, that’s why I included him in here. Leighton is… well, do I really need to say it? She’s Leighton and I love her too much not to drag her into this.
So, satisfied about the new characters? They will stick around, Ryan more than Leighton, but they will.
Let me know about that and about the parties, I’ll be here waiting. :D
Also, remember about the soundtrack, if you want it just let me know and I’ll make sure you get it. :D It’ll be useful next week, trust me.
I guess it’s all. See you next year! (This joke is lame as hell, but I can’t help it LOL)
JM
Author: jen_jm
Pairing: Gabe/William, Butcher/Sisky, Ryland/Vicky-T, Alex/Nate vs Alex/Tom, others minor pairings.
Rating: NC-17 overall
Word count: 80,000 total words
Warnings: Upper East Siders AU (it needed a name, didn’t it?), but this is NOT a Gossip Girl AU.
POV: third
Disclaimer: Completely not true. I doubt Gabe can actually write softwares, anyway. It’s all fiction.
Author’s Notes: title from Cash Cash’s ‘Sugar Rush’ and Cobra Starship’s ‘The scene is dead - Long live the scene’
As ever, feel free to report any mistake. Constructive criticism is welcome, feedback makes me happy!
Summary:“Can I offer you a coffee, then?” Gabe tried once again, not too hopeful, but to his surprise, the singer didn’t flip him off.
“Why?” William asked, genuinely curious about all that interest.
“Because,” Gabe just said, shrugging a little, but at the boy’s stubborn look, he gave in and smiled. “I like your voice.” - Gabe Saporta is a rich 26 years old computer nerd who lives in the Upper East Side. William Beckett is a broke 22 years old musician who works as a bartender and lives with his best friend in Brooklyn. When they meet in the subway where William is playing their worlds collide in more ways than one.
Crossposted
Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7
Chapter 8 - The one with the New Year’s Eve parties
Two days later - 26th December
“Thanks for the ride,” Gabe said as he took the last of their suitcases from the trunk.
“No problem, guys,” Alex replied and helped them put their luggage on the airport cart, then looked the car. “Go get these through check-in, I’ll go park the car and meet you there so we can eat something together.”
“Sounds great to me,” Gabe agreed with a smile and he and William headed for the doors.
“You were right about him,” William said as they took their place in the queue. “I like him.”
“Even with his rather disturbing taste in boyfriends?” Gabe asked with a careful glance, only half-joking.
“You just insulted yourself, you know that, right?” William laughed, much to the other relief, then his expression turned to a little smile. “Tom is different from a year ago, I can barely recognize him.”
“Are you having second thoughts about him?” Gabe looked at him in the eye, worried the question could anger the boy.
“Never,” William just said, but didn’t look upset, just a little amused. “Why would I?” he added and gripped Gabe’s t-shirt to pull him closer. “And besides, I feel like you wouldn’t let me go that easily.”
“I wouldn’t let you go at all,” Gabe confirmed and circled the boy’s waist with an arm. “I’m not stupid.”
“I wouldn’t let you go either,” William admitted, looking at him in the eye, and smiled when he read the surprise in there at his words. “Hey, don’t act so shocked, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t like you a lot,” he added with another soft laughter. “I mean, it was supposed to be just sex and instead here we are, leaving for London. It should tell you something.”
“It does. Can I say something you’d probably define horribly sappy?” Gabe rested his hand on his hip, stroking it through the clothes.
“No,” William replied with a glare, which prompted his boyfriend to laugh out loud. “But you can kiss me.”
Gabe looked up and made an exaggerated thinking noise, gaining a playful slap on the chest that prompted him to smile at the boy. He moved forward until their lips met and felt him relax as the kiss deepened. He was barely aware that people around them were looking at them, either pleasantly surprised or disgusted, but he had to acknowledge that when he heard someone say the words ‘fucking faggots’ from a point near them.
William immediately interrupted the kiss and they both turned to look at the young boy who had insulted them, he couldn’t be more than fifteen. Much to both the guy’s and Gabe’s surprise, William started laughing out loud, visibly entertained.
“Wow, you must be proud of yourself, aren’t you?” William pointed out, breaking the hug, just as Alex reached them and threw a confused look at the unknown boy. “Insulting people with the bad words, just like the big boys. Next what, a driver’s license?”
“Who the fuck d’you think you are?” the boy retorted, visibly upset and angry, while both Alex and Gabe looked at each other, amused.
“I’m the faggot who’s gonna fuck your ass if you don’t run back to your mommy and leave us alone,” William told him with a wide, wicked grin and saw the boy pale and take a step back. “Evaporate, now.”
When the boy walked away, honestly disturbed by William’s words and gaze, Gabe laughed again, along with a couple of people next to them.
“I never thought you could be that threatening,” he admitted with a nod, then placed a kiss on his cheek.
“I like homophobic kids,” William said with a shrug. “They’re easy to scare.”
Alex shook his head, unbelieving, then gestured them it was their turn at the desk. Ten minutes later their suitcases were on their way to the airplane cargo and the three of them headed for a nearby fast-food to get something to eat.
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” Gabe asked Alex when they sat down at one of the tables with their food. “You have a deadline at the end of January, right?”
“First half of the season, yep,” Alex admitted with a nod, then threw a careful glance at William and added, “But Tom convinced me to take this week off.”
“How?” Gabe chuckled, genuinely surprised. “We’ve tried to get you to take a break for weeks.”
“We made a deal, he offered himself as a creative assistant, but only if I took some time off,” Alex replied with a smile and a little shrug. “So here I am.”
“That’s a good deal, trust me,” William pointed out with a nod. “He’s the right man for the job, he always found the right music for my lyrics whenever I couldn’t.”
“You write songs?” Alex sounded pleasantly surprised, but his enthusiasm faded when the boy took a sip from his coke, avoiding his gaze.
“I stopped when we broke up,” William just said, then shook his head and looked at him again, smiling. “But I’m thinking that maybe it’s time to try again.”
“Well, if you ever want to put that creativity to work for something else than just fun, let me know,” Alex replied with a serious nod. “The network’s looking for someone valuable who knows shit about music and is willing to work on some original soundtracks for a couple of shows.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” William replied and from the sparkle in his eyes, Gabe could tell he was thrilled by the idea.
~~
The following day
“Here you are, finally,” Vicky greeted them with a wide smile, waving happily.
“Sorry, my fault,” Butcher apologized and scratched the back of his neck. “We just had a little detour to buy a few supplies I needed to finish a work,” he added with a little shrug.
“No need to apologize,” Vicky replied with pat on his shoulder, then pointed at a spot behind her and added, “Let’s go, the others are right there.”
“Thanks for inviting us,” Sisky told her, gaining a surprised glance.
“Are you kidding? Gabe’s friends are my friends,” she said as they started to walk towards the group they could see not far. “And that includes William’s friends, of course.”
“I guess we can say the same,” Sisky replied and she nodded, pleased.
“Hey guys!” Ryland greeted them when they reached the group, immediately followed by Alex, who was messing with the camera, and Tom.
“Are you still practicing?” Butcher looked at the Nikon and laughed a little as he and Sisky sat down next to Vicky on the wooden bench from which they could see most part of the beach.
“Yep, I think I’m starting to get the hang of it,” Alex said with a convinced nod and the painter saw Tom try to repress a smirk. “Or not,” he added when he noticed his boyfriend expression.
“Keep practicing, babe,” Tom just said, then placed a kiss on his shoulder.
Sisky felt a little smile for on his lips despite himself, realizing how close those two looked even after such a short time together and for a moment he wondered if the same thing was happening to Gabe and William. He knew it was probably true but he couldn’t bring himself to consider it a bad thing. He turned to look at Butcher and saw him lit a cigarette, which prompted a brief glare.
“I thought you were quitting,” Sisky pointed out, more resigned than upset.
“I am,” Butcher confirmed with a nod. “One step at a time.”
“Ouch, not an easy one,” Vicky admitted with a grimace.
“You smoke too?” Sisky seemed surprised by that piece of information.
“Used to,” Vicky replied with a nod, then looked at Butcher. “You know, I read an amazing book when I was trying to quit, it did the trick for me. I can lend it to you, if you’re interested.”
“He is,” Sisky said before his boyfriend could answer, much to Ryland’s amusement.
“Yeah, I couldn’t stand it either,” the doctor declared with a glance at his fiancée. “The book really is good, though.”
“See? We’re already bonding,” Vicky pointed out, addressing them a smile.
Alex raised his camera at that and Vicky leaned a little towards Sisky, while Butcher just looked at him, a bit uncertain. Once the boy snapped the picture, she looked at Sisky again and patted his leg.
“So, have you heard from the sweethearts?” she asked, while Alex looked at the photo in the little screen, not too satisfied.
“Bill texted me when they landed, they should be at the hotel now,” Sisky replied and threw a careful glance at Tom, who seemed to be completely unaffected by the topic as he leaned over to look at Alex’s picture with a grin.
~~
The following day - West End, London
Gabe had just stepped out of the shower and was ready to get dressed when he heard someone knock on the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see William standing there, leaning against the doorframe. Gabe had to do his best not to laugh when he realized the boy had locked himself out for the second time since they had gotten there.
“Room service,” William joked with a flirtatious smirk.
“Really? And what kind of service do you offer?” Gabe hooked a finger in the boy’s jeans and pulled him closer, careful not to make him spill the coffees he was holding.
“Perv,” William just said, but kissed him briefly and handed him one of the Starbucks cups.
“Yes, proud to be,” Gabe announced and closed the door as soon as William stepped in. “You went to Starbucks?”
“There’s one right down the street, five minutes from here,” William replied as he flopped down on the bed and rested his cup on the nightstand.
“They make pretty good coffee here too,” Gabe pointed out with an amused frown. “That’s what the real room service is for.”
“I just wanted to walk a little, and you were in the shower,” William said with a shrug, then smiled up at him as he took off his shoes. “Besides, Starbucks is Starbucks.”
“Our first coffee together,” Gabe admitted with a mirror smile as he put his cup down as well and approached him. “Good memories?”
“You know, I was freaking out big time at first,” William confessed as Gabe pushed him down on his back.
“No, you weren’t,” Gabe protested with a skeptical laughter.
“I was, I thought you were some kind of nutjob,” William insisted, equally highly amused.
“What made you change your mind?” Gabe frowned a little, then placed a few soft kisses on his chin.
“The way you said you had a crush on me and the way you didn’t try to hide it, you were unexpectedly honest,” William replied and waited for Gabe to meet his gaze. “Yeah, they’re good memories.”
Gabe smiled widely at that and kissed him without a word, feeling the boy’s hands settle on his hips to pull their bodies closer. The moment the kiss ended, William started snickering and tried to move away.
“You’re wet, get off me,” the boy whined, but didn’t lose his smile.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Gabe replied, trapping him against the soft surface, and William kept struggling and laughing at the same time. After several seconds Gabe took pity on him and rolled on his back next to him, amused. “So, what d’you wanna see today?”
“I don’t know where to start,” William admitted, turning on his side to look at him. “The classics, maybe? Westminster, Big Ben, you know.”
“The London Eye,” Gabe added and smirked when he saw the surprise on the other’s face. “I won’t look down, it shouldn’t be too hard.”
“You don’t have to do this,” William said as he scooted closer and his hand found its way to Gabe’s now half-naked chest.
“Hey, this is my gift for you, I want you to enjoy every part of it,” Gabe insisted with a nod, watching his reaction.
“Talking about gifts, I thought we’d be staying somewhere, you know, less expensive,” William pointed out, then bit on his lower lip for a brief second. “I mean, I was ready for the Hilton, maybe, but definitely not the freaking Infinity Suite at the Langham,” he paused and shrugged with the shoulder that wasn’t resting on the bed. “How much are you paying for this place?”
“It doesn’t matter, as long as you like it,” Gabe replied with a warm smile. “I just want you to enjoy those good, innocuous sides I was talking about. And this is one of them.”
“Surprisingly enough, I do like staying here,” William admitted with a mischievous smirk, still looking at him to let him know he was telling the truth. “But it doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune for me.”
“Hey, I’m overpaid for my job, and money’s only good when you spend it for someone you care about,” Gabe pointed out as his hand started playing with the boy’s hair. “It’s a win/win situation for me, too.”
“Bullshit, you’re just trying to spoil me,” William just said with a grin, curling against his side, and placed a kiss on his chest.
“Yeah, that too,” Gabe admitted and laughed out loud, then watched him sit up and reach for their coffees.
“Then let’s get you dressed and hit the streets,” William proposed with a cheerful smile. “And one more thing,” he added, looking at Gabe in the eye as the boy sit up as well.
“What?”
“This is the best fucking present ever,” William whispered against his cheek, then kissed it and Gabe’s eyes lit up. “Thank you.”
~~
Three days later - 31st December
“Alex?” Nate reached his friend in the hallway, throwing a quick glance behind to make sure everyone else was in the living room.
“What?” Alex looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but his voice was detached, almost suspicious.
“I just-- I want to apologize,” Nate said with a resigned sigh. “I don’t want to start a new year with you mad at me,” he added, looking at his friend in the eye. “Just let me finish what I’m here to say, okay?”
“Okay, go on,” Alex agreed with a nod, hoping the boy was sincere about that.
“I like you, I’ve liked you for quite a while, to be honest, but I just wasn’t sure I was the kind of guy you were looking for,” Nate explained with a calm, collected voice, but his eyes showed regret, maybe hope. “I’ve acted like a jerk, to you, to Tom, to many people lately and I really want to apologize for this.”
“Apology accepted,” Alex just said with a brief nod, then waited for him to speak again.
“I really, really want to ask you to give me another chance, but I know I’d just end up making things worse,” Nate continued with a sad smile. “I’m not sure I’m ready to give up on this, but I can’t stand the fact that you’re not even talking to me anymore.”
“We’ve made each other miserable, Nate,” Alex replied, taking a step closer. “Even if I wanted to give you another chance, even if Tom wasn’t part of the equation, there would always be regrets and resentment between us and it’d be just another failure.”
“You don’t know that,” Nate objected, looking up at him with confusion.
“I fell in love with you a while ago, and now I realize it was a mistake, because ever since that happened, things have gotten worse and worse for us,” Alex explained, feeling his heart clench at the hurt look in the boy’s eyes. “We’re meant to be friends, nothing more.”
“Are you happy with him?” Nate just asked, blinking away the tears.
“Honestly? Yes,” Alex replied without any trace of hesitation in his voice. “More than I’ve been in a while. And maybe I’m not in love with him right now, but there’s a good probability that that will change, eventually.”
“Just promise me you won’t cut me out of your life,” Nate said, looking at him in the eye. “Because that, I’m not willing to accept.”
“I could never do that, Nate,” Alex reassured him and pulled him in a hug, unsure. After a few seconds he felt Nate relax and smiled a little. “How did we get into this mess?”
Nate huffed out a laughter against his arm and whispered, “I charmed you with my ass.” Alex laughed as well at that, but it was still weak and unsure. He pulled back and cupped Nate’s face with both hands, leaning closer. “Tom’s lucky.”
“Sooner or later, you’ll make someone lucky too,” Alex replied, then placed a small kiss on his forehead. “But as a friend, let me give you an advice. Playing hard-to-get is not a good tactic.”
“As a friend, let me tell you to fuck off,” Nate retorted with a little smile, but didn’t push him back.
After a few, long seconds of silence, Alex stepped back and took a deep breath. “Let’s go back to the party,” he said, and gained a nod from the other boy, who headed down the hallway. Alex was about to follow him, but he heard someone call him from a nearby room and froze. “Tom?”
“I was in the bathroom,” Tom said as he walked out of a door next to Alex. “I didn’t want to interrupt you two.”
“You heard us?” Alex looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights and Tom nodded, but instead of speaking, he took Alex’s hand and dragged him in the bathroom too, closing the door after him.
“You’re in love with him,” Tom just said, looking at him straight in the eye, and the boy couldn’t tell if he was upset or just confused.
“Won’t be for long, if I have any say in this,” Alex replied, trying to slow down his heartbeat. “But yes, right now, I am.”
“And you think some day you will eventually fall in love with me,” Tom continued, still keeping his tone unintelligible.
“Yes, that’s what I think,” Alex confirmed, then took a deep breath, trying to figure out if what he’d said was the right thing.
“You’re in love with him and you turned him down to stay with me, even though we have no guarantee this will work out in the long run?” Tom stepped closer as he spoke and Alex found himself with his back pressed against the door.
“I believe in us, Tom,” Alex whispered, keeping their gazes locked. “And I don’t want anything more than you’re willing to give me,” he added, but still didn’t dare to reach out and touch him. “But it’s you I want to wake up with, not Nate.”
Tom stared at him in complete silence for several seconds, then suddenly, he moved forward and pressed their lips together, half-laughing in the kiss when he felt how tense Alex was. When his boyfriend finally relaxed, obviously reassured that Tom wasn’t mad at him, he pulled back and looked at him in the eye.
“I’m sorry for eavesdropping,” Tom apologized with a little smile, keeping his hands on Alex’s hips. “But I’m glad I did.”
“Maybe it’s better if we keep the eavesdropping thing between us, to avoid more drama,” Alex proposed with a soft laughter.
“Definitely,” Tom agreed with a convinced nod, then they both heard the doorbell ring and his eyes lit up even more. “It’s probably Ryan, you have to meet him.”
“Ryan as in your best friend Ryan?” Alex panicked for a second, Vicky had told him she had invited Tom’s friends, but he hadn’t expected Ryan. The Ryan who had been Tom’s best friend and inseparable shadow for the past five years.
“Relax, he’s gonna love you, he already does, actually,” Tom said as he pulled him away from the door and opened it.
They walked back into the living room and Alex immediately spotted Mike and Hayley walking in from the main door, quickly followed by another guy, Ryan, whom Alex recognized from the pictures he’d seen in Tom’s apartment.
“Hey, buddy,” Tom greeted him as soon as the boy reached them. “It’s good to finally see you back in New York,” he added as they exchanged a hug.
“It’s good to be back, man,” Ryan said with a wide smile, then turned to look at Alex. “You must be the hottie he told me about.”
“Alex,” Tom corrected him with a brief glare, than glanced at his boyfriend. “Don’t let Ryan scare you.”
“I won’t,” Alex reassured him and held his hand out to Ryan, who just looked at it and frowned.
“Seriously?” Ryan took the hand and pulled Alex in a tight hug. “My buddy’s man deserves more than a cold handshake.”
Tom smiled at the scene and saw Ryland, Nate and Vicky nearby, so when the hug ended, he caught their attention with a wave. “Guys, this is Ryan,” he introduced him to them and the rest of the group, who stepped forward for the presentations.
“Luciani?” Vicky looked at him wide-eyed, incredulous. “Ryan Luciani?”
“I’ll be damned, Beavy?” Ryan laughed as well, shocked. “Is that you?”
“You know each other?” Alex asked with a highly amused frown, then seemed to realize something. “Wait a moment, Beavy? Isn’t that--”
“My high school nickname, and not of the internet kind,” Vicky confirmed, still stunned to see her old friend there. “I had a little problem with my front teeth.”
“You went to high school together?” Ryland looked at Ryan first, then his fiancée, who nodded in reply.
“Then you know Gabe,” Nate said as he handed the boy a glass, which earned him a wide smile.
“Are you kidding? Gabe Saporta isn’t an easy one to forget, especially when you spend senior year prom making out with him in the locker room,” Ryan confirmed with a casual tone.
“Hey, that’s where he went!” Vicky stared at him open-mouthed, then shook her head. “He never told me, that little bastard.”
“Where’s Gabe now? I wouldn’t mind a little reunion, if you know what I mean,” Ryan said with a devious smirk, which prompted Vicky to slap him on the arm.
“Okay, I think that’s too much information,” Tom declared with a disturbed frown.
“Gabe is dating someone,” Vicky told him with a warning glare, while Ryland excused himself and went to open the door. “And right now he’s in London with that someone.”
“Is he pretty?” Ryan kept his tone casual, but there was a sparkle of amusement.
“He’s dating William,” Tom deadpanned, addressing his friend an eloquent look.
Ryan stared at him for a few seconds with his best ‘cut the shit’ look on his face, but when he realized Tom was serious, he let out a soft laughter. “Okay, it doesn’t get any more ‘off limits’ than that, I guess.”
“Good guessing,” Alex agreed with a wide smirk.
Ryan took a sip from his glass, then turned to look at Nate and paused for a second, unsure. “I think I know you.”
“Yeah, right,” Tom huffed out, rolling his eyes at his friend.
“No, no, it’s not a pick-up line, I really know you,” Ryan insisted, taking a better look at him. “You work at Methodist Hospital, you’re a nurse in the pediatric ward.”
“How d’you know?” Nate was a little taken aback and blinked several times.
“I was there for a job interview,” Ryan replied and shook his head, amused. “Looks like I already met half of your new friends, Tommy.”
“Always the lucky ones, uh?” Vicky joked and Ryan blew her a kiss, starting a round of laughter.
~~
“This is amazing,” William whispered as he looked at the brightly illuminated London Eye. “I can’t believe we’re here.”
“Once we make it through the crowd, there’s a private party right down there,” Gabe told him, pointing at a point at the base of the ferry wheel. “My boss put us on the list.”
“Your boss is hosting the party?” William looked at him, incredulous.
“No, but he’s always invited,” Gabe replied as they walked down the stairs and into the crowd. “Now hold on tight and don’t let go, this is the ugly part.”
“You won’t lose me in the crowd, I’m not five,” William retorted with a glare, but followed him closely anyway and his fingers tightened around Gabe’s.
It took them fifteen minutes to get through the huge mass of people, but once they finally reached the delimited area of the party, they both started to look for someone who could let them it. They saw a man standing not far at the only visible point of entrance and they quickly reached him.
“Good evening, sir, are you on the list?” the man asked with a not too convinced look at Gabe’s purple hoodie.
“Saporta and Beckett,” Gabe replied, clearly unaffected by his behavior. “We’re Pete Wentz’s guests.”
The man - whose name was Vince, according to the tag he had on his jacket - checked the list he had in hand and after a few seconds he looked up, smiling. “Go ahead, sir, have a good time.”
“Thanks,” William replied with a nod and followed Gabe inside, not once leaving his hand. “Hey, aren’t we a little underdressed?”
“Nah, don’t worry, the grannies are having their formal party at the aquarium,” Gabe reassured him, then pointed at the door on their right, where well-dressed men and women were chatting and walking in the elegant building. “The real party is down there,” he added and pointed at a point in front of them, where a DJ station had been set.
“We’ll be right below the fireworks,” William pointed out, beaming at the realization of how close to the London Eye they were gonna be. “Have I mentioned that I love fireworks?”
“Nope, but it’s good news,” Gabe replied with a wide smile, happy to see how enthusiastic the boy was. He spotted Pete not far and tugged a little at William’s hand, catching his attention. “Let’s go, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
William followed him and looked at the people around them, most of which were dressed like them, not at all the snobs he had expected. They reached a two of the guests, who immediately turned to look at them.
“Pete, Ash,” Gabe greeted them and hugged them both, then turned to look at William and added, “William, these are my boss Pete and his wife Ashlee.”
“The infamous William?” Pete’s smile lit up and he shook William’s hand, then Ashlee did the same a couple of seconds later. “I can’t believe I finally get to meet you.”
“I’ve heard quite a lot about you too,” William replied with a wide smile. “Thanks for getting us on the list.”
“Don’t mention it,” Pete patted him on the shoulder and couple of seconds later someone called him from a few feet away. “Sorry guys, business seems to follow me everywhere,” he apologized as he pointed at the man. “Enjoy the party.”
“Sure,” Gabe told him as he watched him and Ashlee slowly walk away. “Don’t cheer up yet, he’ll be back.”
“He looks nice,” William said and slapped him playfully on the chest.
“He looks short,” Gabe objected with a grin, gaining a brief glare.
“Hey, that man pays your bills, not to mention the ten thousand dollars suite we’re staying in,” William pointed out looking straight at him in the eye. “Ten thousand per night,” he corrected himself, then raised his eyebrows at Gabe’s surprised expression. “What, you though I wasn’t gonna look it up online?”
“I kinda hoped you’d let it go,” Gabe admitted, taking the boy’s hand in his own. “I’m not trying to impress you, I just want you to have a good time.”
“I know that, but I was just too curious to let it go,” William replied, stepping closer, surprised by that contact. “I don’t care how rich you are and it probably wouldn’t impress me anyway. Money’s just numbers,” he added, then pulled him in a slow kiss, letting him know he meant those words.
“I was trying to impress you yesterday, though, when I got on this thing,” Gabe confessed as soon as William withdrew, and pointed at the London Eye.
“Well, that worked,” William admitted, glancing at the giant structure. “Even if you spent the entire time looking at my shoes.”
“They were fascinating,” Gabe offered with a fake innocent tone, then laughed and gripped his hand tighter as the music got a little louder. “C’mon, let’s dance, it’s almost midnight.”
William didn’t say anything in reply, just kissed him again for a few, long seconds, then followed him closer to the DJ station.
~~
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” Ryan asked as he walked out on the balcony, where Nate was leaning against the railing. “It’s almost time to open up the Champagne.”
“Sorry, I don’t really feel like celebrating right now,” Nate replied with a dry smile, then took a long sip of wine from his glass to fight the shivers that the cold wind was causing.
“Well, it seems serious, what’s going on?” Ryan reached the spot next to him and his gaze fell on the view below them.
“I don’t think talking to you is such a great idea right now,” Nate just replied and looked away as well.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m drunk and miserable and you seem like the kind of guy who would take advantage of that,” Nate explained with a shrug, then glanced at him for a brief moment. “No offence.”
“None taken,” Ryan accepted with a genuine laughter. “You’re not completely wrong about me, but I do have a honor code.”
“Really?” Nate smiled a little at that, and kept his eyes on him.
“And I wasn’t hitting on you, anyway,” Ryan reassured him with a nod, then took a deep breath. “Especially because I got that job I was at the hospital for and I don’t hit on coworkers.”
“Tom Conrad’s best friend is my new coworker, just my luck, uh?” Nate asked after taking another sip of his wine. “Apparently he wants to ruin my entire life, not just a part of it.”
“Well, you won’t see me everyday, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Ryan replied with a smirk and Nate was surprised to realize he was amused and not at all offended. “I’ll be mostly in the neonatal ICU.”
“Tough choice,” Nate pointed out with a raised eyebrow, honestly surprised.
“I like kids,” Ryan said with a shrug.
“Me too,” Nate agreed with a little smile and felt his stomach clench a little. “I’m sorry for what I said about Tom, it’s just-- I don’t really like him much, right now.”
“He told me about you and Alex,” Ryan replied and studied his reaction before speaking again. “And I know it’s hard to accept this kinda things, but sometimes the choice isn’t yours.”
“Why do I have the impression that you’re not talking only about me?” Nate turned his body to face him, confused by his words.
“I’m talking about everyone,” Ryan corrected him, then turned to glance at the window from which he could see the party. “Alex seems like a really great guy and I’m sure he and Tom will be very happy for a very long time, but he’s not Tom’s missing half, he’ll never be.”
“And his missing half is currently in London, right?” Nate pursed his lips a little, surprised to hear those words.
“It kinda sucks,” Ryan confirmed with a little, sad smile. “But sometimes soulmates are just not meant to be together.”
“That’s not exactly a cheering thought,” Nate pointed out with a bitter chuckle.
“It’s the wrong night to be talking about this,” Ryan admitted and addressed him an apologetic look.
“Okay, psychotherapy session is over,” Nate declared as he pushed himself off the railing, intentioned to walk back inside.
Ryan stopped him and made him turn, smirking at his suspicious expression. “I have this habit of kissing cute guys when they look sad, just to cheer them up, but I know you’d misinterpret that, so I’ll just go for a hug,” he announced, then hugged him before he had a chance to say anything.
Nate laughed against his shoulder, unbelieving, and some of his wine spilled on both their shirts. “You’re crazy,” he said, still highly amused, but didn’t push back.
“Wow, you must be some kind of genius,” Ryan just replied, rolling his eyes at him, then they both headed inside and Nate felt his heart get a little lighter. They joined the group just in time for the countdown to midnight, much to Vicky’s relief.
~~
“Gabriel Saporta?” a voice yelled from somewhere behind them as they danced. They both turned and Gabe’s smile lit up as he recognized the girl who had called him.
“Leight!” Gabe gestured William to follow him just as No you girls from Franz Ferdinand finished and Rihanna’s Please don’t stop the music started. As soon as they were far enough from the speakers to talk without yelling, they stopped.
“Well, this is a surprise,” Leighton pointed out, but she seemed happy to see him, then looked at William with a friendly smile. “Who’s your friend?”
“William,” the boy introduced himself without letting Gabe the time to talk. “His boyfriend.”
“Oh, the William?” Leighton looked delighted to hear that and hugged William briefly, while he tried to keep smiling through the shock of recognizing her. “We haven’t talked much lately, but he definitely mentioned you a lot.”
“Bill, this is Leighton,” Gabe introduced the girl and he saw his boyfriend blink several times.
“It’s great to meet you,” Leighton replied happily, then looked behind here. “Wait here, I’ll get us something good to drink, it’s almost midnight,” she added, then took off after one of the waiters.
“Leighton Meester? The actress from Gossip Girl?” William asked him, wide-eyed and unbelieving. “You know Leighton Meester?”
“Wait, you watch Gossip Girl?” Gabe laughed out loud, genuinely amused at the thought.
“Are you kidding? It’s awesome,” William said as he slapped him on the chest. “I’ll deny saying this, but me and Sisky turn into fifteen years old girls when it comes to that show.”
“I never suspected you’d be a fangirl,” Gabe admitted, incredibly amused by that piece of information. Leighton came back right in that moment, managing to bring three glasses of Champagne with her.
“Here you go, guys,” she said as she handed them their drinks.
“Thanks,” William told her with a wide smile, then cleared his throat when he noticed Gabe was doing his best not to snicker. “So, how did you two meet? Gabe hasn’t had the time to tell me, yet.”
“I was at the network to have the final audition for the show and while I was waiting my laptop died on me,” Leighton explained with a brief laughter. “I freaked out big time, until Alex came up to me and told me he knew someone who could fix it on the spot.”
“And apparently I saved her ass,” Gabe pointed out with an amused frown.
“What about you two?” Leighton looked at William, thrilled to have a chance to hear the story from him instead of Gabe.
“I was, uh, playing my guitar in the subway and Gabe came up to me and offered me a coffee,” William replied with an uncertain tone, but when she smiled widely in surprise, he regained a little bit of confidence. “That’s pretty much when he had me hooked.”
“I’m not sure how he did it,” Leighton pointed out, glancing at Gabe, then back at William. “But trust me, you got yourself a good one, William.”
“I know,” William admitted as he hooked his arm around Gabe’s, much to the boy’s silent happiness. “What about your golden boy?” he added, surprising both of them. “I’ll drop the act and confess right here that I do read your Wikipedia page.”
Leighton laughed out loud at that, obviously amused and not at all annoyed by his words. “Sebastian is somewhere around, I’d better find him before midnight.”
“Don’t worry, go get your prince,” Gabe told her as he shook his head. “We’ll be here.”
“Uh, no need, there he is,” she said, then waved her arm until the boy saw her and headed in their direction.
Just as he reached them the DJ lowered the music and announced the start of the countdown. William looked up at the London Eye as they all counted together, then moved his eyes back to Gabe after a while.
“Do I get a midnight kiss?” William spoke right to his ear just as the ‘8’ passed.
“Of course you do,” Gabe replied with a smile and pulled him closer, looking at him. When the count arrived at 3, he leaned down and pressed his lips to the boy’s, hearing the crowd raise their voices around them.
Once the count arrived to ‘0’, the fireworks started and the music came back, louder than before, while people started screaming and clapping their hands. Gabe felt William smile in the kiss and pulled him flush against his chest, feeling him laugh silently when Leighton whistled next to them.
Once they stopped kissing and broke the hug, she addressed them a smile and raised her glass to offer a toast, but avoided words, since the loud music was making it impossible to talk. The song changed right in that moment and William recognized the new one; he took Gabe’s hand and dragged him close once again as he started dancing.
Gabe immediately started to do the same, moving with him and the rest of the crowd.
“Thank you for this,” William managed to tell him, raising his voice.
“Thank you for being here,” Gabe replied, equally loud, then caught the smile on his face and understood he had heard. They didn’t say anything else and just danced as Dance all night by Kids in glass houses kept playing and the fireworks kept going off above them.
~~
A/N:before I say anything else, for those of you who don't know him, this is Ryan Luciani. He’s the drummer of Tom’s new band Empires and he is adorkable, that’s why I included him in here. Leighton is… well, do I really need to say it? She’s Leighton and I love her too much not to drag her into this.
So, satisfied about the new characters? They will stick around, Ryan more than Leighton, but they will.
Let me know about that and about the parties, I’ll be here waiting. :D
Also, remember about the soundtrack, if you want it just let me know and I’ll make sure you get it. :D It’ll be useful next week, trust me.
I guess it’s all. See you next year! (This joke is lame as hell, but I can’t help it LOL)
JM