Fic: You're one big sugar rush (I've always dreamt that I'd be your favorite) [10/14]
Title:‘You're one big sugar rush (I've always dreamt that I'd be your favorite)’ [10/14]
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 || Chapter 9
Chapter 10 - The one with the girls’ night
Later that day
William glanced at the door when the doorbell rang and decided to ignore it, not too keen on dealing with sellers/preachers/neighbors. When the visitor insisted, though, he stood from the couch with a quick movement and strolled to the door. He didn’t even care that he was wearing a pair of black worn sweatpants and an old hoodie with the hood pulled up to cover his head, he was just determined to tell the stranger to fuck the hell off.
Instead, when he opened the door, he saw Gabe standing there and his heart missed a beat.
“Can we talk?” Gabe looked almost cautious as he talked, like he knew there was a high chance William was still furious.
William studied him for several, long seconds, trying to figure out if letting him in was a smart choice. Eventually, he let out a resigned sigh and moved from the doorstep, then walked to the kitchen without looking at Gabe, who walked in and closed the door.
“I brought a peace offering,” Gabe said as he reached the counter were William was standing and handed him a Starbucks cup. “White mocha, with double whipped cream.”
“I don’t feel like eating right now,” William deadpanned and nervously pushed the hood away from his head without ever realizing it.
Gabe rested the cup on the counter, then turned to look at him again, but froze, surprised. “You cut your hair.” William’s hair was visibly shorter, instead of ending past his shoulder like it used to, it barely reached his jaw now.
“This morning,” William replied, dry and a little annoyed. “It’s something I do when I’m upset.”
Gabe saw him take a seat on one of the three stools positioned against the counter and did the same, trying to understand how to start his speech. “What happened last night?” he ended up asking, then felt the need to slap himself.
At those words, though, William seemed to lose a bit of his anger and looked at him, disappointed. “I was jealous,” he admitted, then looked away for a moment before meeting his gaze again with renewed annoyance. “But not because I’m the attention whore you apparently think I am.”
“I didn’t mean that,” Gabe immediately said, but didn’t try to move closer. “I didn’t, I swear. But I want to understand what went wrong.”
“It’s not about attention, it’s about Ryan,” William replied and his rage cooled down a little bit more, turning into bitterness. “Even when I was with Tom and things were good between us, for him Ryan always came first, always before me,” he added, but didn’t look away. “I don’t want that to happen again.”
“I had no idea, how was I supposed to know?” Gabe kept their gazes locked together, trying to use his best understanding tone.
“You weren’t,” William admitted and his jaw tensed before he spoke again. “They’re my issues and I shouldn’t have pushed them on you, but what you said last night hurt me.”
“And I’m so fucking sorry about that,” Gabe said as he moved closer, glad to see the boy accepted it. “You’re not an attention whore, you’re not a bipolar asshole and you’re not a spoiled little brat.”
“Where does the last one come from?” William narrowed his eyes, suspicious, but didn’t move back.
“That was after you left, I was still angry,” Gabe admitted with a grimace, but the surprise on the boy’s face made him feel slightly relieved. “The point is, issues or not, I’m a huge jerk and I’m ready to do pretty much whatever you want to make it up to you.”
“Wait, did you really just apologize for saying something I didn’t even hear?” William tilted his head to the side, almost studying him, and his tone slowly turned from skeptical to unbelieving.
“Yeah,” Gabe said with a slow nod, trying to figure out if it was a good or a bad sign.
“I couldn’t hate you even if I tried, could I?” William gave in and sighed, more resigned than actually annoyed.
“Hopefully not,” Gabe replied with a little smile, then brought his hand to cup the boy’s cheek. “Peace?”
William took a deep breath and stood, interrupting the contact, then took the man’s hand in his own and looked at him. “Ice skating at Central Park tomorrow?”
At those words Gabe felt like a stone had been moved from his chest and he laughed a little, happy. He pulled William in a hug and felt him relax at the familiar gesture. “Sounds great to me.” William pulled back enough to look at him and finally gave in to a little smile. “Now I feel like accepting that peace offering.”
“It’s all yours,” Gabe took the cup and handed it to him, then watched as the boy went to sit on the couch, legs bent against his chest.
“Get your ass here before I change my mind,” William told when he saw he wasn’t moving from his spot. As he waited for the boy to comply, he reached for the remote and turned the DVD player on. “And part of you punishment is to watch The Shining with me, I won’t sleep if I watch it alone.”
“It’s actually a great movie, not that scary,” Gabe pointed out with a raised eyebrow, then turned off the lights and took a blanket.
“Oh, there’s just an hallucinating psychopath who sees ghosts and tries to kill his family with an hatchet,” William retorted with a sarcastic tone, looking at him like he’d grown two heads. “Why should it be scary?”
Gabe laughed as he positioned the blanket over them and shook his head, then put his arm around the boy’s shoulders. For several seconds the silence was only broken by the sounds coming from the television and Gabe’s fingers started playing with William’s hair, an habit he’d developed since the first night they had spent like that on the couch.
“I like your new hair,” Gabe suddenly whispered in his ear.
William smiled at those words and leaned against his side, visibly more relaxed then a few minutes before. Taking advantage of his distraction, Gabe ducked his head to reach the straw and stole a sip of white mocha, only to pull back with a traumatized expression.
“Just how many tons of sugar are there in this thing?” Gabe swallowed a few times, feeling his tongue protest at the unusual taste.
William just glared briefly, then took a long sip from his drink for emphasis. “There’s beer in the fridge if you want,” he informed as he looked back at the screen, trying to hide his smirk.
“Nah, I’m good,” Gabe just said, turning his attention to the movie as well, but his hand resumed playing with William’s hair.
~~
The following day
“Is this seat taken?” Ryan gestured towards the empty chair with a smile.
“Yes, I’m having lunch with the Invisible Woman,” Nate replied with a sarcastic tone.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but she just walked out,” Ryan retorted and sat down, putting his tray on the table while he gestured to the cafeteria door with his free hand.
“Well, now I know why the conversation was one-sided,” Nate pointed out, then smirked and kicked the boy on the shin. “Moron.”
“Hey, you started it,” Ryan replied, defensive, then reached for his salad.
Nate watched him eat for a few moments, then focused on his own food. “So, looks like you’re the new hero in here,” he said without looking at him.
“I just did my job,” Ryan stated, but he seemed surprised by the other’s words.
“Yes,” Nate conceded and finally looked up, smiling. “Still, you saved a five days old baby girl from hypothermia,” he paused and tilted his head to the side. “That’s a hero in my book.”
“A hero would also find the mother and beat the hell out of her for abandoning her baby in the cold,” Ryan pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
“Leave that to the cops,” Nate advised, still looking at him in the eye. “You’ve done enough.”
“The other nurses wanted me to pick a name for her,” Ryan replied and his smile came back, but not as bright as before.
“Please, tell me it’s not Ryanina,” Nate joked and felt the other boy kick him under the table.
“I’m not that much of an egomaniac,” Ryan replied with a brief glare. “I picked my grandmother’s name, Rebecca.”
“I like it,” Nate admitted with a warm smile, but when the other just nodded, he tried to lock their gazes one more time. “Hey, you saved this baby, you’re not the one who left her to freeze in front of a church.”
“I just don’t get what kind of human being could do something like that,” Ryan replied and sighed, shaking his head.
“That’s why you’re gonna be a good father one day,” Nate pointed out and offered him some of his French fries.
“You’re not as much of a bitch as I thought you were,” Ryan confessed and showed a smile when the boy glared but didn’t take his offer back.
“I’m flattered,” Nate muttered, then resumed eating.
“It was a compliment, you idiot,” Ryan said and reached across the small table to pinch his cheek.
“Shut up,” Nate retorted and laughed as he slapped the boy’s hand away.
“Admit it, it’s not as bad as you thought,” Ryan told him and resumed eating, but his smile was more relaxed after the playful exchange. “Working with me, I mean.”
“Well, it’s not worse than getting my wisdom tooth extracted,” Nate admitted with a grin.
“Jerk,” Ryan retorted, trying to kick him again. “You should stop putting people off.”
“I’m just kidding,” Nate replied, rolling his eyes at him.
“Are you?” Ryan saw him glare and nodded. “Okay, of course you are, it’s obviously awesome to have me around,” he added with a sly smirk, but his expression turned a little more serious almost immediately. “But you’re always defensive, you know, with everyone.”
“I’m not,” Nate said, almost offended by his words.
“Really?” Ryan arched an eyebrow at him, skeptical. “So if I asked you to hang out tonight for a beer and a chat, you wouldn’t say no?”
“What’s behind the offer?” Nate narrowed his eyes at him, clearly not convinced.
“See? This is what I’m talking about,” Ryan pointed out, gesturing in his direction. “You always question people’s motives,” he paused and let out a bitter chuckle. “What is behind the offer is that I like you and I’d like to be friends, but you keep slamming the door in my face over and over again. And why? Just because I’m Tom’s friend?”
“What’s your point?” Nate looked at him, halfway between surprised and annoyed.
“Step off your pedestal for a moment and give people a chance,” Ryan suggested with the most serious expression Nate had ever seen on his face. “If you’d done that with Alex, maybe he’d be here instead of fucking someone else.”
“Thank you, I needed the reminder,” Nate retorted, incredulous and angry.
“I’m just trying to help you,” Ryan said, raising his hands in surrender.
“I never asked you to,” Nate spat, looking down at his dish once again.
“Fine,” Ryan replied and took his tray as he stood. “I apologize for intruding in your precious, secluded life, it won’t happen again,” he added, then walked to the opposite side of the room, where his coworkers from the ICU welcomed him by clapping their hands.
Nate watched him sit and never once look back, and for a moment felt the urge to reach him and punch him. He had no right to come there and start preaching about attitude and friendship, Nate had known him for a week. Still, the urge subsided almost immediately and the boy felt a little bad for the way he had pushed him away. He tried not to think too much about it as he finished his lunch, but he didn’t fail to notice people always tended lo leave him alone during the break.
~~
Two days later
“Leighton called,” William announced as he straddled Gabe’s lap on the couch. “Which still sounds completely absurd to me,” he added with a little frown.
“You’ll get used to it,” Gabe replied with a brief laughter. “She adores you.”
“Well, she invited me and Sisky at her place for pizza-and-movie night,” William informed, beaming. “Vicky will be there too.”
“Girls’ night, uh?” Gabe joked and that earned him a slap on the shoulder, to which he responded by pinching the boy’s ass. “Don’t worry, you’ll have fun,” he added, just as Sisky joined them.
“You’re going out with me tonight,” William announced, looking at his friend.
“Good thing my boyfriend is out with Chizz, then,” Sisky replied with a shrug.
“I know, otherwise he’d be invited too,” William replied and rolled his eyes. “I’m not a complete jerk.”
“Where are we going?” Sisky reached them and frown, confused.
“Dinner,” William just said with a cryptic smile. “Everything else is a surprise. Early birthday present.”
“You should tell him, or he’s gonna freak out when he sees her,” Gabe suggested with a highly amused smirk.
“Good point,” William conceded, thoughtful, then looked at his boyfriend. “Wanna take a picture of his face when I tell him?”
“Just tell me already,” Sisky said while Gabe reached for his phone, laughing.
“Leighton invited us for pizza,” William announced with a shrug, faking indifference. “We’re in charge of the movie.”
Sisky stared at him in complete silence for a few seconds, then narrowed his eyes at them. “Stop fucking around, where are we going?”
“At Leighton’s,” William repeated, but this time he was smiling.
“You’re serious,” Sisky pointed out as his eyes widened, then reached his friend. “Youactually met her in London?”
“What? You thought I was making that up?” William laughed out loud at the shocked expression on the boy’s face.
“We toured the London Dungeon together,” Gabe confirmed, then lowered his phone. “There are pictures to prove it.”
“Oh, right, the ones you haven’t sent me yet,” William pointed out with a reproachful look in his direction.
“I’m holding them hostage,” Gabe declared with a relaxed tone.
“And what’s the ransom?” William arched an eyebrow at him, clearly skeptical.
“Don’t answer, please, I have a feeling it would turn the entire moment into a cheap porn scene,” Sisky said before Gabe had a chance to open his mouth. “Let’s focus on the whole Leighton Meester dinner thing, thank you.”
William reached him and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Just put on some clothes and relax, she’s a human being.”
“No, she plays Blair Waldorf, she’s some kind of goddess,” Sisky pointed out with an eloquent glare. “What am I supposed to wear?”
“Jeans and a dark shirt, you look ridiculous with the white ones,” William replied, then forced him to turn and pushed him towards the hallway. “And stop freaking out,” he added as his friend reached the bathroom, still mildly shocked.
William walked back to the couch and Gabe snapped a picture with his phone, but the boy immediately stole the object, laughing.
“This is for Alex’s album,” Gabe declared as he tried to take his phone back, which only resulted in his boyfriend falling on the couch next to him.
“No way, I look like an idiot,” William objected and deleted it before the other boy could stop him.
“Oh, c’mon, I liked it,” Gabe protested, sulking a little, and that convinced William to give him the phone back. “Now pose for me, pretty boy.”
“Shut up!” William pushed him to the side, laughing, but when he realized the boy was about to snap another picture, he leaned forward and closed his eyes, making his best kissy lips.
“Now you do look like an idiot,” Gabe declared as he looked at the picture. The focus wasn’t exactly perfect, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to delete it. “I like it,” he added as he showed it to the boy. “And no, you’re not erasing this one.”
“It’s not as bad as the other one,” William conceded, then slowly shifted closer, until he was sitting in Gabe’s lap again. “You can keep it, but not for the album.”
“Fine,” Gabe agreed and put his phone away. “By the way, it was supposed to be a surprise for everyone.”
“He shouldn’t have told Hayley, then,” William just said, smirking, then circled the boy’s neck with his arms. “So, weren’t we talking about a ransom?”
“Yeah,” Gabe admitted with a grimace and that was not really the reaction he’d expected. “Please, promise me you won’t be mad.”
“I won’t be mad,” William declared, but kept his crossed fingers right in front of Gabe’s face, but it didn’t earn him a smile like he’d hoped. “What’s going on?”
“Ryan called this morning,” Gabe started, keeping his gaze on William’s face. “He asked if I was up for a beer tonight and I said yes.”
“Oh fuck, I’m such a bitch,” William muttered as he closed his eyes, but reopened them almost immediately. “Gabe, when I told you about Ryan I wasn’t asking you to cut him out, he’s your friend and I’m not a monster,” he paused and cupped the boy’s face with boy hands. “I trust you, I know pretty damn well you’re not Tom.”
“I know we talked about this, but I’m still trying to understand how to move around the whole thing,” Gabe admitted with a little smile, visibly relaxed.
“And the fact that you’re trying makes you awesome,” William replied and dragged his thumb across his boyfriend’s cheekbone. “But please, talk to me, okay? I’m not a mentally instable bitch, even if I’ve probably been acting like one lately.”
“Just a little,” Gabe conceded and his smile widened. “Okay, no more meeting my other boyfriends behind your back.”
“It’s not funny,” William retorted with a playful glare and that reassured the other boy. After a few seconds, though, he looked down and started playing with Gabe’s hair. “I’m sorry, you know, for freaking you out about Ryan.”
“Don’t be,” Gabe said and waited for him to look up. “You had your reasons, we had a slight inability to communicate, but now you know I could never put him before you.”
“Slight inability to communicate? Seriously?” William frowned at him, amused, but didn’t protest when the boy kissed him to shut him up.
~~
Later that night
“You shouldn’t be here,” Tom pointed out as he wrapped the blanket even tighter around himself. “I might be contagious.”
“It’s just a cold,” Alex replied and rolled his eyes, then resumed looking around the kitchen to find something to cook with. “And since your best friend is busy getting drunk with my best friend, it’s up to me to take care of you.”
“Sorry to hear he left this burden to you,” Tom muttered and leaned against the doorframe, sulking.
“You know that’s not what I mean,” Alex replied, smiling, then reached him.
“No kisses,” Tom reminded him, but he wasn’t too enthusiastic about it either.
Alex nodded and brought his lips to the boy’s temple and moved back only after a few seconds. “Fever is going up, you should go back to bed.”
“After you stop fussing over me and go back to your work,” Tom retorted, determined, but the effect was ruined when he coughed. “I don’t feel like eating chicken soup anyway.”
“Who said anything about chicken? I’m making you minestrone,” Alex announced cheerfully, then opened the paper bag he’d brought with him and started extracting vegetables. “And I have my laptop here, so I can work later, while you’re sleeping.”
Tom reached him in a couple of slow steps and hugged him from behind, placing a couple of kisses on his shoulder. “You’re the best boyfriend in the entire world,” he said with a slightly hoarse voice.
“I try my best, you know,” Alex admitted with a solemn nod as he turned, then rubbed the boy’s arms when he felt him shiver. “It’s gonna take a while before it’s ready, go lie down on the couch, okay?”
“Okay, boss,” Tom agreed with a little smile and walked away.
A few minutes later Alex heard noises from the living room, but didn’t really pay attention to it, he kept preparing the vegetables, humming softly to himself. It took him about twenty minutes to have all the ingredients ready, washed and sliced, and by the time he managed to put everything on the stoves, it was already six-thirty.
“It should take forty minutes, you have time to nap,” Alex announced as he took off the apron and walked out of the kitchen.
“I had an idea,” Tom replied from his stop on the couch and pointed at the TV screen, where a picture of him flipping off the unfortunate photographer - Mike - was showing.
“Is that an elaborate way to tell me to fuck off?” Alex asked with a grin, then sat down next to him.
“Nope, it’s a way to spend this forty minutes doing something useful for your project,” Tom corrected him, then handed him a block notes and a pen. “I connected the hard disk to the recorder, write down the names of the files you pick.”
“I like it,” Alex agreed with a nod, brought his legs up on the couch as well.
“You never told me you could cook Italian,” Tom pointed out as he skipped to the next photo.
“I don’t, not really,” Alex confessed and noted the name of the picture. “I learned it on the internet.”
“What about the vegetables? They’re not exactly cheap in January,” Tom insisted and pressed the ‘forward’ button.
“Stop worrying about it,” Alex said and turned to look at him with an exasperated smile. “I’m cooking for both of us, anyway,” he added, then turned to look at the screen and frowned. The photo showed him, along with William and Vicky, and they where using their chopsticks as fake fangs. “You kept this one?”
“It’s funny,” Tom replied with a shrug, and reached for a tissue on the coffee table. “It’s not bad, considering I took it with my phone.”
Alex looked at it for a few seconds, then laughed and wrote down the name. When he looked up again, he saw another photo Tom had taken with his phone and this one showed Alex’s profile as he drank beer, while Mike glared from the background.
“Mike looks like a psycho-killer in this one,” Tom pointed out, laughing, then pushed the button again and it was his boyfriend’s turn to laugh.
“Oh my God, is that Sisky?” Alex almost fell off the couch and immediately wrote down the name of the picture. It showed Sisky with long, curly hair, Butcher, who looked a lot less sober than usual, William with a haircut similar to his new one, and Tom who was basically wrapped around William. “Is it okay if I use this too?” he asked after noticing that last detail.
“No problem with me,” Tom conceded with a shrug and a little smile, glad his boyfriend wasn’t disturbed about his old pictures with William. “You should ask William too.”
“He doesn’t know about the project,” Alex objected, arching his eyebrows.
“Sweetheart,” Tom started, leaning closer to take his hand. “My only ray of sunshine, light of my life,” he continued, gaining an eloquent look from the boy. “You told Hayley,everyone knows.”
Alex’s face dropped at that and he looked down at his list. “I’m gonna kill her.”
“Get in line,” Tom told him, then kissed his hand and let it go. When he realized what he had done, he added, “Go wash your hands.”
“Tom, you have a cold, it’s not cholera,” Alex protested, rolling his eyes, and to prove his point he leaned closer and kissed him on the corner of the mouth. “Now be good, okay? I’ll check on the minestrone and I’ll be back to continue this.”
Tom nodded and watched him go, then looked at the picture where he was hugging William. When his boyfriend came back a couple of minutes later and felt his forehead again before sitting, Tom realized he didn’t need to hang on to the memories anymore.
~~
Later that night
“Seriously, this pizza is the best I’ve ever eaten,” Vicky declared with an unbelieving tone. They were all sitting on big, comfortable cushions around the coffee table and they were mostly done with their dinner. They were at their second bottle of wine, which helped relax the atmosphere even more.
“Well, the trick is just to make sure the guy who runs the place is actually Italian,” Leighton confessed with a smirk. “I could live on pizza.”
“You don’t look like it,” William pointed out and pinched her skinny arm.
“Says the one who stuffs his ass with candies,” Leighton replied, rolling his eyes at him and slapping his hand away.
“He stuffs his face with candies,” Vicky corrected her with a solemn nod, then took a sip from her glass of wine. “His ass is usually stuffed with something else.”
“Guys, I’m eating!” Sisky almost choked on his mouthful of pizza and William patted him on the shoulder, laughing.
“Good to see you’re finally relaxing,” Leighton declared as she leaned closer and pinched his cheek. “So, what about your boyfriend? He’s the only one I haven’t met yet.”
“What about him?” Sisky laughed, then took a bite from his pizza.
“This is the point where you list all his flaws,” Vicky suggested with a sly smirk.
“I don’t think so,” Sisky replied, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Tell us the thing you love the most about him and the one you hate the most,” Leighton suggested with a shrug, then sipped from her wine. “Physical attributes are not an acceptable answers.”
“Oh, c’mon, guys,” Sisky whined, looking down with a smile.
“Aw, don’t be shy, birthday boy,” Vicky joked, punching his arm, which earned her a pinch on the side.
“Butcher is-- well, he’s Butcher,” Sisky finally said, then took a deep breath. “He constantly tries to make me laugh and to generally make me the happiest person on the planet.”
“How long have you been together?” Leighton seemed impressed by his words.
“Three years and a half,” Sisky replied, surprised at her reaction.
“And you’re still living with this lowlife?” Leighton joked, pointing at William, who glared playfully in reply. “It sounds like a golden boy you have there in your pocket.”
“And since you mention it, the thing I hate the most is that he pressures me about living together,” Sisky informed, then took another bite from his pizza.
“Well, I can see why,” Vicky said with a frown. “Three years are a long time.”
“You can’t spend the rest of your life with someone you can’t even live with,” Leighton pointed out with a little smile.
“He needs his space to work, when he doesn’t get it he-- he turns into a huge jerk,” Sisky explained, shaking his head. “If we lived together he wouldn’t have much of that space left.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe he’s willing to make that sacrifice to have you there with him?” William offered and showed him a warm smile.
Sisky seemed to think about it for a few seconds, then reached for the wine. When he put the glass back down, he said, “Okay, guys, stop obsessing over my living arrangements.”
“Fine, fine,” Vicky agreed with a brief laughter, then turned to look at William. “D’you wanna share your story with us, Bill? You’re safe here in the circle of love.”
“I wouldn’t know where to start,” William admitted and addressed her an eloquent look for the joke. “What about we keep harassing Sisky?”
“What about we regress to teenagers and play I Never?” Sisky retorted with a sarcastic smile, but when he saw the pleased smile on Leighton’s face, he regretted saying it.
“I’ll go get something stronger than wine,” Leighton announced as she walked to the liquor cabinet not far. “Rum seems strong enough.”
“You know, I was joking,” Sisky informed with a worried frown when she came back with a bottle and four shot glasses. “Really, really joking.”
“Too late, darling,” Vicky replied with a wide smile and made sure they all get their glass filled. “Who starts?”
“I’ll go,” William announced cheerfully. “I’ve never had sex in the backseat of a car.”
“Please, don’t start with mine, okay?” Vicky immediately said with a slightly scared look, then drank.
Leighton and Sisky laughed and drank as well, then the boy pursed his lips, thinking about his sentence.
“Right onto the hot topics, I see,” Leighton pointed out, obviously glad about that. “C’mon, Sisky, don’t hold back.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t hold back at all after a couple of these,” Sisky replied with a snicker, then cleared his throat. “I’ve never bitten my boyfriend’s cock in the middle of a blowjob.”
“I can’t believe you brought this up,” William protested, unbelieving. “He deserved it!” he added, then drank, while the girls just stared at him in amused shock.
“Ouch,” Vicky just said, shaking her head. “Was it Tom?” At William’s eloquent glare, she snickered. “Of course it was Tom.”
“Your turn, smartass,” William replied with a smirk.
“Alright, I’ve never had sex with a guy before the third date,” she declared, then looked at her friends.
William drank the whole glass in one go and shrugged as he poured another one. “Seriously, you’re making me look like the slut here,” he said with a frown when the others didn’t touch theirs.
“Well, you said it,” Sisky confirmed, smirking.
“Fuck off!” William laughed, pushing him to the side. “Leight, your turn.”
“Okay,” she paused and addressed Vicky a sly smirk. “I’ve never had sex with Gabe Saporta.”
William rolled his eyes and drank his shot, but then saw Vicky do the same and he stared in shock. “Seriously?”
“It was junior year,” Vicky replied, visibly amused by his shock. “And contrary to what Alex likes to tell everyone, I’m not the reason he turned out to be gay, thank you very much.”
“I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting night,” Sisky pointed out, then snickered as he relaxed against the base of the couch behind him.
~~
The following day
When the doorbell rang at ten in the morning, Gabe was in the kitchen, busy with cursing at his cupboards for the lack of coffee. He went to open, sure it would be either Vicky or Alex, but instead, he found himself facing William.
“Hey, babe,” he greeted with a pleased smile. “Didn’t expect to see you.”
“I bet I just made your day brighter with this,” William replied and handed him a cup of coffee, and the boy noticed he had two. “Hi, Luciani,” he added, a little louder than necessary, as they walked into the living room.
Ryan’s reply was a pained groan from his position on the couch and he simply blinked a few times.
“What a charming sight,” William pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
“He was too drunk to let him wander in the middle of the night, hoping he’d find his way home,” Gabe explained with a shrug, then sipped from his coffee.
“Trust me, I know,” William replied with a highly amused grin.
“What brings you here?” Gabe reached him and kissed him on the side of the mouth, smiling. “Except the coffee, which I think it’s an apology for forgetting to tell me you finished mine yesterday.”
“You guess right,” William admitted and they both reached the window, a few feet away from where Ryan was sleeping. “We spent the night at Leighton’s, I was around here, so I brought you two coffee.”
“You knew he’d be here?”
“Well, when he’s in some kind of trouble, ‘a beer with a friend’ usually means a bottle of vodka,” William replied, but his tone was almost concerned and not annoyed. “What trouble is he in?”
“Not really trouble, he just has a lot of things going on,” Gabe said and showed a little smile. “Tough start at work and then, you know, his crush.”
“A crush?” William stared at him, obviously perplexed. “That never ends well. Who is it?”
“He didn’t tell me his name,” Gabe replied and shook his head.
“Oh fuck, I’m never drinking again,” Ryan announced from the couch with a grunt.
“That would be a blessing to the human race, Luciani,” William retorted with a sarcastic smile, then handed him the coffee.
“It’s always nice to wake up to your angelic bitchness, Bilvy,” Ryan told him and slowly sat up, accepting the offer.
“I hate that you can make up words even when you’re hangover,” William declared with a glare. “And don’t call me that.”
“You know, watching you two is actually funnier than I thought,” Gabe informed with a wide grin, then dodged the slap directed to his head.
“Thanks for the coffee,” Ryan said a few seconds later and looked up at the boy with a fake innocent look. “And I’m deeply sorry for kissing your boyfriend last night.”
Surprisingly enough, William smiled sweetly at those words and sat down next to him. “D’you want to know how I know it’s not true?” he asked and gripped his thumb, then started to twist it until the boy flinched. “Because if it were, right now you’d already be dismembered and underground.”
“I love you too,” Ryan hissed, obviously in pain, then cursed when William let him go and stood. “Gabe, man, you’re dating a psycho-killer.”
“I know,” Gabe replied cheerfully, then headed to his bedroom to find a shirt.
“You’re warned,” William said once his boyfriend was out of sight and his expression was dead serious. “Ruin this and you’re dead.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not interested,” Ryan reassured him and his smile this time was sincere. “Besides, you should know that my pick wouldn’t be him between you two.”
“Grow up,” William retorted with a glare. “This joke isn’t funny anymore.”
“I’m not kidding,” Ryan told him, shaking his head. “I never was,” he added with what William recognized as regret, which shocked him. “But don’t worry, I have someone else to worry about right now.”
“Good,” William declared, trying to cover his surprise. “Because I don’t like you.”
“You never really did,” Ryan agreed and laughed briefly. There were a few seconds of silence, then he added, “I’m glad you and Tom are talking again.”
“He’s dating my boyfriend’s best friend, I don’t have much choice,” William replied with a shrug. “But I guess it’s a good thing.”
Gabe joined them a moment later wearing a worn Journey t-shirt and his PJs bottom. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work in an hour?”
“Shit, what time is it?” Ryan stood quickly and looked around to retrieve his things, while the others two watched him, amused.
~~
A/N: see? I told you Ryan wasn’t trying to get into Gabe’s pants. And yes, as you might have noticed, Nate managed to exasperate even him with his over defensiveness. But there’s more to find out about him, so stay tuned. :D
About Gabilliam, they will have a surprise next week, but of course I will not tell you what it is. LOL Alex and Tom seem to get along quite well, but be aware that drama is always around the corner.
It’s all for today, let me know what you think. :D And if you want the soundtrack to this story, just let me know and I’ll make sure you get it. :D
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 || Chapter 9
Chapter 10 - The one with the girls’ night
Later that day
William glanced at the door when the doorbell rang and decided to ignore it, not too keen on dealing with sellers/preachers/neighbors. When the visitor insisted, though, he stood from the couch with a quick movement and strolled to the door. He didn’t even care that he was wearing a pair of black worn sweatpants and an old hoodie with the hood pulled up to cover his head, he was just determined to tell the stranger to fuck the hell off.
Instead, when he opened the door, he saw Gabe standing there and his heart missed a beat.
“Can we talk?” Gabe looked almost cautious as he talked, like he knew there was a high chance William was still furious.
William studied him for several, long seconds, trying to figure out if letting him in was a smart choice. Eventually, he let out a resigned sigh and moved from the doorstep, then walked to the kitchen without looking at Gabe, who walked in and closed the door.
“I brought a peace offering,” Gabe said as he reached the counter were William was standing and handed him a Starbucks cup. “White mocha, with double whipped cream.”
“I don’t feel like eating right now,” William deadpanned and nervously pushed the hood away from his head without ever realizing it.
Gabe rested the cup on the counter, then turned to look at him again, but froze, surprised. “You cut your hair.” William’s hair was visibly shorter, instead of ending past his shoulder like it used to, it barely reached his jaw now.
“This morning,” William replied, dry and a little annoyed. “It’s something I do when I’m upset.”
Gabe saw him take a seat on one of the three stools positioned against the counter and did the same, trying to understand how to start his speech. “What happened last night?” he ended up asking, then felt the need to slap himself.
At those words, though, William seemed to lose a bit of his anger and looked at him, disappointed. “I was jealous,” he admitted, then looked away for a moment before meeting his gaze again with renewed annoyance. “But not because I’m the attention whore you apparently think I am.”
“I didn’t mean that,” Gabe immediately said, but didn’t try to move closer. “I didn’t, I swear. But I want to understand what went wrong.”
“It’s not about attention, it’s about Ryan,” William replied and his rage cooled down a little bit more, turning into bitterness. “Even when I was with Tom and things were good between us, for him Ryan always came first, always before me,” he added, but didn’t look away. “I don’t want that to happen again.”
“I had no idea, how was I supposed to know?” Gabe kept their gazes locked together, trying to use his best understanding tone.
“You weren’t,” William admitted and his jaw tensed before he spoke again. “They’re my issues and I shouldn’t have pushed them on you, but what you said last night hurt me.”
“And I’m so fucking sorry about that,” Gabe said as he moved closer, glad to see the boy accepted it. “You’re not an attention whore, you’re not a bipolar asshole and you’re not a spoiled little brat.”
“Where does the last one come from?” William narrowed his eyes, suspicious, but didn’t move back.
“That was after you left, I was still angry,” Gabe admitted with a grimace, but the surprise on the boy’s face made him feel slightly relieved. “The point is, issues or not, I’m a huge jerk and I’m ready to do pretty much whatever you want to make it up to you.”
“Wait, did you really just apologize for saying something I didn’t even hear?” William tilted his head to the side, almost studying him, and his tone slowly turned from skeptical to unbelieving.
“Yeah,” Gabe said with a slow nod, trying to figure out if it was a good or a bad sign.
“I couldn’t hate you even if I tried, could I?” William gave in and sighed, more resigned than actually annoyed.
“Hopefully not,” Gabe replied with a little smile, then brought his hand to cup the boy’s cheek. “Peace?”
William took a deep breath and stood, interrupting the contact, then took the man’s hand in his own and looked at him. “Ice skating at Central Park tomorrow?”
At those words Gabe felt like a stone had been moved from his chest and he laughed a little, happy. He pulled William in a hug and felt him relax at the familiar gesture. “Sounds great to me.” William pulled back enough to look at him and finally gave in to a little smile. “Now I feel like accepting that peace offering.”
“It’s all yours,” Gabe took the cup and handed it to him, then watched as the boy went to sit on the couch, legs bent against his chest.
“Get your ass here before I change my mind,” William told when he saw he wasn’t moving from his spot. As he waited for the boy to comply, he reached for the remote and turned the DVD player on. “And part of you punishment is to watch The Shining with me, I won’t sleep if I watch it alone.”
“It’s actually a great movie, not that scary,” Gabe pointed out with a raised eyebrow, then turned off the lights and took a blanket.
“Oh, there’s just an hallucinating psychopath who sees ghosts and tries to kill his family with an hatchet,” William retorted with a sarcastic tone, looking at him like he’d grown two heads. “Why should it be scary?”
Gabe laughed as he positioned the blanket over them and shook his head, then put his arm around the boy’s shoulders. For several seconds the silence was only broken by the sounds coming from the television and Gabe’s fingers started playing with William’s hair, an habit he’d developed since the first night they had spent like that on the couch.
“I like your new hair,” Gabe suddenly whispered in his ear.
William smiled at those words and leaned against his side, visibly more relaxed then a few minutes before. Taking advantage of his distraction, Gabe ducked his head to reach the straw and stole a sip of white mocha, only to pull back with a traumatized expression.
“Just how many tons of sugar are there in this thing?” Gabe swallowed a few times, feeling his tongue protest at the unusual taste.
William just glared briefly, then took a long sip from his drink for emphasis. “There’s beer in the fridge if you want,” he informed as he looked back at the screen, trying to hide his smirk.
“Nah, I’m good,” Gabe just said, turning his attention to the movie as well, but his hand resumed playing with William’s hair.
~~
The following day
“Is this seat taken?” Ryan gestured towards the empty chair with a smile.
“Yes, I’m having lunch with the Invisible Woman,” Nate replied with a sarcastic tone.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but she just walked out,” Ryan retorted and sat down, putting his tray on the table while he gestured to the cafeteria door with his free hand.
“Well, now I know why the conversation was one-sided,” Nate pointed out, then smirked and kicked the boy on the shin. “Moron.”
“Hey, you started it,” Ryan replied, defensive, then reached for his salad.
Nate watched him eat for a few moments, then focused on his own food. “So, looks like you’re the new hero in here,” he said without looking at him.
“I just did my job,” Ryan stated, but he seemed surprised by the other’s words.
“Yes,” Nate conceded and finally looked up, smiling. “Still, you saved a five days old baby girl from hypothermia,” he paused and tilted his head to the side. “That’s a hero in my book.”
“A hero would also find the mother and beat the hell out of her for abandoning her baby in the cold,” Ryan pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
“Leave that to the cops,” Nate advised, still looking at him in the eye. “You’ve done enough.”
“The other nurses wanted me to pick a name for her,” Ryan replied and his smile came back, but not as bright as before.
“Please, tell me it’s not Ryanina,” Nate joked and felt the other boy kick him under the table.
“I’m not that much of an egomaniac,” Ryan replied with a brief glare. “I picked my grandmother’s name, Rebecca.”
“I like it,” Nate admitted with a warm smile, but when the other just nodded, he tried to lock their gazes one more time. “Hey, you saved this baby, you’re not the one who left her to freeze in front of a church.”
“I just don’t get what kind of human being could do something like that,” Ryan replied and sighed, shaking his head.
“That’s why you’re gonna be a good father one day,” Nate pointed out and offered him some of his French fries.
“You’re not as much of a bitch as I thought you were,” Ryan confessed and showed a smile when the boy glared but didn’t take his offer back.
“I’m flattered,” Nate muttered, then resumed eating.
“It was a compliment, you idiot,” Ryan said and reached across the small table to pinch his cheek.
“Shut up,” Nate retorted and laughed as he slapped the boy’s hand away.
“Admit it, it’s not as bad as you thought,” Ryan told him and resumed eating, but his smile was more relaxed after the playful exchange. “Working with me, I mean.”
“Well, it’s not worse than getting my wisdom tooth extracted,” Nate admitted with a grin.
“Jerk,” Ryan retorted, trying to kick him again. “You should stop putting people off.”
“I’m just kidding,” Nate replied, rolling his eyes at him.
“Are you?” Ryan saw him glare and nodded. “Okay, of course you are, it’s obviously awesome to have me around,” he added with a sly smirk, but his expression turned a little more serious almost immediately. “But you’re always defensive, you know, with everyone.”
“I’m not,” Nate said, almost offended by his words.
“Really?” Ryan arched an eyebrow at him, skeptical. “So if I asked you to hang out tonight for a beer and a chat, you wouldn’t say no?”
“What’s behind the offer?” Nate narrowed his eyes at him, clearly not convinced.
“See? This is what I’m talking about,” Ryan pointed out, gesturing in his direction. “You always question people’s motives,” he paused and let out a bitter chuckle. “What is behind the offer is that I like you and I’d like to be friends, but you keep slamming the door in my face over and over again. And why? Just because I’m Tom’s friend?”
“What’s your point?” Nate looked at him, halfway between surprised and annoyed.
“Step off your pedestal for a moment and give people a chance,” Ryan suggested with the most serious expression Nate had ever seen on his face. “If you’d done that with Alex, maybe he’d be here instead of fucking someone else.”
“Thank you, I needed the reminder,” Nate retorted, incredulous and angry.
“I’m just trying to help you,” Ryan said, raising his hands in surrender.
“I never asked you to,” Nate spat, looking down at his dish once again.
“Fine,” Ryan replied and took his tray as he stood. “I apologize for intruding in your precious, secluded life, it won’t happen again,” he added, then walked to the opposite side of the room, where his coworkers from the ICU welcomed him by clapping their hands.
Nate watched him sit and never once look back, and for a moment felt the urge to reach him and punch him. He had no right to come there and start preaching about attitude and friendship, Nate had known him for a week. Still, the urge subsided almost immediately and the boy felt a little bad for the way he had pushed him away. He tried not to think too much about it as he finished his lunch, but he didn’t fail to notice people always tended lo leave him alone during the break.
~~
Two days later
“Leighton called,” William announced as he straddled Gabe’s lap on the couch. “Which still sounds completely absurd to me,” he added with a little frown.
“You’ll get used to it,” Gabe replied with a brief laughter. “She adores you.”
“Well, she invited me and Sisky at her place for pizza-and-movie night,” William informed, beaming. “Vicky will be there too.”
“Girls’ night, uh?” Gabe joked and that earned him a slap on the shoulder, to which he responded by pinching the boy’s ass. “Don’t worry, you’ll have fun,” he added, just as Sisky joined them.
“You’re going out with me tonight,” William announced, looking at his friend.
“Good thing my boyfriend is out with Chizz, then,” Sisky replied with a shrug.
“I know, otherwise he’d be invited too,” William replied and rolled his eyes. “I’m not a complete jerk.”
“Where are we going?” Sisky reached them and frown, confused.
“Dinner,” William just said with a cryptic smile. “Everything else is a surprise. Early birthday present.”
“You should tell him, or he’s gonna freak out when he sees her,” Gabe suggested with a highly amused smirk.
“Good point,” William conceded, thoughtful, then looked at his boyfriend. “Wanna take a picture of his face when I tell him?”
“Just tell me already,” Sisky said while Gabe reached for his phone, laughing.
“Leighton invited us for pizza,” William announced with a shrug, faking indifference. “We’re in charge of the movie.”
Sisky stared at him in complete silence for a few seconds, then narrowed his eyes at them. “Stop fucking around, where are we going?”
“At Leighton’s,” William repeated, but this time he was smiling.
“You’re serious,” Sisky pointed out as his eyes widened, then reached his friend. “Youactually met her in London?”
“What? You thought I was making that up?” William laughed out loud at the shocked expression on the boy’s face.
“We toured the London Dungeon together,” Gabe confirmed, then lowered his phone. “There are pictures to prove it.”
“Oh, right, the ones you haven’t sent me yet,” William pointed out with a reproachful look in his direction.
“I’m holding them hostage,” Gabe declared with a relaxed tone.
“And what’s the ransom?” William arched an eyebrow at him, clearly skeptical.
“Don’t answer, please, I have a feeling it would turn the entire moment into a cheap porn scene,” Sisky said before Gabe had a chance to open his mouth. “Let’s focus on the whole Leighton Meester dinner thing, thank you.”
William reached him and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Just put on some clothes and relax, she’s a human being.”
“No, she plays Blair Waldorf, she’s some kind of goddess,” Sisky pointed out with an eloquent glare. “What am I supposed to wear?”
“Jeans and a dark shirt, you look ridiculous with the white ones,” William replied, then forced him to turn and pushed him towards the hallway. “And stop freaking out,” he added as his friend reached the bathroom, still mildly shocked.
William walked back to the couch and Gabe snapped a picture with his phone, but the boy immediately stole the object, laughing.
“This is for Alex’s album,” Gabe declared as he tried to take his phone back, which only resulted in his boyfriend falling on the couch next to him.
“No way, I look like an idiot,” William objected and deleted it before the other boy could stop him.
“Oh, c’mon, I liked it,” Gabe protested, sulking a little, and that convinced William to give him the phone back. “Now pose for me, pretty boy.”
“Shut up!” William pushed him to the side, laughing, but when he realized the boy was about to snap another picture, he leaned forward and closed his eyes, making his best kissy lips.
“Now you do look like an idiot,” Gabe declared as he looked at the picture. The focus wasn’t exactly perfect, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to delete it. “I like it,” he added as he showed it to the boy. “And no, you’re not erasing this one.”
“It’s not as bad as the other one,” William conceded, then slowly shifted closer, until he was sitting in Gabe’s lap again. “You can keep it, but not for the album.”
“Fine,” Gabe agreed and put his phone away. “By the way, it was supposed to be a surprise for everyone.”
“He shouldn’t have told Hayley, then,” William just said, smirking, then circled the boy’s neck with his arms. “So, weren’t we talking about a ransom?”
“Yeah,” Gabe admitted with a grimace and that was not really the reaction he’d expected. “Please, promise me you won’t be mad.”
“I won’t be mad,” William declared, but kept his crossed fingers right in front of Gabe’s face, but it didn’t earn him a smile like he’d hoped. “What’s going on?”
“Ryan called this morning,” Gabe started, keeping his gaze on William’s face. “He asked if I was up for a beer tonight and I said yes.”
“Oh fuck, I’m such a bitch,” William muttered as he closed his eyes, but reopened them almost immediately. “Gabe, when I told you about Ryan I wasn’t asking you to cut him out, he’s your friend and I’m not a monster,” he paused and cupped the boy’s face with boy hands. “I trust you, I know pretty damn well you’re not Tom.”
“I know we talked about this, but I’m still trying to understand how to move around the whole thing,” Gabe admitted with a little smile, visibly relaxed.
“And the fact that you’re trying makes you awesome,” William replied and dragged his thumb across his boyfriend’s cheekbone. “But please, talk to me, okay? I’m not a mentally instable bitch, even if I’ve probably been acting like one lately.”
“Just a little,” Gabe conceded and his smile widened. “Okay, no more meeting my other boyfriends behind your back.”
“It’s not funny,” William retorted with a playful glare and that reassured the other boy. After a few seconds, though, he looked down and started playing with Gabe’s hair. “I’m sorry, you know, for freaking you out about Ryan.”
“Don’t be,” Gabe said and waited for him to look up. “You had your reasons, we had a slight inability to communicate, but now you know I could never put him before you.”
“Slight inability to communicate? Seriously?” William frowned at him, amused, but didn’t protest when the boy kissed him to shut him up.
~~
Later that night
“You shouldn’t be here,” Tom pointed out as he wrapped the blanket even tighter around himself. “I might be contagious.”
“It’s just a cold,” Alex replied and rolled his eyes, then resumed looking around the kitchen to find something to cook with. “And since your best friend is busy getting drunk with my best friend, it’s up to me to take care of you.”
“Sorry to hear he left this burden to you,” Tom muttered and leaned against the doorframe, sulking.
“You know that’s not what I mean,” Alex replied, smiling, then reached him.
“No kisses,” Tom reminded him, but he wasn’t too enthusiastic about it either.
Alex nodded and brought his lips to the boy’s temple and moved back only after a few seconds. “Fever is going up, you should go back to bed.”
“After you stop fussing over me and go back to your work,” Tom retorted, determined, but the effect was ruined when he coughed. “I don’t feel like eating chicken soup anyway.”
“Who said anything about chicken? I’m making you minestrone,” Alex announced cheerfully, then opened the paper bag he’d brought with him and started extracting vegetables. “And I have my laptop here, so I can work later, while you’re sleeping.”
Tom reached him in a couple of slow steps and hugged him from behind, placing a couple of kisses on his shoulder. “You’re the best boyfriend in the entire world,” he said with a slightly hoarse voice.
“I try my best, you know,” Alex admitted with a solemn nod as he turned, then rubbed the boy’s arms when he felt him shiver. “It’s gonna take a while before it’s ready, go lie down on the couch, okay?”
“Okay, boss,” Tom agreed with a little smile and walked away.
A few minutes later Alex heard noises from the living room, but didn’t really pay attention to it, he kept preparing the vegetables, humming softly to himself. It took him about twenty minutes to have all the ingredients ready, washed and sliced, and by the time he managed to put everything on the stoves, it was already six-thirty.
“It should take forty minutes, you have time to nap,” Alex announced as he took off the apron and walked out of the kitchen.
“I had an idea,” Tom replied from his stop on the couch and pointed at the TV screen, where a picture of him flipping off the unfortunate photographer - Mike - was showing.
“Is that an elaborate way to tell me to fuck off?” Alex asked with a grin, then sat down next to him.
“Nope, it’s a way to spend this forty minutes doing something useful for your project,” Tom corrected him, then handed him a block notes and a pen. “I connected the hard disk to the recorder, write down the names of the files you pick.”
“I like it,” Alex agreed with a nod, brought his legs up on the couch as well.
“You never told me you could cook Italian,” Tom pointed out as he skipped to the next photo.
“I don’t, not really,” Alex confessed and noted the name of the picture. “I learned it on the internet.”
“What about the vegetables? They’re not exactly cheap in January,” Tom insisted and pressed the ‘forward’ button.
“Stop worrying about it,” Alex said and turned to look at him with an exasperated smile. “I’m cooking for both of us, anyway,” he added, then turned to look at the screen and frowned. The photo showed him, along with William and Vicky, and they where using their chopsticks as fake fangs. “You kept this one?”
“It’s funny,” Tom replied with a shrug, and reached for a tissue on the coffee table. “It’s not bad, considering I took it with my phone.”
Alex looked at it for a few seconds, then laughed and wrote down the name. When he looked up again, he saw another photo Tom had taken with his phone and this one showed Alex’s profile as he drank beer, while Mike glared from the background.
“Mike looks like a psycho-killer in this one,” Tom pointed out, laughing, then pushed the button again and it was his boyfriend’s turn to laugh.
“Oh my God, is that Sisky?” Alex almost fell off the couch and immediately wrote down the name of the picture. It showed Sisky with long, curly hair, Butcher, who looked a lot less sober than usual, William with a haircut similar to his new one, and Tom who was basically wrapped around William. “Is it okay if I use this too?” he asked after noticing that last detail.
“No problem with me,” Tom conceded with a shrug and a little smile, glad his boyfriend wasn’t disturbed about his old pictures with William. “You should ask William too.”
“He doesn’t know about the project,” Alex objected, arching his eyebrows.
“Sweetheart,” Tom started, leaning closer to take his hand. “My only ray of sunshine, light of my life,” he continued, gaining an eloquent look from the boy. “You told Hayley,everyone knows.”
Alex’s face dropped at that and he looked down at his list. “I’m gonna kill her.”
“Get in line,” Tom told him, then kissed his hand and let it go. When he realized what he had done, he added, “Go wash your hands.”
“Tom, you have a cold, it’s not cholera,” Alex protested, rolling his eyes, and to prove his point he leaned closer and kissed him on the corner of the mouth. “Now be good, okay? I’ll check on the minestrone and I’ll be back to continue this.”
Tom nodded and watched him go, then looked at the picture where he was hugging William. When his boyfriend came back a couple of minutes later and felt his forehead again before sitting, Tom realized he didn’t need to hang on to the memories anymore.
~~
Later that night
“Seriously, this pizza is the best I’ve ever eaten,” Vicky declared with an unbelieving tone. They were all sitting on big, comfortable cushions around the coffee table and they were mostly done with their dinner. They were at their second bottle of wine, which helped relax the atmosphere even more.
“Well, the trick is just to make sure the guy who runs the place is actually Italian,” Leighton confessed with a smirk. “I could live on pizza.”
“You don’t look like it,” William pointed out and pinched her skinny arm.
“Says the one who stuffs his ass with candies,” Leighton replied, rolling his eyes at him and slapping his hand away.
“He stuffs his face with candies,” Vicky corrected her with a solemn nod, then took a sip from her glass of wine. “His ass is usually stuffed with something else.”
“Guys, I’m eating!” Sisky almost choked on his mouthful of pizza and William patted him on the shoulder, laughing.
“Good to see you’re finally relaxing,” Leighton declared as she leaned closer and pinched his cheek. “So, what about your boyfriend? He’s the only one I haven’t met yet.”
“What about him?” Sisky laughed, then took a bite from his pizza.
“This is the point where you list all his flaws,” Vicky suggested with a sly smirk.
“I don’t think so,” Sisky replied, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Tell us the thing you love the most about him and the one you hate the most,” Leighton suggested with a shrug, then sipped from her wine. “Physical attributes are not an acceptable answers.”
“Oh, c’mon, guys,” Sisky whined, looking down with a smile.
“Aw, don’t be shy, birthday boy,” Vicky joked, punching his arm, which earned her a pinch on the side.
“Butcher is-- well, he’s Butcher,” Sisky finally said, then took a deep breath. “He constantly tries to make me laugh and to generally make me the happiest person on the planet.”
“How long have you been together?” Leighton seemed impressed by his words.
“Three years and a half,” Sisky replied, surprised at her reaction.
“And you’re still living with this lowlife?” Leighton joked, pointing at William, who glared playfully in reply. “It sounds like a golden boy you have there in your pocket.”
“And since you mention it, the thing I hate the most is that he pressures me about living together,” Sisky informed, then took another bite from his pizza.
“Well, I can see why,” Vicky said with a frown. “Three years are a long time.”
“You can’t spend the rest of your life with someone you can’t even live with,” Leighton pointed out with a little smile.
“He needs his space to work, when he doesn’t get it he-- he turns into a huge jerk,” Sisky explained, shaking his head. “If we lived together he wouldn’t have much of that space left.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe he’s willing to make that sacrifice to have you there with him?” William offered and showed him a warm smile.
Sisky seemed to think about it for a few seconds, then reached for the wine. When he put the glass back down, he said, “Okay, guys, stop obsessing over my living arrangements.”
“Fine, fine,” Vicky agreed with a brief laughter, then turned to look at William. “D’you wanna share your story with us, Bill? You’re safe here in the circle of love.”
“I wouldn’t know where to start,” William admitted and addressed her an eloquent look for the joke. “What about we keep harassing Sisky?”
“What about we regress to teenagers and play I Never?” Sisky retorted with a sarcastic smile, but when he saw the pleased smile on Leighton’s face, he regretted saying it.
“I’ll go get something stronger than wine,” Leighton announced as she walked to the liquor cabinet not far. “Rum seems strong enough.”
“You know, I was joking,” Sisky informed with a worried frown when she came back with a bottle and four shot glasses. “Really, really joking.”
“Too late, darling,” Vicky replied with a wide smile and made sure they all get their glass filled. “Who starts?”
“I’ll go,” William announced cheerfully. “I’ve never had sex in the backseat of a car.”
“Please, don’t start with mine, okay?” Vicky immediately said with a slightly scared look, then drank.
Leighton and Sisky laughed and drank as well, then the boy pursed his lips, thinking about his sentence.
“Right onto the hot topics, I see,” Leighton pointed out, obviously glad about that. “C’mon, Sisky, don’t hold back.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t hold back at all after a couple of these,” Sisky replied with a snicker, then cleared his throat. “I’ve never bitten my boyfriend’s cock in the middle of a blowjob.”
“I can’t believe you brought this up,” William protested, unbelieving. “He deserved it!” he added, then drank, while the girls just stared at him in amused shock.
“Ouch,” Vicky just said, shaking her head. “Was it Tom?” At William’s eloquent glare, she snickered. “Of course it was Tom.”
“Your turn, smartass,” William replied with a smirk.
“Alright, I’ve never had sex with a guy before the third date,” she declared, then looked at her friends.
William drank the whole glass in one go and shrugged as he poured another one. “Seriously, you’re making me look like the slut here,” he said with a frown when the others didn’t touch theirs.
“Well, you said it,” Sisky confirmed, smirking.
“Fuck off!” William laughed, pushing him to the side. “Leight, your turn.”
“Okay,” she paused and addressed Vicky a sly smirk. “I’ve never had sex with Gabe Saporta.”
William rolled his eyes and drank his shot, but then saw Vicky do the same and he stared in shock. “Seriously?”
“It was junior year,” Vicky replied, visibly amused by his shock. “And contrary to what Alex likes to tell everyone, I’m not the reason he turned out to be gay, thank you very much.”
“I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting night,” Sisky pointed out, then snickered as he relaxed against the base of the couch behind him.
~~
The following day
When the doorbell rang at ten in the morning, Gabe was in the kitchen, busy with cursing at his cupboards for the lack of coffee. He went to open, sure it would be either Vicky or Alex, but instead, he found himself facing William.
“Hey, babe,” he greeted with a pleased smile. “Didn’t expect to see you.”
“I bet I just made your day brighter with this,” William replied and handed him a cup of coffee, and the boy noticed he had two. “Hi, Luciani,” he added, a little louder than necessary, as they walked into the living room.
Ryan’s reply was a pained groan from his position on the couch and he simply blinked a few times.
“What a charming sight,” William pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
“He was too drunk to let him wander in the middle of the night, hoping he’d find his way home,” Gabe explained with a shrug, then sipped from his coffee.
“Trust me, I know,” William replied with a highly amused grin.
“What brings you here?” Gabe reached him and kissed him on the side of the mouth, smiling. “Except the coffee, which I think it’s an apology for forgetting to tell me you finished mine yesterday.”
“You guess right,” William admitted and they both reached the window, a few feet away from where Ryan was sleeping. “We spent the night at Leighton’s, I was around here, so I brought you two coffee.”
“You knew he’d be here?”
“Well, when he’s in some kind of trouble, ‘a beer with a friend’ usually means a bottle of vodka,” William replied, but his tone was almost concerned and not annoyed. “What trouble is he in?”
“Not really trouble, he just has a lot of things going on,” Gabe said and showed a little smile. “Tough start at work and then, you know, his crush.”
“A crush?” William stared at him, obviously perplexed. “That never ends well. Who is it?”
“He didn’t tell me his name,” Gabe replied and shook his head.
“Oh fuck, I’m never drinking again,” Ryan announced from the couch with a grunt.
“That would be a blessing to the human race, Luciani,” William retorted with a sarcastic smile, then handed him the coffee.
“It’s always nice to wake up to your angelic bitchness, Bilvy,” Ryan told him and slowly sat up, accepting the offer.
“I hate that you can make up words even when you’re hangover,” William declared with a glare. “And don’t call me that.”
“You know, watching you two is actually funnier than I thought,” Gabe informed with a wide grin, then dodged the slap directed to his head.
“Thanks for the coffee,” Ryan said a few seconds later and looked up at the boy with a fake innocent look. “And I’m deeply sorry for kissing your boyfriend last night.”
Surprisingly enough, William smiled sweetly at those words and sat down next to him. “D’you want to know how I know it’s not true?” he asked and gripped his thumb, then started to twist it until the boy flinched. “Because if it were, right now you’d already be dismembered and underground.”
“I love you too,” Ryan hissed, obviously in pain, then cursed when William let him go and stood. “Gabe, man, you’re dating a psycho-killer.”
“I know,” Gabe replied cheerfully, then headed to his bedroom to find a shirt.
“You’re warned,” William said once his boyfriend was out of sight and his expression was dead serious. “Ruin this and you’re dead.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not interested,” Ryan reassured him and his smile this time was sincere. “Besides, you should know that my pick wouldn’t be him between you two.”
“Grow up,” William retorted with a glare. “This joke isn’t funny anymore.”
“I’m not kidding,” Ryan told him, shaking his head. “I never was,” he added with what William recognized as regret, which shocked him. “But don’t worry, I have someone else to worry about right now.”
“Good,” William declared, trying to cover his surprise. “Because I don’t like you.”
“You never really did,” Ryan agreed and laughed briefly. There were a few seconds of silence, then he added, “I’m glad you and Tom are talking again.”
“He’s dating my boyfriend’s best friend, I don’t have much choice,” William replied with a shrug. “But I guess it’s a good thing.”
Gabe joined them a moment later wearing a worn Journey t-shirt and his PJs bottom. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work in an hour?”
“Shit, what time is it?” Ryan stood quickly and looked around to retrieve his things, while the others two watched him, amused.
~~
A/N: see? I told you Ryan wasn’t trying to get into Gabe’s pants. And yes, as you might have noticed, Nate managed to exasperate even him with his over defensiveness. But there’s more to find out about him, so stay tuned. :D
About Gabilliam, they will have a surprise next week, but of course I will not tell you what it is. LOL Alex and Tom seem to get along quite well, but be aware that drama is always around the corner.
It’s all for today, let me know what you think. :D And if you want the soundtrack to this story, just let me know and I’ll make sure you get it. :D
JM