Fic: to put away childish things (1/3) [The Covenant, OT4]
Title: to put away childish things (1/3)
Author: Mickey Sixx
Fandom: The Covenant
Pairing: Pogue Parry/Tyler Simms, Caleb Danvers/Reid Garwin, Caleb Danvers/Pogue Parry/Reid Garwin/Tyler Simms
Rating: FRAO/NC-17/M (overall)
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. I do not own them!
Summary: The transision from childhood to adulthood is rarely painless
Author's Note: So it's been a while. I haven't forgotten about this verse but I've been having difficulty with the next step because it involves Original Characters. I've also lost my sounding board since the first one so I'm having an even harder time trying to make them not Mary Sues. Urgh. Anyway! Have something new! This wont make much sense if you haven't read Let's Be More Than This, so I suggest reading that first.
Self-beta'd so all remaining mistakes are mine.
Pogue - January 2, 1989
"You gotta stop doing this, man."
Pogue startled and turned quickly at the voice behind him. His expression settled into a frown as he watched Tyler approach, hands deep in the pockets of a coat that wasn't his. Pogue turned back to stare out over the bluff, relaxing back into the hood of his car and listening to the soft crunch of Tyler's footsteps. The night was still; the air was cold enough to freeze but Pogue had long since stopped feeling it. The sudden addition of Tyler's body heat at his side made him shiver and burrow deeper into the wind breaker he'd grabbed from the backseat.
"Caleb told me I'd probably find you here." He said, hitching himself up onto the truck, making it bounce.
Pogue didn't say anything for a second, let Tyler's voice wash over him, the truck slow to a gentle rock, "Where'd you leave him?"
"Keeping an eye on Reid, who told me to tell you to stop being a pussy and get back to the party."
"Asshole," Pogue muttered affectionately.
Tyler snorted, "Yeah, well, he's got a point." Pogue side-eyed him and the youngest shrugged, "He does. It's New Years Eve and you're freezing your ass off out here instead of getting drunk with the rest of our year. What gives?"
New Years Eve was the social event of the year at Spenser. Rumours flew through the halls on who was hosting, who would be invited, who was hooking up with who. This year one of their buddies on the swim team had opened his house after his parents decided to spend Christmas in Australia. Music was pumping from the high-grade speakers, illegal liquor was flowing nicely, and Pogue would have enjoyed himself under normal circumstances. Tonight he had bigger things on his mind than watching people get alcohol poisoning.
"I told you I didn't want to go."
Tyler gave a sigh, "And I told you to suck it up, so sue me." When Pogue didn't answer he shook his head, "I hoped it would distract you for a while."
The dejected note in his voice made Pogue sigh and scrub his numb face with only slightly warmer hands, "I know, man, I get it. Thanks for trying. It just… I can't think about anything else right now."
In two days time it would be his eighteenth birthday. He'd finally Ascend. At 7:43pm on January 2nd he'd receive his full share of the Power, and the very thought made his palms sweat.
It was different when they were kids. At thirteen they were Initiated into this world of limitless potential; given all the strengths but none of the weaknesses. They grew up in the grey area between black and white, seeing how far they could push, how much they could do, how far they could take it. At eighteen they Ascend, are given far more than they can handle, and are expected to control it before it controls them.
Before it kills them.
And now there was the Bond. He'd told Caleb he wasn't going to run from them - and he wasn't - but it added yet another layer to Ascending that he didn't really want to think about.
Agitated, Pogue moved off the truck and stood, stuffing his balled hands into his pockets. Tyler watched him pace silently.
"What are you worried about more: us or Using?"
Pogue stopped. "What?"
Tyler watched him carefully, "Are you stressing because of the bond, because of the draw to us?"
The elder teen made an abortive shrug. "No. Yes. Fuck, Ty, I don't know." Tyler waited while Pogue struggled with his thoughts, "Both, I guess. But not for the reasons you think."
"What, then?"
"I just... shit, I saw a Harvard Prospectus with Caleb's things earlier." He said it quick, like he was telling on his brother for doing something bad. Pogue frowned at himself, kicked a tyre aimlessly, "Made me think, you know? About the future and shit. 'Cause we haven't got a timeline for this crap, we're flying blind and I hate that. We don't know how long we're gonna get these urges for after we've all Ascended. I mean, we're not all gonna end up at Harvard, ok? How're we gonna make it work after Spenser?"
He stopped pacing and looked out over the endless landscape, "And then I started thinking about what happened to our fathers. How they dealt with this." He swallowed, forcing the words out, "I don't want to end up like they did, Ty. The Power… our family legacy is addiction and an early grave. I don't want to end up like them."
"You won't."
Pogue turned to him then. The cold had turned his cheeks and nose pink, each calm breath expelled in a fog of white. Even in the dark Pogue could see his eyes were fixed on him, his stare unwavering.
"They all said that."
Tyler shrugged, "Maybe. Doesn't change anything. You think I'm not scared, Pogue? I am. Shitless. Only a fucking idiot wouldn't be. But I gotta trust that I'll come out ok, that we'll be different they they were. Stronger." Emotion stormed into his eyes then, disturbing the calm depths, "The only thing keeping me going is that belief and our bond. You're not gonna fail at this, Pogue, because we won't let you."
As if the words had been the trigger, Pogue felt a little of the weight that he'd carried since Christmas roll off his shoulders. He came to a stop in front of Tyler, still sitting on the hood of his truck. He didn't even realise he was reaching out until he saw his fingers extend towards Tyler's face. Blushing and angry with himself, he stuffed his hand back into his pocket and looked away.
Tyler rolled his eyes, "Really? After all we've done and you're embarrassed by a little touching?"
His blush deepened and he thanked god that it wasn't visible in the low light, "You've been spending too much time with Reid," he grumbled.
The youngest laughed and snagged his jacket, "C'mere loser."
The first shock of cool lips against his own melted as Tyler drew him in, surrounded him. Power recognised Power instantly and it shivered to life inside him, reaching out and touching, mirroring the actions of his fingers as they mindlessly curled into the wool of what he dimly recognised as Caleb's coat. It was a sensation he was getting used to, a sensation that would only get stronger after his Ascending. Slowly, surely, warmth slid along his skin, seeping into his bones. It chased away the chill that had settled there days ago and Pogue finally let his tension go with it. Leaning into youngest, he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer, leaving no room for the cold to reach between them. Strong thighs gripped his hips.
The muted sounds of explosions teased the edges of his hearing. A hand moved to the back of his neck, cold skin making him hiss and tense. Tyler chuckled against his mouth, pulled back with a soft scraping of his teeth to Pogue's lower lip. "Happy New Year," he whispered, breath turning white between them. A long line of heat coasted through him, pulling a quiet moan from his lips without his permission, and even from this distance he could feel Caleb's satisfaction echoing the wish.
New Year. He didn't know if it would be a happy one, but it was certainly going to be different from the last.
Author: Mickey Sixx
Fandom: The Covenant
Pairing: Pogue Parry/Tyler Simms, Caleb Danvers/Reid Garwin, Caleb Danvers/Pogue Parry/Reid Garwin/Tyler Simms
Rating: FRAO/NC-17/M (overall)
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. I do not own them!
Summary: The transision from childhood to adulthood is rarely painless
Author's Note: So it's been a while. I haven't forgotten about this verse but I've been having difficulty with the next step because it involves Original Characters. I've also lost my sounding board since the first one so I'm having an even harder time trying to make them not Mary Sues. Urgh. Anyway! Have something new! This wont make much sense if you haven't read Let's Be More Than This, so I suggest reading that first.
Self-beta'd so all remaining mistakes are mine.
Pogue - January 2, 1989
"You gotta stop doing this, man."
Pogue startled and turned quickly at the voice behind him. His expression settled into a frown as he watched Tyler approach, hands deep in the pockets of a coat that wasn't his. Pogue turned back to stare out over the bluff, relaxing back into the hood of his car and listening to the soft crunch of Tyler's footsteps. The night was still; the air was cold enough to freeze but Pogue had long since stopped feeling it. The sudden addition of Tyler's body heat at his side made him shiver and burrow deeper into the wind breaker he'd grabbed from the backseat.
"Caleb told me I'd probably find you here." He said, hitching himself up onto the truck, making it bounce.
Pogue didn't say anything for a second, let Tyler's voice wash over him, the truck slow to a gentle rock, "Where'd you leave him?"
"Keeping an eye on Reid, who told me to tell you to stop being a pussy and get back to the party."
"Asshole," Pogue muttered affectionately.
Tyler snorted, "Yeah, well, he's got a point." Pogue side-eyed him and the youngest shrugged, "He does. It's New Years Eve and you're freezing your ass off out here instead of getting drunk with the rest of our year. What gives?"
New Years Eve was the social event of the year at Spenser. Rumours flew through the halls on who was hosting, who would be invited, who was hooking up with who. This year one of their buddies on the swim team had opened his house after his parents decided to spend Christmas in Australia. Music was pumping from the high-grade speakers, illegal liquor was flowing nicely, and Pogue would have enjoyed himself under normal circumstances. Tonight he had bigger things on his mind than watching people get alcohol poisoning.
"I told you I didn't want to go."
Tyler gave a sigh, "And I told you to suck it up, so sue me." When Pogue didn't answer he shook his head, "I hoped it would distract you for a while."
The dejected note in his voice made Pogue sigh and scrub his numb face with only slightly warmer hands, "I know, man, I get it. Thanks for trying. It just… I can't think about anything else right now."
In two days time it would be his eighteenth birthday. He'd finally Ascend. At 7:43pm on January 2nd he'd receive his full share of the Power, and the very thought made his palms sweat.
It was different when they were kids. At thirteen they were Initiated into this world of limitless potential; given all the strengths but none of the weaknesses. They grew up in the grey area between black and white, seeing how far they could push, how much they could do, how far they could take it. At eighteen they Ascend, are given far more than they can handle, and are expected to control it before it controls them.
Before it kills them.
And now there was the Bond. He'd told Caleb he wasn't going to run from them - and he wasn't - but it added yet another layer to Ascending that he didn't really want to think about.
Agitated, Pogue moved off the truck and stood, stuffing his balled hands into his pockets. Tyler watched him pace silently.
"What are you worried about more: us or Using?"
Pogue stopped. "What?"
Tyler watched him carefully, "Are you stressing because of the bond, because of the draw to us?"
The elder teen made an abortive shrug. "No. Yes. Fuck, Ty, I don't know." Tyler waited while Pogue struggled with his thoughts, "Both, I guess. But not for the reasons you think."
"What, then?"
"I just... shit, I saw a Harvard Prospectus with Caleb's things earlier." He said it quick, like he was telling on his brother for doing something bad. Pogue frowned at himself, kicked a tyre aimlessly, "Made me think, you know? About the future and shit. 'Cause we haven't got a timeline for this crap, we're flying blind and I hate that. We don't know how long we're gonna get these urges for after we've all Ascended. I mean, we're not all gonna end up at Harvard, ok? How're we gonna make it work after Spenser?"
He stopped pacing and looked out over the endless landscape, "And then I started thinking about what happened to our fathers. How they dealt with this." He swallowed, forcing the words out, "I don't want to end up like they did, Ty. The Power… our family legacy is addiction and an early grave. I don't want to end up like them."
"You won't."
Pogue turned to him then. The cold had turned his cheeks and nose pink, each calm breath expelled in a fog of white. Even in the dark Pogue could see his eyes were fixed on him, his stare unwavering.
"They all said that."
Tyler shrugged, "Maybe. Doesn't change anything. You think I'm not scared, Pogue? I am. Shitless. Only a fucking idiot wouldn't be. But I gotta trust that I'll come out ok, that we'll be different they they were. Stronger." Emotion stormed into his eyes then, disturbing the calm depths, "The only thing keeping me going is that belief and our bond. You're not gonna fail at this, Pogue, because we won't let you."
As if the words had been the trigger, Pogue felt a little of the weight that he'd carried since Christmas roll off his shoulders. He came to a stop in front of Tyler, still sitting on the hood of his truck. He didn't even realise he was reaching out until he saw his fingers extend towards Tyler's face. Blushing and angry with himself, he stuffed his hand back into his pocket and looked away.
Tyler rolled his eyes, "Really? After all we've done and you're embarrassed by a little touching?"
His blush deepened and he thanked god that it wasn't visible in the low light, "You've been spending too much time with Reid," he grumbled.
The youngest laughed and snagged his jacket, "C'mere loser."
The first shock of cool lips against his own melted as Tyler drew him in, surrounded him. Power recognised Power instantly and it shivered to life inside him, reaching out and touching, mirroring the actions of his fingers as they mindlessly curled into the wool of what he dimly recognised as Caleb's coat. It was a sensation he was getting used to, a sensation that would only get stronger after his Ascending. Slowly, surely, warmth slid along his skin, seeping into his bones. It chased away the chill that had settled there days ago and Pogue finally let his tension go with it. Leaning into youngest, he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer, leaving no room for the cold to reach between them. Strong thighs gripped his hips.
The muted sounds of explosions teased the edges of his hearing. A hand moved to the back of his neck, cold skin making him hiss and tense. Tyler chuckled against his mouth, pulled back with a soft scraping of his teeth to Pogue's lower lip. "Happy New Year," he whispered, breath turning white between them. A long line of heat coasted through him, pulling a quiet moan from his lips without his permission, and even from this distance he could feel Caleb's satisfaction echoing the wish.
New Year. He didn't know if it would be a happy one, but it was certainly going to be different from the last.