NaNo Day whatever
This isn't everything I've written since I last posted, but I'm going to just post scenes as they're complete. (Or so I say now. I'll probably change that eventually.)
This is just a straight-up morning after post. Alan and Danny banter. Alan takes a shower. Seriously, that is what happens in this. I wasted [number] words on this. AFTER I hit 50k. I TOLD YOU, THESE TWO START TALKING AND I CAN'T STOP.
I also decided to, temporarily, edit out a tiny plot point? I think it's just melodramatic? But I want to talk it out a little bit. I might go back and put it back in. Um, but there's that, and also... um, what else was I going to mention? Oh! I skipped over like, eight scenes that were basically self-indulgent curtain!fic about buying new linens and moving furniture around. I am crazy, guys.
Man, what am I even talking about anymore? I am tired. Andy Cooper just got a shout out on The Real Hosuewives of Atlanta, which isn't even something I watch, but is on now, apparently.
Um, anyway, here we go.
***
Today: 1046
55458/50000
***
This time, when Alan was tiptoeing around the bedroom at six am, it was out of courtesy rather than out of fear. He paused, however, in collecting his clothes from the floor. He didn't want Danny to think he was running out again. He wondered if he should leave a note. But what if he didn't see it? What if the note was knocked off the kitchen counter and they played another round of "What's going on between us?" and this dragged on endlessly until they were both old or dead?
Before he could pick apart the intricacies of that argument, he was shaking Danny's shoulder softly.
"Mm?" Danny said, rolling over but not opening his eyes.
"I have to go," Alan whispered. "I'm not running away again, but if I want to get back to Beaumont in time for classes, I have to leave in a few minutes."
"Okay," Danny muttered.
"Also, I need to borrow a shirt and maybe a tie."
Danny cracked an eye open and smiled sleepily, raising his arm to point at the close. "I think the purple one all the way on the end is yours. I've never owned a purple shirt. Purple doesn't look good on me."
"And you've held onto it for a year and a half?" Alan asked, but he was already up and going through Danny's closet.
"Don't think I didn't notice that you still have an NYU Class of '84 t-shirt in your dresser, Pratchett," Danny said, stretching his arms over his head in a manner that was far too distracting.
"That's different," Alan said. His ears were burning. "I appropriated that years ago."
"You could have gotten rid of it after I left," Danny said. He looked insufferably smug.
"Were you always this annoying? Did I just repress this?" Alan asked, pulling the purple shirt off of its hanger. He had been wondering where this shirt had gotten to. He assumed he misplaced it during the move and hadn't unpacked it yet.
"I've always been this annoying," Danny assured him. "Also, there's a gray tie with... god, why am I thinking this early in the morning..." He gestured futilely and then snapped his fingers. "Oh! Regimental stripes. Gray tie, regimental stripes, hanging somewhere on my tie rack. It'll look good with the shirt. Of course, if you stayed here, you wouldn't even need the shirt or tie..."
"I can't," Alan insisted, taking the shirt and tie and his pants from the floor. "Not only is it irresponsible, but I told everyone where I was going yesterday, so they'll know exactly where I am if I don't show up for class and make fun of me roughly for the rest of my life." He leaned over, though, and kissed Danny good morning before heading towards the door.
"Hey, wait!" Danny called. Alan turned around and gave Danny a look of faux impatience. "You know what day it is?"
"Um..." Alan thought about it. "Tuesday?"
"It's the fourteenth," Danny said. "March fourteenth. As in, the day before..." He trailed off, positively beaming, and Alan couldn't help but smile back. Things really had come full circle.
"Yeah," Alan said. "Wow. Um, Happy Anniversary?"
"Yeah," Danny said. Alan couldn't remember seeing him more sleepily content. "Anyway. Just thought I'd remind you."
"Thanks," Alan said. "It's weird, I've been dreading tomorrow. I almost convinced myself to take the day off so I could spend it moping."
"You should have," Danny said. "We could have spent it doing something much more fun." The sly, sleepy smile returned, and Alan felt himself blush. It had been eight years, he was standing mostly naked in Danny's bedroom, and he was still blushing. He felt idiotic, but he was too happy to care.
"Yeah, well, I didn't chicken out, so you're SOL, honey." He headed back towards the hallway when Danny started to laugh. "I'm using your shower!" he added over his shoulder.
"Felicity's shower!" Danny called after him. "And don't touch her shampoo, she gets really uptight about that!"
It wasn't hard to ignore Felicity's shampoo and her soaps and other shower things; Danny was a creature of habit, and very little had changed in a year and a half.
Once he had showered and dressed, he took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. He looked different, somehow. He wondered if it was because he was happier, if this was what he used to look like, or if it was just because he had slept well for the first time in too long. He smiled and smoothed his tie down before opening the bathroom door and walking back into the bedroom. Danny was sitting up, checking his BlackBerry, but he didn't look any more awake then he had when Alan left.
"I'm gonna get going," Alan said. He slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, frowning. He didn't want to leave. He wished it wasn't only Tuesday. "It's a long drive, and I sort of ignored all my work from yesterday to get here."
"Not that long." Danny put his phone back on the bedside table and got up, resting one hand on Alan's hip and using the other to tug at his tie. "I like my tie on you."
Alan rolled his eyes. "This isn't going to turn into some weird kink, is it?" Danny laughed, but didn't confirm or deny the accusation. "It's a long drive," Alan repeated, when Danny didn't seem inclined to move. Not that Alan really wanted him to.
"It's not that long," Danny said. "I've gotta keep saying that to rev myself up for making it every night for the foreseeable future. Starting tonight, of course."
"Danny," Alan insisted, stroking his cheek with his thumb, "you don't--"
"I do," Danny said, gently grasping his wrist. "It's the least I can do. For one, it's illogical for you to be coming here every night when you live on campus. And let's not forget that you have your own apartment and I am currently living with Felicity, who's bound to get fed up with us eventually, no matter how happy she is right now. But, really, I still owe you."
"You don't," Alan said quietly.
"I do," Danny said. "I was the one who left. And I know I wasn't the only one who made mistakes, but I was the one who left, okay?"
Alan looked at him.
"Okay," he said. "Okay."
This is just a straight-up morning after post. Alan and Danny banter. Alan takes a shower. Seriously, that is what happens in this. I wasted [number] words on this. AFTER I hit 50k. I TOLD YOU, THESE TWO START TALKING AND I CAN'T STOP.
I also decided to, temporarily, edit out a tiny plot point? I think it's just melodramatic? But I want to talk it out a little bit. I might go back and put it back in. Um, but there's that, and also... um, what else was I going to mention? Oh! I skipped over like, eight scenes that were basically self-indulgent curtain!fic about buying new linens and moving furniture around. I am crazy, guys.
Man, what am I even talking about anymore? I am tired. Andy Cooper just got a shout out on The Real Hosuewives of Atlanta, which isn't even something I watch, but is on now, apparently.
Um, anyway, here we go.
***
Today: 1046
55458/50000
***
This time, when Alan was tiptoeing around the bedroom at six am, it was out of courtesy rather than out of fear. He paused, however, in collecting his clothes from the floor. He didn't want Danny to think he was running out again. He wondered if he should leave a note. But what if he didn't see it? What if the note was knocked off the kitchen counter and they played another round of "What's going on between us?" and this dragged on endlessly until they were both old or dead?
Before he could pick apart the intricacies of that argument, he was shaking Danny's shoulder softly.
"Mm?" Danny said, rolling over but not opening his eyes.
"I have to go," Alan whispered. "I'm not running away again, but if I want to get back to Beaumont in time for classes, I have to leave in a few minutes."
"Okay," Danny muttered.
"Also, I need to borrow a shirt and maybe a tie."
Danny cracked an eye open and smiled sleepily, raising his arm to point at the close. "I think the purple one all the way on the end is yours. I've never owned a purple shirt. Purple doesn't look good on me."
"And you've held onto it for a year and a half?" Alan asked, but he was already up and going through Danny's closet.
"Don't think I didn't notice that you still have an NYU Class of '84 t-shirt in your dresser, Pratchett," Danny said, stretching his arms over his head in a manner that was far too distracting.
"That's different," Alan said. His ears were burning. "I appropriated that years ago."
"You could have gotten rid of it after I left," Danny said. He looked insufferably smug.
"Were you always this annoying? Did I just repress this?" Alan asked, pulling the purple shirt off of its hanger. He had been wondering where this shirt had gotten to. He assumed he misplaced it during the move and hadn't unpacked it yet.
"I've always been this annoying," Danny assured him. "Also, there's a gray tie with... god, why am I thinking this early in the morning..." He gestured futilely and then snapped his fingers. "Oh! Regimental stripes. Gray tie, regimental stripes, hanging somewhere on my tie rack. It'll look good with the shirt. Of course, if you stayed here, you wouldn't even need the shirt or tie..."
"I can't," Alan insisted, taking the shirt and tie and his pants from the floor. "Not only is it irresponsible, but I told everyone where I was going yesterday, so they'll know exactly where I am if I don't show up for class and make fun of me roughly for the rest of my life." He leaned over, though, and kissed Danny good morning before heading towards the door.
"Hey, wait!" Danny called. Alan turned around and gave Danny a look of faux impatience. "You know what day it is?"
"Um..." Alan thought about it. "Tuesday?"
"It's the fourteenth," Danny said. "March fourteenth. As in, the day before..." He trailed off, positively beaming, and Alan couldn't help but smile back. Things really had come full circle.
"Yeah," Alan said. "Wow. Um, Happy Anniversary?"
"Yeah," Danny said. Alan couldn't remember seeing him more sleepily content. "Anyway. Just thought I'd remind you."
"Thanks," Alan said. "It's weird, I've been dreading tomorrow. I almost convinced myself to take the day off so I could spend it moping."
"You should have," Danny said. "We could have spent it doing something much more fun." The sly, sleepy smile returned, and Alan felt himself blush. It had been eight years, he was standing mostly naked in Danny's bedroom, and he was still blushing. He felt idiotic, but he was too happy to care.
"Yeah, well, I didn't chicken out, so you're SOL, honey." He headed back towards the hallway when Danny started to laugh. "I'm using your shower!" he added over his shoulder.
"Felicity's shower!" Danny called after him. "And don't touch her shampoo, she gets really uptight about that!"
It wasn't hard to ignore Felicity's shampoo and her soaps and other shower things; Danny was a creature of habit, and very little had changed in a year and a half.
Once he had showered and dressed, he took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. He looked different, somehow. He wondered if it was because he was happier, if this was what he used to look like, or if it was just because he had slept well for the first time in too long. He smiled and smoothed his tie down before opening the bathroom door and walking back into the bedroom. Danny was sitting up, checking his BlackBerry, but he didn't look any more awake then he had when Alan left.
"I'm gonna get going," Alan said. He slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, frowning. He didn't want to leave. He wished it wasn't only Tuesday. "It's a long drive, and I sort of ignored all my work from yesterday to get here."
"Not that long." Danny put his phone back on the bedside table and got up, resting one hand on Alan's hip and using the other to tug at his tie. "I like my tie on you."
Alan rolled his eyes. "This isn't going to turn into some weird kink, is it?" Danny laughed, but didn't confirm or deny the accusation. "It's a long drive," Alan repeated, when Danny didn't seem inclined to move. Not that Alan really wanted him to.
"It's not that long," Danny said. "I've gotta keep saying that to rev myself up for making it every night for the foreseeable future. Starting tonight, of course."
"Danny," Alan insisted, stroking his cheek with his thumb, "you don't--"
"I do," Danny said, gently grasping his wrist. "It's the least I can do. For one, it's illogical for you to be coming here every night when you live on campus. And let's not forget that you have your own apartment and I am currently living with Felicity, who's bound to get fed up with us eventually, no matter how happy she is right now. But, really, I still owe you."
"You don't," Alan said quietly.
"I do," Danny said. "I was the one who left. And I know I wasn't the only one who made mistakes, but I was the one who left, okay?"
Alan looked at him.
"Okay," he said. "Okay."