TTT fic: A Stitch in Time
Recipient: inkjunket
Title: A Stitch In Time
Fandom: Bandom
Pairing: Spencer/various
Rating: R
Author: prettykitty_aya
Notes/Summary: Holy crap, procrastination ahoy! This is currently unbeta'd, but will be so soon. So please excuse anything i didn't catch. i apologize. argh.
OMG I FORGOT! major, major glomp!hugs to spleenjournal for pretty much coming up with all the amazing costume ideas for me, she's awesomesocks. srsly.
Spencer is well aware that his life is boring and yeah, fairly repetitive, but come on.
This is just kind of ridiculous.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Spencer's day usually works thus:
6:30 am - Alarm goes off. Spencer tries very hard in his abruptly-awoken manner to not throw said alarm clock against the wall. He diplomatically hits snooze instead.
6:39 am - see above.
6:48 am - see above.
6:57 am - see above. Spencer may or may not shut the alarm off at this point (seriously? who the fuck decided 9 minutes for snooze?), but he will never admit to it.
7:00 am - the phone rings. Upon answering, Spencer's best friend, Ryan, mumbles "Get up, loserface." Usually with a lot of grumbling and more dirty words. They've been friends for nearly 15 years, Spencer knows Ryan cares. No matter how many bad names it entails.
7:01 am - out of bed. Spencer finally drags his ass out of bed, morning piss ritual takes place. (You don't really want to know about that, do you? Didn't think so.)
7:05 am - shower. Hot water really is a thing of beauty.
7:30 am - phone rings again. Spencer can vaguely hear Ryan's voice over the water, "Get out of the shower, fuckwad, no self-respecting man needs to bathe that long." Spencer has yet to point out that no 'self-respecting' man would use the word bathe. (Spencer's friend is kind of an asshole, but one that'll give you the shirt of his back if you need it. Of course, he'll remind you about it for the rest of your life just so you won't think he's a big mush-head. Spencer knows better, he's seen the stupid bracelets he made for his last girlfriend.)
7:35 am - shaving. Spencer hates shaving (he looks twelve), but his boss threatened to fire him the last time he didn't shave over the weekend. (Something about a 70's porn reject, Spencer can't be held accountable for his boss' taste. But he'd said it in front of Ryan and oh god, Ryan didn't let it go for a week. So yeah, Spencer shaves pretty much every day now.)
7:45 am - clothes. Spencer gets to decide what exactly will make his boss lose his gourd that day. (It's all about the little things sometimes, you know?)
7:50 am - shoes. Spencer loves shoes. (Ryan can go fuck himself, really. Who is he to judge, Mr. Hobo-come-cowboy-come-stoner hippy? Spencer loves his best friend, but sometimes he doesn't know what the hell Ryan's thinking when he steps outside his apartment.)
7:59 am - shoes again. (Spencer won't admit that he does this every day. Shoes are important, okay?)
8:00 am - off to work.
8:15 am - arrive at work. Spencer's usually the first one there, so he makes the coffee (extra strong to annoy the boss, plus Marie adores him and always gets the amaretto creamer he loves) and gets the files ready for the day. This also means he gets to pick the music. (Let's just say that the boss really, really hates Fall Out Boy now. Perks, right?)
9:00 am - office opens. Spencer spends the next 8 hours pulling his (infamous according to Ryan) bitch!face to the asshole clients and secretly slipping lollipops to their kids. Usually with some kind of comment guaranteed to make their parent's lives hell for the rest of the day. Ryan calls at least two to four times a day, alleviating his intense hatred of the vet he assists by taking it out on Spencer's ears.
5:00 pm - office closes. Spencer goes home. Sits on the couch. Plays video games. Pretty much anything that doesn't require much thought.
6:00 pm - knock on the door. Ryan hands over a bag full of whatever he's charmed out of the host/hostess of the restaurant that's near the vet clinic. (Spencer doesn't know how Ryan charms anything out of anyone. Seriously.) They eat. Chill some more, maybe watch some movies. Ryan practices on the guitar he leaves at Spencer's while Spencer taps out a rhythm on the snare he keeps around from his high school band days.
11:00 pm - Ryan goes home. Spencer goes to bed.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Oh, if only he'd known...
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
October 31st, a.k.a. Halloween
It's a normal day, for the most part. He wakes up to the sound of "Monster Mash" on the radio and he gets to wear his really obnoxious Halloween shirt that's guaranteed to make the boss' head explode, so he's pretty happy. The office is fairly busy, apparently parents think that taking their kids to the dentist the day of the biggest candy consumption for the whole year will some how or another stop them from losing all their teeth.
Spencer does a lot of bitch!face. It's kind of fun.
Ryan only calls twice that day. Once right after lunch, to tell him about this really hot, long-legged blonde that'd brought in the most adorable beagle puppy ever. Spencer spent a while before he could figure out which Ryan was more excited about. It ends in a draw.
The second time it's to rant.
"Who the fuck does this guy thinks he is? Really. Motherfuckin' dickweed, is what. You wouldn't believe...." Spencer kind of tunes this part out, he's heard the evil deeds of Dr. Ass-wipe-alopolas for the last year. He also knows if Ryan really hated his job, he'd have quit by now. Although Spencer still wonders how Ryan can sound exactly the same when he's pissed beyond belief and when he's so happy most people would cry.
The day goes by as usual, Spencer's putting the last of the files away when Marie comes around the corner.
"Don't forget the party tonight, honey. Don't be late!!"
...oh yeah, there's that.
Apparently Boss Man's throwing a party, attendance mandatory. Okay, not mandatory per se, but he's sure to throw a big fit if everyone doesn't at least stop by. And sure, Spencer loves annoying the shit out of his boss, but he doesn't wanna piss the guy off. Spencer likes his job. Mostly.
So now Spencer needs a costume.
*
Ryan doesn't even say hello when Spencer opens his door, just shoves a bag at him and walks past. Spencer smells pasta, awesome.
"It's lasagna. Tyson gave me double portions today," Ryan tosses some clothes over the back of the couch, moves into Spencer's bathroom. "And Nick even added in some fresh bread, I didn't even have to ask for it."
"Of course you didn't, they both want in your pants so bad, it's disgusting." This is actually muttered really low because Spencer values his balls, and Ryan gets a little vehement (for Ryan) about his heterosexuality. And Ryan may be skinny, but damn if it doesn't hurt when he punches.
"Did you say something?" Ryan's standing in the doorway, flattening iron in his hand, head tilted to the side. Spencer decides not to mention how much he looks like one of his beloved puppies when he does that. Once again, he likes his private parts. He shakes his head, "Nope," and turns to eat.
*
Spencer knows that ignoring the issue will not make it go away, but sometimes he likes to try it just in case.
It seems to be working okay until about eight o'clock when Ryan comes out of the bathroom, eyeliner in hand and asks, "What the fuck are you doing, why aren't you getting ready? What are you going to be anyway?" Spencer really wants to ask what the hell Ryan's doing with eyeliner, but he knows better. Although he really can't help himself when he retorts, "I'm gonna be your lesbian counterpart, ass. You do realize you look like a girl?" He grins. "Even more than usual anyway."
Ryan flips him off, unfazed, and heads back into the bathroom, "Fuck you, asshole, I'm going as Ryan Ross: Rock Star." Spencer really can't understand how his friend can say that with a straight face. Seriously.
"From what? The gayest rock band ever?" Spencer pushes off the couch, leans in the door of the bathroom and watches Ryan draw intricate lines over half his face. It's actually pretty damn good, but Spencer's not going to admit it. "Because, man, do you ever look flaming. Is that thing boned?"
Ryan slides a gloved hand down the dark red vest he's wearing (holy shit, there are tiny rosettes sewn onto the gloves and really, how can Ryan defend his sexual preferences when he wears this stuff unironically?) and says, "No?" But he won't meet Spencer's eye in the mirror.
Rolling his eyes, Spencer mutters, "Whatever," and heads into his room. He needs to find a costume.
Dammit.
*
9:30 pm
The music is really, really loud. And Spencer feels a little ridiculous.
Okay. Make that a lot ridiculous, actually.
Although he does admit it feels good that they had to rig his pants from falling off. All that baby fat from high school gone, it's nice. Of course, there's the part where he's standing there in his high school band uniform. Which is ridiculous. Really ridiculous.
Spencer needs a drink.
Fate or someone must be listening because half a second later, Bettie Paige and Skeleton Guy practically run over Spencer. Neither one is paying much attention and Bettie's talking wildly with her hands, Skeleton Guy listening intently.
Spencer double takes. Bettie's sporting an adam's apple, so hey. Guy.
Spencer's impressed. This guy could give lesbian!Ryan a run for her, ah, his money. Bettie finally notices that they're practically in Spencer's lap, "Oh god, sorry about that! Watch out, Mikey." He pulls Skeleton Guy away, but somehow manages to actually push Mikey further into Spencer. Spencer has to grab onto Mikey so he won't fall down. Unfortunately, there's a) not a whole lot of Mikey to begin with and b) Mikey's costume? Skin tight.
By the time it's all situated, Spencer's got his hands wrapped around Mikey's hips and they're awfully, awfully close together. Also, Bettie's nowhere to be seen. Spencer'd be pretty impressed except for the fact that he's about three inches away from a seriously pretty mouth. Which is attached to a seriously pretty face. So Spencer's a little preoccupied.
The mouth grimaces, "I'm going to kill Gerard, that fucker."
"Gerard?" Spencer's not moving. Neither is Mikey.
"My brother." Mikey straightens up a little which brings him even closer to Spencer. His grip tightens involuntarily and there's a soft rush of air as Mikey gasps quietly, "He's, ah, kind of an asshole sometimes."
Spencer smiles, stares at eyes rimmed with dark, smudged eyeliner. Funny how it doesn't really strike him as feminine in this moment, "I've got one of those. Thinks he knows everything."
Mikey smiles back.
"Yeah."
*
11:27 pm
Spencer falls asleep, legs entangled with Mikey's.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Do the mash, the Monster Mash!
Spencer doesn't really notice for a second, as he's trying to find a warm body to cuddle. However, no such luck. Which is when he notices the song on the radio.
Huh?
He lays there for a minute before rolling over to hit the snooze button, figuring that the DJ must have accidentally forgotten to take the song out of rotation. That kind of makes him laugh, poor bastard's gonna get reamed for it. Or mocked incessantly, which is what Spencer would do. But then he can be kind of an asshole, too. Perhaps that's why him and Ryan get along so well.
But then Spencer starts wondering about Mikey. Did he leave in the middle of the night? That'd be odd, Spencer's usually a light sleeper. But, he grins and says out loud to the darkness, "Maybe getting laid really took it out of me." He actually can't quite stop grinning at that thought. Mikey'd been all long limbs and sliding fingers and hey, look! Spencer's got morning wood now. Which isn't unusual in and of itself, but it's the first time (in a very long time), there's an actual cause for it. But he wishes Mikey had let him know when he was leaving.
Spencer deliberately doesn't think about the fact that he'd basically been given the official 'guilty morning after' slip.
*
Ryan doesn't mention getting left at the party last night, which is strange, but Spencer wants to avoid any early morning bitchiness so he doesn't bring it up.
*
Work is....odd.
First, he gets all the wrong files out. He pulls the ones that the doctor is needing, but he could swear that they'd all been in yesterday. However when he looks in the files, there's no notations, so. He shakes it off.
At least until Mrs. Parker comes in with her son, Archer.
Spencer smiles, teeth clenched a little, "Hey, Archer. Eat too much candy last night?" Spencer's not really looking forward to the answer.
"Nope!" Archer's grin nearly splits his face in half, "but I can't wait for tonight! I'ma gonna be a Transformer!" Spencer just nods, he'd known that; distinctly recalls Archer explaining his costume in great detail.
Kind of like he's doing right now.
What the fuck?
*
Ryan calls at 10:42 and tells him about Keltie. And Hobo.
Again.
*
Spencer sees Amy at 2:30, she gives him a lecture on the Great Pumpkin.
Again.
*
Ryan calls back at 4:12. Dr. Ass-blah-blah-blah.
Again.
*
Marie tells him to not forget about the Halloween party as he's locking up.
Again.
*
when Ryan knocks on the door, Spencer just opens the door, grabs the bag and says, "Let me guess, lasagna. Double portions. With bread. And you didn't even have to ask for it."
Ryan just looks at him oddly and walks in without saying anything. Spencer watches as his best friend goes through the same routine as he did the day before. He says the same words, eats the same meal, mocks Ryan's effeminate ways (come on, that's never going to get old) while trying to wrap his head around what seems to be happening to him.
*
9:30 pm
Spencer easily side-steps Gerard's clumsy attempt to push Mikey off on him. Mikey hits the wall instead, calls his brother an asswipe, heads off for another beer and leaves his brother standing in front of Spencer. There'd been no recognition whatsoever in those lined eyes.
Spencer wasn't really surprised.
But Gerard's just standing there in front of him, shifting from one foot to the other and well, Gerard's actually really pretty. Spencer had noticed the first time, but ah, armful of Mikey ring any bells?
Gerard still isn't moving. Or saying anything. Spencer clears his throat, "So, um, read any good comic books lately?" Mikey really likes his brother, but then Spencer would hope so, living in the basement with him for god knows how many years. See? They'd actually talked before the awesome sex.
And wow. Gerard's face lights up instantly and it's, well.
Spencer kind of goes weak at the knees.
*
11:38 pm
Spencer falls asleep, Gerard's face tucked under his chin.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Do the mash, the Monster Mash!
Spencer just lays in bed, listens to the song play itself out.
Gets ready for work.
Greets the same people.
Listens to Ryan talk about the same things.
Promises Marie he'll see her at the party.
*
This time when Ryan walks through the door, Spencer's a little desperate. He ignores the bag of food, pulls Ryan over to the couch and sits them both down, opens his mouth. And stops.
What exactly does he say? Hey Ry, I'm repeating the same day over and over. Help? Oh god, he'd sound like a nutcase.
And Ryan's just looking at him, curious, head tilted to the side again (and really, he does look like a puppy when he does that). "You know you look like a puppy when you tilt your head like that?"
Ryan punches him.
"Fucker! That shit hurts!"
Spencer just watches as he gets up and goes into the bathroom. Spencer sighs loudly before going to eat the lasagna. Again.
*
9:30 pm
Spencer's totally avoiding that whole side of the room; he watched, though, as the two brothers stumbled over each other. Which is how he runs into a wall. Okay, not a wall exactly, but it's definitely solid. It's also go really broad hands, wrapped nicely around his upper arms to steady him.
"Whoa, there. You okay?" The voice is kind of high, but Spencer's not really noticing that. He's looking down, where there's like a million miles of fabulous thigh on display. Which are framed nicely by the short tunic/skirt thing he's wearing. Roman Soldier guy picked his costume well, Spencer thinks.
"Ahem."
Spencer snaps his eyes up finally, blushing. Roman Soldier also has a fantastic mouth and hell, Spencer can tell he's pretty much doomed.
*
Roman Soldier guy, who's name is Ray, knows how to use that fabulous mouth. Spencer may accidentally pull Ray's hair loose from the tight ponytail it's in when Ray's using that utterly fantastic mouth to suck out his brains through his cock.
It turns out Ray's legs are awesome for holding a body (Spencer's) up while it's being fucked against a wall.
*
11:53 pm
Spencer too busy sleeping like the dead to notice how tightly his hands are gripping Ray's hair.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
The next night it's Jepha, who's wandering around with only a giant leaf attached to his groin. Jepha, it turns out, is one crazy motherfucker. Also the most fun Spencer's had in ages.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
The Siamese Cats (aka the blonde twins, Matthew and, um, the other one) are too much to resist.
Spencer doesn't really try very hard.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Then there's Frank, in the form of an angel. All that energy, god. Spencer doesn't think he's seen anyone that beautiful when they come.
Spencer won't admit it, but he'd really, really been wishing Frank was still going to be there in the morning.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Brendon the pirate, is well, Spencer wants to strangle him. Which somehow leads to them making out until they fall asleep, snuggled together.
Spencer just sighs as he turns the alarm off in the morning; he pulls Brendon's pillow in tight and sticks his face into it.
The fresh scent of Downy is all that greets him.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
He meets Bob when Frank jumps on his back and yells, "Ninja!Bob" which is appropriate since Bob is, in fact, dressed like a ninja. He also manages to stuff Frank into a closet.
They talk drums for a while, then Bob invites him over to look at his kit. This turns out to be, funnily enough, not a line. Spencer plays until he's soaked his uniform through, falls asleep on Bob's couch.
And wakes up in his own bed.
Do the mash, the Mons-
Spencer throws the damn thing against the wall and spends the entire day in bed, ignoring the phone calls and knocks on the door.
*
The clock didn't break.
He listens as the minutes tick by, watches the :59 flip to :00 at midnight.
Falls asleep at 3:53.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Pete is like Brendon, annoying but in that totally endearing way. His smile is huge, but Spencer thinks it hides a lot. Not as much as Pete obviously wants it to, as there's something in his eyes that makes Spencer want to hug him. Even as he wants to deck him because seriously, Pete can be a total dick.
Spencer almost takes Pete home that night, but a teddy bear walks by singing along with the music playing and Pete's head instantly whips around to follow.
Patrick, as it turns out, has the voice of an angel, a bottom lip that is sinful, and a temper that earns Pete a black eye and a phone number. All within five minutes.
Spencer's really kind of impressed.
*
He watches the minutes switch over again. This time he falls asleep at 5:22.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Ryan sits with him the next night at the party. Spencer won't tell him what's going on, but Ryan's a good friend. He knows something is going on.
So they sit there, barely talking, and Spencer feels okay.
At least he's got this.
*
He falls asleep with his back to the alarm clock.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Spencer's sitting on the couch, cup in his hand and staring at the floor when a pair of braided flip-flops come into view. And don't move. Spencer finally looks up to a wide grin and warm brown eyes.
"Dude, you look waaay too down for a party," the stranger flops downs beside him. Or tries to, the pair of small white wings kind of get in the way. He's dressed as Cupid, white tunic and all, and Spencer thinks wrong holiday and tries not to laugh like a crazy person. It helps when he's distracted by Cupid's soft little belly, which is now sitting rather closely. And no, He's done with that, he's not taking anyone else home.
It's getting too hard to wake up in the mornings.
"Hello? Yo? Drummer boy?" Spencer jerks, raising his eyes from where he was staring stupidly, "Yeah?"
Wow. Really warm eyes.
"You don't seem like you're having all that much fun, drummer boy. 'Sup with that?" The sentiment is genuine which is something that Spencer appreciates. It's also not helping with his resolve.
"Seen it all before," he wants to laugh, but he's afraid he might not stop. Cupid laughs for him, "Yeah, parties start looking the same after a while, for sure."
"You have no idea," Spencer mutters, snorts quietly.
There's a touch against his arm, square hands, more warmth. Spencer doesn't think he can hang on much longer.
"So, tell me?"
He hesitates, it'd be nice to tell someone. Even if they think he's crazy afterwards. The fingers squeeze gently and Spencer looks back up.
*
He tells Cupid everything. Everything - how the same day repeats over and over, the boys he takes home each night. About the beautiful angel, Frank. Crazy Jepha. Brendon the pirate with his sweet, sweet kisses. The near miss with Pete and his Patrick.
Spencer points them all out around the room.
At the end, Cupid just says, "What about me? Have you taken me home?"
And Spencer laughs, eyes crinkling around the edges, "No. No more for me, just gonna wait it out." He looks back down to where Cupid's hand is still on his arm, watches as it slides down and threads through his fingers. Cupid tugs him up off the couch, "Come on, one more night. What's it going to hurt?"
Spencer refuses to answer that, but he does takes Cupid home.
*
They lay in Spencer's bed, facing each other, talking about a dozen different things.
Spencer's eyes are starting to droop when he says, "I don't even know your name."
Cupid runs fingers softly over Spencer's cheek and whispers, "I'll tell you when you wake up."
Spencer laughs sadly, grabs the fingers touching him and holds on tight.
"Right."
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Spencer wakes up the next morning, turns over to find an empty bed and just sighs.
"So, I turned your alarm off. It seemed like you needed the sleep."
Spencer sits up so quickly, he nearly falls out the bed and Cupid laughs at him. Spencer just stares.
The guy is standing in Spencer's doorway, wearing sweatpants that look familiar and smiling like that, all warm and welcoming. Spencer can't seem to form any words, breathe even, until Cupid walks over and sits on the bed next to him.
"Hey, my name is Jon. How do you feel about leftover lasagna for breakfast?"
Spencer just laughs.
Title: A Stitch In Time
Fandom: Bandom
Pairing: Spencer/various
Rating: R
Author: prettykitty_aya
Notes/Summary: Holy crap, procrastination ahoy! This is currently unbeta'd, but will be so soon. So please excuse anything i didn't catch. i apologize. argh.
OMG I FORGOT! major, major glomp!hugs to spleenjournal for pretty much coming up with all the amazing costume ideas for me, she's awesomesocks. srsly.
Spencer is well aware that his life is boring and yeah, fairly repetitive, but come on.
This is just kind of ridiculous.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Spencer's day usually works thus:
6:30 am - Alarm goes off. Spencer tries very hard in his abruptly-awoken manner to not throw said alarm clock against the wall. He diplomatically hits snooze instead.
6:39 am - see above.
6:48 am - see above.
6:57 am - see above. Spencer may or may not shut the alarm off at this point (seriously? who the fuck decided 9 minutes for snooze?), but he will never admit to it.
7:00 am - the phone rings. Upon answering, Spencer's best friend, Ryan, mumbles "Get up, loserface." Usually with a lot of grumbling and more dirty words. They've been friends for nearly 15 years, Spencer knows Ryan cares. No matter how many bad names it entails.
7:01 am - out of bed. Spencer finally drags his ass out of bed, morning piss ritual takes place. (You don't really want to know about that, do you? Didn't think so.)
7:05 am - shower. Hot water really is a thing of beauty.
7:30 am - phone rings again. Spencer can vaguely hear Ryan's voice over the water, "Get out of the shower, fuckwad, no self-respecting man needs to bathe that long." Spencer has yet to point out that no 'self-respecting' man would use the word bathe. (Spencer's friend is kind of an asshole, but one that'll give you the shirt of his back if you need it. Of course, he'll remind you about it for the rest of your life just so you won't think he's a big mush-head. Spencer knows better, he's seen the stupid bracelets he made for his last girlfriend.)
7:35 am - shaving. Spencer hates shaving (he looks twelve), but his boss threatened to fire him the last time he didn't shave over the weekend. (Something about a 70's porn reject, Spencer can't be held accountable for his boss' taste. But he'd said it in front of Ryan and oh god, Ryan didn't let it go for a week. So yeah, Spencer shaves pretty much every day now.)
7:45 am - clothes. Spencer gets to decide what exactly will make his boss lose his gourd that day. (It's all about the little things sometimes, you know?)
7:50 am - shoes. Spencer loves shoes. (Ryan can go fuck himself, really. Who is he to judge, Mr. Hobo-come-cowboy-come-stoner hippy? Spencer loves his best friend, but sometimes he doesn't know what the hell Ryan's thinking when he steps outside his apartment.)
7:59 am - shoes again. (Spencer won't admit that he does this every day. Shoes are important, okay?)
8:00 am - off to work.
8:15 am - arrive at work. Spencer's usually the first one there, so he makes the coffee (extra strong to annoy the boss, plus Marie adores him and always gets the amaretto creamer he loves) and gets the files ready for the day. This also means he gets to pick the music. (Let's just say that the boss really, really hates Fall Out Boy now. Perks, right?)
9:00 am - office opens. Spencer spends the next 8 hours pulling his (infamous according to Ryan) bitch!face to the asshole clients and secretly slipping lollipops to their kids. Usually with some kind of comment guaranteed to make their parent's lives hell for the rest of the day. Ryan calls at least two to four times a day, alleviating his intense hatred of the vet he assists by taking it out on Spencer's ears.
5:00 pm - office closes. Spencer goes home. Sits on the couch. Plays video games. Pretty much anything that doesn't require much thought.
6:00 pm - knock on the door. Ryan hands over a bag full of whatever he's charmed out of the host/hostess of the restaurant that's near the vet clinic. (Spencer doesn't know how Ryan charms anything out of anyone. Seriously.) They eat. Chill some more, maybe watch some movies. Ryan practices on the guitar he leaves at Spencer's while Spencer taps out a rhythm on the snare he keeps around from his high school band days.
11:00 pm - Ryan goes home. Spencer goes to bed.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Oh, if only he'd known...
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
October 31st, a.k.a. Halloween
It's a normal day, for the most part. He wakes up to the sound of "Monster Mash" on the radio and he gets to wear his really obnoxious Halloween shirt that's guaranteed to make the boss' head explode, so he's pretty happy. The office is fairly busy, apparently parents think that taking their kids to the dentist the day of the biggest candy consumption for the whole year will some how or another stop them from losing all their teeth.
Spencer does a lot of bitch!face. It's kind of fun.
Ryan only calls twice that day. Once right after lunch, to tell him about this really hot, long-legged blonde that'd brought in the most adorable beagle puppy ever. Spencer spent a while before he could figure out which Ryan was more excited about. It ends in a draw.
The second time it's to rant.
"Who the fuck does this guy thinks he is? Really. Motherfuckin' dickweed, is what. You wouldn't believe...." Spencer kind of tunes this part out, he's heard the evil deeds of Dr. Ass-wipe-alopolas for the last year. He also knows if Ryan really hated his job, he'd have quit by now. Although Spencer still wonders how Ryan can sound exactly the same when he's pissed beyond belief and when he's so happy most people would cry.
The day goes by as usual, Spencer's putting the last of the files away when Marie comes around the corner.
"Don't forget the party tonight, honey. Don't be late!!"
...oh yeah, there's that.
Apparently Boss Man's throwing a party, attendance mandatory. Okay, not mandatory per se, but he's sure to throw a big fit if everyone doesn't at least stop by. And sure, Spencer loves annoying the shit out of his boss, but he doesn't wanna piss the guy off. Spencer likes his job. Mostly.
So now Spencer needs a costume.
*
Ryan doesn't even say hello when Spencer opens his door, just shoves a bag at him and walks past. Spencer smells pasta, awesome.
"It's lasagna. Tyson gave me double portions today," Ryan tosses some clothes over the back of the couch, moves into Spencer's bathroom. "And Nick even added in some fresh bread, I didn't even have to ask for it."
"Of course you didn't, they both want in your pants so bad, it's disgusting." This is actually muttered really low because Spencer values his balls, and Ryan gets a little vehement (for Ryan) about his heterosexuality. And Ryan may be skinny, but damn if it doesn't hurt when he punches.
"Did you say something?" Ryan's standing in the doorway, flattening iron in his hand, head tilted to the side. Spencer decides not to mention how much he looks like one of his beloved puppies when he does that. Once again, he likes his private parts. He shakes his head, "Nope," and turns to eat.
*
Spencer knows that ignoring the issue will not make it go away, but sometimes he likes to try it just in case.
It seems to be working okay until about eight o'clock when Ryan comes out of the bathroom, eyeliner in hand and asks, "What the fuck are you doing, why aren't you getting ready? What are you going to be anyway?" Spencer really wants to ask what the hell Ryan's doing with eyeliner, but he knows better. Although he really can't help himself when he retorts, "I'm gonna be your lesbian counterpart, ass. You do realize you look like a girl?" He grins. "Even more than usual anyway."
Ryan flips him off, unfazed, and heads back into the bathroom, "Fuck you, asshole, I'm going as Ryan Ross: Rock Star." Spencer really can't understand how his friend can say that with a straight face. Seriously.
"From what? The gayest rock band ever?" Spencer pushes off the couch, leans in the door of the bathroom and watches Ryan draw intricate lines over half his face. It's actually pretty damn good, but Spencer's not going to admit it. "Because, man, do you ever look flaming. Is that thing boned?"
Ryan slides a gloved hand down the dark red vest he's wearing (holy shit, there are tiny rosettes sewn onto the gloves and really, how can Ryan defend his sexual preferences when he wears this stuff unironically?) and says, "No?" But he won't meet Spencer's eye in the mirror.
Rolling his eyes, Spencer mutters, "Whatever," and heads into his room. He needs to find a costume.
Dammit.
*
9:30 pm
The music is really, really loud. And Spencer feels a little ridiculous.
Okay. Make that a lot ridiculous, actually.
Although he does admit it feels good that they had to rig his pants from falling off. All that baby fat from high school gone, it's nice. Of course, there's the part where he's standing there in his high school band uniform. Which is ridiculous. Really ridiculous.
Spencer needs a drink.
Fate or someone must be listening because half a second later, Bettie Paige and Skeleton Guy practically run over Spencer. Neither one is paying much attention and Bettie's talking wildly with her hands, Skeleton Guy listening intently.
Spencer double takes. Bettie's sporting an adam's apple, so hey. Guy.
Spencer's impressed. This guy could give lesbian!Ryan a run for her, ah, his money. Bettie finally notices that they're practically in Spencer's lap, "Oh god, sorry about that! Watch out, Mikey." He pulls Skeleton Guy away, but somehow manages to actually push Mikey further into Spencer. Spencer has to grab onto Mikey so he won't fall down. Unfortunately, there's a) not a whole lot of Mikey to begin with and b) Mikey's costume? Skin tight.
By the time it's all situated, Spencer's got his hands wrapped around Mikey's hips and they're awfully, awfully close together. Also, Bettie's nowhere to be seen. Spencer'd be pretty impressed except for the fact that he's about three inches away from a seriously pretty mouth. Which is attached to a seriously pretty face. So Spencer's a little preoccupied.
The mouth grimaces, "I'm going to kill Gerard, that fucker."
"Gerard?" Spencer's not moving. Neither is Mikey.
"My brother." Mikey straightens up a little which brings him even closer to Spencer. His grip tightens involuntarily and there's a soft rush of air as Mikey gasps quietly, "He's, ah, kind of an asshole sometimes."
Spencer smiles, stares at eyes rimmed with dark, smudged eyeliner. Funny how it doesn't really strike him as feminine in this moment, "I've got one of those. Thinks he knows everything."
Mikey smiles back.
"Yeah."
*
11:27 pm
Spencer falls asleep, legs entangled with Mikey's.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Do the mash, the Monster Mash!
Spencer doesn't really notice for a second, as he's trying to find a warm body to cuddle. However, no such luck. Which is when he notices the song on the radio.
Huh?
He lays there for a minute before rolling over to hit the snooze button, figuring that the DJ must have accidentally forgotten to take the song out of rotation. That kind of makes him laugh, poor bastard's gonna get reamed for it. Or mocked incessantly, which is what Spencer would do. But then he can be kind of an asshole, too. Perhaps that's why him and Ryan get along so well.
But then Spencer starts wondering about Mikey. Did he leave in the middle of the night? That'd be odd, Spencer's usually a light sleeper. But, he grins and says out loud to the darkness, "Maybe getting laid really took it out of me." He actually can't quite stop grinning at that thought. Mikey'd been all long limbs and sliding fingers and hey, look! Spencer's got morning wood now. Which isn't unusual in and of itself, but it's the first time (in a very long time), there's an actual cause for it. But he wishes Mikey had let him know when he was leaving.
Spencer deliberately doesn't think about the fact that he'd basically been given the official 'guilty morning after' slip.
*
Ryan doesn't mention getting left at the party last night, which is strange, but Spencer wants to avoid any early morning bitchiness so he doesn't bring it up.
*
Work is....odd.
First, he gets all the wrong files out. He pulls the ones that the doctor is needing, but he could swear that they'd all been in yesterday. However when he looks in the files, there's no notations, so. He shakes it off.
At least until Mrs. Parker comes in with her son, Archer.
Spencer smiles, teeth clenched a little, "Hey, Archer. Eat too much candy last night?" Spencer's not really looking forward to the answer.
"Nope!" Archer's grin nearly splits his face in half, "but I can't wait for tonight! I'ma gonna be a Transformer!" Spencer just nods, he'd known that; distinctly recalls Archer explaining his costume in great detail.
Kind of like he's doing right now.
What the fuck?
*
Ryan calls at 10:42 and tells him about Keltie. And Hobo.
Again.
*
Spencer sees Amy at 2:30, she gives him a lecture on the Great Pumpkin.
Again.
*
Ryan calls back at 4:12. Dr. Ass-blah-blah-blah.
Again.
*
Marie tells him to not forget about the Halloween party as he's locking up.
Again.
*
when Ryan knocks on the door, Spencer just opens the door, grabs the bag and says, "Let me guess, lasagna. Double portions. With bread. And you didn't even have to ask for it."
Ryan just looks at him oddly and walks in without saying anything. Spencer watches as his best friend goes through the same routine as he did the day before. He says the same words, eats the same meal, mocks Ryan's effeminate ways (come on, that's never going to get old) while trying to wrap his head around what seems to be happening to him.
*
9:30 pm
Spencer easily side-steps Gerard's clumsy attempt to push Mikey off on him. Mikey hits the wall instead, calls his brother an asswipe, heads off for another beer and leaves his brother standing in front of Spencer. There'd been no recognition whatsoever in those lined eyes.
Spencer wasn't really surprised.
But Gerard's just standing there in front of him, shifting from one foot to the other and well, Gerard's actually really pretty. Spencer had noticed the first time, but ah, armful of Mikey ring any bells?
Gerard still isn't moving. Or saying anything. Spencer clears his throat, "So, um, read any good comic books lately?" Mikey really likes his brother, but then Spencer would hope so, living in the basement with him for god knows how many years. See? They'd actually talked before the awesome sex.
And wow. Gerard's face lights up instantly and it's, well.
Spencer kind of goes weak at the knees.
*
11:38 pm
Spencer falls asleep, Gerard's face tucked under his chin.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Do the mash, the Monster Mash!
Spencer just lays in bed, listens to the song play itself out.
Gets ready for work.
Greets the same people.
Listens to Ryan talk about the same things.
Promises Marie he'll see her at the party.
*
This time when Ryan walks through the door, Spencer's a little desperate. He ignores the bag of food, pulls Ryan over to the couch and sits them both down, opens his mouth. And stops.
What exactly does he say? Hey Ry, I'm repeating the same day over and over. Help? Oh god, he'd sound like a nutcase.
And Ryan's just looking at him, curious, head tilted to the side again (and really, he does look like a puppy when he does that). "You know you look like a puppy when you tilt your head like that?"
Ryan punches him.
"Fucker! That shit hurts!"
Spencer just watches as he gets up and goes into the bathroom. Spencer sighs loudly before going to eat the lasagna. Again.
*
9:30 pm
Spencer's totally avoiding that whole side of the room; he watched, though, as the two brothers stumbled over each other. Which is how he runs into a wall. Okay, not a wall exactly, but it's definitely solid. It's also go really broad hands, wrapped nicely around his upper arms to steady him.
"Whoa, there. You okay?" The voice is kind of high, but Spencer's not really noticing that. He's looking down, where there's like a million miles of fabulous thigh on display. Which are framed nicely by the short tunic/skirt thing he's wearing. Roman Soldier guy picked his costume well, Spencer thinks.
"Ahem."
Spencer snaps his eyes up finally, blushing. Roman Soldier also has a fantastic mouth and hell, Spencer can tell he's pretty much doomed.
*
Roman Soldier guy, who's name is Ray, knows how to use that fabulous mouth. Spencer may accidentally pull Ray's hair loose from the tight ponytail it's in when Ray's using that utterly fantastic mouth to suck out his brains through his cock.
It turns out Ray's legs are awesome for holding a body (Spencer's) up while it's being fucked against a wall.
*
11:53 pm
Spencer too busy sleeping like the dead to notice how tightly his hands are gripping Ray's hair.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
The next night it's Jepha, who's wandering around with only a giant leaf attached to his groin. Jepha, it turns out, is one crazy motherfucker. Also the most fun Spencer's had in ages.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
The Siamese Cats (aka the blonde twins, Matthew and, um, the other one) are too much to resist.
Spencer doesn't really try very hard.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Then there's Frank, in the form of an angel. All that energy, god. Spencer doesn't think he's seen anyone that beautiful when they come.
Spencer won't admit it, but he'd really, really been wishing Frank was still going to be there in the morning.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Brendon the pirate, is well, Spencer wants to strangle him. Which somehow leads to them making out until they fall asleep, snuggled together.
Spencer just sighs as he turns the alarm off in the morning; he pulls Brendon's pillow in tight and sticks his face into it.
The fresh scent of Downy is all that greets him.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
He meets Bob when Frank jumps on his back and yells, "Ninja!Bob" which is appropriate since Bob is, in fact, dressed like a ninja. He also manages to stuff Frank into a closet.
They talk drums for a while, then Bob invites him over to look at his kit. This turns out to be, funnily enough, not a line. Spencer plays until he's soaked his uniform through, falls asleep on Bob's couch.
And wakes up in his own bed.
Do the mash, the Mons-
Spencer throws the damn thing against the wall and spends the entire day in bed, ignoring the phone calls and knocks on the door.
*
The clock didn't break.
He listens as the minutes tick by, watches the :59 flip to :00 at midnight.
Falls asleep at 3:53.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Pete is like Brendon, annoying but in that totally endearing way. His smile is huge, but Spencer thinks it hides a lot. Not as much as Pete obviously wants it to, as there's something in his eyes that makes Spencer want to hug him. Even as he wants to deck him because seriously, Pete can be a total dick.
Spencer almost takes Pete home that night, but a teddy bear walks by singing along with the music playing and Pete's head instantly whips around to follow.
Patrick, as it turns out, has the voice of an angel, a bottom lip that is sinful, and a temper that earns Pete a black eye and a phone number. All within five minutes.
Spencer's really kind of impressed.
*
He watches the minutes switch over again. This time he falls asleep at 5:22.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Ryan sits with him the next night at the party. Spencer won't tell him what's going on, but Ryan's a good friend. He knows something is going on.
So they sit there, barely talking, and Spencer feels okay.
At least he's got this.
*
He falls asleep with his back to the alarm clock.
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Spencer's sitting on the couch, cup in his hand and staring at the floor when a pair of braided flip-flops come into view. And don't move. Spencer finally looks up to a wide grin and warm brown eyes.
"Dude, you look waaay too down for a party," the stranger flops downs beside him. Or tries to, the pair of small white wings kind of get in the way. He's dressed as Cupid, white tunic and all, and Spencer thinks wrong holiday and tries not to laugh like a crazy person. It helps when he's distracted by Cupid's soft little belly, which is now sitting rather closely. And no, He's done with that, he's not taking anyone else home.
It's getting too hard to wake up in the mornings.
"Hello? Yo? Drummer boy?" Spencer jerks, raising his eyes from where he was staring stupidly, "Yeah?"
Wow. Really warm eyes.
"You don't seem like you're having all that much fun, drummer boy. 'Sup with that?" The sentiment is genuine which is something that Spencer appreciates. It's also not helping with his resolve.
"Seen it all before," he wants to laugh, but he's afraid he might not stop. Cupid laughs for him, "Yeah, parties start looking the same after a while, for sure."
"You have no idea," Spencer mutters, snorts quietly.
There's a touch against his arm, square hands, more warmth. Spencer doesn't think he can hang on much longer.
"So, tell me?"
He hesitates, it'd be nice to tell someone. Even if they think he's crazy afterwards. The fingers squeeze gently and Spencer looks back up.
*
He tells Cupid everything. Everything - how the same day repeats over and over, the boys he takes home each night. About the beautiful angel, Frank. Crazy Jepha. Brendon the pirate with his sweet, sweet kisses. The near miss with Pete and his Patrick.
Spencer points them all out around the room.
At the end, Cupid just says, "What about me? Have you taken me home?"
And Spencer laughs, eyes crinkling around the edges, "No. No more for me, just gonna wait it out." He looks back down to where Cupid's hand is still on his arm, watches as it slides down and threads through his fingers. Cupid tugs him up off the couch, "Come on, one more night. What's it going to hurt?"
Spencer refuses to answer that, but he does takes Cupid home.
*
They lay in Spencer's bed, facing each other, talking about a dozen different things.
Spencer's eyes are starting to droop when he says, "I don't even know your name."
Cupid runs fingers softly over Spencer's cheek and whispers, "I'll tell you when you wake up."
Spencer laughs sadly, grabs the fingers touching him and holds on tight.
"Right."
~&hearts~~&hearts~~&hearts~
Spencer wakes up the next morning, turns over to find an empty bed and just sighs.
"So, I turned your alarm off. It seemed like you needed the sleep."
Spencer sits up so quickly, he nearly falls out the bed and Cupid laughs at him. Spencer just stares.
The guy is standing in Spencer's doorway, wearing sweatpants that look familiar and smiling like that, all warm and welcoming. Spencer can't seem to form any words, breathe even, until Cupid walks over and sits on the bed next to him.
"Hey, my name is Jon. How do you feel about leftover lasagna for breakfast?"
Spencer just laughs.