Winner takes it all

CALIPRESSIE!!!!

Warning: Ree!porns ahead.  Read on at your own risk xD

It was a chilly winter day with the weatherman threatening with the onset of snow. The cold temperatures, however, were of no concern for him or to many of the people gathered on and around the sports field. The crowd roared and cheered while the players raced around the field in little more than a t-shirt and shorts. Raleigh had never been a sporty person. Back in school he had avoided any form of physical education as best he could before getting caught and forced to run around the track. He wasn’t actually bad at track running, either. Long legs gave him an advantage, but it was the whole ‘being outdoors and doing boring exercise’ that turned Raleigh against sports and such things. He never tried out for the running team, and he certainly avoided the students that were the sporty type. Raleigh may never have been low on the social ladder, but he certainly knew which cliques he was best staying away from. Most of the school didn’t seem to fit into such stereotypes and there was so much overlap that the lines were blurred, but it still lingered. Even after years away from the school, Raleigh could still point out who was in which group and why.

He liked how Elliot didn’t fit into the groups the way many did. He was sporty – racing around the field with skill and speed. Soccer had never been of interest at all to Raleigh but seeing how excited Elliot was about the sport made him take a little more interest in it. He didn’t understand all the rules and he certainly didn’t like how some of the players treated the opposing team, but he knew when to cheer and when to boo. He yelled as loud as possible and cheered like a madman when it was Elliot that scored the winning goal. He wanted to race down and gather up his little winner in his arms and shower him with kisses, but the team swarmed around their champion and displayed their glee and triumph by hefting the lad up and carrying him into the locker room with shouts and calls of happiness. Raleigh stood there with the wind playing through the loose strands of his hair and stinging at his cheek. Lake was bouncing up and down on his heels beside him with one hand clutched in the grasp of Dimitri who stood on Lake’s opposite side.

Dimitri would forever unnerve Raleigh. Raleigh didn’t know what he had to be jealous about – Lake simply adored him. Raleigh had only ever been a crush to Lake, and crushes came and went. Lake was in love with Dimitri. That was a bond that nothing could come between them; especially not someone like Raleigh.

Wanting to go and congratulate Elliot on his success, Raleigh playfully ruffled Lake’s hair as he pushed past. The crowd was dispersing now, with the proud parents and friends heading off too. Lake would probably find his way to Elliot later and give his younger friend a bear hug and announce his amazement of just how great Elliot was. He’d watched Elliot play many times – he’d been there for the wins and the losses. This was Raleigh’s first time to see Elliot in action. Work had battled him many times, and for the earlier tournament games only students and family had been allowed to come along and watch. This was the big cup game though. Neither Hell nor high waters were going to keep Raleigh away and he had been there to see Elliot score that winning goal. The other soccer players undoubtedly had their own plans on how they were going to celebrate, but Raleigh had a completely different idea in mind; an idea that only involved the champion and himself.

Smiling to himself as he walked through familiar halls, his gaze wandered over the decorated walls. Once upon a time his own work had been displayed on the boards for all to see. Several times his art had featured in prominent displays. Now there were names he didn’t know or recognise. He hopped he’d see something from a name he knew of, or at least a person Lake or Elliot had mentioned but there seemed to be no one as he made his way to the locker rooms where the soccer team had carried Elliot to. Before he was able to reach his destination, however, a familiar voice piped up and broke through his thoughts.

“I thought I saw you in here!” called the history professor as she came up to him. “You do know you’re not supposed to be in here without a visitors pass, right?”

He smiled back at her, shaking his head. “Sorry, Miss Munroe, I just wanted to congratulate the one who scored the winning goal in person.”

“You still need a pass, Raleigh,” she replied, shaking her head. “I can go and ask him to wait for you, but you need to get the pass. I wish I could just let you on slip through, but you remember the rules,” she explained, reaching out and giving his arm a friendly squeeze. “And you can call me Madeline even in school. I’m not your teacher anymore.”

He nodded, giving in to her. He’d never been able to say no to her when she’d been his history professor. Nothing much had changed now. Before moving on, he glanced back to the doors where his desired treasure was, hoping that the teammates didn’t decided to head off early for pizza and that Madeline was able to convince him to stay behind and wait. He didn’t want to come back to find Elliot all wrapped up in his winter gear, ready to head home. Raleigh wanted to make use of that soccer uniform that Elliot wore so well, as he dribbled the ball over the grassy field.

“I’ll bring you some lunch on Thursday!” Madeline called as Raleigh retreated. “I don’t want you working so hard that you forget to eat.”

That was something about coming to this school; some of the teacher’s cared beyond their duty. Madeline could just chalk him off as nothing more than a previous student, but even after moving away from New York for a few years, she had remained close to him. She took his jokes of being a ‘starving artist’ quite literally and often brought him food and tales of her life. A few times she’d even brought her twins along. Raleigh was glad they were still little more than babies otherwise he worried they’d be in his art materials. Christian had just slept the entire visit and Isobel had amused herself by chewing on a plastic spoon, occasionally banging it against the side of her chair and laughing gleefully like the whole thing was the greatest thing in the world.

It took a lot longer than he liked to gain the visitors pass and when he got back to the corridor outside the locker room there was little sign of anyone around. There was a text on his phone from Lake announcing he was off to meet his friend Zak. There was no message from Elliot, which meant that Raleigh could only hope that the soccer team hadn’t kidnapped him.

Slipping inside, there was Elliot sitting on one of the benches with nothing more than a towel wrapped around his waist and water dripping from his blond hair. Part of Raleigh felt disappointed that the younger male was no longer wearing his soccer uniform but it was silenced as the rest of his body reminded him that Elliot was sitting alone in little more than a towel, and that he was damp and warm from his shower. Elliot was taping up his knee and didn’t notice that Raleigh was even there until he slipped right up to him and leaned down to press a soft kiss to his forehead. He then looked up at smiled as Raleigh hovered over him. “Miss Munroe caught you sneaking around the school without a pass,” he said with a grin.

“I just couldn’t wait to see you that I forgot all about it. I got one now though.” He flashed the laminated pass that was pinned to the shirt he was wearing inside his coat. Being indoors after standing in the cold had warmed him up enough to unfasten the buttons of his military blue peacoat. “Where’s the rest of your team?”

“They went ahead for pizza. They wanted me to come but I told them I had to meet with someone first.” His hands reached out and found Raleigh’s, linking their fingers together. “I’m glad you were able to make it. I didn’t think I’d be able to play, but then I saw you in the stands and I told myself I wouldn’t lose.”

Raleigh smiled back down at him, squeezing Elliot’s fingers with his own. “Win or lose, you’ll always be a winner to me.” He leaned down even more until their noses touched. “But I’m really happy that you won. It means I get to celebrate your win.” Pushing forwards he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against Elliot’s. The fingers in his hand clutched tighter as their lips brushed over one another’s, Raleigh slipping his tongue into Elliot’s mouth when an opening presented itself. As he stroked his tongue over Elliot’s, relishing in the feeling of his warm, wet mouth he felt the fingers holding him loosen. Taking advantage of the lax grip, Raleigh pulled his hands away to press his palms to the younger male’s cheeks, caressing his face before pushing up to sink his fingers into the wet tangles of hair.

They kissed like that for a while; nothing but the sounds of lips and heavy breathing through their noses until the awkwardness of the position gnawed on Raleigh’s spine. Pulling back to breath and straighten out his body, Raleigh watched Elliot sit there completely breathless and a tint of red spreading on his cheeks. Shrugging off his coat, Raleigh tossed it onto the bench beside Elliot before he too took up space on the wooden slates, stretching out his legs before him. He kept watch on his little soccer player through the corner of his eye, lips curled into a devilish grin while his mind worked out ideas of they could do in this empty locker room. They had every chance of being caught, but right now all he wanted to do was pull Elliot up and onto his lap.

Which is exactly what he did.

The towel tugged loose with the movement and the stretch when Elliot’s legs came to wrap around Raleigh’s waist. Hands were placed around and low to keep it from falling onto the floor, and that grin on his face seemed to increase as he glanced down at the opening and what was presented to him. “I was rather hoping you’d still be in the soccer kit,” he said, one hand brushing the back of his knuckles down Elliot’s cheek while the other snuck between the edges of the towel to wrap his fingers around the source of heat found within. “But nothing is better than you being completely naked,” he added with a purr, leaning in to sprinkle kisses all over Elliot’s neck, nuzzling in and breathing in the scent of shower, soap and Elliot.

Elliot’s own hands were at his back, trying to find purchase and grip in the fabric of his shirt while his breathing remained in that breathless state, a small laugh rumbling through him. “What is it with you and uniforms?” he asked between pants. Hips pushed up against Raleigh’s hand and his head tilted away to expose more of that creamy skinned neck to tormenting lips.

“It’s more you in uniforms, and not the cross-dressing uniforms,” Raleigh replied huskily, brushing his lips over and along Elliot’s neck and shoulder as he spoke. “When I saw you in those shorts I just wanted to eat you all up.” Tongue darted out to draw over his skin, ducking his head down to swirl it around a nipple, nipping at it and enjoying the small sound that escaped Elliot at the touch. A sound that was a prelude to what he could bring out of him. Meanwhile, beneath the folds of the towel Raleigh was still stroking his hand up and down Elliot’s length, sweeping his thumb over the tip every now and again. More hidden sounds bubbled up from within the depths of Elliot’s chest, but they were nothing yet, compared to the chorus that he sang when he allowed himself to.

Lifting his head, he kissed Elliot’s lips once more. “Not to mention when you scored that goal – I was ready to run down and have my way with you right there on the pitch.”

Elliot blushed even more at the comment, ducking his head to hide under his bangs. Raleigh didn’t allow him to hide for too long, lifting his free hand to curl fingertips under the other’s chin and tilt his head back up, smiling at his face before kissing him again. Tongue swept out at the bottom lip before teeth nibbled affectionately.

“You’re so cute when you blush. Just the sight of it makes me so hard.” He smiled and removed his hand, wrapping them at Elliot’s waist again and placing him down. Before Elliot had chance to protest about anything, Raleigh was kneeling before him, pushing away the sides of the towel so that Elliot was completely naked. Sliding his hands along Elliot’s smooth thighs, he pushed them apart to lean in and this time his tongue was sweeping along the length of Elliot’s erection. Still the noises that slipped beyond Elliot’s parted lips were little more than hints at the noises he could make. Raleigh always saw it as a challenge on how long they could go until Elliot caved and the moans came in such an unabashed manner that it forced Raleigh’s heart to skip a beat whenever his own name was said in the throes of passion. Lips opened at the head of Elliot’s cock, and Raleigh took his young lover into his mouth in one long, single motion.

“Ra…Ra….” Elliot’s fingers were in his hair, forcing it out of the hair tie that had kept most of the flaming red locks back until the curls tumbled down over the back of his neck and shoulders. He could feel the strands tickling his own cheek as he moved his head, tongue dancing along the underside of Elliot’s cock. Elliot was arched on the seat with his head tilted back, blush now a constant red stain on his face. Raleigh sucked harder and there came another glimmer of a moan from within Elliot, but as of yet nothing.

“Ra…Raleigh…I...I’m…”

Raleigh hummed in his throat, pulling back with a long, affectionate lick. “No, you’re not,” he whispered with a wicked grin on his face. His own fingers rose to unfasten the buttons of his shirt, Elliot’s own hands joining in and pushing the fabric away, nails raking over his shoulders when the flesh was exposed. Elliot was rarely ever forceful, but for the moments where he was Raleigh let out an aroused growl and pushed back against the nails, encouraging the harsher touched to his own body. With his shirt on the tiled floor he stood up, lifting Elliot with him. Legs and arms wrapped around him instinctively to help Raleigh keep him up in the air until his back pressed against the cool surface of the lockers. One hand moved to slid along the outside of Elliot’s thigh until it cupped his backside and gave it an appreciative squeeze. “You will soon though,” Raleigh added with another low growl as his fingers moved onwards until he pushed one inside Elliot’s body.

Elliot arched with a soft moan, hands clinging to Raleigh’s upper arms. He writhed in Raleigh’s grip, his quiet moans getting increasingly louder with each movement of Raleigh’s hand, a louder sound erupting from his throat when Raleigh slipped a second finger inside, scissoring the digits apart. While his hand worked on stretching Elliot, Raleigh’s lips moved in to drink up all the sounds his lover was making in heated kisses or crushing lips and battling tongues. Elliot’s hands were once again in his hair, tangling within the locks. It didn’t seem to matter to either of them just how public they were and that at any second someone could come in and find them. What mattered to them was enjoying each other’s body and company, relishing in the closeness that came from the whole physical act.

“Raleigh…I…need you.”

“Mmnnn…”

Removing his fingers from within Elliot’s body, Raleigh moved his hands to unfasten his pants. Everything had been so rushed and the desire swimming through his veins had neglected to remind him to remove his own clothes. Not that it mattered now as he held Elliot closer and prepared to enter him. He was slow and cautious, but once he could feel everything about the other male that he desired and adored wrap around his cock Raleigh let out a long and low moan. Elliot titled his head back and for a brief moment Raleigh feared he’d smack his head against the metal locker door, but as he began moving his hips and Elliot rocked back in reply everything was forgotten. The sounds that had been hidden within Elliot’s chest began bubbling to the surface and Raleigh swallowed them in their kisses until he needed to breathe. Nose buried into the crook of where neck met shoulder while both hands gripped Elliot’s hips as he thrust inside that amazing body. Elliot was clinging to him still, legs locked around his waist and fingers sinking nails into Raleigh’s skin and leaving behind little red crescents. One hand slipped and he reached up, gripping onto the top of the lockers to keep balanced – the action entirely reflexive since he was too focused on the man holding him and the feeling of him within his body.

“Aaahh…Raleigh!”

Raleigh growled low in his throat, teeth biting at Elliot’s throat. Elliot was moaning louder now, the sounds echoing in the empty tiled room. He was finally allowing those hidden noises to erupt from his chest while the rest of his body exploded, splattering over Raleigh’s chest and his own. He shuddered against Raleigh while the older male soon followed suit with a moan of his own. The frantic speed ebbed away until they were both slowing to a halt. Breathing heavily Raleigh lifted his head to press their foreheads together, grinning lazily down at Elliot.

“Well, this was a first,” Raleigh chuckled. He could feel his own sweat rolling down his back and the pain starting to rise from the scratches. “Never had sex in a locker room before.”

Elliot, however, was blushing with renewed force. When Raleigh noticed it he arched a brow and a smug grin settled onto his lips. “Eli…?”

“Hmmm…?”

“Have you wanted to do this?” While Elliot wasn’t entirely reserved about their relationship when it came to things of a more intimate nature, he wasn’t exactly one for something as public as this. It was only now that Raleigh picked up on the fact that he had faced no resistance whatsoever from his boyfriend.

The blush dusting Elliot’s cheeks increased in vibrancy. “Maybe…” he mumbled.

Raleigh just laughed, lowering Elliot to the floor to stand on shaky legs. Pulling up his pants, Raleigh stepped back to sit on the bench, tugging Elliot back to sit on his lap again. They could clean themselves up in a minute; right now he wanted to just enjoy this whole new discovery and the afterglow of sex. “I think it is simply amazing every time I discover a new fantasy of yours,” Raleigh explained while his fingers drifted up and down Elliot’s spine. “I love you.”








....I didn't know how to end it, so I ended it there x)  Just make up what went on afterwards yourself.

Me vengo, me vengo

WARNING!!!!  Ree!Porn ahead.

It's been a while since I posted anything diiirrrtty x)

Harley lives at my new love - Spectre.  Craven belongs to the darling Ren.

The mansion was big, and quiet and empty.  The only real signs of life were the birds hiding in the trees in the newly built greenhouse that Craven had built for him.  But even with the exotic animals for company Harley felt rather alone.  He had never had free reign of such a large amount of space before and even after exploring every nook and cranny during his first few days Harley felt he didn’t quite know the building like someone who had lived there for years.  A lot of the rooms still held the stale and dusty scents of age and disuse – the rooms didn’t get used even with occupants in the house now anyway.  The stench of the renovators had finally slipped away from in the air and Harley felt comfortable walking about without worrying he was going to bump into anyone whenever Craven was at the Lab.

Ah, Craven, the man who now held a control over him with just two words.  Vivienne had visited him just before he left his little apartment back in Klayton Dome, and he told her of his intentions to join Craven and to allow the man to consider himself to be his handler.  He had no idea who was watching out for him since Raisa’s death, but Vivienne had just smiled and said that if that was what he wanted she wasn’t going to force him to change his mind.  People needed to move on with their lives, she couldn’t bear it if she held him back just because it suited her.

And then she had told him what she was.

Harley thought he’d be angry, and for a few moments he felt riled because she had had the power to save Raisa and to keep their family together.  It was only a brief feeling and moments later he just smiled up at her and gave her a tight hug.  He held no hatred towards the Lab.  Yes, it was a cause of his nightmares, but had he never gone to that place he wouldn’t be who he was today.  Were it not for the Labs existence she wouldn’t have lived long enough to meet any of them.  No Lab meant no Craven either.  Would the world really be able to cope if that man did not exist?

Wandering out of the doors to the greenhouse, Harley pondered that thought as he headed for the kitchen, feeling the change from wooden floor to tile under his barefoot as he went from one room to his final destination.  Another thing about being alone and able to finally relax in his new home was that Harley finally felt comfortable to shed the layers of clothing that stifled him and wear next to nothing.  The hothouse was the warmest place in the house, but the overall temperature of the other rooms was still at a comfortable level for him.  Today he had no errands to run or anything much else to do and so he had spent most of the morning snoozing in the greenhouse in his reptilian shape.  Going back to human, Harley covered himself with a long shirt that hung just to mid-thigh.  The sleeves were too long and hid his hands and most of the buttons were unfastened.  The light blue shirt wasn’t his though.  He hadn’t seen the scientist for at least a day or so and for a reason Harley couldn’t explain he kind of missed him.  He was a bit of a leech and Harley wasn’t completely certainly of the older male’s intentions.  One of the worst things was that even Craven seemed to claim not to have a clear knowledge of why he was so interested in Harley.  A main thing that Harley felt was becoming clearer and clearer was that Craven had an interest in him that was far from platonic.  Nerves had jostled him at first, soon followed up by questions and uneasiness.  Harley had never really ‘liked’ anyone before in a physical manner.  He’d never looked at a person and thought that they were good looking or that he would like to share something intimate with him.  The scientist had sent all those thoughts and feeling askew, leaving Harley wondering if he wasn’t as asexual as he believed himself to be and more the fact he just hadn’t met the right person yet.

That person being Craven Vulpes.

Leaning back against the kitchen counter, Harley tipped his head back to look up at the ceiling.  He liked the kitchen.  He was far from a wonderful cook, but he did enjoy cooking on some level.  Noting just how his hair brushed his shoulders Harley reached up to run his fingers through it debating whether it was time to get it cut.  Jutting out his bottom lip in thought his mind once more drifted onto Craven, thinking of the man’s silver hair that looked like it was so very soft to touch.  Whenever Craven had doted (intimate) affection upon him Harley had never really touched back unless it was on impulse and that was usually to push the older man away.  Maybe he was missing him, maybe he was thinking into it too much – Harley didn’t know and didn’t currently much care.  Bringing his hands and the sleeves they tugged on before his face, Harley nuzzled into the cotton fabric, inhaling the scent of the man who had worn the shirt before.  Being alone he could deal with, it was more being alone in such a big place that was bothering him and leaving him to dwell on his thoughts too much.  Craven always left his mind in a maelstrom and yet he also managed to cut a path straight through with just a touch or word.  Shivers ran through his body, heading along his spine and right down to the tip of his tail.  He was alone, wearing Craven’s shirt and there was a heat in blood that wasn’t just fuelled by the fact he’d been spending most of the day somewhere warm.

Since when did he have such devious thoughts?

Well, truthfully, never.  But that didn’t matter.  What mattered right now was that Harley was feeling a little lonely and Craven had a way of easing those feelings of loneliness.  Just because he wasn’t around didn’t mean Harley couldn’t imagine the man’s presence.  Wrapping his arms around himself and snuggling further into the shirt Harley slipped out of the kitchen and headed for the bedroom that was all his.  A lot of his belongings were still in boxes scattered about, but the bed was big and comfy and the mattress was comfortable.  It was big enough that he could stretch out on it from the middle of the bed and nothing would hang over the edge.  Throwing his body down onto the sheets, Harley rolled over and stroked his hands over the shirt he’d stolen.  His toes and tip of his tail curled in the blankets pooled around him in anticipation of what he was considering doing.  Figuring out his sexuality could wait because right now it didn’t matter.  What mattered were those memories of kisses he could call on; the way Craven’s hands felt in his hair; Craven’s lips like feathers against his own until he pushed hard against him and his tongue dipped into his mouth; even the brush of fingers on his jaw whenever he angled him to take those illegal kisses.  Rolling his shoulders into the mattress beneath his body Harley’s hand slipped lower, brushing the ends of the shirt and pushing it back to wrap his fingers around himself, breath catching in his throat at the touch to such a sensitive area of his own body.  Once upon a time he had thought such an act was vulgar but as he slipped his hand up and down those ideals slipped away to be replaced by personal indulgence that lavished in the way his body had been touched by the older man in ways no one had ever touched him before.  In ways that his brain was only happy to help enhance and add to, slipping in images that only occurred in fantasies and wet dreams.

Pushing into his own hand, Harley let out a soft moan, reaching up with his free hand to drag his nails over his scalp.  Eyes were closed and mouth was parted to allow his tongue to slip through the gap and flicker in the air every now and again before another moan – each one increasing in volume – rumbled up through his throat.  Knees brushed together as Harley’s whole body was enveloped in the sensations of lust and self gratification.  The pace his hand moved at increased, speeding up until the noises he made ceased to become more breathy pants and mumbles of a name on his lips he couldn’t quite form until one final jolt raced from his head to his toes and tip of his tail

“Craven...nnn...”

NOT ANOTHER MEME!?

Stolen from Jules (:

1. Tiger
2. Lake
3. Ewan
4. Morgan
5. Aleksey
6. Jojo
7. Raleigh
8. Vincent
9. Dion
10. Jon

It's all males this time x)

Four [Morgan] invites Three [Ewan] and Eight [Vincent] to dinner at their house. What happens?
Other than their timelines imploding? (This is all made possible simply because there's a TIMELORD in this meme)

More than likely they'd either all get drunk or Tetsu would refuse them entry simply because Ewan's a minature Jojo and he'd think Vincent would shed on the carpet.


You need to stay at a friend's house for the night. Who do you choose, One [Tiger] or Six [Jojo]?A choice between being kept awake FOREVER or the prospect of being lynched in my sleep by Major Harassment?  I'm rather inclined to pick Jojo, mainly because I love him dearly <3


Two [Lake] and Seven [Raleigh] are making out. Ten [Jon] walks in. What is their reaction?The fact that this scene is more or less cannon since not only do all three exist in the same 'universe' and the fact that it's highly likely Raleigh and Lake did snog at one point in their past Jon has every possibility to walk in on them.  He'd be quite shocked, professionally remind them of the school's PDA guidelines and then be on his merry way.  Current timeline, however, and he'd wonder what the heck was going on, inform Madeline and she'd go and yell at Raleigh for hurting Elliot AND pissing off Dimitri.


Three [Ewan] falls in love with Six [Jojo]. Eight [Vincent] is jealous. What happens?
I'm pretty sure Ewwie idolizes Jojo anyway x)

Vince would probably...not give a damn, and wonder why the hell he was jealous in the first place.


Four [Morgan] jumps you in a dark alleyway. Who comes to your rescue, Ten [Jon], Two [Lake] or Seven [Raleigh]?
Jon; because he'd probably stand up against Morgan, whereas Lake is about as useful in a fight as wet cardboard and Raleigh...would actually be a bit of a scrapper too.  I'd rather Jon talk sense into Morgan than Raleigh punch him in the face.


One [Tiger] decides to start a cooking show. Fifteen minutes later, what is happening?
CHAOS!  There is no other way to explain what would happen.


Three [Ewan] has to marry either Eight [Vincent], Four [Morgan] or Nine [Dion]. Who do they choose?
Dion; because that man is just pure husband material.


Seven [Raleigh] kidnaps Two [Lake] and demands something from Five [Aleksey] for Two's [Lake's] release. What is it?
Why does this like one of those scenarios where the kidnapper pay to hand the kidnapee over because they simply couldn't cope with the idiot hostage?  He'd probably demand that Aleksey didn't kill him when he released Lake because not only would Aleksey kill him for kidnapping his 'uncle/whatever' but Dimitri would also hunt Raleigh down.


Everyone gangs up on Three [Ewan], does Three [Ewan] have a chance in hell?
Oddly enough....possibly.  Simply because Aleksey's there.  Ewan's mimicry means he'd copy Aleksey's 'healing' powers and it wouldn't matter what they all did to him, Ewan would survive in the end.  However, if he didn't regenerate fast enough then yeah, Ewan would probably end up dead.  He'd put up a fight though.


Everyone is invited to Two [Lake] and Ten's [Jon's] wedding, except for Eight [Vincent]. How do they react?
He, uhm, really wouldn't give a crap?  I think the only wedding he'd ever get pissed about not being invited to would be his Dad and Yumi's - AND THAT MAY NEVER HAPPEN ANYWAY x)


Why is Six [Jojo] afraid of Seven [Raleigh]?Because Raleigh's Kate's uncle....or because Jojo's scared of gingers?


One [Tiger] arrives late for Two [Lake] and Ten's [Jon's] wedding. What happens and why were they late?
Either he got lost of was distracted by something shiny and kidnapped by a wandering mad scientist and became his pet until Pip and Cleo came to his rescue and dragged his ass to the church all the while Tiger was proclaiming that HE COULD SEE INTO SPACE!


Five [Aleksey] and Nine [Dion] get roaring drunk and end up at your house. What happens?
I leave them to sober up in the front garden and tell the neighbours that they're my new garden ornaments xD


Nine [Dion] murders Two's [Lake's] best friend. What does Two [Lake] do to get back at them?Send Dimitri to go and beat them up for murdering Zakkypants.


Six [Jojo] and One [Tiger] are in mortal danger, only one of them can survive. Does Six [Jojo] save himself, or One [Tiger]?
Jojo would save Tigs.  He may be an idiot, but Jojo's got a huge heart.  He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let someone die.


Two [Lake] and Three [Ewan] go camping. For some reason, they forget to bring any food. What do they do?
Attempt to catch/hunt their own food, only to fail and walk to the nearest fast-food place.


Five [Aleksey] is in a car crash and is critically injured. What does Nine [Dion] do?
Errrr...wait?  Aleksey would eventually restore enough bodily functions to drag himself out of the wreckage, where his body would continue to heal until he was all better.  Dion wouldn't even be needed x)

Prompt Number Three.

3. AU (1&8) Lake & Nat

Lake frowned at his reflection in the mirror.  While he had been sleeping someone had had the indeceny to not only dye his hair black and stick him in a highly unattractive pair of glasses, but had also drawn a lightning shape on his forehead.  Licking his thumb, Lake tried to rub it off, but to no avail.  Turning around, Lake stared at the older male seated in the same room as him, one leg folded over the other and his chin placed in his hand.

"I don't want to be Harry Potter," he announced, pouting.  "I'm too cool to be some whiny ass 'boy who lived'."

The older male turned, flicking some of his long red hair out of his eyes.  "Don't complain.  I'm a twin.  I have a twin brother.  By default I should be one of the Weasley twins."  Nat stood up and smoothed his hands down the...skirt....he was wearing.  "I'm Hermonie freaking Granger.  I'm in a SKIRT!"

Prompt Number Two.

2. Angst (7&2) Jojo & Raleigh

Jojo woke up and didn't recognise where he was.  Shifting on the matress, he rolled over and nuzzled his face into the sheets, only to inhale and stiffen.  The smells was entirely unfamiliar - moreso than waking up in a place he never remembered going.  Jojo had on occasion woken up in someone else's home - but never in their bed.

Sitting up slowly, he took in his surroundings, noting the single-room apartment, the little corner by the large window with scattered books, papers and various other artist's utensils.  Most importantly, standing in the small kitchen was a tall, red haired male silently sipping from a mug held in both his hands.

Letting out a heavy sigh combined with a groan, Jojo ran his hands over his head, fingertips brushing his mohawk.  "Wha...Where...Fuck..."

The man in the kitchen pushed away from the counter and walked silently over to beside the bed, looking down at where Jojo sat wrapped up with the blankets around his waist.  Green eyes were hard as he stared down at Jojo, who stared back up at him, a feeling of dred washing over him.

"What did we do?" Jojo asked.

The red haired man said nothing, just flicked strands of curled ginger out of his face.  After a few more moments of silence stretched on in such a manner that tugged on Jojo's heartstrings, bringing his panic levels even higher, the guy finally spoke.  "We did nothing.  You, however, did quite a bit.  I thought it was safer dragging your drunken ass back to my place than letting you stumble home."

"So we didn't have sex?"

"No, you idiot.  I'm not going to cause my boyfriend any extra angst by having sex with a...mohawk...I'm already having to grovel because I've got some guy in my bed.  Count yourself lucky I like sleeping on my couch."

Prompt Number One.

1. Kiss (4&6) Barney & Yumiko

A little note sat on the open pages of her textbook.  Barney was supposed to be working on her homework, but something was distracting her.
She had had the overwhelming urge to write a little 'love note' to a certain someone.  The note was almost finished, but she couldn't quite figure out how to end it.
The supervising teacher, however, seemed to notice her distraction, and Ms. Callahan bounced on over, slipping neatly into the spare seat beside her.
Before even asking what was wrong, the woman looked at the little note and smiled, beaming a bright and sunny smile.  Fingers reached for one of the pens scattered on Barney's desk, and she pulled the note towards herself.
"Just add a kiss," she said, her sunny smile still in place as she drew a line of x's at the end of Barney's note.

15 Drabble Challenge

Shamelessly taken from Jules' BlogSpot because it looks like quite the good idea (:

Fifteen characters - write prompts for each.  The original concept was to write about 25 words or something - we'll see how well I can do that xD

1 Lake

2 Raleigh

3 Aleksey

4 Barney

5 Felix

6 Yumiko

7 Jojo

8 Nat

9 Vincent

10 River


1. Kiss (4&6) Barney & Yumiko
2. Angst (7&2) Jojo & Raleigh
3. AU (1&8) Lake & Nat
4. Threesome (3&6&9) Aleksey & Yumiko & Vincent
5. Fight (5&10) Felix & River
6. Crack (9&4) Vincent & Barney
7. Horror/Scary (10&6) River & Yumiko
8. Baby (5&9) Felix & Vincent
9. Dark Side (2&8) Raleigh & Nat
10. Romance (4&7) Barney & Jojo
11. Death (2&3) Raleigh & Aleksey
12. Genderswap (8&9) Nat & Vincent
13. Seduction (4&3) Barney & Aleksey
14. Another Threesome (5&7&1) Felix & Jojo & Lake

15. Amnesia (2&10) Raleigh & River

I'm just going to go a lol in the corner over the first one....

And also the fourth one....

Getting The TG lot and the StD guys in the same universe will be left with NO EXPLANATION, I'm just going to wing it (:

Together

I watched Cemetary Junction and it made me miss Dawson....

Dawson was a Hearst, a Munroe, a Hughes and a Rose.

Inheriting his mother’s stubbornness and the need to do things on his own gave him quite a driven nature to the point where he was very goal orientated.  From his mother he also inherited an energy and buzz about him, making him quite passionate about the things he cared about.  His father had given him pride, making it difficult for Dawson to admit when he’s in the wrong and a care for his own person.  He never allowed himself to fall into disarray; always kept himself neat and tidy – unless he was feeling generally lazy and when laziness set in, those Hughes genetics made it difficult for Dawson to get motivated again without a goal to aim for.

But even with the traits his parents (and grandparents) displayed, Dawson was his own person.  He liked lounging in the sunshine, singing show tunes in the shower and demonstrating things with a certain flair that only an actor could display.  Dawson, however, was no actor.  Growing up he had considered taking up a career in acting but it never had amounted to anything.  He didn’t particularly enjoy his desk job but it paid the bills.  If he wanted to continue living with Kasper then he needed to pay his way, no matter how many times the other male said it’d be fine for him to take some time out to pursue acting.  Even Kasper didn’t have an endless supply of cash funds.

That was the thing about Kasper though – he understood Dawson.  They both had grown up with a rather large extended family.  The circumstances may have been different, but there were so many people involved in the ‘main’ family that the normal family lines were blurred.  Dawson could happily sit and listening to Kasper talk about his family for hours.  None of them may have been related to him by blood, but each member in Kasper’s family tree had been absorbed into his heart and made into a real family.  He talked about them all in such an energetic but loving way, complete with interesting little stories and anecdotes about them all.  Dawson had only ever met a few of the ‘younger’ members – those around Kasper’s age.  He called them his cousins, but it was hard to tell just what relation they all were.  He and Emma had unintentionally butted heads at first, their stubborn natures clashing when they first met, but things soon smoothed out between them.  They still had moments now and again where they’d have a disagreement and both stick to their guns and would not back down.  Someone usually had to intervene before a shouting match ensued between them.  When relaying this information to members of his own family, there was usually one figure who would snigger and say “Well, that’s Morgan’s fault” despite Dawson not understanding what it had meant about his grandfather.

It was a lazy summer afternoon when Dawson discovered a side to himself he wasn’t completely sure he liked.  Unsure just what side of the family he had inherited such a thing from Dawson had spent nearly an hour pacing the living room trying to work it out inside his own head while Kasper watched from his spot on the couch with worried eyes.

Dawson had grown up believing he wasn’t a violent person.  He had never struck out at anyone, and if anything violent came up he would just turn and walk away.  Growing up the other kids had called him a coward, but he stuck firm to his beliefs and had never hit anyone.  He was proud of himself that despite some things he had been through Dawson had never, ever smacked anyone no matter how much it seemed they ‘deserved’ it.  But on that lazy summer afternoon, Dawson had found himself in such an incomprehensible rage that he had swung for another person.  Not just some random stranger or someone looking to start a fight with him – it had been someone he knew.

Keith was trying his best to woo Dawson’s little sister Lina.  He was....mildly successful, although Dawson’s father seemed to be attempting to thwart the man’s attempts at every turn.  There was nothing about Keith, however, that would make a person dislike him.  He was nice to Lina, and obviously cared about her.  Despite his protests, Rueben actually liked the guy.  There was nothing outright that could pinpoint the reason why Dawson had lashed out at him.

There was one thing about Keith, however, that did manage to get under Dawson’s skin and it took an entire hour of pacing for him to finally grasp just what had caused him to punch without warning; Keith had said something inadvertently against ‘mothers’.  Keith’s mother had left him when he was around age seven or so, leaving him with resentment towards matriarch figures.  He may have not meant it to be directed at Isabel or even Dawson’s grandmother Madeline, but what Keith had said touched a nerve within Dawson that lead him to seeing nothing but red.  Leaping up from his spot on the sun lounger on the balcony of their apartment, Dawson had flown over to where Keith was sat, hauled him up by the collar of his shirt and punched him square in the jaw.  Once the blow had hit, he dropped the other man and stepped back, taking a few moments to recount just what he had done.  When things settled in, he fled, leaving Kasper to suggest Lina take Keith home and that he’d call and let her known how things panned out once Dawson had calmed down.

It had taken an hour for him to reach a state where Dawson felt comfortable forming vocal words instead of incoherent stammering to the older male who had done nothing more than watch him with a concerned expression on his face.  That was another reason Dawson liked Kasper so much – the guy didn’t pressure for any information that he felt wasn’t going to be willing given with only a few probing questions.  Whenever there had been an argument between Emma and him, Kasper had given Dawson room to breath before trying to work through the kinks of what had caused Dawson to disagree with her.  Dawson didn’t like admitting when he needed help, and Kasper didn’t force help upon him.

He had been enjoying the sunshine, leaning against Kasper with the older man’s fingers stroking through his hair.  The conversation had been light and they had all been happily talking about various things.  What with work and everything else Dawson rarely ever had chance to spend time talking with his little sister these days.  Kasper had mentioned something in passing about how he was going to buy a mother’s day card for his ‘grandmother’ in the hope that she’d bake him something sweet and delicious and Keith had said something against mother’s and how he thought they weren’t the effort people put into cards for mother’s days and the like.  Dawson had just found himself snapping like a stretched elastic band, firing off at Keith.

And now he felt like he had ruined the day.  Slumping down onto the carpet, fingers fisted into his hair and he let out a long, low groan of dismay.  Things had been going so well and he had just punched a guy in the face.  A guy who wanted to be his brother-in-law.  How was he supposed to face Lina after this?  How was he going to face any member of his family?  He was supposed to be the calm, non-violent one.  The male with a temperament like Ainsely’s.  Lost within his turmoil, he barely felt the fingers slipping into his hair and the body coiling around his own from behind.  Long legs slipped around him and an arm reached around his body, pulling him close to a warm, hard chest.

“You’re Dad is going to give you a freaking medal,” Kasper announced, dropping the hand from Dawson’s hair and nuzzling his face into the feather-soft locks.  “You have just done the one thing I’m sure he’s been wanting to do since before he even knew the guy existed.”

The beautiful sunshine is a dangerous thing

"I cannot believe I'm loosing to a pregnant woman."

Yumiko grinned and nudged Vincent's arm with her leg.  "Maternity leave is the most boring thing in the world.  I coped last time because Dion kept fussing over me and I had my own set of nerves to worry about - this time, however, I know what to expect so I'm just taking it easy."  She grinned again and pushed various buttons on the video game controller in her hands.  "Which is one of the most boring things to do in the world."

"No wonder you're so good at this game then."

She shrugged, setting up the next match.  "Everyone's either at work or at school.  I had Tay come round yesterday to change all the fuses just because I felt so lonely.  I know I should enjoy this because once the baby is born I'm going to be rushed off my feet, but I'm just not meant to be on my own."

Vincent glanced up at her from where he sat on the carpet.  He'd been skiving school because he was feeling weak and drained after last night.  It had been a long time since he'd suffered through such a painful transformation, but after talking to Jae when the sun came up he assumed it wasn't just him that had been affected.  Something must have been in the air.  Sometimes the moon was just overpowering.  It was rare, but Vincent knew it happened.

He had apologized to Marshall, saying that he didn't feel up to attending classes today.  However, neither did he feel like spending the day alone.  Somewhere deep inside himself he felt a pull towards the feeling of family.  After years of thinking that he no longer needed nor wanted anything like that anymore Vincent was unsure within himself now that not only was his father back in his life, but the woman he was seeing was willingly offering Vincent something similar to a second chance.

Knocking on her door had felt weird.  Telling her why he was there had felt even weirder.  Yet, she just smiled at him and welcomed him into her home with open arms - and a hug, telling him that he was always welcome to come and visit.

"Is that why you're so happy with such an extended family?"

"Do you mean you and Jesse, or Collin?  Or Tay and Jung?  I like being around people and being with them."

"You had your own family before my Dad came into your life, and now you have his own kids to deal with.  Not to mention you're having his baby too."

Releasing the controller with one hand, she dropped it to her baby bump, stroking it fondly.  "I've accepted that Alex has his own history.  Sometimes I do worry that making him go through it all again might make him slip back into the man you knew back in Ireland, but then I look at him and I just know he won't give up this time."  She gave Vincent another of her sunny smiles and went back to defeating Vincent's character in another death match round on the video game console.

"Does Dad..." Vincent paused, thinking of how to say the words that hung on the tip of his tongue.  It was his father he was prying into, in a way a son rarely did.  A son didn't ask the current lover of his father what they said to one another.  Some things were just private, between the two adults.  But still, he was curious.  "Does he talk to you about Ireland?  When he was there, my mother...?"

She paused the game and lowered the controller to rest on her swollen stomach.  Reaching over, she brushed her fingers fondly through Vincent's blue-black spikes, stroking the tips of her fingers against his scalp.  "You've told me more than he has.  Julian has told me more than Alex has ever said about when he was married to your mother, but he remembers them, and when I touch his hand I see flashes of those times.  He tried, he really did.  The drinking, the smoking, even the womanising came about because he felt like he failed being what he thought he was supposed to be with your mother."

He blinked at her.  "You really think that?"

"He really thinks that," she replied with a small smile.  "That's my 'power'.  I don't really talk about it, because I think it's wrong to pry into people's memories.  Memories are private and very precious, but I can see them.  I usually have to concentrate, but if someone is thinking about certain memories I can see them with just a brush of skin," she explained.  "I've told Alex that I'm 'Gifted', but explaining what I can do can become confusing.  It's not reading someone's mind - it's reading things they've got locked away.  Even things they themselves can no longer remember."

Vincent had thought she must have been gifted, but he had no idea what Yumiko's power was.  Poppy had told him about Dion's, and demonstrated her own.  By the looks of things, Poppy's power was completely different from either of her parents.  She had terrakinesis.  He had originally assumed Yumi had something similar.  To find out that Yumi had a power that affected a person's mind rather than the physical world came as quite the shock.  "So you can see what people remember?"

She nodded.  "I can also take them away," she admitted with a downward turn of her lips.  "And make false ones."

"So you can take away a person's memories?"

"I can, but I won't unless they have a reason to no longer want them.  Our memories are what makes us who we are, Vincent, I refuse to destroy a person just because of something bad happening to them."

"You can make my Dad think he never left me, can't you?"  She nodded, but the expression on her face was solemn; sad even.  He gave her a comforting smile and nudged her leg with his shoulder.  "I won't ask you to do something like that to him.  You might turn him into a bigger dork than he already is.  Heck, you might turn him into a 'Soccer Dad'."

Her lips pulle dinto a pout and a crease formed in the space between her eyebrows at the top of her nose.  She didn't look angry - more confused.  "You mean he doesn't play soccer?"

"Have you ever seen him do any form of physical exercise?"

The furrow deepened for a few moments while Yumi seemed to process this question, running through her mind all the instances where she had seen Alex and any activity that involved physical exertion (bar one particular act, but she was currently carrying one of the consequences of that act).  After the moments passed, her face split into a wide grin.  "He dances!" she announced, clapping her hands together like a small and over excited child.

This caused Vincent to let out a bark of laughter.  "He does not dance.  He's a man over the age of twenty nine."

She shook her head.  "Oh no, I've seen him.  We've danced a lot, even if it was just in private.  Did you know he's learning how to tango?"

He stared at her, completely gobsmacked.  Never in his entire life had he ever expected that his father would willingly learn any form of dancing.  This woman was a stark contrast to his mother - the woman Alex had married.  He was doing things for her he had never done for anyone before.  He was doing things for himself that he would have never done before.  Somewhere inside him, Vincent felt tugs of saddness.  Alex had left him - had left an entire family behind and now here he was forming a whole new one.

But there was a huge difference between the life Alex once had and the one he was living now;

It had Yumiko in it.

Vincent smiled up at her, feeling the warmth in her smile through his whole body.  "You're too good for him," he said softly.

"No one is ever too good for anyone else," she replied, reaching down and fondly ruffling his hair.  "People just think that some need to change to be able to be with other people.  No one should have to change to be in love.  It just happens.  Take the bad with the good because everyone has a flaw that they think makes them worthless compared to the one they love."

"What's your's?"  He felt bad for asking it, but she had put it out there.

She smiled: small, sweet and gentle but there was a slight sadness lingering beneath, as if a grey storm cloud formed in a bright blue sky.  Vincent couldn't find a flaw with the young woman that would make her want to feel worthless, but as he read her smile something she said earlier clicked into place.  "You can hurt peoples minds..." he said, voice barely above a whisper.

Yumiko could potentially destroy a person's mind.  She could turn them into a blank slate, or give them memories that were not their own.  There were people at the school who could destroy with fire they created with their minds.  He knew there existed monsters out in the world that could kill.  For years he believed he was nothing more than a beast - a thing to be caged and hated.

But Yumiko - She could be dangerous on a level that a human should never possess, but everyone she met simply adored her.  She was happiness in human form.  Love and honesty and kindness.  The pregnant woman sat on the sofa beside him was the direct opposite of every demon Vincent had ever met or heard about and yet she had the potential to become something far worse than anything like that.

"I'm glad you are who you are, Yumes," he added after a silence that settled.  "And because of that I think it makes what you see as a flaw invisible to everyone else."  He smiled up at her.  "Take it from someone who thought he was a monster; you're far from the terrible thing you think you might be.  I'm glad my Dad met you.  I think that you're the best thing thats ever happened to him."

Re-writing first meetings

There was a particular little coffee shop he liked to visit.  It was a further walk from the campus than the cheaper equivalent, but it was quaint, quiet and most importantly both the customers and staff didn’t feature judgemental eyes.  It was where he had the first date with the person who had dragged him down further than anyone thought was possible.  It was where he had charged out to beat a heartless bastard senseless until someone who proved themselves stronger than they looked pulled him away.  After the months melted together, meshing with alcohol, pain and a mindless existence, Raleigh found himself within the walls again.  He’d been trying to avoid the place because of all the memories it held, but it seemed to have muses living in the walls.  Inspiration flowed like water through his head whenever he sat down in the old and worn seats.  There was no other place quite like it and yet somehow all the praises that could be sung about it had been warped and twisted by his foolish actions.

Memories of those actions ran through Raleigh’s mind as he sat in a window booth.  Elbows on the table, fingers linked together to provide a resting place for his chin.  Warm heat floated upwards from the white ceramic coffee cup beneath the cover of his hands, the steam tickling his palms while his eyes lowered to the empty space that occupied the seat opposite.  Green eyes, vibrant and sparkling like emeralds compared to his own jade glass should have been looking at him from that seat, not the vacant nothing that wasn’t there.  Dwelling on the dead was a terrible thing to do.  He had already allowed the dearly departed to pull him down to the point where the undertow had swallowed everything he held dear.  Finding air and getting everything back was proving difficult, but he was going to do it.  His heart couldn’t withstand being turned into dusk, the loss of his light would tear him apart into nothing and he knew it.  Raleigh knew he couldn’t allow himself to give up and fall back on terrible times.  He had to let the dead rest and not cling to a memory that wasn’t even true.  It was the reason why he had been avoiding this cute little coffee shop.  Burying the monster meant wiping this place off his mental map completely, and yet Raleigh couldn’t find it in himself to part with it.  It had been his before Evan had come into his life.  Not every whisper in the shadows belonged to the murdered soul.

Tearing his eyes away from the chair, Raleigh’s gaze washed over the rest of the interior.  Wooden floors, booths at the walls for privacy, little tables set up with a few customers dotted about.  There was a stage with comfy sofas and chairs to his right, and tucked just to the left of the entrance was the main counter, manned by a girl with flamingo pink hair in pigtails and black ‘geek chic’ glasses perched on the bridge of her pointed nose, freckles dotted over her sun-brushed skin.  She had commented on how it had been a while since she seen him when he slipped into the building.  She had had her braces removed since Raleigh last seen her.  He just smiled a small smile and ordered a regular cup of coffee.  The place was relatively empty, although that may have been mainly because most of the customers would be in class at this hour.  What Raleigh hadn’t expected was for a person he thought he would never see again stride in.  Fuzzy memories muddled by alcohol floated to the surface of Raleigh’s mind, dragging with them those thoughts of self hate and hate for the rest of society with them.  Snapping his head away from the entrance where the figure stood talking with the barista, Raleigh forced his focus on the world through the window.  People walked on by like the building was invisible.

However, it seemed as if he’d been noticed, despite attempts to blend in with the scenery.  Having flaming red hair meant it was difficult to become one with the off-white walls.  The man came over to the table and announced his presence by clearing his throat.  “This seat taken?” he asked casually.

He could easily say yes and turn him away, but if he was to make amends with himself he had to fix those that had been affected by his self destruction.  Just because he thought they would never meant did not mean he was never going to apologise if the situation ever arose.  Let his eyes rest on the figure of the other male once again, Raleigh silently shook his head in response.

Given the signal, the other male placed his mug of coffee and cream down and settled down on the seat that had been the object of Raleigh’s scornful scrutiny.  He shrugged off his jacket and arranged himself before looking at Raleigh again, a smile on his face that reminded Raleigh of a child with an all-you-can-eat ice cream in his favourite flavour.  “Haven’t seen you for a while,” he said in as he ripped open the sugar packet and poured the contents into his mug.  “How’ve you been?”  He was acting quite amiable considering how Raleigh had last acted towards him.

Dropping his chin to sit only on his thumbs, Raleigh took a few moments before responding.  “Good,” was all he said.

“It’s a shame that you don’t come out anymore.  You used to be a lot of fun,” the other male mused as he stirred his drink.  “I’ve had a few people asking where ‘Razzle’ is.  You made quite the...” a pause “impression.”

Raleigh watched the spoon and the fingers swirling it around in the mug, the silence between them broken by the sound of the metal against the ceramic, the soft background music in the air and the voices of the other customers.  Pressing his lips to his fingers, he didn’t know what to say.  To put it quite simply, he didn’t know where to start.  He could blurt out an almost comprehensible ‘I’m sorry!’ but that would hardly be enough, especially for someone like Jack.  Finally, with a sigh he looked up once more to the green eyes of the other male; eyes that were green like polished emeralds.  The only thing that was similar between the pair.  It was the reason Raleigh had picked him – those eyes.  Jack had dirty blond hair that hung long and shaggy in his eyes in such a way that a slight shift in his head had him blinking against the strands that brushed his lashes.  There was a silver hoop in his right ear and a tribal tattoo that curled up from his shoulder blade to the left side of his neck just above the collar of his striped polo shirt.  As he sat there inspecting the other man without saying a word a thought popped into his head that made him smile behind his linked hands.

He didn’t want to see green eyes looking back at him.  He wanted a blue like ocean waves, set into a face of much younger years with skin untouched by ink and piercings.  He had only gone after this person for his eyes.  They certainly deserved an apology, but Raleigh didn’t have to make any more effort than that.  “Thanks, for what you did for me.”

Jack tilted his head to the left and gave a grin and a short sound that seemed like a chuckle.  “I never actively looked for you, I just always happened to come across you.  I followed the gossip; if people were talking about seeing Razzle in a bar or a club, and I’d think to myself ‘Hey, I wonder how he’s doing?’ and go and find out.  I figured out a long time ago that you were running from something that you couldn’t really escape from.  I’ve seen a lot of people run and get lost to the point where they can never get back.  You had something you didn’t want to completely run away from though and if you didn’t have something or someone to tether you, you’d lose it completely,” Jack explained, talking with his hands like he had always done in the few coherent moments in Raleigh’s memory that the pair had had an actual conversation.  “It was a letter you kept in your jeans.  You’d tried to start a fight with this suit and ended up getting the shit kicked out of you, and I carried you back to my place.  You smelt like you hadn’t changed in days, so I washed your stuff.  It was crumpled, like you’d read it thousands of times.”

“You didn’t read it did you?” Raleigh asked quickly, interjecting the other.

“Nah, it wasn’t my place,” Jack replied as he lifted his drink to his lips and blew over the surface, causing it to ripple like a pebble thrown into a vast like.  “But it was what you were holding onto; it was your thing you didn’t want to run away from.  If you had kept on going without something keep watch over you, you’d vanish – like those people you hear about in the news.  Bodies that turn up months later to shatter those hopes families have of their loved ones returning to them as if they’d just gone to the shops and got a bit lost on the way back.  I didn’t want to be sitting at home one day and hear that you’d been found dead in a gutter somewhere because you’d picked a fight with a guy who’d retaliated by sticking a knife in your gut.”

That was what had started him on his path to destroy himself, because someone he knew had done just that.  Someone had turned up dead and instead of grieving like a normal person, Raleigh had taken his grief and thrashed it out on the whole world.  In his head he knew that was how he had ended up, but it had never felt as real as it did with Jack explaining it all to him now even if it was months after the entire fiasco.

Despite the lack of response from Raleigh, Jack continued on regardless.  “I followed you out that day, when I last saw you.  I’d seen that kid around a few times, but I didn’t think you two knew each other.  I thought you were going to cry when he found you stumbling down the street.”  He took a few moments to watch the shift in Raleigh’s expression, and a knowing look entered his eyes.  “You did cry.”

Raleigh had clung to Lake had cried tears that had been building up inside himself for months.  Everything had swelled up into a maelstrom until just seeing Lake had sent the emotions toppling over the edge.  He blinked his eyes slowly in recognition of Jack’s assumption.

“After then I didn’t see nor hear anything about you.  I was worried that what I was trying to prevent happening to you had actually happened, but your name never cropped up.  I don’t know your surname, but your first name is distinct enough for me to keep an eye out for.”  He had drunk the contents of his mug down half way by the time he finished and lowered it once more onto the surface of the table.  Reaching over, he placed his hand over Raleigh’s connected pair and held his stare.  “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Listening and processing everything Jack said to him, there was one thing Raleigh noted that he felt he needed an answer for.  Pulling his hands away and dropping them into his lap, Raleigh sat back in his seat, blinking to break the contact in their gaze.  “You’ve seen it happen before haven’t you?” he asked, looking down into the cooling coffee in his cup, staring into the deep brown depths like the answer swam within like fish in the sea.  “Someone ran and ended up completely lost.”

Jack nodded, taking another sip from his own drink.  “My sister,” he said with just a beat between his response and Raleigh’s question.  “and myself.”  He curled both hands around his mug and swirled the liquid within.  “When the police found her she was just a shell.  She needs constant care and attention now; some days she doesn’t even remember her own family.  I couldn’t believe that people let something like that happen to her – I hated myself for being unable to help her.  I ran away from home and tried to be someone new, but I had a friend who wouldn’t let me go.  She didn’t try to stop me, but she kept watch out for me.  I had an anger I needed to get out, just like you did.  When she felt me slipping too far, she’d pull me back in.  She dragged my sorry ass all the way back home and showed me my sister to remind me of the fact she had done exactly what I was doing and she had ended up nothing more than a broken doll.  When I got better I vowed that if I ever met someone in the same boat I’d try and do what my friend did for me.”  He looked at Raleigh with honesty in his eyes.  “I didn’t know enough about you to force you to confront things, but I hoped that I could at least keep an eye out for you.”

“So you let me do the things I did to you because you thought it would help?  Because you thought you were just looking out for me?”

There was a one sided grin on his face, almost sick and twisted.  “If it wasn’t me then it could be that person who’d pull a knife on you.  Yeah, you were rough sometimes, but now and again something would slip through.  You talked in your sleep now and again and sometimes it’d be like a switch had been flicked in your head and you’d go from a wild animal to something...softer, and I’d hear you say some name.  Eli, Elliot, or something, I never heard it properly.”  Draining the rest of his coffee, Jack sat back as the base of his mug tapped against the table.  Both hands were palm flat on the tabletop, forcing his arms out straight.  “Judging from the fact I’ve not seen you around, and the way you look, I’d say you’re no longer running, right?”

Raleigh had never taken into account Jack’s point of view.  He had always assumed it was simply because he liked taking care of lost things, like in some kind of sick and twisted fairytale.  If there had been someone like Jack in the beginning to keep watch then perhaps Raleigh would have never thrown himself into his self-made punishment.  “Again, thank you for what you did.  I know I was a dick to you, and you didn’t deserve the things I did, but you achieved exactly what you set out to do, I’m just sorry I couldn’t be something more for you in the end.”

Jack gave a small laugh, waving his hand at him.  “I’m just glad to know you’re doing better.  Didn’t think I’d meet you here though – a friend introduced this place to me a few weeks ago.  I had no idea you came here.”

“I didn’t – not since...well, then,” Raleigh expressed with a small sigh.  “I’ve always liked this place though, it helps me think in a way a lot of other ‘artsy’ cafe’s don’t.  I’ve tried to avoid it because it brings back a lot of bad memories, and I must admit that seeing you has brought back even more, but I don’t feel as...bad...as I thought I would.”

“Just don’t go doing it again, okay?  As fun as Razzle was, I think I prefer the Raleigh right here.”  He motioned Raleigh’s entire person with a slow and purposeful move of his hand through the air.

Raleigh chuckled, shaking his head.  “That was a stupid nickname anyway.  I don’t even know who gave it to me; although I was pretty sure I was answering to anything by a certain point.”  He shook his head once more, only this time with more force to dissolve the thoughts and memories building up inside his mind.  “I’m not completely fixed, but I’m getting there.  I’m not going to give up this time.  I learned the pain once of loosing someone because of what I did – I don’t want to go through it a second time.”

“That person wrote you that note didn’t they?”

“I thought you said you didn’t read it?”

“I didn’t, but the way it looked was obvious that whoever had written it was important to you.  I’m glad you still have them in your life.  You’re really lucky to have someone who’ll accept you, even with your flaws.”

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Raleigh nodded.  They could have stayed in that foreign country and never come back, but they had.  Raleigh had promised never to let anything come between them again, and he was going to keep that promise.  He would do anything to keep the one person who made his heart feel alive in his life for as long as humanly possible.

Letting a silence descend over them once more, Raleigh stared into the now cold depths of his coffee.  He had only bought it out of sheer habit, but now that he had allowed it to cool it felt as if he’d wasted his money.  Sliding the hand that had been rubbing the back of his neck down to squeeze and massage his own shoulder, he sighed once more.  He really didn’t know much about Jack, despite the things they had done together and what he had discovered today.  They liked the same coffee shop and had both had a similar life experience but for the moment that was all they had in common.  He really didn’t know what to say now.  The air was different between them than it had been all those months ago.  He had picked Jack for his eyes, but now he didn’t need them.

“You can leave if you want to,” Jack said, snapping the growing lack of words that was developing between them.  “I let you out of my life once before, I can do it again.  You don’t have to force yourself to stay just because of what happened between us during the time you were trying not to be yourself.  I completely understand.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit heartless?” he asked, returning his gaze back onto the form of the other man.  “Saying that I don’t have to stay and build something between us?”

“Do you want to?”

“Well...Uhm...I’m not sure.”

Another grin slipped onto Jack’s lips, this time honest and understanding, splitting the seam to reveal the teeth within his mouth.  “You have that person in your life that you care deeply for, so I’m not going to try and replace that if that’s what you’re suggesting,” he countered.  “But I would like to be your friend, if I can.  If it’s too uncomfortable I won’t complain.  We can start from the very beginning if you like.”

Raleigh took a few moments to mull over Jack’s suggestion.  They had a history, but it was a pile of matchsticks compared to an actual brick-built friendship that Jack was offering.  Slowly, he held out one hand to the other male.  “Hello, I’m Raleigh.”

“Nice to meet you, Raleigh, my name’s Jack.”