#scfic

[brokenchairwrites]

Chapters five and six

Double post tonight bc I'm feeling some type of way about these boys right now.

[magicaldeputycashpony]

#바카라 #바카라실시간 #라이브바카라 #생활바카라 #카지노 #슬롯 #슬롯실시간 #슬롯머신 #카지노바카라 #바카라이기는법 #바카라게임 #실시간바카라 #블랙잭 #바카라전략 #바카라분석 #바카라배팅 #룰렛 #에볼루션 #에볼루션바카라 #art #autos



메리트 온라인 라이브카지노 

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가입전화xx 10분뒤 로그인GO

신규만 카지노&슬롯 10% 미니게임20%

매일 매충3프로 무료체험5만원 

#카지노- #에볼루션,#아시안 등 총10

#슬롯- #프라그마 #부운고 등 총14

#미니게임- #파워볼,#EOS파워볼 등

   메리트 온라인 라이브카지노 

1등 강력추천 업체  

가입주소  http://bitly.ws/sGUA

가입전화xx 10분뒤 로그인GO

신규만 카지노&슬롯 10% 미니게임20%

매일 매충3프로 무료체험5만원 

#카지노- #에볼루션,#아시안 등 총10

#슬롯- #프라그마 #부운고 등 총14

#미니게임- #파워볼,#EOS파워볼 등

   메리트 온라인 라이브카지노 

1등 강력추천 업체  

가입주소  http://bitly.ws/sGUA

가입전화xx 10분뒤 로그인GO

신규만 카지노&슬롯 10% 미니게임20%

매일 매충3프로 무료체험5만원 

#카지노- #에볼루션,#아시안 등 총10

#슬롯- #프라그마 #부운고 등 총14

#미니게임- #파워볼,#EOS파워볼 등

   메리트 온라인 라이브카지노 

1등 강력추천 업체  

가입주소  http://bitly.ws/sGUA

가입전화xx 10분뒤 로그인GO

신규만 카지노&슬롯 10% 미니게임20%

매일 매충3프로 무료체험5만원 

#카지노- #에볼루션,#아시안 등 총10

#슬롯- #프라그마 #부운고 등 총14

#미니게임- #파워볼,#EOS파워볼 등

   메리트 온라인 라이브카지노 

1등 강력추천 업체  

가입주소  http://bitly.ws/sGUA

가입전화xx 10분뒤 로그인GO

신규만 카지노&슬롯 10% 미니게임20%

매일 매충3프로 무료체험5만원 

#카지노- #에볼루션,#아시안 등 총10

#슬롯- #프라그마 #부운고 등 총14

#미니게임- #파워볼,#EOS파워볼 등

   72KFn

16184

scfic

[streetlampsunset]

      “Hey,” Stevie said, after David picked up his phone, “remember when we got really, really high with Bree and Sean the night before they left town and signed those guardianship papers?”     

     “Vividly,” David said, recalling just how funny he had thought it would be at the time, him and Stevie raising a baby out of the motel room he shared with his sister. Now, he had a business and a home. Also, hopefully, a very understanding husband, because David had some idea where she was going with this. It probably hadn’t been what Patrick had in mind when he asked David if he was ready to start the adoption process.

    “Okay, good, because I’m in your driveway and a social worker is going to be here any minute with Denim,” Stevie said

Ao3

[simplymarleycat]

Patrick comes through to make David's rough day a little better.

[theclaravoyant]

an addition to the family (david x patrick, schitt’s creek)

AN ~ I don't know exactly how this happened, but I have 2000 words of David x Patrick pro-pet adoption holiday season fluff with a healthy sider of David & Stevie friendship and 'delightfully half-half' Xtn/Jewish David, and I couldn't help but share it. Enjoy! and support your local pet shelters this holidays.

Rated T just in case. fluff. contains mentions of both Christmas and Hanukkah

Read on AO3 (~2100 words)

an addition to the family

After a snooty dachshund rejected his advances, David turned back to his stand and tried his best not to pull a face as he straightened a row of collars. He’d never really got dogs. There just seemed to be something about them he couldn’t vibe with; not even the neat, posh ones. But he could respect that other people liked them – and he certainly appreciated those who aspired to give their pets the best. His pleasure at the very popular reception of their hand-made organic dog treats was very much genuine… even if he wasn’t too keen on giving out the samples himself.

Patrick, on the other hand, was living up to his reputation with the local youths; kneeling in muddy snow at the adoption drive, helping kids get up the courage to pat his charges, which were on the larger side of the doggy spectrum. For some unknown reason that David could only boil down to the mysteries of love, it warmed his heart to notice that Patrick’s smile somehow resembled that of the gambolling Retriever-cross he was currently introducing to the nearest family as Buddy.

“Thinking about an addition to the family?” interrupted a familiar voice. Stevie, raising an eyebrow, over the cup of tea she had brought him.

David scoffed, and took the tea. “Ugh. No.”

“Come on,” Stevie cajoled. “I think it would be cute.”

“I think it would be… messy. And loud. And…”

And something shaggy and black and white, maybe a Husky or a Border Collie, was lying on its back while Patrick laughed and rubbed its belly. It pawed the air in delight.

David cleared his throat.

“Besides,” he finished. “We don’t have room for it in the apartment.”

“It doesn’t have to be a dog, you know,” Stevie pointed out. “Me, I’m thinking about getting a lizard. Or maybe a ferret. Like old Felix here.”

She swung her arm around, revealing a mouse-brown ferret with a white bandit mark across its eyes, wrapped around her arm quite contentedly. David yelped.

“Oh, God! Why??” Eye twitching, he reined himself in. They had customers to think of after all – not that most of them didn’t already know of his lack of affinity for animals by now. Most of them found it funnier than he cared for, to be honest. Still, he pulled out of the dive. “Why- why- why is Felix, um, here?”

“Because I wanted to try out these little hats,” Stevie said, plucking a tiny green-and-red elf hat from the table and arranging it on Felix’s head. He sat up, attentive, almost appearing to clap his hands. If he didn’t have such a rat-like face, it almost would have been cute. And dare he say it, David had an idea to make it even cuter.

“… We also have matching scarves.”

Resigned to his fate, and to sacrificing himself for the art, David picked a green one from the selection and pressed the stud so that it sit comfortably around the ferret’s neck. Felix wrapped a tiny hand around his finger in return.

“Aww,” Stevie said. “He likes you.”

“That’s nice,” David replied, withdrawing his finger with a half-hearted glare. He had intended to be sarcastic but actually, it did feel kind of nice - there was a reason after all, he supposed, that humans had domesticated animals for the last few thousand odd years. Why people then proceeded to abandon the little monsters in droves, he would never understand.

(Maybe he would have, not so long ago. But he tried not to think too hard about that.)

Instead, he focused on doing the best he could for the store. He peddled the dog treats, and cat treats, little booties and hats, collars, toys; everything. He encouraged people to take photos, tag them on Instagram, buy gifts for friends, and of course donate to the shelter. A handful of times, Patrick offered to cover, but since that meant David helping out at the shelter drive as his replacement, David declined. Besides, they were doing well, but it wasn’t like things were flying off the shelf. He got plenty of downtime.

Plenty of downtime to think.

Plenty of downtime to think about the apartment, the budget, the hints that Patrick had been dropping. The shop in Prague, whose resident cat Luna had once got him to buy what remained to this day his favourite mug. Maybe it wouldn’t be all bad.

(Maybe he was already vision-boarding outdoor sun-boxes and cat runs and reading about something called ‘cat mint’. But he wasn’t going to tell Stevie about that.)

Still, by the time the day’s festivities were winding up, David was in a much more pensive state of mind. He packed up their remaining supplies (there weren’t many; as always, he’d planned well) and wandered over to the shelter’s pens to wait for Patrick. Ted was there, explaining some flea drops to Twyla while Alexis made kissy faces at her friend’s new ginger cat. That, David told himself, is what caused him to wander over to the feline side of the selection.

Most of the pens had been cleared out by this point, and most of what were left were the older cats, the scarred ones, the ugly breeds or sickly-looking ones. David frowned; it was, he supposed, to be expected, but somehow if anything, that made it even more sad. His eyes caught the bright yellow ones of a black cat at the end of the aisle. There were a few of those left, too. This one had a scar on his shoulder, a bit of knotted fur where it was healing, but otherwise he was quite a handsome devil. Even if his gaze was a little too insightful for comfort, it kept David’s attention so thoroughly he didn’t in the slightest notice Ted sneak up.

“Hey, bud. How’s things?”

“Uh, good,” David replied, stammering to keep from jumping near out of his skin. He straightened up from his cat-examination angle, and found that a question seemed poised on his lips.

“I see you’ve meet Maccabee,” Ted pointed out, and bent over himself to greet the cat and pull him out for a cuddle, before turning his attention back to David. “He’s been in rescue for a year this Christmas. It’s sad, really; black cats are already least rescued because of some superstition, and with his scar and FIV on top of that –“

“What’s FIV?”

“It’s… like HIV. For cats.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Ted took a deep breath, and sighed it out. “He’s asymptomatic at the moment, but it still means he can’t live with other cats, or go outside where might run into them and get himself into trouble. It’s kinda limiting. Which sucks, ‘cause he’s a sweet little guy now that he’s had his testosterone – you know, permanently lowered - and some people won’t even pet him once they find out.”

Try as he might, Ted couldn’t hold back a little smile at David, who had already offered a knuckle for Maccabee to sniff and couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the little man. It took a solid few seconds for David to notice that Ted had stopped talking, and what he was doing, at which point he dropped his hand and cleared his throat.

“That’s, um. That’s a bummer.”

“It is. Especially because, you know, people can’t get it from cats.”

“Like, not at all? Are you sure?”

Somehow, David’s hand had found Maccabee again, and was scratching absently at the back of his neck. He watched for Ted’s answers closely, apparently unaware of what his fingers were doing.

“Not even if he bit your whole hand off,” Ted swore. “Certainly not if he… I don’t know. Sat in the same room or maybe, rubbed past some clothes…”

Something deep inside David was thinking, as Patrick jogged up the aisle to greet them. He saw who Ted was holding, and pouted.

“Mac’s still here, huh?”

“Yeah,” Ted sighs.

“And David- David, is here?” Patrick didn’t mean to sound so surprised, let alone hopeful, but he had been dropping an awful lot of hints that he was interested in getting a pet. He’d just assumed David hadn’t been picking up on them, or had misinterpreted them as the idea to come here. Either way, it seemed he had a foot in the door, if he trod lightly.

“Can I hold him?” Patrick asked Ted.

“Sure,” Ted agreed, passing him over. “I’ve gotta start crating the others anyway. Just bring him down the front when you’re done.”

As Ted walked away, David frowned.

“I thought you said you were allergic to cats?” he wondered.

“They make meds for that, David,” Patrick assured him, and cooed at Maccabee, letting the cat rub his face into his hand and paw at his shoulder.

“Okay.” David nodded and, more conscious of what he was doing this time, resumed scratching Maccabee between the shoulder blades and around the back of the neck. It seemed his mind had been made up for him – especially as he started to feel the tiny sputtering rumbles of a hesitant purr beneath the coarse black coat.

“Hey, Patrick?” David began again.

“Yes, David.”

“Did you know that Maccabee is the name of the group of Jewish warriors who took back the temple from Antiochus and lit the oil that started Hanukkah?”

Patrick blinked in surprise. “I kinda assumed it was something biblical but no, I didn’t know that.”

“So you didn’t set me up to meet this cat a week out from Hanukkah?”

“No.”

“And you didn’t name him Maccabee?”

“David. I met him this morning.”

“So you haven’t been conspiring for me to get you a furry four-legged friend these last few months.”

“Well…“

“And you didn’t bring Stevie, Ted, and/or Alexis in on this little gambit.”

“I wouldn’t say I brought them in. But yes. I think it would be nice to have a pet! I always had a dog growing up and Rachel had a cat – I miss being around them. And these little guys, they need a home. Mac needs a home, David.”

He lifted Maccabee’s face beside his own, glowing yellow eyes and pleading blue making a point together. Now that David thought about it, maybe they should add some kippot to their holiday hat collection.

“Come on,” Patrick continued. “You said it yourself, it’s basically fate – it’s divine intervention-“

“It’s a fundraiser set up for the sole purpose of helping the shelter adopt out animals,” David corrected. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

But the thought of putting Maccabee back in that sad little cage at this point and walking away was almost too much to bear. The thought of him sitting on the shop counter by Patrick as he worked the books, or batting him away from the menorah and the tinsel, or waking up to him on the end of their little bed – now that, David thought, suddenly felt like it had always been part of this little world he’d envisioned for himself.

And judging by the look on Patrick’s face, Patrick was envisioning something very much the same.

David took a deep breath, pretending to be much more laboured about the decision than he now was; he had a reputation to maintain, after all.

“You promise to clean up his poop?”

“I promise,” Patrick vowed.

“And you promise the allergy thing won’t bug you?”

“Literally got antihistamines in my bag.”

“Then I think we should do it,” David announced. “I think we should bring Maccabee home.”

“Really?” Patrick’s eyes lit up, and he held Maccabee a little tighter to stop from shifting him too much in his excitement. “Great!”

He bounded back up the front of the shelter stands, David following behind with the patient long-suffering smile for once. Ted was waiting at the back of his truck, one last crate awaiting, register and kitty (pun, as always, intended) long since packed away. His smile told David and Patrick he already knew exactly what had transpired, and he handed the spare crate and a manila folder over to David.

“That’s his welcome package – medical records, FIV info, council registration, stuff like that. Take a look, and if you have any questions, you know where to find me.”

“How much-“

Ted shrugged and waved them off.

“All sorted,” he said. “Happy Hanukk-cat, David. Merry Catmas.”

“Thanks,” “Thank you,” David and Patrick replied – and then Patrick added for good measure –

“And a Happy Meow Year.”

They could hear Alexis groan from the front seat of the truck. Ted laughed and joined her, calling as he went –

“Happy Meow Year to you too!”

[mayalaen]

HEY LOokee a fic i haven’t read yet for mthe awesome @majesticduxk (it took a really long time ot spell that one hikes!)

So a duck fic. Knights in no sto chining what was the other word? hang on guys SHining ArmoUr (I made the u capitcal because that’s the not USA version of spelling that i don ‘know why i care but ther eya go

Its’s a comedy. i din’t look at th tags but you’ll probably wanna fi you wread this

sorry got distrafcted. @dreamsfromthebunker messaged mer and i hat o say goodmorning because it’s morning for her and nigt for me.

BackTo The Fic!

But not when knights (actual knights!) surrounded them, pointing long pointy things at them.

POINTY THINGS! Yes thos e are csacarry!

m’s brain that was fanboying over actual real knights,

Sam woul dbe such acute fanfboy wouldn’t he?! gets tgho se upppyu eyes and nobdyc stands az chance!

OKay i’m only two paragraphs into thei scfic and this post loooks loneg so this will be 1 of some kinda number

[bloojayoolie]

Birthday, Crush, and Drugs: Pick a number? THE BASICS REDDIT SEX &SEXUALITY 49 Are youa virgin 1 Age 25. How many followers do you have 50. Has anyone seen you naked 2. Gender 26. Favorite subreddit 3. 27 Favorite redditor 51. Have you any tattoos/plercings Height 4. Weight 28. Amount of Lime you spend on reddit 52. Have you had a same-sex experience 5. 29. How many people have you chatted with 53. Have you ever sent a nude Where are you from 6. Zodiac sign 30. Last person you DMd/Chatted 54. Have you ever sexted 31. How many subreddits do you follow First name 7. 55. Have you ever kissed anyone 56. Am I attractive 8 Birthday 32. Do you follow any NSFW subreddits FAVORITE THINGS LOOKS SEXUAL NSFW 9 Favorite color 33. Hair style 57 Bra/dick size 10 Favorite food 34. Hair color 58. Pubic hair: natural, trimmed, shaved or none 11 Favorite music genre 35. Eye color 59. Do you have any body hair 12 Favorite song 36. Body type/build 60. Guys only: are you circumcised 13 Favorite movie 37 Ethnicity 61 How often do you masturbate 14. Favorite tv show 38. Favorite outfit 62. Last time you masturbated 15. Favorite animal 39. What are you wearing 63. Have you ever watched porn 64. Ideal sexual/physical attributes 16. Favorite thing to do 40. Type of underwear you wear 65. Favorite sexual fantasty LIFE/EXPERIENCE RELATIONSHIPS 66. Turns ons/ Turn offs 17 Your hobbies/sports 41 Sexuality 67. Any kinks 18. Future job/ambitions 42 Relationship status 43. Who is your crush 19. Have you drank /smoked MISC 20. Have you done drugs 44. Celebrity crush 68. Send a scfic 21. Do you have any pets 70 Send me a DM/Chat message 45 Have you ever cheated on someone 71. Ask whatever you like (can't say no) 72. Ask me one 22. Best memory 46. Ideal girtfriend/boyfriend 23. Most embarrassing moment 47. Idea of a perfect date 24. Dream vacation 48. Have you asked anyone out EXTENDED EDITION JULY 2019 THE REDDIT RITEENAGERS PICK A NUMBER GAME You know the drill

[wendyandcharles]

Tweeted

ReadersGazette: RT authorparomita: #amreading Scfic for the first time.Loved to watch them on TV. But Maya is a … https://t.co/Wfs510x0kV

— Wendy Siefken (@WendyandCharles) July 14, 2017

[brokenchairwrites]

Chapters Seven and Eight

[stevishabitat]

Fanfic as Self-Care

OK fic authors, I just came up with an idea. I don't have the spoons to write it just now, and I'm not sure I'd be good at it anyway. But I thought I'd toss it out into the wild and see if it nibbled on anyone's brain.

So the thought is... self-care fics. Basically, it's a self-care technique disguised as a fic.

So like, one character talks another character through a relaxation mediation to help them fall asleep.

Or one character teaches another character how to use a grounding technique.

Or a character describes to another character how they use a daily ritual (like making tea) as a mindfulness exercise.

I was thinking about it in the context of Good Omens, but I think it could probably fit into a lot of fandoms, in the context of hurt/comfort (as long as it's fairly tame), or a soft fluff fic, or a slice of life...

So yeah, that's my idea. Feel free to run with it if it pings your brain.

I'd really love it if you'd let me know though, if you do make a fic. Cuz I want to read the heck out of these!!!

[streetlampsunset]

I'll Be The Light To Guide You (Find Out What We're Made Of)

Ao3

David found Alexis at a bend in the stream. Her face lit up when she saw him. Curly tendrils of dark hair had escaped her braids. Her dress was muddy at the hem, a rip in her stockings. An old pair of his converse lay abandoned at the edge of the water, her feet bare.

One of the groundskeepers had seen her wander into the forest beyond the south lawn.  They had nannies, but they were actively discouraged from keeping a close eye on them.

"A watched cauldron never boils," Moira had said, holding David's cheeks in her hands. She turned his head side to side, inspecting him as if he were a prospective piece of art. "Oh, David," her eyes bore into his, "what a fine young witch you make. My bébé boy." She broke away, leaving as quickly as she came. "Run along, now. There is much to be learned out in the great yonder."

They were supposed to be meeting with their Latin tutor, but Alexis skipped it when she didn't feel like going. She had a far better ear for languages and David always learned faster when he didn't have half a mind focused on worrying over where she was.

"David," Alexis called, nearly tumbling into the water as she stepped from stone to stone to get back to him. The stream was low, but wide. A series of sunken stones and downed trees bridging the gap.

"Hi Bluebell," he wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she barreled into him. Alexis had tied her braids together with the thick cream ribbon. He had sewn small silver bells along the edges last week and they rang, soft and clear, through the woods. "We have Latin soon," he said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "What are we doing out here?"

Alexis tipped her head back to look at him, "The birds finally left their nest!" She stepped away to point across the river. She had been diligently monitoring a clutch of Robins, their pale blue shells calling to her long before they gave way to small, chirping birds. “I want to collect the shells and their soft little baby feathers.”

Alexis turned back to look at him, crinkling her nose. The summer sun had left a spray of freckles across her cheeks. David hoped they didn’t disappear as autumn blew in; they were endlessly charming. “Will you get it for me?” Alexis asked, “I can’t get across.” She gestured to the path through the stream.

“Um, no,” David said. He scaled a small hill to settle cross legged on a wide, flat rock. “You can get it yourself.”  He would help her if she truly needed it, but she didn’t. She was just used to getting her way.

“David!” she protested, “It’s really hard.”

“Alexis,” David replied calmly, flipping open his Latin text. “You are perfectly capable of crossing the steam on your own.” He glanced up. Alexis had her hands on her hips, mouth turned down in an approximation of a pout. “I’m not always going to be there to do things for you. You need to learn to do them on your own.”

"And why not, David?” she asked, “Where are you going, hmm?" David heard the sound of his mother's heels clacking on the foyer, his father's office door closing. Nowhere. I’m right here. You’re the one who’s going to leave me.

"You're stalling," he said, gesturing pointedly at the rocks.

“Fine,” Alexis huffed, toes digging into the earth. She had a defiant set to her shoulders, tilting her head as she studied the water.

David watched her step on a wobbly log for the fifth time in a row. It would get her closer to the next rock, but it hadn’t set properly in the bed of the stream. There was one a few feet away that was sturdier.

“Try the other one,” he said as she flung her arms out for balance. Alexis looked back at him skeptically, but did as he suggested. He set the textbook in his bag and scooped up her shoes, following her across with deft movements.

“You could do that the whole time,” Alexis said, scowling as she took her shoes. She knelt down to tie them with agitated motions.

“Yes,” David bit back a laugh at the indignant crinkle in her forehead, “and now you can too.”  

“Okay, but, can you just climb the tree for me?” Alexis asked, eyes drafting up to the next. She bit her lip, looking scared, and that wasn’t right. Alexis was the most reckless, fearless person he knew.

“Nope,” David said, “if I have to miss Latin for this, you’re getting the nest yourself.”

He slid a courage charm from his bag; twin cinnamon sticks wrapped in twine, “Here, I made it with mom. It’ll make you brave.” It was supposed to anyway. David had never felt particularly courageous, but Alexis didn’t need to know that. She held out her wrist and he tied it on.

Alexis scrunched up her nose. "I don't feel any braver."

"You have to choose to," David said, "that's all magic is, intention. You have to want it to work."

"It didn't look so far up before," Alexis said, tipping her head back to look up the tree. "It's scary high, David."

"Good," David followed her gaze. It was pretty high up, but there were a good number of branches. She was light enough that they would hold her, "then you'll be careful."

"David," she pleaded.

"Alexis," he repeated in the same whiny tone. "Be scared then," he said seriously. "Choose to do it anyway." He was a little scared for her, if he were being honest. He dug his fingernails into his hands to keep from stopping her. She could do it for herself; it was important that she knew that.

"Oh." Alexis looked as if the idea hadn't occurred to her. “Okay.” She reached for the lowest branch, a line of determination between her brows. He wondered if she knew she was floating, hovering in mid air for a fraction of a second, as she made the leap up to grab hold of it.

She wasn’t so lucky with the second, worn rubber soles slipping against the trunk of the tree. David watched, with slow mounting horror, as her fingers unwound from their hold one by one. He had never moved faster in his life.

“You caught me,” Alexis said, starting up at him with wide, blue eyes. He held her in his, shockingly steady, arms. His heart pounded against his chest.

“I’ll always catch you,” David said emphatically. It was his job to be there when she needed him.

“Promise?” Her voice was still a little shaky.

“Promise,” he said without hesitation. David set her on her feet, smoothing his hands over her shoulders. “Ready to try again?”

“You’ll be right here the whole time?” Alexis asked, searching his face.

“You’re stalling,” David said with a teasing grin. She rolled her eyes, turning to reach for the branch. He had the feeling Alexis would fall again, but he would always be there before she could hit the ground.

Part 3 of ?

[theclaravoyant]

AN ~ I didn’t get to as many @fictober prompts as I had hoped, but it’s technically still October, so have another! This one I was able to upload directly to AO3 (770wd) - the others will be joining it shortly.

Summary: David and Patrick are in New York, and David is feeling nostalgic.

Prompt number: 20. “You could talk about it, you know?”

Fandom: Schitt’s Creek - David x Patrick

Rating: T

Warnings/Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Mild Angst with a Happy Ending

Home

It was red-letter day, when David woke before Patrick. He was usually very good at sleeping, but tonight, the honking, bustling, shouting city outside the hotel seemed to have permeated through to his very bones. He couldn’t remember how he’d ever learned to shut it out. He had no idea how small-town born-and-bred Patrick was pulling it off, let alone with such… decorum.

(David frowned as he looked over at the pillow beside him and studied Patrick’s face. He was beautiful, a majesty, but somehow too composed. David had been hoping for a little more dishevelment, but then again - in sleep as in all things, he supposed - he was probably enough of a mess for the both of them.)

A mess.

That’s what he was. Maybe not as much of one now as he once had been, but still. It bothered him that he couldn’t just get over it; that even now, he couldn’t stop himself wondering if maybe, a message would appear from one of those ‘friends’ who’d left him on read for the last seven-odd years. Not that it would matter, he told himself, because who cared what they thought? He didn’t. Did he? He didn’t want to, at least. But he couldn’t help thinking, if his phone did light up, what would he do? Would he get jealous, insecure, turn into a bumbling mess and hide? Or would he show off, lord Patrick and the Rose Apothecary over them because he’d finally made something of himself? Either way, he would definitely care, whether the person on the other end deserved it or not.

What else is new? a little voice whispered in his head, and David blinked his eyes as wide as he could manage to try and chase it away.

“Okay,” he whispered to himself. “I am way too sober for that right now.”

David didn’t tend to believe in the alleged near-sacredness of the earliest hours of the morning. He had no doubt they were beautiful, but as he had once told Patrick not so long ago, you know what else is beautiful? Sleep.

Still. If he must be awake at this atrocious hour, there were worse places to be than a hotel room with his husband, overlooking the New York skyline, watching the sun rise. He shook his head, officially giving up on sleep once and for all, and slipped away from Patrick’s side and out of bed. As quietly as he could, he made a cup of coffee, and hunkered down over it at the little table by the big window.

Being back here had his thoughts spiralling a lot more than he’d thought – or at least hoped – they would. As much as he enjoyed treating Patrick to the city, it had him reminiscing on pain and loneliness, compromising situations, a broken home. More than once, he’d contemplated abandoning ship and driving all the way back to Schitt’s Creek on his own. But perhaps there was something to be said for the early morning after all, because as he watched the city he had once called home become bathed in a soft golden light, he was filled with memories of fall leaves and first kisses and the welcoming, endlessly fascinating hallways of the Met. Cream cheese bagels and the relentless rainbows of his first Pride and a different, quieter sort of pride that had bloomed in his chest when he’d set the perfect piece of art over his first mantlepiece.

Patrick woke to find his David uncharacteristically still and sombre, gazing out the window as if deep in thought. It was a rare and entrancing sight, and Patrick was loathe to interrupt, but if he were being honest, he was curious – maybe even a little worried. So he slipped out of bed and poured himself a coffee, and eased into the edge of David’s vision, following his gaze out the window as if he might find meaning somewhere out there as well.

“David?” he asked, “everything alright?”

David hummed, a noncommittal, is it ever?, because it kind of felt like it was, right now, even though his heart was starting to hurt.

Patrick frowned. “You could talk about it, you know.”

“I’m… not sure that I could,” David replied, and for once, he wasn’t trying to be enigmatic or melodramatic or any of those other things he often was. Honestly, it felt impossible to wrap words around the depth and breadth of his feelings. But somehow – like he always did – Patrick understood something of what he was getting at.

“I think I might know what you mean.”

As Patrick looked out over David’s busy, bustling, artful city, he could see why it must have felt so much like home once. But he knew David hadn’t slept since they’d arrived, and he had seen the moments of stillness between the show, and he wondered what it must be like for David to be back here in the city that had seen him raised to a glittering life and then abandoned him. Patrick still didn’t know everything about David’s past, not even almost, but he knew that a lot had changed these past few years. He wondered if David felt like an entirely different person.

And he wondered what it would feel like for he himself to go home. To walk the same streets he’d walked with Rachel, perhaps with David instead. To go to the same ice-cream parlour he’d been to as a boy, and the arcade – was that even still there? He wondered what it would be like to visit his old college, where he’d played football and studied business law and drunk beer out of red cups and for all intents and purposes been the perfect straight man in more ways than one. Would he have been bullied, if he’d known, if he’d shown it, back then? Or would he have stood on that little stage at that little café around the corner, and sung freely about life and love and finding oneself? Perhaps a little of both. He had always been one to get what he wanted. How might his life have gone if he’d known what that was earlier? How would it feel to be home – and was it even still home, after all this? He thought, maybe it was. Maybe this was just what home felt like, once you’d left it.

“Hey.” David looked up, and nudged Patrick. “Are you alright? I didn’t mean to get all deep and meaningful…”

Patrick shook his head. “It’s alright. I was just thinking that… I love you.”

“I love you, too,” David promised, and smiled softly, as if he never tired of hearing that, nor of saying it back.

(A very different person, indeed.)

They spent a moment longer watching the sun come up, finishing their coffee together in mutual silence. The moment stretched on, and at first it was pleasant, a moment out of time, but as surely as the tide David soon felt that rising itch to fill the void. He swallowed it down, so as not to spoil the moment, but so help him, he was eternally grateful when Patrick finally asked –

“So what’s on the agenda for today?”

David took a deep breath, and pulled two thin, bound itineraries toward himself, pushing one toward Patrick as he turned his to the appropriate page.

“I’m so glad you asked,” he said.

[sarohmanning]

ATVing and Other Things

Soccer Cop AU: Alison and Beth go ATVing. All you really have to know about this universe is that they're teenagers (and they're super gay nerds).

Rating: T

Words: 1006

(also on ao3)

“Come on, Ali, go faster.”

The ATV bumbles along the detritus-strewn trail. Hitches and grooves in the road might have sent Beth’s head colliding with Alison’s bulky helmet if they weren't going so fucking slow.

A muffled tut of disapproval reaches Beth. “This is the limit on these trails, Beth.”

“Ten is a suggestion, not a rule.”

Alison scoffs. She had insisted on driving when Beth proposed a ride on the four-wheeler, all too aware that Beth was a maniac when in control of the vehicle – most likely owing to Sarah’s adrenaline junkie influence.

“Sarah and I go 30 and we've never had any accidents. Well, there hasn't been any serious accidents,” Beth retorts, correcting herself quickly. She may be able to recall a few incidents that resulted in quite a few bandages and half a dozen tubes of Polysporin.

Alison swivels slightly to glower at her. The ATV jerks to a lurching halt, sending Beth’s nose crashing against Alison’s helmet. The roar emitted by the ATV is abruptly discontinued.

“Ow,” she mutters, her fingers prodding her aching nose gingerly.

“Elizabeth Childs! You've been riding without a helmet?!”  

“Uh...”

Prior to wrenching the ATV into gear and heading down the trails, Alison had ensured that both their helmets were securely fastened. Beth must have stealthily removed hers without her noticing; Alison can see it buckled to the rear grate of the ATV.

“Beth! This is unacceptable! What if we had crashed?” Although Alison’s livid expression is hidden by her helmet, Beth is able to imagine it precisely. From the crinkle in her brow to the severe downturn of her lips and the dainty narrowing of her eyes, Beth has been a victim to that gaze an innumerable amount of times.

“Alison, you were literally driving in slow motion. I know what I’m doing.”

Daggers are thrown in Beth’s direction despite the visor dividing them. “Just put in on.”

“Alright. But seriously, Ali, this is boring.”

The ATV growls to life, quivering beneath them.

 “If you wanted to go racing through the forest, probably seriously injuring yourself in the process, then you should’ve asked Sarah,” Alison snaps.

Beth just shrugs before snaking her arms around Alison’s midriff, dragging herself forward until her torso is entirely pressed against Alison’s back, her head turned sideways to compensate for the helmet she’s now wearing. The ATV continues its trek down the forest trail. A mischievous smirk curves Beth’s lips as it dons on her how to make this little escapade much more enjoyable.

Her thumbs lightly prod the material of Alison’s t-shirt up to reveal a band of silky skin. Slipping her fingers against Alison’s abdomen, she begins to trace nondescript shapes. Alison either doesn't notice or it still too enraged to acknowledge Beth’s ministrations.

Fine, Beth thinks, I can work with that.

Her fingers trickle slowly downwards until they’re on Alison’s thighs. She continues her ministrations, writing unintelligible words up and down with her fingers, occasionally tracing them across Alison’s inner thigh. Beth supposes that Alison is still stubbornly refusing to react until the ATV twitches almost imperceptibly to the right. An impish grin blooms behind Beth’s visor, and she ceases her ministrations to survey their surroundings. At the pace Alison has set, they’re not nearly close to making their way completely around the trail – the track encircles the lake that Alison’s parents’ cottage is located on – Beth estimates they can't even be a third of the way. She has plenty of time.

She returns her hands to Alison’s abdomen, this time much less subtle with her attentions. Her fingers languidly chart the contours of Alison’s sides, right where she knows Alison is most ticklish. She swears Alison shudders slightly in front of her, but with the gyrating motions of the ATV it’s impossible to say for certain. She continues her cycle, her roaming fingertips retreating to Alison’s thighs again. A large rock on the trail causes a hitch in the ATV’s progress, provoking Beth’s fingers to slide much farther up Alison's thigh than she had intended. This time, the ATV’s lurch to the right is significantly harsher and wholly obvious, nearly sending them into a shallow ditch. Alison terminates the gas again, sending both of them sprawling forward at the brisk stop.

Alison pivots around, simultaneously pulling off her helmet. Her hair cascades around her shoulders, but before Beth can truly appreciate its softness her eyes are pulled to Alison’s fuming expression. There’s a flush of rosy colour climbing Alison’s neck, her ears tinged an identical hue.

“You do realize that you almost just sent us off the side of the road?” she growls.

Beth takes off her helmet in turn. “I almost sent us off the side? I don’t recall being in control of the handlebars.”

“Yeah, well, you were distracting me!”

Beth conceals a smirk, her eyebrows crinkling in a deceptively innocent expression. “What? I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Yes – you – you were – you are infuriating.”

Beth purses her lips to suppress a laugh.

“Elizabeth. Childs. This is not a joke!”

Beth hums in acknowledgment and swings her leg over the seat to clamber off of the ATV. “As much as I hate it, it’s incredibly sexy when you say my name like that,” she murmurs, remounting the ATV. She settles in front of Alison, facing her.

Alison huffs disapprovingly. “What do you think you’re-" Alison's breath hitches as Beth leans forward, "-doing?” Her voice raises an octave as Beth presses her lips to the side of her neck. “I’m still angry.” Alison loathes the flimsiness of her voice that reveals she’s more so reminding herself of this fact rather than reminding Beth. Her eyelids flutter shut helplessly as teeth graze her neck.

“You don’t,” Beth mumbles, lips mapping Alison’s jaw, “seem to be complaining.”

“You’re still in trouble,” Alison assures her. Beth slowly presses against the other girl until they make contact with the soft material of the ATV seat. She straddles Alison across its length, their lips a hairsbreadth away.

“Oh, I'm counting on it.”