open starter for @shrikestart​

sat in the food court, lola leisurely sipped from the straw of her cup as xe relaxed back into her chair. it’s her lunch break, and what better way to spend it than people watching? okay, there are many ways lola would rather be spending it than eating junk food in a busy mall food court, but it wasn’t too bad. she got to judge peoples outfits and watch teens’ bad first dates go down.

and also watch people literally go down. looking almost completely unbothered except for one brow being raised, lola watches on as the third person in a span of twenty minutes slips and crashes to the floor.

“eh, i’d give it a six out of ten. that was some nice flailing, but could’ve done with a fuller tray of food for some extra…pizazz”

☻

monty hated eating alone. absolutely despised it, actually. it wasn’t that he was a messy eater or anything of that nature but he himself looked at loners on his lunch break and felt bad they had no one to share conversation with. so finding someone like lola to avoid the awkwardness was a blessing he would never take for granted.

“a six?” he shoveled another forkful of lo mein into his mouth, “you kidding? they almost got a full somersault in- that’s an olympic level performance if i’ve ever seen one.”

“okay fruity it is.” quickly mixing up a drink “it has been a day is pretty much all i can say about that. i have been spending most of the day wishing i was the one drinking instead of being the one dishing out the drinks, but like hell. what else is new?”

☻

“whats stopping you?” monty questioned as he stuck the straw in his mouth, one eyebrow raised, “i promise not to tell if you toss one back. hell- i’ll even do it with you.”

˙ ˖ ✶Monty

“no, i also need someone who can scratch my back when i can’t reach,” kian teased. the demons of his past would always haunt him, the love he wished he had in a place that was supposed to be a home would never be there. but he had monty, and he was more than happy with this, with him there wasn’t much else he needed.

the night grandma chase had passed, kian got his phone taken away, had no way or form of contacting the one person in the world whose voice he wished to hear. “those would be the times, even if i would always fall asleep on you first. you always had so much more energy than me, even when i would try to fight how tired i was and stay awake for you.” he giggled, smiling at the old memories. the good ones. “maybe she has, and hector is pretty close i guess, so that would make you the funniest one here, is that what i’m supposed to let others know?”

“you’re still my guy,” kian blushed letting his hands caress his best friend’s features before turning red at the kiss on his forehead. “still, part of me wishes i had been your first as well, i just thought that we always made sense, y’know.” with a shrug, he didn’t think he was implying too much, not anymore than the already obvious for that matter. “can’t say if it was your best, but it was the best for me.”

“really? alright well maybe round two should get started,” he teased playfully, pressing another kiss to his lips.

☻

“oh shut up” the playful banter between the two only made the thrumming in his chest spread. monty never anticipated that it would be this easy to reconnect and fall back into old patterns. and create some more while at it. “yeah, when nan would forget to give me my ADHD meds i would be up for hours, ki. but it was fun watching you drool... on me.” he smiled to himself, “go ahead and scream it from the rooftops for me, yeah?”

monty was rubbing the back of kian’s head now, careful not to disturb his friend’s speech as he listened closely, “while that’s extremely flattering, i’m glad you got me at my prime.” he teased, biting hard on his inner cheek, “it’s definitely up there.”

while monty was extremely keen on this idea, his eyebrows knitted together as he turned to look at his alarm clock atop his bedside dresser, “fuuuuck, i’ve got work in an hour.”

***

“close-ish, i mean we hang out here and there, he’s not as annoying as he was when you two were dating,” hector joked. “deadly, yeah, that’s one way to put it.” hector took a large sip of his beer as he thought about it before bringing himself back to earth. he definitely didn’t need to go into the details and if amavi happened to say something to monty then he’d just have to deal with it then. “no shit, right? guess we were all bound to come back eventually or some shit. i don’t know. maybe you can never really get away.” hector shrugged, feeling bitter about it and also at the same time he knew that there was a part of him that had felt better since being home. realizing just how fucking lonely it had been out in Texas.

“we just had an argument the night before i left. i had wanted to see them to say goodbye and i don’t know, there was a lot of shit we hadn’t talked about over the years and it kind of just bubbled over and instead of talking it out we just argued. like everything she said pissed me off and vice versa. it was dumb and we said a lot of dumb shit when what i really should have told her was i was gonna miss he and i love her.” hector cleared his throat when he realized he had said it out loud, the sentiment feeling weird and he couldn’t even look at monty for a moment as he finished his beer. “yeah i mean you’re at the top of the list, i guess,” hector joked finally, though sitting there with monty now, he realized just how much he had missed his best friend. his truly better half. Texas had been lonely as fuck and even though it held his baseball dreams. he was starting to realize that actually having people to turn to just might be the most important of all. but he wasn’t totally settled on that yet. “next time you jet off though, i’m coming with you.”

☻

“you thought he was annoying? noo...” monty was glad that hector was at least there for his ex. and he couldn’t tell if his lack of jealously meant he was an asshole or if it was better that those feelings were removed. amavi had no obligation to wait for him, even more so in the way monty left things. so if he had really moved on, he found relief in that. “even many miles away, i definitely kinda missed it. or maybe i just missed the people.”

he could only listen as hector continued, afraid to speak up on the matter. he really didn’t know what to say, “oh wow.” it was all he could manage, “and you haven’t said anything about it to them since?” monty found himself gulping down the remnants of his own drink. “you fucking guess? well i’m confident when i say i missed your big ass head, hect.” and it was true, he never really found someone to fill the best friend-sized hole he left when he jetted off, “yeah you better. i’d like to see what sort of menace back home would bring outta you.”

a shriek turned laugh escaped them as the dog hair went flying, using their arms to shield themselves from the attack. “ i guess i deserved that… oh. ”it was an unexpected response, not wanting to ask any follow up questions, but they could tell that it personal either way. and the two of them never really delved into personal territory, tending to stay on surface level topics. “ copy. well, i’m sure she’s glad to see you. not as glad as i am, of course,” they teased, mouth opening in shock as their sucker was pulled right from their hand, attempting to grab it back over the counter with no avail. “ hey! ugh, you haven’t changed a day, swear you’re still seventeen in study hall. i thought when people leave their hometown to go abroad they go through some spiritual awakening and growth? did it skip you? ” but cherry couldn’t deny the thrill, eyes sparkling deviously. they lived for this. “ or is this you changed?” they couldn’t deny they were curious how monty’s time away was, unsure if asking now while he was clocked in would be bad timing.

☻

“yeah no- she’s fine. just a little worse for wear but it seems most around here are the same.” monty didn’t want to delve to deep into the subject, he and his nan were both stubborn enough to deny her worsening condition. “actually, she did a cartwheel as soon as i got home. i have yet to see any such theatrics from you.”

he grinned widely at cherry, snapping his hand back before they could reach and sticking the lollipop between his own lips, “cherry flavored? really? you’re a goddamn cliché, huh?” though his face read like they were speaking utter blasphemy, he couldn’t help but agree. as long as this rivalry remained, monty found he didn’t really want to change. “you know, i did change. i actually found myself more than ever back in straya- i found that annoying the ever-living shit out of you is my sole purpose and i intend to never falter.”

…

It was such a big question and such a small one at the same time and Matty wasn’t sure how to answer. He was okay? He was terrified for the safety of himself and his loved ones? He wanted to be angry at the question but he couldn’t bring himself to. He wanted to be angry at his friend - if they were still friends, after all this time, but he couldn’t do that either.

“I’m, um.. I’m okay, things are… Well, you know, things are kind of bad around here, but.. I’m okay.”

☻

monty didn’t realize how stupid of a question it was until his matty replied. he knew of the violence well before he arrived back into town, his nan very adamantly upset that he was entering himself into the madness on her behalf. perhaps it was ignorance that didn’t make him pause to think about his old friends and the terrible shit they have been through in his absence. and maybe he would have asked something else- something a bit more thought out but the shock was enough to leave him dumbfounded.  

“yeah, i’m sorry. that was dumb...” he was looking everywhere but matty, “i’m glad to hear that, though- truly.”

**

“yeah i probably do but here i am, stuck with you,” he told him with a wink. “oh was he? well that must have been a nice welcome home. did he tell you that he and your grandma have finally decided to go steady?” hector rolled his eyes when monty asked about amavi, wondering how the guy could be so oblivious. “yeah, he has and he still feels like shit because you broke up with him over the phone. believe me, i’ve heard all about it. we’ve uh, hung out a bit,” hector told him, figuring that was safe enough to say without it being weird. “i mean only so many people to hang out with you know? anyway, at least talk to the guy, you know? apologize. buy him some coffee or something. just you know don’t hook up with him cause then he’s gonna get real confused.”

“did they? yeah they are…the sweetest.” hector was quiet for a moment, focused on the label of his beer can as he sat back on the couch. “honestly it kind of blew my mind to see them. you just see someone and it feels like it’s been fucking lifetimes since you’ve seen them but you kinda still feel like it was maybe just yesterday..I don’t know, that sounds corny as fuck, ew,” hector said and shook his head. “it was just cool. you know uh, cherry and i got into it before i left. i dont know, when i think about it now i think it’s just that we’re shit at goodbyes,” he concluded with a laugh. “i dont know, i didnt miss a lot of people while i was gone but i kind of always missed them.”

☻

“eh, not really my type.” monty grinned, his tongue clamped between his teeth, “yeah, man, it was definitely...something.” he brought his beverage back up to his lips, suddenly noticing the conversation tensing. hector wasn’t wrong- he needed to talk to amavi. in person. not over the goddamn phone. monty knew it wouldn’t be the smoothest, so maybe he just needed to rip the band-aid off. “yeah...yeah i know. even after all these years i still feel like a piece of shit- deservingly so. you lot are close friends then, huh? that’s a deadly combo.”

he slouched back in his seat, the back of his head finding the edge of the couch, “yeah, you’re telling me. these past few days have felt like goddamn high school all over again.” monty eyebrows suddenly raised, concern knitting into his face, “got into it? the hell happened?” he paused for a moment, “but you missed me most of all, right?”

cherry couldn’t really explain the pull that monty had over them, but it had been there since freshman year: the bantering and bickering, the natural back and forth, always having to one up the other. if anything it was free entertainment, and around here getting some free entertainment was hard to come by.. they would take this any day over some cheap thrills, a slow grin spreading at the old nickname. 

“ you caught me. missed you terribly, mon. it’s nice to see you back here, dog hair and all. always suited you, ” they responded with a grin, a delighted look on their face as they leaned forward on the counter. this was a much better way to spend the time before work. “ seriously though, what the hell are you doing back here? you booked it, and now’s not exactly the best time to be making a grand return, as i’m sure you know, ” they gestured to the general space, before pointing a chipped black polished finger at him, “ not that i’m not happy to see you, cause i am. should i break out those multiplication charts and we race, for old time’s sake? ” cherry found it ironic that two people from their past had magically found their way back into their life, but with very different presences. “ if you lose, i pierce something. ” 

☻

he almost felt a sort of excitement. when it came to monty and cherry-  boring was never an adjective used to describe their conversations. well, more bickering. so needless to say, monty was excited. he found a competitiveness that differs greatly from that needed in his athletic endeavors- a need for wittiness that he usually only uses with the very individual that stood before him. 

“do ya think so? i’m trying out ‘golden retriever’. it’s new so you probably wouldn’t get it.” he ran a hand through his hair, shaking out globs of yellow fur that he swore weren’t there a few minutes ago, “it’s my nan. i’m grandma-sitting and someone needs to play bodyguard for the crazy lady with all this chaos going on.” monty offered a half-hesitant grin, it failing to meet his eyes, “well, i’m just bloody ecstatic. i was just thinking about how my wonderful day could get better... and there you were.” 

monty reached forward and snatched their sucker, his grin growing devious, “oh, cherry, don’t you dare tempt me with a good time.”

˙ ˖ ✶Monty

kian didn’t want to tell him about the horrors that he had lived, not while they were in such a state of bliss. he didn’t want to bring up the past again, letting those demons stay in the past was the best thing, even if they were still eating away at him, whispering in his ear every night before this last one. “it’s better now that you’re here, might just have to make you my body pillow.”

kian laughed at monty’s immediate reaction as he knew his nana would never stop teasing him about it. had it ever been platonic love for kian? maybe at some point, maybe in the very beginning, but something grew overtime as they aged, something that he could never be rid of as his heart had always yearned for only one. “me too, i miss her voice and the way she would sing to us with your nana at night when they put us to bed. we’d always stay up a little later than that, but i would always fall asleep on you.” he blushed, not unlike last night. “the funniest? it’s like you and hector are competing over the title still.” kian giggled.

“do you know what made my first time perfect?” kian asked the other man wondering if he understood. “do you know how many memories i have of you in here? some of the best in my life, probably the best memories of my life, so getting to do something so special here with the man who made it special was perfect to me.” kian explained. “oh i remember you telling me about that, i…was jealous at the time. i didn’t wanna hear it, because it wasn’t me that you were with.”

“guess you’ve got something to prove then,” kian giggled, laughing as he pressed a kiss on his cheek.

☻

“that’s all im good for to you, huh?” monty joked, trying to stray away from whatever was making kian this uncomfortable. he’d seen many sides to his friend, and even in his worst times- his smiley self was always his favorite. monty swore he would fight to keep that smile on his face.

monty wasn’t here when grandma chase passed but he still felt the pain from several miles away. a woman whom was a guardian in his life; a grandma away from his own. the loss felt like that of a close relative and he knew it was even worse for kian. so why hadn’t he reached out? “ahh, when we would pretend to fall asleep so they’d finally leave us alone. i guess my nan has picked up the clinginess for nana chase, huh?” a childish giggle left his lips, “hector’s close- but he’s still not me.”

“fuck, ki, that’s actually so relieving.” he sighed, just thankful he didn’t completely butcher this moment. a huge moment at that. he leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to kian’s forehead, brushing the hair from it as if to show it off. “nothing to be jealous of, honestly. that had to have been my worst performance. and last night? may have been my best.”

monty took kian’s face between his hands, his dark eyes focused, “and i plan on doing just that.”

˙ ˖ ✶Monty

kian smiled at the way monty asked if he was alright, and he could only nod in response at first as he edged closer to him once more. letting his hand rest on the man’s abs before resting the back of his head there as he looked up at him at an angle. “i’m okay, there’s just a lot that’s happened since you left.”

“maybe she hit the mark this time,” he said through a blush, hoping monty could pick up on what he meant. “it’s all good, my grandma also adored you over anybody else. she always reminded me how my smile was always different when i was with you, like it was a special kind of smile only you brought out, i didn’t get it back then, but now i do.”

“better?” kian blushed, now pretty much straddling monty as he grinned like a mad man. “so you want to make it romantic?” he cooed. “monty, my first time was perfect, and it would’ve been perfect no matter what you did, how much, or how little, i didn’t care about anything else other than the fact that it was with you.” he mused. 

“but if it makes you feel better, our second, third, and many other times can give you chance to do it all over gain,” kian suggested before kissing him once more. “is that okay with you?”

☻

monty’s hand found kian’s hair now, softly running his hands over it as he listened. he knew it would take time to catch up on his friend’s life but something was itching at him, telling him that kian probably wasn’t okay. “yeah, i can only imagine.”

“don’t you dare tell her that.” his face grew heated again. he knew there was such thing as platonic love between friends and he swore for the longest time that what was between kian and him was purely that- platonic. but being back in shrike has made him realize that he wrote these feelings off as friendship to protect himself from ruining their prior relationship. and he stills finds himself hanging onto this ideal despite the previous night, “i miss her. i’m glad to have known her the way you do. well- i am the funniest person you’ll ever meet so i’m not surprised on that front.”

his hands hovered their way to kian’s hips as the other now sat on his torso, “well, maybe?” monty drew in a deep breath, “my first time was honestly the worst, ki. in the back of my old dingy car. i just... you deserve better than that.” 

monty lips turned up at a corner, one eyebrow perked, “you know i’m competitive, ki. in hockey- each games gotta be better than the last.”

status: open

@shrikestart​

nate stood at the bar chatting with some of the patrons until someone new walked in and sat down in front of him. “what will you be having?” he got the request ready, while striking up a conversation with them. “so how’s your day going, in the wonderful not at all terrifying town of shrike?”

☻

“something fruity, yeah? feeling adventurous today,” monty grinned, his elbows finding the counters as his chin rested in his hands. a long sigh erupted from him as he continued, “why don’t you tell me about yours, mate?”

***

“ohh, no one’s got a mouth like mine? do you mean that, really? that may have been the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me,” hector said, fanning his face with his hands as if he were about to cry. “anyway, thanks for agreeing for me, that was easy enough,” he joked, reaching out to give monty’s shoulder a squeeze. “now really, how’s your homecoming tour going? because on one hand i dont think i’ve seen kian smile that much since the last toy he got in his happy meal and i’m pretty sure i haven’t seen amavi pout this much since i told him he was putting too much banana in his morning workout smoothie. and believe me, that was a big moment.” 

hector was interested in knowing where monty’s mind was and he was also trying to gauge monty’s feelings about amavi, feeling like he could probably live the rest of his life without telling monty that he had hooked up with his ex-boyfriend…a lot, while he was gone. it just wasn’t a confrontation hector was interested in having in and he wasn’t ready to face just how used to blowing up his own life was. “also i finally ran into cherry the other day. i wouldn’t bet my money on it but i think they weren’t totally pissed off about seeing me so i’m counting that as a win this week.”

☻

“if that’s the sweetest thing- you may need some new friends... or lovers.” monty rolled his eyes at his friend’s theatrics, wallowing in regret for even trying to compliment hector, “it’s been great so far, y’know? kian was actually at my nan’s the night i got home.” he felt his ears growing hotter, deciding to spare hector of that night’s details, “as for amavi, i haven’t been able to see him yet. you’re kidding though- glad to see much hasn’t changed here.”

“has he... said anything?” he felt bad, knowing he should at least try to talk to amavi and hopefully repair the bonds he broke. monty wasn’t a generic asshole but what he did to amavi was just textbook wrong and he never stopped thinking about how badly he probably hurt his ex. “ahhh, cherry. they came to visit me at work the other day, isn’t that so sweet?”

( monty & cherry ! )

location: lapaws 

cherry knew they were in no position or right place in life currently or a pet, but sometimes.. they just couldn’t resist going to look. like a weird form of torture, admiring the little faces of the pups and kittens looking to get adopted, and even the scaly friends, they just couldn’t stay away. it was a once or twice a month routine, and today was the day. just…. to see if anyone new had arrived. maybe a cool bearded dragon or something. what could it hurt?!

a sucker between their fingers as they wandered the store at a slow pace, stopping to coo softly at a kitten or have a stare-down with a chinchilla, cherry could think of nothing better before starting a closing shift. it reminded them of a simpler time, back in high school when things were complicated and yet a hell of a lot simpler, less complicated and scary, more predictable day to day. they almost missed those days, sometimes.

turning a corner and spotting a familiar face, however, had them reconsidering. now it really did feel like the high school days, the sight of monty’s face bringing about the memories of them being partnered together in science class, bickering the whole time and yet still getting straight a’s. cherry had never cared much for sports, hockey, or monty’s attitude back then, but friendly rivalry was always appreciated. cherry doubted the other’s ego had gotten better over the years, but they were feeling a little devious today, fighting a growing smirk as they walked slow into the other’s line of view, twirling the lollipop between their fingers.

“ wow, look who’s back in their old stomping ground ! what, missed it here so bad? sure is a lot more exciting than it used to be, that’s for sure. hi, by the way. nice of you to make your grand return. ”

( @mntsolace ) 

☻

the smile hit his face even before they fully stepped into lapaws. his not so casual once-over  of his old... what would you call it? frenemy?.. his old frenemy sent him right back to highschool. monty cant lie, cherry brought out a side of himself that made shrike heights almost bearable. he never cared much for school but the competitiveness between the two only helped his grades- swearing he’d never let them get ahead of him. he’d never admit out loud that cherry was probably the smartest between them and he’d most certainly wouldn’t admit that he admired the hell out of them because of it.

“mon cherie,” monty smirked as he pulled out the old nickname, “what? you didn’t think i’d miss you enough to come crawling back? and hey, you even came to visit me in my workplace because you missed me so bad. truly honored. humbled, even.”

˙ ˖ ✶Monty

“not at all really,” admitting it wasn’t that hard, if you looked closely you could see the marks of fatigue on kian, the way his walk was a bit more sluggish, how he would ramble and then completely shut down. tired wouldn’t even begin to describe what those sleepless nights have done to him. “found the remedy though,” he mused.

“i think she’s trying to set us up,” kian blushed, even though he didn’t at all mind that idea. being with monty had been his childhood fantasy, and maybe it didn’t need to just be fantasy. “honestly we’ve mostly just spoke about you, the past, my grandma, she misses her y’know, i think losing your best friend is like losing a part of yourself.”

“it’s not like i planned it, but if i could have any man in the world be my first, i’d still choose you, over and over gain, you.” kian said as he felt monty get farther away, the instinctive flinching made him back off, feeling as if he did something.

monty himself had been extremely exhausted the night before, so his observation of kian under the morning light flickering in through his bedroom blinds revealed his dark circles under his eyes and the way his shoulders drooped below his neckline. “as great as that makes a cocky bloke like me feel- you doing alright?”

“you think?” monty smiled, his eyes rolling, “her charade has been going on for years, ki- years.” he had to had it to his nan, she was persistent and most notably stubborn as hell. countless suitors never seemed to make her happy the way his best friend did. and she never failed to make monty aware of her supposed matchmaking skills. “yeah, i know that feeling all too well.”

he was staring at kian, hoping the underlying message of his last statement was clear.

“yeah but...” he groaned, hands filling through his bedhead, “i could have made it better y’know? like...ya had to deal with my groggy ass and not to mention...” he paused, gesturing toward his room, “i could have cleaned the place up a bit...?”

…

The guilt for turning around, and leaving his friend hit him as soon as he headed for the door, and he turned around, heading back for the counter - not realizing that Monty had literally jumped over the counter. This was how he found himself running smack dab into Monty, and falling on the floor, dog food spilling everywhere.

Getting to his feet, he shook himself off somewhat awkwardly. 

“I didn’t know you were… Back?”

☻

monty was fully prepared for something of a high-speed chase, so when he barreled into matty near the entrance of the floor, a surprised “oof” was forced from his chest. the dog food was now splattered across the tile alongside his friend.

“shit, matty” he awkwardly offered his hand but quickly withdrew it when matty stood, “um...yeah. just got back in town, actually.”

words were beginning to get difficult to get out.

“how are you..?”

˙ ˖ ✶Monty

“hey,” kian smiled still blushing and reeling from the fact that his first time had been with the man of his dreams, the one who had stolen his heart ever since they were kids. “you make a very good pillow, best one i’ve ever had, and i haven’t had a good night’s sleep like that in a long time. might have to make this my new normal otherwise, i’ll go back to insomnia.” he giggled.

“something tells me she wanted this to happen,” kian said, and even mentioning it out loud seemed all too surreal. “thinking back on it she was insisting on me staying the night, i guess i know why now, but i didn’t know why she mentioned she’d bought new ear plugs…till now.” 

“you know everybody dreams of their first time being perfect, but it never really is, but mine really was, because i never wanted anything like that with anybody else but you.”

☻

the heat in monty’s face never left. it only snaked it’s way down to his chest, making it difficult to breathe. he was hoping kian didn’t notice when he was gulping for air. his eyebrow perked, concern now making a home in his features, “you haven’t been sleeping well, ki?”

“she did what, now?” he swore that woman would be the death of him, no matter how bad her condition got- it seemed she would continue on embarrassing the living hell out of monty, “what has she told you? you know she’s gone a bit cuckoo, right?”

monty felt his limbs go stiff. his first time? his first. time. his eyes grew wide as he turned to look at kian, his back straightening as he pulled away ever so slightly. he can’t lie, kian’s words filled him with a pride he’s sure he’s never felt, but his stomach felt empty and his guilt was feeding on fumes, “kian wait- wait. that was... you let me....?”