#sunwriting

Geralt knew he should have told Jaskier, told him he has been feeling anxious and insecure about Jaskier flirting with people, but doing that would admit weakness. As much as Jaskier, Yennefer, and his therapist have tried telling him, it is still drilled in his head that admitting you are upset by something means that you cannot handle it on your own.

“Private conversations with your ex-wife is different than having private conversations with a friend.”

Geralt’s therapist told him a week ago that he needs to apologize. He had explained the fight and she was disappointed in him, he knows this. She gave him a list of ways to apologize, how to start off and how to not freak out when someone puts blame on you.

She assured him that it wasn’t just his fault, that Jaskier had faults in the fight as well, but that he should reach out. He was the one who made Jaskier leave, it would be better if he reached back out again.

“Green isn’t a good color on you.”

“Are you fucking serious, Geralt?! You’re the one freaking out at harmless flirting but I’m the one who is jealous?!”

Geralt looked down at his phone, seeing it was only 9 pm. He hasn’t been sleeping still, only getting a few hours in every other day, having no one to help him sleep or a guilt free conscience. 

He missed Jaskier, he did. He doesn’t know where they stood now, but he didn’t want to let the man go. He never thought they would be together as long as they have, that they would work together as well as they did, but they did. Ciri loved him too, loved him the moment Geralt introduced the two and has even taken to asking when Jaskier is going to come over, when he is going to be available to play.

He never thought he would be able to find someone to love with Ciri around. He doesn’t care if no one wants to date a man with kids, he knows that’s not the case. Plenty of women have flirted with him at the gym and outright told him they thought it was hot how well he took care of his daughter. He just never thought he would have the courage to date someone, bring someone into Ciri’s life before she moved out. He was ready to just have it be her and Geralt, no one else. He was happy with that.

Then that singer had the audacity to serenade him at the bar, to hold eye contact with him as he sang a love song in front of a bunch of strangers. He even had the nerve to leave a note with his phone number on his nightstand after they slept together.

And Geralt had been so enthralled that he called him back. 

Then a year and a half later, Geralt fucks it up.

“I’ve been trying so hard to be enough for you, to be enough for Ciri! I feel I can’t compete with Yennefer, and you going behind my back to talk to her hurts!”

“Then don’t compete with her.”

“Wh—What?”

“I’m not repeating myself.”

Jaskier left after that. He didn’t slam the door on his way out, no. He always had a quiet anger. He barely raised his voice in the fight. It was only in the end when Geralt started pushing his buttons. 

He was calm. He was able to control his emotions. If he was mad with Geralt, he would talk about it. He would voice his thoughts, and anytime they bickered, they would go outside, go on a walk if Ciri wasn’t around, hide in their room if she was. He would make sure that her life was never interrupted by people fighting as it had been when he and Yennefer were together. He was looking out for his daughter, even if that was the last thing on his mind.

He would look out for Geralt too. He would give Geralt space if he was feeling overwhelmed, if he was sensory overloaded and ready to snap. He would hold Geralt close if he couldn’t sleep, would stay up and sing to Geralt if he had a nightmare. He would make him food if he was too tired from work, would watch Ciri so he could take a nap after days of not sleeping. 

Geralt and Ciri were at the top of list, and Jaskier showed this over and over and over. But Geralt had the audacity to think he would leave, to think that he was getting bored with his current life. So he lashed out, pushed him away, hid away before Jaskier could hurt him more.

Jaskier didn’t deserve that. He deserved someone that would bend over backwards, would worship him the same way the musician worshipped his lovers. Geralt was never that.

But he wanted to be. 

He looked back at his phone. Twenty minutes had passed. 

He needed to fix this.

---

Geralt walked into the bar that he has frequented time and time again. It was packed, people dancing around and drinking. Geralt was surprised to see people were more slow dancing. The music was slow as well. Geralt looked up at the stage and his heart stopped when he saw Jaskier sitting on a stool, guitar in hand, as he sang into the microphone. The band that usually accompanied him must have been taking a break, giving Jaskier to sing about his feelings.

The song was sad, it was slow, the patrons didn’t seem to mind. They were all listening to his voice, holding their lovers and friends close, drinking and watching Jaskier.

Geralt snuck past all the people and went to the corner of the bar, eyes never leaving Jaskier. He could hear the pain in his voice and his heart clenched tight. He knows he was the one that put that pain in Jaskier’s voice, so the idea of singing a slower song at a bar would be better therapy than just talking to Geralt again. But he supposes that’s his fault.

The bartender shot him a look, a confused and angry look. Geralt wasn’t surprised. He knew that Jaskier was close with his coworkers and was never one to shy away from sharing his woes. He wouldn’t be surprised if the bartender found a reason to kick Geralt out before he talked to Jaskier. 

“Whiskey, on the rocks,” Geralt huffed. The bartender nodded, still eyeing him up and down as she got the drink for him. 

As she handed the drink to him, she leaned closer. “If you aren’t here to talk to him, I suggest leaving.”

Geralt stared at her with a neutral face, wanting to tell her off for butting into his business, but he knew she was right. He just thanked her and leaned back, turning his eyes back to Jaskier.

The pair of blue eyes met with his and Geralt froze in his spot. Jaskier had been setting up a microphone as the radio music played overhead, giving the band time to set back up. Jaskier’s face quickly morphed from one of confusion to anger, annoyance. Geralt watched as he leaned back to the man next to him, mumbling something. The mystery man’s eyes flicked to Geralt quickly before he turned back to Jaskier with a nod.

Gerlat quickly looked away, embarrassed. He didn’t know what they were talking about, what they were planning, but Geralt was scared to find out. He wanted to leave, save himself the embarrassment, hide away and talk to Jaskier later.

But Jaskier’s thirty minute break was in ten minutes, and if he left before that, he doubts Jaskier would ever talk to him again. If he is even willing to talk to Geralt now.

“How’s everyone doing?!” Jaskier spoke into the microphone after everything was set up. Everyone cheered, clapping as their favorite musician flashed them a smile. “Wonderful! I’m glad all of you could show. I would like to think you are here because it’s one of the few nights to see me live instead of behind the bar, but I know it’s really because it’s ‘ladies drink free’ tonight.”

The crowd let out a chuckle, Geralt included. Jaskier knew how to work a crowd, how to get everyone to love him within a minute of talking to him. 

“Now, how many people are here to forget about heartbreak?” A handful of cheers, some guys yelling about their partners being a bitch. Jaskier nodded his head at the response. “Glad to see we are all responsible adults who know how to handle our problems.” More laughs, some cheers. “I’ve got an oldie but a goodie—if we are considering 2011 old—to play tonight. For all of those who did not have an emo phase in high school, sorry you may be left out tonight. For those of you who did, get ready because this song will bring back those memories.”

The band started plucking at some strings, Jaskier watching them for the beat.

Geralt vaguely recognizes the song. It must have come out a long time ago. Based on what Jaskier said, when he was in high school. Geralt is seven years older than him, so he doubts they were anywhere close to listening to the same music when Jaskier was in high school.

“Of course he would sing Avril Lavigne with you here,” he heard the bartender grumble. Geralt looked over to see her refilling his drink, not looking up at him. “I would listen to the lyrics a bit more if I were you.”

Geralt nodded his head, turning back to Jaskier. He was walking around the stage now, singing his heart out as many drunk people in the audience joined him. It seemed to be a popular song, one many people knew.

You’re on your knees, begging please, stay with me

But honestly, I just need to be a little crazy!

Geralt grimaced at the lyrics. The lines seemed to hit a little too close to home, seeing as he was here to actually beg for Jaskier back. He doesn’t know if Jaskier knows this or is hoping.

All I want is to mess around

And I don’t really care about—

If you love me! If you hate me!

You can’t save me, baby, baby!

The words just seem to hit him more and more. Jaskier was putting all of his anger into this song. He could tell. Every emotion he felt, all the words he wanted to stay but couldn’t, all right here in the disguise of a song. Because he knows Geralt is here, he knows he is listening. He knows he has no other choice but to listen.

So what if I go out on a million dates?

Jaskier’s eyes turned right to Geralt, passion in his words as he held eye contact with Geralt.

You never call, or listen to me anyway

Geralt looked away. He couldn’t listen anymore. It hurt him too much. Every word Jaskier sang destroyed his confidence little by little, making him want to turn and leave, leave before he could make the situation worse.

The song went on, the people cheered, but Geralt stayed silent. He ignored the bartender’s eyes, ignored Jaskier’s gaze as he sipped his whiskey, going over the list that his therapist gave him. 

He doesn’t know how much time passed, but suddenly he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him out of his seat. Geralt stumbled and turned, ready to yell, when he realized it was Jaskier.

“We’re going to the back, Sam,” he called to the bartender, not once looking at Geralt. He didn’t wait for a reply before he pulled Geralt away, through the ‘employee’s only’ door.

The break room was empty, thankfully. He let go of Geralt’s arm and turned around, glaring at the man.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he snapped.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Geralt mumbled. Jaskier let out a laugh, shaking his head.

“You’ve had three weeks, Geralt. Three. Weeks. And you choose now, when I’m at work, to come talk to me?” Geralt looked down, ashamed. He didn’t think that he would be mad that he was gonna talk to him at work.

“I didn’t think—”

“That’s nothing new,” Jaskier interrupted. Geralt shot him a glare. “Oh don’t glare at me, you brute. I have the right to be angry. You came to my job after three weeks of no contact. No text message, no phone call, nothing. You just told me to leave and left me in the dust.”

“I shouldn’t have—”

“You’re right, you shouldn’t have. You should have thought this thro—”

“Will you please let me talk?” Geralt snapped. They held eye contact, Jaskier’s arms crossed and Geralt’s hands clenched at his side. It was a long moment before Jaskier spoke up.

“Well then?” he motioned at Geralt, staring him down. “Talk.”

Geralt took a deep breath, calming himself down. He knew this conversation would be a waste if he decided to snap at Jaskier again.

“I’m sorry,” he started. He glanced at Jaskier, but when the man hadn’t moved, he continued. “I shouldn’t—I should have talked to you. I shouldn’t have poked your buttons, or betrayed your trust, or kicked you out of the house.”

“What does Yennefer think about all this?” Jaskier asked, because of course he would. She was, in a way, the center of the fight.

“She thinks I’m a fucking idiot,” he grumbled. Jaskier blinked, seemingly shocked at that answer. “She—She yelled at me when she found out I told you to leave, when she found out that I hadn’t told you that we were talking.”

Jaskier bit his lip, fidgeting in place. He looked away to process the information and Geralt let him.

“What did you talk to her about?” Jaskier mumbled. He had shrunk in on himself, wouldn’t look Geralt in the eye. He was afraid of the answer.

“I wanted to know how I should talk to you.”

“Talk to me about what? Kicking me out? Breaking up with me?”

“No!” Geralt snapped. “I—I didn’t know how to talk to you about the people flirting with you, how you were gaining tips at the bar.” Jaskier didn’t say anything. For the first time since Geralt knew him, he was silent. Geralt let out a sigh and ran a hand down his face.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, because at this point he doesn’t know what else to say. “I don’t want you to leave, I don’t want you out of my life. I was just jealous and stupid and sleep deprived. I was afraid that if I talked to you, you would be mad, but I see now that not talking made it worse.”

Jaskier let out a deep sigh, looking down at the ground. “I’m sorry too,” he mumbled. Geralt opened his mouth to say no, don’t apologize but Jaskier continued. “You’re right, I shouldn’t be flirting with people at the bar. It is all harmless, but I should have realized that it is making you uncomfortable. I don’t want you thinking that I’m gonna leave you for some rando who is probably cheating on his girlfriend as he is talking to me.” He looked back at Geralt, agitated.

“But you need to tell me these things. I am not a mindreader. And I don’t mind if you’re talking to other people, but I would like to be informed. You don’t have to tell me what you’re talking about, but at least say who you are talking to when I ask. Especially when it’s your ex-wife.”

Geralt nodded his head in understandment. He could do that much, he doesn’t have to hide from Jaskier when things are difficult. 

Jaskier gave him a small smile before walking forward, grabbing Geralt and pulling him into a hug. Jaskier wrapped his arms around Geralt’s waist and hid his face in his neck. Geralt wrapped his arms around him as well, holding him close as he laid his head on Jaskier as best as he could.

“I missed you,” Geralt mumbled. 

“I missed Ciri,” Jaskier replied. Gerlat huffed and smacked Jaskier’s butt. Jaskier let out and laughed as Geralt grumbled.

“I come here and lay my heart out for you and you say you miss my daughter.”

“I missed Roach too!” he defended. Geralt tried pulling away, pushing Jaskier away by the hip, but Jaskier whined and held on tighter. “Okay, okay! I missed you!”

Geralt hummed, satisfied as he pulled Jaskier closer to him again, keeping his hands on his waist. 

They stood there for who knows how long, just swaying in each other’s arms and holding each other close. Jaskier placed small kisses on Geralt’s neck and shoulder, and though Geralt would never admit it, each kiss made his knees buckle and his heart melt.

But he had a reputation to uphold.

“I should probably head back to work,” Jaskier mumbled. Geralt hummed again, but neither made any move to seperate. 

It wasn’t until Jaskier’s phone buzzed that they seperated, Jaskier groaning. Jaskier looked down at his phone and rolled his eyes.

“Sam thinks that I killed you,” he mumbled as his fingers tapped against his screen, shooting a text back to his friend. Geralt chuckled and kept Jaskier close, unwilling to let go just yet. Jaskier slid his phone back in his pocket and back at Geralt, a smile on his face. Geralt pulled the musician closer, sliding his hands into his back pocket as Jaskier slid his arms around Geralt’s shoulders.

“Are you gonna stay?” he asked. Geralt hummed, looking at his mental schedule.

“I’m not busy,” he answered. Jaskier smiled wide and Geralt decided he would do anything just so he could see him smile like that again.

How did he go three weeks without this?

“We close early today,” Jaskier mumbled. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth, teasing Geralt. “You can chill at the bar and convince Sam that you are a good person, and I can finish up performing.”

“I guess,” Geralt grunted. Jaskier let out a laugh and finally, finally pulled Geralt in for a kiss.

As he leaned away, Geralt followed and caught his lips in another kiss, causing Jaskier to let out another laugh and God, how did he go three weeks without this beautiful man in his life?

“I do need to get to work,” Jaskier laughed when he pulled back again. If Geralt was any other man, he would whine, stomp his foot, refuse to let Jaskier leave his arms ever again. But he can’t. His boyfriend does have a job to do.

As they walked back out, Jaskier called Sam over.

“Just put anything he drinks on my tab,” he told her, shooting a knowing look to her when she raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not going to drink a lot,” Geralt grumbled. Jaskier rolled his eyes, pushing Geralt back on the stool. 

“Yes, but I know Ciri has field trips coming up that you need to save for. Therefore, just drink on my tab. I don’t mind.” Geralt let out a huff but didn’t argue anymore. Jaskier placed a kiss on his check before stepping away to go back with the band.

“About time that you guys made up,” Sam grumbled as she made him another drink. “He’s been down in the dumps for weeks now, so much that I was afraid the boss was gonna force him to take some time off.”

Geralt hummed in understanding. Jaskier isn’t the best at hiding his feelings, so it would make sense that his boss would force him to relax.

Geralt stayed silent as Jaskier went up to the microphone, talking to the crowd once again, but this time with a happy glint in his eye. Geralt smiled to himself, happy that his lover could perform his best.

---

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright getting home?” Sam asked. 

Jaskier nodded his head. He was standing against the bar, trying to help Sam clean off dishes and whatever he could with his boyfriend hanging off him, refusing to let go.

“Yeah. He’s a very easy drunk, surprisingly. He’s just gonna whine a lot,” Jaskier laughed. Geralt let out a hum in protest, but Jaskier just patted his head, lightly running his finger through his hair. Geralt let out a happy hum, placing more kisses on Jaskier’s neck.

“It’s weird seeing the big macho man who rarely smiles like this,” Sam laughed. Jaskier laughed as well. It was weird for him when he first saw Geralt completely wasted. They were with his brothers when it happened, and he refused to let anyone else be near Jaskier. If Jaskier had to leave his side for anything, he would whine and pout until he got back, to which he would just hold him close and kiss every part of his body he could reach easily.

“He’s just like a big, needy puppy,” Jaskier assured. “He is a little more vocal, but for the most part it’s just him clinging to me like I’m gonna disappear if he let’s go.”

“I see,” Sam mumbled. Geralt tightened his grip around Jaskier’s waist, huffing when Jaskier smacked his hand.

“Oh hush,” Jaskier scolded. “I need to breathe, Geralt.”

“Our times together prove otherwise,” he grumbled. A blush bloomed on his face as Sam let out a loud laugh.

“I think you should get the big hunk of muscle home.” Jaskier nodded his head. 

“Yeah, probably. He’s probably gonna pass out soon.”

“Geralt, I need to pee,” Jaskier grumbled. He had gotten Geralt to Geralt’s apartment, into the bedroom and into more comfortable clothing. Geralt had tried making out with him, wanting to go farther, but Jaskier just kept pushing him back. Now they were laying in bed and Jaskier realized that he had to pee, but Geralt was being a cranky toddler.

“No,” he huffed, holding Jaskier tighter. Jaskier just rolled his eyes before rolling away, forcing Geralt’s arms off of him. Geralt groaned as if Jaskier punched him in the stomach, or physically hurt him. Jaskier ignored him as he made his way to the bathroom.

When he came back, he laid down on his back and Geralt immediately threw his arm and leg over him, laying his head on Jaskier’s collarbone and snuggling into him. Jaskier let out a small chuckle, running his hands through Geralt’s hair. Geralt hummed and scooted closer, satisfied.

“Jaskier?” he asked. Jaskier hummed, so he continued. “‘M sorry. Shouldn’ have kicked you out.”

“It’s okay, Geralt,” Jaskier assured. “I’m not mad.”

“Don’t leave.”

“I’m not gonna leave.” Jaskier placed a kiss on the top of his head, continuing to pet his hair until he fell asleep.

“Ciri would be mad if you left,” Geralt continued, obviously feeling the need to talk. “She was already confused when you weren’t here. She kept asking where you were. She was obviously upset and I didn’t want to tell her.”

“Well, we don’t want to upset our princess, now do we?”

“You should move in,” Geralt mumbled. Jaskier froze, staring down at Geralt in shock. “You basically live here. Ciri wants you to live here, keeps telling her teachers that her Daddy has a boyfriend who doesn’t live with them. It’s kinda embarrassing, so you should move in.”

“I think that’s a conversation we can have when you’re sober,” Jaskier deflected. He and Geralt have never talked about him moving in, and Jaskier was okay with that. He understood that he was probably scared to fully let Jaskier into his life, even after over a year of dating.

“I am sober.”

“Then in the morning, darling,” Jaskier said again. Geralt grumbled but didn’t complain, just snuggled closer to Jaskier.

It was quiet for a long time. Jaskier thought that Geralt was finally asleep, but he was wrong.

“Jask?” Geralt whispered. Jaskier hummed, but otherwise didn’t answer. Geralt didn’t like that because he placed his hand on Jaskier’s face, forcing him to look vaguely in Geralt’s direction. “Jask, Jaskier listen to me.”

“I’m listening!” Jaskier laughed, face slightly squashed by Geralt’s hand. 

“I love you,” Geralt said, and it was obvious to him that he thought it was the most important thing in the world right now.

“I love you too, my dear,” Jaskier mumbled. “Now, go to sleep. You need it.”

Bonus!:

“I see you two made up,” Yennefer said when Jaskier opened the door. Jaskier stared at her confused.

“What are you doing here?”

“Dropping off Ciri. I have a business trip I need to take.” Jaskier felt a tiny body tackle him, shoving his face into his stomach.

“Jaskier!” Ciri cheered, hugging him tight. “I missed you! Daddy said you were visiting family! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was a secret trip,” he answered easily as he hugged her back. “I couldn’t tell you in case someone overheard me. We don’t want the secret getting out, right?” 

Ciri nodded her head in understanding. She gave him one last hug before running past him.

“Where is Geralt?” Yennefer asked.

“He’s laying in bed with a hangover.” When Yennefer gave him a confused look, he explained. “He came to my work last night to apologize, and I guess he forgot that you were bringing Ciri back over because he just drank after we made up.”

“That idiot,” Yennefer mumbled. They heard Ciri yell ‘Daddy! Daddy, wake up!’ and Jaskier quickly turned around, calling back to her.

“Ciri, princess, Daddy is sleeping!” A second later they heard Geralt groan as Ciri laugh, most likely from jumping on the bed—or on Geralt. It’s not the first time she would have done it.

Richard’s head snapped up when he heard the lock turn, just in time to see Gavin storming in and slamming the door shut behind him.

Richard watched as Gavin kicked off his shoes in a random spot, throwing his jacket on the ground and marching past Richard without so much as a hello.

“Gavin?” Richard called, confused.

“What.” Richard quickly made a note of where he left off and made his way towards the bedroom. He doesn’t know what could have happened that would make Gavin this mad, but he needed to get to the bottom of it.

“How was work?” Often Gavin did not like being asked what was wrong straight out, so Richard always had to go around until he wore Gavin down enough to open up. There were times when he wished Gavin trusted him enough to open up, but as he has learned from deviancy and every story that Connor and Tina have shared with him, humans—especially his human—were not that simple.

“Fine.” He did not look at Richard, just continued throwing his clothes around and making a mess.

“Did you get a lot of work done?”

“Yep.” Richard's face scrunched up in confusion. Something really must have made Gavin mad if he was refusing to look or talk to him.

Richard decided to stay back and watch. It seemed that Gavin had already forgotten that he was there, just moving around and picking up what he threw. Richard understood this to be his stress cleaning. He was okay with a little mess, a little clutter, though when the world gets too much he just cleans.

And then he just stopped. Gavin had been moving extra chargers they had back into the chest at the end of their bed when he froze. Richard waited for him to move, for him to keep cleaning, but it seemed as if he was in a trance. He stayed where he was, almost unblinking while staring at the box, hands clenched around the shirt he was holding.

Richard stepped forward and placed his hand on Gavin’s shoulder, prepared to pull the man back into a hug when Gavin snapped out of it. He shrugged off Richard’s shoulder and threw the cables into the chest before moving on, not once looking at Richard.

“Would you like something to eat?” he asked. 

“No Nines, I don’t want anything to fucking eat!” he snapped. Richard watched as Gavin turned around, anger burning in his eyes. “I’m not the one who needs food! I’m not fucking hungry, yet I decide to eat because I’m bored, when there are people out there who actually need something to fucking eat!”

“Gavin, what—”

“I just—I—” Gavin let out a frustrated yell and kicked the chest. “It’s fucking ridiculous! They can’t do anything about it!”

Richard pulled Gavin back away from the chest, pump pounding and errors flashing in his system. Gavin tried pushing him off again, fighting him and yelling, but Richard would not let him go.

“Let go of me!”

Nines forced Gavin to face him, holding his arms pulling him close. “Gavin, Gavin, please, what’s wrong?”

Gavin didn’t answer. He had stopped fighting Richard but he still wouldn’t look at him. Richard analyzed his boyfriend, reading his heart rate and breathing. He knows that it annoys Gavin but he’s just worried about him.

“Gavin, please talk to me,” Richard whispered. He let go of Gavin’s arms and placed his hands on his waist. Gavin wrapped his arms on Richard’s waist as well and hid his face in his neck. “What is making you so upset?”

“The scene,” he mumbled.

“What scene?”

“The scene that I went to tonight,” Gavin huffed. “It’s just...it was horrible, babe. I couldn’t even believe anything I was hearing.”

“Would you like to talk about it?” Gavin held his breath, staying still as he contemplated.

“No, but I should.” he relented. Richard nodded his head and held Gavin closer, trying to provide as much comfort as he could. There are only a few things that he has seen make Gavin this upset, but he was always there when they happened. This is something that Richard has never had to deal with before.

“I got the call thirty minutes before I was going to get off of work,” he started. “I was confused on why they didn’t call Hank first, seeing as he is the senior officer in homicide, but I agreed to head to the scene nonetheless.” Richard nodded his head in understanding. Even though Hank and Gavin had a lot of tension, they really didn’t let any of that get in the way of their job. Of course it had taken a while for the two to get there, but Richard was proud of them.

“So I hopped in my shitty ass car and headed over. You know how it goes—I get there, it’s cold as shit, I look around for any obvious things, wave off people fucking peeping and trying to get a sneakpeak of the latest murder, get briefed.”

Gavin paused again. His breathing was deeper, more controlled, and Richard could tell that he was trying to keep his composure. He started rubbing Gavin’s lower back to comfort him and Gavin hugged him tight, kissing his neck.

“It.. the victim was a 9-year-old boy. His body wasn’t at the scene, he had been carried to the hospital, but we had been called on by doctors and other officials that we had to check out the house, as that is where the damage was done before he died. I checked out the house and… and—” Gavin grunted and took a deep breath once again.

“It is okay to cry and let out your feelings, Gavin,” Richard muttered.

“Yeah, I fucking know, it’s just—I saw his body. I saw the house.” He squeezed Richard tight but didn’t let go. “He was—there was so much fucking blood, Nines. Katy had gone around marked where all the blood splatter was and she ran out of fucking markers. We had gotten photos of the kid because that was important for our investigation and he—he had bruises, cuts, wounds, and blood all over him! He had a fucking hand print on his goddamn neck!” Richard could finally feel the tears on his synthetic skin, could feel Gavin shaking as he cried.

He was stunned. He knew that there were plenty of child murder cases that have been reported, but he and Gavin had never been called to see them, to investiagte them. It was never in their area.

“I am sorry, Gavin,” Richard mumbled.

“It’s just,” Gavin gasped. “He was so young! He didn’t fucking deserve an ending where he died at the hand of the people that are supposed to love him. And he looked so—so tortured! The bruises weren’t new, the wounds were healing. And it’s just—”

“Shh,” Richard mumbled. He adjusted his hold on Gavin and placed his hand on the back of his head, his other arm holding his waist. He swayed them on their feet as Gavin cried and cursed in frustration, in pain. 

They stayed like that for many minutes while Gavin cried. Richard just held him through it. He has never seen a case like this. He has seen and dealt with cases where children are involved and Gavin was always with him on those cases. Though, they were before they started dating, so Richard would not be surprised if Gavin would go to his apartment and do the exact same thing he is doing now, except then he is alone with his own thoughts.

“That’s why they didn’t want to give it to Hank,” Richard commented once Gavin started calming down. Gavin nodded his head.

“Yeah, like—They know it’s a part of his job description, but I feel like Connor got a whiff of what the scene was going to be like and turned them away. For his sake.” 

“That does sound like a very Connor thing to do.” Gavin let out a laugh.

“Yeah. Fucking bootlicker would never let someone even offer Hank his least favorite ice cream.” Richard let out a chuckle. 

Gavin pulled back from Richard just a bit, looking Richard in the face for the second time that night. His eyes were extremely red and puff, and he had a bit of snot trying to escape. It wasn’t the prettiest face, but Richard would never expect it to be. Not after seeing something like Gavin has had to.

“Thank you for letting me cry,” Gavin mumbled. 

“You can cry anytime you need,” Richard assured. “Your organic brain cannot handle when you bottle it up.”

“Yeah, okay, let’s see your circuits handle what my meatball can,” Gavin snapped, but he let out a small smile.

It was short lived. The smile quickly dropped from his face as he moved around, mind obviously still on the case.

“I think we should head to bed now,” Richard suggested. Gavin let out a nod. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I think that would be best.”

And so they got ready. Gavin took a shower before getting ready while Richard laid in bed, nothing but his boxers, reading up on any news about the murder from tonight. He knew it was difficult for Gavin to even talk about the case in the first place, so he just wanted to see if there was any way that he could get his questions answered.

Gavin climbed into bed next to him and Richard quickly closed out the searches, fully turning his attention towards Gavin who was quickly curling up into his side. Richard turned off the lights in the house remotely before scooting down to get into a more comfortable position for Gavin.

“Gavin?” Richard whispered. Gavin let out a ‘hm?’ in acknowledgment, so Richard knew he had to talk fast before he fell asleep.

“That little boy was in the hands of the best people that could save him. Though he did not make it, you can do the next best thing and put those who hurt him behind bars.”

Gavin squeezed Richard and hid his head in his chest, but he didn’t seem upset.

“I know,” Gavin mumbled. “Thanks babe.”

“I love you.”

It hurt to be in their apartment. It used to be his home, somewhere he could run and hide, somewhere he could relax with his boyfriend and best friend. It was actually happy, a good home, something he was never used to. Now it hurts, to walk down the halls when all he can think of are the times Dave chased him down the halls, the times he was pushed up against these walls, the paintings he’s hung on the walls that now just sit in boxes somewhere in Diego’s attic. Klaus had thought he had finally found a home. He should’ve known better than to become comfortable.

“Are you sure you want to go?” Peter asked as he grabbed his car keys. 

“And what, abandon you in your time of need?” Klaus jokes. Peter shot him a knowing look.

“He’s your ex. I can suffer through a wedding by myself if you’re going to be uncomfortable the whole time.”

“It’ll be fine,” Klaus assured. That’s what he has been telling himself, but he doesn’t know if it’s true. He hasn’t smoked anything in three days just so he wouldn’t embarrass Peter by being high at a wedding and he hasn’t had any bad feelings about it, but he couldn’t trust that. 

“Okay,” Peter sighed. “If you’re sure.”

The drive to the chapel was a quiet one. Neither man had anything to talk about, both deep in their thoughts. Peter had tried turning on the radio to fill the silence but every song on the radio was a love song. On the fifth love song that played, Klaus hit the mute button before going back to staring out the window. Peter didn’t comment on it.

When they get to the venue, the families were running around, still setting up for the wedding, with some mingling around and talking. Peter and Klaus stay towards the back, hoping to stay out of the way and avoid drawing attention to themselves. Klaus was especially anxious about this. He knew that Dave’s family probably thinks that Dave liking boys was a ‘phase’ and won’t know Klaus, but he is still afraid that they will see Klaus and think he is here to stop it.

Which he’s not. This was Dave’s choice to get married and he was only here for Peter.

“Why are we here so early?” Klaus asked Peter. “It seems the only people here are the families.”

“Well, one person wanted to talk—” Before Peter could finish talking, they heard a female voice call them. They both frantically turned their heads every which way, searching for the voice. 

“Are you both blind?” Klaus looked forward and saw Dave’s sister Dani approaching them. 

She was wearing a sleeveless dress with an A-cut white lace top, attached to a long, flowing dark green bottom. Her dirty blonde hair was curled, with a braided crown going around her head. She had neutral eyeshadow and lipstick on, though like Peter she had winged eyeliner as well. Klaus always loved seeing her in makeup, always seeing it as a treat. She never really like wearing makeup unless she was in a good mood or there was an event she deemed important.

“Dani!” Peter cheered. He pulled her into a hug, to which Klaus followed. No matter how upsetting this day was, it was nice to see her. She was one of the main things Klaus missed after he and Dave broke up.

“I haven’t seen you in forever, Klaus!” she laughed. Klaus flashed her a bright smile, hoping to hide the thoughts of whose fault is that deep in his mind.

“Well here I am, in the flesh!”

“And looking spiffy!” She dramatically looked Klaus up and down, whistling that familiar tune. Klaus let out a laugh.

“I’m here to impress!” 

“How is the wedding set up going?” Peter asked. Dani let out a groan.

“The set up itself is fine, but Elizabeth is going off on her bridesmaids and being a stereotypical bridezilla.” Both Klaus and Peter winced.

“That bad?” Peter asked. Dani nodded her head. In the back of his mind, Klaus wondered if he would have ever done that, but he shook his head. Right now was not the time to wonder how he would be if he got married. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get married anyway.

“She’s lucky Dave chose her to marry. He has better options lined up than someone who flips out on their friend for wearing a slightly different nude shade than everyone else,” Dani scoffed. “I mean, come on. It can be edited to the same fucking color.”

Pain shot through Klaus’ chest. He never even imagined that Dave would have other people to date. He probably had a list of woman he wanted to date before he broke up with Klaus. Hell, he probably only date Klaus because he couldn’t get with those women quite yet, or he wanted to fix Klaus before moving on. A good ol’ fashion charity case.

“Is she mad that you are Dave’s groom instead of her bridesmaid?” Dani let out a laugh.

“Oh yeah. She didn’t understand why Dave made me the best man, and I think it pisses her off even more for the fact that I’m wearing a dress instead of a suit like Dave’s other friends.”

“You still match the other groomsmen though.” Klaus had seen photos of the tuxes that Dave chose. Peter had left it open on his computer when Klaus was over and he couldn’t help but peak. “But I have to ask—why green?”

Dani and Peter glanced at each other. It was an almost happy look, a knowing look between the duo.

“It’s his favorite color,” Dani supplied, smug look on her face.

“He said it reminds him of happy times, when he felt the most like himself,” Peter continued. Klaus frowned, deep in thought. 

Klaus can’t think of time that green might have represented a happier time for himself. The best thing he can think of is when he and Dani would play in the woods when they were younger. Green was his favorite color when they were dating, that much Klaus can remember. Did Klaus ever ask why?

“Usually people like a color because of aesthetic, not memories,” Klaus laughed. “Unless this is another part of childhood that I missed out on.”

“I don’t think it’s from our childhood,” Dani assured. “It’s definitely something somewhat recent.” They were really keeping it vague, but Klaus understood. It probably had something to do with his bride. Even if Dani doesn’t know how upset Klaus is, she still wouldn’t make it obvious how much she has affected Dave’s life after Klaus left.

Dani’s phone went off, startling everyone in the group. She grumbled and grabbed her phone out of her pocket—how she was able to make a skirt that small hold a pocket, Klaus will never understand—and held it up to her ear.

“Hello?” Klaus watched as a look of worry and concern took over her face. There also seemed to be a hint of hope in her eyes, and when she glanced at Klaus, she seemed torn.

“Okay, I’ll be right over.” She hung the phone up and shoved it back into her pocket, sigh on her lips.

“Is everything alright?” Peter asked, concerned.

“Yeah, um, it’s just Dave being...weird,” she trailed off. “I have to go, but I’ll meet up with you later!” And then she was gone.

Klaus stared at the spot she was standing, deep in thought. Hearing Dave’s name over and over and over again is hurting him more than he thought it would. Just hearing Dave without hearing and Klaus afterwards brings him so much pain. It’s just a constant reminder that he and Dave are over, that he is here for Dave’s wedding, not their wedding.

“Klaus?” Klaus snapped his head up to see Peter staring at him with a concerned look. His brows were furrowed and he looked ready to take Klaus away from here. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah!” Klaus answered just a bit too quickly. “I’m great! I just got to see Dani, how could I not be happy?” 

Peter let out a half-hearted chuckle. He knew Klaus was deflecting, trying to not admit what he is feeling, so he’s not gonna push. Klaus is grateful for that. He doesn’t need to be having a breakdown at his ex’s wedding, especially since he shouldn’t even be here.

“What should we do?” Klaus asked, looking around. “Dani is obviously busy with the groom, so I doubt we’ll be seeing her anytime soon.” 

Peter looked up from his phone—when did he pull that out?—with a concerned look. Klaus wanted to ask what was wrong, if it was something on his phone or if it was something that Klaus said, but he decided against it. A part of him is telling him that he doesn’t want to know the answer.

“We could go watch speed paintings?” 

Klaus let out a laugh, but agreed.

---

The wedding started off without a hitch. Peter and Klaus sat in the very back, hoping to avoid the crowd. They knew that there was a possibility that they could become annoying, knowing they would make fun of every person that breathed.

The music started playing and all of the emotions that Klaus was able to push down hit him all at once. 

He was here, at his ex’s wedding. The only person he has ever loved, who Klaus thought loved him, someone who was there through every nightmare, through every relapse and weeks of being sober. He was through thick and thin, and Klaus had shared the same. Klaus made sure he was there for Da—his ex whenever he needed him. When he fought with his sister, or when his mom had decided to call. They had their moments, sure, but Klaus was sure they were fine, that everything was alright.

But he was wrong. And now he is at his wedding, and isn’t at the altar. 

“Klaus, are you okay?” Peter asked for the hundredth time, and it was starting to wear down on him. He didn’t think that he was going to snap at him, no, but he knew if he kept asking, he was going to have a breakdown. He was truly trying to hold it together for his friend, trying to hold it together for the small amount of public decency he had left, and a small, small part of him was holding it together for Dave. 

He knew it was ridiculous but he couldn’t get rid of the small part of him that still cared about Dave’s feelings. Dave obviously didn’t care about him anymore. He’s moved on, but Klaus didn’t want to be a painful reminder of his past. 

Klaus felt a gentle pull on his arm. He looks over and sees Peter giving him a concerned look. 

Oh. He hasn’t responded.

“No,” he answered honestly with a shrug. “Too late to turn back now though.”

“If we sneak out the doors, no one will bat an eye,” Peter offered, but Klaus shook his head. He has already decided that he was going to see this through till the end, even if it killed him. He told Ben that he would be strong enough to do this and he wasn’t going to let his favorite brother down.

Elizabeth passed Klaus as she walked down the aisle, dress falling beautifully on her body with a bright smile on her face as both her mom and Dave’s walked her down the aisle.. Dave was gorgeous as well but Klaus didn’t want to think about that too much or he would start crying. If he started crying, people around him would think it was because of the wedding and because he was so happy for the couple, but Peter would just start freaking out because he knows that the actual reason why. Peter freaking out would draw unnecessary attention to them and that’s exactly what Klaus was trying to avoid.

Klaus listened to the vows. Actually listened, as he was curious about what was going to be said for this short relationship. Elizabeth’s was actually very much generic, the normal “I love you and would die without you” or some bullshit like that. Klaus couldn’t care less. 

Dave’s was strange to Klaus though. Dave was also generic, the normal “I found the love of my life and you made my life better”, but there was something off. The first thing that tipped Klaus off was that Dave stuttered over the ‘love’ part, and he looked away from her as he said ‘made his life better’. He remembers Dave grabbing Klaus’ face and forcing him to look him in the eyes as he made his declaration of love and reminded Klaus that he was loved. He would only stutter when Klaus started complimenting him, the worst when Klaus kept pushing for Dave’s kinks. Dave also avoided generic things. If he was saying something that he knows is generic, especially during love declarations, he says so. He would never want Klaus to think that he didn’t truly care and that he had just looked something up on the internet. This, though…

It sounded like Dave copy and pasted this off of the internet.

Klaus must have been deep in his thoughts because the next thing he knew, the preacher—rabbi?—was speaking.

“Speak now or forever hold your peace,.”

Klaus looked around the room to see if anyone was going to speak, if anyone was going to speak out against this wedding.

He locked eyes with Dani. She glanced at Dave and his bride with a disappointed look. She seemed to be holding her breath as if she wanted to say something, as if she wanted to stop her brother’s wedding from happening. Klaus noticed that the rest of Dave’s groomsmen seemed to have the same look, glancing at each other with looks of resignation. Klaus could feel Peter’s eyes on him as well. 

Was this all in Klaus’s head? Was Klaus not the only one who didn’t want Dave getting married to this girl? They would care in the sense of knowing Dave, knowing who he is. Maybe, just maybe, Klaus was not as far off as he thought he was.

And then he was standing.

Eyes all turned towards the man, eyes wide and mouths agape. Dave’s dad was glaring in anger and the bride was shooting daggers at him with her eyes. But honestly?

Klaus couldn’t give any shits about them. He knew what he was here for. He has never cared about what people thought of him, and that wasn’t going to start at his ex’s wedding.

“David Katz,” Klaus started, voice much steadier than he thought it would be. “I know I am not the kind of person that should be standing up and crashing a beautiful wedding. Hell, I am the last fucking person that should even be here,” he let out a laugh, shaking his head. Dave said nothing and stared at Klaus. He didn’t look angry, so Klaus continued. “Truly, I was never the kind of person who would do anything but drugs.”

“But you changed that. You made me someone who could do more with their life. You had me continue art, had me get a job, helped me fight the ghosts that follow me on a daily basis.”

“That’s a bit dramati—”

“Let the man speak,” Peter snapped at the old lady who decided to interrupt Klaus’ monologue. He ignored them. If he got off track, he would lose his train of thought and would never be able to win Dave back.

“You helped me become a better man, helped me control the powers that I have been cursed with since the day I was born. So I am now here to help you become a better man, because you are not the kind of man who should be marrying a girl!” 

The bride’s face was glaring red now. Dave’s parents were standing and glaring at Klaus, looking ready to march over and stop him from speaking. Klaus took another glance at Dani and saw her beaming. She nodded her head and waved her hand, motioning for him to continue.

“Don’t say yes. Yes, she is a beautiful girl at a beautiful wedding, and I am sure she would make a lovely wife, but Dave! You are the gayest motherfucker I have met! Right after me and Peter! You have never liked a girl, even as a phase! You were never happy when people assumed you were straight—”

“That is enough!” Dave’s dad yelled.

“How could you crash a wedding?!” The bridesmaid yelled. “Why are you even here? To pull Dave back into a sad, lonely life?”

“Klaus—” Peter started, but Klaus shushed him. He directed his eye contact towards Dave, who was starting at Klaus with a mix of emotions. Klaus would usually think that they are bad, but the more he stared the more he realized… he might have a chance.

“Dave, I love you,” Klaus finished. He had so much more he wanted to say, so much he had on his mind, but it could wait. He had an angry mob of families wanting his head on a pitchfork and as far as he knew, he only had two people who were on his side right now.

“Dave, will you please kick that guy out?” Klaus heard the bride ask. When Dave didn’t look at her, “David?”

Dave didn’t move. Dave kept his eyes locked with Klaus’ and hands clenched at his side. Klaus didn’t move either. He was afraid that if he did, the trance that he and Dave found themselves in would shatter and all of Klaus’ hopes and dreams would shatter right before his eyes.

Movement caught his eyes. He watched as Dani leaned over to Dave and whispered something in his ear, her eyes finally leaving Klaus for the first time since he stood up. Dave’s shoulders seemed to relax at whatever she said, his mind being made up. 

Klaus thought this was it. His anxiety was whispering to him everything that Dani was convincing Dave that Klaus wasn’t the man he wanted, that he should marry the girl, even though logic points towards Dani not wanting Dave to get married to her either. He was about to leave it all, walk away from the fire he started like he has done so many times, call it quits and start his addiction again. After this he would really have nothing else to keep hanging on to.

Then Dave started moving. He ran down the aisle, making his way towards Klaus, and the gasps filled the room again. Dave grabbed Klaus’s arm and pulled him close, wild and sporadic look in his eyes.

“Run,” is all Dave said before he pulled on Klaus’ arm. Klaus laughed as he and Dave sprinted out of the chapel, leaving behind the chaos of a failed wedding.

Klaus had somehow convinced his ex to leave his wedding, leaving this almost perfect woman and go with Klaus, making him a runaway groom. Klaus has never been able to convince anyone at any point of his life to make a drastic life decision like this, but somehow he has completed the impossible today.

They didn’t stop running until they were at least 5 blocks away, where Dave pulled Klaus into an alley. They both hid around the corner and were breathing heavy, staring straight ahead. If they moved, they could get caught.

Once Klaus started catching his breath—his lungs were really fucked, weren’t they?—he glanced over at Dave and was surprised to find the man starting back at him. Klaus watched the man breathe heavily with his eyes never leaving Klaus’.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” He said this in a joking tone, but he was terrified. Dave didn’t say anything. After a few seconds of him catching his breath, a huge smile broke out on his face.

And then, he started laughing. Not just a light chuckle, but a full on loud, breath stealing, double-over-laughing kind of laugh. Klaus watched as the man leaned on his knees and laughed so hard, coughing as he tried to catch the little bit of breath that he had from their run in between laughs.

“What is so funny!” Klaus asked, but he was also laughing. He couldn’t help it, Dave’s laugh always made him happy. It was contagious.

Dave leaned back against the wall, locking eyes with Klaus. Before Klaus could ask for a third time what was wrong, Dave finally moved. He brought his hand forward, wrapping it around the back of his neck, and pulled Klaus in for a bruising kiss.

Klaus gasped in shock but very quickly leaned into the kiss. His arms wrapped around Dave’s neck and he grabbed a handful of Dave’s hair, pulling the man closer into him. Dave let out a moan of pleasure and Klaus was oh so please.

Dave pushed Klaus back against the wall as the kiss became deeper, his hands roaming all over Klaus’ body. Klaus leaned into every touch, every kiss, every move that Dave made. He was the happiest he has been, only dreaming of having Dave’s hands on him again, yet here he was, pressed up against the wall with Dave’s hands grasping his ass as if it was his only mission in life.

Dave finally pulled away, much to Klaus’ disappointment. He chased Dave’s lips with a whine, but Dave just pressed his forehead against Klaus’. Klaus held him close, arms still around his neck and clasped against each other, not giving Dave any room to escape. Now that he had Dave right where he wanted him, he would never let him leave.

“I love you,” Dave whispered. He pressed a kiss to Klaus’ nose, cheek, jaw, everywhere he could reach as he mumbled those same three words over and over again. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“Even after I crashed your wedding and ruined your big day by embarrassing you and kidnapping you?”

“Technically, I kidnapped you.” Dave laughed. “But no, you honestly made my day better. Seeing you reminded me of how much marrying a woman would be a horrible decision.”

“Then why did you do it?” Klaus asked. He knows he should be more upset at Dave. He had left Klaus and went for a girl, nullifying everything that he had ever told Peter and Dave in the years that he knew them. He hurt him more than Klaus ever thought he could be hurt, the only thing that hurt more was Ben’s death. So he should be pissed, should be yelling at Dave, cursing him out, not making out with him in an alley.

“I wanted my parents to accept me,” Dave mumered. “I saw them when I was visiting Dani and I just remembered how much I loved them, that when they introduced me to a girl trying to set me up, I didn’t know what to say. I tried saying no, Klaus.” Dave let out a shaky breath. Klaus could tell the man was close to tears. “I tried to tell them I was with you, but they were insistent, and then I was going on a date. Dani was pissed and I did listen to her, tried breaking up with the girl, but then—I don’t know. My mom said how happy she was that I was able to give her grandchildren, and my dad said how I would make a great husband—”

“I could have been a great spouse,” Klaus interrupted.

“I know,” Dave whined. He moved his hands away from Klaus’ butt and wrapped his arms around Klaus’ waist, pulling Klaus into a crushing hug. Klaus hugged him back with the same amount of force. “God, I fucking know Klaus. I wanted to marry you so bad—hell, I still wanna marry you. I don’t know what came over me, but I was thinking that if I got with this girl, I could finally have my family back.”

“Then why did you run?” Klaus asked. “You were at the altar, and instead of kicking me out, you ran off with me. Why?”

“Because in an attempt of going back to the past, I lost everyone that actually cared about me.” Klaus gave Dave a look of confusion. Without any prompting, Dave continued. “When I broke up with you, Peter was pissed. He and I didn’t stop talking but it wasn’t the same. He was mad that I hurt you after spending so long with you and the promises I made. I was convinced that he was going to kill me.”

“You always did say he basically adopted me,” Klaus laughed, tears filling his eyes. Dave smiled and nodded his head.

“Yeah. Dani wasn’t too happy either, and she was even more upset when I proposed to Elizabeth. She kept asking if this was the choice I wanted, if I was doing what made me happy. I always said that I loved Elizabeth, but I realized it was a platonic love yesterday. Even my buddies at work were put off by me dating a girl, which I have never ever experienced in my life.” Klaus couldn’t imagine it. With the environment being filled with men and occasionally some women, being with a girl seems like it would be the norm. I guess that they have been so used to Dave and Klaus being together that it wasn’t something they thought would ever happen.

“I should be mad at you,” Klaus sighed. “You left me for a woman, broke my heart and left me and all of our broken promises in the dust.”

“I know,” Dave mumbled. “Honestly, you should be mad at me. If you don’t want to be with me or give me a second chance, I understand. I wouldn’t want to be with someone who did what I did to you.”

“I shouldn’t be with you.” Klaus held Dave’s gaze for that flare of dramatics. He kissed Dave with a passion filled move, holding him close. “But I have never been known for doing things that are good for me.”

“Klaus,” Dave mumbled against his lips. He pushed Klaus back and held him at arms length. “I don’t want to be another bad habit for you to have to break. I want to be the person that helps you fight those bad habits.”

“David Katz,” Klaus snapped. Dave blinked in surprise. Klaus was a bit surprised that he spoke to Dave in that tone was well, but he wasn’t going to back down now. “You have never been a bad habit. You have treated me better than any relationship I have had. You have helped me through so much, from mending relationships with my family to becoming clean and controlling my powers.”

“But I left—”

“Yes, you left me,” Klaus interrupted. “And yeah, that hurt like a fucking bitch and it took Peter and Ben a while to actually help me get back on my feet. But I came to your wedding and spoke in front of everyone, telling you I love you, and you pulled me out of the church and made out with me instead of your fiancee. So unless this is a cruel joke, I am willingly to believe that whatever we have right now is real.”

“It is,” Dave assured. “I swear to everything that is holy that it is.”

“Good.” As he trailed a hand down his chest, he continued. “And if you aren’t, I’m sure Diego and Vanya have no problems with ending your life, and it won’t take a lot for Vanya to convince Five to hide the body.”

“If I hurt you again, I’ll let them.” Before Klaus could retort, Dave leaned in and caught Klaus in another deep kiss, ending their conversation.

Klaus was happy to oblige, but once Dave licked his lips, a thought crossed his mind.

“Mm, wait wait,” Klaus mumbled. Dave let out a hum but kept kissing Klaus’ jaw and neck, holding him close. “Dave!”

“Wha-at!” Dave whined, burying his head in Klaus’ neck.

“Why did you say to Dani on the phone earlier?” Klaus asked, ignoring the man’s whines. It reminded him of a dog who wanted a treat, and that thought just made Klaus’ heart flutter.

“The short of it is I was having a gay panic because I saw you at the wedding and Dani was telling me it wasn’t too late to call off the wedding.” Dave gentle mouthed at Klaus’ neck and gave Klaus’ ass a squeeze. “Now can I keep kissing you? I have a lot of time to make up for.”

“I see nothing wrong with that,” Klaus sighed, brining Dave back up and crashing their lips together.

For once, Klaus believed that it would get better.

~Bonus Scene~

“Where the hell is he?!” Peter watched as chaos erupted around him. Dave’s dad was the one who yelled at Dave’s sister, the person who stayed the closest with him over the years. Dave’s mom was comforting the bride who was crying her eyes out. Peter honestly felt a little bad for her.

Dani yelled something at her dad—probably telling him off and letting him know that Dave wasn’t coming back—before marching her way towards Peter, determination in her eyes.

“I don’t want to stay here any longer,” she sighed, ripping off her fake eyelashes that she had. “Let’s just fucking dip.”

“Can I stay at your place?” Peter asked as they walked out of the building, ignoring anyone who tried speaking to them. “I’m gonna stay on the hopeful side and give the lovebirds some space.”

“Be my guest,” Dani grumbled. “We should look at tinder or something together. I’m gonna need some sad white boys to make this day better.”

Then again, who would he have to sneak in? As far as Zoe knows, the only friend that he has would be Evan, but Evan doesn’t seem like the kind of kid that would sneak into a friend’s house to get high.

“I can’t believe you are comparing me to a Koala, Evan. That’s such a dick move.” Koalas? “I don’t care if you think that I would adapt out of spite and I don’t give a shit if you have enough evidence. I don’t wanna hear that you compare me to a fucking koala.”

What...would even prompt that kind of conversation? Why is Evan comparing her brother to a koala? Koalas are soft and sweet and slow and her brother is...not.

There was a pause on the other line, almost for a full minute, and Zoe was about to leave her brother to his weird conversaton when she heard him go ‘hm?’. She leaned in closer when she heard her brother let out a heavy sigh.

“You want me to do what?”

That is a great question. What does Evan want him to do?

“She hates me Evan. There is no amount of talking that is ever going to fix that or any aspect of our relationship.” 

For once, Zoe also agrees with Connor. Evan most likely told Connor about the conversation that they had in the hallway. While Zoe hasn’t talked to Evan a lot, she gets the feeling that he would be the kind of person that would want everything to work out between everyone. As sad as it is, that will never happen between Connor and Zoe. Zoe doesn’t think that she can even try to become closer to someone that has threatened to kill her. 

“Okay. Let’s say that for some fucking reason Zoe and I decide to talk about our feelings like some normal ass siblings, what would I even say to her?”

There’s nothing that he could say that would make Zoe listen. They would end up fighting two minutes into the conversation and it would just worsen their relationship. Any kind of communication between the two just seemed pointless.

“What do I want to say to her?” Connor continued. There was a long pause. She guesses that he was trying to think of something.

Probably not anything nice, that fucking druggie Zoe thought.

“I’d want to tell her that I still see her. Even if I’m high and angry all the fucking time, I still notice things she does.”

Wait...what?

“I...She does this thing when she gets antsy, and I remember her doing stuff like it while growing up. She’ll start drawing on her jeans when she gets bored. Like, you know how she cuffs her jeans?” A pause. “Yeah, the bottom of her jeans. If you look closely you can see tiny ass stars just covering her jeans. Once I saw her draw a moon, and I wanna say Saturn or some shit?”

He...notices that? Zoe glanced down at her jeans and sure enough, it was the jeans that she was doodled on the most. Saturn was at the very bottom of the cuff and she had gone up from there so to her it looked rightside up but to someone else it was upside down.

“God, and you know those teen magazines? Those stupid ass ones that have dumb news about celebrtiies no one cares about? Well, my mom still has subscriptions to them for Zoe since she’s a teen. Zoe now pretends that she doesn’t read them, that she is more educated, but I have seen her taking the quizzes in there.”

He what.

Connor let out a laugh. “Really! I’m not fucking kidding! She’s such a fucking nerd about it too! I’ve watched her bookmark quizzes that she wants to take on their websites, and there are times that I walk by her room when the door is open and I see those shitty magazines with bookmarks in them!”

Zoe’s face was burning red with embarrassment. She tried hiding those quizzes for a reason! She didn’t want anyone thinking that she actually believed what they say.

Which she doesn’t. She just...really wants to see what the quizzes say. Which is normal! She’s a Junior in high school, where she is constantly stressed about standardized tests as well as the impending doom of graduating, choosing a college, and becoming an adult.

“She’s just...she’s perfect, Evan. Compared to me? She’s everyone’s ideal child. She’s just…. I don’t know how to say it without being weird.” There was a moment of silence before Connor let out another heavy sigh. “Okay, fine. It’s just… She’s gorgeous. And not in a weird way. She just… she has this way of drawing people in and welcoming them in, and I think it’s all in her smile.”

“No one talks to me—which I’m not too upset about, don’t get me wrong—but they don’t talk to me because I look angry all the time. Even when Zoe is upset, she tries to give people a bright smile so that they aren’t afraid of her. It’s all in her smile and it’s just… amazing how beautiful it is. How gorgeous and amazing she is.”

Zoe was going to cry. Here she thought that Connor hated her—and maybe he still does, who knows at this point—but here he is, saying all of these lovely things when Zoe has said nothing but mean things about her brother. Hell, she said all these mean things to her brother’s friend, who is probably his only friend.

Should she let what she is hearing change her opinion on him? He still did get angry a lot, break stuff in the house, yell, get high, and was in and out of the hospital. Zoe truly did think that he was a danger to himself, and sometimes her. He has threatened her life before.

...Right? She wasn’t imagining that?

Oh god what if she was imagining that. That pushed the tears over the edge. She just imagines her brother threatening to kill her from time to time while he is here actually trying to learn things about his sister by watching because she would never actually let him hold a normal conversation with her. 

She doesn’t know what to think anymore.

“That’s the thing, Evan. I don’t fucking know how to tell her these things. It’s like there is a giant canyon in between the two of us and there is no way around it or over it. Evening attempting to cross the rift would end in my death.”

“Affection isn’t one of my strong suits, so I can’t just… look her in the eyes and say ‘I love you’. I do, I really do, I just...can’t say it.”

That was the last straw. Tears started streaming down Zoe’s face at an alarming rate as she tried to hold back her sobs.

She doesn’t know what to feel. Part of her is angry because Connor has the audacity to talk about this behind her back, not even try to talk to her and let her know what he feels and that he doesn’t hate her. That same part is also angry at herself for making her brother feel that he can’t come talk to her, that they can’t tell each other what they feel like normal people.

But she knows why he can’t, and that’s why she is crying. He is right—the rift between them is too wide to cross. If Connor did try to approach her, she would immediately think something is up. They would get in a fight before Connor could even get anything positive out of his mouth because Zoe wouldn’t believe him. He wouldn’t even be able to say before Zoe got up and walked away because that is what she is used to.

They were not raised like normal siblings, and they are not normal. They have a lot of fights and problems that at this point, fixing it would be useless. Her and Connor just...can’t get along. 

But part of her wonders if they would have been able to fix this. If she and Connor had put aside their issues, or if they listened to each other for even five minutes, would things be different?

Zoe slid down the wall, hand held over her mouth as she cried. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t let Connor know that she heard this conversation with his friend, but she couldn’t go about her life as if she didn’t hear. Would Connor be suspicious if she started being kinder to him? Would he eventually figure it out? Would he get mad? 

Her first thought is of course he would get mad and that doesn’t help the tears stop flowing. Her mind is flooded with nothing but guilt, anger, sadness, and confusion and she doesn’t know what she should do. 

She hears movement next to her. It only takes a split second to realize that Connor is walking towards the door.

The door opens and Zoe snaps her head up, making direct eye contact with her.

Connor froze, staring down at his sister—who probably looks like a mess with mascara running down her face—shocked. He quickly masks whatever he is feeling with a defensive glare.

Sometimes Dave is asked how he would describe his boyfriend, Klaus. 

His immediate thought is to describe his boyfriend in the ways that he sees him—adorable, chaotic, strong, fearless, caring—but the wonders if there is an easier way. So he thinks more in depth of how Klaus acts. 

He thinks about describing him with an animal. He has seen people compare their partners to different animals and it makes him wonder.

Klaus was super hyperactive. Dave was almost compelled to compare him to a dog with how he acted.

One day changed that whole thought process.

“Klaus, are you doing okay?” Dave asked. Klaus had been sitting in the dining room as Dave made dinner, though he wouldn’t actually acknowledge Dave. He had been off all day, and it almost seemed that he had been following Dave around all day without actually acknowledging him.

“Yeah,” he mumbled. Before Dave could push more, Klaus grabbed his drawings and walked away. 

Dave watched him go, concern deep in his chest. He didn’t seem to be struggling with withdrawals. Was it just his anxiety?

Dave turned off the stove, setting aside what he was making. He could resume it later, but right now he was more concerned about Klaus. 

He looked around the apartment for his boyfriend. He checked the living room, bathroom, even the closet, with no luck. That left their bedroom.

Sure enough, there Klaus was, laying in the dark with his back towards the door. Dave silently closed the door and made his way to the bed, all while watching Klaus for any movement. He didn’t want to talk and ruin the quiet atmosphere that Klaus has. Rarely is Klaus ever laying somewhere with no noise, so the fact that he is means he really wants it to be quiet.

Dave slowly laid down next to Klaus. If he couldn’t give him comfort with his words, he wants to at least be there for him physically. Dave had planned on rolling over and pulling Klaus into his chest, but before he could get off his back, Klaus rolled over and attached himself to Dave’s side. He threw a leg over Dave’s leg, wrapped his arm around his waist and buried his face in Dave’s neck.

Dave held back a smile. So Klaus was just anxious. When he got in moods like this, he hated asking for physical affection, just waiting for Dave to lay down so he could attach himself.

Testing the waters, Dave brought his hand up and placed it on Klaus’ back. Klaus tensed up at first, but he slowly relaxed when Dave started rubbing small light lines up and down his back.

The couple stayed like that for a while. Dave wasn’t bothered by it. He knew that Klaus sometimes just needed silence and to know that Dave is there for him physically, and Dave can’t deny that he has been craving some good boyfriend cuddles for a while.

Klaus started placing small kisses on Dave’s neck in thanks. There was no sexual intentions behind them, just to give Dave some affection as well. Dave placed a kiss on top of Klaus’ head, hoping to return the favor.