he's an easy lover

𝕥𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕪 𝕙𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕟 - penned and cared for by luna, est, she/her

-- [introduction] -- [tags] -- [headcanons] -- [connections]

“That’s true,” Drew acknowledges cheerfully, “But it turns out I’m amazing at hiding weed from the gym teacher, so I guess it all balances out, huh?” It’s a shame the same can’t be said for his literal balance, because he hasn’t got a hope in hell of stopping himself from falling into Tommy when the shelf gives out, and it takes all of a second for him to accept that he’s going to end up dumped on the ground with a bruised ass. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time!

That’s why it’s such a surprise when the impact never comes, when instead he feels Tommy’s hands arriving at his waist in a bid to steady him. Interesting. Drew’s so busy thinking about this unexpected turn of events that he doesn’t immediately register that the door has slammed shut beneath the combined weight of their bodies, and that that might potentially be a problem. Frankly, he’s just glad to have made it out of this relatively unscathed - you gotta take the wins wherever you can get them.

He doesn’t dignify the question with a response, because the answer is obviously ‘yeah’. Drew’s problem has always been failing to think things all the way through, which is why he so often finds himself getting into scrapes. “Relax, man, it’s just a shelf - I’ll fix it.” At the mention of the lock, Drew turns around so he’s facing Tommy, not bothering to remove the other man’s hands or even step away as he reaches past him for the door handle. He jiggles it experimentally, but Tommy’s right - it won’t budge. “Huh. Welp, I hate to say it, but I think we might be stuck.”

Tommy doesn’t have time to think about where his hands are or the proximity of their bodies when his mind is on his keys, a good twenty feet away from them in his gym bag. The singular time in the recent past where he hasn’t had them on him when he’s been in the gym. It feels like the universe was pointing the finger and laughing at him. “I’ll just fix it. Are you stupid?” The bad side of Tommy rears its ugly head and he tries to bite it back but his temper is a bitch. The only thing that briefly stops it, is when Drew moves -- facing him straight on. Drew’s leg pushes against his own and nope, this isn’t happening. 

“Man, if I only gave my opinions when people asked for them, I’d never get to say anything,” Drews says mournfully, setting the toe of his boot against the bottom shelf and preparing to make his ascent. The wooden plank creaks a little under his weight, but it’s fine, he’s about sixty percent sure it’ll hold long enough for him to get what he came for, and in Drew’s book those are excellent odds. He peers down at Tommy through the gap between his arm and his body, eyes twinkling with mischief. It is a little funny. “Relax, I’ve done this loads of times. Give me just a second, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

In spite of Tommy’s protests, Drew steps up to the next shelf, which creaks even worse than the first. He doesn’t pay it any mind this time, though, distracted by both the pursuit of his prize and this conversation. “Well, yeah, it’s the best hiding spot in the whole school,” he says, matter of fact. “I’ve had stuff hidden here since January. Remember I was a janitor for like a month and a half? Wild.”

Sticking out his tongue in concentration, Drew stretches as far as he can go, making a triumphant sound when his fingers finally close around something cold and metal. His joy is short-lived, however, because at this moment the shelf he’s standing on breaks and he loses his balance, falling back to earth (and Tommy) with a surprised yelp. “Shit!”

‘I’ve done this loads of times.’ There’s this little twinge in those words that makes Tommy fully regret walking into this room. He can smell the trouble coming from a mile away but he’s frozen there, like someone about to watch a car crash and unable to look away from it. “Yeah, worst time of my life in fact because you’re shit at cleaning up anything.” He bites back and without thinking really, his arms brace themselves at his side as if he’s waiting for the evident accident. It’s borderline ironic that in a matter of seconds, the crash truly becomes literal. 

after everything, tommy was actually mindlessly enjoying himself for once. he was eating candy apples in his boxer shorts, pretending that hawkins was just like it was years ago -- when he still someone moderately important. holding a cider in one hand, tommy was distracted by the going ons that he walks straight into someone’s back, the drink lightly spilling over his knuckles and just a bit on the other’s jacket. a few seconds and he’s registering who exactly he bumped into. “do they pay you to stand in the way, jefferson?” tommy can’t help the bit of venom that laces his words. he should hold back, he knows better but when it comes to the hellfire guys, it comes out easily and idiotically. 

          “i think you should just go ahead and do it anyway, as if i’d give a damn.” steve took in a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders. what was there really to say in a time like this? he had already gone and made it awkward by bringing attention to his faults and weaknesses, it was a surprise that tommy was still lingering around. “i guess you could say that but for some reason i’m thinking otherwise, i have some odd feeling that i should of just kept my mouth shut and nodded my head. save myself trouble and all that.” looking over at tommy he nodded slowly. “perhaps all the bounce back is bounced outta me now.”

“Okay, tough guy, you can handle it,” Drew replies with a chuckle, “But, y’know, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” As he steps out of Tommy’s personal space, he can’t help but notice the way the other man avoids his gaze, the firm cast of his jaw, and he wonders if he’s starting to push his luck. It’s exceptionally easy to get under Tommy’s skin, even if it isn’t necessarily Drew’s intention… though it is fun to tease him. “You shouldn’t say it like that, my brain is interpreting it as a challenge, and I’m real determined.”

Tommy calling him ‘chuckles’ only makes his smile wider. His cheeks are starting to hurt! “I told you, coach, I’m very serious about my scholarship,” Drew says blithely, scratching the back of his head as he surveys the shelves. Now that they’re in here, he’s realising that all closets look kind of alike, and he’s all turned around. “Funny, I could’ve sworn it was this one… I remember it being bigger, did it used to be bigger? And there was a shelf that had all these- aha!” As he turns, he spots the shelf of old baseball mitts he’d been expecting, partially concealed by the open door. His stash should be hidden on top of the unit. “Well, I guess now you’re gonna see my climbing skills in action, huh?”

“The only part that’s challenging is me having to listen to your opinions when no one asked.” Tommy bites back because he can’t imagine Drew of all people, ever getting one over on him. There was only one top dog here and it was Tommy. “It’s the same as - what are you doing exactly?” His voice rises in pitch the more annoyed he gets and he’s watching Drew’s every move, just waiting for him to do something stupid. And right on time, he does just that. He thinks Drew is maybe just fucking with him but then the dumbass actually tries climbing his shelves, the ones he worked really hard on getting cleaned. His teeth grind dangerously in his mouth and he stands just behind Drew’s -- well the other man’s ass, having to look at the back of his ankles while maintaining his anger. “Right okay, Mclaughlin. Get down, it’s not funny.” 

tommy and jason used to be friends once upon a time. even if jason didn’t completely agree with everything that tommy had said. they were friends once. and for some goddamn reason jason still cares for him. that was the hard part with jason, his inability to let people go. “i came here to see if chrissy was here but i saw you so here i am.” he shrugs. he sighs, watching the nurse wrap his arm. “do you need a ride home?”

It’s not really a surprise to find Tommy suddenly standing in his path - he doesn’t strike Drew as the type to just chill and let stuff go. “That blows,” he replies with genuine sympathy. “I did mine once, I was climbing over a wall and obviously doing a shitty job, because I fell and landed on my whole hand.” It hadn’t been worth an expensive trip to the ER, so Shiv popped it back in for him, and it hurt like blue fuck. “Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, resting it?”

“You’re right, I haven’t,” Drew acknowledges cheerfully, stepping into Tommy’s space with the confidence of a man who rarely thinks things through. “Maybe it’s for your own good, huh? Wouldn’t want to get you in any trouble, would I?” That said, he takes the opportunity to sidestep the obstacle in his path, and continue forward towards his prize.

Drew doesn’t get far before he turns back, his smile too broad for any attempt at nonchalance when he notices Tommy is trailing after him. “I guess you’re gonna find out on your own if you keep following me - though someone did tell me super recently that stalking is illegal, so…” Continuing to walk backwards, Drew’s back meets the half-open closet door, and he pushes his way inside, still grinning like a cheshire cat.

“You? Uncoordinated? Never would have guessed.” Tommy sneers, already wanting Drew out of his sight. “I’m fine. I think I can handle it.” And he prepared himself to save more only for Drew to walk into his space, so close that Tommy can smell him. Their proximity makes it almost difficult for Tommy to focus and he casts his eyes down at his sneakers, jaw set when he speaks. “I doubt you could get me in any trouble. I have authority around here.” 

For a moment, Drew’s eyes are riveted to the expanse of skin that appears from beneath the hem of Tommy’s shirt - really, it’s insane that some people are just out in the world, living totally normal lives while also being so unbelievably hot. Kudos to the Hagans and their immaculate gene pool. “I did hear something about that, now that you mention it. If I see any stalkers, I’ll be sure to let them know,” he answers, lifting his gaze to meet Tommy’s for just a moment before he peels away from the doorframe, stepping to the gym proper.

He’s noticed that the sports storage closet is unlocked, which seems like a prime opportunity to investigate the whereabouts of his old stash. Sometimes when God opens a door, he also opens another, different door, or something. “’State my business’, what, did you become a cop since the last time I saw you? ‘Cause if you did, you legally have to tell me,” Drew teases, decidedly not closing his mouth as he makes a beeline towards the open door. “What happened to your hand?”

Tommy rolls his eyes so hard, he’s surprised he doesn’t dislocated something in his eye socket to match his hand. There’s just this little nagging part of Drew that knows how to find its way under Tommy’s skin and he hasn’t figured out how to rid himself of it yet, though not from lack of trying. Wiping his hand on his shirt, Tommy watches Drew carefully, his eyes raking over the other slowly as if suspicious of him. 

          “and yet you still haven’t snuck something in for me yet, shame on you tommy boy,” letting out a chuckle steve took in a deep breath and gave them a tight smile. “honestly tommy i wish i was messing with you,” and that was the honest truth. steve deeply wished he could look at him and say surprise or something. that this was all a joke so that it wasn’t really happening but he couldn’t. “well this is the first time i’ve really seen anyone about it, if it hadn’t of been for my concussion i probably wouldn’t of said shit.” reaching up steve rubbed his tired eyes and let out a deep sigh. “i’m sure there are things i can do to help but nothing’s helped so far. it’s not everything but there are a few blanks here and there,” pausing he looked up at the ceiling, “it’s exhausting sometimes.”

     all nancy could do was sigh. heavily. she had seen the damage done from the wind and the vehicles left on the road, but it was oddly convenient they only landed around the station. ❝ neither did i, not with how sudden it came. ❞ she didn’t want to lean in to anything that made the storm seem out of the ordinary, not when tommy could’ve been so close to it from his friendships with steve and billy. ❝ windows shattered in from the winds at the library, knocked over a few massive shelves. most made it out okay, but there’s nothing hawkins can’t eventually heal from. ❞ did nancy really believe that ? maybe after vecna when hawkins was finally becoming one again. but now, she wasn’t so sure. ❝ i think people are just curious as to what everyone else did during the storm. i can’t blame them. ❞  a beat. ❝ how’d the injury happen ? ❞ she asked, pulling her notepad out.

BED :  for both muses to wake in the same bed, naked or fully clothed.