Author's Note: I like this fic, but I'm gonna need to space it out more.
Yes, this is the chapter where it gets a little bit slashier. Mmm. Taste that slashy goodness.
"Josie" is one of my favorite blink_182 songs (off of the Dude Ranch album). Go to YouTube and watch the video - it is made of win.
I'm thinking of asking my good friend Mare Bear if she'd like a fic of hers up. She's the one that I wrote Feeling This and ~X~Fix Your Eyes~X~ for, so it would only make sense for her to have a cameo.
Name: Feeling This
Pairing: Mark/Tom (blink_182)
Genre: Romance, slightly AU
Rating: PG-13
Chapter 5: Josie
Tom’s late night movie was interrupted by a loud crashing right next to his ear.
“Fuck!” he hissed, rolling out of bed and ducking beside his nightstand. His brain scrabbled to piece together what had happened. Once his panic had faded, he saw a rock sitting on his floor surrounded by broken glass.
“Tom! To-o-o-o-om! Tom, I gotta talk to you!”
Tom stood up and stuck his head out of his now nonexistent window to see Mark standing below him, eyes wide, looking really pathetic and really, really scared.
“Mark?” Tom turned to look at the rock on his floor. “What the fuck? You broke my window.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. The rock thing seems to work a lot better in movies.” Mark bit his lip. “Can I come up?”
Tom sighed. “Yeah, okay. Climb up.”
Mark jumped quickly to the task of scrambling up the trellis in front of Tom’s window. He climbed into Tom’s room, carefully avoiding glass and frowning at the glowing TV. “National Lampoon’s Vacation?”
“Yeah.” Tom shut it off and flicked on his bedside lamp. “So what’s going on, man? You look kinda scared.”
Mark shook his head and collapsed onto Tom’s bed. He ran a hand over his face and looked up at Tom, almost begging. “You’re gonna be pissed.”
Tom sat down beside him, concerned. “I’m gonna be way more pissed if you don’t tell me what happened. Now come on. What’s wrong?”
Mark looked sick. “It’s Travis. He… His heart… Let’s just say he’s not doing well.”
Tom’s mind began to spin with terror. “What? Why? What the hell happened?”
“I took him to a party,” Mark continued. “Listen, I know I screwed up! But I wanted him to have a good time for once. Is that really so wrong? I mean, he’s got his dick stepdad, his psycho mom, and a fucking heart condition. It seemed like a good idea to let him relax and be happy for once.”
“I understand that,” Tom snapped, running a hand nervously through his hair. “That’s why I haven’t ripped out your damn trachea yet. But where is he? What happened to him?”
“I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I think he either went into cardiac arrest or he had a heart attack. They took him to the hospital. Scott’s with him.” Mark rubbed his eyes. “Fuck. I thought I was doing him a favor.”
Tom sighed. “Yeah, I know. But you have to remember than Travis can’t really do the same stuff as us. He’s too sick.”
Mark thunked his head on Tom’s shoulder. “Yeah, I know. Are you pissed at me?”
“No,” Tom muttered, putting an arm around Mark. “I’m not pissed at you. I’m a little pissed at God, though.”
Mark raised his head and, to Tom’s surprise, kissed him on the cheek. “You’re the best friend I could ever have, you know that? You always make me feel better.”
Tom blushed and gave him a small smile. “Thanks, man. You help me out a lot, too.” After a few seconds, he asked, “Did you drive here?”
“No. I’m a little tipsy. Could you take me home?”
Tom groaned. “Mark. Get another designated, for the love of God!”
“Why? You’re a good little designated.”
“I hate driving you around. It’s depressing. It’s a constant reminder that I don’t get invited to parties where I can get drunk.”
“I thought you hate parties.”
“I do hate parties. I hate dances and football games, too. But I would like to be invited so I can turn it down.”
“Um, dude? That’s fucking twisted.”
“Maybe to you. You always get invited places.” Tom grabbed his keys. “I’m really hungry. Wanna stop by Sombrero?”
“The Mexican place downtown?” Mark shrugged. “Sure. Let’s replace our stress and anxiety with tacos.”
They crawled down the trellis and scampered off to Tom’s car, which they had so oddly named Yogi. Begging Yogi to be quiet and not wake up the parentals, they drove off down the street.
While Tom was ordering, Mark sat at a booth, scribbling on a napkin. He wasn’t really conscious of what he wrote until he looked down and saw a song.
“Yeah my boyfriend takes me home when I’m too drunk to drive
And he doesn’t get all jealous when I hang out with other guys
He laughs at my dumb jokes when no one does
He brings me Mexican food from Sombrero just because
Yeah just because
And my boyfriend likes UL and DHC
And he’s so smart and independent
I don’t think he needs me
Quite half as much as I know I need him
I wonder why there’s not another guy that he is with
And when I feel like giving up
Like my world is falling down
I show up at three AM
He’s still up watching Vacation
And I see his perfect face
It takes me away to a better place and
I know that everything, know that everything, know that everything
Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“What’s that?”
Mark jumped and slapped a hand over his napkin. Tom was standing above him with a tray of tacos and a weird look on his face.
Mark hemmed and hawed for a few seconds before spluttering, “I-It’s a, um, a song.”
“Oh, sweet.” Tom plunked the tray down and sat in front of him. He seemed desperate to stay in a good mood and forget what was happening with Travis. “What is it called?”
Mark’s brain whirred, casting around for a decent excuse. Finally, he said, “’Josie’.”
“Josie? Is that a girl’s name?” Tom asked. His smile became even more strained.
“Uh…” Actually, Josie was the name of Mark’s cat. Still, Mark, before he could think about what he was saying, spouted, “Yeah. That’s my girlfriend’s name.”
Tom’s smile disappeared altogether. He looked… Angry? Upset? Crestfallen? It was hard to tell. “Oh. So it’s a song about her.”
Mark winced slightly. “Yeah, it is.”
Tom, looking a little irritated, bit into his taco. “Okay, then let’s hear it.”
Mark’s stomach did a high kick. Trying to mask his nerves, he read the first verse and the refrain, quickly changing anything that pointed to the song being about a male. Tom’s jaw was tight through the whole reading.
Mark folded up the napkin and stuffed it in the pocket of his jacket. “So. What’d you think?”
Tom’s voice was tight and formal. “Sounded good.”
They ate their three tacos apiece in absolute silence. After Tom had dropped Mark off without even a goodbye, Mark collapsed onto his porch and sighed. He couldn’t quite believe that he had told his best friend that he was dating his cat.
Tom’s late night movie was interrupted by a loud crashing right next to his ear.
“Fuck!” he hissed, rolling out of bed and ducking beside his nightstand. His brain scrabbled to piece together what had happened. Once his panic had faded, he saw a rock sitting on his floor surrounded by broken glass.
“Tom! To-o-o-o-om! Tom, I gotta talk to you!”
Tom stood up and stuck his head out of his now nonexistent window to see Mark standing below him, eyes wide, looking really pathetic and really, really scared.
“Mark?” Tom turned to look at the rock on his floor. “What the fuck? You broke my window.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. The rock thing seems to work a lot better in movies.” Mark bit his lip. “Can I come up?”
Tom sighed. “Yeah, okay. Climb up.”
Mark jumped quickly to the task of scrambling up the trellis in front of Tom’s window. He climbed into Tom’s room, carefully avoiding glass and frowning at the glowing TV. “National Lampoon’s Vacation?”
“Yeah.” Tom shut it off and flicked on his bedside lamp. “So what’s going on, man? You look kinda scared.”
Mark shook his head and collapsed onto Tom’s bed. He ran a hand over his face and looked up at Tom, almost begging. “You’re gonna be pissed.”
Tom sat down beside him, concerned. “I’m gonna be way more pissed if you don’t tell me what happened. Now come on. What’s wrong?”
Mark looked sick. “It’s Travis. He… His heart… Let’s just say he’s not doing well.”
Tom’s mind began to spin with terror. “What? Why? What the hell happened?”
“I took him to a party,” Mark continued. “Listen, I know I screwed up! But I wanted him to have a good time for once. Is that really so wrong? I mean, he’s got his dick stepdad, his psycho mom, and a fucking heart condition. It seemed like a good idea to let him relax and be happy for once.”
“I understand that,” Tom snapped, running a hand nervously through his hair. “That’s why I haven’t ripped out your damn trachea yet. But where is he? What happened to him?”
“I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I think he either went into cardiac arrest or he had a heart attack. They took him to the hospital. Scott’s with him.” Mark rubbed his eyes. “Fuck. I thought I was doing him a favor.”
Tom sighed. “Yeah, I know. But you have to remember than Travis can’t really do the same stuff as us. He’s too sick.”
Mark thunked his head on Tom’s shoulder. “Yeah, I know. Are you pissed at me?”
“No,” Tom muttered, putting an arm around Mark. “I’m not pissed at you. I’m a little pissed at God, though.”
Mark raised his head and, to Tom’s surprise, kissed him on the cheek. “You’re the best friend I could ever have, you know that? You always make me feel better.”
Tom blushed and gave him a small smile. “Thanks, man. You help me out a lot, too.” After a few seconds, he asked, “Did you drive here?”
“No. I’m a little tipsy. Could you take me home?”
Tom groaned. “Mark. Get another designated, for the love of God!”
“Why? You’re a good little designated.”
“I hate driving you around. It’s depressing. It’s a constant reminder that I don’t get invited to parties where I can get drunk.”
“I thought you hate parties.”
“I do hate parties. I hate dances and football games, too. But I would like to be invited so I can turn it down.”
“Um, dude? That’s fucking twisted.”
“Maybe to you. You always get invited places.” Tom grabbed his keys. “I’m really hungry. Wanna stop by Sombrero?”
“The Mexican place downtown?” Mark shrugged. “Sure. Let’s replace our stress and anxiety with tacos.”
They crawled down the trellis and scampered off to Tom’s car, which they had so oddly named Yogi. Begging Yogi to be quiet and not wake up the parentals, they drove off down the street.
While Tom was ordering, Mark sat at a booth, scribbling on a napkin. He wasn’t really conscious of what he wrote until he looked down and saw a song.
“Yeah my boyfriend takes me home when I’m too drunk to drive
And he doesn’t get all jealous when I hang out with other guys
He laughs at my dumb jokes when no one does
He brings me Mexican food from Sombrero just because
Yeah just because
And my boyfriend likes UL and DHC
And he’s so smart and independent
I don’t think he needs me
Quite half as much as I know I need him
I wonder why there’s not another guy that he is with
And when I feel like giving up
Like my world is falling down
I show up at three AM
He’s still up watching Vacation
And I see his perfect face
It takes me away to a better place and
I know that everything, know that everything, know that everything
Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“What’s that?”
Mark jumped and slapped a hand over his napkin. Tom was standing above him with a tray of tacos and a weird look on his face.
Mark hemmed and hawed for a few seconds before spluttering, “I-It’s a, um, a song.”
“Oh, sweet.” Tom plunked the tray down and sat in front of him. He seemed desperate to stay in a good mood and forget what was happening with Travis. “What is it called?”
Mark’s brain whirred, casting around for a decent excuse. Finally, he said, “’Josie’.”
“Josie? Is that a girl’s name?” Tom asked. His smile became even more strained.
“Uh…” Actually, Josie was the name of Mark’s cat. Still, Mark, before he could think about what he was saying, spouted, “Yeah. That’s my girlfriend’s name.”
Tom’s smile disappeared altogether. He looked… Angry? Upset? Crestfallen? It was hard to tell. “Oh. So it’s a song about her.”
Mark winced slightly. “Yeah, it is.”
Tom, looking a little irritated, bit into his taco. “Okay, then let’s hear it.”
Mark’s stomach did a high kick. Trying to mask his nerves, he read the first verse and the refrain, quickly changing anything that pointed to the song being about a male. Tom’s jaw was tight through the whole reading.
Mark folded up the napkin and stuffed it in the pocket of his jacket. “So. What’d you think?”
Tom’s voice was tight and formal. “Sounded good.”
They ate their three tacos apiece in absolute silence. After Tom had dropped Mark off without even a goodbye, Mark collapsed onto his porch and sighed. He couldn’t quite believe that he had told his best friend that he was dating his cat.
Author's Note: Comments, please and thank you!
2 comments:
More, kay? <_<
This is my favorite story of yours.
Your music is busted. <_< More Feeling This. Nao.
Post a Comment