Hey! Happy birthday! I'm making you something but I don't think it'll be finished till tomorrow it happy birthday <3 hope you've had a good day!
thank you so much darling!!! <333 (and i’m still working on minty fic week stuff but i’ll definitely be dedicating one to you as a belated birthday present :))
Miller woke with a start, the obnoxious sound of his alarm dragging him forcefully from his sleep. He flung an arm out, flailing wildly until he hit the off button. 6.15. Rolling over, he was surprised to see an empty space beside him, a note left on the pillow. Monty had stayed over last night and Miller couldn’t remember a single time previously when his boyfriend had been up before him (the privileges of working for your college mentors – Raven might kick Monty’s ass but then Wick would roll in two hours later and Monty’s tardiness would be forgotten). He grabbed the note, squinting to read it through his sleep-crusted eyes and the light streaming in through the too-thin curtains.
Nate,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Have a great day and I’ll see you tonight
Monty x
Right, birthday. Miller had forgotten what today was, until Bellamy had asked, in front of Monty, what his plans were, and Monty couldn’t have been more shocked by his nonchalance.
In his defence, he’d never much been one for celebrating birthdays. Being a cop, you never knew what the future held, so rather than make plans he might eventually have to cancel, he usually just went about his day as normal and then got trashed with Bellamy and Murphy in that night. But this year, he had Monty, as his boyfriend (and Murphy, surprisingly) had reminded him. Or so he’d thought. He was admittedly a little disappointed that Monty had left so early. Miller had been hoping he’d stick around to wish him happy birthday in person, maybe a quick fumble under the sheets or in the shower before Miller had to leave for work… Still, they had plans to meet for food and drinks that night, so he pushing his disappointment away, pulling himself out of bed and going about his usual morning activities. Towelling off after his shower, he stopped to send off a quick text to Monty.
Thanks for the note :) Can’t wait to see you later xx
Putting his phone in his jacket, he finished his morning routine and headed off to work.
The next time he checked his phone was over five hours later when he stopped to shovel some lunch down his throat, not having time to leave his desk. He had eight texts, all with birthday greetings in varying degrees of formality. One from his parents, promising a phone call later and a cheque in the post. Two from Clarke and Harper, full of emoticons, three more from Raven, Octavia and Murphy, full of swearing and sarcasm and one from Bellamy, despite the fact that they’d been sat opposite one another the entire morning and he’d had already received a card and gift (of alcohol, of course). The final one, Miller smiled to see, was from Monty. But his smile faded as he read the message.
No worries.
A frown creased his forehead at the short, sharp response. Of course, he had no way of knowing the tone in which Monty had intended the words be read, but Miller was a pessimist at heart. He racked his brain, trying to think of anything he might have said or done the previous night that would have pissed the other man off, but he came up blank. They’d had a fairly standard evening, eating dinner and watching trashy TV before heading to bed. He couldn’t think what had caused Monty’s indifference today.
“Something wrong?”
Miller snapped his head up to see Bellamy looking at him, concerned. He sighed and explained his predicament. When he was done, Bellamy watched him for a few seconds, before replying.
“Maybe he’s not as in to you as you thought?” He shrugged and Miller stared at him, hoping the dismay he was feeling inside wasn’t as obvious on his face.
“Hey, I’m kidding,” Bellamy added quickly, erasing Miller’s hope. His partner smiled. “Seriously Miller, I’ve never seen two people more disgustingly happy than you two. I’m sure he’s just… busy.”
Miller nodded, weakly. “You’re probably right. I’m just gonna step out a second, get some air.”
When Miller reached the hall, he turned left and headed up the stairwell that lead to the roof. He didn’t fancy being downstairs where people would stop him to chat about inane things or wish him a happy birthday. Once, he was outside, he scrolled through his phone and his call when he got to Monty’s name. It rang only twice, before he heard Monty’s voicemail greeting. At the tone, he began to speak.
“Hey, uh, it’s me. Just checking in, making sure you’re ok… and work’s ok… so yeah. Just call me back when you get this and let me know you’re ok… Ok. Bye.”
Miller rolled his eyes and hit his phone against his head. No wonder he doesn’t wanna talk to you, idiot.
For the rest of the day, the pile of paperwork on Miller’s desk got smaller by no more than a few sheets, as he caught himself, several times, staring intently at the form in front of him, his mind elsewhere. More than once, Bellamy had pulled him out of his thoughts by clearing his throat loudly and had even resorted to kicking him under the desk when that hadn’t worked, and Miller hated the sympathetic look he received whenever he checked his phone. At 5.45, Bellamy finally took pity on him and told him to go.
“I can’t, I still have all this to finish,” Miller protested, gesturing to the stack next to him. Bellamy cocked an eyebrow sceptically, before moving behind him and grabbing him by the shoulders to haul him up.
“Go on, go home. Go home and I’ll bet you anything Monty’s there and you’ll have a totally awesome birthday, for once.”
“I always have an awesome birthday,” Miller argued, taking his jacket from the back of his chair.
“Getting wasted with me and Murphy is your idea of a fun birthday? God, that’s sad,” Bellamy teased but Miller saw beyond the indifference. They’d both miss their informal tradition.
“Well then, I guess I’m sad,” he responded, lightly.
“In that case, you know where to find us if you and Monty get sick of your make-out sessions on the couch or anything.”
Or anything.
Like, he doesn’t actually turn up and I need to drown my sorrows and utter humiliation at having been dumped on my birthday, Miller’s mind so helpfully supplied.
Instead, he replied with an eye-roll and; “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Alright man well, happy birthday,” Bellamy held a hand out and pulled him into a quick hug when Miller took it. “I’ll catch you tomorrow.”
“Thanks man. Say hi to Murphy for me,” Miller told him as he turned and headed out the door and to his car.
Within minutes, he was back at his building and opening his front door to an empty apartment. The pessimism threatened to rise again, but Miller reminded himself that they hadn’t agreed to meet until 7, so Monty still had more than enough time to make an appearance. Instead of worrying, he took the opportunity to shower and change, cracking open a beer as he reclined on to the couch and waited.
And waited.
7 o’clock came and went and still no Monty. At 7.20, he picked up his phone, checking his texts and voicemail to make sure he hadn’t missed something but there was nothing. The worry starting to creep back in, he typed out a quick text asking (casually) whether Monty was on his way, but received nothing back. So, at 7.45, he sent another, not so casually asking if his boyfriend was ok.
As he was placing his phone back on the coffee table at 7.50 after the fifth time of checking, it began to ring and Miller hurriedly answered it without checking the ID.
“Monty?”
“No, it’s your mother,” the voice on the other end answered. “I’m just calling to wish you a happy birthday. Did you get my text this morning?”
“Oh, hey Mom. Yeah, I did, thanks,” Miller tried to keep the frustration out of his voice. He was pleased to speak to his mom, but he’d been hoping for Monty.
“Have you had a good day?”
“It’s been fine, just had a lot of paperwork to do after that bust last week,” Miller recited, scrubbing a hand over his face.
“Well, at least you caught them. Your father says hi, by the way,” his mother added, though Miller had already heard his dad in the background. “How have you been keeping? How is Monty?”
“I’m fine, Monty’s… fine.”
“And when are we going to get to meet him?” She asked and Miller felt the question settle like a lead weight in his stomach.
“Soon.”
“Well, you know, it’s your father’s birthday next month. Why don’t you bring him with you when you come?”
Miller’s stomach churned at the suggestion but he acquiesced all the same. “Listen Mom, I gotta go. Monty’s gonna be here in a second…”
They said their goodbyes and Miller ended the call. It was now 8.05 and he was an irritating mix of worried sick and pissed off. After another call that went straight to voicemail, he decided he’d had enough. If he was being broken up with, then Monty could do it face to face, instead of cowardly screening his calls and texts. Slamming his half-finished beer on to the table, he grabbed his keys, walked out, got back into his car and started across town to Monty’s apartment.
Hitting zero red lights along the way, Miller made the journey in record time and suddenly found himself stood outside the door to the apartment Monty shared with Jasper. He really hoped Monty’s best friend wasn’t also inside; he didn’t need witnesses to this, least of all Jasper.
Raising a hand, Miller took a breath, and knocked.
No answer.
So again, he knocked, a little longer and louder.
No answer.
Miller leaned his head against the door and huffed a laugh, feeling like he was going insane. Maybe I’m dead, he thought. Maybe I died. That would explain a lot.
Shifting slightly, he heard his keys jangle in his pocket and remembered the spare Monty had given him last month. He slid his hand around the bunch and singled it out, debating with himself the moral implications of using it now. After shamefully little thought, he decided that a) he’d have to give Monty’s key back to him somehow and b) he was a cop so he could always claim power of entry if anybody complained. He pulling the key out of his pocket, he pushed it into the lock and turned. Entering the apartment, he was met with utter confusion.
The place looked simultaneously tidier than Miller had ever seen it, but also completely disarrayed. There were candles on almost every available surface, some lit and others not, most long burnt out. There was a slight smell of burning in the air that didn’t seem to be emanating from the candles. As he glanced into Monty’s bedroom on his way down the corridor, he saw clothes strewn across the bed and floor and started to wonder if they’d been robbed (by candle-loving thieves apparently, who hadn’t broken in). Rounding the corner to the open-plan living area, he finally saw Monty.
Miller’s boyfriend was stood at the kitchen counter. His dark hair was a mess, his cheeks were flushed and shiny and there was a smudge of flour on his forehead. He was wearing a grey college t-shirt covered with a ‘trust me, I’m an engineer’ apron. He was surrounded by dozens of dishes and cutlery and several strange rock-like objects, and was furiously mixing something in the bowl he was holding.
“Fuck, shit, motherfucker, why is this so hard?!” He muttered, angrily, stopping to read something from his laptop on the opposite counter.
“Uh…” Miller began, drawing Monty’s attention.
“Nate! What are you doing here?” The other man asked, glancing nervously around the room and at the counter in front of him.
“It’s… 8.30,” Miller checked his watch. “You said you’d be at mine at 7. Plus, you know, you left early this morning and you haven’t replied to any of my texts or calls. You didn’t answer the door, so I used my spare…”
Monty put the bowl down and dropped his head, bracing himself on the counter. He sighed.
“Fuck. I’m so sorry, Nate,” He groaned, sounding exhausted. Miller frowned and rounded the breakfast bar to stand next to him.
“What are you talking about? What is all this?”
Monty looked at him, his eyes shining. “I just wanted to give you a great birthday. So, I got up early to come back here and clean and tidy everything, and I was going to have it all set up with candles and make a cake, and I was supposed to have it all ready and be showered and looking amazing and then I was going to text you and suggest that you come here instead. But I took too long deciding what to wear and putting out all the candles and lighting them and then I couldn’t get the cake to go right,” Monty gestured around him and Miller suddenly realised that the rock-like objects were previous baking attempts. “And now you don’t have a cake or candles and I’m really sweaty, I’m wearing the scruffiest clothes I own and this ridiculous apron and my phone died so I’ve ignored you all day on your birthday and you probably think I’m the biggest asshole.”
Miller took a moment to marvel at how Monty had seemingly said all that without taking a breath before pulling his boyfriend around to face him.
“Hey, I do not think you’re an asshole, in the slightest. You’re incredible,” he started, sliding his left hand to Monty’s jaw, tilting it to make eye contact. “And you look gorgeous, flour smudge and all.”
Monty reflected his smile, dropping his eyes down with a blush. Miller indicated to the space around them.
“And all this? Is amazing,” he dipped his head to place a chaste kiss on Monty’s lips. “You’re amazing.” Another kiss.
“I love you.”
As he moved in for another kiss, Monty pulled back an inch. When Miller looked up, he saw that Monty’s eyes were wide, his mouth parted.
“R-really?” He asked, and Miller suddenly realised what he’d said. His own mouth fell open but within seconds he knew his answer.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Monty face transformed into a broad smile and Miller couldn’t resist kissing it, knowing he was wearing one too. He threaded his fingers through Monty’s mess of hair and felt him hum against Miller’s lips. As the kiss wound down, Monty grazed his fingernails across Miller’s scruff, sending shivers down the latter’s spine.
“I love you too,” Monty murmured, softly and Miller couldn’t help kissing him again. Pulling away, he looked to the counter top beside them, Monty following his gaze. “So, it’s fair to say I suck at baking.”
Miller grinned. “Maybe. But I’ve never cared much for cake anyway.”
Monty took advantage of his exposed jaw and neckline to pepper kisses along it. “Well, luckily for you, there are plenty of other things I’m good, some might even say mind-blowing, at.”
Miller smirked, closing his eyes as he lost himself in Monty’s touch. “Is that so?”
“Mm-hm. We’re gonna need a bed though,” Monty teased, undoing the strings of his apron. “So, you’d better follow me.”
Miller’s smirk widened as he watched his boyfriend lead the way.
do they follow me?: yes | nodo I follow them?: yes | no | nowfavorite part of their blog: really amazing posts and I love the cute lil sidebar-gif of chloe bennet!! ♥
aliciaflorrickxwine
do they follow me?: yes | nodo I follow them?: yes | no | nowfavorite part of their blog: Ella is the sweetest cupcake, and I love everything on her blog <3
asexualymonty
do they follow me?: yes | nodo I follow them?: yes | no | nowfavorite part of their blog: Really cool theme and posts! :D definitely had to follow!
so if minty + harpoe = badass queer squad, what should we call minty + harphy ???
i’m thinking the vigilantes
i can totally see them robin hooding it up and both miller and monty were locked up for theft related things, and who knows what murphy and harper did SO that is my suggestion but i’m obvi open to others :)
yes im using the same image bc im lazy Alright so this is a little late i was supposed to do this over the weekend but i got busy and i had finals to study for but im all done now so here the the members for the nathan miller squad!
maytheymeeetagain
johhmurphy
clarkesrebel
murphsjohn
puppycisco
htgawbellarke
cuddlyclarke
mountainmonty
nogitsunei
brraveprincess
m0ntymiller
nmillers
motnymiller
nathanmilers
reaperbell
sassymurph
nvthanmiller
klngbellamyblake
badassmurph
arkblakes
congrats guys! there were so many entries i didn’t think we’d get over 100+ notes on the post so thanks for the interest and im sorry if you didn’t get picked this was so hard to do!!
you guys should be getting an email soon to join the chat and look out for a message from me!! don’t forget to track #nathanmillersquad and if you have any questions you can ask either me or bree
