Diary fic finally gone from my life! I lost it towards the end - it was one of those fics which benefitted from urgency, short and sharp chapters building up… but then when I took a break, it all went wrong. I’ve given them a fluffy ending, and sent them off into the world alone.
Now I think I’m going to start my MTAS and Coral Island fics once a week, with Professor Dekarios and One With The Weave chapters chucked in whenever something inspires me for them.
So here it is, the end of the housemate/diary fic: I hope someone can find some snuggly joy in this old crock of crap!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
She looks at him in the way only June can. She's the only one he'll allow it from without a fight. "I don't know if you're ready to have this conversation or not."
His fork clatters to the plate in front of him. "What is that supposed to mean?"
June sighs a sigh of long-suffering and pinches the bridge of her nose, before she looks him dead in the eye and sets his world upside down. "You know you and Henry are dating, right?"
Alex gapes at her. Mouth hung open, eyes blown wide. "W-what?"
"I say this with all the love in the world," she says. "But sometimes, I swear, you are the most oblivious idiot on the face of the planet."
aka Four Times Tugger Stole Something From Alonzo (and maybe one time he maybe didn't but you'll never get Alonzo to admit it). aka housemates AU.
Because this vid gave @skimblyshanks and @whitmerule 'Alonzoffelees Plus Annoying Housemate' feels.
Human AU: rating Mature; word count c. 9k; pairings Alonzo/Mistoffelees and Munkustrap/Tugger, with a strong focus on Alonzo&Tugger. AO3 link here.
Theft 1: His Dignity. "On the third day after Alonzo moved into Mistoffelees’ bedroom, Tugger nicknamed him ‘grumpy cat’."
Theft 2: His Moments. "It wasn’t until they woke up properly that Alonzo found the note pinned to the blanket. It just said, ‘😜’."
Theft 3: His SOFA. "Alonzo knew that Tugger still got on Munkustrap’s nerves, because as soon as Tugger appeared Munkustrap’s eye-rolls (which were impressive at the best of times) increased by approximately 200%."
Theft 4: His brother?! “'… I think,' Alonzo said carefully, 'my brother thinks I want him out of my life.'"
Part 5: ... okay so maybe not the sofa. "The first time Alonzo managed to turn the tables on Tugger, it was completely accidental."
Epilogue: And one thing Tugger gave him.
(skimbly's gif, whit's writing, based on skimbly and whit's AU brainstorming.)
“He’s intolerable,” said Alonzo, and flopped onto the couch. (He liked their couch. It was red and kind of fuzzy when you rubbed your cheek against it, and Mistoffelees would crawl on top of him—yes, just like that—and nuzzle his chest.)
“You’re so dramatic,” said Mistoffelees, and scrunched up his nose the way Alonzo loved. “You two should match.”
Alonzo made a pained noise. Mistoffelees kissed his chin.
“Really. It’s not nasty, there isn’t any malice in him. He’s just a bully, that’s all.”
“Why,” enquired Alonzo of the ceiling, “are we talking about Tugger.”
“Because you keep complaining about Tugger.” Mistoffelees kissed his neck, then nipped it. “Instead of talking about me.”
There was a tone in Mistoffelees’ voice. Alonzo felt that delicious little prickle spread over his skin as the hair on his arms began to rise. (You couldn’t do too much on the couch—‘no mess’ was one of Mistoffelees’ firm rules—but there were plenty of things you could do without making a mess.)
“Why would I talk about you,” he said, shifting a little bit so he could sneak his hands onto Mistoffelees’ back, “when you’re right here?”
Mistoffelees’ mouth curled in the hollow of his throat, and two fingers drifted down toward the hem of Alonzo’s shirt. “Maybe I want to hear what I make you think about.”
“Popcorn,” declared Tugger, dropping his arse down on Alonzo’s shins and reaching for the remote. “You make me want popcorn. Hey, don’t stop on my account, I’ve got a great view.”
He patted Mistoffelees’ butt.
Mistoffelees giggled into Alonzo’s neck.
It was impossible to be a mature, dignified adult with Tugger around.
---
When Alonzo came back from the bathroom he found Tugger draped across the whole couch and Mistoffelees curled up (as only he could curl) into a tiny ball on the armchair.
Alonzo bit his tongue, and didn’t comment, and sat on the floor with a cushion.
(Halfway through dinner Mistoffelees oozed down onto the floor to use his thigh as a pillow, though, so it wasn’t all bad.)
---
“Alonzo’s brother has a motorbike?”
“Just a scooter,” said Munkustrap, eyeing Tugger curiously as he unfastened his riding jacket. “Good morning, you must be—”
“Close enough,” declared Tugger, uncoiling himself from his sunny grassy spot with slow, terrible glee, and stalking toward the bike.
“It’s a very economical and practical mode of transport for one person,” Munkustrap pointed out. Then he smiled at Alonzo, who felt the warmth of it spread through him and lift him up onto his toes. “I brought your books.”
Could any words in the language be more beautiful?
Alonzo went to meet him, and busied himself with opening the little parcel and looking through the few treasured volumes he’d left with Munkustrap.
It probably shouldn’t feel so weird, living away from your brother. It wasn’t that Alonzo felt like he was missing a limb: maybe he was the missing limb?
… flopping about with no direction, cut off from the body that it should be part of.
… which was a really creepy metaphor and made his throat ache and probably wasn’t normal. And obviously it was sensible and healthy to move out and figure how to live with other people. Who weren’t Munkustrap.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you move in.” Munkustrap’s warm hand brushed his arm, and Alonzo leaned toward him a bit. He could edge right in under that arm, if he wanted a hug.
Mistoffelees’ voice drifted down from his favourite branch three metres overhead. (Somehow, you never actually saw him climb up there.) “There’s lemonade in the ice box under the bench there.”
“You have a lovely garden,” said Munkustrap, helping himself obediently to a glass. He still had one eye on Tugger, though, as the other man ran his hands over Munkustrap’s precious scooter.
… Alonzo could nestle up against Munkustrap and his brother would wrap both arms around him and rub one small firm circle in the small of his back. (Munkustrap always smelled like home, when he’d just taken that jacket off.)
“That’s all Tugger,” Mistoffelees yawned. “He keeps things tidy out here when I throw him out of the house for peace and quiet, and I keep things tidy inside. And Alonzo too now, of course.”
Alonzo took a step toward Munkustrap, reaching for his arm.
“Hey,” said Tugger behind him, “can I borrow that jacket? Because I think it would look better on the floor of my room in the morning.”
Munkustrap turned to Tugger. Less than ten minutes of acquaintance, and he was already wearing his Polite But Long-suffering expression.
(Alonzo tried not to scowl.)
“I hear you do most of the cooking?”
Tugger beamed at him. “Hello, gorgeous. Yeah, I cook an amazing breakfast. Actually, I should open a street stall, because I already know how to make a wiener stand.”
One of Munkustrap’s eyebrows rose. “I’m sure Alonzo mentioned you only cook vegetarian meals.”
“Sure am. My meat’s local, all natural, home-made and certified organic. Want a taste?”
“… I’m afraid I have food allergies,” Munkustrap replied blandly. And his eyes, when he turned back to Alonzo, said silently, ah. I see what you meant.
But Alonzo never did get his hug.
---
He didn’t get his shower either.
He’d been just about to go into the bathroom, but his boss had rung and then his whole orderly morning routine had fallen apart, and he’d been running back and forth from bedroom to kitchen trying to find his glasses, and suddenly the bathroom door had clicked shut and—oh no—the sound of running water.
He knocked. “Tugger! I was just about to…”
… and you’ve just been lounging on the sofa all morning and I need to get to work earlier than usual and…
“And now I am. Fight me!”
… and obviously you couldn’t know that but somehow, somehowI’m sure you did this on purpose. Because you would.
Alonzo did his best with the kitchen sink and got to work five minutes late, feeling grubby for the rest of the day.
---
And then there was the sofa. Ah yes, the sofa.
Somehow, every time Alonzo and Mistoffelees started to get cuddly on the couch, Tugger would materialise. And flop down between them.
Even if it meant sitting in their laps.
And Mistoffelees never got angry. He just shoved him off and laughed, or hugged him and called him names.
It had been a long hard day, and Alonzo was late back, and… there was Mistoffelees, curled up loosely against Tugger’s side as they watched something on Tugger’s laptop.
Alonzo slumped in the doorway with exhaustion and hopelessness knotting in his chest, taking in the details of the scene. The sleepy, peaceful cant of Mistoffelees’ head against Tugger’s shoulder. The easy way Tugger’s arm was draped around him so that it pinned a fold of the blanket in place over his shoulders. The lingering laughter in Tugger’s smile as he looked up, and lifted his other arm to invite Alonzo to join them. Mistoffelees’ little yawn, and the way he nestled his cheek against Tugger’s shirt, and the hope in his eyes.
They looked so very… at home.
And Alonzo ached.
He shook his head, and went into the bedroom to call Munkustrap. And he was almost sure he heard a faint sigh behind him; although he wasn’t sure whether it meant disappointment or relief.
---
Mistoffelees moped at him all the next day. Alonzo wasn’t sure how to approach the subject, so he didn’t. He just… patted him whenever he could. Because that always made Mistoffelees lean against him and nuzzle his neck.
And Mistoffelees told him not to wait up, he was attending some event and wouldn’t be back until after midnight, but somehow Alonzo fell asleep on the couch anyway. And when he woke up, sometime in the small hours, Mistoffelees was curled up on his arms and the blanket was draped over them both. And Alonzo buried his nose in Mistoffelees’ hair and breathed in, and ached for a different reason.
It wasn’t until they woke up properly that Alonzo found the note pinned to the blanket. It just said, ‘😜’.
Because Tugger thought drawing emojis and sticking them on things was hilarious.
Alonzo whined, and burrowed back into his warm little cave of boyfriend and blanket, even though the blanket was now sullied.
“I thought you got the blanket,” he complained.
“Stop sulking.” Mistoffelees bit his ear, mostly gently. “He didn’t even prank you. That’s Tugger being sweet.”
Alonzo burrowed his fingers under Mistoffelees’ shirt, to the comforting smoothness of skin. “That’s Tugger mocking me. Inside his own head,” he added. “Where he knows I can see it.”
ღ Papilio machaon by merryofsoul {T, namkook, 44,3k}
“Fuck. My. Life. I’m getting evicted and I have one week to find a new place.”
“My roommate moved in with his boyfriend a few months ago and I haven’t been able to find a new one,” Namjoon says, leaning across the table excitedly. “It’s too big of a place for just one person and it’s been kind of lonely.”
“Hyung,” Jungkook interrupts Namjoon’s rambling, already deciding to doom himself to one of the worst-best decisions of his life. “I’m in.”
[the roommate/living together trope will never die i srsly love it too much. enjoy some soft namkook. this story is written beautifully with dynamics and characters that feel real which is important to me in most stories. it has some relatable moments that will make you feel for guk or one of the others. it's slow burn so prepare for that ^^]
will there ever be anything as simple and enjoyable as the humble modern housemates AU? where the main cast of characters share an apartment or house, everything is wildly chaotic and that’s it that’s the fic? reading every author’s headcanons of what job the characters would have or what they would study at university based on their skills and interests in canon? where instead of solving crimes, hunting dragons, exploring the reaches of the galaxy in spaceships, or what have you, the characters get up to improbable shenanigans in walmart at ungodly hours and argue over who ate the last of the chinese takeout leftovers? someone posted a list of increasingly random and oddly specific house rules on the fridge door and everyone else wrote banter and commentary in the margins? where they’re roommates and best friends and found family and every time they’re all together, hilarity ensues? wholesome. pure. a quality funky good time. give it to me. the appeal of watching the same character arcs and inter-personal relationships play out but better and with vine references is too strong.
Well, I may have gotten fired from my job today but I turned that frustration into some productivity, so I finally managed to finish the third part of my housemate AU / Otayuri series Soul Revival.
Thin Air is now finished and will be up by the end of the week hopefully. I’ll have one read over it tomorrow and then my lovely beta @sheldilocks will do her part. She’s a busy bee though so I’m not promising a specific day for the update.
But hey, I finally finished another fic and I’m damn proud of that for sure.
