#ijrp

[sallyxretro-nyc-archived-blog]

Denial doesn’t change the truth!

@fcirlylccal

     [This is perhaps the stupidest thing he’s ever done, and he’s fully aware of that fact even as he taps the screen of his phone to send the call out. Too many people are talking, saying things that don’t make sense, and he’s too scared to ask his husband. Every time the subject of Mike is brought up in their household, Joe manages to successfully steer the subject matter in a different direction. SAL needs to know the truth, and if deceit is the way to gain it, it’ll be ironic, but so be it. He’s desperate for answers. What better place to find them than the second party to all this nonsensical talk he’s been hearing?]

     [The minute he hears the voice on the other end of the line, shock fills him to the brim, radiating down to his core. On some level, SAL supposes he hadn’t expected Mike to actually answer the phone, and now that he has, he’s unsure what to say...]

                    “Uh... hello? Hey...”

     [Better get to explaining himself or the call will be over before it’s even begun...]

                                        “Listen, I know this is gonna sound really weird, but I                                         was kinda wonderin’ if maybe we could-- hang out...?                                         Like, you and me... Just the two of us...?”

[sallyxretro-nyc-archived-blog]

The Accomplice

@emily-jane-girl-next-door-rp

     [Okay, she’s agreeing to help and play her part in this epic punishment. He can see the compliance in her eyes, and hell, he’s known her long enough to think he’d know if she was bluffing. Nevertheless, it appears to be sincere cooperation, so he goes with it.]

                 “Greeeaaatttt...”

     [-SAL smiles mischievously, rubbing his palms together in front of him as if the brilliant idea was completely his own. In reality, Q had been the one to bring it up, but he and Joe had both readily agreed with the enthusiasm of children. This will definitely be a punishment to remember!]

                                                  “Okay, so ya bring him to the buildin’, ya get him                                                   inside at six-thirty. Shit, if I were you, I’d just take                                                   a seat and watch the show. Or better yet, y’could                                                   come back and hang with us while we watch the                                                   magic of this punishment unfold.”

     [Though to many, the excitement he has might seem exaggerated, it most-definitely is not. He cannot WAIT to see the look on Murr’s face...]

                      “Seriously. Six-thirty. If you’re late, they’ll start without us.”

[sallyxretro-nyc-archived-blog]

Emily knew that even having this conversation with him was risky. She was fairly certain James would not be happy when he found out, and he was definitely gonna find out. "Well can you at least promise me he will be okay. I mean, not like that time you threw him out of a plane and he was kinda traumatised to ages, or that time you pretended to burn his blankie, I mean promise me that he will be physically and mentally alright and I will help you with whatever it is you guys have in mind."

     [SAL can’t help but roll his eyes dramatically at Emily. Leave it to her to be overly-concerned about her precious little ferret boy… But he and the guys have been planning this punishment for ages. There is absolutely NO room for error. He has to be sure Emily can be trusted to play her role before he will feel comfortable enough to agree to let her do it.]

            “He’ll be fine. Jesus… It’s not like             we can kill him off or anythin’…”

     [He doesn’t voice it, but in his mind, VULCANO-GATTO knows: Murray will be awfully pissed for awhile, but in the end, he will most-definitely be a-okay. Sure, they’ve been stepping things up this season as far as the craziness of some punishments, but if James hasn’t come to expect something extravagant, then he’s just as much a dunce as SAL thinks he is.]

     [With a gentle touch, SAL places both hands on either of her arms, speaking slowly and enunciating every syllable with care to ensure her understanding of the plan.]

                                 “All we need you to do is make sure Murray                                  is there on time. That’s all. Make sure that he                                  arrives promptly at six-thirty. Okay…?”

[sallyxretro-nyc-archived-blog]

Whiskey = Disclosure

@fcirlylccal

     [This isn’t the first time they’ve made a trip to L.A. to visit Joe’s cousin, Mike, and it certainly won’t be the last. But this trip is different. This time he has plans to learn things about Mike, and he’s positive he knows a sure-fire way to do so.]

     [They usually try to visit at least once a year - in the summertime preferably. Ever since their younger days, when SAL had first met the other as a teenager, he’d assumed the persona was because of his age at the time. However, as time went on, VULCANO-GATTO had come to realize that Mike wasn’t changing with the times. Here it is, over twenty years later, and cousin Mikey is still the same as he was on the day he’d met him. SAL intends to find out why he is the way he is. He wants to know the clockwork of the person Mike is, what makes him happy, what makes him sad... literally everything.]

     [The couple has settled in fairly quickly at Mike’s place in Los Angeles, there to stay for a week or so, and SAL’s plan is set into motion their second night when Joe decides to go out for some groceries to cook the three of them a hearty meal, leaving he and Mike alone in the house. It’s something he’s never been all that comfortable with - being alone with the other - because he’s always gotten the feeling that Mike doesn’t like him, or that he’s jealous of his role in Joe’s life. Something. Something is off, and he wants to know exactly what it is.]

     [As soon as Joe is ready to leave the house, with a quick kiss to his cheek and a side hug to his cousin, Mike exits to his bedroom and swiftly shuts the door behind him. A shrug, a smile, and a tiny wave to his husband later, and VULCANO-GATTO sets about pulling alcohol from the cupboard. Tequila... vodka... YES! A bottle of his favorite - Jameson - hidden in the back and full of the burning liquor. Perfection at its finest.]

     [Grabbing a couple of glasses from the other cabinet, he moves to the bedroom door and raps lightly on the wood. No answer is received, but hey... that’s just Mike. Tentatively (and hoping the other man isn’t indecently exposed), SAL cracks the door.]

                  “Hey, Mike...? Let’s have a drink while Joey’s out, yeah...?”

[sallyxretro-nyc-archived-blog]

Coming Back Home

@scoopskixpotato

     [It’s been a week. Well, in reality, it’s been over a week since SAL left. It wasn’t by his own choice, of course, but sometimes duty calls. A million things have been running through his mind the entire time he’s been gone. Is Joey okay? Is he handling the distance between them better than he himself is? God knows the last trip he’d gone on had been his worst nightmare upon returning. For that reason, and that reason alone, SAL has been excessively nervous for the last leg of the ride. Sure, he and Joe have talked some on the phone, but it’s not the same, and it’s hard to judge his husband’s disposition without looking directly at his face.]

     [An hour an a half left of the trip and his legs begin to twitch without him even realizing it, both with nerves and anticipation. He absolutely cannot wait to get home and see the love of his life. This is the longest the pair have been apart since they went their separate ways after high school. Of course, this hadn’t been nearly as hard to deal with since VULCANO-GATTO could hold onto the fact that he would definitely get to see Joe again. It was still difficult, though, being away from the man he adores has NEVER been an easy pill to swallow.]

     [Finally! Well after midnight, he finds himself turning the car into the familiar driveway of home, bags forgotten in the car in his haste to see Joe. He practically trips over his own two feet at a dead run to the front door, which he throws open and immediately starts calling out his lover’s name.]

                                 “Joey! Joey! JOEY, I”M HOME!!”

[sallyxretro-nyc-archived-blog]

“Public Indecency??”

@scoopskixpotato

     [It’s not uncommon at all for Joe and SAL to call up their friends for last minute dinner plans. This just so happens to be one of those nights. They’ve been on a break from filming for a week now, and still have another week to go before the work picks back up, but of course the foursome can’t spend that much time apart from each other. It’s different for the now-exclusive couple, though. Ever since SAL had moved in with Gatto, they spend just about every waking hour together. Tonight? They’re missing Murr and Q something fierce.]

     [VULCANO had been the one to make the calls, proudly announcing to his boyfriend that the other two guys had agreed to meet them at their favorite place. It’s an upscale, Thai restaurant with some of the best food in New York City - in their humble opinions, of course.]

     [After sharing the news with Joe, he heads up the stairs to get ready for the evening. Sure, they’ve been friends for what feels like forever and have likely seen each other at their absolute worst, but that doesn’t mean SAL won’t spend time to look nice for the dinner. He knows he’ll never have to put on a front for the other guys, especially Joe, but still he’s not about going to a semi-fancy establishment in jeans and a t-shirt.]

     [Black slacks are tugged over his hips, buttoned and zipped with care before a short-sleeved dress shirt is pulled over his shoulders and fastened with precision. Hair is combed, though it’s one of those days where his dark curls sort of do their own thing and fluff somewhat wildly atop his head. That much doesn’t bother him too badly anymore. After all, Joey likes his hair that way. Finally, black, plastic-framed glasses are slid over the bridge of his nose, and with a final look in the mirror, he heads back down the stairs to meet his boyfriend in the kitchen.]

     [Crossing the threshold, he smiles abashedly as Gatto checks him out in his current apparel before eyes shift upward to meet his.]

                                                           “Y’bout ready to go? It’s a quarter to six.”

[sallyxretro-nyc-archived-blog]

*Justice & Closure*

@scoopskixpotato

     [He’s known this day was coming for weeks, but hell if that makes it any easier to force himself out of bed, toes curling on bare feet as they come in contact with the cool carpeted floor below. God, why does this have to be so hard? Nerves churn violently in the pit of his stomach, causing his head to spin slightly as he wills himself to stand. Shower. He has to shower and get ready. Putting it off will only delay the inevitable, and being late for a court hearing in which he is the key witness isn’t something he wishes to do.]

     [Joe is apparently already up and downstairs, probably cooking a plentiful breakfast that SAL isn’t sure he’ll have the heart to deny, but at the same time, isn’t sure he’ll be able to stomach. Let it go by quickly. Let it be done without a mental breakdown. Let him hold it together for the sake of everyone involved. Let him be able to detail the horrific nature of the physical, sexual, and mental abuse he’d been subjected to without losing it all right there in front of a courtroom full of people. The shame will eat him alive.]

                     [PLEASE JUST LET IT BE OVER SOON!]

     [Cold, cruel anxiety settles over him as he washes up under the rush of hot water. All at once, it feels as if an elephant has plopped its weight down on his chest, an inexhaustible sense of apprehension taking a tight and relentless grip on his throat and making it hard to breathe properly. Dear Lord, not an attack. Not today. He can’t deal with it TODAY.]

     [Several moments later, VULCANO-GATTO is fully-dressed and crossing the threshold into the kitchen. The usual greeting is given - arms around his husband’s middle and a soft kiss to the back of his neck. But today he lingers. Today he holds on as if Joe is his very life-source and the only thing guaranteed to get him through this upcoming ordeal. Today he clings on to the man he loves significantly tighter than all the times before.] 

              [Today he’s scared out of his fucking mind.]

     [A tiny whisper against the flesh of his partner’s neck:]

                                              Tell me again... tell me I can do it... please...”

[sallyxretro-nyc-archived-blog]

`Let’s Recreate Magic’

@scoopskixpotato

     [He's been waiting on this day for a couple of weeks now, sitting on his plans like a mother hen protects her eggs. It's going to be perfect. It has to be. Everything has to go as planned, lest either one of them have a meltdown. And God above, let there be no triggers for either one of them. This is to be a good thing, a saving grace in a time when they both need it the most, and he hopes with all his might, Joe will be pleased with his idea.]

     [It had come to him in the midst of freaking the fuck out over the fact that he'd almost forgotten his own husband's birthday in light of all the recent happenings. SAL had been on the verge of having an all-out attack because he had no idea what to do for Joe's birthday, and Lord, if he's ever needed anything, for any occasion, it's this time. Then, out of the blue, the idea had popped into his head, and he'd known instantly it would be the ideal gift. Since that time, he'd been developing a flawless plan in his head. Now that the time is upon him, VULCANO-GATTO can't help but feel a little nervous that his idea might be a little stupid. However, he's already mentioned the fact that he's made plans. It's too late to back out now.]

     [Everything is packed up at the foot of their bed, and now all he has to do is get Joe to pack his own clothing. SAL had remembered everything else. How could he forget? He'd been a total wreck of anxiety the first time around, and every bit of that time is as vivid in his mind as if it had only been yesterday. No, he's positive he hasn't forgotten anything.]

     [Nerves shoved aside, SAL makes his way down the staircase, greeting his husband as always when he's cooking - arms around his middle and a soft kiss to the back of his neck.]

                 "Breakfast smells good, baby. Let's hurry and eat, though.                   I only need y’to do one thing, and then the fun begins...”