He wants to chuckle at the disgruntled sleepy bunny look on Gale’s face, like John had committed the biggest sin by leaving the bed. A chilled hand shoves at his bicep before Gale climbs into the stall, truly it is not big enough for both of them, but neither of them care right now. Two long arms wind around his waist to pull his body into Gale’s front, his face tucks into John’s throat to nuzzle close.
John will never admit to it, but a half asleep or freshly woken up Gale was one of his favorite versions, only because his guard wasn’t up and he was cuddly. It had taken John a long time to realize that Gale doesn’t seek comfort through touch the way he does, Gale looks for comfort by someone else just being there with him. Even if Gale will suffer in silence, he seems to like to do it with John right by his side, which is something John will do until the end of time.
“Did I wake ya?”
~~~
ao3 link
special thanks to @steviewicks45 & @stars-remain2 for betaing this one and going ham in the comments on the doc. I appreciate you both and love you both
John looks down at his legs and brushes his fingers across his joggers, before he clears his throat. A nervous ball of energy is in his stomach, he still can’t believe he’s doing this.
A boudoir photoshoot.
He wanted to do something special for Buck’s 25th birthday, and what better than dressing himself up in some lace. Then getting pictures taken by lesbian lovers who own their own racy photography company. Curt had helped him find them, after several hours spent scrolling Instagram and reading reviews.
💎💎💎💎💎
AO3 link
💎💎💎💎💎
Thank you to @stars-remain2 for editing this bad boy for me and screaming into the void about this with me.
Thank you also to @steviewicks45 & @roseszirnheld for encouraging me and supporting me to keep on keeping on.
Thorpe Abbots Hospital & Rehabilitation Center has seen a lot of things, it’s been included in more things than the regular average Joe would be able to list off. It’s housed women crying, men praying, doctors and nurses hustling to save lives. Its had new life born into it and other lives lost in it.
Character Study/Synopsis
John ‘Bucky’ Egan
21 - senior in college
TBI/thoracic and lumbar spine injuries/lower extremity paralysis/dissociative disorder/PTSD from the accident
Ham was drunk driving and crashed into a tree, sending him through the windshield, breaking his spine in three places, almost severing his spinal cord.
Will be an absolute menace with the wheelchair he has to use, popping wheelies always, crashes into stuff at least once an hour. Works hard at his PT but pushes himself too much, doesn’t know the meaning of rest.
He tries to treat it all as a joke, tries to not let others see how much it’s affected him. But deep down he’s angry, he’s angry that his football scholarship is gone, he’s angry his studies have been paused, he’s angry that he can’t walk, he’s angry he can’t pop a boner anymore, he’s angry because his girlfriend broke up with him. he’s just angry but trying to mask it, trying to bottle it up and shove it down deep.
Gives Gale the nickname ‘Buck’ because he saw the blond sitting by himself at lunch one day, and made it his mission to make the other man smile at least once a day. Usually pulls his nonsense with his chair to get a chuckle and ‘you’re an idiot John’ out of Gale.
Gale ‘Buck’ Cleven
19 - would be a sophomore in college but hasn’t started yet due to home issues
eating disorder/bipolar/depressive disorder
Is a self admit, after Marge begged him to get help due to an incredibly high manic cycle for him. He’s been at Thorpe Abbots the longest out of all of them, almost at the six week mark when John comes into the picture.
He’s usually well mannered, well tempered, but gets snippy/bitchy and impulsive when he’s cycling. struggles with making connections with people because he’s scared they’ll find out he has bipolar/depression and think he’s a screw up.
Almost always has his nose buried in a book of some kind, they’ve always been his escape from the real world. If he isn’t reading he’s sketching something in a drawing pad.
Cannot stand John at first, does not understand why the man is here in the first place. who willingly comes over to the mental rehabilitation area, but finds out John is doing extensive therapies on the same floor. and they are remodeling the floor he should be on, so he’s down the hall from Gale.
John ‘Little John’ Brady
18 - freshly graduated from high school
OCD/anxiety/mysophobia - stemming from an experience he had as a little boy.
Was admitted by his mother when he wouldn’t sleep because he had to count the panels of floor boards. She often found him out in the backyard in the middle of the night pacing back and forth.
Has awful social anxiety, panics with touch because he feels dirty from it. Scrubs his hands raw, carries his rosary with him ALWAYS but uses it more as counting beads than anything else.
Him and Gale tend to gravitate towards one another because Gale doesn’t like talking and Brady is more than okay with the silence. but he does encourage the older boy to eat his food, does it in such a gentle manner that Gale doesn’t even realize he’s doing it the majority of the time.
Really really likes Benny, but always talks himself out of really talking to Benny. Panics when Benny brings in Meatball for his twice monthly visits, the dog is well mannered but it makes Brady’s skin crawl when Meatball drools.
Bernard ‘Benny’ DeMarco & Meatball
20 - sophomore in college
Volunteer that comes in and visits everyone, tries to get them to smile. always has Meatball because the husky is a therapy dog.
He first notices Brady walking in the courtyard, fiddling with his rosary. goes out to offer him a pet or cuddle with Meatball, and has to watch the panic set in for Brady. which makes Benny feel awful, because what if he’s had a bad experience with a dog before?
But when he finds out that it’s his OCD (from Gale when he was in a manic episode and couldn’t keep himself from talking), that forces Brady out of touching animals because in his mind they are dirty.
So slowly Benny starts introducing Brady and Meatball to one another. never forcing Brady to touch the dog, and Brady can see how well taken care of Meatball is. and when Benny nonchalantly drops that Meatball just had a grooming appointment earlier that day, he smells like sugar cookies right now.
Brady finally touches the dog, just a quick pet of his ears but it has Benny smiling so widely that Brady feels the pride rolling off of the older boy in waves.
Marjorie ‘Marge’ Spencer
19 - sophomore in college
Absolutely adores Gale, they grew up together, always had each other’s backs, and she’s had to watch him suffer. his abusive father, his mom who struggled with her own bipolar, leaving little Gale to his own devices. He lived with her essentially once they hit middle school.
But she’s also seen first hand how volatile Gale can get when he’s cycling, and she knows he tries hard not to. takes his medicine diligently, goes to therapy, reads his books, draws in his sketch books. She begged Gale to go into rehab when she realized he wasn’t eating due to his bipolar disorder.
She does weekly visits with Gale, always bringing food for him from a place that she knows he likes. and quietly applauds him when he finishes even 1/4 of it, she’s his biggest supporter.
She absolutely thinks John is kind of funny, even if he reminds her of a frat boy. She can also absolutely see that Gale actually really likes the dingus boy in his wheel chair. Tries to strike up conversation with John, just to watch the way Gale will flush from the older boy’s attention.
Curtis ‘Curt’ Biddick
22 - super senior in college - his own nickname for himself
He was in the car with John and Ham when the accident happened, suffered significantly less injuries than John. but feels immense guilt because he shouldn’t have let Ham drive, he knew the guy had been drinking. They all had been but it still wasn’t an excuse in Curt’s mind.
He has been best friends with John since they were in kindergarten. Always causing mischief and havoc wherever they went. Absolutely known as the dynamic duo and had to be separated in any of their classes together.
Him and John haven’t talked since before the accident, and one incident when John was still in the hospital. John essentially banned him from coming back to see him, telling him he didn’t want his pity. He didn’t want Curt’s sorries, he wants to be able to fucking walk again.
Slowly weasels his way back into John’s good graces, enough that he can make weekly visits with the boy. it doesn’t erase the guilt, but it helps not eat away at him so much. Gale has a small hand in getting John to accept the first visit with Curt, telling him how awful Curt looked sitting out in the visitation room by himself.
His usual light blue eyes are darker around the edges, like this is a thrill for him, like his adrenaline is pumping a thousand miles a minute. Benny takes a chance and lunges, just to receive a quick jab to his collar bone that makes him stumble back. Gale grunts slightly when Benny hits him in the jaw, and suddenly before Benny can even blink he’s being hit so hard in the stomach that it sends him down onto the grass gasping for air. When he blinks his eyes open, it's Gale staring down at him.
“Hit me like you goddamn mean it next time DeMarco, don’t pull your goddamn punches. I’m not a dame, and I’m not some dainty omega you’ve gotta go easy on. Do you understand me?”
I’m only writing this letter because we both know Mama won’t, she’s too prideful for that right now. The last two deposits from Adam have been less and less, I’m not sure what’s happening. Maybe he needs more money lately for whatever it is that you boys need, but I’ve been struggling to make ends come together. Rosa has had four ear infections as the weather has gotten colder, and between the clinic charges and the medicine, we’re dipping into the little surplus we did have. I almost couldn’t pay the lights last time. I don’t want to take more from you but I don’t know what else to do, Papito.
~~~
ao3 link
thank you to @steviewicks45 & @stars-remain2 for betaing this one and for loving me, I'm the lucky one to call you both my best friends 💕
John can’t seem to bring himself together as he stands under the warm water as it drips over his face and down his big ears. It slips in rivulets down his nose and makes him close his eyes again. The scar tissue around his right eye pulls when he squeezes them closed tighter. He can hear Johnny’s quiet deep rumbling voice off to his left. He’s become accustomed to people standing on his left side now, where he can see them clearly.
He jumps so violently when a hand touches between his shoulder blades that his arm almost swings out on instinct until he smells spicy spearmint and his shoulders drop before he feels a strong but gentle hand pushing down on his bicep.
~~~
*a rewrite of my original mama john piece, abo style, with more angst. because I can do what I want*
as always, thank you to @steviewicks45 for being my beta. you honestly deserve a raise for the shit you put up with from me
It makes something bubble up in Benny’s chest, before he’s suddenly launching himself across the table and hitting his superior officer square in the nose. The table shakes with Benny on top of it, and his chair flies backwards onto the ground as he grabs at the lapels of Bucky’s uniform jacket. Bucky’s chair topples back onto the hard floor with both of them in it.
Benny’s fist raises up for a second hit before he’s suddenly being hauled up and off by two hands grabbing under his arms to pull him back. A soft, barely there scent of caramel graces his nose while two arms lock around his chest tightly and the body behind him goes ramrod straight. Gale holds him back in an iron grip, one that feels practiced, like he’s done it a dozen times before.
“Easy Benny, easy…woah, calm down now. C’mon before I have to put you down again,” Gale drawls out as he keeps his grip on the front of his jacket.
~~~
ao3 link
thank you to @steviewicks45 for betaing and for making a beautiful moodboard. I love it so much
