m8 you're like hecka chill (: and i was wondering if you're still doing prompts, i have one to lob at ya! Hinckman, 217.
[hey, thanks, bud, you too! here, have some stressed!Kyle & snarkily!supportive!Ian.]
“I knowwhy you’re crying,” Kyle hears from behind him, and he lets his head dropagainst the side of the garage, groaning, “but care to explainanyway?”
“I’m not crying, Ian,” he mutters, and it’s true, mostly anyway,but he can’t catch his breath, and his hands are shaking, and the last thing hewants to do is turn around and look at Ian, so he doesn’t, keeping his foreheadpressed against the cool side of the building, eyes closed. "Just…go back inside, okay? I’ll be there in a second.“
"Okaaaay,”Ian says, drawing out the word, “if that’s what you want…” but theirfootsteps don’t retreat back toward the door.
Kyle sighsdeeply. "I’m fine,“he insists. "I’m not crying, and I’m fine.”
“I mean,one of those things might be true,” Ian concedes, “but I’m not goingto believe it until I see your pretty face.”
Kyle rolls hiseyes, but he lifts his head defiantly, looking at Ian. He expects their expression to be mocking, but instead they just look genuinely concerned, and that’s almostworse, somehow. "See?“ he demands.
"Okay,”Ian agrees. "Not crying. I think. Just kind of a wreck.“ Theytake a step closer. "Do you needanother hug?”
“I don’tneed a hug, Ian. I just need – ” he cuts the words off,letting out a frustrated noise. “Never mind, just – ”
“You needwhat, Bossy? A vacation? A drink? A good long jerkoff session?”
Kyle feels hischeeks go hot. "Jeez, Ian – “
"Nah, I’mfucking with you. You need a break,Bosman. I get it. This whole working stiff thing is reallygetting to you.”
“No!”Kyle objects, “It’s not. I go to work, I’m fineat work. It’s afterthat I can’t handle. It’s – ” hewaves a hand at the garage. "It’s this, showing up and having to have everything set up foryou guys, because Jones doesn’t have time to do it, and Damiani doesn’t havetime to do it, and you couldn’t care less, and – “
"Hey,”Ian objects. "I care.“
"Yeah? Show it sometime, then, why don’t you? Because I show up here after a day ofKeighley, and everything’s a disaster, and I’m supposed to just roll in withthe plan, right? Kyle, the guy with theplan, but I don’t have one right now. I don’t have time to make one. I don’t have time to breathe,let alone figure out some stupid tournament bracket, but I wantto, you know? This is supposed to be thefun part, not the – ” he breaks off, turning away.
“Bossy. Hey.” Ian steps forward, and if it was anyone else, if it was Huber or Ben orany of the others, Kyle would duck away, but he can still remember that briefmoment of peace as Ian folded their arms around him inside the garage, thatsplit second of not having to be in charge of anything, of just standing there,being still, and he finds himself leaning into Ian’s touch instead. "C'mere.“ Kyle lets Ian pull him into a hug, andinstead of standing there stiffly, he hugs back, letting his forehead drop toIan’s shoulder.
"Sorry,”he mutters, and Ian rubs his back, their hair tickling his neck as they shaketheir head.
“Hey, no,none of that. Look, you’re taking a loton right now. We get that, we alldo. And sure, yeah, we’re used to youcoming in with plans and ideas and everything all set, but that’s because youhad a few months to yourself all alone in your sad lonely little apartment. Of course you were planning things. And yeah, maybe we came to expect that, butyou know what? We’ll adjust. I got a job, Don got a job, and this crazything we’re doing here didn’t fall apart. You got a job now, and what? We’re all supposed to cave in on ourselves without the great Kyle Bosmanpulling all the strings? Nah. There’s gonna be an adjustment period,sure. But we’ll deal. And until then? Give yourself a break. So everything might not go perfectly. You know what does? Fucking nothing. Welcome to life, Bossy.”
Kyle laughsalmost bitterly, but he nods, pulling back from Ian’s grasp and looking atthem. "Ugh, I mustbe a mess,“ he says, rubbing a hand across his face. "You’re being niceto me.”
Ianlaughs. "Yeah, you’re a realdisaster human right now, sorry to tell you. It’s cool, though, we like disasters.“ They reach out to pat Kyle’s cheek. "Hey,” they say, quiet andsincere. “I get this is rough onyou right now? But you’re going to fuckingrock it. Keighley’s lucky to have you,and so are we.”
Kyle claps hishand over Ian’s, pulling it away from his face. “Okay, okay, don’t get all sappy, I get it.” But he keeps Ian’s fingers clutched in hisfor just a moment longer, giving them a brief squeeze. "But thanks.“
"Hey,enjoy it while it lasts, I only get sincere like once every other full moon orsomething,” Ian says, and they turn back to the garage, keeping Kyle’sfingers twisted into theirs and pulling him along in their wake.
“I don’tthink it’s – ” he begins, craning his neck to look up at the sky, and thelook Ian shoots him over their shoulder makes him cut off the rest of thewords. "Never mind.“ He gives Ian a smile that doesn’t feel forcedthis time. "Showtime.”
“Showtime,Bossy,” Ian agrees, and they push him toward the door. He can’t even manage to be a little bitsurprised when they drop a quick slap to his butt as they push him forward,into the chaotic noise of the garage.
taptaptapping replied to your post “so………………. is there a name for elyse/lindsay”
i mean,, personally i use 'elyndsay' but i'm not sure if that's what other people do or not
see i like elyndsay but i feel like there’s a snag that could happen with elyndsay/elindsay? and i’m tentative using anything involving the willems surname bc there are two willemses, but also i kinda like tuggems/willsay? and then there’s also lindyse/lindsyse. and it’s. i’m thinking about this too much
