Title: How I Met You, Part Twenty-three
Author: moodwriter
Beta: aislinntlc
Genre: angst, romance, high school AU
Pairing: Adam/Tommy
Word Count: 2591 words (this part)
Rating: NC-17 (this part)
Warnings: language, sexual scenes
Summary: Adam has done something stupid, and the whole school laughs at him. Tommy has just moved to San Diego with his parents, and he chooses the outcast over popularity because that's just his way.
Disclaimer: AU liberates me from my responsibility to tell you that this is not real. :D Mwahahahaaaaa. Anyway, this is fiction.
Prompt: College and HS AUs are my fav! But that's all I got lol So that was vegas1024's prompt for me way back when. I've been slowly writing all these prompts, and this one gets its chance now. Hopefully you'll like it. :)

How I Met You, Part Twenty-three


You had the blue note sapphire eyes, to back up all those gazes
To pierce my guard and to take my soul off to faraway places
Told me I'll never be alone, cos you're right there

We took a gamble with this love, like sailing to the storm
With the waves rushing over to take us, we were battling against the tide
You were my beacon of salvation, I was your starlight

So don't cry for your love, cry tears of joy
Cos you're alive cradled in love
Don't cry for your love, cry tears of joy
Cos you're alive cradled in love

I kept the love you gave me alive, and now I carry it with me
I know it's just a tear drop from mother earth, but in it I can hear a dolphin sing
Telling me I'll never be alone, I know you're right there

So with the fire still burning bright, I wanna gaze into your light
If I could see my fortune there, you know how flames can hypnotize
Do I even dare to speak out your name for fear it sounds like, like a lover

So don't cry for your love, cry tears of joy
Cos you're alive cradled in love
Don't cry for your love, cry tears of joy
Cos you're alive

Cradled in love

Cradled in Love by Poets of the Fall


Tommy walked down the stairs slowly, buying time because he didn't know what to say to Leila. He'd done his part, and now he felt like an intruder.

He followed the sound of TV to the living room, and found Leila and Eber sitting side by side on the couch. Leila muted the TV the moment she saw Tommy.

"How is he?" she asked, sounding every bit like the mother she was.

"He's in the shower. He'll come downstairs to talk after that... But please don't yell at him. He thought this was about him being gay."

Leila looked mortified.

"Yeah... He's overreacting big time, but it's a bit better now." He didn't know what else to say so he took a step back, ready to leave. "Um... I'll go now."

Leila walked him to the door, and he appreciated it that she didn't try to say anything, just touched his shoulder before he left.

At home, he ate quickly, brushed his teeth, wished good night to his mom and dad, and went to bed. He hoped Adam would call because he wanted to know if they could see each other. He had wanted to ask that from Leila, but he hadn't dared. It wasn't his place.

When the phone rang he jumped, his heart in his throat. It was Adam.

"How did it go?" Tommy asked immediately because he couldn't wait.

Adam laughed a little so it couldn't have been totally terrible. "The first thing Mom did was hug me and tell me she loves me. Job well done, baby."

Tommy blushed. God damn it.

"You saved a lot of grief from my family. I'm sorry. I know you've been worried, too. And you live the same life I do. You'll face the same obstacles."

He didn't understand at all what Adam was trying to say. "Um... What do you mean?"

Adam was quiet for a moment, then said, "It's not my battle alone. You're not freaking out about everything even though you've had a lot less time to get used to the idea that you like boys, too. I don't know... I just... It feels like I woke up. You woke me up."

Tommy turned on his side, curling into a ball under his blanket. "You have the right to be upset about things."

"I know. But I can't own these problems. They are universal. If that makes any sense at all... I don't know what happened, but I feel like I pulled my head out of my ass, or something." Adam laughed again. "And I know that the same problems will be there tomorrow, too. Everything's going to suck, mostly. Except... We're going to play at school. And you'll be there. And it doesn't matter because I'll get out."

He wanted to hug Adam. "Can we see each other?"

"Oh... Mom said that you're welcome here. We can do homework together, too. And she said that Isaac and Cam can come over a few times a week if we need to practice for the performance. And yeah, she said that she can't force us to wait, but her wish is that we would be good to each other and not rush into things. She kind of let me know that she doesn't want us to have sex while we're still minors. You have no idea how much I wanted to roll my eyes at her."

"I'm..." Tommy didn't know what to say because waiting seemed like the stupidest idea ever. There was no reason for them to wait. They loved each other, and the sex was awesome. Parents were way too meddlesome sometimes. But he was happy Leila didn't want to separate them.

"Yeah..." Adam sounded exhausted but somehow happy, too. "I need to go to sleep. So tired. Good night, baby. See you tomorrow."

"Good night." He wasn't good with pet names, but one day he'd use one and it probably wouldn't end the world. Maybe he could hold Adam's hand somewhere, too.

At school things got weird. Someone Tommy hadn't even seen before called them fags, but that wasn't the weird part. Marie and her friends happened to walk by, and she stopped, turned around, and asked, "What did you say?"

The guy went completely red in seconds, avoiding Marie's gaze, but she just rolled her eyes, and said loud enough for anyone to hear, "What an idiotic thing to say." Then she grabbed her friend's arm, and walked away, leaving Adam, Tommy, and Isaac there, their mouths open. The guy disappeared as quickly as he could.

"Oh my god," Adam whispered. "Did you hear that?"

Tommy nodded, and Isaac grunted. They were equally shocked. Marie was one of the popular kids.

"I can't believe it." Adam looked at Tommy. "You were the first who defended me. Did she just... Oh my god."

"Isaac's been defending you the whole time, stopping things behind your back," Tommy said without thinking, and Isaac kicked his shin. They were sitting on the edge of a flowerbed, waiting for the break to be over.

"What?" Adam got even more confused. "Really?"

Tommy nodded. "There are probably lots of people here who don't agree with the bullying. We just don't often do anything about things unless they concern us. Easier to stay out of it. People are afraid to act."

Adam scratched his chin, pursing his lips. "I never even thought of that. I thought they were all out to get me. Probably most of them don't even know I exist."

Isaac leaned back a little, putting his hands into the soil. "When they hear you sing everyone will want to know who you are."

They all laughed, but they also hoped there was truth in those words. They wanted it to happen. They wanted to be successful. Dreams coming true, and all that crap.

After school, when they got to Adam's house everything was so different from yesterday. Leila waved at them from the garden, smiling, and Adam had cleaned his room, too.

Tommy felt welcome there, and it made him grin.

"What?" Adam asked, grabbing his neck and pulling him close.

"We're lucky," he said, his lips almost brushing Adam's. "Really lucky."

Adam was teasing him, holding him far enough so they couldn't kiss. "Why are we lucky, Tommy?"

He grabbed Adam's shirt, held onto it hard. "Because they don't try to stop us from doing this, because we have it and we can keep it."

Adam licked his lips, then licked Tommy's too. "I love it."

This thing that was happening between them was worth all the heartache, and Tommy smiled against Adam's lips, licked him back, happy beyond words.

"And I love you," Adam whispered, finally letting Tommy move enough to properly kiss him. It was promises, and future, and sweet love, and if Tommy hadn't been so totally into it he probably would've made fun of them, of this. But he was, and so was Adam, and it didn't matter that they were so smitten. It really didn't matter.

"I wanna travel the world with you," he said between kisses.

Adam bit his lips, still gentle. "I can't wait."

That night, he fell asleep in Adam's room, exhausted after nights of worrying over Adam, and if Leila came to tell him that he should go home she didn't push the matter enough to wake him up.

In the morning, the door to the hall was open, and Adam was sleeping on his side next to him. Tommy had his briefs and T-shirt on, and Adam was wearing pajama pants but no shirt.

He kissed Adam's shoulder, then brushed his hair off his face. "Morning, baby," he said to Adam, watching him as he started to wake up.

Adam opened his eyes, blinking a few times, then smiled. "Oh yeah, you stayed."

"I did. Didn't mean to." He looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table, and it said six a.m. They had plenty of time. "It's a school morning."

"Mom called your mom," Adam said, stroking Tommy's side. "They agreed to let you stay because you don't sleep much, and you were sleeping like a baby here."

"Oh..."

Adam touched the side of his face, and pushed his hair behind his ear. "Neil saw me here with you. He was all 'Ewwwww...' but I could see his smile. Expect to get teased over this, though."

"And the door?"

"Mom said that you can stay if the door stays open. She's one crazy control freak, but yeah... She let you stay." Adam leaned closer, kissing his cheek, whispering, "I undressed you while you were sleeping. You've never been so beautiful."

"Drooling all over..." he said, blushing.

"Compliant, baby. So tired. So relaxed. So trusting."

His heart skipped a beat. God, Adam knew what to say to him.

Adam's fingers found his hair, twisted in it, almost harsh, yet still somehow gentle. "Everything about you turns me on," Adam whispered. "It's just so good."

He wanted to remind Adam of the opened door, but he didn't want this to stop. He loved Adam like this.

"I want to wake you up with my fingers. Every morning. I want to roll you on your stomach, and lick you until you're open and ready. I want to fuck you when you're still relaxed from sleep, barely awake." Adam kissed his ear, his breath hot. "I want your skin, your taste, your warmth. Every day."

He tried to breathe, but Adam was stealing that ability from him, making his body move, rocking, and Adam put a hand to the small of his back, and pulled him closer, their groins touching. He wanted to come, his mouth ready to beg, and Adam kissed him, licked his mouth, hands all over him.

When Adam started to push him on his back Tommy stopped him, pointing at the open door. Adam was up before Tommy could say anything, and then he was pulling Tommy up too and pushing him out the door and into the bathroom.

Adam was on his knees in seconds, licking at Tommy through his briefs, and Tommy had to bite his hand to keep the sounds in. Then Adam pushed his briefs down, and his mouth was on Tommy's cock, and everything became colors, and light, and sounds, and he just tried to breathe.

It was quick, and blinding, and he came with a shocking force, his mind clear like never before. He saw what was happening, who they were, and what this meant to him, and he knelt, kissing Adam with all the feelings he had inside him. He pushed Adam on his back, licked his chest and stomach, touching him, his fingers exploring, and when he had his mouth around Adam's cock Adam grabbed his hair and moved his hips, fucking into his mouth, and he wanted that, wanted to feel Adam all the way down in his throat, hurting.

When Adam came he nearly choked on his come, and when Adam released him he was coughing and laughing at the same time, tears in his eyes. Adam touched his come-covered chin, a mesmerized look in his eyes, like he couldn't believe Tommy just did that.

Tommy spread Adam's come down his throat, then licked his fingers clean, staring at Adam the whole time.

Adam sat up, took hold of Tommy's hand, and licked his throat, and chin, and then his mouth, too, tasting himself. Tommy was shaking now, completely at Adam's mercy, needing him.

"God, you make me crazy. It never stops." Adam bit his neck, sucking a mark there, and Tommy moaned, tilting his head to the side. Adam pulled him closer, made him sit between Adam's thighs, his own legs straddling Adam's hips. "I want to draw your tattoos. I want to mark you. That's how crazy I am."

Tommy smiled against Adam's neck. He'd let Adam draw one of them. He was good at compromising. "You can mark me," he said out loud. "Bite me, scratch me... I don't care. It feels good."

Adam stayed silent for a while, stroking Tommy's arms, holding him. "Don't say that. I don't want to hurt you." Adam didn't sound like he thought Tommy was crazy, just that he wanted it but didn't dare to ask or hope for it.

"You like it. I like it," he whispered, then bit Adam's earlobe. "You controlling me makes me relax. Just don't... don't use it against me."

Adam's arms around him tightened. "You... Oh my god, Tommy... You're fucking perfect."

His breaths were shallow because he was leaving himself wide open, and Adam could easily judge him right now. "Thank you."

Adam held him like he was the most precious person in the world, and he kind of felt like that too. Adam made him feel like that. "We need to go," Adam said after a while. "Let's brush our teeth."

They helped each other up, pulled their clothes back on, and then stood in front of the mirror side by side, brushing their teeth. Tommy looked at Adam the whole time, curious and grateful, and kind of speechless, too. Adam was a very special person who understood him better than anyone else. It was so strange and wonderful at the same time, and it made him want to go to the roof and scream at the world that he loved this person.

Adam looked at him for a moment after they'd brushed their teeth, and then sat him down on the toilet bowl. He also opened the door to clear the suspicions.

"What are you doing?"

"Shhhh..." Adam went through his mom's toilet bag and found a comb.

"Noooo... I hate that shit. It hurts."

Adam looked at him, and he shut his mouth, pouting. Okay, god damn it. Adam brushed his fingers through his hair a few times to get the worst of the tangles out of it, then started combing his hair.

And yeah, it hurt. He had hated all those times his mom had brushed his hair for family photos. He messed it up for a reason. He didn't like straight and flat. He liked puffy and weird. Tommy grabbed Adam's wrist when it hurt too much, but Adam just used his other hand to free himself of Tommy's hold, and then continued.

It took Adam maybe ten minutes to go through the whole mess, and when he was finished he pulled Tommy up and pushed him in front of the mirror again. Adam had used products too, but the look was much softer, making Tommy seem even more androgynous than usual.

"Do you mind looking pretty?" Adam asked, standing behind him, holding his waist with both hands.

He didn't know. He'd heard about it often enough, though, and he'd defended himself because of it, too.

"It's okay if you do," Adam said softly, pushing his fingers through Tommy's hair, messing it up a little. "It's okay."

He pushed Adam's hands away, and settled his hair again, made it fall the way Adam had styled it, smiling to Adam.

Adam smiled back, then kissed his ear, hugging him from behind.

He wanted to be who he was. He didn't want to cover anything up. Adam felt the same way, and maybe together they'd have the courage to be who they were.


TBC...


A/N: I have lots to do in real life and still I write. /o\ Sometimes fanfic is all I do. You know, I want this fic to end so I can read to entrance exams and write the damn essay and go to Germany and spend some quality time with my husband etc. But still, I let it be what it is and I write it as long as there's story left. I can't force it to stop being what it is. There should be one more chapter and the epilogue. This time, it should be so. And I really need to write that essay. Like really. If I want to pass the course. Urgh! LOL. Dedication. Or stupidity. Either way, I'm enjoying writing this story so very much. I hope it shows.

And thank you, dear aislinntlc for betaing this chapter. You make my writerly life so much easier. *hugs*