politicette | I'm so *~*secular, you guys

I'm so ~secular, you guys

This may be the post that makes you embarrassed to know me. :(

As it's become apparent to many of you already, I am such an unabashed theological geek. We're talking a straight-up nerd-glassed phlegmy-voiced pocket-protector-wearing motherfucker, here. * It's more commonly understood, however, that I am also a bra-burning baby-hating anti-American fetus-eating hairy-legged man-loathing commie pinko secular dyke fag.**

I'm sure you can all imagine wherein the disconnect often occurs.

Hence my mad, mad love of the free-form stylings of one Slactivist. He's fantastic, mostly because he focuses on actual Biblical teachings as opposed to ruminating endlessly on artificially-constructed, time-respected dogma. In fact, he often devotes space for the pure purpose of deconstructing that dogma, and boy. Do I love me some deconstructed dogma.

And his thinkings on eschatology? Amazing.

He's also very, very funny.

So, obviously I could say a lot about them, but this post was inspired by this beautiful, beautiful quote (in the context of his routine dissection of how much the Left Behind books suck) that I believe better explains the connection between salvation and storytelling, and why, in my mind, writing and creation of all kinds are such spiritual endeavors than anything I've ever clumsily articulated:

It's not about finding the special power that can defeat the archvillain's powers, but about a deeper, older kind of conflict. It's not about Bad Power vs. Good Power, but power vs. love. You recognize this story. This villain can't be defeated by silver bullets or wooden stakes or photon torpedos or a magic ring. We don't need a super hero, we need a lamb. The ring must be destroyed. Worthy is the lamb, worthy is the lamb that was slain.

That's the story. That's always the story, really.

He's so right and I'm going to stop myself before I go on a tangent about the nature and underlying significance of human creation, artistry, and expression. Because I, being a huge theological geek, could write pages.

It strikes me, also, that I just realized why Harry's resurrection at the end of Deathly Hallows was so unsatisfying to me LOL I AM A CRAZY PERSON.

*Also stopping myself from going off about the ways in which theological study and science are essentially the same endeavor because golly gee would that never end.

**A truth mileage may vary.

EDIT: LOL YOU GUYS SO THERE IS FIC! HAPPENING IN THE COMMENTS! IT'S FANTASTIC! IF YOU ARE HERE FOR THE SANDBOX CHALLENGE HAPPENING AT FN_FF, I SAY HELLO! BUT FIRST HAVE THIS DISCLAIMER:

---

DISCLAIMER: The fic is a lie and I am a liar for saying it, even though I'm not claiming it as truth so technically it's more like fiction, but still equally un-factual and untrue.

Also, it may be triggery due to some of the featured gay-bashing and parental abuse.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

SOMEHOW THEY CONVINCED THEIR PROFESSOR TO GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR IT AS A HOMEWORK EXERCISE <3

There are a lot of fights that first year. But Stephen goes to all the home games if he's not working and Jon sees as many of Stephen's plays as he's able to.

Do they leave each other cutesy little notes. Does Jon take a Polaroid photo of himself (using one of Stephen's friend's cameras) 'asleep' and leave tape it to his pillow so Stephen can 'wake up with him' even though Jon goes to work first most days.

"JON YOUR CREEPY FRIENDS ARE ASKING ME ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD AGAIN" "Just distract them with your latest project Stephen" "BUT THEY ACT LIKE MY PAINTINGS ARE ROSARCH TESTS" "I'll tell them to stop it, let me finish changing--" 'THEY'RE TELLING EACH OTHER I'M PROBABLY A SUB, JON, DDD:" "...Guys, seriously, WE ARE NOT YOUR PATIENTS"

It's not as if they wouldn't be living together anyway. And their friends probably tease them for referring to each other as "my husband" all the time (or at least Stephen). <3

Oh, the babies. <333333 They both think each other's friends are crazy as hale. (Of course, they think that about their own friends, too, but.)

YES YES AND YES. HERE IS A SAMPLE OF SOME OF THESE NOTES.

"Jon,

If I were a woman I would have put on an extra coat of lipstick and kissed this note with it to assure that I still love you even when we're fighting and I'm not able to come to your games, but I'm not a woman, so I don't have any lipstick. Also I would never say a sissy thing like that, so have this drawing I did of you instead. Good luck today. BEAT THE WILDCATS"

And it has a little doodle of a victorious Jon scoring a goal, his arms in the air, with a timid kitten crying beside him. And also a heart. Which has been scribbled over.

"Stephen -

Forgot to tell you last night that I'm working a double shift tonight to make up for missed cellphone bill. Promise I will make it up to you in any way you want ((crudely drawn winking face)) so you'd better start thinking of ways I can pay you back.

Love you.

-J"

Yes, he definitely has a pillow photo, and Stephen has an "eating" photo taped to his chair because of all the times Jon has to eat dinner alone.

What do they fight about? Little things? Big things? Trivial things that seem like a huge deal because they're cracking under pressure?

I want one of Jon's friends to be some kinky fucker who is all "you know you could probably improve your struggling sex life by introducing light bondage and power play" and Stephen turns lobster red an says that "OUR SEX LIFE IS FINE TYVM AND ALSO NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS"

Oh, Stephen. Everyone can tell that he's so sincere and **crazy** devoted, but it's still really strange to see this lsad-eyed, bespeckled scrawny kid who looks to be about 15 finding opportunities to use the phrase "my husband" in conversation.

He gets a lot of strangers double-taking, all "SORRY TO INTERRUPT BUT DID YOU JUST SAY"

OMG THE BOYS, THEY ARE SO ADORABLE. JON DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT A SEMI-COLON IS YOU COULD HAVE GONE ;) BECAUSE ACTUALLY IF I THINK ABOUT IT A WINKING FACE WOULD BE HARD TO DRAW IF NOT FOR THE SEMICOLON

Oh, oh. Other people come over and are like "why are there random pictures of you guys everywhere" and they are like BECAUSE WE LOVE EACH OTHER OKAY.

Probably all of the above. :/ I am wondering if any of Stephen's siblings try to contact him -- or maybe leave a message with Jon's mom or something. And maybe Jon's class on human sexuality isn't as funny as he thought it was going to be and is instead hitting him kind of hard during certain points of the semester.

Man you know one of the guys on the soccer team is really kinky and totally loves messing with Stephen whenever Jon wanders out of the room because he thinks it's hilarious.

looks to be about 15 Man now you made me think there's one time where Stephen thinks growing a beard will make people take him seriously (a la Captain Riker) and Jon is all ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Some days all Stephen wakes up to a Post-It not inscribed with a little sad face and the words "I miss you" written in tiny lettering.

The random pictures are by far not the weirdest part of their apartment, so they let it slide and focus on the weird murals instead.

I wonder if Stephen gets sick because they don't have enough money to keep the heat on in the winter and one of his siblings comes up to visit him in the hospital. (I'M SORRY I JUST LIKE HURTING PEOPLE OKAY). I don't even know how that would pan out, as I imagine that his siblings are just as bad as his parents. Besides, the last time the sibling saw him he was getting the tar kicked out of him by his father, so that's got to be awkward.

Jon is very displeased to learn of it, and his friend is like LOL HILARIOUS XDDDDDD and Jon says something about not appreciating it when people treat his husband that way, and Stephen is delighted at the mention of their legally-binding ceremony.

Stephen did actually have a crazy-ass beard in college. It is good to know that Jon prevented that.

<3333333 Oh, boys.

(LESS HURTING PEOPLE AND MORE THAT it's not like his family would drop off the face of the Earth or anything.) At least one of his siblings must have some sympathy. Not a lot -- not enough to accept what's going on -- but enough that s/he wants to visit to see if Stephen is really different and doesn't he want to think about annulling that silly marriage and coming back home and no, I didn't tell Mom and Dad where you were or where I was going (not that they asked). And, oh, Jon walking in and the person leaving. Or Jon seeing him/her in the hallway and being all "why the fuck didn't you step in and stop your father from beating the shit out of him"?

His friend is scared by the appearance of Jon's rather cool, simmering brand of anger but at the same time finds it strangely appealing and of course Stephen is practically swooning when he hears.

...He did? o_O Good for Jon for stopping that, then.

(Also I have opened a file for the eventual-stormy-night-post-losing-virginity fic and what do you think of this for a first line (it's supposed to be the same night they ~took the next step~): "Jon dropped him off at the corner, and Stephen walked back to his parent's house alone.")

(...aside from the apostrophe in parent's being in the wrong place.)

Man they are breaking my heart with their optimism and love in this fic.

It would be that silly "marriage" actually. :P

Oh, Stephen. He cannot help but question, tentatively, about his parents and how they are and whether they missed him on his birthday. And Lulu (because I decided arbitrarily okay) is very distant and disapproving and looks disdainfully at Jon whenever she gets the chance.

I wonder how they even found out where he lived. In my head, he snuck out the day after graduation and just left a note of the refrigerator reading "Left with Jon. Don't try to find me. - S" and then they drove down the road with the windows rolled down, "Born to Run" blasting over the stereo and it was glorious.

Oh man. The altercation would be fascinating. I have a feeling Jon almost wants things to escalate a little bit so that he can scream at them until his throat goes raw.

;___________________________________;

oh, the poor boy. at the corner.

;___________________________________________;

They are extremely optimistic in this fic, aren't they? Then again we have largely avoided talking about any of the fights they have between themselves.

For about thirty seconds I was like "...but I spelled it right, I swear--" People and using extraneous quotation marks.

Well when Lulu (that's fine, I can't name most of his siblings anyway) just sits there staring at him for ten minutes he eventually has to ask something. So ensues one of the most stilted conversations ever. (If they kicked him out of the house, did he sneak back in to get all/some of his stuff?)

I figured maybe someone snuck a peak at Jon's mother's mail. Like around a holiday or birthday Lulu thought she'd be sending a card so she flipped through the letters in the mailbox for a few days and eventually found their address. Jon's mom wouldn't give it out if she'd been asked.

Jon is probably dying to have some kind of confrontation about it. I doubt Stephen let him go near his family after the incident. Imagine what his dad would've done if Jon had shown up on their doorstep.

;_______; But they go see Star Wars later and wear each other's clothes (because I'm weird) and it's all okay.

So let's talk about the fights! And the bad stuff! This is getting too saccharine, needs more horribleness.

Jon's never really cared too much for girls (or other boys), because he's always had Stephen. He's never really looked. But there's period of about three months where their work schedules match up almost perfectly opposite of each another's so they see one other hardly ever at all, except for maybe the times that they catch the other person as they're headed out the door, and well. It's hard to build a marriage on Post-Its and quick "hellogoodbye" kisses every couple of days.

And then Jon meets this girl Lisa, who wears too much black eyeliner and has her hair dyed pink, in one of his classes. And, well. She's really pretty, and funny, and quirky. And well. He's not wearing a ring or anything, and she just assumes, and...

There is something very sweet about big sister Lulu, willing to break the law to send a card to her baby brother.

I bet Jon's mom finds out and flips shit, though.

I wonder if they just did that weird thing where after the initial fallout, they just avoided talking/each other until he bolted. Like. IDK. Some parents do this weird passive aggressive thing where they keep you underfoot sort of out of love, but also so they can harangue you as much as possible.

He certainly wasn't allowed to see his bb Jon, though. He wasn't allowed to do most things.

Even for me (I suppose that's saying something) this is way too rose-colored glasses, we needs some angst.

Jon has never really noticed other people, even when other people notice him. But he and Stephen are leaving less notes to each other (Post-Its are on the shopping list and have been there for weeks but they both keep forgetting to grab them). So running into someone who is always up for something, who he doesn't need to write notes to...

I'm guessing he begins to double-think things when they're telling funny stories together and all of a sudden Jon realizes he can't remember the last time he heard Stephen laugh. Or, or, one of Stephen's friends left their polaroid at the apartment and Lisa takes a picture of her and Jon together and it falls between the couch cushions and Jon comes home to find a new stack of Post-Its and a "Who is she?" or something similar in tiny handwriting from Stephen.

But they don't have time to actually fight, they just keep leaving passive-agressive and outwardly aggressive notes. Finally something happens where Jon gets off early, or his switch shifts, and he comes home and Stephen's there eating Spaghettios or something and they just stare at each other for like five minutes before they start talking. (One of them ends up spending the night in the student center.) And it's a while before Jon stops feeling sick all the time and before Stephen misses falling asleep next to him.

After Lulu shows up there's probably some kind of blowout. Stephen thinks about keeping in contact with her and Jon is like wtf. Or Jon has his little altercation with her and Stephen flips out at him for trying to 'handle' his family. Maybe? (But sometime after she comes Stephen decides to start pronouncing his name with the silent t.)

Of course. You know. There's not much of a message inside. And it very much has only her name.

Oh, Jon's mom is displeased.

Like, maybe, there was just sort of a silent agreement he could stay, but they didn't want to hear much from him and they certainly didn't want to hear from anyone else that he and Jon were getting together. Or that he wasn't showing up at Youth Group. Or that he wasn't doing whatever else people (who they didn't tell what happened, of course) expected from him.

Which is why the suggestion to elope is such a surprise. Who popped the question? Idk it could be either. Or just a tacit agreement. Stephen shows up at Jon's (one night when the Colberts are out) with all his stuff in his car, or something.

Let's make it *~*grim.

That's exactly the problem. Lisa is just so sweet and great and easy, and she's tons of fun an he knew what he was getting into, really, when he invited her back to his place after class that one time, and though he's glad he had to leave for work before things went to far, he can't help but be a little regretful, too, because maybe...

Lisa takes one of those coupley shots. He didn't know she was going to do it, but just before she clicked the flash, she leaned in and gave him a great big kiss on the cheek, and that's the photo that Stephen finds in the cushion.

We need to write the Post-It fight. All I know is that at some point Jon comes home to find a message asking "do you still love me," and he can't answer that truthfully. Because while he wants to say yes, he can't help but feel that love, love is a verb, love is a doing word, so he feels loathe to claim it when he hasn't been deserving it very much lately.

So two days later, he find a not reading "i understand. should i move out" written in tiny, shaky letters, and it takes him maybe five minutes to cover the entire place in Post-Its that say "NO." Because they're known each other for what? 13 years? No way is this little dry spell going to ruin 13 years of being together.

After the whole thing resolves, Jon decides to quit one of his jobs so that they can have some time together, but that means sacrificing a few things, of course. Their landline, for one, and bus fare. And the heat.

Stephen is kind of an unwise bunny, because his sister may be the only person who has expressed an interest in continuing a relationship with him, but she's still pretty much passive-aggressive and destructively cutting him down and making him feel like shit. And Jon is like "things are hard enough as it is, we do not need her" and Stephen is like "BUT FAMILY!!!! @~@"

OH MY GOD YES

So I bet things have gotten worse as time has gone on, and it all finally reaches the point where his dad hits him again, and Stephen's all, "Well, I'm eighteen now, see you later" which was kind of the idea behind the smack but.

I think his mom is cooler/would be cooler with the whole situation than his dad is. After all, Stephen is her baby.

AND JON IS ALL SMILING, LIKE "WHERE DO YOU WANNA GO" AND STEPHEN'S LIKE "I'M THINKING BOSTON" AND JON IS LIKE "OKAY LET ME GRAB A BAGEL, DO YOU WANT ONE" AND STEPHEN IS LIKE "NO I MEAN WILL YOU MARRY ME IN BOSTON" AND JON IS LIKE "DUH JUST LET ME WRITE MY MOM A NOTE"

AND HE LEAVES HIS MUMMY A REALLY LONG, SWEET LETTER TELLING HER THAT THEY HAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE THINGS WERE GOING TO SHIT WITH STEPHEN'S FAMILY, BUT THAT HE LOVES HER VERY MUCH AND THEY'LL BE IN TOUCH.

That's the worst part. Because he knows that part of him knew what she was thinking, what could very easily have happened, and he never thought he was going to be that person who did things even with that little voice chirping in the back of his head.

What, can you read my mind or something -- that is the exact picture I had in my head. Jon is surprised but still it's been so long since he's even been kissed on the cheek that at the moment the flash goes off he's got a huge dumb grin on his face.

I guess it'd start off like --
S: Who is she? (left on top of the photo)
J: Lisa from class
S: (just takes the note and writes ? on it)

Then Jon gives some half-assed explanation and runs out of room so he has to start over a few times. Stephen says he doesn't want her in his apartment anymore, Jon says it's his place too, Stephen says you don't even know her and Jon says neither do you. Idk maybe that doesn't get mean enough. It's a few days before Stephen leaves the "do you still love me" note, and Jon notices that it's in all lowercase and either he doesn't respond or says something that's not really an answer.

That is the best possible way to end it. When Stephen walks in he's speechless for a minute and then he just starts laughing so hard he cries, and then he tries to leave another note but there aren't any more Post-Its so he tears a blank sheet out of a textbook, tapes it up somewhere and writes like, "Did you deliberately leave me without any Post-Its to answer? (Also, okay)" and Jon scribbles underneath "Hells yes"

The landline they can probably do without. Bus fare isn't too bad because it's not that far of a walk to the grocery store or the nearest campus-bus-stop. Other times they can just hitch rides. But a month without heat and Stephen lands himself in the hospital, and that's when Lulu shows up...

Stephen grew up with them and he still misses being a part of that, being able to have with them what they have with each other. So it's hard to let go of that.

His dad hits him again and the family leaves without him (as punishment) and while they're gone he stuffs everything he can into his car and just goes.

Probably. While his dad is like "good riddance" when she's home alone (so many of the other kids have moved out, it was just her and Stephen so often) she probably like, sits in his empty room sometimes. But she can't bring herself to just go to Jon's mom and be like "Where are they." (Not for a long while, anyway.)

"WE NEED TO EAT BEFORE WE GO TO BOSTON," "JON REALLY I DON'T WANT A BAGEL," AND JON'S LIKE "YOU HAVE TO EAT SOMETHING" AND IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITING THE NOTE HE STARTS TO FEEL REALLY GUILTY ABOUT NOT LETTING HIS MOM KNOW RIGHT THEN but then he notices Stephen's got a bruise and he's just like "...MOM ILU BUT WE HAVE TO DO THIS WE'LL CALL"

J: My friend.
S: You in the habit of kissing all of your friends?
J: It was just on the cheek
S: I don't want her in my home.
J: It's mine too, besides you're [unintelligible, scribbled out] never home at the same time as me anymore and I'm lonely.
S: this isn't any fun for me, either, but at least i can manage to not kiss some [scribbled out] girl from school while we're trying to ride this out
J: We're out of milk, I'll be picking some up on the way home later
S: Don't think you can avoid talking about this
J: What talking???
S: I'm sorry, I thought you were aware that this wasn't going to be easy
J: Fuck you man
J:I didn't mean that
J: Stephen write back
J: Stephen please write back
J: Stephen I'll be coming by your work tomorrow if you don't write back
S: Don't.
J: HELLO! :)
J: Stephen I'm sorry
J: I didn't even do anything wrong, damn it! she's just a friend
S: You don't even know her
J: Neither do you
S: Does she even know about me
S: That's reassuring
S: Jesus Christ, Jon
S: saw you walking up. left for the student center, don't call
J: I wish you hadn't
S: I wish you hadn't brought Lisa back to or apartment again
S: Or do you really expect me to believe you know someone else with that color hair?
S:THESE PENS YOU BOUGHT SUCK
J: We really didn't do anything I don't know how many times
S: I'm not even having this conversation with you anymore. I'm just done.
J: maybe im done 2
S: do you still love me
S: i understand. should i move out
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
J: NO
S: wow. did you deliberately leave me without any notes to write back? (also, okay)
J: Hells yes and is that a textbook page?
S: Yes it is. Are you going by the store later to pick up more?
J: Fuck this noise. I'm quitting 7-11. Nothing is worth this.
S: See you when?
J: Tonight?
S: ♥

In my head, it was Lulu who loved Stephen the best, or rather, it was Stephen whom Lulu loved the best, because he was younger than her but far away enough that he was her baby brother, instead of just a pest.

;_;

and the family leaves without him (as punishment)

I must confess that I lost this train of thought, can you explain?

Stephen is pretty much Dead To His Father, so she knows better than to bring it up with him, but there are some times where she finds something in his room and knows that he forgot to pack it and that he's missing it, wherever he is. (Jon is from New Jersey, isn't he, maybe they're somewhere near his grandmother's? A lot of... people like them live in New York City, godless den of liberalism that it is, maybe... It's so *big* up there, he's never really been outside town, is he okay all the way up there? He's just a baby, who's looking out for him?)

In the wedding photo (there is only the one, shot with a Polaroid) Stephen's head is turned to the side so that you can't see the impressive bruise blossoming just below his eye.

OMG That is like the best conversation ever. Stephen getting mad and then Jon deflecting and Stephen not putting up with that shit. Freaking out when Stephen takes so long to reply and Stephen being like bitch please. HELLO! :) made me giggle, I must admit, and then I felt bad because JON WTF ARE YOU DOING.

And, oh God, Jon didn't tell Lisa about Stephen? :/ Jon, Jon. And then he brings her back to the apartment again! The pens line was a nice moment of comic relief -- and then all the NOs lined up made me laugh. Oh, boys. Srsly that could be its own fic all by itself.

I like not finishing sentences apparently. I meant to add that they leave him out of some activity because his dad's still mad at him for whatever argument they were having, so he makes Stephen stay home. A situation which Stephen takes advantage of to pack.

Maybe occasionally she mentions him to Lulu or one of the kids finds her flipping through old photo albums but she largely keeps it to herself. (;_; You just made me feel bad for Stephen's mom. She has no idea where he is and it's not like NYC/Jersey get the best rap in the media. The perception is you go to NYC, you get mugged, you die. And it's not like her baby Stephen is all that good at defending himself.)

:((( Stephen! And Jon is kissing is forehead and they're both grinning a mile wide.

Also I'm starting to refer to this in my head as the BFF!verse unless you have a better name.

Thank you! You were the catalyst for it all, truly.

I was calling it the childhood sweethearts AU, but yours is good too.

When Lisa finds out that oh, pee ess, Jon is married, she is appropriately horrified and that is pretty much the end if their friendship. Which, really, is just as well, and Jon's more sorry that he ruined the potential for a fabulous friendship than anything else.

(She remembers that one time a few years ago when they were... but no, they've got someplace to stay now, that's not going to happen to them again, they've learned, they'll be careful. Also she is terrified that he will start doing drugs and die of AIDS.)

When they went to the courthouse or whatever, the judge kept looking from Stephen's bruise to Jon and back and eventually pulled him aside and was all "you don't have to do this if you don't want to you know" and it took him forever to realize what the hell she was talking about and when he finally did he was unsure whether to laugh or get offended and defend Jon's honor.

It's a great photo and they have it on the wall, framed by a red, white, and blue frame of Popsicle sticks Stephen made himself.

I can't get over the image of those crazy kids, wearing t-shirts and jeans and sneakers, entering a lifelong and legally binding union. Oh, babies. <333

I bet Stephen's left shoe was united throughout the entire ceremony, and his hair was all rumpled from sleeping in the car on the way up. And they took the money Jon had taken from his mom's wallet that morning and rented a motel room while they figured out what to do next, and Stephen made Jon take him to get a carton of Ben & Jerry's Cake Batter Ice Cream if they weren't going to have a real cake. It's an American Tradition.

But Stephen's mom never mentions him by name, it's always "your brother" and she rarely even says that if she can get away with it.

We have the most epic conversations, ngl.

Awwww I love Childhood Sweethearts AU it describes it better, I think, and plus it gives me more of an excuse for having "I Think I Love You" stuck in my head for like, two days now. *blushes*

Well, good for Lisa, I must say. Jon pretty much bungled that from the start. Especially if she found out through someone else instead of him, directly. It's something he learns from.

(Oh, man, yes. She can't forget seeing him come home like that and that was when she was there to take care of him, surely he'll be careful now. And Stephen has such an addictive personality, she remembers that time he basically made himself allergic to caffiene because he drank so much coffee, hopefully that boy won't let him...)

Oh wow. That's a wonderful little detail. And Stephen doesn't mention it until they're away from the courthouse and Jon just sputters but it doesn't matter because they're married and no one can take that away from them. They're family.

Can they possibly get more adorable? I don't think so.

It is such a great image, I'm completely enraptued with the idea of the photo in my head. <333

For some reason I'm picturing Stephen wearing Converse, and they're old and beat up but he earned the money for them himself. And when they eat the ice cream they feed each other each a bite like people do with cakes at weddings.

They don't do anything that night, just sleep in the same bed, but oh is it ever the best sleep either of them has either had. They're both just so relieved to be able to hold each other again and nobody has to sneak out in the morning or move down to the floor to hide it.

Of course they have to live in the car for a while but they have a bit of cash from selling Stephen's (Jon's was nicer, anyway) and it's not too long before they manage to snag a rent-controlled apartment. Then there's figuring out college and getting second jobs and making friends and getting lost in the city and getting third jobs and starting classes but at least they can always smell each other on their pillows.

So much so that when his name does come -- people ask, from time to time, who don't know the Colberts all that well but remember the youngest -- it takes her a moment to realize who they're talking about.

For sure. :)

...

This song is creating in me this fab montages of them like. Doing laundry at the laundromat together, and feeding each other their wedding ice cream, and driving aimlessly around Boston. Walking along the boardwalk. (I assume the harbor has at least one.) And being silly together, basically. Jon calling his hysterical mother in a phone booth while Stephen slumps against the side and checks his watch.

For some reason I'm picturing Stephen wearing Converse, and they're old and beat up but he earned the money for them himself. And when they eat the ice cream they feed each other each a bite like people do with cakes at weddings.

YES.

It is a very good sleep, and when they wake up they are so excited that it wasn't actually a dream that they just close their eyes and pretend to go back to sleep, because they can. They can do whatever they want now.

Jon's car has *~*memories, as well, whereas Stephen's was his sixteenth birthday present from his father and, it just. It gave him a sense of flipping the guy off from across the Mason-Dixon line to sell it and use the proceeds to buy his new husband a wedding present. (It's like... toothpaste but there's only so much romance one can achieve on that kind of budget, okay?)

They're putting Jon through UMass, and meanwhile Stephen is just chilling at the local community college. He claims it doesn't matter because the primary thing about breaking into the Theater business is auditioning well, and they tend not to give a fuck about your educational background, but it's still a little disappointing, because he is very smart and could be doing better.

;_____________________;

His mother's story is pretty much ripping my heart into bite-size seal food pieces ngl.

She just smiles sadly and says "He's fine," and prays that it's true.

(AM STARTING TO LIKE THIS LADY, WANT HER TO DTMFA AND GET A REAL LIFE. DON'T THINK SHE CAN, HOWEVER, AM PRETTY SURE SHE IS TOO FAR GONE.)

I have basically had that song on repeat or been singing it all day now. My mom is like "o_O Is there something you want to tell me?" and I'm like "NO D:" In my head it is like, one of this verse's theme songs. I am unhealthily taken with the image of Stephen slumping against the side of a phone booth and checking his watch while inside Jon covers one ear so he can better hear his mother's unintelligble speaking.

It is a very good sleep, and when they wake up they are so excited that it wasn't actually a dream that they just close their eyes and pretend to go back to sleep, because they can. They can do whatever they want now.

<33333333333333333333333333333333

Lol *~*memories, indeed. And when they sell it Jon is worried that they're going to get ripped off but somehow Stephen talks the salesman into giving them what they initially asked for -- of course Stephen knows the value of his car. (Jon says it's the best toothpaste he's ever had because now they get to share the whole thing.)

There are some good professors at the local college, but sometimes he skips over to look at the theater department at UMass and all the students there just seem so enthralled with all of their professors. One of his jobs is at a local theater where a bunch of people from the department volunteer, though, so at least he gets good advice.

It's like there's hope for her, sort of. I can almost see her wanting to visit the grandkids if they adopt (Lulu would mention it in passing or she'd hear it through the grapevine when Jon's mom brags on her precious grandbabies). Even if it means telling her husband that she's, idk, visiting cousins or something.

(IKR. SHE NEEDS TO KICK HIS BITCH ASS OUT OF THE HOUSE BUT SHE WON'T.)

One of this verse's other theme songs?

The Con (Album Version) - Tegan And Sara

For when they're fighting in their difficult first year.

Stephen explains that he bought cinnamon flavored toothpaste because Jon is hot like fire and it's their honeymoon, so they need something ~~sexy.

Oh, dear Stephen. He's like that one lone, lonely kid locked out of the toy store at Christmas time, pressing his nose against the glass, especially when he's working the box office and he peeks in to look at the show. You don't get paid for community theatre, so...

IDK I kind of want to make her that ultimate tragic figure, like the chicks in "The Three Sisters." She wants to move to Moscow, but never does. If you follow.

But they totally adopt at some point. Like. Fifteen years later.

That is an addictive song I must say, and very good for the fighting-but-not-hatefully thing they'd have going on the first year.

XD Oh man Stephen. He would say it completely seriously and Jon would giggle but then Stephen would give him some kind of look and he'd just be like "...oh."

D: That is a sad, sad image. I just want to grab him and give him some grants for school so he can quit a job and join a theater troupe even though I know theater would take up like, two jobs. I bet when he graduates though and has time, everyone is like "O_O ... This is Box Office Boy?!"

I follow. She definitely has the potential.

So much love.

Poor motherfuckers are poor. That is totes a story for the kids whenever they are being all materialistic and whiny.

"NOW SON DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOUR FATHER BOUGHT ME FOR OUR WEDDING PRESENT?"

"...toothpaste."

"THAT'S RIGHT, A TUBE OF CREST CINNAMON TOOTHPASTE. BUT DID I COMPLAIN? NO I DID NOT BECAUSE IT CAME FROM HIS HEART AND THAT IS THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT PRESENTS ISN'T THAT RIGHT DEAR"

"...yes, Jon."

Stephen sits alone in the back for all of the performances, watching in rapt attention and mouthing the words along with the actors. The ushers, janitors, and other tellers make fun of him behind his back, but he hardly cares, he's so ecstatic and filled with this pure, golden joy.

The few times Jon is able to come with him, Stephen clutches his hand with excitement and kind of cuts off the circulation a little, and Jon doesn't understand, because the plays aren't even that good but

Lolol *hugs him* They have told their kids all sorts of stories -- wildly edited, of course. At least until they come of a certain age. ("Why aren't you looking at the camera in your wedding photo?" "...I was looking at your father, sweetie. And he was looking at me.")

Oh Stephen. Of course he keeps all the playbills and finds all the scripts and knows every part. His love for the art knows no bounds.

because the plays aren't even that good but Was there more of that sentence? Jon sits there and lets his hand go numb because when Stephen lights up like that there's just no saying no.

:/ Can I e-mail you the first page of the eighth grade dance thing? I am not sure if I like what I have and am wondering if I should start over. It's a little under 800 words.

;_;

The hardest thing, probably is explaining why they only have one Grandma.

DO IT MANG I WANT TO READ IT

No there was no more to that sentence, because there is no more to Jon's thought. He is just like "wow this play kind of sucks but"

Stephen is trying to pull Jon into his excitement with him and it fails

SUCCESS!

I MEAN. I'M SORRY.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Re: I&amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;m not complaining, mind.

more smush fic

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this is so wildly self-indulgent

that's the best kind of indulgent

verily so

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Re: I&amp;amp;#39;m not complaining, mind.