highs and lows

    “Thanks…”

He plops down onto the bed, his arms opening in the hopes of holding TJ close to him. The opportunity to hold TJ and make him happy are the only reasons he’s doing this, after all.

    “Damn sure feels like I am. I know this can’t be easy…”

he slips his jacket off and climbs into bed beside him, settling his head on luther’s shoulder, arm wrapped around him. reaching up, he gently presses his fingers to luther’s lips.

          ❝ shh. no more talking, now, it’s rest time. i’m               happy just to lie with you. ❞

Luther can’t help but lean into the kiss as eagerly  as TJ has brought him into it. His arms wrap around  his boyfriend’s waist, pulling away with a smile.

    “I love you so much.         —Oh, I’m sorry. Supposed t’be shuttin’ up.”

So he quiets himself once again, pressing their lips together once more.

tj laughs, an almost imperceptible shove to luther’s shoulder in reprimand before he’s kissing him again, fingers curled into his shirt.

     ❝ that’s the kind of thing i can probably let you say. ❞

“—I can buy more clothes.      Y’know, if you happen       to steal some of mine.           Excuse you, that’s your dork.”

❝ i’m gonna take that as an open invitation.                     doesn’t stop you being a dork. ❞

        “Yeah, maybe, but that doesn’t mean          you don’t deserve someone simpler.          You deserve someone—…”

                                                      B E T T E R. 

❝ shut the fuck up, luth. A. you’re better    to me than anyone else, and B. i want    you. ❞

“Hey, TJ? I’m, uh— I’m sorry. For all  you’ve gotta go through for me. I just  got to thinkin’ and… I’m sorry I can’t  be simpler.”

❝ luth, would you stop? you’ve    met me, right, you know i’m    the definition of complicated.    you’ve got nothing to be sorry    for. ❞

 “…please?”

❝ dude, no. ❞

                   ❛ i would definitely go with greasy                    bacon cheeseburger with a side of                    gravy fries? the drink might um,                     make things worse. ❜

❝ i’m an expert, the drink always works.    but, uh, that sounds good. i’ll take that,    thanks. i need some aspirin or something.. ❞

❝ No, I don’t. Sorry. ❞

❝ shit. you know who smokes? ❞

“ i thought so. we should work on gettin’ ya a name plate for that seat. seems you two got a connection. ”

❝ you could, but i wouldn’t want the other chairs getting jealous. ❞

❝ maybe you should flip it on every now and then, even if it’s only to get a glimpse of anderson cooper. ❞ With an audible sigh, Rhyan shakes her head, momentarily lost in thought.   

 ❝ i don’t think i’ve ever actually been attracted to anyone… but he could get it, if we’re being honest. ❞

❝ thanks for the condescending advice, but i’ll pass.    i...wow. i didn’t know that’s what we were being,     but okay. ❞

❝ i feel like that’s meant to be reassuring,    but it’s kind of not. ❞

he doesn’t bother to text back, knows there isn’t any point. he imagines he looks as bad as he feels when he opens the door, the start of a smile on his lips at the sight of the other man. he moves out of the way to let him in all too willingly.

“come on in.”

well, tony looks like shit. as someone who’s looked just as awful on more than one occasion, tj’s pretty sure he can say that. he steps inside, offering tony a smile before leaning over to kiss him.

❝ hey. i brought doughnuts. ❞

   “Does it still count if I lay down     but don’t fall asleep? Because     if that still counts, then yes, I’ll     go with you.”

Truth is, if he lays down right now, it won’t be long before he’s asleep. 

   “—I’m sorry I’m such a pain.”

❝ it’ll have to. come on. ❞

he’s not giving luther any more time to make an argument; he takes his hand and starts leading him to the bedroom.

❝ hey, you’re not, don’t talk like that. ❞

        “Make me.”

tj doesn’t even reply, just curls his fingers in luther’s shirt and tugs him in for a kiss.

   It’s tiring, sometimes, being so in charge. They’ve suffered two deaths and an imprisonment already this year, and while that may not seem like a lot for a criminal, it takes a toll on Luther. There’s two families missing a member entirely and one that has to travel miles and miles away, only to see their loved one behind glass. 

   It’s good to hear TJ loves him. That’s needed right now. He needs to be reassured that he’s doing the best he can, given the circumstances he was handed. The second kiss even sparks a little smile, his arm going tight around his love’s waist so he can hold him tight. “’M just— Tired. Like, actually tired, and just… tired of everything going wrong, too.” A kiss of his own presses to TJ’s temple, though he ends up just nuzzling his nose into those dark locks and breathing in his scent.

tj might not know everything that happens with the business, but he knows it’s not good, he’s worried about the weight it’s becoming on luther’s shoulders. seeing him like this is worrying, after all; it’s different, less able to shoulder it, somehow, and he’s so tense. if he can, tj just wants to ease that, a little. luther does so much for him, after all, he’s put up with a lot of tj’s shit recently----it’s the least he can do.

❝ i’m sorry, ❞ he murmurs, hand seeking out luther’s free one so he can take hold of it, lacing their fingers together. he doesn’t know what to do, how to fix this...but he can at least offer a little comfort, he hopes.  ❝ we’re not going wrong. ❞ maybe it’s small consolation, but they have to hang onto those, right?  ❝ come to bed? ❞

“I mean, t’me you’re always the  hottest, but you’re at your most   hot when you’re wearing my stuff.          I think that’s the first time I’ve         ever been called optimistic.”

❝ you can’t say shit like that, it’s gonna    make me want to steal your clothes    forever.                probably because i was being                sarcastic, you dork. ❞