TFLN Continuations

[thenewnormal]

Did we do a start in TFLN? Here's where things go when CAPTCHA starts.

Comments

@everything4him

[thenewnormal]

From: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5609734.html?thread=2455613958#cmt2455613958

Alex didn't do gay bars a lot. Sometimes, sure, when he had an itch to scratch, but it wasn't his usual social scene. They always reminded him of another bar in another town and they always ended up falling short. He definitely didn't make plans to meet someone there, so it was a bit of a novel thing.

But there'd definitely been a lot of flirting and if the guy kind of reminded him of an older version of someone else, that was a fact buried so deep in his subconscious that the thought never crossed his mind.

He was the first to arrive and so he ordered a beer and angled his seat to watch the people entering.

In a way, it was a relief to be out of his Roswell. At least here he could be himself without running into his father's disappointment every other step.

[everything4him]

The In Between was more laid back than some of the flashier bars on the mainland. It reminded Bass of a beach bar he and Miles had found in Myrtle Beach one year, with a bit more flare. Bass told Miles not to wait up, and got an eye roll and pillow thrown at his head, and made his way downtown with a grin.

He hadn’t started the flirting with any real intent, but he liked Alex. He was funny, and handsome, and also military. Bass didn’t know that much of his story, but he got a small-town vibe from him, thought they might have more than the military in common.

If nothing else, maybe he’d make a friend. One with benefits would be nice - he wasn’t ready to settle down (he had a promise to keep), but the bar scene got old.

He saw Alex at the bar as soon as he stepped in, and flashed him a smile as he made his way over.

“You found it, so I see your navigation skills are adequate,” he said by way of greeting.

@littleorphanalien

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5609734.html?thread=2455471110#cmt2455471110

Why do...never mind. I'm on my way.

[littleorphanalien]

Good, because I'm back at the truck and I might be starting without you.

Sure you don't want to send a picture?

@littleorphanalien

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5609734.html?thread=2455520774#cmt2455520774

So it wasn't just that Michael was being extremely dense, it was that he was being an idiot. Fine, then. If he was going to be an asshole, Alex could be one right back. He understood that the concept of him knowing and his father knowing was new, but it wasn't like Alex head wasn't boggled by the idea, too.

"Yes, Guerin," he said flatly. "I've been harboring a secret thing for Max. I can't help it. It's that drawl and those shoulders. Get to me every time."

He was half-tempted to shove Michael out the door. Instead, he caught the back of Michael's jeans and pulled him back in.

"I thought you were supposed to be smart."

[littleorphanalien]

At the touch of Alex's hands to his jeans, Michael closed his eyes and inhaled deeply to get a hold of himself. He told himself that Alex was only trying to get him back, but it still made his body warm all over, like a flush of want and shame combined. He let his chin fall to his chest, shaking his head like he couldn't believe Alex still had this much power over him.

Why was he so surprised? It was Alex.

"I need to take you outside and you need your crutch," Michael said again with a long-suffering sigh, because if he was going to be honest about this, he needed to be honest about everything. "Please," he added, but it was quieter and about as sincere as he got. If he was going to lay all his secrets out, he needed to do it without the temptation to pin Alex to the bed and make him forget why he'd come here.

@everything4him

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5639900.html?thread=2468889308#cmt2468889308

You just like being called hot. You don't mind if I tell a friend of mine that story, do you? She'd think that would be amazing.

[everything4him]

Who doesn't? Feel free to tell your friend the story...so long as you make sure to point out the fact that I'm hot. If you're going to tell people about me, that seems an important point.

@petit_loup

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5639900.html?thread=2469150172#cmt2469150172

Well, you're welcome any time. I'll introduce you around. One of my best friends runs the locals bar.

[petit_loup]

She sounds like my kind of girl. And I could very much use her services. I've got to make sure Hope gets settled in her new school, but the headmaster is already making "you need to leave" noises at me, so. I may take you up on that.

@neverlooksaway

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5639900.html?thread=2468896476#cmt2468896476

or your an idiot

[neverlooksaway]

That's also a possibility.

@neverlooksaway

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5671814.html?thread=2481369734#cmt2481369734

You know that's a plot from a musical, right? And let me tell you, it doesn't end well for one of the boys.

[Although now that he thinks about it... Well, Michael never seemed to be in the closet and Alex really hopes that Maria's not pregnant, but still. Bare.]

Promise to kiss me right in the middle of the dance floor and I'll consider it. Maybe no drugs until I actually leave the air force. Unless Max can wipe it from my system in the morning.

[neverlooksaway]

Uh...no? I did not know that. [Musicals aren't really his thing.]

I'll kiss you wherever you want. The middle of the dance floor, the middle of the grocery store. I don't think Max can wipe it from your system. When are you actually leaving the Air Force?

@nogoodguys

[thenewnormal]

From: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5856185.html?thread=2555988921#cmt2555988921

What the hell was that?

[nogoodguys]

What was what? He got *stabbed.* What the fuck even happened?

@petit_loup

[thenewnormal]

Spinning off from here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5896769.html?thread=2572409409#cmt2572409409

Hayley. What exactly are you and Kyle up to?

[petit_loup]

I’m afraid you’re going to have to be more specific.

Do you mean my giving him tips on how not to offend the whole gay club by freaking out if he gets hit on?

Or do you mean how I’m trying very hard not to be freaked out that he’s a dead ringer for the guy who kidnapped me, dragged me into the bayou and tried to murder me when I was 5 months pregnant?

Or do you mean how I might’ve mentioned I was here in Roswell, and so we’re you when I called Miles to check in?

@everythingforhim

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5920683.html?thread=2584504235#cmt2584504235

And there he was, twenty minutes later and wondering exactly what had started Bass's spiral of doubt. Was it because Alex finally knew some of the darker parts of him? Well, everyone had their dark parts. They just hadn't brushed real heavily against Alex's and that was because most of them were in his past in Roswell. A part of him had been terrified that first night of something real with Bass, but he'd found it a lot easier to slip into 'boyfriend' mode than to deal with worrying over what it meant.

He was still in uniform and he ignored the looks he got as he went in and made a beeline for Bass. The ones that questioned why Air Force was hanging around Marine, maybe. Or just the ones checking him out.

"Hey," he said softly when he reached Bass. "What's going on?"

[everything4him]

Bass had been working with the heavy bag after his physcial therapy appointment for his leg. He was up and about, but still on restricted duty--no running, no long marches, no crawling through mud--and that gnawed at him some. Restricted duty meant he wasn't training with his unit, and he hated that feeling. It was at least part of what had him on edge. Concern about how Alex had seen into some of his crazy was another part of it. Add on the fact that he was already in a spiral before any of this happened, and you had a recipe for further spiraling.

He didn't see Alex come in, still working the bag with some particularly vicious punches, but realized he was there right before he spoke.

Bass closed his eyes and sighed a little, resting against the bag, before turning toward Alex with a wry smile. "Hey. Just trying to make sure I don't come out of convalescence completely useless."

Yeah, maybe that's not what Alex was asking, but he didn't know how to answer the other question right off the bat.

@neverlooksaway

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5920683.html?thread=2584517291#cmt2584517291

Tomorrow? I get out of work around 4.

[neverlooksaway]

It's a date, then.

@everythingforhim

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5930621.html?thread=2589607549#cmt2589607549

It's not out, but I was suggesting you'd give me more of an idea of what you'd do to me in that tank. Or on top of the hood.

@neverlooksaway

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5930621.html?thread=2589612925#cmt2589612925

And that's not your fault. That's on me.

[ Even if it makes him want to argue that it's not. ]

[neverlooksaway]

Look...can we just let it go? I'm sorry I said it. I just...got scared.

@petit_loup

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5930621.html?thread=2590983549#cmt2590983549

Alex was speeding by the time he got to the section of the desert that Hayley said she was in. He wasn't sure what had caused her to be naked out there, but no explanation he could come up with was good. Especially when she was talking about broken bones healing like it was nothing.

For that, nothing he could come up with at all would explain it.

"Hayley!" he called as soon as he was out of his car. He carried a bundle of clothes in his arms and wished that the desert were as uninhabited and flat as television seemed to think. "Hey, Hayley? It's Alex. I've got some clothes."

And then he looked behind him, just to be sure there wasn't some perv who'd heard him and wanted to see the naked girl.

[petit_loup]

Hayley had been hiding up in the rocks, trying to avoid any rattlesnakes because that was the last thing she needed. Trying to avoid them, at least, gave her something to focus on besides her injuries that still hurt like hell and weren't healing. If she thought about that for too long, or tried to figure out why she was here alone, not with the pack, she'd really start freaking out.

So, she felt a breath of relief when she heard first the car, and then Alex's voice. She knew she'd have a lot to explain, and she wasn't sure how to do that, but she'd had to call someone for help, and Michael hadn't been answering.

"I'm here."

She stumbled down from the outcropping, bruised, bedraggled, limping, and, yes, very naked, but she didn't seem really aware of that. Honestly, it was the last thing on her mind, and, besides, this was Alex. It wasn't like he'd look at her like other guys did, and, anyway, still being this close to the full moon, her wolf side was more in control, and it didn't much care about human issues like nudity.

@everythingforhim

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/5941326.html?thread=2595755086#cmt2595755086

Do me a favor and refresh my memory on who you think we're talking about here? Because it sounds like you're talking about some kind of pet dog or something.

[everything4him]

Well, I'm talking about Hayley? And I wouldn't say "pet dog," but...she finds touch very soothing, okay?

@everything4him

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6329781.html?thread=2773386933#cmt2773386933

If you think so. It's good to have hope.

[ Since Bass already knows where he is... ] I'm getting a drink. Want something?

[everything4him]

I'm a little hurt by your lack of faith.

I already have something, thank you.

@neverlooksaway

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6329781.html?thread=2773366965#cmt2773366965

Well, that's saying something, since you're usually the local man of mystery.

[ Actually the truth. No matter how much he feels like he knows Michael, Alex is always surprised by him. ]

[neverlooksaway]

The main reason for that is kinda gone now, at least with some of you.

@petit_loup

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6329781.html?thread=2773390773#cmt2773390773

True. Unless he knows you know me. Or Michael.

[ Especially Michael. ]

[petit_loup]

I'm pretty sure I didn't mention either of you.

@everything4him

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6450429.html?thread=2833049341#cmt2833049341

Then I suppose I'll have to pick up some chocolate sauce while I'm at it.

[everything4him]

...Yes. Yes you should definitely do that.

@shouldhavedefended

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6473436.html?thread=2845180636#cmt2845180636

[ And Alex is equally long in his reply because he's not sure whether he wants to suggest that Gregory should know or not. He earned the answers. Alex doubted that Guerin would even mind if Alex told him and then asked for permission, not when Gregory saved his life. But at the same time, does he really want to put his brother at risk? ]

Kind of what he thought he was doing, too. Foreign and domestic.

If you want the conversation, I'll have it. Otherwise...thank you. Guerin and I might not be... But I still care about him.

@angrycowboy

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6511127.html?thread=2861391639#cmt2861391639

One of Alex's hands pressed against Guerin's chest as if he could - or would - push him away if he chose. Conversely, his other hand slid through Guerin's hair as if to keep him there. That was the way it always seemed to be with them. One of them was pushing the other away and the other was pulling to try to stay close. And then they switched. He wasn't even sure whose turn it was at this point, but it didn't matter. Guerin was here and Alex didn't want to push him away. Not this time. At least not yet.

"We couldn't do this if you were playing," he pointed out in a quiet voice as he settled even closer. Not that he couldn't find pleasure in hearing Guerin play and he was glad that he'd move close enough that their cheeks were brushing because Guerin didn't need to see the guilt that flashed across his face at the thought of everything he'd cost Guerin. He could forget it most days with the only reminder being the cloth that Guerin always had tied over it, but it was hard to forget the other things that he'd lost along with the use of his hand. Like music.

He had to change the subject and fast before he got drawn into the emotions that would end up with him at home, alone, and with a bottle.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I thought I was promised a glass of something cold and alcoholic before the dance," he teased.

[angrycowboy]

Sometimes, being around Alex is the hardest thing in the world. He's full of want for him, coupled with the weight of all the history between them. All the times they'd pushed each other away, all the times they'd disappointed each other. There are times when that negativity is so overwhelming that it takes over everything else.

And then there are times like this, when the rest of it just doesn't seem to matter so much. When it's just the two of them, and they put away their defences, and they're themselves again like they were in high school. At times like that, like this, it's easy to be with him. It's easy to feel his warmth under his hands, to feel his breath on his ear, to feel his own heart skipping over itself because Alex is close.

They're moving together, and he can close his eyes and pretend the rest of the room just doesn't exist. Because what else really matters when the two of them have this?

He smiles, and turns his head so that his lips brush over Alex's ear. It makes them tingle, though it probably also smudges that lipstick. Nothing stays perfect forever.

"You saying you want me to stop?" He doesn't. His hands move around Alex instead, pressing into his back. "Cause I like you right here, Private. I like you like this."

@angrycowboy

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6511127.html?thread=2861546007#cmt2861546007

I had a deputy pull me over once? But that didn't have anything to do with speeding.

[angrycowboy]

Let me guess. Tall guy, hero complex, can't mind his business?

@everything4him

[thenewnormal]

From: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6511127.html?thread=2861896471#cmt2861896471

You know. I'm not sure if this is better or worse than the time you accidentally stabbed yourself.

[everything4him]

...I have NEVER stabbed myself!

@everything4him

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6511127.html?thread=2861852439#cmt2861852439

Just tell me I won, that's all I'm asking.

[everything4him]

...You won my heart? That should be the bigger accomplishment.

@neverlooksaway

[thenewnormal]

From here: https://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/6511127.html?thread=2861883927#cmt2861883927

'M at the Pony. Your brother's giving me looks. You might be getting a call in a minute.

[neverlooksaway]

I'm on my way to the rescue. Which I'll tell him if he calls.