Final Word Count

[evila_elf]

36528 / 50000 words. 73% done!

Uugh. The last couple of days, my brain failed and I could only do less than a thousand each day. But I passed my month goal of 30k! *dances*

And, in case anyone is interested, here are the first 5 chapters!

Chapter 1
Ben sat at his desk. He stared at the blank page in his art program, trying to get a good visual on what the final result would look like before he even started. He tapped a few keys, straightened his glasses, then picked up his stylus and made his first marks on the page.

A second laptop sat on the desk to his right, playing some soft wordless jazz, the sounds calming and helped to keep his hands steady and his marks even.

As he paused, contemplating his next stroke, the second laptop chimed at him. He set down his stylus and swiveled to face the computer, tapping the touchpad to kick off the screensaver. An instant message greeted him:
RyanBB (11:35:24) Hey, Ben! Hope you not working too hard! On my lunch break and thought I would drop a hello your way.

Ben smiled and hunched over the keyboard, typing up a quick message of his own:
BenF (11:35:47) Early today!
RyanBB (11:36:29) Yeah. Slow day. How are you feeling?
BenF (11:36:48) Good. Just started a project for a new client. Kids’ program. She wants it colorful and fun. Free reign is always good. And terrifying!
RyanBB (11:37:20) How new meds holding you?
BenF (11:37:44) Don’t notice much of a difference yet. It’s only been a couple of days. Patience!! Also, Thsai3n 2mmmmmmmmmmmmm
RyanBB (11:38:22) Ryan??
BenF (11:38:33) ...Thomas says hi.

Ben plucked the cat from the table before he could turn around and mash the keys again, and settled him on his lap, petting him until he calmed and started purring.

RyanBB (11:38:59) We really need to teach him some manners.
BenF (11:39:21) One of these days. Home on time today?
RyanBB (11:39:52) Should be. Unless a customer decides to demolish our new book display.
BenF (11:40:11) I’ll see you then, then. Go, eat, enjoy :-)
RyanBB (11:40:38) I will. Love you.
BenF (11:40:51) Love you, too.
RyanBB has left the conversation.

Ben smiled. The joys of protective boyfriends. He scooted back to his tablet. Thomas, still a lump of purring fur on his lap, looked around, then curled back up.


Chapter 2
Ryan arrived home shortly after 5. He was greeted by Thomas as the cat came leisurely down the stairs, stretching every so often on the steps. Ryan toed off his brown work shoes and left them by the door next to a pair of worn tennis shoes. He stepped over Thomas three times and he quietly headed up the stairs.

His stealth was rewarded as he peeked into the study. Ben was in his chair, leaning back, head tilted up to the ceiling, and stylus twirling idly between his fingers. Blue and a splash of red from the monitor reflected in his glasses. Ryan took the time to study him, starting with the perfect curve of his chin and down his neck. Brown hair, several shades darker than his own, messy and begging for a trim topped his head, a peppering of gray at his temples. Covering his six foot something inch frame was a sleeveless vest overtop a long-sleeved checkered shirt. Blue jeans. White socks...

Mrawo!

“Thomas, you bastard,” Ryan scolded, miffed that he couldn’t go on peeping at his partner for longer.

Thomas, not phased, jumped up on the desk, only to be scooped up before he could cross any keyboards.

After dumping the cat back on the ground, Ben stood, stretching his long legs, then crossed the room to greet Ryan with a tender and happy kiss to the lips.

“I’m not interrupting?” Ryan knew how Ben could get when he became absorbed in something.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you the same question?”

“I like watching you work,” Ryan said to defend himself. “Is that the project you mentioned earlier?” He pointed with a nod towards the screen.

“Yeah. Almost done with it.” He led Ryan closer, then stepped back, motioning to him that it was okay to give it a look. “Lady works at Diane’s Daycare--place right next to the Millie-Mart--and she’s constantly doing programs for the kiddles. She is paying me 300 bucks for this two-sided tri fold, including as many copies as she needs. After that lump, all her future orders will be discounted, since they will follow a similar pattern. Only need to change the wording every month and leave the design the same.”

“Not bad for a day’s work.”

“Nope. You know what would go good with dinner?” he quickly changed the subject.

“Depends on what’s for dinner.”

“I haven’t decided yet.” He waved the query away. “How about a fresh blackberry cobbler for desert? We have some nice bushes down the road a ways.”

Ryan raised his eyebrows.

“Please?”

“I don’t know,” Ryan said, doubtfully. But why bother? He knew he would end up caving, no matter how bad of an idea it was. Ben could use some extra meat on his bones. His recent lack of appetite worried him.

Ben wrapped his arms around Ryan. “Please?” he whispered as he pressed his lips against his partner’s.

Ryan finally gave in.

Chapter 3
They walked down the dirt road for about five minutes until leaving the road for a small deer trail.

“We haven’t been down here in quite a few years,” Ryan observed.

“Yeah,” Ben said quietly, remembering.

That was when the seizures had been real bad.

“Let me know--”

“I will.”

Ryan checked to make sure that he still had his cell phone on him and let out a relieved sigh when he touched the smooth plastic. He joined Ben at the nearest bush. It was taller than they were. Ben had stepped over and ducked under a few vines to get into a good patch that the coyotes hadn’t yet touched. Ryan tried not to hover and gave Ben his own space, keeping one eye on him and another on not getting his hands mangled too badly by the berry vines.

Ben had started a new epilepsy medication a few days ago, even though he had gone five months without seizing--a new record for him. He had been tired of being tired and having zero appetite. The doctor had suggested to him this new drug and to see if it made a difference after a week or so. Ryan was terrified that the seizures would start up again.

“You’re staring at me,” Ben pointed out with somewhat mock annoyance.

“I’m not allowed to stare at my guy?”

Ben tossed a blackberry at him, grinning in answer.

Chapter 4
They picked until their buckets were almost half full and the sun was just starting to hide behind the treeline that rose up a quarter of a mile behind their home. As they walked back, Ben breathed in deeply. Fall was just around the corner and the scent of the season was on the breeze.

Ryan swatted at a mosquito that was trying to land on his nose, then linked his arm through Ben’s, pulling him close and leaning against him as they walked in comfortable silence.

Thomas was spread out just inside the entryway. He seemed to get a particular thrill when people had to step over him. He got up and followed his people into the kitchen and chirped until Ben set one of the buckets on the floor for him to investigate.

“So, dinner?” Ryan asked as he rinsed off a few berries to eat.

Ben opened the refrigerator and the freezer. “We have mashed potatoes from last night. Frozen mixed veggies, oven dinners.”

Ryan joined him. “I think I need to go shopping again.”

“Tempted to just settle for the cobbler.”

“Oh, no you don’t.” He reached over Ben’s shoulder and grabbed a bag of frozen baby carrots. “These, the mashed potatoes, and...want to split the Salisbury steak TV dinner?”

“Sure.” Ben looked in the cupboard for a pan and a bowl so he could get a start on his desert.

20 minutes later, the desert was ready to be baked and dinner was ready to be taken out of the oven. Ben dusted the flour from his shirt with a cloth. He checked Ryan’s ass as he walked by to put the hot food on the table: Yep, flour handprint was still in place. Ben chuckled to himself and set the timer as he put the cobbler inside the oven and a zip lock baggie of the remaining berries in the refrigerator.

“How did work go?” Ben asked after he sat next to Ryan at the dinner table, putting some butter and pepper on his small serving of mashed potatoes and stirring them together.

“Well, the book display was still standing.”

Ryan worked at a large bookstore that was in walking distance from pretty much everywhere in town. Which meant a lot of people just showed up because it was a good place to kill time in. After school was let out was the worst, and Ryan was dreading when school started the following month. He had worked there for over ten years years. Ten years that felt like forever.

“Kevin is pestering me about why I don’t have a girlfriend. Why does it seem like every new employee has to bug me about that? It’s like they think they are doing me a huge favor by pointing this out.”

“Well, let’s see.” Ben started counting off on his fingers. “You’re charming, cute and adorable, good manners, women--and men--are drawn to you.”

Ryan ducked his head, face growing warm. “Stop it.”

“It’s true.”

“I just wish I didn’t have to hide our relationship.”

“Well, if you ever do decide to come out, we can do it with such a bang that it will be talked about for years!”

“You? Mr. Conservative?”

“Hey, after all the stories you have told me about your boss and coworkers, I am willing to do anything. As long as it doesn’t involve public nudity,” he added, just in case the offer was too tempting to pass up.

Ryan laughed and took a sip of his coffee. It was tempting.

The phone rang. Ben started to get up, but Ryan waved him back down and went out into the living room to answer it.

Ben strained to listen in to the one sided conversation, but all he could hear was Ryan’s agitated mumblings growing fainter as he went further away from the kitchen.

He gave up on trying to listen in and checked on the cobbler. He added some more time to the timer, then hunted down some oven mitts so he could retrieve it when it was ready. He was setting the mitts by the oven when Ryan reentered the kitchen.

“Ryan, are you okay?” Ben asked, concerned, when he saw Ryan’s face.

“My ex-wife is dead.”

Chapter 5
Ben stared in shock before he quickly stood and wrapped Ryan in a gentle hug before guiding him into a chair. He tilted his own chair to face him. Unsure of what else to do, he sat and rested a hand on Ryan’s knee and waited for him to pull himself together.

Ryan looked lost, for lack of a better description. His eyes were downcast, staring blankly in the direction of Ben’s right hip.

Ben remained silent, giving Ryan space and time to think.

The oven timer went off and both men jumped.

“Let’s move to the couch,” Ben suggested. He removed the cobbler from the oven and set it on the table to cool, filling the kitchen with the scent of berries, then followed Ryan into the living room. He sat at one end, waiting for Ryan to sit before pulling the other man to him, holding him. So many evenings they had sat like this, only positions reversed, back when he wasn’t doing as well. When the different medications left him weak and nauseous. He could feel Ryan take a deep breath, stomach expanding under his arm, and knew he was getting ready to talk.

“That was Carol.”

“Your sister in law?” Ben guessed. It had been a long time since he had heard that name.

Ryan nodded, settling more firmly against Ben’s chest. “Yeah. Leah and Kyle were in a bad accident on the freeway.”

Kyle, his son. Ben swallowed thickly. “Is he...?”

“Hardly a scratch. And...” Ryan took a shaky breath, “I need to talk to you about something. About him. Kyle. Carol can’t take care of him--or she doesn’t want to--Trish can’t be reached, Greg is in Germany still, or somewhere overseas. He’s 15 and has no place to go. Carol was asking if he could stay here.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.” Ryan crossed his arms, overlapping Ben’s. “Silly, really. That whole family hates me. Kyle probably hates me.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That I would have to talk this over with my boyfriend first.” He tilted to the side so he could look up at Ben’s face. “I don’t think this is a good idea. “

“Why not? You always did say that you would like us to have kids some day.”

“Kyle is far from a kid. A teenager.”

“When do you have to let Carol know?”

“Tomorrow evening. Wait...you aren’t actually considering it, are you?”

“Well, what happens to him if you say no?”

Ryan was quiet for a minute. “I don’t really know.”

Unsure of what else to do, Ben held him tighter.

***

Ryan was in bed and he stared up at the dark ceiling. He could hear Ben in the kitchen. Ben had insisted on cleaning up after dinner and putting their uneaten desert in the refrigerator. He felt so confused. Sure, he wanted to take Kyle in, help the boy out when no one else seemed able to. But on the other hand...this would turn everything on its head. Plus all the stress it would leave on Ben? Stress used to be a big factor in some of his early seizures. If things did take a turn for the worst, they wouldn’t be able to treat this as a mistake and return Kyle to where they had found him.

Ben entered the bedroom, heading towards the bathroom, and Ryan turned to watch as he ran some hot water and scrubbed his face. Then cold water as he shook out several pills from various containers, swallowing them one by one before turning out the light and heading into the bedroom.

Ben removed his shirt, then sat on the edge of the bed to take of his socks. He settled in next to Ryan and reached out for the warm body, pulling him close. They didn’t speak and, for once, Ryan feel asleep before Ben.


I appologize for any errors...I've barely had a chance to read it over once.
Might post more if there is any interest.

Comments

[blueboxfever.livejournal.com]

Do post more, I'd like to see where this is going.

I actually admire all you Nanowrimo contestants, you have inspiration to write all this while time is not on your side. Respect. I succumb to stress way too easily, hence the constant cycle of writer's block...

[evila-elf.livejournal.com]

Yay, someone read it :D

Doing NaNo is actually a good way past writer's block...write whatever, even if it is crap.

I thought I would be all happy that December is here....but I am still itching to write