ficlet: Come and Sit By My Side
Come and Sit By My Side
PG-13, Cash/Ian, 800 words, Prompt: first kiss; lyrics belong to the writer of "Red River Valley" and Magic Tree House belongs to Mary Pope Osborne. I don't own these characters or claim to know them in any way.
When Cash first meets Panic, he doesn't expect Ryan to hand him a book and tell him he should read more. So it was no wonder he called Brendon later that day, asking him to bring over some replacement books and complaining about the lack of pictures.
And it also shouldn't have been a surprise when Brendon dropped the bag of Magic Tree House books he was holding when Cash showed him the big volume.
"Holy shit, dude!" he shouted.
"Man, shut up, Singer's asleep," Cash whispered harshly.
"Sorry," Brendon whispered back, holding his hands up in mock surrender. He picked up the bag he had been holding moments earlier and held it out to Cash. He took it with a smile and placed the large book in Brendon's small hands. They dropped slightly under his weight.
"Tell Ryan 'thanks, but no thanks,'" Cash told him with a smile.
"Of course," Brendon said. "I should probably get back, he'll be wondering where I went. Honestly, disappear one time and you have to check in ever twenty minutes."
"It just means they love you," Cash said, setting the bag down and pulling Brendon in for a hug. "Now get back to them."
"The fangirls are right," Brendon said. "You do smell good. Not like that slutty deodorant Ryan uses." Cash shoved him.
"Get out of here, motherfucker," Cash said. Brendon laughed and turned away. Cash smiled and shut the door, heading towards the living room of his and Ian's small apartment.
An hour and a half later, Cash had his iPod-- which he had synced to Brendon's laptop-- playing "Red River Valley" on repeat. He wasn't sure why it was on there, but hey, it fit.
Twenty-seven Magic Tree House books were scattered around him and he was reading Ghost Town at Sundown intently. With a quarter of the book left, he was really into the plot. Ryan was right-- he did need to read more.
Then Ian came in, throwing his bag-- the backpack Cash had given him at the start of tour-- onto the couch and sunk down next to it. Cash turned down the speaker volume of his iHome and looked up from his spot on the floor expectantly. When Ian didn't respond, Cash reached his foot out and nudged him.
"What's up?" he asked. Ian never came home from his girlfriend's upset. Cash was getting worried. Ian sighed.
"We broke up," Ian said. "What did I do wrong, Cash? Did I not spend enough time with her? Did I not talk to her enough? Did I--"
"You didn't do anything," Cash said, cutting him off. "What did she tell you?"
"That she couldn't be 'that guy's girlfriend' anymore, and that I spent too much time with you guys or in the studio," Ian said. "She said that we hadn't seen enough of each other, that we had grown apart from the distance." He looked down at Cash, settled among his books and gave him a sad smile. "I believe her exact words were,'Go back to the van with your boyfriends, faggot.'"
Cash's jaw literally dropped. He had met Ian's girlfriends. She had never seemed like someone to just throw that out there. She had seemed kind of shy and open minded. Wow, he was bad at reading people. Cash remembered that Ian was sitting in front of him, eyes shining with moisture (even though he was tough and wouldn't actually cry), and shut his mouth.
"Man, I'm sorry," he said. Ian shook his head.
"Is it really that obvious?" he asked with a small laugh. Cash looked at him, puzzled. "I am, Cash. I am. Seriously, you didn't realize? Singer, Marshall, and Johnson already knew."
Cash felt stupid. "For really?" He forgot to be quiet. After a few moments, Singer appeared in sweats and a t-shirt, wiping sleep from his eyes.
"Dude," he yawned."He's been hitting on you since we started tour. And you can't deny you were flirting back."
Cash gulped. He had been flirting, just a bit. He blushed. Singer laughed.
"I'm going out," he said, grabbing a hoodie and pulling it over his head. "Call me if you need anything." And he walked out the door. Cash refocused his attention on Ian, who was staring at him intently. He cleared his throat and played with the hem of his t-shirt.
"Seriously?" he whispered. The song started up again. He pushed a few books out of the way; it was now or never. He looked up and sang, "Come and sit by my side if you love me." Ian smiled and moved to sit next to him. "Do not hasten to bid me adieu." Ian laughed when Cash tipped his invisible hat. "But remember the red river valley..." Ian pressed his lips to Cash's.
"And the cowboy who loved you so true," Ian finished, leaning his forehead against Cash's. "They're right...you do smell nice."
Cash smiled and then kissed him again.
PG-13, Cash/Ian, 800 words, Prompt: first kiss; lyrics belong to the writer of "Red River Valley" and Magic Tree House belongs to Mary Pope Osborne. I don't own these characters or claim to know them in any way.
When Cash first meets Panic, he doesn't expect Ryan to hand him a book and tell him he should read more. So it was no wonder he called Brendon later that day, asking him to bring over some replacement books and complaining about the lack of pictures.
And it also shouldn't have been a surprise when Brendon dropped the bag of Magic Tree House books he was holding when Cash showed him the big volume.
"Holy shit, dude!" he shouted.
"Man, shut up, Singer's asleep," Cash whispered harshly.
"Sorry," Brendon whispered back, holding his hands up in mock surrender. He picked up the bag he had been holding moments earlier and held it out to Cash. He took it with a smile and placed the large book in Brendon's small hands. They dropped slightly under his weight.
"Tell Ryan 'thanks, but no thanks,'" Cash told him with a smile.
"Of course," Brendon said. "I should probably get back, he'll be wondering where I went. Honestly, disappear one time and you have to check in ever twenty minutes."
"It just means they love you," Cash said, setting the bag down and pulling Brendon in for a hug. "Now get back to them."
"The fangirls are right," Brendon said. "You do smell good. Not like that slutty deodorant Ryan uses." Cash shoved him.
"Get out of here, motherfucker," Cash said. Brendon laughed and turned away. Cash smiled and shut the door, heading towards the living room of his and Ian's small apartment.
An hour and a half later, Cash had his iPod-- which he had synced to Brendon's laptop-- playing "Red River Valley" on repeat. He wasn't sure why it was on there, but hey, it fit.
Twenty-seven Magic Tree House books were scattered around him and he was reading Ghost Town at Sundown intently. With a quarter of the book left, he was really into the plot. Ryan was right-- he did need to read more.
Then Ian came in, throwing his bag-- the backpack Cash had given him at the start of tour-- onto the couch and sunk down next to it. Cash turned down the speaker volume of his iHome and looked up from his spot on the floor expectantly. When Ian didn't respond, Cash reached his foot out and nudged him.
"What's up?" he asked. Ian never came home from his girlfriend's upset. Cash was getting worried. Ian sighed.
"We broke up," Ian said. "What did I do wrong, Cash? Did I not spend enough time with her? Did I not talk to her enough? Did I--"
"You didn't do anything," Cash said, cutting him off. "What did she tell you?"
"That she couldn't be 'that guy's girlfriend' anymore, and that I spent too much time with you guys or in the studio," Ian said. "She said that we hadn't seen enough of each other, that we had grown apart from the distance." He looked down at Cash, settled among his books and gave him a sad smile. "I believe her exact words were,'Go back to the van with your boyfriends, faggot.'"
Cash's jaw literally dropped. He had met Ian's girlfriends. She had never seemed like someone to just throw that out there. She had seemed kind of shy and open minded. Wow, he was bad at reading people. Cash remembered that Ian was sitting in front of him, eyes shining with moisture (even though he was tough and wouldn't actually cry), and shut his mouth.
"Man, I'm sorry," he said. Ian shook his head.
"Is it really that obvious?" he asked with a small laugh. Cash looked at him, puzzled. "I am, Cash. I am. Seriously, you didn't realize? Singer, Marshall, and Johnson already knew."
Cash felt stupid. "For really?" He forgot to be quiet. After a few moments, Singer appeared in sweats and a t-shirt, wiping sleep from his eyes.
"Dude," he yawned."He's been hitting on you since we started tour. And you can't deny you were flirting back."
Cash gulped. He had been flirting, just a bit. He blushed. Singer laughed.
"I'm going out," he said, grabbing a hoodie and pulling it over his head. "Call me if you need anything." And he walked out the door. Cash refocused his attention on Ian, who was staring at him intently. He cleared his throat and played with the hem of his t-shirt.
"Seriously?" he whispered. The song started up again. He pushed a few books out of the way; it was now or never. He looked up and sang, "Come and sit by my side if you love me." Ian smiled and moved to sit next to him. "Do not hasten to bid me adieu." Ian laughed when Cash tipped his invisible hat. "But remember the red river valley..." Ian pressed his lips to Cash's.
"And the cowboy who loved you so true," Ian finished, leaning his forehead against Cash's. "They're right...you do smell nice."
Cash smiled and then kissed him again.