Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

amidst a cacophony of giggles, a fork dragged against a plate.

the owner of said fork also owned a deadpan frown beneath his bushy mustache, his greying eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the food on his plate. directly next to him, a younger boy only picked at his food, cutting it into smaller and smaller pieces as he tried not to stare at the spectacle across the table.

the spectacle, of course, was a completely stoned set of lovers, whispering loud secrets into one another’s ears and busting out laughing. the food on their plates was going cold as they instead focused on catching each other up on the hours they’d been apart.

”rad, rad, raddy,” streber murmured, as if radford hadn’t already been paying attention to him and him alone.

“hmmm?” radford blinked slowly at him. 

“i forgot to tell you…there was a girl who kept asking for more and more sample spoons n’ ended up leaving because the samples totaled a full scoop of ice cream,” streber said, his lips pressed right against radford’s ear. radford blushed at the proximity and reached down to clutch streber’s hand beneath the table. “kevin was sooo mad. he almost grabbed a scoop of ice cream in hand and threw it at her, i swear!”

”i can see roy doing that,” radford replied, giggling at the prospect of kevin being tortured by this kid. “i dunno if he’s smart enough.”

”that’s mean, rad,” robbie mumbled from across the table, finally picking up a piece of meat on his fork, though he only used it to drew a frowny face in the gravy, mole included.

meanwhile, radford tilted his swirling head. “s’not mean.” he began to turn to streber to ask if it was, just to end up bumping noses with him. the pair of them broke down in stupid giggles again at the accidental nuzzle, and with another squeeze of his hand, not to mention a look at streber’s beautiful smile, radford felt his stomach swell with butterflies.

he still couldn’t believe he had the privilege of seeing streber like this. not closed off, not hidden away, but all out in the open. they were absolutely wonderful together, he thought as he squeezed streber’s hand back before turning back to the no longer steaming plate of…whatever it was. “hey, um, baby, can you pass the salt?”

”sure, mister hannigan,” streber replied, taking on an over-the-top, vampy voice that sent them both giggling again. 

there was a long sigh from across the table, but they could barely hear it over their own conversation. 

that is, until a fork clattered, too. finally, the pair looked up; radford couldn’t see his partner, but he knew for sure his expression, at least, was that of a deer in headlights as he met his uncle’s eyes. and they were not happy.

”are you two going to eat?” he asked slowly. “or are you at least going to share what you’ve been talking about with the table?”

”no,” streber replied before radford could open his mouth. well, that wasn’t entirely true - for the past thirty seconds, radford’s mouth had been just hanging open. “why can’t you two have your own conversation? it’d make it way less awkward for you.” streber snorted when john didn’t immediately answer. “oh riiight, i forgot. you don’t try to relate to your nephews at all.” 

now john’s gaze was fixated on streber, whose eyes were probably redder than radford’s - but now it was a red of warning, of challenge, as they narrowed.

uh oh. 

“i don’t try to relate to my nephews.”

”yup,” streber replied matter-of-factly. he dropped radford’s hand. “you don’t. i mean, first of all, what the hell are you feeding them? prison slop?”

radford’s stomach groaned in agreement; he was so hungry, but not hungry enough to eat the overcooked meat on his plate - much less the pool of gravy it was bathing in. even robbie didn’t like it as he continued to doodle in the gravy with his fork. 

“well, what were you planning to serve them? ice cream?” 

one of streber’s eyebrows quirked upwards. “just because i sling ice cream as a summer job doesn’t mean i can’t cook.” he folded his arms - well, his arm and his stump. “i guess by that logic, being a pig does, though.”

john’s nostrils flared, and radford looked between the two of them, hardheaded as they were, practically staring each other down. in retrospect, maybe it wasn’t a good idea to invite streber to dinner. 

“what else can’t i do?”

”oh, let me count! you can’t talk to me that way,” streber spat, that smile from before everything but present on his face. “you can’t…oooh, here’s a good one! you can’t admit to the deputy that you want him, so you’re jealous of rad and i for being able to figure ourselves out instead of having the sexual tension of a porno whenever we’re in the same fucking room.”

”whoa, whoa,” radford interrupted as he watched robbie cringe across the table. “hey, streb, uh…keep it a little, like-“

”why?” streber replied, gritting his teeth. “you know i’m right.”

“get out of my house,” john replied before radford could. he didn’t yell, because john never yelled, but he did look angrier than radford had seen him in a long, long while as his shaky hands gripped the table. “i can take a lot, but i can’t take you screwing with my family anymore.”

”fine,” streber snapped, standing up from his chair so fast he nearly knocked it over. he grabbed his - well, radford’s - flannel from the back of the chair. “for the record, i wouldn’t have come tonight if rad hadn’t asked.”

john settled back in his chair, shaking his head in disappointment. “you used to be such a good kid,” he muttered, “i don’t know what happened, but you need to get your act together.”

streber just sneered at him before whipping around and stomping to the door. a minute later, it slammed shut. 

the kitchen was completely silent. radford surveyed the damage; there was a long mark on the floor from streber’s chair, for starters, though most of the damage was emotional. john’s shoulders still trembled as he went back to eating. robbie just sat still, staring blankly at the frowny faces interspersed between the chunks of meat on his plate. 

“you can go,” john said after a moment of silence. “i know you want to.”

radford ducked his head as he was excused and carefully stood up from the table. his legs wobbled, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the weed or from the situation. either way, he walked slowly out of the kitchen, as if trying not to make a scene. 

“do me a favor and don’t drive. you’ll kill the both of you.”

radford swallowed hard and nodded at john, before leaving through the front door without another word. 

his stomach ached with hunger. 

but now, he didn’t want to eat at all.

Chapter Text

it didn’t take long to find streber.

he was sitting on the porch swing, as if he’d been waiting for radford to follow, as if he’d known he would. like usual, he was gnawing his lips so hard they nearly bled, his feet flat on the ground as he gently pushed the swing back and forth. 

radford sat next to him, unsure what to say. and streber, who only moments prior had been a wellspring of snarky comments, didn’t seem like he knew, either.

the old swing creaked along.

”why did he have to say that?” streber finally mumbled, his head ducked to stare his lap. he gripped his knee like he was holding on for dear life. “i’m finally happy, and he-“

”you could’ve been nicer too, streb.” the thought flooded out before radford could stop himself, and he instantly regretted it from how his partner tensed next to him. “i…i’m sorry about him. really. he said some fucked up shit. but…”

”no, i know, i did too.” streber chuckled half-heartedly. radford watched him lift his head to look at him in his peripherals. “might be batty, but i’m not blind. i just got mad to begin with because…” radford felt a small hand grip his own. “i don’t know, i feel so much better with you than with anyone else. so for john to act like i’m worse off than i was before…”

all the while though, throughout the whole explanation, radford felt his entire face grow warmer against the night breeze. that is, until he leaned over and kissed his partner tenderly on the smattering of freckles on the bridge of his nose. 

streber pulled back a little, startled as he blinked up at him. “huh?” then it was his turn to blush. “i thought you were mad.”

radford may have been a little peeved, but he wasn’t boiling over about it. he didn’t know why streber thought that, at least until he remembered his relationship with his biological parents. oh. “i’m not mad at you, streber.” radford wrapped an arm around streber’s shoulders. “i think you could’ve been a little nicer, but…we all can be. right? “

streber looked up at him with round, dark eyes.

”i don’t love you any less.”

streber blinked up at him a few times, before another little grin spread across his face. he slumped against radford’s shoulder, and kissed it shortly after. “i’m high as shit right now,” he mused. as if on cue, his stomach grumbled audibly, and he craned his neck to look at radford’s watch. “it’s too late to get food at home.”

home being june’s, of course…and god, was radford happy to hear him refer to it as that. streber needed a good place to call home. 

“we can go get something out,” radford offered, feeling his own hunger start to churn again. the argument had made him queasy, but just talking about it made him feel much, much better. “since we both have money now.”

streber nodded against radford’s shoulder. “which one of us would have better luck driving?”

radford sighed. he knew john didn’t want either of them driving, but neither of them were keen to walking all the way from the outskirts of town to main street. so a minute later, they both hopped in streber’s car, with radford at the wheel since he wasn’t the one falling asleep on anyone’s shoulder. 

the road to downtown was strangely empty for this time of the evening, especially for the summer - then again, since the mall opened up, that was typically the case. radford rolled down the windows, enjoying the warm night breeze as it filtered in through the windows. 

streber bobbed his head to the talking heads song buzzing over the radio as he watched the streetlights flash by. and sure enough, as they passed starcourt, both of them noticed just how full the parking lot was. hopefully there wouldn’t be another blackout, because it seemed like everyone there was making up for lost time.

radford reached across the center console when they reached the fast food place, and streber’s right hand crossed over his body to caress it. “what do you want?” the former asked, eyeing the menu. everything looked good, really - the weed was making him crave everything on there in some sort of huge, gross sandwich. he snickered at the thought and offered a patient smile when streber didn’t answer immediately. 

“man, your uncle really can’t cook,” streber finally said, instead of answering the question.

”streb,” radford prompted, giving him a patient, amused smile.

”i’m just saying, all of this looks heavenly right now.” streber waved a hand at all the menu items before sighing softly. “i guess, though…just a burger and tater tots.”

”not regular fries?”

”tater tots are better,” streber insisted. before radford could open his mouth to ask why, streber continued, “they remind me of you. my tater tot.”

radford’s face exploded in a blush for the thousandth time that evening. he elbowed his beloved before going ahead and ordering from a rather impatient sounding worker, and when it was time pulled around to the second window to pay and get the food.

“ohhh my god.” streber, whose rumbling stomach had slowly grown louder throughout the wait, tore open the bag as soon as radford handed it over and began devouring its contents like a starving man. and honestly, with the amount of weed they’d smoked after their shifts it wasn’t surprising. 

radford snickered. “hey, hey, didn’t your parents teach you it’s rude to-”

streber swallowed down the huge bite of his burger and shot radford an odd look. “yeah, they did, and i don’t care.”

“you don’t, do you,” radford trailed off. the comment didn’t hurt at all, nor did streber say it in a way that was intended to hurt. it just showed how far along streber had come. how he could be himself. how he wasn’t under his parents’, or anyone’s, thumbs anymore. “good. ‘cause, really, i don’t care either.”

he’d been joking, after all. and they both knew it.

he did, however, change his course from the quiet parking lot they usually hung out in towards the more suburban part of town. the maple street cul de sac, to be specific. by the time they pulled into the driveway, streber had already finished his burger and fed radford a few tater tots by hand. and, yeah, radford could admit they were better than fries. 

“hey, we’re home,” radford mumbled against the most recent tater tot, which streber still had pressed to his lips. 

“mmm, ‘we’re’ home?” streber snickered. “what, are you moving in with me now too?”

after chewing and swallowing the tater tot, radford shrugged, deciding to play along. “it’s not like june would mind. i could stay in your basement, like bev…”

“well then you’d be too far away.” streber flicked radford’s still-flushed nose. “why would you wanna be all the way in the basement when i’m in the attic?” 

“keeps me innocent,” radford teased, testing the waters, and streber just rolled his eyes and leaned across the center console, hooded eyes still sleepy and so, so in love. radford accepted the kiss gratefully, smiling against his partner’s lips as their noses brushed together. radford’s upturned, streber’s downturned.

“you’re a gentleman,” streber finally said when he pulled back, “and i love you. and june does too…but i think one more kid in this house would be pushing it.”

“didn’t she always want a bunch of kids?” 

streber nodded. “and ross was the only one that wasn’t a miscarriage…yeah.” 

“well, then i guess she got her wish.” radford pushed his hands into streber’s spiky, choppy hair and nuzzled his nose again. “just goes to show you you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

“god,” streber mumbled. radford could smell the fast food on his breath, the weed lingering in his hair. “i really…i really love you, raddy. i can’t even put words to how happy i am.”

radford leaned into another kiss, that smile growing on streber’s lips and unwavering on his own. but before their entire night drifted away into lazy kisses in the front seat, their food growing colder in streber’s lap, radford looked up and noticed a familiar figure hovering in the doorway, making gagging and exaggerated thumbs down motions. 

“can’t last forever, i guess,” radford snickered as he shut the car off.

streber, meanwhile, groaned and jumped out of the car, bolting up the front steps after his…little brother? either way, he managed to catch up to ross, pick him up, and spin him around in one swift motion. geez, radford always forgot how strong he was. “what if i made fun of you and robbie, huh?” streber teased as he carried ross into the house. 

so that moths and mosquitoes didn’t fly into the house, radford hurriedly grabbed the discarded fast food bags and locked the car up before following them inside the warm household. 

a brighter future was ahead. hopefully, they were already living in it.

but when the porch light flickered as he passed it, radford couldn’t shake the feeling that things were going to have to get worse before they got better.