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Summary
How William Beckett spent his summer vacation that time he turned into a girl (or why teenage romantic stupidity transcends gender and doesn't stop even when you're no longer a teenager).
Reposted from lj, now with a fixed Chapter Two
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He goes to do it, but before he gets the chance Patrick kind of explodes without moving. "Lily, what the fuck?" and part of Bill thinks it's familiar, like when they argued before, and part of him is noting how Patrick's voice has changed. He didn't have that range before. It's impressive even if Bill's first reaction is to cross his arms defensively and shove Patrick at the same time. "Did you know I was going to be here?"
Bill fights the urge to yell back and the little voice that's reminding him how much he liked arguing with Patrick before, that's saying it'd probably be cathartic if Patrick pushed him against a wall, good for both of them, because that little voice is a dirty liar who just wants to get laid. So he's trying to think of something to say that isn't, "It's not my fault," or "I'm sorry," or anything that might lead to arguing or making up and will get Patrick to stop looking at him like that. His hands are clenched and his shoulders tense and his mouth right there, and before he can, there's a familiar weight across Bill's shoulders. It smells a little of hotel soap and pot, and Travis is draping himself across Bill's shoulder's like he always does, like no-one could reasonably expect him to stand up on his own.
"C'mon," Travis says. "You're missing the best bit of the movie. Three decapitations down." He notices Patrick. "Hey, Stump! Good to see you, but aren't you in Canada?"
Patrick looks at Travis, then Bill and Bill's not even thinking about how this looks because it's just Travis, just the way he rolls. Except Patrick is looking at them and yeah, it probably does send a different message when Bill's like this. It's just a moment, a second of inspiration like getting the hook for a song, and then Bill's smiling up at Travis and saying, "I'm just coming, baby."
Travis frowns at him, and Bill tries to develop telepathy, which fails because instead of playing along, Travis just goes, "What?"
Bill turns in to him, just a little, and Travis's free hand drops to his hip automatically which is proof that even if he's not telepathic, at least Bill knows Travis well enough to make this work. "I just ran in to an old friend," he says, gesturing at Patrick and pressing against Travis. It's not a hardship; Travis is warm and good to lean against anyway, and he smells familiar and comforting and it's good to be close to someone when he can feel this huge distance between him and Patrick.
"You're. I didn't know you." Patrick pulls himself together and says, "I didn't know you knew each other."
Travis opens his mouth and Bill steps on his foot and says, "Small world, I guess."
"Yeah." Patrick shoves his hands in his pockets and nods, sharp and jerky. "I've got to find my band. They're, uh. Pete said something about balconies and barbecues and I've got to." He shrugs and he's still looking at Bill like he can't stop. "Travis, Lily, I guess I'll see you around."
He turns around and Bill watches his back and it hits him like a sucker-punch, like it did the first time he changed back, that combination of wanting to touch him and being angry that he doesn't get to.
[...]
Travis comes over and they watch Jurassic Park as a comfort movie and Bill doesn't ask him if Patrick's said anything, which is okay because Travis doesn't say if he has either.He's not expecting it when Pete barges into their suite, though he probably should have. Pete gives him a quick, dismissive glance that if Bill actually was a groupie would probably make him feel like yesterday's leftover pizza crust, instead of just leaving him kind of pissed off and kind of admiring, and turns to Travis and says, "Your girlfriend is a bitch."
"Hey, I'm right the fuck here," Bill says.
"Which is exactly the problem," Pete says, not to Bill, but to Travis. "Your girlfriend is an evil heartbreaking bitch." Each word said with care and precision, like he was practising it on the way here, which is probably true, Bill thinks.
Travis looks at Pete, mouth open and gaping and then says, "You. You're calling my girlfriend a bitch? You?"
"Still here!" Bill says, swinging himself upright on the couch. "If you've got a problem with me, you can tell me to my face."
"You saying it's not true?" Pete says, and he's still blanking Bill, like Bill is nothing.
Travis folds his arms and looks big, looking down at Pete. "I'm saying you don't get to call anyone's girlfriend a bitch," he says. "Even mine."
Pete opens his mouth to something, shakes it and says, "I'm not talking it about it when she's here."
Bill looks at both of them, then says, "Fine," walking out and slamming the door behind him, hard enough that it bounces back instead of shutting properly, so he can stand outside and listen in.
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LOVE