Unfinished QAF Drew/Emmett Fic
Oct. 17th, 2006 03:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jule1122I saw on a few journals that October is WIP Amnesty month, and today I stumbled upon this story I thought I lost. It is the beginning of what was supposed to be a much longer Drew/Emmett story I started after S4. It has been shuffled between about five different computers, and I was shocked it hadn't been deleted. I doubt I'll ever finish it since I can't imagine there is any interest. But I actually like what I wrote so far so I thought I'd go ahead and post it.
Title: I'd Live A Different Story
Pairing: QAF Drew/Emmett
Warnings: None
Rating: R
Summary: When Drew's football career ends, everything changes.
Disclamer: QAF and it's characters belong to Showtime and Cowlip. No money is made from this story.
Emmett wondered sometimes what would have happened if he hadn’t read the article. After all, he hadn’t been pining for Drew. In fact, he never even thought about him. It wasn’t always that way. At first he watched Ironmen games in secret and searched newspapers and the internet for any tidbit on Drew he could find. Until the Superbowl, when Emmett watched Drew celebrate with Sierra. He watched him spin her around and kiss her for all the world to see. And then he gave the traditional declaration, he’d be spending his honeymoon at Disney Land. Emmett knew then that it was truly, completely over.
So Emmett put Drew out of his mind and lived his life. There had been dear sweet Matt who loved Emmett desperately, but in the end there had been no spark. There had been the disaster with Allan that ended with tears and accusations. That would teach him to fall for another queen. There were others whose names he didn’t remember, but they had filled his nights. So he should have turned the page when he saw the headline “Pittsburgh Superbowl Hero Scheduled for Second Surgery After Career Ending Injury.” But he hadn’t, and he spent the next few days trying to ignore the details he’d accidentally memorized.
The night of Drew’s surgery he found himself standing outside his room. He peaked in just enough to make sure Sierra wasn’t still there. Then he slipped in knocking softly as he entered.
“I told you I don’t want any more pain medication,” Drew barked without looking up.
“When that’s a good thing since I’m fresh out. On the other hand, I do happen to have a delightful Shepard’s Pie, fresh baked rolls, and a fabulous banana cream pie,” Emmett sashayed in the room trying to look casual and confident.
“Emmett?” Drew looked up confusion evident on his face.
“The one and only,” Emmett tried to ignore how tired and drawn Drew looked. Instead, he busied himself setting the food out on a tray near Drew’s bed.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, no one should be forced to eat hospital food. And I always have something left over from one dinner party or another,” Emmett kept his voice light as he focused intently on placing the silverware properly.
“Visiting hours are over,” there was a slight edge to Drew’s voice now.
“Oh, I never concern myself with those silly things. And anyway, it wouldn’t do for me to run into your other guests. Sierra, your teammates, coaches,” Emmett continued when Drew remained silent.
“They’re gone.”
“Exactly, that’s why my timing is perfect as always,” Emmett was starting to wonder if Drew hadn’t had too much pain medication.
“No, Emmett I mean they’re gone. Sierra left as soon as the diagnosis was confirmed, and the others have better things to do with their time.”
Emmett turned toward him unable to conceal his shock, “Well, I never. I mean aren’t you football players all supposed to be brothers or something?”
“Yeah, football players are family, but I’m not a football player anymore. I’m just a guy who can’t throw a ball.”
“Boy, you people could learn a lot from us. No one rallies like a bunch of fags,” only a hint of bitterness entered Emmett’s voice. He avoided Drew’s eyes as he moved the tray in front of him. “Now, enough talking or your food will get cold.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Of, course you are. No one could survive on that dreck they serve here.”
“I said I’m not hungry,” Drew sounded angry now, but Emmett noticed his eyes stray to his heavily bandaged hand.
“How thoughtless of me,” he muttered as he sat next to Drew. He placed the chair only close enough to reach Drew’s mouth. Drew looked startled but opened his mouth when Emmett brought the fork up to it. He managed the roll with his left hand, and the meal was finished quickly and in silence.
“Emmett, this is ridiculous,” Drew complained as Emmett fed him the last bite of pie.
“Well, we can’t have you wasting away to nothing. How much longer do you have to stay?” Emmett worked quickly to clear away any evidence of the meal.
“I should be going home tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s good. Well, I’ll be on my way. You need your rest and the night nurse will be here in a few minutes. Wouldn’t want to get caught.”
“How would you know that?”
“Oh, a friend of mine spent too many nights here watching over someone. He told me the schedule,” Emmett smiled to himself remembering Brian’s shock at realizing Emmett knew his big secret. Brian should understand that Emmett always knew more than he let on. Without another word, he left the room. He stood in the hallway for a few minutes trying to ignore his pounding heart before heading home.
A few nights later Emmett rang Drew’s doorbell. He’d convinced himself it didn’t mean anything. The Patterson’s dinner party had only been a few blocks away, and what would he do with all those leftovers. He let himself in after a shout from inside indicated no one would be coming to the door.
“On tonight’s menu we have Chicken Kiev, twice baked potatoes, green beans almandine, and chocolate mousse. I know, I know not very imaginative, but Darren does give it a special flair if I do say so myself.”
“You, again?” he heard Drew ask as he made his way back to the kitchen.
“Just your friendly neighborhood gourmet fairy,” Emmett answered, quickly arranging the food on a tray. “My, my what happened here?” he asked as he headed back to the living room. Drew was sprawled on the couch watching TV. Empty bottles and take out containers littered every surface.
“The cleaning lady isn’t scheduled to come in for a few days.”
“Well, perhaps you should rethink that schedule while you are on your own and recovering.” Emmett cleared a space on the coffee table for the food. “Now you just go ahead and eat while straighten up a bit. Did I ever tell you about my time in the domestic services? No, I imagine not. It turns out there’s big money in performing services with all your assets on display so to speak. I was a scantily clad waiter once, but then a more permanent and lucrative offer came along. So I was all set to be a naked maid.”
That was all the farther he got before Drew interrupted, “Did you say a naked maid?”
“Yes, but the couple they sent me to told me they’d pay me the same, and I could keep my clothes on. They fancied themselves as saving me from some lecherous old men. Turns out they just wanted their dicks sucked.”
Drew was laughing in earnest now, “You are making this up.”
“I most certainly am not. Every word of it is true. I didn’t last long though; I never could stand hypocrites.” By this time Emmett had most of the room cleaned up. He finished quickly and headed to the door. “Well, I’ll leave you to your dinner now. Enjoy.”
Emmett found himself stopping by Drew’s every couple of days. He stopped making excuses, but refused to examine his motives either. It was just something he did. He always brought food and told Drew more outrageous but true stories from his life.
“George Shickel was gay?” Drew asked in disbelief.
“He most certainly was. A fine, fine gay man. And I told his nasty old ex wife in no uncertain terms just what that means,” Emmett told him about meeting Virginia at the opera.
“I can imagine her face. I met them once when Shickel Field was dedicated. She didn’t look like she knew how to smile. George seemed nice enough, but gay? And wasn’t he in his seventies?”
“He may have been an old man, but he sure didn’t fuck like one. Lived his whole life in the closest, poor thing, at least until he met me. I even took him to Babylon a few times. He danced the night away with the best of them. Georgie was the love of my life. What I wouldn’t give to still have him here. Did I tell you we were on our way to a trip around the world when he died?” Emmett sighed, but didn’t go into more detail. Some things were too personal to share, and he found no humor in George’s death. “Remind me to tell you sometime how we met. You’ll get a kick out of that story.”
“Emmett, why are you doing this?”
Emmett wondered how long it would be before Drew asked; he still didn’t have a good answer. “You know what they say, a friend in need.”
“We were never friends,” Drew voice sounded heavy and tired.
“I know, but,” Emmett trailed off. He couldn’t bring himself to remind Drew he had no one else. “It’s getting late. I should be going.” Emmett left without further explanation. He wasn’t surprised Drew let him go. Talking had never been their strong suit.
Three weeks later, Emmett decided it was time to decrease the amount of time he spent with Drew. Not that the visits weren’t going well, in fact, it was just the opposite. Drew enjoyed Emmett’s stories and occasionally shared funny things that had happened during his football days. But while he still needed therapy, Drew’s hand was fine for day to day living. He didn’t really need Emmett, and Emmett realized the visits were more for him anyway. Then football season started.
One night, Emmett found him watching a preseason report on the Ironmen. They were going on about the hotshot young quarterback Drew insisted they had traded too much of the team for. Seems they had found a new savior, a new hero, and Drew was forgotten. Emmett could see Drew was bitter and hurt at having been so easily replaced. So he sucked him off, using all his considerable skill to ensure Drew forgot all about the Ironmen. He left him shaking and satisfied on the couch without a word.
Two weeks later, he caught Drew pouring over sports magazines muttering to himself. He heard a few words here and there, ‘has been,’ ‘loyalty,’ and ‘ungrateful’ were the easiest to pick out. Emmett wasn’t sure he should interrupt, but when Drew threw the magazine against a wall, he couldn’t help himself. “Drew,” he tried to announce his presence quietly.
“You remember my name. No one else is this fucking town does. You’d think this kid was the God damn second coming the way they go on about him. I guess the Ironmen have a chance at the Superbowl now that they have a real quarterback at least according to all the experts,” Drew turned his back on Emmett and seemed to retreat back into himself.
Beneath the anger, Emmett could sense the pain and betrayal. There were hundred things he wanted to say to Drew. He wanted to offer words of comfort and understanding. He wanted to wrap his arms around him and drain the tension from his body. But they didn’t have that kind of relationship now. They probably never had. So he reached out to Drew the only way he knew how. When Drew fucked him, it was hard and fast and left them both shaking and gasping for air. Neither of them spoke, and they both knew it meant nothing. Emmett left while Drew was still in the bathroom.
It was easy to act like nothing happened. Emmett was good at pretending, and Drew was good at denial. But on Emmett’s third visit after the night that never happened, everything changed. Drew was watching the Ironmen play. At least the game was on television. As far as Emmett could tell, Drew was alternately staring into space and at his hand. He got them both a beer, and sat down next to Drew. Ten minutes of silence followed. Eventually, Emmett couldn’t stand listening to the announcers gush over Drew’s replacement so he turned the sound off. Drew looked at him then with his eyes full of confusion and loss.
Emmett kissed him. Carefully at first with his hands on Drew’s face so he couldn’t back away. But Drew didn’t back away, and Emmett continued gradually deepening the kiss. The kiss went on and on. It was long and deep and gentle. When Drew’s arms wrapped around him, he couldn’t help but wonder why they’d never done this before. He knew if they had, he never would have been able to walk away. Before he could think about it any more, Drew broke the kiss. His first instinct was to protest, but instead of pushing him away, Drew held him tighter. Then he buried his face in Emmett’s neck and cried.
Emmett shifted until they were laying on the couch never letting go of Drew. He ran his hand up and down Drew’s back keeping silent until Drew tried to pull away. He gently held him in place and started talking. He told Drew about Fetch Dixon. He told him how scared he’d been that first night standing on that stupid bed. He talked about how expected to feel embarrassed or ashamed, but ended up feeling somehow free acting all his fantasies out. He told about the crazy fan mail he’d gotten and how sometimes he still got recognized. He never mentioned George; it wasn’t time for that kind of sharing. He talked and talked until Drew fell asleep.
When Emmett woke up, Drew was still sleeping on him. He gently slipped out from underneath him and gently kissed his forehead. He straightened up the living room out of habit before leaving. The sun had just risen and the streets were still quiet. It wasn’t until he was halfway home that Emmett realized almost five years after meeting him, he’d finally spent the night with Drew Boyd.
Their relationship changed after that, but not as much as one might think. Emmett still brought dinner a few times a week, but he didn’t go home on those nights. They fucked in the bed instead of on the floor. Drew stopped questioning what Emmett was doing at his house. They kissed and held hands while watching television. They talked about everything, but what they were to each other.
Title: I'd Live A Different Story
Pairing: QAF Drew/Emmett
Warnings: None
Rating: R
Summary: When Drew's football career ends, everything changes.
Disclamer: QAF and it's characters belong to Showtime and Cowlip. No money is made from this story.
Emmett wondered sometimes what would have happened if he hadn’t read the article. After all, he hadn’t been pining for Drew. In fact, he never even thought about him. It wasn’t always that way. At first he watched Ironmen games in secret and searched newspapers and the internet for any tidbit on Drew he could find. Until the Superbowl, when Emmett watched Drew celebrate with Sierra. He watched him spin her around and kiss her for all the world to see. And then he gave the traditional declaration, he’d be spending his honeymoon at Disney Land. Emmett knew then that it was truly, completely over.
So Emmett put Drew out of his mind and lived his life. There had been dear sweet Matt who loved Emmett desperately, but in the end there had been no spark. There had been the disaster with Allan that ended with tears and accusations. That would teach him to fall for another queen. There were others whose names he didn’t remember, but they had filled his nights. So he should have turned the page when he saw the headline “Pittsburgh Superbowl Hero Scheduled for Second Surgery After Career Ending Injury.” But he hadn’t, and he spent the next few days trying to ignore the details he’d accidentally memorized.
The night of Drew’s surgery he found himself standing outside his room. He peaked in just enough to make sure Sierra wasn’t still there. Then he slipped in knocking softly as he entered.
“I told you I don’t want any more pain medication,” Drew barked without looking up.
“When that’s a good thing since I’m fresh out. On the other hand, I do happen to have a delightful Shepard’s Pie, fresh baked rolls, and a fabulous banana cream pie,” Emmett sashayed in the room trying to look casual and confident.
“Emmett?” Drew looked up confusion evident on his face.
“The one and only,” Emmett tried to ignore how tired and drawn Drew looked. Instead, he busied himself setting the food out on a tray near Drew’s bed.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, no one should be forced to eat hospital food. And I always have something left over from one dinner party or another,” Emmett kept his voice light as he focused intently on placing the silverware properly.
“Visiting hours are over,” there was a slight edge to Drew’s voice now.
“Oh, I never concern myself with those silly things. And anyway, it wouldn’t do for me to run into your other guests. Sierra, your teammates, coaches,” Emmett continued when Drew remained silent.
“They’re gone.”
“Exactly, that’s why my timing is perfect as always,” Emmett was starting to wonder if Drew hadn’t had too much pain medication.
“No, Emmett I mean they’re gone. Sierra left as soon as the diagnosis was confirmed, and the others have better things to do with their time.”
Emmett turned toward him unable to conceal his shock, “Well, I never. I mean aren’t you football players all supposed to be brothers or something?”
“Yeah, football players are family, but I’m not a football player anymore. I’m just a guy who can’t throw a ball.”
“Boy, you people could learn a lot from us. No one rallies like a bunch of fags,” only a hint of bitterness entered Emmett’s voice. He avoided Drew’s eyes as he moved the tray in front of him. “Now, enough talking or your food will get cold.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Of, course you are. No one could survive on that dreck they serve here.”
“I said I’m not hungry,” Drew sounded angry now, but Emmett noticed his eyes stray to his heavily bandaged hand.
“How thoughtless of me,” he muttered as he sat next to Drew. He placed the chair only close enough to reach Drew’s mouth. Drew looked startled but opened his mouth when Emmett brought the fork up to it. He managed the roll with his left hand, and the meal was finished quickly and in silence.
“Emmett, this is ridiculous,” Drew complained as Emmett fed him the last bite of pie.
“Well, we can’t have you wasting away to nothing. How much longer do you have to stay?” Emmett worked quickly to clear away any evidence of the meal.
“I should be going home tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s good. Well, I’ll be on my way. You need your rest and the night nurse will be here in a few minutes. Wouldn’t want to get caught.”
“How would you know that?”
“Oh, a friend of mine spent too many nights here watching over someone. He told me the schedule,” Emmett smiled to himself remembering Brian’s shock at realizing Emmett knew his big secret. Brian should understand that Emmett always knew more than he let on. Without another word, he left the room. He stood in the hallway for a few minutes trying to ignore his pounding heart before heading home.
A few nights later Emmett rang Drew’s doorbell. He’d convinced himself it didn’t mean anything. The Patterson’s dinner party had only been a few blocks away, and what would he do with all those leftovers. He let himself in after a shout from inside indicated no one would be coming to the door.
“On tonight’s menu we have Chicken Kiev, twice baked potatoes, green beans almandine, and chocolate mousse. I know, I know not very imaginative, but Darren does give it a special flair if I do say so myself.”
“You, again?” he heard Drew ask as he made his way back to the kitchen.
“Just your friendly neighborhood gourmet fairy,” Emmett answered, quickly arranging the food on a tray. “My, my what happened here?” he asked as he headed back to the living room. Drew was sprawled on the couch watching TV. Empty bottles and take out containers littered every surface.
“The cleaning lady isn’t scheduled to come in for a few days.”
“Well, perhaps you should rethink that schedule while you are on your own and recovering.” Emmett cleared a space on the coffee table for the food. “Now you just go ahead and eat while straighten up a bit. Did I ever tell you about my time in the domestic services? No, I imagine not. It turns out there’s big money in performing services with all your assets on display so to speak. I was a scantily clad waiter once, but then a more permanent and lucrative offer came along. So I was all set to be a naked maid.”
That was all the farther he got before Drew interrupted, “Did you say a naked maid?”
“Yes, but the couple they sent me to told me they’d pay me the same, and I could keep my clothes on. They fancied themselves as saving me from some lecherous old men. Turns out they just wanted their dicks sucked.”
Drew was laughing in earnest now, “You are making this up.”
“I most certainly am not. Every word of it is true. I didn’t last long though; I never could stand hypocrites.” By this time Emmett had most of the room cleaned up. He finished quickly and headed to the door. “Well, I’ll leave you to your dinner now. Enjoy.”
Emmett found himself stopping by Drew’s every couple of days. He stopped making excuses, but refused to examine his motives either. It was just something he did. He always brought food and told Drew more outrageous but true stories from his life.
“George Shickel was gay?” Drew asked in disbelief.
“He most certainly was. A fine, fine gay man. And I told his nasty old ex wife in no uncertain terms just what that means,” Emmett told him about meeting Virginia at the opera.
“I can imagine her face. I met them once when Shickel Field was dedicated. She didn’t look like she knew how to smile. George seemed nice enough, but gay? And wasn’t he in his seventies?”
“He may have been an old man, but he sure didn’t fuck like one. Lived his whole life in the closest, poor thing, at least until he met me. I even took him to Babylon a few times. He danced the night away with the best of them. Georgie was the love of my life. What I wouldn’t give to still have him here. Did I tell you we were on our way to a trip around the world when he died?” Emmett sighed, but didn’t go into more detail. Some things were too personal to share, and he found no humor in George’s death. “Remind me to tell you sometime how we met. You’ll get a kick out of that story.”
“Emmett, why are you doing this?”
Emmett wondered how long it would be before Drew asked; he still didn’t have a good answer. “You know what they say, a friend in need.”
“We were never friends,” Drew voice sounded heavy and tired.
“I know, but,” Emmett trailed off. He couldn’t bring himself to remind Drew he had no one else. “It’s getting late. I should be going.” Emmett left without further explanation. He wasn’t surprised Drew let him go. Talking had never been their strong suit.
Three weeks later, Emmett decided it was time to decrease the amount of time he spent with Drew. Not that the visits weren’t going well, in fact, it was just the opposite. Drew enjoyed Emmett’s stories and occasionally shared funny things that had happened during his football days. But while he still needed therapy, Drew’s hand was fine for day to day living. He didn’t really need Emmett, and Emmett realized the visits were more for him anyway. Then football season started.
One night, Emmett found him watching a preseason report on the Ironmen. They were going on about the hotshot young quarterback Drew insisted they had traded too much of the team for. Seems they had found a new savior, a new hero, and Drew was forgotten. Emmett could see Drew was bitter and hurt at having been so easily replaced. So he sucked him off, using all his considerable skill to ensure Drew forgot all about the Ironmen. He left him shaking and satisfied on the couch without a word.
Two weeks later, he caught Drew pouring over sports magazines muttering to himself. He heard a few words here and there, ‘has been,’ ‘loyalty,’ and ‘ungrateful’ were the easiest to pick out. Emmett wasn’t sure he should interrupt, but when Drew threw the magazine against a wall, he couldn’t help himself. “Drew,” he tried to announce his presence quietly.
“You remember my name. No one else is this fucking town does. You’d think this kid was the God damn second coming the way they go on about him. I guess the Ironmen have a chance at the Superbowl now that they have a real quarterback at least according to all the experts,” Drew turned his back on Emmett and seemed to retreat back into himself.
Beneath the anger, Emmett could sense the pain and betrayal. There were hundred things he wanted to say to Drew. He wanted to offer words of comfort and understanding. He wanted to wrap his arms around him and drain the tension from his body. But they didn’t have that kind of relationship now. They probably never had. So he reached out to Drew the only way he knew how. When Drew fucked him, it was hard and fast and left them both shaking and gasping for air. Neither of them spoke, and they both knew it meant nothing. Emmett left while Drew was still in the bathroom.
It was easy to act like nothing happened. Emmett was good at pretending, and Drew was good at denial. But on Emmett’s third visit after the night that never happened, everything changed. Drew was watching the Ironmen play. At least the game was on television. As far as Emmett could tell, Drew was alternately staring into space and at his hand. He got them both a beer, and sat down next to Drew. Ten minutes of silence followed. Eventually, Emmett couldn’t stand listening to the announcers gush over Drew’s replacement so he turned the sound off. Drew looked at him then with his eyes full of confusion and loss.
Emmett kissed him. Carefully at first with his hands on Drew’s face so he couldn’t back away. But Drew didn’t back away, and Emmett continued gradually deepening the kiss. The kiss went on and on. It was long and deep and gentle. When Drew’s arms wrapped around him, he couldn’t help but wonder why they’d never done this before. He knew if they had, he never would have been able to walk away. Before he could think about it any more, Drew broke the kiss. His first instinct was to protest, but instead of pushing him away, Drew held him tighter. Then he buried his face in Emmett’s neck and cried.
Emmett shifted until they were laying on the couch never letting go of Drew. He ran his hand up and down Drew’s back keeping silent until Drew tried to pull away. He gently held him in place and started talking. He told Drew about Fetch Dixon. He told him how scared he’d been that first night standing on that stupid bed. He talked about how expected to feel embarrassed or ashamed, but ended up feeling somehow free acting all his fantasies out. He told about the crazy fan mail he’d gotten and how sometimes he still got recognized. He never mentioned George; it wasn’t time for that kind of sharing. He talked and talked until Drew fell asleep.
When Emmett woke up, Drew was still sleeping on him. He gently slipped out from underneath him and gently kissed his forehead. He straightened up the living room out of habit before leaving. The sun had just risen and the streets were still quiet. It wasn’t until he was halfway home that Emmett realized almost five years after meeting him, he’d finally spent the night with Drew Boyd.
Their relationship changed after that, but not as much as one might think. Emmett still brought dinner a few times a week, but he didn’t go home on those nights. They fucked in the bed instead of on the floor. Drew stopped questioning what Emmett was doing at his house. They kissed and held hands while watching television. They talked about everything, but what they were to each other.
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Date: 2007-04-10 12:06 pm (UTC)