aijad-verse
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He repeats it a few times, scratches his neck, slaps himself again, and then falls into his bed. He groans at the way it bothers his bruised ribs, but he lays there in the pain, letting it cleanse him from his thoughts earlier.
Here, in the haze of his pain, he is whole, normal, pure. He is repenting, paying his dues, accepting his punishment. He doesn’t need his pa for that, he can do it himself, make sure he’s not some dirty gay.
Gary hasn’t believed in God in a very long time; in fact, he’s certain there isn’t one. But there has to be some truths in the world, and this has to be one of them.
Gary Barkovitch is normal. And if he isn’t, he’ll break himself until his bones set right.
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OR - All Gary Barkovitch's life, he has been the starving mutt wandering the edge of the street light, baring his teeth at any approaching person. Maybe, now in Maine, he can learn to lower his hackles and let people in.Series
- Part 1 of aijad-verse
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Gary doesn’t want to be touched.
Contact is contact to Billy, but it’s not for Gary. While Billy sometimes gets the overwhelming urge to press his hand to the flushed skin of Gary’s face to see how hot he runs, or desperately wants to press his fingers into Gary’s wrist to see what rate Gary’s heart beats, he refrains. Gary doesn’t want that. Billy will respect it.
Billy won’t touch Gary.
He never thought about whether Gary would touch him.
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OR: 5 times Gary Barkovitch touches Billy Stebbins, + 1 time Billy Stebbins touches Gary BarkovitchSeries
- Part 2 of aijad-verse
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raspberries and brownie batter by UnlicensedDetective
Fandoms: The Long Walk (Movie 2025)
14 Feb 2026
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“You’re a menace,” he accuses, feeling like he can’t get enough air, but he’s not panicked about it in the least. He puts down the rubber spatula on a paper towel he set aside on the kitchen counter. He turns to face Billy fully, unsurprised to find Billy already looking down at him, eyes soft. “I’m tryin’ to make brownies here.”
“I’m helping.”
“You’re distractin’,” Gary corrects, trying and failing to bite back a smile.
Billy raises his eyebrows a bit. “I could always leave.”
“Don’t you dare, asshole,” Gary huffs, lightly nudging Billy’s ankle with his foot. “Start puttin’ in the chocolate chips,” he instructs, passing by him to walk to the freezer, heart racing nervously. “And no, I’m not sayin’ the magic words.”
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OR Gary and Billy have a private date where they make brownies together
Series
- Part 3 of aijad-verse