happiness is a warm puppy [open to all]

[doublethepain]

He's definitely come down with something.

It's hardly cause for panic, really, just a bit of congestion; some coughing that he thinks he's done a fair job of keeping under wraps; maybe a slightly sore throat, a few pressure headaches here and there, a case of the chills; but he's fine, Spencer is sure of it. He's fine because he's got a ring on his finger and a puppy at the end of his leash, so there's nothing at all in his life that he can complain about right now.

John had most generously given him half a day off--"a wedding gift from me to you" is how his boss had put it--so Spencer had stopped back at home to get Huxley before heading in some direction or another, he hadn't really had a plan. It's not very surprising that his feet seem to take him in the direction of Crossroads, as they so often do, but a part of him hopes that he'll run into some people he knows on the way there. He has news, after all, and he's not one to call up all his friends--not that it would take long, he muses--to share even the most exciting parts of his life, but he does want people to know.

He's happy, happier than he's ever been and not just since his mother and Dane had died. He has so much to be thankful for, so much to come to look forward to, and he can't remember the last time he'd felt so optimistic about his future. He smiles to himself as he watches Huxley sniff at the grass on the sidewalk before the puppy scrambles to meet a pair of feet that's headed their way, jumping up on his hind legs to paw at the stranger. Spencer's smile doesn't fade as he lifts his head to look at the other person; in fact, it only grows wider.

"You're in for it now," he says, a teasing edge to his tone. "Huxley seems to grow attached to people far too quickly for his own good."




[OOC: Spencer's a little under the weather right now because I am, too but he's in an excellent mood so it would be a great time to say hello, whether your character has already met him or not :) Find him walking his and Joel's new puppy Huxley or catch him wherever is convenient for your character to be. As long as that place allows dogs.]

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[doublethepain]

He bristles at the mention of Raleigh's name, his features hardening for a split second thanks to the reminder of what she'd told him about the reporter that had tried to use her for his own gain--and he hasn't yet met a reporter who isn't out for glory. Spencer knows that generalizations are nobody's friend, but he's dealt with enough journalists and their hunger for a juicy story to last him a lifetime. Fabrice, he realizes, can't be much different.

"She told me what you did," he says, voice softening along with his expression. "I know that thanking someone for doing the right thing is never-- I mean, it's always a bit strange, isn't it? But I'm glad you were there to help defend her. It's not easy to have to deal with people like that man, people who are willing to step all over others just to make it themselves." He shrugs a shoulder. "But I think we both know that."

[doublethepain]

He remembers the subject coming up the first time he'd met Joel's parents and how adamant Eleanor had been that they don't see things that way. She needn't have said it, not really, but he'd appreciated it all the same. It's a bizarre thing to even have to consider, an actual magical bloodline, and he wonders--not for the first time--how he could have been so blind to the supernatural element of this town for so long. Joel had tried to keep his identity under wraps from most people, that's true enough, but there are also those witches and sirens that don't seem to care at all whether people know what they are or not. Shea Cooper, for one, isn't necessarily shy about his healing ability and it makes Spencer wonder if Dane had known; if his mother had known her regular library patrons a bit better than he'd ever bothered to get to know them and if that's the case, why would he have been left in the dark for so long?


It's not something worth thinking about right now, and he chastises himself for even starting to ask questions he couldn't possibly find the answer to and besides that, it's not as if it matters all too much now. What matters is what's in front of him, what lies in store for his future with Joel and their child--children, even, maybe, someday--so he hums his amused agreement as he lets himself go back to conjuring the image of that dark and curly-haired little boy whose smile would surely stop Spencer in his tracks just like his father. "It's scary," he says softly, threading the fingers of his free hand through Joel's hair, "mostly because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing." His laugh is sheepish, a little embarrassed even though he has no reason to be because it's not as if Joel has much more experience in the field of parenting. There are a lot of things he's had to learn to adapt to over the last few months, though; adapting to something as incredible as having a child with the man he loves, with his husband, is hardly something they won't be able to do, no matter how daunting it seems now.


"I have this vision," he admits, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as he lets his eyes gloss over with what he's imagining. "It's that path between us, the connection, the one you saw the night you told me you love me, and it's even stronger than it is right now. It's you and me, holding our baby in our arms for the very first time. It's bringing our son or daughter home to Balto and Huxley, all of us lying in bed together for the first time as a family." His smile widens as he glances down at his husband, and he leans forward to press a kiss to Joel's forehead. "No matter what we decide to do, no matter how long we wait to do it, it's going to end the same way. Scary and difficult sometimes, yes, but we're going to have a little son or daughter that we're going to love so much. It's... It's really something else, to know that's in our future. I'd never once considered even the possibility of kids before I met you and now..."

Now they're married. Now there are new paths to travel, new journeys to take, and they're going to take each step of the way together. He shakes his head a little, letting out a short, incredulous laugh. "I didn't think this would be my life."

[doublethepain]

"I am fine," he grumbles, and Spencer realizes he's being just a touch childish right now but really, there's no need to fuss over a common cold. The flu, he mentally corrects himself, though he's hardly going to admit that out loud. He rolls his eyes, mostly because he knows he's being foolish, and lets out a dramatic sigh that only leads to another coughing fit before he picks the mug of tea back up. "I could be worse, is all I'm saying."

He does swat her hand away when she feels his forehead and it's not because he isn't comfortable with her touching him--he's gotten significantly better at not flinching even when she practically tackle hugs him--but because the last thing he wants his for his much younger friend and roommate to be mother henning him, as much as it's in her nature. He's a grown adult, he's perfectly capable of taking care of himself except for how he really isn't because here he is, insisting that nothing's wrong when he feels quite like hell and isn't even sure why on earth he'd opted to leave the house at all this morning.

"Look, if I can make it through being beaten and having my fingers broken, I can make it through this." He blinks in surprise at his own words, pausing mid-sip because it's not exactly often that he speaks so lightly of what Mark had done to him, and he's not sure whether it's a good or bad thing. He knows a large part of it is because he's trying to find a way to deflect any sort of excessive attention Raleigh tries to give him just for being sick but another part wonders if maybe this is another step in the healing process. He doesn't think he'll be making bona fide jokes about the lighthouse anytime soon, but he'd mentioned the incident without feeling like he needs to throw up directly after so he thinks that's a fairly good sign.

His surprised expression quickly shifts into something a bit more devilish when she latches onto the subject of being in bed with Joel, and he shakes his head. "My god, Raleigh, I meant because I'm ill. Chicken soup and blankets and DVDs, those are the ways he'd plan on keeping me there. You with your gutter mind, I feel scandalized now."

[doublethepain]

He nods, and Wren's right, it had been a big step--and yet, the thing that feels most different is the added weight on the ring finger of his left hand. He knows he and Joel didn't have to get married to know their promises of forever are true; but he's mapping out a life with this man that Spencer hadn't even thought possible for himself just a few months ago. He'd never once thought about or even wanted to think about getting married, especially not when he hadn't even been on anything resembling a date in the past decade. He'd never thought about what it would be like to start a family, as it would have once only reminded him of how he'd already lost his own. He'd never even really considered what it would be like to share his home with someone else and now, he lives with both Joel and Raleigh.

So much has changed for him and though they've been through more than their fair share of pain--Mark Fuller, for one, and the time spent on the cursed island--it's all led him here, to being as happy as he is now. He wouldn't trade this for anything. It's not for everyone, and that's okay. He and Joel aren't much concerned about how much other people agree with what they do anyhow. They'd eloped for a reason, after all--their marriage had only been for them.

He tilts his head with interest at hearing that Wren's got family history rooted in the town. "I've lived here about twenty-three years now, and I work at the library--or, I will for a few more days, at least. Maybe I know her family's name. I am glad to hear that you're doing well in town so far, though, sometimes things can be rather... disruptive, you could say."

[doublethepain]

His smile falters when she says he's been through so much he doesn't deserve. It's not necessarily that he doesn't agree, there's really only so much a person can take before it becomes maddening; but he also thinks the same is true for at least half the people in this town--funnily enough, it's the half that doesn't seem to think he'd really had anything to do with the death of his mother and brother.

"The Dalai Lama cited a Tibetan saying once, that 'tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.'" He smiles at her wryly, taking note of the tears she's wiped away and appreciating her for every single one. "Everything I've been through has led me here. It's led me to Joel, to having this ring on my finger, and I'd go through it all as many times as the world needed me to to if it meant I could still be as happy as I am now."

The same may not ever be true of Lou and what's happened to her, and he knows that a love like the one he and Joel share isn't exactly easy to find--but for her sake, for the sake of everyone he knows and cares about, Spencer hopes they find it.

[louise_abasi]

"Of course you're citing the people the Dalai Lama gets inspired by."

"Nerd", she adds with a half-smile. "I've always been meaning to ask, have you read every book in your library?"

Maybe Spencer is just so much further ahead in the process of losing, loving, life. Louise will carry the advice with her, but she doesn't know when she'll be able to live by it.

[aoife_coombs]

"I will find my way. I always do, in a way. And maybe - it will probably just die off anyway, I don't have much to off- and he will want things and .."

Shee waves it away. "It's not important. I'm happy that you're so happy, Joel."

[just_another]

As Spencer speaks, Joel just leans against him, his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of his hand in his hair and he smiles. He admits he has no idea what he's doing, but Joel is sure Spencer knows the same is true of him, that they'll both be in the exact same terrified little boat whenever they have a child. He knows they'll both be nervous and probably overprotective, most likely to the point of irritation as their child gets older, but Joel knows he'd much rather have a son or daughter who was occasionally annoyed with their excessive behaviour than have something happen to someone he loves that much. Because he does already. It's just the idea of a family, he knows that, but when he imagines what Spencer is saying, something happens inside him, a constricting in his chest that he's come to recognize as the kind of love that doesn't just happen all the time. It's different and it's special and they're not only going to have it with each other, they're going to feel it with their family, too.

He's glad his eyes are closed, though, because he's not sure he'd be able to listen to what Spencer is picturing without tearing up. It takes him several moments before he thinks he's safe to open his eyes again and when he does he sits up on the bench a little straighter, lifting one hand to Spencer's face as he turns toward him. If he ends up getting sick after all this, it will be more than worth it, because there's not possible way he can listen to this plan, this idea for their future, and not kiss his husband. His thumb sweeps over Spencer's cheek as he leans in for a long, slow kiss, enjoying it for everything its worth despite the fact that they're sitting right in front of his store. People are going to have to get used to this if they want to shop at Crossroads, he decides, because he imagines he's going to spend an awfully large part of his day stealing kisses from Spencer whenever he can.

"Neither did I," he says when he finally pulls back. "And I never thought I would want it either. I thought being alone was better. It was safer, certainly, because it hurt less, but I had no idea what it could feel like to not be alone." But it wouldn't feel this way with just anyone, he knows that. This feeling, everything they have, it's unique to them. Joel would never find this with another person, just like another person would never find it with him.

"That... I can't even tell you how much I want that now," he continues. "What you described. Holding a baby for the first time. Seeing your face when you see and hold him or her." Because as much as Joel loves the idea of having their baby in his arms, he can't stop imagining how happy Spencer would look, the way he would light up, the ease and incredulity of his smile. One day he's going to get a chance to see what and experience it and he finds he can't wait. "So... the way you're talking, a surrogate seems like it might be the best idea for us."

[ofcatsandfate]

For a second, when Fabrice catches the look on Spencer's face, he wonders if mentioning Raleigh was a mistake. He imagines she told both Spencer and Joel about that...unfortunate night, and he's not certain that either of them would approve to him resorting to violence, in the end.

"Yeah, yeah we do," he says, thinking of both the paparazzi and his own Aunt, who has only ever thought about herself and her powers and has stomped all over anyone getting in her way. "And thank you, it means a lot to hear that."

[just_another]

There's a lot left unsaid under everything she doesn't quite allow to come out and Joel watches her carefully for a moment. "Thank you," he says. "And I'm sorry if this is inappropriate for me to say, I'm sorry if it sounds cruel, but I'm very glad your mother is gone. I think... I hope maybe without her around you'll... I just think her presence doesn't benefit you in any way."

It isn't fair that she has to think poorly of herself, that she thinks she doesn't have anything to offer. He hopes, for Aoife's sake if nothing else, that Violet Coombs stays away.

[aoife_coombs]

Her jaw drops.

"Eh. Alright. I didn't know that you had any .. I didn't know that you ever met her? Or you must have been talking to Moira. My oldest sister. She and our mother didn't - never connected. I'm not - I understand, though. I think I understand."

[just_another]

"No," he says. "I haven't been talking to anyone but you." And while she's only mentioned her mother in passing, it's enough combined with the things she's said about herself that Joel has made the connection. "I think she's told you things about yourself for so long that you believe them, but she's... she's wrong."

He feels like he's overstepped so many boundaries right now, but he can't help himself. He can't just let Aoife think she has nothing to offer another person.

[aoife_coombs]

"Ah. Aha. Well, no-one ever talked to me about her like that. Or, not in my face, not in such clear words."

Aoife did not see this coming. "Well, it seems like she put half of Siren Cove on a cruise to hell, so I don't think you're very wrong in thinking she has some bad ideas. She was - she wasn't so angry when my father was around, though. Not that I can remember."

[just_another]

The cruise had been awful, but it isn't even that Joel is talking about. He wishes there was a way for him to tell Aoife what he means without feeling like he's saying too much, but he's never been very good at this sort of thing.

"Did your father... did he die?" he asks. "Or did he leave?" He feels like he's prying, but he's curious. The loss of a loved one can do strange things to a person.

[aoife_coombs]

"He did."

There's no need to share Moira's words and accusations and how true they might well be. Aoife is pretty sure that Joel will never meet her mother, but she knows it will reflect badly on her anyway.

"He was the bright sun of our house, I think. We all revolved around him, he was wonderful." And I miss him so much. She grimaces before getting her face under control again. "It's not fair that he passed so early."

[just_another]

"I'm sorry," he says, his voice gentle. He can't imagine what he might have done had his father died when he was young. Even now, even though they're miles away, he relies heavily on his parents in a lot of ways and he loves them so much. He can't even begin to think of what life would be like without them. "That's a hard thing to go through."

[aoife_coombs]

"It is." Her vision is blurred by tears and she knows it isn't fine to cry in public but with everything going on and Aoife just wants someone to say things will be okay, no matter what she'll do.

"Sorry."

[doublethepain]

Spencer's smile is tight as he shifts awkwardly to cross his arms over his chest. It isn't Fabrice making him feel uncomfortable, it's the very notion that the poison that is the paparazzi and the tabloids could spread to the people he cares so much about. Spencer hadn't read any of what had been written about the lighthouse, not like he had after he'd been arrested, but just knowing that Joel's name would have been mentioned, that people would know Joel had been involved, makes him feel sick to his stomach. Now, with Raleigh, he worries what sorts of damaging things might be written if the reporter doesn't heed Fabrice's very clear warning of backing off.

Words are powerful, that's something Spencer had learned at a very early age; but it hadn't been until they'd been so horribly used against him that he'd realized how hurtful that power can be. He thinks of Eli, of what Joel had done to him for the things the bully had said to Spencer, and while he doesn't necessarily think being violent had been the best course of action... sometimes there simply aren't more viable options available.

"If you need anything, please let me know. I don't know how much I have to offer that's of any use, but I'm happy to do whatever I can. Even if you just need someone to listen to you talk." He's good at that, the listening part.

[just_another]

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Joel says and he hesitates before gently laying one hand on Aoife's shoulder. This is just one more thing he's never been very good at. It's taken getting comfortable with Spencer to make it easier for him to touch other people, but even now he still hesitates and feels awkward. He can't just leave her sitting here, though, not after he's been the one to bring it up. He squeezes her shoulder carefully before shifting on the bench until he's sitting next to her, his arm loosely draped around her shoulders.

[callmeemily]

"Yeah, you're fine like I'm fine," she says without thinking - apparently it's the time for both of them to be honest. She looks at him pointedly before she touches his forehead, and then even though he bats her hand away, her eyes flare wide.

"Spencer," she says sharply. "You're burning up." She shakes her head, and she shifts the puppy back up in her arms. "The moment you finish that, we're going home, and you're going to bed. Okay?" She's not actually asking, she's telling. And she's watching him closely, even though she's not yet just ushering him home, because then--

Oh, and she turns bright red. She turns the color of a tomato.

"Hey! Hey, this is not my fault. And I don't have a gutter mind! I don't! I- Believe me, I-" And of all things, her mind jumps, it jumps to Coop, and Raleigh's just--

She's literally bright red from the edge of her hair down to the neckline of her shirt.

"You're horrible. You're a horrible man, you know that?"

[doublethepain]

The kiss catches him off-guard at first but it's barely half a second before he's melting into it, there's no other reaction possible when it comes to Joel's lips on his; but then Joel's talking about how he'd once thought being alone was better, and Spencer finds himself nodding along as his husband continues because he understands exactly what that had felt like. It's one of the reasons why he'd known from the beginning that this relationship would be like no other, how easily he'd fallen into the habit of relying on Joel to make his day better. Sometimes he still can't believe it had taken them longer than that first night in the library to figure this out, to realize how right they are for each other, but they'd both been such different men then. It had only been a few months ago but Spencer feels like years have past, if only because Joel has transformed him into the sort of person who understands how to love another so completely, so unconditionally--he'd have never thought that would be something he could do.

"One hundred and ten days now," he says, a smile playing at his lips, and what that means is that they've been married for eight days. Eight incredible days that are going to stretch into a lifetime of happiness and contentment with this man, with this one man, and Spencer knows the odds of finding a connection like this with someone aren't likely in a world holding billions of people but somehow, they'd found it. They'd found each other, and he doesn't know who or what he's supposed to thank for that but he'll do it with every last bit of himself because Joel has given Spencer his life back.

"I'd be fine with either option but..." He shrugs, eyes drifting down to Huxley as his mind produces an image of their baby sleeping soundly in Joel's arms. "I do think I'm leaning more toward the idea of surrogacy. But we can discuss it more if you're not sure, it's not as if we need to make a decision right away. Although, you have full permission to smack me if nine months from now, one of us is talking about how badly we wish we had a baby already."

He laughs just as he glances up and who he sees across the street makes him tense. It's Eli Jasper, and he hasn't spotted them yet but Spencer's chest seizes with a panicked dread. He knows Joel had put Eli in his place but Eli's never been very good about learning the lesson it and retaining it. He doesn't want to say anything, not only because his throat has gone dry--and he hates that Eli can still do this to him eleven years out of high school, though it's more than that now because now this involves his huband--but he suspects that the second Spencer's body had stiffened, Joel had been very well aware of it.

Eli turns then and instead of sneering like Spencer had expected, the bully's eyes widen so large that it would have been comical under other circumstances. Spencer narrows his eyes, practically holding his breath because he's wondering if the other shoe's about to drop, but Eli dodges one direction then the other before spinning in a full circle and heading very decidedly away from them.

"Well. Alright then." Spencer looks to Joel with a carefully neutral expression, though there's a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. "It appears you were very effective."

[aoife_coombs]

"I'm s- I'm fine, I'm fine

Aoife pulls out a handkerchief and gently wipes her eyes. "You absolutely don't need a crying woman on your door step. It might be bad PR", she adds with a little smile.

His arm around her almost makes her start again, but she bites her lip hard enough to prevent that. "Thank you."

[fairywren]

"Maybe," Wren says with interest. "Are you very interested in geneology? I don't think, at least I haven't heard of any relations still in town, but my mother's last name is Sauvageon. I'd be interested to know more about them. Most of what I heard of this place has been spun out into legend."

"Or one assumes, anyway," he says with a small smile. "This town is definitely more than what it seems. Disruptive, though...Maybe I have a high tolerance for disruption. The worst I've run into so far is your crab problem." He's still mulling that one over: there was something distinctly weird about it, after the initial shock. He keeps sort of stumbling into things that are just a little strange, and it's making him think. It's a little disconcerting, but Wren likes disconcerting. "Is that what you mean?"

[just_another]

They might not have to make a decision right now, but Joel thinks he'll likely begin to do some research tonight just to learn a little more about their options. For weeks it had felt like he and Spencer were moving at a glacial pace, cautiously touching each other, making attempts at expressing how they felt, little gestures that neither could entirely own up to as being part of the bigger picture and then suddenly everything had come together in a rush. That night he'd gone to Spencer's, the first night they'd slept in Spencer's bed together. They'd jumped straight from first date to spending the night and being unable to sleep apart so quickly that sometimes Joel wonders if he shouldn't be reeling from the speed of it. But he isn't. They'd both needed time to come to terms with what they wanted, but when they did, when they realized what they could have only to come so close to having it taken away, they'd both come to the conclusion that waiting seems pointless. Joel doesn't know where he'll be a year from now or five years from now or fifty years from now, but he knows who he'll be with. He knows it as sure as he's ever known anything and for that reason alone he sees no point in putting off at least doing some research.

He's about to say as much when Spencer tenses beside him and his gaze snaps up, spotting Eli Jasper across the street. It's incredible how quickly the rage rises up in him and Joel's fingers twitch minutely against the bench as his eyes narrow. It's not enough to do anything, there's no intention behind the gesture, and he's sure Eli is too far away to have seen it anyway, but Joel can't pretend it doesn't feel good when he all but runs away from them. Sometimes he wonders if he'll have to maintain that level of terror in Eli, if he'll need to show up in his life now and then just to make sure that he knows all Joel's threats had been made with every intention of following through.

Spencer looks over at him and Joel can see the satisfaction in his eyes and it brings a smile to his face. That's the only thing he wanted to accomplish that night, to make sure his husband could feel safe, to make sure he doesn't have to be afraid to walk around town because someone like Eli is out there intending on making him miserable.

"Good," he says simply. There's a flutter of something he can't quite place, that same feeling he got the night of his encounter with Eli, a surge of power under his skin, but he pushes it down now. Eli is gone and he's here with Spencer, he doesn't need to access any of that right now. It's a new feeling, though, one he doesn't recognize and it feels stronger than it did that night. It's the feeling that accompanied that easy rage at the sight of Eli's face.

But he takes a deep breath and his smile eases out of the pleasure he'd gotten from seeing Eli run and into something a little more gentle. The kind of smile reserved just for Spencer. Whatever that power is, he's sure it's just part of what's always been there. His magic has always responded to Spencer right from the start, it's wanted to keep him safe and it sometimes sets itself into a flurry of electrical sparks when Spencer gets close enough. "So if I do some research into our options, you won't think I'm jumping the gun a little?" he asks, because he'd much rather return to their earlier top of conversation.

[just_another]

"I think I'm my own bad PR between the situation at the lighthouse and getting into fights at birthday parties," he says with a faint smile, shaking his head at her. He's never cared before what people think and although he and Spencer are really trying to make the store work now, he's not going to send Aoife away for any reason. "You're welcome."