Work Text:
Marvin was sitting in his apartment. Alone, as he had for the past two years. He was reading the newspaper and listening to the television in the background.
Things between him and Whizzer had ended abruptly back in -79.
Even though it didn't come as a complete surprise. They both acknowledged the toxic relationship but no one wanted to address the issue. That ended up just making more harm until Marvin had snapped at Whizzer and threw him out.
He regretted everything he had said and done to Whizzer. It had been his first relationship with a man after his long and messy marriage. But he couldn't stop thinking about Whizzer. Even two years later. He hadn't been able to even try finding new partners. Whizzer was still very important to him.
He wanted to do better.
If he could only get a second chance with him.
Jason's bar mitzvah was coming up and his thoughts weren't somewhere else.
Whizzer had been so important to Jason. They had become very good friends. Marvin had known from the beginning that Whizzer would be a gentle parent, and he had been right. Even though Whizzer had never officially become Jason's dad.
Then it clicked.
The bar mitzvah. He could ask Whizzer to come to the bar mitzvah for Jason and he gets a chance to see him again. A chance to talk to Whizzer.
Marvin got up from his chair and walked to the phone. He rolled Whizzer's number on it and waited. Suddenly a little anxious. He hadn't talked to Whizzer in two years.
"Hello"
It was him. The first time Marvin heard Whizzer's voice after he threw him out.
"Hello," Marvin said calmly.
"Marvin?" he heard Whizzer ask after a short silence.
"Yep. How are you?" the anxiety started to go away. Whizzer didn't sound mad or anything.
"It's been a long time," Whizzer said. "Why now?"
It was time for Marvin to try explaining his thoughts.
"I don't know if you remembered but Jason is getting bar mitzvah'd soon. I know he'd appreciate it if you were there.
What do you say? Do it for the kid, Whizzer".
He held his breath while waiting for Whizzer to answer.
He just heard silence.
"Are you still there?" he asked carefully.
"Yes I- I'm right here, can-"
"Can I maybe see you?" Marvin said, cutting Whizzer off.
"I am still here. I just -" he took a breath.
"I can't forget when it was bad, Marvin. I know you can't forget all that either".
He was right. Marvin thought about it every single day.
"Let me try to put it right, Whizzer," he said.
"When?" he heard Whizzer ask. Marvin was surprised by the sudden question. He hadn't prepared for Whizzer to say yes so fast.
"When Marvin?" Whizzer asked again. He could hear from his voice that Whizzer was smiling.
"How about- I'll pick you up in two hours," this was happening now. Marvin was excited.
"Yeah. Sounds good," Whizzer answered.
"Same apartment?" Marvin had to make sure. It had been two years after all.
"You know it," he heard Whizzer say and they ended the call.
Marvin lay on the couch and thought about what just happened.
He was going to see Whizzer in two hours.
Two hours.
But the question now was what was he going to wear. He was wearing a hoodie but that was not good for this. He needed Charlotte and Cordelia who luckily lived next door.
***
"No no. That's too much"
"How about this?"
"That's in the right direction"
Marvin was sitting on his bed and watching Charlotte and Cordelia go through his wardrobe.
The girls had never met Whizzer but they basically knew everything since they had made Marvin tell them his whole story. They had been Marvin's only friends for the past year. Marvin was very grateful to have them.
"Your closet is a disaster, Marvin. You need to do something about this," Charlotte said while comparing two button-ups.
"You're making this a bigger deal than necessary. I just needed some advice," Marvin tried to say.
"This is your last chance to happiness, Marvin. This needs to work out," Cordelia said and came to sit next to him.
"All you have to do is to be nice".
***
Whizzer was sitting on his kitchen barstool. The last thing he had waited to happen that day was a call from Marvin. The Marvin Gardens. Asked him to join his son's bar mitzvah. Obviously, he wanted to go. For Jason. He missed the kid.
He missed Marvin too but he didn't want to give in too quickly. He had made that mistake once already.
But things might turn out okay.
There was a chance that it could work. Marvin just had to pay for what he did. Whizzer could recall everything like yesterday. And two years wasn't a short time.
He had some ideas already.
***
Two hours later Marvin was behind Whizzer's door. It felt weird but also as if time hadn't passed at all.
He took a breath and knocked.
The door opened and there he was. Whizzer standing in front of him. He looked exactly the same. Nothing had changed.
"Hi," Marvin said trying to keep calm.
"Hello," Whizzer replied.
They didn't really know what to do. They decided not to hug yet.
They walked to Marvin's car.
"So. Where do you wanna go?" Marvin asked.
"The ballpark. There's a game today," Whizzer said quickly. He had this planned.
Marvin shot a look at him.
"Really?"
"Yup"
Marvin still hated baseball. It was one of those things he just couldn't understand and couldn't bring himself to like. But Jason loved it so he had to live with it.
Soon they were sitting on a bench next to the ballpark. Watching people hit and throw balls here and there and running around.
Marvin kept side-eyeing Whizzer. His life had become overwhelmingly boring after Whizzer left. Well, after he kicked him out.
He wanted Whizzer back. He needed Whizzer back in his life.
Whizzer seemed to be invested in the game they were watching.
Marvin only knew which colour was the team they were apparently rooting for.
"I want the underdog to win," Whizzer said. Marvin looked at him.
"That's not our team. I thought you knew this game".
"Well then go other team," Whizzer said and Marvin decided not to continue. He had learned to manage his thoughts a bit better. Two years ago he would have probably refused to take Whizzer to the ballpark anyway. Shouted at him in the car and tried to manipulate him to choose something he wanted. But he wasn't that person anymore. That Marvin was gone. But he had still a lot to learn.
Their ballpark hangout went well and they went back to the car after the game.
"Hey, Marvin," Whizzer started.
"Yes?"
"Would you want to do this again? Not the ballpark. This. Hanging out?" Whizzer asked, clearly choosing his words carefully.
"Yeah. I'd like that," he smiled at Whizzer.
He dropped Whizzer off at his apartment and went back home.
The hangout had gone surprisingly well and they were definitely more comfortable around each other than he had thought they would be.
He called the lesbians and explained everything.
Two hours later Marvin was still sitting in Charlotte and Cordelia's living room. Chatting about everything with them.
Suddenly Cordelia got an idea. "Heyy, Marvin. What if we went to get dinner together. Like a double date! We would love to see this Whizzer we already basically know everything about," she said excitedly.
Marvin thought for a moment.
"Yeah. That would be pretty cool. I'll ask him tomorrow".
The next morning Marvin was waiting on the phone for Whizzer to answer.
"Hello," Marvin heard Whizzer say.
"Hi, Whizzer. It's Marvin again," he said. He still couldn't believe he was talking with Whizzer again.
"Hello, Marvin. What's on your mind?"
"I told you yesterday about my friends Charlotte and Cordelia. They asked me yesterday if we wanted to go have dinner with them tonight. They would love to meet you and I think you all would get along," Marvin really thought Whizzer would like the lesbians.
"That sounds fun. Let's do it then!"
And that they did.
Marvin went to get Whizzer in the evening and they went to the restaurant. Little after they had arrived, Cordelia and Charlotte came too.
They got up from their chairs to greet the girls.
"Sorry, we're late. But we're here!" Charlotte said. Marvin said it wasn't a big deal.
"So these are Cordelia and her wife Charlotte. Girls, this is Whizzer," Marvin introduced everyone.
The girls reached their hands out to shake hands with Whizzer. They wanted to make a good first impression and pretend as if they didn't know everything about him from him and Marvin's first hook up to the present.
Marvin and Whizzer sat down and started reading through the menus.
They had a great time. Talking about their lives and experiences. Marvin noticed how much Whizzer enjoyed talking with the girls which was a great thing.
"Are you ready for the bill?" the waiter came to ask them.
"Yes, we are. Thank you," Marvin said and the waiter left to get the bill.
Charlotte looked at Cordelia. "Hey, honey. I'll pay for us both". Cordelia gave her a cute smile.
Marvin noticed Whizzer starting to look for his wallet.
"Whizzer, hey, I'm paying for both of us tonight," he said Whizzer turned around to look at him. Marvin never did that back when they were together. Marvin had bought him maybe three drinks during their many years of dating.
"I- if you insist," he said and watched Marvin pull the money from his wallet.
"No big deal," Marvin said looking at Whizzer. He loved the expression on Whizzer's face. They were clearly falling for each other again and they both could feel that it wasn't going to be as toxic.
They left the restaurant and said goodbye to the girls outside.
"We should do this again sometime," Charlotte said and all three others agreed.
Marvin drove Whizzer home. They sat in the silent car for a quick second before Whizzer cleared his throat and stepped outside.
"See you soon. Hopefully," he said before closing the door.
Marvin smiled to himself. Another successful hangout and now his friends had met Whizzer.
***
For the next three days, Marvin and Whizzer spoke on the phone every day. They had a lot of catching up to do after two years.
Nothing had happened to Marvin. He hadn't had partners or hookups. They talked about the upcoming bar mitzvah. It was still months away but the planning was going to take a long time.
Especially with divorced parents made the process harder due to schedule issues and different views and opinions.
"Trina's still with Mendel? How are they doing?" Whizzer asked. "Yup. They're doing pretty well actually. Jason is with them for the weekdays. Weekends here with me"
The same dynamic they had had when they were still together with Whizzer.
Whizzer had had some bar hookups here and there but nothing serious. He hadn't imagined himself in a long-term relationship before Marvin. He always thought of himself not to be the marrying kind. Marvin had become his only exception.
"Wanna come over tonight?" Whizzer suddenly asked in a lower voice. Marvin's heartbeat got a little faster.
"God yes," he breathed into the phone.
"I'm waiting for you," Whizzer said and ended the call.
Marvin left immediately. He drove straight to Whizzer's building. He knocked firmly on the door of Whizzer's apartment and the man opened the door almost immediately.
Marvin knew what Whizzer had in mind. They had been talking for almost a week again and both of them knew they were falling for each other more healthily.
They stood in the living room, waiting for someone to do something.
Whizzer opened his arms and Marvin ran to hug him.
"I'm so sorry for everything," Marvin mumbled against Whizzer's shirt.
"I know. From these few days, I can already tell you've gotten better at people," Whizzer said while hugging Marvin tightly.
They stayed like that for a little while. Just enjoying their first hug after everything. They had barely hugged during their last months together before the breakup anyway.
They pulled away from the hug but stayed close to each other.
Whizzer's gaze dropped down to Marvin's lips.
"So much for taking it slow huh," Marvin grinned.
"I haven't done this in a long time," Whizzer whispered.
"Didn't you have some hookups?" Marvin asked, tilting his head. Whizzer nodded.
"That doesn't count," he said and leaned in.
Their first kiss in two years.
The kiss was very nostalgic. All the good memories from their relationship came flooding back to them.
They pulled away.
"That was… nice," Marvin whispered.
"Really nice. I missed this," Whizzer smiled at him.
They both looked each other in the eye and quickly connected their lips again. This time kissing more passionately.
Marvin ran his hands up and down Whizzer's back. Whizzer's other hand was behind his neck and the other rested on his lower back. Marvin raised Whizzer's shirt to slip his hand under it. Whizzer laughed into the kiss.
"I haven't gotten laid in two years," Marvin breathed against Whizzer's lips.
They pulled away again and made their way to the bedroom.
In the bedroom, Whizzer pinned Marvin against the wall next to the door.
"Well, you're about to," he breathed into Marvin's ear and moved to kiss his neck. He slowly moved his hand down to touch Marvin over his jeans.
Marvin felt his knees go weak. He hadn't felt another person's touch like this in so long. Even the last times between them had been out of anger or to assert dominance in the relationship.
Marvin hadn't let Whizzer do even this to him before. At least not before arguing about it. He had always insisted on being on top.
Whizzer pushed him on the bed. Not aggressively but not too gently.
Marvin let out a breath he had been keeping as his head hit the mattress.
Whizzer climbed on top of him and pressed their lips together, kissing him passionately.
"Does this mean we're back?" Marvin asked after Whizzer moved to kiss his neck again.
The kissing stopped for a moment and Whizzer raised his head to look Marvin in the eye.
"If you're down to try again," he grinned.
Marvin nodded and let out a laugh.
They got back to what they were doing and figured out the new dynamics.
***
The next morning Marvin woke up from Whizzer's bed. Still naked.
Whizzer was still asleep next to him.
Marvin leaned in to give him a soft kiss that woke him up soon after. He couldn't resist.
"Good morning, Whiz," he hadn't used that nickname in a long time. It felt good to say it again.
"Morning, Marv. How was last night?" Whizzer said sleepily.
"The best. I'm so happy to have you back"
"Me too," Whizzer smiled at him.
Marvin remembered something.
"It's Friday. Jason is coming for the weekend. I think he would love to see you again. You can come to spend the weekend with us".
Whizzer's face lit up. He hadn't seen Jason in so long.
Let's go get ready then," he said and got up to make breakfast.
***
They were hanging out in Marvin's apartment. Waiting for Jason who was coming after Trina picked him up from school.
The doorbell rang and Marvin went to open the door. Jason was standing there with his backpack and walkman.
"Hi, Jason. Come on in," he smiled at his son.
"Hi, Dad," Jason said as he came in. Marvin helped him to put his jacket away.
"I have a surprise for you. I think you will like it," he said
Whizzer was waiting in the living room. He couldn't wait to see how much Jason had grown. The last time he saw the boy was when he was just ten years old.
Jason walked to the living room and stopped when he saw Whizzer. He looked at him and then turned to look at his dad who was standing right behind him.
"Whizzer?" he asked and Whizzer smiled at him.
"Hey, kid," Whizzer beamed back at him.
Jason ran to give Whizzer a tight hug.
"I missed you!" he said, still not believing what was happening.
"I missed you too, Jason. And your dad," he said and looked at Marvin who was the happiest he had been in a long time.
He was watching his two favourite boys reuniting after so long.
They pulled away from the hug and Jason turned to look at Marvin.
"So does this mean you guys are…" he looked at Whizzer.
"Back together? Yes," Marvin said and Jason hugged him too.
"Bet I can still win you at chess," Jason said to Whizzer who started laughing.
"There's one way to find out," he said and Jason ran to his room to get his chessboard.
Marvin sat down on the couch and Whizzer came next to him.
"He's grown a lot. He's like twice as tall," he said and Marvin nodded. "He really has. He's still the same awesome kid you remember. Just taller," they both chuckled at that.
Jason came back with his chess and set it up on the coffee table in front of Whizzer.
Marvin went to make them dinner as he listened to Jason excitedly tell Whizzer about everything that had happened since they last saw each other. He was more than happy about how well Whizzer got along with Jason.
They had the best weekend in a long time. They did all kinds of things they used to do together.
Everything was well again. Marvin had his lover back in a healthy relationship. Jason had told Trina and Mendel about them but at this point, Marvin didn't care about their opinions anymore.
He was happy and so were Jason and Whizzer. That was enough.