I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Pete hovers next to Lucius’ hammock playing nervously with the hem of his vest.

“What’s up, darling?” Lucius asks, not looking up from the book he pretends to be reading. The twitch of the corners of his lips betrays his amusement, though. Or is it excitement? Pete isn’t so sure.

He stares at the wooden finger on Lucius’ hand, his thank-you kiss still prickling on his lips. Lucius has never kissed him before. Not like that. Yes, his lips  have been in other places, but none of them had felt like this. Pete isn’t sure what to make of it or of the strange feeling dancing in his stomach.

This isn’t arousal. It’s weird. Softer, and still somehow stronger than the sometimes slow, sometimes fast ascent to erupting under Lucius’ ministrations. It’s been only Lucius for quite some time now. Not that they’re exclusive. At least Pete doesn’t think they are, it’s just…

Pete breathes a sigh.

“Want me to suck you off?” Lucius asks without preamble, his eyebrow arched in a way that looks more like an amused challenge than anything else. But it feels good, nothing like the men who thought him a good fuck but otherwise threw jokes at him. Pete didn’t even think about sex, looking at the man sprawled out before him. All he can think of are Lucius’ fingers on his cheek, tender lips kissing his, and the weird churning feeling whenever he so much as thinks about Lucius smiling at him.

“Nah. I…” He gets lost once more. What is this man doing to him?

“Wanna cuddle then?” Lucius asks and shifts in the hammock.

God, that sounds enticing. But Pete is a pirate. Pirates don’t cuddle, or do they? Not in full consciousness, at least. No one can blame them for snuggling closer through the cool night, but this? This feels dangerous. Just like whittling the finger. It’s the same strange mix of excitement, worry, giddiness, and fear of rejection.

“Come here, love,” Lucius says and pats the stripe of empty fabric next to him.

Love.

Is that what this is? Nah, it can’t be. Pete’s not a guy for stuff like that. He’s never been in love before. Sex was fun, but the rest looked rather tedious. Pete never understood the appeal of anything romantic. It creeped him out, really. Did the people around him make all that shit up?

His mother once told him that she and his father had been in love. Not that it had brought them any luck. Pete – much different than many men he had worked alongside – had never felt the urge to find ‘the one’. Did he stumble over him anyway, without even looking?

“I… I don’t know. I’m too heavy,” he says, feeling unusually insecure all of a sudden.

“You’re just right, darling. C'mere,” Lucius says and waves his hand invitingly. That strange feeling in Pete’s stomach grows like flames, licks at his insides, consumes him. Trembling slightly, he slips out of his shoes and next to the man who woke something inside him Pete hadn’t known existed for real.

They shift around, the hammock swaying precariously, but they manage. Pete ends up in Lucius’ arms, his ear pressed right above Lucius’ heartbeat. It’s quicker than it should be.

'Because of me,’ Pete thinks. He starts giggling. He must be going insane.

“What’s so funny?” Lucius enquires.

“Nothing,” Pete smirks. 'Just that I’m in love,’ he adds in his mind.

One day, he’ll tell Lucius. But for now, he’ll carry this newly discovered truth for himself, will nourish and cherish it like the sad plant they plundered. It’s his, and no one can take this away from him.

He snuggles closer and breathes a sigh when Lucius’ fingers brush over his head. He wants to hold Lucius’ hand, an urge so new it seems silly, but he can’t help it. He dares it, slots his fingers with Lucius’, and it’s glorious in its simplicity. He could do this for a lifetime.

Yes, Lucius is hot and cute, but he’s also tender and sweet. And if Pete’s not reading this wrong, he’s all his.

‍☠️ You can find more OFMD fanfics of mine here on ao3.‍☠️

by Chelsey Furedi

What it is: A webcomic following two rival high school gangs in the 1950s.

Why it’s on this list: I don’t think there’s a character introduced that isn’t queer in some way. It’s got a wide range of identities represented, both on the gender spectrum and the sexuality spectrum.

Where you can find it: It can be read on tumblr at @rockandriotcomic or on tapastic here. If you want to check out more of the creator’s stuff, she’s over here. It’s also finished, so if you’re one of those people who doesn’t like getting into stuff that’s not done yet, worry not! Her new project looks awesome, and I have a feeling I’ll be reviewing that on here eventually too.

Official Synopsis

(reblog the first page here)

My first thought after finishing this was why did I not read this earlier. It’s been a comic I’ve been vaguely aware of for a while now, and queer historical pieces are so up my alley. I think I was doing that thing where I knew it was something I’d probably love, and I was worried about clicking on it and then being disappointed?

Silly me. I was definitely not disappointed. I was delighted. Dazzled, really. A perfect way to spend an hour.

I’m gonna start by talking about the character design, which is also why I wanted to show off the first page on here. Look at those ladies! This is a diverse cast, not just in terms of identities but in terms of body shapes, builds, and backgrounds. This comic definitely goes for a light, uplifting take on the 1950s, but it doesn’t do that by ‘simplifying’ things (aka leaving out things that would maybe ‘complicate’ things). Each character is treated with respect, and although the characters are often larger than life it never comes across as being done in a stereotypical way. Really well done.

What I especially love about this comic is that it did what I often find myself afraid to do in my own stories. There’s a coming out moment, where a character decides to tell her friends she’s in love with a girl. This leads to everyone else in the room also coming out. There’s a few moments like this, and it’s so nice, because I often feel like ‘well, I can’t make everyone queer.’ But like… Why not? Rock and Riot does it, and it’s so lovely, I’m smiling just thinking about it. This is escapism, just like most 50s stories are (shared milkshakes and cool matching jackets, right?), but it’s escapism aimed at queer folk, which is so rare to find. And even the conflict is done in a way that is still bright and fun. I just love it.

The story follows the girl gang in the picture above, known as the Jaquettes, as well as a guy gang, the Rollers, and an entirely non-binary gang who call themselves the Bandits. The varied presentation that the Bandits all have made me so happy, as so often when there are nonbinary characters they all tend to fit the same mold. That is definitely not a problem with this gang.

“That’s great that you found your side. But my problem with your teams is that I don’t want to be viewed in either.”

“Then we’ll respect that!”

- Ace and Rolly, Episode Four: The New Kid

Also! There is some adorable romance, but there’s also some really nice discussion of sexuality and gender. Bisexuality and asexuality are both discussed, and done so in a way that felt really honest and validating, both as a reader but also validated by the other characters in the comic.

There’s a bit of cute fake-dating-to-seem-straight mishaps, some friendly gang rivalry, and a sleepover scene with the Jaquettes, made all the more wonderful by it including them inviting a former member of the Rollers over, and having her join the Jaquettes. It takes all those classic movie tropes and makes them very queer and adorable and awesome, and I can’t get over how much I enjoyed it.

If you’re feeling down at all, sit down and read this comic. It’ll help. It may also make you really want a cool jacket, a poodle skirt, and a date at a shake shop. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Reading Rock and Riot? Let us know what you think! And if you’re looking for more great queer content, reminder that this is Day 8 of 365 queer reviews, one for each day of 2018. You can find all the reviews here.

Krobus and Humans

Krobus had learned not to get close to people. He had learned long ago people had a habit of abandoning him. He knew he was never going to be someone’s first priority. He didn’t need to be. He understood why he would never be the most important in someone else’s life. There were times where he wished people wouldn’t be so obvious about it though.

Krobus knew this happened to him constantly because he didn’t ascribe to the idea of romance. He wasn’t against romance, nor did he hate it. He couldn’t deny it made other people happy. But it wasn’t something he could see for himself. Not something he particularly needed or wanted in his life.

But everyone he had ever let into his life had wanted this. Not always from him. Most of them wanted friendship, or as they would put it “just” friends, the step below their special partner. Once his friends had found their special partner, Krobus would suddenly matter less. He tried to excuse it, ignore it, and sometimes even confront it. All it left him with though was loneliness and low self-worth. So, he had decided he didn’t want to deal with people anymore. He would make himself scarce to the outside world and live the rest of his life alone like he was meant to be.

He doesn’t remember how and when he ended up in Stardew Valley, let alone how he set camp in the sewer. Maybe it wasn’t an ideal home nor was it particularly nice, but at least it kept him away from people.

Or so he thought.

Despite his best effort someone slipped through. Krobus wasn’t a mean person, he didn’t know how tell someone to leave him alone.

It didn’t take long for him to figure out it was a newcomer in town who made it a mission to befriend everyone, which apparently included him. Krobus figured this person would soon learn he wasn’t worth it, they would find someone more important than him and they would invest the efforts elsewhere.

However, for some reason they kept coming back once. They would try to make small talk with him, always asking about Krobus and sometimes even going as far as bringing a gift.

Krobus started selling item this person might come to need some day. He tried to deny it, but he had to admit he was doomed. He was starting to get attached to this person. He was starting to make small changes in his life to accommodate this person. He was starting to learn more and more about this person. It was a farmer who had come from the city to move to their late Grandfather’s farm. Krobus heard of all the struggles of adjusting to farm life, how overrun the farm had been, how expensive everything had been and how much was required to keep the farm running. The farmer always looked a bit run down whenever they came to Krobus but still excited about the new life they were building for themselves.

Krobus knew he was in too deep when he noticed the small improvements in the farmers health and mood. The farmer was adjusting well and soon instead of talking of hardship the farmer talked of constructions ideas and whenever they acquired a new animal or something interesting happened on the farm.

Krobus started getting scared. This was the kind of thing he had stayed away from for so long. He had avoided this because he didn’t want to get hurt. He was getting especially scared when the farmer started talking about one of the villagers in particular. He recognized this. Soon he would be left behind.

So, when the farmer came down to sewer with a nervous expression, Krobus was ready to be rejected and cast aside again. He had resigned himself to heartbreak. He was already thinking of new places he could go to.

“So, I’ve been enjoying your company a lot.”

Maybe it was worse, maybe it was a confession for him. Maybe this was what was going to break them up. The farmer would ask for something Krobus couldn’t give.

“It might be you enjoy your life down here, and you’re welcome to say no to my proposition,” the farmer started off, “but I was wondering if you wanted to move in with me.”

Krobus needed a minute before he was able to process what the farmer had asked.

“As friends of course.” The farmer clarified when Krobus still didn’t say anything.

“You know I’ll be a very strange person to live with, right?”

The farmer nodded, “ I figured,” they smiled, “I’m asking someone who currently lives in a sewer.”

“I won’t be able to leave the house.”

“that’s okay.”

Krobus finally smiled. “okay, I’ll live with you.”