Okay so after a throwaway line in one of my sartie week fics my friend Nickeh (omalleygeorge on tumblr) said that I should write an mpreg fic for Sartie. I said no. I'm writing it anyway. Amazing what peer pressure can accomplish. The other peers in this case being Johanna (sartiecreys on tumblr) and Fi (sartietingles here and on tumblr). Fi is also being lovely and reading everything before it's posted/ dealing with my random messages as I get frustrated writing. But yeah this should be a good adventure as I write my first multi-chapter fic. Title is subject to change, but currently comes from the song "Perfect Mess" by Melee. Two more small things: A) This chapter will probably be the only scene with a sex scene B) Chapters and author's notes lengths will vary with my mood/stability. Thanks!
Chapter 1
"Wouldn't you rather have me out of your house for a weekend? The Evanses will feed me, and Sam will even come pick me up. Really, you're winning here," Artie says to his parents.
His mother looks at him and sighs.
"Whatever you want to do, Arthur. Just be safe and don't bother us too much," his father said.
Artie takes this as a victory and just says, "so I won't be home next weekend." He supresses the urge to make a more colorful reply. The last thing he wants is to get his permission for a weekend away revoked. The rest of the dinner is silent except for the sounds of their chewing.
Sam waits anxiously by the phone. He knows Artie is planning on asking his parents tonight whether or not they can go to Tennessee together for the weekend. They started dating before Sam left, but he left so soon that they mutually decided that while they would keep in contact, they wouldn't owe each other anything. When Sam came back, however, it seemed natural to pick right back up where they left off. To be honest, they had never really stopped dating.
The last time that Sam Skyped home, his parents asked if they could meet Artie. They knew him from going to a couple performances and from him hanging out around the house, but they wanted to meet Artie as Sam's Boyfriend.
Both Artie and Sam are up for it - Sam misses his family; Artie could do with some time away from his. Plus, Sam knows that Artie misses Stevie and Stacy. They had taken care of the kids together a few times, and Artie had taken an instant liking to them. The kids had liked him back, too. While that wasn't particularly shocking, since Stevie and Stacy tended to get along well with people, it made Sam feel a little warm on the inside to see his boyfriend interacting so well with his younger siblings. It led him to imagine some distant future where they might have kids of their own.
His thoughts are interrupted by his phone ringing. It's Artie's ringtone, so he picks up.
"So?" Sam asks.
"They said yes!" Artie says excitedly.
"Really? Were they hard to convince?" Sam says.
Artie sounds like he's trying really hard not to sound sad as he says, "A little. I just had to offer them a whole weekend without me and they were fine."
Sam feels his anger rise up. He hates hearing about the way Artie's parents treat him.
"Well their loss is my gain. We'll have the whole trip there and back to ourselves. Plus, we don't have a spare bedroom for you to sleep in, so my parents said we could stay in the same room. And Stevie and Stacy ask about you all the time. Sometimes I think they miss you more than they miss me!" Sam says.
Artie laughs.
"I doubt that, Sam, you're an awesome big brother. And, yes, this will definitely be a dope ass weekend. I'm nervous about meeting your parents though," Artie says.
"They'll love you. I promise. How could they not? Plus they appreciate the help you give me as far as my essays and math. That alone could win them over," Sam says.
"It's just more official now. Before I was the nerdy friend coming over to do nerdy things with their son. Now I'm the boyfriend coming to do, um, boyfriend things with their son," Artie says.
"Well maybe you shouldn't mention all of the boyfriend things we do," Sam says.
"I am going to word vomit it out all over the place. I know it," Artie says.
"It's okay. I'll bring emergency duct tape or something," Sam says.
Exhaling slowly, Artie says, "That's a relief. Just duct tape right over my mouth."
Sam looks over at the stack of books sitting near the foot of his bed.
"Artie, I hate to do this, but I've got to get through some of this work or else I'll have to spend all weekend doing homework instead of visiting. I'll see you tomorrow. We can work out the fine details then," Sam says.
"Okay, I've got my own stack I should work on, too. Love you," Artie says.
"Love you, too," Sam says, hanging up.
Artie waits anxiously outside for Sam to come pick him up. He doesn't trust his parents to not revoke their permission for him to go with Sam. At least once he's in the car, there isn't much they can do.
When the car finally rolls up, he hollers inside that he's leaving, and then rolls down the ramp as fast as he can, small suitcase in his lap. Sam already has the trunk open to put his bag in. Then, he wheels around to the front seat, transfers in, and collapses his wheelchair to be stored in the backseat.
"I can help with that, you know," Sam says as he gets in the driver's side.
Artie leans in for their usual kiss hello and says, "No thanks. I like the independence. I like doing as much on my own as possible."
Sam thinks about that for a second as he starts the car and backs out of the Abrams' driveway.
"I get that," he says finally. "Sorry."
"I know what you were going for," Artie says, "And I would appreciate it if people weren't always trying to do things for me. If I need help, I'll ask though."
"Okay. I don't really know how wheelchair accessible our house is these days. I know my parents installed a ramp at the front door, at least. Plus my bedroom is on the first floor," Sam says.
"Oh yes, the bedroom of my dear Sam Evans," Artie says in a grand voice, trying to change the subject. "Is it all dorked out? Full of childhood photos? Your parents probably do have childhood photos lying around. I'm going to have to get a look at some."
He knows that Sam knows what he's doing. But he also knows that Sam knows that there are just some things that Artie will not talk about. Because really, why would he want to ruin their lovely weekend with angsty feelings? In short, he has no desire to.
"I am telling my mother to hide the fuck out of those. I've never seen any of yours, so there's no way in hell that I'm letting you see mine. Oh geez my mom used to dress me in the most horrendous outfits you've ever seen..." Sam says.
He continues speaking and Artie lets himself be lulled by the sound of Sam's voice, only offering the occasional interjection. He knows that Sam is chattering on for his benefit. Artie appreciates it. He knows that he should learn to be more open with, well, really most of what he feels, but it's so difficult and it seems unnatural to him. Maybe he can ask Sam to help him start something with something small. Maybe.
About two hours out, they stop at a gas station. Sam's car needs fuel and so do its passengers. While Sam fills the car, Artie goes inside to get food. The gas station has a limited selection, so Artie just grabs some of the chips and cookies since they're easiest for Sam to eat while driving. None of the drinks in the cooler look appealing, so he buys two cups so he can get something out of the drink dispenser.
When he's paid, Artie rolls outside to find Sam. He's sitting at a picnic table with a couple other people. Artie rolls over.
"...and now we're going to go visit my parents!" Sam says.
Trust Sam to make new friends at a gas stop. When Sam sees Artie, he waves him over. Sam makes the introductions. As it turns out, Josephina and Daniel are moving down south to start a family together. They sit and talk for a while. Josephina and Daniel have a rather interesting history since they got together while traveling in the circus. Daniel can swallow swords and Josephina was a tightrope walker.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Josephina yells at Artie.
Since he's just sitting there listening to the story and drinking his pop, he has no idea what he's done. He looks over at Sam who just shrugs at him.
"Excuse me?" he asks.
She snatches his drink away from him and out of his reach.
"Excuse me!" is Artie's response.
"This is my drink. And it is special. It's got an experimental drug in it," she says.
Panic wells up in Artie. Oh God, is he going to get really sick? Is he going to die? He looks down and realizes that he's drunk almost the whole thing already.
"W-what drug?" Artie asks.
Daniel and Josephina look at each other, clearly having a silent conversation. Eventually, she sighs and leans forward slightly.
"It's a new drug for infertile women. I mean, I have more; it's a drug you take until it works," Josephina says.
"What's going to happen to me?" Artie asks.
Josephina laughs.
"You'll probably just have headaches, dry mouth, that kind of thing for a while," Josephina says.
Artie sighs in relief, glad that he didn't take something that could really mess with him.
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying enough attention. Can I buy you another drink?" Artie says.
"Hey! You're only supposed to buy me drinks!" Sam says, leaning over to hold Artie's hand.
"No, that's okay. We have to get going anyway, don't we Daniel? But really, don't worry about it," Josephina says.
"It was nice meeting you," Sam says.
"You guys too," Daniel says.
They wave goodbye and return to the car.
"Are you feeling okay?" Sam says, clearly worried.
"Sam, you don't have to worry about me. I'm sure I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse than headaches," Artie says.
"I know, I know," Sam says.
Artie leans over and kisses Sam on the cheek.
"What was that for?" Sam asks.
"That's the kind of concern that's cute," Artie says. "Now onto the Evans household!"
Soon enough, they arrive. Sam smiles widely when he sees Stevie and Stacy were waiting outside. Stacy runs inside and re-emerges quickly with Sam's parents in tow.
Sam has barely parked the car before he opens the door and runs to his family, embracing them all. His siblings yell and try to tell him everything that had happened while he was gone. He picks them both up and twirls them around.
Artie rolls up to them, but stays a distance away, not wanting to intrude on the reunion. When everyone else has said hello, he rolls up to join the group. The kids immediately leap into his lap.
"Mommy said you're dating Sam!" Stevie says.
"Does that mean you have cooties?" Stacy says. "Or does he have cooties?"
Stacy and Stevie look at their brother with disgust.
"We both have cooties!" Artie says, tickling them both.
They squirm out of his lap and run back to their parents. Artie rolls over to Mr. and Mrs. Evans and offers his hand.
"Hello, I'm still Artie. Thank you for letting me stay," he says.
He cringes because it sounded so much better in his head. They both shake his hand.
"Are you the one who has been defiling my son?" Mr. Evans says with a booming laugh.
Artie laughs weakly and looks up Sam in panic. Maybe Sam should have warned him if his parents were going to respond like that. Sam is just rolling his eyes though.
"Dad, Artie is nervous enough without you making jokes like that. He doesn't know your sense of humour yet," Sam says, coming behind him and absentmindedly putting his hands on Artie's shoulders.
"No, it's okay, really," Artie says weakly.
"We're glad to have you here, Artie," Mrs. Evans says. "We've heard so much about you from Sam. From what he's said, you've made all the changes over the past year a lot easier on him. So thank you."
Artie places one of his hands on Sam's.
"It's been my pleasure, I promise," Artie says.
He looks up at Sam, who looks down at him and smiles.
"We should probably get you all settled in. I'm so sorry, but one of Stacy's friends is sick and we promised we would go visit. We've gotten rather close to the family since we've moved here, so we're all going, but we'll be back in time for dinner. Will you two be okay on your own?" Mrs. Evans says.
"Yes, Mom. I remember where my room is. Nothing has changed too drastically, I'm sure," Sam says.
"Okay, I promise we'll make it quick. And we've got big news for you when we get back," Mrs. Evans says.
"I can't wait," Sam says.
Stacy and Stevie run in for one last hug before they follow their parents into the car.
Sam leads Artie into the house. He gives a quick tour of the first floor.
"I wanna see your bedroom Sam," Artie whines.
"We're almost there," Sam says.
When they reach his bedroom, he spins around with his back to the door.
"Ready to enter this wonderland of Sam Evansness?" he says.
Artie nods.
Sam opens the door and Artie follows him inside. He's hit with feelings of being home. Sure, he had taken some of his stuff back with him to Ohio, but even though he hadn't had a lot to begin with, he still had had to leave a lot behind. His parents haven't touched anything since he left. The posters are still hanging up on the wall where he left them and random trinkets and trophies from his childhood are spread out on his dresser and nightstand. The only parts of his room that show signs of being disturbed are his bed (fresh sheets) and the old computer he had bought with some of his money (his siblings had obviously gotten bored). He grabs a trophy from when he was in little league and examines it carefully.
"MVP of your team for five straight years? I see you started your life as a sports super star young," Artie says.
He turns to face his boyfriend, who is handling one of his trophies like it is made of glass.
"They're the same as the ones we had in Ohio," Artie remarks absentmindedly.
Sam studies him carefully. Artie is tracing the contours of the trophy with a finger, but is face is unreadable.
"Were you in little league too?" Sam asks softly.
Artie looks up at him, clearly startled. He sets the trophy back in place gently.
"Yeah. Tee-ball. I would guess that the trophies are around the house somewhere. Probably buried. There's an MVP award in there too," Artie says.
Sam crouches in front of Artie. He places his hand on the back of Artie's neck and pulls him in gently for a kiss. Artie responds immediately, practically lunging into Sam's arms. Sam catches him and lifts him up before he can fall. Holding Artie in his arms, he stands up, trying to balance as Artie kisses him deeper. They end up falling into bed together, Sam on top of Artie.
As soon as they land, Sam tries to push himself off because he thinks that he must be crushing Artie, but Artie tangles his fingers in his hair and crushes him even closer. He feels rather than hears Artie's groan. Artie flips them over and Sam is overwhelmed by Artie's sudden aggression. Not that Artie is usually submissive, but he's usually more careful and gentle. Either way, Sam is growing harder and harder.
Artie kisses his way down Sam's neck as far as he can before being stopped by Sam's shirt. He almost rips Sam's shirt off in frustration, but it gets tangled. Sam can't see anything, but he hears Artie take a deep breath before gently helping him take his shirt the rest of the way off. Before Sam can blink, Artie is back to nipping and licking his way down Sam's body. It's sensory overload and as Sam tries to bring his hands up to card through Artie's hair, he realizes that Artie has his arms pinned. Artie suddenly levers himself so he's face to face with Sam.
He pulls his shirt off and leans over so he's whispering right in Sam's ear.
"Fuck me."
Sam leans to the side so he's facing Artie. It takes him a moment before he remembers how to form words.
"We don't have lube?" he says.
Artie raises an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?" Artie asks, flipping himself over onto his back and pointing vaguely to where he put his bag earlier.
Sam gets up and searches through the bag. By the time he turns around, Artie has pushed his pants down near his knees and is lying on his stomach, propped up on his forearms. He groans and undoes his own pants.
The lube is cold when he squirts it onto his fingers so he rubs his hands together to warm it up before slipping a finger inside Artie. He kisses slowly down Artie's back as he adds a second and then third finger. Artie is shaking beneath him.
"Sam. In. Me. Now."
He straddles his boyfriend, covers his erection with lube, and then starts slowly pushing into Artie. When he's all the way inside, he waits so Artie can adjust.
"Fuck me," Artie growls.
Without thinking, Sam listens, pulling out and then thrusting back in. Artie groans and his head falls forward. Sam slows down to make sure he's okay, but the look on Artie's face when he turns to face him let's him know to keep going. He holds onto Artie's shoulders to help him balance. Artie's gone completely silent, but Sam knows he's cumming because he's clenching around him. It only takes a few more thrusts before he's cumming too.
A bit lightheaded, Sam pulls out and collapses next to Artie. Once Artie has turned so he's lying on his back, Sam curls against him. Artie kisses the top of his head and pulls Sam closer.
"I love you," Sam says, breaking the silence.
Artie gently tugs Sam's face upwards for a softly insistent kiss. Sam tries to read the expression on his face. There's definitely happiness, but he's also sure that there's something else. Whatever that something else is, it disappears before Sam can figure it out.
"I love you, too," Artie says, humming softly.
They make sure that they're dressed and put together by the time Sam's parents get home. When Artie rolls into the living room, he notices the album sitting on the coffee table right away.
Sam groans just as Artie positively squeals in delight. He tries to rush in front of his boyfriend to keep him from grabbing the album, but Artie shoves his arm out of the way to claim the prize. In an exaggerated fashion, Sam falls over and splays his arms and legs out.
"After all I've done for you, and this is how you treat me!" Sam says dramatically.
"You can't see me, but I'm rolling my eyes so hard right now," Artie says.
Sam hears Artie place the album on the ground, and then he hears Artie lower himself onto the ground. He wants to see what Artie is doing, but he restrains himself. Artie scoots over and manhandles him into a sitting position against the couch before cuddling against him. When Sam opens his eyes, Artie is grinning back at him, holding up the book.
"We're looking at this. Deal," Artie says.
"You're the worst," Sam says.
Artie opens the album and sees a picture of a young Sam dressed as an elf.
"You started young, I see," Artie says fondly.
Sam sighs heavily.
"Actually... You've discovered my deep and dark secret... I was born an elf," Sam says.
Artie pulls back and gasps dramatically.
"You were born... an elf?" Artie says, whispering his last words
Sam nods gravely.
"Well... I still love you. No matter what," Artie says.
He kisses Sam on the cheek. Sam wraps his arms around Artie to pull him in closer. They flip through the album together, Artie pointing his favorites and Sam telling him the backstory behind them all. Sometimes it would be a made up story, but those were always so exaggerated that Artie knew when he was making shit up. Either way, he'd laugh. Sam had more than a few good stories to tell.
"...and then my cousin grabbed my aunt and threw her into the pool. She almost landed right on top of me! I got confused and grabbed onto my friend's floaty thingy and he got pissed because I flipped him off the raft and he had been trying to stay out of the water-"
"Ahem."
They both look up from where they had been engrossed in the album and in each other to see the rest of the Evans family standing watching them. Artie closes the book and looks sheepishly up at them.
"We got a little preoccupied," Sam says.
His parents are just grinning at them and shaking their heads. Stevie and Stacy rush over and settle in their laps, either telling their own stories or else asking Sam for more details. Eventually, Mr. Evans walks in and tells them all that dinner is on the table.
Sam runs on ahead with his siblings while Artie scoots over to his chair. He pulls himself up.
"Artie, can I talk to you for a second before dinner?" Mr. Evans says.
"Uh, sure, I guess," Artie says as he figits a little.
Mr. Evans examines him carefully, and Artie resists the urge to shirk back into his chair.
"Now, Artie, I like you and I think that you're good for Sam, at least from what he's told me," he begins. "I just hope you know just how infatuated with you he is. We worry about him, especially with the past couple years..."
Artie expects there to be more, but there isn't.
"Mr. Evans, sir, is this your version of a 'watch out that you don't break his heart or else' speech?" Artie asks.
He considers it for a moment.
"Yes... I suppose so," Mr. Evans says. "Though that is a rather strong way to put it. I just want you both to be careful."
"Thank you, Mr. Evans. I promise that I have no intention of hurting Sam. I'm just about as infatuated with him as he is with me," Artie says.
Mr. Evans nods in approval and claps him on the shoulder.
"Good. In that case, we really are pleased to have you here. I hope you enjoy dinner. Sam told us that you like sloppy joes and so do the kids, so that's what we're having tonight," Mr. Evans says.
Artie follows him into the dining room.
Sam helps his mom set the table, glad that she took his suggestion for sloppy joes for dinner.
"Good thing tonight is bath night for the kids," his mom remarks. "They're always such a mess after a meal like this."
"Mom... I'm really glad to be back for the weekend. I've missed you all a lot," Sam says while they have a rare moment alone.
She smiles up at him.
"I'm glad you're back for the weekend, too. It's been rough not having you around."
"Is it the money? Because if it's money I have stuff saved up and I can probably get my old job back," Sam says quickly.
His mom shakes her head.
"No Sam, it's not having you around. I know it would have only been another year until you left for college anyway, but I had counted on that year to get ready. Stevie and Stacy both miss you, too. They really look up to you," she says.
Sam wraps an arm around his mom and pulls her close, almost spilling the sauce he's holding on her in the process.
"I'll try to visit more, I promise," Sam says.
She doesn't reply and even though Sam can't see the look on her face, he suspects she's smiling widely.
"Now let's get dinner on the table! Or else they might decide to eat us for dinner instead," she says.
By the time they're done, Artie and his father have both seated themselves and Stacy and Stevie are both bouncing in anticipation. When Sam and his mother sit down, they all bow their heads. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam sees Artie looking around confusedly. He grabs his hand while his father recites a short prayer, saying a special blessing over him and Artie both. Artie smiles a little at that. Once his father his done, everyone looks up again. Artie catches his eye and raises his eyebrow in question. Sam nods back and Artie digs right into his food.
Dinner is mostly a quiet affair at first, but as they all fill up conversation starts to break out. Sam is questioned on his life in Ohio with Hummel-Hudson family, which he's pleased to talk about. A question or two is thrown towards Artie about his home life, which Artie bats away as quickly as he can. His parents look at Sam, but he shakes his head. Really the last thing he feels like doing is explaining to his parents about Artie's parents.
As the meal ends, Sam's mom clears her throat rather importantly.
"Now Sam," she starts.
He groans.
"What?" she says indignantly.
"That's not usually a good sign," he replies.
"Well just you wait to make up your mind about that," she says. "Anyway, your Dad and I have been doing better, financially speaking. But your dad's company is making him move again."
His stomach flutters. What if she's about to tell them that they're moving so far away that he has to move back again. He doesn't want to leave his life in Lima again. Artie finds his hand under the table and squeezes it. They smile uncertainly at each other.
"Even though it's going to be a longer commute than we'd like, we've decided to move back to Lima. We don't want to put Stevie and Stacy into a third school system, and this means that you'll be able to come live with us again. We've found a house. Your room is kind of small, I'm afraid, but we can make it work. We're making the move next month," his mom says.
Sam looks at them in shock. His mind races a month into the future and he doesn't even know what to think. He realizes that he has a huge grin on his face and so does everyone else at the table. Artie squeezes his hand tightly.
"You mean... I get to come home?" Sam forces out.
"Yes, son," his dad booms loudly.
He jumps up and runs around the table to hug his brother and sister close.
"Did you hear that guys? I'm coming back to live with you again," he says.
They both hug him tighter. His parents both get up and join in their hug. Sam catches Artie's eye in the commotion and notices that Artie looks happy, but also wistful as well.
They're both somewhere between being awake and being asleep when Sam says, "Artie, are you okay?"
Artie yawns widely and turns over so he's facing Sam.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Artie asks, his voice hazy.
Sam brings a hand up and strokes Artie's face lightly.
"You just looked a little sad earlier at dinner," Sam says.
Instantly Artie wakes up. He tries to form his thoughts into words in his head and turn the words in his head into coherent words. Sam just keeps stroking his face while he thinks and tries to force it together.
"Don't force it," Sam says.
"What?" Artie asks.
"I know this whole feelings thing is difficult for you. More so than for most people. Stop trying to force it and maybe it will come," Sam says.
He closes his eyes to concentrate on Sam's fingers touching his face and on Sam's soft breath against his face. His thoughts begin to coalesce, but when he speaks it's slowly and haltingly.
"I just wish I had had that, growing up... now. That I could be that excited at the thought of seeing my family again, instead of being excited to leave. We were like that once, but then..."
Artie really can't go on, so he just curls in close to Sam, hoping that he knows that it is an unfinished thought. Sam's fingers move to the nape of his neck.
"I'm sorry," Sam murmurs.
He pulls back to look Sam in the eyes.
"No, don't be. None of it is your fault. Actually, you guys give me hope," Artie says.
"Really?"
"If you can still all love each other this way, after being homeless and moving and taking jobs you should never have had to take and now being separated, then maybe when I have kids we'll be a family like that," Artie explains.
"You will," Sam says confidently.
"Maybe, but I don't know if I'll ever find kids as adoring of their older brother as they are of you," Artie says, finally smiling.
"Oh stop it," Sam says.
"No, really. Stacy pulled me aside for a moment while you were doing the dishes and told me that if I ever made you cry that she would be sure to make me cry even more. She even got Stevie to stand behind her and look menacing. I'm scared, Sam," Artie says, deadpan.
Sam laughs at him.
"I can't believe that girl. I'm glad I'm not going to be around for her high school years. You should definitely be scared," Sam says.
"Luckily I currently have no plans to make you cry any time soon, so I should be safe," Artie says, drawing Sam in for a short kiss.
Artie turns around and presses back against Sam. He smiles contentedly when Sam wraps his arms around him and pulls him in closer.
As he drifts softly off to sleep, he murmurs "I love you" to Sam, but that could just be in his head. When he is woken up in the morning, he feels like he might be dying.