((AN: Hi people! Looky! It's the first Hoot slash fic! Finally! Cookies to my shiny beta, ciaan from livejournal. Enjoy this, and it's bookverse, if you wanted to know. I like it, hope you do. And COME ON, PEOPLE! WRITE MORE! Flames will be used to toast marshmallows.))
On the Roof of the Molly Bell
It had been a long time since Roy Eberhartd had seen Mullet Fingers. Roy and Beatrice had dated for a week, but it hadn't lasted long. There had been some routine tear shedding, but neither of them was really upset. They were close friends, but nothing more. No one bullied Roy anymore. He was a hero, and, of course, best friends with Beatrice.
Every afternoon, Roy went down to the Molly Bell. He would bring two sandwiches. He would eat his sandwich on the roof of the Molly Bell, hoping Mullet would show up. Every time, he was disappointed. After waiting for what seemed like forever, he'd say good-bye to whoever might be listening, leave the second sandwich on the roof, and go home.
Beatrice had broken up with him. She said it was because she liked him better as a friend and adding romance just made things complicated. What she didn't say was that she suspected Roy would have preferred to be with someone else. She also didn't say that she didn't feel anything for him except friendship.
Mullet always ate the sandwiches. He wouldn't have starved without them, Beatrice always brought him something at night, but he enjoyed them. And one meal a day plus whatever he could forage really wasn't enough. He also enjoyed Roy's company, even if Roy didn't know he was there.
Beatrice would bug him every time she came with his dinner.
"He really misses you, you know. You should talk to him."
Mullet shook his head. "I can't."
"Why not? You don't think he would turn you in or anything, do you?"
"Well-"
"Come on! You know he wouldn't do that." She rolled her eyes. We broke up a few days ago, did I tell you?"
"You did?" He looked up at her. "Why?"
"We're better as friends. Besides," she leaned towards her brother conspiratorially, "I think there's someone else."
"What?"
"I don't know, he's always so distant, you know? Thinking about something, or someone. I just wish I could figure out who."
Mullet hadn't told her about Roy's visits. As far as he knew, Roy hadn't either. "And that doesn't upset you? That he likes someone else?"
"Nah, like I said, there was no heat between us. But enough gossip. You probably don't really care anyways." She grinned at him, and stood up. "Can't I tell him where you're living? He keeps asking."
He shook his head. "Not yet."
Summer arrived, and school vacated with a speed that put Olympic runners to shame. It had been an eventful year. Roy took his usual sandwiches and set off for the Molly Bell. As he neared, he heard voices. His pulse quickened; could it be? He hardly dared hope. He got to the edge of the clearing and saw Beatrice and Mullet sitting on the boat.
It had been ages since he last saw Mullet. He found himself unable to move, unable, really, to do anything other than stare.
And Mullet was staring right back at him.
"Mullet? What are you looking at, Mullet?"
Mullet's head snapped up. "Nothing. Just thinking."
Roy took this as his cue to retreat. Mullet obviously didn't want him to come out.
He came back a few hours later. Beatrice was gone.
"Mullet?" he called. "I know you're there. Come out!" Silence. Roy thought he might cry.
"Mullet! Why won't you talk to me?" He hit the boat angrily with a fist. Bits of paint flaked off. He sighed. "I'll just wait a little longer."
But it was a beautiful day, and soon Roy found himself lying half-asleep on the roof of the Molly Bell with his shirt off.
Mullet may have seen Roy every day, but that didn't mean he hadn't missed him. And now he was asleep, unsuspecting and shirtless.
Surely just going near him for a minute or two wouldn't hurt.
Roy's heart skipped a beat. Mullet was sitting right next to him, watching him.
You had to be quick to catch a mullet. Almost impossibly quick. And probably even quicker to catch a Mullet.
Pretending to be asleep, Roy moved his hand closer and closer to Mullet's leg before: "Gotcha! And don't you even think of running away again!"
Mullet started. "I thought you were asleep."
Roy sat up, still holding Mullet's ankle. "I'm glad you did. Why were you avoiding me?"
"The less you know, the less you can reveal if they torture you."
"Mullet! I wouldn't tell!"
Mullet knew that. It wasn't why he had been avoiding him. "Yeah, I know. You can let go of my ankle now."
"Uh huh, and have you go running off into the woods?" Roy raised an eyebrow.
"No, I'll stay, I guess." He eyed Roy's extra sandwich hungrily.
"Promise?"
"Yeah, sure. Can I have a sandwich?"
Roy reluctantly released his leg and handed him a sandwich. He still had half of his left, and he ate it slowly as Mullet wolfed his down.
"Are you ok?" Roy asked. Mullet looked up, startled.
"Frawh?" he asked, crumbs spewing everywhere. He held up a finger, then swallowed. "What?"
"You know, living out here. It must be hard. And lonely."
Mullet shrugged. "It's alright."
"I've been worried about you. I mean, it doesn't get cold here, but I think of you at night, all alone…" He stopped. Mullet had started laughing. "What's so funny?"
"What Beatrice said, she thought," he chuckled, "she thought there was someone else. That's one of the reasons she broke up with you. She thought you were in love with someone else when all this time you were only thinking about me!"
Roy dropped his sandwich. "What?"
"Beatrice thought that you liked someone but you were only… thinking about… me… ah."
As he was saying this, Roy had started leaning closer and closer to him and finally their lips met. Mullet let out a sort of strangled moan and Roy quickly pulled away.
"Sorry," he said, blushing furiously. "I… ah, I lost my balance."
"Shut up," Mullet said, and this time he was the one leaning forward, and soon they were lying down, making out on the roof of the Molly Bell.
The next day Beatrice was coming down around one o'clock with some lunch for Mullet when she heard voices. She hurried forward, ready to attack if anyone was trying to take Mullet away again, and she burst into the clearing to see Roy with Mullet, holding hands and talking.
She almost laughed. Instead, she carefully put down the meal she had brought and hurried out of the clearing before starting to snicker madly. Her brother and her best friend. Wow.
Roy arrived home to an email from Beatrice. It said: "What took you so long?"
((And no, there will not be a sequel.))