brooks & hale ✔️

epilogue

a/n :

hey look at me finishing that elusive epilogue i mentioned in the bonus chapter from a year ago! is that what we call personal growth lol probably not
this has been sitting in my drafts for over three years now, would you believe i started it in 2017 and am only just finishing it now, in the midst of a pandemic with the shitshow that was 2020 drawing to an end??? yeah me neither
it doesn't add really anything new to the story and is basically just fluff because sue me i missed my babies and missed writing about them but i hope anyone who comes across this enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it!
also i'm probably jinxing myself just by writing this but you might actually be getting that reed bishop spin-off i've been making valiant attempts at for so long, no promises though and certainly not any time soon, just look at how long it took me to churn out a measly bonus chapter and epilogue :') reed is so much harder to write than brooks or hale ffs why must he always be such a problem child
anyway back to the epilogue...consider it a christmas present from me to my lovely, wonderful readers xx

edit: the problem child has been tamed so let me blatantly plug just dive in, Reed bishop's spin-off which is available to read on my profile now!

e p i l o g u e ;

"UM, I DON'T KNOW. MAYBE a little more to the left?" Brooks suggested, tilting his head to the side as he squinted up at the huge banner. "It still looks a little wonky to me."

"To the left?" Will leant back to get a look at the position of the banner and almost slipped off the stepladder he was balancing precariously on. "Are you sure? It looks pretty damn straight to me. Straighter than you, anyway," he added, with a cheeky grin. "Get it? 'Cause you're gay?"

Brooks rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I got it."

He'd been subjected to Will's extensive and never-ending collection of gay jokes over the past few months to the point he'd just grown indifferent due to exposure. It didn't help that Hale encouraged it, and even joined in, the two of them finding their puns hilarious. Sometimes Brooks wondered why they didn't just start dating instead over their mutual love of lame jokes.

"Gosh, I am just such a comedic genius," Will said appreciatively, forgetting about the banner he was supposed to be helping pin up as he reached up to pat himself on the back. The banner collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Will!" Wendy snapped, stuck clinging to the wall with the other side of the banner. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop dropping the bloody banner?"

Will looked at her with a sheepish smile. "Oops?"

"Oops?" Wendy repeated indignantly. "It's not going to stick itself up! I knew letting you do this was a bad idea. I should have just given you a ball to play with in the corner or something."

"I'm beginning to feel a little attacked here," Will informed her, bending down to snatch up the banner, which was looking a little crinkled and worse for wear at the rough handling. "I told you I was fine being on balloon duty, but did you listen? Noooo, you just had to have things your way, Wendy Chen."

"You were not fine on balloon duty." Wendy cast her gaze heavenward as if imploring God for patience to deal with her twin. "Do you want to know how I know you weren't fine on balloon duty, Will? You kept blowing up them up, only to let the air out once they inflated so you could watch them go flying around the room."