Jackie is never sure what mood Gigi is going to arrive in. She’s always happy to see her, will always drop her bag in the doorway and kiss her until Jackie is breathless and flushed. But she can never predict how Gigi is going to want her.
Sometimes Gigi can’t wait and fucks her on the kitchen island, Jackie scrambling for purchase to hold herself steady and take what she’s being given. And sometimes Gigi wants to coax Jackie up to the bedroom with slow, tempting kisses and take her apart slowly with nothing but her mouth until Jackie is crying and begging and wrung out.
The early morning sun filters through the curtains, bathing the room in a pale golden light. It feels hazy and warm, like a dream sequence of two lovers in an old Hollywood film. Jackie feels like nothing has ever been as good as this — in all the years of knowing Gigi and wanting her and messing it up each time, it’s never felt like this. Gigi yielding and quiet beneath her, allowing Jackie to do whatever she wants to her.
Like she knows, implicitly, that Jackie will only ever want to make her feel good. That Jackie will only ever try to be good to her.
Happy Halloween!!
thank you @noots-fic-fests for the propmts that helped me write a full story!! Eternal character credit to @lumosinlove and thank you so much to everyone who has read this and let me know you're enjoying it!
SO you pretty much have to read this on ao3, because the first part of this chapter is mostly texting and the formatting only works on ao3. But here's the first paragraph.
LINK TO AO3 HERE
The sun was still shining, like it had been all summer, dappled through the trees. Finn ran, worked, moved around the house and property like a ship without an anchor, ate whatever was fastest. But when he ran, he thought of sitting across from a laughing Logan, past and present, and how any work was made easier in his presence. He’d eat something, and think of Leo. Not only that Leo would’ve made it better, but the soft look Leo got when tasting something, analysing and savouring. Finn wasn’t savouring anything this week. He ate to be fed, worked to meet a deadline, waited until it was dark out to touch himself, and imagine.
He processed. Logan, his Logan, his college Logan, had shown up in his house? With Leo. His Leo, his summertime Leo.
This is the second last part!! Wild. Thanks to @noots-fic-fests and @lumosinlove and to everyone who has been reading.
He was nervous and excited for the big day, Leo’s food being photographed and the magazine editor trying his recipes. He wanted to help and maybe also wanted to hide. But, no, they didn’t know he had heard them, and after a nice evening all together and some sleep, he felt less mortified. Honestly, he was sad. They’d be leaving tonight, after the dinner. It was the last night that he’d have friends in his house and the spectre of a quiet week hung over him. He let the rhythm of his steps on the boardwalk lull him and the bad feelings slowly faded away. He’d help Leo, do anything he can to make the dinner a success, and see Leo again in a few short days. Finn loved how nothing seemed as bad after a run.
He walked through the kitchen to Logan making coffees.
“Hiho, Logan,” Finn said, chugging some water.
“You’ve already exercised? Gross,” Logan said. His hair was still sleep mussed and his voice was scratchy. “I had to promise Leo coffee in bed to convince him to not make another practice batch of boudin before this afternoon.”
Finn laughed. “Good man, and good luck,” he said with a salute and left the room to shower. He figured he should leave Leo and Logan alone, Logan knew how to support Leo better than he ever could. He hit the doorframe with his palm as he passed under it, feeling unsettled.
The nervous energy in the house was high the rest of the morning. Haley and Ramsey cleaned, Finn tried to work while Leo did the first steps of the boudin balls. He chopped onion and peppers and jalapeños into small cubes. Finn found himself in awe, just watching the knife move in meticulous motions, leaving each ingredient perfectly shaped. Leo went through the steps that even Finn was becoming familiar with, adding the meat and spices, setting the pot to simmer, having Logan taste it and adjust. Finn managed to work a bit while the pot was simmering, the smell started to spread through the air. He kept glancing outside, where Logan had led Leo by the hand to sit in the shade while he could. The mixture got processed and then they all ate lunch together, Leo serving the coleslaw he had made the day before, rice, and some of the boudin that hadn’t gone into the fridge to be made into balls. Finn set to washing the dishes so the kitchen would be ready when it was time to prep for Pandora to arrive. When they came back in, Leo took the batch out from the fridge and he had his game face on, which made Finn's heart expand in earnestness.
“Holy fuck I forgot the parsley,” Leo said, under his breath and in horror. Finn and Logan both snapped their heads up.
“Quoi?” Logan said, in shock.
“Ok, ok, you can mix it in still, right? Cut it super fine and mix it in?” Fine offered, shaking off his wet hands.
Leo was already moving to the fridge to get the fresh parsley. “Yeah, yeah, ok, shit, how could I forget this?”
Logan ran a hand up and down his back as he stood behind him.
“It’s ok love, you’re doing so much and it’s all going to be amazing. We can fix this.”
Leo nodded like a puppet and set to chopping the parsley.
He cut himself.
He had used those knives all week, and he was a professional. He was moving quickly, but he always cut safely. But shit happens, and maybe mercury was retrograding, or maybe it was fate or just bad fucking luck, but today was just the day that he happened to cut himself. It wasn’t good.
He stood in silence for a long second before the pain hit, in shock. When Leo gasped and swore in pain both Logan and Finn jumped towards him. Finn saw the blood and ran for the first aid kit in the bathroom, when he got back Logan had Leo’s hand wrapped in paper towel, still standing in the same spot he had been chopping.
“Ok Leo, it’s ok, just over here, ok? We’ve got you,” Finn led Leo to the sink. He peeled away the red paper towel and had Leo do a quick rinse under cold water so they could see the damage. Finn felt a wave of relief, the end of a finger was cut, but it wasn’t gaping or gushing and with a soft murmured question and a wince of pain, Leo agreed he could move his finger. Finn took some gauze from the kit and pressed it to Leo’s finger.
“Pressure. 5 minutes, no peeking. Just hold it.” Leo nodded, his blue eyes looking big and shiny. Finn wrapped his hand around both of Leo’s. “It’s ok, it’s going to be ok.”
Logan pushed a stool over to them, and Leo sat down into it and closed his eyes for a long second. One tear trailed down his cheek and Finn followed its progress raptly all the way down to his jaw.
“Fuck me,” Leo said and opened his eyes. Finn’s heart squeezed at the worry in his eyes.
“No, no, Leo, it’s ok. We’ll help. It’ll stop bleeding soon, and we’ll help you. We’re still getting you in that magazine.”
Logan had appeared at Leo’s side and pressed his body into the side of Leo’s. Leo tilted his head over, resting on Logan’s chest, and Finn was very aware that he was still holding Leo’s hand, but he didn’t let go.
“You stay here, soleil, I’ll clean up, c'est bon. Finn, more paper towels and some sort of cleaner?”
“Uh, some regular cleaner under the sink here, but I think the powerful stuff and more paper towels are in the closet upstairs.” He started to turn, but Logan waved him off.
“Ouais, I’ll find them,” he said, and hurried out of the kitchen.
Leo took a shaky breath and Finn brought his other hand up to Leo’s forearm and stepped closer.
“Are you ok? How much does it hurt?”
“It hurts. I’m more so mad at myself, why today?” Leo moaned, dropping his head back in frustration. “I wanted today to be perfect.”
“Hey, hey, Le, we are going to help you. I’ll cut the parsley. You can direct us. We’ve seen you do this, we can help. And you’ll stop bleeding and you’ll be able to do some of the steps later today. It’s all still good.” Fines was rubbing Leo’s arm as he spoke, trying to soothe him.
“Yeah, yeah ok, thanks Finn,” Leo said through a sigh and brought his head back down. And suddenly, they were much closer together than they had been. Leo’s face was so close, closer than Finn had ever seen it. His eyes were bright, and there were a few wet tracks down his cheeks. Freckles scattered lightly over his cheeks and there was the grey patch of hair at his forehead, blending in with the rest of his blond curls. Their eyes locked together for a long, heart thumping moment. Finn’s hand moved without thought, and brushed the hair back from Leo’s face. He was even closer now, so close. Finn could feel the heat coming off of Leo’s body and noticed for the first time he was standing between Leo’s legs. How had he not realised that before? He felt blood rush to his ears, a flush rising to his neck. He saw Leo’s eyes dart down to his lips and then they were even closer together, Finn could feel Leo’s shallow breaths through the small space between them.
“Found them!” Logan said, entering the kitchen. Finn jumped and straightened, but managed to not bolt, some part of his traitorous brain thankfully remembering he had Leo’s injured hand wrapped in his.
“Awesome, Tremzy,” Finn said, trying to sound normal, whatever the fuck normal would even mean amidst this fucking soap opera of a day.
“Has it stopped bleeding yet?” Logan asked as he sprayed and wiped the counter and floor.
“2 more minutes of compression before we check,” Finn said. He was thankful he had a reason to have a shaky voice. Leo was quiet, was just looking at him. “Can you grab Leo a tylenol when you’re done there, Tremz? From that cabinet there?”
Logan tossed the dirty cleaning supplies and got the tylenol, joined Leo and Finn. He stroked Leo’s hair as Finn just had been, and Finn felt his heart squeeze in guilt. Leo was Logan’s boyfriend. He was being a monster. He had to stop this.
“We’re going to need more parsley, right?” Finn asked, voice high. “I know where it is in the garden, I’ll be back.” And he finally let go of Leo’s hand, gently, letting Logan take it instead, and fled outside.
Before going back inside, Finn gathered himself for what felt like the 100th time that week. Why couldn’t his stupid body remember that the two of them were already together? It had been a good week, but also such a confusing one. He put the parsley to his nose and inhaled the savoury scent, using it to distract himself and focus. Leo was inside fucking bleeding and needed his help. He had to go help and make this day happen, for Leo.
So he slid the door open and went into the kitchen, which undeniably smelled amazing, although now with more than a hint of cleaner.
“You ok Leo?” Seeing him sitting on the stool, Logan between his legs now, his forehead resting on Logan’s chest, it was easy to just focus on what needed to be done. “Has it stopped bleeding?”
Leo tilted his head up at him. His face glistened with sweat and tears. “Yeah, it’s getting there. Just mad at myself.”
“Non, it’s not your fault and I don’t want to hear you say it is,” Logan said into Leo’s hair.
“Want me to chop this?” Finn asked, holding up the parsley.
“Yeah, thanks so much Finn, you’re a lifesaver.” Finn took a step towards the cutting board and Leo spoke again. “Actually, you could put it in the little smoothie blender. It’ll get tiny and then no one has to use knives again.”
“You sure? I can do it slow and steady?” Finn said.
“I’m sure, the blender will get it nice and small.”
So Finn processed the parsley and mixed it carefully into the boudin and put it all back in the fridge.
“D’accord, that has to sit for awhile yet? And there’s time. Let’s get your finger wrapped up.” Logan carefully unwrapped the digit and used a butterfly bandage, gauze, and a finger bandaid. He kissed the tip of each of Leo’s uninjured fingers and raised Leo’s hand above his head. Leo kept his arm up as Logan leaned in for a soft but deep kiss. “We’re ok, it’s ok,” he murmured. Finn busied himself cleaning up the first aid kit while Logan led Leo to the couch. Finn brought Leo a glass of iced tea and then turned back to his notes, not looking at how Logan and Leo’s hair mixed and contrasted when their heads were tilted together.
~~~~~~~
Like they were professional athletes at a starting line, at 2:00 the final preparations began. Finn’s parents vacated the area, and Logan and Finn helped Leo gather the ingredients from the fridge and pantry.
“Put on some music, Harzy?” Leo asked. “Give us something motivational or optimistic or even full on delusional, cause we have to get this done.”
They all laughed when the first bars of eye of the tiger started, so Finn let the song keep playing.
“Ok love, so you can’t use your left hand as your wet hand for the egg dipping, right? I think Finn and I can manage rolling the balls and dipping them in the egg and breadcrumbs? And you can probably manage frying them with one hand?” Logan said.
“You know the steps?” Leo said, impressed.
“Leo,” Finn laughed. “Do you know how many times you’ve made these this week? Ok I’m on egg, you take the breadcrumbs, Tremzy.”
And so they did. Finn formed the balls, Leo sitting across from them and approving the size and shape of each before he would dip the ball in egg and then place it into the dish with bread crumbs in it. Logan would shower it in breadcrumbs and line them up on a tray. A pot of oil was starting to sizzle on the stove. Logan and Finn gave each other an eggy and crumby high five when all the balls were coated and lined, and laughed as they cleaned up the space for Leo to start frying. After Leo struggled with the first few, they found another pattern of Finn helping to stabilise the ball onto a slotted spoon that Leo used to slowly lower them into the oil, and Logan had a paper towel and cooling rack lined tray right beside Leo to roll the balls off onto. Leo hardly needed to take a step, and their five hands worked in tandem, like a coordinated dance, music playing in the background and the trees waving through the window, for nearly an hour while they fried all the boudin balls.
Leo laughed in relief when he set the last one on the cooling tray. “Wow, that was probably ridiculous to watch, but we make a good team.” He took Logan under his arm and gave Finn a gentle fist bump with the other. “I appreciate y’all helping me.”
“Nothing else we’d rather do,” Logan said. “What’s next?”
Leo rolled his shoulders back, thinking. “Plate the coleslaw into one of the pretty pottery bowls, grill the veg, thank the lord they’re already chopped, cut the cornbread into cute squares and plate them, plate the boudin balls and the sauce, and I think that’s it.”
Finn shook his head, laughing. “I want to eat all of it right now,” he clapped his hands together. “Ok, chop chop then!”
Leo levelled him with a serious look. “No chopping jokes, thank you very much.”
Finn rested his hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Ok, no problem. I’ll cut it out.”
Logan and Leo both groaned. “I’ll do dishes and get the stuff from the fridge,” Logan said with an eye roll.
“I’ll get the veggies all out to the barbeque, and then come back in and cut the bread,” Finn laughed.
“No, I want to cut the cornbread. I’m fine, I can do it,” Leo protested. Finn agreed, reluctantly and they all set to their tasks. Leo supervised and advised and chose which dishes to use, and set a few more aside in case the photographer wanted options, and it was generally organised chaos until everything was sitting arrayed on the kitchen island and they stood there proudly, nothing left to do.
“Leo,” Finn sighed. “It smells and looks so good. I can’t even believe we have to wait for the pictures to be done to get to eat it all.”
Leo just laughed and stretched his arms above his head. “I’m so nervous, and I can’t smell anything anymore. What if it’s all gross,” he groaned. Logan shook his head and shoved him towards the door, both of them going upstairs to change into fresh clothes.
Pandora arrived like a summer breeze, warm and airy and kind. She exclaimed over the smells and the house and the view. She started clicking photos and jotting down notes about the recipes almost the minute she arrived. Finn and Logan retreated to the dining table to give them space, and just watched Leo describe the food animatedly, watched him and Pandora arrange and rearrange the dishes. Moving them into and out of the dappled light coming through the windows. Beside the pretty backsplash, on the wood floor, then brought some of the dishes outside to photograph with a natural background.
Logan scooted his chair right beside Finn’s. “Look at him smile, he’s so happy,” he sighed.
Finn smiled back, responding to Logan’s bright smile. “Yeah, he’s really really good at this.”
“Ouais, he’s just so good overall? He’s amazing. I’m so lucky.”
“Yeah, he’s the best,” Finn agreed, the words so true he hadn’t thought to hold them back until they were out. He turned to Logan with a moment of worry that Logan wouldn’t like him saying that. But Logan was just looking at him softly.
“You’re pretty amazing too, Finn. Thank you so much for this week. It’s been so nice, to be somewhere this beautiful, this chill, with Leo,” he gestured out the door, then turned back to Finn, “with you.”
Finn crooked a smile at him. “Well I can’t take much credit for any of the beauty around here. Thank my parents, and like, the gardener I guess.” He was trying to downplay, but also couldn’t tear his gaze away from Logan’s. Logan was looking right back at him. He had a ring of hazel brown at the centre of his green eyes, only there when you were looking this closely, in the bright natural light of the kitchen. Finn could look at these eyes for hours, the colour was so deep and velvety. And then there were his lips. They were a bit dry, but such a full, perfect shape. Finn couldn’t look away and when he glanced back up to Logan’s eyes he saw that Logan was looking at him just as intently and for the second time today his heart sped up and heat spread up his neck. Two people, so different, but both so extraordinary, his heart felt like it was growing, making more room.
“I think you can take some credit,” Logan said lowly. What had they been talking about? “You are so generous, Finn. So fun to be around. This week, with you, has been really special.” Logan was even closer now, again, and Finn could now feel his breath gently against his skin, soft and sweet.
Pandora and Leo bustled back into the room, talking animatedly. Finn bounced away from Logan, and Logan sat back more slowly, smiling over at Leo. Finn stiffened, and stayed stiff the rest of the night. He didn’t let himself reach across Logan for the coleslaw, didn’t take Leo’s hand to inspect when he asked how his finger was feeling. He did everything he could to avoid the gravity that was pulling him towards Leo and Logan. They ate, and laughed. With his parents and Pandora at the table too, the conversation was free and easy even as Finn’s heart was tight and guilt gnawed at him. Pandora left, effervescent with praise for Leo and excited discussion about sharing and editing the photos. Finn’s parents shooed the boys from the kitchen, saying they would clean up tonight. Logan and Leo packed up and before Finn knew it they were all standing outside the front door, near where he had first seen Logan again for the first time in years, just 10 days ago. He melted a little into Leo’s deep hug, unable to stop himself from absorbing the sunshiney heat Leo’s presence always brought. Then Logan stepped forwards and part of Finn wanted to bolt, but as images of lowly lit study rooms and Harvard greens passed through his mind, he took Logan into his arms and inhaled deeply with his nose in Logan’s neck.
“It was so good to see you again, Tremzy,” Finn said, his voice shaky.
“You too Finn. This was, well this was the best surprise. And the best week.” Finn pulled away, knowing he was dangerously close to tears.
“Thanks for having us,” Logan said.
“No problem,” Finn said, overly bright. His eyes were stinging. “Anytime!”
He felt Leo and Logan’s gaze travel over him and he held himself tall and smiling, waving until they were in their Uber and driving away. Then he collapsed onto the front step, head in his hands as one ragged sob escaped his chest. They were so good, and here he was, wanting both of them.
@noots-fic-fests thank you for the cover and hosting!!
Character by @lumosinlove and this one’s rated M.
As the next few days went by, the sun kept shining and Leo kept cooking. Finn really did have to work, but he found himself working in sight of the kitchen most of the time. Leo was clearly excited, and stressed. He cooked an impressive amount of food on Friday and Saturday, both to eat and to practise. Lostercakes one night and then salad with lobster the next lunch. An elaborate plate of breakfast choices, arranged in a nearly perfect rainbow; purple red onion, green cucumber and sprouts, orange smoked salmon, and avocado slices plated in a way that when the sun caught them, they could almost be called yellow. Logan had done the bagel run and Finn’s parents, back for the weekend, exclaimed at Leo’s cooking. The fridge was starting to burst with leftovers by Saturday afternoon, and Finn had a feeling it would only fill more as the big dinner approached.
But then from the edges of his work focused mind, Finn saw Logan take Leo’s hand, making him set down the dishes. He pressed up and kissed him, and led him outside. Finn smiled to himself and let them go, relieved to see Logan take care of Leo. He kept working, reciting his daily affirmation of ‘I am an apex editor,’ which helped him to relax and laugh, if nothing else. Maybe he should get a sticker that said that on his laptop.
Some time later, Finn stretched his arms above his head and closed his laptop. He made sure all the lids were on his pens and put them away, tidied up the table, and got himself a bubbly. He walked to the patio doors and leaned against the doorframe, looking out past the pool to the garden. He took a deep breath of the fresh air, and then went outside. He walked along the house, under a balcony roof to the side of the house to enjoy the shade and view. He leaned back against the house and relaxed. It was only mid-afternoon, but he had done enough work for today. The tree line stretched out in front of him, gardens and flowers in front of him. It really was an absolutely beautiful place to spend the summer, so colourful, it smelled so good.
Movement caught his eye in the garden. Leo and Logan. Leo was pointing at different things, zucchini? Squash? Carrots, smaller things Finn couldn’t make out from here. Despite the distance between them Finn could sense their smiles more than see them from here. Leo would point at something, Logan would fetch it, and press a kiss to Leo’s mouth, or neck, or cheek, and then pass him whatever he had picked. This went on, and Finn kept watching, no more in control of his staring than he was in control of his heart rate picking up.
The next thing Logan brought, he kissed Leo right at the level of Logan’s mouth, around Leo’s sternum. The next handful passed with a kiss just a bit lower, to Leo’s chest. The next, and Logan could have been passing Leo a whole cake for as much as he was paying attention to that , was lower. Logan kept up until he had to stoop to kiss Leo’s belly, then stood, walked back the garden, chose something else, kneeled and kissed just at the top of Leo’s shorts as he handed him something. He stood again, and came back again, knelt again. Finn gripped the can in his hand, one foot propped up and resting against the wall as the wall of the house supported his weight. He saw Leo’s head drop back in a laugh as Logan played the game of leaving and coming back again . Finn didn’t know, but he gasped along with Leo when Logan kneeled again, laughing, and ran his hand firmly up Leo’s thighs until they were skimming under the hem of his rolled up shorts. Logan was kissing over Leo’s belly and over top of his shorts, and, yes , Leo reached down and traced a hand through Logan’s hair. Finn inhaled sharply, the sound loud in his own ears. It shocked him enough to realise what he was doing. He was spellbound. The only world that existed was the tunnel of vision between his eyes and the couple across the yard. His friends . His grip on the soda can was tight enough to dent it. His body was tightly coiled, unmoving. He was hard. He fled.
Finn was upstairs hardly before he knew it and retreated through the first door he came across, which happened to be the upstairs bathroom. He closed the door and sat on the edge of the tub, head in his hands. What was he doing? He hadn’t meant to watch, really. They had thought they were alone and Finn had just got sucked in. Guilt, and something hotter, were roiling in his gut. He couldn’t sit, could stay still, so stood up and paced the small room. He finally stopped and leaned back against the wall and let his head thunk back. His heart was beating and despite the guilt, the hot feeling was there, from toes to the red tips of his ears.
Of course seeing two objectively beautiful men turned him on. That wasn’t bad. That was biology. His lizard brain didn’t know that he wasn’t part of their group, their love. He’d just take care of it and then go make sure the dishes were done before Leo would be wanting to cook dinner.
He undid the buttons on his pineapple print blue shorts and reached in, still hard and a tacky spot at the tip. He moaned only a little at the touch and, figuring he may as well make this quick, reached into the shower and poured himself a drop of conditioner, before leaning back on the wall again, like he had been outside. He had only stroked himself a few times when he froze, hearing voices and footsteps. He didn’t move, head resting back against the wall, slick hand down his shorts, hand frozen like his whole body had been before.
The steps came closer and then passed by the door, voices hushed and laughing. Fucking giggling. It was adorable and a smile peeked through his frozen face. He heard the sound of another door closing and realised he was in the bathroom, which was right next to Leo’s room. Leo and Logan’s room. They were right there, on the other side of that wall. Laughing. He thought he heard a muffled “finally,” and more footsteps. He felt the wall behind him shake slightly with the impact of a body against it from the other side.
“Yes, Lo, go on, come on,” he heard Leo drawl, vowels long.
He didn’t hear any noises coming from Logan. But Leo, that must be Leo groaning. That must be Leo urging Logan on. Finn’s hand was moving again before he even realised, again, only noticing when he heard a gasp come out of his own mouth. So he clasped one hand over his mouth and the one around his cock moved , the only other touch against his body the strength of the wall holding him up. There wasn't much to hear, nothing to see, but he knew . He knew they were continuing what they had started outside, and Finn was powerless in the grip of his desire. He moved his hand, stroking and twisting, both trying not to picture his friends in the other room, and being unable to not imagine Leo’s long neck stretched back against the wall, Logan’s curls carding through his fingers. He forced himself to blur the faces in his mind, to imagine a body in front of him, but not a particular person. His hips were moving now, he hadn’t come in way too long and it was right there for the taking. He heard more noises and absolutely did not connect the dots in his mind to what those sounds meant. He came over his fingers, gasping into his hand, trying to be silent and still through his release, letting stars spark through his vision and his hearing go dull, but all quietly. When he was able to think again, he was glad that they were very likely still occupied and wouldn’t have noticed some heavy breathing through a wall. He heard movement from the other room, and peeled himself off the wall. He grabbed tissues and snuck from the bathroom silently, padding up the hallway to his own room, mercifully just a few doors away, and behind the closed door, it was quiet.
He collapsed onto his bed and lay there for a long time.
Today is a sweet day for the cubs. @noots-fic-fests shoutout for the prompt and cover, and characters by @lumosinlove
The rest of the evening took them wandering, laughing through streets, stopping for some unknown reason for more candy. They threw skittles at each other from even expanding distances, trying to catch them in their mouths. They actually even succeeded, sometimes. They meandered under the moonlight, with Leo’s arm around Logan’s shoulder, and Finn tossing candies to himself to try to catch. They followed the streetlights until they led to a boardwalk by the ocean. You could hear the waves before you could see the water, in the near-dark. Finn took off at a run when they could see the water.
“Finn! You better not be swimming in the dark!” Leo called after him.
“It’s not that dark! Come on,” Finn wheedled. He had already reached back between his shoulder blades and pulled off his shirt. And, despite the hour, the sun wasn’t completely down. And there were lights on at the boardwalk. And some people were having fires scattered along the beach. And Logan was tugging Leo’s hand.
Leo dropped Logan’s hand with a laugh and tugged his own shift off from the bottom. Finn was in his boxers by then and was darting for the water, bag of candy still in his hand.
“Catch the next one and I won’t dunk you!” he called to Logan as he pelted a candy at him.
“As if I’d let you dunk me after a shit awful throw like that,” Logan scoffed, his feet just stepping into the cold water. “Tabarnak, c’est froid,” Logan yelped.
“Wah wah wah, come on, quack quack,” Finn called. His shorts were wet, sticking to his thighs. He tossed another candy to Logan, and Logan caught it neatly.
“Well well well, look at that,” Logan said smugly, “What’s my prize, Harzy?”
Finn rolled his eyes. “Not getting dunked.” He tossed the whole bag to Logan. “Do me”
They tossed candies and splashed, Leo joined them and Finn knew they were being silly, three grown men playing in the shallow water, yelling when a bigger wave splashed them, chilling their bellies. But under the quickly setting sun and rising moon, it felt perfect. It felt blessed.
Logan tried to jump over a bigger wave, trying to avoid the cold, and nearly lost his balance. Leo caught him with a long arm around his waist and hauled him into his body. Leo dipped Logan back, kissing him, their bare chests pressed together. Finn stared. The sun was mostly set, but the last lingering pink tinted their bodies under the moonlight. Leo’s blond curls flopped into his eyes as he bent forwards, Logan’s back bowed backwards and his chin tilted up. They were beautiful. As beautiful as the ocean was, as perfectly aesthetic as anything in this perfectly aesthetic town. More, even. What landmark had pale skin that glistened like that under moonlight? What modern house could rival the lines of the waves of Logan’s hair? Finn took a deep shuddering breath as Leo came up from the kiss, breathless.
“Careful there, sugar.”
“Why be careful, when I know you’ll catch me, soleil?” Logan murmured back as Leo pulled him upright.
Finn basked in the echoes of their love and it felt warm like sunshine.
They shivered back into their clothes, shoes in hand, and Logan gave Finn a piggyback when he stepped on something halfway painful. Finn’s smile expanded across his face as he looped his arms loosely around Logan’s neck, and held on. Logan eventually put him down with a sincere, “you good, Harzy?”
“Yeah,” Finn said, slipping his shoes back on. “I’m grand.” And he was.
