WHO: August + Belle
WHEN: 9/2/17
WHERE: Belle + Mal’s wedding reception
WHAT: Legit, August is an asshole in the worst possible accidental way. Pretty funny, I highly recommend reading if solely to watch August insult the bride.
Belle: For the first time that night Belle started to feel the ache in her feet, and her lower back, from all the dancing. Not with Mal, he'd ducked out of dancing duties early for good reason, but she still had plenty claiming turns around the floor with the bride. Claiming a parched throat, she escaped to the beverage table to watch Eli sweep someone else into a jaunty waltz. Not surprisingly, her neighbor was also watching him. She settled into a chair beside Augustus, sipping her drink. "Do you know how weird it is that you're dating someone who looks exactly like my ex husband?"
August kept an eye on Eli as he moved, drink almost completely forgotten at his side. The man had so much more energy than anyone he'd met over the age of 18 and it had his lips pulling up at the sides. "Do you know how weird it is that you're dating my chef?" It was lame and he knew it but August couldn't properly reply until he'd pulled his eyes away from Eli. "He's hot. Stupid hot. We have damn good taste. Not that I'd go for your husband, but he's pretty hot too." The exhaustion was still weighing heavy on him but he gave Belle his best smirk.
Belle: "Excuse me, you hired my boyfriend to be your chef." Future boyfriend, but still. Belle couldn't help grinning as she watches Eli, though, and caught a glimpse of Mal across the fairy-light-bedecked floor. "Yes, yes he is." Standing again, Belle stretched her arms above her head in a languid stretch, trying to get her lower back to stop aching. "You look tired, August. Is my wedding boring you that much?"
August snorted out a laugh and tried not to choke on his drink in the process. "For once I've not got an insult for you. Between spending time with Elijah, business, and the sheer amount of times my father has called me over Magnolia getting remarried in the last twenty four hours I'm worn down." His gaze snapped to the dress as she stretched, and August's eyebrows raised up real high. "Either that angle is extremely unflattering and you've been eating too many of Mal's biscuits or you've got a bun in the oven." The words were said without thinking, a commentary he'd have made any other day of the week too.
Belle: She was about to make another crack at his work ethic, one of the few things that she admired about the man but that she felt she could tease him over, when his comment threw her off kilter. Frowning, she put down her arms and smoothed a hand over her stomach, hidden under the flowing skirt of her dress. Not that she'd tell August, but it occurred to her that her clothes had been fitting snugly lately - clearly a product of Mal's stress baking. "Do you know how many biscuits the man makes when he's stressed out?" She brushed it off, refusing to let the dig ruin her mood at her own wedding. "Word of advice, when you go to Magnolia's wedding, try not to tell her that she looks fat in her dress."
August winced a little when he realized what he'd said, muttering a quiet apology before offering her his plate as some kind of backwards physical apology. "Ah. Yeah. Blame the exhaustion on the lack of tact. Not that I'm going to Magnolia's wedding for that to be a problem, but... taking it to heart?" Though he did still wonder... but if it was a rushed wedding because she'd gotten knocked up that wasn't his business, at least not until he could get Mal alone when he came back to work and ask him about it.
Belle: Belle rolled her eyes but took August's plate anyway, snagging some of the dessert he'd left. All the dancing had made her ravenous. "It's not the worst thing you've said to me, by far. I'll chock it up to your general southern charm. You should go to Magnolia's wedding, though." Belle handed the plate back as someone from the art department waved her over. "Gotta mingle. Go steal Eli back before someone else woos him out from under you, he's too good a guy to lose out on." And with that she was off again.
WHO: Beau
WHEN: Ambiguous but most likely after a plot-drop tomorrow
WHERE: His studio
WHAT: Beau looks through one of his favorite photo albums. (Mentions of quite a few people!) For a MIAA para challenge about what love looks like to them. Played with the theme a little.
The photo albums were Beau’s favorite thing about his studio. They were placed high on a shelf so that only he could purposely stumble across them because everything inside was so personal for him. Packed full of photos of memories, of past and present, of the people he was getting to know and of the people who already mattered so much.
Love was such a tricky thing for Beau. He’d never been in love in a romantic sense, honestly wasn’t sure he even believed it was something he was capable of, but all you had to do was open the biggest photo album to know that Beau had loved and loved hard. Emotion wound through the pages. Compassion and care scattered in pieces through photo after photo. Such genuine love in every photo he came across.
His parents laughing on a beach, hands tangled together in an embrace so intimate teenage Beau had missed it. Years later with their heads huddled together as they cradled their granddaughter and marveled over her tiny fingers. That was a personal favorite of his that he’d sent to them both for their last birthdays.
His grandmother working in her garden with her gray curls pinned up inside a sunhat he’d always loved to steal and dirt streaked over her face. Another of her carrying water inside the house, with arm muscles taut, in giant buckets for cooking despite having running water inside for years.
Cinead hanging upside down in a park at the age of 17, the tree limbs and foliage the perfect backdrop for his friend’s laughing face. One of him not even three years ago with a purple flower his fiance had tucked behind his ear and that same bright spirit evident in the creases around his mouth.
His cousin Jamison and his wife Rachel toasting with wine glasses at their wedding at the tender ages of 19 and 20, and a few years ago at their 15 year anniversary party with friends and family everywhere behind them. The amount of love between them had felt large enough for everyone to feel the vibrations.
A 3-month old Emmy tucked against Naomi’s chest, both of them dressed in varying sized animal onesies for a photo shoot that’d turned into a series of candids. This past year on a beach in Amsterdam, Emmy on her pregnant mother’s lap. Yet another with Jeremiah pacing outside of the hospital room as they waited for Emmy’s half-brother to come into the world. A photo of Nathaniel tucked in there for good measure. A different but still perfect family unit.
Belle in his t-shirt and sweatpants, covered in paint but so lost in her work that she hadn’t even noticed him there. Another of her from years ago when they’d first met and she’d broken the prim and proper look to walk barefoot on the beach with him hand-in-hand. Even one with Jacob and Eli that had the perfect Polaroid-in-summer feel to it.
Martin asleep on his lap after a heated discussion about why or why not the government was hiding bomb shelters under the White House. A rare photo of the two of them that’d been snapped selfie-style during Beau’s birthday weekend with their heads thrown back in laughter because the timer went off as someone nearby had started shrieking about a haunted bird.
Even a few photographs of Malcolm that he’d refused to get rid of despite the bad blood that’d bloomed briefly between them. Malcolm in his New Orleans kitchen (at the stove of course) with pure joy on his face, and another of the chef with his head nestled against Beau’s neck that was carefully tucked behind the first in case anyone went snooping.
There were other friends and events that’d weaved through the albums too. Mitchell (including a few he’d tucked behind others much like the Malcolm photos), Josh, Frankie, Adrian, Alex, Easton, friends from back home that he still sent postcards from his travels, people he’d met during his travels. There were pictures of company he’d made from all over the world.
Not just people, either. There were places that had left impressions so deep he could feel it in his bones. Aberdeen and a tiny little town in Georgia, of course, one could never forget where they came from. Places around Lake Tahoe. Mumbai, Toronto, Bristol, Sudan, Cape Town. Snapshots in time of places so beautiful, so raw, so full of life you couldn’t leave without feeling it too as far as Beau was concerned.
This, to him, was love. That was the thought that ran rampant through his mind as he thumbed through the pages and scribbled memories like notes in the margins.
WHO: Beau, @frankiecallaghan, Emmy (NPC), Naomi (NPC)
WHEN: 2/28/2017
WHERE: Beau’s off-campus studio
WHAT: Frankie shows up at Beau’s house to ask a question and meets a very unexpected guest.
Beau hadn't been expecting the knock. He'd spent the day holed up inside with Emilia and Naomi, letting them give lengthy updates on life in Canada. Thankfully his daughter had been particularly affectionate and the hours with her on his lap gesturing grandly about her friends and school and the purple elephant her uncle had gotten her had soothed parts of his soul he didn't know were wearing thin. None of that made him any less wary as he made his way to the door. This had been kept tucked close to his chest for a reason and most people weren't privy to the information, and the only people who got unbridled access were family. "Sorry I'm a little busy right n- Frankie? Woah, wasn't expecting you." The man brought forth an automatic grin, and he shut the door a little so he couldn't see inside. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"
Frankie needed to get out of the house for a while before he came down a literal case of cabin fever, it wasn't Tahoe's snowy reprieve was unwelcome but the painting he was working on was giving him hell and Cupcake Wars wasn't as fun without someone to cuddle up to while watching it. Toughened by winters spent in Boston and unafraid of the weather they were having, Frankie grabbed his favorite coat and headed down to Beau's place. There was no certainty that he would be there instead of on campus but it was worth a shot and there was a grocery on the way back that he could stop by either way. Of course, it was only when Beau opened the door that Frankie realized he might have called before swinging by. "Oh shit, man. My bad. If it's not a good time I can totally fuckin' take a hike. It's my Canon, damn thing won't turn on, think it might have finally kicked the bucket - I figured if anyone would know it was you."
Beau was going to tell Frankie he was busy or maybe go outside to take a look at the camera since he had missed his friend in the midst of all this chaos, but before he had a chance to Emmy shoved open the door and lit up at the sight of someone else. It was usually just them or family when they visited, and he knew it must be a treat for her. So when she piped up with a "Hi! I'm Emmy! Come and get some juice!" like it wasn't someone that'd be a stranger to her, Beau didn't have it in him to tell her no even if this would mean a lot of explaining and untucking the secret from his chest a bit. "You're welcome to come on in. It's wise not to tell Princess Emilia she can't have her way when it comes to making friends," Beau said with his ever-easy grin, smoothing down the little girl's hair and opening the door wider.
Frankie knew that he should fuck off, he had caught Beau in the middle of something which was no problem, he had mostly been looking for a reason to get out of his cabin anyway. He took a step back and was about to apologize again and take his leave when the door behind Beau was pulled open and a little girl stuck her head out to greet him. Frankie's opened his mouth, caught off guard, his gaze flickering up to Beau and back down to the child - Emmy. His initial thought was that the photographer had picked up a babysitting gig himself but another look at Emmy told him that that wasn't the case. Whatever the case may be, Frankie was a sucker for children and wasn't one to turn down an invitation for juice. "I love juice, I drink a ton of it - it's why I'm so big." He said with a bright smile, looking up at Beau one more time to make sure this was okay before stepping inside. "It's nice to meet ya, Emmy. I'm Frankie." He knelt down to offer Emmy a friendly high five.
Beau was glad at least that it'd been someone like Frankie. He didn't think his friend would be too upset about how quiet he'd kept everything. Maybe, hopefully, he'd even understand why. "We're big on juice around here too. Pineapple juice is the current favorite." Any reservations he had were paused when Frankie got down on Emmy's level, and maybe it warmed him more than a little to see a friend of his interacting with his nearest and dearest, especially when Emmy gave an enthusiastic high five in return and grabbed the still extended hand to tug him towards the kitchen. "Emmy, you want to tell Frankie more about yourself?" He slid in front of them and led them towards the kitchen where at least maybe Emmy would be distracted enough they'd have a moment to talk. "Frankie's Da's friend from work."
Frankie laughed, warm and happy, when a smaller hand wrapped around his to tug him in the direction of what had to be the kitchen. "Ah man, Pineapple juice is bomb." He said with an agreeable nod. "It makes bones real strong so little girls can turn into big ones, no lie." It was dangerous, telling a kid that what they were drinking was good for them, but Emmy seemed enthusiastic enough about the juice that she wouldn't be put off. With it looking like he would be staying for a few minutes, at least for a cup of juice, Frankie shrugged off his coat. The way Beau talked to the kid did something to his heart, there was no way Emmy was anything but his little one. "Yep, I paint teach people how to paint. Well. I teach 'em how to paint better.
Beau was officially a puddle when Emmy started talking more, asking Frankie what he painted and if he was old like Da was, if he wanted extra juice for being nice and if he wanted to meet Mama. He was typically not the emotional type but Emilia was the thing that unlocked every little box and let emotions flood out. It wasn't something he could, or even tried to ignore. "You can teach me t'paint!" Her accent was the funniest mix of Naomi's and Beau's, and coming out of a three-year old - in Beau's opinion - made it even cuter. Followed by a "Why is your voice so funny?"
Frankie gratefully accepted his pineapple juice and made sure to take healthy swigs of it between nodding in genuine interest at what she had to say or answering her questions. He told her that he liked to paint people and outside, but that he did it in a way that made them look kind of weird, that he was even older than her Da was, would never say no to more juice, how she was a a wonderful hostess, and that he didn't want to bother anyone more than he already had. "I can absolutely teach ya how to paint, kiddo." Frankie agreed, already wrapped around Emmy's finger more than he cared to admit. He snorted gracelessly when she asked why his voice was 'so funny,' humming thoughtfully like he really had to think about her question. "Well, ya see. I come from a truly magical place called Boston, Massachusetts and this is how they talk there. How come your voice is so funny?"
Beau couldn't stop watching the two of them. It was like watching twins meet each other for the first time in how similar their personalities were, and he was endlessly amused by it. "Are there faeries there? Da says there are faeries but Mama says no but I want a faerie." Tiny fingers reached up to touch Frankie's face curiously, like tracing his features would somehow help her understand Frankie a little more. "Because my Mama talks funny! Da does too. They gave me part of their voices!" Beau smothered a chuckle at how she misunderstood the process but didn't comment on it, not when Emmy was still in the room. "Hey, babygirl?" He finally piped up, kneeling down beside her and scooping her up in his arms for a kiss. "Why don't you go ask your Mama about going to get chicken nuggets later? You can talk to Frankie after if he's not busy." It was a blatant try to get a kid-free moment to talk, and when it worked he breathed out a sigh of relief.
Frankie snorted into his pineapple juice, he had gotten into an argument on the subway once with a guy who had called him a fairy but something told him that was a story for another time. "Probably, there's all kinds of cool things in Boston. Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins, don't see why faeries wouldn't want to hang out in a wicked place like that." Frankie died a little, right there in the kitchen, when Emmy's small hand reached up to touch his face. He leaned in, ducked his head down so she could reach more, scrunching his nose in amusement. His beard that was growing back must have felt scratchy as hell to touch. Frankie nodded at Emmy's assessment of her accent, like it made perfect sense to him, which it kind of did. She had so much to say for someone so small and he couldn't get over how wonderful she was. Frankie beamed when Beau reached out to scoop her in his arms, swallowing down a pang of longing with a mouthful of pineapple juice. "Chicken nuggets! Ah man, you better get on that Emmy." He said, laughing as she ran out of the room, before turning to look at Beau. "She's fuckin' perfect. I want twelve." And then, a touch more serious after a beat of silence. "I get it."
Beau watched her walk out of the room and didn't focus back in on Frankie until she was gone, clearly a dozen times softer than he usually was, even with the closest of his friends. "Just one's a handful and a half. Without her more often than I'm with her and she still knows just how to drive me up the wall. Imagine that times twelve." He paused. "But you're right. She's perfect. So perfect, and I..." The relief was palpable, and maybe he sagged a little bit when he realized Frankie wasn't going to get angry at him for hiding something so big. "Yeah? Thank you. She's everything, you know? Her not being here fucking kills me. It kills me me to be living so far away, but being in one place and having a steady job that doesn't require traveling... I've at least got a shot now, of getting her more often, and until then... I just... I can't untuck her from where she is."
Frankie hummed at that. He had done quite a bit of babysitting in his day, had a weekly babysitting gig now, but at the end of the day he always got to give the children back. His trials and tribulations consisted of spilled sippy cups and fussy infants, he could lose himself in the domesticity of it all but that didn't mean he was a father. "That's a lot of fuckin' pineapple juice," he agreed, both amused and terrified when he actually thought of what it would be like to take care of twelve toddlers. The smile he felt tugging at the sides of his mouth while listening to Beau gush about his daughter twisted down at the visible reaction Beau had to him expressing his understanding. "You don't gotta thank me man, you said it, that girl is your everything and I fuckin' get why you would be hesitant to tell anyone." Frankie thought back to all the friends he had back home that had grown up with a father that had split, not cared at all. "It's not my place to say, and I'm sorry if this is out of line, but she seems real good. You guys are obviously doing something right, you know, making it work the best you can. I've known her less than an hour and I already know she's like... the best three year old ever." Frankie nodded. "I'm rootin' for you, pal. I hope you get to see her more often."
Beau let out a peal of laughter at the pineapple juice comment and went to open the fridge where four jugs of it were already sitting. Thankfully Naomi kept him well briefed on what Emmy loved and what she didn't, and he'd made sure to get as much of it as possible just in case. "That's just for one human, man, and she only drinks so much. Though Naomi loves it too, so you know, comes in handy. That woman would over run my kitchen faster than Emmy would." His expression was almost as fond when talking about Naomi as it was talking about Emmy. Looking at Naomi after holding his babygirl in his arms for the first time was the closest to being in love he'd ever been, and that was an important thing to him. "It's not out of line." I could fucking hug you right now almost came out of his mouth but instead he leaned in and gave Frankie the tightest hug that he could. "Thank you. It's not easy. Naomi's remarried, she's got a baby on the way, but she and I are still damn good friends and Emilia is our first priority even when we're fighting cats and dogs. Even her husband and I are friends. Which talk about fucking awkward, but it helps a lot when trying to schedule nightly Skype calls and visits and shit. Speaking of, you want to meet her? She's been itching to figure out what the place is like and I can't bring her and Emmy on campus without getting loads of questions."
Frankie raised an eyebrow when Beau opened up the fridge to show how much juice was kept on stock to keep the little one happy. It seemed impossible that someone as small as Emmy could pack away more than one glass of the stuff but the enthusiasm she had shown earlier made it easy to believe. He beamed when Beau began talking about Naomi, the woman who could easily be deduced as Emmy's mother. Frankie felt warm and pleasant, content to bask in the secondhand sentiment of clinging to Beau's words. It was his turn to look relieved when he was assured that he hadn't stepped out of line, it was no secret that Frankie had a habit of sticking his foot in his mouth, the last thing he wanted to do was turn a delicate situation into an uncomfortable one. He made a happy, slightly surprised, sound when Beau wrapped his arms around him tight and hugged the photographer back with everything he had. Frankie almost felt jealous at how close Naomi and Beau were despite things being less than easy sometimes, couldn't help but think about Amanda - the person who knew him more than anyone else in this world - and how it had been years since they last heard from one another. "That's so fuckin' wicked, that you two can be in one another's lives, that you can be friends." He nodded enthusiastically, Frankie was a people guy, he loved making new acquaintances "Yeah, if I ain't bothering you guys. Or, you know, your time with Emmy."
Beau let the hug linger for a moment in a move that was pretty uncharacteristic for him. He had been so prepared for someone that'd have been angry to find out about Emmy first to the point that he'd had speeches prepared. For Belle, for Malcolm, maybe even Martin though he kind of doubted it'd be an issue with him, anyone that he'd almost blatantly lied about it. Maybe even his students and other colleagues. But with Frankie there'd been no need for it, and if Beau was emotional over that then there was no need for anyone else to know. "It was rough at first. Took a lot of arguing things out to get to middle grounds, we just tried to never let it show through to her even if we wanted to murder each other." The central focus really had done so much good. Made it possible to zero in on everything but their disagreements, and even if it'd taken the first year at least they were on solid ground now. "Of course you're not." He led Frankie through to the living room where Emmy had taken over, with giant doll houses and toy cars all over the place, and blankets and pillows piled up everywhere the girl had decided to lay down. Naomi was stretched out on the floor with her letting her hair be poked and prodded with plastic children's tools. "Hey, NayNay, this is Frankie. Guessing Emilia already told you everything." He gestured to the couch with a grin. "Just get comfortable anywhere."
WHO: Beau & Belle
WHEN: 1/22/17
WHERE: Beau’s studio
WHAT: Presents and affection and faux proposals, oh my!
Belle: Still wearing a stolen Patriots jersey (and little else besides that and a pair of red pumps), Belle rushed from her car into Beau's studio out of the cold. It wasn't like it was getting any warmer, but she had a terrible habit of forgetting that inside temperature and wardrobe didn't equate to what would be comfortable outside. Setting aside a small brown bag, she shrugged off the jacket she'd thrown on over the jersey. "Mr. Alistair, your five o' clock massage is here!" she shouted in her best 'sultry secretary' voice.
Beau sauntered into the room with a grin spread wide over his face. "Am I getting the deluxe happy ending package today?" The facade ended with a very thorough once over before he was rushing forward and tugging Belle into a tight hug, pulling her up off of the ground and twirling her around in a way he'd thought about doing a hundred times but had never had a chance to. "Sorry, couldn't resist getting hands on with the new masseuse," he said teasingly, going back into character if just to attempt throwing her off balance.
Belle: He managed to surprise a laugh out of her, her arms going around his neck to hold on tight as he spun her around. "Qu'est-ce que c'est? No, honey, I'm the one getting a massage. The happy ending is up to you, mon cher." Still grinning ear to ear, she leaned in to brush her lips over his jaw, making her way to his ear with barely a touch, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I have something for you."
Beau stilled the hug but didn't put her down, hands going down to the backs of her thighs in what he'd normally view as a dangerous move and holding her there. "Vous manquer, belle." His French was shaky at best but he could follow along hoping he'd gotten it right. "Massages are generally best done naked... though you're already halfway there, sweets." His eyes fluttered shut and oh but he was reigning himself in. "Oh? Care to share?"
Belle: She caught her lower lip in her teeth when his hands gripped her thighs, the jersey a dress on her but not quite big enough to cover everything, especially with her arms lifted around his neck. "Absolutely." Going for broke, she sucked the lobe of his ear gently, briefly, before releasing it and sliding out of his grip. It was dangerous territory to be flirting so profoundly with Beau, for a number of reasons, but she couldn't help a little teasing. Picking up the plain paper bag, she handed it to him. "I stopped into this camera shop for supplies and found this. There's also some mystery rolls of film in there, if you're inclined. I thought it spoke to your adventurous and voyeuristic spirit." (Book: http://www.blurb.com/b/5762955-san-franc... )
Beau let her slip out of his grip with the smallest of sighs as he willed himself to behave, knowing that even if she wasn't his student he still needed to tamp it down quick. The only thing he had going for his mission to ignore any chemistry was that there were presents and no sane human being chooses staring at someone's bare thighs over presents when there's an option presented. "Adventurous and voyeuristic spirit is the best compliment I've gotten all year," he teased as he carefully opened the bag and pored over the new treasure. "Belle! This is so bloody cool. Oh, this is going to be my inspiration this week." Beau paused, tilting his head. "I wonder if we'll find something scandalous on these rolls of film? My bet's on someone going for the nudie shots. Want to wager?"
Belle: His reaction was well worth kind of missing the hug already, her smile mirroring his as he looked over the gifts. She'd always been a little sentimental, and more often than not a bit excessive, with gift-giving, but it usually paid off and this was no exception. Humming and pretending to consider his proposition she stepped up to him again and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I hope there's nudie shots on there, too, so we'll bet on the quality. If they're tasteful, classy, I win. If they're less than tasteful, you do. Winner gets a proper massage from the loser. Deal?"
Beau He couldn't stop the smile that was all over the place, cheeks pink from the excitement of it. Presents really were top 10 of his favorite things. Especially thoughtful presents because those were like finding a needle in a haystack. Almost immediately his hands went around her chest, tugging her in to a tight hug before letting it loosen. "Deal. Though who loses tasteful, classy shots? You're just setting me up to win sweets. Want my hands on you that badly?"
"I'd be lying if I said the idea hadn't crossed my mind, handsome." Laughing, Belle laid her head on his shoulder and took one of the rolls of film, squinting at I as though she could see through the cartridge. "That's the fun of found photos. No one takes pictures, especially not on film, and means to lose them. They're all special." Shrugging, she gave him a friendly peck on his cheek. "What are you working on?"
Beau was such a sucker for affection, and Belle was one of his best girls. Which is why he was dreading the school year coming up - he wasn't Martin, he couldn't get away with nearly as much, but he didn't like having to go without this either. "Unless you just want to use up film. Which is a waste and you shouldn't be allowed to have it. Maybe it was a couple coming in on vacation? A cheating couple, so he takes pictures of her that are gorgeous and glam so he can lie easier if they're found," Beau mused, nuzzling her hair and giving her an easy grin. "Not much. Still have a few baked good from what I snagged from Malcolm the other day. Want some?"
Belle: "A recent divorcee wanting some boudoir photos to reclaim her womanhood," she suggested smiling as he nuzzled her, fingers sliding up to the back of his neck to tug gently at a curl of hair. Since the semester didn't start until morning she didn't mind indulging herself a little bit. Despite being a vestige of her past there was a sort of ease with Beau that she enjoyed too much to ignore completely. Although if there was one thing to get her attention away from physical contact, it was food. "Mmm, that was sexy. Say that again, but this time a little slower. Maybe take your clothes off to really seal the deal."
Beau was soaking up the little sparks flying at the way she handled him, but he figured as long as he didn't say anything then maybe time would just pause for a bit. "An older man wanting tasteful nudes to send to his new lady across the seas," he murmured, though Beau was as distracted by the idea of food as she was. "Want some baked goods?" The words rolled off the tongue and he deliberately thickened his accent and added a drawl, pushing down on the waistband of the jersey pants he had on before bursting out laughing and leading her to the kitchen. "Sorry, kitchen's only clothes off for company I'm sleeping with. Want to sit in here for a bit? Or head to the living room?"
Belle: Alas, missed opportunities. I should have slept with you back in New York." She followed him to the kitchen, unable to resist tucking a fingertip into his waistband, her nail just barely scraping his hips, on her way past him. Grinning innocently, she hoisted herself up onto the counter and let her feet dangle. "I'm good in here. Unless you like the view better form in there." Plucking a croissant up, she broke off a piece and made a noise of appreciation at the taste. "He okay? Mal, I mean. Although you, too." She pulled him over to stand in front of her, the joking gone out of her expression and replaced with concern. "Martin didn't tell me exactly what happened, or who was involved. And I don't need details. But it doesn't take much to put it together."
Beau "I should've made a move in New York." He grinned back over his shoulder, a full body shudder going through him at the unexpected touch. Fucking tease. "Oh no, the view is perfect from exactly where I'm standing." His coffee was poured but he nearly dropped it when she mentioned him and Mal. Damn, but she was too perceptive for her own good. At least Beau knew Belle wasn't going to tell a soul. Explicit trust was pretty strong between them. He just knew her too well to doubt her. "Yeah, he seems to be. I... think I am? Gonna go by Martin's office later and make sure we're good too. It's... it's.... tense in a way I didn't expect. Man still doesn't get how willing I'd be to jump his bones either - or else it was a flat out unvoiced no. Can't lose friends over a roll in the hay. Even a damned good one. Uh, was... Martin okay?"
Belle: Belle took his coffee and sipped, wrinkling her nose at the bitter taste and reminding herself to bring him some decent beans. She still didn't have the whole story, but she didn't need to to feel sympathy for all three of them. Her hand sunk into his hair again and she brought him down enough to press their foreheads together. "He was a little off, when he first showed up, but he's been texting Mal, and you I guess. He gets a certain look on his face when he's worried." She shook her head a little. "I think he just wants things to be okay with everyone. It threw me a little, I didn't take him for being the type to worry about that sort of thing. Guess I underestimated how much Mal means to him. You, too."
Beau rested a hand on his stomach as he tried not to let his nerves bubble up all over again. The physical distress this weekend had caused was palpable, but Belle's easy affection ebbed the most painful of it away. "Yeah? I can't say I know him well enough to know what he'd do, but Mal seems to be pretty close to him." He chewed on his lip and let his eyes close, focusing on how close she was and the way Belle always seemed to know just what to do. "Don't count my chickens before they hatch, m'love, gonna find out tonight if we're even still friends. They could just wanna toss me out, y'know? Ban me from the friendship circle or something."
Belle: She could feel how tense he was, her fingertips kneading at the knots at the back of his neck and pulling him closer for no other reason than comfort. There was a time for flirtation but this wasn't it. "No one in their right mind would ban you from their friendship circle, Beau." She smiled a little knowing how dramatic he could be. "Martin doesn't strike me as the type to see anyone he doesn't want to see. And if Mal is giving you baked goods then clearly you're not hated there." Taking his face in her hands, she gave him a gentle kiss, closing her eyes and resting her head against his again as she pulled back from it. "If they decide you're so unworthy, which is again unlikely, you and I will quit this place and run away to Morocco."
Beau let her move him in, let her seep the comfort in that he needed. Usually things didn't get to him like this, but anything that could mess up a friendship - or more than one - left him a little... off balance. "Have I mentioned lately that you're my favorite?" He grinned sheepishly, leaning a little more heavily into her. "So I'm not the only one that views Malcolm's food as synonymous for friendship? I always assumed if he didn't like you he'd refuse to see you." Despite the flippant replies he was taking it to heart. The kiss was returned very lightly before Beau circled his arms around her and held her close. "That's the best plan I've ever heard. We could get a house by the ocean and watch the world from our thrones."
Belle: "No, I totally equate all friendship with people who give me food. I've been told I'm like a dog that way. Or maybe that's not what they meant," she joked lightly and turned her head, nuzzling her nose against his jaw. This was how he worked through things and she got it, it was similar to how she coped or dealt with a difficult situation. Something physical to ground and jokes to lift the spirits. "House rules. No clothing inside at all, minimal clothing outside. Snacks on hand always. Aaaand..." She thought for a moment, lips pressed to his chin. "Wild sex, every day. That will show 'em."
Beau "Ha! If that's not what they meant then - well, I can't beat them all up for you, but I can try." One hand rubbed over her back, and it was as much a thank you as it was returning what she was giving him. It made it easier to breathe and to stop his own thoughts, and he couldn't be grateful enough that they'd fallen into this rhythm. "So you don't want me in your friend group? Then guess what, I've got the most gorgeous girl in my house and my bed, and you're stuck being friends with each other. Without sex. Or snacks. So ha." He said it with a heavy accent, and it might not have been a bad image at all, but he laughed at the sheer hilarity of the looks he thought he'd get if he ever said those words to either of the men. "It's the ultimate punishment."
Belle: "My hero," she said, laughing against his stubble. He always had good hands and everything else that had been on her mind, coming back down to earth after a weekend away from everything, was eased as he rubbed along her spine. It helped too that he seemed lighter, not so burdened as he was before. "The ultimate revenge," she countered. "You have to take my name when we inevitably marry for the lavish and ridiculous wedding, though. Beau Beauregard is too good to pass up." Sliding her hand from his neck up to his face, she traced his features. "It wouldn't be so bad, hm? Call it a break glass in case of emergency plan."
Beau beamed at her, deliberately rubbing his cheek against hers again. It was so easy just to sit here like this. So relaxing. He didn't understand what people did, now, when they didn't have someone like Belle to calm things down in their head. "How many times would you tell the world my name just so you'd get to repeat Beau Beauregard? I'm betting 100 before the honeymoon is even over." Beau watched her with a quiet smile, nuzzling in almost like a cat would. "That should be our 10 Years plan. I've seen them in American movies. 'If we're still single in ten years, then....'"
Belle: "Oh, at least two hundred by the time we leave Fiji. That's where we're honeymooning, by the way. Got it all planned out, I'm efficient like that. Beau Beauregard." Coffee and breads forgotten, Belle matched his smile with one of her own as she danced her fingertips across his face. He had a smile that lit up his eyes and she reminded herself to practice more with her portraits. Maybe by the time this plan came to fruition she'd be able to capture that glint on canvas. "Ten years plan. I think thats reasonable. And-" she leaned in closer, the tracing hand trailing back into his hair again. "By then I won't be your student."
Beau "Does that mean I get no say in the wedding either? Fiji sounds like a nudists dream," Beau teased, hands wandering down to her waist and settling there where it was comfortable. The easy way she touched him was something he didn't have with too many of his friends, and it was something he could very easily get used to. "Oh," he said on the edge of a sigh, grin spreading enough he could feel it stretching his face. "You are an absolute genius, love. The world's going to be stunned. Love story for the ages. Friends, turned student-teacher, turned naked and married on a beach in Fiji."
Belle: Laughing quietly, Belle tried to imagine it. It was almost easy, although she doubted Beau would still be single in ten years. He was a wanderer, but with a loyal streak that begged to be settled eventually, so long as the wanderlust was fed and happy. For her own part, Belle didn't plan to be Mrs. Anyone again. As nice of a fantasy as it was, it was just that. A fantasy. "They'll make a movie about us. It's too bad we won't be friends with a famous writer anymore, we'll have to find someone else to do the screenplay." She played with his hair idly, leaning back enough to meet his eyes with a grin and a shake of her head. "And how will we remind ourselves of this promise?"
Beau willingly went along with the fantasy - though he knew getting married was something that wouldn't happen to him unless they were both still single in 10 years, it was fun and fun was what he did best. "We could always make him pay us to produce it. We're so famous by then that he'd be knocking down our door to get a chance to put us in his screenplay," Beau said sagely, knocking their foreheads and grinning back cheesily. "Oh! I've got an idea." He moved over to the drawer he kept the bread in and pulled one of the twist ties off, twisting it around her ring finger with a flourish and an ugly bow on top. "There. This is why I never tried sculpting."
Belle: She was loathe to let him go but watched with a curious and delighted grin as he produced a twist tie. She held out her hand for him, laughing and wiggling her fingers when he finished. "It's /perfect/, darling. Not a diamond in the world could compare." Still smiling, clearly unable to help it at this point, she took his face in her hands and drew him into another kiss. This time she indulged a little, lingering at his lower lip and not pulling away just yet. "I should go, you have a date."
Beau kissed over the ring with an even grander flourish, quite proud of himself for finding something that'd work on such short notice. "But of course, a chuisle mo chroí, you deserve nothing but the very best." Maybe Beau should have pulled away. Maybe he should've focused on the fact that she was a student, but they'd been friends for 4-something years now, and if he was honest cupping her cheek and turning the kiss into something proper (if brief) was much more enjoyable. "Come see me after classes tomorrow?"
Belle: As she sighed into the kiss, Belle reminded herself of all the reasons that it could only be a kiss. At the end of the day she valued Beau above her own urges and she wouldn't see him losing a job that he deserves for their lack of self control. Inwardly she was glad that she'd come to see him after a wholly satisfying weekend away, or else the decision might have been a different one. "Absolutely. Good luck tomorrow, future Mr. Beauregard." Giving him a last peck on the cheek she hopped off the counter and smacked him on the butt on her way out, laughing as she left.
WHO: August + Eli
WHERE: Elijah’s apartment
WHAT: Elijah has to tell August about the incident with Beau, and August has some things to tell Elijah as well. Serious discussion ensues with very unexpected results.
Eli had given August an open invitation - hell, he'd all but given him his spare key - so there wasn't any way to avoid him, not for long. The first day he was back was busy, Eli distracted himself with a double shift at the hospital with barely a couple of quick naps to sustain him, and knew before he got home that August would be there waiting for him. A part of him was thrilled by that prospect, ecstatic that he was coming home to someone warm and inviting. A smaller part was fucking terrified, because he couldn't avoid talking forever. He dropped his bag by the fro t door, hung his keys and shouted to the apartment. "Hey, I'm home! You around?"
August had curled himself up on the couch and stretched out as much as he could. There was food on the table and a sick feeling in his stomach that he hadn't been able to escape while arranging the food Mal had made. "In the living room!" Augustus called, already lighting up at seeing Elijah for the first time in days despite the fact that he knew he'd have to tell him what happened and why he'd run like hell from LA afterwards. As soon as he saw ELijah he was shoving everything to the side to bring him in to a kiss that definitely spoke of more than 'no, it's nothing official' even if he was continuously denying it.
Despite his hesitancy and denial, Eli couldn't help the flood of warmth that washed through him as soon as he saw August, meeting him in the kiss and pouring so much more into it than he was used to. He wanted to tear their clothes off, get closer, as close as possible. But things needed to be said, and if they weren't out in the open right away Eli just knew that he would chicken out. "Hey, nice to see you too," he said with a chuckle, pulling back to rest his forehead against August's, his hands cupping his face gently. "I gotta, uh...I gotta talk to you about something. Not like a bad something. Fuck, I'm bad at this sort of thing." He dropped his hands and couldn't muster up a smile, only grimacing a little as his chest twisted. If it was over it would hurt. And fuck, he had been trying so hard to avoid that. "While you were down in LA, I almost hooked up with someone. I mean we - I would have, if he didn't stop it first. And I just...I don't want to do stupid shit like that when we're together. If we're...together."
August waited for the words to come out and if he was honest, it did feel a little like someone shoving an ice pick into his chest and twisting it. There was something distinctly territorial going on inside his chest, he'd freely admit that. But what right did he even have to be upset? He'd almost done the same thing, and because of that it was only those last words that really gave him pause. "I was going to talk to you too. About the same thing, actually. I hooked up with someone while I was in Los Angeles and..." It hurt to get out, and he reached for Elijah's hands like they'd be able to ground him somehow. "Couldn't stay after. Had to leave. I fucking like you and......" Maybe the words had to be ground out but it was only because emotional and serious wasn't something he did all that well. "Together. Together's what I want to be. What we should be. What it felt like we were."
Eli felt somehow like he'd been punched in the gut. Winded, sore, knocked flat. For as horrible and awkward and afraid as he felt almost sleeping with Beau, this was worse. He'd never considered himself particularly territorial, had made sure to be as accepting and open as he could be, but the mental image of August with someone else crushed him in a way he didn't think was possible. Nimbly, he drew August into another kiss, light at first and then needy, a little desperate. "I like you too. More than just this what we've been doing, just fucking around." He laughed, voice a little hoarse. "Shit, I thought you were going to leave. I thought - I'm fucking bad at this, you gotta know that. I keep a weird fucking schedule, I forget to call when I'm late, I'm not the best at remembering shit like birthdays or anniversaries or whatever. And I... I like you. So much. I want to be with you, I don't give a shit what you did in LA."
August wrapped around him like an octopus, the image not particularly appealing but there was nothing else he could find as accurate of a description. The kisses were heated but not necessarily sexual. More trying to get his fill of Elijah after being so sure this could only go one of two ways. "Not going to leave. Can't leave." He buried his face in Elijah's throat for a second and just breathed him in before peppering kisses wherever he could find free skin. "Not great at it either. Business meetings and school, long hours and a short temper with most everyone but you. I'm an ass, Elijah, but I like you too, and I want to... we should try this. This thing. Want to do it right. We can get past all the other shit, it's doable, and if it's not at least we're giving it a damn good go."
"We can figure it out," Eli said, the nerves that are on fire from anxiety quashed by August's closeness, the kisses. He holds on hard, hands clenched in the back of August's shirt as he buries his face in the other man's neck too. It's all he can do not to completely climb on top of him, squash him into the couch, make sure that he can't change his mind suddenly and leave. His words are comforting but anxiety-inducing - Elijah doesn't want promises, because promises can be broken. He doesn't want to think about all the many, many things that could go wrong because he needs this. He needs August. "Does this make us boyfriends?" He chokes on a laugh, then busts out with it, the sound rolling out of him as he keeps on holding. "Jesus. It sounds so fucking... I don't know. This is intense and boyfriend sounds like something out of a goddamn teen movie. Fuck. You want to be my boyfriend? Cause I gotta tell you, I want you to be my boyfriend, Southern."
August had never used the term before. Never. It was something so juvenile but he couldn't help the answering snort and rolling laughter, collapsing back on the couch and bringing Elijah with him on the way down. "Makes us sound like goddamn teenagers, peaches. Though if that's you asking then consider this an official yes and promise to find a term that's not god-awful eventually." It was not at all where he had expected this night to go. Nowhere close. Not that it made anything easier, per se, but it was still a light that Augustus planned to cling to.
Elijah: "Man, I haven't had an official boyfriend since high school." Eli grinned as he laid down atop August, pressing smiling kisses wherever he could reach and settling comfortably between his boyfriend's legs. That was still hilarious. "What about sugar daddy? Except instead of yachts you buy me...I don't know, pizza?" The words were a clear joke, he had absolutely no intention of letting August pay for his shit. "Datemate? Lover?"
"I've never had one, so you've got one up on me." Fuck but Elijah was heavy - though right now he was pretty grateful for the weight. Felt solid, real, like it wouldn't all dissipate as soon as they got comfortable. "Sugar daddy! Hey, I'd feed you your weight in pizza. Might have to up our sex life just to work all of it off," he teased, stretching his legs out underneath Elijah and leaning up to kiss him. "Lover sounds sexy. Datemate sounds... I mean, hell, it works. Why do they never fucking update these terms? Did they expect everyone to be married at eighteen?"
"Deal. Pizza and sex, sounds amazing." He shifted to catch August's lips with his, hands wandering to his waist to hold him, solid and real and incredible. He was almost afraid to move, afraid all this might be some absurd fucking feverdream from being overworked and sleep deprived. "Nah, gay marriage wasn't legalized back when the terms came around, I bet they just called us 'sodomists'. Lovers, though, I kinda like it."
WHO: August + Eli
WHEN: A few months ago
WHERE: August’s house
WHAT: (A little NSFW.) A lot of discussion and getting to know each other better (while naked in bed in the afterglow, because fitting). UNFINISHED
Eli, spent and satisfied, rolled over to stretch out on August's big bed, still basking in the afterglow. Damn but the man was great in bed. And on car, on counter tops... Turning his head to look at him, Eli rested a hand on his own stomach and smiled. "You're good at this. Better than I expected, since you have 'I'm a straight guy' written all over you." Leaning over, he kissed August's bare shoulder, then gave it a teasing bite as he grinned up at him. "How long have you been into guys? And don't bullshit me, I know you were married and you're from the south and you've got this whole alpha male thing going on. Combo speaks to closet living."
Augustus would've usually gone still and clammed up at the topic but he felt fucking fantastic, and he was so sated that nothing felt off the table at the moment. "Should've still had 'fantastic, attentive lover' in much brighter letters." Which was clearly his ego speaking, but it's not like Elijah didn't know that he had one. His fingers went up to run through the other man's hair as he turned a little on his side to face him. "Since I was 11. Not really the sort of thing you talk about, or explore. Never did all that much about it until after my marriage was officially unspokenly open and on the way to ruined, but it's been around a long time. You can bench press me with one arm and I'm the one bleeding alpha male?"
Elijah: "Oh, well that too. Got a lot of space for big neon letters, you know. I think I see 'smartass' somewhere on there too." He leaned as if looking down at August's ass, and in fact it was a pretty decent view. Reaching down to grab it, he pulled the man just a bit closer and kept his hand there. He listened, watching August's face as he spoke. "Eleven? And you're from South Carolina? That's rough." Even in NYC there had been discrimation growing up, perhaps especially because of the neighborhoods he grew up in, but from everything he knew about the southern bible belt he had nothing to complain about. "I'm so gay I can't even think straight. Doesn't matter how many muscles I got, it's still pretty fucking obvious what I'm into." Leaning in close, Eli nipped his lower lip. "Right now, that's you. Are you out to your folks?"
Augustus wiggled his ass and presented it a little, very clearly showing off for the sake of the joke. "Please feel free to write it on my ass anytime you feel the need to. It was pretty shitty, even if people were pretty chill about it there were still more than a handful that'd happily chuck you to the wolves and lay it all out for the tabloids as a scandal. Or the bible thumpers. Lot of those." Not that August didn't still have the religious aspects buried somewhere deep in his bones but it wasn't anything similar to what he'd grown with as far as he was concerned. "Specially obvious when you're checking me out. Have we completely stopped even being subtle about the constant sexual appetite? I've stopped counting how often we're gay together." The tone was still light hearted but he had to force it when his parents were brought up. "On their best days they just don't give two shits what I do as a whole, on their worst days I'd probably end up getting a lecture about the Bible and my reputation. Haven't hidden it from them but I definitely never told them to their face."
Elijah: Turned on his side and facing August, Eli rested his head on his bicep and took it all in. They were naked in bed together, having a conversation about some pretty personal shit, and August hadn't kicked him to the curb yet. He had no doubt the man would be polite and courteous if he did, but Eli was starting to relax and feel welcome despite some of his preconceived notions. "Ah, good old bible thumpers. You should memorize scripture and recite it right back at them sometime, the reaction is great." He kept his hand on August's ass and squeezed as he raised his brows. "Us? Gay? Whatever would give anyone that impression? You know, I think it still counts as just one good gay time, since we've been gay for each other since we met." Now he was just having fun trying to fit the word in as much as he could. The thought of August's parents not giving a shit about him, though, had Eli's brows drawing together and his mouth pulling tight into a somber expression. "That sucks, man. I'm sorry. My mom knew as soon as I did, maybe even before then, but she and J and I are tight."
Augustus darted in enough to kiss Eli as close to the lips as possible. It was something he didn't usually do, the whole casual affection thing, but he was starting to get more fond of it by the minute. "Tried that a few time but the splutters usually ended in someone threatening to call my mother. Which really would be the definition of hell and they just didn't get that." It was hard to stop the chuckles that turned into full fledged laughing which turned into belly laughs and it took him a few minutes to calm back down. "No, no, god, stop I'm gonna choke!" He clutched at his side, finally collapsing a little closer to Elijah as the topic got heavier. "Yeah? What was it like growing up with that? Did the support help with the whole... coming to terms with things?"
Elijah: Eli grinned wide as August laughed, the sound like music to his ears. Goddamn it was nice, to make him laugh and smile like that, and it surprised Eli how much he wanted to do that again sometime, and then keep doing it for a long while. Focusing on the now, he drew August in closer to him and moved his hand up to his waist to hold him, thumb drawing circles in his skin. "I didn't have anything to come to terms with, you know? It wasn't some existential crisis for me, once I got to the age where kids start thinking people are attractive, I was attracted to guys and not girls. My mom, she's always been respectful, so I grew up hearing shit about being gay but not from her, and since she's the smartest woman I know I took her word for it and not anyone else's." Leaning in, he kissed along the man's shoulder lightly, barely-there touches of lips without any goal in mind. "I got lucky, though. I started to get that in high school, that people aren't as smart as my mom."
Augustus: Augustus shuddered briefly under the touch and arched up into it, only trying to get some hint of connection being solidified. Like a reminder of everything that'd happened that evening but a little safer for anyone else's eyes. "Yeah? That must have been so damn amazing to not have that worry hanging there. Not influencing everything you do." Maybe there was a little jealousy there but nothing that he'd let show through anytime soon, nothing that Augustus planned on focusing on. His head tilted back to give Elijah easier access to his throat and encouraging it even. "They're not but one parent who's like that is enough that it should be enjoyed. Nothing like most every other parent that I've ever met, but that just sort of... signifies just how great she is. Did she ever hate a boyfriend of yours?"
Elijah: Eli moved his hand to August's lower back, a playing his fingers out to cover more surface area and then gently massaging the muscles there. "There's always something to worry about, but yeah. I'm glad that wasn't." He heard the tone in August's voice, continuing the kisses along his shoulder and neck. He chuckled against the warm skin, shaking his head. "Yeah, most of them. No one was ever really good enough for her boys, but she made damn sure we lived up to that. The only one either of us dated that she really liked was Belle, but I think that had more to do with her being a lost kid than J's girlfriend. Mom has a soft spot a mile wide for that sort of thing. She'd like you, though."
Augustus considered it exactly the warm comfort that always seemed to radiate from Elijah. The man bled warm and now was definitely no exception. "Not surprising if you're anything to go by. Takes a certain kind of person to help people on the daily, to help with pain and suffering and not let it get to them, make them bitter and twisted." It's something he'd noticed a lot in his parents' richer medical-profession friends and it'd taken a long time to learn it wasn't just the money that made them that way. "She'd like me? Why?" August was only someone parents liked when he was putting on a front, typically, but he was also more used to the standard cookie cutter parents than a real parent who genuinely gave a shit about people.
Elijah: "It's part of the job," he said, but the reality was that he chose the job because that was part of him. It just so happened to mesh well, trying to make people feel better and the medical profession. Talking about his mom always made him smile and he hid it in the crux of August's neck, giving him a hickey just above where his collar would fall. Someone would notice later and know that he'd been with someone, and it excited Eli that it was him. "Same vein as Belle, you're a lost soul. Or at least she'd see it that way. In her estimation anyone with too much money ain't getting enough love to counteract it." Taking his lover's hands and pressing them to the pillows above his head, Eli rolled on top of him, careful not to let his whole weight down. "Can we quit talking about my ma now? It's starting to get weird."
Augustus 's fingers ran another path through Elijah's hair and settled at the base of his neck with fingers properly tangled. "She's not wrong. Wouldn't mind letting a mama fuss over me a bit," Augustus admitted, free hand trailing over Elijah absentmindedly until he had a semi-lapful of Elijah and the grin came back easily. "Only got weird when you got frisky," he teased as his hands found a familiar resting place on the man's ass and held him in place. He leaned up for another kiss and let it linger for more than just a few beats. "Would you rather discuss the boner I've currently got digging into my thigh?" God, it was stupid easy to fall into this familiar want with Elijah, easy enough he didn't hesitate to seek out the areas that he knew were going to make him react with such familiar noises.
Elijah: "Maybe I'll try to fly her out here soon, she's never been to California and might get a kick out of it." And the idea of his mom meeting August, strangely, didn't phase him in the least. Although why would it? They were just friends anyway. Eli dropped all thought of his mother as August grabbed his ass, automatically rocking his hips against the other man. "I would rather discuss you. Get to know you better." He tried for more kisses, glad for their close height because it meant not having to bend or adjust. And god, there was so much more room to work than in his car. "So you've known for a while you're bisexual. Unless your wife was a beard?"
Augustus was admittedly excited at the prospect. Having never really had close family of his own the idea of someone treating him as such was exciting - even better if it was someone who he was already really close friends with like Elijah. "You can ask whatever you'd like to know," Augustus assured him, hands going to both sides of his hips to hold him in place and get the most out of the positioning. "Not a beard. Pretty sure I'm biromantic and more homosexual if the internet is to be believed. Guess biromantic and bisexual would work? There's a lot of terms, I'm really not sure. Is that weird?"
Elijah: "Look at you, with all the self-aware terminology! It's not weird, not at all." He shook his head, bending again to catch August's lips in a brief kiss. "I'm impressed. Most people, anyone who doesn't hang out the internet anyway, just kind of goes for the typical box that gets closest. Gay, straight, lesbian. No extrapolation or examination of the boxes." Hands wandering up the man's chest, Eli smiled down at him and shook his head. "You're new to this though, yeah? This," he said, indicating himself and the room as if implicating the whole situation without saying the actual words
Augustus leveled a look at Elijah but snorted out a laugh instead of smacking out at him. "Google was my friend. Sterling was also a huge help since he's as gay as they come and knew a lot about the LGBT scene and the terminology surrounding it. Kind of brought me a list when I mentioned being confused.." Which had been a constant source of anxiety growing up, but now that they were older it wasn't quite as big of a deal as it used to be, especially since Sterling was good enough at charming the higher society that most people didn't care. "Yeah. Very new to this." Not that he knew exactly what this was but August was new to it either way. He tugged Elijah in for a kiss and used it to distract himself briefly from the heavier conversation. "Well, this this. Not sex with a guy," he clarified, though he still didn't try to pinpoint what "this" really meant.
Elijah: "Sterling huh? Any chance you can introduce us? Only if he's as hot as you." Eli grinned along with the joke, and it was a joke. Not only was he absolutely not that shallow, despite his weak spot for guys who look like August with the confidence to match, he somehow couldn't imagine up and fucking August's best friend. His smile softened against his lover's mouth and he deepened the kiss, sinking into it wholeheartedly. It wasn't just sexual, and it wasn't just because he liked to kiss, but because of the man he was laying on top of. Hell, he didn't know what all of it meant either, just that he wanted to keep doing it. The mood felt heavy, too heavy suddenly, and Eli shifted so that he was between August's legs, pushing them out to the sides with his hand under the knees, his erection pressing against August's ass as his voice took on a teasing tone. "But you're definitely a top."
Augustus "He can't hold a candle to me on his best days." August's grin was cocky but he took it as the joke that it was. If anyone could, it'd be Sterling - or Elijah - and he knew that all too well. It was all too easy to sink into the mood that had his mind racing to try and figure out when and where it'd switched over into something much more serious. There was no real one place he could pinpoint but August figured that it was one-sided, at least for now. That was something to have a genuine discussion over and that hadn't happened yet, and maybe it wouldn't, he didn't know but didn't want to push or rush anything either. The movement brought an unintentional groan and head falling back. "Top. Yeah, top. Never done it any other way."
Elijah: Eli liked August cocky, liked that he knew how hot he was and how much Eli wanted him, even on a bad day. If the man ever had bad days, which Elijah was seriously starting to doubt. The big reveal that August had never bottomed before wasn't all that surprising to Eli - he'd been with a lot of guys, and while they were all individual there was a pretty obvious difference between the ones who liked strictly to top, the ones who just liked to bottom, and the ones who didn't particularly care as long as they got dick somehow such as Eli himself. Although, August's reaction wasnt exactly a negative one. "Yeah? Why's that?" He didnt want to goad August into doing something he wasnt uncomfortable with, and hell the man probably wouldnt be able to take him even if he wanted to at that, so he tread carefully. Even so, his hands slid down August's thighs to his ass, spreading him so that the tip of his cock could brush his hole, watching his face to see how that went. "I won't lie, having you inside me feels amazing."
Augustus couldn't deny that if felt good. Not as good as being on the opposite end of things but it was just enough for there to be a shudder that went through him, a thought that started to form even if it didn't complete himself. "I...." For a second, Augustus wasn't really sure if he should be honest, since he knew how it could come across, especially given why he tended to think the way he did. "Wasn't very manly, y'know? Already screwing with what my parents want by being into guys, it felt like even more of a betrayal to... Be on the.... receiving end. Didn't feel right." For a second he could do nothing but whimper but August tried desperately to keep his body from betraying him. "Tell me when and where and I'll fuck you silly anytime you want." His voice had gotten gravelly low, and he knew it.
WHO: August + Eli
WHEN: A few months ago
WHERE: August’s car
WHAT: (NSFW! Very, very NSFW). On the way to their first date August and Eli get a little too risky and then things devolve into sexy. Starts with Skype formatting and turns into Chatzy formatting.
"We could order pizza instead, stay in..." Eli grinned at the man, still too new to be a good friend but too interesting to just be an acquaintance. He didn't hide the suggestion in the statement, crossing his arms over his broad chest as he leaned against the threshold of Augustus' house, close enough to be poking into his personal space. "You thinking red or white wine with pepperoni and olives? I feel like it would go with...what was it called, merlot?" He mispronounces it, mer-lott. "Ooor you could step out of that tiny comfort zone of yours and have a craft brew."
"Or we could bite the bullet and go for In N' Out... then come back here and eat, stick to the staying in theme." There was a strange excitement bubbling in Augustus' stomach. This was the closest he'd come to a date since his divorce - and while he wasn't exactly sure how he'd do (or if this even was an actual date?) it was still a thrill. "Please tell me I don't need to give you pronunciation lessons for wine," he drawled, emphasizing the Southern drawl the best that he could for added effect. "I'll even try this craft beer of yours but I'm going to need you to ensure it's the best of the best. Don't doubt my ability to tell when something's cheap as dirt."
Hands still in his pockets, Eli took a step forward so that they were nearly chest to chest, casual and unimposing despite having an inch on him in height and being broader by half. "Cute accent. I don't need lessons, worked bussing tables in a fancy ass place in the city all through junior year. Maybe you could teach me another thing or two later, though. After we go out," he tacked on, stepping back again into the doorway. "We can play it by ear. Come back here if we get bored of the fancy dinner scene and get acquainted with some burgers and beer instead." This time he did pull his hand out of his pocket, offering it to August with a raised brow.
Augustus leaned in easily, taking that last step forward and keeping the tone as casual as Eli somehow managed to. The "what kind of things?" was murmured against Eli's cheek before he pulled his head back and smirked a little. As into the idea of going out as he was it was still his hope to get the other man back in his apartment later. "Works for me. Best of both worlds." Augustus took the hand with barely a moment of thought and nodded towards the Bentley in the driveway. "You driving or do you want to take my baby?" He left the question hanging in the air, only grinning with a quick tilt of one side of his mouth.
Eli wasn't shy by any stretch of the imagination but he did like to play it on the mysterious side, occasionally. "Your baby?" He took a look over his shoulder at the Bentley and laughed. "That's a death trap. Looks like fun, let's do it." August's hand in his, he headed to the car and opened the driver's side door for him before leaning in to catch his lips in a quick, barely-there kiss. "Lead on, fancy pants."
"She's surprisingly safe... when someone else is driving her." The admittance had his lip quirking up, but the kiss had him seeking out another that ended just as quickly before he slid into the driver's seat. His first instinct when Eli settled in was to offer up the coveted iPod for him to choose the music. It was an easy way to learn about someone and if current information was anything to go by Eli generally had good taste (at least he really, really hoped that extended to music). "Please tell me you don't stick to Top 40."
Eli slid into his own seat comfortably, taking the iPod to flip through tunes. He liked music, all music really, but it was nice to see that August had plenty variety to choose from. "Don't hate on Top 40, I can always fuck with Timberlake." He found some Hozier and hit play, turned the volume low enough to talk over but still have ambient sound. The car was fast and, despite being a death trap, kind of exciting - another fact he attributed to the man driving. "I like variety, depending on my mood or whatever I'm doing. Top 40, R&B, jazz, blues, rock. Whatever suits. So you're an actor, huh?"
August couldn't hold back the snort as he made the necessary turn out of the neighborhood. "Timberlake was good back when he first went solo but I can't get into the newer stuff." The song was a personal favorite of his and here or there he'd sing along low enough to barely be heard, almost like the singing was subconscious. "Nice transition. More of a rock fan myself, but yes! Future actor. I've got a place in Los Angeles so I don't have to crash in hotels for auditions. Which extreme, I know, but I like having the option to head out as needed. You happy working at the medical center or do you have bigger dreams?"
"Oh come on. I love some Sexyback as much as the next guy, but TKO? Should be on every sex playlist. Feel free to make fun of me for having sex playlists," he added with a laugh, happily straining his ears to try and hear August sing along to the music. "Don't need big dreams, already doing what I'm supposed to be doing right now. What's LA like?" Curiosity had him leaning over the center console, bracing himself on August's seat back so that he could lean in without pushing on him and disrupting the driving. And then he disrupted anyway, laying kisses down August's throat as casually as he held down the conversation. "You have a nice voice."
"It'd be pretty hypocritical given I've got an entire playlist of Hozier and Clean Bandit and the like tucked into a NSFW playlist." Augustus grinned readily as he stretched his legs in the driver's side and listened with full attention. "This what you always dreamed of? It's... loud. So loud, with people everywhere. Some areas are seedy and some you wonder if you'll run into millionaires, and the food is less hipster and more delicious. I'm debating moving there altogether after graduation... but my pups are attached to this house and living by the lake," he admitted, body arching in an instant reaction to the sensation of Eli's lips, free hand going down to grip at Eli's thigh the best he could. "You have nice lips. Don't even need to be singing." He started humming along to Take Me To Church quietly and emphasized certain parts in his own form of retaliation.
"Its what I'm supposed to be doing," Eli repeated, with his mouth still working on a spot on August's neck that had the man's breath hitching in a nice way. "The dogs are right, Tahoe is great. Less great without you in it, but I can see the appeal of LA. New York of the West coast." Eli scooted closer as much as he could in the tight space, pressed right up against the center console. He didn't touch August with anything but his mouth, even if he wanted to. Lips trailed up to his ear and teeth experimentally took the lobe between them. "Good song," he whispered. "How far?"
"New York of the west coast.... So accurate...." August's mind was already wandering and the control it took to focus solely on the road was pretty great. His hips wanted to jerk up even if the kisses from Eli were relatively PG-13 but he forced himself to stay still and just [i]enjoy[/i] himself. "How far?" His brain was starting to fog up just enough that it took August a second to realize what he was even talking about. "In the song? Oh! Oh, fuck. No ah... we've got.... fifteen minutes or so. I think." A quick glance at the GPS told him he was right and his free hand went over to squeeze Eli's thigh in the only show of just how much he wanted to be getting his hands on the other man right now.
Eli grinned against the skin of August's throat, the man's reactions everything he could have hoped for. He was flustering the great Augustus Abbott - not that the 'great' part meant much to him other than in a nominal sense, he didn't know August the Billionaire Businessman. Who he did know was August the guy with the fast car who got flustered by neck kisses, who loved to dance and loved his dogs. That was enough for Eli. "Keep your eyes on the road, August." He left quick nips along the other man's skin, taking his hand and moving it from his thigh to his crotch to show him that he wasn't unaffected despite his calm, reasonable tone.
"Says the walking, talking distraction. How does anyone get any work done with you around?" The words were said entirely without heat - at least of the irritated kind, the heat currently spreading was a lot more of the kind that would lead to them never making it to the restaurant. Elijah's prominent boner under his hands /really/ only made it worse and when he squeezed the clothed cock it wasn't without August's own measure of teasing.
His laugh was deeper than usual, into husky, throaty territory as his arousal deepened his voice and had him practically growling against August's warm skin. He could feel the car making its way around turns, speeding through the dark and it was stupid to be distracting the driver as he was but damn if it didn't make it that much more enticing. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself. Everyone gives me the shitty shifts," he answered, pressing his hips up so that he rubbed against August's hand. His own gripped hard against the seat back and the dashboard as he kissed lower, past where shirt covered up the other man's chest and bending to go lower at an angle that would be awful if he didn't do yoga.
His free hand on the steering wheel was tightening to the point where his knuckles could easily turn white. This was the most reckless thing August had done in a long time but sometime over the last 10 minutes he'd hit a point where he just couldn't bring himself to mind. "Can't let you work busy shifts or the nurses would be walking into walls and adding to the patient list." It was such an easy thing to lift his hips up to encourage Elijah, but August was barely resisting the urge to let his eyes drift shut so he could just enjoy it. It was almost a rhythm to turn the wheel just so and let the heel of his hand grind against Eli at the same time. Kept him steady. For now.
"Hey, it comes in handy when we gotta give the trauma patients something to live for. Seeing my mug is as good a reason as any." There's a spot just above the hem of August's pants and below his shirt where a sliver of skin peeks out. Eli slid his tongue along it, pressing just beneath the waistband above where he wanted to be. Intent on teasing as he's being teased, he didn't use his hand to unclasp the pants yet and only covered the bulge with his mouth, moaning to send vibrations into August's cock.
"Not gonna lie, I get into a pretty severe accident I'd definitely stay alive for that angel face.... but I expect kisses and I'm betting most of them don't." It was the closest to sweet he could get with Eli's mouth this close to his crotch. For a second August's eyes wandered and he had to pull them back to the almost-empty road as his hand tightened and did its best to stroke along the curve of Eli's cock. Jerking someone off with clothes still on was a first, one he did his best to give solid attention as those lips found where he'd hoped they would and made the most delicious sensations. "Trying to tease is cruel, E."
"You'd get more than that, but only if you got better." The hand rubbing him off through his jeans was distracting, making it hard to think rationally. What had started as a simple tease because he wanted to see August's reaction had spiraled and Eli wanted to taste him. Finally his hand came down to undo August's pants, pulling his cock free of the confines of his clothing as Eli gave it a couple quick strokes and twisted even more over the center console to slide his tongue along the shaft.
"How much more are we talking? Blowjob in the nurse's office? Quick fuck in my office? My mind went to all the most inappropriate work scenarios...." The cool air hit him but was quickly overpowered by Eli's mouth, his most base reaction to work his way under Eli's pants as best he could at the angle and try to get his hand properly around him. It was getting harder to see anything /but/ Elijah and looking down happened more and more often until August felt the car drift and had to slam down hard on the brakes before twisting the steering wheel as much as he could when August saw a car move in front of them as they inched into the other lane.
One second Eli was reaching between his own legs to help August get access, only getting started on his administrations, and the next there were squealing brakes filling his ears, a car horn, and a million horrifying images flashing before his eyes. Car crash cases, from severe to horrific, flipped through his head like a filofax, all the facts and statistics listed out so clinically, such a stark contrast to the pounding in his chest. He had been thrown against the dashboard, knee crashed onto the floor in front of his seat and his sheer bulk and the lack of space the only reason he hadn't gone into the windshield. "Jesus," he breathed when he finally realized they were both okay - stopped in the middle of the road with their dicks out but okay. "Jesus, August, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Jesus."
The other car speeding off with a flipped off middle finger instead of stopping to help was something August saw out of his peripheral vision and he couldn't breath enough to stop them. The way he'd been relaxed had kept him from tensing up too much and doing any real damage - or freaking out and making the almost-accident any worse - but his heart was slamming in his chest before answering he was already giving ELijah a once-over to make sure there was no damage anywhere. "Yeah, yeah. Bruised up a little I think. Fuck. Are you okay? There's no blood, I don't see any blood." Not that it'd been enough to cause that kind of damage but the whole thing had been a shock and August's mind was running a hundred miles a minute as he white-knuckled the steering wheel.
Eli pulled himself up from the floorboard, and though he felt like he maybe should have been shaking he wasn't. He was calm. Unnaturally calm now, hyperfocused on every detail - from the way August's breathing stayed too fast, his knuckles on the steering wheel, every ache in his body. "No blood. I'm fine. A twisted knee, that's all." His eyes were licked on August, on someone he liked. Maybe even cared about, who he'd put in danger. Because, what? He wanted to blow him in a moving car? His voice was even and low, hand reaching out to cover August's on the wheel even as his gut twisted. "We're okay, no one got hurt. Can you pull over to the shoulder? We can stop until...until we're cool to drive again."
"We can get ice. We can get you ice and - do you know what to do for it? That's a dumb question, of course you were." The words kept spilling out and Augustus couldn't stop the flow that had turned to something akin to rambling. There wasn't a second thought before trying to loose his hand from the steering wheel so he could turn it over and lace their fingers together. "Yeah. Give me just a second?" A few breaths and August was slowly manuevering the car over to a safer area and only letting his eyes slip shut when they'd parked. "Never gotten in a wreck," he finally admitted. "About the only wild child thing I never put on my paparazzi record."
Eli pulled August's hand to his mouth in unconscious automation, kissing the back of it gently as they drove slow to the shoulder then let it go again so that he could park. As the engine cut out, Eli tucked himself back into his pants, not exactly hard anymore, and let out a slow breath. "Went upstate once when we were ten, Albany or somewhere I think. Took my mom's cousin's Chevy for a joyride and got about a block before wrapping it around a stop sign. J took the blame." He didn't know why he said it, it wasn't the first thing he thought of. ER codes for a pileup, a car rolling off the highway, Augustus on a slab. The thought terrified him, cooling him to ice somewhere deep down. "I'm sorry."
Following in Eli's footsteps seemed like a simple way to calm himself down. Tucked back in to his dress pants, buttoned and zipped and properly concealed. For a second he was worried that maybe the incident would be the end of their evening together but... maybe not the best time to worry about that. "What made you decide to go on a joyride? Perks of having a twin." His smile was a little shaky still but it didn't take quite as long for his heartbeat to even out at least. "Why are you sorry? I felt myself drifting and never asked you to stop. Didn't want to ask you to stop. Didn't even consider the consequences. Felt good, and I..." He trailed off and gave a slightly more awkward smile. "Now we know our limits right?"
"It was there, no one we knew in brooklyn had a car." Eli still felt shaken, still felt that cold seeping into his bones, but the feeling was ebbing with the distance from their almost-crash. The flashes of massacre have faded and August real and safe beside him was taking precedence. He reached over to take his hand again, palms together and fingers laced. "I shouldn't have been pressing like that...It was stupid. Dangerous." He turned to face August, pulling him him gently to meet him halfway and setting his free hand against the man's cheek to draw him into a slow and gentle kiss. "No more foreplay in moving cars seems like a solid rule of thumb."
Augustus could soak up the feeling of having someone close. Someone who seemed to innately know how to calm him down. "Stupid seems a little harsh. Dangerous fits, though," he admitted, the kiss enough to make him forget what happened for the time being. At least for a few moments. Elijah had a way of making him feel everything wholeheartedly and the kiss was really no exception. Easing into it was exactly what he needed to start feeling like himself again. "Doesn't mean we're erasing foreplay altogether, right?"
Elijah: Eli considered pulling back, but the closeness in the dark car surrounded by quiet nighttime was as much a balm on his anxiety as anything. With a few minutes of peace in his system now he was starting to miss that rush of excitement, the adrenaline that came with doing something dangerous and, yes, stupid. He ramped down on it, distracting himself with the very nice feel of August's mouth on his. He couldn't remember when he'd last made out with someone in a car. College, probably. "Hell no," he answered, grinning against August's mouth. He let go of the man's cheek to reach down and cup his crotch, as unsubtle as ever. "Didn't say anything about parked cars, did I?" He rubbed through the pants one good time and then pulled his hand away to rest against the other's thigh instead. "Unless you want to get going. I can probably behave myself."
Augustus 's vivid flashes of negative images were rapidly fading from his brain and it was the biggest relief. "Not so worried about flashing police lights, hot stuff?" It was as far from an actual complaint as Augustus could get - the slowly chubbing up boner was a clear sign of that. He was already leaning into him when the hands pulled away and he let out the most audible whine as he sought after the now-missing kiss. "No. No, we should most definitely not behave. Behaving is solely for moving vehicles and those without the imagination to get sexy wherever they want."
Elijah: "Cops? Nah. Been down that road before, not so scary after the first time you're arrested for public indecency." Man, that whine did things to him. Eli stayed just a tiny bit distant, his hand moving back to the growing bulge in August's pants but stopping just shy. "You sure about that? We could just forget about the whole foreplay thing. Go on to dinner..." He leaned in to press a kiss to August's neck under his ear. "...Have some of that wine you like so much."
Augustus 's laugh was loud and bright, spilling out into the night air. "How many times have you been arrested for public indecency?" Both hands went up to Elijah's (very impressive) arms and did his best to keep them in place, maybe a little needier than usual after such an emotional rollercoaster in such a short span of time. "Only way dinner sounds more appealing is if you're blowing me under the table," he teased. Mostly teased. Fifty percent...? Whichever, as long as you're not stopping what you're doing."
Elijah: "Twice, but only charged once and I was a teenager so it got purged from my record. Squeaky clean." There's an edge of desperation that usually isn't there for Eli. He'd normally be content to tease August until neither of them could stand it, but the air is charged with the excitement of just being alive, palpable relief clinging to their skin. He slides his hand under August's waistband to get better access to what he wants, returning to the man's lips with another, more solid kiss. "Dont stop this?"
Augustus "Squeaky clean? Mmm surprisingly, all nefarious acts in cars aside, I can see it. You're just so wholesome." August's hands wander over a clothed chest, palms brushing nipples before resting back at his neck - like giving himself an order to behave, for now. "Yes. That. Don't stop that. Your hands are free to go wherever the hell they want to go right now. As long as it's mutual."
Elijah: Eli had to laugh at the wholesome description, certainly the first time he could recall being called that. His hand wraps around August's shaft, not thst there's a ton of space in the confines of the pants to work with. "My hands want to be right here," he says, pressing his forehead to August's as the man grazes his nipples, sensitive from the piercings he'd opted to wear for their dinner out. Wishful thinking, maybe, but maybe warranted considering where his hands are. "Definitely mutual. Fuck, August. You're goddamn sexy, you know. And this tiny ass car is not made for shit like this. I feel like I'm about to get friendly with the gearshift here."
Augustus gave the middle console a thoughtful look before his own palm slid down to grope at Elijah through the few barriers left between them. "Fuck," he breathed out, back arching up and body automatically curling in towards Elijah in the process. "How inappropriate is it to turn the car around right now and head back to mine? Pressing you back against a bedroom pillow sounds that much more enjoyable right now." His cock twitched against Eli's hand, all subtlety thrown out the window as something like need took over.
Elijah: "You want to wait that long?" Eli pressed into August's hand, a low groan in his throat as he tightened his grip on August's cock. His he and felt too constricting again, but he wasn't about to let go of his date just yet. He pressed hot, needy kisses all along August's jaw as he undid the button and zipper of the other man's pants again. This time the car wasn't moving, he could focus entirely on August, on the way he was reacting and the way Eli's own body responded to him. "We should have stayed in, I can't keep my hands off of you." He laughed, a little huff of breath against August's neck. "Not that I want to try my self control tight now."
Elijah: *His jeans felt
Augustus "No. No I really don't. Right here's great, I'll pay off any cop that stops us." August moved to push the center console up and out of the way, wanting as little distance between them as possible. His hips jerked up against Elijah's hands and he twitched, letting this intense need he was feeling take over the situation. "I say we go for Round 1 here, recovery time, then Round 2 back at the house?" The words were said between pants, hands going up under Elijah's shirt but not wanting him to stop long enough to get it all the way off. His head ducked down to leave small marks over the other man's collarbone, mouth tracing a pattern only he could see.
Elijah: Eli got as close as he possibly could in the confined, dark space. It was truly a good thing neither of them were claustrophobic and that neither seemed to be opposed to as much contact as they could get because Eli was true to his word: he couldn't keep his hands off of August. His head tilted to give the man access to his neck, that hot mouth incredible against his skin, no doubt putting small temporary marks on him. "Sounds perfect. God damn. Keep doing that," he said when August's hand brushed over his chest. His big hand palmed August's erection and stroked, the other one braced on the seat to keep himself from altogether falling and crushing the guy he was making out with, thinking of how much of a buzzkill that would be.
Augustus tilted his head to leave small marks (that'd hopefully fade within the hour) on patch after patch of skin, finally pushing him to let loose just long enough to tug the shirt all the way off. "Keep doing that," he muttered in turn, using his teeth enough to gauge his reaction. This was so goddamn heady and he wasn't sure if it was the man or the chance of getting caught or the adrenaline rush from earlier.... or all three.... but he could easily get used to this. "How tricky would getting on your lap be? I have an idea."
Elijah: Eli's shirt was tossed somewhere in the back of the car to be hunted down later and his hand was only gone just long enough to remove it from the equation. The hint of August's teeth on his skin had him groaning, something between impatience and pure need driving all his thoughts and actions for the moment. He wasn't even thinking about cops catching them, all he wanted was this man's body on his. "Shit. Maybe?" Eli pulled away, already missing the contact, and found the lever under his seat to push it back as far as it would go, hunting down another to lay the back down. Grinning, he unbuckled August's seatbelt and easily lifted the man over onto his lap where he could lean up and kiss him. "Much better," he said into the kiss, pressing the other's hips down with one hand so that he could grind up against him, still clothed form the waist down.
Augustus couldn't accurate describe how damn hot it was that Elijah could handle him like a ragdoll, move him as needed and barely seeming to break a sweat. "Muscles like fuckin' Hercules," he murmured against Elijah's lips, balancing himself with one hand on the side of the seat and the other against the man's chest. "Yeah, there we go..." Was maybe seconds before he was trying to get at Elijah's zipper, wanting them both just as exposed - and maybe hoping for the direct skin on skin that he was already imagining as a hard cock ground up against his and made him damn near whine again.
Elijah: He laughed, another breathless chuckle, and bit down on August's lower lip, testing the waters out some more. They were learning each other and Eli was excited to know every little thing that made Augustus pant and moan and beg, to find all the places that made him shiver and want. He reached down to help push his pants down his hips enough to easily pull his own cock out. He didn't expect August to bottom for him, not by a long shot, but damn was it nice to have him on his lap, skin against skin as he held their cocks together with one hand and the back of August's neck with the other. "How's that?" Frotting against him, Eli smiled into another kiss, wanting to hear August again.
Augustus felt a strange weight lift when Elijah took hold of the proceedings, rocking his body up to get more of that calloused grip wrapped around him and tightening his thighs around Elijah's in the process. "Fuck, that's so good, just let me -" He reached his own hand out to wrap it around Elijah's, pacing the tempo just a little bit faster. Kissing him was damn near impossible without further maneuvering but he kissed at whatever skin he could reach, light peppered kisses that were barely there.
Elijah: Breathing heavy, Eli dropped his head back against the seat to watch, even if it deprived him of those amazing kisses. For the moment, anyway, he wanted to see August and their hands, wrapped around each other's and their own cocks. "You look incredible," he huffed out, groaning and arching up into their hands, rubbing his shaft against August's as he sought out more friction. He was getting damn close to the edge, the combination of adrenaline and the man on top of him, incredibly sexy, pushing him faster than he'd like. "I'm gonna cum if you keep that up." Warning issued, Eli sat up again just enough to drag August into another hard kiss, as much as they could manage it at that angle.
Augustus was so into the small bits of praise, with the way that Elijah seemed to constantly make him feel like he was doing everything right. "So are you. Eli, I..." The question for more and whatever more meant was on the tip of his tongue but when he was pulled up into kiss that was when he let everything still. He so carefully ran his palm over the head of Eli's cock before getting a solid grip again, body jutting to keep the plethora of sensations going. "No. No, not yet. Want to - Have a -" The words fell short but Augustus pulled away from the conversation and tried to settle himself back enough that his mouth could wander down over the other man's chest and stomach, wanting to explore everything thoroughly."
Elijah: Eli focused on the disjointed sentences falling from August's lips, maintaining as much control as he could even as the man handled him so well. He dropped back again as August's mouth wandered, his other hand moving from the back of his neck and into his hair instead with the fleeting thought that it was as soft as it looked. "Fuck, babe, okay. You tell me when." He groaned out a pleading sound following the submission, stroking and sliding his hand along August's length until it was a pain to reach and then just touching whatever skin he could.
Augustus pressed kisses over the curves of Elijah's abdomen, out over his hips and back in again. It was fairly easy to ignore what he knew the other man wanted to make sure he made things even better, including squeezing his body down to its knees in front of Elijah. "Wanna try this first." Once again the words were said between kisses, down his thighs and back again before finally sinking his lips down over Eli's cock, slow but sure. The tugs on his hair were so good and they only urged him on.
Elijah: "Jeeeesus Mary and Joseph, the whole...fucking bunch of them. Youre sure as hell not making this any easier there, Southern." Eli's words were strained, his control nearly slipping as August's hot mouth covered and enveloped his cock. The teasing kisses were great but this was goddamn amazing. Elijah gripped the man's hair in one hand, reminding himself not to push on him or thrust up into his mouth - there was a lot of him, in every sense of the word, and he wasn't about suffocating his dates - while the other hand held a crushing grip on the driver's side headrest. He moved back as far as he could to give August as much room as possible in the tiny space, wishing there was more room to maneuver. "God damn that feels good. I'm not going to be able to hold off, babe...You gotta let me...."
Augustus squeezed Elijah's thighs as he carefully sank his mouth down even further, free hand going for first one ball sack and then the other in what he could only hope was the type of overstimulation that meant at least one more guarunteed orgasm. "There's something so sexy about the way you curse," August murmured, legs folding even further underneath him as he started bobbing his head and quite clearly trying to encourage him to cum. It was something he'd rarely gotten to do, especially quite recently, and now there was nothing more he wanted than to watch Elijah fall apart underneath him.
Elijah: Fall apart he did. Eli looked down at August, head bobbing on his cock, and that's what did it for him. He grunted out something, maybe August's name and maybe another curse word, and empties himself. When it was over he wasted no time, dragging August back up to his level only to flip them so that he was on top trailing kisses down August's neck and unbuttoning his shirt to get to more skin beneath. "Anyone ever tell you've got a hell of a mouth on you?" Once he didn't need both hands for the buttons one of them went between them to grasp August again. He followed by example, squeezing himself down as far as he could so that he could take the dripping head into his mouth.
Augustus is all too eager to take what he can in his mouth and while there still ends up being some dripping down his chin he's quick to clean himself up with the discarded shirt. "All the time," he teased once the situations had been reversed, words cut off by a long moan. Fingers curled tight into the car seat and then go from digging into his shoulders and up to his hair to get a solid grip on the strands. There's a little tugging as the sensation keeps building and he starts shamelessly controlling the pace as much as Elijah allows him to. August's hips start jerking up again, fucking Elijah's mouth, and maybe there's part of him that's hoping he'll show off that strength again and hold him in place.
Elijah: Moaning with his mouth full of August's length, eli's grip on the man's hips tightened. He let him do what he wanted for a few seconds, relaxing his throat to take him all the way in, but then pushed him against the seat. He was showing off a little, strength and skill, and continued to bob his head eagerly while his tongue pressed against the underside of August's cock on each round. Satisfied that he could hold August still with one hand he took the other and slid it down to his thigh, up to his balls to massage them in time with his mouth.
Augustus 's body was on fire. He didn't know where Elijah had learned to take a man apart in less than a minute (and really, he didn't want to know) but he was damn sure happy to take advantage of it. His fingers wind firmly into Elijah's hair and when he tugs it's not to get him to stop, it's to ensure that he keeps going. There's pure heat pooling in his belly and he can feel the orgasm coiling up tight, only needing a little extra stimulation before he's trying to give him a warning tug to pull away just in case, body bucking as he tips over an invisible edge.
Elijah: If he could smile with a dick in his mouth, Elijah would be grinning like a man who just won first place. The sounds August was making, the hand in his hair, the trembling of his muscles, it would be enough to have him hard and ready again if he didn't need a little more recovery time. He felt the telltale signs and wasn't surprised when August came, he swallowed without making any bit of a mess and pulling away from him with a lewd pop and his hand still massaging slowly as he kissed his way back up August's stomach and chest. "Fuck, you're gorgeous. How you feeling?"
Augustus collapsed back against the seat with a low whimper of satisfaction. Every sense felt like it was tingling, like he was hyper-aware of how everything felt, tasted, sounded. It was one of his favorite things post-orgasm but even more than that was seeing Elijah's face coming towards him looking self-satisfied and twice as beautiful. "Says the man that could make the Arctic melt with a look. Fuck I feel good. So goddamn good. Your mouth is a legend and this car's going to the top of my list now. You feeling good?"
Elijah: August looked spent and satisfied and beautiful laying there on the tilted seat. It was nice to uncrouch from his position but even better to climb up on top of the other man and pepper him with kisses. He worked on his throat, wondering somewhere in the back of his mind if August would be opposed to this sort of thing, affection in the afterglow. Just in case, he propped himself up on his elbow, keeping some distance between them as he finally slid his hand away from August's sack to his hip. "I feel incredible," he said, sucking a faint mark into August's neck. "If the goal was to get me to keep my hands to myself while we're in this car I think we missed the mark. Now it's all I'll be thinking about."
Augustus slipped an arm around Elijah's back and pulled him in close again when he tried to back away, enjoying the affection now even more than he had before. There was something so intimate about being able to curl around a person when his body was still recovering from the intensity and there'd only been less than a handful of people he'd been able to do so with. "I think my goal's now to get your hands on me every single time we're in this car. We'll just make sure it's parked. Or during a traffic jam," August offered, enjoying at least one situation where there might be an onlooker. It was difficult not to want to show off Elijah in the most base senses of the word. The kisses still had heat spreading but it was dulled now, more of an enjoyable thing than something intense and needing to be acted on. "Mmm still feeling going out or do you want to head back home and enjoy the afterglow somewhere private?"
Elijah: Eli was glad for the closeness when he got pulled closer but still kept at least part of his weight off of August, aware of his size. Still, he went flush skin against skin when he was urged to and continued the slow and aimless kisses. The idea of them fucking like this in a traffic jam in full view of commuters made him laugh. "Shit, count me in." In the same way that August wanted to show him off, Elijah wouldn't mind showing off a little himself. Who would, with a man as good looking and talented as August under him? "Something hot about going to a restaurant and no one there knows you just got off on the drive over. But," he conceded, sliding his hand up August's hip and around to his was. "I'd rather keep enjoying you somewhere I can undress you with my hands, not just my eyes. Pizza and afterglow?"
WHO: Beau + Elijah
WHERE: Elijah’s apartment
WHAT: Beau and Elijah spend an evening drinking, talking, and almost doing something that’d be a big mistake.
Beau was feeling ridiculously floaty. Usually that was a pretty good sign, but right now it was counterproductive when he was continuously whining. "It's been like.... almost two months, Elijah. Maybe more. Two months and my balls are so blue you could paint the sky with them." He flailed his arms around dramatically and took another long sip of his beer, eyes sliding shut as he imagined the last time he'd gotten laid - the threesome that felt like a lifetime ago, but he couldn't focus on anything but how the memory had him chubbing up a little in his pants and downing the beer even faster.
"Man, I feel for you." It's like the fifth, maybe sixth time they've had the exact same exchange during this drunken bitch-fest, but Eli doesn't mind. What he does mind is that the talk of sex just makes him miss August, and he hasn't even had to wait two months. It's barely been two days and he's having cravings, dammit. "Fuck this noise," he finally said, knocking back the rest of his beer and standing up to cross over to Beau. "You need to fuck someone, I need to get fucked. It's my professional opinion that we should help each other out. No strings, no weirdness. You in?"
Beau blinked a little when suddenly there was a very muscular Elijah right in front of him, and it took him a moment to register the words. "I'm down." There was something that pinged in his head as he said the words but he shoved it to the side, passing it off as some drunken weirdness and pushing himself up to his feet. "Professional opinions shouldn't be argued with," he said in the wisest voice that he could put on before tugging Elijah down closer to him, lips capturing his friend's in an easy kiss.
Eli cracked a smile right before Beau tugged him down into a kiss and suddenly it was all he had the brain power to focus on. His hands went to Beau's hips, pulling him in close as his tongue slid against Beau's lower lip. "Good beer," he murmured, contemplating foreplay for a moment before he dropped to his knees. The grin stayed on his face as he unbuttoned Beau's pants, not even thinking about getting him to a bed or letting either of them talk themselves out of this.
Beau was going to make a comment about Elijah being the one to buy it but holy fuck Elijah was on his knees and it was the only thing that Beau could see, think about, any of it. His hands went down to fist at his hair and then bowing into him enough to get a solid grip on his shoulders before pulling all the way back up to enjoy both the view and whatever was about to come next. He struggled to help Elijah with the pants but at that moment it was the only thing on his mind.
Eli's heart was pounding in his chest, anticipation sparking his blood and making him feel hot all over. He'd thought about this before, back when he'd first met and flirted with Beau, but it was so off his radar since he'd come to Tahoe that this whole thing, kneeling in front of Beau and pulling his half-erection out of his pants, was borderline surreal. "Damn," he breathed, the compliment the only thing he could think of, before he leaned in to kiss and lick along the length of him.
Beau finally let his hands go back to Elijah's hair, tugging a little - it'd never been any secret that Beau liked to be on the rougher side of things and this was no exception. "Fuck seems more appropriate," he muttered, lower body rolling forward to encourage as much contact as possible. There was something about Elijah that'd always just bled sex and he couldn't tell if it was because they'd started flirting before any friendship had formed or if it had something to do with the man himself, but either way he'd happily soak it up, encourage him to keep going even.
The hand tugging at his hair was amazing. He always loved when August did that, and- Stop it, he told himself, refocusing on the man in front of him and not the one on his mind. His hand came up to squeeze and massage Beau's sac as he took the rest of him into his mouth eagerly.
Beau could distance himself in a way he hadn't been able to during his last sexual encounter, seeing Elijah but separating what they were doing from their friendship and anyone surrounding their friendship the best that he could. It made him that much easier to start (very slowly) fucking his mouth, clearly taking over the pace to some extent.
Groaning in the back of his throat and sending vibrations though Beau's cock, Eli happily let him set the pace. There was no hesitation there, no sense of right or wrong necessarily because Beau was a friend, they were both horny and in need, and the timing just worked out. He started to get uncomfortably hard in his pants, reaching between his legs to grip himself with his free hand. He pulled away with a wet popping noise and looked up at Beau from his knees, giving his cock one long lick with eye contact.
Beau's gaze dropped down to what Elijah was doing and something in his stomach heated up when he saw his hand on his own cock, watching him for a hot second before pulling him back up to his feet and shoving them towards the bedroom. "Naked. Now." If they were doing this it'd be so much better to be somewhere with a bed and somewhere that they could strip the clothing off and just make this happen. Maybe Beau was impatient but it'd been months and impatient was the only way to ignore the outside world entirely.
Eli laughed, husky and amused, as he was dragged like a rag doll to his feet. "Yes, sir." Stumbling to the bedroom as he stripped off his pants on the way (nearly tripping and faceplanting once), Elijah didn't waste any time. He did turn though and catch Beau in another embrace before they got to the bed, reaching down for his cock again and stroking. "Lube and condoms are in the side drawer. Fuck, I need you to fuck me with this," he said, giving him a hard tug.
Beau was sinking down on the bed beside him when his head started to clear and his stomach started to ache, the guilt worming its way in now that sex had managed to sober him up some. Instead of trying to push forward Beau pulled back, hand going around his stomach and eyes shutting closed like he's trying to physically shove the ache back inwards. "Shit. Eli. I can't, I can't do this. I know Belle and Mal and I aren't technically anything, I do, but I can't.... it doesn't feel right to go through with this." The words were said apologetically but Beau gave Elijah his most earnest eyes.
Eli stopped up short as soon as Beau said the word 'can't', drawing back with mouth and hands immediately. It was like an off switch, his revved up blood cooled and his need deflated. Reaching out, he gave Beau's shoulder a squeeze and sat back. "It's okay. It's ah...no, I get it. This was a bad idea." There was a small measure of hurt but, more than that, a shit ton of guilt now that he'd stopped to evaluate the situation instead of letting his dick drive him. Not just for Belle and Mal but for Augustus, which didn't make a damn bit of sense. "Shit. This is a little fucked, huh?”
Beau leaned in enough to brush a kiss over Elijah's cheek before wincing and going to get his clothing back on, keeping his eyes on Elijah's as they talked. "Yeah. Fucked. Not that - I mean you are hot as fuck, and your mouth is... well, you've probably gotten that compliment a lot, but I can't be in love with them and fuck someone else." His arms wrapped around himself and he tried to breathe a little deeper. "Surprised you were willing. Thought you and Abbott were dating."
"We're not together," Eli clarified quickly, too quickly. He took a breath before grabbing up his jeans again and dragging them up his hips, pushing a hand back through his hair and letting out a breath before smiling, bright and charming as always. "I get it, man. Should have known better. You're head over heels for those two, you know and you should... I mean I know you said something at the wedding and you're waiting, but you should tell them. Tell them how serious it is. Because you not being able to do this? That's serious."
Beau gave Elijah a flat stare at the comment. "Right. You might want to take your own advice about honesty." He was quick to let things slide though, waiting until he was fully clothed before rushing over and pulling Elijah into a proper hug. The one thing the man had always been was a friend, a comfort, and it was something he doubted had changed despite what'd just happened. "Going to go talk to them in the next few days. Need to sort out my own head then I'll go hunt them down."
Uncomfortable with the callout, he pushed the emotions to somewhere he could deal with them later. Eli folded his arms around Beau in a hard hug, kissing him on the side of the head. "Sooner rather than later, man. Don't want you to have enough time to talk yourself out of it," he said seriously, considering inviting him to stay for another beer, a video game, something. But they both had some thinking to do and there was still something awkward. Hey I just had your dick in my mouth, want to watch the news? "Don't drive home, kay? Get an uber or something, drunk ass."
