When the world is too dark

[anthophilia]

[ The Evergreen has a strong no-assholes policy. This is undermined somewhat by the fact that Nick basically runs it now, but it means he can use himself as a gauge. If anyone’s a bigger asshole than he is, they get kicked out.

Steve is the kind of asshole who should have been kicked out way earlier. That’s on Nick. He was over-cautious, cut the guy too much of a break, because running this bar is the only thing that has him making enough cash to keep up with his responsibilities. He’d worried that word would get around that The Evergreen wasn’t a friendly place anymore, and he’d ruin the reputation Al had carefully built up for it over the years, drive customers away. And it’s not just because Al’s basically promised him the place and it’s his future he’s gambling on, but respect for Al. He built Nick sure as he built up this bar, and the very least Nick can do in return is not tank it. And in fairness, Steve had started slow: the kind of coarse jokes that are mean instead of funny, taking sly digs at people. Way too much flirting with women beyond the point it became clear that they didn’t want to be flirted with, at least not by Steve. Nick finally found his balls the night he’d rounded the corner to check there was enough paper in the johns and seen Steve caging a girl in against the wall, face leaning in even though hers was twisted adamantly away. He’d grabbed the man by collar and belt with no regard for the fact that Steve had a good three inches and 20 pounds on him, marched him out the door, and told him not to come back, ever.

Which means that Steve is now going on the Wall of Shame, and he’d been such a dick about it Nick wants to make it a special occasion. There’s a little florist across the street that’s probably gonna close down any day now, judging by the amount of foot traffic they get, so before opening the next day Nick heads over to give them a little last bit of support. There’s a little bell that rings cutely as he pushes the door open, a blast of welcome cool, fragrant air, and… the most beautiful man he’s ever laid eyes on behind the counter. Blond hair in one of those trendy cuts that look goofy on most people that aren’t pop stars but somehow suits him just right, big eyes shaded with long lashes, a sweet little beauty mark.

Nick stops dead just inside the door, confident that if he takes one more step without preparation he’s gonna trip over his own feet. ]

Comments

[anthophilia]

[ There's that little return squeeze, and then Nick's laughing too. Loving it - how easy it is already, the comfort of joking around together without worrying that it's gonna ruin the mood. Vash is hot and funny and kind, and as much as it sucks that he has a pretty tragic background there's comfort in knowing Vash isn't going to view him as a pet project or someone who needs pity because he grew up in an orphanage. It's good, a sweet thing, worth hanging onto. He's sure of it already. ]

You're really somethin' special, you know that?

[spiculatus]

[ grinning up at him, wanting to seal the sound of that laugh away in his memory. ]

Would've sounded better if you said it before you copped a feel. [ teasing, obviously. the words curl themselves up warmly around vash's heart. ] Now I know you've got ulterior motives.

[ but! he wriggles so he can scoot himself backwards without jostling wolfwood off his perch, then flopping back onto the mattress and dragging wolfwood down for another kiss. humming at the feeling of the other man's weight pressing him into the mattress. ]

[anthophilia]

I'll remember for next time.

[ But that kiss is good, and he savors it, slow and appreciative. Only breaks it to start kissing over Vash's neck again, since he seems to like that - a gentle scrape of teeth, a swipe of his tongue as he lets one hand slide up that sweater again just to stroke over Vash's skin. Actually, hell with the sweater - it's a nice one, real soft, but he starts to slowly peel it up off Vash again just to feel him. ]

[spiculatus]

[ vash moans a low sound as wolfwood starts kissing a line down his throat, tipping his head back to give him better access. funny that he was so nervous about ditching the sweater just a little while ago -- now that they've gotten the initial reveal out of the way, he's all too happy to help wolfwood tug it the rest of the way off. just the feeling of their chests pressed together is enough to make him sigh a little sound, hands skating reverently down wolfwood's back. ]

[anthophilia]

[ There we go. Vash lets the sweater go easy, and now Nick has so much more of that warm skin to run his hands over. He does, pausing to give one nipple a little rub and tweak, loving the feel of it pebbling up under his touch. ]

I'm starting to think I'm gonna have to buy flowers for the guy I kicked out. If he hadn't been such an asshole, I wouldn't be here right now.

[spiculatus]

[ a little gasp as wolfwood's fingers find a nipple, arching up into him greedily. ]

You've got a lot of choices for -- ah -- gratitude. Could probably make a whole bouquet.

[anthophilia]

I know you'd make the perfect one. Seems like a hassle to give you money to make a bouquet to express my gratitude for me when I could just express it right here, though.

[ Mouthing against Vash's neck again, and his hand tracks down, down, down, over the curve of Vash's waist and the rise of his hip, until he can bring it neatly around and brush his fingers between Vash's legs. ]

[spiculatus]

[ the little ahaha is a breathless thing. ]

I've got a business to think -- aah..

[ so much for the business. because once wolfwood's fingers are stroking over him there, vash isn't thinking of anything else. his hips jerk up a little, almost automatically, drawn helplessly to that touch. ]

[anthophilia]

God. I love the way you sound.

[ He backs the claim up by stroking with a little more intent, fingertips firmer over where Vash is still beautifully wet, silken under his touch. Leans to steal the next kiss right off Vash's mouth, teeth tugging gently at his lip. ]

I've got another one of those fancy business plans. I start going in to work earlier every day, and you come over so I can eat you out in your lunch break.

[spiculatus]

[ vash whines a little sound against wolfwood's mouth as those fingers tease at him, heat fluttering at the pit of his belly at just the thought. it's crazy that a guy this hot wants him so much; vash keeps having to swat aside the urge to reach down and pinch himself, just to see. ]

Is that -- [ his voice catches shyly, but vash doesn't let that stop him for long. leaning up so he can nuzzle up against wolfwood's cheek, almost coy. ] ... all you wanna do?

[anthophilia]

No.

[ It's cute that Vash's voice catches like that but hell, Nick's almost feeling a little shy himself, despite the fact that his erection is back at full attention just with the question. There's a part of him that wants to check and double-check, check a third time just to be sure, and it's a little scary that he's already so into Vash he's terrified of blowing this by making himself seem like a fuckboy only after one thing. There's a balance to strike between sexy consent and anxiety, though, so he reminds himself to limit the asking. ]

I wanna be inside you. Do you want that? [ Oh, or! ] Or if you've got a strap, I'm up for that too.

[spiculatus]

Yeah.

[ heated, immediate. he doesn't have a strap, but holy shit is he gonna get one. as soon as they're done, he's grabbing his phone and making the purchase, complete with the fastest option for shipping they have.

but, for now: ] It's kinda --

[ objectively, vash feels like this is not a big deal. this belief doesn't stop him from blushing pink when he's actually forced to say it, though. ] ... uh. I mean, I've never... [ flustering a little! ] Which is okay! It doesn't change anything, I want to. I just, maybe, thought you should know.

[anthophilia]

[ Wait

what?

He watches Vash for a second, takes a breath. It doesn't make him want Vash any less - he's not one of those guys who gets all hype about the idea of being someone's first, but he's equally not someone who thinks that's too much responsibility - but as he keeps reminding himself, it's been a day. ]

I'm glad you told me. [ Automatically, reflexive. ] But are you sure? We just met. If you've waited this long...

[ Which might sound like he's trying to wriggle out of it, so he hastily adds: ]

I can wait, if you wanna take some time. You're worth it.

[spiculatus]

Ah, no!

[ just as immediate, punctuated by an emphatic shake of his head. ]

It wasn't, like, a thing. [ there's... probably no way to say this without sounding at least a little pathetic. ] It's tough to find someone who... uh... appreciates my whole package.

[ just being trans slices the dating pool down plenty, and then throw in the prosthetic and the scars? ... and okay, maybe if he's completely honest, vash might admit that he hadn't been looking that hard. rejection sucks, and there's nothing fun about feeling like it's inevitable.

he's happy with his life! he's not lonely, he has friends, he has nai. he hadn't been looking for a guy like wolfwood to come stumbling into his life -- not that vash is complaining! ] Lucky me, you've got great taste.

[anthophilia]

[ Oh. Well, that's... sad, but it's also (horribly) a relief. Means there's not a perfect scenario in Vash's head that he has to live up to, and better yet, that it's not something Vash feels like he has to do to keep him around. It's enough that when Vash makes the joke, Nick smiles wide and ducks in for a kiss. ]

That I do.

So should I...

[ He hooks his thumbs in the waistband of his jeans, cocks an eyebrow. And then raises it, once, twice, trying to turn it into confirmation and a joke. ]

[spiculatus]

[ relief! awkward confession out of the way, and it's (clearly) back to the fun stuff.

which is why vash gives a wolf whistle and then a little cheer. ]

Yessss! [ a very romantic and sexy chant of: ] Strip, strip, strip!

[anthophilia]

[ Thankfully, Nick isn't so caught up in the idea of making Vash's first time special that he actually clambers off the bed to perform a striptease. Even if he does think about it for a second. Instead he just peels off his jeans and underwear in one go, wriggling a little to get his legs free - and then retrieving a condom from his pocket before he tosses the clothes to the floor, his grin not nearly as sheepish as it ought to be. ]

Optimism pays, huh?

[spiculatus]

[ striptease or no, ditching the pants gets a very enthusiastic whoo-hoo! of approval from vash. and he's all set to reach back down and get a hand on the goods, when --

... oh! yeah, a condom. that makes sense. except...

a little fidget, a flush of pink across his cheeks. ]

If you want to, we can... [ saying it is kind of embarrassing! ] I mean, I'm clean! No surprise kids, either.

[ blurting this out, though: ] It's totally cool if you wanna be careful!

I just, um... [ the truth? something about the idea of wolfwood inside him with nothing in between them makes him stupid-horny. and when he lets himself think about wolfwood coming inside, pressing himself deep as he does it -- ] ... i-it's on the table, that's all!

[anthophilia]

[ Vash sure looks pink.

The thing is, Wolfwood knows he's clean too. Specifically because he's always careful; gets tested every time he catches a body and every time something ends, always uses condoms. Religiously, one might say, because the upbringing was definitely a factor. But he looks at the way Vash flushes, hears the way he stammers about it, thinks about it, and his cock twitches in spite of himself.

Would have been a little less embarrassing if that happened before he took his pants off, but here they are. ]

'spose that's one way to make it a first for both of us.

You dont mind the - [ wait, he hasn't done this before that's the whole point ] I mean, there's gonna be... mess.

[spiculatus]

[ oh. wow. so, wolfwood's never --?

... why does that make it hotter?

cue another episode of emphatic head-shaking. is it weird to say --? fuck it, vash is just gonna say it. ]

S'kinda hot. [ shyly, a blink-and-miss-it confession. and then, a little more boldly: ] Besides, my shower works.

[anthophilia]

[ Oh. It might have been fast, but it wasn't so fast Nick missed it. And if he was on the fence before (which is generous, he was already so far over the fence he could hardly see it), now he's all the way across in the neighbour's yard. There's a beat in which he can feel his own cheeks getting a little pink, and then - ]

Fuck. C'mere.

[ Unceremoniously tossing the little foil packet the same way as his jeans and hauling Vash in close for the kind of kiss a declaration like that warrants; eager, messy, and happy. ]

[spiculatus]

[ okay!!! great!!! good to know!!! if this is the kind of response blurting out embarrassing revelations gets, vash is going to make a mental note to do it more often. ... when his mouth isn't busy doing better things, that is. like kissing wolfwood!

he tangles a hand in the other man's hair and moans a little sound in his mouth, arching up against him greedily. just talking about... that was enough to get him hot and bothered, and the kiss sets his blood on fire. ]

[anthophilia]

[ Vash isn't the only one riled up. Nick slicks his tongue into Vash's mouth like he's trying to lick that moan right out of there, slots a leg between Vash's thighs and presses against him. And like this, all the little worries he'd had about whether this was the right thing to do float away. It feels right - Vash is so good like this, warm and bare and wanting, and he can't get enough. Runs his hand down Vash's back and grabs his ass again, and this time it's not a joke but pure want. ]

Can't believe how hot you are.

[spiculatus]

[ okay, a triple assault just seems unfair. just the way wolfwood is kissing him is enough to make his brain feel like it's melting, and then wolfwood slots a thigh between his legs and gets a hand on his ass? the way vash moans is almost overwhelmed, so turned on he's dizzy, so wet he can feel it dripping down his thighs. ]

Yeah. [ what follows is probably a really stupid thing to say, but at least half his higher functions keep shutting down when wolfwood puts his tongue in his mouth. fumbling to grab the other man's hand, pressing it between his legs, letting wolfwood feel where he's hot and wet and needy. ] Hot for you.

[anthophilia]

Oh, fuck.

[ See? Hot. He strokes there eagerly, moans when he finds Vash so wet his fingers slide uselessly, too slick to do anything much but glide over him. And there are things he should probably ask - whether Vash has used anything there before, figure out how slow he needs to go if he wants to be sure it won't hurt, but he gets the feeling that if he tries to pump the brakes now, Vash might throttle him. ]

I want you so much. Do you - are you ready?