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The rain sluiced down their bodies, Nic shivered from more than just the cold. Yet, at the same time, a strange heat coursed through his body. Nic closed his eyes. Without sound or sight, and the rain obscuring smell, everything was feeling. Worick’s hand had worked up under Nic’s shirt and trails of fire seemed to follow fingertips that brushed lightly along gooseflesh, slick with rain. When Worick’s thumb expertly ran across the hard pebble of Nic’s nipple, he stiffened in more way than one… and accidentally broke their kiss.
Worick smiled at him. “You’re noisy as fuck. Do you even know the sounds you’re making? You sound like a dying animal.”
Nic shook his head. He hadn’t been aware of anything besides Worick’s hands on the flat of his chest, the beating of his heart, and the heat radiating between them. Honestly, Nic’d mostly forgotten his own hands, which, he was surprised to discover, were wrapped up in Worick’s hair and pulling tight. He untangled them to sign: Shut up. You like it.
Lightning flashed. Worick laughed, his hands slipping out from under Nic’s shirt. “I do. Yeah, kind of a lot. It’s hot.”
What wasn’t ‘hot,’ was this rain. In fact, it was freezing. Earlier, Nic had spotted a basement alley entrance. Stairs led down to a backdoor that was sheltered by an awning. Grabbing Worick’s hand, Nic led them there now. He really wished they could go somewhere with a bed and some hot chocolate, but Tabitha was still at the apartment.
Noticing Worick dragging his heels, Nic glanced back at him and signed, What?
Worick had a quirk of a smile, and he rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. “I think I get where we’re going, partner, but… as fun as that might be, there’s two things wrong with a little outdoor...uh, delight. One,” he said raising a finger, like the rain wasn’t pounding down on them, flatting the curls and darkening the gold of Worick’s hair, “Yang or Delico could be five minutes behind us. And, two, uh... “ He looked a little pained, but then finally blurted, “I’ve had alley sex. It’s awkward and grit gets wedged in my knees and… I’m going feel like you owe me twenty bucks after, you know what I mean?”
Yeah, Nic knew exactly what he meant. It was the very last thing he wanted this to be. But, he was also hard as a rock. Lifting his hands in frustration, Nic signed: Where else can we go?
Worick’s brow furrowed as he considered the options. His drenched shirt clung to his body like a second skin, outlining the hard, toned muscles Nic only recently realized he admired so much. “Follow me,” he said, finally. “I know the perfect place.”
#
As Worick jimmied the door, Nic stuck his hands in Worick’s face to sign: I’m going to feel like we’re having sex at our dad’s house.
The tumbler finally clicked into to place. Standing up, Worick wiped the wet locks from his face. They stood on the slippery grates of the fire escape, Nic leaned on the railing watching for signs of a tail. Worick tugged his wet sleeve to get his attention. “No one is going look for us at Chad’s place. It’s also the one place Monroe won’t knock over to get at you. Besides, Chad’s got a clothes drier, remember?”
For some reason, that made Nic quirk a smile and add, And hot chocolate.
Even though Nic had scouted the building and they were pretty sure Chad was still at the police station for the duration of his shift, Worick eased the heavy fire door open cautiously. “Hello? Chad-san? Anybody home?”
The apartment was silent and dark. The fire door opened to a small kitchen. Chad was a surprisingly tidy housekeeper. Dishes dried in orderly rows on a drainer. A potted aloe plant thrived in the one narrow window, despite the meager light that the bars and the mesh grate let through. The floor was scuffed, worn linoleum, but Chad had clearly taken care to keep it crumb-free and scrubbed. The room smelled of the remains of an egg breakfast, slightly burnt coffee, and stale cigarettes.
When no one answered for several minutes, Worick walked more confidently inside, flicking on the first switch that turned on lights recessed under the counter tops. Nic followed him in more skittishly, like he still wasn’t sure about this or like he expected the walls to close in on him like a trap.
So, Worick grabbed his hand and pulled him over the threshold. Of course, the just stood there miserably shivering and dripping small puddles onto the floor, looking… adorable. “C’mon,” Worick said with a mischievous smile, and another tug on Nic’s hand, “Let’s get out of these wet clothes and under the covers.”
Nic’s eyes widened like he might blush, but then he emphatically signed, Guest bed.
“God, you are such a prude,” Worick teased, but he’d been planning that anyway.
#
Worick threw everything into the dryer, even his eyepatch. Nic stared at the ruined eye socket and wondered if that might be a mood killer. It was hard not to look at the scar and remember that night.
Nic hesitated. He’d left his tags on, though they’d nearly come off with his wet shirt. He glanced at Worick’s ruined face again, and pulled them off, tossing them onto the enameled metal surface of the drier. They must have hit with a bang, because Worick glanced at him. Seeing the tags, his face hardened, but what he said was, “C’mon, I put the kettle on for hot chocolate, but we’ve got time for a quick hot shower.”
He’d taken the tags off in the hopes of having nothing between them, not even the weight of history, but it didn’t seem to have worked. Nic dutifully followed him into the tiny bathroom that smelled of Chad’s aftershave.
Just as the first time Chad had brought them back here, Nic found himself strangely fascinated by the gleam of the chrome fixtures, the shine of the glass shower walls, the funky faux-ceramic, plastic tiles on the floor, and the goofy pink shag rug. Nic’d been in much richer houses, of course, but he’d always felt dirty and out of place there. Chad’s place seemed both wonderful and… attainable. Like, this was a dream they could actually achieve one day--a place of their own, with simple pleasures in it, like a comfortable sofa or a fridge stocked with bottled water.
Something to live for.
Steam fogged the mirror, and Worick took his hand again with a soft, nervous smile. It was nice to see him acting shy, like he wasn’t sure what to do. Nic had been afraid, once Worick had announced his plan, that this was going to go just as professionally as it might have in the alley.
It was funny enough, in its own way, that they had clearly both decided sex would happen.
Once they were under the warm spray of the shower, Nic cautiously touched the scar on Worick’s eye. He knew it would make him flinch a little, but there was something he’d wanted to say about it for a long time. If they weren’t going to be without their history, maybe they should finally confront it, if only a little. So, after getting up on tiptoes to kiss the eye socket softly, Nic said, “I’M sORry.”
Worick let out a breath and his shoulders seemed to relax. He gave a crooked smile that couldn’t quite mask the pain and kissed Nic’s forehead. “I know. Me, too.”
And then Worick wrapped his arms around Nic.
#
They stood like that for a long time, hugging under the warm spray of the shower. Worick had been kind of hoping for a little exploration of bodies with soap and giggles, but fucking Nic had gone and made everything serious.
At least the water hid their tears.
More probably needed to be said, but how did you really apologize for buying your friend like a prize pony? How did you forgive someone for only doing what they thought was right, even if it ended in all that slaughter and blood and broken… everything?
But neither of them had ever said anything about that night, ever. Until now. It wasn’t any kind of fix, but it felt like a tiny bit of weight had shifted, like the wound had finally stopped gushing blood and might start to scab.
The whistle of the tea kettle was barely audible over the hiss of the showerhead. Gently, Worick unwrapped his arms. He tilted Nic’s chin up and gave him a long, serious, ‘I fucking love you, you ridiculous monster’ kiss. Then, he said, “Hot chocolate? Bed?”
Nic nodded.
#
The rain continued to pound on the window; lightning flashes punctuated the grayness. The guest bedroom smelled slightly of mothballs, but the sheets were clean and crisp and the comforter was made of down and snuggly. The bed was a single, a little small for both of them, and had a cast iron frame. Nic had always wondered if anyone slept here, and, if they did, who they were to Chad.
Nic held the hot chocolate to his nose and tried to figure if he had the courage to say the other thing he wanted to tell Worick.
While he tried to decide, he watched Worick combing his hair. Worick stood, completely naked, in front of his side of the bed, dragging a comb through his stubborn hair. Water flung off the comb in heavy drops, and he looked so strange with his hair flattened and darker. His body was still surprisingly amazing, though, and watching as muscles tensed and popped with each stroke was kind of turning Nic on. Maybe he’d taken too much Celebrer this morning, or maybe it was finally being alone with Worick, or maybe he had some kind of ‘sneaking into someone else’s house for sex’ kink he never realized, but Nic’s whole body was flushed and excited. It felt like the tiniest thing would set him off.
Worick’s good eye widened and a slow smile spread across his face. “You’re making noises again.”
Nic set the mug down on the bedside end table, careful not to put it on the cotton doily. You’re turning me on.
“How?”
Nic rolled his eyes. Don’t expect me to be good at sexy talk.
Worick laughed, throwing the comb at him. Nic let it bounce off his naked chest and fall to the covers. “I wasn’t fishing for a compliment, you idiot. Seriously, how is it possible I’m making you hot just standing here?”
You’re beautiful. He said simply, then, erasing the last word with a wave of his hand, he re-signed, Handsome. You must know you are. People must tell you that all the time.
“You don’t.”
Well, I should have. Nic patted the spot beside him on the bed, and with a breath worked up the courage to say: I’m afraid of hurting you. If we do this, you should be on top.
Worick stared at Nic for a long time, then he laughed. Crawling into the bed, he kissed Nic’s ear. Then he poked him on the shoulder. “Nicolas Brown, do you see any lube or condoms in Chad’s apartment? Do you want to look? No, you don’t, and neither do I. So, that being what it is, nobody's topping anybody today. Now, when we’re back at Tabitha’s we can have this discussion again, if you want. But, you know…. for the first time I think it’d be just fine to mess around until we get tired of it and fall asleep. Besides, there’s a lot more to sex than anal, and I’ll very happy to teach you everything I know about that...” He ducked his head for a moment, and then, looking up turned serious. He traced the line of Nic’s lips with his fingertips, “Anyway, I’d trust you to be gentle with me. You’re the only person I’ve ever trusted that much.”
‘Same,’ Nic would have said, if Worick’s lips hadn’t descended on his. His tongue tasted of chocolate and bits of marshmallow goop stuck to his lips. Nic enjoyed trying to lick all that off, but even that felt almost like too much. The thinness of Worick’s lips, the smell of his skin, and that damned prickly, tickly beard of his… each sensation sizzled along Nic’s nerves until he had to let his head sink back in the pillow.
Worick clambered on top of him, and Nic let his hands run along the contours of Worick’s broad shoulders. His fingers slid downward, curious to discover if the hair on Worick’s chest was as ticklish as his beard. Oh. It was worse. Much softer. Almost silky. Nic twirled the hair and stroked it. The feel of it was giving him a boner.
Everything was.
The scent of the sheets, the weight of Worick on him, the vibrations from the thunder rattling the window. It was all sexy. Intimate.
Under his fingertips Nic could feel the rumble of Worick’s laugh and the uptick in the beat of his heart.
Worick slid down, out from under Nic’s touch. His bulky body forcing Nic to spread his legs to accommodate him. Wet hair dripped on Nic’s chest, as Worick placed soft kiss on his chest. His nerves on edge, the gentle touch was maddening. The hair, the lips, the wet… each feather-light touch sent spikes of pleasure straight to his core like a hammer. The erection springing up hard between Nic’s legs caused Worick to glance up at him in surprise.
“This is only foreplay and I haven’t even touched your nipples,” Worick said, his good eye wide in genuine surprise. “Are you going to get off on kissing?”
Another way in which Nic was ‘not normal,’ apparently. Nic shrugged and nodded. How could he explain it? Everything felt so good. Maybe he was higher than a fucking kite and he could probably cum just laying in these clean sheets next to Worick. “pRObaBlY. dOEs iT maTTeR?”
Worick seemed to consider this for a second, but then he broke into a huge smile. “Uh, yeah, no. Actually, it’s... wonderful.”
#
Best. Sex. Ever. Worick thought, driving Nic to yet-another howl, fist-pounding orgasm after licking his bellybutton.
Sex work had made Worick hate sex.
He’d steeled himself to perform for Nic, because he was in love with Nic. But now… now he didn’t have to. Moreover, this was the most fun he’d had pleasuring another person… possibly ever. And so easy. Worick was utterly delighted. “I can’t even tell you how happy you make me,” Worick said after Nic caught his breath. “I could fucking do this all day.”
In fact, they mostly had.
Though it was hard to tell from the storm that continued to rage outside the window, Worick was pretty sure they’d been ‘at it’ for hours. The best part of Nic’s superhuman abilities was his endurance. Well, that and the fact that he could be tickled into an explosive orgasm. That was fucking fantastic. In fact, Worick was already thinking up some fun new torture when Nic grabbed the side of Worick’s face in his sweaty hands and said, “sTOp. yOU miGHt kiLL mE.”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” Worick teased. “Anyway, didn’t I once tell you, you were going to have to suffer a more lot before I let you die? Well, my friend, you’re just going to have to keep on suffering, because I kind of want to see what happens when I blow in your ear.”
Nic fell back to the pillow and raised a single finger.
Worick smiled. “Killing you is going to be so much fun.”