Roleplay City
Infusco => INFUSCO: Enter The Shadows => Herring Point Cliffs & Lighthouse => Topic started by: Pocky on November 17, 2019, 05:49:37 PM
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Trick turned onto the narrow lighthouse drive that intersected with the cliff side road. With care, he followed the steep road with a few switchbacks until they got to the carpark. It was empty. Trick parked close to the pedestrian walk that would lead the rest of the way to the lighthouse. There was quite a bit of flat terrain and most of it was grass, which prompted Trick to get the picnic rug out of the boot along with the tripod stand. He handed them off to Harm.
Getting his backpack out with his camera equipment, Trick shut the car but didn't lock it. He started up the path, looking back over his shoulder to grin at Harm, bringing the rest of his gear.
The lighthouse was dark. It looked well-maintained but also with a peculiar abandoned quality to it. Trick placed his backpack down on the ground and got the tripod off Harm. Once it was set up he went into his backpack and pulled out a camera and then a huge telescopic lens. He fussed with it for a while after plugging in a cabled remote, looking through the camera up at the stars and pivoting it on its stand so the lighthouse would monopolise one side of the shot with the stars in another.
Once he was satisfied, Trick picked up the remote and pressed it, hearing the shutter open. He set the remote down carefully so he wouldn't bump the equipment and then stepped around it, heading out of the way towards Harm.
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Harm couldn't help but smile and breathe a laugh as Trick looked back at him walking behind him on the path. He wasn't much more than a shadow highlighted with tendrils of minimal moonlight but the whites of his teeth showed. Strands of his hair also blew around his eyes in shadowy wisps as the sea breeze fretted at them both, causing Harm's heart to leap at the natural beauty of Trick. Dear gods, what was he getting himself into, following this beautiful man into a romantic setting when he was supposed to be guarding himself against future pain? He tried to calm his breathing and looked down at where his feet were going instead.
Once the tripod was taken off him, Harm moved away from Trick, noting the precision with which he was arranging his camera. He didn't want to cause any sort of strife, so he sought out a particularly grassy patch a couple of metres away and battled the breeze to get the picnic rug spread out. In the end, he pretty much dived on it and forced the thing into its proper, extended shape, using his wallet to weigh down one corner and his phone the other. He shuffled over to the opposite side and stretched his leg towards the third and leant back on his hands to secure the fourth. He tucked his other leg over to give Trick room to sit when he returned.
He examined the shadow that was Trick for a little while but then his gaze was drawn to the lighthouse, travelling its dilapidated length towards the sky. He'd been here before but not often. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of the sea and salted air, listening to the muted roar of the waves crashing against the cliff far below and luxuriating in the breezy mist already upon his skin. He licked his lips and smiled before he opened his eyes, his face tilted upward. He sighed blissfully as he stared into the glittering depths of space, his gaze flicking from constellation to constellation, marvelling at their beauty and mystery, wondering how many of them were dead and how long long ago they'd left the galaxy, their light-ghosts the only remnant of a once bright and blazing existence.
There was a quote Harm had read once - from a book by Akshay Vasu that he hadn't read, he was ashamed to admit - but he used it like a mantra whenever he came to the stars for healing. Before Trick returned, he murmured it to himself while looking at the stars. “You are a ghost. Filled with stardust, wearing the bones as the shield and the skin as the cape. Fighting every day and opening up for the new wounds in the hustle of hiding the old scars.” He also thought of that other quote by... Krauss, he thought it was, or Carl Sagan maybe, about people being made of stardust. It always soothed him but it was long and he usually looked it up on his phone.
He turned his head to smile at Trick as he heard his feet swishing through the grass, heading back towards him.
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Trick knelt first on the rug, close to Harm's hip. Looking down at the blond man he paused to take him in. The wind was prevalent but not extreme. It tugged on his clothes but didn't go straight through them. It whipped his hair to one side but mostly kept it out of his face instead of shifting it back and forth. The air smelled clean; he was closer to the grass than the ocean so he could smell the land, but the water nymph in him was more strongly aware of the ocean tide. It felt like it was pressing forward, pushing in on him. He heard its repetitive hammer against the cliff side many metres below them. With the sound of the ocean in his ears, the scent of grass in his nose and Harm in front of his eyes, Trick drank everything in, committing it to memory before he shuffled down onto his side, pressing close to Harm even as he lay down beside him.
He licked his lips. Propped up on an elbow at Harm's side, Trick moved forward with the intention of kissing, the hand not supporting him had Harm's side held in a scoop.
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Harm moved to reflect Trick's pose, abandoning his desire to keep the fluttering corners of the blanket down and turning onto his side as well. He was holding his breath as he met Trick's lips, only daring to exhale once their mouths fitted around each other like two halves of a set. His loose hand drifted up to cup Trick's face, feeling the muscles and tendons of his jaw working as his tongue pressed forward, lapping the cool salty air off Trick's lips in turn before it moved to tentatively brush against Trick's tongue.
He couldn't seem to catch his breath. He couldn't seem to mind. His body came to life, hyper aware of Trick's hand on his side and of not pushing forward. His mind was filled with thoughts of steady, too soon, don't be too eager while his body sang out, he's here! He's back! I'm home. The conflict was frustrating but the kiss was undeniably delicious. He didn't want to go too hard too fast but it was difficult to resist the beauty of a water nymph under the moonlight.
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The kiss lasted for a long time, eventually rising in intensity before Trick mellowed it out and finally broke away with small pecks that stubbornly refused to break the kiss completely. He was panting and grinning when they stopped and he lay down, pulling Harm down against him and pillowing his head into the crook of his shoulder.
"So. I thought I'd suck you in with my sexy kisses before revealing I'm a hypocrite," he said. It would've been difficult to notice Trick's heartbeat quicken after what they'd done but from where Harm lay, it wasn't impossible. Trick sighed and looked up at the stars instead of at Harm's face because it would be easier to tell them about it.
"So. I'm just going to spill all of it if you don't mind not interrupting?" He sighed again and cleared his throat. "You remember I told you about that vampire club, Risk? I didn't tell you it got shut down shortly after I'd gone there, leaving vamps nowhere to pick up. I'd already given my number out to Marcellus, the vampire who'd drunk from me there, and uh... we'd hooked up in the rooms out back and I thought that was that. But then he calls and invites me to his place and I'm smitten, you know? I'm this eighteen year old idiot and he's over a hundred so he knows exactly how to play me. Marcel tells me how special I am and how my blood can cure... something I don't even remember anymore. I'm the idiot who believes it all and lets him pass me around to his vampire buddies like a joint. He's giving me pills that I'd take without question at this stage and of course I'm high and happy enough to go along with whatever. I'm totally addicted by this stage, I'd sneak out and go to him whenever he called. I call him my boyfriend even though he's really my pimp. After some months of this one of the vamp buddies that he lends me out to 'saves' me from this situation. Of course I'm horrified and embarrassed and I end up falling for Serren. I'm thinking how lucky I am but Serren isn't as old or well-off as Marcel, so he's always got some money trouble. One night he begs me to offer my blood to this vampire guy he owes money to and I did it, but then I ended up doing it any time Serren wants something nice for himself. My dad was the one who ended up pulling me out of that situation when he found a bunch of pornos of me online that Serren made. It's then I realise how blind I can be to good-looking guys who want to use me. So I moved back home. So. I don't mind moving fast but I know I get paranoid when I get confused about whether someone likes me or if it's just sex."
Trick closed his eyes for a long moment, awaiting Harm's reaction.
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Harm swallowed when Trick finished his tale, his hand still roving absently back and forth across Trick's chest. He wasn't sure if he was trying to make Trick or himself feel better with the patting. It was a lot to absorb. His heart was heavy, sympathy for Trick weighing it down.
"That's... pretty awful. I'm so sorry that happened to you but... your dad's amazing. You're so lucky he got you away from them, got you clean." Harm fell quiet, running everything through again, processing it more slowly. He couldn't imagine Trick out of his mind on pills, having sex with anyone that wanted him and letting them drink from him. It put his reaction to Harm into a very different light, also.
"So you didn't know I liked you? You thought I only wanted to have sex with you? That's why you pulled away from me?" he hazarded, feeling mildly guilty that he was turning this back on himself.
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Trick opened his eyes and looked at Harm, his expression clear from so close but it was just watchful and gave nothing away.
"It's too heavy to dump this on you so soon but it's all I can think to do to give us a chance. You talking about Ben just... I didn't know how to deal with it. And on the drive back to Chinatown the conversation turned again. It brought that old memory back to the surface and I ended up looking for signs that you were playing me. Confirmation bias."
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Harm blinked and frowned, sliding his head back along Trick's arm a little to better gauge his expression. "To give us a chance?" he echoed, vaguely bewildered by the wording. He sighed, his gaze falling thoughtfully to Trick's mouth as he considered what it must have been like for Trick to listen to him confess he'd spent a night with a vampire. Compared to what he'd been through, it was nothing. But Trick was an addict. Harm must've been a red flag, scaring the shit out of him.
"It was stupid," he sighed again. "I never should've talked about him, it was just, I was nervous and trying to impress you - or reassure you, maybe? - I dunno. He was," Harm huffed and rolled his eyes, wishing he could take everything he'd said back, "like, the only sex I'd had in eighteen months and also the only real supernatural person I'd ever met. I'm not sure if it was an apology or a declaration or just some weird way I was trying to show I was cool or something." Again, he shook his head and lifted his hand off Trick's chest to rub agitatedly at his forehead.
"It was dumb and I'm really sorry. I definitely wasn't playing you," he laughed hollowly at the thought, wrapping his arm across Trick's waist and squeezing him as he moved his head back into the crook of his shoulder again, thinking. Should he talk about Luke? He shied from it, turning the conversation back onto Trick. "So do you go to meetings or anything? Because of the pill addiction?"
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"I got that on the day," Trick said, agreeing when Harm explained about Ben again. "I believe you're not playing me," he said with a grin, but then Harm said something that made him blink his surprise.
"What?" Trick asked, bewildered and frowning at Harm, half-smiling out of the side of his mouth as he looked awkwardly at the blond in his arms. "I don't have a pill addiction. I was only on them sporadically, not enough to be a habit. I went through a few weeks of wanting them but not withdrawal. I stopped getting wasted, too, but I'm not an alcoholic either." He shrugged, bumping Harm's head on his shoulder.
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"Oh," Harm said, blushing as he realised he'd misinterpreted when, in his speech, Trick had said 'by this time I was addicted'. "Well. That's good, then," he mumbled, embarrassed.
Trick obviously took care of his body because he enjoyed it and liked the results, not because it was part of some clean living manifesto he had, to maintain sobriety. Harm was ashamed by how relieved he was, knowing how difficult life could be, living with an addiction of any kind. There was the love of vampire bites, he supposed, but Harm couldn't see that ever becoming an issue for Trick again.
It was a weird thing, to be contemplating connecting his life to Trick's more fully and discerning the parts that were easily acceptable and the parts that would be challenging. Trick wasn't a shopping list, he was a human being. Again, shame washed through Harm - but there was excitement, too. Because Trick wanted to 'give them a chance' and he'd revealed the depths of his life in order to do so. A chance for what, exactly?
"Were you in love with them both? Marcel and Serren?" he enquired, curious about how many times Trick had let his heart go. "Are they the only big relationships you've had?"
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“Love is blind, right?” Trick said with a cynical chuckle. “I’ve had boyfriends after them. All that stuff happened years ago. You brought it to the surface through bad luck.”
Trick half rolled towards Harm and then scooched over so he could look down on him. “There was also that bad business with Buoy,” he said with conviction.
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The mention of Buoy brought a smile to Harm's face and he gave a half-hearted giggle. He reached up to play with Trick's hair, running his fingers through it (figuring the wind had destroyed any sort of style he might've been holding onto and he wouldn't get in trouble for messing it up), curling it around his ear, the heel of his hand smoothing down the side of his face, caressing his cheek and his lips with his thumb. The action was thoughtful more than lustful, his gaze roving Trick's face.
"You're a lot more experienced at... this than me," he mused quietly, thinking that although Trick hadn't necessarily had healthy relationships, he certainly seemed to have thrown himself into things wholeheartedly. Harm had spent his life watching from the sidelines and regretting every time he dipped his toe in the water. And to think he'd genuinely wondered if Trick was a virgin because of the way he'd been acting. He blushed at his naivete.
He was intimidated by Trick, even though he was younger, unsure how he could measure up. He was just a human and inexperienced to boot. How did he expect to hold someone like Trick's attention? His heart squeezed painfully as he imagined being rejected because he was so boring. "D'you wanna know about... me?" he offered.
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Trick studied Harm as he was touched, pooching his lips momentarily when Harm stroked his thumb across them, then they widened into a smile. "Yeah," he said softly when told about his experience. He lowered his eyes momentarily and one of his shoulders lifted lightly before he returned his gaze to Harm's face.
"Only if you want to tell me, and only after some more kisses," he said, lowering himself over Harm but keeping his full weight off him through the use of his elbows. He moved a leg between Harm's own, moulding himself to Harm's side as he kissed tentatively, sensing from Harm's soft-voiced question that he felt vulnerable and overwhelmed by Trick's tale.
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Harm was more than happy to comply with that direction, surrendering to Trick's mouth with a smile. He worked an arm beneath Trick so he could wrap both of his around him, hugging him firmly. The jacket he was wearing was restrictive, its fitted nature allowing very little movement in his arms but it was enough to allow his hands to rove over Trick's back, kneading and massaging as he explored gently. He turned his lower body into Trick's with a sigh of contentment, squeezing his leg between both of his and establishing a delightful rhythm with his hips, hooking his booted foot behind Trick's knee.
The kiss deepened and he lost himself in the sensation of dragging his tongue against Trick's, of tasting and breathing him in as the cool night air washed over them. His groin throbbed with growing urgency as they ground against each other, the blood rushing to make him uncomfortably hard in his jeans. Predictably, Trick began to ease things when they started getting a bit frantic and Harm whimpered into his mouth, frustrated that reality had to intrude.
When they finally managed to separate their mouths and Trick was laying beside him again, panting in time with his own erratic breathing, Harm laughed wearily. "This is beginning to border on cruel," he murmured offhandedly, then cleared his throat, knowing it was time to reciprocate Trick's confession - though his was nowhere near as intense. Harm sighed, wriggling around a little to stop his jacket bunching beneath him, bending the leg farthest from Trick so that his raised knee could sway. He tugged his jeans into a more comfortable position, too, to allow a little more room for his flagging erection. When he stilled, he was flat on his back, staring up at the stars, his fingers resting on their tips atop his chest.
"Okay. So, I was a late starter, compared to most. I arrived at college pretty innocent but with a healthy interest in changing my, er, status. Had my first at eighteen - it was not the magical experience movies promised me it would be!" he declared imperiously, raising a finger and tipping his head slightly towards Trick, "but it did the job. There were a few guys that first year, none were great. Second year I fell in love. His name was Luke. He was big and blond and gorgeous and I had it bad for him. Unfortunately, so did Trevor. His boyfriend," Harm emphasised wryly. He sighed again.
"It went unrequited, we were just friends. Third year, Luke and Trevor disappeared suddenly - the rumour mill said they had a car accident and Trevor died, Luke went back to his folks for care. No-one knew anything certain. I nursed my poor broken heart through the rest of college. Afterwards, I came to the city and made the usual mistakes - hooked up with a few asshole doctors, another nurse and some wardies. Just, generally shat where I ate kinda thing to make my life at the hospital niiiice and awkward," he laughed hollowly.
"When I was twenty-four, I decided I was done with casual stuff, I wanted to try a relationship. I think I managed three? Yeah, three but they only lasted like, a month each before I scared them off with my terrifying discussions of what I wanted in the future." He paused to muse for a moment, wondering if Trick would also make a hasty retreat when he told him what he wanted for his life. Oh well, it had always been his philosophy that if they didn't stay, it wasn't meant to be... no matter how much that hurt. The older he got, the more that stung, though.
"Then I met Adam. He seemed perfect. Everything was wonderful, at first. He was devoted, attentive, told me he loved me within, like, two weeks, which blew me away. My first real boyfriend. First and last. He didn't mind so much that I didn't say I loved him back - no way was I giving my hear away to get broken like with Luke - but things started to change after a month or so. He started asking lots more questions, wanting to know where I was, who I was with, when I'd be home, that sort of thing. Fast forward to four months and he hit me when he didn't like me telling him it was one of his business. Smashed up my face, dislocated my shoulder, scared me shitless."
Harm paused to steady himself, sighing. "I didn't see him for a few weeks, then he called me, wanted to get the stuff he'd left at my place back. Apologised profusely. I thought it was reasonable, so I arranged a time for him to come over but I had one of my wardie friends from work there, just in case. The fucker waited 'til Baz was in the bathroom then attacked me. Baz got rid of him before he did much more than shove some socks in my mouth and rip my clothes but, yeah, I was a bit traumatised after that. No men for a very long time," Harm laughed as he wiped a hand in front of them. His voice was only slightly shaky.
"Then, a couple of months ago, Luke walked back into my life - though it wasn't him. It sounds like a crazy plot from a movie but it turns out, when he disappeared in college, he was kidnapped by some weird facility that did experiments on him. They'd swiss-cheesed his brain too, he didn't really remember me but wanted me to help him remember his life beforehand. I was more than happy to, I mean, this was the guy I'd loved, of course I jumped at the chance to help him!" he laughed again.
"But it hasn't been easy. We got closer and tried to get intimate but he... he's got a shifter arm and anger issues. When we got close to having sex, he got really violent and held me down and of course I freaked the fuck out. Thankfully, he had a flashback before anything bad happened and let me go. He cried, I cried, we sorted it out. We've been seeing each other since then but it hasn't been... satisfying. In multiple ways. He'd come over and we'd do some parallel stuff - because he was scared he'd hurt me - which was sexy and exciting at first but grew frustrating. Then his boss - he works for District Leader Jake McCloud - banned him from coming to Chinatown because of the Kuei-Jin or political reasons, I don't even know," Harm sighed, waving his hand dismissively again.
"It doesn't matter. We were down to coffee or dinner dates whenever our schedules lined up and we could snatch some time together. I haven't even heard from him for, like, three weeks or something. So, Monday night I called him and told him it just wasn't working for me. We can still be friends but I'm done hoping for more. It would never have worked out, anyway. He's not the settling down type - the guy shoved a fucking pen through his hand to demonstrate his insane healing abilities and barely flinched!" Harm exclaimed, lifting his other hand to point to the meat between his thumb and index finger where Luke had stabbed himself.
"He's a machine that has spent most of his time warning me he's a monster and I should stay away from monsters anyway. He's never approved of my interest in knowing more about the supernatural," Harm shrugged. "He wanted to protect me. He's sweet but... we really don't see eye to eye on most stuff so... I was thinking about stuff and decided it was time I faced facts and went for what I wanted." His hand dropped towards Trick's, implying that he was what he wanted, hoping this wasn't the bit where Trick pushed him away and told him everything he'd said was too heavy. His heart fluttered with nervousness as he sought to intertwine their fingers.
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There was a growing moment of silence as Trick and Harm entwined fingers. "I just need to... take that in," he said eventually, turning his head and smiling quickly at Harm, giving him a peck on the lips before looking back up at the stars.
Minutes passed. "So," he said finally. "I'm not really all that supernatural. I know, I'm Fae, but I live a very human life. I've never done any of the water rituals or involved myself in the Fae community. Any time I do dip in I find myself disliking it. Like at the carnival, with those aggressive naked demons swinging their dicks around my sister. At the same time, I know about that world because I'm part of it, so you can always talk to me about it and have access to it. I won't tell you what you should or shouldn't do. I find that really controlling and upsetting."
Because Trick had an arm around Harm, he rubbed that hand upon Harm's side in a soothing gesture. He sighed and then grunted his displeasure.
"This might be hard for you to hear. I'm not making plans for the future. I'm twenty-three and it feels too early for that for me. I just want to hang and be chill and see where things go. If you have a deadline... I can't."
Trick turned his head, watching Harm intently, a hint of worry in his eyes.
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Harm groaned and covered his face with a hand in embarrassment, blushing furiously. "No, it's more... man," he sighed, pulling his hand away and looking at Trick.
"It's not really like that," he said firmly. "It's just... one day I want to settle down. I want to be a father and have a husband and there's no deadline or anything, it's just something that's inside me. And I know it's weird and I've been accused of being a conformer and closed-minded and having straight-envy and," he huffed, his gaze shifting as he tried to remember all the hateful things that had been said to him when he bothered to share what was in his heart.
There were tears gathering in his eyes, which mortified him, because he didn't mean to get upset but it was a big deal to now open himself up to Trick's opinion. He blinked rapidly, trying to dispel them. "I'm sorry. And you thought your stuff was heavy!" he laughed because he found it dispersed the urge to cry quicker.
"I sound like I'm trying to marry you next week and start interviewing surrogates!" He covered his face again, blushing with renewed vigour. "Fucking hell," he said into both hands now, the words weird and echoey in the confined space.
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Trick frowned when Harm's hand went and shook his head lightly when he went through the name-calling and smiled temporarily when Harm told himself off for how he sounded. He pulled Harm's hands down off his face so he could look at him and talk to him.
"Nothing to apologise over. We're jumping ahead to the heavy stuff because it was in our way. You met my family back to front and we're doing the big talk about our pasts back to front, but now we can lighten up and move forwards and not stumble over messy stuff."
His smile returned and grew, twising into something devilish as he walked his hand to the top of Harm's pants. "Unless you like being messy," he said, reaching into Harm's pants, seeking out something to hold.
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Harm's breath surged into his lungs as he arched his back beneath Trick's electrifying touch. It was delightfully unexpected but a delicious way to change the subject.
There wasn't a lot of room inside his jeans - especially with the added barrier of his brown belt holding them around his hips - but Trick seemed to have a gift with water and finding his way into tight, restrictive spaces. He found Harm's thick rod with unerring skill, bringing it back to throbbing want just by seeking out the best position from which to touch it.
"Yeah, I... it's... you made it... pretty messy in there already," he panted, relaxing back onto the rug and squirming in Trick's hold. He licked his lips, his mouth watering with desire as he grabbed Trick's hoodie at the throat and attempted to pull his face closer to kiss him. He really hoped Trick wasn't teasing him this time.
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Trick removed his hand just before the kiss but only to undo belt and button and lower zip. He had skill in doing all these things rather easily even while pressing his lips onto Harm’s. With space now, Trick delved in again, fingers creeping beneath underwear so he could perform skin on skin. Not long after his few strokes, Harms thickened rod was out of the underwear too with the breeze assisting Trick's ministrations.
He kissed in time with his pumping hand, not consciously. Fingers squeezed a little with his firm hold. The last time Trick had pumped a dick it had been his own while looking at pictures of this man he was kissing. He broke the kiss to pant a question, “Dyou want my mouth?” and he kissed Harms neck, stroking his length in slow, bold motions.
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Harm's head was spinning, though it hadn't taken much to get him back to the brink of deliriousness, considering how their previous kissing sessions had primed him. He made a whimpering noise of indecision in the back of his throat when offered Trick's mouth, wanting that desperately but disinclined towards selfishness. Everything was better together. Together was what he never got and yearned for.
"If I can use mine on you at the same time," he puffed, trying to grab Trick and reciprocate without a great deal of success because Trick was in such a dominant position. Plus, he wasn't very tactical with Trick's hand around him and his lips on his throat so fumbling was as good as he got.
"I'm completely clean," he added, the responsible healthcare professional in him needing to reassure his partner that he was in no danger of contracting an STI if he put his mouth on him. If Trick didn't believe him, he didn't have a condom, so that would be the end of that. Then again, Trick knew that the only guy he'd had sexual contact with recently was a vampire... and he knew firsthand how they worked.
"Spin around," he instructed, squeezing Trick's ass.
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"Nah, I've never been good at that," Trick murmured into Harm's neck before moving to his earlobe and sucking on that, nibbling as well to see if Harm was one of those men who liked ear play. "I lose focus," he whispered, "but we can... take turns...?" he suggested in between working his way to the base of Harm's throat. He licked and kissed, shuffling his body backwards and away from Harm so could shift in one sweeping movement, now in a primary position to take Harm into his mouth.
Before he did it he looked up along Harm's lean body, Harm's dick still in his hand getting stroked softly, and asked: "Dyou want me to?" Trick's attention shifted from Harm's face to his angry-looking dick, straining in his hands. Trick licked then rubbed his lips together before he peered up at Harm again.
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Harm shifted up onto his elbows to look down at Trick and slow blinked, his expression that of someone thoroughly annoyed by having to listen to a very dumb question being asked. He couldn't sustain it and a delighted grin broke out.
"Yes!" he enthused, then tilted his head against his shoulder - both because he was trying to look cute to soften the blow of his enthusiastic response and because Trick had left some wetness behind in his ear that was causing insane tingles and shivers now the wind could get at it. "Please, my prince," he amended humbly and smiled again. It was only interrupted by his tongue wetting his lips in anticipation.
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A slow, sly grin crept across Trick's face and he kept eye contact for a longer than necessary moment before turning his head and facing the task before him. Taking a slow breath in, he lowered his head and pressed closed lips against the tip of Harm's cock, rubbing his lips back and forth against the slit before pressing closed lips more firmly on the head. His hand lazily stroked up and down the velvet staff as he gently opened his mouth, as if Harm's cock was exerting pressure and forcing his mouth to open. He engulfed the head of Harm's cock in this way.
Harm would feel that Trick's mouth was very wet, like he'd been salivating. He pulled back from Harm's cock and went through the process again. The second time his mouth wrapped around Harm, he twisted position, shuffling around so he could look up at Harm directly instead of sideways. One of his legs was between Harm's, and he was propped up on his forearm, his other hand still stroking. Two lines of spit escaped Trick's mouth and ran down Harm's cock where Trick caught them with his palm and started stroking with more enthusiasm. He kept this up for a minute before shifting into a better position and then plunging his mouth downward, following his hand as it stroked Harm to the very base.
Trick closed his eyes and adjusted, moving his head slightly back and forth to drop another centimetre down. Once he was angled correctly he began moving all the way up and down as his hand pushed Harm's jeans further down his thighs so he could cup him and then stroke his inner thighs, his thumb eventually focussing on the perinial area, his touch remaining frustratingly light, but it was his mouth and throat that was the main event.
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Harm sighed as that look from Trick travelled all the way through him, causing an involuntary twitch in Trick's hand and goosebumps all over Harm's body. He wished the light was better, so he could look into those blue eyes properly but there was also something incredibly sexy about the shadowy light and knowing he was about to be engulfed and pleasured by the most gorgeous thing he'd seen on two legs in a very long time. It was their secret moment, high on a remote cliff top with only the lighthouse and the stars to bear witness.
He watched Trick intently, swallowing repeatedly and making high-pitched noises when it was too good, trying not to thrust his hips or squirm too much, letting Trick do his thing. Harm did his best to keep his eyes open but sometimes it was so good, it overwhelmed him and he had to look away or it would be over in seconds. His head dropped back between his shoulders and he closed his eyes, willing himself to relax and enjoy by disengaging his mind and just... drifting. Opening his eyes to the stars enhanced the sensation of falling yet being anchored entirely inside Trick's mouth. He didn't ever want to leave it.
When Trick moved lower and started to caress his thighs and play around near his hole, Harm was lost. His cries became more guttural and he dropped down flat on his back, wanting to grab Trick by the hair and push him down hard. Instead, Harm bounced fists against his forehead and writhed, issuing a warning that he was about to cum moments before he did. It was intense, the buildup of their kissing foreplay yielding an erotic and ecstatic moment of bliss that contorted his whole body and caused him to cry out. Loudly. It happened again as a followup wave of pleasure rocketed through him - though he tried to limit himself to grunts thereafter, the power of his body spurting into Trick's mouth gradually lessening as his balls emptied.
He was left breathing roughly, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he opened his eyes to look into space, his fists still resting on his forehead. "Fucking hell, that was like... an eleven out of ten," he slurred, awed by the intense orgasm Trick had drawn from him. So easily. He knew, in that moment, how lost he would become in this man and it terrified and thrilled him. He giggled then, his shoulders lifting off the rug a little as mirth overtook him, recalling Trick's promise. "Well, you said it would be beautiful. You didn't lie!"
Eagerness to take his turn on Trick rose but he needed a few moments to recuperate. His whole body felt like it was shaking and vibrating and he wasn't entirely convinced he had the ability to move ever again. It would be a fantastic way to go; he could die happy now.
-
Trick registered the warning and took Harm's seed into his mouth, holding it all before turning quickly and spitting it onto the grass beside the rug. Wiping his lips and looking back, he threw a quick look at Harm to see if he'd noticed and saw that he had his hands to his face and was looking up at the stars. It looked like he hadn't noticed. Trick flopped down beside him and cuddled against him, grinning at the rating.
"This place is beautiful," he insisted gently, but he reached for Harm's face to turn it towards his. "You're beautiful too, damsel," he said, his voice low before he moved in for another kiss, this one soft and tentative.
-
Harm sighed contentedly into Trick's mouth, his grin keeping their kiss from matching up properly but he was too happy to care. "I love it when you call me that," he giggled, licking his way playfully into the kiss while he wrapped his arms about Trick's neck and hugged him close. He was pretty sure he'd said it before but it bore repeating because the nickname made him feel warm and special.
He broke the kiss after a short while and smiled wickedly at Trick. "Beauty is as beauty does, in this case," he smirked cryptically, pressing a hand to Trick's chest in an effort to get him to lay back on the rug. Rising up onto his knees above him, Harm pulled his stupid jacket off and tossed it on the grass in the opposite direction Trick had spat - he hadn't seen anything but that didn't mean he was so deaf he didn't recognise the sound of a guy spitting out his load. He didn't care.
With the cool air able to get at him better through his shirt and his movements less restricted, Harm sighed his relief. He smiled down at Trick while he righted his lower half, doing up his clothing reluctantly. At every given opportunity, he'd have preferred being naked with Trick but it wasn't that practical outdoors. Sadly. He threw his belt after his jacket and left his shirt untucked, running a hand through his hair as his gaze ran the length of Trick's body. He wanted to climb between his legs and lick him all over.
While he got re-dressed, Trick helped him out by undressing, lowering his jeans and underwear, freeing his lovely uncut cock. Harm's eyes glittered as he took the view in, captivated by its firm bounce in the moonlight.
"Damsels pay lip service to princes all the time, right?" he frowned cheekily, moving onto his stomach between Trick's thighs. He shuffled up nice and close, until his elbows were forced to the outside of Trick's legs and Harm had both of his hands wrapped around the base of his cock. He lapped at the silky, sticky skin at its tip like he was licking a lollipop, tasting the particular musk of Trick after a long day of work. He wasn't clean but that turned Harm on more, because he was real and pungent. He tasted deliciously masculine, causing the blond to sigh a moan of contentment.
"You're delicious," he murmured, opening his mouth around the head and taking it in, rubbing it gently against the roof of his mouth while he tongued Trick's frenulum. He mimicked swallowing, massaging the cock with his whole mouth, covering it in spit and smearing the precum around with his tongue. Harm didn't dip his head too low but he smothered the head with love while his thumbs and fingers stroked the shaft below.
Before Trick got bored, Harm lifted himself up onto all fours and opened up his throat, sliding slowly and deliberately all the way down Trick's length. He faked a few more swallows, suppressing his gag reflex as spit washed over Trick, making it easier to slide his lips back up to the head again. He stopped fooling around then and established a more consistent rhythm. With as much pressure as his flicking tongue, grasping throat and slurping mouth were able to apply, Harm held Trick's base in one hand and slid his head up and down his cock, the speed increasing slowly and steadily.
As much as he wanted to lick this beautiful man all over - and he'd fully intended to place soft, playful kisses on his stomach and everything - the thrill of making love to his cock superseded his intentions. Harm moaned and sighed as his mouth played over Trick's length, sliding up and down and around, adjusting angles and milking it with the back of his throat, repeating everything that got a positive response and amping up the pressure and speed the whole time. It aroused him to give Trick pleasure and it showed in his enthusiasm for the task.
-
At the start Trick was mellow, only a few sighs of approval as Harm worked him. He watched initially, propping himself up on his elbows until the pace changed and he lay down. As Harm started deep throating him, Trick lost his calm and employed similar methods to Harm when receiving; his fingers gripped the rug, squeezing it in his fingers before he touched the back of Harm's head momentarily and then lifting his hands to bury them in his own hair, pulling fistfuls of it. His toes curled inside of his shoes and Harm would feel the muscles of his legs tensing.
Harm would find out Trick was the type to keep quiet, his fast breathing punctuated by a few soft groans until something elicited a positive response of 'yesss' and a hiss when Harm performed a particularly good maneouvre.
"I can't... can't hold..." Trick puffed, his hips thrusting upward. Harm would feel one of Trick's legs trembling before his announcement; "I'm cumming," he warned with a few seconds to spare. He moaned as he came, the loudest he'd been throughout, and he clapped a hand over his own mouth to hold it back.
-
Although he'd intended to spit and make a joke of it - this is the spot, right? - Trick ended up cumming so far in the back of his throat that it was just easier for Harm to swallow. It also allowed him to continue his motions and eke out every last sensation, intending on having Trick ride his orgasm until he was flaccid in his mouth and quivering in the wake of it. Of course, with his tongue and lips continuing to work him, Trick's cock didn't have a chance to soften completely and, eventually, Harm had to relent on him before he shuddered his way into a seizure.
Grinning, Harm's hand toyed with the delicious line of muscle hidden beneath the hem of Trick's shirt, at his hip, as he curled up against him. He bent his other arm, resting his head in his hand so he could peer down at Trick's face. He was obviously pleased with himself. "What's with the quiet act, hmm?" he teased, gesturing at Trick's hand with his chin to indicate he was talking about his self-muting action when he came. "I like making you moan. You're sexy as hell," his grin widened and he raised his eyebrows.
-
There were high spots of colour on Trick's cheeks from his orgasm and his gaze was starry when he fixed it on Harm. He made a humming sound that could've been a wordless 'I dunno' before he reached up for Harm's face so he could pull him down and kiss some more. His kisses were still tender and remained mostly on the lips though he delved just slightly into Harm's mouth, exploring the taste of himself mingled with Harm's own flavour.
After pulling back from the kiss he gave a knowing smile and then reached down and pulled his clothing together, fastening himself up.
"You give incredible head," Trick said, daring Harm with his eyes to argue. "I'll try a few of those moves on you next time," he promised, then winked.
-
Harm blushed at the compliment and laughed as he was told he'd get some of his own moves back next time. Noting that Trick's clothing was in order once more, Harm took the opportunity to pounce on top of the taller, broader brunette, straddling his hips and leaning down over him, his hands splayed either side of Trick's head to allow him to lean down and nuzzle kisses across his lips.
"Hey! Get your own moves, buddy," he growled playfully, bumping his nose against Trick's. "It's not like you're not amazing at it yourself! And when's this next time going to happen, anyway, hrrm?" he asked pointedly, his heart plummeting at the thought they'd have to actually separate at the end of this date. He'd much have preferred if Trick just declared he was going to move in with him, it would be so much simpler. He grinned at the thought.
-
Trick lifted his hands up to press against Harm's chest but once Harm was atop him, Trick slid them down and around so he could hold Harm in place as they kissed. When Harm was closer, Trick caught his wrist in his hand around Harm's torso, locking him in.
"Are you asking me to mark the nights on your calendar?" Trick challenged. "Should I use an X or your O-face?" he laughed.
-
Harm tried to look indignant but his smile grew along with his widening eyes and he barked a laugh. "Ohmygod, you didn't," he snorted, shaking his head. His jaw was skewed - as was his smirk - when he stopped, eyeing Trick indulgently.
"You know, eventually, your cuteness is going to wear off and you won't be able to get away with shit like that," he warned, his expression contradicting his words by declaring that he would never, ever get tired of Trick's beauty and smart mouth.
"And I don't care what you use, so long as I get to see you as often as possible," he murmured, nibbling kisses across Trick's lips. "Wanna just move in with me?" he laughed.
-
Trick looked at Harm with glee, sticking out his tongue when Harm lost his composure. He giggled when told he wouldn't get away with it but had a reply: "Crotchety old men can still be cute."
At the mention of moving in, his eyes widened momentarily while Harm was in close-up at his lips, but then Harm had pulled back to laugh. There was a possibility Harm had seen the original reaction before looking at Trick's mock horror. "I'd never get any sleeeeeeep! I'll be shuffling around from place to place until someone finally decides I'm patient zero of the zombie pandemic and tell everyone to stay from me and the military will come to quarantine me at Rothwell where the only friends I can have are two aliens and bigfoot." Then he took a big breath and sighed it out.
-
Harm’s laughter was light and disbelieving at the start but as Trick’s example became more elaborate, he started blinking and giggling harder, lifting a hand to indicate he should stop, his eyes widening in direct correlation to the level of drama Trick described.
“Holy shit! Just no!” he snorted, grinning and shaking his head at Trick. “A, you underestimate just how much I love sleep and b, you overestimate your level of resistability!” His burn was accompanied by a sassy look of scorn that he held for a moment and then relaxed back into his usual grin and position to plant a perfunctory kiss on Trick’s lips.
“Don’t worry, I was joking,” he muttered with a roll of his eyes but then his expression became more serious as he settled his elbows on the rug near Trick’s shoulders and curled his forearms around his head, entwining his fingers in his hair and combing it gently while he looked into his eyes. He curbed his next comments about Trick visiting him because he realised they needed to establish something else first. He tilted his head and frowned thoughtfully.
“Do you want us to not be seeing anyone else now, though? To give us a chance,” he added, his expression clearing into a grin.
-
"Pah," Trick sounded at being told he wasn't irresistible.
Trick shrugged at the question, touching Harm's arms with his shoulders. "Only if you want," he said. Trick's expression shifted, his eyes larger than usual as he looked up at Harm. "What about Ben?"
-
Harm grinned. “I want,” he said firmly, nodding as he addressed the most important part of Trick’s statement. His expression then dissolved into one of scorn and he made a fizzing noise of dismissal with his lips to go with it, glancing away as if he was tossing the subject aside with it before he looked back into Trick’s eyes. His thumbs slid down to soothe the nymph’s forehead.
“He was a one time thing,” he explained, also shrugging. “I spoke to him Saturday night - him and his boyfriend. They were cute together and nice. But all I could think about the whole time was you and how much I was hurt by you leaving and whether I’d ever get to see you again. You’re worth more to me than anyone else. You’re my favourite,” he smiled, his gaze roving Trick’s face adoringly.
-
Trick did a bad job suppressing his broadening smile when Harm confirmed his desire. His blush could be seen even in shadow. His eyebrows rose at the big display Harm made and then they lowered back to normal when Harm swept above them in an unusual gesture.
"Your favourite," Trick repeated at the very end. "I'm like a cookie."
-
Harm was enchanted by the flush of Trick's skin, knowing he'd made him happy by saying he wanted them to be exclusive. It made him very happy as well, which just proved that they were doing the right thing, when their desires were aligned.
The cookie comment had Harm smirking and debating if such low hanging fruit was worthy of plucking. Trick was off his game, making it so easy... but he was adorable anyway. "Mmm," Harm hummed, nibbling at his lower lip, before pulling back to watch Trick's reaction, eyes twinkling mischievously. "I dunno if you tasted that good but at least I swallowed," he smirked.
-
Trick's smile faded immediately at the jest, he blinked a couple of times and looked to the side before looking back at Harm and shrugging like it was no big deal.
"I don't like the texture," he said, then cleared his throat and made moves to sit up, needing Harm to get off him so he could do it. "I gotta check the camera. It's been a while and the wind might've messed it up."
-
Harm was immediately sorry and tried to hold Trick still, his expression contrite. "Hey. I was just teasing. I really don't care if you spit forever, I usually do too!" he insisted.
-
Trick frowned when he was held back. "I know it was a joke, can you not... cling? The camera thing is real, okay?"
He tried getting up again.
-
Harm rolled immediately off and allowed Trick his freedom, wincing apologetically as he did. He landed sitting, steepling his left leg and hugging it, staring blankly at his boot until he knew Trick was over at his camera, then he rested his cheek on his knee and watched him instead.
Despite feeling bad about upsetting Trick with his bluntness, he smiled to himself. He couldn't help it. He was too fluttery-happy that he'd managed to secure this amazing man in his life. His profile was the most gorgeous one Harm had ever seen, his look of concentration and his eloquent hands touching or adjusting or whatever he was doing... it all seemed magical to Harm, beneath the moonlight. So much so that his gaze wasn't even drawn towards the sky, as it usually was.
Earthly delights, indeed.
"Do you develop the photos yourself, too? Do you have a darkroom?" he asked, not minding being caught staring at Trick but supposing he should say something to seem less creepy. "Where do you take your photography class?"
-
Trick stood up straight after his minute of looking but not touching the camera because he didn't want to bump it. When the questions were asked he stared over at Harm who was a figure in the darkness and approached him, seeing more details as he got closer. He didn't join Harm immediately on the rug, keeping himself a couple of metres away so he could stand and stretch his back while replying.
"It's a digital camera. Film's really expensive as well as the processing chemicals, and I'm not so old-school. I take a photography class at Watson on Friday mornings. This one is the intermediate class. I think I'm ready for the advanced class next year. I already have enough saved up for it," he said grinning, then thought his car. "But I might have to sacrifice my hobby to keep my car running." He shrugged, his smile fading.
He moved forward the last few feet and knelt on the rug in front of Harm. "Hey, I can take a joke usually, I swear. I know spitting's not sexy, and some guys get shitty about it and I cringe every time I spit, but I promise it's not an insult or because of you."
-
Harm lifted his head when Trick got closer, looking sheepish when he was told he was old fashioned to be thinking about developing film and nodding as Trick elaborated on the details of his hobby. He was impressed that he was knowledgeable enough for an advanced class, inexplicably proud of knowledge Trick had, even though Harm had played no part in the acquiring of it.
When Trick knelt and explained his feelings regarding spitting, Harm felt a wave of affection that prompted him to reach out and touch Trick's face lightly with his fingers, smiling at him. "I know you can take a joke," he said huskily. "And I find everything you do sexy!" he argued more vehemently, grinning. "You never have to cringe with me. I hereby decree that you absolutely must, always spit," he finished grandly, lifting his hand off Trick's face with a brief flourish before he tucked it around his leg. "And I will, too," he winked.
"So, when's your birthday?"
-
Trick puffed a drawn out breath instead of a laugh but he was certainly amused judging by the grin on his face. Kneeling in front of Harm as he was, Harm would see the tension in his shoulders and how he couldn't hold eye contact.
He answered the birthday question immediately.
"October 31st, when's yours?"
-
“Halloween,” Harm smiled, watching Trick keep his distance and remain tense. “January the twenty-sixth.” His gaze travelled over Trick’s shoulders and down to his hands. He wanted to go to him but he also didn’t want to crowd him. He compromised and shifted up onto his knees to face him instead, figuring it would be a dramatic enough move to draw Trick’s gaze while not moving much closer. “What’s up?” he asked softly.
-
After Harm moved Trick reached out for Harm's hands with each of his own. They were a little too far away from each other so Trick shuffled forward on his knees and linked fingers. He kept moving forward until they were chest to chest. He addressed Harm's question minimally, with a brief shrug and a quick expression of confusion that melt into a smile.
"So this is romantic," he whispered.
-
Harm giggled and released a sigh of contentment, smiling up at Trick. His gaze lingered on his mouth, the urge to kiss him strong, but it it also felt like maybe Trick was leading up to something so he merely tilted his face towards him.
"That was my first thought when we arrived," he agreed.
-
"You said you like star-gazing," Trick told him, proving that he'd been paying attention. "Lie down with me and teach me some of the constellations," he urged, moving onto his side and then pulling Harm down beside him onto the rug.
-
"I only know a few," Harm warned shyly, pausing to unlace his boots and put them aside so that when he lay down beside Trick, he could curl his socked feet around his legs with impunity while he cuddled up to him. He started by pointing out the major ones, expecting Trick would know those because most people did. After that, he pointed out the planets visible tonight and then it was onto the lesser known clusters.
Despite his claim, Harm's continued naming of constellations after brief pauses of contemplation proved that he knew more than 'a few'. He had a naturally analytical mind, driven by boundless curiosity - his current project was teaching himself to play chess by reading books in his phone, learning the moves and understanding the consequences of each - and he'd pored over astronomical texts with increasing interest in his late teenage years. He knew what he was talking about.
The best part about it wasn't the naming, though. It was trying to be sure Trick was looking where he was supposed to be. What started out as some simple pointing soon became temples pressed together to attempt to direct his gaze, burgeoning laughter as descriptions became more rudimentary and stolen kisses when Harm lifted his head in a last ditch effort to stare at Trick and try to figure out where the fuck he was even looking, based on what he was describing.
"Okay, if you look down from Cassiopeia, there's a really bright star directly under. That's Capella. But if you look about in the middle of them and slightly to the right, there's another bright star. There? That's Mirphak and it's the centre of Perseus' body. Just let your eyes wander around there and you should be able to make him out," Harm advised, his arm extended and outlining the shape of Perseus as he knew it.
"He's like a Roman soldier and he's holding Medusa's head in his hand because he chopped it off - oh! Actually, Algol is the brightest star in the head bit but it goes brighter and duller because it's in a binary arrangement, so every couple of days another star orbits around it and dims it, isn't that cool? There are star systems with multiple stars in them - some up to five - and they all orbit around each other, shining brighter when it's their turn, staying together until they die. I've always thought that's kind of beautiful," he sighed dreamily, tucking his arm back in against Trick's side, his cheek perched on his shoulder so that he could mostly look up at the sky and seek the next star to talk about.
-
Trick cuddled up with Harm and listened attentively; looking, squinting and pointing when he had questions to ask. At the last explanation about what lay near Cassiopeia, he stared hard at the dotpoints at the sky and screwed up his face through the extended explanation before his expression smoothed out and he smiled apologetically at Harm.
"Man, you lost me after Capella," he admitted. "I think my photo is well cooked now. I heard it ding." Trick booped Harm on the nose with his index finger and scrambled to his feet to check his camera. With a pleased grin he carefully pressed the remote and he heard the shutter click closed.
"Look!" he said, gesturing excitedly for Harm to come join him. Once Harm was close enough, Trick turned himself and the camera so Harm could see the photo on the screen. The lighthouse loomed down one side and the stars made short arcs in the sky as though they were all about to go supersonic. "This should beat taking photos of a highway," he said. "Do you think?" he prompted Harm for his opinion.
-
Harm pressed as close to the screen as he could. "Wooooow," he breathed, "fuck yes, that's better than a highway," he enthused, taking his fill of the image with his mouth open, his eyes darting about and mentally identifying the stars caught in time as the Earth rotated beneath them. He sighed and pulled back with a grin, allowing Trick space to do what he needed to do to pack up.
"It's beautiful. You're a wonderful artist. And you know what my favourite part is? You captured an image of the sky on the first night we were properly together. That's awesome - talk about romantic! People pay money for stuff like that. Can I buy a print?" he asked, his expression brightening as his thoughts tumbled into a conclusion that excited him. "Well, I mean, if you sell your work, that is. Do you? You should. It's beautiful!"
He was overusing the word and babbling a little but he was too awed by the image and Trick's cleverness to come up with anything different or slow down.
-
He took some time for himself tonight, wanting to calm down and relax. The past month alone had been such a roller coaster of emotions he just needed to get out of his head for a while, and walking had proved helpful to the cause. He decided to explore somewhere new tonight. He normally kept away from the ocean or any large body of water due to fear. He felt more comfortable knowing he could catch himself with his wings and fly off if any mishap where to happen.
He had found the sounds of the waves extremely relaxing as he walked along, a couple of feet away from the cliff's edge. He felt inspired to sing for the first time in a long time. Sure he sung to his sister for his birthday but that was different, that was songs for her, songs she would enjoy. He stopped and turned to face the ocean, the gentle breeze blowing his done up hair, which was just a simple braid. He began to sing a song he felt the lyrics to (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZBG-S8uSfI) and bits and pieces of the lyrics reminded him of different aspects of his life. The uncertainty he had about his new life, how he felt about his Mom, Emma, Sam, Jeanne, Drew, Ash, and how he had felt so alone in the world were all represented within these lyrics somewhere.
He was unaware of anyone else around, as he had been more focused on the smell and sounds of the ocean as he walked. Singing had felt nice, therapeutic, and had him feeling lighter with each word. He seemed to physically glow a bit as the words flowed through him. Anyone not in the know of course would just take this as 'oh he's handsome' but it was a very faint and dull angelic glow. It really only showed as he was singing, and it never got bright, it just had a basic effect almost as if someone happy with their looks would claim that they were glowing.
-
Trick's smile was satisfied when Harm agreed that this photo could beat any highway shot. The next words that gushed out of Harm's mouth had lit up Trick's eyes. He turned his body slightly towards Harm, staring at him with renewed wonder before he made a scoffing sound when Harm asked if he could buy a print.
"I have sold prints of my photos," he said, a hint of pride edging into his voice, "but I wouldn't sell this print to you. It'd make a nice gift though. If we're still together after a month, it can be a... Lunar-versary?" he said, his eyebrows raising and his smile broadening, unable to stop the giggle from bubbling up his chest and bursting into the air.
The wind changed and his giggle merged with a piece of song. Trick stopped laughing at his own joke and cocked his head. He held up a finger to silence Harm.
"Dyou hear that?" he asked, turning his face into the wind. Had he imagined it?
-
Harm groaned at the term 'lunarversary' but it thrilled him, too. A telltale laugh of delight quickly followed. If we're still together after a month. The words bounced around inside his head, terrifying and exhilarating at once. Why wouldn't they be? It was a challenge he accepted. He grinned, his face drifting towards Trick's to seal it with a kiss-- only to be confronted by a finger.
He pulled back, blinking and then listening as Trick asked him if he'd heard something. His head tilted automatically to match the same angle Trick's held and it apparently worked because he did hear something. A ululating noise that held an extended rhythm before it dropped in pitch and rose again. "I think it's someone singing," he frowned, standing up and looking in the direction he thought it was coming from, his hand on Trick's shoulder to anchor him in his uncertainty.
There was a figure, silhouetted against the sky, closer to the edge of the cliff than they were. Not as far away as Harm had expected but the wind was playing tricks on his hearing, snatching the singer's every third word or so and dispersing it to other locations, making it difficult to even tell if they were any good. "Somebody's here," he declared, his tone dripping with disappointment. He decided it was a good time to head back to start gathering his things to go. "My boots," he mumbled, striding back to the picnic blanket and sitting down to get his footwear back on and laced up.
-
Once he was done with that song, he felt his spirits lift and relax. He began to walk again, heading for the lighthouse as he'd never been terribly close to it before, and for the first time in weeks, he was at peace with his life. There was still a lot of hurdles in his life that he still needed to jump over, they just now felt very doable.
"I wish I thought of this sooner." He muttered to himself. He had no idea how long this calm would last, but planned to maximize this feeling for as long as he could by walking around and checking out the lighthouse a bit. After he got a bit closer, he noticed that there were two people up ahead. He didn't change his course but walked with caution as he wasn't sure what to expect.
-
"As long as they don't jump, I'm good," Trick said. "It's too damn cold to jump in after 'em," he muttered after Harm had gone to collect his boots.
Trick removed the telescopic lens from his camera and put its cap on before turning his camera off and putting the lens on that, too. The backpack was near the tripod and he was gently placing his equipment back into each specialised pocket when he caught sight of a figure near the lighthouse, not too far away from him. From his crouch he zipped the backpack shut before standing and staring at the newcomer.
"Evening," he said, sounding one part friendly and one part wary.
-
Harm yanked his boots on without bothering to retie the laces, then shuffled towards his belt. He tucked his shirt back in, rethreaded his belt and got his jacket back on in record time, feeling naughty because he was hurriedly getting dressed while Trick packed up his camera. He’d managed to stay fully clothed; Harm rarely did. It made him giggle even though he knew he should probably be embarrassed or something.
His wallet and phone back in pockets and the picnic rug looped over his forearm, Harm headed over to Trick, hearing him greet the person. He was tense on his behalf. What if the figure was a vampire that smelt Trick’s blood and attacked him? He slid his hand into Trick’s and stood by his side as the stranger spoke back, knowing his short, human ass wouldn’t be much use in a fight. He didn’t even have his taser. At least they were beside water, so Trick had some advantage.
-
He was going to just walk past as to not really bother them, however as he grew closer, he was greeted.
"Hello," he responded, with a welcoming time and a warm smile, "it's a nice night out, isn't it?" He started some basic small talk, noticing one grabbing onto the other's hand, catching into that they were probably together.
-
"Yeah, it's a clear night," Trick replied, lifting his head like he was about to glance up but then he never did, keeping his eyes on the pale figure instead. "Bit late for a walk, unless that's your thing? Are midnight walks your thing?"
His heart pounded in his chest, a great deal faster than the ocean against the rocks below. He was breathing quickly and he pressed his lips together, taking a slightly longer breath in through his nose and then releasing it slowly out the same way. Trick instinctively drew closer to Harm and held his hand tightly, almost painfully.
"We were just..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
-
Harm wasn't reassured by Trick's grip on his hand, nor the way he shuffled closer. When his sentence ran out of steam before anything much was said, a protective instinct surged through Harm, making him want to deflect attention from the man that had approached (a pale, eccentric-looking man out walking in the middle of the night...) away from Trick. Away from both of them, really.
He giggled briefly and pressed his other hand to Trick's chest, as if he was trying to stop him revealing something private. "Star gazing," he supplied with a grin. "Though we were about ready to leave," he declared, lowering his hand off Trick's chest to raise the blanket he had looped over that arm as evidence of their imminent departure.
It was a segue to get them away from potential trouble but hopefully not obvious enough that the stranger would take exception to their leaving. It also didn't cut him off from answering.
-
"Midnight strolls aren't common for me at all," he spoke with a warm tone noticing one moving closer to the other, wondering if that one was possibly shy, "usually I'm more up and about in the day time, but the cooler weather at night was just the right change in pace I needed tonight, that and I don't normally come over here, I've never actually been this close to the lighthouse in person." He responded to the shy one. He listened to the other one take over the conversation about stargazing then leaving.
"Sorry if I intruded, it must have been a nice night to stargaze if the sky is clear," he commented off-handedly about not being able to see the stars himself. After all they were just made up of light, not really a thing he could physically perceive, and they were too far away for any form of outlines to even be close to bring a thing. Even the moon was too far away to have its own outline.
"Stay safe." He said as a way of saying bye and letting them leave. If they started to pick up more things and leave, he would do the same, continuing on in the same direction he was walking in before running into the two of them, if they continued to talk then he would stay and respond.
-
As the information about the day time was given, Trick's hand on Harm relaxed, as did the rest of his muscles. His shoulders lowered as he slouched otherwise imperceptibly and he looked at Harm beside him, smiling an embarrassed smile. The stranger was still talking and Trick blinked his confusion at the stargazing comment.
"What do you mean if the sky is clear?" Trick challenged, his tone a mingling of confusion and amusement. "Just look up!" he laughed.
-
As the tension leaked out of Trick, Harm exhaled quietly and smiled up at him. He then looked back at the stranger, interested in his answer.
-
"Oh my eyes don't really see things very well," he said with a small embarrassed smile, "I can't see the stars no matter the weather." He didn't really elaborate on his sight problems beyond that. After all, they were just a couple of strangers, they really didn't need to know the specifics.
-
Trick's own eyes widened and Harm felt a twitch where their hands connected.
"Oh, right, I'm... yeah, okay." There was a long pause, then: "Isn't that dangerous to walk near the--"
Trick interrupted himself with a firm press of his lips. He looked down at his feet and then back up, his jaw misaligning with itself.
"The cliffs?" he finished the question, throwing Harm a pleading look.
-
Harm caught the look and interpreted it as a need to scramble to the rescue. On cue, he yawned. At first, it was modest - but a little noisy, because the guy had vision issues and Harm knew he needed to sell it so there was mild gusto - but then his body decided it could get behind a good yawn (despite his almost five hours of sleep that afternoon/evening) and it became rather ostentatious. A double yawn. To the point where he finished it blinking and swaying slightly on his feet, his hand catching at Trick's to hold him up a little.
"Uh, Honey, we really should be going," he cut in sweetly, turning from looking at Trick to the stranger, holding out his free hand in a conciliating gesture before dropping it back to in front of him. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude but it's getting late and I have to be at the hospital for an early shift tomorrow - you know how it is," he laughed, his tone friendly. Everybody knew what a drag work was. "We'll leave you to enjoy the rest of your walk in peace and, uh, be safe, okay?" he bade with a grin, taking a step backwards and dragging Trick with him.
It occurred to Harm, even as he said his farewell, to wonder how the guy had got to the clifftops and lighthouse by himself? If his sight wasn't good enough to see stars, he couldn't drive. There weren't buses. Did he get a lift all the way out here, just to walk around? He was either really upset or really in love with walking! Whichever it was, Harm was pretty certain Trick shared his desire to get away from him as soon as possible. They had time alone to take advantage of and Harm was already wondering what might happen when Trick dropped him home (assuming he could coax him in for a little while).
-
"I don't walk that close to the edge, I'm not a fan of large bodies of water." He mentioned understanding their concern but also making them aware he knew the danger of the cliffs.
"Also yeah, I can understand getting up early, I'm a teacher so I'm usually awake early myself. Again stay safe and try to get plenty of rest!" He cheerfully said, then continued his walk, letting the two people be alone again as he continued to enjoy his own relaxing journey of exploring this part of town.
-
Trick said: "Bye," to the softly spoken man and released Harm's hand so he could heft his backpack more securely on one shoulder, and picking up the tripod next. He walked with Harm down the path towards the car. After they were halfway down and out of earshot, he spoke up.
"I didn't mean to patronise him. I bet lots of people tell him what he should and shouldn't do," Trick said, explaining his falter. "I hate to think of myself as one of them. Thanks for saving me out of my awkward."
He stepped a little closer so he could bump his shoulder against Harm's, both his hands busy holding things.
-
Harm had expected he'd carry the tripod back to the car since it had been his job on the way up but he didn't argue as the stranger left them - cheerfully, he thought - and Trick grabbed for it. It got them away cleanly and alone again, which made him happy. He attempted to fold the blanket as they walked but ended up just about falling on his face so gave it up and decided he'd do it back at the car, balling it against his stomach with his arms wrapped around it instead.
When Trick bumped his shoulder, he took a step off course simply because he was mid-step. He hoped Trick didn't notice his slight sidestep as he smiled up at him. "S'okay. I don't think he was too worried - maybe because he does hear it often or maybe because he didn't even notice. You didn't come off as ranting or anything. He seemed to take it in stride, either way," Harm shrugged, thinking more about what the thanks said about Trick than about what it had meant to the stranger.
"You don't like being a guy that tells other people what to do, huh?"
-
"Nup," Trick agreed, turning his gaze to Harm and grinning. "Unless it's got something to do with me it's not my business." He looked where he was walking again and they got a few more steps before Trick added to his statement. "Oh, unless they're hurting someone in some way, I'll speak up. I won't just stand by. Oh! And if they're talking shit I'll call them out on it. Oh yeah, and if they're..." he stopped, then laughed. "Can I change my answer?"
They reached the car and Trick put the tripod down so he could get his car keys out of his pocket.
-
Harm laughed also, understanding Trick's amendments and thinking they made him sound quite strong-willed and forthright. Yet he'd hesitated and felt bad about telling a guy with sight issues he shouldn't walk too close to the edge of a cliff, because that's where his line was drawn? Interesting.
He very much enjoyed learning more about the man he'd asked to date exclusively - considering there was still so much he didn't know, because they'd bypassed the little stuff to reveal the big.
"Change approved," he giggled, standing not far from the back of the car and unravelling the picnic rug in order to refold it. He danced with it as he spoke, finding he needed to twist and turn with the wind in order to get the blanket to go the way he wanted it to. "We should tell each other our top, um... ten? Favourite things," he declared, the number an arbitrary choice.
Trick already knew he was one of his but there was still stuff he didn't know.
"One of yours is sticking up for people in trou-OH! Shit!" he declared, stopping mid fold and looking at Trick with wide eyes as he remembered Tobi. "I helped out a guy the other day and invited him over to play games this weekend!" he explained, belatedly horrified because nothing but Trick had been in his thoughts since he'd texted the night before and because he'd arranged a sort-of date on a weekend he now expected to spend with Trick. Talk about awkward.
-
Trick unlocked and opened the boot to place the tripod in it. He set down his backpack against the tyre before moving to help Harm with the flyaway blanket.
At the top ten favourites request, Trick grinned even as he caught the flapping corners of the rug to help Harm fold it. As they moved together, folding it and holding newly made corners, Trick replied.
"Okay, I'll start. I like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens," he said, bringing two corners together before stepping close to Harm again. His eyes widened when Harm blared out his recollection of someone coming over to play video games.
"You invited someone you just met to your place?" he asked slowly. His expression was carefully blank.
-
Harm had giggled at Trick's joke but sobered at the question, looking contrite. "Yes, but nothing's set in stone," he assured Trick, interpreting his expression as a reprimand about him discussing another guy right after they'd agreed it'd be just them.
"I'm more interested in what your plans for the weekend are," he smiled. He allowed the last fold of the blanket to stay in Trick's hands, smoothing it over with both of his and then resting his palms flat against it and leaning his weight lightly into Trick. He tipped his face up towards him, wrinkling his nose cutely.
"Please tell me it's not hunting down roses to lick or kittens to snuggle?" he pleaded, batting his eyelashes playfully.
-
Trick pressed his lips together firmly, saying nothing in response to Harm's explanation or what his plans might be. He gave Harm a smile at the flirt and turned away to put the blanket in the boot next to the tripod. After he shut the lid of the boot he pressed down on it until a click sounded, letting him know it was firmly latched shut. Then he spoke.
"Saturday afternoon I do a weights routine at the gym. It's a free instructor-led thing that I missed last week because of the carnival so I don't want to miss another one," he said.
Trick moved to the back door and opened it, putting his backpack in the footwell behind the driver's seat. Then he opened the driver's door and glanced at Harm expectantly before getting in. Once Harm was in, he finished his weekend declaration. "I promised I would teach Gia how to surf so I could do that Saturday morning. It'll free up my Sunday for us?"
He smiled tightly at Harm before starting up the car and putting it in reverse.
-
Harm could tell Trick wasn't happy with what he'd heard but he seemed determined not to comment - probably because he'd just been telling Harm not five minutes before that he didn't like to interfere when stuff wasn't his business. But Harm thought that was silly, since they'd both agreed that Harm was his business, based on their agreement. He was allowed an opinion about everything Harm did. He decided to wait and see if Trick could contain himself or not.
He got into the car with his phone in his hand, leaving it in his lap to put on his belt, ready to text Tobi if it came up. Or check his schedule, if that became a thing as well. His mind was going very fast, thinking about Trick and Gia surfing (did their powers help with that?) and Trick at the gym (could he just find a quiet spot to watch from? Like, seriously... woof), all while contemplating the many hours alone he'd have on Saturday and being without Trick until Sunday.
"Sounds awesome," he grinned, reaching over to rest his hand on Trick's thigh while he drove. "I assume you're driving me home now, right?" he chuckled, giving Trick a chance to respond. "Weeeeeell, would you mind if I got you to park in the lot I was telling you about and you came in with me to get my parking pass? That way, you can come see me any time you want and park safely and for free," he hinted.
-
Trick slowly drove down the zigzagging road that took them down the point back to the mountain road.
"I'm not going to dump you at a bus-stop," Trick said. "Yes, I'm driving you home. And yeah, take me to your magical free car parking garage," he added with a growing smile.
He glanced over a few more times, pulling in breath once as though he was going to say something, but then they got to the T-intersection and he looked for approaching cars before pulling out and then heading back for the city.
He didn't add anything more.
-
Harm giggled, happiness filling his chest as Trick agreed to come and get the parking pass. He saw it as a sign of freedom, allowing Trick to come and be with him at any time - even if he wasn't sure they'd last a month. The thought twisted his lips a little, now.
Every time Trick looked at him, he felt it and when he inhaled, Harm turned to look expectantly at him but the road distracted him. As the silence stretched, Harm found he couldn't bear it any longer. He squeezed Trick's leg encouragingly.
"Just say it," he ordered with a breathy laugh. "You know you can tell me anything."
-
"No," Trick refused. "It's not my business and it'll come out sounding shit no matter how I phrase it."
They were the only car on the road. No lights picked them out, only the stars and the moon following them. Trick licked his lips but didn't glance over at Harm any more. The road was winding.
-
"I am your business, now," Harm said simply. "I agreed to be. Willingly. So yeah, you get to have an opinion about me, about what I do, because of that. You get to air it, too. Doesn't mean I'll agree with you but I always want to know your point of view. You don't have to censor yourself just because you're anticipating a bad reception," he shrugged, his hand shifting on Trick's leg in a manner he hoped was reassuring.
"Or because you feel like you shouldn't be that guy. I know you're not. I know it's because you care or it impacts you somehow. I don't see it as interfering," he confessed, his voice soft.
-
Trick took a lot of glances over at Harm as he spoke, and then after he was finished. The road straightened and they turned onto a main road with a little bit of traffic on it before Trick finally spoke.
"First up, I'll never be violent with you. That's totally unacceptable."
There was a long pause, then: "You're a massive flirt. The stuff you say and do to a guy you barely know." Trick puffed laughter but he didn't look amused. "Call it being friendly, whatever. I like that you're open but I kind of get why that boyfriend of yours got jealous."
He pulled his lips in afterwards, like he wanted to take his words back, but they hung in the car between them.
-
Harm felt blindsided by the angle Trick took. He'd figured he wanted to say something about him hanging out with Tobi but he was hurt by the implication that he'd done something to encourage the guy. They'd just had a conversation, he didn't recall doing anything untoward. The kiss had been initiated by Tobi as cover. Fucked if he was going to say anything about that, though.
Harm frowned, gnawing on the inside of his lip as his gaze fell to the phone in his lap, contemplating how to respond to the accusation he'd flirted when he fucking hadn't! But then he realised he had it wrong and his agitation eased. He had with Trick... that's what he was getting at. Trick assumed he was like that with everyone. Was he? He supposed he was, if he was interested. He never bothered hiding his interest because he had nothing to lose. But Trick had been different. There'd been an instant spark.
He sighed quietly, forced to confront an uncomfortable truth about himself and examine the underlying implications. Trick knew it was hollow, though. And he knew why, after tonight. It wasn't going to be an issue going forward. The reference to Adam left a sour taint in his chest, though, flavouring his thoughts. He wished Trick hadn't said it like that. It hurt that he was using his past against him. Still, he'd invited him to speak so he had to deal with it.
"It was different with you, right from the start," he smiled, swallowing down the sad, bitter feelings as best he could. His voice was softer than he liked so he cleared his throat and shuffled around in his seat a little, sounding more confident when he continued.
"I'm not a game player. I'm not interested in doing anything to make you jealous or anything like that. He was just a guy I pretended to know because a creep was hurting him and it scared the shit out of me. I bought him a cup of tea to calm his nerves and we talked. Eventually, about hanging out to game. That was Monday. We joked around, I guess I flirted, but I didn't have any hope for you, at that stage. I'll text him and put him off," Harm assured Trick, pulling his hand off his thigh in order to pick up his phone and do as he'd said.
-
Trick sighed heavily.
"Man, this is why I didn't want to bring it up. I don't need an explanation or even want one. I don't own you. You can see who you like, do what you like. I still feel like we're doing things backwards, you know? Becoming boyfriends before properly dating a while, before sleeping together. I don't... I don't--"
Trick gripped the steering wheel tightly enough that his knuckles turned white before he relaxed and leant away from Harm, his elbow on the lip of the door where the window rolled up from, his head resting against the fingertips of that hand.
-
Harm was startled enough by the outburst to drop the phone and look at Trick, his eyes widening slightly at the use of the label. He hadn't dared consider them that but... he supposed it fit. They'd been driven by an intense attraction that bonded them, assisted forward by circumstances and unusual declarations.
Trick had a point and although it worried Harm that he was taking stock of the situation and feeling spooked, it didn't surprise him. This was all a little crazy.
"Yeah," he drawled, the word stretched on a long breath out. He rested his head back against his seat and watched the road unfold before them, thinking, letting Trick think. He flipped his locked phone over and over in his hands without paying attention to what he was doing.
When it felt like enough time had passed that one of them could say something, Harm had an offer. "So... we could take it back and end it, if you want - shortest relationship in history," he said with the ghost of a smile and a little laugh. "No hard feelings. Or move forward. You could... " he took a steadying breath and released it as quietly as possible. "Maybe you could stay at my place tonight? Find out if it's worth this... angst." Again, he laughed but it was so light he might have just been breathing oddly.
They weren't the only two options available to them, of course. They could ease off and take their time... but that sort of limbo didn't really appeal to Harm. Not after they'd gone so far ahead. He didn't feel like he was the one making the decisions right now, though.
"I don't have any roses or kittens, though," he warned with mock seriousness.
-
Trick sidled his gaze over when Harm suggested they end things then dropped his hand back to the wheel when the invite to stay over came. His other hand dropped this time, moving to the centre of the car, his elbow resting on the centre console between the seats, fingers resting lightly on the auto gear shift.
"It's a lot of angst," Trick said, his tone lighter than his choice of words. "Our stamina is going to be massively tested for how much angst we have to combat. Good thing I work out so much, but who knows if you can handle that kind of punishment. Because... angst."
A slow grin crept across his face.
-
At first, Harm was wary but as Trick's body language opened up in his direction and then he continued speaking and his joke became clear, Harm sighed and sagged with relief, giggling because the release of tension made him feel almost lightheaded.
"Ohmygod," he sighed gutturally then straightened up, working his hand under Trick's so he could link fingers with him. "You had me worried for a second, there." More like a minute but who was counting? His thumb stroked Trick's palm as his mind doubled back in order to appreciate his joke properly. His boyyyfriend's joke. He wondered idly if Gia would be pleased or annoyed that her teasing would be for nothing now.
"Agreed. Far too much. But we have a history of you towing me out of difficult situations whenever I lag behind so I fully expect your princely intervention should I appear to not be up to the, er, task - not that I'm admitting I will! I assure you I'll be up for anything you dish out." A thrill of excitement went through him as he thought of what that might entail, leaving him tingling.
"Besides," he added huskily, "you're the one likely to lag. You just finished a long work day and it's late. I've got like five hours of sleep behind me. I'm pretty sure you'll be a sleeping beauty and I'll be the one lying there frustrated," he challenged with a grin.
-
Trick laughed at Harm's challenge and shook his head. "Challenge accepted."
He drove just a little bit faster.
(Continued in Favourite Things (http://www.roleplaycity.com/forum/index.php?topic=7610.0))