Unveiling

[Existentially Odd]

Tom fidgeted nervously with the fold of material above where his navy blue shirt was tucked into his jeans, touching his brown belt and clearing his throat, his booted feet switching position as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.  "Well... what do you think?" he asked Reed forcefully, his hands finally settling on his slim hips.

The fucker was being uncharacteristically quiet, though perhaps the vampire might have chosen the timing of his tour better.  Reed had only got off the plane from Australia a little over an hour ago (his timing had been perfect as he\'d arrived just after sunset, allowing Tom to pick him up personally) and been presented with a strong, lingering hug at the airport before being whisked away on the motorbike that had been bought specifically to impress (there\'d been a reaction upon sighting it, at least).

Since they\'d stepped into Tom\'s house, though... there hadn\'t been a lot of chance for discussion, since the vampire had launched into his pride-filled tour with gusto, describing every change he\'d rendered in the little house quite succinctly (in his opinion).  They\'d seen every room, except the basement that held the coffin - even he knew Reed wasn\'t ready for that just yet - and concluded in the bedroom, because it had the most features to talk about.  He\'d resisted going into too much detail on the camera system, though, feeling oddly shy about describing it once they were in the room.  He didn\'t even turn it on, too unnerved by his friend\'s silence to strut it out with his usual arrogance.

Plus, it had finally hit him - by that stage - that Reed was finally here.  Back in the city, responding immediately to his invitation to come and visit.  They hadn\'t even so much as texted each other since the disastrous New Zealand trip three months ago, yet Reed had agreed he\'d come check the house out without any apparent second thoughts (none that he\'d voiced, anyway).  Right about now, Tom was also realising he\'d conveniently forgotten that they\'d concluded their rib-breaking rafting experience with an angry fight about the mortal racing to his death without care and the immortal feeling he should change his ways because he valued his friend too greatly to lose him to frivolous chance.

To prove how greatly he valued him, the vampire had left the bed they\'d shared for one day and flown back to America as soon as night fell, leaving everything unresolved.  He could also see now that it had - perhaps - been a tad shortsighted of him not to purchase another bed to furnish one of the spare rooms with, after all.

[Trillian]

Reed found himself absorbed by the house as he was taken through it.  This was something that reflected Tom\'s personality and even though it suited him, Reed would not have believed that the vampire would decorate a house this way.  Or, to be truly honest, he\'d never believed Tom would buy a house at all, let alone get it fixed up to his liking and then show off to his friend.
 
There was unfinished business between them, and it would be finished.  Reed was adamant about coming to a conclusion for the conversation they\'d left in the air all that time ago.  On the plane he\'d kept it in mind but the drone of the engine and the constant necessity to stay in his seat had him sleeping most of the way here, so his mind hadn\'t turned over it too much.  Now, with the house shown to him (and the way Tom hugged him at the airport), the conversation seemed nowhere near as important.  Reed was feeling like they\'d just had a snap at each other and that was that.  There was no need to bring it up again.
 
The bedroom, however, deserved a comment.  "Are you going to buy a website or something?" Reed asked after looking at the cameras which Tom mentioned but didn\'t go into too much depth for.  "Charge people to watch you fuck?"

[Existentially Odd]

Tom laughed, but it didn\'t reach his eyes, the hollow sound reflecting what he was feeling when his friend didn\'t say anything else about his pet project.  Did that mean the mortal did or didn\'t like the house?  He couldn\'t tell and was too disappointed that no opinion had been offered to solicit one.

"Y\'know, I never thought of that?  I figured if I charged everyone for their copy of the DVD, I\'d be able to make a decent commission but maybe you\'re right; I should give Nimm a call and see what her thoughts on getting me web access are."

He stepped over to the foot of the bed and flopped back on it, resting his upper body on his elbows so that he could still keep eye contact with Reed.  His tone was noticeably bitter because he couldn\'t be fucked hiding it; he was pissed off that he hadn\'t started the tour in the bedroom and ended somewhere else, so that he was less of a mark for off-handed insults.  He was also pissed off that Reed didn\'t have the brain capacity to realise that the housing project was special to him and he was a bit touchy on the whole subject.  He glowered at the brunette instead of saying anything else to him, not realising that he looked like a very tall child having flung himself down on his bed to have a sulk.

[Trillian]

Reed hadn\'t finished discussing the house however, and as Tom threw himself backward on the bed, Reed sat upon the foot of it.
 
"You\'ve put a lot of time into it," he declared, recognising that Tom was serious about this place.  Reed, however, would\'ve been a great deal more enthusiastic about the building if it was situated in any other city.  The fact that Tom had put a lot of effort into setting up a home here meant that he was staying put.
 
He\'d picked the one place that Reed didn\'t like, and he didn\'t like that but there was fuck all he could do about it.  It was Tom\'s money after all.  His life (or unlife).

[Existentially Odd]

Slightly mollified that the topic of his house had been returned to, Tom\'s blue eyes slid sideways to regard Reed lazily through his lashes.  "Aaand... ?" he drawled, unabashedly prompting the mortal to continue with whether he believed the time put into the house was well-spent or not.

What the vampire didn\'t understand was why it mattered so damn much.  He knew how much effort had gone into the place and he was very well aware that it was a stunning and cosily modern home on the inside, covered by a deceptively gauche exterior that wouldn\'t ever earn it a second glance.  Not only was it beautiful internally, it was an entirely clever design that would protect his identity and keep itself safe when he went abroad.

For some reason, though, he couldn\'t rest until Reed told him as much.  Tom had been unsettled and nervous for the entire time between calling his buddy and picking him up at the airport; nerves like that didn\'t die quickly - especially with the beautifully-tanned mortal being so tight-lipped about everything.  He was obviously still carrying a grudge over their last parting but Tom was prepared for that; he\'d done a lot of thinking (and even a little planning) on that matter and he had a way out... of sorts.  A line of conversation he might pursue, at least.  He just wanted his damn compliments on the house, first!

[Trillian]

Reed didn\'t answer right away but he turned to look at Tom\'s prone position instead.  Raising an eyebrow because of the prompt, a question came to mind
 
Fishing for compliments, Tom?
 
but Reed wasn\'t feeling like being an asshole right now.  He just wanted to relax right now, and Tom\'s house, even being in the city they were in, was a nice place.
 
"It paid off," he drawled, a smile twisted on his lips before he turned his head away.  "It\'s like a fucking designer home."
 
Perhaps that was why Reed also had mixed feelings about it.  He was more comfortable in casual, messy homes.  Like his beach house, with magazines thrown around and junk lying everywhere.

[Existentially Odd]

It wasn\'t a lot of words but it was enough homage paid to have Tom beaming.  "Thank you," he said graciously, as if he hadn\'t begged for the positive comment in the first place.  He could feel his thoroughly satisfied expression on his face, his cheeks pulled back so far his dimples were on display and he wondered vaguely just why those few little words made him so happy he was grinning like a loon.

Because it\'s Reed, dickhead.  He\'s here and he likes it and... he\'s here finally.

He had the sudden urge to launch himself at Reed and wrestle him until the bed was a disaster but he couldn\'t quite overcome the recollection of how hurt the mortal had been when last he saw him.  Stupidly, idiotically hurt... and nearly drowned.  It gave him pause.  "How\'s your rib, by the way?" he asked, tilting his head back slightly so he could look Reed over.

[Trillian]

"Yeh, I\'m healed," Reed said, dismissing the question.  There wasn\'t even bruising left so he didn\'t even feel a twinge.  "Not like I haven\'t broken anything before," he added with a laugh before he decided to move on from that part of the conversation.
 
"So what do you do for fun here?  Still visiting that nightclub?  What was it called?  Cult?"

[Existentially Odd]

"Risk," Tom corrected with a derisive snort, sitting up and swivelling to face his companion, mouth twisted wryly.  He couldn\'t help but shake his head, thinking Reed had got the name wrong deliberately - \'Cult\' certainly sounded like an antagonistic substitute.  Something to deter him from commenting on the whole broken rib incident again, no doubt.

"I\'ve been there a few times, yeh.  As for fun... well, that\'s why you\'re here," the vampire smirked, reaching out to prod the tips of his fingers into Reed\'s stomach.  "Not a lot to do here once you get over the convenience of it, it\'s just another place to live.  Care to liven things up?" he taunted, now tapping the mortal\'s cheek in between gut digs.

When it came down to it, he still didn\'t feel right launching into a full, roll-around wrestle without any lead-in; it was like sex without foreplay.  Especially with Reed and the discussion about their unique relationship they\'d had when last together.  Taunting was therefore his way of initiating contact, in the most relaxed manner possible.  He figured it was preferable to a kiss, a bite or a grope, at least.

[Trillian]

For Reed to be totally honest with Tom would be to admit the flight here had tired him out.  Even though he\'d slept most of the way here, he hadn\'t slept well on the nights prior to getting on the plane, unable to contain his excitement at seeing Tom again, though still a little pissed about the way they\'d last left it.
 
He was tight lipped because he was tired and not feeling his usual perky and highly antagonistic self.  Seeing Tom again had been good, the motorcycle had been very cool, the house had made him wary.  There was something about Tom having a house that simply felt wrong.
 
"Fuck off," Reed said, slapping Tom\'s prodding finger away.  "I\'m not here for your fucking amusement," he said, but then realised he was, so he turned it around.  "I\'m here for you to entertain me.  I\'m your guest, asshole"

[Existentially Odd]

Tom snorted again, debating whether he should go ahead and tackle Reed anyway but eventually deciding against it - the Australian was a bit too cranky for that right now (though fucked if he knew why).  Besides, it would look like he was wanting an excuse just to hug or feed and that wasn\'t the case.  Really.

"I know, I know," the vampire answered dismissively, trying to think of \'host\' type things to do.  He flopped down on the bed again, this time with his head and shoulder up against Reed\'s hip and thigh.  After a moment, he raised a finger as if he\'d just thought of a point to object to - or advertise, as the case was.  "I\'ve got all your favourite foods in the cupboard and the fridge," he offered proudly, "and there\'s plenty of space in the wardrobe for you to keep your clothes."

He smiled, dropped his hand and then frowned.  "Oh but... I didn\'t buy you your own bed yet, because I didn\'t know what you\'d want.  Didn\'t figure you\'d mind sleeping here for tonight, though?" he finished hopefully, tilting his head to look up at Reed\'s face.

[Trillian]

"Favourite food?" Reed mocked, but grinning anyway.  Fuck, Tom was being thoughtful.  What was that about then?  It pleased Reed very much but he wasn\'t going to be giving up the opportunity for a good teasing.
 
When the comment about the bed came up, Reed gave Tom a pondering look, trying to figure out what his comment had meant.
 
I didn\'t buy you your own bed yet, because I didn\'t know what you\'d want.
Surely he should\'ve bought a bed to give Reed an option between what he might want?  Unless he meant the kind of bed Reed liked, but that was nonsense.  He was being driven into Tom\'s bed!  This was a surprise.
 
"I don\'t mind," he said, his gaze searching and his smile twisted.

[Existentially Odd]

"We can go get something tomorrow night if you want," he finished contentedly, relaxing his head back against Reed\'s warm body and looking along his own at the post his feet were currently propped up on.  "I just didn\'t know whether to go king or queen - the room I wanted to do next is pretty big but I figured you might like a whole lot of other furniture in there and I\'d ask first."

He let the statement hang between them, nervous and relieved to have finally expressed his true thoughts.  He didn\'t want this to be Reed\'s only visit; he was interested in setting up a room for him to stay more often than that.  A lot more often and for reasons he\'d been daydreaming about but wouldn\'t dare broach for a while yet.  The room information was enough of an insinuation, at this point.  He found himself so uptight about what Reed would say to (basically) being asked to live with a vampire - when they weren\'t out adventuring, of course - that he hastily blurted out the next thought that entered his preoccupied mind.

"So what\'s your body clock like, anyway?  Is it day or night in Australia at the moment?  Did you want to go to sleep?  Feel free to take a shower!"  Well, okay; the next four thoughts that came to mind were suddenly fired out of his mouth in an effort to lessen the impact of his proposition.

[Trillian]

Reed, who was well aware that he\'d been offered something akin to living here with Tom if he was going to be having his own furnished room, looked at his friend rather intently, feeling his stomach flip-flopping, but he couldn\'t decide if it was because he was excited or anxious.  Every other time he\'d had an offer made to him about living with someone he\'d refused and then gradually stopped seeing them.  Committment was a dirty word.
 
But... this was Tom.  Tom and their other buddies pretty much had more of a committment out of Reed than anyone else in the world, because hanging with them was fun.  Hanging with Tom though, on a personal level, had fluctuations.  They would fight, Tom would abuse him, Reed would get over it because of the sexual element.  Well, now they would fight, Tom would drink from him and they\'d fuck.  It was as pretty close to a relationship as they would get.
 
He was going to ask if the room was going to be set up like one of Reed\'s many domiciles around the world, for him to come and go as he pleased, but then Tom interjected a heap of other shit and let Reed off the hook.
 
"If it\'s night here, it\'s day there, but I slept on the plane so I\'m wide awake," Reed explained, though he was still a little unsettled, as long plane trips usually had some impact on him.  "Shower sounds good," he admitted, and stood up so that he could stretch and make his way to his luggage, for a change of clothes once out of the shower.

[Existentially Odd]

"Right," Tom said, feeling inane and yet again disappointed that his big revelation had been glossed over.  That was the way it was with Reed, though.  He was never one to give much away and, truthfully, that had been what attracted the vampire to him over all the other guys in the first place.  He never waffled shit, he didn\'t feel every bit of silence needed to be filled and he didn\'t fuck around when he had something to say, he just said it.  Much like himself... until now, when he\'d gone all fucking nancy, of course, getting his stupid ass worked up into some stupid knot thinking about making things a bit more permanent with his buddy.

Like, eternally permanent.

"You know where the bathrooms are," he murmured dismissively, but waved a hand towards his ensuite to the left - well, over his head considering his current position.  "The towel on the bottom rail is yours - it\'s clean," he added, making it obvious he\'d expected Reed to share his bathroom, too.  He fell silent then, turning his head so that he could watch his friend get a change of clothes and... generally just walk around... in his house.  He\'d been envisioning it so long, it was hard to believe it was finally real.