Author Topic: Greener Grass  (Read 7071 times)

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Offline Existentially Odd

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Re: Greener Grass
« Reply #30 on: July 21, 2019, 04:39:09 PM »
Kerr raised his eyebrows, mirroring Ben's pose against the back of the lounge in his surprise. He couldn't predict whether that would be more or less awkward and even though he wanted to stave off any potential further harm to Ben, he had to admit that he was curious about whether it would work.

His first thought was of Saraekiel, whose golden skin had stirred Ben's libido most recently, or the nymph he'd spoken of wanting to bite. Kerr supposed he could arrange them as a surprise but complete strangers could also represent more pressure. Ichabod would be a better fit but he was Kerr's preference, not Ben's.

"Okay. I'd be up for trying that. Do you have anyone particular in mind?" Kerr asked airily. If Ben chose, he was more likely to at least be interested enough to be present. "Or should we go 'shopping' at Venture?"

Offline Trillian

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Re: Greener Grass
« Reply #31 on: July 21, 2019, 04:53:52 PM »
Ben thought of Vincent. "Not really." He thought of Saraekiel too, as did Kerr. The golden-skinned dark angel really had been the first person Ben had felt genuinely and intensely physically attracted to, but he thought getting involved with him could end up badly. Plus, he wasn't sure that Saraekiel was interested in Kerr at all.

"We can shop right here," Ben said wryly, pulling out his phone and waking it up then tapping on the Lovebite icon. He shifted on the couch so Kerr and he could both look at who was advertising themselves. He didn't narrow down the categories, scrolling past everyone. "Oh, Ari's on here," he said, surprised. "And Vincent," he said, looking at Kerr as they both read the sentence about his being in a closed relationship. "Guess we won't be swinging with them, then," he said, bumping his shoulder into Kerr's. He'd never thought of it as a real option. "There's this Freddy guy," Ben said, showing Kerr his picture. "And Cain, too." He scrolled through another hundred pictures of potential donors but nobody really stood out and not many of them advertised as 'hot hookups' which surprised Ben. He'd always thought the groupie scene was more casual.

He put the phone down before sending a message to Freddy or getting Kerr's feedback, then said: "You know, Venture might be best because... it would be like the old days."
INFUSCO : Ben : Hugh : Lan Bao : Mick : Todd : Vincent : Win :
HALFLIGHT : Graille Min Sayer :

Offline Existentially Odd

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Re: Greener Grass
« Reply #32 on: July 21, 2019, 05:12:47 PM »
Kerr leant close to Ben to look over his shoulder as he scrolled through the Lovebite connections. "Ari's hot," he agreed enthusiastically, though Jeanne popped into his mind as soon as he started thinking about the Sacramentum members. She'd propositioned Kerr while he and Ben had stayed at Penbrook and he hadn't known whether to take her seriously or not, so he hadn't mentioned it. Ben hadn't been in a state to hear such things even in passing.

He didn't comment on Vincent, though he found him statuesque, rather than sexually appealing. Ben's joke and shoulder bump was met with an appreciative smile, though it morphed into a wrinkled nose and look of distaste as the image of Freddy came on the screen. "Ew, no," he rejected but his expression shifted yet again as Cain popped up. Those mismatched eyes stared directly out at him, challenging him to speak out against him. But he definitely couldn't. He licked his lips without thinking about it and smiled benignly up at Ben as the topic (thankfully) shifted to Venture.

He looked into Ben's iridescent light blue eyes, pushing thoughts of mismatched ones away as love swelled in him. "Sure. Whatever works for you. Whenever," he shrugged, grinning as he leant forward to press a kiss to Ben's lips.

Offline Trillian

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Re: Greener Grass
« Reply #33 on: July 21, 2019, 05:28:58 PM »
Ben kissed Kerr back, his mouth open but his tongue chaste. He was smiling when Kerr pulled away.

"You know, it's... weirdly exciting. Maybe we can - " his suggestion cut off when Kerr's phone chirped a message. When Kerr checked it they both read that they had a dinner date with Vincent and Owen at Echelon this coming Saturday at nine.

"I was going to suggest going this Saturday but maybe Sunday instead?" Ben asked. "Or we could still try Saturday, just go to Venture late. Depends how well dinner goes."

His confession to Kerr and sharing of his secret had lifted Ben's spirits. He'd shared something he'd been ashamed of and not got a negative result. He felt freed.
INFUSCO : Ben : Hugh : Lan Bao : Mick : Todd : Vincent : Win :
HALFLIGHT : Graille Min Sayer :

Offline Existentially Odd

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Re: Greener Grass
« Reply #34 on: July 21, 2019, 05:55:59 PM »
"Sure, Saturday late sounds like a good idea. It'll make thinking of Vincent easier for you," he teased, winking and smirking as he lifted the phone he was texting on to reinforce his point. Ben's shift in mood was thrumming its way to him through their blood bond and he felt lighter, too.

Fantastic! Ben and I will be there. Hope you didn't have to offer too much to get the reservation  ;)

He sent the text and dropped the phone on his lap, reclaiming his hold on Ben.

"Though it is going to make it difficult to choose what to wear. Dress for a polite dinner with handsome acquaintances or to attract attention at Venture, hmm?" he grinned, pulling Ben against him so that his fledgeling's shoulder was against his broad chest and he could nuzzle playful kisses on his throat. "I guess the dress code's not exactly black mesh and tight leather at either establishment though, is it?" he giggled.

Offline Trillian

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Re: Greener Grass
« Reply #35 on: July 21, 2019, 06:20:41 PM »
Ben huffed surprise at the teasing about his attraction to Vincent. Really, he was surprised Kerr was okay with it enough to joke about it already. The nuzzling and kisses almost had him lifting a shoulder to block his lover's attentions but he stopped himself, not wanting Kerr to be rejected, not now.

"No, but we can dress them up in anything we like when we get home," Ben remarked.

He couldn't help but recall that mesh and leather were Cain's 'uniform' whenever Ben saw him at clubs. Perhaps Cain would be at Venture and they would end up with him after all.
INFUSCO : Ben : Hugh : Lan Bao : Mick : Todd : Vincent : Win :
HALFLIGHT : Graille Min Sayer :

Offline Existentially Odd

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Re: Greener Grass
« Reply #36 on: July 21, 2019, 08:35:07 PM »
Kerr sensed his joking and affection was getting a little too much so he eased away from Ben's neck, considering the offer with a modicum of surprise. Dressing up wasn't something he knew Ben liked but then, it'd never really come up. When they'd gone out and dressed up nicely - whether to a masquerade ball, a club or to an official Oligarchy, Academy or campaign event - there'd always been a positive response to how he looked but he hadn't known it was a particular thing for his love. The more you learnt.

"I thought the idea was to not wear anything?" he chuckled, finding himself cautiously optimistic about Saturday night. He was uncertain how things would go with Vincent and Owen but he looked forward to getting to know them better. They had a good vibe about them and now that he knew how Ben felt about Vincent, he was keen to look at him with that perspective and potential in mind. He also felt inarticulate gratitude towards the older vampire and looked forward to expressing that with his respectful presence.

Thoughts of the dinner, Vincent and Owen swirled inside him and he entertained them, waiting for their point to float to the surface. When it did, he had a question for Ben. "You know... it's not your job to fix me, right?" he whispered, his hand rubbing along Ben's arm thoughtfully. Because of how he'd positioned him, he couldn't see Ben's face but that made it easier to keep talking, his voice still little more than words floating on an outgoing breath.

"I've said it before but... I think it bears saying again. None of this is your fault. The rape wasn't your fault. The fact that you can't be with me isn't your fault. You're doing everything you can, racing madly around to try to fix things but... the only thing you should worry about... is you. You're all that matters. I'm willing to wait for you, forever. We have as long as it takes. I'll always love you, I'll go along with anything you want - as long as it helps you. I don't want you to fretting about me. I'm fine. Anything, everything... for you."

Offline Trillian

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Re: Greener Grass
« Reply #37 on: July 21, 2019, 09:43:55 PM »
Ben nodded at Kerr's words but his determination wouldn't let it go. He knew he wasn't to blame but he'd been through worse things before and dealt with them so this was no different. He should be used to mistreatment by now - it was how the supernatural world worked. He remembered talking about vampirism to someone a while back.

Creatures that come from medieval times behave in medieval ways. He understood Jake's desire for a trial. To do the right thing. But they were beyond that now. They were dark creatures and needed punishment from the dark ages.

Lazarus hadn't even been the worst so he shouldn't have the biggest impact. He'd just been the most recent.

"I love you. I understand what you're saying," Ben said. "I don't want to shut down a part of you just because a part of me has. At least if we try this thing, picking up someone to share, at least that'll be something intimate between us, even if I just end up watching. And if I don't like watching, we won't do it again."

He was pretty sure he wouldn't mind watching, but he couldn't possibly know for sure until it happened.

INFUSCO : Ben : Hugh : Lan Bao : Mick : Todd : Vincent : Win :
HALFLIGHT : Graille Min Sayer :

Offline Existentially Odd

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Re: Greener Grass
« Reply #38 on: July 22, 2019, 03:23:56 AM »
Kerr thought back to the mortals they'd invited into this apartment when they'd reclaimed it. Having Toby and Ryan visit he and Ben to feed them had proved arousing enough for Ben to be interested in sex (even though he hadn't followed through once Jake upset the status quo). Kerr had hopes that such a thing could happen again. Their trip to Venture would prove fruitful, hopefully.

"Okay," Kerr said, allowing the topic to drop for now. Saturday night would reveal many things! It was still a few nights away, however, and Kerr didn't want to waste any more time on negative things tonight. He felt close to Ben, protective of him because he'd started the evening with terrible news from Murphy, indulgent towards him because he'd dared to be vulnerable and reveal the depths of his feelings for Vincent and in love with him because he continued to be brave and fight for their relationship in his own special ways.

"How about we go down to Luminescent for some training, then?" he suggested. It was another way for the two of them to connect with each other, like he did with Ichabod whenever he went to visit him. "I thought you might like to work on your telepathy. Locating memories in as many mortals as you're able and seeing if you can scan them without triggering awareness in the host. Would you be up for that?" he queried lovingly, ready to finish the night performing his siring duties, watching Ben's mind develop. How else would he manage to stay ahead of Murphy, if he didn't practise?

Ben agreed and so they left the penthouse, hand in hand.