Game On

[Existentially Odd]

Harm rushed back to his apartment in a harried manner, heavy cloth bags hooked over both forearms, juggling their weight so he could get his keys out of his pocket. The door banged open because the knob escaped his grasp but he ignored it in favour of hopping towards the nearby bench, one leg extended behind him to kick the door closed. He dumped the bags with a sigh of relief and withdrew his arms, putting his keys back on the hook on the fridge.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time, his mouth shifting into a disapproving line as he saw it was ten to two. Ten minutes until Tobi would arrive. Maybe he'd be late. But what if he was early? Stress tightened his shoulders because he hadn't meant to be out as long as he had. Tobi hadn't even cared about snacks, he'd told Harm not to worry but the host in him (burnt into his soul by his socially-minded mother) hadn't been able to help himself. Someone was coming over to his house to play and he was excited!

Probably a bit too excited, considering the amount of food he'd bought: potato chips, a platter of vegetable sticks, dips, cold bottles of soft drink, the makings of hot dogs and a container of hot wings from a nearby bar (the last thing he'd picked up, so they'd stay hot in their tin foil container), but he hadn't been able to help himself. Biting his lower lip, he surveyed his bounty, calculating what he'd start with and what he'd store. Vegetable platter, dips and wings first he decided, starting to put everything else away so that he could get the first snacks to the coffee table in preparation.

He glanced around as he transferred things from bags to bench, wondering if Trick was back from the gym yet. He wasn't in the open living/kitchen area. The thought that he might already be there (in the bedroom or bathroom), having used his key to get in before Harm got back, sent a happy thrill through him but didn't distract him from his task. Time wasn't on his side.

[Pocky]

Trick stepped out of Harm's shower drying his hair, the towel whipping and snapping about his ears as he gave his head a rapid rub. He'd heard someone coming in and the noises that followed were certainly grocery noises, plastic bags rustling loud enough for him to hear it clearly. He concentrated on drying himself; cheating with his talent didn't work very well. Either he didn't have the right technique or it would always be faster with a towel. He was done in two minutes.

His gym bag containing clean clothes had been left in Harm's bathroom. Naked, he peered out of the tiled room. There wasn't any talking and he couldn't directly see Harm either, just heard the rustling of him putting stuff away into kitchen cabinets.

"Hey, babes," he greeted, taking two more steps so he was standing in the doorway. He gave Harm a broad smile, allowing his boyfriend to get an eyeful. "I let myself in to use your shower." His confident aura was challenged by the duck of his head and shrug he gave after admitting this fact.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm straightened up from loading the fridge and spun towards Trick's voice, barely acknowledging the thunk of the door closing behind him. His smile of joy transformed into an expression of pure wonder as he spied Trick's state of undress on the other side of the kitchen counter. He stepped around the end of it, resenting its partial obstruction of the delectable view, his feet drawing him magnetically towards his fine-looking boyfriend.

The closer he got, the more his face brightened until it made the countenances of children set loose in a candy store - with a fistful of cash and no adult supervision - look like those of funeral goers by comparison. His body wasted no time in reacting to all of Trick's assets on display, tingling with anticipation and disbelief that he had the sole pleasure of being able to walk up and touch the curves and hollows of taut muscles, oblique planes of tanned flesh and sinewy bridges in front of him. Mine, something unusually possessive and violent exulted as he reached the nymph.

One set of fingertips trailed over the bumps and valleys of perfect abdominals while the other lifted to run from a toned shoulder down to his wrist, intertwining with fingers reverently. He didn't have the time to fool around with Trick, his favourite new toy, but that didn't make him any more resistible, either.

"That's why I gave you the key. So you could come in here and use anything you wanted, whenever you wanted," he told Trick huskily, giving him a heated look as he pressed his lips to his collarbone, dropping kisses along it in between his words. "Fuck you're beautiful... how was your workout? You feel incredible... I'll give you a massage later... if you like... gods know, I'll take any excuse to put hands on you."

He lightly bit Trick's shoulder when he got there, his teeth scraping the divine flesh gently while his tongue prodded and lapped. He knew he needed to let Trick go get dressed before Tobi arrived but he was considering taking off his own clothes instead. How fast could they be? Not fast enough. He groaned, knowing it was a stupid idea, all while considering just how quickly he could get naked. He was wearing loose black basketball shorts and a jersey he'd bought not because he cared to support the team but because its turquoise colour matched his eyes and the lightweight fabric kept him cool. Practicality and vanity in one outfit. It could be gone in seconds and then the real fun could begin.

[Pocky]

Trick smiled widely when Harm approached, his eyes glistening with enthusiasm and excitement when he was touched. Small bumps broke out like a rash on his arms and legs when Harm's teeth incited a shiver. His dick began to enlarge and harden, a tingling in his balls accompanying the ache that signalled his horniness.

"I could workout a little more," Trick said before he licked his lips and planted kisses on Harm's ear, on his temple or forehead, wherever it was he could reach. His fingers tangled themselves into Harm's hair and he clutched at it, tipping Harm's head backwards before slowly running his tongue across Harm's lower lip. He was fully engorged now, a dull ache of need between his legs.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm shivered and whimpered as Trick nibbled at his ear, his skilful lips having such an effect that that half of Harm's head and neck seized up in a cramp, his skin pinching and shooting with pulses that made him shudder and squirm. He moaned helplessly as his head was grabbed, the crawling goosebumps racing across his scalp as Trick's hands tangled in his hair, holding him in place.

His hand dropped to encircle Trick's cock, thumb and fingers pressed firmly against the base, palm and heel sliding along the shaft to rub over the head. He stuck his tongue out to meet Trick's, prodding and licking at it in mid-air, the action daring and erotic enough to drag a moan from him. The fact his head was held made him feel sinfully helpless and twice as turned on.

"Tobi'll be here in, like, eight minutes," he panted, his eyelids drooping with lust and his left hand pinching and kneading Trick's waist while his right milked him. "I don't think we can be fast enough."

It pained Harm to say it. He was hard and throbbing and calculating just how ready he was, how much it'd hurt if they rushed, how Trick's stamina would undermine them. The thoughts thrilled him, regardless of potential discomfort; Trick bending him over and filling him had him aching, even though his words were so rational. He growled and tried to capture Trick's elusive mouth in a kiss.

[Pocky]

"Fuck," Trick whispered, then laughed on his breath. "What if he's late?"

His actions defied his words for Trick released his grip on Harm's hair and pressed his palm flat to it instead, cupping Harm's head and holding it against his shoulder. Trick's eyes closed and he jutted out his jaw, taking a long, slow breath through his nose before blowing it steadily out of his mouth.

"Just our hands then," he suggested, dropping his hold to Harm's hand so he could step away and pull him through to the bedroom.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm giggled but allowed himself to be pulled into the bedroom, even though he knew it would only lead to trouble.

"Fuck. It's not bad enough you have me as horny as a teenager, now we're regressing back to that? Sneaky hand jobs and-" his words trailed away, nonsensical and irrelevant as they reached the bed.

Harm yanked his jersey hastily over his head while he toed his shoes off and kicked them away.  Hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts and underwear, they were swiftly pushed down to his ankles, ready to step out of so he could fall onto the bed with Trick in a tangle of limbs.

It was a terrible idea but he wasn't backing away. He really hoped Tobi had trouble finding the place.

[Pocky]

Trick pumped lube onto the palm of his hand from the bottle of lube on Harm's bedside table. Two long squirts had too much for him to deal with and he turned to see Harm had already taken care of his clothes. He held his palm out.

"Scoop," he said. Once Harm had some lube to use, Trick rubbed his palms together to make them slick. In less than a minute he'd reached down with both hands and pulled on Harm's erection hand over hand then cupped his hands into a loose sphere to stroke back and forth, tightening his fingers gradually.

Trick awkwardly knelt a leg on the bed, ready to fall onto his side facing Harm but first there was a kiss between them, difficult to perform as he gasped for breath once touched.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm did as instructed, swiping lube up with his right hand only; his left hand he wanted clean. The kiss was needy and electric, lighting him up and causing a delicious tension across every muscle group in his body. Trick's hands on his cock had him moaning into his mouth and his breath catching.

They lay on their sides with unexpected care and Harm stroked Trick in a gentle, repeated corkscrew, not applying too much pressure as he spread the lube along him. He ran his thumb over Trick's head, collecting precum and adding it to the slippery pole as his hand swirled its way back down to his base. His left arm lifted so that he could hold Trick's face while he kissed him, their tongues stabbing into each other's mouths, breathing ragged.  Feeling the fire coiling in his belly, Harm worked his hand into Trick's hair, grasping a chunk in his fist and twisting to hold him in place.

"You're so fucking hot, Prince," he panted, his legs winding around Trick's to squeeze them, everything feeling liquid and wild. He bucked his hips, needing to thrust into Trick's hands, the build rising. He ached to have him fill him up but had to content himself with milking the object of his desire, beginning to apply more pressure, getting the heel of his hand under the ridge of Trick's cock, finding an angle where he could pump faster. His thumb circled his tip every few times his hand whipped up it, squeezing and twisting.

"Fuck, you're... I'm... " Harm ground out, his thrusting becoming erratic as the thrill of thinking they'd get caught and the insane deliciousness that was Trick pressed against him and pumping his cock began to take its toll. He had to concentrate really hard on what his own hand was doing so that he didn't let Trick's pleasure falter.

[Pocky]

Trick didn't swap out his motions, instead keeping his cupped hands around Harm's dick, squeezing tightly and pumping back and forth. He lay in a way that his arm wasn't squashed beneath him though most of his work was in his wrists. Consistency was key as he worked Harm to his peak. His breathing wasn't as ragged as Harm's but his teeth clamped together and lips drawn back.

Eyebrows rose and he mimicked Harm's O face, catching cum in his cupped hands but not very well. He held as much as he could and relaxed into Harm's twisting grip, eyes lifting to Harm's face. He opened his mouth and closed it again, along with his eyes. A moment passed. Eyes opened once more.

"Stop twisting, just... constant," he said before biting his lower lip. His hands remained balled between them.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm felt drugged, lost in the sharp sweetness of an unexpectedly powerful orgasm. Trick's voice gave him the focus he needed. He let go of Trick's hair in favour of lifting himself onto his elbow to get a better angle with his other hand, ensuring he was following Trick's instruction. He looked at his boyfriend's face, finding his intense expression delicious, the way he bit his lip sexy as fuck.

He augmented his newly-steady, rapid strokes by leaning forward and sucking on Trick's throat. He kissed his way up to his ear, drawing the lobe between his lips and sucking on it briefly. "Cum for me, Prince," he whispered huskily before pulling back slightly to watch Trick's response to his challenge. His hand was a blur when he glanced down at it but it couldn't hold his attention away from Trick's expression for long. He was ridiculously sexy like this.

[Pocky]

Trick grunted and gasped, his body twitching as small pulses preceded his orgasm. He could feel it building and tightening. His hands were effectively tied by the need to keep them cupped together.

"Almost... almost... almost," he said, his voice tensing on the last word as finally his body surrendered and he gushed, twitching and spasming with his whole body because of the force of it. He shivered when Harm continued stroking him until he was done. "Fuck," he panted.

Trick laughed but sobered straight away when he looked at Harm. With dazed eyes he moved his head forward to try and kiss him.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm was practically startled out of his starry admiration of Trick's flushed skin and expressive face when his lips loomed closer. He mashed his lips against Trick's and revelled in the fierce, sensual passion of the kiss, forced to hold his hands in careful positions too. His heart was still pounding, the rapidity and sexiness of their session causing excited flutters to continue racing through his veins.

Remembering that they were on borrowed time, Harm reluctantly broke the kiss and looked downward as he began to disentangle his electrified body from Trick's. Spying a few tell-tale globs of cum that he'd allowed to get away from his hands and land on Trick's abs, Harm twisted and contorted himself and licked them off. "And you just had a shower, too," he admonished himself with a pout, his voice raspy from all the heavy breathing and moaning he'd done.

He set about cleaning Trick up with his tongue swiftly and with obvious enthusiasm for his craft.

[Pocky]

Trick laughed again, the dazed quality in his eyes hadn't quite gone away. The smell of sex filled the room, creating a musky and obvious odour. It clung to them even as Harm licked Trick like a friendly feline.

"My showering is what got us in here in the first place," he said with a grin. He twitched, spasmed and giggled because of Harm's licking tongue. "We should both rinse off so your friend isn't trapped between our sex smells."

He shuffled closer to the edge and rolled onto his back to sit up, taking his prize with him in his cupped hands.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm delighted in Trick's squirming, his licking relenting only when Tobi was mentioned. "My friend," he scoffed, climbing carefully off the bed after his boyfriend. "More like your fanboy! He'd probably smell us and ask if you took any photos of it," he snorted.

The view of Trick's tight ass clenching sinuously ahead of him as he walked made Harm appreciate that he was following him into the bathroom, even if there wasn't enough room for them to be at the tiny skink together once they got there. Harm stood close by, watching Trick avidly. "So, should I get in the shower, or...?" he hinted, his blue-green eyes flashing with afterglow and excitement.

He never knew what sort of creative things Trick would do with water and getting under the nozzle to rinse off their sticky, lube-smeared bodies sounded so mundane. If Trick was going to save himself the hassle of getting straight back in the water by using his talent, Harm wanted in on that action, too. He loved watching Trick use his powers.

[Pocky]

"Yeah," Trick replied, focussed on his own task. He carefully turned on both sink taps with his fingertips. Warm water gushed into the bowl and he rinsed off his hands, soaping them up and rinsing off again. Once his hands were clean he towelled them dry after turning off both taps.

He took a step away and faced Harm in the bathtub/shower. "If I get in there with you, you'll want to play." His accusation came with a smile as his words bounced around the tiled room. His eyes were alight and dancing.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm resigned himself to his task (knowing he had to be hasty) when told he should get in the shower; he turned on the water and climbed in. He rinsed the cum off his hands then directed the spray at his crotch - because he really only needed to clean that off - before reaching for the soap.

When Trick told him he'd want to play, he turned his head to make eye contact with him, lifted his shoulder coyly, batted his eyelashes and poked his tongue out at his boyfriend. It wasn't like he could argue, though he mildly resented Trick's implication that he was so sex-starved he couldn't keep his hands off him five minutes after he'd had his hands all over him. Pfft, like he was the only one feeling it.

He laughed, pleased with himself for coming up with such a witty response, and concentrated on getting clean. Apparently they were going to take turns so nobody got distracted... he refused to concede to the wisdom of that decision, despite knowing it was for the best.

[Pocky]

Trick raised his eyebrows at Harm's suggestive response, looking more like a damsel than ever with his pout and tease. His eyes narrowed and his pursed his lips together in a show of thoughtfulness before waiting until Harm looked comfortable beneath the spray, then he let him have it. With a flick of his wrist and fingers curving like he'd casually tossed a tennis ball up and to the side, Trick made the water cascading from the shower head that Harm stood beneath to gather into a stream which then surged upwards into his face. It was akin to being blasted with a garden hose.

Trick laughed heartily at the noises Harm emitted, letting go of the water so he could clutch his stomach and bray his joy so hard that tears leaked out of his eyes. "Iss'like," he said, his voice high-pitched as he giggled and gasped for air at the same time, "iss'like tha' face-slap, 'memba?" Trick mimicked a head bang and then pulled up with a shocked look before he laughed loudly at the ceiling.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm flinched then froze. He scrunched his face up as the water blasted it and then, when it stopped, he turned to Trick with his mouth a wide 'O', his head practically creaking because the movement was so slow and deliberate. Water dripped off his lashes, his nose, his lips and ran down his cheeks, causing him to blink to hasten the process and allow him to see his boyfriend, who appeared to be having a very good time.

He blushed, still able to find embarrassment in his ridiculous face slap at the lake. "You shithead!" he growled through gritted teeth, fighting off the urge to join in with Trick's contagious laughter. Perhaps unwisely (and certainly without thinking about the consequences of his action), he splashed water at Trick, flinging it at him as hard as he could.

[Pocky]

When drops of water landed on him, Trick looked down at it and his braying laughter took on a new quality. With pure glee on his face, he made a small pinching motion in the air. Was he saying that Harm's attack on him was of small consequence? The real reason behind his gesture became clear when the water from the shower responded. "It's on!" he said.

Once more Trick wielded a garden hose quality in Harm's shower but the compression of his fingers turned it into a jet stream. The water lifted up like a cobra and spat darts of water at Harm, stinging wherever they landed. Trick aimed for legs, sides and belly most of all. After only a few attacks Trick shifted his hands and pretended to hold something spherical. A fat ball of water formed at the shower head and then lobbed itself at Harm's head.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm had returned to rinsing off the soap in his crotch when Trick's laughter stopped suspiciously. He turned and saw the hand gesture. He gasped, now looking back at the hard spray just in time to catch another faceful of water. A string of curses erupted out of him as he cowered from Trick's attack, turning his body and squealing protests.

"Don't you... hey! Ow! Shit! Fuck! Triiiick!" he whined plaintively, body flinching and curling in on itself in a futile effort to escape. When there was a momentary lull, he thought it was over and turned to glare at his tormentor. "This isn't on!" he complained. "This isn't fair!. I don't have powers, you-"

A blob of water was dumped unceremoniously over his head, instantly shutting him up. He'd already done his hair before he went out shopping, wanting to look nice for Tobi. Now it was completely ruined. "You wet my hair?!" he screeched disbelievingly, his indignation making his voice slide up a couple of octaves. "That's it! You're fucking dead meat, Fallows!" he threatened, scrambling to get out of the tub and chase after his offensive boyfriend.

He slipped twice before his feet found stability on the mat and he was able to launch himself in Trick's direction. He didn't know exactly what he'd do with him when he caught him - probably just tackle him and wrestle him on the ground. Buoyed by righteous anger as he was in that moment, he liked his odds - he just knew he was better off on dry land, where he didn't have such a distinct disadvantage.  Right now, living with a motherfucking water nymph wasn't feeling like the most amazing gift he'd ever received after all!

[Pocky]

Trick clutched his belly from laughing so hard, doubled over as cramps seized him. Harm's swearing made everything that much funnier until he started trying to get out of the tub. Trick's eyes widened as he made another high-pitched statement. "Oh shit!"

Still giggling and clutching his abdomen, Trick turned and pawed at the bathroom door. Laughing tears in his eyes made everything blurry and he missed the handle twice. He could hear the distinct sound of footsteps in a tub as Harm lost his footing and then stepped out onto the mat.

Trick managed to grab the door handle on the third try. He turned it and was flooded with victory when he yanked on the door. It only opened a crack before he was tackled with force and it slammed shut again. He fell against the wooden portal, his body weighted down by something heavy and wet clinging to him. His octopus of a boyfriend who seemed to be all arms and legs.

Trick shrieked laughter, weakly pushing Harm away from him.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm was merciless, poking and prodding and tickling Trick as he slowly slid down the door to the cold bathroom floor, Harm straddling him despite the fact that Trick hadn't cleaned up properly yet. The inside of his thigh was particularly sticky but he couldn't afford to worry about that now that he had the dominant position.

"Not princely behaviour!" he condemned through gritted teeth, jabbing rigid fingers into any soft bits of flesh he could find (a difficult task on someone as fit and muscular as Trick but there was a deliciously vulnerable hollow just above his hip bones that Harm enjoyed plunging into). "You," jab, tickle, "are a motherfucker," tickle, tickle, prod, pinch, "and we need some fucking rules about using your powers on me!"

For good measure, he aimed both hands at twisting Trick's nipples as a finishing act, attempting to strike past the nymph's blocking arms and hoping for the best. He wasn't furious but he was of the mindset that a little pain would go a long way towards reclaiming his dignity and avenging the humiliating acts of violence performed upon his innocent person.

[Pocky]

"Stop, stop," Trick gasped, laughing so hard that his stomach was aching. Harm was ruthless, jabbing him in between tickles that kept him going. "I can dry you!" he shouted, his voice booming around the tiled room at the same time as his nipples were grabbed--one of them gripped properly and twisted painfully. He yowled and knocked away Harm's hands, shoving him off.

His mouth closed and down turned, his nose flared and his eyes lost their crinkle and became wide. Eyebrows knitted down and his face reddened. Trick got up off the floor and pulled open the door before looking back at Harm and pointing a finger at him.

"Fuck you," he snapped, and strode into Harm's bedroom where his clothes were. He gathered them up and put them on as quickly as he could.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm fell unceremoniously away from Trick, landing hard on the floor, his mouth open in shock. He watched in disbelief as Trick scrambled to his feet, flinching when he was pointed and sworn at. He was stunned that a bit of fun had flipped into something so vicious so quickly. All he could do was sprawl on the bathroom floor where he'd landed and gape at the doorway, still seeing the ugliness of Trick's expression in his mind's eye.

He felt guilt because he'd obviously hurt Trick. For that, he was sorry. But the way Trick had reacted stunned him. Dazed, he finally registered that the shower was still running and got to his feet. He was torn between following after Trick and fixing his hair... he decided that Trick might appreciate some space. He climbed into the shower and scrubbed a coin's-worth of shampoo through his wet hair to clean out the product clumped in it.

It was very difficult to think past or construct a response to, 'Fuck you' but he had to try.

[Pocky]

Trick finished dressing in the time it took Harm to wash product out of his hair. Once his jeans were on he jammed his hand down the front pocket and got a fistful of car keys. He left Harm's bedroom and snuck a look at the bathroom as he passed it. He made eye contact with Harm without meaning to, and shook his head before he finished crossing the living room in long, purposeful steps towards the front door.

[Existentially Odd]

Although he'd been happy to give Trick space, Harm didn't think that space would be outside of his apartment. When he met Trick's gaze and saw the storm inside his eyes, he frowned; when he realised he was heading for the door, his heart leapt in panic.

"Hey!" he called out impulsively, hurriedly turning off the water and scrambling out of the tub. "Where are you going?!" he cried as he moved, hoping it would stop Trick's apparent departure. Nothing would be fixed if he walked out.

Harm snatched a towel and wrapped it around his waist as he headed after his boyfriend.

[Pocky]

Trick stopped at the yell, a slight move of his head in the direction of the sound, a drawing together of feet and a shift of his weight onto his right leg before he turned. He didn't immediately see Harm even through the follow-up question. Once again he shook his head but Harm wasn't in the room to see it. Trick stared at the doorway that led to the small space connecting the two bedrooms and the bathroom in between. Trick spoke when Harm appeared in it dressed in a towel and he didn't answer the question asked of him.

"I am not your fucking brother and you don't get to do to me like your brother does to you," he said.

Angrily he made a pulling gesture into a fist at Harm, taking the water off his skin and out of his hair and then flinging it back into the bathroom where it could be heard splashing into the tub. Apart from where Harm had wrapped the towel around himself, he was dry.

Trick's hands went next to his hips, his eyebrows rising minutely.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm listened to Trick's angry statement, surprised enough by the words that they tempered his own anger. He opened his mouth to respond but faltered when all the water was sucked off him and tossed away. It was a weird feeling, like his skin suddenly tightened but then it settled. That's so fucking cool, damn him. Regaining his composure after a blink, he frowned at Trick.

"Yeah, fair enough. I went in harder than I meant to because my balance wasn't great and I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to hurt you. And there'll be no more pinching in future, got it. But everything was funny while you blasted me with water and then the second I go in too hard, you shove me away - which wasn't gentle - scream, 'Fuck you!' in my face and then you go to leave instead of talking to me about it? What the hell?" Harm demanded, his voice high with hurt and indignation.

As he spoke, he stepped slowly closer to Trick, his movements tentative, almost like they were made against his will.

[Pocky]

Trick growled his response, his voice low and harsh. "It was funny because it was harmless and I could undo it. You made it violent. After your history with your ex and what you go through with Quentin..." Trick looked away at a blank portion of wall and licked his lips, taking a long, slow breath. His fists--curled tightly at his sides--loosened. "I was laughing through your punishment too, but you took it too far. You know how sensitive my nips are." He looked back at Harm, eyes narrowed.

[Existentially Odd]

When Trick exhaled, Harm did, too. Frowning, he lowered his gaze to Trick's hands, watching them unfurl from fists and thinking through what Trick said. Was he too violent? It had only been a bit of horseplay, nothing serious... but his default setting was clearly more physical than Trick liked. Maybe he'd become warped by what he'd endured and now he was broken?

His frown became more of a troubled face scrunch at the self-deprecating thought and his feet shuffled as he switched his weight from one foot to the other, still clutching the towel at his hip. He lifted his blue-green gaze to meet Trick's, expression downcast. "I'm sorry I took it too far. It won't happen again. Thank you for explaining and giving me a chance to apologise. I'll work on... "

His cheeks puffed up as he considered how to end that sentence, air slowly leaking from between his lips as options rolled through his mind.

me
being better
being less violent
being less like my family
being less broken
being normal
figuring out what the fuck normal even is

"... it. I'll do better," he nodded, drawing his top lip down to gnaw on it, his lower lip pouting forward in front of his bottom teeth. He looked Trick over, trying to assess whether he would be open to a joke - 'Want me to kiss it better?' - or even a hug of apology and decided he probably shouldn't risk it. After this, he'd wait for physical contact to be initiated, it was just safer. He felt like a liability.

"I'm really sorry," he said again, still looking troubled as he stepped back towards his room.

[Pocky]

Trick let Harm finish the sentence even though the space of it took up room between them. The second apology and the turn of his foot that went with it had Trick reaching out to snatch Harm's hand before he could go. His hold forced Harm to stop and look back at him.

"The more honest explanation is I've been through some stuff--we've both been through some stuff," he said, puffing unamused laughter. "But it means my tolerance for rough play is low now. I don't like saying triggered but..." he shrugged, the remaining sentence clear enough without his having to spell it out.

Trick's gaze dropped to where their hands met. "It's fucking weak," he muttered.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm's features softened and he used their joined hands as a fulcrum to pivot his way in against Trick's body. He dropped his towel in favour of winding his free arm gently around Trick's waist, tucking his face into the crook of his neck and pressing a kiss to his throat.

"It's not weak," he argued softly, rubbing Trick's back with one hand while the other entwined with his fingers, his thumb stroking his skin in slow circles. "It's trauma. It's valid." Harm released a sigh, nuzzling as close to Trick as he could. It was unusual to be nude while Trick was fully clothed but that hardly mattered right now.

What mattered was that Trick hadn't left. That he'd stayed and shared the truth with him. That, in turn, made Harm feel like he mattered, that he was worthy of knowing the deeper, scarred side of Trick. It didn't necessarily mean that he wasn't broken - he'd ponder on that long after Tobi left, he guessed - but it did mean they had some common ground. They were in it together.

"Thank you for staying and for being honest with me. I love knowing things about you. Some things I need to know, so I don't hurt you - especially accidentally. That was so lame. I'm sorry," he mumbled through another sigh and a kiss at Trick's throat. Trick's reaction had felt very 'animal brain' when he'd shoved Harm off and sworn at him but the explanation as to why still squeezed Harm's heart. He was ashamed of himself, even though he hadn't known.

[Pocky]

Trick wrapped his arms around his naked boyfriend, purring pleasure at the kiss on his neck. He frowned at Harm's first set of words but said nothing. The apology that came next earnt a slight pull back so Trick could look at Harm, at his chiselled jaw line and finely sculpted features. The expression that looked back at him was sincere and open.

"See, now I feel like it's become a thing and I don't want it to be," Trick replied, squeezing Harm gently. "It wasn't traumatic, it was just something I didn't like and didn't mention because I wanted to please."

He pecked Harm on the lips but went back again for more quick kisses that turned into the lingering type.

He made another purr of pleasure after pulling his lips away. "You better get dressed. Superfan is late and could drop in any minute."

[Existentially Odd]

"Mmmm," Harm agreed, though he remained in Trick's embrace a little longer, the urgency to move away and prepare for Tobi's arrival diminished by the resolution of their argument and how good it felt to be held by Trick. Especially when there was nothing but honesty between them. He could kiss him with clothes on, however (it just wasn't as much fun).

With a reluctant whine, he pulled away and bent down to get his towel. He tossed it over his shoulder and grinned as he backed away from Trick, feeling cocky and happy. "And you do - definitely - always please," he assured him with a wink, pointedly lowering his gaze to rake Trick's form.

His smooth exit was, unfortunately, sabotaged by his towel. He'd tossed it too far over his shoulder so it began to slide towards the floor down his back. He was quick to reach up and grab the end of it at his shoulder just as his heel came down on the other end on the floor. He stumbled to a halt, frowning as the towel stretched taut along his back and caused him to take a moment to figure out what was going on.

Blushing, he gave Trick a sheepish look as he stepped forward off the towel and pulled it back over his shoulder before pivoting and walking quickly into the bathroom to put it on the towel rail. He'd check the state of his hair out while he was in there then get back into the comfortable clothes he'd left on his bedroom floor.

[Pocky]

Trick shook his head minutely but Harm wasn't paying attention, too busy working on his suave exit that failed. Trick turned away and plopped himself onto the couch gracelessly, the cushions firm and bouncy. While Harm was in the bedroom, Trick set up the gaming console.

[Existentially Odd]

A few minutes later, Harm emerged from the bedroom fully clothed. He went over to the kitchen bench where he'd left the food, lifting his phone to check the time. What he found was even more startling: a text from Tobi, giving a vague reason and an apology but explaining that he wouldn't be able to make it to that afternoon's festivities.

A noise of disappointment whimpered in his throat and he strode over to Trick to let him read the message on the screen. As his hands settled on his hips, a glint sparkled mischievously in his eye. "He's not coming," he said, his tone thoughtful. He looked Trick over pointedly. "Guess we're on our own, after all," he stated and his grin only broadened.

[Pocky]

"Guess we'll have to amuse ourselves then," Trick said, tossing the controller aside and grappling Harm around the waist to pull him down on top of him, proving that a certain wrestling style was fine--one that included kissing and grinding.