cit_liam

A Fine Purchase [Liam/Bruno, Willem]

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 19:27:46 GMT

[Waaaay backdated, to the Hawaii thing. [ducks] Occurs on the last day of the event, after the auction.]

Bruno looks around again, biting his lip and sighing. So far he's looked everywhere for Liam, but he's had no luck yet. Finally he goes out to the pool, pulling his shirt off and dropping it on a chair. He's just about to sit down when he spots the one person he's been looking for this whole time. "Gotcha..." he whispers to himself before heading over at an angle and kneeling next to Liam's chair. "Hello, Mr. Neeson. My name is Bruno." He smiles at the man and laughs softly. "I believe you won me fair and square at the auction!"

"Aye, I believe I did." Liam smiles back and gives Bruno an appreciative down-and-up glance. Very nice -- even better up close than at a distance. "Why don't you go ahead and sit," he says, indicating the lounger next to his own. His smile widens for a moment and he adds, "I can't imagine the concrete is very good for your knees and I'll likely have use for them soon enough."

He blushes slightly, moving to the lounge chair next to Liam's. "Concrete isn't too bad. My knees are used to it from getting banged up a lot as a kid." He shrugs and chuckles softly, looking over at Liam and winking playfully. "So is there anything I can do for you right now? Maybe get your a drink?"

"Excellent idea. I'm having grapefruit soda, and if you've never had one I highly recommend them -- they're perfect for warm weather." Liam hands Bruno his card. "Get something for yourself as well, then we'll sit down and figure out what we're going to do with the rest of the day."

He nods quickly before rising and heading for the bar. He orders Liam's drink and asks for one of the same for himself before heading back, carrying them with him. He hands one to Liam, sipping on his own and smiling. "This is very good, Sir." He sits again, tilting his head to the side for a moment before looking at the other people lounging around the pool and splashing in the water.

"So have you thought of anything you would like to do with me? I am open to pretty much anything except the things mentioned during auction."

"Well, I'd thought we could go back to my villa and play for a bit, then make some dinner. I noticed you've some cooking skills -- how would you like to play soux chef this evening?" Liam takes a sip of his drink and raises an eyebrow at Bruno over the rim of his glass.

"That sounds good to me." He nods, sipping at his drink slowly and smiling. "Its always fun to work with other people in the kitchen."

"I've never had a trained assistant, so I'm looking forward to it too," Liam says, smiling back. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself while we finish our drinks, then?"

"I'm looking forward to it as well." He blushes slightly, thinking about the question. "Well, my name is Bruno. I'm from Brazil and I'm happily married to a wonderful man." He chuckles softly. "He's running around here somewhere as well." He pauses for a moment to look around. "I think he's looking for someone to have some fun with. But anyways, I love to paint and draw. And I model."

Liam gives a wry smile and says, "It's lovely to meet someone else who prefers open relationships. Sometimes it seems there are hardly any of us left." He pauses for a moment, thinking, then says, "Perhaps we could dig up your husband and invite him to eat with us after we've made dinner?"

"Oh I'm sure Willem would love that. He loves it when I cook for him and having you cook as well would be a treat I'm sure." He nods at the comment. "I don't think he has anything planned for tonight so I'm sure he would enjoy it."

"Excellent. We'll do that, then, later on. For now, let's head back to my place and we'll see what we can do to fill the rest of the afternoon." Liam stands, taking his drink with him, and watches as Bruno gets to his feet. Definitely a good buy.

He waits for Liam, motioning ahead of him. "Lead the way, Sir." He smiles warmly, looking Liam over for a moment and licking his lips.

Liam nods and weaves his way among the lounge chairs and umbrellaed tables, occasionally waving or exchanging greetings with people he knows. He turns up the walk toward the main hotel building, then off a side path leading through a grove of palm trees and over a short, curved bridge to a row of villas set in an arc just above the beach.

A swipe of his card key unlocks the door and he steps in, moving to one side while Bruno passes. "Straight back to the bedroom," he says, gesturing toward a pair of handsome double doors standing open, then follows the lad in. The large, airy room is full of light and breezes; the entire far wall is glass, floor-to-ceiling windows with a set of French doors set in the middle, leading out to a deck overlooking the beach. The bed to the right is a kingsize four-poster, with a long, padded bench at its foot.

"Go ahead and get undressed, then sit on the bench, on the narrow end here." He pats the end as he passes by, heading for the ubiquitous supply cabinet.

He waves to different people he has met and knows through Willem. Once they are in the villa though, he pauses, looking around and smiling before heading over towards the bench and pushing his swim trunks down. He lays them down neatly along with his shirt before sitting as he had been instructed. He perches on the end of the bench, shivering slightly with anticipation, blushing as he looks down at his already hard cock.

Liam comes back over to the bench with a handful of straps. He goes down to one knee in front of Bruno and sets the straps down on the carpet.

"Very nice." He runs his hands up Bruno's thighs, from knees to hips, feeling the long, lean muscles and smooth skin. He leans forward and licks the tip of his cock lightly, just a tease, then reaches down for one of the straps. The large loop on one end goes around one thigh, up near his groin; a second strap is attached to the other thigh. Liam runs his hands back down Bruno's legs all the way to the ankles and coaxes his feet up onto the bench while helping him lie down. The next, smaller loop on each strap goes around the ankle, holding his knees in a deep bend. The other end of each strap goes around the nearest leg of the bench, snugged up to pull Bruno's feet apart, just perched on either side of the padded seat with his arse right up on the edge.

"Reasonably comfortable?" Liam asks, his eyes twinkling and one finger brushing back and forth across the lad's dangling balls.

He gasps, biting his lip and looking down at his spread and bent legs. "Yes, Sir." He wriggles slightly, watching Liam in anticipation for what the man would do next.

"Excellent." Liam stands, grabs the last two straps and walks over to the other end of the bench, letting one palm run up Bruno's body, from his taut belly over his smooth, hard chest, then up his throat, ending with a light caress on one cheek. He gets down on one knee again, drops a playful kiss on the lad's lips, and fastens his wrists to the bench legs with the straps. He leaves him some slack -- not enough to sit up but enough to squirm around and yank a bit.

"There. Now, sit tight for a moment." Liam rises to his feet and heads back to the open cabinet, this time coming back with a long coil of rope, a couple of condoms and a handful of sachets of lube.

He leans into the caress, eyes closing for a second before the kiss is pressed to his lips. He tries to move up to kiss back, but the straps hold him down to prevent it. He pouts for just a moment before noticing the items Liam carries with him. Oh this is gonna be fun... he thinks to himself before smiling at Liam.

Liam smiles back and drops the condoms and lube on the foot of the bed, within reach of the far end of the bench. He ties one end of the rope to the front leg of the bench near Bruno's head, then wraps it round and round, working his way slowly down Bruno's body. Not that the lad could've gotten away before; this is just for fun. The auction information had said that Bruno enjoyed bondage, which meant he likely enjoyed the feel of it. Liam makes sure the rope is wrapped just tightly enough to give him that lovely sensation of being tied down every few inches along his torso but not so tight as to cut off circulation.

He runs out of rope right about the same time as he runs out of Bruno. The other end gets tied to a bench leg below one of the lad's feet. "There," he says, stepping back to take a look at his handiwork. The boy really is lovely, and moreso like this. "How does that feel?"

Bruno's eyes are almost black in color when he looks up at Liam. "Feels good, Sir..." he mumbles out, struggling against the bonds and the ropes just to feel them around him. After a moment he rests his head back though, closing his eyes and just enjoying the fact of being completely helpless and at the mercy of the man before him.

"Excellent," Liam murmurs. The sight of a handsome boy struggling in bondage is always enough to get Liam fully aroused. Now to get him squirming for other reasons as well.

He sinks back down onto his knees and leans over Bruno's bound body. First comes another long, slow kiss while his hands stroke up and down the lad's torso, bumping lightly over the ropes. Then his lips kiss a trail down Bruno's throat, nipping and licking along his straining chest. Each nipple gets proper attention -- a hard suck and a light bite, then a little harder. Liam's in no hurry and has a lovely new body to explore.

He does start squirming, pulling on the bonds and the rope around him. "Oh, Sir...so good..." he whispers, licking his lips softly and closing his eyes. The man really knew how to drive him wild.

Liam draws a line under the curve of each pec with his tongue. He can taste the clean sweat of arousal accumulating and it spurs him on to go faster, across the ripple of muscle over the ribs and the flat belly, with a tease in his navel. One hand glides down to rub up and down on the smooth skin of Bruno's inner thighs and Liam enjoys the feel of captive muscles twitching and spasming.

He closes his eyes, trying to arch up against the ropes and bonds, pulling at them and whimpering even though he knows its futile to try to get loose. "Sir...you are such a tease." Then he blushes, having mumbled the comment. He looks down at Liam, biting his lip and wondering how the older man will respond.

What it gets is a laugh. Liam looks up at him, smile lines crinkling the corners of his eyes. He swipes one finger across the tip of Bruno's hard cock and tastes the fluid collected with a lick and then a hard suck, his eyes on Bruno's the whole time. "Mmm, you're right," he says, a teasing note in his voice. "I probably should try to get there a bit more quickly."

Bruno lets out a sharp gasp as he watches, trying to wriggle his hips up a bit more. He likes seeing Liam smile like this and he smiles back as well, even if he does feel like he's going to explode. "If thats what you want, Sir...." He trails off and blushes.

"It might be," Liam says casually. He leans down and tickles the point of Bruno's hipbone with the tip of his tongue, then licks a line across to the boy's navel. "Let's find out."

And with that he swallows down Bruno's cock to the root, then pulls off slowly, sucking hard the whole way.

He bites his lip, jerking at the tickling feeling his tongue causes before moaning out loudly as his cock disappears down the gorgeous man's throat. "Oh my fucking god...." His head droops back and he clenches his fists, enjoying the feeling.

Liam gives a pleased hum, as much of a chuckle as he can manage with Bruno's cock in his mouth, then reaches over for the lube. A few seconds later, two slippery fingers push slowly into Bruno's body.

He wriggles in the bonds, whimpering softly and clenching his teeth. "God this...fuck...torture..." he mumbles, wanting to break the bonds and ropes, but knowing he isn't strong enough.

"You were a masochist, right?" Liam asks in an exageratedly concerned tone. "Should I stop and go look up your profile to be sure...?" He shifts his weight as though he's about to stand up and walk over to the computer, a tease twinkling in his eyes.

"NO!" he cries out, not wanting Liam to leave. "No...please...." He almost pouts but instead he just looks at Liam, silently pleading with him. "Never said I didn't like the torture, Sir." He smiles then, biting his lip.

"Ahh, well, if you're sure, then." Liam's smile blooms and he leans down for another quick suck on the boy's hard cock, pushing three fingers slowly but steadily into his body. Almost ready -- a glance checks that the condoms are where he left them.

"God, Sir..." he moans out softly, licking his lips and looking down at Liam. "Need...please." He pleads softly, wanting nothing more than to feel Liam's cock.

Liam slides his hand out of Bruno's body and rolls on a condom. "Here we go, easy...." He pushes inside in a series of short thrusts, each one a bit longer than the last until finally and at last he's all the way in, feeling that lovely, tight pressure all down his length. His eyes close and he feels his jaw clench from the urgency of the sensations. He falls into a powerful rhythm and the pleasure sizzles through his nerves.

He lets out a long, loud moan as he feels Liam's cock inside him. His eyes are wide as he stares at the man before crying out when he starts to move. "Oh...oh jesus christ Yes!" He pants, writhing on the bench and yanking at the straps holding his arms down.

The short, jerking motions Bruno makes as he struggles to move but is brought up short by the restraining straps and ropes each time sends a thrill through Liam, the maddening intersection of "Must!" and "Can't!" where the need to move translates into a frantic, soaring, internal tension is always lovely to watch and knowing that he caused it, multiplies Liam's own pleasure beyond the merely physical.

He clenches around Liam, wriggling his hips and pressing back as best as he can. "Please Sir..." He still tugs and jerks at his bonds, wanting to touch Liam, wishing he could run his fingers through his hair.

Liam spreads his legs a bit, taking a wider, more stable stance with his knees pushing into the carpet and his hands gripping the sides of the bench on either side of Bruno's bound torso, and fucks him with powerful thrusts. He watches the lad's expressions, careful to hit his sweet spot and enjoying the reactions that flicker across Bruno's face.

The look on Bruno's face can only be taken as one of pure extasy with his eyes closed, lips open slightly as he pants. He drags his lip between his teeth every few moments before smoothing it over with the tip of his tongue, very much enjoying this experience.

Another half dozen thrusts and Liam lets himself go. The wave of urgent pleasure rolls through him, releasing the tight-wound tension, his cry of climax muffled in Bruno's muscular chest.

Liam takes a gasping breath and looks up into the boy's face, then reaches down with one hand and starts stroking him. "Your turn, lad," he says, then bends down and teases a nipple with his teeth.

Bruno cries out, shifting his hips up against the ropes as best as he can. It only takes a few strokes, though, and he is coming, gasping and moaning loudly. "Oh god Sir!"

Watching Bruno's orgasm is lovely and Liam strokes him all the way through it, kissing and caressing until the shudders die. Then with a last kiss on the lips, he yanks on the knots and unwinds the rope, before unbuckling the straps from his legs and wrists.

"There, how does that feel?" he asks, while rubbing circulation back into Bruno's legs.

He feels boneless afterwards as he watches Liam before closing his eyes and mumbling. "Feels good...it all did...." He sighs, relaxing even more than he had after his orgasm. "You are very good Sir...thank you."

"You're very welcome, lad." Liam leans down and kisses one of the still-reddened rope marks on Bruno's ribs, then helps him to his feet. "Come on, let's go get cleaned up, then we can start on dinner." He wraps an arm around the boy's waist and supports him as they head toward the bathroom.

Liam puts the herb sauce base for the filling into the fridge and gets out the pasta dough he'd put in that morning. On the way back to his chunk of the counter he peers over Bruno's shoulder at the pork he's grinding in the food processor. He drops a kiss on the curve of his ear and says, "When you're done there, combine it with the fruit and then mix it all in with the herb sauce I just put into the fridge, along with two eggs -- that'll help it all hold together. I should have the pasta rolled out by then -- you can man the fork."

He looks up and nods, blushing a bit as he continues grinding up the pork. Once he is done he mixes as he'd been told to do, making sure that everything mixed evenly. He feels almost as if he is back home with his momma, cooking dinner with her for the other kids. He's glad for this though, having enjoyed Liam's company among other things.

As soon as he is done, he shifts, looking over at Liam and watching the man working. He's basically done as well and he smiles, scooting closer and kissing the man's shoulder. "Thank you. I was...a bit scared to do this, but I'm glad I did now."

"I'm glad you did too," Liam says lightly. He takes the bowl of filling from Bruno and, working with two spoons, starts plopping small piles of it down in a row on the rolled-out pasta dough, a few inches from the edge and about an inch apart. "After all, how often does a dom get a good sub who also cooks?" Bruno gets a quick smile and a wink, then Liam folds the near flap of dough over the small humps of filling.

He watches Liam the whole time, waiting to be given his next job to do. He blushes at the compliment though, shifting on the stool he is sitting on before looking at Liam again. "It looks really good. I'm excited."

"I usually use sausage," Liam says while pressing the edge of his hand down between each pair of the filling-bumps. "But this is Hawaii and there's a lovely little market full of locals just up the road. I went shopping this morning and found a few things I thought'd work. We'll have to see whether they do." Bruno gets another smile, then Liam takes a sharp knife and cuts the row of ravioli away from the bulk of the dough. Eight more short slashes and the individual pieces are free. He slides them across the floured counter toward Bruno and picks up a fork.

"Here's what you do, like this," he says, demonstrating. "Press all around the three cut sides to crimp them closed, firmly but not too hard. Don't press all the way through the pasta to the board, and try not to pierce the center with the tines. See?" He shows Bruno the finished piece, then hands him the fork and picks up the spoons once more. Another row of filling-blobs go down on the pasta sheet, one at a time.

Bruno does as instructed, nodding and chuckling softly. "Not that hard." He works quietly, going between concentrating on what he is doing and watching Liam working as well.

"No, it's really not," Liam agrees. "The only hard part is the rolling -- it takes some work to get the dough thin enough. It's just a matter of practice, though." He pushes the next batch of cut ravioli toward Bruno and picks up the spoons again. "You can make a lot of noodles while you work on your rolling technique, then do ravioli or tortelloni or whatever fancier sort you like once you've got the knack of it."

Maybe I should try it sometime." He glances over, tilting his head to the side. "Willem would love it I'm sure." He smiles, going back to his own job and humming softly to himself as he does.

Liam smiles to himself, building ravioli while watching Bruno finishing them off out of the corner of his eye. "There's something about homemade pasta," he says, agreeing, "something you don't get from the stuff in the cardboard boxes and plastic bags. It tastes like something that was just made, out of ingredients that started life as food instead of a vat of plastic. If your Willem appreciates good food then I'm sure he'd like pasta made from scratch, and the moreso if you were the one who made it for him."

"Willem loves food. My mother came to visit with my brothers and sister a while back and she pretty much played maid for us. I tried to get her not to, but she is stubborn...like me. She cooked a lot. I think that's one of the reasons he loves her so much. She is a wonderful cook and she taught me from a young age. She enjoyed teaching me because I wanted to learn. My other brothers weren't interested in cooking or anything like that." He chuckles softly, thinking about his momma.

Liam nods and doesn't even wince at the thought of being able to cook with his mother. "So you got all the old family recipes, then. I had to learn to cook when I moved out -- spending the money to eat out all the time just seemed foolish and it took a lot of food to keep me going when I was a lad. So I got a couple of books and learned enough to keep body and soul together and then suddenly it clicked and I got it. Not just following recipes but the whole point of it, you know? And I experimented a bit and learned that it's all right to have a few things not turn out so long as you learned something on the way."

He pushes the last batch of ravioli across to Bruno. "I still have things go pear-shaped occasionally, of course. But even the disasters tend to taste better than some of the things that 'worked' when I was twenty."

"Yeah I have the family recipes. We actually have a book that's been passed down through the family. Each person it is given to adds a recipe or two and maybe a little bit of family history. I have it right now and I will add my recipes and get recipes from my brothers' wives when they marry and from my sister. Then I will add our bit of family history before passing it on to the next. Possibly either my children or my sisters children, but we continually add to it. If my children keep it then they will make sure to include the other children of the family as well." He smiles, finishing off the last batch and looking over at Liam.

That's just an incredible idea, and the thought that someone is actually doing it, that there's a book with generations of Bruno's family history and recipes, saving the past for the benefit of the future in an unbroken chain of linked hands holding a family together.... Liam tries to imagine his own family with something like that and fails. Or rather, he can imagine his family perhaps having such a book, but he can't imagine it having anything to do with him. He pushes the thought away and gives Bruno a warm smile.

"That's a lovely idea," he says. "I can only imagine how much you must treasure that book."

"Oh I love the book. It even has some of my father's side of the family in it...." He trails off, growing quiet for a moment as he remembers the man that he'd never really had a chance to have a relationship with. "Its very important to me and I hope that it will continue to be passed on long after I have died."

Liam lays a hand on Bruno's arm. "I'm sure any children you raise will value it as you do."

"Only at a Citadel event," Willem chuckles as he makes his way to the villa. He's dressed in a low key Hawaiian shirt - brilliant splashes of red on a white background and tan slacks with white sandals. He's looking forward to this, unexpected as the invitation was. He'd expected to see Bruno much later. He knocks on the door.

Bruno looks up towards the door before glancing at Liam. "I can get that if you like." He smiles softly, shifting a bit. He knew it was Willem and he was excited for the two to meet since he really likes Liam.

"Go ahead," Liam says with a nod. "I'll get the ravioli sauced and then come out and meet your husband. That'll give you a few minutes alone first." He adds that last part with a teasing smile before turning back to the sink where he's dumped the cooked ravioli into a collander.

"I hate to say it, but I think I'm overdressed," Willem teases Bruno when he opens the door dressed in only his swim trunks. He sweeps Bruno up into a kiss and then lets him go to move inside with him.

"At least I'm wearing something, right?" He snickers, pulling Willem closer and kissing him again. "Mmm missed you...but definitely had fun. You'll like Liam. He's really nice and an amazing cook!"

"Oh I don't know, you always do look good naked," Willem answers and smiles. "I'm sure I will, you're a good judge of character, at least since I've known you." He doesn't want to bring up bad memories so he is sure to emphasise the timeline. "So what are we having?"

He just smiles, sliding his hand into Willem's and lacing their fingers before pulling his husband into the other room. "Liam I would like you to meet my husband, Willem." He gives a bright smile. "And Willem, this is Liam. We made ravioli."

Liam puts down the wooden spoon and wipes his hands off on a kitchen towel before offering one to Willem. "Hello," he says with a smile. "It's good to meet you -- I'm glad you could come over to eat with us."

"Good to meet you too," Willem answers, taking Liam's hand and sizing the man up. A slight nod of approval, and he smiles back. "I appreciate the invitation." He looks around the villa, noticing a few personal touches among the standard equipment, but ones that could be easily removed. The kind of man who likes a bit of his own world with him - Willem can relate to that.

"I wanted to thank you for letting Bruno participate in the auction," Liam says. "He's a lovely boy and we had a wonderful time this afternoon."

He looks between them for a moment before nipping Willem's shoulder and moving back to Liam's side, looking around him to see if there was anything else he could possibly help at. He was honestly tempted to snatch up a piece of ravioli, but if Liam was anything like his mother was about cooking he would come out of it with very sore knuckles.

"You're welcome," Willem answers. "We know where our boundaries lie, and this is one of them. He is an incredibly lovely boy and I will always be grateful to whatever forces brought us together. And I would like to thank you. Not that there aren't other people in Citadel who would be good in a situation like this, but you seem like a man with his feet on the ground and that's what I really wanted for Bruno with this."

Bruno looks first at Willem and then at Liam, raising an eyebrow before trying to snatch a piece when Liam wasn't looking. He smirks, hand close enough to the bowl of pasta to grab one.

Liam gives Willem a nod which has a hint of a bow to it, then cuts a glance at Bruno when the lad snitches one of the ravioli. "And since he's so fond of the stuff, I think you should hold him to his promise to learn to make pasta for you. Make him practice his rolling out; it'll be worth it once he gets the trick of it." He gives Bruno a teasing look that says, 'Now you're committed.'

He moves away quickly in case there is punishment involved, taking a small bite of the pasta before holding the rest up to Willem's lips. He pouts a bit at the look, playfully sticking his tongue out.

"I will definitely hold him to that. No playing until he does it," Willem winks at Bruno as he takes the bite. "Oh that is good... if I didn't know better I'd swear one of you were Italian!"

Liam laughs, pleased. "Not Italian, just obsessive about experimenting in the kitchen. I'm glad you like it. Bruno, if you'll get the salad and the bread, I'll put this on the table and we can eat."

He nods, bouncing over to get the items before following Liam. "I want to try this recipe again later. Maybe when we get home and Pauley comes to see us?" He raises an eyebrow at Willem to see what he thinks.

"That would be a great idea," Willem smiles and moves over to the table. "I'm sure she'd enjoy this..." he takes a seat and waits for the others to join him.

He nods, sitting and smiling at Liam. "I don't think I asked you Liam, but where are you from?" He shifts, making himself comfortable.

Liam says, "Bruno, why don't you get drinks -- I've some more of that grapefruit soda in the fridge and I'm sure you know what Willem likes." He sits down and says, "I'm in London now, but originally from Ireland -- Ballymena, if you're familiar with it at all?" He dishes out the ravioli while speaking and passes around the salad Bruno had made and a basket of sweet Hawaiian rolls he'd bought at the market.

"Ireland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world," Willem says, taking a roll and nodding. "I think I've heard of Ballymena." He smiles. "I've filmed there a bit. And I always try and visit if I'm in the UK."

He gets up, getting the drinks before setting them down in front of Liam and Willem. He takes a sip of his as he sits, taking a bite of ravioli and licking his lips before speaking softly. "I've never been to Ireland."

"It is lovely, although I'll admit I'm biased." Liam takes a sip of his soda and adds, "You'll have to let me know what you think if you ever visit."

"I'll take you sometime," Willem promises easily. "You haven't lived until you've seen the emerald grass under the morning sun." Preferably after sleepy early morning sex.

Bruno smiles, leaning over and kissing Willem's cheek quickly. "Sounds good to me." He thinks for a moment before laughing. "Will you let me kiss the Blarney Stone?"

"Not that you need to, but of course," Willem snickers.

For a moment he stares at Willem before pouting and scooting away. "That was mean." He mumbles, turning back to his food as he tried to keep the pout.

Watching the two of them bantering back and forth is pleasant enough that Liam just watches silently. They're so comfortable with each other; it makes him wish Chris were here to share the evening with them.

"Not mean, just talking of your wonderful natural talents," Willem soothes Bruno's ruffled feathers. "You know you can talk me into almost anything."

He glares at Willem for a moment before leaning over and kissing him again. "Now you are just trying to get out of basically saying I talk to much." He chuckles, glancing over at Liam and winking. "See what I have to put up with?"

"I'm sure you suffer daily," Liam deadpans.

"He does. Every single day at my hand," Willem winks. "Of course he generally begs for it."

"Ahh, well, that's all right, then." Liam nods solemnly, as though some weighty question had just been settled, but the smile lines are showing around his eyes when he glances over at Willem for a moment.

And that comment has Bruno blushing brightly, the color reaching all the way to his chest and shoulders. "Willem..." He mumbles, eyes diverting straight down to his plate.

"No more details," Willem promises Bruno, realising that he has stepped near the line, though hopefully not over it.

He smiles, nodding a bit. "Sorry just..." He pauses for a moment, looking at Liam. "I can get embarrassed fairly easy and Willem likes to tease. Sometimes I end up looking like a lobster."

Liam butters a roll while pretending not to've noticed Bruno's discomfort. He waits a moment, then changes the subject. "So where's home for the two of you, then?"

"We just moved from New York to Los Angeles," Willem answers. "New York's been home for a great many years but there are a lot of friends and family in California. And It's a better place to think about settling."

"I've enjoyed the weather there the times I've visited, although it gets a little too hot for my taste in the summer. London goes a bit overboard at times, but I do like it cooler rather than warmer -- when you can see the heat waves shimmering off the streets then it's time to find air conditioning." Liam gives a wry smile at that. Sun is fine but there's such a thing as too much.

"Well, not actually in Los Angeles though." He smiles. "We are building a house sort of...in between LA and San Francisco."

"Oh? I've never been in the middle. I've been to conferences and such in the LA area and up near San Francisco, but never between the two."

"It's really a beautiful area," Willem says. "And air conditioning is a godsend. There are also a lot of trees around so it helps a lot."

"Its not really anything special. We found a place where we could build a boat dock and have full access to the water pretty much right out our back door. We like it." He takes a bite of his roll, pulling it apart and eating the smaller pieces after.

"So you're on the coast, then?" Liam asks.

Willem nods. "Something neither of us were prepared to compromise on."

"It gives us plenty of opportunities. We have a little beach of our own. Plus we have an observation area of the house where we can just watch the sun over the ocean. Its all very romantic."

"It sounds lovely," Liam says with a smile. "My lover and I spent a couple of weeks on Santa Madalena recently -- our birthdays are close together and it seemed perfect. It was beautiful and very romantic. Unfortunately we had to come back to the larger world."

He nods, glancing at Willem. "Oh I heard its gorgeous there. I really want to drag this one off to someplace for a while...just the two of us, but we both have work."

"That really is a gorgeous place, I've only been once, but it's... well, it's Citadel so you can get anything you want. And yes, we have to find time for a proper vacation soon," Willem says to Bruno. "Work of course has us all in its grasp."

"If you get the time I definitely recommend it," Liam says with a nod. "If you want to be really alone for a bit, they have a much smaller island nearby that's available if you book far enough ahead. Chris and I spent a couple of days there playing well-equipped castaways and it was brilliant."

"Mm we will have to look into that. Maybe get a chance at a better honeymoon." He gives Willem's hand a meaningful squeeze before turning back to his food. "This is all so very good Liam."

"Of course it is, lad -- you helped." Liam reaches over and ruffles Bruno's hair playfully.

"He's a wonderful cook but I am sure you could help him improve even more," Willem says. "I'm good at the basics and can do a fancy dinner with a bit of notice but I'm not an artist like this at all."

He leans into the affectionate touch, giving an impish smile before leaning against Willem, pushing away his now empty plate. "If I end up cooking as good as he does you'll chain me to the stove so I'll stay in the kitchen."

"It just takes a willingness to experiment. I don't toss things out as often as I used to but every now and then my execution doesn't match the theory at all -- it's just part of the process. Learn techniques rather than recipes, though -- that's when cooking becomes really fun." Liam pauses, then adds, "Although mayhap that wouldn't be such a good notion, then, if it meant your being chained in the kitchen...?"

"That sounds interesting... and I'm sure Bruno and chains would work in the kitchen," Willem says, not mentioning them working elsewhere this time.

"Willem enjoys when I cook...but I must say he loved my momma cooking for us. She made all traditional Brazillian meals. She wanted Willem to get a taste of what was to come when I finally bring him home."

"I don't think I've ever had Brazillian food," Liam says thoughtfully. "E-mail me some recipes?"

"It's delicious," Willem says. "I'm sure Bruno can do that for you as well. I'll remind him."

"Alright. I will as soon as we get home. I have some hidden around the kitchen at the apartment." Bruno takes one last sip of his soda before sighing and leaning his head back. "I'm stuffed."

Liam smiles and gives an exagerated look up and down Bruno's toned torso. "I assure you, lad, you bulge in only the proper places."

"That he does," Willem smirks. "All of them." He nods and takes a sip of water.

He blushes brightly, covering his mouth to keep from giggling in embarrassment. "Thank you. You two are going to give me a big head."

Liam swallows his last bite of salad and leans back in his chair. The ravioli filling had turned out quite good; he'll definitely remember that for the future. For now, though, it's getting on toward evening and the official festivities have wound down. He's been thinking of something all weekend and hasn't gotten around to it yet -- maybe Bruno and Willem would enjoy it as well. "I've been wanting to go for a gallop up the coast ever since I got here," he says, "but haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm going home tomorrow so I was thinking of doing it this evening. I'd enjoy the company if you two would like to come as well? We could get something for dessert packed for us and have some time to digest dinner before eating it on the beach."

Bruno glances at Willem for a moment. "I think that sounds like a great idea actually. Give us a chance to take in some more of the sights of this beautiful island before we all leave to go back to our...mundane lives." He smiles, looking back at Liam.

"I'd love to," Willem says. "Same reason as Bruno, it would be wonderful to get out for a bit. And it's a lovely evening." He smiles. "Thank you for the invitation, Liam."

"Excellent. I'm going to change, then. I'll get dessert and meet you at the stables in, say, twenty minutes or so?"

Bruno nods, standing and waiting for Willem. "That should give us enough time to change as well...so yeah we'll see you then."

E-mail to Chris Evans

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 18:10:39 GMT

To: ChrisE@Citadel.net
From: Liam@Citadel.net
Subject: Scheduling

Just say when and where and I'll be there. If you think it's safe then I'll come over for as long as you'll have me. There's quite a lot I can do on my laptop so I can work while you're working and whatever free time you have we can spend together.

I hope you enjoyed your beer and darts and that your filming continues to go well. I also hope we can do something about missing each other soon. Because never doubt that I miss you too. Take care, love.

E-Mail to Chris Evans

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 21:02:18 GMT

[Takes place shortly after Liam received this.]

To: ChrisE@Citadel.net
From: Liam@Citadel.net

Subject: Package

Chris -- trying to be discreet there in the subject line but I had to let you know how much I enjoyed breakfast. The lillies are beautiful as well; they're sitting on the table under the window here in the attic. Of course, we never got so far as the attic that day I gave you and Jessie the tour ;) but it's where the computer gear is, and most of the bookcases. I spend most of my time here, working and web surfing and whatever all else, so I brought up the flowers to brighten the place and remind me of you.

I'm glad your mates around the set liked the brownies. I figured you'd probably share them and wanted to make sure there were enough for you to get a few yourself.

I miss you, dear heart. I got used to sleeping beside you and having you curl up close. I miss having you to talk to and laugh with. I hope your movie is going well and that you'll be back with me on schedule. Take care, and give me a call when you've a free moment.

Liam

All My Love, Airmail [Liam]

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 08:16:42 GMT

[Takes place on Sunday, July 9th and Monday, July 10th.]

Liam doesn't have an address for Chris yet but that didn't stop him from going shopping the next morning for chocolate and hazelnuts and doing up a batch of brownies. Well, all right, two batches. Although by the time he finishes packaging them -- each brownie wrapped in cling film and then a thick layer of tissue, all of them packed into a tin with a layer of crumpled newspaper on the very bottom and top for cushioning -- there are only thirty-eight because he'd eaten two.

He tucks a note in on top, wraps the tin in brown paper and addresses it to Chris Evans, care of Twentieth Century Fox, then takes it down to mail the next morning. It's heavy, and going internationally it costs him a nice bit of change. While watching the postal clerk label the package the calculations for sending himself through the mail run through his head.

It's a completely daft notion of course and whimsical to the point of adolescence, but the figures flash into his brain without his conscious permission and there you go.

It'd be much cheaper to buy a plane ticket. And he'll do that as soon as he can. As soon as he knows it's safe, that he won't cause any problems for Chris by showing up wherever they end up meeting. Because that's the most important thing right now, not causing trouble.

So for now, the brownies will have to do. He watches the clerk finish sticking and marking and scanning, then slide the package into the International slot behind the counter where it vanishes.

Something to Remember Me By [Liam/Chris/Jessie]

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 13:35:57 GMT

[Takes place Monday, July 3.]

All right, maybe making the noodles to go in the soup had been a bit much, but it'd been a while since Liam had made pasta and it wasn't as though he'd made anything complicated like tortellini or gnocci. Anyone can roll out dough and cut it into strips -- he hadn't even stayed up very late last night doing it. And the basil-cheddar muffins cooling in their basket were easy, half an hour's work including both mixing and baking. The ham (for himself and Jessie) just needed a lot of slow baking; no one could say that that'd been overboard. And the vegetable curry was necessary because Chris couldn't eat the ham.

Liam decides not to mention the home-made pasta. Anyone familiar with the look of unevenly hand-cut noodles would be able to tell, of course, but with any luck neither Chris nor Jessie would notice and he could pretend he'd only spent an hour or two in the kitchen like a normal person cooking dinner for a couple of friends.

Most of the bowls and utensils are in the dishwasher, which is swishing away under the counter. Washing the evidence would certainly help, as well as being necessary; by the time they're done eating there's no way all the dirty dishes and silverware and glasses will fit into the dishwasher with the pans and things used for preparation.

After a glance at his watch, he leans against the breakfast bar, careful not to knock over the spinach dip or the mozzorella straws, both of which were placed on this end of the counter. Chris and Jessie are due in fifteen minutes or so, which gives him just enough time to calm down, breathe, relax and change his shirt; knocking over half the hors d'oeuvres wouldn't help him do any of those things. Although it might make the shirt changing even more necessary.

There's no good reason he should be so tense and anxious. Yes, Chris is leaving soon, flying back to the States for his filming, but it's not as though tonight is the last chance they'll have to see each other before that. And he won't be gone forever, just a few months.

Months.

Liam's stomach twists. He takes a long drink of lemonade, then takes the glass with him upstairs, unbuttoning buttons with his free hand on the way.

They walk, hand in hand, to Liam's place. Jessie's carrying some flowers that bloomed in the well-loved garden behind Chris' townhouse and Chris has a wine bag in his free hand. They're both quiet. Very quiet. Everything's been quiet since Chris returned.

He told her what had happened between him and Liam, everything, and Jessie nodded and kissed him and told him how happy she was. She even managed to enjoy the gifts but the collar and leash -- Jesus, she wanted to cry right then and there but managed to wait until after she'd gone upstairs to "sleep."

She thought she hid it but hiding anything from Chris was like hiding ham from East -- you could try but he'd always sniff out the deception in the end.

So they talked, a little, enough to clear the air. Chris asked her to watch over Liam while he was gone and she promised because she loved Chris and she couldn't say no to him, even when it hurt.

"I'm sure he's gone all out," Chris says finally, breaking the silence as the house comes into sight. "Everything from scratch, a very clean house. Just for us." There's a heaviness to his words, a reluctance to his step; time is so precious at the moment, he wants to keep it from passing.

Liam does up the last couple of buttons as he heads back downstairs while thinking, Relax, breathe. He heads over to the stereo and pokes through his CD collection and comes up with some instrumental jazz, turning the volume low enough not to interfere with conversation.

Then he goes back upstairs to fetch his lemonade glass. Perfectly relaxed.

Chris pauses at the doorway, igoring Jessica's confused look. Too fast -- everything's going too fast. From their weeks of pure paradise on the island when it was just them and nothing else mattered to now -- when he has to pack up his life and disappear into another one for the next few months....

"Come on, he's waiting," Jessie says, ringing the doorbell with her elbow so as not to squish the bouquet in her hand.

When it finally comes, the bong of the doorbell is startling. Liam pokes the shrimp platter one more time then strides across the living room, one hand pushing nervously through his hair.

He pulls the door open and there they are -- the coil in his guts loosens slightly and he can't help smiling. "Hello, come in, they're lovely, thank you -- are they from the garden?" His eyes are drawn to Chris but he focuses on Jessie for a moment, taking the flowers and giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek that lifts her off her feet for a few seconds.

Then it's Chris's turn. Both arms go around him and tighten and Liam loses himself in the kiss for... however long it is, relaxing another notch or two as their bodies rest against one another. "Hello, love," he murmurs into his ear. "I missed you."

Jessie disappears, going as far into Liam's home as she can without seeming too forward, just so he and Chris can paw each other in private. She knows about the dim mood Chris is in and no doubt Liam's feeling similar pangs to her.

Chris doesn't waste a second; he presses against Liam and sighs, nodding and murmurming, "Missed you too" before sneaking in a kiss on his lover's mouth. When it comes time to say good-bye -- well, he doesn't know how he's going to do it.

A last hug and then Liam slides an arm around Chris's waist and ushers him far enough inside to close the door. " Here," he says to Jessie, "let me take those and put them in water. And I made up some lemonade -- would you like some?"

"Yeah, thanks." Got any vodka or tequila to go into it? Jessie thinks but she doesn't say anything. "Nice place."

Chris is already heading for the kitchen to put the wine on the counter. "Lemonade sounds good," he smiles, already noting the condition of the kitchen and the mouth watering scents of their dinner.

Liam lays the flowers on the counter while he pours the drinks, then he gets a cut glass vase from the cupboard over the fridge and fills it with water for the bouquet. He leans forward and takes a deep breath of sweet flower-scent before taking the vase over to the table.

"So what've you two been doing?" he asks.

"He's making me run extra laps because of how I ate while you were gone," Jessie calls from the other room and Chris rolls his eyes.

"Poor baby," he yells back before giving his lover an affectionate hip check. "Just packing," Chris says softly. "Getting stuff ready, you know?"

Liam chuckles and presses up against Chris's back, both arms winding around him once more. "You can take home leftovers," he calls to Jessie. "There's a chocolate cheesecake in the fridge -- think you can get him to give it up as a bad job if I give you half of it?" He presses a teasing kiss to Chris's ear and adds, in a lower voice, "Let me know if you need any help? Or just whenever you've a few spare moments and need a distraction?"

"Come over this weekend? Jessie's got plans...I thought we could spend a little quiet time before...." Before he has to finish packing and board the plane and make it official.

"Sounds like a wonderful plan," Liam agrees. "Although I hope you won't mind if we make some noise, hmm?" Another kiss, a slide of hands down a well-known and well-loved body, and then they're picking up glasses and heading for the living room. Jessie's an understanding lass but there's no need to be rude.

Jessie takes her glass from where she's perched on the couch and smirks. "Wow, this must be some complicated lemonade to take two people so long," she teases, trying to break up the Grim and Grimmer looks on their faces.

"We took special care just for you, lass," Liam says with a mock glare. "You might show some appreciation." He settles down on the sofa with a heavy, put-upon sigh and takes a sip from his glass.

"Oh sorry. Thank you Liam for snogging your boyfriend and then bringing me some lemonade."

Chris rolls his eyes and sits on the floor between the two of them, becoming vaguely concerned about leaving them in the same country without supervision.

"That's much better. You're very welcome, Jessie." Liam manages a half-bow from his seated position, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He reaches down and rests one hand in Chris's hair, lightly massaging while asking Jessie, "So am I to have the pleasure of your company for the next few months or do you have some film to dash off for as well?"

"You're stuck with me till September." Jessie drinks some lemonade and flashes a look at Chris then Liam. "Think London will still be standing?"

Liam gives her a wry smile and says, "I don't think I'd want to lay any money on that. Give me some notice when you plan the demolition, aye? I'll take East and head to the shore for a while."

"You two need to swear a blood oath that you'll play nice," Chris says, drinking some lemonade but giving The Look to Jessica.

She wrinkles her nose.

"I notice you're looking at ME."

"Liam's the grown-up plus he can spank you if you're naughty." Chris wrinkles his nose at her.

Liam leans back against the sofa cushions and does his best to hide a smile, taking a sip from his glass for camouflage. Listening to Chris and Jessie going back and forth with each other has done more to relax the tension that's been twisting him up all day than anything else he's tried or can think of.

"Liam, do you want to spank me?" Jessie asks, innocent as an angel as she wiggles behind Chris to bat her Bambi eyes at him. "Hmmmm?"

"That's not usually my kink," Liam says, his voice dryly teasing, "but if anyone could persuade me I think it's likely you. And you can take that however you wish, lass."

And in actuality, what's going through his mind at the moment isn't so much sexual as it is the memory of how his own mam had toughened her hand while improving his behavior and that of his brother and sisters as children, something he suspects Jessie's own mam didn't much bother with. And she didn't turn out too badly for all of that but she's a streak of willful devilment about her and Liam's still thanking any number of saints that she's not his responsibility.

"Ha, ha." Chris points and laughs, ducking from Jessie's swing by pushing himself further into Liam's arms -- never a hardship. "He won't like it but he'll do it because you need it."

"Maybe I do need it." Jessie tosses her head defiantly. "Maybe that's exactly what I need. A strong hand and a collar and someone who enjoys bossing my bony ass around."

Chris cuddles against Liam's body, a frown arching between his eyebrows. "So long as the last part of that description includes them caring about you, Jessie. And what's best for you."

Liam tugs Chris the rest of the way up onto his lap and wraps one arm around his waist, then reaches over with the other to squeeze Jessie's shoulder. "You'll find someone who's good for you," he says, his voice low and affectionate. "You're a pretty girl and lively and there are plenty who appreciate both those things. In the mean time, though, have you thought about taking a class or two? Or hiring a dom for some private sessions? Mayhap you'd be a bit more relaxed about things if you got some experience from someone who knows what's what and is good at teaching it."

"I've...made some arrangements. Sort of."

Chris makes a surprised sound in his throat and Jessica looks at him with blazing eyes and pink spots on her cheeks. "Getting to know people at the Club is a good thing. Nice conversation, some dates, things to learn. It's important I do that."

The why is unspoken and Chris nods.

"Just be careful," he murmurs, pressing his ear to Liam's heart.

"That's good," Liam says. He combs three fingers lightly through her hair, then pulls his hand back and wraps it around Chris along with the other. "I'm glad you're making friends around the club and it is a good thing."

They just sit for a few moments. Liam enjoys the feel of Chris's body pressed against his, but they can't do anything that would exclude Jessie without being damn rude so he searches for something to pass the time before dinner is ready. The best he can come up with it, "Would you like a look about the place? Even Chris hasn't seen everything, which is odd if you think on it, or maybe not so much so." He gives his lover a teasing smile and a kiss on top of his head.

Since Jessie's stomach feels sort of weird, like she just got off a Tilt-a-Whirl, a tour sounds fantastic so she nods enthusiastically.

"You mean there's an upstairs?" Chris says dryly, turning his head to kiss Liam on the lips then standing up with a stretching arch of his back.

"Aye, there actually is," Liam replies, his voice light and surprised sounding. "I tried the stairs recently and what d'you know, I've all this extra space!" He stands up and sneaks a tickle in on Chris's ribs, both sides at once, while winking at Jessie. "Come on, then -- you can see what I've done with it. It was nice getting my bed out of the pantry."

Chris takes Liam's hand and lets him lead them towards the stairs, snagging Jessie's hand as he walks past her.

"C'mon. You know you wanna see his bed," Chris whispers to her. She rolls her eyes elegantly.

"Yeah, it's my fondest wish. I also want to look in his medicine cabinet and squeeze his toilet paper to make sure it's soft and fluffy."

They go up the staircase hand-in-hand-in-hand, like kindergarteners on a field trip. Liam manages to not betray that thought in his expression, although it takes some effort. Once they're up on the first floor he walks the chain all the way down to the end of the hall, to his bedroom, pausing only once -- in front of a piece of framed cover art from his early game, "Patton Kicks Butt." [1]

"You did that one," Chris says, smiling. He may or may not have done extensive research on his lover's past computer exploits.

"Aye." Liam smiles and runs a finger across the painted faces of the two generals squaring off across the piece, beneath the title. "That one was fun. Didn't sell as well as I'd hoped -- I tried to simplify things so someone who'd never played a wargame before could understand and enjoy it without digesting an instruction manual the size of the Manchester phone book. But the old-school wargamers hated it and the word-of-mouth wasn't good. I still like it, though. And afterward, whenever I saw some industry pundit-types moaning about the death of the old-style wargame for lack of new players, I just smirked to myself."

"Can you blow things up with it or is it a strategy thing?" Jessie leans closer. "Because I like the ones with the kicking and the blowing up." She looks at Liam with a smirk of her own. "You're shocked, right?"

Liam cocks his head at Jessie and says, "Actually, no, I'm not shocked. Which in itself says something disturbing, I suppose. And aye, it's a strategy game at the map level. I can imagine how you'd be attracted to shooters? The ones with the extra-gore mods?" He gives her an inquiring eyebrow and a teasing smile before heading on down the hall to his bedroom.

"She's a splatter queen," Chris says dryly. The bedroom is next and that's where he's actually wanting to be and he wonders how quick he could work a seduction....

"Extra gore mods -- yeah. Those." Jessie skips around Chris to come up to Liam's side. "You and I should design a game. Ya know, for other splatter queens. Call it like -- Girl Kicking Ass or something."

"I'll send you some docs on how to build your own mods. It's not terribly difficult and you can do whatever you like on top of an existing game engine. There was one going around a few years back to change the Nazis into Barneys -- that purple dinosaur on American television? It was quite popular." Liam grins at Jessie then moves up behind Chris and lays his hands on the lad's shoulders. "Basic bedroom, nothing overly fancy." He leans down and whispers, "I'll show you what's in the trunk at the foot of the bed later," punctuated with a light kiss behind his ear.

"You can show him now." Jessica bounces on the large four poster bed, trying out the mattress as she gives the men a seductive grin. "I'll watch...."

Liam gives her a look which of course rolls right off her, then says, "Maybe I'll show you and Chris can watch. Some rope and a gag, mayhap?" He eyes Jessie up and down as though planning how to secure her so she'll be quiet and out of the way.

"I think Chris would appreciate being the center of our attention," Jessie says, her demeanor changing as she shares a look with Chris who's just sort of standing there holding his breath.

Now that's a thought. Liam gives Jessie an approving glance, then turns a smoky look on Chris. "I think that's an excellent idea, actually." He moves up behind Chris and wraps his arms around him, pinning his arms to his sides for a moment with a tight squeeze, then maneuvers him onto the bed next to Jessie, following close behind.

Chris isn't about to complain; Liam strong and hard at this back and Jessie, soft and enticing in front of him -- bliss, party of one.

Or three. Whatever he gets, he'll try to give back because they both deserve it.

He tries not to think of this being the last time for a long time, bracing his arms on either side of a now reclining Jessie.

Liam pushes Chris's shirt slowly up his back, following it with a trail of kisses up his bare spine.

Chris starts moaning softly, in between kisses to Jessie's welcoming smile. She's stroking his hair, cradling him with her body as Liam presses him down from behind. It's heady and they both feel it; Chris shivers at the dual sensations.

The T-shirt gets hung up around Chris's arms and Liam takes advantage of the pause to kiss out along one shoulder, then bite lightly into the solid muscle. Just the feel of Chris's smooth, warm skin under his lips was enough to get Liam's cock swelling in his trousers.

He pulls the T-shirt the rest of the way off with some help from Chris then reaches around for the button and zipper on his shorts. He works both slowly, massaging his lover through the fabric.

Chris falters as his tongue slides into Jessie's mouth; she's squirming under him and God, he can feel Liam's erection against his ass and his hand on his own and it takes pure concentration to remember what he's supposed to be doing.

Rock forward, rock backward. Moan. Breathe. Sigh.

The moan sends a shiver through Liam's hands and then spurs him on. He tugs Chris's shorts down and off, then unfastens his own trousers and and shoves them down along with his boxers, kicking until they're both on the floor. Now naked, he presses close against Chris's back, revelling in the feel of skin against skin. He needs to taste him again and his lips brush across one broad shoulder to the sweet curve of his nape.

Jessie realizes she's the only person still wearing clothes as her hands wander and she finally opens her eyes.

"Hey...no fair," she pants, pushing Chris up to his knees so she can start stripping out of her clothes. She pins Liam with a hot glance over Chris' shoulder as he takes advantage of the position to get some stroking and touching in. Jessie licks her lips and can't hold her tongue as her shirt goes flying.

"You two are so damn sexy together," she murmurs.

"Chris would be sexy with anyone," Liam answers, half-teasing in tone and yet meaning it absolutely. He tips Chris's face back toward him and kisses him, long and deep and thorough.

Wiggling out of her shorts, Jessie leans her naked body against Chris and moans before attacking his exposed neck, taking a little piece of the sexiness for herself.

Liam leans forward as far as he can and sneaks a kiss on the top of Jessie's nose, then winks at her and goes back to molesting Chris. His hands are massaging strongly down his arms while one leg rubs slowly up and down across the lad's hip.

"Lemme see what I can do..." she murmurs, snaking her tongue down the center of Chris' chest, rubbing her nails against his nipples at the same time.

There's a lot of noise errupting from Chris at the point -- breathing and moaning and some muttered curses when he can work his swollen tongue into functioning. He presses against Liam hard, rocking his hips as he tries to catch some friction, anywhere.

"What do you want, love?" Liam asks, nuzzling into Chris's ear gently. He reaches backward and up with one arm and rummages in the drawer of his nightstand until his hand closes on a tube and two flat packets. He drops them onto one of the pillows within reach of everyone on the bed, then his hands go back to pleasanter tasks, one slipping around to tease one of his lover's nipples while the other moves down and curls around his arse.

Jessica registers the two condom packets and makes a happy little sound -- then leans down to all fours and swallows Chris' dick.

...which is just when he registers the two condoms and starts moaning in earnest, rocking his hips, encouraging both of them to keep going, never stop.

Liam gives him a teasing nip to his earlobe. He decides to be generous and take the incoherent moaning as a response -- he doubts he'll get much requiring higher language skills out of the lad just now anyway -- and slides down the bed until his head is level with Jessie's. His hands kneading and then spreading, he slides his tongue very slowly into Chris's arse.

Shaking, Chris' breath catches and the sounds die; he can't manage much more than flailing arms, one sinking into Jessie's soft hair, the other reaching back to steady himself on the solid presence of Liam. Everything spins in slow motion.

Chris's arse clenches around Liam's tongue and the feeling makes his cock burn in anticipation. He gives a long, rumbling moan.

Jessie can hear Liam and she can feel/hear Chris so she sucks harder, deep throating him until she thinks he might rip the hair from her head he's got her gripped so tightly. She works him hard, up and down, matching Liam's shoves from the other side with equal force.

Liam slides one hand over Chris's hip until it brushes against Jessie's silky hair. He reaches lower until his hand is caressing her shoulder, warm and encouraging. Chris's jerks and twitches and gasping groans give him a sense of partnership with the lass -- after all, they're both working toward the same goal and from all appearances they're doing a fine job of it.

Purring, Jessie pulls off for a moment, using her hand to keep up the rhythm while her mouth is busy.

"Liam? You want me to finish him off?"

Chris, of course, makes an inarticulate sound -- something like a "yesgoddamnitplease" but without using words.

Liam pulls back as well, tilting his head until he can see Jessie's face. He frowns and pretends to consider. "Well, I don't know. We don't want the fun to be over too soon, after all. That wouldn't be fair to either of us, yeah? If he goes off hard enough he might not recover for a while...." He winks at her, out of Chris's line of sight.

"He's young and healthy -- let's see how many times we can make him pop."

"Hmm." Liam pauses for more pondering. "I suppose that could be amusing as well. Useful to know, too, just how much he can take and how many times he can come before he goes completely dead on us."

Chris clears his throat, stuck in the middle of erotic overload and annoyance at the same time.

"Hello, still here. Listening," he croaks, trying not to thrust himself into Jessica's casually moving hand. "Don't wanna be dead!"

Liam mimes a startled expression and looks down at Chris as though he'd forgotten about him. "Well, bugger all, he's talking! Can't have that -- back to work!" And with that he ducks down and goes back to what he'd been doing, with some bonus teasing with one hand rubbing across his lover's perineum, his knuckles occasionally brushing against the back of his balls.

Snickering, Jessica keeps jerking him off, rougher this time, batting her eyelashes up at him like a wee angel.

"C'mon, Chrissy, how can you resist? Why would you want do?" she asks, her voice low and seductive. "We just want to see how many times we can rip an orgasm out of you." She makes it sound damn dangerous.

Chris scowls and moans and twists his hips to catch Liam's tongue and Jessie's cruel hand at once. "W-whatever you two...want...."

"See? Now you're getting the picture." She slides her hand off and replaces it with the slow glide of her mouth and tongue and throat.

There's my boy, Liam thinks with a silent chuckle. "Whatever we want" is to get you as overloaded with pleasure as we can manage, so that works out for everyone. He can feel Chris's balls tightening against the back of his hand and works harder with fingers and tongue. Come on, love, a little farther....

Cruel, inhuman, sadistic -- Chris loves them both anyway, loves the way they're always poking each other with sticks but goddamn if they don't make a good team.

He curls his fingers through Jessie's hair and yanks and when she grazes his cock with her teeth -- like he knew she would -- Chris sucks in a deep breath, pushes back against Liam's brilliant tongue and lets himself go.

When the muscles spasm and tighten, Liam slips out of Chris's body and wraps his arms around him, pressing close so he can feel his lover's body jerking through climax. "There's my boy," he says, his voice warm and coaxing. "Beautiful...."

When Chris finally relaxes, Liam reaches for the lube, coats his fingers and slips two of them back in where his tongue had been.

No downtime -- none. Chris pushes Jessie off him and drops down to hands and knees, his head swimming with the intensity of the orgasm.

"Round two," she hums in a sing-song voice, crawling underneath him like the temptress she is, cradling him between her legs. She lifts her head to dart her tongue across his lips as he rocks back urgently against Liam's fingers.

Spent but eager, at least his brain is. His body takes a few seconds to recharge.

Liam massages gently, building up the intensity in slow increments. Not too much, just close enough to the "too much" line -- stroking, stretching, twisting. He's in no hurry to add a third finger.

He leans against Jessie's leg and presses a kiss just beside her kneecap.

Jessie's leg jerks at Liam's touch and she moans loudly, arching her body up. She's overloaded and she wants some contact now -- looking up she sees Chris' unfocused eyes and knows that Liam is drawing things out....

She stretches her leg, rubbing her heel against Liam's...she's guessing leg or hip, she's not sure. She just knows there's a sprinkling of hair over skin over taut muscle and she smiles up at Chris.

"Feels good doesn't it? He's going to fuck you while you fuck me, Chrissy...."

Well, they hadn't outright planned that far but it sounds like a fine notion to Liam so he decides to just go with it.

A post-orgasm Chris is relaxed to the point of lassitude and most of his energy seems to be going toward keeping himself supported on his knees and elbows, as opposed to flopping down on top of Jessie. Liam smiles and licks freshly beaded perspiration out of the shallow indent at the base of Chris's spine.

She feels around the rumpled bed for the condom packet; she rips the corner off with her mouth, spitting out the plastic as Chris shakes his head, his arms vibrating with effort.

"Hurry up, please," he mutters as she laughs.

"That for me or Liam?" Jessie reaches between them, slicking the condom onto his rapidly re-emerging dick.

"Both of you. You're killing me." Sweat drips from every pore of Chris' body.

"Liam, he wants us to hurry...."

Liam raises an eyebrow. "Now, now," he says in his best lecturing voice, while reaching for the second condom, "what do pushy subs get...? Either of you?" He winks over Chris's shoulder at Jessie while withdrawing his other hand from Chris's arse so he can open the packet.

"This one is getting what she wants -- you can keep Chris waiting all you'd like though," Jessie pants out, lifting her knees and winking at Liam before she tosses her head back with a nice loud appreciative moan courtesy of Chris sinking into her with greedy urgency.

That gets a heavy, theatrical sigh from Liam. "I'm definitely doing something wrong," he mutters to himself, in a stage-gripe that would've done any parent proud. He rolls the condom down over his cock and begins to push slowly into Chris's body. He sucks in a long breath, his eyes closing, and then lets it out in a slow, tight, groan as his lover's body clenches around him.

Chris lets loose a stream of curses that roll off his tongue like a new language he just came up with. Because Jessie is hot and bucking up against him and Liam is just...everything, filling him and touching him and he can't quite remember what he's supposed to do now so he lets them do it to him.

Liam can feel Chris moving against him -- he's not thrusting, not yet, but the lad can't help moving some while Jessie fucks herself against him and those tiny motions are enough to work him onto Liam's cock. Slowly, in millimeters. Liam lets Chris do the gradual impaling, breathing hard and concentrating to keep from shoving in all the way because the sensation is just lovely and his body wants more of it right the hell now but control was one of the first lessons he learned and so he holds back, jaw clenched and eyes squeezed shut.

Technically she can't feel Liam but she knows from Chris' expression and the tension of his body when Liam is fucking him; she can tell by the way his eyes close and the way his arms flex taut against her shoulders.

"C'mere," she pants, pulling him down for a kiss, letting him go down on his elbows so his muscles can relax. Then she kisses him.

When Chris shifts down onto Jessie, he moves off of Liam just a little. Liam follows him, sliding in a little farther this time. The pressure is exquisite and he pushes slowly in until he's fully seated, then presses a kiss to the nape of Chris's neck.

Chris pushes back then forward, the stretch of his ass and the deep heat of Jessie seriously messing with his mind. He pulls his tongue from her mouth and turns his head, trying to catch Liam's kiss as they all rock together.

Liam leans forward to meet Chris's lips, humming pleasure into his open mouth. He shifts so his legs can support his whole body, even leaning forward like this, and his hands slide around Chris's chest to tease his nipples, rubbing and flicking. The whole time, his cock slides in and out with an easy rhythm.

Jessica takes full advantage of Liam's teasing of Chris; she shamelessly rubs herself against his knuckles, squeezes every internal muscle she has until she hears Chris choking against Liam's mouth.

Liam feels the weirdest thing against the back of his hands and a moment later figures out what it is. Breasts -- soft and squishy with hard points, larger than he's used to if the feeling on the backs of his knuckles is anything to judge by -- and they're flattened up against his hands.

The young lady who'd relieved Liam of his virginity when he was a youngster had had a newly-adolescent girl's figure. It'd been impressive enough to Liam at the time but he'd never actually touched a woman this way. Or been touched, whichever applied. It wasn't... bad, or anything, but it was damn strange. He decides to ignore it and keep his focus on Chris, just let Jessie do whatever she liked with the parts of him that stuck out around the edges.

And that thought has him chuckling to himself, laughing softly into the kiss.

"You better...not....be laughing...at me," Jessie groans, throwing her whole body into getting herself off -- because the boys have got their own little groove going and she's not waiting.

Chris cries out because Jessica is a lot damn stronger than she thinks as she nearly dislodges him -- pushing him back against Liam, who's a brick wall of heat and God, his eyes are permanently crossed as he feels himself coming for the second time tonight.

"Not," Liam gasps. He can't manage any more words so he leans as far over Chris's shoulder as he can get, reaches down with one hand to cup the back of Jessie's head and pulls her up for a quick kiss.

Just then Chris clenches around Liam's cock and shudders out a climax and Liam feels his body trembling with heated sparks. Not yet not now no.... He manages to hang on and slam a lid on his orgasm, forcing the impulse into the background. Not yet. He's determined to keep his lover going for a while yet, his arms tightening around Chris's strong chest until he fancies he can hear the lad's ribs creaking.

Chris' orgasm and the press of his body as Liam kisses her -- Jesus, she'll never admit the combination hits her like a rocket and she arches and moans and comes with a sob.

"There's my boy," Liam manages to gasp. He slides almost out and then strokes smoothly back in. His cock is swollen to the point of aching and his balls are high and tight. He can hold out, though. Just a little longer. Another pull out, another push in and it's still so damn tight....

Chris is heavy on her but Jessica doesn't move -- she's holding him and he's resting on her shoulder, still grunting and tense. She peeks over his shoulder to watch Liam's face, enrapt with Chris' body and his still unreleased orgasm.

"I bet he feels good," she purrs, trying to catch Liam's gaze. "I bet he's still so tight and man, you've got a lot of willpower to keep from finishing yourself off...."

As she speaks, Chris moans and she reaches between them to brush her fingers over his spent cock.

Aaaand... that's all it takes. Jessie's teasing comment focuses Liam's attention on how tight Chris's arse is around his cock and how bloody hard it is to hold back and just then Chris moans underneath him and something inside Liam collapses. He can't hold it anymore and he comes with a relieved, frustrated groan, his hips jerking and his hands clenching.

Chris shakes so hard he thinks he might have flown apart if he didn't have Jessie's arms around him and Liam's weight at his back. He can feel the aftereffects of his lovers' orgasms still flowing through him, his own a distant memory. He feels...wrung out and blissful at once, like he's collapsing after a marathon.

"Hey," a muffled voice pipes up. "Who's ready for the next round?"

Liam feels his shoulders shaking with laughter. He can't help it, any more than he could help his orgasm less than a minute ago. He has a strong urge to turn Jessie over his knee and spank her, but that'd take too much energy he has better use for so he files the thought for later.

"I think I've a bit more in me," he says, his voice low and still breathy from panting, "but we're swapping. I'm no good for the lad's back this time so I get his front now." He gives Jessie a glare without much oomph behind it, then slides out and takes care of the condom. He gently turns Chris over, rolling him off of Jessie and onto his back, then settles down with his head at about hip-level to the lad and runs a hand over his lover's softened penis. "You can have the other end if you want," he says, tilting his head toward the pillow where Chris's still-dazed-looking face is blinking at them, before leaning down and licking lightly at the tip of the lad's cock.

Jessica snickers as she drags herself to lock her mouth over Chris' -- a mouth that's spasming like a fish. He didn't mention whether he was pro or con anything else sexual but then again, no one asked his position on the matter.

Her girl parts are quite satisfied for the moment so Jessica enjoys just kissing her...boyfriend...lover...friend..., slipping her tongue against his until he stops shaking under her like he's having a seizure.

There's a pleasant lassitude filling Liam's brain, dragging his eyelids down. Which is just fine because he doesn't need to see -- he knows exactly where he is and where everything important is. He dots his tongue down on the tip of Chris's cock, then on the wrinkled fuzz of one of his balls, then ducks down and tickles lightly across his perineum. His head's resting against one solid thigh and the scent of sex fills the air, adding to the relaxed atmosphere.

Chris thrusts his tongue into Jessica's mouth frantically; it's the only part of his body that he can actually move. The rest of him is slack and sated and shivering as he can feel Liam's gentle touch over him.

Liam pushes himself up onto his knees, still crouched over Chris's hips, and runs his hands up and down his lover's thighs. The light prickle of hair over muscle makes his palms tingle. He runs his mouth up the taut skin, his tongue flicking out every few seconds to taste but mainly enjoying the feel of it against his lips.

Jessie breaks off the kiss to they can both breathe; she trails her finger through Chris' close-cropped and sweaty hair, stroking his skull while he pants and moans in soft little sounds.

"He's gonna make you come again, I can see it in his eyes," she murmurs matter-of-factly in Chris' ear. "He's not going to take no for an answer so I suggest you get hard like sooner rather than later."

Chris looks frantically from Jessie to Liam and back again.

"It's not like I can do it on command!" he croaks. "Two times already! Two!"

Liam's nuzzling into the crease where Chris's thigh meets his body, but at the lad's near-panicked exclamation he looks up at him with a wicked smile. "Well, you know," he says casually, "there are subs who can come on command. Sometimes without being touched. We can work on that if you like?" He raises an eyebrow at his lover, as though waiting for him to decide whether or not he'd like to learn how to put together a souffle.

"Sure, we can work on that some other time," he says, thinking that that sounds like something a bit out of the league of a guy who's still working on not coming before he supposed to. "But if you want someone to come on command right now...you better call East." How Chris manages a sarcastic deadpan at that moment he has no idea.

That gets a blink and an instinctive glance around the room for a certain small bulldog before Liam bursts out laughing and buries his face in the crook of Chris's thigh. His laughter is muffled but his shoulders are shaking. When he can control his voice again, Liam presses a kiss onto the still-soft shaft of his lover's cock and says, "Have I mentioned recently how much I love having you around?"

Chris joins into the laughter and even Jessie is giggling at his side, her face pressed against his shoulder.

"No, you haven't," Chris teases, but he reaches down with his free hand to touch Liam's face. He doesn't want to remind anyone he's not going to be around for awhile. "But since you've had an orgasm and you're laughing, I'm guessing I'm pretty good company."

"You're thoroughly excellent company, dear heart." Liam nuzzles into Chris's hand, then kisses his palm. Then he adds, "And I'm still determined to go for number three," and licks down Chris's cock before sucking in the tip, keeping his eyes locked on his lover's the whole way.

"Told you," Jessie murmurs in his ear, her voice still dripping with laughter which rachets up to a hoot when Chris makes a whining sound. "Oh poor baby, another orgasm. Millions of men are crying for you now."

"I'm young and healthy but I'm not Superman," Chris mumbles -- nonethless, his hips start to cant just the tiniest bit.

"Then we'll just have to work harder to help you." Liam glances up at Jessie before filling his mouth with cock again. He's not sucking hard, not yet. Chris's tired body needs coaxing and right now he's just swirling his tongue around as though his lover's prick were a mint he doesn't want to finish too soon.

The "we'll" is pointed so Jessie flicks her tongue against Chris' ear then works her way to his mouth. Doesn't stay long though, just long enough to bite his lower lip and get a tiny "ohhhh" out of him before she starts on the wide muscled expanse of his chest.

There's my girl, Liam thinks to himself before focusing his attention back on Chris. He slides his hands down either side of his lover's hips and then pushes under his arse, kneading his firm cheeks. His fingers stray just a bit into the lad's crack but not far -- just enough for awareness. The cock in his mouth is starting to show a few bare signs of life.

Jessie's biting him -- hard enough to make him arch and flinch so when Liam strokes against his ass he almost flies off the bed. But goddamnit if his dick doesn't begin to bloom under Liam's mouth.

Three times -- they were going to do this three times.

"I hope we're not setting a precedent...."

That makes Liam pause. He lifts his head up again, licking his lips once, and asks, "So, you're saying that if we could manage to bring you off three times a night on a regular basis, you'd object?"

"Define...regular...ow, Jessie, stop before you give me a bruise!"

Well, if they're going to have a conversation.... Liam pulls one hand out from under Chris and strokes him casually, keeping the interest up as it were. "I can't say I'd thought about it to put a number in, but how about once or twice a week?"

"Twice," Jessie opines, working farther down Chris' body until she's bumping into Liam and stealing a lick of cock like a pilfered lollipop.

"Once," Chris wheezes.

"Pussy," Jessie smiles, eyeing Liam as she flicks her tongue at the head of Chris' dick.

That glance and that quick little lick feel like a challenge so of course Liam has to answer it. He says, "How about if we try it when we have the chance and see what works?" before bending back down and licking up the other side of Chris's cock. He can mentally back off a step and forget that Jessie's a woman -- mouths are pretty much the same anyway, right? -- and share a cock with her.

His tongue touches her upper lip, retreats, then wraps around the flesh separating them and swipes across her lower lip. A moment later, Liam and Jessie are kissing, as close to full-contact as they can get with a hardening prick in between them.

Jessica gets a full body shiver because man, this is hot and suddenly she's not teasing Chris about getting it up -- she's working it. She closes her eyes and lets the familiar taste of Chris and the unfamiliar tang of Liam blend over her lips, sucking and flicking her tongue around to catch them both.

Chris' eyes are wide open because the visual of Liam and Jessica around his cock can't be missed. Can't. Even as steam begins to rise off his body in the moments before combustion.

This is definitely doing the job and Liam can feel a twinge or two himself so clearly something's going right. He manages to smile conspiratorially into Jessie's hazel eyes with every part of his face except his mouth, which is otherwise occupied just now, then shifts so his hands are free. One rubs up Chris's side and then curls around to tease his nipple, while the other slips between his legs and rubs one knuckle across the tender skin behind his balls.

Getting up on her hands and knees, Jessie sucks down the top of Chris' cock into her mouth. Every part of her twitches as her head comes close to Liam's; she's moaning deep in her throat as the desire notches up.

Liam licks up to where Jessie's mouth is stretched around Chris's prick and traces a half circle with his tongue, feeling tight-stretched skin against tight-swelling skin and tasting both of them. The combination is exotic and sensual and he hums satisfaction.

Jessica wants something -- needs something more than air and cock down her throat. She pulls off to catch her breath, looks over at Chris and smiles as she knee walks over.

"Do something useful, hmmm?" she murmurs, swinging one leg up so she's straddling his face.

Liam takes back his spot, sucking on Chris's cock like candy while watching Jessie. He can tell exactly when Chris starts to oblige her, from the tensing of her shoulders and the lovely arch in her back and the tight shift of her hips and the faint hiss of indrawn breath. She really is beautiful, especially like this.

"Oh fuck," Jessie moans, Chris' mouth returning every cruel favor she's given him tonight. He's using his tongue and his teeth until she starts moving her hips frantically.

One long finger slides into Chris's still-lubed arse. Liam teases his sweet spot while sucking hard on his cock, the tip of his tongue pressing down in the little indent just below the glans.

Jessie's riding and moaning, leaning forward far enough to bypass Chris' cock and end up with her tongue playing around Liam's and Chris is ruthless with his mouth, transfering all the torture to her clit.

Having Jessie right there doesn't feel quite so weird this time and Chris's reactions make whatever accommodation Liam's gay is having to make well worth the effort. He finds his lover's sweet spot with his fingertip and rubs across it, first lightly and then with increasing pressure, while he and Jessie work on making sure the lad's cock is clean enough for surgery.

Chris loses the battle first; Jessica's rough against his mouth and he can't get away from her taste or scent and Liam's hands and tongue...he's got nothing to combat that. He arches up and comes, weaker this time but still...they got their third time.

The taste of sex fills Liam's mouth and he rumbles wordless aproval while swallowing. He slides his finger out of Chris's arse and wipes it off on the sheets, then gives his cock one last light suck while pulling off. The once-more limp organ gets a playful kiss, then Liam crawls up and stretches out next to his lover.

He watches Chris and Jessie, one hand rubbing gently up and down Chris's belly, with an occasional foray up Jessie's smooth back.

Chris gets back to getting Jessica off even as his entire being seems to have melted into the bedcovers. She's ripe and ready; he bites down her clit, hard enough to pull a scream from her, satisfied as his tongue laps up her orgasm.

Liam gets to feel the tensing and then sloooow relax as Jessie climaxes and then does a slow collapse into a limp puddle of girl on top of Chris. He leaves his hand on her back, rubbing up and down her spine in long strokes.

When Chris leaves, Liam's going to miss him like a chunk of his heart being torn out and shipped overseas; he's known that for months. But he's going to miss this, too -- being with the two of them in intimate companionship. He's not in love with Jessie but he likes her very much. There's affection there, even if not love, and he enjoys having her about.

He's going to miss them both.

=============

[1] "Patton Kicks Butt" was the working title of "Patton vs. Rommel," which was indeed an old-style war game with simplified rules and graphics. It was actually developed by the legendary Chris Crawford, however, not by Liam Neeson. The game did indeed suffer from bad word-of-mouth spread by the old school wargamers who thought it was too easy, and the genre did indeed decline for lack of new players within the next decade or so.

Those of us who were vicariously with Chris while the game was in development were enthusiastic about the original title, but Chris let the publisher's marketing weasels convince him that their title was better, believing that you should let professionals do their jobs. To this day, I and many others believe the game would've sold better with Chris's title, if only for the double-take value. [sigh]

Journal Entry, Locked Private

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 23:54:23 GMT

19 June, 2006

Our holiday was wonderful but coming home was depressing. As soon as we landed in Kingston it was as though the lighting had changed, or the sound track -- something that altered the mood like flipping a switch. We were in public once more and as soon as we stepped into the main terminal we weren't lovers any longer. Chris was an actor, a public persona, and I was the guy travelling with him who handled the tickets and made sure all the bags were accounted for. We were friendly but only friends and there was this constant awareness in the back of my head that there were other people about, just random people, not club members, and that any one of them might've seen Chris's films, might be watching him, might have a camera.

And that, combined with the usual post-trip fatigue and irritability, have me lying about the place feeling like a wrung-out rag.

Seeing Jessie again was a perk-up -- I don't think anyone can help feeling a bit livelier when she's about and in a bouncing sort of mood. We had to give her her prezzies in the car home and she seemed pleased with them. The collar and leash seemed appropriate, even if Chris doesn't want to be the one holding the other end of said leash -- I'm sure the lass can find someone who'll be more than happy to do so. The tropical-flavored body paint was a hit, as well as the certificate for a custom-made corset.

I had some second thoughts about the shell, I'll admit. We found a lovely conch shell on the beach one morning, about as long as my finger. The coating had been scoured off but it was in good condition, with only one small chip off the bottom point. As Jessie was going through her bags it struck me that I could've done something more with it -- perhaps had someone drill a hole so she could wear it as a pendant? It's a pretty thing, though, even in its natural-off-the-beach state and she seemed happy with it.

She wanted to hear all about the trip, of course, and there was time enough in the traffic back from the airport to talk. She got a glint in her eye when we told about the chocolate squirt gun fight that makes me want to peer around corners for a while, heh. And she near laughed herself sick when Chris told her about that bloody turtle that grabbed the cuff of my pants and startled me so I fell on my arse, yelling like a jaguar'd got me. I still say it was Chris's fault -- I was all ready to wear shorts the entire time, whenever we did bother with clothing, but he insisted on long trousers for tramping through the underbrush looking for firewood. There'd have been nothing dangling to attract the blasted thing if I'd had my shorts on. Seeing Jessie laughing until her sides hurt was worth it, though; I suppose my dignity will survive, or at least recover eventually. :)

And some of the places we did find condoms and lube stashed were classic.

The best parts, though, we didn't tell her. Seeing Chris free and happy with the waves splashing every bit of his body. The sun in his hair, the delight in his eyes, the dappled shadows playing on his skin. The way he glows under the moon, like some young god come to me in a dream.

Making love on the grass with the sun shining down is something I could never explain or describe to anyone. There are so many layers to how that felt, I can't imagine putting it into words without somehow diminishing it.

And now it's over, and it's closed doors and drawn shades and looking over our shoulders again whenever we're not at home or at the club. It's how the world is and it's absolutely worth it -- I'd put up with a good deal worse to have Chris in my life. But being on the island -- both of them -- was perfect and I'm determined to go back some day.

Ambush [Liam/Chris]

Thu, 29 Jun 2006 00:03:53 GMT

[Takes place on Sunday, June 11, four days after Liam's birthday.]

There was just enough time while Chris was out running to prepare. Now Liam's ready and waiting, in shady cover behind a hibiscus shrub within arm's reach of the path the lad takes every morning. He has a weapon in each hand and a wicked smile on his face. He feels like he's about ten years old, peering through the leafy branches and huge yellow blossoms until he sees a familiar figure approaching. A moment later he can hear his footsteps.

Just as the lad passes by, Liam jumps out with a whoop and shoots him from behind. Splat! Splat! Splat! Dark blotches spatter on his target, two on his back and one in his hair.

Chris loses his stride and flails, spinning round with a startled shout, his face open with shock.

Liam takes advantage and splats him four more times on the front, then tosses the second plastic gun at him and takes off in the other direction. He's glancing back over his shoulder to fire again and catches the sudden, sequential looks of recognition and memory and finally glee in the lad's face before he lets out a matching whoop and barrels off after Liam. It takes him a few missed shots before he finds the range but within moments they're laughing and hollering and squirting each other with chocolate.

They end up tangled together on the lawn, empty squirt guns discarded nearby, licking and sucking and caressing and laughing, shedding stained clothing and thoroughly cleaning smeared skin.

Liam's last coherent thought for quite some time is that this is a lovely way to start a morning.

And Many Happy Returns [Liam/Chris]

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 16:52:30 GMT

[Takes place on June 7th, three days after this. The boys are still on Santa Madalena.]

Chris uses Liam's brief "hammock nap" time in the afternoon to confer with the concierge on the set-up for tonight. He explains the issue with the cake and the man assures him he can come up with something both vegetarian and decadent. In fact, every concern Chris brings up is whisked away by the man's smoothly accented voice and he imagines a magic wand waving after each, "Sir, that isn't a problem. I'll take care of it." As the conversation moves forward, Chris starts to feel cocky -- like maybe he should ask for something outrageous just to hear the man say, "Sir, a donkey dressed like a nun in a cake -- not a problem. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, so much," Chris says finally, hanging up with a chuckle -- and no mention of a habited ass.

The cottage is neat as a pin; Chris digs around in his luggage to find the neatly wrapped gifts, leaving them in a pile on the small round table near the window. He selects a few CDs from the collection, romantic jazz background music and checks the clock.

A quick shower, get dressed and wake his boyfriend with a birthday pounce....

Liam'd been having a lovely dream involving Chris and a jar of honey when a sudden impact jerks him to wakefulness. His eyes snap open and Chris's smiling face is inches from his own. The hammock is swinging wildly and Liam reflexively grabs his lover and hangs on.

"Happy Birthday." Chris grins, using every bit of balance he got in training for F4 to keep them both from flipping and ending up in the sand. He digs his knees into the knotted rope webbing and holds onto the sides until they rock into a more steady rhythm. "Did I wake you?"

That gets an eyeroll. "I certainly hope you intended to," Liam says, a wry tone in his voice. "If you honestly didn't think a flying dive on top of me would wake me up if I were sleeping then I'm going to haul you off to the clinic for a thorough looking-over as soon as I can call a car." He pins Chris down with one leg and tickles him silly while crushing him close in his free arm for a kiss.

"And thank you, love. You did wake me but since I was dreaming of you anyway I'm willing to forgive you." He smiles up into Chris's blue eyes, more than happy to lie right here with his lover's weight pressing him into the hammock.

"Ohhhh well, if you were doing something particularly nice to me, feel free to finish. I'll wait here quietly." Chris smirks, letting his fingers brush over Liam's chest and stomach. "Wouldn't want dream me to get blue balls or anything."

"What makes you think your dream self was going to be coming any time soon?" Liam asks, his voice even and matter-of-fact but a teasing glint sparkling in his eyes. "I still had two-thirds of a jar of honey to use up yet -- I hope dream-Chris has decent control."

One eye brow arches up. "Dream Chris has a magic lasso for a cock ring -- he NEVER comes without permission." He waits a beat. "Bastard, showing me up like that...."

Liam laughs out loud and rubs comforting hands up and down Chris's back. "Aye, he's a smug little bugger, isn't he? How about if I leave him hanging for a while and stay with you instead? We'll teach him some humility."

"That'll teach him to not be so smug," Chris deadpans, nipping at his lover's shoulder through his tee shirt. "And while he's hanging -- you had him literally hanging didn't you? -- we can get started on your birthday party."

"Whatever you think best," Liam says meekly. "We can send a servant out to cut him down when you think he's learned his lesson." He cranes his neck up enough to press a kiss to his lover's lips, then wriggles under him and asks, "Do I need to change? Or are ratty denim shorts covered in the day's dress code?"

"Frankly, you're overdressed." Chris smiles, checking the watch on his wrist before returning his attention to Liam. "You have a massage in ten minutes. Dinner'll be set up while you're being pampered and then...and then you have to wait to find out more." He's already beaming, excited by the prospect of giving Liam a wonderful birthday evening, to show him how special and loved he truly is.

"Well, being overdressed is easily fixable and a massage sounds grand." Liam eyes Chris, wondering just what he has in mind for later. Whatever it is he's sure it'll be lovely. Probably tiring and messy, he thinks with an inner smile, but lovely.

"All right, let's get you up and naked." It takes another round of concentrated movement but Chris manages to get up without flipping them over. He offers Liam his hand, his smile huge. "I want you to enjoy your night. You deserve to be pampered today."

Liam lets Chris help him up and maneuver him around and get out of his shorts and shirt. It is his birthday, after all, and the lad's clearly enjoying himself -- Liam just has to smile back, watching him. "Whatever you say, dear heart. I'm in your hands."

"First the massause gets you, then you're mine." Chris tosses the clothes into the sand and laughs as he drags Liam back to the cottage. Birthday suit -- very appropriate.

They reach their temporary home and Chris smiles as they duck in through the glass doors and he sees the table set -- complete with an elaborate grouping of flowers in a silver urn and lit candles -- and their dinner on a cart, covered with domed lids to keep in warm. There's even a bottle of champagne cooling. Perfect.

"I'm always yours, love, no matter whose hands are on me at the moment." Liam pauses near the table and pulls Chris closer for a kiss before releasing him and getting ready to follow once more.

Whatever the lad has ordered it smells very good to Liam's educated nose. Definitely something to look forward to but for now he's going where his lover hauls him.

Liam's words fidget in Chris's stomach. He wraps his arm around Liam's waist and leads him to the bedroom where more flowers have been set up, along with a padded massage table.

"Lie down okay? Get comfortable. I'm going to be in the other room for the massage uh...getting a few things ready." He presses a kiss to his lover's shoulder.

Liam watches Chris retreat, wondering if he'd said something wrong. He decides not to press it, though -- he won't spoil his lover's plans. Instead he stretches out on the massage table, his arms on the rests and his face fitted into the padded donut, and immediately begins to relax. He loves getting massages and whenever he has one he reminds himself to do it more often. It's never worked before but mayhap it will this time.

The woman who comes to the door is pretty and pleasant; Chris directs her into the bedroom. He's wandering around the living room when she disappears, fixing flowers and checking out the various seafood and pasta dishes as well as the absolutely gorgeous carrot cake sitting on a cooling plate. His mouth waters -- but he resists sneaking anything.

There are nerves now; pleasing Liam is important and the comment about "no matter whose hands" were on his lover has him thinking. They've shared Jessie. Chris knows Liam's been with other men since they started seeing each other.

It leaves him wondering if anything will change now that they've entered this new phase of their relationship.

The masseuse is slender but strong, with capable hands and a powerful technique. She has Liam relaxed into a man-shaped puddle on the table within a blissfully short time, and then keeps going for a while longer just because. By the time she leaves, Liam is fairly sure he'll never again move under his own power and is happy to have it so.

Chris thanks the woman profusly then lets her out of the cottage. He peeks in on Liam and sees him relaxing, decides to give him a little extra time before he pounces him again.

And then he can't really wait all that long so he tiptoes into the bedroom, his voice soft.

"Hey, Liam? You awake?" he whispers.

"Mmmm?" Liam's voice is low and sleepy. "D'pends. Which Chris are you?"

Chris snickers. "Dream Chris. I've come to wreak my revenge for you leaving me hanging for so long...."

"Bugger," Liam mutters. He manages to lift his head up out of the donut -- slowly, as though it weighed about as much as a small sports car -- and turns squinting eyes and a sleepy smile on his lover. "I'll just have to concentrate on dreaming up Real Chris to protect me, then."

"I left my cape in the other room but I'll see what I can do." Chris presses a kiss on Liam's forehead, stroking the back of his neck. "How'd the massage go? Or is the answer obvious by the way you're melted to the table?"

"Mmm hmm." Liam pries one arm up and drapes it across the arm Chris is using to stroke him, pinning him in place. His head's clearing as sleep retreats but he doesn't jump up just yet. "That was a wonderful idea, love," he says. "I don't know how much good I'm going to be to you for the rest of the evening, though. Whatever you've got planned I'm afraid you'll have to do all the work."

"I just need you to get to the bed." Chris grins, nuzzling Liam's cheek. He quickly changes the eating plans, figuring he can wheel everything in here. Easier that way, now that he thinks about it. "Everything else you're getting is from me."

Liam smiles up at him, then pushes himself up and turns over so he's sitting on the edge of the padded table. He stretches, enjoying the loose, relaxed pull of his muscles, then puts a hand on Chris's shoulder and hauls himself to his feet. He's feeling perfectly capable of moving, now that he's woken up, but he fully intends to enjoy having Chris fussing over him. "Bed it is, then."

"Here, let me help you," is actually the polite version of "excuse me while I grope your glossy warm muscled skin as I lead you to bed." Chris enjoys the next few steps way too much, then arranges Liam in the most relaxed half-sitting up pose he can manage.

"Comfy? Nod once for yes and I'll go get dinner."

Liam manages to keep a straight face, but just barely, while nodding and settling into his comfortable semi-recline against the pillows. He's pretty sure the smile lines around his eyes are giving him away, as they usually do, but that's fine; he and Chris are both having far too much fun for that sort of detail to matter.

"Okay, I'll be right back. If you need to doze or something go right ahead but I reserve the right to wake you any way I want when I return." Chris backs out of the room, his smile bright and excited.

He hurriedly puts everything on the rolling cart, making two trips. The first brings in the candles and flowers and champagne bucket which he arranges around the room, the second trip brings in their dinner on the cart.

The sight of Chris bustling back and forth, moving decorations and fixing up the bedroom when he'd already had the living area done up makes Liam regret not just getting up and heading out when the masseuse had left, but only for a moment. The lad looks so happy that Liam just lies back and enjoys watching him -- his face, his smile, the way he moves. When he comes in with the food, Liam takes a long, appreciative sniff.

"That smells lovely," he says, his voice low and affectionate. "What all are we having?"

"Salad, bread, pasta dishes -- mostly with seafood and carrot cake for dessert." Chris begins to take off the covers and fix a plate for Liam. "Wine with dinner and then I have champagne to toast the birthday boy." He beams over at Liam, heaping a bit of everything onto the heavy porcelain.

"Sounds wonderful," Liam says, still watching Chris moving. "And after a long, hard day of walking about and napping in my hammock I'm more than ready to eat." His eyes aren't exactly on the food when he says that last bit, but that's all right. He's sure everything he might want will come in its time.

"I know, you must be exhausted by all that activity." Chris balances the plate in his hand, grabbing the handy bed tray with the other. "Okay, here we go...I hope you like everything. I mean -- I didn't cook it but I picked it and man, these people are accommodating! I could have asked for just about anything and they'd have not batted an eyelash."

"We'll have to try for an elephant ear sandwich tomorrow," Liam muses, looking thoughtful and trying very hard not to grin. He shifts over a bit, giving Chris room to sit on the bed by him, while eyeing the plate. It looks as good as it smells and although they did have a very nice lunch, that'd been some time earlier and his stomach is making approving rumbles.

"Go ahead and start -- oh wait, jeeze, silverware." He's muttering now, rushing back over to the table to get Liam a fork and napkin and glass of wine. "I was thinking we should ask for something like...McDonald's. You can eat it but man, I'm dying to know if they send a guy on a plane to go get us some Happy Meals!"

That has Liam laughing out loud. "If we're going to try that particular experiment then I'd rather have a few quarter pounders with cheese than happy meals," he says. "And mayhap we could get the staffers here to add a few slices of bacon to each one before delivering the sack...?" He watches Chris closely for a response while snagging a piece of pasta with his fingers. It's cooked to perfection, of course, and the sauce is spiced perfectly, with a thread of something exotic he can't identify.

"It's your birthday -- but don't push it," Chris teases, returning with a plate for himself and utensils. He figures they can share the glass of wine....

"Yes, love," Liam says meekly. He leans back against the pillows and waits for Chris to finish his preparations. Except for snitching another piece of pasta.

When he can finally sit down and relax -- after handing Liam the utensils -- Chris decides he's overdressed...and strips down to his white boxers before joining his lover in bed.

"There, much more appropriate dinner attire."

"I'd say you're still a bit overdressed," Liam says with a glance down at his own lap, naked under the bedcovers, "but likely just as well. I'm hungry and I'd like to get through the food uninterrupted. Mostly uninterrupted." He leans over and nuzzles up against Chris's ear for a moment. "And the cake -- I love carrot cake and if the frosting is cream cheese based then I'm going to want to wallow in it."

"Only the best for you," Chris hums, twisting the pasta around his fork. He tries not to be distracted by Liam's soft touch against his skin. "I can even wear the frosting so you can wallow in me."

Liam visibly brightens. "Now there's a grand idea. I'll hold you to that, definitely." He picks up his own fork and stabs a piece of crab meat in cream sauce hiding in the pasta. "And since it's white," he adds with a playful glance, "you won't have to fret about the sheets or the rug this time."

"Plus, we don't live here or come here frequently so if we do make a mess, we just pay for the extra cleaning and make a run for it...."

That makes Liam laugh again because now he has this mental image of them on the last day, bags in hand, tossing money at some old-fashioned hotel desk clerk as they dash by and high-tail it for the airport, with a faint shriek somewhere in the background just as they scramble up the steps and into the plane.

"For what Citadel charges I'm sure they could afford to replace and not just clean whatever we might spoil," he comments dryly.

"To be honest and germ phobic for a moment? I gotta say, with all the sex that goes on at these places, I'm hoping they replace EVERYTHING...frequently."

Liam leans over so his shoulder presses against Chris's. "I've never inquired but I'm sure they do. And I'm sure things like the linens are laundered quite thoroughly, steam cleaning for the carpets and drapes, something incredibly caustic for the counters and tables, all that sort of thing."

He really hasn't thought of it before but it's an interesting subject to ponder and his eyes go unfocused for a bit. Sex toys are designed to be easily sanitized and rope is disposable. The furniture? More steam cleaning. The hammock? Surely it'd been fucked in before, assuming it wasn't new for each guest. He pictures it in his mind, the strands and knots and fringes, and decides it's likely new; a thorough cleaning of heavy, twisted fiber would leave more wear marks than he remembers seeing.

"Do I even want to know where your mind just went?" Chris is chewing and laughing, trying not to choke. There's something rather sweet when Liam's brain turns into a computer and it rushes off to do some research and analytical thinking....

"It might make you feel better," Liam says, giving Chris a speculative glance and then a rueful smile. "Or mayhap not. It's just interesting to think of all the different skills they must need, the support staff at these places, and the great scurry of work it takes to tidy up after one set of guests and ready the place for the next. I'm sure they're quite thorough, though."

Chris eats a few forkfuls of pasta, licking his lips. "Annnnd now we know why it costs so much to join." He lifts the wine glass and enjoys a long sip. "Cleaning products."

Liam laughs, his eyes shining with mirth. "And replacing rope," he adds, agreeing. "So, can you relax now and not fall into the willies at the thought of who's been here before us?" He takes another bite of pasta, one teasing eyebrow raised.

"Fortunately you distract me from the willies...." Chris murmurs, leaning back and against Liam's arm with a languid smile. "I'm willing to do the germ thing so long as I'm with you...."

"And I'm pleased and gratified that that's so." There's still a tease in Liam's voice but he's serious at the same time. It's flattering that the lad's willing to let go of a phobia, even a relatively mild one, when they're together.

He finishes off his pasta, wiping up the spiced sauce with a piece of bread, then tries the salad.

"Oh, you're touching salad, I feel confident that's my influence." Chris finishes the wine, feeling the flush of the alcohol run through his system, slow and sensual. He licks his lips and puts the half-finished plate aside. One arm goes around Liam's shoulders, idly stroking the back of his lover's neck.

That gets a silent laugh. "I did eat salad before I met you, you know," Liam points out. He leans into Chris's arm and tilts his head down a bit, giving the lad some perhaps not so subtle encouragement.

"Shhhh, I'm taking credit for the fact that you're eating more than iceberg and shredded carrots." Chris' fingers trace circles and lazy loops over Liam's skin, humming under this breath.

"Ahh, I see. Well, if you want it then you may have it," Liam says in the serious tones of one bestowing a boon. A shiver passing through his skin under Chris's wandering fingers draws his attention away from his dinner for a moment. His smile slips and his eyelids dip as he takes a deep, slow breath, then releases it in a low, purring hum.

"How much does that extend to?" Chris shifts so he can go up on his knees, tracing the path of his fingers with soft kisses. His lover looks well-fed and ready for the rest of his birthday celebration and Chris is eager to start.

Liam sets down his fork and turns to face his lover, then tilts his chin up with one finger. "Everything," he says softly. "And always." Then he leans in for a kiss.

Chris pours his affection into the kiss -- his love and passion and tenderness and heartfelt adoration of this man into every sweep and curve of his lips. He's been under a spell since the first moment they met; he wonders if he can ever convey everything he feels into actions or words that will make Liam understand.

He pulls away, flushed and smiling.

"If I'm yours..then you're mine. Just so you know," he says breathlessly.

"Aye, I am. You have me right here," Liam says, pressing a kiss into the palm of Chris's hand.

"I -- I want to wear your collar," he says, the words he's rehearsed the whole day clear as day in his head. Chris' heart thumps wildly as he looms up over Liam, on his knees, like...like he's proposing or something like that. His voice shakes, vibrating with emotion.

Liam's expression softens and his hand moves to gently cup his lover's face. "Chris..." he breathes. His other arm curls around his shoulders and draws him down into an embrace, sliding down to his waist and pressing them together. "Jaysus, love you so much," is about all he manages to say and it's so inadequate but the words that usually flow so easily just won't come.

"I only ask...one thing," Chris says breathlessly, nearly losing his focus as Liam draws him into the circle of their love. "When you give me a collar -- I'm yours. And the only person...the only person you give a collar to."

"Of course." Liam meets Chris's eyes once more and says, "I've never done this before with anyone else, ever, and that's a very easy promise to make. I told you before, love, you've made your own place in my life and in my heart. You're the only one I've ever wanted to have as my boy."

Chris nods, his face solemn as he presses forward, kissing Liam again to seal their words. Something only ours, he thinks as their mouths slant together. Something, no matter what other lovers he has, something he only gets from me. There's something important in that for Chris, something more than possession. Security.

Liam nudges the tray out of the way, or mostly so, and wraps both arms around Chris without breaking the kiss. He pours all the love and committment he can manage into touch and taste and rumbling sounds of pleasure and approval.

There are other gifts to share and a cake to eat but Chris thinks he'll never move again, his hands rubbing all over Liam's back and shoulders, clutching him closer and closer still.

The closeness Liam's feeling right now is surprisingly non-sexual. The cuddling is intense but the need is for... for togetherness, just being with his lover, feeling him pressed up against Liam's body, touching and sharing warmth. It's a contented sort of cuddling, like just being together is what he really wants and needs and anything else is icing.

Of course, Liam is terribly fond of icing.

"There's more," Chris whispers, as if reading his mind. "I just don't...want to move right now." He chuckles softly, winding his legs through Liam's.

"Then we won't," Liam says, shifting to accommodate Chris's desire to tangle their bodies together. "I'm perfectly happy right here, right now." He brushes a hand up and down Chris's smooth back before adding, "I'll eat my cake off of you later on, when we both feel more energetic."

"Got more presents too," Chris points out, burrowing a hitch closer, trying to crawl directly inside Liam for the most comfortable spot. "More of everything...."

"At the risk of ruining my status as the big, bad dom of the house by turning into a lump of treacle, I have everything I need right here." Liam hugs Chris with arms and legs both, just for emphasis, and kisses him gently on the forehead.

The room smells like candles and flowers and seafood and Chris decides to make a cologne out of it so he'll never be at a loss to describe the "most romantic scent ever."

"You? A treacly lump? Never," he purrs, all sarcasm lost in the bliss of the moment. His eyes drift closed in their cloud of contentment.

New Toys [Liam/Chris]

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:17:50 GMT

[Takes place in the evening on Sunday, June 4, shortly after Chris and Liam's dinner on the beach.]

Liam hands Chris a towel, then gets another one and wraps it around his hips, rubbing a third over his hair. They wander out of the steamy bathroom into the big, airy bedroom, in no rush to dress, tickling and caressing and stealing kisses. Dinner'd been lovely and what'd come afterward. They'd chased each other through the surf, laughing and splashing and having a grand time just being silly-in-love until the sun had touched the rim of the sea and then they'd wandered inside and gotten into the shower together.

They'd lingered in the shower and now the sun is down, although it's too early to go to bed. Well, too early to go to sleep at least.

"I declare this the most perfect first day of a vacation in recorded history," Chris smiles, drying himself off then artfully laying out the towels to dry on various chairs and dressers around the room. "Hey, if we keep these blinds up, I'm thinking we can watch the sun come up...."

"Likely we can," Liam agrees. "Assuming we're awake at dawn. Now myself, usually the only time I see the sun come up is if I haven't been to bed yet. Although I can think of one or two reasons I might not mind being woken up at such an hour, but only one or two. Think you can come up with one of them, if you happen to be awake right around sunrise and would like to share it...?" He gives Chris a playful bite on one earlobe, then trails kisses around the back of his neck.

"Your wake-up call at dawn is a blow job -- got it," Chris laughs, tilting his head forward with a happy purr.

"Mmm, that'll do, certainly," Liam says, letting the pleasure show in his voice. "In that case I'll be pleased to share the sunrise with you." His lips continue on their way past Chris's nape and around to his other ear.

"Hmmm...." Chris' breathing deepens; he reaches his hand over to stroke Liam's thigh, moving closer, bending to him like a flower to the sun.

Liam wraps one arm around Chris's waist and strokes lightly over the ripples of muscle while walking them both toward the bed. It's warm enough that he doesn't bother to pull up the quilt but just lies down on the clean-smelling sheets.

When they've shifted into a comfortable cuddling position he lets out a relaxed sigh, one hand still moving lightly up and down his lover's back. They're silent for a few moments, just enjoying being close to each other, then he asks, "Where would you like to go from here? Would you like us to do anything differently, anything more?" His arms tighten around Chris for a moment, emphasizing the two of them together.

"We talking big picture or...do I want to move my leg?" It's sort of a joke, sort of -- Chris tilts his head back to look at Liam's face. "Like...us? What happens next?"

Liam chuckles and nods, wondering why he always has such a hard time communicating clearly about this sort of thing. "Aye, that's what I meant. The bigger picture. Now that we've managed the L-word, would you like to change anything? Add anything? I know we can't change too much, with your public persona and all, but I'd like to do something to... to mark the difference?"

"Like rings or something?" And immediately he flushes, embarassed because a long time ago he came to the conclusion that in many ways, he and Liam diverged on how relationships might go and he would never say "give up other men" or put clauses into how Liam behaved. "I mean -- something we could both wear, symbolic. Doesn't have to be rings," Chris says quickly. "Did you have something in mind?"

Well, Liam hadn't actually been thinking of rings but it's a fine idea nonetheless. Romantic, and he finds himself wearing a silly smile again. He seems to be doing that a lot lately.

"Rings would be grand," he says. "Although... could we? I suppose if they didn't match -- that'd be difficult to explain to the media I'd imagine, if anyone noticed." He frowns, thinking. "I'd not want to jeopardize your career in any way. I try to think about how things would look, but you've a veto there if I should suggest anything that might cause trouble."

Chris thinks about it, honestly and creatively, then smiles. "We could pick out something for the other person so they wouldn't match and uh -- I'll just wear it on the opposite hand you know?" He shrugs. "If I get caught, I can say it's from Jessie or something."

Liam smiles down at him. "And just what would Miss Jessie extort from the both of us for going along with this?" he asks, a thread of exaggerated terror in his voice. "Any ideas? I'd like to be prepared is the only reason I ask."

"She'd do it for free...though we better not come back from this place without mad souvenirs...."

"Well, that's a relief," Liam says with a loud exhalation. "I'm sure we can manage souvenirs without too much trouble. They have a toy store here, if I remember correctly. We can put together a nice beginner's kit for her."

In his mind he's already thinking about what kind of ring he'll get for Chris. Something different, unique but not girly -- masculine. Something custom made, perhaps.

And if he was going to have something made anyway.... "How would you feel about a collar to match your ring?" He gets it out, clear and direct, before he can think the better of it. Too much? Too soon? Shut it, it's only a question and if he'd rather not then he'll tell you so. "I know you couldn't wear it out," he adds quickly. "But for around the house? Would you like that? It's all right if you'd rather not, or if it's just too soon...."

"A collar?" Chris feels his eyes widening and tries to superimpose what he's seen/heard around the Club and not associate the word with how Jason used it on him.... "I...wow. I hadn't thought of it." He presses a little closer to Liam, his breath heavy with emotion. "I've never had something like that."

"If you want to think about it for a bit then that's fine," Liam assures him, cuddling him in response to the shift closer. He manages to keep his voice calm and even despite the fact that he's smacking himself inside. Think it through next time, he grouses to himself. You don't have to do everything at once. You'll scare the lad off and then where'll you be?

"I'm not saying no Liam -- I'm just wondering what it would mean to you...giving me that. What would you expect from me?" Chris murmurs.

All right, that's a fair question. Liam thinks for a moment, then says, "It'd mean that we're together, seriously and for the long run. That you're someone special to me and I to you, that there's a bond between us. That no matter who else we're with for fun, that we'll always come home to each other. It'd mean that you're mine and I'll take care of you."

That brings to mind some of the few things Chris has said about Jason and he adds, "Not like a thing would be mine, or even like the way East is yours. But that you'd be mine to care for and to love, and it'd be my responsibility to make you as happy as I can. I'd never want to diminish you, dear heart. You're a strong man and I'd not want you otherwise. And your wearing a collar for me wouldn't actually change anything between us -- this is how I feel toward you now. It'd just be a symbol of what we already have."

Chris is quiet for a long time; he rubs his hands over Liam's shoulders and back so he doesn't think it's a bad silence. He just needs to process it.

Everything works for him, all of it. It makes him feel proud and touched and aroused Liam wants that with him but two little thorns keep pricking him.

His relationship with Jessie. And Christian.

"Can I ask you about...how would this collar be different from the one you gave Christian?" he asks faintly, his head ducked down.

Christian? Liam's confused for a moment because what does Christian have to do with anything between him and Chris? "Well... it wouldn't be the same thing at all. Christian and I were contracted as... as a temporary thing because he needed someone to look out for him. He didn't feel up to taking care of himself and needed someone to do it for him. I was more like his... his doctor or his father, like a guardian." He'd never really thought about it in so many words and he's organizing his thoughts as he goes along.

"I love him as a friend, a very good friend, and I care for him quite a lot, but I'm not in love with him. There was never anything romantic between us. You and I, we fit together to make a whole... something, a relationship, whatever the women call it. We're not equal in the sense of two identical pieces, but our edges fit together. I'll often take the lead because of the lifestyle we both prefer but the bottom line is we both have an equal veto and I'd never do anything you truly didn't want, or demand anything of you that you didn't freely give. With Christian, I was the master and what I said went, even if I had to physically force him at times, because he wasn't able to be responsible for himself. When he gave me a slave contract it was because he didn't trust himself to take care of himself, to make good decisions, and he gave me the right and responsibility to do that for him. My judgement superceded his whenever we disagreed.

"That's not how you and I would be, though. There'll be times when I tell you what to do or make demands of you, but it'll be because that's what we both want and if we ever pretend otherwise it'll just be part of the game." He closes his eyes and rubs his cheek into Chris's hair. He's worrying again and trying not to show it. "Does that work for you?"

"Relationship, not slave contract," Chris echos, soft but with some force woven into the tone of his voice. He won't ever let himself lose total control in a relationship -- particularly if it's the last one he ever wants to have.... "I get all that, I do. I guess...I don't want to take something important to you, like a collar and get it...wrong. Wrong assumptions, wrong expectations."

He frowns a little, tipping his head back. "I just worry about that. Worry I'm not going to be able to live up to...to the way you live your life."

Liam sighs and feels some tension uncoiling from his shoulders. His hands go back to moving, slowly rubbing. "The way I live my life is, has been, alone. I don't want to do that anymore, I want to live it with you. I've no doubt it'll take some adjustments and rearranging before we come up with something that suits us both. But I've no worries at all about you 'living up to' anything. It's not for me to say what has to be and for you to struggle to achieve some standard, unless you want it to be that way."

He shifts slightly until he can look at Chris's face, with both of their heads at an equal level on the pillow. "I've never been terribly formal with my partners, but then I've not had a full-time partner since before I got into the lifestyle. If you want more formality then we can work it out together. If you want to be formal sometimes but not others, or more formal about some things but not other things, we can try that and see how it works for us. But what you have to understand is that I've never been in love since I became a dom, I've never had a steady lover. I've played with the cute lads around the Club and been happy to do so, for an hour or two or overnight, and there are a few boys I've been with now and then over some length of time. But it's not the same, not at all, and there's no iron-clad slot in my life that you have to force yourself to fit into. You're filling a completely new space in my life and what shape that space will turn out to be depends upon what we want and what works for us, both of us together."

If Chris wasn't already stupid in love forever and ever amen, that speech might have tipped him over completely. As it is, he nods and swallows hard, closing the tiny distance between them to seal this new "thing" with a kiss.

"You won't be alone anymore. I promise that," he murmurs, licking the corners of Liam's mouth tenderly. "You've got me and we'll figure out how to do this...how to make both of us feel safe and secure."

Well, that just requires a kiss back, and cuddling, then more kisses and it's a while before they get back to the conversation, not that either of them is complaining about the delay.

Liam's ended up lying full-length on top of Chris, pressing him down into the mattress, his hands framing his lover's face and his thumbs brushing lightly across his cheekbones. "So," he murmurs, "is there anything you'd like to do? Try? I know other couples have rules and such, rituals, routines -- would you like to do anything in that direction? Even just to try? I keep worrying I'm not doing enough, not being enough of a dominant with you, that you'd rather more... whatever. More." A rueful smile crosses his face. "I suppose it might just be my own nature to fret about that sort of thing with you -- I never have with anyone else, God knows. But I want you to be happy."

"I...okay, it's very difficult to think when you're like...touching me so perfectly like this," Chris laughs, melting into a puddle under his lover's strong frame. "But -- I honestly don't know. More of what we've been doing...I'm sorry I can't give a better answer but if anything, being with Jason for three years made me confused as to what I like and what I put up with, you know?" He hates mentioning Jason's name at this moment but he's also feeling very unguarded -- and he wants to take advantage.

Liam cocks his head, considering. Moving off Chris never even occurs to him. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"I...I guess." Chris shrugs as best he can. "There are a lot of things Jason did to punish me and I ...convinced myself that I enjoyed the punishments, what he was doing and it wasn't...it wasn't mean or cruel on his part. Does that make sense? So much of my time was spent obeying him or else -- I kinda don't know where my natural boundaries are anymore."

Liam suppresses an urge to go look up Jason and kick his arse. That accomplished, he says, "That makes sense. You wanted things to work, wanted to please your lover and be happy with him, so you did your best to fit yourself to what he wanted." He pauses, thinking, then asks, "How kinky were you before Jason? What did you like then? What did you enjoy, fantasize about, before your defaults were messed with?"

Chris blushes hotly. "Uh...I hope this doesn't freak you out or anything but Jason was only the second man I ever uh -- was with. I mean, I had a boyfriend for awhile but we were pretty uh...vanilla. I just had these ideas, feelings." He coughs, turns his head feeling incredibly young and naive. "Nothing tangible. Jason...Jason hit on me during the first movie we did together and God...I thought he was unlocking something in me, you know?"

"So...." So when he fucked you over it was exactly like kicking a puppy, then. "So we'll do some exploring and figure out what you like." Liam leans forward and kisses him gently. "No freaking out, I promise, because you've nothing to be ashamed of. The fact that you're still here, that you're still willing to trust someone, to stay in the lifestyle after the way that bastard abused the gift you gave him... have you any idea how strong you are?"

"I'm not all that strong, Liam -- he left me. It's not like I gathered my courage and stormed out the door." He sighs, turning his head away from Liam's loving and forgiving gaze. "I was a mess afterwards. I missed him. That's...that's wrong. Hell, I probably would have begged for him to take me back but Jessie and Isla would have killed me."

"And yet despite all that, here you are," says Liam, his arms tightening around Chris. "I've known or known of any number of baby subs who, after a bad experience with some bastardly so-called-dom dashed all the way home to vanilla sex, slammed the door and locked it. And considering some of their experiences I can't find it in myself to blame them. They were afraid and they had cause.

"And so did you. Jason messed you over emotionally, so well and thoroughly that you'd no notion he was doing it at the time, you thought all the fault was your own. And yet now, when you've had the time to think and the distance for perspective and you realize just how badly you were treated, here you are with me, with another dom, taking a chance once more. That takes great courage, dear heart, and you'll never convince me otherwise."

"You love me, that's why you can't blame me," Chris murmurs, pleased to be able to say that, pleased to turn his head and stare tenderly up at his boyfriend. "And I tried to hide and only have vanilla sex but Isla made me go to this castle in France and...well...you know the rest of the story."

Liam chuckles and drops a kiss onto his cheek. "And you didn't have kinky sex, or any kind of sex at all at the castle in France. You might well have vanished back into the vanilla world despite all of Isla's best intentions. She could urge and nag and even bully a bit, but she couldn't actually force you to do anything. I'll always see you as brave and strong -- you might as well become accustomed to the idea."

"Oh fiiiine." Chris blushes, his hands mapping out the familiar and well-loved territory of Liam's "terrain." "You just win at this one so next time I gush about you, you have to just become accustomed to it."

"I'll do my best," Liam says agreeably. Chris's hands on him are distracting and he decides they can talk more later. "How about if we start exploring that cabinet, hmm? Why don't you go choose a toy, whatever you like, and we'll experiment together?"

"Mmmm...okay." Chris wiggles out from beneath Liam -- and takes his sweet time since it feels good -- then sits up with an absolutely angelic look on his face. "Think they have water guns in there?"

Liam laughs, the corners of his eyes crinkling with mirth. "Filled with lube, mayhap? Or chocolate syrup? That's acceptable but only if it's real chocolate -- no carob sauce."

Chris looks around at the pristine white room and blanches. "But...chocolate sauce in this room!? They probably frown on that...." He sprawls on top of Liam with a curious "hmmmm."

"You really want to squirt me with chocolate? Because we actually skipped desert tonight."

"That's true, we did." Liam cocks his head and gives Chris a lascivious smile, then chuckles and shakes his head. "I doubt they have something like that ready to go in the cabinet -- I imagine you'd want to make the syrup up fresh each time," he muses, "and it'd have to be thinner than usual to not clog up the mechanism of the pistol...." He thinks for a few moments, pondering recipe alterations, then comes back to the real world. "I'm sure it's something that could be arranged, though. I'll look into it, since you seem interested. But for now I'm sure you can find something else that looks like fun, hmm?"

Chris favors him with a salute and a grin; he just knows Liam is concocting a recipe for "chocolate in a squirt gun for sexual purposes" even now and damn if he doesn't find that helplessly sexy.

"Any preferences at all?" he asks as he stands up and approaches the Big Slightly Scary Cabinet.

"I reserve a veto on general principles," Liam says, "but no, no preference. Whatever you like, love."

He opens the cabinet doors and does a mock duck, as if something might come flying out. Like a haunted butt plug....

Butt plug, good place to start.

Followed by some leather restraints and a bar and some other straps and things which seem to complete the "set." Hopefully Liam will know where they all go. The next thing surprises him -- he reaches for the blindfold and gag with slightly nervous fingers. It's been a long time but maybe he's ready to put some old ghosts to rest.

Liam raises an eyebrow as the pile of items Chris is building on the bed grows larger. He'd only asked for one and his lover is so often shy about this sort of thing that he hadn't expected more. He's pleased, though, definitely, and makes sure none of his surprise shows in his expression by the time Chris turns around to face him.

"Some excellent choices, there," he says with a warm smile. He scoots over and sits up, then stands, giving Chris a quick hug and a kiss on the nose before opening the cabinet once more. "If we're going to use that, though," he adds, nodding at the gag, "then we need one more thing." He sorts through the gear but doesn't quite find what he wants. There's a small box containing a couple of balls and beanbags that fit easily into the palm but he prefers something that makes noise.

He kneels down and rummages through some things on the bottom shelf. Harness, collar, leash, leash, collar... -- there. He pulls out a delicate kitty collar with a large jingle bell on it and snaps the bell off its ring, then closes the cabinet back up and presses the bell into Chris's hand.

"You hang onto that," he says. "That's your safeword while you're gagged. If you need me to stop, or if you have to tell me anything at all, you give that a toss. I'll hear it even if I'm not looking right at you at the time."

The thoughtfulness of the bell in his hand strikes Chris and he nods, swallows hard. He assumes it's what responsible doms do but since this is his first experience with one -- he's touched.

"Thank you, Liam," he says softly, his eyes shining over at his lover. "Don't think I'll need it but thanks."

"I hope you don't," Liam replies, his voice gentle. "But that's what safewords are for, aye? All the little 'in cases' that we don't anticipate." He leans down and kisses Chris, slowly and with loving devotion.

Chris sinks into the kiss, squeezing the little bell in his hand like a lifeline. Everything Liam does and says makes him feel safe, like he's living in the polar opposite way of what his life used to be.

Liam finally breaks the kiss with a last nibble at Chris's bright red lower lip, then urges him onto the bed, sitting up in the center. "I'll leave the blindfold and gag for last, I think, so you can see what I'm doing and ask questions if you like." He runs his palm down his lover's body from his shoulder down to his thigh, feeling the firm-smooth-tickle of muscles and skin and hair.

A set of leather cuffs go on his wrists and ankles, then the cuffs link to the spreader bar. There are four fasteners, two on each end. Liam makes the attachments so his lover's ankles are spread slightly wider than his wrists. The lad ends up curled into a sort of teardrop shape when viewed from the side, and spread wide when viewed from below. Chris is fit and strong and nothing seems to be pulling too hard or too awkwardly, but Liam asks anyway, "How does that feel?"

Chris isn't up to making articulate conversation at the moment; every new movement and restraint and prop makes his dick harder and his brain smaller. He breathes heavily, licking his swollen lips before answering.

"Feels...amazing," he pants, pulling at the restraints just enough to know he can't move.

"Excellent," says Liam with a casual smile. "Over you go, then." A push on each shoulder and Chris flops down onto his back, arms and legs in the air, the bar wobbling until he gets it and his limbs stable. "Some time we'll try this with the bar suspended. This is a lovely position for fucking with you just dangling there, your arse at the perfect height. Or the bar can be fastened to the floor to keep you standing, bent over. Or if I were planning to keep you in this position for an extended time, I'd suspend the bar from the canopy frame here -- not to change anything about its position but just for support, so it'd take some of your weight if you got tired. For now, though, I think you can hold it up. Let me know if that changes."

He's been lubing up the butt plug while speaking and now he inserts just the tapered end into Chris's arse. He pushes just until there's resistance, then stops and leaves it. His hands go exploring up the backs of his lover's thighs, rubbing and caressing.

Chris doesn't participate in the conversation; he's caught by the sensual cadence of Liam's voice, the restraints tight on his limbs -- the plug is almost an afterthought. He hums and murmurs his agreement, barely noticing the strain on his body in this position. His muscles clench and flex, his ass taking the first bit of the intrusion with a full body tremble.

Whatever you want, Chris thinks, his mind swirling with pictures of everything Liam could/might/wants to do to him. He'll take it all, gladly and willingly and without fear.

Liam's hands explore up and down Chris's legs, then move to play around his tight balls, all fingertips and light touches. One hand strokes up his cock while the other slips farther down and nudges the plug in just a tiny bit farther, then he moves smoothly around to the side and runs his palms up the curved-in torso, kneading and massaging.

"LiamLiam," Chris moans, smiling as his eyes close, his body inexplicably relaxing, his brain controlling the melting of his muscles. Bliss. Marvelous bliss.

Fingers brush across taut nipples and Liam bends down, murmuring, "My Chris..." before fitting his lips to his lover's.

It's the words that have him writhing, the touch is a punctuation to the swelling of emotion and lust and need that burst through Chris' chest as Liam says exactly what Chris has longed to hear.

Liam hangs onto Chris's hair throughout the kiss, not hard enough to hurt but just enough to express possession, while his other hand caresses the lad's broad shoulders and chest.

Chris opens his mouth hungrily, his body twisting up the tinest increment it can manage.

The constrained wriggle has Liam smiling slightly into the kiss. He reaches down with his free hand and nudges the plug a tiny bit farther into Chris's body. It's nowhere near all the way in yet and he's not going to force it. No, not at all. It's going to go in very slowly and gradually no matter how long it takes.

His hand slides back up, across the tight perineum, the drawn-up balls, the swollen hard cock. He brushes his lips across Chris's jaw, then rubs their cheeks together, enjoying the rough textures.

"Mmmmaybe...should have gotten...cock ring," Chris gasps, his body rocking gently in the waves of erotic tension.

"I'm sure you'll remember that next time, love," Liam says, his voice colored with teasing. This is the kind of torment he can truly enjoy and watching Chris tense and trembling with need and desire makes him want to draw it out as long as possible. He runs a palm across Chris's straining nipples, then nudges the plug again.

It's a brilliant sort of agony, the burn of the stretch never fades as each tiny increment of push keeps it fresh and flickering. Chris disappears into the bright pain sometimes; blinking as the white heat surrounds him and he floats inside it, flirting with headspace yet totally connected to Liam's touch and presence.

"Next step now..." Liam murmurs. He picks up the blindfold and wraps it around Chris's head, kissing each eyelid before covering them. Then a long, deep exploration of his lover's mouth, memorizing the taste and feel and the eager responses before he picks up the gag.

Lights out and Chris moans, loudly, vibrating the sound through their kiss. He knows what's coming next and God, he doesn't think he can stand more, thinks he might just explode all over the walls without permission or warning, just give into the wild surge inside him.

Liam lifts his head and asks, "Do you still want this? The gag? It's all right if you've changed your mind, love." He strokes one hand through Chris's hair and down the side of his face, making up in touch for what the lad lacks in vision.

"Want it, please," Chris whispers, his lips dry with anticipation. He gropes around for the bell and remembers he'd put it down without thinking while Liam was buckling the cuffs on. "The...the bell. I need the bell first," he says, fighting the darkness for a second before he closes his eyes and breathes deeply, finding the secure place under Liam's hand.

The bell's nestled in a fold of the quilt, near where Chris's hands had been earlier. Liam scoops it up and puts it back into his hand, closing the lad's fingers around it. "There you go, hang on to that this time." He pauses to kiss his lover's cheek, then whispers, "If you drop it I'll stop. Make sure that's the response you want, aye?" He reaches down and gives the plug another light push.

He can't imagine wanting any of this to stop but Chris nods anyway, reassuring Liam even as he writhes against the plug's teasing entry into his body.

"Here we go, then." One more kiss and Liam fits the gag into place.

He slides off the bed and stands, far enough away to get a good look at the entirety of the picture before him -- his beautiful lad, folded up and buckled and blinded, completely helpless and dependent on him -- but close enough to keep one hand on the solid calf nearest him to reassure the boy that he's still near. Liam just has to look, though, and let the lovely feeling soak in.

Chris is his. His lover, his boy. He's given Liam that perfect gift of trust that's the most precious thing any dom can ever receive.

Liam kneels back on the bed and kisses Chris's forehead. "I love you so much" he says softly. "It fills me until I can hardly breathe."

Dark and quiet is his world but Liam's touch and words sink through and Chris believes he understands exactly how filled up one can be with love -- the feeling, the emotion, the joy, the sorrow, the physical energy of it. He feels on display, solely for Liam though which makes everything that much more special and sensual. And spiritual.

A row of nibbling kisses travels slowly up one of Chris's arms while one firm hand rubs up and down his chest. Each nipple gets a pinch as it passes by at the top of the stroke; his cock gets a light brush with short fingernails at the bottom. Every third stroke, Liam nudges the plug in a little farther. Just a little.

Chris swallows around the gag, breathing through his nose and securing himself to the bed; it takes up so much of his thought process that every time Liam touches him or pushes the plug, he jumps a little, taken by surprise. He shivers, the most movement he can manage at the moment.

Another gentle push and the plug slides the rest of the way in, the widest part inside. Liam fucks him with it slowly, sliding the tip across his prostate, then seats it securely and moves on. He's not ready to finish this quite yet.

His moan is swallowed up the gag so everything, his whole reaction, is internal. Chris' body mainlines every twist of the plug into pure adrenaline and lust, sweat running from his pores as his cock grows impossibly hard and hot.

"So beautiful," Liam says, his voice projecting straight down into the core of Chris's body where his lips are kissing their way up the shallow dip between his abs. "My lovely lad, just lie there and feel me." He's touching him everywhere except his swollen cock, caressing and exploring. With his lover's arms and legs buckled to the bar, he has to get into some awkward positions to get at all the bits he wants to touch and taste, but it's not like there's anyone to see him anyway. He chuckles at the thought, then thinks about what the vibrations likely feel like to his blinded lover and turns the chuckle into a throaty purr.

Is something funny? Is he ever going to touch my cock? Thoughts swirl up through Chris' head, the bell twitching in his sweaty palm. He's conscious of not dropping it and conscious of Liam's mouth and then something switches off in his head; the elevator car drops from it's hinges and plunges downward into the black abyss. Chris goes with it, sinking into the inky darkness.

Liam works his way back up his lover's body until finally his fingers are sifting through his soft hair. He kisses his forehead above the blindfold, and then his cheeks between the blindfold and the gag, then his chin below the gag. He murmurs, "My perfect boy..." before pressing a kiss to the hollow of his throat.

His pride is still online because Liam's words flare a sense of pleasure up inside Chris; he wants to be Liam's perfect boy, to never disappoint him.

One nipple gets a lick, a bite and a hard suck while its mate gets a firm rub with Liam's palm. He kisses and nibbles his way down Chris's torso until he's facing his lover's straining, needy cock. It gets a gentle breath of a kiss and then he moves on, shifting around until he's kneeling below him on the mattress, facing up toward his head.

Liam unrolls a condom over his own cock and smears on lube, then eases the plug out of his lover's arse. He positions himself, then slides in, feeling the tight heat gripping him all the way. He lets his pleasure out in a low, wordless sound, wanting Chris to know how much his body pleases him.

When the plug is pulled from his body, Chris tenses with the loss -- but only long enough to breathe in the scent of Liam's lust so close and then he's full again and he turns into a receptacle for whatever his lover wants, needs.

The world has shrunk down to just Liam and Chris, two bodies, warm and urgent together. Liam thrusts slowly at first, drawing out the exquisite pleasure, the joy of being intimately connected with his lover. He slides his hands under Chris's hips and lifts him off the bed, just a handspan or so to let him penetrate hard and deep.

While the restraints are a wicked turn on, Chris wishes he could touch Liam, wishes he could see his face. But for right now, he concentrates on the sounds and the weight of his thrusts pushing him into the bed. He pictures Liam's face on the beach, telling him he loved him. He pictures Liam's face in the castle in France and slowly the orgasm builds and builds until he's shaking with the power of it.

Urgent sparks of pleasure are zinging through Liam's nerves, centered on his cock and the wonderfully tight body gripping it with every thrust. He knows he's close but he doesn't want to go over the edge alone and he manages to gasp out, "Come for me, love," his voice tight and straining.

The words blur under the roaring tide between his ears but Chris' body knows exactly what to do. He stays on the threshhold between compliance and release for an endless moment, pain bucking through his overwhelmed system before his cock gives it up, gives up every jagged pulse of the orgasm.

The spasms of pleasure rippling through Chris's body drag Liam along with him and they spill together -- Liam into the latex and Chris all over his belly. Liam feels like his brain's just exploded and the universe blanks out for a dozen endless heartbeats.

When he can see and think and move again, he's sprawled over Chris's body with his head resting just below his ribs. The pulsing of his lover's heart distracts him for a few more moments before he hauls himself up. He can't get comfortable until his lover is comfortable.

He takes care of the condom, then pulls the blindfold off over Chris's head. He whispers, "Welcome back," before he goes on to unbuckle the gag.

Chris gulps air wildly as the gag pulls out of his mouth. His throat is raw with unshed screams, his lips dry as he runs his tongue over and over their surface until he feels the difference.

"Liam," he rasps, eyes cracking open enough to let light in, to let the vision of his lover in.

"Right here, love." Liam tosses the gag aside and bends down to kiss Chris, this one adoring but brief. "Hang on a moment and I'll get the rest of this off. You'll feel better when you can stretch." Four quick jerks and the cuffs are undone, their straps left dangling from the spreader bar. It thuds against the thick rug and Liam's hands are busy rubbing circulation back into Chris's hands and feet, helping him unkink.

Blood rushes in everything direction as Chris tries to unkink his body. For a moment he can't do anything but lie there like a beached whale, letting Liam's roughly tender hands bring his body back to life.

"So good," he murmurs quietly, even as the pain begins to make him a little dizzy.

Liam makes sure he's comfortable and then says, "Back in a moment, love." He heads out to the mini-fridge and grabs a bottle of orange juice. He twists the top off and goes back to the bedroom where he helps Chris sit up, leaning against the headboard next to him with an arm around his shoulders. "Here you go, drink some of this. Water, sugar and a few vitamins -- it'll help you perk up."

While Chris drinks, Liam cuddles him close and presses a kiss to the tender spot where Chris's jawbone meets his ear. "You were perfect, dear heart. Open and relaxed and trusting -- everything I could ever desire."

"Plus, you can fold me like a pretzel," Chris smiles, hazy and happy and floating in a lovely place as he lays his head on Liam's shoulder. Everything is settling back into place, mind and body and soul; he can enjoy the aftershocks and Liam's tender care in peace.

"Well, aye, that helps," Liam agrees with a chuckle. "But I'd love you even if you were stiff and creaky." His voice lowers, moving from laughing to serious. "The important part is here," he says, kissing his temple once more. "And here." He presses his palm to Chris's chest over his heart. "You're so giving -- you trust me completely and that's a truly wonderful gift."

"That's because I love you." Chris' grin takes away the Hallmark sappiness of the moment. "Whatever you want from me, you can have. Except for meat eating." He winks, laughs. "Okay, now I'm hungry...."

"Damn!" Liam grouches with an exaggerated look of crushed disappointment. "I'll have to try harder next time, then, before I can bring out the steaks. For now, though, let's go shower and then we'll find that dessert we never got to, hmm?"

"If you try any harder next time, I won't be eating steak, I'll be slapping raw ones over my bruises." Chris finishes his juice and rolls onto then over Liam with a smirky smile. "Not that I'll be complaining or anything...."

Liam rolls over, following Chris's movements. He sneaks a tickle in a sensitive spot and says, "Cheeky brat. Just for that, I'll lie here at leisure while you go warm up the shower. Or better yet, run us a bath -- we can take the dessert in there with us on a tray and feed each other bits of whatever while reclining in the hot water."

"Wait? That's my punishment?" Chris stops at the doorway to the bathroom, trying to hold in his laughter. "I'm making cheeky brat my everyday demeanor from now on!"

"Good," Liam says, his voice calm but his eyes crinkled with humor. "Don't tell my sweet boy, but I love my cheeky brat just as much."

Blushing, Chris ducks his head and starts whistling, stepping into the bathroom but keeping his head peeking out.

"Your secret's safe with me," he murmurs.

Two Tickets to Paradise [Liam, Chris]

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 08:16:23 GMT

[Takes place Sunday afternoon.]

Disembarking at Santa Madalena is heaven compared to their transfer earlier that day at Kingston -- faster, easier, nowhere near as crowded, and every single person wearing any kind of uniform is friendly and deferential, absolutely eager to serve them and make their travel as pleasant as is humanly possible. Compared to the harrassed airline staff and stone-faced security nazis one runs into at commercial airports it's like being in another world.

Of course, that's the whole point of Citadel.

Liam and Chris had checked in when they boarded the tiny Citadel-owned jet and that was the only paperwork required of them. Everyone knows who they are now and where they're staying and quietly helps them get there. Their bags are handled and will likely be in their beach house waiting for them by the time they arrive. If they dawdle along the way, they might even be unpacked.

The sun overhead is a brilliant golden and the breeze is warm, but Liam has an arm around Chris anyway, just because he can. They'd arrived at Gatwick together far too early that morning but had had to be careful not to do anything to attract attention -- no touching, no significant glances, no talking above a murmur, nothing that might draw notice from any paparazzi who might be hanging about the airport keeping an eye out for celebrities behaving indiscreetly. Since he had the tickets, Liam had fallen into the role of "handler," seeing to baggage and boarding passes, treating Chris as impersonally as an employer rather than a lover. It stank on ice but it was necessary and it worked.

Now, though, the entire island is Citadel property and they can do whatever the fuck they want. If Liam wants to stop in the middle of the welcome center and snog Chris silly then he bloody well can. And it sounds like a wonderful idea so that's just what he does.

"Hey, I think that guy over there is trying to flag...." Chris doesn't get much farther in his mentioning of the guy in neat white shorts who seems to be their ride. Liam's arms come around him fully, they come to a grinding halt and bam! tongue.

Chris has never started off a vacation better.

Every mile away from London improved his already peppy mood. By the time they'd landed in the Citadel plane ("Dude, I'm so stealing some of these peanuts. The bags are cool -- Jessie'll love 'em,") he'd lost his over shirt and was content to lounge against Liam in his shorts and sneakers and green tee.

Cool and breezy and island bound; a celebration of being together -- unshackled by major committments otherwise and a celebration of birthdays. Chris didn't need to make a wish this year on the candles -- he's perfectly content.

One long, leisurely kiss later, Liam looks up and spots the man who'd caught Chris's attention, who's waiting with great patience off to one side. "Aye, I believe you're right." Liam slips his arm back around Chris's waist and they stroll over together.

The man in the white shorts bows and introduces himself as Dominic. He offers them a few options for transport to their house and after a glance at Chris, Liam chooses a brightly painted open carriage drawn by a pair of gleaming chestnut horses. It's about an hour's trip at a mixed walk and trot and Dominic points out some of the facilities and attractions along the way while Liam and Chris look around, cuddle, kiss and make plans for what to see and do later on.

"You know, this may sound cheesy American but I keep expecting to see Cinderella's castle and some trees shaped like Mickey Mouse ears," Chris whispers, nuzzling the side of Liam's neck. It's surprisingly easy to be openly affectionate; maybe he'll be shy later but for now...he's holding his lover's hand.

Liam has to laugh at that and tickles Chris just on general principles.

At this point, he'd be good just staying in bed with Chris the entire time, but he has to admit that the call of the island's scenery would probably draw him out eventually, even if they were to try for a marathon sex vacation. He chuckles to himself at the thought, then answers Chris's inquiring look with a headshake and a caress.

"What are you thinking about?" Chris winces. "And swear, that's my only stereotypical chick thing I'm going to say this whole vacation."

Liam laughs out loud and gives Chris a rib-creaking hug. "Trust me, dear heart, you're not at all chick-like, stereotypically or otherwise. And I was thinking for a moment that I'd like to just fall into bed with you and not come out for the entire two weeks. Although I suppose we could've done that at home, hmm?

"And I'm planning on fully enjoying being able to maul you in public while we're here, and to do that we have to be out in public, so I suppose we'll have to get out of bed occasionally."

"We could split the difference -- half the day in bed, half the day sightseeing and mauling in public." Chris laughs, tipping his head back to let the sun kiss the parts of his face not covered by sunglasses. He's living dangerously, a white boy from Boston in all this sunny paradise but he'll assume Citadel has a special deal with Mother Nature about the sun's rays here.

"Now there's a lovely thought," Liam murmurs, one hand sifting through Chris's short hair. "Twelve hours in bed and twelve hours out and about each day. And sex whenever we like since this is essentially one big, island-shaped extension of the club."

Another thought crosses his mind and he laughs again, shading his face with one palm. He meets Chris's questioning glance and laughs harder, but this time he answers the unspoken query. "I was just... just wondering, in how many places out and around the island we'll find caches of condoms and lube?" Visions of little plastic packets stashed in every knothole and flowerpot and seashell has him leaning over, silently laughing into Chris's shoulder.

Chris blushes a little but then he tips his head back and joins in the laughter. "Oh hell, can you imagine a few hundred years from now, people excavating a place like this? They'd be straining themselves trying to figure out exactly what the hell it all meant!"

"I'm sure they'd have a grand time figuring it out." Liam takes a deep breath of warm, scented air, still smiling, then suddenly loops an arm around Chris's waist and hauls him onto his lap. He settles down with his arms around his lover -- the best way to enjoy a carriage ride. Or just about anything, for that matter.

A protest dies half-hearted on Chris' lips -- he's dreamed of having Liam all to himself for months. He's dreamed of having them, together, without anything or anyone hanging over their heads. No phone calls, no emergencies, no worries. Even Jessie kissed them both good-bye, made them promise to bring her presents and that was that.

They were just Liam and Chris, acting like romantic fools in a carriage rumbling through paradise and he wasn't going to let his natural shy tendencies muck any of it up.

Liam'd half expected a protest. When he feels Chris tense and then slowly relax he tightens his arms around him and murmurs, "Good boy," into his ear.

They sit together for the rest of the ride, pointing out lovely views and things they'd like to do while they're here, places to see and other members wandering around. Although there really aren't all that many other folks, not like there'd be at a public resort. Liam likes that -- it's not like being in a ghost town, but there's plenty of privacy about and they'll have no problem finding a spot to lay their beach blanket.

No, no problem at all. The carriage turns off the road and up a driveway to head toward a lovely white cottage, and before it turns and stops in front of what appears to be the back door, Liam spots a shining expanse of smooth, white beach around the other side, with the luminous blue of the Caribbean lapping at the edge. What he'd seen of the beach, their patch of it anyway, had been completely deserted.

That makes him smile. He'd had thoughts of making love to Chris out in the sun with the sound of the waves nearby, and if their bit of beach stays that empty then he might just be able to manage it.

"Holy crap." Chris smiles, stepping out of the carriage and feeling his sneakers sink into the sand. "This place is gorgeous." He shades his eyes with both hands, trying to see down the beach. "Hey, we should sleep out one night." He smiles, turning around to look at Liam.

"I think that's an excellent idea. And I'm sure they have jumbo-size beach blankets stashed in a closet somewhere because there are some places no one wants to have sand penetrate." Liam loops an arm around Chris's waist and walks toward the house, his eyes shining with humor.

They enter the house and it's lovely. Everything's bright and tropical, and the walls are more window than wall so the light shines in from every direction. Half the windows are open to let the breezes in, including a set of double French doors standing open to the beach with gauzy white curtains billowing inward.

Chris takes Liam by the hand and starts exploring every corner of the cottage, finding numerous comfortable pieces of furniture that seem to almost beg and plead to be lounged on.

In the cozy bedroom, the white linens and mosquito netting lend to that "exotic castaway" feel -- broken only by the large whitewashed armoir that reveals quite the selection of toys.

Liam steps up behind Chris and looks over his shoulder into the armoir. "Hmmm, a nice assortment. How many do you think we'll have time to try while we're here?" His mind really isn't on toys or even sex but a chance to make his lover blush so adorably is something he has a hard time passing up.

Chris ducks his head a little but he pushes back against Liam's warmly imposing body. "We might have a hard time squeezing everything in in just two weeks," he says softly. "Plus there's the fact that there are at least two things in there I think are misplaced from the First Aid tent...."

"Well, I'm sure we'll manage to keep ourselves occupied nonetheless," Liam says. He reaches out and closes the armoir, then steers Chris out the French doors onto the deck facing the sea. There's something inside that's been growing and swelling and roiling about within him, struggling to escape and he's determined to let it out now. He's feeling a bit queasy but he knows it's just nerves and he'll be fine once it's over with.

"There's something I've wanted to tell you. For quite a long time actually, but I couldn't before. Then I thought I'd do it on your birthday but suddenly that's far too long to wait and I don't think I'd last that long." Liam's babbling and he knows it but he can't help it. He knows his nervousness is apparent in his voice and he can't help that either. He looks past Chris's blond head at the swirling sea and struggles to think how to say what he needs to say. It seems like it should be something... special, something grand, but nothing that sounds at all decent is coming to mind.

Chris turns his head, looking up into Liam's face with a spot of worry. Last time they needed to have a talk...but no, that part of things is over as Christian is better and moving out and Liam is free. But maybe there's something else and Chris' brain goes into momentary overdrive with apocalyptic scenarios as he struggles to say something.

"What's...what's wrong?"

"Nothing! That is, nothing's wrong now, everything's perfect and now I'm free to say something I couldn't in good conscience say before and it really shouldn't be this hard...." Liam pushes a nervous hand through his hair, trying to figure out where the off switch is in his adrenal gland because it's determined to make things difficult for him. "I'm sorry, I haven't done this in... in I don't know how long. And maybe I should've done the flowers and champagne thing, or gotten you something--"

And of course it hits him then that he should've done that, gotten him a ring or a bracelet or, or a collar? But they haven't talked about that and Liam's not sure they're ready to go that far or that formal or if Chris would even want to so they'll have to talk about that some time but not now because right now is for something much more basic and fundamental if only he can just cough it up.

"I love you."

The flowers and champagne makes his worry pause and Chris' brow does this furrowing thing so deep you could plant crops. By the time Liam gets the words out, words he's waited so so long for, Chris thinks he must've misheard. Or something. But the worry and earnestness in Liam's expression tells him he's heard exactly right.

And Chris smiles. Big time smiles.

"Seriously?" He tilts his head closer, laughing a little. Nerves and shit. "Wow. That's just -- you know I've been in love with you for like...months right?" Two spots of blush hit him on each cheek.

"I've been...." What? Wondering? Wishing? Trying not to notice? "Hoping." That's a good word. Liam leans back against the door and tugs Chris up against him, so he can see his face and feel their bodies touching. "I couldn't say it before but now I can. I was just hoping it was what you wanted to hear."

Chris is laughing harder now, relief and happiness washing through his system like the waves outside the window. He sags against Liam, reaching up to touch his face tenderly.

"I love you. Please get used to hearing that because I have a feeling it's going to populate my vocabulary a lot."

Liam closes his eyes and rubs his cheek against Chris's hand, like a big cat enjoying a caress, then he turns and presses a kiss into his palm. Some insane, paranoid little chunk of his heart had expected the lad to draw back, to push him away, to laugh -- something. He'd known, really known that it would never happen, that his Chris was sweet and gentle and even if he hadn't returned the feelings he'd never have said or done anything hurtful, but the fear had still been there, immovable and impossible to silence.

Now it's all just draining away and Liam feels himself sway with relief. He turns it into a gentle rocking for the simple joy of feeling the two of them moving together.

"I can't imagine ever tiring of it."

There's a permanence in the words that makes Chris' heart leap and then retreat back -- no need to ruin the moment by saying something profoundly ridiculous and wrong. There's still so much that needs to be said and figured out and examined but then again...he could just enjoy the moment.

Enjoy Liam's hands and touch and gentle caring way with him. Enjoy the relieved tint to Liam's eyes.

"Good to know because...I love you." Chris smiles, tilting his head for a kiss.

"I love you too," Liam replies softly. It's cliche and unoriginal but utterly true and right. He bends his head and presses his lips to Chris's, a gentle touch with a bare tickle of tongue.

The kiss seals the deal as far as Chris is concerned; he'll remember this moment forever. When he pulls away slightly to catch his breath, he gives Liam a quirky smile.

"Okay, now what?" he teases with a chuckle.

"Now?" Liam almost laughs and instead drops a quick, teasing kiss on the end of Chris's nose. "Now, anything. Anything at all. For the rest of our vacation. The rest of our lives. Whatever you want." He lifts Chris up and sits him on the sun-warmed wooden rail at the edge of the deck. The perch brings them up to equal height and he takes advantage of that happy coincidence with a long, leisurely kiss.

The fading ghost of that little voice inside him is whining that this is all a dream, an impossible fantasy, that he'll wake up soon and everything will be back the way it was. Liam just wishes it'd shut the fuck up and let him enjoy his boyfriend.

Misunderstandings [Liam, Christian]

Thu, 25 May 2006 01:49:15 GMT

[Takes place yesterday evening, Tuesday the 23rd. My apologies to Anita -- it was ready to go and I completely zoned on it yesterday. :( ]

It's late on Tuesday night and Liam and Christian are getting ready for bed. Liam had finished in the bathroom and swapped places with Christian; now he's pulling on a pair of sleep pants and thinking over the day and what he did and what he still has to do.

They'd talked for a while after Christian came home. The lad had said he'd had an interesting weekend but hadn't wanted to go into many details, and Liam hadn't pressed him. He's only here a couple of days a week now, less than forty-eight hours actually, and Liam doesn't urge him to tell more than he wants to about what he does when he's at his own place or with his friends. He's moving away, slowly, and that's all to the good.

Although thinking of that brings something else into the front of Liam's mind, so he raises his voice a bit and says, "I forgot to tell you, I'm going to be going away for the first two full weeks in June. Chris and I have birthdays a week apart, so we're going to Santa Madalena -- a Citadel resort -- to get some time away. Will you be good staying by yourself for your days here? Or maybe you could stay with Jack?"

The toothbrush in Christian's mouth slows, then stops. The face in the mirror looks shocked, and maybe just a little hurt. His hand drops to the counter. He can hear Liam moving around the room, getting the bed ready, comforting sounds. "When... I mean, how long till you go?" he calls back, willing his voice to be steady.

"We'll be going on the fourth and coming back on the seventeenth," Liam answers from the bedroom. "So we'll be leaving in just under two weeks and I'll not be home for two of your stays here."

Forgot. Going away for two full weeks. Get away. Christian grips the counter tightly as a shudder works its way down his spine. He hasn't spent more than fifteen minutes alone in... since Christmas, not completely alone at least. If Liam wasn't in the same room, he was in the house, or at the most out in the yard, and at the Warehouse, if Jack or Robert had left, it meant the other was almost certainly already on his way up the stairs.

"Sounds like quite a trip," Christian hears himself say, not entirely sure where the words are coming from. He feels disconnected from the conversation, but that doesn't seem to cause his mouth any grief. "Things are going well with Chris then?"

Liam smiles, he can't help it. "Wonderfully," he says, his voice warm. "He's such a sweet lad, and I've no idea what he's doing with the likes of me but I've finally convinced myself to hang onto him for as long as he'll have me. I haven't felt like this in... well, since before you made your first movie." He walks over and leans on the bathroom doorframe, his arms crossed over his bare chest and what feels like a slightly daft smile on his face but he can't seem to care much. He grins at Christian's reflection and adds, "I hope you're half as happy with your Jack."

Christian's expression goes neutral as soon as Liam appears around the corner of the door. Get some time away. "Jack?" Christian looks down at the water swirling down the drain, and he knows exactly how it must feel. His eyes close, hiding his soul from Liam as he nods slowly. "Jack and I are... good."

"I'm glad for you both, then. Jack's a good man and he cares for you quite a bit I think. I'm glad you care for him back." Liam reaches out with one hand and strokes Christian's hair, running his palm down the silky mass and ending with a warm squeeze on his shoulder, then retreats back to the bedroom and slides under the covers on his side.

He takes a sip of cold water before saying, "I'll be out in a minute" as he closes the door. Christian leans against it for a moment, staring at his face in the mirror before stepping up to the counter. He slowly leans forward until his forehead presses against the cool glass. "He thinks Jack cares for you quite a bit. Doesn't know for sure, just thinks it. Fuck." If this was a movie, someone would be suggesting they both start seeing other people, but it's the wrong type of relationship and they are seeing other people, always have been.

Christian's hands are shaking as he puts his things back into their leather carrying case. This will be the last time he does it, the last time he'll stand in Liam's loo and feel comfortable -- or he had felt comfortable until a few minutes ago. He hadn't expected it to hurt so much. The first hot tear on the back of his hand shocks him, and he scrambles to turn the cold water tap to cover any stray sounds as he sticks a washcloth under the nearly icy spray. "Fuck," Christian whispers as he presses the cold fabric over his eyes, and curses again as a sob manages to escape. He takes a deep breath, and then another, over and over until he can't feel the hot prickle of tears behind his eyes. He gives his face one last swipe with the washcloth before wringing it out and hanging it up. Two more deep breaths, and he opens the door and turns out the light.

Of course, the bedroom light is still on. Mentally cursing up a storm, Christian crosses around to his side of the bed as quickly as he can without climbing over Liam to get there. He keeps his back to the older man, hoping he's managed to hide his distress.

When Christian settles in, Liam turns off the light, then slides over, rolls up on his side and cuddles against his back with one arm draped over him. He's become accustomed to sleeping close with him, either like this or with Christian's head on his chest. It's different from sleeping with Chris -- not sexual, just warm and comforting.

Christian bites his lower lip when he feels Liam roll over to curl up to him. "I'll gather up my things before you go," Christian whispers into the darkness.

Liam opens his eyes and then blinks. "So... you'll be staying with Jack, then? Or at your place? That's fine -- it'd probably be a bit boring to be here alone. I wouldn't mind if you had Jack over, but no sense coming here just to be with someone else, aye?"

"Exactly." Christian fights to keep his voice steady. "And I couldn't very well bring Robert here, not to The Mews."

"Well, you could," Liam says, a ghost of laughter in his voice. "My mam stayed with me for a couple of days once a few years back. An old schoolfriend invited her for a visit and then cancelled when her grandchildren all got measles. Mam just didn't tell Da about the measles and came anyway. I got a phone call from the airport and had to dash out and pick her up. Luckily I managed to steer her clear of anyone walking their puppy, or any subs in leather straps doing yard work. We had a lovely time and I hope I never have to do that again."

"Bobby doesn't know about Citadel. I don't think he's ready," Christian whispers. "Not yet."

Liam is silent for a few moments. He doesn't know Bobby but he does know Christian and he suspects the lad's operating under the worst possible set of assumptions. It wouldn't hurt anything, though, to wait a bit -- make sure all their years apart haven't resulted in any problems or differences they just hadn't run into yet, before introducing Bobby to the club. Finally he says, "Patience is good. Introducing someone to Citadel isn't something to be done hastily -- there's more at stake than just you and your friend, if he reacts badly. Has he shown any interest in kink? He should get into that first, at least to a point, before the club becomes an issue."

If Christian had his bracelet on instead of Liam's cuff, he'd be biting it right now, but he doesn't, and his jaw's clenched so tight it hurts. He knows just by the effort it takes to swallow that he's not going to be able to speak, so he nods instead.

"I'm sure you'll both be fine, babe," Liam says with a hug and a kiss on the back of Christian's head. "There's no reason to rush it and whenever you're ready, you and Bobby both, the club will still be there."

He nods again, wrapping both arms tight over his chest and inadvertently trapping Liam's arm there as well. "I'll start gathering up my things tomorrow," Christian whispers after a few minutes of silence.

"I'll only be gone for two weeks," Liam says. "How long is it going to take you to pack for an extra four days away?"

It won't just be four days, Christian thinks. "You'll be back in a month or so, right? I thought... if I'm only staying here two nights a week, I may as well just move it all." His eyes clench tight as he tries to keep tears from seeping out from under his eyelids, but it doesn't work terribly well, and soon there's a small damp patch spreading on the pillowcase under his cheek.

"You mean, move out completely." The room is dark and silent for a moment, then Liam asks quietly, "Do you think it's time to end our contract, then?"

Not "Are you ready," or "Do you feel strong enough," but "Do you think it's time," and that tells Christian all he needs to know. "Yeah," he whispers, thankful his voice doesn't crack on that one word.

"I'm glad," says Liam with another hug. Because of course it never occurs to him that Christian would say yes if he wasn't ready. "I'm happy for you, babe. I've been looking forward to this for a very long time."

Christian takes a deep breath and holds it. Sometimes it helps, when he feels overwhelmed, helps lower his heart rate and push back the panic. A very long time. Jesus. No wonder he’s glad to be rid of me. He doesn't say anything at all in response, he can't, it's all too close to the surface.

Liam chuckles softly and cuddles Christian closer. "Breathe, babe. It's not the end of the world. I'm proud of you -- you've grown so much in the time you've been with me, you're so much stronger than you were, and you're going to be fine."

No, dammit, I'm not! But he can't say it aloud, especially not now, between Liam's relief at getting rid of him and his claim of pride. Telling him now would just disappoint him twice over, and it wouldn't change anything -- Christian would still know he wants to be rid of him.

And with that, the two men settle down to sleep, cuddled together in a warm nest of misunderstanding.

Let's Try Something New.... Part 2 [Liam/Jessie/Chris]

Wed, 10 May 2006 21:50:41 GMT

[Continued from Part 1.]

"Well, I'm sure we could find something suitable if you were interested," Liam muses. One finger burrows beneath Chris's shirt and draws slow circles on his skin just above his belt. He looks around the room and adds, "I don't know how far I could throw it in here, but we could manage well enough, I imagine."

"Or we can just go back to the part where I crawl under the table...." It's a brazen thing for him to say, propose but maybe the knot around his balls has cut off rationalization cells in his brain. Liam's fingers on him don't help with the thinking part either; his eyes drift half-closed.

"It's a place to start at least," Liam agrees. "We could always play fetch some other time, now that you've a lawn of your own. For now, though, I'd be agreeable to whatever you'd like to do under the table." He leans down and gives Chris a long, drawn-out kiss.

Oh crap, now the backyard is going to make him horny...basically nothing is left that doesn't a) remind him of Liam or b) remind him of Liam kissing/touching him. He's a goner.

And for the life of him he can't remember there are people around. He remembers being here with Jessie, when she was on his lap...now he's on Liam's lap, sucking on his tongue, reaching his arms up around Liam's neck.

The hand under Chris's shirt rubs higher, the fingers sifting through the crisp hair running up the center of his belly and toward his chest. Liam's perfectly happy kissing him for a while, although it occurs to him that Chris might be happier with more, at least eventually. The hand moves back down to his lover's waistband and goes to work, unbuttoning and unzipping until it has room to move lower and start working on the knot.

Chris jerks under Liam's hands and mouth, almost turning his head to see if anyone is watching. But as the knot loosens and satisfaction is finally near, he doesn't give a shit. He opens his mouth to moan, the sound swallowed by Liam's kiss, arching up with greedy need.

When the cord finally comes loose Liam drops it. It vanishes, probably down one of Chris's pants legs, but Liam doesn't care. He rubs his hand over Chris's balls and strokes his cock, while still kissing him silly.

Clutching Liam closer in case he really does up and fly away, Chris holds on for dear life, stuttered breathing between each kiss as his cock roars to life. He's been good, so damn good, through the teasing and the touching and even just having Liam around all this time and now it's time for his reward.

Liam feels Chris arching up, hears his breath suck in hard, and knows he's close. "There you go," he murmurs against his cheek. "Feel me touching you, dear heart. Isn't it good?" He keeps stroking while he talks and dots kisses across Chris's straining face.

"P-perfect," he stutters out, pressing his forehead to Liam's shoulder. In some ways it's better than sex -- feeling the intense concentration of Liam's affection through his hands and his words and the way his arms keep Chris perfectly contained and safe.

"How close are you?" Liam asks, his voice low and intense. "Tell me what it feels like, having more than two days of need desperate to get out."

"C-close." He closes his eyes, licks his lips as he trembles against Liam's body. "God...it hurts," but by the moan that is the last word of his reply, it's clear he doesn't mind the ache of his orgasm trying to break through the hours and hours of denial.

"Show me," Liam whispers, stroking faster. "Show me how much you've been wanting and holding back."

His leg spasms and kicks the table, he might have heard something spill or crack. He might hear murmured voices but it's all a blurry static behind his eyes as Chris thrusts up into Liam's hand, panting and groaning as he labors towards completion.

Heel digging into the cushion, Chris hovers, his eyes flying open before he can let go. "Can...can I? Please?" he asks breathlessly.

"Come for me, dear heart. Now." Liam leans down and kisses him, hard.

And that's pain, that forceful mental push of his body, his body's learned resistance, the inevitable stroke of Liam's hand that sends him spiralling and coming and crying out against Liam's passionate kiss.

Liam feels Chris spasming in his arms, hears the gasp and moan and pant. "There's my boy," he says, low and warm, "my perfect boy." He cradles him close and rocks slowly, gently, waiting for his lover to finish, to come back to the world, to relax.

Jessica bites her tongue -- literally. Her hands are full of drinks, her body is vibrating from what she watched -- first from across the room and then a few feet away. She doesn't say anything, watching as Liam comforts Chris, soothing him from the release.

There are other people watching and she has a strange moment of wanting to tell them to stop, that Chris wouldn't like that. It makes her blush a little.

As Chris quiets down and leans into him, Liam becomes aware once more of the rest of the world about them, including an interested audience. He doesn't react overtly, not wanting to draw his lover's attention to the fact that there'd been people watching him. Instead he uses a napkin from the table to clean him up, then wipes his own hands. He crumples the napkin and drops it on the floor to be swept up, then fastens Chris's trousers for him.

He looks up at Jessie and smiles, then takes the drinks out of her hands, one at a time, and sets them on the table, his other hand still holding Chris on his lap. "Excellent timing, lass," he says softly. "I could use something cold right now and I imagine Chris could as well."

Chris cracks open an eye and sees Jessica standing over them. She gives him a little smile, sits down next to them with a rub against his back.

"I can go back to the bar if you want..." Jessie says, ruffling Chris' hair. She's pretty proud of the way he's not freaking out...and pretty proud of herself for not ripping off her dress and pouncing on top of them.

"Mmmhph," Chris answers unhelpfully. Liam's arms, post orgasmic bliss, Jessie stroking his hair. Bliss, party of one.

Liam sips his soda, then takes a deep breath and lets it out. Having Chris laying across his lap is enough to get his body interested in more all by itself; stroking him to orgasm and having Chris go over the edge in his arms is icing -- a diabetic coma's worth and just as sweet.

"Stay," Chris murmurs, then opens his eyes to look at Liam. "Is that okay?" he asks, even softer.

"It's fine, lad." Liam kisses Chris's forehead, then reaches over to pat the seat of the booth next to him while smiling up at Jessie. "Come ahead and sit, lass. I guarantee I won't be pouncing on you."

Jessie snaps her fingers with play regret. "Can I have Chris after he gets an IV of fluids?" she asks, dropping down to sit next to Liam...but not too close.

Liam raises an eyebrow at Jessie and gives her a mock-growl. "I might arm-wrestle you for him. Or at least get in line behind you."

With that thought, though, his eyes unfocus a bit and he appears to be thinking. He gives Jessie a considering look.

"Behind me, behind him...I see a pattern of preference here Liam," Jessie smirks, wiggling in her seat just the tinest bit as a picture pops into her mind. A really HOT picture.

One of Chris' eyes cracks open and he looks at her.

Liam just keeps watching her for a few moments, his head tilted thoughtfully. He catches the wriggle, and the way her eyes are dilated, and just the general turn-on she's projecting. And he remembers what she'd said earlier.

He reaches out and touches his fingertip just below her chin, gently tilting her head up to look at him. "If you'd like, and only if you'd like, we could work something out so that neither of us has to wait. Instead of you and I sharing Chris, he and I could share you. Does that sound like something you'd enjoy?"

Thank God Liam is still holding onto him lest Chris roll right onto the floor. His eyes fly open, WIDE open and he sits up a little, watching Liam and Jessica as if they're playing tennis. Back and forth and back and forth....

"I uh...." Jessie swallows, her mouth dry. Liam's touch makes her giddy, his suggestion is scary and before her entire brain clicks in with good reasons this is a bad idea, Jessie is nodding. "Y-yes. Yes. Definitely. Please."

"Good." Liam smiles at her and caresses her cheek. "So, we'll take this out of the bar, aye? Here...." He fishes his membership card out of his wallet and hands it to her. "Take yourself up to the bar, or to the front desk if you'd prefer fewer folks about, and give them that and ask for a room with a sling. We'll put you up in it and then you won't have to do anything but hang there and feel wonderful, and Chris and I won't have to worry about supporting you or each other or losing our balance or falling off the bed or any such thing." He smiles at her, the humor lines around his eyes deepening. "They'll give you a key. You bring it back here, and then we'll all head up."

Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, Jessie's mind spazzes but she gets up -- weak knees and all -- as her fingers close on the card. "Room with a sling. Yes..." Sir? "Yes, Liam." Her voice is breathless as she darts away, afraid to speak more lest she start babbling like a fool over how she's never done it with two men before but she wants to and she was hoping he'd ask and and....

Chris' finds his voice as Jessie disappears into the crowd, shaking his head to take the fluff out of his ears.

"Uh...wow?" he coughs, his newly reviving dick doing a dance in his pants. "You...and me and Jessie and...a sling?" Sweat dots the back of his neck. "I didn't realize you thought about doing that with her. With any woman for that matter...."

Liam brushes Chris's hair out of his eyes and says, "She said something a couple of days ago that made me wonder if she was... speculating. And it got me thinking a bit. She's a nice lass, bright and lively, aye? And she's a part of your life and so am I, so it'd be convenient if we could all get along. A bit easier on you if you don't have to keep up with both of us separately." Chris gets a teasing smile and a hand brushes over his cock. "Doing it this way, you get the girly-bits and I get the half that's basically the same in its essentials with both genders, so it should work well enough."

He shrugs. "If it's better than well enough, and everyone agrees, then mayhap we'll do it again some time. Or we could put you in the middle, less the sling of course, and see how that goes. But she's been feeling a bit left out lately, that's clear to anyone with eyes in their head, so I think it's worth an experiment."

A smile blooms across Chris' face -- of course Liam would be as meticulous and practical about bringing Jessie into a situation with them...sort of the way he approaches gardening and cooking and everything else in his life.

Chris touches Liam's cheek tenderly, bringing him closer. "Yes, I love Jessie. She's part of my life but what we have is...." He struggles for a second, not being able yet to express everything in words. "What we have is the most important thing to me."

And... what did one say to that? Save for the obvious, of course, but the obvious was out of bounds still and that left... nothing. So instead, Liam cuddles Chris close and kisses him, a light caress that says "I love you, too" skin to skin instead of voice to ear.

Using her acting skill to the maximum, Jessica has gone to the front desk and handed over Liam's card with all the sleek attitude and indifference of someone who is not, for the first time, asking someone for a room with a sling. A room with a sling where she will go with two men, experiencing a series of firsts that might leave her brain scrambled for life.

Hot damn.

She takes the key and the card, tossing her head back and sauntering back to where Liam and Chris are deeply engrossed in a private moment she's loathe to interrupt. It's only when they come up for air does she cough to announce her presence.

Liam looks up and gives her a smile. "All ready, then?" He helps Chris sit up and follows him as he scoots around the curved banquette of the booth until they can stand up.

They're really doing this, they're really doing this.... Jessica's mind chatters so loud she thinks the room can hear her nervous whirlwind. Or at least the person in the room that knows her best hears; Chris holds onto Liam's hand and reaches out for her, twining their fingers together and giving her a shy smile.

Her heart trips and she knows that so long as Chris is there, she's safe. And Chris trusts Liam so...she's good. She's going to be fine.

"Here's your card back," she murmurs to Liam, handing it back to him. "And the key -- it's on the second floor...."

The second floor is just far enough that Liam steers them toward the lift while pocketing his card. If it were only one flight up he'd prefer to walk -- feels like a prat taking the lift for only one flight, in fact -- but two is worth a ride.

Besides, they just might get a bit of privacy for a few moments... and yes, a lady and her boy get out of the lift and the three of them are the only ones entering. Lovely. He waits for the doors to slide shut, then reaches for Jessie's shoulder and tugs her gently to him until she's leaning back against his chest, still facing Chris but in full contact with him. He runs both hands down her shoulders and arms, then back up, massaging lightly.

"Excited?" he asks, his voice low in her ear. He tilts his head down and nuzzles a kiss into the curve of her throat.

Chris watches Jessie's face go from surprise to aroused in three seconds flat and smiles -- yeah, Liam has that effect on people. He presses forward so he's leaning against her, close enough to feel her breasts, smell her perfume..and reach around to touch Liam.

Perfect.

Jessie's breath gets caught in her throat and she moans, just a tiny sound, confused as to whether to push forward or back -- so she does both.

"Y-yes," she stutters finally, her eyes on Chris' smile and her ass rubbing against Liam of its own free will it seems.

"Excellent," Liam murmurs. "That's just as it should be."

He reaches out and slides both hands around Chris's waist, pulling him close so that Jessie's pressed into a tight, warm sandwich, then leans past her and takes Chris's mouth in a deep, thorough kiss, a bare breath away from her face and right at eye-level so she has a perfect view. The feel of her squirming against him gets him shifting his weight and he grinds his cock slowly into the small of her back while enjoying the press of her arse against his thighs.

Now she moans a little louder because she's not made of stone and God, Liam and Chris are kissing almost right against her cheek. She can feel the warmth against her skin...one hand wraps around Chris' waist, the other back around Liam, rocking her hips back and forth.

Jessie moans in his ear and Liam's tongue twists against his and Chris' long neglected cock rises up again with a mighty leap. He thinks maybe this is the hottest thing that's happened to him in a very long time and what makes it even better is how relaxed he feels.

The lift door bings and then slides open. A staff girl starts to enter, then sees them and steps aside, holding the door open with one hand. Her eyes dart over the threesome and she smiles at Jessie. Her lips move, shaping the word "lucky" as they pass by her into the hallway.

A laugh escapes Jessie's mouth, quickly silenced by Chris kissing her -- hard. They bump and move down the hallway, alternately touching and kissing and groping until she thinks she might scream before they actually get to the room.

"I hope someone knows where we're going," Chris mumbles, reaching around Jessie to rub her breasts through her dress. He looks to Liam, licking his lips hungrily.

Liam nods and steers their little cluster down two more doors, then uses the key. They all spill into the room laughing. Chris gets another kiss, then Jessie, then he steps aside and toes his shoes off while looking around.

Standard-issue kingsize bed against the lefthand wall toward the windows, tick. Door to the right leading into a spacious bathroom, tick. Sturdy leather sling hanging from the ceiling by shiny steel chains sturdy enough to hold all three of them, tick. Excellent.

"Would you like to look it over beforehand?" he asks Jessie. "See how it all works, whether you've any questions?" He lays his hands on her shoulders from behind and turns her a bit so she's facing the sling, then starts massaging lightly. Now that they're at the point, she might be feeling some nerves and he doesn't want to rush if she needs to go slowly.

"Uhhh...wow." Jessie's underwear is damp, her mouth is swollen from rough kisses and that thing is freaking scary...but then again Liam's hands are big and warm and he presses against her back and then that thing is less scary and more about her imagining being in it.... "You know how to use that." It's not a question; she turns her head slightly to look up at Liam. "And you know what you're doing so...going to go ahead and trust you." Her lips twist in a wry smile.

Chris, meantime, has gone wandering around the perimeter of the room, discarding shoes and his watch on a low table in the corner, poking into cabinets -- eyes wide at what he sees.

"If you ever want to stop or ask something, just say so." Liam gives her shoulders a last squeeze before stepping up beside her. "When you're ready we'll get you buckled in. They're quite adjustable and as comfortable as you want them to be." He gives her a grin and a wink, then moves over near a chair and pulls his jumper off over his head.

Her mouth goes a little dry watching him and she steps out of her heels, kicking them under the bed.

"Should I um...?" She gestures towards her dress.

"I'll help." Chris comes up behind her, kissing the side of her neck and running his hands over her curves. His eyes go to Liam, appreciating every inch of memorizing flesh that is unveiled. He reaches for the hem of her dress, pulling it up slowly, listening to her breathing go raspy and soft.

Liam strips down efficiently, laying his clothing out on the chair flat. He'd rather not look like he slept in it when they go back downstairs but folding it's too much trouble. When he's naked he glances over at the other two -- they're still working on it amidst giggles and kisses, so he finds the remote that raises and lowers the sling and brings it down low enough for Jessie to get into it without needing a boost, then begins unfastening and unbuckling things.

"NASA to mission launch, we have ignition," Chris mumbles in her ear, throwing her dress on the chair with Liam's clothes. His hands caress her breasts, expertly flicking the front clasp and pulling the lacy garment off.

"Is that a rocket in your pocket or are you looking at your hot boyfriend?"

"Yes and yes." He answers her giggle with a slow kiss to her shoulder, spanning his hands down to her hips so he can pull her panties down.

"Looks complicated."

"I've taken your underwear off before Jessie...."

"I mean the SLING." She steps out of them, kicks them aside, shivers as she watches Liam getting the device ready -- and at the fact that Chris seems to be on the floor and kissing her thigh....

A glance away from the sling shows Chris on his knees in front of Jessie, his lips moving up her thigh and getting closer and closer to her pussy.

"If you'd rather do it the old fashioned way, we could always come back to the sling later," he comments, his arms crossed across his chest and a teasing glint in his eye. His erection belies his feigned disinterest, but then he doesn't expect they'd have assumed the contrary anyway.

"Rug, bad for the knees," Chris says, a teasing lick just above her pubic bone as he stands up. "Madam, your chair is ready."

Weak-kneed and apparently surrounded by erections, Jessie gets a good luck kiss from Chris -- with tongue -- and walks over to Liam, resisting the urge to drop to her knees. She doesn't think about where he's putting that thing in a few minutes, just on how much she wants it. All of it.

"Show me how to get into it?" she asks, her voice small but not timid.

"Just stand here, lass. You're going to be vertical for this so it's easiest to just buckle it around you." He starts adjusting and buckling, interspersed with comforting touches and caresses. When he's most of the way done and she's strapped from her upper thighs to her shoulders, he picks up the remote and presses the lift button. He takes her up about a handspan off the floor, then stops.

"Almost done," he says. He leans down and adjusts the last of the straps, a loop under each leg just above her knee, so that she's effectively sitting in the air with her knees about even with her waist and spread as wide as seems comfortable. "There, how does that feel? You can grab here and here, and you should have plenty of leeway to shift about. This is meant to be support, not bondage."

"I feel...open," she laughs nervously, her hands fluttering nervously as she reaches for the hand holds. "But okay...it's just a little weird...like the world's dirtiest carnival ride."

"Now I want funnel cake," Chris murmurs, undressing slowly, too addicted to watching naked Liam strapping naked Jessie to a giant contraption.

Liam looks back over his shoulder and raises an eyebrow at Chris. "I'm sure we can have some sent up if you like," he offers. "Or we can wait till after. We probably should -- I imagine it'd be rather messy for Jessie -- she'd get honey and powdered sugar everywhere and I'd probably end up having to pay for cleaning."

He grins at his lover, then moves around behind Jessie and gets a tube of lube from a small side table. He slicks up his hand and slides one finger down the girl's crack until he's teasing her pucker. "Ready?" he asks, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

Jessie's entire body seizes up, a flush of hot and cold racing over her skin. She tries to relax, tries to remember how much she and Chris loved this when they did it -- her fingers whiten on the hand holds and she nods.

"Yeah," she exhales.

Chris hears the nervousness in her voice and walks over, leaning down to kiss her mouth. He threads his hands through her hair, willing her to soften under his kiss -- which doesn't take long.

"There you go, lass," Liam croons. "Relax for us, there's a girl...." He circles around her hole with his fingertip, lightly almost to the point of tickling but not quite. "There's no hurry, we've all evening if we want. There's no time limit so just relax, let the straps hold you, sink down into the support...." He keeps murmuring nonsense while his free hand rubs smooth circles around her belly and almost up to her breasts, stroking and gentling her with touch.

Finally she relaxes enough that his finger slides in smoothly. "There's my good girl," he says, his voice warm with praise.

A lightning bolt of lust hits Jessie and she moans into Chris' mouth. She feels like a feather, suspended from the contraption that's slowly fading away, leaving her focused on Chris and Liam and their tongues and finger and she moans again.

Chris can feel Liam's hand between his chest and Jessie's stomach; he rubs against his lover's skin shamelessly, pressing his tongue further into Jessie's mouth to feel the vibration of her moan.

Liam waits until he's sure she's ready for more before giving her a second finger. He's slow and careful -- he doesn't want to hurt her, and if she gets nervous she'll tense up again. Easy, gentle, a bit at a time.

He feels Chris's abs brushing across the back of his hand; he curves his fingers just a bit so he can feel more of Chris while rubbing Jessie. He bends his head and kisses Jessie's shoulder, then leans farther and kisses Chris's cheek, then shifts back a little and nibbles the curve of Jessie's ear.

It doesn't quite hurt but it takes her awhile to get used to having her ass played with. The distraction of the kisses helps, the push of Chris' dick against her thigh and men kissing her...two sets of lips and hands on her body and that rocket of lust comes back as she moans, pushing back against Liam's finger.

The sounds of Chris and Jessie kissing and rubbing have Liam's cock twitching with impatience. He rubs himself slowly against her arse, smearing precome across one soft cheek. He hums lightly into her shoulder, then blazes a trail of kisses across the back of her neck, tickling her nape with his tongue.

Shocking how quickly something can become arousing and necessary and urgent. When Chris pulls away from her mouth to latch onto one breast, Jessie has enough voice to beg Liam, "Pleaseplease, ready," because maybe she is or maybe she's just impatient.

"Not yet, lass. Here, one more finger -- how's that?" She's tight around three fingers and she needs to be able to take at least four before he's willing to actually fuck her, but he's glad, and somewhat relieved to tell the truth, that she's so enthusiastic. He's never done this with a woman before and since Jessie doesn't have a prostate he's not sure what she's getting out of it. She's enjoying it, though, and wants more, and he's willing to run with that.

Chris hears her whimper and instinctively one hand slips between her legs, stroking her clit as he bites the sweet underside of her breast. He's beyond turned on at this moment, ten steps past hard. She's wet and soft under him and yet he can feel and hear Liam at the same time -- a fantasy he didn't realize he had come to life.

Liam spreads his fingers just a bit, stretching her gently while thrusting in and out in a slow rhythm. He bites down on her upraised arm just enough to leave a bare impression, then tickles the skin with a kiss and trails all the way up to the inside of her elbow.

His other hand is blatantly caressing Chris now. He can feel Jessie's smooth, hairless skin against the backs of his knuckles but his palm and fingertips are rubbing across Chris's muscled torso, tangling in the dark hair across his chest and following the trail down to his navel and lower.

The moans are getting louder, tangled together. Chris moves up the tiniest bit, returning his mouth to Jessie's so he can press his cock against Liam's questing hand. She releases a hand from the death grip on the swing and knots it in his hair and Chris stutters for a moment against her lips, wishing suddenly he had that bit of rope back to keep him from coming again....

It's damned awkward but Liam manages to stroke Chris a bit faster than he's thrusting into Jessie. She's almost ready for four fingers, which is just as well because he's ready to ignore the girl and grab Chris and fuck him senseless.

Not that he'd hurt Jessie's feelings like that, not really, but the impulse is definitely there. Bloody hell....

Four fingers, slowly, easy there, almost ready....

Jessie can't help it -- she screams, just a little, just a tiny bit and then she whimpers because God, she's wide open and Chris' fingers are teasing her clit and Liam's fingers are...God almighty. She stares at the ceiling, panting and whimpering and getting ready for another round of begging.

Chris moans, hitting overdrive at about 100 miles per hour. He lifts his head, trying to find Liam's eyes or his mouth or something because he's going to need an ETA...very quickly.

Liam leans over and kisses Chris hard, then slides his fingers out of Jessie and grabs a pair of condoms. He hands one over the lass's shoulder to Chris, then says, "Almost there," and kisses Jessie on the cheek. A few moments later he's sheathed and poised at her entrance. Her rear entrance -- female, there are two. Jaysus this is weird....

Chris fumbles with damp hands to cover his own cock, already sweating with anticipation. Jessie's eyes are huge -- he fully appreciates why too.

"Just take a deep breath," he murmurs, distributing his weight on the floor and the sling, between Jessie's legs. He rubs his hands over the inside of her thighs. "You remember when we did this Jess?" Chris' voice slurs with lust. "It hurt you at first but then...God, you loved it. We both loved it." He looks up at Liam, licking his lips.

"Easy, Jess, don't tense up on me, there's a girl...." Liam slides his hands down her sides until he's got a grip on her hips, then leans in slowly, just a little. And then a little more. He can feel sweat beading on his forehead and he has to concentrate on taking long, even breaths.

"Talk to me, little one. How are you doing? All right?"

"Ow," she chokes out. "Owowow." Tears prick her eyes at the intrusion of it but Chris is touching her clit down, soft little touches that make her shiver and she relaxes as much as she possible can. "Don't stop," she gulps, groping for a hand to hold onto.

Liam had already stopped when she started voicing her pain, but he clenches his jaw and keeps going until he can feel his glans pass through the ring of muscle. The constriction eases a little and he pauses once more.

"How you doing, lass? Better?" He rubs his hands up and down her sides, comforting.

"B-better." Jessie leans back, the pain a bit less as her body accomodates Liam's girth -- and Chris' fingers press deeper inside her, erasing some of the discomfort with something deeper and more pleasing. "Oh, God, Liam," she laughs, shaky, reaching behind for him.

Chris echos her moan with one of his own; picture of them together is painfully erotic. He touches his cock at the base to keep his own need at bay but that quickly turns into stroking himself.

Liam clasps her groping hand and squeezes. "It's all right, little one. We'll wait until you're ready to go on. Take your time, relax for me, there's a girl."

Somewhere inside Liam's head, or mayhap a ways farther down, is a little voice screaming at him to "Thrust already right now!!!" with lots of flailing and carrying on. He ignores it as best he can, though, because Jessie's definitely not ready for anything even close to a good, hard thrust, blast it all....

The stillness doesn't help; Jessie finds herself trying to move -- backwards.

Chris senses her frustration and maybe because he understands, he pushes his weight on the sling, on Jessie, brushing the tip of his cock against her -- pushing her against Liam.

And it's the right move because Jessie's eyes go wider and she moans/whimpers, urging Liam with her tiny wiggles.

When Jessie moves back onto him, Liam pulls back at first, then stops. The sounds she's making are very different now and he lets Chris fuck her on him, then starts moving in rhythm, pushing in shallowly, then a bit deeper.

Ahh, better. His eyes drift closed and he tilts his head back. Every muscle in his body is tensed with the effort of not burying himself balls-deep in her arse and he feels sweat running down his temples into his hair. She's so incredibly tight, the pressure around his cock is flirting with pain and it feels glorious.

Chris has done this many times with Jessie, to Jessie but this feels different and not just because of the sling.

He can see Liam and he can feel Liam, inside Jessie, the press of his cock inside her through the thin wall and it blows his mind completely, reducing him to animal grunts and groans as he fucks her.

As for Jessie -- Elvis has left the building. There's a white glare behind her eyes, pain and pleasure a double edged sword as she's pistoned back and forth between the two men.

Finally Liam feels the soft curve of Jessie's bum pressed against him. He lets out a long breath and pulls back, then pushes in again, still slowly but steadily. Then again. He can feel Chris's cock fucking her from the other side and the realization of just what that is sends a sizzle of lust sparking through his body.

The two of them settle into a rhythm, pushing and pulling at the same time, compressing the lass between them and then releasing. Relaxed a bit now, relatively speaking anyway, he leans down and brushes his lips through her silky hair, breathing in her scent and Chris's mixed.

When Liam leans in like that, it only takes one fixed point for his stare to encompass them both. It's perfect and he thinks he could look at them together forever...if only he wasn't currently controlled by his dick.

Somewhere in the push and pull, Jessie finds air and breath and begins babbling both their names and a steady stream of curse words.

Liam meets Chris's eyes, intense and dilated, shining with lust and passion. He reaches over and drags his head close enough for a deep, devouring kiss. The feel of Jessie and the taste of Chris send him spiraling out of control and his thrusts get harder, a desperate urgency fizzing through every nerve in his body.

Jessie sobs out a desperate sound, the shift sending every nerve in her body into red hot overdrive. Chris is pressing on her clit perfectly and still thrusting and she doesn't bother to warn anyone -- she just lets the orgasm rip her into shards, scattering around the room.

When Jessie goes over the edge, arching and shuddering between them, Liam gasps into the kiss, then groans. The feeling is exquisite and he needs more, right now. He reaches around and clamps both hands onto Chris's flexing arse while thrusting hard. It's like he's actually fucking Chris and Jessie just happens to be in the middle, squeezing him tight as her orgasm rolls through her.

He better not need permission this time because Chris gives up to the incredibly sensations -- Jessie, Liam, all of it -- and falls forward with a moan, spurting hard into the condom, into Jessie's limp body. He sags, the energy burst knocking him to his metaphorical knees.

Chris goes passive in his hands, letting Liam use him, fucking the both of them hard and steady and the rush is magnificent. He struggles to keep from coming, determined to draw it out as long as he can, his jaw clenched and every muscle tight with the effort of holding back.

Chris presses his head onto Jessie shoulder, whispering to her to see if she's okay, if she's done, if...but he doesn't get an answer besides a weak moan, her body stiffening around him and he can feel her second orgasm rattling through her into him, timed with Liam's controlled thrusts.

His eyes cross with the residual effect of it all.

Jessie's body spasms around Liam's again and that's the end -- it sends him soaring into a wave of hot pleasure, like body-surfing in lava and where the fuck did that thought come from but Jaysus it fits and it carries him away and when he can see straight again, blinking and gasping for breath, he's leaning hard on Jessie, his hands still clenched around Chris. If it weren't for the support of the sling they'd all of them likely be on the floor in a limp, tangled heap.

Jessie's eyes are closed; she's utterly boneless, only whimpering as the spasms from Liam's orgasm shake her. She breathes in the scent of sex, Chris' familiar form protectively over her, Liam's strength behind her and she could freaking cry it's so perfect.

"Moving," Chris wheezes, getting a cramp in his thigh as he pulls himself up, distributing kisses as he pulls out of Jessie slowly, holding the end of the condom. "Everyone alive?

"Can I get back to you on that?" Liam asks, his voice raspy and his brain not fully booted up yet -- obvious from the lameness of the joke. He straightens up, slowly, and waits for Chris to withdraw before he pulls out himself, one hand on Jessie to keep her steady. Once his condom's in the trash, he goes to work on the buckles and straps, letting the lass's legs down first, one at a time and supported all the way, in case of cramps. Once she's more or less straight, he lowers the sling until she's within reach of the floor, then undoes the fastenings keeping her in the thing.

"Hang on to her, dear heart. This is the last one holding her up and I don't want her to fall."

Wiping his hands on some tissues, Chris nods, putting his arms around Jessie's limp body, ready to catch her once the last of the supports come off.

"Gotcha Jess, gonna put you on the bed okay sweetie? Just give us a second." She's so quiet that Chris is a little nervous but then she smiles as she cuddles towards his voice, her head tucked under his neck.

"I hope we have the room for awhile. Someone's gone to la la land."

"Once we hit the bed they'll need a crane to move us, lad. We'll be fine." Liam manages a crooked smile and unfastens the last buckle. Jessie slumps into Chris's arms and Liam steers them toward the bed.

They end up in a cuddlesome tangle of arms and legs, squirming and shifting to get comfortable without losing contact. Liam kisses each of the others gently as they settle into exhausted sleep and then his own head hits the pillow and that's the end for a good while.

Let's Try Something New.... Part 1 [Liam/Jessie/Chris]

Wed, 10 May 2006 21:48:19 GMT

[Takes place on Sunday, April 9th, the same weekend as Jessie watches Chris and Liam, Jessie and Liam talking about Chris and Chris and Liam make garden plans.]

Liam steps out onto the back porch and looks around at all they'd done during the weekend. Not bad for two and a half days' work, really. They'd gotten a retaining wall built across the back half of the garden, with a concrete foundation going down a good armspan so the pup wouldn't be tunnelling under it, and a short set of steps (with a gate across, likewise to keep the pup out) leading up from the newly sodded lawn (have to have lawn, let everyone know an American lives here) to the huge raised bed beyond the wall.

Chris and Jessie had been amazed by the cost of dirt, Liam recalls with a grin, but good dirt's expensive. People who have good topsoil tend to be using it for themselves, after all, and then there's the cost of carting it to the nursery and then out to your property. And they'd needed a fair lot of it, too, but the effect was just grand. And it'd be even better when the trees and shrubs they'd planted -- and which Chris and Jessie were watering in, using the buckets with vitamin B-1 mix he'd shown them how to make up and not just the hose -- had established and grown out a bit.

There are a few trees spotted around the edge of the lawn as well, and a row of hardy roses planted along the edge of the porch, sterling silvers that'd sweeten the air across half the yard and likely into the house as well come summer. Liam'd known one or two dogs who liked to eat roses -- saw them as a challenge, he could only suppose -- but for the most part they could fend for themselves against canine grazers. And over in one corner by the house and the side fence was patch of dirt a couple of meters across with a narrow concrete border where East could dig as much as he liked. They couldn't let the pup outside for a few days to give the sod some time to establish, but once it was safe (for the lawn) Chris had plans to "plant" a few dog biscuits in the soil, to make sure East got the idea of what it was for.

Next weekend they could get a few flats of annuals and fill in the empty spaces, and Liam had more plans for next year, but for right now it was lovely, if a bit raw.

"Chris, Jessie!" he calls across the garden. "The tea's ready, and I made a bite to eat to go with it, as soon as you're done with the watering." He answers their waves, then turns to go back inside. It's good to have minions.

"He's bossy," Jessie teases, putting down her heavy water can with a thump. She elbows Chris, sweaty and supremely contented Chris, the happiest she's seen him in...years.

"I like bossy," Chris points out, finishing his share of the watering before putting down his can and straightening up with a creak. "Explains why I keep you around."

"You keep me around to satisfy your small sliver of straight."

"If that were it, I'm pretty sure I could find someone quieter." Chris ducks from the girl-punch he knows is coming; she catches him in the shoulder and he makes a big deal of rubbing the spot. "Brat."

Jessie raspberries him and starts for the house, peeling off her gloves as her long legs navigate the new layout. It's a true transformation, like one of those gardening shows or something, and she will privately admit to being very impressed by Liam's abilities -- not to mention the fact that this has so obviously been a labor of love...a statement without words of this thing with he and Chris being something with roots.

"Oh fuck me, how Hallmark," she mutters, stopping at the back door and turning back to see if Chris is coming. "Hey, your boyfriend said to come and have tea. You don't want him to get the rope out, do you?"

"I know someone who's staying home next time we go to the club if she doesn't behave herself." Liam's voice comes clearly through the half open door, receding a bit as he carries the cups over to the table.

Liam sets the cups down and returns for the platter of sandwiches -- grilled cheese, some with ham and some plain, cut into quarters and stacked up, meant to fill up a crew of gardeners who'd been working hard and tide them over until dinner.

Usually he didn't interfere between Chris and Jessie -- they've known each other longer than he's known either of them, after all, and by a good margin -- but when she brings his name into it and starts teasing about kink, that's over the line so far as he's concerned. Chris is a sensitive lad and he doesn't want anything they do together shadowed, however slightly, by memories of a friend making fun.

"Cranky pants," Jessie pouts but she shuts up pretty quickly; there's something about Liam's tone that brokes no argument. She washes her hands at the sink, splashing a little cool water on her face as she does.

"Anything I can help with?" she asks, almost politely, as Chris walks in, boots and gloves left outside and dusted off.

"You wouldn't know where the sugar is, would you?" Liam asks her, with a glance past her toward Chris. "I poked around a bit but didn't run into any and I've a sneaking suspicion there might not be any in the house."

Chris points at Jessie, who's already rummaging around in a cabinet near the fridge. "She can't eat cereal without sugar...mind you, it already has sugar in it."

"You missed your calling Chrissy, you really should be someone's grandmother." Jessie keeps the tease light and flashes a full watt smile at Liam as she hands him the small tin of sugar.

"Excellent," Liam says, taking the tin from Jessie with a smile of thanks. He sits down at the table, pours himself a mug of tea and adds sugar. "So, the watering's done, then?"

"I finished my share." Chris disappears into the small bathroom off the kitchen to wash his hands. He calls through the door over the water. "Not sure Jessie did," he teases.

Liam turns and raises a teasing eyebrow at Jessie. "Slacking off, are you?" He takes a sip of his tea and grabs a sandwich, one of the ones with ham. "Do I have to go out and inspect?"

"I'll go back out and finish after we're done. You called us in! I was just...you know, obeying." There's a teeny bit of sass to her words as she sits down, taking a sandwich for herself and wolfing it down quickly.

"Oh yeah, he believes you I'm sure," Chris says, walking to the table with a pause to lean down and kiss Liam on the cheek. "Thanks for this," he murmurs. "It's really great."

"I'm sure I said, 'as soon as you're done,' but perhaps I'm mistaken," Liam says mildly. "The trees won't die in half an hour, however, and I'm sure we can think of something to occupy ourselves while she's outside finishing up." He winks at Chris as the lad sits down, then pushes the sandwich platter a bit nearer to his plate.

Chris picks up a sandwich (making sure it's veggie first) and looks over at Jessie's pout.

"You hardly had any left in yours Jessie, shouldn't take long at all," he says helpfully, eyes moving from Liam to his friend in quick succession.

Liam glances at Jessie's patently exagerated pout and says, "She's playing you, lad. Of course, if you want to let her then that's another thing."

Jessica drops the crusts of her sandwich on the plate.

"Whatever. Chrissy knows me okay? He knows me better than you. And he can tell when something actually you know, hurts my feelings, Mr. Know It All." She picks her plate up and puts it in the sink. "I'm leaving -- I'll get a hotel room so you two can be alone."

Chris swallows his sandwich, a giant lump in his throat as he stands up. "Jessie, c'mon, relax okay?"

"Jessie...." Liam puts down his own sandwich and turns to look at her. "I'm sorry, lass. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm a terrible tease -- ask Chris."

"He's just joking around Jessie, come on." Chris coaxes her back to the table, seeing that she really is upset and that worries him. He sits her back down, rubbing her back for a few minutes. "He teases you because he likes you."

And his eyes shoot to Liam's as if pleading for confirmation of this.

"Of course," Liam says with a nod. "I don't bother teasing folk I dislike. I didn't mean to hurt you and I do apologize."

Chris drops a kiss on her head as he goes back to his seat, reaching under to squeeze Liam's knee as soon as he sits down.

"Sorry," she mumbles, rubbing her forehead and clearly embarassed by her outburst. "I'm just feeling totally third wheel right now and it's getting on my nerves."

Liam glances over at Chris for a moment, then repeats, "I'm sorry, Jessie. I don't mind at all having you about but if you'd be more comfortable elsewhere, then of course that's up to you. I didn't mean to just... move in, but Chris and I get so little time together that I didn't stop to think." He does so now, though, and adds, to Chris, "We could always go to my place, let Jessie stay here?"

"We could do that," Chris says softly, suddenly in the place he didn't want to be -- the middle.

"No, please. You guys deserve alone time and this is Chris' house. I'm just being cranky." She plays with her hair, staring at the empty place her plate used to be. "I'll go take a shower, see a movie or something."

"Whatever you like, lass," Liam says, his voice low and serious. "So long as you know you are welcome."

"Welcome to what? Stay but out of the way?" Jessie sighs and stands up again. "I have the case of the envies and I'm not afraid to admit it." She makes a gesture with her hands. "Go, be in love. I'm gonna go upstairs and sweet talk my vibrator...after I finish watering, of course."

Jessie gives Liam a shrugging half smile and kisses Chris on cheek before she disappears outside.

Liam watches her head back outside, then sighs and tilts his head toward the ceiling, his eyes closed. "Well," he murmurs, "that could have gone considerably better."

"She's got this sensitive streak. Never quite know when you're going to hit it." Chris reaches over to squeeze Liam's arm. "It's okay, she's just...maybe it's not easy being around two people who are all crazy for each other when you don't have anyone, well...I mean not really." He doesn't point out she used the l-word and he doesn't mention that when Liam isn't around, he and Jessie have each other. "She'll be okay."

"Perhaps we should go to the club this evening," Liam says, sitting up and taking a sip of his tea. "I realize that if what she's missing is someone who cares for her, that won't quite fill the bill but even just sex with a friendly stranger can be a powerful distractant."

Chris blinks. "So like...all of us go there and we find someone to have sex with her?" A wave of protectiveness wells up inside him.

"I was thinking more along the lines of giving her a chance to find someone she wants to have sex with. She seems to be fairly enthusiastic about going to the club and that's more or less what it's for, no?" Liam can tell that Chris has tensed up and he's not sure what's wrong.

"Right." Of course that's never been what Chris has used it for, unless you count Liam and Jessie and it doesn't really count since those were more than just...finding someone to have sex with. He reaches for his tea and takes a few sips, feeling Liam's eyes on him. "She mostly likes to go to watch...other people," Chris blurts out. "She hasn't picked anyone up yet."

"I see," Liam says, nodding thoughtfully. "Well, voyeurism is a legitimate way of participating too. And there's more than enough for anyone to watch on a given evening. What do you think? Would it make her feel better to go? I'm happy staying here with you, but I'd rather not have in the back of my mind the thought that Jessie's moping about feeling bad. She's a nice girl -- lively but with no true malice in her. She's been patient with us all weekend and I'd like to do something she'd enjoy."

"We could ask her," Chris offers, fingers drumming on the side of the cup. "See what she thinks...I'm honestly not sure what she'll say." He hates her moping around too, especially since she's been his goddamn rock and bunk mate for these past few weeks, giving him whatever he needed while he sulked over Liam. She needs his attention -- but he's far too selfish to give up Liam's focus right now. "I...I really appreciate you thinking of her. I uh, owe her a lot you know?"

Liam nods. "And I appreciate her keeping you company. We do owe her, I think. I'll ask her when she comes back in."

"She's not coming back in. She'll finish and go around the front," Chris says dryly, leaning over to kiss Liam on the cheek. "Believe me. She's got too much pride to walk back through here."

Liam slides a hand around the back of Chris's head and pulls him close for a longer, more thorough kiss. "Much better," he says with a smile. "What do you think, then? What should we do?"

"Mmmm...tempting as it is to go hide upstairs...maybe we can go outside and invite her to the Club? If she doesn't want to do that, maybe we can pick something else to do together?" Chris asks, hopeful and shy at the same time. "I know it's not exactly how you want to spend your time but...."

"I don't mind, dear heart, honestly. Although I would have no problem doing nothing but make love until we're both worn out, it's also true that I've had more sex in these three days than I've had in the last four months and I honestly don't mind doing something else this evening." Liam gives Chris a sideways smile and adds, "And if we do go to the club, we can find Miss Jessie a good place to sit and watch and then go get a room for ourselves if that's where the mood takes us. Or we can stay with her and watch together, whatever we want to do at the time."

"Thank you," Chris murmurs, dragging his chair closer so he can brush his lips against Liam's cheek. "No matter what we're doing, so long as we're together, I don't care...."

"Well, we'll figure something out, then." Liam leans over and pulls Chris closer, brushing his lips across the soft skin just below his ear.

The kiss goes on for a few minutes and Chris is easily distracted -- but he can still smell Jessie's lingering perfume in the kitchen.... He sits up enough to break the kiss, keeping his forehead leaned against Liam's.

"Let's go outside before I forget what a nice guy I am...."

"Mmm, probably a good idea." Liam sneaks in a last quick kiss before pulling back and takes a deep breath in an attempt to clear his head. He finishes his tea in a couple of quick gulps, then stands up and grabs the sandwich platter. "I don't know about you but I'm still hungry." He winks at Chris and follows him toward the door.

With one hand he grabs one of the ham-and-cheese quarters and drops it behind his back into the waiting mouth of East, who'd been amazingly quiet and patient all day long, especially with his people spending most of the day out in the yard and not letting him come out to "help."

"Yeah that one bite of food didn't really satisfy," Chris says dryly, hearing the heavy chomp of jaws as East gets a present from Uncle Liam, the spoiler. "Geeee, maybe I should feed East before we go outside," he teases, opening the door and stepping out.

"I'm sure the pup would appreciate it," Liam says with a perfectly straight face. "He's been a very good boy, after all." He takes a bite of another ham-and-cheese bit himself before setting the platter down carefully on the porch rail. "Next shopping trip we get you a table and some chairs for out here."

"And some of those chairs you can lay out on. Not that I'm expecting to get a tan or anything." That's why God made the art of make-up.

Jessie is doing what she said, finishing the watering and tidying up as she moves along the line of freshly planted earth. When she hears their voices, she looks up then ducks her head back down with a sigh. She should have known nice guys wouldn't leave her out here all in dramatic distress. Even nice guys who were perpetually horny.

"Definitely," Liam agrees. "We'll have to look around and see if we can find a double-wide chaise. Something nice and sturdy."

Chris turns around and laughs. "Gosh Liam, whatever do you have in mind?" He reaches out to poke his lover then strides across the yard to where Jessie is hunched down and clearly avoiding him.

"Three guesses and the first two don't count," Liam murmurs to himself. He watches Chris's extremely attractive backside moving away across the yard, just enjoying the view before following.

Jessie looks up and purses her lips as Chris looms over her.

"If I tell you this is because of PMS and my period and other icky girl things, will you go away?"

"Mom, two sisters, known you for a long time...nope. I'm a seasoned veteran." Chris gets down to her level, looking at her kindly. "Listen, I understand. It can't be easy when we're like...together all the time then Liam comes and you're sort of shoved aside. I get how hard that is. I also know it can't be easy seeing me with Liam when you know, I think you're looking for something...like what we have."

She just stares at him. "What, did you swallow Dr. Phil while you were in there?"

"I'm serious."

"I know you are, that's why I'm glaring at you like this."

"Liam had a suggestion."

Jessie looks up as Liam approaches, his large form casting a shadow over her. "Does it involved hogtying me and dropping me in the Thames?"

"No," says Liam, who's come close enough to hear her last question, "but if you'd like to try that we could ask around at the Club this evening and find someone willing to do it for you." He steps up next to Chris and slips a casual arm around his waist.

"Ah." Jessie finishes and stands up, brushing herself off. "So is that the idea? Go the Club?" Somehow the appeal is worn off when she knows they're going so she can find someone, get occupied and leave them alone. She shrugs, gathers her stuff. "Sounds good. I'll go take a shower."

Liam watches her walk away into the house and leans against Chris. "Well, that went over beautifully." He sighs and adds, "Any ideas? Because I have to admit I'm fresh out."

"She said it sounded good?" Chris offers weakly, wrapping his arm around Liam's waist. "I say we get showered and dressed and go to the Club. At the very least we can have a nice dinner...have her watch a few naked people and she'll cheer right up."

"Well, let's do that, then," Liam agrees. "At the very least, we'll have a good meal with someone else doing the work and cleaning up after us, and perhaps we'll see a few things that are inspirational, hmm?" He sneaks a kiss onto the tip of Chris's nose, then steers them back toward the house.

Jessie mucks around the guest room bath, showering and messing with her hair for awhile. She can hear them come upstairs, hear them disappear into the bedroom and a whole lot of noise tells her they're cleaning up and dressing each other.

At some point.

She wields the curling iron over her hair, bitching under her breath about stupid men and stupid feelings and stupid jealousy.

Maybe she will hook up with someone at the Club, get out of Chris and Liam's hair for awhile. Hopefully the someone will be patient when Jessie has no idea what the fuck she's doing....

Liam is dressed fairly quickly, even with Chris's assistance (fun thought it'd been) since he has a rather limited selection of clothing from which to choose. Of course, it's more than he'd arrived with, having dashed out his door on Friday with only Chris's presents and the garden references.

And doubtless leaving a trail of jellied brains splashed along the sidewalk between my house and his, he thinks with an inner eyeroll. A quick trip back home that evening had let him pick up a few things of a more practical nature for a weekend visit, but there still isn't such a wide variety that deciding what to wear could be any kind of significant chore. Which had left him dressed and ready and leaning against the wall watching Chris -- always a rewarding occupation.

Chris slicks his hair back with some gel and splashes on some cologne. The untucked white dress shirt over khakis isn't his most dressed up look but loose clothing is key at the moment since he's sporting The Knot of Chastity as well. He slides the St. Christopher's medal over his neck and smiles sideways at his audience.

"So what are our chances the girl is ready?"

Liam glances in the direction of the spare room and raises an eyebrow. "Well, common lore says we'll be waiting at least another hour or so. I haven't been in a house with a female getting ready to go out since I was a lad, however, so I've no personal experience to draw from. How long does she usually take?"

He steps over to Chris and pulls him into a hug, one hand sliding down to bring the lad's hips in close contact with his own.

"Depends on her mood," Chris smirks, inhaling sharply as he presses against Liam. "I'll go knock on the door...in a few minutes."

"No hurry," Liam agrees. "The place'll still be there whenever we arrive." He just stands for a bit, enjoying the feel of Chris pressed up against him.

"Soooo...is it almost time for ah...you know?" Chris blushes and ducks his head against Liam's shoulder. "To ah, remove the...knot? I'm pretty sure I've learned my lesson. And then some...."

Liam smiles down at the top of Chris's hair. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want it to be all for nothing, now. You've done so well, after all." He runs a teasing hand down his lover's side, sneaking a couple of fingers over for a quick brush against the lad's still-hard cock.

"How long did you have in mind?" Chris asks, trying not to squeak the words out. "And that's dirty pool," he exhales, pressing himself flat against Liam. "Feels great but dirty pool...."

"I was thinking some time this evening. Not too much longer." Liam's hand withdraws and moves higher up to slightly safer territory.

"I'm coming in! Is everyone wearing pants?" Jessie's voice echos through the doorway. She pokes her head in the room, one hand over her eyes -- fingers parted so one eye can see.

Liam looked up and gave the peeking eye a teasing smile. "All appropriately trousered, aye. You'll have to be quicker next time."

Jessie snaps her fingers and steps fully inside. "You both look quite handsome, not that you have any choice in the matter." And I've seen you both naked, thanks Liam! she thinks, trying not to smirk. "Are we ready to go boys? I need to get foisted off on some hot sugar daddy after dinner."

"Shut up," Chris says, with love, of course, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek. "You look gorgeous. I'm sure we'll be beating off guys as soon as we walk through the door."

"Only each other this time, I think," Liam protests with a straight face. "If you want to involve other men in public sex, let's save it for next time? I'd rather the first time be just you and me."

Chris turns to Liam, his cheeks bright red. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I kinda hope you're talking to Jessie!"

Which makes her laugh hysterically.

"So you don't want to start beating off other men as soon as we walk through the door?" Liam pulls Chris into a hug and gives him a kiss and a tickle.

"No, I meant public sex!" He ducks his head and makes an ARRRGH sound as Jessica laughs louder.

"I think you two should do that," she smiles, lewd and innocent at the same time, wiping her eyes. "Now let's GO. Go, go. The quicker you help me get the edge off, the quicker you can get back to the slap and tickle stuff."

Liam laughs out loud and steers both youngsters toward the door. "I agree. If Chris is that eager for public sex then we should get to the Club as soon as possible."

"Wait, what?" Chris trips down the stairs gracefully as Jessie darts ahead, her heels clicking on the floor.

"Maybe I should bring a camera. You know, capture the memories of his first time?"

"Do you have one handy?" Liam asks, following at a more sedate pace. "I don't mind pictures if Chris doesn't."

"You can stop yanking my chain at any point. Really. I'm all laughed out." Chris' warning goes unheeded as Jessica grabs her purse.

"I have my digital in here...."

A comment about stopping at his place on the way and picking up a suitable chain passes through Liam's mind but he manages to suppress it, at least so much so that all that shows is a smile. Instead he says, "That should be adequate," and herds Chris to the door to make sure he doesn't balk.

Jessie follows, blowing kisses to East as she locks the door behind them. Okay, maybe this WILL be a fun night...particularly if the goal is to tease Chris, but gently because she'd really rather not piss Liam off again.

A little frown finds its way onto her face but she wipes it away as she reaches Liam "nicely" manhandling Chris into the car.

Liam slides in behind the steering wheel with a comment about knowing which is the proper side of the road to be driving on, and as soon as everyone's buckled in they head out. Traffic isn't bad for a Sunday night and they make good time across town.

Jessica makes a big, loud deal of fooling with her digital camera until Chris turns around and politely threatens to tell the front desk of the Club that she's there for a piercing seminar "and not the fun kind." She sticks her tongue out at him and kicks his seat but the camera goes back into her purse....

She's getting a little nervous, twitchy, staying out of the traffic discussion of true couplehood that Liam and Chris are having. What if someone DOES try to pick her up? Part of her is gung-ho times ten and part of her just wants to die at the possiblity. What if she sucks? What if she can't be what someone is expecting?

As they hand off the car to the valet at the club, Liam moves over beside Jessie and leans down to talk to her softly. He'd noticed her getting more tense and quiet the closer they got.

"You know you're welcome to stay near us this evening," he murmurs. "I don't want you diving into anything that makes you uncomfortable, and you'd be doing no service to anyone you went with if your heart wasn't in it. If you're invited to join someone or something you think would be fun then by all means go and enjoy yourself but don't do anything you'd rather not just to leave me and Chris alone." He gives her a quick, one-armed hug and a kiss on the temple.

She could cry, seriously, swallowing at the kindness of Liam's words and gesture. Managing to quell the sniffle, Jessie reaches around as far as she can and one-arm hugs him back.

"Thanks," she whispers back. "And um...if you guys want to be alone, like really a lot, I can just go sit at the bar or something. Just give me the high sign."

Chris turns around and sees them talking...quietly. Heads tilted together and he'd be worried except something about the expression on their faces tells him this isn't about tormenting him.

And yeah, a big fat swell of love for Liam explodes in his heart, followed by a slightly smaller one for Jessie.

He waits for them to join him, just barely resisting the urge to throw his arms around them both.

"If the urge becomes overwhelming, we'll work something out." Liam gives her a smile and a wink before they catch up with Chris. He slips his other arm around his lover and they enter together, heading through reception and towards the bar.

They settle down in a booth to one side -- it has a nice view of the room but isn't front and center where they'd be subject to too much scrutiny themselves. A waiter brings them drinks and then leaves them alone.

Liam glances at the various activities around the room and asks, "So if you didn't have to worry about embarassing yourself or making mistakes or having anything come back to haunt you, if you could do absolutely anything you wanted with no consequences whatever, what would it be?" He meets both sets of eyes to indicate that he's talking to both of them.

Chris gives a look to Jessie like, "leave me out of yours" then leans against Liam's arm, thinking over what that might be. "Hmmm....I don't know. Maybe...maybe...." He licks his lips nervously, giving Liam a shy smile. "Maybe crawl under this table and make your night," he gets out finally, laughing at his own reluctance to say it.

"I'd probably offer to do the same thing," Jessie says, completely without thinking.

That gets a blink, and then a smile. "My thanks to you both. I'm flattered, honestly." He leans into Chris so the arm he has around the lad can reach far enough to rub Jessie's shoulder for a few moments while Chris gets a kiss. "And mayhap we'll do something about it later on if you're serious.

"What else, then? Anything you've wondered about? Might like to try if you knew more about it? Jessie?"

"More than one person, at a time," Jessica says quickly, taking her glass in hand and gulping a few times. She looks up, smiles at Chris' slightly shocked expression. "What, he asked!"

Liam nods to Jessie and says, "That can be fun, certainly. Usually when a three-way happens, two of the people already know each other. They'll approach the third, or sometimes vice-versa. Or a couple might hire one of the staff. Or a single person might hire two of the staff although that can be dear."

He grins at her and takes a sip of his drink. "Usually the mix is two subs and a dom -- two doms can clash unless they know each other well and have agreed how things should go. Things are easier for the subs -- they just follow instructions. The trick of it, as usual, is making sure you're comfortable with the people you're playing with before things get complicated. If you're not, then 'No, thank you,' is never the wrong answer. Or you can ask to talk for a bit first; if the others don't want to do that then they'll say so and that's the end of it. Everyone here should be polite and accepting of what you need to be comfortable, even if they don't want it themselves. And if you run into someone who's not polite about it, they're not someone you want to be playing with anyway."

Jessica looks out at the crowd of people, moving and talking in couples and small groups. She wonders if any of them would look at her and think "we want her."

"I only know you guys so...." She smiles and shrugs. "At some point, when I get to know people." To take attention off her flushed face, she pokes Chris in the ribs. "Your turn."

Liam smiles encouragement at Jessie before leaning into Chris.

Chris gives Jessie another blink then turns to Liam again. "I'd like...to see some of the rooms. The uh...theme rooms." He coughs. "I'm an actor, I wouldn't mind some improv, a set...."

"They've some very nice theme rooms," Liam says with a nod and a lopsided smile. One of his hands strays down to Chris's thigh and starts gently stroking. "There's one done up like a house of ill repute which is particularly amazing in its detail. There's also a doctor's office and a schoolroom, and a room they'll dress for you to order if you want something in particular. I've not been up to any of them in a while but I'd not mind at all if you wanted to use one some time."

Chris considers those possiblities and decides he might very well have a fantasy about the school room and Mr. Liam Neeson as the stern headmaster...he coughs into his hand and drinks heartily until he can speak.

"I'm thinking I like all of those but the doctor's office...I'm thinking this place has stirups or something."

"Hey, that sounds like a good idea. Get the guys used to what women go through," Jessie offers.

A memory of the room in question flashes through Liam's head, making him laugh and nod. "Aye, it definitely has stirrups. Particularly sturdy ones, with locking bands to 'help' the patient keep their feet in place."

He ducks his head down and whispers in Chris's ear, "Wouldn't you like that? Your legs high and spread for me, strapped in so you can't move...? You don't have to roleplay if you don't want to -- we can always just use the room for the sake of the equipment in it without 'playing doctor.'"

It's great he's sitting down, firmly planted in the seat, sandwiched between Liam's overwhelmingly strong frame and Jessie's warm one. Because were he standing up, he'd have cracked his head open on a sharp corner as he went down....

"You could put me on a rack...just as good but without the harsh glare of flourescent lighting...."

Liam chuckles and presses a kiss to the soft skin behind Chris's ear. "But a rack doesn't generally have a vertical component, you see -- there's a difference between having your feet spread and in the air and having them spread but flat. And I'm sure we could turn out the lights and ask for some candles if you prefer softer lighting."

He sits back a bit and takes another sip of his drink before adding, in a more normal tone of voice, "But if the medical atmosphere doesn't do anything for you, I could work out something close enough to the requisite aparatus in my playroom at home. You've never been there, actually -- we'll have to remedy that one day."

"You have a playroom in your house? That's awesome...." Jessie pokes Chris in the side again but quickly leans her head on his shoulder like a winsome little puppy. "You need one of those, Chrissy. You can put a nice chrome rack next to the rowing machine...tell everyone it's a pilates machine if they ask."

"I've some catalogs I can loan you if you'd like to do that," Liam says with a perfectly straight face. "You need a good contractor to install anything that needs a sturdy support -- manacles, slings, suspended cages, that kind of thing -- but the club has a list of discreet lads who are accustomed to this sort of thing and will neither crack jokes nor sell the blueprints to the tabs."

"Suspended cage!" Jessie claps her hands together.

"Okay, if we get a suspended cage, that's your new bed," Chris says, giving her a playful headbutt. "God you're both nuts." Of course he's blushing and sweating and hard because he recalls something about being suspended from the ceiling in the bathroom.

"You can get custom bedding made for them," Liam offers, hiding his grin behind his glass.

"You can pretend I'm your pet...I read about that. Human pets. I can be a kinky parakeet."

That one gets a chuckle. "I don't think I've ever known anyone with a parakeet girl before, but I'm sure you could do a splendid job of it." He raises his glass to her before taking another drink. "The more common animals for pet play are puppies, kittens and ponies, although I knew a lad who had a ferret once and there's no reason you couldn't do something else if you and your partner wanted." He leans over and bumps shoulders with Chris and asks, "Fancy a parakeet?"

"Can we stuff her mouth with birdseed so she can't talk?" Chris asks, all but crawling into Liam's lap. Jessie kicks him but he deftly moves his leg...closer to his lover.

"Watch out before I peck your pecker," Jessie responds, lifting her chin to smile at Liam. "I think I could do that. Be a good pet. A fat lazy cat sitting in the sun...." Her nose wrinkles though and she leans forward to whisper, "They wouldn't make me use a litter box, would they?"

Liam tightens the arm around Chris, pinning him tight against his side while the other continues stroking his thigh. "Most likely not," he says to Jessie. "And certainly not if you seriously didn't want to. Elimination play is one of those things that's on most people's list of hard limits. Makes it a little tough on the folk who enjoy it, but that's what the database is for -- finding people with like interests. But no, you'd probably not have to worry about a litter box."

Chris mutters a "fuck it" under his breath and pretty much sprawls into Liam's lap, lounging like the pets they're talking about. He kicks Jessie again but rubs their ankles together a second later.

"You'd look good in a leash," he says to her, half-joking. Only half though. "With a fancy collar...I mean it. All sleek. Like...a pet panther. But louder."

Liam shifts just enough to accommodate the welcome weight in his lap, then goes back to petting Chris, his hand wandering between his thighs and his shoulders. "We could get a set for each of you," he suggests with a raised eyebrow aimed down at his lover, "since it seems to interest you. There's a shop here -- have you been through it? -- that has just about anything one might want in the kink area. I believe they even have those leashes the dog-walkers use, with multiple leads attached to one handle? Although if you'd be likely to bicker in tandem then that'd likely not be a very good notion." He frowns and stares up toward the ceiling, pretending to ponder.

"Uh Liam? I said she would look good in one. Wearing one...on one...not me. Me, I'm more a free rover."

"I'll wear a leash if I get to watch Chris playing fetch," Jessica volunteers, draining her drink with a giggling slurp. "Refills all around? I'm feeling suddenly daring and willing to go up to the bar all by myself." She leans over to smack a kiss on each of the men in turn. "Uh...watch my back though."

"Ah, well, you seemed to be taking such an interest, I must've become confused," Liam teases. He's keeping one eye on Jessie's retreating back and the other on Chris's blushing face. "Or... does 'free rover' mean you would be interested in playing fetch while she lounged on her leash?"

"Depends." Chris' eyes are working in the same direction as Liam's -- Jessie, his lover, Jessie, his lover. "What sort of stick am I fetching?"

[Continued in Part 2.]

Settling Back In [Liam, Christian]

Tue, 02 May 2006 18:44:16 GMT

[Takes place the evening of April 18th, overlapping and then immediately after Liam and Jack talk.]

Christian steps into Liam's room and looks around. Less than an hour ago, he hadn't been sure he still had the right to come in here, but Liam had put that fear to rest. Four days away didn't constitute the end of their contract.

As he changes into his pajama bottoms, he wonders why it's so important to him. He'd been fine at his own apartment, until everything had gone to hell in a hand basket with Jack and Robert. Yes, it had been for a finite time period, and yes, there had been moments when he'd had to remind himself of that, that staying at the apartment wasn't permanent, that he didn't have anything to be afraid of, but overall, it hadn’t been that bad.

He stands shirtless in front of the mirror, and turns so he can see his back if he strains to look over his shoulder. The scratches aren't bad, thin red lines all up and down his back, but they're all just tiny, threadlike welts, nothing had broken the skin.

Christian regards the bed with a critical eye. The same sheets are on it now as when he left, and while Liam could have washed them and put them back on again, it's doubtful. Not quite willing to sleep between sheets that had probably seen action while he was gone, Christian strips the bed, right down to removing the pillow cases, to remake it from scratch with sheets he knows are clean. He's tempted to switch his pillow with one from the spare room, and debates it as he tosses the old sheets down the laundry chute and fetches clean ones from the linen closet. He puts the clean pillow cases on last, and decides he'd rather not have his head where Chris's ass might have been. It takes an extra minute or two to swap pillows, but the peace of mind is worth it.

Neat-freak within satisfied, he climbs into bed on Liam's side, to warm it as he'd been told to do.

By the time Liam enters the room, Christian's an elongated lump under the covers. Liam crosses to the dresser, strips down and pulls out a pair of pajama bottoms. Once changed, he heads into the bathroom to brush his teeth, then comes out and gets into bed next to Christian. "Feeling better?" he asks as they settle down together.

He opens his eyes slowly and sits up. "Some. Here -- I'll give you your side back." He climbs out of bed and walks around it to get in again on his own side. "It's as warm as I could make it."

Liam smiles but doesn't say anything while Christian walks around the bed and climbs back in. He scoots over and they end up in their usual positions. "There," he says, pulling Christian over to rest on his chest. "Better?"

Christian nods. "Better." He listens to the regular thump of Liam's heart, closes his eyes, and breathes deep. His eyes snap open again as he realizes why this was so important to him. He tilts his head up to look at Liam, and wonders if he should say anything, or just keep it to himself and draw what comfort he can from it.

"Good." Liam rubs Christian's arm idly with one hand and squirms down into the mattress a little. "Jack's calling a car home. He's leaving his here and he'll take it home tomorrow. He's tired, though, and I didn't think having him drive was a good notion."

"Thank you, Master, for looking out for us," Christian whispers. He wraps his top arm around Liam's waist. "And thank you for letting me come back."

"It's my job," Liam says, tilting his head down to give Christian a kiss on the forehead. "And you know, one of these days you won't worry about whether or not I'll 'let' you come back. When you know that you're always welcome but aren't afraid of standing on your own, that'll be a good sign, I think."

When I'm an adult again, Christian thinks, but without the bitterness the words would have held a few months ago. "Did you ever want to be a father, Master?" Christian asks softly.

"Oh, aye, I thought about it. When I was of an age for it, though, it was out of the question. I mean, I could've married and all, I know a lot of gay men who did and had children, but it never seemed fair to the woman, you know? Marrying someone I knew could never be enough?" He shakes his head, his unfocused gaze pointed toward the ceiling.

Christian is silent for a few moments before saying, "You would have been brilliant at it." He has to close his eyes to continue, even though they're surrounded by darkness. "You've already been more of a father to me than my own was."

Liam's silent for a bit as well. Christian is well aware of Liam's opinion of his parents so saying he's been more of a father to the lad than was Christian's own isn't necessarily much of a compliment, but he knows Christian means it as one and so that's how he takes it. "We're friends," he says finally. "You've been run through the mill backwards in this life and I don't mean only recent events. No one deserves that but you've borne up on your own for far too long. I'm glad I was able to help with this latest bit. You've come a far way from where you were that night at the club, and I'm proud of you."

"Even though I fucked up?" Christian whispers, his throat tight with emotion.

"Christian...." Liam sighs and hugs him hard. "You made a mistake, yes. But people do that, especially when they're stressed and caught up in a complicated and confusing situation. But you know you made a mistake and you feel badly for it and maybe you've learned something about thinking before you act and about talking things over with everyone involved. So aye, I'm still proud of you. You don't have to be perfect to deserve to be liked, or loved, or to have someone be proud of you. Certainly not me."

I won't cry, I won't cry, Christian repeats in his mind, but it's easier said than done, and a few moments later the first warm drop slides down his cheek to wet Liam's chest.

Liam doesn't say anything, just keeps rubbing gently. It's dark and it's warm and they're comfortable together. For right now, it's enough.

Garden Plans [Liam/Chris, Jessie]

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 19:08:39 GMT

[Takes place the same day as Jessie watching Liam and Chris and Jessie and Liam talking about Chris; this is a few hours later.]

Chris ducks out of the living room where he and Liam are relaxing on the sofa, watching mindless weekend television in between naps and kisses. He wouldn't get up except that from his vantage point, he can see the front door -- and he can see Jessie, dressed with a bag on her shoulder and a leash in her hand.

"Hey," he calls out, walking into the foyer. "Where are you going?" Ever since the strangeness (strange comfortableness -- if that's even a word) over lunch, Chris has been hyperaware of Jessie's feelings – he doesn't want her to be uncomfortable.

"Out. East and I are going out to the park then dinner." Jessie smiles at the wrinkles on Chris' forehead; she can tell he's worried. "Stop with the face, Chrissy. Everything is fine. I'm just going to get some fresh air and enjoy East's company." Hearing his name, the dog butt-wiggles his way into the room, sitting down expectantly for the leash. "Besides," Jessie says as she drops down to the floor to secure it to his collar. "You guys should have some alone time."

"Thanks." Chris doesn't argue because he can't -- he wants some freedom with Liam here, as much as he doesn't want to force Jessie out the door. "Don't stay out too late, okay?"

"Promise." Jessie leans over and kisses him on the lips. "You two -- don't behave while I'm gone -- free run of the house, I expect some lamps to be broken when I get back."

"Promise." A blush and a twinkle and Chris pets her cheek. There's another quiet moment between them and then she's gone.

***

He takes his time getting back to the living room and finds Liam dozing. Chris admires the view for awhile then curls up back in his lover's arms.

The feel of Chris against him once more, warm and solid, rouses Liam just enough to pull him close and cuddle some more. After a minute or so, though, his eyes open about halfway. He smiles and kisses Chris's cheek, a light brush of lips, while one hand makes idle circles on his bare back.

"Didn't mean to wake you," Chris murmurs, tucking himself against Liam's shoulder. "Jessie went out...for awhile. Told us to go wild," he chuckles.

"Oh, she did, did she?" Liam wakes up a bit more and looks around the living room. Sure enough, no Jessie. "And how long a while did she say she'd be gone for? Do we have just enough time for me to fuck you over the coffee table if we start within the next thirty seconds, or do we mayhap have time for something a bit more elaborate?" He takes a teasing nip at the lobe of one of Chris's ears.

"Uh both," Chris says, in a voice perilously close to a squeak. He sprawls over and around Liam, soaking in his warmth and moving from "relaxing with his lover" to "turned the hell on" in thirty seconds flat. "Yeah...both...anything and everything." Chris brushes a kiss over Liam's mouth, just a shade away from demanding. "Make the best use of our time together."

Liam thinks about that while kissing Chris back, then gets an evil smile on his face. "I think that's a fine notion," he says, his voice light and pleasant. "Strip off the track pants, then, and we'll make some good use of our time."

"Yes, Sir." Chris steals another kiss then rolls off the couch, standing over Liam and not so shyly stripping out of his pants. Not quite Chippendales worthy but still -- he's working it. His eyes are bright with excitement. This is what it's like to be with Liam, in a relationship with him, to be his focus.

The show is fun and sexy, the moreso because the emphasis is on enthusiasm rather than practiced professionalism. Liam watches, his eyes warm and appreciative, until Chris is finally nude. Then he says, "Good lad. Now, come here." He pats his lap and helps position Chris across it -- not scooted up with his arse in the air as for a spanking, but more evenly, so his back is reasonably flat across Liam's thighs.

"There we go," Liam says. He reaches down for the plastic bag he'd discarded on the floor near the sofa a few hours ago and pulls out a couple of catalogs of seeds and plants and other garden necessities, along with a pad of paper. He fishes a ballpoint pen out of his pocket. "I thought we could get some work done on your garden -- it's time and then some to get some plants out there, although we'll need to figure out how you want it divided up first, give East his play area and make sure he can't get into the beds for his digging. I was thinking maybe some raised beds too high for him to jump on...."

He goes on speaking casually, explaining what he'd been thinking of and flipping through the catalogs to discuss his ideas and the various materials and supplies that would be needed, commenting on the plusses and minuses of the various choices to be made. He rests both the pad of paper and whichever catalog he's looking at on Chris's back, using him as a lap desk. While scribbling notes with one hand, his other alternates between flipping catalog pages and wandering over Chris's thighs and arse, casually enjoying having warm, smooth flesh to rub and caress in between doing more important things. His manner is matter-of-fact, as though his complete focus is on the task he's discussing, but a large (although covert) portion of his attention is on Chris and his response to being treated like furniture.

There's some shock in the beginning, some disappointed rubbing from his hard-on but as Liam talks, Chris finds himself falling into a lazy erotic haze, the words having nothing to do with sex but the connection....he can feel the intimacy. He doesn't say anything, his head pillowed on folded hands, his body serving Liam in whatever way he wants.

Liam can feel the initial tension flowing out of Chris's body and he smiles down at the back of the boy's dark head. He's behaving perfectly, as Liam had known he would -- quiet and accepting with no questions or protests.

"Now, dry stone is attractive and reasonably durable if done correctly," he says, tapping his pen on the top sheet of a stapled packet of pages he'd printed out, "but I've known folk whose dogs did quite a bit of damage to dry stone walls in their gardens, knocking stones from the tops and corners just from normal running about so I think a mortared wall, whether stone or brick would be more durable for you and the pup."

He flips a couple of pages in the packet and goes on about the benefits; in installation, durability and esthetics; of a nice, gray brick. His free hand is strongly tempted to stray, down Chris's cleft, over his sweet pucker and across his perineum to where his balls are dangling, full and heavy, but he's saving that for later when he wants his lover to be in considerably more distress than he is now. He intends to stretch this out for a while, to give them both plenty of time to enjoy the pleasure of gentle, low-key contact for now, so his hand just keeps rubbing and petting while he speaks.

Chris sinks deeper into the warm cocoon of Liam's voice, nodding, his eyes closing.

"Sounds perfect," he murmurs. "Perfect. Let's do that."

He's imagining a beautiful garden in the backyard, dog friendly and crafted by Liam, the work done by him...something they've created together. Their garden. With high walls, to keep the world at bay....

"We shall," Liam says softly. He circles a couple of things and adds a few notes, then flips the pen up and out of the way between his fingers and smoothes his palm across Chris's hair, feeling smooth tickle. "I think some foundation plantings this year, get some trees and shrubs in to anchor the beds, and fill in the empty spaces with annuals. We can see how things look by the fall, how the space functioned for you and East both, and move anything we need to before the weather gets too cold, then add more next spring.

"Here, hold this for me."

He tucks the pen behind Chris's right ear, leans over and fishes a highlighter out of the plastic bag. Still commenting and thinking out loud, he uses it to mark plants in the catalogs. His left palm, still exploring Chris's back end between page flipping, starts to rub a bit harder, kneading into the solid muscles every minute or so.

"Mmmmph," Chris growls happily, the dog version of a purr, rumbling through his body as Liam talks about the future -- because it takes time for gardens to grow and he'll still be here -- and his hand sinks into each touch like he's magic, like he's reaching inside Chris to pull out all the tension and worries that have built up.

Liam feels Chris's body relaxing; it drapes over his lap more lightly, as though he's getting comfortable as the tension lets go, and the muscles under his hand are more pliable, moving easily as he rubs and presses. The lad's relaxation translates into Liam's -- watching and feeling his lover sink into contented comfort lets him know he made the right choice. He sinks a bit deeper into the sofa cushions, his lover's warm weight making him happy in a way he hasn't felt in a very long time.

Maybe on some level this should feel like a waste -- with Jessie gone they could be doing anything, after all. Liam has an active imagination when it comes to bondage and could've figured out something extremely creative to do with Chris, despite the lad's lack of much specialized equipment. And they'll probably do that later but for now this feels right. They're both relaxed and enjoying each other -- connecting on a deep, unhurried level. Right at this moment he feels like they have all the time in the world and he wants to spend it here, together, just like this.

He flips to a fresh page in his notepad, swaps the highlighter for the pen behind Chris's ear and starts sketching.

There's a period where Chris thinks he might be dreaming because they're not in the living room anymore; they're out in the garden, which is actually a garden and not a giant patch of brown with weeds growing here and there. Everything is the way Liam has described it, they're together and it's just...peaceful.

And in the dream, Chris thinks, I wish you were kissing me.

And then he hears someone say aloud, "I wish you were kissing me."

Liam stops, startled, then smiles down at the back of the lad's head. He leans over and presses a kiss into his hair, caressing with his fingers. "Patience, dear heart. I'll be finished soon enough."

He goes on drawing, working on the layout, reminding himself not to plan for too much for this year. His free hand, though, is finally wandering farther, straying down Chris's arse. One finger tickles around the rim of his lover's pucker while he finds a variety of apple tree he knows will grow well in the yard. He rubs one knuckle idly behind the lad's balls while choosing flowering annuals to go under the back windows.

Chris can do patience because Liam is acting like they have all the time in the world and that's goddamn sexy quite frankly. He shifts a little, pressing back against Liam's fingers -- not demanding, just enjoying. He murmurs a few endearing things -- mostly that lilacs make him sneeze, he just remembered that and higher, just a little higher, doubting much of what he says even reaches Liam's ears.

Doesn't matter though, they have all the time in the world.

A big X goes through the lilacs page in the shrub catalog, with a note "allergic." Liam leafs through the next few pages, using his right hand since his left is occupied, and looks for something nice to substitute, hopefully something just as fragrant. Maybe some trellises with night-blooming jasmine?

"How'd you like to make love out in the garden some time, at night, with the scent of jasmine all around?" he asks lightly.

His left hand caresses Chris's balls, then pushes farther and rubs once up and down his swollen cock before sliding back out and massaging his arse again for a bit.

"Read my mind," Chris exhales, squirming and moving more intently now. "Want that with you." The long erotic drowse is coming to an end as Chris stretches and rubs under Liam's more concentrated attention.

"Jasmine it is, then," Liam says. He writes a few more words on the garden map, then tears the notes and plans off the pad and tucks them into the biggest of the catalogs. The whole pile gets tossed onto the coffee table, along with the pen and the highlighter, retrieved from behind Chris's ear.

Liam sits back again and enjoys having both hands free. He rubs and caresses his lover, like a big, happy dog draped across his lap. "You're such a good boy," he murmurs. "Did you like that? Being furniture for me?"

"Being whatever you want...I like that." Chris turns his head so he can catch Liam's eye. "I love being the center of your attention." He flushes a little.

"Always, dear heart." Liam leans down and wraps both arms around Chris's shoulders. He kisses the nape of his neck, then brushes his lips down his spine. He makes it all the way down to the cleft of his lover's arse, tickles it with his tongue, then bites playfully at one muscular cheek.

"It's been almost an hour and a half, though, so let's take this upstairs, just in case." He lands a light smack on Chris's arse and helps him stand up. "We wouldn't want to scandalize your Jessie," he adds, the corners of his eyes crinkling with humor.

"She's pretty impossible to scandalize, just so you know..." Chris rubs his ass like a spanked child -- though his grin is anything but upset. "I mean, I couldn't even begin to TRY...though, you know more. You can probably get her speechless at some point...."

"I'll have to try some time, then, if you think it'd be fun," Liam says, a teasing light in his eyes. "Now, let's head upstairs, shall we? She's a nice enough lass but I don't know that I want her to walk in on me whilst I'm shagging you senseless, even if it wouldn't scandalize her too terribly much."

Chris' eyes twinkle.

"Race ya?"

Liam laughs, then roars like a B-movie monster and chases his lover up the stairs, stomping heavily behind him and swiping at him occasionally from behind with hands stiffened into claw-like curves.

Chris does NOT snort but he comes close, dodging Liam and ending up in the bedroom and on the bed before he gets into the room.

"Dude, that's just...you're crazy..." He laughs, rolling around on the endless bed, cracking up.

"Crazy, am I? Disrespectful brat!" Liam launches himself onto the bed, still laughing, and lands on top of Chris with an oof and a protesting creak from the mattress and frame. He pins him down and starts tickling him with both hands.

Oh God, he's screwed...well, not literally, not yet. He's just writhing now, rubbing up against Liam in a sensuous way without trying to snort and gasp and giggle like a silly child.

Once Chris has melted into a helpless puddle of giggles, Liam gives him a last, deep kiss, then rolls off the bed. He takes a step back and stands in the center of the room. "Over here, now," he says, his voice sharp but his expression still focused on Chris. "Kneel, right here." He snaps his fingers and points down to the floor in front of his bare feet.

A boy is supposed to serve his master's whims, he thinks with a mental smile, so let's see if the lad likes to be kept hopping. He and Chris have really done so little, he's still experimenting to see what they both enjoy.

It takes a second for Chris to change gears. He trips a little as he moves off the bed and drops to the knees, the rub of the rug irritating his skin...it actually helps to center him. He drops his head, tucks his hands behind his back.

And tries not to pant because the adrenaline from the tickling and the order and moving has him twitching.

"Good boy." Liam accompanies the praise with a hand brushing through Chris's hair. "Now, get my trousers off."

"Yes, sir." Chris sucks on each word like a lollipop, reaching for Liam's fly with eager hands.

Liam watches Chris take down his trousers; he lifts one foot and then the other, then while the lad folds them and lays them on a chair, Liam fishes around in the still-messy bedcovers and finds the tube of lubricant they'd been using earlier.

"Here you go," he says, tossing it to Chris as soon as he turns around. "Lean over the foot of the bed and get yourself ready. I want your arse good and slick for me."

Chris gets so hard so fast he nearly tips over from the wave of painful sensation. Licking his lips, he gets up and rubs the tube between his hands, partially out of nerves, partially to warm it up -- partially to let the burn on his face dissipate before he lifts one knee onto the bed.

The lube is cool on his fingers; he takes a breath and snakes his arm under his raised leg, the flush of embarrassment back for a second as he presses his fingers against the pucker. He keeps his head down, working small circles until the need grows to the point where he can't help himself. Two fingers push in and he catches the resulting moan before it can reach the air.

The look of painfully embarrassed lust on Chris's face is lovely and for a moment Liam wishes he had a camera. Some other time, mayhap? For now, though, he just walks slowly around the bed, down one side, across the foot behind his lover and back up the other side, his eyes locked on the desperately moving fingers or the flushed and straining face, depending on where he is and which gives the best view.

It's easier with Liam watching him because then, he's doing it for his lover. He's obeying and pleasing, even as his own body opens and floods with erotic pulses. He starts to move faster, moaning a little as two fingers plunge deeper.

"Add another finger," Liam orders, walking around behind him once more. "And then four when you can. I want your arse wide open for me." He idly rubs his own swelling cock, a casual brush with one hand, his attention focused on Chris.

Three. In and out and in and biting his lip to keep from crying out. The fourth finger hurts but in a way that makes him never want to stop. He bends a little more, curves his fingers together, grazing his sweet spot to the point where he's suddenly afraid he might fall on the floor.

The moan rolls from his lips.

"Mmm, that's it, let me hear you moan for me," Liam says, suddenly looming Right There next to Chris. He reaches down and takes the lad's cock in his hand, not stroking or rubbing but just holding it firmly. He moves his hand with Chris's body as he shifts his weight, not letting him get any friction, just contact. "More," he murmurs right into Chris's ear. "I know you can. You can take four of my fingers up your arse, I know you can take your own more easily than that.

"And don't get too close -- you'll not be coming for a while yet." He touches a teasing kiss to his lover's ear and then moves away.

Chris nearly vibrates right out of his skin, processing all the sensations at once but mostly focusing on not coming, made harder -- in every way -- by the lingering warmth of Liam's hand on his dick and against his ear and yeah, he's moving four fingers now,
cramping up in his leg and his hand and his ass is open and he's desperately ready.

"There's my good boy," Liam says, watching the way the skin of Chris's arse stretches tight around his thrusting fingers. His hole's gaping open now and Liam can almost hear it begging for his cock.

He finds the third condom where it'd fallen to the floor earlier and tosses it onto the bed in front of Chris. "Enough of that, now. Back on your knees and suck me. I want to be harder for you."

Slowly, Chris pulls his fingers free. The rush of pain/relief makes him dizzy for a second; he wipes his hand on the end of the sheet and turns, the effort of getting to his knees much easier thanks to gravity. Sweat dots the back of his neck and under his hairline -- he can still feel the sensation of his fingers as he strokes his palms over Liam's hips, ducking his head to take his lover's dick in his mouth.

Liam sucks in a breath, his eyes half-closing. "Just like that...." The light, hesitant suction gets stronger as Chris's confidence grows. It feels so good, the warm tingle spreading through his cock. His muscles clench, wanting to thrust, but he holds steady. His hands move to his lover's head, threading his fingers through his hair, petting and encouraging him.

HIs concentration comes, about when the taste of Liam's cock starts to bloom on his tongue...when his fingers start stroking his hair. That's when Chris falls into the spell of it, the pleasure of pleasing Liam with his mouth. He sucks, long and hard then deep then shallow, working the entire length with meticulous attention to the details of his lover's arousal.

Liam can feel his cock swelling, getting thicker and harder, straining to fill more of his lover's mouth, to feel more of his eager tongue. A groan comes up from the back of his throat. He could stay like this forever, just like this, and be content.

When Liam moans, Chris sucks harder, pulling off until he can just massage the head of his lover's cock with his tongue. He resists the urge to look up, he resists the urge to look smug.

The waves of pleasure urge him on, beckon him closer to climax. Chris has a wonderfully skilled mouth on him and the temptation to just fuck his face until he comes down his lover's throat is sweetly compelling, but Liam wants that arse again and so he just breathes long and deep and enjoys the lad's attentions.

Chris slows down, making love to Liam until he's called off, until Liam decides what's next. In the meantime, he gives every ounce of his attention and appreciation to the task at hand.

"One day," Liam murmurs, "we'll have a contest and see which gives out first -- your jaw muscles or my control." He gives Chris a fond scritch behind both ears, like he would to East, then says in a teasing voice, "But not today. Today I'm going to fuck you again, just so I can say I did. On your feet, then, and bend over the footboard, arse in the air for me."

He pulls off like he's giving up a favorite sucker, finally lifting his eyes to Liam's face before he stands. Chris knows he can give a "come fuck me" look and he knows he isn't pretending when he throws it to Liam before turning slowly and leaning over the end of the bed. There's a shiver on his skin as he presents himself.

That glorious arse is still red from where he'd already fucked it twice that morning and it's just begging for another go. Liam picks up the condom, rips it open and rolls it on, his eyes never leaving his lover's backside.

Finally he stands behind him and bends over, curling his body over Chris's and wraps his arms around him. He gives him a long hug and whispers, "My perfect boy," then stands up and pushes in as slowly as he can manage.

It hurts so perfectly that Chris gives a long low moan; Liam's arms around him and his words drop him into a safe dreamy place where he can just let go and let his lover do what he wants.

He can feel Chris's moan vibrating against his body as he finally bottoms out, balls-deep inside him. He takes a deep breath and stands there, feeling the tight pressure all around his cock. Chris's back is warm and smooth under his hands, and he rubs up and down, then slides them under to caress his chest, sifting his fingers through the light fur. He teases the lad's nipples with his fingertips, then pinches both at once.

Finally he pulls out, still going slowly, and slides back in.

"Oh, Liam." The words fall out of Chris' mouth with a moan and he catches the I love you that automatically comes to mind. He closes his eyes, fisting the dirty sheets, undulating under Liam.

Chris's wriggling sends a wave of pleasure zinging through Liam's body and he speeds up, thrusting harder. He's fucking him with his whole body, pushing with his calves and thighs, his chest sliding up and down Chris's back. His hands move away from where they'd been teasing his nipples, going one up and one down so he can pull his lover into his strokes with one hand curled around the bend of his hips and the other wrapped around his chest and clamped to his shoulder, pulling the squirming body down onto his cock while it thrusts hard up inside.

The moans turn into cries, then the cries get louder, reverberating through the room. Chris pants, pushing back and forward, unable to pick one sensation to focus on so he goes limp, taking everything Liam pushes at him with complete acceptance.

He starts to feel the orgasm as if it's a trickle, rapidly turning into a waterfall.

Liam's balls are tight up against his body, aching to let go, and his cock is about to burst with need. He slams hard into Chris's arse, over and over, feeling the impact every time he yanks his lover's body up against his own. Finally he can't hold out anymore and he arches back while his hips grind up into the sweet hole clamped down on his prick and he groans out a long, slow orgasm.

There's a split second of time when Chris does nothing but smile -- because he's done this to Liam, his body is receiving the violent pleasure and there's a surge of ego and love that just twist up in his heart.

I love you, he thinks, then the last throes Liam's orgasm tip Chris over the edge; he leans his head down and comes.

Liam waits out Chris's orgasm, then gathers him up in his arms and stretches him out on the bed. He discards the condom, then spoons up behind him and holds him close. He's got a wicked smile on his face, but of course the lad can't see that.

"You came without permission," he murmurs into his lover's ear. One hand slides down his torso and smears the mess on Chris's stomach. "I'll have to think of a way to help you remember not to do that again."

Chris' hazy, half-awake eyes shoot open as Liam's words sink in. He tenses up, turning as quickly as he can in Liam's arms.

"I'm sorry...I completely...I'm so sorry."

The stammering apology nearly melts him and he thinks about just overlooking it. But that's not how the game is played and Chris wouldn't be happy if the rules weren't real. Liam cuddles him close and rubs his back.

"It's all right, dear heart. You forgot. I'll take it as a compliment this time but we'll have to work on that. And I think I know something that'll help." He dots kisses all over Chris's face, his (admittedly messy) hands still rubbing soothing circles up and down. "Come on, shower first and then we'll get you some assistance."

Chris nods, still feeling bad though not as bad as he could he supposes. Jason used to dish out punishment with a healthy dose of shaming and disgust -- Liam is still holding him close, kissing him. He's not being chastised.

And he's curious as to what assistance Liam has planned.

With a last hug, Liam rolls out of bed, then tugs Chris up after him. "You go get the shower started," he says. "Nice and hot. I'll be there in a minute." He turns away and opens the magic drawer, hunting through its contents.

Chris takes a peek over his shoulder but he's not going to push his "nice Liam in the punishment department" luck. He ducks into the bathroom and starts the shower, laying fresh towels on the rack.

Liam'd found what he'd been looking for and had the necessary item laid out on top of the nightstand. By the time he entered the bathroom it's warm and steamy and Chris has everything ready.

"Good lad," he says with a quick hug, then guides him toward the stall. "Come on, let's go. I want you wet and squirmy."

"Interesting criteria for a punishment scenario," Chris mumbles as he ducks into the shower stall, sticking his head under the rush of water to wash away his thoughts and really a lot of sweat.

Liam chuckles and says, "That's for later. Now's just to get clean." He steps in behind Chris, closes the shower door and ducks under the spray until he's thoroughly soaked. "Fucking you is hard work, though, and I'm feeling lazy so I'm going to let you wash me."

"Poor man, poor me," Chris smiles, taking the washcloth off its little rack and pouring body wash on it. He feels a little better now -- old habits die hard though, he thinks as he begins to rub circles over the massive terrain that is Liam.

"Aye, I know it's difficult, but that's why you're the sub." Liam rests his forearms on Chris's shoulders and smiles down at him while he works. The lad's doing a thorough job and he can feel himself relaxing under his care.

"That word...can mean a lot of things," Chris says thoughtfully after a few minutes, the patter of the water hitting and falling off their body filling his ears. "Sub...submissive. Boy. Whatever." One shoulder lifts in a shrug. "What does it mean to you? I mean -- what do you want me to be like?"

"Humm. If I'd wanted to change you, anything really fundamental about you, we wouldn't be here. You know that, yeah?" Liam brushes a hand over Chris's wet heat, then tugs him forward and kisses him lightly. "What I want is your own sweet self letting me take care of you. You seem to like doing for me, so part of taking care of you is letting you take care of me sometimes.

"I've never been one for a lot of rules and formality for their own sake, but I imagine you want at least some of that just because that's part of what folks like about subbing, so we'll work that out as we go. But mainly what I enjoy is taking care of the people I care for, and to do that I have to be in charge." He shrugs and gives Chris a lopsided smile. "I'm not much in the usual line of doms, I know, but I'll do my best to make you happy."

"You make me happy already -- with what you do." Chris funnels the water over Liam, washing off the soap. "It's just nice being...the center of your attention," he mutters, ducking his head a little as the water begins to cool. "You talking about the garden, like you knew we were going to be together for a while. That's exactly what I need to be happy."

"Well, that I can give you," Liam says, arching into the stream of hot water. "I'm going to be here for a long time. I imagine you'll be the one leaving every now and again, going off to your filming or your talk shows or whatever. But I'll be here when you get back."

"I have to leave soon," he sighs. "A few months -- it sucks. I'm going to miss you...." He snickers as he reaches around to shut off the water. "Though we always have dirty chat...."

"You're leaving... in a few months or for a few months?" Liam asks, frowning slightly. "I'll admit I'm hoping for the former and not the latter."

Chris steps out of the shower, head down, reaching for the warmed towels.

"Both."

Liam cocks his head at that, then sighs and takes a towel. "Well, I'm glad you'll be here for a while but I'm going to miss you while you're gone. When are you leaving?"

"Mid-summer." Chris ties a towel around his waist then takes the one out of Liam's hand to dry him off, spending a long amount of time on places that don't require him to look his lover in the eye. "New York, Toronto, Vancouver...."

"Before or after your birthday?" Liam asks.

"After." Chris dries off Liam's shoulder, following his efforts with a kiss to the warm damp skin. "Why?"

"I was hoping to keep it a surprise, both for the fun of it and in case it didn't work out, but I was thinking we could go somewhere for our birthdays. Mine's just a few days before yours, you know? Someplace warm, with a beach, maybe one of the club resorts where we could wander about naked and snog in the sand if we were of a mind."

Liam wraps his arms around Chris's waist and lifts him up, towel and all, and carries him back to the bedroom. "Someplace where we could take a picnic out and stay as long as we liked, where I could tie you to a tree like a pirate...." He falls forward onto the bed, taking his lover with him and kissing him fiercely. "Cut your clothes off and tease you all day, and ravish your body whenever I was of a mind to." He moves down and sucks hard on one nipple. "Do you think you'd like that kind of a birthday gift?"

"You had me at someplace warm, alone...." Chris laughs, his voice breaking with a lusty breath as Liam's teeth take away his ability to speak clearly. "I'd love that," he murmurs, angling himself for a kiss on the lips.

Liam scoots back up and obliges him with a long, thorough kiss. "Well, good then," he says, when they both finally come up for air. "I'll look into it and we'll do it. Get away from all this, just the two of us, and laze about for a while being all decadent."

Chris smiles slyly. "Like this weekend?"

"Well, yeah, like this weekend. I was thinking more sun and palm trees than we've got right here but we can consider this a practice run." Liam kisses the tip of Chris's nose and adds, "And speaking of practicing..." then reaches over to the nightstand and picks up a ragged strand of cord about a foot long.

"I didn't think to bring much with me when I came, I just grabbed the bag with your presents and the notes and such for your garden and dashed right over as soon as Jack and Christian left, so I had to improvise. I snipped a bit off one of the ropes in the drawer and stripped out one of the strands. It's soft and strong and should do nicely."

Shifting gears isn't Chris' greatest talent; for a moment he just squints and gets a confused look on his face.

"We're going to practice making knots?" he asked.

Liam chuckles and kisses him again, on the chin this time, then scoots down the bed a ways. "No, you're going to practice controlling yourself and I'm going to help you." He rubs a hand over Chris's cock for a moment, then urges his thighs apart. "I've improvised cockrings before. And I'm sure between me and your Jessie, once she gets back, you'll get plenty of practice." He leans down and gives his lover's prick a swipe with his tongue. "And if we do this right, when you finally do come there'll be hole in the ceiling right up there, clear through to the attic. We'll have to make sure Jessie doesn't find it or we'll never have a private moment in here ever again, if I read the lass aright."

"You and Jessie?" Chris starts to sweat profusely. "Hole in the ceiling?" It sounds like the fourth level of hell in Dante's Inferno. "Wuh?" That's as articulate as he's going to get as Liam bends over his cock, looking sexy and wicked and wielding a piece of rope.

This time Liam laughs out loud. "Has anyone ever told you that you're absolutely adorable when you're becroggled?" he asks. "Because you are. Completely. Now, lay back, knees up, there's my boy." He loops the soft cord around Chris's balls and shaft and ties a secure knot, just tight enough, right behind his sack. He's worn this himself a time or two and knows that if one squirms just right while sitting, the knot puts wicked pressure on the perineum. He smiles to himself, sure the lad'll figure it out soon enough.

"There you go. Now, let's get dressed and go take a last look around the garden and make sure we haven't missed anything. Since we have some plans, we should go shopping. There are a couple of garden supply centers I know that should have most of what we need. If we get it all assembled today, we can put in a good day's work tomorrow."

Chris moves gingerly, like Liam just strapped a hydrogen bomb to his balls. It doesn't seem too bad, he just needs to watch how he moves because he figures this thing to be tricksy.

"We're going out?" he gulps, walking to his dresser and realizing his gait is anything but natural. People are going to think he's trying to steal a rake as he walks out of the store. "Out? Where the people are?"

Liam watches him moving for a few moments, then cocks his head. "Well, perhaps. And not right away. We need to clean up the kitchen first and go scout out the garden, make sure the plans match the actuality, then we'll see. You'll likely be more used to it when you've been walking around for a bit. It's odd, I know, but it's not so horrible as all that."

He reaches for his trousers and pulls them on, then ruffles Chris's hair as he walks past him to fetch his jumper out of the corner. "Come on, move around," he says, his voice muffled through the knit until his head pops out the top.

"No one's ever accidentally castrated themselves this way, have they?" he asks cautiously, putting a loose pair of khakis on and holding his breath as he zips and buttons them up.

"Well, I never did," Liam says while hunting for his second sock. "You'll get used to it, I promise. You won't forget it's there but eventually you'll be able to, hmmm, take most of your attention away from if when you need to. Occasionally."

Next Chris puts a tee shirt, pausing in mid-stretch to make sure his penis doesn't come off and slide down the leg of his pants. Safely assured it's still attached, Chris finishes putting his shirt on, eyeing Liam warily.

"So after the gardening and the shopping, you're going to tease me stupid and this thing'll make sure I don't come. Right?"

Liam slips into his shoes and says, "I won't tease you too much. Just enough. It is possible to come through a cockring but it hurts quite a lot. Some people like that kind of hurt but we won't go there. The point of all this, aside from how wonderful it feels when you do finally get to come, is to give you some help controlling yourself. When you don't have permission to come, wearing a cockring makes it easier, gives you one less thing to worry about."

It all sounds so logical the way Liam explains it, so many miles away from punishment and shame and fear that Chris is slow to accept the truth into his bones. Into his way of thinking....

But Liam would never hurt him. He knows that. His bones do too.

"Makes sense," he says softly. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, dear heart." Chris still looks a bit iffy and Liam's not sure why, but his all-purpose, first-response cure for that sort of thing is a hug so he moves over to where Chris is standing and takes him in his arms. "It'll be fine and we'll have fun. And if it ever gets to be too much just say so and we'll get it off, all right?"

"I trust you." Chris folds himself into the embrace, soaking it up as he looks up with a smile. "I'm sure I'm just being paranoid...but you know. I like my dick and I'm pretty sure you like it too -- so you wouldn't do anything to hurt it permanently," he teases, the smile starting to become full wattage.

That had Liam laughing out loud. "Aye, I do indeed like your dick right where it is. We won't let anything bad happen to it."

Cooking and Conversation [Liam, Chris, Jessie]

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 03:31:05 GMT

[Takes place a couple of hours after Jessie watches Liam and Chris's reunion.]

Liam blinks awake and only then realizes that he'd been asleep. Not surprising -- they'd had quite a work-out and had actually used the second of the three condoms before collapsing. Not bad for an old man; he hadn't needed two condoms in quick succession in... well, a few years.

He turns his head toward Chris and sees that his lover's snuggled up next to him but out cold. He looks even younger when he's sleeping and isn't that a thought to make a man blink.

It's comfortable here, under the sheet and the quilt and Chris's arm, but it's been a while since breakfast and he has a feeling Chris would like having lunch in bed. Breakfast would be better, of course -- maybe tomorrow. At any rate, he slides slowly out from under the sleep-limp arm, pulls on his trousers and heads silently downstairs.

A few minutes of poking around the kitchen and he's got the makings for a vegetable quiche. The food components, that is. Chris doesn't have a proper quiche dish but he's got a foil pie pan in a plastic package that had originally held two, and who knows how old that is but it'll do. Soon enough he's got the pastry dough in the fridge resting and is cutting up cheese (mental note: buy the lad a proper box shredder) for the filling.

Jessie had taken another shower -- eventually -- and then flipped through an Italian Vogue to try to press out the memories of what she'd seen but her brain was NOT cooperating. Eventually she dozed, dreaming so vividly she thought she was hearing it all over again….

When she opened her eyes, the sun had clearly changed direction and even better -- she smelled food. The boys must've finally emerged from the sex den -- oh no, thinking the thoughts again -- and gone downstairs.

Jessica puts on a pair of jeans and a tank top, tying her hair back into a pony tail as she jogs down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hey...oh hey." She pauses awkwardly as she spies Liam at the stove -- sans Chris.

"Jessie." Liam tosses her a nod over his shoulder before turning back to the frying pan. "I don't suppose you've any experience of this soy bacon stuff? I'll admit it doesn't smell bad but still...." He gives her a quick, teasing glance of mock-outrage at the thought of fake pig while his hands move competently over the pan, turning the crisping strips of... whatever.

Jessie makes a face and points to the fridge. "There's some real stuff hidden in the fridge, behind the beer. You have to use the blue frying pan though…." Her eyes roll back into her head. "He's particular about these things." She fidgets for a moment, hands in her back pockets. "Want some help?"

Liam's actually tempted by the siren call of authentic bacon-from-a-pig for a few moments, but he ends up shaking his head. "I'll keep it in mind for next time -- mayhap make one for carnivores and one for the grass-eater," he says with a sideways smile. "But I've only one pie pan so this time everything's going all together." He looks around, then points to the onion sitting next to a cutting board. "If you're of a mind to help, though, then you could chop that."

"Tsk, tsk, making a girl do the crying work," she smiles, moving to the sink to wash her hands then taking up a knife from the holder. "What are you making?" Jessie asks, near enough now to poke her head around Liam's imposing frame. "Looks good." I saw you naked and having sex with Chris.

"A vegetable quiche," Liam replies. "And with this soy stuff here, I still consider it vegetable, despite the claimed 'authentic smoked bacon flavor' but one makes allowances, aye?"

He takes the last of the ersatz-bacon out of the pan and lays the whole batch on a stack of paper towels, covers it all with a few more and sets a plate on top of the whole thing. He turns the stove down instead of off; as soon as Jessie's done with the onion he'll saute it in the... well, the grease, whatever it's actually made of.

Jessica works on the onion quickly, sniffling her way through. "I eat healthy but Chris takes it to a new level. I mean, I like living with him and everything but sometimes I miss just having a burger."

She pushes the cutting board closer to Liam then washes her hands, getting a cool paper towel for her eyes. "Ha ha, I'm crying for a burger…."

The chopped onion gets scraped into the frying pan with a chuckle. "Some day we'll have steaks, yeah? I'll wager we could even get East on our side." He turns the heat back up and swirls the onion about, watching it begin to turn transparent. He pulls the pan off the heat when they're about half-done; they'll finish in the oven when the quiche goes in.

Blowing her nose, Jessie goes to the fridge to get out the orange juice. "So, Liam," she says, in a way that would send anyone who knows her screaming from the room. "You don't think it's weird I live with Chris?”

Liam cocks his head at her, pausing in his prep for a moment. "You mean, am I jealous?" he asks, preferring as usual to be direct about this sort of thing. "No, I'm not. First, I'm not the jealous sort. Second, even if I were I'd hardly have a right to complain about what Chris does right now." He turns and leans against the counter so he can look straight at her. "I can give him very little of my time," he explains, his voice quiet and even, "and even less of my attention. Demanding that he wait about for me, all alone, would simply drive him away. Or, I hope it would, because if I were that sort of a selfish rotter I'd not deserve to have him at all."

She thinks this over, getting two glasses and filling them.

"He's crazy about you -- and he's patient." Jessie sighs. "He's good at being patient, being...he's like a monk in some ways. He'll just deny himself what he wants or needs for other people. But then you know that."

Jessie hands him a glass of juice.

"So you're going to make sure he doesn't have to wait forever -- right? Because some smart person might come snatch him up."

He knows what she's looking for, what she wants to hear, and he wishes he could give it to her. Instead he takes a sip of juice and then says, "Unfortunately, the impediment isn't something I control. I have obligations I can't simply abandon, no matter how strong the temptation might be. I will say, though, that the end is in sight. Or I think it is. And in fact I've some good news for Chris, something I didn't get around to telling him before we became... otherwise occupied but I'm reasonably sure it'll make him very happy.

"As for the other...." He pauses and gives her a sad smile. "I've no doubt that someone else will come along and take him from me at any rate, whether sooner or later -- the only question is when. Look at me, lass," he says spreading his arms slightly. "I'm old enough to be his grandfather, physically if not socially. I'm healthy and fit but it can't last forever and I know that no matter how much I--"

He cuts himself off there and looks past her for a moment before continuing. "No matter how much I might want it to be otherwise, I can't have him forever. I'll take what I can get and delight in the having while he's with me. And some day when he finds someone closer to his own age and moves on, I'll... know that I had more than I ever expected."

Liam's not sure why he's saying all this to a young lass he hardly knows, but it feels right. Maybe because he can tell she cares for Chris too, and it gives them a bond of sorts. At any rate, it's something of a relief to actually put it all into words.

Jessie's eyes roll so far back in her head she sees her thoughts from last year.

"Jesus Stinking Christ, you two are PERFECT for each other!" she explodes, gesturing with the half full glass of orange juice and magically keeping it from flying over the room. "How...romantic. How selfless. How freaking maudlin! I feel like I should be wearing a corset and sewing God Save the Queens a sampler."

She's so frustrated she could punch something so she walks up to Liam and socks her small fist into his rather large shoulder.

"Jerk. He's crazy in love with you and you're all...gee willigers, if someone else comes along and gets him I can accept it -- wrong answer! Wrong, wrong, wrong! You don't accept that answer -- you make sure you keep him because you love him -- and don't deny it, it's like the biggest DUH in the history of mankind!!"

Liam blinks at the furious little girl glaring up at him, startled speechless for a moment and absently rubbing his shoulder. He finally gives her a wry smile and says, "Well, I'm glad you think we're right for each other, at any rate."

When her eyes spit sparks and she looks to start up again, he lays one finger lightly over her lips. "As for the other, it's not so simple as all that. How would you feel if someone said, 'Aye, I'm in love with you but I've no time for you. I love you but if someone else calls, I'll drop you in half a blink and dash off. I love you but if someone else needs me then I'd stop dead in the middle of anything, including sex, and hurry away to them because their needs have to come first with me?' What kind of love is that?" He shakes his head, his smile vanished. "I'd not offer anyone something so paltry, much less someone I were in love with. That's not love, it's an insult, and I'd pound on anyone who tried to shovel such shite on Chris."

Jessica's eyes narrow sharply.

"Then why haven't you ended things? I mean -- you're all noble about this. You can't make him any promises...why don't you just dump him, leave him for me? I'm cute and single and I l....love him like a brother...that I have sex with." She lifts her chin with defiance, high spots of color on each cheek. "Hmmmmm?"

His smile blooms again and Liam runs a finger down her cheek. "Because I'm not that noble, lass, and you don't qualify at any rate. Chris has to be the one who's in love with someone else -- I gave him my last Noble Fade Into the Sunset coupon, whether he knows it or not. If you can manage to get him to love you enough to walk away then I'll know he's happy and you can have him with my blessing. Until then, though, I'm selfish enough to take what I can get."

"I can't compete with you, I don't have a dick," Jessie points out, a smirk slowly evolving on her face. "Between us though, I think we make the perfect uh...thing for Chris."

Liam cocks his head at her, then turns and heads over to the fridge. He takes the pastry out, a speculative look on his face, and turns the ball of dough out into the pie pan. "That's an interesting thought," he says at last. "You've certainly been doing a good job keeping him company recently. And I am glad he's had you about. He's not the sort of lad who should be alone." He goes about pressing the crust into the pan while speaking.

Inside he's wondering if she's proposing something like a three-way. On the one hand, she doesn't seem like the sort who'd dance around the matter if it were indeed on her mind, but on the other hand it's not a subject one just drops onto the table with no warning. She's a lively young woman, and pretty enough, but women just.... Well, it would depend, on a number of things.

"No, he shouldn't be alone. He gets broody. Sits in his head for too long." She sighs, finishes her orange juice and wishes it had vodka in it. "He's such a girl sometimes."

"Neither of you has any reason to believe I'm a girl," Chris croaks, slinking into the kitchen, his complexion resembling that of an uncooked steak. "Do I even want to know what you two are talking about?"

"I know for a fact that you're not a girl at all," says Liam. A few steps take him across the kitchen and he gives Chris a quick hug and a kiss. "If you'd stayed asleep a bit longer I'd have brought up lunch, but since you're awake -- or nearly -- we can eat downstairs." He re-crosses the room, lays a piece of foil over the dough in the pie pan, arranges a couple of spoons on top of the foil and puts the pan into the oven. While working, he continues, "And we were just talking about how lucky you are to have both of us about. I'm glad Jessie's here for you when I can't be."

Chris gives Jessie a glare.

Jessie sticks her tongue out at him and goes back into the fridge to retrieve the orange juice container.

"Uh yeah...I'm lucky all the way around." So to speak, metaphorically, oh look a rimshot. "How long have you two been awake? Together."

Liam sets the timer on the oven and heads back over to take Chris into his arms. "Only a few minutes. Why, isn't that long enough? You could go tuck yourself back into bed for a while if you'd rather we had more time alone to talk about you."

"I'm feeling like that's more than enough time." Chris leans casually in Liam's arms, suddenly realizing he's only wearing sweatpants – and that both other members of the kitchen contingent have seen him in much less. "Do I get to ask what you were talking about or are we going the torture Chris route?"

"Torture Chris route," Jessie pipes up, handing him a glass of orange juice.

"You wouldn't want me to contradict a lady, now, would you?" Liam asks with a lazy smile. He rubs his hands up and down Chris's arms and kisses the top of his head.

Chris drinks his orange juice and rolls his eyes when Jessie leans in for a kiss. He gives her a smack on the lips, a strange current of energy running through him -- in Liam's arms, Jessie's mouth against his.

He shivers.

"Thanks," he murmurs, taking a sip. It takes a second but he glances up at Liam. "Hey, you're still here!"

"Aye, I am," Liam agrees. He gives Chris a squeeze and says, "I wouldn't have left without telling you goodbye, you know. But I can stay. Christian and Jack are at Christian's place, cleaning it up for a friend who's coming to stay in a while. They'll be there all weekend." He just stops there, letting Chris draw his own conclusions, watching his lover's face and hiding a smile.

It takes a second but Chris explodes into a huge smile, like a kid at Christmas.

"That means you're here all weekend!"

Snickering from where she's taking plates from the closet for their lunch, Jessie closes the door with a clunk.

"Someone gonna give me a hundred for a hotel room or do I get to stay in the Love Motel with you two?"

"All weekend," Liam promises with another huge hug. "Tonight and tomorrow night -- I'll wander back Sunday afternoon some time. We can do whatever you like until then, so start thinking." He looks up over Chris's shoulder and adds, "And I don't mind if your Jessie stays around so that's up to you, too. But she was quiet and stayed out of the way earlier, so I've no objection to her being about the place." Then with a wink at Jessie, he lowers his voice and whispers into Chris's ear, "If you want to get up to anything more elaborate, we can head down to the Club and get a room with a door that locks," punctuating it with a teasing nip to the lad's earlobe.

"If you go to the Club, you're taking me!" Jessie announces, returning to her setting of the table duties.

"If we go to the Club, we have to take her and you don't want to do that...really." With a furious blush, Chris buries his face in Liam's shoulder and laughs. God, this is perfect. Perfect. A whole weekend together -- and strangely, Jessie being there doesn't mess everything up in his head -- and mostly alone and able to touch and talk without worry. It's freaking bliss.

The oven timer bings just then. Liam gives Chris a hug and a kiss before heading over, grabbing up a kitchen towel on his way to take out the hot pie pan. He turns the spoons out into the sink and lifts off the foil; the crust is a perfect golden brown, not quite done. He starts layering chopped vegetables, small chunks of cheese and bits of the fake bacon product, saying, "If we do go to the Club we can leave her at the door and find that room I mentioned with a lock on it. She's a big girl and I'm sure she'll manage."

Jessica cackles and Chris sits down at the table with a loud snort.

"Hey, Liam, you've been a member for a long time right? So you'll have some clout if she burns the place down...."

"Liam, don't listen to him. I haven't burned anything down in ages. Besides, if I'm naked, I'll have no place to put the matches. Well...."

Chris puts his hands up in a pleading motion. "Stop the thought process, right there. I'm enjoying the scent of homemade food and the sight of the man making it."

"Sap."

"Children." Liam manages to keep his voice stern and not laugh, although it's difficult. He recalls his conversation with Chris about Jessie and the Club and that leash is looking like a better and better idea. There might even be a friend or two around who'd be willing to hold it while he and Chris went upstairs.... "Behave or we're not going anywhere." Which is utter rubbish since he said they'd do whatever Chris wanted, but it sounds good. He gives each of the youngsters a hard stare, then turns back to the counter to finish building the quiche (and incidentally, let out the smile that's been fighting to escape for the last half minute or so.) Five eggs get beaten in a bowl and poured carefully into the pie, then the whole thing goes back into the oven.

"If I don't stop, will I get a spanking?" Jessica wheedles.

Chris throws a napkin at her head. "Shut up!"

"If you don't stop, you'll be completely ignored," Liam says without bothering to turn around. He sets the timer and heads over to the table, lifts Chris up, sits in his chair and settles the lad down on his lap. He gives his lover a long, thorough kiss, then raises an eyebrow at Jessie. "You didn't really think that'd work, did you?"

She shrugs. "I'm still feeling you out. So to speak." Jessie relaxes in her chair, eyes watching Liam, watching Chris' blissful expression and smile. "Now I know if I'm a good girl, I'll get what I want...."

"That's not quite how it works either, but it's a fair way closer than the other," Liam says, eyeing her good-girl mask. He doesn't trust her any farther than he could throw her and Chris tied together in a bundle but she's new to all this and it won't hurt to give her a few hints. "When you've a master, you get what he wants to give you. If you're good he's more likely to reward you but there's no guarantee of it. And different dominants have different styles, different preferences. There are some who'll lock you in a chastity belt for a month or a year and not let you come the whole time because wielding that sort of power is what they enjoy. They find subs who enjoy being done to in that fashion and they get along perfectly.

"That's the trick of it, though -- finding someone who likes the same things you do. Some doms want perfect obedience and formality while others want a snarling sub who won't obey unless he's knocked about, and still others are more casual, somewhere in the middle. If you like spankings you wouldn't want to hook up with someone who prefers whips or canes, and if you want to be a pampered pet then you wouldn't be happy with a hardcore sadist. It's like any other sort of matching, whether it's finding someone whose tennis game is about even with yours or making sure a prospective boyfriend doesn't want to spend the summer scuba diving when you'd rather have season tickets for the theater. Your job is to obey your dom and your dom's job is to make sure you're happy, but it only works if the two of you have desires and preferences which fit together."

Chris has a moment of worry as he cuddles in Liam's arms -- is that us? Are we well-matched? But he says nothing as he watches a host of emotions cross Jessie's face. For all her big talk, he knows her and he knows she's worried about all this. And doing it right.

"Are there doms who'll take on somebody who doesn't know what she's doing?" Jessica asks lightly, playing with one of the forks on the table. "Or do you have to be good already? At...stuff."

"No, you don't have to know everything or even much at all," Liam assures her. "If you're new then most folks will understand. Some doms prefer a trained slave but there are plenty who enjoy the training. And if you're really worried about that, Citadel has classes you can take.

"I think it's more important to match up general preferences and personalities, though. If you like and respect each other, if you're comfortable together, if you turn each other on, if you enjoy the same activities -- or at least mostly overlap and can accommodate each other without violating hard limits -- then the details of how your master wants you to crawl and speak and and suck him off are just that -- details that can be learned." Liam's been caressing Chris gently while speaking; explaining things to Jessie just makes him all the more grateful to have found someone like this, who matches him so well.

"It'll be fine Jessie," Chris says softly, relaxing completely under Liam's hands. "When you least expect it, you'll find the perfect situation."

Her large doe eyes flicker over the scene next to her, thinking back to what she saw before, mixing it together in a stew of envy. "You're such a romantic, Chrissy," she teases, more gentle than sarcastic.

"Aye, he is, and that's one of the reasons we match so well," Liam says, dropping a kiss into Chris's hair. "You'll find someone who's perfect for you, too. It's worth the wait, I promise. And you can have plenty of fun while you're looking." He winks at her just as the timer goes off once more. "Lunch," he says, and slips out from under Chris to go fetch it from the oven.

Jessie stares at Chris and he stares back and the weirdness of the moment is filled with a silence so pregnant he can feel the water break when Liam returns to the table with their delicious smelling food.

"It'll all work out, Jessie," Chris says again, standing up. He strokes her hair a little, the way she likes it, kisses the top of her head.

Oblivious to the tension, Liam rummages through a drawer and comes up with a knife wide enough to use without too much trouble. He adds "pie server" to the mental list of things he's going to get for Chris's kitchen, then comes over and sits down, this time next to Chris instead of underneath him.

"This should really set for fifteen minutes," he admits as he slices into it, "but I've worked up an appetite today and don't feel like waiting." The pieces he serves out aren't ready for a magazine cover, but they smell good and he's reasonably sure they'll taste good, even with the ersatz-bacon. As he picks up his fork, he looks at Jessie and says, "Any time you've questions, lass, feel free to ask. Chris will tell you I love explaining things, and especially in this environment, it doesn't do to go in too terribly innocent. Citadel is as safe as it gets, but a misunderstanding can still cause hurt feelings and embarassment and resentment. I'll tell you anything you want to know -- just ask."

"Thanks, Liam," Jessie says, honestly grateful and a bit quieter now. She picks up her fork and starts eating.

"Delicious," Chris pronounces, leaning against Liam even as he stretches out his leg to brush against Jessica's. "You can come spend the weekend cooking anytime," he teases his lover gently.

"I'll cook for you whenever you like, dear heart, but if it's going to be here then we'll have to go shopping," Liam says with a teasing look. "We'll get your toy collection up to standard yet, and then you'll see something." He takes a bite, his mind running over lists of things Chris's place needs, groceries and equipment both, before it can really be said to have a kitchen.

Chris sees the mirth bloom in Jessie's eyes and he gives her a quick nudge under the table -- not a kick, just sort of a jostle -- right as she's opening her mouth. "I'm looking forward to it," he says quickly.

Liam, who's thinking about carnivores and vegetarians, says, "I'm sure I can come up with something special for both of you."

A huge slug of orange juice is the only thing that keeps Jessie from saying something completely outrageous, but Chris can still read it in her eyes. He grins at Liam, trying hard not to crack up himself, and says, "I'm sure you can."

Marketing List

Sun, 02 Apr 2006 20:18:11 GMT

[Takes place about two and a half weeks after this scene with Liam and Chris, which begins in the garden and ends up in the shower.]

Liam's wandering about the place with a notepad and a pencil, adding things to the marketing list. The kitchen is the easiest, since he's in there every day and it's where the list lives, magnetted to the fridge. As he uses things up or thinks of things he wants, he scribbles them down. The rest of the house is where things are forgotten, things that only have to be replaced periodically, like soap and laundry powder and lube.

The downstairs bathroom needs its own tube; Liam leans against the vanity and scribbles it down. Just looking at the shower brings back memories now -- twice he and Chris have fucked in here and it's becoming one of his favorite rooms. It definitely needs its own lube though, and damned if he didn't used to laugh at the lads who kept a supply in every room of the house.

While he's here he checks for soap and shampoo and razors and... and what? He frowns down into the shadowed cupboard under the sink. Something's missing....

And then he sees it. Or rather, he doesn't see it and he straightens up, leaning against the wall, watching himself in the shower over two weeks ago now, pushing into Chris's tight arse, so slowly, concentrating on holding back and not hurting him, nearly mad with wanting to slam in hard... and all he'd thought of, focused on at the time was that they hadn't any lube.

Fuck.

They also hadn't had a condom and where the bloody hell had his brain been?

Stupid question, obvious answer. And he's that fashed with himself because he hasn't gone without a condom in... fifteen, nearly twenty years. It'd become a habit and he's no idea why it slipped.

Or... well, yeah he does. Chris. When he's near the lad his brain just turns to jelly and leaks out his ears and usually it's a pleasant feeling in a weird and... brainless sort of way, but this is annoying. He knows he's healthy and he's sure Chris is -- the lad joined the club recently enough that the ink could hardly be dry on his last set of tests -- but this is a bad habit to get into.

Lube, condoms, he scribbles down. Then adds a "2" after each one -- might as well cover the upstairs bathroom too while he's at it.

Reach Out and Touch [Liam/Chris]

Sun, 26 Mar 2006 00:08:53 GMT

[Takes place on Monday, March 20th, while Liam's in LA and Chris is in Boston.]

Chris resists the urge to throw the laptop across the room, sliding his finger over the little pad to try and get to where he's going on the Citadel site. He's logged in. He's found some information but mostly he's just working at a pace that can only be labeled "slow and confused."

Jessie wants to join the Club and Chris would like to figure out how he sponsors her; he's figuring out he needs to write a letter (Dear sirs, please don't be afraid of Jessie, she's paper trained. You should let her in. Signed, Scared in London) and she needs to fill out forms and see a doctor and then there's a little button he clicks on accidentally....

Instant messaging? Okay then.

He's logged in -- he assumes, wondering if he should call his little sister on her cell phone so she could explain what the hell he does next.

Liam has his usual dozen windows open -- most having to do with his current project and a few for purposes of therapeutic time-wastage -- when a bing announces someone new signing on to Citadel's message system. He glances down at the pop-up, then does a doubletake and smiles. A spatter of keytaps and he's pinging Chris.

Cit_Liam: Chris! How are you today? [hug]

Chris' head tilts to one side like East when he's trying to figure out something complicated like where the toy in Chris' hand went.

He slowly types, hi, is this my Liam? in the window, hoping he's doing this right and hoping it's the right Liam.

He presses enter.

Liam's smile broadens and his shoulders shake in a silent chuckle.

Cit_Liam: I certainly hope so, dear heart. Maybe we need a password, in case someone hacks the system?

Chris_Evans: dear heart works. me on this tiny keyboard is another story. scuse mistakes? How's LA?

When are you coming back? Chris lays flat on the floor, watching and waiting.

Cit_Liam: Gray and wet. Although the hotel has a lovely pool. I've never understood the reluctance of some folk to go swimming when it's raining. What, are they afraid of getting wet??

Chris chuckles.

Chris_Evans: never thought of it that way. just remember_hotel pool means you have to wear TRUNKS111

Liam eyerolls while typing.

Cit_Liam: Trust me, I know. I have a pair that lives in my suitcase, since the only time I need them is when I'm travelling. It feels strange but it's been so long since I've been able to swim that I honestly didn't care this time out.

Chris_Evans: you cn come over when you get back to london and be naked in my tub.

He feels daring to type that. He wonders if it counts as cybersex...

Cit_Liam: I'd love to, dear heart. And as soon as I can I will. We'll shut out the world for at least a week and not emerge at all. Make sure your fridge is stocked because not even starvation will pry us out of the house once we've locked the door.

For right now it's just a dream but it's all Liam has and Jaysus, he needs it. Something to hang onto, something to look forward to, to promise himself for when all the rest of this is over with.

Chris_Evans: can't wait.

He'd like to say more but his hands freeze against the keyboard. He's fantasized about this time, this mythical time when it's only them, only their wants and needs.

Chris's reply is so brief, so bare, just sitting there all alone. Liam feels his heart twist. He knows better than to read any significant emotion into words typed in a chat screen, especially so few words, but he can't help hearing bleak depression. He's probably just projecting his own feelings but he can't help it.

Cit_Liam: I can't either. I wish you were here now, or I were there. I'd wrap myself around you and never let go.

Chris_Evans: you'll be back soon right? maybe wecan have a few hours to ourselves?

The words look pitiful on the screen, like begging but Chris hits enter anyway. Sometimes he misses Liam so much he doesn't mind shoving his pride somewhere deep and dark for awhile.

Cit_Liam: We'll be flying out tomorrow, which means we'll be good for nothing until at least the day after. I like California in small doses but unfortunately getting to and from is awful enough that it nearly ruins the trip. I'll call you, though, as soon as we're back and I've figured out what timezone and hemisphere I'm in again. :P

Chris_Evan: we're flying backtonight too. maybe we'll see each other in the airport......

Cit_Liam: If you're still there by the time our flight gets in, I'll help you tell off whoever lost your luggage or was responsible for your engine falling off onto the runway at Boston. ;)

Chris_Evans: you jinxed me!1111 now you have to make it up to me. presents from cali?///

Cit_Liam: I'm sure I can find something appropriate. :) And it'd be almost worth jinxing your flight to run into you at the airport. [cuddle]

Chris_Evans: think we can dodge our traveling companions long enough for a quickie/?

Chris_Evans: (cant believe i just typed that btw0

Cit_Liam: Hmm, handicapped stall in the loo? There's one near baggage claim IIRC. :D

Chris blushes, laying his face against the coolness of the rug beneath him. He'd be scandalized if he wasn't so damned turned on right now....

Chris_Evans: cant type, turning into tomatoe.

Liam chuckles to himself. He can perfectly picture Chris turning bright red at the mere suggestion of loo-sex. The lad's just adorable.

Cit_Liam: Is that good blushing or bad blushing? Should we make plans for a loo visit some time in the near future? I don't care for the regular ones but since the handicapped size stalls became common.... [tease]

Chris_Evans: weve done stuff in bthrooms11 well your bathroom and club bathroom. not public bathroom unless you cound the club as a public bathroomm. am dead from blushing (good blushing0

Cit_Liam: True, but I was thinking more of a restaurant loo? Someplace with uppity waiters, but not quite so high-class as to have a loo attendant. Or mayhap a petrol station, conveniently placed for sudden necessities?

It's cruel teasing the lad like this, but Liam can't help himself, especially when all he has is memories and imaginings.

Chris_Evans: clearly you have a road trip fetish that is unexplored. lets rent a camper and drive around europe. /dodging gas station restroom sex suggestion due to slight germ issue/

Liam eyerolls before typing again.

Cit_Liam: I've an aunt who never travels anywhere without her spray can of disinfectant. We can get you one if you like.

Chris_Evans: you jsut rolled your eyes, didnt you?/

Now Liam's laughing out loud. The lad knows him too well and that pleases him quite a lot.

Cit_Liam: Aye, I did. [tickle] We'll get you accustomed to the pleasures of hot, dirty sex some day. ;)

Chris_Evans: no issues wth hot/sex. and dirtyis great - but why in a place so GERMY!/1/1/?

Cit_Liam: [facepalm]

Chris_Evans: i was so not made to be a gigolo...gigalo?/ why doesnt this thing have spellchck/?

The thought of spellchecking a chat has Liam blinking.

Cit_Liam: Because no one but you has ever thought of spellchecking a realtime conference, dear heart. :) And you'd be a fine gigolo -- you'd just have to be choosy about your clients. It's a barslut you're unsuited for. [theatrically disappointed sigh]

Chris_Evans: this wouldnt be role play suggestions would they/? /not minding, just curiosu if i should buy a smoking jacket or shrink my jeans/

Cit_Liam: I can do without the smoking jacket, but if you insist on tighter jeans once in a while I certainly wouldn't complain. ;)

Chris_Evans: wash jeans in hot water, dry in dryer. check1 is this the part whre i ask what youre wearing/? /never had cybersex b4 -shocking i know/

Chris sits up then, looking around the empty family room with vague suspicion. Everyone is at work, school or the mall but still....

Cit_Liam: Fully dressed, alas. I'm not sure what the lads are doing but they're being reasonably quiet about it so I'm suspicious. And despite being in California, as I said earlier it's too cold to just throw on a pair of shorts and wander about. But if you'd like to try cybersex we can make believe whatever we want. Anything in particular you'd like to see me in...?

Chris_Evans: easy answer - my bed. and nothing else.

Cit_Liam: I'll accommodate you as soon as I can, dear heart.

Chris_Evans: i know. dont mean ot pressure. am i screwing up the cybersex/?

Liam sighs. He hadn't meant to move things in that direction. He wants Chris to go away smiling when they finished up, to have a pleasant memory instead of just more depression.

Cit_Liam: You can't possibly screw it up, I promise. And I'd be saying that even if we'd actually started. :)

Cit_Liam: I take you in my arms and kiss you, running my tongue across your gorgeous lower lip. One hand slides up under your shirt while the other slips down the back of your jeans.

Chris blinks at the screen. Okay, this is how you do it? He poises his fingers over the keyboard of the laptop, trying to find something sexy to say.

Chris_Evans: when you do that, i cant even remember my name. i just want to make you happy. let you do whatever you want.

His face burns as he types, the press of his sweatpants against his dick, trapped beneath him and rubbing against the carpet -- he can feel his heart start to race.

Cit_Liam: The hand under your shirt moves higher and higher, lifting the shirt up with it. I can feel your smooth skin and the solid curve of muscles underneath.

Oh right, I have to type, Chris thinks after a long moment, shaky hands resting against the keyboard.

Chris_Evans: i lift my arms so you can take off my shirt. i rub against you-hope youre already naked.

Cit_Liam: Of course I am. I pull your shirt off over your head and drop it, then unfasten your jeans and slide a hand inside.

Chris_Evans: magik jeans, already off. wheres your hand now/

Liam chuckles and murmurs, "Now you're getting the hang of it, love...."

Cit_Liam: It's wrapped around your prick, stroking smoothly, feeling you grow thick and hard for me.

Now he's screwed. Completely. He can't tear himself away from the computer and jerking off here seems a Bad Incident Waiting To Happen but really Chris is out of options.

Chris_Evans: i am - you have no idea. feels so good. moaning.

Cit_Liam: I kiss you again so you're moaning into my mouth. Then I wrap my free arm around your shoulders and lean back until I'm lying down and you're sitting on me, my other hand still stroking and teasing your cock.

Screw it -- he rolls to his side and unfastens his pants, doing to himself what Liam is typing.

Chris_Evans: so good. doingit. harder.

Chris's shorter and shorter messages bring a lazy, satisfied smile to Liam's face. Clearly the lad is becoming more and more distracted as they go, which is just what he intends.

Cit_Liam: I pull harder but more slowly and my thumb is rubbing across the tip of your cock. I bring my hand to my mouth and suck your juice off my thumb, tasting you, my eyes on yours the whole time.

He does it -- hell, he has to do it, tasting himself on his fingers and shivering down into his bones. Chris' hand returns to his dick, pumping slowly, almost forgetting he has to return the message.

Chris_Evans: doingit. mre plase.

Cit_Liam: I move my hands to your hips and lift you up. My hard cock's nudging at the cleft of your arse and I s l o w l y lower you down onto me. You're so tight I can hardly breathe.

His hand moves quicker now, moaning softly into the rug. It takes him longer to respond, his body throbbing and moving, cell memory of how it feels when Liam is inside him.

Chris_Evans: tight hurts good

Cit_Liam: I bend my knees so you can lean back against them and feel me thrusting up into you, slowly at first and then faster, filling you over and over. You feel so good -- I love to bury myself in your sweet body and feel your skin against mine.

So easy to imagine, so easy to slip into a place where he can pretend that Liam is fucking him and touching him; his strokes increase until he's panting, twisting, so close.

Chris_Evans: ccccccclose

Liam's smile widens as Chris's typing ability wanes to near-zero. His own cock is grumbling for attention but not so much that he can't ignore it -- he's even typing with two hands. This is for Chris, and Liam is feeling a whole different kind of satisfaction watching his lover fall apart over the monitor.

Cit_Liam: Faster and faster, I squeeze and stroke your cock while thrusting up inside you, bumping your sweet spot every time.

Aforementioned sweet spot throbs and Chris catches his breath as he comes, suddenly fast and furious, his fingers slipping over the come as he slumps on the floor.

Chris_Evans: deaadd

Six characters, Liam thinks with a satisfied smile. Have to do better next time.

Cit_Liam: I feel your body clenching and spasming around mine and come inside you. I wrap my arms around you and cuddle you close, stroking your hair.

Chris wipes his hand on his tee shirt, the scent of sex making him feel hazy.

Chris_Evans: best part. that part _ you holding me like that.

Cit_Liam: I agree. We can keep it up as long as you like.

Chris_Evans: thats a long time.

He blushes as he hits enter, needing a shower, needing Liam -- needing.

Cit_Liam: Aye, it is. D'you think we'll live long enough to get tired of cuddling together?

There are several answers bubbling up in Chris' romantic little heart and God, he wishes he could grow the balls to type them, let alone say them.

Chris_Evans: cant imagine ever getting too much of you

Cit_Liam: I can't either, but let's experiment and see, shall we? ;)

Chris_Evans: deal. ancrap1 hear the car, peple are back. need to get in the shower. call you ltr//

Cit_Liam: I'll look forward to it. {{{{}}}}

Connecting [Liam, Chris, Jessie]

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 02:19:09 GMT

[Takes place on March 3rd.]

Liam listens to Chris's message and finds himself chuckling by the end. That Jessie'd struck him as a high-spirited lass and the thought of her hauling Chris around the club by the wrist has Liam's eyes dancing with mirth. He picks up the phone and presses the button to dial Chris's number.

Chris turns on the dishwasher and refills East's water bowl. Jessie's on her cell with the airline upstairs, making sure she can get back to Denver on Sunday to see her family. Dinner was nice; having her here is a mixture of cool and strange. They decided it was easier to hang at his house and not the hotel which then moved things to a different level.

At least she understood why they were sleeping in the spare bedroom....

The phone rings for him; he reaches over to grab it and cradles it between shoulder and ear as he puts East's bowl on the floor.

"'lo?"

The sound of his lover's voice over the phone -- his real voice, not a recording asking for a message -- brings a relaxed smile to Liam's face. "Chris, hello. I got your message."

"Hi!" Chris grips the phone, grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and heads for the couch. "How are you? Jessie's upstairs so I can talk in peace for awhile...."

Liam chuckles and says, "Are you sure you want to do this? Mayhap you could introduce her to puppy play and keep her on a leash...?" He can imagine the lad's blush at that suggestion and wishes he were with him to see it. "She didn't sound terribly tractable from what I heard in the background of your message."

Chris falls on the couch with a moan. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that thing...with the puppy because God forbid I mention it to her. She'll be throwing on one of East's doggie sweaters and licking my shins...." He laughs loudly. "She's...I swear to God Liam, she's submissive. I mean, I totally see that about her but she's also the most curious freak on the planet. I'm afraid she's going to show up and poke naked people and ask stuff."

"All the more reason to have her on a leash, no?" Liam asks, a tease in his voice.

"I'm really not the type to...ya know. Hold the leash."

And suddenly Liam has an image of holding a leash with Chris on the other end. He has to pause and take a breath before saying, "Aye, but you manage with East. It's for the pup's own protection -- you don't want him dashing about and getting into trouble or hurting himself. You leash him because you love him and want to take care of him. It'd be the same with your Jessie, yeah?"

"But Liam...Jessie isn't a dog." He knows he sounds a little incredulous and he knows what Liam is saying but...he can't get past "leash."

"If she needs that, I'll help her find someone," he says softly, shifting on the couch. "I just...I can't."

"I'm sure you'll hook her up with someone lovely," Liam says, his voice soothing. "But before that you need to get her in. Give the club a call, or send e-mail whichever you like, and they'll send you the forms so she can sign her life away. Not quite her soul -- that's for when she joins, if she does that. They'll send a courier with them to your place and pick them up again when they're done. Or you can pick them up and drop them off if you're going to be by the club, whichever's convenient for you."

"Thanks. Tonight's her birthday so we're just going to hang but...I'm trying to get her in for tomorrow night." He sounds nervous because he is and he'd love to ask Liam to be there but it would just be awkward since he already knows the answer.

Can't leave Christian.

"She's already done some snooping in my stuff so she knows about the Club. I have a feeling she has to join now just because of that."

Liam raises an eyebrow. "If a team of ninjas slip in your bedroom window tonight, toss Jessie at them and dash down to my place. I'll protect you as best I can."

"I might fake that just to get into your bed tonight."

An image of the three of them in his bed -- Christian, himself and Chris -- makes Liam wince. "Except if you do dash up at 2am as though ninjas were after you I'd likely shove you into the closet while I stood guard with something heavy and blunt. Not terribly romantic, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, wouldn't work. I'll just have Jessie protect me here." Chris sighs a little then attempts to pick up a better thread of conversation. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"Likely just staying home," Liam says with a shrug. "You'll have to call and tell me how your expedition with Jessie went -- I'll need the entertainment by then." The tease is back in his voice but he wishes he could be there with them. He can imagine the chase a high-spirited lass like Jessie would likely lead his Chris once they get into the club; it'd be entertaining to watch and he'd gladly help keep the girl from tumbling into trouble.

"I'll fax over pictures and whatever security report ends up having to be written," Chris sighs dramatically, rolling over to his side to help a newly arrived East hop onto the couch with him.

Liam laughs out loud at that. "My thanks, lad. I'm sure they'll be highly entertaining." He pauses a few moments to just stare up at the ceiling and enjoy the companionable silence over the phone, then murmurs, "I miss you."

"I miss you too, Jesus you have no idea." It comes out in a burst of air, his lungs tightening and aching. "I'm just...I mean, if you have even a few hours this week...."

"This coming week, after the weekend you mean? I might...." Liam's eyes close halfway as he thinks about it. "Another walk about the Mews with East? That was lovely, with no wasted time driving somewhere." Unable to be more than a few minutes away from Christian, his mind's been drifting recently to places he could take Chris. Far away places, just the two of them. Warm, romantic places where no one would bother them for days. Weeks.

"I was thinking more...." Shit, he doesn't want to ask, it feels needy but.... "I was thinking you could just come here for an hour or two. So we can be...alone. In private." Because I want you so badly I can taste it.

Liam wants to say yes. He wants to so bad he can taste it. Or more specifically, he can taste Chris under his lips, convulsing with passion in his big bed. But....

"I can't. I'm sorry, dear heart, but I can't. Not for that long." He glances up at the ceiling, toward the attic where Christian is working out. He'd promised the lad and he'd not go back on it. The walk with East had been perfect -- less than an hour, nearby, and his clothes had stayed on so if Christian had called his mobile he could've been up and running in a moment. If he went home with Chris, if they ended up in bed or anywhere similar, it'd be far too tempting to ignore any phone calls.

And even if he didn't, if a call came at a particularly awkward time (and the way Liam's luck had been running lately he was willing to bet that any such call would come precisely at the most awkward time) how would Chris feel then, being left so abruptly and at such a time? Dropped like a thing and abandoned by a lover whose priorities were clearly elsewhere? Liam feels himself wincing at just the thought. No, he'll not take the chance.

"Oh."

Chris makes the sound, conveniently also a word so he doesn't have to come up with anything else. He's not sure what to follow that up with; petulant angry Chris wants to hang up. Sad Chris just wants to cry. Mature Chris...well, mature Chris didn't show up for work today so he leaves the oh hanging there and clears his throat.

"You just let me know when you can get away and I'll be there. A walk would be fine," he says, a little flat and a little tired but managing to keep Petulant Angry Chris at bay quite nicely.

Liam's heart feels like it's shriveling in his chest. It's very clear that Chris is not all right with this and he doesn't know what to do or how to fix it. He wants to change his mind and take the chance, go see him, spend a couple of hours and just hope that nothing will happen, that it'll be all right. But that would be foolish and he knows it so instead he just says, "I'll do that. We can go for another walk. I enjoyed that."

"Great."

East's tail thumps against Chris' leg as the dog gets comfortable on his chest. Those big bulldog eyes seem caring and understanding to Chris and his plight...until the dog yawns and falls asleep with a raspy snore. Chris stifles a sigh.

"Well, I don't want to keep you...just give me a call when you can take a walk. I should be around..." Chris says quietly, not sure what else to say or how to continue the conversation.

"I'll do that," Liam says, because he can't think of anything else. "I'll see you in a few days." Which is redundant. There's a long, silent pause. It's time to hang up but he doesn't want to, not like this. Finally he says, "Have East give you a kiss for me, yeah?"

Chris hears Jessie come down the stairs but he doesn't look up just yet.

"I will. You uh...take care okay? I'll see you soon." Chris tries to find something, anything to add but he comes up empty. "Night, Liam."

Liam murmurs, "Good night, dear heart," and hangs up with a soft click.

Making a frustrated sound, Chris turns the phone off and throws it -- narrowly missing a wide-eyed Jessie.

"Shit, sorry," he says, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. "Bad phone call." To put it mildly.

"Sorry," Jessie murmurs, sitting down cross-legged next to the couch. "Anything I can do?"

Chris shakes his head then turns to give her a small smile. "Let me give you a nice birthday?"

"Oh God, if you must...."

A Lack of Faith [Liam, Christian]

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 08:43:11 GMT

[Takes place Tuesday morning.]

Liam sits comfortably on the sofa with a seed catalog, a pad of tracing paper and a pencil. He's paging through the catalog, scribbling notes to himself about what he might like to do with the garden this year. A page showing the foundation plantings and hardscape in heavy lines is loose, ready to be inserted under any of the four possible layouts he's been sketching on the thinner tracing paper as ideas occur to him. To the casual observer he appears absorbed with his task.

Christian is kneeling to one side, facing into the living room with his back to the window. He's naked save for a dense network of cords binding his torso from shoulders to groin. His posture is perfect and his eyes are down. The only thing he's allowed to do this morning without a specific command is breathe.

It's been almost twenty minutes since he's let the lad move. Coincidentally, the sun has shifted enough that the light is glaring off the glossy pages of his catalog. He looks over at Christian and says, "Crawl over here and then stand right there, facing me." He points to a spot on the rug from which Christian's shadow will block the sun from Liam's lap.

He rises to his knees, and starts a slow crawl across the floor. It's hard to be graceful with his arms pinned behind his back, but Christian's speed ensures he won't fall over. The closer he gets to Liam, the more confident his movements are, and when he stands as his Master ordered, both knees come off the floor together, and he stands smoothly.

Liam murmurs, "Good lad," and nods, then goes back to his planning. He ignores Christian, at least overtly, and by the time the phone rings he has two more sketches roughed out and another half-dozen pages of notes.

"Go get the phone and bring it to me. Before the machine picks it up."

Christian's long legs make getting to the phone an easy task, but picking the handset up off the counter isn't going to happen, not with the way his hands are bound. He picks up the handset sideways in his teeth so that he's not in danger of pressing any of the buttons. It stretches his jaw, and he hopes he doesn't drool as he walks quickly back to Liam's side.

The phone's only starting its third ring when Liam takes it from Christian. He presses the button and says, "Hello?" At the same time he looks up and meets Christian's eyes, then points down to the rug at his feet, indicating that he should kneel once more.

"I'm calling for Christian Bale. Is he available?" the male voice on the other end states in a tone that doesn't ask as much as it simply expects to be obeyed.

Lowering his eyes, Christian sinks back to his knees, careful not to allow them to make a sound on the floor.

Liam brushes one hand through Christian's hair in silent praise while saying, "May I ask who's calling?" in a tone just as steady and implacable as that of the caller.

"Tell him it's Mark. He'll know what it's about."

Liam covers the mouthpiece of the phone and asks, "Do you know someone named Mark?"

He's about to answer no when it occurs to him, his divorce lawyer's name is Mark. Christian nods without looking up or speaking, hoping the answer is good enough to be allowed to speak.

"Do you wish to speak with him?"

The nod is faster this time, and Christian risks raising his eyes to Liam's in a silent plea.

"Very well," Liam, says. "You may." He holds the phone up for Christian so he can use it with his hands still tied.

Christian clears his throat. "Mark, hello," he says in a tone reminiscent of what he considers his former self. "How can I help you?"

"There's no need for you to help me, Christian," the voice on the other end replies. "Our association has come to an end. It's over"

With a frown, Christian pauses. "Over, as in...?" he asks, allowing his voice to trail off.

"As in signed, filed, certified, finished. One third of the current estate, no hold on your future earnings. You're a free man."

The smile in Mark's voice is catching, causing Christian to grin. "How did you talk her down to a third?" he asks, curious, and pleased with the result.

"We didn't. She suggested it, against legal advice, but it's signed now, so she's stuck. If you've got champagne, now's the time to crack it open. You're a Faith-less Christian, my friend."

"That's... wonderful news, but a terrible pun," Christian chuckles. "Thank you for letting me know." They exchange goodbyes, and then Christian looks up at Liam.

Liam presses the button to break the connection, then looks at Christian with a raised eyebrow. "So, what news?" he asks. He has some idea based on Christian's end of the conversation and the news definitely sounds good.

Christian takes a deep, steadying breath. "I'm single," he says simply, still barely able to believe it. After the nastiness, the threats, the attempted blackmail, it's over. She's gone.

"Excellent! That's wonderful news, lad! And I take it she only took you for a third of your worldly goods? That's damn good these days." He sets the phone down on the side table and says, "Stand up and turn around, back to me."

Still puzzled by Faith undercutting herself, Christian stands, a bit awkward this time. He turns around so his back is to Liam, brow creased in thought. His focus isn't on his Master at all at the moment.

Liam unbinds Christian's hands, then ties the cord ends up so they don't loosen and don't drag. "Take the phone," he says, picking it up and holding it out. "Crawl back to the kitchen and put it back on the set. Get the bottle of brandy in the pantry -- right hand side, bottom shelf. You may stand to get two wine glasses and bring them and the bottle back here. Kneel again and put them on the coffee table."

Christian does as ordered, hand not quite steady as he takes the phone, but not quite as shaky as he expected to be. He tries to clear his mind as his knees thump softly against the flooring. Thinking about Faith again, trying to sort out why she would take less than he had already agreed to, has him so distracted he can't remember which bottle Liam asked him to fetch. He pauses in the pantry, refusing to leave until he's sure he's taking the correct bottle with him. After a few moments, he returns to the living room with two glasses and the bottle of brandy.

Liam waits until Christian's sunk back into position and placed the things on the table, then opens the bottle. He pours two glasses, full but not overly so, and offers one to Christian. "I think this calls for a toast -- take the glass, lad. You may drink it all." Christian takes it, his head still bowed, and Liam holds his own glass up. "To leaving the past behind, and moving on into a brighter future." He lightly clinks their glasses together and takes a sip.

After a moment or two of silence, Christian asks "Master?" between tastes of the brandy. His eyes remain on the floor, his back straight.

"Yes, lad?"

"Could... would you hold me, Master, when you're finished?" Bracing himself for rejection, Christian takes another swallow of brandy from his glass.

Liam gives him a warm smile. "Of course, lad."

He finishes the last sip of brandy and sets his glass aside. When Christian finishes his own, Liam takes his empty glass and puts it by the other. He says, "Come here, then," and pats his lap.

Christian stands gracefully and settles down on Liam's lap. He's a bit tense at first, but when his master's arms go around him and cuddle him, he slowly relaxes.

"You've been wonderfully obedient all morning," Liam says softly, "and I'm proud of you." He presses a kiss into the lad's hair and rocks him gently back and forth.

Christian settles into his arms and closes his eyes, just enjoying being held.

Bulldog Couples Therapy

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 23:59:13 GMT

The day is crisp and cold, with a shining winter sun low in a clear blue sky. Liam strides across the green, waving to Chris who's waiting by the side of the path near a tree, which East is sniffing around on the end of his leash. He speeds up and takes Chris into his arms for a rib-creaking hug and a kiss before crouching down to give the little bulldog a scritch.

"Perfect timing," Chris smiles, licking the taste of the kiss off his lips. They're out in public -- sort of -- on the grounds of the Citadel, and it feels freeing to be in nature in the daylight with his lover.

Liam straightens up and takes a deep breath, enjoying the feel of the cool air swirling through his lungs. It feels good. Cleansing, like, and he can definitely use some of that.

"So, how've you been doing?" he asks with a relaxed smile and one hand ruffling Chris's hair.

"Good." Missing you. "Spending time with Jess...a lot of time actually." Chris blushes just a little bit, enough to make him duck his head. "Reviews for the movie have been sucktastic so I'm just concentrating on the F4 sequel and looping schedules for Sunshine...."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Liam says with a frown aimed at the unknown mass of critics lurking in the shadows. "I'll admit I'm looking forward to seeing you playing Johnny Storm again, though. He's a cocky little punk in need of a good spanking, very different from your own sweet self." Liam leans over with a grin and plants a kiss on Chris's forehead. "It just proves what a marvelous actor you are, and if the critics can't see it they need to pry their heads out of their arses." He stretches his arms over his head for a few moments, then they start off down the path.

"You're my new PR person," Chris teases, letting Liam and East lead the way. They amble down and around the winding pathway letting a comfortable silence envelope them for a few moments. "What have you been up to?" Chris asks finally. "Working I suppose." He pauses for a moment, admiring/focusing/levering his eyes at a bush to keep his face neutral. "How's Christian?"

"Things have been rocky," Liam admits, letting his eyes drift off to the horizon. He's still trying to figure out just what's happened, how so many things could've gone so wrong all in such a short time. "I don't know, it's like I... lost my focus? I've been missing things I shouldn't."

He sighs and glances at Chris. "Christian's been feeling very alone. I thought he was doing well, thought I was giving him space to pull himself together and start standing up on his own again but it didn't work out that way. I'm afraid he's going to have to get most of my attention for a while yet." Liam drops his gaze down to the path and says, "I'm sorry, dear heart. I'm afraid there won't be any more overnights for a while."

Much as he wanted to take back the "I love you" that spilled out of his mouth in the heat of passion, Chris would immediately like the heavy sigh he lets out at Liam's words back.

"Sorry," he quickly murmurs. "I -- I understand. Your first responsibility is to him." Chris' voice is dull. "Maybe...maybe I'm the reason you're losing focus." He swallows hard.

Liam immediately steps in front of Chris and envelops him in his arms, ignoring East who comes to a startled stop at the end of his lead.

"You're not to feel guilty about this. Christian is my responsibility, not yours, and if I've made any mistakes they're also mine and not yours. You've done nothing wrong, dear heart, and I can't bear to have you feeling bad. I need you. Even if we can't spend as much time together as we'd like, I still need you."

"Every time we spent a bit more time together, Christian reacts badly. You have...a contract with him. We're just...dating." He searches helplessly for a word. "I understand he comes first -- I just don't have to like it."

There, he said it.

His arms tightening around his lover, Liam sighs into his hair. "No, you don't. I don't like it, Christian doesn't like it, it's just a thoroughly fucked situation and we all know it. But I don't want you to feel guilty, or to think you've done anything wrong."

If I haven't done anything wrong, why does this suck so much? Chris asks, returning Liam's hug with his free arm. "Thanks," he says, nonsensically.

Another kiss and Liam moves over to one side so they can begin walking again with his arm around Chris's shoulders.

Inside, Liam's wondering if he's being fair to Chris. The lad doesn't seem happy and Liam has to admit that there's very little about their situation to be happy about. The niggling little voice in the back of his head is hissing that Chris would be better off without him, set free to find someone who can put him first, someone who doesn't have the overshadowing responsibility Liam has. Hell, someone who has some experience of a successful relationship. None of those describe Liam and what's he doing keeping the boy tied to him anyway?

Because I need him. It's pure selfishness, yeah, but if we can just get through the next... the next however long, I'll make it up to him. Try, anyway....

Liam pushes the gloomy thoughts aside and just concentrates on feeling the lovely, crisp day and the sweet lad under his arm. "Thank you. I don't know how I'd cope if I didn't have you with me, even when you're not."

"I'm here for you whenever you need me," and that's when it hits him, nasty and square between the eyes.

That's what you told Jason. That's what you said all the times he couldn't take you somewhere or couldn't stay the night or couldn't be reached for an entire weekend. Waiting, waiting, sitting like East under the table begging for scraps.

It stops him for a moment, a stumble and he looks ahead fiercely. "But...." God that word seems so loud. "Just...I can't wait forever, Liam." His voice cracks. "I just can't. I'll have no fucking self-respect if I do."

Liam stops and cocks his head back at Chris. The lad looks so... so serious. So fierce while he speaks and it's so unlike him, it's startling.

Nothing startling about it, says the nasty little voice in his head. He's getting sick of waiting around for you, of being with you but not with you, of always being second in your life, of never having more than part of your attention. The only thing startling about it is that he's stuck around this long. He'll come to his senses soon enough and be off with someone who can actually spend some time with him, and where's the shock in that?

As he begins walking once more he stays straight and relaxed by sheer force of will -- head unbowed, shoulders unhunched, stride as sure as always. But something's faded from his eyes when he says, "Of course not, lad. I wouldn't expect you wait forever."

"I'm not giving you an ultimatum, Liam," Chris whispers, his chest twisting with pain, the only forward motion he's capable of directed by East's powerful little body. "I wouldn't do that. You've always been very clear to me that there'll be...other people." He sighs and rubs his hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm just...disappointed to be stepping backwards instead of forwards. And seeing Jason again just...." His voice trails off, feet crunching on stray leaves and branches.

"But this isn't other people, not the way I meant," Liam says, a thread of sadness and frustration running through his voice. "Casual sex wouldn't be coming between us the way this is. Casual lovers don't prevent me from spending time with you, from being alone with you for more than a couple of hours, from focusing on you completely and absolutely when we are together." Liam sighs and tilts his head back to look up at the blue sky. All the brightness has gone out of the day and now it's just cold and bleak.

"I'd never put a casual pick-up ahead of you, not ever. This is different and I didn't think at the time that it'd be this hard or this long. And I can't even say that if I had thought about it, that I'd have turned the lad away. He's a friend and he needed me and that's just...." He trails off and shakes his head.

"But you're right, you shouldn't wait around forever for me or for anyone else. You're a lovely young man, sweet and gentle and caring -- you've so much to offer and deserve so much back. If you find someone who can give you all the things you should have, starting with their time and attention, then you... should." And it's hard to say, incredibly hard, but it's true and Liam makes himself say it.

Chris shakes his head, hard to enough to spin the world a little. "I'm not out looking, Liam. I...I've only been with...w-women since we started going out and that's pretty recent and pretty much just Isla and Jessie." He flushes awkwardly. "It's not like I'm searching a relationship out."

"I didn't mean you should go put ads up or anything like that, necessarily. Unless you wanted to." Fuck, this is awkward and it hurts and Liam hates it but he knows what's fair to Chris and keeping him dangling in limbo, waiting around until some vague time in the future when his lover will be free to be with him, isn't. "Just that if it happens, if you do meet someone who can... give you what you need, who can take care of you better than I can right now, I wouldn't expect you to turn away just because of me. That's all."

"The odds of meeting someone like you are slim to none I think -- and I don't know how easy it would be to f...feel the same way about someone else." His tongue swells and twists, another word and the entire day will fall even further to hell.

I can't wait forever.
By the way, I'm in love with you.

Brilliant, brilliant.

"Isn't the whole point to find someone not like me?" Liam asks, trying hard to inject a bit of humor into the conversation and failing miserably.

"Stop that." Chris pulls on East's leash and the dog trots back as his master halts yet again. "You're a wonderful man -- I can't even imagine there are enough people like you in the world, let alone someone who'd want to be with me."

Liam stops and turns to face Chris, trying to hide the pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry, truly. I just don't want you to feel trapped or obligated or resentful if this stretches out much longer." After standing awkwardly in the middle of the path for a few moments, he steps over to a large treetrunk placed picturesquely to one side of the path and sits down on it. It's that or take Chris into his arms and if he does that they won't do much more talking.

Following almost automatically, Chris sits down -- close but not as close as he'd sit usually. He hates that. East's leash drops down to the ground; he puts his boot on it to keep his pup close by but give him some room to explore.

Almost an apt metaphor for the conversation.

"I'm sorry if I've hurt you, Liam, but I'd rather be honest than petulant." He laughs hollowly. "What sort of respect would you have for me if I was...if I was the person you met in that attic forever? I care about you, I want to be with you. Please don't feel like I'm pulling away -- if anything, understand that I'm freaking desperate to be with you more." Frustration tightens his hands into fists, angry movement against darkness of his jeans.

That demands a touch, some sort of physical comfort, and Liam lets one arm go around Chris's shoulders. "I'm not upset with you, dear heart. Not at all -- never think that. I absolutely admire your strength, and no, I wouldn't be nearly as interested in a terrified, clingy little boy, nor care for him nearly as much as I care for you. I just... I don't know. There's really no one to be angry with and I think that's part of the problem. I'm frustrated and lonely and I feel guilty for what this is doing to you and I'm afraid I'm going to lose you and I'm angry with myself for wanting to hold you close because that's not right. You shouldn't have to wait around for me indefinitely, and if I had someone to hate over all this I think maybe I wouldn't feel nearly as bad but there's no one. It's just the situation and so here we are." Liam rests his forehead against Chris's hair, breathing in his scent. "I just want you to be happy," he says, his voice low and flat, "and I know you're not and it's tearing me apart."

"I'm happy when I see you, when I think about you. So I'm happy intermittently," Chris attempts, moving closer to Liam with a comfortable sigh. Can't deny the pull. Just...can't.

"You deserve to be happy all the time. I wish I could give you that." Liam's other arm finds its way around Chris, joining its mate, and he rocks them slowly.

"Sort of a lofty goal," Chris teases, relaxing against Liam's shoulder -- only to have the quiet interrupted to East -- whose decided that a stick on the ground is clearly an imminent threat. "East!" he calls, whistling for his pet.

Liam glances up at the dog romping in the grass with his stick, then settles back down with Chris. He's tempted to continue the conversation, since it doesn't feel quite finished, but discards the notion and decides he's already said what he needed to say, that anything further would just be repetition. Instead he bends his head and brushes a kiss across Chris's cheekbone and whispers, "My boy." It's as close as he can come to what he really wants to say.

A shiver ratchets through Chris' system at Liam's words, the caress they create in his ear. His eyes shut as he nuzzles closer, forgetting everything -- their worrisome conversation, his own painful emotions, Liam's hurt...everything is easily forgotten when Liam is close and touching him. It's almost impossible to remember the loneliness when he's not.

He tilts Chris's chin up and brushes their lips together, lightly, as though unsure of his welcome, and then more firmly. Then they both relax and their mouths open and they're devouring each other. Liam has no idea what might happen tomorrow or next week, but right now at this moment Chris -- his Chris -- is in his arms, melting under his lips and his hands, and the world is perfect...

...until they lean just a bit too far backward and slide off the log. Reflexes trained to protecting a bound and helpless lover have Liam twisting in mid-air, just the tiny bit required to land on the ground with Chris thudding down on top of him.

Lust followed by surprise, a kiss trailing into a hard thud as he lands directly on top of Liam.

He chokes back a laugh and gets out, "Are you all...." then the air is knocked out of him again as a fair amount of weight crashes into his back.

East, clearly rushing to his master's rescue by knocking him unconscious.

Liam cranes his neck to peer over Chris's shoulder, and gets a slurp in the face from East, who's perched between his master's shoulders, peering back down at him. He chokes out a laugh and tries to move, but his legs are still propped up on the treetrunk, and tangled with Chris's besides, and he has no leverage at all. He makes another fruitless try just for drill, then collapses back onto the ground.

"I suppose we'll have to stay like this," he says with a rueful smile, his arms settling back around Chris's neck. "East seems determined to keep us pinned."

"Bulldog couples therapy," Chris coughs, his lungs protesting the weight on his back restricting oxygen and movement.

Liam laughs at that, then gasps once. He's in good shape, but Chris isn't light and neither is East. "Well, if East insists, then I guess we're stuck together," he says with a fond smile up at Chris. "I suppose I can tolerate that for a bit. How about you?"

Okay -- here's the perfect metaphor.

"Not going anywhere," Chris murmurs, "not for a long time." He lays his head on Liam's shoulder.

Liam cuddles him close and whispers, "Good."

Tied Together [Liam/Chris]

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 23:30:36 GMT

[Takes place Saturday afternoon, the twenty-eighth.]

Liam pulls his polo back on over his still-damp hair and sits on the bench to slip on his shoes. He's still aching slightly from his work-out and imagines it'll only get worse tomorrow, but it's welcome all the same. He hasn't been able to get over here to exercise since Christian came to live with him a good month and a half ago and while it was doubtless foolish to push himself through his usual routine, the pain is worth it to him to know that he still can. He owes Jack a huge thanks for coming over, although he's fairly sure Jack won't see it that way. All the same.

He checks his watch and sees he still has about ten minutes before he's due to meet Chris in the restaurant. This is what he's really looking forward to about his "day off." Working out felt wonderful but seeing Chris, and seeing him here where he's not constantly aware of Christian just a shout away, where he can focus on the lad and give him his full attention -- this is a treat he's planning to wallow in.

Faded jeans, gray tee shirt and his Trainers -- standard attire for Chris on most days. Today he's thrown a black tuxedo jacket over the whole ensemble, his St. Christopher medal gleaming as an extra "dressiness." He paces outside the entrance of the Citadel restaurant, waiting for Liam with shaking impatience. The hostess gives him regular looks of sympathy and amusement; he's fairly certain she's called over several waiters and waitresses on the pretense of showing them a schedule just so they could laugh at the dorky young man nervously stalking their waiting area.

Liam, him, here, together, alone. Something resembling a real date, quiet time alone. No one waiting in the wings to call or need or demand Liam's attention. Chris has never felt so unabashedly selfish in his entire life.

There's a familiar silhouette in the foyer outside the restaurant and Liam's pace quickens at the sight. He says, "Chris," just in time for the lad to turn before being swept up into a kiss.

Chris melts into the kiss, nerves tightening into a nice waves of lust as he disappears into Liam's huge embrace.

Liam indulges himself for a good minute or so, then reluctantly pulls away. "Let's go eat," he says softly into Chris's ear, "before I drag you straight upstairs and we both end up passing out in the middle of... whatever."

"Why change tradition?" Chris teases back, looping his arm around Liam's waist. "Our table's ready. I know because I checked on it about forty times...." He signals the bemused hostess, who gathers some menus and indicates for them to follow.

They slide into their semi-circular booth, one on each side, but Liam keeps going until he's close enough to Chris that he can touch him without leaning. He waits for the hostess to walk away before answering, "But tradition says we need to get at least partway into the meal before dashing off for sex, so we'd best decide what we want, yeah?"

Chris pinks up as he casually surveys his menu -- not able to read a thing as Liam's presence distracts him deliciously. "Something they can cook quickly...something light...I think I'm going to have a grilled cheese sandwich," he says, managing to keep a totally straight face. "Or maybe just a handful of carrot sticks...."

Liam laughs out loud and turns an amused gaze on Chris. "Well, I just finished working out and am in the mood for something a bit more substantial than a small pile of vegetation so unless you feel like watching me after you're done I suggest you get an actual meal." He pauses a moment, then lowers his voice and adds, "And besides, you're going to need your energy, remember?"

"Okkkkaaay," Chris drawls, pressing his leg against Liam's under the table, going back to reading the menu. "Two grilled cheese sandwiches and a large pile of vegetation." This is fun and Chris feels days of stress evaporating off his skin.

"Better," Liam says with an approving nod and a teasing smile. "So long as we have something supremely unhealthy for dessert."

He manages to lift his eyes off the menu and to Liam's face, a cheeky grin on his face. "I thought I was dessert?" Chris murmurs, leaning over to press a kiss on Liam's smile.

Liam cups the back of Chris's head and stretches the kiss out a while. When he sits back he gets a thoughtful look on his face and says, "Hmm, Chris or chocolate? Chris or chocolate...?"

"Chocolate on Chris?" the younger man offers helpfully.

By the delighted surprise in Liam's expression, one might assume that he'd never, ever thought of such a thing before. "What a marvelous notion! When we're ready for dessert we'll have to order something portable and smeary. Chocolate mousse, perhaps?" He eyes Chris up and down as though planning out exactly where to apply an extra thick layer of chocolate so his tongue will have a reason to linger.

"Chocolate mousse?" Chris considers that with a serious expression on his face. "I'd like to add a request for whipped cream...." He's not even going to bother to ask if they have non-dairy versions. He doesn't much care.

By the time the waitress arrives to take their order, Chris is thinking of losing the tux jacket because he's starting to get overly warm.

When they've ordered their food and the waitress has vanished once more, Liam says, "All right, I think I can allow whipped cream. It'll make a nice contrast -- we can get artistic, yeah?"

Talking about being painted with mousse and whipped cream would usually be enough to make Chris tongue-tied at best but for some reason, the freedom of being with Liam like this has made him feel lighthearted.

"Consider me your canvas," he smiles, leaning his head on Liam's shoulder.

Liam slips an arm around him and nuzzles a kiss into his hair. "I'll do that, lad." He smiles fondly down at him for a few moments, then he says, "You know, we never have talked about what you like. We've never really done much beyond vanilla now that I think on it--" which is very strange, now that he realizes, "--and I'd like to hear what you like. What you want. What you'd like to try." His voice goes low and smoky and he murmurs, "What do you dream of? What can I do to make you melt into a sizzling little puddle?"

"You mean besides being within ten feet of you? Hmmmm...." Chris ducks his head, his body thrumming with desire. "I like...I mean, I've done a lot of stuff but what I like...ropes, leather straps." His voice is barely a whisper. "Swing, harness -- all of it. Being...held down." Chris tips his head to one side, meeting Liam's gaze with his own. "Being...someone's."

"Mmmm, well, I think I can accommodate you," Liam says, his eyelids drifting down slightly with all the images that've started drifting through his mind. "Bondage in all its forms is my favorite kink, as it happens. I'll have to see what I can do for you in that direction. Get you immobilized, helpless, dependent on me for absolutely everything you feel, completely mine...."

Not gonna moan, not gonna moan, not gonna moan, Chris thinks, but then again, he's already moaning against Liam's neck, muffling the sound conveniently with...a kiss. "Yeah, sounds like a plan," he breathes, moving his mouth to Liam's ear.

Liam tightens his arm around Chris and tilts his chin up for a deeper kiss. He feels arousal seep through his body, leaving him energized and tingling. It feels lovely but not right now. He's determined that they're going to get through at least one meal together, sod it all!

No, bad expression. That's not what he should be thinking about just now.

He breaks off the kiss and presses their foreheads together. "So, that's set, then. Lunch, then some bondage and dessert."

Chris coughs out some laughter, one hand on his forehead.

"You sure know how to show a girl a good time," he drawls.

One eyebrow arches up toward Liam's hair. "Actually, I haven't shown a girl a good time since I was twelve, and I'm afraid I did a rather poor job of it then. If you have any girls in mind, we'll have to negotiate."

"I haven't been disappointed in any of our encounters," Chris murmurs, a tentative hand sliding down to touch Liam's knee. "And no girls allowed...."

"Well, that's good to hear." Liam reaches down to cover Chris's hand with his own and presses, enjoying the feel of it. "So we'll have to work at taking something that's already been good -- and definitely so from my point of view, just so you know -- and making it even better."

"Whatever you want from me...." Chris' words linger. "I...I know I'm out of practice," he says softly. "I know I'm not the best trained but...whatever you ask for, I'll try to give you, Liam."

And that needs a cuddle. "Don't worry about training, lad. I've never been much for formality. I won't be measuring the angle of your spine or scrutinizing your pronouns or anything of that sort. I will be tying you down and fucking you, though. Or maybe just tying you down and teasing you until you're just about insane with wanting -- how does that sound?"

"Sounds uh...." Chris very nearly breaks his vow not to crawl into Liam's lap in public.... "Perfect." Still, he wonders about what Liam does with Christian -- the collar, the words, and wonders if he'd want that from Chris. "I can get behind that. So to speak...."

"Behind it, underneath it, hanging from it...." All right, teasing is one thing but now Liam's making himself uncomfortable again. Lunch, food, remember? His shoulders shake slightly with laughter and he sits up straighter, not moving away from Chris but not quite so... molded to him, either.

He gives the lad a lopsided smile and says, "And now I need to stop or we won't get a bite of our food. I don't know if it's struck you but we have a rather pitiful track record when it comes to finishing meals. If we start dashing out before we've even started we'll both starve to death and that'd be a pity."

"I had a late breakfast?" Chris says hopefully, leaning back against the padded seat. Luckily -- or unluckily -- the waitress arrives with their food, filling the table with nutritious and energy building food.

Liam grins and picks up a carrot stick from Chris's plate, holding it up in front of the boy's mouth. "And you're going to have a good lunch," he says, picking up his own sandwich with his other hand and taking a bite, his eyes never leaving Chris's mouth.

Smirking, Chris opens his mouth and uses those strong Evans teeth to snap the crisp vegetable in half, chewing loudly. "Yes, Sir," he says obediently, swallowing the carrot and leaning forward for the rest. "Want to keep my strength up. I mean, I have to be dessert -- that's going to take a lot of ah, stamina."

The last of the carrot vanishes as Liam smiles and swallows. He says, "Quite likely," and leans forward for a kiss.

Eager, Chris meets Liam half way, sinking into the kiss with happy growl. The fact that they're in a crowded restaurant doesn't phase him. He has Liam to himself for this entire afternoon and he plans to suck every inch of joy out of it he can, storing it away for when he's alone in his new bed, aching for this.

Liam slips the card key back into his pocket, kicks the door shut and presses Chris against the wall. One hand traps his crossed wrists over his head while the other buries itself in his hair and holds him still for a deep, thorough kiss.

If there's a connection between his wrists and his dick, Chris would like to see some scientific data because right now Liam's grip against his pulse has him writhing like a wanton slut.

Lunch couldn't end fast enough, he thinks, his mouth opening hungrily to Liam.

All the time in the world -- that's how it feels now that they're finally alone in a room with a bed and all sorts of other delightful things. There's no rush at all as Liam sinks into the kiss, holding Chris steady under his slow exploration.

Chris tries his best not to be impatient -- truly he does. But he's also twenty-four and turned on to within an inch of his damn life.

Eagerly but slowly Chris grinds his hips against Liam's body, undulating in a very clear and deliberate way even as his mouth is open and accepting, passive and steady.

His lover's arousal is more than obvious and the message being sent might as well be shouted through a megaphone. Liam breaks the kiss and raises an eyebrow. "Getting eager, then?" He gives Chris a wicked smile and one last peck. "All right, strip off and stand there next to the bed, arms at your sides." He gives the lad a smack on the arse before turning away to rummage through the supply cabinet.

He resists the urge to shout "Time me!" since he's usually pretty fast about stuff like this; off goes Chris; entire outfit, neatly folded out of pure "Ex's rule" habit and laid on the floor at the foot of the bed. Before Liam's had time to browse the cabinet, Chris is naked and standing at attention by the side of the bed.

His dick is even saluting.

The sounds of frantic movement make it clear that Chris is in a bit of a hurry. Liam stifles a grin and takes his time making his selections. Not that it takes long -- when he turns around he's got a coil of soft nylon rope looped over one arm and a leather cockring in one hand. He slips a condom in his pocket on his way across the room; he won't be needing that for a while yet.

"Let's give you some help here," Liam says with a teasing smile while snapping the cockring on. "We wouldn't want things to move too quickly, now would we?"

"Cockring on a twenty-four year old? That's just...mean," Chris manages to deadpan, his cock already cranky at its caging. But the rope over Liam's arm makes his mouth water and his eyes drop to the floor.

"Maybe I'm finally getting in touch with my inner sadist?" Liam suggests with an evil twinkle. Then he's uncoiling the rope, folding it in half to find the center, and the first loop goes around Chris's torso.

From his upper back, right under his arms, then Liam loops each end around the arm it's passing before bringing it to the front. He twists the two ends together and brings the ends to the back again, a bit lower this time, passing straight under the arms. Another twist and back to the front, looping around the arms again, this time at just above elbow height. A twist in the front and back to the back, twist and loop around the arms, just below the elbow this time. By now Chris's arms are well-pinned to his sides and half his torso is bound in encircling rope.

Chris pants, his eyes half-lidden with memories superimposed over the quick work of Liam's large, efficient hands. He tries to stay in the present and manages to, only by clinging to the familiar sound of Liam's voice, his scent.

The ropes binding him are like lashes, like a lover's hands everywhere on his skin. He sways just a little, his cock aching in its own prison.

Liam works his way down, checking to make sure the structure of rope is secure but not too tight. He gets down to Chris's hips and then with a last pair of loops he lashes Chris's wrists to his upper thighs. He brings the now-much-shorter ends together and ties a square knot just to maintain tension, then picks the boy carefully up and moves him over to the bed, depositing him in the center.

Almost done. He undoes the square knot and ties each end to one of Chris's ankles, drawing his knees up in a tight bend. When he's finished, the lad's a tightly-bound bundle on the bed, legs bent and open for him.

"Lovely," he murmurs, running a hand down Chris's chest, bumping over the cords and the sculptured ripples of muscle, finally drawing one finger across the cockring and all the way down to the head of his prick.

Sweat gathers under Chris' hair, under his arms, under every inch of rope. He imagines it's sizzling on him like moisture on a hot summer sidewalk; there's heat radiating off of him as his arousal snakes into his very core.

He loves this, loves it and it's been so long but more than that, it was never done with this much care and attention. The affection from Liam's hands makes his heart beat faster.

Liam just watches him for a moment, savoring the gorgeous young man, helpless and waiting for him. His Chris, and somehow that makes it different from anyone else he's ever played with, as though the rope is binding him, too, tying them together.

He turns away and pulls his polo off while breathing deeply -- settle, focus -- then tosses it over near Chris's clothes and walks over to a side table where the ever-efficient Citadel staff has put a chilled tray with their dessert. He picks up the two metal bowls -- one chocolate mousse and the other whipped cream -- and carries them back to the bed.

"Hungry?" he asks, settling down next to the sweating lad. He finds a comfortable position and sets the bowls down, taking his time. "You don't mind taking a break, now, do you? We can eat now and get back to all this in a while."

Ignoring the look on Chris's face, he scoops up a blob of mousse and sucks it off his finger. "Mmm, now that's good. Here, taste." Another blob of mousse, then he dabs it into the second bowl to get some of the whipped cream before offering the finger to his lover.

Blinking, Chris doesn't bother to try and talk. He just opens his mouth and sucks the creamy sweetness off Liam's finger, swallowing quickly to concentrate on what he really wants -- the sensation of his tongue against his lover's skin, imagining he's tasting every whorl and curve of his fingerprint.

The feel of his finger in Chris's mouth draws him down for a chocolate kiss, short and intense, then he scoops his finger through the mousse and starts to paint. A line down the center of his lover's throat, a stripe across each collarbone, a carefully drawn circle on each nipple -- each space between two tight ropes gets at least one smear of chocolate or whipped cream or both, and slowly all the places on Chris's bound body Liam intends to tease with lips and tongue are marked.

The smell of sugar is making him a little dizzy -- or maybe that's the ropes. Or the way Liam is using him as a canvas, every inch of his focus trained on Chris. Heady, he thinks, his cock straining against its bounds even as he blushes.

Liam runs out of mousse right about the same time as he runs out of Chris -- which is serendipity more than skill but damned if he'd ever admit it. A last blob of chocolate decorates the arch of one foot and then the two bowls clang together as he sets them on the floor. He shifts back up to the top of the bed and brushes the lad's hair off his forehead with one gentle hand.

"Hanging on?" he asks, smiling down into the boy's eyes with only a bit of teasing.

"Barely." Chris smiles back. "Not as easy as it looks," he sighs, feigning a pout. "I'm hungry and horny!"

Liam laughs out loud and drops a light kiss onto Chris's lips. "Well, let's see what we can do about that." He scrapes mousse off of one collarbone and holds it up to his lover's mouth. "One for you," he murmurs, then reaches down and runs his tongue along the opposite side. "Mmmm, and one for me."

Moaning and swallowing -- also not as easy as it looks but Chris is a trooper. Oh yeah, a real trooper and he does his best to suck off every molecule of sweetness from Liam's finger while showing his absolute appreciation for his lover's tongue. He jerks under the bonds for a moment, then relaxes, knowing he's utterly safe with Liam.

The twitch under his lips makes his cock jump and Liam's this close to telling Chris to go ahead and struggle because bloody hell that's hot. But the mousse is already melting a bit in response to Chris's body heat and is getting shifty and slidy in places and Liam doesn't feel like chasing it down onto the quilt. He wants to eat every bit of it off of his lover's straining body so he stays silent and lets the lad hold himself still. Next time he'll have him struggling.

He cleans off the other collarbone, the one his finger had swiped, then trails kisses up the chocolate stripe on the lad's throat, enjoying the contrasting sensations where smooth skin gives way to beard stubble.

Chris moans again -- this time tinged with a faint sound of laughter (it sort of tickles) and a demanding whimper because...because...it feels so good. He rubs himself against the quilt, the heated dampness crawling over him.

Liam presses nibbling kisses down in a path to Chris's chest. "I'm afraid I'm going to be greedy right now," he says, his voice tinged with mock regret. "These are both mine." He swipes chocolate and whipped cream off one straining, red nipple with his tongue, then dips his head and sucks hard to get every bit of sugar, and then a few moments longer just because, before moving across and doing the same thing to its mate.

Breath caught in his throat, Chris arches as far as the bonds will let him, his cock sending a dart of pain up his spine as it tightens and grows impossibly harder.

"Feels good?" Liam murmurs before giving the second nipple, now clean enough for surgery, a quick nip with his teeth. The arch of Chris's body, the trembling strain of his muscles, are just gorgeous -- hot and sexy. Liam's cock is hard and tenting his trousers, aching to be freed, but he ignores it for now. This is far too good to rush and he's determined that he and Chris are both going to remember it for a long time.

He runs his finger along the crease beneath one solid pec and offers the resulting blob of cream to his lover, while cleaning out the other side himself in a trail of little nibbling kisses, all tongue and teeth.

Clearly, Chris is never ever going to be able to taste whipped cream again without getting aroused....

"Liam," he pants, and it's not actually his name -- not entirely. It's a plea and a moan and something of a prayful sigh.

"Hmm, I'll take that as a 'yes' then, shall I?"

Whipped cream ribs, a chocolate-filled navel, a blob of mousse and cream in the hollow of his belly -- each spot is carefully savored, appreciated, sucked clean.

"Ticklish." Another word -- clearly Chris is on a roll. The sensations have him squirming again, not to get free but to enjoy the bonds getting tighter on his flesh as he moves...pure torture. Pure blissful torture.

"Really? I'll have to file that for future reference, then," Liam says, wicked promise in his eyes.

He gives Chris's hard, glistening cock a quick suck, savoring the contrast between the salty-sour come glazing its head and the sweet chocolate painted across the inside of one thigh, his next dessert stop. His teeth scrape across the smooth, sweet skin, checking for tickle with a playful tease of his tongue.

Not ticklish, not right there...Chris catches his breath, biting his bottom lip as he thrashes under Liam's mouth with a violent twist.

"S-sorry," he mutters, trying to hold still as his skin pops into goosebumps.

Now that was a gratifying reaction. Liam smiles and says, "It's all right. Helpless thrashing is a turn-on, have I mentioned that?" He scrapes the last blob of mousse off Chris's other thigh with a careful finger and feeds it to his lover, then presses their lips together in a long, loving kiss.

Lest he disappoint Liam, Chris gratefully moves and sighs beneath his lover, mouth opening like a flower to taste the best thing he can imagine.

Liam, tender and caring, leaning over him and stealing his heart all over again.

The kiss goes on until Liam can't stand it any more. He sits up, gives Chris's cheek light stroke with his fingers, then stands up and finishes undressing. The condom gets tucked under one of the strands crossing Chris's belly and Liam, now naked, tears open a packet of lube while he kneels on the bed between his lover's bent thighs.

"You're so beautiful like this," he says, his voice low but deep with feeling. He brushes one hand up and down Chris's bound torso, feeling the taut ropes and straining flesh beneath them. His other hand, slick with gel, rubs across Chris's perineum before sliding one finger inside.

"Ohgod," Chris chokes out, gratefully writhing against Liam's finger. Relief -- closer though he hasn't forgotten the look in his lover's eye or the teasing promises of being kept on edge. The torture will come to a pleasant end so in the meantime Chris moans and moves and arches against the ropes with dramatic flair.

"You're not impatient at all, are you, dear heart?" Liam twists his finger inside his lover's passage, brushing his prostate lightly, a a fluttering tease. He withdraws and then pushes slowly back in with two fingers, feeling the tight stretch of Chris's body.

"Little." He laughs, a wheezy sound as his eyes close with a snap, arching and pushing down against the pressure he's so hungry for. "You make me...crazy," Chris whispers, licking his lips.

"Well, we can't have that. At least, not too much." Liam bends down and swipes his tongue across the head of Chris's cock, where it's oozed a few fresh drops of pre-come. "This isn't bothering you, is it?" he asks innocently before giving the tight-swollen shaft a long lick.

He wonders if ever, in any medical literature, there's a case of someone's balls exploding from a combo of cock ring and tongue....

"AHHHHH!" is Chris' only answer, his flesh jumping and twitching like electricity has been applied.

Another teasing joke is on the tip of Liam's tongue but the tormented shout of a gorgeous young man -- his gorgeous young man -- about to run mad on an overwhelming wave of stark need takes away his voice along with his breath. And suddenly his own cock is demanding Now, right Now! and even though he hasn't stretched Chris out as much as he usually does he needs to be inside him, five minutes ago.

Ten seconds later, sheathed and lubed, he's pressing into his lover's barely-too-tight arse, with Slow, slow, slow... echoing through his brain in a frantic mantra.

The slow is killing him. Killing him with ball-busting pleasure as Chris digs his heels into the bed, trying like anything to figure out the physics to get Liam's cock in his ass faster and harder.

His breath forces out of his lungs like a deflating balloon, eyes open wide as he watches Liam's face.

Liam's face is straining, his determination to hold back, to not go too fast, etched into his clenched eyes and gritted teeth. When the guardian muscle finally relaxes behind the swell of his cockhead he takes a breath and opens his eyes. He sees Chris staring back up at him, want and need clear in his own gaze and he swoops down for a kiss -- and how long has it been since their last kiss? far too long in any case -- while pushing in farther with light, short thrusts.

Relief floods him even as the tension and need well up for moving, rocking, thrusting. Chris sinks into the kiss, his mind swirling and darting around like a whirlwind. He opens his mouth and twines his tongue around Liam's, struggling for a moment the urge to touch Liam with his hands.

As Chris's body loosens around him, Liam fucks him longer and faster and harder, until he can't maintain the kiss anymore. He arches his back and pumps hard, slamming his cock against his lover's prostate with each thrust. Finally, when he can feel himself getting close to the edge, he reaches down and unsnaps the cockring, hoping Chris will take it as permission to come whenever he can because Liam's not sure he could manage coherent speech.

The snap of the cockring, the freedom of it -- Chris almost cries in relief. The rope is rubbing against his skin, sweat and sugar residue burning him, sending him into almost a surreal state -- which means his orgasm seems stuck, even with the extraordinary pleasure of Liam's cock slamming into him. He struggles to say something but words don't form; just endless moans and gulps for air.

Chris seems to be teetering on the edge himself so Liam wraps his hand around his lover's cock and gives him some help. Come on, he thinks, together! With me, come with me--! his lips moving but his voice frozen, overridden by his quick, desperate panting.

Tears leak out from Chris' eyes and he opens his mouth in a painful moan, hips rocking up as far as he can to get it all, everything.

The stutter of his orgasm leaves him on the brink for an endless moment and then Chris is helpless against the power of it, pulled under the waves, spurting come in Liam's clenched fist.

There! The feeling of warm-wet-slick in his hand is what Liam's been waiting for and he lets go, pulsing jets of come shooting into the latex while he roars his climax into Chris's shoulder.

Chris jerks up, almost a dry orgasm, an echo of the first one as he feels Liam's breath and the vibration through his body of his lover's orgasm. He shakes, a live nerve -- a wire still plugged into a socket. Nudging his head just a little, he rests his forehead against Liam's jaw, whispering his name.

Liam whispers, "My dearest heart," into Chris's shoulder, then seals it in with a soft kiss.

Thankfully his tongue is swelled and his throat is dry or Chris might say something stupid. Very stupid and emotionally fueled as he lies under Liam safe and sated and adored and very very fucking wrung out.

All Liam wants to do at this point is cuddle and rest but long habit has him peeling himself off his lover -- literally, between the come that splattered out of his hand and the residue of the mousse and whipped cream -- and shifting down to where he can reach the ends of the ropes.

A sharp jerk on each of the quick-release knots has them unravelled and then he's untying and unwinding. He helps him stretch his legs out straight for the first time in... probably close to an hour, digging his fingers into the backs of his thighs in a short but firm massage as the muscles figure out how to relax once more.

"Thank you, dear heart" he murmurs while pressing kisses into the red marks revealed in Chris's skin as the bindings come off. "That was lovely, and you were just perfect."

As the ropes comes off, Chris feels his body temperature plummenting; he begins to shake, teeth rattling as the adrenaline rush begins to dissolve. Every muscle in his body bitches and moans in unison as they're put back to their regular work -- vacation's over.

At Liam's words however, all the aches and pains evaporate and jaw tense with the chattering, he manages a smile.

"Loved...it," he murmurs, his eyes on Liam as he moves over him.

Liam drops the rope over the side of the bed and wraps Chris's shivering body in his arms. He pulls the quilt over them both and cuddles up, rubbing circulation back into his lover's body. "I'm glad. It wouldn't be any fun if you didn't," he says, dotting his face with kisses.

"Thank you Liam," Chris murmurs between kisses, turning his face to his lover's like a flower towards the sun -- in this case, a legitimate flight of fancy as Liam's overwhelming body heat wipes away the chills. "I've never...I mean, I've done that before but that was...far beyond...."

"All I want is to make you happy, truly. If you are then I'm content." Liam just stays still, enjoying the feel of Chris's warming body against his own. They can both use a hot bath and that'll be delightful in a little while but for now he doesn't want to move.

"Then you must be blissfully content...."

The last spasms fade from Chris' body as he rests his head against Liam's shoulder. A yawn steals his breath for a moment and he snuggles tighter. "Hate to say it but I might fall asleep...." He hates the idea of wasting their precious time together by snoring.

"Well, if you're going to sleep then let's get clean first. You'll be more comfortable that way." Liam smoothly rearranges his mental schedule and gives Chris a kiss and caress before sliding out of bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes -- nap if you like." He heads into the bathroom and starts filling the huge tub.

Chris thinks, I'll just close my eyes until he gets back and as the thought evaporates from his brain cells, he's already asleep.

It takes a few minutes for the tub to fill and by the time it's ready and Liam goes back to the bedroom to fetch Chris, the lad's sound asleep. His expressions softens as he stands there, just watching his even breathing for a while. The red lines on his body from the binding are fading but the effect is lovely. He looks well-fucked. Well-used. And then "Well-loved" slips in after the other two and echoes through Liam's mind.

I can't, is the automatic response.

Why not? asks the pushy little voice.

Because I can't, it's not... I care for him, yes, but it's just infatuation. The newness of it all.

Hardly new anymore. It's been more than two months, remember? Nearly three now.

And the math flashes through Liam's thoughts and he just stands there, his mind locked up for a moment. Three months. He'd known that of course but he's been so distracted lately he hadn't really thought on what it meant. But yes, it has, hasn't it?

The fireworks are gone, the giddy, walking-on-air feeling has faded away. But what's left is... wonderful. Desire and affection and need. A need to hear him, to see him, to touch him. A craving to make him moan and make him come and just to make him smile.

I want to go to bed with him, he thinks. I want to fuck him silly and go to sleep with him. But I also want to wake up with him and have breakfast with him and see him go off to his work while I go do mine, and know that he'll be back in the evening and we'll have dinner together and do the washing up together and then read or watch a movie before we go to bed again. I want all of him.

And I can't have him.

Not now. I can't because Christian needs me and I'm responsible for him and that's a full-time job. And wouldn't that be a lovely gift -- Oh, by the way, I think I'm in love with you for real but I can't show you, I can't be with you, I can't even pretend to put you first in my life. See you around some time whenever there's no one else who needs me.

Oh, yes, just lovely.

And so Liam locks it all away in the back of his mind and focuses on what he can give, which is all his care and attention right now. It's the best he can do and it'll have to serve.

He leans down and brushes a feather-light kiss across Chris's lips, not wanting to wake him any more than necessary. He slides an arm under his shoulders and sits him up, then under his knees and carefully lifts, before carrying him to the bathroom and settling down into the steaming tub with the man he loves cuddled on his lap.

New Year, Part 2 [Liam, Christian, Jack, Chris]

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 16:22:36 GMT

[Continued directly from here.]

Liam's already halfway across the room. He's been puttering in the kitchen since he came back down from changing his trousers, giving the boys some privacy. But their voices had carried and another couple of strides bring him up to the sofa. He sets a plate of food he'd assembled for them down on the coffee table and then lays a hand on Christian's knee. "What is it, babe?" he asks, his tone low and gentle.

Jack stays silent, letting Christian speak when he can. He would tell Liam, but it isn't his place and he might get it wrong. So he just sits, plucking at the quilt with his fingers.

Christian stares at Jack for a moment, then looks up at Liam. I can't do this, he thinks, but no words come out.

When Christian just stares at him, looking lost, Liam goes down on one knee, getting down to eye level. He moves his hand from Christian's knee to his shoulder, brushing up against the collar with his thumb. "Tell me, lad. What do you need? It's all right, I'm here, you're safe."

Dark blue eyes are a haven, one that Christian desperately seeks. Looking into his Master's eyes, his Master's hand on his collar, it's easier to focus, easier to get his bearings, sort out his thoughts. Liam is Protection, and Sanctuary, and Unconditional Care. He leans forward, into Liam's arms, rests his head on Liam's shoulder. "Tell him he can't love me," Christian whispers. "He can't."

Liam's arms go around Christian, one staying up at his throat, at the collar, and he rocks him slowly. "I can't tell him that, babe," he whispers back. "Only Jack can say whom he loves. Maybe he does love you. Have you thought about that?"

Jack can't hear what they're saying, it's like there's a veil between them, or something that's cutting out the sound. He feels like he can't move, if he moves he'll disturb Christian and he doesn't want to do that.

Christian shake his head. "He can't."

"Of course he can. And he can help me convince you that you're worth loving, worth having. Now that there are two of us, you'll have to believe us eventually," Liam says in a gently kidding voice, but he's not really joking.

"What will he have to believe?" Jack asks, quietly. If it's wrong, right now he doesn't care. "I didn't hear all of that," he adds. "But I got the part about Christian not believing something."

Liam looks over at Jack. "Christian doesn't believe he's worth loving. Therefore no one can, and anyone who thinks they do must be mistaken. You'll have to help me convince him otherwise."

"I've been having a lot of trouble convincing him of that," Jack nods. "But I'm not giving up, because I do. And I know you love him too. Seeing you..." he nods. "You love him."

Even as much as he knows his Master cares, knows his Master believes he's worth having, he knows the truth. "Master doesn't love his slave," he whispers, barely audible, his voice cracking near the end.

"Master does indeed love his slave," Liam corrects him. "Not the same way Jack does, no, but Master does. Trust me, babe, I wouldn't do this for just anyone."

Christian shakes his head. No. "Master doesn't." It hurts, it hurts so fucking much, but all those years with Faith taught him something. "No," he whispers.

"Contradicting your master?" Liam raises an eyebrow and tightens his hug. "I say I do, lad, and that's the end of it."

Jack wishes he could say that. But at the same time he doesn't, quite. Just that it would be good to be able to put it the way Liam did. If Jack said it, though, Christian would find a way to not believe him.

Red he mouths, starting to shake, but the word gets caught in his throat. He tries to pull away from Liam's grip, but part of what makes Liam "Master" is the physical advantage Liam has over him.

He braces his hands against Liam's chest, and pushes. "Red," he manages to whisper this time.

Liam sighs, presses a kiss in to his hair and slowly releases him. It's a bad habit to get into but if Christian thinks he can reinforce his delusion that no one could possibly love him by using his safeword whenever someone tries to express love, that'd be just as harmful. Liam'll work on his getting his safeword reflexes re-sharpened later. For now, his concern is Christian.

Jack knows he can't convince Christian right now, so he just sits, watching carefully, as Liam takes care of him. He wonders if he could really do that, if he were called on to. He'd like to think he could, but even just watching can be so very painful, he has a lot of self doubt.

Christian nearly trips over the quilt in his headlong rush to leave the room. Arms wrapped around his torso, he flees, but he can't outrun the furious swell of conflicting emotion. Master doesn't love me, can't, loves Chris, and for a split second he hates Chris with every fibre of his being. He runs up the stairs, two at a time. Jack barely even knows me, as his fist connects with the wall at the top of the staircase. Faith never loved me, as he slams the door to his room, rattling the mirror and a framed piece of cover art from a game Liam designed.

He clears the top of his bureau with the photo of Faith and his father in mind, slams his hip into it with his father's words, ugly and nancy and useless.

"Is it ever going to get easier?" Jack wonders aloud, not necessarily speaking to Liam but not necessarily not speaking to him. He closes his eyes and rests his head on the back of the sofa.

Liam's up the stairs too fast for Jack's words to be more than mumbling; he'll worry about what he missed later but right now he's following the slams and bangs and crooked pictures to Christian's room. He pauses in the doorway with his fists on his hips and his head cocked to one side. "At least you're trying to break the furniture instead of yourself. That's progress, lad, and I mean it. Finished?"

Christian is whumping a pillow over and over against the edge of the bureau by the time Liam reaches the door, cursing and grunting with effort. As Liam speaks, the strained cushion seams let go, spewing bits of foam into the air.

It's a mess but pillows are cheap, and scattered foam is easier to clean up than blood, so Liam's content. "Good lad," he says, honest praise in his voice. "If you need to get it out of your system that's exactly the right way to do it. Finished? If you need another, there's one up in the closet on the shelf."

Panting, Christian considers it, but his arms ache, his hip hurts, and none of the pain is helping. He looks down at the floor at the mess of polyfill, emotionally exhausted and physically sore, and drops onto the foot of the bed. He leans over until he sits with his elbows on his knees, face in his hands.

"There, babe, it's all right." Liam steps over in front of him and gathers him close, pulling Christian's cheek to rest against his stomach. He runs a hand through the lad's hair and just holds him for a while.

Again, Jack wonders if he should just leave. If he didn't think Christian would take it as an immediate rejection, he probably would. Not because it would be easier on him, but because it would probably be easier on Christian and Liam

He rubs the bridge of his nose, pain bursting in his head as he considers the options, or lack of them.

He doesn't feel like he's accomplished anything. If anything, Christian feels worse, and hadn't he just told Jack he didn't think it could get worse? He surveys the room through splayed fingers after raising his head slightly. He still doesn't feel... finished, hasn't managed to find the release he needs. Another wave of hatred washes over him, this time at Holden, for taking beautifully painful fucking away from him and replacing it with terror and uncertainty.

Christian needs, has to find something that works before he starts screaming, because he's not sure he'll ever be able to stop. Shaking hard, he pulls out of Liam's arms, and drops to his knees on the floor with a thump.

The lad's still and quiet but he doesn't feel calm. Liam inserts one finger underneath the collar and runs it back and forth slowly, not really tightening it but rather just playing with it, a focus of attention on this mark of ownership. "You don't look happy, babe. Tell me what you need."

Jack's shivering, and scared to move, but also scared to stay put. He knows there isn't exactly an etiquette for this but it's damned difficult to know what to do half the time. Should he stay here, should he eat?

What was the right thing to do? It's been a rare time in his life when he hasn't known what to do, even in a situation he's not familiar with, but this... it's worse than when his father and brother died. There's a ritual to mourning and none for this.

Chris pays the driver and gathers his things, then turns and looks up at the house. Liam's house. The lights are on, upstairs as well as down, and the place looks welcoming and warm. He shifts his weight and tightens his hold on the paper bag tucked in the crook of one arm. He'd never come to a party empty-handed and the man who'd sold him the four-pack from a brewery so old they claimed King Charles II had drunk their beer had joked that it was so dark he should hand out forks with it. That makes it perfect for Liam. At least, Chris hopes he'll like it.

Come on, go. Sidewalk, steps, door. He walks up and rings the bell.

"I don't know," Christian whispers miserably. "Something... hard." Sex -- good sex -- used to be rough, and taxing, used to push his body and mind and soul.

Without even thinking about it, Jack gets up to answer the door. He's sure Liam won't mind. And it gives him something to do besides stare at the walls or the DVD menu.

Opening the door, he plasters a polite, welcoming look on his face. "Liam's a little busy, but I'm sure he won't mind my letting you in," he says to the young man. He's sure he's Liam's boyfriend, Chris.

"I'm Jack," he says, holding out a hand to shake, while moving back to allow the young man to come in.

"Thank you. Jack. Umm, hi, I'm Chris." He shakes hands, a little startled and struggling to catch up. Liam had mentioned that Christian's friend Jack would be here tonight but Chris hadn't expected him to be the one answering the door.

He steps inside and looks around but the entry and what he can see of the living room are normal, no sign of anything dire. "I brought some beer," he says, lifting the bag. "I'll go put it in the kitchen."

As he walks through the living room, though, he sees that the TV's on, just sitting at the top menu of some DVD, and there's a rucked-up quilt on the sofa. The scene speaks of something interrupted and he wonders what happened.

He pulls against the collar, hoping his Master will hang on, give him something to strain against, something that will hurt.

Liam adds two more fingers to the one under the collar and lets Christian tug. "I've got you. I'm not letting go." Something heavy is sitting in the pit of his stomach and he hopes this won't have to go too far, that just pulling against the collar for a while will be enough to settle the lad. But he asked him what he needed and Christian told him, and if it turns out it's not enough then his gut is telling him he'll have to do whatever it takes to give his slave what he needs. The same gut that's recoiling at the thought and isn't that just perfect? He pulls back on the collar, fighting with him, and just a bit, with himself.

There's relief at Liam's words, but a building sense of dread as well, that nothing is going to work, that it won't be enough, and it makes him more tense instead of less. Christian squirms against the collar, trying to at least chafe himself on the cinched-up leather, but the lining is designed to prevent just that. He pulls harder, hoping the pressure on his throat will help, but it's just not enough, not right. The dull sensation isn't what he needs. He whines in frustration, fists clenching, leaving little half-moons imprinted on his skin.

"It's good to meet you," Jack says, feeling distinctly weird but his public face training stands him in good stead. "Can't say I don't wish the circumstances weren't different, though." He doesn't want to dwell on that too much, so he tries to think of something to talk about. "You're an actor too, right?" There's something vaguely familiar about Chris, it tugs on Jack's memory but he's not quite sure if he's seen him in something or just on endless magazine covers.

Chris nods as he sets the beer down on the counter and his messenger bag on one of the stools, publicity habits drawing him up and tilting his head back slightly, a bit of Johnny's cocky expression showing on his face. It feels good -- comfortable -- in a sort of awkward situation to be able to fall back on his acting for a minute. He grins at Jack and says, "I played the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movie recently. I've done a few other things too, but usually when people recognize me it's from that."

The tension is fair radiating from Christian now and it's clear that what they're doing isn't helping at all. The little frustrated noises the lad's making just add to the feeling of inevitability. He needs you, Liam snaps at himself. So help him!

"All right, that's enough, stop." He calls a halt to the futile jerking by pressing Christian's head against him for a moment, unconsciously cuddling even now. "It's not enough, is it, babe?" He lowers his voice and closes his eyes. Do it! "Do you need me to hurt you?" he whispers.

Christian sags against him. "Master, please," he whispers. His hands move up Liam's legs until he finds enough loose fabric that he can clutch it in his hands. "Please."

"Of course," Jack nods. He'd taken Stephen, it had been pleasant fun. He'd even vaguely wondered if he'd have ever taken a role like that, but he usually did when he saw movies, just wondering, if his life had taken a different path, would he have been successful or not. "This is vaguely awkward," he says, a tight smile on his face. He feels for Chris, knows he must be feeling some of the same things he is.

The smug tilt falls away from Chris's head and he looks down for a moment, nodding. "Yeah, it is. I'm glad I'm not alone, though." He glances up toward the ceiling. "Is... is he all right?"

"Hush, babe. I will." Liam presses him close -- reassuring whom, though? -- then looks around. He'd rather not take this to the playroom; he's still hoping that it won't be that formal, that intense. That it's just a one-time thing.

Huh. Fat chance of that. You're fooling yourself, boyo. Never smart in a scene. Just face it head-on and do it.

Liam's jaw clenches, then he releases Christian and takes a step back unbuckling his belt. "Take off your shirt, lad, and lean over the bed, hands on the mattress."

Christian scrambles to do as he's told. Good slaves get rewarded -- isn't that how it goes? He was good, his Master said so, and now he can have his reward. The sweater catches for a moment on his collar, and he's left flailing for a second, arms in the air, but then he unhooks it from the buckle and sends the garment flying across the room. He flattens his torso to the bed, thighs pressed against the vertical edge of the mattresses at the foot in a way he knows is going to make his calves cramp, and he wants it so desperately that he's practically giddy. Christian spreads his arms, and turns his head so he can see his Master. He smiles, free, finally.

"You have no idea how much I wish I could say yes," Jack says. "It's like one moment we're talking and things are great and the next he's freaking out and I'm throwing up or not sure where to put myself."

"I mean, I was prepared for things to be hard," he whispers, more to himself than Chris. "Sorry," he says. "I'm sure you've been through some of this too."

Throwing up...? Chris realizes he's staring and glances down for a second. "Yes," he whispers back. "I just... never know what to do around Christian. I don't want to upset him or anything but I just don't know what to say or how to treat him or how to act when I'm here. I'd love to help but I don't think I can and it's... yeah. Hard." He looks at Jack and they share a look of understanding, like two strangers caught up together in a flood or something.

Liam doubles his belt over in his hand, holding the buckle and the end in a tight grip -- too tight, before he forces himself to relax. You can do this. You know how. Focus.

He runs his free hand up and down Christian's back, reassuring himself that he's strong and healthy, well muscled. He can take this without any problem and Liam knows how to beat someone without doing actual damage. But knowing isn't the problem, is it then?

Focus. Do it.

Liam's face goes blank and he raises his hand, bringing the doubled-over end of the belt down on Christian's back with a loud thwack.

It's hard to tell if the almost-scream is a sound of pleasure or pain, but knowing Christian, it's probably both.

It's like fire racing over his skin, and he arches up, ready for the second strike as soon as the belt leaves his skin after the first one. One, Christian counts in his mind. Two is just as perfect as one had been. Three makes him gasp, and he tries to tell himself he won't hump the bed, he and Master don't have that kind of relationship, but Four is so close to orgasmic that he nearly changes his mind. A thick section of his back is beet red, hot to touch, and he waits eagerly for the fifth, panting and ready.

"Try being in love with him," Jack says, and then he hears it. Oh. Fuck. He'd know that sound anywhere. Has had many thoughts of hearing it with Christian. Sometime. "Would you like something to eat?" he asks, trying to at least keep Chris from figuring it out, but knowing that it's probably pointless.

Chris hears... something. At first he's distracted, trying to figure out what that noise is. It sounds like a drawer slamming or something heavy dropped on the floor. Then suddenly it resolves, like a modern painting or a weird photo that suddenly snaps into focus. It's the sound of a beating and since Jack's here in the kitchen with him it's obvious who must be beating whom except Chris doesn't want to even think about it much less witness it, even at one remove like this.

I have to leave, flows through his mind. I can't be here, it's too much it's too intimate no one else should be here when they're doing that I shouldn't have to hear that....

But he's just standing there, staring at Jack, not moving at all.

Five, Liam thinks, laying it on hard but careful. He's spacing the strokes out so none of them overlap, covering Christian's back in thick, red stripes, even and parallel. His focus is on his technique because if he thinks too hard about exactly what he's doing in a larger context he's going to be sick. So instead he remembers his lessons -- stance, grip, swing, focus. One more, thwack! and that's six and that's enough, plenty. The lad's back is an angry, burning red and Liam can hear the joy in his shrieks. That's enough.

Staring back at Chris, Jack falls silent, listening with sick fascination to the sounds coming from upstairs. "I really have no idea what to say," he starts. He's not angry, he's just... numb. Again.

Christian, drunk on adrenaline and endorphins, arches his back, waiting for the next blow, but it never comes. His back is on fire, and it's what he's needed, what he's missed.

He turns his head to look at Liam, pants, "Please, Master." He turns his face to the mattress, and spreads his legs a little more. He was right -- his calf muscles hurt almost as much as his back does.

Liam shakes his head. "That's enough, lad. You can't see your back but I can. You'll be feeling that for a good while yet." He reaches out and runs his nails lightly down Christian's spine, across the stripes, feeling the heat even just through his fingertips, then closes his hand around his upper arm and draws him up to his feet.

He has to stop himself from tugging him clear down to the bathroom where the aloe gel lives these days and instead asks, "Would you like me to put something on that for you?"

Chris shakes his head. That's a really great gesture. It means so many things if you think about it. "I don't either," and, "There's nothing to say," and "I can't handle this," and, "This shouldn't be happening," and, "I don't know what to do," and a dozen other "don't," "can't," "not" things that are swirling through his mind. What he actually says is, "Would you like a drink?" before heading for the fridge.

"Yes," Jack says, words still being difficult about coming out. "Something strong... does Liam keep vodka in the freezer?" He knows he could check but he guesses that Chris needs something to focus on. The sounds from upstairs have stopped, he realises, sometime later, could be a few minutes, could be a few seconds. He reaches for a couple of glasses and puts them down on the counter a little too heavily.

Christian tries to stand, but his legs aren't cooperating. He trembles as he shakes his head, clinging to his Master's arm for support. He looks up into blue eyes with something akin to worship (Liam, oh god, it's Liam), and remembers his Master likes aftercare, made Christian amend the contract, and he wants to please his Master, has to, so his Master will reward him again with another beating. He changes his mind and nods. "Please, Master," he whispers. He can't think, can barely string two words together, but Please, Master is always the right thing to say. Please, Master will put Liam's hands on his back again. No matter how lightly he touches, it's going to hurt.

Liam steadies him with an arm around his shoulders, holding him firmly. It'll hurt, but less than if he tried to hold him lightly and he slipped and dragged skin against skin. He just stands there for a few moments, waiting while Christian finds his legs, then slowly walks with him down the hall to the bathroom. He has him sit straddling the toilet, facing the wall, while Liam gets the aloe gel and smooths a big dollop across his back. His hand is light and gentle but he can tell it still hurts.

"Yes, I think so," Chris says. He walks across the kitchen, his legs moving on their own, and gets a clear bottle out of the freezer. He pours a splash into one of the party glasses Liam has out on the counter and hands it to Jack, then puts the bottle back. He gets a bottle of sparkling cider out of the refrigerator and fills a glass for himself, carefully pouring down the side like he would with beer to prevent the foam bubbling up all over the countertop. He takes a sip and then wanders over to the island where all the food's laid out and starts nibbling.

Jack follows, sipping at the vodka, sighing as it burns down his throat. He feels like he should say something but isn't sure what. What do you say to the boyfriend of your partner's master anyway? He does actually half-laugh at that, but stifles it before the sound is identifiable. Falling back on the obvious, he asks, "So, you're from the States originally?"

Christian's awareness has been reduced to three things: Master's hand on his back, cold porcelain against his chest, and the hard cock between his legs. The cold of the toilet's water tank is uncomfortable, and not in a good way, so he leans back into Liam's touch. He slips one hand down into the extra space between him and the tank, braces it against the seat, and rocks his cock lightly against the leather cuff around his wrist. His eyes flutter closed as his head tips forward. When he exhales, the sound starts as a sigh, then turns into a moan.

"Please, Master," he whispers.

"Go ahead, babe," Liam whispers back. "Whatever you need." After what he's done, having the lad wank while he's tending to his back is so minor it's not even worth thinking about, much less fretting over. He ignores Christian's front and continues tending to his back, leaning over to smooth more gel on the lowest of the stripes, making sure there's an even layer from side to side. It's surprisingly easy to maintain his distance. Or, not surprising, not really. What would be difficult would be digging deep enough to find any feelings in him at the moment because right now they're all cowering under the bed, down in the basement of his mind.

"Yes, I am," Chris says with a nod. "Boston, actually. You know, the tea party...?" The second the words are out of his mouth he's cringing inside. Way to be tactful. You're in England, remember??

That gets an actual smile. "I think I had ancestors there," Jack replies. "I'd have to look it up. But that's a nice area. Haven't been there much recently, but I had friends who went to college at Harvard and I used to visit them." It's a good memory. "But in recent years it's been mostly New York. Business."

Gradually, Christian's breathing grows more erratic, more ragged, and he presses harder against the hand on his back. He can't keep his eyes open, it feels too good, too pure; he fumbles with his zipper, scrapes his cock on the teeth, wraps his fist around it, so good, so good, and for the first time he's part of that goodness, not a slut, not a whore, not dirty, the pain is cleansing and he falls backwards, trusting his Master will catch him, but if he doesn't, that's his Master's right.

Liam does catch him, both hands on Christian's shoulders while the lad leans against him. He feels the aloe soaking through to his belly and thighs but ignores it. If this is what Christian needs then he'll give it.

Chris nods to Jack and takes another sip of his cider. "Me too. I mean, I've been away a lot, filming and all, just home for holidays. We were in New York for FF, a lot of stuff gets made there. Now I'm here doing Sunshine."

"What's that about?" Jack asks, curiously. "I don't know if you've heard it all, but I used to be an actor too. Would still be, except that things changed." He doesn't go into details. Too soon for someone who he's just met.

Christian's legs kick against anything they can reach -- the base of the toilet, the wall, the counters, the floor -- as he tries to brace himself to press back harder into his Master's embrace. His fist works furiously at his cock, precome flowing over his fingers as the tears are flowing down his cheeks. "Good, Master, please," he whispers, "Please, good, good." He can't articulate how he feels any better than that, is barely aware that he's speaking at all.

"Yes, good," Liam echoes. He presses a kiss into Christian's hair, his eyes closed, divorcing himself emotionally from what's going on. It's as though he's watching a movie, and not a very interesting one, either. He can't seem to work out how he feels, or even how to feel anything at all right now. He's hollow inside, just doing what he needs to do on an intellectual level to care for his slave because Christian needs him and it's his responsibility to take care of him, he has to do this, whatever it takes, because he promised he would and he has to see it through. Whatever the lad needs, Liam will give him.

Chris swallows a cheesy pastry thing and says, "It's a sci-fi thing. Part of the sun's dying and some astronauts are sent out to reignite it, except the first team they sent vanished and there's all this tension, wondering what's going on and what they're going to find." He chats about his project but he's very much aware that the noise from upstairs stopped some time ago and he can't help wondering what's happening. What are they doing and what's going to happen now and will they come downstairs and what are they doing right now...?

He only takes in half of what Chris says, nodding as he sips his drink. "Sounds interesting." He doesn't really have much else to say, the tension in the room is very weird. "Are you a lead this time?"

Christian arches back as he comes, presses his forehead against the side of his Master's throat as his body tenses, locks up, relaxes for a second with every pulse of thick white purity. He feels clean, like he's been baptized, like he's taken part in some strange pagan Mystery of pain and love.

As the last drops dribble over his fingers, he goes limp, slumps against Liam for a moment. He starts to cry, shoulders rhythmically convulsing in time with his weeping, but it's not a painful sound. The emotions are just too much for him to cope with.

He manages to turn himself around, hugs his Master as he sobs his thanks.

"There, babe, it's all right. I've got you. Cry it out, there's my good lad." Liam places his hands carefully as he cuddles Christian to him. He feels tears tickling their way down his own cheeks but can't quite figure out why.

Chris shrugs. "I'm not the big star with my face in the center of the poster or anything, but I'm up there. Pretty much like with FF, you know?" If Jack used to act then he knows how that goes.

"Yeah, I get it. I was just about there with Ripley," Jack says. "Kind of lucky, I got to fade into obscurity pretty easily. Well, in the acting world anyway. I sometimes think I'd rather do that publicity than the stuff I have to do now." He sighs. "Not all it's cracked up to be, being a lord."

He's making conversation, trying to keep his and Chris's mind off whatever it is that's going on upstairs.

Christian holds on to Liam until his sobbing calms to an occasional sniffle. He pulls back a bit, cups Liam's face in his hands, and presses their foreheads together. "Thank you," he whispers. He can barely see through the tears still caught in his lashes, but he can see well enough to place a kiss on Liam's cheek.

"You're very welcome," Liam whispers back, kissing him back, on the forehead. "I told you I'd take care of you, remember? You're mine, and whatever you need I'll give you if it's within my power." He ruffles the lad's hair with his fingers, just standing there, holding him for a bit. The tension's gone and Christian feels relaxed, content, just here for the first time since their contract. That makes it worth it, really it does. "How are you feeling, then? Better? Do you want to go back downstairs or would you rather stay here for a bit?"

"Lord? Like, House of Lords and all that?" Chris blinks at Jack. All he can think of is, Funny, he doesn't look like a lord, which he knows is a really dumb cliche but he can't help it.

"Oh, hell, I forgot to mention that again, didn't I?" Jack says. "Yes, I am an Earl. I... didn't expect to be. I was the second son," he says, trying to explain to Chris without going into areas that he isn't ready to. "I just tend to presume that people know this. Which can be awkward. I'm sorry."

Christian is speechless, still caught up a bit in the emotional whirlwind of the last twenty minutes. "Soon," he manages to reply softly. "Not yet." He sags into Liam's arms. "Christ." He glances down, realises his cock is still hanging out of his jeans. With a small sigh, he tucks himself back in, trying not to smear more come over the fabric. He glances at Liam, and winces at the mess of aloe and semen all over the front of Liam's pants. He looks up at Liam through his fringe. "Sorry, Master," he whispers.

Liam feels his shoulders shake as a single, silent snort of laughter passes through him. "Least of my worries, babe. Don't fret about it. We both need to change before we go back down." He ignores the mess and just keeps petting Christian's hair, smoothing his hands through it in slow caresses, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tell me how you're doing. Feel better?" He clearly does but Liam needs to hear it, and he thinks it'll do Christian some good to articulate it.

"No, it's all right, really." Chris sort of toasts Jack with his glass of cider, then takes a sip. He thinks about what else Jack said and adds, "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Jack says. "I don't... seem to fully think of myself as being who I am, it has only been five years though. Maybe in another five." He half-smiles.

Christian nods once, swallows. "I feel...." He frowns, trying to come up with something that will adequately describe it, or at least begin to. "Absolved." He looks up at Liam. His right hand inches up to his collar, as his expression grows wary. "You're... you're not going to take this away, are you?" he whispers in a childlike voice.

"No!" Liam's startled at the suggestion and he's sure it shows in his face. He lowers his voice before going on. "I keep telling you, you're mine until I say you're not."

"You're not going to say I'm not now?" Christian whispers.

"No, I'm not. Not now and not any time soon. We're going to be together for a while yet so don't fret about it." Another kiss, on the end of his nose this time, then he reaches around and smooths out the gel on Christian's back, where it got smeared around when he leaned back against Liam's shirt.

Christian relaxes into the touch, leaning against Liam's chest. "Feels good," he whispers as Liam's fingers stroke over his back.

"I'm glad." Liam straightens and looks down into Christian's face. "You seem more relaxed. More yourself. I'm glad."

A lazy smile spreads across his face. He nods. "More relaxed." He chuckles. "I feel... exorcised."

"Maybe. It can be hard enough, though, to figure out exactly who you are when you're just going along, you know? Even when you don't have to do a sudden one-eighty." Chris's eyes meet Jack's in understanding and sympathy for a moment, then he looks away and busies himself getting one of the little quiche things. They look home-made, not the frozen ones you can get at CostCo, and knowing Liam they probably are.

"I know that," Jack nods. "I mean, I like to think I was secure before, but when I think about it, I was thinking about... sexuality and what it might mean to come out as an actor." He watches Chris as he gets something to eat. He seems a nice guy. "I feel like I should apologise for this, in some way," he says, quietly. "I have no idea why."

"Excellent." Liam manages a bit of a smile, then takes a deep breath and stretches. "Come on, let's go get changed, then. You've a guest waiting for you. I imagine he's wondering what's happened to us -- you can go reassure him."

Christian nods, moving over in front of the mirror. He turns his back to it, peers over his shoulder at the six red stripes across his back. He looks back to Liam. "Thank you," he says softly.

"Social jitters?" Chris asks with a ghost of a smile. "When it's uncomfortable you want to say you're sorry. Or I do, anyway. There's no reason, it's just a reflex." He glances up at the ceiling, then looks away. "You should try one of these cheese puff things -- they're really good."

"That might be it," Jack nods, and gets up to try one. "I was also referring to... whatever the hell this is we're all in the middle of." It's the first time he's really been direct about it with Chris. For just a moment, for some reason, he wishes the younger man were Jared. Someone he could just talk to without wondering if he's saying the wrong thing or saying too much. He bites into the pastry. "That is good," he says, his mind in too many places to settle into one. And his headache didn't abate, he suddenly realises as something in his head throbs.

"I don't think I'll be able to wear a shirt though." Christian turns to face the mirror again, and gives an appraising look at the man staring back at him: brown hair, hazel eyes, high cheekbones, strong but not overbearing jaw....

He tilts his head, narrows his eyes; defined abs, flat stomach, distinct pecs, leather collar. Solid biceps. Leather cuffs. No wedding ring. No evidence of ownership, other than Liam's.

"Master, may Jack stay the night?" The question comes after a deep breath. "I.... Your slave thinks he would like company." Polite, polite, polite....

Liam looks at Christian, studying him for a moment. "If you want him to, then yes. If you're sure you'll be all right?"

"You're not going to leave the house, are you?

"Jack... Jack isn't Adam. He's not going to do anything... inappropriate."

"No, I'll be here. You can come find me whenever you need. Or call." Liam nods, then turns for the door. "So, go change your trousers then. Jack's been alone long enough." He heads for his room, pulling his jumper off over his head while he walks.

Chris nods, looking lost for a few seconds. "I don't pretend to fully understand what's going on. I just try to deal with it. I don't want to...." He pauses and looks away. "I don't want to be one more person Liam has to worry about, you know? Or make things hard for Christian."

"I do know," Jack agrees. "I'm doing my best not to make it harder for him. For both of them, really. It's... not easy. I don't get it either... but whatever he needs. That's all I can say right now. I am sorry you've been caught up...." Jack sighs, then turns, he thinks he heard a noise from upstairs.

It takes Liam under a minute to change and then he's back down the stairs. The living room is empty so he checks the kitchen and stops. "Chris! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you knock." He's across the room and hugging him a moment later, but then his brain starts working again. Fuck! He looks over Chris's shoulder and says, "Jack? Christian's still upstairs -- would you mind taking that plate I fixed for the two of you up to him?" He moves his eyes up toward the ceiling and then gives Jack a pleading look. He really doesn't want to think about Chris's reaction if... Jaysus, if so many things!

"Of course," Jack answers. He's going to go up as soon as he can, but the pain behind his eyes reminds him it's still there again. "Just a moment, Liam, do you have any aspirin or some kind of painkiller? I've got a drummer beating a tattoo on my skull."

Christian pads back to his room. Jack's going to stay the night. It's a comfortable thought, and it makes him smile as he tries to decide what to wear. Well, he reasons, I don't want to have to stop and change later. He snags his white cotton sleep pants with the flower details at the ankle. He wishes briefly that he could wear the matching fuschia silk shirt, but there's no way he's putting fabric on top of the welts Liam gave him. He inspects them in the mirror as he gets changed. Master, he thinks, nodding to himself. The deep red lines are perfectly even, beautifully laid on his skin. He cinches the pants around his waist, and walks out into the hall.

"I have a couple different kinds in the upstairs bathroom. Take whatever you need. If a cool cloth would help, they're in the linen cupboard in the hall next to the bathroom." Even while speaking to Jack, Liam's wrapped around Chris, hanging on for dear life as though his lover's about to vanish into the air. Which just might happen if Christian comes downstairs and Chris sees... sees what Christian looks like. What Liam did. And considering Christian's expression, what it looks like Liam did. He moans and buries his face in Chris's hair, holding on and rocking with him, thinking, Go, go, go! at Jack.

"Thank you, we'll be upstairs if you need anything," Jack says. "Or if Christian calls." He takes the plate and makes his way upstairs, more cautious than he sounds, not knowing what he's going to find. "Christian?" he calls out softly.

Christian meets him at the top of the stairs. "Jack." He smiles, relaxed and happy. He starts walking down them, but doesn't get very far before he stops and frowns at Jack. "Are you all right?" he asks with gentle concern.

"Who are you and what have you done with Christian?" Jack asks, and falters. "Sorry, headache," he says, rubbing his temple. "Liam said there's stuff in the bathroom cabinet?" Then he wonders if Christian should know this. Too late. He leans against the wall, just staring at how... different Christian looks. "You..."

Christian decends three more steps, and holds his hand out for Jack to take. "You sure it's just a headache?" He beckons with his fingers. "C'mon. Lets get you fixed up."

[Chris and Liam continue here.]
[Christian and Jack continue here.]

New Year, Part 1 [Liam, Christian, Jack, Chris]

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 16:20:34 GMT

Liam slips his hands into a pair of oven mitts and takes a pan of small cheese quiches out of the oven. They're cliche, yes, but at least their scratch-made. Some are vegetarian, for Chris, and the rest have bits of bacon in them. Christian is busy arranging cut-up raw veggies onto a couple of trays, each of which has a well of dip in the center, one spinach and one onion. Liam sets the quiches on a rack to cool and slides the cheese puffs in their place, shutting the oven door with a click. The second oven has a honey-almond cheesecake that's almost ready to come out, and there's a kettle of hot cider on the stove.

He straightens and takes a look around. There are juices, soft drinks, beer and some Scotch in the fridge, along with both champagne and sparkling apple cider for toasting at midnight, although personally if he and Chris are too occupied to notice the new year arriving, that'll be fine with him.

Christian rearranges the onion-dip tray for the second time. He couldn't fit the mushrooms in the first time. Something has been teasing at the back of his mind for the past ten minutes, and he knows it's not nerves about Jack's visit. Liam's collar has been helping keep things under control. He looks at the trays again. Carrots, green pepper, mushrooms, cheese, celery, sticks of dark rye bread for the spinach dip.... "Master, do we have broccoli?" He knew there was something missing. He loves broccoli.

"I cut that up this morning," Liam says over his shoulder. "Bottom drawer on the left in the fridge. And there's cut up mixed fruit in there too -- toss that with the sour cream dressing in the blue plastic container on the top shelf when you're done with the vegetables, please. Use the big bowl on the island, the one with the yellow stripe." Liam goes into the pantry and gets a covered bowl of Scotch eggs he made earlier. They need to be sliced and put onto a tray and then there's just the cheesecake and cookies and... they should be done.

It doesn't take long for Christian to add the broccoli to each tray and toss the fruit. He steps back from the table, one hand betraying his anxiety by fluttering up to touch his collar. "Anything else, Master?" he asks politely. He'd rather ask while kneeling, but he doesn't want his legs to get in the way of their kitchen rhythm.

"That'll do, lad, thank you. Hmm, you could pour me a pint if you would, and then you can go keep an eye out for company." Liam gives Christian a nod and a brief hand on his shoulder, then goes back to slicing the eggs.

He pours the beer carefully, tilting the glass and gradually straightening it as the liquid approaches the top. Christian sets it near Liam, but not in the way. His hand moves to his collar again, toying with the D-ring on the front. He's wearing a thin, olive green sweater, sleeves pushed up almost to his elbows to show off the leather cuffs on his wrists. He stands just out of Liam's way, head bowed.

Just as Liam finishes the eggs, the timer bings on the lower oven. He gets the cheesecake out and sets it carefully on the cooling rack, taking the slightly-cooler quiches off and putting them on the island. "If you're going to hang about anyway, you can go into the pantry and find me the jar of apricot preserves. It should be on the left, toward the top." Liam takes a pull of his beer before starting in on transferring the quiches to a tray.

There's a slight hestitation before Chrisitan leaves his side, but he fetches the jar as ordered. Again, he stands silently, just off to one side, head bowed.

Liam takes the jar, then glances over at him. "It's all right, lad. If you'd rather stay near, that's fine." He tugs Christian close to his side and leans against him a bit while spreading the preserves carefully into the well on top of the cheesecake, where it fell a bit when it cooled. It always does, but it's a lovely place to put preserves or chocolate or whatever else he has in mind to go there.

Gratitude washes over him as he whispers, "Thank you, Master." He shouldn't be on edge, Christian tells himself, Jack's visit was his idea, but still, it's only their third meeting, and he's terrified something disasterous is going to happen. Adam will change his mind about wanting something full-time, or Chris will demand that he leave the house for the night, or Jack will come to his senses, something.

There, the cheesecake's done and goes into the pantry in a covered cake dish for now to cool some more. Liam takes the puffs out of the oven and puts them on the rack. Everything ready is arranged on the island, along with small dishes and forks and toothpicks and lots of paper serviettes. "There, I think that's it for now." He leans back against the island with his arms loosely around Christian.

Christian tilts his head up, just a bit, enough that Liam's jaw blocks out the light. These moments are precious to him, moreso for their rarity; while his Master will oftentimes touch his hair or his arm, full-body contact is something usually reserved for sleeping, and even then, he's spent a night or two on his own recently. Feeling his Master breathe, listening to his heart beat, smelling the unique scent of his skin, it all combines into a heady tranquilizer that reminds him of kneeling in the hotel room in Ireland.

Liam just relaxes for a bit, holding Christian close with one arm while the other rubs gentle circles on his back. The lad seems a bit jumpy this evening. He hopes inviting Jack was the right thing to do.

A soft sound escapes Christian, somewhere between a sigh and a hum of contentment.

"There, lad. That's it, relax. Jack'll be here soon." Liam keeps on rubbing, moving his hand up to Christian's shoulders and rubbing back and forth from one to the other, strong hands kneading into tense muscles.

He's not nervous. He isn't. It feels oddly right to be seeing Christian agian now. He isn't nervous. Not even of Liam. Much. Really. He gets out of the cab, sending the driver away. He'll call another later, and if it's the typical New Year's Eve zoo, he'll get his own driver or one of Citadel's. He shivers a bit, wondering if leaving his coat at home was a good idea, but it's too late now and he walks up to the front door of Liam's house and rings the bell.

Liam cocks his head at the sound of the doorbell. "You want to get it, lad?" he asks, still rubbing Christian's shoulders.

He takes a deep breath. Christian whispers, "Yes, Master," but doesn't pull out of Liam's embrace.

Liam gives Christian a last hug and then steers him gently toward the door. "Go on, lad. I'll be right behind you."

With a nod, he walks quickly to the entrance. He tries to still his mind, tries to keep the inner peace he had been so close to in his Master's arms, but he's practically trembling by the time he grasps the door knob.

It's colder than it was earlier, he swears, rubbing his arms as he waits for someone to answer the door. But it takes his mind off the nervousness. Which he isn't feeling, really. "Hello," he says as the door opens.

Christian stares at Jack, frozen and quite effectively blocking the doorway. His mouth opens, then closes without making a sound.

The cold air is blowing in through the door and Christian seems to have locked up. Liam moves up behind him and says, "Jack, hello. Happy New Year," while shifting Christian to one side with a firm hand on his shoulder. "Come in before you freeze." He steps aside with Christian to let Jack enter, then closes the door behind him. "I have some hot cider if you'd like to warm up?"

"Thank you," Jack says, not sure which he's responding to. "Happy New Year," he says. God, could he sound any more like.... "Cider would be wonderful," he says, with a shiver. "I don't think leaving my coat at home was a good idea." He glances at Christian, and wants... so much. But he's not going to push him. "Christian."

Liam nods, gives Christian a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, and withdraws to the kitchen to get Jack his drink.

When Liam leaves, Christian's still just staring at Jack, eyes wide. Two steps takes care of the distance, and his arms wrap around Jack before he lets himself think about what he's doing. His right arm goes around his shoulder, the left one along Jack's ribs as he pulls him into the embrace. Christian presses himself completely against the other man, his bare feet bracketing Jack's shoes. He buries his face in the crook between neck and shoulder, and inhales deeply.

He almost can't believe it when Christian comes up to him. He was about to talk, say something, anything, but finding himself with an armful of Christian, words seem unimportant. He feels how warm Christian is, shivering, and he doesn't think it's from the cold. He lets his arms come around Christian and just sighs, breathing in his scent.

Christ, he feels so right. Christian tightens his arms a little, but that's the only movement he's willing to make right now. This feels too good to let go, and he's not sure he'll have the courage to do it again later.

"Think we could stay like this all night?" Jack whispers softly, scared to talk, but unable not to ask. He thinks he could. It feels so good. He's scared to do or say anything else, so he just breathes and holds Christian.

"Maybe," he whispers, and god the feeling of Jack's breath on his skin is making him hard. He wants to pull his hips back so Jack can't tell, but he doesn't want to move.

"I'm up for it if you are," Jack says, smiling. He doesn't really expect it. They'll have to separate soon. Then he realises. "Oh." He doesn't move. Doesn't react, except for his own cock, which swells in answer. But he knows, nothing is going to happen yet. Is it? If it does, it will all be Christian's doing.

As he feels Jack's cock against his own, Adam comes to mind, and he can't do it again, can't because he came with Adam and then Adam left, he didn't want him anymore and he needs Jack, he needs him and he's not willing to lose him, not now, not ever and he'll wear one of those cages, he'll chop the goddamned thing off before he loses Jack.

His breathing grows more and more rapid, his heart races, and he recoils from Jack, practically pushing Jack away as he spins and runs for the kitchen.

Jack almost falls over, he's sure Christian didn't even realise just how hard he pushed. How hard he pushed him away. Dammit, he shouldn't have... what shouldn't he have? He didn't say anything all... oh, bloody hell. He tries to tell himself that he couldn't help the physical reaction, especially knowing that Christian was hard too. It isn't an unnatural reaction when the man you love -- and hell yes, he knows that now if there was a second of doubt in his mind, it's been erased completely by Christian's physical presence. He wonders if he should leave now, or stay, or... what. He doesn't move, just waiting to figure out what he should do.

Christian barrels into the kitchen, headed straight for the butcher's block.

Liam takes one look at the expression on Christian's face and drops the mug, ignoring the steaming liquid splashing on his trousers. He intercepts the man, arms spread, and catches him in a half-hold, half-embrace, pivoting them both around so Liam's body is between the knife block and Christian. He holds on through a round of jerking and struggling, then says, "No. I don't care what happened, we'll deal with it. You're mine, remember? You're not to damage what's mine, period. I won't let you." He hangs on, his check pressed against Christian's hair and his arms holding him close, tight, secure.

Liam's. Not his. Jack starts to shake. Maybe leaving is a good idea. He can go out into the snow and catch something and die. That seems like it would be less painful right now. The only reason he doesn't is that his mother would die too, and he's not going to be responsible for that. He feels sick, like he is going to throw up and that would just be the final touch. "Bathroom?" he calls out. "Liam?" He thinks he can hold it. He hopes so.

"Knife, I need a knife, let me have a fucking knife!" Christian growls through clenched teeth. "I won't lose him, I can't lose him, I can't lose him, Liam!" He continues to struggle, feet slipping in the cider.

"No," Liam says, calm and inexorable. "I won't lose you. Guess who wins?" He stands firm through Christian's struggles, keeping his arms pinned. He hears Jack's call and hollers out, "Door in front of you!" He gives Christian a brief shake, then, and adds, "See? He's not leaving. Whatever happened, we'll work it out. Calm down, lad."

He should have looked, but then he runs into the room, fumbling for the light switch and barely making it to lean over the bowl. He feels everything he's eaten for the last month, or so it feels, leave his body and he falls back, breathing heavily and sweating. After a moment to catch his breath, he rinses his mouth and then his face with water. He'd like to just lock the door and stay in here, but it's not his home. Slowly, he walks out again, and he hesitates for a moment, looking at the front door. But everything in him pulls him back and he walks into the kitchen, feeling like he doesn't belong there.

Christian's growls turn frantic. "You don't understand, I have to -- I need a knife, please, Liam, give me a knife, he'll leave me if I don't!" His voice grows louder and louder, until he's practically shouting in Liam's ear. "I'll come, and then he'll leave me, I have to cut it off Liam I can't lose him, I love him!" Tears form in his eyes as he continues to fight against Liam's grip. "I love him, Liam, I can't lose him, I can't, please, give me a knife!" he cries.

He hears the last part as he comes into the kitchen, though he'd heard it all. "What makes you think I'll leave you if you come?" Jack asks, still trying to get his head around that.

Christian tries to turn toward Jack's voice, but he doesn't have the energy to actually get free. "Adam left, he said he didn't want me and he left, because I came," he explains through his tears.

"I'm not Adam," Jack says, quietly. "I want to see you come, want you to see me come, and hold you all night after. When you're ready. If you were up to it, I'd take you into the nearest bedroom right now..." he says. He knows Liam's there, but it's not like that matters, he's seen more in his life, Jack's sure, than he has. Or at least as much. Considering some of the scenes at Citadel, this is tame. "I love you and I am not leaving," he says. "Not unless you tell me you want me to and I believe you, which is going to take one hell of a lot of convincing."

Christian sags in Liam's arms as the post-adrenaline shakes begin. "Don't go. I don't want you to go," he half-sobs. "Please, Jack, don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Jack replies. "I'm right here and unless Liam asks me to leave, I won't be going anywhere." It hurts to say, but again, not his house.

Liam says, "No, you're welcome to stay the night if you like." He darts his eyes down toward Christian, then looks back at Jack and raises an eyebrow.

"Thank you," Jack says, and moves closer, interpreting the raised eyebrow. "Christian?" he whispers softly. He holds his arms out, and waits.

Liam loosens his hold on Christian, slowly and carefully. He doesn't quite trust him even now, and watches to see what he'll do.

Jack watches too, on alert to see what Christian will do, if he even tries to lunge for the knives, he'll have to get through himself and Liam.

The arm Christian had been using to try to push away from Liam holds on now instead. He presses against Liam's biceps, trying to hide his face as he regains control of his breathing. "Master, time out, please?" he whispers.

Jack steps back, this isn't about him. He may not like it, but this dynamic is not about him.

The floor is scattered with cooling cider and the broken shards of a cup. Liam looks around, then walks Christian the few steps into the pantry. He grips the lad's collar with one hand, puts the other on his shoulder and urges him to his knees. "Down, lad. Kneel for me, there you go. I'm here. Relax, breathe, quiet for a bit."

Automatically, Jack starts carefully picking up the shards of china, being careful not to cut himself -- that's just what they would all need -- as he looks around for the bin. He tries hard not to listen to the words coming from the pantry.

Christian resists at first, until it's clear that when Master says kneel, he kneels. His hands lie palm-up on his thighs, his head bowed. His breathing hitches occasionally as he starts to calm down.

"There we go, my good lad. Relax for me. Everything's fine." Liam straightens a bit, letting go of Christian's collar and maintaining contact with a hand in his hair.

Looking around, Jack finds a cloth and soaks up the now-cold cider from the floor. The mindless task helps him to not think too hard about anything else, at least for a little while. He finishes and finds a non-shattered mug pouring himself some cider. He sips it and waits. Patiently.

Nearly ten minutes pass before Christian manages to get himself under control. The hand on his head helps, and when he feels he's able to face Jack again, he presses his forehead against Liam's thigh.

Liam feels Christian stirring and caresses his hair. He squats down and whispers, "Feeling better, lad?" pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Feeling slightly calmer now, Jack rinses his mug. Liam's words penetrate and he hopes that means he's actually been waiting for a reason. He's sure he has, but doubts are never far away.

Christian nods, a bit groggy. "Jack still here?" he whispers, afraid to hope.

"Of course he is, babe," Liam whispers back. "He's right there in the kitchen. He said he wouldn't leave you, remember?"

He nods. Christian reaches up, places his hand on his Master's leg. "Help me up?" he asks quietly. His legs ache and he feels shakey all over.

Liam grips under Christian's armpits and stands up with him, supporting and steadying him until he finds his feet.

Jack's shaking too, emotion catching up. It's not as bad as it was just before Christmas, but then the storm then has probably calmed now just a little. He grips the counter tightly as he waits, sure they're moving.

Leaning against Liam, Christian calls out, "Jack?"

"I'm here," Jack says. "I said I wasn't leaving, remember?" He's trying to find his legs, and they seem to be working.

"Could you come over here?" He wraps an arm around Liam's waist. He needs to see him, needs to know it's still real, that Jack isn't going to run.

"Of course," and that's what he must have needed, because his legs are working. He makes his way to the pantry. "See," he says, half-wanting to turn around.

Christian smiles weakly. "Thank you," he whispers, half to Jack, half to his Master. He lowers his eyes, unable to look at Jack while he speaks. "I'm sorry, Jack. I don't... I don't know what the hell that was. I'm sorry," he offers.

"It's okay," Jack says. "I shouldn't have either..." he says. "But I suppose we are both human, aren't we?" He offers a slightly shaky smile.

"That's the theory." Christian gives a tentative smile back.

"Ready to try this again?" Jack asks, holding out his hand. "Hello," he says, and this time it doesn't seem too little at all.

Christian laughs, self consciously tucking his face against Liam's chest. He holds out his hand. "Hello," he replies, slightly muffled.

"So, what are the plans for the evening?" Jack asks, smiling a little as he watches Christian. It doesn't hurt to see him like this with Liam. He thought it would.

"Well, we have one more coming soon, I think. And I hope you're hungry." Liam tilts his head toward the food arrayed on the island. "We have movies to watch, and we can watch Trafalgar square at midnight if you want. Other than that, nothing elaborate." He keeps one hand moving, caressing Christian's back as he speaks.

"That sounds like a perfect evening," Jack smiles. "And I think I might be hungry, yes."

"Excellent. I'd hate to see it all go to waste." Liam gives Jack a smile over Christian's shoulder. "There are more drinks in the fridge, alcoholic and non, if you're warmed up and don't want any more cider."

"I think I'll stick to non-alcoholic. Wouldn't want to have a stray word fuelled by booze cause any problems," Jack says, as lightly as he can. "Thank you, Liam." It's for much more than this evening.

He's realising just how much Liam has helped Christian -- and by extension himself -- through all this.

Christian seems to sink into Liam's chest as the tension drains from him. "Sofa," he mutters into Liam's jumper. "And a quilt?" he asks. He feels drained, and all he really wants now is something comfortable, warm, and horizontal.

'Company?" Jack asks, tentatively. "I think that sounds a great place...."

"Good idea," Liam says. He leads the company back out to the living room, an arm around Christian, and gets him settled on the sofa. The closet in the entry way gives up a quilt and he brings it over and drapes it over him. He holds one end up and looks over at Jack with a questioning expression.

"Christian?" Jack says, not wanting to do anything he doesn't want. His instinct is to go right under there of course, but....

Christian nods. "I'll try not to freak out on you," he says quietly.

Jack smiles and moves to the sofa, smiling gently. "If you do, I'll just call Liam. I promise," he says, though he knows he'll try to calm him first and he knows that Liam and Christian know this too.

"Thanks," Christian whispers, nodding in acknowledgement of how hard this must be for Jack.

Liam tucks them both in with a lopsided smile, then asks, "Anything in particular you want to watch?"

Christian shakes his head.

Jack laughs, feeling slightly like a kid. "Well, I have no idea what you have in your collection," he turns to Christian. "Any ideas?"

"Well, one of you pick something or I'm putting on Batman." Liam puts his fists on his hips in mock threat.

Christian chuckles. "Not Batman. Did you find Swing Kids?"

"Oh, you want me to turn into a dirty old man, now?" Jack grins.

"I was going to sing along, but if you've got a better idea...."

"Don't suppose you have Rebel Without A Cause?" he asks Liam. "It.. well, it was the movie that made me think I could do this acting thing... and even after everything, it's still... comforting."

Liam nods and goes over to one of the DVD racks. He sets the machine up with the disk and puts the remote on the coffee table in front of them. "I'll let you two fight over control while I go fix a plate for you." He grins and strolls over to the island.

"You," Jack says, not really caring if he or Christian has it. "Never been one to argue about the remote."

Christian reaches over, hits play, and drops the remote back onto the coffee table. "There." He lays back on the couch, watching Jack. "I was afraid you wouldn't come. And then I was afraid you would," he admits with a small smile.

"I wanted to," Jack replies. "I've wanted to be in the same room with you again... well, pretty much since the last time we were." He pulls at the edge of the quilt a little, restlessly. "But I'm glad I did."

"Are you sure?" Christian rearranges himself slightly so that his head is propped up better on the arm of the couch, and his feet are flat on the sofa with his knees up.

"Well, I could've done without the freaking out and throwing up, but... generally, yes," Jack says. "Now, definitely yes."

"Hopefully that'll be a one time thing." Christian tilts his head. "I can't guarantee it, though," he adds softly.

"I know. I knew what I was taking on," Jack says. "I'll endeavour not to have that reaction again, too. I mean, I hope it was that, I really don't need to get sick right now." He wonders if it could be something else, but he's sure it was that. He doesn't feel sick.

"I don't want you to get sick either." On a brave impulse, he reaches out with one foot to brush Jack's thigh with his toes. "Do you get stage fright, you know, when you do something public?"

"Sometimes, it depends what it is," Jack replies. "Not to the extent of throwing up...."

Christian nods. "I did, when I first started."

"Yeah? Do you still?" Jack asks, curious.

He shakes his head. "During filming I was fine. But back when I did Empire of the Sun... I used to hide as quick as I could when we were at press events. I still don't enjoy them, but I don't have panic attacks anymore."

"Ah, I know what you mean. I really do. When I have to do the boring public face of being an Earl..." he sighs. "Let's just say that it would be much better if all the angst was over something fun."

"Something fun?" Christian asks with half a grin.

"Anything not opening fetes," Jack groans. "Why me?"

Christian laughs. "Because you're handsome, and every mother wants her daughter photographed beside you so she can pretend her son-in-law is the Earl of ... how is it called? You're Lord Huntingdon, yes?"

"Yes, and the Earl of Huntingdon also. Nice little place. Too damn many fetes," Jack says. "But it's not so bad, most of the time. I do still feel like I'm pretending, though. Like it shouldn't really be mine."

"I can't imagine you being anyone other than who you are," Christian says quietly. "I don't think this would work if we were both actors." He can't quite say he's not sure they're going to work regardless -- he hopes they will. Would pray it, if he believed there was anyone to pray to.

That surprises Jack. "Really?" He thinks for a moment. "I do believe this might be the first time I've ever been truly happy I had to give it up."

Christian shakes his head. "I'm not happy you had to give up something you loved doing, not at all... but I have enough trouble going to my own openings, and with filming schedules.... I just don't think I could manage it." He curls his toes against Jack's leg, uncurls them, strokes Jack's thigh lightly with his big toe. It's not much contact, but it's the most he can do right now.

"I can see where that could end up being a problem," Jack nods, and he's surprised how damned good those small strokes feel. "I just... I never felt right about it, until now. Who knows," he says. "Maybe this will help me work through some issues too."

"Maybe." Christian turns his head away, looking toward the television but ignoring the movie. Issues. Most days, he feels like he's nothing but an issue: an issue for Liam, an issue for Chris, an issue for Adam, multiple issues for Jack.... "You deserve better," he whispers. "I wish I could just... be better... for you."

"I wish... I wish so many things," Jack sighs, his head moving back on the couch, exposing his neck. "I wish you hadn't..." he doesn't say it, Christian will know. "I wish I could be enough for you," he says. "Even though I get it now. I really get why you need Liam, there's still a part of me that wishes I could have been enough...."

"You don't want to be a part of this, Jack."

"But I do," Jack says. "I just know I couldn't, and that hurts too."

Christian looks back at him. "Why?" he asks softly.

"I don't know if I could have -- physically -- stopped you from getting to the knives," Jack answers. "I think I could, but what if I couldn't?"

Nodding slowly, Christian presses his lips together thoughtfully. He's probably not going to get another opening like this to explain what happened in Ireland, and it's unlikely he'll feel comfortable enough to explain it, even if the conversation heads that way another time. "I got to the glass," he says softly, watching Jack's reaction warily.

"What glass?" Jack asks. "When?" He's as calm as he can be, which isn't very, but he manages to keep his tone even.

Christian braces his hands on the sofa and sits up. He crosses his legs, leans forward, and pulls his left cuff back as far as he can. There are twin horizontal tracks, fading now, leftovers from the handcuffs Holden had used on him, but over top are much fresher vertical red streaks, angry marks that are still mostly scabbed over.

His first instinct is to lean over and kiss them, but he doesn't. "Oh, Christian..." he says. "Damn. Just. Damn." He tries to think of something to say. "Would this be what happened over Christmas?" The marks look too fresh to be more than a week old.

He nods, stroking over the old wounds with his thumb. There's just enough pain to keep him steady. "I wasn't trying to..." he trails off with a shrug of one shoulder. "Not the first time. The second time, I probably was."

"Second time?" Jack's arms hurt with the effort not to reach out. Literally hurt. "More than once?"

"Same night. That's when Liam figured out," he tugs at his collar with two fingers, "that cinching this right up and holding me still helps calm me down."

"That makes sense," Jack says. "I know when I..." he decides not to go on. "It can be calming to be tied or restrained," he says, going for something a little more neutral.

Christian tilts his head. They haven't really discussed Jack's preferences yet. "When you what?"

"Sometimes, if I'm feeling really tense, it can help to be tied up or... something," Jack says. "I've even done it to myself, though I have to say, it doesn't feel quite the same when I know all I have to do is move my hand the right way to get out...."

Christian nods eagerly, understanding completely what Jack means. "It's the same for me, with the pain, I mean. I can do it myself, but it's just not the same, it's not as intense, because I just can't... hurt myself as well as someone else can. They can't feel it, so they don't stop as soon as I will if I'm doing it myself." He smiles.

"Yes, I know what you mean," Jack nods. "It's self-preservation, and sometimes that instinct's just too strong. I feel like, if I were to try and hurt myself, I'd stop when it got uncomfortable, not when it hurt. Which is why I don't tend to do it myself."

"Exactly," Christian agrees. "I'd never really tried the bondage side of things before." He shrugs. "I knew what I liked, and I stuck with it."

"I've tried it, as you can probably figure out, but it's been a while... even before all this. It just... sort of got too much. Or something. And there are so many other things to explore..." he half-smiles.

Christian nods slowly. "I don't know... I don't know when I'll be up for exploring, for entertainment, as opposed to for day to day survival." It's so ridiculous, he thinks, when he words it like that, but it's true. He doesn't know how he'd make it day to day without the collar, without the cuffs, without knowing that Liam has control over him.

"That's okay," Jack says. "I'm sure I'll be the first to know when you are. And you know... it doesn't have to be kink. I mean, when you're ready. I'd kind of like to build up to it...." He really hopes this isn't a land mine.

"Build up to...." Christian frowns and shakes his head. "I don't want this with you," he says, fingering the collar. "This is.... This is temporary. I want us... I want us to be equals. That's how we started. I don't want you to see me as weak." He's not really sure if it's what Jack meant, but he has to make sure Jack understands this now. He doesn't want to lead him on.

"I didn't know what you wanted," Jack says, honestly. "I don't see you as weak, but if you'd wanted me to... I would have. I just... I didn't know. But that's not all I meant about building up..." he pauses. "I'm nervous. As hell. About being with you. Not because of what happened. But because of all we've said. All I... we... feel. It's... good, but it's also really... intense."

Nodding, Christian says, "It is intense... and fast... but in a way it isn't fast at all. We've been corresponding since mid-October. We just haven't seen much of each other during that time."

"Has it been that long?" Jack asks. "I wish we had..." he sighs. "I'm still... I don't feel guilty, but I do hate that the trip had such terrible timing. I do realise I probably couldn't have done anything, but... I keep thinking, if I'd got back earlier, maybe you would have been under my lash or something...."

The thought makes Christian's cock twitch, but it's too soon. He shuffles back on the sofa, as far away from Jack as he can manage and still share the same piece of furniture. He pulls the quilt up as well, using it as a makeshift shield. Slow breaths, slow breaths. He turns his head to watch the movie, trying to get rid of the image of Jack, sweating and half-naked, with a whip in his hand.

He gets the moving away thing and is quiet for a while. "Sorry," he whispers. He's not even paying attention to the movie. "I just..." he would do that, oh, yes. If Christian wanted it. "Let's dial it back a bit?"

"Yeah. Please," he rasps.

"It's too easy to let things going well allow too much without knowing," Jack sighs. "I'm sorry," he repeats. "So... how are you, besides the freaking out?"

Christian exhales in rush, half-laughing. "There's something besides me freaking out?"

"I think so," Jack smiles, glad to be back on even ground, at least right now. "You don't do it 24/7, right?"

He shakes his head. "Thankfully, no. I can pretend to be normal for hours." Pretend, because when he looks closely, that's what he's been doing for over a decade now -- pretending. "Like I said on the phone... I do a lot of housework."

"Pretending, yes, I know the feeling," Jack sighs. "Do you ever think normal is some kind of unknown ideal?" He nods. "Sometimes a simple task can be just what's needed to focus."

"A friend of mine used to say normal was boring, and average was worse. I don't think doing housework while wearing a locked leather collar and matching leather cuffs fits the usual definition of normal though, so I'm off the hook." Christian tries to smile. "What would you like normal to be?" he asks softly.

"I think you might be right," Jack does smile. Then he thinks. "You, me, fireplace, brandy, my place in Scotland where no one will interrupt us for at least a week...."

Christian nods. "I like quiet." He leans sideways, pressing his shoulder against the back of the sofa. A quiet place with Jack, away from everyone... it sounds ideal.

"Quiet is a very good thing," Jack agrees. "When you're ready, if I have to tell people I'm dead, we'll do that, okay?"

"Don't you think they might get suspicious when you keep walking around?"

"I'll just say it was a misdiagnosis," Jack laughs. "I don't know."

Snickering, Christian stretches out one leg again under the quilt. "Yes, because that happens all the time."

"I'd like to hide with you for a while," Jack says. "It's not even about..." he doesn't say it. "I just want to be somewhere with you where there's no pressure and no expectations of anything but being with you. And if I have to do weird stuff to get that? I will. For us."

"Us." How long has it been since he's been part of an us that wasn't about his career or his bank account? "That's a big word."

"For two small letters, it is," Jack agrees. "But it's... right. And you're not freaking out..." he says, quietly.

He shakes his head. "Told you, I can pretend to be normal." Stretching his toes, he brushes Jack's leg. "Besides... I like the idea of us."

"I do too," Jack smiles. "You know, you really are..." he hesitates. "You're the only one who I've ever really been able to see myself with when I have grandkids."

Grandkids? "Is there something I should know?" Christian asks, one eyebrow raised. He's pretty certain if Jack had kids, he'd have mentioned it by now.

He realises what Christian means. "No... only kid in my life is Stephen, though I guess he could count, really. He does tend to think of me as his father. I just mean... long term."

"I could see that. You and me. I don't know how your nephew's going to take it."

"That's kind of up in the air, but we'll work on that," he says. "I just... I want you to know this. I'm not leaving for these reasons. That I see us as... and I know it's a long time. Forever."

Christian regards him thoughtfully for a moment. "Did you finish a single thought in that?" he teases with a grin.

"I have no idea," Jack replies. "My thoughts tend to be scattered when it comes to you, figuring out what to say, what's too much, and I get that wrong so often. It's just easier to stumble than to fall, or something."

"Relax." Christian reaches out his left hand, and strokes it down the side of Jack's arm, shoulder to elbow. He lets his hand fall to the blanket, close enough that Jack can touch him if he wants, but far enough away that he shouldn't feel like he has to. It's taking a lot for him to do this, but it has to start somewhere, he reasons.

"I'm trying," Jack says. He shivers when Christian touches him. Such little touches and he can affect Jack so deeply. And yes, he notices and softly strokes his fingers over the back of Christian's hand.

"What... what can I do to help?" He turns his hand palm up. "Aside from not freaking out, that is."

"I don't know. I feel like asking anything is too much," Jack says. "Beyond what I've already asked, at least. It feels like such a... gift when you have a good reaction."

"It feels a bit like that for me too," Christian replies softly.

"Just... if possible, don't shut me out. I know there are things you need from Liam that you can't get from me, but... I have been feeling very shut out of it all. If you could let me in more..." he touches Christian's palm, still hesitant and soft. "That's really all I need."

"I don't mean to shut you out, Jack. I'm not... I'm not sure what I can do to make you feel more involved."

"Tonight is a start," Jack says quietly. "Beyond that, we'll work it out. Together."

Christian nods slowly. "When... when did you feel shut out?" Had Faith felt shut out? If she'd been included in the Citadel side of his life, would he be getting a divorce?

"Mostly when you weren't in contact," Jack replies. "It hurt. A lot."

"I'm sorry," Christian whispers. "It... it took some time to get settled in, get into a routine I felt secure in...."

"I know, I do, but I can't help my emotions either," Jack says. "Intellectually I knew why. Emotionally...."

He can't pull his hand away now, can't or Jack will see it as him withdrawing, but christ it's taking a lot of effort to leave it where it is.

He notices Christian's stiffening and the withdrawal of his body. "Are you okay?" he asks, his voice gentle.

He shakes his head slowly. "We're way into the yellow, but... I don't... I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Jack says. "I don't want to hurt you. Do what you need. I promise, I won't take it personally."

He curls in on himself, pulling both arms and legs back under the quilt. He fidgets with his collar, tugging on the ring in the front. "I don't want to lose you," he whispers.

"I'm not going anywhere," Jack says, his tone as soothing as he can make it. He can handle this. "I'm not going anywhere, Christian. I'm right here. As close as you need me to be."

"What about as far away?" Christian looks up at Jack.

That hurts. Jack can't even stop it showing. But he manages to reply. "If it's what you need."

"Sometimes...." Christian nods slowly. "Sometimes it is. Sometimes it will be. But not always."

"For better or worse," Jack says, not even thinking of the words. "I can handle it."

"Wha-what?" Christian asks. "What did you say?"

"I can handle it?" Jack says. "I have so far...." He knows it isn't what Christian means but he's taking it carefully.

Christian frowns a little. "You know what I meant."

"For better or worse," Jack says again. "I didn't mean to let it slip out, but yes. I do... feel that."

His brow furrows. "We don't even know yet when I'll be able to sleep in a different room than Liam for three nights running without having nightmares... I think we're in the 'worse'."

"That I can't disagree with," Jack says.

"If this isn't the worst... I'd just like to apologise now. Get it out of the way."

"I think it would be very difficult to get any worse than this," Jack says. "I mean..." he wasn't going to say that, he really wasn't. "This hurts... deep in my chest, it's a physical pain."

"I wish I could take it away, but leave me in there somehow," Christian whispers. Jack's going to leave him. It's not a shock, just a quiet inevitibility. No one could put up with this. Not for long.

"You will be in there long after it goes," Jack answers, his voice not quite breaking.

"Christ, I hope so," he whispers, closing his eyes. This is so much easier over the telephone.

"You will," Jack says. "I know it."

He can't do it anymore. "Yellow," he whispers. Christian's fists clench in the quilt. Fuck! One conversation, one fucking conversation, and I can't do it!

"What do you need?" Jack asks, softly. "Me to go? Quiet? Liam?"

"Last two." Christian's voice is muffled by the quilt, but loud enough to hear. "You stay."

"Okay. Liam?" Jack calls out, pretty sure he's within hearing distance. "Christian needs you."

[Continued here.]

Homecoming [Liam/Chris, Christian]

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 14:29:01 GMT

[Takes place on 29 December.]

Liam sits in his car outside Isla's place and about thirty meters down the street -- the closest he could find a parking place -- and waits. The motor's running, along with the heat. Chris is due home any time and he's keeping a watch through the darkness, determined to scoop him up off the sidewalk and take him home.

The car pulls in front of Isla's and Chris pays the man handsomely, wishing him a good holiday season before he opens the door. "Home" in London, at last. He's a little tired and out of sorts but figures a good hot shower and a meal will help with that. Maybe curling up at Isla's feet wouldn't hurt either....

He grabs his messager bag and walks to the back of the car to fetch his two rolling suitcases.

Even in the dark and bundled up in cold weather gear, Chris's shape is unmistakable. Liam hops out of the car and walks quietly up behind him. When he pauses to open the boot, Liam wraps both arms around his middle, leans around and presses a kiss to his cheek. "Welcome home, lad. I missed you."

Chris nearly whacks his head on the truck as he turns around, sure for a moment it's the hallucination of a tired mind but...Liam is there. The panicked rhythm of his heart slows down and he turns in Liam's arms.

The look on shock on Chris's face has Liam smiling. He takes advantage when the lad turns round and kisses him properly, long and slow and thorough. Jaysus, but he's missed this.

Blushing with his own eagerness, Chris sinks into the kiss, his hands too full to return the hug. Instead he just leans agains Liam, grateful and overwhelmed to have this chance to touch and be held by him.

They just stand there for a while, kissing in the middle of the road, practically welded together. The driver's accustomed to this sort of greeting and is content with a bit of standing so long as it doesn't get ridiculous.

Eventually Liam reminds himself that they have alternatives to a frigid sidewalk. He breaks the kiss with one last swipe of his tongue, then takes a step back and picks up one of Chris's suitcases. "Do you want to stow your gear upstairs first? Or just go straight to my place? Or... am I presuming? I was thinking we could go to my place and order something in. If you had other plans, though...?"

Chris blinks.

"Uh yeah -- I'll put my stuff inside," he says slowly, closing the trunk as he picks up the other case. "I'd...I'd love to come over." There's a moment's pause as he steps onto the sidewalk, looking back at Liam shyly. "So long as that's okay with Christian. Don't want to upset him again."

Liam follows along and stops when Chris does. "It'll be fine," he says, reassuring him with a nod. "He was... startled. He's so focused on me right now, it was difficult for him to interact with a stranger, and one who was treating him like a person rather than a slave." He pauses and thinks how to explain. "It's like, when he's a slave his world is very narrow -- small enough to be dealt with, you know? He has a limited number of things to think about, a limited number of responses to choose from. It's comforting, if that makes sense. You meant to be kind and he understands that, but it was too much for him to handle. He's more comfortable being furniture at this point, especially when someone else is about."

"Okay." Chris isn't sure what else to say; the depth of Christian's need and damage is beyond even his experience with his former Master. "I'm glad he has you," he says hurriedly, turning and moving up the walkway of Isla's building.

Liam watches Chris turn away, then follows him slowly. He's feeling sad and helpless and frustrated. He, too, is glad Christian has him. He needs someone and he is improving, slowly; Liam thinks he's doing the lad some good and is happy to do it. But Chris's clear discomfort with the situation is like an icy needle through his heart, one he has no idea how to remove. It's a thoroughly fucked up situation for all of them, and all he can do is get through it as well as he's able.

He fumbles briefly for his keys then opens the door, missing the automatic greeting of East, who's still at the boarding kennel. The suitcase is tucked out of the way along with his carry on; the messenger bag he holds onto like armor.

How can you be so deliriously happy and terrified at the same time, he'll never know.

"Let me take that, thanks," Chris says with a shy smile as Liam brings his other bag in. "I'm ready to go then...."

The entry hall is cool but significantly warmer than the street and Liam considers just pressing Chris up against a wall and making out for a while. This isn't where he wants to be on their first evening together after so long, though, so instead he just nods, brushes a hand across Chris's cheek and heads for the door.

Quietly, Chris follows him, closing the door behind him then...stops.

"How did you know my schedule? When I was getting back here?"

Liam threw a bemused look over his shoulder. "Isla tipped me off. I think she's been replaced by a triffid, but I'm not about to complain."

"Holy crap. I have to check for pods when I get back here...." Chris keeps walking, strangely pleased to have Isla's pseudo-blessing on...this. Him and Liam.

He hurries to catch up, brushing against Liam's side as he walks closely beside him.

"Now, now, there's no hurry." He gives Chris a lopsided smile and wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close for the short walk to the car.

He'd left the engine running, figuring (so far as he'd given it any thought at all once he'd spotted Chris) that the chances of it being stolen in the short time he'd be gone were negligible, and the car's still warm. As soon as they're in and buckled up, he pulls away and heads for home. "So how was your trip? Did you have a good time with the family?"

"Oh yeah, it was great." He edits out the moping. "By the way -- thank you for the CD. I think...I might have already worn it out...." Chris shifts in his seat, looking out at the night London landscape going by.

Liam feels his smile soften. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I can make you another copy if you like." He knows CDs don't "wear out" the way records and tapes do, but if Chris wants another copy he's more than happy to give him one. "And I like the chess set very much -- it's beautifully made. We'll have to play some time." But not tonight, he thinks silently. He has no intention of spending hours over a chess board tonight.

Chris lets the silence travel a bit more then takes some courage in the darkness.

"The songs...it was a good companion while I was away."

"I'm glad," Liam says, reaching across to squeeze Chris's leg for a moment. They drive on in silence for a while, and then a memory pops into his head. One he just has to share.

"My mam and I got to talking about you the other day," he says, keeping his voice light and casual. "I showed her your picture from IMDB. She thinks you're a babe."

Chris starts to choke on...air.

"You told your Mom about me?!" That pleases him; his leg jiggles as he looks out the window to hide his grin.

"Yes, well, Mam is a very perceptive woman, you know? And I've never been able to keep much from her -- nothing important." He feels an urge to tell Chris that he's been ordered to bring the lad along next year to meet Mam, but roughly stifles it. He still has no idea where this is going or if they'll even still be... friends? Lovers? Whatever they are, a year from now. Time enough to pass that particular command on to the lad if they're still... important to one another six or ten months from now.

"My baby sister almost pried it out of me but didn't quite manage it; my Liza-resistance has always been a sight better than my Mam-resistance." He shoots Chris a rueful smile. "Comes of growing up with her -- I think big brothers are granted certain resistances against their younger sisters as a purely God-given self-defense. But I always see Liza before I see Mam, so mayhap she softened me up and then Mam moved in for the kill."

"You talked about me to your family...." It's still a bit surprising or...something. Pleasing definitely. "I feel like I should say thank you or something weird like that," Chris murmurs, glancing over at Liam's darkened profile. "I like knowing...I'm important enough for you to mention."

"Of course you're important to me." Liam brushes his fingers down Chris's cheek before moving his hand away to shift gears. "Don't ever doubt that."

Chris' mouth opens and shuts; so much swirling in his head seems the exact wrong thing to say. He swallows, licks his lips and fidgets his hands on his jeans.

"I guess I'm still working on things, in myself. Things I want to change." It's a blanket of an answer and for a moment Chris worries that he's appearing...damaged...to Liam. "Still not quite the person I want to be -- but getting closer," he adds with false bravado.

Liam gives a short laugh that's almost a cough. He shoots Chris a rueful smile and says, "That means you're doing it right, lad. Living, I mean. If you ever get the notion that you've learned everything you need and you're done growing and changing, you might as well toss the dirt on 'cause you're as close to dead as makes no difference."

"I'm not even thirty yet. I have a feeling if I go around acting like I figured out the world, someone's going to kick the living shit out of me...."

"Likely true. After all, that's more of a teenager attitude and you're well beyond that stage." Liam gives Chris a wink before lowering his window to swipe his card at the entrance to the Mews. Almost home.

"Not according to my grandmother," Chris mumbles, watching as Liam's home comes closer into view. He starts to get nervous again, worried about seeing Christian. Worried about his own reaction.... "Any thoughts on dinner?" He's not hungry but he's been well taught that food is always a decent road of conversation to take -- and very rarely leads to confrontations of a bad sort.

"I have menus for Chinese and Indian," Liam says. "Actually, I have a few others as well but those are the only ones likely to have any significant number of dishes you can eat, unless you're willing to declare chicken or chops to be honorary vegetables for the day?" He throws the lad a teasing glance before parking the car.

"Chinese sounds perfect." Chris shakes his head and laughs. "Every year, an Evans family tradition -- Chris explains to Aunt Lindie why he's not eating the Christmas Day turkey like everyone else." He sighs theatrically. "My younger brother generally pipes up with a, "he doesn't eat his own kind," and then we have to explain that...I mean, God Bless her, she's 97 but...geeze."

Liam laughs out loud, imagining that his mam would probably be puzzled by Chris's diet as well.

He glances up toward his house, then looks back at Chris. They'll never be quite alone once they're inside, not absolutely; Liam's always aware of Christian's presence, always listening for a bump or a crash or a call. One more moment, then. He leans over and takes Chris's face in his hands and kisses him.

Chris closes his eyes, sinking into the kiss with a gasp of breath. Needy hands reaching over to pull Liam closer -- it's easier to be cool when he's farther away. When there's space between them because when there's not, Chris just wants to crawl inside him.

The lad melts against him beautifully and Liam would love nothing more than to just pull him close and stay right here. But the real world is intruding. He gives himself about another minute and then pulls reluctantly back. "Let's go inside, then." One more kiss... then another just because, and he turns away and gets out into the cold night.

Chris sighs. A little too loudly but hell, the door slam covers it nicely.

He opens his door and steps out of the car, swinging his bag around his back. Time to face the reality which was NOT making out in the car and being alone. Reality was Liam had things, people to attend to and hell on wheels, Chris wonders if that other person Adam is at the house as well.

"Chin up asshole," Chris murmurs to himself, following Liam inside.

Liam unlocks the door and by the time he and Chris are inside, Christian's there, murmuring a quiet greeting and taking their jackets.

Giving a little wave, Chris says hello as quietly as he can, eyes downcast as he leaves his bag by the door. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he waits, occasionally glancing up at Liam.

While Christian hangs up their things, Liam says, "We're going to order Chinese -- are you hungry?"

Christian nods silently.

"Good. It usually takes about thirty to forty minutes or so." He hands Christian a couple of notes from out of his pocket and, lowering his voice a bit, says, "If you could answer the door when they come? Just take it into the kitchen and fix yourself a plate if we're occupied, yeah?"

While it's true the plan was dinner and then whatever, he and Chris don't have a great track record when it comes to staying away from each other for an extended period, and that's been when dinner was ready to go to the table as soon as whichever of them arrived. With the food to order and at least half an hour to wait after that, he's not making any bets on when they're going to eat or whether they'll even notice the doorbell.

Christian gives him another nod, then slips quietly away upstairs.

Chris lets out a breath.

"He seems a little better," he says, awkwardly.

Liam looks up the stairs after Christian's disappearing back, then turns to Chris with a nod and a lopsided smile. "Aye, I think he is. Our trip was difficult but we made a bit of progress here and there."

He wants to go right back to where they left off in the car, but they are going to need food eventually so instead he takes the lad's hand and draws him into the kitchen. He gets the menu off the fridge and hands it to him. "You pick three things and I'll pick three and we'll have plenty of food. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect." Chris concentrates on the menu, finding vegetarian things and circling them with a handy pencil. "Sorry -- lots of tofu and veggies from my end," he smiles, pushing the menu over to Liam.

Liam grins at him and takes the menu to make his own choices. "That's all right. Ordering the sweet and sour pork is my job." He gets that, and broccoli beef, and enough spring rolls for three. A few minutes on the phone and that's done.

"There," he says, hanging up the phone and turning back toward Chris with a lazy smile. "Now, where were we...?" He stalks up to where the lad's standing near the wall and leans over, one hand on each side of his head, until only their lips are touching.

Once again Chris' walls come crashing down like toy blocks; his mouth opens hungrily, his lower body pressing into Liam's, desperate for more contact. His hands run up the sides of Liam's body, reaching around back to stroke down his lover's spine.

"Mmmmm...." Liam leaves his hands on the wall, just enjoying the kiss and the feel of Chris's hands on him, his body pressed close. He's missed this so much -- Chris's presence, touching him, kissing him, being with him, having him to focus on and feeling able to let everything else fade into the background, at least for a while. He feels lighter, more relaxed, almost frothy inside, as though the sheer pleasure of being with this young man is effervescing and filling him with bubbles of joy.

The kiss starts to morph; Chris feels the languid crawl of lust into his veins. It'd been too long since he and Liam were skin to skin, too long since he'd felt the intense burn of his cock...and then Chris is moaning into Liam's mouth, desperately flicking his tongue as a silent plea for more, something, anything, please.

The urgency building up in Chris is fair radiating from him. Liam can feel it and his own body is vibrating in reponse. If he had plans for a slow, leisurely reunion, they're about to be blasted.

He breaks the kiss and says, "Let's take this somewhere a bit more comfortable, hmm?" then grabs his hand with a wink and hauls him off. The bedroom is too far so he heads for the sofa.

Leaving their little corner sends part of Chris' mind back into reality; he hangs back, letting Liam pull him to the sofa and collapsing down together in a tangle of arms and legs.

What about Christian? What about the doorbell? How fast can he get his clothes off and how bad would it be to be caught....

Liam feels Chris tensing, and not in a good way. He slows down and gathers him close, cuddling and caressing. He shifts them around so Chris is pressed against the upholstered back of the sofa, with Liam above and beside him on the outside with one knee pressed between his legs. Quick, teasing pecks dot their way across Chris's face, then Liam settles down to a slow, worshipping kiss.

It's hard to think when Liam is kissing him like that and Chris' thinking brain gets repeatedly kicked to the curb by the intimate sway of Liam's tongue....

He relaxes, muscle by muscle until he's melting under Liam, arms going up around his shoulders to keep him close. Closer, maybe a little closer -- it's a needy grasp but at this point, it's the most honest emotion Chris is having.

Need.

"Missedyousomuch," he breathes during a second's pause in the kiss, eyes closed like a shy virgin.

"I missed you too, dear heart," Liam whispers back. He kisses him again, then muses, "What if we just stayed like this? Do you think anyone would notice?"

"Forever?" Chris laughs against Liam's shoulder. "I like it in theory but I'm thinking we're big guys -- someone might get hungry...start nibbling...."

"Nibbling? Excellent idea, that." Liam proceeds to nibble his way down Chris's throat and across his collarbone.

"Oh fine for you," Chris murmurs. "You're the carnivore...what the hell am I going to eat?"

"I can think of something," Liam offers with a grin. Then he frowns deeply and shakes his head. "No, that's an animal product too, come to think of it."

It takes Chris a second but then he starts laughing.

"Oh hell, does that make me the worst vegetarian ever? Because bacon was easy -- I'm not giving that up."

And God, it feels good to laugh.

Liam smiles again, his eyes lit with teasing. "Only if you're sure? I wouldn't want to tempt you away from your chosen path and have you regret it later."

"Tempter!" Chris smiles, his laughter relaxing into a chuckle. "What can I say? I'm hooked...." His eyes meet Liam's, the truth of his words apparent. "Addicted," he murmurs, his voice softer now.

"Addicted," Liam agrees, before claiming Chris's mouth once more.

Chris' hands slide up to rest in Liam's hair, as if begging him not to let this kiss end for a long time, until he faints from lack of oxygen.

"Mmmm...." Liam moans hungrily into Chris's mouth, willing to continue the kiss as long as the young man's hands urge him. He pauses to take a breath through his nose periodically, then keeps going. His fingers are curled around Chris's shoulders, pinning him in place, while his right thigh rubs slowly up and down over the lad's bulging crotch.

Lust is a wildfire; it consumes Chris so quickly he bites down on Liam's bottom lip lightly in his hunger, grinding up against Liam's leg.

"Please," he murmurs, pulling his mouth away breathlessly. "Please, missed you...." Inside me, hard, making me yours.

"Then have me, dear heart." Liam shifts his weight so he can reach between them and makes short work of buttons and zippers. He tugs on Chris's trousers until they're down around his thighs -- good enough.

His jumper comes off next and is tossed over the back of the sofa, then he goes to work on their shirts. Finally, when everything he wants to play with right now is exposed to the air, he relaxes and murmurs, "Mmm, nibbling," before going after a hard, red nipple with his teeth and lips.

Chris' hands are roaming now -- Liam's hair, the sides of his face, the back of his neck, his broad shoulders -- holding him close and letting all the pent-up need pour out of his mouth in sighs and encouraging words.

While he was away he never even touched himself, refused to. Like a punishment for his own internal failings. Everything he has right now, rising to the surface is for Liam alone.

The feel of Chris's urgent hands on him have Liam's cock swelling to painful hardness. He wants to thrust into him now, have him, take him, but he holds back. It's been too long to have it all over in a moment.

He looks over his shoulder and feels inside a candy dish on the coffee table for a tube of lube... there! Moments later, a slick finger is pushing its way into Chris's body.

He bites back a shout, even now remotely aware that they're not alone. Sucking in his breath, Chris pants as he grinds against Liam's blunt finger, filling him like a tease. A preview of what Chris wants so desperately he can't find the words to beg.

"That's it," Liam whispers, slowly fucking him a few more strokes before adding a second finger. "Squirm for me. Show me what you want and how good it feels."

"Liam." Single word, a slurred name filled with every bit of longing and need he can conjure up. His body fills in the rest, pumping and twisting himself on Liam's fingers.

"That's my boy," Liam croons, twisting and stretching his fingers. He pushes his free hand into Chris's hair, sifting his fingers through the soft strands. "My beautiful Chris, missed you so much." He bends his head down for another kiss.

Words bubble up from Chris' chest, too much honesty for even this naked intimate moment; he's grateful for Liam's mouth pressing the words back in, the welcome intrusion of his fingers grounding Chris to the bed and not someplace up in the stars.

Liam inserts three fingers, coaxing the internal muscles to loosen and stretch while his tongue explores Chris's mouth and his cock rubs up and down across Chris's, enjoying the tight slide, the wet warmth, and the slow friction.

Chris' words have dried up; he's reduced to sounds of pleasure and urgent sighs. Stutters of "please" that never quite get articulated into anything but a rattle in his throat.

More, he thinks, communicating his thoughts with the arch of his body, the rub of his hip against Liam's cock. You.

The vague sounds of pleasure and pleading, the begging movements that are all Chris can seem to manage, all inflame Liam's need into a single, desperate "now!" He pulls his fingers out, rolls on a condom, positions his cock at the young man's entrance and pushes inside in a long, tight slide.

He nearly comes off the couch, forcing Liam off in a surge of lust so intense he cries out -- in pain, in pleasure, in relief.

Liam grunts in shock when Chris bucks up into him, driving him balls-deep. He pulls out and thrusts back in hard and just as far. Chris's trousers are still up around his knees and his legs'll only part so much; it's keeping him tight as they go, even while his internal muscles are loosening and the feeling is fantastic.

It's like being tied down -- something that hasn't happened in so long it's more a fantasy than a memory. Chris slips into something deeper, somewhere hidden deep inside him, a quiet corner as the pain/pleasure of the restriction, the fucking begins to spiral him out of control.

As they fly higher and higher, Liam sees Chris's eyes lose their focus. He recognizes the signs of a sub pulling inward and the sight of Chris -- his Chris -- hovering on the edge, his lips parted and his eyelids heavy, is just lovely. He's so beautiful, so sweet, so giving, and the thought that he wants to be with him is like a perfect fantasy, wonderful and fragile and impossible to protect from the harsh realities of the everyday world. All they have is right now, all the right nows Chris will give him, and Liam can't bring himself to think more than a short time into the future.

"Right now" means giving his lovely boy all the pleasure he can muster, making this as close to perfect for him as he can.

His fingers claw at Liam's back, his legs beginning to cramp from every desperate movement. He tries to clutch this moment to his heart, always fearful it'll be their last. Chris wants this man so desperately it's frightening...this moment is frightening as he feels his heart being pulled out of his chest by every perfect stroke, every heavy male breath against his neck and jaw.

Liam ducks his head down and kisses him -- forehead, nose, lips, chin. The hollow of his throat, the point of his collarbone, the center of his chest. He gives one nipple a long, slow lick, then the other. All the while he's thrusting, burying himself in Chris's tight, clenching heat, over and over.

Chris' cock presses against Liam's stomach, the movement of both their bodies creating just enough friction to unfurl the orgasm building with each thrust.

He finds words then, clasping Liam as close as he can until the air is choked in his lungs.

"Please sir, please," he gasps, his mouth rubbing against Liam's cheek.

"Yes." Liam kisses him again. "Whenever you can." Kiss. "Come for me." Kiss. He ignores the lad's cock and keeps an eye on Chris's hands, too. He wants to draw this out, make it last, and making him come just from being fucked is one way to stretch it. Although the lad sounds desperate enough that it might be soon anyway. He kisses him again and then watches, wanting that connection with his lover when he flies apart.

The seconds that were seemingly inevitable start to drag into minutes, Chris moving and grunting under Liam until something -- a spark, a movement and he's rocketing, a thousand miles an hour as he stiffens and comes.

When the body beneath him arches and spasms, and the face he's focused on so intently tilts and clenches, Liam moans, "Yeeees!" and speeds up. The beauty of Chris's orgasm has his own blood fizzing in his veins. He feels his balls tighten as he thrusts in hard, and again, and again, and then he's arching and shooting into the beloved body gripping his so sweetly until he falls limp and panting onto his sweating lover.

All of Chris' energy, his breath, his ability to move -- all burned up. Everything is damp and languid, his body a broken shell under Liam's. Spent. He's...spent.

His hands weakly caress Liam's skin, pressing damp trails of sweat against his fingertips, rubbing them back into flesh. The simple routine centers Chris as he finds his way back to reality.

"Liam," he sighs finally. When at least a hundred ticks of the clock have gone by....

"'M right here," Liam murmurs, brushing a kiss against whatever part of his lover's flesh is closest to his lips. That happens to be the corner of his jaw. He shifts position just a little, getting comfortable in the cradle of Chris's hips and thighs, his elbows resting on the cushion on either side of his shoulders but with most of his weight still pressing Chris down into the sofa. "Missed you so much." He can't seem to say that enough, as though he missed him so much that it'll take a thousand repetitions before all the "missing" has been used up.

"I...." Chris coughs, his throat tight; he presses his face into Liam's shoulder. "I was lost over Christmas," he whispers. "I missed you so badly it hurt. Everyone thought...I told them I was sick so I didn't have to explain why I was so...so fucking sad."

It's a confession, quiet as if he's in church and not pinned beneath the cooling body of his beloved.

Liam pushes one hand under Chris's head and the other behind a shoulder, hugging him close. "I wish I could've been with you." I wish we could be alone. I wish everything else that's happening weren't happening and it could be just the two of us together, getting to know each other. I wish I had no other responsibilities except making you happy.

But he can't say any of that, not aloud, and so he just holds him and kisses him again.

Nodding, Chris hangs on, feeling slightly overwhelmed at his confession. He doesn't want to appear selfish to Liam. Doesn't want to be overly needy when he has other people asking so much of him. "But...it's fine now," he says, clearly his throat as he shifts slightly in Liam's arms. "'m back in London and we can see each other...when you...we have time."

And when the fuck will that be? Liam asks himself, closing his eyes. It's like having a toddler who needs to be watched all the time, who needs love and support and attention all the time, and he loves his friend and is happy to be able to help him but he's human and the pressure is crushing him. Christian could be lying in a puddle of blood right now, and isn't that a lovely image?

He pushes it out of his mind -- he's here, Christian is fine, it's his absence that drives the lad to his demons -- and shifts to where he can kiss his lover's lips. "I have time now," he says. He brushes the hair back from Chris's forehead and looks into his eyes. "I'll make time for you, dear heart. I have to. I need you. You center me and I need you."

Chris melts and that resolve to be "cool" flickers and waves.

"I..." he falters slightly. "I need you too but...I understand Liam. I don't...love it. But I understand it." He smiles, rubbing the worry lines on Liam's face. "We'll be okay...."

"We will," Liam agrees. We have to. "We'll get through it and then it'll be over and it'll be just us. The timing sucks, I know, but it won't be forever." It'll just seem like it and I've no idea how long it will be but I can only pray you'll still be here when it's over and done because I need you....

He nods but...but. "Liam? Would you mind if we...I just need to clean myself up if that's all right," Chris says softly, punctuating his words with kisses to his lover's shoulder. "I promise to come right back and then you won't be able to get rid of me...until you have to."

Liam starts, then shifts off of him. "Of course, I'm sorry. And actually...." He tilts his head and sniffs. "I think we missed the doorbell." He stands up and tugs Chris to his feet. "Come on, lad. Bathroom and then... dinner on the sofa?"

The doorbell -- which means Christian was down here...Chris ducks his head, tightening his grip on Liam's hand. "Yeah, that sounds great," he says softly, moving on shaky legs and reaching down to pull up his pants.

Liam heads over to the bathroom, not bothering to do up his trousers until he gets cleaned up. He discards the condom, then hands Chris a damp washcloth, deliberately not helping him wash up; he wants to get something to eat before the food gets cold.

When they're presentable again, clothes in place and hands (and other things) washed, they head into the kitchen. Liam hands Chris a plate and starts poking through the cardboard containers. A few of them are open, which reassures Liam that Christian did indeed get something to eat for himself. He fills his plate and takes it, a pair of chopsticks and a handful of serviettes back to the sofa.

Chris mirrors all of Liam's actions, following him with his own filled plate and chopsticks. He's quiet and thoughtful, a little tired, slightly hungry. All he knows is he wants to sit very close to Liam, thighs touching.

They settle down and Chris does just that -- close enough to touch but not quite in his lap...though that would be his first choice.

It's a bit awkward eating with someone so close, but Liam doesn't mind. Once his plate is secure on his lap, he drapes his left arm around Chris and holds him while eating with his other hand. He's decent with chopsticks but still, he's not used to having to move food quite this far with them and soon it's getting messy. That's all right; it's not like he's starving, quite, and having Chris's warm weight up against his side is worth any awkwardness.

"We forgot napkins," Chris points out, laughing a little as he manages his chopsticks while plastered against his lover. "So I might have to suck the soy sauce off your pants...." He coughs, innocent as a virgin.

Liam glances down at the handful of serviettes sitting on the cushion beside him but decides not to mention them. "Looks like you just might, lad. Hope we don't make too much of a mess." He picks up a big chunk of carrot and holds it out to Chris, his eyes locked on the boy's lips.

Chris' eyes are a bit wide but he opens his mouth and bites down on the corner, taking it in to chew and swallow. He never breaks the locked contact between him and Liam.

Carrots are now sexy -- who knew?

The pressure from Chris's teeth transmits across the carrot and up the chopsticks to Liam's fingers. He can feel Chris's bite at two removes and his imagination fills in the rest -- the pressure of those gleaming teeth on his fingers, the slide of those lips on his skin. He eats the rest of the carrot himself, never breaking eye contact.

The lip licking is purely for effect but Chris keeps it up until both their gazes glaze over.

"Good stuff...."

Liam nods and swallows, then puts his chopsticks down on his plate and picks something else up with his fingers. It turns out to be a water chestnut and he holds it out to Chris.

The temptation is too much -- Chris licks around Liam's fingers before sucking the small white vegetable from his fingers....

A tingle runs up Liam's hand from where Chris's tongue touched him. He watches him chew and swallow, then picks up something else from his plate, still without looking. It's a chunk of broccoli this time, dripping with sauce. He holds it out, watching Chris's red lips parting.

"Told you I could get you into vegetables," Chris teases softly, flicking his tongue over the stalk lewdly, sucking the sauce into his mouth.

"Brat," Liam growls, still watching the cheeky lad's tongue. "It's your mouth I want to get into, and that's definitely meat."

Chris blushes. "Only if you eat some vegetables first...." He grips Liam's wrist, pushing the green stalk back towards his own mouth. "I licked off a little suace but it still tastes good...."

Liam resists, pushing back. "Only from your fingers, lad," he says, his voice low and growly.

He doesn't hesitate; the tone of Liam's voice is a command he can't refuse. Chris takes the broccoli into his hand and presses it to Liam's lips -- touching his fingers to his flesh at the same time.

Liam takes the broccoli carefully, pulling his lips across Chris's fingers as he takes the food from him. He chews and swallows, then murmurs, "Who needs chopsticks?" while picking up a chunk of celery.

This has all the marks of a very long but supremely satisfying meal.