Dolce - Part Eight: An Easy Afternoon

[churbooseanon]

Another day for the idiots, another necessary split.

Dolce - Part Eight: An Easy Afternoon

Locus didn’t dream. At least, not that he remembered. There were some mornings that he got up and he was certain that there had been something, was something, lingering on the edge of memory. A warm feeling or an emotion hovering just out of reach.

This would be one of those mornings he mused to himself as he slowly opened his eyes and allowed himself a moment to revel in the familiar feeling of forgetting and the lingering warmth of whatever dream he’d been caught him. Mornings like this had been more and more common since he had met Felix, and really, he understood why even as he hated his traitor mind for repeating moments like these over and over again.

If he had to guess he’d say that he had dreamt of the other man, had been caught up in the idea of him,the idea of them, the impossible situation they had gotten themselves into. That would be why even now the warmth seemed to linger at his side, lingered and refused to dis…

Or, a more reasonable part of his mind spoke up when he realized his arm was wrapped around a warm body which had just shifted unconsciously to get closer to him, it was because he was actually here. Actually in the moment where he woke up with Felix in his arms. Strange how he’d thought it would never come, but if he had been fair with himself he should have seen it coming. Sure he had never been affectionate like this in the past with people he had been involved with, but none of them were Felix. None of them plagued his dreams as surely as Locus thought he did. Nor had any ever caught in his waking thoughts so powerfully as Felix had when the man had left.

Which made a moment like this, so perfect and so domestic and so impossible in his understanding of the world, so great a temptation.

Locus held back a sigh as he carefully lifted his arm from Felix. If the other man had caught them in such a position there would have been shouting, and the last thing he needed now was to encourage it now that he was actually free to extract himself. Tonight he would have to be sure to stay further away from Felix in hopes that they wouldn’t find themselves pressed against each other by mistake. Not when everything was so close to a proper ending.

Once his arm was no longer a risk to waking Felix, Locus slowly lifted the sheets and light blanket to free himself from the bed. It was more of a mess than he was used to, the fabric clinging to him in the the worst ways, tangled around his legs as much as his chest. Of course a cursory examination pointed to Felix as the source of the problem, his own legs so madly tangled up in the bedding that it would be a chore to extract him. Well, that was a problem Felix was going to have to deal with on his own, one made harder by the fact that at some point in the night he had apparently managed to pull the comforter from the foot of the bed, pile it onto himself, and he had managed to tangle himself in that as well.

Maybe, Locus amused himself by thinking, rich things loved Felix just as much as Felix loved them. After all, he…

That line of thought was cut off immediately as Locus pushed himself to sitting and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. It would do him no good at all to be wishful. In fact, it would be the opposite. It would hurt worse than he cared to think about to let himself linger in such hopes. So Locus carefully dropped his blankets, pushed to his feet, and paused just short of the bathroom door. He needed a shower, that much was certain, but truth be told he didn’t entirely feel comfortable with the idea of coming out of the bathroom in only a towel and changing where Felix could see him. It was ridiculous considering their past, but there was still a part of him that was too mindful, too aware of Felix to give him a show, so to speak. Thus he stopped at the closet door nearest the bathroom, selected a fitting outfit for the day, and with that in hand he made his way into the bathroom for his morning shower.

The hardest part, he realized minutes later when the warm water was pouring over his skin and damping his loose hair, was the fact that even this was familiar. Maybe the situation was a bit reversed, but hadn’t they found themselves in a position like this in the past? Felix stealing his shower while Locus laid stretched out on his own bed, thinking of what they had shared?

No.

This was different, he decided as he got his shampoo and worked a lather into his hair. That moment, as wonderful as it had been, had been a flitting glimpse at intimacy. What should have been the one taste to sate him. This was closer to something domestic. Yes, a type of intimacy, but a very different one indeed. One could share that satiation with anyone, but something like this…

It was an act, he reminded himself as he worked suds into the length of his hair. Felix had chosen this room to get out of the simple chore of making a bed. There was nothing meant by it, no desire for proximity. Felix was… well, an acquaintance at the absolute best, helping him through a very troubling time. Once the guests had come and gone so too would this.

With a sigh he shook the thoughts from his head and turned the full of his attention to the process of getting clean. There was too much to do today to waste time thinking over something that was already set in stone. That much he was certain of.

Soon enough Locus found himself cleaned, dried, dressed and back out in the bedroom, and again he felt something creeping into the back of his mind. As he looked at Felix sleeping on his bed, stretched out and bundled in his blankets he knew, with absolute certainty, that he was lost in this man. No more suspicions, no more fears, he knew completely that as he looked at Felix and smiled at the way his hair was falling in his eyes, the way one arm was outstretched possessively around the pillow he had curled his body around, that he was long gone and in love with this man. This man he could never have.

That knowledge hurt far more than he cared to admit.

With a sigh he moved to the side of the bed. Time to stop dwelling in what he couldn’t have and reach out to touch the illusion that would slip through his fingers soon enough.

Slowly Locus sat himself on the side of the bed and for half a moment he found his hand almost ghosting over Felix’s jaw, almost trailing over his neck. That was something he had no right to do, and a mistake he wasn’t going to make again. So instead he steeled himself and touched Felix. Nothing that could begin to be construed as intimate. Just a soft touch on Felix’s shoulder and a gentle shaking.

What he hadn’t expected, of course, was what a spectacle watching Felix wake would be. The other man came awake like he was pulling himself out of a thick mud, a slow and laborious process. It started with those beautiful eyes opening, blinking a few times, and then moved on to them closing fully. With a sigh Locus shook him again, a touch firmer. That, at least, seemed to catch Felix’s attention at last, and Locus had to stand as Felix truly began to move.

Movement that, apparently was limited to Felix lifting his head and yawning before he pulled the comforter up around his shoulders.

“Morning,” Felix mumbled, and the sleep in his voice was almost enough to make Locus smile fondly down at him. “What time is it?”

He must have seen the amusement Locus knew must be plain on his own face, because then Felix was stretching and slowly sitting up, his fingers combing back through his hair. If it was an effort by the other man to tame his hair, Locus couldn’t believe there was any process made. If anything the sleep tousled hair had only started to stick up in new and even more interesting ways from the attention.

There was just another split second of the beautiful, sleepy look on Felix’s face before a spark of something, recognition maybe, passed over Felix’s face and he looked truly awake.

“Oh god, today is the day, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Locus confirmed, backing further from the bed. “It is that. In fact, it’s nearly six in the morning of ‘the day.’ You are, of course, welcome to return to sleep.”

There was, of course, no reason Felix had to be up this early, other than his insistence that Locus awaken him. Really, the groan he could see building up in Felix was his own damn fault.

“I recommend awakening before ten if you want any ability to roam about in your current, tousled state without outsiders seeing you. I am off to make breakfast, if you are interested. It would allow us a chance to review before we begin our little game.”

“Ugh,” Felix groaned, as expected, as he hopped out of the bed. Locus had to take another quick step backward to get out of the way as Felix’s arms pinwheeled through the air as he sought balance. Which wasn’t surprising considering the fact that Locus could see one of Felix’s feet tangled still in the blankets. “I’ll, uh, meet you downstairs.”

Locus was left to stand there, laughing to himself, as Felix finally extracted himself from the blanket and stumbled to the bathroom door. Not that he let the laughter actually pass his lips until the bathroom door was closed and he could hear the shower running. Then, shaking his head, Locus turned and headed out of the bedroom. He did, after all, want that breakfast. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure how he would handle the day without at least a good meal in him. And one he had made for himself.

It used to be that the only thing Locus could do while he was cooking was think about everything but what he was supposed to be doing. While he cracked eggs his thoughts would be on earnings reports. When he grated cheese he would contemplate a coming hiring freeze for the rest of the fiscal year. It had been easier when he was a child, easier to just give himself fully over to the cooking, which was exactly what Locus did not. It was still hard to get himself into the frame of mind where the only thing that concerned him was the consistency of his beaten eggs, but moments like this made him thankful for that focus.

Or, at least, it would have if his attention hadn’t been fully caught up in pulling out pans, checking his eggs, and pulling out ingredient after ingredient. As it was he barely even noticed the passing of time until he was looking up at the sound of footsteps coming toward his domain. And what a sight he was rewarded with, his 'husband’ with wet hair clearly meant to be swept back into Felix’s normal suave style for these sorts of jobs, and yet there it was laying a bit flat from how wet it was. Better than that, there was that orange silk robe draped over his shoulders and showing off those beautiful, shapely legs. For a moment Locus’s attention was caught up in imagining Felix wearing nothing at all under that material, a thought quickly thrust away when Felix’s step up into the kitchen area revealed a brief glimpse of shorts.

“Okay, so… let’s talk about today,” Felix greeted him and Locus watched as the other man immediately shuffled to his spot on the counter from the night before and immediately lifted himself to sit there once more.

“Of course,” Locus answered, quickly grabbing a glass and the orange juice to pour Felix a drink. He didn’t continue until he’d pressed the glass into Felix’s hand and earned a grin from it. “AS I said, my plans are to leave around two to pick up the guests. You are welcome to join me if you so desire. But you would likely be better off with solid land under your feet today. Oh, how do you like omelets?”

“Surprise me,” Felix smiled and sipped his glass, and with that Locus turned his attention back to preparation rather than the vision of this man in his life. “I’m not picky and you cook so well, so surprise me. But yeah, I’d definitely rather wait here. Fuck the sea. But… uh, won’t…”

Felix trailed off and Locus looked up briefly from dicing some onion to gaze at him in confusion. The other man was looking away, through one of the large kitchen windows and out toward the beach and sea. Maybe he had a distant look in his eyes, but Locus couldn’t be sure as Felix was, in fact, looking away from him. What went on in that beautiful head, he wondered before returning his attention to the dicing. What did Felix think of this whole situation?

“Will the house helper people be here too? And Doyle?”

Locus’s hand paused for a moment before he turned, carrying his work on it’s cutting board over to the stove. It meant turning his back to Felix, but he didn’t mind that. There was a distinct pleasure in feeding someone you loved.

“Yes, the staff will be arriving at ten. Doyle will be here soon. I ask that you not harass him too much. He is is the be all, end all man in charge of this event. And my life. So I ask that you not cross him. I would be the one to suffer for it.”

Except he doubted that. Doyle liked Felix far too much for the fact that they had never met before. Something about him being a 'good influence’ whenever Doyle referenced him. Well, it was what it was, and he was just going to have to live with the ire of his secretary when Felix left tomorrow.

“I’ll be sure to stay out of his way then,” Felix observed from behind him as Locus measured out the material for the first omelet and began preparing it. “Is there anything else? Any last minute details I should know about? I think I’m pretty good to go if nothing changes. Well, I guess we’ll find out when the party hits. What do I wear?”

Felix was babbling, and Locus smiled to himself as he realized that. It was interesting, to note that this man had such a basic weakness when he was such a good actor, so good at separating himself from, well, himself. Except Felix wasn’t playing a role at this moment. Maybe they would both be better off if they were. But he wasn’t sure if the Felix he 'married’ would dare nudge his leg with a foot to try and prompt him to speak. He’d like to think his husband would be more forward than that. He knew Lily was, and she wasn’t even anything to him.

Yet.

And there was a shudder inducing thought.

“I am sure you brought something suitably tasteful with you,” Locus assured him, sprinkling filling into the omelet in the pan and folding it into perfect thirds before sliding it onto a plate and holding it out to Felix. Once it was in the other man’s hands he returned his attention to the pan, intent upon his own breakfast. “There are no last minute details that I know of, but I suppose Doyle could change that when he arrives. It is, after all, not yet the last minute.”

“It’s gonna be fun, don’t you think?” Locus heard around mouthfuls of food. “I love pretending to be someone I’m not. It’s even more fun watching people react to shit you say when you know it’s complete bullshit.”

Yes, that did seem to be quite a bit like Felix, Locus thought to himself as he finished preparing his own meal. He carefully and quickly moved his mess to the sink, and carried his plate to the table, which Felix clearly followed him to grudgingly after he took his own plate out of his lap. Locus, on the other hand, wondered what it was going to be like to 'lie’ to their guests the way he would have to.

For him it wasn’t complete bullshit. The specifics would be wrong, but the emotion behind them, the sentiment, it was still there, right? Maybe he should learn to enjoy telling so much of the truth in his lies to find as much fun in this evening as Felix seemed about to have. One last hurrah before it was over.

They stay silent for most of the breakfast, something Locus appreciated because it wasn’t an awkward kind of silence. More of a comfortable one. That still, of course, had Felix playing footsie with him under the table, but that was probably just because Felix was trying to draw a reaction from him, and Locus wasn’t giving in to that as much as he wanted to.

Honestly, the voice calling from the patio door, Doyle’s voice, was a welcome distraction. Locus left Felix to scoop the dishes into the sink as he moved to the door to greet his secretary and not-quite friend.

“And here I thought you had abandoned me,” Locus teased quietly as he shook Doyle’s hand.

“As if I could ever do that,” Doyle returned immediately. “I fear you would be useless without me. How you survived before I was brought under your direct employ is truly a question for the ages.”

“You know I figured out how to tie my shoes on my own,” Locus sighed. Sometimes he forgot how disrespectful Doyle could get. Not that he cared.

“Is your… companion here?”

Leave it for Doyle to imply so much and so little with a single word. Locus sighed and stood aside as he heard Felix come up behind him.

“Felix, this is Donald Doyle. Doyle, Felix.”

“It is so nice to finally meet you in person, sir,” Doyle greeted Felix, his voice overly enthused and the hand shake Locus observed far too vigorous for the situation. But, then again, Felix was their point of disagreement these days, wasn’t he?

“Likewise,” Felix answered, his own tone amused.

There was a look, fleeting, that flashed over Doyle’s face, and Locus just shot him a glare over Felix’s shoulder. Whatever came with that look was something that Locus didn’t want the man voicing. And sure enough Doyle pulled away from Felix and strode past both of them, tsking as he went and let his eyes cast about.

“Dear me, it truly is so messy in here.”

“It… doesn’t seem like that to me,” Felix said, looking to Locus in bafflement. Locus just shook his head and sighed before returning his attention to Doyle.

“No, I assure you it is. There are still sheets over the furniture I can see from here. And dear me is it stuffy and dusty in here. I’m sure you’ve aired it out the best you can, sir, but there is so much more that needs done. Oh dear me. Sir, I fear I must call the staff in now. I hope that is acceptable.”

Locus watched in shock as Doyle produced a phone from somewhere as if by magic, clearly already prepared to bring the chaos down about them. “Is there a reason we can’t hold off for another hour or a few?”

The look Doyle gave him, scandalized shock, just made Locus sigh. Fine. Apparently they couldn’t. “Alright. Rally your troops if you think it’s that bad. I suppose it wouldn’t be proper to ask people to avoid rooms that have things still covered? There just hasn’t been a reason to use those for years. Or even the ones we’ll be using now for that matter.”

Another scandalized look, this time mixed with mild horror.

“Remember, sir, that the people you invited will be nosy and poke their heads around. I will make sure that the staff stays out of areas where they are not allowed, and I will mark said areas carefully, but you must allow me to do this. I will soon have this under control. But yes, we shall need the extra time, as this place is quite large and worse than I had expected. The sooner we begin, the better.”

Locus looked to Felix, catching the other man mouthing the word 'wow’ at him. All he could do in the face of all of this was sigh and wave Doyle away. “Fine. Deal with it as you see fit, Doyle. And at least this place is not as large as the house. We’d need a week minimum to prep that, even with the state we keep it in. In the mean time, I don’t want to be in the way. If you need me for anything, you know how to reach me.”

Doyle nodded before finally making his call, and Locus turned his attention more fully to his companion.

“Well, dear, would you like to help Doyle, or will you be hiding out with me while the bustle happens?”

“Yeah, no, I’ll be hiding,” Felix laughed immediately. His eyes flickered briefly to Doyle and he nodded. “Definitely hiding. So… what do we do until two?”

"It was easy to see that the other man was edging his way back toward the bedroom already, and Locus gestured for Felix to proceed him, trailing after him immediately. “I suppose I could keep you company, or keep out of your hair if you desire. Either way I should review the file again, even if only in brief, I suppose.”

“We’ll be in each others’ hair all day. May as well just get started with it,” Felix observed quietly, but not so quietly that Locus couldn’t hear it. Still, he turned around and walked backwards a few steps, beaming at Locus. “Smile, love. We’ll be doing lots of it, or I will at least.”

“I suppose at least you don’t have nearly as much hair to get into,” Locus chuckled to himself, catching Felix’s hand as he sped up to pass him, pulling Felix to face forward again. Once they’re far enough down the hallway for him to feel comfortable he paused and pulled Felix’s hand to his lips to kiss his knuckles. “I’m not that big on smiling, but I’ll try for you.”

* * * * * *

The kiss made Felix pause. Sure, he recovered quickly, squeezing Locus’s hand and letting himself be led back to the safety and seclusion of Locus’s bedroom, but that didn’t mean he was used to this. The idea of them being affectionate, being sweet, being loving was still an idea he had to get through his head. It was one thing to have it when there were a hundred thousand lookers or whatever real number it was. It was even different last night when he’d been caught up in the moments they had spent together. But right now, a little kiss like that for nothing more than a joke? Where did that kind of affection even come from?

“Well,” he managed to answer, resisting the urge to draw his hand from Locus’s as he was pulled along, “it’s a damn fucking good thing I am. I make you look good.”

Not that Locus didn’t look damn good on his own.

“You do?” Locus smirked as he pulled them into the room and shut the door. “I was under the impression that I made myself look good and you just served to make me look approachable.”

Free of the potential for viewers, Felix let his hand drop from Locus’s. With a sigh he moved to sit on the edge of the bed, reaching for the folder that rested on the bedside table. “I do that too. Actually… no, I make you look ten times better. Approachable and better looking than before. Trust me. It’s my fucking specialization.”

Along with, apparently, falling for the handsome asshole he was never going to work for again. With a frown he flipped the folder open and started glancing aimlessly over the papers. “So, I was gonna make up bullshit stories about us, assuming people ask. To cover things like 'what did you to do for your honeymoon’ and 'tell us about the wedding’ and that sort of shit. That cool with you?”

He looked up and saw a pensive look on Locus’s face. It looked good there. Really, he could already imagine Locus behind that massive desk in his office, leaning back just slightly in his chair and looking at the ceiling as he considered some big decision or another. How much fun would it be to take that look from his face? Maybe he could kiss it off. Maybe in that office he could fall to his knees in front of Locus’s desk and bring him right back down to earth in all the best ways.

Remarkably, he didn’t flush at that thought. Managed to keep his face cool as he continued. “I usually make shit up on the spot, so if I do make up something, I’ll make sure you know about it. Sound okay?”

“Of course,” Locus readily agreed. “I don’t tend to tell stories, so contradictions shouldn’t be an issue.”

Felix watched silently as the other man—his employer and he would do well to remember that—crossed to the bed and sat down next to Felix. Like, right next to Felix. Like thighs pressed together and his own body picking up some of Locus’s heat close. Why did that make him want to blush? Why was he so hungry for that contact?

“I doubt anything exciting would have happened for our wedding,” Locus continued as if he didn’t know what he was doing to Felix, and to be fair maybe he didn’t. “I would have wanted it to be something private. Quiet. I imagine we didn’t leave the room much during our honeymoon. I admit I wouldn’t have let you far from my reach.”

“I’ll say,” Felix mumbled to himself, amused.

God what an image. But no, this was a professional conversation they were having, as racy as it felt. So Felix sat up a bit and cleared his throat to put on his work voice. Only too easy to imagine he was having a conversation with Mrs. Johnson, the woman hanging on his every word. “Oh, it was just a small thing. He and I aren’t very social people when it comes to that. I know, right? Especially me, as hard as that may be to believe. But it was fine, just a simple this and that. There weren’t many pictures I’m afraid. Nothing fancy for the honeymoon either. Just a night in. Oh, we might be doing something else a bit more along the way. It’s not that important is it?”

At last he looked back to Locus, raising an eyebrow. “Or something like that, right?”

“Are you sure you’re not a lawyer,” Locus chuckled in response. “Your doubt talk is quite effective. You say a lot, yet give away little.”

Felix took a moment to think, frowning. “I guess I can be anything I want to be, so I was told growing up, and whoever said that was right. I’m a different person depending on how I’m paid.”

Locus nodded in response to that, silent for a moment as he got that pensive look back on his face. Finally he spoke again, and Felix wondered what could require so much thought. “So… where would you have wanted me to take you on a honeymoon? Or where would we go in the future, if we had 'something else a bit more along the way’?”

“Uh… fuck if I know,” Felix admitted, biting his lip. He should have a detail for that for the story. “Probably somewhere not in the city. Off planet maybe? I’m not even fucking sure. I guess this place would be nice.”

His eyes darted around, trying to figure out why he liked it so much, beyond the obvious.

“Honestly, I have no idea. I never thought much about where I would go. I guess it’s sorta like not knowing what to eat at breakfast. I don’t know. Surprise me. Where would you have taken us on our 'honeymoon’?”

There, the buck didn’t have to stop with him. Besides, stories were better when built together. So he smiled as he pulled his legs up onto the bed, crossing them as he put the folder down in his lap. Maybe that meant more pressure against his leg and more warmth from Locus, but despite the heat he couldn’t find it in himself to complain. This silk robe, and his shorts, weren’t doing much to hide the feel of Locus’s body against his and he liked that. Maybe while Locus thought he could have a few moments to just daydream about this all being real.

“I would have brought you here,” Locus answered far faster than Felix had expected. It was almost instant. He’d barely gotten comfortable, and there those lovely lips were, plowing on ahead.

“A week here, just you and I. No staff, no party. Just lazy days and long nights. You’d wear nothing but that robe and your stupidly beautiful smile,” Locus continued, his voice as distant as his eyes seemed to be when Felix looked to him. “It’s a private place, would allow us time to get to know one another better, and would give you a chance to adjust to the idea that everything that was mine is yours.”

All Felix could do was stare at Locus, silent and thoughtful. Well, that and try and ignore the way his chest tightened and how his lips curved in a rueful smile despite himself. “Sounds nice. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind of someone presses for more.”

Again he puts on the voice, just to remind himself this is a job, to distance himself from the man he’s in physical contact with and whose words had just left his heart pounding. “It was just a hazy week, you know? Locus is quite affectionate when it calls for it, but of course you have only seen him in meeting rooms and conferences. Well then, yes, it was really nice. I would said more, but again, we’re quite private people. Though I’m sure you will let your imaginations run. I would love to here what you think happened if we’re on the topic of gos….”

Truth be told, he’s so caught up in ignoring the presence beside him, in reminding himself that this is all for a kind of pay day, that he doesn’t notice said presence moving. Not until he was mid breath, words stolen from him as Locus leaned in and kissed him. Kissed him so that his breath was gone completely and his hands were moving on their own, cupping Locus’s face in them to hold him there, to touch him, to kiss him back.

In the back of his mind he can hear his own voice yelling. Shouting 'wrong wrong wrong’ over and over and over. 'What the fuck are you doing, Felix’ that voice demanded, and god help him he brushed it away. There was no point for it when he’s pressing back, a bit too eager and frustratingly overjoyed at this contact yet again. What was it about Locus that meant they kept doing this, kept kissing, kept drawing back together? Why was his body so eager to ignore his mind?

And god was he not hyper-aware of Locus now, for all that he had been ignoring the man moments before. How could he not notice the long fingers that plucked the file from his lap and tossed it aside. Or the firm, strong hands that lowered him back on the bed, or the lips that kissed pressed against his with more force, moved against his with more heat. Kissed until Felix felt like his lungs were going to explode because he’d stopped breathing in his shock and it wasn’t like it got any better like this.

At last Locus pulled back and Felix drew in a shaking breath as he looked up at the man looking down at him. The desire on his face, the longing in his eyes, was clear and mind numbingly perfect. And those lips… God why did they have to move to form words rather than kiss him again?

“I think, in this moment, I would want to please my husband,” Locus said, his words slow and carefully measured to the point where Felix thought he could feel physical weight in them. “To… calm his nerves before meeting our guests.”

Yeah, there he was, right back to holding his breath from shock, staring up at Locus. It wasn’t like he could answer out loud, speechless as he was, so instead he just looked a bit down at Locus’s chest, letting his hand slide up over his shirt, slow and unsure. At last he swallowed thickly, half-smiled and and spoke, still unable to meet Locus’s gaze.

“Your… husband wouldn’t mind that. I’d imagine. He’d probably want you to, um, just do what makes you happy,” he murmured quietly, barely hearing himself. Each word has him inwardly saying 'no, no, no’ to himself, but he said it anyway, and he felt like he meant it. Wished he could be that theoretical husband and say that for real.

“You’d tell me if I stretched the favor too far, wouldn’t you Felix?” Locus asked, even as his fingers picked at the tie on Felix’s robe. Felix let his eyes fall to the strip of shiny orange silk, watched it slide over itself with a quiet rasp until it was falling apart. And then Locus’s hand was pressing the cloth open and sliding down his thigh, over his shorts. And through all of that, somehow Locus was still talking, while Felix just laid there, trying to figure out what he even wanted. “I wouldn’t want to add another favor to the list simply because I can’t keep my hands to myself.”

“We agreed on the number,” Felix muttered, “so call this… uh, a complimentary gift.”

At last he let out a shaking breath as that hand slipped slowly up the not tight enough fabric of the leg of his shorts, letting skin brush over skin. That more than anything prompted Felix to look up at Locus, made something in him make up his hand. His own hands moved up and his arms wrapped around Locus’s neck, pulling him down to press their lips together again. If he didn’t kiss Locus right then and there, he’d back out and dear god he didn’t want that.

Leave it to Locus to take the offer and run with it, Felix thought as the kiss quickly escalated to deep and passionate, almost more intimate than the one they had shared in Locus’s apartment. Hell, that wasn’t even the only pressing forward that Locus did because Felix could feel that hand wandering over his leg stop it’s exploration and get straight to the point. Which meant, of course, that it moved between his legs to palm over him, and Felix practically keened against Locus’s lips at the sensation. Lips that were barely there the next moment, just the ghost of pressure against his lips.

“Gifts… aren’t your style, Felix. But I’ve been thinking about this since the last time, so I won’t turn it away.”

All Felix could do was exhale and try to ignore the something pulsing deep inside himself that screamed that he desperately wanted this, wanted more than this. That hand on him hadn’t stopped, a slow pressure that rocked against him and massaged him through the fabric, and it was driving him crazy. Maybe it was because he did want it, or because he was crazy, or maybe it was just because it had been so long since that time. That one and only encounter of theirs.

“Well,” he gasped out, his hips jerking up and pressing against that hand, “for a long time client I feel like, ah shit! Fuck, it’s only polite. God, Locus.”

He didn’t even know when his hands had ended up tangled in the bottom of Locus’s shirt, but lord help him he was pulling on it. It needed off, and it needed to happen then.

“I doubt all you long time clients earn such boons from you,” Locus chuckled breathily against his lips and Felix wanted to shout, or at least bite him because that hand was gone from between his legs and instead peeling Felix’s frustrated hands from Locus’s shirt. But then the hand was back on him, both of the hands really, one on each hip.

Felix yelped in shock as he was practically dragged to the edge of the bed, his legs left to dangle over the side as Locus’s nimble fingers undid his pants and pulled them down. Some part of his head took stock of where they were tossed, soon followed by his boxers before Locus was spreading his legs and kneeling on the floor. His head lifted a bit to stare at the other men, dizzy with desire before Locus settled between his legs and then all thought was gone. The witty words that had tried to leap from his lips were swallowed back as Locus’s tongue lapped over him until the head of his cock was in Locus’s mouth. At that point, who cared what he had to say?

Instead he gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth because like hell he was going to make noise. Doyle and the staff were literally in shouting distance, and the fact that he remembered that was probably a miracle considering how his legs were shaking as Locus bobbed slowly over him. And that motion got his free hand into Locus’s hair, so perfectly tied up and soon to be a mess, and god it was nice to tug at it.

All he got for his efforts was a chuckle and Locus pulling off of him like some evil fucking torturing bastard who didn’t understand how blowjobs were supposed to work. Still, he looks down at Locus with frustration and gets an amused quirk of Locus’s lips in return.

“Felix… the hired help thinks we’re married. Doyle is helping with the charade. Why in the world would you keep quiet? Having the gossip later could only help the story.”

The asshole followed that by licking slowly up Felix, base to tip, and then wrapping his mouth around Felix again, and Felix couldn’t help but laugh.

“Shit, I don’t know, maybe I have modesty. I guess you’ll have to get me not to ca- fucking hell what you do with your mouth!”

It was meant to be teasing, and by the end Felix was whispering. Truth be told he shouldn’t be so hard, but he was, and he wanted so, so much more than this, wanted to repeat their previous encounter, but that would be too much, wouldn’t it? Yet there he was anyway, moaning as Locus hummed in response, moving down to take more of Felix into his mouth even as his hand stroked the rest of him. How could he not shake and move and gasp as Locus stroked over him with mouth and tongue and hand, while his free hand started rubbing up and down Felix’s thigh lightly, even as his fingers dug into skin each time Locus sucked. How hard could he try to keep himself in control, how much could Felix tell himself not to lose it with those hands and that mouth and the way he could already feel it building up in himself.

It’s a minute or an hour or an eternity before his hand came to scrabble at the sheets, and his teeth sink into the meat of his palm while he tried not to scream. He didn’t know how long really. The only period of time in his head is how long it had been since he’d had sex in any form, and the answer came back to the gorgeous man between his legs. If that alone didn’t say just how fucked he was, Felix didn’t know what did.

Before he knew it his hand was tearing away from his mouth and he was letting out a moan that he was louder than he’d expected. It was like the sound bounced off the walls, echoed right back to him. Which, in the end, was probably appropriate for how long Locus had been working him over, how single minded and devoted the other man had been to the task. And god he was dedicated, Felix could feel that as he came hard, his whole body jerking, his hips lifting off the bed as he pressed up onto the tips of his toes and further into Locus’s mouth as his whole body shook, vibrated in pleasure.

At last he was left gasping for breath, his hand coming up to pet and caress Locus’s face as he felt the man swallow around him, drinking him down and not stopping moving as his tongue stroked over Felix’s over-sensitized length.

“Fuck, Locus,” he whispered, trying to ignore the way his hands stroked over Locus’s skin, combed through his long since torn loose of it’s tie hair, and god if he couldn’t pick out the endearingly sweet edge to his own touch. He would never touch anyone else like that, so why Locus?

“Thank you,” Locus chuckled when he pulled away, and Felix tried not to think too much as the man strode off. “I enjoyed my gift. Quite a bit.”

Felix huffed out a laugh as he stared up at the ceiling. “Figured… your gift should, uh, be me sucking you off.”

God why was the idea of that so overwhelmingly perfect? No, better not to think about it and put words to it, especially since as he lifted his head he could see Locus already returning with his clothes. He let Locus thread his legs through his boxers and pull them back up, even finding the energy to lift his hips to get them on properly. He waved the shorts off though. Better to get into real pants later.

“But, you know, if that worked too, then okay.” Still, he smiled at Locus as he sat up. “I… could anyway.”

Maybe he was still just buzzing from the post-orgasm haze, but he loved that feeling, and didn’t think for a moment that he would do anything other than enjoy giving Locus the same feeling.

“Relax,” Locus chuckled, leaving Felix puzzled as he watched Locus walk away to instead go to the chair in the corner of the room where Felix remembered him reading last night. “As I said, I would want to please my husband to calm his nerves. I said nothing about expecting, or wanting, anything in return.”

This man made no sense. Not a since cent in his god forsaken fortune was made. Okay, maybe that sentence didn’t make sense either but fuck if Felix cared. Instead he just looked at the mess Locus had made by tossing the folder and it’s documents aside. “Yeah. I’m sure your husband would appreciate such a gesture.”

With that he got off of the bed and pulled his shorts back on. It was easier than saying 'good thing I’m not your husband’ but he was pretty sure his tone had carried that on its own. He hoped. Right now, though, right now he needed to get out of here. Get a moment to breathe and get his head on straight.

“I’m… going to go see if Doyle needs help, dear. Make sure the house is still in one piece and all that.”

With that he through the door, mentally kicking himself for that moment of weakness and what it was making him feel in the aftermath. Not that it helped much being out there. The second he ran into Doyle the man started giving him a look that screamed 'you shouldn’t be here.’ Except somehow Doyle managed to do it in a way that was exceedingly polite. Frustratingly polite. Which meant Felix had no where else to go but back up to his room, because Doyle expressly forbid him form going outside to drag more sand into the beach house.

And that one place meant opening the door of the bedroom almost half an hour later and finding Locus sitting there in the corner chair, reviewing his own file quietly as if nothing had happened between them.

“Okay,” Felix sighed as he closed the door behind him, “Doyle is fucking something else. The whole staff is like… he’s just good. Where do I get one like him?”

He can play the civil game too. The cold professional. The 'that didn’t happen’ game. Better than Locus even. He can probably even do it while slipping into his role, because it was already nearing the time where Locus would have to head out to pick up their guests.

“Have enough wealth to own a lunar colony somewhere,” Locus suggested, smiling and Felix just rolled his eyes. “To be honest? His employee evaluations before I… scooped him up from one of my juniors, were always exemplary except for the note that he was a bit over enthusiastic in attempting to assist the management of his superior’s lives. I, as it is, need such assistance.”

“Well, I’m glad it worked out for both of you,” Felix observed, heading to his luggage to pull out his nice slacks and dress shirt. “Don’t think I’d want one, though. Even if I could get one.”

He devoted all of his attention to pulling on changing with his back to Locus, and not thinking about how maybe the asshole’s eyes would be looking over his skin, no, licking over his skin with a hunger.

“He says we’ll be ready when you get back. Until then I’m to,” Felix cleared his throat and intimated Doyle’s voice near perfectly he thought, “stay out of the way lest I desire to lose a finger or two.”

“Whatever you do, Felix, never go near my business,” Locus’s voice chuckled behind him. “I’m afraid you’d stage a hostile take over simply using the fact that people have learned to jump when Doyle instructs them one way or another.”

There was a moment of silence as Felix pulled on his pants, and then Locus was talking again. “I’m… sorry this is going to take so long. I should have opted to do this at the house rather than here. I just felt it more… comfortable to come to the island.”

“Don’t worry,” Felix sighed as he turned around, fully dressed but still straightening his shirt, “I have no intention of crossing ways with your business. And don’t worry.”

No, more than that. He had to get this right. Now that he was dressed he needed to be in character with Locus, which meant crossing to him and catching Locus’s hands in his, squeezing them lightly. “Babe, I believe in you, and you know I don’t care what you have to do or what you choose. Just do it. I’ll be here to support you tonight, and whenever else you need.”

The words are soft, softer for the smile, but he can see in the way that Locus smiles back at him warmly that it’s enough.

“I could get quite used to your support. Your disarming charm creates many openings for me that I never expect to find.”

“How could I not support my man the go-getter?” Felix asked, grinning up at Locus, full on role finally in place. “We’re doing to do fabulously tonight. Now go and grab those guests of ours. I’ll be here, waiting for you.”

“I like the thought of you waiting for me,” Locus whispered, and Felix closed his eyes as the other man leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss against Felix’s lips. “Will you see me to the dock?”

“Of course,” Felix smiled as his eyes opened, and while he took one hand from Locus’s grip, he laced the fingers of their other hands together.

It was disarming, how easy it was to do this. How easy it was for him to just be Locus’s husband in that moment. Together they walk quietly through the house, and Felix almost feels like he’s floating, like a newlywed rightly should. They barely even pause to tell Doyle they’re leaving for the docks, still hand and hand, and the whole way they they chatted idly about little things.

At last they made the wood of the dock and Felix pulled them to a stop. Predictably Locus turned to face him, to smile down at him.

“I know it’s just across the way, but still, be careful. Would… you like me to wait here for you, or to meet you back at the house?”

You don’t need to wait for me,” Locus chuckled, pulling Felix into a gentle embrace. “No way to be sure how long I’ll be gone or when exactly I’ll be back. Do your best to entertain yourself while I’m gone, love.”

Their kiss, of course they kissed, was chaste once again, and somehow it left Felix yearning more as Locus pulled away than anything else before that moment had. Felix was left standing there on the planks of the dock as he watched Locus turn and walk away. He stood there, watching as the boat moved away from the island.

And as he went, long before Felix turned back and headed to the house, he found himself longing after the man. The worst part, he thought, was that he thought maybe he wanted that moment to be a little more real.