Out of Place

[churbooseanon]

Because even now I can’t give up on Bouncer Maine. I may turn this into a short, evolving mini-series of stories. Or series of mini-stories. Starts with Watching and then moves to Need, Missed, Love. 

 

Out of Place

    Life is rarely a simple chain of events. Consequences of tiny childhood decision can lead to repercussions so many years down the road. No simple cause and effect chain can explain a single human life. even if it might seem to at first. All the complexities of choice and consequence, action and reaction, only become more tangled as you add the chaos inducing mixture that is human interaction. Add it in a hundred hundred different ways and maybe, just maybe, you can start to pick out the patterns that lead to predictable actions, lead to meaningful relationships, and make life worth living.

    Yet, for all of that, Maine still can’t figure out what has led him here.

    “Please tell me you haven’t been awed by the city,” Delta laughs at his side, and Maine turns to smile down at the smaller man standing with him.

    Here then, his great mystery of decisions given form in a slight man bundled up against the cold of a Chicago winter. Even in his thick green peacoat and with a bulky green scarf around his neck, the man looks tiny next to Maine. Of course most people are dwarfed by his six and a half feet of muscular bulk, but there is something about Delta’s piercing green eyes and warm, affectionate laughter that makes him loom in Maine’s heart. And for the life of him, Maine doesn’t even know how he managed to be here, in this moment, with the other man’s gloved hand held loosely in Maine’s far larger one. Hell, he still can’t believe that he’s here, on a vacation, with a man he can claim as his boyfriend.

    “No,” Maine allows after a moment, “not awed by it, but by the company.”

    As ever Delta flushes a lovely shade of red that is well offset by the green he always wears. Someone, somewhere, once committed the great sin of allowing Delta to develop the idea that he wasn’t utterly, breathtakingly beautiful. If Maine could ever find out who, he might have to punch the person.

    “Flatterer,” Delta mumbles into his scarf, and Maine has to smile at the sight of him like that. He always takes pleasure in knowing that he can do that. The only other person he’s ever seen turn Delta that shade of red was his best friend, and even that seemed to be done by referencing Delta’s relationship with Maine and how it has evolved.

    “I only speak the truth,” Maine insists, and damn if his boyfriend doesn’t look away, which can only mean that his blush is deepening.

    “Maybe we should stop standing here, staring at a hotel, and head inside?”

    Maine has to chuckle at the suggestion. If that will spare Delta’s feelings, then yes, Maine can allow that. With a nod his boyfriend starts forward and Maine is forced to release his hand. Not because he wants to, but because he easily plucks Delta’s weekend bag from his hands so his boyfriend can handle all of the details at the counter.

    Truth be told, Maine doesn’t really know what he’s doing here. He’s never gone on a vacation, never traveled somewhere interesting, never even been in a hotel. He’s a simple man, with simple tastes. Maine’s never even been more than five miles out of his home city, and yet here he is, suddenly so far away. Somehow it almost feels like an entirely different world. How does Delta do this so much for his work? How does he just pack up and jump around the country like it’s nothing?

    The better question is how Delta can handle being away so often when Maine still has trouble with the distance. Trouble that only grows with every single separation as they get more and more serious. Of course Delta never seems to notice, so Maine doesn’t bring it up. He’s never had a boyfriend before and the last thing he wants to do is ruin it by being too clingy. More than that, he could easily ruin his reputation that way, and that would only add insult to great injury.

    Which is a lot of stuff Maine doesn’t want to think about. So instead he just follows his boyfriend–god he’s on a week long getaway with his boyfriend how awesome is that–through the revolving doors and into the lobby. The extremely well appointed lobby that has Maine frozen in his steps for a few moments. Maybe he hadn’t been letting Chicago, with it’s shaded streets and raised rail and the noise and the cold get to him much before this, the lobby of this place… Yes, Maine was impressed. The height of the lobby was impressive on it’s own, and that was before the marble all over the place and the expensive looking furniture, and even the uniforms the clear members of the staff were perfectly tailored. Who spent that much money on making sure people looked the same?

    “Maine? Micah, dear?”

    Maine only starts out of his revere when Delta reaches out and touches him lightly on the shoulder. Amusement glitters in those emerald eyes, and Maine knows he’s been caught. Caught in his awe, caught in his wonder, caught in his true confusion. How is this a thing? How are they going to stay in a place like this for the week? It doesn’t make any sense at all. What makes less sense is the fact that Delta seems completely unfazed by all of this. When Delta leaves for his work, is it places like this that he stays? What has Maine gotten himself into?

    “Are you awed now?” Delta teases, and the pleasure in his expression cannot be denied.

    “We’re actually staying here?” Maine asks in shock. This is actually a thing?

    “Yeah,” Delta smiles. “Is that a problem?”

    Only in that Maine doesn’t even know what his life is anymore. He has to wonder now. He’s never been invited over to Delta’s apartment or house or whatever. Their dates always have them meeting some place they both agree on before hand. When they meet for their own pleasure it’s at Maine’s apartment, which Delta has long had a key for. What does he truly not know about his lover? What business does a man who has described himself as a ‘computer technician’ have being in a place like this and being comfortable with it?

    “No,” Maine answers after a moment. “I just… I’m not used to this kind of stuff.”

    His partner actually laughs, shaking his head. “Neither am I, Micah. I’d say that if you’re in them enough it gets easier But it doesn’t. You just learn to put up with the pointlessness of the opulence.”

    There’s definitely one word for it. But there is a sincerity in Delta, the same one there always is, that inspires faith from Maine. Always has. Of course, the touch of his real name probably helps as well. Ah, who is he kidding, it’s Delta’s smile.

    “Alright, but promise me we’re not going to spend hours in this lobby with you reading. I love what you do, babe, but I can’t handle being in all this…”

    “What makes you think you’re going to see much outside of our bedroom?”

    Maine almost wants to laugh. Almost. Makes him half wonder why he bothered making a list of places he wants to go and things he wants to see. What can begin to compare to Delta’s company? Well…. he supposes they can talk about it later, but who knows. Maybe he can be content just shutting them both in for a week.