These Days

Jaques looked good. Just as good as he had on the day he finally left Tye for good. His blonde hair was in loose waves down to his ears. He wore a silk striped shirt with a tasteful vest over it and good fitting black slacks. The shirt sleeves were rolled to his elbows and showed off the perfect shape of his forearms. A simple leather band around one wrist accented the long elegant hands that even now were fixing his coffee with cream and sugar.

Tye sat across from him, a simple gesture bringing the waiter for an order of strong English Breakfast tea and a scone. When he focused on the man across the table he found a pair of rich honey eyes watching him carefully. They remained silent until Tye’s order came to the table and there was no more threat of interruption.

“Ah, Tye. You look good. Different.”

Tye flushed involuntarily at Jaques note of his changed physique. The sun tanned skin and rough hands seemed awkward and out of place to him now. He took a sip of his tea to hide his discomfort but Jaques was already laughing silently. Tye ground his teeth and tried to calm the twisting in his stomach. “You look good too, Jacq,” he said.

Jaques smiled slightly and rested a hand on Tye’s knee under the table, “So now you are back in the city, yeah?”

Tye shook his head, too aware of the fingers caressing his knee, “No, just for one more night. Then I have a job up in Boston.”

“Aw, why not stay a few days more? I have a nice apartment now. We could get reacquainted. Make amends.”

Tye frowned, his stomach now completely calm. “We have no amends to make, Jacq,” Tye said, pushing the hand off his leg, “I’m in a relationship now. He’s going with me to Boston.”

Jacques frowned slightly and sipped his coffee. “I’m sorry, Tye. I know I fucked up back then. I did not mean to hurt you.”

“Well you did. And even if I were single I wouldn’t trust you. We were over a long time ago.”

“Don’t be like that. I want to make up with you. I want to be friends, if nothing else. We had some good times too.”

Tye finished his tea, wincing at the heat, and slathered his scone with cream and jam, “Maybe. I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“At your birthday party tonight?”

Tye stopped from where he had begun to walk away and half turned back to Jaques, not quite meeting his eye, “Yeah. Tonight. You can meet Smiths.”

With that Tye stepped away quickly, shoving a bite of scone into his mouth. The subway was more crowded now and he felt the burgeoning of a headache in the back of his head. Before going back to the hotel he stopped in a little bakery and picked up two apple cinnamon muffins and two blueberry.

In the hotel bedroom Smiths was still fast asleep and Tye crawled gratefully back under the covers, fully dressed sans shoes, and cuddled close to Smiths back, the sweet smell of muffins filling the room.

*

Smiths woke to an empty room. He knew because it was cold. A brief glance around confirmed it. Briefly he considered getting up but a pulse of alcohol still thrummed through his head. His head hit the pillow before he had decided to try to for sleep again. He hadn’t quite fallen asleep yet when the click of a door alerted him to Tye’s return. Sweet smelling breads and a lingering of coffee filled the room. Tye’s small form pressed close to him, sending a quick chill over his skin before melting into pleasant, sleep inducing heat.

When he woke again an hour later Tye hadn’t moved but Smiths could feel the uncomfortable rumble of hunger. Shifting until he was propped against the headboard Smiths watched Tye cuddle closer, one arm stretched around his waist. The smell of sweet bread had reduced but still lingered. Moving gingerly lest he upset the sleeping man, Smith meandered to the small kitchenette where a white bag rested blatantly on the counter. Right on top was a large, warm blueberry muffin. The first bite melted on his tongue and he seated himself on a stool to enjoy the rest of it.

Tye stumbled in looking fully asleep and cranky. He leaned against the counter and fumbled down into the bag, pulling out what appeared to be an apple muffin and devouring it in a few large bites.

He looked no more awake for the rush of sugar and Smiths smiled slightly as he tugged the boy against him. Tye sighed and let his weight rest more fully on Smiths’ side.
“Good morning, babe,” Smiths said. The response was muffled against his ribs but Smiths could hear that smile in it.

The smile that played across Tye’s face a moment later as he tugged them both into the bathroom had Smiths’ libido doing wicked thinks to his heart, not to mention his prick. The hot water firing from the wide showerhead filled the room with steam in minutes. He let Tye strip him, piece by piece until they were both standing naked and aroused just outside the shower. Tye turned deliberately and stepped around the glass barrier and under the spray. Through the steam fogged glass Smiths could just make out the strong, lean curves of his body, the narrow waist that wrapped down to his powerful hips and thighs, not to mention the swollen curves of his ass.

Smiths barely felt the sting of water on his skin or the damp spreading through his hair and over his back. All of his attention was focused for the soft skin beneath this palms. The hard palms that brushed almost tentatively over his hips and up his back. And when his cock slid deep into Tye he couldn’t think of anything but the feeling of that heat surrounding him, pushing him closer and closer to the edge, a small cry cresting him as he drove one final thrust into the already climaxing boy beneath him.

*

Charlie had organized the party at a gallery – very uptown. She had a friend who was a curator there and had been more than happy to have the attention brought to the little building. Tye wore a pair of soft cotton pants that hung super-low on his hips, their grey and pink pinstripe doing nothing to make appear girlish and the perfect white button-down, with the sleeves rolled a quarter of the way up, accentuated his strong forearms and slim torso.

Smiths, thankfully, had been allowed to dress in a t-shirt and jeans, but he made sure they were clean and without holes or stains. He even opted to wear his new shoes – without a suggestion from Tye. They had actually been pretty comfortable and provided a nice change from the bulk of his sneakers.

They’d arrived at 7pm, coming straight from an extremely delicious dinner at a small Thai restaurant. And at 8 the crowd had barely began. Charlie was there, of course and Smiths felt only slightly neglected as the two old friends were ensconced in deep conversation on one of the many plush couches around. They had, after all, not seen each other for a year.

Smiths chatted with a few other guests, none of them guessing who he was aside from a new friend. So he was surprised when a pretty blonde with soft curls and broad features clasped his elbow familiarly and held out his other hand to shake. Smiths felt the insistent pressure on his arm and the slightly too tight grip on his hand, “Dupont, at your service. I was hoping to reunite with Tye a bit better, but he seems fully engaged now, doesn’t he?”

“Yes. But understandably. He’s been away so long, after all. And he’s only here for tonight.”

“Ah, of course. I’d heard he was getting very popular in his company. I always expected he’d do well. Surprising though, it took him moving to and ass-backward town to get it together.”

Smiths frown and pulled his hand back, which Dupont had been holding this whole time, “Sorry, Dupont. That’s your last name, correct?” The man gave a surprised but imperceptible nod, “Then, may I ask your first?”

“It’s Jaques.”

Smiths shifted his weight meaningfully, “I might have known. I suppose you know me, then. But I’ll introduce myself properly, Smiths Baxter. And I’m dating Tye.”

Jaques Dupont had the audacity to smirk and Smiths briefly reminded himself that to punch out Tye’s ex at his birthday was bad form no matter what country you were in.

Neither man moved, as though to leave would be conceding defeat. Somewhere in the back of Smitsh mind he knew Tye was only feet away and would probably redden his ears if he knew what Smiths and Jaques were up to. But he refused to back down in any way when it came to his new relationship.

Thankfully Tye appeared at his elbow as though by thought. “Hey babe.”

Tye smiled brightly and fixed himself close to Smiths’ side so that Smiths was forced to wrap and arm around him. Then Tye turned that joyful smile to Jaque and Smiths felt a sharp pang or jealousy.

“Jaques,” Tye greeting, “I see you made it. This is my boyfriend, Smiths.”

“We’ve met,” Jaques voice was light and his smirk had yet to fall.

“Smiths, this is my ex, Jaques. It seems there’s no escaping him.”

Smiths let out a small grunt and tightened his grip around Tye. Tye’s smile broadened and he slipped an arm around Smiths’ hips, “Excuse us, Jaques. I’m going to introduce Smiths around.” With that Tye gently tugged him away and into the now prodigious crowd. Jaques watched after them, the smirk finally faded to a blank expression. Smiths wondered that Tye could know so many people. And could leave them behind and move to, as Jaques said, ass-backwards country. But most people Tye briefly introduced and exchanged pleasantries without personal details, so Smiths assumed they were just acquaintances. Not friends. But finally they made it to a small knot of people, all eagerly talking and holding several glasses of champagne.

Tye wedged a space for the two of them and accepted two proffered glasses, handing one to Smiths. And in a roar the group tipped their glasses (followed by the rest of the room) to the health and happiness of Tye on this birthday and many more!
Charlie and Lance from the bar were there, but also a petite brunette called Amy, a man over six feet Tye identified as Danny, and Alex, who had short black hair and wide grey eyes.

The party seemed to last for hours and at some point Smiths wound up on a couch unwilling to move himself any further. Tye joined him some time later, curling a cheek against his shoulder as he talked quietly with Alex and Charlie and Lance were conversing on Smiths other side.

The guests trickled out slowly and the gallery was nearly empty.

Against a shaded wall, between two heavy paintings, Jaques propped himself upright, a glass of Jack in one hand and an unfiltered cigarette in the other. The glow of the bud bright against his shadowed face.


A/N: Ugh, I know it took me waaaaay Too long to update this. But I just got back from overseas so please forgive me! Anyway. I hope you like this. No Smut in this chapter, but maybe sooooon! And I really need to get some suspense in here, yeah? This is a bit too calm for my liking ;)