Crane - Chapter 7 Posted

“Oh my fucking God, what the hell is that thing?”

“Don’t touch it. You have no idea where it came from.”

“Is it still alive?”

“Who knows?”

“Oh God it pulsated at me!”

Pearl stormed into the kitchen. “Get away from that, what’s the matter with you two?”

Crane was sitting on the counter, watching Zeke inspect the… thing inside of the casserole dish cooling on the stove. Crane gave his sister a rueful look. “You should be ashamed of yourself.” he told her. “What the hell did that poor casserole ever do to you?”

“Did you skin whatever animal you used before you put it in here?” Zeke asked.

“Hell, I don’t think she even removed the hooves.” Crane quipped.

Pearl walked over, shoving Zeke away from the stove. “It’s dinner, and you two need to stop making fun of my cooking skills.”

“Cooking skills?” Crane laughed. “Are you sure you cooked it?”

“I’m not even sure she killed it.” Zeke remarked, and Crane cackled, leaning back on his palms.

“Fine, don’t eat it.”

“I was planning on shooting it to put it out of it’s misery.” Crane told her.

“We should have a service in the backyard. It deserved better than this.”

Pearl scowled. “Well, then what do you plan on doing for dinner?”

“Pizza.” They both said at the same time.

“Oh come on, guys!” she whined. “You always get the worst toppings!”

Zeke pulled his cell phone out. “Well, we could order you a salad.” he said, smirking.

“Was that a fat joke?!” Pearl shrieked, and lunged at him. Zeke danced away, laughing, then sprinted down the hall, dialing. “What a jerk!”

Crane laughed and shook his head. “Relax, sis. He was joking and you know it.”

“Yea.” Pearl scowled at her brother, hands on her hips. “You’re both in really good moods today. Which I wouldn’t normally complain about, considering how big of a dick you are when you’re upset about something.” she shook her head. “But seriously, what happened? I mean, you’ve had this look on your face all day. It’s all ‘cat that caught the canary’. I know you, so it scares me.”

Crane shrugged, hopping off the counter. “Nothing happened, I’m just in a good mood. Is there something wrong with that?”

“Depends on what put you in a good mood.” she told him, and pulled his ponytail as he walked by. “Come on, fess up. What happened?”

“Nothing. Let go.” he swatted her hand away, still grinning, just as Zeke came back in the room.

“Half an hour.” he said, and sat down at the kitchen table. “So, you going out tonight, Pearl?” he asked.

“Well, no, I hadn’t planned on it.” she said, picking up the casserole dish and moving towards the garbage can.

“Why not?” they both asked, and she stopped and glared at them. Zeke flushed and averted his eyes, and Crane snickered.

“Come on, Pearl, you know you should work this whole unsupervised teenager thing while you can.” Crane told her. “Zeke said that curfew’s like… eleven.”

“Are you kidding me?” she squealed. “That’s ridiculous!”

“Well, Crane and me will have a one o’clock curfew, but you’re only sixteen, so…”

“That’s such bullshit.”

“So you should definitely take advantage of Aunt Evie begin gone for the next two days.” Crane said, folding his arms over his chest.

“Tell Seth you want to spend them at his cabin.” Zeke suggested.

“He’d do that?” Pearl asked, going pink. “Really?”

“Please.” Zeke rolled his eyes. “Two straight days with the chick he’s all stupid over? He’d fall all over himself to make it happen.”

“How was your date with big, dumb and blond last night?” Crane inquired. “You never said.”

“It went fine, actually.” Pearl sat, scraping the casserole dish’s contents into the garbage can. “So, why don’t you like him again, Crane?”

“Uh, he’s porking you.” Crane said. “Do I need another reason?” His eyes flickered to Zeke, narrowing slightly, before turning back to his sister, who straightened up and glared at him.

“You used to hang out with my boyfriends all the time.” she said, pointing the spoon she’d been using at him. “It’s more than just that.”

“Don’t threaten me with that.” Crane said. “Assault with a deadly casserole is punishable by up to-”

“Oh, shut up.” Pearl said, dumping the casserole dish and spoon into the sink.

“I’m not washing that.” Zeke said immediately.

“I’m not going anywhere near the sink until it’s sanitized.” Crane put in.

“We should really just replace the whole thing.”

“You two are jerks!” she snapped, and stormed out of the room. “So childish!” she called over her shoulder.

“I know you are!” Crane shouted after her. He turned, smiling, and looked at Zeke. “Well, that was clever of you.” he said.

“What?”

“Getting her out of the house for the next two days. You think he’ll really do it?”

Zeke nodded. “He’s done a hell of a lot more for girls he’s liked a hell of a lot less.”

Crane shrugged, pushing away from the counter where he’d been leaning. “I’m going to go take a shower.” he said. “Hopefully there will be edible food here when I get out.” he went downstairs, humming to himself.

As soon as Zeke was alone in the kitchen, he put his head in his hands and groaned quietly. What the hell had he just gotten himself into?

He and Crane had spent last night laying in bed, talking, barely touching each other after the initial expression of mutual attraction and following mini make out session. They talked about everything but what had happened; any time Zeke attempted to bring it up, Crane would laugh it off and change the subject. He wasn’t sure why his cousin didn’t want to discuss it, but he was sure whatever reason there was, he wasn’t going to like it. They’d fallen asleep together, still not touching. When he’d woken up, though, Crane had been literally wrapped around him; legs tangled, arms around his chest, his face buried in the crook of Zeke’s neck. It’d taken Zeke almost five minutes to disengage from Crane, but he had managed it without waking him.

He’d showered and dressed, then went for a walk to clear his head. His feelings about the whole thing hadn’t changed; he still felt awkward over the complete lack of guilt he felt, and as he walked he realized he still wanted Crane, perhaps even more than he had previously. He just didn’t know what the hell he was going to do about it, and he didn’t know what Crane would do when he woke up.

Nothing; it turned out.

When he’d gotten home, Pearl and Crane had been in the backyard, playing with the dogs. Every time Zeke had suggested he and Crane do something, intending it to be alone, Pearl would tag along. So, she ended up going to lunch with them. And to the bookstore. And to drop off Zeke’s favorite books to get the soles replaced. By then, he was ready to choke them both. Crane acted like everything was fine; more than fine, actually. He seemed to be in a genuinely good mood, which helped Zeke’s anxiety a little bit, but didn’t change the fact that he still had no idea how Crane felt about what had happened.

When they’d gotten home, Zeke had gone downstairs to straighten up; he hadn’t bothered to clean the basement in a while, and he was hoping Crane would follow. He didn’t. When he’d finished, Zeke had gone upstairs to find Crane just coming through the back door with the dogs’ leashes in hand. That’s when they’d found the casserole.

Now that Zeke was pretty sure they’d be alone, he was suddenly terrified. The list of awful possibilities his mind supplied did not help at all. Crane could say it was a mistake, or that he didn’t want to even look at Zeke anymore. He could say a lot of things, and Zeke figured the chances of him saying what Zeke wanted to hear were pretty slim.

Problem being; Zeke didn’t know what he wanted Crane to say. He knew it would be easier, better, the right thing, if Crane told him that last night had been a mistake and that they should never speak of it again. He knew that it would be for the best if he said it himself. And part of him did want that; he wanted to go back to before it had happened, to before they’d opened that door. What would his mother say? What would it do to his family? Just asking himself these questions made his stomach roll. Still, none of that changed what he knew, deep down. And what he knew was that he wanted Crane, and he wanted him bad. Anyway that his cousin was willing. Whether they decided never to speak of it again, he still wanted Crane around. If his cousin said he felt similarly to the way Zeke felt, he knew he wouldn’t be able to do the right thing. If Crane still wanted him, then there was no way Zeke would say no.

Pearl came into the kitchen, putting in a pair of earrings. “Seth’s going to pick me up in an hour.” she said, smiling. “When’s Aunt Evie due back?”

“Late Thursday.” he said, lifting his head up. “They’re staying Wednesday night, so they’ll head home Thursday afternoon.”

“I’ll be home by noon on Thursday, then.” she said, and leaned down, surprising Zeke by kissing his cheek. “Did I thank you for introducing me to him?” she asked.

“No, but you’re welcome.” Zeke told her, and smiled.

The pizza came just as Crane was coming upstairs, so they sat at the table and ate. Pearl picked everything off of her slices and put them on Crane’s. When they were done, Zeke straightened up the kitchen and Pearl helped Crane feed the dogs.

When Seth knocked on the front door, Pearl let out a little squeal, said goodbye, and ran upstairs to get her things. Zeke stayed in the kitchen, so he wouldn’t have to see Seth. He could hear Crane and Seth talking in the den, but couldn’t make out the words.

Zeke closed his eyes, standing at the counter, his heart pounding. He heard the front door shut and took a deep breath. They were alone now. How was he supposed to bring up what had happened? He knew they had to talk about it; he had to figure out how Crane felt, so he knew what the hell he was supposed to do.

He decided it was best just to get it over with. Resolved, he took a deep breath-

-and was slammed bodily into the counter. The edge dug into his hip painfully, and he felt Crane’s arms slide around him, his chest pressed against Zeke’s back. Zeke reacted involuntarily; his back arched a little and he pushed back into Crane. He felt Crane’s teeth on his earlobe, then heard him whisper, “Fuck, I thought she’d never leave.”

And then Crane spun him around and lifted him up, setting him down on the counter. Zeke grabbed him shoulders for balance, startled. Crane pushed his knees apart and fitted himself between them, then caught Zeke by the back of the neck and pulled him forward. Crane kissed him hard, pushing his lips apart with his tongue, the hand not holding his head sliding up his back under his shirt, his short, blunt nails scratching at Zeke’s skin.

Well, that answered his question. Zeke moaned into Crane’s mouth, hooking his ankles together at the small of Crane’s back and sliding almost entirely off the counter in an attempt to get closer. Crane’s arms went around him, almost too tightly, while his tongue did the most amazing things inside of Zeke’s mouth.

Crane shifted as though uncomfortable, then pulled his mouth away, panting. “Downstairs. Now.” he growled out, stepping back just enough to let Zeke get down.

“What’s wrong with the counter?” Zeke asked, and loved the flash of surprise and lust in Crane’s eyes. He turned and hurried for the basement door before Crane could take him up on the teasing offer.

Crane caught up with him at the bottom of the stairs, and pulled him towards his bed. “Closer.” he said, his hands bunching up the bottom of Zeke’s shirt and pulling up. “Take this off.” Zeke lifted his arms, his face flushing, and Crane threw the clothing carelessly behind him. “Goddamn.” Crane whispered, grabbing Zeke, his hands sliding along his stomach and down to his hips. Crane sat down on the bed and pulled Zeke into his lap.

Zeke shuddered, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, his eyes squeezed shut. Crane’s hands seemed to be everywhere all at once; sliding along his ribs, up his spine, along his arms. Crane licked and bit at the sensitive spot on Zeke’s throat, making him squirm. Then Crane’s fingers brushed his nipples at the same time he thrust up, pressing his erection against Zeke’s. Zeke’s head lolled back and he gasped loudly, his fingers digging into Crane’s back, bunching up the fabric of his shirt. On instinct he pressed down, rolling his hips. Crane’s groan was muffled against his neck. His hands slid down, holding Zeke’s hips, and guided him into a rhythm that made both of them pant and moan. Zeke leaned down and licked at Crane’s mouth, at the same time fighting with the rubber band holding his hair back. It snapped in his fingers and he buried his hands in it, crushing their mouths together. He felt one of Crane’s hand leave his hip, and a moment later cool fingers were fumbling with the front of his jeans. He shuddered, then whimpered loudly, when those fingers slid around his cock and squeezed. Between the almost painfully harsh thrusts of Crane’s hips and his hand’s steady stroking, Zeke didn’t last long. He tore his mouth away from Crane’s, barely able to breathe, and the best orgasm of his life ripped through him. He could hear crane laughing over the roar in his ears, and when he finally came back to Earth, his forehead against Crane’s shoulder, he felt like he’d run a marathon.

“Oh my God.” he whispered, his throat like sand paper.

Crane kissed the side of his neck, then shifted, wincing. Zeke sat up, embarrassed at how dizzy he felt, and looked at him curiously. “You didn’t-”

“It’s fine.” Crane said, his smile strained. “Come here.” he kissed Zeke gently. “That good?”

Zeke nodded, frowning a little. “But you-”

“I said it’s fine.” Crane lifted him up a little, surprised Zeke at how easy he did this, and set him on the bed. He stood up stiffly. “I’ll be right back.” he turned and went into the bathroom, a little faster than he normally walked. Zeke sighed, pushing his sweaty hair back from his face. A few minutes later Crane came out, walking a little easier.

“You should’ve let me-”

“Don’t.” Crane sat down next to him and brushed his fingers along Zeke’s cheek. “You’re new at all of this and the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable or scared you off. We’ll go slow, okay? And don’t even get that brain of yours working overtime on this, I’m fine.” He leaned over and kissed Zeke, a slow, almost sweet kiss that made Zeke feel wonderful and terrible at the same time. “Besides,” Crane said when he pulled back. “It was totally worth it. You make the hottest noises.”

Zeke flushed, which made Crane laugh. “So what now?” he asked.

Crane shrugged. “We could watch a movie until you feel better.” he suggested. When Zeke looked confused, Crane rolled his eyes at him. “We have the house to ourselves for the next couple of days. The only time we’re not going to be doing things like that is when we’re eating, or recuperating.”

“Sleeping.” Zeke put in, and Crane snorted.

“You can sleep when everyone’s back home.” He said, and Zeke smiled, still flushed. Crane shook his head, reaching over to cup Zeke’s face with his hands. “Look at you, blushing like a girl. You’re so adorable.” This just made Zeke even pinker, and Crane kissed his nose. “Come on, let’s go find something to watch.”

Zeke followed him upstairs, feeling weak kneed and still sort of sweaty. He didn’t even bother to put his shirt on. He sat down in the recliner in the den and watched Crane dig through the DVDs they kept in the entertainment center.

“Uh…” Crane turned and smiled at him. “Are all of these movies yours?”

“Most of them, why?” Zeke asked.

“Just curious as to why there’s a copy of ‘Ten Inch Hero’ in here.”

Zeke laughed. “Come on, Crane. Jensen Ackles in eyeliner with crazy ass punk hair?”

“Point taken.” Crane said. “How about Batman?”

“Which one? I have all of them.”

“The one with The Joker. The first one.”

“Sure.”

Crane put the movie on, then sprawled out on the couch. “Are you going to sit with me?” he asked, and Zeke got up and walked over to the couch.

“Are you going to make me room?” Zeke asked, and Crane grabbed him and pulled him into his lap. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh well.” Crane wrapped his arms around him, rolling onto his side so they could fit together on the couch. It was really, really tight, but after some adjustment they managed it. It certainly helped that Zeke was significantly shorter than Crane, and had way less body mass. Crane nuzzled against the back of Zeke’s neck and took a deep breath.

“Are you even watching the movie?” Zeke asked.

“No.” Crane admitted. “I’m just enjoying you. Is that wrong?”

“You were the one who suggested a movie.”

Crane kissed his shoulder. “Do you feel better yet?”

Zeke shifted. “I might need a little longer. It’s been, like, twenty minutes.”

Crane sighed dramatically and slipped his hand along Zeke’s stomach to rest against the fly of his jeans. “Are you sure?”

“I thought we were going to go slow?” Zeke asked, smiling.

“Well, it’s been twenty minutes already.”

“Crane-”

“Fine, fine.”

They watched the movie, and when it was over, Zeke rolled over to face Crane, smiling. They were literally nose to nose, with Zeke half on top of Crane, their legs tangled up. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Crane kissed him, his hands running up and down Zeke’s back. “So no sudden attack of conscience?”

“No.” Zeke shook his head slightly.

“Good. That annoying little fucker can just stay out of it.” he ran the tips of his fingers along the skin just under the waistband of Zeke’s jeans. “So what should we do now, Canary?”

“What?” Zeke pulled his head back a little. “A pet name? Already? You haven’t even bought me dinner.”

“And yet you still let me give you a hand job.” Crane ‘tsk’ed at him. “Kind of slutty, don’t you think?”

Zeke flushed and pressed his forehead against Crane’s chest. “Shut up.”

They laid on the couch, alternating between talking and kissing, which suited Zeke just fine. It was a nice, comfortable situation he was in, and he was enjoying the hell out of the closeness of it. Eventually, though, Crane’s kisses got more intense. Zeke gave as good as he got, learning exactly the way Crane kissed and how to react to it. Crane’s tongue was amazing, and Zeke found himself wondering what it would feel like on lots of other parts of his anatomy.

He could feel the hard length of Crane’s cock against his hip, and he scraped up enough courage to slip his hand between them and run his palm against it. Crane groaned lowly, his hips bucking in response to his too-light touch, and he pulled his mouth away from Zeke’s.

“You don’t have to-”

“Shut up.” Zeke whispered, and clumsily got Crane’s jeans open. “I want to.” he licked Crane’s lips and slid his hand under his boxers. Crane let out a deep, shaking breath as Zeke closed his hand around his cock. Zeke shifted a little, half hanging off the couch, then pushed Crane’s jeans down a little bit to give himself enough room. Crane helped a little with that, but his eyes were half closed and his teeth were gritted together. Zeke kissed him once, quickly, and then moved his hand, trying to remember the way Crane had done it himself that night at the cabin. When he stroked up he twisted his wrist a little, unsure about the pressure, but Crane’s half choked groan suggested that he had it pretty right. Still, he felt a little self conscious. He stroked Crane again, and asked quietly, “Like this?”

“Faster.” Crane grumbled, and when Zeke did as he was total, he moaned and hissed out, “Fuck, Zeke. How did you-” another twist of Zeke’s wrist cut his words off and he started panting.

“I watched you, remember?” Zeke asked, smiling. He kissed Crane, then nuzzled against his throat, mimicking what Crane had done to him.

“Fast learner.” Crane muttered, his hips rocking against Zeke’s hand. Zeke slipped his other hand inside of Crane’s boxers as well, even though it was a rather tight space, and pressed his palm against Crane’s thigh until he spread his legs a little. “What are you- ohh fuck.” Crane’s head snapped back, and Zeke grinned against his neck, his fingers finding Crane’s entrance and rubbing against it experimentally. “Zeke, don’t-” he grabbed Zeke’s wrists, making him stop all of his movement. Zeke pulled back, confused, Crane glared at him. “Don’t do that. This will be over way too fast if you do that.”

Zeke smiled. “I didn’t last long.” he said, and squeezed Crane’s cock gently. “We’ll be even.”

Crane wrestled Zeke’s hands out of his jeans and rested their foreheads together. “Give me a second.” he said, trying to catch his breath. “Christ, I didn’t think you’d be like this.”

Zeke frowned. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Fuck no.” Crane told him, his voice cracking a little. “I just had other plans. Give me a second.” he said again.

Zeke sighed quietly. He didn’t want to give him a second. A thought occurred to him, and he glanced at Crane’s face. His head was tilted back and his eyes were closed. Smiling, Zeke slid down as quickly as being crammed on the couch would let him, hooking his thumbs in Crane’s belt loops and yanking as he went.

“Zeke, what-” Crane half sat up just in time to watch Zeke’s tongue slide from between his lips and curl around the head of his cock. “Holy fuck.” he ground out, the feel of it nearly coupled with that sight sending him over the edge right then and there. He grabbed a handful of Zeke’s hair out of reflex, intending to pull him away, but Zeke’s needy little moan made him push down instead of pull up. His cock slid past Zeke’s lips and he felt Zeke’s tongue against the underside, sliding back and forth a little, as if he were trying to be comfortable rather than give pleasure. It worked though, and it took every ounce of self control Crane had not to just start thrusting into that perfect wet heat.

Zeke wasn’t exactly clear on how this worked, but he was more than willing to give it a shot. He closed his lips around crane’s cock and worked his head down as far he thought he could; turned out, that was a lot farther than either of them expected it to be. The feel of Crane’s fingers tugging almost rhythmically in his hair, and the panting, desperate sounding groans he kept making put most of Zeke’s nervousness to rest. He let the subtle movements of Crane’s hand guide him, bobbing his head in time with the tensing of those fingers in his hair. He wrapped the hand he wasn’t using to brace himself up around what he couldn’t fit in his mouth, and soon Crane was making loud, harsh gasping sounds and thrusting shallowly up into Zeke’s mouth.

When he came, he let out a low, growling moan, his entire body stiffening, and Zeke swallowed as much as he could. The taste didn’t bother him much, like he’d expected it to. When Crane finally let go of his hair, he slid back up into the curve of Crane’s outstretched arm, reaching up to wipe self-consciously at his mouth.

“Did I do that right?” he asked nervously.

Crane was panting, but when Zeke asked his breath stopped entirely and he lifted his head to give Zeke an incredulous look. “Are you kidding me?” he asked, and leaned down to kiss Zeke full on the mouth. Zeke flushed but returned the kiss, his heart pounding. “That,” Crane said when he’d pulled away. “Was the best thing that’s ever happened to my dick.”

Zeke burst out laughing and buried his face against Crane’s chest, embarrassed and oddly proud of himself. “I just wasn’t sure-”

“Hey.” Crane cupped his chin and made him look at him. “Either you’re a big fucking liar and you’ve had sex before, or you were born with more natural talent than any person ever has a right to have.”

“I wasn’t lying.” Zeke told him.

“Well, then apparently some sex God loved you, because holy fucking shit, Canary.” he ran his fingers through Zeke’s hair and took a deep breath. “What about you?”

Zeke shifted. He hadn’t really been aware of his own erection through all of that, but now that he was, it was bordering on painful. Crane smiled and kissed him. “Can I return the favor?” he asked, sitting up at the same time he pushed Zeke to lay back fully on the couch cushions.

Crane trailed a long, meandering line of kisses, bites, and licks from Zeke’s mouth to the waistband of his jeans, and by the time he started easing them down Zeke’s hips, Zeke felt his like was going to die if the taller boy kept it up. His fingers were dug into Crane’s shoulders and he was making an urgent, embarrassing whining sound in his throat, but he couldn’t help it. Crane pushed Zeke’s jeans down to his knees, and then completely ignored his aching, ready to burst cock in favor of continuing his mouth torture down the inside of one thigh and then up the inside of the other.

“Crane, please.” Zeke whimpered, and Crane stopped moving entirely. “You’re driving me nuts. Don’t, please don’t. I need, I can’t-” he broke off, knowing he was babbling, and bit down on his bottom lip.

Crane chuckled, then sat up and pulled away.

Zeke groaned in frustration. “Goddamnit, Crane-”

“Turn around.”

Zeke froze. “I… what?”

Crane patted his hip. “Turn around, get up on your knees, and put your elbows on the arm of the couch.”

Zeke entire body flushed, but he very slowly sat up. He pulled his jeans all the way off, then turned and kneeled on the couch, his back to Crane, but straight. For some reason he just couldn’t make himself bend forward.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Crane said, putting his hand flat between Zeke’s shoulder blades and pushing gently. “Elbows on the arm of the couch.” he said again.

Zeke closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and did what he was told. He felt vulnerable, terrified, and so turned on he thought he might die. “Crane-”

“Do you have any idea how good you look like that?” Crane asked him, practically growling, and Zeke shuddered. One of Crane’s hands slid down his back to his hip, then a little lower to squeeze his ass. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” Zeke said immediately. He pushed backwards a little, wanting Crane to touch him. “Please.” When Crane did nothing at all, he licked his lips and looked over his shoulder. Crane was just sitting there, as though he were considering something important. “Look at me.” Zeke said, sounding almost angry, and Crane met his eyes. “Fuck going slow. I’m going crazy. Whatever you want. Anything, I don’t care. Just…” Crane’s fingers moved and Zeke hissed. “Please.” he whimpered.

Crane smiled at him, and that smile was predatory, almost scary. “Oh, Zeke.” he whispered. “You really shouldn’t have said that.”