These Days

A/N: I know. I have ridiculous time periods between updates sometimes. But school is finally ending for this semester so hopefully I will be more diligent ☺ Sorry for being a bugger.

Tye woke slowly. His breath was hot and his feet were remarkably warm. He thought he had fallen asleep in his office but maybe he had managed his bedroom after all. It really was remarkably warm. If he could just sleep a bit longer.

But Smiths was supposed to be coming over and they hadn’t set a time so he’d stayed up to finish the project. Ah, well, the hot shower was as good as the warm bed. He turned over to roll out of his too-big bed and immediately became aware of two things: 1. He was not alone, and 2. The other person was curled around him in the bed. Tye let out a short breathless shriek before shoving forward hard and propelling himself backward at the same time.

Smiths landed on the floor with an audible smack and groaned loudly as his head bounced off the hard carpet. Tye recognized him a moment later and leaned back against the wall, covers tucked up around his waist.

Smiths pulled himself up using the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress, “Well…Good morning.” He rubbed a hand against his sore head and let out another soft groan. It wasn’t a bad fall, but what a hell of a way to wake up.

Tye didn’t move from his position: head back, eyes close, arms braced on the wall, “I’m so sorry. It’s city life. You learn to be jumpy.”

To his surprise Smiths let out a chuckle instead of a growl like some of his past lovers would, “No, no, I think anyone would be shocked in this situation. You looked so tired I didn’t want to wake you.”

Tye peeked at him from one open slit, “Thank you. I am sorry.”

The next thing he knew strong arms were wrapped around his back and he fought against his “fight-or-flight” reaction and remained pliant. Warm lips covered his and a big hand cradled his skull gently.

Relaxing under the tough hands, Tye opened beneath the ministrations and deepened the kiss till that sweet, slick tongue was probing into his mouth. He felt himself being pulled and was vaguely aware of paused moments when their lips never separated but fresh air was sucked into starved lungs.

What seemed like hours later but was probably more like a few minutes Tye pulled back enough to draw his senses together. He was situated in Smiths' lap, his hands had crept beneath Smiths' shirt and they were close enough to see the reaction the kisses were having on them. A deep twist in his stomach had Tye easing onto the floor, “I need to get a shower. I’ll be back in a few. Make yourself at home.”

Smiths nodded, just looking at him, and Tye smiled bending down to pressed a short kiss directly on Smiths' ever-so-slightly pouting mouth. Then he was off, stripping as he went, to follow through with his morning routine.

After straightening the bed and adjusting his pants, Smiths wandered towards the living room. The sound of a shower was barely audible as he passed Tye’s closed door. Outside he found Heloise sleeping in front of the porch stairs. The monstrous pup had made himself perfectly at home. Smiths pulled a pack of fags from his back pocket. They were slightly crumpled but he lit one and slid it between his lips. The cool air made a tangy contrast to the hot smoke in his mouth and lungs. When the burn closed in on his fingers he tossed it onto the gravel path off the porch. An almost sharp voice behind him pulled his head up straight, “When I said make yourself at home I didn’t mean litter up the yard.”

Smiths turned to gauge just how upset Tye was. The boy was smiling, however, and standing just a few feet behind him with hands pursed on his hips, dressed in perfectly fitted jeans and a black wife beater. He held an expensive looking button down shirt in one hand and his hair was still dripping from the shower. It was irresistible, and almost certainly a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

Tye’s hair was cold but silky and Smith’s fingers slipped through it easily. As he lifted the heavy mass the smell of peppermint, sharp and unmistakable, rose around him.

“Peppermint?” He asked, his mouth even with Tye’s ear. He could feel a shiver through the smaller body. Tye took a step back, not quite out of reach.

“Are you gonna call me girly now?”

There was an indecipherable twist to Tye’s lips. Smiths didn’t think, he rarely did, and thankfully this time it served in his favor.

The Mouth was hot and eager beneath him, the skin was damp and chilly as he kissed over the cheek and under the ear, “I happen to love peppermints.” As if the emphasize his point Smiths lapped at the skin closest to him. To his surprise a giggle, well, a very manly giggle, filled the room and grew into a throaty laugh then a gut clenching roar. Tye bent over double in front of him, stumbling backwards a bit. Finally he managed to push out, “You – sounded like you - wanted to EAT me!”

Smiths let a lecherous smile curl his lips and stalked to the still giggling man across the room. In one smooth motion he hed Tye pinned to the ground. Delicate hips shifted between his thighs as Tye was straddled, his wrists pinned carefully beneath brawny hands, “Eat you is it?” Smiths murmured in his ear.

A second later Smiths was blinking up at Tye’s scraggly fall of hair, “Oh no, you don't,” Tye said. He stood up and stepped away, allowing Smiths to haul himself to his feet. “You promised me a date. That at least entails a meal.”

Smiths grinned ruefully, “Don’t I at least get a reward for letting you sleep?”

Tye blushed at the reminder of his precarious waking position but moved quickly once Smiths was on his feet to plant a quick, shy kiss to the corner of his mouth. Smiths watched him, stunned, then smiled broadly before swinging Tye up into a hug that had him clutching at Smiths' shoulders while his toes brushed the floor.

A few minutes later they left the house and Heloise on a long rope in the yard. Armed with no plan but the promise of food they wandered down Main street, nearly empty with the majority of laborers, lumberjacks, back at work. An antique shop provided an hour’s enjoyment of foraging until Tye secured an old Amaretto poster which he paid for but left in the shop to collect later. They eventually stopped at a new coffee shop on the corner of Main and Chackle St. The food was mediocre at best but Smiths didn’t notice. He slowly memorized the curves and angles of Tye’s face, the reactions blossoming like miniature fruit buds early in spring. Behind them was the promise of a deeper, stronger, more honest expression. But it was firmly locked away.

As he watched Smiths talked about leaving his home when he was a fresh twenty-one and hitchhiking his way to the coast where he caught his first official job as a laborer on a steam boat. Then it was a dock loader in London, then a ship cleaner in New York. Finally he settled with a cargo ship for several years and had seen the coasts of Africa, Australia, Korea, and South America.

Tye laughed when Smiths told him about a weekend train trip to Roterdam where they woke up in feathered boas and feeling sky high. But when he began talking about the Frenchman that had chartered a room from Europe to America but had been seasick the entire trip (a three month trip) Tye curled his lips in amusement but failed to laugh or even maintain his levity completely.

When the dessert, one slice of apple pie, was delivered, Tye began telling about his life, “Well, I was born in Virginia, near Richmond, but I moved north to Baltimore when I was seventeen to attend the Maryland Institute and College of Art. I did some assistant teaching for a while when I was a grad student there but the college scene wasn’t really for me and I landed an entry level position with L- Advertising. I started out almost like a prodigy but several years ago I began slacking and projects got pushed aside then the company was considered letting me go. Fortunately I got to be good friends with the president and he agreed to give me a second change when I moved out here. Getting free of the city is probably the best decision I ever made. I love being able to go out and really labor every day. It gives me a more solid feeling of accomplishment, I guess. But it will be good to see some old faces when I return to visit with my client.”

“Its good your boss gave you a second chance. You’re pretty amazing,” Smiths lightly brushed his fingers against the back of Tye’s hand, “So who will you see when you go back?”

“I wish it were just Charlie but most likely there will be a crowd of old friends and acquaintances eager to catch me up on the gossip. But I’ll only be in Baltimore for a day or so, then I’ll hop up to Boston. I have a friend up there who’s on vacation this month so he promised me use of his apartment. I don’t know precisely what my client will want so I might end up bringing my work back here to finish. But those are all detail to be handled later.”

“You sound like you really have it worked out,” Smiths said softly. The apple pie was warm and sweet with the sharp taste of green apples instead of golden delicious making an impressive taste. But still a bitter residue floated on his tongue as he fretted about the phone call he had answered that morning. Maybe he shouldn’t mention it. But it was intended for Tye. And he had no right to judge what Tye should know and not know. “I accidently answered your phone this morning. It was just sort of a … automatic reactions, I guess, to a ringing phone. I haven’t … gotten used to civilization yet. Being on a boat for months at a time … you lose your sense of privacy.”

Tye’s shoulders shrugged slightly, “There’s nobody that would call that you should avoid. My life is pretty mundane now.”

“Ah, well, now that you mention it. The guy on the phone said he was your lover? And wanted to know where you were.” Smiths gnawed on the inside of his cheek as he fiddled with his fork. When Tye didn’t say anything Smiths sneaked a look. The boy looked like he was going to be sick so Smiths added quickly, “I didn’t tell him, of course. I didn’t really believe him. After all, a lover should know where you are. And the boys said you’d been here a year, right? I took the battery out after that.”

The air couldn’t have been heavier. Tye was pressing his knuckles into his eyes and breathing deeply. “Mother fucking asshole. Presumptuous bastard. I swear to god if I see his face again,” He was whispering to himself and shaking his head slightly but the words drifted audibly to Smiths. When Tye looked up again his eyes were twisted in anguish, “Look, I’m really sorry. I haven’t been leading you on or anything. He was my lover, but we broke up over a year ago.”

Oh that statement carried a heavy burden of sadness and regret. Smiths wondered darkly if that regret meant that he was about to be dumped. Well, if this was the only date he was gonna get then he was gonna make it a damn good one.

“Come one,” he said to Tye, extending one hand, “let’s blow this joint. I know a cozy little corner we can waste a couple of hours.” Tye accepted the hand and let himself be pulled up. A twenty was dropped on the table and they hurried from the café. They were back on the road and headed to Tye’s cabin before any worker’s began flooding the town for beer and food.

Tye gave up no protest as he was shuffled into his cabin and followed by the beast Heloise. Smiths plopped him down on the couch and went to put in a movie in the DVD player. Hugh Grant’s narrative voice came on over scenes of friends and lovers at the airport and Smiths returned to seat himself right beside Tye. Outside the early dark fell against the mountain sky and cast a cool shadow through the room. Heloise was snoring and whining on a blanket in the corner. When Tye shivered for the third time Smiths dropped one heavy arm around his shoulders and tugged the smaller body against his. All of the breath rushed from Smiths' body, though, when Tye rested his head against Smiths' shoulder and wrapped one arm across Smiths' stomach. Those small fingers teased the inside of his palm and Smiths reflexly linked their fingers tightly. A sigh drifted from Tye’s lips and as the movie finished Tye became a soft but heavy weight against his body.

Smiths brushed his lips against Tye’s hair and tucked the slightly curled body closer to him until Tye was completely across Smiths' lap and Smiths could maneuver then to lay full length on the couch. This big arms provided a barricade to ensure Tye wouldn’t fall off.

The deep hoot of a barn owl lulled Smiths into sleep as his breath infused with peppermint and citrus and Tyler.
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A/N: As Always, Much love to my reviewers. You can shoot me for the late late late update. If I find some cookies upstairs I will work hard to have another update tomorrow! Remember to check ;)
(P.S. I think Jaques is going to appear soon. That should be fun!)