Colin McGregor (macattack) wrote in omega_rpg, @ 2008-07-27 23:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | coby, mac |
Who: Mac and Coby
What: Figuring each other out… Or maybe mostly making out.
Where: The lake
When: July15th
Mac was outside the bar, leaning against his car as he smoked a cigarette. It was a beautiful day and Simon was once again at the library, so Mac had come down to the bar. The place however was too fucking dim and empty to spend the day in, so he'd come back out and lit up a cigarette as he tried to decide what it was he felt like doing.
Coby had been working on his base tan all week. Just because the world was ending didn't mean he should walk around looking like a pale and sickly nuclear war survivor. He left his motel room with the library book he had borrowed. When he asked Simon what would make a good light summer read, he had to reject War and Peace, The Scarlet Letter, and The DaVinci Code before finally settling on The Catcher in the Rye. In his other hand he carried suntan lotion; and with his sunglasses covering his eyes against the bright summer sun, he started his trip down the dusty sidewalk towards the lake, where he planned to stretch out and roast while reading all about how much worse Holden Caulfield's life sucked than his.
As Mac smoked, Coby wandered into his line of sight. After their last interaction, Mac thought it might be better just to avoid the kid. He wasn't looking for any kind of relationship and he didn't want to give Coby the idea that he was.
Coby spotted Mac, too, and his gut gave a funny little stab. He raised the hand with the book in it to say hello. "Nice day for smoke," he called. Fuck, that's what he'd forgotten, his cigarettes.
Shit, spotted. "What day isn't?" he replied, flicking the ash to the ground.
"That is true." He waved the book over his head. "I paid a visit to your friend Simon."
"Oh yeah?" Mac wasn't sure how he felt about that. It kind of made him uncomfortable, actually. "Get anything good?"
"Like a blowjob?" He grinned. "Kidding. No, um, it's Catcher in the Rye. I don't know, is that any good?"
Mac's expression dipped into a frown at that, the very suggestion of Simon... he didn't like that thought one fucking bit. "I ain't that much of a reader," he said with a shrug. "No idea."
"Well if you want to come with me to the lake I can do a dramatic reading of the text. Might be fun. As I recall you're always up for a little fun."
Mac took a drag of his cigarette. There really wasn't much to do. But he also was beginning to think being around this kid might be a bad idea. "Reading's not really my idea of fun. Just something to do when there's nothing else to do."
"Well consider this 'nothing else to do' then. Come on, it's hot as balls out here, the lake has a nice breeze by it." Coby motioned for Mac to follow, trying to ignore the awkward moment. He could see the older man was hesitant. "They make teenagers read this shit in high school, I'm sure it's a volume of unspoken angst and sexual tension. That has to be more interesting than anything else you could think of around here, ever."
Mac had to admit, the kid had a point. There wasn't shit to do, and Simon was busy as usual. He finished his cigarette and tossed it to the asphault, running his shoe over it. "All right." He nodded at his car. "Want to just drive over?"
That was easier than he'd thought it would be. Coby smirked. "Sure, we can take your whip." He jogged over to the passenger's side and slid in. The interior of the car was oppressively hot. "Hey, are you sure you don't wanna stop by your place and grab a bathing suit?"
Mac got into the car, shaking his head. "It's fine." He wasn't sure if Clara was home and the girl was too curious for her own good sometimes. He put the windows down and the car into gear, pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward the lake.
Coby adjusted the seat to give himself more leg room and let his arm rest out the window. Mac looked incredibly serious as he focused on the way to the lake. "You know it's not a death sentence, you could look a little more relaxed, dude."
Mac smirked. "This is how I always look."
"Well you seriously need to take it easy more often."
Mac shrugged, and took the turn to the lake. "I take it easy." Sometimes.
"You're starting to get frown lines," Coby teased.
Mac pulled up by the lake, putting his car into park. He turned to look at Coby. "That's because I'm old."
"No," Coby said, pulling the door handle to let himself out, "it's because you worry too much." He bundled his lotion and his book under one arm and started across the grass to the lake. For some reason no one else in this town liked to come down in the hot afternoons and take refreshing swims. Aside from the breeze stirring little waves into the water, the lake was still. Coby dropped his stuff on the ground when he found a suitable spot and stripped his tshirt off.
Mac followed Coby, eyes immediately roving over the kid's bare back as he stripped off his shirt. Okay, so if he'd been unsure before (which he hadn't been, really) he was positive now that he was definitely attracted to Coby.
With a flourish, Coby retrieved the book and cracked the spine. "Okay. Ready for page one?" He smiled brightly, thoroughly enjoying Mac's bewildered look.
Mac snorted. "Are you seriously going to read to me?" he asked. The sun was already beating down on them, so after he took a seat he pulled off his own shirt, revealing the tattoo of angel wings on his arm and the wicked looking scar on his left shoulder.
"Hey I promised a good time, didn't I?" Coby glanced down at Mac's torso, then back at his book and cleared his throat. "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."
Mac laid back, folding his arms under his head and listening as the kid read to him. It was kind of nice to just listen, and he liked the sound of Coby's voice.
Coby paused and looked at Mac's placid expression. "Are you still listening?"
"Lousy childhood, shitty parents, David Copperfield." Mac cracked open an eye. "Are you going to keep stopping the whole time? It's distracting."
Coby laughed. "Okay, just making sure. Sorry." He shifted onto his stomach to get more comfortable and kept reading, flipping the worn pages of the paperback one after the other. "Fuck," he said after turning page ten. "Papercut." The slice on his finger started to bleed. He stuck it into his mouth to suck the blood off.
Mac opened his eyes and lifted his head, raising an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him. If he didn't know better, he'd swear the kid did shit like that on purpose, just to mess with him. "You gonna make it?" he asked, a hint of a tease in his voice.
Coby shook his injured hand. "I don't know, chief, it's pretty deep. It might need to be cauterized. Or, you know, a band aid." He checked his pockets, thinking maybe one might magically appear. Nope. "I don't suppose you follow the boyscout motto 'always be prepared'?"
"I beat up boyscouts when I was in school," was Mac's response.
"Did you happen to steal their band aids?" Coby asked, cocking a brow. "I'm about to bleed out here." He stuck the wound back in his mouth.
Mac rolled his eyes and sat up. "Let me see," he said, reaching for his hand.
Coby held his finger out and pouted.
Mac took hold of Coby's hand, examining it. "There's nothing wrong with it," he said, poking the papercut with a smirk. "Don't be a baby."
"Ouch," Coby said when Mac poked at his cut. At least the bleeding had stopped. "That hurt. Kiss it an make it better?"
Mac looked up from Coby's finger, letting go of his hand. "Nice try, kid."
Coby threw the book down. "I'm not reading that thing anymore, it's a death trap." He popped the top of the sunscreen off and squirted some into his palm, then rubbed it over his shoulders. The sun was especially strong today, and being lobster red was not attractive. When all the white had disappeared, Coby wiped the sweat from his forehead. "So what now?"
Mac shrugged. "This was your idea."
"What am I, your cruise director? Why do I always have to be the one coming up with things to do?" With one push Coby had righted himself to standing. He brushed the dust and dead grass from his shorts and said, "Besides, I don't think you'd go along with any of the activities I have in mind."
Mac snorted and laid back down. "Oh yeah, why's that?"
"They require a little more physical exertion than a man of your age would be advised to engage in by his doctor."
Mac pushed himself back up, his weight resting on his palms, one eyebrow raised. "I may be old, but I'd be willing to bet I'm in better shape than you, kid."
"I never said I was in good shape," Coby countered, "but I'm not in a cardiologist's moderate-risk age bracket." He grinned.
"I'm the fucking picture of health, thanks," Mac said, smirking back at him.
"Okay. So, are you up for it then?"
Mac cocked his head. "Up for what?"
Coby pointed to the lake. "Swimming. What did you think I meant?"
Mac pushed himself to his feet. "With you, I never know."
"Fun, isn't it? I'm full of surprises." Coby led the way to where the grass turned into rocky dirt - obviously this is what passed as sand in Pennsylvania. The lake waters were gently lapping against the shore. He took a few steps in up to his ankles. It was cold.
Mac shook his head as he watched Coby go. After a moment he unfastened his jeans so that he was in his boxers - it was obnoxious to swim in wet denim - and headed down to the shore. "What's the matter, kid?" he asked, walking into the water without hesitation. "All talk no action?" When he reached an area deep enough he dove under the water.
"I was just trying to savor the moment. Thanks for ruining it." Unfortunately Mac had raced passed without giving Coby enough time to enjoy the sight before diving under the water, and now he was neck deep, his muscular arms propelling him farther away. Without further hesitation Coby waded in up to his waist and then began to breaststroke further out. He shivered but kept swimming deeper into the lake. "By the way, I have no problem with talk OR action." He spit some water from his mouth.
"I bet," Mac replied, stopping when he was out in the middle of the lake, treading water as he watched Coby follow.
"I think you know that by now." With a few more strokes Coby had reached him and stopped a foot away to give himself some room to tread as well. "Don't worry, I've yet to mention it to anyone."
"Yet?" Mac asked.
"Well you asked me not to, so I haven't. But I don't see why it matters." Coby chuckled. "It's not like anyone's around anymore to care."
Mac shook his head. "There are still people who would care," he said. He tried to imagine Simon's reaction but had no clue what the other man would think.
"Like who?" It seemed like such a ludicrous thing, to want to cover up something so innocent and basic. Coby was sure Mac had his reasons, but he was also sure they weren't very good ones.
"Like me," Mac said, stopping treading long enough to dunk under the water for a moment. He pushed his hair back from his face when he kicked back to the surface.
When Mac resurfaced, Coby evenly responded with, "Well a promise is a promise. My lips are sealed."
"Thanks," Mac said.
"You don't need to thank me for doing what's right." Coby floated onto his back and focused on something else. This was nice. He was relaxing. "Do you remember how old you were when you learned to swim?"
"Uh..." Mac shook his head. "I was little. Mom used to take me to the Y."
"That's cute," Coby said, righting himself again. "I was 14."
"Late bloomer?"
"Well, here's the story." Coby paddled closer. 'When I was five I fell into the neighbor's pool without my water wings on and I almost drowned. Except it was three feet of water, and my brother pulled me out. So I refused to get anywhere near a body of water until my mother signed me up for swimming lessons at eleven. Well I didn't even get the basics down before my mom caught me kissing other boys behind the bleachers." He grinned. "So no, not a late bloomer. When I got around to that unit in high school phys ed. I was actually a fast learner. And I was smart enough not to get caught with the boys, too."
Mac smirked. "Eleven, huh? Forget what I said, you bloomed early."
"What can I say? I've been obnoxiously self-confident from infancy." He swam a little circle around Mac. "So?"
Mac continued to tread water, turning in a circle as Coby moved around him. "So what?"
Coby snorted. "Mac, I may come off as really forward, but I don't ask these questions because I'm bored. I actually like to know a little bit about the guys I'm hooking up with. I don't make a habit out of kissing strangers."
"Guess we're different then, since all I ever have are one night stands," Mac admitted.
For some reason Coby almost felt like that was a slap in the face. But he had no reason to think Mac meant anything by it. He was silent for a moment while he tried to think of an appropriate response. He could lie, and say that's all he was about too, or he could speak the truth. "I've only ever had one of those," he said, "and it was the worst night of my life."
Mac gazed at him for a moment before saying, "Why's that?"
"I'm not sure I want to tell you," he replied honestly.
"You're the one who wanted to get to know each other," Mac pointed out.
Yeah and I'm the one flaying myself for you to get a better look while you smile and nod," he replied, slightly annoyed. "I think this one time I'll keep it to myself." She ducked under the water and stayed there for a good minute holding his empty lungs.
Mac could tell Coby was irratated with him, and that bothered him. And the fact that it bothered him bothered him more. While the kid was underwater, Mac lay back so he was floating, staring up at the sky.
When the kid resurfaced, Mac paused a minute before saying, "So ask me something, then."
Coby choked on a tiny bit of lake water and coughed out, "What?" He couldn't believe Mac was actually giving him an open invitation.
Mac rolled his eyes. "If you want to know something ask me." He stopped floating and went back to treading water, meeting his gaze. "I ain't good at sharing or mindreading, so if you pussyfoot around a question, you're not going to get the answer you're looking for."
"Okay." Coby wasn't sure if Mac was being facetious or straightforward. "So how come you've never had a boyfriend?"
"By the time I actually came to grips with the fact that I wasn't straight I was in the army," Mac said. "Not really the best place to find somebody."
"Are you still in the army?"
"No."
"Then maybe it's time," Coby suggested with a significant look.
Mac turned his head, looking across the lake at nothing in particular. "I haven't really thought about it."
That wasn't technically true. But the one person he'd thought about in that way was painfully straight.
"It's not really something you think about," Coby said, "it's something you feel. But, you'll know that when it's right." He started backstroking away, eager to get a few laps in and stop feeling so lazy.
Mac let himself sink under the water, letting out a frustrated groan when he was down there. He did feel it, damnit - there was just no way he could ever tell Simon. He started swimming down, trying to see how far he could make it, going deeper, deeper, until the pressure started to build up and he was nearly out of air. He changed his direction and headed upward, breaking the surface with a gasp. The lake was way deeper than he'd expected.
Coby was right above his head, looking bewildered. "I didn't mean to upset you to the point of trying to drown yourself." He grinned.
"I wasn't." Eh, he sort of was. "I wanted to touch the bottom."
"Okay. I was thirty seconds away from going Baywatch on your ass."
Mac smirked. "You were just hoping you could give me mouth to mouth."
"I've already given you mouth to mouth," Coby replied.
Mac couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him. "Fair enough."
Mac's laugh made Coby smile. Obviously he was doing something write, even if he still regarding Mac about as soft and malleable as a slab of concrete. They thread water across from each other for a few silent moments. It was maybe the first time Coby had felt anything resembling happiness since he'd gotten here. He looked away, blushing.
Mac, fortunately, wasn't too observant, and he missed the kid's blush. "Well, I've had enough treading for today," he announced, starting to swim back toward shore.
Coby followed and even though the shore was a little farther than he had estimated they were out of the water in a matter of minutes. Not having the foresight to have brought a towel either, he put his hands on his hips and let the water drip off. Droplets flew off as he paced around his little pile of stuff. "Shit," he said after a few of them hit the cover of the paperback. He took a few steps away and shook his hands off, and tried very, very, very hard not to stare at where Mac was casually sitting smoking a cigarette.
"Simon will flog you if you mess up one of his books," Mac said. "They're like his children."
Coby looked back at the damage he'd done - very little. "I might enjoy a little flogging," he said cheekily, and looked back at Mac, focusing on the cigarette in his hand and not the rest of him. Please God don't let this turn into the sophmore year varsity swim meet all over again...
"I bet," Mac replied. He caught the way that Coby was staring at his cigarette and took another drag before holding it out to him in offering.
It took a moment for Coby to register what Mac was doing. "Oh, thanks." He look the cigarette and sat down next to him, and stuck it in his mouth to take a drag before handing it back and lounging on his elbows. He stretched out and exhaled the smoke. The sun was beginning its descent from its highest point now, and Coby squinted against the glare. "So, you want to know about my one and only one night stand?"
"Only if you want to tell me," Mac said. He could be rude, gruff, and insensitive, but he also knew what it was like to have things you didn't want anybody to know, so he wouldn't fault the kid if he wanted to keep it to himself.
Coby took a deep breath. "This was about...five years ago? Wow, yeah, five years this past April. I was a 19-year-old whippersnapper in college, in the city, so I was pretty used to a certain level of personal freedom." He sheepishly smiled a bit. "Not hard to imagine, me running around with absolutely no inhibitions, right? Anyway. I had just broken up with my first serious boyfriend, and that sucked, so my best friend at school, Danny, decided I had to get out and get over it. Which resulted in two very, very drunk boys, and a dorm room. You can see where I'm going with this." He looked away, primarily because it was hard enough to talk about without feeling like Mac's dark eyes were judging him for making this kind of mistake. "I thought I had a read on the situation, stuff happened, you know. And then afterwards when we had both sobered up a ton, he got really freaked out and...left and we never spoke again." The churning in his gut started again. "I've always been sure of who I am and what I want, but not everyone's that lucky, and I guess it was a lesson I had to learn the hard way." When he looked back up, the expression on Mac's face - unreadable, to say the least - made his skin feel like it was too tight around his bones.
Mac was silent a few moments, trying to work out what to say. He wasn't good with words, and judging by the kid's expression, the next ones out of his mouth were going to be important.
"One night stands are easier with strangers," he said carefully. "Because when you know the person shit gets complicated." That's what he found so appealing about them. He never wanted or had to see the guy again. "But - and trust me on this, kid, I'm a bartender, I know - alcohol just makes people more likely to act on their instincts. It doesn't make people do things they don't want to do. Sounds like you're friend was in some serious denial, and that's not your fault. Just sucks you had to be the one to deal with his fallout."
Coby tried to shrug nonchalantly. He didn't like the weight of this topic anymore. "I can't be responsible for anyone else's actions. If I had known it would've ended a friendship I could've just as easily dropped him on his front door and left. That's not the point, though. What I'm trying to say is, when the person you're lusting after is a friend, you don't just put your personal ego on the line, you stand to lose something a lot greater. So let me make myself clear." He looked Mac straight in the eyes. "I'm not interested in being your friend."
Mac held his gaze. "And I'm no good at being a boyfriend."
"Well then we're just going to have to find a middle ground."
"Which would be...?"
Coby looped his arm around Mac's torso and pulled him closer, knowing full well he wouldn't resist, and kissed him.
And Mac didn't resist. At all. The hand holding his cigarette stayed at his side, while the other slid up to tangle in Coby's damp hair.
Coby hooked his other arm around Mac and pulled him down, kissing harder. He wasn't going to back down this time, now that he was sure this was going to happen. There was a feral, implacable need in the way he nipped at Mac's bottom lip and ran his tongue across the bartender's.
Mac braced his arms on either side of Coby's head, holding up his weight so as not to crush the kid. He kissed him hard, not realizing until their lips were touching how fucking badly he'd wanted to.
This went on for longer than the last time, and Coby was pushing his hips against Mac. His hands found their way up his back and ran the perimeter of the shoulder muscles that were flexed to keep Mac's weight off of him. He didn't care, he wanted Mac closer, and leaned up as far as he could to bring the length of their bodies into contact.
Mac groaned slightly, sliding his knee up between Coby's legs and putting his weight on one arm, freeing up a hand to slide along first his neck, then down his bare torso. This continued on for a while before he started to run out of air. Reluctantly he broke away. "Shit," he panted, burying his face against Coby's neck. "You can really kiss."
"I know," Coby replied, running his fingertips down Mac's side, trying to coax him to continue. He was tempted to let them wander further, to the underside of the fabric of Mac's boxers, but thought better of it. They were in broad daylight. He tilted his head up to see if anyone was around, but as far as he could tell the coast was clear.
Mac was almost about to continue where they'd left off, but Coby's movement checking on if they were alone reminded him of where they were. This was way too public. Way way too public. He rolled off the kid, sitting next to him for a moment. "We shouldn't be doing this here."
And just like that, Mac's demeanor went back to cold and indifferent, and Coby resumed his lackadaisical attitude. "I should probably get going anyway. Been out in the sun too long." He stood and went to where he had left his tshirt, pulling it on and taking the now-dry book and bottle of lotion into his hands.
Mac watched him a second before standing as well grabbing his clothes but not bothering to put them on.
"I didn't say we shouldn't do it at all," he said, just to be sure there was no misunderstanding.
"No, no, it's okay, you're right. I've given it some thought, and this is a terrible idea." Coby smiled wide. "I promise, this will never happen again." He brushed past Mac and started up towards the street.
"... Okay." Mac watched him go, eyebrows lifting, before furrowing in confusion. What had just happened? This was why he avoided relationships - everything was too complicated. He took the time to tug his jeans on before headng back to his car, lighting up another cigarette on the way.
Once he was a few paces up the road, he turned to look back at his conquest. Mac looked utterly confused. With an audible laugh, Coby turned around and walked back. He could barely keep a straight face, the way Mac was sourly sucking on his cigarette, and he threw his head back to laugh more. It was too cute. He'd never seen a man react to flirting in such a serious manner. Without much hesitation Coby tossed his things aside and threw his arms around Mac's neck, pulling him into another kiss. This one was much gentler, and when Coby pulled away he smiled and said, "Relax. I was kidding."
Mac frowned a second after Coby kissed him, still looking fairly baffled. "Okay..."
"Oh my God, Mac, you look like you want to choke a baby. Seriously. Relax." He grinned. "Do you not understand jokes? Were you not fed enough chocolate chip cookies as a child?"
"My dad was the worst baker you'll ever meet," was Mac's reply. His lips quirked, though.
"This is going to sound really gay, and granted, you know," he shrugged, "but I'm a really good baker. If you ever have a really bad day, just let me know, I'll make you some. That's just what I do, I bribe people with food."
Mac snorted. "I'll keep that in mind. I don't even know how to use an oven."
"I could teach you a thing or two."
Mac, realizing that Coby's arms were still around his neck and they were still in a very public place. He slowly dislodged himself. "I bet you could."
Coby let his arms drop and bent down to pick up his things, again. When he stood back up he gave Mac a serious look but didn't say anything.
Mac returned the look. "It's not you, alright?" he said.
Coby tried not to look hurt, masking his feelings, as always, with a smile. "I take very little personally," he assured. "I just hope whatever it is that keeps you from being who you really are, you get over it."
"Maybe," was all Mac said to that. He had a lot of years of secrecy ingrained in him.
"Until then." He smiled and turned away, walking back up the road and assuming Mac wouldn't follow.
Mac watched him head away, taking a final drag of his cigarette and dropping it to the ground. "Hey, kid," he called after him. "Stop by the bar sometime, all right?"
Coby stopped and looked back. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked with the hint of a satisfied look.
Mac smirked. "Well, there's always 'let's makeout in the back of my car,'" he said. "But I was pretending to be classy."
"Better," he said. "I'm gonna pretend to be classy too and say I don't get into backseats with strangers."
"But you'll molest them on the side of a lake?"
"I don't believe it's molestation if both parties are willing participants."
Mac smirked, shaking his head. "You want a ride home?"
Considering his options were between riding in an air conditioned car in close proximity to the guy he had a crush on, and walking the however many miles back to the motel, sweating, just to arrive at a dark and empty room, it wasn't much of a question. "Sure," he said easily.
Mac went around and got into the car, waiting for Coby to get in before shifting into gear and heading back toward the motel.
Coby followed suit and got back into the passenger's side, putting his two items in the middle between them. Silence pervaded the cab for a minute, and Coby wasn't sure what to say. Obviously they were a little past polite conversation.
Even in the best of circumstances, Mac was not a chatty guy. So it probably wasn't all that surprising when he didn't have much to say either as he drove back to the motel.
Coby hated silence, and it was so awkwardly pervasive, but he sucked at small talk too, so what could he do? His cheeks burned. They were getting closer to the motel now and Mac slowed down and rolled through the last intersection to the edge of the parking lot. Coby reached for his door handle and popped it open, stretching his legs out of the side of the cab. "Thanks for the ride," he said finally.
"Sure," Mac replied. "Any time."
Coby nonchalantly shut the door behind him and dug through his damp pockets for his key, praying it didn't fall out somewhere. The last thing he wanted to do right now was have to ask Izzy for another one. It was resting in his right pocket. He sighed with relief and pulled it out. Mac's car was still idling behind him, and he turned around to see why.
Mac sat in his car a moment, watching Coby. When the kid turned around he averted his gaze. He lifted his hand in a wave and put his car in reverse.
Just as he knew it would be, his tiny room was sitting as he'd left it. The only thing waiting for him was the frigid air blasting from the vents. Coby laid down on his bed and closed his eyes. Dealing with Mac was exhausting. The man was like a walking suit of armor, and Coby was sure he'd never be able to figure out what made him tick. So instead he spent an hour reliving the afternoon until he drifted off to sleep.