jjswims (jjswims) wrote in 2145ic, @ 2018-04-07 18:49:00 |
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Entry tags: | cody, jamie |
Easily Lead
Who: Jamie and Cody
Setting: Cody's apartment
Jamie had no idea what he was doing. He was clearly insane. Sensible insane - he’d sent a message to his sister to let her know where he was going and who was going to be there, resending the picture of Cody and the detail that he had about the guy. Plus, he’d turned on his active location so she’d be able to track him if necessary. Still, rationally, Jamie knew that he should be running a mile from this guy, but instead he was giddily excited. His heart was racing and he couldn’t stop smiling and he’d made sure that the clothes he was wearing were the nice ones - those jeans that he’d worn at New Years, plus a fitted white t-shirt that highlighted his broad, swimmers shoulders and tiny waist. Of course, then he’d felt self-conscious and thrown the heavy, chunky knit that served as his winter coat over the top and pulled a ratty blue beanie over his hair.
Which was why, when he turned up at the address he’d been given, he looked mostly like a ball of wool. A twitchy, ansty, nervous ball of wool.
Cody had secretly hated the idea of getting dressed, but he did, dragging himself out of the tub and finding a pair of pants, the loose sort that clung to all the right places (and sue him, he’d not bothered with underwear under them) and a loose shirt with an almost inappropriately deep v. Then shoes, just because someone had demanded as much.
He checked the security feed once, staring at the ball of wool that seemed to be vibrating before he rolled his eyes and opened the door to his place.
His loft was insanely over the top. It had cost a pretty penny when he bought it after their first big paycheck, but damn was it worth every cent. The door led to a wide, open entryway, kitchen slightly visible off to one side, living area off to the other. The exposed stairs led off the kitchen to the bedroom space over half the full loft, a king bed a step down from a ridiculously large bathroom. He was aware the place could comfortably hold five or six people, but since he’d broken up with his band it was mostly just him.
The decor was minimal, but almost every spare inch had something music related. Be it artwork from albums, old instruments, an insane collection of defunct music formats: vinyl, cds, the like. “You look cozy,” he said. “Provided that is you under there.”
Jamie dragged his beanie off his head, leaving his hair standing up in all directions - a look that someone shouldn’t have been able to pull off as well as he did, but somehow it worked for him - and wrapped his arms around himself, pulling the sweater in closer as he looked around the space, eyes going wide.
He turned, finally looking at Cody. “Are your roommates out?” he asked, innocently, figuring that someone who lived in a space like this couldn’t possibly do so alone. Then again, he’d never seen anything like this outside of a party. He’d hands down never seen anything like this space - hell, this was more than a space, this was a proper apartment - that wasn’t thronging with people and the steady bass beat of music he was hired to dance to.
God, he was cute wasn’t he? Cody just stared as JJ looked around, smirk on his lips, leaning back against the door as the guy took in the whole thing. When he asked about his roommates, Cody shook his head. “Just me here,” he said before starting further into the place, fingers gliding across a panel on one wall that started up his music system. The place was wired for it and the acoustics were part of why he bought it, but he kept the volume low. “Want something?” he asked, trying to be a proper host “Or just want a tour?”
Jamie looked around again. “You have this whole place to yourself?” he asked, in awe. He imagined he could almost hear an echo, it felt so open and empty. He thought back to the cosy little space he had with his sister - worlds away from this. This was the stuff of stories, really.
And he was being offered options. Which means he really should be listening. He spun on the ball of his foot, back to Cody. “Yes, please,” he said, hoping that covered whatever the question had been.
“Yup,” Cody said, then swallowed a laugh at the way that JJ didn’t quite answer either question. “Right, okay then. Tour first.” He led the way down the entryway hallway, pointing at the living room, comfy couch that was low to the ground, guitar on side of it, entertainment screen on the wall across from it. “Couch, and such,” he said with a wave. Then he headed into the kitchen, a table that could seat six and a wide open space. Kind of a waste for someone that didn’t cook, but it was still nice to have. “Kitchen,” he said, not thinking it was interesting. Not as much as climbing up the stairs to his bedroom. The stairway led to a set of pointless doors that were glass and see through but his bed was on the other side, bathroom off that. “And this is where I sleep.”
Jamie trailed round after him, agog at the whole thing, feeling even more out of his depth than he had before - but now for a whole host of different reasons. “You have a beautiful place,” he said, eventually, almost breathlessly.
That was enough to get a smile out of Cody. He opened the door to his room, which was a bit of a mess. His bed was unmade, his clothes strewn about. He had at least tossed the ones he’d worn during his punishment so it didn’t smell, but it really could use some tidying. Not that he cared about that sort of thing. “Thought you might like it.”
Jamie stepped carefully inside, though he kept to the edge of the room, looking about him. He had to smile a little at the mess. His own area was mostly tidy, but that had more to do with the fact he didn’t have much to be messy with, and he couldn’t afford to leave his work outfits lying around.
Cody watched JJ, moving to sit on his bed so he could see him just a little bit better. “You seem...nervous,” he ventured, watching him closely, wondering what he would do. Still, Cody let him keep the space between them, worried that JJ might bolt like a scared animal or something.
Jamie’s gaze finally returned to Cody and it didn’t really help that the guy was sitting on his bed, or that the fact that Jamie was now looking down on him meant that he could see down that v-necked shirt. The connotations were all too obvious. “Do I?” he asked, swallowing hard.
“Mm,” Cody confirmed. “Like I’m going to grab you.” He laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. “I wouldn’t. I mean, I’m following your lead here.” Not that he wasn’t providing the location, the opportunity, and whatever else it might take to draw JJ in, but he wasn’t going to drag him. He wanted the guy to make his own choice. That was less likely to blowback on Cody. “You’re also wrapped in a sweater that’s two sizes too big for you and I know it’s too warm in here for that.”
“It was cold on the walk over,” Jamie said, leaning back against the wall. He finally let his arms down, which only served to highlight just how oversized the knit was as he picked at one of the sleeves that fell down over his fingers with the other hand. He shrugged. “This makes a good coat.” He bit his lip, wondering why this was always so hard. He was better at this when he was working, given a confidence from the role that he didn’t actually naturally possess. Plus, nobody really expected him to talk that much.
“You leaving that soon?” Cody leaned back on his arms, legs stretched out in front of him. “Come on JJ. Just breathe. I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to see you.” Which he was not regretting for a second, even if JJ wasn’t looking at him.
Jamie shifted from foot to foot, pulling at his sweater indecisively. He pulled it off in one swift motion, draping it over one arm and holding it to his chest. “I wouldn’t be here if I thought you’d hurt me,” he said, quietly, very aware of all the precautions he’d put in place before he’d stepped through the door. Still, he didn’t think that Cody would hurt him - he was just habitually paranoid.
Sure, JJ pulled that sweater back up to his chest, but Cody had caught what was under it, which honestly was even better than the fitted sweater from before. That was...wow. He didn’t even hide that he was looking before nodding. “Alright then. We’ve cleared that up.” He hopped up, going towards JJ, but not there, stopping at the bookcase next to him. He flipped through a few of the records there, ancient things that no one but Tommy really appreciated anymore, but Cody still loved his collection. He flipped until he found the right one and headed over to the turntable in the other corner of the room. “Go on, sit. You should hear this. And it’s easier if you’re just...in it.” He flipped the top on the turntable, well maintained, even if it was nearly impossible to find parts for. He set the record on it, then the needle on the record, just the right spot to kick into the opening chords of Aerosmith’s “Dream On”.
Jamie hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of Cody as he watched him giving him the once over. As he walked toward him and Jamie’s mind started working on all the possibilities of maybe what that meant, what that look meant. What that walk meant. What he wanted it to mean and how he’d react. Yet, before he could come to any conclusions, Cody was elsewhere, pulling a square of cardboard out from the bookcase. A black disc from within. “What’s that?” he asked, with a frown, successfully distracted from his thoughts as he followed Cody across the room, ignoring the instruction to sit in favour of watching what the other man was doing, fascinated and intrigued, sweater dropping to be held loosely at his side. Self-consciousness was something to hold onto when his mind wasn’t elsewhere.
He gasped a little as the music started up, like nothing he’d heard before and then he finally took a few steps backward, sinking when he felt the bed behind him, sweater dropping to the floor as he let the music wash over him.
“It’s a record,” Cody explained, looking over at JJ and yeah, letting his eyes rake over that form again, because damn he was put together nicely wasn’t he. Perfect and tiny in the right places, but manly in the other right ways. Still, his smile was completely different when the music hit JJ. The turntable was routed to the speakers in just his room, but there was something incredibly pure about the roughness of a vinyl record. Tommy would be able to word it better, but he loved the sound. “Good yeah?” he asked, voice under the crooning of the voice. He moved to sit next to JJ, close, but not touching.
“Yeah,” Jamie agreed with the beginnings of a smile. He’d always loved music, had his own set of files that he made space for. He glanced toward the table in the corner. “I’ve never known it be more than...sound… before. I mean, if it’s not live.” He closed his eyes, leaning back on his hands and letting his head drop back. Just listening. “It sounds different. I don’t know if that’s the type of music or… the physicality of it. The record.” He sounded the unfamiliar word in his mouth.
Cody laughed. “Depends oh who you ask. Tommy swears only the old stuff feels like that, the old mediums, the old music, but I’ve always felt like that’s not fair. The music is...always so much more than sound. But, you’re right. Playing like they used to, it was always more physical.”
As the song ended and the next began, Jamie opened his eyes again, looking over at Cody, then dropping down to rest on his side, propped up on his elbow, already so much more relaxed. “This is different,” he held. “This… feels different. The files I have, the music I keep with me - it sounds the same as it would be if I was standing in the room where it was being recorded. This doesn’t. You can tell this is, well, fake, but that’s so totally the wrong word. Fake seems like it’s a bad think. It’s… raw? Guttural? I don’t even know. Help a guy out here - I warned you I didn’t know much about music.”
There was definitely something about watching JJ relax in Cody’s space. For all his talk of being an emotional artist, talks like he’d initiated with JJ were meant to get him laid. And now that he’d gotten JJ on his bed he could make a move. But this time, Cody didn’t. He shook his head as he got up to pick through his vinyl collection again. “It’s what you’re used to that’s fake. It sounds the same because it’s almost completely computer generated. This?” He held up a Beatles album. “This was recorded, sometimes in a single take, in a room that was as part of the recording as the music itself.” He switched out records and started a new song.
Jamie perked up, sitting up a little bit more as He heard the first strains of Back in the U. S. S. R. “Oh, I've heard this one!” he proclaimed, grinning wildly and nodding along to the beat, shimmying a little. “Once. Years ago. It didn't make any sense,” he laughed. Not that he minded that. He preferred the music and lyrics just were part of that. Words didn't need to make sense in and of themselves to make good music. This one was catchy. Upbeat. Jamie liked it immediately.
That shimmy. Shit. Did the guy know what he looked like? Probably not. He had that adorable sort of innocence to him. “Well, it’s a parody of another song, so that’s why,” he explained, flopping back on the bed so he was looking up at JJ, watching him enjoy the song. “So it’s supposed to be ridiculous. It’s essentially the opposite of ‘California Girls’ by the Beach Boys.”
Jamie considered that. “Makes sense,” he said at lasts as the song ended and Dear Prudence started up. He relaxed back, curling up a little on his side facing Cody. “Do you find it weird? All these places in these songs and they're just names? Do you think they ever actually went there? Do you think they actually existed?”
“The places?” Cody asked, turning his head when JJ was on his level so he could see him better. “Dunno. I mean, history says people actually traveled back then, that they could right? So maybe. I mean, I can’t imagine people writing songs about places they’ve never been. Not good ones at least.” He tucked his arms behind his head, so his elbow touched JJ’s lightly, but he kept his eyes on the ceiling. “It’d be like trying to write a love song without ever being in love.”
Jamie mirrored the position, lying in his back with his hands behind his head, elbows still touching as he looked up at the ceiling. “I always wanted to swim in the ocean,” he said, wistfully. “The proper ocean. Not just the river. I heard a story once that there are places where the water is always warm and blue and so clear so can see the bottom.” He paused. “Though I don't see how something can be blue and clear at the same time, so maybe that's just a story.”
Cody glanced at JJ, then turned, just enough that he could trace the edge of JJ’s arm without straining too much. “Glass is, isn’t it?” Not that it was used much anymore. Everything was some sort of recycled plastic, but it was still there, in the windows and other places. “It’s see through and can have a color. So I don’t think it’s impossible.” He smiled, but it shifted into a chuckle that he tried to bury against JJ’s arm but failed miserably.
Jamie looked towards Cody when he spoke, watching him. “I guess so,” he said, quietly, then bit his lip as Cody touched him in a way that was very clearly not accidental. He was suddenly aware of their position. It hadn't felt like much at first. He was so used to not having space that the lack of chairs and lying on the bed hadn't seemed so significant. Now though his heart was racing and he was struggling to think straight. “What's so funny?” he asked, not moving at all as Cody his his face against him. He wasn't sure how to react, what was the right thing to do.
Cody smiled, peeking up after a moment. He could tell that JJ had gone stiff, but he wasn’t jerking away, so Cody didn’t either. “Just imagining you as a real mermaid. That’s all.” He smirked, then clearly hesitated, on purpose, before getting up again and going back to his music. Something about water. He knew he had something.
Jamie traced his walk across the room, twisting a little when he had to. It was easier to think with a bit of space - and with that comment that piqued him. “Mermaids are girls,” he shot back. It was clear that he’d been fielding that comment for some time and instinct garnered the reaction. He smoothed the t-shirt down, though he wasn’t body conscious. He couldn’t be, with his profession. Nobody wanted fat merfolk and there wasn’t an ounce on him. He was small, but he was muscular in his own way. “I didn’t exactly intend to end up with that,” he admitted. “But, we needed money and I’d always loved to swim and I knew this girl who did it and we were about the same size, so she loaned me her spare tail the first couple of times. Then it turned out there weren’t that many guys who were willing and able to do the job and suddenly I had more work than I needed.” He shrugged, modest and a little bashful. “It pays well. Enough. It pays well enough.” At least, he’d thought it paid well - until he’d come here. He had no idea how much money Cody had to have had to afford this place.
“Merman,” Cody corrected with a slight roll of his eyes. He plucked through a few more options then found a ratty record cover and grinned. Perfect. He headed back to the turntable to switch out records. “Seems like no one really intends to do what they do,” he said with a shrug. He looked back at JJ and nodded. “I’m sure it does. I mean, you’re popular. And good at what you do. You deserve to be well paid.” He let his eyes rake down JJ’s form again before smiling to himself. He flipped the album cover over and picked the right spot for the right song. He set the needle down as the first chords of “May This Be Love” by Jimi Hendrix started. He should cover this one.
Jamie shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, hands loosely by his sides. “Did you mean to end up being a musician?” he asked, figuring that he just have done. That wasn’t the kind of thing you just fell into, especially not when it was harder to be successful these days. You had to offer the market something that couldn’t be done more cheaply and easily by a computer, after all.
Cody smiled. “I did. It was all I wanted. All we wanted.” He’d poured every ounce of what made him worthwhile into it. And he’d suffered from giving it his everything. It was the drug dealing he hadn’t meant to fall into, but did. He didn’t bring that up though. He moved instead, sitting next to JJ, fingers brushing against his.
There he was, being all close again. Jamie swallowed and offered up a shy smile. “Seems like you ended up doing what you intended,” he said, like this was just another normal conversation and like Cody hadn’t been clear enough about what he’d want during their chat that even Jamie had a hard time missing it.
Cody shrugged the shoulder farthest away from JJ so he didn’t have to move his hand. The hand that he was watching as he traced his fingers over JJ’s. “In that case, sure,” he said, before giving JJ a smile. “The rest...just sort of fell into it.” He nodded at the player. “You like this one?”
Jamie’s eyes dropped to their hands as well, though once again, he didn’t move. Not to encourage, nor to stop it. He batted his eyes up at the question and nodded as the music seemed to fade back into prominence once again. “It’s...Kinda… Like you could just lay back and let it wash over you,” he said, trying to choose his words, yet be honest as well.
Cody had a million ideas running through his head, a lot of them involved kissing JJ, but that last comment, that pulled him out of his rush of fantasies, to grin at him. “Exactly that,” he said, shaking his head. “Like completely.” He was up again, killing the sound on the turntable and grabbing his tablet that he managed the sound system upstairs with. It was really where any of his current spare money went, making sure that he kept it as good as it could be. “No one gets that,” he said, coming back to the bed, sitting with one leg tucked under him, not even thinking that did in the pants he was wearing. It was not at all where his mind was.
“Tommy was there, like half the time,” he said, before flipping through the music screens, then clicking a choice as the speakers in the room lit up with sound. Easy chords of a ballad. The beat was computerized, but the guitar was real, as real as the voice that came in after a moment. “He never got the ballads. How they could wash over you. He just wanted to bang on shit and make it throb through your head.” He took a deep breath and watched JJ, wanting to see his reaction.
It was a bit of a shock for a moment, to go from the mono, slightly scratchy sound of the vinyl to the clear, crisp surround of modern music, but Jamie went with it, closing his eyes and tilting his head back and to the side a little, relaxing into the rhythm, breathing in time with the beat, slow and steady. “This is what I imagine the shore is like,” he said, a small smile on his face. “Where the ocean meets it. Waves lapping against it, over and over. Just… letting sound make you feel like you’re a part of something bigger.” He bit his lip and opened his eyes, looking across. Wondering whether he sounded like an idiot, or a child. Worrying he’d show himself up in front of this man.
But when JJ looked over Cody was grinning like an idiot. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t have his fans like he used to, didn’t have a regular girl or guy of the moment. And no one was there to talk about his music like that. Not a soul. “Exactly. Totally. Completely.” He grinned again then queued up something else, another of his newer songs. He thought the lyrics could use work, but the sound was right. Tommy used to hate his slow emo shit, but Cody thought it made him more well-rounded as an artist. “You like it though?”
Jamie mirrored the grin without conscious thought. It was a rush, having said something right. To have this guy look at him like that, agree with him like that. For having an opinion. Jess aside, nobody ever wanted Jamie’s opinion. On anything. He wasn’t the guy who talked. He was the guy who danced. He was the guy who swam. He was the guy who stood beside his sister whilst she wove her magic with words. “Yeah. Yes. I like it,” he said. “It slower than the other ones of yours I heard. More… more personal. Like you’re right there.” He realised what he’d said and laughed, blushing. “Which you are, but - but like you would be even if you weren’t.” He flapped his hand and blushed harder. “God, stop me and tell me you know what I mean.”
“Figured out it was me huh?” Cody liked that, that JJ could tell. He flopped back, mostly perpendicular to JJ, his head near JJ’s side. He caught the flailing hand with both of his, thumbs pressing into JJ’s palm. “Yes, I definitely know what you mean. It’s the point. Kind of what I was going for.” He smiled up at JJ. “Maybe I should send you the files so you don’t forget about me when you leave.”
“Of course I knew it was you. Both of them,” Jamie said, looking down at him. He didn’t admit to having listened to Cody’s entire back catalogue on repeat fairly constantly lately. Or that he’d had to shift around the limited storage space on his chip to make room, getting rid of some old favourites. He definitely didn’t tell him that. He didn’t want to come across as some kind of creep. Returning the smile, he said, “You can send me the files, but because I’d like them. I don’t think I’d forget about you, either way.”
“No? I made an impression?” Cody liked hearing that, that he could still do that. See? They were full of shit the people that thought he couldn’t hack it. He continued to massage JJ’s hand for a moment before smiling up at him. “I’ll send them over. But I don’t want you to leave,” he added. “Not soon at least.”
Jamie focused for a moment on his display, eyes flickering as he sorted through his files, checking arrangements. Making space. After a moment or two, he refocused on Cody. “I have room for them now, if you wanted to transfer.” He blinked again. “I’ve given you localised permissions,” he added. “If you wanted.” Jamie knew there was a possibility he was being too eager right now, but he really did like Cody’s music - for all that Jess had teased him that it was actually just Cody that he liked. And, sure, there was that too, he thought. Who wouldn’t? But, that had nothing to do with the music.
It did, however, have everything to do with the nervous energy thrumming through his veins right now. “...I don’t have to leave yet,” Jamie said, voice subdued. “I don’t have anywhere else I need to be.”
Cody smiled, liking that eagerness. It boosted his ego just right. He laced his fingers with JJ’s so he wouldn’t have to let go, but grabbed the tablet he’d set aside with his free hand. He had it linked to his own transmitter, sort of an extended external hard drive, but he made the transfer to the access point that JJ had given him with ease, then tossed the tablet aside and focused on JJ instead. “Good. I don’t either.”
Jamie checked the file receipt, then closed down the local connection. Safety first, no matter what. Jess had always been particular about that, drumming it into him so that it became a habit even for a naturally trusting Jamie. Then all there was to focus on were those four words and the way that Cody was holding his hand.
God, Jamie felt like he could hear his heart beating right out of his chest. He pressed his thumb lightly into the flesh of Cody’s hand, as if testing what another man’s skin felt like under his. Softer than he’d imagined it would be. Smooth, a little silky. Warm. He moved his thumb a little, not quite a stroke. Maybe just a bit of a stroke. Testing that silkiness.
Cody just watched JJ, not too intensely, but kept his eyes on him. “So,” he said after that barely there little stroke of his thumb. “You’ve not…” He was sure there was plenty that JJ hadn’t done, but he left the door open for JJ to fill in the blank. It would give Cody two things: the information he wanted, and a little bit of insight as to where JJ’s mind was at the moment.
Jamie’s mind also filled with the endless possibilities for answers to that question. He’d not...done anything that could possibility be an option here in this apartment. He pushed all that away though and tried to figure out what the sensible answer was to the hanging question. What Cody was probably actually answering. “I’ve not got another party until the weekend. Friday night,” he explained, since that was the last thing they’d been talking about.
Cody laughed a little at that. “Don’t tell me that,” he murmured, pushing up on one arm so he was closer to JJ. “I’ll try and keep you here until then.”
It was Jamie’s turn to laugh at that, his smile closer to an amused smirk. “You can try, but you’d have Jeff hammering at the door demanding to know where I am before long,” he warned.
“Should have figured the boyfriend would come looking for you,” Cody murmured. “How mad is he going to be that you’re here with me?” He let his eyes drop to JJ’s mouth, licking his own lips as he did so.
JJ’s gaze followed that movement, the swipe of his tongue. “Sister,” he said, without lifting his eyes. “Did the fumes get to you? I told you that already.” In their endless chat relay, it had been mentioned, but Jamie figured he hadn’t really had Cody’s full attention. Which stung, but he knew he should know better. People on punishment duty didn’t get to stop, or even pause. Everyone knew that was a death sentence.
“See, I thought you did, but I was also worried the fumes were getting my hopes up,” Cody covered, because yeah, he’d kind of forgotten and what kind of sister had a guy’s name? Was she someone that used to be a brother? “Cause at the time, the idea of kissing you and not having some burly badass guy beat me senseless sounded really, really appealing.” He paused, running his thumb over JJ’s hand, calloused fingers against soft skin. “Still sounds appealing.”
Jamie’s inhale was sharp and audible, his eyes growing even wider. “It does?” he asked, and he was absolutely definitely sure that his heart was about to pound its way out of his chest. A guy. A really cute guy. A really cute, talented musician guy. With his own place. An actual place. An apartment. To himself. And all sorts of cool, interesting stuff that Jamie had never seen before. That guy. Wanted to kiss. Him. Which, sure, Jamie had actually pretty much already known, but it was different to actually hear it out loud. And when he was so close and when he was touching him like that.
Cody nodded, letting go of JJ’s hand, only to touch his jaw with that same thumb. “What about you? Sound...appealing?” he asked, arching a brow. The pretty thing was too young for him, too innocent, but fuck if Cody didn’t like that. And even more so, the way JJ reacted to his music? Perfect. He could never get enough of that.
Jamie knew he actually had to make a choice here. But… it was just a kiss. That was all that was being suggested. And with Cody right there and looking at him with that face and touching him with those hands, it was hardly a choice to make at all. He leaned a little more into his palm and nodded, eyes still on Cody’s face.
Right, well, okay then. Cody smiled, then nodded himself before leaning in and brushing the lightest of kisses against JJ’s lips, mostly to see what he would do.
Jamie leaned in, letting his eyes drift closed and letting himself be kissed. He hadn’t been sure what to expect, but not anything that light, over so fast that he chased the sensation as Cody drew back, leaning further in for more with a tiny, shuddering breath.
That was kind of exactly what Cody was hoping for. He let JJ chase him, then cupped his cheek more, kissing him again, harder this time. He let his tongue drift across the seam of JJ’s lip, teasing ever so gently and hoping he could get another one of those little breaths.
Jamie didn’t know what to do with his hands, flailing for a moment, before dropping one to the bed to steady himself and the other hovering, not quite touching Cody. Jamie leaned into the kiss again, lips parting just a little at the feel of his tongue, his own tongue darting between them for just a moment, curious yet uncertain, trial without commitment.
Cody liked that, that daring, tentative try for things that JJ was going for. He answered it with the right kind of enthusiasm. He licked again, deepening the kiss when JJ’s lips parted, taking advantage of the opportunity. He ran his other hand down JJ’s arm guiding that hovering hand to his chest, wanting JJ that much closer.
Jamie clutched at Cody’s shirt, giving a little mewl into the kiss and melting toward him - at least the top half of his body. The bottom half stayed firmly where it was, that was far too embarrassing to admit to. Jamie tilted his head more and opening up, moving his lips and taking everything Cody was giving, trying to learn quickly and give back without being sloppy.
That right there, that was why he’d invited JJ over. Because that little noise in the kiss, the way JJ opened up for him, that was what Cody was craving. That surge of something, the one that he could feel in his fingers, the one that only came with first kisses. That was what he wanted. He only pulled back from exploring JJ’s mouth with his tongue when he needed to breathe, nipping lightly at JJ’s lower lip.
Jamie chased the kiss again, eyelids fluttering open as Cody draw back. He was leaning in now, legs tilted away to hide from view exactly what this was doing to him. He didn’t want Cody to think he was an inexperienced child who couldn’t control himself. Belatedly, he realised he was still hanging onto Cody’s shirt, pulling it awry and he let go, as though that made up for the way he was still looking at the other man, all wide, dark, awed eyes and spit-slick open mouth.
JJ did not need to look at him like that. Cody ran his thumb over JJ’s lower lip, teasing it against his tongue for a moment. “See why I don’t want you to leave,” he murmured, smiling more. “Because...I could easily keep you here for days.”
Right now, in that moment, Jamie felt like he could stay for days. Let Jess come calling, he didn’t care, because that was… all kinds of awesome. He didn’t exactly say anything, his brain was fritzing too much for that, but he mirrored the smile, then broke further into a helpless, laughing grin, catching one side of his bottom lip between his incisors.
Yup. That went even better than planned and Cody was already starting to feel that rush, the one that came with something new, that sparked all the best kind of feelings in him. He rested one hand high on JJ’s thigh and pressed in for another kiss, teeth echoing JJ’s lip bite with a little nibble of his own.
Jamie gasped again, responsive and eager with the kiss, even as he squirmed a little, angling his hips away more at the hand on his thigh. His cheeks bloomed at the thought that Cody might know, might discover. But then there was that little thrill from nowhere about the same thing. Jamie had never known it was possible to be so excited and so embarrassed at the same time.
Cody caught the way JJ squirmed, and well...he had to wonder. He slipped his hands farther up JJ’s thigh, though he kept kissing him, long fingers finding their mark. Mostly he was watching to see what JJ would do, if he’d jerk away or if he’d melt against Cody all over again.
Jamie moaned as he was touched, half abandoning the kiss, derailed at the feeling, bucking up into those fingers before he caught what he was doing and pulled away, drawing back. The conflict was clear as day on his face - though so was the uncertainty at what Cody’s reaction would be.
Cody managed not to smirk, but he did smile at JJ. “Like that?” he murmured, ducking his head to kiss JJ’s neck. “Because I like that noise.” Which was an honest statement. JJ moaning went straight to Cody’s dick. And JJ wasn’t the only one reacting to this. Cody might not be in the same boat just yet, but knowing that JJ was that turned on from so little definitely turned him on as well.
Jamie stared at the ceiling because it was what was in his field of vision after he let his head fall back so Cody could kiss his neck more. He hadn’t meant to. He hadn’t thought about it. It had just… Jamie was breathing hard, like he was the music they’d been listening to now. He was the one being swept up onto the shore, over and over, like waves, helpless to resist whatever force moved him. He tried to speak, but it just came out as another little noise as he reached to lay a hand on Cody’s arm, keeping them both in place.
Cody looked down at JJ’s hand on him, but didn’t push. He could see ‘no’ when there was one. “We don’t have to,” he murmured, nipping at the lobe of JJ’s ear. “I just…” he shook his head. “You’re really hot,” he added instead. Let JJ get there on his own.
Jamie shuddered a breath at that little spike of pain, that had no reason to be so delicious. “So are you,” he managed, even as he leaned into whatever Cody was doing to him. He felt like a puppet - and he very definitely wasn't the one pulling the strings. Still, he also knew he’d never been so turned on in all his life and Cody… Cody. God, Cody.
Cody curled his fingers around the inside of JJ’s thigh, not pushing higher or touching anything else, but just that tiny bit of possessiveness, because JJ seemed to be responding to that kind of thing. “And I want you,” he hummed, his voice almost musical. “Want to make you feel good, babe.”
“I...I’ve never…” Jamie couldn’t look at Cody as he spoke, his voice tiny. Not that he’d made a secret of any of that, but he hadn’t explicitly said either, he didn’t think. Now he was the one who couldn’t remember their chat.
“Which part?” Cody hummed, peppering sweet kisses on JJ’s neck. He had a guess the answer was ‘anything’ but he wanted to hear what JJ thought.
“All of it,” Jamie said, sounding like his words were ripped from his body with a gasp and a low moan.
At least he was willing to admit it. Cody had been with some that lied about it. Then again, he’d lied about it too. He moved his thumb in a slow circle on the top of JJ’s thigh and nodded. “Do you want to learn? I can show you.”
Jamie had to clamp down on his comms, actually exiting out completely, leaving only the basics active. He had to, because his instinct was to ask his sister. Whenever he was faced with anything, throughout his entire life, he turned to Jess. She was his rock, but even he knew he couldn’t ask her about this. Especially not right now. Here, for the first time in his entire life, since before he was born, he was on his own.
He’d had dreams, fantasies. Fairy stories of how things should go. Some guy who would come in and sweep him off his feet, treat him like a prince… To be honest, the fantasies hadn’t always got much further than that and Jamie wasn’t sure whether this was what he was looking for or not. But Jess had told him that sometimes he just had to go with it. That it was no big deal. And he had dreamed of a nice apartment and… Maybe this was as good as it got. Maybe he was lucky. Maybe he should stop thinking and just go with it, let himself feel as amazing as he had done since the moment Cody first kissed him.
He was clearly still unsure and nervous, even up to the moment that he leaned in and kissed Cody himself for the first time, hoping that would be answer enough.
Cody was patient. He got it. It was going to take JJ a moment, and honestly, even if JJ said no, then okay, he said no. He’d come back. And Cody could always take care of himself in the bathroom later.
Then JJ was kissing him and while Cody was a man who preferred words, direct lines of consent, he got sort of what was going on here. This time, instead of leaning into JJ, he moved that hand on JJ’s thigh to his waist, drawing him into Cody as Cody leaned back, just enough to force gravity into taking over and drawing JJ into Cody.
Jamie went with it, leaning over and catching at the last minute that he was now on top enough that it felt like it was all on him. It made him move more, putting a hand on Cody’s hip , then shifting it almost immediately to the small of his back as he deepened the kiss because he felt like he could right now. He still kept his hips back, instinctively keeping things safe, not pushing, but it was the first time he’d actually been any kind of assertive and it felt even more awesome. Every moment, it seemed, he was finding new and wondrous feelings.
That was better. Cody had to wonder if JJ needed a little more control than usual, just to get him to feel comfortable and then JJ took it and he let himself go with it. He eased back, resting on one elbow as the other hand went into JJ’s hair holding him close through the deeper kiss. While JJ was keeping the area below his waist safe, Cody was as shameless as ever, legs slightly spread, sweats doing nothing to hide just what JJ did to him. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to hide.
It wasn’t until Jamie finally drew back from the kiss, breathing heavily, that he took a moment to scan down Cody’s supine body - and immediately zeroed in on what he wasn’t even attempting to hide. He blushed scarlet and quickly looked back up at Cody’s face - then darting away again to look across the room and in a thousand different directions, not sure what to do with this whole new set of information and realisation.
“Ah,” Cody murmured, drawing JJ back to look at him. “Does it bother you?” he murmured, leaning up to kiss JJ’s jaw, then lean back again to look at him. “What you do to me?” He hoped not. He had a feeling that JJ was completely into guys, what with how he reacted to the kissing and all, but it could be one of those things where he was into what guys did to him and not what he did to them.
Jamie glanced super quick back down, then away again, shaking his head. No, it didn’t bother him, it was just really, really real. It made his hips twitch, made him feel tighter in his own pants. Made the palms of his hands itch, wondering what it’d feel like to touch and my, didn’t that just feel like a huge cliff to jump off of.
“Good,” Cody said, catching one of JJ’s hands and bringing it to his stomach, giving JJ permission to touch, even if the location he suggested was clearly still pretty tame. “Because that’s all you,” he added, voice low and husky. “How you kiss me, how you feel. How you taste. I can’t wait to taste more of you.”
Jamie swallowed as he felt skin under the tips of his fingers. Spreading his hand out, he breathed through the sensations, stretching his fingers over the sparse hairs below Cody’s belly button, feeling brave as he did so, but oh so overly aware of what lay beneath the waistband of those sweats, but not daring to do more than brush against the top of the band as he listened, in awe, as Cody talked, grasping him with every word, reeling him in more.
For as quiet as JJ was, he seemed fine with Cody talking. And well, Cody did love the sound of his own voice. And this, this was something he was good at. He tilted his hips up, just a little and into JJ’s touch, moving to suck a tiny mark just behind his ear. “You can,” he murmured. “If you want. If you want to see what you do to me. How your smile makes me want more. How your little noises make me ache. How badly I want you.”
It took a moment for Jamie to understand what he was being given permission to do. He hadn’t asked for anything. Then he realised. And he looked. And there was a moment that he felt like his limbs were going to give way and he’d collapse onto the bed. He recovered though, with little more than a tremble. He splayed his fingers out a little more, slowly creeping onto the material of Cody’s pants, eyes darting all over the place, as though that permission would be retracted, or it would somehow leap up and bite him. Until he finally reached far enough that he brushed a touch, just over the end. Hard and yet strangely soft at the same time. Different to touching himself.
Cody groaned, even if it was the barest of touches. For all his talk, he did love a good tease, even if he knew JJ wasn’t doing it on purpose. He nipped lightly at JJ’s neck, unable to help himself. “You, that’s all you,” he babbled. “It’s all yours.”
Jamie’s gaze finally locked home and it very definitely wasn’t on Cody’s face. The sweat pants really didn’t leave much to the imagination - far more obvious than the tighter jeans he was wearing, which were causing him some constriction issues, but at least were preserving his dignity. Not that dignity seemed to be at all important to Cody by all respects. Quite large respects, apparently. Definitely more than a little to look at. Definitely more than a little that Jamie was itching to touch. It was slow progress though, as his fingers got braver, working their way down until he was finally able to palm Cody’s length, moaning a little and closing his eyes as he considered it.
It was Cody’s turn to moan as well, hips twitching a little into JJ’s hand before he let himself fall back on the bed some. “Fuck, yes. That’s…” He hand made an aborted move to cover JJ’s but he did hold back. He didn’t want to force JJ, but he really could use with some friction right about now. “Just like you would yourself,” he guided, but his words were more strained than before.
Biting his bottom lip, Jamie focused on the direction, wrapping his hand around Cody, though still through the pants, tentatively starting to move up and down, like he would do on himself, though he knew that in that situation there would be a whole lot less clothes. Still, that seemed like a massive step and not one that Cody had said he wanted. It was entrancing though and Jamie couldn’t take his eyes off him.
“Fuck,” Cody swore again, nodding. “Like that. Fuck. Yeah, you’re so good,” he murmured, then ran his hand down JJ’s side until he got to JJ’s waistband. He moved forward, flicking the button open before running his fingers down JJ’s front. “Wanna touch you,” he murmured. “Wanna taste you.”
Jamie moaned, bucking into Cody’s touch, unable to help himself even if he’d wanted to. Which he decided he didn’t as he more purposefully pushed into Cody’s hand, hoping he’d get the idea without Jamie having to ask for anything. At the same time, he repeated what he’d been doing, stroking Cody through his pants. He leaned down to kiss Cody again, figuring that’s what he meant about taste.
There it was. That moan, the response. Cody could get behind that. He undid the zipper on the jeans too, then palmed JJ again. He licked his way into JJ’s mouth, only pulling back as his fingers slid under the waistband of whatever probably adorable underwear JJ had on under his jeans. “Can I?” The question was a little pointless though, as Cody’s fingers were already brushing against JJ’s length.
He almost laughed at the question, given how it was accompanied. Like in that moment it was going to be a no. Jamie’s hand stuttered to a stop for a moment, his entire being focused on what Cody was doing to him, the feeling of skin against skin. And then came the realisation that what he was doing probably wasn’t all that. Yet it was nerve wracking, thinking of more, of taking the initiative to do more, of thinking straight enough right now to have the coordination to do more. He, at least, managed to just about move his hand again, pulling up Cody’s length and hovering, unsure, still touching, kind of considering the waistband of those sweats.
“Shhh,” Cody murmured, working his hand into JJ’s jeans. “You’re thinking too loud. I’ve got you. Promise.” He rolled a little, giving him the right angle, then he was pulling JJ back, actually over him, guiding him so JJ was straddling Cody’s hips. Cody worked JJ’s jeans down then his underwear, freeing him and getting his hand around JJ completely. “Wanna watch you,” he murmured as he started with slow strokes. “Show me how you like it.”
As a small build, Jamie was easy enough to move. It was a moment and he found himself settling on top of Cody, looking down at him and the question made his decision for him. Eyes fixed, unable and unwilling to look away, he pushed Cody’s sweatpants down, freeing him. His breath caught, his mouth felt suddenly dry as he reached and wrapped his hand round that hard, silky warmth. He licked his lips, looking for moisture then, with a hurried gesture, he let go and brought his hand up to lick over his palm before returning. Cody wanted to know what he liked and dry was never nice. He just hoped what he liked was okay as he started to move.
Fuck. The blast of air, JJ’s hand on him, that was nice, but the way JJ licked his own hand. Fuck everything. That was amazing. Cody groaned hips bucking up into JJ’s touch before he echoed the action. Then his hand was back on JJ, matching his strokes.
It felt weird, yet familiar. Someone else's hand, mimicking his most intimate moments. Every move just what was needed to bring him off, with the added extra frisson of it being someone else. Jamie was a mess almost instantly, fighting to keep going. To be good. To not surrender to the feelings and just let Cody take him away, desperately trying to hold on but knowing there was no way he could last even another minute.
Cody could tell he was close. It was kind of obvious, but that made things even hotter as far as he was concerned. “Tighter,” he groaned, covering JJ’s hand with his free one. “Wanna feel like I’m fucking you.”
That. That was all it took and later Jamie would think about being embarrassed about that fact. Right now, he was shameless, and he came with a cry over Cody’s stomach.
It was so worth it. Just like Cody had hoped. He took over working himself over, the image of JJ losing it replaying until he came himself, adding to the mess already covering him.
Jamie had watched with something akin to horror and humiliation as Cody finished himself off. That moment of bliss disappearing, chased away almost instantly and leaving Jamie feeling cold and exposed. That he'd been that bad.
Scrambling back off Cody's lap, he fumbled at his belt, while casting round for the sweater he'd abandoned earlier. Maybe he could get out of here quickly enough that he could pretend it never happened.
Cody was enjoying half a moment of bliss then JJ was scrambling away from him and he blinked, confused until he realized what was going on. He yanked his shirt down, ignoring how it stuck to the mess and reached for JJ. “Hey, c’mere,” he murmured, voice soft and thick. He leaned in enough to press a kiss to JJ’s shoulder. “You okay?”
Jamie shook his head, backing away. “I….I should go,” he mumbled, unable to look at Cody at all. He spied his sweater and grabbed it, yanking it on over his head and letting the expanse of knit cover him like a blanket. He wrapped his arms around himself, determined not to cry. This was all his fault. Cody had been amazing, but Jamie had been awful. “I'm sorry. Sorry. I'll go,” he said, still mumbling, head down as he turned to hurry towards the stairs.
“Stop, stop.” Cody caught JJ around the waist before he could bolt and drew him back. “Sorry for what? And don’t go. I don’t want you to go.” He slid himself to the edge of the bed, holding on to JJ still and looking up at him. “Talk to me baby.”
Jamie stood, shoulders hunched, head down, still not looking at Cody. Wondering why the man was even bothering with him. It was so humiliating. “I was so bad,” he said, eventually, when it became apparent that he was going to have to say something and that Cody wasn’t just going to let him run.
“Bad?” Cody frowned for a moment then shook his head. “Baby, no. Not at all.” He reached up to tilt JJ’s eyes towards his. “No, no, no. You,” he took in a breath. “You were perfect. You, like that? It’s all I’m going to be able to think about for days.”
Jamie wasn't convinced. “But you…” He gestured, hoping Cody would get what he meant. “You didn't want me to.”
It took Cody a moment, then he got it. “Oh. No. Not at all. I just figured you were kinda out of it. I wanted you to enjoy it. Stop. You were perfect.” He wrapped his arms more around JJ. “I can’t imagine not wanting you.”
This time Jamie raised his eyes enough to at least look in the vague vicinity of Cody’s face, though he was still avoiding eye contact. “I was?” he asked, tentatively. He swallowed. “You can’t?” He struggled to get his head round that right now, even though under other circumstances it would have made sense to him. Under other circumstances, it would have just been based on appearance, not factoring in the mess he’d just made of everything.
Cody smiled, pushing up at the sweater. “Yes, you were. So very perfect. Your face, when you came, god, you’re beautiful.” He guided JJ back to him. “I definitely can’t. You were amazing. I’m going to think of that again and again and have to touch myself every time.”
The praise pulled the edge of a smile out of Jamie, the upturning of one corner of his lips, accompanied by a rosey blush. All chased by a rush of thrill and interest at the idea of what Cody would do at the thought of him. That he could cause that.
Cody pulled JJ into his lap, leaning up to kiss JJ lightly. “Better? We okay?” he asked. “I don’t want you to go.” He didn’t at all. Especially not when JJ was upset. Cody wanted to make it better first.
Jamie sat, one leg on either side of Cody’s, facing him. The sweater fell down to pool over both of them now. He’d never sat like this before, but he’d seen other people do it, plenty of times and it always provoked a certain image in his head. He brought his knees up to rest on the bed at either side of Cody, his feet hanging back off the edge of the bed as he rested his forearms on the other man’s shoulders as he leaned in to return the kiss. Then, when he realised it was just a little one, brushed one of his own over Cody’s lips in return, in lieu of saying anything.
Cody ran his hands over JJ’s back, kissing him back when JJ kissed him. He cupped his ass and made a soft noise into the kiss. “You do know I’m old right? Might be a bit before I can go again,” he murmured against JJ’s lips. “But I can make you feel good again.”
Jamie laughed a little, his confidence returning and with it, the ability to relax. He still felt a little self-conscious, but no longer like the world was falling apart. “You’re not that old,” he said with a little shake of his head, going in to kiss him again. He couldn’t get enough of that. Kissing was definitely his new favourite thing. With a hefty side of having Cody’s hands on him, that was all kinds of awesome and he rolled his hips a little, filling again at just the thought of it.
“I think I might be,” Cody said, but JJ was definitely pretty great in his lap like that. And then his hips were rolling down onto Cody’s and he had to groan softly. Wow. Amazing. “But you’re probably going to prove me wrong,” he added, ducking to kiss at JJ’s neck.
That was a rush - that groan. Making someone actually make that noise. At least, Jamie was pretty sure he’d been the cause of that. He rolled his hips down again in the same way, just to check that theory, even as he leaned in more to give Cody better access to his neck. That felt amazing. Everything felt amazing. This was a whole world of amazing. He felt almost drunk on it.
JJ got what he wanted, Cody groaning again against JJ’s neck. He mouthed at the skin there then pulled JJ back for another deep, crushing kiss. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he murmured when he pulled back.
Jamie grinned into the kiss at that, feeling powerful that he could create that reaction. So much better than before when he felt like the worst in the world. He leaned in, hooking his arms at the base of Cody’s neck and bringing his hands up to bury in his hair as he enthusiastically returned the kiss, pushing his weight forward and trying to get as close as possible, rolling his hips in a steady rhythm that was all kinds of great for him.
Cody had really thought it would take more time for him to be ready to go again, but apparently he turned into a twenty-year-old in JJ’s hands. He cupped JJ’s ass, his hips meeting JJ’s movements as JJ started a rhythm. He groaned again, then broke off the kiss to pant against JJ’s mouth. “Want to taste you, so bad,” he murmured, nipping at JJ’s lower lip.
Right now you can do whatever the hell you want to me. The words were on the tip of his tongue and he almost said them, but he got a mental image of a very disapproving Jess telling him not to be so stupid. It disrupted his rhythm and he stuttered to a halt, thrown a little, but nodding. “Sure,” he said, going back in for another kiss, presuming that’s what Cody meant.
Cody answered the kiss, but pulled back a little putting a tiny bit of space between them and going for JJ’s jeans. “Promise, I am so good at this,” he murmured, undoing the button and zipper.
Jamie felt confused at what was going on, but honestly, it was a relief to ease some of the pressure on his dick, so he just went with it, leaning back a little in Cody’s lap, arms still looped around his shoulders.
It was a relief that JJ was so small, because it was almost easy to turn them, rolling a little as he guided JJ to sit on the bed, then sunk to his knees on the side of it. He pulled off his shirt then went to work JJ’s pants and underwear down his hips.
Jamie whined when Cody pulled away and he tried to pull him back with grabby hands, though they were playful and lacking force. Jamie was small, but he was all muscle and if he’d really wanted to keep Cody in place, he could have done so. That felt wrong though - he’d never want to force someone to be somewhere they didn’t want.
His breath caught in his throat as Cody took off his top, eyes drinking in the expanse of skin and he itched once again to reach out at touch, only then Cody was working at his pants and he ended up resting his hands on Cody’s arms, fingers brushing the tattoo on his right bicep, steadying himself to lift his hips off the bed to help out with that.
Getting JJ’s pants all the way off might have been easier, but it was too tempting not to just go for it once Cody had them down around JJ’s knees. He pushed at that sweater, getting it out of the way then leaned in to lick a stripe up JJ’s length, eyes on the other man as he did so. He’d always liked to watch. He didn’t do this as much as it was done to him, but there was power in keeping eye contact and Cody wasn’t one to submit.