Who: Tony W and Kent Brightstar What: Pillow talk When: Late Night, Wednesday, March 13, 2019 Where: Nat's house! Warnings: Nakedness, etc.
Tony sighed contentedly as he draped himself over Kent's back, his breathing still evening out. He'd made his new beau watch the latest episode of Las pasiones de Las Panteras with him tonight, which Kent had grouched about incessantly, but Tony wasn't going to be deterred and also wasn't above bribing him with sex, so in the end he got his telenovela fix and they both came out winners. Anyway, he was pretty sure underneath the grumpiness Kent had actually liked his favorite show.
He was tired, but his mind was awake, and he had a strong urge to talk. He ran one hand over Kent's broad shoulders, tracing the muscles there admiringly. "You're so hot," he told him, and bit down softly on the base of his neck. "C'mere, babe, roll over and let me kiss you."
A groan wrenched itself out of an already beleaguered throat, brain still not quite out of the white-noise afterglow fog that tended to settle over his thoughts after bone-meltingly good sex. Kent was torn between demanding more of those teeth on his skin--who knew?--and complying with the not unreasonable request. The debate was almost instantaneous; he turned around to face Tony, millimeters away. "Okay, but only on one condition: you have to answer this very important question." His lips twitched at the corners. "How the fuck did Carmelita have five children while in a coma over the course of her non-stop modeling career and not remember any damn one of them? And what the hell is up with 'padre fantasma', and why do I care about any of it?"
Tony laughed, completely delighted, and punched Kent's shoulder, not even very lightly. "Oh my god. You were thinking about Las pasiones the whole time we were doing it? Asshole." He grinned, shifting so he could pillow his head on one arm and rest the other hand on Kent's hip, tracing mindless patterns there with his thumb. "I knew you were into it, dude. No one with any kind of passion in their heart can resist Rogelio and Blanca Maria and their love that's meant to be."
And boy, did Kent have passion. He was the world's best at hiding it most of the time, but when he let it out, damn. Tony hummed happily and tipped his head in to kiss him, slow and sweet. "You're just gonna have to keep watching and find out, babe," he answered finally when he pulled away, and beamed at him. "Gonna make it a standing date?"
The glare he directed from his abused shoulder back to Tony's face was short-lived and completely undone by the amusement dancing in his eyes. "Like hell! The only pasiones I was focused on was yours, jerk." Kent's breath hitched a little as that frankly illegal thumb brushed against a particularly sensitive patch of skin. He laughed a bit when Tony kissed him, but there was nothing mocking in it.
Skating his hand up along the other man's side, Kent drew a slow path across his chest until it came to rest--warm and tender--against the side of his neck. A smile seemed to have established a permanent residence on his face. A part of him didn't know how to feel about that. A louder part told him to shut up and enjoy this. "I'm sure we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement," he said with no undue emphasis and an utterly deadpan delivery. "How long has this show been on? I'm trying to figure out how much time it's going to take me to play internet catch-up."
Tony, who had absolutely no problem watching Kent smile forever just because it was a) gorgeous and b) totally unexpected, patted his hip approvingly. "Good boy. We'll just have to make room for Nat, because I can't deprive her of this choice drama. She pretends to hate it, but I know better." He tangled one foot between Kent's comfortably, relaxing into his touch. "I wouldn't worry too much about catching up on the whole thing, man. You know it was a radio show first, right? There's about a hundred seasons by now, I bet, between radio and TV, and that's not even counting the spinoffs. And they keep killing people off and bringing on new ones, and sometimes they bring the old ones back, and it's just, yeah." He grinned again. "Amazing. All you should really read about is since 2012, when Rogelio and Blanca Maria got their storyline started, but you can skip about a season and a half in the middle because they were transported to the 1700s and it was a period drama all of a sudden, but that was just a dream and it doesn't really matter for the main plot. Juan Esteban made a really hot duellist in those seasons, though. Did I tell you I've met him?"
He yawned, having melted closer and closer to Kent throughout his explanation, until he could put his head down on his shoulder. "I don't care if you don't like it, though, babe. You don't have to watch it just to humor me."
Tipping his head forward a bit, Kent brushed a kiss across his forehead. "I like watching you watch it," he admitted, cheeks pinking a bit. His color deepened as he started moving his thumb across the edge of Tony's jaw. "I like how animated you get. Not just about this, but everything. You seem to love so much, I mean, really care, and I'm frankly in awe of that. I don't have the energy for that kind of enthusiasm. But I'm beginning to wonder if some of it could rub off on me… And--" an incongruously shy look came over his face-- "I also like it when you call me 'babe.'"
"Aww," Tony answered, lifting his head again to grin at Kent. "You're adorable. I'll call you whatever you want." He kissed his pink cheek, silently delighted by that blush. "And I'll rub anything off on you you want, too."
He laughed and rolled over, pushing Kent down onto his back and propping himself up with his arms on either side of the other man's head. Chest to chest, it was easy to meet his eyes, and easier to study that expression on his face. "I just like stuff," he told him, and darted down for another quick kiss. "I like stuff that makes me happy." Another kiss, softer and sweeter. "I like you."
A low moan escaped him at that last kiss, but Kent wasn't so far gone that he overlooked the opportunity to get a couple of handfuls of some extremely choice...assets. He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "fucking refractory periods"; he would just have to be content for now with what he had. (And what he had was frankly astonishing.) Thoughts slammed through his head as he gazed up at the gorgeous man hovering above him. All of these threads in his life that led him here, to this moment, hundreds of thousands--if not millions--of decisions that rippled through the rocky territory of his existence so far.
"I like you too, if that wasn't obvious. I really like you. And I'm happy to be 'stuff,' so long as it's happy-making stuff." Kent drew him down to kiss him again, holding him where he wanted for a long, long moment before releasing him again. His laugh was a little breathless. "This is me telling you that you have carte blanche to call me on my bullshit if I ever try to start it with you."
Tony was of like mind about those refractory periods (one of those things that sometimes made it more fun to be with a woman, though being with a guy definitely had its own benefits), but he was happy enough just to touch Kent, kiss him, and tease him a little. He wiggled his assets and grinned down at him. "You, bullshit? I don't believe that's possible."
He tangled his fingers into Kent's dark hair and leaned down again, this time to nuzzle into his neck, leaving a line of soft kisses up to just below his ear. "Hey," he said into the skin there, and nipped with his teeth, not hard, just enough to redden the skin a little. "Can I ask you something?"
Any kind of laughter at Tony's brand of not-actually-grating sarcasm was completely forestalled by the lips on his skin and the not unpleasant tug of his hands. Kent let out something between a sigh and a growl at the little bite, and inclined his neck in further invitation. It was probably telling that he didn't tense at the idea of being questioned, but not a lot of thought went into that. "Sure, whatever you want."
"Okay," said Tony, who had really enjoyed that half-growl somewhere deep inside him, and lifted his head again to study his face, massaging Kent's scalp gently with his thumbs. "You and Cate. Is there something there? Because you tease each other a lot, and I see how you look when you're around her, and I dunno, I just..." He shrugged a little, still watching his face curiously. "I'm not jealous," he assured Kent, and smiled down at him. "I told you, if there's feelings going on, I don't wanna get in the middle of that. So I'm just wondering."
Whatever he'd been expecting, it really wasn't that. It fucking emphatically wasn't that. The pat answer, of course, would have been denial, but something held Kent back from that. There was a fairness factor at play here, and it kept him from wanting to just bury this. He glanced to the side--just an instant to reclaim control of his suddenly chaotic thoughts--before looking back up into Tony's face He freed one hand trace his fingertips across the other man's chin and cheek, mapping the bow of his lips. The other drifted higher, into the small of his back, like Tony had directed him that first night. "I told her how I felt at the bar, the night before we got together." He was quiet about it. Careful. "I don't think she took me seriously, but I wasn't up to pressing the issue. One colossal fuck up was my limit for the week."
He gave a humorless laugh, but it resolved into a much softer expression. "But, Tony, you've gotta understand: you're already in the middle. I've had a thing for you since… Since I knew I could even have a thing. So, yes, maybe I love Cate, but I'm with you." His lips quirked upward, recalling a certain recent exchange. "But it's not going to matter come apocalypse time, since you're going to wind up being our Kept Boy anyway."
Tony listened seriously and thoughtfully all the way until that last remark, which made him snort-laugh. He pressed his cheek into Kent's hand, grinning down at him. "Yeah, I'm definitely the best choice for that position. Though I prefer to be called a kept man. But even at my advanced age, I'm pretty sure I could keep you both satisfied." He caught the tip of Kent's roving thumb between his lips for a moment and slowly liiicked all the way around the pad to punctuate that point.
He wasn't done probing at the subject of Cate, though, and after a moment he released him and cupped his hands around the curve of Kent's skull, cradling his head between his hands. "You know what? You two would be really cute together. Not that I want you to dump me for Catey, but if you did I'd totally root for you guys."
That little tease definitely got a twitch of improbable interest, and Kent's mouth parted in helpless moan. His eyes fluttered closed as he made attempts to gather his scattering attentions. He got no assistance in the way Tony was holding his head either, since it only served to remind him of past activities. His hips rolled up slowly as a thought dawned. A tiny shy smile took shape as he opened his eyes again to gaze steadily up at the gorgeous man in his arms. "¿Por qué no ambos? What if I didn't have to choose? Would you want that too?"
Kent speaking Spanish, not to mention that little moan, was beyond hot, but Tony didn't get much of a chance to appreciate that as he gathered his meaning, and he raised his eyebrows high in surprise. "Wow," he remarked. This seemed like too serious of a conversation to have in their current position, so he rolled off of Kent and sat up, raking one hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes. "What exactly are you talking about here? Like, a threesome, or you want to try to date me and Cate at the same time? Because look, man, I've done the open thing before and I'm okay with it, but it doesn't seem like something Catey would be into. And especially since there's feelings involved…" Tony shrugged, meeting his eyes questioningly. "It could get pretty complicated pretty fast. I dunno. Tell me what you're thinking, babe."
It was inherently stupid how much he missed the Everything that was Tony as soon as he'd removed himself from Kent's sphere of being. That same irrational part of him couldn't stand that, so he reached out and rested his hand on Tony's knee. Kent knew this was serious, but even the effort of gazing up at the other wizard just reminded him how much he wanted to shove him back and mark up that lovely expanse of skin across his ridiculously chiseled torso and chest. His attention was wandering again, but he wrangled it back. "I want us to all date together. At the same time. Each other, the three of us. Not just for a night. Not just a 'threesome.' And I know it would take work. And it would tell a hell of a lot of talking, but I'd be willing--even if all I want to do right now is run screaming for the hills because this is completely fucking crazy. But you asked me what I wanted, and it's that. I want both."
"Huh," was all Tony said to that, and he leaned back against the headboard, turning his eyes up to the ceiling for a long moment while he thought really hard about what Kent was saying. It sounded complicated, and like it had the potential to get messy and painful and ugly, and his initial instinct was to run fast and far from anything that sounded serious. But even as he drew in a breath to tell Kent no thanks, that it wasn't going to work out, and wish him good luck with Cate, he looked down at him and met his eyes and bit his tongue on the words.
Instead, he covered Kent's hand on his knee with his own and squeezed his fingers, and let himself imagine for a minute that he might not mess up this time. "I don't know," he told him, surprising himself a little, "but I'm not gonna say no, exactly. Is that something you've talked to Cate about?"
For the second time that evening, Kent found himself surprised. He kept having these expectations, and they weren't being met, and somehow it was in his favor? He wasn't quite sure what to do with that. "That's fair," he said quietly into the stillness that seemed to have settled between the two of them. He had to shake his head no, however. "Up until last week she had no clue that I even felt the way I do. And up until about five seconds ago, there wasn't really a world in which it might be possible that this could be a thing. Which is a ridiculously roundabout way to say 'no, I haven't.' I'm not even really sure how to broach the topic. Fuck's sake, I don't even know if she'd be remotely interested. She's Cate, y'know? Friendly and kind of flirty is just in her nature. Not unlike you."
Tony grinned, pleased by that comparison. "Yeah, she's great. And she grew up really gorgeous. I mean, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't looked." He slid downward to lie next to Kent again, on his side this time, tossing an arm over his waist and propping his chin on his shoulder to look him in the eye. "Look… you know I suck at relationships, right? There's nobody in America who's worse at them. Literally, there was a list in one of the gossip rags once. I've apparently got a 'reputation' in cities I never even lived in. I've never been able to make it work with one person at a time. It would be really damn crazy to try it with two people. Especially two people I've known since they were babies." He shook his head, grinning nonetheless. "Crazy even to think about it. But hey, I'm a Quodpotter, so..."
"So maybe we all get to try this crazy thing." Kent turned on his side too, so they were face to face. He didn't spend some time memorizing the other man's eyes. That would be ridiculous. "And maybe it works, or maybe it just explodes in our faces like that Quod you're in love with--which I love, by the way, that you love it, and you're an amazing player and I kind of hate that you don't play anymore, but I'd much rather you be safe and unbroken, because I have a not inconsiderable stake currently in your well-being, so I get to be a selfish prick for now--but we'll never know until we've tried. And if we don't get to try, if Cate's still not interested, then my point still stands. I'm with you. And chances are I'm shit at relationships too, so maybe we just enjoy this glorious trainwreck while it lasts and continue to have all kinds of mind-altering sex in the process."
"Mm," Tony answered, and tipped his head in to kiss Kent again. "I like the sound of that last thing." He ran a hand thoughtfully over his back, smoothing up and down his spine. "Here's the thing, though. If this scares her away, or even if it doesn't and we try it out and it ends badly, then you could lose Cate. And I don't want to be the cause of that. Because man, I love a good love story, and I think you two could have one if you wanted it." He watched Kent's face seriously. "So here's what I think. I want to talk to her about you. And if she loves you, then… babe, as great as this is, love is better. I'm not gonna mess it up for you."
There were a thousand arguments cascading through Kent's head, but none of them made as far as his mouth. He knew a losing battle when he saw it, and there just weren't words enough to convince Tony otherwise. Instead, he leaned in and kissed him, nice and deep and slow, only parting long enough to mumble, "we'll see," against his lips before drawing him right back in again.