barnaby 'baz' snell (broadcaster) wrote in disorderic, @ 2017-10-17 22:13:00 |
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The fact that Jeremy had many of the same reservations that Baz did was spectacularly unimportant when he was feeling as annoyed and rejected as he was after their conversation. That he was annoyed that he was so annoyed was only part of the equation — the rest he focused on Baz. If he wanted to forget about the honesty lattes, that was fine! If he wanted to flirt as per usual, that was fine too!! But then there was absolutely no reason why Jeremy shouldn’t make it hard for him, and the pun was fully intended. He had a plan! And the plan started with a run. He couldn’t guarantee that Baz would look out the window (or better yet be outside) when he ran down the street past the BGC residence. But he could at least time it for when he was home. He could also skip a shirt, and circle around the block at least once. It was the least he could do, to start. Fortunately for Jeremy, Baz was outside. He had spent a good chunk of the afternoon hanging up Halloween decorations. He was nursing a coffee when he caught sight of Jeremy. Eyes widening in surprise, his keen gaze flicked up Jeremy’s torso before he choked on his beverage. Several hacking coughs later, he managed to ground out a, “Hey, Jez!” with a little wave. He kept his eyes trained on Jeremy’s face. It would’ve been okay to jokingly give him a once-over before The Latte Incident, but things were different now. The reaction had been more or less what he wanted as Jeremy slowed down, taking a moment to catch his breath before he tried to talk. “Hey,” he greeted with a smile that was, perhaps, half smirk. “You okay?” He rested his arms on the top of his head in a way that was not a stretch but was also definitely a bit of a stretch. Baz told himself to maintain eye contact with Jeremy, but his eyes seemed to have other ideas. He gave Jeremy’s chest and arms another look that lasted a beat too long, drinking in the details. He swallowed against the sudden dryness of his mouth, then took another sip of coffee from his mug before offering Jeremy a weak smile. “I’m fine,” he replied, voice pitched a little higher than usual. He cleared his throat before asking, “How’s your run going?” “Good! I probably shouldn’t stop for too long or my heart rate’s going to drop too much but it’s been good. I’ve been really building up my stamina.” Jeremy let his arms drop back to his sides, watching Baz carefully. “Enjoying the view out here? It’s a nice day.” “Stamina?” Baz repeated stupidly, suddenly feeling uncomfortably warm. He forced himself to laugh, though it sounded nervous and ridiculous to his own ears. “I guess that’s good for the next person you to take to bed.” Barnaby Snell did not blush, yet there was color rising to his cheeks as soon as the words left his mouth. Not particularly interested in wondering about the next person Jeremy would take to bed, he swiftly tacked on, “And it is a nice day! Great day.” His gaze landed on Jeremy’s chest. “Great view.” To his credit, Jeremy didn't blush himself, though he definitely felt the need to shift a bit under the gaze, rocking back on his heels. "Yeah, whomever he is, I don't think he'll be disappointed." He let the statement linger for a moment before running his hand through his hair with a laugh. "Anyway! I should keep going before things cool off too much. I'll see you later." He didn’t wait for a response before he turned and headed back down the street, mildly annoyed that he didn’t have eyes in the back of his head to watch the reaction. Under normal circumstances, Baz would’ve called after Jeremy with a joke about watching him walk away. But Baz was silent as he stared at his friend’s retreating figure, determined to ignore the weighty disappointment lining his ribcage. He would need to spike what was left of his coffee. It was turning out to be that kind of day. After five strong drinks, Baz was a little wobbly on his feet. There was a sixth drink on the end table next to the sofa, but he was just sober enough to realize now was not the best time to get totally pissed around Jeremy. He was just drunk enough to ignore the thick tension in the air, and he laughed as he tossed a controller into Jeremy’s laugh. Everything was normal and fine. They were just going to play video games. He was still laughing as he sank onto the sofa, mindful to keep a healthy distance between Jeremy and himself. “I’m going to kick your ass, Dearborn. I’m the reigning drunk Mario Kart champion, you know.” Jeremy didn’t know if being sober was a help or a hindrance in this situation, but he did know that it meant he was acutely aware of the new wave of annoyance he had towards certain public comments that had been made recently. It was fine, though! So was the stupid amount of space Baz was insisting on having between them! He made a show of stretching, because that was certainly needed before settling in properly to a game, before picking up the controller. (It was not his best effort, Jeremy knew, but he was doing the best with what he had.) “Are you? Because I’m pretty sure you’re going to be watching my ass as I zoom ahead of you.” Baz’s laugh was a little too loud as he arched an eyebrow. “How is that any different from usual?” he asked, smirking a little as he swiveled his body toward Jeremy’s. Thanks to the alcohol, his demeanor was relaxed and unwound, though some part of him felt like that wasn’t a good thing. Not when he was with Jeremy. Still, he kept his gaze on Jeremy, glancing away only to use his controller to start up the game, and the bright, cheerful music of Mario Kart filled the room. “I’m always watching your ass.” “You should, it’s a great ass.” Jeremy met his gaze and held it, almost a challenge to see how long it would take before Baz broke it. “I’ll make a point to walk in front of you more often.” A few beats passed before Baz’s gaze cut away to the television scream. Swallowing hard, his mouth curved into a faint smile. “You do that. You’re not going to hear me complain about it.” Then, abruptly, “So do you want to do one of the ice levels with the penguins?” The abruptness of the topic change made Jeremy laugh before he could stop himself, but it sounded louder and more absurd than he meant it to. “Sure,” he said, giving Baz a long look before glancing back at the television screen. “Pick whatever level you want really.” There was another beat before he looked back again. “Are you going to drink that?” he asked, gesturing towards drink number six. “I probably shouldn’t,” Baz admitted, letting his controller rest in his lap before he reached for the drink. He took one quick sip before he held it out for Jeremy. “It’s rum and coke, if that’s your thing.” “It’s not not my thing,” Jeremy said, reaching for the glass. Any “accidental” brushing of fingers was absolutely deliberate, although he did his best not to make it obvious. It only sort of worked though, and there was a definite hint of a smirk that he tried to hide behind the glass. Baz’s eyes widened as he jerked his hand back, his stomach lurching. This was bad. This was very bad. His fingers felt as if they had been burned by a brand. A thought occurred to Baz a moment later and he gave Jeremy a sidelong look. His eyes were sharp and full of speculation. “I’m onto you, you know.” “Oh?” Jeremy looked back at him with a feigned innocence that was ultimately betrayed by the very large gulp of rum and coke that sent him into an unfortunate coughing fit. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he managed eventually. Baz adorned his smile with all the charm at his command as he shifted closer, smoothly sliding his hand up Jeremy’s thigh. “Healer Dearborn, are you trying to seduce me?” He ignored the way his own heart was thundering in his chest as he leaned closer. “Because you can’t out-seduce me. I’m very good.” Jeremy blinked. And then he blinked again, because he thought that perhaps he’d died briefly or entered an alternative universe that he hadn’t been quite prepared for. He felt very warm (his cheeks were probably betraying him), and it definitely wasn’t just the alcohol that he’d nearly choked on. He cleared his throat before leaning in slightly — there was still space but not a lot of it. “Are you? Because like two minutes ago you were acting afraid to touch me.” A faint flush crept over Baz’s features as he held Jeremy’s gaze. Jeremy’s eyes, he realized, were very dark and very focused, and he found himself unable to look away. “That’s because it was a bad idea,” he replied in a low, rough voice. “I mean, it is a bad idea. I just want you to know—” Baz paused long enough to make a show of licking his lips. “—I’m better at this than you are.” And with that, he pulled back, settling back against the sofa as he reached for his controller. He seemed amused and at ease, but his heart refused to beat at a sensible pace. Jeremy slowly leaned back into the sofa, quelling the simultaneous urges to both punch and kiss Barnaby Snell. But he decided Baz didn’t deserve the latter, and the former wouldn’t be as satisfying as he wanted it to be. No, instead he was just going to have to double down on the plan. This was all fine! He shrugged, picking up his own controller and feigning a coolness that he definitely didn’t feel. “No, Baz,” he said simply, “I don’t think you are.” A (small) part of him was irritated enough that Jeremy didn’t want anything to do with Barnaby Snell. The rest of him, however, was really game to go out drinking, and he was glad when Baz agreed. The bar was busier than usual, the sort of crowded that meant having to weave through groups of people just to get a drink and required standing closer to the people you were with than might be otherwise ideal. Jeremy figured this was definitely something he could work with. “What do you want?” he asked, leaning in closely. He gestured towards the bar. “Rum and coke,” Baz replied easily. Now that his mind wasn’t clouded by alcohol, his proximity to Jeremy brought on warring impulses. He tried to inconspicuously take a step backward, but he found himself colliding into an extremely drunk young woman who was arguing with her boyfriend. He quickly muttered an apology and stepped back into Jeremy’s sphere. Jeremy smelled good, he realized. This was not something he wanted to acknowledge. “Make sure they don’t forget the lime,” he added, forcing himself to smile. “Well sure, that’d be terrible.” Jeremy offered an easy smile of his own, taking a step towards the bar only to be accidentally pushed by a very drunk couple that suddenly decided now was the time to enthusiastically make out. The fact that he found himself stumbling into Baz was not entirely intended, but the fact that he probably could’ve steadied himself without grabbing Baz’s arm was really not the point! “Or I guess the lime can wait.” Baz glanced down at the hand on his arm, internally cursing himself as his pulse started racing. He didn’t want to look at Jeremy (except, well, he very much wanted to look at Jeremy), so his attention swiveled to the couple in front of them. He scoffed as he rolled his eyes, absently reaching out to grab Jeremy’s shoulder. “I’ve been there but I still feel entitled to judge them for being obnoxious,” he complained, eyes narrowed as he looked at the couple. Meanwhile, his hand lingered on Jeremy’s shoulder. Which was something Jeremy was acutely aware of, his own pulse picking up speed. But he too looked at the couple for a moment. “It’s always easy to judge when it’s not you,” he said, before glancing up at Baz. “But being overcome with the intense need to make out isn’t really the worst place to be.” “Oh, no?” Baz asked, lifting an eyebrow. Against his better judgment — this was still a bad idea! — he offered Jeremy his most disarming smile as his hand slowly trailed down his arm. “Does that happen to you often?” “A time or two,” Jeremy replied, meeting Baz’s eyes and holding the gaze. A moment later he leaned forward, almost as if he were finally going to kiss him only to turn his head at the last moment, his lips ending up next to Baz’s ear instead. “But not right now.” He pulled away with a satisfied grin, giving Baz’s arm a squeeze. “I’m going to go get those drinks.” The sensation of Jeremy’s breath on his ear caused Baz to go still. He stopped blinking, stopped breathing, stopped thinking, like a machine that was abruptly powered down. A few beats passed before he remembered how to move, and his next exhale was almost a laugh. “Yeah, you do that, you tease.” It was time to deal with the Jeremy problem. Barnaby Snell had his impulsive moments, but this was a decision he had put a considerable amount of thought into. His friends didn’t seem to think it was a good idea, but Baz was convinced it was the right solution to the awkward and immensely frustrating snag in his friendship with Jeremy. “Jez, it’s me,” he called out, sitting on the edge of the couch and twisting his hands together. He was practically vibrating with nervous energy, but he felt a pleasant spark of anticipation in his stomach, too. “Don’t bother getting decent if you’re not decent, it won’t matter one way or another.” “That’s a really weird thing to say?” Jeremy remarked, walking in from the other room and crossing his arms over his chest as he took a long look at Baz. He wasn’t sure whether he was glad or not glad to be fully clothed. “Why doesn’t it matter?” “Because I’ve put a lot of thought into it and I think we should have sex,” Baz declared. He looked up at Jeremy with a very serious expression. “Just once. Just to get it out of our systems, you know?” Jeremy stared at Baz, almost not believing what he’d just heard. In fact, maybe he hadn’t really heard it at all. Maybe he’d hallucinated! Or maybe he was dreaming? Except any dreams involving this topic had a way sexier lead in. This was just weird and vaguely clinical. He opened his mouth at least twice to reply before closing it every time, finding himself surprisingly at a loss for words. Finally he started to laugh. “Yeah, okay. Sure,” he said, deciding that this couldn’t really be serious. It was revenge for his own passive aggressive revenge or something. It had to be. “Brilliant!” Baz replied brightly, clapping his hands together in satisfaction. He rubbed both of his palms on his thighs before rising to his feet, crossing the room in quick, purposeful strides. His face was very close to Jeremy’s as he murmured, “We’re intelligent and mature adults. This isn’t going to be a problem.” His gaze snagged on Jeremy’s mouth as he tugged him forward by the front of his shirt, his other hand rising to rest on the nape of his neck as he kissed him hard and insistently. Now this was neither weird nor vaguely clinical, and Jeremy would have been surprised if he were in the position to think about much of anything at all. But he wasn’t. He was too focused on returning the kiss just as hard and insistently, his hands slipping under the hem of Baz’s shirt as he tugged him closer. If he had any stray doubts about whether or not they ought to have sex, they were brushed aside in favor of removing clothing. Making sure Baz’s shirt found an appropriate place on the floor suddenly seemed so much more important. They broke apart long enough for Jeremy to pull his shirt off, but Baz immediately leaned in for another hungry kiss. He released his grip on Jeremy’s shirt in order to get his hands in Jeremy’s hair, raking and tugging, venting weeks of pent up want and need. He surged closer, kissing a sensitive spot beneath Jeremy’s jaw as he steered him in the direction of the bedroom door. He was almost operating on autopilot, but one pressing thought loomed out of the fog clouding his mind. “Just this one time,” he said breathlessly, more to himself than anything else. “Just this one time,” Jeremy agreed, although the words and their meaning barely registered as he caught Baz’s mouth again with his own and pulled him hard through the bedroom door. “Soooo,” Jeremy said softly, turning his head to look at Baz and taking his very obvious time in studying every bit of exposed skin. By the time his eyes reached Baz’s face again, he’d concluded that he rather liked the look of the other man in his bed, and the flaw in the whole plan was starting to become painfully clear. “That was getting it out of our systems then?” There was no immediate response from Baz. He was trying to commit this moment to memory, as if lying beside Jeremy with sweat-slicked skin and tangled sheets was going to be one of the highlights of his life. As he reached over to absentmindedly trace patterns across Jeremy’s chest, he was struck by the absurdity of his initial proposal. He wasn’t satisfied with just this, he wanted more. But that was not the responsible thing to do. “Yeah,” he said after a long moment, fingers still skating across Jeremy’s skin. “We definitely can’t do that again. You know, for the sake of our friendship.” “Right. Sure,” Jeremy replied, but he wasn’t the least bit sure. The idea of things going back to some degree of normal felt even less possible than it did before and all the objections that he’d had (and mostly ignored) seemed less important suddenly. It definitely didn’t feel out of his system. He reached up, capturing Baz’s hand in his own. “So we should definitely not have sex again, right?” “No, definitely not,” was Baz’s firm response, even as his heart skipped giddily in his chest. He found himself leaning into Jeremy, mouth skimming over his the lobe of his ear, his jaw, his neck. Then he pulled back a few degrees, gazing at him with an uncharacteristically open expression. He opened and closed his mouth. “I mean, unless you’re up for it,” he said, in a voice of realization. There was a moment as Jeremy just looked back at Baz, meeting his eyes and holding the gaze. He thought about replying, about suggesting that maybe they really did need to talk about this, before he leaned forward and kissed him, softer and less insistent than before but no less wanting. He thought that would convey how up for it he was. The kiss spun out long and slow and unhurried. Then Baz shifted suddenly, pushing Jeremy flat on his back and pinning him down as he exhaled a huff of laughter. “All right,” he murmured against Jeremy’s mouth, “Maybe just one more time.” |