Sharing Stories in the Bar Who: Tayne and Dhaval Where: Dhaval's room, then the bar, then the room again When: Late afternoon, early evening
The very last steak of the day, Tayne paid extra attention to. He used every trick he'd learned about cooking them over the course of the afternoon, to make it taste its best, and then he gave the last couple dishes a scrub, put the last few loaves of bread in the fridge and the cupboard respectively, and turned everything off. The eggs had been taken care of, turned once that morning and once that afternoon, taking a break from cooking to get the battery out of a random Toyota in the parking lot, the truck engine had been revved and the space heater charged.
All that was left was his evening of food and drinks with Dhaval.
He brought the chicken-steak plate, along with a warm slice of the last loaf of bread out of his dutch oven, with him to Dhaval's door, and knocked lightly. "Is your door locked?" he called through it, grinning.
"Nope, it's open." Dhaval looked up again from is writing, smiling. He hadn't expected to hear from Tayne until later. Hadn't he gone out adventuring today to bring back necessities and luxuries and feed that inner wandering behemoth? ...Alright, he had to put down the pen and slowly back away from the legal pad. Tayne had only a limited tolerance for Dhaval's flights of fancy, which was quite reasonable. Besides, the story was no less trouble now than it had been when he'd begun, and he was perfectly willing to put it aside. Dhaval backed up from his desk and spun, assuming Tayne would get the door himself.
His fingers were ink-stained and his hair was a bit frizzy from being left to dry in the heavy air after his shower. He looked very much the put-upon scholar, pages of horrible, huge handwritten notes just reinforcing that. He caught the smell of whatever had been cooking and smiled. He'd noticed it several times through the afternoon, and Dhaval loved to smell the progress of a good meal, even if it no longer meant anything to him. He wore a warm smile as he greeted Tayne, the early arrival an unexpected pleasure.
Tayne did, indeed, open the door up on his own. "C'mon, man, you really gotta start lockin' that." But the chide came with a grin, and that plate of food. "Now, I know you don't have to eat... but you still can, right? I thought you might like to try... you know, since you've prob'ly been smelling it all day, right?" The room was pretty much right on the other side of the kitchen and dining room, after all. He offered the plate with a kind of hopeful expression. The chicken-steak had a whiff of oranges to it, as well as sage, and the bread was just simple white bread, since that was the kind of flour he had. The crust on top was dusted with nuts, though, to at least make it more interesting.
It did smell good. Very good. He'd never had issues with the smell of meat, like a lot of vegetarians he knew. But if he dared swallow any, his stomach would hate him. He'd just never developed the enzymes or something. He'd tried to eat meat after the accident, meant to help regrow everything that was broken, and been violently ill (though the amount of medication had certainly helped with that). Dhaval's eyes flickered quickly between the plate and Tayne's face, bracing himself to feel horrible, wondering if it'd be worth it to eat the damn thing. It'd probably taste fine, really, if it was bird. That didn't have the revolting gristly bits and gobs of fat that made red meat so unappetizing. But Tayne would probably feel worse about him vomiting than refusing the meal. "Um, uh, Tayne, I'm a vegetarian... I mean, it looks amazing. I'm sure it is. But... Um, I'll have bread!" Bread would be safe. He was pretty sure. For all he knew his body would reject it all.
The expression on Dhaval's face already boded poorly, before he even spoke, and Tayne winced when he confirmed it aloud. "Aw, hell, Dhav, I... I had no idea. I'm sorry." Well, wasn't that the biggest faux pas you could make, pretty much? Vegetarians, in his experience, were pretty virulent about the whole no-meat thing, and for all he knew now the guy was gonna think he was horrible and cruel to animals or... something.
And here he'd just spent the past half-hour seasoning the damn thing perfectly. Faux pas plus disappointment. Great start for an evening. "At least there's bread, too, yeah... guess I gotta go out and get veggies next time I wanna feed you." Not that he'd probably do it that often, since he couldn't waste resources too much like that, but... still.
He didn't know what to make of seeing Tayne's face fall, but he didn't want it to happen. "I wish I could. That's a masterpiece right there." Dhaval had watched a lot of food network when he was even too tired for blogging back home. "And I've really liked smelling it all day. I was just raised without meat. I never could digest it right..." He twisted a lock of hair between the fingers of his good hand, a sure sign of nervousness. "Um, maybe a bite? I'll live through that. And you can just have the rest." He was really willing to make himself sick to taste Tayne's cooking? Well, made especially for him he was. He thought that was a good compromise. Though he and Tayne were the same height and not even too different in basic build, Dhaval saw the other man as rather large and solid from his seated vantage point, and with a tiger hiding in there somewhere, of course he would be hungry.
Well, okay, that was a little better. Dhaval just couldn't eat it, for health sorts of reasons? That was more than a little better than being a rabid vegan who would be offended by the offer. It was just only a little better overall, since he was still kind of disappointed. "I don't wanna make you sick, man," Tayne said, setting the plate down on the desk, on a rare space not covered in papers. "If that's the thing, then it's no big deal. I mean, I been cookin' for people all day, one person who can't eat it ain't gonna kill me." He'd just wanted Dhaval to enjoy it. If he couldn't enjoy it, it wasn't gonna be the same.
Oh, fantastic. Thanks to his finicky stomach he'd had to put a pallor over their whole evening. Wasn't it funny how he'd started to think of Tayne coming to join him as just what ought to happen, as the business of the later part of the day? Routine could create itself so fast. Especially when pleasant. His eyes flickered to the plate again and he considered insisting, but he doubted very much that the situation would improve. Dhaval couldn't cook, but he'd seen it done enough to know a lot of work had gone into that. He wished he knew if Tayne had poured that much effort into everyone's meal. "Sorry." His eyes turned downward and he was oddly ashamed, though he didn't dare show it for more than that moment. Tayne wouldn't approve. "Um... so that's what you were doing all day? Making the hall smell divine?" Maybe he was exaggerating, but not too much.
"Yeah... had a rather large, uh, monster carcass, and didn't wanna waste the meat, so...." Tayne shrugged, trying to put the food thing behind him. Hard when it was sitting right in front of him, and he couldn't help but smell it. "Besides, it looked stormy all day, and I didn't wanna go out in that again for long enough to do any good, out there. This kept me busy." He paused, debating whether to say something, then suggested, "At least eat the bread. You'll be the first one to taste that, 'sides me, so that's somethin', right?" He grinned a bit.
Dhaval reached over and gave one of the errant curls at the end of Tayne's hair the gentlest little tug. "You don't really have a face for frowning." He wasn't sure why he'd done that. Mostly to know whether such a gesture might feel as nice to give as to receive, which it did. He didn't think he'd soon forget Tayne's soft hair against his fingers. Also just because he could, because he was comfortable enough with Tayne to take action without agonizing. "Good you escaped the storm, anyway. And this smells great, too." He picked up the slice and took a small bite, testing the waters. He really liked the nuttiness and smiled as soon as he swallowed. "Excellent."
The gesture made Tayne blush rather obviously, flustered by a compliment he most certainly hadn't expected, and he looked away with a somewhat sheepish little grin. "Well, uh, thanks...." He picked up the fork, himself, to ease a slice of meat off the whole chicken-steak, for himself. It never worked to have someone eating around him if he wasn't eating. He always had to find something to eat, too, or he just sat and felt hungry, even if he really shouldn't have been hungry. "You like? It's pretty simple, but fresh bread's always better'n store-bought...."
He apparently shouldn't have done that. Though maybe it was fair to make Tayne blush right back? A reaction he had to wonder about. Maybe he just couldn't take a compliment, but at least he was smiling now. "Definitely. Next time you're baking, I can come over and help. I don't have much first-hand kitchen experience, but I watching cooking shows when I'm bored. Might, um, come up with ideas." He'd love to make naan, one thing his mother had insisted he be able to manage so he could back her up during big family dinners, but that was a richer bread, and needed eggs or yogurt to come out properly. Well, they might have eggs eventually. "If we start having monster eggs I'll try and add naan to the, um, repertoire."
"What's naan?" Tayne asked, glad for the subject change and a little curious. Well, okay, more than a little. He liked potential new recepies, if they weren't too hard. Obviously, they were something with eggs, of which they were now very much so out. He'd used the last of them to make the bread he had, now. It was too bad chickens were now probably an extinct species-- you used eggs in so many things! If the monster-birds laid dud eggs, then they'd be set, but he didn't know what they'd do. "And is it hard to make?"
"Oh, um, it's a sort of Indian flatbread." Dhaval felt silly for not explaining. Detroit wasn't exactly known for its East Indian population, and most people weren't too familiar with the culture in general. "If you have proper ingredients, you stuff it with garlic or meat or cheese... Not that we ever did the meat variant, but it works. Tasty, but, um, kind of a luxury food the way things look right now. So it'd be something for, I guess, a sort of special occasion..." September didn't really have any holidays, did it? "And we should, if we can, try and make sure there still are special occasions. People need celebrations... Even if it's just, I don't know, Labor Day? Is that what's next?"
"Do you think anyone will be interested in a party in a week?" Tayne asked with a thoughtful frown, popping another bite of his chicken-steak into his mouth. He really had done a good job with it, if he did say so himself. "Labor Day is... what, the sixth? It's the last day of August today, so... a week." He supposed he could hunt for something, for that day. And gather vegetables, if he could find some. Maybe he'd have to talk to Terry. "I'll make a note of it and see what Terry says. I don't wanna lose track of the days, and holidays, and all that...." It felt like they'd be losing part of civilization, if they did that.
"Something to look forward to would do people good, I bet." Dhaval smiled. "I mean, it's working on me, and I gave you the idea." A party was usually the last place he wanted to be, but Dhaval was determined to continue this making friends thing right along. And at least it was something. Even a very mundane outing could brighten a grim week, he knew from experience. "And if everyone who can tries, um, to work on it a little? There, you've got a reason beyond surviving to do stuff. I bet that'd be nice, too."
Unable to really help it, Tayne smiled, back. He couldn't help but think of Taylor, either, and her innocent, worried question of it was still possible to fall in love. "There's more reasons than just survival to do, already. But I'll talk to Terry about it." And see about those gardens in the meantime. If they were gonna have a party, he wanted to have as much variety of food as possible. "Until then, though, I owe you drinks, don't I?" Since he'd been expecting to take Dhaval out to the bar all afternoon, he'd hope drinks were still on.
"You definitely do." For a given value of owe that basically included wheeling him down the hall and taking some out of a warm fridge. "And in that respect, um, thanks again for the bread. Keep me from drinking on an empty stomach." Dhaval wasn't really a lightweight, particularly, but between the many times he'd been too medicated to dare drink, his tendency toward an alcohol flush reaction (which he supposed he couldn't really blame people for calling the "Asian Glow"), and the fact that he just seemed like a wimp, he'd found it was easier to act like a single beer would leave him tipsy.
"That was part of tbe thought behind bringing you food," Tayne admitted with a chuckle, and forked one more bite of his mama-bird into his mouth before getting up again and brushing off his hands. "We can bring that. Or, well, I can. Since I'll be the only one eating it, but you need to carry it for me." Since Tayne's hands would be full of chair, Dhaval got to be the human cart again. "Ready?"
"Ready." Dhaval picked up the plate and let it rest on his lap. He didn't mind being the cart. It was one way to be useful. He wanted to dip his finger into the orangey juice pooling around the steak, which couldn't possibly be enough to upset his stomach, but that was terrible as table manners went, even if there was no table to be seen. "Well, let's be off, then." It seemed a bit irresponsible to be drinking, but Tayne seemed to do everything around here. He deserved a break. And Dhaval was... tagging along.
If that was bad table manners, apparently Tayne's were awful, since he'd do that sort of thing in a heartbeat. "All right, then. Make sure you have your key, cuz I'm gonna lock the door." He came around behind Dhaval to push him towards the door, only pausing if he didn't have his key, and needed to grab it. "So have you had alcohol before? I mean, I know you said you never did the bar thing, but...." He couldn't remember if he'd said he hadn't really been drinking at all.
Dhaval made a point of pulling his key from his pocket to display before he tucked it away again. He doubted he'd get properly in the habit of locking, however touching Tayne's concern. He laughed a bit at the question. "I, um, am twenty-six, you know. I don't like bars, but, well, I'd hang out and have beers with my dad or cousins whenever I wasn't on medication that made it a bad idea." Tayne apparently thought of him as quite an innocent. Which was sort of sweet. "Little bit of a beer snob, actually." He doubted the hotel would have Kingfisher. That was kind of an obscure one. Well, there were alternates. He usually liked Mexican imports.
"Hey, just had to check," Tayne chuckled. Good, at least he wouldn't be completely new to the flavor and sensation of alcohol. That was sometimes hard, for a first-timer, to convince them to keep at it. "I think I'm the opposite of a beer snob. I'll drink whatever's handy, even if it tastes like piss." He paused. "Well, okay, maybe not that bad of beers. I've got a little taste." As soon as they were past the door, Tayne half-turned to make sure that, yes, it was locked, before he let it fall closed and they were on their way again. He was too much in the habit of protecting his shit from theives to let Dhaval's be left unsafe.
"Well, at least that's not necessary. This place has, well, at least some pretensions to being fancy, and with no bar tab, you can get yourself something dark and imported." Though it would still be warm. Dhaval understood that warm beer had been enjoyed for millenia, but that didn't do anything for his own spoiled taste buds. He'd just have to deal. Between his throbbing finger, his troublesome story, and the end of the world, he needed just a little unhealthy escapism. "Nothing like getting smashed on an award winning microbrew." Not that he had any experience as such. Dhaval had never really been more than a bit tipsy. One didn't want to get disgracefully drunk in front of parents, usually.
Given Tayne's work, history, and general lifestyle, he got disgracefully drunk on many occasions. It was actually something of a favored passtime. "Hell, I don't think I've ever had anything dark and imported. I guess there's a first time for everything, huh?" The bar really wasn't very far, and they were almost there already. "Even if it's after everything goes to pot. So you actually willing to get smashed, man, or are you just gonna be a good boy and only drink a beer or two?" He grinned down and a little bit around at Dhaval, so Dhaval could see it.
"I guess we'll have to see how palatable warm beer turns out to be. I think I could stand to be smashed." Tayne seemed to like the idea, anyway, if his word choice was any indication. Dhaval for a moment flashed back to D.A.R.E. in fifth grade and considered teasingly bringing up the evils of peer pressure. He wasn't sure how universal an experience it was to have Officer Bob and Darren the mascot lion come talk to you about the evils of beer and pot. He'd just let that one lie. He tried to return the grin, wondering what he'd actually be like properly drunk. Tipsy, he got a bit giggly and had less control over keeping strange things from escaping his mind and coming out his mouth. Hopefully just more of that?
"Awesome. Then I won't have to be a good boy, either." Though it was probably stupid, right then and there, to want to get good and drunk, Tayne didn't care. It was ths first time in over a week he'd so much as touched alcohol, and he wanted to have a good time, for once. He'd dealt with hangover's before, and it surely couldn't be worse with a tiger in him, right? He'd just need to eat, drink a lot of water, and sleep in late. "At least it's not far to either of our rooms. I figure I could get you back to yours easy." And if he had to shift tiger to get up the stairs to his, well, four feet were more steady than two, right? He stopped at the doors to the fancy pub and let Dhaval open it up.
"And no worries. I can sleep in my chair just fine. You won't have to try and haul me into bed if you're already tipping over." Dhaval covered his mouth and laughed softly, imagining a wobbly, off-kilter Tayne. Oh, now he had to see that. Dhaval pushed open the doors. He'd been before with Taylor for normal drinks. Behind the bar was too close for him to move easily. He could probably manage, but not easily. Well, he'd let Tayne actually grab things. There were still bar and dessert menus lying out and Dhaval picked one up as they entered. "Here. Pick the most ridiculous sounding or expensive thing on here and try it. Might as well, right?"
So far, Tayne had only been in here long enough to poke around, and hadn't even tried any of the beers. He glanced over the menu in Dhaval's hand as he found them a table right next to the entrance to the bar proper, one low enough for Dhaval to actually sit at. "All right. I'll go get us a variety from the back." He parked Dhaval and headed back behind the counter. "Any requests in particular, while I'm back here?"
"If you see Kingfisher, but I doubt it. Um, I tend to like the Mexican beers. Tecate or Dos Equis? And Guinness is good." He really was a beer snob, wasn't he? He sounded ridiculous. "I sound like either a doofus or an alcoholic, don't I? Well, a refined alcoholic, at least." Dhaval tended not to get interested in things by halves, and as soon as his father had convinced him to acquire a taste for beer, he'd gone exploring. He leaned on the table, chin in hands and elbows propped, watching Tayne.
Rummaging around in the fridge under the bar, Tayne said, "I got a couple Kingfisher, actually! No Tecate... plenty of G-G-- however you say that one." He started getting out cans and bottles, both, and set them on the bartop, within a few steps of the table. "Ah, score, there's Sam Adams!" That and Guinness, mixed, were actually Tayne's drink of choice-- a black and tan. Cans of that joined the beer on the bartop.
Dhaval had to laugh again. When had he last actually laughed? It was nice. "You're going to empty out the bar at that rate, Tayne." He looked like a kid in a toystore. Dhaval didn't think rabid enthusiasm for getting wasted was supposed to be cute, but Tayne managed to make it that way. He found himself using that word a lot when he thought about Tayne. Well, even if it wasn't the first thing to leap to mind, he simply was cute, and no help for it, the same way he was sweet, and no matter how tough he was it wouldn't change.
"Huh?" Tayne straightened a little to look at the number of beers and ales he'd brought up, and he made a face. "Yeah, I suppose we probably shouldn't drink that much, huh? Well-- Kingfisher for you, Sam Adams for me, I guess." He started putting most of the Guinness back, leaving out one or two for Dhaval once his only two Kingfishers. "There's wine coolers and vodka and shit, but I think we'll stick to beer. We don't need hard stuff." Besides, they were both more used to beer. They could down more without getting really drunk.
"Harder on your stomach, or at least mine." Hard liquor didn't sit very well with him. "But that looks about right." Four beers? Well, he doubted he'd be anything one could call smashed, but he'd be entertainingly silly, and it would probably at least be enough to dull the slow throbbing in his finger. At least opening bottles was a simple enough task that he could get both hands on it unhindered, popping open a kingfisher for a long, slow sip. The warmth wasn't so bad, really. The taste was stronger, and that was interesting. "This was a good idea." Even if he'd be turning red within minutes. Well, he couldn't help that.
"I'm glad I had it, then," Tayne said with a teasing sort of grin, coming back around and getting the rest of the beers within grabbing range. Some of them, he took with him to the table, and settled down at the chair kitty-corner to Dhaval's. "Maybe you can let me taste your fancy Kingfisher, too. I've never even heard of those, to be honest." He popped his own Sam Adams open and took a quick swig. It was a little like a taste of home, comfortable familiarity.
"Yeah, you're not exactly indulging in the exotic there. Here." He pushed the bottle across the table. "Go ahead. It's not really the world's best beer or anything, but it was my dad's favorite, and it's sort of an inherited habit. I do like it, yes, but don't get your hopes up for the world's best." He wondered how many bottles were left in Detroit. Maybe he should only have one of the bottles now and save the others. Stick to Guinness for now. "Tastes like home, you know?"
"That's why I like the Sam Adams," Tayne agreed, smiling, and he took a quick swig of the bottle, swishing it around thoughtfully before swallowing. "Huh. Think I like mine better, but thanks for letting me try. It's your favorite, after all." He wrinkles his nose teasingly at Dhaval, then went for another sip of the Sam Adams. "My dad got me into this stuff. My brother was never a drinker, so I picked up all the bad traits of it, from my dad, instead of him."
"I guess having an extra person or two to take some of the issues on would have been helpful. I'm very much an only child." Dhaval shrugged. "In every way. Older parents, difficult pregnancy for my mom, not a chance of another one to come. So all the family flak fell on me." He didn't really mind. As a child he'd been a bit annoyed, but in retrospect, where else were his parents' hopes and aspirations going to go? He only wished he could have managed to be the son his father had wanted, and they'd found ways to get along later on.
"What, you mean you weren't completely spoiled?" Tayne asked, grinning over the rim of his can. "Sorry to hear you didn't have any brothers or sisters, but you were probably better off-- no fighting over seats in the car, no screaming fights, nothin' like that." He thought back on his family fondly, and tried not to think of where they were now. "I got one of each-- brother and sister. Or... had. Got no clue where they are now...."
Dhaval let a few heartbeats pass, enough to acknowledge the missing and unknown. At least he was pretty sure of what had become of his parents. If they weren't dead, they were as good as. He hadn't managed to try contacting all his uncles and cousins, but if he had to guess, he would bet they weren't among the survivors. Then again, he certainly shouldn't be. "Enough cousins to make up for it, though." He took another sip. Yup, tasted just like warm evenings in front of an old war movie, the house still smelling of Mom's cooking. "My dad was one of five boys." He was trying to edit verb tenses out of his statements. Dhaval was very aware of the power of words.
He missed one of his verb tenses, and Tayne looked down at his ale with a sad sort of expression. "Suppose we really shouldn't wonder where they are...." He could probably drive himself crazy, thinking about it. He hadn't actually seen any of them in years, except for that one time his brother stopped by one of his jobs to say hello, with his kids. Even that was a year ago. As much as he'd have liked to think they were all okay, it just wasn't likely. Maybe one of them was okay, but all of them? He hadn't wanted to think about it.
"Maybe we shouldn't. But we will. Hard to talk oneself out of... basic human reactions. We're curious and the people we love are..." Dhaval stopped. That sort of thing was easy enough to write. When Dhaval wrote for a character in a state of high emotion, he fell right into that person, wound up crying or laughing or enamored along with his creations. But it was still very different when it was his own parents he was mourning. He took a much longer swig. Drinking to get past bad memories was a bad idea. He didn't care.
Tayne hadn't even gotten to mourning yet; he was barely at acknowledging, to be perfectly frank. "Maybe getting good and drunk will help," he mused, looking thoughtfully at the bottle Dhaval was drinking from. "Time-honored tradition, and all. My dad'd probably do the same thing." What would the rest do? He could hardly imagine his brother grieving at all. His sister would go hunting monsters and probably go out in a blaze of glory. His mother... his poor mother, he almost hoped she was gone. She wasn't equipped for this kind of life.
Dhaval's mind was similarly occupied. His father had never stopped being a soldier, despite the factory and office jobs. He'd supposedly entrusted the gun to Dhaval, but he knew full well there were several more in the house. Still fitting in the uniform he'd worn at twenty, dad would have defended the house against all comers. Mom? She was tougher, if anything, fierce and wild, if not one for firearms. Probably stand against the tide with a broom handle, and snap the necks of all her cats herself without crying. Dhaval raised his eyes and looked straight at Tayne. "Yeah, I think you're right." He took another long drink.
After about two hours of sharing family anecdotes, dwelling on worries and fears, and steadily working their way through the beer fridge, Tayne decided they'd had enough. Mostly, actually, because he couldn't get his next beer open. It'd been a long time since the last he lost that kind of fine coordination due to alcohol, and after a moment of frustration at the lack, he gave in to the inevitable. "Think thassit for me," he said. "An' if thassit for me, tha' means thassit for you. C-c-cuz I gotta take you back. Can' j-jus' leave you here." Some of his verbal control had obviously gone, too.
Dhaval wasn't nearly so far gone. He'd enjoyed his first two beers and then switched to the less tasty, knowing he wasn't appreciating it anymore. The numbed pain in his finger and the increasing sensation of floaty contentment were nice, and so was talking to Tayne. He was sure to follow everything the other man told him. He might not hear these stories again, might not have this chance to find out about Tayne. Dhaval was quiet, head resting on arms folded on the table. "Mmm... don't, um... don't try and stand up too fast... Okay?" His accent was heavier than usual and his voice even softer, almost a whisper. He was still upset, but in a very calm, cold way.
The accent was kind of attractive. But then, so was most of Dhaval, except for the being stuck in a chair part. At least he wasn't paralyzed, that would just suck.
Dragging his brain away from potential thoughts of what lack of paralyzation was good for, Tayne set the last bottle aside and said, "I've been d-drunker than this. B-but no' offen. I'll be careful. G-gotta get you back t'yer room. Can't do that if I've fallen down, righ'?" Even with all that steak in him. How much had he had...? Trying to count the empty bottles and cans would be useless, in the state he was in, so he didn't even try. Instead, he grinned a bit and, using the table to steady himself, stood up slowly.
The world only spun a little bit. Apparently while fine motor control was going, at least he still had gross motor control. Mostly.
"I, um, don't know what the hurry is..." Dhaval's fingers traced the wood grain aimlessly, smiling faintly. The sense of weightlessness was lovely and he didn't especially want to move. That might spoil the effect or make him more dizzy than floaty, and that would be a shame. "I might have... have to just get you back, the way you're looking." He smiled more broadly and even laughed, not bothering to cover his mouth. He wasn't sure what was funny. "But you're still going to take me back, aren't you? ...Cus you're like that."
Snickering, too, though he had even less idea of what was so funny, Tayne said, "'Course I am. Not gonna j-j-jus' leave you here. 'Sides, you g-g-got a nice ch-chair f'me to lean on. Almos' as good's walls." He tried a tentative step, didn't fall down, and put his hand on the bartop instead for further support. "Though I d-dunno what else you said. G-g-get me back? How'm I lookin'?" Because at the moment, he wasn't sure, again, whether he was being propositioned, or whether he was just hearing things. The more innocent, and probably intended, meaning didn't even come through to him.
"Well, um, uh... I mean, if you tip over... and you kind of look like you should... Maybe. I don't mean should. I mean you might. And then I could just catch you. Because... fact is, um, I wouldn't mind. I just figured out you're not actually bigger than me." Tayne sitting across from him was a rather different perception than Tayne rushing around tending to whatever he saw awry in the world. "If, um, you lean on it too much? It'll fall. It can go backward." It hadn't happened in years, but boy did he hate that. "So I'd catch you, I guess."
"I'd be way t-t-too heavy for you," Tayne said. "Though it'd be k-kinda funny to see you t-t-try." He managed a couple steps without the bar, turned around, and quite promptly fell on his ass as soon as he tried to change direction. And, of course, started laughing. "Oh, g-g-g-god.... I am so drunk. I'm sorry. We were bein' all serious. And I fell d-d-down. And now I'm laughing. I'm sorry."
"We weren't being serious..." Dhaval shook his head very slowly so as not to lose his place in the world entirely. "Not just then. We were just being. Everything's all stripped away." Oh, he was doing that, wasn't he? Oops. Well, Tayne didn't mind. " And you wouldn't be too heavy. If I brake, well, I can lift plenty heavy stuff. And I probably owe you some help, uh, moving around." He pulled back from the table and moved over to Tayne, holding out his hands. "I'll, um, give you a boost."
"Jus' being. I k-k-k-kinda like that." Tayne considered the idea for a moment, or tried to since his mind wasn't really in the right place to consider much of anything for very long, but was predictably distracted by the hands in his face. He blinked a few times. "Nobody's d-d-d-doing any breaking," he said, firmly. "And if I g-g-g-grab those, w-won't you just come t-tumbling right out?" And into his lap. Which was a kind of appealing notion-- only not in the middle of the bar where people might walk in at any time. Even drunk, Tayne automatically guarded against people potentially finding out.
"If I engage my brake, silly. It's alright. Words get away from me, too. They're slippery. Don't like to behave..." He blinked a few times, reminding himself where he was. "See?" He reached down and flipped the lever, locking his chair in place. "Now you won't pull me around." His eyes flicked to the curls around Tayne's face, the funny little springs and cowlicks at the end of his long hair. He wished he could think of a reason to touch that soft hair again. "Or out of my chair. You won't pull me. Don't worry." Dhaval smiled. "Let me help you up."
"If yer sure...." Though he couldn't see how he wouldn't be levering Dhaval right out of his chair, unless the guy was strapped in or bracing himself some other way, Tayne only gave him one more dubious look before taking the offered hands, getting one foot under him, and trying to pull himself to his feet.
Dhaval was careful of his bad finger. He didn't want it to get any worse. He wrapped his hands around Tayne's wrists. "I got you," he promised softly. Tayne had given him so many hands up. He could do this. Perhaps his alcohol-addled mind was ascribing way too much importance to this, but he he didn't care. His leg faintly protested as he dug his heel into the floor, making sure he was steady. "See, not too heavy."
Given Dhaval's height, the highest Tayne could really get to with his hands for help was to his knees, but hey, he got there. He gave Dhaval a bright, though kind of fuzzy, smile. "Guess not! Halfway there, anyhow." And he stayed there for a minute, looking at Dhaval with his head slightly canted to one side. It was a nice view, after all, and a bit novel since he was at a different level than usual. "Hey, I'm shorter than you, now."
"That's nice. I never see the top of anyone's head." Without his permission, he reached out to ruffle Tayne's hair. So soft. He wanted to keep his hand there, but he wasn't that drunk. He didn't know if there was a that drunk. He liked it when Tayne smiled, and that made it not quite so unpleasant to pull his hand back again. "You can just stay there. You know, if you like. While you figure out standing the rest of the way." Tayne could stay in his lap as long as he wanted.
Tayne folded his arms across Dhaval's knees and grinned at him, eyes half-lidded and breath definitely smelling of beer and ale. "I c-c-could just use th'arms of your ch-chair. Or your knees. But that might hurt, so I won't d-do that one. You c-could ruffle my hair 'gain if you wanna. Nobody ever t-touches my hair." Okay, maybe he wasn't quite as guarded as usual... just mostly.
He should have said no, but it was pretty hair. Dhaval didn't think he'd ever touched anyone else's hair, but he'd always liked the idea in an abstract way, in those very vague fantasies he'd let himself have when he was very lonely, tired, just unguarded. Dhaval was rather a natural Buddhist, good at putting desires away where they couldn't bother him.
But Tayne had pretty, soft hair, and he wanted to touch. He reached out again, entangling his fingers in Tayne's hair. So soft. "My knees might hurt." He smiled. "But my chair is fine. It's only part of me a little." Wow, he was a philosophical drunk. He really had to take his hand out of Tayne's hair. Sometime.
"Mmmm." Tayne shut his eyes and let his head fall forward, bumping into Dhaval's chest as the other guy ran his fingers through his hair. It was marvelous, and quite liable to make him not want to move for... a long time. "You c-can stop that in a y-year or so...." That was about as coherent as he was gonna get. This was probably a very bad idea, but he wasn't thinking too clearly at the moment. "You smell g-good." That probably shouldn't've come out. Oops.
Oh, this felt good. He started to explain to himself that the tiger in Tayne liked to be petted, but he didn't even bother to finish the thought. "You have lovely hair." The closeness let Tayne's warmth press against his skin, causing a tingle not unlike sunlight. Though he thought it might have more than one source. He'd never been so close to anyone outside family, certainly not a handsome, sweet man who'd gone to so much trouble to help him. His fingers slid through Tayne's hair and his other arm wrapped around Tayne's shoulders. "And, um, you too..."
It was probably more the closeted gay man who liked the petting, but Tayne wasn't splitting hairs at this point, himself. He wasn't even rationalizing. He made another little "mmrr" noise in the back of his throat, nuzzled into Dhaval's stomach a little, and sighed contentedly.
Then a beat later he realized just what the hell he was doing and pulled back sharply. "Shit... I-- sorry. I... shit." He fell back on his heels, kneeling but no longer right in Dhaval's lap, face bright red.
Dhaval leaned in a little more at that noise, wrapping his arm a little tighter, inhaling deeply. He might not have a tiger's nose, but he liked the smell of Tayne, the softness of his hair, the erratic little curls. He liked that sound and he wanted to hear it again. His fingers began to tighten into Tayne's hair, and he pulled by accident when Tayne pulled back.
Dhaval's eyes widened. Oh, no. He hadn't. He covered his mouth, blinking dazedly. Of course Tayne had pulled back. Of course. "Uh..."
"I'm sorry," Tayne said again, babbling a little now and looking supremely embarrassed, almost pained by it. "I'm not... I'm j-just drunk. I don't mean to-- I mean, I d-d-didn't mean-- shit, I--" He took a shaky breath, swallowed the faint threat of throwing up in the back of his throat-- panic on top of drunkenness was not a good combination for the stomach, and put his hands to his head. "D-d-didn't mean to... fuck. Usually so fuckin' c-c-careful. I won't d-do it ag-g-gain. P-promise."
"I, um, I'm sorry." He meant to look away, but he couldn't turn away from Tayne. His eyes fastened onto the other man's lips. Oh, damn it, he wanted to kiss Tayne. He'd never let himself get close enough, think enough to entertain the possibility of... Dhaval wasn't one for babbling. He tended to seize up, want to run away or hide. But if he didn't say the right thing, if he didn't make this better, he didn't think he'd see Tayne again. "I didn't mean to, I... I..." He wanted to pull Tayne back to him. "I've never... It hasn't come up that I'm..." Never letting himself like anyone made his sexuality not matter.
"Y-y-y-you didn't? Fuck--" Tayne laughed, a little shakily, a little incredulously, unable to believe what he was hearing. "I'm the one fallin' all o'er you, and you t-t-t-try to 'p-'p-'p-'pologize? I'm g-g-g-g-gay, Dhav." It came out, to his own amazement, and then he was babbling even further, almost laughing again, though he kind of wanted to cry, too. "Fruity. Totally fuckin' flaming. Except, you know, not very flaming, since I'm not really-- l-l-l-like th-that." He didn't exactly go around in pink and lisping and... whatever stereotypical gay folks did. He didn't even know.
He thought it was something to apologize for. Running his hands through Tayne's hair, clutching him tightly, wanting to kiss him... And not regretting that at all. Yes, he was drunk. But before he could say that, Tayne had blurted out what Dhaval hadn't even entertained a thought of hoping for. He hadn't even wondered. Why would he bother? Tayne was... Dhaval swallowed once, blinked, stared for a moment. He couldn't be. Really? "Tayne..." The name was about all he could manage before he reached over and very timidly ran his fingers down Tayne's cheek.
Tayne wasn't even looking at Dhaval, so the stare, as unexpected as it might've been, went largely unnoticed. He was too busy palming his eyes and trying to keep from breaking down-- the combination of drunkenness, the sad subject matter from before, and the embarrassment, he figured with a kind of unhappy detachment-- to look up until something touched his cheek. Then he jerked his head up, startled, and nearly fell over again. "What?" he asked, his voice shaky.
Dhaval froze up for a second. What was he supposed to say? This was a lot easier than it would have been sober, certainly. He wouldn't have been able to move possessed of his usual timidity. His hands seemed to know more than he did about how to proceed, stopping with his palm against Tayne's cheek. He hated to see his friend look so upset. The situation had to be assuaged. Sober, Dhaval would have had to wonder whether he mattered, or whether he was just the only male amenable, whether making decisions and revealing secrets at night and on the spur of the moment was a good idea, but as it was, he just had to make this better. All the eloquence he'd ever poured out on a page completely failed him, and all he could manage was, "Me, too."
"You-- huh?" Tayne blinked a few times, trying to connect the "me, too" with the situation. Him, too, what? Him, too.... There was still a hand on his face, it was... still touching him, less in a gripping fashion, but-- oh. Oh. "You mean the whole... g-g-g-gay thing?" he asked, staring a little, hardly able to compute it, with his own emotions going haywire and the alcohol still clouding him up so badly.
"Yeah." Dhaval wasn't able to blush any more than he was already. The alcohol had left him quite pink. But he would have. Even following Tayne's admission, that was the closest he'd ever gotten to saying it. Or caring. When no one was interested in you and you were interested in no one, what did it matter who you weren't dating? He couldn't convince himself to pull his hand back. The delicious warmth of contact held him in place. How on earth had this happened? And so quickly? And how would kissing Tayne affect the situation? He decided not to find out. If you had your first kiss at twenty-six, it shouldn't be while drunk and half-panicked.
Tentatively, like he couldn't quite believe it was there, Tayne leaned his cheek into that hand on it, just a little. "What a... a thing. Weird thing." Words were failing him. "I n-n-never thought...." He shook his head, dislodging Dhaval's hand, and put his hands on the arms of his chair to slowly push himself to his feet. "We're g-g-gonna go talk about this. In your room. C-c-cuz this ain't the place...." And he did want to talk about it. Or, more likely, kiss him silly, which did still involve mouths, at least, right?
"Coincidence. You're, um, you're thinking of coincidence." Words were one thing he could be sure of. He nodded, too hard and too fast, knocking himself dizzy and not in the pleasant way. It'd pass in a moment. He'd almost forgotten where they were in the rush of hugging and confessing. This wasn't the place at all. Dhaval might be brave enough to twine his fingers up in Tayne's hair, but not nearly enough to face anyone who could walk through the door any time. He didn't want to see anyone's reaction to two still weepy drunks staring at each other like dumbstruck idiots. "Let's do that. Yes." He almost reached out to try and help Tayne steady himself, but he didn't think he trusted himself to pull his hands back again.
"Coin... whatever. I can't say that. Like hell could I say that." Tayne did okay with the standing, at least, as well as with the babbling. And he kept a hand on Dhaval's shoulder as he moved around behind him, for support and balance, and managed to get around to the handles. Then he tried to push it, and it didn't go anywhere. "I think your ch-chair's busted, man," he commented, frowning, pushing again and getting nothing. "It won't move."
He reached up with his good hand to touch Tayne's fingers as he moved, happy to provide support. Such a simple little gesture, but something he'd have been petrified by the thought of. Hands were such an interesting detail, though. they could tell you so much about a person. Or that was a theory to work with. He'd be interested to find out if his claims made in ignorance where he couldn't avoid romance in his books might be true.
Dhaval laughed again and flipped off the brake. "Try now."
"Okay." He tried again, and to his mild surprise, the chair moved. "Okay," he said again, with a little relief, and started pushing him back in the direction of his little storage room. His directional skills weren't the best at the moment, and he bumped Dhaval's wheels into a barstool-- "Whoops, sorry."-- then a table-- "Sorry!"-- before he managed to get him pointed the right way and to the doors. At least once he got going, they didn't weave around too much. Having the chair to hold on to kept Tayne in a relatively straight line.
Dhaval had a sense he ought to be more than a little annoyed, but he couldn't stop grinning right now to save his life, and it was almost endearing. He was careful to get the doors, both to the bar and his room, leaning out rather precariously far to make sure they were open before Tayne bumped him into them. He was laughing by the time they were halfway down the hall. "Your... spatial reasoning? Yeah, it's gone. I need... a cowcatcher!" That was a joke he'd stolen from a surprisingly chipper congenitally quadruplegiac girl in one of his group therapy sessions. It hadn't seemed funny at the time, but then, Dhaval had been very depressed in early high school. It seemed pretty good now.
Unfortunately, Tayne's sense of humor was a bit off-center, too, and while he was chuckling at the joke, he really had no idea why it was funny. "A c-cow-- catcher?" he asked around the shared, if unexplained, amusement. "D-do I need c-c-catching? Are there cows 'round here somewhere?"
He wasn't sure he was up to explaining that old steam engines had had wedge-shaped grates to push any big objects on the tracks out of the way. For some reason, he'd assumed that Tayne would know that sort of thing. It seemed like practical, folksy knowledge, but then, Dhaval had a rather odd view of what that constituted.
"I think I already caught you," Dhaval said simply, looking back over his shoulder and grinning up at Tayne.
If it didn't pertain pretty directly to something Tayne had needed to know, it was entirely possible that, no, he didn't know it. He'd never even been on a train, quite honestly, being more of a driving person. Dhaval's comment made him blush again, though, and chuckle with an embarrassed kind of grin. "Maybe y'did," he had to agree, and he paused at Dhaval's door. "Here we are! And hardly any mis-- mishaps along th'way."
Cute when he blushed, too. Dhaval was going to have to think of a few linguistic alternatives. Charming? Endearing? He'd come up with them as he went. He reached out to unlock the door, fumbling with the keys a little. His eyes were still working fine, but his hand was a bit slow and stupid. He got the key in after a few tries, though, and pushed the door open, suddenly a little nervous despite the warm, dizzying alcohol. There'd been no time to think with the initial thrill, and then being in a public space had provided them a little space. As soon as they were in his room, as soon as the door was closed... Well, of course he was a little nervous. But excited, too.
Tayne waited, somewhat patiently, until the door was open. Then, the room dark now that the sun had officially set, he pushed Dhaval in and over to the bed, paused long enough to turn the camp lantern on to a low setting, and then slumped back to sit on the edge of the bed, in front of Dhaval's knees. He wasn't nervous, but then, he wasn't really thinking, either. All that he was thinking was whether he could get Dhaval properly on the bed, or not, or if he ought to just corner him in his chair. "You r-really do?" he asked, probably out of nowhere. "Like me, I mean? Like that?"
Dhaval appreciated the light. Darkness would have been intimidating, but so would proper illumination. The dim lantern left everything dreamlike. He kept his eyes on Tayne. He hadn't wanted to look away for a while. Refusing to make eye contact was a sign of fear, and he didn't want Tayne knowing how nervous he was. He'd never done anything like this. "I, um, yes, I do. A lot. It's awfully fast, isn't it?" Oh, damn it, what was he, the female prop in a disaster movie? The world as we know it is ending! Let's hook up! "But I do." He couldn't knot his fingers together, a preferred gesture of nervousness, so he twisted a lock of hair instead, hoping that was the only sign of obvious agitation. "Do you like me? ...Not just because I'm here." If he was just convenient, well, he might still do... whatever it was Tayne wanted. He was curious and lonely. But he didn't want to be just convenient. ...So somehow he'd gone from just assuming Tayne would never look at him that way to acting like a teenage girl. Well, so be it.
Again Tayne was reminded of Taylor and her question about love. It was fast-- and it probably wasn't love-- he was too drunk for love, anyhow-- but who didn't need comfort and companionship, right? Or hot young men who, despite the chair, were not helpless. And not paralyzed, which was definitely a good thing, and made his ideas much more possible. The thought made him grin, a little bit predatorily. "I wouldn' go out into v-video game land and f-find books for j-j-jus' any hot guy," he said, still grinning, thinking that answered the question. "Only thing I'm innerested in is how t'get you out'v tha' chair an' over here." And he'd just give him a good tug, if it came down to that. He reached for Dhaval's hands, aiming to try just that.
That was a good argument. Dhaval wasn't thinking love either. That'd be ridiculous. They'd only known each other a few days. But liking was important, being more than a warm body and a placeholder. He also didn't know what to make of the compliment. He didn't think he could ever accept someone finding him "hot." Just didn't suit him. But was he going to argue with the handsome drunk man? Nah.
"Um, just... give me your hands. Doesn't much matter if I fall on you. Does it?" He could make a step to the bed. Tayne was strong enough to catch him. Coordinated enough, maybe not, but there could always be some hauling done. "Get the wrists and be, um... Be careful of my finger." Just in case he'd forgotten that. He tried not to hesitate as he extending his arms. Dhaval wasn't entirely sure he wanted to get on the bed. He wasn't even sure he wanted Tayne to kiss him yet, let alone... what it looked like he had in mind. He'd probably have to admit he was a virgin. More than a virgin. Was there a term for someone still kissless in their mid twenties? Besides, well, hopeless.
Tayne at least had some experience. Not a lot, but some. It probably wouldn't do a lot of good to either of them, given how much they'd both had to drink, but at least it meant one of them wasn't nervous. He obediently took Dhaval by the wrists, in a fashion that Dhaval could clasp his, back, and said, mimicking his usual comment for getting Dhaval onto the bed, "On three-- one, two, th-three." And with that, he heaved with all his strength, managing to flop backwards onto the bed in the process. Hopefully Dhaval came with him.
Dhaval had to push off with his legs and was glad for the painkilling effects of the alcohol. He wasn't very good at moving suddenly. At least Tayne really was strong enough to pull him up. The chair rolled a few inches backward as he moved, and predictably, he landed on top of Tayne, clinging tightly for a moment as he found the floor with his heels and pushed again, stablizing himself securely on the bed. And still on top of Tayne. He scooted away with a little difficulty, nice as it was. This was way too fast, even beer-addled. Pushing up with he palms he managed to get himself to a sitting position next to Tayne. "So.. that worked."
Doing his best to help Dhaval get all the way up onto the bed, Tayne wound up rolling onto his side to get him where he obviously wanted to be, next to him instead of on him. Then he propped himself up on one elbow, laughing. "Yeah. Yeah, it did. And now yer on th'bed. Horray." It was said with a slightly dry tone and wry smile, about as serious-humor as he could manage when fairly under the influence. He was, however, feeling pretty damn good in general. "Hope I d-didn' jab y'with an elbow or knee in th-there...."
"No. Or... well, maybe. But I didn't notice." That had been more adventurous than he'd liked, but these little inconveniences were just part of life. At least he hadn't fallen. Hitting the floor would hurt no matter how drunk he was. "Wow, you sound like the perfect... archetype of a farmboy. When you're drunk, I mean." He reached down and pushed the hair back from Tayne's face. He was pretty sure Tayne had seen his nervousness and slowed down, and he was grateful for that. Or maybe he'd just misread that hungry grin. "S'cute."
"Mm." Tayne half-shut his eyes and leaned into the hand brushing his hair and face. "Not sure 'cute' is a comp-- com-- g-good thing, but I'll go with it." He turned to nuzzle into the hand, instead, shutting his eyes all the way. When he asked his next question, it came out a mit muffled, "S'it a'ight if I kiss you?" Because he did kind of want to. He hadn't been kissed-- by a guy-- since high school, almost. The random guys he very occasionally had flings with had never been big on kissing. Apparently only kissing made you gay, or... something.
Tayne liked being petted, didn't he? Well, Dhaval certainly didn't mind. That soft smile was enough to make him want to keep stroking Tayne's cheeks and hair as long as he wanted, and the warmth under his hand was just added incentive. "Only if you promise it'll be a good one." That was out before he'd had time to think about it. Probably a good thing. "That'll be a first for me. Um, so..." Oh, forget waiting until he sobered up. He wasn't passing out, just talking slowly and about stupid things while his head swam a bit. He'd remember. "I bet, um, that I'm not very good at it..."
Laughing a little at the request, Tayne slowly pushed himself up so he was sitting up again. "Can't p-promise it'll be th'best... I mean, I'm drunk. Drunk people don' kiss best's they could. But I'll try'n make it nice." He returned the favor, brushing back Dhaval's hair for him, and said quietly, smile fading into the best look of contemplation a less-than-sober man could muster, "Never been kissed, huh? Thas no g-good. Def'nitely gotta fix that...."
Dhaval's tongue flicked out slightly moistening his lips as he watched Tayne move, trying to keep eye contact. His gaze flickered down to Tayne's mouth despite himself. Faintly, he thought he was probably psyching himself up and expecting something ridiculous and implausible. But oh, he did want to be kissed. Right now. He moved a little closer and wound his right arm around Tayne's waist, draped the left over his shoulders. Natural steps, as far as he could make out. Dhaval had missed the games and laws of dating, especially between men, that frowned on snuggling intimacy. His education had come mostly from reading, and that and some measure of instinct told him to cuddle close. "Alright. then... you fix it for me."
That was encouragement, all right. Dhaval was definitely better at this initiative thing than Tayne had been expecting, but that was a good thing. A very good thing. He shut his eyes with a little, rumbling groan in the back of his throat, brought his hand to Dhaval's face and his fingers to the man's jaw, and leaned into his mouth, parting his lips to Dhaval's hungrily. That was how you pressed a kiss, and Tayne was definitely doing it.
Dhaval liked that sound. Tayne had a nice voice, but particularly when Dhav was responsible for bringing a such pleasant noises from him. He was tempted to sink into Tayne's arms and let him take over. It'd feel lovely. But making Tayne growl was too much fun. He responded with a slight moan of his own, reveling in Tayne's rough hand against his jaw. He was a bit clumsy as he tried to mimic Tayne's enthusiasm, hoping he was getting it at least close to right.
There wasn't a lot of finesse involved in kissing while drunk, or in Tayne's experience, in kissing in general. It was all physicality and emotion, and not long on technique or style. Right then, Tayne was just happy to have someone male, friendly, and definitely enthusiastic making the effort. Enthusiasm was about all Tayne had going at the moment, himself, or perhaps "passion". He shifted on the bed, pulling one leg up to he could turn more to face Dhaval, his other hand coming to the other man's chest, pushing gently. This was good. But being horizontal would be better.
Dhaval wasn't really sure about that, but he wanted this to keep on, and he didn't quite dare say no. If Tayne pulled away he didn't know what he'd do. He didn't want to lose the kisses or the strong hands against him. He was breathing harder now and heat was rising to his cheeks. He could take a hint, and he'd decided that Tayne must know more about this than he did. He let Tayne push him down, trying to maneuver so he didn't have to stop kissing for a moment.
Much bettr. It took some concentration to keep their mouths together as they went down, but Tayne helped as best he could with an arm around behind Dhaval for support. He stretched out on his stomach next to him, not quite on top of him but with one leg hooked around one of Dhaval's, and then quite willingly focused back on their mouths, and on getting a hand into Dhaval's hair.
Dhaval couldn't help going passive for a moment, just delighting in the slight weight of Tayne on him and the insistent mouth against his. He moaned softly, running his hand down Tayne's spine, back up again. He shivered deeply and groaned louder as Tayne's hand found his hair. He understood why the other man liked his hair being played with so much.
That was another spot, Tayne found, as he arched his back into those fingers and shuddered with another little growl in the back of his throat. That was definitely a good touch. He was slowly deciding, however, that there were far too many clothes in the way, here. He broke the kiss with Dhaval, though only for a moment, long enough to reach back and tug his shirt over his head in one quick motion, tossing it aside and dropping his head back down to kiss again. He'd get to Dhaval's shirt next, his hand already sliding down from his hand, tracing the lines of his neck and shoulder, and then coming down to his stomach and the hem there.
Dhaval propped himself up a bit on his elbows when Tayne pulled away, first just to see what the kissing had stopped for, then to stare. Oh... oh god... His eyes widened and he couldn't look away. "Oh..." He'd never really had a chance to ogle before, and Tayne, with all his physical labor, was an exceptional specimen. "Oh Tayne..." But then he was kissed again and couldn't say any of the half formed compliments that came to mind. But then he felt Tayne's hand against his own shirt and tensed despite himself, a little unsure. How far did Tayne mean to go with him? He didn't think he could... not yet.