InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I can feel my soul ascending"

Walker Browning (wbrowning) wrote in isleroyaleic,
@ 2020-06-16 21:00:00

Entry tags:

!scene, joshua aymer, will browning

who: Joshua and Will
what: a meeting over coffee cups
when: 6/16
where: The Blissful Barn, not long before closing
rating: low

Will had never been to The Blissful Barn, but Anne had been a frequent visitor, particularly during pregnancy, when she'd had the denning urge, and it had been strong in her. He'd come home and find the furniture arranged in a different way. It was like coming home to a new apartment every day. He'd given up on trying to get her to stop moving heavy furniture after she'd burst into tears. He liked to think he knew when to pick his fights.

Within, it smelled vaguely floral. Spring-ish. Not like Williams-Sonoma, which had smelled of citrus and rosemary. Hyacinth. Nice. Will tucked his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, more from force of habit than from fear that he'd break something. Naturally graceful and light on his feet as his inner beast, he'd have to try and break or knock over anything, unlike the hooligans of that afternoon.

Will liked how the store had been set up, how the antiques held pride of place without shouting for attention. He stepped closer and cocked his head to look at a price tag. Nope. And he thought midcentury modern was pricy.

But that wasn't what he'd come for. Cups, coffee cups. Bond, James Bond. It sounded alike in his head, like Sean Connery. So he was traditional in his choice of spies. He found the shelves with cups, an amazing selection of styles and colors. Well. What to choose? White went with everything but was boring. Hmm.

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aymer
2020-06-17 03:08 pm UTC (link)

Since the Blissful Barn was not only his business but practically his second home, Joshua made it nice and comfortable not only for his customers and gallery visitors but also for himself. He had a small garden behind his house that his grandparents had planted ages ago and that Joshua left untouched, just tended to it on weekends. He liked wildflowers but his favorite flowers to grow in the garden had always been colorful hyacinths. He brought fresh ones to his store, more as a decoration than for sale - and sometimes to give away to cheer up his customers if he saw that they had a particularly difficult day. Which was the case of many since his shop was mostly visited by other omegas - before the heat and during the nesting.

Joshua spent the whole day at the shop and was quite impatient to return home to Elsa, he went to check on her during his lunch break when he discovered a ruined phone charger cable chewed in two, and he suspected that during his absence she might manage to get her paws on something else, even though he tried his best to hide most of the easily destructible things out of her reach - yet he just couldn't think of everything. He could never be mad at her, she was his baby and he knew that they'd get through this growing stage soon enough. Then, once she's grown big, he'd bring her here to the shop, where she could enjoy her day on the porch or run along the cobbled alleyways around the barn building. Bringing her to work with him now was impossible because there were too many fragile items in the shop - especially ceramics. There were two full shelf displays - one with handmade pottery by some local artists and another with more casual and useful everyday china. Everything from victorian and Elizabethan-style teacups to coffee mugs with funny quotes for different occasions - those were especially popular gifts.

His two employees already clocked out and Joshua stayed to clean around the shop before closing up and going home. He heard someone walk in, and came out from the antiques section to see if the new customer needed help. He wasn't one of those pesky store managers or owners who jumped on the customer right away to make sure they've not just stumbled in out of sheer boredom or curiosity, or even a competitor checking out the potential market.

No, Joshua stayed back and gave his customers time to look around. It was only when he saw that this tall, lanky man - graceful and elegant - were the words that crossed Joshua's mind - and definitely an alpha the way he carried himself, well it was only when Joshua saw this man spend some time in front of the stand with cups that he decided to step closer. He approached him from one side, stopping a couple of feet away from him. Joshua thought that he might have seen this man before. It took him a few moments to recall but his smile grew larger as he remembered where it was exactly that he'd seen him. He didn't know his name though.

"How may I help you, Sir, are you looking for something specific?" Joshua asked politely. With the selection of cups like he had, he was sure he could help the man to find exactly what he was looking for. He could even place a special order if it was something he didn't have at the moment. He loved seeing his customers leave his shop happy.

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wbrowning
2020-06-18 04:46 am UTC (link)

Will scented the salesman before he saw him, before he turned up at his side. Omega, sweet and ripe on the back of his tongue. Older, mid-thirties, probably, of a height with him, though heavier with muscle. Nice, very nice.

"I know you're ready to close but I'll only be a minute." Will flashed a quick smile. "Though you've probably heard that before." He certainly had; how many times had he herded customers to the checkout desk, all but nipping at their heels? Far too many times.

He turned back to the cups. Less interesting, but safer. The light winked off their colorful curves. "There was an accident in the shop and all the cups were broken."

Will kept cups and tall urns of coffee and hot water for tea on a side table for customers. That afternoon two teens--probably testing out their new-found alphaness--had begun fighting. He hopped the desk to break it up, but not before they'd crashed into the table and sent everything flying. And breaking. He'd picked them up by their collars and held them high enough that their feet dangled, snarling at them. A hard shake, and he'd thrown them out, banning them from ever returning. But the damage had been done.

He slanted a sidewise glance toward the salesman. "I need about twelve cups and I'll be out of your hair."

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aymer
2020-06-18 01:09 pm UTC (link)

For a heartbeat, Joshua couldn't help feeling just a little selfconscious about the fact that he was now all alone in the shop with an alpha but when the man turned to look at him and smiled, there was no doubt - he definitely recognized him for the bookshop owner. He felt safe immediately - how many times in the past he'd visit his shop to buy books of all kinds.

"You're the last customer of the day," Joshua affirmed, nodding with a little smile, and the softest chuckle. "True enough but I don't mind." He shrugged his shoulders, a warm glow in his blue eyes, as his senses picked up a scent of coffee and tea from the man's clothes, and there was something calming about that. "You're from the Yellow Umbrella, right? I'm sorry I don't know your name." He added, almost apologetically in a soft voice. Fingers fidgeting unconsciously with the fabric of his polka dot shirt slightly unbuttoned on top. Just the first two buttons, he liked to feel comfortable in his own clothes but found that wearing a t-shirt to work was a little too casual.

He'd let him take all the time he needed to browse through the cups. He probably owed him one, having stayed several times in the past till the closing hour to peruse through the pages of some art book albums that he couldn't afford to buy back in those days.

"Oh my god," Joshua's eyes widened in genuine concern when he heard about the accident at the bookshop. "How did that happen?"

"So you'd like a set then?" He asked, trying to find a solution to the problem quickly. Something that would be nice and suitable, and wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. "Hold on a second, I think I have just what you need here." There wasn't a lot of space and he had to brush past the alpha, leaning over to reach to the back of the display and murmuring, "I'm sorry."

He pulled out the big hidden drawer at the bottom. "Here, let me take these out for you." He leaned down and took out a big square box with a set of twelve cups and saucers, that looked like they were mismatched but that was the point. "Come please, have a look." Joshua smiled at the man, nodding to him to follow to the wide desk counter, where he could open the box. "I'll make you a good price if you like them." He said, with another soft smile. "Throw in a tea towel too."

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wbrowning
2020-06-19 06:01 pm UTC (link)

And there it was, the reason the man pinged as familiar in the back territory of his mind. He'd been a customer but not lately, which explained why Will didn't recognize him immediately. Jack? Jeff? He knew it began with a J, because he could almost see the name on a special order note....

Joshua. Yes, that was it. Was he the same one who'd promised to play guitar and sing? Undoubtedly--the town wasn't that large.

"I'm from the bookshop, yes. Will Browning. You're Joshua right? Art books and antiques?" Will could admire the breadth of Joshua's shoulders, the way the cloth smoothed over his chest, how he tugged at his cuffs. Nervous? Maybe, though Will had done nothing overt to make him so though the urge to step just a little closer into his personal space was strong.

"Kids got into a fight," he said easily, shrugging one shoulder, offering a wry smile. "It happens on occasion, but I usually stop it before anything gets broken. Books are survivors of teenage hormones--coffee mugs, not so much."

Will might have taken a half step backward as Joshua leaned in--there was just enough room in the narrow aisle to do so--but he gave no ground. Joshua leaned in to reach for something and his shirt whispered over the leather of Will's jacket, and his collar gapped just enough to show a bit of smooth, biteable skin. Omega scent rose to Will's nose, honeyed, delicious.

It had been a long time since scent had so affected him. Joshua straightened with a box in his hands and Will took that step back, giving him room to move, to carry the box to the counter. He wanted to stand close enough that their sleeves brushed, but instead made himself focus on the box, not on the smile of the man holding open the lid.

A set of twelve cups and saucers with differing patterns made coordinating by colors lay in the box, gleaming. They were pretty enough for that sort of thing, and would do.

"I'd picked up the other mugs from second hand shops and yard sales," he admitted. "Long past time I replaced them. These will do just fine."

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aymer
2020-06-20 02:09 pm UTC (link)

Joshua's smile was like a flower blooming on his face when Will told him his name and even more so, recalled his own. "Joshua," he nodded, couldn't stop himself from smiling like a fool and smirking. "That's me. I haven't been for a while and I'm really sorry about that. I'll visit again, I promise. And it's very good to know your name, at last." There must have been a vivid blush on his cheeks, he couldn't see himself but he could feel it. "Will. Where are you from?" He was born here and he knew the man wasn't native to the town. "Well, speaking of art and antiques, feel free to look around, you'll find both here."
When he heard about exactly what happened at Will's shop, Joshua frowned a little. "Alphas...Poor mugs." He didn't like the thought of that kind of violence that could have caused them to break. He sighed.

Joshua was glad that Will didn't move away. Alphas in his own pack usually shunned him and there was a part of him that could understand that, they've known him all his life, even before he transitioned - but that didn't mean it didn't hurt him. He could almost feel the Alpha take a breath when they were so close to each other - or maybe he'd imagined it.

Will's scent was tickling his nostrils, and only reminding him that his heat wasn't far, next week and maybe that was why he was so perceptive to it and so very sensitive to them being so close. At least he wasn't in heat yet or he'd probably push himself close up against the man, and kissed him. Woah. Joshua closed his eyes for a moment, facing the counter, and took a deep breath before opening the and showing WIll the cups.

His face was a little flushed and he hoped that Will wouldn't notice. He nodded and smiled. "Good. I'm glad. I hope you won't have to replace them for a while." He said, then stepped away for a couple of moments, turning his back to Will but feeling the alpha's gaze on his back as he walked over to the kitchen aisle to pick up a tea towel. From there, he turned to look over at Will. "Beige or...Oh my god! Can you believe this?" Joshua exclaimed loud.

When he returned to the counter, he was holding a tea towel and showed it to Will. "Look what I found."

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wbrowning
2020-06-20 07:21 pm UTC (link)

That smile was very appealing. Infectious. Will felt his own mouth tip upwards.

"I'm from northern Maine, right on the Canadian border. My accent was pretty noticeable. Time and distance has smoothed it out a little." Some, maybe, but enough remained to mark him as different. Joshua on the other hand, was clearly a native.

Will liked the way Joshua moved, but couldn't tell what he was beneath the skin. He could usually smell fur and musk and identify the inner beast but it was curiously muted with Joshua. Maybe if he closed the distance and put his nose on skin and inhaled--no. Whatever scent Joshua had was covered over with heady omega pheronomes that blocked everything else. It was just chemistry messing with his head. It had been five years since he'd responded to scent, since he'd had anyone in his bed.

Still talking, Joshua disappeared down an aisle. Will took that moment to check that the black sweater he wore was long and baggy enough to hide the erection swelling against the front of his jeans. It was--at least mostly--but he could do nothing about his scent. Maybe the combination of coffee and tea he's had spilled on him plus the scent of hyacinth would help cover it.

Joshua showed him the towel, and Will had to smile, one long finger tracing over the design.

"It's a yellow umbrella," he said, his voice warm. "I named the bookshop after a kid's book my youngest brother loved."

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aymer
2020-06-21 11:21 am UTC (link)

Joshua couldn't help but notice the smiles that Will was sending his way, it certainly made him feel more relaxed around the alpha; filled his chest with the kind of warm, fuzzy feeling that he's not experienced in a very long time.

"Maine! You're far away from home. How did you find us?" Joshua always had a thing for accents, because they took him away to the faraway places that he's never been to before and doubted would ever visit in the future. He wasn't much of a traveler and had barely left his hometown, not even mentioning about getting out of the state.

Even though he couldn't shift anymore, Joshua still retained all his wolf senses intact - the smell, hearing and eyesight of the wolf. He could tell that Will wasn't one himself but couldn't pinpoint what exactly he was, he was certain he's rarely or maybe never met someone like him. It was an exotic, wild scent. Very different to the wolves that a majority of his own pack was made of.

There was something about the Alpha that made Joshua want to be close to him, and it wasn't just the fact that his heat was just around the corner. It was still not due until next week. He could feel Will's eyes on his back as he walked to get the tea towel for him, and that gaze alone turned him on, made Joshua want to sway his hips more. His core pulsed with need and he could feel his underwear get damp. Damn. He should have thought of taking a change of underwear with him to work. The wet material rubbing up against his tender flesh was getting him even more aroused.

Breathe. Damn it, breathe. He forced air into his lungs, willing his heart to stop pounding so hard before returning with the tea towel in his hand. Willing his mind not to spin off into worry of finding himself alone and so close to the gorgeous Alpha. Focus. Focus on the job. Just the job. Always the job. Feeling calmer, Joshua found Will waiting for him at the desk counter.

The alpha's warm voice did nothing to help him focus and Joshua lowered his eyes, which had him look at that long slender finger moving over the fabric. That was only more distracting and he stood there, suddenly at a loss for words for a moment, his cheeks flushed, fighting for his composure which was hard, with the Alpha's tantalizing, heady scent so close.

"Oh! The mystery behind the name finally unraveled," Joshua smiled a lopsided smile and bit down on the corner of his lip, his heart hammering against his ribcage. He was still holding the towel in one hand and the other finding purchase on the counter. "Nothing as special about the Blissful Barn, I'm afraid. Just that it's my happy place." He said softly, his own voice sounding loud in his ears.

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