Who: Reza & Shane Where: traveling traveling, then Overlook Estates When: Tuesday, April 17th Status: complete, Part 1 Warning: NSFW
Shane's leg was bouncing a little too fast in the car on the way to Reza's. It had been a stressful week for a variety of reasons and mostly he was starting to feel the pressure of what he was getting himself into with this trip. Finding someone to take care of his job had been easy. Most things were easy when you had the money and Shane had the money. The only hard part about it was the lack of understanding from the men he worked with. He refused to say he worked for them though they often acted like he owed them something. It put an annoying little twist on life for him and might have caused him some anxiety if he just gave a shit. Shane didn't really give a shit. He was a long way away from being a scared twenty year old homeless kid now and they all knew that if they wanted to take him down they'd have to be fast and sneaky about it or else he'd easily take them with him. Shane didn't need a gun to mess a guy up. But no, he wasn't really worried about that anymore. There was nothing in it for them so Shane didn't give a shit if they moped and grumbled and gave him threatening glares. He had more important problems to worry about and taking care of them couldn't be done in Chicago.
Given the kind of people he worked with and the kind of things he should probably be worried about it was kind of amusing that the only thing rattling him at the moment was the thought of traveling with the guy he was absolutely in lust with. He hadn't seen much of Reza in the last week since their thing seemed to be mostly a weekend affair but from now on they'd be spending a lot more time together. A lot more. It had probably been a stupid idea to invite him along but somehow the thought of leaving him behind was worse than any commitment anxiety Shane might be feeling at the moment.
He'd taken an uber this time, no sense in bringing a car to the airport when he didn't know how long he'd be staying, and he directed the driver when they approached Reza's place then fired off a quick text to let him know he was outside.
It had taken Reza most of the week to get his affairs together. It was difficult leaving without knowing how long he would be gone, but he’d made plans for a month at least. If he and Shane ended up staying in Maine for longer than that ... well, he would figure that out if they got there. Reza was trying to keep his expectations of this trip realistic. He and Shane hardly knew each other, after all. They spent a lot of hours together on occasion, yes, but that wasn’t the same as living with someone. Reza had plenty of money of his own, so he knew he wouldn’t be stranded there if things went bad with Shane. As long as he could get to an airport, he would be fine. So it didn’t feel like that big of a risk ... but definitely a gamble.
That wasn’t to say he wasn’t looking forward to the trip, because he was. He’d done a bit of research on Point Pleasant during the week, just to see what kind of town it was. There seemed to be a lot of urban legends there, but Reza was more interested in the beautiful scenery and that quaint small-town vibe that it seemed to have. He did hope that this trip lasted long enough for the weather to really warm up, it seemed like a nice place to have a long vacation. He packed carefully for all the weather he could think of, but tried to be careful not to bring too much. Considering what a clothes-whore he was, it was difficult.
Reza ended up with a suitcase, a duffel bag, and a backpack, all of them stacked and ready to go when Shane’s text came through. He sent a quick omw text back, then made sure all the lights in his place were off before he loaded himself down with bags and left his apartment for who knew how long. Reza was feeling nervous and excited both as he went down to the street and loaded his stuff into the trunk of the Uber car. He climbed into the back seat next to Shane and gave him a little smile. “Hey,” he greeted a bit breathlessly.
"Hi there," Shane murmured, smiling back and reaching over to grip Reza by the back of his neck, pulling him into a quick kiss. "I hope you're not scared of flying," he murmured, lingering close for a few seconds because Reza always smelled so damn good then gave their driver a little nod that they were ready to go. The flight was supposed to be a little over two hours and Shane had spent longer on a plane than that. It was a nice excuse though, if he got too nervous. Just flying jitters, that would be understandable since it wasn't exactly normal for a human to travel at high velocity. At least he was keeping his knee from bouncing for now.
The immediate kiss made something in Reza’s chest flutter a tiny bit, just because it came so easy and in front of someone they didn’t know. They might not be committed just yet, but Reza still liked to feel claimed, and he was glad that Shane didn’t shy away from it when they had an audience. “I love to fly, actually,” Reza answered with a chuckle. “It’s weird, I know. But I enjoy it.” He gave Shane a faintly amused once-over. “What about you? Nervous flyer?” It would be a short flight, at least, and Reza thought he could keep Shane nicely distracted somehow while they were in the air. He would just have to get creative.
It was silly but Shane was more worried about getting assassinated when they landed in Bangor, though that made no fucking sense. He pulled a face, then shook his head. "Just been a while since I left Chicago," he murmured. "Haven't been to Point Pleasant in a long time. My uncle used to live up there." They'd never talked about family before, it was just not a great topic during sex, but they were fully dressed and sober in a car and Shane still had questions he wanted to ask so maybe this tiny tidbit was a good segway into that. He still suspected Reza had something going on like Shane and the rest of the AIR kids did but he wasn't sure even what exactly. Asking about his childhood somehow might be a stepping stone in at least ruling it out. "Do you have a big family?" he asked somewhat casually,
Reza had kind of assumed they were going to Shane’s hometown so he could take care of those vague “things” he didn’t seem eager to talk about, so it threw him off a bit when Shane mentioned an uncle. Had only his uncle lived there? Shane wasn’t the only one with questions, but he’d gotten to one first, so Reza focused on answering it. “Bigger than some,” he said. “I’ve got two sisters. Eight aunts and uncles total, three on one side and five on the other, got plenty of cousins. So yeah I guess so.” He chuckled faintly. “They’re scattered all around though, so it doesn’t feel that big a lot of the time. What about you?”
"I'm the only one left," Shane replied casually and sure, he'd expected the back and forth but that didn't mean he had to like it so rather than give Reza a chance to question his answer he stayed on the 'offense' so to speak. "Must have been a fun childhood, that many people," he murmured, subtly studying Reza's face for any sign that it hadn't been, any flicker of doubt, any small twitch that might indicate that there had been awful and fucked up things too. "You do come across as well adjusted," he added teasingly. "I don't know what I see in you."
A small line appeared between Reza’s brows as they flexed briefly. Being the only one left seemed like a big deal, definitely worthy of more conversation than just a throwaway line like that, but Shane didn’t give him room to ask about it. Reza definitely took a mental note of it for later. He gave a faint chuckle at the tease, and shrugged one shoulder. “I mean, I see stuff in you too, so maybe I’m not that well adjusted,” he countered with a little smirk. “But it was fun, sure. When my sisters weren’t mercilessly picking on and-or overprotecting me to death. It was a pretty normal way to grow up, I suppose.”
Shane wasn't exactly a human lie detector but he believed Reza. It wasn't enough to dispel his suspicion, it only served to confuse him further and he shifted closer to him, leaning back in the seat, shoulder to shoulder with Reza. "What's the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you?" he asked quietly so that their driver couldn't overhear him and while he proposed this more like a fun little bonding experience, he was still watching Reza's reaction closely, even as he grinned at him. There was a chance he was wrong, that whatever happened to him while he was fucking Reza was something that came from within him and not from Reza at all, but he wasn't sure and that alone meant it was worth investigating.
It would’ve been a fun question if it didn’t immediately make Reza nervous. He only had to wonder why Shane was asking for half a second until he remembered his magical slips while they were fucking. Shit. He’d hoped Shane would forget about those, write them off as being too drunk and mentally elsewhere or something. The fact that Shane hadn’t stopped everything at the time to ask what the fuck made Reza question whether he was actually right, but he realized he was taking too long to answer now. He gave a soft huff, heavy-lidded eyes sliding over to peek at Shane’s face, then murmured, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Part of him was starting to panic, groping around for some lie that might sound even halfway plausible to explain what he’d never had to explain before. Reza was already anticipating Shane stopping the Uber and kicking him out of it. This trip might be over before it began.
It dawned on Shane that if he was right and Reza was involved with AIR somehow too - and what were the odds of that! - this wasn't the best place to talk about it. He arched his brows at the answer, sucked air through his teeth and then licked his bottom lip playfully. "Shit, you obviously don't know me at all," he murmured, shooting Reza a little smile. "We're gonna have to fix that. I'm very gullible, I believe in all sorts of weird shit. But okay, Scorpio, keep your secrets until you know me better." He couldn't resist leaning in to sneak a kiss on Reza's cheek because that secretive look he was giving him was as sexy as everything else he did. Bastard. "Unless you wanna whisper it in my ear now," he added in a whisper, his breath warm against Reza's cheek.
Shane’s reaction was mildly reassuring, at least he wasn’t being pushy and demanding right there in the car. That wasn’t really his style anyway, it didn’t seem like, but it was still a relief that took a bit of the pressure off. Reza’s lips quirked up a bit when Shane said he believed in a lot -- believing in astrology and maybe some other New Age bullshit wasn’t the same as believing in real magic. If Reza ended up telling him, he knew he would have to end up showing him too, and he had no idea how Shane would take that. So maybe he was right, he didn’t really know him. That was what this trip was all about though, wasn’t it? Reza hadn’t planned on revealing his true nature anytime soon, but maybe they’d get there. The idea was scary but a little exciting too. Shane’s whisper gave him a tiny shiver and he wet his lips, loving but kind of hating too that it was so easy for the other man to start up those flutters in his stomach. “We’ll see if you can level up enough to unlock my mysterious backstory,” he murmured, making sure his tone was just teasing enough. “I have a reputation to uphold.”
Shane wouldn't go so far as to call himself a gamer, but he did play games a lot whenever he needed to escape from his own life. When most other people were holed up with their families to celebrate some festival or another, he found solace in marathoning a game since he never participated in those particular human affairs. The way Reza put this made him titter and he leaned his head back for a moment, grinning at the ceiling before he reached for Reza's hand, curling their fingers together. "You gonna give me a quest, mysterious stranger? Can't level up without experience." He had a quest already, a big fuck-off quest that might kill him, but he was sure Reza could come up with something nicer than that, a sidequest that was more fun and with better rewards.
Reza was more than a little pleased that Shane got the reference without him having to explain. He was kind of a tech nerd, and that had started pretty early on in his life with video games. He didn’t play a lot in his adult life, but he was glad that Shane knew that same sort of shorthand. The fact that he didn’t push for a real answer put Reza more at ease too, and he tangled his fingers with Shane’s. “I’m sure I can think of some stuff for you to fetch for me when we get there,” he said with a lopsided grin. Really, he just wanted to make sure Shane wasn’t going to write him off as fucking nuts and send him home, and that sort of confidence came with time and more conversations. He turned his head to steal a quick kiss from Shane. “Would I get the same deflection if I turned your question around on you? About the weirdest thing?”
"Well, yeah. That would only be fair," Shane replied smugly. "You get what you give." It was convenient really, being able to turn it into a kind of fair play joke because he didn't think there was a whole lot in his life he was willing to tell Reza about. Maybe he was crazy, bringing someone he knew so little about with him but so be it, he was crazy. What was the point of all the suffering if he couldn't have fun too? He had no idea if Reza was just playing coy and mysterious to seem more exciting or if he really had something to hide but either was fine, dark or weird secrets wouldn't have much impact on the things Shane actually wanted from him.
He was pretty certain that Shane’s weirdest thing couldn’t top his own, so maybe it was just as well he wanted to be playfully taciturn. Reza knew Shane wasn’t a witch, he would’ve been able to feel the magic in him. There was a sense of something there that had made him curious, but nothing he wanted to push about. And even if Shane had a non-human flavor in him, that didn’t mean he would be receptive to hearing about what Reza really was. He at least wanted to get where they were going and settled in before he dropped that bomb, and he definitely didn’t want to explain the true nature of the world where there were other ears to listen in. “I dunno, you’ve made a habit of giving me some things I don’t get to give you,” he murmured, giving a lazy-eyed smirk. It was easy to turn it into innuendo.
"In those instances I'm pretty sure I take more than I give," Shane replied easily and he didn't mind the innuendo in the slightest. Of course this line of questioning hadn't brought him any closer to understanding what had happened to him when he had sex with Reza. It was entirely possible it was something inside Shane but the only common denominator was Reza - or more accurately: Reza's orgasm. It wasn't that farfetched to think maybe it came from Reza and Shane found he kind of liked that mystery. Maybe that was his quest in all this, digging up the truth. The thought made him titter and all but roll his eyes at himself and he pulled out his phone. "I got us a house in a place called Overlook Estates," he murmured. "So if you like running around big houses or just want to sleep far away from me on some nights, you'll have all the space you need." He looked up the pictures on his phone and handed it over for Reza to see.
Arching a curious brow, Reza accepted the phone and started browsing the pictures. “Well damn,” he murmured with some obvious surprise. He hadn’t been sure what to expect as far as their lodgings were concerned, but what he was looking at was nice. “Spared no expense, huh? Is this an Airbnb, or what?” He had to assume it was something like that, or it belonged to some friends of Shane’s or something -- he couldn’t imagine Shane had signed a lease on a place just for this trip. But what did he know? Not much, yet. “I have to admit, I’m impressed. From what I read about the town, it didn’t seem like that kind of place.” Reza had been thinking they would stay in some quaint little house or cottage or something, not a place with four whole bedrooms and multiple levels and a pool. He handed the phone back before he got tempted to snoop around in other places and smiled. At least the digs would be nice, if nothing else was.
"Yeah it's a small town with its own class division," Shane chuckled. "They have a fancy ass country club too, I'm thinking about signing us up for it, if you're up for it. We can go play squash in our Sunday Best." He was half joking but it was tempting to join for all the perks. Then again it wasn't like they couldn't play squash in their own garden or one of the empty rooms even. He slipped his phone back in his pocket and leaned in against Reza again, snagging his hand to bring it up to his lips for a quick kiss. "You'll have it so good you won't want to leave," he drawled and really that would only be a problem if Shane suddenly wanted to get rid of him.
A tiny town with a rich neighborhood and a fancy ass country club -- which was much fancier than regular fancy. Reza was even more intrigued by this trip now. He hadn’t expected to rub elbows with anyone who had the same kind of money they did, but maybe there would be some sort of social life for them while they were there, instead of just being surrounded by local rednecks or whatever. Reza laughed a bit and squeezed Shane’s hand. “Well I packed for a month, pretty much, so if you’re gonna tie me down, you’ll have to take me shopping. I can’t show up at a fancy ass country club in the same thing every week.” That was probably jumping ahead of themselves, and he reminded himself that there was no way Shane was serious and not to get too settled.
"I barely packed anything so I have to go shopping when we land in Bangor," Shane admitted but that was just his style. He wasn't used to living with anyone else so he figured it'd be easier to rent a big place with many rooms instead of dragging Reza from apartment to apartment if he stayed longer than a month. Which was... probably ridiculous but everything about their affair so far had been a surprise. They'd hooked up more than twice, Shane couldn't stop thinking about him, they weren't fucking right now and he still liked sitting there with him, just chatting. Everything about Reza was weird to him in that way so he knew better by now than to assume he knew where this was going. "We'll go buy those cute little tennis court outfits," he said with a little wiggle and a laugh, already picturing Reza in one of those and liking it. "Do you even play squash?"
Reza couldn’t imagine going anywhere for even a weekend without at least a full suitcase, much less for an unknown period of time, but somehow that made sense for Shane. He just seemed like that kind of cavalier ‘I’ll land on my feet when I get there’ kind of guy. Maybe he was used to relocating on a whim. That probably should have been scarier to Reza than it was. He laughed along with that mental image and wrinkled his nose. “Fuck no, I don’t play squash,” he answered with a bright grin. “That’s for straight white guys.” Reza pulled a disgusted expression that was mostly teasing. “I am all about a cute outfit though, so I’ll go be your short-shorts cheerleader if you want, while you grunt and sweat and run around for me.”
Shane tsk'ed his disappointment. "I'm gonna play the fuck out of squash and I'm not straight - as you may have noticed somewhere along the way." He knew there were guys who fucked other guys and still maintained they were heterosexual and that was always kind of a mindfuck to him. "You're allowed to have fun even if you're not white and not straight, you know. Work up some sweat, laugh at my blunders, get all cocky if you win." He laughed and added a pointed: "If." Maybe he could fire up some competitive urges in Reza and rope him into playing. He was pretty sure he'd look super cute in that outfit and maybe they could sneak a risky sexual encounter somewhere on the premises.
Reza chuckled meaningfully, his gaze flicking briefly toward the driver in front of them. He wasn’t sure if the guy was listening to them or not, but he didn’t dare put up a sound barrier or anything with Shane sitting so close to him. He’d already slipped up enough. “Oh I have plenty of fun,” he said, smirking over at Shane again. “And sweat is often involved. Being cocky, too.” It occurred to him too that they could sneak off somewhere in that fancy country club to fool around -- sound barriers would definitely be involved then -- so maybe he would give it a try. “I’m just fronting because I don’t know how to play,” Reza admitted with another laugh. “So you’ll have to teach me. And kiss any bruises I get from getting smacked by the ball.”
"I'll kiss it all better," Shane promised and he kind of wished he could enjoy a sauna like most people seemed to do because doing that with Reza sounded - in theory - like such a nice way to relax after a workout. "You know, I don't really know how to play either," he admitted. "But I mean, how hard can it be. You hit a ball with a racket." He shrugged and smirked, then craned his neck to see where they were going now that they were closer to the airport. His nerves flared again and he gave Reza's hand a little squeeze. "I know I'm crazy to drag you with me to Maine but I love that you're crazy enough to agree to come with me."
Well if Shane didn’t know how to play either, Reza thought it would be more fun. They could just hit the ball around and not try to keep score or anything. He did have a competitive streak, but not really when it came to sports. He had no doubts that they would find ways of entertaining themselves while they were there. Shane’s words brought another smile to his face and he squeezed his hand back. “Sometimes you just gotta be crazy,” he murmured. It definitely wasn’t something he would’ve done for just anyone, he just happened to be kind of obsessed with Shane, and he wanted to see where this could go. “Don’t think I won’t ditch your ass in Maine if you turn into some giant asshole though,” he added, giving Shane a lazy little grin. He meant it, but he didn’t have to be a dick about it himself. “Just so you know.”
Shane laughed at that and it did bring to mind that this whole thing was indeed crazy. Why did he want Reza around all the damn time? He should be sick of him by now but no. Maybe this trip would drive that home and he could move on with his life, going nowhere alone. "You can do whatever you want," he drawled softly. Reza was his own person, he wasn't going to dictate what he did with his time while Shane was off fighting the axis of evil and he absolutely expected the same in turn. "I'll make sure you get home safe, even if I'm being a giant asshole by then."
“I appreciate it,” Reza told him, still with a smile. He knew he could get home under his own steam if it came down to it, but it was nice of Shane to say anyway. As long as he could get a ride in a taxi or something to the airport or the nearest town big enough to rent a car in, he would be fine. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, though. Reza wanted to think this would be a fun, weird trip to take, and he would do his part to make it go well. The car had pulled into the maze of roads that surrounded the airport, and the nerves in Reza’s stomach fluttered again. It was kind of an exciting feeling though. Anticipatory. He hoped security wasn’t too much of a hassle, because he wanted to be on the plane and on their way already.
The trip went smoothly for the most part and Shane was oblivious to Reza's rightful concerns with flying. He himself never had issues of course, being an affluent white man with added charm meant he pretty much floated through any situation on a pink cloud. Maybe that helped this instance as both security and the flight went smoothly. It was colder in Maine, was the first thing Shane noticed when they were finally exiting the airport, the air was cleaner, everything was just smaller. They got their rental car and Shane did the driving, letting Reza enjoy the view if he wanted. It was beautiful around Point Pleasant, he wouldn't deny that. It was just hard to appreciate it when he knew what he was there for. They picked up the keys to their rental house and drove up there, finding that the gated community was... not as gated as it used to be but there were cameras and Shane didn't really think Point Pleasant was high on crime so the whole gated community thing was a laugh to begin with.
The word that kept going through Reza’s mind was ‘quaint’ as they made their way through the airport and out into the Maine air. He of course knew it wouldn’t really be like Chicago, but he’d never spent an abundance of time in small-town America, so this would be interesting. He just hoped there wouldn’t be an assload of racism to contend with while he was there. Reza wasn’t scared, he could protect himself just fine, but he didn’t want to make trouble for Shane. The cozy little seaside town was beautiful, and Reza took in the sights while Shane drove them around. As the car climbed the hill into Overlook and he got a glimpse of the first houses up there, he let out a low whistle. “I wonder what the property values are like for these places,” he murmured, watching the big homes slide past through the window. “These would be like, multi-million dollar houses around Chicago.” It was all about location, he supposed.
"We're not in Chicago anymore," Shane replied with a grin. "But they're not cheap." He should know, he was paying rent on one of them but he couldn't bitch about it; he could have gotten them a sensible little apartment in town but this was what he'd wanted so here they were and he didn't regret it for a second. If he was going to be spending any amount of time in Point Pleasant dismantling an evil organization he might as well do it with some comfort. Admittedly it had been an impulsive idea and he was starting to realize just how crazy it was as they drove through Overlook and got to see up close just how big those houses were. Family houses most of them, for sure.
It definitely felt like a treat they ought to be sharing with a bunch of other people, but Reza was glad they weren’t. It also was starting to feel like something a little different to him, in an entirely unexpected way. The deeper they got into the Overlook neighborhood the more he realized he felt something odd, like a light buzz against his skin and in his ears. It was something he felt off and on in Chicago, and Reza recognized it as the magic of others. There were witches here. Interesting. He couldn’t tell much about what kind of magic it was or from how many sources, especially not with the windows up in an enclosed car, but Reza knew what he was picking up on. He just watched and absorbed it in silence, a bit more keen interest in his eyes as they passed through the neighborhood.
It was a luxurious place, there was no denying it. The houses were huge but private, some of them completely obscured by trees or fences. Shane followed the instructions on his phone and turned in on Rosewood Drive and from there onto Magnolia Way, both names well suited for the grandeur of the place though he wasn't seeing a whole lot of flowers from the road. "If you end up not liking this place, getting a new one is not a problem," he drawled as he entered the drive way of the house he'd rented and tested the remote to make sure the garage opened for them. It did, revealing a spacious area that was way too clean for a garage. "Ask and you shall receive et cetera." He turned off the engine and let the door close behind them, turning to grin at Reza. "Wanna check the house out before we get our luggage? Just in case it sucks?"
Reza leaned a bit to peer up at the house, chuckling a bit over Shane’s peacocking. He couldn’t imagine finding fault in this place, unless it was just a wreck inside or completely empty. He didn’t know how many places were for rent in a town like this, but he had no doubt Shane could scare up something else for them. The inaudible thrum of magic in the air definitely had Reza’s attention though, and he wasn’t eager to leave it behind just yet. Reza looked over at him, one corner of his mouth turned up. “Just in case it sucks,” he agreed, reaching for the door handle. “We gotta scout out what room we’re going to sleep in first anyway.” If there were multiple bedrooms, Reza wanted to give all of them a fair shake, why not? They could at least fuck in various places, why not make good use of all of the linen while they were there.
"The master bedroom, duh," Shane replied as he got out. "It's got the best bathroom and it's blue." He'd actually paid the owners extra to paint it blue because he hated the crisp white of the walls in the pictures so he hoped it didn't still stink of paint in there. "But I think it goes without saying we'll be testing all these rooms before we leave." He unlocked the door that led into the house from the garage and let the tour begin. The house was a great deal bigger than he'd realized it would be and he whistled as they strolled through the somewhat extravagant kitchen. By the time they'd looked at the dining room, living room, TV room, game room, guest room, extra bathroom and study they were finally ready for the second floor and Shane let out a little titter as he jogged up the stairs. "Okay, this is officially the biggest fucking place I've ever lived in," he said with a shake of his head. "But I've paid about the same for a good apartment in Chicago."
Reza got more and more amused as he walked through the place with Shane. It was a house that could put up at least two full families, it was so ostentatious just for the two of them, but he kind of loved that. He’d always been a little extra about some things, and it was endearing to him that Shane was the same way. Reza gave Shane’s ass a smack as they mounted the stairs, opening doors as they went to peek into the other bedrooms. “Is this what they mean when they talk about country living?” he asked, half-grinning as he clicked the lights of the hallway bathroom off again. “Where’s the master suite? You did make sure we’ve got a Jacuzzi tub, right?” He was only halfway joking, but he wouldn’t have been surprised to find just that in the master bathroom.
"I did not," Shane said with only a touch of regret and that was all for Reza. He hated tubs so he'd been happy to see there was a shower as well as a bath there but beyond that he hadn't paid much attention to the type of bath present. He found the master suite a moment later and entered, relieved to find there was only a faint smell of paint still in the air but it had mostly cleared by now. Possibly thanks to the scented whatever had been left in there. He didn't know what it was but it wasn't overwhelming so that was good. "Oh this is good," he murmured as he walked inside to sit down on the bed. He had to make sure it was comfy though he would have been surprised to find it wasn't. It was lush and big enough for four and he bounced a little on it before flopping backwards. "Yeah, this'll do."
The master suite was like an apartment all its own, and Reza slipped out of his jacket to toss it over the back of a chair before he walked over to the entrance to the bathroom to check it out. There was a Jacuzzi tub, and he made a noise of triumph. There was also a huge double sink and a nicely tiled shower, and Reza already knew he was going to be spending lots of time lounging in there and pampering himself. This vacation was going to be more like a spa getaway, in this house. Reza stepped back into the bedroom and went to stand in front of Shane’s legs where he’d flopped, gazing down at him with appreciation as he toed out of his shoes. They still had to get their luggage, but he was ready to get comfortable. “This’ll definitely do,” Reza murmured, drifting his hand up one of Shane’s thighs. “Good pick. We can have some fun games of hide and seek in this place.”
Shane snickered at that idea, imagining just what kind of hide and seek games they would play - or more accurately what the payoff would be for finding each other. He patted the bed next to him pointedly. "C'mere, try it," he murmured and waited until Reza complied, grinning lazily at him. Yeah, renting this house had been insane but he didn't regret it for a minute. "I take it from the pleased sound you made that the tub is a jacuzzi," he said, quirking a brow. He was not getting in that tub unless it was tiny and he sincerely doubted it was, considering the size of the rest of the place. But if Reza liked luxurious giant tubs then more power to him, Shane found he really liked spoiling him and seeing him content was a little like getting an achievement in a game in a way. A small 'Reza looks happy' trophy. God, he was making Shane so stupid but that was entirely a later time problem because right now Shane enjoyed the stupidity.
Reza climbed onto the bed, stretching out next to Shane on his side with his head propped on one hand. “Mmmhmm,” he said, smiling as he gazed at Shane’s lovely face. “So first order of business tomorrow is to track down some bubble bath.” He lifted his free hand to walk his fingers around on Shane’s chest a little bit. “When do you have to start like ... doing whatever it is you’re here to do? Think you’ll have time to show me around?” Reza knew he was going to be on his own some while they were here, but he did hope they would still have some time together during the daylight hours to tourist around a bit. The magic he’d felt in the air had Reza more interested in the town than before.
"I'm as much a tourist as you are," Shane replied with some amusement. He barely remembered this place and the one building he'd been all too familiar with had burned down a long time ago. He had some vague memories of walking to school but he had no idea where from or where to after all this time, his brief stint at the elementary only a faint and disjointed memory of a memory. "But how about we take tomorrow and go sightseeing and buy you some bubbles, you like the sound of that?" He lightly brushed his fingers along Reza's forearm, not enough to stop him from his little finger walking because Shane liked that touch and didn't want to dissuade him from doing it.
He walked his fingers up the front of Shane’s neck to tap lightly on the dip in his chin. “I do like the sound of that,” Reza murmured, one corner of his mouth still upturned. He still had very little clue what Shane’s business was in this place, especially if this wasn’t where he grew up or anything, but the mystery made it all the more intriguing. He’d silently promised not to be nosy and ask too many questions, and he planned to stick to that. That didn’t mean he couldn’t gather intel on what Shane was up to in other ways, and a joint exploration-slash-shopping trip might give him some clues. He would just have to see. Reza rested his hand against Shane’s chest and leaned in to kiss him softly. “Until then, I’m dying to get more naked, so I guess we ought to bring our stuff in,” he murmured.
"I do like you more naked," Shane murmured, gripping the back of Reza's neck to pull him into another kiss. It fit so nicely in his grip but he didn't hold on for too long since Reza was right and their luggage needed to make an entry. Of course they could traipse around the house naked - garage included - all they wanted, but it was a question of comfort and towels. "Alright, let's go get our stuff." He'd need to buy a lot of things new since he traveled light but he had one towel at least and a shower would be good right about now. They'd been flying and driving for a while.
Looking at the only bag that Shane brought, Reza thought maybe he’d overpacked, but that wasn’t exactly unusual for him. He loved clothes, and he was in a new place and hadn’t been sure exactly what he would need, there’d been talk of a country club and everything. It made him kind of want to kick himself as he lugged it all upstairs to the master suite, though. Even if they ended up sleeping all over the house, his stuff was staying put. Reza got his essentials unpacked and took his toiletries bag to the bathroom. “As tempting as that tub is, I really need a shower,” he said to Shane. “Joining me? Or need some naked time by yourself?” Reza smirked a bit.
"Well, I don't," Shane replied jovially, leaning against the doorframe and sizing Reza up. "Do you?" There was a bit of a challenge there but he was honestly fine either way. He wasn't used to spending so much time with a guy so maybe he should have needed a break by now, but Reza was easy to be around, at least so far. Getting naked together after a long day sounded kind of nice but then he loved being around Reza when he was naked so that definitely colored his opinion. "I can wash your back," he offered with a smile that said he could wash a whole lot more than that but that went without saying. Whether now or later, they were definitely taking advantage of the roomy shower, it looked made for two.
Reza was a little surprised that Shane didn’t want a break, but he was good with it. They’d never spent so many consecutive hours together before, and traveling was kind of stressful just from all the deadlines. He’d thought a lot about staying conscious of giving both of them space if they needed it, in the interest of not driving Shane away and not making himself crazy. It was going to be an easy thing to manage in this giant house, that was clear enough. “How can I say no to that?” he murmured with a little grin. Reza put his shampoo and bodywash in the shower and started to strip out of his clothes. “You’ll tell me though, right? If you need some space. Since this is our first trip, just want you to know I’m fine with being told to fuck off for a while.”
Maybe this was why Shane liked him so much, he wasn't clingy, he didn't ask super personal questions, he hadn't tried to establish what exactly their relationship was. It all felt relaxed and easy. Shane pushed himself from the doorframe and pulled his shirt off, smirking a little. "Trust me, you'll have a lot of time to yourself here," he murmured. "So I figure we can spend the first couple of days having some fun together before I start disappearing every day." Hopefully not for good, Reza did not deserve that kind of bullshit. If something horrible happened it'd hopefully be after he went home. "But I'm cool with fucking off too, if you want your space. I like space too."
“What, you like space? I never would’ve guessed,” Reza teased, tossing a glance around the large bathroom they were in. It was a struggle sometimes to be relaxed and easy. But Reza knew guys like Shane well enough to know that they didn’t have the same possessive streak that made him want to put labels on it and mark Shane as his. It was too soon for that, there still had to be some finesse involved. They’d already gotten further than Reza ever would’ve thought in the beginning -- he was here, after all, hundreds of miles away from home with the other man. “I’m pretty good at entertaining myself, don’t worry about it, do what you gotta do,” he said, letting his eyes drift over Shane’s chest as he undid his jeans. As long as they could be open about it instead of pouty and resentful, Reza thought it would be fine.
Again, no questions and Shane felt the appreciation like warmth in his gut. He got naked before stepping closer to Reza, resting his hand on his hip. He was well aware that Reza could always go home if he hated it here and a part of him, a small part he didn't understand well yet, wanted to make sure that didn't happen anytime soon. Reza might only be able to stay for a couple of weeks, maybe three, but Shane didn't want him to leave any sooner than he absolutely had to. If that meant making some compromises, well, he could learn to make compromises. "There's plenty to do here at least," he murmured, slight suggestion in his tone because of course he meant more than the town's beautiful nature and their wi-fi and entertainment system.
Reza was holding onto that possibility too. Maybe this had been a stupid thing to do, but he could always leave if it got bad. He was pretty sure Shane hadn’t dragged him all the way out here and rented this big house to kill him or anything, so that wasn’t in his mind as a worst-case scenario. He just hoped they kept getting along in closer quarters. They were certainly getting along now, and Reza pushed his pants off of his feet and nudged them out of the way before he leaned in closer to Shane’s warmth. He was travel-weary and needed a wash, but that didn’t stop his cock from starting to fill out just from being bare and so close to Shane. “I’m sure we can keep each other busy,” he agreed softly, one arm coming up to slip around Shane’s shoulders.
Shane had no doubt they could do just that but whether Reza would give up on him while he was out on his annoyingly secret mission - that was a whole other question. He supposed he should make up some bullshit about what he was doing there but every time he tried to come up with something clever his brain just reminded him he wasn't particularly good at clever in the first place. As long as Reza didn't ask questions, he wasn't going to try to fill him with some pathetic lies. "Oh I know we can," he said quietly before leaning in to kiss Reza who despite all his notions of keeping things loose he'd very much come to think of as 'his' Reza so that was a tad more possessive than he was comfortable with. His for now - his mind helpfully tacked on and he smiled against Reza's lips before pulling back. "Let's get clean."