Who: Aidan and Victor Where: Overlook, Victor’s house When: Late night, Monday, July 16 Warning: NSFW Status: Complete, Part 2
It would have amused Aidan to find they were on the same page, that they both enjoyed a certain level of filth and Aidan could stop wondering if his lack of skill might be a turn off. That would take communication though, and openness on a subject that Aidan found difficult to talk about. He had the feeling they’d get there eventually, and probably sooner than he expected if tonight was anything to go by. If it had been anyone else, Aidan would have said things were moving too fast, that he shouldn’t be this comfortable with a man he barely knew, let alone allow him to tie him to the bed. But he couldn’t help himself; instinct told him to trust Victor and he had yet to regret it for a second. “Yes and no,” he answered, a somewhat sheepish smile tugging at his lips as he held his hands out for Victor. He twisted his hands in the bindings, feeling the way the rope slid against his skin. “I wanna watch.”
Victor liked that answer, and it showed in his smile. There would be a lot of experimentation in these early days, since Aidan was still exploring this new world of fetishes, and he was pleased that Aidan seemed to have enjoyed everything tonight. He sat up, pulling a little more on the ropes to bring the other man in even closer. Victor stroked a hand through his hair and bent over to kiss his face here and there. “Why, so you can see how to get free next time?” he teased. “Nuh uh, I’m onto you, brat, close your eyes.” Victor straightened up again with an amused huff, his fingers poised on the rope, waiting for Aidan to comply.
Aidan leaned into Victor’s touch, like a cat seeking affection, and his eyes fell shut as Victor kissed him. He’d been a bit anxious coming over tonight, concerned that he might not enjoy in practice the same things he’d fantasized about, but Victor continued to blow his expectations out of the water. Aidan opened his eyes to grin up at him, a laugh rumbling in his chest before he complied and closed them once more. “I have no practice with ropes. I can’t tie them myself,” he said, feeling the tug of Victor’s fingers against them. “Even if I could do it, I imagine you’d distract me. It’d take me forever if I don’t fuck it up.”
Even if he wasn’t good with ropes, it pleased Victor endlessly that Aidan shut his eyes anyway, doing as he was told. He had no desire to train the Brat out of him like he’d heard some doms become obsessed with -- part of the joy of brats was doing the right things to make them want to submit to you. In Victor’s opinion, anyway. Everybody did kink their own way, and it was fine as long as everyone was consenting. Victor just wanted to earn Aidan’s respect and submission. “Maybe you’ll get some practice in the near future,” Victor murmured as he started to untie the knots to set Aidan’s hands free. “You can learn on yourself.” He smirked. “But I certainly won’t hesitate to distract you if it looks necessary.” Within a minute Aidan’s wrists were unbound, and Victor rubbed at them gently, liking the feel of the indentions in the skin.
The desire to act out was deeply ingrained in Aidan, a part of who he was outside the bedroom, even outside his relationship with Victor. It flared up worse around certain personality types, or in certain situations, but it was almost always there, even when quietly simmering in the background. There had been times when he’d tried to put a lid on it, often in relationships where he’d been taught it was inappropriate, but it often felt like being smothered, forcing an unnatural change on himself. That Victor wasn’t trying to change him was key to Aidan’s submission. He could be himself, with boundaries or consequences, and the reward for good behavior was better than any other he’d ever been offered. “Would you teach me?” he murmured, soothed by the feel of Victor’s hands on his wrists. “I know enough to know there’s a wrong way to do it.” He’d liked it enough that he’d let Victor tie him up practically any time he wanted, with one notable exception. Aidan leaned in, kissing Victor’s neck, then nipping at his jaw, his voice just a whisper. “I don’t want to be bound the first time you fuck me.”
Victor had been on the verge of saying of course he would teach Aidan about ropework when he moved in closer and made Victor’s stomach erupt into butterflies. He of course knew that was a possibility for the future, but hearing Aidan say it out loud was hot as fuck. “Then you won’t be,” he whispered back, turning his head a bit to bump their temples together. He was tempted to ask when Aidan thought that might happen, but Victor didn’t want to be pushy about it. The very suggestion filled him with a restless sort of lust that wanted to fuck him now, but he wasn’t going to make that Aidan’s problem. Besides, the tension felt fantastic anyway. This thing between them was already burning bright and hot, he didn’t want it to flare out too fast. “I’ll teach you anything you want to know,” he added instead, then moved in to nibble at Aidan’s ear. He ought to be ready for some space now, sated and sleepy, but he wasn’t.
While Aidan couldn’t give Victor a definitive date, he’d been thinking about it constantly since their last time together and his fear of the unknown wasn’t enough to hold him back for long. He remembered how it felt to have Victor’s fingers inside him, the way he’d practically exploded when Victor touched him just the right way, but more than anything else it was the intimacy of the act. He craved it in a way he never had with anyone else. Somehow he knew it would be more than just fucking. He could sense it in the connection between them, in the heated answer Victor whispered back to him. Now that his hands were free, Aidan was able to curl up against Victor, making himself at home as Victor nipped at his ear. “Anything?” he asked, his thoughts turning lustful, even though his body was done. “I have a lot to learn,” he grinned, turning to catch Victor’s lips with his own in a lazy kiss. He wasn’t trying to start anything. He just wasn’t ready to stop.
Victor slipped his arm around Aidan as he settled in, smiling faintly into the kiss before he closed his eyes and returned it with feeling. Maybe Aidan did have a lot to learn, but to Victor it felt more like an invitation to explore. He’d figured out his own proclivities and kinks at a fairly early age, though it had taken him a while to accept and find a good outlet for them. He’d been lucky enough to have more experienced people guiding him along the way, and he wanted to be that for Aidan. Victor wanted him to feel free and like a kid in a fucking candy store, discovering new delights around every corner. This was already so fun. Victor hummed into the kiss, happy to linger there in their relaxed post-coital state. “Are you sleepy?” he murmured against Aidan’s lips. “We should take a bath. We’ll have a drink, let me read to you.”
Aidan knew he’d barely gotten his toes wet, but he was eager to explore with Victor. He hadn’t been this horny in his life, even as a teenager; he’d assumed that was just the way his body chemistry was, but now he could see his interests weren’t pointed in the right direction. Now that he’d locked on, it was impossible to look away. He could have kissed Victor all night, kissed him until they were ready to go again, or until they fell asleep. “Wide awake,” he smiled against Victor’s lips. He’d have tried to sleep, if that’s what Victor wanted, but he preferred the offered options. “I’d like that. All of it,” he grinned. “What will you read me?” He knew most people wouldn’t find that offer so fucking sexy, but it made Aidan’s butterflies swarm up in excitement.
It was very late, but Victor already knew he wouldn’t be working in the morning. There was no way he was letting Aidan go home tonight, and he had the strong feeling they would be sleeping in. He smiled back, pleased that he’d hit on a good plan for the rest of the night. Not that it had been a wild guess, Aidan was obviously a book nerd, like him. And who didn’t love soaking in a hot bath with a cold drink? “Hmmm, we’ll see I guess, won’t we?” Victor grinned and popped another couple of kisses to Aidan’s lips before he started to pull away. “Go get the bath running, I’ll be back up in a few minutes.” He could get them some refreshments, a couple of nightcaps, and whatever book called to him the most from the pile he’d collected in the living room, following Aidan’s trail of sexy breadcrumbs. “There’s some candles in there,” he added, glancing at him as he rose from the bed.
As good an idea as it seemed, Aidan wasn’t sure he’d have ever gotten there himself if Victor hadn’t initiated it. He had a hard time pulling himself away. He hummed his approval as they untangled themselves, allowing his eyes to rake over Victor’s nude form as he slowly backed towards the bathroom. “Don’t be too long,” he murmured, one hand dropping between his legs to fondle himself. He wasn’t truly that aroused, but with Victor’s eyes on him he felt the need to tease. He continued to smile even after Victor disappeared downstairs, and the expression lingered while he filled the tub and lit the candles, basking the room in a soft glow. He’d have never said he was seeking romance with Victor, but this was pretty damn close and he had to admit he liked it.
Physically aroused or not, Victor was more than happy to watch Aidan touch himself, and he walked out of the room with a smirk. He ambled downstairs and went to the kitchen to mix them a couple of cocktails, being generous with the rum. Then he went to the books he’d piled up on the coffee table and browsed through them for a moment before he picked one and tucked it under his arm to take back upstairs with him. It made him smile to hear the water running as he approached the master bedroom door again. It crossed Victor’s mind yet again that maybe this was too much too fast, taking a bath together was a fairly romantic thing to do ... but it just didn’t feel like it to him. It felt right, and like he wanted to do it. If Aidan felt the same, who gave a shit about the speed? The bathroom was bathed in lovely candlelight that made Aidan’s skin look even more beautiful. Victor offered out his drink once he was close enough. “Inferno seemed kind of heavy, so ... Brave New World?”
Aidan tested the water as he filled the tub, trying to get it to just the right temperature for lounging. He almost never took baths at home, the tub barely big enough for him to sit in, making this feel like such a luxury, even before he added the candles, the drinks, and Victor. The butterflies in his chest continued to flutter the more he thought about it, but it was a good feeling, one he wanted to embrace, rather than chase away. He waited to get into the tub, not certain how to position the both of them, and smiled when Victor handed him his drink. He loved the image of Victor wandering downstairs, completely nude, just to make them nightcaps. “Good choice,” he said with a little laugh. “You have to be in the right mood to explore the depths of hell, and I’m not anywhere near there tonight.” But maybe some other time. He would love to discuss it with Victor; there were so few people he could be a literary nerd around and it seemed he might have found his match. “How long did it take you?” he asked as he climbed in the tub. “To find them all?”
If this house hadn’t already had a large soaking tub, Victor would have gotten one installed. As a water witch, being as submerged as possible was incredibly relaxing. He was already thinking about adding a hot tub on the back deck. He sipped on his drink while Aidan climbed in, then followed suit, careful not to get the book wet. He settled on the opposite side of the tub as Aidan and tangled their legs comfortably together. The water was nice and hot, the rum had a pleasant burn in his throat, and the bathroom atmosphere was just perfect. He knew Brave New World wasn’t exactly cheerful and sexy, but the language was at least easier and it wasn’t directly about damnation. “A few hours,” Victor admitted with a chuckle. “But I didn’t cheat and use my phone.” He grinned a little, figuring Aidan would appreciate that. It was a game that was meant to be challenging, and he didn’t mind working to get to know Aidan better. “How long did it take you to figure out all the quotes you wanted to use?”
Aidan’s smile widened, incredibly pleased that Victor had made the effort to identify all the quotes himself. He imagined the satisfaction in finding the correct book would be significantly greater that way, plus it confirmed that Victor had indeed read all the books he’d selected. “A couple of days,” he smiled, his eyes half closed as he sank into the water, yet still watching Victor. “I sometimes write down my favorites. Or highlight them. But picking which to use was hard. And then I had to make sure you actually had the books.” Victor had a small library and Aidan had stuck to mostly classics, but he’d still needed to drop by and confirm. “You’re more organized than I am.” Any sort of organization was more than Aidan had in place and Aidan appreciated it in this case. It would have taken him significantly longer if Victor’s collection was as unorganized as his own.
It probably should have been creepy to hear that Aidan had been in the house while he wasn’t there, but instead Victor just saw it as extra effort put into doing something for him. To Victor, it had felt just as romantic as this candlelit bath was. He knew they technically didn’t know each other very well yet, but this whole night made him sure there was a connection here beyond the undeniable attraction. “Yeah?” he murmured, smiling before he sipped his drink. “Do you have a system at all? Or just toss them all up however on the shelf?” Victor knew it would be a while before he got to go to the O’Reilly house, if it ever happened at all, but he was intensely curious about Aidan’s room. Maybe he could bribe him into taking some pictures for him.
“I have more books than shelf room, so it’s kinda haphazard,” Aidan said. “Oldest are at the back. Newest are stacked in front. Unread are in a small tower. Several small towers, actually.” His room was embarrassingly cluttered, but Aidan had never had guests to see it and imagining Victor there, going through his books, made his heart race and his neck flush. It was an intensely personal space, littered with all kinds of trinkets, valuable, magical, and stolen, but mostly things that meant something to him, a visual manifestation of who he was. Everything had a story behind it, which made going through his room like opening up a diary he didn’t have. “Read to me,” he said softly, nudging Victor with his toes.
Victor already itched to look through those shelves, to poke around and see how broad of a taste in books Aidan had. Victor already knew he knew the classics, which was much more than what he would’ve expected out of a guy like Aidan at first glance ... but Victor was quickly learning his first glance would’ve missed a lot. He wanted to experience all of the surprises Aidan had to offer. He just needed to pace himself, he supposed. The last thing he wanted to do was push Aidan too much and make him run. Victor just smiled, took another sip of his drink, then opened the book to start to read. “A squat gray building of only thirty-four stories. Over the main entrance the words, ‘Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre,’ and, in a shield, the World State’s motto, ‘Community, Identity, Stability’ ...”
Aidan sipped from his drink as Victor began to read, focusing on the story, each word as Victor spoke, his voice like velvet. His eyes remained open, his gaze attentive, unwilling to let his mind wander when presented with such a treat, even though it would be easy to do so, considering the circumstances. He knew the book, it was one of his favorites, but it had been a couple of years since he last read it. It was refreshing to hear it read aloud, with intonations different from his own. Once Aidan finished his drink, he set it aside and let his hands drift into the water, resting lightly on Victor’s feet. As Aidan listened, his fingers danced over Victor’s feet, a feather-light touch, an excuse for contact, slowly becoming more substantial, until he was massaging Victor’s feet, first one, then the other. This wasn’t something he normally did, not for anyone, but Victor was reading to him, in the bath of all places, and it made him want to do something for him in return.
The light touch just felt nice and didn’t really distract Victor from reading -- they were reclining in a tub together, of course there would be touching. But then Aidan started to massage. Victor’s words paused and his eyes ticked up over the top of the book, a little smile toying with his face for a moment. He moved his leg to make his foot more accessible, then went on reading. Strong fingers rubbing over the muscles in his feet felt divine, especially in the hot water. Victor was technically a white-collar worker but he stayed active, and his body got tired like any other. Massages felt good almost anytime, and Aidan was pretty good at it. It felt extra indulgent and decadent, and that was right up Victor’s alley. He kept reading, enjoying the cadence of the words and the story itself, idly flexing his magic after a while to keep the water around them hot. He happily lost track of time until he was starting to get drowsy, then set the book aside and rubbed at his eyes. “And they all lived happily ever after,” he murmured with a cheeky little smile. Victor reached to take Aidan’s arm to pull him over to his side of the tub, wanting him closer. “I wanna wash you. You’re staying the night, right?”
It was late enough that even Aidan was starting to get tired and would have suggested taking a break if Victor hadn’t beat him to it. He could have happily stayed up all night talking with Victor, but they should probably move to a bed if that was going to happen. The water was still warm, but his fingers were all pruned. “Pretty sure that’s not how that story ends, but I’ll take it,” Aidan grinned. He let Victor guide him as he pulled him to his side, one again jealous of the size of the tub and the fact that they could both fit comfortably in it, then leaned back against him, resting his head on Victor’s shoulder. “I’d hoped to,” he murmured, placing a little kiss on Victor’s jaw. He never entered Victor’s house with set expectations, glad to wing it and see how things unfolded, but after the sex and the bath, he wanted to curl up with him. “You work in the morning?”
Victor felt comfortable and content with Aidan settled against his body, back to chest, his long legs outside of the smaller man’s. Aidan seemed comfy too, which just fed into that deep sense of satisfaction. Victor could sleep in a bathtub and not worry about drowning or pruny digits, but the bed was going to be preferable once they were both officially clean. He reached for the washrag and soap and started to lather it up. “Supposed to, but ... fuck that,” he murmured near Aidan’s ear, giving a little huff. “Gonna call out. Privilege of being the owner’s son, I guess.” He couldn’t make a huge habit of it, but he worked a lot otherwise, so Victor felt entitled to some personal time. Especially if it involved keeping Aidan in his bed for a while in the morning. “You gotta be anywhere?” Victor began gently stroking the soapy rag over Aidan’s skin.
“Privileged, Overlook brat,” Aidan snickered, affectionately nipping at Aidan’s jaw to take the burn off the insult. He knew Victor actually worked for what he had, that he wasn’t one of the kids running around town, waving his parent’s money like he owned the place. He could see him growing up like that though, and was sure he could fit right in with his surroundings if he wanted to. That wasn’t the side Aidan saw though; what he got was so much more personal, a side that kept him coming back, wanting to peel back the layers. His eyes shut as Victor began to wash him, enjoying the opportunity to be pampered. “I make my own schedule,” he smiled. “Doubt they’ll even notice I’m gone.”
Victor just huffed some amusement at the first part. He couldn’t rightly deny that he was privileged as fuck, though he tried to stay aware of it. Being exposed to a bunch of different kinds of people in the kink community had actually helped him with that -- it was a space where money and status didn’t matter, unless it played into someone’s fetish. Victor had certainly been raised with a silver spoon, but he knew that just made him lucky. He hummed softly next to Aidan’s ear as he washed his chest. “I can’t imagine not noticing you were gone,” he said softly, a tiny smile crossing his face. Victor was different from Aidan’s family for obvious reasons, but he couldn’t resist an opening to be suave. More than that, he was just as fascinated with Aidan as the other way around. “We’ll get to sleep in, then ... enjoy our morning.”
Aidan knew they were just words, that Victor knew how to turn on the charm, but they still made Aidan feel all fuzzy and warm inside. The hours they were together had become the highlights of his week, so it was nice to think that maybe Victor felt the same way. “You see me differently than they do,” he murmured softly. “See a different side.” His family knew him better than anyone, but he was a son, a brother, family, and that leaned towards a certain perspective. They were familiar with the kind of trouble he got into, but they didn’t have a clue about what was going on with Victor. Which was fine; it was none of their business. The only one who even knew Victor existed was Aya and Aidan had avoided telling her anything more. He might eventually tell them, but at the moment he preferred to keep things private. Aidan hummed his approval of Victor’s morning plans, leaning into his touch as he washed him. “Did you have something specific in mind?” he asked, lips quirking up as he paused before continuing. “I like pancakes, if that’s what you were thinking.”
Seeing as how Victor was getting addicted to making Aidan come his brains out, he certainly hoped he was seeing a different side than Aidan’s family got to see. There were always jokes about rural families who all lived together, but he knew better than to take anything like that seriously. Beyond that though, it felt nice to hear that he was getting personal glimpses into Aidan that his family didn’t get, that they were sharing things that were just for them. As a private person himself, Victor didn’t want the rest of the O’Reillys knowing all of their intimate details either. He chuckled deeply at Aidan’s suggestion -- that had kind of been what he’d been thinking. Coffee, relaxation, something yummy for breakfast ... and then maybe more orgasms before they parted company. “I like pancakes too,” he murmured. Victor abandoned the washcloth on Aidan’s thigh to dip his soapy hand further down to wash his cock and balls with his fingers. “Nothing specific, just you ... but we can definitely do pancakes.”
Aidan groaned softly as Victor’s hand slid down between his legs, his cock coming to life despite the looming exhaustion that he felt. It was a reaction that he thought Victor could probably wring out of him almost any time he wanted, with the only exception being right after he’d just come. Apparently it’d been long enough for his body to take an interest and, though he did his best to calm himself down, that was difficult considering the conversation they were having. “I wasn’t actually thinking about pancakes,” he murmured, swallowing hard. Had he always been this easy to turn on? Aidan was inclined to say no, that it was just with Victor. The more time they spent together, the more Aidan began to associate any touch from him with pleasure. It made it hard to ignore even when his brain knew he was just washing him.
It was delightful to feel Aidan swell under his touch, even with the late hour and an edged orgasm earlier in the night, and Victor smiled behind him. He took his time exploring and washing the heated curves of him, subtly teasing. Aidan’s body was so reactive to everything he did to it, it was starting to make Victor feel insatiable too. His own libido was generally fairly laid back when he was single, but being wanted like this definitely stoked those fires in him. “What were you thinking about then?” Victor whispered into Aidan’s ear as he cupped and massaged his balls. He thought he could guess, but he wanted to encourage Aidan to be specific, to ask for what he wanted, to feel secure that Victor would give it to him. It could be empowering as fuck. “You want a special wake up again?”
Aidan knew he couldn’t maintain this level of arousal, that he was completely spent and nothing Victor could do would likely get him there again. But as much as he willed himself to calm down, it felt impossible, especially as Victor continued to touch him. His fingers moved up into the hair on the back of Victor’s neck and his head fell back on Victor’s shoulder as the question resonated inside him, bringing color to his neck and cheeks. “Yes,” he answered first, but he knew Victor wanted more than that. For as much as he loved Victor’s dirty mouth, he struggled to do the same, especially when it came to what he wanted. Aidan licked his lips, bit at them, worried them until finally the words burst forth in a whisper. “I want your fingers inside me again. Make me come on them.”
Victor already knew that speaking his desires out loud didn’t come naturally to Aidan ... or at least he wasn’t very practiced at it. He would get practiced, if they kept this thing going for a while. Communication and consent were cornerstones of this kind of relationship, and Victor was going to train Aidan into advocating for himself and his desires, at least between them. But if that sort of attitude bled out into other parts of his life, even better. Victor was starting to want the best for him, and speaking up was self care. Besides all that, it was sexy as hell to hear him say such filthy things, and Victor’s cock flexed a bit against the small of Aidan’s back. He slowly kissed the side of his neck and gave Aidan’s hardon a gentle squeeze. “I think I can handle that,” he murmured, nuzzling the other man’s jaw a bit. “And then I’ll make you pancakes.”
Feeling Victor’s cock twitch against his back made Aidan want to grind into him, to tease and start something up as if it wasn’t already late. He had to remind himself that he wasn’t leaving and that there would be plenty of time for that in the morning. Still, it felt good to be wanted in such a way, and to know that he wasn’t the only one with unquenchable desires. He laughed quietly, a soft rumble in his chest, and turned his head to kiss Victor. “I’d like that,” he murmured. “I’m not sure I could get off again tonight, even if I wanted to.” He could be wrong; he’d gotten off twice in one night before, but the way Victor had wound him up over and over again had pushed his body past what he’d even thought himself capable of. It gave new meaning to being spent.
A lazy grin crossed Victor’s face, his lips still brushing against Aidan’s. “Careful, or I’ll take that as a challenge,” he purred. He gave Aidan’s cock a little squeeze, then let him go to finish the actual washing he was supposed to be doing. Victor reminded himself of the same thing -- they had hours in the morning to indulge in each other. Just because Aidan made him feel completely insatiable didn’t mean he had to take action on every impulse he had. “Nah, I guess I’ll let you rest up first.” Victor smiled and nudged Aidan with his nose, huffing a bit of amusement. He grabbed the washcloth again to squeeze the soap out of it and bring fresh water up to rinse off his chest and stomach. It felt good to wash him, like it was serving them both in some small way. Aidan got clean and Victor got to touch him all over and feel the lovely solid weight of him leaning against his chest.
“Don’t tempt me,” Aidan groaned softly through a laugh. Just the thought of it made his heart race and he knew without a doubt that he would let Victor do it sometime, push him until he really and truly couldn’t come again. The more he was with Victor, the easier it was to trust him with that level of vulnerability. In fact, he’d probably let him now, except that he was legitimately tired. “Next time I won’t wait so long to come over,” he smiled, kissing Victor back as he finished bathing him. He never knew how much he would enjoy this level of closeness, had assumed he didn’t need it because he’d never had it, but it was quickly becoming something he craved. It was more than just the sex; it was the casual closeness, the kissing and touching and overall intimacy forming between them. Aidan was addicted and he didn’t think he was the only one.
“To be fair, you were waiting for me to reach the prize you left me,” Victor murmured with a little smirk. The whole thing had kind of blown his mind in a good way, but he couldn’t imagine being Aidan and doing all that waiting, not even sure if Victor had found the first clue yet, or if he would comprehend the game once he did. It felt stupidly good to know that parts of their minds were in sync like that, that they could communicate in a unique sort of way. So far Aidan not only stimulated his body and his desire, he stirred up his mind in much the same way. It was a rare combination to find, and Victor hoped it wouldn’t fizzle out into nothing like so many other potential relationships did. He kissed the side of Aidan’s head again and shifted a bit behind him. “Come on, let’s get back in bed,” he murmured. “My ass is numb.”
“I can be patient, but man, it was hard,” Aidan snickered. He was convinced that the only reason he’d been able to manage it was because he didn’t have a choice. Once the clues were put in place, all he could do was wait. He wasn’t sure what he’d have done if Victor hadn’t figured out what to do with them. It would have been disappointing, to be sure. With a hum of agreement, Aidan rose to his feet, climbed out of the tub, and reached for a towel. He handed it off to Victor, then grabbed one for himself, taking a moment to stretch as he dried himself off. His eyes drifted over to Victor, taking a moment to appreciate his form. It seemed unfathomable that he hadn’t noticed how attractive he was that first time they met, but then again, he hadn’t really considered looking. He’d also been focused on not drowning. “Do you normally sleep nude?” he asked. “Or just when I’m here?”
Victor pulled the drain plug and stood to accept the towel. He enjoyed the feel of Aidan’s gaze on him as he dried off, and Victor examined him back with hooded eyes. He smiled as he stepped out of the tub, amused by the question. “Pretty much every night, yeah,” he answered. Victor tubbed the towel over his crotch once more before he hung it up. “It’s comfortable. Don’t you, at home?” He skimmed his hand down the curve of Aidan’s lower back but refrained from pulling him in closer like he wanted to. They were about to go cuddle up in bed, he could be patient for another handful of seconds.
“No,” Aidan answered, instinctively moving closer with Victor’s hand at the small of his back. “I probably could, but… I don’t live alone. It’s different.” His family wasn’t likely to barge into his room when he wasn’t dressed, but he also had a mischievous little sprite that sometimes appeared in his bed. There’d been a time when he would have enjoyed her company, but that time had long past and, since things started with Victor, he hadn’t even wanted to tempt her. Coming here, though, he liked finding Victor nude in bed. “It’s good to know. In case I crawl in bed with you sometime. I want to dress appropriately.”
“Mm, undress appropriately.” Victor shot him a sly little grin and squeezed his ass. He moved away toward the sink to do a quick swish with some mouthwash, then snagged Aidan’s hand to lead him out of the bathroom. It gave him a flutter in his stomach to think about half waking up one random night to find Aidan in bed with him. All of this felt a little surreal sometimes, the way it was playing out, the secretive nature of it. They’d run into each other in public all of once so far, and pretended to be strangers. It was fun and hot and definitely not something he’d expected to find so quickly after moving here. He hadn’t even been looking, it had just ... broken into his house and his life, and he couldn’t be mad about it in the slightest. “Tell me about your room,” Victor prompted as they approached the bed again. “How private is it?”
“About as private as you can get in our house,” Aidan said as he tugged Victor onto the bed with him. “I’m in the attic. My choice. There’re plenty of other rooms. But I like it up there, where I can hear the wind and the rain. It’s a bit more spacious.” All the other rooms in the house were smaller, except for the master bedroom. Aidan had moved up there as a teenager, as an act of rebellion, and had since made it his own. He stretched out on the bed, laying on his side, facing Victor, one hand propping up his head. “There’s a big window at the far end. My bed’s up against it. Smaller than yours. Books all along one wall. My desk’s on the other. There’s lots of clutter,” he smiled. “Prizes. Steals. I’m leaving out a thousand different things.” He wondered what Victor would make of it, if he ever saw it. It felt as different from Victor’s room as it could get.
Victor let his gaze drift over Aidan’s body as the smaller man got comfortable, settling himself into a mirrored position in front of Aidan, his head leaned against his palm and a little smile on his face. Aidan’s description was fairly simple, but Victor felt like he could picture it extremely well anyway, just from what he knew of Aidan already. It definitely sounded different from his neat and expansive bedroom, but Victor wanted to be there anyway, to explore it and poke around in all of Aidan’s clutter to learn everything he could about what made him tick. He didn’t know if he would get that chance anytime soon, if ever -- it was still up in the air how open Aidan wanted to be with his family about this affair. Only time would tell, as it did with most things. “Bet you’ve got a lot of treasures in there,” he murmured warmly. “Like ... an adorable corvid, stashing shiny things away in your nest. Any favorite prizes?”
Aidan laughed softly, amused by the comparison between him and the bird. Either a crow, magpie, or raven would have been his spirit animal, if such a thing existed. If not a fox. It was what drew him to Aya’s metal bird figurine in the first. He’d never researched the bird to see if it truly collected treasures the way that he did, but he liked to think so. “I have a box of locks that I'm fond of. Combination locks, key locks. I pick them when I’m bored. And a pair of handcuffs that a cop tried to put on me once for being shoplifting. She put them on, I popped them off. On, off, on, off, and I disappeared,” he grinned. “Luckily, that wasn’t here, so I’m not going to run into her on the street. And I learned my lesson not to get caught. Or, I thought I had.” He still remembered how his heart had pounded when he found himself caught in Victor’s trap. He’d have never believed it would have led to this. “There’s this knife I hope to have one day, but it keeps biting me, and I’ll admit I’ve been a little distracted.”
None of that was surprising to hear, but it was delightful all the same. Picking locks when he was bored was just so him. At least as far as Victor knew him right now. He grinned at the mental image he got at the cop story, then huffed a soft laugh at the last part. “Gee, I wonder why,” he murmured, lips still curled up. Victor shifted in a bit closer and draped his arm over Aidan’s ribs. “You’ll never win her over,” he taunted. “So keep dreaming, little fox.” It made him feel kind of giddy to realize that they already had inside jokes, small things that were just theirs. The intimacy was building up fast, but Victor was loving the ride so far. It felt real and good, and that was all that mattered. Victor nuzzled their noses together before he gave Aidan a soft kiss. “I better be the only one catching you now.”
“I will,” Aidan grinned when Victor pulled him close. “I’m almost there. I can feel it.” He didn’t care how long it took him at this point. He relished the puzzle and the feeling of achievement when he’d actually hold the knife without it biting him. It would be impossible not to gloat, something he would have never done in a normal situation, but this was far from normal. Already he wondered how Victor would handle it, but it was a fleeting thought as Victor nuzzled and kissed him. “Catching me, yes,” he said with a soft laugh because there was little Victor could do to stop him from stealing from anyone else. It was an addiction not so easily given up, though he’d had less time to do it lately, with Victor in his life. He didn’t want to be misunderstood, however, and his expression softened as he kissed Victor again. “You’re the only one.”
Victor had no interest in changing Aidan’s hobbies -- he was no saint himself when it came to the law. In his line of work it was often better not to ask questions about how sellers had gotten their hands on artifacts. He’d already considered asking if Aidan wanted to do some business together, but that would wait for another time, no need to taint their pillow talk. Victor smiled faintly at the reassurance. He wasn’t going to make relationship demands this soon into whatever this would turn out to be, and labels didn’t mean all that much to him ... but he couldn’t pretend he didn’t like knowing he had Aidan’s full attention. “Good,” he murmured. Victor gave Aidan’s bottom lip a little nibble. He rolled further onto his back, keeping Aidan close to his side as he settled in to let himself get drowsy. If they started really making out again, they would just end up fooling around, and he was tired. “Don’t you dare leave without waking me,” Victor mumbled, trailing his fingertips against Aidan’s shoulder.
Aidan would’ve probably stayed up if Victor had kept kissing him. He’d have stayed up all night, his mind drifting in and out of consciousness as his body responded to Victor’s, if Victor hadn’t initiated a move towards sleep. It probably wasn’t healthy how into this man he was, how easily he’d weaseled his way into his mind, dominating his thoughts as well as his body, but being with him made Aidan feel good. It was easy to curl up with him, close his eyes, and feel safe and content. “I wouldn’t,” Aidan muttered, his hand settling on Victor’s chest as he pressed up against him. He could feel his body settling, sleep coming on fast now that he didn’t have a reason to stay awake. “Nudge me if you get too hot,” he added softly. He had a tendency to seek out body heat, even in his sleep, but didn’t want to crowd Victor if he didn’t like it.
He just hummed some noncommittal sound as his eyes drifted shut. Victor doubted he would get too hot, he tended to be more cold-natured anyway. His preferences might change in the middle of the night, but so far he enjoyed all of the snuggling -- getting laid had never been hard to come by, but finding someone he wanted to actually cuddle with had been rare in his life. He liked this, though, it was beyond nice to lie there and feel Aidan’s breathing getting deeper and longer, and the arm around Victor getting heavier as he fully relaxed. It was soothing intimacy that he’d half convinced himself he didn’t need ... but damn it felt nice. Whether they were making a huge mistake or not felt like a faraway, unimportant question. This felt good, and he wanted it even if it ended up bad. It was Victor’s last vague thought before he drifted off to sleep.