and stared at Charles. "See?"
Charles found the place where they'd been and licked across the healed skin, feeling Gray
shudder. "No, they aren't," he murmured, dragging his fingernails across Gray's back, forcefully enough to leave scarlet lines although he was careful not to break the skin.
Gray cried out softly, and Charles smiled, hearing the pleasure welling up through the shock.
Moving quickly, he opened the condom and when it was in place slicked his fingers.
"Up."
With a slow, languid, impudent rock of his hips, Gray got into position. Charles felt his hand itch
to place a stinging, admonishing slap on the nicely curved backside Gray was wiggling at him,
coupled with an equally strong desire to laugh.
"Brat," he said under his breath.
"Fuck it out of me," Gray said seriously. "Because I am, I know I am, but if you don't like it--"
"I didn't say that," Charles told him, dragging his finger down the shadowed cleft of Gray's
backside and pausing as he felt the smooth skin give way to the whorl of his arsehole. Gray
tensed up and Charles slipped his free arm around Gray's waist in a hug. "Tell me if--"
Gray arched and pushed, taking Charles' finger inside him. "I'm
fine
," he snapped.
Drawing Closer - 45
Charles laid his hand flat against Gray's stomach and then moved it down. Gray was already half-
hard. Good enough.
The intimacy of this first moment of possession took Charles by surprise, as it always did. He
fought for detachment as he pushed his finger in deeper, the hot clutch of Gray's body defeating
him easily.
Closing his eyes, he let the arousal he felt wash over him, leaving him panting, Gray's name on his
lips.
"Charles?"
Gray sounded uncertain and that was all it took. Charles made sure they were both ready and
rubbed the head of his cock across the slowly yielding entrance before pushing inside, taking care
but not too much. He'd been just where Gray was, tangled up in desire and apprehension and
ready to scream because he'd thought that nothing was worse than the waiting.
He'd been wrong about that, but even so he didn't make Gray wait, easing inside him in a series of
small, incremental advances, never pulling all the way out, so that by the time he was sheathed
inside Gray, he was trembling with the need to
move
, wanting the blurred, mindless thrusts that
would have Gray arching and crying out.
Gray was making hoarse, desperate sounds even now; his head down, his fingers scrabbling at the
pillow. If Charles hadn't had a fist full of Gray's cock, hot and quivering and hard, he might have
thought they were distressed sounds.
Probably not, though. He'd made them himself often enough to recognize them. If his
concentration hadn't been focused on not hurting Gray, he might've been providing an echo.
"Won't... break," Gray said thickly. "Or did you want me to beg?"
"Not tonight. Although it's tempting." It was. So very tempting.
"Then what's it going to take to get you to just -- oh, God--"
Charles smiled and repeated the fast slam into Gray that had torn that half-awed exclamation out
of him, shifting so both his hands were gripping Gray's hips. "Better?"
The strong, lithe body beneath him shuddered. It was as good an answer as any.
Too close to coming after the long tease of the walk and the sight of Gray jerking off, Charles
didn't even try to draw it out. Gray was right; they needed to do this and have it done.
Drawing Closer - 46
Within the space of a few strokes, they'd found a rhythm, desperation-fuelled and matching the
thrum of blood in Charles' ears. Gray's body was so responsive, and he was so utterly open
about his reactions, demanding and pleading in the same breath until words became guttural
sounds and his head sank low. The shadows trapped in the inward curve of his broad shoulders
shivered and spilled down Gray's spine with every strong, fast thrust from Charles' cock,
endlessly renewed.
Couldn't last ... not with the heady scent of sweat and come drenching the air and the dozen ways
Gray was dragging Charles headlong toward a climax he needed like air to breathe and water to
drink...
He was fucking selfishly, hands still tight on Gray's hips, not really trying to get the angle right,
although he could tell when he did because of the shiver that raced over and through Gray. Given
the way Gray's arse clenched when that happened, Charles was doing more to avoid it, if he was
honest with himself.
Fast and hard, and he'd make this up to him, he swore he would, but right now, right now... Then
Gray twisted, his weight all on one hand, the other going to his cock, neglected and needy. The
sudden shift in position meant that Charles' next surge forward gave Gray just what he needed to
come, snarling out a grunt of pleasure and taking Charles with him, inescapably, inevitably, his
own climax meshing with Gray's.
They ended up huddled and spooned together on the bed, Charles' arms wrapped around Gray,
his upper arm around Gray's waist, the lower slotted awkwardly between the pillow and Gray's
neck. It didn't seem to matter. Gray stirred, wriggled a little, and it was suddenly comfortable.
Charles waited until they were both breathing in less of a labored gasp for oxygen and kissed the
back of Gray's neck, tasting salt-sweat.
He knew that soon they'd have to move apart, clean up, make small-talk, but for now, for a
moment, there was Gray pressed close, snuggled up against him, relaxed and contented.
And when he moved, it was to turn within the circle of Charles' arms and kiss him, still silent, his
lips soft and slow, his eyes heavy and dark, sleep-caught.
***
a soft touch on his backside, dispelling the sleepy haze he'd been luxuriating in for an hour,
sprawled on his belly with Gray beside him.
"No. Don't even think about it."
Even without looking he knew that Gray was pouting. "Wasn't going to. That's kinda rushing
things, right? Spanking you?"
Drawing Closer - 47
"Definitely too soon," Charles agreed, too relaxed to think through the implications until Gray gave an interested 'mmm?'. "It's always going to be too soon," he added hastily.
"So we substitute." Gray wriggled down the bed. "Stay still."
"What -- oh!" Charles smiled into the pillow as Gray began to dot kisses over his arse, counting under his breath after each one and taking his time. It felt good, slightly ticklish, but bearable and
Gray was being remarkably well-behaved, not biting, not that Charles would've minded...
Gray finished counting and sat up, his hand coming to rest lightly against the skin he'd been
kissing. The smack that followed was unexpected, hard, and left Charles' arse stinging.
"Ow!" He rolled over and glared up at Gray, who was grinning and not looking at all contrite.
"That wasn't a spanking. That implies more than one, uh, contact, and I swear I'm done."
"More semantics?" Charles inquired acidly. "Kisses that aren't touches--"
"Other way around."
"Slaps that aren't spankings..."
"One slap. One."
Gray moved back a little, eying him warily, and Charles pounced on him.
"You asked for this." Charles crooked his fingers and went for Gray's ribs.
What followed was a struggle that both of them were enjoying too much to end, with Gray
laughing up into Charles' face, unrepentant and gasping for breath as Charles fought off Gray's
attempts at reprisals while continuing his assault.
"Apologize." Charles found a spot that made Gray arch and then curl in on himself and grinned
triumphantly.
"Not gonna..." Gray managed. "Felt too good to regret." He straightened out and stopped struggling, his body pliant under Charles'. "But I'll kiss it better, if you like."
Charles paused, staring down at him, the never serious impulse to exact revenge slipping away.
"Oh, you..." he murmured, pushing his hands into Gray's and dragging them above Gray's head
before leaning over to kiss him. "Gray--"
His hands loosened their grip and Gray's arms went around him, pulling Charles down on top of
Drawing Closer - 48
him, the kiss that followed turning serious within seconds. Gray's mouth was unfamiliar enough
to be exciting, and the whole encounter held enough of the forbidden to appeal to a part of
Charles he'd thought dormant.
"It's almost midnight. Won't be your birthday much longer. Want a present?"
"A present? Too kind." Charles bent his head to lick a circle around and across a flat nipple, just to feel it rise up and harden. "I had my heart set on the cat picture, mind you, but as it's been
sold, I'll settle for a kiss. Possibly two."
"Oh, I can do that," Gray said. "Maybe even three." Charles let himself be pushed to his back, smiling as Gray wriggled down the bed. "And I get to choose where," Gray whispered.
Charles' hand dropped to tangle in dark, soft hair. "Good choice," he whispered back, as Gray's mouth pressed kiss after kiss along his cock.
"Want more?"
"I'd hate to seem greedy..."
Gray smiled. "You'll hurt my feelings if you say no."
"Oh, well, in
that
case..."
Yes, Gray had done this before. Not often; Charles winced as Gray's teeth scraped over sensitive
skin -- too much pain and in the wrong place -- but enough to swallow without fuss and know
that there was more he could do than suck. Charles, left feeling pleasantly sleepy and sated,
thought that it was one of the nicest presents he'd had in recent years.
"Want to go to sleep?" Gray asked, moving back to lie beside him.
"I think I'm going to whether I want to or not." Charles yawned and ran his hand down Gray's
arm. "Unless you'd rather I didn't stay?"
"You want to go?"
Charles flinched at the uncertainty in Gray's voice. "No. I want to stay." Gray kissed him, a light, damp kiss, flavored with the fresh tang of come. It brought back memories and Charles shivered
and tugged Gray closer. "I want to stay," he repeated.
"Cool," Gray murmured, his natural resilience seemingly back. "G'night. Sleep tight."
Charles lay awake in the unfamiliar room until Gray, with a grunt that might have been an
apology, rolled over, starfished out, and fell asleep.
Drawing Closer - 49
The scritch-scrape of Gray's pencil as he shaded in the soft folds of the sheet trapped under
Charles' arm woke his subject. Gray sighed as Charles moved, the position he'd held for twenty
minutes lost.
"Another five minutes; that's all I needed."
Charles opened his eyes, blinked, and yawned. "Good morning to you, too," he muttered.
"Good morning, Charles," Gray said gravely. "Did you sleep well?" He dropped the sketchpad and pencil on the bed and grinned. "You drooled on me."
Charles groaned, squeezing his eyes closed. "God save me from early morning chirpiness."
"It's ten o'clock." Gray watched Charles, wondering, a little uneasily, if he was going to leave in a flurry of insincere assurances that he'd call, yes, it'd been great. Gray had woken in too many
beds and said just that to feel entirely safe.
"It is?" Charles yawned again and opened one eye. "Coffee?" he asked hopefully.
"Depends," Gray replied, picking up his sketchpad again and clutching it to him for comfort.
"How long are you going to stick around after you've drunk it?"
"Long enough." Charles propped himself up on one elbow and touched Gray's knee. "Come
here." The sketchbook was abandoned again and Gray leaned in as Charles kissed him, a light
press of his mouth that left Gray wanting more. Charles rubbed his thumb caressingly over
Gray's jaw. "You shaved and you brushed your teeth. I feel at a distinct disadvantage."
"I've spent the last twenty minutes wishing you'd wake up so I could touch you. You look fine
to me."
Charles glanced down at the sketch Gray had made. "Good God."
"What?" Gray asked defensively.
"You -- do I really look like that?"
Drawing Closer - 50
"Like what?" From where he was, the sketch was upside down, but that didn't matter. He'd
drawn Charles, defenceless, vulnerable, frowning slightly, and that was how he'd been until he'd
woken up and his face had smoothed out automatically.
"Never mind," Charles murmured. He gave Gray a charming smile. "I really would like a coffee, if it's not too much trouble."
"It's not." Gray hesitated, hoping that Charles would say something, maybe kiss him again, but Charles was resolutely not looking at the sketch and managing to look as unapproachable as he
had in class, despite being naked in Gray's bed. He got off the bed, hitching up the boxer shorts
that were all that he was wearing. "Coffee. Right."
"Black," Charles called after him. "And may I use your bathroom?"
Gray lost it at that. He turned, strode over to the bed, and kissed Charles hard, remembering a
dozen kisses from the night before with Charles' lips open and eager on his. He pulled back,
breathing quickly. "You can do whatever you want, just stop being so fucking polite."
"I'm sorry," Charles said softly after a moment. "I'm just suffering from a slight case of the morning after. I don't mean to be -- I'm sorry."
"Yeah," Gray snapped. "It's awkward for me, too. I'm just not as good as you at pretending stuff didn't happen. Which it did. On this bed. In the hall."