David Archuleta was in rare form. He was frustrated. Huffy. And had no idea why. Well...that's not exactly true. He had an idea as to why he was feeling grumpy, but being David Archuleta, he didn't want to admit it. I mean, he did not get mad at people. It wasn't his nature.
And yet, here he was, grumbling and fuming over one David Cook. His boyfriend. Lover. The person who he'd gladly spend the rest of his life with. The one person who'd he never thought he'd get angry at.
Planted on the couch, he sat, arms crossed, eyes closed, the dark lashes fluttering against his skin; his breathing the only sound in the room. It echoed off the walls and drifted through the air. With a disoriented sigh, David let his arms fall to his sides, hands swaying gently, lightly touching the soft leather cushions. A sparkle of gold caught his eye and he let his green-brown gaze fall on to his right hand; bound about the ring finger was a white-gold band. A promise ring.
Holding it up to the light, he mouthed the words that were engraved upon it. To my angel. Love forever and for always, David Roland. He knew Cook meant it. Really, he did. Why else would he have given it to him in the first place?
Despite all this, David had an inkling of doubt. He tried to ignore it. Put it in the back of his mind, but to no avail. It kept creeping up on him. Pushing forth into his thoughts, occupying his brain, nagging at him constantly. Cook is a flirt, after all. He doesn't mean harm by it. That's just how he is. A naturally friendly person. Yet when they made appearances together, David sort of dreaded them. Just a tad bit. He just knew the flirty side was going to come out, joke around, play. And...he didn't really like it.
Gosh, he didn't want to be so selfish, trying to stop Cook from being himself. How dare he even attempt to! So, being the nice, loving, considerate boyfriend he is, he let it slide. Why should he be so possessive anyway? He knows that Cook loves him and always will. But...
Maybe I can try it? David mused, running the pad of his left index finger over the shiny, metallic band. What's the harm in that? I mean, Cook does it and I'm (somewhat) okay with it. Surely, he'll feel the same way...?
Taking a gander at the watch on his wrist, David sighed. Speaking of Cook, he should be getting back any time now. He was out and about today, working on his album: writing material, designing cover art, etc. etc. Meanwhile, David himself had a day off; a rarity in itself. He spent it rather well, he thought. Managed to catch up on his sleep. At least the heavy circles under his eyes were gone! Smiling to himself, he stood up with a grunt, stretched, and stepped outside to the porch, where he squinted at the rays of sunlight hitting the house. Only a few minutes went by when a car pulled up to the long, gravel driveway. The doors slammed shut as a person made their way out of the vehicle.
"Cookie!" David exclaimed, sprinting toward the man and enveloped him in a huge hug. "You're home!"
"Archie!" Cook responded, wrapping his arms tightly around his boy in return. "How are you, baby?"
"Good," he giggled as the older man leaned down to give him a quick kiss to the cheek. David turned and caught Cook's lips with his mouth instead. "And you?"
"Ah, I'm fine. A little tired, but fine," Cook said, making his way in to the house. "Oh! I forgot. Archie, Andrew's with me, too. He dropped by the studio today and wanted to visit."
David turned and, lo and behold, there was Andrew, Cook's younger brother, standing before him, grinning. "Hey, Archie," he said, waving.
"Hi, Andrew," David answered back, matching his wave with one of his own. Suddenly, a light went off in his head and he smiled, an idea forming. Maybe I can trying flirting with Andrew, he thought. He is rather attractive...
They settled in to the living room with a couple drinks (nothing alcoholic) and David made sure that, while he sat with Cook, he kept making eye contact with Andrew. Even while cuddling and being affectionate, he would allow his eyes to meet and hold Andrew's gaze for a few seconds, nothing more, then return his attention to Cook. Andrew stared at him quizzically, not understanding the continuing glances at first, but eventually he must have understood because he flirted back. And David found himself growing a little giddy at that prospect. Andrew was flirting with him, too! A light giggle escaped him. "What are you giggling about, Arch?" Cook questioned.
"Oh, nothing, Cook," he replied, hopping off the man's lap. He made his way over to where Andrew was sitting on the couch and sat down. "Hi, Andrew."
"Hi, Archie," Andrew said, smiling at the youth before him. He observed that David was looking rather flushed; a deep blush reddened his tan skin and he was trembling slightly. "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah," David answered. He gulped and moved in closer, so that their legs were brushing up against each other. "I...I'm fine." This was so weird. He wanted to flirt with Andrew. Really, he did. But now, he wasn't so sure. He didn't like doing this in front of Cook. He met his lover's gaze and noticed that the older man didn't seem too bothered by it all. His eyebrows raised slowly. Cook's okay with this? I really thought he would've said something by now. I would have! Taking a deep breath, David stared at Andrew, thinking over what to do. If Cook really was un-bothered by it all...
David felt himself scoot in closer. Now, he and Andrew's chests were barely touching. He could hear the man's breathing, feel the tension. He thought he heard Cook give a slight cough in the background, but he dutifully ignored it. Meeting Andrew's heavy-lidded stare, he inhaled sharply before closing the space between them.
The kiss was awkward at first, slow and fumbling, but David did not pull away. Grabbing a hold of Andrew's shirt, he tugged on the fabric, clenching it between his fingers, causing the man to fall forward. Their lips pressed together even more, making it deeper. David's hand went to the back of Andrew's neck, grasping and pulling at the dark tufts of hair splayed at the nape. The man let out a muffled groan, eyes slipping closed, as he placed his arms firmly around David's waist. Heat fell over the youth. He felt dizzy, feverish. Warmth spread through him like lightning, giving him little jolts of pleasure at each and every touch. He knew Cook was watching, yet that only made him more excited. He shivered when he felt Andrew's tongue lick at his lips, begging entrance.
David groaned, complying. He obediently parted his mouth and their tongues met in a frenzied dance. He whimpered; Andrew's hands now rested on his thigh, fingers digging in to the coarse denim of his jeans. Pushing Andrew's hands away, he pulled back a little. He didn't want to actually do anything with Andrew. Just make out with him. To, you know, make Cook jealous; give him a taste of his own medicine.
The room was dead silent as David settled himself back on to the couch. He didn't even bother to meet Cook's gaze. Now that it was over, he felt ashamed. Dirty. Glancing over at Andrew, he noticed that the man hadn't moved from his spot. Why, he didn't even bother fixing his glasses. They still sat askew on his nose, hanging off. "Ugh, um." David paused and cleared his throat. "Um, Cook?"
Without a word, Cook stood up from his chair and exited the room. Andrew seemed to finally break out of his reverie and hastily returned his glasses to the rightful spot on his face. He coughed softly and said, "Wow, um, that was...wow, Archie." He forced a laugh. "I...I didn't know you liked me like that."
"I...I don't! Um, I-I don't. I just...gah, um. I wanted...oh, gosh, um, Cook! Please, wait up!" With that he sprinted after the older man.
David found Cook in their bedroom, sitting on their bed. Closing the door quietly, David stood at the foot, fiddling with his thumbs. "C-Cookie?" he stuttered.
Sea-foam eyes locked on to him, piercing right through him, it seemed. "Archie," he said quietly. "Would you mind explaining what the hell just happened?"
The youth wavered underneath that gaze, swaying ever so slightly. "Oh, Cookie," he choked out. "I-I didn't mean any harm by it! It was...it was just harmless flirting!"
"Flirting that ended up with my brother's tongue down your throat," Cook stated. "Seriously, Arch. What the hell were you thinking?"
"I...um, I..." He trailed off, eyes darting to the floor. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, but he was determined not to let them fall. "I just wanted to see if I could flirt. I just...wanted to see if I could do it."
"Well, obviously, you can." Cook drew in a breath, dragging his palm over his face. "Why would you want to---"
"You do it," David interrupted, cutting the older man off. Cook's eyes widened. "You flirt all the time! I watch you, making suggestive comments, acting all cozy with people. You do it right in front of me and I don't say anything, Cook. It...It's no fair. I-I try it and you get mad at me. It's no fair!"
The older man straightened up and stepped over to David, standing just inches away. "I don't make out with people in front of my boyfriend, Arch."
"I...I d-didn't mean t-to..." The tears were falling now, lightly, sliding down his cheeks in droplets. "I just w-wanted to s-see if you'd d-do anything..."
The older man softened visibly. "Awww, baby, sssshhhh," Cook comforted, taking his boy into his arms. "Ssssshhhh. If it honestly bothered you, why didn't you tell me? I didn't know you didn't like it."
"Well, I, uh," David sniffed, "I-I didn't want to sound s-selfish or p-possessive."
Cook held David to him, embracing him tightly. All the anger toward him vanished. David was truly sorry. He could tell. Rubbing his back gently, Cook waited until David was done, until all the tears were cried out. Once they were, he took his boy by the hand and lead him to the edge of the bed, where they both sat down, David laying his head on Cook's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Cook," he whispered. "I shouldn't have done that."
"I know you're sorry, baby," Cook replied, kissing the youth on the forehead. "Just one question: Why Andrew?"
A low giggle was what he got in response. "Um, well, I-I thought he was, you know...cute and...uh..."
"Say no more, Archie. Say no more." Cook grinned. "You really think Andrew's cute?" He laughed at the blush that spread across his boy's face. "I-I do," David mumbled.
"Hmmmm, well, I'm not going to lie. I was jealous watching you two go at it like that." Cook wrapped an arm around David's waist. "I don't like people touching what's mine." He nipped at the youth's neck, eliciting a soft moan from the boy.
"Yeah, w-well, I don't like people touching what's mine," David shot back, giving Cook a hard, possessive kiss that made the older man see stars. "So, will you cut down the flirting?"
"Only if you do."
"Deal."
"Deal."
David giggled as Cook pulled him onto the bed. Their lips met in a loving, tender kiss. "Wait," David said suddenly, breaking off. "What about Andrew? We kind of...just left him out in the living room."
"Oh, it's okay. He'll manage. I'm rather...busy at the moment." He winked, causing the youth to blush and giggle again. "Mine," he whispered, making David tremble wonderfully in his arms.
"Yours," David replied. "And you are mine."
"Yes, I am," Cook responded. "I am yours."
Meanwhile...
"Ah, geez, guys, you could've at least told me goodbye before leaving to sex each other up," Andrew mumbled, laughing. He heard faint sounds of pleasure and chuckled. "Might as well help myself to the fridge. They're going to be a while..."