WARNING: M/M
Disclaimer; not mine, just wishful thinking.
"you're beautiful."
The first time he said it had been blurted out during one drunken night, out on the poolside, feet in the chloride laced pool water, staring at the night sky. Jay had wondered loudly if the stars were brighter in other places- and then randy stopped looking up and instead turned his eyes to jason reso. Blue eyes reflecting the sparkles of moonbeams that lit up the water like a crystal- there seemed something utterly enchanting about the man beside him and it slipped out his mouth before he could stop.
Jay looked at orton and chuckled dismissively, turning again to eye the pool "that's the alcohol talking"
Randy didn't know why but, he seemed even more beautiful as he denied it. The way he looked down at the water to frown at his own reflection- there wasn't anything to not like. He should have said something, but he kept his mouth shut, kicked the water a bit and shifted close to Jay who sighed softly and leaned on his broad shoulder.
And orton found himself murmuring, as he stared at the blonde head, skin warm against his own, he drew Jay close, "that's what makes you beautiful."
He hadnt expected to be onvited to the wedding. He was Adam's least favourite person in the roster, but the invite came in gilded lettering, telling him to RSVP two seats for him and someone else. Randy hesitated, recalling drunken nights, hot and chaotic- beautiful- and finally got to dialling the number scrawled below.
"you're beautiful."
Jay turned around and grinned at orton, "thanks, but you should be saving that for the bride" he fidgeted with the tie around his neck nervously then faced the mirror again- randy didn't know why, Jay looked stellar in the black tuxedo.
"you want me to call Adam?" randy offered
Jason hesitated, "no. No, it's okay. He'd just make fun of me for being jumpy and getting cold feet." he wrung his hands and pulled at his tie again- the knot becoming more deformed the more he tugged at it.
Randy grabbed both hands- clammy from nervousness, and held it tight in his own warm ones. Jason swallowed and stared at him, their eyes dwelling on each other before orton slowly let him go and his fingers pulled loose the tie around the collar- the silky hiss made Jay breathe out shakily, watching with fascination through half lidded eyes as randy carefully, gently, reverently tied another knot and secured it under his collar- leaning down to whisper so quietly, "relax. You're beautiful."
Jays eyes fluttered shut and he pressed against orton's frame unsteadily. "stay with me?" he breathed
"always." randy closed his own eyes, held those once clammy hands that warmed in his hold, "always."
"you're beautiful."
It was one of those days- storming, an appropriate word. The thunder and lightning crashed and sparked outside, winds wrestled through the trees. Randy couldn't sleep. He watched the tv characters go over their problems, screeching at each other before flipping to another channel- problems couldn't be solved by yelling at each other, orton thought, glaring at the screen and deciding on some horror film when the door bell rang. Randy frowned, no one in their right mind would be out in a storm like this- the bell persisted and randy got up and headed to the door.
"who is it?" he called through the comm
"randy?"
Orton wasted no time pulling out the bolts and yanking the door open- standing there under the porch, dripping wet like something dragged through an ocean- was Jason, pack on his shoulder, looking as sullen as the storm outside.
Blue eyes blinked at him and randy couldn't move faster, ushering Jay in, practically nailing him to the couch and wresting away the bag and the wet clothes, turning up the heat till it was sweltering like the sahara and swaddling as much blankets as he could around the lithe, shivering body.
After they'd both settled on the couch- Jay half squirmed out of the many blankets and sighed heavily, leaning against orton, eyes shut- a familiar comforting action.
Randy brushed the fine hairs on jason's nape tenderly.
"she's leaving."
A small choked back sob and Jay trembled against orton's shoulder. Randy remained silent, petting Jay's neck, the storm outside muted by the soft sobbing. When Jay calmed enough, he talked. About everything. Anything. Orton listened intently, to childhood stories, firsts and conquests with Adam- then the stories spiralled to the break- up.
"she's leaving me for someone else." Jay mumbled, fingers playing with the cotton blankets that nested loosely around his bare torso.
"why?" orton asked, turning to look at Jason who glanced at him then looked at his own hands, at the ring on his finger, glinting under fluorescent light.
"guess I wasn't good enough..." Jay covered his face with both hands, "I'm never good enough."
Orton felt his gut tighten at that helpless admission, he pulled Jason close, a fierce hug, "no. She doesn't know anything."
"no-" Jay sniffled against orton's shoulder shamelessly, utterly self depreciating- buried deep enough in whatever lies he'd told himself and believed.
Orton drew back, looked at puffy teary blue eyes that seemed to remind him of the deep ocean, "you're beautiful." he said truthfully, brushing stray tears with his fingers.
Jason shook his head and looked away- unwilling, unseeing- unable to see what randy saw or what he thought randy believed him to be.
"you've always been beautiful" randy said steadfastly, chucking fingers to tilt that stubborn face to light, "and you'll always be beautiful." and- the way Jay looked at him- searching gray eyes for some mischievous or mocking glint of sarcasm- then blue eyes widened- not searching- almost child-like wonder as Jay let randy's words sink in-
It's the first kiss that randy has pictured a thousand times in his head- where sparks literally set your heart ablaze when your lips meet- reality is messier, awkward, rushed- impulsive. and the scrape of teeth on lips- a pain he can live with- but when Jay draws back panicked, all randy has to do is grin and place a warm hand behind that ever familiar nape and drags Jason down for a languid kiss- its as though every kiss he's had in his life had only prepared randy for this moment- gentle swipe of tongue to lips and proceeding to expertly map out new territory, teeth graze lips- hes only ever aware of the mewls he's intently devouring-and as they draw back from each other, Jason blinks dazedly at him, at the lines they've crossed, orton says with sincerity, admiring that face, flushed and lips swollen from the intensity orton's put it through, he's memorised and etched this image into eternity,
"you're beautiful."
There's some sadistic side to orton that he is somewhat aware of- rears it's head in intermittent moments of passion that he barely notices it- it's when Jay is whimpering, entire body trembling against his own tanned form as they consummate their relationship for the first time- he kisses the tears away, whispers his undying love over and over again to flushed skin- means every word of it as he slowly, torturously, moves in Jay- he can't help it, he wants to prolong this moment, seeing him writhing in pleasure- wants to draw out every breath- hear the melodious pants and gasps of his name as he rocks harder against him- it's when Jason is shaking between his arms, so vulnerable, eyes pleading, faint pink tinge on cheeks- at the edge of that precipice, randy whispers so quietly,
"you're beautiful"
He watches, with amusement, the frilly pink apron with the kiss the cook logo printed in bold bright colours, that Jason has donned, his lover had just spontaneously decided to one day pick up a spatula and whip something up in the kitchen- randy's allowed to stay and watch (and not banished to the living room per usual) because, well, one, they lived together, and two, orton's going to damn well want to make sure not a single blonde hair gets singed by the inexperienced cook. Gray eyes watch as Jason cracks an egg into a bowl- pieces of the shell falling in with the yolk- Jay pursing his lips in thought- several quick flicks of a deft wrist and whatever's left of the egg is liberally seasoned with dashes of salt and pepper and severely beaten to death and cooked on the pan- then its carcass is served under randy's nose on one of those small saucers usually reserved for cups.
"what?" randy asks with a grin, looking at Jay who seems somewhat anxious but dons a smidgeon of that captain charisma smile.
"well, I cooked it for you, don't you want to at least know what it tastes like?" there's the tell tale cross of arms over chest, slight lean to the left as Jay shifts his weight.
Randy eyes the atrocity on the plate and makes a face, then courageously, and in all good humour, says, "I think I choose life"
The smug face falls and lips pout, "aww man, you're no fun. Adam wouldve tried it!" randy feels his resolve weaken, seeing those eyes turned to him in such a way that small animals seemed unappealing.
He keeps up the charade though. And with another grin proclaims he's not Adam.
Jay sticks his Tongue out maturely and heads back to the stove, randy watches him scrutinise the ingredients and items as though it all provided some universe-deigned answer to being an iron chef. He let's out a soft chuckle and stabs a part of the egg and bites into it.
jaws move in a chewing motion as Jay turns, eyes wide with surprise, seeing randy eating what was deemed to be rat poison. The surprised expression barely fades as randy swallows.
"you shouldn't have eaten it" Jay says slowly, "I Accidentally put in sugar"
Randy says nothing but smiles and gets up, strides over to Jason and kisses him squarely on the lips, loving how skinny arms wrap up around his neck after a moment or two, his own hands hold slim hips,
"I love you" he murmurs whole heartedly, watching as a blush blooms on those cheeks, eyes shift sideways bashfully, a small smile tinting the embarrassment he feels with gladness, pleased with the admittance but shy and modest enough to become speechless, as though someone not worthy of such affection. randy watches each simple movement, the subtle movements he so loves, the movements that bare Jason to his eyes, adores that moment when those eyes look up at him, a full smile gracing pink lips, words fall to his ears and reverberate through his heart
"I love you too"