Peeling off the Layers
I don't own the characters or make money but I think this turned out kind cool anyway.
A gentle kiss then a hesitant retreat, far enough to search the other's eyes. Yes, this is wanted. Yes, he is sure. Another kiss, more sure, and fingers begin to search out buttons.
A favorite color. A well loved song.
Lips trail down the soft side of a throat. A tongue flirts with the sensitive skin and teeth nip playfully at the pulse points. There is a quiet gasp and one smirks as the other's hands pull the hem of a shirt loose.
Funny jokes and movie critiques. It's a Wonderful Life is compared to Casablanca and battle lines are drawn. Fudge sauce and Caramel gets the same reaction.
Shoes are discarded. The bed draws nearer as thief's fingers search like a blind man drawing a map. No place left untouched, no detail to be forgotten.
They talk of school. Linus talks. Classes which are fascinating, some which fill credits .Rusty smiles and pays attention but can add nothing of his own save that he recalls his third grade teacher once caught him cleaning pockets with a game of Go Fish.
Together they fall back. There is quiet laughter before lips seal back into one thing too preoccupied for sound. A button up is bundled and tossed off then followed by a T-shirt.
There is time spent in the apartment. Photos are scrutinized and explained. Old friends, best friends.' You wouldn't believe some of the things we've gotten into. I bet you'd really like them.' There are shared dinners and, yes, he does like them. No, he does not have someone to offer up in return. Just Danny. Always Danny.
Belts loosen and fall away. This is where the passion really begins. No, Rusty thinks, that is a lie. The passion is in the smooth slide of fingers over his chest. The delicate touch of a pickpocket which is so light he almost feels like he's making love to air.
The first con. Dealing crooked cards in back rooms and lifting wallets from passerby. Linus, surprisingly, used to play ball and cup. Which one, which one? They spin and spin, keep your eye on it or you'll lose what you've gained.
Linus discovers a spot under Rusty's ear which draws a beautiful sound from the other man. There is also a nasty scar on his left hip just below the belt. Rusty sees the wonder and quickly diverts his lover's attention. Kisses spread themselves out across an entire body. He finds a tattoo hidden on the sole of Linus's left foot and laughs before kissing this, too.
A phone is snapped shut with a huff. Rusty watches with interest but will not press. He sees the tension, the sadness. Linus smiles with a poor imitation of happiness. Rusty holds him and soon words poor out. The memories of budding teenage rebellion. The first actual fight. A night so angry that a friend's guest room was borrowed. Eighteen seems like a magical number.
This is more than kisses and bodies and sweat. This is an exploration.
He doesn't say what he's thinking, doesn't talk about his past. But still, Linus is kind and sincere, always so sincere, sharing his thoughts and history without thinking about how it can hurt him. Never thinking Rusty might use it against him. There are questions in his eyes but they never leave his lips. It's the patience that he can't deny. He tries not to make it a big deal when he mentions his life before Danny, but it is.
Here they are, skin to skin, heart to heart. Naked.
