I'll be honest, I've got no idea what happens in this chapter. :)
Finn couldn't help himself; even though he knew he shouldn't pester Russell, there were butterflies in his stomach as he paced behind the tall man; he had to give in.
"Do you like it?" asked Finn.
Russell didn't answer at first, head cocked. Then he turned to Finn and smiled. Finn smiled weakly back.
"I like to take my time appreciating art I'm enjoying," said Russell before turning back to the art.
Was that good? That was good, right? Finn was certain it was good. Right?
Eventually Russell moved onto the next painting, Finn doing his best impression of an extraordinarily excited frog behind him.
"Are all artists like this?" asked Russell, chuckling.
"No," said Finn, pouting. "A lot of them, though."
"I'm glad I'm not an artist then," said Russell. "Because I don't know how I'd stand being so close to such talented, attractive people all the time."
Finn swatted Russell on the arm. "You're just saying that!"
"I'm not," said Russell, smiling. "I don't just say things. I mean them. So when I tell you that I think your art is absolutely fantastic, know that I mean it."
Finn grinned. "Now that you've flattered me enough, want to back to my place?"
He waggled his eyebrows and counted on Russell getting his insinuation. Russell did, but it wasn't the reaction he'd be hoping for.
"I, um," stammered Russell. "I don't date much. I know we've already, uh, been together, but it's only the first date, and I'm...in a real bed, at someone's house, I'm not sure I'm..."
"It's fine," said Finn hastily. "It was just a suggestion."
"Are you sure?" said Russell hesitantly. "If you want to have sex, I suppose we can...or maybe you'd be better off finding-"
"Russell," said Finn soothingly. "It's fine. Let me get us a cab, okay? You can tell me all about my artwork and how you liked it on the cab right home."
Russell relaxed, smiling slightly. "I'm glad you're okay with it. I'd feel bad if I were...denying you anything."
Finn wished he could reach up to grab Russell by the hair and kiss him right there. "I'll tell you if I absolutely need sex, don't worry about that."
"Does this mean we're...dating? Already?"
Finn took Russell's hand as they left the art gallery. "If it's okay with you."
"Did I mention that I have fake teeth?"
"Yes, and I already told you I don't care."
"Oh. Well then, I don't mind then."
"Good."
"Did you like it?"
"I liked it a lot. It was very entertaining."
"You're just saying that, aren't you? You don't have to worry about trying to make me happy, I can take it."
Russell raised his eyebrows. "You think so? You're a bit like an overeager puppy, I'm not sure. It's not like we were even at one of your art showings. It was just a movie."
"But I picked it."
"What, do you think I'll break up with you just because I didn't like a movie we saw? I'm not that fickle."
"I never said you were!" yelped Finn, hoping he hadn't come off that way.
"I know, I know," said Russell soothingly. "Hey, do you...wanna come back to my place?"
It was their fourth date, and Russell had completely avoided any sexual advances, so his suggestion was met with an incredulous stare. Russell saw his look and turned red.
"No, I meant, you know, we haven't seen each other's places yet," said Russell hastily. "My brother will probably be there. So. You know."
"I'd love to meet your brother," said Finn, smiling. "And figure out where in this city there's an apartment big enough to fit you."
Russell swooped down to give Finn a kiss before they left the movie theatre and headed to Finn's car, where Russell proceeded to give Finn directions to his apartment, which had Finn's heart pounding with excitement.
When they finally pulled into the parking lot, Finn wasn't sure how to feel. It was a fairly high-class complex; he'd thought it would be a bit shabbier, seeing as Russell was unemployed. Apparently guessing Finn's thoughts, Russell said, "My father finds ways of sneaking money into my bank account. I'd ignore it, but Maggie's living with me, so I don't want it to be too much of a dump."
The elevator actually had elevator music. It took Finn longer than it should have to get over it.
"What?" asked Russell curiously. "You grew up just as wealthy as I did. Why is this so surprising?"
"I don't really roll around in money like I used to," said Finn. "It's more jarring than you'd expect."
The elevator reached their floor, and Russell ducked his head as they exited, leading Finn to his apartment and unlocking the door with a well-practiced movement of his left hand.
The first thing Finn saw were the instruments. There were what seemed like dozens of them, haphazardly strewn around the living room floor. All of them were in cases except a violin, which was lying on the sleeping face of a man who must have been Malcolm Feanaro.
"Sorry about the mess," said Russell, sidestepping a huge instrument case as he entered. "Maggie...well, you get the point."
Finn looked around while Russell put the violin in its case. It was very tastefully decorated, although Finn suspected that had been done by some sort of designer. The kitchen was right next to the dining room, and there was a long hallway that led to the bathroom, two bedrooms, and an extra room that Russell seemed to use as a mixture of an office and an exercise room.
"Fancier than I need," said Russell when Finn reappeared from the hallway. "But I fit in it, so I'm happy here."
The ceilings, now that Russell had pointed it out, were higher than usual, as were the door-frames. Finn wondered if that had been the deciding factor in its purchase.
"Wake up," said Russell. "Wake up, stupid."
The first warning wake-up calls so calm that Finn didn't expect what Russell did next; he told Malcolm to wake up two or three more times, then shoved his brother off the couch.
"Ahhhh!" said Maggie. "What the hell was that for?"
"You know it's the the only way to get you up," said Russell apologetically. "Otherwise you'll sleep all day."
"And what's wrong with that?" grumbled Russell's brother, shaking out his shoulder length black hair. "I was at a concert until five in the morning, cut me a break."
"It's evening, brother," said Russell, rolling his eyes. "You've been asleep since last night. And we have company."
"Company? Who the hell...?"
Finn watched, amused, as Maggie's bleary eyes rose to look at Finn. A slow grin spread across his face.
"Brother, don't tell me this is Finn!"
Russell was already red. "Yes, Mag, this is Finn. Why is it so surprising that I bring a date home?"
"Are you gonna do it?" asked Maggie mischievously. "You can be as loud as you want, I don't mind."
"Valar," groaned Russell. "You're unbelievable, Mag."
Finn grinned back at Maggie. "So, what's with the outfit?"
Maggie looked down and laughed when he realized that the bright orange shirt he was wearing hung down to his knees. "I was so tired last night, I must have grabbed one of Russ's."
"You own that?" said Finn incredulously to Russell. "It's hideous!"
"I never wear it," protested Russell. "I'm going to pour some wine, there's no way I'm staying sober for this."
"Not too much," said Maggie, a hint of warning in his voice. "Okay?"
Russell grunted as he left for the kitchen, leaving Maggie looking worried. He turned to Finn suddenly, looking slightly ridiculous with his sleeves hanging over his hands.
"Russell likes you a lot," said Maggie seriously. "You'd better be serious about him."
Finn, having brothers and a sister of his own, nodded. "Yes, I am. Before you say it, I'll do my best not to break his heart. Or mine, for that matter."
"He's got problems," said Maggie, his sharp eyes trained on Finn. "You probably don't even know the half of it. I bet you haven't even seen him shirtless yet, have you?"
Before Finn could think of an answer to that, Russell was back, awkwardly balancing a tray of wine glasses between his hand and his stump.
"Remember what I said, Finn," said Maggie cheerily. "Otherwise there will be consequences."
Finn ended up swallowing the wine wrong and spitting up half of it onto his shirt.
Reviews are love! :)