Chapter Twenty-One
Cute Couple
It could be a straight couple just as much, kind of a Romeo and Juliet. That's why I object to the 'gay cowboy movie' label. It's really much more about unrequited love and (how) the pain that goes with it affects not just the major characters, but everybody who's around them. It has a lot more to do with society's pressure to conform.
Nikki Baumblatt
Tony shifted uncomfortably… Apparently Abbey's friend had the next day's lunch free and Tony wasn't sure he actually wanted to meet the guy. It was him more than anything else; Tony's left foot trying desperately trying to take up residence in his mouth and that was just the conversation he was playing out in his head.
He considered at great length just getting up and leaving, realising when the other sat down across from him that he had missed his chance.
"Hi, you're Tony right?" A hand was extended over the table.
"Jason Whiles." His smiled and Tony was floored, totally, completely and utterly floored. In the picture his hair had been longer, spiked and green, his face painted white while his eyes were shaded into black hallows. Every bit a Goth, just as the guy sitting across from him was every inch a business man. Smooth suit, expensive cologne and a face that just screamed 'you can trust me'.
"Hey tell me can Abbey really get away with wearing her Goth get-up to work?" He smirked.
"All except for court dates." Tony sighed and the other laughed.
"Figures." He snorted and the conversation continued, light and unimposing, Tony relaxing in his seat as they ordered.
"Do you mind?" Jason enquired holding up a pack of cigarettes, Tony shook his head. The other lit up as their drinks where placed in front of them.
"So, Abbey said you wanted to talk about sex." He said it casually with a sip of coffee; they were out on the veranda of a café three blocks from NCIS, alone, all the other patrons seated well inside the doors and out of ear shot. Tony managed to snort most of his mouthful of drink up his nose anyway. He coughed and covered his mouth as the orange juice threatened to come back up. Jason watched in silence, a puff of smoke floating from his mouth.
"Sorry, but Abbey said not to let you avoid the subject." He stated, leaned back completely comfortable.
"Well if think it's safe to say I just crashed head-long into it." Tony spluttered.
"So what do you do… and how the hell do you know Abbey?" Tony rasped when the worst of the gagging had passed. Jason smirked.
"Dude, don't think of this as a date!" Tony dropped the glass back onto the table with a thunk and the smirk widened.
"Excuse me…" Tony scowled.
"You think that by chitchatting with me this is somehow gonna get less awkward or that if you go on long enough Lunch will be over and you can go. Unfortunately there are two ugly truths to spoil that assumption." He took another drag, more smoke filling the air.
"Firstly this will only ever be less awkward once you're actually comfortable with yourself… as tacky as that sounds and secondly yes we can sit here and talk about the weather, but that's not gonna help with the biting sense of curious-not-rightness that's rolling in your stomach. You're gonna take that with you when you go!" He explained and Tony fell back into a slouch in his seat. Tony officially hated this guy, he was so smug and smart…
Tony watched him stub out one cigarette and light another.
"Come on… either you can ask or I can just talk?" He almost teased.
"I'm just worried about putting my foot in my mouth." Tony admitted.
"I got outed in high school and I currently have twice cousins who are 19 and slash fanfiction writers… and although you probably will put your foot in your mouth, I doubt I'll take offence… Besides you'll probably never see me again anyway."
"Slash fanfiction?"
"Yeah they write stories featuring all there favourite TV characters as complete fags…" He laughed and Tony found himself smirking to.
"And those two really will ask anything."
The waitress came back and set plates down in front of them. Jason's mobile trilled and Tony took the time to contemplate what the hell he was game enough to ask.
"Hey babe… I'm having lunch at the Phoenix Café… No it's not work… Well I think that's a little rude to just… Yeah okay, I know its only two weeks away… Okay hang on I'll ask…" Jason bit his lip and then clapping a hand over the phone sighed.
"Dude… I know this is really rude but do mind if my boyfriend joins us… We're tying the knot in two weeks and apparently the roses are the wrong shade or something… and he's freaking…" He breathed.
"No sure." Tony said, poking at his chicken.
"Yeah… okay… well we'll talk about it when you get here… okay b-… Rude bastard never says goodbye." He huffed and Tony hid a smirk behind scratching his nose.
"So what's its like?" Tony asked and then wondered why.
"Being gay… I don't think I was ever really straight… Hey what's that like…" In another tone it could have been condescending but the way he tossed it off, casual and easy and slightly genuine, just made Tony smile.
"It's a big deal sometimes…" He said sucking on the cigarette once more. He looked down at it and his eyes widened. He stubbed it out and pushed the ashtray back into the middle of the table.
"Don't tell him I was smoking he'll kill me." He explained quickly and again Tony had to laugh, because his father had said the same thing to him years ago.
"But yeah sometimes being gay is a huge pain… People don't just look at you and know but when they find out some people just don't like it… some professions, being out of the closet simply isn't an option…" He said honesty.
"As a general rule… don't ask… don't tell… works pretty well actually." He sighed.
"Hey…" Tony eyes drifted up to the guy standing behind Jason.
"Hi Hon." Jason mumbled. The blonde pulled out a chair and feel into it.
"The yellow roses are purple… The table clothes have a rose print instead of snowflakes and your mother is driving me insane." He breezed.
"Alex… Tony DiNozzo, Tony my soon to be, better half… for better or worse." Jason said draining the last of his coffee.
"Hi." He smiled and then whacked the other across the shoulder and then sniffed.
"Yuck Jason you've been smoking."
"I have not." Alex scowled, eyes flicking across the table, he picked up the used glass bowl.
"It was him." Jason whined.
"Yeah right… He thinks I'm stupid." Alex said across the table.
"Yes but I think it's a very adorable type of stupid." Jason smirked and got another swat. The smirk widened and he leaned across catching the others lips. Tony stiffened slightly, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. He looked around and realised that shockingly no one but him seemed to care. Largely the people inside didn't notice. There was an older couple in the corner, the wife's eyes flicking over and then flicking away unconcerned. Two teenaged girls sat in the corner giggling and smirking and pointing.
"Fucking Fags…" A group of passers by admonished… Hard to tell who had said it exactly, possibly one of the guys… or maybe one the girls trailing along behind. If either of the others heard they didn't seem to care. It had an odd effect on Tony though… He actually felt a streak of anger, how was it any of their fucking concern what two grown men did with themselves.
"See what I mean about random arseholes." Jason smirked as he pulled back.
"Hey babe, Tony wants to know what being gay's like… So why don't you give your unique prospective and I'll go order you food." Jason rose and left.
"Mostly it's just a pain in my arse." Alex shifted his plate around and started to pick at it. Tony snorted.
"So what do you wanna know?" He seemed unembarrassed like Jason…That however was where similarities ended. Jason was neat-looking, composed. This guy shifted constantly, long blonde hair falling into his eyes. He was also in faded jeans and a paint splattered top. Actually there was paint everywhere, up his arms and dotting his hair.
"What's sex like?" Tony asked casually… then realised what had just left his mouth and blushed.
"Like what… I mean isn't it weird…" Great Tony you just dig that hole a little deeper. He berated. Alex laughed…
"Isn't all sex weird?" Tony's blush deepened…
"I don't know…" Alex sighed.
"You gain a new respect for women… at least I did. 'Cos they make oral sex look way easier that it actually is." He smiled.
"Really." Tony swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Yeah, I suppose it depends a lot you who your with. But the first time for me was really awkward. I had no idea what I was doing, or if I should even be doing it and the guy I was with was really heavy handed and well I wound up with a bruised throat and- kind of threw up on him…" Tony bit his tongue to stop from laughing and when that impulse passed he was left with what the other had actually just said. Was it really that hard? Tony suddenly found him wondering about all women he'd ever taken home… Had he ever been that demanding? Something must have shown on Tony's face…
"Hey come on it wasn't that bad, actually with Jason its fun… I like it." The blush crept back into Tony's cheeks.
"So… what do you, I mean what else do you do?" Tony stumbled… at a loss, he got the whole anal sex thing but really, really wasn't ready to discuss it… maybe not ever… along with doing it.
"Anything, we kiss, we touch, rub, stroke… bite, scratch, slap, pinch… Hell we even have sex." Tony once again wound up with juice up his nose… Alex laughed as he tried to cough it back down his throat.
"You'll probably end up doing it." He offered.
"I avoided it for the longest time because it just sounded weird and painful and gross… But ah, I got drunk one night with the idiot inside and-" He shrugged…
"It was weird and gross and a little painful… There was a part of me that really liked it though and it gets better with practice…" He said and was blushing lightly too.
"Does it always hurt?" Tony rasped.
"No not really… well without stretching and lubricant then probably, but it burns more than anything. Just a king tight, hot feeling and it like I said it gets easier the more you do it… well I don't know about with different partners but with the same one you kind of just, adjust to them."
"So you…"
"Bottom?... Yeah, I've topped before but I didn't like it." Tony really didn't get that.
"I like… Having him inside me… Besides I feel disappointed when I'm on top. It's the whole prostate, stars bursting behind your eyes thing, which you really have to feel to appreciate."
"Apparently I was getting this for me." Tony jumped guiltily, feeling like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. Jason stood in the doorway plate in hand.
"I was hungry…"
"You're always hungry." Jason sat the plate down in front of himself.
"Tony and I were just discussing the problems with gay relationships…" Alex sighed.
"Problems gee lets see. Stealing all the blankets, keeping a death grip on the TV remote… eating everything they can get there hands on…"
"Hey…"
"Leaving the cap off the toothpaste… using my toothbrush…"
"It was one time… I thought it was mine and I said I was sorry…"
-.-.-
Aren't they great? Appeared in big red letters on Tony's computer screen.
They're certainly something… Tony typed.
LOL. Flashed up beneath it
Thanks Ab's.
No prob Tony… alright I'm heading out… bye… Tony watched her ID pinkpixiedust disappear from the screen. He sat back in his chair, keyboard sitting lightly in his lap. Shockingly he felt relaxed, calm… all wasn't right with the world, but for a few hours he could pretend it was and actually get a goodnight's sleep.
He started a little, as another private message box opened with a tinkle.
Berretta9mm says:
Still carrying the 18 mag clip?
Tony frowned.
NCISnotCSI says:
Excuse me?
Berretta9mm says:
How's your lip? And your arms, not too bruised I hope?
Tony stared blankly for a second and then slammed the laptop shut… mouth dry…