The next morning, Thrax was sitting out on their bedroom balcony, sipping his coffee and reading a newspaper.
Ozzy came out, a triumphant grin plastered on his face, and threw two plates of food down on the table.
"I made us breakfast!"
Thrax glanced at the burnt toast and the messy fried eggs on the plate, and looked back at his newspaper. "No thanks, baby. I'm fine with my coffee."
"I thought you'd be starvin' after what we got up to last night. I'm famished", he said, sitting down across from Thrax and grabbing a fork from the centre of the table.
"No, but thank God we don't have any neighbours here, they'd think I was murdering you with all the noises you were making."
Ozzy threw his hands in the air and frowned. "I'm not that loud, don't exaggerate!"
Thrax looked up from his newspaper and lowered his reading glasses. "Jones, you're scandalously loud. You're by far the most vocal person I've ever been with."
"Well I never heard you complain before", he retorted and shoved a whole fried egg in his mouth, getting the yolk all down his chin.
Thrax put the newspaper down and handed him a napkin. "No no, I love it, it's hot as fuck. I'm just saying that you couldn't be quiet to save your life."
Ozzy frowned at him and swallowed. "Nah, no way! I bet I could!" He scooted his chair round next to Thrax. "The next time we do it, if I can go the whole time without makin' a noise, you'll make dinner for a week. If not, I'll make it."
"So basically I lose either way?", Thrax said, looking at the breakfast Ozzy had made.
"You're such a prick", Ozzy replied, giving him the middle finger. Thrax raised an eyebrow and grinned, before sticking his hand out for Ozzy to shake.
"Okay, Jones, you've got yourself a deal, but only because I know you won't win. My one condition is that I get to choose where and when. And just so you know, I'm not gonna go easy on you."
Ozzy smirked and shook his hand, before tucking into his breakfast again. When he'd finished eating, he stood up and went to sit on Thrax's lap. "Can we go furniture shoppin' again? I want a wardrobe, and we need some towels, and a new sofa."
Thrax nodded and ran his claws up and down Ozzy's back, making him shudder.
"Let's go clothes shopping too. All I've got is a few jumpers, one pair of jeans and that fucking white suit."
They spent the rest of the morning furniture shopping, and had bought a dark green sectional sofa, a huge flat-screen TV and two large oak wardrobes, all to be delivered to the house.
Next, they stopped by a fast food joint, where they ordered two burgers and a big plate of chips to share. Thrax fed Ozzy a chip and smiled at him.
"I've been thinking... I have no idea what we're gonna do with all this free time, I haven't stayed in the same body for more than three weeks before. Now that we're getting settled and everything's a bit calmer, do you have any idea what you'd like to do?"
Ozzy nodded and swallowed. "Yeah! It'd be cool to take a few years off from workin' and just get to know each other properly. Maybe we can try and learn something new, y'know, improve ourselves."
"Hmm... singing lessons?", Thrax said, slight ridicule lacing his voice as he remembered Ozzy screeching while he was escorting him back to his flat in Frank.
Ozzy shook his head. "Nah, I don't need 'em. You should know that already, you've heard me sing. Back in Frank I used to get paid to sing in the karaoke bars, I was a hit!"
Thrax laughed and Ozzy threw his arms in the air, excitedly gesticulating with both hands. "Seriously, man! People couldn't get enough of me! Everyone went crazy whenever I would sing that song from Titanic."
Thrax held back a sneer and fed him another chip. "I'd love to teach you how to cook, if you like, I think it'd be fun. And you can teach me how to..." He hesitated, trying to think of something that Ozzy was good at. How to shoot a gun? No, he's shit at that. How to...? Aw fuck, he's staring at me, quick, Thrax, think of something, anything!
Ozzy grinned and prodded him in the ribs. "How to be more patient and calm yourself down when you're mad! We can do yoga and breathing exercises every morning in the garden. Get in touch with your inner Buddha."
"Heh, okay, you're on. But go slow, remember that you're a lot more flexible than I am."
"And younger."
"Yes. Thank you for that." He stroked Ozzy's cheek and picked up another chip, dipping it in some ketchup. "By the way, you're still sure about going through with our bet, baby? There's time to back out if you want."
"Why? Are you worried that you're gonna lose?"
Thrax shook his head and fed Ozzy the chip. "I'm just making sure, for your sake. I know you hate losing almost as much as I do."
Ozzy grinned and swallowed. "Oh, no no, I'm all in, baby. It's gonna be so satisfying to see you eat your words, Big Daddy."
Thrax raised an eyebrow and wiped some ketchup off of Ozzy's chin. "Okay, well we'll see, won't we?" He sat back in his chair and ran his claws through his hair. "Anyway, let's stop by that clothing store before going back home. I'm sick of wearing the same shit over and over, and I want to buy you a couple of things."
After they'd finished eating, they went to the nearest clothing store. Thrax quickly chose a few shirts and hurried into the furthest changing room. Ozzy followed him with his eyes and furrowed his brow, puzzled over why he was acting so shifty. He's so fuckin' weird.
He chose a pair of jeans and went to go into an empty changing room, when he suddenly felt Thrax's hand around his wrist. He tugged him into the changing room and uttered in a low voice, "well, fancy seeing you here."
"Needy much? Can't you go five minutes without me?", Ozzy said jokingly, "there's no room in here for both of us to try our clothes on."
Thrax grinned, a salacious glint in his eyes, and forcefully pushed Ozzy against the wall. Ozzy gasped and Thrax shushed him. "Now, now, don't you remember our bet?", he said quietly as he put his hand up his shirt and ran his claws over his chest.
Ozzy's eyes widened. "You wanna do that here ?!"
Thrax softly kissed him on the neck as he undid his belt, before brushing his lips against his cheek. "That's right, baby. I'm gonna fuck you right here with all these people around us. You be a good boy now and don't make a sound", he whispered.
Ozzy bit his lip and quickly nodded. Thrax shot him a devilish grin, before pulling Ozzy's shirt over his head and pressing his lips to his neck again as he pushed his trousers and pants down so they pooled around his ankles. He made his way down slowly, biting and kissing every inch of his chest and stomach, sucking little bruises as he went.
Ozzy blushed and screwed his eyes shut. He had no idea what Thrax had in mind, or what lengths he was willing to go to in order to win this bet. All he knew was that he was about to be fucked senseless in a changing room, with only a thin curtain separating them from the rest of the customers.
The thought alone was enough to drive him crazy, but he gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. He had to win this bet and wipe that smug smile off of Thrax's face for good.
By the time Thrax had made his way down to Ozzy's middle, he was already rock hard. He smirked, content with the knowledge that he had such an effect on him without even having properly touched him yet. He put his hands on Ozzy's hips and pulled him closer.
He stuck his tongue out and licked his shaft all the way to the base. He rolled his gaze upwards, watching his face for any change in expression as he started slowly moving his tongue all over him. He laughed internally when he saw Ozzy scrunch up his face, trying to concentrate on not making a sound.
Thrax knew how competitive he was and how confident he felt about winning this bet, which would only make his victory all the more sweet. Let's see how long you last, baby, he thought as he left a few gentle kisses on his thighs. He moved back again and took him in his mouth all the way to the back of his throat.
Ozzy dared to look down then, which he immediately regretted. Thrax was staring straight back at him through hooded lids, eyes hazy, cheeks flushed, a few braids dangling messily over his face, his lips slick with saliva as his mouth took him all the way in.
A sight like that was exactly what Ozzy didn't need right now, and he threw his head back against the wall, bringing his fist up to his face and placing it between his eyebrows.
Thrax held Ozzy's hips firmly in place as he continued to use his mouth on him, softly moaning around his cock. Every time he made a sound, Ozzy would feel a panicked heat rising to his face. Someone's gonna hear us! He's such a fuckin' prick, he's doing this on purpose!
Thrax then shut his eyes and ran his claws up the backs of Ozzy's thighs, before gently grazing one against his entrance. Ozzy's breath caught in his throat. He wouldn't dare…
He dug his nails into his palms and made himself stare up at the pattern on the ceiling to try and distract himself. Thrax frowned at the lack of response, realising that his tactic wasn't working.
Ozzy was lasting much longer than he had predicted, and he was undeniably impressed, but there was no way in hell he was going to let him win this bet. I think it's time I turn up the heat in 'ere…
He pulled away from him and picked him up by the waist to make him stand on the stool. He smiled sweetly at him, before forcefully turning him round so he was facing the wall.
Ozzy turned his head slightly to look at Thrax in the mirror and saw him take out a small sachet of lube from his pocket. Thrax caught his eye and grinned at him as he started undoing his own belt and trousers, and Ozzy quickly looked away.
Thrax then grabbed Ozzy harshly by the hips and hummed in his ear, sending shivers down his spine. Ozzy could feel Thrax's girth against his thigh and took a sharp intake of breath.
Fuck.
Thrax stayed still for a moment and trailed a few small kisses across his shoulder, relishing the way Ozzy was shaking under his grip; he knew it was only a matter of time before he would be screaming like a little whore.
He thrust into him with little warning and Ozzy stifled a groan. Normally he would have prepared him more, but Ozzy was holding out much better than he had thought, and Thrax was not about to lose this bet.
He set a slow pace, moaning quietly against his ear, taunting him with the fact that he couldn't do the same. Ozzy bit down on his finger to try and stop himself from making any noises, and Thrax tutted. "Now now, that's cheating."
He grabbed his hands to force them behind his back, holding them there by his wrists with one hand and wrapping his other arm around Ozzy's middle. He was genuinely surprised that he still hadn't made a single noise, but knew it couldn't be long.
He stilled for a moment, before giving a circular grind of his hips and sinking deeper, grazing against the same spot that usually made Ozzy scream out. His head rolled backwards and his mouth fell open as he let out a tiny moan.
Thrax grinned at that, and made sure to rub against that bundle of nerves with every stroke, sending jolts through Ozzy's whole body. The pace he set was agonisingly slow; enough to drive Ozzy wild, without giving him the release he needed.
He felt like he was about to lose his mind at this point. He wanted to scream, to moan, to cry out, and to beg Thrax to go faster, harder, deeper, but he bit his lip and held his tongue, figuring that beating Thrax at his own sick game would be much more satisfying.
He started rocking his hips, trying to create some more friction and gain some control over the situation, but Thrax tutted again and sunk his claws into his thighs as a warning.
Ozzy forgot himself for a second and hissed at him, "you're such a fuckin' prick."
Thrax stilled and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "did you say something, baby?"
Ozzy hesitated for a moment, before frowning and shaking his head, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.
Thrax grinned. "Didn't think so…"
He gripped hard onto his thighs, forcing him to tilt his hips back and spread his legs wider, the new position drawing him in further. Ozzy arched his back and clawed at the wall in front of him. He was a mess by this point, an absolute state, with tears streaming down his cheeks, his body shaking, his breathing heavy, chasing an end that was so close, but so far out of reach.
Thrax spared him no quarter and took his cock in his hand. He kept his hand still, rubbing his thumb over the tip, and whispered, "is this what you want?"
Ozzy nodded and whimpered, but Thrax simply tightened his grip around him, refusing to move his hand. "Not until I hear you, baby."
Ozzy narrowed his eyes and inhaled sharply. He tilted his head back and gasped as Thrax rolled his hips again and moved his hand ever so slightly. Ozzy cursed him under his breath, but turned to look at him with big, pleading eyes. "Fine... you win. Please... just fuck me... ", he whispered through gritted teeth.
Thrax grinned and kissed him on the cheek. "Good boy", he whispered, before continuing to kiss down his neck and across his shoulder. He had already won the bet, but he still wanted to hear Ozzy cry out his name before he would announce his victory.
Ozzy moaned softly as he felt Thrax start moving his hand, every stroke making him moan louder.
He'd lost their bet, but at this point he was so far gone that he didn't give one solitary shit. Fuck it, he thought as he tossed his head back and loudly moaned Thrax's name, begging him to go faster.
Thrax pulled him back to lean against his chest and clamped his palm over his mouth to stifle any more noises. "I win", he whispered in his ear, "now cum for me."
Ozzy could feel the muscles contracting below his stomach and the pressure building between his legs. He rested his head on Thrax's shoulder, closed his eyes and let out a muffled moan.
His eyes rolled back into his head as he felt all the built-up tension explode and shoot down to his toes and up into his throat. The jolts turned to throbs and pulsed through his body, as every tight, wound-up muscle relaxed and every nerve-ending softened. He let himself fall back against Thrax's chest, exhaling deeply between ragged breaths. It was a moment of pure pleasure, euphoria and release.
Thrax held Ozzy there and left little kisses up and down his neck. After a while, he jostled him to bring him out of his cloudy state and carefully pulled out. Ozzy turned around to face him, but Thrax didn't say anything and simply smirked.
"Fuck off, don't be so smug", Ozzy hissed, but couldn't prevent a grin spreading over his face.
They got dressed and Ozzy tried to wipe the wall with his shirt, but Thrax grabbed his arm and told him to leave it. They stepped out of the changing room and all eyes were on them.
Ozzy blushed and sheepishly looked down at his feet, while Thrax flashed everyone a big grin, still riding the high of having won the bet. He tightened his grip around Ozzy's arm, threw a few bills at the shop assistant for any cleaning costs and pulled him out of the shop.
They started walking down the street to their house and Ozzy was trying not to make eye contact with anyone.
"So, baby, what are you gonna make me for dinner tonight? I fancy ratatouille."
"I'm gonna give you a literal rat on a plate", he sulked, tearing his arm out of Thrax's hand.
Thrax laughed and put his arm around him to pull him closer. "Didn't you enjoy yourself, Oz? It sure sounded like you did, at least, to me and all the people in that shop", he cooed while stroking Ozzy's shoulder.
Ozzy looked away from him to hide his smile and leaned in closer. "You're such a smug git."
Thrax ran his claws through his hair, before picking him up and putting him on his shoulders. "Yeah, but you love me."
"Hm", Ozzy said as he started playing with Thrax's hair.
Thrax reached up to pinch his cheek. "Hmm-mm, I wonder what my little baby is gonna make me for dinner. You better not burn it all, I want a proper meal, ya hear?"
Ozzy stomped into the kitchen and carelessly started getting out all the pots and pans they had, cursing Thrax's name under his breath. Thrax flopped down onto the sofa and watched Ozzy amusedly as he attempted to turn on the oven.
He lay back, rested his head on the sofa arm and closed his eyes. He'd only wanted to relax for a moment, but was woken up a few hours later by Ozzy smiling down at him and stroking his cheek.
He looked up at him through peepy eyes. "Was I asleep?"
"Yeah, and you were snorin' really loudly." Ozzy stood up and gestured with his head towards the table. "Your dinner's ready."
Thrax propped himself up on his elbows to look over the back of the sofa and his eyes widened. The table was decorated with tealight candles and rose petals, and there was a big pot of ratatouille in the middle. He looked up at Ozzy, who had a sheepish grin on his face.
"You did all of this?"
Ozzy nodded and held his hand out for Thrax to take. "I went out to buy all of this when you fell asleep. A bet's a bet, and I wasn't about to scrimp on the first proper meal I made for ya."
Thrax sat down and Ozzy served him some of the ratatouille. The ingredients were cut pretty thickly and haphazardly, but it smelled good and Thrax had never felt more grateful. His face fell, however, when he noticed that Ozzy's fingers on his left hand were covered in plasters.
He must have cut himself about 4 times in total, and Thrax looked up at him, his eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and adoration.
He quickly stood up and pulled Ozzy into a hug, stroking his head and telling him how much he loved him.
"I'm sorry for being so competitive and awful today, I don't know how you put up with me sometimes. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Ozzy, I swear I don't know how I even lived without you before."
Ozzy grabbed onto his sweater and nuzzled his face into his chest, shaking his head. "Don't say that, I don't put up with you. Your competitiveness is one of my favourite things about you", he paused, before adding, "also today was one of the hottest things I've ever experienced, heh."
Thrax laughed. "You kinky little rascal."
They stayed like this for a few moments, before Ozzy pulled away and gestured for Thrax to sit back down. He served himself a plate and they both tentatively tried the ratatouille, neither of them entirely trusting Ozzy's cooking abilities.
To their surprise, it tasted good. Thrax closed his eyes and swallowed. "Mmm-hmm! This is amazing!", he snapped his eyes open again and pointed at his plate. "You made this?"
He saw that Ozzy was just as surprised as he was. He reached over to cup his chin and said, "this is a far cry from that pot noodle you served me, Jones. To think you've never cooked anything in your life and you go and pull this off? I'm impressed."
"Thank you", Ozzy muttered, feeling proud of himself. "Well, go on, have some more!"
They ate everything on their plates and even went back for seconds, before mopping up the sauce with some bread.
As Ozzy reached over to grab a napkin, Thrax took his hand in his own and gently stroked his fingers. "Tomorrow we'll make dinner together. You did lose the bet, but it's not fair that you have to do everything."
Ozzy nodded and stroked Thrax's hand with his thumb. "Yes please, I almost cut my fuckin' fingers off back there."
Thrax did the washing-up while Ozzy mindlessly flicked through the TV channels.
"It's all fuckin' kids' films, Thrax, there's not one programme with guns or violence in it", he grumbled, throwing the remote down on the sofa.
Thrax looked over his shoulder at Ozzy, threw his head back and groaned, "no good TV shows, no coffee, and no alcohol. What the hell are we gonna do to pass the time? Take up knitting?"
Ozzy turned the TV off and shuffled over to stand beside Thrax as he washed up. He leaned his back against the kitchen counter and rested his elbows on top, looking up at him. "We'll just have to have lots of sex, I guess", he said, a grin spreading across his face.
Thrax laughed and flicked some water at him. "Yeah, well, that's a given, especially now I know how much you love doing it in public places, you lil' freak." Ozzy prodded him in his side and started tapping his fingers on the kitchen counter, plucking up the courage to ask a question that had been bugging him since they'd entered this body.
"I've been thinkin', now that we're safe and have a house and all, could we start doing some things… apart?"
Thrax shot him a concerned look. "Are you sick of me already?"
"No no! I just mean that I have some things I like doin' alone, and I'm sure you do too. I usually go for a run in the evening, for example, and I wanna take up Spanish lessons! I saw an ad for them in the newspaper."
"I can teach you Spanish, y'know?"
"Yeah, but don't you want to meet other people and make friends?"
Thrax's face fell when he said that, and he turned back around to look at the washing up. "I only wanna be with you...", he said quietly.
Ozzy sighed and edged closer to him. "All I'm sayin' is that you don't need to worry about bein' around me and protectin' me 24/7 anymore. It shouldn't feel like an obligation. I love spendin' so much time with you because it's you, not just because I feel safe, but because you're my best friend and my favourite person to be with."
Thrax looked at him out of the corner of his eye and gestured with his hand for him to keep talking, a small smile creeping across his face.
Ozzy smiled and rolled his eyes, before continuing, "you're always so fun to be around, you put up with all my annoying quirks, you're incredibly kind, overly generous, really funny, ridiculously smart, and surprisingly sweet. I've never had such a good time with anyone, and the fact that I've spent almost every waking second with you for the last month and a half and still absolutely adore you should be proof enough that I want to be with you, only you, and that ain't gonna change."
Thrax looked like he was about to cry at that. He tore his hands out of the water, turned around and picked Ozzy up. He kissed him all over his face, whispering 'I love you' over and over, trying desperately to hold back his tears.
Ozzy put his hands over Thrax's cheeks and pressed his forehead against his. "Please don't think for one second that I don't need you. The whole point of us finding somewhere to live was so we could be a proper couple and not have to worry so much. If I ever want some time to myself, it's not a reflection on you, okay?"
Thrax nodded and pulled him into a kiss. Ozzy felt his tears on his cheeks and dried them with his thumbs. "Wanna go sit down on the sofa?"
Thrax nodded again and carried Ozzy to the sofa, before placing him down and sitting between his legs with his back to him. "Can you hold me, baby?", he asked quietly. Ozzy wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him to get him to lean against his chest.
"No one's ever said anything so nice to me, Ozzy. I don't know what I did to deserve you."
Ozzy lightly drew random patterns on Thrax's arm as he replied, "it was the same for me back in Frank. There I was, in the worst slump of my life, feeling so bad about myself, thinking that no one would ever appreciate me, going about my day to day as if nothing affected me, while feeling so numb at the same time."
Thrax turned his head slightly and put his hand on his cheek. "Oh, Oz, I'm sorry."
Ozzy shook his head and smiled. "But then, out of nowhere, you were thrown into my life and turned everythin' upside down. You tryna kill Frank gave me a purpose. When I took you down I felt so proud of myself for the first time in as long as I can remember. Then we were stuck livin' together, and you showed me kindness and understanding like no one ever had."
Thrax turned around on the sofa to face him. He put both hands over his cheeks and smiled softly.
Ozzy held onto his wrists, squeezing slightly, as he continued, "I can't explain it, but despite all the anger I was feeling, something made me turn around that day and save you. Somehow I knew you were important and I didn't wanna lose you. I feel like... like we are meant to be together."
Thrax, who normally always had the last word, was speechless. In such a short, albeit intense, space of time, their relationship had evolved to a place where he couldn't fathom not having Ozzy in his life.
Whenever he used to hear people talking about true love, he would always just scoff, thinking that they were sappy idiots. He'd never bought into the idea of soulmates or even monogamy.
But now, he had someone he would literally die for without a second thought. Someone he would happily spend the rest of his life with. Someone who had managed to chip away his stoic exterior and help him feel something again.
He looked into Ozzy's eyes and kissed him deeply. Ozzy sighed into the kiss and put his hands on the back of Thrax's head, arching his body towards him.
After a few moments, Thrax broke away and whispered, "you're right, I think we were made for each other. I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure you never feel bad again, Ozzy, I promise."
He lay down on the sofa and pulled Ozzy with him to lay his head on his chest.
They lay there for a while, listening to each other breathing, before Thrax said, "wanna go get some donuts, baby?"