Warning: This chapter contains sexual themes and nsfw content.
Chapter Four
Cain held open the door of a small diner, allowing for Abel to enter first before he followed. Taking a glance around the classic-looking restaurant, he quickly spotted the group that he and his partner were meeting up with, and the two hurried towards the table.
From the edge inwards sat Lena, Julian, and Merric; opposite of Merric was Marth, who had that side of the bench to himself before the two arrived. Cain slid in first, leaving the edge seat for Abel.
"Sorry we're late," Cain grinned. "Someone couldn't find his favorite scarf."
"It's practically winter," Abel argued, rolling his eyes and giving Cain a playful jab with his elbow; the latter wasn't even wearing a jacket. "If you get sick, I'm not taking care of you."
"It's hardly fall," Cain insisted, overdramatically nursing the spot where Abel had jabbed. "You—"
"Yeah, yeah, we get it, you're both idiots." Julian's interruption earned him a smack on the ear by Lena.
While the four of them chatted, Marth turned to Merric, a bemused smirk forming on his face as he confiscated the book that the green-haired man had tried to subtly pull out.
"Hey! I need that." Merric reached to get his book back, but Marth tucked it beside him in the bench.
"Nope, today you have to converse like a regular human being. How are your classes going?"
"I'm going to fail the exam in that one unless you give me my book back." Merric frowned, his expression serious. Marth couldn't help but laugh at the student's intense face; Merric never failed anything, no matter how much he insisted he was going to. Taking a peek at the title of the book he had plucked from his friend's hands, Marth noticed it was a book about history, Merric's major, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't that he minded Merric's scholarly choice, but the other's obsession with the past often led him to forget to live in the present.
After exchanging a few more stubborn glares, Merric finally gave up, sighing and turning his attention to join the conversation, and Marth smiled in satisfaction. The discussion had turned to focus on Lena; she was showing off a beautiful silver necklace, the piece of jewelry decorated in the center with an expertly cut magenta gemstone.
Abel admired it from across the table; even from a distance he could see that the necklace was carved with intricate designs, but the main beauty of it was the gem. "Where did you get such a beautiful jewel?"
"Yeah, Julian, where did you get it?" Cain added, raising one eyebrow to judge the other redhead's response.
"I bought that one, honestly," Julian insisted. "Cut it myself and everything. As if I'd be dumb enough to give Lena a stolen gem," he scoffed. "She can sniff out a stolen good better than a bloodhound." Julian was a rather talented jewelry-maker, but his methods of obtaining the beautiful gems he used were… questionable, at best. He had a bad habit for picking up things that caught his eye, and Lena had been doing her best to turn him away from his thieving habits. To Cain's surprise, it was working very well. He hadn't realized just how smitten his friend was; the latter was trying so hard to please Lena, even if he didn't show it at times.
Merric had been quiet through all this, and Marth gave him a gentle kick under the table to get him to say something. The green-haired student felt the kick and shot a glare towards Julian, returning the kick to where he thought it had come from. Julian rammed his foot into Cain's without even flinching in silent payback. It was then that Cain turned to glance at Abel, wondering what he had done to elicit a kick. The latter wasn't paying attention to Cain's confused look; he wasn't involved in the kicking fiasco. At least he hadn't been, until Cain gently nudged him with his foot under the table.
Abel thought nothing of the movement, thinking it as a mistake, until the nudge came again; he nudged back absentmindedly. Cain's foot knocked into Abel's under the table gently and repeatedly, his partner returning each motion; the meaning of the first kick was forgotten, and Cain was a bit too involved in their game of footsy.
Soon, his hand settled on Abel's knee, and he felt his partner shift slightly, but he didn't draw away. Listening to the conversation and only half-heartedly participating, Cain's hand trailed up the side of Abel's thigh, moving in subtle motions underneath the table. He was almost absentmindedly moving his hand around, not really paying attention to its location as his fingers brushed against the green-haired man's inner thigh. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that his partner's face had begun to turn a faint shade of red. Amused, Cain finally withdrew his hand, hardly noticing as Abel shifted in his seat as if he were uncomfortable.
"I'll be right back," Abel said quickly, standing up; his hand brushed against Cain's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before he began to walk in the direction of the restaurant's bathroom.
Cain noticed as the other stood, but didn't think anything of it, turning back to the table and trying to follow the conversation that he had lost in the few moments that he had been distracted. Suddenly, he felt a tapping on his shoulder, and he glanced over to see Marth giving him an amused look.
"I think you should check on Abel," the blue-haired man murmured, raising his eyebrows.
Cain stared back at him, confused. "What? He's only been gone a minute."
"Cain," Marth was biting back laughter at the other's cluelessness, and he spoke his words slowly and deliberately. "I really think you should go check on Abel."
Understanding that Marth was trying to convey some message to him, but not able to figure out what, Cain pretended to get it, nodding his head. "Okay…?" He stood, casting one last glance over his shoulder as he followed the path that his partner had gone not long ago. Turning the corner towards the bathrooms, Cain was surprised to see Abel hovering next to the door that led outside the back way.
"Finally," Abel rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, and he grabbed the confused Cain's hand and pulled him through the door towards the alley behind the restaurant, somewhere they probably shouldn't be. With surprising force, Abel held Cain by the shoulders and pinned him against the wall of the alley.
"What's going on, are you oka—" Cain's concerned words were cut off by the sudden feeling of Abel's lips on his, and he blinked in quiet surprise.
"This is your fault, you know," Abel teased with a coy smile. "You got me all worked up." One of his hands lowered to massage the outside of Cain's groin, his fingers placing gentle pressure to stimulate the redhead even through his clothing. "Come on… Finish what you started."
Cain suddenly realized what was going on, and felt a blush forming on his face. "Out here?" he questioned, a bit incredulously. As he felt his partner rubbing on his lower half, he twitched, biting down on his lip for a moment to keep quiet a pleased noise. His own cheeks were warming up, and when he examined Abel he realized just how flustered the other was. Cain was hesitant, but how could he say no to that face?
Cain glanced around the empty alleyway, making sure the door to the restaurant was shut and no one was near before taking a step forward and turning, switching him and his partner's positions so that he was the one pinning Abel to the wall.
Turning his partner around, Cain hovered close as the green-haired man pressed against the wall of the alley. Arching his back slightly, Abel grinded against the redhead's crotch, pressing his palms to the wall to keep himself supported. Cain kissed the side of Abel's neck, using his hands to undo his partner's belt and slide his pants down just far enough to expose his lower region. They only had a couple minutes before someone at the table would probably start to worry, so Cain didn't waste any time, starting off with two fingers slipping inside of Abel. The green-haired man groaned as he leaned against the wall, his already hardened member twitching. Thrusting his fingers in and out, soon adding a third, Cain made rough scissoring motions, preparing his partner quickly and efficiently. He could feel warmth spreading through his own groin, and he removed his slender fingers from inside of Abel so he could undo his own belt.
"Hurry up," Abel gasped, struggling to keep his voice down. Cain happily obliged, hesitating only to cast another glance over his shoulder—still finding nothing but an empty alley—before pushing himself into Abel rather roughly. His arms were wrapped around his partner's waist, one hand holding onto his hipline to keep him steady and the other gripping onto Abel's erection; he slid his hand up and down with some force, rubbing in time with his thrusting to give his lover as much pleasure as possible in the short time window that they had.
Their noises were muffled as they both tried to keep quiet, to avoid bringing themselves to the attention of anyone who may have been nearby. To keep his mouth distracted, Cain pulled on the collar of his partner's shirt, and then bit down on Abel's exposed neck; he could feel the other's body weaken slightly, and he smiled through the bite, knowing that Abel loved the gentle nips. He sped up the pace of his thrusting, not holding back at all.
Abel had his face shoved into the crook of his arm in an attempt to keep himself silent, and although Cain knew they had to be quiet, he couldn't help but wish that he could hear his lover's pleased moans; he had to remind himself their current session was really out of lust, rather than love. Pushing the thoughts away, focusing on pleasing his partner, Cain pushed deeper inside of Abel, pumping in and out of him with increasing force. Already, he could feel himself growing close, and from the way the green-haired man's length twitched in his hand, he could tell that Abel was on the verge as well.
Cain finished off with a few more rough thrusts, biting down harder than intended on his partner's neck as he came, closing his auburn eyes and letting the pleasure wash over his body; it was intense, but short-lived. Feeling his partner's throbbing and hearing a muffled moan, he could tell that Abel had released as well. The air was filled with their heavy breathing as they quickly got themselves cleaned up, waiting for faces to lose the bright shades of red before daring to return.
Abel returned to the table first, with Cain following not long after. As the redhead slid into his seat, Marth winked, and Cain smiled sheepishly in gratitude and embarrassment. Glancing around, Cain felt as if something was different, and then he noticed that the green-haired student was gone, leaving Julian and Lena on the bench alone. "Where did Merric go?"
"He rushed off, mumbling something about a study group. You know how he is. He was out of here the moment I gave him his book back; if anyone else snatched something from me like that, their ass would be on the floor in a heartbeat." Marth's words were almost monotone, but he was smiling; it was obvious that the stoic-faced male had a soft spot for the scatterbrained student.
"Hey, Abel, your collar's messed up." Julian suddenly said, and he started to reach over the table to help fix it.
"It's fine," Abel said a bit too quickly, leaning away and popping his collar all the way up. The way the shirt was styled was for it to be folded over, so it kept falling even when he straightened it, but he kept it up to hide a rather obnoxious purple bruise that hadn't been there ten minutes ago.
Cain couldn't keep a blush from rising to his face, and Julian raised one eyebrow in suspicion, but he didn't really care. "Whatever, buddy." With a quick glance at his watch, the smaller redhead's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, I didn't realize it was so late. Lena, we've gotta scram if we're gonna make it on time."
"Where are you two headed?" Marth piped up curiously, watching as the pink-haired woman slid out of the booth, her partner following a moment after.
"There is a charity drive at the hospital," Lena explained, slipping her coat on over her slender shoulders. The soft-spoken woman was a nurse, an expert in her field, and she actively participated in any events that her job hosted. From what Cain heard, the patients loved her, and for good reason; Lena was a darling. "Julian was the one who told me about it, actually," she continued. "He volunteered us to help." Her gaze turned toward her partner, a pleased smile on her face.
Julian rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, embarrassed at Lena's praise. "Yeah, well… You know, I thought you'd want to do it."
Cain was impressed. At first, Lena had been the one dragging Julian to all these volunteering events; the complaining had gradually decreased over time, until he was going along willingly. Now, it seemed as though he was actually eager to go, and it was a dramatic change for the better.
"We should get going too," Cain looked at Abel, who nodded in response. They didn't have anywhere important to be, but the weather was getting colder and they had quite the distance to walk back toward Abel's flat, and the redhead would rather not make the trip in the dark.
Abel, who was sitting on the edge seat, slid out first, with Cain standing up just after. Before Marth exited the booth, he lifted his drink glass to his lips and downed what was left of his water in one gulp, setting it back on the table and daintily wiping his mouth with the napkin that had been sitting in his lap.
"You didn't eat anything?" Cain questioned as the last member of their little group stood; the table had miscellaneous empty plates, but none had sat in front of the navy-haired man.
"I'm taking Caeda out tonight," Marth explained with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Can't ruin my appetite too early."
Cain only returned the shrug in response before turning towards the direction of the door; Julian and Lena were already almost out. As he stepped outside into the fresh air, he glanced down the street to his left, and froze. He had been holding onto Abel's hand, and the latter gave it a small squeeze, feeling as Cain's body went tense. The redhead's gaze was locked onto a small group of bulky men who were only steps away from the door, in the same direction that Julian and Lena were headed.
Cain stared intently at the bunch, examining their faces, his entire body rigid. He couldn't hide his obvious relief as he finally realized that he didn't recognize them, and he turned to see Abel giving him a quizzical look; he had been so caught up in being wary of the strangers that he had forgotten Abel was right next to him. He offered only an innocent smile to his partner; the latter obviously wanted to say something, but didn't.
"Please let go of me…" A soft voice reached Cain's ears, and he recognized it to be Lena's. He turned to see the pink-haired woman looking incredibly uncomfortable; one of the strangers that Cain had been examining was gripping tightly onto her arm to keep her from walking away. Although he was angered, Cain didn't have time to react before Julian practically pounced on the larger man, throwing his fist into the stranger's jaw; a scowl decorated the shorter man's face as he got between Lena and the one who had grabbed her.
As it turned out, the others behind the bulky man were his friends. The two others began shouting obscenities at Julian, and the one who had touched Lena attempted to return Julian's punch; the smaller man easily dodged it. Abel, who had been standing nearby next to Cain, rushed forward, grabbing Lena's arm in a much gentler grip than the stranger, urging her away from the pending fight. She went easily, although she kept an uncertain gaze on Julian, worried for him.
Merric had already left, but Marth wasn't too far away, and upon hearing the commotion, he turned back to see the three strangers barreling down on his friends. With a small sigh, the navy-haired male rejoined the group, picking his target and shoving his fist into the face of the stranger on the left.
With the other two occupied, this left Cain to face the last man on the right. He felt adrenaline building, and a nagging feeling told him that this wasn't necessarily a good thing. Marth and Julian had squared up against their opponents, using basic fists, but Cain's method of fighting was a bit more creative. He dashed forward, unable to keep a grin off his face as he kicked out his leg, utilizing his strong thighs and ramming his heel into the other's abdomen. Not allowing for his current enemy to have a moment of opportunity, the redhead slammed the point of his elbow into the upper back of the stranger as he doubled over, knocking him face-first to the ground. Gripping the fallen man by the collar and yanking him back to his feet, Cain landed a couple of punches to the stocky man's face for good measure, easily dodging a clumsy swing that came his way. One last punch sent the man stumbling away, and he didn't return, retreating like a dog with its tail in between its legs.
Adrenaline was pumping through him, but he couldn't help but feel unsatisfied; the fight was clearly uneven, and it was over much too quickly for his liking. Glancing over, he realized that the others weren't having as much luck. Marth's battle was about even, and the stoic-faced man was quickly obtaining the advantage; he didn't need any help. Quick, solid punches sent his opponent staggering backwards, unable to keep up with the navy-haired male's flying fists; this stranger wasn't as dumb as the others, and he turned tail before his situation got too bad.
Julian's only disadvantage was his size, and although he could easily avoid any attacks, his own punches weren't doing much damage. Even though he knew the other would get mad, Cain intervened anyway, throwing his leg out in a roundhouse kick that connected with the middle of the bulky man's back, sending the surprised stranger flying forward, face-planting into the ground. Julian, who was right in front of the falling man, had to quickly slide out of the way, and he gave Cain an angered look, but it held traces of gratitude. The shorter redhead gave the thick man on the ground a harsh kick in the side for good measure. At the kick, the last stranger jumped, quickly getting to his feet; he knew he had been beaten, and he slunk away, not even daring to glare at the one who had struck him down.
Not even out of breath from the fight, Cain flashed Julian a grin, but the other had already started to head over towards Lena; their matching concerned gazes for each other were romantically disgusting. Rolling his eyes, but following him, Cain gave a casual nod to Abel, not noticing the incredulous stare that the green-haired man was giving him. Seeing that the fight was done, Marth waved a little goodbye, not hesitating in leaving once the fun was over.
"Time to go?" Cain suggested, reaching out to take Abel's hand in his; it felt uncharacteristically clammy. They walked in silence for a while, not making haste even though the daylight was fading. Without warning, Abel stopped, letting go of Cain's hand. The redhead stopped as well, turning around with a confused expression, finally noticing the strange look in Abel's eyes. "What?"
"What do you mean, 'what'?" Abel said suddenly, traces of anger in his voice. "What the hell was that, Cain?"
Cain stared back at him, not understanding, confusion shining in his auburn eyes. "What was what?"
"You just beat two guys to the ground without breaking a sweat!" Abel's voice came out louder than intended, and he quieted as he continued. "Where did you learn…?"
The redhead frowned, suddenly understanding what Abel meant. It had been so long since he'd been in a fight, he had gone a bit overboard, forgetting that his partner had been an audience to his session. "I just… picked up the moves, over the years," he explained weakly, offering a small smile.
Abel wasn't convinced. He'd seen the way Cain was so comfortable in his actions; the fighting had been his own personal style that had been well-developed and practiced, not some random moves he had 'picked up'. He could sense that Cain was hiding something from him, and he felt slightly offended but more worried that the other wouldn't share the truth.
Seeing Abel's frown, Cain felt his heart beginning to race again, but this time was in nervousness. "It was nothing," he insisted, but he knew he didn't have an excuse that would put Abel's mind at ease. "Come on… it's getting cold."
Unsatisfied, but understanding that he wouldn't get anything more out of Cain, Abel nodded slowly, continuing to walk. There was nothing he could do but trust that whatever Cain was hiding was being hidden for a good reason.
They walked a bit faster back towards Abel's apartment, as the air had gotten a rather harsh chill to it. Once inside, they stopped just outside of Abel's door, and Cain offered a small smile, hoping the incident from earlier was forgotten. It wasn't, but Abel didn't mention it. "Surely you're not planning to walk all the way back home like that?" He placed his warm hand on Cain's bare arms, surprised at how cold they were, even though they had just been walking outside. The redhead lived rather far away, almost on the complete opposite side of town. Besides… Abel didn't want him to leave yet.
"I'll be okay," Cain shrugged, although he couldn't deny the warm touch on his chilled skin felt nice. He hadn't noticed the way Abel had subtly invited him inside.
Abel couldn't help but laugh at his partner's cluelessness. He placed his hand on the back of Cain's cold neck, pulling head down for a kiss, keeping his face close even as they separated. "Come on…" He cooed with a mischievous grin. "I'll keep you warm." Opening the door to his apartment, he dragged the blushing Cain inside.