In An Instant
Chapter 6: Date
GENRES: Drama, Romance, Humor, Tragedy, Angst, ...pretty much everything. So...gen?
MILD CHARACTERIZATION SPOILERS for Chris Colfer's Struck By Lightning!
WARNINGS: lots of mentions of Sex and a shit ton of snark. Also, sexual tension. As if that wasn't already obvious.
PAIRING: Jesse St. James and Carson Phillips AKA Jarson AKA St. Phillips AKA Jarson St. Phillips. There may be mentions of other pairings down the line, especially ones from GLEE.
WORD COUNT: 4171
"Jesse, I'm trying to work," Carson muttered.
Jesse sighed, throwing himself onto the bed behind Carson.
"I know you are," he said easily. "Which you know I fully support, seeing as that is my essay, and I need to get a good grade. But still. When can we make out already? I'm horny, and watching you work isn't helping the situation."
A glower was thrown at the boy on the bed, but went ignored, and Carson returned with no small amount of either annoyance or determination to his revisions. He was already vastly improving Jesse's collegiate term paper on Shakespearean Era performances, which seemed to have been written with neither care, nor the least bit of true study beforehand.
Basically- It reeked of Jesse St. James, in all the wrong ways.
"Then, you should let me work, shouldn't you?" he murmured finally, ignoring the last part of what Jesse had said, eyes still focused on the paper, hand darting forth to make a quick notation and scratch out a bit of inappropriately placed punctuation.
Jesse didn't bother to reply and the silence fell heavy and thick between them, only interrupted by the ruffling of paper and soft etching-sounds of Carson's incredible assortment of pens and highlighters at work.
Carson was just beginning to rewrite a few of the citings in the fourth paragraph down when a humming started up behind him. He ignored it, zeroing in on his own messy scrawl, rereading it diligently.
And then-
Fragment ideas
And too many pronouns
Stop it, come on
You're not making sense now
You can't make them want you
They're all just laughing
"Jesse?" he asked, turning slightly in his chair to stare over at the older boy. "Are you seriously singing?"
"This date is boring," Jesse replied with a grin.
Carson raised an eyebrow.
"Date," he repeated deadpan, making the word sound as ridiculous and revolting as he possibly could. "Study date, you mean."
Jesse simply gave him a devilish smirk and Carson turned back to the paper, exasperated but refusing to let the other boy win.
Win what exactly, he wasn't quite sure. But that was readily deemed to be completely irrelevant, and thusly disregarded.
About thirty seconds passed before, softly behind him he heard:
Literate and stylish (literate and stylish)
Kissable and quiet (kissable and quiet)
Carson reddened, but continued to work.
Well that's what guys' dreams are made of
And that's all you need to know (and that's all you need to know)
You have it or you don't (you have it or you)
You have it or you (don't)
Seriously, how many commas could you put in one sentence?
Well, given that it was probably the longest run-on in existence, evidently a lot…
Meanwhile, Jesse grew steadily louder, eyes focused on his dorm's ceiling, watching Carson work in his periphery with a little smirk at the corner of his open lips.
You have it or you
You see how much time you're wastin?
You're coward of seperatin
Jesse's voice swelled, and he observed a small twitching start up at Carson's jaw with great satisfaction.
Stop it, come on
You know I can't help it
I got the mic
And you got the mosh pit
What will it take
To make you admit that you were wrong?
"Do you want me to give you an F?" Carson asked finally, voice loud and exasperated.
"Come on now, we both know you couldn't."
"Fuck you," Carson told the papers in front of him.
"If you want, I could be down with that, though I thought you'd at least want to make out a little bit first."
"You know, when you're as intelligent as I am, murder is actually really easy to get away with," Carson retorted dryly.
Jesse barked out a laugh, and then let the silence re-coat them, tapping his fingers against his jean-clad legs as if they were a piano.
After another few minutes, Jesse released a groan.
"Wow…this is so boring…."
Another pause.
Carson's eyes continued to track over the paper before him.
"Boring first date. But you know what would make it less boring?"
Carson finally sighed, pushing back the paper and pen he'd been using, and turned to fix his gaze sternly on Jesse's lax form, doing his best to get across the message that he really, really didn't care.
And, also, this wasn't a date. At least not more than a studying one.
"Aside from another concert? Or actually working?" he snarked.
Jesse smiled slowly and coyly as he propped himself up on his elbows, the expression making him peculiarly resemble a fox.
"You know you want me," he said simply, though with a very Jesse undertone of melodrama.
"You know what…"
Carson pushed abruptly off of the chair and went to the bed, leaning down.
"I think I do, now. Know what would make this less boring."
Jesse's smirk grew more pronounced.
"Of course you do."
Carson moved rapidly to straddle the university student, bending himself as close as he dared.
"Of course. I'm more intelligent than you by miles," he breathed onto the smooth, olive flesh of Jesse's jaw.
Then, just before their lips were to touch, he pulled back with a laugh.
"Probably because I'm not always thinking with my dick, idiot," he proclaimed triumphantly, sliding back from the bed and turning his back to Jesse. "Now, back to-"
A hand caught on his elbow and jerked him around.
Jesse's smirk had never been wider than when it caught Carson's lips and began to move against them.
The heat of the moment spread between them, and Jesse quickly stroked out his tongue, Carson responding with a subtle aggression, each battling to dominate the kiss, each determined to win in their own regard.
And of course, somehow, they both were doing that exactly.
Carson moved forward, and they stumbled backwards together towards the bed, limbs locked and pushing ever closer.
The door behind them burst open.
"Jesse, hey, have you seen- Okay, hey, woah. Getting it on- let a girl know will you? What happened to putting headphones on the door?"
Carson jerked back, lips pursed, and went instantly to the desk while Jesse released a loud groan on the bed.
"Things were just getting non-boring," he complained. "Carson, man, it's just Naomi, my roommate's girlfriend."
"Okay, hey, just the roommate's girlfriend?" the girl grinned. "Well, at least I'm not picking up my hook-ups from the middle schools. How old is this kid?"
"I'm sixteen," Carson declared, already taking back up his pen. "And here I thought cougars enjoyed high-school students."
She laughed loudly.
"Cougar? Well, drama queen, you do know how to pick 'em!"
"Of course I do," Jesse replied haughtily. "And I was just turning this into an actually interesting first date."
"Uh-huh…well, Lucas wanted to ask you something in the bathroom, and I needed my bra back before class so…"
She snatched up a lacy red bra from between the rumpled sheets on the other bed in the room.
"Hey, kid, you okay unsupervised for a few moments while Jesse here helps me out? I promise you can continue your-" she snickered slightly- "date, when he comes back."
"He's fine. More excited about fixing my paper than making out anyway," Jesse sighed, getting up.
"I'll be back."
There was silence in the room for a moment after the door closed before Carson let out an all suffering sigh and looked sternly to the paper as he said, "It's not a real date."
Neither he nor the papers could be entirely convinced.
Carson focused himself on the words he'd written, rereading the most recent paragraph, and only two lines of the next, pen tense in his hand, as he scratched out a few arrows, carefully switching the order of two cites before going on, eyes darting between the textbook open beside him, Jesse's paper, and his own separated page filled with rewrites and notations.
A creaking sounded behind him a few moments later, and Carson forced himself to remain absorbed in his work and not look at Jesse who was no doubt watching him with that stupid smirk and…
"Who are you? Where's Jesse?"
Carson frowned.
Or not.
He shuffled a few of the papers on the desk meticulously, other hand straightening his writing utensils.
"He had to help his roommate, and roommate's girlfriend," Carson said vaguely.
More creaking, though this time of floorboards instead of the door.
Carson turned to look at the guy, awkwardness already beginning to seep in and distract him.
"Are you waiting for him or something?"
The guy stared at him for a long moment, then went to Jesse's bed and plopped down.
"I'm Seth," he informed Carson. "I don't like vaginas anymore. How do you know Jesse?" Seth's tone twisted around the latter parts, and Carson cleared his throat uncomfortably.
What was wrong with people here?
"This isn't a date," he found himself saying, and Seth nodded.
"I'd hope not. Jesse doesn't need more boys vying for his attention."
"Right…"
"He's really fantastic," Seth added, twisting his fists in Jesse's comforter. "A true star. I only wish I could be as great as him. But I'm getting there."
"That's nice," Carson replied uncomfortably, more snark entering his tone than intended. "Maybe he can focus on you then, instead."
Seth nodded.
"He's one of my closest friends. We slept together last month. He's helped me a lot."
Carson scowled.
"Have you not heard of too much information?" he suggested. "Look, can't you just talk to him later about whatever you want to talk about? I'm trying to help him get some work done."
Seth lay back on Jesse's bed instead, and Carson sighed, reaching for his copies of "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
"I doubt he needs your help."
"Oh, I assure you he does," Carson retorted sardonically, flipping open Hamlet to his first sticky note. "Unless he wants to fail out of here, he definitely does. Do you realize how poor his grades are?"
"Jesse likes to flirt," Seth said, sitting up and looking Carson in the eye. "But he'll stop the second he gets you. And I doubt he really digs your intellectual groove. Jesse belongs with a fellow star."
Carson groaned.
"I don't actually care."
Seth scoffed and Carson glared at him.
"Some of us have higher priorities than sex."
"I have higher priorities than sex," Seth replied, standing and combing a hand through his short, dark curls. "You don't know me."
"Well, you're not giving me the best first impression," Carson informed him irritably.
Seth paused, then nodded, hurrying to the door.
"I'm sorry," he offered shortly, then opened the door and burst out, leaving Carson to stare after him incredulously, then turn to the papers on the desk and book in his hand and shake his head disbelievingly, muttering, "What the fuck?" under his breath.
"I'm back," Jesse announced. "I'm sure you missed me terribly, but it's all okay now."
Carson rolled his eyes.
"Oh yes. It nearly killed me breathing in all the fresh air that filled the room once you were unable to fill the space with your ego."
"My ego's not the only thing that can fill space," Jesse replied easily, sidling over to Carson's chair.
Carson nodded.
"That's right. So can your hair. I had a visitor while you were out, by the way. That was fun. We may have had sex in your bed, since, as you so kindly pointed out when I tried to sit on it earlier, that's clearly its best purpose other than sleep. I hope you don't mind. Actually, I hope you do."
"If that's true then we need to cover it up with the two of us instead," Jesse informed him, and Carson shook his head.
"Serious time. Work time. One question…no, wait, two: Why did your friend feel the need to inform me that he doesn't like vaginas anymore and when did you two sleep together?"
"I turned him gay," Jesse said with a shrug. "And he's very grateful."
Carson narrowed his eyes.
"I don't think I buy that. He was a little…"
"Horny?" Jesse supplied helpfully, though Carson ignored him in favor of, "insane. More so than you."
"He's just upset because secretly he only was into sex with another guy because it was me and he was drunk and I'm practically a sex god. Only thing I'm better at is putting on a musical performance. I'm a very talented performer, if that had escaped your notice, though I'm not sure how it would."
"Right," Carson said. "You've actually told me that before. This Seth guy also mentioned something about how much you'd never like me because of my intelligence, just so you know… This essay is awful, by the way. These sources are all completely inaccurate."
"That's why I have you to fix it up," Jesse nodded, returning to his bed. "And Seth's just jealous because he wants me to be in love with him and for him to actually be able to be in love with me. He called his parents after we slept together, you know? I'm talking, almost right after. He was so excited to tell them that he could be gay now for them."
Carson raised an eyebrow.
"Why the hell…?"
"Oh, it's all very Elphaba and the jeweled slippers."
"Sure," Carson said shortly. "Now back to the paper-"
"Or back to making out," Jesse mused, patting languidly at his bedspread.
"Back to the paper," Carson restated, and Jesse nodded resignedly, falling back.
"Back to being my most boring date. Are you done or something?"
"More like or something. Do you realize-"
"Why don't you want to make out again?" Jesse interrupted. "You seemed to be having a good time. Not quite as good at it as me, of course, but you'll get better if that's what you're worried about."
"Hey," Carson cut in with a scowl. "I was taken by surprise, alright? And, I, for one, don't need to be completely skilled at that. I've had better things to do with my time, St. James."
Jesse grinned, while Carson stood and began to pace for a moment.
"I was your first kiss, wasn't I? Do you want to sing about it?"
"What?" he fell back into the chair, staring.
"There's a great selection of songs," Jesse went on, nodding seriously. "First times are always very special."
"Is my head exploding? Because it feels like it is…"
"Come on. Relax. You need to learn how to have fun," Jesse declared. "Let's do a musical number. There's a fun song by 3OH!3… I said no more teachers and no more books; I got a kiss under the bleachers; Hoping that nobody looks."
"Jesse," Carson sighed, standing once more, but Jesse simply smirked and thrust his hips impertinently against his mattress, before rising to circle around Carson, then arch himself obscenely against the wall, as much a performer as ever. "It's time to shut up now."
Carson pressed his hands over his eyes, sighing.
"Oh my god, this man is crazy…" Carson mumbled, moving forward nonetheless.
"Lips like licorice, tongue like candy; Excuse me miss, but can I get you out your pant-mmf!"
Carson laughed against Jesse's lips, pulling back after a moment.
"I told you to shut up."
Jesse swallowed, still smirking, then opened his mouth and leaned forward ever so slightly so that his breath was brushing Carson's ear.
"In the back of the car; On our way to the bar, I got you on my lips…"
Carson's eyes flickered for a moment as he understood what Jesse was doing, but then he chuckled one more time, as if in release, and moved his hand to Jesse's cheek, turning his head to press their lips together again.
"I always do like to be good at what I'm doing," he murmured, as they pulled closer together, and Jesse grinned.
"I can attest that practice makes perfect…"
"Attest? Where'd you learn that word?" Carson breathed, a little wanton in tone against his will.
"I knew you'd like that…"
The pair sank deeper in, moving backwards subconsciously until they hit the bed and fell back, still moving against one another as they settled on Jesse's comforter.
Abruptly, again, Carson pulled back, and Jesse blew out a breath.
"What now?"
There was a pause, during which Carson stared down at his hands curled in his lap, then he groaned.
"I'm supposed to be smarter than this."
"You're kidding me," Jesse said flatly.
Carson turned to him.
"You're right. I'm attracted to you, and I'm enjoying this."
"Well, clearly," Jesse replied, the words somehow sounding exactly like a very blasé, "duh!"
"I don't like being wrong," Carson told him irritably. "Besides, this makes no sense."
"We're two hot guys with working dicks that like each other, and therefore like making out," Jesse reminded him blandly. "How does that not make sense?"
"I don't like guys or girls or people in general," Carson explained, clearly aggravated. "I've only been attracted in the least to one or two people, and I've received all kinds of crap for that. And now here I am making out with a narcissist, like it doesn't matter… I'm not a whore that you can just pay off with…Well, I don't know, but- I'm not desperate for action or whatever."
Jesse moved over to sit next to Carson on his bed's edge, their sides pressing together.
"I never said you were. If anything, you're the least desperate person I've ever met. Honestly, Carson? I really do like you, more than I usually like people. You're not someone I could just sleep with once and forget about. You wouldn't let me, and that's a big reason why I enjoy being with you so much, even when all you can talk about is your paper or how bad my grammar is."
"I'm not easy, in any way," Carson went on sharply. "And you happen to like things easy."
"That's only because things always come easy to me," Jesse laughed. "And maybe if you'd let them, they'd come easy to you too."
Carson rolled his eyes.
"So what now?"
"Well, I'd still be fine with continuing to make out or singing, so…Oh! Do you want to see my cats?"
Carson shook his head vigorously, turning to face Jesse and leaning forward so that his head was pressed to the college student's shoulder.
"Or we could watch a movie," he said quietly. "Like one of those actual stupid teenager dates I'm always hearing about. It will be good for my paper, I'm sure."
"Make it a musical of my choice?"
Carson looked up into Jesse's eyes.
"No sex."
"But the emotional connection is even stronger with music to it!"
"Not happening."
"What if it involves romance as well as writing and history and other 'intellectual' sort of stuff?"
Carson smirked, then nodded.
"Fine. But no singing along and I get to work on finishing your essay."
Jesse grinned and impulsively leaned forward to give Carson a quick kiss, which progressed even more swiftly, tongues rapidly engaging in a more and more comfortable battle, before he stood and moved toward the bookshelf's assortment of DVDs.
"We're watching Moulin Rouge," Jesse called over his shoulder, and Carson nodded vaguely, watching Jesse carefully as he moved.
Jesse returned moments later, and smirked as he plopped down next to Carson.
"Done analyzing the situation yet?"
Carson's lips twitched in their set, and he shook his head honestly.
"Not yet."
"Of course not. Just don't not enjoy our date because of it. Though with me here I don't see how you could, anyway."
Carson stared down at his lap, still sitting stiffly facing the other man, then, slowly, he unfolded his limbs ever so slightly and Jesse hummed, leaning against him as he took up the remote and hit power, then play.
"Mind if I lay down? I'll be less apt to sing along in that position."
Not even waiting for an answer, Jesse moved, sliding down so that his head was on Carson's thigh, and, because he didn't know what else to do, Carson moved his arm to drape over Jesse's side.
"You're going to love this, believe me."
"Sure…by the way. Jesse…Your grammar is shit. 'Don't not enjoy' is a double negative."
"I was wrong," Jesse laughed. "This isn't the most boring date I've ever had. It's the weirdest one. You make my most recent actual ex look near normal."
"Tell me about it later," Carson sighed. "If I'm going to actually have my first date right now, then I need to actually have it. Otherwise, there will be nothing to really write about for the Chronicle."
"I can't believe I'm competing with a paper. …Carson, listen to these next words, alright? They're important… Did you hear that?"
Carson groaned.
"Yes, Jesse, I heard that."
"Good. Now, say it with me, because it's something I think you need to remember. 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.'
A/N-
...You know, they say reviews are the best aphrodisiac of them all...;)