Chapter seven

A Comet moment

Emmet laid on his bed, with his hands folded behind his head, as he stared up at the ceiling, listening to the water running as his boyfriend was taking a shower. They had had just gotten back from their excursions, and as much as he wanted to just hang out with Colm, it had been fun hanging out with Raye. Sure, she may have sociopathic feelings, but she also learned to have fun, especially if she was the center of Emmet and Colm's attention. The boys made sure not to leave her out. She deserved that much, after saving Emmet's ass once again.

Since their early morning encounter with that fan, Raye felt more relaxed once she spotted a few guards who were assigned to her, Em, and Colm. They weren't close enough to touch them, but the guards gave them their space, only staying behind them at all times within earshot.

Emmet frowned. Ever since he came out, at least to Raye (and yes, they told her while they were having lunch, and of course Raye had to tell them that she would be their biggest supporter, which they accepted) and to Colm, he's been getting unwanted attention. Sure, he knew he was good-looking with an easy personality, and he was still quite innocent (which had its own charms, he guessed), but no matter what that guy said, he was certainly not cute. At least, he didn't think so.

Emmet shuddered involuntarily. He hoped he wouldn't have to face that guy, Jake was it? …Again. He didn't like the way Jake had groped him like that. It was far too intimate being touched like that by a complete stranger. If anyone had that right to touch him intimately, it was Colm. After all, they were boyfriends, which meant he had given that right to Colm only.

He was still new to the homosexuality world, but he's done his research. He wanted to make sure his feelings for Colm were genuine and real. The last thing he wanted was to lead Colm on, and then decline his own feelings. He felt that Colm didn't deserve that and it could harm their friendship. Emmet declined that he was the "romantic" type, but that had been a lie. As Neil so put it clearly in his song "Perfect", Emmet was just that, except he also liked to be playful in a relationship. He hated sappy romance.

"Hey, you're thinking again," said Colm, as he came out of the bathroom, with just a pair of blue boxers and a white t-shirt. Emmet sat up and scooted over to make room so that the husky-eyed singer could take a seat next to him.

"Sorry," was all he could come up with.

"Nah, don't be. You're not nervous about tonight, are you?"

"Not really. I just don't want to have to face him again."

Colm stared ahead, thinking about what had happened early morning. He wondered why Raye had suddenly hurried back into the dining room and without Emmet. He assumed that the brunette just needed to use the restroom, but when he saw the anxious look on his friend's face, something told him otherwise.

She must've figured out that they finally became an item, because she leaned down and whispered, "Emmet's being assaulted. Help him." Ryan was out of the dining hall before anyone could blink.

He rushed to the scene and froze when he saw Emmet being held against his will by a tall blonde. The next thing he was aware of was Ryan pinning down the tall, tanned blonde on the floor; after witnessing the man groping his innocent boyfriend's ass.

"Listen Em. I know you're still new to all of this, but believe me; I won't let anyone touch you like that again."

"But, you can't promise that you'll always will be by my side," Emmet said softly. Colm glared at Emmet, but it wasn't an angry glare.

"I can certainly damn well try," he snipped. "I haven't left your side since Saturday night, have I?"

"Colm - ," Emmet tried.

Emmet gasped as a pair of hot lips suddenly descended upon his neck, kissing every inch of skin that happened to be exposed. The sudden impact sent them falling to the bed, with Emmet pinned to the mattress by Colm's strong arms. It was as if something within had simply snapped. His tongue darted out to lap at the back of Em's neck, earning a strangled moan from the brunette. Every ounce of common sense had been stripped away from him, leaving nothing but the passionate desire pumping through his veins.

"Colm…what are you doing? Colm!" Emmet moaned loudly, unable to continue as Colm's hands trailed down to his waist, slipping underneath his shirt.

Hearing the moan, and knowing he'd caused it, seemed to set off a chain reaction. Colm suddenly became aware of how tight his boxers had become and how strikingly beautiful Emmet looked sprawled beneath him.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize just what the hell he'd been doing. Colm quickly got up and backed away from the brunette, almost falling off at the edge of the bed. Emmet pulled himself into a sitting position, the shocked look still plastered on his face.

"Shit, Em, I'm sorry. Believe me, that's the last thing I wanted, was for you to feel forced into this, especially after those two incidents. I didn't want you to feel like I was one of them. It was just in the moment, I guess," Colm explained, feeling stupid. That was lame, or at least the last part was.

Emmet gave his boyfriend a look of understanding. It was like that last night, so he understood. "It's okay, I trust you. I know you're not those boys and you won't force me to do anything I don't want too. I was just startled, that's all. You can…continue, if you want," Emmet said, blushing at the last part.

"Okay, but before we do, you should choose a safeword; I'm assuming you know what a safeword is?" Colm asked, and Emmet flushed deep red. Well, at least he's not that innocent, Colm smirked.

"Riding Crop," Emmet said at once. Colm smiled. Raye and Sherlock must be rubbing off on the brunette, because Raye did tell them at one point during their excursion, that Sherlock uses a riding crop for certain purposes.

"Alright, Riding Crop it is, then. Use that as soon as you start to get uncomfortable in any situation, whether it's talking or – oomph…"

Suddenly, he was cut off by a pair of lips smashing against his own, silencing him. Emmet smiled against his boyfriend's lips, with triumph. He pulled away for a brief second.

"You talk too much. We should also let Raye know about the safeword too."

"That's a good idea."

Unable to resist his heated desire for Emmet any longer, Colm swooped back in, devouring Emmet's lips in a bruising kiss. Holding back a moan, Emmet allowed Colm's tongue to slip into his mouth; deepening the kiss. Their lips crashed together over and over again, experimentally, and Emmet gasped into the kiss when Colm's hands slipped underneath his t-shirt once more, caressing his skin.

Colm pressed himself even closer to the trembling body beneath him. It felt as if every cell on Emmet's skin was on fire, scorching him with pleasurable heat, Colm was causing to arise within him. The brunette's breath left his body in short, labored gasps and an arousing sensation spread throughout his lower body. Colm moaned lightly when their hips accidentally brush, enjoying the way their bodies fit together.

Emmet wrapped his arms around Colm's neck and pulled him in for another passionate kiss, loving the feel of Colm's body pressed gently against him. Somehow, with Colm's husky eyes, they made him feel safe and protected, and loved.

Emmet and Colm froze in mid-kiss as they heard loud banging right outside their door.

"What the hell are you guys doing? Dinner's in 15 minutes!" Ryan shouted.

"Yeah, plus you've got your gig in an hour and a half!" Neil reminded them.

Emmet groaned with disappointment as Colm rolled his eyes. It was just as when he was starting to get comfortable, their friends just had to interrupt them. Some friends, Emmet scoffed.

"Shit," Colm cursed, "alright, alright! Give us five minutes."

In less than five minutes, Colm and Emmet were wearing a white long-sleeved, collar, shirt. Colm was wearing a black, silk sleeveless vest, and a pair of black dress pants. Emmet was wearing just the shirt, a black tie, and he knew he was going to regret it, but he chose to wear a pair of black girl jeans instead. He actually felt quite comfortable in them, and he knew he looked good.

Colm gave him an appreciative look and leaned in and whispered, "You look good, Em. Those girl jeans do fit you nicely," he said, as he gave Emmet a gentle squeeze on his ass, to make his point known.

Emmet blushed. He realized that he hadn't recoiled when Colm had touched him there. Not like when Jake had. So he figured that Colm really did have the right. He trusted that Colm would never hurt him sexually, not if the husky-eyed singer could prevent it.

"Thanks Colm," he said with a smile. He gave Colm a chaste kiss on his lips, before both of them grabbed their room keys and Colm opened the door. Of course Ryan and Neil were still there, waiting for them.

"Well, it's about time -, oh, it took you less than five minutes, nicely done," Neil complimented.

Colm rolled his eyes. "Well, we're used to dressing fast," he said in a "duh" tone.

"Whoa, you boys look sharp; what, you guys have a date?" Ryan smirked.

"Actually -," Colm started, but Emmet stepped in.

"We're only dressed for our Cometgig tonight. Right Colm?" Emmet said, giving his boyfriend a look.

"Yeah, right. Sorry. We don't want to make our friends waiting," Colm apologized quickly, as he started to walk towards the dining room, with the other boys following behind.

Ryan leaned over to Em. "By the way, are those girl jeans, Em?" he whispered teasingly. Emmet flushed. Of course Ryan was going to notice.

"Yeah, what about them? I feel more comfortable wearing them," the brunette explained.

"Are you sure you're not trying to impress anyone in particular?" Ryan urged.

Emmet didn't know why, but he suddenly froze, his feet planted on the floor. Colm sensed that something was wrong and stopped and turned around. Neil also stopped. Colm noticed a small fear in his boyfriend's eyes and immediately looked at Ryan.

"What did you say to him?" he asked in a dangerously, low voice.

Ryan raised his hands in complete surrender, immediately sensing the danger. What the hell was going on? Colm had been acting strange in the last couple of days, actually since the first night on the cruise. He was going to ask if it had something to do with the Holmes' girl, but he figured that was a bad idea, seeing as how close the three of them had gotten. He didn't want to piss off Colm even more. So he had to choose his answer carefully.

"If I said something to offend Emmet, then I'm sorry," Ryan apologized.

Colm nodded curtly. "Fine." He walked over to Em, who was still rooted to the spot. "Em, what is it?"

"Well, well. Fancy meeting you guys here, of all places," replied a Southern US voice they knew all too well. Colm closed his eyes for a brief second. Good god, why can't everyone just leave Emmet alone?

"Shit," he cursed once again. He turned around, gently shoving Emmet behind him and shielding him from the dangerous pervert. "What the hell do you want now? Didn't Raye tell you not to bother us?"

Jake just rolled his eyes. "Oh, you mean that little sociopathic bitch? She can't lay a finger on me. Not when she has her security guards holding me first. Otherwise she would have taken me down when I was touching Cahill."

He started to walk past the guys, only stopping next to Emmet. Colm tensed up when Jake leaned in too close to his boyfriend. "By the way, I can't wait for your performance tonight, should be exciting." He then turned to Colm; his eyes narrowing and stepping a little too close for Colm's comfort. "And also, I know that you're kind of a like a dog in your group, with those gorgeous husky set of eyes you have, but I suggest you keep a tight leash on your cute little boyfriend, if you don't want anything to happen to him tonight," he threatened, before walking away.

Ryan and Neil stared after the blonde with disbelieving eyes. Neil looked back to Emmet and Colm. "What the bloody hell was that all about?"

"And what does he mean, "Your cute little boyfriend? What the hell is going on?" Ryan demanded. He knew what was going on. Colm and Emmet must've finally confessed their feeling for each other, and Colm was being more protective of Emmet than usual. But he wanted the young couple to open up first, before he made an assumption. Emmet winced at the harshness of the dark-haired singer's voice. Colm glared at Ryan.

"Shut up." The husky-eyed singer gave his boyfriend an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Em. I know you wanted to keep them in the dark for a while, but I guess it can't really be helped."

Emmet gave Colm a small smile. "It's okay, I understand. And we should let them know what the safeword is as well. You can tell them."

Colm looked over to his fellow singers and took a deep breath. "We're together, now," he answered, as he took a hold of Emmet's hand, and squeezing it gently.

"Well it's about time, mate," Neil replied, happy for them. "I'm sure everyone will be thrilled, especially George and Raye."

Emmet smiled, despite what happened earlier. "Yeah, Raye did tell us that she would be our biggest supporter when we told her at lunch today."

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Keegan. Because you do realize that you're dating Emmet, who's the baby of our group. We won't hesitate to come after you if you hurt him," Ryan said with a smirk.

"Ryan, please. I trust him enough," Emmet said, clearly, and making Colm blush a little.

"Good. Now the other question is; what the hell are we going to do with that guy?" Ryan wondered, as they continued to make their way. "And why does he have a sudden interest in you?"

Emmet shrugged uneasily. "I don't know. I didn't like it the way he made Raye uncomfortable this morning, and I'm willing to bet it wasn't because he was assaulting me in front of her either."

"What do you think it was?" Neil asked.

"Well, I'm not a consulting detective, but there was a split second I caught when it looked like Raye knew the guy somehow."

"He wouldn't try to come after you if we had everyone in the group come tonight, will he?" Colm asked, feeling unsure.

"Well, I don't know. He seemed to not care about Raye's threat or the fact that the three of us were here, when he walked right up to Emmet. But I'm sure that the Caribbean Lounge, where you guys are doing your gig, will be filled with fans. Plus, I'm willing to bet that Sharon and David will be there. So he wouldn't dare try to come after you," Ryan reassured Emmet. Colm sighed.

"I hope you're right, Ry. At least for Emmet's sake."

Note: Sorry, I don't really have an excuse for taking this long to update, as the story is already finished. And that I have a sequel planned. Although I had broken my thumb during the first week of July (2015), so I took a wee break in writing these boys...well writing in general anyway.